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Lost: Solitary (2004)
Easter Egg In 'Solitay' - The Mysterious French Transmission
The repetitive transmission of numbers followed by a French pre-recorded message every 16 minutes, and originating from an unknown location on the island is possibly a reference to a very real Russian radio signal known as UVB-76.
UVB-76 is a mysterious signal that broadcasts at 462.5 kHz. It's believed the signal has been broadcasting since the early 1970's. It wasn't until 1982 that someone recorded one of its broadcasts. It transmitted a decade before anyone took notice, much like the mysterious signal transmitting from the island on Lost wasn't noticed for 16 years.
The Russian UVB-76 broadcasts a repetitive, short burst buzz 24/7/365. Every year or so UVB-76 would interrupt the buzzes with human messages reading a series of numbers and Russian names. Until recently, the location of the UVB-76 transmission was unknown. "Online chatter about the signal increased in 2010 as bizarre broadcasts were issued on an almost monthly basis. Snippets of Swan Lake were played, a female voiced counted from one to nine, a question mark was transmitted in Morse code, and strange telephone conversations were overheard. Since October 2010, the station has changed location." It now broadcasts from multiple locations within Russia. Just like the island changes location and the island signal transmits from various locations in the Pacific.
So, there you have it, Lost's version of UVB-76.
Lost: The End: Part 2 (2010)
'The End' Explained: Mythic Imagery Of The Hero's Journey
Everything you want to know about the confusing ending to the series can be found in the DVD bonus feature "A Hero's Journey." The writers were Joseph Campbell fans. (Yay!) The final minutes of the series finale is the culmination of Joseph Campbell's "The Hero With A Thousand Faces." What transpires on the screen during the confusing final minutes of the season finale is the final act of the mythic hero's journey or quest: reward, recognition, and immortality from the powers that be who subjected the person to the hero's journey in the first place. Its a sort of thank you from the universe (or island, as the case may be) to those who participated in the hero's quest. This event, this ceromony, this story, has many names, many tellings, many versions and many faces under many religions and philosophical belief systems. It transcends the human experience. This is why we see the spectrum of religious icons on the stained glass window connected to each other by the tree of life. The story about to unfold in the church has been told and retold in many ways for ages beyond memory. Joseph Campbell called this a "universal archetype." What the viewer is about to experience in the final minutes of the series is the end of the road for the mythic hero, the hero with a thousand faces. You are about to get a serious dose of serious mythology...with a Lost twist. You are about to embark on a rite of passage ceremony.
It starts with the flash sideways. In season 6 we get our first glimpse of an alerntative timeline running concurrent with the real time events of season 6. Where did this alternative timeline come from, and what brought it into existence in season 6 for the first time? The hydrogen bomb detonation at the end of season 5 is responsible for creating the alternative timeline of season 6. Juliet confirms this when she says from the bottom of the shaft, "It worked!" This is verified by the fact there was no apparent aftermath of an atomic explosion in the openig shots of season 6. It appears as if the H-bomb detonation created an alternative timeline via "the butterfly effect." This was done because the island wanted it done. It was the will of the island, and there was a reason for it. The alternative timeline, once again, touches upon the relative nature of time we saw throughout season 5. And, the relative nature of time in the alternative timeline is revealed when Jack says in the season finale, "Why is everyone here, now," and Christian Shepard replies, "there is no 'now', here." Because there is no 'now' in the alternative timeline, there is no time. Therefore, the "zero time" alternative timeline represents eternity, immortality of the soul and a life of happily ever after for those who dwell within it. It's the hero's reward at the end of the journey or quest. It's the Lost equivalent of Valhalla. Some hero's get the girl, some get the gold. Lost survivors get the alternative timeline, and a happily ever after...for a moment. The late season six episodes "Happily Ever After" and "Everybody Loves Hugo" allude to this. The alternative timeline was a way the island (or Jacob) created a special place for the people, the heroes with a thousand faces, who helped save the island from the curse of the smoke monster (Locke Ness Monster), a universal archetype for everything bad and evil that dwells within the hearts of people. Think about it. The Oceanic 815 survivors don't know they're dead in the alternative timeline. They don't realize they're dead in the alternative timeline until they make physical contact with other members of Oceanic 815 and have flashbacks as a result. When they flashback to island crash memories, they have an epiphany, and that epiphany is, "I'm dead, but was allowed to "live" out the ideal life I never had when I was alive." They gain peace, forgiveness and closure from the epiphany and experience in the alternative timeline. Their souls grow. It's a fitting reward for people who were a spiritual mess when they embarked upon the hero's quest. The island expressed its gratitude to the passengers of Oceanic 815 for their service to the island by letting them live out a percieved 'real life' in an alternative timeline it created with an H-bomb explosion. Now on to the immortality part and the final quest of the hero's journey.
Once the survivors finally realize they're dead in the alternative timeline, Hurley is Johnny-on-the-spot. He scoops them up and collects them for a final gathering at a house of worship, an appropriate archetype symbol for the event. Hollywood is good at that stuff. Remember, the church gathering is Hurley's idea, and he orchestrates the whole thing. Also, Hurley is the guardian of the island.
Was the bright light Jack saw as he was dying on the beach a glimpse of heaven as everyone thinks? Or, is Hurley summoning him and everyone else back to the island for one more adventure? The final quest of the hero's journey? Dead people do show up on the island from time to time, and Hurley sees dead people. Hurley has everyone he needs in the church, he's the guardian of the island, and, as Lost liked to point out, time is relative. Perhaps Hurley needs a hand with his own "candidates?"
Can you say, "reboot?" (or movie)
Hey, if the X-Files can do it, so can Lost. And, I'm willing to bet that Lost won't blow it like the X-Files did.
Just saying....
There are other clues in 'The End' that point to a reboot or movie.
Kate: C'mon Jack, we have to go now.
Jack: Go? Go where?
Christian Shepard: You're not going anywhere, son. You're moving on.
Or something like that...
In the final scene of the series, Vincent, the island dog, lies beside Jack on his left side. There is a lot of "mythic imagery" here pointing to a movie or reboot. The dog at the left side of Jack as Jack stares at the sky is a reference to the Tarot card 'The Fool.' The Fool tarot card is numbered 0, just like the 'zero time' alternative timeline of season 6. As such, symbolically, The Fool represents the manifestation of the spirit into the material world. It's where the hero's journey begins, not ends. As the scene ends, we see a bright light centered around Jack's eye, and we're reminded that this is how the series began in season 1: A flash of bright light surrounding Jack's eye. Everything has come full circle. A circle, like the number 0. Like the Maya concept of cyclic time. Like Yin and Yang. All that dies is born again. And so it starts again, the mythic hero is ready for another quest. Just like The Fool.
Ok, Jack, get your ass up. Hurley needs you.
It could happen....
Lost: LA X: Part 2 (2010)
He May Be Called 'The Man In Black', But....
The smoke monster is usually seen as a sleek, serpentine whisp of shape shifting smoke gliding effortlessly through the air as if in water. Therefore, that makes him the "Locke Ness Monster."
Or 'Puff the Magic Dragon', depending upon your perspective.
Lost: Enter 77 (2007)
A Better Computer Game Than Chess?
The computer chess game on the computer monitor in Mikhail's 'office' is about right for the late 70's, and certainly right for the early 80's. However, I think a better game to show would have been 'Pong', the grand-daddy of all video games. I remember first seeing Pong in 1976 and it is certainly an icon of computer games from the 70's. Also, the 'blip' sound when the pong ball hits the pong paddle would have made an excellent 'blip' warning sound when the 108 minute timer ran down.
Too bad Dharmaville didn't have an early 80's style video arcade somewhere on the compound. I think we would find Hurley and Jin in there visiting the classics such as Asteroids, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Galaga, Centipede and Frogger.
Lost: The Other 48 Days (2005)
Thus begins "The Star Trek" Effect.
Anyone familiar with the original 1960's TV show "Star Trek" knows that when the show opened with extras in red shirts, those extras were doomed to die within the first 5 minutes of the show. The "tailees" are Lost's version of the Star Trek red shirt extras. Granted, they get more than 5 minutes of screen time, but, by the end of Season Four everyone except Bernard has suffered from the Star Trek Effect. Apparently, the island (and writers) required the sacrifices.
Not sure if this is an Easter Egg shout out to Star Trek, but the fate of the "tailees" sure convicend me of a possible connection.
Lost: A Tale of Two Cities (2006)
Easter Egg of Powerful Symbolism Sets The Mood & Tone For Season 3
Jack, Kate, and Sawyer, are in cages like animals. They are treated like animals by the Others. They are conditioned and trained like animals. Sawyer learns a reward system to obtain food in the cage... like an animal. ("It only took the polar bears two hours to figure out.") The symbolic imagery and accompanying message tells us this: Devolution. The survivors of Oceanic 815 have devolved into animals.
By season 3 everyones packing. Everyone shoots first and asks questions later. Paranoia and distrust are rampant. There is no law. There is no order. There is no beacon of civilization remaining in the hearts of anyone on the island. It's the Wild West with automatic weapons. The law of the jungle prevails, or, as Guns-N-Roses quite correctly point out in a song: "It's a jungle baby, and yer gonna die...."
Season 3 is actually an Easter Egg. It's a shout out to "The Lord of the Flies," and much of season three reflects, like a mirror, (another iconic symbol used extensively in the series) a Lord of the Flies theme, tone and mood.
So, sit back and enjoy Lost's reinvention of Lord of the Flies.
Lost: Recon (2010)
The Greatest Missed Dialogue Opportunity Of The Series
When I saw Zoe for the first time, I was certain Sawyer was going to say something like, "Yo, Tina Fey, drop the weapon."
Didn't happen.
A great writing opportunity missed by the writers.
Bummer, it was the perfect line for Sawyer.
Lost: Man of Science, Man of Faith (2005)
Whoa, Deja-Vu. It's The 1970's!
That opening shot of the lava lamp and record turntable sent chills down my spine. The first words out of my mouth when I saw this were, "Dude, that's my turntable. So that's where it went!" Seriously, I had a turntable exactly like that in the late 1970's. As the episode continues and we see more of the hatch interior, we get more glimpses of the late 1970's: The CRT computer monitor on the central desk with the mag tape computer processing system behind it. The LP albums, the interior decor, the dinnerware, glasses, utensils... the prop depatment nailed the 70's vibe and look. For me, it was a moment of deja-vu. Wow... the 70's... I'm back! Despite the attention to detail for the 1970's hatch interior, the Lost prop department did get one prop wrong. The computer printer is from the 1980's, not the 70's. They didn't have printers like that until the early 1980's.
As the series progresses, we get more glimpses of the people and things of the 1970's. In the flashbacks of the Dharma Initiative during it's heyday in the 1970's, we see people in charge of Dharmaville (Horace and Lennon) who look like they just came down from a three day acid trip and somehow got stranded on the island while on their way to the next Grateful Dead show. Totally nailed it. Each and every time, Lost nails the look and feel of the 1970's, with only a few minor mistakes along the way.
Another out-of-place item for the 70's segments of the show are the bicycles we see cruising around Dharmaville. These are relics from the 1940's and 1950's. By 1974 the 10-speed bicycle was king of the road, and there are none in Dharmaville.
Thank you for the wonderful trip down memory lane. I miss the 70's.
Lost: The Man Behind the Curtain (2007)
The Gruesome Easter Egg in 'The Man Behind the Curtain'
The Jonestown Massacre of 1978
There is a brief shot of dead people lying about the Dharmaville compound after Ben kills them with poisonous gas. The imagery of bodies strewn about the compound is a spooky reference to photos and camera footage from the Jonestown Massacre of 1978.
There are parallels between Dharmaville and Jonestown, as well. Both can be considered cults escaping the constraints of social pressure in order to pursue a more idyllic, enlightened lifestyle. "The Dharma Initiative" ran Dharmaville. "The People's Temple Agricultural Project" ran Jonestown. Both "The Dharma Initiative" and "The People's Temple Agricultural Project" contain religious elements in their names. Both Dharmaville and Jonestown had a cult like reverence for their leader. Dharmaville during the Others occupation had Ben, a manipulative schemer who claimed to have a personal relationship with the island 'deity' Jacob. Jonestown had Jim Jones, a manipulative schemer who claimed his cult status through more traditional religious beliefs.
Lost: The Beginning of the End (2008)
Easter Eggs In 'The Beginning of the End'
"The Oceanic Six"
This is a shout out to Gilligan's Island. Many don't know that a Gilligan's Island movie was made in the late 1970's. In the movie, the castaways finally get to leave the island and return home. Once home, they deal with many problems that certainly served as an inspiration for the writers of Lost. Although Gilligan's Island had seven castaways during it's TV run, only six of the original cast members starred in the movie of the 1970's. Absent from the cast was Tina Louise, who played the original Ginger in the TV series. Therefore, only six of the original Gilligan's Island cast members actually made it home.
Also, the "Oceanic Six" bear unmistakeble similarities to the castaways of Gilligan's Island.
In Gilligan's Island, Mr. Howell was an eccentric millionaire. In Lost, Hurley is an eccentric millioniare.
In Gilligan's Island, The Professor was the techno wizard of the island. In Lost, Sayid is the techno wizard of the island.
In Gilligan's Island, The sophistciated Ginger always wore dresses. In Lost, the sophisticated Sun is known to wear dresses. However, since the original Ginger never made it off the island, Sun is most probably Lost's version of Mrs. Howell. Sun, like Mrs. Howell, is married. And, as seen in the flashbacks, the Kwon's seem to be doing well for themselves like the Howell's.
In Gilligan's Island, The Skipper was the authority figure. In Lost, Jack is the recognized authority figure on the island.
In Gilligan's Island, Mary Ann was a country girl from Kansas. In Lost, Kate is a country girl from Iowa.
That leaves Gilligan and Aaron. We'll have to wait to see how that one shakes out.
There you have it, the "Gilligan's Island Six" of Lost.
If the Oceanic Six isn't a shout out to Gilligan's island, then why use the number six when you could use one of Hurley's lottery numbers instead?
Lost: Dave (2006)
The Hidden Easter Egg in 'Dave'
This is a shout out to Cheech & Chong. Coincidently, Cheech shows up in the series a few short episodes later. The running joke of the episode is: "Dave's not here," a line from a Cheech and Chong skit that put the duo on the national radar in the early 1970's.
In a later episode (Tricia Tanaka Is Dead), the Lost writers give another shout out to Cheech. In the episode, Hurley finds a 1970's VW microbus and wants to get it started so they can take it for a spin. Someone asks Hurley how he's going to start the engine. Hurley replies, "We'll push the car." Sawyer retorts with a very famous line from a Cheech and Chong skit when he says, "Push the car?!?" (If I didn't know better, I'd say Sawyer is trying not to laugh while delivering the line) Every Cheech and Chong fan knows the next line to Sawyers retort: "get yo mama to push the car," which, unfortunately, Sawyer didn't utter. Classic nonetheless.