Lost

[murlough23]

On another note, my mom is watching my season one DVDs, and today she was on "Whatever the Case May Be," and did anyone else notice that the opening shot of Kate in the tree was almost identical to this week's episode?

Yeah, I thought about that, though didn't this week's episode open with shirtless, post-coital Jin getting the thumbs-up from Hurley? (Related issue: Is Jin ever going to ask Sun what the English phrase "Your wife's hot" means?)

I don't remember if Tabula Rasa did this, but I've noticed that the last three Kate episodes (Whatever the Case May Be, Born to Run, What Kate Did) have opened with no "previously on Lost" sequence. Her episodes also never open with a close-up shot of her eye, but in general, they haven't been doing that in Season 2 (except for an interesting use of that tactic in the season premiere).

The next episode (which we have to wait until January for) is titled The 23rd Psalm and is supposed to be Eko-centric. That oughta be fun.

[AldaForPresident]

Yeah, I thought about that, though didn't this week's episode open with shirtless, post-coital Jin getting the thumbs-up from Hurley?

My bad. That's right.

I don't remember if Tabula Rasa did this, but I've noticed that the last three Kate episodes (Whatever the Case May Be, Born to Run, What Kate Did) have opened with no "previously on Lost" sequence.

I just watched this on Monday or so with my mom, and yes, it does in fact have the previously on Lost bit.

Her episodes also never open with a close-up shot of her eye, but in general, they haven't been doing that in Season 2 (except for an interesting use of that tactic in the season premiere).

I miss the eyes!

The next episode (which we have to wait until January for) is titled The 23rd Psalm and is supposed to be Eko-centric. That oughta be fun.

I looked at ABC's website, and damn it, if they aren't going to skip to to the FOURTH episode of season. Blah!

[murlough23]

I miss the eyes!

It's interesting if you go back and look at who got "the eye" (Jack, Locke, Sun, Claire, Boone, Michael, Jin, Aaron) and who didn't (Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, Hurley, Shannon, Walt). Wonder if there's any significance to that.

I looked at ABC's website, and damn it, if they aren't going to skip to to the FOURTH episode of season. Blah!

I thinks that's because they already re-ran the first three. Sorry, dude.

NP: "With All My Soul", Jaci Velasquez

[AldaForPresident]

It's interesting if you go back and look at who got "the eye" (Jack, Locke, Sun, Claire, Boone, Michael, Jin, Aaron) and who didn't (Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, Hurley, Shannon, Walt). Wonder if there's any significance to that.

I thought about that earlier - surely there is. There's a significance to everything else.

If Boone hadn't, I would say those who don't are the one who die on the island. Oh well! I guess we'll just have to put up with Kate.

I thinks that's because they already re-ran the first three. Sorry, dude.

Crap. That sucks.  

[AldaForPresident]

I know everyone else saw these episodes weeks ago, but I didn't.

So I watched "...And Found" for the first time last night, and honestly, it was the most underwhelming episode of the show I've ever seen. Very short on the characters I love the most (wedding ring speech from Jack, brief hilarity from Locke - "Bad day?", no Sayid, limited Sawyer), and a super-cliched Sun wedding ring storyline straight from sitcom-ville. Michael running off into the jungle to have a fit after being completely composed and normal (too composed and normal for a guy who just has his son snatched from from under him by God-knows-who, but to have him finally acting like Walt's really gone this far into it was too little, too late) in the previous episode and most of this one - what? I liked the Jin/Eko/Others stuff, though. But definitely the only episode I've watched yet I truly haven't enjoyed thoroughly. Even though I'm not crazy about "Whatever the Case May Be" (or many of the Kate-centric episodes) or "Homecoming", there were still things that made me like or even love them a lot. But this one? No.

Finally I get to see Shannon die in complete context next week. Time to break out the popcorn.

EDIT: And oh yes, Ana-Lucia was annoying in this episode, moreso than in any of the others, to me. "Does it look like I speak Korean?" Well, does it look like he speaks English? Shut up, Ana-Lucia.

[murlough23]

Yeah, I kind of thought ...And Found was filler, too. Jin and Sun are two of my favorite characters; their episodes last season blew me away. Seeing how they met was cute, but not all that Lost-ish. And yeah, Michael totally bugs this season.

Can't wait for the Eko backstory. He's my new favorite character. Man, January 11 can't come soon enough!

[AldaForPresident]

Yeah, I kind of thought ...And Found was filler, too. Jin and Sun are two of my favorite characters; their episodes last season blew me away. Seeing how they met was cute, but not all that Lost-ish. And yeah, Michael totally bugs this season.

I like both Jin and Sun a lot - Sun kind of gets on my nerves on occasion, like when it takes her friggin' forever to get Michael to stop beating the crap out of her husband and her "Fate is punishing us" moment, but I generally like her. I really like Jin. I'm with Daniel Dae Kim, I wish they'd have Jin learn English.

Michael, I also generally like (he's not one of my favorites), but in that episode he was just annoying. In "Everybody Hates Hugo" I thought he was extremely kind toward Bernard, with Sawyer being his usual tactless self (and I love him that way!) - "Black chick in her fifties?" Anyway, I think it's weird how one minute Michael's perfectly composed even though Walt's gone, and then the next he's in hysterics. I realize a parent who's lost their child wouldn't be a model of consistency, but that kind of extreme flip-flopping is a little too unbelieveable. (Although, to be fair, I guess he doesn't really know Walt all that well, so what the hey? Walt's creepy anyhow. Let The Others have him, Michael.)

Man, January 11 can't come soon enough!

Word!

[worldofcm]

This show lost me after the first couple episodes this season.

[murlough23]

This show lost me after the first couple episodes this season.

In the sense of not being able to keep track of what was going on, or in the sense of not liking it any more? I agree that it's wavered a bit, but I loved it so immensely last season that I'm willing to stick with it through a transitional season of being merely "good".

NP: "Doubting Thomas", Nickel Creek

[AldaForPresident]

Ha! Rank the main Lost characters:

Season One
1. Jack
2. Sawyer
3. Sayid
4. Locke
5. Hurley
6. Sun
7. Michael
8. Claire
9. Boone
10. Charlie
11. Jin
12. Walt
13. Kate
14. Shannon

Season Two (haven't seen episodes 1-3 or 5 - that's why I'm not counting Shannon & Walt)
1. Jack
2. Sawyer
3. Locke
4. Jin
5. Hurley
6. Eko
7. Sayid (You lose major points for fawning over Shannon, buddy.)
8. Sun
9. Libby (Haven't really seen enough of her to judge, but I like her so far.)
10. Michael
11. Ana-Lucia (Anyone who kills Shannon gets a free pass!)
12. Claire (Haven't seen much of her.)
13. Charlie (Ditto, but what I have seen I haven't liked.)
14. Kate

[worldofcm]

In the sense of not being able to keep track of what was going on, or in the sense of not liking it any more? I agree that it's wavered a bit, but I loved it so immensely last season that I'm willing to stick with it through a transitional season of being merely "good".

NP: "Doubting Thomas", Nickel Creek

I can follow it just fine - it's just not keeping my attention.  I'm just not interested in what's going on with the characters right now.  I might try and pick it back up during reruns this summer - but I'm not really sure I want to.

[AldaForPresident]

One of my friends just up and stopped watching this season also. I personally don't understand how anyone can just dump Lost cold-turkey - it's not a choice as far as I'm concerned.  =D  

[murlough23]

Seriously. Even if it sucked, I'd have to find out what happened (see Alias earlier this year).

Character ranking (I'll just throw them all together regarding what I currently think of them):

1. Eko (Locke, meet the new and improved you)
2. Hurley ('cause how can you not love Hurley?)
3. Sun (was #1 last season, but dropped due to a lack of screen time)
4. Locke ('cause he's just one big friggin' mystery)
5. Jin (probably "most improved" from my initial impression of him)
6. Sawyer (if you're going to be an ass, you can get away with it by being funny)
7. Shannon (I liked her sniping comments and I wanted to see her character grow up a little more)
8. Walt (I liked how he was a kid who didn't have to play the "cute" angle)
9. Jack (Used to be my least favorite; he's grown on me somewhat)
10. Boone (Useless, but I do miss him, especially now that Shannon's gone)
11. Libby (We know little of her so far, but she's promising; however, she seems a tad fake)
12. Sayid (He's the smartest person on the island, but lately he's been underused and his actions haven't made much sense)
13. Michael (Every other line - "WAAAAAAALLLLLLT!" Dude, STFU.)
14. Kate (I was starting to like her this year... then the stupid kiss. Go climb a tree and stay there.)
15. Claire (Now that she's had her baby and she's stuck with Charlie, she's annoyingly one-dimensional. I forget she's there most weeks.)
16. Charlie (He used to be funny. Now he's just an irritating blight on every scene he touches.)
17. Ana-Lucia (HAAAAAAAAAATE!)

[AldaForPresident]

Watched "Abandoned" last night and I really liked it. The Walt appearance in the teaser scared the hell out of me. Anyone know what he said to Shannon?

Not Shannon's most annoying episode ever - totally didn't recognize her in her flashbacks; she seemed fairly nice and normal. Oh well! Still not sad she's gone. What was up with Ian Somerhalder's hair in the flashbacks?

I was picturing Shannon's death as something much more dramatic...I thought she and Sayid were having the arguement when Ana-Lucia shot her, not that it was over. Poor Sayid. Although Sayid and Shannon 4ever! was never believeable to me at all.

I like the way the Michael/Sawyer/Jin relationships have developed. I want those guys to be friends because I like them all.

Shut up, Ana-Lucia.

No Jack. Sad. No Kate! Happy.

Well, I'm as caught up as I'm ever going to be until the DVD, I guess. Still haven't seen episodes one-three of season two, but I'll live. Until the DVD comes out, anyway.

Is it January 11 yet?

[murlough23]

Watched "Abandoned" last night and I really liked it. The Walt appearance in the teaser scared the hell out of me. Anyone know what he said to Shannon?

It was backmasked. "They're coming, and they're close." Someone on TWoP thought they heard "swallow", which prompted them to ask how long Walt had been standing there.

Not Shannon's most annoying episode ever - totally didn't recognize her in her flashbacks; she seemed fairly nice and normal.

A lot of people found her "redemption" in that flashback really forced when coupled with her death. I thought the backstory made sense; otherwise nice people can become very bitter and bitchy when stuff like that happens to them. Though pinning it all on a messed-up parent is getting a bit old as a plot device.

Oh well! Still not sad she's gone. What was up with Ian Somerhalder's hair in the flashbacks?

Season 2 will henceforth be known as the season of bad flashback wigs. Just wait 'til you see Jack's episode (the season premiere, I mean; there's another Jack episode coming up sometime in January).

And Ian Somerhalder is the reason why I'm sad she's gone. I lost the link to two characters at once with her death.

Although Sayid and Shannon 4ever! was never believeable to me at all.

It did strike me as a bit odd, but I liked that a biproduct of it was Shannon having to grow up a little. Sayid treated her like she was capable of doing things herself; she was used to finding guys who could do everything for her. Like them or not as a couple, he was really sweet to her and he gets major points for that, even if I'm not sure what he saw in her.

No Jack. Sad.

Are you sure about that?

[AldaForPresident]

It was backmasked. "They're coming, and they're close." Someone on TWoP thought they heard "swallow", which prompted them to ask how long Walt had been standing there.

Ahhh. I thought I heard "swallow," too. That makes more sense - Walt made be "special," but surely he's not THAT much of an old soul.

A lot of people found her "redemption" in that flashback really forced when coupled with her death. I thought the backstory made sense; otherwise nice people can become very bitter and bitchy when stuff like that happens to them. Though pinning it all on a messed-up parent is getting a bit old as a plot device.

My mom was all "I love Shannon now! Poor Shannon!" My basic reaction was the same as yours - sucks for her, but c'mon - you have to take responsibility for your own actions at some point.

Just wait 'til you see Jack's episode (the season premiere, I mean; there's another Jack episode coming up sometime in January).

A new Jack episode? That's exciting - love Jack. I saw Matthew Fox got a Golden Globe nomination - well deserved.

And Ian Somerhalder is the reason why I'm sad she's gone. I lost the link to two characters at once with her death.

I really liked Boone, so I will miss him quite a bit. It really doesn't make sense for them to kill off both of them at all. I seriously doubt that was the plan all along - Maggie Grace must have indeed pitched a salary fit.

It did strike me as a bit odd, but I liked that a biproduct of it was Shannon having to grow up a little. Sayid treated her like she was capable of doing things herself; she was used to finding guys who could do everything for her. Like them or not as a couple, he was really sweet to her and he gets major points for that, even if I'm not sure what he saw in her.

Well, my whole thing was, "Hey Sayid, remember Nadia? Hmm?" I mean, seriously, your leave your country, hook up with the CIA, sell out your best friend, catch a flight to L.A. and are prepared to change your whole life for one person, then oops, you're stuck on an island and here's this cute blonde. Whatever, Sayid. I still love him, but to me the relationship smacked of shallowness on his account. I think Shannon really did like him because like you said, he made her feel like she wasn't completely worthless.

Are you sure about that?

  Holy crap! So...was that fleshed out in an episode I missed? Or was it completely random? I'm starting to believe EVERY SINGLE PERSON on Mystery Friggin' Island is connected...

[AldaForPresident]

I just can't get over I didn't see Jack in that scene. I even said to my mom, "They should've gotten Jack to operate on him." Obviously I still haven't learned to pay attention to every.thing.

[murlough23]

Ahhh. I thought I heard "swallow," too. That makes more sense - Walt made be "special," but surely he's not THAT much of an old soul.

I think "swallow" was just an artifact of trying to make sense out of the backwards talk.

My mom was all "I love Shannon now! Poor Shannon!" My basic reaction was the same as yours - sucks for her, but c'mon - you have to take responsibility for your own actions at some point.

This is a recurring problem with the show. As much as I can sympathize with a sad backstory that a character has, I don't equate that with a justification of the character's bad deeds. I need to see that a character is actually starting to change, and with some characters like Sawyer, they've attempted this. Shannon had the potential for that before they offed her. It was very awkward, the way that they had to handle her death (and  do blame Maggie Grace for that - I think she'll live to regret it just like Denise Crosby on Star Trek: The Next Generation). We didn't get to see much of a growth arc because the death was decided on so quickly. It would have been more poignant if she developed into one of the island's most beloved and helpful characters over time, and then died tragically.

A new Jack episode? That's exciting - love Jack. I saw Matthew Fox got a Golden Globe nomination - well deserved.

I've never been a huge Jack fan. I'm with Hurley - his bedside manner sucks. (Oh, you haven't seen that episode yet.) He means well, but I get tired of his "I. Must. Save. Everyone!" melodrama most of the time. When he lightens up a bit, I do kind of like him. And I will say that his scene with Sawyer in the season finale (when Sawyer revealed the stuff about Jack's dad) was gut-wrenchingly good.

I really liked Boone, so I will miss him quite a bit. It really doesn't make sense for them to kill off both of them at all. I seriously doubt that was the plan all along - Maggie Grace must have indeed pitched a salary fit.

I thought Boone was fairly useless and I predicted he'd be the one loss that I wouldn't feel so bad about. Nothing against the character, but I figured the show would do fine without him. It still got me to tear up when he died, though.

Well, my whole thing was, "Hey Sayid, remember Nadia? Hmm?" I mean, seriously, your leave your country, hook up with the CIA, sell out your best friend, catch a flight to L.A. and are prepared to change your whole life for one person, then oops, you're stuck on an island and here's this cute blonde. Whatever, Sayid. I still love him, but to me the relationship smacked of shallowness on his account.

I thought that for a while, too, but here's the thing - right up to the point where he had the flight arranged, he believed Nadia was alive. When he was captured by Danielle, he apparently believed at that point that Nadia was dead. He told Danielle as much. Now we could chalk that up to inconsistent writing, but the errors on this show don't tend to be that glaringly obvious. I think something happened in between arranging the flight and actually boarding the plane (or perhaps after the crash) to make him believe that Nadia was dead. Maybe he suddenly became convinced that the CIA lied to him about it. (I'm convinced that they lied to him anyway, and that they gave him an empty coffin without Essam's body actually in it, which is the coffin that Jack found and took an axe to in the jungle.)

Anyway, for whatever reason, he gave up all hope regarding Nadia. So Shannon may have been a bit of a rebound - I don't buy true love happening that quickly with someone he didn't really have anything in common with. But I don't think he intended to play the field with two girls at once. For all he knew, he was going to be trapped on that island for a very long time - kind of foolish to hold out hope for a woman that he hasn't seen in 7 years anyway.

I think Shannon really did like him because like you said, he made her feel like she wasn't completely worthless.

Yes. They could have gotten some real good drama out of Shannon's truggle between old self and new self. Old self - here's this older man who makes me feel secure; I'll manipulate him into doing things for me. (That's what Boone predicted Shannon would do to him, and in some ways, that happens when she tried to persuade him to kill Locke... but that episode was just dumb.) New self - I really like this guy, but loving him means accepting his challenge for me to be more of a self-reliant person. I have to grow up a bit. That's the path of most resistance.

Holy crap! So...was that fleshed out in an episode I missed? Or was it completely random? I'm starting to believe EVERY SINGLE PERSON on Mystery Friggin' Island is connected...

I actually didn't notice that the first time I viewed the episode - someone who was expecting it based on an earlier episode pointed out the screenshot to me. It was really easy to blink and miss it, just like Hurley on Korean TV last year, or Sayid on the tiny TV monitor in Kate's NotDad's recruiting office.

It was really more of a surprise if you saw Man of Science, Man of Faith and then saw Abandoned - the other way around it's basically just, OK, so a guy named Adam Rutherford died in Jack's OR, we already know who he is. Several fans caught the hint when MoS, MoF first aired and the guy was named as "Adam Rutherford, age (50-something), time of death, 8:15 (ha ha)". What was much more important in that flashback is who else Jack was performing triage on at the time. And his fugly wig, of course.

This, of course, established that Jack lived in the same general metropolitan area as Shannon and Boone (presumably the greater Los Angeles area, which is where Hurley, Locke, and Ana-Lucia are from as well.) So, there's some potential for crossover in future flashbacks, though it would have to be tangential at best, because obviously none of these people knew each other before the crash.

[AldaForPresident]

[murlough23]

[AldaForPresident]

I get that the character is intentionally flawed, and I don't mind all of that so much. It's just that when he bosses others around, even if he has a good point, he can be a bit sanctimonious about how he expresses it.

This is true. Ana-Lucia does that too, but for some reason it's a gazillion times worse when she does it. Jack sort of resisted the leadership role a bit at the beginning, but I think everyone constantly running to him when something had to be done fed his ego and now he gets pissed when people DON'T come to him when something has to be done. I don't think he necessarily enjoys his role, though, as much as he feels like it's what he has to do because he feels like it's the right thing. It's the same sentiment as when he blew the whistle on his asshole dad. (Another great Matthew Fox moment - the board meeting or whatever it was, when the dude asks Christian if he knew about the woman's baby, and that look Jack gives him.)

Plus there's the issue of overexposure - I know he's one of the lead characters, but I actually find myself wishing some of the "tertiary" characters could be leads instead.

While I don't get sick of Jack since he's my favorite, I get so tired of Kate ALWAYS showing up. I was thrilled she wasn't in "Abandoned". Kate annoys me to no end. It's gotta be all about her, all the time. I get tired of Charlie too. I realize Dominic Monaghan's one of the more popular cast members and that's probably why they use him so much, but Charlie's been overused this season and the last part of season one. His second flashback was almost as pointless as Kate's second one. (And first one. And third one. Really, all of Kate's could've been condensed into one.) Overexposure is a huge part of my dislike for Kate and Charlie.

As for Jack vs. Locke, that annoys mostly mostly because I don't want Jack to prevent Locke from discovering stuff. Locke is one of the few people who seems to ask questions and get crap done. His mystical B.S. wears thin at times (loved it when Eko told him not to mistake coincidence for fate!), and I really wonder why he's suddenly backed off a bit on that, even to the point of needing Jack to remind him about the button.

I loved that Locke/Eko moment too. Actually, any Locke/Eko moment. I like how Locke pushes everyone and challenges the absolute faith so many people have in Jack. (Even though I myself have absolute faith in Jack as well.) Someone needs to call Jack on his crap - i.e. Locke reminding him that he didn't tell anyone about the gun case whenever Jack got all pissy about Locke keeping the hatch a secret. All this to say, that's why I don't understand why Locke, of all people, would be unwilling to try NOT pushing the damn button for once. Who was it that walked right up to the device and looked into the eye of the island?

I was actually dreading a Jack/Sun development if Jin had been gone for longer. They seemed to be setting it up when the raft left. Jin's remark to Sun that Jack would take care of her seemed ominous. Thankfully that never developed, and earlier on, the planned Michael/Sun entanglement was aborted because the writers decided to 'redeem" Jin instead. I really like Jin and Sun and it's refreshing to see a married couple working their stuff out for a while, so at the moment, Jin/Sun is the only romantic relationship (real or potential) that I care about. Well, other than Rose/Bernard, but they're minor characters.

When I watched season one, I thought at first they were going with Michael/Sun (an idea I liked because at the time Jin was a total bastard), then I started to like Jin, and I thought they were going with Jack/Sun because of the reasons you cited and I didn't like that. I liked it better than Jack/Kate, but Jin/Sun is more interesting, I think. I like Kate much better when she's around Sawyer, so anything that makes her more tolerable... I don't really see any more potential hookups, because there's a somewhat uneven gender dynamic out there. Ana-Lucia with anyone would make me throw up, but the idea of Jack falling for someone like her would be incredibly out of character for him, I think. Although the only time Ana-Lucia's ever really been likeable was the flashback scene from "Exodus". (A few moments from "The Other 48 Days" not withstanding.)

They're probably going to have to transfer some of Shannon's manipulativeness back to her, but we know Kate was capable of it since the beginning, and my personal theory is that she's been trying to play them both to get ahead in the group from Day One, and it's only more recently that she's started to really feel something for Sawyer, and it scares her, so she tries to make herself like Jack in order to get herself out of that, but it's forced and awkward for her.

I agree. I think she WANTS to like Jack (probably also because he reminds her more of the guy she thought was her dad), but can't. I really don't want either Sawyer or Jack tangled up in her melodramatic web of toy airplanes, but if it has to be one of them, I vote Sawyer because that at least makes some sense.

Not yet. At this point I'd question whether it was ever even on the plane. Though I tend to believe the jungle hallucinations are a result of some form of holographic projection (Kate's horse and the polar bear notwithstanding), and maybe an "Other" found Christian's body and projected it, alive and walking around, for Jack to see. He never did speak. The Walt ghost spoke, but not intelligibly, so maybe something's malfunctioning.

I love all the theories. I never bought the Christian hallucination as a simple byproduct of Jack's insomnia. I wish they'd resolve some of this stuff! We're all going to go crazy and start seeing Christian everywhere if they don't.

From the podcasts, it really appears as if Lindelof and Cuse are clueless about the audience's perception of Ana-Lucia. They thought we'd consider her to be a badass, and maybe start to dislike her with Shannon's death, but be totally riveted and rooting for her again after Collision. Sorry, it just doesn't work that way, especially when you've already gone to the redemption well so many times before.

That's just sad. Ana-Lucia sucks. In "The Other 48 Days" she's tolerable, even somewhat sympathetic, same for "Collision," but there's no excuse for her behavior in all the other episodes. She's not a badass, she's a bitch, pure and simple. She's not funny, she's not entertaining, she's not complex (yet), she's just irritating and shrill. At first I could forgive some of it because of how rough the tail sectionites had it, but Libby, Bernard, and Eko don't seem to have sticks up their butts. Quite the contrary, they're all rather likeable.

I hope MR gets thrown in jail for her terrible conduct and that the show is forced to work around her absence. Could be time for Lostzilla to show up again! Yum yum!

Wow, that would great! Maybe Sayid could lose his mind and torture her to death. If she really does get fired for her stunts, if they sent her out in a really fantastic island-y way, I could forgive them for bringing her on in the first place.

You have sharper eyes than I do if you caught the Sayid cameo.

Actually, I lied. My mom caught it. I taped it and had to rewind it back. I thought she was seeing things. Don't know why she zoned out when Jack was running around in the hospital last night.

I keep forgetting that you're a girl.

Maybe I should clarify that in every post. Could get repetitive. Almost as bad as WAAAAAAALLLLLLTTT! God, I get so sick of hearing that kid's name.

[AldaForPresident]

The cast of Lost is Entertainment's Weekly's Entertainter of the Year. EW does know their stuff. Last year it was Jon Stewart. Good for them.

[AldaForPresident]

I picked up the issue of Entertainment Weekly with Lost (or rather, Matthew Fox) on the cover. (Hey, Lost + Bono + Daily Show shoutout + Alan Alda = worth $4.05.) The article's not all that insightful - the picture features Matthew Fox, Josh Holloway, Michelle Rodriguez (obviously this issue was mapped out before her antics), and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (whew...maybe we can call him Triple A). One thing I thought was interesting was that Carlton Cuse said they used Narnia as a springboard for the "collision" between Jack and Locke's perspectives. I've never read Narnia, so that obviously doesn't mean a lot to me, but I know a lot of people here have.

[murlough23]

Can't see the Narnia/Collision connection, but then, I haven't read the books in ages, and I didn't even finish all of them when I did.

[AldaForPresident]

Well, two days until a new episode. It's about damn time. I need a paper bag to breathe into.

This two-hour event nonsense...the first hour's a clip show, right? Will I finally get to SEE what's in the hatch? (I know by now, but I would like to see it for myself.)

[murlough23]

This two-hour event nonsense...the first hour's a clip show, right? Will I finally get to SEE what's in the hatch? (I know by now, but I would like to see it for myself.)

Yes, it's a clip show, and you're about the only person I'd advise to actually watch it!

Though I think it would be much better for you to get to experience what's in the hatch the way that the rest of us did with the episode Man of Science, Man of Faith... just the way that they revealed it was so cool... but maybe they will show that scene. You're already a bit spoiled on that, as you've seen a few scenes that took place in the hatch within the last few episodes (the Orientation film, Kate tending to Sawyer, etc.)

NP: "Brightside", Code of Ethics

[AldaForPresident]

Yes, it's a clip show, and you're about the only person I'd advise to actually watch it!

Though I think it would be much better for you to get to experience what's in the hatch the way that the rest of us did with the episode Man of Science, Man of Faith... just the way that they revealed it was so cool... but maybe they will show that scene. You're already a bit spoiled on that, as you've seen a few scenes that took place in the hatch within the last few episodes (the Orientation film, Kate tending to Sawyer, etc.)

NP: "Brightside", Code of Ethics

I broke down and read TWOP's recap a few weeks ago.  :embarass: I regret it in a way but in another I'm glad because it gave me a better grasp on hatch-related events. I'm dying to see the scene for myself, though - and I only read the first two pages of the recap, so that's ALL I know about that episode. (And I know nothing about the two after that.)

This is definitely the first and probably only time I have been or will be excited about a clip show.

[RedcoatJones]

Well, I'm certainly looking forward to tonight's episode. Mr. Eko is my favorite new character, and we get his backstory ....

[RedcoatJones]

Let me be the first one to say that I LOVED last night's episode.

If you haven't seen it yet, skip the rest of this message.

Eko's backstory was one of my favorites (up there with Locke, Sayid and Sun/Jin). His path of redemption from war lord to priest was carried by AAA's very understated acting. He gets more out of facial expressions and a few well-timed words than most characters do with pages and pages of dialogue. I also think there must be another Eko flashback in the future showing why he assumed the statue contained drugs (and assumed he'd find the plane) and how he made it from Nigeria to Austrailia (and how the plane made it to the South Pacific!).

Also really enjoyed the view of the "smoke." While I think it's part of the monster, I don't think it explains all of the monster. We didn't hear the mechanical screaming this time, and once the smoke judged Eko (what? guilty? not-guilty?) it left. I personally think the smoke shows someone their deepest secrets. Eko had redeemed himself from his past and was able to stand up to the smoke. Similarly, Locke looked into the monster early in season one and smiled ... yet when he encountered it in the finale (after being responsible for Boone's death), it tried to drag him away, maybe symbolizing his work with Boone no longer left him pure/clean/redeemed.

Need to watch this one again ....

[murlough23]

Was I the only one who thought last night's episode was a mite predictable? I figured out that Eko was somehow connected to the druggie plane, and that was he was a "fake" priest, from pretty much his first few appearances. And while we saw a lot more of the monster,  was bummed that it appeared to only be the black smoke. Add a lot of whiny Charlie to that episode ("Jesus stick" comment notwithstanding), and you can see why I would be rather "meh" about it. Eko is my favorite character; I expected more of a left turn in this episode. Funny that I'm expecting next week's Jack episode to be better even though I think Jack's backstory is getting really tired.

Trying to figure out what images the monster flashed in front of Eko is going to drive me nuts now.

And did one of those Arabic drug dealers say "Sayid" to his partner? Am I hearing things?

NP: "Music Box", Thrice

[Brenden]

Was I the only one who thought last night's episode was a mite predictable? I figured out that Eko was somehow connected to the druggie plane, and that was he was a "fake" priest, from pretty much his first few appearances. And while we saw a lot more of the monster,  was bummed that it appeared to only be the black smoke. Add a lot of whiny Charlie to that episode ("Jesus stick" comment notwithstanding), and you can see why I would be rather "meh" about it. Eko is my favorite character; I expected more of a left turn in this episode. Funny that I'm expecting next week's Jack episode to be better even though I think Jack's backstory is getting really tired.

Trying to figure out what images the monster flashed in front of Eko is going to drive me nuts now.

And did one of those Arabic drug dealers say "Sayid" to his partner? Am I hearing things?

NP: "Music Box", Thrice

I agree about Eko's story, but then I circulate spoiler boards anyway. The larger part of the moster we saw was dissapointing. It's just a friggin' cloud of smoke.

As for the images, they were scenes from Eko's life. Someone slowed down their Tivo during the commercial break and figured it out.

[RedcoatJones]

I agree about Eko's story, but then I circulate spoiler boards anyway.

One of the reasons I avoid spoilers as much as I can. It's made the show much more fun.

RE: Mr. Eko's past. I thought he might have something to do with the plane, but I wasn't sure what the connection was. To me, what made his story so good, was not so much the story arc itself, but the intensity of the acting really carried the scenes. I also don't think he's necessarily a "fake" priest. I think his conversion is real, but of course he was faking immedately after the plane took off.

I really would like to see one more Eko-back to see what happened in the years between the plane disappearing (and how Eko tracked it as far as Australia) and the events on the island.

It was interesting, the most shocking event, to me, was when Eko slit the two drug dealer's throats. Since they have been setting him up as a religious man, and he even showed some admirable traits in saving his little brother from the soldiers, I expected him to be the stereotype of a criminal with a heart of gold. Instead, he really was a heartless thug (I think the only person or thing he loved was his brother and money), who would manipulate even those he "loves." I don't think his conversion came until after he learns his brother is missing.

[murlough23]

I generally avoid spoilers (the only exception being that I like to know in advance which character an episode is about). I didn't need spoilers to have a pretty good hunch that Eko had something to do with the druggie plane. That was obvious as soon as I realized the character had an African accent (and the fact that the actor is of Nigerian descent made it a dead giveaway). The exact way in which it all went down wasn't obvious, and I certainly won't hate on an episode just for filling in stuff I could have already guessed (see The Other 48 Days), but I don't know, I guess I wanted to be a bit more surprised by this episode.

Some of the little things charmed me here, though. Jin introducing A-L to Sun and giving her the fish as apeace ofering was a nice gesture (though I'm calling B.S. if many of the other survivors don't act suspicious or nervous around A-L, given what happened with Shannon), and the Hurley/Libby moment was cute as well. I'm looking forward to Libby's back story, which I'm going to guess they'll withhold until late in the season, like they did with Hurley last year.

[AldaForPresident]

I liked last night's episode, although it wasn't as great as I might have hoped. That's SO not the whole device. I think it's just a sensory. No way they showed the whole thing to us already.

Eko's backstory was fairly interesting - I had been thinking he was a priest/pastor, but I didn't think of the drug plane connection at all. (Only, HOW DOES CLAIRE REMEMBER CHARLIE TOLD HER HE WAS A DRUG ADDICT AND NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE?) I was much more interested in the Michael/pseudo-Walt stuff, though. Why doesn't he get together everyone who's has a run-in with The Others (Sayid, Sawyer, Jin, Ana-Lucia, Libby, Eko, Danielle, Jack - either having heard the whispers or had direct contact with them) and resident tracker Locke and go look for them, instead of running off alone? Gah.

What the HELL is Jin doing introducing Sun to Ana and being all buddy-buddy with her?

During the preview for next week's episode, I was thinking "Ho-hum, Michael runs off to find Walt AGAIN, someone has to run off and catch him AGAIN," and then the "This is our island" line and I was very excited. Plus a Jack-centric episode and I love those because I love Jack.

Shut UP, Charlie.

I watched that stupid clip show, and had to sit through more of the love triangle from hell just for two minutes of stuff I missed, max. Where did hatch guy go? I guess he and Danielle are shacked up somewhere on the other side of the island.

[Brenden]

During the preview for next week's episode, I was thinking "Ho-hum, Michael runs off to find Walt AGAIN, someone has to run off and catch him AGAIN," and then the "This is our island" line and I was very excited. Plus a Jack-centric episode and I love those because I love Jack.

Actually, what's happening is the castaways are going to hunt down the others. Michael is going off with the group that will form the hunting party.

[AldaForPresident]

Actually, what's happening is the castaways are going to hunt down the others. Michael is going off with the group that will form the hunting party.

Ahh. I don't read spoilers and I only watched the teaser that one time, so I probably misinterpreted it.

If that's finally what they're doing, it's about damn time.

[AldaForPresident]

Just read that Lost won the Golden Globe for Best Drama. Yay for Lost! To celebrate, my five favorite episodes, in order:

1. Exodus (Part 1 & 2)
If I'm cheating...oh well. All of my favorite Lost moments are in these two episodes. First and foremost, Sawyer FINALLY telling Jack what Christian said in the bar. Also:  "Run, hide, or die", the Black Rock (finally), Artz blows up (...finally), the raft launches (finally), The Others (finally), Jack vs. Locke, the beautiful montage at the end, and even the stupid cliffhanger.

2. Pilot (Parts 1 & 2)
Once again, I might be cheating. I can't separate it, though. Obviously the pilot's what hooked me. Jack's eye, Vincent running through the jungle, the trippy camera move, and then the crash. All eighty-two minutes and thirty seconds:  pitch perfect.

3. Raised by Another
Creepy Lost at its very best. I love Creepy Lost. Great Claire flashbacks, and the backstory with her baby being the Mighty Destroyer of the World? I love it.

4. All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues
(Seemed appropriate to place it here.) I love all the Jack-centric episodes (and there's quite a few!) but this is my favorite. The hunt for Claire and Charlie and the Jack/Charlie/Kate scene are among my favorite elements. (Discovery of the hatch too!) Probably the only episode besides the pilot where I genuinely like Kate.

5. Numbers
Good old fun time Hurley isn't just good old fun time Hurley after all. I love how his backstory is one of the most crucial elements to the whole series. This episode also has some of the funniest moments. ("She says hey.") Also, I enjoy the Claire/Locke subplot.

[AldaForPresident]

(SPOILERS)
I LOVED this episode. The Others are my favorite big island mystery because they're so creepy. Combine an episode largely dealing with them and an episode dedicated to Jack, and it's almost the best. episode. ever.

I wanted Jack to let pirate Other dude kill Kate. Either that or have Jack, Sawyer, and Locke hand over their weapons, but have the Others kill her anyway. At this point my hatred for Kate consumes my hatred for Ana Lucia (to be fair, AL hasn't had much screentime lately). What does she want from Jack? She kills me. At this point, both Sawyer and Jack are way, WAY too good for her.

On a similar note, I've always hated Sarah for some reason, and now I know why. She's evil. Jack should've let her die on the operating table when he had the chance. I'd love to see that other guy, since she thinks she can do better than Matthew Fox. He must be something.

Also loved the Jack/Locke tension. As much as I love Jack, Locke made some excellent points when he was talking about how none of them had the right to tell Michael what he shouldn't do. And his sarcastic "No, Jack, I ran toward the sound of gunfire because I don't care about Michael" was great. That's Jack, though. That's who he is and even though every once in a while he needs to be taken down a couple notches, more often than not he's exactly right. (I wanted Locke to add, "And by the way, Jack, you have EXCELLENT taste in women." Seriously. Sarah. Kate. Ana Lucia.)

My personal favorite episode of the season (that I've seen!) so far. My words after the teaser:  "I wish it was next Wednesday."

[murlough23]

The irony? During the same week that Julie Bowen plays a character who breaks up with Matthew Fox, she plays another character who hooks up with Michael J. Fox on Boston Legal.

Interesting episode. Is it weird that I liked an episode about one of my least favorite characters (Jack) much more than one about one of my favorite characters (Eko)?

I'm really not looking forward to more Charlie-centric non-action next week...

[AldaForPresident]

I'm really not looking forward to more Charlie-centric non-action next week...

What bugs me is that last week's episode was sort of Charlie-centric too. No, he didn't get any flashbacks, but he got nearly as much screentime as Eko. I'm tired of Charlie. I was annoyed when he showed up last night too. Can't we get through ONE episode without Charlie?

I vote for another Claire/Mighty Destroyer of the World episode. Claire's only had one flashback! It's one of my favorite episodes, too. Claire is far more likeable than Kate or Ana Lucia; she needn't be put on the backburner.