A new approach.

Lost – The Constant
Sayid and Desmond run into turbulence on their way to the freighter, causing Desmond to suffer unusual side effects.

I’m taking a new approach to this this week. I’m sick of writing a detailed recap every week because I figure if you’re watching the show you don’t need me to retell what happened for you. They’re also super tedious to write and I’m sure you can find a detailed recap on ABC.com or somewhere else. This week was far too detailed to write out EVERYTHING that happened so I’m just going to react to it because it was nothing short of amazing and doesn’t deserve any trite commentary I throw in every once in a while. I’ve believed for a while that Desmond may be the key to unlocking everything that is going on with the island and this episode just cements that more and more in my mind.

Don’t be fooled. I’m not so sure this was a time travel episode. It may have been but I think something else is going on. There is a lot of speculation out there about who Daniel Faraday actually is. One of the most popular rumors is that he is the great-grandson of the famous British physicist Michael Faraday. Michael Faraday did a lot of studies on electromagnetism and discovered that magnetism could affect rays of light. If you remember in the first episode of this season, Daniel remarked that light didn’t seem to work the same on the island. I’m inclined to believe that there is sort of an electromagnetic field around the island that affects everything within its sphere of influence whether that be light, sound, or time and space. I know this episode seems like it was about time travel but I don’t think it was. I think that Desmond is jumping between real time and imaginary time. Imaginary time is a theory popularized by Steven Hawking. “Imaginary time is a way of looking at the time dimension as if it were a dimension of space: you can move forward and backward along imaginary time, just like you can move right and left in space.” After seeing a screen cap of Daniel’s notebook I’m fairly certain that’s exactly what is going on here.

A really interesting piece of Desmond’s story was during one of his flashbacks to 1996 when he came into the auction that Penny’s dad Charles Widmore is at. He was bidding on the first mate’s ledger from the Black Rock and the seller’s name was Tobard Hanso. This caught me right away because the captain of the Black Rock was Magnus Hanso. Alvar Hanso founded the Hanso Foundation which created the DHARMA Initiative. Why would Charles Widmore be interested in a ledger that possible talked about the island back in 1996? Maybe that is how Penny knows about the island and perhaps why Charles got Desmond into that sailing competition that landed him on the island. Ok I’ll be honest, anything involving the former Caleb Nichol gets me in a tizzy. He has got to be one of the best “son of a bitch” actors out there. No matter what he does you want to poke him in the eye and call him a jerk.

This episode really didn’t get into details about anyone other than Desmond so it doesn’t leave a lot of questions. It was mostly explaining how things on the island work. I have a sneaking suspicion that the whole card game thing Daniel and Charlotte were doing in the previous episode had something to do with Daniel skipping in and out of different times himself. Remember one of the first times we see Daniel he is crying while watching a camera swim around the fake wreckage of Flight 815 and he doesn’t know why he’s upset. Daniel had been exposed to a lot of radiation in his lab at Oxford, and Desmond had been exposed to a lot of electromagnetism while down in the hatch. Daniel says that those are factors that can trip the symptoms that Desmond exhibits when he leaves the island.

I want to make a special note to point out the last part of the episode. Who is their right mind didn’t get a little teary when Sayid finally fixed the phone and Desmond was finally able to talk to Penny. He called her eight years later on the day he said he would. She’s spent three years looking for him and she finally gets to talk to him and know for sure that he is alive. I know "long-lost lover" tales are told way too much in the movies but I thought this was handled very delicately and I never felt that I was being milked for tears. I was generally happy that Desmond and Penny FINALLY got to have some contact because obviously they dearly love each other no matter what occurred between them in the past.

This episode only left me with two questions. I wonder who the “friend” on the boat is that left the door open for Desmond, Sayid, and Minkowski to get to the communication deck is; and I wonder why Desmond Hume is Daniel Faraday’s constant. I have a feeling that Daniel is going to start making a lot more sense and seem a lot less absent-minded.

Well, that’s all for this week. I’ll probably go back to the old format for the next episode but I thought this episode was so different I wanted to address it in a different manner.

ANTM Cycle 10: Homeless Edition

America's Next Top Model – NYC, Here We Come
The 14 models move into a NYC apartment and visit a modeling agency, where they are critiqued by Paulina Porizkova. Later, they pose as homeless individuals for a photo shoot.

The girls move into their NYC loft, where there is one room of bunk beds and one giant bed that apparently some will have to share. Marvita (who was homeless) and Fatima (the girl from Somalia who suffered through genital mutilation) are bitches at first, but along the way they decide to be friends.

Immediately I like Amis, Claire, Lauren, and Dominique. The girls do a Badgley Mischka runway show in Times Square -- already it’s clear that being in NY is going to make this a very different ANTM. In my opinion Dominique does the best, though Whitney (this season’s token plus-sized model) is also good.

On their first task the girls go to Elite and meet Paulina Porizkova, who tells them their faults. This brief scene was shown in its entirety during the commercials, so nothing too exciting here, although it's still funny when Paulina tells Dominique she looks like a transvestite.

Anya talks weird, like she’s deaf. There is way too much screaming and clapping. The “Tyra mail” comes electronically and they all read it out loud together. Ick.

For the first shoot, ANTM wants to “spotlight a major issue in America” so the girls team up with a foundation for homeless girls. The contestants are dressed as very fashionable homeless individuals while the real homeless girls pose in the background dressed in couture. Unless they’re about to “discover” a homeless girl who will join the show, this seems unnecessary and a bit weird. Amis is worst, way too bouncy and unfocused. Assuming that the first girl chosen in the judging room is still the “winner,” Anya takes the best photo.

Claire is voted Cover Girl’s “model of the week” by viewers. In terms of personality she reminds me a lot of Danielle, and unless she does something drastic I predict that she will go far, and continue to be a fan favorite. She’s a sweet, outgoing, somewhat unusual-looking activist and so far, she takes great pictures. I mean, duh.

In the judging room, Tyra announces that Paulina Porizkova will take Twiggy’s place as a judge. So far she’s great– opinionated, funny, and honest. And she’s amazing-looking. Through the entire episode, Kim has talked about how she doesn’t believe in high fashion because “no one should spend $500 on a piece of clothing.” Unbelievably she says this to the judges, and they are horrified. Tyra asks if she wants to leave, and she says yes. As far as I know that’s a first…

Regardless of this, the judges go on with their elimination. It comes down to Amis and Atalya. Amis has an “interesting face” and Atalya looks like “a pretty Barbie.” So guess who gets cut?

You know Blake, he went to Northwestern.

Once and Again – Cat-In-Hat
Random but related: I was looking through a catalog at work yesterday and saw a one-sheet for the DVD release of Across the Universe. There was a large picture of Evan Rachel Wood, and damn if she didn’t look almost exactly the same. Anyway, it’s become clear that I prefer the episodes that revolve around the Sammler family so hopefully I’m in for a treat. We open with Karen and Leo in bed, while B&W Karen talks about how she doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing. Rick calls and she lies about being at work. Leo wakes up and tells her she’s cute, and Karen says, “That’s not really an adjective that I get a lot.” Leo is good for her.

And woah, Adam Brody! In much the same role as ever, but this time he’s a jock and music geek. And … WTF?!? Rilo Kiley?!? Eli and Adam Brody run into Blake and Jenny in a guitar store and keep making references to Northwestern. I’ll have to look that up. Considering that she got her start in Troop Beverly Hills, Jenny Lewis is a terrible actress. Ha.

Leo shows up at the Sammler house unannounced and Karen’s dirty little secret is out. Rick and Lily also happen to stop by, so everyone knows. Eli wants to go see “Blake’s band” – they have yet to name the band, which is weird – but the show is at a bar so Karen says no. Eli goes behind her back to Rick, leaving out key details, and Rick gives him permission. Unfortunately, Leo takes Karen to the same show, where she is thrilled to be carded. Naturally, Eli runs into Karen and, because he’s a dick, tells her she’s too old to be there. Finally, at this point, Jenny says, “We’re Rilo Kiley” as they leave the stage. Too bizarre.

Jessie is going for her black belt in Tai Kwon Do, and is set to spar against a cute boy who is flirting with her. When she beats him, he starts treating her like crap. Jessie decides not to take the black belt test, but then she realizes she’s being stupid, takes the test, and gets her black belt.

Once and Again – My Brilliant Career
Lily is easier to take when she’s not acting like a princess, but not by much. In this ep we see her floundering in her new job as personal assistant to Christie, the young, high-maintenance editor of a hip magazine. Christie doesn’t trust Lily with any real work, which annoys Lily. Christie is irritated by Lily’s incompetence yet jealous of her for having a life.

Also in this ep, we discover that Jake and Tiffany are still together. And Grace accidentally discovers that Jake started dating Tiffany while he was still married to Lily. It’s pretty awful, and Jake is forced to put on a happy face for Zoe, who has no idea what is going on.

I think we could be part of the same karass.

My So-Called Life – On the Wagon
While Rayanne struggles to stay sober, Angela spends all her time with Jordan. Searching for something to fill the void, Rayanne tries out for lead singer of Jordan’s band.

Rayanne has been clean for 33 days, and since she is only required to see the guidance counselor for a month, she stops going. Jordan and Angela have broken up, but are spending more time together than ever. Even though Rayanne plays it tough, she feels neglected. As the distance between the two girls grows, Rayanne decides to try out for lead singer of Jordan’s band so she can spend more time with her friend. Since she can’t turn to Angela, she goes to Sharon for advice.

Rayanne’s mom still drinks around her, making the poor girl’s sobriety even more difficult. Patty wonders if she should speak to Amber, but Graham tells her that it’s inappropriate to infer that another parent has done a bad job raising their children. Patty, unable to control herself, calls to casually ask Amber to ask if Rayanne is drinking again, and Amber tells her to butt out. As it turns out, Rayanne sings decently, but at their first gig she is so nervous that she runs off stage, crying about how everyone has been expecting her to fail. Rickie absolutely freaks out, thinking that he’ll find Rayanne in a gutter somewhere. He calls Angela for help, and Patty intervenes. She goes to Rayanne’s and accuses Amber of being a bad parent who doesn’t know anything about her own child, only to have Rayanne trudge sleepily from the bedroom and Amber haughtily explain that they spent the evening eating cookie dough.

Rickie is furious that Rayanne has caused so much worry, but in the end everyone makes up. Rayanne, Rickie, and Angela go to see a movie. In line, Rayanne begins to sing a sultry, soulful version of the Sesame Street theme song, cheered on by the crowd. The guy in line behind them in line is holding a beer, and as he dances with Rayanne, she automatically takes a swig of his drink without thinking. And that’s the end. This is a great example of the realism of MSCL. Rayanne doesn’t have one bad experience and suddenly stop being an alcoholic. Instead, she faces a long road of temptation and missteps but still remains committed to facing her demons.

Highlight of the Oscars

If you love Jennifer Garner -- and really, who doesn't -- you must watch this wonderful clip of Gary Busey kissing her on the red carpet. It has been a source of much workplace laughter today. He has since apologized, and it's really not that big a deal. Personally, I always like to see that actresses I like are cute and funny in person as well as onscreen.