Sledgeweb's LOST ... STUFF

"Cabin Fever" Poll and Review

2008-05-13T01:44:08Z

Sledgeweb users loved "Cabin Fever" giving it the highest rating of season 4. The SWLS faithful graced episode 4x11 with an 8.94 rating beating the next highest episode by just over a quarter of a point. An astonishing 92% gave "Cabin Fever" a rating of 8 or higher. There were 3 votes of 6 or lower and we will address those later in this article. The high rating of this episode got me wondering about which episodes were most liked by the users. The following is a numerical order of average rating of each episode. #1 Cabin Fever 8.94 #2 The Constant 8.68 #3 Confirmed Dead 8.57 #4 Shape of Things 8.47 #5 Beggining of the End 8.46 #6 The Economist 8.37 #7 Ji Yeon 8.06 #8 Meet Kevin Johnson 7.54 #9 Eggtown 7.25 #10 Something Nice 7.04 #11 Other Woman 6.76 It is obvious that SWLS users enjoy episodes that center on the mythology of the island and the more science fiction aspects of the shows. They enjoy episodes that contain many questions and not a lot of answers. Our posters do not enjoy the romantic episodes nearly as much. Lets see why our users liked "Cabin Fever" with such a passion.

]]> Ladybug started out the love fest by declaring, "10!!! Definitely a 10. WOW!!" I would give her reasons but it was sixteen items long. We get it ladybug, you really liked it! Asmodean agreed, "They let it all loose on this one. More questions than answers, but awesome LOST". PrincessLeia was over heating with her post. "I LOVED IT... I still have smoke coming our of my ears from having my noodle so overcooked last night." Stay away from PL until she cools off. Alwayslost just kept repeating, "This episode ROCKS!" That kind of sums it up, well for most people.

The only complaints came from PointPlace and Rebel3:16. Both agreed that the "episode felt rushed, and to much was packed in". PrincessLeia and ESB also cited the pacing as a concern but the still rated "Cabin Fever" as a 9 and 8 respectfully. Two people anonymously rated it a 4. Neither stated a reason, so I must assume they were just drunk. PointPlace denies that he gave it such a low rating, still holding out until he watches it again.

"Cabin Fever" had a great mix of surprises, moving the story forward and "what the heck" moments. I believe many people got a kick out of seeing Richard Alpert and Abaddon in John Locke's flashback. I know I did. It rekindled the idea that maybe the Oceanic 815 passengers were suppose to be on that plane, at least some of them. The possibility of seeing the connections tied together thrilled many of the viewers. Getting a small glimpse at the mystery that is Jacob was enlightening. Who expected a relaxed and wise knowing Claire to be sitting in the cabin with Christian? That was a classic Lost surprise moment. The conversation between Locke, Ben and Hurley was great entertainment with the right mix of humor. Lets hope the last three hours of season 4 continue with this thrilling mix of character development, mythology and action packed excitement.

Episode Review: 4x11 Cabin Fever

2008-05-11T17:20:38Z

This was a very exciting episode. It had so many of the classic Lost elements: Locke on a journey towards destiny, Sayid taking things into his own hands, bad guys doing bad things, Ben being creepy, Hurley with all the good lines! Not a lot of romance but they gave us a double dose of that last week, so we were all set in that department. As always they gave us a few answers and a whole lot of new questions. Many people felt that the show was choppy. It is very obvious that these post-strike episodes are making up for lost time by packing a lot of action and information into a what little time they have remaining. I am okay with this. I have been frustrated by enough episodes that seemed to drag on and on that I will now take a condensed, choppy version and I will savor every fast-paced moment of it.

More of my thoughts on this episode after the jump.

]]> Overall, this episode seemed to evoke a type of repetitive, circular feeling. There was a scene early in the show that was a condensed version of this feeling. Locke has a dream where he meets Horace Goodspeed. In this dream Horace repeats the phrases "Hello there," and "I'm Horace" twice each, and continually fells the same tree. This made it seem like the dream was on a loop. The episode itself looped back to things that happened in the past by the repetition of certain key phrases and events. For instance, when Sayid gets into the Zodiac, he completes the circle of traveling from the island, to the freighter and now back again. We all recognized the familiar line, "Don't tell me what I can't do", shouted in this episode by a teenaged, somewhat awkward Locke. This is a favorite phrase for John; he has now said it seven times. It has also been said by Mr. Eko, Charlie, Ben and twice by Jack. This show really wants to make it clear that we can't tell people what they can't do. There is another phrase John Locke has heard before, usually when he has messed things up. In "Cabin Fever" he is asked by his foster mother after he fails Richard's test, "What did you do?" He was asked this, or a variation of it, by Jack after Boone was grievously injured, and by Sayid after the Flame exploded. Even such lines as "I have read your file" link back to so many episodes. This looping feeling seemed to me like a way of tying the show together, like it used to do so much more often in the earlier seasons.

My favorite parts of "Cabin Fever" involved visits from some of our most mysterious figures: Richard Alpert, Matthew Abaddon, and Christian Shephard. Richard has been keeping tabs on Locke since birth. His visit to Locke as a small child to administer the mysterious test raised so many interesting possibilities. The test itself was very similar to a test that Tibetan Buddhists use to confirm whether someone is the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Was it a test to see if he was the reincarnation of someone very important to the island? Richard looked very excited to see Locke's drawing of the smoke monster. Does that mean Locke had a memory of a past life on the island? In any case, we certainly see that the 5-year-old John Locke is a very special child. Later, Richard attempts to contact John again, using his teacher to try to talk teen John into attending the Mittelos Science Camp. This struck me as odd. Locke seemed to have a connection to the island specifically because he was a man of faith and not of science. So why push the science angle? Perhaps they hope John becomes a scientist, making it easier to hire him to work on the island, much like Juliet was? It's hard to say.

When Matthew Abaddon wheeled John to the elevator he was also apparently wheeling him towards his future. His chat with John in the hallway set John on the path towards the Walkabout that never was, and to the return flight home that started this whole show. So why in the heck did he do that? The whole scene itself was fascinating. The part where he wheeled John up the stairs was a bit of a scare. Was he going to roll him down them? I thought he would at least threaten him with the idea for some reason. But no, he turned him around and spoke to him. Does this make Abaddon a good guy or a bad guy? The sinister visit he paid to Hurley, and the fact that he set up the team of not-exactly-rescuers to go the island led me to believe that he was a bad guy. If that is true then he sent John on the Walkabout to mess with the order of things on the island. If he is on the side of the Others and was sending John to them, then why arrange the team of scientists to search for Ben? Perhaps it is also the destiny of Frank, Charlotte, Miles and Daniel to be there and he was setting them on their way. I cannot wait to find out more about Matthew Abaddon.

At the end of the scene when Abaddon said that the next time they should happen to meet John would owe him one, I thought for sure that he was the one waiting for him in that cabin. So I was even more surprised to see good old Christian Shephard sitting there. Christian confirmed to Locke and the viewers that Locke is indeed the Chosen One. But before going in there, Ben told John that he had been "special" once too, and that John should be careful because "destiny is a fickle bitch." Besides giving us one of the best lines in Lost history, this also gave me more to think about. Does this mean that destiny changes its mind? Can it decide to choose one person and then realize that it likes that one over there better? I noticed that Christian could not just tell John what to do. John had to ask the correct question to get the right answer. When John asked how to save the island Christian gave a pleased look to his daughter Claire, who is with him for reasons we have yet to learn. She looks mighty content, though, so apparently it will be significant. Is she dead? I hope not, but I won't be surprised if it turns out that way.

The show ends with the solution to how to save the island. John is told that they need to move it. But move it how? Will it move like the cabin moves, by being relocated? Or will it be moved in time? If it is moved in time it would certainly help pull off the charade of Kate being Aaron's biological mom. We also see that the mercenaries are on their way back. Frank Lapidus drops a satellite phone through Claire's tent (it does seem as though she won't be needing it anymore) to warn the beach crew about their impending arrival. If the three-part season finale we have coming is as good as Cabin Fever, we should be in for a bumpy (and choppy) ride.

Remaining "Lost" Seasons Extended by 2 Hours

2008-05-09T12:38:49Z

By James Hibberd Fri May 9, 1:34 AM ET LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - ABC has found more hours for the final two seasons of "Lost." The 2009 and 2010 editions of the hit drama will be 17 hours each -- not 16, as previously planned.

ABC has added two hours to the show's production plan because the Writers Guild of America strike knocked three hours out of the current season. To partly compensate, the network recently added an additional hour to Part 2 of the season finale that airs May 29.

All told, the changes will wrap up the show with the same number of episodes that producers and ABC negotiated last year.

"We were supposed to do 16-16-16," "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof said. "But we ended up doing 14 this season, so we owe two."

Lindelof, however, ruled out the idea that the show might extend beyond the remaining 34-episode order.

]]> "(Executive producer) Carlton Cuse and I worked so hard to get the show to end that I think to suddenly say, 'Oh, I think we've got another season in us' would be a betrayal to everybody involved in the show -- but most of all the audience," he said. "It's better to retire your number at the top of your game."

For the upcoming season finale, Lindelof promised a more action-driven cliffhanger instead of the mind-bending flash-forward time shift that stunned fans last season.

"The finale this year will not be as tricky as last year," he said. "Hopefully, this year it's a little bit more of a straightforward action-adventure narrative. But the ending of the episode will hopefully engage and intrigue people looking forward to the next season of the show."

Lindelof declined to say whether the flash-forwards will continue, but he did leave open the possibility of the show's main story line on the island catching up with the flash-forwards that have taken place on the mainland this season.

"It's very exciting that the audience is going to be wondering when is the present going to be (next season)," he said. "We've moved backward in time, now we've moved forward in time. The present of the show has always been on the island -- that may not necessarily be the case in the future."

When it comes time to air the series finale in 2010, Lindelof said he and Cuse plan to "go into hiding for many, many months" at an "undisclosed location."

"David Chase set a great example when he went off to Paris after 'The Sopranos' ending, which is great because all these people are going to be asking, 'What does it mean? What is it?"' he said. "The fact that there's no one really around to answer that question, it forces people to come up with what they think it means. We can guarantee our show will not end with a cut to black, it will be more clear than that. But whenever anything you love ends ... there's a certain disappointment."

4x11: Various User Requested Images

2008-05-09T04:43:33Z

Here are some requested screen shots from users that so far haven't mandated an independent investigation. See the pictures after the jump, and let us know what you think in the comments.

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4x11: ... but choose wisely.

2008-05-09T04:41:01Z

Kid Locke is asked by an immortal Richard Alpert to pick from a display of items objects which he already owns. This sort of test is used to pick a new Dali Lama when the current one dies. Is John Locke a reincarnation of sorts of the island, or Jacob? Perhaps his quest to find Jacob is sort of like Leroy Green's quest to find The Master in "The Last Dragon"? Sho' nuff! Locke fails the test when he picks the knife as being one of the objects he already owns. Other items present include a comic book, Book of Laws, a compass, and a vial with a coarse sand-like material.

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4x11: Compass

2008-05-09T04:40:08Z

A shot of the compass Locke holds as a young boy when Richard comes to visit him doesn't appear to be the same compass (inset) that Locke has used on the island.

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4x11: Geronimo Jackson Fan

2008-05-09T03:56:19Z

We get to see a slightly nerdy John Locke as a teenager who got shoved into a locker at school. But if you look closely you'll see that whoever's locker that is happens to be a fan of Geronimo Jackson.

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4x11: Mittelos Summer Camp

2008-05-09T03:51:25Z

Locke is given a special invitation to Camp Mittelos as a teenager, and we see clearly that Richard Alpert, and possibly the "savages" were searching for someone special for a very long time.

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4x11: Keamy's Gear

2008-05-09T03:42:09Z

After General Keamy broke out the Dharma Plan B workbook he was seen getting a strange XM radio pack strapped to his arm by the doc. We saw the same transmitter looking thing again on the deck (so obviously its important for us to notice this thing). So why exactly does Keamy need XM radio on the island?

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4x11: Christian in the Cabin

2008-05-09T03:33:40Z

Tonight Locke entered the cabin to meet Jacob, and who was there waiting for him...none other than Christian Shepard. But Christian clearly tells Locke, "He can speak for Jacob." So is Christian Jacob, or just a manifestation Jacob is using? You tell us.

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4x11: Jacob's Cabin Blueprint

2008-05-09T03:25:04Z

During their quest to find the Cabin, Locke finds a nice blue print of Horace Godspeed's, who was building the cabin.

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4x11: Plan B

2008-05-09T03:15:54Z

In an interesting scene on the boat Mr. Crazy Military man cracked open a safe and pulled out a "Plan B" document. But why is there a Dharma logo on this Widmore sponsered plan b? And is that the Orchid station logo?

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Episode 4x11, "Cabin Fever"

2008-05-08T22:17:13Z

"I've got a fever, and the prescription is more cabin!" That's probably not how tonight's episode will start, but the fact that the enigmatic cabin is mentioned in the title has LOST fans in eager anticipation of tonight's Locke-centric offering, "Cabin Fever". The pace of the season slowed down with last week's more soap-operish "Something Nice Back Home", but it looks like that may have only been the calm before the storm. "Cabin Fever" looks to deliver for mythology fans tonight on ABC. Last week we found out that Locke and Ben plan to utilize Hurley to find the disappearing cabin, and that plan goes into action in the eleventh episode of the fourth season of LOST. We've previously learned that Ben can use an ancient cave to summon up the Smoke Monster - does that have anything to do with Jacob and his creepy cabin? Who or what exactly is Jacob, and what is his/its relationship to the island? Perhaps tonight's episode will shed some light on those matters. Locke episodes usually deliver, and this one must be super intense, because it's taking three different actors to play the role of John Locke, in an episode that sees a return to the flashbacks of previous seasons (rather than flash forwards).

]]> ABC has this to say:

Locke is enlightened as to the whereabouts of Jacob's cabin, and life aboard the freighter becomes perilous. Guest starring are Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Lance Reddick as Matthew Abaddon, Marc Vann as doctor, Kevin Durand as Keamy, Anthony Azizi as Omar, Grant Bowler as Captain Gault, John Terry as Christian Shephard, Holland Roden as Emily, Rebecca Tilney as Emily's mother, Amanda Carlin as ER nurse, Patrick Torres as ER doctor, Doug Hutchison as Horace Goodspeed, Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert, Matthew Pedersen as physical therapist, Mandy June Turpin as Florence, Sarah Duval as Melissa, Charles Henry Wyson as John Locke (age 5), Phil Abrams as Gellert and Caleb Steinmeyer as John Locke (age 16).

Please remember to post any investigation or screencap requests HERE. We may not see them if you simply comment on this article.

Also, remember to rate this episode after it airs! Rating info is used in our weekly Ratings & Rankings to compare episodes with one another. Also, don't forget to join the chat room (which is now called the Live Group Watch) to discuss the episode live.

Also, in the Live Group Watch, you can now vote during commercial breaks on how much you're liking the episode so far. The screen will update at each commercial break and users will be able to rate how much they liked the segment of the show between the last commercial. Check it out and don't forget to vote at each commercial break.

Jack and Kate Are Fate by Laklost

2008-05-08T00:52:06Z

Lost is barreling down the tracks right now. In the way that Ben and Widmore have been set up as the two main power-brokers, Jack and Kate have been set up as the two main lovers. The series is past the "marketing test" stage regarding who should hook up with whom or who has the better chemistry. The story is at the crux of the matters that will have to be solved in order for the heroes to be victorious and the nemeses to be vanquished. The island is clearly calling its troops to battle, and it's calling Jack and Kate. Whether or not they are able to answer this call might very well seal the fate of "every living person" in the story.

The end of the first episode of Lost ("Tabula Rasa") was a montage of the characters to the song "Washed Away" by Joe Purdy. In it every character was resolved, in relationship and at rights. Watching over the characters was the vigilant eye of John Locke who has been asked for help by the island, the Others and Jacob himself. Together on the beach sat Jack and Kate. To her he had just declared, "Everyone gets a chance to start again." And since then many characters have quite literally begun their lives over: Locke as a hunter, Sawyer as a hero, Jin as a loving husband, Sun as a trusting wife, Sayid as a repentant torturer, and Hurley as a man who can beat his own luck. Kate has changed quite dramatically and we've seen her in the future as a responsible mother and forgiven fugitive. One man has not changed: Jack Shephard. To him his dead father has appeared both on and off the island. To him Locke has declared that he is a man of science without faith or trust. To him Achara cursed his fate as a great man and leader. He has tried to be that great leader, but he has failed because of his neurotic need to be the savior. By the time he is settled with Kate in "Something Nice Back Home" 4x10 he has not changed. By the later action at the end of "Through the Looking Glass" 3x22 he has not changed. But by that point he recognizes his destiny - to go back to the island with Kate, and very likely the other Oceanic Six.

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One important thing happened in the meantime: Jack and Kate fell in love. If the writers were living in soap opera land and just wanted to see Jack "get" Kate, then they would have made their coming together the point of the story. Instead they set up the scenario: Jack and Kate simply are together in her comfortable home to their great satisfaction. They have taken on the responsibility for Claire's son, and Jack very well knows his own part in the child's life as his uncle. Kate and Jack both are trying very hard to be successful at parenthood, which had otherwise eluded them in their former lives. Hurley called their life together "perfect, heaven." It certainly is a fulfillment of the "Tabula Rasa" action. They seem to have survived the terrors of the island and have a chance to have a normal life together on the mainland.

However, Jack and Kate continue to be unable to fully relate to one another because they have not dealt with their demons. Jack's unfinished work on the island, his unwillingness to reconcile with his father, his inability to forgive himself (and therefore anyone else), and his failure to help Locke in his quest, is dogging him right into the real world where he is a successful doctor, lover and father. He doesn't possess his own treasures because the island isn't finished with him. In the same way, Kate wants to be fully trusted without having to be fully disclosing. She looks settled, but Jack sensed she is still running back and forth between him and Sawyer, between their life and her sense of being trapped. He was right to question her about where she had been after the nanny's work day; after all he knows how quickly she can pick up and run. (She told him at the beginning of the story, "I don't want to be Eve.") She was right to deny him the information, after all he rejects her when she displeases him. He still wants to control and she still wants to be unaccountable. The fact that they are stuck in their past behavior is the stuff of drama. Their ability to reconcile these character flaws will very likely be the vehicle for them getting back to the island. Like Desmond and Penny who trust each other enough to be each other's Constant, Jack and Kate will have to steady one another emotionally for a journey which they might be able to handle physically alone but will not be fit for without one another. "Live Together, Die Alone" is not a concept just for island life. It is for all of life.

The surgery scene conducted by Juliet and involving Bernard and Kate drew a stunning parallel with the ongoing future love story of Jack and Kate. Jack insisted that he be awake for the surgery, and Kate was in agreement with him. To both of them the idea of him being unconscious was unbearable. Bernard's statement, "I'd like to tell you 'you won't feel a thing,' but you will" announced the dilemma Jack is facing on the table and in the future. The scalpel cutting through Jack's flesh was not anymore painful than the cut he received from his father's visitation and from Kate invoking Sawyer's name. Jack did get knocked out on the operating table, signaling his unawareness in his and Kate's home where he was drunk and reeling from jealousy. To Juliet Jack declared that he didn't want to be unconscious. Juliet asserted, "And I don't want you to be out of control." Jack fears losing control more than he fears death. His whole demeanor and motivation stem from a terminal need to be in control. His fear that once he lets go no one will catch and help him has turned him into the suspicious, closely-guarded, arrogant fixer he has come to be. The pill-popping drunk roaming the skies in 3x22 was born in this episode.

The answer for the man was also born in this episode: the hope of trust. "We have to go back" will not happen without the old patterns being broken. Kate will have to make the return and finally stop running from her sadness and guilt. In other words, she will have to fully trust. Jack will have to submit to the group, ask for help and humble himself. In other words, he will have to fully trust. The Constant is the one who can be trusted with their lover's whole heart. They are the one who will see them through space and time, life and death. What Desmond and Penny have, what Sun and Jin have, what Rose and Bernard have is evading Jack and Kate. The writers have interwoven the outcome of their relationship with their destinies on the island in the future. Once their crippling emotions are conquered - once they are neither unconscious nor uncontrollable - they will be free and very likely successful in their quest to return to the island. The potential outcome of the story might manage to be both profoundly romantic and triumphant.

Segment Ratings for "Something Nice Back Home"

2008-05-06T09:43:29Z

I must admit, I didn't have high hopes for "Something Nice Back Home". First of all, it was a Jack-centric episode, which are hit or miss (usually miss for me). Secondly, it was following a fairly action and mythology packed episode, "The Shape of Things to Come". A recurring pattern in LOST is that these intense episodes are often followed by slower character-driven episodes - which I do think are important to balance out the series, but they usually are not my favorite episodes. Let's examine how SWLS users scored the segments of "Something Nice Back Home". Details after the jump.

]]> The episode started and ended with average segment ratings, moving up only slightly in the segments in between. That is somewhat unusual in segment ratings we've seen thus far, which seem to have either more variance, or a more contrasted change between the first and last segments. Jack's visit with Hurley was featured in the highest rated segment of this episode. Christian's visit with Claire on the island featured in the second highest rated segment, segment 5. Overall, it looks like an average episode, not the worst rated, but not nearly as high as some of the better episodes this season. To be fair, I think this is probably what this episode needed to do, and perhaps sets up this week's Locke-centric offering.

Let us know what you think of the ratings, and be sure to vote during live airing of LOST here.