THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS
An exciting week of rankings especially STEVE's. I was so pumped when I saw he moved a character up TEN SPOTS. Mine aren't too exciting. The top 5 changed around a bit. We added Jacob as I mentioned in the recap of "Lighthouse." It's now a huge list of 20 characters. It's great. But STEVE's rankings are where the action is this week. Whatchya waiting for? TAKE A LOOK!
AFTER EPISODE 5
RANKED: 2/24/2010
CHRIS
1. Jack
2. Sayid
3. Desmond
4. Locke
5. Ben
6. Hurley
7. Jin
8. Miles
9. Claire
10. Dogen
11. Kate
12. Sawyer
13. Frank
14. Jacob
15. Richard
16. Sun
17. Ilana
18. Man in Black
19. Lennon
20. Widmore
STEVE
1. Desmond
2. Sayid
3. Sawyer
4. Jack
5. Ben
6. Kate
7. Dogen
8. Miles
9. Hurley
10. Claire
11. Jin
12. Frank
13. Man in Black
14. Richard
15. Locke
16. Ilana
17. Jacob
18. Sun
19. Widmore
20. Lennon
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Jacob's Foot: Lighthouse Recap
Dear lord I love this show.I think Desmond is coming to the Island. Why? It's a gut feeling. I'm writing this nine minutes after "Lighthouse" ended so I have not yet gone back to look at the first building seen in the mirror but it reminded me of Desmond. As Faraday has told us and Desmond, Desmond is special. It HAS to be Desmond. I'm feeling it. I AM FEELING IT.
As for the mother of Jack's child? I have no guesses. But I'll get there. I'll also have many, many words to offer about good ol' Claire. All in good time. Let's start with Hurley and Jack.
Hurley said it best: an old school Island adventure. WE EVEN SAW THE CAVES AGAIN! I was thrilled. I missed the caves so much once season two dropped them from the mix. But I digress. I'll return to the caves in a bit. Anywho, after a game of Temple tic-tac-toe with Miles, Hurley was off to find the kitchen when he came across Jacob, who was kneeling by the spring. Interestingly enough, Jacob was running the water through his hands. Jacob had a task for Hurley. The task: go to the lighthouse because someone is coming to the Island. But this wasn't about the lighting up the lighthouse at all. It was about Jack. Hurley told Jacob that Jack wouldn't agree to go so Jacob gave Hurley some helpful words to get Jack to go: you have what it takes.
Jack told his son, David, how he's been carrying those words with him all of his life. And he has. That's why he was so determined to bury his father in "White Rabbit." But Jack has burying his feelings for his father all of his life. David really is his father's son. But I shall get into the Sideways in a bit.
Back to Island Jack, after he lost his shit when he saw his childhood house in the looking glass, he sat on a cliff and stared out at the ocean. Jacob arrived and told Hurley that some people need to stare out at the ocean in order to know what they need to do and Jacob needed Jack to know how important he is because Jack has to do something very important. Jack told Hurley, on their way to the lighthouse, that he came to the Island because he was broken in Los Angeles and he hoped the Island would fix him. Jack referred to the hope of being fixed as stupid. He wanted to detonate Jughead because he wanted to erase the past, start anew, be reborn. He had destroyed his engagement with Kate. He was popping pills, drinking excessively, and he wanted to die. "Through The Looking Glass" opens with Jack on an airplane, hoping it will crash (as he tells Kate later) and then he was going to jump before a car crash saved his life. This dude was a shattered shell of himself. You want symbolism? How is Jack literally shattering his past with a hard object? And he's also dealing with the fallout of Jughead. Juliet's dead. Sawyer is off on his own. Things are as they've always been (but not really--SIDEWAYS). But he's not like how he was in 2007 off-the-Island. He's in more control than, possibly, ever. He lost it but then he was sitting quietly, thinking. He did what Jack usually does which is react but then he contemplated afterwards. Perhaps he did learn a little thing or two from Sawyer in "LaFleur."
As for that important thing he's going to do but doesn't know yet? I think it begins with saving his sister. Oh my does she need some saving. But I'll get to her in a little bit.
As for Sideways narrative, I think we're seeing how Jack can work through his father issues. He told his son how he never wants to be how Christian was to him. But he was doing his best Andy Brown impression. He barely interacted with his son. His son seemed to hate him. But he managed to repair some of the damage by Sideways end. He just wants to be part of David's life which I thought was very nice.
As for the other stuff in the Sideways narrative, we had another bathroom scene. In this, Jack looked at himself in the mirror and noticed the scar from having his appendix removed. Recall "Something Nice Back Home" in which he had his appendix removed and the flash-forward. Yes, the very flash-forward that spells the end of he and Kate. It's the second time Jack has noticed something as he looked at himself in the mirror. He even asked his mother about getting his appendix removed (age 7). But Jack still perceives something to be off. As he sorted through Christian's files with his mother, he denied a drink from his mother. And then his mother asked him about Claire Littleton. He's gotta save his sister.
Speaking of Claire, she is no longer the sweet peanut butter craving girl, eh? She's a character I adore because of how Emilie's portrayed her, and how she's been written, throughout the first four seasons. The sweetness is sort of there (am I reaching? she was pretty nice to Jin if you ignore the fact he was TERRIFIED of her) but she's massively mentally unbalanced, hates the Others as much as Rousseau did, refers to NotLocke as her FRIEND, has quite the crib set up because of missing Aaron but I still love the character and I badly want her to be rescued/saved.
What seems to have happened the last three years for Claire is a lot of manipulation. I don't have much to write about that yet. She was taken by the Others, put through what Sayid was put through, and then escaped. She was once seen hanging out in the Cabin (i assume before her time with the Others) and she thinks the Others have Aaron when, in fact, he was left in a tree. Kate did what needed to be done. DON'T KILL HER, CLAIRE! And she's set up tons of traps in the jungle and stuff. I covered this in "What Kate Does." I knew she wouldn't hurt Jin. Did I fear for his safety? A bit, especially when he got involved in the Aaron business. But she took care of him. She apologized for the trap, cleaned out the wound, and stitched him up. She still loves Jin. Why wouldn't she, you know? He was there when she gave birth, helped her catch migratory birds, hung out with her and stuff. It's JIN!
My ol' soft, fragile heart broke for Claire when Jin told her about Aaron and Kate and Claire realized her son was three years old. Oh, Claire. She had no mercy for Justin. She put axe into his gut. Jin later told Kate that The Others had her baby. Claire said she would kill Kate for taking Aaron. Jin is trying to save lives but he's in a bad, bad situation because NotLocke showed up. Claire's friend. They are on their way to The Temple to cause some chaos which is why Jacob got Hurley and Jack out of dodge. What about Miles and Sayid though?
I think it's time for the other thoughts:
--Great scene when Jack listened to his son's answering machine and heard himself calling, hoping to talk to his son after the death of his father. Matthew Fox played that scene so well.
--This episode had so many callbacks to past episodes. "White Rabbit," "House of the Rising Sun," "Something Nice Back Home," "Confidence Man," "Solitary," "Numbers," "Orientation." The episode was penned by none other than Darlton. They know us fans so well. Allow me to breakdown said callbacks.
--We had Jack tell Hurley how he found the caves: "chasing the ghost of my dead father." Jack told Hurley had smashed the coffin because his father wasn't in it. And there was the caves. Oh, how I loved the caves. I know I wrote this already but it bears repeating. They were so awesome. Season one really is a fantastic season. "White Rabbit" also introduced the issues Jack had with his father which were a key theme in tonight's episode.
--The skeletons returned! Hurley voiced the fans when he thought that maybe the skeletons are one of them. Rose and Bernard? I may be reaching here but Jin was in a bit of helpless situation in "House of the Rising Sun." I might be jumping the gun too because season six has been following season one so I imagine Jin/Sun's episode is next week.
--I mentioned the "Something Nice Back Home" stuff already.
--Hurley came across Shannon's inhaler. In "Confidence Man," Sawyer gets tortured because people suspect he has them and won't give them up. Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowtiz mentioned that a scene was cut from 'Expose' in which Paulo throws the inhalers into the jungle which explains why Hurley found it where he did. Sun saves the day for Shannon in "Confidence Man."
--Jin wakes up much like Sayid does in "Solitary" and he looks around much like Sayid does.
--"Numbers" has the great Locke-builds-a-crib-for-Claire's baby story. NotLocke shows up in Claire's shelter at episode's end.
--108, the numbers, etc reminds me of "Orientation."
--Love the lighthouse and the idea of the lighthouse.
--Hurley was fantastic this episode. He had some great lines like the one about ink on his forehead, Obi-Wan. The scene with Dogen was great. Dogen was none too pleased.
--Speaking of Dogen, the scene between he and Jack in Sideways narrative seemed pretty important. His words carried a whole lot of significance.
--Loved how Mr. Friendly was once a candidate to replace Jacob. I hope we see Tom once last time. What a character.
--I'm still not sure about this whole infection stuff. I still don't think a darkness has consumed Claire. We know what happens when Aaron's taken from her. In "Exodus," she's a bit like current Claire when Aaron's taken from her. She became completely detached. So, yeah, I don't think there's an infection. She's just changed. Oh my how she has changed.
--Miles and Sayid! Don't leave them there at the Temple! COME ON! I wonder, on a scale from 1-10, how uncomfortable Sayid is in The Temple. He hates Other. He just died and then was put through annoying tests. Everyone thinks a darkness will consume him. The Others want him to die for good. At least he's got Miles there.
--Kate was so nice this episode, hoping Jack and Hurley find what they're looking for. I love her desire to find Kate. Hopefully Claire's not insane enough to do something stupid. She'll need to listen to Kate carefully because Kate will tell her: 'look you wandered off into the jungle, no one knew where you were, THE ISLAND DISAPPEARED WHEN WE WERE ON OUR WAY BACK TO LOOK FOR YOU, someone had to raise Aaron, Jack YOUR BROTHER helped me and took care of him as well, he is now with YOUR MOTHER who is OUT OF THE COMA AND ALIVE, and they are waiting for you."
--I'm enjoying the openness of the characters. They are telling each other stuff. Jack told Kate that Dogen informed him that something happened to Claire. Jack told Sayid that the Others wanted Jack to kill him. Hurley and Jack discussed why they came back to the Island. Jack told Hurley how he found the caves. I loved it. How dare The Sports Gal fall asleep during this!
--I have a feeling The Temple stuff might be wrapping up in the next few weeks or so. If LOST has taught me anything, it's that there's a first half and then a second half (of the season). Jacob doesn't seem too interested in preserving The Temple. I don't think whoever is coming is coming to save The Temple. Stay tuned.
--Emilie de Ravin was a pearl in the episode. She sold this new Claire very well. I was a bit nervous and on guard like Jin. A bit of an aside, how underrated is Jin? What a character. Daniel Dae Kim is the man. I thought Matthew Fox knocked it out of the park.
--I think Jorge Garcia and Mark Pellegrino work great together. More Hurley and Jacob!
--Darlton and Jack Bender, the Tim Lincecum/Roy Halladay of the show, pitched a complete game YET AGAIN.
--Last, but not least, I can't forget about Alice In Wonderland showing up (was that an annotated version?). In "Something Nice Back Home," Jack was reading it to Aaron (a favorite scene of mine). Alice in Wonderland popped up all over this episode. The Looking Glass, Sideways, etc. Here's what he reads to him:
''Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!"
I think it's great to think about in the context of season six and I'm thinking Darlton want us to think about it with that context. My mind immediately goes to the Sideways, the scenes with Jack looking in the mirror, wondering if he, too, has been changed in the night (and he has). The final two sentences are so significant to LOST right now. That's the most important question I want answered in this final season: who, in fact, are these characters. It's going to be amazing, people.
The Official LOST Rankings will be posted a little later. I'll tell you now that Jacob has been ADDED to the Rankings! It's very exciting. Until then, have a happy Wednesday.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Jacob's Foot: The Substitute and Nihilism
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="800" caption="Locke: Man of Science."]
[/caption]
An absolutely fascinating episode of LOST. I think we might've just found out the significance of the Numbers. I'll get into that. It looks like The Man in Black is not the Big Bad or whatever you want to call it. I'll also get into that (but then again Richard looked absolutely terrified). It seems as if someone is coming to The Island. I'll get into that. Perhaps I should quit writing "I'll get into that" and actually, well, get into it. SO I WILL!
I have missed the real John Locke, folks. The sideways story had me once Helen walked through the door to help John up after he fell. He was still the same sad man we saw in "Walkabout," full of self-pity and just awfully sad. He doesn't believe in miracles. My mind immediately went to that scene in "There's No Place Like Home" when Locke describes the Island, to Jack, as a place of miracles. He was denied a chance to go on the Walkabout. But his life isn't all sadness anymore. He has Helen in this sideways world. Not only does he have her, he's going to marry her. He met Hurley after being fired from his job and it turned out Hurley put him on track to find another job quickly. He met Rose in the job placement office and she told him to begin living his life again, that she did even with her terminal cancer. They were both healed, of course, when they landed on the Island. And Rose even told John, in her way, that she knew about his healing. Something that stuck me was Locke's faith even when it appeared he had lost it. He told Helen that he's aware he can't do what he wants to do but he never stopped thinking or trying to do the things that he wanted. That's John Locke. In the end, when he essentially accepted his fate, Helen tore up Jack's card.
Once again, there were some differences in the Sideways world. But Doc Jensen beat me to the punch in stating all of them so swing over EW.com way for it. Continuing with The Foot recap:
I, of course, won't continue with this recap without mentioning the words written on Helen's shirt. "Peace&Karma." Listen, EVERYTHING is significant in this show. I had half the mind to go back and carefully examine Jack's card but I didn't. Peace&Karma will not be ignored because those two words sum up what I hope the future holds for John Locke. Peace and the Karmic gods to do John Locke some good. I hope when/if there is a reconciliation of these two worlds that John Locke will find the ultimate peace. It would be the finest way to end John Locke's story.
I also won't continue into the meaty on-Island story without mentioning the fact that Benny Linus and Johnny Locke are now colleagues. Both teachers. European History is what Ben teaches and Locke is simply a substitute (and do I really need to break down the symbolism/significance/meaning of the episode title and Locke's role in sideways world? I probably will, anyway). Locke is teaching biology. Science. Very sneaky, writers. I knew Ben would show up at some point. I was delighted when he did and delighted that he was chastising the faculty for not removing the empty coffee bag from the coffee machine. It's going to be great to watch the working relationship develop between the two of them.
As for the actual John Locke substitute, Mr. NotLocke, Mr. Man in Black...he is not a happy man. There was quite a bit of story in that Island tale. NotLocke accused Jacob of manipulating the candidates to the Island. He told Sawyer that Jacob always wanted to protect the Island. When Sawyer asked NotLocke what the Island was being protected from, NotLocke said nothing. NotLocke reminds of a total and complete nihilist. He's the Ippolit of The Island. Ippolit is a character in Dostoevsky's "The Idiot." Anywho, NotLocke believes in nothing. All three choices involved nothing. They could literally do nothing. Sawyer could protect the Island but NotLocke called protection meaningless and reduced it to nothing. The third is to leave the Island. Again, doing nothing. Nietzsche's Superman rejected the traits of humility and passivity. Perhaps that's what NotLocke perceived Jacob to be instilling into these characters. He insinuated Sawyer and the rest were pawns or puppets with no free-will, that they were here because of Jacob but their purpose is meaningless and no purpose actually exists. It reminds me of the 'push the button' question that dominated the second season. Faith vs. Science, predeterminism vs. free-will. Returning to Superman, the Superman believed traits of humility and passivity were devices of that powers-that-be to control man.
Here's why I explain my Numbers remark at the top of this recap. I don't at all think the Numbers were explained. It's merely the philosophy of NotLocke throwing out an answer to Sawyer's question. His response is inherently nihilistic: "Jacob had a thing for numbers." STEVE described NotLocke as wild. I totally agree. Here's a dude who told Sawyer that he felt pain, joy, and the whole nine yards of humanity, that he is a man. But he's been trapped. And now he's absolutely miserable. I speculated he wanted to return to The Temple, that the Tempe is his home. Scratch that. This dude, as far I can tell, wants to get the hell off of the Island.
So, then what, do we make of Richard's absolutely terror of him? Hm. I trust Richard. He still holds the greatest Other title. NotLocke was disgusted that Richard followed Jacob blindly. I think the idea of Richard disgusts NotLocke. Re: Nihilism. Richard is convinced he's going to kill Sawyer and others. I don't know. I really don't know. It's only the fourth episode!
How about that boy NotLocke saw? I'm thinking that was Jacob. "You know the rules. You can't kill him." I think that refers to Jacob. It was very creepy though and I loved it. It reminded me of the ol' season 2 Walt vision days. That first shot of the boy was INSANE. This is going to be a dynamite season, folks.
We learned via Ilana that NotLocke is stuck looking like Locke. He is a permanent substitute. Interesting. Also, going back to the vision of the boy, perhaps NotLocke isn't responsible for the Walking Dead. HMMM. The boy also reminded me of how Christian was in "White Rabbit." HMMMMM. As for Ilana, I'm still intrigued by her. She's more together than Richard is but, of course, she wasn't beaten and hung up in a ball in a tree. I like the knowledge she possesses. If I'm Frank, Sun, and Ben...I feel safe. I also was touched by Ilana's moment of mourning in the Foot. The four of them will be journeying to The Temple. But before that...
Sun wanted to bury Locke. And they did. They took him to the graveyard where so many of our beloved characters lie. Ben's eulogy seemed sincere and heartfelt. I think he's truly sorry considering the recent events in which he was manipulated into killing his leader, Jacob. He spoke truly of Locke. A believer and a man of faith. I really do hope Ben can be redeemed. Poor Sun was wary of following Ilana but Ilana assured her that Jin would be in The Temple. Poor Sun doesn't know Jin left The Temple to find her and is now with a gun-toting Cliare and trapped in a bear trap. But I think Claire will not even harm Jin. The two are friends. FRIENDS. He tried to help her catch the Par Avion bird! I digress. I cracked up when Frank said the funeral was the weirdest he's ever been to. You bet your Aldo bobblehead that Frank is going to rise in the rankings for that. Dear LORD how I laughed! Frank Lapidus, everyone!
Don't think I forgot about Sawyer. Sawyer is in absolute "I don't give a flying BLEEP" mode. He was drinking whiskey, listening to The Stooges, and basically inviting death to come. He knew MiB wasn't Locke. And the man followed him for answers alone. NotLocke told him he could tell him why he's on the Island. Sawyer chose to stay with NotLocke when a frantic Richard told him to get the heck away from him. Sawyer just wants get off the Island. He did choose number three: Get off the Island. What will it take to get off of the Island? I'm sure it's going to be intense. Sawyer's had some bad luck in his attempts to get off of the Island as he noted to NotLocke. Considering what he's been through, I don't blame him for wanting to get off the Island. I'm not sure what the future holds for Sawyer. STEVE thinks he will die. Perhaps he will. Perhaps a few characters I love will die. It is the final season after all.
The previews for next week hint that someone is coming. I think this is going to get very, very intense. Here's some more thoughts:
--Ben covered his ass with Ilana. I mean, NotLocke essentially murdered Jacob. Sure Ben did the stabbing BUT NotLocke did kick Jacob into the fire which really killed him. And you know? NotLocke is essentially doing what he's accused Jacob of doing. He's manipulating the bollocks out of people so far.
--Had a thought while re-watching "What Kate Does." Perhaps "The Incident" began the flash sideways. Bear with me. What sparked this thought was the scene between Kate and Claire when Kate asks Claire whether or not she'd be believed if she told Claire she was innocent. When Jacob visited her, he touched her hand and told her (i'm paraphrasing) to not steal again. She said yes. In the sideways, she may be innocent. I'm not much into theories but one can consider this is a theory. Am I saying they were all sideways? No. I'd be daft if I suggested that. It's just a thought that I don't really buy into myself. I also continue to have a love/hate relationship with message boards.
--I really am anxious to see Claire/Jin again. I'm SO INTO THIS SEASON! I want everything going on in one episode. NotLocke/Sawyer, Sun/Frank/Ilana/Ben, The Temple.
--How about NotLocke throwing the white stone into the ocean? He told Sawyer it was an inside joke. We saw those two stones with the skeletons in season one. Also: backgammon.
--The Aaron theories are abundant on the message boards. Tell me: how can the boy NotLocke saw be Aaron when Aaron is just three years old? I'm all for Aaron emerging as a character of mythic and epic proportions but I really think it's simply about getting Claire and Aaron back together. Claire deserves it. Aaron deserves it.
--I don't think I have much to say about the cave or about the names. It's worth noting that Kate is not a candidate. Only males. And Locke had his name crossed out because he's dead. NotLocke can be incredibly understanding and then incredibly harsh and cold.
--Ilana collected some of Jacob's ash before leaving The Foot. If I'm NotLocke, I wouldn't be all smiles with Ilana on the Island.
--This episode mirrored season three's "The Brig." I deemed "The Brig" one of the show's most underrated episodes. I stand by that. In "The Brig," Locke gets Sawyer to go with him with the promise that Ben is imprisoned in The Black Rock. In this, NotLocke lures Sawyer with him through the promise of answers. Murder soon follows in "The Brig." Will murder soon follow? Hm.
--Terry O'Quinn was dynamite this episode. What an actor. I loved how he portrayed Locke in the Sideways world. Loved the NotLocke stuff. I've gotta mention Jeff Fahey for delivering one of the greatest lines in the show. I think Elizaberth Sarnoff and Melina Hsu Taylor wrote an outstanding episode.
--I'm predicting next week's episode is a Jack episode. Why? Season Six has been following the blueprint of season one and, after all, the season is clearly mirroring season one.
TO THE RANKINGS!
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS
It was only a matter of time until Locke returned to the top 5 for me. It took me nearly 9 months and the Sideways story to properly rank Locke. He's still one of my favorite characters and would've reclaimed the top spot if Jack wasn't so badass and awesome last week. There was some exciting movement in the rankings. Sawyer dropped in both our lists. You know, this is a very tough numbers game. It's the way the biscuit bakes, you know. Desmond retains the top spot for STEVE. MiB moved up for STEVE because MiB is wild. Here they are:
AFTER EPISODE 4
Ranked: 2/17/2010
CHRIS
1. Jack
2. Locke
3. Sayid
4. Desmond
5. Ben
6. Hurley
7. Jin
8. Miles
9. Claire
10. Dogen
11. Frank
12. Sawyer
13. Kate
14. Richard
15. Sun
16. The Man in Black
17. Ilana
18. Lennon
19. Widmore
STEVE
1. Desmond
2. Sayid
3. Sawyer
4. Ben
5. Kate
6. Miles
7. Jack
8. Jin
9. Frank
10. Dogen
11. Man in Black
12. Richard
13. Claire
14. Locke
15. Ilana
16. Sun
17. Lennon
18. Widmore
19. Hurley
[/caption]An absolutely fascinating episode of LOST. I think we might've just found out the significance of the Numbers. I'll get into that. It looks like The Man in Black is not the Big Bad or whatever you want to call it. I'll also get into that (but then again Richard looked absolutely terrified). It seems as if someone is coming to The Island. I'll get into that. Perhaps I should quit writing "I'll get into that" and actually, well, get into it. SO I WILL!
I have missed the real John Locke, folks. The sideways story had me once Helen walked through the door to help John up after he fell. He was still the same sad man we saw in "Walkabout," full of self-pity and just awfully sad. He doesn't believe in miracles. My mind immediately went to that scene in "There's No Place Like Home" when Locke describes the Island, to Jack, as a place of miracles. He was denied a chance to go on the Walkabout. But his life isn't all sadness anymore. He has Helen in this sideways world. Not only does he have her, he's going to marry her. He met Hurley after being fired from his job and it turned out Hurley put him on track to find another job quickly. He met Rose in the job placement office and she told him to begin living his life again, that she did even with her terminal cancer. They were both healed, of course, when they landed on the Island. And Rose even told John, in her way, that she knew about his healing. Something that stuck me was Locke's faith even when it appeared he had lost it. He told Helen that he's aware he can't do what he wants to do but he never stopped thinking or trying to do the things that he wanted. That's John Locke. In the end, when he essentially accepted his fate, Helen tore up Jack's card.
Once again, there were some differences in the Sideways world. But Doc Jensen beat me to the punch in stating all of them so swing over EW.com way for it. Continuing with The Foot recap:
I, of course, won't continue with this recap without mentioning the words written on Helen's shirt. "Peace&Karma." Listen, EVERYTHING is significant in this show. I had half the mind to go back and carefully examine Jack's card but I didn't. Peace&Karma will not be ignored because those two words sum up what I hope the future holds for John Locke. Peace and the Karmic gods to do John Locke some good. I hope when/if there is a reconciliation of these two worlds that John Locke will find the ultimate peace. It would be the finest way to end John Locke's story.
I also won't continue into the meaty on-Island story without mentioning the fact that Benny Linus and Johnny Locke are now colleagues. Both teachers. European History is what Ben teaches and Locke is simply a substitute (and do I really need to break down the symbolism/significance/meaning of the episode title and Locke's role in sideways world? I probably will, anyway). Locke is teaching biology. Science. Very sneaky, writers. I knew Ben would show up at some point. I was delighted when he did and delighted that he was chastising the faculty for not removing the empty coffee bag from the coffee machine. It's going to be great to watch the working relationship develop between the two of them.
As for the actual John Locke substitute, Mr. NotLocke, Mr. Man in Black...he is not a happy man. There was quite a bit of story in that Island tale. NotLocke accused Jacob of manipulating the candidates to the Island. He told Sawyer that Jacob always wanted to protect the Island. When Sawyer asked NotLocke what the Island was being protected from, NotLocke said nothing. NotLocke reminds of a total and complete nihilist. He's the Ippolit of The Island. Ippolit is a character in Dostoevsky's "The Idiot." Anywho, NotLocke believes in nothing. All three choices involved nothing. They could literally do nothing. Sawyer could protect the Island but NotLocke called protection meaningless and reduced it to nothing. The third is to leave the Island. Again, doing nothing. Nietzsche's Superman rejected the traits of humility and passivity. Perhaps that's what NotLocke perceived Jacob to be instilling into these characters. He insinuated Sawyer and the rest were pawns or puppets with no free-will, that they were here because of Jacob but their purpose is meaningless and no purpose actually exists. It reminds me of the 'push the button' question that dominated the second season. Faith vs. Science, predeterminism vs. free-will. Returning to Superman, the Superman believed traits of humility and passivity were devices of that powers-that-be to control man.
Here's why I explain my Numbers remark at the top of this recap. I don't at all think the Numbers were explained. It's merely the philosophy of NotLocke throwing out an answer to Sawyer's question. His response is inherently nihilistic: "Jacob had a thing for numbers." STEVE described NotLocke as wild. I totally agree. Here's a dude who told Sawyer that he felt pain, joy, and the whole nine yards of humanity, that he is a man. But he's been trapped. And now he's absolutely miserable. I speculated he wanted to return to The Temple, that the Tempe is his home. Scratch that. This dude, as far I can tell, wants to get the hell off of the Island.
So, then what, do we make of Richard's absolutely terror of him? Hm. I trust Richard. He still holds the greatest Other title. NotLocke was disgusted that Richard followed Jacob blindly. I think the idea of Richard disgusts NotLocke. Re: Nihilism. Richard is convinced he's going to kill Sawyer and others. I don't know. I really don't know. It's only the fourth episode!
How about that boy NotLocke saw? I'm thinking that was Jacob. "You know the rules. You can't kill him." I think that refers to Jacob. It was very creepy though and I loved it. It reminded me of the ol' season 2 Walt vision days. That first shot of the boy was INSANE. This is going to be a dynamite season, folks.
We learned via Ilana that NotLocke is stuck looking like Locke. He is a permanent substitute. Interesting. Also, going back to the vision of the boy, perhaps NotLocke isn't responsible for the Walking Dead. HMMM. The boy also reminded me of how Christian was in "White Rabbit." HMMMMM. As for Ilana, I'm still intrigued by her. She's more together than Richard is but, of course, she wasn't beaten and hung up in a ball in a tree. I like the knowledge she possesses. If I'm Frank, Sun, and Ben...I feel safe. I also was touched by Ilana's moment of mourning in the Foot. The four of them will be journeying to The Temple. But before that...
Sun wanted to bury Locke. And they did. They took him to the graveyard where so many of our beloved characters lie. Ben's eulogy seemed sincere and heartfelt. I think he's truly sorry considering the recent events in which he was manipulated into killing his leader, Jacob. He spoke truly of Locke. A believer and a man of faith. I really do hope Ben can be redeemed. Poor Sun was wary of following Ilana but Ilana assured her that Jin would be in The Temple. Poor Sun doesn't know Jin left The Temple to find her and is now with a gun-toting Cliare and trapped in a bear trap. But I think Claire will not even harm Jin. The two are friends. FRIENDS. He tried to help her catch the Par Avion bird! I digress. I cracked up when Frank said the funeral was the weirdest he's ever been to. You bet your Aldo bobblehead that Frank is going to rise in the rankings for that. Dear LORD how I laughed! Frank Lapidus, everyone!
Don't think I forgot about Sawyer. Sawyer is in absolute "I don't give a flying BLEEP" mode. He was drinking whiskey, listening to The Stooges, and basically inviting death to come. He knew MiB wasn't Locke. And the man followed him for answers alone. NotLocke told him he could tell him why he's on the Island. Sawyer chose to stay with NotLocke when a frantic Richard told him to get the heck away from him. Sawyer just wants get off the Island. He did choose number three: Get off the Island. What will it take to get off of the Island? I'm sure it's going to be intense. Sawyer's had some bad luck in his attempts to get off of the Island as he noted to NotLocke. Considering what he's been through, I don't blame him for wanting to get off the Island. I'm not sure what the future holds for Sawyer. STEVE thinks he will die. Perhaps he will. Perhaps a few characters I love will die. It is the final season after all.
The previews for next week hint that someone is coming. I think this is going to get very, very intense. Here's some more thoughts:
--Ben covered his ass with Ilana. I mean, NotLocke essentially murdered Jacob. Sure Ben did the stabbing BUT NotLocke did kick Jacob into the fire which really killed him. And you know? NotLocke is essentially doing what he's accused Jacob of doing. He's manipulating the bollocks out of people so far.
--Had a thought while re-watching "What Kate Does." Perhaps "The Incident" began the flash sideways. Bear with me. What sparked this thought was the scene between Kate and Claire when Kate asks Claire whether or not she'd be believed if she told Claire she was innocent. When Jacob visited her, he touched her hand and told her (i'm paraphrasing) to not steal again. She said yes. In the sideways, she may be innocent. I'm not much into theories but one can consider this is a theory. Am I saying they were all sideways? No. I'd be daft if I suggested that. It's just a thought that I don't really buy into myself. I also continue to have a love/hate relationship with message boards.
--I really am anxious to see Claire/Jin again. I'm SO INTO THIS SEASON! I want everything going on in one episode. NotLocke/Sawyer, Sun/Frank/Ilana/Ben, The Temple.
--How about NotLocke throwing the white stone into the ocean? He told Sawyer it was an inside joke. We saw those two stones with the skeletons in season one. Also: backgammon.
--The Aaron theories are abundant on the message boards. Tell me: how can the boy NotLocke saw be Aaron when Aaron is just three years old? I'm all for Aaron emerging as a character of mythic and epic proportions but I really think it's simply about getting Claire and Aaron back together. Claire deserves it. Aaron deserves it.
--I don't think I have much to say about the cave or about the names. It's worth noting that Kate is not a candidate. Only males. And Locke had his name crossed out because he's dead. NotLocke can be incredibly understanding and then incredibly harsh and cold.
--Ilana collected some of Jacob's ash before leaving The Foot. If I'm NotLocke, I wouldn't be all smiles with Ilana on the Island.
--This episode mirrored season three's "The Brig." I deemed "The Brig" one of the show's most underrated episodes. I stand by that. In "The Brig," Locke gets Sawyer to go with him with the promise that Ben is imprisoned in The Black Rock. In this, NotLocke lures Sawyer with him through the promise of answers. Murder soon follows in "The Brig." Will murder soon follow? Hm.
--Terry O'Quinn was dynamite this episode. What an actor. I loved how he portrayed Locke in the Sideways world. Loved the NotLocke stuff. I've gotta mention Jeff Fahey for delivering one of the greatest lines in the show. I think Elizaberth Sarnoff and Melina Hsu Taylor wrote an outstanding episode.
--I'm predicting next week's episode is a Jack episode. Why? Season Six has been following the blueprint of season one and, after all, the season is clearly mirroring season one.
TO THE RANKINGS!
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS
It was only a matter of time until Locke returned to the top 5 for me. It took me nearly 9 months and the Sideways story to properly rank Locke. He's still one of my favorite characters and would've reclaimed the top spot if Jack wasn't so badass and awesome last week. There was some exciting movement in the rankings. Sawyer dropped in both our lists. You know, this is a very tough numbers game. It's the way the biscuit bakes, you know. Desmond retains the top spot for STEVE. MiB moved up for STEVE because MiB is wild. Here they are:
AFTER EPISODE 4
Ranked: 2/17/2010
CHRIS
1. Jack
2. Locke
3. Sayid
4. Desmond
5. Ben
6. Hurley
7. Jin
8. Miles
9. Claire
10. Dogen
11. Frank
12. Sawyer
13. Kate
14. Richard
15. Sun
16. The Man in Black
17. Ilana
18. Lennon
19. Widmore
STEVE
1. Desmond
2. Sayid
3. Sawyer
4. Ben
5. Kate
6. Miles
7. Jack
8. Jin
9. Frank
10. Dogen
11. Man in Black
12. Richard
13. Claire
14. Locke
15. Ilana
16. Sun
17. Lennon
18. Widmore
19. Hurley
Friday, February 12, 2010
Jacob's Foot: The Official LOST Rankings for "What Kate Does."
AFTER EPISODE 3
RANKED: 2/10/10
Me and STEVE have added Dogen and Lennon to the rankings. Juliet was removed as per our rule. Not much else to say other than check 'em out!
CHRIS
1. Jack
2. Sayid
3. Desmond
4. Hurley
5. Ben
6. Jin
7. Dogen
8. Sawyer
9. Miles
10. Claire
11. Kate
12. Richard
13. John Locke
14. Frank
15. Sun
16. The Man in Black
17. Ilana
18. Lennon
19. Widmore
STEVE
1. Desmond
2. Sawyer
3. Sayid
4. Kate
5. Ben
6. Miles
7. Jin
8. Dogen
9. Jack
10. Frank
11. Richard
12. Claire
13. John Locke
14. Lennon
15. Sun
16. Man in Black
17. Ilana
18. Widmore
19. Hurley
RANKED: 2/10/10
Me and STEVE have added Dogen and Lennon to the rankings. Juliet was removed as per our rule. Not much else to say other than check 'em out!
CHRIS
1. Jack
2. Sayid
3. Desmond
4. Hurley
5. Ben
6. Jin
7. Dogen
8. Sawyer
9. Miles
10. Claire
11. Kate
12. Richard
13. John Locke
14. Frank
15. Sun
16. The Man in Black
17. Ilana
18. Lennon
19. Widmore
STEVE
1. Desmond
2. Sawyer
3. Sayid
4. Kate
5. Ben
6. Miles
7. Jin
8. Dogen
9. Jack
10. Frank
11. Richard
12. Claire
13. John Locke
14. Lennon
15. Sun
16. Man in Black
17. Ilana
18. Widmore
19. Hurley
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Jacob's Foot: Fate/Predeterminism and Free Will or the "What Kate Does" recap
What an episode! I'm so excited and pumped after watching that. It's been 21 minutes since the episode ended and I'm so damn pumped!
Where do I begin? With Jack, once again, being awesome? With Claire, seemingly, returning as Rousseau no.2 (traps, gun, and all)? With how awesome Dogen is? The fantastic flash sideway with Ethan Goodspeed and the relationship between Kate, Claire, and Aaron? I'm such a fanboy that this recap is going to go every which way and insane! I told myself I'd settle down with these recaps, watch word count, and try to write with some coherency. I think I can do that. Don't count 2,000 words out.
"What Kate Does" is the title of episode three of season six of LOST. "What Kate Did" is the title of season two's ninth episode. This episode brought back some season two-ness and some season one-ness and some season three-ness AND some season four-ness AND SEASON FIVE-NESS. I'll get into all of that later. I'm going to stay focused on the central Kate story first.
There have many Kate episodes throughout this fantastic series. For the most part, in her flashbacks, she's been running and she's hurt a lot of people in the process. There's Tom who was killed in "Born To Run" as she fled police. She caused a car crash when Ray, the farmer who took her in in Australia in "Tabula Rasa," though she does drag him to safety. But she's not a heartless, cold hearted person and never has been. She helped Cassidy while on the lam. She DID drag Ray to safety. She did a whole lot to preserve Tom's memory ("Whatever The Case May Be"). She protected Kevin from any legal trouble once she realized she couldn't have a life with him. Tonight, she WENT BACK to help Claire. After being terribly rude to Claire, she was moved to go back to her when she discovered she had things Aaron in her bag. She's still very much on the run but she took time to drive Claire to the adopted parents (oh there'll be more on that) and to the hospital when Claire experienced contractions. It was so awesome. My favorite scene in the sideways is the Ethan scene. Ethan Goodspeed. Confirmation that he's the son of Horace and Amy. The interaction between he and Claire was such a reversal from the flashbacks seen in "Maternity Leave." He tells her the last thing he wants to do is drug her, to stick a bunch of needles in her. That's all he did to her while in The Arrow. She had a choice to make as well. Whether to have Aaron now or later. She decided later to wait to deliver Aaron and, after a brief scare, Aaron was a healthy as can be. I really enjoyed the scene that followed when they discussed Aaron's name and how Claire said it just came to her. Kate told her that she should keep him. The most moving moment was when the camera revealed Claire holding Kate's hand. I'm very glad that Claire is back.
I've written ad-nauseum about Kate, Claire, and Aaron (as recently as last week!) but I can't help it. I love their story. I love how it's evolved and how meaningful it's become. Why would Claire trust Kate after that experience in the cab? I think it goes back to the idea of predeterminism and free will. Fate and destiny imply that individuals are pawns of fate but what if that isn't necessarily it? I'm with Jacob. They have a choice. Kate had a choice. She could've kept running after going through her bag. She didn't have to return to the Island but she did. What I'm writing is connected with Kierkegaard's notion of the absurdity of faith. Of couse I think it's all meaningful. These characters and their interactions and their experience on the Island. The episode is very aptly titled. It's about what she does and about what they all do. The Temple represents this idea of predeterminism. The Others need Sawyer, Kate, and Jin in The Temple because, I presume, of what was written on that list of Jacob's that was in the ankh. The sideways world is a representation of active free-will. I think the two ideas will reconcile as will the sideways and the present.
On The Island, in 2007, Kate followed Sawyer to New-Old Otherton where he really just wants to be alone. He's just very sad. He blames himself for Juliet's death because he asked her to stay with him that night in 1974. He didn't want to be alone and now feels like he's destined to be alone. I wrote last week that I thought Sawyer and Kate would end up together but I don't think that'll happen anymore. His love for Juliet might be diminished. While trekking with Jin, she told Jin that she was escaping and showed no interest in helping him find Sun which wasn't too cool. She implied that she wanted to be with Sawyer and to stay with Sawyer somewhere that wasn't anywhere near The Temple. She also asked for his help finding Claire but he just wanted to be alone. I can't fault the dude. He needs to properly grieve. Kate cried and then it seemed like she'll be returning to The Temple.
Elsewhere, in The Temple, some really, really, really cool stuff was taking place. Dogen and Lennon sought to diagnose Sayid after he returned to life after dying. Jack was there throughout, looking after Sayid and making sure he was protected. Dogen wanted to poison Sayid because he detected a darkness in Sayid that would consume him. Sayid had been claimed. Dogen stated that what would happen with Sayid happened to Claire. The entire story was/is fascinating. They tortured the torturer. I don't quite buy what Dogen and Lennon were selling. Dogen attempted to use Jack's past to get him to give Sayid the pill but Jack has learned from Jughead. He didn't want to give anything to Sayid that he didn't know everything about it. To learn, he put the pill in his mouth. Dogen finally told him the pill was poison. This story contained a whole lot about The Others, for a lack of a better word, methodology and lended discussion to the idea of predeterminism. In "LA X," Dogen didn't signal for the removal of Sayid from the water until the hour glass ran out. Did they run into Claire and cast her out? I get the impression she's been Rousseau for the last three years, totally on her own, building traps and doing all she can to survive. Man of faith Jack took a backseat to man of science Jack tonight and I LOVED IT!
As for Island Claire, I loved the return. I've been waiting. I don't believe she's been consumed by darkness. She's Claire! She's goodness and light. I hope we get a flashback for whatever happened to her the last three years. I'm glad Claire ran into Jin. She looked absolutely insane (and still so pretty) but she and Jin were close. He's in good hands. I didn't really pick up on what Aldo was doing when stopping Justin from saying anything. Now I understand. Justin was close to telling Kate and Jin about Claire on several occasions but Aldo stopped him every time. I'm thinking Claire did die after the explosion but was saved by the Spring. So, where does Christian fall into all of this?
I'm loving season six so far. Here's some more thoughts:
--Emilie de Ravin was wonderful. I loved everything about the sideways story. Back to sideways Claire for a moment, a couple actually existed in Los Angeles. I wish Malkin would return for one episode. "?" is still messing with my mind!
--Speaking of the sidways world, listen to the latest Official Lost Podcast if you're confused. Darlton are preaching patience and not thinking too deeply or too much about it. Just let it progress, folks. Let the story unfold.
--Dogen is amazing. The scene between he and Jack, in his office, when Jack asked questions that Dogen actually answered rocked. Dogen said he was brought here just like Jack. And Jack seemed like he scoffed a tiny bit at that.
--Kate was absolutely badass tonight.
--I mentioned the season one-ness so I'll explain it here. Kate's first flashback is the third episode of season one and she got the third episode of season six. Man in Black/NotLocke next week? The season three-ness was explained by Aldo himself. He was a guard on Alcatrez Island. The actor who created 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.'
--Miles and Hurley were just hanging out somewhere around The Temple. I re-watched "LA X" and read the scene when Miles is attempting to communicate with Sayid differently. He says 'nothing' to Hurley when Hurley asks 'what?' Given the revelation about Claire, perhaps Miles sensed the same thing but didn't want to cause alarm. I don't know. I might be looking too much into it. We shall see.
--Josh Holloway's been knocking it out of the park this season. The scene on the dock was terrific. I'm a fan of what they've been doing with Sawyer so far this season.
--Hurley asked Sayid if he's a zombie. The Zombie season awaits, folks.
--Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz wrote one heck of an episode. I loved every moment of it. Paul Edwards helmed the episode.
Such a great episode. I'll be buzzed all week. I'm going to really miss this show. The rankings will be up ASAP. Me and STEVE didn't have the chance to rank last night and I like to get a recap up as soon as I possibly can. Expect the rankings later in the week as well as additional thoughts.
Where do I begin? With Jack, once again, being awesome? With Claire, seemingly, returning as Rousseau no.2 (traps, gun, and all)? With how awesome Dogen is? The fantastic flash sideway with Ethan Goodspeed and the relationship between Kate, Claire, and Aaron? I'm such a fanboy that this recap is going to go every which way and insane! I told myself I'd settle down with these recaps, watch word count, and try to write with some coherency. I think I can do that. Don't count 2,000 words out.
"What Kate Does" is the title of episode three of season six of LOST. "What Kate Did" is the title of season two's ninth episode. This episode brought back some season two-ness and some season one-ness and some season three-ness AND some season four-ness AND SEASON FIVE-NESS. I'll get into all of that later. I'm going to stay focused on the central Kate story first.
There have many Kate episodes throughout this fantastic series. For the most part, in her flashbacks, she's been running and she's hurt a lot of people in the process. There's Tom who was killed in "Born To Run" as she fled police. She caused a car crash when Ray, the farmer who took her in in Australia in "Tabula Rasa," though she does drag him to safety. But she's not a heartless, cold hearted person and never has been. She helped Cassidy while on the lam. She DID drag Ray to safety. She did a whole lot to preserve Tom's memory ("Whatever The Case May Be"). She protected Kevin from any legal trouble once she realized she couldn't have a life with him. Tonight, she WENT BACK to help Claire. After being terribly rude to Claire, she was moved to go back to her when she discovered she had things Aaron in her bag. She's still very much on the run but she took time to drive Claire to the adopted parents (oh there'll be more on that) and to the hospital when Claire experienced contractions. It was so awesome. My favorite scene in the sideways is the Ethan scene. Ethan Goodspeed. Confirmation that he's the son of Horace and Amy. The interaction between he and Claire was such a reversal from the flashbacks seen in "Maternity Leave." He tells her the last thing he wants to do is drug her, to stick a bunch of needles in her. That's all he did to her while in The Arrow. She had a choice to make as well. Whether to have Aaron now or later. She decided later to wait to deliver Aaron and, after a brief scare, Aaron was a healthy as can be. I really enjoyed the scene that followed when they discussed Aaron's name and how Claire said it just came to her. Kate told her that she should keep him. The most moving moment was when the camera revealed Claire holding Kate's hand. I'm very glad that Claire is back.
I've written ad-nauseum about Kate, Claire, and Aaron (as recently as last week!) but I can't help it. I love their story. I love how it's evolved and how meaningful it's become. Why would Claire trust Kate after that experience in the cab? I think it goes back to the idea of predeterminism and free will. Fate and destiny imply that individuals are pawns of fate but what if that isn't necessarily it? I'm with Jacob. They have a choice. Kate had a choice. She could've kept running after going through her bag. She didn't have to return to the Island but she did. What I'm writing is connected with Kierkegaard's notion of the absurdity of faith. Of couse I think it's all meaningful. These characters and their interactions and their experience on the Island. The episode is very aptly titled. It's about what she does and about what they all do. The Temple represents this idea of predeterminism. The Others need Sawyer, Kate, and Jin in The Temple because, I presume, of what was written on that list of Jacob's that was in the ankh. The sideways world is a representation of active free-will. I think the two ideas will reconcile as will the sideways and the present.
On The Island, in 2007, Kate followed Sawyer to New-Old Otherton where he really just wants to be alone. He's just very sad. He blames himself for Juliet's death because he asked her to stay with him that night in 1974. He didn't want to be alone and now feels like he's destined to be alone. I wrote last week that I thought Sawyer and Kate would end up together but I don't think that'll happen anymore. His love for Juliet might be diminished. While trekking with Jin, she told Jin that she was escaping and showed no interest in helping him find Sun which wasn't too cool. She implied that she wanted to be with Sawyer and to stay with Sawyer somewhere that wasn't anywhere near The Temple. She also asked for his help finding Claire but he just wanted to be alone. I can't fault the dude. He needs to properly grieve. Kate cried and then it seemed like she'll be returning to The Temple.
Elsewhere, in The Temple, some really, really, really cool stuff was taking place. Dogen and Lennon sought to diagnose Sayid after he returned to life after dying. Jack was there throughout, looking after Sayid and making sure he was protected. Dogen wanted to poison Sayid because he detected a darkness in Sayid that would consume him. Sayid had been claimed. Dogen stated that what would happen with Sayid happened to Claire. The entire story was/is fascinating. They tortured the torturer. I don't quite buy what Dogen and Lennon were selling. Dogen attempted to use Jack's past to get him to give Sayid the pill but Jack has learned from Jughead. He didn't want to give anything to Sayid that he didn't know everything about it. To learn, he put the pill in his mouth. Dogen finally told him the pill was poison. This story contained a whole lot about The Others, for a lack of a better word, methodology and lended discussion to the idea of predeterminism. In "LA X," Dogen didn't signal for the removal of Sayid from the water until the hour glass ran out. Did they run into Claire and cast her out? I get the impression she's been Rousseau for the last three years, totally on her own, building traps and doing all she can to survive. Man of faith Jack took a backseat to man of science Jack tonight and I LOVED IT!
As for Island Claire, I loved the return. I've been waiting. I don't believe she's been consumed by darkness. She's Claire! She's goodness and light. I hope we get a flashback for whatever happened to her the last three years. I'm glad Claire ran into Jin. She looked absolutely insane (and still so pretty) but she and Jin were close. He's in good hands. I didn't really pick up on what Aldo was doing when stopping Justin from saying anything. Now I understand. Justin was close to telling Kate and Jin about Claire on several occasions but Aldo stopped him every time. I'm thinking Claire did die after the explosion but was saved by the Spring. So, where does Christian fall into all of this?
I'm loving season six so far. Here's some more thoughts:
--Emilie de Ravin was wonderful. I loved everything about the sideways story. Back to sideways Claire for a moment, a couple actually existed in Los Angeles. I wish Malkin would return for one episode. "?" is still messing with my mind!
--Speaking of the sidways world, listen to the latest Official Lost Podcast if you're confused. Darlton are preaching patience and not thinking too deeply or too much about it. Just let it progress, folks. Let the story unfold.
--Dogen is amazing. The scene between he and Jack, in his office, when Jack asked questions that Dogen actually answered rocked. Dogen said he was brought here just like Jack. And Jack seemed like he scoffed a tiny bit at that.
--Kate was absolutely badass tonight.
--I mentioned the season one-ness so I'll explain it here. Kate's first flashback is the third episode of season one and she got the third episode of season six. Man in Black/NotLocke next week? The season three-ness was explained by Aldo himself. He was a guard on Alcatrez Island. The actor who created 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.'
--Miles and Hurley were just hanging out somewhere around The Temple. I re-watched "LA X" and read the scene when Miles is attempting to communicate with Sayid differently. He says 'nothing' to Hurley when Hurley asks 'what?' Given the revelation about Claire, perhaps Miles sensed the same thing but didn't want to cause alarm. I don't know. I might be looking too much into it. We shall see.
--Josh Holloway's been knocking it out of the park this season. The scene on the dock was terrific. I'm a fan of what they've been doing with Sawyer so far this season.
--Hurley asked Sayid if he's a zombie. The Zombie season awaits, folks.
--Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz wrote one heck of an episode. I loved every moment of it. Paul Edwards helmed the episode.
Such a great episode. I'll be buzzed all week. I'm going to really miss this show. The rankings will be up ASAP. Me and STEVE didn't have the chance to rank last night and I like to get a recap up as soon as I possibly can. Expect the rankings later in the week as well as additional thoughts.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Jacob's Foot: 'LA X' PTS 1&2 RECAP!
Fantastic! Here we were wondering whether they would be a reboot of time or not and it turns out that it's both. I love it! I feel relaxed and calm now that season six has begun. I was consumed by the final scene of "The Incident." Absolutely consumed. I just wanted to find out what happened. I just wanted season six to begin It has and I feel much, much better. As for the episode itself...well, I really, really enjoyed it. It's the show I know and love. But where do I begin?
I'm going to begin with the teaser of "LA X." The bomb goes off, white, and then it dissolves into clouds as the camera pulls back to reveal Jack looking through his window at the sky. The year 2004. The date: September 22. Oceanic 815 in flight to Los Angeles, California. Everything seems to be leading to the crash again but the turbulence the plane and its passengers experience is just a passing thing. Bernard returns from the bathroom to his seat. Jack rises, visits the bathroom, and notices blood on the low part of his neck. He returns to his seat where Desmond David Hume is sitting, reading Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Jack experiences deja vu but shakes it off and he and Desmond exchange handshakes and names. And then we see the Island at the bottom of the ocean and it looks like it's been there since 1977.
HOLY MOLY! WHAT AN OPENING! I'll discuss my thoughts on the whole 2004 stuff later on in this recap but I got goosebumps very early on and they kept coming. I think my jaw was dropped wide open as well. I mean, I knew anything was possible and it's just something to witness it. I had been re-watching a ton of season one stuff lately. I don't know why. I particularly watched the final montage in "Exodus" a few times because of the musical score but I felt compelled. I have a very specific dream I'd like to relay later on as well (and who knows who will actually believe I actually dreamed this).
Following that doozy of a teaser, the final sequence of "The Incident" is seen and then Kate's left eye opens and she's in a tree and...they are in 2007, shifted through time. 2004 and 2007. This is going to be one interesting season.
The most confounding thing is the 2004 timeline in which they never crashed, the characters don't know one another, and everyone who died lives. Jeff Jensen describes it as a "parallel" universe. I love the narrative device. I'm not sure where it will lead but I'm, of course, excited to experience this final chapter and this totally weird yet cool and utterly fascinating narrative device. The EPs have asked for patience and trust. They've hardly had that from me. I can't wait for the story of this Sideways world to unravel and unwrap...like a Christmas present (you know how Damon and Carlton have described this season as a Christmas present!).
I have this gut feeling that cannot quite be conveyed in words because I'm not sure how to write it in words but I feel like these timelines will drift into eachother and dance with eachother and that's going to be important and great as the hours of the show dwindle. Yes, indeedy.
Jack wanted things to be different, for things to change. That's why he took Faraday's plan and ran with it. Things are different in 2004. Boone is free of the Shannon obsession. Hurley declared himself the luckiest man in the world. But the plight of the characters seem to be in tact. Sun feels trapped in her marriage. Jack just wants to bury his father and can't. Kate's a fugitive. Sawyer still, most likely, has a bunch of unresolved issues. But, again, what it all means...that's for the show to explain. I'm not into speculation. I'm into the story. Hopefully, by now, the show has taught you patience. More on 2004 later.
The 2007 stuff thrilled me and broke my heart. The immediate aftermath of detonating Jughead was amazing. Lindelof and Cuse didn't skip a beat in terms of finale to premiere. There's a whole heck of a lot going on, now. The war has begun. It seems like NotLocke aka The Man in Black wants to go to The Temple. He wants to go home. For a second, I thought he'd say that he wanted to destroy the Island. We met The Others who resided in The Temple and finally found out where the kids were. I think there's going to be so much mythology too.
Now, for me to really dig into this premiere, it's time for the bits:
--Juliet, Juliet, Juliet. I love that character so much. Elizabeth Mitchell plays her so beautifully. The new narrative device gives the viewers hope for a happy ending for Juliet and what she said to Sawyer as she died gives me hope that we'll see her again. Plus, Miles telling Sawyer that she said "It worked" is HUGE. The scene between her and Sawyer, beneath the wreckage of The Hatch, was beautiful. Josh Holloway played the grief and agony and anger so well. What a performance.
--I think this season is going to be an incredible season for Jack. He didn't make any excuses for still being on The Island. He simply apologized to Sawyer and he helped in any way he could. Jack really does need redemption. For a moment, I thought Jack would pound and pound on Sayid's chest like he did with Charlie in "All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues." But he didn't want to give up on Sayid. The one image that stuck with me, throughout the episode, was Jack's aloneness. In every scene, he is, at one point, alone.
--Speaking of Jack, the 2004 Jack story fascinated me. He seemed vaguely aware of The Island. The most intriguing part is the missing coffin. I loved the scene between he and Locke especially what Locke told him about Jack's father, that only his body is missing. Locke delved into the spiritual side of death as well which echoed Sayid as he spoke to Hurley in the jungle about what would happen to him when he dies. I particularly liked Jack offering Locke the possibility for him to fix Locke's irreversible condition. "Nothing's irreversible," Jack told Locke. Hm indeed. I think this coffin story is going to be terrific as well as the final journey of Jack Shephard.
--The rest of the trip to LAX for Oceanic 815 was something. I'll focus on Oceanic 815 and 2004 for a bit before diving into 2007. I mentioned above some of the differences and I'll continue: Jack took one less mini-bottle of vodka. We didn't see Michael or Walt and, apparently, they were not on the plane (as confirmed on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night). In fact, I think those difference like the absence of Michael and Walt will be a major plot point in this timeline. I in now way fully understand what the writers are doing but, as I wrote earlier, I do think there will be a drifting and dancing into the other. The explanation for these differences is one word: "fate." Damon and Carlton used it last night on JKL. But then they use coincidence. Very interesting.
--The idea of fate dominated the exchanges character had with one another. It's goosebump inducing. Boone and Locke had a nice talk as Frogurt slept in between them. Boone told Locke that he had been in Australia to save his sister from a bad relationship. Locke told Boone about his walkabout. Boone told Locke that if the plane does go down, he's sticking with him. When Jack saved Charlie's life by removing the bag of heroin, Charlie told Jack that he was supposed to die as he was led off by cops. When Oceanic 815 began going insane in the Pilot episode, Charlie was forced to throw all of his bags into the toilet and it saved him from what we saw happen with no electromagnetic energy bringing the plane down. In LAX, as Kate began her escape attempt, she and Sawyer shared an elevator together. Sun and Jin were together but with all of the problems they had pre-cash. Remember: in "Exodus," we see Jin threatened by one of Paik's men about losing his wife if he doesn't deliver the gold watch. Jin's as good a man as we know him to be but he's trapped. Sayid is simply searching for Nadia and is still being badass (example: when he kicked in the door on the plane). Finally, there's Kate and Claire (oh I know the Desmond thing is biggest of all but let me have my moment with Claire!). I anxiously awaited to see Claire. I really wanted her to show up on the Island but that came up empty yet again. But I'll gladly take Claire in 2004. She and Kate ended up in the same cab. I wrote about their connection in the "Whatever Happened, Happened" recap so it makes sense they are together. I'm really looking forward to this story.
--Desmond being on the airplane is biggest of all. He disappears when Charlie appears. Darlton called that a coincidence. I'll take their word for it. Desmond's reading Haroun and The Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie. This is what I've got gleaned about Haroun and The Sea of Stories: the main character is Haroun. His father is a famous storyteller who drinks stories from the ocean of stories. Haroun doesn't believe that this is true; however, the world Haroun knows find itselfs in danger when his mother elopes with with a mean clerk who has questioned the significance of Haroun's father's stories. The famous line seems to be: "What's the use of stories that are not even true?" Haroun embarks a journey to the world of Kahani. Kahani contains two worlds that are opposite of the other. The first is the land of Gup, a land of perpetual light. The second is the land of Chup, a world of darkness and coldness. Two sides. One light. One dark. Sounds like this show I'm writing about. Furthermore, the two worlds are ruled by two men who are enemies. I dare write Rushdie's inclusion in this episode is important. I wonder how much it informs the viewers for the 2004 timeline. I'm never going to call it an alternate reality and Damon himself seems to not want it refered to as an alternate reality. Anywho, Desmond's special. We've known this since season three. What part he plays in the possible reconciliation of these two worlds remains to be seen but we'll see more Desmond.
--I loved the end of part 1, when the airplane lands safely at LAX. The music reminds me of the montage of everyone getting on the plane at the end of "Exodus." The final shot, on a sad John Locke, who lied to Boone rather than tell him the truth. I don't think John Locke's beyond saving even in death.
--Time for 2007! We've finally seen The Temple. Now here is where I relay my dream to the world. I dream about the show often before a premiere or a finale. About a week or so ago, I had this dream in which the story was focused on this stone structure (that now looked very much like The Temple). Was I subconciously thinking about The Temple? The big difference was that it was located on the beach so it might've been my subconcious not drawing a great portrait of the Foot. I don't know. Moving on: I'm glad we've got more Others. They seem like the real Other deal. There's two new characters. One is Dogen. The other Lennon. I'm just not sure which. The leader seems to be the Japanese man. We were introduced to what saved Ben after Sayid shot him as well as a whole lot of other things which I'll get into. Before that, I have to admit: I have more questions about the smoke monster now that he seems to be confirmed as The Man in Black. The Others are absolutely terrified of The Man in Black. Why would Smokey take people underneath The Temple? The Man in Black apologized to Ben because Ben had to see him like Smokey. It's all very intriguing.
--Back to The Temple and The Others, the biblical significance of the spring wasn't lost on me. The Spring was once clear but is now brown. The healing process seems to include near drowning. An hourglass is used in the healing process.
--As they entered The Temple, they came across the skelton of Montand and a book. Soren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling. It's a meditation of faith through the story of Abraham and Isaac. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. When Abraham was about to, an angel intervened. It was a test of faith. Isaac didn't need to be killed. The narrator admires Abraham's faith but doesn't understand it. The book is meditation on the absurdity of faith.
--Hurley took the lead as the leader. After Jacob visited him and told Hurley he needed to take Sayid to The Temple, Hurley went into action. After helping Sawyer free Juliet (though sadly it was too late), Hurley asked, after Jack examined Sayid, whether or not he could fix Sayid. Jack said no and Hurley took the lead.
--Sayid died though. The piece of paper said that if Sayid's not saved, they are all in trouble. But then Sayid wakes up at the end of the episode and asks, "what happened?" Fans have jumped on "Is that Jacob reincarnated?" People are wondering, and I'M wondering, whether Jacob told Hurley to take Sayid to The Temple for that very reason. Or maybe, as Doc Jensen suggested, Sayid is simply Sayid. I hope so. Sayid's one of my favorites. By the way, I loved how Jorge Garcia played the scene when Jacob tells him his name. It was fantastic. Back to Sayid, though, that entire scene he tried to save him and then he died was so powerful. Speaking of significant, Miles hearing nothing from Sayid IS significant.
--I wonder if Jack and Sawyer's whatever-you-wanna-call-it-ship can be fixed. I wonder if they can get past the death of Juliet. I was touched by Jack's reaction when Sawyer emerged from the hole with Juliet's body. He and Juliet shared so much. He protected Juliet when she came back to camp with him. She saved his life by removing his appendix. She made him all of those sandwiches when he was trapped in the Hydra. She once loved Jack. The two even kissed in "The Other Woman." But she knew he only had eyes for Kate. Jack's face expressed sadness and regret when he saw the lifeless Juliet. I wonder if Jack can come back from this. Not just Juliet but the failure of detonating Jughead but, again, Juliet told Miles that "it worked."
--Speaking of that scene, the sound of an airplane seems to be present as Miles communicates with Juliet.
--Back to Sawyer and Jack. The first thing Sawyer did was kick Jack square in the head that sent Jack into the hole. They beat the living daylights out of each other in "The Incident." Sawyer swore to kill him if Juliet died. Thankfully, he decided not to. I'm glad Kate defended Jack, telling him Jack only tried to help.
--Sawyer had no interest in following everyone else once he had buried Juliet. He just wanted to disappear, alone, into the jungle but The Others had other plans. I wonder if Sawyer can come back from Juliet's death, from his entire world crumbling. These characters are still as broken as ever. I want some level of happiness for all of them.
--Loved how Jin did whatever he could to help. He owns that Dharma van. He's so close and yet so far from his wife.
--The 2007 story opened on Kate's left eye. Throughout the two-parter, I think she was great helping both Jack and Sawyer. Also, the sound team deserves some props for the effect of Kate's hearing. She was the first to walk around the hole in The Temple floor. She quickly investigated when the whispers began (oh how I love those whispers!). I ALWAYS get goosebumps and then when The Others were running around. So freakin' awesome! Back to Kate: she offered to help Sawyer bury Juliet but he said no. I imagine she was hurt by that. I do think she and Sawyer will end up together but who knows.
--I want to return to Hurley for a moment. There's been a lot of speculation and theories about the fate of Hurley. Speculation about whether or not he will replace Jacob. I don't know about any of that. That's not my thing. I think his first meeting with Jacob had a huge effect on him. Remember the conversation: Hurley told Jacob about how he's cursed and Jacob says no no no you aren't. Perhaps that singular moment effected both past and present. Hurley was much different in season five. More together, far from the man he was off-Island and in Santa Rosa. But again, in 2004, there was no Island to transmit the numbers. But then why would he be in Australia? His only reason for being there was to get answers about the numbers. The answer: Mr. Cluck's. Back to my point: I think Hurley's arc is in no way about becoming a supernatural diety like Jacob and The Man in Black. I think it's about his self-actualization, to feel blessed rather cursed. I think his role is huge in the endgame of the show. I just hope he's not being used by Jacob.
--Bernard and Rose were seen on the airplane but were not accounted for in 2007. Adam and Eve...
--I'm stunned it's taken me this long to write about Benjamin Linus. Michael Emerson absolutely owned every scene he was in. Goodness he was good! I don't know if Ben will have a happy ending. I hope there's some redemption. I've been writing a lot about how one gets past a certain event in this recap. I think it's a question the writers want us to ask. I hope so at least. Ben was horrified AND bewildered. He wanted to know why Jacob didn't even fight back. His reaction when he saw John Locke's corpse or heard what his final thought: "I don't understand" was truly memorable and amazing. Where does Ben go from here? He killed his leader, Jacob. The Man in Black doesn't seem to have any interest in letting Ben get away from him. The scene in which they discussed John Locke had fantastic lighting. The Man in Black kept shifting from darkness into the light that came through the Foot. Ben is in a place I thought he'd never be in and I'm loving it. I love this show.
--The Man in Black is not a Richard Alpert fan. He made a comment to him about chains (I'd try to quote it but I don't want to botch it). Two thoughts for that: The Man in Black is referencing the cabin he had been trapped in by, presumably, Richard by Jacob's decree or he's referencing The Black Rock whose skeletons were still chained. Perhaps both. All I know is Richard got his ass kicked and will be going with the Man in Black.
--Poor Bram. We hardly knew thee. He tried to save himself from Smoky but Smoky was acting like a pissed off giraffe.
We now know he and Ilana and the others were Jacob's bodyguard. None of them succeeded in their job.
--I'm still excited for Ilana's story and her role in all of this. She's different from Bram. I just know it.
--Not much for Frank and Sun to do. Frank spoke about his confusion. Sun's still confused. I wish Frank had mentioned his candidacy.
--The Others at The Temple sent out fireworks to alert the other Others that the man in black lurks about the Island and that Jacob is dead. The look on Richard's face when he saw that looked like pure 'oh crap!' and utter agony/fear. The bad man's out of the cabin indeed. The mobilization to protect The Temple and, perhaps, The Island is under way. Why? Who knows. That's why I'm watching.
The theme of death has always been a big part of this show. Doc discusses the ruminations of the after-life of this episode, dives into the world of Dante's Paradiso, and does an incredible job applying it to the show. In the past, where I had seen death, I kept thinking of life. Last year, in particular, when death dominated the show and Charlotte yelled that this place was death, I thought we were being set up for 'this place is really life because Locke's resurrection is inevitable' but then dead is really dead as we learned in season five's "Dead Is Dead." The Sideways world (doesn't that sound better than me referring to it as 2004/2004 timeline? Thanks Doc!)
I even had a moment last night that I can't keep to myself. In The Temple, when Kate disappeared and Jack asked where she went, I, for a second, considered this: "what if she's dead?" For a second, perhaps I bought into the Purgatory theory. She was there one moment and gone the next. Hurley saw her leave and no one else. I don't think any of them are dead though but anything's possible with this show. ANYTHING.
I started writing about LOST and Finnegan's Wake but experienced much trouble composing the piece. I wrote a bit and would like to share one piece with you which seems cool considering what we're considering: thematically speaking, Finnegan's Wake concerns itself with the Fall and resurrection of man. Ian Pindar writes, author of Joyce, about Wake as a "potent meditation on the Fall of man and the Resurrection and to celebrate the ability of frail, culpable mortal humanity to be re-born again and again." Just think about that.
I feel really good about the direction of the final season. I feel extremely confident that we'll get an emotional journey that, possibly, won't ever be matched by a television show. I want people to be patient with this show. Don't get frustrated with the two worlds we are seeing. Trust in the vision of Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Trust in the last five years of stories we've been given. There's only 16 hours left. The series airs its final episode on a Sunday night in May. May 23, 2010 to be exact. Savor each and every scene. Each episode. Each revelation. Each question.
One final note: I implore everyone to read Doc Jensen's recap of "LA X" because the man is great. Here's the link: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20313460_20341211,00.html. He covers things that I do not and wish that I had but I'm still getting my bearings with this season. He offers some pretty cool opinions on The Sideways world, the Man in Black and his own individual endgame (Doc suggests the man seems hell-bent on answers and honesty. Very interesting: his take on the man in black's opinion of John Locke).
Lastly. Fantastic writing by Damon and Carlton, fantastic directing by Jack Bender, the entire cast&crew totally delivered. I can't wait for next week.
More lastly: the episode is here: http://www.hulu.com/watch/125502/lost-la-x-part-1. And watch Damon and Carlton on JKL: http://www.hulu.com/watch/125542/jimmy-kimmel-live-damon-lindelof-and-carlton-cusepart-1
LET'S GO TO THE RANKINGS!
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS!
Me and STEVE brainstormed how to go about these rankings for close to an hour. We are ranking The Sideways world and the 2007 world. No Boone and Charlie in these rankings YET (it's a waiting game). Lennon and Dogen will not be ranked either. I'll bet they are included for episode 3's rankings. There's a whopping 18 characters which will most likely go up to 20. John Locke has returned to the rankings but it's proven to be an interesting thing ranking the Sideways world. Desmond remains in the fold AND remains number one for both me and STEVE. But enough! HERE THEY ARE:
AFTER EPISODES 1&2
RANKED: 2/02/2010
CHRIS
1. Desmond
2. Sayid
3. Jack
4. Hurley
5. Ben
6. Sawyer
7. Jin
8. Miles
9. Juliet
10. Kate
11. Richard
12. Frank
13. John Locke
14. Claire
15. Sun
16. Ilana
17. The Man in Black
18. Widmore
STEVE
1. Desmond
2. Sawyer
3. Sayid
4. Kate
5. Ben
6. Jin
7. Miles
8. Frank
9. Richard
10. Jack
11. John Locke
12. Sun
13. Ilana
14. The Man in Black
15. Claire
16. Widmore
17. Hurley
18. Juliet
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Jacob's Foot: TONIGHT! + Preseason Rankings
This is it. Tonight is the night. The sixth and final season of the greatest show ever begins tonight. With it comes great excitement but a bit of sadness because this is the end of the final hiatus. There will be no more excrutiating 8 month hiatuses (which isn't the worst thing in the world considering the intense cliffhangers and then all that time in between). This is the last season premiere. But, believe me, it's pretty much all excitement here in The Foot. I'm so excited to see the opening of the final chapter of this mesmerizing story. My fictional friends are returning tonight. Yes, my fictional friends. I'm totally aware that I'm a geek. I'm going to be so glad to see all my favorite characters again tonight, to find out what the heck happened when Jughead went off, and to immerse myself back in this world that I love.
Jeff Jensen and the other LOST fantatics over at EW.com discussed the possible viewership of the final season. Will old fans that gave up on the show return? That's a good question. I think everyone in the world will tune in to see the final two hours of the show in May. I'm not sure people hop on board now and, if they do, they might be a bit confused. But I hope people who once enjoyed (or even loved) the show do return but I hope they understand what LOST is now. I also hope, as some EW writers said, that the writers write this season for those who never strayed and I think they will. If there's any indication of that, it goes back to last season's premiere when good ol' Neil Frogurt showed up just in time to be killed by a flaming arrow in the '50s and the writers trusted the viewers with all of the time-travel they were set to do so, yes, I absolutely think the long-time, loyal fans will be rewarded and it all begins tonight. I've been ready since "The Incident" ended to begin the final journey of LOST so I simply cannot wait for "LA X" to air at 9PM.
As for the pre-season rankings, I hope that this doesn't disappoint anyone but the pre-season rankings are only a repeat of the rankings for "The Incident." I copy and paste what me and STEVE wrote for "The Incident." It's been this way for a few years. Hopefully, these rankings serve as a reminder for where each character was last season. Before I copy and paste the rankings in, I'll put a reminder out there that the recap will be posted tomorrow.
TONIGHT!
THE OFFICIAL LOST PRE-SEASON SEASON SIX RANKINGS!
CHRIS
1. Desmond-He's been missed
2. Sayid-he'll survive that bullet wound or land safely in LAX
3. Jack-The most bad-ass Jack has ever been was this finale
4. Richard-the coolest Other ever
5. Hurley-No one drives a dharma van like Hurley
6. Sawyer-what a goodbye with Juliet.
7. Jin-Only dude taking care of Sayid.
8. Ben-Probably my favorite Ben season yet
9. Juliet-I'll miss her. I really warmed up to her since she first appeared.
10. Miles-The second most logical character on the show plus agreed with me about Jack causing the Incident
11. Kate-Good ol' Kate
12. Sun-Poor Sun.
13. Frank-Always liked Frank. Just doesn't get enough screen time.
14. Daniel-Did he, in fact, make time?
15. Widmore-Nature of the Rankings Beast
16. "Locke"-No idea how to rank this dude now
STEVE
1. Desmond-Please come back
2. Sayid-Alive or dead at numba 2
3. Kate-Sexy
4. Miles-Miles is jaboy for using his head at times where no one else would
5. Sawyer-We loved his emotion in the last episode
6. Ben-Mans up and stays at 6
7. "Locke"-R.I.P. John Locke
8. Jin-Didn't get enough exposure this season
9. Richard-Wild for not aging
10. Frank-Frank's a good guy. He means well and he needs more airtim.
11. Sun-poor Sun, stuck with a dead locke, a real locke, a man who doesn't age, and a man she doesn't trust.
12. Jack-Jack
13. Widmore-We don't know enough about him yet I feel
14. Hurley-Only reason he was ranked that high is because of last week's laugh he gave us.
15. Daniel-Last time he'll be on the rankings hopefully.
16. Juliet-She is dead last for trying to control Sawyer and being a famous 5 letter word that begins with B. She deserved to die.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Jacob's Foot: Season Six Looms in One Day + White Rabbit
IT IS FEBRUARY! ONE MORE DAY! ONE MORE DAY! ONE MORE DAY!
The frenzy of the beginning of season six has overwhelmed the internet and media. The first four minutes of the premiere are available, a screening of the first hour of the premiere happened on Saturday night, every print publication has or will have a write-up on the premiere looming, every online publication has or will have a write-up on the premiere looming. I am glad we are at this point. However, I'm not in support of the first four minutes of the premiere being available. I haven't watched and will not watch. I will you tell why: many moons ago (September 2005), MSN.com offered a few sneak peeks at some scenes for the season two opener "Man of Science, Man of Faith." The scenes: the exchange Hurley has with Jack about the numbers and being cursed, Kate's descent into The Hatch, and I think that's it but those two early glimpses ruined the premiere for me. No context, no fun. I also had trouble enjoying all of season two for reasons that include an insane re-run/new episode schedule. Did it all begin that fateful day when I previewed two scenes possibly? All I know is that I've waited patiently for 8 months to enjoy the experience of the premiere in its totality and enjoy in its totality I will! This time tomorrow...9PM...the wait will finally be over and it will be glorious. 8PM is the recap of course.
This leaves some time for the last pre-season six meaty entry of Jacob's Foot. Tomorrow I will deliver the pre-season rankings. Wednesday I will deliver a recap of (FINALLY!) a new episode. But those last two sentences are for the future. Now, it's time for the episode of the day:
THE 'LOST' EPISODE OF THE DAY
The episode: White Rabbit
Original Airdate: October 20, 2004
Written by: Christian Taylor
Directed by: Kevin Hooks
Content: The survivors begin to struggle as they realize they are running out of fresh water. Meanwhile, Jack continues to see his dead father's figure on the Island. Flashbacks in this episode show a little bit of Jack's childhood and also what Jack was doing in Australia.
Why It's Worth Re-Watching: I think it's safe to say Jack's story will be a critical part of the final season. After all, the man decided to detonate a hydrogen bomb as a way to try to erase the last three years, as a way to 'fix' the last three years. As the series progressed, the flawed nature of Jack became more and more evident. In this episode, Jack is struggling with the fact everyone wants him to be their leader but, as we see from the flashback, he has been scarred a whole lot by his father. After saving Boone from drowning and choosing not to save Joanna, Boone yells at Jack for the decision. Around him, people are becoming more hostile, highlighted by the water problem when people begin looking to assign blame.
The bulk of this episode, for Jack, takes place away from the fuselage and camp because Jack is following, what John Locke describes, as the white rabbit--his father. We find out Jack's father died in Sydney. And now we know how truly difficult his relationship was with his father and he still hasn't properly grieved or coped with his father's death because Jack must have some emotional guilt since he became the catalyst for Christian falling off the sobriety tracks and disclosing Christian's inebriation to the medical board. His father's death is fresh, painful wound in this, the fifth episode of the series, and it explains his reluctance to participate in the memorial service Claire put together in "Walkabout." One of the episode's most powerful scenes is when Jack remembers confirming his father's dead body followed by Jack crying as he sits by the fire. I think the whole sequence is terrific. This is when Jack discovers the caves. And yes, I do think the Island led him to the caves. The photography is beautiful. The score is mesmerizing. Here it is:
Another powerful scene is when Jack pleads with Oceanic to process the coffin so he can bury his father. Unfortunately, I can't find a YouTube clip to link of the scene.
Anywho, there's a terrific scene between Jack and Locke in this episode. In fact, it's fun to re-watch Jack/Locke scenes before "Do No Harm" because the two aren't, well Jack isn't, ready to strangle Locke to death. Jack is wary, though, of Locke before the Boone stuff happens. In "Hearts and Minds," he asks Charlie about Locke to which Charlie responds that he'd put his absolute trust in Locke to save them all. I digress though. The scene between them in "White Rabbit" is very significant. They engage in their first Man of Science/Man of Faith discussion though it's not hostile nor is it overt and Jack actually seeks some insight into why the heck he sees a man that cannot be there and contemplates what lostaways view him as: their leader. It's the first instance of the key theme of predeterminism. Here is the scene:
And, while I'm on this scenes kick, I can't leave out the speech from White Rabbit:
I'm a big Jack fan. There are some fans who dislike the character very much but I'm not among them. I think he's a fascinating, complex character. Naturally, I'm very excited for the final chapter in Jack's individual story. He's more lost than any other character perhaps. He's more together and focused in "White Rabbit" than he is when he's off the Island and he's still searching for...something once he returns to the Island. Carlton Cuse spoke about the possibility of redemption as a key theme that will be explored in the final season. Other than Sayid, I'm most interested in the possibility of Jack's redemption in the final chapter of this show.
As for the other happenings in the episode, Claire bonds with Kate and Charlie. Specifically, she's glad Charlie isn't afraid of her like most of the other lostaways. Oh, Claire. As I mentioned earlier, there's a good subplot that involves lack of water.
This is an absolutely terrific episode of LOST. It's the only episode of the show Christian Taylor wrote (though I'd love to know which scenes Damon wrote since I bet he wrote at least one) but bravo sir! Kevin Hooks directed this one. Michael Bonvillain DPed the episode and the entire cast & crew did a tremendous job.
That does it for (possibly) the last EVER episode of the day. Check out the latest issue of The Quad (wcuquad.com). And check back here TOMORROW afternoon for the season six pre-season LOST rankings.
ONE MORE DAY!
The frenzy of the beginning of season six has overwhelmed the internet and media. The first four minutes of the premiere are available, a screening of the first hour of the premiere happened on Saturday night, every print publication has or will have a write-up on the premiere looming, every online publication has or will have a write-up on the premiere looming. I am glad we are at this point. However, I'm not in support of the first four minutes of the premiere being available. I haven't watched and will not watch. I will you tell why: many moons ago (September 2005), MSN.com offered a few sneak peeks at some scenes for the season two opener "Man of Science, Man of Faith." The scenes: the exchange Hurley has with Jack about the numbers and being cursed, Kate's descent into The Hatch, and I think that's it but those two early glimpses ruined the premiere for me. No context, no fun. I also had trouble enjoying all of season two for reasons that include an insane re-run/new episode schedule. Did it all begin that fateful day when I previewed two scenes possibly? All I know is that I've waited patiently for 8 months to enjoy the experience of the premiere in its totality and enjoy in its totality I will! This time tomorrow...9PM...the wait will finally be over and it will be glorious. 8PM is the recap of course.
This leaves some time for the last pre-season six meaty entry of Jacob's Foot. Tomorrow I will deliver the pre-season rankings. Wednesday I will deliver a recap of (FINALLY!) a new episode. But those last two sentences are for the future. Now, it's time for the episode of the day:
THE 'LOST' EPISODE OF THE DAY
The episode: White Rabbit
Original Airdate: October 20, 2004
Written by: Christian Taylor
Directed by: Kevin Hooks
Content: The survivors begin to struggle as they realize they are running out of fresh water. Meanwhile, Jack continues to see his dead father's figure on the Island. Flashbacks in this episode show a little bit of Jack's childhood and also what Jack was doing in Australia.
Why It's Worth Re-Watching: I think it's safe to say Jack's story will be a critical part of the final season. After all, the man decided to detonate a hydrogen bomb as a way to try to erase the last three years, as a way to 'fix' the last three years. As the series progressed, the flawed nature of Jack became more and more evident. In this episode, Jack is struggling with the fact everyone wants him to be their leader but, as we see from the flashback, he has been scarred a whole lot by his father. After saving Boone from drowning and choosing not to save Joanna, Boone yells at Jack for the decision. Around him, people are becoming more hostile, highlighted by the water problem when people begin looking to assign blame.
The bulk of this episode, for Jack, takes place away from the fuselage and camp because Jack is following, what John Locke describes, as the white rabbit--his father. We find out Jack's father died in Sydney. And now we know how truly difficult his relationship was with his father and he still hasn't properly grieved or coped with his father's death because Jack must have some emotional guilt since he became the catalyst for Christian falling off the sobriety tracks and disclosing Christian's inebriation to the medical board. His father's death is fresh, painful wound in this, the fifth episode of the series, and it explains his reluctance to participate in the memorial service Claire put together in "Walkabout." One of the episode's most powerful scenes is when Jack remembers confirming his father's dead body followed by Jack crying as he sits by the fire. I think the whole sequence is terrific. This is when Jack discovers the caves. And yes, I do think the Island led him to the caves. The photography is beautiful. The score is mesmerizing. Here it is:
Another powerful scene is when Jack pleads with Oceanic to process the coffin so he can bury his father. Unfortunately, I can't find a YouTube clip to link of the scene.
Anywho, there's a terrific scene between Jack and Locke in this episode. In fact, it's fun to re-watch Jack/Locke scenes before "Do No Harm" because the two aren't, well Jack isn't, ready to strangle Locke to death. Jack is wary, though, of Locke before the Boone stuff happens. In "Hearts and Minds," he asks Charlie about Locke to which Charlie responds that he'd put his absolute trust in Locke to save them all. I digress though. The scene between them in "White Rabbit" is very significant. They engage in their first Man of Science/Man of Faith discussion though it's not hostile nor is it overt and Jack actually seeks some insight into why the heck he sees a man that cannot be there and contemplates what lostaways view him as: their leader. It's the first instance of the key theme of predeterminism. Here is the scene:
And, while I'm on this scenes kick, I can't leave out the speech from White Rabbit:
I'm a big Jack fan. There are some fans who dislike the character very much but I'm not among them. I think he's a fascinating, complex character. Naturally, I'm very excited for the final chapter in Jack's individual story. He's more lost than any other character perhaps. He's more together and focused in "White Rabbit" than he is when he's off the Island and he's still searching for...something once he returns to the Island. Carlton Cuse spoke about the possibility of redemption as a key theme that will be explored in the final season. Other than Sayid, I'm most interested in the possibility of Jack's redemption in the final chapter of this show.
As for the other happenings in the episode, Claire bonds with Kate and Charlie. Specifically, she's glad Charlie isn't afraid of her like most of the other lostaways. Oh, Claire. As I mentioned earlier, there's a good subplot that involves lack of water.
This is an absolutely terrific episode of LOST. It's the only episode of the show Christian Taylor wrote (though I'd love to know which scenes Damon wrote since I bet he wrote at least one) but bravo sir! Kevin Hooks directed this one. Michael Bonvillain DPed the episode and the entire cast & crew did a tremendous job.
That does it for (possibly) the last EVER episode of the day. Check out the latest issue of The Quad (wcuquad.com). And check back here TOMORROW afternoon for the season six pre-season LOST rankings.
ONE MORE DAY!
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About The Foot
- Chris Monigle
- Originally, I titled the blog Jacob's Foot after the giant foot that Jacob inhabited in LOST. That ended. It became TV With The Foot in 2010. I wrote about a lot of TV.