ARMS AND "THE MAN FROM TALLAHASSEE"

Toobworld has its own TV shows ('FYI' in 'Murphy Brown', 'Jed Clayton - U.S. Marshall' in 'The Hero'), as well as their own versions of TV shows we watch in the Trueniverse ('The Brady Bunch', 'EastEnders').

During the flashbacks for this week's episode of 'Lost' ("The Man From Tallahassee"), John Locke was watching TV while eating a TV dinner. Before he was interrupted by someone at the door, we heard this exchange of dialogue:

Television Woman 1: Here's what we know, Crystal. The Bolivian gold deposits were stolen last night around 2 AM.
Television Woman 2: Umm, that means...the Cobra! He's back!
[Shots are fired]
Television Woman 1: Get down!
Television Woman 2: Have you been shot?
Television Woman 1: I can't find him!
Television Woman 2: There! Behind Winged Victory! I can see his arms!
Television Woman 1: I can get him!
(Thanks to Lost Hatch for the transcript.)

According to Wikipedia, Winged Victory refers to:

Winged Victory, a semi-autobigraphical account of World War I aerial combat by V.M. Yeates

Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called Nike of Samothrace, a marble sculpture discovered in 1863

Winged Victory (comics), a feminist superheroine in the Astro City comic book series

Winged Victory, the U.S. title for the 1941 film Shining Victory

Although information about the novel can lead to 'Lost'-inspired theories, and there's always the lure of the comic book, it's O'Bvious that in this context, the reference is to the statue.

I'm thinking that if it was a TV show that Locke was watching, it might be an international production - most likely British, - which might have had an easier job of filming at the Louvre, cost-wise. (Although it would be easy enough to recreate the Louvre on a soundstage in Hollywood, and to rustle up a recreation of the statue as well. One exists in Las Vegas, for example.)

But with mention of Bolivian gold deposits, and a scene set in the Louvre, this could turn out to be a movie that Locke was watching. All we really know is that one of the lead characters was named Crystal and the villain was "the Cobra".

So should we ever find out about characters named "Crystal" and "The Cobra", who were played by Toobworld characters, we could make the assumption that this scene came from the movie or TV show in which Crystal and The Cobra appeared.

One point of interest for 'Lostigators' like The Misfit: the statue of Winged Victory is missing its arms (as well as its head). And Crystal pointedly mentions that she can see the Cobra's arms behind the statue.

Could this have some deeper meaning for the show? We all know 'Lost' is jam-packed with such puzzles, including anagram names and "Easter Egg" props.

Plus there's the character of Dr. Marvin Candle in the "Orientation" episode. He had an artificial limb in that film, but not in an earlier film found at another "hatch".

And now there's been some question as to whether or not "The Man From Tallahassee" had his arms tied behind his back at the end of this episode, or perhaps had both of them amputated.

I'm in the "tied behind his back" camp, but combined with the fixation on arms in the TV dialogue, I'm wondering if there's something to made of all of this.

Wikipedia has a lot of information about the statue and a link leading to the Louvre's website page about it.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby