Monday, March 22, 2010

Ab Aeterno

The translation (from Latin) of Ab Aeterno is "from the beginning of time" or from wiki: Literally, "from the everlasting" or "from eternity". Thus, "from time immemorial", "since the beginning of time" or "from an infinitely remote time in the past". In theology, often indicates something, such as the universe, that was created outside of time.

Does anyone else think this might be the Richard Alpert-centric episode we've been promised since Season 3? O gauisus dies! (Oh happy day!)

80 comments:

PJSander said...

Gauisus Natalis, Lindsay!

: ) P

Lindsay said...

Haha, thanks PJ!! I think a Richard-centric episode is the absolute best birthday gift I will get today!!

Shelley said...

I've noticed Nestor looks like he's toned up or lost a little weight; I'm manifesting a shirtless Alpert!

Hammer said...

Happy bday Lins.

Jim in Georgia said...

Happy birthday, Lins. Many, many more!

What are we down to? Two months? Joy and sadness to reach the end.

"Ab Aeterno" has to be the origin of Richard or that of Jacob/MiB. I'm betting on Richard. I think the other will come as late as TPTB can push it.

8) Jim

Shelley said...

I had LOST dreams lastnight where Richard Alpert's story was told by
MIB/Locke, 'cept Locke had bad dyed hair...like Creed that time in The
Office. He mentioned that the distress signal was broadcast from OFF the island. Then he moved the island by turning the donkey wheel. Cept the wheel was in the ocean, and he just reached his arm in and turned.

Jim in Georgia said...

Shelley said...
...donkey wheel.


That's another one they owe us. What, technically, happens when someone turns the wheel. The bright light begins to shine and the "turner" ends up in North Africa. But how?

That gives me a chance back up into one of my other pet mysteries. How do the privileged few get between the Island and the Outside? When Richard was Outside taking video of Juliet's sister, Ben told him he was needed back on the Island. Richard was there the same (maybe next) day. Just as I was going to suggest that it might have something to do with being touched by Jacob, I remembered that -- as far as we know -- Ben had never been touched.

While I have a head of steam up, way back when Ben moved the raid on the Beach up one day. Richard questioned that and Ben said it was what Jacob wanted. Did Richard not know Ben had never seen Jacob? How did Ben get "all those lists" if not from Richard? Dogen, maybe?

My cup (of frustration) runneth over.

8) Jim

Shelley said...

Ben might've assumed that no one can see Jacob (since he hadn't seen him). Or at least assumed Richard didn't KNOW Ben hadn't seen Jacob?

Hammer said...

Too much bacon gives me weird dreams too. jk

Can Ab Aeterno = Genesis?

if so, then does the island = Eden?

flgrl said...

I like it Hammer!

Happy bday Lins!

shelley - yes, I'm finding Nestor a bit too thin for my liking

Lindsay said...

Thanks for the birthda wishes Tillies! I have to wait until late to watch tonight, my little boy has his first t-ball game tonight and then my hubby's taking me out to dinner, so I'll be hitting up the DVR as soon as I get home!!!

I'm wondering how much of the real-time island info we'll get tonight and how much of the show will be the island's history? As much as I want to know what's happening on the island with Flocke and Widmore, etc....I also want to know A LOT about the history of the island!!

Jim in Georgia said...

FlasForward blooper (mostly for Hammer)

In the scene where "Suspect Zero" is revealed to be *SPOILER REMOVED*, his ticket says "American League East Champions vs. American League West Champions". Detroit is in the AL Central. Also, On October 6, 2009, the only baseball game being played was a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins to determine the division winner. This game was played not in Detroit, but in Minnesota at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The playoffs would start the next day.

We'd discussed before that Detoit's stadium was "dark" that day, but we didn't have ticket info.

8) Jim

Shelley said...

I'm so stoked...I already made some stuff!
http://www.cafepress.com/shelloniusjunk/7105174

lost4ever said...

Happy Birthday Lins! Another March BD on TLI.

Finally!!! I have been waiting for this episode since season 3. Hopefully it will be as good as The Man Behind the Curtain.

Digiorno Pizza for me tonight. I need to skip over the FlashForward comments. I have them all on the DVR but have only watched the first 2.

lost4ever said...

How do the privileged few get between the Island and the Outside

This reminds me of discussions we had in Season 4. Was there another way besides the sub?

Jim in Georgia said...

lost4ever said...


How do the privileged few get between the Island and the Outside

This reminds me of discussions we had in Season 4. Was there another way besides the sub?


I think there has to be When Locke told Richard he needed to get off the Island back in '54, Richard didn't balk at the idea and DHARMA hadn't arrived yet; he also didn't say how it was done, but he left the Island to see baby Locke in '56. I don't think Jacob came down to "New Otherton" and got a seat on the sub when he went to visit people.

There's just something missing. I once had visions of a transporter at the Temple. "Three to beam over, Mr. Dogen." *grin* It's more complicated than that.

8) Jim

Circus Mom said...

Happy B-day lins.

Re: MIB Smokey comments from the last thread. Perhaps smokey was just smokey untill MIB decided to take that form. That could also be how he got stuck as Flock. Once you become Smokey you are stuck between that and one alternate form. Smokey was origionally a security device till MIB took over.

Perhaps the way off the island for the privilaged few used mirrors like those in the lighthouse. If it was the lighthouse mirrors then they are now stuck.

I need a new episode. Can't wait till tonight.

Jim in Georgia said...

Circus Mom said...
...used mirrors like those in the lighthouse.


I like that.

8) Jim

Hammer said...

Nah on the stuck thing. They can always leave using the correct coordinates ala Walt and Michael, Keamy and Lapidus...

Hammer said...

Off to practice, see yall at 9:30. I'll be FF thru the commercials to catch up to yall.

lost4ever said...

Make sure the DVR's are set properly tonight. LOST is running 6 minutes over

PJSander said...

Make sure the DVR's are set properly tonight. LOST is running 6 minutes over

Thanks for the reminder, L4E!

Rita said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDSAY!! I'm afraid MY birthday will be very shortly after LOST airs the finale - not a very happy birthday for me!

I'm hoping for a Richard ep tonight too - in fact, I think I'll be a bit disappointed if it isn't!

Flocke told Richard it was nice to see him out of chains - or something like that. If they take us back to the sailing of the Black Rock, we might get some insight into MIB as well. Kind of an origins of all...

Miss Kim said...

WooHoo!!!!!!!

lost4ever said...

I am not familiar with acting awards but Carbonell deserves something

PJSander said...

Holy smoke monster, Batman. That was one mind-blowing episode! So many answers! Oh mylanta.

: ) P

PJSander said...

But... a WOODEN ship hits a STONE statue and knocks it to pieces? Puhleeeeze. I love that there were bits of it in the water, which I predicted long ago, but still.

: ) P

Hammer said...

So it's good vs. evil...AAANNNDDD...if evil escapes....we all die!!! Starting to see who is on who's side.

PJSander said...

So many throwback lines to previous episodes... but the one that I thought Hurley was going to say, (though he sort of did) was Mrs. Hawking's, "God help us all."

Answers answers everywhere!

: ) P

Hammer said...

So I'm a little bummed that Doc's theory that the island 'ducked' hasn't proved out. But what can we conclude about the island being sunk?

Jim in Georgia said...

The Island is the cork in the bottle. I love that. That was one hummer of a storm. I guess we've solved the argument about the vessel seen at the end of last season being the Black Rock. It was nice and sunny that day. So what vessel was it?

8) Jim

Hammer said...

I wonder if when it first entered the island's radius it was sunny. Jacob and MIB have the beach convo...MIB gets bent out of shape and creates the storm...kills everyone except Richard because he did the scan things and know he has something he can corrupt with...we saw the rest.

PJSander said...

That was one hummer of a storm. I guess we've solved the argument about the vessel seen at the end of last season being the Black Rock. It was nice and sunny that day. So what vessel was it?

I think it proved it WAS the Black Rock. Jacob saw it and created the storm that washed it ashore. JMO

We know that the last episode of Season Five took place "about 140 years ago" and we know that Alpert was in the Canary Islands in 1867. Fits, to me.

: ) P

Hammer said...

Anyone see any thing in this? The bible verse I can read that Richard was looking at in jail:

And he said, Verily I say unto you. "No prophet is accepted in his own country.

But I tell you a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut for three years and six months, when great famine was throughout the land.....

PJSander said...

I expect it is significant, since there was definitely a camera pause. However, I think the language is a little modern for a bible that looked old in 1867. Just sayin'.

: ) P

Hammer said...

The three years part is what I am focusing on. The three years in FSW with the island sunk = heavens shut?

Hammer said...

Could that be the significance of why you shouldn't change things? Now they have to somehow reconcile the two timelines to save the world.

PJSander said...

Now they have to somehow reconcile the two timelines to save the world.

Where does the cheerleader fit into all of this?

: ) P

Hammer said...

LOL. Save the cork...save the world.

Lindsay said...

The language used in the Bible Alpert had was the King James version which was originally published in 1611 so that seems pretty plausible that that would be the translation he would have.

The passage is basically talking about how Jesus went back to His hometown to preach and the people there were rejecting Him and He reminded them that similar things happened to the Old Testament prophet Elijah and because the people that he was sent to rejected him, others were saved instead.

I'm still processing this episode, it was amazing IMO, and I agree that Alpert deserves something for this one!!

And save the cork, save the world...ROFLOL!!!

PJSander said...

The language used in the Bible Alpert had was the King James version which was originally published in 1611 so that seems pretty plausible that that would be the translation he would have.

Thanks. I was just looking that up and was surprised to see that myself. I stand corrected *g*.

: ) P

lost4ever said...

What an episode! a top 5er for me. I am curious to know what happened to Ilana at the beginning? Was she the one Widmore had captured on Ben's videotape?

What is the significance of the Isabella appearance on the island? Was that Jacob making it appear that the smoke killed her so Richard wouldn't trust MIB? I am confused on her whole appearance on the island.

lost4ever said...

Jacob saw it and created the storm that washed it ashore.

That's what I thought. I also thought the ship was at anchor in the finale last year. I can't really see them introducing a new ship so late in the game but you never know.

I still don't umderstand how it got so far inland and definitely don't understand how it destroyed the statue as PJ stated, but it is an answer, albeit a weak one.

Tasha said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tasha said...

Happy Birthday Lins!

So....is there any such thing as Egyptian Genies? All I could find on genies is this article..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie

It could be like the ZOmbie thing..the are different views on what a zombie really is.

Anyhow, granting wishes, trapped in bottles(on islands), can't bring back the dead, breaking free of chains...reminds me of Aladdin.

lost4ever said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tasha said...

I still don't umderstand how it got so far inland



The way I saw it, the water looked pretty high like it was flooding the island. The ship looked like it hit the face of the statue so maybe the ship was able to go further inland. Not sure on how it broke the statue though.

Tasha said...

Ah. Seems a lot of other people are talking about genies tonight too.

On another note, I have a question. I am sure it has been discussed before but I know many have said that he can only keep Locke's form now. Have we figured out why? It doesn't seem like he has had trouble shape shifting and manifesting other people in the past...

Shelley said...

HOLY! I know this wasn't the most question-answering/mystery-rockin' episode, but NESTOR'S ACTING!!! I'm beyond impressed! Even shed a tear or two!

Mkay. SO. I DO think that it was the Black Rock we first saw on the sunny day. Lapidas was crashing at night and suddenly it was day when they landed. And/or Jacob/MIB could've "made it storm." OR if there is some time loop stuff going on, maybe that was a different arrival of the Black Rock (the first time we saw it)? Either way; our beach boys were not surprised to see them.

My original take on why Isabella was on the island was that Richard was hallucinating from dehydration. Then again, so was Jack when he first saw his dad in White Rabbit....

flgrl said...

I was really thinking that Ricardus would be from Ancient Rome and that would explain why they speak Latin and also why they call him Ricardus. Now I'm not understanding that at all!

Great episode though. Nestor was fantastic and I was really glad to see MIB back. I like the actor playing him a lot so I hope we'll get to see him some more.

Circus Mom said...

There are two guards....(its a riddle)?
There are two guards guarding doors. One of the guards is guarding the door to heaven and one guard is guarding the door to hell. The one that guards hell always lies. what question do you ask them to determine who is guarding heaven?

Jim in Georgia said...

I don't remember Doc's theory about the Island having "ducked," but I'm taking it to mean that it was lower. Why not? The Black Rock was either on an extremely high wave when the prisoner saw the face of Tarawet or the Island was lower.

I think the vessel hitting the statue and destroying it is possible. I can't do the math anymore, but you take the mass of the ship time the speed it's moving to get foot-pounds per second or something like that and bang. To compare think of the difference between getting hit by a fast pitch versus a slow pitch softball (where'd that term "soft" come from anyway?) It's the same ball but a fast pitch will hurt a lot more (Hammer, help!).

I'm still holding on the the idea that the ship we saw at the end of last season was not the Black Rock. Jacob told Richard that he had brought others there before him and that they were all dead. I wonder if we'll ever find out.

8) Jim

Rita said...

Circus Mom said...
There are two guards....(its a riddle)?
There are two guards guarding doors. One of the guards is guarding the door to heaven and one guard is guarding the door to hell. The one that guards hell always lies. what question do you ask them to determine who is guarding heaven?

I think you ask "what would the other guy say?" :)

lost4ever said...
What is the significance of the Isabella appearance on the island? Was that Jacob making it appear that the smoke killed her so Richard wouldn't trust MIB? I am confused on her whole appearance on the island.

My take is that MIB - the deceiver - wanted to make it look like JACOB was the bad guy "who took her", so he could motivate Richard to kill him. He needed something powerful to do that, namely, something happening to Isabella, and the possibility of having her back. Thus, he presents himself as the "good one", the "friend", in order to get Richard to trust him and do his bidding.

Incredible episode! I can't wait for the next one, and the next one, but then, it puts us too close to the end!! AAAAHHHHHH!!

Hammer said...

Ask and ye shall receive. It is a softball because even though it's hard...it is not as dense and therefore will not travel as far when hit with the same bat and bat speed. Balls thrown faster also travel father when hit proper. That is why we don't throw fastballs down the middle to a home run hitter. Broken bats happen when a high velocity ball hits towards then top of the bat making the thin part near the handle splinter much like the statue may have.

I'm happy to spout off about softball...but there are better ways to explain the physics of why the statue broke.

Circusw Mom said...

Just re-watched with Circus Dork. She says they are speaking portiguse, not spanish, and the translations are sometimes a bit off. She also found it funny that smokey used the stairs to enter the BR when he went to chelck out Richard.

There was a butterfly outside that flew into the BR right before Isabell showed up. Made me think of reincarnation, the buttergly effect, and the effect of butterflys on chaos theory. OK, the las one was the Dork, who pointed out the butterfly to me.

Shelley said...

LOSTpedia says they're speaking Spanish, not Portuguese.

I'm reading up on Tenerife, and wiki says maps dating to the 14th and 15th century...refer to the island as Isla del Infierno, literally meaning Island of Hell, a reference to the volcanic activity and eruptions of Mt Teide.

interesting about the hell part. Probably just coincidence?
*do not mistake coincidence for fate :-p*

PJSander said...

LOSTpedia says they're speaking Spanish, not Portuguese.

Nestor and Jorge both said it was Spanish, also. Though at the VERY beginning, Nestor said he was speaking Latin. Maybe that is the mix-up?

: ) P

Shelley said...

I'm gonna be bummed if the whole show is about good vs. evil and turns out to be an elaborate bible story.
Crossing my fingers it won't though!

Watched The Cost of Living last night, where Eko gets killed by Smoky. Had a deja vu moment when Eko was drinking from the stream, heard Smoky, and then Locke immediately appeared from the jungle! Very Flocke-like to me.
Then Locke returned Yemi's cross to Eko. That reminded me not only of Isabella's cross but that Smoky (presumably) uses a possession to aid in becoming a vision to someone.
(I've been watching random Smoky eps and then I plan to watch Christian eps)

Circus Mom said...

Perhaps Circus Dork mistook Clasical spanish as Portiguise as she speaks mostly Tiajuana Spanish.

Just a side note. Embalming or leaving bodies in caves was a common method of burial in the Caniaries. Perhaps Richard and Isabella are Adam and Eve?

Shelley said...

I like that idea, but I'm not sure if Richard's character was already thought of in season 1. And I don't see when they would have time to get her body to the island.


Unless she's on Widmore's sub.

L O S T

Jim in Georgia said...

Oh, well, TPTB have verified in their Mar 24 podcast that the vessel we saw in "The Incident" was in fact the Black Rock. Right after that scene, a storm rose up and drove the ship ashore. *sigh* Those two ships still don't look the same...but I yield. *grin* TPTB assure us that Desmond will reappear, but don't say whether in OT or FST.

Good screencaps on the LP of the approach to the the Island, btw.

People are asking what happened to all the pieces of the statue.

Back to Desmond. If he is a temporal policeman -- was that Eloise's term? -- will he have something to do with the merging of the two times? Is it something like what he did with Charlie, in that he brought all our folks to Los Angeles but only for a respite?

8) Jim

Jim in Georgia said...

FlashForward was good. More background and... Well, never mind!

8) Jim

PJSander said...

Oh, well, TPTB have verified in their Mar 24 podcast

Danger, Bill Robinson, Danger.

I found the podcast to be somewhat spoilerish, honestly. Nothing earth shattering, and certainly nothing we haven't already posited, but I still would have preferred not to hear what I heard.

Still, it was amusing as always, and they announced the title of the last episode. In case someone doesn't want to be spoiled (by listening to the podcast), but DOES want to know the name of the last episode (which is not spoilery at all), I will post the name of the last episode as a comment on the last thread. That way if you want to see it, you can, and if you don't, you won't.

: ) P

flgrl said...

Thanks for the heads up, PJ. I normally enjoy the podcasts, but can't stand to be spoiled in the slightest so I'll give this one a miss.

Anyone had any thoughts about my question as to why they were speaking Latin? I really thought Richard would be the answer to that, but he wasn't.

Jim in Georgia said...

flgrl said...
...why they were speaking Latin?


Somehow I think we get another permanently unanswered question.

There's a lot of non-believers on the LP. In spite of what TPTB said about a storm coming up, the most recent suggestion is that the Black Rock we saw last season was a previous visit than the one we saw in Ab Aeterno. This helps account for all the years the vessel has been missing and the found Journal. This could be true if D&C are not being completely truthful; of course, I'm not suggesting that those stalwart gentlemen would attempt to mislead us. *smile innocently*

I did like the "other" meaning of Ab Aeterno from the podcast. It means "Eternal Abs," a new exercise program for the abdominal muscles; Nestor will be the spokesperson and...

8) Jim

lost4ever said...

...but there are better ways to explain the physics of why the statue broke.

Please continue. I am not digging the whole baseball/softball comparison. Those are two moving objects, the statue was stationary. Now if you want to put the ball made of stone ( or whatever the statue was made of ) on a tee and swing away with a wooden bat that would be more comparable. Also I don't think ships traveled very fast back then but I am no nautical expert.

I am just chalking it up to a little "cheese". There has been some of it since the beginning. After all, IMO D & C are cheesy, just listen to their podcasts and interviews.

Thus, he presents himself as the "good one", the "friend", in order to get Richard to trust him and do his bidding

That's what I originally thought but he told Richard he was the smoke.


Anyone had any thoughts about my question as to why they were speaking Latin


Many languages have been descended from Latin including the Spanish and Portuguese.
I do not trust wiki as fact but here is what it states:

while many others, especially European languages, have inherited and acquired much of their vocabulary from it. Latin was the international language of science and scholarship in central and western Europe until the 17th century, when it was gradually replaced with vernacular languages.

Hammer said...

Okay L4E...two things...theoretically I can break a wooden bat with a fast ball if it is anchored and not moving. The other is the speed of the ship can be altered by wind sheer..straight line winds have destroyed towers without a projectile

That said... I go back to the old stand by....it's tv about a show with very littlle realism....

Hammer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hammer said...

@ Telling Richard he was the smoke...he also said that the Devil is what was chasing Isabella.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
PJSander said...

New Ack Attack is up:

http://www.theackattack.net/?p=1514

: ) P

PJSander said...

DocH, your theory makes sense if the...

twenty ton ship

was made of something stronger than wood. I can't buy it, otherwise.

: ) P

Jim in Georgia said...

The statue and the ship

What's also interesting (and probably pure invention) is the distribution of the results. As Richard is walking to the remaining foot of the statue, the head appears to be lying offshore. I suppose it gets left behind while the Island moves on. One of the ankhs is left on land, but it's never featured in closeups.

I think it's also worth noting that we've never seen the bow of the abandoned ship. My guess is that it's in pretty bad shape.

8) Jim

lost4ever said...

theoretically I can break a wooden bat with a fast ball if it is anchored and not moving.
For sure. The wood would break, not the ball.

it's tv about a show with very littlle realism.
Agreed.

Tenth grade physics! Just guessing at least somebody else made it that far and can confirm
I can't confirm but I see what you are saying. It must have been quite a surge because just off shore almost the whole statue was visible and by the time it got there the ship hit the head. I guess that would make the statue break near the bottom even though it was submerged. Having said that, maybe it was a rogue wave that carried the ship that high and not an 80ft surge?

(BTW, I went to high school in the early 90's and had Earth Science in 9th grade, Biology in 10th, Chemistry in 11th and took 2 calculus classes as a senior...never had physics in 10th.:)

Shelley said...

It also looked like the head of the statue was out in the ocean, possibly near the hydra.
Maybe that was part of the rocks they were breaking for the runway?
Prolly a stretch, but I'm always trying to tie these things in.
It's a sickness, really...
:-)

Lindsay said...

This is probably going to seem really obvious, but it just clicked with me...we've seen black and white stones throughout the series and in this episode Jacob gave the MIB a white stone...a coincidence that the ship is named the "Black Rock"...?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
PJSander said...

Love all your water words in the statistical info, DocH. Thank you for keeping up with everyone's scores too. I forget about it until you post it! LOL

New post will go up shortly.

: ) P