"Live Together, Die Alone"

NOVEMBER 16, 2010

FOCUS: DESMOND (!)
EPISODE: 2.23
AIRED: MAY 24, 2006

Desmond!!! I love this guy so much, so giving him a flashback (in a double episode) for "Live Together, Die Alone", in retrospect, is a complete delight. I don’t mind saying that part of why I disliked the last 2 seasons (relative to the others anyway; they were still pretty good compared to something like the last 4-5 seasons of The X-Files) is that Desmond had so little screen time. And that baffles me – they DO know that “The Constant” is most folks’ favorite episode (or at least, one of their top 5), right? Why shuffle that guy to the side?

Anyway, this is a really good season finale, perfectly wrapping up certain plot threads and introducing others. But more importantly, with the (usual) exception of Claire, everyone has something important to do. Jack, Michael, Sawyer, Hurley, and Kate are off to “rescue Walt”, Sayid, Jin, and Sun are following them in a boat, and then Charlie and Eko are battling Desmond and Locke for control of the button. Lots of adventure, lots of scenery changing, lots of action (even a shootout!), and probably the last time a single episode got so much use out of the majority of the cast. Christ, for the first few episodes of the next season, we wouldn’t even SEE anyone besides whoever the episode was focusing on.

In fact, my only real issue with this episode was the totally odd ending to the Hatch storyline, with Charlie just sort of wandering back to the beach like he was high (not the best move when Claire’s finally back in your good graces, ya schmuck) and no clear indication of what happened to Locke and the others. Nor would the season premiere explain this, which just infuriated me even further.

But I recall being pretty amazed that they had revealed the cause of the plane crash so soon in the show. With so many “things happen for a reason” explanations going around, the idea that they were “brought” to the island somehow was a popular theory, so to provide a very rational and logical explanation for the crash was kind of ballsy, if you ask me. I also like that they decided that the day of the plane crash was also the date of the premiere, officially setting the show in the fall of 2004, something that would pay off very awesomely for Red Sox fans.

I’m still baffled why they had Hurley come across the island just to tell him to go back. I mean, not for nothing, but the guy’s not exactly in the best shape. Were they just trying to get him to drop another belt size? I get that they needed someone to report back, but maybe pick one of the random castaways (which would also add suspense to the proceedings) or even Charlie next time they make a dude walk across the island and back just to be like “Yo, they got our friends. Don’t try to help.”

Odd thing I noticed – Sawyer and Sayid take their shirts off to swim after Desmond’s boat, but not Jack. Way to just give up the fight for Kate, dude. He also sort of screws up with his “caught in a net” silliness, but they get distracted out of it thanks to the bird yelling Hurley’s name (WTF is that about, anyway?). And no worries, he totally boinks her in a few episodes anyway.

Hey - anyone else think the dude in the ice station looked like Matthew Fox?

So Season 2 comes to a close. It definitely improves on back to back viewings, and in fact if you haven’t watched it yet I would just skip “Fire + Water” and “The Long Con” and make good use of the “Previously, On Lost” things that they so graciously provide on the DVD to fill in any blanks. And it’s also the last time our core cast was together – next season would find them split up for a while, and then starting with S4 they’re not even on the same island (and later, time period) as one another. It’s a shame that the show’s plot kept everyone apart for so long, because there’s a lot of good chemistry among the actors that they never fully maximized the potential of, but oh well. At least now we have Desmond as a regular. Oh and Juliet. I like her, too.

Where are we?

P.S. I'm going to break protocol with the Youtube clip for this one, because there's nothing not Lost-related with this particular phrase. Also this guy's got some pipes.

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Three Minutes"

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

FOCUS: MICHAEL
EPISODE: 2.22
AIRED: MAY 17, 2006

Lost had a lot of cliffhangers in its run, but I don’t think any got me as worked up as the one in “Three Minutes”, where a boat appears on the horizon just as the episode came to a close. It’s the type of thing that made me (momentarily) consider waiting for DVD, to spare myself the agony of waiting a week to get the next scene. Especially when it actually turned out to be something awesome (Desmond!).

Part of why I got so worked up, I think, is because my emotions were already in overdrive thanks to the funeral scene, which is easily the saddest in the show’s run. Since Hurley is our surrogate, it’s nearly impossible not to choke up when he delivers Libby’s eulogy, and Kate’s motherly affection to him is also quite moving. And when he looks at Michael all pissed off, and for a split second you think he might have figured it out, only to agree to come along on the trip – I mean GODDAMN that’s rich.

Speaking of the trip, I’ve always hated how convenient it was that the exact four people on Michael’s list were the ones in the Hatch at the time all of this went down. Maybe it was due to time constraints and they had to be a little lax, but it seems that they would have complicated the matter somehow by having Locke around or something. Granted Michael has to talk Sayid out of joining, but even that seems to be a “writers’ convenience” move, so Sayid can tip Jack off and also add some drama to the next episode (oh, and piss everyone off for four years with the four toed statue).

It's also rich with great character moments, which is impressive considering how much is going on plotwise. Charlie tossing all of the heroin back into the ocean (and making up with Claire!), Sawyer’s repeated attempts to bond with Jack (guess this one was written post fan reaction to "The Long Con", since Sawyer spends the whole episode going out of his way to be likable, even offering Jack a drink!), Eko’s new-found job as hatch protector... all great stuff. But my favorite moment has to be Eko’s story about the kid being afraid of meeting the dog he killed in hell, which is not only a cool story but also adds a layer to Eko’s character – he obviously knows that Michael is responsible, but, like Rose and Bernard in later seasons, doesn’t want to get involved with all this nonsense.

And nonsense it is – I still don’t get why the Others have the ruse of living in huts and not having clothes and such. I guess it’s just a way for them to psyche out the Survivors, but really? You’re going to walk around an island with no shoes just so you can get the drop on a guy named Hurley? Tom’s fake beard looks a lot better in this episode, however. And speaking of “hero” Others, we meet Pickett in this one, though he’s a bit out of character compared to the way he is in Season 3; he’s actually kind of nice here. I also wish Ms. Klugh was a more prominent character – she seemed a lot more interesting than most of the Others we got to know.

I know I said yesterday that I’d watch “both parts” of the S2 finale back to back, but I notice now that the DVD did that for me. Lostpedia has them listed as separate episodes, and obviously it’s been a while, so I couldn’t remember, but I guess they aired on the same night (as opposed to S1’s “Exodus” parts 1 and 2). So it’ll be just the one, and then we start Season 3 on Wednesday! Juliet!

Where are we?

P.S. This episode reminds me – I need to start using “caught in a net” as a euphemism for sex.

PLEASE, GO ON...

"?"

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

FOCUS: EKO
EPISODE: 2.21
AIRED: MAY 10, 2006

Back when Aintitcool used to publish stories consisting of the upcoming episode titles, I figured "?" was a placeholder for an as-yet-unrevealed moniker, since they were usually pretty self-explanatory ("What Kate Did") or based on obvious dialogue or character descriptions ("Man Of Science, Man Of Faith"). So leave it to Lost to make an episode called "?" that actually DOES make sense, as the episode focuses on unanswered questions as well as a location marked by an actual question mark burned into the ground.

Sometimes I wish that Eko had been a main character right from the start, and/or that they gave him a season of his own. His back-story is far richer than most of the other characters - here's a guy who was taken as a normal child, molded into a soldier, then became a drug dealer, and finally a priest. Even if he had lived until the end (which I believe was the plan; he certainly wasn't meant to die in the first quarter of the 3rd season), I don't think they ever would have run out of interesting flashback stories for the character. Again, sometimes I think re-casting really is better than the alternative.

That said, I wonder why they didn't let Libby have a flashback here. She doesn't die until the very end of the episode, and they could have used the time to clear up some questions and just saved the trek to find the ? station (and Eko's flashback) for the next week. It also would have been dramatically exciting, because we as the audience could see it as a sliver of hope that she would survive.

That is, if Jack wasn't so pessimistic about her chances. As with "Do No Harm", half of the episode deals with Jack's attempts to save someone's life, though he doesn't go at it full throttle this time, which I never really noticed before. Is he finally learning to let go? Or is he so focused on getting the guns/going after the Others that he sees Libby's situation as sort of a blessing? It doesn't take him too long to flat out tell Sawyer he only really wants the heroin in order to find the guns (a rather silly plot point - why did Sawyer have them in the first place? If Jack took all the meds back in the poker game, why weren't they included when their "therapeutic value" was the only reason they had them?), and most of the time he's just standing around looking at her instead of trying to get the bullets out (since she was shot through two heavy blankets, wouldn't the impact be dulled enough for it to be a fairly shallow wound?). Also, I'm no doctor, so I'm confused by why the bleeding stopping is a bad thing.

(Also, how does the Island's healing power work, anyway? It can cure cancer and paralysis, but not gunshot wounds or beatings?)

On the flipside, Locke seems to be losing his faith here. Why is he so incredulous about Eko having visions and going by what he learned in dreams? Isn't that sort of right up Locke's alley? I get that he's frustrated due to his inability to draw the map, but even that helps make my point - if he believes the map is somehow important/special, shouldn't he be doing anything to help trigger his memory, such as going off to find one of the things on it? But I love his expression when he asks Eko if he can open the door himself - dude's practically aroused by the promise of a new mystery to solve.

Quick question though - is it possible for two men to push a goddamn airplane? One of whom is injured and thus does not have full leg strength to push with? They make it seem like it's made out of balsa wood or something.

But man, you gotta feel for Hurley here. Even Sawyer looks like his heart breaks for the poor guy when he asks him and Kate if they had seen Libby. And when he tells Michael that he's glad he's OK... man, I don't think I ever hated a fictional character so much in my life (unless you count the asteroid in Armageddon). But, silver lining, the plot thread helped establish Hurley as a full character. Up until now he's just been the weird funny guy who was hanging around but never really getting involved, but starting a couple episodes up until the end of the season, he was one of the main players. Yay!

After tomorrow's episode, I'll be at the two part/three hour finale, which I will try to watch in one sitting since I fell behind due to Screamfest and have yet to "double up", which I need to do a couple times per season if I'm going to get everything done in 108 days as originally planned. Also if memory serves, the 2nd season finale is the most adventurous of all of them, with the big trek across the island to the Others' territory, and Desmond's awesome flashbacks, etc., so it'll be fun to watch all at once. And yes, I just need to satisfy my Desmond fix. For some reason I thought he came back sooner in the season than the finale, but a quick check for tomorrow's episode reveals I was wrong; it's not until the first part of the finale that he reappears. Lame.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Two For The Road"

NOVEMBER 13, 2010

FOCUS: ANA LUCIA
EPISODE: 2.20
AIRED: MAY 3, 2006

Lost had another break between “S.O.S.” and “Two For The Road”, but man oh man did it come back with a bullet. Three of them, actually, as it ends with the 2nd biggest “Holy shit!” moment in the show’s run (1st being the reveal of the flash-forward). Man, it was such a shock I didn’t even have time to cheer for Ana Lucia’s death, which I had assumed I would do for pretty much the entire season. And then when poor Libby comes in and takes two to the chest as well – well shit, my jaw still hasn’t recovered.

Part of what makes it work so well is that it’s a pretty typical episode of Lost so far; there’s two main stories, one much lighter than the other. In the light one, Hurley is attempting to take Libby on a proper date, and thus he wants to take her on a picnic, but he blunders pretty much everything. First he seeks a radio from Sayid so he can pull a Lloyd Dobler (Sayid’s reaction to this entire thing is amazing), only to get the location of a secluded and romantic beach instead. But he can’t find it, and ends up getting them lost, only to discover their own beach (“Look, there’s Jin!” kills me every time). And then Libby inquires about blankets and drinks, both of which he forgot. So it’s really his fault she died, if you think about it. Either way – it’s pretty much the worst picnic ever (his faux pas about getting her drunk didn’t help). Poor Hurley.

The main story is, of course, more serious, as Ben tries to kill Ana Lucia (who can blame him?), which triggers a flashback about Ana running away after killing the dude who shot her. It’s one of the few times where a character’s flashback episode was a direct continuation of their previous flashback episode (it starts the next day after the events seen in “Collision”), which was pretty interesting dramatically, I think. Plus it was just nice to not have to try to figure out where it fell in their personal timeline, something that characters like Jack and Sawyer suffered from throughout the show.

Speaking of Jack, we get more Christian here! And even that has a pretty obvious connection to other flashbacks – we see the bulk of his drinking binge that ended with him at a bar with Sawyer (we even see Sawyer, briefly, on his way into said bar). It’s a little contrived, admittedly, but they make for an interesting pair, and it also hints at something that wouldn’t be revealed for a while (that Claire was his daughter). The more I think about it, the more I believe that they had all of the characters pre-Island lives mapped out better than the Island stuff; story threads were often introduced quite long before they were explained in the flashbacks, whereas on the island you just get a lot of out of nowhere shit like Nikki and Paulo.

Also, it’s a bit of a throwaway moment in the episode as a whole, but Jack apologizing to Locke and admitting he was wrong is pretty huge. Jack’s stubbornness would be one of his more prominent characteristics, so these rare moments where he admits fault for anything are always pretty eye-opening. And to LOCKE, of all people! Of course, they start arguing like 30 seconds later, but oh well, it was nice while it lasted. I also dug Jack pulling a gun on Sawyer, though the moment kind of confused me – I thought Jack’s gun WAS Ana Lucia’s? So she gave it to him and then gave Sawyer a distraction lay to steal his? Why hadn’t Jack just given it back to her beforehand? He’s usually pretty good about these things.

One side note – in this scene, Sawyer is reading "Bad Twin", the tie-in novel written by Gary Troup, one of the now-dead passengers. Jack tosses the book in the fire, so Sawyer never gets to read the last 10 pages, but if I recall correctly, he isn’t missing much. Not only was the book kind of shitty anyway, but it was also rather confusing – it was written by a passenger, but the book seemed to take place in the Lost-verse, as the Widmores and Hansos were in it. Why would he be writing about real people for his fictional book? Too many layers, but the book wasn’t good enough to use up brain cells trying to figure it out. Incidentally, I read it on a plane.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"S.O.S"

NOVEMBER 12, 2010

FOCUS: BERNARD, ROSE
EPISODE: 2.19
AIRED: APRIL 12, 2006

Since she wouldn't appear again for almost a full season's worth of episodes, it's pretty nice that "S.O.S." was a Rose-centric hour (Bernard too, but Rose is the one with the meat in the flashbacks), shedding some light on this unusually calm and optimistic woman. If they had planned things out better, I bet we could have had more flashback episodes for supporting characters (Mikhail would have been a good one, or Mr. Friendly aka Tom). Oh well. At least we know how Jack got his tattoos.

The fun thing about this episode is that it actually STARTS with a twist of sorts. We see Bernard helping Rose push her car out of the snow, and they're bickering pretty much the entire time. So it seems like they're already long-married, but then we discover that they had literally just met and didn't even know each others' names yet. What a great meet-cute!

I also like that it's Bernard, a guy who rarely has more than 2 lines in an episode (if he appears at all), who seems to be the only one attempting a rescue. Sure, his plan involves way too much heavy lifting, but everyone else is spending their time chasing the Others, pushing buttons, and even building a church (something that was a bit odd - in the previous episode Eko wouldn't even tell Charlie what it was, but today Charlie reveals it as if it's old news). So I'm totally on Bernard's side, and I would assume others would be too, but I guess he's even more of a pain in the ass then they let on for everyone to quit on him. As a man, I would have stayed just out of "bro-rules", after Rose mocks him in front of everyone for no reason. Why does she need to play the "You're a dentist" card? Kind of a jerk thing to do.

Back to the church scene, Bernard enters and asks Eko why he doesn't call or write. If you notice, Charlie takes particular delight at this, which makes sense: he would use the line himself at least 2-3 more times over the show's run (which, for Charlie, isn't much longer). It's a phrase that irks me for some reason (others include "Wakey wakey" and, when introduced to several people at once, someone saying "there will be a quiz later!"), so that it got used so often (by the same guy) drove me nuts. I'll probably get over it.

Obviously they don't spend the entire episode on Bernard's rescue plan (the final shot, showing how far they got, is pathetically hilarious; I wish they made a running gag out of it), and a lot of the rest of it involves Jack and Kate going off to talk to Mr. Friendly to see if they'll trade Ben for Walt. It's a good ep for folks that want to see these two go at it in the sack (or a net), because they're back to flirty mode and even almost kiss until Michael stumbles in and ruins it. Huh, he REALLY ruins Hurley and Libby's date too - what's with this guy?

One scene drives me nuts though - Kate says that the Others are "sophisticated" and then explains to Jack about their "old clothes" and (terrible) fake beards. How is that sophisticated? They're spending most of their time in a bunker that has a library, a washer/dryer, a blender (with fresh strawberries!), etc. - has it not yet crossed their mind that the Others live in one just as good if not better? Do they really think they're all basically homeless people wandering around the island?

Speaking of the Hatch - best moment in the episode (well, besides the net - goddamn you, Matthew Fox) is when Locke is trying to recreate the blast door map and Jack has to remind him to push the button. "You going to get that?" and Locke does it practically in defiance. They bicker just like Rose and Bernard!

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Dave"

NOVEMBER 11, 2010

FOCUS: HURLEY
EPISODE: 2.18
AIRED: APRIL 5, 2006

Holy shit! Libby was in the institution with Hurley! Surely it will be one of the coolest episodes when we discover - what's that? She dies two episodes later and they never really explain this throwaway detail? Oh. Well, otherwise, "Dave" is a pretty good episode; it doesn't keep up the "revealing" pace of the previous episode, but has some of that (Ben's reveal that "the guy in the beard" isn't in charge, for example) and a good character story to boot.

Plus it has a good twist. Since we've grown accustomed to seeing people on the island that aren't really there (Christian, Walt) it's entirely plausible that Hurley would be seeing his old pal Dave there as well, especially since he's obviously the craziest person on the island in a clinical sense. But the fact that Dave was never there PERIOD was a pretty good "Whoa" moment, especially when they actually get around the whole "if you paid attention you'd realize they never talk to anyone else" problem by having Hurley's doctor (Bruce Davison!) "talk" to him in order to prove his point later. Nice move.

And who didn't cheer when Hurley went apeshit and tackled Sawyer, repeating all of his unflattering nicknames as he smacked him around (with Sawyer seemingly never getting in a punch of his own). Not only is it a great moment for anyone who was ever picked on, but it's just a hilarious scene all around. I particularly love Jin just standing there laughing and letting Hurley have his way, before almost begrudgingly pulling him off (seemingly just to appease Sun, who wasn't as amused for some reason). Again, any combination of Sawyer, Charlie, Jin, and Hurley is automatically gold, and the more the merrier (which is why the one where the four of them find the van is probably one of my 5 favorite episodes).

I also like that they were potentially explaining the entire show, or merely canceling out a popular theory, depending on how you look at it. Dave's explanation that it's all in Hurley's head totally makes sense (it also fully introduces the show's tendency to make fun of itself), and you can't help but wonder if that was always a "back of the mind" idea to use if the show suddenly lost popularity and had to be canceled abruptly.

One nitpick - Hurley wasting a ton of food doesn't make a lot of sense. I get that it was slightly cathartic for him, but wouldn't it make more sense AND help him psychologically to give it to the others? Ranch dressing is one thing, but throwing away a lot of crackers and other basic foods when you're stranded on an island with no rescue in sight doesn't seem right. Dick move, Hurley.

Back to the Libby thing, they had to have known by now that she was on her way out, so why did they throw this detail in? Obviously it couldn't really be explained in another Hurley-centric episode, or else he would have recognized her. I guess it worked as a nice sleight of hand maneuver to help shock us with her death later, but it's still a real sore spot for me. Apparently on one of their podcasts Darlton explained that her husband had died and she had a nervous breakdown, which is why she was there (or maybe this was explained when she met Desmond, I forget), but they made such a big deal out of it (note it's one of very few episodes to end on a flashback) that it seemed like there would be more to it than that.

Libby wouldn't be the only go-nowhere plot element in this episode: we also get more of the church that Eko and Charlie were building. As I re-watch these, I realize that the tailies ultimately served no purpose beyond helping Bernard and Rose reunite, since he's the only one that was still alive by the halfway point of Season 3. Guess Sam Anderson is a good driver.

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...

"The Whole Truth"

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

FOCUS: SUN
EPISODE: 2.16
AIRED: MARCH 22, 2006

As I mentioned before, starting in Season 2, my job hours occasionally kept me from watching Lost live, as I had done for every S1 episode. And as I mentioned yesterday, the show was getting back on track around this point in the season. So when I discovered that my Tivo had cut "The Whole Truth" about 90 seconds short, right around when Ben started explaining what he'd do if he WAS an Other, I pretty much freaked out and almost considered switching jobs (not long after this I discovered that my office had the East coast network feeds and more often than not I'd just watch it there, with the added bonus of not having to worry about seeing spoilers online). This was before Hulu and all that, so I had to download the damn thing off a torrent site (sorry) to see the end. And yes, I waited up all night until it downloaded.

Of course, it wasn't really worth all the effort, because at the end of the episode we STILL don't know if Ben is an Other or not. Or even if they have milk in the hatch! Speaking of "the hatch", it never really occurred to me - why do they call it the hatch? Wasn't the hatch the door that they use to get INTO it? Wouldn't "bunker" or even "the Swan" make more sense? Locke even refers to it as "My hatch" at one point. I think I'll start referring to my car as "the door".

Anyway, another good episode, and one of my favorite Jin/Sun episodes (though this one is fully a Sun episode - Jin only appears in two of the 5-6 flashback scenes). You get more of Jin speaking English (but also another backwards talking scene!) - his "I. Love. You." to Sun at the end of the episode is probably one of his all-time most "awww" moments, and I still laugh at the part where he understands Sawyer's earlier comment ("Daddy-o"). And it explains why he was always so nice to Claire, because we learn he wanted a child very badly, only to discover it wasn't possible. Poor bastard.

But what makes it a good episode is that they find a use for many of the other characters, an increasing rarity. Jack and Locke have a great scene in the bathroom, with Locke shaving while Jack showers, because the steam opens his pores and there's no shaving cream (which is odd - they have every other goddamn thing in there, why not shaving cream?), and their seeming truce is becoming fractured. Then we have Sawyer revealing he has somehow managed to reclaim his stash of medical supplies, including a birth control test, for some reason. And I love that he's reading "Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret".

Then we have Sayid, Charlie, and Ana Lucia (odd team) going off to find Ben's balloon, which includes its share of tense moments, like when Ana discovers Charlie has a gun. I particularly like that he admonishes her for killing someone the last time she had a gun, despite the fact that the same could be said for him. And how creepy is it when Sayid is just watching her sleep? Good stuff.

One thing really bugs me though - the final scene between Jin and Sun, when she swears to him that she never had an affair, because we learn in S3 or S4 that she was lying. But watching the scene again, there isn't a hint of falsehood in her statement, nor does she appear to feel guilty once he walks away. So it just feels like they forgot about this scene when writing the future episode, or poor writing HERE if they knew that she was lying to her husband's face.

Tomorrow: AWESOME EPISODE! Big-time bummer for Locke, the crazy black-light map on the blast door, and the reveal of the real Henry Gale! I'm excited.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Maternity Leave"

NOVEMBER 8, 2010

FOCUS: CLAIRE
EPISODE: 2.15
AIRED: MARCH 1, 2006

Like “The Other 48 Days”, “Maternity Leave” takes place entirely on the island, which is fine since it’s Claire’s annual flashback episode, and her pre-island life is way more boring. And in a move that would become rather rare as the show went on, the episode addresses several issues of all sizes: small (Alex’s fate), medium (the scratches on Rousseau’s arm), and large (what happened to Claire after she was kidnapped). Plus these were mysteries that had only been floating around for a season – it would take another 5 years to explain who “Adam and Eve” were, long after I gave up caring.

It’s also the rare episode to have a female based “mission”, with Kate, Claire, and Rousseau heading out to find the Dharma station where Claire was being held (oddly, one of the others would concern Juliet and Sun going to the same place). It never really dawned on me until now how male-driven the show was, so it’s nice to see them get some time to bond while the guys are off doing something else (folks like Hurley, Charlie, and Sawyer barely appear in the episode). It also allows Emilie De Ravin to do something besides pout or get annoyed with Charlie for once; the scene with her and the baby at the end is the closest they ever really gave her to meaty material. I guess it just goes to show why most ensemble shows keep the roster to about 6-7, because Lost just had too many for its own good. At first, they were doing a pretty good job at keeping things even, but as the show went on and the story became more complex, a lot of characters were just completely left out in the cold, and Claire is probably the biggest example; even some of the dead folks had more fully fleshed back-stories. Hell, Juliet had just as many flashback episodes and she came into the show almost halfway through.

It’s also a good episode for Eko fans, as he has a great moment with Locke and Jack (when they tell him not to tell Ben what the alarm is for, he innocently replies “What IS the alarm for?”), and then tells his story to Ben before cutting off his little beard (I wonder if Ben kept it?). And I love the final scene of the episode, with Ben starting to show some of his true colors by getting under Locke’s skin (a lot of Dharma dinnerware has been destroyed on the show as a result of Locke’s inability to get the upper hand on this guy).

Glad the show was getting back on track with this one. Again, back to back it’s not so bad, but when it was airing, and you’d wait a week or longer for something like “Fire + Water”, it started looking pretty dire, especially when that was around the time I got Tivo and suddenly realized how many “great” things were on the air at all times. “Why watch this crap when I can record/watch the entire run of MILLENIUM on Sci-Fi?”

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"One Of Them"

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

FOCUS: SAYID
EPISODE: 2.14
AIRED: FEBRUARY 15, 2006

Hey, did you know Sayid had to torture people while he was with the Republican Guard in Iraq? Of course you do, it’s been the subject of his other two flashback episodes, and it’s the focus of “One Of Them”, different only in that it’s about his FIRST experience with torture (on his commanding officer no less) and that it has a few Lost-centric links – we see him talk to Kate’s dad a couple of times, and he also meets Kelvin, who we will learn is yet another future Island resident.

It’s also, I think, the “oldest” flashback that they had that they were able to use the same actor. The makeup and hair folks on the show do a remarkable job of making Sayid look young (it takes place during the first Gulf War), and the photo of young Kate is a nice touch too. I remember thinking that the show would have more of these “old school” flashbacks that showed them at all different stages in their life, but Locke seems to be the only other one to get that privilege – everyone else’s seemed to be from the past 2-3 years (and even Locke’s don’t extend back to 1991, I don’t think). In fact, I was always pretty impressed by the difference in hairstyles and such when it came to flashbacks – Mr. Eko’s in particular was impressive.

I’m also not a big fan of the Sawyer “B” plot in this episode. Again, why are they going out of their way to make us hate this guy? He’s a scoundrel and a hothead, but there was still some humanity and sympathy there. But now, just after stealing all the guns and having poor Sun beat upside the head, he’s off to kill a damn tree frog. I mean, really, is there any more upsetting moment in the entire show then when he crushes the poor little guy in his bare hand? The look on Hurley’s face is soul crushing. And what purpose does it serve? Were the writers all angry at Josh Holloway this year or what? I do like the brief moment where Hurley stands up to him though, and he makes a good point – no one would care that he was hoarding food. Who could be mad at Hurley? Besides minor annoyances, did anyone EVER get mad at Hurley on this show? Hell even the Others couldn’t bear to hold him captive.

Overall it’s a good episode, a big step up from “The Long Con”. The characters are more consistent, the plot moves forward in an intriguing way, and most importantly we meet Ben. It’s funny, even with the answers in my head, I still found his interrogation scenes riveting, if not more so – his story is perfectly solid (score one for Sayid I guess, I totally would have believed him when he said he ran a mining company that specialized in non-metallic minerals – that’s just too damn boring to make up), so I had a further appreciation for his intelligence. I can’t remember though – do we ever find out if he intentionally got caught or if it was an accident?

The Jack/Locke rivalry comes to a pretty awesome head too, with Jack forcing him to choose between the button and Sayid’s ability to continue beating the piss out of “Henry” sans interruption. Locke, of course, chooses the button, but we were all sort of hoping he’d think Jack was bluffing or something (or he just wouldn’t make it – dude sure as hell took his time debating). I always love when Matthew Fox gets all crazy, he makes goofy faces and starts to resemble a bobblehead.

Tomorrow: Claire finally gets something to do!

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"The Long Con"

NOVEMBER 6, 2010

FOCUS: SAWYER
EPISODE: 2.13
AIRED: FEBRUARY 8, 2006

If memory serves, "The Long Con" was the beginning of the end for my mom, who was a big Lost fan at first. But she really hated this episode, and then when S3 started getting all weird, she gave up entirely. Thanks a lot, "Long Con". Now she watches shit like Criminal Minds. I'm not a big fan of the episode either; it's a marginal improvement over "Fire + Water", as there are some good moments sprinkled throughout (and Kim Dickens! Had a crush on her since Zero Effect), but overall the episode goes out of its way to make you hate two of the main characters.

Granted, Sawyer has always been the sort of guy you love to hate, but his dickishness goes above and beyond the norm here. It actually made more sense when he was doing it just to piss off Jack, but the whole "You stole my stash, waaa!" excuse in his big speech near the end just comes out of nowhere. If it was so upsetting to him, why is this the first we've heard of it? It should have been threaded over the past few episodes, but if anything he's been unusually charming and civil since he got back - helping Hurley with Libby, getting along with Jack, etc. And the thing that sets him off doesn't seem right either - Jack takes back the painkillers that "belong to the group". But since when did Sawyer have them in the first place? Jack's always had all the medicine, hasn't he? Wouldn't the painkillers have come up back when he was having headaches?

And then we have Charlie being his assistant, which also is both out of character and poorly written to boot. How did Sawyer have enough time to even think of this plan, let alone rope Charlie into helping him? Sun gets attacked two scenes after Jack takes the pills, and the lighting is about the same. It just doesn't work. It's also idiotic for Sawyer to take a Mary statue as a "reward" for Charlie - wouldn't Locke notice one was missing and automatically have a pretty strong suspect?

(Speaking of the statue, at least I have an answer to my question from yesterday's episode - Locke didn't break them because he was superstitious about breaking them. Fine. Compared to everything else in this episode, it's genius.)

Some other sloppy stuff too - Hurley says he found a manuscript in one of the suitcases. OK, they've been there almost two months now - they're STILL going through suitcases? What, do they limit themselves to one a day? Supplies, food, etc - all of these things are crucial to their survival (pre-Hatch), so why would they still be finding stuff? All of the suitcases would have been gone through and sorted within the first week, tops. Also, Ana Lucia makes a Scott/Steve confusion. Sure, it's funny, but how would she know about that? She came along long after Scott (or Steve) died.

I wasn't surprised to learn that this episode's writers, Leonard Dick and Steven Maeda, were responsible for very few (to be fair, otherwise good) episodes, writing only one more after this ("S.O.S.") before moving on to other shows. All of the writers have been responsible for clunkers, and there have been worse episodes, but this is definitely one of the sloppiest over the show's run. I was actually surprised to learn that they HAD written episodes before - at times it almost feels like fanfic. Interestingly, one of their episodes was "Adrift", which was supposed to be a Sawyer flashback and reportedly featured Kevin Dunn, who appears here. So perhaps it was partially recycled from there.

Luckily, that stuff is fine. I liked the "twist" in Sawyer trying to pull the briefcase trick in front of Cassidy, and the little ties to episodes past (Kate's mother is their waitress) and future (Cassidy and Kate eventually become friends) are well implemented. Still, the final scene only serves to make us further dislike Sawyer, but until that point it's a decent enough flashback. And again, I am a fan of Ms. Dickens, so I had no problem spending some time with her.

I also enjoyed the little "B" story of Hurley and Sayid trying to pick up a radio signal. They were paired very rarely, but Hurley's open and lovable nature made for a fun contrast with Sayid's stoic and silent demeanor. Also, it features one of several hundred Lost scenes where a character comes over to another and tries to make idle chit-chat with someone before the other character gets annoyed and asks what they want (there are two in this episode alone, plus a sort of third between Jack and Ana Lucia). Make a drinking game out of it! Well, if you're watching every episode back to back I guess. Otherwise it wouldn't really be much of a game.

Luckily, Ben shows up tomorrow. The season gets back on track after that.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Fire + Water"

NOVEMBER 5, 2010

FOCUS: CHARLIE
EPISODE: 2.12
AIRED: JANUARY 25, 2006

One of the things I’m most looking forward to as I re-watch every episode back to back is deciding once and for all what the worst episode of Lost is. I often say it’s the one about Jack’s tattoos, but I can’t remember the on-island story in that one, which might be fine. “Fire + Water”, however, is pretty worthless on and off the island, and now even more so with the show’s conclusion in mind (which I’ll be spoiling in a bit, so if you haven’t seen S6 yet, don’t read this review!).

Charlie’s flashbacks reveal... his brother was a drug addict and he had a need to take care of his loved ones. Gee, they haven’t covered that ground yet, thanks for the insight. The baby commercial is just stupid – I get that they were supposed to be washed up, but wouldn’t it make more sense to have them reduced to playing in a Chuck E Cheese or something? Liam also seems to kick heroin in a day or so – the timing structure of the flashbacks is a bit fuzzy.

And yet it’s still not as bad as the island stuff, where Charlie goes apeshit despite not using drugs, tries to drown the baby, sleepwalks... it’s just a mess. Also, Locke’s treatment of him is totally out of character – I get that he’s frustrated, but he also seems to be hanging with Claire more than necessary just to spite the guy. Seems Locke would be trying to help Charlie, not make his situation worse.

Then we have the baptism nonsense, which in hindsight makes either makes no sense or the writers seem to be suggesting Christian beliefs are nonsense. Claire specifically asks if her and Aaron both need to be baptized in order to stay together in the afterlife. Since they DO end up in the afterlife together, that either means that everyone was Catholic/baptized (which, they're not - Locke dismisses it, Sayid is Islamic, etc.) or Lost’s writers don’t believe baptism has a point, right? Don’t forget – they knew how the should would end! Nothing is just there for the hell of it, right?

Also, why does Locke keep all of the statues/heroin? If he thinks the heroin has any medicinal value, why keep it in the statues? Wouldn’t it make more sense to break them, get the H, and give it to Jack (the DOCTOR), instead of locking it in a room that Jack (or anyone else) apparently won’t know the combination to?

The only thing to a saving grace the episode has is the couple of scenes between Hurley and Libby, as their glorified platonic relationship begins to grow. There’s an odd moment about the washer and dryer being new (huh?), but otherwise it’s just a sweet and funny little subplot, plus it hints about her time in the institution, one of the 395 or so things that they went out of their way to implement into the show and never explain. But you gotta love Hurley’s cluelessness, plus Sawyer’s rare moment of genuine selflessness when he helps Hurley get her attention.

Hell even the Lostpedia entry for this episode is crap – whoever wrote the synopsis has stuff all out of order and in some cases repeated. Ugh. At least once I’m done with this project I’ll probably never re-watch any of the episodes again (maybe season 6 just to make it even with the others, which I’ve watched 3-4 times each), so I can take comfort knowing I won’t have to sit through this one ever again.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"The Hunting Party"

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

FOCUS: JACK
EPISODE: 2.11
AIRED: JANUARY 18, 2006

Ever notice how like half of all Lost episodes involved some folks grabbing weapons and heading off on some mission? How has this show never been turned into an RPG of some sort? “The Hunting Party” is one of my favorites though, because it’s the rare one with a team of Locke, Jack, and Sawyer (I bet there are some slashfics inspired by this episode), and they encounter one of my favorite others, Tom, aka Mr. Friendly (but for now only known as Zeke). Sure, he has a shitty fake beard and kidnapped Walt, but he’d eventually become one of the most compelling Others – I still laugh when I think about him and Jack playing football. Shame he got killed off so early.

But it’s also a good episode because it has one of the most crucial moments in Jack’s past, something only hinted as thus far: his wife leaving him. And man, it’s such a gut punch of a scene. I mean she just fires on all cylinders – she’s already packed, she’s been cheating on him... hell she doesn’t even want him to help her with the dishes! And you can see that he knows he’s been fucking it up and is trying to make amends, but it’s all for nothing. On the surface it might seem like it has no connection to the Island stuff, but I think the final flashback sums it up perfectly – when she leaves he does nothing to stop her. He’s not going to make the same mistake with Michael, even if it is another lost cause. But more obvious, Jack’s a good guy, and he will always try to do the right thing and help people, even at the expense of his personal life (he basically tosses Kate to the curb, twice, in this episode).

Come to think of it, it’s kind of a bummer episode all around. Jack’s flashback deals not only with the death of his marriage, but the death of the father of a really hot Italian lady who wants Jack to look into her back(side) as well. Even though she kisses him, I’m guessing that in the long run, women tend not to stay with the guys who are involved with the death of their father (take note, AJ Frost). And you can’t help but feel bad for Charlie when he sees Claire and Locke playing with the baby, ignoring him. Even the light moments have a grim side, like when Charlie and Hurley are just chilling listening to records and Sayid comes in and says “This music is depressing”, as if anyone had asked him.

It’s also a bummer as a viewer who has seen every episode, because there at least two plot threads that never go anywhere. One is Walt being “special”, of course, which Tom tells us, just as Brian and Lock have in the past. The other is the final scene, with Jack asking Ana Lucia to train an army. I mean, I remember the final season of Buffy, with her and Faith training an army of Slayers – THAT was an army. What the hell does Ana Lucia ever do?

(Speaking of this scene – what the hell is all over that bottle Jack gives Ana Lucia? It looks like blood or rust or something. They don’t have detergent in the Hatch?)

The confrontation with Zeke/Tom is awesome though. I love his analogy of “coming over someone’s house”, and the idea that they’re there because the Others LET them stay is sort of chilling, even now with the knowledge of the Others’ true intentions (well, some of them – I still don’t get they had Kate put on a sundress and shovel rocks. Unless they’re working to simply appease my prurient interests). Plus, I’m a big fan of actor M.C. Gainey (Swamp Thing!) and was happy to see him get a meaty, multi-dimensional “villain” role, and his work in season 3 (plus season 4’s episode about Michael in NY) were definite highlights for me.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"The 23rd Psalm"

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

FOCUS: EKO
EPISODE: 2.10
AIRED: JANUARY 11, 2006

Longest in-season Lost break ever? The last episode aired 6 weeks ago, which again made things kind of jarring when “The 23rd Psalm” aired, because it was only a day to the folks on the show. 24 is the only other major show I can think of that didn’t more or less match the time it aired – something like Desperate Housewives or House takes place over the same 9 months that the shows air (it allows for holiday themed episodes!). Luckily this one isn’t AS “connected” as the last time there was a big break; in fact some things DO seem like time has passed, such as Michael using the computer – it feels like this isn’t the first time he’s gone down there hoping to talk to Walt again.

But the bulk of the episode is about our favorite new character, Mr. Eko. In hindsight it’s kind of a sore spot of an episode, because they were poising him to be a major player and now we know he’ll be dead less than 20 episodes later. Goddamn you, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, for not liking Hawaii enough to see your character through. However, it’s such a good episode that it doesn’t bother me much. I loved the revelation of the plane’s origins; it continues to be one of the better fitting “jigsaw pieces” of the series as a whole (unlike, say, Claire being Jack’s sister). I don’t know enough about geography or beechcrafts to judge the validity of the plane getting from Nigeria to the South Pacific on one tank of gas, but otherwise it works perfectly.

It’s also a sort of last hurrah for Charlie, who’d become an insufferable bastard starting with the next episode and pretty much continuing through the rest of the season. He’s in his element here though; being the comic relief and tagging along with someone on a personal quest of some sort, and coining a good term (“Jesus stick”) while he’s at it. He’d regain our sympathies in season 3, thanks to his death “curse” and reconciliation with Claire, resulting in one of the all time best episodes (“Greatest Hits”), but man, I am not looking forward to sitting through the “baptism” and “let’s whack Sun over the head so Sawyer can steal the guns” portions of the show again.

This episode offers our first real “look” at the smoke monster, looking very little like Titus Welliver. There’s a cool moment where it flashes images of Eko’s life, something that I wish they had done more with (or even, again? I can’t recall it ever being brought back). It’s a total badass moment for Eko, who just stands there like “Yeah, WHAT?” (I also dig the Peter Jackson-esque camerawork as it races toward him). Also, I noticed that the three who had the closest encounters with Smokey are also the three men who have been at odds with Charlie – Eko, Jack, and Locke. Not really anything to it, just sort of interesting. I’m not confusing coincidence for fate.

And it’s another happy ending episode! Sawyer and Kate are flirting, Jack’s seemingly OK with it, or at least pretending to be (been there dude, shit sucks), Hurley and Libby have their first little moment, Ana Lucia gets a fish... good times in Lostville. Well, except for Charlie, who gets kicked out of the “house” for lying about carrying heroin around and not using it (in fact, does he ever actually use again? I don’t think he does). Tough break, dude.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"What Kate Did"

NOVEMBER 2, 2010

FOCUS: KATE
EPISODE: 2.9
AIRED: NOVEMBER 30, 2005

As a Kate fan, “What Kate Did” was obviously a highlight of Season 2 for me, since it promised both a surplus of Evangeline Lilly as well as the answer to a question we’ve had since the first episode (gotta love that the episode’s title is basically a response to fan questions instead of the usual pun or biblical reference). And what DID Kate do? Blew up her step-dad, because he turned out to be her biological dad (something I’m not sure if he knew, but either way it didn’t stop him from making lewd comments about her looks). All of the characters on the show have major daddy issues, but this one has to take the cake.

We also get Kate climbing a tree, Kate making out with Jack (hell yeah...), and Kate continuing to nurse Sawyer, who is delirious through most of the episode and then gets to share her vision of a black horse. This is of course an inverse allusion to Rob Zombie’s Halloween II, where Michael Myers (who also killed his step-dad) kept seeing a WHITE horse. And if you don’t believe me, then you explain what the hell this subplot is all about, because I got nothing better.

Also, for the 2nd episode in a row, Jack has to remind someone to push the button. For someone who thought it was a ludicrous exercise, he sure is gung ho about making sure it’s done. Luckily he has some more folks to help, with Michael and Eko learning about the button and also watching the “Orientation” video, which leads to a subplot about Eko having the missing part of the film, which explains that no one should ever use the computer. I never quite understood this scenario – why would someone go to the trouble of removing a 30 second chunk in the middle of a filmstrip and putting it in a bible on the other side of the island? But it at least allows for a fun scene between Eko and Locke (“Let me start at the beginning,” Eko says, and follows it with “Before the birth of Christ...”), and introduces (at least, overtly) a driving theme on the show – “Do not mistake coincidence for fate.” By now we’ve seen how everyone had an encounter with at least one other survivor in the past, but is it part of a grand design, or mere coincidence? Most of the show seems to point toward “grand design”, but I fail to see how even Jacob could pull all this stuff off. The real thing to learn? “Do not mistake Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse for infallible beings.”

It’s also a good episode for Jin. He starts the episode smiling, basking in the morning sun and glowing from what was obviously a full night’s worth of sex with Sun, something Hurley totally approves (kind of creepy, Hugo). Later, he talks to Locke for the first time and finally gets the handcuff taken off (did they ever explain where the key was?), showing it to Michael without a hint of resentment. Speaking of which, I like how over the course of 2-3 weeks, Jin has gone from a total dick to the most loyal and protective member of the group. So far in this season alone he has risked his life to help Sawyer, Michael, and Sayid.

Speaking of Michael, I just want to give the show’s writers a big THANK YOU for the final scene, where Michael talks to someone that turns out to be Walt on the computer. Why? Because he doesn’t say what he’s typing! The writers (or director) had enough faith in the audience that they’d be able to read “Hello” and “Who is this” as he typed it, without having Harold Perrineau awkwardly say aloud what he was typing, something no human being does (or should, at least). You think I’m sitting here saying everything I’m writing?

Back to Kate, Lilly’s pretty good in this episode. She was probably the least experienced actor in the group, and she had trouble staying consistent with regards to how she played the character, but she delivers here. The pain of her mom’s betrayal, her emotional breakdown with Jack, and her typical bickering nature with Sawyer – she has a lot of sides to show in this one, and doesn’t disappoint. And she seems more comfortable with everything; compare her work here with the pilot (I didn’t mention it, but her scene with Jack and the sewing in the first episode is PAINFUL) and you can see she had gotten a lot more natural a performer. Also, purple suits her. So that didn’t hurt.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Collision"

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

FOCUS: ANA LUCIA
EPISODE: 2.8
AIRED: NOVEMBER 23, 2005

It became more common once I got a better (my current) job, but “Collision” was, I think, the first time I didn’t watch an episode of Lost live, because I was at work at my cushy new Best Buy gig. On this particular night, while learning the ropes, I met William Fichtner and heard a disgusting story about how Best Buy (at least, this particular branch) was handling the then-new Xbox 360 demand when it came to celebrities who had reserved them. See, the store had “reserved” more systems than they actually got, so some folks were left empty-handed even with a deposit. But instead of a “first come first serve” policy, they were using a “if you starred in Spider-Man or I, Robot and reserved one, it will be here forever while the little guy gets turned away” policy. Nice. Wonder if they ever got them.

Anyway, I didn't get to watch it until around 11:30 pm or so, once I got home and discarded my nice royal blue shirt (the fact that I was 25 and back to wearing a uniform was more depressing than the 3 figure sum on my first check). Luckily it was a “happy ending” episode, with Michael being reunited with Vincent (aw), Rose being reunited with Bernard (awwww!), and Jin being reunited with Sun (AWWWW-*Blows nose*-WWWWWWWWWW!). And it has its (minor) share of “light” moments, such as Jack and Kate playing golf (if Eko didn’t interrupt them, they totally would have boned on the makeshift putting green, right?), or Locke’s hilariously bewildered reaction to Eko (“...Hello.”). So I cheered up.

Since I’m not the biggest Ana Lucia fan, I wasn’t really excited about having an episode for her, but it’s a decent back-story, with some explanation for why she’s such a pain in the ass (she was shot on duty and lost her unborn child), though curiously it doesn’t explain why she was in Sydney (or even that she ever WAS there, period), which is usually the MO for the first flashback episode of a character. And I’m actually blanking on the reason now, come to think of it. But it’s always nice to see Rachel Ticotin, and they did a good job at making Hawaii look like LA (though not the areas they mention – when her and her partner are driving, it looks like North Hollywood to me, not Westwood as they say).

The episode also features what I believe is the 4th instance of Jack telling Kate to help him with some sort of medical issue, only to yell “Kate!” when she doesn’t get a move on right away. You’d think after 2 times he’d stop having her help and just make sure Sun or even Charlie was nearby whenever he had to play doctor (also, just curious – was Ben the first “patient” he was able to use his spinal expertise on the island? Seems his skills are largely spent fixing bullet wounds and leg fractures). But it’s also got one of my favorite little moments ever on the show, when Locke comes to see what’s going on and Jack (of all people) has to remind him to push the button. So awesome.

And you gotta feel for Jack here. Again, he was basically on a date with Kate, but then Sawyer took all of her attention. Hell she even cradled him and kissed his forehead right in front of Jack. Time to hit some of that Dharma vodka, eh doc? Oddly, the show sort of hints at a further relationship between him and Ana Lucia, but if memory serves they don’t really develop it any further. She does nail Sawyer though, which I guess can be construed as another setback for Jack’s lack of an island sex life. Sawyer hooks up three times (Ana, Kate, and Juliet) while he’s there; Jack just gets a few makeouts. Tough break.

Also, did they get a bigger music budget this year? Shannon’s episode had Dave Matthews Band, and this week has Staind. Weird to hear really popular modern songs on the show.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"The Other 48 Days"

OCTOBER 31, 2010

FOCUS: TAILIES
EPISODE: 2.7
AIRED: NOVEMBER 16, 2005

My first episode of Lost in my new apartment! Since I needed the internet to job hunt, I wasted no time in getting cable hooked up, only to realize that I now had to wait three more hours to watch it. Lame. “The Other 48 Days” was a huge improvement over the previous episode, and one of the best all season if memory serves, so it was a good one to “break in” my new place, especially since things were looking grim on the job front (my Best Buy job application would be filled out a few days after this aired) – Lost provided an hour of relief from my woes.

It’s also the first to really break the structure of the series thus far. Instead of flashing back and forth between two timelines, we get a narrative start to finish account of everything that happened to the tail section survivors, starting from the crash (an AWESOME opening shot, by the way) all the way to when they met up with Jin, Michael and Sawyer. And then we get a quick montage of those events, albeit with some new context. Great stuff.

Hell it even has some mystery built into it. We know Goodwin is dead, but we don’t know why. And a lot of the show is built around who the traitor in their camp is, with most of the suspicion falling on Nathan, a Canadian (suspect!) played by Josh Randall, who was Mike on Ed, one of my all time favorite shows (which starred Sarah, Jack’s wife, aka Julie Bowen). So I was happy to see him, even if he was a goddamned Other (he wasn’t though). Also, Goodwin was played by none other than Brett Cullen, who happens to be a good friend of Meat Loaf and has performed backup on some of his albums. He also appeared in Meat’s amazing but completely incoherent video for “I’d Lie For You (And That’s The Truth)”, playing an Indiana Jones type who also steals Meat’s woman. Or something. I’ve put the video below for your confused enjoyment. I loved that Lost, which was already solidified as one of my favorite things, had a tie to Loaf (Cullen’s actually the 2nd Meat video vet to appear; Robert Patrick aka Hibbs, was in the video for “Objects In The Rearview Mirror...”).

And we get Eko, talking! Briefly anyway. Not long after they crash he kills two of the Others and takes a forty day vow of silence, but it’s good to see that he’s a well spoken and intelligent man. One of the biggest tragedies of the show is that the actor playing Eko wanted to leave Hawaii and thus they were forced to kill him off before his planned arc was complete – I think he would have been one of the best characters ever. It’s the rare occasion where I wish they just recast the role.

There’s also a cool moment where we hear the other side of Boone’s radio transmission from the plane right before he fell to his (delayed) death. Turns out he was talking to good ol’ Bernard! I love things like that – this was something that occurred a dozen episodes ago (and in a previous season), finally paying off but not exactly crucial to anything – just a little reward for the die hard fans.

Also, the episode finally manages to make Ana Lucia somewhat sympathetic, albeit briefly. After they first crash, she saves a kid, helps Bernard get out of the tree... she’s tough but likable. Then it all goes to hell with the Nathan stuff. Oh well. For a few minutes there, the character we have been spending some of the most time with this season was someone I didn’t want to toss off a cliff.

One thing I never really thought about – do we ever see this particular Dharma station again? What was it for? Also, it seems the tail folk went the wrong way back to the main folk’s camp – if you look at any of the maps for the island available online, you’d see that they should have gone the other way, with the water on their right as they moved. But as we see here, they are heading with the water on their left, which probably added a day to their hike. Goons.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...

"Abandoned"

OCTOBER 30, 2010

FOCUS: SHANNON
EPISODE: 2.6
AIRED: NOVEMBER 9, 2005

I believe “Abandoned” is the only episode of Lost that actually cost me money (indirectly). My wife and I were driving a U-Haul across country to our new digs in LA at the time (I took two trips, one with my car and some necessities, then again once we had a place secured), and I was confused by the time zone “rules” for TV (and even what time zone we were in), so we pulled over extra early for the night so I wouldn’t miss it (since this was pre-Hulu, and my VCR, obviously, was in a box somewhere in the back of the truck). Had we kept going for a while, we would have been further along and thus gotten to LA one night sooner – our final night on the road was spent only about 200 miles away from our apartment. But that’s how good Lost was back then; if it was Season 6 I would have settled for a recap on Lostpedia.

Anyway, I remember being pretty shocked that Shannon got killed. The episode promos promised someone would die, and so when Cindy disappeared about halfway through the episode, I figured it was just her. So the shock moment really worked, and I was pretty amazed that Shannon died when they had finally given her her own episode (this would later become a tradition – people would die in their own centric episodes). Plus she had just started really hooking up with Sayid, and even with Boone's death in S1, I still wasn’t prepared for the hell they’d put folks through on this show. You just don’t DO things like this on TV shows! Especially when they’re the youngest female cast member. Well played, Darlton.

But it’s really not much of an episode otherwise. In hindsight the Walt stuff is even more infuriating, because his character’s arc was never fully realized (I’m still unsure if it’s really him she’s seeing or some sort of projection). And I could care less about Shannon’s back-story, which details that she mooched off her father until her bitch stepmother cut her off. Are we supposed to feel bad for her? Granted, the stepmom (Boone’s mom) is no prize, but she’s actually right – the girl needs to learn how to fend for herself. I’ve been employed in some form or other since I was 15 years old – I have zero sympathy whatsoever for people who don’t take responsibility and get a job, even a shit one. Incidentally, not long after this episode aired, when the editing job I was supposed to get in LA (why I moved there) fell through, I took a job at Best Buy, making 9 bucks an hour stocking (in some cases, making) shelves overnight. So screw her. (Boone: “Done.”)

Even the little moments are sort of bland. Rose once again claims that Bernard is alive, something that’s not quite as interesting now that we know he is, and once again Hurley is the one she says it to (and again he’s baffled, though at least he keeps it to himself this time around). There’s a mini-story about Claire not appreciating Charlie acting like Aaron’s father, which is OK, but since it’s the start of a terrible subplot (one of the worst in the series, actually), I could certainly do without it.

Plus, why is Sayid so dismissive of what Shannon saw? He’s been privy to some of the stranger things on the island already, is it really that far-fetched? It’s pretty contrived, if you ask me.

In short, I should have kept driving. RIP Shannon, you hot but annoying woman you. Also a temporary RIP for Walt, who wouldn’t appear again until the end of the season.

Where are we?

PLEASE, GO ON...