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Written by Chris Monigle
I promised archival LOST writing pieces and today you shall get the first of the archival LOST writing pieces...in time. I'm taking a little shortcut way to getting an entry this time. I have my reasons. Firstly, I am (dare I say) pressed for time this week and by pressed, I mean, I am unable to devote the 3+hours it takes me to write a gargantuan entry this week. Now you might be wondering why I don't simply write it in spurts, why I write it in one fell swoop, and I do not have an answer. The truth: I do break up the days of writing. It's better in the long run. Better for me because I love to write long pieces. I feel like you get the most bang for the buck you don't spend by reading a long piece rather than a short piece. I got into a habit (you can decide whether it is bad or good) of writing more than the 600-800 word count required for articles. And I felt that I'd be doing a major injustice to the season five LOST finale if I didn't write at least 4,000 words (I wanted to get 6,000 but I came way short of that and settled for 4,000 and some change). But enough about word-counts!
I'm in the process of preparing the biggest thing that I will write this summer. Inspired by the experiential post-cards (as he liked to call them) of the late David Foster Wallace, you will, at some point, be reading about my experiences from May 30, 2009 until June 6, 2009. It is a week that includes a trip to the shore, a return to philly that began at 6:52am june 2nd, a return to the shore, and other wild things. Get excited.
Time to spend a few words on sports: Antonio Bastardo made his start last night. I saw about one inning from the entire game because I passed out from my lack of sleep just as the game began at 10pm. It was one of those dealies in which you aren't concious of passing out but you also are. You'll find out more about that day in the big jawn I'm going to be writing! But yes, Bastardo pitched 6 innings of 1 run ball. He threw mostly a fast-ball and didn't really change speeds all too much. But the dude throws heat. Averages 94-95 mph. I happened upon a start of his a saturday or two ago when he was with the Iron Pigs. It was his first start in AAA after pitching twice in AA (I believe). The dude was unbelievable, cruising through the first 4 or so innings before running into a little trouble. Here's the question though: are the Phillies simply showing him off as a means to end to replace Myers? If I was a betting man, I'd say probably. They've got to at least get Roy Halladay though. Just saying. As a whole, the Phils team is playing very solid, fluid baseball. Ruiz is rust-free now and a big, big help out of the 8th hole. It's an absolutel complete line-up now especially with the offense of Pedro Feliz. The bullpen has been as good as ever. Madson is terrific in the 8th. It's amazing watching him now that he's no longer lost in 'I should be a starter' thought. One of my favorite memories from the World Series run is when Madson hit 97 on the radar gun. He finally arrived when that happened and realized the potential he's had since becoming a major leaguer in 2004. That's about it for the Phillies.
THE LOST SECTION OF JACOB'S FOOT!
Anywho, it's time for the archival LOST writing piece! What is below is my season four recap which has quite a lot of text from lostpedia.com and Jeremy Bentham. In hindsight, it's entirely unnecessary given that Widmore thought it'd be funny to name Locke after another philosopher. There are quite a few things in this recap that have been shot down completely by the show itself which is yet another reason why everything should default to the people who run the show. There's a terrific interview with Damon and Carlton at lostpedia.com (which i finally read. i refused to go near it until season five had wrapped. i didn't read the entertainment weekly cover story on LOST that was featured in early february until the day after the finale ended and it turned out to be a good thing because there's loads of stuff that didn't happen when the cover story originally was published) and Damon addresses the world of fan theories. Now, with season six looming in a few months, every thing is going to fall into place but this quote from Damon is certainly apt. It even connects back to a rant of mine from, I believe, the Dead Is Dead recap (in which I went off on Smoky theories). Here's the man himself:
Alex: Have you ever seen any theory that has come close to solving any major mysteries? Like the Smoke Monster or Jacob?
Damon: You know, the answer is not really, because... Sometimes, like for example, there were popular theories probably about a year ago, or maybe as long as two years ago, right around the time I guess Eko died. About the Smoke monster's function was some sort of judge. It basically took your memories and processed your life and decided whether you were worthy of living or not, and that is certainly, kind of, one of it's functions. We've dealt with that more specifically now on the show, but the audience simply does not know enough yet to make an educated guess about where all of this is leading. You will know a lot by the end of the Fifth season, probably a lot more to begin to get a much better sense of what the end game of the show may be, but we've had to hold a lot of that stuff back so that people wouldn't get it too early or that all the answers were coming in the penultimate season of the show. Considering what the audience has to work with, they've proven to be incredibly resourceful and insightful, but there are some clues that we have not yet presented them, that are really integral to figuring out what the real endgame of the show is, so there's no way that they could really, you know, really...(
http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lostpedia_Interview:Carlton_Cuse_%26_Damon_Lindelof
)
There's also a great quote from Lindelof from that EW Cover Story about What Is To Come and lays out exactly what they mean by season six mirroring season one:
'the storytellers hope that anyone who has ever been a Lost fan will tune in next year as the show moves into payoff mode and begins resolving long-term character arcs. Indeed, compared with this year, season 6 sounds like it could be something of a blast from the season 1 past. Lindelof teases that the sci-fi-heavy season 5 (which includes more Smokey, four-toed statue, and numbers intrigue) ''sets up where we need to go in season 6, which will be much more grounded and character-centric than it is this year.'''
I can't wait! But in the meantime, here is my season four recap from June 12, 2008 at 9:02pm.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME PARTS TWO AND THREE!
I haven't been able to stop thinking about LOST. I don't even mean simply the finale. The show as a whole has been on my mind. I've been re-watching episodes. I've been reading lostpedia.com, thefuselage.com messageboards, old billie reviews, the bible, and alice in wonderland. I'm not even reading these for theory purposes because I don't really give a damn about theories to be honest with you. I'm refreshing my memory with regards to the past three seasons which is why I'm reading lostpedia, thefuselage, and old billie reviews. I read Doc Jensen's columns over at ew.com because he's great with picking out the allusions to literary texts (which i'm very much interested in). When it comes to theories and all of that jazz, I'm much more interested in waiting to see where the show goes instead of going over theory after theory. Most of all, I'm most interested in the characters. LOST is a character study/drama at its core and thats what drew me to the show in the first season. The first season is one of the greatest seasons in history of television. Episodes like Walkabout, White Rabbit, The Moth, Confidence Man, Solitary, Raised By Another, Special, Outlaws, ...In Translation, Numbers, Deus Ex Machina, Do No Harm, and the Exodus finale are some of the finest episodes EVER. How can we forget the reveal that Locke was paralyzed prior to crashing on the island? How can we forget the scene when Jack finds his father's coffin empty and proceeds to destroy it as well as the scene in which Jack tells the airport clerk the importance of burying his father? How can we forget the scene between Locke and Charlie when Locke tells Charlie about the moth's struggle and the scene when Charlie battles his way out of the collapsed cave because Jack's arm is dislocated? How can we forget the scene when we learn that Sawyer wrote the letter to the man who ruined his family as well as the scene when Sayid goes to map the Island because he's ashamed of himself because he tortured Sawyer? How can we forget Sayid's first flashback with Nadia? How can we forget Claire's first episode with the psychic Malkin, her reluctance to have Aaron (a great Claire moment, by the way, is in her episode in the second season in which she talks to Aaron after she's been to the Staff station. The moment bridges her season 1 and season 2 flashbacks). How can we forget the struggle Michael endured while he was kept away from Walt (and subsequently the bond the two forged on the Island)? Of course, I have more to write on Michael later in the entry and the story that was his. Who can forget the scene between Christian and Sawyer in the bar or the scene when Sawyer killed the wrong guy? Outlaws also had the great Sawyer vs. the Boar plot. Who can forget the great Jin flashback in which we find out he is ashamed of his lineage? One of the top 7 scenes in LOST is when he returns to his father and they talk on the fishing boat. I will have more to write on Jin later as well. How can we forget Hurley's first flashback in which he travels to Australia to discover whether he's bad luck or the numbers? How can we forget the epic scene in which John Locke pounds on the door of the hatch, yelling: 'I've done everything you've ever asked me to do so why did you do this to me?' and then the light goes on inside of the Hatch (we of course later learn that Locke ended up saving Desmond's life that night just as Desmond saved John's. The light gave John more hope and restored his faith in the Island, and Desmond discovered he wasn't alone.) Who can forget the birth of Aaron as Boone dies as well as the flashback of Jack's wedding day with Sarah? Do No Harm is the first episode in which a main character dies. And then there is the Exodus finale in which we see everybody boarding flight Oceanic 815. The point of this long paragraph: I'm big on character study and development. Come on, I'm a Joss Whedon fan. That guy's all about character. Anywho, those episodes are very cool because of the mythological stuff. I'll never forget the first time I heard the Whispers in Solitary as Sayid's wandering through the jungle or when Ethan was there to kidnap Claire (I had to leave for Kairos the next week and missed All The Best Cowboys have Daddy Issues! Drove me nuts!). But this isn't about the first season. This entry is about the fourth season finale of LOST.
Damon and Carlton did one hell of a job with the season finale. There were three deaths. The Island moved. The Freighter exploded. Lapidus' copter crashed. Penny Widmore ended up rescuing the Oceanic 6 (with Frank and Desmond). The Others were back in their most primitive form. Locke became the leader of The Others. Sawyer jumped out of the helicopter so that the rest could make it to the freighter to re-fuel. Daniel's lost at sea along with some random survivors. Charlotte, apparently, was born on the Island. Now it's time for some thoughts:
--I re-watched the scene when the Freighter explodes and have come to the conclusion that Jin is probably dead. Unless the blast sent him overboard before he was killed and he can survive in the water on something then color me wrong but I think Jin is no more. He's one of my favorite characters. Before his episode in the first season, I had the sense that Jin was a good guy. Indeed Jin was/is the personification of good. I hope but it is a slim hope.
--I know Michael's dead. Everything changed for Michael once Walt was taken by The Others. But he redeemed himself in the end. I do hope Walt has some part to play in the final seasons. Damon and Carlton owe it to the fans.
--Is Claire dead? I'm not sure anymore. Had that been real and not a dream, I would've been certain Claire died in the explosion. I think she is alive. Not sure what Jacob wants with her. Hopefully Damon and Carlton answer that next season. The opening of Raised By Another is a scene in which Locke tells Claire that she gave him away and now everyone will pay. Just saying.
--The Suicide Beard himself was back: Jack Shepard. Loved everything Jack did in the episode.
--I feel like Sun's going to become my least favorite character on the show. In the flashforward, she basically tells Widmore that she and the other five weren't the only ones to leave the Island. She's going to ruin everything but Yunjin Kim knocked it out of the park after The Freighter exploded. Holy cow! Intense.
--Looks like it took Ben 10 months to re-surface after moving the Island. No comment until I see more but Ben is one of the greatest characters ever created. Michael Emerson deserves an Emmy.
--I'm excited to see the zany antics and adventures Hurley and Sayid will have together next season as they try to get out of harm's way. But I think Sayid's safe place is that Island. Speaking of Sayid, his fight vs. Keamy rocked!
--There's gotta be more Richard Alpert next season. Very interesting character. If there's one thing Richard does its get rid of someone he feels is no longer qualified to lead his people. Is that what happened with Locke? We shall soon see (I hope and, of course, in about 8 months. Ugh.)
--Speaking of John Locke's corpse, he was going by the name Jeremy Bentham! Who is Jeremy Bentham? Welllllllllllllllll keep reading (there's very interesting info in here especially about The Jacobins):
FROM LOSTPEDIA.COM
Jeremy Bentham (15 February 1748–6 June 1832) - was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He was a political radical, and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law. He was a child prodigy and was found as a toddler sitting at his father's desk reading a multi-volume history of England and began his study of Latin at the age of three.
He was a political radical best known for his advocacy of utilitarianism, a form of consequentialism, meaning that the moral worth of an action is determined by its outcome - the ends justify the means. Utilitarianism argued that the "right" action or policy was that which would cause "the greatest happiness of the greatest number". His critics objected saying that it would therefore "...be acceptable to torture one person if this would produce an amount of happiness in other people outweighing the unhappiness of the tortured individual."
Bentham also designed a famous prison structure called the "Panopticon", which creates a sense of constant surveillance and paranoia amongst prisoners.
Bentham was also known for his outspoken opposition to the French revolutionary discourse of natural rights, an idea championed by philosopher John Locke (whose father, also named John Locke, worked for Jeremy Bentham). He also suggested a procedure for estimating the moral status of any action. His principle regards "good" as that which produces the greatest amount of physical or spiritual pleasure, and the minimum amount of pain; and "evil" as that which produces the most pain without the pleasure.
Bentham also argued that the ability to suffer, not the ability to reason, must be the benchmark of how we treat other beings. He stated that if the ability to reason were the criterion, many human beings, including babies and disabled people, would have to be treated as though they were things, rather than beings.
The Jacobins
Bentham was an outspoken critic of the violence which arose after a group called "The Jacobins" seized power in a coup after the fall of the French monarchy -- on September 21, 1792.
Originated as the "Club Bentham", "The Jacobin Club" was the largest and most powerful political club of the French Revolution. It was led by Maximillian Robespierre, self-styled as "the Incorruptible", he was a disciple of philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. As such, his political views were rooted in Rousseau's notion of the social contract, which promoted "the rights of man" (however, Robespierre's version was of collective rights, rather than individual rights). Any club member who by word or action showed that his principles were contrary to the constitution and 'the rights of man' was to be expelled, a rule which later on facilitated the "purification" of French society by the expulsion of its more moderate elements - this became known as the "Reign of Terror". Robespierre described it thus: "Terror is nothing other than prompt, severe, inflexible justice."
Later, Robespierre (leader of The Jacobins) had a decree passed that established the "Cult of the Supreme Being". The notion of the Supreme Being was based on ideas that Jean-Jacques Rousseau had outlined in "The Social Contract". Robespierre made it clear that his concept of a Supreme Being was far different from the traditional God of Christianity. Robespierre's Supreme Being was a radical democrat, like the Jacobins. He explained: "Is it not He whose immortal hand, engraving on the heart of man the code of justice and equality, has written there the death sentence of tyrants? Is it not He who, from the beginning of time, decreed for all the ages and for all peoples liberty, good faith, and justice? He did not create kings to devour the human race. He did not create priests to harness us, like vile animals, to the chariots of kings and to give to the world examples of baseness, pride, perfidy, avarice, debauchery, and falsehood. He created the universe to proclaim His power. He created men to help each other, to love each other mutually, and to attain to happiness by the way of virtue."
Bentham's auto-icon
As requested in his will, Jeremy Bentham's body was preserved and stored in a wooden cabinet, termed his "Auto-icon". The Auto-icon is kept on public display at the end of the South Cloisters in the main building of University College London, his alma mater. For the 100th and 150th anniversaries of the College, the Auto-icon was brought to the meeting of the College Council, where he was listed as "present but not voting". Tradition holds that if the council's vote on any motion is tied, the auto-icon always breaks the tie by voting in favour of the motion. The Auto-icon has always had a wax head, as Bentham's head was badly damaged in the preservation process.
--I'm positive that Sawyer's still surviving on that Island despite the horrible things that have happened. If I were a betting man, I'd bet the season 5 premiere belongs to Sawyer. It's just a gut feeling.
--'If anything goes wrong, Desmond is my constant'--Daniel's words in his journal. Again, if I were a betting man, I'd bet that Daniel uses his constant while he's lost at sea. I don't think he moved with the Island.
--Regarding Charlotte, I think we'll finally learn about the toe statue in season five. And Miles is going to tell me what happened to Claire! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!
That's about it for thoughts on the finale. It's time for the Rankings!
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS
For the first time ever, me and STEVE commented on each character's ranking. Me and STEVE have new number ones. Yes, Sayid is no longer number 1 for the first time since the rankings became official. The new number one for me deserves the top spot. I need not say more. Read and enjoy the final rankings until our pre-season rankings in January 2009. Mic's Rankings will be posted sometime before the fifth season begins.
AFTER EPISODES 13 AND 14
Ranked: 5/30/08
CHRIS
1. Jack--He got them rescused and now he needs to go back to finish what he started. Welcome back to the top spot, Jack.
2. Sawyer--JABOY season for Sawyer. I'm sure he'll be kicking some more ass in Season 5!
3. Sayid--Sayid's great. Always dependable. But don't kill Penny, Sayid. She rescused you. And sorry, Sayid. Records are sometimes broken.
4. Locke--'Wait til you see what I'm about to do' and 'This is a place of miracles.' Locke is amazing.
5. Desmond--He's great. Sure he was absolutely wrong about his vision of rescue but he never stopped helping the effort to get off of the Island. One of my favorite characters.
6. Michael--You stepped up, Michael.
7. Hurley--I love crazy Hurley.
8. Jin--Don't believe he's dead. He could've grabbed onto debris. Come on, Lindelof and Cuse! Jin's amazing!
9. Claire--She might be dead. Who knows. I still love her. BAM!
10. Ben--one of the greatest characters of all time. He is 10 because it is a numbers game.
11. Kate--How dare she call Aaron her son with Claire sitting there!
12. Frank--the best freighter character.
13. Juliet--Solid character she is.
14. Daniel--Was once 4 and now is 14. Why? Not sure. Just feels right.
15. Miles--He's great but hasn't done anything to move up.
16. Sun--How dare she blame Jack for Jin’s death!
17. Charlotte--Don’t care about her yet.
STEVE
1. Ben - The most original character of the show. He's wild. The actor is great. The writing is great.
2. Sawyer - Should be part of the Oceanic 6 if it wasn't for Fatty McFatFat
3. Desmond - I love the character of Desmond. Hopefully we will see more of him.
4. Locke - Crazy Locke. Great stuff this season. Can't wait till he's resurrected.
5. Sayid--The only reason you're down this far is because you after the island.
6. Jack--They should of made Jack black.
7. Michael--He did what he had to do. RIP.
8. Jin--RIP
9. Miles-- Don't know why Miles is this high...I wanted to get him to #8. Get it 8 Miles. 8 Mile...ha..whoo whoo ha ha
10. Frank--The Real Flyin' Hawaiian holdin' shit down.
11. Sun-Woo Kim
12. Claire--Ghostface
13. Kate-Murderer! Stealer of a child! Slut!
14. Charlotte-Starting to Like her
15. Daniel-Can't stand 'em.
16. Juliet-She said she wanted to get off the island as bad as anyone. Then she didnt even get on the boat to get off the island. WHOOOOOOOOORE.
17. Hurley-Should of jumped out of the plane. Unnecessary weight.
