OK, here is the wrap-up to "Lost," as promised. With spoilers a-plenty, feel free to skip to the Best Bets at the end if you haven't seen this season's finale yet.
Still here? Good.
So, um, WOW! Frak-tastic is all I can say.
"Lost" truly shifted gears by offering a flash forward rather than a flashback. I had an inkling they were doing this early on, because of the flecks of gray in bearded Jack's hair made him look a bit older. Also, he kept using one of the new, ultra-thin phones that weren't out when Oceanic 815 supposedly crashed. (I thought that this could also be a props gaffe).
But then Jack kept referring to his father as if he were alive, and Sarah (Julie Bowen) looked pretty much the same, except for being pregnant, so it made it seem like it was a flashback. So kudos to the producers for keeping me guessing.
Kudos also to Michael Emerson, who keeps us guessing as to Ben's true motivations. Is he the good guy he keeps claiming to be? Is he nuts? Is he evil? We know Ben gave the order to only pretend to shoot his hostages in order to trick Jack into giving up the satellite phone because he's desperate to keep this mysterious other group from finding the island.
The finale had a lot of great moments, including dialogue:
Kate: Why are you defending Sawyer?
Jack: Because I love you.
and...
Alex: You locked him up in a cell and tried to brainwash him!
Ben: I was trying to make sure he didn't get you pregnant. It's possible I may have gone too far.
and...
Rousseau (her first words to her daughter): Would you like to help me tie him up?
Alex: OK.
While I knew Hurley was going to come through for Sawyer in the end, I didn't know he'd use the van to do it, so that was a stand-up-and-cheer moment.
And Charlie, who usually annoys me, was great throughout the episode. I couldn't understand why he just didn't leave the room and seal it from the outside when the grenade went off, but looking back, I'm guessing he did so because he felt it was the only way to ensure Claire got rescued; if he had changed the outcome of Desmond's vision and survived, then perhaps Claire would still be trapped.
Of course, now there are burning questions for next season: If the ship wasn't sent by Penny, then who did send it? Why was the communications relay set to a channel to communicate with Penny, and why does she seemingly spend her days waiting by the console waiting for the signal to be unjammed? Why did Ben lie to The Others and keep the underwater station manned? Who was the body in the coffin? What was so terrible about the rescue that Jack seeks to return to the island, and what happened to everyone else besides him and Kate? Is the show going to continue on the island or the real world?
The last one is a very interesting question. "Lost" could go the "Battlestar Galactica" route and jump ahead into the future, then show what happened during the missing time via flashback. Or, it could be going the "Heroes" route and being showing only a possible future.
The only negative to all this is that ABC is waiting until February to bring the series back so as to avoid the troubles the show had during its long hiatus this year. (Note to ABC: Just bring it back in the fall, and don't air a crappy show in "Lost's" timeslot for nearly two months).
WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: Between the end of the TV year and the holiday weekend, pickings are slim. However...
One of my favorite series from this season was "Life On Mars" and BBC America is giving you the chance to catch up by airing the first four episodes during two mini-marathons on Saturday. If cool, weird shows like "Lost" and "Heroes" are your cup of tea, then "Life On Mars" is for you. (Not to mention its terrific 1973 soundtrack).
You can also catch the season finale of "Robin Hood" (BBC America, 9 p.m.), which should be interesting considering the cliff-hanger the producers left us with last week.
"The Sopranos" is pre-empted this week, a little frustrating considering how good the last two episodes have been.
I'll be back on Tuesday, so enjoy the long weekend and drive safe.
Friday, May 25, 2007
'Lost's' Game-Changer
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5 comments:
Yeah, I was blown away with Lost. It left me with my jaw on the ground. I liked Charlie, so I was sad to see him go, but I guess someone had to die. I kept thinking it was going to be Hurly for some reason. Can't wait to see where they are going to go with this....
On another note, I really liked the way 24 ended also. I thought it was a great end to a so so season. What did you think Zodin? I know how much of a fan you are.
Edge,
First, on "24"--yes, I loved the finale, loved the last few weeks (though still it's weakest season overall) and loved that Bill Buchanan, aka, 'The Silver Fox' (as my wife and some friends of ours call him) got to ride in on his white horse and give JB the assist. Great stuff. The special effects and tension of the limited time frame for the helicopter was "24" at its action best.
Phillip can bitch & moan and he always does about "24", but for those of us who appreciate 24's ability to deliver total excitedment and heart pounding tension, the finale was great. And though "Heroes" was a far, far better show this year then "24", in mine and many (unbiased) people's opinions, "24" had the better season finale.
But nothing topped the "Lost" finale. And Season 3 turned out to be great from February on, with the lone exception being the Jack tattoo episode. (that was horrible). Even the episode where they focused on Nikki & Paolo (and then buried both alive) was one of my favorite episodes of the year. It was brilliant!
But the finale gave us everyone we could want and more, being topped off by Hurley and Charlie getting to be the big heroes and Jack having mano a mano confrontations with Locke & Ben. Plus, Locke still being alive period...big relief.
As for where "Lost" will go when it returns in February? I have also had the same thought as Phillip about "lost" pulling a "Battlestar" and clearing the deck and fast forwarding. (Maybe a year?) That would be one cool idea.
The second idea that would work would be to officially have them being rescued in the beginning of Season 4 and having the Losties back in Los Angeles by th end of episode #1. The season deals with the aftermath. But the Island remains a character on the show and Locke, Ben and the still living others remain behind. We can have stories on both the Island and in the real world.
The third sotry idea is somewhere in between...the Losties think they are getting rescued and actually get taken OFF the Island...but taken somewhere far worse by some really bad guys and survival is even more difficult. Again, I think Locke, Ben et all remain on the Island.
I knew Locke was going to reappear at least once more in the finale, but I thought he might keel over before shooting Jack.
I didn't enjoy the 24 finale, but since I didn't enjoy the season overall, it wasn't a big surprise. Matt Roush does a good job of stacking up the 24 and Heroes finales in a comparison at TVGuide.com.
I saw most of the finale but I need some show updates. #1 Whatever happened to Michael and his some that was kidnapped. I know he was persuaded to betray his friends inorder to free his son but then what? I kinda feel asleep during the finale but woke up in just enough time to see Charlie swim to an underground station. So is he died? PS Kate said the show has been contracted for three more seasons so we can expect more.
Charles,
Walt and Michael have been gone since the end of Season 2, save for Walt's appearance as a vision to lock in the S3 finale.
Charlie did die, as predicted, in the underwater station.
The show has already been announced for three more seasons of 16 episodes each; the bad news is that S4 doesn't begin until February.
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