Happy Valentine’s Day or Happy Single Awareness Day or Happy WTFever We’re Gonna Call It This Year Day. From us at Counterforce to you there, checking your email and masturbating at your computer screen. With love and lust and Lost valentines.
Or, in somewhat of a contradiction from our post last year…
Love? HA HA. Guess what? WE PITY YOUR WEAKNESS! And your foolishness!
Have fun trying to convince yourself that everyone doesn’t die alone!
But we wish you the best. Save us some chocolate.
…and as Benjamin Light already showed you, we’re huge dorks.
and
and
Awesome tweets. And that shall be the first and the last time that I ever say that about anything, I think. I first noticed these here. And don’t forget: Counterforce’s 100 Greatest Moments of Lost are forthcoming. And the entire show is currently viewable on Hulu.
We’re still a month away and I am already rock hard with anticipation.
Over the next few weeks, Counterforce will be counting down the top 100 moments of Lost. If you have any suggestions, feel free to add them to the comments.
It’s more of an experiment done in the ABC network labs to try and replicate and cultivate a Lost variation using some stolen cells from the much more interesting, much more popular show that’s “just about a bunch of people on an island.”
It’s Lost season 6 filming now OMGZ!
One of those cells shaved off the original is that annoying little hobbit, Charlie.
I’d like to point out that Charlie was such an integral part of Lost that he was killed off three years ago and half the audience has not only moved on, but pretty much forgotten about him.
from here.
But, no, no, this isn’t going to be nothing but Charlie bashing. That’s honestly too easy.
The same goes for the lovely Sonya Walger, Desmond long lost love on Lost who he was finally reunited with. I feel really bad for Walger, who’s a fine actress, because she’s had to go from jacking guys off on cancelled TV shows to soon to be cancelled shows like this, and her lone quality stop in between the two being her being cast in a role seemingly locked into the heart of Lost‘s mythology, only to then be barely utilized. Desmond’s Penelope wasn’t content to sit around waiting for her husband to return to Ithaca, but then… well, that’s a whole other story.
Flashforward is more of a show for people who (foolishly!) stepped out on Lost a few years ago and now claim “it’s too confusing” for them to dip back into, but really what they mean is that they’re ashamed. Elements of Flashforward‘s pilot (given the appropiate meta title of “No More Good Days”) are essentially the same set up from Lost, just brought over to an urban environment. But done in a not too subtle, not too interesting way. Nothing seems dangerous or interesting on Flashforward.
I’ll admit that Matthew Fox was a gamble for Lost to cast as their lead (as opposed to their original choice, Micheal Keaton), but you’d think that conversley, Joseph Fiennes, would be an incredibly safe lock for a lead on Flashforward. But what we didn’t know is that prior to filming the pilot episode, Ray Fiennes’ little brother had any charisma or allure that he may have possessed surgically removed.
The same could be said for the showrunners on Flashforward: David Goyer and Brannon Braga. Goyer’s one of those guys that’s really only popular with comic book nerds and fans of mediocre TV and movies (his sole “win” seemingly being Batman Begins and the “outline” for The Dark Knight). And Braga’s one of those Star Trek refugees who’s best at mindless, escapist TV that doesn’t require you to care all that much (he’ll be running 24 this coming season, I believe).
It is amusing to me to see Roger Sterling’s wife as the horny babysitter.
And it’s splitting hairs, but the show falls into that category of “That’d never happen like that.” The beginning near-apocalypse seems kind of calm compared to how such a catastrophe would really affect the worlds, and most criminal, after the first twenty minutes, the characters have seemed to make a little too much peace with all the weird shit they’ve experienced. Also, it seems odd to me that the local office of the FBI would be put in charge of the worldwide phenomena that’s just happened…
Also, Seth MacFarlane as the Special Agent in charge of Exposition at the FBI? Ugh. Though MacFarlane is certainly no stranger to derivative entertainment.
The novel the show’s based on, by Robert J. Sawyer, isn’t perfect. In fact, it’s about as flawed and passion-less as the show, which isn’t a direct adaptation by any means, more taking a central concept and a few minor character archetypes and situations over. The novel feels like watered down Crichton, starting with a very interesting premise and then either moving away from it as fast as possible or getting completely mired down in the prattling on of the uninteresting self centered characters. The one thing the novel did have right about itself was that it was primarily set at CERN, and it’s main characters were scientists, afraid that they were responsible for the consciousness of the entire world flashing forward in time, and so it made a little more sense for them to get heavily involved in an investigation into this sort of thing.
For a show that should have a lot more potential and promise than was on display, how sad is it that I was more excited by the productionally challenged V remake’s commercials during the broadcast?
That said, I did enjoy the Oceanic Airlines ad in the background of one scene:
Makes me wish I could flash forward to January 2010 already.
The week works through it’s cycle and here we are again, the fog clearing in the aftermath of another great episode of Mad Men, this one being last night’s “The Fog.” And it’s time for us to think upon it, is it not, August?
August Bravo: What time is it? What time isn’t it? And, yes, after being sodomized during my move to Manhattan last week, I am back. Sorry about the absence. Let’ just dive right in.
Marco Sparks: Last night’s episode, and I feel like I could be saying this every week during season 3 of the show, but last night’s episode was probably my favorite so far.
August: Oh yeah, definitely. Last night’s was such a great episode. So good from the get go.
Marco: Do you think Don’s going to go the easy route and hook up with Sally’s maypole-dancing teacher, the anti-Bobbi Barrett, who feels her job a little too much? And equally importantly, are we, the fans, almost hungering for that?
August: No, But I definitely think he’ll get a chance to this year.
Marco: Fuck yeah, he will. Evening phone calls with a drink in hand, hugging the corner of the room, and that seductive bra strap hanging off her shoulder? Lesser men would puddle at that sight.
August: Yes. But do you think that maybe Dennis the prison guard’s little speech may have sunk in with Don to a certain degree? I’d like to think so. I think it’s what everyone wants. That would be awesome.
Marco: Nah, not me. I’m anti-hugging, learning, crying, or understanding. I’m against redemption in pretty much all forms. Redemption gets passed to me at a party and someone’s all like, “Yo, you want a hit o’ this?” That someone could be Peggy’s drug dealer from two weeks ago, mind you, but even still, I’m like, “No, thanks.”
August: Also, I loved seeing the little bit part/cameo by the woman who voices Lisa Simpson.
Marco: Yeah, really. Seeing Yeardley Smith totally stunned me right out of that scene for a moment, you know?
August: I thought it was really funny. Also, I love Don’s constant annoyance with Pryce. Walking into that meeting and then walking out only seconds later after realizing it’s extremely pointless (to him), that was one of my favorite Don moments this season. After all, why should he have to worry about money?
Marco: I think Don does worry about money, just not the company’s, you know? I feel like that’s a big part of his conversation with Peggy towards the end. Peggy, voicing the feelings of everyone, sees Don and thinks he has it all together and has everything. And he does. He’s Don Draper, after all. But I think at every single moment, Don’s afraid of losing it. His “greatest fears lay in anticipation,” after all.
But speaking of that money, and I have to love the way Jared Harris makes the alliteration of “pencils, pads, paper, and postage” sing. Also, Sal’s expense account was higher than Don’s, right? Did he have to pay for that half a hand job?
August: Good question. And one better suited to an accountant. I enjoy finding out more and more about Don’s previous life in each episode…
Marco: …and the way little bits of his previous self filter into his current persona?
August: Yeah. There’s nothing particularly revealing about that in that first scene in Sally’s teacher’s classroom, but everything about that scene, as they’re there to deal with Sally’s misbehavior in the wake of Grandpa Gene’s passing, was just perfect. And awkward. And perfectly awkward. And was only made better by the teacher then calling Don that night, and seemingly after some drinking. Why would she do that? Again, I’m sure there’s a hidden agend at work, even if none of the characters are aware of it yet. Maybe you’re right and her and Don will sleep together.
Marco: Or, at least have… a confrontation of some sorts. And if the game is seduction, maybe it won’t be Don Draper who seduces her, maybe it’ll be Dick Whitman?
I just love the tease the writers give us as super pregnant Betty comes down the stairs, seemingly out of nowhere to ruin Don’s budding conversation with Sally’s teacher, and announces that it’s time. And then asks who was on the phone. “No one.”
August: The waiting room scenes, like we said, were pretty interesting. Don’s chat with Dennis, the prison guard, who’s having a baby. And there’s been a breach. “Our worst fears lie in anticipation.” And Don, always so cool, calm, and collected. And playing the alpha male around someone who’s just it is to always be in charge.
Marco: It seems like when put into an social situation that he just doesn’t really care to be in, Don will have a drink with just about anyone. In that regard, Don Draper is Ernest Hemingway. And next time, I think Don will remember to bring a bottle.
August: That part, he stuff in the waiting room, was just a great aspect of that storyline in this episode. Dennis’ last words to Don are what I liked the most. The stuff about how Dennis can just tell that Don is an honest man. And how this, being fathers, will make them better men. . Nice lingering thought to leave with someone, either inspirational, or…
Marco: …meant to make them feel guilty?
August: Yeah.
Marco: I think there’s a bit of that, the guilt, maybe, in Don based on that chat. That, or Don listens to Dennis’ naive take on the nobility of a man’s sperm conquering his wife’s eggs and spawning a life and therein lies redemption just kind of cute. I think Don was thinking, I used to think like you did, and now I’m just drinking your booze, buddy. And then afterward, in the hallway, they act like strangers.
But I tell you, Augustus, the show is tugging on me about Betty again. Deep down, I’m honestly rooting for her, even though, really, I’ve grown to hate her. But the way she’s basically just passed off at the nurse’s station amazed me. That girl is just so, so alone.
August: Betty’s vision question as she was induced and the dreams of her mother and father are so intriguing. I feel like she’s slowly losing her insanity throughout the progression of this show. And the horrible nurse, and her accusing said nurse of cheating with her husband, wow.
Marco: “I don’t want to be here.” I imagine you don’t, Birdy. I’ve seen a lot of people online loving the nurse’s analogy there: Betty is on a boat. And Don is on the shore. And right now, it doesn’t really seem like he’s waving her away from the rocks.
But I’m fascinated by how, even in her dreams, Betty gets no respect from her father, and knows the place that she’s been stuck in for so long. “You’re a housecat. You’re very important, but you have little to do.” There’s a whole other discussion/bit of bloggery to be done on the pop feminism dripping out of Betty’s storyline in this episode alone.
August: It was a very interesting, very revealing dream, I think. But who was the black guy sitting there in the kitchen? And the blood? And that was the Hofstadt’s longtime maid, Viola, right?
Marco: I’ll admit to a bit of confusion there as well. At first I thought it was meant to be Medgar Evers. Especially since his death was mentioned earlier. Now I’m pondering if it was just supposed to be someone from Betty’s past? I don’t know.
But, you know, Medgar Evers, that Tibetan monk, Gene Hofstadt, and the upcoming assassination of JFK: This is the year of death on Mad Men.
August: I like Duck – now with ducks on his office wall – trying to scout Pete and Peggy. So good. And especially doing it at the same time.
Marco: And the suggestion that they have a secret relationship, which, of course, they do in a way, but that’s an offensive notion to Pete, who always sees Peggy as less than he. Starting with the fact that she’s just a woman, and continuing with the fact that she is a genuinely talented woman. She represents everything Pete hates about woman,and everything women show Pete has within himself: weakness.
August: Peggy always seems to be breaking down. Or crying about something. Not having enough money. Having a baby. Life being too hard. Or too expensive for her. She puts up a strong front, but falls right into every woman’s stereotype of being a whiny little baby herself.
Marco: I am not going to touch that one with a thirty foot pole.
But I do like Peggy, and like that she gave Don the baby present, and that it was an elephant. Of course it’s an elephant in that room, considering her past and his secret knowledge of that!
August: And I like Pete Campbell. Ah, Pete and “the negro” in the elevator. Always taking work a little too seriously and undervaluing people a little too much.
Marco: He’s always a bit racist, though he doesn’t like being called a “bigot,” but poor Hollis there just wasn’t going to be respected by Pete in that elevator because of the color of his skin anymore than Peggy will ever be because she’s a woman, and because she has power over little Pete Campbell.
It’s kind of funny that Kinsey thinks he’s cool because of his knowledge/fetishizing of black culture. I feel like Kinsey and Pete come at this group of people from just opposite directions.
August: Little Pete Campbell? I tell you, I love his initiative. He basically created the idea of the urban market last night. And I think a lot of his disgust with Peggy comes from his not respecting the decisions she makes. But he is such a controlling guy, even when he shouldn’t be. Or, maybe he should? He is that baby’s daddy.
Marco: I think Roger summed up Pete best last night: A lot of times this business comes down to just, “I don’t like that guy.” That, and chocolate sundaes.
But Pete sums up one of the larger things going on in this show perfectly. We talked before about characters relationship with the previous generation and how they feel out of place with them and that they can’t learn anything from them, but the thing is… they’re just like them, in their own way. Everyone on this show, to use the ship metaphor, is essentially a passenger on the Titanic. And social change is about to hit them hard like a motherfucking iceberg.
August: I hate how everyone dislikes him there at Sterling-Cooper. He’s not the most noble man, no one there is…
Marco: It is advertising after all.
August: Right, but he does have the occasional good idea, you know? It’s a shame some companies worry about image when dealing with “undesirable customers” and not money. I guess Pete’s ideas aren’t good enough that Roger won’t have to give out a few handjobs in 1963.
Marco: Been there, done that.
August: And we cut to the credits. Also, totally unrelated: Kanye West is the shit.
Marco: Kanye is just the new Joe Wilson. Actually, he’s like a wrestler who’s grown too old for his good guy storyline and now has to flirt with evilness and rudeness.
The thing I was hoping to see the most in this episode was, since I knew that it’d be some Pete stuff, a scene with his lovely and wonderful wife, Trudy. Especially since the actress who plays Trudy so wonderfully, Alison Brie, is in this month’s Esquire, in their slightly condescending Funny Joke From A Beautiful Woman segment. Anyway, we shall end our chit chat today with her joke, which I think you’ll find oddly fitting to this episode of Mad Men…
A guy walks into a bar and sees a sign that reads, “Cheese sandwich $3.50. Chicken sandwich $4.50 Handjob $5.” He checks his wallet and calls over the waitress. He asks, “Are you the one who does the handjob?”
She smiles at him seductively and says, “I am.”
He says, “Well, wash your friggin’ hands. I want a cheese sandwich.”
So now then.
i don’t really have much to say at the moment. I still despise 95% of our culture, but at least we have Lost.
Not so much:
It’s really a shame that newspapers are dying, because blogging can’t fill that gap in real journalism, and having to rely on the AP, well…
…We’ll always have Yahoo! Front Page. Thanks to them, I know it’s a bad thing for a girl to call Benjamin “pal” in a flirtext.
I’m too lazy to link to anything today. Fuck it, it’s Friday. Do you have any idea how badly I want to kill you?
Addendum: Benjamin Light has consumed significant amounts of generic vodka. I was attending a screening of Star Trek last week with Occam Razor when, pre lens-flare-o-rama, the theater aired the trailer for the Night at the Museum sequel. At then end of this travesty of cinema, a girl behind and to the left of us declared: “I have to see it! I HAVE to see it! I HAVE TO SEE IT!”
… I don’t even know what to say to that. Judging by the demograph of the crowd, I can only assume she was sincere in her desire to view said movie. Is there a less significant film in the history of cinema? I don’t know. But it cements my feeling that Television (or, at least serialized narratives) is the future of motion pictures, and not film. Take one peak at the trailer to The Road and it becomes painfully clear that some stories should not be made into movies.
For instance, I would love to see certain scenes from Cryptonomicon realized on a big screen, especially the Bobby Shaftoe stuff, but you can take a step back and admit that, yes, some narratives were intended to be digested as books, not movies. And where movies fail to deliver the nuance of a novel, perhaps a serialized narrative in the format of a television show can succeed. I feel, lately, that too many properties are being converted into movies, despite the fact that the structure is incompatible: see The Watchmen. Somehow the motion picture has established itself as the high point of media saturation, so we get subpar “adaptations” of The Golden Compass and the like.
Note to hollywood: if you want to make a movie, make a movie, but not all stories should be adapted so. Most people love books not for the plot, but for the personality of the narrator, and the intimate connection between reader and storyteller. In short, if Hollywood can’t duplicate that in Script Form a la Fight Club, then it’s probably not worth the money to make a film of it. In other words: hire better screenwriters or make better tv shows. Not every property can be condensed into a 105-minute feature.
I have no doubt in my mind that the Night at the Museum sequel will make shitloads of money. I don’t fully understand it, but I know better that to vote against it. Although I’d love to see bits of The Baroque Cycle on the big screen, if only to expose the material to a wider audience, there’s a kind of comfort in the knowledge that only the truly committed will appreciate the nuances of literature.
It was rumored that last night’s Lost, entitled “Follow The Leader” was going to be a Richard Alpert-centric episode and I don’t know about you, but that gave me a bit of an erection. Aside from Faraday, who would have more answers on this Island than the man who, as far as we know, has been on it forever?
Well, it wasn’t quite an Alpert-centric episode, but he did feature prominently and it was a great episode. And more an importantly, the wheel of fire leading into the finale next week is all lit up and spinning…
So let’s do some quick thoughts on last night’s Lost, okay?
Locke. Man, this guy has impeccable timing, doesn’t he? And purpose too, which looks good on him. Maybe Ben killed off the pathetic feeble old man shell of Locke, the one hiding the true leader hidden within?
And I kind of love the ending of this episode. Like I’ve said before, to me, Ben has become one of the most compelling characters on television, so anything to genuinely illicit this reaction…
… is excellent. Locke has a calling know, he’s calling people out, he’s shaking things up, making his own destiny (past, present, and future) and inviting the underlings along. He seems to think there is a difference between “the Island” and “Jacob” and to prove that, he’s off to see the Wizard… and kill him.
Jack. Fuck the sandwiches, Jack has a destiny of his own. Or, at least he thinks he does and he’s grabbing that shit by the balls. More on that later, but like Sayid said, it’ll either work or put everyone out of their misery. Speaking of which…
Motherfucking Sayid is back. Also a character with impeccable timing. Not to get all fanboytastic on you nice folks, but next week’s finale has Sayid, Richard Alpert, Locke doing something crazy, Jack doing something crazy, a submarine, a hydrogen bomb, and leak of electromagnetic energy. How can you not have a little boner or wide on of awesomeness at the prospect of all of that?
Kate. Sometimes you’re a bit crazy with that Springsteen-esque born to run vibe, Freckles, but other times, like in this episode, you’re sensible as hell. But you can tell things are bad when Jack wants to get away from you. He wants to get away from you so bad that he’s willing to change history to basically have never met you, obliterating all the good times and wiping out people like Ji-Yeon and leading to the eventual death of Rose and putting Locke back in the chair. And causing poor Desmond to never reunite with Penny. I mean, the way Jack told her his plan there, so passionate about it, it almost makes sense and at the same time, it’s kind of heartbreaking too. There’s a lot of stuff that needs to be fixed. Or, a lot of stuff that needs to go so much more wrong that it can only go right.
Sawyer. Microsoft stock? I guess that works. And…
Juliet. I still love ya, baby. Handcuffed to Kate again? I like that too. It’s hot. But…
Sawyer, Juliet, and Kate. I can’t wait to watch this spinoff. For reals.
Dr. Pierre Chang. As much as I sometimes find Hurley to be a little too cheesy and a little too on the nose as a proxy for the fans (and there were serious verges of that in “Some Like It Hoth”)(I wonder if the Fourth Wall will be nothing to Hugo Reyes next year), this scene was awesome, in particular because of Pierre Chang. “You’re 46?” Ha ha.
Faraday. Still dead. And dead is dead and whatever happened, happened. Unless it doesn’t happen. Cause then something else will happen. Something crazy. Speaking of which…
Young(er) Eloise Hawking. You know what? I totally have a crush on this woman. Granted, she’ll not only allow her son (she’s clearly pregnant in this episode already)(pregnant with the son she just shot in the back, mind you) to grow up to die but push him towards that fate just to keep the timeline exactly the same (which I think tells us a lot about what we should already know about next week’s episode), but she’s no bullshit and all move on it. “All right, let’s get started,” she says, just like she did (or will do) at the Lampost and they’re off and running. I like that.
Also, the Others circa 1977? Is it me or are these guys as shittily put together and run as the DHARMA Initiative? I’ve half surprised that this lot of Others didn’t accidentally wipe themselves out along with the DHARMA folk during the Purge.
Jughead! I think we all knew that this giant version of Chekhov’s Gun was due for a reappearance and this should get very interesting.
Richard Alpert. How great it would’ve been to actually get a flashback with him to… well, his origins, I guess is what we’re interesting, but it wouldn’t appear to be time for that yet. And on top of it, maybe that’s a bit of an editorial statement on what sort of character he is? We’ll see how that develops. But especially interesting is that while Richard seemed to be rooting for Ben, who we have to assume showed so many signs of being the One without possibly actually being the One, Richard then helped nudge things into the direction of Locke, and now… Well, now he’s worried that Locke’s very transparent style of leadership might be a problem. And he’s confiding that to Ben, which is even more interesting considering how icily their last talk went three years earlier right before Ben turned that frozen donkey wheel.
The frozen donkey wheel that, regardless of who was told to do it and who actually ended up doing it, was the instruction of the great and powerful Oz, er, Jacob via Christian Shephard (what a name, that). In fact, that episode last year was a lovely cliffhanger (“He wants us to move the Island)” leading you into the finale and now we have a nice counterpart: “I’m gonna kill the son of a bitch.”
Should be very, very interesting.
Next week: The Incident! From the preview it would appear that Jack and Sawyer have a showdown in the classic Jack vs. Locke style, more complications or stresses in the love quadrangle, and Richard Alpert has an axe:
Locke continues his mission to find Jacob and kill him, “There can only be one leader on the Island,” what’s inside Bram’s box (ha ha), and brand spanking new Jackface:
Exciting, right? See you right after.
“Luke, I am your father.”
“Miles, I’m your daddy, lost in time and space.”
“Roger… Jesus. You suck at life.”
Seriously.
Last night’s episode of Lost, “Some Like It Hoth,” wasn’t the greatest of the series, but it was a damn fun romp. It confirmed a lot of things that we’ve all pretty much been guessing at (like who Miles’ father was), and moved the story along nicely, setting us up for some interesting stuff to come…
I’m totally bringing you into the circle of trust with some quick thoughts on the episode:
Miles. Charlie 2.0, I dig you. You’re a bit of a smart ass, but some of your cutting remarks are sharp and well placed. I think the revelation of what exactly the $3.2 million was about was very interesting (and last season, we all had to know that that figure was some kind of code), and I’m glad we finally got to see your super power in action a little more. And though I was excited to see it last year, clearly it makes much more sense this year in the death and resurrection season. Also, in the picture above, Miles is obviously pondering whether or not Hurley’s sandwiches are as good as Jack’s.
Kate. I know I beat up on Kate a lot whenever I have to talk about her, but to be honest and fair, I really only do so because it’s easy and she tends to deserve it. Sorry, Kate. I believe that you’re a smart woman, strong and capable, and a skilled criminal and resourceful when it comes to getting out of tight jams, and yet… WTF was your thinking when dealing with Roger? I hate to say it, but I think that Hipster Grifter could show you a thing or two on this.
Roger. Kill yourself. Or… just chill for another decade or two and go have a beer with your son to celebrate his birthday in your DHARMA van on a hill somewhere. That works too, man.
That guy Phil. I think the only person I want to see seriously injured more than this guy is Radzinsky, though that’s not going to happen for a while… Maybe not until “The Incident?” Hmm. (My new theory there is that Radzinsky doesn’t so much deep throat that shotgun as Kelvin just rams it into his mouth, because who could stand to spend five minutes in a room with that guy?) Either way. In addition to a season full of death and resurrection, this is also the year of Sawyer dishing out the hot, fresh man slap.
The Swan and…
The numbers. When Hurley witnessed that… What a chillingly effective touch, am I right?
Jack. If season 3 was very much the big year of Jack in so many ways, then in comparison this is the year that Jack just kind of takes it easy. He’s going to make a few sandwiches, he’s going to clean some education about Egyptian hieroglyphics off the chalkboard, and he may stop by for tea and to impart a little wisdom for you, but other than that, he’s just going to hang back. One can only hope for the return of some serious Jackface soon.
Dr. Pierre Chang. How can you not dig this guy? I mean, seriously. Supposedly he’s marked for death by the course of things, or perhaps he escapes into the past (my theory is that Daniel is the cameraman in that video), but I harbor a serious desire for him to get his own spin off when the dust of history settles.
All the best cowboys have daddy issues.
Horace Goodspeed. You know, Horace, other than you and Pierre, none of you DHARMA people are really impressing me. I am quite frankly astonished that the Hostiles haven’t accidentally wiped you guys out yet. But still, I dig your style. Circle of trust. Nice.
Daniel Faraday. “Long time, no see” indeed. About time, man. I really liked Faraday’s character last year, but at the beginning of this season he really established himself as one of the characters to watch because, well, he had something so few of the characters are ever lucky enough to possess: the answers. Personally, I’ve really felt his loss this past season and can’t wait for Pierre Chang and him to get down into the Orchid and do some digging into that Frozen Donkey Wheel.
Hurley’s plan. Not only does this get the BIGGEST NERD WIN EVER, it’s kind of a genius notion. Watch out, Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, cause Hugo Reyes is coming after your ass. Hopefully, his “improvements” include more Lando.
Also, Ewoks. While I didn’t love them, I am prepared to defend them.
Also, What lies in the shadow of the statue? It was a good question last week and it’s an even better question this week. Fascinating to see Bram show up again, only back in 2004 when he was trying to dissuade Miles from going to the Island. Unless what he said in that van (and honestly, shouldn’t all clandestine meetings and interventions take place in the back of a high speed van after a mid-taco abduction?) was incredible misdirection or just flat out lying, then perhaps his people on Ajira 316 aren’t Widmore-ites. Perhaps the coming war isn’t Widmore vs. Ben, but Widmore/Ben/Locke, etc. versus… something or someone else? If I had to venture a guess, it’d actually be Eloise Hawking because… Who else could it be? Plus, she makes sense and would make a great villain.
NEXT WEEK: There’s like a special or something. Should be interesting, but ehhh, it’s just filler. BUT THE WEEK AFTER THAT: It’s Lost‘s 100th episode!
DHARMA Civil War, from the looks of it. And also cake!
But until then, remember… Whatever happened, happened!
Previously on Lost: Locke and Desmond go to the Pearl station and find answers to their ?s, one leaving with a purpose and one leaving with shattered dreams. Michael is back with a plan from the Others and sends two of the 815ers down the road. Sayid sees through some bullshit (naturally) and forms a plan of his own. And then a sailboat shows up…
And what a long, strange journey it’s been as we get to the #1 episode on our list, “Live Together, Die Alone.”
Watching this episode the other day in preparation for this list, I was just floored by how amazing it is. Like Commander Light said yesterday, “Through A Looking Glass” is an amazing episode, practically on par with this one, both perfect, strong studies of sometimes imperfect characters, but this one spreads around so much good, so many great moments, and in the end, while “Through A Looking Glass” is about a man literally falling apart, “Live Together, Die Alone” is about the opposite, about a man trying to “lift it up, brotha,” to quote Desmond and one of the series’ recurring phrases. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the focal point of this episode is one of my favorite characters?
This episode right here, a shocker at the time, not just for the fact that Desmond returned but that he became the central flashback character of a finale, is where I would strongly make claim to the Desmond/Penny love story becoming one of the strongest core parts of this show.
This is a powerful story of a man who’s good at failing, who feels that he’s lost something, including the woman he loves. He wants her back. She wants him back but he wants to come back to her whole. He wants to be the man who’s good enough for her and he’s willing to travel half way around the world to win his honor back. For her. To be hers. But he gets lost on the way and finds something else entirely.
Editor’s note: At this point, I (Benjamin Light) would like to pipe in with my worst Scottish accent and say “I have to get mah honnuh back!” Thank you, that is all.
Desmond: “What’s all that about then?”
Inman: “Just saving the world.”
What amazes me is that so many people complain about season 2, saying that’s where the show fell apart for them. They’re right in that the show did falter very, very briefly (but it was at the start of season 3, not 2), but this finale was perfect in unifying the second season as a whole. And even working in nicely with season 1.
A full recap would be mind blowing, but too long. Go watch the episode. It will not let you down, not in the slightest. Some highlights:
I can’t stress this point nearly enough:
THAT IS A FOUR TOED FUCKING STATUE RIGHT THERE!
You hear a lot of talk these days about TV shows done right and feeling like multi-part novels playing out in serialized live action (primarily with shows like The Wire and Mad Men), but I would argue that that analogy works just as strong for Lost, especially as book 2 of the series came to close, almost working perfectly as a sole story of it’s own, but it definitely let you know that certain things were over in this show and that there was going to be a whole new focus and a strong one: The Others.
Season 3 was back before they adopted a 24 like schedule and you didn’t have to wait a fucking eternity for answers, but it certainly felt like it. The same for the distance between season 4′s conclusion and tomorrow’s premiere.
(ed. note: I’d also like to give a shout-out to the weird russian dudes at the very end of the episode who caused an avalanche of speculation on the internets about whether or not that was actually Matthew Fox playing Jack’s doppelganger. Remember, Everything Happens For A Reason.)
Matt? Is that you?
See you tomorrow! Thank you, and namasté.
Marco and I agreed to put this one at number 2, but in my book it’s 1A. I’ll be honest, I fucking love this episode. I can remember getting off from work, coming home at 3 am and watching this immediately and being so fucking floored I think I just ended up staying awake all night.
After this episode, you will need a drink. And maybe a cigarette.
I think that after the series is over, people will look back at “Through a Looking Glass” as the narrative climax. Everything comes to a head and it’s all crashing down on poor, flawed Jack’s shoulders. This is Jack Shephard’s crucible.
Previously? on Lost. The castaways have set up and ambush for the Others on the beach.
Nadler, Jarrah and Kwon, Attorneys at Law
And Charlie has swam down to the Looking Glass underwater Dharma Station to push a button, only to find it filled with feisty OtherBabes.
I’m not even going to bother recapping the whole thing here, just go watch it if you haven’t. And if you have, watch it again.
This is the episode that turns the whole show on its head. You think you’re watching a JackBack to a dark time in his life, when you’re actually watching a flash forward. The writers have the balls to say, “yep, they get off the island, and it’s a huge fucking mistake,” and then fold the entire story back in on itself like a crease in space-time.
My least favorite character on the show dies, and it turns out to be the most moving death in the series. Charlie warning Des and then signing himself as he drowns is gut-wrenching and uplifting at the same time. I think this is partly due to Charlie somewhat redeeming himself in the prior episode, but he was helped by the fact that “Greatest Hits” remains the only time where we get to see a flashback to when a character is happy.
I think this scene, which starts with Charlie punching out a Beach Boys song on a keypad and getting a surprise call from Penny, and ends with his sacrificial drowning, is the finest 5 minutes in all of Lost.
But I also want to talk about Jack. Even though Charlie steals the best moment, this is the definitive episode for Matthew Fox and Jack. The JackFace is off the charts. I mean, just check these out:
Damn. Jack was at the end of his rope when the episode started, in both timelines. And then things got worse.
These two are totally screwing in Season 5.
Off the island, he misses the chance to kill himself because he’s such a goddamned hero (I think we can assume now that the Island wouldn’t let him die; fate being a fickle bitch).
And on it, his plan just keeps getting worse. The ambush fails and Jin, Sayid and Bernard are captured. Then Ben shows up and pretends to have them executed. And just when things are looking up, John Locke shows up to put a knife if Naomi’s back.
Fox does a great job both with Jack’s stoned distress in the future and his pained determination in the present. His biggest moment of action, beating the shit out of Ben, isn’t his moment of strength, it’s his moment of weakness.
Jack is at his absolute breaking point here, and, perversely, we know from the 4th season that things get progressively worse for him every day after until he leaves the Island. It’s not hard to imagine how he came to pill-popping in the future.
Remember kids: doctors store their good shit between the menthol and cherry cough drops
And there were like 50 other great moments in the episode, too:
Oh, and the coffin.
Sigh. What a phenomenal 2-hours. And this was just the second best episode of Lost so far. Tomorrow, the best, and also, the Season five premier in just 40+ hours.
We have to go back, Kate.
We have to go BACK!
