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So I finally got a chance to watch the Lost finale epilogue, titled “New Man in Charge,” which promised to answer many of those lingering questions and issues (most of which I referred to as inconsequential and ultimately insignificant to the story that ended up being told). Did it deliver? I’m inclined to say yes (and in a rather tongue-in-cheek no less), but I also feel like many of the people that were unsatisfied with the finale will resent being given offered a nibble and not the whole meal, so to speak.
Warning!!!! The below review includes spoilers. If you haven't had a chance to view the epilogue yet, please click here (and buy the DVD, of course!)
Continue reading "A Case of the.... Lost Epilogue - 'New Man in Charge'"...
In the 10 plus minute “episode,” we are provided with answers regarding the palette drop, the “Hurley Bird,” the polar bears, Room 23, pregnant women, and Walt. Some of the answers were quite satisfying and personally fulfilling. Right off the bat they explained that there are Dharma employees all around the world who don’t even realize that the organization hasn’t existed in 20 plus years. In this particular case, an automated teletype from the Lamppost station in Los Angeles has been sending coordinates to these two guys stationed in Guam, and they’ve unknowingly been sending the palettes to the island. I found this explanation believable, logical, and to the point.
The Dharma scene, while short, also showed a great deal about how Hurley is running things. He’s releasing those who have been blindly serving the island because they have been lied to and misled. He’s offering transparency (by answering questions), and making sure they’re taken care of (by giving them boat loads of money). Very Hurley-esque.
The “Hurley Bird,” or “Hy-Bird” was the result of genetic alteration. And you know what? It DOES kinda sound like it’s saying “Hurley.” However, I must note that the lack of explanation for the Hurley Bird remains one of my greatest pet peeves. I don’t mind that they left this matter unanswered, on the contrary it drove me crazy that so many people got so bothered about it. The damn bird appeared once, for a brief second, and was never, ever mentioned again. Yet people were all up in arms that the show never bothered to offer an explanation. Ridiculous.
The polar bears, it seems, possess attributes such as keen memories and adaptabilities, which would be used in Dharma’s electromagnetic studies. It is implied that the climatic change will also play a part in this experiment. Oh, and the bears are NOT your friends. Tell that to Smokey D! By the way, how messed up is it that the guy who allegedly got his arm bitten off by one of the bears STILL has the job of locking up the cage. Talk about pouring salt on the wound! And, as most of us suspected, this scene also confirmed that the high electromagnetic levels are responsible for the failed pregnancies. Works for me!
What I found most curious, however, were the revelations regarding Room 23. As it turns out, Dharma was acquiring members of The Others and attempting to brainwash them. This is intriguing, because it puts Dharma in the villainous role here, while victimizing The Others. Dharma’s knowledge of, and interest in, the existence of Jacob is also a rather fascinating.
And I did enjoy the self-referential moments, like the Dharma employees mentioning that they deserve answers. And Dr. Chang’s smirk in regards to the ridiculous notion of one day resorting to using an alias. I also found the visual of Ben casually eating a Dharma granola bar inexplicably humorous (as was the, what, third variation of “we’re going to have to watch that again”).
Finally, the scene that will likely be most talked about, we learned a bit more about Walt’s fate. It seems that he’s now in a mental health facility, which is a bit sad and perplexing in its own right. He seemed fairly well adjusted when Locke confronted him and when he visited Hurley. What changed? Perhaps his grandmother died? The timeline is a bit hazy, so we don’t know how much time has passed between the finale and the epilogue. Nonetheless, I thought this was a nice scene, and I’m glad it involved Walt, Ben, and Hurley. Walt and Ben, because the genuineness of Ben’s apology, and the general gentle demeanor, really did a remarkable job of expressing how much the former Other leader had changed. And Walt and Hurley, because there was always a warmness and affection between those two. Quite simply, Hurley was one of the few characters that could “adopt” Walt, and you’d feel like Walt was in a happier place as a result. I guess the big reveal, though, is that Walt IS special, and that he ultimately ends up returning to the island. Of course, we didn’t find out WHAT was so special about Walt, and what he’s going to do on the island. However, I suspect Walt’s abilities mirror Hurley’s: He can communicate with the dead, and has a strong bond with the intricacies of the island. So, basically, I think his job will be to set the meandering spirits at peace so that they can move on to the next phase of the afterlife.
But Holy Hell, have you seen anybody age in six years like Walt? Doesn’t even look like the same person.
As an aside, “New Man in Charge” also exemplified WHY these questions couldn’t necessarily be answered in the finale. Quite honestly, squeezing these scenes into the character-driven story of the final episode would have weakened both causes. One could probably argue that they could have provided these explanations into the episodes leading up to the finale. Or even earlier, for that matter.
And to be honest, that’s fair. The characters were buddying up with Dr. Chang throughout all of season five, which provided ample opportunities for the explanations regarding the polar bears and Hurley Bird (in fact, it would have been rather hilarious having Hurley involved in the scene in which Chang introduces the Hy-Bird). Additionally, Chang made it a point to mention that security should be involved in the Room 23 experiments….and Sawyer WAS the chief of security, wasn’t he? And finally, season five kicked off with numerous scenes inside of the Lamppost station. Wouldn’t that be a great opportunity to mention that this location was responsible for the palette drop?
So, what did everything think of the Lost finale epilogue? Were you satisfied with the various explanations? Were there any specific questions that weren’t answered that you were hoping they would touch upon? Do you wish they had provided some insight into Jack’s demise (who found his body? Was his body returned home? Who broke the news to Kate and the rest of the survivors?) Sound off below!
Well, since the (supposedly) complete Lost collection comes out on DVD today, I thought this was as good a time as any to once again discuss the finale!
A few weeks ago I caught up with a couple friends of mine – both avid Lost viewers – and we realized we hadn’t yet talked to each other about how the show ended. We have fairly different ideologies, so I had a feeling we weren’t going to see eye to eye on the show’s conclusion. I figured it would be because of the perceived lack of conclusive answers. Well, I was half right: They didn’t enjoy the finale, but it had nothing to do with any lingering issues (they didn’t mind that). Instead, they felt like the show didn’t warrant a happy ending and that the way it did conclude made the series as a whole seem inconsequential.
Since you’ve all read my blog and reviews, you’ll of course know that I don’t agree with that assessment. But let me explain what they meant. They felt that the ending, which essentially takes place after all of the characters have died, left them feeling like there were no consequences to the characters’ actions. It didn’t matter that Jack died, because EVERYONE eventually died. And for that matter, we didn’t even have to cope with his death, because we immediately saw him in the afterlife. And even looking further back, there was no consequence to, say, Boone dying because he ended up living happily in the same afterlife. Ditto for Shannon, Charlie, and everyone else who suffered an abrupt, tragic, or heroic death.
It’s not that I think they’re wrong, that viewpoint is just a little too cynical and bleak for me. I personally appreciated the fact that we got a happy ending. It set me at ease knowing that these characters that I have spent the last six years watching and caring for – who have endured so much – ultimately found the happiness that they so richly deserve. It’s actually one of the reasons why I found the Lost finale so much more fulfilling and entertaining than 24’s. The writers and producers of 24 felt that a happy ending didn’t do the series justice, and that it would have been an effective cop-out. I disagree. I think part of the reason why we were able to watch Jack constantly struggle and fail to hold onto the things he cares about is because, implicitly, we believed that, as a reward, Jack’s selflessness and sacrifices would pay off. But instead, we would come to discover that the very nation and government Jack lost his wife, girlfriend, job, and pretty much everything else in his life to would chase him out of the country.
Yes, happy endings CAN be sappy, inappropriate, and cheap at times. But there are times that it’s the right ending as well.
What I found curious, though, was their alternate ending. They believe the show should have ended the way many people predicted it would, with Locke as the Man in Black and Jack (or Hurley) as the new Jacob reciting the conversation from the prior season’s finale. In my view, THAT ending would have rendered the series insignificant and inconsequential. It would have shown that there was nothing special about this band of castaways. They were merely one rotation of a never ending cycle between two petty demigods. I think it’s far more satisfying knowing that there was something different about this crew – that they possessed some extraordinary attribute that allowed them to break the cycle altogether.
So, what do you think? Disregarding any qualms you might have with unresolved questions and issues, do you think this was the “right” ending to the series? Would you have preferred something less happy? Do you wish the ending focused more on the island, and not the afterlife of the characters? Or do you think the ending worked as the proper conclusion to the story they decided to tell?
Oh, yeah, and if you’re going to buy the DVD collection, use the link below!
There's an official auction of Lost costumes and set pieces beginning next week. Just looking at the catalog of stuff is pretty f'n bad ass -- pretty much every costume from each season is up there (I presume, I'm looking at season six now). Check it out and reminisce about this great show!
http://www.profilesinhistory.com/lost-the-auction.html
Just one more note on the WWE’s drug testing policy. Most cynical people say stuff like, “Yeah, well when are we going to see guys like Triple H, Batista, and John Cena get their random drug test?” First off, of that threesome, in particular I’m not convinced that Cena is using any illegal substances. The guy is a freak of nature who practically lives in a gym, and while his body is absolutely huge, he doesn’t show a lot of the traditional warning signs. He’s not ultra veiny, he’s not covered with acne, and while he did suffer a pec tear, his muscles are remained more or less injury-free.
Triple H and Batista…I don’t know. But then again, Funaki failed a drug test, so I think that shows us that you can never quite be sure who is using and who is not. But the point I want to make is that there is a precedent here. There are COUNTLESS examples of WWE suspending somebody in the midst of a major push or title run. Here are some examples:
Jeff Hardy, in the middle of a very successful Intercontinental title run and is poised to win Money in the Bank, is suspended weeks before WrestleMania. He’s forced to drop the title and is kept off of the WrestleMania card completely.
John Morrison, in the middle of an ECW title reign, is suspended. He’s forced to drop the title.
Mr. Kennedy, poised to be revealed as the illegitimate son of Vince McMahon, which would lead to the biggest storyline of his career which would be the centerpiece of the company for several months, is suspended just before the big reveal.
William Regal, General Manager of Raw and recently-crowned King of the Ring, is suspended. This puts an end to one of the strongest pushes of his career. He was also “fired” as General Manager.
Rey Mysterio, in the midst of an Intercontinental title reign, is suspended. He’s forced to drop the title.
Rob Van Damm, who carried BOTH the WWE and ECW Championship, in the middle of the biggest push of his career, and in a storyline that is carrying the newly formed ECW brand, is suspended. He’s forced to drop both titles.
So I don’t know, maybe Triple H and Batista (and others) are being protected, but based on the list above, I don’t see what they gain from that. Hell, why NOT suspend Batista if he failed a drug test? The guy injures himself enough that they know they can survive without him (or hell, give him the test when he’s got nagging injuries), so they really don’t have anything to lose. If the examples above doesn’t convince people, then maybe an honest to goodness main eventer will help a little.
I'm not saying it's a flawless system, as improvements can be made, but also keep in mind that over the four years or so, loads of improvements HAVE been made to the policy. And while the list of dead young wrestlers is indeed a depressing sight, who knows how many have been saved because of this policy.
So, in a very unfortunate turn of events, today it was announced that Lance Cade has passed away at the very young age of 29. This is undeniably tragic, but I can’t help but get angry that this is likely going to turn into another opportunity for people to blame WWE, which is complete and utter crap.
I’m not going to pretend that the environment is safe – it’s mentally, emotionally, and especially physically taxing – and that their drug program is flawless, but I’d say that their current policies are pretty damn impressive.
Their current policy suspends a Superstar after one violation. After a second, they’re forced to go to rehab. If they refuse, their contract is terminated (as was the case with Umaga and most recently Carlito). If they do go to rehab and fail again, their contract is terminated. However, along with that, once a year WWE sends out a correspondence offering ANY current or past WWE contracted Superstar to go to rehab on the company’s dime. And this applies to anybody who was under a WWE contract, no matter the length or the terms of their departure. So even after you’re let go – or you leave – they’re still willing to help you out. How many other companies are willing to do that?
Listen, I’m very into personal accountability. One of my least favorite people to listen to is Lindsay Lohan, because no matter what happens to her, or no matter what trouble she gets herself into, it’s always somebody else’s fault. And hell, her mother is no better, this morning blaming the judge for Lindsay’s problems. It’s so infuriating to me that I can’t even feel sorry for her. So, no, I’m not a WWE apologist. I just can’t wrap my head around the way people force the blame away from the individual.
Lance Cade’s death is a sad thing. I understand he was married with some kids, and my thoughts are with them.
Sorry I didn’t provide my LIVE Raw thoughts last night, but I was feeling pretty ill (I’m actually home from work today) and wasn’t up for being anywhere but my bed. I’d actually glance over to my desk, which is probably about 10 feet from my bed, and I’d literally say, “How the hell am I supposed to get over there?”
But I do have some comments about Raw. Overall, I thought it was a strong show, and while it didn’t necessarily take the route I anticipated, the end destination was pretty much what I expected. What I HOPED would happen would be that we’d discover that Cena, Hart, Jericho, and Edge were toying with Nexus, and making them believe they were in despair until the last possible moment in order to mess with their undeniable momentum. The way I imagined it happening, would be that when the tag match kicked off, the foursome would jump Nexus (who were at ringside as lumberjacks) and it’d be revealed that they were just placing them in a false sense of security.
However, admittedly, the way it played out might have been better than what I would have done. The fact of the matter is, Edge and Jericho are heels, and it does make sense that they’d be more concerned with their self interests. Both of their heel turns were also set in motion over the perception that the fans had turned against them, so this notion of them standing up for the WWE Universe wouldn’t have made much sense from a character perspective. But at the same time, Edge and Jericho aren’t necessarily cartoonish villains, so it also wasn’t out of character for them to contemplate the possibility of rejoining Cena’s team.
And honestly, I thought the visual at the end, with Edge and Jericho standing at the ramp, looking down at their outnumbered former teammates, was fantastic. First, Jericho motioned for them to leave, however you could sense that neither of them were completely feeling it. Then Edge finally took the initiative and suggested that they go down and fight. And you could tell that both of them were just waiting for the other to pull the trigger and propose the idea – and with that, they both stormed the ring and stood alongside Team WWE.
I also liked the ongoing story throughout the night where Nexus was taking out anybody who might serve as a replacement for Team WWE. But I do have to wonder: Where was the Evan Bourne attack? I mean, this guy is such an obvious pick for everybody but the guys booking this show. Wouldn’t it have made just as much sense to have Nexus jump Bourne as he heads to the ring for his match with Miz, and then have Miz give his post-match promo following the attack? Miz already has enough momentum that he didn’t need to squash Bourne, and after having a strong few weeks, Bourne has really suffered from the current booking, so this loss really (and needlessly) hurt him.
I also could have done without Miz interjecting himself in the Team WWE vs. Nexus match, because his current storyline with Sheamus and Orton is interesting enough. If anything, I would have liked Miz to outright reject their offer and telling them that he’ll be preoccupied with the WWE title situation. Besides, “what will Team WWE do?” is a far more interesting story than “will the Miz join the team?”
Who would I like to see serve as WWE’s seventh member? Well that’s obvious: a returning Daniel Bryan!
Those of you who follow me on Twitter probably knew this post was coming. So a few weeks ago the screen on my digital camera broke, and for a while I’ve been using a backup that isn’t really mine, but with my family vacation coming up, I knew I had to buy a new one. And the lens was already messed up (thank you, Masked Emotions), so it’s not like this purchase wasn’t a long time coming anyway.
Since my damaged digital camera had been working just fine, I decided I would just upgrade to the next model up, which was pretty affordable. I had a gift card to Best Buy, so I figured that would counter some of the expense anyway.
So I walked into the store knowing exactly which camera I wanted. However, since it’s a digital camera, you can’t just walk in, grab it, and take it to the checkout line (if it were that easy, I would have been in and out in about a minute). No, you need to wait for one of the workers to notice you so that you can tell them to unlock the cabinet so that they can grab it for you. Sure, I suppose I understand that, since some of these cameras are pretty expensive (of course they have other equally expensive appliances just lounging around the store).
This is all fine and good, except they had anywhere between one and three workers in the camera area. For the most part it was just one guy, and every single person who got to this guy before me would ask a million questions about all these cameras and camcorders. Honestly, every single person was like, “What about this one? Is this one better? What does this one do?” I’m not faulting these people for having questions – or this worker for helping them – but there should really be an easier way for you to just grab a camera when you know what you want. Making matters worse, there was only ONE SET of keys for the cabinets, so even when two other people were there to help, all three of them were sharing the same set of keys.
I was there for nearly an hour, and it really should’ve been a five minute mission. Once somebody did come over to help me, I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. And that includes waiting on line and listening to the cashier try to sell me every possible protection plan. It really was a dreadful experience and it’s absolutely ridiculous that Best Buy has such crappy customer service (and before you say there was a shortage of workers, there were a plethora of people restocking shelves. None of which ever looked up to assist a customer).
So yeah, won’t be shopping there for a while.
