I’m a little late with this week’s rehash because I can’t figure out whom to follow. In fact, as far as LOST is concerned, I’m officially lost.

As I asked last week, which leader?

Jack is trying to lead the Losties (1977) in carrying out Faraday’s vision of blowing up the entire island with a hydrogen bomb. I’m with Kate on this idea: since when did detonating bombs and shooting kids become anyone’s “destiny”? Sayid is the only one following Jack, and Eloise seems to have her own agenda.

Oh, yeah, and who’s the leader of the Others (1977)? Whidmore or Eloise? Or RIchard Alpert?

John Locke thinks he’s the leader of the Others (200?), and Richard is just an “advisor.” But it’s Richard who is leading the Band of Others to Jacob, who may be a leader or may be a fraud? John’s such a great leader that he gets to tell Richard to tell John Locke (time-travelling version) what to do so that John basically tells himself to die before returning to the island.

Alpert and Ben (200?) are letting Locke have his head, so to speak, but at the same time they’re muttering to each other about how Locke is starting to be a problem. So Ben thinks he’s still in charge, manipulating things from behind the curtain, as he’s always done.

Sawyer (1977) led Juliet right onto that sub and had plans to make a fortune investing in Microsoft. But he gained an unwanted (by Juliet, at least) follower at the last minute as Kate made the investment partnership into a triangle —again. Kate, get lost; go sober up your first boyfriend, Jack.

In Dharmaville (1977), the leadership question is even murkier, if that’s possible. Horace is supposed to be the Dharma mayor or Grand Poobah, or something. But Crazy Radzinsky, along with his nerdy henchman Phil, has staged a coup and taken over. However, they all let Dr. Chang tell them to send the women and children to safety, and it’s Hurley who’s the behind-the-scenes instigator of that decision.

So, “follow the leader” might be good advice if anyone knew who the leader was.

By the way, Star Wars isn’t the only 70’s/80’s movie to which I’m seeing flashbacks:

The scene where Jack and his crew swam under the pond to get to the caves where the hydrogen bomb was stored reminded me of The Poseidon Adventure (1972). And those Poseidon survivors had leadership issues, too. If only LOST could have Shelley Winters as one of the Losties!

Then, all the torches in underground tombs or whatever they are with hieroglyphics on the walls: shades of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)! I was waiting for the snakes to come crawling out of the walls.

Of course, the whole time travel thing and can we fix the past to make the future turn out differently? Or are we messing up things in the past in a way that will mess up the future in a catastrophic way? Back to the Future (1985).

I know that scene with the submarine leaving the island reminded me of some movie, too. Anyone?