"What They Died For"

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

FOCUS: JACK, LOCKE, DESMOND, BEN
EPISODE: 6.16
AIRED: MAY 18, 2010

There’s a “law” of sorts, particularly for television, that states that unless we see the body, a character isn’t dead. So when Smokey “kills” Richard in “What They Died For”, I knew it was BS, just like I was pretty sure Lapidus wasn’t dead (though things were a bit grimmer for him since we at least saw his body hit the floor). You can fool me with the timeline and other nonsense, but you can’t fool me into thinking someone is dead when they’re not, Lost!

Actually a lot of the island stuff is kind of dumb in this one. I really hate how Widmore goes out, simply being shot moments after arriving on the main island. Especially at the hands of Ben; while I understand the “poetry” of it (for lack of a better word), Ben’s random return to villainy didn’t sit well with me, and since I always enjoy the idea of enemies teaming up against bigger enemies, I was hoping for more of their uneasy alliance leading into the finale. Widmore was sort of a 2nd main villain on the show after Smokey – he should have been part of the finale. Points for Zoe's death though, not only is it a good shock moment, it's also hilarious that Locke points out how pointless she was. Good call, Smokey!

It also makes “Across The Sea” even more annoying, since Jacob explains all the key points anyway. Again, had thAT episode taken place at the beginning of the season, the refresher would be appreciated, but this aired a week later – we haven’t forgotten the basics. I like that Jack takes over, however, and Sawyer’s “God complex” line is hilarious – it’s the rare time I disagree with Kate (I would have laughed and shook his hand for that one, not told him to shut up). At the time, I was sort of like “Wait, this is already settled? What the hell is going to happen in the finale?”, so on a re-watch it’s actually a lot of fun – Jack’s NOT the guy after all.

The sideways stuff is a hoot though. Giacchino’s score is wonderfully frantic, particularly in the later scenes where Desmond is playing puppet master. Ana Lucia’s appearance was a nice surprise (why she wasn’t “ready”, I’m still unsure), as was Hurley’s ugly orange Camaro. I would have liked a little more with Desmond and Hurley planning things out, but I guess that would have been hard to do without giving away the big secret. One thing that’s sort of odd about the revelation is that no one seems to mind that (spoiler!) they’re dead – with the exception of Jack, they sort of take the news pretty easily.

And I love the Ben/Desmond scene. Even a second time around I thought he was going to run Locke over again, which is just hilarious. But I also like how he “wakes” Ben up, by beating the bejesus out of him one more time. I bet the makeup folks on Lost were glad it was over, knowing they’d never have to make Michael Emerson look beat up ever again. The stuff with Alex is also very sweet, and again ties into the idea of the flash sideways being a way for them to put their biggest personal demon at rest (which again is why the Sawyer and Sayid sideways stuff was largely horrible). Jack and Locke’s scene is a bit on the nose (nearly every line is a repeat of a line they have said before – Christ, why didn’t THAT wake them up?), but again, it’s always nice to see them talking as friends again. When you watch the first season, even when they disagree, there was always a mutual respect for one another, and I really missed that as the show progressed. One of the show’s biggest failings, I think, was killing Locke off without ever having one last real scene with Jack (though “The End” at least has a good line of dialogue to make up for it).

Well, that’s it! Tomorrow’s the big finale! I’m about to get 90 minutes of my day back!

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"The Candidate"

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

FOCUS: JACK, LOCKE
EPISODE: 6.14
AIRED: MAY 4, 2010

I don’t recall why there was a week off in between “The Last Recruit” and “The Candidate”, but it works in its favor for a second viewing. A lot of Lost works better in back to back, but this episode in particular has a really sad moment that was totally killed by the confusing flash sideways stuff. So not only did I enjoy the episode more this time due to having just watched the one before it, I also got to be sad when two of the more beloved characters perished.

I guess I should preface by explaining my original theory for the flash sideways world. My belief for pretty much the entire season was that when the hydrogen bomb went off, it created two timelines: one in which the characters magically got transported back to 2007 instead of dying in a massive explosion, and then another where Jack’s plan worked and the plane never crashed. And I never contemplated the specifics, but the idea was that everyone had to die in the rather grim Island timeline in order to correct whatever issues might arise in the “sideways” (happier) timeline. In retrospect it doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it was my idea anyway. Thus, when Sun and Jin died, I didn’t really find it too sad, because I *knew* they were alive in the other timeline anyway. Ditto for Sayid, but in his case I didn’t really care because they had already killed him at the beginning of the season and turned his character into an incoherent mess.

I mean, really, why did he turn good again? Was it simply Desmond asking him what he was going to tell Nadia when she asked how she came to be alive again? If he’s been “claimed” by some sort of infection, would the simple words of a Scottish dude he barely knows be enough to kill that darkness inside him? I like that he went out a hero, but he also went out as a major plot hole, in my opinion.

But anyway, now that I know it’s real, I did find Jin and Sun’s death to be pretty damn sad. That “Life and Death” piece from Michael Giacchino would give me sad chills even if it was playing over a shot of Clark Griswold punching an animatronic moose, so as soon as it kicked in I could feel the sadness, and this time around the tears did fall. I wish it wasn’t so clunky (what the hell is trapping her, anyway? It looks like three railings? And how did an explosion on the other side of the ship cause that much irreversible damage?), but I guess I shouldn’t complain – the better written it was, the more upsetting it would be. Same as Charlie’s death, which could have been avoided entirely anyway, but was also foreshadowed for an entire season (as was Jack’s, to some degree). Really, Juliet was the only one to ever get a good death scene that wasn’t played for shock value, I think.

Another issue I had concerns Anthony Cooper (funny note – Kevin Tighe’s credit appears as his name is mentioned for the first time in the episode. Nice bit of synchronicity), who in this timeline had a good relationship with Locke. I buy that Jack can have a son and Sawyer can be a cop, because everything changed from a moment that occurred when they were very young, but how did Cooper and Locke end up being close when he abandoned Locke’s mother before he was even born, long before 1977 (when the timeline changed due to the bomb)? Again I guess you just got to chalk it up to the fact that none of this actually happened and it’s some sort of metaphorical series of events designed for the characters to get over their biggest personal demon (which for Locke would be his shattered relationship with his father), but it’s inconsistent with the basic logic of trying to present it as a real, possible world. Though, maybe they figured since the next episode would just be a giant waste of time and thus they only had three hours left to explain the sideways world (actually half that since those episodes had a lot of Island stuff to cover as well), they had to start dropping hints.

Speaking of inconsistencies, I had to laugh when Jin refused to take the oxygen bottle after Jack told him he could make it without it. “No, you can’t, Jack,” Jin tells him, but he totally could. As I pointed out yesterday, Jack is one hell of a swimmer – he got through the cave/tunnel/temple whatever to the bomb in S5 without any problem, and just yesterday he swam from the middle of the ocean back to the island in fairly quick time while wearing a backpack. Not only could he have made it, he probably could have had time to go back and help try to free Sun. He totally missed his calling.

I didn’t notice the first time around, the episode once again depicts the writers’ fairly casual approach to killing people who weren’t necessarily bad (and/or the characters’ approach to letting them perish). Both the sub captain and his mate don’t seem to be killed when the bomb goes off, but no one bothers trying to save them. Hell they don’t even seem to care about Lapidus (I also noticed a bit of irony – there was a first aid kit behind him; if they had found it they might have all died since Jack’s pack never would have been opened), who is assumed dead for this and the next episode, but without any fanfare. No wonder they all went to heaven together, these 815ers are the most cliquey bunch of assholes in the world. I bet they had to have some sort of mental staff meeting to vote on whether or not Penny and Desmond would be allowed to come along.

For all my nitpicks, it’s a good episode though. The action’s fun (love Locke just picking dudes off on the dock), it puts most of our characters together for pretty much the last time, Sawyer and Jack sort of make up, and the flash sideways story is above average, particularly the sweet scene of Jack and Claire at the law office (“You’re family.”). It’s the last “relaxed” flash story too, so, you know, respect. From here on out it’s all crazy running around fake LA stuff.

Tomorrow... *sigh*

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"The Substitute"

JANUARY 22, 2011

FOCUS: LOCKE
EPISODE: 6.4
AIRED: FEBRUARY 16, 2010

I can't recall how long they kept it up for, but one of the things I liked about S6 was that it was following the "order" of the first season with regards to which character it focused on. So like "Walkabout" was the 4th hour (3rd airing) of the first season, following a Kate episode, "The Substitute" is the 4th hour of Season Six, following yesterday's "What Kate Does". The episodes aren't as GOOD, sadly, but it's a nice little reference of sorts for people who can remember such things.

One thing I noticed about the "flash sideways" version of Locke this time around - he's got more of a sense of humor about his condition. When he falls out of the chair early on, and then the sprinkler system turns on, he almost laughs at the absurdity - the old Locke would have started screaming or hitting shit. Power of Katey Sagal I guess, who returns after a lengthy absence. It's also one of those things that sort of makes me wonder if they knew that these flashes were indeed part of the afterlife, because again - how complicated is this "waiting room"? And besides, wouldn't Locke consider Helen (who doesn't go to Lost Heaven, for the record) a more important part of his life than fucking around on the Island? Just doesn't add up.

The episode is also Dogen/Lennon free, making it the least annoying episode of the season thus far. I particularly love how drunken Sawyer instantly recognizes what no one else has been able to for the past week or so (how long was S5 in Lost-time? Lostpedia stopped keeping track) - that Locke isn't Locke. In fact Sawyer himself didn't pick up on it during their brief encounters last season, so maybe Dharma whiskey has some sort of vitamins in it that improves your perception? Or it's just another example of a character completely changing his demeanor once the audience knows what he technically should have known all along. I'm currently being bugged by this sort of nonsense on Supernatural too (spoilers!), where we learn that Sam no longer has a soul, and then he began acting like Chip from Not Quite Human, failing to understand basic sarcasm and such.

The highlight of the episode is of course the big reveal, that Jacob had pegged six of our heroes as possible replacements some time ago (and of course Jack would be #23, though Hurley would have made more sense - and it would have made Dave's joke about Leonard from "Dave" even funnier). I wish they had dwelled on a few of the crossed out names a bit more, however - we see a ton of names but none of them are really legible. I would have applauded seeing "Arzt" up there. They could have worked in a good Scott/Steve joke too. But as goofy as it is, I like the idea that it really was pre-determined that all of these people would end up on the Island, and perhaps it was just coincidence or an amazing stroke of luck that they ended up arriving at the same time; if Desmond or any of the Freighter Folk were candidates, the concept would be less hard to swallow I think, but we don't get to see any of the other names.

The episode also offers one of the best one-two laughs in the show's history, when Ben gives his wonderfully awful eulogy: "John Locke was a believer, he was a man of faith, he was a much better man than I will ever be. And I'm very sorry I murdered him", followed by Frank's response ("Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to."). Good ol' Frank. It's weird that Jeff Fahey was finally added to the main cast (the other freighter folks were added right away) for the 6th season when he barely had any screentime or anything of significance to do until the very end of it, but at least it was a sort of "guarantee" that he would be around for a while.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham"

JANUARY 9, 2011

FOCUS: LOCKE
EPISODE: 5.7
AIRED: FEBRUARY 25, 2009

When I decided to re-watch the entire run of Lost (and write reactions for the joy of upwards of 23 people), one of the things I was most interested in seeing began with “The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham” – watching Locke now that I know he was the Smoke Monster/Man In Black from the moment the Ajira plane crashed on Hydra Island. Some folks have claimed that this was a nonsense, last minute decision made later, and perhaps they are right, but I definitely see some signs of it being the plan here.

For starters, Locke is definitely different here. He still loves fruit, but he’s oddly calm, and answers questions without being an asshole about it like he usually is. Poor Boone couldn’t even get a straight answer from the guy about the meaning of the word “trebuchet”, but now he’s politely telling strangers that he used to be dead. I also don’t care much for seeing him in a nice shirt; my Locke wears a plain T-shirt, dammit.

I also noticed that it was the second episode in a row to tell a story in linear fashion, bookended by present day stuff. And I had forgotten how much of a bummer it was; practically every scene is a downer, and had Locke not turned into such an unlikable asshole over the last two seasons I probably would have cried a few times, especially when he finds out Helen had died (which seemed to be more of an actor availability decision than one of storytelling, if you ask me). His scene with Jack is also quite depressing, and I wish it was longer – especially in hindsight when you realize it’s actually the last time the two men talk (well, I guess it is – Locke never tells him that anything bad happened on the island, which is what Jack says he told him in one of the previous episodes, so maybe they talked again later and we didn’t see it).

(I also forgot that they DO show what happened to the other folks on the plane, which I mentioned in yesterday’s review. Had anyone been reading I’m sure it would have been pointed out.)

I didn’t care much for the killing of Abaddon. I know he had to get back over to Fringe Division, but it seemed like there was more to this character than they had let on, and I don’t recall if he was ever even mentioned again after this. I know I’ve said it a million times, but on this show they should have just recast characters and dealt with it. Iron Man did it with Terrence Howard/Don Cheadle, didn’t seem to bother anyone as far as box office receipts are concerned. No, instead we just get annual single appearances of Walt, and someone always has to comment on how big he got. Real cute. Nice thing about a great story is that no one would really care about that sort of thing. Was killing off Mr. Eko way earlier than expected and annoying every fan on the planet (and leaving a lot of unanswered questions) worth sparing us the “jarring” sight of someone else playing the role? He died before the series’ halfway point; had the character survived until the series finale he would have been the more prolific Eko!

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Cabin Fever"

DECEMBER 27, 2010

FOCUS: LOCKE
EPISODE: 4.11
AIRED: MAY 8, 2008

Unfortunately, this episode is not about Jack, Kate, et al being besieged by a flesh eating virus and kids yelling “Pancakes!”. However, “Cabin Fever” is a damn fine episode, and ranks as one of the better “it’s the episode before the season finale so we have to stop dicking around, answer some questions, and get everything into place” hours of the show. Hell, it even features Richard, making his first appearance this season and showing genuine emotion for the first time.

He appears to a 5 year old Locke, as the episode is Locke-centric but not Terry O’Quinn-centric. In fact, there are four Lockes in the episode; we see him as a baby, a kid, a teen, and a balding guy (O’Quinn). The one playing teen Locke is an excellent find – he resembles O’Quinn and nails his inflection almost perfectly. They should have had him play Locke in Via Domus instead of the Old West FunTime actor they got. I wish they did this sort of thing with more of the characters; we never really got to see teenaged Jack or Kate.

It’s also a very interesting episode in retrospect, because at the time it aired, it seemed very likely that Locke would be Ben’s successor and take care of the island. There are hints sprinkled throughout that perhaps he’s not so special as we (and he) have (has) been led to believe, but at the time I just assumed it was conflict designed to have him prove himself – someday he WILL know which of Richard’s objects belongs to him! But now I see that they may have just been hinting that Locke wouldn’t be the guy after all. Also, it might just be coincidence, but when Ben is talking about destiny and being special, he suddenly looks off to the side as he talks – and when they cut to a wider angle, we can see that he is looking in the direction of Hurley. Hmm....

Some of the episode is worthless nonsense, however, such as when Locke encounters Horace in the forest, endlessly chopping down a tree and introducing himself (he’s a repeater!). Never cared much for the “ghosts” on this show - I can buy Christian or Locke as the smoke monster, but otherwise it just never gelled with the show for me. Speaking of Christian, once again seeing his name in the credits actually helped preserve some of the surprise of his appearance – I figured it would be him appearing to Claire as he once did for Jack, but nope – he’s actually Jacob! Or working with him. Or something.

Since no one is reading this website – here are some random words: Ham Poop Fish Sandwich Fatface Chicken Batman.

Another cool thing about the episode is that it solidifies Frank once and for all as a good guy. He’s been helping our guys in the other episodes, but that didn’t cancel out ulterior motives. But here, he’s openly defying Keamy, and it’s only when Keamy kills the doctor and threatens to kill more that he does what he says. He also risks exposure by sending as much of a warning as he can to Jack and the others on the beach. Good ol’ Frank, so happy he turned out to be a good guy. Then again, this isn’t 24 – it was more often that a villain turned out to be not so bad than a good guy turned out to be evil.

Also, again, since no one is reading this – in high school I once fantasized about my 60ish math teacher.

I also noticed that they barely bother with “Previously, on Lost” clips at the top of each episode anymore. I wonder what the main reason was – did they figure if you weren’t watching by now you would never pick it up, or did they just not want to waste that 30-90 seconds per episode? Or did they just realize it had gotten too convoluted to be of any use anyway? The mind bottles.

So tomorrow kicks off the 3 part season finale, which featured a really annoying, anticlimactic death, a painfully obvious fake one, and the answer to a question from the 3rd season finale’s cliffhanger (Jeremy Bentham). Oh, and blew the concept of time travel wide open and helped start to ruin the show. Fuck you, S4 finale.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"The Brig"

DECEMBER 6, 2010

FOCUS: LOCKE
EPISODE: 3.19
AIRED: MAY 2, 2007

As much as I love Lost, I never really got into the message board culture of the show, reading theories and what not. If I had, the big revelation in "The Brig" would have been "spoiled" long before, because apparently it was a pretty popular theory amongst fans. Even with the constant "Hey look, these folks all ran into one another before they even got on the plane!" stuff, I never made the connection that Locke's con man father could be the same con man that led to Sawyer's parents death. I think I figured it out when Richard told Locke to "keep reading", which is like what, 4 minutes before its revealed on the show? Nice detective work, BC.

Great episode. I usually enjoy Locke episodes, and this one's above average (somewhat due to the fact that since his flashbacks are all on-island, we are spared his goofy wig), as it encapsulates everything that makes him a fascinating character - he's special, but he's also weak. And it's great fun to see him caught in the middle of a very underplayed power struggle between Richard and Ben - not too many shows would reduce one of their main characters to a pawn in a war we don't yet understand (and in some ways never do).

I also like the scene at the end between Locke and Sawyer, where Sawyer asks him about his disability being real. At times, you can tell Sawyer really respects Locke, and here he seems like he's looking for a way to bond with him, realizing that both of their lives have been fucked up because of the same guy. But Locke is too busy on his "destiny" to take the opportunity, which is kind of a bummer.

And really, Cooper is one of the most detestable human beings I've ever seen in a show. The guy just doesn't have a single shred of humanity in him. You'd think being captured and brought somewhere would humble him enough to at least ACT civil toward his son, but no, he mocks and taunts Locke as if he's not currently tied up, and then does the same to Sawyer even when facing certain death. But Kevin Tighe is such a good actor, he never becomes cartoonish - I truly believe this guy is a real person, and a total asshole.

Also, these scenes take place on the Black Rock, which is home to my favorite Rousseau moment of all time. Locke is sitting outside while Sawyer beats on Cooper, and then Rousseau just strolls in looking for dynamite. It's funny enough, but the fact that she doesn't seem to care about the obvious violence occurring a few feet away makes it even funnier, almost like we're watching a crossover scene from an all Rousseau episode. Another funny bit is Cooper's theory that they are in hell, which even with my message board abstinence I knew was a popular theory. Sawyer's reaction pretty much works as a meta-response to the theory - no way (not til Season 6!).

Another funny moment occurs when Sayid and Hurley are playing with the satellite phone, where Hurley asks about the fact that 815 has been found with everyone dead, and Sayid replies "One thing at a time." I love that! Sayid doesn't have time for nonsense, he just tries to solve matters at hand. And his little power play concerning no one telling Jack about Naomi ("Good.") is also quite well played. In fact, I wish they had gone further with the idea of Sayid being a leader of the Survivors - it would have created an interesting dynamic and given Naveen Andrews more to do. Especially in retrospect; if there was any character completely ruined by the show's 6th season, it was him. At least if they had developed him as a leader in seasons 3 and 4, it wouldn't have been so bad.

Tomorrow - Ben flashbacks!

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"The Man From Tallahassee"

NOVEMBER 30, 2010

FOCUS: LOCKE
EPISODE: 3.13
AIRED: MARCH 21, 2007

I notice now that a lot of late Season 3 episodes of Lost were tying up loose ends about the characters’ back-stories, since their method of doing flashbacks was about to be dramatically overhauled (i.e. flash-forwards, time travel, etc). They were also having less to do with character themes and more with trying to connect them to an actual plot point. So you get episodes like “The Man From Tallahassee”, in which we get another tale of Locke getting fucked over by his dad (and how!), and it’s not until the final scene, where the show’s title comes into play, that we understand why we’re seeing this particular story (same goes for the previous episode – had almost nothing to do with Claire’s state of mind on the island, it just served as a vessel for telling us that Christian was her dad).

It’s also a damn fine episode, with a lot of adventure elements, some great Jack/Kate stuff, and a top notch performance by Michael Emerson, who starts to really display his dry sense of humor in this one (as well as his incredible chemistry with Terry O’Quinn). I love how instantly he comes up with “we have two giant hamsters in a secret underground lair...” (and O’Quinn’s annoyed reaction is just as priceless), and I laugh my ass off every time when Locke asks him if he was speaking in code. But he also shows some of his true colors, when he tells Locke his dilemma about Jack (and, unsaid, but Juliet as well) and how he made it so simple for him. Up until this point he’s been a complete enigma, but here we start to see the kind of guy he is. And it also starts the (rather long) process of making him an ally instead of an enemy.

Frequent director Jack Bender is also in fine form here, particularly in the flashbacks. It’s terrifying when Cooper knocks Locke out of the window, and the scene where Locke gets put into his wheelchair for the first time is truly horrifying – Bender does an amazing job of making it seem like the absolute worst thing in the world, as well as depicting Locke’s terrified state. Nice work, guy who directed Child’s Play 3.

Jack/Kate fans also get one of the best “let’s use this clip in a Youtube montage set to a Lifehouse song” moments too, when he tells her “I wish you hadn’t come back for me” and then, after a pause, whispers “But I will come back here for you.” Awww! (cue “Breathing”*). I also like that Jack plays his own theme music on the piano. What a self-absorbed ass.

Jack also seems a bit too trusting of Ben when he tells him that he will let Kate and Sayid go. Didn’t Kate just escape from him like 2 days ago? Granted, it seems the only reason he wanted her in the first place is to play her and Sawyer’s relationship against Jack to get him to do the surgery, but Jack doesn’t know that. I hate when things make sense to us (the audience) but wouldn’t make sense to the characters.

It’s also pretty much the last straw for Locke and Jack being “friends”. They’d spend the rest of their scenes together more or less in anger, and it wouldn’t be until after Locke died that Jack would say anything nice about the guy again (which is kind of sad, because Locke starts off the episode defending him). Yet they’d both more or less be friends with Ben near the end. Who would have seen that coming?

Tomorrow – Nikki and Goddamn Paulo die!

Where are we?

*Heh, when I was Youtube searching for a clip to put below (which I ended up just 'cheating' and using the video for "Please Come To Boston", which if you listen to the song you'd know why it came to mind), I tried “Lifehouse Lost” (no quotes) just to see if anyone had done such a thing – no luck with “Breathing”, but there were clips that used “Broken” and “Take Me Away”. And yes, I like Lifehouse.

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Further Instructions"

NOVEMBER 19, 2010

FOCUS: LOCKE
EPISODE: 3.3
AIRED: OCTOBER 18, 2006

It’s bad enough that they took 3 episodes to get around to telling us what happened to everyone in the Hatch, but it’s downright infuriating that even when they do, they don’t. “Further Instructions” DOES indeed focus on Locke, and both Eko and Desmond figure into the episode, but it’s still a big question mark exactly what happened (nor do we ever get an answer). Why is Desmond naked? How did Eko and Locke, who were right next to each other when it exploded (or whatever), end up so far apart? Why is Locke mute from the experience?

And what exactly is the timeframe here? This episode takes place a day before “The Glass Ballerina”, but how did Hurley get all the way back (well, almost) from the Others’ location? I mean, I assume this is just supposed to be a few hours after the implosion (kind of dickish if any longer – no one went looking for them after Charlie came back alone?), but it took a lot more than a few hours to get there, and Hurley’s not exactly the fastest guy in the group. Lot of sloppiness here.

Pretty good episode otherwise, though. Always nice to see Boone appear in someone’s vision or flashback (he always seems more intelligent in these things too – why was he such a moron on the island?), and Locke’s entire “vision quest” sequence is pretty cool. I particularly like that Desmond lives like Frank Abagnale in Locke’s head and that Kate wears makeup. And Hurley works for Oceanic, for some reason.

The flashback is also pretty good, though it’s a bit hard to place in the timeline. Seems to be post-Helen, but he’s still walking – how many years ago was Helen, anyway? I also don’t quite see him as a guy who would be working on a pot farm, but whatever, it’s just nice to see him with friends for once, even if he screws it up (as usual). And the sort of father-son relationship he had with the kid who turned out to be a cop was touching while it lasted. It’s one of the more unique Locke-flashbacks; most of them deal with his dad – at least this one shows some of his adventurous side.

I also like that it shows, albeit briefly, what life will be like without Jack. Locke brings Eko back to the beach and they don’t really know what to do – they get water and band-aids, but that’s about all they can offer the poor guy. Might have been cool if they introduced a plot thread where they weren’t going to get him back but realized how much they needed him when someone got sick and/or died. As the show went on, Jack’s leadership (and “popularity”) was diminished – maybe the occasional reminder that he was valuable would have been nice, not to mention made the finale a little more impactful.

Of course, it could be an episode on par with “The Constant” or “Greatest Hits” and it would still be a big red mark in the series. Why? Because it introduces Nikki and goddamn Paulo. I don’t know why the hell they ever thought this was a good idea – why not just promote two of the extras that are around every week into full fledged characters? Why shoehorn in two obvious new people? At least Sawyer gets some good jokes about it later on, and their final episode is actually kind of awesome (mainly because they die), but was it worth this unwanted intrusion? In retrospect, it was indicative of things to come, with things like the Temple and people like Ilana becoming major elements on the show without a proper introduction, and at the expense of things we DID care about.

It also has yet another scene with Charlie saying “You don’t call, you don’t write...”. What the hell is with the writers? They lazy or are they just really bad at trying to come up with catchphrases?

Charlie does get a line in that I appreciated, however, when he tells Locke he will watch him and make sure he “doesn’t turn into a monkey”. The first time the episode aired, I didn’t understand the line, but thanks to Horror Movie A Day, I know now that it is a reference to the film Altered States, where William Hurt goes into an isolation chamber and turns into a savage monkey man thing. Not a big fan of the film, but I always like when my Lost fandom ties into my horror movie fanaticism. Sawyer calling Jack “Dr. Giggles” is probably the best example, for the record.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Lockdown"

NOVEMBER 10, 2010

FOCUS: LOCKE
EPISODE: 2.17
AIRED: MARCH 29, 2006

While season 2 is probably the 2nd or 3rd best season of Lost overall, it's still rife with problems, and one of them is that it didn't work emotionally as well as the first season. I'd well up or at least get MOVED quite often in S1, but those moments were relatively rare here. So "Lockdown" is probably one of my favorite episodes of the season, because it contains what may be Locke's saddest flashback ever, plus a lot of good Island/character stuff to boot.

Man, I've seen the episode 3-4 times now and I STILL hope somehow things will change and Helen won't leave Locke at the end (during his proposal, of all things). A lot of his flashes basically show what a colossal bummer his life is at any given moment, but man, this one has to take the cake. His dad uses him once again, which he barely reacts to - this stung enough. But then Helen shows up and finds out he was lying to her and it's all over. Especially since their previous episode was so drama-filled throughout, it was so nice to see them happy at the top of this one - so at peace I actually forgot how the episode ended for a bit.

Plus his flashback showed that he met Nadia at some point, which is nice as Locke seemed to be the least "connected" of all the characters. I'm sure I'm wrong, but I believe this and the "Randy" connection to Hurley is pretty much it for him, as opposed to say, Jack, who worked on the woman that killed Shannon's father, is Claire's half-brother, lost his father due to a Sawyer-sponsored booze binge, and even met Desmond.

Speaking of Jack, I loved that this episode allowed him to display his street smarts for once. We know he's smart because he's a doctor and eventually banged Kate, so there's no question he's operating on a higher level. But it's rare we get to see his "Sawyer" side, essentially conning him at poker and getting all of his meds back. Plus it allows for some always welcome "bonding" between the two men, as they discuss Jack's time in Thailand (briefly - he doesn't bring up getting his ass kicked), Sawyer's previously mentioned STD, etc. Add in Kate's line about "getting a ruler", and you have the stuff Sawyer/Jack slashfic writers base their entire output on.

And then the Ben/Locke stuff! Anytime "enemies" work together, I'm happy, and knowing how oddly close the two men eventually became gave this episode, their first "team-up", a nice little trip down memory lane. It's almost a shame when Sayid and the others barge in at the end of the episode and explain what they found (i.e. that Henry Gale's a dead, black dude). The black-light map on the door is also pretty impressive, the type of thing Blu-ray owners would delight at looking at with crystal clear detail (I myself never have, but I do have the four Lost jigsaw puzzles that, when turned over and placed together, show the map in glow-in-the-dark ink - very cool). Needless to say, some of the information on there was never used in any way ("There are dragons here" was a particular missed opportunity, in my opinion) but it's interesting how much info IS on there, such as mention of an underground spring (the "urine cave"?).

Tomorrow: "Dave"! And the further development of one of the show's more baffling (and clearly Deus Ex Machina-oriented) mysteries: food deliveries that no one notices!

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Orientation"

OCTOBER 27, 2010

FOCUS: LOCKE
EPISODE: 2.3
AIRED: OCTOBER 5, 2005

Another name for “Orientation” could be “ANSWERS!”, as this is actually a pretty big revelatory episode of Lost, opening up and moving the story further along than pretty much any episode thus far. We meet Marvin Candle, learn the exact (ish) nature of the Hatch (now to be known as the Swan Station), how Desmond ended up in it, that the tail section has its own survivors, and that Locke used to be kind of a jerk.

Yes, in our first flashback of the episode, Locke is at a support group of some sort and he first mocks and then yells at a girl who was robbed of 30 dollars. He selfishly turns the spotlight on his own problems and how they are more important and tragic than the other folks, but like, dude, you VOLUNTEERED to give your kidney up, and you probably should have figured out that your dad was an asshole being that you’re like 45 years old and the guy never contacted you despite seemingly living next door. Also I’m flat broke, so I sympathize with the poor girl. If someone stole 30 bucks from me right now I’d be livid.

But ultimately, we feel pretty bad for Locke. The scene where Cooper basically tells him he doesn’t give a shit about him is a total gut-punch, and you can’t help but pity him later on (on the island) when he pleads with Jack to stay with him in the computer room and help him, only for Jack to dismiss him like he barely knew him (let alone someone he owes his life to). And in retrospect, it’s even MORE heartbreaking, because we know where Locke’s curiosity and faith (and the writers’ seeming lack of respect for the guy) will lead him. And Katey Sagal is such a warming presence, you really pull for him to get his shit together and work things out with Helen in the flashbacks, even though it’s obvious that they end sour (despite the hopeful conclusion to this particular episode, we know he eventually has to pay $89.95 an hour to talk to a fake Helen on a sex line).

We also get our biggest showcase yet for Desmond, which of course makes me happy, since I find him endlessly fascinating. His manic, Cliff’s Notes version of how he ended up in the Hatch is an award-worthy moment, especially with his hilarious capper: “The end!” I honestly think this is one of my all time favorite line readings in any form of filmed entertainment: the look on his face, the way he says it, the fact that he says it for no real reason... it’s just awesome. According to the lostpedia, this was originally going to be his final appearance on the show, but fan response resulted in him being brought back. And in a way, it sort of backs their “everything was planned” claims, because if there was one character who got short-changed in S5 and 6 (when they were getting to the things they would have had planned out), it was definitely him. Yet he was a huge force in Season 3, which was also the loosest, least essential season for the most part, as they were trying to drag things out because they didn’t know how long the show would run for. When in doubt, give the new guy that everyone loves a lot to do! So good call fans, without this “outcry” there might not have been “The Constant”.

As for the “Others”, at least they don’t drag it out too much. Once we see Ana Lucia we know that they’re not the people who took Walt, and once she pulls Sawyer’s gun and calls to be let out of the prison pit, we can pretty much assume that the “Others” are just the other tail survivors. But I’m baffled why it took another 4-5 episodes to show their story from their point of view, because you essentially have 1/3 of the season devoted to people we’re supposed to like being antagonistic toward our heroes. Once their personal tragedies are explained, their tough exterior makes more sense, but it would be a long time before we really came around on Eko or Ana Lucia (if ever, in the latter case). Also, getting to that sooner would have resulted in the quicker death of Shannon, so win-win.

The episode also has the first appearance of “The Third Policeman”, which allegedly was a major influence on the show’s course and contained answers to some of the mysteries. Well I read it back then and couldn’t figure out how the hell it connected at all, so maybe I’ll give it another read (I barely remember it, though I did enjoy it) to see if that was true or just a bunch of bullshit. Speaking of reading, I used to be a fiend for Lost related reading material – I read every issue of the magazine, the tie-in novels, “Bad Twin”, some of the episode guides, a book of essays and theories... you name it, I gave it a look. After a while I gave up, though since I am currently a member of the LA bus crowd due to my dead car, I picked up one of the books I bought and hadn’t read, and it’s kind of funny to read theories and questions from 4 years ago. “How did Locke end up in the wheelchair?” “What did Kate do?” etc. The book also makes mountains out of molehills with regards to mistakes or things that are just poor decisions – such as a background extra who appeared as a survivor but also as the doctor in the morgue during “White Rabbit” – “Why was he on the plane?” He wasn’t, they just were using up the bulk of the Hawaii extras union and weren’t counting on people being so obsessive. I never noticed, at any rate.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Deus Ex Machina"

OCTOBER 18, 2010

FOCUS: LOCKE
EPISODE: 1.19
AIRED: MARCH 30, 2005

We’re back! Due to the Screamfest film festival, I had precious little time for anything else, so Lost had to be put on hold until it was over. But I sort of like the irony, because when "Deus Ex Machina" originally aired, it was after a long break from the previous episode ("Numbers"), which of course I had no recollection of, 5+ years later. It was these sort of long breaks that would ultimately lead to the show airing nonstop in the 2nd half of the season instead of throughout the year like a normal show. Lost is not a normal show.

Good episode. It’s the type that I loved the most, where we had two plot lines going on, one important to the island mythology, and the other character based (and often humorous). The character one is Jack trying to help Sawyer with his headaches. It’s a real showcase for Jack, because he gets in some great lines (“I’m just going to get a one-liner for my trouble. And maybe if I’m really lucky, a brand new nickname.”), and delivers one of the all time best paybacks when he forces Sawyer to admit he’s got STDs and slept with hookers in front of Kate, even though that information has nothing to do with the diagnosis he already made (Sawyer’s got vision problems). In a way it’s sort of mean spirited of Jack, since Sawyer hadn’t really done anything to him in a while and had been being fairly civil to him to boot (the “insurance rant out” line, for example). But I like that when he tells Kate he helped him for her, it seems like he’s being the bigger man, but if you think about it, he did all of this to let her know that the guy she wanted to boink (and eventually did) has the clap.

Also, we see Jack shaving. That settles one mystery of the show – why no one ever grew an amazing beard. They took the time to shave. Me, even if I didn’t have a beard, that would be the first thing I put in the “pros” list when debating life on the island. Shaving sucks.

As for the real story, it opens up a lot more of the plot then it initially seemed on its first airing. The drug plane would continue to be a focal point for both mythology (“?”) and character stuff (Charlie has a new stash!), the priest corpse would turn out to be related to a character we haven’t even met yet... Plus, the light in the hatch not only proved someone was inside, but we eventually got the story of why he turned the light on in the first place. And most of us probably didn’t think Boone was going to die from his injuries, especially since we just found out about his nanny-murdering ways.

The flashbacks follow suit – despite the way the episode ends, this would most certainly not be the last we see of Anthony Cooper, nor would he be Locke’s exclusive burden to bear. And I like how the episode plays with the audience’s anticipation of how Locke got into the wheelchair – there is NO reason for him to get hit by a car in the opening scenes other than to mess with us. Bastards. Speaking of screwing with the audience, sometimes they get a bit too goofy with the numbers – why would a toy store keep Nerf footballs 7 aisles away from the “regulation” ones? They should have just said aisles 15 and 16, if they had to get the numbers in there somehow.

I also like that Locke gets to show off some of his dry humor. “I don’t even know how to spell trebuchet”, Boone says. “It has a T at the end,” Locke replies. Heh. It makes up for the never explained nonsense about him losing the ability to walk whenever it became convenient to the plot. Seriously, that was one of their dumber moves, even if it does sort of work in an ironic way with regards to the episode’s title, as it’s sort of a reverse Deus Ex Machina (out of nowhere, something happens that... totally screws the character over).

It’s weird, I thought Boone died earlier in the season than this, but there are only four more episodes to the season (and thus, 3 after he died, since we don’t get to experience the joy of that until next week/tomorrow). Sorry, Boone fans – I wasn't exactly sad to see him go.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Walkabout"

SEPTEMBER 24, 2010

FOCUS: LOCKE
EPISODE: 1.4
AIRDATE: OCTOBER 13, 2004

Still name-checked as one of the series’ finest hours, “Walkabout” was also the one that introduced the notion of having a big twist in the flashback as opposed to on the island. The previous episode just filled in what we learned on the island (that Kate was a fugitive), but here, a rather typical island adventure was accentuated by the reveal that Locke was paralyzed, only to be miraculously healed by the island upon crashing there (I actually always chalked this up to two wrongs making a right, sort of like how Ruby Sue got kicked by a mule and her eyes went un-crossed, but OK, I’ll play along with the magic island theory).

And thus, it’s also the first episode that actually rewarded a repeat viewing, because you can go back and feel stupid for never noticing that Locke was never seen on his feet, even with the sharp contrast of him being so active on the island as he leads a group hunting for boar. It would take a while to learn how he got put in the wheelchair in the first place (the next couple Locke-isodes would show his life prior to the chair), but one thing was definitely cemented in this one – Locke was definitely not a villain of any sort. Weird, yes, but he was helping the group and being sympathetic (the next episode, where he saves Jack, would further cement this aspect of his character). Hurrah! 4 hrs in and they finally make up their mind on one of the main characters!

It’s also an important episode for other reasons, such as the first team-up of Charlie and Hurley, who would become one of the series’ most believable and enjoyable “duos”. (SERIES SPOILER AHEAD) I felt that a lot of character deaths were sort of glossed over, that people would get over the loss of someone close to them within a matter of 1-2 days (which could be weeks apart as they air, but more obvious when you’re watching them back to back), but Hurley’s reaction to Charlie’s death was one of the show’s all time biggest smacks to the gut. So it’s nice to go back and see them when they first started hanging out.

Also, it’s the first prominent appearance (I think) of my favorite “sock”, this guy (on the left):

One thing that always tickled me about the show is that they actually had a lot of the same extras from week to week, and I sort of felt bad for these guys. They probably weren’t making any more than a usual extra (which isn’t a hell of a lot, I’ve done it myself when I first moved to LA), and yet had to sort of become characters without ever having a name or a real line of dialogue. This guy always stuck out to me for some reason. I was bummed when he died, or at least when I realized he was probably dead just like all of the other anonymous survivors.

There’s also a hilarious moment in the opening scene, when they hear noises in the fuselage. First, Jack assumes it’s Sawyer, only for Sawyer to quickly correct him (“Right behind you, Jack-ass!”). Then Jack pulls out a little flashlight to go look, and then Sawyer pulls out, yes, a bigger flashlight. It’s a wonderfully sort-of-subtle sight gag that kills me every time.

It’s a stark contrast to the end of the show, where Claire leads a funeral service for all of the dead folks. There’s some very dry humor in her readings (since she doesn’t know anything about them, she uses their IDs – “He was an organ donor.”), but it’s a real bummer of a scene, only slightly marred by a dumb continuity error. Claire reads off a passenger as being in seat 23C, but that would have been Rose, since Jack was in 23A or 23B depending on the episode (either way, there were only 2 seats in his area, which would make the 3rd, or C, the one across the aisle).

But that’s the only “unsolved mystery” in this one, I think. Unless you want to count how Randy had such an odd career switch, but that’s the sort of thing I don’t really care about. I loved the idea that all of these folks had some sort of connection prior to September 22nd, and if that tie was a bit contrived (like a guy managing both a supply company AND a chicken place within a year or so), so be it.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...