I present to you – EXCLUSIVELY – Your Definitive Guide to Season 5 of Lost. Season 5 may have come and gone, but here is your chance to relive every single episode review, "Revisited" column, and Lost! Untangled episode. This is also the perfect companion guide to those who prefer to watch Lost when it comes out on DVD.
And let's be honest, 2010 is a long way off, so you might want to revisit (hehe) this page to brush up on the season that was, before the (final) season to come. For your convenience, a link to this page will remain on the right column of this blog. Enjoy:
Episodes 5-1 & 5-2 – “Because You Left” & “The Lie”
While I won't be revealing anything that I would categorize as a "spoiler," I will vaguely refer to certain plot points. If you're one of those people, like myself, that prefer going into a movie completely fresh, you may want to avoid reading this until after you see it.
Last weekend I went to see Star Trek, and as expected, I really enjoyed the film. Actually, it was one of the best movies I've seen since The Dark Knight. While I only ranked it at number three back when I posted my Top Ten Cases entry regarding the movies I'm most looking forward to, this is the first of the films on the list that I've actually gone out of my way to see. When they were released, I felt somewhat indifferent to Wolverine and Terminator, and ultimately realized I'd be just as content waiting for it to come out on DVD (although I did end up seeing Wolverine, but only because it was for free). But Star Trek was something I really wanted to see in the theater.
While I've always been partial to The Next Generation, I must admit that the rebellious nature of Captain Kirk makes him a far more alluring character to center a prequel behind. And overall, I was really pleased with the film, and would certainly recommend it to anybody who is a fan of the franchise. Of course, what makes this movie great is the fact that it appeals to those who haven't followed the series, but I do think the average Trekkie/Trekker (two nicknames I detest....the former is demeaning, the latter is pretentious) will approve of this exciting reimagining. The overall look and design of the film improved, but stayed consistent with, what we saw in the original series.
I think the strongest aspect of the film is that the actors wisely decided to play the characters in their own vision. For example, Chris Pine wasn't playing William Shatner playing Captain Kirk. He was simply playing Captain Kirk, and in my opinion he did a phenomenal job. I was never a huge Kirk fan (like I said, I grew up watching The Next Generation), but after seeing this movie, I completely understand why the character has such a huge following. If you knew him, he'd be that guy who's impossible to hate, even though you really want to. He has the nerve to casually sit in the prestigious Captain's chair when the ACTUAL Captain is right there on the bridge. But then he backs it up by coming up with a brilliant plan. A brilliant plan that works. Following this film, I have absolutely no problem comparing Captain Kirk to Han Solo. The movie also featured several clever "wink, wink" moments that, thankfully, weren't over the top.
The movie wasn't perfect, though. This may surprise many, but I actually thought Zachary Quinto's Spock the most disappointing portrayal. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I've grown tired of seeing the internal struggle of Quinto's Sylar, but I really didn't want to watch Spock's difficulty in relating to his human side. The reason Kirk was such a highlight in this film was because we got the cocky, confident, charismatic character the series was built upon. By contrast, I feel like the Spock everybody clamored for was virtually absent. Additionally, I didn't completely buy the "surprise" relationship revealed about halfway through the episode (although the facial expression was another character made the discovery made it all worthwhile). I'm also torn on the repercussions of the central plot. On the one hand, I appreciate the fact that the sequels won't be tied down by events that we know will have to transpire (and it was also neat seeing how one event led to Spock being Captain, and Kirk being First Officer), but on the other hand I feel a bit robbed: Does this mean that everything we've watched for the past four decades now doesn't happen? Or happens in a completely different fashion? I also fall into the category of people who found the lens flare distracting at times.
Nevertheless, this movie is highly recommended, and I think people who view it as a "Star Trek movie" are doing it a disservice. It's not my review style to assign grades, but if I were, I'd say this is a solid B+
The following message from Linda (Bollea) Hogan's PR team has apparently been posted on the Perez Hilton website:
Perez, if Brooke continues to spew lies on behalf of her father's lame attempt to distance himself from the reality that he is no different from the homicidal OJ Simpson, Charlie will be forced to put aside his paramedic/firefighting career path and release an album called "Redemption" which will easily surpass any of Brooke's records sales. Brooke has always had a problem telling the truth. If it is her claim that her breasts are natural or she hasn't been banging the crap out of the pot head $tack for the last 3 years, then her comments of Charlie being a year and a half younger than her are again a complete fabrication (they are 4 months apart). She only judges Charlie because of his long hair and age, Linda doesn't judge. Here are some cold hard facts; these people who say Linda is doing drugs are friends of Hulk Hogan. Brooke is Hulk's only remaining mouthpiece and a pawn in his game of control. Linda will walk into any drug testing facility and take a random test and the truth will be she is clean. Put your money where your mouth is Brooke aka Hulk. Brooke "thinks" she's doing drugs is a hypocrisy when her father and $tack are rolling and Smoking joints together in Brooke's recording session, and Brooke knows it. As for Charlie, he is an accomplished Spring board diver (4th in the Nationals), eagle scout and certified captain in commercial boating with his bigger goal of joining the fire department. Linda's definition of a good time is hitting a 8:30 am mass at St Max's grabbing some Cuban food at Versailles (her fav). We aren't here to kiss anyone's ass but Linda would love spend a fun California day with Perez with or without that famous garlic chicken, but you have to go to mass. Gary Smith on behalf of Linda Hogan Global PR Inc
I'm a little skeptical, mostly due to the many spelling and grammatical errors, overall juvenile language, and the fact that this individual refers to Linda as "Linda Hogan" and not her actual name. Nevertheless, if this IS real, then my immediate issue is with the opening sentence, which states that Hulk Hogan is no different from OJ Simpson.
Even if Hogan's comments WEREN'T misinterpreted, and he really does want to kill his soon-to-be-ex-wife, there's still one major difference between the two of them. OJ killed his wife. Hogan hasn't. That's a pretty big difference from where I sit.
And honestly, who threatens to release an album in a war of words?
Is anybody else familiar with this Kidrobot stuff? Basically, they produce interesting looking collectible plastic figurines, but package them in a "blank" box, so you don't know which character is actually inside. They manufacture a number of different varieties, like Lost, Hello Kitty, and the ones I'm collecting -- the Simpsons. Anyway, there are certain odds that will determine which character is inside the box (Homer, for example, is 2/24).
So I've purchased five since discovering these cool little things, and so far I've received two Homers, two Apus, and one Fat Tony. Now, if there's a 2/24 chance I'm going to pick Homer, and I've already come across two of them, does that mean I won't be getting another Homer over the next 19 purchases? Naturally I know it's not that cut and dry, but is that the gitz of it?
Here are the cards with the actual odds. If anyone fancies themself a statistics expert, let me know what the chances are that I come across any other duplicates:
Last September, I posted an edition of Top Ten Cases focusing on what I considered the best television deaths. Well, this past April, Popeater over on AOL.com featured a similar list, compiling what they considered the SADDEST television deaths. My criteria was slightly different, as I considered the scripting and direction of the scene in addition to the emotional impact. Nevertheless, for what it's worth, we agreed on three memorable television deaths.
“So, Lost is basically one huge Spy vs. Spy episode?” – EW.com comments section
Love it.
Welcome to the final Lost: Revisited of the season! First and foremost, let’s get these nagging matters out of the way. In response to “What lies in the shadow of the statue,” Richard said, “Ille qui nos omnes servabit." This is Latin for, "He who [or that thing which] will save us all.” Also, the title of the book Jacob was reading while Locke was thrown out of the hotel window was “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” a collection of short stories by Flannery O’Connor that focuses on morality and human weakness. And, finally, here is the exact dialogue between Jacob and the Nameless Man in Black, who I believe to be Smokey D. in his human form (most people refer to him as Esau, the biblical figure, for future reference): NAMELESS: You're trying to prove me wrong. JACOB: You are wrong. NAMELESS: They come, they fight, they destroy, they corrupt. It always ends the same. JACOB: It can only end once. Everything before that is progress.
Good? Good.
Since I was fortunate enough to get a nice chunk of feedback and material for the finale, I’m going to forego the usual “here’s one e-mail, here’s my response” format for a more topic-oriented column. Therefore, certain comments and e-mails may be split up throughout the column. I think this will allow things to flow a little more smoothly.
Click the "Read More" link for the full column.
JACOB AND HIS NEMESIS:
In my review of the episode, I noted the obvious allusion to God and Satan gambling over the nature of mankind. I most certainly got that sense here after reading the exact wording of their interaction, as well. I also got a Matrix-vibe here, that this process continuously happens until humanity finally “gets it right.” Does this perhaps suggest that Jacob’s visits to various Oceanic survivors were to ensure that they arrive at the island acting a certain way and believing certain things? One person on the EW review message board offers this idea:
Jeff and AVClub seems to be assuming that Jacob is the good/white half, but I have my doubts. First, his "touching" of the lives of Kate, Sawyer, and Sayid have serious repercussions. By bailing Kate out, she continues her life as a thief. By giving Sawyer the pencil, he is encouraging Sawyer to nurture his hatred, and by distracting Sayid...well, perhaps he saved Sayid while allowing Nadia to die. Just a thought...
There’s definitely a conflicting mentality regarding Jacob’s “interference.” Indeed, what sort of lesson did he truly teach Kate? Was his intention to set her on the straight and narrow through kindness and compassion, or did he show her that you can always avoid the consequences, no matter your actions? Further, did he save Sayid’s life because he had a destiny to fulfill by returning to the island? Or did his actions lead to Nadia’s death (one could easily argue that had Nadia and Sayid been walking together, she never would have come to a halt when she found her sunglasses, and thus would have never been struck by the car)?
Personally, I’m in the mindset that Jacob IS the good guy here. As we approach the final season, which I believe is only 16 episodes long, I think they’re (for the most part) done with the unexpected character twists. We’ve spent the last few seasons wondering whether Jacob was good or bad, and I’m not sure what they benefit from misdirecting us once we are finally formally introduced to him. While his interactions with Kate, Sawyer, and Sayid are open to interpretation, he also sends Hurley on a path that doesn’t really lead to any dark character repercussions (not yet, anyway). Same goes for Jack, Jin, and Sun. Another thing to consider: They’ve softened the Others considerably over the past few seasons, and they’re Jacob’s main worshippers. The review over at EW.com provides this interesting theory:
Jacob was “quibbling” during his flashbacks; he was building loopholes and failsafe devices into each castaway’s life that will allow them to cheat death by Jughead. By physically touching each of them, he marked them in a magical way. And now, he’s going to draw them to himself, i.e., the Island, just like the electromagnetic anomaly at the Swan site started drawing anything metal into is powerful singularity. Perhaps they will all be immediately beamed to the Island in reincarnated bodies. (The promo for next season seemed to imply as much, what with Jack’s eye shooting open and reflecting back the jungle.) Or maybe it will be like this: the souls of the annihilated castaways will migrate into their bodies at the point in time that Jacob touched them. And more, I’ll bet you that they will retain all the memories of their past lives. Which means, for example, that Young James Ford will have knowledge of his fate — and can choose to try to change it, if he wishes. This is part of the great gift Jacob has given them: Not only new life, but the capacity to create their own destinies — a destiny which could include, if they wish, to go to the Island of their own free will. And they will. Remember Jacob’s last, bloody sputter: “They’re coming.”
The idea that they’re beamed back to the point that they were touched, but with their memories preserved, is very interesting. This would have severe repercussions, for the simple reason that if these characters heed Jacob’s advice, they’ll never end up on the island in the first place.
Consider this: Jack may come to realize that his father wasn’t reprimanding him. Instead, he’ll learn a valuable lesson that he’ll turn to at crucial moments in his life. This, in effect, could easily prevent the downfall of their relationship. If Jack and his father never have a falling out, his father never dies in Australia, and Jack doesn’t end up on that fateful flight.
Likewise, if Sawyer’s memories are retained, he’ll realize that the person he’s going to see in Australia is not responsible for his parents’ deaths. As such, he avoids 815 as well. I can also imagine Jin and Sun choosing the preservation of their relationship over power and wealth. As such, they become independent of Sun’s family, meaning that they don’t end up on the plane either. I’ll spare you from every single example, but you get the point.
Although I’m not quite sure I buy the whole idea that they’d be going to the island based on their free will, because the Oceanic Six and Ben are ALREADY there by choice. To an extent, so are the Oceanic survivors-turned Dharma folks. My personal prediction is that they didn’t change the past, but instead played their part in ensuring that the Incident occurred. And, in turn, the Incident sent all of them back to their natural timeline.
Adding to the idea of Jacob’s visits, long-time reader Creed e-mailed me this point:
A quick note to close - 4 of the 5 people Jacob visited were Jack Shepherd, Kate Austin, Hugo Reyes, and James Ford ... you know him as "Sawyer". Isn't that the list of names Michael was given in Three Minutes, that he was supposed to bring back? (And the 5th person who came anyway was the 5th person Jacob visited, Sayid Jarrah) That can't be coincidence.
For the most part, yes I do think this is coincidence (sorry!) Only because in this case, the easiest explanation is the best one: Ben needed Jack to save his life. He knew Jack wouldn’t do it voluntarily, so he included Kate to act as a pawn. Likewise, Sawyer was there to use as additional leverage in order to ensure that Kate would cooperate. Hurley only came along to act as a messenger. Further evidence that this is merely a coincidence: Jacob also visited Locke, Jin, and Sun, yet they weren’t summoned by the Others. Nevertheless, I seem to recall that one of the Others once mentioned that Jack wasn’t even on Jacob’s list.
I actually fully expect to learn that Jacob visited even more people than was indicated this episode. The Lost method of storytelling typically focuses on the people in that given episode. Would it have made sense for us to learn that Jacob visited Desmond, for example, when he didn’t even appear in the episode?
Before moving onto the next topic, I’d like to touch upon the complex relationship between Jacob and his nemesis. I’ve already stated that I believe the Man in Black is the natural human form of the Smoke Monster. It’s also been hinted that Christian is the Smoke Monster as well. Does this infer that Christian is a messenger for the apparent bad guy? Or is Christian the Mr. Nameless himself, using the dead body as a clever guise (as he did with Locke)? Creed offers this theory:
Christian told Locke to move the island, which would have taken him out of the picture. When Ben moved the island instead, Locke was sent to bring back the people who'd left, including Ben.. and Esau (as Locke) told Richard to tell him that he might have to die. This means Locke leaves the island believing he needs to bring everyone back (including Ben) and would probably die to accomplish this.
But Why?
I believe Esau was on his way to convincing Ben to kill Jacob - 35 years of frustration - until the 815ers showed up. Eko and Locke were both a threat somehow, and they were either killed directly or via Ben; perhaps because they were both 'men of faith' who might have believed in Jacob, or in Locke's case, because John had taken over the leadership of the Other. I believe Ben has been the pawn all along, led by a series of events to think he was doing good work, with the ultimate goal of Jacob's murder.
I’m going to discuss Christian in my next section, so for the moment I’ll just focus on the Jacob/Nemesis/Ben aspect of the e-mail. I’m not quite sure what to make of Ben’s relationship with Nemesis. On the one hand, Ben seems to have some sort of alliance or understanding with the Smoke Monster, based upon the fact that he was able to summon the beast when the freighter mercenaries attacked the barracks. On the other hand, Christian seemed to openly voice his disapproval of Ben during his final talk with Locke at the donkey wheel.
Part of me believes that Locke was always the end game for Nameless. The Smoke Monster has repeatedly showed him mercy, when he hasn’t others, and Christian in particular has taken an interest in him. With that in mind, I think perhaps Locke was the pawn all along, and he simply took advantage of an opportunity with Ben.
JACOB’S CABIN:
There’s been a lot of questions revolving Jacob’s cabin. Was it ever his house? Was it a ruse all along? Frequent blog visitor Kyle offers this on Jacob’s cabin:
So was Jacob's cabin ever Jacob's cabin, or was that always a lie? I think Jacob's enemy from the beginning was the one in that cabin, maybe imprisoned by the ash (hence why the fact that the circle of ash was "broken"...allowing him to get out). And maybe he was the one asking for help back when Locke and Ben visited the cabin.
Which then raises the question...does this mean Christian Shephard is working for him and not Jacob? Or is he in fact disguised as Christian? Because while we dont know his motivation in terms of Sun, Christian trying to get Locke off the island and telling him he had to die now seem like a plan by Jacob's enemy all along.
I’m inclined to believe that, at one point, the cabin belonged to Jacob. My main reasoning is that Ilana somehow knew to check it when trying to find Jacob, and her comment that he hasn’t been there in a long time seems to imply that he was there at one point. The Christian factor is a very interesting one, because I daresay that much of what has happened is turned on its head if it turns out that Doc Shephard Sr. is actually working for the bad guys. We’ve seen Ghost Christian interact with Jack, Locke, Claire, Sun, and Frank (am I missing anybody), and each of those encounters have led the character down a very specific path. To discover that they were essentially led astray, after all this time, would be rather significant.
As it relates to the ash and the person inside being imprisoned, Creed adds:
On the cabin - when I first saw the ash circle in Curtain, it made me think of a binding, especially when we heard 'Help Me'. But Richard said Jacob lives in the statue, and Ilana said Jacob hadn't been there in a very long time. Which makes me think Esau was the one living in the cabin, and that he asked Locke for help to free him from the binding.
To answer both of you: I’m also leaning towards the theory that the Man in Black was living in the cabin and that the circle of ash was some sort of force field, but I can’t quite recall when we first discovered the circle had been broken? Was the circle intact when Locke visited the cabin for the first time? Because if it was, that might poo-poo on the theory that Smokey and the Man in the Black are one in the same. But yes, I do think that “Esau” – and not Jacob – was the one who said, “Help Me.”
THE INCIDENT:
So we finally found out what happened to Dr. Chang’s arm. But the question remains: Did Jack’s actions cause the Incident, or did it successfully rewrite history? Of course, we won’t know the answer until next season, but long-time reader Dan e-mails:
I'm glad Miles pointed out that setting off the bomb could cause the incident. I was thinking Faraday had this planned out all along, but that would mean everyone is now dead for good. Plus, Miles' dad dying means he couldn't have made the video talking about the incident, the village would have to have been rebuilt exactly the same, etc, so I guess they did change the future, at least somehow. Or did the force suck in all the energy from the bomb and leave everyone outside ok? That would explain why Daniel said it had to be as close as possible.
I also appreciated the fact that Miles recognized the possibility that they were actually causing the very thing they’re trying to prevent, especially because that’s all they’ve really done since arriving. Sayid shot Ben to prevent him from becoming the monster he turns into, which ultimately led to him losing his innocence. My understanding of the hydrogen bomb’s detonation was that the intense electromagnetic activity would contain the blast to that specific point. That is to say, the explosion would prevent the electromagnetism, but wouldn’t harm anybody outside of the well. Which is why it had to happen at that specific time (if it didn’t, why not just blow the damn thing up at any moment?) Regarding the success of the mission, Creed adds:
So part of me is really hoping that they stick with the simple, less-convoluted "What Happened, Happened" philosophy and Miles is right - this IS the Incident and they didn't change a thing in history. (Although it leaves the unpleasant thought that while the journey to Dharma Days was fun, what was the point? Other than perhaps bringing those stranded in 1974 back to the present, if The Incident resolves by sending Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sawyer, Jin, and friends back to the present day)
Actually, I disagree with the notion that the Dharma days will prove inconsequential if they don’t successfully change the future. On the contrary, I love the idea that their actions set forth the obstacles they’d face later (earlier?) in life. Case in point, consider this cool observation from the EW website: WHAT IF : The radiation from the bomb mixed with the electro magic is what causes women to die during pregnancy. It would be prety ironic that Juliet has responsible for the very thing that she was brought to the island to fix. How's that for loophole
I absolutely love this idea. It’s right up there with how Ethan played a part in recruiting Juliet, which caused her to come to the island, which ultimately led to Juliet going into the past and preventing Ethan from dying during his birth. Most people complain about these apparent paradoxes (that can’t possibly be the right plural form, can it?), but I find them a lot of fun.
MOTIVATIONS:
A lot of people have been irked by the apparent character motivations for blowing up the future Swan Station. Long-time reader Dan sent this observation:
I'm not really getting some of the characters motivations. Juliet and Jack both wanted to set off a nuke so they don't have to deal with a breakup, and Eloise tried to set it off so she could kill Daniel a second time?
I don’t think avoiding the break up was the main motivation for Jack or Juliet – a lot of people seem to be making this mistake (if you read the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly, there is one article – written by the same author who pens the episode reviews on their website – criticizes Jack for his incorrect assumption that he wants to blow up the island for a “second chance with Kate”). In his e-mail to me, Creed echoes this sentiment:
And Jack is a bad person, in my opinion - when asked why he wanted to change the past, no mention of Boone, Shannon, Eko, or any of the other people who died... just a regret about a relationship he messed up with bad choices. Wow. This is incorrect. When Jack first discusses the plan with Kate while being held captive by the Others, the first thing he mentioned was all the lives that would be saved. In my eyes, THAT was always his intent. Wiping the slate clean and preventing the pain caused from Kate, in my opinion, was only his emotional attachment to the situation. I think Juliet was in much the same boat. Things had gotten to the point that her happy little life with Sawyer was a virtual impossibility. Preventing all of this from happening in the first place was the lesser of two evils.
What I find interesting, though, is that everybody chastises Jack and Juliet for wanting to rewrite history because of the relationships in their lives, while Kate and Sawyer want to retain the timeline for the very same reason. For all intents and purposes, Jack’s plan saves 50 plus people who were on the Oceanic flight and, conceivably, prevents the Purge. Even if they may be motivated by the fact that they won’t be spurned, there’s a lot of good that can come from rewriting history. Meanwhile, what argument do Sawyer and Kate have? It’s only personal gain for them. Sawyer is living a relatively honest life with the woman he loves. Kate met two cute boys, avoided jail, and got to become a mother. Neither of them want to give up what they have, even if it means good, innocent people they had lost get to live.
I think the EW review again points out the bias for Sawyer and against Jack. The author twice mentions Jack's weak excuse for wanting to reset history because it will give him a possible second chance with Kate, but never once does he mention the fact that Sawyer was perfectly willing to let everybody on the island die. Including Hurley, who never hurt a fly and was basically a bystander in all of this. And Jin and Miles, who he had spent the past three plus years getting to know. And, presumably, he would have left Kate behind too. It was actually Juliet who made the decision for them to go back.
For that matter, I also think Juliet’s insecurities proved to be pretty baseless. Sure, Sawyer laid his eyes on Kate a few times, but if you think about it, Juliet’s got her on a pretty short leash. Like I said above, he was willing to leave Kate behind if it meant leaving safely with Juliet. And even when Kate joined them in the sub, he continuously rejected her attempts to stop Jack. It wasn’t until Juliet intervened that he decided to join in. Likewise, he gave up fighting Jack when Juliet indicated that the best thing to do would be to let Jack proceed. And finally, when Kate urged everybody to go help Jack, Sawyer turned to Juliet for her thoughts on the matter. Everybody seems to be wondering who Kate’s in love with. It may be a moot point, because it seems pretty obvious that Sawyer is head over heels for Juliet (which in and of itself could be a moot point, if she’s dead).
This brings up a legitimate question: What’s more selfish? Preventing your unhappiness or ensuring your happiness no matter the consequences?
And the more I think about it, the more I enjoyed the scene in which Jack spilled his heart out to Sawyer. We rarely see Jack so emotionally vulnerable, and he rarely explicitly expresses his feelings for Kate. It was nice seeing him be honest with himself, and pouring out to his perceived competitor, no less.
KATE’S CHOICE:
Television relationships can be crazy sometimes. Take The Office, for example. For the first few seasons, everybody was all about the Jim/Pam relationship. Now that the characters are actually together and happy, there’s a legion of viewers who literally want their characters to die. We’re in a similar situation here. In the beginning, most people loved the complex Jack/Kate/Sawyer love triangle. Now heading into the series’ sixth and final season, a lot of fans just sit back and annoyingly ask “Still?” whenever this subject is hinted upon. One reader at the EW website says:
I strongly dislike Kate as well, but I think there were multiple points in last night's episode when she could've redeemed herself a bit just by making a choice. Either by not supporting Jack (= not choosing him) or by telling Jack she loved him (when she hesitated before he took off with the bomb). So I'm guessing my dislike will continue into next season.
I’ve stuck up for Kate a fair amount this season, but I think this is a fair argument. What’s the expression? “It’s time to crap or get off the pot”? A bit crude, I know, but I think it fits the bill. They’ve been riding the “Who will Kate choose?” fence for five years now, and as I noted, a lot of people are getting impatient and frustrated.
I find it funny that the person who commented used these exact examples, because I totally expected her to say “no” when he asked if she’s with him (which would have been a first, I believe). Then when she didn’t, and they shared that long stare as he walked away, I expected her to say she loves him (which would be the first time she openly expressed her feelings for one of the guys in front of the other). But neither happened. Nevertheless, Creed notes in his e-mail:
So at this point, with the show progressing to deeper levels of 'good versus evil', small matters like "Who will Kate choose?" become insignificant. Though personally I wish Kate had gone down the whole instead of Juliet, she seems to just cause misery and sadness wherever she goes. I really liked Juliet, even when she got out of that 'I have information you want, and I won't share it" mode. It was nice to see James find happiness past Kate and move on, a shame that either way that is over.
The thing is, even when Kate “chooses,” she doesn’t really. When she first hooked up with Sawyer, it was for convenience (Sawyer was in the cage next door, while Jack was living underwater) and then jealousy (Jack was buddying up with Juliet). And then when she was with Jack during her post-island years, she was sneaking around doing favors for Sawyer. It’s never been a solid decision on her part, and I think the writers are taking a risk if they plan on holding that off until the very last episode.
A lot of people seem to be riding Kate because she essentially forced Sawyer and Juliet into helping her stop Jack, only to end up helping him, which ultimately got Juliet killed. I can see why that might make some sneer at her, but I don’t really question her actions. People have coined this episode a “Game Changer,” and I’m going to use that phrase to explain Kate’s behavior. She and Jack had a philosophical difference. He thought they should use a hydrogen bomb to rewrite history, and she felt they should preserve the timeline. Both would have severe repercussions if they were wrong. So what changed?
Basically, Jack laid it all out on the table. Instead of arguing about fate and destiny, and hurting her with his harsh belief that it is worse to have love and lost than to never have loved at all, he told her how right this felt and how he just knew he was supposed to do this. And then he asked her that seemingly simple question: “Are you with me?” And that was a very powerful and purposeful question. He’s asked her this question in the past, and she’s always said yes (even when she’s initially resisted). And when they got off the island, she made this specific assurance. That question, coming from him, was a real game changer for her. And I think it was perfectly consistent for her character (for better or worse) for her to say yes, despite how strongly she had felt otherwise.
What I find interesting about this threesome is that, in the season two episode “What Kate Did,” Kate reveals that she’s fighting her feelings for Sawyer. Yet I find her far more emotionally guarded around Jack. That photo of Jack and Aaron in her home is very telling. To me, that’s her dream. Perhaps she’s hesitant to openly, fully fall in love with in out of fear that she could lose that dream should things not work out.
As a side note, I think it's somewhat appropriate how when Jack got knocked out, Kate immediately ran to his aid. However, while tending to him, she attempted to rescue Juliet, which required Sawyer's assistance. Unfortunately, they failed. But when Jack woke up, what does he see? What appears to be Kate assisting Sawyer. In actuality, she had run to Jack. Her being by Sawyer's side was happenstance.
To close out the season on a light note, here are two tongue-in-cheek observations (I’ve come across this on various sites, so I don’t have a proper credit): The episode started with Jacob gutting a fish and throwing it on a fire, and ended with him getting gutted by a Pisces and then thrown on the fire. And the fish that Jacob caught was a Red Herring.
I want to genuinely thank everybody who has contributed to this column. Writing the Revisited articles would not have been as fun or successful as it was without all of your e-mails and blog comments. Thanks so much, and continue visiting my blog with some exclusive tidbits on Lost and other shows over the summer (and don’t hesitate to leave your comments there as well!) See you next season!
I don’t really mind the open ended conclusion, because things typically don’t tie up in a neat little package in exactly 24 hours, but considering that in a lot of ways this was the “make it or break it” season (after a disappointing Day 6), I expected a more explosive, conclusive finale.
As many people have noted, this season kicked off with Jack vs. Tony and after spending much of the day working side by side, it all came full circle. However, as it turned out, Tony WASN’T playing with the bad guys after all. Not completely, anyway. His motivation the entire time hasn’t been for power or money, or even to take down the government he’s grown to resent. Instead, everything he’s done has been to get close enough to the man who orchestrated his wife’s death.
PrimeTimePulse (which has adopted an awesome new layout, check it out!) hasn't gotten around to posting this yet, so I thought I'd give you Case Workers a sneak peak at my Prison Break finale recap. Here you go...
Just last week I was talking about how Prison Break – despite one of my favorite shows – wasn’t a series I felt I had to watch immediately. Well, perhaps it was because it was the series finale, but I did find myself glued to the TV at 8:00 on Friday night. And when I left the house to go out for a few hours, I opted to take the second hour so that I could watch it once I got home, instead of having to wait on line for the typically jam packed TiVo.
And overall, I thought it was an excellent episode that concluded the series quite perfectly. Certain characters were re-introduced, most notably Sucre and C-Note, and the good guys conclusively won. I’m glad they avoided major twists and betrayals, because I think that would have soured what should have been – and essentially was – a story with a happy ending.
Click the "Read More" link for the full column.
Like last week, this episode reminded viewers that T-Bag is a slithering snake, and not one of the good guys (despite their habit of working side-by-side). I wouldn’t have minded if Michael killed him, but I’m really, REALLY glad he ended up back in prison. If anything other than those two options ended up happening, I would have been very disappointed. This guy was begging for an unhappy ending.
I also liked how Sara repeatedly prevented Michael from taking people’s lives (first T-Bag, then the General), and she was ultimately the only character to commit a major kill (by shooting Christina, in order to save Michael). At first I felt like the fates were mixed – I thought the General, for all he had put these characters through, should have been the one who was killed. And Christina, for being such a heartless character, would have suffered more in a maximum security prison. But we would ultimately learn that the General would be executed anyway (which is really more fitting, considering that that was supposed to be Lincoln’s original fate), so it all balanced out.
I also liked how, when the final decision came regarding what to do with Scylla, Mahone (and everybody else) DID have a say in the matter. It wasn’t Michael’s choice: It was a democratic decision, because it impacted everybody.
I was glad to see Kellerman return. I’m sure there are some people that are critical of the seemingly pulled together story of how he wasn’t actually killed, but this was a necessary evil. In order to provide an appropriate ending, they needed to relinquish Scylla to a believable, recognizable character. With Kellerman’s historical significance to the series, he fit the bill perfectly. He’s also played both sides, and has a comforting way about him that makes him a believable ally. I love the way he calmly told Michael, “If you don’t have it, fine. But we have to get ready to run for our lives.” That was exactly the sort of thing Michael needed to hear. You could sense that a part of him felt defeated. Like even if Michael couldn’t trust Kellerman, he was just going to hand over the device anyway.
I must admit that I was a little unsettled by the end, though. Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was beautifully done. I really loved how each character found their own sense of peace. Mahone, even though things didn’t work with his ex-wife, still clearly has an amicable relationship with her. And he’s with his former partner, a nice touch. Sucre can now live with his family without having to constantly look over his shoulder. Lincoln is finally free, no strings attached. And Sara, despite her devastating loss, seems to be in a good place. I also liked that these four people have kept in touch. After everything they had been through, they forged genuine relationships with each other. And it was nice that they celebrated the man who brought them all together. The man who had constantly risked everything to ensure their freedom. Not everything was bright and shiny, though. We learned that despite the fact that Paul turned over a new leaf, he can’t escape all of the skeletons in his closet. Meanwhile, T-Bag is back where he started, and the General is getting what he deserves.
My issue with Michael’s death is that he sacrificed the last couple of years of his life not experiencing his life. There’s an optimistic view, of course: He met the woman he loves. He saved his brother’s life. And he took down an evil organization. Additionally, since it was a brain tumor, he was going to die anyway. It just seemed sad to me that for the last couple of years of his life (I don’t quite remember, how much time elapsed throughout the entire series?) running and hiding. He was pretty much the only character that genuinely didn’t belong in prison, yet he arguably lost the most. It’s also heartbreaking that he gave this heartfelt speech about being such a hands-on father, yet he won’t be around to watch his child grow up.
That sadness aside, I thought it was a phenomenal way to end the series. Michael’s fate was unfortunate, but other than that everybody was right where they belonged. The villains were dead, captured, or brain dead, and the heroes were happy, free, and at peace.
“It’s like you’re some sort of Super………….guy….” – Jimmy Olsen
Oh, so close!
I can’t really put my finger on why, but this season finale didn’t seem as epic as ones in the past. There just wasn’t that sense of urgency and danger. It didn’t really feel like everything that happened throughout the season was leading up to THIS point. This isn’t a criticism of the episode or the season – both of which were stellar – it’s just an observation. Smallville, in my opinion, has always done a phenomenal job of building towards its finales. Yet I feel like I could have entirely forgotten that this week was the season finale.
Before I discuss the finale, let me touch upon something regarding the pre-show recap.
My Revisited column earlier this week was devoted to the latest Lost review on the EW website. If you read through the article’s comments section, you’ll note that a number of people brought up the author’s bias for Sawyer and against Jack. I got that same impression from the show’s Executive Producers. I was utterly shocked that they attributed Kate’s entire Aaron story arc to her broken heart over Sawyer’s departure. To me – and I daresay most people – that was a clear case of Cassidy projecting her own feelings as she describe her own relationship with her (and Sawyer’s) daughter. They completely gloss over the Jack/Kate engagement, as well as Kate’s admittance that she’s returning for Claire. For that matter, they failed to mention Kate’s hurt, emotional reaction to Jack’s confession that he’d rather they never met. It seemed exceptionally strange to me that they’d more or less ignore every single facet of the Kate/Jack relationship (hey, remember how they, ya’ know, SLEPT TOGETHER the night before they left?) and explain all of Kate’s actions to her love for Sawyer.
I’ve got two trains of thought: The rational person would probably say that this is conclusive evidence that she’s truly in love with Sawyer. They’re THE Powers that Be, and they’re pretty much telling us how we should be interpreting these relationships. The skeptic in me, however, wonders if this was simply a deliberate diversion. I can’t think of any examples off the top of my head, but there were other instances throughout the episode where they were misleading or borderline untruthful about information, so who knows?
But as somebody who is partial to Jack and Kate ending up together (and yes, I’m guilty of being biased as well), I was a little unsettled by their presentation.
Now, onto the most anticipated finale on my television line up…
Click the "Read More" link for the finale review.
I loved the opening segment. I had previously read that they were getting an actor to portray Jacob, so I wasn’t shocked by the name drop. But I was a huge fan of the God/Satan-like conversation between Jacob and the man in the dark clothing. It’s been a while since my Bible as Literature class, senior year of college, but I got a definite sense of the Book of Job here. Essentially, God and the Devil (or, in this case, Jacob and the guy in dark clothing) are gambling on the nature of man. Do people remain good and faithful, even after they are faced with seemingly impossible obstacles? It almost seems like they summon people to the island, and these new arrivals face various challenges.
This is my early prediction (which I am typing immediately following the scene): The gentleman in the dark clothing is the human version of the Smoke Monster.
We learned quite a bit about our mysterious island controller. For one, he speaks many, many languages. Secondly, he’s played a part in the lives of presumably all of the Oceanic survivors, either before their arrival on the island (in the cases of Locke, Sun and Jin, Kate, and Jack – and hey, you knew it was only a matter of time before we got the flashback of Jack’s sack tearing surgery gone awry) or during their journey back (as with Hurley and Sayid). And honestly, how great was it seeing Jacob casually reading a book that has “rise and fall” in the title (I didn’t catch the exact wording) as Locke drops from the hotel window? It’s interesting, though, that Locke evidently died from the fall, only to be brought back by Jacob. And, as we learned from Richard, he apparently has the ability to grant people eternal youth.
Since I don’t really have a proper segue, I’ll get my observations of the scene between Jack, Sayid, Richard (and speaking of Richard that ship at the beginning of the episode – presumably the Black Rock – looked an awful lot like the one he was building in a bottle last episode), and Eloise out of the way now. First off, I thought it was wonderful that Jack, of all people, was the one who urged Richard not to give up on Locke. More than anything else, I think THAT illustrated how much Jack has changed. The other thing I found interesting was that Richard referred to Eloise as their leader. As some people noticed a couple of weeks ago, during their brief interaction together, it definitely appeared that Eloise was the one wearing the pants in her relationship with Widmore. So were they the original Power Couple, reigning as co-leaders of the Others? Or was Eloise the sole leader, meaning that Widmore was simply too prideful and claimed himself to be the leader in his revisionist history?
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the revelation that Rose and Bernard – with Vincent – have been surviving on the island, all by themselves, for the past three years. A large portion of me quite appreciates the simplicity and romanticism of the story. The smaller, more critical part of me can’t help but think about how much trouble 60-somewhat people had surviving, yet these two retirees with little to no outdoor experience managed to live quite comfortably (and maintained the brightness of their clothing) for three years. But you know what? Their absence was explained, and it gave the characters a proper, happy ending (assuming we don’t see them again). I’m sure this will only fuel the speculation that they’re the island’s Adam and Eve.
It was only a matter of time before Jack and Sawyer let loose and went at it in a brutal fight. How reminiscent was this of Jack’s private conversation with Ben a couple of seasons ago? In both instances, the leaders of two groups with conflicting interests met together to rationally discuss their differing opinion. There was some attempted coercion, but ultimately it resorted to brutality and violence.
As I noted earlier, I’m rooting for Jack and Kate. And I’m saying this as objectively as possible, but I honestly think that’s the happier ending. Everybody goes on and on about how this show is about personal redemption. In my eyes, Sawyer doesn’t need Kate to accomplish that. I think he can leave the island and be a better man than he was when he arrived. Jack, on the other hand, will be returning as a man who is spiritually battered. His one major flaw, pre-island, was his inability to maintain a healthy relationship. In my eyes, the best way for him to be “saved” would be to attain that with Kate. And based on his talk with Sawyer, I got the impression that he so desperately wants to be with Kate that he’d be willing to rewrite history. He’s not afraid of them becoming strangers. In his eyes, if it’s meant to be, they’ll find a way to meet each other and fall in love. If it’s not, he’ll never know what he missed out on.
And how badly did you feel for Juliet throughout the episode? I think perhaps the saddest moment was when she was on the raft with Sawyer and Kate, listening to them bicker in their playful way, as she looked back on the submarine submerging into the water. The symbolism was obvious: There go her dreams of living happily ever after with the man she loves. Even Rose and Bernard seemed to recognize her pain and winless situation, offering her some comforting tea as they prepared to leave. Her death was completely expected, which impacted the emotional aspect, but it was still sad. Actually, to tell you the truth, I was most sad that this gave the writers a reason to bring Kate and Sawyer back together.
I have to mention this, though. Did anybody else catch that massively poor continuity with Juliet and the blood on her mouth at the conclusion of the episode? One second blood is pouring out of her mouth, then she’s clean, then it’s smeared all over the place, then she’s clean again.
I found the climatic “Incident” scene pretty exhilarating. I appreciated how, when push came to shove, Kate did have Jack's back. And I have actually grown to like Dr. Chang quite a bit. I found it funny how, for the past three or four seasons, we’ve known him as this comforting, kind guy with names related to candles. Then we actually meet him, and we find out he’s a gruff, well, douche. But in the end, he turned out to be a pretty good guy. He helped evacuate the island and he assisted in overcoming the crazy Dharma folk. Oh, and who else was watching Chang’s arm every single time he appeared on camera, just waiting to see what would happen to him?
Oh, the irony. After all of his lying and manipulating, Ben was played like a fiddle. So here’s the assessment of the final scene and the revelation that Locke actually IS dead after all. As many people have theorized, the resurrected “Locke” we’ve been seeing has actually been the Smoke Monster (cases in point: Locke emerges from the jungle after Ben summons the Monster, the Smoke Monster appears in the Temple just after Locke excuses himself, and Locke doesn’t return until Smokey D. makes his exit, and finally the Smoke Monster/Alex commands Ben to do whatever Locke says). This actually sheds a lot of light on last week’s episode, where Locke somehow knew that his past self would appear in the jungle with a gunshot wound. It also answers the question of where this idea that he had to die originally came from. Anyway, as it is alluded to at the beginning of the episode, the Man in Black/Smokey is unable to kill Jacob for some reason. Smokey finds his “loophole” (as Jacob refers to it) by manipulating Ben to commit the deed. Additionally, Richard remarks that only the leader can enter Jacob’s home (not the exact wording). I assume that since Locke is dead, that role is reassumed by Ben (hence granting the Smoke Monster access).
And by the way, Jacob's "they're coming" comment? I think that refers to the fact that Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and everybody else will be returning to the present day. That’s how I see it, anyway. What do you think?
And I’m sure this observation didn’t go unnoticed, but the “LOST” screen at the conclusion of the episode was the inverse of what it normally is (“LOST” in black lettering against a white background, opposed to the opposite).
Now, next week will be the last Revisited column of the season, so let’s make it good. I know that I typically receive more responses when I ask specific questions, but I’m going to forego that for the moment (there’s just too much possible things to discuss).
But I’m not going to limit the discussion to the finale. Feel free to send me your thoughts on the season as a whole. Were any issues raised that you expected to get answered, but weren’t? Did anything in particular shock you? Did any explanation exceed your expectations? Were you let down by anything specific?
And, finally, where do you see things going? Did that photo-negative title card at the end of the episode indicate, to you, that things are getting completely rewritten? Do you see the final season kicking off with the plane safely landing in LAX?
It's not necessarily relevant last week's episode, but I feel this must be said before the finale (since I don't know what they're going to reveal, and I don't want to be one of those people who says, "I knew that would happen!"), but I can't help but feel like everything that has happened on the island somehow revolves around Christian Shephard. The connections to Locke have already been pointed out, but let's look at them even closer. In order to get certain people back on the island, Locke had to meet up with them and ultimately die. And while most of the characters weren't on flight 815 BECAUSE of Christian (Jack, of course, is the exception here), they did interact with him to some degree. Sawyer shared a drink with him in Australia. Ana Lucia acted as his bodyguard/guide. Jack is his son. Claire is is daughter. Think about it.
Click the "Read More" link for the full column.
One thing I find interesting is that, in the absence of Ben's leadership, the Others returned to their tents in the jungle lifestyle. Surely in the past three years they must have discovered that the Oceanic crew have abandoned the barracks (assuming that they clued in that they took residents there). Locke asked Ben whose idea it was to move the Others into the barracks, and I don't recall Ben giving a clear answer (shocker). But this does interest me. Was Ben the sole motivator behind the Others undertaking a civilized lifestyle where they actively recruited doctors and scientists? If so, what was his motivation?
Another thing I'd like to bring up, which isn't really related to this episode per se, is Eloise's often forgotten other son. If I'm not mistaken, when Desmond was shacked up in the monastery, the head monk there had a photo on his desk of himself with Ms. Hawking. This was a fun, logical tidbit, as the monastery is where Desmond first meets Penny. And Penny is the catalyst that ultimately sends Desmond to the island. But absolutely nothing has been made of him since, and I find that curious and troubling. Part of me worries that this facet of Eliose's history is going to be ignored and retconned.
Anyway, since I (shockingly) didn’t receive any mail or blog comments regarding last week’s episode, let’s take a look at the review on the EW website. Here is one passage I found particularly interesting (and for what it’s worth, I’m going to apologize ahead of time for jumping all over the place. Just think of it as an allusion to the time trippin island from earlier this season):
Moreover — and I think this idea is richly twisted — Jack's plan would take away something even more important to the castaways. From the very beginning of Lost, we've been encouraged to consider these characters as fallen people desperate for redemption, or at least a fresh start. Jack's plan is a shortcut to absolution. It would also negate the redemption and happily-ever-afters that his castaway friends have achieved. (See: Sawyer and Juliet.)
While this assessment paints Jack with a pretty negative brush, this idea is challenged by one of the website comments:
So why force a person who was good in the beginning (Jack) to live a miserable life because people who were bad (Kate, Sawyer) dont want to go back???
And I think this is an interesting point that is worth examining. Jack is undeniably flawed. While his severe obsessive issues tore apart his marriage and his relationship with his father, he was an overall good guy. He didn’t hurt people and he didn’t take advantage of anybody. His life revolved around trying to save people and fix things. Honestly, if he’s the worst person you’ve ever met, you can count yourself lucky.
How is it fair for this man to give up everything – even when he may not have been entirely happy to begin with – so that murderers can be “saved”? And make no mistake, Kate and Sawyer are killers. A lot of people like to romanticize their story, but Sawyer shot a man in cold blood based on the word of some nefarious character. And Kate….well, where do I start? She blew up her stepfather because…..he was a jerk? Yeah. Along with that, Jack’s motivations aren’t even self-motivated (unlike Kate, Sawyer, and virtually everybody else). When the prospect of erasing the past three years came up, the first thing he mentioned was how all those people that died would now be alive again. Hey Kate, I know that means you won’t be able to meet a couple of cute guys, but perhaps you’d be willing to sacrifice that so that Charlie and Boone don’t have to die.
Speaking of Kate, I was pretty astounded by the amount of hate directed towards her by the online community. One of my close friends has always hated her, but I didn’t realize there was such a huge contingent out there. I will admit that last week’s episode basically made her into the Lost version of Kim Bauer: Whenever Kate is introduced into a scene, the situation gets just a little bit worse. Here is a noteworthy comment, courtesy of Scott Keith’s blog:
If you watch this show from the beginning, Jack and Kate were clearly supposed to be the stars of the show, with everyone else being supporting players.
Now if you watch, this show is clearly about Locke, Sayid, Ben, Sawyer, Juliet, Jin and Sun, Richard, Hurley, etc. Basically, the supporting players have become the stars, while Jack and Kate have become the supporting players (and frankly, boring).
Ya’ see this is one of the instances in which I think people allow their Jack and Kate hate get out of hand. I completely understand that some people may not like these characters, or may find them boring, but you’re absolutely fooling yourself if you don’t think that Jack is still the star of the show.
Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely an ensemble cast, and the series COULD survive without Jack, but who in their right mind could possibly argue that Lost is more about Sun or Jin than it is about Jack? Sun and Jin, collectively, have said about five words all season. And while guys like Sayid, Hurley, Juliet, and Richard are important to the series, they’re the definition of supporting characters. They’re part of the main story, and they may even play a crucial role, but the story doesn’t center around them. An honest, strong argument could be made for Sawyer, Locke, and maybe even Ben, but at its core Jack IS the star of the show, like him or not.
Returning to the EW website (I’m all over the place this week), we have another comment related to the Kate-hate, as well as her supposed love triangle with Jack and Sawyer:
I think its great that so many people are hating on her. especially over this 'assumed' love triangle. KATE is not back for Sawyer. She is there to find Claire. Kate has not made any advancments toward Sawyer. The only issue is the fact that Juliette can't handle her being around.
This is exactly what I have been saying since the Oceanic Six returned to the island. Kate has explicitly stated that she returned to the island to find Claire. One might argue that she hasn’t even mentioned Claire since returning to the island, but I think it’s completely understandable that the whole time travel thing may have altered her plan and priorities. She also hasn’t made any physical advancement towards Sawyer. Sure, they had ONE conversation, but it was basically to resolve a matter that didn’t receive proper closure. I think people are making something out of very little. And the writers are milking it, make no mistake.
Regarding Jack’s quest, here’s an interesting thought from the EW comments section:
If 2008 Ellie knew that Jack would go back to the 70s and try to blow up the island why would she send him back unless it turned out ok? Otherwise why wouldn't she try to change time by not sending him back or at least tell them to warn Faraday that he will be shot if he walks into camp waving a gun around? Richard said he saw them die so it sounds like the whole hydrogen bomb thing will not work.
Since Eloise was willing to send her son back to the island knowing full well that she’d shoot and kill him, I don’t find it especially hard to believe that she’d send a relative stranger to the island to die in an explosion. I have two trains of thought when it comes to Eloise: She’s either richly devoted to maintaining the proper timeline, or she’s desperately hoping that somebody will take a step that will rewrite history so that she doesn’t end up killing her son. Or, most likely, perhaps she realizes that the Incident MUST happen for some greater good.
Shifting gears to the Locke portion of last week’s episode, let’s take a look once again at the EW review:
Locke said. ''And to be honest with all of you, if there is a man telling us what to do, I want to know who he is.'' Correct me if I'm wrong, but did we just witness the completion of a profound role reversal on Lost? Because Locke's rhetoric is that of the rational skeptic, demanding empirical proof before committing his trust to some great and mighty Oz. Jack is now the man of faith; Locke is now the man of science.
I’m not entirely sure that we’ve seen that drastic a change in Locke, not as far as beliefs go, anyway. He’s definitely more confident, but Locke has always been inquisitive about the island. Every opportunity he gets, he’s asking Ben about Jacob or the Smoke Monster or what have you. He’s finally in a position to get one of those great answers for himself, so he’s making it happen. I wouldn’t consider this a transformation into a man of science, as he isn’t asking for proof of Jacob’s existence. Locke KNOWS Jacob exists. Like I said, Locke is now in a position to make certain things happen. In the past, he had obstacles like Ben and the Others, who prevented him from interacting with Jacob. Now Locke is calling the shots.
On the topic of Jacob, I found this EW website comment very interesting. I don’t necessarily believe this theory, but I thought it was worth sharing:
I've figured this baby out (I think!) ... Jack is Jacob. He's gonna get unstuck in time when he detonates Jughead, which will also create the ring of ash around Jacob's cabin. Locke wants to kill Jacob, which would free Jack from timeshifts and thus save him.
I was thinking the same thing, hence all the secrecy about who he is until after the oceanic crew left the island. Also why Christian and Claire are his agents. Can't wait to find out!
More than anything else, I just liked the connection with Jack, Christian, and Claire. It would explain why these two people, who seemingly had no connection whatsoever to the island, are suddenly the messengers. That being said, I don’t think that Jack is Jacob.
Nevertheless, the more I think about it, the more I’m beginning to believe that Locke’s promise to kill Jacob isn’t something murderous. Rather, he’s fulfilling Jacob’s earlier request to help him. Keep in mind, Locke’s death brought him back to the island. Perhaps killing Jacob will, in a way, bring him back to the world of the living.
As I bring this column to a close, let’s take a look at one more observation – one of my favorites of all the ones I’ve come across:
What about Radzinski asking Sawyer to draw a map for him, could this be where the infamous map was born?
YES!! Love this catch. How great would it be if Radzinski looks at Sawyer’s map, only to see the blueprint of the drawing he’d later scrawl on the wall of the hatch?
And here's the latest installment of Lost! Untangled for you to enjoy:
Sorry, Internet issues kept me from posting this earlier. But thanks for waiting! 24 is a unique series in the sense that it can essentially climax an episode or two before the finale, so that it can spend the last couple of episodes tying up all of the loose ends. Not a lot of shows can get away with that, but for 24 it works.
You know, it’s a curious thing about Prison Break. It’s probably the only series that I’m really into that I can stand not watching. With 24 and Heroes, I make it a point to watch the show that night, even if it means staying up a lot later than I normally would have. And with Lost, I may go as far as to scheduling my night to ensure that I’m watching the show as it’s airing (sad, I know). But even when I’m home on Fridays at 8:00, I usually hold off on viewing Prison Break. And I may wait until Sunday before I actually tune in. By no means is this a shot at the show, because I genuinely enjoy it. And when the episode ends, I’m genuinely interested in seeing what’s going to happen next. But for whatever reason, it’s the one show that I’m into, that isn’t necessarily “Must See (Immediately)” for me. I don’t know.
Hulk Hogan made a remark about potentially killing his wife which was taken out of context in order to sell magazines.
Chris Benoit actually murdered his wife and young son.
I'm a wrestling fan. And I spend a whole lot of time on the Internet. Yet, most of the time, I can't stand the supposed "Internet Wrestling Community" (or, in some circles, "IWC"). There are a lot of people that say that this community doesn't even exist -- and more times than not, they're perceived members.
These are the people who refuse to believe that Shawn Michaels is a changed man and that Hulk Hogan is the bottom of the barrel of humanity (why, exactly? Because he didn't let people pin his shoulders to the mat? Yeah, that makes him a bad person), yet they continuously make excuses for Chris Benoit. Chris Benoit can't possibly be a soul-less monster. Nope, it was the steroids! And it wasn't HIS fault he took steroids, it was the wrestling industry and Vince McMahon! Or it was the constant headshots. Nevermind the fact that he stupidly took unprotected chairshots to the head (which practically nobody else does -- and those that do protect themselves are never reprimanded) and senselessly used the flying headbutt as a non-finisher. And again, that wasn't his fault. It was the prejudices against "little men" that exist within the industry. And whose fault is it that he chose this profession to begin with? It baffles me how far people will go to defend his absolutely despicable actions.
Yet many of these same people don't hesitate to viciously attack Hulk Hogan (and others typically unpopular within this community) whenever the opportunity presents itself. Nick Hogan got into a car accident -- an absolute abnormality for teenagers, I'm sure -- making the Hogans an atrocious excuse for a family. And then Hulk made some pretty foolish and tasteless comments while trying to defend and reassure his son. I admit, that probably wasn't the wisest of moves. But hey, at least Nick's father didn't murder him when he was seven years old... And for what it's worth, Nick did his time instead of offing himself like a coward.
If people want to tear Hogan down because his family is falling apart, he's full of himself, and he's a compulsive liar, where's all the hate for Internet-darling Kurt Angle? Talk about a guy who is off his rocker... Does the ability to wrestle a good match make you a better person?
I will say this, though: I do detest Linda Hogan (and yes, I do know this is not their real last name). For that matter, the whole divorce system is completely F'd. Explain to me how Linda can say that SHE wants out of the marriage, and then Hulk has to pay for her lawyers? And how much money is she getting each month? Because she's "accustomed to a certain lifestyle." Yeah, honey, you experienced that lifestyle because you were married to a very rich man. You decide you want to leave the man, ya' gotta leave the lifestyle too. Can you imagine saying to your boss, "I'm no longer happy at this job. I'm going to leave. But this job allowed me to live in a lovely apartment in the city. So I'm going to leave, because I'm not happy, but you still have to pay me because I really like the type of life it lets me lead." Ridiculous.
What makes it worse is that one of their children is a legal adult, and the other one is 17, so I don't see this as a child support type agreement. The kids are now grown up, so there's nothing stopping Linda from getting a job and earning her own money. She wants to move to get away from Hulk, why should he have to finance that? Why can't she save up her money and do it herself? This really does drive me crazy.
So, to sum up, Hulk is better than Linda, who is better than Benoit. Have a nice day.
When Tess was introduced at the beginning of the season, I was pretty critical of her seemingly one dimensional character. I have to admit, though, she’s really grown on me. Her relationship with Oliver has played a big part in that, but I also appreciate how they’ve made her a distinct character. She’s playing an active role in motivating Clark into fulfilling his destiny. Yet she’s not doing it because she’s heroic or good natured, like Oliver and Chloe, and she’s seemingly not doing it because of her visions of grandeur, like Lionel. She just seems invested in seeing him grow into the hero he’s supposed to be. I actually enjoy the fact that they’re not harping on her motives or how this would benefit her. In the grand scheme of things, does it necessarily matter? It’s also been fun watching her coy interactions with Clark. She clearly knows about his abilities, and no matter how much he insists he’s a normal human being, she’s just not buying it. Case in point, I liked the way Tess was completely unfazed with how Clark used his super speed to exit the mansion.
“I remember them clearly. Because I watched them all die.”
Awesome character you may be, Richard, but your bedside manner could use some work. That being said, Richard also receives runner up quote recognition with his brilliant “Want the bullet?” line.
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Speaking of bedside manner – an expression commonly used for doctors – Jack kicked this episode off with some harsh truths as well, didn’t he? I find it interesting that Jack’s new methodology has been compared to Locke’s – in fact, that very connection was explicitly stated this very episode – yet his philosophy on whether to rewrite history was very un-Locke-like. Earlier this season Locke stated that the past events in his life, even the negative and painful ones, helped him become the man he needed to be. Yet in his discussion with Kate, Jack confessed that there were enough bad memories existed that he was willing to let go of the past three plus years altogether.
And based on how hurt she was by those comments, and how mopey she was around him for the remainder of the episode, I refuse to believe that she doesn’t still have feelings for him. I mean, when Jack proposed a history in which their plane landed safely, the first thing she asked was, “What about us?” I’m sure, to an extent, she was trying to prey on his emotions in order to talk him out of what he was planning, but nevertheless, her immediate thought was THEIR relationship. And she was legitimately hurt when it seemed that he was willing to give up on them.
But man, that girl really knows how to ruin a good time, huh? How much did your heart sink when she entered the sub and completely destroyed any chance Sawyer and Juliet had for happiness? For the first time, Sawyer was willing to just let go of everything else in his life if it meant that he could live the rest of his life with the woman he loves. And in just a few seconds, all of that crumbled. You could read it on both of their faces, especially Juliet’s. And for that matter, I don’t know how anybody could argue that Sawyer doesn’t genuinely love Juliet. He was willing to sacrifice everybody else so that he could run away and live a real life with her.
I’m not sure how I feel about this whole Jack & Sayid vs. Sawyer, Juliet, and Kate thing, though. It’s strange, because I feel like they’re trying to make the latter team seem like the “good guys,” but are they? If Jack successfully changes the future – conceivably – he prevents the Purge, meaning that all of the Dharma folk live. And without the plane crashing on the island, Boone, Shannon, Libby, Ana Lucia, Michael, Eko, Charlie, and all the rest live. And Desmond doesn’t have to live in a hatch for all those years. And what exactly is Kate’s justification to prevent it? Because she met some cute boys on the flight?
I must note that I absolutely loved the framing of the episode, with present day Richard on a journey with Locke and Ben, and Richard from 30 years ago on a journey with Eloise, Jack, Kate, and Sayid (by the way, pretty brilliant pairing Sayid with Jack, the one person who didn’t disagree with the decision to shoot young Ben. This effectively avoided Sayid being viewed as a villain to the viewers). In both cases the described advisor was clueless as to what was happening – or what was going to happen – a rarity for this character. And in both instances, he seemed reluctant to cooperate with the orders being given. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this episode, though, is the fact that it did rattle the theory that the future can’t be changed (a theory I argued in favor of in my Revisited column). Richard revealed that he watched the Oceanic survivors die, which I don’t believe will end up happening. Oh, and Richard building a ship in the bottle (where did he order that, exactly?) – could that be a Black Rock reference?
So we finally found out how Richard knew that Locke had been shot, and I’m glad Ben asked the question we were all wondering: How did Locke know that this was the right time? Turns out, the island told him. I presume that the island also told him to tell Richard to tell him (three years in the past) that he has to die. Otherwise we’ll get into another one of those paradox debates.
Speaking of Richard and Locke, how unsettling was his comment to Ben (of all people) that he’s starting to think that their new leader is going to be trouble? About as uneasy as Locke’s confession to Ben that he’s going to kill Jacob. The infrastructure of the Others is really starting to shake up, huh? I do have to say, though, that it was devilish fun watching Locke string Ben along on his little mission just to rub in his face how much more special he is.
I also find it interesting how many of the central characters are turning into their greatest rival. Locke has exercised his manipulative side, as we’ve seen with Sun, much like Ben. Jack has found his spiritual side, screaming about destiny, similar to Locke. Even Sawyer has transformed into an altruistic savior, a la Jack. Thoughts on what all of this might mean?
By the way, I usually don’t read other reviews until after I finish mine, because I only intend to use other people’s thoughts in my Revisited column. But since I got a late start to this one, I did have a chance to read around a bit and I couldn’t help but laugh at this comment from Scott Keith’s blog:
And poor Richard. Dude’s like 400 years old and even he’s getting confused by the shit that’s going on around him.
And since this past episode was framed by the past and present Richard, this seems like the perfect way to end this week’s column.
Be sure to send in your thoughts for my Revisited column….it’s the last one before the finale! So make it good and don’t hesitate to participate!
Matt Basilo is a television correspondent who has been writing for InsidePulse.com since April 2005. He's also a ghost writer for a major consultant firm, with articles published in several reputable financial magazines. Matt currently resides in New Jersey.
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Episodes 5-1 & 5-2 – “Because You Left” & “The Lie” 
Episode 5-12 – “Dead is Dead” 
