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Getting this thing posted by Wednesday night, not too shabby.
It’s a bit hard to believe that I’ve been so overwhelmed this season because practically all of the shows I review air within two days. There’s Heroes, 24, and Lost. Honestly, it can be exhausting. And yet come next season, at the very least two of those series will be off the air. And Heroes is hardly a sure thing. But hey – there’s always Smallville!
http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/03/31/24-episode-8-14-review/
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
A Case of the.... 24 - Episode 8-14
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-10
Sawyer: Why do you need a boat? Can’t you just turn into smoke and fly your way over there?
The Locke Ness Monster: If I could do that, do you think I’d still be on this island?
Sawyer: No, because that would be ridiculous….
Awesome.
So was anybody else worried that they were going to do an amnesia story arc when Sun hit her head, woke up, and started speaking Korean? Sure, the “I understand you, but you can’t understand me” thing was a little disconcerting at first, but I’m willing to see how it plays out. Plus it set up the wonderful interaction between Jack and Sun near the end of the episode. Ya’ know, I’ve spent so much time listening to arguments about Sawyer and Kate’s super duper special relationship, yet this scene – between two characters who have never and will never share anything resembling a romance – was one of the most genuinely touching and heartfelt scene of the season. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but it was just a fantastic scene. It really reminded me of early Jack – just a calming force in the midst of all the unbelievable chaos.
Continue reading "A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-10"....
If I’m not mistaken, this was one of the only Sun/Jin-centric episodes that didn’t see the couple reuniting in the end. And that was a bit bittersweet, as the scene in the garden was a poignant representation of how long these two have been apart. This husband and wife, who share a daughter together, haven’t set eyes on each other for three years. During this time, Sun thought Jin was dead. And Jin would frequently check to see if she and the others had returned to the island, despite living 30 years in the past. Talk about star crossed lovers.
For that matter, speaking of genuinely touching moments, was there anything like seeing Jin look at the photos of his daughter? My goodness, how that tugged at the heart. And what really added to the scene and what made it even more emotional was that you could imagine how Sun originally envisioned this return to the island. I’m sure, in her mind, she’d come back to warmly embrace her husband, only to shower him with photos and tales of their beautiful young daughter. But, as we know, that’s not what happened. And you could imagine how torturous this must be for them – after being separated for three years, and then by 30 years, and now knowing that they’re both on the island at the same time, but still separated.
I’d say that I always wanted these two to get reunited. But after this episode, I’d say I’m solidly invested in their reunion.
So, the sideways world. As many people observed in the premiere, Sun was referred to as “Ms. Paik,” leading to speculation that they aren’t married in this alternate universe. As we learned tonight, that is the case. But their love transcends realities (if only there was some other relationship on the show that did this as well), as we would quickly learn that these two were carrying on a dangerous affair. And in an interesting twist on the reality we know, Sun had ulterior motives for coming to the United States. While she was originally intending on escaping from Jin, in this universe she’s planning on escaping with him.
This episode also provided for an interesting take on Sun and Jin’s actual trip to the United States. In the island universe, Jin was delivering a watch (much like the sideways one). And in the bathroom of the airport, Jin was quite cryptically warned not to try anything funny. Just deliver the watch. Of course, that would never come to happen, as they crashed on an island. But in the sideways world, they did land. And in this world, the man Jin is delivering the watch to was also ordered to kill him. Could this have been Mr. Paik’s plan in the “real world” as well?
Oh, it was also neat seeing Mikhail again. And I just loved that his demise came with him losing his eye. Some guys just can’t catch a break. And fun fact – this may be the only circumstance in which a freighter mercenary and an Other are working together.
Alright, now to Locke and his crew. A couple of weeks ago I agreed with the notion that Widmore is likely on the Locke Ness Monster’s team, since Ben is against him, and it’s unlikely that Ben and Widmore would be working together. Now, I’m not so sure. The interaction between Widmore and the Locke Ness Monster was quite believably adversarial – to the point that I have a hard time believing that they’re in cahoots. And I’m very interested in learning why the pylons prevent Smokey from passing. Is it the sonic barrier? And what about the sonic barrier stops him?
But the big reveal was that Desmond was the person inside the locked room. I’m thrilled by this news! I was beginning to think that Desmond was the new Walt – ya’ know, a character explicitly stated as being something special, and may very well be the key to all that has gone wrong, only to be removed from the show completely due to outside forces. But, thank the Lord, that’s not the case here. Geez, how odd would it be seeing Ben, Widmore, and Desmond all working together?
What I did find interesting is the revelation that, in Sawyer’s eyes, Widmore is the lesser of two evils. Sure, he’s playing both sides, but at the end of the day he really does want Widmore to succeed in destroying Smokey.
Speaking of the Locke Ness Monster, he drops a few tidbits of information that I’m not sure I believe. He claims that Claire’s name wasn’t on the cave wall. Interesting. Can anybody verify that via screencaps? The debate about Kate’s name has been going on since that episode (I still maintain that we don’t know her name WASN’T on the wall). Right now, I’m inclined to believe that the “Kwon” refers to Jin. For one, that’s his actual name, opposed to it being Sun’s married name. Secondly, this might be the determinant when figuring out why certain characters, but not others, transported through time (of course, that would also bring up a huge discussion on Rose, Bernard, Miles, Charlotte, Faraday, Vincent the dog, Juliet, etc).
Anyway, my new prediction following this episode is that the sideways universe is what the world will become if the Smoke Monster gets off the island. Consider the promises the Locke Ness Monster has made: Claire can be with Aaron. Sayid’s love would still be alive. And because of slight changes, certain existences – like Sun and Jin’s daughter and possibly Penelope Widmore – never came to be. I’m not sure it’s “hell,” as Hurley and others have claimed, but it’s something.
Alright, I’m pretty tired. If I think of anything else, well, there’s always Revisited!
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The Locke Ness Monster: If I could do that, do you think I’d still be on this island?
Sawyer: No, because that would be ridiculous….
Awesome.
So was anybody else worried that they were going to do an amnesia story arc when Sun hit her head, woke up, and started speaking Korean? Sure, the “I understand you, but you can’t understand me” thing was a little disconcerting at first, but I’m willing to see how it plays out. Plus it set up the wonderful interaction between Jack and Sun near the end of the episode. Ya’ know, I’ve spent so much time listening to arguments about Sawyer and Kate’s super duper special relationship, yet this scene – between two characters who have never and will never share anything resembling a romance – was one of the most genuinely touching and heartfelt scene of the season. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but it was just a fantastic scene. It really reminded me of early Jack – just a calming force in the midst of all the unbelievable chaos.
Continue reading "A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-10"....
If I’m not mistaken, this was one of the only Sun/Jin-centric episodes that didn’t see the couple reuniting in the end. And that was a bit bittersweet, as the scene in the garden was a poignant representation of how long these two have been apart. This husband and wife, who share a daughter together, haven’t set eyes on each other for three years. During this time, Sun thought Jin was dead. And Jin would frequently check to see if she and the others had returned to the island, despite living 30 years in the past. Talk about star crossed lovers.
For that matter, speaking of genuinely touching moments, was there anything like seeing Jin look at the photos of his daughter? My goodness, how that tugged at the heart. And what really added to the scene and what made it even more emotional was that you could imagine how Sun originally envisioned this return to the island. I’m sure, in her mind, she’d come back to warmly embrace her husband, only to shower him with photos and tales of their beautiful young daughter. But, as we know, that’s not what happened. And you could imagine how torturous this must be for them – after being separated for three years, and then by 30 years, and now knowing that they’re both on the island at the same time, but still separated.
I’d say that I always wanted these two to get reunited. But after this episode, I’d say I’m solidly invested in their reunion.
So, the sideways world. As many people observed in the premiere, Sun was referred to as “Ms. Paik,” leading to speculation that they aren’t married in this alternate universe. As we learned tonight, that is the case. But their love transcends realities (if only there was some other relationship on the show that did this as well), as we would quickly learn that these two were carrying on a dangerous affair. And in an interesting twist on the reality we know, Sun had ulterior motives for coming to the United States. While she was originally intending on escaping from Jin, in this universe she’s planning on escaping with him.
This episode also provided for an interesting take on Sun and Jin’s actual trip to the United States. In the island universe, Jin was delivering a watch (much like the sideways one). And in the bathroom of the airport, Jin was quite cryptically warned not to try anything funny. Just deliver the watch. Of course, that would never come to happen, as they crashed on an island. But in the sideways world, they did land. And in this world, the man Jin is delivering the watch to was also ordered to kill him. Could this have been Mr. Paik’s plan in the “real world” as well?
Oh, it was also neat seeing Mikhail again. And I just loved that his demise came with him losing his eye. Some guys just can’t catch a break. And fun fact – this may be the only circumstance in which a freighter mercenary and an Other are working together.
Alright, now to Locke and his crew. A couple of weeks ago I agreed with the notion that Widmore is likely on the Locke Ness Monster’s team, since Ben is against him, and it’s unlikely that Ben and Widmore would be working together. Now, I’m not so sure. The interaction between Widmore and the Locke Ness Monster was quite believably adversarial – to the point that I have a hard time believing that they’re in cahoots. And I’m very interested in learning why the pylons prevent Smokey from passing. Is it the sonic barrier? And what about the sonic barrier stops him?
But the big reveal was that Desmond was the person inside the locked room. I’m thrilled by this news! I was beginning to think that Desmond was the new Walt – ya’ know, a character explicitly stated as being something special, and may very well be the key to all that has gone wrong, only to be removed from the show completely due to outside forces. But, thank the Lord, that’s not the case here. Geez, how odd would it be seeing Ben, Widmore, and Desmond all working together?
What I did find interesting is the revelation that, in Sawyer’s eyes, Widmore is the lesser of two evils. Sure, he’s playing both sides, but at the end of the day he really does want Widmore to succeed in destroying Smokey.
Speaking of the Locke Ness Monster, he drops a few tidbits of information that I’m not sure I believe. He claims that Claire’s name wasn’t on the cave wall. Interesting. Can anybody verify that via screencaps? The debate about Kate’s name has been going on since that episode (I still maintain that we don’t know her name WASN’T on the wall). Right now, I’m inclined to believe that the “Kwon” refers to Jin. For one, that’s his actual name, opposed to it being Sun’s married name. Secondly, this might be the determinant when figuring out why certain characters, but not others, transported through time (of course, that would also bring up a huge discussion on Rose, Bernard, Miles, Charlotte, Faraday, Vincent the dog, Juliet, etc).
Anyway, my new prediction following this episode is that the sideways universe is what the world will become if the Smoke Monster gets off the island. Consider the promises the Locke Ness Monster has made: Claire can be with Aaron. Sayid’s love would still be alive. And because of slight changes, certain existences – like Sun and Jin’s daughter and possibly Penelope Widmore – never came to be. I’m not sure it’s “hell,” as Hurley and others have claimed, but it’s something.
Alright, I’m pretty tired. If I think of anything else, well, there’s always Revisited!
A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-9 Revisited
Not surprisingly, last week’s episode of Lost got quite a bit of attention and had a lot of people talking. And what better way to start than with some of the comments left on my blog? DaBooty offered his thoughts on the episode:
This episode did not disappoint me one bit. I loved every minute of it. Richard is one of my favorite characters and his story was much sadder than i thought it would be. It really made me feel for the guy.
When Richard told everyone around the camp fire that they are in hell, I totally believed him and my jaw hit the floor. Then, as Lost often does, the episode explained how Richard may have come to think that. Its just crazy to me how long he has been there and yet he still holds on to everything that he learned in those first few days with the MIB and Jacob.
Actually, I must say, if anything about the episode did disappoint me, it was that Richard submitted to the idea that they’re in Hell. And that the other characters didn’t argue the ridiculousness of that statement. Yes, I recognize that none of them were in the best frame of mind, and that they’ve experienced some crazy ass stuff since arriving on the island, but the fact remains that everybody within that group – Richard included – had left the island and integrated with every day, mainland society. So I wish somebody had kinda said, “Um, no. I just spent three years in Los Angeles.”
Continue reading "A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-9 Revisited"....
Of course, that’s a nitpick that doesn’t tie into the heart of the episode, so it didn’t bother me enough to really impact my view of the episode. Which was, if you haven’t gathered, I thought was AWESOME.
I believe that the Man in Black saved Richard only after killing the others in hopes of making Richard actually believe he was in hell. Notice how he didn't save him right away but let him suffer in the brig for a while before finally showing up with the keys...how convenient! Richard should have been skeptical right off the bat.
This is a great point, and in my shock of the Man in Black being the one to rescue Richard, I guess I didn’t quite notice the sinister fashion in which he did it. Like DaBooty notes, he was downright cruel in the way he handled the situation. While the Man in Black likely could have rescued Richard immediately, he instead tortured him through visions, dehydration, and starvation. He allowed Richard to hit the ultimate low so that he could be his savior when he did offer a helping hand.
I don't agree with you, however, that it is now so clear cut that Jacob is good and the MIB is bad. It certainly appears that way from this episode, but that is only if we believe Jacob. The MIB just wants to leave and he just seems willing to manipulate to kill Jacob. That may seem evil to us, but we don't know the circumstances of the MIB being trapped. Where will he go when he gets off the island? Clearly he isn't going to the main land and getting a shift at Mr. Clucks. We need to find out what "getting off the island" actually is for the MIB and why Jacob is keeping him there.
I just feel pretty adamant that at this time, the writers are more concerned with wrapping things up than throwing more and more curveballs (that may sound odd to the viewers who insist that we’re getting more new questions than old answers). Throughout the series Jacob has seemed decidedly “good” while the Smoke Monster has seemed decidedly “bad.” Now that we’ve met and seen both characters – and both seem to be sticking to those roles – I just don’t see the writers pulling a swerve just so they can say “gotcha!” in the 11th hour. I do think they want us to question who is good and who is evil – should we choose to narrow it down to such simple terms – but I also think they want us to lean in this direction. The light/darkness, white/black thing is no mistake, in my view. Nor is the Man in Black’s penchant to try to tempt people, compared with Jacob’s “absentee landlord” approach. To me, the powers that be are giving us enough information to pretty surely determine that Jacob is the good guy and the Man in Black is the bad guy (again, it’s obviously more complex than this). Those that are in doubt, in my opinion, are only questioning it because they’re expecting a twist. But nothing has happened that would lead me to believe Smokey is the good guy here.
Unless, in Jacobs metaphor of the island being the cork and the wine being the evil, the MIB is actually the wine and Jacob is the cork. Maybe the MIB leaving will spread evil around the world? I just dont know. I am not sure i fully understood Jacobs explantion of the island. Especially since at the end Richard's wife stated that they'll all go to hell. Does that mean the island (the cork) is some kind of weird purgatory where failure in your mission takes you to hell and fulfillment of your purpose brings you to...heaven? sideways world? i just dont know!
I’m not necessarily sure I’m right here, but my interpretation of Jacob’s metaphor is that the Smoke Monster/Man in Black is evil personified. He has the ability to infect souls (a la Claire and Sayid, and Rousseau’s buddies), which darkens their personas – possibly even making them into killers (could you imagine sweet Aussie Claire from seasons ago jamming an ax into somebody’s gut?) Right now, that embodiment is contained on the island. Should he escape the island, his dark power could touch anybody, anywhere. And do any of us want a bunch creepy, Emo Sayids and crazy-haired Claires running around?
I also found Jacob's offer to Richard to be extremely interesting. Why could he only grant him eternal life and not any of those other things? It seems to me that if he were truly good, he could offer Richard what he truly wanted. MIB on the other hand did offer Sayid what he truly wanted when he was recruiting him…
I also found it curious that Jacob was seemingly unable to grant certain things, but WAS able to grant something rather extraordinary. I was especially surprised that he wasn’t able to absolve Richard of his sins, considering that he’s being portrayed as a Christ-like figure. But then again, maybe Jacob wasn’t “unable” but rather “unwilling.” Maybe Richard needed to truly earn his forgiveness and learn to forgive himself, instead of having Jacob twirl his finger and make it all better. And eternal life made that possible.
Also on the blog, Kyle had this to say:
Also, here's a question that doesn't much matter, but is weird nonetheless. Most people call him Richard (modern day name). But Jacob and others have called him Ricardus. I expected that to be his pre Island name, but it's not...it's Ricardo. I'm sure it's not important and won't be answered, but at what point did someone randomly start calling him Ricardus? My guess is this was just a total red herring to make you think Richard was a lot older than he is, since Ricardus makes me think of Rome and the like. Just a little strange.
I found this curious as well. My thought process, though, is that “Ricardus” is merely the usage appropriate for Ilana’s heritage (whatever that may be). Keep in mind, the only time we’ve heard him referred to as Ricardus was when Ilana said it, or when somebody said it to Ilana.
Let’s take a look at the very thorough and entertaining review over at the Entertainment Weekly website. Regarding Richard’s first encounter with Jacob, the review had this to say:
He then dumped him on the beach. ''Get up. We need to talk,'' he said. Interesting: MIB's m.o. was all about helping people to their feet. Jacob's m.o. was all about making people do it themselves. Physician, heal thyself!
This is yet another example of Jacob and the Man in Black taking opposite approaches, with the apparent “villain” offering the easier/more compassionate route, and the possible “good guy” providing a more hardened, but perhaps better alternative. Yes, Jacob is notoriously secretive and perhaps even stand offish, while the Man in Black is charming and very transparent. However Jacob’s non-information affords people the opportunity to make decisions for themselves, while Smokey seems to spill in order to manipulate people’s decisions.
And in this instance, the Man in Black DID help Richard to his feet. But as discussed above, it was after knowingly leaving him in a torturous situation. On the other hand, Jacob told Richard to get to his feet (ironically, after using a torture technique) and immediately opened a dialogue and offered him a position.
But instead of a rendezvous with the devil, Richard got Hurley instead. What followed was an extremely effective and affecting scene that flirted with trite emotional resolution but managed to work thanks to some great acting and direction. Leveraging his Ghost Whisperer secret powers, Hurley was able to facilitate a moment between the living and the dead, between Ricardo and Isabella, and translate and impart some spiritual wisdom that Richard desperately needed to hear. Put another way: Hurley and Richard basically switched roles last night, with Hurley playing Island advisor and Richard playing castaway spiritual seeker.
I really enjoyed this observation because it has been a real joy seeing Richard – who we know has been on the island for over 100 years now – being as confused as anybody over the past two seasons. His look of utter shock and confusion as the Locke Ness Monster – disguised (as the name suggests) as a newly confident Locke – barked orders and assured him that he should just be faithful and trust him, was fantastic. It’s just such a contrast from what we’d seen up until that point. And so, yes, I did enjoy seeing him in this unknowing, vulnerable way, while Hurley – who, for whatever reason, is far more in tune with the island’s strange powers – guided him through his difficult spiritual journal.
But actually, I found myself more interested in some of the comments left on EW.com. Here’s one of them:
I just can't get over the 1867 ridiculousness, especially as (unless I'm wrong) there is no reason the episode couldn't have been placed in 1667, in which case it would have made a lot more sense.
In 1867, there was no "New World," the African slave trade has basically been abolished, and ships were way more advanced.
I’ll admit that my history is a little shaky, but this does seem like a fair point. Thankfully, before I had to do any real research, another poster offered this response:
1667 or 1767 would have created some major retcon problems with the story - the Black Rock was stocked with dynamite, which wasn't invented until the mid-19th century,
There ya’ go. I’ll take a strangely old boat and archaic verbiage over stocking something that hasn’t been invented yet. And another person verified this claim:
I Googled it:
Nobel patented his fuse cap (shown when Richard tried to kill himself, last episode) for dynamite in 1867.
The last *legal* slave trade ships ran thru 1867.
Tight timing, but very possible.
So there you have it. Quite simply, it HAD to be 1867, and no earlier (and perhaps no later) than that.
Aside from its involvement in the slave trade during those days I wonder if making his home Tenerife has any deeper meaning, or if there's any correlation between the horrific real life plane crash on Tenerife in 1977 and island time of 1977.
Again, excuse my lack of historical knowledge, but I was unaware of this fact. And it’s actually quite interesting and relevant once you look into it a bit. This disaster, which is the deadliest aviation accident of all time, occurred when two aircrafts collided on a runway on the island of Tenerife in 1977.
Without getting into further detail, there are a few facets that should strike you as relevant right off the bat. First, there’s the year 1977, which we all know is the year the Incident took place. Then, there are the two planes. Two separate planes – Oceanic 815 and Ajira 316 – brought the castaways to the island.
So out of all the Spanish islands they could have picked, this seems a bit too coincidental to be an accident.
The canary islands are off the coast of Africa, so the journey of the black rock was across the Atlantic. I know the island moves but from the Atlantic to the Pacific?
I just found this complaint humorous. We’re okay with the idea that the island jumps through time and has strange, mystical powers. We can even accept that it moves. But for it to transport to an entirely different ocean? That’s just plain preposterous! I’m not one of those people who says, “it’s just a TV show!” as I do believe every form of storytelling must create and adhere to a certain set of rules within its own universe, but this is one of those things I think you should just let go and not really question too much.
On a final note, in last week’s review I noted that I wasn’t going to acknowledge any of the overtly negative, disrespectful, or hateful messages that were spewed off by our new visitors last week. Well, I did get a comment from Rockwell, and I was initially going to ignore it. However, in fairness, the content was well thought out and it wasn’t particularly negative or disrespectful. So I did think it warranted a response. Having said that, I still don’t have any interest in getting into a long winded debate about the romantic fate of Kate, especially since it hasn’t been a major story point in quite some time. So the conversation will pretty much end here:
Ah, so now you're going back to the good old stand-by: shippers are dumb and biased and hormonal and crazy, and they can't be right about anything because they simply ignore what they don't want to see.
As it happens, I'm a literature professor who prefers Sawyer and Kate when it comes to relationships on Lost. I analyze storytelling for a living. So you're saying that because I prefer this side of the triangle, I must necessarily be ignorant of anything to do with Jack and Kate? I don't suppose you'd believe that I (and many others) actually pay just as much attention to that part of the triangle, seeing as how vitally relevant any developments there are to the other side? But no, being an intellectually superior male, I don't suppose you would concede it's possible for anyone to have a preference and ALSO, at the same time, look at the story logically and as a whole, taking into account anything negative so as to stay realistic about our favorite's prospects.
First off, don’t waste your time throwing around titles. I could care less if you’re a literary professor if you’re a teenager writing from your bedroom. I promise you it won’t impress me, and I judge comments based on their content, not on who it’s coming from. But I will certainly say that I hope you show just a bit more objectivity when you “analyze” your students’ papers, because based on my experience with you so far, you’re not very accepting of opposing views.
Secondly, to insinuate that I view myself as an intellectually superior male says a lot more about your insecurities than it does about me. Now who’s resorting to “good old stand-bys”?
And finally – and perhaps most importantly – in all of my writings, where did I ever say that I didn’t think it was possible for anybody to have an opposing preference? I was merely stating MY preference. Again, you might want to take your own advice and recognize that people have different beliefs than your own. At the end of the day this is all going to come down to who the writers want her to end up with (if anybody). And once she does make a decision, people will have loads of scenes to reference supporting how she ALWAYS loved that person. And that will be the case whether she ends up with Jack or Sawyer.
"My contention was merely that this connection that exists between Sawyer and Kate is a moot point, as these same bonds exist between countless others as well. Quite simply, I was just saying that there’s nothing special about the fact that Sawyer and Kate have some sort of tie in their past, future, and sideways world."
Nothing special? Oh, come on! Show me two characters who have a connection like Sawyer and Kate did with Clementine and Cassidy. Kate met and befriended the mother of Sawyer's daughter while she was pregnant with that daughter. She spent an entire episode with her pre-island, and offered to find the guy who knocked her up and "kick his ass." In the flashforwards, Kate kept her promise to Sawyer to look after his daughter, and re-connected with her old friend, and Sawyer's old flame, Cassidy. It was Cassidy who helped Kate come to the realization that she'd kept Aaron because Sawyer broke her heart, and she needed that baby. This connection is a major story element, not a cute little cameo.
I completely disagree with this notion that no two characters have a connection like Sawyer and Kate. That’s just ridiculousness. If we are going to look at any two characters that have a connection that transcends time, space, and universe – that eclipses every other connection on the show – it’s Locke and Ben.
And I really don’t see the big deal about the whole Clementine and Cassidy thing. Sure, Kate met her and spent some time with her. Sayid also met Kate’s dad. Jack’s wife also got in an accident that killed Shannon’s father. Jack met Desmond in a stadium. Desmond used Libby’s boat to get onto the island. Locke worked for Hurley’s company. Jack’s dad met any and every body there is to know about this show. Artz is, like, ALL OVER THE PLACE!
Oh, yeah, and how about the fact that Locke’s dad committed the act that turned Sawyer into the person he is today???? In my opinion, THAT connection is the most significant one in Sawyer’s life. And, if I’m not mistaken, it’s the ONLY connection that managed to integrate itself into the island reality.
Also, it seems clear to me that Cassidy was projecting when she said that Kate kept Aaron to fill a void that was left by Sawyer. To me, that was a super straight case of projection, as Cassidy was ACTUALLY talking about herself. Yes, I recognize that the creators of the show seemed to confirm that she was making an astute and accurate observation, but I still think they were just going along with it and hoping the viewers would see the more complex meaning. Does that make me stubborn? Perhaps. But to me, the idea that Kate essentially adopted a baby she always cared about, that was now motherless, because she missed Sawyer is a bit unbelievable.
Furthermore, I don’t really see it as a major story element. Since that point, Kate has been entirely motivated by reuniting Aaron with Claire. She’s yet to mention this idea that she became his mother to fill a void. If it hasn’t been mentioned since, how is it a major story point?
Now, in the sideways timeline, we see that while Sawyer was instrumental in helping Kate escape from the airport, it's not that easy. Because now she's crashed back into his life again, and we have yet to see where that storyline takes us.
Saying that these connections are just the same as any other two characters is the height of opaque thinking. The writers have written a story for Kate and Sawyer that not only has them falling in love on the island, being separated and then reunited, but that also connects them off-island in the real world in a very significant way. It's not the same as Hurley and Locke. It's not the same as Jack and Dogen, and you know it. Unless I've just missed the scene where Hurley and Locke made love while their own musical theme played.
I think the fact that you believe that two characters must share a sex scene together in order to be “significant” is why you are unable to accept that any other connection could be significant. And again, pointing out that Kate and Sawyer are tied together both on and off the island, and in the sideways universe, is completely moot, as that’s sorta the point of the show. Again, I point to Locke and Ben. On the island, Ben spent the majority of the time we’ve known him feeling insecure about his position, and feeling inadequate when compared to Locke. Through flashbacks, we’ve learned that Locke was offered numerous opportunities to come to the island, but circumstances prevented it for one reason or another. And in each of those instances, something significant happened in Ben’s life. This basically taught us that Ben was ALWAYS the silver medal – he was always the “back up” because things with Locke just weren’t working out.
And yet, in the sideways universe, these two come together yet again. Ben seems like a relatively honest man without much ambition. And who’s the person who encourages him to take his seat at the throne? The very man who would usurp him in the universe we all know.
Also, think of it this way: Shannon and Sayid – a relationship I daresay most people have forgotten about – were, I believe, the first two on the island to sleep together. On the other hand, I’m not even sure that Claire and Charlie (most definitely a revered romance) ever consummated their relationship. Which couple was more “special” and “significant”? I don’t think it’s the same two that “made love”?
I mean hell, Sawyer slept with Charlotte in one universe and she popped up into his life in another, so maybe THEY’RE star crossed lovers!
And no, I'm sorry to tell you, Kate and Jack haven't had a "love scene." They had a kiss, accompanied by dark creepy music in a fade-to-black implied sexual encounter, followed by Kate trying to sneak out in the morning. A love scene is what took place in the cages, with beautiful lighting, close-ups on skin and clothes being removed, intimate eye contact, swelling music, and naked cuddling afterwards. Jack and Kate have never had, and will never have, a scene like that, and there's a reason for this. If you haven't figured it out yet, in a season where they've had only two scenes together, then you probably never will.
I’m sorry, but I simply can’t resist pointing out that in your original comment, you contended that Jack and Kate never had a “sex scene.” When I pointed out they did, you conveniently changed your criteria to a “love scene.” Can you please keep in mind that Jack had basically become Aaron’s surrogate father, and that these two were possibly living together? At the very least, they were engaged. Do you want to honestly argue that they weren’t “making love” off screen? In fact, didn’t they have a pretty intense shower make out session?
And personally, seeing Kate leave her home, with a picture of Jack and Aaron sitting on her desk, is a more beautiful, telling image than that of Kate and Sawyer having cage sex. Oh, and let’s also conveniently overlook the fact that Kate once banged Sawyer because she got so incredibly jealous over seeing Jack eating with Juliet on the beach. Yeah, that’s romantic.
Throughout the series, Kate's episodes are either about Sawyer or feature Sawyer in the B-story slot. Sawyer's are the same, always featuring Kate. Sawyer's character arc is about love. Jack's story is not, and never has been. Now more than ever, it's clear his destiny lies in a different direction. Kate made one brief appearance in The Lighthouse, and that was just to wish him well on his quest and decline to go with him. How many times did she appear in Sawyer's episode? Do you have to be a shipper to understand that this is significant? Sadly, I guess the answer is yes.
I disagree with the idea that Sawyer’s character has been about love. It’s been about redemption. He started off a selfish, heartless criminal who murdered an innocent man in cold blood because he was so incredibly blinded by his own bitterness and anger. Yet, by the end of the series, he’s transformed into a legitimately selfless hero. To me, THAT’S his arc – and it doesn’t need to conclude with him “getting the girl.” On the other hand, Jack’s arc has been his inability to maintain a healthy relationship and to accept people for their flaws, yet love them unconditionally. His father/son relationship was a mess. His marriage fell apart. And in the sideways universe, he struggled to connect with his son. In my view, from a writer’s perspective, he DOES need to end up with the girl in order for him to get that happy ending. Him and Kate accepting each other for who they are – imperfections included – but loving each other nonetheless, to me, is a beautiful, fulfilling ending. And that’s why scenes like Jack defending Sawyer and explaining to Kate that he did so because he loves her just “work” so well. It’s because, on the island, he’s grown to the point that he can put his jealousy and paranoia aside for the woman he loves (and it’s worth noting that Kate also recognized that Sawyer wouldn’t do the same thing. How highly she thinks of him).
And as far as their characters always playing a part in each other’s stories, I would say that, if anything, this can be considered a criticism of their characters – that they’re not strong enough individual characters to carry their own story. I honestly don’t see it as some spiritual bond. And looking at some early Kate episodes, while Sawyer physically played a part, the emotional attachment was with Jack. In “Tabula Rasa,” Kate and Sawyer were part of the signal party. But it was with Jack that she had the emotional and trusting scene in which she offered to tell him what crime she had committed. In “Whatever the Case May Be,” Kate and Sawyer found the briefcase, but it was with Jack that she tearfully opened up about her past.
In closing, I couldn’t care less if you think or want Kate to end up with Sawyer, Jack, or even Sun. So let go of this idea that I can’t accept you having a different perspective. I simply just don’t agree with you.
And that’s the bottom line, because I’m an intellectually superior male, apparently.
And here's the latest Lost Untangled! Enjoy:
Read more!
This episode did not disappoint me one bit. I loved every minute of it. Richard is one of my favorite characters and his story was much sadder than i thought it would be. It really made me feel for the guy.
When Richard told everyone around the camp fire that they are in hell, I totally believed him and my jaw hit the floor. Then, as Lost often does, the episode explained how Richard may have come to think that. Its just crazy to me how long he has been there and yet he still holds on to everything that he learned in those first few days with the MIB and Jacob.
Actually, I must say, if anything about the episode did disappoint me, it was that Richard submitted to the idea that they’re in Hell. And that the other characters didn’t argue the ridiculousness of that statement. Yes, I recognize that none of them were in the best frame of mind, and that they’ve experienced some crazy ass stuff since arriving on the island, but the fact remains that everybody within that group – Richard included – had left the island and integrated with every day, mainland society. So I wish somebody had kinda said, “Um, no. I just spent three years in Los Angeles.”
Continue reading "A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-9 Revisited"....
Of course, that’s a nitpick that doesn’t tie into the heart of the episode, so it didn’t bother me enough to really impact my view of the episode. Which was, if you haven’t gathered, I thought was AWESOME.
I believe that the Man in Black saved Richard only after killing the others in hopes of making Richard actually believe he was in hell. Notice how he didn't save him right away but let him suffer in the brig for a while before finally showing up with the keys...how convenient! Richard should have been skeptical right off the bat.
This is a great point, and in my shock of the Man in Black being the one to rescue Richard, I guess I didn’t quite notice the sinister fashion in which he did it. Like DaBooty notes, he was downright cruel in the way he handled the situation. While the Man in Black likely could have rescued Richard immediately, he instead tortured him through visions, dehydration, and starvation. He allowed Richard to hit the ultimate low so that he could be his savior when he did offer a helping hand.
I don't agree with you, however, that it is now so clear cut that Jacob is good and the MIB is bad. It certainly appears that way from this episode, but that is only if we believe Jacob. The MIB just wants to leave and he just seems willing to manipulate to kill Jacob. That may seem evil to us, but we don't know the circumstances of the MIB being trapped. Where will he go when he gets off the island? Clearly he isn't going to the main land and getting a shift at Mr. Clucks. We need to find out what "getting off the island" actually is for the MIB and why Jacob is keeping him there.
I just feel pretty adamant that at this time, the writers are more concerned with wrapping things up than throwing more and more curveballs (that may sound odd to the viewers who insist that we’re getting more new questions than old answers). Throughout the series Jacob has seemed decidedly “good” while the Smoke Monster has seemed decidedly “bad.” Now that we’ve met and seen both characters – and both seem to be sticking to those roles – I just don’t see the writers pulling a swerve just so they can say “gotcha!” in the 11th hour. I do think they want us to question who is good and who is evil – should we choose to narrow it down to such simple terms – but I also think they want us to lean in this direction. The light/darkness, white/black thing is no mistake, in my view. Nor is the Man in Black’s penchant to try to tempt people, compared with Jacob’s “absentee landlord” approach. To me, the powers that be are giving us enough information to pretty surely determine that Jacob is the good guy and the Man in Black is the bad guy (again, it’s obviously more complex than this). Those that are in doubt, in my opinion, are only questioning it because they’re expecting a twist. But nothing has happened that would lead me to believe Smokey is the good guy here.
Unless, in Jacobs metaphor of the island being the cork and the wine being the evil, the MIB is actually the wine and Jacob is the cork. Maybe the MIB leaving will spread evil around the world? I just dont know. I am not sure i fully understood Jacobs explantion of the island. Especially since at the end Richard's wife stated that they'll all go to hell. Does that mean the island (the cork) is some kind of weird purgatory where failure in your mission takes you to hell and fulfillment of your purpose brings you to...heaven? sideways world? i just dont know!
I’m not necessarily sure I’m right here, but my interpretation of Jacob’s metaphor is that the Smoke Monster/Man in Black is evil personified. He has the ability to infect souls (a la Claire and Sayid, and Rousseau’s buddies), which darkens their personas – possibly even making them into killers (could you imagine sweet Aussie Claire from seasons ago jamming an ax into somebody’s gut?) Right now, that embodiment is contained on the island. Should he escape the island, his dark power could touch anybody, anywhere. And do any of us want a bunch creepy, Emo Sayids and crazy-haired Claires running around?
I also found Jacob's offer to Richard to be extremely interesting. Why could he only grant him eternal life and not any of those other things? It seems to me that if he were truly good, he could offer Richard what he truly wanted. MIB on the other hand did offer Sayid what he truly wanted when he was recruiting him…
I also found it curious that Jacob was seemingly unable to grant certain things, but WAS able to grant something rather extraordinary. I was especially surprised that he wasn’t able to absolve Richard of his sins, considering that he’s being portrayed as a Christ-like figure. But then again, maybe Jacob wasn’t “unable” but rather “unwilling.” Maybe Richard needed to truly earn his forgiveness and learn to forgive himself, instead of having Jacob twirl his finger and make it all better. And eternal life made that possible.
Also on the blog, Kyle had this to say:
Also, here's a question that doesn't much matter, but is weird nonetheless. Most people call him Richard (modern day name). But Jacob and others have called him Ricardus. I expected that to be his pre Island name, but it's not...it's Ricardo. I'm sure it's not important and won't be answered, but at what point did someone randomly start calling him Ricardus? My guess is this was just a total red herring to make you think Richard was a lot older than he is, since Ricardus makes me think of Rome and the like. Just a little strange.
I found this curious as well. My thought process, though, is that “Ricardus” is merely the usage appropriate for Ilana’s heritage (whatever that may be). Keep in mind, the only time we’ve heard him referred to as Ricardus was when Ilana said it, or when somebody said it to Ilana.
Let’s take a look at the very thorough and entertaining review over at the Entertainment Weekly website. Regarding Richard’s first encounter with Jacob, the review had this to say:
He then dumped him on the beach. ''Get up. We need to talk,'' he said. Interesting: MIB's m.o. was all about helping people to their feet. Jacob's m.o. was all about making people do it themselves. Physician, heal thyself!
This is yet another example of Jacob and the Man in Black taking opposite approaches, with the apparent “villain” offering the easier/more compassionate route, and the possible “good guy” providing a more hardened, but perhaps better alternative. Yes, Jacob is notoriously secretive and perhaps even stand offish, while the Man in Black is charming and very transparent. However Jacob’s non-information affords people the opportunity to make decisions for themselves, while Smokey seems to spill in order to manipulate people’s decisions.
And in this instance, the Man in Black DID help Richard to his feet. But as discussed above, it was after knowingly leaving him in a torturous situation. On the other hand, Jacob told Richard to get to his feet (ironically, after using a torture technique) and immediately opened a dialogue and offered him a position.
But instead of a rendezvous with the devil, Richard got Hurley instead. What followed was an extremely effective and affecting scene that flirted with trite emotional resolution but managed to work thanks to some great acting and direction. Leveraging his Ghost Whisperer secret powers, Hurley was able to facilitate a moment between the living and the dead, between Ricardo and Isabella, and translate and impart some spiritual wisdom that Richard desperately needed to hear. Put another way: Hurley and Richard basically switched roles last night, with Hurley playing Island advisor and Richard playing castaway spiritual seeker.
I really enjoyed this observation because it has been a real joy seeing Richard – who we know has been on the island for over 100 years now – being as confused as anybody over the past two seasons. His look of utter shock and confusion as the Locke Ness Monster – disguised (as the name suggests) as a newly confident Locke – barked orders and assured him that he should just be faithful and trust him, was fantastic. It’s just such a contrast from what we’d seen up until that point. And so, yes, I did enjoy seeing him in this unknowing, vulnerable way, while Hurley – who, for whatever reason, is far more in tune with the island’s strange powers – guided him through his difficult spiritual journal.
But actually, I found myself more interested in some of the comments left on EW.com. Here’s one of them:
I just can't get over the 1867 ridiculousness, especially as (unless I'm wrong) there is no reason the episode couldn't have been placed in 1667, in which case it would have made a lot more sense.
In 1867, there was no "New World," the African slave trade has basically been abolished, and ships were way more advanced.
I’ll admit that my history is a little shaky, but this does seem like a fair point. Thankfully, before I had to do any real research, another poster offered this response:
1667 or 1767 would have created some major retcon problems with the story - the Black Rock was stocked with dynamite, which wasn't invented until the mid-19th century,
There ya’ go. I’ll take a strangely old boat and archaic verbiage over stocking something that hasn’t been invented yet. And another person verified this claim:
I Googled it:
Nobel patented his fuse cap (shown when Richard tried to kill himself, last episode) for dynamite in 1867.
The last *legal* slave trade ships ran thru 1867.
Tight timing, but very possible.
So there you have it. Quite simply, it HAD to be 1867, and no earlier (and perhaps no later) than that.
Aside from its involvement in the slave trade during those days I wonder if making his home Tenerife has any deeper meaning, or if there's any correlation between the horrific real life plane crash on Tenerife in 1977 and island time of 1977.
Again, excuse my lack of historical knowledge, but I was unaware of this fact. And it’s actually quite interesting and relevant once you look into it a bit. This disaster, which is the deadliest aviation accident of all time, occurred when two aircrafts collided on a runway on the island of Tenerife in 1977.
Without getting into further detail, there are a few facets that should strike you as relevant right off the bat. First, there’s the year 1977, which we all know is the year the Incident took place. Then, there are the two planes. Two separate planes – Oceanic 815 and Ajira 316 – brought the castaways to the island.
So out of all the Spanish islands they could have picked, this seems a bit too coincidental to be an accident.
The canary islands are off the coast of Africa, so the journey of the black rock was across the Atlantic. I know the island moves but from the Atlantic to the Pacific?
I just found this complaint humorous. We’re okay with the idea that the island jumps through time and has strange, mystical powers. We can even accept that it moves. But for it to transport to an entirely different ocean? That’s just plain preposterous! I’m not one of those people who says, “it’s just a TV show!” as I do believe every form of storytelling must create and adhere to a certain set of rules within its own universe, but this is one of those things I think you should just let go and not really question too much.
On a final note, in last week’s review I noted that I wasn’t going to acknowledge any of the overtly negative, disrespectful, or hateful messages that were spewed off by our new visitors last week. Well, I did get a comment from Rockwell, and I was initially going to ignore it. However, in fairness, the content was well thought out and it wasn’t particularly negative or disrespectful. So I did think it warranted a response. Having said that, I still don’t have any interest in getting into a long winded debate about the romantic fate of Kate, especially since it hasn’t been a major story point in quite some time. So the conversation will pretty much end here:
Ah, so now you're going back to the good old stand-by: shippers are dumb and biased and hormonal and crazy, and they can't be right about anything because they simply ignore what they don't want to see.
As it happens, I'm a literature professor who prefers Sawyer and Kate when it comes to relationships on Lost. I analyze storytelling for a living. So you're saying that because I prefer this side of the triangle, I must necessarily be ignorant of anything to do with Jack and Kate? I don't suppose you'd believe that I (and many others) actually pay just as much attention to that part of the triangle, seeing as how vitally relevant any developments there are to the other side? But no, being an intellectually superior male, I don't suppose you would concede it's possible for anyone to have a preference and ALSO, at the same time, look at the story logically and as a whole, taking into account anything negative so as to stay realistic about our favorite's prospects.
First off, don’t waste your time throwing around titles. I could care less if you’re a literary professor if you’re a teenager writing from your bedroom. I promise you it won’t impress me, and I judge comments based on their content, not on who it’s coming from. But I will certainly say that I hope you show just a bit more objectivity when you “analyze” your students’ papers, because based on my experience with you so far, you’re not very accepting of opposing views.
Secondly, to insinuate that I view myself as an intellectually superior male says a lot more about your insecurities than it does about me. Now who’s resorting to “good old stand-bys”?
And finally – and perhaps most importantly – in all of my writings, where did I ever say that I didn’t think it was possible for anybody to have an opposing preference? I was merely stating MY preference. Again, you might want to take your own advice and recognize that people have different beliefs than your own. At the end of the day this is all going to come down to who the writers want her to end up with (if anybody). And once she does make a decision, people will have loads of scenes to reference supporting how she ALWAYS loved that person. And that will be the case whether she ends up with Jack or Sawyer.
"My contention was merely that this connection that exists between Sawyer and Kate is a moot point, as these same bonds exist between countless others as well. Quite simply, I was just saying that there’s nothing special about the fact that Sawyer and Kate have some sort of tie in their past, future, and sideways world."
Nothing special? Oh, come on! Show me two characters who have a connection like Sawyer and Kate did with Clementine and Cassidy. Kate met and befriended the mother of Sawyer's daughter while she was pregnant with that daughter. She spent an entire episode with her pre-island, and offered to find the guy who knocked her up and "kick his ass." In the flashforwards, Kate kept her promise to Sawyer to look after his daughter, and re-connected with her old friend, and Sawyer's old flame, Cassidy. It was Cassidy who helped Kate come to the realization that she'd kept Aaron because Sawyer broke her heart, and she needed that baby. This connection is a major story element, not a cute little cameo.
I completely disagree with this notion that no two characters have a connection like Sawyer and Kate. That’s just ridiculousness. If we are going to look at any two characters that have a connection that transcends time, space, and universe – that eclipses every other connection on the show – it’s Locke and Ben.
And I really don’t see the big deal about the whole Clementine and Cassidy thing. Sure, Kate met her and spent some time with her. Sayid also met Kate’s dad. Jack’s wife also got in an accident that killed Shannon’s father. Jack met Desmond in a stadium. Desmond used Libby’s boat to get onto the island. Locke worked for Hurley’s company. Jack’s dad met any and every body there is to know about this show. Artz is, like, ALL OVER THE PLACE!
Oh, yeah, and how about the fact that Locke’s dad committed the act that turned Sawyer into the person he is today???? In my opinion, THAT connection is the most significant one in Sawyer’s life. And, if I’m not mistaken, it’s the ONLY connection that managed to integrate itself into the island reality.
Also, it seems clear to me that Cassidy was projecting when she said that Kate kept Aaron to fill a void that was left by Sawyer. To me, that was a super straight case of projection, as Cassidy was ACTUALLY talking about herself. Yes, I recognize that the creators of the show seemed to confirm that she was making an astute and accurate observation, but I still think they were just going along with it and hoping the viewers would see the more complex meaning. Does that make me stubborn? Perhaps. But to me, the idea that Kate essentially adopted a baby she always cared about, that was now motherless, because she missed Sawyer is a bit unbelievable.
Furthermore, I don’t really see it as a major story element. Since that point, Kate has been entirely motivated by reuniting Aaron with Claire. She’s yet to mention this idea that she became his mother to fill a void. If it hasn’t been mentioned since, how is it a major story point?
Now, in the sideways timeline, we see that while Sawyer was instrumental in helping Kate escape from the airport, it's not that easy. Because now she's crashed back into his life again, and we have yet to see where that storyline takes us.
Saying that these connections are just the same as any other two characters is the height of opaque thinking. The writers have written a story for Kate and Sawyer that not only has them falling in love on the island, being separated and then reunited, but that also connects them off-island in the real world in a very significant way. It's not the same as Hurley and Locke. It's not the same as Jack and Dogen, and you know it. Unless I've just missed the scene where Hurley and Locke made love while their own musical theme played.
I think the fact that you believe that two characters must share a sex scene together in order to be “significant” is why you are unable to accept that any other connection could be significant. And again, pointing out that Kate and Sawyer are tied together both on and off the island, and in the sideways universe, is completely moot, as that’s sorta the point of the show. Again, I point to Locke and Ben. On the island, Ben spent the majority of the time we’ve known him feeling insecure about his position, and feeling inadequate when compared to Locke. Through flashbacks, we’ve learned that Locke was offered numerous opportunities to come to the island, but circumstances prevented it for one reason or another. And in each of those instances, something significant happened in Ben’s life. This basically taught us that Ben was ALWAYS the silver medal – he was always the “back up” because things with Locke just weren’t working out.
And yet, in the sideways universe, these two come together yet again. Ben seems like a relatively honest man without much ambition. And who’s the person who encourages him to take his seat at the throne? The very man who would usurp him in the universe we all know.
Also, think of it this way: Shannon and Sayid – a relationship I daresay most people have forgotten about – were, I believe, the first two on the island to sleep together. On the other hand, I’m not even sure that Claire and Charlie (most definitely a revered romance) ever consummated their relationship. Which couple was more “special” and “significant”? I don’t think it’s the same two that “made love”?
I mean hell, Sawyer slept with Charlotte in one universe and she popped up into his life in another, so maybe THEY’RE star crossed lovers!
And no, I'm sorry to tell you, Kate and Jack haven't had a "love scene." They had a kiss, accompanied by dark creepy music in a fade-to-black implied sexual encounter, followed by Kate trying to sneak out in the morning. A love scene is what took place in the cages, with beautiful lighting, close-ups on skin and clothes being removed, intimate eye contact, swelling music, and naked cuddling afterwards. Jack and Kate have never had, and will never have, a scene like that, and there's a reason for this. If you haven't figured it out yet, in a season where they've had only two scenes together, then you probably never will.
I’m sorry, but I simply can’t resist pointing out that in your original comment, you contended that Jack and Kate never had a “sex scene.” When I pointed out they did, you conveniently changed your criteria to a “love scene.” Can you please keep in mind that Jack had basically become Aaron’s surrogate father, and that these two were possibly living together? At the very least, they were engaged. Do you want to honestly argue that they weren’t “making love” off screen? In fact, didn’t they have a pretty intense shower make out session?
And personally, seeing Kate leave her home, with a picture of Jack and Aaron sitting on her desk, is a more beautiful, telling image than that of Kate and Sawyer having cage sex. Oh, and let’s also conveniently overlook the fact that Kate once banged Sawyer because she got so incredibly jealous over seeing Jack eating with Juliet on the beach. Yeah, that’s romantic.
Throughout the series, Kate's episodes are either about Sawyer or feature Sawyer in the B-story slot. Sawyer's are the same, always featuring Kate. Sawyer's character arc is about love. Jack's story is not, and never has been. Now more than ever, it's clear his destiny lies in a different direction. Kate made one brief appearance in The Lighthouse, and that was just to wish him well on his quest and decline to go with him. How many times did she appear in Sawyer's episode? Do you have to be a shipper to understand that this is significant? Sadly, I guess the answer is yes.
I disagree with the idea that Sawyer’s character has been about love. It’s been about redemption. He started off a selfish, heartless criminal who murdered an innocent man in cold blood because he was so incredibly blinded by his own bitterness and anger. Yet, by the end of the series, he’s transformed into a legitimately selfless hero. To me, THAT’S his arc – and it doesn’t need to conclude with him “getting the girl.” On the other hand, Jack’s arc has been his inability to maintain a healthy relationship and to accept people for their flaws, yet love them unconditionally. His father/son relationship was a mess. His marriage fell apart. And in the sideways universe, he struggled to connect with his son. In my view, from a writer’s perspective, he DOES need to end up with the girl in order for him to get that happy ending. Him and Kate accepting each other for who they are – imperfections included – but loving each other nonetheless, to me, is a beautiful, fulfilling ending. And that’s why scenes like Jack defending Sawyer and explaining to Kate that he did so because he loves her just “work” so well. It’s because, on the island, he’s grown to the point that he can put his jealousy and paranoia aside for the woman he loves (and it’s worth noting that Kate also recognized that Sawyer wouldn’t do the same thing. How highly she thinks of him).
And as far as their characters always playing a part in each other’s stories, I would say that, if anything, this can be considered a criticism of their characters – that they’re not strong enough individual characters to carry their own story. I honestly don’t see it as some spiritual bond. And looking at some early Kate episodes, while Sawyer physically played a part, the emotional attachment was with Jack. In “Tabula Rasa,” Kate and Sawyer were part of the signal party. But it was with Jack that she had the emotional and trusting scene in which she offered to tell him what crime she had committed. In “Whatever the Case May Be,” Kate and Sawyer found the briefcase, but it was with Jack that she tearfully opened up about her past.
In closing, I couldn’t care less if you think or want Kate to end up with Sawyer, Jack, or even Sun. So let go of this idea that I can’t accept you having a different perspective. I simply just don’t agree with you.
And that’s the bottom line, because I’m an intellectually superior male, apparently.
And here's the latest Lost Untangled! Enjoy:
Monday, March 29, 2010
Raw
9:01 - Very slight chance I'll be watching any of Impact tonight, as the Raw after WrestleMania usually holds onto my attention. I'm curious if HBK will be getting the Flair retirement treatment tonight.
9:13 - I actually expected them to have Swagger cash in his title shot but fail in short order. But the question remains -- why DIDN'T he try after Jericho got massacred after his match?
9:28 - In fairness, is IRS a star of the 80's?
9:43 - I don't want to sound like an ass, as I obviously don't know the guy personally, but Triple H just doesn't come across as a likable person. So seeing him trying to be sincere and emotional -- even if it's genuine -- comes across as awkward.
10:03 - Triple H, wanna learn about genuine emotion? I submit you turn your attention to the Bret and Owen shirt Bret was wearing. That was just plain sweet.
10:10 - I'm glad that Bret's return is finally turning into a push for the Hart Dynasty, which -- until last night -- had been curiously absent during this whole storyline.
10:18 - We're so used to seeing the big, lumbering oaf character, so it's kinda refreshing seeing Big Show as the "brains" of the tag team. It makes sense, too, given his experience.
10:27 - Two notes: "Final farewell" sounds redundant, and "his best friend in the entire world" sounds juvenile.
10:40 - Jerry Lawler: "I don't know how tall he is or how much he weighs." You do get paid to announce, right King?
10:54 - They always do a great job with these farewells. I'm just going to enjoy it for right now.
11:04 - I know people will read into Shawn's comments about honoring his words to the Undertaker, but I honestly don't think he's taking a shot at Flair.
11:12 - I thought that was a genuinely touching farewell, and I loved the "less-is-more" appearance from the Undertaker. But I do wish we got more of a Flair-esque scene where everybody showed their appreciation for HBK. But maybe this is what Shawn preferred. Overall great farewell.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
WrestleMania LIVE COVERAGE thoughts
Actually made it in time. Well, mostly. I came in as Morrison was making his entrance. And hey -- Miz has a snazzy jacket! Although I find it strange that he's wearing one tag belt, and holding the other tag belt with his US title. Odd.
Matt Striker: "Miz and Big Show have been teaming far longer." Far longer? What, a month?
Wow, Randy Orton in the second match of the night? Surprising... Although I do wish DiBiase came down to "Priceless" instead of the Legacy theme.
Like Ted's new blue trunks. Cody's skin-tone tights are just plain awkward.
I will say this for the WWE announcers: They know when to stay quiet. Their silence when it hit Orton that he should punt Rhodes really made the moment. On TNA, they'd be shouting to holy hell wondering what he's going to do.
I'd say we've seen two impressive, if somewhat underwhelming matches. Orton's early appearance is curious, I'm wondering if he's going to come into play later in the night.
Cutting back on his pyro too? Why not just write "You're screwed" on the big LED screen at the entrance when Kofi comes out?
Well blow me down, MVP IS wearing black tonight. And it seems Kofi has completely abandoned his original color scheme (not that that's a bad thing). I like Swagger's new, self indulgant entrance attire. Even Shelton brought out some new gear. Christian's stick rocking the black tights (but now wears white tape).
Hardy is back to the cargo pants, which is disappointing. Just diet, dude. And -- GOOD GOD!!!! -- Kane has some new tights!!! First time since, I believe, 2002!
By the way, love that Christian came out last.
Kofi, Shelton, and MVP team up against the palest guy in the ring. Awk-ward...
That schtick with Swagger, Bourne, Christian, and Hardy was a lot of fun. Well done.
First "Holy Shit" moment goes to Matt Hardy!
Drew McIntyre's unusually long disappearance makes me think he's going to win this thing.
That was an awkward ending to Money in the Bank. While I'm not positive whether or not Swagger will call in his title shot tonight, I'm fairly certain he WILL be the first person to fail in his attempt to do so.
Wait a second, is Michael Cole wearing a bolo? Oh c'mon, man!
It's great that Ted DiBiase has this moment -- one of the all-time greats!
Pretty odd seeing a Triple H match so early as well. But is it a good idea putting Sheamus out there while it's still daylight, with an open roof stadium?
With all due respect, I think I might be more emotionally invested in the Divas match than Sheamus/Triple H.
I'm supposed to start clearing out a pathway in the attic. I don't want to miss Punk/Mysterio. I sorta wish I had done it during the previous match.
As noted on my Twitter page a few days ago -- that new Punk shirt is AWESOME.
Mysterio's outfit better be cool, because Punk's GI Joe inspired trunks kick ass.
Avatar, eh? And what was with that non-entrance?
"It's not the message, it's the messenger." That's the most sensible thing said since Punk turned heel. But honestly, awesome GI Joe trunks.
Okay, completely missed Hart/McMahon. Guess I'll have to catch it on the replay. But the attic is cleaned.
I do hope that Edge is rocking the trench coat.
Trench coat is back! Cool entrance also, zooming up the ramp.
The fact that we're yet to see a title change leads me to believe we're going to see one in this match.
Wow, I'm pretty shocked by that ending. Not that Edge needs another title reign, and it's great seeing Jericho not booked like crap, but still.
See, that would have been a good opportunity to cash in.
I'm a little surprised they came out to Eve's music and not Beth Phoenix's. Oh, and Kelly Kelly is my favorite Diva too!
Sexy, SMART, and Powerful huh? Yet none of them are smart enough to realize that each of their taunts conveniently leads them into their opponent's finisher?
Batista looks a lot more bad ass with his beard. Though I'm glad he's sporting the shaved head again.
That was a fun little Cena entrance, but didn't really fit for whatever reason. And yes, Cena is decked out in the bright orange. I do love how he throws the shirt off without taking his eyes off his opponent, though.
I think the same group of people are trying to start a "Cena Sucks"/"Lets Go Cena" chant.
I have to say, that first Attitude Adjustment looked pretty damn cool.
Kinda a weak looking STF, and a weak looking tap out. An underwhelming ending to a fine enough match.
Aw c'mon, how could you not like Cena? How many others would have the showmanship to actually pose with a group of people with "I Hate Cena" t-shirts to flaunt your title victory? He's a fun guy.
By the way, no cashing in Money in the Bank tonight, I guess.
Is it me, or have all the matches felt extremely short? We've got 45 minutes left, are they ALL being devoted to Taker/Shawn? Awesome that they close out the show, though.
Like Taker's hooded, sleeveless trench coat. Love Shawn's mocking throat slash motion.
Shawn scares the shit out of me when he does that moonsault. And the Spanish announce table outlasted the main one????
The announcers are KILLING me with these "The Streak is over!" calls.
Just as bad: The constant "The career of Shawn Michaels is over!" calls.
Actually, I liked the moment of compassion from Taker. As well as Michaels' wanting to go out fighting.
I was ready to write off Undertaker/Shawn Part II as not being as good as the original, but man, things REALLY picked up in the second half of the match. And the emotional impact of this match, I think, was superior to last year (where it was just two top stars having an awesome match). Great job by both of these talented professionals. Is this the last time we'll see Shawn wrestle? Of course not. But honestly, that's a good thing. And the guy deserves an extended break.
WrestleMania Predictions
I'm going to make this short and sweet (how often do I say that?) Anyway, I do plan on doing a "stream of conscious" posting on tonight's big event, but it's going to start a little late as I have dinner plans. But do return later on for that. Anyway, here are my predictions:
Career vs. Streak - Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
For the first time since they've started putting attention onto the streak, I actually believe they could end it. But truthfully, I don't believe they should. Like others have pointed out, you can undo a retirement. You can't undo a streak. For those of you who don't believe HBK would job to Taker two years in a row, that's just silliness. Since returning at WrestleMania 19, his record is an astounding 4 wins, 3 losses (if I'm counting right). I doubt he's got a problem losing twice to somebody of Undertaker's stature. But if they do end the streak, they did it in the best way possible. I also see this closing out the show.
Prediction: The Undertaker
Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon
This one is a gimme. Bret Hart wins. On a personal note, I do hope he dons the pink and black tights (which is hinted at on his diary on WWE.com).
Prediction: Bret Hart
WWE Champion Batista vs. John Cena
This one is really tough to predict, because the program has been centered around Cena being unable to beat Batista. So from a writing perspective, this isn't only about giving the fans a "happy ending." It's also about giving an ending that makes sense. That being said, there's still fuel in this feud, so continuing it might be smart. And in order to do that, Batista should win. In the end, I'm going to go with Cena, but somehow Dave holds onto the belt.
Prediction: John Cena
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Edge
I'm actually rather excited that this match is going to be contested over the World Heavyweight Championship. Do I see it closing the show? No. It probably won't even be the "highlighted" title match. Edge has been getting the best of Jericho a WHOLE LOT in this feud, so I'm inclined to say Jericho wins. But hell, I'm going to take the Lance Storm route and predict that Edge wins, the Money in the Bank winner cashes in his title shot but fails, really catapulting Edge into the plucky babyface role.
Prediction: Edge
Money in the Bank Match
Ten guys, wow... Smart money would have been on Kofi a couple of months ago. Now I don't know. I'm tempted to predict a heel based on my prior prediction. Honestly, I'd love to see Christian win it all. But, again, I could see Swagger taking it and being the first one to fail cashing it in. I'm going to contradict my prediction above and pick Christian, my favorite guy in the match.
Prediction: Christian
Unified Tag Team Champions The Miz & Big Show vs. John Morrison & R-Truth
Another gimme in my opinion. The champs retain.
Prediction: The Miz & Big Show
Triple H vs. Sheamus
I appreciate that Triple H is putting his money where his mouth is. He's been pushing for Sheamus, apparently, so at least he's willing to "sacrifice" his yearly WrestleMania title shot to put him over the edge. Question is, will he go balls out and put him over? My prediction is no.
Prediction: Triple H
Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Cody Rhodes
Orton is on fire right now, so I see him taking home the win. At the end of the day, I'm not entirely convinced this Legacy thing actually helped Rhodes and DiBiase all that much, to be honest.
Prediction: Randy Orton
CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
I'm actually more interested in what Mysterio will be wearing. Have there been any huge Super Hero movies out this year? None that I recall. Maybe he'll dress up as Dr. House, to show Punk and the fans that drug addicts CAN be cool! Punk wins it to advance their feud.
Prediction: CM Punk and his kick ass beard
Other hopes for the show:
I HOPE that MVP doesn't wear his retina burning red outfit. Change it up a bit, dude! The black looked cool!
For that matter, I hope Christian returns to his colorful ways and ditches the black tights for once. Again, change it up!
My hopes for Kane bringing in a new luck disappeared long, long ago. Has it been a decade yet?
HBK's entrance will be something special.
I hope Cena isn't rocking the bright orange. I'm supposed to believe this is an angry, bitter rivalry. It's hard to believe Cena in that role when he looks so damn cheery.
Based on the Hall of Fame ceremony, it looks like Batista and Randy Orton got haircuts. Yay!
Anyway, enjoy the show!
A Case of the.... 24 - Episode 8-13
So a few weeks ago I indicated that there was a correlation between how long it took me to review an episode with my enjoyment level of said episode. This might lead one to assume that I really didn’t like the latest installment of 24, but on the contrary I actually thought it might have been its strongest episode yet. As I explained on my blog, there are a few reasons why this is late. And for that, I apologize.
However, one upside to delaying this recap is that I get to discuss the big news of the weekend, which is that Fox has decided not to renew the series for a ninth season. Honestly, I don’t find this news all that monumental – as the writing was arguably on the wall – or significant – since they’ve all but confirmed that they’re merely going to take the show to the big screen. I just hope they maintain the trend of the last couple of episodes so that they’re able to go out on a high note.
I am curious, though: For the movies, which format will they remain true to? Is it going to be a story that is played out over a day’s time, or will it be told in real time? If it’s the former, and you take the “gimmick” away from the franchise, how is it any different than any other action flick? If it’s the latter, that might be a bit awkward since the length of a movie rarely comes out to a nice round number. I mean, wouldn’t it be a bit strange if the story began at 8:00 AM and ended at 10:17 in the morning? Everything would be tied up before lunch! But who am I kidding? I’d go see it.
So anyway, how about discussing this past week’s episode? You waited long enough!
Continue reading "A Case of the.... 24 - Episode 8-13"....
A few weeks ago, when Hastings kinda sorta showed some reluctance towards allowing Renee to take the fall, people referred to it as the token episode in which an unlikable character steps up and suddenly becomes a fan favorite. It happened with Tony Almeida. It happened with George Mason. It happened with Bill Buchanan. With Mike Novic. With Karen Hayes. With Tom Lennox. With Larry Moss. And people claimed it had happened with Brian Hastings. I disagreed, noting that he ultimately relented and did allow her to take the fall – and then used her situation as leverage to get Jack back in the saddle.
But for those of you rooting for the latest head of CTU, THIS was his pivotal “turning point” episode. Moments after the attack on CTU, Hastings was seemingly the only one with a clear head. I actually quite appreciated his comment about simply using a pen and legal pad. Yes, they’re technologically paralyzed, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re useless. He was the first one who made that realization and he made sure everybody else recognized it.
Of course, the real test came during Chloe’s rebellion. While I did love his nonchalant comment about Chloe’s “gone over the deep end,” I was glad to see him stand by her side. Yes, the whole spiel with “good guys” pulling guns on CTU agents and other government officials with no repercussions has been done to death (at least once already this season alone), but I appreciated his comment that she’s earned the benefit of the doubt after all she’s done today. I was skeptical of the CTU attack at first, but I thought it was handled extremely well.
Actually, incredibly, the Dana stuff didn’t bother me all that much once the final reveal was made. Yes, it still drove me crazy that this probation officer is willing to interrupt a government agent at 3 in the morning in the midst of a national crisis (for what, a petty thief?) and I find it even harder to believe that Hastings would take the time to meet with this guy (all he’s told is that he’s some southern parole officer?) as he’s picking up the pieces following the attack on CTU. But they really picked things up at the end. Let’s face it: Dana’s character was absolutely doomed. No matter how the story played out, she was destined to be a one-season wonder (although I guess that’s true for all of the new characters now! HEYO!) So why not turn her bad? Quite honestly, that was the only way to make the murder work. I would have found it too unbelievable otherwise. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’m actually interested in where this is all going. That being said, I’m not going to miss the perpetual government mole twist.
Oh yeah, and isn’t there some guy on the show….I think his name is Jack something or other. I guess, more than anything else, I’m appreciative that another central villain wasn’t killed off. But the impulsive rookie who ruins everything is another crutch I won’t particularly miss. I was sad to see Owen get killed off, although I’m not completely shocked. It did seem strange that the snipers decided to cease fire as Jack tried to save his life, though. That was pretty classy. It’s good to see Renee back in the mix of things, let’s just hope this is the beginning of her return to sanity and happiness as well.
Anyway, that’s it for this week. I’ll try to be a little quicker with my reviews from this point forward. Let’s just hope that 24 can continue their momentum (two good episodes is “momentum” now?) as it continues its final season.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
An apology and explanation of sorts
So I want to apologize for the lack of blog and article activity this week. I still haven't done one for 24, and that was from Monday night. And I do believe that Smallville was new last night. And overall, blog activity has been light.
Basically, I'm pretty drained right now. The whole hard drive fiasco (which still hasn't been resolved and is looking to be VERY expensive, leading me to decide how "worth it" it will be to restore all those items) took a lot out of me. A lot of my creative juices are stored on that device -- including videos, graphics, and pieces of writing -- and the possibility of losing all of that has made it tough to "go there" and get my creative juices flowing.
Along with that, work has been absolutely exhausting, especially this past week. So it's been tough to write some of these columns, which can at times feel like a job. I'm also getting work done on my closet, which somehow knocked out my cable, so I don't really have a "work station" to knock these things out. And the process of moving things in and out of my closet has been surprisingly long. Not to mention I have all those fun personal matters that one must attend to. It's just been difficult getting into the right frame of mind.
So that's my sob story. But I am going to make it a point to write the 24 recap this weekend. And, hopefully, I'll have some WrestleMania predictions. Maybe I'll also do a streaming thoughts blog, like I have been doing with Raw recently.
Friday, March 26, 2010
The following takes place....for the last time....
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Clock-Run-24-1016718.aspx
So it's official - Fox has canceled 24. I can't say I'm terribly surprised (although I will admit that I was surprised to see how highly it ranks, ratings-wise, related to other programs). I've been torn on this matter, as I don't want it to become a parody of what it once was, but I also would like to see it go out strong. Then again, the writers at least have time to prepare for a fitting finale.
And for those of you waiting, I will have my review of this week's episode posted either tonight or tomorrow. Sorry, I suck.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-9
In my Revisited column, other than making two errors, I noted that this was one episode that needed to deliver – that simply could not show any restraint. And in my view, it succeeded, even though I got a bit nervous at the end. Actually, this really reminded me of “Flashes Before Your Eyes” – quite possibly the best episode of the stellar third season – as it recognized that the flashback was so substantial and interesting that switching between timelines would actually hinder the story.
And I’m sure I’m not the only one who, at the end, was kinda sorta loving Richard. In this interesting Lost ensemble, you have a cast of characters that are all flawed or damaged or insecure or evil or petty or jealous or disturbed. Yet then you have Richard Alpert – a man who made a regrettable, fatal error purely out of his intense desire to save his wife’s life. Richard seems to be a victim of unfortunate circumstances – and unlike many of the other characters who may fall into that category, Richard seems especially free of guilt.
Continue reading "A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-9"....
Now, part of me expected this episode to chronicle Richard’s time on the island, all the way to the modern period (perhaps up until Widmore and his crew arrived). Only because with seven episodes left, I’m not sure we’ll have the time to devote another Richard-centric one (considering we still have to find out what happened to Claire, and we’re yet to have Hurley, Jin, and Sun sideways stories). But I have to say, it might have been smarter to focus their attentions on Richard’s immediate story. Namely, why he’s eternally young and how he came to earn his position. In the grand scheme of things, isn’t that more important than, say, being the best man at Charles and Eloise’s wedding.
Not surprisingly, there was a great deal that fascinated me. First off, I didn’t expect the Man in Black to play such a critical role in rescuing Richard. First he saved him from getting stabbed. Then he rescued him from his chains. Finally, he fed him and gave him water. A fair point could be made that Richard simply would not have survived had it not been for Smokey personified. But as the episode played out, I thought this made sense. The Man in Black tempted and tried to manipulate Richard, but ultimately he used his better judgment and intuition and did the right thing. And I think that worked better than if Richard felt like he owed Jacob something.
What I did love, though, was that the Man in Black gave Richard instructions that were identical to the ones Dogen gave Sayid. One has to wonder: If these actions are played out exactly how they’re supposed to, would it have any effect? I don’t believe the act of speaking has any impact, because Jacob spoke before Ben was able to successfully commit murder. So what was the intended result? I don’t think he was sending Richard out to get killed, otherwise why spare him to begin with? Something to ponder.
I’d also say that, at the conclusion of this episode, it’s pretty conclusive that Jacob is the good guy and Smokey is the bad guy. No question about that anymore. And I do think Jacob’s comment about how he doesn’t want to straight out tell people what’s right and what’s wrong, and who’s good and who’s bad, is a nice little wink, wink to the audience courtesy of the writers.
If I have one criticism of the ending, it’s that I wouldn’t have concluded it with the scene with Jacob and the Man in Black. For whatever reason, it just seemed choppy to jump back to the present day, only to return to the 1800’s.
And finally, I absolutely must mention the phenomenal acting all around this episode, particularly Nestor Carbonell. On top of capturing some genuine, raw emotion, his appearance and accent really made me buy his past character. It really was a wonderful performance. And for what it’s worth, Jorge Garcia really nailed it in his scene with Richard near the conclusion of the episode as well.
Oh, and I kinda love that Jack now accepts, without hesitation, that Hurley might be talking to an unseen Jacob. He just bursts into the scene saying, “I know you’re talking to Jacob.” My how you’ve grown, Dr. Shephard.
Anyway, I suspect – and hope – that this episode will encourage a lot of feedback (hopefully from nice people). So be sure to send me your thoughts! You know the procedure – you can comment below, visit my blog, or shoot me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you!
Provided you’re not an ass.
Of Skaters & Jaters
Wow, so my Revisited column sure garnered some interesting backlash, huh?
Basically, I attempted to make a point and, in the process, used some inaccurate information. And the way I’ve planned on responding has changed dramatically over the course of the day. Initially, my reaction was “Oh, I guess I was wrong about those episodes. My bad.” And maybe a little bit, “I don’t remember Creed being that harsh.”
As the comments and insults started filtering in, I did start to get a bit bothered. I simply couldn’t understand how so many people could harp so much on a single paragraph of my column – less than 200 words of an over 1,000 word episode review. I could understand people pointing out my error, but not people starting getting downright nasty, calling me a moron and a dummy. By no means were my feelings hurt, as it was obvious that this backlash was excessive, but it absolutely boggled my mind. I mean, seriously, think about it: I incorrectly recalled two episodes that aired a few years ago. And I openly admitted going into the column that I may be remembering things wrong.
And then something occurred to me. Call it my “aha” moment. It happened when two very sad words were uttered: “Skaters” and “Jaters.” At that point, my response settled at a permanent spot: Pity. This onslaught of insults had very little to do with my inaccurate information. It was that, in their eyes, I was attempting to disprove that Sawyer and Kate were soul mates, and that she belongs with Jack.
And the thing that made it so much worse and more pathetic was that they completely missed the point I was trying to make, instead harping on two facets of my argument in an attempt to discredit everything else I had said. I mean, for a group of people who were so incredibly critical of my error, the majority of you REALLY need to work on your reading comprehension skills. At no point did I criticize this Fishbiscuit person – in fact, I’d say my comments were overall complimentary – nor did I ever say I would try to go toe-to-toe with the person. Hell, I never even stated that I disagreed with the points she was making. For goodness sake, she has fancy screencaps to prove her point! My contention was merely that this connection that exists between Sawyer and Kate is a moot point, as these same bonds exist between countless others as well. Quite simply, I was just saying that there’s nothing special about the fact that Sawyer and Kate have some sort of tie in their past, future, and sideways world. The fact that this is true for most of the characters is sorta the theme of the show. So fret not, “Skaters,” I wasn't arguing that Jack and Kate were destined to be together (but for what it’s worth, they HAVE had a sex scene. Remember the disturbing angry sex they had the night before the Ajira flight?), nor was I claiming that Sawyer and Kate AREN'T destined to be together. I just don't buy that they're destined to be together because they share a bond in the most obvious, straightforward way possible.
I thought it was obvious that I was being facetious with my examples here. I clearly was not trying to prove that every one of Kate’s actions were motivated by Jack. Then again, this is a group of people who apparently need a car crash and chase scene to hammer a point home.
And the irony, of course, is that these people that commented did a far better job of proving my other point than I did in my original column, and that’s the idea of selection bias. This idea often comes up in numerological claims (popularly exhibited in the movie The Number 23). Basically, people ONLY look at the evidence that supports their point (which is what I was attempting to prove in my Jack/Kate counter to the Kate/Sawyer examples). As noted above, the people who left a comment completely harped on a single paragraph of my column. Within that paragraph, I made three references – two of which were incorrect. Nearly every single person pointed out how incredibly stupid and idiotic I was for making those two errors, while conveniently ignoring the correct point I made. Only one person brought up my correct point, but brushed it off, noting that Jack is a doctor, so who else would Kate bring Sawyer to? Yet that logic doesn't seem to work both ways. Since Jack is a doctor, it was a logistical choice for Kate to seek his aid. Yet when she needs a gun and goes to Sawyer (who, ya' know, is hiding the guns), it's because they're destined to be together forever and ever?
So, yes, these visitors did a rather remarkable job of proving that certain viewers only see things that prove the point they want to make. Forget the fact that I complimented Fish's column and had no issue with the examples she laid out. To these people, since I dared question the Sawyer/Kate bond, I'm just an idiot trying to go toe-to-toe with another writer as I worship Juliet and have delusions about Jack and Kate. It absolutely boggles my mind that anybody could read my column and come to that conclusion.
But Creed (the real one) is right about one thing – one of the best things about Lost is the fact that it encourages such discussion. I’m certainly not always right and I’m willing to admit when I’m not (Aaron/Oceanic Six debacle, anybody?) But to be quite honest, I have absolutely no interest in discussing the show with most of the people who posted on my Revisited column. I was going to offer the invitation as long as they can be civil and respectful, because I love talking about the show with people who share my passionate, but it's abundantly clear the majority of those people aren't capable of that. One of the posters said that I should do a little research and it would save me from embarrassment. I can honestly say that there's nothing about my prior column – or any of my reviews – that I'm ashamed of. The only thing that would embarrass me is if people read those comments and say, "So this is what Lost fans are like?" To me, that's the only embarrassment.
So from this point forward, all of these angry, hateful comments will be ignored. I have no interest in having debates built on negativity and rudeness. My advice is to cool your jets. This is a show we're all supposed to enjoy, so there's no reason to get angry or nasty.
And just so everybody understands, I’m not going to “rewatch” over 100 episodes for a weekly column. While I think that might be a fun little exercise once the series concludes, I simply don’t have the time to do that now. So, for the time being, I’ll just resort to using my memory and relying on you kind folks to point out my errors. Trust me, I have no interest in being a genius or hell, even being credible (I'm not a journalist). I'm just a guy writing a column about a show I enjoy.
Read more!
Basically, I attempted to make a point and, in the process, used some inaccurate information. And the way I’ve planned on responding has changed dramatically over the course of the day. Initially, my reaction was “Oh, I guess I was wrong about those episodes. My bad.” And maybe a little bit, “I don’t remember Creed being that harsh.”
As the comments and insults started filtering in, I did start to get a bit bothered. I simply couldn’t understand how so many people could harp so much on a single paragraph of my column – less than 200 words of an over 1,000 word episode review. I could understand people pointing out my error, but not people starting getting downright nasty, calling me a moron and a dummy. By no means were my feelings hurt, as it was obvious that this backlash was excessive, but it absolutely boggled my mind. I mean, seriously, think about it: I incorrectly recalled two episodes that aired a few years ago. And I openly admitted going into the column that I may be remembering things wrong.
And then something occurred to me. Call it my “aha” moment. It happened when two very sad words were uttered: “Skaters” and “Jaters.” At that point, my response settled at a permanent spot: Pity. This onslaught of insults had very little to do with my inaccurate information. It was that, in their eyes, I was attempting to disprove that Sawyer and Kate were soul mates, and that she belongs with Jack.
And the thing that made it so much worse and more pathetic was that they completely missed the point I was trying to make, instead harping on two facets of my argument in an attempt to discredit everything else I had said. I mean, for a group of people who were so incredibly critical of my error, the majority of you REALLY need to work on your reading comprehension skills. At no point did I criticize this Fishbiscuit person – in fact, I’d say my comments were overall complimentary – nor did I ever say I would try to go toe-to-toe with the person. Hell, I never even stated that I disagreed with the points she was making. For goodness sake, she has fancy screencaps to prove her point! My contention was merely that this connection that exists between Sawyer and Kate is a moot point, as these same bonds exist between countless others as well. Quite simply, I was just saying that there’s nothing special about the fact that Sawyer and Kate have some sort of tie in their past, future, and sideways world. The fact that this is true for most of the characters is sorta the theme of the show. So fret not, “Skaters,” I wasn't arguing that Jack and Kate were destined to be together (but for what it’s worth, they HAVE had a sex scene. Remember the disturbing angry sex they had the night before the Ajira flight?), nor was I claiming that Sawyer and Kate AREN'T destined to be together. I just don't buy that they're destined to be together because they share a bond in the most obvious, straightforward way possible.
I thought it was obvious that I was being facetious with my examples here. I clearly was not trying to prove that every one of Kate’s actions were motivated by Jack. Then again, this is a group of people who apparently need a car crash and chase scene to hammer a point home.
And the irony, of course, is that these people that commented did a far better job of proving my other point than I did in my original column, and that’s the idea of selection bias. This idea often comes up in numerological claims (popularly exhibited in the movie The Number 23). Basically, people ONLY look at the evidence that supports their point (which is what I was attempting to prove in my Jack/Kate counter to the Kate/Sawyer examples). As noted above, the people who left a comment completely harped on a single paragraph of my column. Within that paragraph, I made three references – two of which were incorrect. Nearly every single person pointed out how incredibly stupid and idiotic I was for making those two errors, while conveniently ignoring the correct point I made. Only one person brought up my correct point, but brushed it off, noting that Jack is a doctor, so who else would Kate bring Sawyer to? Yet that logic doesn't seem to work both ways. Since Jack is a doctor, it was a logistical choice for Kate to seek his aid. Yet when she needs a gun and goes to Sawyer (who, ya' know, is hiding the guns), it's because they're destined to be together forever and ever?
So, yes, these visitors did a rather remarkable job of proving that certain viewers only see things that prove the point they want to make. Forget the fact that I complimented Fish's column and had no issue with the examples she laid out. To these people, since I dared question the Sawyer/Kate bond, I'm just an idiot trying to go toe-to-toe with another writer as I worship Juliet and have delusions about Jack and Kate. It absolutely boggles my mind that anybody could read my column and come to that conclusion.
But Creed (the real one) is right about one thing – one of the best things about Lost is the fact that it encourages such discussion. I’m certainly not always right and I’m willing to admit when I’m not (Aaron/Oceanic Six debacle, anybody?) But to be quite honest, I have absolutely no interest in discussing the show with most of the people who posted on my Revisited column. I was going to offer the invitation as long as they can be civil and respectful, because I love talking about the show with people who share my passionate, but it's abundantly clear the majority of those people aren't capable of that. One of the posters said that I should do a little research and it would save me from embarrassment. I can honestly say that there's nothing about my prior column – or any of my reviews – that I'm ashamed of. The only thing that would embarrass me is if people read those comments and say, "So this is what Lost fans are like?" To me, that's the only embarrassment.
So from this point forward, all of these angry, hateful comments will be ignored. I have no interest in having debates built on negativity and rudeness. My advice is to cool your jets. This is a show we're all supposed to enjoy, so there's no reason to get angry or nasty.
And just so everybody understands, I’m not going to “rewatch” over 100 episodes for a weekly column. While I think that might be a fun little exercise once the series concludes, I simply don’t have the time to do that now. So, for the time being, I’ll just resort to using my memory and relying on you kind folks to point out my errors. Trust me, I have no interest in being a genius or hell, even being credible (I'm not a journalist). I'm just a guy writing a column about a show I enjoy.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Raw vs. Impact
WWE Raw:
9:24 - Getting this started a little later than usual, but I wanted to make sure I posted Lost Revisited! Question -- are people already bitching and complaining about the "date of death" of Shawn Michaels' career?
9:27 - Happy John Morrison won. Since they've broken up, Miz always seems to get the best of Morrison.
9:37 - Come to think of it, Kozlov vs. Swagger would be an interesting feud. Or a team, actually.
9:39 - Glad to see Kofi in the Money in the Bank match. I was starting to get worried there. But is he still the "sure thing" winner he was a couple months ago?
9:44 - So the entire Hart Family will be at the Hall of Fame? Gotta say, after reading their sordid history in Bret's book, that should be interesting. But are we going to see one of those fantastic historic videos for Stu?
9:56 - Gotta love Triple H's mentality, that winning the WWE Championship pales in comparison to beating him at WrestleMania.
10:02 - While I'm personally not a fan, I have to admit that the fans are really reacting positively to Randy Orton. I still don't see it, though.
10:13 - I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed to hear that Bret won't be wearing the classic pink and black tights at WrestleMania. While I totally understand why he won't -- he's simply not that wrestler any more -- his fans have still waited over a decade to see him in the ring again. They now have that chance, and they're being reminded that it's not "real."
10:16 - Can somebody interrupt this please?
10:24 - For some reason I don't see the Undertaker telling Shawn Michaels, "I love you. I'm sorry" seconds before hitting the Tombstone at WrestleMania.
10:43 - "Don't bet on it..." Ha, actually I did laugh at that.
10:52 - Batista looks SOOOOOOOOOOOO much cooler with a shaved head and beard than he does with hair and a chin strap. That is all.
11:02 - While blue is my favorite color and orange is just dandy, part of me does hope that Cena ditches the merchandise for WrestleMania. He's supposed to be intense and seething -- the bright, colorful gear makes him a bit too cartoonish looking.
11:08 - As a side note, from PWTorch.com: "The graphic read: "Shawn Michaels Career 1985 - 2010." That's hitting a little too close to home with wrestler deaths in this industry." Ugh, I just KNEW people would make a big deal about this. Pick your battles, people.
Impact:
9:46 - HOLY CRAP!!! How long is this Hogan/Abyss segment? And did we honestly just go crazy over a CLOTHESLINE???
10:04 - This whole Mick Foley/Jeff Jarrett angle seems to perfectly exemplify the piss poor planning of TNA. The entire build up to Hogan debuting was accentuated by this utter, heelish paranoia displayed by both Foley and Jarrett. While not outright villainous, their behavior was most certainly antagonistic. And, admittedly, I only caught a couple of episodes, but my understanding was that they were only aware of Hogan coming. Yet all of their conflicts have been with Bischoff -- who they didn't even know was coming -- and they're suddenly heroic, lovable, sympathetic faces? There's just no fluidity to it.
10:33 - I'm not sure how possible this is, but TNA should try to schedule show so that they're on while Raw is on commercial break. It seems like everytime I actually think of checking TNA -- during a Raw break -- they're on commercial as well.
A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-8 Revisited
So for the first time really ever, I’ve read a few columns and articles about last week’s episode of Lost, but nothing jumped out at me as something I needed to respond to. I don’t think that’s any commentary on the episode, which I found highly satisfactory, but it may result in a lighter than usual column. Although some of you may prefer that anyway.
Continue reading "A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-8 Revisited"....
Over at my blog, this is what DaBooty had to say:
I believe that Widmore is actually on the Locke Ness Monster's side. He seemed pretty pleased that Sawyer was willing to bring him there and I don't think it was really to kill the LNM. He never actually confirmed that he was goign to kill him, just that he wanted him there. Then when Sawyer told the LNM that Widmore was there, he looked surprised and pleased by it. Also, Sawyer's convo with Widmore showed that Widmore knew that the MIB took Locke's form but I am not really sure how he would know that.
In any event, now that Ben is on Team Jacob, I can't imagine Widmore being on Ben's team considering their history. Plus, when Miles was on Widmore's freighter team, Ilana, who is clearly Team Jacob tried to recruit him and told him he is on the wrong side. I think this all points to Widmore being Team LNM. What that means is a whole other story...
DaBooty brings up a good point here. The last two seasons have basically set up this notion that Widmore and Ben are bitter enemies. With this in mind, could you conceivably see them working together? And quite honestly, I don’t think we know enough about either Jacob or the Smoke Monster to become invested in them becoming reluctant allies for the greater good. Especially when you consider how much time they already devoted to the Ben/Widmore war – one that hasn’t been resolved yet, by the way.
However, thinking back to the Widmore/Ben conflict does make me think that there’s something to the notion that this battle isn’t between good and evil. I mean, throughout the whole Widmore and Ben thing, it was never entirely clear who was good and who was bad. The same can be said for the Others. Clearly, this show doesn’t like to straight out say “these are the bad guys.”
That being said, this point does lead me to believe that Smokey and Widmore are in cahoots. And I did like that Miles observation, as well. Great catch!
So I came across an interesting blog – one recommended by the author of the EW.com reviews on his Twitter page (where’s my plug?) – called “Docarzt & Friends Lost Blog.” On the site, there was a review of this past week’s episode, with a significant slant towards the Sawyer and Kate relationship. Don’t get me wrong, he makes some excellent points – which are backed up with specific examples (including screencaps) – but I think some of the arguments are moot. Let me explain. The basic premise of the review is that Sawyer and Kate are intimately connected, no matter the reality. That very well could be true, but the same can be said for Sawyer and Miles, Ben and Locke, Jack and Dogen, Kate and Claire, Jack and Claire, Hurley and Locke, Desmond and Jack, Ben and Alex, and, I’m sorry to say (for the author), Jack and Kate. They ran into each other in the plane’s bathroom, where she used Jack’s pen to escape. She later saw him while she was in the escape cab, and felt a sense of familiarity that she didn’t experience with anybody else, including Sawyer.
So, yes, Sawyer and Kate may very well have a bond that spiritually connects them, but what makes this twosome so special compared to the ones I listed above? Of course, I’m just as guilty as anybody of taking a biased look on who Kate belongs with. I mean, I can just as easily sway this person’s examples to make it a Jack/Kate thing. So Kate found Sawyer skinny dipping? If I remember correctly, that was the episode that she needed to find the Marshall’s briefcase in the wreckage. The major theme of that episode, if I’m remembering correctly, was testing the developing trust between Jack and Kate, as Kate needed to ask Jack for the key he kept around his neck. And the episode that Sawyer was getting headaches and was approached by Kate? Who did she take him to? That’s right – Jack. Honestly, I don’t exactly remember when Kate had to ask Sawyer for guns, but I’m pretty sure it was the episode that she went to save Jack from New Otherton. So all these times she went to Sawyer, she ultimately ended up with Jack. I’m not saying that I buy into these examples, but I’m just showing that you can twist things around all you want to get the result you want.
But I do think one of the author’s points rings very true – that people suddenly have an amazing memory of past occurrences when it proves the point they want to make. Again, that’s something I’m probably pretty guilty of. I’ll just reiterate what I’ve been saying since the end of last season: After seeing Sawyer with Juliet – so happy and at absolute peace – I just can’t imagine him ending up with Kate being a “happy ending.”
As I said in last week’s review, this week’s episode is the first one that I think needs to go balls-out. The first few episodes of the season, in my view, has been about confirming what we already suspected and giving us answers to those little issues that have been nagging many. And I’m fine with that. I tend to watch this show with a lot of patience. I’ve seen people say they hated a perfectly acted, wonderfully written episode because it didn’t provide any answers. And I don’t think that’s a good way to watch an episode. But this is one episode that I don’t think the writers should hold back on.
Although a friend of mine did make a good point. At this point we already know that Richard was a slave on the Black Rock (or, at the very least, that he was on the boat) and that he’s eternally young because he was touched by Jacob. Already having that knowledge, is there anything this episode will tell us that will truly “shock” us? And if it doesn’t, did it fail to deliver?
And here's Lost Untangled!
Read more!
Continue reading "A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-8 Revisited"....
Over at my blog, this is what DaBooty had to say:
I believe that Widmore is actually on the Locke Ness Monster's side. He seemed pretty pleased that Sawyer was willing to bring him there and I don't think it was really to kill the LNM. He never actually confirmed that he was goign to kill him, just that he wanted him there. Then when Sawyer told the LNM that Widmore was there, he looked surprised and pleased by it. Also, Sawyer's convo with Widmore showed that Widmore knew that the MIB took Locke's form but I am not really sure how he would know that.
In any event, now that Ben is on Team Jacob, I can't imagine Widmore being on Ben's team considering their history. Plus, when Miles was on Widmore's freighter team, Ilana, who is clearly Team Jacob tried to recruit him and told him he is on the wrong side. I think this all points to Widmore being Team LNM. What that means is a whole other story...
DaBooty brings up a good point here. The last two seasons have basically set up this notion that Widmore and Ben are bitter enemies. With this in mind, could you conceivably see them working together? And quite honestly, I don’t think we know enough about either Jacob or the Smoke Monster to become invested in them becoming reluctant allies for the greater good. Especially when you consider how much time they already devoted to the Ben/Widmore war – one that hasn’t been resolved yet, by the way.
However, thinking back to the Widmore/Ben conflict does make me think that there’s something to the notion that this battle isn’t between good and evil. I mean, throughout the whole Widmore and Ben thing, it was never entirely clear who was good and who was bad. The same can be said for the Others. Clearly, this show doesn’t like to straight out say “these are the bad guys.”
That being said, this point does lead me to believe that Smokey and Widmore are in cahoots. And I did like that Miles observation, as well. Great catch!
So I came across an interesting blog – one recommended by the author of the EW.com reviews on his Twitter page (where’s my plug?) – called “Docarzt & Friends Lost Blog.” On the site, there was a review of this past week’s episode, with a significant slant towards the Sawyer and Kate relationship. Don’t get me wrong, he makes some excellent points – which are backed up with specific examples (including screencaps) – but I think some of the arguments are moot. Let me explain. The basic premise of the review is that Sawyer and Kate are intimately connected, no matter the reality. That very well could be true, but the same can be said for Sawyer and Miles, Ben and Locke, Jack and Dogen, Kate and Claire, Jack and Claire, Hurley and Locke, Desmond and Jack, Ben and Alex, and, I’m sorry to say (for the author), Jack and Kate. They ran into each other in the plane’s bathroom, where she used Jack’s pen to escape. She later saw him while she was in the escape cab, and felt a sense of familiarity that she didn’t experience with anybody else, including Sawyer.
So, yes, Sawyer and Kate may very well have a bond that spiritually connects them, but what makes this twosome so special compared to the ones I listed above? Of course, I’m just as guilty as anybody of taking a biased look on who Kate belongs with. I mean, I can just as easily sway this person’s examples to make it a Jack/Kate thing. So Kate found Sawyer skinny dipping? If I remember correctly, that was the episode that she needed to find the Marshall’s briefcase in the wreckage. The major theme of that episode, if I’m remembering correctly, was testing the developing trust between Jack and Kate, as Kate needed to ask Jack for the key he kept around his neck. And the episode that Sawyer was getting headaches and was approached by Kate? Who did she take him to? That’s right – Jack. Honestly, I don’t exactly remember when Kate had to ask Sawyer for guns, but I’m pretty sure it was the episode that she went to save Jack from New Otherton. So all these times she went to Sawyer, she ultimately ended up with Jack. I’m not saying that I buy into these examples, but I’m just showing that you can twist things around all you want to get the result you want.
But I do think one of the author’s points rings very true – that people suddenly have an amazing memory of past occurrences when it proves the point they want to make. Again, that’s something I’m probably pretty guilty of. I’ll just reiterate what I’ve been saying since the end of last season: After seeing Sawyer with Juliet – so happy and at absolute peace – I just can’t imagine him ending up with Kate being a “happy ending.”
As I said in last week’s review, this week’s episode is the first one that I think needs to go balls-out. The first few episodes of the season, in my view, has been about confirming what we already suspected and giving us answers to those little issues that have been nagging many. And I’m fine with that. I tend to watch this show with a lot of patience. I’ve seen people say they hated a perfectly acted, wonderfully written episode because it didn’t provide any answers. And I don’t think that’s a good way to watch an episode. But this is one episode that I don’t think the writers should hold back on.
Although a friend of mine did make a good point. At this point we already know that Richard was a slave on the Black Rock (or, at the very least, that he was on the boat) and that he’s eternally young because he was touched by Jacob. Already having that knowledge, is there anything this episode will tell us that will truly “shock” us? And if it doesn’t, did it fail to deliver?
And here's Lost Untangled!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Geek Squad to the rescue?
Just an update to anybody who cares about my external hard drive situation (I sure as Hell do!) My spirits were somewhat uplifted when my work laptop responded to my hard drive a tad better than my home laptop did. But nonetheless I was still unable to extract any files. Finally I had the IT guy at work see if he could work any magic, but he wasn't too optimistic. He did some scans that were beyond my understanding, and it didn't look good.
So finally I said, "Let's just try Geek Squad." Yes, it would be more expensive, but you know what? There are a number of files and photos on that don't exist anywhere else (including photos of friends and relatives that have since passed), to be honest $250 is well worth it if they can recover these items. I was a bit hesitant to go, mostly because I was afraid of getting bad news. But Friday night I finally went, and I was almost unsettled by how confident and nonchalant they were about the situation. The technician took my hard drive, checked to see if the items could be recovered, and returned a few moments later to tell me they would be able to recover the files, but the hard drive is on the way out. I told him that at this point I could care less about the hard drive, I just want to recover the files. Again, quite confidently, he said they'd be able to do that.
And it all seemed just a bit too good to be true. They said they would be able to recover the files AND replace my hard drive (putting all of the files on the new one) for less than $150 -- sure, still a nice amount of money, but $100 less than I expected to pay. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
And, to an extent, it did. As we were finalizing everything, the guy tells me that he just has to check how many recoveries they have to do before mine. He returns a few minutes later to tell me they have about 15 to do, which means the won't get to mine for another 3-5 days. I had already gone a week or so without it, and about a day or two ago I had pretty much given up all hope, so I was more than willing to wait that amount of time. But then he tells me that since this thing is so close to dying, in that amount of time the items could become unrecoverable, and if that happens there's no refund. He told me there was an exceptionally small chance that would happen, so I'm sorta banking on the fact that this is just a condition he legally has to make me aware of.
Of course, if this wasn't a reputable organization I would wonder if this was some sort of scan. Basically going behind the scenes and telling people items can be recovered (which you don't see for yourself), and then later on saying that if something happens during the waiting period there's no refund.
Anyway, I'm going to be pretty nervous and anxious for the next 3-5 days. Well, moreso than usual.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
A Case of the.... 24 - Episode 8-12
From last week’s 24 column, courtesy of reader Michael L:
I don’t know about you, but I’m about at the point where I hope that the Stephen Root character turns out to be a mole and just plain shoots Dana–preferably someplace painful–and hopefully sometime in the next episode. This subplot has reduced the overall IQ of this show quite a bit. Couldn’t she simply tell this parole officer that she is working for the government in the middle of a national security crisis and that she’ll get back to him tomorrow (later today?). At least she could try a bit harder.
This is actually one of my biggest pet peeves as it relates to 24 and the Dana story arc in particular. As a viewer, we recognize that the main story arc has to be tied up in a neat little package within the day, but it still irks me when the show completely ignores its own gimmick – that this is a real-time hour of the day. I just find the urgency of this Dana/Kevin situation just too unbelievable. There are so many times that it would be perfectly reasonable for her to say “Can we talk about this tomorrow?” and for the person, no matter how much they need her assistance or services, to comply. I simply don’t believe that Kevin and his friend – a supposed hardened criminal – would risk such a potentially lucrative operation without any planning whatsoever.
And then there’s Stephen Root’s character – who I’ll just refer to as the “parole officer” because I don’t want him to stick around long enough for me to bother to remember his name. Again, I just find this whole thing completely unbelievable. I don’t remember if he indicated how long Kevin has been missing, but I just don’t buy that he’d suddenly treat this situation with such urgency. Like, he absolutely HAS to meet with this woman at 3:00 in the morning? And considering that this guy apparently has the necessary connections to get the results of a finger print test for a crime that was only committed a few hours ago – is that even possible? – I have to wonder how he lost Kevin in the first place.
And while I’m not trying to portray any of these people as exhibiting any sense of nobility, but I just don’t see any of them – even the petty thieves – harassing their golden goose in the midst of a national crisis. Everything about it just so forced and reeks of lazy writing. And the fact that the story arc sucks makes it even less forgivable.
http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/03/18/24-episode-8-12-review/
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-8
Well right off the bat, we get the answer to a question that has been nagging a lot of viewers: Where were Jin and Sawyer during Claire and the Locke Ness Monster’s raid of the Temple. Turns out Jin was convalescing and Sawyer was, I guess, babysitting. Works for me!
While I enjoyed the opening sideways “tease,” where we learned that Sawyer is actually a cop in the alternate reality (where he’s now using his classic ploy as a different type of trap), I was a bit spoiled after reading an off-hand comment made by actor Josh Holloway. But I did love the appearance of Miles as Sawyer’s partner.
Continue reading "A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-8"....
Speaking of Miles, his casual reference to his father is potentially significant. Last week we did learn that the Dharma Initiative was in existence, as was the island until at least the 1970’s. So, much like Ethan, Ben and his dad, what are the circumstances that surrounded Miles and Dr. Chang leaving the island? Presuming they were on there in the first place.
Actually, I suppose that same question could apply to Charlotte as well. Was she ever on the island? And does her work relationship with Dr. Chang relate to the island in any way (“Hey, didn’t your parents used to live across the barracks from me?”)
I don’t have a whole lot to say about the Sawyer/Charlotte escapades (other than the fact that I loved that Sawyer brought a 6 pack of beer with him when he went to apologize), except that I do have to sorta confess that I was hoping he’d get set up with Juliet. I still expect that to happen, but I suppose they may be holding off on that.
One final thought: I’m curious, but how did Sawyer discover that his “Sawyer” is Anthony Cooper? In the world we’re familiar with, he only came to this realization after meeting the man himself. How’d he find it out in the sideways universe? For that matter, this was a pretty big revelation. In the Locke episode, we’ll led to believe he has a healthy relationship with his father (which includes hunting trips and wedding invitations). Is this the same man that conned Sawyer’s parents?
Oh, and the subtle Charlie reference was nice.
Over on the island, the Locke Ness Monster sent Sawyer over to Hydra Island (I kinda love that that’s now its name even within the show’s universe), where the conman met a little lady who tried to manipulate him with some of her own lies. Naïve little girl. I am interested in this little game Sawyer is playing, though. He’s basically playing both sides against each other, hoping to slip through the cracks in the midst of the chaos. What’s intriguing, though, is that this isn’t entirely the long con that many assumed it was. It doesn’t seem that Sawyer is fishing for information. He genuinely does seem obsessed with getting off of the island. And until Kate and his friends arrived, it really doesn’t appear that he was looking to bring anybody else with him. But if Survivor has taught me anything, it’s that simply telling everybody what they want to hear will eventually bite you in the ass.
Yeah, this is probably the Jack/Kate fan in me talking, but I really could have done without Sawyer longingly reminiscing about his cage sex with Kate. In addition to me not wanting this relationship to happen, I think it cheapens Sawyer’s devastation over losing Juliet. I know most people don’t want to see Sawyer acting all mopey and Emo for 18 episodes, but in terms of the show’s storyline, didn’t Juliet die, like, yesterday? A little soon to be thinking about reigniting a romance with an old flame, don’t you think?
I was fascinated by the story Locke told Kate, mostly because of the duality of it. We know full well that the real Locke had a mentally disturbed mother, so when he began pouring his heart out, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was referring to the history of his visage in order to manipulate Kate. But as he continued, you got the sense that he was actually providing us with some potentially critical information about the history between Jacob and the Man in Black. And perhaps most interestingly of all, there was something compassionate and remorseful about his tone – as if he genuinely wished circumstances were different. I’m now really buying into this theory that Jacob and the Man in Black are brothers.
And man, what a visual seeing him slap Claire after her outburst on Kate. I’m thinking that there might be something to this idea that the Locke Ness Monster can’t lie now, because of the dagger Sayid stabbed him with. There were a couple of occasions that he seemed to rub his wound as he reluctantly told the truth about a situation. And he seemed oddly even more honest than he had in the past. And there did seem to be a certain resistance, as well. And in regards to Claire, how sincere do you think that hug was?
Alright, it’s been a pretty exhausting week (how is it just Tuesday), so I’m cutting things off at this point.
Anyway, anybody else REALLY looking forward to next week’s Richard episode? This is the one episode where I’ll say that they shouldn’t pull any punches. Go balls out!
A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-7 Revisited
I’m going to take a break from trying to prove or disprove whether Christian Shephard is the Smoke Monster, and instead ask if we believe that every single ghost we’ve seen is an incarnation of the Smoke Monster. Specifically, I’m wondering about the ghosts we’ve seen off the island. Granted, most of these people appeared to Hurley (Charlie, Ana Lucia, Eko, perhaps others). It would be easy to write this off as an insane delusion, but keep in mind that ghosts have appeared to him (most recently Jacob), and that Libby appeared to Michael.
And how about the undead ghosts? Walt appeared to Locke (granted, on the island) and Claire appeared to Kate (and strangely, this was the ONLY ghost that warned somebody NOT to return to the island). Considering we’re now learning that the Smoke Monster can’t leave the island – who were these people? Discuss…
Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the feedback I’ve received following this episode.
Continue reading "A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-7 Revisited"....
These comments come from my blog. Kyle offered this:
Also, as far as Richard goes, did you catch the apparent confirmation that he was on the Black Rock? That was the assumption, but he seemingly confirmed it with his comment about how "in all his time here, he'd never come back here".
I did catch this comment, and it made me realize something. While the first several episodes of this season hasn’t necessarily given us some mind boggling answers – nor do I think it should have – it has confirmed quite a lot of what we already suspected. And I think it’s a bit unfair that fans don’t recognize this. Yeah, we may have all suspected that Fake Locke, the Smoke Monster, and the Man in Black are all one in the same, but I think receiving this confirmation counts as an “answer” to a question. The same goes for Richard being on the Black Rock. And him achieving his agelessness after being touched by Jacob. As well as the idea that one cannot commit suicide after being touched by Jacob. And getting the deets on Jacob’s list, for that matter.
Like I said in a previous column, if the writers confirm certain ideas that have, at this point, pretty much been confirmed, these unsatisfied fans say “yeah, well we already knew that.” Yet if everything isn’t spelled out, these same fans will say, “They never solidly answered this question.” It’s a really unfair lose/lose situation, actually. DaBooty added this:
With the whole dynamite thing...do we think that Jack and the gang are immortal now also? Unlike Richard, the Losties have aged. Jacob touched Kate and Sawyer when they were kids and they obviously grew up. I think that when Jacob touches you, you can't die until your purpose is fulfilled. Richard thought he lost his purpose but he didnt. However, I am not really sure why Richard can't age but everyone else can. Unless its that you only age up until a certain point like 42 (Richard could be 42).
This is an EXCELLENT observation that I had completely overlooked. Kate and Sawyer, in particular, were touched as children (well that sounded wrong), yet they grew up to be adults. So obviously the agelessness – and, perhaps, the suicide barrier – is a bit more complex than a simple brush of the hand. I suspect we’ll find this out in the Richard flashback episode (which will, I believe, totally kick ass).
The on island stuff was interesting but I am becoming increasingly annoyed by the lack of questions being asked by Sun, Miles and Lapidus to Illana. Clearly Illana knows stuff! Don't they want to know stuff too?!?!? Just a few questions about Jacob or even who the heck she is would have been nice by now.
This will likely go down as the greatest flaw on this series. Characters never seem to ask the obvious questions, and they give up entirely too easily when they’re given answers like “I can’t tell you” or “does it matter?” or some variation thereof.
Now let’s look at some of the comments from the episode review on the Entertainment Weekly website. This first comment refers to Ben’s dilemma at the conclusion of the episode:
He came to the outskirts of the Beach camp, then stopped and considered his options. Stay and serve in this humble little patch of heaven, or join Devil Locke and coldly play for a shot at living the ''Vida La Vida'' once again. You always have a choice. This time, Ben made the right one — fulfilling, perhaps, Jacob's dying thought hope that Ben had the capacity for change. Has Ben the flip-flop artist truly embraced redemption? If so, would his redemption have been possible without Jacob's death? If so, did Jacob know that when he offered his chest for Ben to puncture? And so we debate like theologians.
There’s something very Christ-like about this theory – that Jacob had to die in order to salvage Ben’s soul. And I really dig it. It just adds some depth to that scene. It actually reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: Everything works out in the end. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end. In other words, Ben had to hit rock bottom in order to rise to his greatest height. Here’s another religious allusion:
In my recap of ''Sundown'' last week, I proposed that the Island portion of Lost 6.0 will take place over three full days, using the Biblical template of Christ's long Easter weekend trip to hell and back. The first six hours of the season took us through the dark night of Good Friday, which means that ''Dr. Linus'' brought us to Saturday morning. On Saturday, as Jesus assayed the Harrowing in the underworld, his disciples on Earth were presumably freaking out, feeling a little bit like Sally Brown, I'm sure. The Island story in ''Dr. Linus'' focused on three disciples of Jacob who processed their grief and despair and anger over his death in different ways. Richard wanted to die. Ilana wanted vengeance. Ben, as usual, just wanted to survive, by any means necessary. All three were on the precipice of making dark, damning choices to resolve their agita. Instead, they each chose something different, and found themselves stumbling into something totally unexpected: hope.
And, finally, just a fun little observation:
Ben became the first person this season to turn down a FrankenLocke bargain.
Sure, blame it on a long con or an infection, but while people like Sawyer, Sayid, Claire, and arguably even Kate have fallen for the Locke Ness Monster’s spell, evil, diabolical Ben took the high, yet rockier, road. The EW.com comments section offered these observations:
I don't care you takes over for Jacob or who wins between Jacob and MIB. Maybe once the writers decide to tell us why this stuff is happening I'll care. It is strange that this has become the central concept of the show yet we have no sense of the importance of it. Simply question that needs to be explained is why does it matter if someone replaces Jacob?
This was actually one of the first times I’ve read a comment about a fan complaining about not getting answers and actually thought, “Hey, this person has a point.” Granted, we’re less than ten episodes into this season, but they are expecting us to become emotionally invested in this story arc. We are supposed to care about which sides the characters choose. But are they playing this a bit too ambiguous? They’ve given us VERY little to work on here. Like this poster has noted, we don’t even really know who the good or bad guy is in this scenario. It might help to shed a bit of light on the matter. Another poster offers his perspective on how the Locke Ness Monster is a lying liar who lies a lot:
I am now 100% convinced that Flocke is the evil one. He told Ben that Ben could be the next protector of the island after Flocke leaves, because someone has to stick around to protect it. But when Flocke was recruiting Sawyer, he told Sawyer that the island was just an island, and that it didn't need any protecting. So Flocke is contradicting himself and proving that we cannot trust anything he says, and that information or "answers" we get from him cannot be believed. Thoughts?
And finally, an observation on Jack and his sudden ability to believe:
Jack has shown a proven ability to believe (putting his father's shoes on Locke, convincing the Oceanic 6 to get back on the plane) when he believes there is cause. Honestly, to me, it's one of the reasons his character is believable. Faith is flexible, people waver, experiences shape them and reinforce their faith. After the lighthouse, he believes.
I personally didn’t have any problems with Jack’s sudden leap of faith, only because it was somewhat consistent with his epiphany when he arrived on the island (keep in mind, only a couple days ago he was singing Locke’s praises, telling Richard not to give up on him). This didn’t seem like too much of a stretch for me. Actually, I was a bit disappointed he had been veering back towards his skeptical ways.
Anyway, that’s it for tonight. Check out my next review following the new episode. Enjoy!
UPDATE: And here's Lost Untangled!
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