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Previously...on Lost
This year's Lost finale faced a problem that any other television series would love to have. Is it possible to match the sky-high expectations created by last year's flash-forward gem?
Well, last Thursday's episode wasn't as good as a year ago, but it wasn't half bad either. I wasn't wild about starting off with Kate slamming on the brakes and extending last year's pivotal scene with Jack at the airport, but things picked up from there.
Damon, Carlton and crew should be commended for keeping everyone on board with the Oceanic Six storyline throughout the season. But it wouldn't be Lost if a few points weren't still bugging me.
The Orchid
This Dharma station, or "a place for silly experiments" as Ben likes to call it, was a major disappointment. Ben throws every piece of metal to blow up a time travel portal, and then crawls through a path to someplace cold that has a big wheel you can spin to move an island. An air of mystery is fine, but can someone please explain what that deep, deep station was all about? Maybe the guy with four toes can clue me in.
The Boats
The freighter was doomed, and it hurt to see Michael and Jin go down with the ship. I didn't think Jack would leave anyone behind, but apparently he felt those two were expendable.
After Sawyer's leap and the helicopter crash, I was surprised that it was Penny's boat that rescued the Oceanic Six plus Two. Secretly, I was hoping the Others boat was shining that search light with the same crew that took Walt at the end of Season 1. And speaking of Walt, it's obvious that someone has hit puberty since the show began. Wish we had more of him chatting with Hurley.
The Ladies
When did Juliet become such a wimp? She's turning into Kate, who is a complete wuss compared to how she started off. In Season 1, Kate and Sayid were probably the toughest survivors of Oceanic 815. Now Kate is a crying step mom whose dad taught her how to track footprints. Juliet was tough as nails and almost as devious as Ben, no one knew if they could trust her. Now she's practically emotionless on the beach as Sawyer pops up from a nonchalant swim following his leap out of a helicopter. Rose is showing more fight than Juliet and Kate these days.
And I know Sun is pissed off about losing Jin (although we haven't seen a body), but I'm not crazy about badass Sun taking on her dad and Widmore. It doesn't seem to ring true to her character. I'll let this slide for now since she did such a good job screaming in the helicopter after the freighter exploded.
Jack's Dad
Is Dr. Christian Shepard dead or alive? He popped up to tell Michael he could go now. He's hanging out with his daughter Claire in Jacob's cabin and chatting with Locke. He visited Jack in the hospital. Should he be walking around with a black robe and a scythe?
The Coffin
"Who's in the coffin?" was a big question after last year's finale, but so much time has passed and so much else has happened that seeing Locke in the coffin proved to be anti-climactic. It was a good moment, but seeing Jeremy Bentham's body didn't approach bearded Jack screaming at Kate that they have to go back to the island.
Lost always answers a few questions, poses many more, and constantly keeps you guessing. Can't wait until Season 5 as Jack and Ben gather the rest of the Six, and Locke's body, for a quick trip back to the island... if they can find it.
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Jun 2, 2008 7:34 PM
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Last year's finale was a game changer so one couldn't possibly believe they could do it again.
I agree about Juliet but she isn't as bad as kate (at least not yet) and I am already annoyed with Dr. Christian Shepard, his popping up everywhere has already become tired but this is the most original show ever and these small bits will not distract me from loving this show.
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Jun 2, 2008 9:59 PM
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Well, it wouldn't be Lost if there weren't ongoing mysteries. Have faith, and things will make more sense in the long run. Although, that's what I said about the X-Files back in the day, and look how that turned out. But with the end of the series already planned out, and the tightness of the story so far, I think Lost will have a proper conclusion.
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Jun 3, 2008 9:28 AM
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I was happy with the way things went, and I like that as usual they answered some questions and left us with many more. I'm anxious to know how/why Locke wound up in the coffin - whether he'd gone back home - become an invalid again - died in the states - oh it goes on and on. And that's the wonder of Lost and why I find myself unable to nitpick anything because I know that with time some of these questions will get answers and it'll all make sense! I'm here for the duration and loving every minute of it!!
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Jun 3, 2008 10:58 AM
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I'm willing to suspend disbelief for most of the happenings on the outrageous "out there" path that the writers are leading us on in Lost. MOST. But that big wheel in the depths beneath the island was just too weird!! I think I would have rather seen Ben disappear behind a door, hear some noises and then have the island move. For some reason, that wheel or gear or whatever went beyond what I was willing to accept - maybe because most of what we've seen so far has been "mystical" and this was tangible and just sci-fi WEIRD and FAKE!
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Jun 3, 2008 2:41 PM
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Well I had far fewer complaints than you did Jon. I loved every second of it!
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Jun 3, 2008 3:51 PM
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Interesting perspective on the women of Lost, Jon. It feeds into one of my complaints about the show--I wish the characters were developed with the same attention to detail that the plot and mysteries are. I, too, have been disappointed that the female characters have, on the overall, gone soft. With the exception of Sun--so far I've bought her new life as an assassin. I hope that the others, particularly Juliet, will follow suit and toughen up a bit too!
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Jun 4, 2008 10:15 AM
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I don't think Sun in the future is out of character at all. She has shown on a number of occasions throughout the series that there are depths to her that we never expected--including deception and manipulation. She had an affair when we thought she was a meek, loyal wife. She hid her English from Jin. She hid her pregnancy from Jin. She has been a tough cookie on more than one occasion. If, in the future, especially she believes that Jin is dead, I can see her becoming embittered and becoming a hard-ass.
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Jun 4, 2008 10:23 AM
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I do not believe Juliet has become a wimp, I think she was in shock because her long-awaited route off the island had just blown up as she was waiting to be rescued!
Kate has not become a wimp either just because she has a child to look after. She has proven time and again that she is a force to be reckoned with and she is certainly standing up to "future" (or is it "present"?) Jack with his "we have to go back" pleading. There is also something else going on there with Sawyer's plea in the helicopter that is showing she still has a backbone.
Sun is now showing her true self. She has been a strong character all along. It is now coming more into focus in the present, especially now that she's seen Jin turn into what she wanted him to be and thought he was when they got married. Then, to lose all that in an explosion on Widmore's freighter, it definitely makes sense to use the Oceanic settlement to go after her father's company (revenge against what he turned her husband into) and to use that company to go after the person she thinks killed her husband.
Please don't think anyone is "going soft" just because we've had a few glimpses of momentary weakness on their part.
I'm along for the ride, where ever it goes, because it is such an interesting and convoluted one. Now that we are more aware of the strong sci-fi elements, our Canadian sci-fi channel is going to be running Lost from the beginning starting in September. I'll be watching it all over again to try to pick up clues and hints that weren't obvious back then. What a ride, all over again. Can't wait for that, and also for Season 5!!!
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Jun 4, 2008 2:19 PM
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Completely disagree with your analysis of Jin. Besides the great insights that the previous blogger brought up, the writers are setting a searing confrontation between Jin, Ben, and Widmore; she may even start an alliance with Widmore to get revenge on Jack, for letting Jin die on the freighter!
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Jun 16, 2008 5:21 PM
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