"Jughead" Online Buzz

I don't think I mentioned in my last post that I loved all the Desmond screen time in "Jughead." I actually didn't even notice that we never saw any of the Oceanic 6! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the first time Jack Shepherd (our "Hero") was not in an episode.


A Few Facts and Easter Eggs
My Favorite line: "You want to stay here in crazy town or help me rescue the geek?" -Sawyer

Here are a few things I didn't catch or just didn't mention in my First Impressions post.

• In the enhanced version of "The Lie," which aired right before "Jughead" this week, there was a very informative little fact in the pop-up info. In the final scene where Ms. Hawking speaks to Ben, the sub text read "This woman's name is Eloise Hawking." (more on this below)
• The young girl who held Daniel at gunpoint for most of the episode is named Ellie. We heard young Widmore call her this when he was reporting to Richard.
• If Ellie's real name is Eleanor, it's interesting to note the Latin translation for "Eleanor" is "The Other."
• This picture is from the abc promotional pics released before "Jughead" aired. As you can see, they filmed some shots of Teresa awake. It must not have made the final cut. But I wonder if she said anything interesting to Desmond.
• Desmond and Penny's storyline, once baby Charlie was a toddler, should be about the same time frame the Oceanic 6 were in last week. That is three years after they left the island. So if we see Des and Penny arrive in LA next week, they'll find out Hurley was just arrested, etc.
• To clarify a question I've been asked a couple times this week: We were mis-lead when Ellie said to Daniel "You just couldn't stay away, could you." She didn't necessarily recognize Daniel, she meant "you, the American soldiers who were here last month."

Online buzz
Many hard-core fans are crying "Foul" about the existence of a big reveal in the enhanced version. I've done a little research and Ms. Hawking has never had any name on the show. No one has ever called her by name on-screen. Apparently we only know the name "Hawking" from the script. Now revealing a little fact like a person's first name may not seem like a big deal but, in this case, it seems to validate a theory that many people had: Ms. Hawking is Daniel Faraday's mom. How do you get from one fact to the other? Daniel's rat in "The Constant" was named Eloise. I don't know why someone, even a geek, would name his rat after his mother but you have to believe there is a connection if the name is used twice. So fans are upset because they feel it's now required we watch the enhanced versions to get all the information considered to be canon. Fans who discover Lost 10 years from now should be able to sit down and watch all the original episodes on DVD and get all the information they need from them.

I personally hope the writers have some other trick up their collective sleeve. It bugs me when I read online comments where people refer to Ms. Hawking as Daniel's mom. It's not a forgone conclusion yet. I hope the writers make them feel dumb for making assumptions.

Theories
Now that it has been revealed that Ms. Hawking's first name is Eloise, and the girl in 1954 was named Ellie, and that Widomore was there too, everyone seems obsessed with trying to decide who might be related. Here are some of those theories:

Widmore and Hawking were married or had an affair. This could make Daniel and Penny brother/sister IF Ms. Hawking is Daniel's mom.

Charlotte is Ellie's daughter. Some believe this because they both seem to talk with their lips closed tight. The problem is, IF Ellie is Daniel's mother, that would make Daniel and Charlotte brother/sister. EEEW!

Daniel is Charlotte's father. Some think he could've fathered a child during his time-jumping days. (I don't think he's quite the lady's man.) But tied in with this theory is the idea that his actions in the past are erasing Charlotte's existence in the present like in Back To The Future when Marty's siblings were disappearing from the photo.

And my personal favorite: Ellie and Widmore are brother and sister. This idea comes from the exchange they had in front of Richard. Ellie said "You were out-numbered, eh." and Widmore snaps "Shut up, Ellie!" This is not exactly how one speaks to a spouse or secret lover, it is how you might speak to your sister. IF Ellie turns out to be Daniel's mom, that would make Widmore his uncle and also makes an excuse for why Widmore funded his research.

As I watched the episode a third time last night (it sounds sad but I was actually showing it to someone who missed it Wednesday,) I had two more questions develop. Why is Penny afraid Desmond would ever want to go back to the island? She asked him to promise never to go back. Doesn't she know him well enough? And what does it look like for Richard and the Others when the light flashes and the Left Behinders disappear? Do they go 'bloop' like the island?

Namaste!