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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 10, 2010 20:20:38 GMT -5
Reminder: I'll begin Season 4 on Tuesday with Disc 1. I don't know when I'll have the Disc 2 review up. That all depends on Netflix.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 13, 2010 0:04:02 GMT -5
Main characters: Season 4: Dr. Jack Shephard—Matthew Fox (starting with “Pilot”) Kate Austen—Evangeline Lilly (starting with “Pilot”) Charlie Pace—Dominic Monagham (starting with “Pilot”) James “Sawyer” Ford—Josh Holloway (starting with “Pilot”) John Locke—Terry O’Quinn (starting with “Pilot”) Hugo “Hurley” Reyes—Jorge Garcia (starting with “Pilot”) Sayid Jarrah—Naveen Andrews (starting with “Pilot”) Claire Littleton—Emilie De Ravin (starting with “Pilot”) Michael Dawson—Harold Perrineau (starting with “Pilot,” note: doesn’t appear in Season 3 but returns in Season 4) Jin-Soo Kwan—Daniel Dae Kim (starting with “Pilot”) Sun-Hwa Kwan—Yunjin Kim (starting with “Pilot”) Desmond Hume—Henry Ian Cusick (starting with “Man Of Science, Man Of Faith”) Ben Linus—Michael Emmerson (starting with “One Of Them”) Juliet Burke—Elizabeth Mitchell (starting with “A Tale Of Two Cities”) Daniel Faraday—Jeremy Davies (starting with “The Beginning Of The End”) Miles Straume—Ken Leung (starting with “Confirmed Dead”) Charlotte Lewis—Rebecca Mader (starting with “Confirmed Dead”) Boone Carlyle—Ian Somerhalder (starting with “Pilot,” ending with “Do No Harm”) Shannon Rutherford—Maggie Grace (starting with “Pilot,” ending with “Abandoned”) Walt Lloyd—Malcolm David Kelley(starting with “Pilot,” ending with “Live Together, Die Alone”) Ana-Lucia Cortez—Michelle Rodriguez (starting with “Exodus,” ending with “?”) Mr. Eko—Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (starting with “Adrift,” ending with “The Cost of Living”) Libby Smith—Cynthia Watros (starting with “Adrift,” ending with “Live Together, Die Alone”) Paulo—Rodrigo Santoro (starting with “Further Instructions,” ending with “Exposé”) Nikki Fernandez—Kiele Sanchez (starting with “Further Instructions,” ending with “Exposé”) Supporting characters: Rose Henderson—L. Scott Caldwell (recurring, starting with “Pilot”) Bernard Nadler—Sam Anderson (recurring, starting with “Everybody Hates Hugo”) Randy Nations—Billy Ray Gallion (recurring, starting with “Walkabout”) Dr. Christian Shephard—John Terry (recurring, starting with “White Rabbit”) Danielle Rousseau—Mira Furlan (recurring, starting with “Solitary”) Ethan Rom—William Mapother (recurring, starting with “Solitary”) Nadia—Andrea Gabriel (recurring, starting with “Solitary”) Carmen Reyes—Lillian Hurst (recurring, starting with “Numbers”) Anthony Cooper—Kevin Tighe (recurring, starting with “Deus Ex Machina”) Diane Janssen—Beth Broderick (recurring, starting with “Born To Run”) Mr. Friendly—M.C. Gainey (recurring, starting with “Exodus”) Dr. Marvin Candle/Dr. Mark Wickmund—François Chau (recurring, starting with “Orientation”) Cindy Chandler—Kimberly Joseph (recurring, starting with “Everybody Hates Hugo” though she was in “Pilot”) Mrs. Paik—June Kyoko Lu (recurring, starting with “…And Found”) Goodwin Stanhope—Brett Cullen (recurring, starting with “The Other 48 Days”) Alex—Tania Raymonde (recurring, starting with “Maternity Leave”) Charles Widmore—Alan Dale (recurring, starting with “Live Together, Die Alone”) Penny Widmore—Sonya Walger (recurring, starting with “Live Together, Die Alone”) Karl Martin—Blake Bashoff (recurring, starting with “A Tale Of Two Cities”) Richard Alpert—Nestor Carbonell (recurring, starting with “Not In Portland”) Eloise Hawkings—Fionnula Flanagan (recurring, starting with “Flashes Before Your Eyes”) David Reyes—Cheech Marin (recurring, starting with “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead”) Naomi Dorrit—Marsha Thomason (recurring, starting with “Catch-22”) Horace Goodspeed—Doug Hutchinson (recurring, starting with “The Man Behind The Curtain”) Matthew Abaddon—Lance Reddick (recurring, starting with “The Beginning Of The End”) George Minkowski—Fisher Stevens (recurring, starting with “The Beginning Of The End”) Frank Lapidus—Jeff Fahey (recurring, starting with “Confirmed Dead”) Regina—Zoë Bell (recurring, starting with “Confirmed Dead”) Aaron—William Blanchette (recurring, starting with “Eggtown”) Martin Keamy—Kevin Durand (recurring, starting with “The Constant”) Omar—Anthony Azizi (recurring, starting with “The Constant”) Ray—Marc Vann (recurring, starting with “The Constant”) Captain Gault—Grant Bowler (recurring, starting with “Ji Yeon”) Mike Walton—Michael Cudlitz (“Collision,” “The Beginning Of The End”) Lewis—Steven Neumeier (“The Beginning Of The End”) The nurse—Grisel Toledo (“The Beginning Of The End”) African man—Kanayo Chiemelu (“Confirmed Dead”) The female anchor—Jill Kuramoto (“Confirmed Dead”) Mrs. Gardner—Azure McCall (“Confirmed Dead”) Translator—Necar Zadegan (“Confirmed Dead”) Peter Avellino—Armando Pucci (“The Economist”) Elsa—Thelka Reuten (“The Economist”) Duncan Forrester—Shawn Doyle (“Eggtown”) Melissa Dunbrook—Susan Gibney (“Eggtown”) The judge—Traber Burns (“Eggtown”) The baliff—Fred Q. Collins (“Eggtown”) Kate’s nanny—Tania Kahale (“Eggtown”) Sergeant—Graham McTavish (“The Constant”) Billy—Darren Keefe (“The Constant”) The soldier—Chris Gibbon (“The Constant”) The auctioneer—Edward Conery (“The Constant”) Suited guard—Chris Barnes (“The Constant”) Harper Stanhope—Andrea Roth (“The Other Woman”) Dr. Bae—Lanny Joon (“Ji Yeon”) The nurse—Lynette Graces (“Ji Yeon”) The admitting nurse—Christine Kim (“Ji Yeon”) The delivery room nurse—Sun Hee Koo (“Ji Yeon”) The maternity nurse—Tess Yong(“Ji Yeon”) The shopkeeper—Simon Rhee (“Ji Yeon”) The security agent—David Yew (“Ji Yeon”) The ambassador—George Kee Cheung (“Ji Yeon”) Michael’s mother—Starletta DuPois (“Meet Kevin Johnson,” “There’s No Place Like Home Part 2”) The nurse—Galyn Gorg (“Meet Kevin Johnson”) Jeff/Mechanic—James Locke (“Meet Kevin Johnson”) Gus/Pawnbroker—William P. Ogilvie (“Meet Kevin Johnson”) Arturo—Francesco Simone (“Meet Kevin Johnson”) Female anchor—Jill Kuramoto (“Meet Kevin Johnson”) Ishmael Bakir—Faran Tahir (“The Shape Of Things To Come”) The Tunisian desk clerk—Yetide Badaki (“The Shape Of Things To Come”) Bedouin #1—Nick Hermiz (“The Shape Of Things To Come”) Bedouin #2—Sammy Sheik (“The Shape Of Things To Come”) Doug—Sean Douglas Hoban (“The Shape Of Things To Come”) The Iraqi merchant—Kaveh Kardan (“The Shape Of Things To Come”) The London doorman—Michael Sadler (“The Shape Of Things To Come”) Dr. Stillman—Bill Fiddler (“Something Nice Back Home”) Dr. Erica Stevenson—April Parker Jones (“Something Nice Back Home”) The receptionist—Traci Toguchi (“Something Nice Back Home”) Ms. Berenberg—Carla Von (“Something Nice Back Home”) Locke Age 5—Charles Henry Wyson (“Cabin Fever”) Locke Age 15—Caleb Steinmeyer (“Cabin Fever”) Young Emily Locke—Holland Roden (“Cabin Fever”) Mrs. Locke—Rebecca Tilney (“Cabin Fever”) Mr. Gellert—Phil Abrams (“Cabin Fever”) Florence—Mandy June Turpin (“Cabin Fever”) Melissa—Sarah Duval (“Cabin Fever”) The E.R. doctor—Patrick Torres (“Cabin Fever”) The E.R. Nurse—Amanda Carlin (“Cabin Fever”) The physical therapist—Matthew Pedersen (“Cabin Fever”) Margo Shephard—Veronica Hamel (“White Rabbit,” “There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) Karen Decker—Michelle Forbes (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) Carole Littleton—Susan Duerden (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) Paik’s associate—Esmond Chung (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) Hendricks—Noah Craft (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) The pilot—David Michael (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) The co-pilot—Joe Sikora (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) Reporter #1—David Michael (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) Reporter #2—Alicia Rae (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) The Arabic reporter—Souhil Nimeh (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) The Korean reporter—Eul Noh (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) Henrik—Alex Petrovitch (“Live Together, Die Alone,” “There’s No Place Like Home Part 2”) Guy in car—Achilles Gacis (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 2”) The Indonesian Boy—Damon Juan (“There’s No Place Like Home Part 2”) Previously on Lost: Jack had a plan to take out the Others as they came to take the women. It worked, killing 7 of them. But, three survived and took Sayid, Jin, and Bernard, the three men left behind to set off the bombs, hostage. However, Sawyer, Juliet, and Hurley came to their rescue. Charlie and Desmond stopped Ben’s signal jam, allowing Naomi to call her boat. However, Locke seemingly killed Naomi to stop her; but it was all for naught as Naomi’s phone makes contact with the boat and Jack talks to George Minkowski. Meanwhile, Penny makes contact with Charlie in the Looking Glass, revealing that she didn’t send any boat. Mikhail blows up the hull of the Looking Glass, flooding it. However, Charlie closes the door to the radio room and writes “NOT PENNY’S BOAT” on his hand to warn Desmond. Also, we learn in the show’s first flashforward that six castaways do make it off the Island, two of them are Kate and Jack, and that Jack wants to go back. Well, things are looking up. Seasons 2 and 3 may have had their good moments, but they also had their fair share of bad moments. Basically, the good slightly outweighed the bad, but it was a little neck and neck. In Season 4, the good moments outweighed the ban tenfold. Hell, I’m just gonna come out and say: Season 4 is the best season of Lost. Now, there were a lot mysteries, but most of them got solved and they didn’t lead to too many infuriating questions. Plus, the quality in the writing and the acting somehow got better. That’s not to say it wasn’t bad in the first three seasons, but it’s just amazing how much it improved here. I attribute this to the writers, directors, and actors being so use to the show now that they it was just naturally easy to write, direct, and act on Lost. Plus, the whole dynamic of the show has changed. As we saw in the Season 3 finale, the writers decided to stop using flashbacks and start using flashforwards. Now, we still get some flashbacks, which are important as we got some new main characters in Season 4 and there are two from Season 3 (Ben and Juliet) who still have stories to tell. But now, we know that 6 castaways have gotten off the Island. So, the fans wanna know: who are they, and what have they been up to since leaving the Island? This was an amazing idea: not only did it stop us from getting bored by filler flashback, but it also made the show exciting again! I mean, when I first saw Season 1, I was excited to find out whose episode it was! Will it be a Locke episode or a Sawyer episode!? I’ll even take a Kate or Jack episode. After a while, it became a little less exciting, and the prospect of new characters with stories to tell didn’t do much to bring the excitement back. But when Season 4 rolled around with the flashforwards, I wanted to know who got off the Island and why they have to go back! Hell, this was the first time in a long while I was excited to see a Kate and Jack episode. Plus, they didn’t waste time giving us flashback shows for characters whose pre-Island tales have been pretty much told. Of course, this meant no Sawyer and Claire episode, but as I said, we already know all that we need to know about their backstories. Though, Sawyer still has the Tampa Job story left to be told, but I’ve accepted that it ain’t gonna get told. And, it was necessary to change the dynamic as the flashback structure had gotten predictable. But, the real thing that made Lost better was the time, or lack there of. Before Season 4, Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof set up a deal with ABC to end the show in 2010, meaning Lost would have only 3 more seasons with 16 episodes left. And then there was the infamous 2007-2008 Writers Strike, which got three episodes cut from the season. But, this was a blessing in disguise. You see, the writers didn’t have any time to waste with filler. They had to get all the important details told. And, they only had 13 episodes to do it. This made the overall quality of the show improve by leaps and bounds. And, they made up for losing 3 episodes in Season 4 by adding one to Season 5 and two to Season 6. So, now Lost has no time to waste, they’ve changed the show’s dynamic, and they’ve gotten use to doing the show for three years that’s it’s easy as pie to churn out a good show. Things are looking up.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 13, 2010 0:04:51 GMT -5
Before I begin, I’m just gonna go ahead and give the big spoiler warning here. Why? Well, I’ve noticed that I’ve started to use the spoiler button less and less. So, I may as well bite the bullet and stop using it all together. So, here’s your warning: Season 4-Disc 1 1. The Beginning Of The End Director(s): Jack Bender Writer(s): Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof Plot: So, the castaways have made contact with Naomi’s boat, the Kahana. Naomi dies of the knife wound Locke inflicted on her. Meanwhile, Desmond returns from the Looking Glass and tells Sayid, Sawyer, Jin, Bernard, Juliet, and Hurley about Charlie’s death and the fact that the Kahana wasn’t sent by Penny. They then move to rendezvous with Jack and the other castaways. During the trek, Hurley gets separated, sees Jacob’s cabin and Christian inside, and runs into Locke. Then, all the castaways reunite at the front end of Oceanic 815. Jack and Locke argue over whether to leave on the Kahana, which leads to have the castaways, along with Ben, Rousseau, Alex, and Karl to leave with Locke for the Barracks while the rest remain with Jack. Then, Daniel Faraday parachutes onto the Island. Flashforwards: We get Hurley’s first flashforward, seeing that he is one of the Oceanic 6. After returning to the civilized world, Hurley has a mental breakdown, seeing all the people who died on the Island. This leads to him being recommitted to the mental institution he was in before winning the lottery. He is later freaked out by a visit from Michael Abaddon, who claims to be from Oceanic but is actually someone who knows all about the Island. He also sees Charlie, who tells him that “they need you,” and is visited by Jack, whom Hurley tells that they should go back because the Island would probably force them to go back anyway. Thoughts: One of the problems I have with all the mysteries on Lost is that usually a new one is introduced when an old one has yet to have been solved. It’s like I’m trying to get answers out of some asshole who just replies with more questions. It’s like they’re trying to distract us viewers from the mysteries they haven’t solved with new ones: Me: Hey! What’s up with the sickness Rousseau mentioned? Lost: FORGET THAT, MAN!!!! WHAT’S UP WITH THE HATCH!!!!? Me: There’s a hatch. Okay, I’m curious. But, I’d still like to know about the sickness. Lost: I GOTTA BETTER QUESTION!!!! WHO’S THAT DUDE, HENRY GALE!? IS HE AN OTHER? Me: Wait, you still haven’t answered the sickness question. And, I have a tone of questions about the Others. Who are these people? Where did they come from? What’s their culture like? What are their goals? Lost: YOU WANNA QUESTION ABOUT THE OTHERS!!!! I GOT ONE: WHAT’S UP WITH RICHARD!? Me: Dammit! I wanna know more about the Others before I focus on Richard. Lost: FORGET ABOUT RICHARD, MAN!!!! THERE’S A VOLCANO ON THE ISLAND!!!! Me: What!? No! Tell me about the Others and the sickness. Fuck tell me about Tampa Job and Libby before you get to the fucking volcano! Lost: WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE ON THE BOAT!? AND, WHO SENT THEM!? IT WASN’T PENNY, SO WHO COULD IT BE!? And then, I snap and wanna strangle the show to death. But, I digress. You see, this constant shift in mysteries became a big problem in Season 3 as it just kept moving from one location to another. I mean, in Season 2, we stayed in the Swan for the whole season to the point we got to know that place inside and out, with only a few stops to the Staff and the Pearl. In Season 3, we were at the Hydra island for a few episodes and then moved on to the Flame then the Barracks and then the Looking Glass. We never got to sit around and get to know those places intimately like we did with the Swan, and all those places were a little more interesting than the Swan. Then again, it was necessary for the show to go throw so many places in such a short time given that Seasons 1 and 2 were mainly spent at beaches and the Swan. The Island needed size and scope, and all that moving in Season 3 did that. It’s now a more fully realized place. And, the reason the Hydra, Flame, and Barracks were more interesting than the Swan was because we saw so much of the Swan that it got boring and there was nothing left to do but blow it up. Though, they did blow up the Flame and made it too dangerous to ever go back to the Looking Glass, I’m content to settle with Locke’s camp going to live in the Barracks for the time being. Damn, I got a little off point. I should focus on the episode, which is a Hurley one. It’s surprising but also comforting to see that Hurley gets the first flashforward of Season 4. Surprising because he’s not one of the main elements myth wise. I mean, whatever’s going on with the Island, it ain’t gonna be about Hurley. Also, the beginning was a little to thrilling for a Hurley episode. I mean, that whole car case scene had Sawyer’s fingerprints all over it. The fact that it turned out to be Hurley was great, making it a nicely done twist. And, comforting because even though Hurley ain’t really a main player, he is important as a grounding force. He’s probably the most level-headed character on the show, and it was nice to see him get off the Island not just because he’s a likable character but also because he’s needed to keep everyone from going too crazy. Though, it’s ironic that the most level-headed, non-crazy character on the show is a patient at a mental institute. It’s a great oxymoron that adds some layers to Hurley’s character. And, those layers are dropped on some more as Hurley goes back to the mental institute as he’s being haunted by visions of dead castaways since getting off the Island. Here, we only see Charlie. This is a nice touch as it allows for a very creative way to bring back former cast members and give them something new to do other than just be in flashbacks. Too bad they didn’t really use it much. Though, I will give them some leeway as the strike shortened the season. Also, it’s interesting in that there’s a theory the Charlie we saw may not have been a ghost but rather a time traveler. It would make sense in that time travel became a big part of the show in Season 5. So, maybe he was the musician who programmed the Looking Glass and maybe he traveled to see his friend. It would explain why Lewis was able to see him, but it doesn’t how he went from dead to alive and traveling through time. Like I said, it’s just a theory. Anyway, other than Hurley’s story, there are some great elements to this episode. I liked the cameos of Randy Nations (Locke and Hurley’s ex boss) and Mike Walton (Ana-Lucia’s former partner) in Hurley’s flashforward. Though, they should have made Randy’s cameo a little more noticeable; you could barely see him filming Hurley’s arrest. Mike’s scene was a little better, especially with Garcia wonderfully playing Hurley’s lying about knowing Ana-Lucia with some subtle uneasiness. I also liked the scene where Desmond returns from the Looking Glass with bad news; the actors played taking the bad news well, especially Garcia. He gives a great performance here; his best part is the meeting with Michael Abaddon (by the way, there’s a character I’d love to know more about; and the fact that the producer were able to get Lance Reddick of The Wire to play him is awesome). It’s well acted by both players and adds a lot of suspense and intrigue to the season that’s to come. The scene with Jack and Hurley was also nice, especially with Hurley apologizing for going with Locke, which makes you wonder what the hell happened with the people in Locke’s group. I also liked how Hurley found Jacob’s cabin and saw Christian inside. A very creepily shot scene, props to Jack Bender, and there’s another intriguing thing that will raise questions about what’s to come. Other good performances come from Emilie De Ravin, who reacts to Charlie’s death with real heartache, and Emerson, who has some great lines, like when he tells Jack that Kate stole the phone when she hugged him and “Jack, with your permission I’d like to go with John.” Such a hilarious line. But, what’s really great about this episode is how it calls back to some of those great themes that have always surrounded Lost: factionalism, making choices, fate VS free will, moral ambiguity, etc. Much of “The Beginning Of The End” was concerned with the key characters making choices despite not having enough information at their disposal, something they have always done. And, something else the castaways and pretty much everyone who’s been to the Island have always done is lined up behind a main player is about as in the dark as they are, creating the kind of factions that have existed on this freaking Island since long before Oceanic 815 crash-landed. I mean, we’ve gone from the DHARMA Initiative and the Hostiles to the castaways and the Others to Jack’s group and Locke’s group. It’s like this Island just loves to see people form teams and fight each other, another clue to the “It’s all a game” theory. And, adding another great layer of intrigue to the factionalism theme is that nothing to date indicates that the “heroes” we've been following for three years actually are, well, heroes. I mean, Hurley seems like a decent dude, and Bernard and Rose don't appear to have hurt anyone, but nearly everyone else has some scallywaggery in their past, like Jack (was an asshole who destroyed his marriage and drove his father deeper into alcoholism), Kate (killed her stepfather), Sayid (tortured people in the Iraq Republican Guard), Sawyer (was a con man), and on the Island, Locke (has repeatedly kept the castaways from leaving and threw a knife into Naomi’s back), Desmond (killed Kelvin, though on accident but still pissed at him), Juliet (was one of the Others), Ben (betrayed the DHARMA Initiative, leading to them being wiped out in the Purge). Plus, aside from the mass murderer Ben, the castaways have done a lot more killing than the Others so far. It all makes for some great stuff here and to come. 9/10. 2. Confirmed Dead Director(s): Stephen Williams Writer(s): Drew Goddard & Brian K. Vaughan Plot: Four people from the Kahana (Daniel, Miles, Frank, and Charlotte) try fly onto the Island, but the helicopter almost crashes, forcing Daniel, Miles, and Charlotte to parachute out. Frank manages to land the helicopter. Daniel lands near Jack and Kate and uses Naomi’s phone to call George in the Kahana. Then, Jack, Kate, and Daniel go to find his colleagues. They find Miles, who reveals that he knows Locke killed Naomi, but Locke’s group ends up finding Charlotte. He decides to hold Charlotte prisoner, which leads his group to wonder if they made the right decision to follow him. Also, Ben reveals he knows a lot about Charlotte as he has a man on the Kahana. Frank fries a flare, which leads Jack’s group to him and the helicopter. As this goes on, Miles learns that Juliet was one of the Others and inquires about Ben, as he is the main reason the Kahana was sent to the Island. Flashbacks: We see five flashbacks in the lives of the four people who came to the Island on the helicopter and Naomi: Daniel is shown crying while watching news of the Oceanic 815 crash, Miles is shown to be a psychic who can talk to dead people and is using that gift for profit, Charlotte is an anthropologist and is shown in Tunisian death finding a polar bear skeleton with a DHARMA Initiative collar on it, Frank is shown in the Bahamas drinking over the Oceanic 815 crash as he was scheduled to be the pilot and discovers from the news footage that the wreckage may have been staged, and Naomi is shown criticizing her employer, Abaddon, for his choice in her co-workers. Thoughts: With this episode, we return to the flashback structure, but it’s not being used in it’s usual way. Instead of one character’s flashback story, we get one flashback scene for the four people in the helicopter: Daniel (whom we met at the end of “The Beginning Of The End”), Miles, Charlotte, and Frank; and one for Naomi. This is similar to the flashbacks in the pilot and “Exodus.” So, I’ll look at each one separately: Daniel: It’s short but sweet. We start with underwater footage of the 815 wreckage that is completely creepy because we don’t know what exactly it is. I mean, is it fake? Is it real? Is everyone on the Island really dead, like Anthony Cooper suggested. This nicely transitions to Daniel watching the news footage of the Oceanic 815 wreckage and crying uncontrollably. It’s just as intriguing and creepy as the wreckage footage because we don’t know why Daniel is crying. Also, Daniel is played by Jeremy Davies, who has this great creepy chemistry. He did play Charles Manson once. So, it’s nice to see some nice, comforting people are coming to the castaways rescue. Miles: Here, we learn that Miles is a medium and is using that talent to speak with the dead and not only get paid for that but find some extra cash lying around as well. This scene is great because it almost seems like they’re setting it up for Miles to be a fake, like Richard Malkin AKA Claire’s psychic. But, when it turns out that he appears to be the real deal, I was happy, especially since it means that there may be something weird going on with the whole Lost universe and not just the Island. Charlotte: This leads to some juicy myth stuff. For one, we have one of the DHARMA Initiative polar bears in the Tunisian desert. How the hell did it end up there? (We do find out, but more on that later.) It also appears that Charlotte specializes in finding things with DHARMA logos on it, which is probably why she was on the Kahana. Like the Daniel flashback, it’s short but sweet. And, it leads to a pretty thrilling scene of her waking up upside down over a pond, dropping down into it, and being found by Locke and his people. I applaud Williams for his direction in that scene. He’s the Lou Gherig to Bender’s Babe Ruth. Frank: Another intriguing scene. We learn that Frank was suppose to be the pilot of 815, not the one played by Greg Grunberg in the pilot. (By the way, we also learn his name: Seth Norris.) But, what’s great about it is that it pretty much answers the question about whether the plane in the ocean is real or not: it’s not, as Frank believes that Seth Norris isn’t Seth Norris because he has no wedding ring. It also leads to a funny scene of Frank running into one of Mikhail’s cows. Naomi: This is the best scene of the bunch, and not just because of Reddick and Thomason’s performances. The reason it’s the best is because it lays it all on the line. If this was done Seasons 2 or 3, then there would be much tease and build up about who these people are and why they are here. But, as I’ve said, there’s no time to waste. Lost has got to get all it’s answers out in a short time. So, now we have them just coming out and having Abaddon saying that they’re being sent to the Island to grab Ben, though for reasons unknown. Plus, they all know the Oceanic 815 wreckage is fake, but not why. In short, it gives us basic answers but leaves some mysteries unsolved. But, since we’ve already learned why they’re here, it ain’t gonna be long before those mysteries get solved. On the Island, things are just as good, as we get another faction: the Kahana people. It’s great because when they meet the castaways, they look at things with strange bemusement as the castaways did with the Others. Hell, the castaways are starting to sound like the Others, especially Locke with his “We don’t want to be found” line. Also, the writers, here Goddard and Vaughn, don’t waste any time making the people who followed Locke look like they’re quickly regretting their decision, especially when Locke tells everyone that he’s following Walt’s orders. Sawyer’s the most vocal, but the looks on Hurley and Claire’s faces do the same thing with a little subtly. O’Quinn does some great work here, adding some subtle psychosis to it. And, Emerson, as usual, is wonderful. I loved it when Ben shot Charlotte (she survived because of a bullet proof vest), but the highlight of his performance here is his delivery of “Because I have a man on their boat,” which makes for another great mystery for the rest of the season. To make matters palpably better, the Kahana people don’t seem all that same either. Davies is perfectly cast as Daniel, and this is indicated in the line: "Rescuing you and your people? Can't really say that's our…primary…objective?" His squirmy line reading and body language give it such mystery and fear that it’s obvious from this one moment that only Davies could have played Daniel. The other freighter people are also perfectly casted as well. That Daniel line above leads right to Jack, Kate, and Daniel finding Miles, played with great anti-social behavior by Ken Leung, wanting to know where Naomi is and revealing that he knows she was killed. Judging by this quote from the actor, “Miles doesn't know how to be social, which is great, because I don't know how to be social,” Leung is the only person who could play Miles; and he plays it to sarcastic perfection. He quickly became a favorite of mine, making me wish to soon see a scene between him and Sawyer. I imagined that the sheer amount of sarcasm between the two would cause an explosion, forcing people to push another button for every 108 minutes. And then, there’s Jeff Fahey. That man is fan-fucking-tastic in just about anything he does, so seeing him as Frank was a treat! I also like how he has hidden his handsome face with frizzy hair and an unkempt beard. As for Rebecca Mader, I wasn’t really impressed with her here or in Season 4. She didn’t really get to me until Season 5; but she ain’t bad here. In fact, she impressed me a lot more on this second viewing than she did when I first saw “Confirmed Dead.” And, finally there’s Marsha Thomason, who has been around since the end of Season 3, but I haven’t said much about her. As I stated in the “The Brig” review, I loved the sarcasm she displayed; but here she shows some range in her flashback scene. It’s just a shame Naomi’s dead, and we won’t see much more of her later on. So, all in all, a pretty damn good episode with lots of suspense, mysteries, and good performances. 8/10. 3. The Economist Director(s): Jack Bender Writer(s): Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz Plot: Sayid, Kate, and Miles go to Locke’s group to retrieve Charlotte; Sayid does this in exchange for a ride to the Kahana on Frank’s helicopter. However, Locke manages to trap them. But, Sayid manages to talk Locke into exchanging Charlotte for Miles. Locke agrees, and Sayid and Charlotte leave; Kate decides to stay behind as well. Meanwhile, Daniel as Regina to fire a projectile with a clock onto the Island. She does, and it takes 30 minutes to land. Daniel finds it and learns that the clock from the projectile and his are synched up. Flashforwards: We learn that Sayid is one of the Oceanic 6. After getting off the Island, he has been going around killing the people who sent the Kahana under the orders of a boss who wants to protect the people left behind on the Island. After killing a man on a golf course, Sayid moves on to Elsa, a woman working for an economist and Sayid’s next target. Sayid starts a relationship with the woman, but he soon learns that Elsa is a counter-spy sent to take out Sayid and find out who his employer is. However, Sayid kills Elsa and then goes to his boss, Ben, to treat his injuries. Thoughts: Sayid is badass. Though, we’ve pretty much known this since Season 1. The man is incredibly intelligent, can seemingly make any machine or device work, and is an awesome fighter. Just look at how he killed that Other with just his legs in “Through The Looking Glass.” And, he sounds so suave and sophisticated. Yet, he has a troubled past as a torturer in the Iraq Republican Guard. So, it’s ain’t surprising to see him coldly killing people for an unknown boss, whose identity we do learn at the end. But, he’s also a lot more suave, sophisticated, and badass than we’ve seen him on the Island. He’s like the Iraqi James Bond, which makes “The Economist” one cool fucking episode. Though, the flashforward scenes aren’t really much. It’s comes off as a little spy cliché. Don’t get me wrong, it’s well done, thanks to the capable hands of director Bender and writers Horowitz and Kitsis. In fact, I thought it had a nice Alias feeling, which I suspect is an homage to creator J.J. Abrams previous show. But, they don’t really have much pop. I can’t really buy into Sayid’s relationship with Elsa because I know he’s just doing it to get to her boss, and then it’s revealed that she’s just doing a job as well. And, it happens so fast that it’s hard to care. In fact, they don’t hold up until the end, when it’s revealed that Sayid’s boss is Ben! Talk about a mind blower! So, not only is Sayid working for Ben (which makes his line when he hears from Locke that Ben has a man on the boat but Ben doesn’t reveal it, “Forgive me, but the day I start trusting him is the day I would have sold my soul,” a lot more poignant), but that also means that Oceanic 6 weren’t the only people who got off the Island. Who else got off? And, how? Did they leave with the Oceanic 6, or is there another way off the Island, like I’ve suspected since “The Man From Tallahassee”? So many fucking questions raised! The twist really makes the flashforward scenes. Hell, it makes the whole episode. Which is also a problem, because once the twist is revealed, you know it; and subsequent viewings don’t make it as good. But, that isn’t to say there ain’t a lot else that’s good with the episode. On the Island, we get some good stuff myth wise. A seemingly unnecessary subplot of Daniel having Regina, played by the breakout star from “Death Proof” Zoë Bell, shoot a projectile with a clock on it from the Kahana to the Island turns out to have big myth implications all because it took the projectile 30 minutes to reach the Island and the clock Daniel has is 30 minutes slower than the projectile’s clock. This looks so insignificant, but it has huge implications on the Island, mainly to do with time. Mainly, either the Island is 30 minutes in the future or the Kahana is. So, what in the hell is up with time on the Island. Why is it 30 minutes different from the outside world’s time? Is this why Desmond couldn’t leave on his boat and Juliet had to be drugged before being dropped onto the Island? Is it why people seemingly heal so fast on the Island? And, is it the reason women can’t give birth, because the babies develop in off-Island time? So much to ponder just from two clocks reading two different times. There’s also a nice little mystery in Naomi’s bracelet. It’s has an inscription: “N, I’ll always be with you, RG.” There are many speculations about who “RG” is from, Regina, making her and Naomi lesbian lovers, to Elsa’s boss. You can check these theories out here: lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/R.G./Theories And, you can check out other theories about “The Economist” here: lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/The_Economist/Theories As for the man of the hour, Sayid, he’s made a deal with Frank to retrieve Charlotte in exchange for a helicopter ride, which along with the occupation of Sayid’s target and Elsa’s boss, ties in with the episode’s title, “The Economist.” One of the things I love about Lost is the episode titles. They almost always speak about more than just one detail in the episode that gives us the title. Some are clever callbacks: “One Of Us” from Season 3 calling back to Season 2’s “One Of Them,” “The Beginning Of The End” calling back to Ben’s line in “Through The Looking Glass.” Some speak about the themes of the episode, like “Not In Portland” not just referring to the fact that Mittelos Biosciences isn’t really located in Portland but to how much Juliet has changed since coming to the Island. Here, “The Economist” refers to not just Sayid’s deal with Frank or Elsa’s boss; it refers to the deals the castaways have been making lately. You got them all taking sides. You got Hurley having to deceive Kate and Sayid to prove his loyalty to Locke. And, you got Sayid working with the master manipulator Ben. The whole episode has people making deals with devils they can’t really trust but have to in order to get what they want. Other nice touches: the interaction of Miles and Sayid. They could have a buddy cop spin-off, and I’d watch. Also, some great lines, like Hurley’s response to Miles calling him “Tubby”: “Oh, awesome. The ship sent us another Sawyer.” Miles’s response to Hurley’s inquiry about the Kahana people coming to rescue Charlotte and kill the castaways: “Not yet.” And this fine exchange between Kate and Jack: Kate: Being told not to come along. (Jack chuckles) Now you know what it feels like to be me. Jack: Does that mean I should wait twenty minutes and go anyway? Also, Andrews gives another stellar performance. The man has some great charisma and chemistry with women as well. Hell, he pretty much rivals Holloway in both departments. It’s why I love seeing Sayid in romantic situations as much as Sayid in action situations. Because Andrews is so charismatic, the writers have been able to pull off showing him in romantic scenes. It’s a real testament to Andrews’s performance as Sayid. So, I have to say this is a very good episode. And, yes, I did say that the reveal of Ben as Sayid’s boss isn’t as good on repeat viewings, but the episode. It’s amazing how the writers and directors can make episodes worth watching again and again even though you know what’s gonna happen. 9/10. Disc 5: Bonus Features. First, before I get to Disc 5, there are some bonus features on Disc 1. In fact, we get one before the whole shebang begins. If you want, you can watch the “Lost in 8:15 Recap” featurette before watching the three episodes of Season 4. I did this, and it’s basically what it sounds like: the first three seasons in 8 minutes and 15 seconds. It’s a thorough, well put together recap. There’s also a commentary track on “The Beginning Of The End,” with actors Evangeline Lilly and Jorge Garcia. I may take a look at this tomorrow. Anyway, onto the special features. Here we have “The Right To Bear Arms,” “The Island Backlot: Lost In Hawaii,” “Soundtrack Of Survival: Composing For Character, Conflict, And The Crash,” “Lost On Location,” bloopers, deleted scene, and sneak peeks. So, let’s dive in, shall we?: First up, “Lost On Location,” our usual making of featurettes on the episodes, here for “The Beginning Of The End,” “Confirmed Dead,” “The Constant,” “The Other Woman,” “Meet Kevin Johnson,” “The Shape Of Things To Come,” “Cabin Fever,” and “There’s No Place Like Home.” It was the same old-same old: some not that interesting (most of them), some contain funny moments (Rebecca Mader playfully acting like a baby before filming a scene and Josh Holloway narrating the action scene in), some contain helpful insight (“The Constant” shows just how good of a job Jack Bender does when filming an episode; parts of “There’s No Place Like Home” were filmed without a script, which must have been confusing for the cast members). It’s a bit shorter than the ones on the Season 3 set and frankly not as interesting. Next, we have “The Island Backlot: Lost In Hawaii.” This is pretty much what it sounds like: them showing how they chose the locations in Oahu, Hawaii to make it look like not just one huge mysterious Island but also to find locations that look like different parts of the world, from Seoul to Scotland to L.A. to Tunisia. It’s not all that interesting, but it did give me a lot of appreciation for Lost’s location scouts, set designers, set decorators, prop people, and visual effects department. It is amazing how they’ve managed to take a few locations in Oahu and turn it into practically any location in the world that you can think of and do it in such a way that it doesn’t look phony. They do such a good job that it’s not hard to suspend your disbelief. Next up is “The Right To Bear Arms.” This featurette is on all the fire power they’ve been using to film the show. And, let me tell you: when you watch this, you are going to get sick of the word “gun.” Not just because they say “gun” a lot in talking about them, but also because they show practically every single instance that “gun” is said on the show. Anyway, I have to give some praise to Gregg Nations, the script coordinator, as he has to keep track of who has what gun and where. He also has to keep track of a lot of other things, but that seems like a separate job compared to keeping track of all the guns. I mean, that damn Island has more guns than an NRA rally. Not to mention all the guns in the flashback/flashforward scenes. To be able to keep track of it all is an amazing task, and the fact that Nations can keep up with it all is amazing. Though, he does have some help with Rob Kyker, the prop master. Then, we get “Soundtrack Of Survival: Composing For Character, Conflict, And The Crash.” This is a featurette on the music of Lost, featuring footage of the Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops performing music from the show. This is another aspect of the show that I really enjoy: the music. Lost has some of the best scores on TV, which is all because of Michael Giacchino. The man has written some great music for the show and won several awards for it, including an Emmy. Again, another element of the show that really makes it good but is a little taken for granted. As for the Symphony Pops, it looked interesting. A nice touch was to have Terry O’Quinn come out every so often and read letters from the castaways written by the writers and to have little things like lights from below to indicate the Swan and people walking out with torches to indicate the Others. From the footage I saw, it looked like a nice little show. Though, I don’t know why it has to be 26 minutes long. No offense to Giacchino and the Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops, but how much can you put about the music in 26 minutes? Also, the previous two features ran a little long for my tastes as well. Next up we have the bloopers. The bloopers are just…well…bloopers. They’re funny but not as long as the last blooper reel we got in the Season 3 set. Nothing else to say really. Finally for today, we got the deleted scenes. For this set, we have Sawyer and Juliet talking while Sawyer drinks beer and Juliet digs graves for the dead Others; Sayid, Kate, and Miles trying to get through the security fence, with Miles figuring out that it’s not on; Hurley and Sawyer cleaning out the fridge of the house they’ve chose to live in; Locke taking Ben to a bathroom; Ben riding through the Tunisian desert and finding a hidden stash of money and passports; Claire having a vision of Christian; Kate talking to Juliet about the possibility of Jack being sick; Kate and Hurley showing up at the funeral of Jack’s father and meeting Sayid and Nadia; and Daniel looking for his journal. Some of these are okay, like the one with Hurley and Sawyer and the on with Ben and Locke. But, most of them are short and show why they were left on the cutting room floor. So, that’s all for today. Expect the review of “The Beginning Of The End” commentary track up tomorrow. I don’t know when I’ll have the disc up because of Netflix. So, I’ll see you when I see you.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 14, 2010 0:20:43 GMT -5
Okay, so here’s my thoughts on “The Beginning Of The End” commentary track. I wanted to take a listen at this because, unlike some of the other commentary tracks on these Lost sets, this one has just actors, here Jorge Garcia and Evangeline Lilly. Now, I don’t know if it’s the only commentary track with just actors because I can’t remember all the episodes with commentary tracks and who was on them. But, nevertheless, I wondered what a commentary track with just the actors on it would be like. Probably not much different from the ones with actors, directors, and/or writers. Anyway, it’s pretty funny. Garcia and Lilly have a very playful nature to their commentary. They don’t take it too seriously, which I like because one of the reasons I almost never check out commentary tracks because the people doing them are frankly boring. But here, they sound like they’re having a lot of fun, just goofing off and talking about walkie talkie headshots. And, if they’re having fun with it, then I find it a lot more entertaining. It was also a little informative. I learned that Jack Bender made those two wood dolls Annie gave to Ben back in “The Man Behind The Curtain.” But, the best parts are them talking about the mishaps they’ve had with torches and them pointing high improbability of Naomi being able to crawl a long distance with knife in her back, double back, crawl another long distance, climb a tree, and get the drop on Kate. So, I enjoyed it a lot. In fact, I think it’s the best commentary track I’ve heard so far.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 20, 2010 11:48:38 GMT -5
Well, I’m back for more. Before I begin, a few things: First, the reason I’m posting this so early is that I actually wrote it yesterday; but it was like 1:30 in the morning when I finished. So, I just decided to wait because I was tired and because there would be more people around when I posted. I know that last part seems shameless, but that is an adjective that accurately describes me. Next, I wanna share something with you all: www.buzzfeed.com/ashleytalong/lost-fans-sure-to-be-extra-annoying-this-season-hpzIt’s a video from the Onion about a report on how the final season of Lost will make fans more annoying than they ever have been in the past. Even as a Lost fan, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And, finally, once again, for you people who don’t like spoilers: Season 4-Disc 2 4. Eggtown Director(s): Stephen Williams Writer(s): Elizabeth Sarnoff & Gregory Nations Plot: Kate and Sawyer play house now that she’s decided to stay with Locke’s group in the Barracks. However, she soon finds herself on the outs as she helps Miles chat with Ben so he can make a deal (tell his employer that Ben is dead in exchange for $3.2 million) in exchange for info on whether the Kahana people know about her criminal past and Locke finds out about it, kicking her out. Meanwhile, Jack, Juliet, Charlotte, and Daniel make it to the beach, and Jack and Juliet try to find out if Sayid and Desmond safely made it to the Kahana. However, Charlotte and Daniel can’t contact the boat. But, Charlotte tries an emergency number and learns from Regina that the helicopter never made it. Flashforwards: Here, we see what happened to Kate after getting off the Island. Since she was a fugitive, she was obviously put on trial. But, Kate quickly gets released on probation after her mom decides not to testify against her. When Kate gets home, she greets her son, Aaron, meaning he got off the Island but Claire possibly didn’t and now Kate is paying Claire’s child off as her own. Thoughts: Here’s what I don’t get: why “Eggtown”? This one is perplexing me! I mean, why call it “Eggtown”? What is the reason? Because Locke brought Ben some eggs? Because Locke’s bald and running things, which would lead to the obvious “Eggtown” nickname for Sawyer to give the Barracks? I’ve said that Lost does come up with some good episode titles, but they can’t all be winners. SPEAKING OF “they can’t all be winners,” we have this episode. I still think Season 4 is the show’s best season, but there are like 2, maybe 3 duds in the season. This is one of them. I just wasn’t really into this episode. For one, it’s a Kate episode, which is disappointing for two reason: 1. It’s a Kate episode. Because of the character, that in of itself is reason enough for me to not like it. 2. It’s doesn’t answer much. I remember watching this back when it aired and being disappointed as it focused on Kate. Since the flashforwards were introduced, the show became a lot more interesting as people wanted to know who got off the Island and why they lied about what happened. Well, the lying part seems obvious. Who’s gonna believe that they were on an Island filled with polar bears, a smoke monster, buildings from a long dead group of hippie scientist, and the people who murdered them and took over their buildings? I have a hard time believing it myself. Anyway, who got off the Island is another burning question people wanted to answer, but we’ve already seen that Kate got off in “Through The Looking Glass.” So, just seeing her off the Island just came off as a disappointment. But, it was completely disappointing. In fact, the reason I think Season 4 is the best season is because the worst episodes of this season aren’t that bad and a lot better than the worst episodes of the previous seasons. We did learn more about the lie the Oceanic 6 concocted in Kate’s trial scenes, mainly about how big it is and not why they lied. Apparently, they said 8 people survived, two died, and that Kate was pregnant and gave birth to Aaron. Those first two are bullets compared to the grenade of the last one. So, Aaron makes it off the Island but Claire doesn’t. How does that happen? Is Claire gonna die? And, how did Kate end up with the baby? Just so much to chew on for the rest of the season. I liked the reveal of Aaron as one of the Oceanic 6, but it was also a little disappointing because does Aaron really count as an Oceanic passenger? I mean, he did fly on the plane, but it was in Claire’s womb. So, is an unborn baby a passenger on a plane or what? Also, I would have loved to seen another character get off. Maybe Sawyer or hell one of the other castaways. Oh well, that’s just a minor complaint. And, the twist was nicely done, what with the Others wanting to take Kate because she might be pregnant with Sawyer’s kid, leading the fans to probably think that her son is Sawyer’s and making the reveal a nice surprise. As for the story of Kate’s trial, there is much goodness here. Though, there is anything bad with it. It’s just there. I mean, it would have been nice if they had done more on who Kate is. I mean, we don’t much about this woman and makes her tick. All we do know is that she’s nice; she likes to run, whether it’s because of her murder of Wayne or her fear of commitment; and that she likes to walk around in skimpy clothing. Other than that, we don’t really know just who Kate is and what her role in grand scheme of things is. The writers, here Sarnoff and Nations, don’t really use the trial to tell us who Kate is, which is especially frustrating as Kate’s attorney tells her that in order to win the trial, they need to “make it about who you are.” Now, I know that might cause you Kate haters to groan. I mean, why would we want to know anymore about one of the least interesting characters on the show? But, maybe if we knew more about her, then she wouldn’t be so damn annoying. Though, that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong. On the Island, things are a lot better. Here, we got Kate scheming to get some info out of Miles about her criminal past. I got a kick out this plot, mainly for how it deals with Locke’s rule over his group of survivors. Her presence in his camp brings about what everyone is thinking, especially with his seemingly crazy behavior over Jacob’s cabin and seeing Walt: “Why should we follow Locke?” Here you have a man who’s never really been in charge of anyone and now he’s gotta rule over a group of people who don’t seem to have faith in him as he does in the Island. I mean, they only came with him because of their fear over the Kahana and their intentions. To make matters worse, Ben is manipulating Locke, shaking his faith in following him, which makes for some great scenes between the two. I also like the scene where Locke tells Sawyer that he isn’t sure if he knows what he’s doing. And now, you got Kate wanting to speak with Miles and Locke refusing, Kate speaking with Miles regardless, and arranging a meeting between the two. This whole thing causes a problem for Locke and his rule, so he has to do something, leading to him putting a grenade in Miles’s mouth. An overreaction, sure, but the man’s been pushed to his limits. And, you can’t keep making orders and expect people to follow them unless there are consequences. As for the stuff going on at the beach, it’s okay. There’s not much to chew on, learning from Regina that the helicopter supposedly didn’t make it brings up some good questions for the next episode: Is she lying? If so, why? And, if they didn’t make it to the Kahana, what happened to the helicopter? Good stuff. So, all in all, this is an okay episode. There are some good performances, especially from Emerson, O’Quinn, and Beth Broderick; this may be her best guest spot as Kate’s mom. That scene with Kate meeting her sick mom was particularly nice. I liked how her mom tried to make a deal with Kate to not testify in order to see Aaron, whom she thinks is her grandson. I liked that Kate refused as it tied in nicely with all the deal making going on in this episode and Kate’s history of running. Here, you have Kate just sick and tired of all this exchange business and running and just wanting out. It’s a great metaphor for the mysteries of the show and wanting to leave the Island. I mean, how much longer can you take getting a shitload of questions and hardly any answers before you just get fed up and walk away? In fact, it ties in with Kate not wanting to go back to the Island and Locke’s leadership issues. Just how much more of this crap you take before it eventually breaks you? 7/10. 5. The Constant Director(s): Jack Bender Writer(s): Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof Plot: As the helicopter flies back to the Kahana, Desmond starts freaking out. Because of his time traveling journey after the Swan imploded, Desmond becomes unstuck in time as his 1996 consciousness keeps switching back and forth between that time and 2004. After making it to the Kahana, Sayid and Desmond are taken to the sick bay, where they meet George, who is currently going through the same thing Desmond is. Sayid calls Jack and tells him what’s going on, leading to Daniel to take the phone and talk Desmond through his condition, telling Desmond to go visit his younger self in 1996. Then, Sayid, Desmond, and George make it to the communications room to repair George’s broken equipment so that Desmond can contact his constant. Flashbacks: In 1996, we see Desmond in the British Army’s Royal Scots Regiment as his condition begins. This leads him to having to go AWOL in order to track down Daniel at Oxford University to help him with his condition. There, Daniel explains to Desmond what is happening and that he must find a constant, someone who is present in both times, to use as an anchor for his mental stability. He decides on Penny and goes to Charles Widmore to find out where she is. He reluctantly gives Desmond her info, and Desmond tracks her down and convinces her to give him her phone number and to not change it so that he can contact her in 2004. Thoughts: I’ve been saying that Season 4 is the best season of Lost, and I came to that conclusion as I was watching this episode. My reasoning: the season with this episode is the best. Hell, I’m inclined to say that this is the best episode of Lost so far, and the only thing keeping me from just coming right out and saying so is that we have one season left. Though, I don’t know how they can top this. It’s not surprising that this episode comes from the showrunners, Cuse and Lindelof, and is directed by Jack Bender. There were a lot of great elements to this episode that made stand up above the other episodes of the show, and I’ll go through them one by one: Answers: Yes, this is pretty much the most explanatory episode of Lost there is. I liked how the episode began with this exchange between Sayid and Desmond on the helicopter going to the Kahana: Sayid: What do you expect to find when you get there? Desmond: Answers. When I first saw this episode, I scoffed, thinking that this wouldn’t really come to fruition. I’ve been burned by this on Lost before. However, we do learn a lot from this episode. For one, we get a glimpse about what’s so freaky about this Island. This is come kind of time distortion surrounding it. It took 30 minutes for the projectile to reach the Island in “The Economist,” and here it took a day for the helicopter to reach the Kahana despite the fact it should have taken 20 minutes or so. Though, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It turns out anyone who’s been exposed to radiation or electromagnetivity going and coming to the Island will become unstuck in time. I think this explains why Juliet had to be drugged to get to the Island. Doesn’t explain how the 815 people were able to come to the Island without harm, but I’m guessing most of them hadn’t been exposed to radiation or electromagnetivity and/or the electromagnetic anomaly pulling the plane down somehow shielded them from what happened to Desmond in this episode. Yes, Desmond wasn’t so lucky as his decision to turn the failsafe in the Swan that led to him to go back in time when he was with Penny has now caused his 1996 self to travel to the future and back. So, know we got a whopper of a jigsaw piece to put in the puzzle. With this time travel business, coupled by the facts that the helicopter flew through the storm clouds and didn’t come out in the Artic Circle and that we saw Charles Widmore bidding on the only surviving artifact from the Black Rock, a ledger that was found in Madagascar and ended up in the possession of Tovard Hanso (remember the Hanso Foundation?), pretty much all the theories about the Island being a dream or the afterlife have been killed, as possibly have the theories about it existing in an alternate timeline or parallel universe. So, what we now know is very straightforward: there’s this weird Island in the south Pacific that some people know about and those that do are willing to do anything to either get to it, stay on it, and/or keep it secret. Though, it does raise two more questions: why this Island and why these people? Mythology: As I mentioned above, we do learn a lot about the Island, and it has something to do with time travel. So, this does explain why the DHARMA Initiative would be so interested in it. Also, it brings back the Black Rock and ties it into the DHARMA Initiative; as I said above, the first mate’s journal was in the possession of Tovard Hanso, a relative of Magnus Hanso, the presumed owner of the Black Rock, and Alvar Hanso, the CEO of the Hanso Foundation, AKA the DHARMA Initiative’s financers. This also brings Charles Widmore further into the mythos, which is quite interesting as we’ve previously known him just as Penny’s father. The fact that he may know a whole lot more than we think adds some real juice to the story. So, if you wanna know more about the mysteries raised in this episode, just look here: lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/The_Constant/Theories Desmond and Penny: All those answers and myths are fine, but this episode wouldn’t have been as great as it was if it wasn’t for the love story of Desmond and Penny. As I’ve said, the myths are the bait, but the characters are the hook; and I was really hooked in by their story. The myth stuff is very intriguing, but Desmond’s emotional underpinnings for Penny make all that science fiction stuff work. That’s why I don’t really mind that Cuse and Lindelof are more concerned with the characters than the myths. Yes, sometimes that leads to bad moments, just look at the first half of Season 3; but they know that we need to care about the characters in order to care about the mythos. Not only do Cuse, Lindelof, and Bender deserve praise for their work but so do Sonya Walger and Henry Ian Cusick. Walger gives a nice performance, playing the anger and resentful Penny who was heartbroken by Desmond and the jubilant Penny happy to hear from Desmond after 8 years incredibly well. And, Cusick gives his best performance to date. His confusion at what’s happening is incredible, and his emotional release from calling Penny really elevates what was already an amazing episode. Hell, I’d be amazed if anyone didn’t tear up at the fantastic phone call at the end. Other great stuff: Cusick and Walger aren’t the only ones to turn in good performances. Davies does a nice job here, especially in the “flashback” scene. He has found a wonderful way to use his quirky acting ticks to make Daniel come off as a troubled genius with many quirks, making the character so fun to watch. Also, I found it interesting how Cuse and Lindelof were able to nicely work in some of Daniel’s background as a professor in Oxford even though it’s Desmond’s episode. Another great performance comes from guest star Fisher Stevens. He brings out a lot of sympathy for George’s death despite this character being new (we’ve only heard his voice until now) and dying very quickly. And, there a lot of great writing touches, like the reminders of Ben’s man on the boat (he obviously sabotaged George’s equipment and unlocked the sick bay door for Sayid and Desmond to get out) and the introductions of the other Kahana people, here being the doctor, Keamy, and Omar. We still don’t know who these people are, but it’s pretty obvious from what we see of them here that some aren’t here to help our castaways (Keamy and Omar) but still some are (George and the doctor). And, I especially liked how this episode made “Flashes Before Your Eyes” retroactively great, which is amazing since that was a top notch episode as well. I gave that one a 10 out of 10, so this one’s getting the same ranking as well: 10/10. 6. The Other Woman Director(s): Eric Laneuville Writer(s): Drew Goddard & Christina M. Kim Plot: Harper Stanhope, the Others’ psychiatrist, comes to Juliet to inform her that Charlotte and Daniel are going to release nerve gas from the Tempest and kill everyone on the Island. Sure enough, Daniel and Charlotte are missing. So, Juliet, Jack, and Kate go after them. Juliet splits up from Jack and Kate and discovers Daniel and Charlotte in the Tempest. Juliet and Charlotte get into a fight, but afterwards they convince Juliet that they were just trying to prevent the gas from being leaked as Ben was going to gas everyone on the Island like he did with the DHARMA Initiative in the Purge. Flashbacks: Here, we see more of Juliet’s time on the Island. It turns out she had an affair with Harper’s husband, Goodwin. However, it soon becomes apparent that they’re secrecy with the affair wasn’t to keep Harper from finding out but Ben, who has an unrequited love for Juliet. Thoughts: Here’s another dud. In fact, this is the worst episode of Season 4. Now, it ain’t bad. In fact, I’d rather watch this over “Fire + Water” and “Stranger In A Strange Land.” There are quite a few good touches to this episode. For one, I got fooled by it at the beginning. They pulled the Juliet trick again, and I fell for it. In case you don’t remember, in “A Tale Of Two Cities,” the episode began with what appeared to be Juliet off the Island but later revealed it to be on the Island. And then in “Not In Portland,” the episode began with what appeared to be Juliet on the Island but later turned out to be Miami. Here, they pulled the trick again with it appearing that Juliet is one of the Oceanic 6 but pulls the rug out from under us yet again using her celebrity status with the Others as the savior of their pregnant women to deceive us. I don’t know why I fell for that trick on the third try, but I’ll just say that the writers and directors were great at pulling it off and leave it at that. Anyway, the other nice thing about this episode is Juliet trying to stop Charlotte and Daniel from stopping nerve gas being released on the Island, thinking that she’s actually trying to prevent them from releasing it. It’s a good plot with some great action in the fight scene between Juliet and Charlotte. In fact, I think it may have replaced Sayid VS Mikhail and Jin VS Mikhail as the best fight on the show. Though, I have to be honest, this plot wasn’t all that tense. I mean, did anyone really think that Charlotte and Daniel were going to kill everyone on the Island? Come on. We’ve seen this before: the countdown cliché. It’s not the first time Lost has done it. Hell, Season 2 was all about it. However, there was a lot more tension in Season 2 and than in this episode as we didn’t know what would happen if you didn’t push the button in the Swan. Here, we knew what would happen and that it didn’t matter as no one was going to die. Now, the tension in The Tempest scenes, or lack there of, may have brought down the episode; but what brought it up were some good performances from Mitchell, Emerson, and O’Quinn. I really loved the scenes with Ben and Juliet and Ben and Locke. Ben has some interesting relationships with people. With Locke, he’s a manipulator, trying to get back some power that he’s lost over the man; but he’s also sort of his teacher, telling him how to be the new main man on the Island. It’s a great dynamic that makes the episode a lot more interesting that it is. As for Ben and Juliet, I really like this stalkerish relationship between the two. Here, you have a woman who hates this man and wants to leave, but Ben is so in love with Juliet that he won’t let her go despite the fact he knows full well she can’t stand the site of him. This plays off well in the scene where Ben brings Juliet to Goodwin’s dead body. I liked how Emerson was able to make his voice sound sinister yet loving. It’s an interesting dynamic that I would have loved to seen played up some more in this episode. That’s one of the problems with this episode, here we have another on Island flashback, this one from Juliet who was one of the Others. Here’s a great opportunity to learn more about the Others and the Island, but it’s largely wasted. Now, we do learn some things, like concerning the pregnancies, the mothers’ immune system turns on the baby as if it’s a virus, most likely causing the deaths. That sort of kills the “babies developing in off-Island time” theory, but I’ll reserve judgment on that since we still have one season left in the show. We also learn about the Tempest, the Island’s power station, and that Juliet looks like Annie, the woman Ben was in love with before her. But, instead of playing off that little fact, the writers, here Goddard and Kim, decided for some reason to focus more on Juliet’s relationship with Goodwin and reveal that he was married to Harper. I mean, was this really necessary? So, Juliet had an affair. Big whoop! Who cares!? I don’t, but we still don’t know what happened with Ben and Annie. Maybe if they had shown more about Ben’s obsession over Juliet because of Annie, then I would have liked it a lot more. Also, we get more of that damn melodrama/love triangle business, here with Jack, Kate, and Juliet. I get that it also ties in with the “The Other Woman” title, but just because it does doesn’t mean they have to include it. And, this episode gives us some answers, but they are pretty much ones we’ve figured out. I mean, we knew that Charles Widmore sent the Kahana as the fact they knew about Penny answered that. We knew that Ben loved Juliet because of Annie. And, we knew Charlotte and Daniel weren’t gonna kill everyone. It seems like this episode goes through a lot to tell us info we already figured out. Other things I noticed about this episode: the whispers are back. I’m glad to see that they haven’t been fully abandoned. I mean, let’s face they: they were only used to keep the audience guessing about the Others. So, the writers could be forgiven now for just dropping them, but the fact that they didn’t was a nice touch. Zach and Emma were brought up again. I’d still like to know why the Tailies were taken and what is Ben’s obsession with children. Also, Jack didn’t seem to know who Harper was. Why is that? I mean, he was with them for several days. Surely he would have fun into her. And, if not, why? Where was she? SPEAKING OF Harper, why in the hell do the Others have a psychiatrist? That makes no sense to me. However, Andrea Roth’s performance as her and Juliet’s answer to Jack’s similar question were good enough to make me forgive all that. In case you’re wondering, her answer was: “It’s very stressful being an Other, Jack.” Another great line comes from Ben, when Locke brings him dinner: “Rabbit again? This didn't have a number on it, did it?” And finally, the Tempest. Now, I don’t really get into the literary references on Lost, but this one was too good to ignore. The Tempest is an obvious Shakespeare reference, as in “The Tempest,” the play that takes place on a mysterious island, like this show. If the show ended up revealing that this Island was Prospero’s Island, but I would mark out like a 13-year-old girl meeting Robert Patterson! And, that is enough to raise this episode up to a 7 out of 10. 7. Ji Yeon Director(s): Stephen Semel Writer(s): Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz Plot: Sun becomes increasingly worried about the Kahana’s reasons for coming to the Island, so much so that she and Jin decide to go to Locke’s camp. However, Juliet is very concerned over what could happen to Sun if she doesn’t get off the Island before giving birth. She even reveals to Jin that Sun had an affair to keep him from going. Meanwhile, on the Kahana, Sayid and Desmond demand to meet the Kahana’s captain but keep getting rebuked. That changes when Regina jumps off the Kahana with heavy chains, committing suicide, which brings the captain, Gault, out. He meets with Sayid and Desmond and tells them that Charles Widmore faked the Oceanic 815 wreckage and sent them to the Island to find Ben. Then, Sayid runs into the ship’s janitor, Kevin Johnson, and is shocked to see that Kevin is actually Michael. Flashbacks and flashforwards: Here we see Jin and Sun off the Island. Sun is going into labor, and Jin is trying to buy a stuffed panda. It appears that they both made it off the Island, but the end reveals that Jin was buying the panda for a client of Mr. Paik and that only Sun made it off the Island. Thoughts: I hate repeating myself. I really do. It makes me feel like a lazy hack. But, I keep doing it as I write these reviews. I can’t help it. There are just so many things about this show that I like that I can’t help but repeat it in order to get it into your heads just what those things I like about the show are. And, one, well two, of those things are Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae-Kim. As I’ve said before, I think they are the best actors in the cast not named “Terry O’Quinn” and “Michael Emerson.” They have some nuances to their performances that really elevates the clichéd, pulpy nature of the episodes centered around their characters. “House Of The Rising Sun” and “…In Translation” were two of the best episodes of Season 1. “…And Found” and “The Whole Truth” were two low points of Season 2, but I still enjoyed them. “The Glass Ballerina” was a highlight of Season 3, and “D.O.C.” while not that good was a lot better than most of the things that happened in Season 3. So, it should come as no surprised that I love “Ji Yeon.” Now, yes I know there was little forward motion in this one. All we learned here was that Jin didn’t make it off the Island, Sun did, Michael was Ben’s man on the boat, and that was as obvious as the reveal of Charles Widmore being the man who sent the Kahana. But, to fair to the Lost writers, it had to have been Michael. Because Harold Perrineau was hyped as returning to the show, it was obvious Michael was returning. And, how else were they gonna get Michael back to the Island? As we know, he ain’t a sailor. He’s not Sayid or Locke. He’s a regular guy. He can’t really do the things the other castaways can do. Hell, Jack, the main hero of the show, couldn’t get back to the Island in 2007. What makes you think Michael could find some other way besides agreeing to go on the Kahana? As for the reveal that Jin got left behind, that was a lot more substantial than the Michael reveal. For one, we don’t know if Jin’s dead or alive. His “death” in Korea could just be part of the lie the Oceanic 6 concocted. Nevertheless, I liked how it ties in to the separation motif that has been going on with their arc. It always seems like there are forces in this world trying to keep them apart. First, Jin’s work with Sun’s dad almost led to Sun leaving him. Then, this revelation on the Island led to Jin going to help Michael build his raft, which led to them reconciling just before he left only to be separated because of the Others blowing up the raft. Then, they nearly got separated again when the Others took Desmond’s boat; but Sun luckily got off before they took it. And, now we learn that they are going to be separated by the whole leaving the Island business. It’s just so sad that these two lovebirds keep getting pulled apart. Anyway, I did like the reveal that Jin’s off Island story was a flashback. It nicely tied in with his motif of sacrificing his dignity and morals to do things for Mr. Paik that he doesn’t want to do just to stay with Sun. Seeing him go through all that trouble to get a stuffed panda, thinking it’s for his own daughter, but then learning it’s for a potential client of Mr. Paik was devastating. And, it made Sun’s scenes of giving birth and waiting for Jin to show up all the more heartbreaking as it’s revealed that she knows he ain’t coming. Of course, Kim and Dae-Kim play these scenes very well. I also enjoyed their performances in the on-Island action. Dae-Kim’s hurt when he learns of Sun’s affair with Jae Lee was a highlight of his Lost acting career. And, I especially liked his scene with Bernard. It was great in that Bernard is trying to convince him not to go to Locke’s camp because Locke is a murderer and that karma will come around to bite him on the ass. It’s painfully ironic for two reasons: 1. Jin has had to do several bad things in his job with Mr. Paik. So, hearing Bernard talk about karma also applies to Jin as well. 2. We know Bernard and Jin aren’t going to make it off the Island. So, if karma does make the world work, then why did these two good guys get stuck on the Island? It’s a nicely written scene. There are a lot of great moments in this Kitsis and Horowitz script. I liked it when Juliet spilled the beans on Sun’s affair to keep them from going to Locke’s camp. It’s obvious that she’s being cruel to be kind, spilling the beans in order to keep them there and get Sun off the Island. And, I enjoyed it when Hurley showed up at the end, mainly for how he was relieved that he was the only one of the other Oceanic 6 to show up. I got the impression from it that the Oceanic 6 aren’t very comfortable around each other, which leads to some nice speculation about what happened when they got off the Island that would make them feel this way around each other. So, in conclusion, the master plot isn’t moved forward much, but it was a nice break from it. And, I enjoyed a very heartbreaking Sun and Jin story, probably more so than other fans. 8/10. Disc 6: Bonus Features: First off, we do have two commentary tracks on this disc for the episodes “The Constant” and “Ji Yeon.” Now, onto Disc 6, which has “Course Of The Future: The Definitive Flash Forwards,” “The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy Of Lies,” “The Freighter Folk,” “Offshore Shoot,” and the “Lost: Missing Pieces” mobisodes. First we have “Course Of The Future: The Definitive Flash Forwards,” which is obviously about the flashforwards. It’s a standard making of featurette that has the cast and crew talking about the important thematic elements of the flashforwards. It’s interesting but goes on for way too long. It’s an hour, and it mostly shows clips of the flashforward scenes from Season 4 shown in chronological order. That seems a little unnecessary to me. I mean, can’t we just watch the episodes to see the flashforward scenes? Next is “The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy Of Lies.” This is a mockumentary that investigates the possibility that the Oceanic Six are lying about their story. I have to say, this was a pretty clever featurette that nicely captures the feel of all those exploitative conspiracy theory shows. Hell, it even creeped me out like those shows do. Seriously, I can’t watch those conspiracy shows; they make me paranoid. They did when I was little and even today when I know they’re bogus. Also, it answers an important question: the Oceanic 6 said that three other people survived the crash and made it to the island of Membata with them, but we never knew found out who they were on the show. Here, they show photos of the survivors: Libby, Boone, and Charlie. I don’t know why they chose those three. But, nevertheless, it was a very good featurette. Next up is “The Freighter Folk,” which is obviously about the new characters who have been introduced via the Kahana. It basically explains how the writers came up with the new characters. It was pretty interesting, especially considering how we learn how these characters came to be. For example, Jeremy Davies admits to Googling some scientific facts about time travel. I thought was a nice method touch. And, Miles’s name “Miles Straume” was chosen because it sounds like “maelstrom.” “Offshore Shoot” is the next featurette. It focuses on the making of the Kahana set. Here’s a little Hollywood secret: usually when you see a boat in a movie or TV show, it’s not an actual boat. Sometimes, it will be a model with sets that resemble a boat but aren’t. But, sometimes they’ll build a boat on a barge or something. However, here they were able to get an actual freighter for the show. This was nice for them money wise, but a pain in the ass filming it since it was very crampt with all the actors, crew, and catering people on piled onto this boat. And, finally we have “Lost: Missing Pieces.” These are short mini-episodes that were released weekly on Verizon mobile phones and on ABC.com from November 6, 2007 to February 4, 2008. Basically, these were conceived as “video diaries.” The original idea had Hurley finding a DHARMA video camera and filming events on the Island, ending with a previously unseen DHARMA orientation film. However, a contract dispute with the actors over filming these things delayed the production, leading to the original idea being scrapped. Then, they went with the idea of using these mini-episodes to fill in some gaps in the show’s first three seasons. Basically, if you’re one of the people clamoring for answers from this show, then these are for you. So, let’s dive right in shall we: Main cast Dr. Jack Shephard—Matthew Fox (5/13) Michael Dawson—Harold Perrineau (5/13) Dr. Juliet Burke—Elizabeth Mitchell (4/13) Hugo "Hurley" Reyes—Jorge Garcia (3/13) Jin-Soo Kwon—Daniel Dae Kim as (3/13) Sun-Hwa Kwon—Yunjin Kim (2/13) Michael Emerson as Ben Linus (2/13) Emilie de Ravin as Claire Littleton (1/13) Guest stars Dr. Christian Shepard—John Terry (2/13) Dr. Leslie Arzt—Daniel Roebuck (2/13) Neil “Frogurt”—Sean Whalen (1/13) Ethan Rom—William Mapother (1/13) Amelia—Julie Adams (1/13) 1. The Watch Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Carlton Cuse Plot: On the day of his wedding to Sarah, Jack talks with his dad, Christian, who gives him the watch given to him by his father on his wedding day. Thoughts: The idea of Christian talking to Jack about this watch doesn’t seem all that interesting, but it is nicely written and acted by Fox and John Terry. Plus, I’m glad we got this here. If it had been a scene in one of the episodes, I’d imagine that there would have been quite a few complaints from fans. So, it’s pretty good but not all that interesting. 7/10. 2. The Adventures Of Hurley And Frogurt Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz Plot: Neil “Frogurt” talks with Hurley about Libby the possibility of him making a move on her as he has crush on Libby. However, Hurley shuts him down. Thoughts: Another nicely written mini-episode that isn’t all that interesting. Though, I can’t hate it as it introduces one of the other castaways that we don’t know all the much about: Frogurt. Though, he’ll tell you that his name is Neil. I have to admit: one of my favorite parts of Season 5 was Neil constantly getting annoyed by people calling him “Frogurt” (though, that didn’t last long). So, it was a treat to see his introduction here. And, I have to compliment Sean Whalen on his performance here. All in all, a nice little scene that I wouldn’t have mind seeing in one of the Season 2 episodes. 8/10. 3. King Of The Castle Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Brian K. Vaughan Plot: Jack and Ben play chess and discuss Jack wanting to leave the Island. Thoughts: This is a lot juicier. I was disappointed that we didn’t get a Jack on-Island flashback recalling his time with the Others. Though I would have liked to have seen more of his time at the Barracks, this glimpse was nice to see. I loved the little power play game Ben and Jack are playing as they play chess. It also nicely brings up Jack’s need to get back to the Island in his first flashforward. Plus, it was well acted by Emerson and Fox. 9/10. 4. The Deal Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Elizabeth Sarnoff Plot: Juliet comes to Michael in the decoy village to talk about the deal he made to get off the Island. Thoughts: You know what’s so interesting about Lost: they had so many cast members come and go that a few of them have interacted with each other. For example, Ana-Lucia never Desmond. Nor Boone or Frank or Juliet for that matter. SPEAKING OF Juliet, if it wasn’t for this mini-episode, we never would have known that Juliet and Michael talked once. And, that’s a shame. They both interact well together here, giving nice performances. It’s also well written, playing off the fact that they would both do anything to be reunited with the family they are separated from, even if it’s something sinister. Hell, I would have loved to seen more scenes between the two. But, alas that won’t ever happen again. Still, this mini-episode will do nicely. 8/10. 5. Operation: Sleeper Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Brian K. Vaughan Plot: Juliet comes to Jack and reveals that she was sent to the castaways’ camp in order to learn which women are pregnant for the Others to take. Thoughts: One of the biggest complaints of Lost: the never ending supply of questions it raises and the show taking so long to reveal some answers. I’ve bitched about time and time again. But, here’s the thing: giving us answers quickly may make the fans happy but doesn’t necessarily mean the show would be better if it did. In fact, this one proves to be on the contrary. If this had been included in the show, we would have learned that Juliet’s deception much earlier; but it would have made the reveal less dramatic. The show’s delay tactics don’t make much sense from a realistic stand-point, but they do work from a dramatic one, making for more interesting episodes. So, not only is this a well written and acted mini-episode, but it also shows that sometimes the writers know what they’re doing when they withhold info from us. 9/10. 6. Room 23 Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Elizabeth Sarnoff Plot: Ben arrives at Room 23, and Juliet tells he, possibly Walt, has done something again and that everyone is too afraid to go in there. She also tells Ben that they should let Walt go, but Ben rebukes her. Thoughts: Of all the mini-episodes, this one’s the best. So much good myth stuff to chew on. Here we have the return of the mysterious Room 23, Ben and Juliet talking about some kid who made a bunch of bird commit suicide by flying into the boarded up window (they don’t say it’s Walt, but it’s pretty obvious it is him), and the mentioning of Jacob’s list again. It raises so many questions, like: What is Room 23? Is it used for other purposes besides brainwashing? How could it make Walt kill a bunch of birds? Why did Jacob want Walt brought to the room? And, is it really Walt? Just because it seemed obvious that it was him doesn’t make that so. Remember, Karl was also put into that room. Anyway, what really sells this are Mitchell and Emerson’s performances. They play freaked out well. I mean, they seriously look like they’re about to shit their pants. 10/10. Also, you can learn more about the questions raised by “Room 23” here: lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Room_23_(mobisode)/Theories and here: lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Room_23/Theories 7. Arzt And Crafts Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Damon Lindelof Plot: Dr. Arzt tries to convince Jin and Sun to not move to the caves. However, the roaring of the smoke monster causes Arzt to change his mind and move to the caves himself. Thoughts: Ah, Arzt. Nice to see him again. I have to admit; he’s grown on me. I think seeing him again made that so. Anyway, he’s pretty funny here; props to Daniel Roebuck for a fine comedic performance here. He really sells the twist of Artz changing his mind when he hears the Smoke Monster’s roar. Though, this one isn’t a meaty as “Room 23” but a nice little distraction overall. 7/10. 8. Buried Secrets Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Christina M. Kim Plot: Sun watches Jin fishing and then walks into the jungle to bury her fake driver’s license. Michael runs into her, and she explains that she was going to leave Jin. Thoughts: If you remember back in Season 1, I noticed that in a few episodes it appeared they were teasing a possible affair between Michael and Sun; but they never went that route. However, that possible affair is brought up again. It’s nice to see that it wasn’t forgotten. Props for Kim bringing back an obscure storyline that didn’t really go anywhere and using it for a nice little scene here. I have to say that I enjoyed this one, mainly for Yunjin Kim and Harold Perrineau’s performances. This isn’t much in the way juicy details, but Kim and Perrineau elevate with some nice nuanced touches. 9/10. 9. Tropical Depression Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Carlton Cuse Plot: After Arzt’s speech about the monsoon season, Michael goes up to him to ask if what he said was true. Arzt admits that he made it all up and that he was in Australia to meet a woman he had been communicating with on the Internet, who left him during their date. Thoughts: Here’s another nice scene with Dr. Arzt. Here we learn that he lied about monsoon season and why he was in Australia. The first fact is funny, proving Sawyer right to question him; and I love it when Sawyer’s right. The second wasn’t all the vital but does answer a question probably a few Lost fans were wondering. Also, Roebuck gives a nice little dramatic performance here. Like I said, Arzt has grown on me. 8/10. 10. Jack, Meet Ethan. Ethan? Jack. Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Damon Lindelof Plot: Jack meets Ethan while looking for supplies. Ethan gives him a case full of medicine and tells him that Claire might have to deliver the baby on the Island and about his wife, who died in childbirth. Thoughts: This one was interesting. For one, Ethan’s case filled with medicine. I have a feeling that he may have gotten one of his Other brethren to bring him the case. Also, we got Ethan taking an interest in Claire, which we all know why. It’s also funny to see that Ethan is talking to Claire with Jack, Claire’s half-brother. And, finally, we got Ethan talking about his wife who died during childbirth. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I like to think that it is. As we’ve learned, the Others aren’t necessarily bad people. 8/10. 11. Jin Has A Temper-Tantrum On The Golf Course Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Drew Goddard Plot: While playing golf with Hurley and Michael, Jin misses a putt and throws a huge fit. Thoughts: I have to be honest, when I first read the title for this mini-episode, it sounded stupid to me. It sounded like it would be comedy fodder. But, it isn’t. Dae-Kim’s performance here elevates would could have looked like a lame comedy bit into real frustration. His anger over missing the putt soon becomes a huge diatribe over the Island and his frustration not understanding anyone. It was very well played by Dae-Kim, further proof why he’s one of the best actors on the show. 9/10. 12. The Envelope Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Damon Lindelof & J.J. Abrams Plot: Amelia arrives at Juliet’s house early for the book club. She notices that Juliet is upset and asks about it. Juliet almost tells her about Ben’s tumor, but they are interrupted by the rest of the book club. Thoughts: You know, I think Amelia is a certain famous female aviator who disappeared long ago. But, that really doesn’t have anything to do with this mini-episode. It’s mainly about Juliet about to reveal Ben’s tumor to Amelia but stopped by her book club. Not much happens here, but I did like Mitchell’s performance. However, it doesn’t quite elevate the mini-episode like Dae-Kim’s did in the previous one. In fact, this is the weakest one of the bunch. 6/10. 13. So It Begins Director: Jack Bender Writer(s): Drew Goddard Plot: Vincent is running in the Jungle when Christian comes up to him and tells him to go to his son Jack. The dog does as the opening of the pilot plays over again. Thoughts: This one was pretty cool. I mean, you have Christian talking to Vincent. Or, is it Christian? It could be the Smoke Monster, moving his game pieces in the fight places. It’s quite intriguing and nicely ties back into not just the pilot but also the first mini-episode, which did feature Jack and Christian on a beach. I like it when things come full circle. 8/10. I have to say, these were very nice. In fact, I’d like to see more of these. Hell, these could be used to answer a lot more questions the show hasn’t answered, like Libby’s backstory, the Tampa Job, and lingering questions about the Others. I also liked Bender’s direction in each one of these. His handheld camera approach was a nice touch. Smart move using the same director throughout as it helped keep the quality up. There was only one bad apple in the bunch, and even that one was pretty good. Though, I have to admit that I was disappointed by the lack of certain characters in these things. I would have loved one of these focused on Sayid, Sawyer, Desmond, Locke, or even Claire (I know she appears in one, but that was obviously a clip from the main series); Kate wasn’t featured either, but that’s okay. I understand if the producers weren’t able to get all their actors available since these were filmed during a hiatus when they were probably off doing other projects, but I still would have loved to seen them in it. So, I say, “Bravo” to the Lost writers for coming up with 13 nice little scenes that filled in some holes, answered some questions, raised a few more, and stayed in tune with the show’s myths and characters. Well, that’s all for today. Again, don’t know when the next batch of episodes will be up because of Netflix. But, since I’ve gone through the bonus material, I should be able to finish Season 4 quickly since I’ll only have to deal with episodes. But, it’s starting to look like I won’t be able to finish Season 5 before Season 6 begins. However, that won’t stop me from doing the review.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 24, 2010 21:48:13 GMT -5
I’m back for more. Before we begin, here’s that spoiler warning, just in case: Season 4-Disc 3 8. Meet Kevin Johnson Director(s): Stephen Williams Writer(s): Elizabeth Sarnoff & Brian K. Vaughan Plot: Sayid and Desmond confront Michael, and he spills the beans about him being on the Kahana. After hearing his story, Sayid turns Michael in to Gault. Meanwhile, Locke holds a meeting where Ben tells them that Michael is his man on the boat. After that Ben sends Rousseau, Alex, and Karl to the Temple. However, Keamy and his mercenaries kill Rousseau and Karl and take Alex hostage. Flashbacks: The flashback shows what happened to Michael after he got off the Island. He managed to somehow get rescued and made it back to New York. During that time, he confessed his murders of Libby and Ana-Lucia to Walt, causing a huge rift between the two. With Walt now living with his grandmother and unable to speak with Michael, coupled with the guilt over Libby and Ana-Lucia’s deaths, Michael tries to kill himself. However, he is approached by Tom, who tells him that the Island won’t let him commit suicide and gives him a proposition. Tom wants Michael to be a spy on the Kahana for Ben and blow up the ship. Michael agrees and boards the Kahana as Kevin Johnson, but he soon gets cold feet over detonating the bomb. However, meeting Keamy and the other mercenaries changes Michael’s mind. But, it turns out the bomb was a dud; and Ben was just proving a point. From there, Michael gives Ben information on the Kahana peoples and sabotages the radio equipment. Thoughts: One the reasons I wanted to go back and look at Lost was to see if it was as good as I remembered. This wasn’t just an attempt to catch up on everything that happened prior to the show’s exit; it was also to see if the nostalgia had worn off. I have to say that so far that hasn’t been the case. A lot of the episodes I liked when I first saw them are still as enjoyable to me the second or third times I’ve seen. In fact, there were a few episodes (“Exodus,” “The Other 48 Days,” “Lockdown,” etc.) that I actually enjoyed on the repeat viewing than on the first one. But, I knew there were going to be a few that weren’t as good as I remembered. Here is such a case. I really liked “Meet Kevin Johnson” when I first saw it. However, on this repeat viewing I’ve noticed some problems with it that either eluded me the first time or I just forgot about. Either way, it’s not as good as I remembered. Before I get into these problems, a little history: as I’ve mentioned, Season 4 aired during the infamous 2007-2008 Writer’s Strike. The show’s producers had gotten ABC to agree on an end date and shorten the remaining seasons to just 16 episodes, but the strike ended up costing 3 episodes of Season 4 to not be filmed (which I’m guessing would have been dedicated to the backstories of the Kahana people) and led to a month long hiatus in between “Meet Kevin Johnson” and “The Shape Of Things To Come.” You see, the first 8 had been completed; and ABC decided to air them since there was a strike going on and they needed programming. The Lost producers were a little upset about this since this episode ended on a cliffhanger, Rousseau and Karl being killed and Alex being taken hostage, that wasn’t really good enough for a hiatus, fearing that the strike would go on for so long that Season 4 would be cut short after this episode. And, they are right: it’s a nice cliffhanger, but not good enough to keep people satisfied with the season and anxiously waiting for the return. In fact, it feels very tacked on; as if the writers knew they had to have a cliffhanger just in case and came up with the Alex getting kidnapped scenario at the last minute. But, that is a minor annoyance that I can forgive due to circumstances beyond the writers control. What was in their control as Michael’s backstory, yet they still ended up creating a huge continuity error in this episode. And, I’m talking about that one TAP pointed out: about how it would be impossible for George, the Kahana’s communication guy, to not figure out why a deckhand was getting a phone call from a mysterious location in the Pacific. Yes, it is a problem; but it can be easily resolved: George did find out that Michael was talking to someone in some mysterious location in the South Pacific. Michael found out about the whole thing and destroyed George’s equipment before George could pinpoint the location. Hell, Ben told Michael to take out the communication room during their phone call. The problem I’m talking about is the timeline of Michael’s actions off the Island. When he left back in “Live Together, Die Alone,” it was the castaways’ 67th day on the Island; and the events of “A Tale Of Two Cities” happened on Day 68. When Season 3 ended, it was Day 91. Plus, this episode takes place on Day 97, and according to Lostpedia, the flashback took place between Day 67 and Day 82. That’s about 30 days give or take. So, everything that happened in Michael’s flashback happened in about a month or less. In that month, he and Walt rode on that boat until they found help, maybe a boat found them or something; Michael somehow came up with an explanation for how he and Walt ended up in that boat; then he came ashore; got himself and Walt to New York City; dropped Walt off at his mom’s place after he confessed his sins, i.e. the murders of Ana-Lucia and Libby; either went back his old apartment or found another one; got into a car accident; recovered; bought a gun; tried to kill himself but was stopped by Tom; met with him to take Ben’s orders; fly to Fiji to board the Kahana; and sail back to the Island. You mean to tell me he did all that IN A FUCKING MONTH!!!! Bullshit! This is Michael were talking about. I could see Sayid or Sawyer being able to do this, hell maybe even Jack. But, Michael is pretty much a regular guy! He ain’t a con man or a soldier with some possible espionage training. He’s just a construction worker. He doesn’t seem all that resourceful to me. Plus there’s the fact that Michael left from an island literally in the middle of nowhere. It should have at least taken a month for Michael to just get back to New York. Either the writers forgot about the show’s timeline or are just playing loose time and hoping the fans would dismiss it as Island magic or something. Well, I ain’t dismissing it. It’s a huge problem that takes me out of the episode a little bit. Plus, during all that time, wouldn’t the Kahana people have enough time to learn about Michael? I mean, they did know about Kate. Then again, Kate is a wanted criminal, someone you need to know about. I don’t know if Michael is all that important for investigation. Though, they would have to investigate everybody in order to learn who’s important to know. That said, it’s still a pretty good episode. Perrineau gives a great performance here. He does a great job portraying the guilt Michael is experiencing. Also, I have to admit that the cliffhanger scene was pretty shocking, especially since it never showed if Keamy and his men were the shooters. For all we know, Ben could have sent them into a trap; but the fact that he does care for Alex and that Keamy’s men did leave the Kahana and are there to get Ben do make them the prime suspects. It was also shocking because didn’t think they would kill Karl or Rousseau; I just figured those were characters who were gonna somehow survive till the end. I also have to praise Tania Raymonde for the nice freaking out performance she gives after seeing her boyfriend and mother die. Plus, it had some funny twists, like the reveal that Tom was gay and the bomb being faked. And, aside from the huge continuity error, it’s well written. We learn a great deal, like how Widmore pulled off the fake Oceanic 815 wreckage: he dug up a cemetery in Thailand, bought an old 777 through a shell company, and rented a freighter to drop it all in a trench in the Pacific Ocean. Though, we also get some more questions, like how is Tom able to get off and on Island. The sub should answer this question, but Tom and Michael probably met sometime after Locke blew up the sub. And, I’ve expressed my doubts of the sub being the only way off the Island. Also, how did Miles know Michael wasn’t Kevin Johnson? Did Ana-Lucia or Libby tell him? And, speaking of Ana-Lucia, where is she? Michael is only being haunted by Libby. Why? I figured a scheduling conflict kept Michelle Rodriguez from appearing on the show, but I would like a storyline answer. Though, I like to imagine that Michael didn’t really feel all that guilty about killing Ana-Lucia because she was so annoying. Anyway, the best thing about this episode is all the moral ambiguity it raises. When Michael goes to set off the bomb, finds out it’s fake, and gets a call from Ben, Ben tells Michael that isn’t wasn’t their idea for Michael to kill Ana-Lucia and Libby; that was his decision. And, he’s right. Back in “Three Minutes,” Ms. Klugh never said anything about killing anyone in order to free Ben. She just said that he had to let Ben go and bring back Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley. Hell, she didn’t even tell him to harm anyone. But, this doesn’t exactly exonerate Ben and the Others. Michael was presented with an impossible choice: to save Walt he had to betray his friends by letting Ben go. And, he needed to do it in a way that he could get Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley to go with him. So, they knew Michael was going to have to do something to get the people on their list; and they had his son, so they also knew he would do anything to get Walt back. So, that could make Ben and the Others just as guilty as Michael. It raises all those questions about whether Ben and the Others are really the good guys. It makes you wonder if all the Kahana people are really there to help or just there for their own selfish and/or sinister purposes and if Sayid did the right thing by turning Michael in to Gault, especially since we know he’ll end working with Ben. That’s one of the most interesting things about Lost: when it makes you pick sides, it doesn’t ask who’s good and who’s bad; it asks “Which group morally ambiguous characters do you care more about?” So, I have to this isn’t a bad episode, but it’s just not as good as I remembered, especially since I realized it has a big problem with the timeline. Back then, I would have given it an 8 out 10, maybe a 9; but today, I’m giving it a 7 out of 10. 9. The Shape Of Things To Come Director(s): Jack Bender Writer(s): Brian K. Vaughan & Drew Goddard Plot: The Barracks come under attack from Keamy’s men. Everyone but Locke, Hurley, Sawyer, Claire, Aaron, Miles, and Ben are killed, and Keamy holds Alex hostage to get Ben to turn himself in. However, Ben doesn’t do so; and Keamy kills Alex. This causes Ben to unleash the Smoke Monster on Keamy’s men, allowing the survivors to escape. Meanwhile, back at the beach, the body of the doctor from the Kahana washes ashore. This leads to Daniel admitting to Jack that the Kahana never came to the Island to rescue anybody. Flashforwards: Here we see what Ben did after getting off the Island. He wakes up in the Tunisian desert and is met by two armed locals. However, Ben quickly subdues them and makes his way into a city. There, he learns of the death of Nadia, Sayid’s wife. Then, Ben makes his way to Iraq and spies on Sayid during the funeral. However, Sayid spots him and confronts Ben. Ben tells Sayid that he knows who killed Nadia, that the man is in Iraq, and offers to help. Sayid agrees, and they do kill the man. This begins Sayid’s work with Ben. And, the flashforwards end with Ben confronting Charles Widmore. Thoughts: When I first heard Hurley talking about the Oceanic 6, I knew that couldn’t be right. Only 6 people made it off the Island. There had to have been more. Sure enough, in “The Economist,” we see that Sayid is working for Ben. I was pleased as punch. I just knew at least a few other people had to get off the Island. Though, we don’t learn how Ben got off the Island here; that was answered in the season finale. Yet, his flashforward scenes were great. They were filled with a lot of action and intrigue. For one, seeing Ben take out those nomads was badass. It’s just so weird seeing this short, unassuming man take people down like James Bond. I guess that’s why Ben’s so damn good at what he does: people look at him and don’t expect much from him. After that, we see Ben recruiting Sayid into working for him by helping him kill the man who killed Nadia. Oh yeah, Nadia’s dead. Boy did that suck. I mean, we just learned that not only will Sayid be reunited with one of the women he’s loved but that it will end in tragedy. Man, I just feel for the guy. I especially liked it when Sayid killed the assailant and kept pulling the trigger after emptying the gun. That was a great way to show the hurt in Sayid’s soul besides the look on Andrews’s face. Then, it all ends with a great confrontation between Ben and Widmore, which gives off the impression that they’ve met before. But, when and where? Maybe it was on the Island? But, more on that later. Also, Ben telling Widmore that he’s gonna kill Penny was very juicy, giving us all some hope for a great Ben/Desmond showdown later on. As for the on Island action, it’s just as palpable as Ben’s flashforwards. It begins unassumingly with Kate and Jack talking, but things quickly turn when Bernard finds the body of the Kahana’s doctor. Then, we later learn that, when Daniel calls the Kahana to ask about the doctor, they claim he’s not dead. So, are they lying? Or, has he not died yet? We do learn the answer, but this all nicely leads to Daniel and Charlotte fessing up about the Kahana not being there to rescue anybody, which we already knew, especially since Daniel pretty much said that back in “Confirmed Dead.” Still, it’s a nice subplot that has some minor intrigue that aptly supports the action going on at the Barracks. There, we get the opening sequence of “Saving Private Ryan.” Keamy’s men attack, killing everyone who ain’t a main character. I never got why the writers didn’t think to ever do this earlier when fans were bitching about all the other castaways who never do anything. That would have been my solution to all that jive. Anyway, this all comes to a head when Keamy kills Alex while negotiating with Ben. It’s a great moment for two reasons: 1. Ben has always been so sure that the decisions he makes are the rights that when it’s great to see when he’s wrong. It’s nice to see that’s human, that he makes mistakes, that his gambles don’t always pay. It helps the audience get behind him more. 2. It’s so heartbreaking. You know that Ben may be a liar, a manipulator, and in some ways, a monster; but he does have a heart. And, while Alex may not be his real, he does care for the girl as one. And, Emmerson plays the scene well. He gives the character his heart and soul, which is why you feel for him when he sees his daughter murdered. I also have to praise Raymonde as well; she did a nice job here as she did in the final scene of “Meet Kevin Johnson.” And, props to Bender for his great direction here (and not just in that scene, I loved the lighting in the final scene, with the blue light shining on the left half of Ben’s face and the right half of Widmore’s face, giving it a sinister feel) and Vaughan and Goddard for a well crafted script. Other great moments from this episode: Ben sending the Smoke Monster after Keamy’s men. Boy has righteous vengeance never felt so good. Sawyer going after Claire; it was a very suspenseful scene, and the capper with Claire’s home exploding and her somehow surviving was a great touch. It also gives us a nice a question to mull over: how did she survive? Or, did she? There were also some great lines in this episode, like Faraday’s “When? ‘When’ is kind of a relative term.” And Hurley’s “Can't believe you're just giving him Australia. Australia's the key to the whole game.” I especially like that second line because it’s not only funny in the context of the scene but also a possible clue to the whole mystery of the show. Remember, Oceanic 815 took off from Australia. Also, Claire’s from Australia, and there have been a lot of clues that her son, Aaron, is special. So, all in all, we have a very exciting gearshift episode that also has the show turning of a gearshift. You see, the show has gone from one with a very mysterious tone to one with obvious sci-fi/fantasy stories. It appears that from now on we’re getting more and more answers, and they’re all gonna to be about time travel, ghostly cabins, and all-powerful creatures. It’s also kind of scary when you think about it. It appears that now the answers to all our questions will be goofy and/or mundane. Now, this wasn’t really a problem in Season 5, but we still got one more season to go. And, Lost does have a history of disappointing fans. But, for now, I wasn’t disappointed at all. 10/10. 10. Something Nice Back Home Director(s): Stephen Williams Writer(s): Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz Plot: Jack develops appendicitis and needs an operation, which Juliet will perform. Meanwhile, Sawyer, Claire, and Miles trek across the Island to the beach. However, Claire wakes up in the middle of the night, sees her father, and walks off after her. Sawyer wakes up the next day to find Claire missing and Aaron left alone in a field. Flashforwards: We get Jack’s second flashforward as we see him living a happy domestic life with Kate and Aaron. However, things quickly unravel when Jack starts seeing his father. These visions lead him to start abusing pills and booze to keep him from seeing Christian and the end of his relationship with Kate after he accidentally reveals to Aaron that Kate isn’t his mother. Thoughts: Back in the Season 3 review, I mention how unusual it was that it took the show 20 episodes to finally get to Ben’s backstory. I mean, he was the man behind the curtain, the wizard of the Others’ Oz. It just seemed weird to me that it took so long to get to his story. Here, it seems weird to me that we’re just now getting to Jack’s episode for Season 4. I mean, he is the main hero of the show. He was the first character we saw back in the pilot. He has been the castaways de facto leader. He was the guy through which we learned of the Oceanic 6 and got the flashforwards. Yet, he’s been a minor character in Season 4. All we’ve seen from him is some appearances in Kate and Hurley’s flashforwards and just hung out at the beach, asking Daniel and Charlotte if they’ve come rescue them. Now, I’m not exactly upset over this. In fact, one of the reasons I really liked Season 4 was because it didn’t focus much on Jack…or Kate for that matter. Well, that changes here. Now, we got another Jack flashforward, with Kate as well. Though, I’m not too upset. We do need this episode, mainly to answer how Jack became the pill-popping, bearded alcoholic we saw in “Through The Looking Glass.” Plus, I figured with Sawyer and Juliet out of the picture, obviously Kate and Jack would end up together. However, after the thrilling “The Shape Of Things To Come” and all that other business with Michael, constants, and the Smoke Monster, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to more of Jack’s appendicitis and his love triangle with Juliet and Kate. However, it did surprise me. I did like the reveal that Jack dived deep into the alcoholic and pill-induced haze we saw him in “Through The Looking Glass” because of his father, figuratively and literally. Figuratively, Jack is the man we know him as because of his father and how much he can’t get along with Christian. They don’t see eye to eye on how to handle medicine and life, and it’s led Jack to try and be different than his father. Yet, because he is Christian, he can’t help but to become his father. Literally, we learn that Jack is seeing his father, and he started drinking and pill popping to prevent this. Of course this also leads to Jack screwing up another relationship, this time with Kate as he’s jealous she did a favor for Sawyer. I could see that coming a mile away. Yet, it was kind of heartbreaking to see it happen. I’ve said in the past that I wasn’t too invested in the Kate/Jack relationship because I didn’t think that Fox and Lilly had very good chemistry together. However, I’ve also said that by now, the actors have gotten so natural in their roles and more comfortable with each other that they are better at playing them. So, now Lilly and Fox have better chemistry; and I’m a little more invested in the relationship. And, therefore I’m sad to see it end because Jack can’t stop Jack. It’s also interesting to think that Kate could still hold a torch for Sawyer. As for the Jack’s appendix story, it’s okay with some suspense; but I can’t get into it because I know Jack ain’t dying. He may not be a very likable character, but I wouldn’t suggest he be killed as there’s much of the story invested in him. Also, that whole Kate/Jack/Juliet storyline is even harder to get into since I now know that Jack ends up with Kate and then dumps her. Now, the subplots are a little better. I liked the one with Daniel and Charlotte trying to make peace with the other castaways. There were some great exchanges between Daniel and Charlotte that showed some nice chemistry between Davies and Madder. Also, it revealed that Charlotte knew Korean, giving us a little more about her character but still keeping us in the dark and anticipating the answer. And, then there was Sawyer, Claire, Aaron, and Miles’s trek to the beach camp. This was very good and a lot more interesting than Jack’s story, but I was so upset it had to take a backseat to the main plot. There was so much going on, what with Miles using his ghost whispering to find Karl and Rousseau’s bodies, them having to hide from Keamy’s men (it was a little cliché, especially with Aaron’s ill-timed squeal but still effective) Claire running off after Christian’s ghost (intriguing and leading credence that Claire may have died in Keamy’s attack), and Sawyer finding Aaron alone. However, it was plagued with the problem taking a backseat to Jack’s story as the scene where Claire goes after Christian and the scene with Sawyer finding Aaron was separated by two unrelated scenes. It would have been a lot more effective it there hadn’t been some much between the two. Another problem I had with the episode was that it brought back those long defunct theories of the whole show being a dream and everyone being dead. Here, we have Hurley telling Jack that nothing is real, calling back to when he thought nothing was real back in “Dave.” I didn’t like it because I don’t why the writers, here Kitsis and Horowitz, would bring it back up since it’s pretty much impossible for them to back either one of those theories the answer to the whole show. Well, they could do it; but they would soon be tarred and feather by a legion of upset Lost fans. I just feel like it’s a waste of time. I also couldn’t get too into Jack’s flashforward story since it happened so quickly. I know they had to rush Jack from relatively happy to bearded addict, but it was still hard to jump into it since it went by so fast. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this episode. The main reason the flashforwards have been so interesting is that they hint that the Oceanic 6 may not have been so noble in their escape from the Island, meaning that the fame, success, and semi-idyllic lives they went back to were based on a lie. And, this all led to Sayid losing Nadia and working for Ben, Hurley to go crazy, and Jack to lose Kate and become an addict. It’s like they couldn’t live happily ever after on a lie and were forced and/or chose to not do so. Since, games, cons, lying, and betrayal has been a big theme of the show, it’s interesting to see it blossom here. 8/10. 11. Cabin Fever Director(s): Paul Edwards Writer(s): Elizabeth Sarnoff & Kyle Pennington Plot: Keamy and his men return to the Kahana after their unsuccessful attempt at retrieving Ben. Enraged by what happened, he accuses Gault of warning Ben of his arrival. However, Gault tells him that Michael is the actual saboteur. This prompts Keamy to try and kill Michael, but he’s unsuccessful. Then, Gault convinces Keamy to not kill Michael as he sabotaged the engines and therefore knows how to fix them. This all prompts Sayid to leave the Kahana on a smaller boat in order to bring his fellow castaways to the Kahana. While he’s gone, Keamy tries to leave the Kahana, but Frank refuses to take him back to the Island. However, Keamy forces him to do so by killing the doctor and Gault. But, Frank drops a phone onto the beach camp, allowing the castaways to find him. Meanwhile, Locke, Ben, and Hurley are searching the Island for Jacob’s cabin. They eventually find it thanks to a dream Locke has involving Horace Goodspeed, the guy who used to run the DHARMA Initiative on the Island; and Locke goes inside. He finds Christian there, who tells Locke that the only way to save the Island is to move it. Flashbacks: We see four different stages of Locke’s life that show that he was destined to end up on the Island. First, we have Richard Alpert visiting a baby Locke a few days after he was born. Then, we see Alpert visiting Locke at age 5; he wants Locke to pick from various items the one that belongs to him. However, Locke fails; and Alpert leaves. Next, we see a teenage Locke being offered a trip to Portland on behalf of Mittelos Biosciences. However, Locke refuses as he doesn’t want to be seen as a nerd by his fellow classmates. And finally, we see Locke sometime after he has been paralyzed talking to Abaddon, who convinces Locke to go on the walkabout trip that did eventually lead to him getting on the Island. Thoughts: As I mentioned earlier with my finding it unusual that Ben didn’t get a backstory episode until near the end of Season 3 and tying it with Jack’s episode coming so late, I also mentioned in the Season 3 review that I found it unusual that Charlie, who had a major arc throughout the season revolving around his impending death, didn’t get a centric episode until penultimate one. Now, here’s why I tie that in with Locke and be warned, this could be hard and may take a lot out me: I found it unusual that Locke, another one of the main characters whom the myths of the Island revolve, didn’t get a centric episode until just before the season finale, like with Charlie. WOW! I did it. It was difficult, but I’m still breathing. Seriously, Locke is like right below Jack on the main hero of the show pyramid, with Jack at the top. We’ve known he’s special since “Walkabout,” when we learned that he was paralyzed before coming to the Island. And, his flashback arc has always been about him trying to find a purpose in his life but never could until he got to the Island. It’s funny because now he’s on the Island and searching for a purpose but all his decisions end up being bad ones like in his pre-Island life. However, off the Island, he never promised a group of people to lead them to safety, and it all ended up getting them killed. So, now that his great quest to safety ended in tragedy, Locke is walking around the Jungle with Ben and Hurley trying to find Jacob’s cabin. However, none of them know where it is and they’re all following each other. Them realizing this was hilarious. Then, it sort of goes down hill. We get another damn dream, this one not as crazy as the others we’ve seen on Lost but still pretty freaky with Horace repeatedly chopping down a tree and telling Locke to go to the DHARMA Initiative’s mass grave. Then, we get more of Locke, Hurley, and Ben just walking around, which doesn’t provide much to chew on. Though, it does give us a nice performance from Emerson. The look on his face when he realizes Locke had a dream, his reaction to Locke showing Hurley the grave, and his misunderstanding of Locke trying to help Hurley as a form of manipulation, all nice touches that he plays well. Then, things get better when Locke finds the cabin learns from Jacob through Christian (who is there with Claire, giving us more evidence about her supposed death) that he has to move the Island. When I first heard that, that blew my mind. I mean, how in the fuck are they gonna move the Island!? Jesus! If you wanna get people interested in the finale, that was a good way to do it. As for what’s going on at the Kahana, it’s a little more interesting than the Three Stooges walking around for some moving cabin. Damn, I’m starting to turn into Sawyer. Anyway, things rev up as Keamy plans to go back, get Ben, and torch the Island. So, Locke wants to move while Keamy wants to burn it down. There’s some more interest in the finale. Things get even more tense when Keamy learns Michael’s the traitor and tries to kill him (his gun doesn’t work because the Island still ain’t done with him), Sayid leaves for the Island on a smaller boat, Keamy kills the doctor and the captain to get Frank to take him back, and Frank drops a phone down on the beach camp to lead them to him. This all sounds like just moving chest pieces for the checkmate, but director Edwards and writers Sarnoff and Pennington do make it tense and interesting. However, they make the flashbacks a lot more interesting. I like this episode because it was a call back to the good old Lost flashbacks like in Season 1. Yes, we have had flashbacks in this season, but Jin’s was misdirection, leading us to think it was really 2007; Michael’s was one long flashback, not like the ones in Season 1; Desmond’s was really a time travel narrative; Juliet’s was on-Island; and with her being an Other, I don’t really count it. Here, we get some good old fashion Lost flashbacks that tell us how a character got to the Island as Locke’s flashbacks show us that he was always destined to get on that Island. From Richard showing up sometime after Locke’s birth to him trying to get Locke to come to the Island twice to Abaddon putting the walkabout idea in Locke’s head. It’s all very interesting for two reasons: 1. It appears that Locke has always been on a journey to be the Island’s savior, but he’s always shirked that responsibility. Just look at the Dali Lama test Richard gives Locke at age 5. He’s suppose to pick the object that represents who he is, which is the compass as Locke need direction. However, he chooses the object that represents who he wants to be, the knife as he wants to be an adventurer. Of course that prompts Richard to leave as Locke failed. Then, there is Locke at age 16 not accepting the invitation from Mittelos Biosciences, which we know is a front for the Others, because he doesn’t want to be seen as a nerd by his classmates. He wants to be a hero, but his idea of what a hero is fucks up the hero is suppose to be, keeping him from being that hero. All the signs and clues are pointing one way, but Locke keeps going the other way. 2. Locke’s destiny has been to get on the Island, but may be the reason he kept missing the opportunities is he wasn’t ready. In that scene with Locke at 16, he came off as arrogant and angry (a nice performance by guest actor Caleb Steinmeyer by the way). If he had gone to the Island as that arrogant, angry young man, then he probably would have grown up to be like Ben or worse. He still would have been a leader on the Island but not a good one. By the time Locke did get to the Island, he was a broken man, literally and figuratively. The love of his life had left him, his father had not only conned him out of a kidney but also paralyzed him, he was left working at a mundane job, and he had been refused to go on the walkabout. He was a pathetic soul who had nothing going on in his life. Then, he gets on the Island and suddenly can walk again. It’s at that moment Locke realizes that he is special, he is meant do something, and he appreciates it a 100 times more than that arrogant, angry young man ever would have. Remember, Jesus had to die on the cross before being allowed into heaven. So, all in all, we have a great episode. The action moves forward to the endgame of the season finale while giving us some great myth stuff in Locke’s flashback story. And, it all adds a new thoughtful definition to an already great character by showing us a man embracing his destiny. But, as Ben points out, destiny can be a fickle bitch. 9/10. Easter Eggs: As I did with Seasons 1-3, here are the Easter eggs for the Season 4 DVD: Disc 3: • While on the disc 3 main menu, wait for 3 minutes to see the helicopter fly across the screen. Disc 5: • While highlighting "LOST on Location", press left, then up and then select to see Henry Ian Cusick talking about the army scene. • While highlighting "Soundtrack of Survival", press right then down and then select to see a clip about the "sound wagon." • While highlighting "The Island Backlot: Lost in Hawaii", press left, and up and then select to see in set of the Iraq scene. • While highlighting "The Right to Bear Arms", press twice up, and then select to view making of final scene in "Meet Kevin Johnson" • While highlighting "LOST Bloopers", press left twice, then down, and then select to view a blooper from the Jin and Bernard fishing scene. • While highlighting "Deleted Scenes", press down, then left, and then select to view a clip of Jorge Garcia talking about Hurley. • Select "Deleted Scenes" then highlight "Play All" and press right, then up twice and then select to view a clip of camera operator Tommy Lohmann bantering with Michael Emerson. • Select "Deleted Scenes" then highlight "Play All" and press up twice, then left, and then select to view a clip of M.C. Gainey. • Select "LOST on Location" then highlight "Confirmed Dead" and press left twice and select to view the alternate endings of Season 4. • Select "LOST on Location" then highlight "The Other Woman" and press right, then up and then select to view behind the scenes of inside the Tempest. • Select "LOST on Location" then try to press down to highlight "Cabin Fever" but it will jump down to the bottom corner, select it to view behind the scenes of filming "The Shape of Things to Come" in the desert. Disc 6: • After watching "The Freighter Folk," you return to the Disc 6 Main Menu, and the menu background will begin to change every 30 seconds. The initial screen is a close-up picture of the frozen donkey wheel, the second is a desert scene, and the third is a scene of the ocean from the perspective that the viewer was sitting in open water. Each time the screen changes, a sound is played in the background, which is the same sound we hear when Ben moves the island. It's clear then that the viewer is supposed to be seeing things from the perspective of either Ben and/or the Oceanic Six, and we can assume that the desert scene is Tunisia - around the area Ben is teleported after moving the island, and the scene of open water is the island's former location. During either one of these background changes, if you select any of the DVD options, the background for the sub-menus will remain the same as the previous one - for example, if you are viewing the scene of open water and you select "bonus features," the menu background for Bonus Features will remain open water, rather than the initial frozen donkey wheel picture, and the background will stop changing. However, the other Easter Eggs listed below can only be accessed from the menu with the frozen donkey wheel background. After viewing "Offshore Shoot," the menu background will change to open water and the background sound will play, however the background screen will not change. • While highlighting "The Course of the Future: The Definitive Flash-Forwards", press right, then press down and then right again then select it to see Damon Lindelof talking about reincarnation. • While highlighting "The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy of Lies", press left, down and left, and then select it to see behind the scenes footage of the press scene in "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1". • While highlighting "The Freighter Folk", press twice left, then up and then select to see Damon Lindelof talking about the force of the island. • While highlighting "Offshore Shoot", press right and then up twice, and then select to see few substitute actors talking about their job in Lost. Okay, that’s all for tonight. So, I only got the season finale to go. I’ll have that up Tuesday. And, I’ll start Season 5 on Wednesday. Now, it’s really looking like I won’t be able to finish Season 5 before Season 6 begins. I could just rush through it in one big mad dash, but I have a job. Some things take precedence over Lost, and one of those things is me making money. Now, if I had gotten paid to do this review, I would have had it all done in like two or three days. But, that didn’t happen. However, I probably will be able to finish Season 5 before we’re halfway done with Season 6. So, there’s that. Don’t know what else to say. Bye-bye!
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 27, 2010 1:16:04 GMT -5
Before I begin, I wanna direct you all to this AV Club article on Lost’s final season: www.avclub.com/articles/lost-season-six-the-pregame-post,37373/ Also, here’s that damn spoiler warning: Season 4-Disc 4 12. There’s No Place Like Home Part 1 Director(s): Stephen Williams Writer(s): Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof Plot: Jack and Kate follow the signal from Frank’s phone to his helicopter. They also run into Sawyer, Aaron, and Miles. Kate takes Aaron and Miles back to the beach as Sayid arrives. He tells Kate that Keamy and his men are going to kill everyone on the Island. So, while Daniel, Charlotte, and Miles get the castaways, including Sun and Jin, to the Kahana, Sayid and Kate go after Jack and Sawyer. But, they run into Richard and the Others. Meanwhile Jack and Sawyer find Frank and then go after Locke, Ben, and Hurley when they learn that Keamy and his men are going after them. Ben tells them where to find the Orchid and then goes to surrender himself to Keamy. Meanwhile, as the castaways make it to the boat, Michael and Desmond discover that there’s a bomb on the Kahana. Flashforwards: We see various flashforwards of the Oceanic 6. The first few show them reuniting with their loved ones in Honolulu and giving press conference. Then, we see Hurley at his birthday party freaking out when his dad shows him the newly rebuilt Camaro they had always planned to work on together and he sees the numbers on the odometer. Next, we see Sun confronting her father about Jin’s death and telling him that she has bought a controlling interest in his company, making her his boss. Finally, we see Jack giving the eulogy at his dad’s funeral. After the service, he is approached by Carole Littleton, who reveals to him that she and Christian had an affair that produced a child, Claire. Thoughts: Okay, so this season finale follows a similar structure to the one for Season 1, “Exodus”: multiple flashbacks (here flashforwards) from the castaways mixed with the action on the Island over three hours. And, with that review, I split the review like this: I did the flashbacks in Part 1 and did the rest in Part 2, giving my ranking on both at the very end. Since we got a similar structure to “Exodus,” I’m gonna review it the same way: I’ll talk about the flashforwards of the Oceanic 6 here and talk about all the Island action in the next part. So, let’s get cracking: Part 1: The Oceanic 6 landing in Honolulu: this one was okay. Michelle Forbes plays the Oceanic representative, marking another great actor wasted in a one episode role. The main thing happening here is seeing the survivors reunite with their families. Well, except for Sayid and Kate. Anyway, it was yet another great reunion that this show knows how to do well. Complaints to Stephen Williams here (by the way, I liked how the producer got a different director than Jack Bender to work on this finale. He still directs the second part, but I did like the change of pace here). I also have to compliment the actors for portraying it well. A highlight was Kim’s reaction to Sun’s reunion with her parents. She didn’t really seem all that happy, like she blames her dad that she ended up in that predicament (which is true, they were on the plane because Jin was running an errand of Mr. Paik). The press conference: Now, we know about the lie. The plane crashed off course. They somehow manage to escape before it sank. Then current took them to Membata, an uninhabited island in Indonesia. After 103 days, a typhoon was a boat ashore that had supplies and a survival raft. On Day 108, the survivors rowed to Sembeta and then transported to Honolulu. Also, they said that Kate was pregnant, giving birth to Aaron, and that there were three other survivors. Apparently, this is where Boone, Libby, and Charlie were named as the other three survivors, but I must have blocked this out, because I don’t remember it. Anyway, the actors do a great job here. They have this subtle fear and uncertainty that makes the scene very palpable. I also like Sayid’s reunion with Nadia. It’s nice to see them get back together. Sun taking over Paik Industries: This is best scene of the first part. So well acted. Byron Chung does a nice job of going from angry business man to a scarred little man who looks like he’s just been castrated. And, Kim shows us a strength in Sun we haven’t really seen before. It’s not that the character has never been strong. She has, but she never been this ruthless with it. I was very intrigued, wondering if in the next season we’ll see a different Sun: a ruthless vindictive woman who has become as corrupt and evil as her father because she lost the man she love. Also, Sun said that there were two people responsible for Jin’s death. Her father was one, but who’s the other? The likely candidate seems to be Jack since he pulled her onto the helicopter before the Kahana exploded and Jin had a chance to escape. Hurley’s surprise party: I liked how this scene started off all suspenseful and sinister but then went into whimsical and went all the way back to sinister again. I really liked how Hurley’s dad fixed up that Camaro; it was a sweet touch to the scene. And, having the numbers be on the odometer was an easy and appropriate way to freak Hurley out. Christian’s funeral: It’s just Jack giving a eulogy for his dad and then him finally finding out that Claire was his sister. That last part was great because it was nice that he finally found out but terribly sad since Claire’s probably dead and Jack had to keep quiet about meeting her. And, Fox did a nice job of having difficulty processing this information. Part 2: Jack and Kate: So, Part 2 picks up right where “Though The Looking Glass” left off. Which was fine by me! I like bearded Jack. Just seeing him embrace his inner asshole makes me feel good about myself. Anyway, this is a very well acted scene. However, most of it comes from Lilly. She does a nice job of telling Jack off; it really feels like she sick of this man’s bullshit. Man, Jack has a way the ladies. And, that way is pissing them the fuck off. Hurley and Walt: This is okay scene. It’s nice to see Walt back. In fact, it makes sense that he would show up. I mean, he did get off the Island before the Oceanic 6. Obviously, he would have some questions for them, like how they escaped, why no one came to see him, and why their lying. Sayid coming to get Hurley: This was intriguing. For one, who was that guy Sayid killed? Why was he watching Hurley? I’m guessin he worked for Widmore. Or maybe Ben. Remember, he got off the Island and was able to procure some assistance. I also liked how Hurley said that he was playing chess with Eko, mainly for just the mention of Eko. That whole chess thing was disappointing because we didn’t actually see Eko, and a cameo from Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Also, it’s a huge cliché to use chess as a metaphor for the struggle between good and evil. I’ve seen this used a million times, and frankly it just bores me. I mean, this show has used several other games to represent this from backgammon to Risk. Why go for the obvious one in chess? Plus, I don’t know how to play chess. So, I feel a little stupid when it’s brought up. The chess thing aside, it was a nicely written scene. I especially liked Hurley’s line: “Dude, I've been having regular conversations with dead people. The last thing I need now is paranoia.” Sun meeting Charles Widmore: Another great scene with Sun, which also give credence to the theory that Sun’s gonna become a bad, bad mamajama in Season 5. Hell, it looks like she and Widmore are gonna team up to keep Jack from getting back to the Island. Or, maybe they’ll go to the Island themselves. Who knows? Well, I actually I do; but I’m saving it for the Season 5 review. Claire visiting Kate: This was pretty creepy. The phone call with the backwards message, which said, “The Island needs you. You have to go back before it's too late.” Claire showing up, telling Kate not bring Aaron back. Good stuff. So, why does the Island need Kate? Or was the message for Aaron? But, if it was, then why did Claire tell Kate to not bring Aaron back? Was she speaking for the Island or for herself? Lots of stuff ponder for Season 5. Too bad it didn’t get answered in Season 5. Jack and Ben: So, Jack’s a Pixies fan! Damn! I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I officially like Jack again! Anyway, the real meat of this scene is the big twist at the end. I’ll get to that later. 13. There’s No Place Like Home Part 2 Director(s): Jack Bender Writer(s): Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof Plot: Jack and Sawyer meet up with Locke and Hurley at the Orchid. Locke tells Jack of his plan to move the Island. Jack doesn’t believe he can do it but leaves him there anyway. Meanwhile, Kate, Sayid, and the Others ambush Keamy’s group and save Ben. Richard tells Ben that Kate and Sayid agreed to help them in exchange for leaving the Island. Ben agrees to go along with the deal and leaves to reunite with Locke at the Orchid. Jack, Sawyer, and Hurley make it to the helicopter, and Frank takes them and Kate and Sayid back to the Kahana. However, the helicopter doesn’t have enough fuel to make it to the Kahana. So, Sawyer jumps out. This works as the helicopter makes it back to Kahana. However, there is still a bomb on the boat, and Michael and Jin try to stop it from exploding. But, what they don’t know is that it is on a dead man’s switch, attached to Keamy. If he dies, the bomb explodes. Sure enough, Keamy runs into Ben after he makes it to the Orchid. Ben kills Keamy. The bomb explodes. Luckily, Frank, Desmond, Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sun, and Aaron make it onto the helicopter before the boat explodes. Michael and Jin aren’t so luckily, and they both seemingly die. After this happens, Sawyer makes it back to the Island but soon learns from Juliet that the Kahana exploded. Back at the Orchid, Ben sends Locke to where the Others are and makes it to the donkey wheel. He then turns the wheel and the Island disappears. This is bad news for the helicopter people as it’s losing fuel and makes a crash landing. They drift in a rescue raft for hours until they are spotted by Penny Widmore’s boat and rescued. Days later, Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurley, Sun, and Aaron leave Penny’s boat on a smaller boat and row to shore on Sumba. Flashforwards: The flashforwards of the Oceanic 6 continue. The first one picks up right after the last scene in “Through The Looking Glass,” with Kate yelling at Jack for wanting to go back. She also mentions Jeremy Bentham, the man whose funeral Jack attended. Next, we see Hurley in the mental institution being visited by Walt. Walt tells him that Jeremy came to see him and asks why they’re lying about what happened on the Island, and Hurley tells him it’s to protect those left behind. Next, we see Sayid coming to Hurley and taking him away as there are people watching him. After that, we see Sun talking with Charles Widmore about common interests, AKA the Island. Then, we see Kate being approached by Claire in the middle of the night, telling her to not bring Aaron back to the Island. Finally, we get Jack going back to the funeral home where Jeremy Bentham is. He soon meets Ben, who tells Jack that he wants to help him get back to the Island. However, everyone who left has to go with them, meaning not just the other Oceanic 6 but also the body of Jeremy Bentham, AKA John Locke! Thoughts: Okay, the on-Island action. There have been a lot of questions this season has raised. So, let’s answer them: Question #1: How do Oceanic 6 get together and get off the Island? Well, after a lot of running around, fighting, shooting, and flying, they all end up on the Kahana and get off just before it explodes. Then, as they try to get back to the Island because of leaking gas, it disappears. The helicopter crashes, but they survive and get on a raft. And then, Penny’s actual boat finds them. I have to say that this made the episode so exciting. Having the Oceanic 6 scatter all over the place created great suspense in wondering how they were all gonna end up together. It gave the first part a nice cliffhanger and was a great to structure the episode. Kudos to Cuse and Lindelof for doing that. Question #2: Were the Oceanic 6 the only people who made it off the Island? No. As we know, Ben got off. Also, Frank and Desmond survived. I could see Frank surviving. He managed to get out of flying Oceanic 815. Also, he was just a supporting character in this season. And, with Daniel, Miles, and Charlotte as main characters who hadn’t gotten a backstory episode yet, it was certain that they would end up stuck on the Island. As for Desmond, I was a little surprised by this. I thought for sure he get stuck on that Island again and that they drag out the Desmond/Penny reunion. Instead, Cuse and Lindelof let the poor bastard off the hook and get him and Penny back together. That was another great reunion, played well by Cusick and Walger. Also, I found it interesting that Desmond is the only main character who made it off the Island but didn’t get a flashforward. I guess that was to keep it a surprise. Question #3: How are they gonna move the Island? They have to go to the Orchid. Which brings me to the next question: Question #4: What is the Orchid? It is yet another damn DHARMA Initiative station. It was first mentioned in the Orchid orientation film. It is suppose to be a biological lab, but it’s actually used for research in time and physics. Also, it’s located right on top of this big donkey wheel inside of an icy cave, which explains the polar bears and how one ended up in the Sahara. But, it was sealed up, so we don’t know how they got there. Unless, it was sealed after they took that polar bear down to turn it. Anyway, if the wheel is turned, the Island disappears, obviously reappearing somewhere else. And that is how the Island was moved. That was a clever way to do. At least I never would have thought of it. But, it did look a little goofy. Though, the Lost writers have never been afraid to look goofy. However, goofiness aside, those Orchid scenes were great, from Jack and Locke debating to Ben doing everything that “Dr. Edgar Halifax” (AKA Dr. Marvin Candle AKA Dr. Mark Wickmund) said not to do to Ben killing Keamy and dooming everyone on the Kahana. That was all good stuff. Question #5: How did Ben get off the Island? By turning the donkey wheel, it somehow sent him to Tunisia. Question #6: Is Claire dead? I don’t know. Maybe. I mean, she showed up in Kate’s dream. But, that don’t mean she’s dead. Question #7: Is Jin dead? Well, he was on the Kahana when it exploded. But, it could have just thrown him from the boat. Question #8: Who is Jeremy Bentham? John Locke! Talk about a mind blower! So, Locke also makes it off the Island, dies, and then has to be taken back! Jesus Christ! Way to get me excited about Season 5! Also, I liked how a man who has the same name as a philosopher will end up using the name of another philosopher as an alias, especially since Bentham, the founder of utilitarianism, was influence by a lot of Locke’s ideas. Man, those writers sure did give every Lost fan some homework to do over the summer. Other stuff I liked: There were some great lines here, like Sawyer throwing back Jack’s “Live Together, Die Alone” speech with “You don’t get to die alone” and Ben’s “You know those are 15 years old” response to Hurley eating crackers from an old lunch box in a stash Ben had and his answer to Locke about what the Orchid does: “The same thing the other stations are for: silly experiments.” There was also some great interaction between Hurley and Ben over his questions about the Orchid, moving the Island, and how moving wouldn’t solve the problem of Keamy and his men. Hell, Hurley was a highlight here. Props to Garcia giving a nice performance. I also like Holloway in this episode as well. He hasn’t gotten to do much this season, so it was nice to see him pull his weight around and actually save the day by jumping out of the helicopter to get it back to the Kahana. Though, it was bittersweet as the damn thing blew up; and the helicopter ended up crashing anyway. Also, I love Juliet getting drunk after seeing the Kahana explode and Sawyer swimming up on her. That was a great shot. The look on Sun and Jin’s face when they saw Michael: priceless. Plus, Jin was following Michael around again, despite what he did when he was last on the Island. Though, I don’t think Jin ever found out what Michael did. I also really enjoyed the score here. But, then again, they did find a bomb on the boat, so I’ll give Jin some leeway, especially with his live on the line. It was nice to see Michael by everyone some time and very sad that it all ended with him blowing up. However, it was also a little satisfying to see his suffering end. I also liked the few scenes we had with Miles and Charlotte because Charlotte brings up some questions as to her origins and how they pertain to the DHARMA Initiative and because Miles is just awesome. It was a shame we didn’t get to learn more about the freighter folk, but that was a casualty of the writers strike. And, that Sayid and Keamy fight scene was excellent. Stuff I didn’t like: How easily Jack went along with Locke’s idea to lie. Jack’s pretty skeptical to practically anything Locke comes up with, so it didn’t make much sense that he would go along with Locke’s idea. Also, I don’t know how Jack would have been able to Penny’s people to go along with it. A lot of the action was boring. Other than the Kahana blowing up and Kate, Sayid, and the Others rescuing Ben, it was mostly everyone just running around. By the way, the Kahana blowing up look so obviously like CGI. Couldn’t they have just blown up a model? Also, the concluding scenes, except for Desmond and Penny’s reunion, were clunkily written. Though, it did set up Season 5 very well. I have to say that this wasn’t Cuse and Lindelof’s best season finale, but Williams and Bender made up for it with some exciting direction. All in all, we had a pretty exciting finale that may not have been written well but did get the job done. Part 1: 8/10. Part 2: 8/10. So, that’s Season 4. I have to say that it wasn’t as good as I remember it. It was rushed and choppy at times. But, I can forgive that due to the Writer’s Strike, which did screw up a lot of the flow. However, the strike did make the show a lot since it didn’t have any time to waste. And, there were a lot of great episodes here, like “The Economist,” “The Constant,” “The Shape Of Things To Come,” and “Cabin Fever.” As for the special features, this DVD set had the best so far. The others had a lot of the standard DVD special features, like commentary tracks, behind the scenes stuff, bloopers, and deleted scenes. However, it also had some that had just as much entertainment value as the episodes, like “The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy Of Lies” mockumentary and the Lost: Missing Pieces mini-episodes. All in all, this was a great DVD set that definitely belongs on the shelves of Lost fans. Highlight: It’s a tie between the Lost: Missing Pieces mini-episodes and “The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy Of Lies.” If I was gonna pick an episode as the highlight, I’d go with “The Constant.” Highly recommended.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 27, 2010 23:37:52 GMT -5
Main characters: Season 5: Dr. Jack Shephard—Matthew Fox (starting with “Pilot”) Kate Austen—Evangeline Lilly (starting with “Pilot”) Charlie Pace—Dominic Monagham (starting with “Pilot”) James “Sawyer” Ford—Josh Holloway (starting with “Pilot”) John Locke—Terry O’Quinn (starting with “Pilot”) Hugo “Hurley” Reyes—Jorge Garcia (starting with “Pilot”) Sayid Jarrah—Naveen Andrews (starting with “Pilot”) Claire Littleton—Emilie De Ravin (starting with “Pilot,” note doesn’t appear in Season 5) Jin-Soo Kwan—Daniel Dae Kim (starting with “Pilot”) Sun-Hwa Kwan—Yunjin Kim (starting with “Pilot”) Desmond Hume—Henry Ian Cusick (starting with “Man Of Science, Man Of Faith”) Ben Linus—Michael Emmerson (starting with “One Of Them”) Juliet Burke—Elizabeth Mitchell (starting with “A Tale Of Two Cities”) Miles Straume—Ken Leung (starting with “Confirmed Dead”) Boone Carlyle—Ian Somerhalder (starting with “Pilot,” ending with “Do No Harm”) Shannon Rutherford—Maggie Grace (starting with “Pilot,” ending with “Abandoned”) Walt Lloyd—Malcolm David Kelley(starting with “Pilot,” ending with “Live Together, Die Alone”) Michael Dawson—Harold Perrineau (starting with “Pilot,” ending with “There’s No Place Like Home Part 2”) Ana-Lucia Cortez—Michelle Rodriguez (starting with “Exodus,” ending with “?”) Mr. Eko—Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (starting with “Adrift,” ending with “The Cost of Living”) Libby Smith—Cynthia Watros (starting with “Adrift,” ending with “Live Together, Die Alone”) Paulo—Rodrigo Santoro (starting with “Further Instructions,” ending with “Exposé”) Nikki Fernandez—Kiele Sanchez (starting with “Further Instructions,” ending with “Exposé”) Daniel Faraday—Jeremy Davies (starting with “The Beginning Of The End,” ending with “The Variable”) Charlotte Lewis—Rebecca Mader (starting with “Confirmed Dead,” ending with “This Place Is Death”) Supporting characters: Rose Henderson—L. Scott Caldwell (recurring, starting with “Pilot”) Bernard Nadler—Sam Anderson (recurring, starting with “Everybody Hates Hugo”) Dr. Christian Shephard—John Terry (recurring, starting with “White Rabbit”) Danielle Rousseau—Mira Furlan, here played by Melissa Farman (recurring, starting with “Solitary”) Ethan Rom—William Mapother (recurring, starting with “Solitary”) Nadia—Andrea Gabriel (recurring, starting with “Solitary”) Carmen Reyes—Lillian Hurst (recurring, starting with “Numbers”) Dr. Pierre Chang/Dr. Marvin Candle/Dr. Mark Wickmund/Dr. Edgar Halifax—François Chau (recurring, starting with “Orientation”) Mrs. Paik—June Kyoko Lu (recurring, starting with “…And Found”) Cassidy Phillips—Kim Dickens (recurring, starting with “The Long Con”) Alex—Tania Raymonde (recurring, starting with “Maternity Leave”) Charles Widmore—Alan Dale (recurring, starting with “Live Together, Die Alone”) Penny Widmore—Sonya Walger (recurring, starting with “Live Together, Die Alone”) Richard Alpert—Nestor Carbonell (recurring, starting with “Not In Portland”) Eloise Hawking—Fionnula Flanagan (recurring, starting with “Flashes Before Your Eyes”) David Reyes—Cheech Marin (recurring, starting with “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead”) Naomi Dorrit—Marsha Thomason (recurring, starting with “Catch-22”) Horace Goodspeed—Doug Hutchinson (recurring, starting with “The Man Behind The Curtain”) Roger Linus—Jon Gries (recurring, starting with “The Man Behind The Curtain”) Young Ben—Sterling Beaumon (recurring, starting with “The Man Behind The Curtain”) Matthew Abaddon—Lance Reddick (recurring, starting with “The Beginning Of The End”) Frank Lapidus—Jeff Fahey (recurring, starting with “Confirmed Dead”) Aaron—William Blanchette (recurring, starting with “Eggtown”) Carole Littleton—Susan Duerden (recurring, starting with “There’s No Place Like Home Part 1”) Lara Chang—Leslie Ishii (recurring, starting with “Because You Left”) Charlie Hume—Marvin DeFreitas (recurring, starting with “Jughead”) Illana—Zuleikha Robinson (recurring, starting with “316”) Caesar—Saïd Taghmaoui (recurring, starting with “316”) Amy—Reiko Aylesworth (recurring, starting with “LaFleur”) Phil—Patrick Fischler (recurring, starting with “LaFleur”) Rosie—Molly McGivern (recurring, starting with “LaFleur”) Bram—Brad William Henke (recurring starting with “Namasté”) Stuart Radzinsky—Eric Lange (recurring starting with “Namasté”) Neil “Frogurt”—Sean Whalen (“Because You Left,” “The Lie”) Dan Norton—Tom Irwin (“Because You Left,” “The Little Prince”) Jay—Sven Lindstrom (“Because You Left,” “Namasté”) The foreman—Michael Dempsey (“Because You Left,” “The Variable”) The anxious guy—Brad Berryhill (“Because You Left,” “The Variable”) The counter girl—Chantal Boom’la (“Because You Left”) Reporter/TV anchor—Cindy Paliracio (“Because You Left”) The ticket agent—Stefanie Smart (“Because You Left”) Young Charles Widmore—Tom Connolly (“The Lie,” “Jughead”) Jill—Mary Mara (“The Lie,” “316”) Cunningham—Matthew Alan (“The Lie”) Darlene—Dana Sorman (“The Lie”) The detective—James Jeremiah (“The Lie”) Young Eloise Hawking—Alexandra Krosney (“Jughead”) Abigail Spencer—Imelda Corcoran (“Jughead”) Theresa Spencer—Sara Farooqui (“Jughead”) Efren Salonga—Raymond Ma (“Jughead”) Moira—Mary Ann Taheny (“Jughead”) The custodian—Dan Hildebrand (“Jughead”) The secretary—Tuli Roy-Kiwan (“Jughead”) Dr. Evelyn Ariza—Stephanie Niznik (“The Little Prince”) Tony—Emerson Brooks (“The Little Prince”) The bellman—Ane Tranetzki (“The Little Prince”) Robert—Guillaume Dabinpons (“The Little Prince,” “This Place Is Death”) Montand—Marc Menard (“The Little Prince,” “This Place Is Death”) Brennan—Bruno Bunni (“The Little Prince,” “This Place Is Death”) Nadine—Alexandra Tabas (“The Little Prince,” “This Place Is Death”) Jaymie Kim—Ji Yeon (“This Place Is Death”) Rupa Krishnavani—Kavita Patil (“316,” “Namasté”) Ray Shepard—Raymond J. Berry (“316”) Nabil—P.D. Mani (“316”) Mr. Dorsey—Ned Van Zandt (“316”) Nalini—Rebecca Hazelwood (“316”) The barfly—Patti Hastie (“316”) The magician—Glen Bailey (“316”) Hajer—Ammah Daraiseh (“The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham”) Sister Consuela—Concepcion Saucedo (“The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham”) Susie—Grisel Toledo (“The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham”) The kid—J.J. Bradley (“The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham”) The construction foreman—Stephen Scibetta (“The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham”) Jeanette Lewis—Victoria Goring (“LaFleur,” “Follow The Leader”) Jerry—Kevin Rankin (“LaFleur”) The DHARMA doctor—Christopher Jaymes (“LaFleur”) Other #1—John Skinner (“LaFleur”) The co-pilot—Dan Gauthier (“Namasté”) Sayid’s father—Sayed Bedreya (“He’s Our You”) Young Sayid—Anthony Keyvan (“He’s Our You”) Omer Jarrah—Xavier Raabe-Manupule (“He’s Our You”) Oldham—William Sanderson (“He’s Our You”) Ivan Andropov—Dmitri Bourdine (“He’s Our You”) The bartender—Joe Toro (“He’s Our You”) Clementine Phillips—Olivia Vickery (“Whatever Happened, Happened”) Erik—Sebastian Siegel (“Whatever Happened, Happened,” “Follow The Leader”) Nurse Debra—Candace Scholz (“Whatever Happened, Happened”) The manager—Scott Moura (“Whatever Happened, Happened”) The grocery worker—Miko Franconi (“Whatever Happened, Happened”) The sweet young woman—Susan King (“Whatever Happened, Happened”) Charles Widmore Age 40—David S. Lee (“Dead Is Dead,” “Follow The Leader”) Young Ethan Rom—Devon Gearhart (“Dead Is Dead”) Young Alex—Lehualani Silva (“Dead Is Dead”) Jed—Matt Hoffman (“Dead Is Dead”) Young Miles Straume—Lance Ho (“Some Like It Hoth”) Trevor—Tim deZarn (“Some Like It Hoth”) Howard Gray—Dean Norris (“Some Like It Hoth”) Glenn—Simon Elbling (“Some Like It Hoth”) Evelyn—Linda Rose Herman (“Some Like It Hoth”) The worker—Cody Gomes (“Some Like It Hoth”) Eloise Hawking Age 40—Alice Evans (“The Variable,” “Follow The Leader”) Young Daniel Faraday—Spencer Allyn (“The Variable”) Caroline—Peggy Anne Siegmund (“The Variable”) The paramedic—Todd Collidge (“The Variable”) The workman—Ariston Green (“The Variable”) The ER doctor—Wendy Pearson (“The Variable”) The ER nurse—Jennifer Sojot (“The Variable”) Captain Bird—William Makozak (“Follow The Leader,” “The Incident”) Mitch—Kevin Chapman (“Follow The Leader,” “The Incident”) Vanessa—Elisabeth Blake (“Follow The Leader”) Jacob—Mark Pellegrino (“The Incident”) Jacob’s nemesis—Titus Welliver (“The Incident”) Mr. Springer—George Gerdes (“The Incident”) Young Kate Austen—Emily Rae Argenti (“The Incident”) Young Tom Brennan—Tanner Maguire (“The Incident”) The customer—Sally Davis (“The Incident”) Uncle Doug—Colby French (“The Incident”) Young James “Sawyer” Ford—Keegan Boos (“The Incident”) Juliet’s mom—Amy Stewart (“The Incident”) Juliet’s dad—Michael Trisler (“The Incident”) Young Juliet Burke—Rylee Fransler (“The Incident”) Young Rachael Carlson—Savannah Lathem (“The Incident”) Aunt Soo—Agnes Kwak (“The Incident”) The prison clerk—John Pete (“The Incident”) The taxi driver—Adam Bazzi (“The Incident”) The anesthesiologist—Daniel James Kunkel (“The Incident”) The Russian nurse—Sonya Masinovsky (“The Incident”) Previously on Lost: The castaways started making their way to the Kahana while Ben and Locke planned to move the Island. However, Keamy, the man leading the mercenaries sent to grab Ben, had a bomb on the Kahana and dead man switch on him. If Keamy dies, the bomb will explode. Sure enough, Ben kills Keamy. Michael tries to keep it from exploding but can’t. The Kahana explodes, possibly killing Jin and definitely killing Michael. Jack, Kate, Aaron, Sun, Hurley, Sayid, Desmond, and Frank survived by getting on the helicopter before it exploded. Then, as they tried to make it back to the Island, Ben turned the donkey wheel; and the Island disappeared, along with Locke, Sawyer, Juliet, Miles, Daniel, Charlotte, and the other castaways. The helicopter crashes after running out of gas; and the survivors drift in a raft until a boat with Penny on it finds them. A week later, Jack, Kate, Aaron, Sun, Hurley, and Sayid rowed ashore to Sumba. They were later taken to Honolulu and became famous as the Oceanic 6. Three years went by and: Jack dated Kate but ruined it and became a pill-popping alcoholic with a beard; Kate was put on trial, got off, and raised Aaron as her own son; Hurley went crazy and was readmitted to the Santa Rosa Mental Institution; Sun gave birth, took over her father’s company, and became just as ruthless as he is; Sayid married Nadia, but she died; and Sayid went to work with Ben killing the people who threatened the Oceanic 6’s safety; Ben was transported to Tunisia, found Sayid, helped him kill the man who killed Nadia, and began to kill the people looking for the Island; and Desmond and Frank did God knows what. Now, Jack and Ben plan to get the Oceanic 6 back together and go back to the Island. But, they have to take Locke’s dead body with them. Okay, Season 5. Where do I begin? Well, it was a good season. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Season 4, but it was definitely better than 2 and 3. I did like how Season 5 answered the big question about why the Island is special: it’s a giant time machine. Okay, so that’s the entire reason why it’s special, but it is a big whopper. After years of speculating about where the Island was Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, the dreams of one of the survivors, or just some weird place, learning that it was a time machine was quite unexpected. I mean, even with big clues like Desmond’s trips through time and the big time discrepancy that Daniel discovered, I still didn’t think the writers would really go with the time travel route. But at the same time, it made sense thematically. Just look at how the show has been structured: we had flashbacks and flashforwards. A big theme of the show involved people dealing with their pasts. It make sense that the Island would be a machine to it. However, I felt Season 5 had a big problem: it felt like two seasons crammed into one. In the first half of Season 5, we have the action split up between the people who made it off of the Island in 2007 trying to get back and the people left behind trying to survive jumping around in time. That sounded like a great premise as it abandoned the flashback formula that made the show a little predictable and led to a lot of filler. Now, the writers did change things up with the introduction of the flashforwards, but that could only take us for so long. But, the idea of seeing half the action from the Oceanic 6’s perspective as they try to decide whether or not to go back to the Island while the people left behind go jumping through time was intriguing for two reasons: 1. It was obvious that the Oceanic 6 were ultimately gonna go back, but the journey to that point would have worth seeing. 2. The time traveling on the Island allowed for the writers to easily answer some questions. But, halfway through, they abandoned that set up and got the Oceanic 6 plus Ben and Locke back to the Island. And, they got the people left behind set up in the DHARMA Initiative. And, that’s what the second half of the season was: Jack, Kate, and Hurley going to 1977 to find that Sawyer had saved everyone by joining the DHARMA Initiative and got them into the hippie scientist commune as well. Meanwhile, the others were back on the Island but in 2007. Now, everyone just had to get back to one time. It’s not a bad idea, but it really could have gone on for a whole year. Now, I’ve always felt that Lost couldn’t have gone on for a long time. I mean, if it had been Season 10 and they were still on that goddamn Island, the show would suck. I was relieved to learn that the show was gonna end after Season 6. However, I now feel that they could have gotten one more season out. Have Season 5 be the Oceanic 6 trying to get back with the people left behind jumping through time and meeting the DHARMA Initiative while Season 6 has everyone split between 1977 and 2007 and trying to get reunited, ending with a 7th season. However, at the same time, I do recognize that it was probably for the best that the show didn’t go on for another season as the writers probably would have ended up padding things out with filler. So, despite my feelings of Season 5 being crammed with too much story, it was so damn good because it had no filler, answered a lot of questions, and featured a lot action and mystery. So, let’s dig in, shall we!?
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 27, 2010 23:40:10 GMT -5
Before we begin, I’m gonna put up that spoiler warning once again. Why? Habit: Season 5-Disc 1 1. Because You Left Director(s): Stephen Williams Writer(s): Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof Off The Island: Sayid takes Hurley to his safe house, but it ain’t safe as they are attacked by two men. Sayid takes them out but is hit with two tranquilizer darts. Hurley then takes Sayid to get help. Kate is visited by two lawyers, who tell her she’s being sued over custody of Aaron. Sun is visited by Charles Widmore, who wants to know what Sun plans to do. It turns out she wants to kill Ben. As for Ben, he and Jack have taken Locke’s body from the funeral home and learn from the news that Hurley has escape and is a possible murder suspect. And finally, Desmond wakes up on a boat and tells his wife Penny that they have to go Oxford University. On The Island: The episode actually begins in 1977, with Pierre Chang visiting the building site of the Orchid. He tells the supervisor to be careful as he realizes they have found the unlimited energy source the DHARMA Initiative have been looking for and bumps into Daniel Faraday. It turns out that everyone left on the Island when Ben moved it, except for the Others, are jumping around in time. Locke sees Eko’s plane crashing onto the Island and is shot by Ethan. But, a time jump saves him and reunites him with Richard. He treats Locke’s wound, gives him a compass, and tells him that the next time they meet they will be strangers and the compass is to prove they will eventually meet. As for the other castaways, they go to the Swan to see when they are. While there, Daniel knocks on the Swan, bring out Desmond. He tells Desmond that when he and the survivors of 815 make it off the Island, they will need to go to Oxford and find his mother; but a time jump stops him from saying her name. Thoughts: Well, this has the best opening of a season premiere of Lost: Dr. Pierre Chang (AKA the multiple-named man who appears in all the DHARMA Initiative orientation films) waking up at 8:15 A.M.; playing Willie Nelson’s Shotgun Willie, which skips, while doing his morning routine; going to film the orientation film for the Arrow, which is where its defense and intelligence gathering purposes are revealed (also nice to see that the Tailies future home hasn’t been forgotten); then going to the construction site of the Orchid where they have discovered the donkey wheel chamber; and him running into Daniel Faraday. WOAH! So, time travel is real, and Daniel has ended up in 1977 and is working with the DHARMA Initiative. If that didn’t have anyone pumped for Season 5, I don’t know what will. After that, the episode varies. We got everyone scattered all of the place trying to come together: Ben and Jack reluctantly working together; they have an interesting dynamic, much like Jack’s relationship with Locke. However, Jack has more respect for Ben, mainly because he’s seen what he’s capable of. Kate learning that someone knows she ain’t Aaron’s mommy and wants custody. This was obliviously setting up Kate’s reason to get back to the Island: someone knows Kate ain’t Aaron’s mom, and she’s become so attached to him that she’s going on the run, probably to the one place no one can find them. Not exactly interesting, especially since it’s Kate. Sun meeting Widmore again. I liked this scene showed some more possibility of her and Widmore being the wrench in Jack and Ben’s cogs. Too bad it got abandoned quickly. Yes, nothing much came from this. I wonder why it was even brought up, expect to show us that Sun wanted Ben dead. Sayid and Hurley running from the law and killing two assassins. We get another great fight scene; man the producers hired a good fight choreographer as they’ve yet to have a dud in the whole bunch. Anyway, not much comes from this as this just sets up the next episode, which originally aired after this one. Though, I did like Hurley’s line to Sayid after he refuses one of Hurley’s fries: “Maybe if you ate more comfort food, you wouldn’t have to go around shooting people.” As for Desmond, he doesn’t do much except remember that he saw Daniel on the Island and decided to go find his mother under Daniel’s instructions. It ain’t much, but it is nice to know that he’s in the picture. Also, no sign of Frank. This is significant because he left the Island as well. He’s probably gonna have to go back as well. As for the on Island action, we immediately find out what happened to the people left behind: they’re skipping through time, like a record (great description of what’s happening from Daniel). Though, I don’t understand why the Others didn’t go traveling through time. Are they immune somehow? I immediately thought of that drug Desmond was taking back in “Man Of Science, Man Of Faith.” Maybe that made people immune. But how? Well, you can’t add these to the list of unanswered Lost questions. Anyway, the on Island action is a lot more intriguing than the off Island stuff because of the possibility of learning just what the hell has happened on the Island that we don’t know. In fact, we see Eko’s plane crashing on the Island, which leads to the conclusion that the Island can also move physically as well as time wise, meaning that the Island popped up somewhere near Africa. We also learned that Juliet knew about Desmond and the Swan, but we learn the extent of her Swan knowledge. I also like that Sawyer now has more to do. He didn’t have a good Season 4 since the focus was on the Oceanic 6 and the freighter folk. Now, we got him taking charge and demanding answers from Daniel (by the way Holloway and Davies have a great dynamic here. It’s obvious that Sawyer’s being set up to be the new leader, and that is something I don’t mind. Though, Locke has the juicier material: he sees Eko’s plane, goes to it, is shot by Ethan, and then meets Richard. This is great stuff as Locke gets shot in the leg at the place where his legs stopped working in “Deus Ex Machina”; he tells Ethan that Ben made him the new leader, which Ethan shrugs off either because he didn’t believe Ben would do that or because Ben ain’t the leader yet; and Richard giving Locke the compass and telling him that in order to get off the Island, he’s gonna have to die. So, Season 5 has been set up nicely. There were a lot of good parts, but there were some parts that felt flat especially since I know they’re gonna go anywhere. Still, a good episode nonetheless. 8/10. 2. The Lie Director(s): Jack Bender Writer(s): Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz Off The Island: Hurley takes Sayid to his parents’ house. When the police come, Hurley’s dad covers for them and then takes Sayid to Jack for help. Then, Hurley’s mom shows up; and Hurley confesses about lying. Meanwhile, Kate flees with Aaron and runs into Sun. Ben and Jack part ways. Jack goes to collect some personal items, runs into Hurley’s dad, and revives Sayid. As for Ben, he takes Locke’s body to a butcher for safe keeping and goes to Hurley, which prompts Hurley to turn himself into the police. Then, he goes to Eloise Hawking, who tells Ben that she has found the Island; but Ben only has 70 hours to get the Oceanic 6 together and on their journey back to the Island. On The Island: The people left behind are trying to pull together and survive the time jumps. But, they are attacked by the Others. Several are killed, and they all get split up. Sawyer and Juliet are almost captured when Locke comes to their rescue. Thoughts: Another interesting thing about the first half of Season 5 was how they set up who the centric character of the episode is: focusing mostly on one character with one flashback scene at the beginning. Here it’s Hurley trying to cope with the lie they came up with. He was against at the beginning, but no one else would step up and agree to tell the truth with him. So, he went along with the lie, but it caused so much internal turmoil that it caused him to go crazy again. However, it’s hard to feel sympathetic to Hurley’s plight since lying was the right thing to do. I mean, there was no way anyone would believe them. And, the only person who would, Charles Widmore, isn’t exactly the nicest guy. Plus, it ending with Hurley going to jail was such an obviously artificial obstacle to Hurley getting back to the Island. However, I don’t really mind it now that I know it led somewhere. Though, I have to admit that Garcia does give a good performance here, especially when Hurley tells the truth to his mom. The on Island action is a little better, mainly at the end with the castaways being attacked, obviously by the Others. This did a lot cleaning house as most of the redshirt castaways and disposed of getting are main characters together for the rest of the season. I also like how Daniel becomes a take-charge kind of guy here. It makes sense because he does know a lot about what’s going on, but at the same time he’s not exactly a confident, leader type guy. Plus, he’s withholding the consequences of the time jumps: headaches, nosebleeds, memory loss, and death! It makes for an interesting contrast that Davies plays well. Also intriguing was the end, which had Eloise and Ben, who apparently know each other, discussing the severity of the Island returning situation: they’ve found the Island but only have 70 hours to get everyone back. Another nice set up for the rest of the season. Other great things about this episode: Sun and Kate getting together after Kate learns someone wants Aaron. This was a great scene, mainly for Yunjin Kim’s performance. She’s showing some great range by playing it with a nice passive-aggressiveness, forgiving Kate for leaving Jin behind but reminding her that she is partially responsible. Michelle Rodriguez’s cameo as Ana-Lucia. I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder. Hurley and Sayid leaving the gas station just as Kate and Aaron arrive. I would have liked to seen more of the Oceanic 6 just missing each other. Hurley’s dad watching Exposé. Ben going to put Locke’s body with a butcher friend. I wonder just how many Others are living out in the real world. Frogurt! His constant bickering at everyone and everything added some great comedy to this episode. This awesome exchange between Sawyer and Miles: SAWYER: Welcome back, Dr. Wizard. MILES: I think it's Mr. Wizard. SAWYER: Shut up. And, the highlight: Hurley throwing a hot pocket at Ben. This is without a doubt the funniest thing I’ve seen on Lost! Kudos to Kitsis and Horowitz for coming up this brilliant bit of slapstick. In fact, I have to applaud them for adding a lot of hilarity in this episode. It’s nice to see after so many episodes with intense action and life or death consequences. In fact, the comedy alone raises this to an 8 out of 10. 3. Jughead Director(s): Rod Holcomb Writer(s): Elizabeth Sarnoff & Paul Zbyszewski Off The Island: We learn what happened to Desmond after he got off the Island. He and Penny married, had a son named Charlie, and are living a quiet life on a boat. However, Desmond has been pulled back into the Island and its past with Daniel’s meeting in the past. Desmond goes to Oxford looking for Daniel and his mother. He soon learns that Daniel got fired from the school for performing an experiment on a Theresa Spencer, which left her in a permanent vegetative state. He also learns that Charles Widmore financed Daniel’s experiment and is now paying for Theresa’s medical expenses as compensation. Then, Desmond goes to Widmore and demands the address for Daniel’s mother. After he gives it to Desmond and warns him to not get involved in the Island business, Desmond sails for Los Angeles anyway. On The Island: It is 1954, and the Others have taken over a U.S. military camp that was planning to detonate a hydrogen bomb, Jughead, on the Island. A group of the Others, led by a young Eloise Hawking have captured Daniel, Charlotte, and Miles. Daniel soon deduces that the bomb is leaking and agrees to help them stop it if they let them go. He tells Eloise to bury it. Meanwhile, Locke, Sawyer, and Juliet interrogate the two Others they’ve captured. One of them agrees to take them back to Richard, but the other one, a young Charles Widmore, kills him and runs off. They follow, and Locke goes to the camp to speak with Richard about leaving the Island. He uses Jacob’s name and the compass to prove that he and Richard have met, but Richard still isn’t convinced. So, Locke tells Richard that he will be born in 1956 and that he should go visit him. However, a time jump prevents Locke from learning about leaving the Island. Thoughts: This episode was very informative. So, let’s go through what we learned one by one: What happened to Desmond after he left the Island: he married Penny, expected. They had a child and called him Charlie. Sweet because they named him after the man who helped reunite them. But, at the same time, their son shares the same name as the man who kept them apart: Charles Widmore. By the way, I like how two major characters on this show have the same first name. It’s a common name and totally expected that out of a large group of people at least two of them would share a name. And, the Humes have been living on a boat this whole time. What is it with Desmond and boats. By the way, that opening scene showing Charlie’s birth was such a great moment, a nice cherry on top of the ice cream sundae of Desmond and Penny’s reunion. Daniel’s backstory: Even though this is credited as a Desmond-centric episode, we actually learn a lot about Daniel here. It turns out he did some more experimenting since we last saw in “The Constant.” Only, this time it was on a human subject; and it left that girl in a permanent vegetative state. But, she’s now being taken care of thanks to Charles Widmore, aka the man who financed Daniel’s experiment. Damn! Widmore also has his fingerprints all over this episode as well. Anyway, this was a clever way to getting out more of Daniel’s backstory without using the standard flashback structure. Of course, they also set it up for us to learn more about our twitching psychiatrist friend, like actually seeing the experiment go awry. Charles Widmore’s reason for finding the Island: It turns out that once upon a time, Widmore was one of the Others! Talk about a shocker! So, apparently he was on the Island, maybe even a leader of the Others, got ousted, and now wants back. It’s so obvious I feel a little stupid for not figuring it out. By the way, I liked Tom Connolly as the young Charles Widmore. He gives off a nice young, arrogant cockiness; like he has ambitions to become the leader of the Others. Why Eloise knows so much: Turns out she was also an Other. Okay, they don’t come out and say that here. But, there is a blonde British girl named Ellie with the Others. It’s so obvious that it’s Eloise. They also drop a lot of hints that Eloise is Daniel’s mother: Ellie finding Daniel familiar despite not knowing him, the fact that they both know a lot about time travel, the fact that Widmore knew where Daniel’s mother was, possibly because they were both on the Island back in 1954. Also, I have to say that I liked Alexandra Krosney, the actress who plays the young Ellie, a lot better than Fionnula Flanagan. Why Richard has been so interested in Locke: Because Locke went up to Richard here, gave him that compass, and told Richard to go visit him as a baby in 1956. This one moments sets up a lifetime of Locke missing opportunities to go to the Island. I have to say: it is one of those time paradox clichés. You know, something happens in the future because someone went back in the past and set up the future action; and that will forever because it has to. We’ve seen it before, and I figured it would happen since Lost started amping up the time travel. How long have the Others been on the Island: a long time. I mean, they were there back in 1954. Hell, they may be the Black Rock people for all we know. Stuff we didn’t know before hand: The U.S. Army was on the fucking Island!? How did we not know this!? Plus, there’s a hydrogen bomb! Jesus! There are a lot of ways to die on this Island. If you aren’t killed by the polar bears, then the Smoke Monster will get you. If you aren’t captured by the Others, then Keamy’s commandos will get you. If you don’t fall into the volcano, then you’ll die from radiation leaking out of Jughead. You know, I’d love to see the rejected ways of killing people on the Island. Also, since there’s a leaking hydrogen bomb on the Island, this probably answers why women can’t give birth on the Island, what with the radiation and all seeping into the ground after they buried it. Though, it wouldn’t explain why the men are so fertile. And, the Others speak Latin. Why? Because it’s “the language of the enlightened.” Now, while I liked that this episode gave us a lot of answers, I was bugged by Juliet. The one thing I don’t like about her character is how it seems like she has all the answers but is unwilling to reveal them. I mean, she’s living with all these people who have questions; but when asked she usually just drops cryptic, smart-ass remarks. However, I don’t think she knows as much as we think she knows. Remember, Ben did keep a lot info from the Others, like that he was jamming signals to and from the Island in the Looking Glass and that he wanted Locke to blow up the sub. Then again, she does know quite a bit. I just wish the writers had found a better way to bridge the gap between the castaways’ curiosity and Juliet’s knowledge. And, just having everyone not be curious isn’t good enough. Nevertheless, I liked this episode and not just for the answers. They did give us a lot of more information here, but it was characters that made it. There were some great lines, like Richard’s line about his disbelief that Locke is the Others’ leader: “I certainly don’t want to contradict myself.”; and Miles’s line about how no one showed concern for him: “Yeah, me too. I’m great.” Also, a possible romance between Daniel and Charlotte is set up. But, the real heart of it is Desmond and Penny. There is this clever scene at the beginning in which Desmond tells Charlie the story of Penny and his relationship but skips all the bad parts, which Penny chastises him for. It reveals a lot about Desmond: he’s a man who skips through time in his head, doesn’t like the concept of destiny, and avoids hard truths. He’d like nothing more than for everyone to stop turning the pages of our story, but the story won’t let him. You see, Penny and Desmond have the best written romance on the show, and now they have their happily ever after. However, that damn Island keeps rearing it’s ugly back into their lives. There’s this fear that they’re gonna get separated again, and honestly, I wouldn’t have care about the answers if I wasn’t so scared about that. Plus, they got great actors in the role. Both, Henry Ian Cusick and Sonia Walger add some gravitas to the roles. Cusick makes anything they’re talking about, whether it be answering to a higher calling or time travel. And, Walger adds some great directness to Penny; she is curt and has no patience for bullshit, which is really refreshing on a show where everyone accepts everything. Once again, it shows that the myths need the characters more than the characters need the myths. 9/10. Disc 5—Bonus Features: First, there are some special features on the first disc: a commentary track on “Because You Left,” and a recap of what happened on Lost up to the end of Season 4. Now, to the Disc 5 bonus features. Today, we’ll be looking at “Making Up For Lost Time,” “Mysteries Of The Universe: The DHARMA Initiative,” those “Lost On Location” featurettes, and “An Epic Day With Richard Alpert.” First, “Making Up For Lost Time,” which is about all the time traveling that happened in Season 5. Here we have all the writers, directors, actors, and other Lost personnel talking about all those time traveling themes, like destiny, affecting history, paradoxes, etc. I liked how Cuse and Lindelof admitted that the time traveling was done not just to do it but because it was an easy way to reveal answers about the questions fans have. There were some other cool facts revealed, like “Jughead” is the name of an actual Mark 16 nuclear bomb that was never detonated. So, it’s probably still out there! Also, it was funny seeing how the actors trying to react to the flashes even though they can’t see it. Again, Greg Nations is mentioned. Man, these special features are great at showing at all the unsung behind the scenes people who have a big role in how the show it made. I mean, if Greg Nations went away, then Lost would pretty much lose its continuity. Next, we have “Mysteries Of The Universe: The DHARMA Initiative.” This is another mockumentary, like “The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy Of Lies.” However, it is set up like an episode of the fake show Mysteries Of The Universe, and this particular episode happens to be about the DHARMA Initiative. It’s an obvious homage to those conspiracy shows in the vein of In Search Of or Unsolved Mysteries, right down to the old school look. Now, I’m a little pleased with this as I thought it was another behind the scenes featurette that would focus on the DHARMA Initiative and the new characters introduced in this season, much like the featurettes for the Others in the Season 3 set and the freighter folk in the Season 4 set. Though, I have to say that I was a little disappointed we didn’t be more on the background about the DHARMA people and how the writers came up with the characters and ideas around the organization. Anyway, the mockumentary features a lot of info about the DHARMA Initiative, mentioning the DeGroots, Alvar Hanso and the Hanso Foundation, the logos, the Lamp-Post, Olivia Goodspeed, Eloise Hawking, and Daniel Faraday. The best part is the “update” at the end, which reveals that Olivia got off the Island. This really clarified a big problem I noticed in Season 5: Horace having a child with Amy, which confused me since I though Olivia was his wife as that’s how she was presented to be in “The Man Behind The Curtain.” But, Olivia leaving the Island does sort of solve this. Also, they never actually stated that Olivia was Horace’s wife in “The Man Behind The Curtain.” Now, this creeped me out a little but not as much as “The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy Of Lies.” In fact, this came off as ridiculous and unintentionally funny at times. I guest that has to do with the retro feel to it. Then comes the “Lost On Location” featurettes. You know what these are, the making of features for several Season 5 episodes: “The Lie,” “The Little Prince,” “The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham,” “Namasté,” “He’s Our You,” “Whatever Happened, Happened,” and “The Incident.” It’s basically what all the other ones were: behind the scenes of certain episodes, all of them informative (the canoe chase in “The Little Prince” was filmed in a swimming pool, some of them funny (everyone having difficulty with fire hoses as they had no pressure in “He’s Our You”), and most of them not that interesting. I have to say: the highlight of these: Sean Whalen making several puns about the arrow in his chest. And, finally, we got “An Epic Day With Richard Alpert.” This follows Nestor Carbonell during the last day shoot of the filming of “The Incident.” This is pretty good way of going through all the behind the scenes stuff: by following an actor from beginning (wardrobe and makeup) to end (going home) and between (filming, catering, etc.). By the way, Carbonell doesn’t wear eyeliner. His eyelashes are naturally that black. So, that’s all for today. Now, I need to address a big problem: we’re less than a week away from the Season 6 premiere, and I’m nowhere near done with this review. However, I’m gonna try get as much as I can done before Season 6 begins. So, next part of the review will be up at the earliest I can get it up, which will be Friday. Plus, since Disc 5 has only one episode on it, “The Incident,” I’m gonna review it with the episodes on Disc 4. Hopefully, I’ll get a good ways into Season 5 before the final season begins. But, we’ll just have to see.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 29, 2010 13:59:03 GMT -5
I have some good news. I think I’m gonna be able to get this done before the final season begins. Hopefully, I’ll be free from work on Saturday. If not, I’ll do it Sunday. Then, I’ll definitely finish the review on Monday; I’ll just skip RAW or record it. So, keep your fingers crossed. Anyway, let’s get to the review. But first, SPOILER ALERT: Season 5-Disc 2 4. The Little Prince Director(s): Stephen Williams Writer(s): Brian K. Vaughan & Melinda Hsu Taylor Off The Island: Kate leaves Aaron with Sun so that she can go learn more about the custody case against her. After meeting with Norton, the attorney, she learns that he’s going to meet with his client. She follows. Meanwhile, Ben goes to meet up with Jack and Sayid when suddenly Sayid is attacked by an orderly. They find info of Kate on his person, and Jack decides to go find her while Sayid and Ben go to the prison where Hurley is being held. He does and joins Kate on her quest to learn who Norton’s client is. They follow him to the hotel where Carole Littleton, whom they deduced has figured out Aaron is her grandson. Jack confronts Carole but discovers that she knows nothing about the custody trial. It turns out Norton’s client is Ben. On The Island: After the last time jump, Charlotte has fallen ill. Daniel then reveals that the time jumps will kill them eventually. Locke then deduces that they should go to the Orchid, since that is where Ben moved the Island. As they do, the time jumps take them to the day Aaron was born, sometime in the future where they find a canoe and are chased by unknown assailants, and end up in 1988, when Danielle Rousseau’s team came to the Island. And, the episode ends with Rousseau’s team finding Jin. Thoughts: *sigh* A Kate episode. We got a Kate episode. Her episodes haven’t been all that good since “What Kate Did.” But, this one is pretty damn good. However, all that goodness isn’t because of Kate. Here, we got Lilly not playing to her strengths: playfulness, tenderness, action sequences. Instead we have here doing straight up romance melodrama, which we’ve learned from “I Do” is her acting kryptonite. No, the goodness from “The Little Prince” is mainly situated not around Kate but on the Island. On the Island, the people left behind are dying because of the time jumps, getting shot at in canoes, and trying to get to the Orchid. In Los Angeles, Kate’s trying to find out who’s suing her for custody of Aaron. To reiterate: Island—romping action flick L.A.—boring legal custody hearing. Half of this episode is “Predator,” and the other half is “Kramer VS Kramer.” And, I ain’t got time for boring legal dramas. Though, to be fair, not all the stuff going down in L.A. is Kate’s legal woes. Sun has received a care package from Widmore that has photos of Ben and Jack together and a gun. Damn! Sun’s about to get badass. Also, Sayid’s awake and kicking ass. This is all more exciting than Kate’s legal problems. But, they do have a mystery to them: the person who is suing Kate for custody. The obvious answer is Carole Littleton, Aaron’s grandmother. But, luckily the writers, here Vaughan and Taylor, reveal quickly that it ain’t Carole (in a bad scene made bad by Jack). Another possibility is Sun because of her passive aggressiveness toward Kate in the last episode. Then, there’s Ben, because he’s actually the one who is suing Kate. Amazing! Lost introduced a mystery and answered it quickly! The show has been moving at a breakneck pace since “There’s No Place Like Home,” and it’s great to see the writers keeping it going. Another great thing about the Ben reveal is that Kate figures it out herself very quickly and that he doesn’t even try to hide it. Ben playing mind games is so awesome. And, to be honest, there are some good moments with Kate here: Lilly has a great frustrated look when Jack calls her and a nice sweetness when Kate compliments Jack on shaving the beard. Plus, we see Kate at three different stages of her life on the show: helping Claire give birth to Aaron, telling Jack that she’ll take care of Aaron on Penny’s boat, and anxiously trying to keep Aaron in her custody. This was a great way to show how much Aaron means to Kate; props to Vaughan and Taylor for that. Props to them again for making the Island action so damn good. I really like how they went back to “Do No Harm” and showed how that affects Sawyer and Locke. Sawyer is a little heartbroken having seen Kate again, helping Claire give birth, and losing her because of the time jump. And, Locke sees the beam of light from the Swan, looking at the lowest moment on the Island and feeling ashamed about how he acted on that night. But, he tells Sawyer that he’s grateful for that moment because he needed the pain from it to get to where he is again. Like I said before, Locke had to be broken in order to be fixed by the Island and be it’s savior. Both of these moments are great as they add some thematic depth to the cool action and mysteries that are also happening. For one, the side effects of the time jumps are starting to become more obvious as Juliet and Miles’s noses are bleeding as well. I noticed that some people speculated that Locke and Sawyer seemed fine because they had been on the Island longer than Miles and Charlotte. But, Juliet’s nose was bleeding as well. I think having been on the Island for a long while actually makes it worse. Juliet has been there for three years. And, we do learn that Charlotte and Miles were born on the Island. Then, there’s the canoes from the future. Who put them there? And, who the hell was shooting at our heroes in the other canoe? Well, those are some more unanswered questions. And, I don’t think it was the people who will come to the Island on Ajira 316. So, all in all, we have a very exciting episode. The Kate stuff brings it down but not much. And, the Island action is…well…action packed. Plus, Sawyer got out some great lines: • “Who came in these? Other Others?” • “Time travel’s a bitch.” • “Thank you Lord!… [time jump into a rainstorm.]… I take that back!” Oh! And, there was the big twist at the end: Rousseau’s science team coming to the Island and finding Jin out in the Ocean! HOLY SHIT! Talk about a mind blower! So, Jin is alive! How great is that!? Boy will that reunion be one for the ages. 8/10. 5. This Place Is Death Director(s): Paul Edwards Writer(s): Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz Off The Island: Ben and Sayid have met up with Jack and Kate, where it’s revealed that Ben was Norton’s client. To make an already tense situation tense, Sun shows up with Aaron and a gun planning to kill Ben. Then, Ben reveals that Jin is alive and that he can reunite the two, but they all have to go back to the Island. Sayid and Kate, with Aaron, leave; but Jack and Sun go with Ben to a church, where they run into Desmond, looking for Daniel’s mother, who does turn out to be Eloise. On The Island: Jin spends some time with Rousseau and her team, but they are attacked by the Smoke Monster. Another time jump occurs, taking Jin to when Rousseau killed her people. Rousseau chases after him, but a time jump reunites Jin with Locke, Sawyer, Juliet, Daniel, Miles, and Charlotte. He then goes with them to the Orchid, but the time jumps become frequent and take their toll out on everyone, especially Charlotte, who’s dying. Daniel stays with Charlotte as the others go to the Orchid, which Charlotte reveals might be a well if the station isn’t there. Charlotte then reveals to Daniel that she grew up on the Island and was warned by a man to leave, whom she believes was Daniel. Then, she dies. Meanwhile, Locke’s group makes it to the Orchid. Just before leaving, Jin gives Locke his wedding ring and tells him to tell Sun that he’s dead, as he doesn’t want her to come back to this place. Then, Locke goes down the well, runs into Christian again (who tells him to say hello to his son Jack), turns the wheel, and stops the time jumps. Thoughts: I’ve gone on record for saying that I like Jin and Sun episodes. However, I didn’t really like this one. The reason: the past Jin and Sun episodes had flashbacks and one flashforward. Sure the stories in those were clichéd soap opera-type stuff, but Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae-Kim are such great actors that they were able to elevate the stories through the power of their performances and putting everything they had into them. Here, they still give good performances, but there are no flashbacks. Instead we got a bunch of on Island stuff that is just frustrating as hell. For one, we do see what happened with Rousseau and her team. However, it’s stuff we’ve already known, like how they arrived and Rousseau killing them all. While I did appreciate them showing us Montand getting his arm taken off by the Smoke Monster (a very tense and scary scene), I would have liked to seen something about the sickness or the Others coming to take Alex. Not only that but just two lousy scenes with them! Dammit! Why abandoned a storyline that fans have been wondering about since the first season so quickly!? Then, there’s Charlotte. Despite her being the cause of some frustration here, it has nothing to do with the character or the actor. In fact, I really liked Rebecca Mader’s performance her. When I said that I wasn’t initially impressed by her but was later won over, this is what I was talking about. She handled the time jump illness very well, switching from child-like wonder to teenage angst amazingly well. What sucks is that just when she won me over, the character was killed off. You see, the character was only suppose to be around for 6 episodes; but because the Writers’ Strike shortened Season 4, they had to keep Charlotte around to Season 5. I understand that, but if you’re gonna keep her around, why not keep her around long enough to give her a full centric episode. At least Libby ain’t alone in being the only character to not get a full centric episode. At least she got one flashback scene in “Confirmed Dead.” Still, I would have loved to seen one full episode that explains her backstory. It would have been a lot better than her just saying that she was born on the Island and that Daniel warned her to get off the Island when she was a kid. Plus, we still don’t know who she knew about the well. Show! Don’t tell! A few other maddening parts was the frequent time jumps, which only got frequent conveniently around the time Locke decided to go to the Orchid, and Sawyer’s nose bleeding, shooting my “the longer you’re on the Island, the worse the time jumps will affect you” theory. And finally, there was the end, with Eloise being annoyed that Ben couldn’t get all the Oceanic 6 to come to the church but saying that just Jack, Sun, and Desmond will have to do. Jesus Christ! Quit changing the rules! Either it’s they all have to go to prevent a disaster, or the Island will just have to make do! And, this is really frustrating since we know that all the Oceanic 6 are going to go back. So, why even bring this element up if it doesn’t even matter? Dammit! I thought we were done with Lost fucking with us. But, I should have known better. (By the way, we do learn that Eloise is Daniel’s mother, but that was pretty easy to figure out.) Despite all this, there are a lot of good parts. Like Mader, Davies gives a good performance. His sadness over Charlotte’s death. And, of course, Kim and Dae Kim give their all in this episode. Also, I liked how Jin gave Locke his wedding ring to prove to her that he’s dead because he doesn’t want Sun to come back; but Ben uses the wedding ring to prove to Sun that Jin’s alive. It’s a great manipulation from Ben. Another great Ben moment: him getting frustrated at Jack. It was like he was speaking for the audience. Plus, Locke turning the wheel was okay, and it got Christian on the show again (John Terry turning in another nice performance)! However, I have to say that I like smart ass alcoholic Christian better than wise ghost Christian. And, there were some great lines, like Montand’s “First a boat, then a helicopter. Next thing you know he'll be talking about a submarine.”; Miles’s “He’s Korean; I’m from Encino.”; and Charlotte’s “Turn it up! I love Geronimo Jackson!” And, finally, I noticed something on the second viewing that makes the Rousseau scene a little easier to swallow: all of Rousseau’s team went into the Temple except for Rousseau, who was stopped by Jin. Then, they ended up turning on Rousseau and tried to kill her. I think going into the Temple is what caused their “sickness.” It makes the scenes a little better, but I was still frustrated with this episode as I was when I first saw it. Still, not a bad episode. 7/10. 6. 316 Director(s): Stephen Williams Writer(s): Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof Off the Island: Jack, Ben, Sun, and Desmond learn from Eloise how to get back to the Island: they have 36 hours to take a plane, Ajira 316, to Guam. During the trip, it will fly over the Island and crash. Desmond refuses to join them and leaves. Eloise talks to Jack in private, tells him that he must take an item of Christian’s, and gives him Locke’s suicide note. Afterwards, Jack visits his grandpa and runs into Kate, sans Aaron, who agrees to go back to the Island. They spend the night together and then go to the airport. Jack runs into Sun and sees Sayid, being held prisoner by some woman, and Hurley, who got released thanks to Ben’s lawyer. Ben shows up at the last minute. And Jack meets with the pilot before they take off: Frank Lapidus. Then, the plane crashes. On the Island: Jack wakes up and finds Hurley and Kate. They are then discovered by Jin in a DHARMA van, wearing a DHARMA jumpsuit. Thoughts: Damn! I knew they’d get back to the Island, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. Six episodes in to Season 5, and we’re already back on the Island. Though, we still have to fill in some blanks, like: how did everyone end up on the plane? How did Hurley know about the flight as he wasn’t with anyone who would have known about it? Why is Ben so beat up? Why isn’t Desmond with them? Was there a confrontation between the two, since Ben did say he was gonna kill Penny (he did tell Jack that he was going to fulfill an old promise he made to a friend of his)? And, where’s Aaron? What did Kate do with him? And, why can’t Jack ever ask her about him? How did Frank end up as Ajira 316’s pilot? Who was that woman that brought Sayid on the plane? And, who was that other guy in first class? Will these two play a part into the Island’s action? And, why were Jack, Kate, and Hurley the only ones we saw on the Island? What happened to Sayid, Sun, Ben, Frank, and the other Ajira passengers? Are they in different times? And, did the plane even crash? Were the ones who were suppose to go back to the Island just pulled onto the Island? And, what the hell happened to the people left behind? What did they do after Locke turned the wheel? So many great questions set up by this episode that the rest of the season and Season 6 has to answer. Also, it’s amazing how I’ve gone from hating questions to welcoming them. Lost has really pulled a 180 since Season 2 and 3, when they constantly threw out questions with little answers and frustrated me to know end. However, the questions raised by this episode aren’t the only thing that make it a good one. There were a lot of little touches that worked well: Jack waking up on the Island just like in the pilot. Sayid being held prisoner, like Kate was back in 2004. Hurley buying up most of the first class tickets to keep any more people from getting hurt (and reading Y: The Last Man, the great comic series by Lost writer Brian K. Vaughan). The Lamp-Post, the DHARMA Initiative’s L.A. station (yes, those damn hippie scientists had so many stations on that Island they not only had to put one on another island, they had to put on in L.A.) and Eloise explaining a lot about the Island (apparently it’s always moving). Ben being Ben (lying about knowing about the Lamp-Post, not caring about the other people on the plane, and this nice exchange with Jack: Jack: How can you be reading? Ben: My mother taught me.). Jack and Kate getting back together (Dammit! I now care about those crazy kids!). Ray, Jack’s grandfather (Raymond J. Berry does a good job with this role, showing us how Ray acts and why Christian became the man he did). Jack having problems with transporting dead bodies again. Desmond telling Jack and Sun that they can’t trust anything Eloise says, like Sayid told Hurley about Ben. Frank seeing Jack, Sayid, Kate, Hurley, and Sun and realizing that they aren’t going to Guam. And, the end, with Jin finding Jack, Kate, and Hurley and wearing a DHARMA jumpsuit (I guess that answers what happened with the people Locke left behind). But, what really makes this a damn good episode is, amazingly (I can’t believe I’m about to write this), Jack. Cuse and Lindelof not only throw in a lot of nice callbacks, references, and just plain awesome characters-being-their characters moments, but they also tell a nice conversion story. This whole episode is about getting Jack from the passive sourpuss we’ve seen in his flashforwards and in the previous Season 5 episodes back to the hero he was on the Island. First, his visit with his grandfather helps him to drop all those daddy issues he has because he can be angry with Christian all he wants; but it ain’t gonna change a thing about what happened between them because he’s dead and what happened, happened. Then, getting back together with Kate clarifies why he’s doing what he’s doing: he’s trying to protect the people he loves, and number 1 on that list is Kate. (Plus, I liked when Kate asked him why held onto his dad’s shoes if they made him sad; I’m guessing because he’d rather feel sad about his father than angry). Then, Ben tells him the story of Thomas the apostle and how he’s always remembered for doubting Jesus’s resurrection instead of bravely leading him to his crucifixion. Jack’s sick of lying, being angry, and doubting everything he sees. And finally, he reads Locke’s suicide note, which just says “I wish…you had believe.” At that moment, he wishes he had believed Locke as well. He wants to be a hero again. And, that’s just what he does when he hears Hurley calling for help. 9/10. 7. The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham Director(s): Jack Bender Writer(s): Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof Plot: The survivors of Ajira 316 are trying to figure out what is going on after the crash. One of the survivors, Caesar, is going through Ben’s desk at the Hydra station, meaning they landed on the runway on the Hydra island. Illana, the woman who took Sayid onto the plane, informs Caesar that a strange man has shown up, Locke. They ask him who he is and how he got there. Flashbacks: Then, we go through what happened to Locke after he got off the Island. He ended up in Tunisia, like Ben did. However, as he made his way to the wheel, Locke broke his leg; so he’s unable to move. Luckily, a camera is watching him; and some men come to get him. They set his leg, and then Locke is visited by Widmore. He tells Locke about the Oceanic 6 and convinces Locke that he has to go find them and get them back to the Island. Locke gets a fake ID, Jeremy Bentham, and an assistant, Abaddon. Locke visits Sayid, Hurley, Kate, and Jack; but they all refuse to go back. He also learns that Helen has died and is shot at by mysterious assailants, who kill Abaddon. Having failed, Locke plans to kill himself. But, Ben shows up and stops. Then, Ben kills Locke himself and makes it look like a suicide. Thoughts: Have you noticed how Locke and Jack episodes usually follow one another? In Season 1, Locke’s first episode, “Walkabout,” (which showed that Locke was paralyzed) was followed by Jack’s first one “White Rabbit” (which showed that Jack went to Australia to get his dead dad’s body). Later in that season, “Deus Ex Machina” (Locke meeting his father, which ruined his life) was followed by “Do No Harm” (Jack marrying Sarah, whose life Jack made annoying). In Season 2, “Orientation” (which had Locke meeting Helen and not being able to get over Cooper’s con) came one episode after “Man Of Science, Man Of Faith” (where Jack met Sarah). In Season 4, “Something Nice Back Home” (where Jack began his boozing and pill popping because he started seeing his dead father) was followed by “Cabin Fever” (where Locke repeatedly ignored his destiny). Just look at those episodes: Locke experiences a miracle, Jack loses his father. Locke loses his miracle, Jack desperately searches for one. Both started relationships that ended badly. Both were ignoring the signs in front of them. It’s amazing how these two men are so different yet go through similar experiences. Yet, in Season 5, we go from Jack becoming a believer to Locke having his faith destroyed. One of the big themes of Locke’s arc is how different he is on and off the Island. On the Island, Locke has the confidence of a powerful religious leader. Off the Island, he’s just a pathetic old man who has no one in his life. Sure enough, this is what happens to Locke after he gets off the Island. First, he has to go back to that wheelchair because he broke his leg trying to move the Island. Then, he meets Widmore, who tells him that he’s gonna help Locke get the Oceanic 6 back to the Island, but it feels a lot like he’s ordering Locke around. Hell, he even had Abaddon take Locke to where needs to be. Remember, Abaddon is the man who put the walkabout idea in his head. Maybe, he’s putting other ideas in his head. Then, Locke goes about getting the people who left to go back, but he fails. His meeting with Sayid goes nowhere (though we do learn that after he stopped working for Ben Sayid went to Santo Domingo to build houses for the poor). His meeting with Walt just amounted to “Hey! What’s up!?” Hurley refused to believe he was even alive at first and then freaked out when he saw Abaddon. Kate flat out said no. All these scene were quite dull, to be honest. Though, I think that was done on purpose to show us Locke’s spirit being broken. Things did pick up when Locke was inspired by Kate to go find Helen, who turned out to be dead (though, knowing Widmore and Abaddon, it was probably faked). After that someone shot and killed Abaddon (which sucks), and Locke was in a car crash and coincidentally taken to Jack’s hospital. Of course that meeting was a dead end, too, despite Locke telling Jack that he saw Christian. So, it all ended with Locke a pathetic old man with nothing to live for. But, just as he’s about to kill himself, Ben comes in and convinces Locke that he got Jack to go flying around the South Pacific hoping to go back to the Island. Just when it seems Locke has his faith back, Ben kills him, using his death as a means to get everyone back, fulfilling Locke’s destiny but for his own purposes. Though, he gets in Locke’s way, just like he took over Locke moving the Island in “There’s No Place Like Home” even though Locke was suppose to do it. So, what we have is an episode that starts out slow but picks up speed as it goes along. Plus, there were a lot of nice moments along the way: Widmore acting more like a good guy than we’ve seen before and acknowledging that he med Locke when he was 17, Illana and Caesar acting like they purposely got on Ajira 316 to get on the Island, the questions about who killed Abaddon (Ben said he did, but he says a lot of things, not all of them true) and whether Helen is really dead, the answers to the canoes (they ended up there for the people left behind to find because Frank and some woman (Sun) took one to the main Island and the Ajira people taking another one later) and what happened to Ben (he’s on the Hydra island with Locke the Ajira people), the return of the Hydra station and island, and a nice performance from Lance Reddick (that guy is so damn smooth). Though, the best part of this episode is Terry O’Quinn. He delivers a stellar performance, which is a good thing because it is his character’s episode. He beautifully plays the breaking of Locke’s spirit well, from his subtle nuances of uncertainty at the beginning to the obvious depression at the end. It’s real easy to feel sorry for this man and even get teary eyed when he dies, even though he does come back to life, and it’s because O’Quinn wins your sympathy. There is a reason why Locke’s episodes are so good, and it’s not just because they’re usually well written. It’s because O’Quinn has nailed this character since Day 1. And, he once again hits the nail head on. 10/10. Disc 5—Bonus Features: Today, we have “Building 23 And Beyond,” deleted scenes, and bloopers. First, “Building 23 And Beyond,” which has Michael Emerson taking us through tour of the Lost writers’ offices in L.A. You see, the show is made in Hawaii, but all the writing and post-production takes place in an office in Burbank, CA. Show this little featurette was made to show us all the writers, editors, producers, and post-production people, like the “Crew Tribute With Evangeline Lilly” featurette on the Season 3 DVD set had Lilly going around showing us all the crew people on the Hawaii set. By the way, I’m amazed how well this show has been made despite the writers and directors and crew people being separated by an ocean. Sure, it hasn’t always come up roses (“Fire + Water,” “I Do,” “Stranger In A Strange Land,” etc.), but looking at all the great episodes they’ve (“Walkabout,” “Live Together, Die Alone,” “Through The Looking Glass,” “The Constant,” etc.), it’s amazing how they were able to pull off so many wonderful moments despite the vast geographical separation. The featurette itself has some funny moments, like the graphics underneath Cuse and Lindelof says “Killing Ben his idea” under Cuse with an arrow point to Lindelof and under Lindelof it says “His idea” with an arrow point back to Cuse. It’s also a little informative, showing us the writing and editing processes. Not much else to say about other than it’s just a nice way of showing the people who put together episodes we see each week. Next, we got the deleted scenes for Season 5, which include: Hurley driving Sayid after he’s been hit the tranquilizer darts and wondering what to do after Sayid falls unconscious; Ben talking to Jill the butcher about where Desmond and Penny are located; Juliet looking for Sawyer, who has gone to get Jack, Kate, and Hurley into the DHARMA Initiative; Sun and Frank meeting Christian and thinking he’s one of the Others; Jack inviting Kate to breakfast, despite the fact they’re in 1977 and Sayid has been taken prisoner by the DHARMA Initiative under suspicion that he’s a Hostile (they’re word for the Others); Sun asking Locke why he didn’t come to see her; Horace and Phil asking LaFleur (Sawyer) where he’s been, telling him that Ben has been taken, and coming to the conclusion that it was an inside job; and Daniel explaining to Kate and Jack about how he’s gonna stop the last 30 years of Island history from happening (this was in the episode “The Variable,” but it’s expanded here). Some of these are good. That breakfast scene with Jack and Kate was funny, mainly for how non-chalant Jack acted despite the dire circumstance I described. And, I did like the expanded scene with Daniel explaining his plan. I assume it was trimmed down just for time. The others, however, are good but don’t seem necessary to the episodes they were cut from. So, they were deleted for a reason. And, finally, we have the bloopers. If you don’t know what these are by now, then leave! Anyway, it was pretty funny. In fact, I think it was the funniest blooper reel yet. So, that’s it for today. I’ll try to have next episodes up over the weekend and hopefully finish this thing up on Monday. Just keep fingers crossed.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Jan 31, 2010 19:34:28 GMT -5
Almost done. So, let’s continue, shall we? First: Season 5-Disc 3 8. LaFleur Director(s): Mark Goldman Writer(s): Elizabeth Sarnoff & Kyle Pennington 1977: Two DHARMA security guards freak out when they see Horace Goodspeed drunk and throwing dynamite around. Fearing he could start something with the Hostiles (the Others), they go to get their head of security, LaFleur, AKA James “Sawyer” Ford. It turns out that Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, Miles, and Daniel ended up in 1977 after Locke left and to survived they joined the DHARMA Initiative. Sawyer and Miles go to take care of Horace. Then, things get complicated when Amy, Horace’s pregnant wife, goes into labor. Like all pregnancies on the Island, the labor takes a turn for the worse; and Sawyer convinces Juliet, who now works as a DHARMA mechanic to help deliver Amy’s baby. She reluctantly agrees and manages to save the baby. Then, Sawyer talks with Horace about the dynamite incident and helps him come to terms with the fact that his wife may still not be over her previous husband’s death. Then, Sawyer returns to his house, where he and Juliet live in domestic bliss. And just when things settle down, they get complicated again when Jin calls Sawyer and tells him he found Jack, Hurley and Kate. Flashbacks: We see just how Sawyer was able to get him and the others into the DHARMA Initiative. When they ended up in 1977, they stumbled onto Amy being held hostage by two Others after they’ve already killed her husband. They save her, and she takes them to the DHARMA Initiative. However, she tricks them into walking into the sonic fence surrounding the Barracks. After they awake, Horace confronts Sawyer, who comes up with a story: his name is James LaFleur, he is the captain of a ship that crashed near the Island, the others are his crew, and that he and his other crew have been looking for the rest of the crew (the other Oceanic survivors). Horace tells him that he and the others will taken off the Island on the submarine. However, Richard shows up, wanting to know why the DHARMA Initiative broke the truce and killed two of his people. Sawyer to convince Horace to let him talk to Richard and then tells Richard that about what happened in 1954, convincing Richard that the truce has not been broken. Because of this, Horace decides to let Sawyer and his people stay on the Island. Thoughts: I gone on record for saying that Sawyer is my favorite character, but I don’t think I’ve said why. I mean, I have praised Holloway for nailing the role, all the funny lines the character is usually given, and how interesting the character is, given his reluctant con man past. But, the main reason I like Sawyer so much is how he’s such a wild card. He’s never really fit in with the main struggles happening on the Island. He doesn’t buy into Locke’s faith in the Island, looking at him like he’s crazy much like Jack. However, Sawyer gets just as annoyed as with Jack as he does with Locke. And, I’m sure he could care less about Ben and Widmore’s struggle for the Island. He is his own man who’s only on the Island because of a plane crash and couldn’t care less about who’s in charge of the Island, just as long as that person doesn’t try to kill him. So, it was very weird to see Sawyer in this episode: going by LaFleur, working as DHARMA’s head of security, and trying to prevent a war between the Hostiles (DHARMA’s word for the Others, which by the way is much more cooler than the Others). It’s amazing how far he’s come since he was that con man who was getting tortured by Sayid because everyone was so sure he had Shannon’s inhaler in “Confidence Man.” Then, he was a loner who kept himself at arm’s length from everyone. Now, he’s a fearless leader trying to save his fellow castaways and getting in deep with the usual Island business (leading groups of people against other groups of people). So, it goes without saying that I liked this episode. I liked seeing a new side of Sawyer, but I loved how he still retains his sarcasm and wit. And, I really loved that Sawyer and Juliet ended up together. I don’t know why, but it just seems right. Sawyer and Kate was a nice couple, but both just can’t seem to settle down. And, while there were hints of Juliet and Jack getting together, it was obviously just an obstacle for Jack and Kate’s road to togetherness, shoehorned to make Kate jealous like Sawyer and Jack did to each other for Kate. But, with Kate and Jack gone, Sawyer and Juliet were left to form a bond that looks natural. I can’t really explain it. It just feels right. Plus, Holloway and Mitchell have great chemistry together that makes the audience buy that there are a loving couple. Because of them, it has the feel of a real relationship that the fans have a stake in. And, with Jack and Kate back ready to seemingly tear it apart, it’s a relationship the fans have a personal stake in and not just something we have to suffer through to get to the myths like the Jack/Kate/Sawyer/Juliet love rectangle has been in the past. Other things I liked about this episode: There was some Island myth business here, like that shot of a giant statue, which I assume has four toes. And then, there was Horace suddenly being married to Amy. What happened to Olivia? I mean, we did learn in that “Mysteries Of The Universe” featurette that she supposedly got off the Island, but why? Did she and Horace get a divorce? Or, were they even husband and wife? They could have been brother and sister. And, there was Juliet finally bringing a pregnancy to term. It was nice to see her finally bring a baby into this world, and it was interesting later on. You see, I have a theory about pregnancies on the Island: the Island only lets the babies born that it wants. I’ll get more into this a little later, mainly when the name of Amy’s baby is revealed. The way this episode explains a lot but doesn’t feel hurried. A lot happens here: we get stuff about the Hostile/DHARMA war, that pregnancy business, and establishing how Sawyer and the others were able to get into the DHARMA Initiative. Yet, it moved at a nice, slow pace that allows the audience to easily taken in the information without getting a headache from overload. I have to praise Sarnoff and Pennington for being able to pull this off; that’s no easy feat, especially on this show. But, the thing that makes this episode is Sawyer. He is on fire with his conning skills, with him using his knowledge of the Black Rock to get Horace to believe that he is a salvage vessel captain and then using his knowledge of his time in 1954 to get Richard to keep the truce going. (By the way, was it because of that meeting between the two that the Others ended up taking Sawyer in “Live Together, Die Alone”?) But, I really liked how he’s changed, finally able to settle down and be happy with a woman, while still doing all his Sawyer eccentricities, like the sarcasm, the reading, and the “Son of a bitch” occasionally thrown around. So, needless to say, I really liked this episode, because it reminded me of why I like Sawyer so damn much. 9/10. 9. Namasté Director(s): Jack Bender Writer(s): Brian K. Vaughan & Paul Zbyszewski 1977: Sawyer explains to Jack, Kate, and Hurley what happened to him and the others and brings some 1970s clothes and gets them processed into the DHARMA Initiative as new arrivals. Meanwhile, Jin goes to the Flame hoping to find Sun. Instead, he finds Sayid. Unfortunately so does Radzinsky, who thinks Sayid is a Hostile. Sawyer arrives at the Flame to try and defuse the situation, but he has to take Sayid to a holding cell, where he meets a young Ben Linus. Meanwhile, Jack asks Sawyer what he plans to do about Sayid, and Sawyer tells him that he’s gonna carefully work out a plan, instead of just jumping impulsively into the situation, like Jack would have done. 2007: Thirty years later, Ajira 316 is pulled onto the Island. Frank manages to land the plane on the runway on the Hydra island. While the passengers gather themselves after the crash and debate what to do next, Ben and Sun make their way to the main Island. Frank follows them, and Sun knocks out Ben, leaving him to be found by the Ajira survivors while Frank and Sun take a canoe to the main Island. Once there, they make it to the ruins of the Barracks and find Dr. Christian Shephard, who reveals the whereabouts of Jin and the other Oceanic survivors: they’re on the Island but in 1977. Thoughts: Why are there two Islands? I’ve been trying to figure this out since they introduced baby brother Hydra back in “Every Man For Himself.” I mean, is there a good mythological reason for there being a smaller island next to the main Island? Or, was it just created to add suspense and tension into the first half of Season 3? Well, I can’t tell you, but I can say that it was nice to see the Hydra island make a return in Season 5. It was also nice to see that the runway construction thing paid off. Did the Others know that Ajira 316 was gonna land on it some day? Did Jacob know and tell them to build it without revealing why? Or were the Others gonna fly their own plane(s) to the Island and Frank just happened to have convenient place to land Ajira 316? By the way, it’s great to see Frank doing his piloting thing, landing the plane safely. And, it was a great action sequence. Anyway, this episode does raise some questions, but we also get some answers, like how did the plane land safely, though I think it was obvious that Frank landed it safely. Anyway, other questions answered: Question: How did the reunion go? Answer: At the end of “LaFleur,” we saw Sawyer looking at Jack, Kate, and Hurley, but we didn’t see the full reunion. Here, we got it, and it was great, pretty much like the other Lost reunions, with Hurley’s genuine enthusiasm at seeing Jin and Sawyer, Jack’s awkwardness, and the subtle loving looks between Kate and Sawyer. Fight scenes and reunions: two things that Lost does well. Anyway, after the reunion, Sawyer brings them up to speed on him and the others being in the DHARMA Initiative and Jack telling Sawyer that Locke’s dead. Then, there were the scenes with Jack, Kate, and Hurley getting into the DHARMA Initiative. There were a lot of great moments here, like Hurley reminding everyone of the Purge; Pierre Change being annoyed that he has to process Jack despite that Amy, the woman who usually welcomes newcomers, had a baby; Sawyer making Jack a workman; Juliet swooping in to save Kate from Phil’s question, also letting her know who’s boss; Kate being dazed and confused by what’s going on (a nice acting choice by Lilly); Jack and Sawyer reigniting their friction while Sawyer reads a book; and Jack not acting like a dick in this episode. All good stuff. Question: What happened with Sayid? Answer: Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t with Jack, Kate, and Hurley. So, he ended up wondering into the DHARMA camp unknowingly and got mistaken for a Hostile. This was a great touch, adding some wonderful tension and suspense to the proceedings and giving us something to look forward to in the next episodes. And, Andrews plays these scenes well with some nice reaction shots of Sayid seeing his friends in weird places. Plus, it also reestablished the Sayid/Ben partnership, but in a different way as Ben is 12-years-old here. And, it appears he’s already made contact with Richard; so we’re seeing the budding of the Ben we know and love. Question: Who is Amy’s baby? Answer: Ethan Rom. Yes, that baby is gonna grow up to become an Other. I wonder if he had a similar experience with his father Horace that Ben had with his dad. Or maybe it was with his mother? Either way, this adds credence to my “the Island chooses which babies are born on it” theory as Ethan will grow up to be an Other. Also, remember that Aaron was born on the Island, and he’s supposedly special. Plus, Alex was born on the Island; and she ended up being Ben’s daughter and died, leading to the upcoming Ben/Widmore war? Question: Where’s Daniel? Answer: He’s here but not here. It appears in he’s in 1977 but not on the Island. Question: Who took the canoes? Answer: Sun and Frank. In an awesome reveal scene, Sun followed Ben to the canoes and was gonna go with him to the main Island. However, Frank followed them and then Sun knocked out Ben, which was the awesome part. Then, she and Frank went to the main Island, where they met Christian who told them that Jin, Jack, Kate, Hurley, and the others were in 1977. So, all in all we got a lot going on; and it’s all greatly revealed in a tense episode. But, what makes it work is how well-acted, well-written, and well-directed. There are some great performances here besides Lilly’s and Andrews’s. Emerson gets in some great moments, like his rat-like way of answering Sun’s question about the other Oceanic 6’s whereabouts: “How would I know?”; the tossed off way he says “Hello, Frank”; and the way he tells off Frank when he reminds Sun about the mercenaries sent after him three years ago: “And, how did that work out for everyone?” Mitchell gives another good one here, from her dismay at realizing she’s holding baby Ethan and the helpful-but-tentative way she reacts to Kate, Jack, and Hurley’s return. And, Dae Kim does a nice job here as well, especially in the scene where Jin gets cross with Radzinsky as he’s trying to see if Sun made it back. Writing wise, Vaughan and Zbyszewski deserve props for the script they turned in here. It manages to say tense and exciting even though there isn’t a lot of action. They did a good job of setting up how the second half of Season 5 is gonna go. And then there’s Bender. Lost’s MVP turns in another stellar directing job here with some great shots: the lens flares as Ben tore through the jungle; the long shot of the A3 waiting on rocks, separated from each other and flanked by mountains; the spooky moment of the door blowing open at the Dharma barracks while Christian spoke to Sun and Frank; and that great shot of Jack leaving LaFleur’s house while Kate looked on from a front porch just up a small hill. Very nicely choreographed. But, I have to say thing I really liked about “Namasté” was the DHARMA Initiative. Ever since Season 1, we been introduced to that factionalism theme was we get to introduced to different groups. First, there was the original survivors. Then, we got the Tailies in Season 2. Season 3 gave us the Others, though they had been around since Season 1; we just got to know them a little more. Season 4 had the freighter folk. And, in Season 5, we get the DHARMA Initiative. Though the group has been a presence throughout the show, I like how we get to live with them for several episodes. They quickly became my favorite group. I just like the idea of a group hippie scientists living on this Island and willing to kick some ass. Plus, there are just a whole lot of interesting characters in the group, from Radzinsky to Horace to Amy to Phil to Roger to Oldham to Ben. They were another reason why I would have liked to seen Season 5 split up into two seasons. I wish I could have spent more time getting to know these asskicking hippies. So, there was a lot of good stuff about this episode. My only complaint: I’m not a 100% sure, but I think there needs to be an accent over the last “e” in “Namasté.” 9/10. 10. He’s Our You Director(s): Greg Yaitanes Writer(s): Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz 1977: Everyone is freaking out about Sayid, thinking he’s a Hostile. Horace, Radzinsky, and Sawyer question him, but Sayid ain’t talking. He’s later visited by Ben, but Ben’s father finds out and beats the boy. Then, Sayid is visited by Sawyer, who tries to talk Sayid into saying that he is a Hostile who wants to defect to the DHARMA Initiative. Sayid refuses. Then, he’s taken to Oldham, DHARMA’s interrogator. Oldham gives him a truth serum that cause Sayid to reveal all the info he knows about the DHARMA Initiative but also the fact that he’s from the future. Later, the main DHARMA personnel take a vote on whether to execute or not; it unanimous for execution, but Sawyer reluctantly votes yes. However, he tries to let Sayid escape, but Sayid refuses. Nevertheless, Ben does help Sayid escape, with a distraction in the form of a burning van. As they escape, they run into Jin; and Sayid knocks Jin out, takes his gun, shoots Ben, and runs off, leaving the boy to die. Flashbacks: Our trip back down flashback lane starts with Sayid’s father forcing his older brother to kill a chicken, but the boy can’t do it. So, Sayid spares his brother from their father’s wrath by killing the chicken himself. Later, we see Sayid killing another man on Ben’s orders. When he goes to Ben for the next person on the list, Ben tells him that was the last guy and leaves Sayid for good. Then, Ben shows back up in Sayid’s life in Santo Domingo where Sayid is building houses for the poor. Ben tells Sayid about Locke’s death and encourages him to go to L.A. After that, we see what happened to Sayid after he left Ben, Jack, Kate, and Sun at the marina. He meets Illana at a bar, and what starts out as a hookup turns into an arrest. Illana is a bounty hunter hired by the family of one of the men Sayid killed, and she plans to take him to Guam on Ajira 316. Thoughts: I have to say: this may be the worst episode title since “Eggtown.” I get that Oldham is suppose to be to DHARMA what Sayid was to the castaways or whatever group he has been a part. But, did they really have to call this episode that? Plus, I didn’t really get that Oldham was like Sayid. In fact, I got the impression that he was a lot scarier than Sayid. Another complaint was how the Sayid/Ben partnership ended. I figured there was some sort of big falling out. Instead, Ben just told him he was done and let him go on his way. Talk about a bummer. But, it does lead to the main theme of tonight’s episode: Sayid’s purpose. “He’s Our You” doesn’t just refer to Sawyer’s answer to Sayid about who Oldham is; it’s about how Sayid is always seen as a torturer/killer by other people even though he doesn’t want to be one. However, when he tries to not be a killer, he can’t figure out what to do. I still don’t like the title though. I think they could have gone with a different quote from the episode: Sayid’s question to Ben when he learns that he’s done, “What Do I Do Know? Anyway, those complaints aside, this is a great episode. We get to see more of the DHARMA Initiative, this time seeing the war-like side of them that we didn’t see in “Namasté.” That was the hippie façade they put on for new recruits, but in reality, these hippies know how to use guns and are willing to use them. And, that’s what happens here: with everyone thinking Sayid is a Hostile, they quickly begin contemplating executing him. But first, that awesome Oldham scene. William Sanderson does a nice cameo as him, and the character is written well, with his eccentricities like living out in a tent, playing old music on a Victrola, and using powerful hallucinogens to get people to talk. I also like Andrews in the scene, adding some brevity to the tense scene by playing it loopy when he gets drugged. Yet, he also has some sinister elements in it when he reveals things about the DHRAMA stations and the Purge. And, I really liked it when Sayid said “Ask Sawyer,” and Horace asks “Who’s Sawyer?” Besides that scene, I really enjoyed the Sawyer/Sayid dynamic here. Now, these two aren’t exactly friends; but they’ve been through a lot and have a mutual respect for one another. Which is why Sawyer desperately wants to help Sayid. However, he has a good life in DHARMA-ville, and Sayid’s threatening to fuck it up. He can’t let that happen, but he just can’t let Sayid get killed. I liked how reluctant he was to vote against Sayid’s execution. Though, I wish he hadn’t have voted with the others. I think that would have made the scene better. But, all in all, these scenes were great as they showed how dangerous the DHARMA Initiative can be. They all seem so gung ho, liked they rather be killing Hostiles than doing science stuff. Even Amy is willing to get her hands dirty. Though, she did just have a baby. (By the way, Rieko Aylesworth does a nice job with that little speech.) As for Sayid’s flashbacks, they’re all over the place. We start out with a scene of Sayid as a boy and see that he, much like pretty much everyone on this show, had a rough childhood because his father was a jerk. I hope we get to see more of Sayid’s childhood because that looks like another thing that lead Sayid on the path he ended up on. Then, we got the slightly disappointing scene with Ben letting him go and then Ben showing up in Santo Domingo to tell him that Locke is dead and he should go to L.A. to help Hurley and the others. That was an okay scene, but it just blatantly stated the theme of the show. After that, we learned how Sayid got on the plane: Illana is a bounty hunter hired by the family of the guy Sayid killed in “The Economist” to bring him to Guam. These were pretty good, especially when Sayid suspected that Illana was working for Ben. In fact, I don’t think Illana is working for that dead man’s family. But more on that later. Even though this is a Sayid episode, there are some good things in here besides Sayid. I liked the uneasiness between Lilly and Mitchell. They play the awkwardness of Kate finding out about Juliet and Sawyer well. I really enjoyed Zuleikha Robinson here. She does a nice job of seduction. Some good performances from the DHRAMA folk as well. Besides Sanderson, I like how Jon Gries and Eric Lange play Roger and Radzinsky respectively. Radzinsky seems to be the most gung ho of the bunch, and Gries is great at playing the jerk father. I also enjoyed Sterling Beaumon, playing the scared, angry boy he played so well back in “The Man Behind The Curtain.” But, he’s also showing the little touches of manipulation that will make him Ben. Of course, that leads to thing that makes the episode so freaking awesome: Ben lets Sayid out with a distraction (which leads to this great line from Sawyer: “Three years with no burning buses. Y’all are back for ONE DAY…” It’s interesting that Sayid would end up working for Ben again, only long before Ben ever met him. Plus, with that scene of Sayid’s youth, we see that he’s showing some empathy with the person who will end up defining his life as a killer. But the kicker: Sayid shoots Ben! What the hell!? How is that gonna affect the timeline? I expect not much, but it is an awesome cliffhanger to end this wonderfully tense episode on. 9/10. 11. Whatever Happened, Happened Director(s): Bobby Roth Writer(s): Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof 1977: Jin wakes up and finds Ben shot. He takes the boy back to the Barracks for treatment, but the boy is dying. Juliet tries to help, but he needs a much more skilled doctor: Jack. However, Jack refuses to help the boy because of the man he’ll grow up to be. However, Kate decides to help Ben despite what she knows about him. At first, she just gives blood; but his condition worsens. So, Kate decides to take him to the Others. Juliet and Sawyer help her, and they are able to get the boy to Richard. He agrees to help him but warns that the treatment will permanently change Ben, i.e. making him the man he will grow up to be. Sawyer and Kate decide to let Richard do it nevertheless. 2007: Back in the future, Ben wakes up to see Locke standing over him. Flashbacks: Kate goes back on the flashback ride. Here we see her going to do her favor for Sawyer, which was to visit the daughter he fathered with Cassidy to make sure the child and mother are taken cared of. She does so, giving them some money; and she also tells them about the Island and what happened. Then, we see Kate right after she left the marina. She’s in a grocery store where she loses Aaron. Fearing that the boy may have been taken, she alerts the manager. However, they see Aaron being escorted by a mysterious woman. Then, Kate takes Aaron to Cassidy out of fear that someone will take the boy. Cassidy helps Kate realizes she took Aaron to help her get over Sawyer. This causes Kate to decide to go back, and she drops Aaron off with Carole Littleton, telling her that Aaron is her grandson, all about the Island, and that she plans to find Claire when she gets there. Then, Kate tells Aaron goodbye and goes to Jack’s place. Thoughts: I can’t believe I’m about to type this, but I didn’t hate Kate in this episode. She didn’t win me over again like Jack did in “316,” but she ain’t all that annoying as she’s been. Here, she’s actually pretty likable. At least, that’s my opinion Now, I don’t need to explain why this is so shocking: the very mention of Kate’s name cause Lost fans to foam at the mouth and violently shake in anger. But, we deal with her. Like people not asking questions and unresolved plotlines, Kate episodes are a necessary evil; something we all have to endure in order to get to the characters and myths us fans enjoy. However, there was a time when Kate was an engaging character: Season 1, back when she was the mysterious fugitive. However, after we learned what she did, Kate jump the shark. However, with “Whatever Happened, Happened,” this is the closest Kate comes to being that engaging character she was in Season 1. What helps it is that Lilly gives a damn fine performance here. Some good scenes with her involved Kate going to Cassidy, fulfilling her promise to Sawyer and telling her the truth about the Island (the scene was played well by both Lilly and Kim Dickens, nice to see her back again) and her comforting Roger (some nice range from Gries as he shows actual concern for Ben). These are great for the contradictions in them. With Cassidy, she thinks Sawyer jumped out of the helicopter for his own selfish purposes; but Kate knows otherwise. And, with Roger, you have the overly protective mom comforting the lousy father; it’s a nice comment on parent/child relationships as Kate is a much better parent than Roger, yet Kate ain’t even related to Aaron. She also did a nice job in that scene where Kate loses Aaron in the grocery store. The fear was done very well. (Also, was it just me, or did was that woman with Aaron planning to take him but got caught and made up some bullcrap story?) Another thing that helps this episode is that it ain’t just a Kate showcase. That scene with Hurley and Miles talking about time travel was hilarious. Garcia and Leung have a great comedic chemistry that makes it work. Plus, it mentions the big theme of the episode: if the future is predetermined, then why should anyone save Ben? Hell, Jack pretty much asks this question by not helping Ben. This was another highlight. Seeing Jack do knowing and wondering about his purpose emphasizes further that he’s a changed man. Fox gives a nice performance as well; the quiet desperation in his delivery of “I don’t know yet,” his answer to Juliet about why he came back, was very good. And, the kicker of this episode: everything that happened to Ben from Sayid shooting him to Jack not helping him to Kate and Sawyer taking him to the Others for help all ends up making Ben the man we know him to be. In fact, it makes you wonder: did Ben take Kate, Sawyer, and Jack in “Live Together, Die Alone” because they will end up saving his life in 1977? Oh, and that awesome cliffhanger at the end with Locke greeting Ben when he woke up! The fear on Emerson’s face sold it. Now, like with any Kate episode, there are some problems. For one, Juliet’s playing doctor again. This is a problem because we know she works in the motor pool. Does everyone just accept this? I mean, shouldn’t some question letting a mechanic play doctor? Or, did they explain that Juliet was the doctor on the salvage ship Sawyer said they were on? Then, there was the scene where Kate gives Aaron to Carole Littleton. Kate tells her the truth, and she just accepts it pretty easily. I mean, shouldn’t she have some questions, like what happened to Claire? And, there was Richard’s explanation for how taking Ben to the Temple. All he had to say was “If I take him, he’s not ever going to be the same again.” But no! He just had to add some mystical Island bullcrap about Ben forgetting, lost innocence, and Ben being one of them. Just unnecessary to me. Nevertheless, they don’t bring down the episode much. So, I say kudos to Cuse and Lindelof for making Kate slightly more tolerable in this hour. And, kudos to Lilly for turning in a nice performance. If only they had been doing this in every Kate episode, then maybe people wouldn’t be anxiously waiting for them to end so that they can get on with the big myth stuff. 8/10. Easter Eggs: Just like I did for the other DVD sets, here are the Easter Eggs on this one: • Disc 1: • The menu on this disc gives you a view from inside the microwave in Hurley's kitchen. If you wait, Hurley will open the door and put a Hot Pocket inside to warm it up. • Disc 3: • The menu on this disc shows Locke at "the exit" in the Sahara Desert. If you wait, Charles Widmore's men will arrive in a car and pick him up. • Disc 5: • When you first view the disc, the menu background is a picture of the statue from behind. Selecting "Bonus Features" takes you to a menu with the statue seen from the beach in "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2". When you try to select an option, an explosion is heard and the menu changes to all white with the options at odd angles. • On the main menu, highlight 'Episodes' and press left. The video shows Sean Whalen talking about the possibility of Frogurt returning on the show. • On the main menu, highlight 'Bonus Features' and press left. The video shows Jorge Garcia and Michelle Rodriguez talking about what has happened on the show since she left. • On the main menu, highlight 'Bonus Features' and press right, then up. The video shows Damon and Carlton talking about opening a "Dharma Times" restaurant. • On the main menu, highlight 'Play All' and press left, then up. This plays a brief deleted scene from "The Variable". • On the Bonus Features menu, highlight 'Lost on Location' and press left, then up. This gives you a video of Evangeline Lilly and Jeremy Davies talking about the horses on set. • Hieroglyphs • Hieroglyphs are faintly visible on the cover of the Blu-ray and DVD releases (excluding region 2 DVD covers). While the age ratings placed on UK Blu-ray covers obscure some of the symbols, the series is already familiar from the Lost University website. The series is: This series of hieroglyphs translates as “The summoned one ordains it.” Well, that’s all for today. I can’t believe it, but I did manage to get it through 5 seasons of Lost before the final one. Just 5 more episodes left. I’ll finish this all up on Tuesday sometime before the Season 6 premiere. So, I’ll see you then.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Feb 2, 2010 18:07:45 GMT -5
Well, we’re just hours away from the Season 6 premiere. So, let’s get these last 5 episodes of Season 5 out of the way. First, for the last time: Season 5-Disc 4 12. Dead Is Dead Director(s): Stephen Williams Writer(s): Brian K. Vaughan & Elizabeth Sarnoff 2007: Ben wakes up to the shock of his life: Locke alive. Locke tells him that he’s broken the rules by returning to the Island and takes him to the Island to face judgment from the Smoke Monster. As they leave, Caesar stops them; but Ben shoots him. Then, they go to the Island and find Sun and Frank at the Barracks. Sun tells them about the other Oceanic 6’s whenabouts and that Christian told her to wait for Locke as he’ll be able to help her bring the others back to 2007. Frank leaves them to return to the Hydra island, where he’s soon taken hostage by Illana and her people; and Locke, Ben, and Sun go to the Temple. In the Temple, Ben gets separated from Locke and encounters the smoke monster, who takes the form of Alex. Smokie tells Ben that it knows he’s gonna kill Locke again and warns him to follow Locke’s instructions under penalty of death. Flashbacks: We see different stages in Ben’s life. First, we see Ben meeting Charles Widmore for the first time, after Richard took him to the Temple to be healed after Sayid shot him. Then, we see Ben taking Alex from Rousseau and being reprimanded by Widmore for not killing them both. After that, we see Ben banishing Widmore from the Island for having left the Island on numerous occasions and even having a family. Before he leaves, Widmore warns Ben that he will have to choose between Alex and the Island. Finally, we see what Ben was doing before boarding Ajira 316: he went to go kill Penny. However, he runs into Desmond beforehand and shoots him. Then, just as he’s about to kill Penny, Ben sees Charlie and hesitates. This allows Desmond to recover and take out Ben. Then, he reunites with Locke and Sun; and they go to the Island. Thoughts: I was very disappointed with the episode. Especially with the flashbacks. I was hoping for a big, epic, badass, supervillain-like origin story. Instead, it was all pretty much a letdown. To clarify: I thought we’d see what happened when Richard took young Ben into the Temple. Instead, we just saw the aftermath of Widmore yelling at Richard to saving Ben and talking to the boy. From there, things got more disappointing. They showed something I’ve long wanted to see: Alex being taken from Rousseau by the Others! I imagined an epic action sequence with Rousseau shooting down several Others but being overwhelmed! Instead, Ben just showed up one night, took Alex, and told Rousseau to never come get her. And, Rousseau was upset but didn’t even put up a fight. Come on! I know the writers have become disinterested in the Rousseau backstory, but you could still put some effort into it! It also doesn’t jive with Rousseau’s description of the Others coming for Alex, which had that famous black smoke. Then again, I’ll give the writers, here Vaughan and Sarnoff, the benefit of the doubt with Rousseau not being all there. After that, we get Widmore being exiled. This also seemed exciting. I mean, an epic struggle between Widmore and Ben! Maybe a cool fight scene! Instead, we just see Widmore being led to the submarine. Goddammit! Couldn’t they have at least shown Ben presenting everyone evidence of Widmore breaking the rules and at least an argument between the two! The episode had one last chance to make it up to me: Ben going to kill Penny. Finally! What I’ve been waiting for!? A great fight scene between Ben and Desmond! So, how did that go!? Ben shot Desmond, hesitated shooting Penny because of young Charlie, and Desmond beating up Ben. Son of a bitch. I mean, the previous two Ben episodes were classics. I figured this would have lived up to those standards. At least Lost didn’t disappoint me in disappointing me. That’s one thing the show has been consistent with. I should point out that this isn’t a bad episode. There was a lot that I didn’t like about it (besides my disappointments with the flashbacks, I also didn’t like Ben’s terrible wig, Ben not remembering any of the castaways being in 1977 (either this was him lying or a side effect of the Temple) and Caesar being killed off before we had a chance to get to know him), but there was a lot I did like. For one, there was the great question: “What lies in the shadow of the statue?” It turns out a group of people, led by Illana, knew about the Island and most likely used Ajira 316 to get there. This was great because it appears they are related to DHARMA or the Others. They seem to be a new group. This brings about so many great questions about who else in the real world knows about the Island. I also have to give the casting people props for finding David S. Lee, who plays the younger Widmore. It is amazing how much he looks like Alan Dale. Hell, put him in old age make-up, and he could Dale’s clone. And, there was the Temple. Now, they did actually show it, but they did show parts of it, basically the basement where Ben is confronted by the Smoke Monster taking Alex’s form. By the way, we get a nice performance by Tania Raymonde as Smokie. I think she can play tough just as well as fearful. As for that scene, it did look a little silly with Ben being surrounded by the Smoke Monster (the special effects could have made it look a little better), but I think director Williams and the actors made it work. But, the best part was Ben and Locke’s relationship. It’s amazing how it has changed so much and such a short time. They started out as rivals for control of the Island in Season 3 to an uneasy alliance here. But throughout, Ben’s been trying to manipulate Locke. Knowing that he can’t exactly kill Locke because he is special but still wanting to remain in control of the Island, he’s been trying to get Locke to doubt himself, hoping that the Others would doubt him and reject Lost. At the same time, Locke has been using Ben to get information about the Island and learning from him how to be a leader and what not to do. And, O’Quinn is on fire tonight. I like the playful nature of his performance. He knows that coming back to life has thrown Ben for a loop and now knows he has the upper hand on Ben. Emerson plays up his side of the relationship as well. He plays flustered so well. Throughout the episode, it becomes apparently clear that Ben ain’t the all-knowing, all-powerful Wizard of Oz but just some guy who’s balloon landed in Oz and he somehow ended up in control of the Emerald City. In fact, that was the only interesting thing about the flashbacks. All throughout it becomes clear that he’s an even bigger liar and manipulator than we thought. He doesn’t know how the Island works; he just knows how to make it work for him. Hell, Ben admitted to Sun that he had no idea that Locke would come back from the dead once brought to the Island, despite saying so to Locke in the first scene. And, I have to be honest: the flashback scenes weren’t that bad. They were well acted, and I did like that Ben couldn’t shoot Penny because of Charlie; it added a nice compassionate touch to the character. That was another thing about this episode: it showed us a side of Ben we haven’t really seen. He may be a liar and a manipulator, but he does have a heart and feels truly sorry that he let Alex die. So, while this episode was very disappointing, especially in the context of “The Man Behind The Curtain” and “The Shape Of Things To Come.” But, still good nonetheless. 7/10. 13. Some Like It Hoth Director(s): Jack Bender Writer(s): Melinda Hsu Taylor & Gregory Nations 1977: Kate and Sawyer return from taking Ben to the Others. Kate goes to Juliet to tell her what happened, but Roger shows up and notices that Ben is missing, which freaks him out. Kate later tells Roger that everything will be okay, but this causes Roger to become suspicious. He later shares his suspicions with Jack, but Jack tries to calm him down. It doesn’t work. Then, to make things worse, Phil confronts Sawyer about seeing him and Kate taking Ben to the Others. Sawyer has no choice but to knock Phil out and lock him in a closet. Meanwhile, Horace sends Miles to the Swan to retrieve a dead body and take it to Dr. Chang at the Orchid. Hurley goes along with him to take some food to the Orchid. Along the way, Hurley finds out about the body and Miles’s ability to talk to the dead. They reach the Orchid, and after Dr. Chang disposes of the body, they take him to the Swan. Before they do so, Miles reveals that Chang is his father. After they get back, Miles discovers that Hurley is rewriting “The Empire Strikes Back” to where Luke and Vader talk over they’re trouble relationship as he feels that will prevent all the bad crap we got from the Saga, which helps Miles get over some of his father issues. Then, Dr. Chang has Miles take him to the dock, where Miles runs into Daniel, having returned to the Island after spending some time in DHARMA’s headquarters in Ann Arbor, MI. Flashbacks: We finally get Miles’s flashback episode. It starts out with him and his mom trying to get an apartment, where a young Miles finds a dead woman. Years later, we see Miles visiting his mother just before she dies wanting to know about his father. She tells him that he kicked them out and that he’s dead and buried in a place he can never go. After that, we see Miles working as a medium, trying to help a man, Howard Gray, contact his head son. During this time, he’s approached by Naomi for a job. She takes him to do a restaurant where she wants him to talk to a dead body. He does and learns from the body about Widmore’s plans to fake the Oceanic 815 wreckage. Because of this, Naomi hires Miles to go on the Kahana, which will go to the Island. Soon after, Miles is approached by Bram. He tells Miles to not go to the Island and promises him answers about his father and his abilities. However, Miles just wants double the money Naomi offered him. Bram refuses and lets him go. Just before leaving, Miles returns Howard’s money and tells him that he was unable to contact his son. Thoughts: Ah, Miles. Ever since he parachuted onto the Island and started making smart ass remarks, he’s had my heart. Sure, he takes a back seat to Sawyer; but he is my favorite character from the freighter folk introduced in Season 4. This episode has been a long time coming. We were suppose to get it in Season 4, but the Writers’ Strike put the kibosh on that. Now, we finally get to learn the corpse-whisperer’s origin story; and just like the character, it is filled with some light comical moments, which is much appreciated since we’ve had a lot of drama in the past few episodes, his and Hurley’s time travel argument from “Whatever Happened, Happened” aside. Here, we get more of the Mile and Hurley show. There’s Hurley’s suggestion that he go along with Miles to prevent Global Warming. There’s Hurley and Miles’s argument about their talking to the dead ability (Hurley thinks his is better because he can actually see the dead people he’s talking to). There’s Miles’s sarcastic remark to Radzinsky about the dead guy he’s transporting to Chang at the Orchid (Radzinsky said he fell in a ditch, but as Miles pointed out, “The ditch had a gun?”). There’s Chang’s threat to Hurley: “How do you feel about polar bear feces?” And, then there was the great comic tension with Hurley trying to get Miles and Chang talking after learning that they were father and son. It was all played comically well by Leung, Garcia, and François Chau. Oh yeah, that’s right! Chang is Miles’s father. Shocker!? Well, not really. Most fans pretty much figured it out in “Because You Left.” Nevertheless, this does give us a nice father/son drama. When Hurley learns that Miles has been living on the Island with his parents and his younger self, born while he was there, he takes it upon himself to repair the relationship. However, Miles ain’t having it because Chang is…well…a dick. He’s always so pissy, which Chau plays well. Plus, the asshole behavior is what Miles thinks led to his father kicking him and mom off the Island. So, it ain’t hard to see why he wouldn’t want to spark up a relationship with daddy dearest. Yet, Hurley does end up repairing the relationship thanks to Miles finding out that he’s writing “The Empire Strikes Back” screenplay and Hurley’s thoughts on the ultimate messed up father/son relationship: Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Now, that was a little too cute and fluffy for me; but Hurley does have a point: if Luke and Vader did talk about their relationship, then Luke would still have his hand. Sure, it wouldn’t have made for a good movie but still. As for the flashbacks, these were surprisingly dark compared to Miles and Hurley’s antics on the Island. I have to once again praise Bender for using some tried and true horror movie elements to give us some nicely tense and dark scenes. From young Miles finding a dead man while his mom buys an apartment to the creepy scene of Miles trying to learn about his gift and father from his mom to the mysterious scenes of Miles getting the Kahana job, it was all done very well by Mr. Bender. Those last scenes also provided some nice answers and questions. We learn how he got on the Kahana (Naomi’s job interview involved him talking to the man Widmore killed in the video Ben showed Locke in Season 4) and why Miles wanted $3.2 million from Ben (it was double what Naomi paid him). But, the questions were much better. I mean, who is Bram? What is his connection to Illana’s group? What are these answers he has? Why is he interested in Miles and the Island? All compelling stuff. But, again, we don’t learn anything because Miles doesn’t ask any questions. However, this is more of a character trait. He doesn’t care about the Island or his gift. He’s pretty much accept what he can do and now just wants to use it to get paid. As for the scenes with Miles doing a job, it was a nice tie in to the main plot of Miles and his dad. I could feel some genuine emotion from Miles telling the man he should have told his son that he loved him when he was alive. However, Miles ain’t the only star of this show. Besides it being a showcase for Hurley as well, we do get the aftermath of Kate and Sawyer taking Ben to the Others. Everything unravels quickly as Roger finds out that Ben is missing and Phil tells Sawyer that he has the security tape showing him and Kate taking Ben. I loved Gries’s erratic behavior here. He plays the helpless father well, and it’s nice to learn that Roger does care for Ben, despite his behavior toward the boy. He still can’t get over that his wife died during childbirth, but Ben is the only thing of his wife Roger has left. As for the Phil plotline, it’s okay; but it’s mainly moving everything in place for the finale. Not that I don’t mind. Anyway, this was a pretty good episode. My only complaint: why is Hurley rewriting “The Empire Strikes Back”? If anything he should be rewriting the prequels and spare us the pain and misery of Jar Jar Binks, Vader’s “NOOOO!!!!,” and “Attack Of The Clones.” Though, he was right about the Ewoks. 8/10. 14. The Variable Director(s): Paul Edwards Writer(s): Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz 1977: Miles has returned to the Island because he knows that Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid have returned. He soon learns from Jack that they were sent to the Island by Eloise Hawking, Daniel’s mother. After that, Daniel goes to the Orchid, and we see the opening of “Because You Left” played again through Daniel’s perspective. Daniel then goes to Dr. Chang warns that they will end up unleashing an electromagnetic anomaly at the Swan site, which he knows because he’s from the future. Dr. Chang does believe him, so Daniel tells him that Miles is his son. However, when Dr. Chang goes to Miles to confirm the story, he denies it. Later, Daniel meets up with all the other people from the future and tells them he knows how to return them to the 2000s. But, Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, Hurley, and Miles decide to flee back to the castaway’s original beach. Kate and Jack do decide to go help Daniel. To do so, they have to go to the Others. However, when doing so, they run into Radzinsky, who fires on them due to his suspicions. Daniel, Jack, and Kate escape, and Radzinsky goes to Sawyer and Juliet’s house to tell them about the gun fight. However, they find Phil in the closet and take Juliet and Sawyer prisoner. Meanwhile, Daniel tells Jack and Kate of his plan: he wants to detonate Jughead, the hydrogen bomb that’s been on the Island since 1954, at the Swan site which will prevent the Swan from having to be built, Desmond ending up in the Swan and failing to push the button, and Oceanic 815 from crashing. To do this, have to go to the Others’ camp. They do, and Daniel enters, demanding to see Eloise. However, Eloise shoots him from behind. Just before he dies, Daniel reveals that he is Eloise’s son. 2007: Desmond is in the hospital after Ben’s attack. While waiting, Penny runs into Eloise, who apologizes for involving Desmond in everything has happened. Then, Eloise leaves and runs into Widmore, who asks about Desmond’s condition. She tells him that he’s find and encourages him to go see Penny. However, he declines, saying that he has sacrifice his relationship with Penny. This enrages Eloise, who sent her son to the Island just to be killed by herself in 1977. Then, Widmore reveals that Daniel is his son as well. Flashbacks: Daniel goes flashbackin’ for the first time. First, we see a young Daniel being lectured by Eloise about his destiny to be a great scientist. Next, we see Daniel graduating from Oxford. There is some tension between him and his mother as she has refused to bond with his girlfriend, Theresa. Also, Daniel informs Eloise that he’s received a grant from Charles Widmore to do the research that will eventually fry Theresa’s brain. Though, it also causes him to have great memory loss. Years later, we see Daniel as he watches the news reports of the Oceanic 815 wreckage being found. Soon after, he is visited by Widmore, who reveals that he faked the wreckage and wants Daniel to go the Island, which will cure his memory loss condition. Finally, we see Daniel talking with Eloise about the job offer. He wants to turn it down, but Eloise persuades him to accept it. Thoughts: Now, it’s Daniel’s turn to go flashbackin’. However, this one doesn’t feel all that necessary. I mean, we’ve already learned a lot about Daniel. He hasn’t even had a flashback episode, yet we know that he was an Oxford professor who was performing time travel experiments funded by Widmore that left a woman as a vegetable, whom Widmore was also providing for because of the experiments’ side effects. However, there are some holes to fill in. For example, now that we know that Eloise is Daniel’s mom, we don’t know what their relationship is. Here, we see that Eloise has been pushing Daniel to the life of a physicist and eventually to ending up on the Island, so much so that it’s caused a rift between them. He sees her as nothing more than a cold woman who’s forcefully pushed him into a life he didn’t really want. We also learn how Daniel ended up on the Kahana: Widmore came to visit Daniel years after his experiments have left his brain fried and tells him about the faked wreckage, the Island, and how the Island will cure him if he goes there. And, of course, Eloise tells him to take the job. It doesn’t sound all that interesting. In fact, it sounds like a clichéd “parent forcing child into a life child doesn’t want” story. But, there is a great emotional undertone to it with the big reveal: a young and pregnant Eloise kills Daniel at the end. This whole time, Eloise has been leading Daniel to go to the Island and get killed by her. It’s as tragic as anything Dickens could right. And, that’s what makes the on-Island action so damn compelling. Here, you have Daniel running around breaking all the rules he set up. He’s warning Chang of the Incident about to come. He’s telling a young Charlotte to leave. And, he’s planning to prevent the Incident by blowing up the hydrogen bomb on the Island. It’s so damn great to see him throw off the shackles of his time traveling restraints. You see, all his life Daniel has been pushed to his destiny and forced to look at the constants. But, because of this he never looked at the most important part of any science experiment: the variables. To clarify: let’s say you want to determine if plants do grow better by talking to them or playing music. To do this, you get three plants and grow them. One is played music constantly, and one is frequently talked to. The other is grown by good ole fashioned sunlight and water; that’s the control. Now, all three plants are given sunlight and water because those are constants. We know that plants will grow because of them. But, the music and the talking, those are variables. We don’t know how the plants will grow because of their influence, which is why the experiment is done. This simple scientific protocol is being used to deal with one of Lost’s main themes: fate VS free will. Daniel has been living in the 1970s thinking that he can’t change anything because he knows what happened and that it must stay happened. However, he and the others are from the future. They’re not suppose to be there. And, because they what happened, Daniel supposes that they can change everything. However, there is that lingering question: is Daniel preventing the Incident or causing it? It’s all some great philosophical questioning done nicely. Props to Kitsis and Horowitz for writing a smart and compelling script. I also have to give them props for putting in a lot of action and suspense. While all this is going down, Sawyer and the other people from the future have to leave because of Phil. However, that doesn’t happens thanks to Radzinsky. His shootout with Jack, Kate, and Daniel (which was awesome, kudos to the stunt people, fight coordinators, and director Edwards) leads him to go get Sawyer and Juliet; and he finds out about Phil. This adds some great suspense for the next episodes. It’s also tragic to see Sawyer and Juliet’s happy little paradise life get all shot to hell. There was another big reveal, though not that big since most figured it out: Widmore is Daniel’s dad. I liked how we learned this from a separate plotline involving Desmond after being shot by Ben, because it probably would have felt shoehorned in if they had done so. This also means that Daniel are brother and sister, like Jack and Claire. There were also some great lines: like Hurley’s “You guys were back in 1954? Like, Fonzie-times?” and Radzinsky’s “I just got shot by a physicist!”; and some nice acting moments, like Eloise’s disgust at Penny suggesting that Ben is her son (the look on Flanagan’s face was priceless) and Alice Evans giving a nice subtly sad performance in the first flashback scene. But, the episode does belong to Davies. He gives a great final performance on the show, from his anger at this mother to his memory loss twitchiness to his confidence when Daniel gets back to the Island to his sadness at warning young Charlotte. It was a great swan song that really made me upset that he was gone. I wish I could see him give another great performance on the show. 9/10. 15. Follow The Leader Director(s): Stephen Williams Writer(s): Paul Zbyszewski & Elizabeth Sarnoff 1977: Jack and Kate are taken hostage by the Others after Daniel’s death. They tell them about them being from the future and about Daniel’s plan. Eloise believes them and plans to help them. So, she, Richard, and Erik take them to where Jughead is buried. However, Kate doesn’t want to go through with the plan as she thinks it’s crazy. She tries to leave, but Erik threatens to kill her. Luckily, Sayid shows up and kills Erik. Kate leaves, and Sayid learns of Daniel’s plan and decides to help Jack. Meanwhile, Sawyer and Juliet are interrogated by Horace, Radzinsky, and Phil about the Hostiles’ location. While this goes on, Jin, Miles, and Hurley are about to leave for the beach when they run into Dr. Chang. Chang soon asks them if they are from the future. They deny it, but Chang quizzing of Hurley about what happened in 1977 causes him to admit it. Miles also admits to being Chang’s son. This prompts Chang to evacuate the Island and to go to Horace and make a deal with Sawyer and Juliet: let them go in exchange for letting them leave the Island. They agree and are later taken to the submarine, where they run into Kate, who has been taken hostage somehow. Miles also sees Chang telling Lara to leave, which he realizes was done to protect them. 2007: Locke, Ben, and Sun make it to the Others’ camp. Locke reunites with Richard, and Sun asks about the people stuck in 1977. Richard tells her that he met them and saw them all die. However, Locke doesn’t believe that they’re dead. So, he takes Richard and Ben to the Pearl’s location. There, they see Locke time jumping into 2007, and Richard goes to treat his wound and give him the compass he received from Locke in 1954. During this time, Locke tells Ben that he knows he’s never seen Jacob. Then, they return; and Locke tells everyone that they are going to see Jacob. As they make the journey, Locke reveals to Ben that he isn’t going to bring the people stuck in 1977 back but rather that he’s gonna kill Jacob. Thoughts: Like with “Dead Is Dead,” I was disappointed with this episode as well. You see, prior to seeing this episode, I read a little spoiler that said the episode would focus on Richard. Now, while he is the center of this episode, I was expecting that we’d get his origin story and learn how Richard came to Island, became immortal, and started up all this Other business. However, that wasn’t the case. This was basically a move-the-pieces episode, getting everything set up for the season finale. But, it was a damn good one. We have three plotlines going on, so let’s look at each one individually: First, we got Jack and Kate being taken hostage by the Others after Daniel is killed. This all leads to Richard and Eloise to help Jack. However, Kate don’t want any part of it. This was an interesting conflict: you have Jack, who had a miserable life in that past 3 or 4 years. Now, he has a chance to change all that. However, Kate reminds him that it wasn’t all bad. I mean, they did have some happiness together. Plus, you have to take into account that if everything goes back to normal, Kate will probably end up in jail. Nevertheless, Jack plans to carry out Daniel’s plan. Also, Sayid shows up. Apparently, he’s just been hanging out. They could have given us some explanation for this but no. Anyway, I did like the scene where Richard, Eloise, Jack, and Sayid went swimming to where Jughead is buried, in some kind of temple room underneath the Barracks. It looked cool, nicely shot by Stephen Williams. Also, Alice Evans looks hot wet. Sorry, but the red-blooded male in me couldn’t resist that. Next, there’s the aftermath of Radzinsky finding out about Sawyer and Juliet taking Phil hostage. Their happy life hasn’t just disappeared but shattered into a million pieces as Radzinsky and Phil are torturing their former friends. Man, I’m really enjoying Radzinsky here. I know he’s torturing my favorite character, but it’s great to see him showing some balls and bucking authority by telling off Horace and Chang as they plead with him to lighten up. It really goes well with his headstrong personality, which Lange plays so well. I also liked the comical moment with Chang confronting Hurley, Jin, and Miles about being from the future. It was funny because Chang caught Hurley with the very question he was afraid to ask: who was president in 1977? Hurley was also asked about the Korean War, which he thinks never happened. I also enjoyed Sawyer’s plans to get rich after he gets off the Island: buy Microsoft stock and bet on the Cowboys in the 1978 Super Bowl. There was also a nice touch with Sawyer and Juliet talking about having a nice life in the sub when Kate is brought in, showing how she’s a wrench in their future and Miles seeing Chang yelling his mom to leave, realizing that his father kicked them off the Island just to save them. Also, I noticed that the sub looked very empty. And, how are they going to evacuate the entire DHARMA Initiative minus give or take 20 or 30 essential personal who stayed behind in one sub that doesn’t look all that big? Of course, I have gone on record for saying that I don’t think the sub is the way off the Island. And, finally, we got Locke, Ben, and Sun showing up at the Others’ camp. This answers the question about how Richard knew when to find Locke and give him the compass in “Because You Left.” It turns out Locke took Richard and Ben to that moment. I really liked how he brought Ben along to show him how more in tune with the Island he is than Ben. Plus, this all shows a different side of Richard. You see, unlike Ben and most likely Widmore, he really knows a lot about the Island. But, since he’s the advisor to the leader, he has to go along whatever the leader wants, no matter how annoyed with it he seems. Remember, he helped Locke to try and oust Ben back in Season 3 because he was tired of Ben’s attempts to get women to give birth; but he couldn’t overtly do it. It had to be subtle. I also don’t think he takes Locke’s New Age stuff seriously as well. Nor, do I think he told the truth to Sun about seeing everyone from the future dying in 1977. This episode just made Richard a much more compelling character and his eventual centric episode all that more anticipated. But, the real kicker: Locke telling Ben that he wants to kill Jacob. What the hell!? I didn’t see that coming. A great cliffhanger to end this episode on and set up the possible climax of the season finale. Like I said, this move-the-pieces was disappointing, but it was a good one. 8/10.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on Feb 2, 2010 18:08:30 GMT -5
Season 5-Disc 5 16. The Incident Director(s): Jack Bender Writer(s): Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof 1977: Kate tells Sawyer and Juliet of Jack’s plan to blow up the Swan. They soon escape, get off the sub, and return to the Island to stop him. Meanwhile, Jack and Sayid dismantle Jughead, taking out the core and modifying it to explode on impact. Then, Richard and Eloise take Jack and Sayid to an exit located under a DHARMA house. Sayid and Jack exit; Richard knocks out Eloise and takes her away for protection. As Jack and Sayid make their way to the Swan, Roger spots Sayid; and a shootout breaks out. Sayid is shot, but Hurley, Miles, and Jin show up in a van, rescuing Sayid and Jack. Jack tells Hurley to go to the Swan, but Sawyer, Juliet, and Kate stop them. Jack and Sawyer go to talk, but this leads to a fight. However, Juliet stops it, saying that she now plans to help Jack because of Kate being back and possibly breaking them up. This prompts Sawyer to help out Jack. Kate just changes her mind for some reason. They go to the Swan as Radzinsky is drilling. Another shootout breaks out, with Jack’s group coming out on top. Then, Jack drops the bomb into the drill site. However, it doesn’t go off. Then, the drill hits the electromagnetic anomaly. All hell breaks lose as metal goes flying toward it, causing Chang to lose his arm and Juliet to be pulled in. Sawyer tries to save her, but she lets go. Luckily, Juliet survives and smashes the bomb with a rock, causing it to explode. 2007: Locke, Ben, Sun, and the Others continue their trek to Jacob, who lives at the four-toed statue. However, Illana and her group are making their way to the statue as well. They are taking a large box with them, and during the journey, they reveal to Frank the contents of the box. Eventually, Locke’s groups makes it to the statue. Then, he and Ben go inside to find Jacob. There, Locke reveals that he finally found a way to kill Jacob: by having Ben do it for him. Ben happily complies as he did everything for Jacob but never even got to meet him. Ben stabs Jacob, and Locke throws him into a fire. Just before dying, Jacob says, “They’re coming.” Meanwhile, outside the statue, Illana’s group reaches the statue. She asks Richard, “What lies in the shadow of the statue?” He answers, and they show him the content of the box they were carrying: Locke’s dead body, which means that the Locke who was with Ben and Sun isn’t really Locke. Flashbacks: All throughout the episode, we get various that all have one thing in common: Jacob appears in all but one of them. These flashbacks include: Jacob talking with his nemesis while the Black Rock sails toward the Island; Jacob meeting a young Kate as she takes the lunchbox that was in the time capsule she and Tom buried; Jacob giving a young Sawyer the pen he used to write the letter he intended to give to the real Sawyer; Jacob asking Sayid for directions right before Nadia was murdered; Jacob meeting Illana in a hospital; Jacob comforting Locke just after he was thrown from the window by Cooper, which paralyzed him; Jacob congratulating Sun and Jin on their wedding day; Jacob handing Jack a candy bar on the day Jack performed his first solo surgery, which gave us the “Count To 5” story he told Kate in the pilot; Juliet learning of her parents’ divorce; and Jacob riding along with Hurley in a taxi after he was released from prison. Thoughts: Well, a lot sure as shit happened here. Let’s break it all down shall we: Flashbacks: Now, we do get multiple flashbacks, but they all contain the mysterious man we’ve heard so much about since Season 3: Jacob. So, like with what I did with the other episodes that had multiple flashbacks/flashforwards, let’s look at each one individually: Jacob and his nemesis: So, we open up on two guys talking while the Black Rock sails to the Island. One is Jacob. The other, who knows? But, it appears that everything that has happened on this show has just been another conflict in a long line of never ending conflicts, which gives us the theme of the episode: fight or flight. It also appears that Jacob keeps bringing people to the Island to fight, destroy, and corrupt, according to the nemesis. He obviously hates Jacob and wants to end this as it’s pointless. However, Jacob thinks that what he does is important as the details always change. It was a great way to start the episode and set up what’s to come in Season 6. Kate: So we see Kate stealing that lunchbox that was in the time capsule in “Born To Run.” Not a necessary element to reveal, but it had to be done to start the motif in the flashbacks: Jacob. Not a great scene but a necessary one. Sawyer: We see his parents’ funeral and Jacob giving him the pen to write that letter. It was a nice scene. I liked Keegan Boos as the young Sawyer. The look on his face reminded me so much of Holloway. Sayid: This shows Nadia’s death. It was pretty shocking to see, even though we knew it had happened. But, as Ben said back in “Dead Is Dead,” it’s one thing to believe it, but to actually see it is another. And, Andrews played it well with the shock and sorrow look on his face. Illana: This one was very interesting. We have Illana, beat up in a hospital, possibly in Russia, where she is visited by Jacob. How did she get there? What caused her injuries? But, the most interesting part was Jacob showing up and touching. You see, Jacob has touched everyone in the flashbacks. However, here he was wearing black gloves. With the others, his hands were uncovered. So, I think Jacob’s touch has some very bad or good side effects. Locke: Here, we see Locke being pushed from that window by Cooper and Jacob comforting him. This was done just as well as the Nadia death scene. It didn’t look like much, with Jacob reading a Flannery O’Connor book. But, Locke suddenly falling was a great shocker. Sun and Jin: It’s Jin and Sun’s wedding day. This was a nice scene with some good performances from Dae Kim and Kim. It was nice to see, especially since these two pretty much hosed in this season. They haven’t really done much other than follow other people around. I really wish they had gotten a little more to do. (Come to think of it, Alan Dale didn’t get to do much as well, nor did Byron Chung or John Terry or Elizabeth Mitchell.) Jack: Here is the origin of the infamous “Count To 5” story Jack told Kate when they first met. It was a great scene, especially since Jack never said that Christian was there. In fact, he was the one who told Jack to count to 5. Terry does a nice job with this scene, and I like seeing the dickish Christian back. It also gives us another layer to never ending conflict between those two. I mean, Jack never even bothered to mention his father at all in that story. Juliet: This is most interesting flashback of them all. But not for the content. All it shows is a young Juliet angrily reacting to the news of her parents’ divorce. Nothing special, just a clichéd parents giving their children bad news scene. But, here’s the thing: there was Jacob. This was the only scene without Jacob. Why this one? Out of all the scenes, why not put Jacob into this one? Because, at the end, Juliet detonates the bomb. It took me a while to realize this, but Juliet’s the variable. Jacob touched everyone else, so it seems they were meant to be there. However, Juliet never touched Jacob. She’s not suppose to be there. It’s amazing how leaving something out can make a whole scene. Hurley: We finally learn how Hurley got on Ajira Flight 316 and where he got that guitar case. It’s an okay scene. Nothing much happens but it was well acted by Pellegrino and Garcia and nicely written. Still, there are two lingering question: what’s in that damn case!? And, why did Hurley have to bring it to the Island? 2007: Not much happens here. It’s mainly Locke, Ben, Sun, Richard, and the others walking to Jacob’s whereabouts, with Illana’s group and Frank following them. But, I loved how Locke kept pointing out how Ben followed all of Jacob’s orders and it got him a cancerous tumor, a lonely life with Annie and Alex gone, his leadership role taken from him, and his eventual banishment from the Island. He’s obviously setting Ben up to kill Jacob. And, Ben actually follows through with it. I loved his tell off speech to Jacob, performed nicely by Emerson. But, the real kicker: Illana’s group showing up and revealing that Locke is in their crate. So, it turns out Locke is dead, and the man who got Ben to kill Jacob was his nemesis, possibly the Smoke Monster. Also, I have to applaud O’Quinn for his performance here as well. He gives off a subtle glee, like his plan to kill Jacob is finally gonna happen. And, Mark Pellegrino did a great job as Jacob mainly for how unremarkable he is. I mean, Jacob doesn’t really look like much. He just comes off a regular guy, but it’s great because as it’s so remarkable how such an amazing man is so unamazing. 1977: Most of the action happens here. We got everyone moving to the Swan, sort of like everyone getting to the Kahana in “There’s No Place Like Home.” However, it’s not as rushed, and it’s a lot more exciting. It starts out slow with those fight or flight debates: Kate and Radzinsky say fight while Sawyer and Chang say flight. It’s great to see it coming from two different sides about two different things. There was one problem with it: as it went on, it became apparent that Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Juliet’s motivation for blowing up the Swan site was that damn love rectangle among them. UGH! I don’t know why Cuse and Lindelof care about that. It just seems corny to me. All the philosophical clashes are a lot more interesting. Plus, I never really got why Kate suddenly decided to help Jack. I think it had something to do with Claire, but they didn’t really make it clear enough. They really needed to explain it better. But, there were a lot of great touches to make up for these complaints, like: Jack telling Richard to not give up on Locke, once again reaffirming how special he is; the answer to what happened to Rose and Bernard, they’ve just retired from doing anything with the Island and are fine with whatever happens (an obvious way of writing them out of the show but nicely done); Jack and Sawyer’s fight scene, it’s about time this happened, and it was spectacular; Miles pointing out that they could be causing the Incident rather than preventing it; Jack dropping the bomb and nothing happening; Sawyer failing to save Juliet, Holloway and Mitchell both played it so well; and Juliet detonating the bomb, followed by a white screen with “Lost” in black. If that doesn’t pump you up for Season 6, then I don’t know what will! So, what the hell is going to happen in Season 6? Did they prevent the Incident? Will the timeline start over to 2004? Or, will everyone end up in a different timeline? Is Sayid dead? And, what of Locke? Who possessed him? The Smoke Monster? Jacob’s nemesis? Or, are they even the same person? And, who are these people that Jacob said were coming? Are they related to Illana’s group? Or, are they yet another group interested in the Island? What is Illana’s origin? And Richard’s? And, is Jacob really dead? Will he return? Also, is he the good guy? Or, is his nemesis the real hero? All great questions for the final season to answer, including the most important one: how will it all end? I honestly don’t know, but this episode did get me pumped for it. Cuse and Lindelof turned out an exciting and well paced episode, and Bender turned in another great directing job. There was one problem I had with it, but overall I enjoyed it a lot. 9/10. So, that’s Season 5. It was pretty good. Some disappointing things, but overall largely pleasing. The set itself was okay. I just wish there had been more special features. I mean, there were a few features on the Blu Ray that I don’t understand why they aren’t on the regular DVD set, like this special feature on Lost’s 100th episode (by the way, I know my numbering of the episode doesn’t jive with Lost’s numbers, but that’s because I counted the 2 hour season finales as 1 episode instead of separating them into 2; if you do this, then you do get 103). Nevertheless, I would suggest people buy it, mainly for completion sake. Highlight: “The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham.” Recommended. And, that ends my big Lost DVD review. I still can’t believe I was able to get it all done before Season 6 began. Sure, I cut it close; but I did make it! And, it was great to look back on this show. I really do love it. There were so many great moments this show has gives, and it just wonderful to relive them all again. Sure, there were a lot of times this show frustrated me; but I didn’t mind. I’ll take any “Fire + Water” or “Stranger In A Strange Land” to get “The Constant” or “Walkabout.” And, to be honest, I don’t actually hate those episodes. They aren’t my favorites, but I didn’t really mainly because I know this show is capable of doing better. And now, we wait for what’s to come.
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