TV | TalkingApes.com

We are of peace, always

4 November 2009

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Did you happen to catch last night’s airing of “V” on ABC? If not, you can stream it from ABC.com.

Have you seen the original series? How did you think the pilot compared to the old series?

If not, what did you think of the pilot, from a fresh perspective?

Late Night with Conan O’Brien – The Final Episode

22 February 2009

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Watch the final episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien. John Mayer, Andy Richter, Will Ferrell and Abe Vigoda make their last appearances.

Read Yahoo’s take on Conan’s last show.

Bring on the Tonight Show!

We’re taking a break … no not like in Friends … from reviewing old episodes of LOST. Yeah, I know I’ve only done two so far, and yeah, I’m going to continue to do them, but I just had to get my theories down so we can begin the discussion here.

I think my theory is pretty sound given what we know now and what rules LOST has provided for us.

Forgive me if I jump around a lot. Ask questions, post your additions … let’s get this party started right!

Why do they need to go back?
That’s a big question. Why do these 6 people need to go back to the island? And why, according to last night’s episode, did they risk all the lives of the people on that Indian Airline to save a handful of people’s lives?

I’ll try to explain, but it helps if you have a working knowledge of “time travel”. When you travel in time, your body (aka you) are always moving forward, so if you are 30 years old now, travel back 10 years, you will still be 30, however your other you will be 20. There will be 2 instances of yourself. Think of Back to the Future when Marty went back to 1955 in pt. II. He saw his previous instance of himself trying to help his parents fall in love. I think LOST operates on this time travel aspect.

So, what happens, happens. It happens for a reason, and sometimes events spur events that spur themselves.

For example:
Daniel Faraday sees his mother, Ellie, when she is young on the Island. Daniel tells Ellie about time travel, which piques her interest in time travel. She learns about it, has a son, names him Daniel, then teaches him about time travel, then he goes back in time, etc etc. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Each event is completely dependent on the other happening. It’s just the way it is.

There are other instances of this happening in LOST, perhaps many instances, but I suspect there is at least one instance of it that is the story behind the main storyline, which I will go over in a minute.

Other instances I’ve noticed:

I think Hurley is the person repeating the numbers when Danielle and her team hear the recording for the first time. The guy in the tropics hears the numbers, goes nuts, then tells regular timeline Hurley about them in the insane asylum.

Charles Widmore is Desmond’s son. Eloise told Desmond that he and Penny would never marry. We don’t know if Des and Penny are married, but we do know they have a son, Charlie. If they aren’t married, that makes their son Charlie Widmore, potentially. Charles has been transported to the past, grown up, adopted Penny as Ben adopted Alex as his “daughter” to protect and shelter (and spend time with) his mother … Penny. Perhaps there is some event in which Charles becomes angry at Desmond … maybe Desmond is the reason his mother is killed, and Charles takes the name Widmore. I don’t know. But the way it happens, happens. All I know is Penny is Charles’ mom. Still working on this part.

So now we’ve laid the framework, we can get to my main theory — why it’s so imparitive these folks return to the island and why Ben knows everything about them all.

They need to go back because everything in the island’s history is predicated on them.

If the main characters somehow get time displaced to, 1700 or something (just throwing out a time), they become the “original inhabitants” of the island and thus everything in time is based on their actions, their childrens’ actions, and so on. If they don’t return and fulfill their destiny, then it would be a time paradox and everything would cease to be.

The survivors are like superstars on this island. Everyone knows everything about them. Ben Linus has literally decades to watch them, research them and build files on them. He has years to plan how to get all of these folks on the plane, (as we’ve uncovered in some of our research already with Shannon and Boone). We know the “psychic” Claire went to see was adamant that she be on that flight. Some events just happened, of course, but others needed prodding.

So if they never go back, then everything in the Island’s history would cease to exist, and thus, would be a paradox. They had to go back because they already had.

Just how they go back, I don’t know, but I suspect that Jack and Kate are the Adam and Eve skeletons uncovered early on in the series. The writers have stated that those skeletons will prove that they knew where this storyline was going from the beginning. This would prove it.

Other quick hits:

Who is Jacob?
Jacob is either Jack or someone related to Jack. The name Jack could be a derivative of Jacob, just like my name is Bradley but people call me Brad. Jacob could also be Jack and Kate’s son that’s yet to be born. I believe Kate is pregnant, having been fertilized the night before they came back to the island. Does Locke know? Perhaps. I haven’t really figured that out yet, but I don’t think it matters. The people in the cabin are Christian, Jack’s dad, and Claire, Jack’s sister. Recall that Christian said to Locke, “say hello to my son for me” right before Locke turned the wheel. I don’t think that was a coincidence.

Who is Matthew Abbadon (the skinny dude that is also from Fringe)?
Abbadon is Walt. Why else would the Others want him so badly? Why was he so important for them? Why did he visit Hurley? It’s got to be Walt.

Who is Richard Alpert?
I think he may be one of the “leaders” that has moved the island in the past and returned, or perhaps he is Jack and Kate’s son.

Jack’s eye
We see a lot of Jack. He’s a leader, and he was the first character we saw in the first episode of the series. We keep getting close ups of his eye. Why?

That’s about it for now … the important stuff at least. I’m sure I’m forgetting something. If you have anything to add, please do! I’d love to have help with my theory!

Eastbound and Down Episode 1

17 February 2009

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“You’re *@$% OUT!”

Instead of Kenny Powers’ post-strikeout taunt, that should be what HBO says to Danny McBride and company after their premiere on Sunday night.

Danny, I want to like the show. I really do. Being from N.C., understanding the humor you are trying to convey … I get it. You just don’t execute it.

Bless your heart.

Kenny Powers is an egomaniac that is down on his luck. He’s living with his brother, working at the local high school as a gym teacher.

Too much gratuitous cussing for me. Did you ever think I’d say that? Me, the guy that cusses to his Catholic mother, had enough of the cussing.

The story is boring. There are a few spots here and there that are funny, I’ll grant you that, Danny, but it really came off as you playing a joke on HBO rather than trying to put together a funny show.

I’m not giving up yet. I’m holding out hope that the show will get better. Often, shows will improve after the pilot. Like in King of Queens, we never saw Carrie’s sister after the first couple episodes … not even a mention. I’m hoping Eastbound and Down picks it up, otherwise, I’m hitting the sack at 10:30 after Flight of the Conchords instead of sitting up watching a mullet wearing idiot try to impress me with his verbal debauchery.

LOST my mind: 1:2

15 February 2009

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Part 2 in an ongoing series

Notes from the Pilot episode of Lost, part 2:

When the plane crashed, Charlie was in the bathroom near the front of the plane. However, the front of the plane landed in the jungle … Kate, Jack and Charlie made a journey to get the radio, Charlie got his dope …

How did Charlie end up on the beach if he was only 3 rows from that bathroom when the plane crashed?

—

Sawyer and Sayid get into a fight … Sawyer accuses Sayid of being a terrorist. Jack, and others, break up the fight.
Sawyer says “whatever you say, Doc, you’re the hero” to Jack after Jack tells them to knock it off. I highlight this because I think Jack is instrumental in the storyline yet to come.

–

When Sayid looks at the radio and tries it out, the radio was on channel 125.300

–

Retrospect:
In episode 1. Charlie puts tape on his fingers reading “FATE”. Much has been made about fate being predestined. In a future post, I will illustrate my theory on LOST.

–

Shannon said “that guy at the gate, he wouldn’t let us have our seats in first class … he saved our lives”, during a discussion with Boone. This alludes to the fact that the Others orchestrated who was on the plane, when.

–

And on of the mysteries we still don’t know the answer to:

Locke was playing backgammon with the white site closest to him.

He explains backgammon to Walt. Talks about backgammon was found in ancient Mesopotamia, and it dates to 5,000 years ago.

Locke says to Walt “two players, 2 sides, one is light one is dark. Walt … do you want to know a secret?”

Eastbound and Down: Schaeffer Motors Commercial

15 February 2009

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The new comedy Eastbound and Down is the latest brainchild from Danny McBride, Ben Best, Jody Hill, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.

Per HBO:

Relief Pitcher Kenny Powers was poised to rule the Big Leagues, but two things got in the way: his fading fastball and his insufferable personality. After a spectacular career flame-out, Kenny came home to Shelby County, NC and picked up a job as a substitute gym teacher (mostly so his brother Dustin would stop threatening to kick him out). He’s spent every moment since then cashing in the last of his dying fame while plotting his inevitable comeback… one beer at a time.

‘Eastbound & Down’ is the latest project to come out of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s comedic goldmine Gary Sanchez Productions, which also launched FunnyOrDie.com. Starring Danny McBride (’Pineapple Express’), Katy Mixon (’Four Christmases’), John Hawkes (’Deadwood’) and a host of other talented comedians, ‘Eastbound & Down’ was created by McBride along with two friends from film school: Jody Hill and Ben Best. The hilarious new series was shot on location in North Carolina and also includes a few guest appearances by Ferrell as a local car dealer with marvelous hair.

We’ll be on later tonight, or perhaps tomorrow, with a recap of the episode … but for now, check out this car dealership commercial that’s related to the show.

WILL FERRELL is Ashley Schaeffer for Schaeffer Motors – watch more funny videos

Ferrell reminds me of the local Courtesy Auto Sales guy (now Sampson Auto Sales — his dog Spot always sat on a car and the rumor was that it was the car that Spot sat on that contained drugs) whose had commercials here in the Charlotte area for decades mixed with wrestling legend Ric Flair, who also has made Charlotte his home.

Sampson Auto Sales (takes a good 30 seconds or so for the commercial to start)

One thing, and I’m not sure if this is in the show or not, but in the promo materials that were in this weeks’ Sporting News magazine, it lists Kenny Powers as being from “Shelby County, N.C.”. There is no Shelby County … but there is a city named Shelby that is just east of Charlotte.

LOST my mind: 1:1

12 February 2009

1 Comment

I’ll admit it. I’m a LOSTaholic. It’s easily my favorite show of all time. My wife and I have watched every episode at least twice.

Tom, I can’t get him into it. That’s his problem.

You can read ABC.com’s official overview HERE. I’m not going to type up a recap. What I am going to do is use this to chronicle things that I notice while re-watching the episodes a few years later and try to tie them into things we know now, 5 years later or so.

If you haven’t seen this episode and don’t want me to spoil anything for you, don’t read any further.

Jack awakens in the jungle, by himself (sort of), in bamboo
How the guy didn’t get impaled is beyond me, but he managed to both not die in a plane crash and escape with a couple scratches on his face and a gash on his back. Consider him lucky. Still, why was he in the jungle? Did he land there, or was he put there by someone? I suspect we’ll find that out in the future. Also note Walt’s dog, Vincent, is running around without a scratch and scares the crap out of Jack as he awakens from “blacking out” as the plane crashed. Why weren’t there other people in bamboo?

As Jack runs to the beach, there is a single white shoe hanging on a tree. Is that significant in any way?

Smoke Monster
We didn’t know what the smoke monster was back then, but we do now. Note the noises it makes: Growling, mechanical … like a drawbridge lowering. If you listen closely you’ll notice that Rose says “That noise sounds familiar”. Also notable, the pilot of the plane is the same guy that plays Parkman on “Heroes”.

But why didn’t the smoke monster eat Jack, Kate or Charlie? We’ve seen it tear some folks up over the course of the last couple seasons. Is this inconsistency from the writers or is it something more?

Familiarity
And adding to Rose’s recollection of the noise of the monster, Kate tells Charlie that he looks familiar. He plays it off as him being famous, as he is the base player for “Drive Shaft” (You all everybody!). But is it more than that?