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ENTERTAINMENT
SEASON 3
May 23, 2007
Not Penny's Boat
My gut says it's Sawyer Future Jack cried for. For any number of reasons in this flash forward that may or may not yet happen, but mainly because it was Kate he kept calling. I also had it pegged for a flash forward from the beginning; in fact no one heard it since I watched Lost alone but in the first shot on the plane when I saw Jack's beard, I said "It's the future." Jack's physical appearance simply did not fit with what we've seen of his past. When someone called him a "hero twice over" sealed the deal for me. Kate appearing at the end just verified my suspicions.
Charlie's death was perfect. The fact that he used his last few seconds of breath to scribble "Not Penny's Boat" on his hand redeemed everything he'd ever done wrong in his life. His last thoughts were to save his friends. And then he crossed himself and waited for the inevitable. The sad part was how Desmond is the only one on the island who saw Charlie's finest moment. Unlike Eko, Boone, Shannon and Ana Lucia, Charlie Pace died for something, died trying to save his friends.
It was a great finale. The castaways finally won. They finally beat The Others. What they ended up winning I'm sure won't turn out to be what they wanted to win, but you can't beat the euphoria of them at the end thinking they're about to be rescued. Frankly, in the confrontation with Ben, I was with Jack all the way. I thought he ought to have beaten Ben to death but I liked that he wanted Ben to see them get rescued. "And then I'll kill him." Damn right. That motherfucker has deserved it since the day he was found and brought to the hatch. I have no sympathy for Ben. I loved when Rousseau casually elbowed him in the face to shut him up. Loved Rousseau's reunion with Alex. I loved Hurley ramming the Other with the van and Sawyer executing Tom and the reason he did it. "That's for taking the kid off the boat." (Line of the night for me.) Fuck Tom. I loved Hurley reporting in to Jack with Sawyer drinking Dharma beer in the background. I even liked Jack's non-sequitor "I love you" to Kate. Someone get those two a net.
Now Penny knows for sure that Desmond is alive, there's an island, and she talked to Charlie Pace, a survivor of Oceanic 815. Penny could end up their savior down the line. I was expecting the final shot to be a Dharma helicopter or something even more fucked up landing on the island at the end. I can't wait to see how the castaways hopes of rescue are crushed and stomped on.
But one thing's for sure: I won't miss Naomi.
LOS ANGELES
'Man found d____ __
downtown loft'
"The body of J____ ____ntham of
New York was [found] shortly after 4
a.m. in the _______ of Grand
Avenue.
Ted _____, a doorman at the
Tower _____ complex, heard loud
noises ________tham's loft.
Concerned for the ____ safety, he entered the ______ and discovered the body hanging from a beam in the
____ _____."
May 10, 2007
3x20 - "The Man Behind The Curtain"
All The Best Others Have Daddy Issues
I'm not surprised but still annoyed at the online bitching I've read about this episode. This was a warm up episode for all the doin's that'll be transpirin' in the big finale, and I think it was a good one. Jack, Juliet and Juliet's smirk vs Sayid, Sawyer and the rest was a tease. Wanted more. Will get more next week. This week was about Ben, Locke and Jacob.
The Ben flashbacks were very interesting. He's had a rough life and was sympathetic as a boy. Not so much so as a man, cancer aside. Like the Best Cowboys, it seems like All The Best Others Also Have Daddy Issues. Ben Linus is a liar, a dirty, stinkin' liar. He's been lying to his people and his rebellious daughter the whole time.
The scene where Locke couldn't see Jacob and Jacob started throwing stuff around his cabin brought to mind one of the theories that has been floating around that there is a powerful telepath or telekinetic on the island. It's possible there's more to that than hooey now if Jacob is what I'm guessing he is.
I've been rereading Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. There are reptilian horses at Hogwarts that only Harry and a couple of other students can see because they've seen death firsthand in their lives. I think there's something similar going on here with Locke's dilemma of being unable to see Jacob.
Theory: To see Jacob, as Ben can, you have to have killed your father. Locke didn't really do it himself so he didn't see Jacob. (Kate wouldn't be able to either since she didn't kill her biological father.) I believe at this point Jacob is real but I'm not sure Locke saw the old man in the chair that the audience saw. That may have been a tease for our benefit (ie. to make people with DVRs rewind again and again).
Is Richard Alpert immortal or possessed of de-aging powers or does he just have really good genes? He hasn't aged a day in the decades since he met Ben as a boy, which seems like the 60's or at least the 70's considering how old Ben is. A very interesting bit of speculation: That Richard Alpert has been on the island for a long time. How long? Maybe he was part of the original crew of the Black Rock. This is based off of Ben's line to Richard when he told Richard it was his birthday: "You do remember birthdays, don't you?"
So the original Dharma Initiative people were gassed and killed by the Hostiles/Others and Ben turned on his people. There was a power struggle for control of the island. I'm surmising the sonic barriers were to keep the Hostiles out of the barracks. Even after the Dharma Initiative people were killed, Dharma still sent more people to the island, like Kelvin. And they still seem to be dropping supplies periodically, unless that big package of food the Oceanic 815 people found in season 2 had been sitting there for a long time. I loved the explanation of where the VW van Hurley found came from and how that was Ben's father's skeleton in there.
Locke was the most bad ass he's been since season one when he inaugurated boar hunting on the island. Kicking the shit out of Mikhail was pretty satisfying. But he's also a liar and Ben had him made when Locke admitted he couldn't see Jacob. I'd hate to lose Locke, he's one of my top three favorite Lost characters, but regulars are gonna start dying soon and he's already literally in a grave.
Jacob looks a lot like Tom when he's wearing his fake Other beard.
I just read somewhere that Ben was born 32 miles outside of Portland , which is where Richard says Mittelos Bioscience was located.
I have another crazy theory: That the gassing of the Dharma people ("The Purge") happened 16 years ago, coinciding roughly with the timeline of when Rousseau and her people shipwrecked on the island. The gas might explain the sickness on the island that killed her people, the same sickness that led to Dharma people in the hatches quarantining themselves. But I'm reaching here a little, I think.
May 3, 2007
3x19 - "The Brig"
Another amazing episode. Lost is confidently back in its stride.
I think the most vital aspect of the reveal that the "wreckage and bodies of Oceanic 815 were found" isn't the red herring Cooper pitched that they're all in Hell. Which I call BS on. It's that it effectively means the rest of the world thinks they're all dead. Charlie's brother Liam, Peg Bundy, Jack's ex-wife Sarah, the woman who had Sawyer's baby, Sayid's Nadia, Hurley's family, Sun's father, etc. all think their loved ones are dead and gone in the almost 3 months that have passed. In the case of Ana Lucia's mother, Shannon and Boone's parents, anyone who knew Arzt, etc. they're righter than they know. If Ben or The Others or Dharma or whomever did pull off a cover up, then there was no way they were ever letting Jack off the island like they promised. Nor are Walt and Michael safely home or heading home.
Also, I believe Sayid knew Kate would go right to Jack. Sayid is no dummy. And I loved that Charlie and Hurley went to him for help. It's taken the castaways a long time to realize what the audience has known forever, that Sayid is the one who should be in charge. It's always been, "Need someone tortured? Call Sayid." "Got a doodad that needs fixin'? Ask Sayid." Meanwhile he has had to stand by and watch while some boneheaded shit went down thanks to all the crazy white folks on the island. Sayid has been held down too long. It's time for him to ascend.
How come Locke has to drag his dad's corpse across the island? Why can't his dad become a zombie and walk like Jack's dad?
My cousin Angela, a fellow Lost devotee, emailed me to say she has soured on Locke. Not me. I still like Locke. Locke is the island holy man. He's a walking pile of island magic. If being around Locke got Ben walking again, without him he should stumble face first into a Rousseau bear trap. I say Locke is up to something. He's our man inside the Others. Don't count out John Locke just because he couldn't kill his evil daddy. Locke is inherently good, which could be why the island likes him. If he kills someone, he won't be holy anymore. Also, Locke has had the worst life, which makes for good TV. Locke's flashbacks always keep the island entertained.
What was Sawyer so upset about after he choked Cooper to death? After all this time, he finally fixed the biggest screw up of his life. He wasn't this upset when he shot the guy who was just trying to sell him some peel and eat shrimp.
April 19, 2007
3x18 - "Catch 22"
I love Desmond, brother. I love that there is actually a reason why Desmond says brother, brother. What's Hulk Hogan's reason?
I think season 3 is turning out to be much better than season 2. As far as I'm concerned the magic is back. With Galactica done, Rome done, Friday Night Lights done, 24 diminished, Veronica Mars diminished and absent, taking a good long look at Lost again shows Lost is still a juggernaut of excellent television.
Since Desmond's "Flashes Before Your Eyes", I think season 3 has taken off. Desmond's flashbacks are the most interesting to me. Except for Locke, no one has had a shittier life, but Locke's tragedy was about his father screwing him over while Desmond has an inner flaw he can't overcome. Putting everyone back on the beach for the little character interludes is what this show needed most, I think.
Sawyer: "You two arguing over who's your favorite Other?"
Mine's Alex. She's the Other I hate least.
April 12, 2007
3x16 - "One Of Us"
My personal policy is I hate anyone who wasn't on board Oceanic 815 and didn't crash on the beach. And man, do I hate Others. I especially hate Others who pretend they're no longer Others but were still working for the Others even if they have their own agenda. I'm lookin' at you, Juliet.
This episode I began to get the sneaking suspicion that the stage is being set for Jack's exit from the show. I have no insider info; I just watch the show and draw my conclusions based on what I'm shown. This is just the impression I started to get. Jack's credibility is going to be shot when Juliet is revealed, regardless of what she actually does. Jack stuck his neck way out for her and pulled the "my word should be enough. I'm Jack, your leader" card. Couple this with the seeds being planted for Sawyer to lead the island last week (why go through all that if Jack is just gonna resume his command immediately after?) and how even Kate will have a hard time standing by Jack when Juliet's jig is up. And how many more flashback stories/revelations does Jack have left? Only one by my count: learning Claire is his sister.
I feel like Jack is on the way out.
April 5, 2007
3x15 - "Left Behind"
I have two complaints about "Left Behind":
1) The morning The Others bailed and knocked Kate out with gas, she was sleeping on the floor next to the remains of her sandwich. She was locked in a rec room and there were couches in the rear of the room. Why did she sleep on the floor? At the very least she could have just bunked on the pool table.
2) After Kate and Juliet and reunited with Jack and Sayid at the barracks, they decided to head out for the beach straightaway. Kate and Juliet just spent a day in the jungle and were caked in mud. They couldn't spare half an hour to take showers and clean up in the Barracks before leaving?
Juliet, while very alluring, is not to be trusted. Everything she says or will say is a lie. Forget torture, Sayid should just kill her. Sure, Jack will pout for a while, like that'll be a big change. She's more trouble than she's worth. I have an Other zero tolerance policy.
Finally, with the Others gone Jack should lead everyone on the beach to live in the Barracks. He can cite new ownership under the rule of "possession is 9/10ths of the law." They can activate the sonic barrier to keep Others and smoke monsters out. Grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone!
March 29, 2007
3x14 - "Expose"
This is probably the most controversial episode of season 3. Everybody hated Nikki and Paulo. Everybody but me. I loved it.
Nikki and Paulo are/were Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, a couple of characters who are (thus far) very insignificant in the big picture, but they didn't know that -- they thought they were the stars of their own show.
People seemed to hate how the episode made it seem like they were there all along. Well, there are about 20-30 odd survivors of that plane crash that aren't in the cool clique lead by Jack, Locke, Kate, Sawyer and Sayid. I liked that there are other survivors with their own stories that intersected with the main characters.
I liked how they were in the periphary of a lot of major events but so caught up in their little diamond escapade. I liked the flashbacks and how we got see familiar scenes in a new angle. I loved seeing Shannon, Boone and Arzt again. I thought the idea behind the episode and the way it played was really cool. And I loved them getting buried alive.
There was also that one most important thing that overrode all of my normal critical abilities: I think Nikki (Kiele Sanchez) is hot. Hot! Bad acting? Eh. Didn't notice, don't care.
March 15, 2007
3x12 - "Par Avion"
Claire is Christian Shepard's daughter, Jack's half-sister. Obviously.
I can see the big fight in the jungle between Jack and his father's zombie corpse now.
Zombie Christian: Sister! If you will not join The Others, then perhaps she will.
November 8, 2006
3x6 - "I Do"
Ah, Sawyer. Now he has another girl he can say "I screwed her!" about. The one he really wanted.
I always liked Kate, always a fan since the pilot but I realized last night if they shot her in the head and left her for dead, I wouldn't be upset. Nobody does what she did to Nathan Fillion, damn it.
Need more Juliet. Want Ben to die very, very badly. February seems so far away.
November 1, 2006
3x5 - "The Cost of Living"
Why doesn't the island heal Ben's cancer like it did for Rose? Could be the island only heals the good people. Rose and Locke are nice, decent folk while Ben is clearly an asshole. Juliet's signs sure think so.
But what do I know? I figured the X-Rays were Locke's last week.
October 25, 2006
3x4 - "Every Man For Himself"
Seems to me there are only two people whose X-rays those could logically belong to. Ben/Henry Gale is one, but I don't think so. I'm wagering the X-Rays belong to Locke. Locke has the tumor in his spine. This explains why A) we have yet to see the flashback of his 'accident' that crippled him, i.e. there wasn't one. B) How the island healed him. The island emits magnetic energy that cures cancer. Rose's cancer was cured. If Locke also has a tumor in his back, the island cured that as well, or if not cured, nullified. Of course, if the X-Rays are Locke's, this doesn't explain why Jack is needed and will be coerced into operating on the spine of whoever the X-Rays belong to or why operating on Locke's spine is so important to the Others. But that's my best guess.
October 5, 2006
3x1 - "A Tale of Two Cities"
First five minutes ending when Oceanic 815 breaks in two in mid-air, my jaw clunked on the floor.
Great episode, lots to say about it, but I'll distill it simply into this: That grilled cheese sandwich Juliet was going to serve Jack? "Hot off the frying pan."
I never wanted a grilled cheese sandwich more in my life.
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