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.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
First Impressions of the Fall Season
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!
*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!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Protect the Health Insurance Executives
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.
(h/t Funny or Die, HuffPo)
(h/t Funny or Die, HuffPo)
Monday, September 21, 2009
The Fall Season is Back, or How to Lose a Wife in Five Days
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.
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.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Shameless Spousal Promotion
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
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.
Thanks.
Watch Me on Millionaire
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.
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.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Gratification Delayed
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!).
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!).
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Yes, That's My Final Answer
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.
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
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.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
I'm Sorry
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.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Lost - "The Incident," Ctd, Ctd
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.
*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.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Lost - "The Incident," Ctd
Hey all. I think the Finale ended up being pretty great. I'm going to have a much fuller recap in a couple days, but I wanted to get something out there before most of the other recaps get out and I read them. You'll have to take my word for it, but from the first time I heard the name "Jacob," I thought of Jacob and Esau, the twins born to Isaac in the Bible. Esau was the older "Bad" twin (sound familiar?), who was destined to serve, and battle, the younger twin, Jacob. Sounds a lot like what we saw last night, huh? Here's some more background on the pair.
Full recap to come.
Full recap to come.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Lost - "The Incident"
Hello all. Well, we have done it. We've reached the end of Season 5 of Lost. It's very sad, I know. But, we have what is shaping up to be an amazing two hour finale tonight. There are so many questions that could be answered, and I'm sure a few more that will be asked. Just an FYI, I have remained spoiler-free, so any predictions below that actually do come true are completely coincidental and extremely lucky. Here is what I am looking for tonight, character by character (both inanimate, animate and otherworldly included):
*Dharma: What is "The Incident?" Is it the release of electromagnetism that necessitates the installation of the Button and our favorite Numbers? Or is it...
*Jughead: Will it be detonated? Personally, I don't think so. Something is going to interfere with Jack's plan (Sawyer? Science? The Incident?) and I think he will have another crisis of faith. For the record, I think the Incident is the aforementioned release of electromagnetism, which will be sufficient to send the everyone in 1977 back to 2007.
*Jack: As mentioned above, his plan will run afoul. We have seen a new Jack emerge after landing in 1977: more passive, more faithful. I don't think that can last. The destruction of his plan will jolt the new Jack back into old form. The Man of Science will be back.
*Kate: She has really been getting on my nerves. She used to be so kick-ass, but has just become a third wheel, not just in the Sawyer-Juliet relationship, but just in general. I agree with Erika that Kate will tell Sawyer about Jack's plan, which will erase Sawyer and Juliet's relationship. He will then be motivated to stop Jack at all costs. Other than that, I have no idea what is in store for Ms. Austen. I don't want her to die, but I want her to be a motivated character again.
*Sawyer: The Man of Action will be back, this time with Super-Sympathetic Powers! Sayer has obviously changed in the past three years back in Dharmaville; he has become a fully realized man with feelings of sympathy and responsibility. Once he hears that Jack is planning to detonate a bomb, possibly killing everyone on the Island, and destroying his relationship with Juliet, Sawyer will try to save Jack from himself.
*Juliet: She is...shall we say....angry about Kate's return. She will be motivated to stop Jack too (methinks she still has a twinge of feeling for the doc, as well), but I believe she has come to the realization that her time with Sawyer has come to an end. Don't be surprised if she "accidentally" puts Kate in the crossfire though.
*Sayid: What does Sayid have left to live for? Nadia is dead. His life had been destroyed by serving Ben (despite the respite in the Dominican Republic). He shot Little Ben (a child!), but he lived, thereby negating the reason for trying to kill him in the first place. I think he feels like he is stuck in some cosmic joke, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up sacrificing himself for his friends.
*Jin, Miles, Hurley: I hope none of these guys die. I want to see Jin back with Sun tonight. I want Miles to be a hero in some capacity (now that he has realized why his father left him and his mother). I want to know why Hurley came back to the Island and what is in the guitar case. I'm pretty sure Jin and Hurley are safe (there would be riots if Hurley was killed), but I'm not so sure about our resident ghost whisperer.
*Locke: Is he a ghost? Is he Smokey? Is he human still? Does he really want to kill Jacob? Does he really know how to get the folks back from 1977? What is his true motivation? Why does he like fruit so much?
*Ben: What is his plan? Ben always has a plan. I can't imagine Ben can take being Locke's lap dog any longer, damn what Alex said to him. Has Ben really seen Jacob, or has the whole thing really been a ruse?
*Richard: What is this guy's deal? I hope we get a heaping helping of Richard backstory. How did he become the Island's consigliere? What does he know about Jacob? Will he try to prevent Locke from reaching Jacob? Is Richard really the mastermind here?
*Sun: I hope they give Yunjin Kim something to do tonight. After her fantastic Season 4, she has really had nothing to do this Season, save pointing a gun at Ben and hitting him with an oar. Come on, let's see her DO something.
*Ilana, Bram, Lapidus: What's in the crate? What lies in the shadow of the statue? What do they have against fish tacos? Who do they work for? As I have stated, I think Ilana and Bram are part of a new Dharma looking to reclaim the Island. How will Lapidus stop them? Can he stop them?
*Rose and Bernard: Uh....guys......you there? You have Vincent with you? I think they are destined to be Adam and Eve.
*Phil: Dead.
*Jacob: I can almost guarantee we see Jacob tonight, and more than a fleeting glance of him. I do not think he his Locke. I do not think he is Jack. I do think he may be trapped in a time loop, hence his vast knowledge of the Island. I do not think he will be killed.
*The Island: I predict everyone who is supposed to be in the "present" (2007 is the show's present), will be, save what will likely be at least one casualty. No more time traveling. Further, I believe we will still be on the Island by the end of the episode. I don't think we'll see Oceanic 815 touching down in L.A. in 2004. My thought is that everyone will be back in 2007, ready to fight Ilana and Bram's crew next season.
*Corpses: Definitely - Phil. Likely - Miles, Sayid. Possibly - Rose, Bernard, Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell got the pilot for the reincarnation of the sci-fi series "V"). Long Shot - Kate, Jin, Sun. Riots in the Streets - Hurley.
I forgot where I heard or read it (I think the Official Lost Podcast), but Carlton Cuse said that tonight's Finale was his second favorite episode of the entire series (behind "The Constant"), so I'm expecting some really awesome stuff tonight. I am shutting off the phones at 8:59pm EDT and am going to be on the edge of my couch for the following two hours. There is a recap episode at 8:00, as well. I'm sure there will be lots to discuss after tonight, so I look forward to said discussions. As always, for great recaps of last week, turn to Doc Jensen and Erika, because you know the 8:00 recap is going to be lame. Until tomorrow....
Enjoy.
UPDATE: I forgot about our favorite Iraqi, Sayid. The post has been updated with an entry for him and probability of his death tonight.
*Dharma: What is "The Incident?" Is it the release of electromagnetism that necessitates the installation of the Button and our favorite Numbers? Or is it...
*Jughead: Will it be detonated? Personally, I don't think so. Something is going to interfere with Jack's plan (Sawyer? Science? The Incident?) and I think he will have another crisis of faith. For the record, I think the Incident is the aforementioned release of electromagnetism, which will be sufficient to send the everyone in 1977 back to 2007.
*Jack: As mentioned above, his plan will run afoul. We have seen a new Jack emerge after landing in 1977: more passive, more faithful. I don't think that can last. The destruction of his plan will jolt the new Jack back into old form. The Man of Science will be back.
*Kate: She has really been getting on my nerves. She used to be so kick-ass, but has just become a third wheel, not just in the Sawyer-Juliet relationship, but just in general. I agree with Erika that Kate will tell Sawyer about Jack's plan, which will erase Sawyer and Juliet's relationship. He will then be motivated to stop Jack at all costs. Other than that, I have no idea what is in store for Ms. Austen. I don't want her to die, but I want her to be a motivated character again.
*Sawyer: The Man of Action will be back, this time with Super-Sympathetic Powers! Sayer has obviously changed in the past three years back in Dharmaville; he has become a fully realized man with feelings of sympathy and responsibility. Once he hears that Jack is planning to detonate a bomb, possibly killing everyone on the Island, and destroying his relationship with Juliet, Sawyer will try to save Jack from himself.
*Juliet: She is...shall we say....angry about Kate's return. She will be motivated to stop Jack too (methinks she still has a twinge of feeling for the doc, as well), but I believe she has come to the realization that her time with Sawyer has come to an end. Don't be surprised if she "accidentally" puts Kate in the crossfire though.
*Sayid: What does Sayid have left to live for? Nadia is dead. His life had been destroyed by serving Ben (despite the respite in the Dominican Republic). He shot Little Ben (a child!), but he lived, thereby negating the reason for trying to kill him in the first place. I think he feels like he is stuck in some cosmic joke, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up sacrificing himself for his friends.
*Jin, Miles, Hurley: I hope none of these guys die. I want to see Jin back with Sun tonight. I want Miles to be a hero in some capacity (now that he has realized why his father left him and his mother). I want to know why Hurley came back to the Island and what is in the guitar case. I'm pretty sure Jin and Hurley are safe (there would be riots if Hurley was killed), but I'm not so sure about our resident ghost whisperer.
*Locke: Is he a ghost? Is he Smokey? Is he human still? Does he really want to kill Jacob? Does he really know how to get the folks back from 1977? What is his true motivation? Why does he like fruit so much?
*Ben: What is his plan? Ben always has a plan. I can't imagine Ben can take being Locke's lap dog any longer, damn what Alex said to him. Has Ben really seen Jacob, or has the whole thing really been a ruse?
*Richard: What is this guy's deal? I hope we get a heaping helping of Richard backstory. How did he become the Island's consigliere? What does he know about Jacob? Will he try to prevent Locke from reaching Jacob? Is Richard really the mastermind here?
*Sun: I hope they give Yunjin Kim something to do tonight. After her fantastic Season 4, she has really had nothing to do this Season, save pointing a gun at Ben and hitting him with an oar. Come on, let's see her DO something.
*Ilana, Bram, Lapidus: What's in the crate? What lies in the shadow of the statue? What do they have against fish tacos? Who do they work for? As I have stated, I think Ilana and Bram are part of a new Dharma looking to reclaim the Island. How will Lapidus stop them? Can he stop them?
*Rose and Bernard: Uh....guys......you there? You have Vincent with you? I think they are destined to be Adam and Eve.
*Phil: Dead.
*Jacob: I can almost guarantee we see Jacob tonight, and more than a fleeting glance of him. I do not think he his Locke. I do not think he is Jack. I do think he may be trapped in a time loop, hence his vast knowledge of the Island. I do not think he will be killed.
*The Island: I predict everyone who is supposed to be in the "present" (2007 is the show's present), will be, save what will likely be at least one casualty. No more time traveling. Further, I believe we will still be on the Island by the end of the episode. I don't think we'll see Oceanic 815 touching down in L.A. in 2004. My thought is that everyone will be back in 2007, ready to fight Ilana and Bram's crew next season.
*Corpses: Definitely - Phil. Likely - Miles, Sayid. Possibly - Rose, Bernard, Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell got the pilot for the reincarnation of the sci-fi series "V"). Long Shot - Kate, Jin, Sun. Riots in the Streets - Hurley.
I forgot where I heard or read it (I think the Official Lost Podcast), but Carlton Cuse said that tonight's Finale was his second favorite episode of the entire series (behind "The Constant"), so I'm expecting some really awesome stuff tonight. I am shutting off the phones at 8:59pm EDT and am going to be on the edge of my couch for the following two hours. There is a recap episode at 8:00, as well. I'm sure there will be lots to discuss after tonight, so I look forward to said discussions. As always, for great recaps of last week, turn to Doc Jensen and Erika, because you know the 8:00 recap is going to be lame. Until tomorrow....
Enjoy.
UPDATE: I forgot about our favorite Iraqi, Sayid. The post has been updated with an entry for him and probability of his death tonight.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Lost - "Follow the Leader," Ctd
Hello all. "Follow the Leader" was clearly a set-up episode, intent on moving the Lostaways to the places on the board necessary to enact the endgame of Season 5. As I have found with many of the set-up episodes, they have some great stuff in them, but ultimately fall short of "great" episodes. I figure this is because at this point in the series, I want as many answers as I can get, but know full well that I won't be getting them. Anyway, here's my thoughts on last week's episode:
*Well, I was partially right: the "leader" referenced in the title of the episode actually referred to any number of people. Jack was leading the group set on following through on Faraday's plan with Jughead. Locke was leading Ben and Richard on a path to fulfill Locke's destiny (whatever that exactly may be at this point). Sawyer was trying to lead the Left Behinder's to safety. And even Jacob, although not actively leading anyone, has been called into question as the leader of the Hostiles/Others by Locke (more on that in a second). One leader I did not foresee was Eloise. We had hints of it before, but clearly it is Eloise that holds the leadership position amongst the Hostiles in 1977. How did she get this power? Was she "chosen" by the Island like Ben and Locke? Did this lead to her falling out with Charles? I would like some more Eloise info please.
*Hey Sayid! Welcome Back! Impeccable timing that guy. You know, for a split second I thought Kate had been shot. I wouldn't put it past Lost to kill off one of their major characters in such a non-dramatic way, but I should have realized that they gave that random Hostile just enough lines to make you remember him. Classic cannon fodder. Speaking of Kate, she has been completely neutered this season. I mean, she had the one great episode with her flashbacks and reasons for leaving Aaron and coming back to the Island, but other than that, she has been pretty weak. That's not to say Evangeline Lilly's performance hasn't been fantastic, because it has. There just hasn't been much for Kate to do. Bring back the old, kick-ass Kate Austen!
*Is Locke really going to try to kill Jacob? Is that even possible? Part of me believes that Locke was saying that just to get a rise out of Ben, or gauge his reaction and see what Ben will do. Why would Locke bring all of the Hostiles on a mission to kill their "leader?" Does he want to make a show of it like Ben tried to do by having Locke kill his father in front of the group? Interesting dynamics going on here.
*Man, Juliet has fallen hard for Sawyer. She is willing to return to the States and go on the lam, in 1977, never seeing her sister and nephew again, all for the big lug. And she hates her some Kate. Her look to Sawyer upon Kate entering the sub was classic. Methinks there was also a hint of knowing that she has already lost him back to Kate. Poor Juliet. She'll just have to go back to Ben.
*Sawyer has to try to save the day. I think Miles and Hurley were right that Sawyer must have some kind of plan and will try to save everyone. I think his plan truly is to get the hell of the Island, everyone else be damned, as long as he is with Juliet. However, I think whatever transformation occurred during those three years has made him into a man who feels a responsibility towards others, and not just for himself. There is no way he is going to leave Miles, Hurley and Jin behind.
Quick Stuff:
*Loved the Hurley History Quiz. There was no Korean War....hehehe. Brilliant stuff!
*As I mentioned in last week's recap, this whole "let's blow up Jughead" thing is ridiculous. I can't imagine there is any way this is going to happen. I'm not sure how the Incident will go down, but it won't be blowing up the bomb.
*Kate does still have some strong feelings for Jack. Her resentment toward his desire to wipe out the past was palpable. Jack, go to her!
That's all I have for now. I didn't have time to rewatch the episode, so that's the best I have from memory of last Wednesday. If I think of anything else, I'll post it today or tomorrow. Of course, tomorrow I'll get up questions for the two-hour finale, "The Incident." I can't tell you how psyched I am for this episode. The season will be over, which will make me despondent, but I love me two hours of Lost! Check out Erika and Doc Jensen's recaps before then.
Namaste.
*Well, I was partially right: the "leader" referenced in the title of the episode actually referred to any number of people. Jack was leading the group set on following through on Faraday's plan with Jughead. Locke was leading Ben and Richard on a path to fulfill Locke's destiny (whatever that exactly may be at this point). Sawyer was trying to lead the Left Behinder's to safety. And even Jacob, although not actively leading anyone, has been called into question as the leader of the Hostiles/Others by Locke (more on that in a second). One leader I did not foresee was Eloise. We had hints of it before, but clearly it is Eloise that holds the leadership position amongst the Hostiles in 1977. How did she get this power? Was she "chosen" by the Island like Ben and Locke? Did this lead to her falling out with Charles? I would like some more Eloise info please.
*Hey Sayid! Welcome Back! Impeccable timing that guy. You know, for a split second I thought Kate had been shot. I wouldn't put it past Lost to kill off one of their major characters in such a non-dramatic way, but I should have realized that they gave that random Hostile just enough lines to make you remember him. Classic cannon fodder. Speaking of Kate, she has been completely neutered this season. I mean, she had the one great episode with her flashbacks and reasons for leaving Aaron and coming back to the Island, but other than that, she has been pretty weak. That's not to say Evangeline Lilly's performance hasn't been fantastic, because it has. There just hasn't been much for Kate to do. Bring back the old, kick-ass Kate Austen!
*Is Locke really going to try to kill Jacob? Is that even possible? Part of me believes that Locke was saying that just to get a rise out of Ben, or gauge his reaction and see what Ben will do. Why would Locke bring all of the Hostiles on a mission to kill their "leader?" Does he want to make a show of it like Ben tried to do by having Locke kill his father in front of the group? Interesting dynamics going on here.
*Man, Juliet has fallen hard for Sawyer. She is willing to return to the States and go on the lam, in 1977, never seeing her sister and nephew again, all for the big lug. And she hates her some Kate. Her look to Sawyer upon Kate entering the sub was classic. Methinks there was also a hint of knowing that she has already lost him back to Kate. Poor Juliet. She'll just have to go back to Ben.
*Sawyer has to try to save the day. I think Miles and Hurley were right that Sawyer must have some kind of plan and will try to save everyone. I think his plan truly is to get the hell of the Island, everyone else be damned, as long as he is with Juliet. However, I think whatever transformation occurred during those three years has made him into a man who feels a responsibility towards others, and not just for himself. There is no way he is going to leave Miles, Hurley and Jin behind.
Quick Stuff:
*Loved the Hurley History Quiz. There was no Korean War....hehehe. Brilliant stuff!
*As I mentioned in last week's recap, this whole "let's blow up Jughead" thing is ridiculous. I can't imagine there is any way this is going to happen. I'm not sure how the Incident will go down, but it won't be blowing up the bomb.
*Kate does still have some strong feelings for Jack. Her resentment toward his desire to wipe out the past was palpable. Jack, go to her!
That's all I have for now. I didn't have time to rewatch the episode, so that's the best I have from memory of last Wednesday. If I think of anything else, I'll post it today or tomorrow. Of course, tomorrow I'll get up questions for the two-hour finale, "The Incident." I can't tell you how psyched I am for this episode. The season will be over, which will make me despondent, but I love me two hours of Lost! Check out Erika and Doc Jensen's recaps before then.
Namaste.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Lost - "Follow the Leader"
Hello all. After last week's mind-bender (and Faraday-killer!) episode, "The Variable," the action and drama have been ratcheted up. Tonight's episode of Lost is entitled "Follow the Leader," and it is the last episode before the two-hour finale next week. Here's what I'm looking for tonight:
*I foresee four possibilities for who may be the "leader" referenced in the title: Jack, Sawyer, Locke, and...wait for it...Jacob. The first three are obvious, but I think Jacob is a distinct possibility. I have no idea whose flashback episode this is going to be (I'm trying to stay 100% spoiler free the last couple weeks), but it wouldn't surprise me if we finally get some backstory on the head spook on the Island. However, I also wouldn't be surprised if some version of "following the leader" is uttered by Sawyer in a sarcastic fashion toward Jack tonight.
*As I referenced in last week's thoughts, I think I saw Ellie (v. 1977) with Jack and Kate in or around the Temple in the "next week on Lost" segment. Was she convinced by Faraday's dying words that he was from the future and needs to help the Lostaways? How do Jack and Kate approach the Hostile without being taken themselves?
*I hope we get some 2007 action and find out more about what the heck Ilana and Bram are up to, who sent them, and what they intend to do. Further, I'm getting a little Ben-deficient, so a Ben-Locke-Sun update would be great as well.
*Sayid appears to be back tonight as well. How does he reconcile with the rest of his friends after trying to kill Little Ben?
*Is Faraday really dead? All signs point to yes (thanks to Erika for directing me to this).
*I don't think we'll see the explosion of Jughead or anything like that tonight. I expect all of tonight's action to take place within in the four hours before The Incident. I'm looking for the actual Incident to occur during the finale (of course!).
That's it for tonight. As I said, I'm trying to stay as spoiler free as possible, and just getting on for the ride of the final three hours of the season. I expect a lot to happen tonight, so my comments probably won't be up until the weekend so I can rewatch the episode and take some notes. First time through is just for pure, jaw-dropping enjoyment. Please feel free to ask some questions below in the Comments; discussion is always encouraged. If you need a refresher on last week, as always, check out Doc Jensen and Erika's recaps. See you over the weekend. As far as tonight...
Enjoy.
*I foresee four possibilities for who may be the "leader" referenced in the title: Jack, Sawyer, Locke, and...wait for it...Jacob. The first three are obvious, but I think Jacob is a distinct possibility. I have no idea whose flashback episode this is going to be (I'm trying to stay 100% spoiler free the last couple weeks), but it wouldn't surprise me if we finally get some backstory on the head spook on the Island. However, I also wouldn't be surprised if some version of "following the leader" is uttered by Sawyer in a sarcastic fashion toward Jack tonight.
*As I referenced in last week's thoughts, I think I saw Ellie (v. 1977) with Jack and Kate in or around the Temple in the "next week on Lost" segment. Was she convinced by Faraday's dying words that he was from the future and needs to help the Lostaways? How do Jack and Kate approach the Hostile without being taken themselves?
*I hope we get some 2007 action and find out more about what the heck Ilana and Bram are up to, who sent them, and what they intend to do. Further, I'm getting a little Ben-deficient, so a Ben-Locke-Sun update would be great as well.
*Sayid appears to be back tonight as well. How does he reconcile with the rest of his friends after trying to kill Little Ben?
*Is Faraday really dead? All signs point to yes (thanks to Erika for directing me to this).
*I don't think we'll see the explosion of Jughead or anything like that tonight. I expect all of tonight's action to take place within in the four hours before The Incident. I'm looking for the actual Incident to occur during the finale (of course!).
That's it for tonight. As I said, I'm trying to stay as spoiler free as possible, and just getting on for the ride of the final three hours of the season. I expect a lot to happen tonight, so my comments probably won't be up until the weekend so I can rewatch the episode and take some notes. First time through is just for pure, jaw-dropping enjoyment. Please feel free to ask some questions below in the Comments; discussion is always encouraged. If you need a refresher on last week, as always, check out Doc Jensen and Erika's recaps. See you over the weekend. As far as tonight...
Enjoy.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Lost - "The Variable," Ctd
Hello all. I very much enjoyed this week's installment of Lost, "The Variable." As we have previously discussed, "The Variable" was seen as a counterpoint to Season 4's "The Constant," where we learned from Faraday an important time-travel rule: anchoring one's mind to someone or something important can save you from a massive brain bleed. In "The Variable," Faraday dictated another time-travel rule: contrary to prior belief, the past can be changed, because human beings, with their choices and free will, are the variables (or unknowns in algebra) that determine the future. This knowledge has led Faraday back to the Island, in hopes of changing the destinies of all of our friends and, most importantly to Faraday, Charlotte. Here is what I found interesting in this week's episode:
*Faraday, upon seeing Jack, told him that Ms. Hawking was "wrong," but what was she wrong about? If Jack is not supposed to be "there," does that mean he's not supposed to be on the Island, or just not in 1977? Not sure why this stuck out to me, but it did. Any thoughts?
*How and why did Ellie/Ms. Hawking leave the Island? Did she leave at Dr. Chang's behest when he orders everyone else to leave during/after the Incident? When does she get busy with Widmore? I don't remember now, but did Faraday's nose ever bleed during the time jumps? If it's 1977, Faraday has to be born soon, as he appears to be 30 years old at least. Is baby Twitchy already there?
*Faraday told Miles that he was just trying to push Dr. Chang to do what he is "supposed" to do. Further, Faraday had information as to when Chang was to arrive at The Orchid, when the Incident happens (in 6 hours!!), and other future events. How does he have this information? Was this info given to him by Widmore in 2004, and put into his journal? This is confusing to me: Is Faraday trying to make sure the future happens as it should, or is he trying to change it? Does he have to push it to a certain point before he can disrupt the timeline and create a new future?
*How does Eloise know the future? Since she was introduced to us in Season 3's "Flashes Before Your Eyes," Ms. Hawking has expressed knowledge of future events. This episode, she has seemed to contemporaneously know what specifically lies ahead for her son (besides shooting him). Then, when she speaks to Penny at the end of the episode, she says she no longer knows what happens in the future. How did she lose her ability? Has Faraday actually changed the future in some way?
*Faraday's plan to use Jughead to eliminate the electromagnetism under the Swan sounds ridiculous to me. I mean, exploding a hydrogen bomb will blow up the entire Island; there will be nothing left. I guess, the idea is that as soon as the bomb goes off, the Lostaways will immediately disappear and end up back on Oceanic 815 in 2004. I don't know. This is all wacky to me. According to the preview for the next episode, it appears Jack will take up this plan and will enlist Kate and Ellie (I'm 99% sure that was Ellie along with him in one scene) to find Jughead and try to enact Faraday's plan. Something tells me this is not going to work out for the good doctor. Oh, and how can Ellie get the Lostaways back to where/when they are supposed to be? Did Faraday just mean that she knows where Jughead is, or is there some other knowledge she has that can get everyone home?
*Play time is over for Sawyer and Juliet. Her look of death when Sawyer called Kate "Freckles" was absolutely classic, and she was more than happy to send Kate back into Hostile territory. When she said to Sawyer that it is "over here for us," did she mean just their time in Dharmaville, or their relationship as well?
*I think Faraday knew he was going to die, and was purposefully antagonizing the Hostiles by walking in brandishing a gun, shooting it, and pointing it at Richard. I don't think he knew that his mother would be the one to kill him. I do think he's dead, although he just finished moving when the Lost end title card came up. If he is dead, that is terrible because Faraday had become one of my favorite characters and Jeremy Davies' performance has been great.
Quick stuff:
*There had been some discussion on the Jay and Jack podcast (I just started listening to them as my last gig allowed me to listen to my iPod while I worked. I recommend them; they're pretty darn funny.) about whether the metronome count should have been 108 beats. Well, the count of 864 beats is actually 8 times 108. I'm not sure if the composition he was playing was written in eighth-note time, but if so, the metronome would "click" on every eighth note. 8 x 108 = 864. Cool huh?
*Miles' daddy issues continue as he couldn't admit to being Chang's son. I guess telling your dad you're from the future is a it odd.
*How does one apologize for killing your son in the future? Get them a journal in which you write that no matter what (even murder!), you'll always love him.
*Why did Hurley come back to the Island? We still have had no explanation.
*It appears that whenever the Island heals someone, that healing is permanent. Locke could still walk when he came back to the mainland, as did Faraday's memory remain repaired. Someone tell Rose and Bernard!
*I would bet almost everything I hold dear in this world that Desmond will be breaking his promise to Penny and will be leaving her again. I still believe that Desmond is the key to getting everyone home, so he needs to get back to the Island at some point.
That's all I got for this episode. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite possibly losing my man Faraday. Lost is a drama, so we're going to lose people along the way. You know, if it's needed to protect the Island, then it must be necessary. I'm pretty psyched for the remaining three hours of the season, which continue this Wednesday with "Follow the Leader." Wow, I wonder who that could be. Seriously, at this point, it could be almost anyone. More on that on Tuesday. Remember to check out Doc Jensen and Erika's recaps. Until Tuesday...
Namaste.
*Faraday, upon seeing Jack, told him that Ms. Hawking was "wrong," but what was she wrong about? If Jack is not supposed to be "there," does that mean he's not supposed to be on the Island, or just not in 1977? Not sure why this stuck out to me, but it did. Any thoughts?
*How and why did Ellie/Ms. Hawking leave the Island? Did she leave at Dr. Chang's behest when he orders everyone else to leave during/after the Incident? When does she get busy with Widmore? I don't remember now, but did Faraday's nose ever bleed during the time jumps? If it's 1977, Faraday has to be born soon, as he appears to be 30 years old at least. Is baby Twitchy already there?
*Faraday told Miles that he was just trying to push Dr. Chang to do what he is "supposed" to do. Further, Faraday had information as to when Chang was to arrive at The Orchid, when the Incident happens (in 6 hours!!), and other future events. How does he have this information? Was this info given to him by Widmore in 2004, and put into his journal? This is confusing to me: Is Faraday trying to make sure the future happens as it should, or is he trying to change it? Does he have to push it to a certain point before he can disrupt the timeline and create a new future?
*How does Eloise know the future? Since she was introduced to us in Season 3's "Flashes Before Your Eyes," Ms. Hawking has expressed knowledge of future events. This episode, she has seemed to contemporaneously know what specifically lies ahead for her son (besides shooting him). Then, when she speaks to Penny at the end of the episode, she says she no longer knows what happens in the future. How did she lose her ability? Has Faraday actually changed the future in some way?
*Faraday's plan to use Jughead to eliminate the electromagnetism under the Swan sounds ridiculous to me. I mean, exploding a hydrogen bomb will blow up the entire Island; there will be nothing left. I guess, the idea is that as soon as the bomb goes off, the Lostaways will immediately disappear and end up back on Oceanic 815 in 2004. I don't know. This is all wacky to me. According to the preview for the next episode, it appears Jack will take up this plan and will enlist Kate and Ellie (I'm 99% sure that was Ellie along with him in one scene) to find Jughead and try to enact Faraday's plan. Something tells me this is not going to work out for the good doctor. Oh, and how can Ellie get the Lostaways back to where/when they are supposed to be? Did Faraday just mean that she knows where Jughead is, or is there some other knowledge she has that can get everyone home?
*Play time is over for Sawyer and Juliet. Her look of death when Sawyer called Kate "Freckles" was absolutely classic, and she was more than happy to send Kate back into Hostile territory. When she said to Sawyer that it is "over here for us," did she mean just their time in Dharmaville, or their relationship as well?
*I think Faraday knew he was going to die, and was purposefully antagonizing the Hostiles by walking in brandishing a gun, shooting it, and pointing it at Richard. I don't think he knew that his mother would be the one to kill him. I do think he's dead, although he just finished moving when the Lost end title card came up. If he is dead, that is terrible because Faraday had become one of my favorite characters and Jeremy Davies' performance has been great.
Quick stuff:
*There had been some discussion on the Jay and Jack podcast (I just started listening to them as my last gig allowed me to listen to my iPod while I worked. I recommend them; they're pretty darn funny.) about whether the metronome count should have been 108 beats. Well, the count of 864 beats is actually 8 times 108. I'm not sure if the composition he was playing was written in eighth-note time, but if so, the metronome would "click" on every eighth note. 8 x 108 = 864. Cool huh?
*Miles' daddy issues continue as he couldn't admit to being Chang's son. I guess telling your dad you're from the future is a it odd.
*How does one apologize for killing your son in the future? Get them a journal in which you write that no matter what (even murder!), you'll always love him.
*Why did Hurley come back to the Island? We still have had no explanation.
*It appears that whenever the Island heals someone, that healing is permanent. Locke could still walk when he came back to the mainland, as did Faraday's memory remain repaired. Someone tell Rose and Bernard!
*I would bet almost everything I hold dear in this world that Desmond will be breaking his promise to Penny and will be leaving her again. I still believe that Desmond is the key to getting everyone home, so he needs to get back to the Island at some point.
That's all I got for this episode. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite possibly losing my man Faraday. Lost is a drama, so we're going to lose people along the way. You know, if it's needed to protect the Island, then it must be necessary. I'm pretty psyched for the remaining three hours of the season, which continue this Wednesday with "Follow the Leader." Wow, I wonder who that could be. Seriously, at this point, it could be almost anyone. More on that on Tuesday. Remember to check out Doc Jensen and Erika's recaps. Until Tuesday...
Namaste.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Lost - "The Variable"
Hello all. First off, I am writing this post on my blackberry at work because we were all just told to work much slower (no, seriously!), and therefore can't create links like normal (or so I believe. There's probably some way to do it, but I have no clue what it is.). I'll try to add them later at home, but for now, remember to use the links in my last post for "Some Like it Hoth" for Doc Jensen and Erika's recaps of that episode. It's been two weeks since our last trip to the Island, so getting a refresher is always good.
As I said in my last review, I found "Some Like it Hoth" to be a nice diversion, a sweet trifle of humor before the end run of drama in the last four hours of the season. Yes, we did get some interesting info: we got Phil finding out about Sawyer and Kate taking away Little Ben, and Roger being suspicious of Kate. We got the Miles and Dr. Chang relationship, and some context for the Swan. Most importantly, though, we got Faraday back! I believe his return will be the impetus for this week's episode, "The Variable.". Here's my thoughts:
*It seems to be apparent (from math, science and the thesaurus) that "The Variable" is a counterpoint to "The Constant," the all-time great episode from Season 4 featuring Desmond mind-tripping through time. As we know, and Faraday explained, "The Constant" referred to the anchor one needs to stop the mind from bouncing through time. For Desmond, it was Penny, and for Faraday, it is Desmond. As Faraday told Desmond that he is "special" as it pertains to time and the Island, I am inclined to believe that Desmond is "The Variable," meaning he is the only one that can change the past. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean Desmond will know this/find this out/be in this episode. It could just be that Faraday will determine that a Variable exists, and that it is Desmond.
*I think this will be a Faraday flashback episode with him flashing back to his time from 1974-1977 in Ann Arbor with the Dhara Initiative. We could possibly see how he gets that opportunity after he, Sawyer, Juliet, Jin and Miles fell in with Dharma after Locke got the Frozen Donkey Wheel back on track. We could also possibly see, for the first time, the DeGroots, founders of the Initiative.
*The proverbial stuff is about to hit the fan with Sawyer knocking out Phil. It will be interesting to see if Jack continues to defer to Sawyer, or if the new Jack will revert to his old ways. I believe a fully realized Jack Shephard is a leader, so I hope we see him take charge, but working in concert with Sawyer, and not against him.
*How will Sawyer and Juliet react to losing the life they created the last three years? Methinks, at first, not well, but once they hear from Faraday that they can get back to the present and see their loved ones (Sawyer's daughter Clementine and Juliet's sister and nephew), their attitude will change.
*Will we see more of Locke, Ben and Sun? What about what lies in the shadow of the statue? If we do get to see Ilana and Bram, I think a connection between Faraday's work with Dharma and orders for Ilana et al from a reconstituted Dharma will be established. As I said in my last post, I do believe Ilana's group has been sent by a revitalized Dharma, so showing that link would likely make sense in this upcoming episode.
That's about all I have for now. I'm really looking forward to this episode, mostly based on the awsomeness of "The Constant," which is probably unfair. I'm trying to enter with as clear a brain as possible, as we are likely to get a heaping helping of physics, time travel, and other mind-bending stuff. This will be the catalyst for the season-end run, so I'm leaving expectations behind and allowing myself to get caught up in whatever is thrown at me. It will probably take a couple days to get my thoughts on the episode up because I'll probably have to watch it twice to understand it all! Until then...
Enjoy.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
As I said in my last review, I found "Some Like it Hoth" to be a nice diversion, a sweet trifle of humor before the end run of drama in the last four hours of the season. Yes, we did get some interesting info: we got Phil finding out about Sawyer and Kate taking away Little Ben, and Roger being suspicious of Kate. We got the Miles and Dr. Chang relationship, and some context for the Swan. Most importantly, though, we got Faraday back! I believe his return will be the impetus for this week's episode, "The Variable.". Here's my thoughts:
*It seems to be apparent (from math, science and the thesaurus) that "The Variable" is a counterpoint to "The Constant," the all-time great episode from Season 4 featuring Desmond mind-tripping through time. As we know, and Faraday explained, "The Constant" referred to the anchor one needs to stop the mind from bouncing through time. For Desmond, it was Penny, and for Faraday, it is Desmond. As Faraday told Desmond that he is "special" as it pertains to time and the Island, I am inclined to believe that Desmond is "The Variable," meaning he is the only one that can change the past. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean Desmond will know this/find this out/be in this episode. It could just be that Faraday will determine that a Variable exists, and that it is Desmond.
*I think this will be a Faraday flashback episode with him flashing back to his time from 1974-1977 in Ann Arbor with the Dhara Initiative. We could possibly see how he gets that opportunity after he, Sawyer, Juliet, Jin and Miles fell in with Dharma after Locke got the Frozen Donkey Wheel back on track. We could also possibly see, for the first time, the DeGroots, founders of the Initiative.
*The proverbial stuff is about to hit the fan with Sawyer knocking out Phil. It will be interesting to see if Jack continues to defer to Sawyer, or if the new Jack will revert to his old ways. I believe a fully realized Jack Shephard is a leader, so I hope we see him take charge, but working in concert with Sawyer, and not against him.
*How will Sawyer and Juliet react to losing the life they created the last three years? Methinks, at first, not well, but once they hear from Faraday that they can get back to the present and see their loved ones (Sawyer's daughter Clementine and Juliet's sister and nephew), their attitude will change.
*Will we see more of Locke, Ben and Sun? What about what lies in the shadow of the statue? If we do get to see Ilana and Bram, I think a connection between Faraday's work with Dharma and orders for Ilana et al from a reconstituted Dharma will be established. As I said in my last post, I do believe Ilana's group has been sent by a revitalized Dharma, so showing that link would likely make sense in this upcoming episode.
That's about all I have for now. I'm really looking forward to this episode, mostly based on the awsomeness of "The Constant," which is probably unfair. I'm trying to enter with as clear a brain as possible, as we are likely to get a heaping helping of physics, time travel, and other mind-bending stuff. This will be the catalyst for the season-end run, so I'm leaving expectations behind and allowing myself to get caught up in whatever is thrown at me. It will probably take a couple days to get my thoughts on the episode up because I'll probably have to watch it twice to understand it all! Until then...
Enjoy.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Lost - "Some Like it Hoth," Ctd
Sorry for the delay in getting my thoughts on the most recent episode of Lost, "Some Like it Hoth." As I explained below, I actually have some employment for a couple weeks, so it's been hard to get posts up. Anyway, I don't have that much to say about this episode. I really liked the episode, but it was just a "fun" episode, and not one that asked a lot of questions. It was the calm before the storm of the last four hours of the season (!). Anyway, here we go:
*As most people thought after seeing the season premiere, Miles is in fact Dr. Pierre Chang's son. Chang seemed to be a loving father, so the question is why did Miles' mother take Miles to Encino. Did Chang learn of the Purge and send them away, or does he become a bigger, as Hurley put it, "douche?"
*Interesting that Miles needs the body to present to communicate with the dead. So, how did he do it with the kid who had the money stashed in his bedroom? Maybe the body just needs to exist somewhere and not necessarily in Miles' presence. This would fit with why he couldn't communicate with the football player who had been cremated.
*Yes, the Ewoks do suck.
*I love the Hurley/Miles banter. It's really well written and the actors pull it off great. Jorge Garcia was on fire in this episode, delivering not only the jokes, but the heartfelt moments well. His goading father and son to chat over some Dharma beer was brilliant.
*Now we know where the 3.2 million dollars Miles requested of Ben in Season 4 came from. Widmore was paying him 1.6 million to capture Ben, so he asked for double to not follow through. I love when the show answers stuff like this.
*Bram. Hmmmmm......Seems like a meathead, albeit a hippie meathead. His telling Miles that he [Miles] will not be self-realized unless he helps Bram's group has put me in the camp of those who believe Ilana, Bram and Co. are from Dharma Initiative 2.0. They obviously don't work for Widmore, and Ben's interactions with Ilana didn't give me any reason to think they work for him. I think we'll be hearing "Namaste" again soon.
*I liked Jack covering for Kate, and then going to tell Sawyer what happened. And Sawyer seemed truly grateful. I want them to work together to help get everyone home, so hopefully this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
*Faraday! Finally! I have been harping on this for a while. He had quickly became one of my favorite characters, and I wanted to see more of him. Well, we finally got him back. Seems that Faraday was off working in Ann Arbor for Dharma HQ for the past three years. What was he doing there? Was he figuring out a way to get his friends back to the present? Can't wait to hear what he has to say in the next episode, "The Variable."
That was pretty much all I have for this episode. I am very psyched for this Wednesday because "The Variable" is supposed to be a counterpoint to probably the best non-Pilot episode of Lost, "The Constant." But, more on that in my preview on Tuesday.
Don't forget to read Erika and Doc's reviews of "Some Like it Hoth." Until Tuesday...
Namaste.
*As most people thought after seeing the season premiere, Miles is in fact Dr. Pierre Chang's son. Chang seemed to be a loving father, so the question is why did Miles' mother take Miles to Encino. Did Chang learn of the Purge and send them away, or does he become a bigger, as Hurley put it, "douche?"
*Interesting that Miles needs the body to present to communicate with the dead. So, how did he do it with the kid who had the money stashed in his bedroom? Maybe the body just needs to exist somewhere and not necessarily in Miles' presence. This would fit with why he couldn't communicate with the football player who had been cremated.
*Yes, the Ewoks do suck.
*I love the Hurley/Miles banter. It's really well written and the actors pull it off great. Jorge Garcia was on fire in this episode, delivering not only the jokes, but the heartfelt moments well. His goading father and son to chat over some Dharma beer was brilliant.
*Now we know where the 3.2 million dollars Miles requested of Ben in Season 4 came from. Widmore was paying him 1.6 million to capture Ben, so he asked for double to not follow through. I love when the show answers stuff like this.
*Bram. Hmmmmm......Seems like a meathead, albeit a hippie meathead. His telling Miles that he [Miles] will not be self-realized unless he helps Bram's group has put me in the camp of those who believe Ilana, Bram and Co. are from Dharma Initiative 2.0. They obviously don't work for Widmore, and Ben's interactions with Ilana didn't give me any reason to think they work for him. I think we'll be hearing "Namaste" again soon.
*I liked Jack covering for Kate, and then going to tell Sawyer what happened. And Sawyer seemed truly grateful. I want them to work together to help get everyone home, so hopefully this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
*Faraday! Finally! I have been harping on this for a while. He had quickly became one of my favorite characters, and I wanted to see more of him. Well, we finally got him back. Seems that Faraday was off working in Ann Arbor for Dharma HQ for the past three years. What was he doing there? Was he figuring out a way to get his friends back to the present? Can't wait to hear what he has to say in the next episode, "The Variable."
That was pretty much all I have for this episode. I am very psyched for this Wednesday because "The Variable" is supposed to be a counterpoint to probably the best non-Pilot episode of Lost, "The Constant." But, more on that in my preview on Tuesday.
Don't forget to read Erika and Doc's reviews of "Some Like it Hoth." Until Tuesday...
Namaste.
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