I thought last night's episode of Lost was weak. Uncharacteristically cheap and bad storytelling, and events that should have carried emotional weight had none. Hopefully the next few episodes will redeem this episode, as all the blanks it left are filled in. I've enjoyed this season overall, but I remain uneasy about the straight sci-fi path it continues on. Please G-d don't let this show jump the shark. It's all I have.
I won't get into too much detail, because this blog's namesake probably hasn't seen it yet, but for TMW's spoilerific prediction (which Heather can attest was made last night without the help of the Internets), see the comments section.
6 comments:
Ben went to try and kill Penny between leaving Jack at the church and getting on the plane.
1) Didn't he tell Jack he had to "keep a promise he made to an old friend" or something like that?
2) He was at a marina when he called Jack all bloodied.
Seriously, that's your prediction? I'm pretty sure that was blatantly implied. This blog has jumped the shark.
I agree...wasn't that obvious?
1) If that's how people get to the Island(on a random plane flight to Guam), how did the Darma people get there with all of their stuff in the first place?
2) When are they going to tell us about Daniel Faraday? a. Why does he speak in a whisper (or like he is constipated)? b. In this season's first episode, Faraday was undercover in a Darma Initiative uniform inside a cave.
3) Are they ever going to answer all of our questions, or will they leave us hanging and blogging about what if's forever?
I have to disagree with you entirely, J. I think this season has been awesome. The time traveling aspect really adds a unique dimension that (although requiring some suspension of disbelief) created a more literal layer to tie together our figurative "time travel" in past seasons' flashbacks and flash forwards. There have also been a solid number of questions answered this season compared to new ones raised (e.g. why was Richard Alpert present at John Locke's birth?). Of course, time travel also gives the writers an opportunity to expand the island's backstory using the primary cast, which is arguably a cop out, but one I've been entirely satisfied with in terms of its execution.
In any event, the show has definitely taken a hard sci-fi turn this season. That's the great conceit of Lost, though: the writers have crafted what amounts to a straight sci-fi story and still made it palatable for a broad audience, primarily through character development in seasons 1-3. It's genius, really.
Regarding last night's episode in particular, I completely concur with your theory about Ben and Penny; I suppose the only question is if he succeeded. A friend who happens to be an English major pointed out to me that Ben was reading "Ulysses" on the plane. This is a particularly terrific reference for a variety of reasons. One, the book is a notoriously difficult read, much like Lost is a challenging show to watch. Two, it's a book that is filled with references (some meaningful, some suggestive, some meaningless) in which the passage of time is a major theme. Three, it's a book based on the Odyssey, where the wandering Odysseus must endure many trials before he can finally return to his wife, the waiting (wait for it) Penelope. Or did I just blow your f*cking mind, Mark?
Finally, and at the risk of this comment running off the page and into your next post, I was stuck by the similarity between certain characters on the plane last night and their original dopplegangers. To wit: Charlie = Hurley (why'd he have the guitar case?), Old Kate = Sayid (why was he arrested?), Claire = New Kate (who appeared to have undergone some bizarre shift when we found her in Jack's apartment, and I believe is now pregnant with Jack's baby). Heck, that one guy who gave his condolences to Jack at the airport is vaguely like the old Sayid. The only parallels that weren't explicit were those for Ben, Sun, and Jack, although I think Jack is slowly growing into the "man of faith" that John Locke represented throughout most of this series (which is itself an entirely different comment).
Thank you for your time.
I thought the episode was quite enjoyable but I agree it had plenty of cheap moments - a doubting Thomas, Son's acting, renacting the first crash on the island. But ah yes. YES! So many new questions raised. Which I feel is the best part of the show (aside from Lapidus's quote "we're not going to Guam are we").
1) So many questions revolve around how everyone ended up at the airport. But obviously the reason is to create new "flashbacks"
2) What was Ben up to? I think he was actually out to off Desmond. In a theme where friends become enemies and enemies become friends (i.e. Jack and JL), I think Ben was going to off Desmond as a favor for his old pal Widmore
3) How did Desmond walk all over that map and not get knocked by that pendulum?
4) will anyone scroll all the way past O'Leary's post to read this?
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