I Am DB

Two things to share today as we count down the days to Lost’s return. (Have you had enough of me yet?)

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
When I sent links the other day to the “Lost Supper” photos, I mentioned that a lot of fans with even more time on their hands than me were closely analyzing them and looking for clues. What does it means that Jack’s hands are hidden behind Locke in one picture but crossed in front of his chest in another? Why are Jin and Sun apart in one picture but together in another? Why is Kate in the same position as Judas? I read articles that asked those exact questions and what seemed like a hundred more like them. I thought the speculation went a little overboard. There is, however, another sample of Season Six promo art that I’m much more interested in seeing analyzed but which hasn’t grabbed nearly as much attention. In the current-but-about-to-go-off-the-stands issue of Entertainment Weekly (with Jay Leno on the cover), there is an insert sponsored by Verizon Wireless. It’s a 14 page booklet that begins with a note from Damon and Carlton, followed by twelve pages of images, most focusing on a single character. They’re cool enough just on the surface, but upon my second or third look at them, I saw they were full of hidden imagery. Knowing that Damon and Carlton are involved in the creation of all these promotional materials makes me wonder what these clues mean, because they must mean something.

Unfortunately, the scans linked above aren’t high-quality enough to see all the goodies, and I couldn’t find another version to offer, so these will have to suffice unless you can get your hands on the magazine (click on the pictures to enlarge). I discovered some things on my own, while others I only found after reading the Comments section. Some of the “hidden” items aren’t too hidden; in Kate’s picture, for example, there is a reflection of Claire in the water that’s easy to spot. But here are some of the other things, which you may or may not be able to see in these scans:

• A hospital business card for Jack next to his reflection.

• A police badge between Ben’s feet.

• Turn Sayid’s page counter-clockwise and you’ll see the island’s statue where his reflection should be.

• On the same page, there is a face hidden in the second building down (or second in from the left if you’re still looking counter-clockwise).

• Hurley is wearing a plain T-shirt in his picture, but in his reflection the shirt has a Mr. Cluck’s logo.

• Half a face is hidden in the upper right side of the Hurley page. It looks like it could be Charles Widmore. Or John McCain. Maybe Benjamin Franklin.

• Barely visible even in the hard copy version, there is another face, this one in the clouds behind Jin.

• Also above/behind Jin, in the same spot as that face, is what looks like a newspaper headline, maybe in a foreign language.

• The Smoke monster is reflected in one of the foreground buildings on the last page.

• The taller building just above that one is marked with backwards text.

What does it all mean? I don’t know. Does it matter? Probably not. Do I want to know anyway? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUCE!
One of last season’s plot points was a truce that existed between the Dharma Initiative and the Hostiles. Very little was known about the terms of this truce, other than that one group crossing into the other’s territory was a violation (and remember that the Swan site – where last season’s climactic incident occurred – was not in Dharma’s allotted territory. They were “off the grid,” in Hostile land). Well now the truce is out there. In a clever bit of marketing, the Season Five Blu-Ray set was available in a special edition called the Dharma Orientation Kit, which was designed to be a replica of what new recruits to the Dharma Initiative would receive upon their island arrival. I decided to forgo this set; I’m saving my money for the inevitable Complete Series package (which, incidentally, I’m hoping comes in an octagon-shaped, Dharma logo case). Anyway, if you look at the picture in the link, you see there is a binder. Well apparently, tucked into the back of that binder is a sealed envelope. And in that sealed envelope is a copy of the original Letter of Truce as typed by Horace Goodspeed and notated by Richard Alpert. Take a look at the front (click to enlarge) and back. Surely the reasons (and intriguing wording) behind Alpert’s addendums will be revealed this season?

Chew on that for the weekend and we’ll reconvene on Monday…