Lost season four round-up (contains spoilers)
March 7th 2008 00:38
LOST reviews round up
Boy, aren’t I glad I stuck with this show until this point. It has not been an easy ride. There have been many times when I’ve bailed, then came back, then lost interest, then decided to give it another shot. Over the course of its four seasons, LOST has provided great moments, alongside periods of sheer frustration. The writers must find it a real challenge to balance the continuation of the mystery, with keeping the viewers from changing the channel. On the one hand, you have to keep the questions unanswered, because as soon as you answer them, the show is over. But on the other, you have to give the fanbase enough meat to chew on so that they don’t move on to something more accessible and immediate in its provision of gratification. See, LOST episodes are not really that entertaining on their own stand-alone merits. They are designed to be watched as part of a bigger picture, an intricate tapestry of events that will hopefully all make some degree of sense at the end (the way I see it, this show lives or dies based upon how well it turns out in the last episode. If it has a tacked on, X Files style last episode, then so many fans will feel cheated, and wonder why the hell they invested so much time in the programme).
The last few episodes in season four have assisted in somewhat restoring my faith in this show. I have actually enjoyed all of the previous three episodes quite a bit. And not even because they contribute to the main story arc. They have entertained me in their own right. ‘The Economist’, a Sayid showcase, was perhaps the best of the bunch. Sayid flashback episodes (or flashforwards, as was the case here) never fail to impress. He has always been one of my favourite characters on the show, and I have always thought he would make a much better leader than Jack Sheppard. Jack is paranoid, emotional, and foolhardy. Whereas Sayid is level-headed, smart, and cunning. He’d make a great leader. Even Locke or Desmond would be better, actually. (Isn’t it awfully convenient, though, that the crashed plane had among its passengers, a qualified surgeon in the form of Jack; an ex-military officer from the Republican Guard by the name of Sayid, who is skilled at communications, and reading maps; and a half spiritual guru, half nutjob hunter freak called Locke who just happened to bring along his large and extensive collection of hunting knives?)
It seems that after leaving the Island as a member of the Oceanic Six, Sayid (Naveen Andrews) has become a contract assassin working for ‘Other’, Ben Linus (Michael Emerson). How, and for what purpose remains unclear. It is a shame he had to kill off that chick, though, at the end of the episode, she was quite cute. Oh well. (I suppose he did not have much of a choice, because she had just shot him, and left the poor guy for dead)
‘Eggtown’ was an episode I went into with great apprehension and fear, for it constituted a Kate instalment. Episodes revolving around Miss Austen are often very hit and miss affairs. Kate (Evangeline Lilly) is not a particularly compelling or likeable character (murderer, fugitive, two timer between Jack and Sawyer, etc), apart from being hot, of course. But being hotteth doth not a great character make, unfortunately. This episode, therefore, presented me with something of a welcome surprise. It was a great episode. Full of conflict between the Losties on the island, and tension in the courtroom scenes back in civilisation, it seemed to have it all. I was glued to my seat for the whole hour. I was convinced at first that we were viewing events pre-island, when we were watching Kate’s trial. That is, until Jack showed up to testify in her defence.
I thought Kate’s references to ‘her son’ alluded to a child she discreetly had before the doomed flight on Oceanic 815. She did mention to Sun in season’s three’s ‘The Glass Ballerina’ that she had been pregnant before. But, I should have seen the (great) twist coming a mile off. The episode had Kate living with Claire (Emilie de Ravin) and the baby Aaron, and discussing motherhood, etc. They were obviously setting up the fact that in the future, Kate will somehow gain possession of Aaron. Which means that either a) Claire will stay behind on the island, and give custody of the child to Kate at some future point (whatever happened to Desmond’s prediction that ‘Claire must get off the island’?), b) Kate will STEAL Aaron, or c) Claire will die. I don’t particularly like Option b) or c), because Claire is one of my favourite female characters on the series, and I will be most unhappy if they kill the poor girl off. Besides, it renders Charlie’s sacrifice at the end of series three worthless and redundant (He died to save Claire). Still, the episode featured John Locke at his very best (putting a hand grenade in Miles’ mouth, pulling the pin, and saying ‘Enjoy your breakfast!’ CLASSIC! I love Locke). Very good hour of television, overall.
‘The Constant’, the most recent episode aired here in Australia, and a vehicle for Odysseus figure (and philosopher namesake) Desmond David Hume, was LOST at its very best. An excellent episode, and touchingly written and acted, it was perhaps one of the best episodes of the series thus far. It also confirms, once and for all, that this programme is, above all else, science fiction. Desmond is travelling through time between 1996 and the ‘present day’ events of 2004 , and he has to latch onto a ‘constant’, a thing or person he cares about, in both time periods, or he shall die. Desmond is a great character, a real literary allusion, in a way (his quest to return home to Penny is very reminiscent of Homer’s The Odyssey); and the scene when he finally makes contact, via satellite phone, with Penny, was a very sweet moment.
The show has not been great at doing romances. The Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle is very tedious by this point in the show’s run, and is written in a very contrived, forced manner, and seems to be designed only to give the ‘shipper’ fans something to write about in internet chat forums. The only relationships I’ve really liked in this show have been Desmond/Penny and Charlie/Claire. I think it was aptly demonstrated that Charlie really did love Aaron and Claire (well, I mean, how could you not love her? She’s clearly one of the most gorgeous women on the show), before his selfless sacrifice at the end of season three. It was really sweet. And so is the Desmond/Penny story. You really do want him to succeed, to get home to her. Part of this is because of the strength of actor Henry Ian Cusick’s performance as the character. He is very real, and very believable in the part, and definitely one of my favourite characters. ‘The Constant’ also featured a decent speaking role for Sayid, one of my other favourites, but his appearance was mainly to support Desmond’s character in the plot.
The island storyline was not furthered much (Locke, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, and a number of the other castaways did not even appear!), but it hardly mattered. Desmond’s flashback stories always keep me interested. Also, the episode featured the second LOST appearance of Aussie actor Alan Dale (formerly of soapie Neighbours, and who has gone on to guest star in loads of US genre programmes, including 24 and the movie Star Trek: Nemesis) as Penelope’s father, Charles Widmore. Thumbs very much up. If they can continue making episodes of the same quality of the last couple, we’re in for a great ride over the months to come.
Boy, aren’t I glad I stuck with this show until this point. It has not been an easy ride. There have been many times when I’ve bailed, then came back, then lost interest, then decided to give it another shot. Over the course of its four seasons, LOST has provided great moments, alongside periods of sheer frustration. The writers must find it a real challenge to balance the continuation of the mystery, with keeping the viewers from changing the channel. On the one hand, you have to keep the questions unanswered, because as soon as you answer them, the show is over. But on the other, you have to give the fanbase enough meat to chew on so that they don’t move on to something more accessible and immediate in its provision of gratification. See, LOST episodes are not really that entertaining on their own stand-alone merits. They are designed to be watched as part of a bigger picture, an intricate tapestry of events that will hopefully all make some degree of sense at the end (the way I see it, this show lives or dies based upon how well it turns out in the last episode. If it has a tacked on, X Files style last episode, then so many fans will feel cheated, and wonder why the hell they invested so much time in the programme).
The last few episodes in season four have assisted in somewhat restoring my faith in this show. I have actually enjoyed all of the previous three episodes quite a bit. And not even because they contribute to the main story arc. They have entertained me in their own right. ‘The Economist’, a Sayid showcase, was perhaps the best of the bunch. Sayid flashback episodes (or flashforwards, as was the case here) never fail to impress. He has always been one of my favourite characters on the show, and I have always thought he would make a much better leader than Jack Sheppard. Jack is paranoid, emotional, and foolhardy. Whereas Sayid is level-headed, smart, and cunning. He’d make a great leader. Even Locke or Desmond would be better, actually. (Isn’t it awfully convenient, though, that the crashed plane had among its passengers, a qualified surgeon in the form of Jack; an ex-military officer from the Republican Guard by the name of Sayid, who is skilled at communications, and reading maps; and a half spiritual guru, half nutjob hunter freak called Locke who just happened to bring along his large and extensive collection of hunting knives?)
It seems that after leaving the Island as a member of the Oceanic Six, Sayid (Naveen Andrews) has become a contract assassin working for ‘Other’, Ben Linus (Michael Emerson). How, and for what purpose remains unclear. It is a shame he had to kill off that chick, though, at the end of the episode, she was quite cute. Oh well. (I suppose he did not have much of a choice, because she had just shot him, and left the poor guy for dead)
‘Eggtown’ was an episode I went into with great apprehension and fear, for it constituted a Kate instalment. Episodes revolving around Miss Austen are often very hit and miss affairs. Kate (Evangeline Lilly) is not a particularly compelling or likeable character (murderer, fugitive, two timer between Jack and Sawyer, etc), apart from being hot, of course. But being hotteth doth not a great character make, unfortunately. This episode, therefore, presented me with something of a welcome surprise. It was a great episode. Full of conflict between the Losties on the island, and tension in the courtroom scenes back in civilisation, it seemed to have it all. I was glued to my seat for the whole hour. I was convinced at first that we were viewing events pre-island, when we were watching Kate’s trial. That is, until Jack showed up to testify in her defence.
I thought Kate’s references to ‘her son’ alluded to a child she discreetly had before the doomed flight on Oceanic 815. She did mention to Sun in season’s three’s ‘The Glass Ballerina’ that she had been pregnant before. But, I should have seen the (great) twist coming a mile off. The episode had Kate living with Claire (Emilie de Ravin) and the baby Aaron, and discussing motherhood, etc. They were obviously setting up the fact that in the future, Kate will somehow gain possession of Aaron. Which means that either a) Claire will stay behind on the island, and give custody of the child to Kate at some future point (whatever happened to Desmond’s prediction that ‘Claire must get off the island’?), b) Kate will STEAL Aaron, or c) Claire will die. I don’t particularly like Option b) or c), because Claire is one of my favourite female characters on the series, and I will be most unhappy if they kill the poor girl off. Besides, it renders Charlie’s sacrifice at the end of series three worthless and redundant (He died to save Claire). Still, the episode featured John Locke at his very best (putting a hand grenade in Miles’ mouth, pulling the pin, and saying ‘Enjoy your breakfast!’ CLASSIC! I love Locke). Very good hour of television, overall.
‘The Constant’, the most recent episode aired here in Australia, and a vehicle for Odysseus figure (and philosopher namesake) Desmond David Hume, was LOST at its very best. An excellent episode, and touchingly written and acted, it was perhaps one of the best episodes of the series thus far. It also confirms, once and for all, that this programme is, above all else, science fiction. Desmond is travelling through time between 1996 and the ‘present day’ events of 2004 , and he has to latch onto a ‘constant’, a thing or person he cares about, in both time periods, or he shall die. Desmond is a great character, a real literary allusion, in a way (his quest to return home to Penny is very reminiscent of Homer’s The Odyssey); and the scene when he finally makes contact, via satellite phone, with Penny, was a very sweet moment.
The show has not been great at doing romances. The Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle is very tedious by this point in the show’s run, and is written in a very contrived, forced manner, and seems to be designed only to give the ‘shipper’ fans something to write about in internet chat forums. The only relationships I’ve really liked in this show have been Desmond/Penny and Charlie/Claire. I think it was aptly demonstrated that Charlie really did love Aaron and Claire (well, I mean, how could you not love her? She’s clearly one of the most gorgeous women on the show), before his selfless sacrifice at the end of season three. It was really sweet. And so is the Desmond/Penny story. You really do want him to succeed, to get home to her. Part of this is because of the strength of actor Henry Ian Cusick’s performance as the character. He is very real, and very believable in the part, and definitely one of my favourite characters. ‘The Constant’ also featured a decent speaking role for Sayid, one of my other favourites, but his appearance was mainly to support Desmond’s character in the plot.
The island storyline was not furthered much (Locke, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, and a number of the other castaways did not even appear!), but it hardly mattered. Desmond’s flashback stories always keep me interested. Also, the episode featured the second LOST appearance of Aussie actor Alan Dale (formerly of soapie Neighbours, and who has gone on to guest star in loads of US genre programmes, including 24 and the movie Star Trek: Nemesis) as Penelope’s father, Charles Widmore. Thumbs very much up. If they can continue making episodes of the same quality of the last couple, we’re in for a great ride over the months to come.
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