I've been re-watching the entire show to get ready for the final season, and I'll be giving a mini-review of each:
Notable new characters (on-screen appearances only): Matthew Abaddon (4x1), Daniel (4x1), Charlotte (4x2), Frank (4x2), Miles (4x2), Keamy (4x5), George Minkowski (4x5), Omar (4x5), Ray (4x5), Harper (4x6), Captain Gault (4x7), Regina (4x7)
Notable births: Ji Yeon (4x7)
Notable deaths: Naomi (4x1), George Minkowski (4x5), Regina (4x7), Rousseau (4x8), Karl (4x8), Alex (4x9), Captain Gault (4x11), Ray (4x11), Keamy (4x13), Michael (4x13), Omar (4x13)
First centric episode: Daniel/Miles/Charlotte/Frank (4x2)
Multiple centric episodes: None
DHARMA station interiors first seen: Tempest (4x6), Orchid (4x13)
Monster appearances: 4x9
Name-dropped titles (not necessarily comprehensive, but obviously memorable): Confirmed Dead, The Economist, The Constant, Ji Yeon, Meet Kevin Johnson, Something Nice Back Home
Best episode: 4x12/13, "There's No Place Like Home". This is actually, IMO, the best LOST finale from a purely action standpoint. Due to greater mythological implications, I rank it behind "Through the Looking Glass" and "The Incident" on my overall rankings, but from a sheer action standpoint, you can't beat "There's No Place Like Home". The drama on the freighter, on the chopper, at the Orchid, on the beach, and in flashforwards combine to make it the most exciting finale. It's hard to fathom that the producers had to petition ABC for an extra hour; three hours barely seems like enough to contain all of the exictement.
Second-best episode: 4x9, "The Shape of Things to Come". The first episode back from the strike packed in what might have taken two or three episodes by conventional LOST pacing, and it showed. Claire has never been the same since her house got rocked by a RPG, Ben allows Alex to be executed, then seemingly summons the Monster for its most ferocious appearance, as it rolls in like a train with flashes of electricity rippling throughout the smoke. Ray shows up on the beach with his throat slit, we see what Ben did in the aftermath of turning the wheel (which we don't yet know is what happens), and Ben confronts Widmore in the flesh.
The only drawback to this episode is the ridiculous redshirt bloodletting in which Sawyer manages to dodge bullets but everyone else is hit instantaneously. Oh well.
Third-best episode: 4x11, "Cabin Fever". A lot of people rank 4x5 "The Constant", as their favorite episode of all-time, but it does no better than fourth in my revised Season Four rankings. While "The Constant" is a great episode, it is not particularly mythologically dense, and in fact with the importance of Eloise I now believe that the first Desmond time-tripper, 3x8 "Flashes Before Your Eyes", is the stronger episode. The emotional power of the Penny/Desmond phone scene is also harmed in retrospect by their in-the-flesh reunion in the finale.
"Cabin Fever" features Locke flashbacks which indicate that Richard Alpert has been interested in Locke since his birth. Some of these mysteries cease to be captivating once one learns the why, but this episode is even cooler in light of Locke and Alpert's dealings in Season Five. Of particular interest are the scenes discussed below under "Tivo moment" and "scene of the season", as well as the fact that it was Abaddon who gave Locke the idea to go on a walkabout. The end of the episode, in which Locke relates that Christian told them to move the Island, is one of the best endings of the season as well.
Overlooked episode: The season is so short and so brilliant that it was hard for an episode to get lost in the shuffle. In addition to the top three I listed, 4x2 "Confirmed Dead, 4x3 "The Economist", and 4x11 "Cabin Fever" were all tremendous episodes. However, a lot of people seem to hate 4x10 "Something Nice Back Home", and I think it's a pretty solid outing.
The hate largely comes from people who just flat out hate Jack, and people who hate the Kate/Jack relationship. Does the Island story about Jack's appendicitis lack drama since we know he's alive and well in the future? Sure. But the flashbacks begin with Jack and Kate living in domestic bliss, and show how Hurley and brief glimpses of Christian are the start of Jack's downward spiral and the impetus of his desire to return to the Island. Christian's on-Island appearance to Claire and her subsequent disappearance/abandonment of Aaron is something that will seemingly pay off in Season Six.
Best episode ending: Sayid is revealed to be working for Ben in the future at the end of 4x3, "The Economist". Sure, it was heavily foreshadowed earlier in the episode, but it's still kind of shocking. The other great endings of the season are discussed elsewher, as they fit into other categories.
Creepiest episode: Season Four had no episodes as creepy as the weirdest from previous seasons. I think the winner is the premiere, 4x1 "The Beginning of the End". Hurley has a brief but scary encounter with the cabin, and Matthew Abaddon is the most unsettling character in the show's history--at least in his Season Four appearances.
Best flash: The introduction of flashforwards revitalized the flash portion of episodes, which had been dragging a bit in the past two seasons unless they featured new characters or were on-Island flashbacks. All of the flashes in Season Four are good, as they show us the future or explore the past of characters that had not been fully delved into.
The very best are 4x5 (Desmond's time-tripping), followed by the four episodes that concluded the season (Ben in 4x9, Jack in 4x10, Locke in 4x11, and the Oceanic Six in 4x12/13). The very best? Locke's flashbacks, in which we see that Richard Alpert has been taking an interest in John Locke for many years. It's not less intriguing now that we know why he was so interested.
Most important mythological development: Re-watching Season Four, I was surprised by how much less mythology there was then I remembered. Perhaps some of it was left aside due to needing time to tell stories in wake of the strike, but it doesn't have a single mythological hook as do Season Two (introduction of the DHARMA Initiative) and Season Three (a close look at the Others and the introduction of Jacob).
That being said, the key mythological advancement of Season Four is the confirmation that space-time is very much in play, particularly through "The Constant" and the introduction of the Orchid station in the finale. This late mythological bomb would dominate Season Five, of course.
The Economist, a figure whose importance or lack thereof is still undetermined, is introduced in 4x3, as is confirmation of time weirdness surrounding the Island through Faraday's experiment. The extent to which the Oceanic Six is lying about what happened to them is illustrated by Jack's testimony in Kate's trial during 4x4. In 4x6, Ben tells Locke that Charles Widmore is the owner of the Kahana, first introducing Widmore as a major antagonist on the show--previously he'd been shady, but that mostly just manifested in his manipulation of Desmond. This continues in 4x7 as Captain Gault tells Desmond and Sayid that Ben faked the wreckage of 815, while in 4x8 Tom tells Michael that it was Widmore who planted it. There's a lot of mythology in 4x11, much discussed elsewhere in this piece; additionally, Ben tells Locke that he did not order the Purge, opening the question of who was the leader of the Hostiles/Others before Ben came to power.
Most important scene of the season: Ben and Widmore chat at the end of 4x9. This conversation hints at Widmore's history on the Island, as he asserts that the Island was always his and will be again. Ben accuses Widmore of changing the rules (one of which appears to be that the two can't kill each other) and vows to kill Penny in retaliation for Alex's death. While it is now clear that Ben and Widmore are not the driving forces behind the Island conflict to an extent that it was not in Season Four, this is still a tremendous scene to conclude perhaps the greatest non-finale/premiere episode in the show's history.
A close runner-up, and perhaps more important in the long run, is the discussion between Locke, Christian, and Claire in 4x11.
Best scene of the season: I'm drawing a distinction between most important (the one that tells us the most about the larger story) and best, which is one that is great to watch.
Hurley sharing his candy bar with Ben in 4x11 is a terrific scene, and despite being silent and inconsequential to the story speaks so much about the way the audience (and the survivors') perception of Ben, the Others, and the big picture has changed over the course of Season Four.
Feel-good moment of the season: A lot of people would go with Desmond and Penny's phone call in 4x5, but I still think it was their in the flesh reunion in 4x13 that takes the cake. For the second year in a row, LOST took a scene that the audience felt would not occur until the end of the series (getting off the Island in S3), and gave it to us in a finale.
TIVO moment: Richard Alpert brings six items to a young John Locke and asks him to pick out those that already belong to him (4x11). Locke eschews a baseball glove, a Mystery Tales comic, and the "Book of Laws" in favor of a vile of sand/ash, his compass, and a knife. It's obvious from Alpert's reaction that he was supposed to take the "Book of Laws" rather than the knife. Also worth pausing is the picture, seemingly of the Monster, that young Locke has drawn.
Line of the season: "Destiny, John, is a fickle bitch", as Ben tells Locke in 4x11 "Cabin Fever". The other best quips go to Saywer ("Who are we to argue with taller ghost Walt?" in 4x2 "Confirmed Dead) and Juliet ("It's very stressful being an Other, Jack" in 4x6 "The Other Woman").
Secret scene: The Frozen Donkey Wheel turned out not to be the frozen donkey wheel at all (although the Island moving was a great scene), but rather the reveal that it was Locke who was in the coffin, and was calling himself Jeremy Bentham. This is a good scene, better than the Challah and probably about equal to the Bagel (it's impossible to top the Snake in the Mailbox).
I always felt that there were three possibilities: Michael, Ben, and Locke. I believed it was Michael until his death, as I felt that since he left the Island on the boat with Walt he might have been able to get back. I'm sorry to admit that I then felt it was Ben. Of course, as soon as Ben startled Jack in the funeral home, I was sure it was Locke, and I was finally right, although even a monkey that watched LOST would have gotten it at that point.
Character of the season (each character can only be picked once): Locke. In Season Four Locke completes his descent into madness, and manages to get most of his people killed. But he's the character of the season because the divide between Jack and Locke drives much of the story for the original Lostaways, and his actions in moving the Island (apparently duped into doing so, as we see in Season Five) set up Season Five. Locke finally believes he has fulfilled his destiny, and for a brief moment he has reached the pinnacle of his life--he stands on the top of the cliff as the leader, looking down at his people. Let him have his moment in the sun before his ridiculous belief in his own greatness is revealed to be a self-created myth, helped along by perhaps the sinister force of the show. Sucker.
Bunny sightings: 4x13
Other observations on the season:
* 4x1 "The Beginning of the End" is easily, IMO, the weakest LOST season premiere. This is especially evident in the quality of the opening sequence (Hurley's car chase), although this scene does introduce the Oceanic Six.
* One of my favorite minor characters ever on the show is Captain Gault. While Gault is working for Widmore, it seems as if he believes his boss when he tells Sayid and Desmond that Ben fake the wreckage. As Sayid says, he's "surprisingly forthcoming", and in 4x11 he helps Sayid and Desmond save their friends, tries to stop Keamy, and makes it clear that he only signed up for an extraction mission, not killing everyone on the Island. Chalk him up as one of the good guys on the Kahana, and an unfortunate victim of Keamy's bloodlust.
* In an ongoing attempt to classify Island phenomenon between those created by Jacob and those created by Black Robe (this assumes of course that those are the only to forces at play and that all of the weirdness is a product of one of them--certainly debatable, quite possibly wrong, but at least a useful way to frame the discussion):
1. Hurley's visions of Charlie, telling him they need to go back. The Oceanic Six returning seems to further the agendas of both Jacob and Black Robe--Black Robe needs them to return so he can inhabit Locke's body, but they are also all seemingly part of Jacob's larger plan. I tend to believe that Charlie would not be used as instrument of evil by the writers, so I side with Jacob here. Hurley does see the cabin, though, and that seems to be an indication that Black Robe was attempting to influence him in some manner.
2. Michael's inability to kill himself in 4x8, which Tom chalks up to him still having work to do for the Island. Since Michael's work is approved by Cabin Christian in the finale, and most people believe that Cabin Christian speaks for Black Robe, he seems to be the logical force at play.
Also in this category are Libby's appearances to Michael in 4x8, which I would chalk up to Black Robe, unless you'd like to argue for Michael's subconscious.
3. Christian's appearance to Claire in 4x10, and his subsequent appearances to Locke in 4x11 and Michael in 4x13--again, it's tough to not chalk these up to Black Robe. If they aren't, then the conventional assumptions about Christian's agency are shattered.
4. Christian's interrupted, off-Island appearances to Jack in 4x10--here, I see the work of Jacob, as Charlie tells Hurley that Jack will be receiving a visitor, and I guessed above that Charlie was a Jacob apparition. These sightings are also the start of Jack's desire to return to the Island, an outcome that seemingly fits the agenda of Jacob, but change your assumption about who makes Hurley see Charlie and you flip this one as well.
5. Locke's dream of Horace Goodspeed, which leads him to find the cabin in 4x11--well, if you believe the consensus that cabin Christian speaks on behalf of Black Robe, this is an easy call. Also note that Goodspeed says "He's been waiting for you a real long time", and compare this with what Locke as Black Robe tells Jacob right before he murders him in "The Incident".
6. Kate's dream of Claire, telling her not to bring Aaron back. Black Robe apparently wants Claire and Aaron separated, and there's no better way to keep Aaron on the mainland than to play on Kate's guilt about him. Also, the Claire that appears to Kate looks very similar to the Claire that was chilling with Christian in the cabin, another indicator that points to Black Robe.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Season Three Review
I've been re-watching the entire show to get ready for the final season, and I'll be giving a mini-review of each:
Notable new characters (on-screen appearances only): Juliet (3x1), Karl (3x1), Colleen (3x2), Nikki (3x3), Paulo (3x3), Richard Alpert (3x7), Eloise Hawking (3x8), Mikhail (3x11), Naomi (3x17), Emily Linus, Roger Linus, Annie, Horace Goodspeed, and other members of the DHARMA Initiative (3x20), Bonnie (3x21), Greta (3x21)
Notable births: Ben (in flashback, obviously) (3x20)
Notable deaths: Colleen (3x4), Eko (3x5), Pickett (3x7), Ms. Klugh (3x11), Nikki (3x14), Paulo (3x14), Anthony Cooper (3x18), Horace Goodspeed (3x20), Emily Linus (3x20), Roger Linus (3x20), Bonnie (3x22), Charlie (3x22), Greta (3x22), Mikhail (3x22), Tom (3x22)
First centric episode: Juliet (3x7), Nikki/Paulo (3x14), Ben (3x20)
Multiple centric episodes: Jack (3), Locke (3), Desmond (2), Kate (2), Sun (2)
DHARMA station interiors first seen: Hydra (3x1), Flame (3x11), Looking Glass (3x21)
Monster appearances: 3x5, 3x14 (it's most subtle confirmed appearance), 3x15
Name-dropped titles (not necessarily comprehensive, but obviously memorable): Every Man For Himself, I Do, Not in Portland, Enter 77, Expose, Left Behind, One of Us, D.O.C., The Brig, The Man Behind the Curtain, Greatest Hits
Best episode: 3x22 "Through the Looking Glass". Forget the flashforward twist, this was an epic episode. As I watched it, I knew there was something off about Jack's flashes, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it until the very last one, when I saw the maps strewn all over his floor. But even before that light went off over my head, I thought I was watching the greatest LOST episode there ever was.
Second-best episode: 3x20 "The Man Behind the Curtain". Ben loses his grip on the Others as Locke returns with Cooper's body, beating Mikhail as Richard and Tom defy Ben and watch, and Alex gives Locke a gun as he ventures out into the jungle with her father. We see Ben's backstory, from his mother's death in childbith to his awful dad, his meeting with Richard Alpert in the jungle, and the purge. Tension is high among the Lostaways as Sawyer and Sayid lead the anti-Juliet faction, but Jack and Juliet reveal that they are working together on a plan to defeat the Others. Ben takes Locke to the DHARMA mass grave and shoots him.
Good episode, right? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Ben and Locke visit Black Robe (at least IMO), a prisoner in a cabin that Ben pretends is Jacob's. It's impossible to tell what Ben actually knows about the man he is going to visit and how much of it is a show for Locke. But the man that Jacob portrays--hating technology, angry at being visited by his people--doesn't mesh with the man we saw in 5x16, who seemed genuinely interested in the lives of Locke, Jin, Sun, Kate, Jack, Hurley, and Sawyer (Sayid has a legitimate beef).
Third-best episode: 3x13 "The Man From Tallahassee". We learn how Locke was paralyzed, Locke blows up the sub, Kate and Jack have a heartfelt would-be farewell, Richard Alpert appears on the Island for the first time, and Anthony Cooper comes out of Ben's "magic box" (which Locke hilariously is still asking about at the end of season four).
Overlooked episode: There are many other great Season Three episodes besides the ones listed above--"Not in Portland", "Flashes Before Your Eyes", "Enter 77", "One of Us", and "Greatest Hits" come to mind. But I think most of those are given a lot of respect by fans. So for an overlooked episode, I'll turn to 3x12 "Par Avion".
The A-story of Claire trying to capture a migratory bird and attach a note to it is not great, but everything else is good. Her flashback confirms that Christian is her father; Mikhail demonstrates that the Others have knowledge about all the survivors and describes Jacob (not by name) as a "great, magnificent man"; the sonic fence is discovered and Mikhail appears to die when Locke pushes him across; Locke's agenda of wanting to blow up everything that could be used to leave the Island is strongly hinted at; and the last scene is great, as Jack plays catch with Tom, shocking Kate.
Best episode ending: 3x22 "Through the Looking Glass"--the final scene that changes the show forever (see secret scene).
3x2 "The Glass Ballerina" features Ben introducing himself as truthfully as he can manage (although even then he lies that he was born on the Island), right before he shows Jack a videotape of the Red Sox winning the World Series, proving that the Others have contact with the outside world. As a baseball nut before a LOST nut, it's a great scene.
3x12 and 3x13, discussed above, are both great. 3x18 "D.O.C." ends with Naomi telling Hurley that Oceanic 815 was found, with all passengers aboard, on the bottom of the ocean. 3x21 has Charlie, expecting to drown, submerging in the Looking Glass--only to be met by two gun-wielding Others.
Creepiest episode: 3x3 "Further Instructions" features Locke's sweat lodge vision of Boone, as well as the rescue of Eko from the polar bear cave and his subsequent delirious, likely Island-induced message to John that "you are a hunter".
There are other candidates, though: Eko's death in 3x5 "The Cost of Living", as well as the first time we actually see the Monster perform its killing (the pilot was killed off-screen), along with the Monster taking the form of Yemi make that episode very creepy in its own right.
Best flashback: By season three, conventional flashbacks for long-time main characters were played out, leading to things like "how Jack got one of his tattoos". The best flashbacks of season three are those that either occur on-Island, those that deal with new characters, or those that change the rules. There are six outstanding such episodes:
1) Juliet's flashbacks in 3x7 "Not in Portland" and 3x16 "One of Us"
2) Desmond's time-travel odyssey in 3x8 "Flashes Before Your Eyes"--there's no other episode of the show that's so much better in retrospect
3) Locke's on-Island flashback in 3x19 "The Brig"
4) Ben's flashback in 3x20 "The Man Behind the Curtain"
5) Jack's flashforward in 3x22 "Through the Looking Glass"
Forced to pick the best, I'd go with Ben, but they are all excellent. Limiting it to other flashbacks, I'd have to go with Locke in 3x13 "The Man From Tallahassee", as we finally get to see how he was paralyzed.
Most important mythological development: Forced to pick a single development, it is the introduction of Jacob, although we really don't learn that much about him until 5x16. Season Three is really about the Others, and we do learn a great deal about them--their fertility problems, where they live, the Purge, their relationship with the DHARMA Initiative, their social structure, and the like.
The Others' sub and Hydra island are both introduced in 3x4. Jacob is first mentioned in 3x6 ("Jacob's list"), with "God loves as you as He loved Jacob" appearing in the Room 23 brainwashing video in 3x7. 3x8 puts time travel out in the open for the first time. 3x16 is the first clear confirmation that pregnant women die on the Island, and it is also the first time that Ben invokes the name of Jacob. 3x20 is loaded with mythology (see above). In 3x22, Juliet tells Sawyer that the Others project on Hydra island was a runway, and Ben tells Richard to take the remainder of the Others to the Temple, the first mention of that location.
Most important scene of the season: Ben and Locke visit Jacob's cabin, which now seems to be inhabited by Black Robe.
Best scene of the season: I'm drawing a distinction between most important (the one that tells us the most about the larger story) and best, which is one that is great to watch.
Outside of the Pilot, the best season opening scene is the introduction of Juliet in 3x1 "A Tale of Two Cities", along with the gradual reveal that the Others actually lead suburban style lives, complete with book clubs and plumbing. This scene mirrors the opening of Season Two by introducing us to a new character while shocking us at the location we are seeing. Desmond listened to a record and Juliet to a CD, each by female artists, leading me to believe that the opening of Season Four would be someone on the freighter listening to "The Age of Aquarius" or some other appropriately odd song on their MP3 player.
Juliet's "Subterranean Homesick Blues"-esque appeal to Jack in 3x5 is a great scene as well.
Feel-good moment of the season: Jack makes the call to the freighter. Sure, the happiness is shattered in the flashforward seen that immediately follows, but after three seasons of striving for this, the very idea that rescue is imminent and the terrific score tug at the heartstrings.
TIVO moment: the pullback to reveal the Others' village and its position on the Island
Line of the season: Ben to Locke in "The Man From Tallahassee?": "Unfortunately, John, we don't have a code for 'there's a man in the closet with a gun to my daughter's head'...although obviously we should."
I also love it when Richard Alpert tells Locke in 3x19 "No matter how much time you spend on the Island, you never get tired of this view." In the next episode, we see that the time experienced on the Island by Richard may be a lot longer than we could have guessed.
In 3x21, Jack finally fills the rest of the group in on the plan that he, Juliet, and Rousseau have hatched. First, I love the fact that he takes only the important people into the jungle to demonstrate--but not just the A-Team--people like Claire and Sun are there. Second, I love his maniacal declaration that "We're gonna blow 'em [the Others] all to hell."
Secret scene: "The [rattle]snake in the mailbox" is the best secret scene, one of the most bold plot twists in television history. Many people always believed that getting off the Island was the endgame of the show, but in that one moment, that belief was turned on its head.
I remember reading online discussions in the immediate aftermath of the finale, and some people really were having a hard time coming to grips with what they saw. Some were trying to figure out if it was perhaps just a possible future (which resonates a little more in light of the conclusion to Season Five, wouldn't you say), or operating on the premise that what we saw was the very end of the story. The scene was nothing short of brilliant. It also introduces the question of who Kate needs to get back to (many guessed Sawyer, but of course it turns out to be Aaron) and the fact that those who returned to civilization were lying in some way.
Character of the season (each character can only be picked once): Ben and Juliet. It's a cheat to list two characters, but they both deserve it, as they did the unthinkable: humanizing the Others and making the audience (gasp) like at least one of them. Ben shouldn't get any sympathy points from anyone, at least until Alex's death in Season Four, but even if you rightfully hate him, he is the driving force behind the season, and it is fun to see him gradually slide from seeming omniscience to a bloodied, beaten prisoner. Juliet is a fascinating character; as Jack says, she wants to get off the Island more than anything else in the world, but she'll go to just about any length to get it (in the next two seasons, at least). In that sense she, and not Eko, is the anti-Locke.
Bunny sightings: 3x4, 3x20
Other observations on the season:
* Elizabeth Mitchell is adorable on the audio commentary for 3x1. I wish they would have let her use that voice in the show, although I suppose it would have made Juliet seem too girly.
* It's always better to be the prisoner on LOST than it is to be the captor. Just as Ben did, Jack (and to a lesser extent Sawyer and Kate) is able to gather intelligence, play the Others against each other, and eventually win an unanimous decision over his former captors.
* I wouldn't call 3x14 "Expose" a great episode or one of my favorites, but it has its charms. There are bad things about the episode: it interrupts a tremendous run of great episodes that otherwise would have run unbroken from 3x11 to 4x3, and the ret-conning is excessive (Nikki and Paulo were apparently as prolific of explorers as Locke). However, I'm a sucker for meta stuff, and this episode is chock full of it. LOST is a great show, a serious show, but it's possible that under different writers and producers it could take itself too seriously. This episode is the best example of not doing that, and being able to laugh at yourself and your fans.
* Everyone noticed in 3x17 that there was a picture on the head monk's desk of him and Eloise. But knowing what we know now about the relationship between Charles and Eloise, I think it's fair to speculate that the two of them pulled the strings to get Desmond into that monastery. The only question is how they knew that Penny would fall for Desmond, although I suppose if they were going off Faraday's journal, they may have known about the Desmond/Penny coupling.
* In a couple late-season episodes, the writers push the theory that they're all dead, specifically through Naomi relating that the plane was found and Anthony Cooper telling anyone who'll listen that they're in hell. In Season Two, the writers pushed the "It's all a dream" theory, specifically through Hurley's sighting of Dave in 2x18. Intention thematic misdirection is fun.
* Fans love to hate Jack, and rip him for strategic failures, but the simple fact of the matter is that he kicked the Others butts in Season Three. He engineers, then sacrifices himself to achieve, the escape of Kate and Sawyer. Then he saves Juliet, earns the two of them a trip off the Island, and finally defeats the Others as a serious existential threat to the Lostaways. And while the rescue that came was not what it seemed, there was no Lostaway other than Locke that disagreed with his plan, with many putting their own lives at risk to contact the freighter.
* In an ongoing attempt to classify Island phenomenon between those created by Jacob and those created by Black Robe (this assumes of course that those are the only to forces at play and that all of the weirdness is a product of one of them--certainly debatable, quite possibly wrong, but at least a useful way to frame the discussion):
1. Locke's sweat lodge vision of Boone, and Eko's delirious message "you are a hunter" in 3x3 "Further Instructions". I believe that these are the work of Black Robe, as they reignite Locke's paganistic Island faith. One can argue that this faith works to Jacob's advantage as well, but I think the end result of Locke as an agent/incarnation of Black Robe himself is a strong argument that a lot of what happens from this point forward is designed to lead to that result. Saving Eko is ultimately meaningless, as he dies two episodes later, but Eko's death leads to Locke finding his way...to bad things.
2. Desmond's flashes--This is a big one to bite off, so it's worth listing each flash individually:
a) Locke's speech about getting back his people (3x3)
b) Charlie's electrocution (prompting Desmond to build a lightning rod) (3x4)
c) Charlie drowning trying to save Claire (3x8)
d) Charlie crushed against rocks trying to capture a migrating bird for Claire (3x12)
e) Charlie hit in the throat by an arrow from one of Rousseau's traps (3x17)
f) Charlie drowns after turning off the switch, leading to Claire and Aaron leaving the Island on a helicopter (3x21)
Let's assume for the sake of argument that Desmond is completely truthful about all of his visions (after all, the 3x17 flash is the only one the audience gets to see as Desmond saw it, so it's possible that he lied about parts of others). Let's also assume that all of the visions are produced by the same entity, rather than some being from Jacob and others from Black Robe.
Given those constraints, I believe that the visions are the product of Black Robe, as only Aaron winds up leaving the Island. The end result also allows the Freighter folk to come to the Island, endangering the lives of Jacob's chosen people and setting into play events that lead to both Claire and Aaron being separated (something that apparently has been a goal of Black Robe for some time) and the Island being moved, leading to Black Robe taking control of Locke's body.
A great contrast can be drawn between Locke's response to his vision in 1x19 and Desmond's response to his flash in 3x17. In both cases, each believes that they will get the one thing in the world they most desire (for Locke, getting into the Hatch; for Desmond, reuniting with Penny). But Desmond ultimately decides to save Charlie at what he believes is the cost of changing the future (who knows whether he was right or not; I suppose a certain brand of quantum physics can explain how Penny and not Naomi could have been the parachuter), while Locke allows Boone to be sacrificed, going so far as to say the island "demanded" it.
3. Eko's dreams and the manifestation of Yemi in 3x5 "The Cost of Living". I strongly believe that the Monster and Black Robe are connected, and so I'm as confident chalking this one up to Black Robe as I am about any such phenomenon.
4. Young Ben's visions of his mother--I go with Black Robe all the way, as part of his elaborate long con to trick the Hostiles into believing that Ben and Locke were special and maneuvering them into leadership roles.
5. Walt appearing to Locke as he lies in the DHARMA mass grave--If I have my agendas straight, it has to be Black Robe.
Notable new characters (on-screen appearances only): Juliet (3x1), Karl (3x1), Colleen (3x2), Nikki (3x3), Paulo (3x3), Richard Alpert (3x7), Eloise Hawking (3x8), Mikhail (3x11), Naomi (3x17), Emily Linus, Roger Linus, Annie, Horace Goodspeed, and other members of the DHARMA Initiative (3x20), Bonnie (3x21), Greta (3x21)
Notable births: Ben (in flashback, obviously) (3x20)
Notable deaths: Colleen (3x4), Eko (3x5), Pickett (3x7), Ms. Klugh (3x11), Nikki (3x14), Paulo (3x14), Anthony Cooper (3x18), Horace Goodspeed (3x20), Emily Linus (3x20), Roger Linus (3x20), Bonnie (3x22), Charlie (3x22), Greta (3x22), Mikhail (3x22), Tom (3x22)
First centric episode: Juliet (3x7), Nikki/Paulo (3x14), Ben (3x20)
Multiple centric episodes: Jack (3), Locke (3), Desmond (2), Kate (2), Sun (2)
DHARMA station interiors first seen: Hydra (3x1), Flame (3x11), Looking Glass (3x21)
Monster appearances: 3x5, 3x14 (it's most subtle confirmed appearance), 3x15
Name-dropped titles (not necessarily comprehensive, but obviously memorable): Every Man For Himself, I Do, Not in Portland, Enter 77, Expose, Left Behind, One of Us, D.O.C., The Brig, The Man Behind the Curtain, Greatest Hits
Best episode: 3x22 "Through the Looking Glass". Forget the flashforward twist, this was an epic episode. As I watched it, I knew there was something off about Jack's flashes, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it until the very last one, when I saw the maps strewn all over his floor. But even before that light went off over my head, I thought I was watching the greatest LOST episode there ever was.
Second-best episode: 3x20 "The Man Behind the Curtain". Ben loses his grip on the Others as Locke returns with Cooper's body, beating Mikhail as Richard and Tom defy Ben and watch, and Alex gives Locke a gun as he ventures out into the jungle with her father. We see Ben's backstory, from his mother's death in childbith to his awful dad, his meeting with Richard Alpert in the jungle, and the purge. Tension is high among the Lostaways as Sawyer and Sayid lead the anti-Juliet faction, but Jack and Juliet reveal that they are working together on a plan to defeat the Others. Ben takes Locke to the DHARMA mass grave and shoots him.
Good episode, right? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Ben and Locke visit Black Robe (at least IMO), a prisoner in a cabin that Ben pretends is Jacob's. It's impossible to tell what Ben actually knows about the man he is going to visit and how much of it is a show for Locke. But the man that Jacob portrays--hating technology, angry at being visited by his people--doesn't mesh with the man we saw in 5x16, who seemed genuinely interested in the lives of Locke, Jin, Sun, Kate, Jack, Hurley, and Sawyer (Sayid has a legitimate beef).
Third-best episode: 3x13 "The Man From Tallahassee". We learn how Locke was paralyzed, Locke blows up the sub, Kate and Jack have a heartfelt would-be farewell, Richard Alpert appears on the Island for the first time, and Anthony Cooper comes out of Ben's "magic box" (which Locke hilariously is still asking about at the end of season four).
Overlooked episode: There are many other great Season Three episodes besides the ones listed above--"Not in Portland", "Flashes Before Your Eyes", "Enter 77", "One of Us", and "Greatest Hits" come to mind. But I think most of those are given a lot of respect by fans. So for an overlooked episode, I'll turn to 3x12 "Par Avion".
The A-story of Claire trying to capture a migratory bird and attach a note to it is not great, but everything else is good. Her flashback confirms that Christian is her father; Mikhail demonstrates that the Others have knowledge about all the survivors and describes Jacob (not by name) as a "great, magnificent man"; the sonic fence is discovered and Mikhail appears to die when Locke pushes him across; Locke's agenda of wanting to blow up everything that could be used to leave the Island is strongly hinted at; and the last scene is great, as Jack plays catch with Tom, shocking Kate.
Best episode ending: 3x22 "Through the Looking Glass"--the final scene that changes the show forever (see secret scene).
3x2 "The Glass Ballerina" features Ben introducing himself as truthfully as he can manage (although even then he lies that he was born on the Island), right before he shows Jack a videotape of the Red Sox winning the World Series, proving that the Others have contact with the outside world. As a baseball nut before a LOST nut, it's a great scene.
3x12 and 3x13, discussed above, are both great. 3x18 "D.O.C." ends with Naomi telling Hurley that Oceanic 815 was found, with all passengers aboard, on the bottom of the ocean. 3x21 has Charlie, expecting to drown, submerging in the Looking Glass--only to be met by two gun-wielding Others.
Creepiest episode: 3x3 "Further Instructions" features Locke's sweat lodge vision of Boone, as well as the rescue of Eko from the polar bear cave and his subsequent delirious, likely Island-induced message to John that "you are a hunter".
There are other candidates, though: Eko's death in 3x5 "The Cost of Living", as well as the first time we actually see the Monster perform its killing (the pilot was killed off-screen), along with the Monster taking the form of Yemi make that episode very creepy in its own right.
Best flashback: By season three, conventional flashbacks for long-time main characters were played out, leading to things like "how Jack got one of his tattoos". The best flashbacks of season three are those that either occur on-Island, those that deal with new characters, or those that change the rules. There are six outstanding such episodes:
1) Juliet's flashbacks in 3x7 "Not in Portland" and 3x16 "One of Us"
2) Desmond's time-travel odyssey in 3x8 "Flashes Before Your Eyes"--there's no other episode of the show that's so much better in retrospect
3) Locke's on-Island flashback in 3x19 "The Brig"
4) Ben's flashback in 3x20 "The Man Behind the Curtain"
5) Jack's flashforward in 3x22 "Through the Looking Glass"
Forced to pick the best, I'd go with Ben, but they are all excellent. Limiting it to other flashbacks, I'd have to go with Locke in 3x13 "The Man From Tallahassee", as we finally get to see how he was paralyzed.
Most important mythological development: Forced to pick a single development, it is the introduction of Jacob, although we really don't learn that much about him until 5x16. Season Three is really about the Others, and we do learn a great deal about them--their fertility problems, where they live, the Purge, their relationship with the DHARMA Initiative, their social structure, and the like.
The Others' sub and Hydra island are both introduced in 3x4. Jacob is first mentioned in 3x6 ("Jacob's list"), with "God loves as you as He loved Jacob" appearing in the Room 23 brainwashing video in 3x7. 3x8 puts time travel out in the open for the first time. 3x16 is the first clear confirmation that pregnant women die on the Island, and it is also the first time that Ben invokes the name of Jacob. 3x20 is loaded with mythology (see above). In 3x22, Juliet tells Sawyer that the Others project on Hydra island was a runway, and Ben tells Richard to take the remainder of the Others to the Temple, the first mention of that location.
Most important scene of the season: Ben and Locke visit Jacob's cabin, which now seems to be inhabited by Black Robe.
Best scene of the season: I'm drawing a distinction between most important (the one that tells us the most about the larger story) and best, which is one that is great to watch.
Outside of the Pilot, the best season opening scene is the introduction of Juliet in 3x1 "A Tale of Two Cities", along with the gradual reveal that the Others actually lead suburban style lives, complete with book clubs and plumbing. This scene mirrors the opening of Season Two by introducing us to a new character while shocking us at the location we are seeing. Desmond listened to a record and Juliet to a CD, each by female artists, leading me to believe that the opening of Season Four would be someone on the freighter listening to "The Age of Aquarius" or some other appropriately odd song on their MP3 player.
Juliet's "Subterranean Homesick Blues"-esque appeal to Jack in 3x5 is a great scene as well.
Feel-good moment of the season: Jack makes the call to the freighter. Sure, the happiness is shattered in the flashforward seen that immediately follows, but after three seasons of striving for this, the very idea that rescue is imminent and the terrific score tug at the heartstrings.
TIVO moment: the pullback to reveal the Others' village and its position on the Island
Line of the season: Ben to Locke in "The Man From Tallahassee?": "Unfortunately, John, we don't have a code for 'there's a man in the closet with a gun to my daughter's head'...although obviously we should."
I also love it when Richard Alpert tells Locke in 3x19 "No matter how much time you spend on the Island, you never get tired of this view." In the next episode, we see that the time experienced on the Island by Richard may be a lot longer than we could have guessed.
In 3x21, Jack finally fills the rest of the group in on the plan that he, Juliet, and Rousseau have hatched. First, I love the fact that he takes only the important people into the jungle to demonstrate--but not just the A-Team--people like Claire and Sun are there. Second, I love his maniacal declaration that "We're gonna blow 'em [the Others] all to hell."
Secret scene: "The [rattle]snake in the mailbox" is the best secret scene, one of the most bold plot twists in television history. Many people always believed that getting off the Island was the endgame of the show, but in that one moment, that belief was turned on its head.
I remember reading online discussions in the immediate aftermath of the finale, and some people really were having a hard time coming to grips with what they saw. Some were trying to figure out if it was perhaps just a possible future (which resonates a little more in light of the conclusion to Season Five, wouldn't you say), or operating on the premise that what we saw was the very end of the story. The scene was nothing short of brilliant. It also introduces the question of who Kate needs to get back to (many guessed Sawyer, but of course it turns out to be Aaron) and the fact that those who returned to civilization were lying in some way.
Character of the season (each character can only be picked once): Ben and Juliet. It's a cheat to list two characters, but they both deserve it, as they did the unthinkable: humanizing the Others and making the audience (gasp) like at least one of them. Ben shouldn't get any sympathy points from anyone, at least until Alex's death in Season Four, but even if you rightfully hate him, he is the driving force behind the season, and it is fun to see him gradually slide from seeming omniscience to a bloodied, beaten prisoner. Juliet is a fascinating character; as Jack says, she wants to get off the Island more than anything else in the world, but she'll go to just about any length to get it (in the next two seasons, at least). In that sense she, and not Eko, is the anti-Locke.
Bunny sightings: 3x4, 3x20
Other observations on the season:
* Elizabeth Mitchell is adorable on the audio commentary for 3x1. I wish they would have let her use that voice in the show, although I suppose it would have made Juliet seem too girly.
* It's always better to be the prisoner on LOST than it is to be the captor. Just as Ben did, Jack (and to a lesser extent Sawyer and Kate) is able to gather intelligence, play the Others against each other, and eventually win an unanimous decision over his former captors.
* I wouldn't call 3x14 "Expose" a great episode or one of my favorites, but it has its charms. There are bad things about the episode: it interrupts a tremendous run of great episodes that otherwise would have run unbroken from 3x11 to 4x3, and the ret-conning is excessive (Nikki and Paulo were apparently as prolific of explorers as Locke). However, I'm a sucker for meta stuff, and this episode is chock full of it. LOST is a great show, a serious show, but it's possible that under different writers and producers it could take itself too seriously. This episode is the best example of not doing that, and being able to laugh at yourself and your fans.
* Everyone noticed in 3x17 that there was a picture on the head monk's desk of him and Eloise. But knowing what we know now about the relationship between Charles and Eloise, I think it's fair to speculate that the two of them pulled the strings to get Desmond into that monastery. The only question is how they knew that Penny would fall for Desmond, although I suppose if they were going off Faraday's journal, they may have known about the Desmond/Penny coupling.
* In a couple late-season episodes, the writers push the theory that they're all dead, specifically through Naomi relating that the plane was found and Anthony Cooper telling anyone who'll listen that they're in hell. In Season Two, the writers pushed the "It's all a dream" theory, specifically through Hurley's sighting of Dave in 2x18. Intention thematic misdirection is fun.
* Fans love to hate Jack, and rip him for strategic failures, but the simple fact of the matter is that he kicked the Others butts in Season Three. He engineers, then sacrifices himself to achieve, the escape of Kate and Sawyer. Then he saves Juliet, earns the two of them a trip off the Island, and finally defeats the Others as a serious existential threat to the Lostaways. And while the rescue that came was not what it seemed, there was no Lostaway other than Locke that disagreed with his plan, with many putting their own lives at risk to contact the freighter.
* In an ongoing attempt to classify Island phenomenon between those created by Jacob and those created by Black Robe (this assumes of course that those are the only to forces at play and that all of the weirdness is a product of one of them--certainly debatable, quite possibly wrong, but at least a useful way to frame the discussion):
1. Locke's sweat lodge vision of Boone, and Eko's delirious message "you are a hunter" in 3x3 "Further Instructions". I believe that these are the work of Black Robe, as they reignite Locke's paganistic Island faith. One can argue that this faith works to Jacob's advantage as well, but I think the end result of Locke as an agent/incarnation of Black Robe himself is a strong argument that a lot of what happens from this point forward is designed to lead to that result. Saving Eko is ultimately meaningless, as he dies two episodes later, but Eko's death leads to Locke finding his way...to bad things.
2. Desmond's flashes--This is a big one to bite off, so it's worth listing each flash individually:
a) Locke's speech about getting back his people (3x3)
b) Charlie's electrocution (prompting Desmond to build a lightning rod) (3x4)
c) Charlie drowning trying to save Claire (3x8)
d) Charlie crushed against rocks trying to capture a migrating bird for Claire (3x12)
e) Charlie hit in the throat by an arrow from one of Rousseau's traps (3x17)
f) Charlie drowns after turning off the switch, leading to Claire and Aaron leaving the Island on a helicopter (3x21)
Let's assume for the sake of argument that Desmond is completely truthful about all of his visions (after all, the 3x17 flash is the only one the audience gets to see as Desmond saw it, so it's possible that he lied about parts of others). Let's also assume that all of the visions are produced by the same entity, rather than some being from Jacob and others from Black Robe.
Given those constraints, I believe that the visions are the product of Black Robe, as only Aaron winds up leaving the Island. The end result also allows the Freighter folk to come to the Island, endangering the lives of Jacob's chosen people and setting into play events that lead to both Claire and Aaron being separated (something that apparently has been a goal of Black Robe for some time) and the Island being moved, leading to Black Robe taking control of Locke's body.
A great contrast can be drawn between Locke's response to his vision in 1x19 and Desmond's response to his flash in 3x17. In both cases, each believes that they will get the one thing in the world they most desire (for Locke, getting into the Hatch; for Desmond, reuniting with Penny). But Desmond ultimately decides to save Charlie at what he believes is the cost of changing the future (who knows whether he was right or not; I suppose a certain brand of quantum physics can explain how Penny and not Naomi could have been the parachuter), while Locke allows Boone to be sacrificed, going so far as to say the island "demanded" it.
3. Eko's dreams and the manifestation of Yemi in 3x5 "The Cost of Living". I strongly believe that the Monster and Black Robe are connected, and so I'm as confident chalking this one up to Black Robe as I am about any such phenomenon.
4. Young Ben's visions of his mother--I go with Black Robe all the way, as part of his elaborate long con to trick the Hostiles into believing that Ben and Locke were special and maneuvering them into leadership roles.
5. Walt appearing to Locke as he lies in the DHARMA mass grave--If I have my agendas straight, it has to be Black Robe.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Season Two Review
I've been re-watching the entire show to get ready for the final season, and I'll be giving a mini-review of each:
Notable new characters (on-screen appearances only): Desmond (2x1); Ana-Lucia, Eko, Libby, Bernard (2x3); Ben (2x14); Alex Rousseau (2x15); Pickett, Ms. Klugh (2x22); Charles Widmore, Penny (2x23)
Notable births: None
Notable deaths: Shannon (2x6), Goodwin (2x7), Ana-Lucia (2x20), Libby (2x21)
First centric episode: Shannon (2x6), Ana-Lucia (2x8), Eko (2x10), Bernard/Rose (2x19), Desmond (2x23)
Multiple centric episodes: Ana-Lucia (2), Eko (2), Hurley (2), Jack (2), Locke (2), Michael (2), Sun (2)
DHARMA station interiors first seen: Swan (2x1), Arrow (2x4), Staff (2x15), Pearl (2x21)
Name-dropped titles (not necessarily comprehensive, but obviously memorable): Orientation; The 23rd Psalm; The Long Con; One of Them; The Whole Truth; Lockdown; Dave; S.O.S.; ?; Three Minutes; Live Together, Die Alone
Monster Appearances: 2x10
Best episode: 2x23 "Live Together, Die Alone".
Second-best episode: 2x3 "Orientation". This episode is as large of a mythological download as the show has ever offered--Dr. Candle, the orientation film, the purpose of the button...it's tough to beat and the episode story itself was compelling.
Third-best episode: 2x15 "Maternity Leave" I realize I did some episode ranking posts a while back and had this one ranked #9 in Season Two, but re-watching the whole season I've really come to a greater appreciation of this episode. It really is the first time we get a glimpse of the Others going about their business, through Claire's flashbacks, and watching it again with what we'd known before that fresh in my mind, it was shocking. It was the first time it was confirmed that the Others were not just some savage island dwellers, but rather had modern technology at their disposal and something of a military chain of command. Answering a question posed nearly one season ago exactly ("What happened to Claire when she was taken?") was also a great answer in a season that raised more questions.
Overlooked episode: This category is for an episode that I think is better than the consensus opinion would say. Of course, determining what the consensus ranking of an episode is impossible, so it's mostly just my impression.
2x13 "The Long Con" is my choice. It doesn't do much to advance mythology, but it is an interesting study of Sawyer and Charlie as well as group dynamics, which are shaken up a little with the addition of the Tailies (particularly Ana Lucia). It also is notable for being the first real drop of the idea of time travel on the show--Sayid and Hurley pick up an station playing Glen Miller on shortwave and after Sayid tells Hurley the signal could be coming from anywhere, Hurley says: "Or any time."
Best episode ending: 2x20, "Two For the Road"--If someone had told you when the show started that one Lostaway would murder two people, who would you have guessed would be the culprit? I'm going to guess that Michael would have been fairly far down the list of suspects (not at the bottom, but close).
Second-place goes to 2x22 "Three Minutes", which features Desmond's sailboat crashing the funeral of Ana-Lucia and Libby.
LOST is a great show, but it's just a TV show. It usually doesn't have any strong emotional effect on me. But I just sat in my chair processing what I'd seen for about five minutes after watching "Two For the Road" for the first time. It was a shocking moment, and it took the endgame of the season, already in motion, into hyperdrive. And the end game of season two was a lot better than people give it credit for.
Creepiest episode: 2x6 "Abandoned", but Season Two takes the cake for creepy episodes. Anytime "wet Walt" shows up, as in 2x1 "Man of Science, Man of Faith", it's a little jolt. Of course, it is in "Abandoned" that Cindy is taken by the Others and Walt lures Shannon into getting shot by Ana Lucia. 2x7 "The Other 48 Days" features lots of unsettling Others, and the scene in which their bare feet surround the fire is as startling as anything ever on LOST.
The Hatch is good for a lot of unsettling moments as well, like when the hieroglyphics appear when the clock runs out, or the lockdown. Then there's the pile of never-read composition notebooks in "Live Together, Die Alone", not to mention the four-toed statue. And of course any time "Henry Gale" is around, you have to watch your proverbial back (see best line). Season Five may be the trippiest, but Season Two is the creepiest season of the show.
Best flashback: The best off-Island flashback is Eko in 2x10 "The 23rd Psalm". The story is compelling and it ties into the on-Island story as well as any flashback ever, as well as answers a mystery about the Nigerian plane.
However, Season Two has two other terrific flashback episodes, both of which are on-Island: Claire in 2x15 "Maternity Leave" and Michael in 2x22 "Three Minutes". Both of these fill in the gaps about past stories and give a great deal of insight into the society of the Others. 2x7 "The Other 48 Days" was not a flashback, per se, so it doesn't count, but if it did it would win this category.
Most important mythological development: Learning about the DHARMA Initiative (and assorted things like the Swan station). The further development of the Others and Henry Gale is crucial as well, but they fit better as the mythological development for Season Three.
The mysterious "Him" is first mentioned in 2x15, but that is by Tom and is likely referring to Ben. It is not until Ben is interrogated by Sayid in 2x18 that "Him" is mentioned in the sense that it *could* refer to Jacob. This is further developed in 2x20 when Ben talks about a "great man" leading his people (although, again, it's not entirely clear whether Ben is referring to himself or Jacob). Widmore Labs shows up in 2x16, although I believe there is a brief Widmore billboard in 2x12. Charles himself is first mentioned and seen in 2x23, of course. That episode also contains the first references to the Hostiles and the first sighting of the four-toed statue.
Most important scene of the season: "We're the good guys, Michael". For the first time, we get a glimpse of the Others hierarchy (Henry Gale at the top, at least among the normal men!) and the sense that they are fulfilling some larger mission (or at least that they believe they are fulfilling a larger mission). Ben's final explanation is both chilling, unbelievable, and possibly true.
Best scene of the season: I'm drawing a distinction between most important (the one that tells us the most about the larger story) and best, which is one that is great to watch. The winner is the opening scene of the season--Desmond in the Hatch, ending with a pan up the shaft to Locke and Jack peering down, a mirror image of the closing scene of Season 1.
Feel-good moment of the season: Reunion of Jin/Sun and Bernard/Rose (2x8)
TIVO moment: The blast door map (2x17)
Line of the season: It has to go to Ben, and his taunting of Jack and Locke over breakfast--the highlight is the concluding "You guys got any milk?", delivered perfectly matter-of-factly. (2x16)
Secret scene: The challah, the listening station and the call to Penny, is probably the weakest of any of the secret scenes. It was a neat fakeout, as I first thought that the windy tundra was where the Others resided, but it wasn't surprising that Penny was still searching for Desmond. The most important thing about this scene is that it confirmed that the outside world still existed, as it is the first off-Island present/future moment in the history of the show.
Character of the season (each character can only be picked once): Eko. The complicated warlord turned fake priest turned genuine man of faith drives a fair deal of the Island story, and plays a great mirror to Locke. It is a shame that the actor would choose to leave the show after just one full season, as the only other characters who have ever dominated every scene they appear in to such a degree are Ben and Jacob.
Other observations on the season:
* If a poll was taken to determine the most hated character among LOST fans, I assume the winner would be either a character given a lot of screen time that was obnoxious as hell (I'm looking at you Paulo), or an evil character that didn't get a lot of attention (and thus didn't get the humanization that everyone gets on the show; Ben may be evil, but at least we have some understanding of where he's coming from. I'm thinking of someone in the mold of Keamy here). But as for me, my choice is easy and it's a completely unimportant character, a forgettable one who appeared in two episodes and hasn't been since episode 2x2: Walt's mother, Susan.
* In an ongoing attempt to classify Island phenomenon between those created by Jacob and those created by Black Robe:
1. "wet Walt", which appears to Shannon in 2x1 and 2x6 and to Sayid in the latter: I tend to believe that this apparition was the work of Black Robe. Walt lures Shannon to her death, essentially, and creates hostility between the lostaways and the tailies, which would only serve to retard progress. I don't see how it fits Jacob's agenda.
The best alternative explanation is that Walt projected himself using his special abilities, which have been hinted at several times but never fully explored by the show. This is a very feasible explanation, but if it was an Island-created incident, I'm going with Black Robe as the culprit.
2. Kate's horse--I believe that Jacob was behind Kate's horse, which enables her to move on a bit from murdering her step-dad and pursue her relationship with Sawyer.
3. Walt's IMing to Michael over the Swan computer--I think supernatural explanation is unnecessary in this case, as I think the real choice is between Walt using his mind to do it and the Others setting a trap for Michael. They would have known from Pearl station surveillance when he was alone in the computer room and could have set the trap for him. The fact that they were waiting for Michael when he went after Walt makes me believe that it was in fact a trap.
4. Charlie's vivid dreams about Aaron being in peril--I guess it partially depends on whether you believe religious faith is conducive to the agenda of Jacob or the agenda of Black Robe. I tend to think that the view of the show is the former. Of course, the fact that there is a positive outcome from a religious perspective (Aaron's baptism) does not preclude the entire ordeal from playing into Black Robe's hands. After all, Charlie is tempted to return to drug abuse and he helps to drive Locke to a darker place. It's a tough call, but I learn towards Black Robe.
5. Dave--While it is possible that Dave was once again a manifestation of Hurley's brain, I believe that in this case he was the product of Black Robe, attempting to get Hurley to kill himself. While we did not see Jacob visit Hurley before the crash, Jacob did convince Hurley to get on Ajira 316 and it seemed as if he was very much a chosen one. It would be a good play for Black Robe to look to eliminate him.
6. Eko and Locke's dreams in 2x21 "?"--These are tough, as it is hard to figure out whether the events they triggered played into Jacob's agenda or Black Robe's. Finding the Pearl shook Locke's faith, which led to him destroying the computer, which allowed the Island to be found. Jacob likes people coming to the Island, but he also lost some of his chosen people as an end result (those that left the Island).
On the other hand, Black Robe may have thought that Desmond would not use the fail-safe key, and that the Island would be destroyed--presumably a positive for him. But shaking Locke's faith was not necessarily a good thing, as it's Locke's ritualistic faith in the Island that makes him such a dupe.
In his dream, Eko hears Yemi call him "brother". But in 3x5, when the Monster is taking the form of Yemi, it chides Eko for calling him "brother" (and oh yeah, in addition to the chiding, it brutally kills him). I'm going with Jacob, but I'm less confident in this call than any other, and I'm not exactly confident most of the time to begin with.
* A trivial but intriguing mystery: to whom did the glass eye in the Arrow belong? Along the same lines, who was the real Henry Gale? Did he work for Widmore or some other entity trying to find the Island? Why was Eko going to Los Angeles? Who salted the earth around the plane, and why?
I realize that most (all) of these questions will never be answered, and I'm fine with that. But it's worth pointing them out all the same.
Notable new characters (on-screen appearances only): Desmond (2x1); Ana-Lucia, Eko, Libby, Bernard (2x3); Ben (2x14); Alex Rousseau (2x15); Pickett, Ms. Klugh (2x22); Charles Widmore, Penny (2x23)
Notable births: None
Notable deaths: Shannon (2x6), Goodwin (2x7), Ana-Lucia (2x20), Libby (2x21)
First centric episode: Shannon (2x6), Ana-Lucia (2x8), Eko (2x10), Bernard/Rose (2x19), Desmond (2x23)
Multiple centric episodes: Ana-Lucia (2), Eko (2), Hurley (2), Jack (2), Locke (2), Michael (2), Sun (2)
DHARMA station interiors first seen: Swan (2x1), Arrow (2x4), Staff (2x15), Pearl (2x21)
Name-dropped titles (not necessarily comprehensive, but obviously memorable): Orientation; The 23rd Psalm; The Long Con; One of Them; The Whole Truth; Lockdown; Dave; S.O.S.; ?; Three Minutes; Live Together, Die Alone
Monster Appearances: 2x10
Best episode: 2x23 "Live Together, Die Alone".
Second-best episode: 2x3 "Orientation". This episode is as large of a mythological download as the show has ever offered--Dr. Candle, the orientation film, the purpose of the button...it's tough to beat and the episode story itself was compelling.
Third-best episode: 2x15 "Maternity Leave" I realize I did some episode ranking posts a while back and had this one ranked #9 in Season Two, but re-watching the whole season I've really come to a greater appreciation of this episode. It really is the first time we get a glimpse of the Others going about their business, through Claire's flashbacks, and watching it again with what we'd known before that fresh in my mind, it was shocking. It was the first time it was confirmed that the Others were not just some savage island dwellers, but rather had modern technology at their disposal and something of a military chain of command. Answering a question posed nearly one season ago exactly ("What happened to Claire when she was taken?") was also a great answer in a season that raised more questions.
Overlooked episode: This category is for an episode that I think is better than the consensus opinion would say. Of course, determining what the consensus ranking of an episode is impossible, so it's mostly just my impression.
2x13 "The Long Con" is my choice. It doesn't do much to advance mythology, but it is an interesting study of Sawyer and Charlie as well as group dynamics, which are shaken up a little with the addition of the Tailies (particularly Ana Lucia). It also is notable for being the first real drop of the idea of time travel on the show--Sayid and Hurley pick up an station playing Glen Miller on shortwave and after Sayid tells Hurley the signal could be coming from anywhere, Hurley says: "Or any time."
Best episode ending: 2x20, "Two For the Road"--If someone had told you when the show started that one Lostaway would murder two people, who would you have guessed would be the culprit? I'm going to guess that Michael would have been fairly far down the list of suspects (not at the bottom, but close).
Second-place goes to 2x22 "Three Minutes", which features Desmond's sailboat crashing the funeral of Ana-Lucia and Libby.
LOST is a great show, but it's just a TV show. It usually doesn't have any strong emotional effect on me. But I just sat in my chair processing what I'd seen for about five minutes after watching "Two For the Road" for the first time. It was a shocking moment, and it took the endgame of the season, already in motion, into hyperdrive. And the end game of season two was a lot better than people give it credit for.
Creepiest episode: 2x6 "Abandoned", but Season Two takes the cake for creepy episodes. Anytime "wet Walt" shows up, as in 2x1 "Man of Science, Man of Faith", it's a little jolt. Of course, it is in "Abandoned" that Cindy is taken by the Others and Walt lures Shannon into getting shot by Ana Lucia. 2x7 "The Other 48 Days" features lots of unsettling Others, and the scene in which their bare feet surround the fire is as startling as anything ever on LOST.
The Hatch is good for a lot of unsettling moments as well, like when the hieroglyphics appear when the clock runs out, or the lockdown. Then there's the pile of never-read composition notebooks in "Live Together, Die Alone", not to mention the four-toed statue. And of course any time "Henry Gale" is around, you have to watch your proverbial back (see best line). Season Five may be the trippiest, but Season Two is the creepiest season of the show.
Best flashback: The best off-Island flashback is Eko in 2x10 "The 23rd Psalm". The story is compelling and it ties into the on-Island story as well as any flashback ever, as well as answers a mystery about the Nigerian plane.
However, Season Two has two other terrific flashback episodes, both of which are on-Island: Claire in 2x15 "Maternity Leave" and Michael in 2x22 "Three Minutes". Both of these fill in the gaps about past stories and give a great deal of insight into the society of the Others. 2x7 "The Other 48 Days" was not a flashback, per se, so it doesn't count, but if it did it would win this category.
Most important mythological development: Learning about the DHARMA Initiative (and assorted things like the Swan station). The further development of the Others and Henry Gale is crucial as well, but they fit better as the mythological development for Season Three.
The mysterious "Him" is first mentioned in 2x15, but that is by Tom and is likely referring to Ben. It is not until Ben is interrogated by Sayid in 2x18 that "Him" is mentioned in the sense that it *could* refer to Jacob. This is further developed in 2x20 when Ben talks about a "great man" leading his people (although, again, it's not entirely clear whether Ben is referring to himself or Jacob). Widmore Labs shows up in 2x16, although I believe there is a brief Widmore billboard in 2x12. Charles himself is first mentioned and seen in 2x23, of course. That episode also contains the first references to the Hostiles and the first sighting of the four-toed statue.
Most important scene of the season: "We're the good guys, Michael". For the first time, we get a glimpse of the Others hierarchy (Henry Gale at the top, at least among the normal men!) and the sense that they are fulfilling some larger mission (or at least that they believe they are fulfilling a larger mission). Ben's final explanation is both chilling, unbelievable, and possibly true.
Best scene of the season: I'm drawing a distinction between most important (the one that tells us the most about the larger story) and best, which is one that is great to watch. The winner is the opening scene of the season--Desmond in the Hatch, ending with a pan up the shaft to Locke and Jack peering down, a mirror image of the closing scene of Season 1.
Feel-good moment of the season: Reunion of Jin/Sun and Bernard/Rose (2x8)
TIVO moment: The blast door map (2x17)
Line of the season: It has to go to Ben, and his taunting of Jack and Locke over breakfast--the highlight is the concluding "You guys got any milk?", delivered perfectly matter-of-factly. (2x16)
Secret scene: The challah, the listening station and the call to Penny, is probably the weakest of any of the secret scenes. It was a neat fakeout, as I first thought that the windy tundra was where the Others resided, but it wasn't surprising that Penny was still searching for Desmond. The most important thing about this scene is that it confirmed that the outside world still existed, as it is the first off-Island present/future moment in the history of the show.
Character of the season (each character can only be picked once): Eko. The complicated warlord turned fake priest turned genuine man of faith drives a fair deal of the Island story, and plays a great mirror to Locke. It is a shame that the actor would choose to leave the show after just one full season, as the only other characters who have ever dominated every scene they appear in to such a degree are Ben and Jacob.
Other observations on the season:
* If a poll was taken to determine the most hated character among LOST fans, I assume the winner would be either a character given a lot of screen time that was obnoxious as hell (I'm looking at you Paulo), or an evil character that didn't get a lot of attention (and thus didn't get the humanization that everyone gets on the show; Ben may be evil, but at least we have some understanding of where he's coming from. I'm thinking of someone in the mold of Keamy here). But as for me, my choice is easy and it's a completely unimportant character, a forgettable one who appeared in two episodes and hasn't been since episode 2x2: Walt's mother, Susan.
* In an ongoing attempt to classify Island phenomenon between those created by Jacob and those created by Black Robe:
1. "wet Walt", which appears to Shannon in 2x1 and 2x6 and to Sayid in the latter: I tend to believe that this apparition was the work of Black Robe. Walt lures Shannon to her death, essentially, and creates hostility between the lostaways and the tailies, which would only serve to retard progress. I don't see how it fits Jacob's agenda.
The best alternative explanation is that Walt projected himself using his special abilities, which have been hinted at several times but never fully explored by the show. This is a very feasible explanation, but if it was an Island-created incident, I'm going with Black Robe as the culprit.
2. Kate's horse--I believe that Jacob was behind Kate's horse, which enables her to move on a bit from murdering her step-dad and pursue her relationship with Sawyer.
3. Walt's IMing to Michael over the Swan computer--I think supernatural explanation is unnecessary in this case, as I think the real choice is between Walt using his mind to do it and the Others setting a trap for Michael. They would have known from Pearl station surveillance when he was alone in the computer room and could have set the trap for him. The fact that they were waiting for Michael when he went after Walt makes me believe that it was in fact a trap.
4. Charlie's vivid dreams about Aaron being in peril--I guess it partially depends on whether you believe religious faith is conducive to the agenda of Jacob or the agenda of Black Robe. I tend to think that the view of the show is the former. Of course, the fact that there is a positive outcome from a religious perspective (Aaron's baptism) does not preclude the entire ordeal from playing into Black Robe's hands. After all, Charlie is tempted to return to drug abuse and he helps to drive Locke to a darker place. It's a tough call, but I learn towards Black Robe.
5. Dave--While it is possible that Dave was once again a manifestation of Hurley's brain, I believe that in this case he was the product of Black Robe, attempting to get Hurley to kill himself. While we did not see Jacob visit Hurley before the crash, Jacob did convince Hurley to get on Ajira 316 and it seemed as if he was very much a chosen one. It would be a good play for Black Robe to look to eliminate him.
6. Eko and Locke's dreams in 2x21 "?"--These are tough, as it is hard to figure out whether the events they triggered played into Jacob's agenda or Black Robe's. Finding the Pearl shook Locke's faith, which led to him destroying the computer, which allowed the Island to be found. Jacob likes people coming to the Island, but he also lost some of his chosen people as an end result (those that left the Island).
On the other hand, Black Robe may have thought that Desmond would not use the fail-safe key, and that the Island would be destroyed--presumably a positive for him. But shaking Locke's faith was not necessarily a good thing, as it's Locke's ritualistic faith in the Island that makes him such a dupe.
In his dream, Eko hears Yemi call him "brother". But in 3x5, when the Monster is taking the form of Yemi, it chides Eko for calling him "brother" (and oh yeah, in addition to the chiding, it brutally kills him). I'm going with Jacob, but I'm less confident in this call than any other, and I'm not exactly confident most of the time to begin with.
* A trivial but intriguing mystery: to whom did the glass eye in the Arrow belong? Along the same lines, who was the real Henry Gale? Did he work for Widmore or some other entity trying to find the Island? Why was Eko going to Los Angeles? Who salted the earth around the plane, and why?
I realize that most (all) of these questions will never be answered, and I'm fine with that. But it's worth pointing them out all the same.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Season One Review
I've been re-watching the entire show to get ready for the final season, and I'll be giving a mini-review of each. Of course, we begin at the beginning:
Notable new characters (on-screen appearances only): Everyone
Notable births: Aaron Littleton (1x20)
Notable deaths: Edward Mars (1x3), Ethan Rom (1x15), Boone (1x20)
First centric episode: Kate (1x3), Locke (1x4), Jack (1x5), Sun (1x6), Charlie (1x7), Sawyer (1x8), Sayid (1x9), Claire (1x10), Boone (1x13), Michael/Walt (1x14), Jin (1x17), Hurley (1x18)
Multiple centric episodes: Jack (3), Kate (3), Charlie (2), Locke (2), Sawyer (2), Sayid (2)
Name-dropped titles (not necessarily comprehensive, but obviously memorable): "Pilot" (cute), "Walkabout", "White Rabbit", "The Moth", "Confidence Man", "Raised by Another", "Special", "Numbers", "The Greater Good"
Monster appearances: 1x1, 1x4, 1x13, 1x23/24
Best episode: 1x1/2, "Pilot"--The first act (beginning with Jack's disorientation in the jungle, continuing past the jaw-dropping plane wreckage and the first encounter between himself and Kate, and ending with the introduction of the Monster) made it clear that this was a TV show unlike any other. The tension continues through the final act of part two.
Second-best episode: 1x23/24, "Exodus"--The finale is sometimes derided for lacking resolution on the hatch, and I'm sure that was incredibly frustrating when watching in real-time. However, when you can just pop in the Season Two DVD, the ending shot down the shaft of the hatch is a fitting one. "Exodus" also has a number of great emotional character moments--Sawyer telling Jack about his encounter with Christian, the departure of the raft, Michael and Walt firmly bonding--I don't know that any episode outside of "The Constant", "There's No Place Like Home", or "The Incident" has ever come close to matching it on that level.
Third-best episode: 1x19, "Deus Ex Machina". The dream is great, Locke's cavalier sacrifice of Boone is cold (especially when you see he's essentially using Boone as his father used him), and the radio response of "WE'RE the survivors of Oceanic 815" sets the stage for a major Season Two storyline. Not to mention the ending, discussed below.
Overlooked episode: This category is for an episode that I think is better than the consensus opinion would say. Of course, determining what the consensus ranking of an episode is impossible, so it's mostly just my impression. My season one choice is 1x17, "...In Translation", which might be the strongest episode of the season in terms of character development for pairs of characters. Jin and Sun are the focus, of course, but there are great moments between Locke and Walt, Walt and Michael, and to a lesser extent Jin and Michael and Michael and Sun. There's no mythology to speak of, but it's far from a placeholder episode.
Best episode ending: 1x10, "Raised by Another", as Sayid returns telling Jack that they are not alone and Hurley reports that one of the apparent Lostaways wasn't on the passenger manifest. That leaves Charlie and Claire in the jungle alone as Ethan emerges, and the show is never the same. Second is "Numbers"--the episode ends with the revelation that Hurley's numbers are embossed on the side of the Hatch. "Deus Ex Machina", when the light turns on in the Hatch, was amazing at the time but is actually kind of funny now that we know what caused it. Still a good ending, but the imagination running wild about what it could be is what really made it great.
Creepiest episode: 1x14, "Special". Walt's apparent psychic powers freak out Brian and many viewers as well. Claire stumbling out the jungle at the end is also a tense moment. A close second here would be another episode in which Claire features prominently, "Raised by Another". The dream alone makes "Deus Ex Machina" another candidate.
Best flashback: Locke's in "Walkabout". When you go back and watch it, you realize that you should have noticed that you only saw him from the waist up. But caught up in the moment, who is going to notice?
Most important mythological development: Hard to pick since everything is fresh and new, but the two most lasting are the Monster and the slow, season-long introduction of The Others that explodes (literally) in the finale. Whispers, the Black Rock, Rousseau, the Hatch, the Numbers, and the like are all here as well.
Most important scene of the season: "There are two players, two sides...one is light, one is dark."
Best scene of the season: I'm drawing a distinction between most important (the one that tells us the most about the larger story) and best, which is one that is great to watch. The best scene of Season One was the opening scene of the show, the breath-taking aftermath of the crash.
Feel-good moment of the season: The launch of the raft at the end of "Exodus, pt. 1". The musical score is incredible, the goodbyes of the characters are great, and there is a real sense of hope as the raft sails out onto the beautiful blue water. Of course, that hope is crushed an episode later, but that's how it goes.
TIVO moment: The monster's black smoke, seen for the first time in "Exodus".
Line of the season: Rousseau has so many great ones in Exodus, but it doesn't get any better than "This is where it all began...where my team got infected and Montand lost his arm. We must move quickly." Hurley and Rousseau make a great comic team in this episode as well (DR: "Dynamite. From the Black Rock. In the Dark Territory." HR: "Well there's three reasons to go." & HR: "How exactly does something like this happen?" DR: "Are you on the same island that I am?").
Secret scene: "The Bagel" sees Walt abducted off the raft. Like season three's secret scene, it's a great twist that one should have seen coming. But many (myself included) didn't anticipate it (season one--I knew something was seriously off with respect to season three). It also goes down as the first time that we see an Other without previously having been introduced to the character (a caveat which excludes Ethan). The scene doesn't really advance the mythology of the show, but the consequences of Walt's abduction really drive a lot of the season two storyline, and is a great human story.
Character of the season (each character can only be picked once): Jack is at his best in season one. The love triangle has not yet become so tedious, there are no spectacular tactical failures as seen in season two, his relationship with Locke is as solid as it ever was (at least prior to Boone's funeral), and he generally was the hero. Jack remains my favorite character throughout the show, but he never shone more than he did in the beginning.
Other observations on the season:
* I'd forgotten how many episodes end with a musical montage of some sort--"Tabula Rasa", "House of the Rising Sun", "Confidence Man", and "Numbers". I'm glad they went away from these, although I will admit its clever when the music is provided by Hurley's CD player (all of the above except "Confidence Man")--and how it stops abruptly in "...In Translation" as his batteries finally die.
* The women of LOST have never shown brighter, collectively, than they did in "Do No Harm". I suppose that's a little inevitable, as it's a zero-mythology, intensely emotional episode that features both the first main character death (Boone) and birth (Aaron) of the show. Kate and Claire are great together as Kate delivers the baby, and Sun is fantastic as Jack's assistant and moral watchdog as he attempts to save Boone. Shannon is of course the least consequential main character woman in the show's history (except Nikki, of course), but she does some nice work here too, on a date with Sayid and subsequently reacting to her step-brother's demise.
* It is interesting, in light of the fact that we now know there are two seemingly supernatural forces at work (Jacob and Black Robe), to go back and attempt to determine which supernatural actions were produced by each entity. Ryan has been doing this at the Zap2It LOST blog, and I have my own thoughts.
1. Jack's hallucination of Christian--I believe that this manifestation of Christian is a product of Jacob, as it spurs Jack to action that helps the group (discovering water and embracing his role as leader).
2. Claire's nightmare in "Raised by Another"--This one is a tough. If one believes that the later manifestations of Christian are products of Black Robe (and I do, at least now--I didn't in the past), then it seems as if Black Robe has a vested interest in separating Claire and Aaron, and getting him off the Island. That would make it logical that Jacob wants Claire and Aaron together, and on the Island, and the dream emphasizes Claire keeping the baby. The biggest factor that gives me pause is Locke's black and white eyes.
3. Boone's hallucination in "Hearts and Minds"--One should point out, in the case of both this and Claire's dream, that there was not a lot revealed that the characters couldn't have known on their own--it's possible that they are both the sole results of their own minds. However, I think this one is the work of Black Robe, as the experience causes Boone to become a disciple of Locke, a path that ends very poorly for him.
4. Saywer's boar in "Outlaws"--Jacob. The experience with the boar causes Sawyer to grow as a person, forsaking revenge as he realizes he was wrong to murder Duckett.
5. Locke's dream in "Deus Ex Machina"--Black Robe. This dream leads him to sacrifice Boone and encourages his ritualistic faith in the Island. That's not human progress as Jacob stands for.
6. Walt's directive that Locke not open the Hatch (in "Born to Run")--a tough call. Opening the Hatch leads to a whole chain of events, some of which serve the presumed interests of Jacob and some the interests of Black Robe. In the end, though, opening the Hatch does help set into motion the events that lead to the Oceanic Six leaving the Island, which helps Black Robe. I really have no idea on this one.
Notable new characters (on-screen appearances only): Everyone
Notable births: Aaron Littleton (1x20)
Notable deaths: Edward Mars (1x3), Ethan Rom (1x15), Boone (1x20)
First centric episode: Kate (1x3), Locke (1x4), Jack (1x5), Sun (1x6), Charlie (1x7), Sawyer (1x8), Sayid (1x9), Claire (1x10), Boone (1x13), Michael/Walt (1x14), Jin (1x17), Hurley (1x18)
Multiple centric episodes: Jack (3), Kate (3), Charlie (2), Locke (2), Sawyer (2), Sayid (2)
Name-dropped titles (not necessarily comprehensive, but obviously memorable): "Pilot" (cute), "Walkabout", "White Rabbit", "The Moth", "Confidence Man", "Raised by Another", "Special", "Numbers", "The Greater Good"
Monster appearances: 1x1, 1x4, 1x13, 1x23/24
Best episode: 1x1/2, "Pilot"--The first act (beginning with Jack's disorientation in the jungle, continuing past the jaw-dropping plane wreckage and the first encounter between himself and Kate, and ending with the introduction of the Monster) made it clear that this was a TV show unlike any other. The tension continues through the final act of part two.
Second-best episode: 1x23/24, "Exodus"--The finale is sometimes derided for lacking resolution on the hatch, and I'm sure that was incredibly frustrating when watching in real-time. However, when you can just pop in the Season Two DVD, the ending shot down the shaft of the hatch is a fitting one. "Exodus" also has a number of great emotional character moments--Sawyer telling Jack about his encounter with Christian, the departure of the raft, Michael and Walt firmly bonding--I don't know that any episode outside of "The Constant", "There's No Place Like Home", or "The Incident" has ever come close to matching it on that level.
Third-best episode: 1x19, "Deus Ex Machina". The dream is great, Locke's cavalier sacrifice of Boone is cold (especially when you see he's essentially using Boone as his father used him), and the radio response of "WE'RE the survivors of Oceanic 815" sets the stage for a major Season Two storyline. Not to mention the ending, discussed below.
Overlooked episode: This category is for an episode that I think is better than the consensus opinion would say. Of course, determining what the consensus ranking of an episode is impossible, so it's mostly just my impression. My season one choice is 1x17, "...In Translation", which might be the strongest episode of the season in terms of character development for pairs of characters. Jin and Sun are the focus, of course, but there are great moments between Locke and Walt, Walt and Michael, and to a lesser extent Jin and Michael and Michael and Sun. There's no mythology to speak of, but it's far from a placeholder episode.
Best episode ending: 1x10, "Raised by Another", as Sayid returns telling Jack that they are not alone and Hurley reports that one of the apparent Lostaways wasn't on the passenger manifest. That leaves Charlie and Claire in the jungle alone as Ethan emerges, and the show is never the same. Second is "Numbers"--the episode ends with the revelation that Hurley's numbers are embossed on the side of the Hatch. "Deus Ex Machina", when the light turns on in the Hatch, was amazing at the time but is actually kind of funny now that we know what caused it. Still a good ending, but the imagination running wild about what it could be is what really made it great.
Creepiest episode: 1x14, "Special". Walt's apparent psychic powers freak out Brian and many viewers as well. Claire stumbling out the jungle at the end is also a tense moment. A close second here would be another episode in which Claire features prominently, "Raised by Another". The dream alone makes "Deus Ex Machina" another candidate.
Best flashback: Locke's in "Walkabout". When you go back and watch it, you realize that you should have noticed that you only saw him from the waist up. But caught up in the moment, who is going to notice?
Most important mythological development: Hard to pick since everything is fresh and new, but the two most lasting are the Monster and the slow, season-long introduction of The Others that explodes (literally) in the finale. Whispers, the Black Rock, Rousseau, the Hatch, the Numbers, and the like are all here as well.
Most important scene of the season: "There are two players, two sides...one is light, one is dark."
Best scene of the season: I'm drawing a distinction between most important (the one that tells us the most about the larger story) and best, which is one that is great to watch. The best scene of Season One was the opening scene of the show, the breath-taking aftermath of the crash.
Feel-good moment of the season: The launch of the raft at the end of "Exodus, pt. 1". The musical score is incredible, the goodbyes of the characters are great, and there is a real sense of hope as the raft sails out onto the beautiful blue water. Of course, that hope is crushed an episode later, but that's how it goes.
TIVO moment: The monster's black smoke, seen for the first time in "Exodus".
Line of the season: Rousseau has so many great ones in Exodus, but it doesn't get any better than "This is where it all began...where my team got infected and Montand lost his arm. We must move quickly." Hurley and Rousseau make a great comic team in this episode as well (DR: "Dynamite. From the Black Rock. In the Dark Territory." HR: "Well there's three reasons to go." & HR: "How exactly does something like this happen?" DR: "Are you on the same island that I am?").
Secret scene: "The Bagel" sees Walt abducted off the raft. Like season three's secret scene, it's a great twist that one should have seen coming. But many (myself included) didn't anticipate it (season one--I knew something was seriously off with respect to season three). It also goes down as the first time that we see an Other without previously having been introduced to the character (a caveat which excludes Ethan). The scene doesn't really advance the mythology of the show, but the consequences of Walt's abduction really drive a lot of the season two storyline, and is a great human story.
Character of the season (each character can only be picked once): Jack is at his best in season one. The love triangle has not yet become so tedious, there are no spectacular tactical failures as seen in season two, his relationship with Locke is as solid as it ever was (at least prior to Boone's funeral), and he generally was the hero. Jack remains my favorite character throughout the show, but he never shone more than he did in the beginning.
Other observations on the season:
* I'd forgotten how many episodes end with a musical montage of some sort--"Tabula Rasa", "House of the Rising Sun", "Confidence Man", and "Numbers". I'm glad they went away from these, although I will admit its clever when the music is provided by Hurley's CD player (all of the above except "Confidence Man")--and how it stops abruptly in "...In Translation" as his batteries finally die.
* The women of LOST have never shown brighter, collectively, than they did in "Do No Harm". I suppose that's a little inevitable, as it's a zero-mythology, intensely emotional episode that features both the first main character death (Boone) and birth (Aaron) of the show. Kate and Claire are great together as Kate delivers the baby, and Sun is fantastic as Jack's assistant and moral watchdog as he attempts to save Boone. Shannon is of course the least consequential main character woman in the show's history (except Nikki, of course), but she does some nice work here too, on a date with Sayid and subsequently reacting to her step-brother's demise.
* It is interesting, in light of the fact that we now know there are two seemingly supernatural forces at work (Jacob and Black Robe), to go back and attempt to determine which supernatural actions were produced by each entity. Ryan has been doing this at the Zap2It LOST blog, and I have my own thoughts.
1. Jack's hallucination of Christian--I believe that this manifestation of Christian is a product of Jacob, as it spurs Jack to action that helps the group (discovering water and embracing his role as leader).
2. Claire's nightmare in "Raised by Another"--This one is a tough. If one believes that the later manifestations of Christian are products of Black Robe (and I do, at least now--I didn't in the past), then it seems as if Black Robe has a vested interest in separating Claire and Aaron, and getting him off the Island. That would make it logical that Jacob wants Claire and Aaron together, and on the Island, and the dream emphasizes Claire keeping the baby. The biggest factor that gives me pause is Locke's black and white eyes.
3. Boone's hallucination in "Hearts and Minds"--One should point out, in the case of both this and Claire's dream, that there was not a lot revealed that the characters couldn't have known on their own--it's possible that they are both the sole results of their own minds. However, I think this one is the work of Black Robe, as the experience causes Boone to become a disciple of Locke, a path that ends very poorly for him.
4. Saywer's boar in "Outlaws"--Jacob. The experience with the boar causes Sawyer to grow as a person, forsaking revenge as he realizes he was wrong to murder Duckett.
5. Locke's dream in "Deus Ex Machina"--Black Robe. This dream leads him to sacrifice Boone and encourages his ritualistic faith in the Island. That's not human progress as Jacob stands for.
6. Walt's directive that Locke not open the Hatch (in "Born to Run")--a tough call. Opening the Hatch leads to a whole chain of events, some of which serve the presumed interests of Jacob and some the interests of Black Robe. In the end, though, opening the Hatch does help set into motion the events that lead to the Oceanic Six leaving the Island, which helps Black Robe. I really have no idea on this one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)