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Lost Prologue: Twisting the Time Away
Posted by J. Wood, January 20th, 2009
83 Comments
Filed under: Contributors.
It was to begin again.
The fifth and penultimate season of Lost is nigh, and at this point, there are a lot of past-present-future narrative knots to untangle. Time is out of joint, as is the island, and the future isn't what it once was. What we can be sure of is that, with only 34 episodes left, Messrs Cuselof, et al., will be flooding our screens with more information than their tiny dimensions and our powers of perception will be able to handle on one viewing alone.What we can be sure of is that, with only 34 episodes left, Messrs Cuselof, et al., will be flooding our screens with more information than their tiny dimensions and our powers of perception will be able to handle on one viewing alone. So the virtual community convenes once again to knock our collective noggins together and see what we can find, and to watch for the creators watching us watch them.
Before I go any further with this preliminary post, just know that this post is not as long as it looks. Last season ended with all kinds of talk surrounding writers and thinkers like Jeremy Bentham, Philip K. Dick, and Joseph Campbell. In trying to find some apparatus that would help to organize all the developing storylines, I was looking for some sort of basic catalog that might help with some overall structure. There are many out there, and most are written for the aspiring fiction writer, playwright, or screen writer. However, the plots described were more often than not too general to be of much use in these circumstances.
Then I came across a slightly obsessive late 19th century French literary critic named Georges Polti, who wrote a book called The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. Polti doesn't take credit for the list, though; he claims it was the 18th century Italian dramatist Carlo Gozzi who determined the thirty six situations, and that his math was checked by both Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller. It's a hard list to top. Polti also does the heavy lifting of categorizing and breaking down all the possible variations within his thirty six situations, and he seems to revel in such work, but it yields a book that's about as enjoyable to read as a blueprint. However, it is still used by those who make their livings out of crafting narrative, and is surprisingly useful for understanding where Lost is coming from and where it might be going. Reading the various Lost storylines against Polti's list even hints where some of the complicated romantic storylines might emerge from. This isn't necessarily to say that the writers are definitely using this text, but it is to say that it can be usefully applied.
Rather than break everything down that Polti does, with numerous subgroups under each situation, below you can see just the thirty six situations themselves, with some representative examples from Lost. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I'm sure people can add to it — in fact, I hope you do. If you would like to see an outline of just the situations with their subgroups, click here, and you can see why I did not go into the subgroups. Polti was dealing with ancient, Renaissance, early modern, and contemporary drama from his day, and as such his situations can seem a little odd to a modern eye (see Situation 26, Crimes of love, Subgroup E: A woman enamored of a bull). In fact, after reading his list, it seems much drama has put some interesting twists on these situations.
Lost always generates a bit of tension with its audience in the gap between episodes.Lost always generates a bit of tension with its audience in the gap between episodes. Time is not only distorted in the show itself; a day for them can be a week for us. For this reason, many prefer to watch a season again on DVD uninterrupted, when storylines don't have as much time to simmer in your subconscious and make you question why this survivor is getting romantic with that Other, or why a plotline was introduced and not followed up on for four weeks. Hopefully, the following list will help some to see some possibilities in such time gaps, and alleviate some confusion.
And with that, I give you the list. But please note, there is an announcement at the end of this post. If you don't want to read through the entire list, please skip down to the announcement, because it has a direct bearing on where this little Lost part of the web will be heading this season.
1. Supplication. Elements: A persecutor, a supplicant (someone pleading humbly), and a power in authority, whose decision is doubtful
• Pre-crash, Locke wanting to go on a Walkabout and later wanting to become an Other.
• Pre-crash but on the island, Ben wanting to join the Others as a boy .
• Michael getting Walt back.
2. Deliverance. Elements: An unfortunate, a threatener, a rescuer (the reverse of Supplication).
• The Freighties arriving to seemingly rescue the Lostaways.
• All the times Charlie was saved.
3. Crime Pursued by Vengeance. Elements: An avenger and a criminal.
• Pre-crash, Kate killing her (step)father.
• Sawyer killing Locke's father Cooper in the Black Rock.
• The Others attacking the DHARMA Initiative / The Purge.
• Off-island, Sayid's life as an assassin after Nadia is killed.
4. Vengeance Taken for Kindred Upon Kindred. Elements: Avenging kinsman; guilty kinsman; remembrance of the victim; a relative of both.
• Locke setting up Cooper's death.
• Pre-crash but on the island, Roger blaming Ben for his mother's death, and Ben killing Roger.
• Off-island, Sayid taking revenge for Nadia's death.
• Pickett taking revenge for Colleen's death.
• Off-island, Sun's corporate take-over of her father's company, Paik Heavy Industries
5. Pursuit. Elements: Punishment and Fugitive.
• Pre-crash, Ana Lucia running from her manslaughter in LA.
• Pre-crash, Kate running from killing her stepfather and boyfriend.
• Pre-crash, Eko escaping Nigeria.
6. Disaster. Elements: A vanquished power; a victorious enemy or a messenger.
• The lost children: Walt, Aaron, Zach, Emma, Alex, Karl.
• Pre-crash, the Purge of the DHARMA Initiative.
7. Falling prey to cruelty or misfortune. Elements: An unfortunate; a master or a misfortune.
• Victims of Ben's machinations (Juliet, Jack, Locke, Roger, the DHARMA Initiative, the island).
• Pre-crash, Kelvin was in the Defense Intelligence Agency during the Gulf War, and turned Sayid into a torturer in order to extract information from a captured Iraqi officer. He does so by showing Sayid video of a nerve gas attack on Sayid's home village, an attack ordered by the officer in question. Kelvin convinces Sayid they need him because Sayid can speak English and Arabic, and it is only after Sayid commits torture that Kelvin reveals he spoke Arabic all along.
• Pre-crash, Desmond being duped by Kelvin about a Desmond not being able to leave the Swan station because of some disease.
• Ben's fall from power on the island.
8. Revolt. Elements: Tyrant and conspirator.
• Pre-crash, Ben working with the Others to take out the DHARMA Initiative.
• Locke working with Ben to stand in Jack's way of getting everyone off the island.
• Sawyer's long con to take the guns.
9. Daring enterprise. Elements: A bold leader; an object; an adversary.
• Sawyer, Jin, Michael and Walt trying to get off the island on a raft, and being overtaken by Mr. Friendly and the Others.
• Charlie re-establishing communications in the Looking Glass station.
• Locke and Ben moving the island before Keamy and the mercenaries can implement the secondary protocol.
10. Abduction. Elements: The abduction; the abductor; the guardian.
• Jack basically abducted out of the air by Ben via the crash in order to repair his back.
• Pre-crash, Juliet abducted by Ben via subterfuge.
• Children abducted by the Others: Alex, Walt, Zach, Emma, attempts at Aaron.
• Sawyer, Jin and Michael abducted by the Tailies.
11. The Enigma. Elements: Interrogator, seeker, and problem.
• Jacob.
• Smokey.
• Emily appearing to Ben.
• Desmond slipping in and out of time (and backgrounds of scenes changing as a result).
• Hieroglyphs.
• The numbers.
• The Valenzetti Equation.
• Moving the island.
• Ageless Others.
12. Obtaining. Elements: A solicitor and an adversary who is refusing, or an arbitrator and opposing parties.
• Getting the dynamite from the Black Rock.
• Ben getting himself caught by the Lostaways and setting Jack up to operate on him.
• Locke seeking knowledge of what happens when the computer isn't reset.
• Desmond looking for a way back into Penny's life.
• The DHARMA Initiative looking for a way to solve the Valenzetti Equation.
13. Enmity of Kinsmen. Elements: A malevolent kinsman; a hated or reciprocally hating kinsmen.
• Pre-crash, Cooper conning Locke out of his kidney.
• Off-island, Sun's takeover of her father's industries
• Pre-crash but on the island, Ben killing Roger.
14. Rivalry of Kinsmen. Elements: The preferred kinsman; the rejected kinsman; the object (desired person).
• Pre-crash, Jack and Christian were in professional competition with each other.
• Walt attempted to find a father-figure in Locke rather than Michael.
• The multi-lateral power struggles between Jack and Locke, Jack and Sawyer, and Locke and Ben.
15. Murderous Adultery. Elements: Two adulterers; a betrayed husband or wife.
• Sawyer's parents.
16. Madness. Elements: Madman and victim.
• Hurley.
• Locke's mother Emily.
• Danielle Rousseau.
• Regina (the Freightie who went mad and jumped overboard wrapped up in chains).
• Radzinsky?
17. Fatal Imprudence. Elements: The imprudent; the victim or the object lost.
• Boone's death.
• Alex's death as a result of Ben negotiating with Keamy
• Pickett's taking out his wife Colleen's death on Sawyer leads to Juliet shooting Pickett.
• Pre-crash but on the island, Kelvin doesn't notice that his hazmat suit is ripped; Desmond follows him into the jungle and whacks him. (Not clear that Kelvin is dead.)
18. Involuntary Crimes of Love. Elements: The lover; the beloved; the revealer.
• Mistaken hint / narrative mislead that Christian was seeing Jack's ex-wife Sarah.
19. Slaying of a Kinsman Unrecognized. Elements: The slayer; the unrecognized victim.
• Pre-crash, in an ER flashback, Jack chose to save Sarah, his future wife; this choice meant he let Shannon's father, Adam, die.
• Ana Lucia accidentally kills Shannon.
• Michael panics and accidentally kills Libby.
20. Self-Sacrificing for an Ideal. Elements: The hero; the ideal; the "creditor" or the person or thing sacrificed.
• Both Locke and Ben are willing to commit (or arrange) patricide in fealty to the Others and the island.
• Eko actually becomes a man of god in honor of his brother's sacrifice.
21. Self-Sacrifice for Kindred. Elements: The hero; the kinsman; the "creditor" or the person or thing sacrificed.
• Michael commits murder in order to get Walt back.
• Sawyer spends his adult life in pursuit of the man who conned his parents and caused their violent deaths, and does so as a con man.
• Pre-crash, Claire was going to LA in the first place to make sure her baby could have a better life.
• Pre-crash, Kate becomes a felon in order to protect her mother from her (step) father.
• Pre-crash, in Australia, Sayid tried to give his friend Essam a chance to escape a terrorist cell bust.
• Jin's father, a fisherman, may not have been Jin's biological father, but despite his poverty, he raised Jin as his own. Jin is prepared to do the same when he is unsure if Sun's baby is his or not.
22. All Sacrificed for a Passion. Elements: The lover; the object of the fatal passion; the person or thing sacrificed.
• Ben's obsessive/possessive attitude toward Juliet, the island, and his leadership role leads to his eventually losing his grip over the island inhabitants.
• Pre-crash, Charlie loses his faith and his brother to heroin.
23. Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones. Elements: The hero; the beloved victim; the necessity for the sacrifice.
• Ben couldn't be with the Others until he killed Roger.
• Locke can't be with the Others until he kills Cooper.
• Locke shows Boone that he has to metaphorically let Shannon die.
• Before Aaron was born, Claire was unsure whether she was to raise her baby or give Aaron up to someone else.
24. Rivalry of Superior and Inferior. Elements: The superior rival; the inferior rival; the object.
• Ben and Locke over the island.
• Locke and Jack over the survivors.
• Possibly Ben and Jacob over the island.
• The Others / Hostiles and the DHARMA Initiative over the island.
• The Lostaways and the Others over part of the island.
• Jack and Sawyer over the guns.
• Pre-crash, Michael and Susan over Walt.
25. Adultery. Elements: A deceived husband or wife; two adulterers.
• Pre-crash but on the island, Juliet and Goodwin.
• Pre-crash, Christian Shephard with Carole Littleton, Claire's mother.
• Pre-crash, Sawyer's mother with Cooper.
• In a way, Kate and Sawyer while prisoners of the Others, as seen by Jack on the closed captioned television.
• Pre-crash, Jin's mother was with many men.
• Pre-crash, Sun with Jae.
26. Crimes of Love. Elements: The lover; the beloved.
• Pre-crash, Boone and Shannon's crypto-erotic relationship.
• Pre-crash, suggestion that Kate's (step) father may have violated her.
27. Discovery of the Dishonor of a Loved One.
• Pre-crash, Sun learning that Jin's mother was a prostitute (who tries to blackmail Sun) and Jin's father was alive and a poor fisherman.
• Jin learning that Sun had an affair with Jae.
• Ben chafing at Alex and Karl's relationship.
• Pre-crash but on the island, there's the suggestion that Roger punished Ben by blaming him for Emily's death.
28. Obstacles to Love. Elements: Two lovers; an obstacle.
• Pre-crash, Jin and Sun from different classes; Jin made to be a thug slave to Mr. Paik in order to be with Sun
• Pre-crash, Desmond and Penny from different classes; relationship blocked by Charles Widmore.
• Pre-crash, Jack's professional drive gets in the way of his marriage to Sarah, and off-island, his alcoholism and nihilism gets in the way of his relationship with Kate.
29. An Enemy Loved. Elements: The beloved enemy; the lover; the hater.
• Jack and Juliet, interfering with Ben's plans for Juliet.
• Given Charles Widmore's emerging role, Penny — Desmond's beloved — could be considered to be the daughter of an enemy.
30. Ambition. Elements: An ambitious person; a thing coveted; an adversary.
• Pre-crash, Christian Shephard's professional ambition as a surgeon is hindered by his drinking.
• Pre-crash, Jack Shephard's professional ambition as a surgeon is hindered by his father Christian.
• Pre-crash, Charlie's ambition as a musician is hindered by his inability to handle the lifestyle.
• Locke's spiritual ambition is hindered by his naiveté and desire for a father figure, which Ben takes advantage of.
31. Conflict with a God. Elements: A mortal; an immortal.
• Ben's possible power struggle with Jacob.
• Locke's emerging psycho-spiritual connection with the island. Possibly Rose as well.
• Both Charlie and Eko's coming to terms with their Catholicism.
• Possibly each attack by Smokey.
32. Mistaken Jealousy. Elements: The jealous one; the object of whose possession he is jealous; the supposed accomplice; the cause or the author of the mistake.
• Boone initially jealous of Shannon and Sayid.
• Charlie becomes jealous of Claire and Locke.
• Jack, set up by Ben, sees Kate and Sawyer on the closed-captioned television in the Hydra station. Ben hopes to ignite jealousy in Jack, but Jack turns the situation around when he has Ben on the operating table in order to get the other prisoners freed.
33. Erroneous Judgment. Elements: The mistaken one; the victim of the mistake; the cause or author of the mistake; the guilty person.
• Assumption that both Goodwin and Ethan were initially survivors of Oceanic Flight 815.
• When Ben is a prisoner in the Swan station, he's assumed to be a dangerous liar, but ends up saving Locke during the lockdown.
• Locke letting the Swan station computer count down to zero.
• Locke in believing Sawyer during Sawyer's long con to get the guns out of the Swan station.
• Ben in thinking he can talk Keamy into doing what Ben wants, which ends up in Keamy killing Alex.
34. Remorse. Elements: The culprit; the victim or the sin; the interrogator.
• Off-island, Michael for the deaths he caused trying to get Walt back
• Off-island, Jack for leaving the island
• Pre-crash, Christian for leading two lives with two families, leading to his drinking himself to death
• Pre-crash, Hurley believes his weight is what caused a deck to collapse, leading to the deaths of two people.
• Pre-crash, Hurley's father David for abandoning his family
• Locke realizes too late that he caused a destructive electromagnetic discharge when he let the Swan station computer count down to zero without resetting it; that discharge may have even given away the island's position to the Freighties on the Kahana, leading to the island invasion.
35. Recovery of a Lost One. Elements: the seeker; the one found.
• Michael getting Walt back.
• Penny finding Desmond.
• Rose and Bernard being reunited when the Tailies find the Lostaways.
• Off-island, Sayid is reunited with Nadia, but she is later killed.
• By Season Five, the island wants the Oceanic Six back.
36. Loss of Loved Ones. Elements: A kinsman slain; a kinsman spectator; an executioner.
• Pre-crash, Christian Shephard's death in Australia.
• Pre-crash, Ana Lucia loses her unborn baby when she's shot while on police duty.
• Off-island, Sayid's wife Nadia is killed by an employee of Charles Widmore, Ishmael Bakir.
• Shannon's brother Boone dies trying to help the survivors by crawling inside the treed plane, and the plane crashes to the ground.
• Sayid's on-island love interest Shannon is accidentally killed by Ana Lucia when she believes she sees Walt in the jungle, and stumbles across the Tailies.
• Hurley's romantic interest Libby is accidentally killed by Michael.
The Announcement: Some readers may recall that at the end of last season, I mentioned in passing that I was having some vision trouble. It was a bit more than that, and it kept building over the summer.
A few months ago I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder where my body thinks the myelin sheath around my neurons is an invader.A few months ago I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder where my body thinks the myelin sheath around my neurons is an invader. Some of you may know someone with MS, or you may have it yourself. If so, you know that the symptoms are irritatingly random (it was thought I actually had West Nile Virus before the MS was officially diagnosed). Seems I've had it for some time, but it wasn't found until the relapse that triggered the wacky vision. This has meant a number of changes in just what I'm capable of doing right now; sporadic fatigue, uncooperative eyes, and unmovable thumbs have as much say in what I want to write as any episode does. I'm just not working as fast as I'd like to.
That said, it was suggested to me by a number of wise voices that I just pull the trigger on this and make the announcement. That way I don't put any unnecessary pressure on anyone; some weeks I may not get a post up as soon as I would like, or a post may be a bit shorter than normal. I may have to just refer to some themes from some texts, and not go into as much detail (which may end up being better overall). Right now I teach every Wednesday night and Thursday morning, so I'm planning on getting posts up Thursday afternoons or Fridays. If someone is antsy for a missing post, they'll know why it's not up yet.
However, I began all the meds and therapy three weeks ago, and things are getting under control. I've been inside an MRI machine and forgot to take off a belt with an iron buckle; it was like the failsafe in the Swan station, and the machine yanked my belt and my body up off the table. I get to wear a pirate patch sometimes, like Mikhail. If you recall the first episode of the second season, "Man of Science, Man of Faith," you'll remember when Desmond inoculates himself with an injection gun; I get to to zap myself with a modern version of that each day. Honestly, though, this is about all the space I want to take up on this blog about the MS; I'd much rather talk about Lost.
Books mentioned in this post
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The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations (Georges Polti)
Polti Georges Polti -
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$10.46 Sale Trade Paper
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J, how delightfully surprising to see you today, your blog is quite the icing on today's cake. I think I will wait until tomorrow to try to digest the Polti list! Fascinating!
I'm very sorry to hear that your body is not obeying your mind, please do take care of yourself and we will be glad for whatever insights you are able to give on the forthcoming episodes, whenever you are able to do so.
Hear, hear, Miss Gretchen! I second those thoughts---be good to yourself, J. We'll take your wonderful insights on LOST whenever we can get them.
Thank you for the narrative list. My friend and I were just discussing the different narrative forms and I was looking for a condensed list, thank you so much. I unfortunately only discovered this blog about a month ago but I have been reading it as I caught with the DVD's and it is an amazing companion.
I wish you all the best with your health and look forward to reading your thoughts as the weeks go on.
I was so pleased to read your blog today, but saddened at the end by your announcement. I will send positive thoughts you way. I love your insights and all the referenced books. I live in Portland, so Powells is my bookstore. =) That's how I first found you. While I enjoy your post, your health is the most important thing! Take care of yourself and no more metal in the MRI machine.
J,
Great to see you back and thanks for the thought-provoking post, as always. A read of your perspective on any episode is one of the highlights of the days following. Stay strong, brother! I've been fortunate to know and work with some fantastic people who've lived with MS (and other auto-immune issues) for many years. Keep the faith ... and keep writing when and how it suits you. Peace.
J. Wood. So sorry to hear of your battle. I am quite close with a victim of MS, and she works through life as best as possible, sometimes very well actually. Always willing to wait for your thoughtful posts, and always wishing you the best.
J, wishing you the best and the first priority is your health, so take care of yourself. Reading your Lost blog places a very close second to watching the actual show as far as enjoying my week. Take care and read you soon!
P.S. A couple of corrections: #16: Regina jumped overboard in chains, not blew her head off; and #28: Jack's wife's name is Sarah, not Susan.
J. Wood - so glad to have you back - I've been looking forward to reading your comments as much as seeing the new season - the depth of your thought is much appreciated.
As someone who knows what it's like to deal with an illness and all the crazy medical stuff that goes with it, I applaud your ability to look at it all mythically - the situation does take you to a very surreal place - last time I had an MRI, I imagined I was sailing off in the TARDIS (Dr. Who)... take care of yourself and try to take it all lightly...
This blog should be required reading for anybody who watches Lost.
Best wishes, J. Any posts from you will be more than welcome, regardless of length...
Love your blog--it's great to see you back to begin the new season. I have two relatives living with MS, and wish you the best. Know that we appreciate your continued efforts and look forward to your insights whenever you're able to share them.
Qonderful blog, but I cannot navigate Powell's rss morass.
How do I subscribe to this blog, without also subscribing to other blogs (among which, untitled, it becomes, well, lost)? - Will
It's great to read your thoughts again. I echo the well wishes above. I hope you are able to get your body under control via whatever method works for you. I look forward to reading your musings on the upcoming episodes.
J.,
It's great to have you back and commenting. I've been looking forward to getting back on-board the Lost train with you since last May.
I'll add to what's sure to be a growing list of well-wishers with regard to your Announcement. Take good care of yourself, post when you're able, and thank you, for coming back to do this again.
You are very courageous! My best wishes for your health. Your words are always worth waiting for.
CB
Welcome back---you have been missed over this unbearably long drought.
Here's wishing you 1,000 good days to every bad day you might have.
Namaste.
As always, I am inspired by your courage and intelligence. And I can't wait to read what you think about the first episode.
Glad you are back! This past season, your comments were the first thing I looked for after each episode of Lost. I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis! Will be thinking positive thoughts for you. Thanks for hanging in here -- we'll be happy for your insights and comments whenever you can post!! Just a few more hours...can't wait for the 5th season...
Very sorry to hear of your illness. There's an auto-immune condition in my family, too. My sympathy and prayers.
Under these circumstances, your wise insights will be cherished even more. You've become an important part of the LOST experience.
Robert Heinlein had only six basic plots but for maximum detail, we could start perusing the multi-volume Stith-Thompson Index which lists every possible plot motif found in myths, fairy tales, and folk tales.
Been reading your blog posts for years - and loving them. Can't wait to read your insight into this evening's episodes. Sorry to learn of your diagnosis and health difficulties over these past months...hoping the good days outweigh the bad a million to one.
Wish you the best. Can't watch the show anymore without reading your follow-ups.
Sorry to hear such news, I hope you do take care and whatever you are able to post will be well worth it. Thanks again for providing this blog.
Like fate, MS is a fickle b**ch, but I have watched a couple of friends who have been dealing with it for years. "Trigger" is the very word they use to describe any relapses they've experienced. Listen to your "wise voices". Please know we will all be patient for your thoughts on the new episodes.
Maybe after we are able to discover how the Oceanic 6 manage to get back to the missing island (if they get back), we can let you catch a "ride" since the island is apparently a cure all. Rose and Locke (well, he is complicated since he is both alive and apparently not alive) would love your company, I am sure.
This blog has made such a difference in my reading tastes and exposed me to so many works I have enjoyed, as well serving as a reminder to review past favorites. My fellow Lost addicts at school stop by for a debriefing after each episode and my non-reading friends ask for a Cliff's Notes version of your blog weekly. Thanks for being so dedicated, even during these difficult times.
J. This blog made Lost so much more enjoyable. I've always admired your courage and intellect, and I will continue to appreciate every little letter of every little word that you write, whenever you can. I'll be sending you my most positive thoughts from my island down here in Brazil.
I echo all of the above sentiments. I am grateful for whatever you are able to give us.
J. Wood! I'm so thankful for the post. Again, amazing literary insight. Please stay well and healthy as possible, you have an incredible mind. I'll take your posts whenever you are able. Blessings and prayers to you.
J,
Delighted to see you'll be back for another season offering your indispensable insights.
All of us who follow this blog will, hopefully and on the advise of our new President, put away childish things and behaviors and demonstrate the patience of adults.
When your health allows, we'll welcome your thoughts. If and when it limits you, we will understand. And, if on a given week you only feel up to dropping a few crumbs from your interesting mind, that will be fine. Let us pick up your seed ideas and run with them. Who knows, we may be able to entertain you a bit. Well deserved pay back.
Best of luck.
I started reading your blog based in the LostCasts recommendations and really became a fan during your passionate exchanges on the LostCasts Fan Forum last season.
Well wishes and good thoughts to you sir,
Chris in Fort Worth
Hey J,
Thanks for all the great insights over the past season and I am looking forward to a lot more. Take care of yourself and write the columns in any speed that your body dictates. We can wait.
Take Care.
keep up the good fight.
yours is by far the best analysis of the show, and, indeed, the most evocative of what it means to tell a cracking story.
all the best...
Glad you're back, J! This is sure to be an exciting season. I am very sorry to hear of your illness - take care of yourself. xoxo
I just wanted to say thanks for to good wishes, and Shauna H, I submitted the fix on Regina and Susan/Sarah -- good eye.
And I should have something up about the season premiere either later today or early Friday. It was definitely an episode (two episodes?) that revealed more on the second and third viewing.
Part of looking forward to Season 5 of Lost was also anticipating getting to read your blog again!
Thank you for sharing your MS situation. I guess we really don't know what life will throw at us and I wish you the best. I appreciate that you're even willing to make the effort to continue w/ your much-loved and unique take on Lost!
Like all the others, just want to send on my healthy thoughts and prayers to you, J! Love your blog, although I only started watching LOST last summer and, therefore, this is the first time I'm watching it week-by-week! Your blog and all its many lovely scholarly thoughts will hopefully get me through the days in between.
I wish you the best of luck in your fight against MS and, like most of your readers, look forward to your posts, regardless of length or frequency.
Love the insight Mon Frere, as the 34 before me, give it to us when you can...and by now you probably realize many of us come here to get a grasp on the week's epi, and we will be patient...
In our thoughts, here in Chicago,
Staggerlee
J. my best wishes, and I have read your blog for quite a while, and love it.
Your announcement was brave and the right thing to do, and I hope everything turns out for the best.
Dear J.,
Such fun to read your post again! The 36 dramatic situations, with examples from Lost, are a very interesting way to consider things to the point where-we-are-now (pre the season 5 beginning...)
You can see that your public loves you; if good will and caring are a balm, we wish for you copious amounts! I join my voice to those who have already sent you their warmest thoughts and await what you have to share with us, with both enthusiasm and patience.
P.S. I am keen to know what you think about the Inauguration of President Obama and all that proceeded it. If there is any way, any of your insights about this can be worked in to your Lost commentary, that would be terrific. (I realize that the episodes we will be seeing now must have been written before the election. And, that the time frame for Lost is all set prior to January 20th--right? And that this blog really is all about Lost; but I know Lost is rich, so maybe you'll find a way...)
Good Gosh, that premiere was great.
Can't wait to read your thoughts on it, J.
J.
Be well, take care of yourself, and know that we all greatly appreciate everything that have done/will do for our better appreciation of LOST, and life in general. Your honesty and bravery are greatly appreciated. Look forward to your post on this first episode of the new season, as it was a doozy!
Sorry to hear about your MS. I wish you the best of luck and hope your symtoms stay under control. I love reading your analysis of Lost.
I'm so glad your posts are back, J., and so sorry to hear you're ill. I've long thought your blog offers the most illuminating and thought provoking literary analysis of Lost available anywhere. I will continue to look forward to reading it whenever I can!!!
J., I always look forward to your posts. I'm very sorry to learn about your health condition and hope that you're taking care. Thanks for continuing to pull all of the Lostie references together for those of us who like to have a good community dork out about the easter egg-ridden show without having to listen to the rambly podcasts of the totally obsessed.
I've enjoyed your posts for years, appreciating the deeply smart yet entirely accessible ideas and propositions. Your work has always been impressive and I'm sure your commitment to getting the better of the disease will be as heartfelt and successful as your intellectual endeavors have proven to be.
I've never posted a comment to something like this before, but your MS announcement really touched me and motivated me to reach out. THANK YOU for all of the the depth and richness your insights add to the Lost experience. I really appreciate the time, effort, and knowledge you put in. Shorter or later posts? No worries, you never disappoint. Learning to live and work and be with a chronic illness is a process, and I wish you luck and ease with it. Take care of yourself, make sure you have good doctors, and accept the help, support and goodwill of others whenever you need.
I'm so sorry to hear this. :( Your column has been THE best read on Lost to me. It has been more than stimulating and informative, and it rewards me multiply for following the show and your column. I hope you'd get this illness under control soon. I would love to read whatever you can afford to write in the mean time.
So glad you're back, J! Lost isn't the same without your insight.
P.S. I love the nods Messrs Cuselof, et al., gave to us Lost fanatics in the season opener. I mean, Neil and Ms. Hawking right off the bat? Too perfect!
J.
Best wishes to you. My best friend's father has been dealing with MS since the late 1970s and it has never affected his intellect, wit, or belief in what good things also may be waiting around the next corner.
Your insights and your allowing us to join in this forum are not an accessory to "Lost" but its shadow self, and it is very much appreciated.
I wasn't sure whether or not your posts would be continuing for this season and was overjoyed when I checked out my bookmarks after this season's first episode and saw a delicious new entry. Thank you. You rock. I also was diagnosed with MS last year after some wacky vision that was actually more and, much as I regret that we're both being betrayed by our myelin, it's hugely reassuring to me that you, with your fantastic insights and thorough research and everything else that you do, seemingly have the same basic attitude about MS that I do.
My sister-in-law was diagnosed with MS over 17 years ago and she has had no serious relapses (knocking on wood, not you, of course). I look forward to your blog with great anticipation as a means to understanding one of the greatest television experiences since my favorite cult show, The Prisoner. Sadly, the Prisoner himself, Patrick McGoohan, just died, but those 17 episodes will live on. And so will you. Goddess speed.
Good luck with the MS. My Aunt has it, and at one point was using bee sting therapy to help her sight!
J, your writing and your insights are worth waiting any length of time to read. Take care and thank you.
So glad Lost is back and doubly glad J. is back, too.
I know a cure for MS: More bourbon.
But seriously, take it one day at a time and do what you gotta do. We're Lost fans, which means we're obsessive, which means we'll find every post you make the instant you make it, no matter when that is. My mom was recently diagonsed with rheumatoid arthritis, so I am one of many who now know a little about the auto-immune blues. God bless you and keep you, J.
Like Lia, I'm not a posting kind of person, but there is a first time for everything and your news has moved me to break the seal. My thoughts and prayers go out to you as you engage what fate has dealt to you. We have one lesson drilled home though this shared experience of Lost: Science and Faith, need them both. I wish you boundless supplies of them as you move forward.
Your blog is wonderfully insightful. I look forward to it every week during the
LOST season. Like all of the other folks who've posted, I wish you all the
best. Be well.
J wood
Great to read your thoughts again! I would like to Eko everyone else that your blog makes Lost so much more enjoyable. We defiantly look forward to your insights and intellect. Simply stated, you are the best.
I wish you good health and happiness
The puma
J. sending you welcome back from my own island that has secrets :) Take your time and post when you can. Keep fighting the MS and be strong.
Props J... keep up the good work. Sorry to hear about the MS. I know some amazing people who live with it with hardship though without complaint and other who take the darker view. I'm glad to see you're taking the high road and staying positive and continuing to work. (It has nothing to do with being selfish and wanting to keep read your Lost posts.)
Wahoowa (to you from Chicago)
J, I wish you the best. Hope you feel better soon and I always look
forward to any analysis you have to give... no matter how short. :)
Aloha J!
+++ ;-) +++ ;-) +++
Here are some positive thoughts and smiles for you!
Thank you very much for sharing your clear vision and insights with your avid readers. Without you, we'd all be LOST!
-- lost and back again
Mr. Wood,
Another great blog to ponder until next week's installment. Also, only the best wishes to you in living with and treating the MS.
Glad to have you back!
I had to add my best wishes on your battle with MS, and my hearty thanks for all your fun, and very insightful thoughts. Rarely do people react so strongly about the illness and well being of someone they don't really know...a true testement to the power of the written word and your willingness to share your exceptional mind! Good luck...
J., I was saddened to hear the news about your health, but I'd like to echo the sentiments of the others in wishing you and your health all the best. You don't strike me as the sort of person who would allow something like this get in the way of doing something that you enjoy, so I'm very glad to hear that we'll be continuing to get your extremely unique and insightful analyses of Lost. I'm very much looking forward to reading your take on the premier episodes, but there's always no trouble in being patient. ]
J Wood,
I enjoy your Lost Blog so much. I sincerely hope your health continues to improve. Thanks for everything.
Scott
As has been said already, your blog and thoughts are a joy to read, and our thoughts and prayers are with you for your illness.
Your positive outlook on this challenge for you is inspirational, so don't hold back with your thoughts if you feel like expressing it, as your readers will always benefit from your intelligent and humorous take on the experience, like what you wrote in your last paragraph for instance. :-)
I am an avid reader of your posts, and I wanted to echo the sentiments of the other comments here. I wish you all the best in your battle with MS, and I will always look forward to reading whatever insights you have the time to write.
Hi, I've enjoyed your column for over a year now. I have cerebral palsy and had great hopes for Voice Activating software to help me, it didn't, so I just muddle along. I wish you the best of health, I know the whole body won't do what the brain wants scenario. I'll continue to look for your column however long it takes for you to post.
Hey, do what you need to do with the real life stuff to get better. It is a tad bit more important than Lost.
We'll just hang out til you get the commentaries on the site.
thanks for your blog and post... Having MS myself, dx'83, and having my share of brainfarts, I'm using Lost as mental gymnastics. It's like doing the Sunday NYT crossword or their 'puns and anagrams' puzzle. Do they still have those?
Best of luck to you! Think positive and keep your sense of humor sharpened and ready for action.
Hi J, I wish you all the energy you need to do all those things you want and send energy your way to help. I love your posts and will look forward to them no matter when they arrive. Take care of yourself and good luck.
"come back to the island, J Wood! the island needs you! it will heal you!"
no, seriously...my powell's daily dose today was highlighting a new book by wayne dyer, titled "there's a spiritual solution to every problem". look for it. sounds like Locke to me...
ya know, J--if your eyes and your fingers won't cooperate with your posting your thoughts , yourself, just dictate your reviews aloud, either to a friend who can type them in as you say them, or say it into a recorder and give that to someone to type in the entry for you [and for us]! luckily with tv recording in so many forms available on demand, you can watch an episode whenever your eyes are cooperating. you can 'watch' an episode with your ears, st the time of first broasdcast, even if your eyes are messing up at the time....
how many times do i have to tell you, J? i always have a plan!
i'd add 'knock on wood', but i don't want anybody knocking on YOU.
be a man of science AND a man of faith! if Jack can't heal you, the island will.
if this show has tuaght us anything, i'd say it's to NEVER yeild to a loss of faith.
my roommate and i went thru your short list of drama plots for the show, made notes of them, and then filled in as many others as we could identify that should have been added under each heading.
the thing i like about your tracing themes in LOST to historic thinkers, is how it helps me clarify to myself, in my own life struggle, why this show has me so pinned, and how i've ended up where i am in my life today--and whether i can make things right, and if so, how.
i swear this show was a stroke of grace from god or Fate that came out just at the right time in my life to grab me and hook my attention, before i got any further trapped and tangled in my own mess. i swear, if i can take in the answer it came to put in front of me, it will not be too late for me to get back to where i'm supposed to be and what i'm supposed to be doing while i'm alive.....
one more thought for you, j wood--
you MIGHT be able to post your thoughts about LOST as an audio blog you just speak, but if you go that route, i'm afraid i might not be able to follow and listen to it. not unless someone kindly decides to translate it to text as an alternative way to access what you post. i freaked oput today when i discovered my webtv can't load the whole page of your posts anymore. i had to abandon the webtv and go fire up the pc in the other room in order to get on this page and catch up with your posts today. i'm gonna take that issue up with powell's webmaster, tho.
Another avid reader of your "Lost" blog here (but first time commenter). My sister has MS so your announcement cut straight through to my heart. Your plan to slow down when necessary is a really good one. It's all about listening to the body. We, your faithful readers, will eagerly devour what you post on "Lost" when you post it - yours are writings very much worth waiting for. In the meantime, good luck with everything and "Namaste." (Although that greeting has developed a vaguely sinister cast to it, hasn't it? No sinistersness meant.)
Regarding number 16, Madness. Hurley would be pissed to see his name in this list.
Whew!
I submitted a piece for the first two episodes a couple days ago, and we're just awaiting the tech people to send it up. It's a bit longer because it was two episodes, and on review of some scenes, there were some symbols that literally opened themselves up on the screen, and needed to be unpacked. Get your copy of Valis ready.
This season, I'm also doing a quick rundown of the books involved for the DocArzt site (http://www.docarzt.com/). It's a quick recap of the books mentioned in a post, and the majordomo there, Jon Lachonis, will link back to this blog.
Again, thank you all for the kind wishes. I'm not quite sure what to say, but I wish I could show off my cool eyepatch. Jrgrn, if you're still doing okay and were diagnoses in 1983, that's quite an accomplishment. My understanding is if someone was diagnosed after something like 1994, they would be fine, but before then, there would be problems. We know I've been dealing with it since about the winter of 1999, but it wasn't diagnosed until my eye went sideways.
Hjorton flicka, I think there may be something of recent political events allegorized at some point, but you're right, most of the current episodes were shot before the election. One thing that strikes me is that the entire goal of the O6 is to basically go back to where things were broken on the island and fix them. That's been the basic political message since the election. I'm not sure how partisan Lost wants to get; I think they're more interested in introducing some of the possible debates, but not making grand pronouncements. Rather, the narrative becomes a place where the characters (and the audience) becomes a forum to discuss issues that parallel what's going on in our own world (surveillance, torture, misinformation, etc.).
I did note in my post for "Because You Left/The Lie" how Carmen is starting to take on that kind of Jiminy Cricket voice of the political conscience. Every now and then she says something that seems more like a maxim than just a line: "Jesus Christ is not a weapon," and "The news thinks you did this, and if the news does, then everyone does."
The post for "Jughead" will be up sooner than the last one; I'm already at work.
Janet, you added more to the list? I'd like to see some of that.
One clear addition to that list came in "Because You Left" -- Locke has to sacrifice himself for the island.
(I'm going to do everything in my power to not have to dictate anything; there's something about the clacking of the keys that just seems absolutely necessary to the writing process.)
Ditto...
Hi everybody!
I discovered this blog through a link on a great forum I found in the fall, when Season 4 was being shown here, in France-- talk about a timeshift!
I had an awful lot of catching up to do, and I learned a great deal on the series-- things I had never had time to give much thought to, things I had forgotten (I don't have any of the DVD sets; I'll get the mega full series Blu-Ray pack), things I would not have thought of anyway.
Reading your Blog, J., was the very best experience of all. Not only did I learn a lot about the show, but also on literature, science, science fiction, philosophy, ...
As you have pointed out several times, any such analysis inevitably adds to the "text"; anyone making such a thorough analysis inevitably reads more into it than was (consciously) intended; since I specialize in literature, I am pretty well aware of, and sensitive to, this.
Yet this series clearly is very well thought out, with a high awareness of the careful scrutiny it is under, and careful attention is given to names, plots, details, staging, ...
The problem I had, obviously, was that I could mostly only read, and hardly react, let alone interact, with forum or blog members.
I was hoping to find a more satisfactory solution, but in the end, at least, I was able to download the recap and the first episodes on Sunday; I will surely be able to do so every week now; I watched them last night.
Along with the series itself, I was very much looking forward to the discussions on the Dharma Secrets forum and to your analysis, J..
However, the joy has been tainted by your announcement.
I sincerely wish you all the necessary courage and strength to fight, conquer and overcome your illness.
J,
Along with everyone here I wish you all the best with your battle against MS. I look forward to your weekly insights and references as much as the episodes themselves, and as a result of your musings you have broadened my literary awareness beyond measure. thanks for all your work so far, and thanks in advance for all your future posts.
jbsmith85
Hi J! I'm so pumped about watching Lost and reading your blogs again!
I happened to recently read a poem by Sir Walter Raleigh called "The Lie." It's a fairly dreary poem, expressing a very reductionist worldview, something like what pre-escape Jack might have written, if he were a poet. Don't quote, but I think one verse went something like this:
Tell zeal it wants devotion,
Tell love it is but lust,
Tell time it is but motion,
Tell flesh it is but dust,
And wish them not reply,
Or thou must give the lie.
(According to some research I did, "give the lie" was a phrase meaning to publicly accuse someone of lying.)
Incidentally, if you remember your American history, (I didn't, I just did some research), Raleigh was the original founder of what it is now known as the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. Several groups of Europeans tried to settle it, but the last group mysteriously disappeared. The most common theory about what happened to them is that they were assimilated into native-American tribes.
Anywho, just something I found interesting and thought you might like to know. I look forward to more blogs. Thanks!
Only today did I find your blog (linked on the Powell's website). LOVE it. I love the insights, the links, the fascinating connections and analysis. My Lost viewing will now have a whole new dimension.
Two months ago, I happened to be re-watching the first two seasons of The West Wing (the MS episodes) when my son was diagnosed with MS. His symptoms and experiences were much like your description--right down to the belt buckle in the MRI! (You'd think the techs would warn guys about that...) Just last night he told me that his body "took well" to his first week of injections: a very good sign. And then today, I find your blog. Oh, the coincidences and connections in all our lives!
Strength to you (and I agree that the clatter of the keyboard is crucial to the composing process).
Like many readers, I await each week's new posting from you, and when it appears I read it greedily. I care not at all whether time proves your conjectures 100% wrong, as your musings provide an E ticket ride.
But also like many readers, I take without contributing. It saddens me that it took the news of your physical condition to prompt me to write. I too hope you continue your contribitions, but you, and your family, must come first; this efort comes in a distant second (at best). Good luck with your battle against MS. In that vein, let me share this bit of news that 'broke' just today.
Science Daily reports researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine appear to have reversed the neurological dysfunction of early-stage multiple sclerosis patients by transplanting their own immune stem cells into their bodies and thereby "resetting" their immune systems. "This is the first time we have turned the tide on this disease," said principal investigator Richard Burt, M.D. chief of immunotherapy for autoimmune diseases at the Feinberg School. The clinical trial was performed at Northwestern Memorial Hospital where Burt holds the same title. The patients in the small phase I/II trial continued to improve for up to 24 months after the transplantation procedure and then stabilized. They experienced improvements in areas in which they had been affected by multiple sclerosis including walking, ataxia, limb strength, vision and incontinence. The study will be published online January 30 and in the March issue of The Lancet Neurology.
Best wishes,
dmg
Dear Mr. Wood,
"LOST" is a mystery of synchronicity: there is a Sydney connection in recent MS stem-cell research, possibly un-"Locke-ing" the secrets of spontaneous nerve regeneration.
MSNBC: "MS damage caused by multiple sclerosis could be repaired using stem cells extracted from a patient's bone marrow, new research suggests. A team led by Bruce Brew at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia, injected stem cells from mice and people into the brains of mice designed to act as models of human MS. Brew's team found that the stem cells were able to home in on areas of recent damage, and convert into oligodendrocytes - cells that manufacture myelin.
Fatty myelin insulates nerve cells and is essential for effective signalling in the brain. But in patient's with MS, their own immune system attacks the myelin, causing progressive weakness, memory and vision problems.
"We've been able to show that those stem cells differentiated into different sorts of brain cells - the most important of which was oligodendrocytes, the very cells that produce white matter," Brew says.
It is not yet clear whether the new oligodendrocytes are capable of repairing myelin sufficiently to reduce symptoms. But the findings do suggest that patients "could conceivably have their deficits partly or wholly reversed", Brew says.
Thank you for your insightful post!
I'm totally going to sit down sometime in future and see what I can add to that list. I love the reference/literary works you find for us.
I wish you all the best! I have family friends who cope with MS and have an idea of what you are facing (note: an idea only)
Your positive attitude will help you out greatly I am sure.
Maybe you can update your avatar to include the patch!
Sending you a big hug, and warm wishes!