Entertaining Thoughts

Lost - "The Last Recruit"

2010-04-20T14:42:00.000-04:00

Tonight's episode of Lost, "The Last Recruit," seems to be referencing, at least to me, one Dr. Jack Shephard. Smokey has said that he must gather the remaining candidates before he can get off the Island. He has Sayid, Sawyer, Jin and Kate (it is up for debate whether Kate is still a candidate). Sun and Hurley are at least now both in the same camp as Smokey, but so is Jack. Whether or not he is willing to follow Smokey is what is at issue. The look of utter confusion and disbelief that struck Jack's countenance when he saw Smokey as Locke standing there was priceless. Will the good doctor be receptive to Smokey's plan? Can the others convince him, or will he have some other plan up his sleeve?

Further, what will be going on in the Sideways world? Darlton said in their most recent "Official Lost Podcast" that tonight's episode will not be character-centric. What I'm expecting to happen is that all of our characters will converge on evidently the only hospital in all of Los Angeles. There, they will have some kind of cosmic awakening and realize that "they have to go back!" Jack's already there, Sun, Jin, Locke and presumably Ben are probably on their way too. I'm not sure how Hurley, Sawyer and Kate will get there, but at least the latter two are together (because Sawyer arrested Kate back in "Recon").

As far as what else I expect to see tonight, I think we'll get a classic Jack vs. Locke debate/standoff, although Locke is no longer Locke. As much as it has been important for Jack to discover that he can't fix everything, I do miss "Leader Jack," so I hope he asserts himself a little tonight. We saw in the creepy Willy Wonka preview lat week that Desmond was not killed by his descent down the well, so how will he get out? Will he encounter anyone down the hole, like Christian Shephard? How the heck will he get out?!? I also expect further frustration that Sun and Jin will be kept apart, but maybe, just maybe, I'll be pleasantly surprised and they will finally reunite at the end of the episode.

Other than these things, I really don't have many more expectations. It's getting harder and harder to expect anything with such few hours left. Moreover, I'm not sure I want to have any expectations, lest I be disappointed with the conclusion of the series. So, anything more that what I've listed above will be nothing but gravy. I'll be back this weekend with some thoughts on "The Last Recruit," our last episode for two weeks! Until then...

Enjoy.

Lost - "Ab Aeterno," "The Package," "Happily Ever After," & "Everybody Loves Hugo"

2010-04-19T15:49:00.000-04:00

I'm a bad blogger. A very bad blogger. It is inexcusable that I would not post anything for an entire month! during Lost's final season. I could blame work. I could blame my writing at TVOvermind.com. I could blame the return of the Spring soccer season (I'm a referee), but it all of those excuses would be for naught. I've dropped the ball, and for that I apologize. I thank everyone that has stuck with me through this time of inactivity. I will strive to do better.

OK, with my self-flagellation out of the way, let's turn to what has been an absolutely incredible period in the history of Lost. We have now recahed the two-thirds mark of the season, with only six hours remianing of this incredible series. Let's take a quick look back at the episodes I've missed chatting about for the last few weeks, and figure out where we are heading into this week's episode, "The Last Recruit."

Ab Aterno
Well, this was the epsiode everyone was waiting for: Richard Alpert's backstory. Why doesn't he age? Because Jacob granted him eternal life so he wouldn't have to go to hell for accidentally killing a doctor. Why was it so nice for Smokey to see Richard out of his chains? Because Richard was sold into slavery to avoid the hangman's noose for said killing. How was the Tawaret statue destroyed? The Black Rock (the slave ship Richard was on) crashed through it during a terrible storm that landed the ship a mile inland. All great answers to long-asked questions. We also got the wine bottle/cork explanation for the Island: namely that the Island is a cork holding evil from spreading throughout the world. Is that "evil" Smokey? We've yet to find out.

This was an absolutely great episode, and perhaps the best of the season. As I mentioned above, long-held questions were finally answered regarding Richard and the Island, and an Emmy nomination-worthy performance was given by Nestor Carbonnell. There has always been great acting on the show, but that was a grade A performance. As the episode dealt solely with Richard's past, there was no flash-sideways (a welcome reprieve from that madness); it was simply an origin story that was top notch on every level.

The Package
I was waiting desperately for Sun and Jin's flash-sideways just so I could see those crazy kids together again. I did get to see them together, but as with everything in the Sideways world, something was awry. Sun and Jin were still lovers, but they were not married as of their flight on Oceanic 815. Rather, they were stealing away to the U.S. after Jin finished one last job for Mr. Paik. That job involved delivering a watch, and the money taken at Customs, to Keamy. What Jin didn't know was that the payment was actually the bounty placed on his head for sleeping with Mr. Paik's daughter. As we knew from "Sundown," Keamy was to be shot by Sayid, freeing Jin, but another gun batte ensued, with Sun, and her and Jin's unborn child, being possible casualties. Undoubtedly, a trip to Dr. Jack Shephard's hospital is in order. Lastly, the "package" that was behind the locked door on Widmore's submarine was revealed to be Desmond!

Up until the last few moments and the Desmond reveal, this was not a very exciting episode. Don't get me wrong -- I love me some Sun and Jin, as I've said numerous times on this blog. It was just that not much happened between the two in the Sideways world, and the action on the Island world was pretty stagnant as well. Was it a bad episode like "What Kate Does"? Absolutely not; it just didn't do much for me either way. I can only chalk it up to continued and mounting frustration that the Sideways world was still completely unexplained.

Happily Ever After
That is, of course, until Desmond's Sideways episode. Finally, we received some insight into what the Sideways world is, and how it relates to the "real" world back on the Island. As Daniel ~~Faraday~~ Widmore explained, the explosion of Jughead split the world into two separate timelines. But there's a problem with the Sideways world; it's just not...right. Like it's not supposed to exist. Well, it's not supposed to exist. There is hope though. If people can experience a life-altering love, they can see into the other, real world. Desmond had that occur at the moment he shook Penny Milton's hand. Further, he received some knowledge that may have informed him as to a way to merge or fuse the two worlds. Having secured a passenger manifest from Oceanic 815, Desmond now has a mission in both worlds to bring awareness of the dual realities to the Lostaways.

It's not surprising that a Desmond-centric episode was fantastic. After "Flashes Before Your Eyes" and maybe the second best episode ever, "The Constant," "Happily Ever After" slides right into the canon of great Desmond episodes. Every time Des and Penny share the screen, the electricty just jumps into your living room. Further, the episode finally gave us some reason to believe the Sideways world is important to the resolution of the series, and not just some exercise in "what if?". Throw in some nuanced and compelling perfromances from Dominc Monaghan and Jeremey Davies as the returning Charlie and Faraday, and "Happily Ever After" was an almost perfect episode.

Everybody Loves Hugo
That brings us to last week's Hurley-centric episode. As a nice juxtaposition with "Everybody Hates Hugo," Hurley is actually leading a rather successful life as an entrepeneur, although his mother would like him to find a woman with whom he can settle down. He finds that woman on a blind date: not the intended Rosalita, but rather Libby, who was at the same Mexican restaurant on a field trip from Santa Rosa. Libby is still a patient at Santa Rosa, as she was in the "real" world, but once again, she's not "crazy." She was committed in the Sideays world because she was having visions of she and Hurley on the Island. Her love for Hurley was making those rememberances bleed through into the Sideays world. When they eventually had their beach picnic (awwwwwwww) and kissed, Hurley, too, received a download of information from the Island world. Desmond, who had encouraged Hurley to pursue Libby, looked on and was pleased by his handiwork, before going off to hit Locke with his car!

I thought this episode was pretty great, mostly because of the performance by Jorge Garcia. It was fun to see another flash into the real world, and, of course, the beach picnic. Again, however, there wasn't much there there until the final scene when Desmond hit Locke with the car. Why did he do this? I know there is one line of thought that this was a revenge action for Smokey throwing Desmond into the well on the Island. I think this is faulty because the only time we saw Desmond, Hurley or Charlie recognize the other world was during the flashes they each had when they realized love or had a near-death experience. I don't think Sideways Desmond was aware of what happened to him on the Island. Rather, I'm going with the theory that Desmond was trying to induce Locke's awareness of the "real" world by giving him a near-death experience. Flawed logic? Perhaps, but it's the best I've got. As for the rest of the episode, the highlights were finding out what the Whispers are (souls trapped on the Island because they can't "move on"), and Jack's realization that he can't fix everything. I do feel, however, that Jack will still end up being the hero and will lead his friends off of the Island.

OK, so that's what I have, oh so briefly, for the last month's worth of Lost. Again, I'm sorry I haven't been posting recently. Moreover, I'm sorry the above isn't too in-depth. I am going to post a preview of this week's episode, "The Last Recruit," tomorrow morning, and will then return to a normal posting schedule this weekend with a real review of the episode. Thank you so much for sticking with me.

Namaste.

Lost - "Recon," Ctd & "Ab Aterno" Preview

2010-03-23T15:40:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. I have to be honest, I wasn't jazzed about "Recon" as I thought I was going to be. I enjoyed the Sideways Sawyer stuff, but I couldn't get that "up" about the on-Island story. Perhaps this was a bit of great expectations for the episode, but from what I've seen from other Lost bloggers around the interwebs, I wasn't alone in my feeling. Here are my slightly disappointed thoughts on "Recon."

*I thought Sawyer-as-cop was actually really fun. I enjoyed the play on his most famous con (the "Pigeon Drop"), and the use of LaFleur as the signal for Miles and crew to arrest his conquest. Similarly, it was great to see Charlotte back and have her go out, sleep with, and "investigate" Sawyer. She is, after all, an archeologist, so her digging and finding out what kind of man James Ford really is was playfully brilliant (and how amazing did Rebecca Mader look?). I was glad to see that Miles and Sawyer were still buddies, as well, working on a beat similar to their Dharma days. But the thing that I took away most from the Sideways story was when Sawyer punched is reflection in the mirror.

*I had previously posited that regarding the characters' looks into reflective surfaces "seemed to reflect (no pun intended) the character's subconscious realization that while things aren't perfect, they are better than they could be. In essence, they have learned something from their 2007 life." However, after this week, I had a different thought. Sawyer's anger though, seemed to me, to be a realization not that things could be worse, but that something is unfulfilled. Like he knows that somewhere out there, something bigger than killing Anthony Cooper, is waiting for him to discover it and complete the man he is supposed to be. If anything, his search for Cooper is actually distracting him from finding his true calling. It's the duality of free will and destiny again. It is Sawyer's destiny to fulfill some greater purpose, but he needs to make the choice to unburden himself with to her goals and desires to achieve it. The contemplations in reflections for these Sideways characters is their acknowledgement that they are supposed to be doing something "more." Or it's just a cool, artistic motif.

*As far as the on-Island stuff went, there were some interesting moments (Claire attacking, then apologizing to Kate; Sayid's indifference; Smokey's "I am the smoke thing" to Sawyer), but nothing that made me say, "Wow." If I had to pick something to write about though (which I guess is kind of the reason I have this blog, right?), it would have to be Kate's despair at realizing that her whole reason for coming back to the Island may have been for naught. I am not one of the many Lost viewers out there that hates Kate and Evangeline Lilly. On the contrary, I find her to be rather compelling, especially for someone who, at the beginning of the show, was an acting neophyte. Anyway, I thought she played the devastation Kate felt particularly well, as well as the confusion I know I would have felt if Smokey then came and apologized for crazy Claire. I think she'll eventually get Claire to come back to the light and be able to rejoin mother and son.

*Lastly, we get to the part of the episode that really tanked it for me. The end. OK, I get Sawyer playing both sides against each other, and I certainly get Sawyer telling Smokey the truth (Smokey is much more deadly than Widmore, being a smoke monster and everything). I think the battle could be epic in scope, once we figure out who is on what side. However, what I hated was Sawyer's plan to escape, and the lameitude of the plan was summed up by Sawyer's final line, "No, we're gonna take the sub." Seriously? Sawyer knows how to pilot a sub? And seriously, that is the big cliffhanger line not only until the next episode, but probably for two episodes until we see Sawyer again?!? You have got to be kidding me! Listen, I know that not every line can be Shakespeare, but the whole Sawyer-Kate exchange at the end was just so full of melodrama that I expected Evangeline Lilly sitting just off camera and as soon as the director yelled, "Cut!" she just burst out laughing. Let me interject that this has nothing to do with Josh Holloway's performance. He's probably number three on the show behind Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson -- Holloway did whatever he could with that dreck. But the dialogue just yanked me right out of all the action. This was not what I was expecting for the last season, and certainly not what I expect of Lost's writers.

Quick Hits

*I did totally dig Claire's despair when Kate asked about the Squirel Baby: "It was all that I had." Heartbreaking, and perfectly delivered by Emile de Ravin.

*Kate is clearly still on the run in the Sideways timeline. I guess she didn't get that far with Claire's credit card. Was cool that Sawyer was the one who ended up apprehending her after he let her go when they got off Oceanic 815.

*I guess one other major point is that Sawyer promised to get Jin and Sun off the Island. This should be major, but as I have come to believe we'll never get the Kwons as a major focus at any point in the remainder of the series (obvious sarcasm), I really have nothing left to say about this.

*Does Widmore really think that travel sonic fence is going to stop Smokey? Oh no.

*If I had to bet on someone or something in the locked door in the sub, my bet is on Desmond. He's related to Widmore (by marriage) and we all know that "the Island isn't through with [him] yet."

OK, that's what I have. Again, I'm sorry this has been so long in coming, but I was not very motivated by "Recon" to write about it. On the other hand...

...tonight's episode "Ab Aterno" is guaranteed to be a something to write about. This episode will, finally, give us the background on Richard Alpert. All we really know about Richard is that he's really old, is consigliore to the Others, has some relation to The Black Rock, and wants to off himself because Jacob promised him a life of purpose, but he didn't get one. Here are some of the major questions that may (hopefully!) get answered tonight:

*How old is Richard really?
*Was he a slave on The Black Rock?
*Why did he never try to become the leader of the Others?
*Why does he never age?
*Did he really see the Lostaways die in the past?
*Does Richard have a Sideways story?
*Did he really not know about the candidates?

These are just a few of the questions I came up with off the top of my head, and I am sure there are more. We have been promised this episode for a long time so I have every faith that that the creators are going to deliver in a big way. I know that there are a couple special guests on tonight but they might be a bit spoilery so I won't mention who. Suffice it to say that if you like great actors from great (HBO western) shows, you will not be disappointed. After tonight, we will be at the halfway point of the final season, so expect the show to barrel forward from here on out. I am greatly looking forward to tonight. Oh, one more thing! Tonight's episode is actually six minutes longer than normal, so make sure your DVR is set accordingly! I don't have any games to ref on Saturday, so I'll hopefully get my thoughts on "Ab Aterno" up this weekend. Until then...

Enjoy.

FlashForward - Spring Premiere "Revelation Zero"

2010-03-18T08:36:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. Tonight, March 18th, is the long-awaited (by some) return of FlashForward. I was able to get a sneak peek at the two-hour spring premiere, and I wrote a review about it for TVOvermind. I really enjoyed these first two hours and think the series has found a welcome new focus. If you're interested, you can read it here. This weekend I'll have some thoughts on this week's Lost episode, "Recon." Thanks for reading.

Lost - "Recon"

2010-03-16T14:38:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the late post today -- busy at work, and a bit of a sore throat slowing me down. Anyway, tonight's episode of Lost is titled "Recon." As I mentioned at the end of my recap for "Dr. Linus," this week's episode is Sawyer-centric. What will Sawyer be doing? Well, the title "Recon" offers two possibilities. First, there is "recon" as in "reconnaissance." I imagine that Smokey is going to send Sawyer out on some type of mission to find out what the Jacobins are doing over on the Beach. Secondly, there is "recon" as in "re-con." We know that Sawyer is a con artist, and a damn good one. Is it possible that he is pulling some kind of con on Smokey? Definitely. But then how does the "re" apply? Is there someone that he has conned at one point that he will con again? How about when he conned Kate over Shannon's inhaler so he could get a kiss? Or the whole group when he used Charlie as a distraction to get control of the guns? We'll have to see. The other question for this episode, as it regards Sawyer, is what happens to him in the Sideways timeline? Is he still a con man? Will he seek out Hurley to bilk him for his lottery fortune? Is he still a father? Does he know Clementine? Is his name even Sawyer at all, or just James Ford? Here are some of the other questions I'm asking tonight:

*Whose side is Widmore on? He seems to be docking at the Hydra station, so is he meeting up with Smokey? Or is he the person Jacob knew was coming to the Island? (I'm still hoping Jacob's guy is Desmond.)

*Will we actually see all of the Lostaways in tonight's episode? I venture probably not, but you never know. I guess it depends on whether Sawyer actually makes it to the Beach.

*I predict that Jin and Sun will not see each other tonight, and yes, this is a reverse jinx.

*What is the nature of the darkness that has enveloped Sayid and Claire? Is it different for the two of them as one, Sayid, has died, and the other, Claire, has not? Can they be "saved?" Do they want to be saved?

*How is Claire going to treat Kate, knowing that Kate raised Aaron for the last three years. Methinks, not very well. Can Kate convince Claire that Aaron is OK, and she just did what she had to, for the baby? If she can, will Claire then want to leave Smokey?

*What is Jin's role in all this. We haven't seen him in seemingly forever. Has he truly joined Smokey's side, or is he playing along like Kate. And has his leg healed even though the Hot Tub of Doom is no longer functioning properly (the assumption being that the Island no longer has it's mysterious healing powers)?

That's about it for me. Past Sawyer episodes have been great, so I'm expecting a good time tonight as well. It's weird, I've found these preview posts a little hard when it comes to what I'm expecting in the episode because I have resigned myself to the fact that I have no idea what's coming. And I'm OK with that. I'm along for the end of this six-season ride and am not really questioning Darlton's choices. I really just want to sit back, relax, and enjoy what I see. I mean, I'm not going to stop doing them, but perhaps this is why they seem a little less specific. Anyway, as always, thanks for reading. I'll be back this weekend with my thoughts on what will surely be a great episode. Until then...

Enjoy.

Lost - "Dr. Linus," Ctd

2010-03-13T22:48:00.000-05:00

This week's installment of Lost was the Ben-centric "Dr. Linus." For me, this was one of the better episodes of this final season, but kind of odd. It was weird, even though there was some important information given and some major character development, I felt the episode was...I don't know....breezy, simple. I'm not sure that makes any sense, but hopefully I can describe this feeling better below. Here are my thoughts on "Dr. Linus":

*Isn't it amazing how this show has been able to take such an evil, reviled, spiteful, manipulative character, and made him sympathetic? You'd be hard pressed to find any regular Lost viewer who didn't get a bit of a smile cross his or her face when Ben opened his front door and Alex was standing there. I loved the idea that the Sideways timeline gave Ben the opportunity to have a fulfilling relationship with his "daughter." This paralleled his on-Island story perfectly, as it was his confession of shame in sacrificing Alex to keep his power over the Island that led to his salvation.

*There was some other great stuff in the Sideways plot as well. Keeping true to the motif of the other Sideways stories we've seen, Ben studied his reflection in the microwave glass. We also had Ben changing his father's oxygen tank -- giving him life-saving gas, instead of the poisonous gas he used to kill his father on the Island. Of most importance though, was Ben's attempt to be the master manipulator he is on the Island. However, like Jack, Locke and Kate, Sideways Ben was a "better" person. This Ben has compassion. This Ben is willing to sacrifice his ambition on behalf of others (both Alex and his father). Unlike on the Island, when given the choice, Sideways Ben chose Alex over his chance at power, the thing Island Ben admits is his greatest desire.

*Of course, this all plays in to Ben's story on the Island. If you had told me, even a week ago, that Ben would turn down an opportunity to rule over the Island, I wouldn't have believed you. We knew he felt very sorry for allowing Alex to die, but as he had the opportunity to choose which side he wanted to go with (Smokey or Jacob), he chose the side that really offered him nothing but forgiveness. This would seem inherently out of character for Ben, but you know what? I believed it. Credit should be given to the writers and, obviously, Michael Emerson for making this transformation possible. The question that remains, for me at least, is what does Ben want now? He has turned down the Island, and he can't get his daughter back, so what does he want? Further, in whatever he is seeking, will Ben still be the old Ben insofar as he will manipulate, lie and steal to reach his desired outcome? I sure as hell hope so; I hope they haven't completely neutered the character we have all come to know and love.

*Someone else who has chosen Jacob is Jack. How intense was that scene in The Black Rock? Very intense! And I loved it. Jack's explanation for his seeming death wish was revealing (and exactly what Jacob was aiming at when he had Hurley show Jack the Lighthouse). After his staring-at-the-sea meditation time, Jack has realized that there truly is some higher power working in his life, even if that power is a white-tuniced, sandal-wearing weaver. The Man of Science has become a Man of Faith, and trusted that he would not meet his demise via dynamite because Jacob had larger plans for him. I took his almost maniacal expression and laugh not as signs of a mad man, but as a pressure release. Jack has fought so hard for most of the series against his destiny, but with his hissy fit in the Lighthouse and his staring down of the dynamite, Jack has finally released his doubt and inner turmoil. We have seen "activated" Jack in the past, most recently when he was leading the group to detonate Jughead. This is when the character, and the actor, are at their best. I look forward to seeing a directed and motivated Jack for the rest of the series.

*While Jack has been motivated by Jacob, there is at least one person on the Island who would love nothing more than stab the Man in White over and over again, Richard. It turns out that his eternal life was a "gift" granted by Jacob in return for faith in Jacob's master plan. Now that Jacob is dead, and Richard still has no idea what that plan was, he wants to shake loose his (im)mortal coil. I have found it fascinating to watch Richard completely unravel this season. He was always the man with all the answers, but since Jacob has died and Smokey is running rampant, Richard, admittedly, can't understand what his world has become. His falling apart allows for someone else to step into his role as leader of the Island denizens. Since he has all of the answers now, it must be Jack.

*Lost has great direction in general, but there was a fantastic bi of directing I noticed in this episode. When Sideways Ben is told he has to monitor detention, he is in a too-big-for-him sweater with his shoulders sloped forward. He has been debased and embarrassed; he is as low as he can be as he has no power and does not control his fate (as it regards his job). At the end of the episode, when Jack sizes up Ben at the Beach, Ben assumes the same physical stance, with his shirt baggy and brown with blood and dirt. Again, Ben has been debased, forced to grovel; he is as low as he can be as he has no power and does not control his fate (as it regards his life on the Island). Just a nice piece of bookended direction. Also, check out again the lighting in the principal's office when he counters Ben's accusations with his threat against Alex's chances at Yale. The bright sunlight, along with Ben's haircut and glasses, gave Ben a look of insignificance. He is washed out, and the shadows make his face look very small and withdrawn. He is a man defeated. Great stuff,if you care about this sort of thing.

Quick Hits:

*Is Widmore on his way to meet Smokey? He didn't want to stop to address the folks on the Beach, so he must be meeting up with the Man in Black on Hydra Island, right?

*Why would Smokey rally his army over at Hydra Island? Is that the only place Widmore can dock his submarine?

*We got an answer to why Ilana collected Jacob's ashes: so Miles could find out how Jacob died.

*Speaking if Ilana, I really hope we get a backstory on her. How did Jacob come into her life, and what did he do that he became like a father to her. Further, how did she end up in all of the bandages we saw her in in "The Incident?"

*Are we to believe no one else on the beach heard Smokey arrive with his "tikatikatika" and wind blowing? And since when did he have telekenesis that he could unlock Ben's leash with just a thought?

*I assumed that in the Sideways timeline, the Island sunk in 1977 when Jughead was detonated. This was the proverbial fork in the road that split off the Sideways timeline. We know Dharma went to the Island, because we saw Dharmaville on the sunk Island. But we learned in the episode that Ben and his father were on the Island at some point. But in the "real" timeline, Young Ben and his father were still on the Island at the time of The Incident. So, when did the timelines splinter? This is hurting my brain.

*I'm not sure if you knew, but Sun has to find her husband. Just wanted to make sure you realized that.

*Where the &!%$ is Sawyer? Seriously, he hasn't been on the show for the last three episodes. Hope Josh Holloway enjoyed the vacation.

*Nice callback to Nikki and Paolo with Miles calling them jabronis and digging up their diamonds.

*Others have pointed it out, but there was another nice callback to Hurley not being able to get exploded Arzt out of his shirt when Arzt couldn't get formaldehyde out of his shirt.

Once again, nothing from my preview post was addressed. Kate and Sawyer were nowhere to be found, and we learned nothing about the effects of Sayid's stabbing of Smokey. Nor did we learn what the Jacobins' plan is to defeat the Big Bad. It's a good thing I'm not a weatherman, as I am terrible at the prediction business.

OK, that's what I've got for this week. Again, I thought it was a good episode with some interesting plot revelations and character developments. Next week's episode is entitled "Recon," and will, finally, be a Sawyer episode. I already notice that "recon" has two potential meanings. Recon as short for reconnaissance, meaning the gathering of information on the enemy. Or, it could be read as re-con, meaning to con again. Could it be, as I and others have speculated, that Sawyer is pulling his hardest and most important con on Smokey? I guess we'll find out on Tuesday. If you'd like full recaps and some more in-depth analysis, be sure to check out DocArzt, Jay and Jack, Doc Jensen, and Erika's input. I'll be back early next week with my preview for "Recon."

Namaste.

Lost - "Dr. Linus"

2010-03-09T14:51:00.000-05:00

Tonight's episode of Lost is titled "Dr. Linus." Clearly, this installment will center around our favorite former Other, Ben Linus, and presumably his Sideways profession of European History teacher. Something tells me that there is more to this chosen occupation than meets the eye. Further, how will he interact with the new subsitute biology teacher? And what will Ben's role in the "real" timeline be? I briefly did see him digging in one of the graves on Boone Hill, so what is he doing there? Is he digging up Locke's body? Intriguing questions all. Here's what else I'm looking for:

*Now that Smokey has gathered his army, what is his plan? Does he have to gather the other Lostaways, or does he have sufficient forces? What is his ultimate play? What does he have to accomplish to be able to "go home?" Clearly, I would like more information on Smokey tonight.

*In the same vein, what are Sawyer, Jin and Kate's alliances to Smokey, truly? We saw Kate leave with Smokey at the end of "Sundown," but why? Is she just trying to protect herself, or protect Claire? Is Smokey aware of the danger her presence creates? Is Jin "with" Smokey or not? Last we saw, he was in Claire's tent of horrors. but did he have to swear allegiance to Smokey? Did Smokey kill him? And what about Sawyer? We haven't seen him in three weeks, where he agreed to work with Smokey to get off the Island. But why do I feel like he's conducting his greatest con? I think Smokey's refusal to explain the bloody-handed blonde boy in "The Substitute" made Sawyer rather wary of the being in the form of Locke. What will Sawyer do when he sees Kate is part of Smokey's coterie?

*Do the Jacobins, the name I'm calling the group of Ilana, Lapidus, Ben, Sun, Miles, Jack, Hurley and Richard (and, yes, a reference to these guys), have any other reinforcements? What can they do to stop Smokey?

*Will Sun and Jin finally meet up in this episode? As much as I want to say yes, I got majorly burned last week, so I will say no. (It would be great if they did though!)

*Did anything happen to Smokey as a result of Sayid stabbing him with Dogen's dagger?

I think, now that we are at hour seven of the season, the season has begun apace. Sides have been drawn, and the battle is about to begin. There are obviously still many, many questions to be answered, but I expect the pedal to be to the metal for the rest of the season. Ben episodes are always great thanks to the inimitable Michael Emerson, so I have no reason to think otherwise now. I'll be back this weekend with thoughts on "Dr. Linus." Until then...

Enjoy.

Lost - "Sundown," Ctd

2010-03-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

Hello fellow Losties. This week's episode was titled, "Sundown," and I couldn't have been more wrong in thinking it was going to be a Sun and Jin episode. Oh no. Not even close. What we did get was a kick-ass Sayid episode, and one that may have been the darkest in the series' run. Cook yourself some eggs (where is that poacher), and let's dive into "Sundown."

*Man, they completely fooled me. I thought Sayid was going to be with Nadia in the Sideways timeline. I should have known something was off when we saw Sayid's reflection in the door glass. There has been a theme running so far this season in the Sideways timelines where the character has looked at their reflection, contemplating some bit of "memory" from the 2007 timeline. These contemplations seemed to reflect (no pun intended) the character's subconscious realization that while things aren't perfect, they are better than they could be. In essence, they have learned something from their 2007 life. (More on this below.) Anyway, Sayid was not looking at his reflection; his view was skewed. He couldn't see himself. Specifically, he couldn't see what he learned in the 2007 timeline. This should have been a clue that Sayid has not been redeemed in the Sideways world (as much as any of the characters have), at least not yet.

*As far as the rest of the Sideways story went, I thought it was great. Sayid hasn't changed. He's still a killer, and he's still pursuing Nadia, perhaps to his detriment. I loved seeing Keamy again. Kevin Durand is pretty excellent, and the chance to see him do his thing was awesome. Sayid's whole life on the Island can be summed up in two lines of dialogue when Sayid has Keamy at gun point. KEAMY: "The debt is forgiven. Relax, forget about it." SAYID: "I can't." Exactly. Sayid, can't forget about it, with "it" being the atrocities he has committed against others. He can never be redeemed as long as he can't come to terms with what he has done. Oh, and what the heck was with Jin in the freezer? I mean, I assume the money that was confiscated from Jin at the airport was supposed to go to Keamy, but why bother throwing this in to this episode. I guess it did serve as a reminder that Jin is being held captive by Claire.

*Speaking of Claire, how much fun is Emile de Ravin having? To me, it looks like a whole lot. She seems to be relishing the opportunity to play evil, feral Claire the way she dug into her scene with Dogen and her death-stare at Kate when Kate told her she raised Aaron. I think she is playing a perfect blend of totally nut-bar crazy, with a hint of understanding that maybe she is being played by Smokey. Her hesitation in entering the Temple ("Why not get Jin or Sawyer to do it?") spoke volumes to me. And her creepy singing of "Catch a Falling Star?" Holy schinkies!! I haven't been that creeped out in a while. I think in the end, however, she will be "saved" and pulled back from the dark side. Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but she has to be "good" before she can get Aaron back, right?

*On the flip side, I think we may have lost Sayid forever. Unlike Claire, who was desperately crazy to find/protect Aaron, or Sawyer who was grief-stricken and drunk, when they were approached by Smokey to follow him, Sayid made a clear choice to follow the evil guy. Yes, Sayid is sad that Nadia is dead, but at the moment he chose his path, he was clear-headed ("darkness" growing inside him , notwithstanding). He has now come to grips with who he is and always has been: a killer, and more importantly, a tool. Think about it. Sayid has never done anything of his own volition. He killed the chicken to protect his brother when they were children. He was a torturer for the Republican Guard. He was used by the CIA to infiltrate the terrorist cell. He was manipulated by Ben to kill Widmore's associates. Sayid is nothing more than a machine to be used for other people's nefarious designs. It seems that he has (finally) come to understand this, and has fallen in line with perhaps the greatest manipulator of all.

*Oh, Dogen. We hardly knew ye. You tried to use Sayid as a tool for his own demise, but met your end. To be honest, I'm going to miss Dogen. He became an intriguing character, especially from what we heard about how he ended up on the Island. After this story, I began to really question Jacob's motives; he may not be as good as we are supposed to believe. It appears that Dogen, after mortally wounding his son in a drunk driving accident, was trapped on the Island in exchange for Jacob saving his son's life. If Jacob is benevolent, why trap Dogen? Why not at least bring his son to the Island too? Moreover, what power was bestowed on to Dogen so that he was what was actually keeping Smokey out of the Temple? I hope this gets explained, although it will have to be in a flashback of some sort, as Sayid brutally drowned the Temple-master. I'm sad to see him go. Lennon? Not so much. I mean, I love John Hawkes, but his character was grating, so good riddance, hippie!

*The other interesting thing about Dogen's demise, was his exchange with Sayid about Jacob driving a hard bargain, and Smokey making Sayid a similarly hard bargain. It furthers the idea that the mysterious puppet-masters have similar powers/abilities. When Smokey offered Sayid whatever Sayid wanted in exchange for killing Dogen (there's Sayid being a tool again), it got me thinking that perhaps Smokey is some kind of...malevolent is the wrong word...let's say, twisted genie. Each character wants something for their off-Island life, and Smokey (or Jacob, I guess) can grant that wish. The results are the Sideways stories. I call Smokey a "twisted" genie, because the fulfilled wishes have catches. Kate wants to reunite Claire and Aaron, but she's still a fugitive. Locke wants to know love (from Helen, his father, and the world), but he's still paralyzed. Jack wants to know that he "has what it takes," but his father is still dead and they can't reconcile. Sayid wants Nadia to be alive, but she's married to his brother. These all seem to fall into the category of not being able to have your cake and eat it too. I am forever the optimist, however, so I am assuming that the end result for these characters' lives will actually put them in places better than what we have seen in the Sideways flashes.

Quick Hits:

*How great was that fight scene between Dogen and Sayid. I actually can't remember the last time the show had such a long, technical, even-handed fight. Hopefully on the DVD's there will be a behind-the-scenes piece on it. I'd love to know how much was the actors and how much stuntmen.

*Some great direction from Bobby Roth, who also directed "Whatever Happened, Happened" and "There's No Place Like Home." The aforementioned fight scene, the slo-mo, creepy closing scene with "Catch a Falling Star" playing over it, and Sayid's meeting with Smokey in the jungle were all beautifully shot. The tone of the episode and the performances were pitch-perfect, as well. Good work.

*Ahhhh, the Smokey rampage. How awesome was that? I love me a good smoke monster rampage. Poor red shirts. You should have chosen to leave!

*Did you catch Smokey's look upon seeing Kate emerge from the Temple? He is at first surprised to see her, but then quickly sizes her up, wary of the fact that she may not be true to the cause. Wonderful work, as usual, by Terry O'Quinn. And why did Kate join Smokey? Self-preservation (it's better than being smashed against a stone wall), or just to protect Claire?

*Smokey seems to have a pretty big army. Who does Jacob have? Ilana, Lapidus, Sun, Ben, Miles, Jack, and Hurley. Doesn't seem like much, does it?

*Speaking of looks, I loved Ben's expression to Sayid 's retort that there is no more time for him. It said, "OK, you crazy! Even crazier than me!" Then he just slowly backed out. Great stuff.

*Yunjin! She got two lines of dialogue! WOO-HOO!!

Alright, that's what I've got for "Sundown." This may have been the best episode of the season, so far, with great acting from Naveen Andrews, and fantastic pacing and action provided by Bobby Roth. The next episode is titled "Dr. Linus." I think I can predict who this one will focus on. I'll be back tomorrow morning with some thoughts on what I expect to see in the episode.

Namaste.

Lost - "Sundown"

2010-03-02T17:06:00.000-05:00

Hey folks. Sorry this preview post is so late, but work conspired against me this week. Anyway, as we discussed at the end of last week's recap for "Lighthouse," tonight's episode, "Sundown," should be a Sun/Jin episode, if the pattern stays true to Season 1. I honestly have no idea if it will be or not, but I am sure hoping so. It has been two years since the couple has been together, so I would love to see them reunited. Moreover, my love of Yunjin Kim's acting is well-documented here, so the chance to see her actually do something would be welcomed.

I also mentioned last week that team Darlton said the season was divided into three six-hour blocks. Tonight is hour six, so the first block is coming to an end. This should be the last bit of set-up we need to get through (endure?) before the thrust of the season's action begins. I don't really have any predictions for anything other than I bet this will be a pretty great episode with the Island factions coming together (Temple, Claire, Beach, Smokey). Or, at least I hope it will.

Again, sorry for the late post, but sometimes, the people who pay you just get in the way. I'll be back later this week with a recap of "Sundown." Until then...

Enjoy.

Lost - "Lighthouse," Ctd

2010-02-27T14:26:00.000-05:00

The consensus of Lost watchers has been that the first four hours of this final season have been a roller coaster ride, from great heights ("The Substitute"), to quite low lows ("What Kate Does"). This week's installment, "Lighthouse," was like the part of the roller coaster where it corkscrews around and around horizontal to the ground. It's definitely fun, but you're a little dizzy and disoriented afterwords, headed for a huge incline that will eventually send you screaming towards the ground. There was a lot to like in "Lighthouse," but I don't think it got to the heights of "The Substitute." However, I see it putting all the characters (and the audience) in the proper place for an ascent that will lead us to the final, breathtaking descent. Darlton have said that this 18-hour season has been structured in three 6-hour blocks, with the first six hours getting all of the pieces in their proper places. "Lighthouse" was hour number five so we have just about completed the set-up portion of the season. In the opinions of many Lost watchers, this section of the season can't end soon enough, but I'm willing to give them the time they need. I've trusted the Lost Powers That Be until this point, it would be folly to stop doing so now. On that note, let's take a look at "Lighthouse":

*I really enjoyed Sideways Jack's story. From the gasp that Jack has a son(!), to his heartfelt confession that David could never fail in his father's eyes was some great dramatic television, especially in light of what we know about the other Jack. For a man who, admittedly, obsessed over his father's critique of him (and never got over it in the "real" timeline), it was poignant to see Sideways Jack confront, and be at peace with, his limitations as a man and father. Further, he received from David, what he never gave his father: acceptance. It will be interesting to see how 2007 Jack comes to these same realizations and be finally redeemed on the Island.

*We saw that 2007 Jack hasn't had these realizations yet during his trek with Hurley. He states that he wasn't cut out for having a family and that he would be a terrible father, assumingly because he fears he'd turn into his father. The question is whether Jack has now come to the same conclusions Sideways Jack has after his tantrum in the Lighthouse. When Jack saw the image of his childhood home in the lighthouse mirror, and demanded form Hurley, "What does he want from me?!?" I don't think he meant Jacob. After his visit to the caves and his father's coffin, and subsequent sight of his home, Jack has reached the breaking point with his inner demons regarding his father. "What does he want from me?" succinctly sums up Jack's lifelong attitude towards his father. Perhaps smashing the mirror (and representative image of his old self) and staring out at the ocean will allow this Jack to come to the same conclusions as Sideways Jack. It's clear Jacob wants Jack to lead his troops against Smokey, but only a self-activated Jack. It has to be Jack's choice. When Jacob said that (or at least implied it), I released a large sigh of relief because, as I have complained about before, I was put off by the idea that they are all just pawns with no active choices. Instead, Jack must choose to be the leader, must choose to prove he "has what it takes." My fears are assuaged. At least for now.

*It was great to see crazy Claire, and I thought she was wonderfully played by Emile de Ravin. The question I was left with (and I think Jin as well) is whether she's crazy because she's been out on her own for three years and missing Aaron, or because of whatever sickness she may be infected with. Undoubtedly, it's a little bit of both. Probably the most intriguing thing I took away from Claire's story in "Lighthouse" was the fact that she was told Aaron was taken by the Others by both her father and her "friend." The implication is that Christian and her "friend" (wonderfully revealed to be Smokey, "That's not John. That's my friend!") are two different entities. Now, maybe Smokey has the ability to be in two places at once, but I'm going to assume that Chsitian is not Smokey. I think this is backed up by the scene in Season 5's "Namaste" when Sun and Lapidus are shown the 1977 Dharma photo of Kate, Jack and Hurley by Christian. Yet, at the same time, Smokey (as Locke) was back on the beach at the Ajira crash site. Who Christian could be then, I have no idea. Any thoughts? Lastly, I think Claire will eventually be converted back to the "good" side at some point. With all the torture (both literal and figurative) Claire has gone through in this series, I imagine she will turn out OK in the end.

*Hurley and Jack's trek was certainly fun for it's being "old school," as Hurley described it. Although, it did kind of remind me of some of the worst parts of Lost, namely what Hurley said, them walking around in the jungle to do something they don't quite understand. I could understand Hurley's anger with Jacob that it would be preferable if they were just told what to do, but as Jacob explained, different people need different types of pushes to reach their self-activation points. Further, Jacob had the purpose of getting the two of the them away from the Temple and keep them safe from Smokey's impending attack. What does that mean for Sayid and Miles? I'm not sure, but I can't wait to find out.

Quick Hits:

*Mirrors, mirrors everywhere. Is there significance so that we'll care (about the Sideways timeline)?

*Loved that Hurley continues to be the voice of the audience. His take on the Adam & Eve skeletons was spot on. I now believe they are not any of the Lostaways, but actually two people associated with Smokey. Perhaps the woman Smokey "lost" and the man she actually loved? I don't know. I assume Rose & Bernard are out there in the jungle in 2007 like the rest of them, so I just can't see how Adma & Eve are anyone we know already.

*Did you catch the sign at the conservatory auditions? "Welcome all candidates." Hehehe.

*Sideways Dogen's line, "It is hard to watch and be unable to help," stuck out to me. Does that mean Dogen is some kind of consigliere like Richard and can't take an active role in whatever game Jacob and Smokey are playing? Something to watch.

*How the hell did Claire escape the Temple? If they were that concerned about her potential evil, how did they let her escape? Did Jacob or Smokey have some hand in her release? Is there a double agent in the Temple?

*The name at 108 on the Lighthouse dial was someone named Wallace, and was crossed out. I know there is speculation that this Wallace will have some significance, but I don't think so. I think Jacob knew that as the dial passed 108, it would reveal the images Jacob wanted Jack to see. Incidentally, those images were, to my eye, were that of the place where Jin and Sun were married, and Oxford or the abbey where Desmond was a brother. Significance of these places? I don't think any other than they are pretty easy to recognize, making sure the audience realized the mirrors were showing places of importance.

*What poison has been fed Claire to make her that upset that she'd kill Kate for taking care of Aaron? I mean, Claire literally abandoned Aaron in the jungle. Shouldn't she be thankful someone took care of Turnip Head?

*There has also been a lot of speculation over who is David's mother. A lot of people are assuming it is Juliet, as David has blue eyes. I was starting to lean that way too, but why couldn't it just be Sarah? Then again, David appeared to be about 14, meaning Jack probably had him in his mid-twenties, before he would have met Sarah. I don't know, but there's a good possibility there will be no significance to this at all.

As far as my predictions on what we'd see in this episode, I was so far off, it's embarrassing to even mention them. So, we'll just move on. Nothing to see here!!

OK, that's what I've got. I know there is still some major consternation over the seemingly unimportance of the Sideways timeline, but I tell those people, have faith. There is no way they are leading us down a path of meaninglessness. Yes, I would like more clues to the Sideways' meaning then Jack wondering about his appendix scar for a minute, but we just have to take that timeline for what it's worth: an insight into how the 2007 characters might be redeemed. What have they found in the Sideways that they are still seeking in 2007? Make sure you check the usual places for more detailed recaps (DocArzt, Doc Jensen, Jay and Jack, Erika). Please take a look at TVOvermind for all of your TV news and recap needs. I'm writing recaps of Chuck, Modern Family, Survivor, and FlashForward over there, and would appreciate you checking it out. I'll be back early next week with a preview of "Sundown," which I can only imagine is the parallel of Season 1's "House of the Rising Sun." Until then, Namaste. I'm off to hide a key under a rabbit.

Lost - "Lighthouse"

2010-02-23T08:41:00.000-05:00

Tonight's episode of Lost is entitled, "Lighthouse." I can only assume that this refers to an actual lighthouse somewhere on the Island. How come we haven't seen it yet? I mean, the Lostaways have been all over the Island and to Hydra Island -- surely someone would have seen a lighthouse, right? Then again, no one saw the Temple until this season, so I guess it's feasible no one saw the Lighthouse. Anyway, what the significance of the lighthouse is will surely be the centerpiece of the episode. Beyond the literal lighthouse, we all know that lighthouses are placed along shorelines to warn incoming boats that they are getting close to punishing rocks. Lighthouses aren't just warnings, however, they are guides too. For sailors returning from long sea voyages, they safely show the way home. As this is a Jack episode, mirroring Season 1's "White Rabbit," will Jack reassume his leadership role and begin the trek to guide his friends safely home? Will Sideways Jack, the character we've seen have the most "rememberances" of the other reality so far, begin to guide the Sideways timeline towards its merge with the "real" timeline? And what significance does whatever actual lighthouse on the Island have? Is it what sets the coordinates for safe entrance and exit to the Island? Is it a Dharma station of some sort? Does it safely guide would-be Islanders (not these Islanders) to the Island, or is it warning them to stay away? Very intriguing questions from the episode title alone. Here's what else I'm looking for:

*They have to give us something more about Smokey, Sawyer and the cave, right? They really can't leave us just wondering whether Smokey is lying, whether Sawyer is playing his last and best long con, and why Kate isn't on the wall. They have to continue that story. If not, it may be television serial malpractice. If we do see more of this, I'll be looking for an explanation of Smokey's plan to leave the Island and perhaps another appearance by the blonde boy with the bloody hands.

*Dogen will explain to Jack more about Sayid's "darkness" and what, if anything, can be done to reverse it. Perhaps this initiates Jack's trek to the Lighthouse, if he does go? (Please remember, I haven't watched the "next time on Lost preview at the end of the last episode, so maybe this is obvious.) Hopefully, Dogen will also explain to Jack and the rest of the Lostaways at the Temple what the nature of the conflict is between Smokey and Jacob. That would be nice. Or maybe even an explanation of what was supposed to happen in the dirty hot tub they dipped Sayid into. That would be nice, too.

*We have to see Claire tonight. They teased us with her two episodes ago, and then didn't show hide nor straggly hair of her last week, so we need to get some info on what happened to her the last three (Island) years and how "infected" she is. Maybe we'll get an explanation of where she got that nice flannel shirt, too.

*Something tells me Ben, Sun, Frank and Ilana will be waylaid on their trip to the Temple and will get there in the last minutes of the episode, if at all. In Season 1, the episode after "White Rabbit," was the Sun-centric "House of the Rising Sun." I am predicting that Sun and Jin will finally be reunited in the dying moments of tonight's episode, so we can focus on the two of them in a Kwon-centric episode next week (again, I have no idea if next week's episode centers on the Kwons or not. Spoiler-free!!). I am deperately hoping this prediction comes to fruition. Yunjin Kim has been given practically nothing to do since Season 5's "This Place is Death," and really since the Season 4 finale, "There's No Place Like Home." Yunjin is too good of an actress to continue wasting like this (so is Daniel Dae Kim, of course). Fans are eagerly anticipating the reunion of the Kwons as it will be a highly emotional moment, and I know these actors will knock it out of the park. Please Lost, let's get this done tonight.

OK, that's what I've got for tonight. I'm not expecting much Kate or Hurley this evening, mostly just in Temple group scenes. Although, if Jack does trek to the Lighthouse, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kate want to come along. Then again, when we last saw her, she was just randomly standing in New Otherton. Not...really...doing......anything. So, who knows where she'll be. Anyway, with the gauntlet thrown down on Season 6 last week with the great "The Substitute," I feel tonight's episode will be just as fantastic. We're on the roller coaster now, folks. Hang on tight. I'll see you this weekend with my thoughts on "Lighthouse." Until then...

Enjoy.

Lost - "The Substitute," Ctd

2010-02-22T11:03:00.000-05:00

OK, now that was more like it! After last week's a bit disappointing "What Kate Does," Lost was clicking on all cylinders with this Locke-centric episode. True, we did only get one half of the characters in the episode (no Temple folks, or Jin and Claire), but what we did receive was a heaping helping of answers to big questions. Well, perhaps the answers are not to be believed, but they were answers nonetheless. I think we were supposed to be left with two main questions after the episode: 1) Is Smokey telling the truth about the nature of the Island and Jacob's attempts to "protect" it?; and 2) Why isn't Kate's name on the wall? Intriguing stuff. Here are my thoughts on "The Substitute":

*Wow, was that weird seeing a happy Locke in the Sideways timeline? Despite his paralysis and getting fired from his job, Locke was a rather content individual. Yes, he did get angry when his wheelchair lift didn't work, or when Hurley's car was parked too close to his, but these seemed to be passing aggravations, not the bitter hatred of the world orginal 2004 Locke experienced. Look no further than his laughter when, face down on the lawn, the sprinklers turned on. He did experience mounting anger about his situation (should he see Dr. Shephard about his paralysis?), but I felt this was more for Helen's sake. He wanted to be perfect for her; however, with a little help from Rose and Helen's kind words, Locke realized that he has challenges, but is comfortable in who he is. He is not a cosmic joke.

*This stands in stark contrast to Smokey's declaration that Jacob's recruiting of people to replace him as protector of the Island is a joke. When he siad this, I immediately thought about Locke: Original Recipe's conversion from faithful button-pusher to button-denier in Season 2. Then, too, Locke ended up believing the button was pointless -- nothing more than a joke being played by the Dharma folks who were observing them like rats in a maze. This all plays into the ideas of fate and free will, but I couldn't help make the connection between the Swan station, Smokey's explanation of Jacob's machinations and Sideways Locke's happiness.

*As usual for this season already, there was some really strong work being done by Josh Holloway and Terry O'Quinn. I was right in thinking Smokey was going to approach Sawyer to follow him, but I may have been wrong in choosing a reason. I don't think Smokey wanted to play on Sawyer's despair, because he seemed genuinely surprised to see Sawyer in such a state. I think, rather, Smokey just wants to grab whomever hasn't been crossed out on Jacob's wall. As Smokey doesn't know which Kwon was targeted by Jacob, the easiest person to get to is Sawyer. I enjoyed the repurposing of Of Mice and Men here, as once again Sawyer was being led to an unknown destination by someone he didn't trust. These echoes to previous points in the series provide a nice reflection on why we enjoyed the series so much. Lastly on Sawyer, do you really think he is "ready to go home?" I think, at this point, sure; Sawyer has aligned himself with Smokey, but something will change. I just can't fathom a situation where Sawyer doesn't end up sacrificing himself for his friends. As he detailed to Smokey earlier in the episode, there have been a number of times he was supposed to get off the Island, but was ultimately prevented from leaving (raft blown up, submarine exploded, jumped off the helicopter, etc.). Unfortunately for Mr. Ford, I think something will prevent his leaving again.

*Jacob's cave. Well, I think we're going to need more information before we can make any kind of definitive statements on what the names and numbers really mean. Does Jacob really "have a thing for numbers" or do the Numbers have a more significant meaning? Why wasn't Kate's name on the wall, or is she number 108 and we just didn't see it? Was Jacob really trying to find a replacement for himself or is there something more to it? How does one of the candidates get the job? I mean, people have been crossed off the list for various reasons: Locke was murdered by Ben, Charlie sacrificed himself for his friends, and poor Gary Troup was sucked into the plane's engine when the plane first crashed. Does the winning candidate just have to outlive everybody else? Seems a rather random way to select a successor to such an important job. Regardless, my interest was mightily piqued, so I look forward to more on this in the coming weeks.

*I guess I need to talk about the blonde boy with bloody hands that appeared to Smokey in the jungle. To be honest, I have no idea who or what that was. I thought it was maybe a vision of Smokey as a young kid or something, but then I got a different thought. I know it's been floating around the internet for the last couple days, but you'll have to believe me that at the time, I thought that maybe the kid is some time-travelling version of Aaron. I'm not sure how or why, but that's the vibe I was getting. How that fits into the bloody hands? No idea. Why Sawyer can see him? Not a clue. I assume this kid's existence and why he knows the rules will be explained soon. Further, I expect the creation of the rules and what they are will be explained soon too (at least, I hope so!). To me, the most important thing about the whole blonde boy encounter though, was Smokey's use of "Don't tell me what I can't do!" I am very intrigued by the idea that Locke is still in there somewhere. Locke may be resurrected, but that may be a road too far. However, as Helen said, "There are miracles, John."

Quick Hits:

*Biggest change for Sideways Locke? He is friendly with his father. Between Helen wanting to invite Locke's dad to their elopement, and the picture of Locke and Cooper in Locke's cubicle, it is clear Locke's father didn't cause Locke's paralysis. I wonder how that happen, and whether we'll see it.

*I loved seeing Richard scared. It was fantastic to see the guy who's usually completely in charge, literally running for his life. I was wondering why Smokey didn't just kill Richard when Richard refused to go with him. Perhaps it's against the rules -- you can't kill the consigliarie?

*How come Smokey didn't turn into the smoke when he chased after the blonde boy? Were his shape-shifting powers dampened somehow?

*Back to Richard. How come he didn't know about Jacob looking for candidates? How come Ilana does? Why and when did Richard side with Jacob in the first place?

*Ben's eulogy was perfect. Real emotion at seeing the death of his, perhaps, greatest adversary, but the continued archness in admitting his part in the murder.

*Speaking of Ben, of course he bitches about the coffee! Ben is a nerdy European History teacher? Awesome.

*I expect Boone to help Locke and Helen with their wedding.

*Did you catch Helen's t-shirt? "Peace & Karma." Nice.

That's it, folks. Again, I thought this was a very strong episode, and really has the season moving forward at a fast clip. Yes, more questions were asked, but they accompanied big reveals about major mysteries. I expect, as we move forward from here, the hits will keep on coming. Please leave any thoughts, theories or comments below. Remember to check out the other fabulous reviewers for more info on "The Substitute" (Doc Arzt, Doc Jensen, Jay and Jack, Erika Olson). I'll be back Tuesday morning with a preview of this week's episode, the Jack-centric "Lighthouse." I'm off to put on some pants and make a gentleman's drink.

Lost - "The Substitute"

2010-02-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

Tonight's episode of Lost is titled, "The Substitute." The title has a couple potential meanings. First, you have the mathematical connotation, lining it up with "The Constant" (still, my favorite non-Pilot episode) and "The Variable." Will there be some time-travel plot point explained in this episode? The other meaning ties into the fact that this will be a Locke-centric episode. Taken literally, the "substitute" can be simply defined as Esau/Man in Black using Locke as a substitute form on the Island. Will we finally get an explanation of how the loophole worked? Perhaps.
A commenter to my thoughts on "What Kate Does" asked about the possible parallels between Season 1 and Season 6. It has been discussed in different places around the web, and even alluded to by Darlton in various interviews. What they have said is that Season 6 could be like a distorted fun-house mirror version of Season 1. And so it has played out so far. After a bombastic season premiere introducing us to the characters' situation and somewhat focusing on Jack, the next two episodes, like Season 1, feature Kate and Locke. Whether or not "The Substitute" has the same emotional heft and kick-ass-ness of "Walkabout" remains to be seen, but undoubtedly the thematic elements of that seminal Season 1 outing will be reflected in "The Substitute." Here's what else I am looking for:

*Before I was able to turn off the preview for "The Substitute" at the end of "What Kate Does" (I'm trying to stay that spoler-free), I did see that 2007 Locke/Smokey will approach Sawyer. I expect Locke will play on Sawyer's despair to get the forlorn con man to join his side. Will he be successful? I think he will. I predict Sawyer will, once again, fight against Jack's side, but eventually make the ultimate sacrifice for Kate, Jack and the rest of his friends.

*Since this is a Locke episode, I'd be surprised if we didn't see 2004 Locke back at the box factory. Heck, I even predict we'll see Randy again. What will Sideways Locke experience though? Did he actually go on the walkabout and become a better person because of it? Will we see flashes of the motivated Locke from the Island, or will he still be the scared, depressed, mentally-crippled man he was pre-Island?

*We better get some explanation of how Claire became Rousseau 2.0. How did she acquire the "darkness" that has claimed Sayid? Was that darkenss the result of a run-in with Smokey? Was she shot or fatally wounded in some other way, taken to the Temple and bathed in the dirty hot tub of doom? But more importantly, to me, is whether Claire can be reclaimed by the forces of good. Can Jack, Jacob (through Hurley) or someone else do something to bring the old Claire back? I hope we get more downloaded on this tonight.

*What will happen to Sayid, and what will Jack do about his sickness? Now that Jack knows what is happening to Sayid (after having bonded with Dogen over baseball and poison ingestion), what will the Great Fixer do to save his friend?

*I hope we do get a good dose of the folks over at the Temple, Kate/Sawyer, and Jin/Claire, but I'm afraid we might get a sole focus on the people at the beach. Last week we only saw action at the Temple, and personally, I missed the goings on with Locke, Richard, Sun (please do something with her! Yunjin Kim is being wasted!) and the Others. Let's see both groups, OK?

That's it. As always, we have a lot of questions that will hopefully receive answers tonight. As this will be a Locke episode, I expect a fantastic outing like the others in the series. Hopefully, I will be right. Please be sure to check the usual places for coverage of last week's episode, and hone in on Doc Jensen's preview and Totally Lost vidcast in preparation for tonight. If you're a fan of other television shows (I know you are!), please check out TVOvermind.com. It is an extensive television site, full of recaps, promos and other TV news started by Jon Lachonis -- DocArzt himself. I've been writing on there the past few months, mainly covering Chuck, Modern Family and FlashForward, but some other TV news as well. The site is still relatively new, so I'd be grateful if you'd take a gander and give me your feedback. I'll be back later this week with some thoughts on "The Substitute." Until then...

Enjoy.

Lost - "What Kate Does"

2010-02-14T15:15:00.000-05:00

I, like many other Losties, went into this past week's episode of Lost, "What Kate Does," expecting answers about the nature of the flash-sideways and its relation to the "real" timeline. Moreover, knowing the title of the episode, I was expecting some great revelation of what both Kates do to further their respective plots. I was disappointed on both accounts. Now, I wasn't ready to throw Molotov cocktails into the windows of the Lost writers' room like many across the net (a coworker called this "the worst episode ever" of Lost), but I did think, initially, that this was not a strong effort. Upon reflection, a second viewing, and some commentary from the inimitable Doc Jensen, I realized that while this was a set-up episode, it was a well-executed and important episode as well. Here are my thoughts on What Kate Does":

*So what does Kate do? Nothing we didn't know before -- she runs. In 2007, she runs after Sawyer to escape the Temple Others, and to see if he will assist her search for Claire. In 2004 (oddly, October 2004 according to Claire's sonogram, instead of September 2004), Kate is running from Marshall Mars, again. I really thought there would be something more to what Kate does, but there just wasn't. In fact, the last we saw of 2007 Kate was her filling up her canteen and watching Sawyer go back into his New Otherton house. That was it. So weird. I think this lack of progress for Kate is what caused so many people to be disenchanted with the episode.

*Speaking of Sawyer, how great was Josh Holloway in this episode? Yes, ever since "LaFleur," Holloway has been on absolute fire. However, his seething nihilistic pain, just an absolute hatred of what his life has become, was palpable. From his disgust at the cosmic joke that an "Iraqi torturer who shoots kids" gets a second chance, to the resigned despair with which he admitted his guilt over Juliet's death were dead on. I don't know how anyone will be able to defeat Terry O'Quinn in the Emmys this year, but Holloway's agents should definitely submit this episode because this may have been his best work in the series to date. One other note: how far as Sawyer's personality developed over the series? Well, he was going to propose to Juliet! The conman settling down? Unbelievable during Season 1.

*Sayid is in some trouble, methinks. When he was tortured before (by Rousseau), he was more defiant, more willing to play the game he knows too well. This time, though, he seemed to be willing to give up anything he would have been asked. Is this because of all he has gone through over the past five seasons, or because of his dip in the dirty hot tub of doom? I hope we receive more information on this "test" soon, because it certainly was interesting. I first thought Dogen was testing Sayid to see if he had been taken over by Smokey, hence the blowing of ash across Sayid's body (presumably, Sayid would have reacted to the ash if he was indeed Smokey). But then it was revealed that Sayid had failed the test. If Sayid has not been reanimated by Jacob or Smokey, then what brought him back to life? How did he become infected? Who "claimed" Sayid? What is the process by which the "darkness" is growing inside Sayid? And if Claire had been consumed by the darkness as well, does that mean that she died too? So many questions. I thought we were supposed to be getting answers!

*The thing that stood out for me about Jack was his humility. Between his admission to Sayid that he didn't save the Iraqi and his lack of knowledge about the contents of the pill Dogen wants Jack to feed Sayid, the good doctor seems to have made a lasting change. He no longer believes he has the answer to everything. He is willing to doubt, to ask questions, to listen to others. This doesn't mean he has abdicated his leadership position, as is evidenced by his ingestion of the poison pill to protect Sayid. Rather, he understands his limitations now. He is no longer the complete man of science we saw in Seasons 1-4, nor the ineffectual and passive man of faith from Season 5. Perhaps Jack has finally learned to find the happy medium and will be the effective leader the Lostaways need. All that said, I imagine this new version of Jack will end up working very well with Dogen against Smokey, as Dogen seemed to recognize jack's commitment to his friends when he swallowed the pill and subsequent conversation about a leader maintaining his distance from the people under his charge.

*Probably the most important development of the episode, of course, was the return of Claire, looking very much like the new Rousseau. It appears she set the traps Kate, Jin, Justin and Aldo discovered/tripped, and she was sporting quite the disheveled, living-in-the-woods-for-three-years look last found on the crazy French woman. As we were told by Dogen, the same "darkness" that infected Sayid first claimed Claire. I asked above whether that means Claire died at some point as well. What does it mean if she did? I don't know To me, she didn't look like she had died. Not that I should be guessing at anything. Just writing about this is getting me all angry again that more questions are being asked at this point in the series. I need to remember that they have to set up the big reveals about the show, and that was what this episode was doing. As far as Sideways 2004 Claire, it was interesting to see that even if the original Oceanic 815 had landed, she still was going to have to raise Aaron. Some on the 'net have posited that Mrs. Baskem is going to have some further significance. I don't think so; I think she was there just to show Claire would raise Aaron herself, and to provide an inciting event for Claire to go into labor.

Quick Hits:

*It was nice to see Jin and Kate have interactions together. I can't think of a time it has ever been just those two.

*Sometimes a baseball is just a baseball, but how long has Dogen been on the Island? If he knows about baseball, he must have come relatively recently, right? I mean, he wasn't born on the Island.

*Having Ethan Goodspeed (not Ethan Rom?) be Claire's doctor in L.A. was a stroke of brilliance. Plus, his lines about not wanting to stick Claire with needles if he doesn't have to, and that Aaron will be a handful were just fantastic.

*Will Claire's credit card come back into play later in the season? I would imagine it would as there would be no reason to show the scene if it had no significance.

*LOVED when Hurley asked Sayid if he was a zombie. Listeners to Damon & Carlton's Official Lost Podcast know that they have joked that the final season would be the zombie season. So, having this line was a nice shout-out to the audience.

*I really kind of missed what was going on at the beach. I figure we'll be concentrating on them next week.

*We had a couple more instances of people in the 2004 Sideways timeline recognizing something from the 2007 timeline. When Kate saw Jack at the airport, found the stuffed whale in Claire's bag, and heard Aaron's name, you could see flashes of recognition cross her face.

I know this post seems to have rambled and lacked coherence, but that's kind of the way I feel about the episode. I strongly disliked it the first time through because I felt it didn't do enough to advance the story quickly vis a vis the number of hours left in the series. Further, it didn't bring us closer to an answer to the question of whether the Sideways timeline will have significance to the 2007 timeline. This is the problem I think most people have with the season right now: people don't want to be led down a path that eventually is a dead end. I certainly felt that way, at first. However, upon second viewing, I realized that the set-up the episode accomplished (Claire/Rousseau, Sayid infected, Sawyer despondent, Jack on track, Kate...uh...I still don't know) was necessary to really move the final season forward. The pump has now been primed, and is ready to deliver the goods. Next week's episode, "The Substitute," is, allegedly, a Locke episode, so you know the show will be hitting the afterburners.

OK, that's it. Please be sure to check out the usual places for more coverage of "What Kate Does." I'll get up some thoughts on "The Substitute," on Monday night or Tuesday morning. I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day and are enjoying the Olympics. See you on Tuesday. Until then, I'm off to the food court.

Lost - "LA X," Ctd, Ctd

2010-02-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

If you missed my initial thoughts on Lost's Season 6 premiere, "LA X," please click here. I'll try not to repeat my first post, but may need to in order to fully illustrate some other thoughts. It's funny, I intended to write a full review like I did for previous episodes, but I realized that even though the premiere was two hours long, not all that much actually happened. I mean, stuff happened, but that "stuff" was mostly the asking of more questions. So, I don't have all that much more to add to my first post. Therefore, we will just go with some Quick Hits (usually the second half of my posts), and get back to a "normal" posting scheme for this week's episode. Away we go:

*Although the 2004 storyline was interesting and fun to see, nothing much of note occurred. I imagine the "flash-sideways" (as Damon and Carlton are calling it) will illuminate some great character developments in the upcoming episodes. Perhaps we'll see that if the Lostaways never crash on the Island, their lives will plummet (no pun intended) quickly into a deeper despair than we initially saw. Regardless, I'm willing to trust Team Lost and be patient with this "reality."

*Additional thoughts on the 2004 storyline: What, if anything, does Jack "remember" about crashing on the Island? I'm going to go out on a limb (like Kate: Climber Extraordinaire) and say he doesn't remember anything, until he sees Desmond again. At what point after 1977 did the flash-sideways split off form the "real" timeline? We know that some of the 2004 Lostaways' lives are different (e.g. Hurley is lucky; Shannon didn't come home; Locke maybe went on the walkabout), but when did they change? Was Claire pregnant when Kate jumped in the cab with her? Was Claire even on the plane, or was she already in L.A.?

*I did love the Jack/Locke scene in the luggage claim area. It was short and sweet, and reminded me how much I loved the original Locke, and how much I missed him. Locke's words of consolation ("They just lost his body. They don't know where he is."), I think, really effected Jack. Further, Jack's offer of a free consult on Locke's paralysis, to me, came from a genuine desire to help, especially after Locke's kind words. Ye,s we know that Jack loves to try to fix people, but I think that was the old Jack. This new 2004 version of him just wants to help someone. I greatly look forward to how these two interact in the 2004 future.

*Did you all hear Greg Grunberg's voice as the pliot of Oceanic 815? Maybe he can join the last few episodes of Lost now that Heroes is over (hopefully for good).

*I thought the direction of the episode was, as usual, great and very effective. "LA X," like all big Lost episodes, was directed by Jack Bender. The sound effect upon Kate's waking in the tree was fantastic. Great stuff having Kate in the tree to begin with, and her tackling of Miles when he showed up. These were two bits (Kate climbing; Kate on top of men) that have run throught the series; I liked seeing this little shoutout to the long-time fans. Other pieces of direction I enjoyed: the water shot of Sayid's "Drowning," Kate bashing the marshall's head (he ALWAYS gets hit in the head), Sun's "No....English" line reading, etc. Bender is a genius, and he'll, thankfully, be directing the finale.

*Upon a second viewing, I found Jacob's appearance to Hurley even more interesting. He contemplated Sayid for a long time. Was he thinking, "Wow, that looks like a great vessel for my essence!" or more like, "Oh darn...can't let the leader of the resistance to die."? I'm not sure, and Sayid's revival at the end of the episode really doesn't answer either way. Also, Jacob's line, "I was killed by an old friend who grew tired of my company," was intriguing. Yes, we know he and Esau have been on the Island for a long time, but we don't know much about their relationship. The easiest reading (and the one I subscribe to) is that Jacob was using "friend" sarcastically. However, maybe they really were friends. If so, what caused their rift? As I said in my last post, I'm not too down with the idea of Sayid and Locke being used as puppets for Jacob and Esau, however, I do want to find out a whole heck of a lot more about them.

*Despite her death, I expect Juliet to return at some point, most likely in the 2004 flash-sideways timeline. What she said during her death scene leads me to believe that her consciousness was slipping between the two time periods/realities. Remember, Desmond was at the epicenter of the Swan hatch's explosion and coinciding electromagnetism release, and was able to have his consciousness jump in time. Juliet, similarly was at the epicenter of the Incident. Did her consciousness start travelling as well? I think so.

*Quickly repeated from first post: Not sure I like Dogen ("I don't like the way English tastes." Whatever.) and Lennon (my character name/costuming is a little too on the nose), and really don't like the Temple Others with their fancy costumes. I'm now thinking Sayid is NOT Jacob because: 1) Sayid's body sat up (as opposed to Locke's) and 2) Miles couldn't hear Sayid's thoughts when Sayid was "dead." The scene cut to Miles staring at Sayid's body as if there was something wrong. HUrley asked him what was up, and Miles quickly said, "Nothing." What I got from that was that Miles couldn't hear Sayid's thoughts, so Sayid must not be dead.

*Locke/Esau (and we'll just refer to him as 2007 Locke from now on until the Main in Black/Esau is finally named) had maybe the best line of the series. After taking out Bram and his team as Smokey. Locke reappears to Ben and says, "I'm sorry you had to see me like that." Best. Line. Ever. Quickly followed in awesomeness with his retort to Ben calling him "the Monster": "Now, let's not resort to name calling." Awesome.

*When Sayid said, "What happened?" at the end of the episode, did he have a different accent? Or was it just something weird with the sound? Guess we'll find out on Tuesday. Also, did you notice that Sayid was in the water for one minute and eight seconds. In other words, 1:08? Sweet directing/editing job.

*Last, but not least, I freaked out. I mean, really freaked out when I saw what Hurley was wearing under his Dharma jumpsuit: a RED t-shirt. Now, most people know about the theory of red-shirted characters (if not, click here), and that they usually die in sci-fi shows. In fact, last season, both Frogurt and Juliet blatantly wore bright red shirts while everyone else around them did not. So here was Hurley with a bright red shirt on when everyone else was in khaki, green, blue, whatever. I became very concerned that the Numbers were finally going to get him. However, when we were shown the Temple Others, they were ALL in red. This assuaged my fears, and leads me to believe Hurley will become a leader of the Temple Others of some sort. Whatever the shirt's significance (or not), I just want the big lug to survive the series.

OK, that's about it for "LA X." It's Monday, so I won't write a preview episode for tomorrow night's installment, "What Kate Does" (I love that title, by the way). Suffice it to say, I expect a major download on what's going on with the Temple Others, what they privately wanted to say to Jack, what's going on with Sayid, and how Kate escapes the law in the flash-sideways. It should be some really great stuff.

As always, please leave any comments, thoughts or theories below. Be sure to check out all of the Lost goodies provided by Jay and Jack, Erika Olson, Doc Jensen at Entertainment Weekly, and the granddaddy of them all, Doc Arzt. I am also writing TV recaps for Chuck, Modern Family, and FlashForward and other TV news at a great site, TVOvermind. Please be sure to check it out for all of your TV needs. For the next episode, I'll get back on the schedule I established last season for these posts. Until then...

Enjoy.

Lost - "LA X," Ctd

2010-02-03T08:23:00.000-05:00

Hello all. I wanted to get some quick thoughts up on last night's season premiere of Lost, "LA X," before I read the deluge of commentary that I know is floating around the interwebs right now. As you know, I was very, very excited for Lost's return, and after getting myself rather amped up for the premiere, I have to admit, I awoke this morning a bit underwhelmed. Listen, Team Darlton has built up a lot of good will with me, and I trust them implicitly that the series will end in a rather satisfying fashion. However, while I enjoyed many things about last night's episode, I have to say, a couple things fell flat with me. I'm going to do a complete analysis when I have a chance to watch the entire episode again, but that likely won't be until Friday night at the earliest, so for now, here are a few thoughts:

*The 2004 timeline where Oceanic 815 lands safely in L.A. doesn't need much discussion, as nothing seemingly of consequence happened. I liked picking out the inconsistencies (with the original Oceanic 815 sequence in Season 1), like Jack only receiving one liquor bottle from Cindy instead of two, but other than Christian's coffin not making it on the plane, what really happened? One question though, did anyone notice if Claire was pregnant or in her dress form the "Pilot" when she was in the cab with Kate? It was great to see Locke: Original Recipe again. Juxtaposing 2004 Locke against Fake Locke/Esau really brought into relief how much I missed scared, trusting, fallible Locke.

*Oh my God! When Juliet was still alive, I totally thought the whole V layoff was subterfuge by ABC so Elizabeth Mitchell could play a much larger role in Lost's final season. My heart was wrenched out of my body (again) when she "died" a second time.

*I don't think I like the idea that Smokey is also the Man in Black/Esau. Why did he kill Eko then? Why did he NOT kill Ben over the years? Especially since Ben was always serving Jacob, why would Smokey/Esau allow himself to be called by Ben?!? Meh.

*Really not digging the Mr. Miyagi-like, bonsai tree snipping leader of the Temple Others. English doesn't taste right on his tongue? He's got mad kung fu skills? Please. And all of a sudden the Others have ornate uniforms? Huh?!? I think this could be a Nikki/Paolo-size whiff here. The Temple itself was pretty cool though, and nice to see the Tailie kids again.

*Kind of hating the Sayid is now Jacob thing. Or at least that's what I got from Sayid's awakening at the end of the episode. The idea that two of our Lostaways are now just meat puppets for the ancient dueling duo is a poor plot device in my opinion. This was what really stuck with me this morning, but as I was mulling this over, I realized something. Unless Jacob's body-snatching ability works differently than Easu's, Sayid is NOT Jacob. It was very clear that Esau did not take over Locke's body, as Locke's corpse is lying on the beach. Rather, Easu is just taking the form of Locke. Sayid actually sat up awake and alive. He didn't walk in from another room in the Temple. So, if the process works similarly for Jacob and Esau, Sayid is not Jacob, but has just been ressucitated. I really hope this is the case.

Anyway, all in all, I did like the premiere. Like I said above, Darlton has a lot of leeway with me so I'm willing to trust that now with the story-telling device in place, they'll be able to move forward in a more satisfying fashion. I don't know, maybe I'm the only one who felt this way. I'm going to rewatch "LA X" this weekend and get a full post up then. What did you think about the first two hours of the final season of Lost? Please leave your thoughts, comments and theories below. See you this weekend.

Lost, "LA X"

2010-02-01T18:09:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, but the fateful day has arrived. Tomorrow is February 2, 2010. The beginning of the end. The day we finally discover what the future will be. That's right. Tomorrow is....Groundhog Day!! Wait....what? Tomorrow is.....huh....OOOOHHHHH!! Riiiiiiight. Let's start this over.

Believe it or not, but the fateful day has arrived. Tomorrow is February 2, 2010. The beginning of the end. The day that destiny will finally be found. That's right. Tomorrow is the season premiere for the final season of Lost!

I can't begin to express to you how excited I am about this. I am taking this so seriously that I have remained as spoiler-free as possible. I haven't even been reading the site I have been writing for (check out TVOvermind.com for all of your TV needs!), as we have a couple sneak peeks and promos with slightly spoilery material on there (but check out the site! Any spoilery stuff is clearly marked). Bottom line is, I want to have my mind blown as thoroughly as possible when I watch the show tomorrow night.

To further prepare myself for the premiere, I embarked on a full series rewatch. I got through Season 1, and half of Season 2, and realized I was going to run out of time. So, I jumped to Season 5 with the intent of watching the whole season, save "The Incident." I was then going to watch the Season 5 finale at 7:30 Tuesday night so it would end right at 9:00pm, premiere time (Each hour of television without commercials is approximately 45 minutes. The "two hour" Season 5 finale is actually 90 minutes). Again, outside forces (the Island?!?) conspired against my plan. I did get through the season, but watched "The Incident" this past Saturday, as I have a follow-up dentist appointment Tuesday night.

It was so great to watch it all again as it afforded me the opportunity to think about all of the questions left to be answered again, and in light of the Jacob/Easu plot. Other folks have done very exhaustive lists of questions they want answered, so I thought I would just post some thoughts I had while rewatching Season 5, and what we might see in Lost's final season. Away we go:

*In "The Lie," Ben tells Jack, as they prepared to return to the Island, "If there's anything you want from this life, get it, because you're not coming back." At the time, this seemed simply like a statement about the fact that they were going back to the Island, and may not be returning (it was so hard to get off it in the first place). However, in light of the Jughead plan to blow them into an alternate reality (or at least a reality where Oceanic 815 doesn't crash), I was left wondering whether Ben knew about the events to come. Did Ben know that the Jughead plan was going to work somehow, even though it hadn't been formualted yet? His sheer wonderment upon discovery that Kate, Jack, Hurley and Sayid were no longer in 2007 belies any possible knowledge that he had, but as we have seen many times before, Ben never quite lets on what he does or doesn't know.

*"The Little Prince" gave us this quote from Kate, "I have always been with you [Jack]." Ms Austen has certainly seen her affections shift between Jack and Sawyer, but there was something so genuine in her saying this to the hero doc that I make the Prediction that Kate will end up with (or at least die! loving) Jack. I'd say this is backed up by the fact Kate saw how much Sawyer loved Juliet as he tried to hold on to her in the season finale.

*What exactly happened to Ben in The Temple? In "What Happened, Happened," to heal Young Ben, Richard takes him into the Temple and tells Kate and Sawyer that Ben will never be the same, that "his innocence will be gone." What did that mean? Was he marked somehow, at that point, to be the future leader of The Others? Is that what turned him into a homicidal manipulator? I would like some more info on this.

*In both "Dead is Dead" and "Follow the Leader," Locke/Esau tells Sun that he has ideas on how to get our people back. Of course, he later says in "The Incident" that he has no intenion of bringing the Lostaways back to present time. So which is it? Is Locke/Esau just trying to "manage" Sun so she won't interfere with his plan to kill Jacob, or is there some intent to bring the Oceanic folks back to the present? The whole Locke/Esau thing was interesting duirng my rewatch because of the dichotomy being displayed in the Locke/Esau character. I was struck by the number of times the character didn't really seem to know what was going on, or how he came to be back on the Island. Terry O'Quinn has said that he didn't know he wasn't the true Locke until he read the script for the season finale. Could he just have been playing his own real sense of bewilderment at how his supposedly murdered alter ego was walking around Hydra Island quite confidently and empowered? Or did Esau not really anticipate how the "loophole" would work? Personally, I can't wait to see how this storyline works out. Of course, one of the main questions heading into Season 6 is whether the real Locke will come back at some point. I think, unfortunately, the answer came in Season 5, "Dead is dead."

There are a million other questions we all have going into Season 6, and a million ways we want the series to end. I am really only hoping for the same great entertainment we've received for the last five years. On my FlashForward posts, I like to make predictions for the series. I haven't done that for Lost at all, but since every other Lost pundit has done so, I figured I'd give it a shot. These are broad, wild-eyed, not knowing jack squat, predictions for what will happen by the end of the series finale:

*Oceanic 815 will land in L.A. in September 2004, but those touched by Jacob will remember everything that has happened to them in the "past."

*At the same time, on an alternate plane of reality (no "plane" pun intended), the 2007 events on the Island will continue to unfold.

*The 2004 Lostaways, led by Jack and Locke, will venture to the Lamp Post and Mrs. Hawking to try to merge the timelines in 2007. Desmond will be the link used to unite the two time periods. (I never said any of this makes sense!)

*Jack and crew will defeat Esau and the Others on behalf of Jacob.

*Jack will try to make the ultimate sacrifice to save Kate, but will be saved by Sawyer.

*Sawyer will die, on behalf of his friends.

*Jacke, Kate, Sayid, Hurley, Sun, Jin, Claire and Aaron will live. Sawyer and Locke will die.

*Ben, having made some unslefish act, will become the new Jacob.

*Rose and Bernard will be Adam and Eve.

*None of the previosuly dead Oceanic passengers (Charlie, Michael, Libby, Ana Lucia, Eko, Boone, Shannon) will be reborn and alive by the end.

*We will be very, very confused for a good portion of the final season!

I know, not the boldest predictions in the world, but that's what I've got. I will continue to provide my thoughts on the season's episodes as they are shown to us. It's actually good that the show got moved to Tuesday because it doesn't interfere with my responsibilities over at TVOvermind. At TVO, I'm writing recaps and thoughts on Chuck, Modern Family, and FlashForward when it returns. Please do me a solid and check out TVO -- we've got breaking TV news, recaps, previews, promos and feature articles on everything television. The site was started by none other than DocArzt himself, and I truly believe it is a great source for all of your TV needs. Thanks to any regular readers of this blog for putting up with my lack of posting the last couple months. I could say that I was really busy during the holidays and such, but that would just be an excuse. So, thanks for sticking with me. Please leave any thoughts, questions or comments below. HAve a great time watching the final season premiere of Lost! Until then...

Enjoy.

FlashForward - 2010 Preview

2009-12-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

Yes, beleive it or not, you are actually reading my long-promised thoughts on the 2010 mega-preview that appeared at the end of the FlashForward fall finale, "A561984." I know, I know, you could barely enjoy your Christmakwanzukkah gifts because you were beset with anguish over what I thought about the preview. Well, your worries can be cast away, because here they are:

*Up front, I believe the preview consisted of scenes from a number of already shot future episodes, and not just the March 4 return episode. However, I don't think the show has too many future episodes in the can yet, so what we see must occur within the first few episodes back.

*We were told that our characters' destinies are "not set in stone," and are then later asked, "How far will they go?" It seems (as we have suspected for a long, long time) that what someone saw in his or her flash can be changed, but to do so, proactive, and perhaps extraordinary, measures must be taken. What this signals to me is that unlike the ancient debate between whether our futures are products of Fate (see Greek mythology) or Free Will (see Western philosophy), FF is operating under the premise that our lives are determined by a combination of the two. To steal an analogy from Lost, throwing a pebble in a river will have no effect, but if you throw a boulder into a river, the river's path will change. Likewise, our lives may be predetermined, but if you throw a large enough boulder in the way, the path of our lives will change. Fate is the river, and free will is the boulder. It is an interesting concept that plays nicely with the Schrodinger's Cat theory that the observer determines the outcome of given possibilities.

*We saw Janis, Demetri and an African-American man running, guns pulled, through a scene. The last guy wasn't wearing glasses, so I assume it wasn't Wedeck. I hope it is the CIA agent, Marshall Vogel played by Michael Ealy. As I mentioned in the "A561984" recap, I enjoyed his character and hope he appears again. He's a nice counterpoint to Mark and Demetri, and who knows, he may need to help Demetri if...

*...Mark switches sides. That seems to be the way we're supposed to be thinking. As was revealed in "A561984," Demetri is to be shot by someone using Mark's gun (the episode title referring to the serial number on said gun), and, presumably, by Mark. Plus, we have in the preview Mark throwing Demetri up against a wall saying, "I should've killed you." Does Mark really turn on his partner and the FBI? Is this scene just a show for the "bad guys?" Does Demetri turn on Mark? There are obviously many possibilities. We also saw Mark getting shot up with something. Does whatever is in the shot "brainwash" Mark (he was LOADED, OK?)? I am actually going to place my bets on Demetri avoiding his March 15th date with death, which causes some terrible change to Mark's future. Just as plausible as anything else, right?

*The preview also tells us, rather dramatically, that "vows will be broken." This is coupled with a shot of Olivia kissing Lloyd. I think we all saw this coming -- Olivia's flash has to come true, doesn't it? The question is: does Mark's drinking push Olivia to Lloyd, or does her daliance cause Mark's drinking? I'm thinking the latter. With Olivia and Lloyd's banter about Harvard in the last episode, plus Lloyd's kidnapping and Olivia now charged with protecting Dylan, there is obviously a lot of emotional drama that has and will be created between the two of them. If Keanu Reeves taught us anything, love and desire can be born out of intense situations.

*Quickly, Janis gets pregnant, and Bryce and Nicole kiss! On the former, I figure someone we already have met will be the sperm donor for Janis' baby. My bet is on Bryce. His suggestion of a sperm bank, good genes (except the cancer thing, I guess), and he's unattached. At least until he and Nicole get together. So much for Keiko, huh? They've been building to a Bryce-Nicole pairing with her helping him find Keiko and her working at the hospital, but I don't really see where this is going. I mean, an entire episode was devoted to Bryce finding his love from Japan, and on April 29th he's going to meet her, so where could this go? I guess we'll have to wait and find out.

*Last, but certainly not least, is Mark's declaration that "there is going to be another blackout." Now, you'll have to trust me, but about two-thirds of the way through "A561984" I actually wrote down in my notes "I think there will be another blackout." That was going ot be my Prediction for my post. Then, of course, we get the mega-preview and Mark says that there's going to be another blackout! Curses! I initially figured the second blackout would occur in the season finale, so this seems like a really big reveal for ABC to give away at this point. This must mean that there will be an even bigger whopper come season finale time. What that could be, I have no idea. As far as this reveal is concerned though, I guess the mystery lies in when it will happen, who will cause it to happen, and for what purpose? Does the FBI gain control of the blackout device (whatever it may be) and purposefully cause a blackout to disrpt the original blackout perpetrators? Do Gibbons and Nhadra cause the second blackout? Ricky Jay and the Three-Star guys? So many questions to answer! I guess that makes it a great drama.

OK, that's the preview. Again, sorry it was so delayed. As I explained here, the holidays, work and a new endeavor came together in a perfect storm of procrastination and made me put off this post. I'll try not to let it happen again. The endeavor, however, should be a lot of fun. Over at DocArzt's site, TVOvermind, I will be writing recaps for Chuck, Modern Family, and recapettes for FlashForward. I will continue to write my long FF and Lost posts here as well, so please continue to check out this blog as well as the stuff over at TVOvermind. As always, take a listen to the FlashForwardCast by Jay and Jack, and check out FF recaps by the always entertaining Jeff Jensen at EW.com. I hope you all have a happy and healthy New Year, and hope you're looking forward to what will surely be an amazing year of television in 2010! Until then...

Enjoy.

Seasons Greetings, an Apology, and an Announcement!

2009-12-23T10:08:00.000-05:00

Seasons Greetings, dear readers! It's that time of year again, when the world is in love, and TV takes a hiatus because people are too busy running around to sit and watch anything, including me. I know that I promised some thoughts on the FlashForward mega-preview, but work and the Holiday Season have colluded in preventing me from getting those thoughts up. I actually have half the day off today, and the whole day off tomorrow, so hopefully I can get something up in the next 24 hours, but I am truly sorry for the delay.

Another reason for the delay, however, is that I have been in contact with Jon Lachonis, aka DocArzt of Lost blogging fame, about his TV wesbsite, TVOvermind. I can announce that I have joined the site as a TV recapper and reviewer, and will be penning (typing?) my thoughts on Chuck, Modern Family, and FlashForward (Lost gets left to the Doc himself). I am very excited about this endeavor, as it will be an opportunity for me to further engage with the programming I love and improve my critical writing as well. I will, of course, continue to offer my thoughts on FF, Lost, V, and other topics here at Entertaining Thoughts. I have defined duties over at TVO (play-by-play recaps of Chuck and Modern Family, and mini reviews for FF), but I have room to expound and ramble here at my blog, so I will keep at it.

Anyway, I hope you will be on the lookout for my posts over at TVOvermind, and will continue to visit this blog for deeper thoughts and conversations on the stuff we love. As soon as I get my thoughts on the FF mega-preview up, you'll be the first to know. Have yourself a very safe and happy holidays.

I leave you with a clip that I believe truly symbolizes the spirit of the holidays -- overblown stunts done to impress people!

FlashForward - "A561984," Ctd, Ctd

2009-12-05T22:42:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the delay on the recap, but as I said, it was a busy day at work yesterday. Anyway, here I am on a miserable day here overlooking midtown Manhattan, reflecting on a great episode of FlashForward, "A561984," the fall season finale. As we found out yesterday, FF will not return with new episodes until March 4, after the Winter Olympics. With such a long layoff, there will be no reruns once the show returns, which is a good thing. However, that means three months have to pass before casual viewers can see the show again, which is a bad thing. The show's numbers have been dripping downwards since its premiere, and reached their lowest levels during this past episode. Will casual viewers wait three months to see the show again? One would think, then, that the fall finale would include a major cliffhanger to pique the audience's interest for those three months. Do I think the actual episode did? No. Did the three-minute preview for the back half of the season? Oh yeah. I'll talk about that preview next week where I normally write a post about the upcoming episode, but first things first. Here are my thoughts on "A561984":

*The title credits picture was the words "Help Us" written in what seemed to be blood, on a cheesesteak menu or sign. Now, I will fully admit that I was watching the show at midnight after working all day and until 11:45p, but I don't remember seeing "Help Us" anywhere during the episode. Usually the placement of the title picture is rather obvious during the episode itself, but I didn't see it. Did anyone? What is its meaning, both to the story and on a meta level? Should we as the audience be clued into something by the fact that the picture wasn't in the episode? I'll have to watch the episode again.

*The title refers to the serial number on Mark's gun: the gun that, according to Nhadra Udaya (the woman who warned Demetri about his impending murder, played by Shohreh Aghdashloo) is used to kill Demetri on March 15. This obviously, seems highly unlikely because why would Mark kill his partner? Mark even asked this very question, but was given no answer. She said that she feared too much information might bring about unwanted circumstances, but what are the circumstances? Doe she want Demetri to die, so that something else will still occur, or vice versa? What is the "incident" she seems so worried about? Could it be THIS ONE?!? Likely not, but what game is Nhadra playing?

*Chess, it looks like. We saw her later with The Chess Player, aka D. Gibbons. The file the FBI had on Gibbons referred to him as "Deacon," but didn't vocally reference him as such. Production error, or is that Gibbons' name? Regardless, we do now know that D. Gibbons and The Chess Player are one and the same. We saw in Nhadra's office that she and Gibbons were building their own version of Mark's bulletin board. Back in my recap for "White to Play," I scoffed at one of the characters' suggestion that D. Gibbons was seeking an explanation for the blackout. Now though, as he is clearly aligned with Nhadra, perhaps he is. It got me thinking that while the FBI is investigating the cause of the blackout, perhaps Gibbons and Nhadra are investigating a result of the blackout. In other words, perhaps they saw something that will occur on April 29th that seems impossible, and they are trying to discover the circumstances that lead to that event, otherwise known as "the incident."

*Speaking of the blackout, we actually had the follow-through of Lloyd's poker victory. Surprisingly, Simon allowed Lloyd to announce to the world that their experiment was the cause of the blackout, even though Simon wasn't so certain. As scientists at the National Linear Accelerator Project (the origin of the nlap.us.com e-mail address), Simon and Lloyd were trying to recreate the Big Bang using a particle collidor, a copy of the experiment currently being conducted by CERN (for more info on the experiment, read here). An unintended consequence, as Lloyd explained it, was the blackout and coinciding flashes. Well, obviously, people were a little upset about that, to the point that one woman stole a security guard's gun and shot at Lloyd.

(Can I pause here to say, there is no way in hell that wooden podium was going to stop a bullet. Lloyd was directly behind where the shot hit. Why can't a crazy woman grabbing a gun and shooting wildly just miss? That would be way more believable than the podium stopping the bullet. OK, rant over. Thank you for your time.)

*Whether it was the audience's reaction, the gun shot, or just his desire to escape liability, Simon was adamant that NLAP's experiments were not responsible for the blackout, declaring to Lloyd that it was now "war between us" (which reminds me of Raoul's similar declaration to the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera (sorry, my wife has been in the show for a combined five years and will be returning to it in the New Year)), and he was going to prove it so. He went to the FBI to assist in finding the true cause of the blackout. We learned that the towers built in Somalia in 1991 are actually super-lasers used to amplify radio waves. Problem was, Simon created the towers...in 1992! Uh, what the what?! The only explanation I can come up with involves the Many-Worlds Theory Lloyd told Olivia about later in the episode (illustrated with the idea that Olivia was supposed to live in the building Lloyd's eventual wife did at Harvard). As far as I can understand, Many-Worlds Theory states that every possible outcome of every possible situation co-exists simultaneously in an infinite number of universes. Possibly, someone involved in the blackout conspiracy found a way to see into one of the other universes, and bring the laser technology back into this world. Heady stuff, I know, but do you have a better theory?

*I guess I should mention the Olivia/Lloyd situation. After his announcement, Lloyd was persona non grata around L.A. As a result, he thought Dylan wouldn't be safe, and wanted to move him to another hospital. Olivia agreed to help him and called in a favor at a children's hospital. As soon as I saw the EMT's who were there to transport Dylan, I just KNEW they were bad guys. I'm sure I wasn't the only one, but one question: if the EMT was so blase about killing a security guard, why not Olivia? He just hit her (don't you harm Sonya Walger!). Why leave witnesses? Bad bad guys!

Quick Hits:

*Why did Mark keep protecting Demetri? He took all the heat from Wedeck, put himself in danger with Nhadra, and took on the CIA agent in Hong Kong, which led to his being fired (and Wedeck's great line about "pooch screwing"). It was almost as if he was trying to get fired. Does he think that if he no longer works for the FBI he can't be in his office on April 29th? Something to keep an eye on.

*Wow. Janis has got baby fever! She wants that kid and wants it now. Liked her line about being "super gay." Nice moment of levity.

*Either Simon or Lloyd stated that they could not be charged with a crime because they were just conducting a science experiment. I'm not saying it's definite, but I'm pretty sure they could be charged with criminal negligence. They did kill 20 million people (as we keep hearing about).

*I thought the whole Zoey/Mrs. Noh storyline was filler. Yes, Zoey did finally realize what we've suspected for a long time: namely, that her flash did not show her at her wedding with Demetri, but rather his funeral. There was a touching moment where Mrs. Noh admitted that she was staying away from Zoey because she had the same flash of Demetri's funeral, but otherwise, I didn't feel it moved anything forward, as opposed to the rest of the storylines.

*I dug Hong Kong CIA agent Marshall Vogel, played by Michael Ealy. He, interestingly, said that he has "nothing to lose." What that means, I have no idea. But I liked his attitude so I hope he shows up in future episodes. I thought I saw him in the extended preview for the second half of the season, so it appears we may be seeing more of him.

*Thought the opening scene of Mark watching A Christmas Carol, specifically the scene where Scrooge is pleading with the Ghost of Christmas Future. Nice metaphor for Mark's deep desire to change the future he has seen.

From my preview for "A561984," I was way off on the meaning of the title (it wasn't a date, obviously); the show did accelerate the action in creating some momentum to get us through the next three FF-free months; the public did not take kindly to Lloyd's admission at all; and I nailed the fact that Olivia was going ot help Lloyd with Dylan (as if I was out on a limb there!); and we did get a huge reveal concerning Nhadra -- she's working with D. Gibbons!

Prediction: Nhadra and Gibbons will cause a second blackout to avert "the incident."

So there you have it folks. No more FlashForward until March. The story moved apace, and although I may not have been overly effusive above, I really enjoyed both how the plots developed and the speed at which we are moving now. I can't say I'm eagerly awaiting the answer to a cliffhanger (like, say, where/when the hell are the Lostaways), but the overarching mystery has been pretty perfectly pitched so I am jazzed for the return the show this spring. I just hope others are coming along for the ride. Doc Jensen of EW.com, he of the famous Lost recaps, has begun recapping FF. His first theory-filled recap can be found here. I'm eager to read it myself. Remember to check out Jay and Jack's FlashForwardCast as well. Lastly, if you are Twitter-inclined, I can be found at twitter.com/MikeNJD. If you have any thoughts, theories or questions, please post them in the Comments sections below. As I said above, I will post some thoughts on the mega-preview that appeared at the end of the episode next week. During the hiatus, should any FF news appear, I will post on that as well. Of course, there is plenty of TV and other entertainments (and sports, and politics, and other stuff) to talk about, so make sure you check the blog regularly for more Entertaining Thoughts. Thank you for reading.

I'm off to purchase a lucky Chinese cat.

FlashForward - "A561984," Ctd

2009-12-04T15:21:00.000-05:00

Hello all. I know I have been really good about getting my recap up on Fridays, but the provberial stuff hit the fan at work last night and today, so I will be unable to post anything today. Tomorrow, however, I should have my full thoughts up on what I thought was maybe the best episode of the season. While you're on pins and needles waiting for my thoughts tomorrow, chew on this news about FF's spring return. Incidentally, V, will be returning on Tuesday nights at 10p after Lost. That's a whole lot of sci-fi/mystery goodness. OK, back to work. See you tomorrow.

FlashForward - "A561984"

2009-12-02T09:27:00.000-05:00

Hello all. I hope my American compatriots had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and that my international readers had a great....Thursday or jueves or jeudi or اليوم or whatever last week. I can tell that I am really enjoying FF as it seems like it has been way longer than two weeks since our last installment, "Believe." I am pretty sure that tomorrow night's episode, "A561984" is the last one for 2009, so I'm expecting a blowout episode with a nice cliffhanger to get us through the holidays. From the preview at the end of "Believe," it seems we'll be getting just that. Here's what I'm looking for tomorrow night:

*What does "A561984" mean? The easy answer is that it is a case file number, like in The West Wing's "7A WF 83429" which was the file number given to Zoey Bartlet's kidnapping (just rewatched the four episode kidnapping sequence -- such awesome stuff. I loved that show! Check it out!). However, the title is screaming for the "1984" to be taken as a year. If you do, and take "56" to be May 6 (in America) or 5 June (pretty much everywhere else), then we're looking at a date of some unknown significance. Is it a charcter's birthday? If so, that person would be 25 years old. Anyone of significance on the show about 25? Tracy or Nicole, I suppose, but the episode doesn't seem to focus on them. Perhaps its the date the blackout technology was created or initially tested? If so, Simon (and probably Lloyd) would have been way too young to be involved then. If I had to bet, I'd say it's just a file number, but I hope I'm wrong and it's something extra-special cool.

*After a nice respite at a rest stop along the highway of the future-seeing mystery that is FlashForward, by all accounts, "A561984" will ramp up the Mosaic investigation by giving us a lot of info on the cause of the blackout. From the preview, we see Lloyd actually following through with his public declaration of responsibility for the blackout. I am still holding tight to my original prediction that Lloyd and Simon's technology is responsible for the blackout, but they were not the ones who caused the blackout to occur. Something tells me that even if Lloyd lays out this point explicitly, the public is not going to take to kindly to it.

*Simon seems, from the preview, to be working with the L.A. FBI and revealing his and Lloyd's part in the blackout. Now, most people tend to believe Simon is a "bad guy," so what is his angle in helping the FBI? Is he trying to cast attention elsewhere in order to protect himself and his group's true intentions? We will hear Simon tell the FBI, "I'll find him." Who is "him?" Suspect Zero? D. Gibbons? The Chess Player (the guy who blew up the doll factory in "White to Play")? I think we did see a flash of someone handling chess pieces in the preview, so maybe the Chess Player is who Simon will be seeking, but why? What cards does Simon have up his sleeve (pun, sadly, intended)?

*Olivia tells Lloyd she will help him, with something. With Dylan? Does Lloyd confide in her that he is "responsible" for the blackout before he tells the public? I think it's more likely the former because why would she want to assist the man responsible for the greatest catastrophy known to man? Oh, and how quickly will Mark run to Olivia to say "I told you so!' once Lloyd goes public? Thirty seconds? A minute?

*We will also see the return of Shohreh Agdashloo tomorrow night. If you remember, she was the one who told Demetri he would be murdered on March 15. The preview had us believe that she will tell Demetri that the one who will murder him is sitting at their table, apparently in Hong Kong. Methinks this will not go down as expected. I didn't see who was also in the restaurant with them besides Mark (Vreede, you there?), and although we do know there is likely a traitor in the FBI, I just think there will be a bigger reveal than the one telegraphed by the preview. But we do get a table flipped over and gunshots in an Asian restuarant, which always reminds me that anything goes (couldn't find the exact clip that didn't have offensive blackface in it, but you know what comes after the song and dance).

I'm preparing myself to be hit with a big, and welcome, download of information tomorrow night regarding the mechanical cause of the blackout (will I also score on my satellite prediciton?). However, the continuing mystery will be why the blackout occurred and who perpetrated it. I would like to see some more Janis tomorrow night, as I thought they were building her character nicely, all to, literally, leave her for dead a few episodes ago and not give her much screen time since. Maybe she'll go to Hong Kong with the boys. I don't expect more than a passing glance of Bryce or Aaron after the last episode; I think we'll be Mosaic-heavy tomorrow night. This, I believe, is a good thing because it is the overarching mystery that will give us the great cliffhangers necessary to steel ourselves for the cold and barren winter.

If you need a refresher on any of FF's episodes, all of my recaps are here. Plus, always rememebr to check out the crackpot theories over at FlashForwardCast with Jay and Jack. If you have any thoughts or theories about tomorrow night's episode, please drop them in the Comments section below. I'll be back this weekend with my thoughts on tomorrow night's episode. Until then...

Enjoy.

V - "It's Only the Beginning"

2009-11-25T15:08:00.003-05:00

If I were a betting man, and I haven't been since the freaking Pirates beat out the Mets in 1990, I would stay far, far away from putting any money on whether V will be back in the spring. Last night's episode, "It's Only the Beginning," did nothing to make a prediction any clearer. Like the four episodes in this introductory "pod," last night's episode was up and down, and seemed to lack direction. Here's why:

*On the positive side, I pretty much love everything involving the V's themselves. The idea that the V injection actually will help humanity, but that they are secretly poisoning the flu vaccine? Awesome. That Anna referred to Lisa as her "young," instead of "child" or "daughter?" Creepy cool. Joshua's assistant sacrificing himself for Joshua (a leader of The Fifth Column), knowing that his sentence would be, as Anna decreed with relish, "Skin him!"? Intriguing. The V suicide pill turning them into ash? Weird. Anna nakedly doling out The Bliss? Trippy. The phalanx of V ships awaiting a war with Earth? Fantastic. All of this really brings life to the V's as characters and mystery to the story.

*On the negative side, I pretty much hate everything about the humans. That's not to say the performances are bad, because, save one, they're not (I'm looking at you Mr. Huffman). Rather, as I complained about last week, the writing for the humans is just dreadful. I mean that whole conversation about how human predictability will be exploited by the V's was awful. The idea was actually a great insight (I'd venture to say all beings perceive those of lower intelligence to be predictable), but the dialogue expressing the idea made me cringe. It was on par with an afterschool special. And speaking of predictability, of course Jack was in the Army. Of course Valerie was pregnant (I knew that as soon as she mentioned she was tired in the first scene). Of course Chad had a medical problem only the V's could detect. I state this last one becuase besides some Acting 101 looks that say "I just don't like what's going on here," Chad has never been given anything to say that would have us believe he minds being exploited by the V's. Since he hasn't put up a fight against being the V's media stooge (and, no, saying he'd like to see more of the medical bay doesn't count), we have no reason to suspect he'll think twice about the V doctor's diagnosis. I don't know; they really need to make some leaps and bounds when it comes to their Earth-bound characters.

Quick Hits:

*I do have to give the designers kudos for their work on the show. The costumes, lighting, scenery, effects, music, everything is top notch. I especially love the cinematography: they find such great angles for shooting Morena Baccarin to make her look lacertine. When she told Lisa that she wanted to meet Tyler, Baccarin looked like she would sawallow him whole.

*Really? Valerie is Tyler's shrink? It wasn't enough that Ryan and Erica are now working together? There needed to be another link? Really?!?

*Jack is the first character I've ever seen to actually wait in the car when told. Just ask Chuck!

*Doc Jensen brings up a great idea in his recap today: what if Anna is actually benevolent and working against the soon-to-arrive armada to save humanity? I don't think we're going there, just yet. However, this would completely upend the show (which may be a good thing), and would be least plausible in the character of Ryan. Wouldn't that mean Ryan is actually working against Erica, Jack and the safety of Valerie? I guess the explanation would be that Ryan thinks he's helping humanity, but really isn't, and will come to understand Anna's true intentions. Mehtnks such a story will get very complicated, and as we have seen, I doubt the writers have the stuff to handle it.

OK, that's all for 2009. Whether ABC will pick up an additional nine episodes for the spring is beyond my guess. If they do, I think they will have to receive major assurances that the quality of the writing will improve dramatically. I hope they do, because I generally enjoy shows like V, and there are some great actors on the show. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if any of ABC's mid-season replacements are hits. Make sure you check out Jay and Jack's VCast and Doc Jensen's recaps at EW.com. Please leave your thoughts below in the Comments section. I'll post any news on the status of V as it is released. Until then...

Enjoy...

FlashForward
or
Lost
or
Something.

FlashForward - "Believe," Ctd

2009-11-20T16:11:00.001-05:00

Well, I can honestly say that my worst fears were not realized in last night's episode of FlashForward; namely, that we would have another "Stranger in a Strange Land" situation. Did I think "Believe" was the great episode some thought it was? No. Was it a nice change of pace? Sure. Was it completely necessary? Absolutely. The risk FF waded into when the show was created and pitched as a sci-fi-ish, high concept serial drama (like it's big brother, Lost, and any other serialized show) was that the "weirdness" of the technical parts of the story (i.e. time travel, weird science experiment gone awry, flashbacks, etc.) might turn off a large segment of the viewing public.  As series co-creator David S. Goyer points out in his interview with EW's inimitable Doc Jensen, this needs to be counteracted with a healthy dose of character development. Hence, after a few weeks of sometimes repetitive plot points (need to help the people who jump on the train late), we received almost an entire hour devoted to Bryce: how he came to the point of suicide, what he saw in his flash, and the ramifications thereof. This was really a great character study, and in a sea of great actors on this show, Zachary Knighton stepped up and proved he belonged beside them. We were given a sprinkle of plot for the other main characters, and I will touch on them briefly, but this was Bryce's (and Keiko's!) night, so let's start with them.

*The title credits picutre was of Keiko's wrist tattoo, received after she quit her job and was planning her escape to America. Anyone out there read Japanese? Did the tattoo say "believe" or are we all being hosed? Let me also mention here that my original hypothesis that these title credit pictures may be overarching-series-mystery clues might not bear any fruit. They appear to be just a flash of something important that will appear in that night's episode.  I will keep cataloguing them, however, on the off chance that there is something super-cool about them all taken as a unit.

*We learn that four weeks before the blackout, Bryce is told that his renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) has moved to Stage 4, and has spread to his brain and lungs. When offered the possibility of another round of chemo, he refuses and proceeds to become distraught and unaware of his surroundings; which is made abundantly clear as he unknowingly backs into some jackass' hot rod. His sadness turns into anger as he continuously slams into the hot rod. Two weeks later, Bryce begins to zone out during surgery to the point Olivia tells him he should reconsider whether medicine is the proper field for him. He then goes to see a psychologist in hopes of dealing with his believed death sentence. Not receiving sufficient answers there, he turns to thoughts of suicide, the pier, a revolver, and a meeting with fate. I know what I just wrote is more straight recap than what I normally write, but what it illustrates is the path that leads a man to suicide. Bryce is obviously a smart guy who uses a fine-tuned body to perform complicated, meticulous surgeries that save people's lives. Now, cancer is robbing him of his mind and body, and as a doctor, he understands this reality all too well -- he will not be able to save his own life. This was all important background to understand why Bryce was on that pier. Nice grace note, by the way, of Bryce unconsciously putting his seat belt on when he got in his car. A nice little sign that he (or his subconscious at least) wanted to fight for his life.

*I think this was the first time we saw someone's whole flash. Bryce, who, in his flash, now speaks pretty fluent Japanese, met up with Keiko in a Japanese restaurant. He seemed very relieved to see/meet her (as she did, him), and caressed her arm, revealing her wrist tattoo. I got a great feeling of love and fulfillment from the pair during the flash. Bryce did, too, as this was enough to turn his outlook around, leading him to go in for another round of chemo and learning Japanese, despite being very sick. In his words to Olivia, after she saw him nearly pass out and disovered his chemotherapy mainlines, his flash gave him "something to live for." I loved the questions being recited by the Japanese language tapes while Bryce was throwing up, "How are you feeling today? I hope you are well. Can you give me the directions? I am lost. Who are you? What do you want?" These words perfectly summed up Bryce's state as they are the questions Bryce was surely asking himself on both literal and more thematic levels. Great writing. Olivia then gets Bryce into a trial for an experimental cancer drug in Houston, but with his time away from the hospital, he searches for Keiko. He finds his way to her home, but he is denied meeting her by her mother, who had kicked Keiko out of the house for insisting that she wanted a different life than the one planned for her, and wanted to marry for love. Distraught, and no doubt still believing that his time on Earth may be limited, Bryce called Nicole looking for support. Her advice, "Sometimes you just have to be patient."  Which we will have to be, as well.

*I guess I should briefly talk about Bryce's intended love. Keiko was introduced to us as she prepared for an interiew at a prestigous robotics company. We quickly learned that she was not intended for the conservative buisness world and society of Japan. She named Jimi Hendrix as an idol, and that she enjoyed playing guitar. She did not want to be set up with a man pre-approved by her mother, and when she was brought into a meeting to serve tea to those gathered because she was the only woman in the department, she exhibited her independent streak, and quit. This independence led to a fight were her mother when Keiko denounced her mother's plans for her. Keiko was kicked out of the house and she ran, with her guitar, to Los Angeles, on Bryce's plane! We saw that in her flash she will meet Bryce in a Japanese restaurant, but it is in L.A., not Japan. One other note, Keiko was watching a video of Bob Dylan's "Shelter From the Storm." This song is incredibly apt, as it speaks of a man "burned out from exhaustion" and "poisoned" who seeks refuge with a woman. Certainly sounds like our man Bryce, right? However, the song turns in its second half, when the man says "Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost / I took too much for granted, got my signals crossed." Does this mean that post April 29, 2010, Bryce and Keiko's relationship will falter? Will she not be his savior? I hope not, but we'll "have to be patient."

Quick Hits:

*In non-Bryce/Keiko happenings, we had Aaron trying to deal with, on the surface, that Tracy drinks and that he, as a recovering alcoholic, can't have alcohol around. What this really was all about, however, was that Aaron blamed himself for Tracy being in the situation that she is in. First, Aaron was in the military, and Tracy "enlisted to be just like me [Aaron]." Second, as alcoholism can be genetically passed to one's children, Aaron was worried that he may have "inspired" that in her, too. Obviously, neither of these are his fault, but he is acting as a parent, and wants to protect his daughter from all threats, both those he may have control over (Jericho), and those he doesn't (her enlistment, alcoholism).

*Mark, upon discovering the text sent to Olivia about him drinking in his flash, interrogated both Aaron and Wedeck (the only two people he told about is flash) about whether they texted Olivia. Both vigorously denied it. In fact, Aaron, stressed out about Tracy, blew up at Mark and told him to find another AA sponsor. Dang! Although, Mark did deserve to be slapped down (figuratively by Wedeck, and literally by Aaron); he was awful accusatory in tone and word choice.

*Did you catch Vreede's sideways look when the NSA agent told them that they traced a suspicious call back to one of their phones? Perhaps Jay and Jack's caller was right? Is he the mole?

*The call was the one Demetri received from the woman who said he was going to be murdered March 15. Audio analysis pointed them to the nightly Symphony of Lights celebration in Hong Kong. Wedeck, understandably, did not want them to go, but Mark has a plan to secret he and Demetri away to China to investigate the lead. Man, the L.A. FBI bureau has a pretty healthy budget.

*The NSA agent also todl the group that Suspect Zero's ring has an Alpha symbol on it. I loved the fact that Wedeck asked the question all of us were, How could a symbol on the ring be determined but not Zero's face?!? I love when shows do that. I went back to the end of last week's episode, "Playing Cards with Coyote," and yes, the rings that were given to Ricky Jay did have the same Alpha symbol.

From my preview for "Believe," well, we got what I expected, a Bryce-centric episode. There was no Janis at all (boooo!), no Lloyd or Simon, and little amounts of everyone else. There was some acrimony in Mark and Olivia's marriage, but it was short-lived, and while Aaron had the most screen time after Bryce, nothing major happened.

Prediction: As Suspect Zero had the missing ring, and Ricky Jay didn't seem to happy about it (evidenced by, literally, shooting the messenger) I predict Zero is actually a traitor to the group that caused the blackout.

OK, that's all for this week. Again, sorry for the more straight-up recapping, but FF took a well-deserved pause in the breakneck pace it was setting, and let us really get to know the motivation of one of its heretofor neglected characters. The thread of escape, Bryce from his illness/death, Keiko from a restriced society, and even Aaron from alcoholism and Demetri from fate, was woven well throught the episode. We were given something Ivory pure to root for (Bryce/Keiko's relationship) and we were able to reflect upon how profound the events of the blackout truly were on people's lives. To paraphrase Aaron, many people, post-blackout, are "not the people they used to be." For some (Bryce, Keiko), that is a blessing. For others (Tracy, and maybe Olivia and Mark) a curse. The episode allowed us to become reacquainted with the stakes of what occurred October 6th. With that in mind, I believe FF will move forward with a greater sense of urgency and consequence.  Remeber to check out the FlashForwardCast with Jay and Jack, and we'll meet again over FF in two weeks time. Leve any comments or theories in the Comments section below, and, as always, thank you very much for reading.

I'm off to build a robot that can feed me jellybeans.

FlashForward - "Believe"

2009-11-18T14:37:00.003-05:00

Hello all. Tomorrow night's episode of FlashForward is titled, "Believe." As the preview at the end of last week's "Playing Cards with Coyote" focused on Bryce and his search for the Japanese girl he saw in his flash, the title obviously refers to the Japanese character Bryce also saw in his flash that Nicole translated as "Believe." I am not against a Bryce-centric episode. Of all the main characters on the show, save Nicole, Bryce has received the least amount of attention, so finding out more about why he was going to kill himself, what exactly he saw, and what the importance is of the Japanese girl will be very interesting. However, this episode is just begging to be compared to what is universally considered Lost's worst episode, "Stranger in a Strange Land."

In that episode, Jack flashes back to Thailand, where he meets a mysterious woman (played by Bai Ling) who claims she can look into people and tell them who they are. As Jack has always wondered what his purpose is in life, he asks her to tattoo on him who he "is." His tattoo's meaning is the title of the episode, "Stranger in a Strange Land." He is then beat up by Thai locals and kciked out of Thailand. The whole mess is very bizarre and really had nothing to do with nothing. If "Believe" is mostly a Bryce episode and he is led on a journey to Japan, all I can say is that the payoff better be good. If not, many Lost fans (which I would argue a supermajority of FF watchers are) may think FF has jumped the proverbial shark. What else am I looking for tomorrow night? Let's see:

*The only other person I saw in the preview last week was Demetri (stupid Cablevision DVR). According to the written preview for "Believe" on ABC.com, the FBI is going to try to track down the caller who told Demetri he was going to be murdered, you know, waaaaaaaaay back in episode two, "White to Play." It's about time, right? I'll be interested to see how they get back to this topic. I really hope it's not a situation where Demetri says, "Remember how I got that call I was going to be murdered? We should probably figure out who called me!" Here's hoping it's more integrated than that.

*Jack from the FlashForwardCast does a Carackpot Theory every week. Last week's was that Mike, Tracy's fellow soldier who told Aaron that she was dead two episodes ago, is Suspect Zero. He based his theory on the fact that the actor who plays Mike is 5'9", 145 lbs., just like the description of Suspect Zero. I went back and rewatched Mike's scenes in "The Gift," and we never saw his right hand, the one on which Zero is wearing a ring. I'd like to see some information on the rings, their importance (do they block the effects of the blackout?), and whether Mike has anything to do with the blackout conspiracy.

*Will Lloyd, having won his poker game with Simon, really go public with their responsibility for the blackout? Being as it is only November, methinks not. What game is Simon actually playing though? What is their true responsibility?

*I think I want some major Janis action. She was becoming a favorite character of mine, so now that she has been essentially sidelined for the last two weeks, I want to see her make important contributions in the office this week.

*With major parts of their flashes believed to be eradicated (Olivia trashing the lingerie and Mark killing 3-Star), I don't suspect we'll see a lot of angst in the Mark/Olivia relationship this week. This is A-OK by me. At some point, their marriage will have to be strained again, so I prefer that the show take a break from it for a week or eight, and return to it next calendar year. Mark will likely be busy helping Demetri find the caller, but what motivation does Olivia have on the show other than avoiding Lloyd? I hope the writers give her something else to do.

*I don't expect a lot out of the Aaron/Tracy story either. We received a massive download of information last week, and FF likes to have its characters take turns in the spotlight next to Mark. Same for Wedeck, although I would like to see some more about how his wife ends up mothering that Muslim boy she saw at the FBI funeral. And why is Wedeck so emotional all the time? Not that I'm complaining: I have no problem with men showing their emotions. He just seems to take everything going on in his co-workers' lives to heart. Is there some motivation behind this?

*Oh, and who the hell is Coyote?

That's about it, folks. Again, this looks to be a very Bryce-centric episode. Weird Asian characters (words, not people) and mysterious women aside, I don't think FF will fall into the same trap as Lost did, however, there is always the danger of driving what has been a very compelling narrative, straight into a brick wall, and halting the momentum necessary to get the show through the doldrums of December and January. Here's hoping the production team succeeds because FF has become one of my favorite shows to watch and discuss. Speaking of discussion (segue!), if you have anything to ask, say or comment upon, please leave your note in the Comments section below. Check out last week's recap for a refresher of what's going on. Thoughts on tomorrow's episode hopefully up this weekend. Until then...

Enjoy.

Lost - Uh Oh, Ctd

2009-11-18T12:01:00.000-05:00

An update on a story from earlier this year. Back in April, I brought you word that Henry Ian Cusick, who plays Desmond, was being sued by a former Lost staff member for sexual harrassment. It seems Cusick has settled the suit. The terms were not disclosed, but all parties (the plaintiff, Cusick, ABC, Bad Robot and whomever else) have agreed to payment in lieu of a suit. Obviously, if the staffer was wronged, no amount of money is probably sufficient, but I am glad the parties have worked out an amicable agreement.

Now get Desmond back on the screen!

V - "A Bright New Day"

2009-11-18T11:23:00.001-05:00

Last night's episode of V, "A Bright New Day," was significantly better than its previous outing. Yes, the show is still experiencing some growing pains, but it was encouraging to have it move in a positive direction this week. Hopefully, with one more outing in this "pod" of episodes, the show will remain on this positive trajectory and will be renewed for the spring. Here's what piqued my curiosity this week:

*Why are the V's waiting to anihilate humanity? Why plant sleeper agents here for 20 years (and did they arrive as kids, who "grow up" and age like humans?) to "weaken" humanity? They have space ships that travel bewtween galaxies! Couldn't they just wipe us out in a heartbeat? Assuming that they can't, why not? What does humanity possess here on Earth, or in itself, that can repel the V's? Separately, I really enjoy Anna's media manipulation. Although I didn't predict the assassination attempt would be staged by the V's (like some did), that event, combined with the meeting with the Widow Faulkner was expertly done. Along with the whole Chad Decker storyline, the series is actually creating a great commentary on American political media today. Let me also shout out to Morena Baccarin for her spectacular portrayal of Anna. Her rehearsing her conversation with the widow was so perfectly creepy, because you know there are any number of politicians of all stripes doing the same thing as I type this. One last point, was the widow actually brainwashed or hypnotized by Anna, or are Anna's powers of persuasion just that good?

*I love everything surrounding the Fifth Column resistance of traitor V's. The questions that surround the movement are probably the most intriguing on the show. How long has the Fifth Column exisisted? Why was it formed in the first place? Why didn't the V's wipe them out totally? Fear of sleeper cell exposure? Who is John May (and which actor will end up playing him?)? What are the other four columns? I was jazzed by the twists that Cyrus was now working for the V's and that Joshua (Dale's doctor on the mothership) was a member of the Fifth Column. Totally unexpected, at least the Joshua part (had to figure someone from the original resistance would try to go back to the V's, like Cypher in The Matrix). Moreover, I'm very interested in what "reconnecting" and "The Bliss" are. Is this, too, like The Matrix, in that V's are hooked into some kind of euphoric existence, whether that be a physical connection, or mental/emotional connection with their race? This kind of stuff gets my blood pumping.

*It's fortunate that the V stories do get my blood pumping, because I'd otherwise flatline with the humans. The writers just aren't giving Jack and Erica good material. The lines two good actors were given last night when discussing their resistance planning were just awful. It's not a case of actors making absurd things sound bad (look at how Alan Tudyk can make saying "She saw my real face," sound completely believeable), it's that they are given just completely unnatural things to say. And really? Erica would just let some random priest sift through classified FBI files? Really?!? The writers need to stop wasting Elizabeth Mitchell's talents.

*Then we get to the Tyler/Lisa story. Listen, I get it. I get the need for the plot-line, and the reveal at the end that Lisa is Anna's daughter was completely awesome. So was Lisa's look of regret that she is manipulating Tyler as the last image of the episode (again, V-V interaction, not human-human). And yes, Laura Vandervoort, who plays Lisa, is ridiculously beautiful. But she's also looks like she's in her 20's, and Tyler is only supposed to be 16/17. Plus, as I have mentioned before, Logan Huffman is not up to this role. Where the hell did his "New Yawk" accent come from? And why did it disappear after three lines? I mena, I'm certainly interested in more opportunities for Lisa to be in her underwear, and I do liek the basic plot of having a V try to recruit a human kid for whatever purpose, I just wish that kid was a better actor.

Quick Hits:

*Think Elizabeth Mitchell finds it weird calling someone else Jack besides Matthew Fox?

*Of course there's another V at the FBI!

*I like that the V's disintegrate when they die. Very, ironically, Earth-friendly.

*Georgie (and Dale?) had kids with, presumably, a human. What are V-Human babies like?!?

OK, that's it for this week's V. Again, a better episode than last week, and hopefully onyl moving up from here. Doc Jensen will have a recap up at EW.com this afternoon, and Jay and Jack have a new V podcast up already. Take a listen, they are pretty entertaining guys. Please leave any comments, questions or theories below. I'll be back next week with some more thoughts on the fourth, and perhaps final, episode of V. Until then...

Enjoy.

FlashForward - "Playing Cards with Coyote," Ctd

2009-11-13T23:48:00.000-05:00

Well, it finally happened. I was disappointed in an episode. I found last night's FF, while still a good hour of television, not up to the standards set in the great run of recent episodes. I expected there to be...I don't know...more in this episode. I mean, from the second the 3-Star guy was discovered, I knew there would be more than one guy with three stars tattooed on his arm. But, we'll get to that in a bit. Here's my thoughts on "Playing Cards with Coyote":

*The title credits picture was the Ace of Hearts. We had seen during the open that Lloyd pulled an Ace of Spades when performing a magic trick for Dylan, so when the Ace of Hearts flashed, I figured it wasn't Lloyd's, although I had no real reason to believe so. Obviously, I was proven wrong. Any other meaning to the card? I don't think so, although the Ace of Spades is usually considered the card of death, so maybe the Ace of Hearts has the opposite meaning? They all have new life after Al's "gift?"

*When I saw the slo-motion opening, like that of "Black Swan," and as I didn't recognize Celia at first, I was expecting a grim scene. Instead, we saw the exact opposite; we saw the "rebirth" of most of our characters. Celia was given life by Al. Aaron returned home to Tracy. Janis returned to work after her brush with death. Mark and Olivia rekindled their marriage. It was a nice visual illustration of the changed reality our characters now exist in. In Mark's words, they could all "celebrate second chances." Last note, good news travels fast. Al's death, and subsequent letter to Celia that said he changed the future was quickly picked up by the press. Guess we don't have to worry about people knowing they can control their futures.

*Speaking of, there were interesting comments on the nature of the future as we and our characters now understand it. Janis wondered "should I lean into my future? Do I fight it? Our choices still matter." Nicole stated "Everything is up to us again." Olivia agreed with me that they must take action proactively to change the future they saw in their flashes when she said, "maybe we have to work that much harder" to do so. Mark was proactive when he, admittedly, killed 3-Star in the pet store to change his future (dramatic irony alert!). On the other side, we had Simon waxing poetic on determinist philosophy, stating that there is "no such thing as fate, free will or 'there but for the Grace of God.'" I certainly thought that the nature of the future would now be, at least to some extent, settled. Turns out I was wrong; we will be having many more discussions on what is and isn't set in stone, and what the characters can change. Then again, all of these statements that the future can be changed gave me a "The lady doth protest too much, methinks," feel.

*The whole Simon/Lloyd confrontation hit some highs and lows for me. The low was the poker game; it felt so inconsequential to me. Yes, I know Lloyd won (by cheating. Not a good example for Dylan!), so, in theory, they will announce the fact that their experiment was responsible for the blackout. However, I think there is no way in hell they are announcing that. Simon will not let that happen. The highs though revealed some interesting mysteries. First was Lloyd's email to folks with a nlap.us.com address. Now, I'm sure many of you used the Google to find out what NLAP is. All I could find that was somewhat relevant was the National Laboratory Audit Project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Los Alamos does some of the nation's most important work in astrophysics, nuclear security and computing. Not too hard to see how work there could relate to the blackout. Further, 3-Star's victim worked in aeronautics. Possibly at Los Alamos? Second, both Simon and Lloyd mentioned Q.E.D. So, too, did 3-Star. Now, the most common definition for Q.E.D. is quod erat demonstrandum, meaning "which was to be demonstrated." However, the second definition is the abbreviation in physics for "quantum electrodynamics." We know that Simon and Lloyd are physicists, so for me, this is the actual definition they meant. Perhaps electrodynamics are responsible for the blackout. Why 3-Star was discussing it, I have no idea. One last thing, will Myles, an apparent co-conspirator of Simon/Lloyd, be important?

*As we saw at the end of last week's episode, "The Gift," Tracy is indeed alive. She explained that when her Humvee was ambushed by Jericho, a Private Military Contractor, she was left for dead with a missing lower right leg. She was somehow able to escape, and went on the run, evidently aided by a man named Kahmir. It was revealed that in Aaron's flash, he saw a conversation he and Kahmir had about "the accounts" being "verified." Tracy is scared that Jericho is after her because she saw Jericho brutally wipe out am Afghan village. How does this tie in to the "accounts?" Further, Tracy appears to be injured again in Aaron's flash: she has cuts on her face and is in bed. Does she go back to Afghanistan to try to take on Jericho, only to be captured again, and Aaron is there to negotiate her release? Is she somehow in an undercover situation? Color me confused by this storyline. Although, it was great to see the interaction of this father's joy at the seemingly impossible return of his daughter, with a daughter's fear of exposure to the point that she doesn't even want her mother to know she is alive.

*There was just something about the Mark/3-Star plot that fell short with me. Perhaps it was all of the concentration on the pet store owner/witness. I liked how Mark's flash kept, well, flashing during he and Demetri's pursuit of 3-Star through the store; it really added to the tension. However, Mark's killing 3-Star was anticlimactic for me because I just knew 3-Star's entire group would have the same tattoo. How could they not? It was way too early in the season for that threat to have been neutralized and Mark's flash rendered moot. A lot of build-up for nothing. Well, there were a couple important things that came from this story: 1) that Mark admitted to Olivia that he killed the guy to alter his future (as opposed to defending himself); 2) there is a mole in the L.A. FBI office (maybe it IS Agent Vreede!); and 3) the bad guys are supposed to have seven rings, but only six were in the case taken from the aeronautics guy killed by 3-Star. A theory on that in my Prediction below. Lastly, the man receiving the rings was none other than magician extraordinaire, Ricky Jay(!), who delivered maybe my favorite line of the series to date after shooting a stooge, "Now we're sons of bitches." Awesome.

Quick Hits:

*My immediate reaction upon seeing Lloyd and Dylan in the opening? "What the f*&$ is Dylan still doing in the hospital?!?" Well, he's got a DVT, or deep vein thrombosis. This is, apparently, a common hospital malady because patients aren't moving around a lot, and blood can pool into clots that can clog veins and arteries, or break off and move into the heart, lungs or brain. Then I felt bad for hating on the autistic kid who could die via blood clot.

*Simon said he had "doubts" about the cause of the blackout. Just being cheeky, or is there really another explanation?

*I audibly said, "Whoa!" when it was revealed that Mark purchased the lingerie Olivia was wearing in her flash. Nice move FF writers. Kudos. To change her flash, was it sufficient that she threw the gift out? I'm thinking, no.

*Tracy's voice-over was terrible, and I think she's the weakest actor on the show (so far). This brings up a pet peeve. I know that sometimes it's hard to get proper sound while filming (especially for outdoor scenes), but why is the state of TV looping so poor? You can always hear the difference in the VO sound and the "live" sound, and God forbid that the looped portion be synced to the person's mouth moving on screen; it looks terrible! There is no worse offender than reality TV shows, but come on people! Technology has to be good enough that you can make the loops sound right!

*The Bronx Zoo uniforms are a lot better than the one on Ingrid in her flash. Egad! Oh, and I called witness protection program as soon as I saw the blond hair in her flash. Like the FBI would ever put protected witnesses in NYC. Please.

*Lloyd insisted that he and Simon "had to take responsibility" for the blackout. Why? Doe she have regrets because of Dylan's mom dying, or is there something else motivating him?

*Janis was looking into sperm donation to have her child. Interestingly, Wedeck was very supportive of this (not that he'd have a reason not to). This is like the third time we've seen him be very concerned about Janis' personal life. To me, it feels like something is brewing there.

*What was the Coyote from the episode title? Did I miss something while writing notes?

From my preview of the episode, I think I actually got a lot of what I was looking for. Al's sacrifice profoundly effected everyone; it does seem the characters must purposefully change their futures; Jericho was involved in Tracy's disappearance and there was definitely some tension in the Aaron/Tracy reunion; Janis was back and rethinking her path, admittedly because of Al's death; and we need more info on the Simon/Lloyd dynamic. It's funny, because I had most of wishes for the episode granted, but I still felt underwhelmed. I guess there's no winning with me.

Prediction: We know there is a ring missing, and that Suspect Zero was wearing a ring in Detroit. I predict that 1) the rings prevent the wearer from blacking out; 2) Suspect Zero stole the ring and is actually a "friend;" and 3) because acquiring the rings was obviously important, and the rings prevent the effects of the blackout, there is going to be another blackout by the end of the season. A 3-in-1 Prediction; I'm feeling generous!

OK, that's all I have for "Playing Cards...." Again, a good episode, but, I thought, a step back from the last couple weeks. It says something about the quality of the show that I was disappointed by a B- effort. Pleas leave your thoughts, theories and questions in the Comments section below. Tune into the FlashForwardCast with Jay and Jack. I'm writing this before I listen to their latest episode, but Jack is claiming on Twitter that he knows who Suspect Zero is. Hmmmm....can't wait to hear that crackpot theory! Thanks always for reading, and passing the word on about the blog.

I'm off to apply for the MacArthur Prize.

FlashForward - "Playing Cards with Coyote"

2009-11-11T14:42:00.000-05:00

Good afternoon everyone. Tomorrow night's episode is titled "Playing Cards with Coyote." I really have no idea what that means, but because we saw Simon and Lloyd playing cards to decide whether they will tell the world about their "experiment," it appears that the title may be as simple as the fact that they are playing cards.  If this was Lost, I'd never think that title should be taken at face value, but as FF has been actually giving us answers to questions every week, the opposite may be true.  Only question is, then, who is Coyote? I assume we'll get that answer tomorrow night. Here's what else I'm looking for:

*How does everyone react to the meaning of Al's death? Obviously, everyone will be very upset over Al's suicide, but how long does it take for them to realize that the flashes can be changed? What does it mean that they can change their futures? Who will even want to? I hope this means Mark and Olivia will attempt a reconciliation, at least for a while. How does Demetri accept his possible murder now? Will he pull a Doc Brown and wear a bulletproof vest?   The characters' reactions to Al's series-exploding act will be very interesting.

*I'm also interested in whether my Prediction from "The Gift" will be true: that a person must proactively change their future. This ties in with the question of who would want to change their futures. I expect Mark, Olivia, Demetri and Nicole, obviously, would want to change their flashes, but what about everyone else? Will the circumstances surrounding someone's supposedly "positive" flash actually reveal itself to be a horror? Like...

*...Aaron and Tracy. Tracy came back at the end of "The Gift," but what are the circumstances of her return? I think something weird happened with that group that attaked her humvee. I expect they are involved in the blackout, and perhaps Tracy is working for them? I have a feeling something is going to go awry in Aaron's reunion.

*Will Janis still be recovering and otherwise out of sight? I didn't realize how much I'd miss Janis until last episode. I feel like I need to see her reaction to Al's death and what that means for her own future. Will she decide to get pregnant now? Will she come out to her co-workers? Did she get her alarm clock back? I hope we get some Ms. Hawk tomorrow night.

*In the preview for "Playing Cards...," Lloyd again referenced "our experiment" when speaking with Simon. that certainly leads me to believe that my Prediction is wrong and that they actually were responsible for the blackout, albeit perhaps unwittingly. The vibe I'm getting from Lloyd is that he's a bad guy attempting to go straight. What is Simon's deal anyway? Whose side is he on? And where the hell are Suspect Zero and D. Gibbons?

In sum, I think we will get two major storylines tomorrow night: 1) FBI-related folk dealing with the idea that the future can be changed; and 2) a massiv edownload of Simon/Lloyd backstory. We should also get a dash of Aaron/Tracy and Janis. As FF has been getting better and better every week, I expect the same tomorrow night.  Compared to last night's V, this may be the best hour of television for the week. Don't forget to listen to the FlashForwardCast with Jay and Jack, and if you need a refresher on last week, check out my recap of "The Gift." Thoughts on "Playing Cards..." over the weekend. Until then...

Enjoy.

V - "There is No Normal Anymore"

2009-11-11T11:51:00.000-05:00

Last night was the second of four episodes of V that will air this fall before ABC decides whether to bring the show back for at least nine more episodes after the Olympics air in February. Essentially, ABC is gambling that the four November episodes will hook enough people that they will wait more than three months for the series to continue. If the next two episodes are like last night's, I'm not sure 2010 looks promising for the show. Because the series may disappear after two more weeks, I don't want to get into an in-depth review of each episode...yet. So, I will offer some brief thoughts on the next couple episodes, and reassess next year.

*For all the wonderful, sweepng bombast from the Pilot, the show really slowed down last night. I am not opposed to a more contemplative pace; I mean, no show can move at 1000 mph the whole series. However, to throttle back so quickly, and, more importantly, not placing proper emphasis in the slowdown, is troubling. To me, the most intriguing things about the world of V are: 1) the renegade Visitors, like Ryan, that may work against Anna's V's; 2) the human resistance; and 3) any possible split between Anna, Marcus and the just-arrived Visitors. All of these, seemed to be merely touched upon, instead of a deeper treatment. Instead, we got a lot of Tyler making Lisa mad because he punched a guy, Fr. Jack moving a bunch of boxes and dithering over whether or not to go to the authorities, and waaaaay too many camera lingerings on "lizard-looking" people that may or may not be hidden V's. Now, I like the tension of wondering who is and who isn't a sleeper V. It's actually a great dramatic device. However, sloppy directing can make this ridiculously melodramatic, and that's what happened last night. We get it, Erica and Jack don't know who is a V, and we don't either; there is no need to make the mystery so obvious.

*The fault I describe above has nothing to do with the actors. They are all top-notch, and doing some great work making what could be a hokey concept work for the most part. Even the guy who plays Tyler, Logan Huffman, is doing a good job; he just has had some bad material to work with so far. On the other hand, as I mentioned in my thoughts on the Pilot, Scott Wolf seems to be the weak link here. He had a major storyline in last night's episode (feeling guilty about not being harder on Anna in their interview), but it just felt flat. His smugness is not smug enough. His deceit is not deceitful enough. His sincerity is not sincere enough. It appears he will be a major player in the series, so, two more episodes to bring your game up to the rest of the cast, Scott.

*There were some great moments though. As Doc Jensen (he of the great EW.com Lost recaps) noticed in his recap of "There is No Normal Anymore," it appears that the arrival of the Visitors is early. As Doc asks, why are they early? What forced their hand? I find this, combined with the counterinsurgent V's, very intriguing, and something to be watched. Also, the return of Dale (Alan Tudyk), Erica's bad-V partner was completely unexpected and could be very cool. Will he immediately go after Erica? Does he have to lay low to further the V's agenda? Does he have a new agenda altogether? This may end up being the best part of the series' immediate future.

All in all, I was disappointed by "There is No Normal Anymore." The too-quick slowing of the story was a bit jarring, and the general a-directional feel of the episode left me disheartened. Now, production on the show had been suspended for five weeks, ostensibly to allow for major revisions to the pace and feel of the show. So, if ABC does follow through with airing the show next spring, we will hopefully see the fruit of the hiatus. I think V can be a really great show as it has an intriguing concept, a plethora of talented actors and some fantastic effects. I just hope that last night was the nadir for the series. If not, at least we might get Juliet back! For a full recap, check out Doc Jensen's recap at Entertainment Weekly, and Jay and Jack have a new V podcast to add to your library. Again, I'll offer some thoughts on next week's episode after it airs. Until then...

Enjoy.

V - "Pilot"

2009-11-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

Hello all. I finally had the opportunity to watch the V pilot. ABC, for some odd reason, decided it would be better to prevent people from watching the premiere of its much-hyped, very expensive new series for four days if they missed it on Tuesday night. Anyway, it finally showed up on Hulu this morning. I have to say, really dug the pilot episode. I haven't decided if I will give it full Entertaining Thoughts treatment yet, but I wanted to get down some first impressions of the series.

*Wow, this show is expensive. The CGI budget must be absolutely through the roof. Plus, it appears that they are actually shooting in NYC. While there were some nice tax benefits for shooting in New York, there had been reports that the tax credit had expired. Anyway, the look of the show is very high-end and sleek, which looks amazing (and is almost necessary for us to believe in inter-galaxy space travel), but is never cheap.

*Elizabeth Mitchell, awesome. She gave such a wonderful turn as Juliet on Lost, so I am very sad to see her leave our island friends (although she will be returning in some fashion. WARNING, slight Lost spoilers in link!). However, Lost's loss(!) is V's gain. If this show survives, it will be on the strength of two female main characters, which is awesome, because when was the last time that happened? Mitchell is certainly up to the task, so how about...

*...Morena Baccarin? She plays Anna, the leader of the Visitors. I had never heard of her before, but she's evidently been popping up on TV here and there over the past few years. I expect to see a lot more of her in the near future. Besides the fact that her face has been plastered all over numerous bus stops, taxis, and billboards, I thought she really delivered in the pilot. She has this great, well, slightly reptilian look that is obviously perfect for the V's. The shape of her face is kind of colubrine, yet she is very attractive and quite alluring. Hell, I'd be willing to listen to an alien that looked like her.

*I think the rest of the cast seems pretty strong, with one exception. Sorry, Scott Wolf, the jig is up. I know he's supposed to be playing a plastic, egotistical news magazine anchor, but I thought he was just awful. No sincerity in his performance. I know his character shouldn't be sincere, but I didn't even get from Wolf that his character was aware of his insincerity. I don't know, maybe he'll grow on me. He just seemed so wooden, especially compared to his castmates.

*Loved the twist that Ryan, played by Morris Chestnut, is a traitor to the V's. One of the storylines going forward, I expect, will be how the Vs come to grips with emotions (if they even have them at all). This will be most easily given to Ryan and other traitor V's to play. He certainly seemed emotional, so I'm hoping that this issue is explored. Like, will Lisa, one of the ambassador V's played by Laura Vandervoot, actually develop feelings for Erica's son? I think this could be very interesting.

*Actually, I really hope they explore the above because I am concerned with where the story goes. The reason the original V worked was because it was a miniseries. Visitors came to Earth, tried to slaughter humanity, and a resistance pushed them back. How does that story sustain itself, in an interesting and compelling fashion, after a season? I know we'll get allegories on media obsession, acceptance of outsiders, the human condition, etc., and of course the human-V war, but can that all be sustained over three or four or five seasons? I'm not so sure. Then again, I thought the pilot was pretty awesome, so perhaps I should have a little faith.

All in all, I reacted very positively to V. ABC has decided that it will air four episodes in November, then put the show on hiatus until next year, perhaps to pair it with FlashForward or Lost. I think I'll watch next Tuesday and decide then if I want to really dig into the series like I have with FF and Lost. The ratings for the first episode were through the roof, garnering ABC its highest series premiere ratings since a sorta successful island adventure about survivors of a plane crash. So, if V can keep those numbers up, I expect we will be seeing it around for quite some time, and I'll know my dedication to the show won't be for naught. If you have any thoughts or theories on the show, please drop them in the Comments below. Stay tuned to Entertaining Thoughts for more on V.

FlashForward - "The Gift," Ctd

2009-11-06T16:48:00.001-05:00

What is this? This post is actually going up on Friday? Yes, yes it is. Don't get used to it or anything, but I decided to take notes on the show as I watched it last night so, here we are with my thoughts on a game-changing episode of FF on Friday. It appears that my Prediction from last week was actually true, unfortuntely for Al, who I was really hoping (especially as the beginning of this episode wore on) would become a main character. So much for that. What will Al's sacrifice mean for our remaining FF friends? Well, let's find out. As Al's "gift" will obviously have far-reaching implications for all of our main characters, let's first discuss what they were up to last night, then Al, then what Al's sacrifice means for the show. Alright? Good. In the words of the dearly departed, "Here we go.":

*The title sequence picture was of a bullet with "Not Today" written on it. I actually loved the device of using Russian Roulette as a test for entrance to the Blue Hand. It's a nice metaphor for the unknowable twists of fate and the inherent risk we all accept just by getting up in the morning. Of course, at the time, Al thought it was impossible that he would die from the gunshot. That is what makes the whole scene that much eerier upon reflection, as we now know that there actually was a one in six chance he would blown his head off right then and there. The writing on the bullet ends up being a lie: anyone's death could very well be today.

*Mark/Olivia: I liked the fact that they were at least trying to put on happy faces and get along. When each said s/he trusted the other, it was so agonizingly forced, but with enough "I love you" that I don't think this couple is over just yet. Plus, you could see how hurt Mark is by the whole situation when he started to cry while watching The Adventures of Squrrielio with Charlie. This is a man who doesn't want to lose his family.

*Olivia/Lloyd: Lloyd, using the excuse of saying "thank you" again to Olivia for helping Dylan, insisted that there was no way he was going to allow himself to come between Olivia and Mark, and Olivia assured him of the same. He even described how he and Dylan were going to move back to the San Francisco Bay Area as if to prove that he was acting honorably. However, the whole time I couldn't detect any sincerity from either of them. The vibe in the room seemed to be saying "we like each other," and the scene dripped with all the awkwardness of a junior high school co-ed dance. Perhaps their attitude will change once they learn the flashes won't necessarily come true; but perhaps they want their flash to occur.

*Demetri/Zoey: The stress of believing he is going to be murdered in a few months, combined with his increasing nihilism after his experience with the Blue Hand and fellow "ghosts" (i.e. people who didn't have a flash), finally got to Demetri. After a couple blow-ups with Zoey (and really, who hasn't had fights with their fiance over wedding preparations, even without knowing you were going to be murdered?), he finally admitted to her that he didn't have a flash. Their whole relationship in this episode, quite obviously echoed that of Mark and Olivia last week (Zoey/Olivia: "I want you to be honest!" Demetri/Mark: "You want me to be honest?!?"). This structure actually bothered me. I would have preferred that Demetri's admission came the same week as Mark's: the paralell would have lent itself to some interesting directorial opportunities. As Zoey held tight to her flash of their wedding, it was at this point that I really started to feel (contrary to my previous belief) that FF might actually kill off Demetri. I could see the Powers That Be saying, "Oh, you don't think we would kill off John Cho because he's John Cho? Well, we've been telling you this whole time he's going to die, so we killed him!" By the end of the episode last night, I was back to thinking he won't die, but for a few minutes there, they had me.

*Bryce/Nicole: Bryce was drawing again. As I thought, he was indeed drawing an Asian girl; a Japanese woman, actually. We know she was in his flash, but we don't know her significance yet. Nicole, who has started to volunteer at the hosiptal to make amends for whatever it is she hasn't done yet, informed Bryce that the Japanese character he was seeing was "kanji," or "Believe." 1) I could have done without this little bromide; it just seemed so false. Of course the words he saw was "Believe!" He didn't kill himself because of it. How mystical! *eyes rolling* 2) Really? Nicole randomly speaks Japanese? Did she learn from the same place Mark learned Sufi? Oh, and it appears Nicole thinks Bryce is cute. Anyone know how old these people are supposed to be? I think she's still in college, and he's obviously out of med school. Age difference a bit odd, right? Whatever. As you can tell, I'm not that into this storyline.

*Aaron: In hindsight, we were being set up from the beginning of the episode to finally come to grips with the idea that Tracy, Aaron's daughter, was actually dead. The tastefully named Mike (a member of Tracy's unit) showed up to bring back Tracy's pocketknife to Aaron. Mike relayed the story of how he saw Tracy die, at the hands of "Jericho," which I assume is a sketchy KBR-type contractor in the Middle East. I have never thought Tracy was dead, not after Aaron dug up her grave, and not after Mike relayed the story; however, when Aaron seemed to accept his daughter's fate (finally), I have to say, Brian F. O'Byrne's performance had me doubting. I imagined Aaron would begin an investigation into Jericho, that would eventually lead to the blackout. Boy was I wrong! There she was, looking none the worse for wear, sitting in Aaron's house at the end of the episode. Have to say, that put some hop in my step.

*Blue Hand: At first, it seemed that there would be some grand Mosaic significance to the group. However, as I look at it now, I don't see how they are connected to anything. We were introduced to the concept of "ghosts," i.e. people who didn't have a flash, and how Blue Hand found them through Mosaic, but I don't see the reasoning behind this storyline other than providing Al the motivation for his "Gift" to Celia. I mean, the freaky-ness of the "club" was interesting, and I guess it was a short mediation on how some people would treat their knowing, impending death (or, for that matter, knowing that they will definitely live for the next six months), but it just didn't amount to much for me. The whole "blue hand represents a portal" shlock uttered by Raynaud? At this point, meaningless to me. If someone got more out of the Blue Hand than I did, please leave your thoughts in the Comments, because I am at a loss.

*Al: Poor, poor Al. We learned that Al was haunted by his flash, because in it, he found out that he would kill a woman, named Celia, which would orphan her twin boys. It wasn't clear if he learned her name in the flash, but he did end up finding her via Mosaic. She was a "ghost," which confirmed Al's flash, as he assumed that "ghosts" would be dead by April 29. Al could not live with this responsibility, so he decided to give to Celia (and Demetri, Mark and the others) a future free from the dread of what she expected to come true (her impending death), by killing himself. I have to admit: I was very upset by this. I know he didn't have a lot of screen time, but I dug Al, and his protrayal by Lee Thompson Young. In these serial shows though, and as has proven by Lost, the unexpected death of main characters can ring profoundly through a series.

What Al's death proved is that the flashes don't, necessarily, represent a set-in-stone future. I don't think FF's theory of time involves the "course-correction" idea propounded by Lost. Rather, I think the future can be permanently changed. Now, if this is the case, it kind of destroys the purpose of the flashes because, if our characters aren't scared/worried/hoping for their flashes coming true, all of their motivation disappears (with the exception of finding out who caused the blackout, I suppose). So, I actually propose that the future can be permanently changed, if a person proactively changes it. In my theory, if a character just goes along with life passively toward April 29, then the flash will occur as the person saw during the blackout. However, if the person takes proactive steps to change render their flash impossible (like Al jumping off a freaking building!), then the flash will not occur. No course-correcting. No fate. Where the conflict in the series will lie going forward then, is in each character 1) realizing that s/he can change the future, and 2) deciding whether or not they want to change what they saw.

Now, I had Predicted last week, after Simon's Schrodinger's Cat story, that this would be the case (score one for me!), so this was already in my mind as I watched last night. Then, we got a number of clues: 1) Demetri emphasizing the line "I call it the way to change the game," when discussing playing Madden football with Al (and Al's echo of this right before he jumped); 2) Al, after his suggestion that Fiona tape the window so the bird won't fly into it, saying, "It's worth a shot;" and 3) Zoey saying, "We get to choose," in response to her and Demetri's conflicting flashes (and repeating Simon's statement last week that "the observer decides"). Despite all this, I was still sure that Al would be prevented from jumping. Even as he was falling, I thought, somehow, he wouldn't die. When he did, I was shocked. Utterly shocked. And that is the sign of a great televsion show. Now that the paradigm has shifted, from an unchangeable future to a pliable one, it will be very interesting to see how each of our characters reacts to their new situation.

Quick Hits:

*That was a very cool fountain at the beginning of the episode. Anyone know where it is?

*Turns out the "We know you are one of us" flyer was generated by the Blue Hand, and was received by Celia. If I'm not mistaken though, the word "demteris" was not on it during the actual program. Odd.

*Heh. The FBI agent wore a Police shirt to a raid.

*I have always liked Alex Kingston, who played Mi6 agent Fiona Banks last night. I wonder, know that Al is dead, whether she will be on the show in future episodes.

*I couldn't tell if it was the "ghosts" being tortured, or people who knew they wouln't die being tortured. Either way, I would not spend those six months being dunked in a bathtup while wearing a submissive harness.

*Who is Annabelle, and how does she relate to Simon? The name bracelet looked like a kid's bracelet to me, so is Annabelle Simon's daughter? A long-lost sister?

As far as what last night's episode answered from my preview, it was a mixed bag. Aaron did step to the fore, but I was way off on the Blue Hand. Lloyd did seem to be at least the slightest bit interested in Olivia, but I couldn't detect any game he was playing. Lastly, Janis didn't even appear in the episode, so the pattern has been broken (tell Agent Dunham), and you know what? I missed her. Fast recovery Miss Hawk!

Prediction: A person must proactively change the future by making their flash impossible.

That about wraps it up. Again, this was a game-changing episode for this nascent series. I'm hoping they don't paint themselves into a corner by making the flashes completely irrelevant (since they can be changed), but I have faith they know what they're doing. The show has just been getting stronger and stronger, so I'm already looking forward to next week. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the Comments section below. Also, if you like what you read hear at all, please pass the word on to your fellow FF watchers. Don't forget to check out the FlashForwardCast with Jay and Jack. Thank you for reading.

I'm off to sail some boats in a fountain.

FlashForward - "The Gift"

2009-11-04T11:13:00.000-05:00

No, I don't think ABC will be airing a one hour version of the movie made famous for showing Katie Holmes' breasts. Instead we will get a more PG-13 rated hour of one of my new favorite shows, FlashForward. I'm hoping the show keeps its momentum after a great episode last week. Here's what I'm looking for tomorrow night:

*From last week's preview of "The Gift," it appears we will be jumping around storylines rapidly. First off, we see someone approach Aaron with the "truth" about his daughter. I couldn't tell if the guy speaking with Aaron was someone we've already met, but I'm willing to bet it's one of Aaron's daughter's fellow soldiers. It seemed after he dug up her grave he was finally satisfied that his flash was going to prove untrue. Aaron is an interesting character who has been pushed to the periphery too often, n my opinion. It will be great to see him move to the fore, and see his hope return with a vengeance.

*Demetri appears to have his hands full tomorrow night. Not only did we get a glimpse of a confrontation with Zoey (will he finally tell her about his flash, like Mark told Olivia last week?), but it appears he will attempt to infiltrate the Blue Hand. He is Asian after all. I do expect to see Demetri admit his flash to Zoey, but am unsure what the outcome will be. I figure she'll be supportive and say that it doesn't mean his death, but perhaps she may want out of the engagement ("Why are you lying to me?!?"). If Demetri does join the Blue Hand, will he now work semi-permanently undercover? I think this is a distinct possibility, and assuming the Blue Hand has something to do with the blackout, maybe that is why Demetri didn't have a flash: he will still be working with them come April 29th. Hmmmm..... Last bit: to me, it looked like Rutherford was the guy with blue hands raising his arms in the preview.

*We also saw in the preview that Lloyd approaches Olivia; about what, I'm not sure. She certainly doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with him, at least in the little bit we saw. Is this because she actually feels a pull towards him and her flash could come true? What game is he playing? Does he like her romantically, or does he have some alterior motive, perhaps trying to cause a rift between her and Mark so Mark will drop the Mosaic case?

*Our pattern of Demetri and Janis flip-flopping the focus of the B story may come to an end this week. With Janis in the hospital, recovering from her surgery, she can't really do all that much. However, in the preview we did see someone (and to me the someone looked like a white woman, based on her hands, sweater and hair) looking at a document that said, "We know you are one of us. Demetris." First off, let me say that I first pronounced the last word like this: "duh-MEE-triss." As opposed to how it is probably pronounced: "deh-MEE-trees," like "something that belongs to Demetri." Demetri's. Does this have something to do with Demetri himself, or is it a request to meet at a Greek restaurant? Either way, the first sentence is very interesting. If it is Janis who received this note (is this the "gift" the title is referencing?), she is one of whom? Something tells me the gay mafia doesn't work in such mysterious ways. Instead, was this actually Zoey finding a note from Blue Hand that is telling Demetri has been accepted to the group? Color me intrigued.

That's about it folks. Again, the show has been developing quite a bit of momentum, and I hope it is sustained. A few more great outings, and word-of-mouth should really propel the show to finding a larger audience. Don't forget the guys over at the FlashForwardCast with Jay and Jack. Please leave any thoughts or theories in the Comments section below. I should be able to get my thoughts on "The Gift" up on Saturday, after I finally watch V. ABC won't put the premiere episode online until then. That's smart. Make sure that all those people who are interested in the show, but couldn't catch it last night, are frustrated for four days, and perhaps decide to not watch it at all. Great work. Anyway, until then...

Enjoy.

FlashForward - "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps," Ctd Part II

2009-11-03T08:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in getting my thoughts up, but I had to use the excuse of celebrating a friend finishing the NYC Marathon so I could engorge myself at one of the finest family-style Italian eateries in New York. Anyway, I thought this was a very important episode. Not only did we finally get to see Simon in action, a major piece of the FF puzzle may have been revealed. What was that? Well, read on...

*The title sequence picture was of the skeletal Blue Hand on, what looked like, a building pillar or box (something rectangular). Obviously, we learned later the Blue Hand had some significance, but I don't think we saw it in this location during the episode. Is this a hint to another location in which the Blue Hand operates? More on the blue Hand below.

*The title itself (besides the Halloween tie-in) comes from the same-titled song and album by David Bowie. According to Wikipedia (so it must be true), the song "chart[s] a woman's withdrawal from the world and descent into madness." Does this remind you of anyone? Especially as it was playing during a certain FBI agent's chase of men wearing masks that are haunting his future? Hmmmm.....

*I bet Dominic Monaghan was loving the fact that he got to portray a player. Prior to FF, he had been primarily known for playing an at-times timid, but merry hobbit, and a druggie rock star. To be able to play dangerous, mysterious, and to have a way with the ladies -- that's a pretty nice change. Is he really a quantum physicist? We have no reason to doubt him (besides being relatively shady and hanging out in the backs of cars); just seems a little odd. It was, obviously, interesting that Simon was strangling someone to death in his flash; the guy certainly wasn't familiar. The fact that Simon was "satisfied" by killing the guy is really of not much importance to me. It doesn't tell us if Simon was acting for "good" or "evil," just that he was probably happy he wasn't the one lying on the floor. Although, it does bring up one thing for me: it certainly appeared that the guy Simon was fighting was considerably larger than Simon. To me, this means Simon has some kind of super secret spy agency training. We don't know much about him, but Simon is quite an intriguing character. It was interesting, though, that he said to Lloyd at the end that Lloyd "disappeared to L.A.," implying that Lloyd was running from Simon and their group. Further, Lloyd mentioned that 20 million people dies from "our experiment." Perhaps my Prediction that Lloyd and Simon aren't intentionally behind the blackout is incorrect. We'll have to wait and see.

*What I can confirm, however, is that it seems that we do have my first confirmed failed Prediction. After "White to Play," I predicted Charlie and Dylan would know each other because they were both kidnapped by D. Gibbons. Turns out, they know each other because they are, at least, taking refuge at the Benford home, if not living there. I thought it was a great piece of writing that Dylan kept repeating the line "It's my house too," only to find out that Charlie actually told him that in his flash (of course, when Dylan first said this, I thought he meant that his mother's house was "his house too."). This whole reveal was crafted very well. From Charlie and Dylan's Squrrielio handshake greeting to Lloyd's realization of where he was, it was probably the most well-created episode to date. One question though, what was the deal with the passenger on the bus? I mean, it was nice that he wanted to help Dylan and all, but didn't it all seem a little too emphasized for that character to just disappear. I feel like either there is a deleted scene involving the passenger, or we will be seeing him again in the future (no pun intended).

*Speaking of the confrontation between Mark, Lloyd and Olivia, how freaking awesome was that scene? Very awesome. As it was dawning on Mark that Lloyd was the man from Olivia's flash. you could see Joseph Fiennes, oh so subtly, seethe right underneath his calm demeanor. The controlled venom with which he spat his order for Lloyd to leave and his slight head turn away when he shook Lloyd's hand was perhaps Fiennes' finest moment of the series to date. Likewise, Jack Davenport matched Fiennes' intensity as he thanked the Benfords for their "hospitality." All the while, the camera cut back to Olivia and her trepidation over the whole encounter. But was that also a hint of disgust with Mark's reaction? A hint of admiration for Lloyd's handling of the situation? Oh, I think so, and I think it directly led to...

*...Olivia's outing of Mark's drinking in his flash. Yes, there was some circuitous arguing about "only hav[ing] this moment," and being "obsessed with what we saw." This, from earlier in the episode when Olivia first saw Mark after his run-in with the Badass Asian Assassination Squad, was in direct contrast to Mark's blaming Olivia for her affair with Lloyd that hasn't happened. These accusations, of course, were ridiculous, and only led Olivia to pry the truth out of Mark about his future drinking. While I was glad that he finally did admit this to Olivia, his righteous indignation, culminating in him shouting, "Don't condemn me for something I haven't done yet!" was quite unbelievable. I mean, it was believable for the character, I just couldn't believe he could be so hypocritical. I didn't have to believe it for long as Olivia voiced the audience's thoughts asking him, incredulously, "Do you even hear yourself?" The real dagger came moments later when she stated that they just don't trust each other anymore. Ouch. I understand that he drank in the past, but is she really willing to throw their whole marriage away based on a possible future occurrence? It appears so. I figure that this relationship will be one of the through-stories for the entire series, so I don't expect a resolution soon. However, one question: do you really think Olivia, knowing all she does about the future, would still fall in with Lloyd in six months?

*The whole Blue Hand thing is very odd to me. It's not odd in that it is implausible or anything like that. I don't know, perhaps it's just that we haven't learned enough about the group yet for me to place them properly into the story. It appears from the preview for the next episode that we will be learning a lot more about the Blue Hand, so I'll reserve judgment (for lack of a better word) until next week. I do have a couple questions: 1) why was the one victim's hand painted blue (besides being a calling card of the group); 2) why do they seem to all be Asian; and 3) does D. Gibbons have any connection to the group? This plot-line did provide John Cho with some nice moments. I liked Demetri running hot after returning from D.C. and finding out that Janis was shot. Now, I don't know how much of his anger and go-get'em attitude as based on what happened to Janis and how much was based on his own prophesied doom, but it was nice to see these moments from him. Lastly, I like Al, played by Lee Thompson Young. With the introduction of Rutherford (the guy whose passport was found by Al and Demetri, and whose case was referenced by Al in his flash), and his search for Celia, it appears that Young may become a series regular. If so, his actions raise a couple questions for me: in Al's flash, 1) what is the significance of the bird flying into the window (was it a crow??); and 2) who was he on the phone with and why did the call make him look so disconcerted?

*Perhaps the most important scene of all, though, was Simon's description of the Schrodinger's Cat theory of quantum physics. As Simon explained, in quantum physics, if a problem's solution is unknown, all possible solutions exist at the same time, until the moment the observer sees the revealed solution. In Simon's words, "the observer decides." He actually played on this earlier, by telling his lady friend that the "flash forward was caused by you." In quantum physics, in a way, he is right. This principle that all eventualities occur at the same time until the observer decides, I believe, is the secret to the mythology of the flashes themselves. To me, now, the flashes are just one possible outcome of the future. Each individual person can, and will, decide what their future will actually entail. If true, this obviously has profound consequences for the characters and the series, as none of the flashes will necessarily come true. Fortunately for us, we'll know on April 29, 2010.

Quick Hits:

*I thought this was a brilliantly directed episode by Bobby Roth. It was so good that this was the first time I wrote down who driected an episode. Roth also directed "Gimme Some Truth," and other shows, including two episodes of Lost: "Whatever Happened, Happened" and "The Man Behind the Curtain." In "Scary Monsters," there was some great work all episode, especially the juxtaposition of Simon's Schrodinger's Cat story (will the cat live or die) with Janis' surgery, and the pan from Lloyd to the entering FBI team. Great use of The Beatles' "Across the Universe" (although I'm not sure whose cover thate was). The repeating line of "Nothing's gonna change my world," was perfect, and played in direct contrast to Simon's theory, and, of course, everything that has happened in the characters' lives since the blackout. Awesomeness.

*Dylan was Flaaa-vor Flaaaaaaaav!!!

*OK, I'll bite, what the hell is going on with the kangaroo?!? I've referenced this before. There has to be some significance to this, right? Right???

*I like the idea of there being a Times Square celebration like New Year's on the flash forward date. Very cool. I just hope they remember that the ball should actually drop at 1:00am on April 30, 2010, not the 29th.

*I guess I should mention something about Janis. Although it seemed like we spent a lot of time in the hospital and with Janis, in actuality, not a lot happened with her (the B story focus was on Demetri, following our episode pattern). She did, however, have surgery that will make it almost impossible for her to have children. And she was really upset about it. Which was weird, because, as she said, she "didn't even want a child." What will this mean for her flash? I have no idea. Nice that Maya sent her flowers though.

*ABC, you have been showing us Simon taking off the Frankenstein mask (interesting choice, nay?) in the back of Lloyd's car for weeks now. How is there supposed to be any suspense if you show us the big ending?!?

From my preview for the episode, I missed on Simon's explanation for the blackout (no tie-in to the Assassination Squad, Somalia or anything else...yet), totally whiffed on the Olivia/Mark/Lloyd confrontation, was sort of correct about Janis' epiphany that she may actually want a child, got half of the Demetri story right (he was the B story, but nothing to do with Zoey), and totally nailed Mark's coming clean about his future drinking and subseqent destruction of the Benford marriage. 3 for 6? That'll get me to Cooperstown, so I'll take it!

Prediction: The flashes are NOT the definite future, just possibilities. Our characters will have the power to change them, which they will. Slightly.

That's all my friends. Again, I apologize for getting this up late. I should be able to post this week's thoughts on Saturday. Look for a preview of "The Gift" tomorrow. Don't forget to check out Jay and Jack's FlashForwardCast. As always, thanks for reading.

I'm off to put away my Obi Wan Kenobi costume.

FlashForward - "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps, "Ctd

2009-11-02T13:16:00.002-05:00

Hey folks. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to get my thoughts on "Scary Monsters..." until tonight or possibly tomorrow morning. I fogot my notes at home, so I won't be able to write them up until later. I'm excited about it to because I think there was some really important stuff last Thursday (or tonight for my international readers). Thanks for understanding, and stay tuned!

FlashForward - "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps"

2009-10-28T11:11:00.000-04:00

Hello all. Interesting title for tomorrow night's FF, huh? Seems like words a child would use, or parents would use when discussing bad people with their children. Will we see the return of Charlie and Dylan, who have been absent from the last couple episodes? I think it's pretty likely. What else am I looking for tomorrow night? Read below:

*In the preview for "Scary Monsters..." at the end of "Gimme Some Truth," we saw a whole bunch of Simon (finally!). The teaser voicecover stated "Dominic Monaghan joins the cast," so I assume he's now here to stay. We saw him with Lloyd, discussing the blackout and their responsibility for it. As I have theorized, I think Lloyd and Simon are responsible for the technology used in the blackout, and perhaps its distribution, but not necessarily the blackout itself. I expect we'll be getting a nice download on their situation tomorrow night.

*Also in the preview, we saw Simon, with a lovely lady, claiming he knows how the blackouts occurred. It will be very interesting to hear who he believes caused the blackout (if it wasn't him). Will there be a link to the Badass Asian Assassination Squad? The President? Somalians?

*The last images from the preview (before my DVR cut off), were of Olivia, Mark and Lloyd meeting up, in what appeared to be Mark confronting Olivia with his knowledge that Lloyd is the guy from Olivia's flash. Those specific words weren't said, and the preview goes to great pains to make us think that is what is going to happen, so I have my doubts. I think Charlie tells Mark that Dylan was in her flash, and Mark traces that back to Lloyd, hence the meeting (as Olivia is Dylan's doctor).

*When we last saw Janis, she was bleeding out in L.A., after being shot by the above-referenced Assassination Squad. I expect we will see her survive the shooting tomorrow night, but I'm interested to see if she has any of the revelations I predicted? Will this somehow move her toward her pregnancy? Will she return to Maya? Will she realize life is short, she should be who she is, and come out to her co-workers?

*As I keep looking for it to no avail, I will anticipate we will not be seeing anything more on Suspect Zero tomorrow night. Call it a Reverse Jinx.

*Following the pattern that has been established (Demetri and Janis alternating episodes as the "B" story line), I expect more Demetri in this episode. What he will be doing, I have no idea. Perhaps he will finally receive a lead on his murder. Perhaps he will finally tell Zoey (which is evidently the right spelling of her name) about his flash. If he does, I expect her to laugh it off, saying she saw him in her flash, but then realize that she didn't. Tension!

*Lastly, I expect Olivia, post-meeting with Mark and Lloyd, to finally confront Mark about his flash. Having learned from someone that Mark drinks in his flash (who sent the text?!), she needs to hear from him about what it means. Beginning countown to destruction of their marriage in 3...2...1.... Further, I expect ridiculous fawning over Sonya Walger by me after what will surely be some great dramatic scenes in the episode!

That's about it. We may get a few tidbits about Al and Celia, or Wedeck's wife and the adoption of the boy she saw at the memorial. Jay and Jack over at the FlashForwardCast were entertaining listener ideas that Agent Vreede, played by Barry Shabaka Henley, may be a mole or somehow on the side of the perpetrators of the blackout because he couldn't (didn't?) set the alarm to the FBI building in his flash (would he really be responsible for that?!). Personally, I don't think so -- I think he's there for comic relief, but, hey, you never know. Maybe we'll get some more info on him as well tomorrow night. All in all, though, I anticipate an episode heavy on Simon and heavy on Olivia. Not that I'm complaining. Remember, check out my thoughts on last week's episode, and check out the FlashForwardCast with Jay and Jack. Thoughts on "Scary Monsters..." this weekend. Until then...

Enjoy.

FlashForward - "Gimme Some Truth," Ctd

2009-10-23T16:11:00.007-04:00

Hello all. I decided to break with my recently outlined protocol, and take notes during my first viewing of "Gimme Some Truth" so I could get my thoughts up today, as I will be away this weekend (Beantown! Go BC!). I thought this was another great episode (I know, I sound like a broken record), and I think the show is finding its groove. So much so, that from now on, we should all assume I really like an epsiode of FF unless I think: a) the given episode is one of the Top 5 hours of television ever (like "The Constant" or "Two Cathedrals"), or b) the episode completely disappoints (like "Expose" *shudder*). Anyway, there were some very interesting tidbits that arose last night, so here we go:

*The picture in the title sequence was the rolling alarm clock Maya gave Janis. As opposed to the other pictures from previous episodes, this one doesn't appear to have any significance to the greater mythology of the show. Well, unless Maya was an agent for the perpetrators of the blackout, and she was using it as some kind of marker for the hit squad sent to kill Janis. That would be an awful lot to swallow though. At least at this point. Did make for a cool image rolling through Janis' blood though (solid metaphor too for everyone running out of time).

*Badass Asian Assassnation Sqaud! This death troupe was, obviously, sent to stop the L.A. FBI from investigating Mosaic any further (I mean, they went after the boys in D.C. and Janis back in L.A. at the same time). Why were they all Asian? No real idea, but I have two theories: 1) combined with the belief that Simon and Lloyd (two Enlgishmen) are also in on the cause of the blackout, it shows that Mosaic is a truly international conspiracy; or 2) my theory that Lloyd and Simon created the technology used in the blackout, but it was stolen by an outside force, is true. For now, I will lean toward the latter, mostly because I hope to be proven correct. Also, was it the President that ordered the hit? We did see him go to the phone in the Oval Office and say he was going to "need some help" after meeting with Wedeck. Wedeck was certainly blackmailing the President with the knowledge of the President's mistress and son (by the by, it seemed like Wedeck was related to the mistress in some way, hence the kiss on the cheek and the warm relationship with the son, but you're a liar if you didn't think it was Wedeck's kid), so a hit job is possible. Personally, I think this was a purposefully not-well-hidden fake-out. I believe the true purpose of the call was to arrange for Sen. Clemente to be nominated for Vice President and get her out of the way to keep Mosaic funded. An assassination order is not the type of call a President makes from the Oval Office. Everyone knows he does that from the Situation Room.

*The shootout was done well from a production standpoint. I liked seeing the guys channel their inner-Rambo and take out the hit squad with abandon. One thing though: I know they had a fight in the bar about Mark not telling Wedeck that he was drunk in his flash, but Mark seemed genuinely shocked Wedeck saved him when he was pinned behind the car. Wedeck even gave the wordless, head nod. Why would Mark be shocked by this? They only had a spat in a bar! Geesh!

*I totally dug the Senate Intelligence hearing, where the Committee was hearing testimony on blackout leads so as to properly appropriate funds. Senator Clemente (played expertly by Barbara Williams), a real...firebrand, let's say..., was a great character and antagonist to be introduced. A real Lady Macbeth type, who clearly has it out for Stan Wedeck, who, evidently, cost her the presidency. How he did that, it wasn't clear to me. Regardless, she was having none of what was being testified to by the L.A. FBI. To me, her ambition is the cause of her frustration; first in not winning the presidency, but second, in that her flash showed her as President. Her rational mind believes that there is no way for this to possibly happen (as she is just a senator at the time of the hearing). She reacts incredulously to Mark's testimony because he is basing his investigation on the idea that is flash is the future, i.e. it will happen. Since Clemente can't foresee her flash coming true, she certainly can't believe Mark's will come true either. Clemente also refers to the Mosaic investigation as "voodoo" and "fraud." Further, these comments seemed to be pointedly directed at Wedeck. What is she implying about him?

*How could Clemente see herself as President, when the current President's flash shows him being awoken by a Secret Service agent because something has happened (it's 1:00am in D.C. at the time of the flash)? We have no reason to believe she is lying about what she saw (hell, it informs her whole character to this point), so how is this possible? Is it a Zoe Bartlett kidnapping-type situation, where the V.P. takes over for the President if he can't perform the job and resigns temporarily? (Sorry for all of the West Wing references. I adore that show, and with tonight's FF set in D.C., it feels apt.) It will be interesting to see how this works out.

*Janis. Oh, Janis. It had been alluded to, both by a Nazi, and her own admission at not having a boyfriend (in the pilot episode). She wears masculine glasses, has tattoos, kicks ass in a tae kwon do class (you know, to butch her up), and rebuffs a handsome guy's request for a date. Yes, it's true, Janis Hawk is a lesbian. Was this all a little stereotypical? Absolutely. However, I do have to give the writers, producers, directors, and, of course, Christine Woods, a ton of credit for how they handled Janis' coming out. As an ardent supporter of gay rights, and someone who wants more gay characters on TV, I thought FF did a fantastic job with this issue, precisely because they didn't make it an issue. They slightly teased the coming out over the first four episodes, which makes sense because although it would be nice if a show just had a gay character from the get-go (you know, one where we don't have to wonder is s/he or isn't s/he; where the character just references his/her partner/spouse nonchalantly like I mention my wife in these posts), the fact that Janis is gay is actually consequential to her storyline: the mystery of how she is pregnant in her flash. When it came time for the reveal of her homosexuality in (aptly) "Gimme Some Truth," it was done very well, and with the nonchalance I wanted to see. Janis and Maya just went out for dinner, shared a kiss, and the story moved on. Nothing done for a ratings boost, like some shows. It's just who Janis is, and it's refreshing. Well done, FF. Oh yeah, then Janis got shot at the end, with her new clock winding its way through her blood. Damn Badass Asian Assassnation Sqaud! I think she'll live. One last thing: in Janis' flash she is definitely showing her pregnancy. Further, she is told that the baby is a girl. The sex of a baby can usually be first determined between four and five months. That means Janis needs to get pregnant by December. November sweeps anyone? (And, for that matter, where does one get a sonogram at 10:00 at night?)

*Now for my weekly adoration of Sonya Walger and Brian F. O'Byrne. This should be short, because they were in their only scenes in this episode together! Such a great job by these actors. When Olivia overheard Aaron tell Mark to find an AA meeting while in D.C., her look of worry, and almost weariness, that she might have to go down this road with Mark again was spot on. Further, as she teased the information out of Aaron (who expertly voiced the audience's question: "Are you asking for him or for you?"), you could see her further worry not only for Mark's sobriety, but how this situation could push her into another man's arms, thereby rendering her flash true. Although, I did take her stated determination to not let that happen as honest.

*Who sent Olivia the text that Mark is drunk in his flash? Only two people know: Aaron and Wedeck. If Aaron was going to say something, he would have when speaking to Olivia. Is Wedeck that petty after he and Mark's spat that he would tell Olivia? Would he have Olivia's cell number in his cell phone? All seems a bit hinky. If it was someone other than Wedeck and Mark, the implication, to me, is that it is possible the flashes were planted into people's minds. How you do that to seven billion people, I have no idea. Maybe the rest of the blackout was just cover so a select few could be implanted. Very odd, and something to be watched.

Quick Hits:

*I always like when time is measured in 39 hours or days, therefore missing the Biblical 40 hours or days. Just means something "unholy" is about to happen.

*If Demetri's parents are that upset he's not marrying a Korean girl, would they really have given him the name Demetri Fortas Noh? The only Fortas I know, is former U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Abe Fortas. He was responsible for the opinion that banned creationism in public school science curricula, in Epperson v. Arkansas. Anyone know any other significance?

*I liked Mark's AA chip reading, "Keep Coming Back." Seems like a nice mantra to keep him focused on Mosaic.

*Whoa! How about Joseph Fiennes' real speaking voice during that volunteerism commercial? I forgot how thick it was. I apologize for my criticism of his mastery of an American accent.

*I loved how Sen. Clemente's questions voiced those of the audience, when she asked why would the L.A. FBI office, specifically, lead the blackout investigation. I like the awareness of the audience's possible questions and doubts.

*Really? No one in the U.S. government noticed huge towers being built in Somalia? Really?!?! I still think satellites were used on the 2009 blackout.

*Great use of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." I think the lyrics "How does it feel / To be on your own / With no direction home / Like a complete unknown," were particularly apt for Mark, don't you think?

From my preview of this episode, I went 1-for-6. I was right that Demetri was not a main part of the story (although he can rock some karaoke), but otherwise, no Lloyd/Simon (but wait utnil next week!), no Bryce, no Zero, nothing on Aaron's daughter, no Al/Celia. We did get Olivia finding out about Mark's flash, but he didn't tell her (pop out to the catcher). I guess I'm expecting/wishing for the wrong things.

Prediction (Conspiracy Division): The President did not order the hit, but is involved in the conspiracy.

Predcition (Non-Conspiracy Division): Janis, having now been shot, will realize that there is more to life than her job, and will reconsider the baby, a relationship, and coming out to her co-workers.

OK, that's about it my friends. If you have any questions, theories or corrections, please drop them in the Comments section below. Don't forget to check out the FlashForwardCast with Jay and Jack. As I said above, the show has really hit its stride for me, and becoming a higlight of my television week. Hopefully, it's doing the same for you. Thanks always for reading.

I'm off to see if Angelina Jolie can host my next appearance on Millionaire.

If I Had a Million Dollars....

2009-10-21T21:25:00.013-04:00

After four years of waiting to be called, ninety-six hours of waiting over the weekend, thirteen total hours of waiting at the studio, four weeks of waiting for the air date, my episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire finally aired this past Monday and Tuesday. Of course, the first and most important question is: How much did I win? Well, I won $25,000. Not as much as I wanted to win (obviously), but nothing to shake a stick at. Further, no one I was with all day my first day at the studio (herein referred to as "Happy Jail" for reasons that will become clear later) performed better, so at least I have that. What follows below is a pretty extensive account of my time at Millionaire, including not only my actual playing of the game (for those who missed it), but also some tips and tricks should you ever find yourself in the hot seat. I apologize in advance for the post's length. It's VERY long. Like a Mega-Post. In fact, to save home page space, I will try something new for the blog, and put the majority of the post "After the Jump." Click the "But Wait...There's More" link below to continue reading. Also, let me know if you like this feature for the blog.

I recapped earlier the audition experience for Millionaire and the couple other shows I have been on. So, let's begin with receiving the call. August 10, I was working, like any other day, when my wife called, saying that, having just seen a commercial for the show, she thought I should reaudition for Millionaire. I had auditioned in 2005 and 2007, both times being put in the Contestant Pool, but never hearing from the show. I agreed and looked at the website for the next round of auditions. They weren't going to be until the show started taping again in early September (you can audition if you are an audience member at the taping). Literally two hours later, my phone rang with an odd 212 area code number (the show shoots in New York City). When I answered, it was an assistant producer (herein "AP") from the show. He asked me if I was still interested in appearing on Millionaire. Uh, yeah! Great, but then I had to answer a bunch of eligibility questions centering around whether I knew anyone on the production staff or any of the show's producers or sponsors. I did not, so I was told that I would be coming in on Friday, September 11 and possibly Wednesday, September 16. The show tapes Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, five episodes a day, from early September through Thanksgiving, for the whole season. I would need to be available both days in case I was the hold-over contestant, or not used, at the end of taping Friday. No problem. I was then called later by another AP who emailed me the show's rules, waivers and info about Phone-a-Friends (herein "PAF"). I would need to get my PAF's lined up, have pictures of them, and have them sign releases within the next 48 hours! Why they needed the PAF's so quickly when I wasn't going to be taping for a month, I have no idea. But I embarked on lining these people up immediately.

My PAF's ended up being my aunt (an ex-principal and history buff), a lawyer co-worker (a Dane, who I promised I would only call if the question was about Denmark), and my old college roommate, Sean (a computer science major/programmer who sings opera and is very fast with Google). I figured that was a nice spectrum of people for any possible question. Getting their info went pretty easily, except teaching my aunt how to send a picture via email, and the fact that Sean was in Germany taking voice lessons from a renowned teacher. I emailed him the release he had to sign, and fortunately he was able to drop it in a post box on a U.S. military base! Now that's a friend!

With my PAF's all set, waivers signed (no Screen Actors' Guild appearance fee or royalties; won't cheat; etc.) and excitement building....I had to wait a month. I couldn't decide how many people I wanted to tell because if I did poorly, I didn't want people to see. As the month went on though, I told more and more people, not being able to resist. I studied a little, but how can you really study for a trivia show with only one question per random category, right? I tried to bone up on Presidents, authors, composers and currencies, but still didn't learn all that much. I did develop a strategy, as detailed at the bottom here, that would actually come into play. But for the most part, the rest of August and beginning of September was spent trying not to get nervous.

Eventually, September 11 rolled around. A bit odd to be getting excited to compete on a game show on that day, but, to be honest, it helped put things in perspective. When it came down to it, there was really no reason to be nervous -- it's just a game show. Worse things could (and have) happen. Anyway, I was required to be at the ABC Studios on 66th Street in Manhattan at 7:30am. When I arrived, I met seven other people that would be there with me that day, all carrying their suit bags with their other options for clothes should their chosen outfit clash with the TV cameras (no narrow stripes, all black or all white). We were eventually met by Kevin, the contestant coordinator. Kevin was The Man. Really nice guy. 22 years old, just graduated college, and tasked with the job of keeping a whole bunch of people calm for the next ten hours. Not an easy task. Anyway, through his humor and lightheartedness, Kevin did a great job. However, due to the very strict federal laws surrounding game shows (thanks to the quiz show scandals of the 50's), he was responsible for our whereabouts at all times. We literally couldn't go to the bathroom without letting him know what we were doing. The resulting dichotomy of a rather pleasant air in the green room, but Kevin's warden-like power and responsibility, we named the room Happy Jail. A bit absurd, but it was a long day of nervous energy.

Eventually, we were all put in make-up, and spoken to by the show's attorney (a job I would LOVE to have) about game play, and the show's publicist about, well, publicity for our appearance in our hometown media. Further, we were told that we could not tell anyone about anything relating to the results of our appearance, including how much we won, how many questions we answered, if we used lifelines, if we did use them on which questions, and who our PAF was if we used it.  What we could discuss prior to our show airing was like the military's "name, rank, serial number": when our show is supposed to air, what a great time we had, and how nice Meredith is (not that this was some edict from the network of Meredith herself. Far from it.  The publicist was just highlighting one of the few things we could talk about). After this, we were brought down onto the stage to see the set, meet the executive producer and stage manager to learn about the question screen and when to enter and exit the stage, and, most importantly, how to get in and out of the Hot Seat (that's not me in the picture). Believe it or not, this is not as easy as it sounds. Very specifically, you need to grab both armrests and push yourself up backwards into the chair, then grab the monitor and turn yourself toward Meredith. Very tricky, plus, if you put your weight on the footrest, you can topple the whole thing, which one fellow contestant did during rehearsal. After the briefing on stage, it was back up to Happy Jail where we were met by five contestants from the previous day's taping that weren't used.  We learned that the show likes to have around 13 people in the green room at the beginning of the day, knowing that there is probably no way they will go through that many unless everyone does pretty poorly.

There was one woman who was kept separate from the rest of us, as she was in the middle of her game when the last taping on Thursday ended. The show does not allow waiting contestants to know anything about how the other cotestants are performing to maintain the secrecy of outcomes. Therefore, we were not allowed to speak to her at all, though we did find out, through some cajoling of the production staff, that she had already won $250,000(!) and had no lifelines left. I know that gave me a bit of a boost -- if she could go that far, why not me? I should also mention here that there are three or four AP's, each one assigned to three or four of the contestants. Before you go on, your AP will talk to you about the interesting tidbits about your life you have previously submitted to the show. These are the stories Meredith will talk to you about before and after commercials. The AP's want to make sure you aren't surprised by anything when you're in the Hot Seat; it's already such a nerve-wracking experience that one more variable to worry about is not ideal. At this point, it was about noon and time to go back downstairs to introduce us to the audience. I guess the theory is that if the audience catches a fleeting glimpse of you before you're in the Hot Seat, they will be sympathetic toward you and really cheer when you answer correctly. So, alphabetically, each contestant who may play that day walks across the stage and waves. Well, Kevin got me pretty amped up so I jumped up and down and "raised the roof" across the stage. What can I say? I had a lot of nervous energy. All but three of us (one in the Hot Seat, one "on deck" in the audience and one "in the hole" just off the stage) went back upstairs to the green room. Taping was about to begin.

As I said earlier, the people in the green room have no idea how the person in the Hot Seat is performing. The only way to determine how it's going in the studio, we quickly learned, was how fast the AP's came into the green room to bring someone else downstairs. Again, three people are in the studio at any given time, so when the person in the Hot Seat finishes, the on deck person goes into the Hot Seat; the person in the hole goes on deck, and a person from the green room goes downstairs to be in the hole. The quicker that new person goes downstairs, the poorer someone does in the Hot Seat, and vice versa. Well, within ten minutes of the taping's start, someone was paroled from Happy Jail. OK, not that big of a deal: the returning player was going for $500,000 and had no lifelines. She probably didn't know the answer and was more than happy to run off stage clutching a quarter-million bucks. Further, she was now in first place in this season's new twist, the Tournament of Ten.

No one has won a million dollars on Millionaire since 2003, so the show wanted to "guarantee" someone would win a million by instituting the Tournament of Ten. Over the course of this season's first 45 episodes, the ten players that win the most money (short of $1M), with time spent answering the questions as a tiebreaker, qualify to come back later in the season (November sweeps!) to answer one quetion for a million dollars. If the Tournament player is the highest ranked player (i.e. won the most money in the shortest amount of time) to get that question right, that person jumps from whatever they had previously won, to a million dollars. Anyone else who answered correctly will just win what they had previously. If you don't anwer the question at all, no problem, you walk away with what you had previously won. If you do answer the question, but answer it incorrectly, sorry, but you go back down to $25,000 (the second milestone amount on the money tree for the past couple seasons). Oooh, drama! The effect of this twist, in my opinion, is that the questions overall are harder than in previous seasons: if the show wants to build to this grand (ratings-grabbing) event, then it behooves them to NOT have anyone win a million before then. As someone who has watched a lot of Millionaire prior to my appearance, it certainlyt seems to me that the questions are harder than past seasons. Further, the executive producer admitted that to us when she explained that the money tree now starts with questions valued (in dollars): 500-1000-2500-3500-5000, as opposed to the old 100-200-300-500-1000. Not that this is an excuse for my performance, just something I, and a number of other contestants noticed. Especially Player #2.

Again, the AP's got the first player from Happy Jail ten minutes after taping began, but the returning player had won $250,000. No big whoop. However, ten minutes later, another person was taken from the green room. Ruh-Roh! That likely meant Player #2 got knocked out before reaching the first milestone amount and left with nothing. Well, that's exactly what happened. She got a question about who would most likely be found at a "hootenanny." Her choices included cowboys and folk singers. I honestly had only heard hootenanny in old Western references, so I would have answered "cowboys." I, too, would have been wrong. The answer is, in fact, folk singers.  The fact someone went out so quickly was enough to scare the bejeezus out of the green room. When I learned later from my wife (who was in attendance) what the question was, I got really scared that something similar would befall me. Anyway, Happy Jail became a whole less happy after that. Further, people were then getting pulled out of the green room at a pretty fast clip. Yes, there were the delays when someone had to come up and change clothes because they were the person left in the Hot Seat when one episode ended (the next episode was now "the next day" so clothes had to be changed), but still it was a little unnerving how fast people were getting knocked off.

As you're sitting up there, you try to figure out the pattern in which the contestants are selected. Remembering that this was, after all, a TV show, the producers would want to vary the contestants as much as possible. Quickly, we determined a woman-man-woman pattern that was almost slavishly adhered to (one man-man back-to-back occurrence). It also seemed that they wanted to go older-younger-older, and keep people with similar jobs far apart from each other. We got pretty good at the guessing game, and mid-way through the day, we were able to guess who would be next. It was about 3:00p (2.5 hours in, 3 hours left to go) when I figured I would not be taping that day: I was young and a guy, so the pattern wasn't in my favor. Plus, Player #3 was a lawyer, and I lived the closest to the studio of any contestant that day (I could see my apartment building from the street outside the studio), so it was easy to bring me back five days later. When I realized this, I settled in for a long day of nothing. The nerves disappeared, and I just hung with Kevin and the dwindling contestants. During the last taping, I was the last one in the green room, and was eventually brought downstairs to the "in the hole" position. The sound person didn't even bother putting a microphone on me, because it was clear I wasn't going to be on that day. It was nice to see a little bit of the game though, to hear the sound effects/music, hear the audience, and practice answering some questions. However, my day would soon end. I, and one person before me, were to be brought back on the 16th. The show had gone through 11 people that day: a record. Not very encouraging for my prospects, but hopefully, a new week would bring some better mojo. I met my wife and parents outside the studio where they downloaded what they could remember from the other players' appearances.  At that point I was so tired, I just wanted to eat and go home. Which, I did.

I returned, excited, on Wednesday the 16th at 10:00a. Since I had already heard from the lawyer, publicist, executive producer, etc., I only needed to arrive in time for make-up, a quick imparting of knowledge to the new batch of Happy Jail inmates (which called themselves, The Dawg Pound. Original.), and the introduction to the audience (more roof raising!). When the intro was done, I received my microphone, and was positioned in the audience, on deck. Depending on when the woman playing before me finished, I could have to walk right onto the set, or just have a camera stuck in my face with me waving as a throw to a commercial. The latter is what ended up happening, catching me kind of off guard, with me only being able to muster a John McCain double thumbs-up and a goofy smile. Anyway, Alison, the player before me was doing well, until a question about which country has the longest female life-span. She used the Ask the Expert lifeline (which you earn after getting the $5000 question correct), which for our shows was Jeopardy! champion, Ken Jennings. I was psyched about this development. Some of the Experts on Millionaire are absolutely terrible (like Cokie Roberts, who was the expert for the shows the rest of Happy Jail taped the previous week). Ken was, surely, going to be able to answer practically anything. Well, he failed Alison, miserably. He gave her two possibilities, so she used the Double Dip lifeline (you get to pick a second answer if your first guess is wrong, but you must answer the question; you can't walk away with what you have already won). She selected both answers Ken gave her, but both were wrong. All of a sudden, there I was with my double thumbs. Time to go!

During the commercial break, I took the Hot Seat and was approached by my AP. She asked me how I was doing, that Meredith would talk to me about a story about my preparation for coming on the show, and good luck. Meredith said hello (she really is completely sweet), and away we went! We came back from commercial, Meredith introduced me, we spoke about preparing for the show, a joke was cracked, and then "Let's play Millionaire!" Lights down. Music played. The first question was read:

"Which of these elements goes through rustproofing?"
"A) Plastic B) Wood C) Metal D) Joan Rivers' Hip"
"C. Metal. Final Answer."

$500 in the can, and a litle bit easier breathing. I quickly answered the next four questions (What are Eggo cereal shaped like? Waffles. What superhero has a red, white and blue shield? Captain America. What kind of fish does a Largemouth angler catch? Bass. Which expression is synonymous with con artist? Shell game.). I had now reached the $5000 milestone, so I couldn't walk away with less than that. I can't possibly express to you how relieved I felt at this point. I had such a huge fear that I would get one of the first five questions wrong and walk away with nothing. To reach this level really allowed me to relax and have a bit of fun.

I got through the next two questions easily, as well (What Iranian city is also a type of wine (my favorite, incidentally)? Shiraz. NINJA Loans stand for No Income, No Job, No what? Assets.). Then we ran into a bit of trouble. The $12,500 question asked about a heeled shoe that is worn by both men and women. I was 99.9% positive it was Cuban Heel, having formally worked in the Legal Department of Saks Fifth Avenue, and having my job informed by fashion on a daily basis. However, my stated strategy was to use the Ask the Audience lifeline before $25,000, so I figured, if I get this question wrong and don't use the lifeline, I'll never forgive myself. So I asked the audience, with 60% or so confirming my belief that Cuban Heel was correct, which it was. Next up: $15,000.

Question: Which of these Presidents started funding for NASA? FDR, Truman, Eisenhower or Kennedy. Now, I should have known this right off the bat, but I didn't. I quickly dismissed Kennedy, figuring that was too late for NASA to begin. I had an inkling it wasn't FDR because he was too long ago. Now, mind you, my brain is absolutely racing at this point. Not only was I trying to figure out the question, but I only had 30 seconds to answer. Plus, I was concerned with saving as much time as possible because of the Tournament of Ten. So, I figured, Ken Jennings must know this. "I'd like to ask Ken Jennings." Meredith showed him the question, and what occurred next sent my inside into utter horror. Ken paused. He wasn't sure. He rationalized away Kennedy as I did. He said he was pretty sure it wasn't FDR, but "he was president for a long time." Great, FDR is back on the table now. "I'm about 60% sure it's either Truman or Eisenhower." At this point I'm dying on the inside. How could he not know? We were told by the executive producer to ask the expert why they were thinking a particular way, so I did. Ken eventually got around to saying, "Well, Sputnik went up in 1957, which was during Eisenhower, so funding for NASA probably started then. So, I'm about 60% sure it's Eisenhower." Well, this still wasn't good enough for me. I was at least now pretty confident that the answer was either Eisenhower or Truman (FDR had way too much else on his plate to worry about space). Since I could narrow it down to two answers, I decided to use the Double Dip. I selected Eisenhower first, and it was correct. $15,000 in the bank, but now only one lifeline remaining. As I exhaled, I heard, "BRRWAAAAHHH!!!" The lights shot skyward, meaning we had reached the end of the episode. I was now going to have to go upstairs and change clothes very quickly while trying to keep myself calm for the upcoming $25,000 milestone question.

I changed, saw Kevin ("How're you doing?" "Going for $25K. Pissed I only have one lifeline left." "Don't worry, we had someone win a million with no lifelines for the last four questions." "Huh."), and then hurried back downstairs. I had to do a cold open with Meredith at the beginning of the show. She and I had time to chat a little, which was nice and calming. But soon, it was back walking toward the Hot Seat and getting in the chair backwards all over again. I looked at my screen and saw that my next question was about psychology. I had a feeling that there would be no way in Hell I was going to know this. Unfortunately, I was right. "Let's play Millionaire!"

"In Jungian psychology, a patient who is considered a puer aeternus has trouble with what?"
"A) Controlling anger B) Growing up C) Sleeping alone D) Telling the truth"
.........uh........

I think my arched eyebrow said it all. I had no freaking clue. Fortunately, I had a PAF with one of the fastest computers not in a government facility. Prior to my appearance, Sean and I spoke about how we would handle the PAF lifeline. 30 seconds is a short time to relay the question and answer choices, so we decided that if I needed him to look up something on the internet, I would state the terms to look up, then read the question, then the answers. This question was tailor made for Wikipedia. "Sean. Puer aeternus, p-u-e-r a-e-t-e-r-n-u-s, is a person who has trouble with what?" With nine seconds left, Sean had the answer, "Growing up." "How sure are you?" "100%." Awesome. As the audience applauded and Meredith did her spiel about how much time I had left to answer, I actually forgot, for a split second, what Sean said. Brief moment of panic right there. This was for a minimum of $25,000! Fortunately, Meredith confirmed that he said the B choice. "B. Growing up. Final answer." "I'm not even going to toy with you. You got it." Double fist pump and a "YEEEEEAAAHHHH!!!!" I just won 25-freaking-thousand dollars! And no matter what happened next, I couldn't leave with less! This joy was short-lived however.

Bah-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-duuuuuuhhhmmmm. Lights down.

I now had 45 seconds to answer a question about 60's music. When I first saw the category list before my first question, I saw "60's Music" and did a jig inside, hoping that I would get to that question. Since I was a kid, my father would always have on the Oldies station on family trips. I grew to absolutely love music from the 50's and 60's. In fact, it is my absolute favorite music to listen to this day. The station programmed to button #1 in my car is the very same Oldies station that my father played for me and my siblings (although it has cut out 50's music and added, 80's music!). Confidence was not going to be a problem for this question.

"What 1960's hit for The McCoys is the official state rock song of Ohio?"
HUH?!?!?!?!
"A) Sugar, Sugar B) Wild Thing C) Hang On Sloopy D) Doo Wah Diddy Diddy"
Oh shit.

No Beatles. No Stones. No Four Seasons. No Supremes. No Ray Charles. No Stevie Wonder. I had heard of the McCoys, but they are a one-hit wonder, and I couldn't remember their one hit. My first thought (one which I audibly expressed): "My father is going to kill me for not knowing this." My mind began to race. For some reason, I focused on the "official state rock song of Ohio" part of the question, instead of the McCoys part. Further, I twisted the question into "official state song," leaving out the rock part of the question. This was huge because I began to think about what song could actually be an official state song, a song in which the state of Ohio would take great pride.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

I thought "Hang On Sloopy" was by a band like the Beach Boys (my bad, the Beach Boys sang "Sloop John B."), so I dismissed that. I just knew "Sugar, Sugar" was wrong, and for whatever reason, I never really considered "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy." So I was left with "Wild Thing." But this couldn't be an official state song, could it? I even said out loud, "'Wild Thing' wouldn't be a state song."

Tick tock. Tick tock.

My time was all of a sudden down to 10 seconds. As the $50,000 question is a free guess (you can't go any lower than the $25K you've already won), I knew I had to say something. All I could think was that maybe "Wild Thing" was so wrong, that it was actually correct. "Ugh. B. Wild Thing. Final answer." *GASP* Unbeknownst to me, there was a large group of people from Ohio in the audience. They audibly gasped when I said "final answer." I knew right then I was incorrect. "No, I'm sorry." The answer, for your edification, is "Hang on Sloopy." My time in the Hot Seat had concluded. Meredith went to commercial, she told me I did great, and then I followed my AP to a curtained-off area where I had to sign some forms verifying the amount I had won ($25,000, just missing the Tournament of Ten by one question). I was joined back there by my wife and mother, where I proceeded to get really pissed off about not getting that question right. As soon as I was done, I thought, "Wait a second, I know that "Sugar, Sugar" was by The Archies, and that "Wild Thing" was by The Troggs!" If I had unlimited time to answer the question (as was the case prior to last season), or focused on the McCoys party of the question, I would have eliminated two answers right away, and then worked on the final two. Plus I was mad that I used the Ask the Audience on the shoe question, especially when I didn't need it. The music question would have been a great Ask the Audience question as most of the audience are middle-aged people who grew up with that music. Dang!! Oh well. I returned to Happy Jail, collected my stuff, took off my make-up, said goodbye to Kevin, and then stepped out onto the street. My four-year experience with Millionaire (with the exception of waiting for it to air) was now complete.

All in all, it was a really great experience. I won $25,000! Not too shabby for about a half-hour's worth of work (well, and 14 hours waiting around). After taxes, it will be about $16,000, which can put a nice dent in my law school loans. Yes, I regret the use of a couple lifelines, but with time ticking down, I did the best I could. I promised I wouldn't leave a lifeline on the table, and I didn't. I followed the strategy I had laid out for myself; it was just the luck of the draw on which questions I received. Hey, I could have been asked about hootenannies.

As far as strategy and hints for those appearing on the show, other than those appearing above, I suggest the following. First, make sure you use your lifelines. They are there to help you. If you aren't 100% sure of an answer, use one, because you don't get to take them home with you. If you think you want to save one for a later question, don't bother because you might not ever get there. Second, listen to the audience. They are told to be quiet, but you can definitely hear them. Don't necessarily take one of their answers directly, but if you have the time, say the possible answers aloud, as if you're considering that particular answer. You can hear how the audience reacts by gasping, tsking, or by getting excited. If you really have no clue, you can get a feel from the collective feeling of the audience. I know if I bandied about the answers to my last question and listened intently to the audience, they would have led me to the correct answer. Lastly, trust your instincts. You gut reaction is almost always the right one.

If there is anyone out there that is considering auditioning for the show, you should absolutely do it. What's the worst that could happen? You always have the chance to be the next millionaire!

Thanks for reading this ridiculously long post. If you have any questions about my experience, or want some other details, please drop a comment below. It was, truly, a great experience, and I am very thankful I get to share it with my readers. And that is my Final Answer.

FlashForward - "Gimme Some Truth"

2009-10-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

Thursday night's episode, entitled "Gimme Some Truth," seems to be promising for some high-time drama. In the preview at the end of "Black Swan," we saw glimpses of Mark testifying in front of what looked like a Congressional committee, a (sapphic?) fancy dinner for Janis, HUGE explosions, and Janis kicking some ass. Not too bad for an hour of 8:00p television. Aside from these moments, here's what I'm looking for:

*The full extent of Lloyd and Simon's involvement in the blackout will, obviously, not be fully revealed Thursday (Monday for my non-North American friends) night, but some hint to the reach and/or purpose of the conspiracy would be great.

*What did Bryce see in his flash? Was he romantically involved with the woman he has been drawing? Does she "save" him somehow?

*Suspect Zero? Hellooooooo. You there? Anywhere?

*I have a feeling we won't be seeing a lot of Demetri on Thursday. Not for any particular reason, but in past episodes, Mark seems only able to partner with one of them at a time. Demetri was practically nowhere to be found in "137 Sekunden," and Janis was wholly absent from "Black Swan." The preview showed us a bunch of Janis, so I think Demetri will be on the back burner this week.

*I want Mark to tell Olivia about his flash. The dramatic irony at play in this situation is starting to make me feel less sympathetic toward Mark. Yes, my love for Sonya Walger's portrayal of Olivia is well-documented (in just about every recap), and perhaps that is what is truly clouding my mind, but, as far as we know, Olivia is the one who is supposed to cheat on Mark in the future. We should be sympathetic toward him until we have a full explanation of the Olivia-Lloyd dynamic. Unfortunately, his refusal to tell Olivia about his flash is shifting my sympathies. Seems like Aaron is going to pressure him some more to spill the beans, but we'll have to wait and see if he's successful.

*Speaking of Aaron, I'd like to see him receive some hard information that, indeed, his daughter is alive. Up to this point, Aaron has really only functioned as Mark's conscience. Yes, he did have the scenes about him exhuming his daughter's coffin, but if Aaron is going to be a fleshed-out character, they need to do the fleshing soon.

*Will Al step forward as a main character? He was given that Celia bit last week. Does that mean he will be moving into a more prominent role?

OK, that's what I'm looking for on Thursday. Don't forget to check out the FlashForwardCast with Jay and Jack. Please drop a comment in, well, the Comments below with your thoughts, and, if you like what you're reading here, please pass the word on to your friends, colleagues and other watchers of FF. My thoughts on "Gimme Some Truth" will likely be up next Monday as my wife and I are going to Boston for the weekend -- my first trip back to my alma mater in seven years. Until then...

Enjoy.

Watch Me on Millionaire, Ctd

2009-10-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

So, I'm a moron, and, because I was busy writing my FlashForward recap, I totally forgot to promote my appearance on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The first part of my appearance aired yesterday, the 19th. But, I was held over to today's episode. So, if you'd like to catch the end of my appearance, tune in today. Check out this link for where and when Millionaire airs where you live. After it airs (and my final result is revealed), I will write a long post about my experience on the show. Thanks for the support!

FlashForward - "Black Swan," Ctd

2009-10-19T11:58:00.000-04:00

Sorry for posting this a little later than normal, I was busy running around in 40 degree (Farenheit, for my international readers) rain reffing soccer this weekend. I had to stop shaking before I could type this up. Anyway, I thought "Black Swan" was a very solid hour of FF, one that I thought really started to propel the story forward. Here's some thoughts:

*I thought the opening was great, directorally (if that's even a word). Loved the juxtaposition of the Bjork song (sorry, I don't know the title), with the slow-motion chaos of the blackout occurring. The scene brought into relief what exactly would happen if the entire world blacked out. People falling over, busses careening off the road, helicopters crashing, etc. It would be utter disaster, and it was shown well. One thing I did notice though: the birds, which were not crows, were still flying. If this has any significance, I have no idea. Just wanted to point it out.

*The picture during this week's title sequence was that of, well, a black swan. More specifically, it was an actual picture on Mark's corkboard, with, presumably, Mark pointing at it. We received, via Alda Herzog (otherwise known as "Hot, Blonde Terrorist"), an explanation of what a "Black Swan" is: "a high impact event beyond human expectation." This sort of fits in with what I mentioned in the preview for this episode. Certainly, the whole world blacking out at the same time is beyond human expectation. But I wonder if there is more significance to the term "Black Swan" than that. Why the picture then on Mark's board? Is it the code name for the operation? Further, as we know, black swans are native to Australia. There were two other references to Australia in the episode, as well: Ned's reference to doing the Australian Crawl, and the boxing kangaroo stuffed animal in Dylan's bedroom. All of these references, plus the kangaroo that hopped past Mark in the pilot episode, and, heck, even the Oceanic billboard in the pilot signal to me that, like a wise man once said, Australia might be the key to the whole thing.

*Speaking of Alda Herzog, what is her deal? She led Mark and Demetri to Customer Choice Restaurant Group, a one-store fast food business, for what reason? Yeah, they found the pot dealer, but nothing of significance. Will there be more there in the future (besides frozen yogurt)? It seemed like a wild goose chase. I think she'll have more to do with the blackout than she's letting on, but what? Does she really know about Demetri's future murder, or was she truthful when she explained that he posted it on the internet (how did she get service?) and that the whole office is talking about it (when has she talked to other people in the ofice?)? She obviously has some significance; I'm eager to find out what it is. Also, it almost seemed like she was prodding Mark to investigate further when she told him that he was "not willing to do what it takes for answers." I guess she could have just been acting snide, but it seemed more to me. One last note on her: the camera very clearly focused on her tapping her fingers during Mark's interrogation of her. Was there significance to this? Was she tapping out a message?

*From a TV production standpoint, I thought the chase scene was well done. Looked like the actors did a lot of their own stunt work, so that's always appreciated. Of most note, however, was Mark's insistence that solving Mosaic is what will lead them to preventing Demetri's murder. This is interesting because it informs the charcter's belief that the future can be changed. Does this mean, though, that the future can be changed permanently, or will it only change until the situation (to borrow a phrase) is course-corrected? Meaning, can Mark and Demetri successfully stop Demetri's murder, or can they just delay it to some further point in the future? The answers to this question will go a long way to defining the show's concept of time, and what the rules for it are. Some characters believe that their future is set (Bryce, Ned, Aaron). Some are hoping it isn't (Olivia, Demetri). Others think they can definitively change it (Mark, Nicole). This is obviously the big question we as an audience are supposed to be asking. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

*I know I go on and on about her, but Sonya Walger is doing some excellent work as Olivia. She can communicate brilliantly with the subtlest of looks. Case in point, check out the look she gave the woman counting out her change at the check-out counter when Olivia wanted to esacpe Lloyd, and the look that flashed across her face when she admitted Bryce was right about Ned's Addison's Disease. Ever so slightly, you saw Olivia register anger at being wrong, but also rueful realization that if Ned's flash was true, hers would be as well (perfectly contrasted to her earlier determined belief that the flashes were not true, precisely because she doesn't want hers to be true). It led to her slightly-too-long look at Lloyd when he was doing magic tricks for Dylan. Could she see, in that moment, how she could fall for Lloyd? Fantastic stuff.

*Bryce finally got some screen time this week. It was nice to see him as more than the guy who almost killed himself. In fact, to me, he's turning into the John Locke of FF. His insistence that Olivia take his advice on Ned's case, was a classic Jack-Locke "Man of Reason, Man of Faith" argument. Bryce even yelled at Olivia, "You're not listening to me!" in a manner that was very reminiscent of Locke's "Don't tell me what I can't do!" Bryce has ultimate faith in the flashes as they "saved" him from suicide. Similarly, Locke has ultimate faith in the Island as it cured him of his paralysis. Whether or not Bryce holds on to the mantle of "Man of Faith" remains to be seen, but as of this episode, he is the front-runner. Two last things about Bryce: 1) The girl he drew in his notebook looks Asian to me. On the FlashForwardCast with Jay and Jack, they theorized that the girl was Nicole. I'm not so sure. 2) Really? Doctors wouldn't know about pigment change so tehy'd have to look it up on, essentially, WebMD? Where's House when you need him? (By the way, I apologize for all of the Lost references. I'm pretty obsessed with the show, as this site can attest to, so it's not strange that I see parallels everywhere. Also, it is clear ABC and the creators of FF are trying to make FF the replacement for Lost once it ends in May. I'll try to keep the comparisons to a minimum, but I have to call it like I see it.)

*Nicole returned in this episode. She had evidently been AWOL after seeing herself being drowned in her flash. Interestingly, she said that in her flash she felt like she deserved to die. What could she possibly do to deserve being drowned? And as her flash wasn't blank, does that mean she survives? It wasn't clear to me how she knew Aaron (did anyone hear anything that I missed?), but it appears that she will take a page out of his 12-step playbook and try to lead a "better" life so she doesn't get what she believes is coming to her. We were shown the face of the person that was drowning her, albeit throught rippling water. To me, when I froze the picture, it looked like Simon. Their connection, I suppose, would be through Mark's investigation into Mosaic: if Mark gets too close, perhaps Simon goes after Nicole. This seems a little too easy, but I have no other theories at the moment. Perhaps more will be revealed if she works at a soup kitchen that Simon attends, or something.

So, that's about it. All in all a pretty good epis.....what? There was something else? Something big? Oh, you mean....

*LLOYD IS IN ON THE BLACKOUT!! Well, I personally think not. Let me explain. We see Lloyd take a call from the infamous Simon (Dominc Monaghan). Lloyd doesn't want to talk. He is obviously perturbed that Dylan was injured in the blackout. Simon is having none of it for, as he explains, he and Lloyd are "responsible for the single greatest disaster in human history." Now, the obvious meaning of this is that they, and whomever else they are in cahoots with, actually and purposefully caused the blackout. The other meaning, and the one I am leaning towards, is that they created the technology that cause the blackout, but for some other purpose. This technology was then exploited by the actual perpetrators of the event. Again, the first explanation is just too easy. Then again, I could just be looking for too many mysteries and conspiracies within the show (entirely possible). Either way, this was a huge development that catapulted the show forward. Great reveal that was expertly executed.

Quick Hits:

*One of my commentors, Katy Lied, pointed out that it was a bit unrealistic that Demetri would be able to marry Zoe as he would receive a lot of familial pressure to marry another Korean. Well, the writers were listening to Katy, because Zoe flat out said that she knew his parents would have difficulty with the wedding plan changes because they already didn;'t like her because "[She's] not Korean." Good work Katy.

*Hehehe. Olivia called Mark, Shakespeare.

*Any significance to the prominent display of Dylan's Star Wars: The Clone Wars bedspread?

*Mark speaks Sufi? Really?!?

*Who is the Celia that Al was looking up on Mosaic? Wasn't he in London in his Flash? Was the woman he was meeting with named Celia? Did I miss something obvious?

From what I wanted to see in my episode preview, we got: Nicole's return and reason for disappearing; a lot more info on Bryce, but still not what he saw in his flash; NO mention of Suspect Zero; NO Somalia or crows; and Demetri's persistent reluctance to tell Zoe what he didn't see in his flash, as I predicted (patting self on back). All in all, I got most of what I was looking for, and a whole lot more (Lloyd & Simon!).

Prediction: Lloyd and Simon did not perpetrate the blackout, but are responsible for creating the technology that caused it.

I have to say, FF has me hooked. Let's hope it remains strong so that it can take over for our favorite Island adventure next season. The writers have, supposedly, mapped out five seasons worth of story, which is encouraging as these serials need a direction. Here's hoping the execution is solid as well. Drop your thoughts and theories below in the Comments. Thanks always for reading.

I'm off to become the pimpin' Scarface of FlashFoward recaps.

FlashForward - "Black Swan"

2009-10-14T16:12:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow night's episode of FF is entitled "Black Swan." What this means, I have no idea. As we know, most swans are white. However, some are indeed black. These black swans are indigenous to Australia, a place that, of course, has resonance amongst fans of Lost (not to mention the Swan station). I don't think there will actually be any reference to Lost, or really anything that has to do with Australia. However, the black swan does have some meaning, not surprisingly, as a representation of antithesis, the opposite of the white swan. If the white swan is supposed to represent grace and beauty, the black swan would represent awkwardness and thr grotesque. How this fits with FF, other than their apparent obsession with birds, I can't figure. Guess we'll find out tomorrow night. My DVR cut off the preview for "Black Swan," but other things I'm looking for in the episode:

*As one of my commenters pointed out, Suspect Zero was nowhere to be found in "137 Sekunden." Well, he was briefly seen in the Tigers Stadium security camera clip, but there was no further investigation into him that we saw. I'd like a little Zero discussion this week.

*Speaking of Zero, I had heard incorrectly, Dominic Monaghan is supposed to make his first appearance in the fourth episode, not the third. Therefore, he should show up in "Black Swan." I still think he's Zero. Hope we find out.

*What the heck happened to Nicole the babysitter? They've referenced her the last two episodes, after giving her a lot of screen time in the pilot, so she must be important, right?

*Will Demetri come clean to Zoe about his flash? Probably not yet, but I liked seeing the interatction of John Cho and Gabrielle Union. More please.

*Is Bryce, the doctor who was going to kill himself, going to do anything other than be amazed at his second chance at life because of the flash? What did he see?

*What is the meaning of the dead crows? Will the team go to Somalia to investigate the 1991 crow incident? This reminds me of something I forgot to put in last week's recap: How the heck does the Los Angeles FBI office have the resources to send its agents to Germany, and then, presumably, to Somalia? I know Wedeck touched on this in last week's episode (it was justified because Geyer mentioned Mark by name), but come on! The FBI would be focused on cleaning up L.A. which, evidently, still has crashed planes lying on the runways at LAX. I get it, the story needs to move forward, and the blackout was a glboal phenomenon, but perhaps having someone from FBI HQ accompany Mark and his team on their globetrotting adventures would be a bit more realistic.

That's about it, specifically. I, of course, would like to see more Olivia, and I want to know more about Janis, but the show is only 44 minutes long (excluding commercials), so I can't have everything. If there's anything you'd like to see tomorrow night (or next Monday night, as my esteemed foreign commenters pointed out), drop a comment below. Be sure to check out Jay and Jack's FlashForwardCast for an entertaining discussion of last week's episode, and check back here over the weekend for my recap of "Black Swan." Until then...

Enjoy.

FlashForward - "137 Sekunden," Ctd

2009-10-11T16:52:00.000-04:00

Before I start with my recap, I wanted to detail the schedule I try to follow in writing them. FF airs on Thursdays, and I watch it live, just enjoying what happens and formulating preliminary thoughts. I then watch it again over the weekend and take the notes that I turn into the recap, writing it on Sunday or Monday. I try to avoid any other recaps before I write mine. I then listen to the FlashForwardCast by Jay and Jack on Monday. I listen to podcasts while at work, and download them first thing in the morning. Jay and Jack's FF podcast doesn't appear on iTunes until late Friday morning, so I don't get it until Monday. Anyway, that's the schedule I try to follow. Of course, circumstances may change from time to time, but I'll try to stick to this timetable.

On to "137 Sekunden." This was probably the best episode of the three that have aired so far. Seems like the actors are getting comfortable in their roles, and the writers are getting comfortable with the pacing. I'm still a little concerned with the creators' grasp of the mythology, but I think they'll get there.

*I think there's no way in hell Demetri is going to die. As I wrote last week, John Cho is too important to the show to kill him off in a couple months. But I have another reason too. The show has said that the flashes all occur on April 29, 2010. April 29, 2010 is a Thursday, the same day of the week the show airs. This is clearly not a coincidence. Demetri was told that he will die on March 15, 2010. March 15 is a Monday. I just can't imagine that such an important event would air on a day other than a Thursday when the show has made that point that it's most important event will occur in "real time."

*I mentioned last week that an image of a white queen chess piece was shown during the opening title sequence. We don't know why it is significant yet, but assumedly, it will be. In the opening of this episode, a flock of birds was shown. We would learn later that crows carry significance, so this opening image was a clue. I think we'll have to look for more of these to help solve the mystery.

*We received some more comedic elements in this episode. We had the "farting Earth," "Spidey sense," and "Britney Spears" jokes. The difference with last week was that the jokes seemed to be better integrated into the script. They were more natural, as opposed to the jokes yelling, "Look at us! We're funny too!!" Good to see.

*Demetri's fiance, Zoe, was finally introduced. She is played by the fabulous Gabrielle Union. I really like her and John Cho together. There seems to be a nice ease to their relationship. Anyway, Zoe's flash was, supposedly, of her and Demetri's wedding. She assumed it was in Hawaii, which would seem to make sense. Her flash was in bright daylight. On April 29 at 10p PDT (when the flashes occur in L.A.), it would be 7p in Hawaii. At 7p on April 29 would it be bright daylight? Probably not, but it will definitely be light out (more likely dusk). I know this seems like semantics, but if the show is going to maintain its credibility while emphasizing its time-based mythology, the writers are going to have to be vigilant about this stuff. Further point: Zoe claims that it is her and Demetri's wedding, but she never saw Demetri (well, we never saw Demetri). Was she marrying someone else? I think not, but you never know.

*The bulk of the episode centered around the incarcerated Nazi, Herr Geyer. Geyer claimed to know why the blackout lasted 137 seconds (or sekunden, in German). Of course, this was a ruse employed to win his freedom. If we have learned nothing else, it is never trust a Nazi! The whole Kabbalah thing was just odd, but just odd enough that it may actually have some resonance later in the season. One aspect of Kabbalah is that followers wear a red string bracelet. Remember, Mark was given a string bracelet from his daughter, Charlie. I know it wasn't red, but it could have deeper meaning. Or not. Gaier's flash showed him arriving at a U.S. airport. If that were true, it would be 10p in L.A., and 1a April 30 in New York. It appeared that the scene occurred during the day. Perhaps not, but, as I mentioned above, the writers need to watch this stuff. The interrogation of Gaier let Joseph Fiennes finally show us why he's a great actor. I felt that in these scenes, coupled with his scene with Janis following the first interrogation, Fiennes was finally comfortable. Much better job by him in this episode.

*The crows. They were alluded to in the title sequence, and directly referenced by Gaier. All of the crows around his prison were dead after the blackout. This make sense if the crows were, too, effected by whatever caused the blackout. Like airplanes, if something flying blacks out for over two minutes, it's going to die when it falls out of the sky. Now, we didn't see any dead birds around L.A., crows or otherwise. Nor did we see any other dead birds in Munich. Does the blackout machine only effect crows and humans? That would be rather bizarre. Anyway, we saw that back in 1991, a similar event occurred in Somalia or Sudan (I think. I forgot to write it down and don't have the episode on my DVR anymore. Sorry!). It seems that the large antenna/minaret thing caused the birdie blackout. To me, it appeared to be some kind of sonic device, perhaps emitting a frequency outside humans' range of hearing that scrambled the birds' brains. Seems plausible to me.

Quick Hits:

*Squirrelio!! Squirrelio!! We saw part of his cartoon!

*What the hell happened to Nicole the babysitter? They made a big deal of showing her in the pilot, then all of a sudden she's gone? I guess she could have been written off the show, but why? And why bring her back up again in this episode if she was written off? Odd.

*The Lost similarities continue. Aaron's wife is played by Kim Dickens, who played Sawyer's baby mama on Lost. And her name is Kate! And by the way, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Brian F. O'Byrne is awesome. He and Sonya Walger are giving the best performances on this show, by far.

*Janis is getting annoying. Now she's possibly gay? So she's going to get a sperm donor in the next few months? Or she's going to give it one last try with a guy to "prove" she's straight? Also, she's obviously really smart and has seen some really wacky stuff since the blackout. Why would she just dismiss the crow theory immediately? Fix this character now!

*When Janis first searched the database for sudden crow depopulation, the screen did not show the blurb about the corresponding human "loss of consciousness" in 1991. Only when the camera cut back to the screen was it there. These types of continuity errors drive me insane.

*Wedeck's eulogy was probably the most emotional moment of the series to date. Well played.

As far as what I wanted to see in this episode, I didn't get everything. We got more Demetri, but no Dylan, Charlie, Suspect Zero, or Dominic Monaghan. Further, I was totally off, at least for now, on why the blackout lasted 2:17.

We saw that the large antenna thingy caused the 1991 blackout, on a small scale. If the blackout device works because of a sonic pulse or the like, it must be large enough to reach the whole world.

Prediction: The perpetrators used the numerous satellites around the Earth to "broadcast" the sonic pulse to cause the blackout.

OK, that's it for "137 Sekunden." Again, the best episode of the three so far, and I think the show is starting to find its groove. Let me know your thoughts and theories in the comments below. As always, thanks for reading.

I'm off to add up my name in Hebrew numerals.

Entertaining Thoughts Gives Birth

2009-10-10T21:36:00.000-04:00

No, my wife and I did not have a child. Rather, I have spun off a new blog called Entertaining Law. This new blog will focus on legal issues that arise in the entertainment industry. As my introduction post at E.L. states, I am not interested in the latest Hollywood starlet's arrest and mug shot. I want to discuss real legal issues that artists and producers face in their businesses. Entertaining Thoughts will continue to bring you TV recaps (yes, the FlashForward recap is coming soon), political commentary, and general inanity. So, please continue to come here for more of the same. However, if you have any interest in the legal comings and goings of show business, explained (hopefully) in an easy to understand way, please take a trip over to Entertaining Law. I promise you won't be disappointed. OK, I can't promise that. I can promise you will have fewer minutes left of work when you're done looking at the site.

We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging.

Flash Forward - "137 Sekunden"

2009-10-07T20:39:00.002-04:00

Hello Flashers!.......OK, that doesn't sound so good. Hello fans of FlashForward! Thursday's episode is entitled "137 Sekunden," or translating the German, "137 Seconds." 137 seconds is, of course, equal to two minutes and seventeen seconds, the length of the blackout. The preview at the end of last week's episode did not offer a preview of Thursday's episode only. There was a brief hit of an older German man saying that he knows why the blackout occurred for the amount of time that it did. So, presumably, we will be getting that explanation tomorrow night. The remainder of the preview focused on other scenes from later in the season. Because we weren't given that much to go on, and we're still only two episodes into the life of this show, I only have a couple things I'm looking for tomorrow night:

*Well, why was the blackout two minutes and seventeen seconds?!?! I'm going to assume it has some scientific explanation, like, 2:17 is the half-life of whatever isotope used to power the blackout machine. Or perhaps 2:17 is the chapter and verse of some pertinent passage in the Bible. I really have no idea, but I guess we'll find out!

*Will Simon, played by Dominic Monaghan, be Suspect Zero? And will we meet Simon tomorrow night? If I remember correctly, reports of Monaghan's involvement mentioned that he would first appear in the third episode. I'm a fan of Monaghan from his Lost and Lord of the Rings appearances, so I'm eager for his introduction into FF.

*I want more Demetri this episode. He was pushed back last week in favor of Mark and Olivia, so I'd like to go home with Demetri to see more of his life. OK, that sounded weird too. Moving on....

*How does Dylan know Olivia? How does Charlie know Dylan? Do the kids know each other? As I posited after last week's episode, I think D. Gibbons is going to kidnap the children. If so, Dylan must have seen him too in his flash -- perhaps we'll hear more from Dylan tomorrow night.

*The doctor guy who was going to kill himself before the blackout, what's his deal? What did he see? He had one line last week. I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be a main character, so let's hope we see him more tomorrow night.

*I'd like to see more Funny Janis, and less Exposition Janis. We need to connect with her more emotionally if we're going to care about her pregnancy.

Now, obviously, there's only been two episodes, and the show can't possibly have expounded on every character yet. I realize this, so I'm not expecting, nor would I want, to have everything above addressed tomorrow night. I just hope that FF realizes that the audience needs to care about more than Mark and Olivia if we are to stay engaged. One of the best things about Lost is that from the get-go, the show asked you to care about everyone by focusing each episode on one particular castaway, all the while moving the main plot forward. That's why we could deeply care that Boone dies only a little past midway through the first season (uh...spoiler alert!). I wouldn't want FF to copy the "one episode, one character" motif, but the show must be careful that it doesn't alienate its audience by concentrating solely on its mythology, and ignoring multiple character development. I guess we'll know more tomorrow night. Until then...

Enjoy.

FlashForward - "White to Play"

2009-10-05T16:05:00.002-04:00

Hello folks. So, like Lost, I'm going to offer some thoughts on ABC's new show FlashForward. Like our favorite island adventure, FF seems like it will offer a dramatic sci-fi vibe with nuggets of mystery that fans can really dig into. Only two episodes in, I think the show still has to find its groove (the production was given to a new producer/show-runner after its pilot was picked up), but it contains the basics of what could be a really great serial.

*This week's episode of FlashForward began with a very odd and very creepy start. The zoom in on the Earth with children singing Ring Around the Rosy (Rosey? Rosie?) reminded me of the "1, 2, Freddy's coming for you" song from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Very unsettling. I guess they're trying to remind us that the entire world experienced the blackout (the term I will be using for the event) but it just seemed odd to me. And seeing a bunch of children laying "dead" on the playground was disturbing. I mean, I guess it was supposed to be disturbing; it was just unexpected.

*There are some really great actors on this show. Brian F. O'Byrne (Brian's AA sponsor, Aaron), Sonya Walger (Olivia) Jack Davenport (Lloyd Simcoe, Olivia's supposed future lover) and John Cho (Demetri) are doing some really great work. Kind of odd that three of these actors are British, although that must be just a coincidence. The show is worth watching just for these four actors. Then, on the other hand, we have Joseph Fiennes (another Brit). Now, normally, I love him as an actor. He was great in Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, and other movies. For some reason though, in this show, he seems off his game. His understated delivery is fine, there's just something off. As I mentioned in my fall TV review post, it could be that he is uncomfortable working in an American accent. If so, I can only hope that he'll become more comfortable as the episodes progress.

*Fellow FBI agent, Janis Hawk(!), seems to be FF's answer to 24's Chloe O'Brien, insofar as she is the tech geek of the office. But here, she serves another purpose: Super Exposition Girl! I mean, my God, the amount of story-forwarding information she spits out in one breath is rather impressive. Obviously, this is only episode two, so there is bound to be a lot of exposition, but I hope they slow it down. Show us what happened/is happening; don't tell us. Showing us, as opposed to being dictated to us, allows for a deeper connection with the characters and their situations. A couple other things on Janis: what's the deal with Janis' tattoo of three circles on her right forearm? Any deeper meaning to them (other than the show trying to make her seem "hard" so she can have a transformation when she has her child), or just because the actress, Christine Woods, has them? How will she become pregnant? I mean, I know how she'll become pregnant, but under what circumstances. I have a sneaking suspicion that the child will be Demetri's. Probably totally off here, but I have an inkling.

*I loved Olivia laughing, despite herself, to Lloyd's "Good luck with the procedure," line regarding Charlie's stuffed animal. She clearly found Lloyd charming, but is obviously scared about her flash coming true. More great acting by Sonya Walger.

*The great guys over at Jay and Jack, who produce the best Lost podcast on the net (named, oddly enough, The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack, check iTunes), are producing a weekly podcast about FF called the FlashForwardcast with Jay and Jack (check iTunes). Anyway, on their first episode, Jack mentioned that he was concerned about a lack of comedy during the pilot. I couldn't concur more. Lost expertly uses the character of Hurley to lighten the drama and provide an audience's perspective to the show. I was concerned that FF wouldn't follow suit and just beat us over the head with the drama. Fortunately, in episode two, the humor was brought, namely in the person of the head of the Los Angeles FBI office, Stanford Wedeck, played by Courtney B. Vance. We got riffs on cupcakes ("I'm going to log these into evidence.") and Wedeck waking up from his flash on the toilet and having to give mouth-to-mouth to a fwllow agent drowning in a urinal. We also had Demetri's joke about his last name, Noh, "It's Korean." Funny stuff, but a whole lot of it. In fact, they may have gone from 0 to 60 in two seconds, so I hope they find a happy medium. I know, I know -- there is no satisfying me.

*I hope the show stops calling the flashes "flash forwards" in their entirety. Just call them "flashes," which is what I'll be doing here. I mean, I understand the idea of getting the title of the show stuck in the viewers' heads, but you never heard Ross and Rachel saying how they were all friends, or Norm and Cliff yelling, "Cheers!" with every pint of beer.

*Another script thing: there seems to be a lot of (for lack of a better term) "A-Ha!'ing" going on. This phenomenon occurs when one character is verbally reasoning out a problem, and then another character completes the end of the sequence with a tone that says, "A-ha! I now understand the entire problem!" even when the issue at hand is not of the greatest importance. Case in point in this episode was the discussion about pigeons and Pigeon, UT. Janis, Demetri and Wedeck are bandying about the significance of Dee Dee Gibbons' flash discussing pigeons and Utah. Then, Mark says, looking intense with thought, "Pigeon's not a person.....it's a place!" A-Ha! I hate stuff like this; it's kind of lazy writing (shout-out to Jay and Jack!), but it's mostly the acting. Joey Fiennes, shape it up!

*The Pigeon, UT scene: Thought this whole scene was pretty great. As soon as the sherrif said she had a blank flash, I knew she was dead. Specifically so we could have Demetri worry about whether he will die or not. If Demetri dies on this show, I will be absolutely shocked. I know Lost has killed off main characters, but the biggest mainstream star FF has is John Cho. He's the key to the 18-25 year old bracket. He's not going anywhere. Anyway, I thought the technical aspects of the scene (and the show, in general) were pretty great. Although, would they really take a helicopter to Pigeon, UT from L.A.? Pigeon is approximately 750 miles from L.A., and even a military helicopter can only fly between 200 and 300 miles per hour. You're telling me a local FBI office would fly about three hours via helicopter into the heart of the Rocky Mountains? I don't think so. As far as D. Gibbons is concerned, well, he remained shrouded, literally, in mystery. His quote, "He who foresees calamity suffers them twice over," sounded deep, but really wasn't. Yes, if you see your future, you can be traumatized by knowing the situation is coming, and then traumatized again when you actually live it. FF obviously wants us to find him mysterious, so mission accomplished. The idea that he is just looking for an explanation for the blackout (I forget which character suggested this. Janis?) seems way off. Why would he destroy everything then? Doesn't make sense. I think he must be in cahoots with Suspect Zero in bringing about the blackout.

*Speaking of Suspect Zero, is this really the name they are going to give him? I assume, from Janis' calculations that Zero is 5'8" and 150 lbs, that this has to be Simon, the character played by Dominic Monaghan. Dominic played Merry the Hobbit in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so he is clearly short enough to fit the description of Zero. Plus, in at least one of the commercials promoting FF before the season started, we saw Simon ask if whomever he was speaking ot wanted to know why the blackout happened. Sounds Zero-ish to me! I just hope it is Simon so we don't have to keep calling the man in Tigers Stadium, Suspect Zero. I know it's now Comerica Park, but the show didn't use that name either for the stadium.

Quick Hits:

*Mark and Olivia's daughter is named Charlie, which is funny because Sonya Walger's son on Lost, is named Charlie, named after Dominic Monaghan's character.

*In the title sequence for the show, there was a quick flash of the chess piece Demetri later found at the doll factory. I have to check the next episode to see if a similar flash occurs. Whether or not they are easter eggs that lead to solving the mystery (above and beyond their importance to the characters),we will have to wait and see.

*When Charlie first gave it to him, I figured that wasn't the bracelet Mark later puts up on his office cork board. It will be interesting to see how he gets the new one.

*My wife is a ballerina, so I know all about bunions, and Sonya Walger has some bad ones. Was she a dancer?

*Beware the ides of March, Demetri! A bit too on the nose, don't you think? Glad to see Shohreh Aghdashloo has corrected her respiratory problems though.

And now for a new feature. Like Jack (from Jay and Jack) has a Crackpot Theory of the Week for his Lost and FF podcasts, I will be offering up a prediction of sorts each week. Something just to see if my deductive reasoning about the show's mythology and my understanding of television in general can lead me to the answers we are seeking on the show. So, here is the one for this week:

Prediction: D. Gibbons will kidnap Charlie and Llyod Simcoe's son. That's how the kids know each other in the future.

That's all I have for "White to Play" (BTW, I still have no idea what that means). On Wednesday I will offer up some questions and thoughts leading into the next episode on Thursday night. If you have any quesitons or comments, please leave them in the Comments section. Until Wednesday...

I'm off to log in some cupcakes.

First Impressions of the Fall Season, Ctd

2009-09-30T16:59:00.003-04:00

Let's continue our look at the new fall TV season. Part One is here.

*Cougar Town. This is the new Courtney Cox sit-com about a 40-something divorced mother of a teenager looking to get back into the game of Love. Yes, in the pilot episode she went after a younger guy, thereby rendering the show's title ridiculously on the nose (the nickname for the local high school's sports teams is the Cougars, the "real" reason for the show's title). And yes, there was a lot of young guy watching for Cox and her friends, played by Christa Miller and Busy Philipps. This was mildly funny, and there was some overall funny dialogue. But I think there isn't much to explore here. Do I really want to watch Cox bound from guy to guy (young and otherwise) each episode? And will she do it at the quite frenetic pace she was moving in the pilot? I mean that literally: it seemed like she was on speed. Her movement, her speech, everything was like it was in fast forward. Like they were really trying to keep out attention. Anyway, this all seems for not, because the show introduced us to her 40-something, hot, divorced male neighbor, whom, of course, she spars with and "hates" because he's bedding 20-something girls. We all know she's going to end up with him in the end, so to remain interested, the humor has to be really great and we need to be distracted by the supporting players (like on The Office, where they have effectively played out the inevitable Jim & Pam relationship to a T). I'm giving the show one more try tonight, and if I feel the same way as after the pilot, it's good night Irene.

Pluses: Courtney Cox; Christa Miller
Minuses: Frenetic pace; Trying too hard for laughs; Predictable plot
Grade: C

*SNL Weekend Update Thursday: For four weeks, Saturday Night Live is airing live, half-hour Weekend Update specials, as they did during the presidential election season. I always find Weekend Update to be the best part of the regular Saturday edition of the show, I was intrigued when NBC announced plans for this special edition. Moreover, Amy Poehler returns to the WU desk for at least the first two episodes to promote her show Parks & Recreation, joining regular host, and SNL head writer, Seth Meyers. Besides the actual WU news, the show begins with a cold open skit, both of which have been political in theme (SNL's bread and butter). Personally, I have found both episodes to be very funny. In a normal SNL episode, they have to fill 90 minutes with sketches that end of being not very funny. With only 22 minutes (and only one sketch), so far, the show has been clicking on all cylinders. Seth and Amy have great chemistry, and the writing is sharp. The show is only a place-holder until 30 Rock returns in October, but I kind of wish it would stick around.

Pluses: Funny writing; Seth Meyers; Amy Poehler
Minuses: Skits can run a liiiiiiiittle long
Grade: A-

*Community: This show is the latest entry into NBC's Must-See-TV Thursday comedy lineup. And it doesn't disappoint. Joel McHale (from E!'s The Soup) plays a lawyer whose license is taken away due to the state bar discovering his dodgy education. He is forced to go to community college to get an appropriate degree so he can have his law license back. There he meets a number of other misfit students, including a ladies' man Chevy Chase, and, of course, the hot blonde. The writing has been really funny so far, and Chase is doing his best work in years, nay, decades. And here's the thing, as opposed to my problem with Cougar Town, I honestly have no idea if McHale will end up with the blonde or not. I mean, yeah, he probably will, but so far the writers have been balancing the "will they or won't they" dynamic really well. The supporting players, while a bit stereotypical (the sassy African-American woman, the jock, the hyper alpha-girl), they have been given much more interesting characteristics than their stereotypes. Plus, they have some really great dialogue being pulled off by really funny unknown actors. Packaged with The Office and 30 Rock, NBC could actually have a hit on its hands. Well, at least until it moves to the 8pm slot (currently on at 9:30) and faces Survivor and Flash Forward. Overall though, this is probably my favorite new show of the year, at least so far.

Pluses: Joel McHale; Great writing; Funny premise
Minuses: Soon-to-be time slot
Grade: A

*Flash Forward: As is quite evident, I am a big fan of the show Lost. As we Lostophiles know, Lost will be concluding next May. Therefore, we must search for a replacement show that we can watch to satisfy our mystery-seeking, sci-fi-theorizing needs. In steps Flash Forward. This show is about what happens when all of humanity blacks out for two minutes and seventeen seconds at the same time, and everyone sees a vision of the future six months hence. Some see positive things (a reunion with a lost daughter, a pregnancy), some see negative things (infidelity, a return to alcoholism), and even a few see nothing (is the person dead? In a coma?). The action is led by an FBI agent played by Joseph Fiennes. He is married to a surgeon played by Sonya Walger (Lost fans will remember her as Desmond's love, Penny), is partnered with John Cho (Harold and Kumar, Star Trek), and is friends with Brian F. O'Byrne (well-known on Broadway for Doubt). As the world is in chaos after the blackout (what happens if 800 airplanes in the air all have their pilots black out at the same time?), Fiennes leads the FBI to figure out what is behind the flash forwards, while they all try to come to grips with what their futures mean. Can they change the future? Are they bound by it? Do they even want to change it? The pacing of the show felt right on, and definitely has a Lost feel to it (main male character waking up and not knowing what happened after a crash), even including a nice easter egg of an Oceanic billboard. There are obviously a lot of intriguing mysteries (why did the black out happen? Who is behind it? What do the flashes mean?), and the characters seem pretty decent. The effects could use some brushing up, and I kind of wonder if Fiennes is up to the rest of the cast acting-wise. I know that seems like a ridiculous comment after seeing his film work, but he seemed a bit lacking, like he wasn't comfortable with his American accent yet. I'm sure this will get better. Anyway, ABC hooked me with this show. I totally dug it, and see it, so far, as a worthy replacement for Lost. So much so, that I think I will give Flash Forward a similar treatment by posting my thoughts on each episode a couple days after it airs. If anything, it will make sure I come back and post every couple days.

Pluses: Actors; Script; Mysteries
Minuses: Effects; Joseph Fiennes, maybe?
Grade: A-

OK, that's the new stuff I've seen so far. I will post again in the next couple days with my thoughts on returning shows I've been watching. Again, if you have anything to contribute, or something you want me to check out, please leave it in the comments, or email me through the "complete profile" link on the top right of the page. Until my next post,

Enjoy.

First Impressions of the Fall Season

2009-09-27T15:43:00.005-04:00

Whenever a new TV season starts, I like to test out new shows and see what I will be keeping on my personal Watch List. I mentioned below what was on my sampler platter for this fall. Most of the shows have aired their first episode, so I wanted to get down some of my initial thoughts. I selected these new shows based on their casts, concept, marketing, etc. I usually give a new show two episodes to hook me so I'll probably go back for more of each of these shows, but here's what struck me:

*The Good Wife: I like Julianna Margulies, and I tend to like courtroom dramas, so I figured this would be a good fit for me. Overall, I enjoyed it, but there was something "off" about it that kind of stuck in my craw. It could be the fact that it is set in a law firm, and I work in a law firm: when I watch TV, I'm looking for an escape from the rest of my day. Also, some of the characterizations were weird. Really? Do we need another cut-throat associate who is willing to throw anybody under the bus to make partner (played by Matt Czuchry)? And what is with the character played by Archie Punjabi? I think she's supposed to be the firm's in-house counsel, but no firm would let one of their attorneys dress like she does. While I don't mind watching beautiful women, this character and her costuming just pulled me out of the show when she was on.

Pluses: Good actors (Margulies, Chris Noth, Christine Baranski); Decent dialogue
Minuses: Some weird characters; Danger of becoming just another courtroom drama
Grade: B

*Glee: Perhaps it's my love of musical theater (I used to work for Les Miserables, and my wife is a Broadway actress), but I think Glee is absolutely fantastic. What they have managed to avoid, for the most part, is a lot of the stereotypical characters that exist in shows about high school. Yes, we have the jock, but he like singing and sticks up for his group-mates. We have the gay kid, but he's on the football team. There's a kid in a wheelchair who's not a source of cheap humor (when was the last time you saw THAT on a comedy?). More important than that, Glee has been willing to address certain issues without a glaring "after-school special" feel. In just the last episode, teen pregnancy, abortion (didn't use the word, but Planned Parenthood was name-checked), and homosexuality. The last issue delivered my favorite line in TV so far:

KURT: Dad, I'm gay.
DAD: Yeah, I know.
KURT: Since when?
DAD: Since you were three. All you asked for for your birthday was a pair of sensible heels.

Hilarious! Of course, you also have all the great musical numbers used in very imaginative ways. The football team dancing to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" to distract the other team? Genius. Beyond that, there are great performances being given by the kids, Matthew Morrison as the teacher leading the glee club, and the incomparable Jane Lynch as the cheerleading coach determined to destroy the glee club.

Pluses: Musical numbers; Actors; Stories
Minuses: Can drag at times
Grade: A-

*Modern Family: ABC ran a whole bunch of promos for this new sit-com about three related families. We have the "typical" suburban family: parents with two daughters and a son, where the dad thinks he's cool because he knows all the dances to High School Musical; a May-December romance where the May is a vivacious Colombian immigrant with a son; and a gay couple who have just adopted a baby girl from Vietnam. This kind of set-up could be perilous if the characters are just wacky for wacky's sake. Fortunately, the writing was so crisp and some of the situations so unexpected (the typical Dad shoots his son with a plastic BB gun to punish the son for...shooting his sister with a plastic BB gun; one of the gay dads presents his new daughter like Simba in The Lion King with full-on "Circle of Life" playing) that the show doesn't fall into this trap. Here's hoping they stay this witty and unpredictable.

Pluses: Great writing; Funny actors; Unexpected plots
Minuses: Risk of being too wacky
Grade: A-

*Eastwick: This is an adaptation of the movie and novel, The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike. In a New England town, three women (played by Rebecca Romjin, Lindsay Price and Ashley Benson) who are down on their luck for various reasons, make wished by throwing coins in a fountain. This action brings a mysterious, wealthy and charming man named Darryl Van Horne (Paul Gross) who starts to make their wishes come true. The women themselves begin to exhibit special powers as well. It's not a big surprise that Darryl is the Devil (get it, Van Horne?) and that the woman are actually witches. The writing was pretty snappy, and Paul Gross is pretty great as Darryl (I mean, he's no Jack Nicholson, who starred as Darryl in the movie, but who is?). I worry that once the women learn how to control their powers and realize that Darryl is actually evil, the show will devolve into a "Darryl does something evil, the women stop him" pattern.

Pluses: Paul Gross; Snappy dialogue; Winsome lead actresses
Minuses: Stories could get monotonous; Possibility of cheesy special effects
Grade: B

OK, that's what I have for four of the new shows. I have to go celebrate my anniversary, so I have to leave it there for now. I will get thoughts on Flash Forward, SNL Weekend Update Thursday, and Community up soon. I'll also have some comments about where returning shows are heading.

Please post your opinions in the Comments. Also, if there is some other show you would like me to comment on, please make the suggestion. I'd like this to be a conversation, and as interesting as I find myself, I'd rather speak with you all out there. Thanks for reading. More TV thoughts coming soon!

Protect the Health Insurance Executives

2009-09-22T09:17:00.004-04:00

As we all know, health insurance executives have been getting a really bad rap recently. Well...don;t listen to me. Listen to these brave supporters of the health insurtance industry.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

(h/t Funny or Die, HuffPo)

The Fall Season is Back, or How to Lose a Wife in Five Days

2009-09-21T17:32:00.004-04:00

People who are even casual readers of this blog (and really, how many of you out there aren't "casual" readers?) have seen that I am a devotee of television. Between my dedication to Lost and my other random postings on The Office, game shows, Survivor, and the like, it is clear that I love the boob tube and almost everything that is on it. Well, the holiday season has begun for me again, as the new television season has begun. So, like I did for the past spring season, here is what I am planning on watching this fall (new shows in italics):

Sunday: The Amazing Race, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, Desperate Housewives, Bored to Death

Monday: How I Met Your Mother, House, Heroes, Lie to Me, Trauma

Tuesday: The Biggest Loser, So You Think You Can Dance, The Good Wife, Shark Tank

Wednesday: So You Think You Can Dance, Glee, Modern Family, Eastwick, Top Chef

Thursday (The Hell Day): Flash Forward, Survivor, SNL Thursday Update, Parks & Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, Community, Fringe, The Mentalist, Project Runway

Friday/Saturday: Nada

Obviously, there will be a lot of time-shifting/DVRing going on. Part of the reason I get to entertain myself with this much programming is that my wife is not usually home at night, as she is a Broadway actress (as I mentioned below). What complicates matters now is that while she has off on Monday nights while she is still in Billy Elliot, she will have ALL of her nights off when she goes to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Now, of course, I love my wife and enjoy every minute I get to spend with her, but as she doesn't enjoy the TV as much as I do, well, I might be doing a lot of catching up on Saturday afternoons.

That said, I might try to pick up The Big Bang Theory. I keep hearing how amazing it is, but I've never seen it. I may have to pick up the DVDs so I can catch up. As far as the time conflicts above that my DVR can't handle (can only tape two different programs at once, and you have to watch one if you have the TV on), on Mondays I'm going to tape/watch House, and tape How I Met Your Mother, then catch Heroes on Hulu.com later. CBS holds their episodes a week before releasing them online, so not taping HIMYM is out of the question. Heroes will be up immediately the next day on Hulu. For Thursdays, I'm planning to tape/watch Flash Forward (promising to be the breakout show of the fall) and tape Survivor (my wife actually looooooves this show and we have gatherings with friends to watch it). SNL and Parks & Recreation will get the Hulu treatment too. I'm not sure how NBC will be shifting its Thursday night comedies in a couple weeks when SNL is over and 30 Rock returns, so this may change. Besides these situations, I think I'm clear as the cable shows are always rerun later at night so I can tape those out of conflict with the network programming.

So, there you have it. I will be posting about these shows as they unfold, probably leaning towards Flash Forward (as it is sure to be full of Lost-ian mysteries), The Office and probably Survivor. A number of these have already started (NBC Thursday comedies except 30 Rock, Survivor, Entourage, Biggest Loser, So You...Dance, Glee) so get online and catch up! Please drop comments into the post about what you are watching and what you'd like to talk about. It's sure to be a great season.

Enjoy.

Shameless Spousal Promotion

2009-09-20T17:15:00.003-04:00

Hello dear readers. Those of you who know me know my wife. Kara. For those who don't know her, she is a ballerina, currently performing in Billy Elliot on Broadway (although she'll be leaving soon to be in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, before returning to The Phantom of the Opera). Besides her incredible skill as a ballerina, Kara is also an exceptional baker. In fact, she is known as The Dancing Baker.

Well, she has started a new endeavor -- The Dancing Baker Project. Yes, yes, Kara was inspired by a certain Meryl Streep movie to start a blog dedicated to (what else?) baking. Here's the conceit: everyone has their own opinion as to what the best chocolate chip cookie, cupcake, brownie, etc. is. Kara is going to gather a multitude of recipes for a given treat (let's say chocolate chip cookies). She will then follow each recipe to the letter (including her own), and have a group of Taste Testers grade the results on a numerical scale. The highest scored recipe will be the "best" chocolate chip cookie.

Along the way, Kara will detail the process of finding the "best." She'll discuss the ingredients used, the equipment employed, the cost to produce, etc. Choice comments from the Testers (a la Zagat's) will be included as well. Personally, I think it's a great idea for a blog. If anything, it has a hell of a lot more direction than this blog! And it's sure to actually be updated on a regular basis!

So, please, check out the Dancing Baker Project, whether or not you have any interest in such things culinary. You never know, you may learn something.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2009-09-16T20:42:00.002-04:00

So, as you can see, I've changed the look of the blog a little, making the posts wider on the page, and shorter in length. I would greatly appreciate thoughts on the new look. I made the changes because a lot of my posts are long and constantly scrolling was a pain. I tried to eliminate some of that by stretching the page. Does this look too cluttered though? Any opinions would be great. Please drop a comment, about the new stretched look, the colors, or whatever, below.

Thanks.

Watch Me on Millionaire

2009-09-16T20:09:00.002-04:00

So, I taped my episode of Millionaire today. As I mentioned the other day, I cannot reveal how I did, but I would like to encourage you to tune in on Monday October 19th to catch me going for a million bucks. Check where the show airs in your area here. In case anyone is confused which person I am, I'm the guy.

I can say that it was a blast being on the show. The production staff (whaddup Kevin! Happy Jail!!) is universally fantastic, and makes you feel completely relaxed and eager to play. Also, Meredith is super sweet and immediately puts you at ease (well, at least she did for me). Once the show airs, I will give a full rundown of my time there. Until then, please tune in on the 19th!

P.S. A number of people there (contestants, production) told me that I should be on TV in a more permanent role. If there is anyone out there who is actually reading this, and watches the show and agrees, please feel free to contact me. That is something that I am greatly interested in.

Gratification Delayed

2009-09-12T19:53:00.002-04:00

If you read below, I was supposed to tape an episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire yesterday, the 11th. I can't get too in depth into my experience there due to contractual reasons, but I can say that they bring in more contestants than they expect to use in a given tape day (five episodes are taped each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). I was not used on Friday, so I return on Wednesday the 16th, and I will tape that day.

I won't be able to post how I did in the slightest way, but I will be able to say when the episode is supposed to air, with a full debrief on the experience once it does. Thanks for your support and well wishes (unless you're hoping that I lose and totally embarrass myself, then forget you!).

Yes, That's My Final Answer

2009-09-10T10:49:00.006-04:00

So, tomorrow (September 11th, of all days), I will be filming an episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. As some of you may know, I have been on the syndicated version of The Weakest Link and Jeopardy! (the exclamation point is part of the title. I'm not just overly-exuberant today). I have always loved trivia games (Trivial Pursuit chief among them) because I have always had tons of useless crap in my head. I always wanted to be on Jeopardy, to the point that I actually had an electronic scorekeeper that I used nightly. I never thought I would get on Jeopardy, or anything else, though. Then, on September 9th, 2001, oddly, Weakest Link auditions were being held in NYC, and my boss at the time, who was obsessed with the show, wanted to audition, but only would if I went with him. So, I did.

These game shows audition like this: you take a 50-question test, either multiple choice (Millionaire) or just fill in the blank (Jeopardy and Weakest Link). There is a minimum number correct that you must achieve to qualify for the next round of the audition. For Jeopardy and Millionaire, I figure it was about 40 out of 50 as only 13 of the 75 people who took the Jeopardy test passed and about the same for Millionaire. For WL, half the people passed, so it must have been about 25-30 out of 50. Jeopardy had the added wrinkle that as you filled in the answer blanks, you couldn't erase or cross out your answer. Anyway, after they clear out all the people who didn't pass the test, for Jeopardy and WL, the remaining auditionees play a mock version of the game. This is solely to see your personality and whether you would be good on TV. Essentially, if you are auditioning, you want to stand out, but not in a ridiculous way. Here is what I did for WL:

There was a guy, let's call him Phil (because I don't remember his name). He was a HUGE Jets fan. September 9th, 2001 was the opening day for that year's football season. The entire time we were all together in the room, both pre- and post-test, he complained that he really wanted to hurry the process up, because he wanted to get home for the Jets game. Well, during my turn at the mock game, Phil was one of my fellow "contestants." If you are unfamiliar with WL, after a round of questions that the group answers in turn, each contestant votes off another contestant. When you reveal your vote, you give a reason why you're voting for that person. Well, I voted for Phil and gave the reason: "Phil. Because he really wants to get home to watch the Jets game, and I think we should oblige." This sent the room, including the contestant coordinators, into hysterics as everyone was annoyed with this guy. I stood out, but for something funny, improvised and not something idiotic. Essentially, I was good TV.

Anyway, after the mock game, audtionees are interviewed by production staff to get their life-story (Millionaire goes straight to this, without a mock game). This is another attempt to make sure you're not a kook. Pass this, and you are told you are in the "Contestant Pool." Being in the Pool means there is no guarantee you will be invited to be on the show, but more likely than not, you will, eventually. For WL, I was called within a couple weeks and flew out a couple weeks later. For Jeopardy, I didn't hear anything for 18 months! In theory, I should have been dismissed from the Pool after a year, but because of the Ken Jennings phenomenon and the Ultimate Tournament of Champions they held, they didn't use the normal number of contestants they usually do in a season, so they advanced me to the next season's pool. For Millionaire, I got called two years after my most recent audition. I had auditioned before, and was put in the pool, and was called to be on, but it was literally two hours after I booked my ticket to Jeopardy. It was my childhood dream to be on Jeopardy, so I chose that, and was placed back in the Millionaire Pool. Having not heard from them again, I reauditioned and was told I was still in the Pool. Two years after that, I was called last month.

OK, back to my appearance on WL, in short, I was done in by my own lips. As WL is played in timed rounds, speed is a virtue. I tried to quickly say the name "Cameron Diaz" (Who voiced Princess Fiona in Shrek?) to beat the clock, but it came out "Carmenen Diaz." Since we had to stop the whole game to check the tape to see if I got it right (consecutive correct answers build up the money won in the round), the spotlight was white hot on me. I was ruled incorrect, and was voted out. Lame, as I knew the answer, but at least the winner took everyone out for steak dinner that night.

Jeopardy was fantastic, insofar as it was always my dream to be on the show. Jeopardy tapes five shows a day, so 11 people are brought in to be on those five shows (three contestants per episode, with usually one player returning each ep as Champion). Ten people are used throughout the day, with the 11th person there for emergencies and returning the next taping date if not used. The order of players is chosen at random (literally names in a hat). Prior to this though, after everyone is in make-up and briefed by the contestant coordinators, you actually go on stage and play a mock version of the game so you become comfortable under the lights, the distance of the game board, and, most importantly, the buzzer. When Alex finishes reading a question, a series of lights around the game board illuminated a beat after the question is completed. You can't see this at home on TV, but it is very clear to the contestants. If you buzz too early, you are locked out for a quarter of a second. That seems like nothing, but it is crucially important. Further, if Contestants 1 and 2 buzz at the same time, they lock each other out, and Contestant 3 is a tad slower, Contestant 3 is recognized by Alex! This was my downfall. There were a number of times that I knew the answer, but just got beat out on the buzzer. Them's the breaks. I came in third place, but finished with $11,601 (which would have won any other episode that week), and got two Daily Doubles and the Final Jeopardy correct. Listen, just being in Final Jeopardy and not finishing Double Jeopardy in the red (if you finish the second round with negative dollars, you don't get to play in Final Jeopardy) was, seriously, my only real goal. All in all, a very rewarding experience.

Now, tomorrow, I will be taping Millionaire. I'm relatively calm at the moment, and have been doing a little bit of studying (not that you can really study for 15 questions covering all the world), mostly Presidents, composers and authors. I'm hoping I go relatively early; if I sit around all day thinking about how I might have a brain fart, I'll probably pull my hair out before I get on the show. I have a partial strategy: use the Ask the Audience lifeline by $25,000 (the chance a clear majority of the audience knows the very hard top five questions is highly unlikely), don't leave any lifelines on the table, and TAKE MY TIME. Yes, there is a time-limit for each question, but I need to make sure I don't spit out something fast and wrong. The game is weird: sometimes I know the answers without blinking straight through $250,000; sometimes, I get stumped at $16,000. Let's hope I get questions I know.

OK, good return to the blog. Long post. Feel free to comment and ask me more about my game show appearances and audition tips. I'll post here tomorrow about how I did and when you can catch the episode on TV. Thanks for reading, and hopefully we'll chat some more soon.

There Are No Excuses

2009-09-10T10:42:00.002-04:00

Again, I have betrayed myself, this blog and you readers (are there any of you out there?) by not posting anything all summer. For this, I again, apologize. It's been a relatively hectic summer. I have actually been busy at my (temporary) job, my wife and I went to Disney World (awesome, as always!), attended a bachelor party in New Orleans, then my wife's grandfather passed away, so a trip across the country was in order. All the while I have been trying to look for permanent work, enjoy a little bit of the summer (no golf at all, which is sacrilege), and am now prepping for the soccer season. Of course, this whole time I've also been watching True Blood, Mad Men, Entourage, Big Brother, Top Chef, Project Runway, play Ghostbusters and Rock Band Beatles, and watch the Mets spiral into the lower depths of Hell. In essence, it has been a busy summer, and has left me unable to sit and think about interesting blog posts. I have one more big event coming up tomorrow (more on that in a second), so after that is over, I will be jumping back on the blog horse. Thank you as always for your patience. Here's hoping for a productive fall.

I'm Sorry

2009-07-14T21:10:00.003-04:00

I apologize for not posting anything since the end of this season of Lost. I've had an interesting summer so far with a lot of work (temporary work, but still work nonetheless) and a nice trip to Disney World right after the Fourth of July. I know you are all waiting with baited breath for me to start posting again, so I will make every effort to get some posts up soon. Thank you for your patience. Talk to you soon.

Lost - "The Incident," Ctd, Ctd

2009-05-27T10:04:00.005-04:00

First, I'm sorry. Very, very sorry that this has taken so long to post. I started a new gig and have had little time to re-watch "The Incident," and even less time to write the long post that is about to follow. Now, with my boss leaving mid-day today, I figured I would embark on deciphering this awesome season finale. I know I went character-by-character in my preview post, but I think we'll go somewhat chronologically through the episode, and then score my predictions at the end. So, away we go:

*How freaking awesome were Jacob and the Man in Black, whom from this point forward I will call Esau? (Let me quickly say, that despite my quick posting about the Biblical Jacob and Esau, I do NOT think that the Man in Black will be named, or actually is, Esau. It's just too on the nose. However, as I don't want to keep typing "Man in Black" or "Anti-Locke," or whatever, I'm calling him Esau.) I loved the first scene. I think that was definitely the Black Rock. I don't think Jacob caused the ship to find the Island; to me it was happenstance. Just as Desmond not pushing the button caused Oceanic 815 to crash, something outside of Jacob brought the ship, and all the other people who have landed there, to the Island. How does Jacob get off the Island? Was he trapped there until the Dharma sub arrived? By the way, why does Esau want to kill Jacob anyway? Because of Jacob's sunny belief that humans, as a race, can improve themselves?

*I wonder why Esau can't kill Jacob directly. In other words, what are the rules and who defined them? The other set of rules we have heard about was in relation to Ben and Widmore. Have they received the imprimatur of Jacob/Esau as well, and are hence bound by the Island's rules? As we saw Locke and Jack receive the touch of Jacob prior to their landing on the Island, is that why Jack's gun didn't go off when he tried to kill Locke in Season 4? And why Locke didn't die when Ben shot him in Season 4 as well? We'll get back to Jacob's touch later. OK, we'll do it now.

*When Jacob said to Kate, "Be good Katie," and then touched her nose, was this a command or a wish? Did he know that Kate would never "be good" prior to Oceanic 815? What does Jacob's imprimatur mean? For all of them (Kate, Sawyer, Locke, Jack, Jin, Sun, Sayid and Hurley), it seems to have put them on a course to the Island, or a return to the Island. I have been under the assumption that Island helps people reach their full realization as a person, each redeemed in his or her way. Is Jacob's touch the catalyst or "push," as Jacob says to Jack, necessary to begin the road to redemption? Or was the touch just a marker to identify the army Jacob needs to defeat Esau, the "they" he means when, dying, he says to Esau (as Locke), "they're coming?" Notice, we didn't see Jacob touch Ilana when he visited her, although she seems to be on his side. In fact, he was wearing gloves! Just something I wanted to point out.

*Last on Jacob for now, but what side is he on: light or dark (remember Locke talking to Walt about backgammon in Season 1?)? Jay and Jack over at The Lost Podcast tend to think that Jacob is a bad guy. It seems the kind of thing Lost would do, as they put Jacob in white and Esau in dark colors in the first scene, the opposite of traditional character markings, but I don't know. I can't imagine Jack, Kate, Sawyer, et al. fighting on the side of evil. Then again, if the Lostaways and Ilana's crew are all on the same side, who are they going to fight? Esau, Ben and the Others? Something is wonky in that. And why choose Hurley and Sayid after they have left the Island? OK, I need to stop talking about Jacob for now, or I'll go crazy.

*It appears that when Esau copied Locke's body, he took Locke's memories as well. When did the copying occur? When Locke was scanned by Smokey? I don't think so, because that occurred very early in the series, and Esau exhibited knowledge of events subsequent to the Smokey/Locke meet-cute. Chalk me up on the side that does NOT think Esau and Smokey are the same being. That doesn't mean they aren't in cahoots though. If Alex was Smokey, then Smokey told Ben to follow whatever Esau said. So it appears they are in harmony, Smokey and Esau. And granted, we never saw Esau as Locke with Smokey in that scene, I still don't think they are the same. What would be the reason for Smokey floating about the Island the rest of the series then? Why did he kill the pilot and Eko? Was it Esau looking for recruits in the war against Jacob? It doesn't sound right to me.

*What is Lapidus a candidate for? Was Ilana given some authority by Jacob to recruit people to their cause? Now, we have no idea how or why Ilana was injured when Jacob visited her. We do know that Jacob didn't touch her. Did she know about Esau and Jacob prior to her injury? Was she injured by Esau? Do we know that her injury even occurred before 2007? I assume so as we're pretty sure Jacob just died at the end of the episode, but shouldn't we have seen some kind of remnants of her facial trauma on Ilana in the present? Why is Lapidus "safe" with Ilana and Bram? God, I've asked a lot of questions. I thought we were going to get some answers in the finale! Oh, and one last word about the Ajiran Army, the guy who plays Bram is absolutely terrible. I wish they could recast him. Couldn't Said Taghmaoui have played Bram, and this guy play Caesar and get blown away by Ben?

*Why did Juliet want to go back to the Island once in the sub? The cute Sawyer-Kate banter hadn't happened yet, and there was really nothing that Sawyer had done up to that point that would make Juliet think he would pick Kate. Yes, there was the "Freckles" moment a couple episodes ago, but Sawyer clearly chose Juliet when he negotiated their departure on the sub. I guess it had something to do with her parents' divorce, but we didn't see that until after the sub scene. Weird. While we're at it, the costumes in Juliet's flashback were waaaaay too modern. It was jarring. Secondly, Jacob didn't visit Juliet (nor Miles for that matter); does this mean her demise? Third, I want miss the Sawyer-Kate banter, so more of it please! Lastly, I loved the look Sawyer gave Kate when Rose said, "So we all die." Brilliant. Josh Holloway needs to be nominated for an Emmy for his performance all season, but especially this episode and "LaFleur."

*Who has been using Jacob's shack, and how was the ash line broken? Better yet, who broke the ash line and, ostensibly, released whomever was indie the cabin? We know the line was whole in 2004, but broken in 2007. I like to think Esau was imprisoned in the cabin, but someone (Richard?) let him out, perhaps accidentally. To be honest, I'm totally clueless about this.

*When Jacob revived Locke after his fall, Jacob said he was "sorry this had to happen to you." Did he mean the fall and injury, or the fact that Locke was going to be so prominent in Esau's plot to kill Jacob? And further, Esau said (in the present) that he has something "planned" for the Others. What does he have planned? Are the the unwitting troops on Esau's side in the battle to come?

*At Sun and Jin's wedding (how great did Yunjin Kim look, by the way?), Jacob Said to them "Never take your love for granted." Again, like his interaction with Kate, was this a command or warning? We had throughout Season 2 and, if I remember, Season 3, talk from Ben about how certain people were on or not on Jacob's list; if they were chosen and "good people" or not. Could Jacob's interactions with the Lostaways be tests? Seeing if they are good people or not? If so, most of them failed: Kate still became a criminal, Sawyer was a con man and killed the man he thought was the real Sawyer, Sun and Jin did take their love for granted, etc. Were they marked because they ended up being "bad" people? I have no idea. (As you can see, I'm clearly confused by this episode.) Lastly, I really hope Yunjin Kim and Daniel Kim get some meaty stuff next year. They're really great actors and deserve it. Listen up Darlton!

*What?? Jack is doing this for Kate?!?!? You've gotta be kidding me! Thank God for Josh Holloway because he beautifully expressed the incredulousness the entire audience felt when hearing that. That aside, I thought the Sawyer-Jack fight was great, but I want to see them work together. I know the tension between the two of them has been fundamental to the series, but as we move into the final act, I want our two heroes to band together to deliver their friends from whatever danger they find themselves in.

*Last scene in 2007: I totally thought Ben was going to stab Esau/Locke as they entered the statue. Michael Emerson was on fire in his last soliloquy, asking Jacob, "Why not me?" Jacob's cool response, "What about you?" was like an arrow to Ben's heart. I actually felt bad for the guy. I think Jacob knew what was going to happen and was ensuring Ben's actions with his response. And I agree with those who on the internet have said that Jacob purposely fell on Ben to touch him and mark Ben with Jacob's imprimatur. I feel Ben will get his wish to be important in the upcoming war. Esau seemed totally shocked upon hearing Jacob say, "They're coming." I believe it was at this moment that Esau realized he had been played the entire time. I am interested to find out for how long Esau had been formulating his plan, and to what extent he moved to enact it. Ilana said that she "found" Locke's body in its coffin, in the plane, implying she didn't know it was there. Did she find the body after she had her conversation with Locke in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham?" Or did she know it would be there? Muy interasante. Lastly, we had what was probably the best camera move of the season: after Ilana dumped out the contents of the crate, the camera was at ground level, shooting the crate. The camera then panned left and up and came over the crate, revealing Locke's body. This was exactly the same move as the one at the end of Season 4 that revealed Locke as the one in the coffin! That was freaking brilliant. I love Jack Bender.

*Last scene in 1977: I agree with Miles that the events surrounding the Swan Station/Jughead was "The Incident." We saw Dr. Chang have his hand crushed. We have been told a number of times that "What Happened, Happened." (See also: Sawyer's uncle telling him "What's done is done.") I enjoyed the gun fight, although how are they all the Lostaways such good shots?! I'm glad Phil got his comeuppance. And how amazing were Elizabeth Mitchell and Josh Holloway in this scene? Heartwrenching. Is it bad that I want "V" to fail? I know she's supposed to do at least a couple episodes of Lost, but I really want more Juliet next year. Oh, I guess I should mention that I don't think she died, or that Jughead exploded. I think the awesome white-out at the end was the release of the electromagnetic pocket that will send our Lostaways, including Juliet and Miles back to 2007. I do not think we'll see Oceanic 815 landing in L.A. in 2004; it would eliminate the whole reason for the series, and I think that if the Powers That Be give us the return of Boone, Shannon, Charlie, et al., many fans will just tune out. I want Season 6 to open on Jack's eye, and as we pull back, he is revealed in his bloody Dharma jumpsuit.

Quick Stuff:

*If the bomb blows up the Island, Faraday is never born, as Ellie was still pregnant in 1977. If this happens, way too much of the future and past is changed. Hence, I don't think Jughead exploded.

*I think Ben told the truth for the first time: he has not met Jacob before.

*Where did Sayid get those "nuclear material handling" gloves from? And Richard travels with a sledgehammer?

*The Drive Shaft ring! I really hope it finds its way to Turniphead.

*Is whatever is in the guitar case Jacob's horcrux?

*Sayid said toward the end of the episode that, "Nopthing can save me." I took this to mean that nothing could save his soul because of what he has done in his life. Not that he couldn't physically be saved and was about to die.

Whew, that was a lot. But, we still have to go through my predictions from the preview:

Dharma/Jughead: Kinda right? I do think the Incident was the whole thing surrounding Jughead and the electromagnetism. I should be clearer than above: Jughead probably exploded, but it was fused with or altered by the electromagnetism, and sent the Lostaways forward to 2007.

Jack: Totally wrong. He came through and was successful in his mission to use Jughead. Now, we have no idea what the result of that will be, but it appears the Man of Faith remains.

Kate: Right. She told Sawyer Jack's plan and tried to stop him at first. I think she ended up realizing that Jack loves her, and was willing to help him. I think she is kinda motivated now.

Sawyer: Right, but then wrong, at the behest of Juliet. He tried to stop Jack initially, but agreed to help him after Juliet asked that he would. Sawyer is a lover now. I'm hoping he and Juliet get their happy ending.

Juliet: Mostly right. She did want to stop Jack at first, but realized that Sawyer will always have feelings for Kate. That combined with her parents' divorce, and she was willing to start it all over in 2004.

Sayid: Kinda right. He did have nothing left to live for, and may have unwittingly sacrificed himself (he didn't intend to be shot).

Jin, Miles Hurley: Mostly wrong. Jin didn't get to see Sun (did he do anything in this episode?). Miles did help save his dad from the crashing scaffold. We still don't know why Hurley went back to the Island, only that Jacob kind of nudged him there. Still have no idea about what's in the guitar case.

Locke: Mostly wrong. I was right in that I kinda figured Locke wasn't the true Locke, but had NO idea he would be the embodiment of another person/spirit. Yes, he really wanted to kill Jacob. Well, Esau did anyway.

Ben: Wrong. If Ben had a plan, it sure wasn't in effect. Ben was manipulated just as easily as he has always done. And, no, I don't think he had ever seen Jacob until he killed him.

Richard: Mostly wrong. We got no Richard backstory. We did learn that he received his non-aging quality from Jacob, but that's it. He does not seem to be in control.

Sun: Wrong. She still did nothing, except deliver a funny query for alcohol.

Ilana, Bram, Lapidus: Wrong. Ilana and Bram are not part of Dharma, they are Jacob's team (apparently). Seems Lapidus will not be against them, but will help them. What lies in the shadow of the statue? "He who will protect us all." What's in the crate? Freaking Locke's body!!

Rose and Bernard: Incomplete. I think they still will be Adam and Eve, but shouldn't they get transported back to 2007 also? If Miles and Juliet make it there without Jacob's touch, so should Rose and Bernard. Liked Bernard's Moses impression.

Phil: Right. Dead. (Yay!)

Jacob: Mostly right. We did get more than a fleeting glance of him. He was not Locke (although Locke was Esau!). He was not Jack. Independent guy, for which I'm glad. He did die though. Missed that one.

The Island: Incomplete. The episode did end on the Island, but we have no idea when we are.

Corpses: Kinda right. Phil is dead (yay!). Juliet appears to be dead. Sayid is dying. Had NO idea Jacob would be dead though.

OK, that's a wrap on Season 5. So sad to see it go. Already awaiting the DVDs (December 8th, I believe). One more thing, no freaking Desmond! What the hell was that all about? Was that because of his unfortunate legal issues? Hope not. He is the Variable! He's "special!" Anyway, I thought it was a great season finale. Great mix of action, suspense, heart and mind-blowing moments. Here's to you Damon, Carlton, cast and crew for a great season, and one more amazing one to come. Here's to you readers who actually got through my ramblings. It has been my pleasure. As always, please check out Doc Jensen and Erika's wraps on the season finale. If there is any Lost news over the next nine (!) months, I'll bring it to you here. Until then...

Namaste.

Couldn't Have Said it Better

2009-05-22T07:29:00.000-04:00

Ditto.