Time In the Forest to Dig Under Rocks

Congratulations to Ms. Heidi Hipp for naming "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones as Wednesday's Song of the Day. Heidi, thanks for reading all the way from China, although I guess reading this blog in China is not really any more taxing than reading it in Belton. Thanks nonetheless.

What in the name of Stephen Hawking is going on with Lost? In the Season Two finale, the writers dismissed the oft-repeated theory that the castaways were trapped in some sort of purgatory, but just when a new theory dies out a new one is born. Here's the new conspiracy theory that is sweeping the internet: The Island either contains a black hole or something very similar to a black hole.
Last night's episode did nothing to either confirm or deny this rumor, which of course is a Lost hallmark, but many are latching on to this new theory. They point to the fact that one of "The Others" was seen reading Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, which was opened to the page discussing black holes.* Second, the matronly figure who spoke to Desmond in a portion of last night's episode was conveniently named Mrs. Hawking. Also, the bizarre electromagnetic pulse that was released when Desmond turned the key at the end of Season 2 was never explained, but many think that his release of the energy built up in the Hatch has somehow enabled him to see the future, past, and present simultaneously.

There are times when it seems that the show has spun so far out of control that the writers honestly have no idea what is going to happen next. These threads will pop up in one show, entertain us for a time, and then disappear, never to be seen again. It's almost as if the writers are trying to see how far they can possibly stretch the number of storylines in one show before the viewing audience begins to revolt.

I honestly have no idea what is coming on the show, and when I look at some of these Lost websites I am amazed at people's level of devotion to the show. I consider myself to be a fan, but I'm not even close to these people's league. These people are actually finding "Paul is dead" hidden messages in the show. For instance, look at the following quote from a Lost fan who played a scene from last week's episode backwards:


"Listen closely or you might just miss the voice repeating this cryptic message: "Only fools are enslaved by time and space." (Nevermind the creepy screeching noise that sounds suspiciously like a jet engine.)"'


I'm all for following things with zeal. I thoroughly enjoy it when people fervently support the things that they enjoy. This just seems like a little bit much, but it does make me think. If Lost has these kinds of eerie messages, what could we find in something like Sesame Street, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, or Oprah? The possibilities are endless my friends.

*What type of lives do people lead to have enough time to view TV shows in that much detail? It might be the same people that Triumph met in the Star Wars line.