LOST is an extremely puzzling show, so it makes perfect sense to
create four perplexing jigsaw puzzles to complement what we see on
television. In January, I toiled over the third installment in the
series of four 1000-piece puzzles, which focused on the mysterious
numbers: 4 8 15 16 23 42. While it took several days for me to complete
it, with help from my friend and my parents, at least there was a
clearly discernible pattern, though I didn't pick up on it right away.
You see, the puzzles are made even more tricky because the box shows
only a small segment of the finished picture, so I didn't know going
into it that I had to arrange the puzzle so that a giant 4, 8 and 15
would be on the top and 16, 23 and 42 be in the bottom, and I didn't
realize that within each of these extra-large numbers I would find
multiple repetitions of that same number. Once I figured that out, the
task became considerably more manageable.
Last month, I
decided to tackle the second puzzle, which focuses on the Others, those
mysterious island dwellers who plague the castaways of Flight 815. While
the third season deals more intensively with the Others than the first
two do, this puzzle came out prior to that season, so don't expect to
catch a glimpse of Juliet, Richard, Mikhail or anyone else introduced in
season three. The big red question mark from the map on the hatch blast
doors rests roughly in the middle of the puzzle, but there's little
rhyme or reason beyond that; postcard-like snapshots extend from the
center, connected by golden, spidery threads, but there's no clear way
to determine where they ought to go.
On the one hand, this
makes it easy to assemble little bits of the puzzle at a time, since
each picture is self-contained and usually encompasses between 4 and 20
pieces; on the other, it's pretty difficult to orient them correctly,
especially with all the random leafy greenness between pictures. It was
partly for this reason that when my friend and I tried putting it
together at her house, we failed. Without the puzzle board my mom got me
for Christmas a few years back, complete with protective foam covering,
I doubt it would have worked at my house either, especially since my
cats kept threatening to sit on it...
The puzzle box promises
exclusive content, but the puzzle itself doesn't really deliver. While
it is very cool-looking when finished, it just offers a lot of pictures
we've already scene, and often from a somewhat skewed perspective so
it's hard to tell what's going on. We see plenty of Ben (or Henry, as he
was known in season two), Tom ("Mr. Friendly" up until the season
finale) and Ethan; Bea, Danny, Alex and others show up too, as do
various castaways. Additionally, at the bottom of the puzzle there's the
ominous statue of a four-toed foot and the PALA FERRY sign. This is all
very nice, but if you're looking for unique insight into the show,
you'll have to spring for some puzzle glue and cover first the front and
then the back. Then, get ahold of a black light and shine it over the
back, and you'll be able to read the chicken scratch written in pale
yellow ink. While I didn't find any of the notes or diagrams
particularly illuminating, they could make more sense when viewed in
conjunction with the other four puzzles, since the four together show a
complete version of a map of the island.
I still have yet to
attempt The Hatch, which I own, and Before the Crash, which I haven't
seen for sale in stores, but The Others is considerably more frustrating
than The Numbers - though by the same token, there's an even greater
sense of satisfaction when it is finished. Serious LOST fans who
enjoy putting together puzzles will get a kick out of it, especially if
they find the Others considerably intriguing; they should just be
prepared for a rather lengthy time commitment...
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