LITTLE HOUSE ON THE ISLAND

During last week's "Recon" episode of 'Lost', we saw Detective James Ford of the LAPD relaxing at home with a few beers while watching TV.

Unfortunately for Toobworld purists, he was watching 'Little House On The Prairie'.

Even though they're separated by well over a century, both 'Lost' and 'Little House' should belong in the same TV universe. Luckily, one thing that takes the Zonk pressure off in this case is that this version of Sawyer exists over in the alternate TV dimension being called "the Sideways world". This is the parallel timeline that was created when Juliet detonated the "Jughead" bomb back on the Island in 1977.

But as we don't know whether this alternate dimension will eventually blend back in with the rest of Toobworld, I've come up with several splainin options just to be on the safe side. (Just like Sawyer, I'm playing all the angles.)

First off, nothing about that scene - within the "reality" of Earth Prime-Time - says that it actually is 'Little House On The Prairie'. The two characters never address each other by name, so we don't have to assume they're Laura Ingalls and her paw, Charles Ingalls just because they're being played by Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon.

This could have been a fictional TV show or movie in which the televersions of those two stars appeared.

But let's say it was a scene from 'Little House On The Prairie'. That still doesn't make it a Zonk. In the past we've argued that if an actor is mentioned in association with a Western TV show in which he stars on another TV show, it's simply that the TV Western is about an historical figure. And the televersion of that actor was hired for the role because of his incredible resemblance to that historical figure. (Best example of this is when Hugh O'Brian showed up on 'Make Room For Daddy', where Rusty Williams was a big fan of 'Wyatt Earp' - speaking of Hugh's and 'Little House'.....) Basically, 'Little House On The Prairie' is a Western, and it is based on the historical writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder about her childhood growing up on the plains. Landon and Gilbert were hired for the roles because they look so much like the original people.

Anyway, we know 'Little House On The Prairie' does exist in Toobworld. It was mentioned in such shows as 'The Sopranos', 'Scrubs', 'Sanford And Son', 'Saved By The Bell', 'Spooks', and plenty of other TV shows that don't even begin with the letter "S". (And besides, 'Lost' already brought it up as well in the episode "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead".)

So for all of those reasons, Toobworld Central has no problem with seeing the Ingalls on Sawyer's TV.

But I wish it had been a scene from 'Expose'.....

By the way - isn't it a cool idea that Michael Landon would be somehow linked into the world of 'Lost'? Can't explain it; just something that appeals to me.....

BCnU!