ABC have released the second part of our "Mysteries of the Universe" videos. Just as a quick recap - we'll be getting five videos about every month up until November from "an 80s TV show that aired on ABC". The show deals in crackpot conspiracy theory, though may hold some interesting truths about the DHARMA Initiative according to Damon Lindelof... It appears that each "segment" is just another part of a single episode of the show on DHARMA. Part 1 gave a brief intro on secret societies, and now part 2 seems to delve more into the mystery surrounding the brand.
Watch the video below, courtesy of ABC (I'm starting to prefer an ABC embed over YouTube, it's only a brief ad beforehand and it supports ARGs getting sponsorship):
EDIT: Scrap that! The embed seems to be awful quality on this occasion:
As with the previous segment, there doesn't necessarily appear to be much we don't know, mostly crackpot conjecture. The references to Phil the Barracks guard and Olivia the schoolteacher are interesting, however. We furthermore learn a little bit more about the DHARMA recruitment process, and it's interesting to see the questions they ask candidates (which, as many of you should remember, are the same questions WE were given when we signed up for the previous DHARMA recruitment project ARG).
Not much in the way of easter eggs as far as I can see, other than some object with the word LOST on it, and the aforementioned shout-out to last year's ARG. We certainly need subsequent segments to reveal facts of more OMG factor, but so far so good... we're slowly getting a better picture of how DHARMA operates.
Other things noticed while transcribing:
ReplyDelete*There is a reference to the student being bemuddled in a CLOUD of unanswered questions. Smokie reference?
*Olivia was recruited in Portland, Oregon (where Juliet thought she would be going with Mittelos Bioscience).
See, the Portland thing and the strange recruitment just reinforce my theory that Dharma and the Others are more connected than they seem. The first ARG linked Widmore to Dharma. Horace is up to his eyeballs in Others (the cabin, the tunnels, Ethan.) They both recruit out of Portland (remember, Richard's Mittelos tried to recruit Locke pre-purge, so Mittelos is not just a Dharma entity that the Others assumed post-purge.)
ReplyDeleteI wonder why they didn't give last names to Phil and Olivia.
There was an Ankh symbol.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone looked closely at the "missing" posters they show to see if there is anybody in there that looks familiar?
The blurbs about aliens and Area 51 make me nervous, just like they did in the last segment. I'll be very disappointed if Lost ends up being about aliens.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't feel nervous - the way these segments are devised is that there will be loads of conjecture. You should take the small print at the end of the first segment literally when it says that this film presents one explanation, but perhaps not the true one... it is meant to be funny and a good parody of 80s shows. The language in the segments is quite amusing at times, as is the placement of images to match the narration as per 80s shows... I mean the plate setting of mystery is a brilliant example.
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing is full of crackpot theory, but I think the point is that in between the theory is core fact - and that's what we should be taking away from these videos.
"The blurbs about aliens and Area 51 make me nervous, just like they did in the last segment. I'll be very disappointed if Lost ends up being about aliens."
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that they will turn out to be just jokes thrown in their by the writers, to try and confuse the fans.
I highly doubt that aliens will have anything to do with lost.
I think the alien stuff is there because this kind of tv programme always tends to connect "mysteries" to aliens, so I wouldn't worry too much :)
ReplyDeleteThe reference to the Rorschach test as used to interview "the criminally insane" might be a nod to Watchmen, anyway.
What is the Copyright date at the beginning? It looks like some kind of huge long Roman Numeral that is longer than it should be.
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ReplyDeletequestion 4: 'Who is your constant?"...
ReplyDeleteThis looks like something that might have been connected to the Dharma Recruiting Project. I wonder if it's something left over from that ARG when it was canceled... Doesn't really fit with the LOST University stuff....
ReplyDeletethat rorschach test looks...i dunno...SMOKEY.
ReplyDeleteGreat little video!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy learning more about the Dharma Initiative.
poggy, the Rorschach test has been around long before Watchmen was published but it could be a nod (we know Damon Lindeloff is a huge fan of the book).
Hey Nickb123
ReplyDeleteThis OT to this post, but what's you opinion on what's going on at DamonCarltonandaPolarBear.com?
Some people think it's an ARG starting up.
Or it could just be viral marketing.
They're talking about it
here
Hey Sayid'sgirl - I did a quick check-up on that site, and it is owned by ABC Inc (though seems to be done from their New York offices and not California... go figure). Anyway, I don't think there's anything there presently clue wise, but something could certainly come up there to tie in with the ARG content. I'll keep a tab on the site. Maybe this guy will act as a 'Speaker' type figure at some point. Who knows, but thanks for the tip :)
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ReplyDeleteA couple of things grab me: One, in Las Vegas in 1978 a DI janitor's jumpsuit is found. In 1977 there are two DI janitors: Roger and Jack. So, could Jack have survived the h-bomb, gotten off the island and someone found his jumpsuit?
ReplyDeleteTwo: there's an emphesis on the recruitment of DI workers. There's also the analogy of puzzle pieces. It seems that the DI were trying to find the right pieces to the puzzle by finding the right people. Perhaps by finding the right people (the way Jacob found the right people for 815), the DI could change the future.
I think this "Mysteries Of The Universe" thing is to bring some reality to the show. Like the ARG does, of course. But i think it also makes US feel like were on the loop of things. Like, when we see shows like these on the tele, we just cry "false". But this hipotetical show is a shout out for the fans, letting us know that we know way much then we think we do. People that "seen" this show in the 80's had no clue of what the DI was all about and may have thought it to be false as well, but WE know better than that =)
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ReplyDeleteI think the one revelation in this segment of MotU is the jumpsuit found in 1978, like Brian pointed out.
ReplyDeleteAlso, "Ronie Midfew arts" is an anagram for a bunch of sentences containing the word "rewind", including:
I am set for rewind
Rewind time so far
Merits of a rewind
@ Ain't That Crappy
ReplyDeleteI would follow the guy. You were WRONG.
The website DamonCarltonandaPolarBear.com is NOT a random fan-made site.
ReplyDeleteDocarzt has written about it already. I think there should be a separate thread/post for this ARG on the Lostpedia Blog. Some new clues will probably be revealed on August 15th (8 15 people?) since that date seems to pop up on the site a lot.
Maya - already done an hour ago...
ReplyDelete@Arru Ronie Midfew Arts => Widmore Fine Arts
ReplyDeleteAs for this mockumentary series, I think we should wait until it's completed to see where it is headed! But I will agree that Horace being in the same place as Mittelos Bioscience (Oregon) is extremely interesting!
And Olivia, a missing pre-school teacher from Portland? Doesn't she look like Olivia GoodSpeed?
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