OFF THE RIM
Flipped on the television at the scheduled time only to find a basketball game had bumped LOST from its time slot. ARGH!
Further punished because the game went into overtime. DOUBLE ARGH!
So this episode, Sundown, created a mood for me that was similar to the fans at the game who sat and watched shot after shot clank off the rim - foul. I don't even care for the 70's song that shares this show's title! But finally, it came on and we settled in for another brain massage.
OVER THE TOP
It has been explained to me that some people watch movies and shows merely to be entertained. But I like movies and shows that make me think. For examples we can consider Die Hard versus The Matrix.
Last night's show was more Die Hard and a bit over the top for me.
The fight scene with Dogan and Sayid was "cool", but what purpose did it serve? Was there really an intention from Dogan to kill Sayid?
Will the LOST producers have to apologize for stereotyping Asians as martial arts experts? Seriously, where did this bank middle manager, family man attending piano recitals, suffering from a loss of a child guy pick up martial arts? If we wanted to be picky one might wonder why an interrogator from Iraq learned such excellent hand-to-hand combat? Yes, it was nice eye candy, but provided little after the initial sugar buzz wore off.
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In similar fashion the raid of Smokey on the Temple was cool. But it was over the top and I'm left wondering what purpose it served to show that much CGI graphics on a show that promised from the start to only use plausible scientific theories as its basis. Hmmm....
FOCUS THE SPOTLIGHT
On the mental side of the equation I did like the spotlight being focuse on the concept of free will versus predestination. Most will agree with me that when a supernatural being is pushing events a certain way, us mere humans lose a lot of ou free will.
We learned Jacob probably allowed or did kill Dogan's son in order to force him into a deal with the angel.
Then half of the Temple Dwellers, and Sayid were "forced" into a deal with the devil.
As Rush sang:
All the world's indeed a stage
And we are merely players
Performers and portrayers
Each another's audience
Outside the gilded cage.
So true with LOST last night.
REDEFINE GOOD
This week LOST took the word "good" and completely redefined it. It seems "good" is evidenced by your willingness to kill evil. Oh really?
Now maybe that wasn't the new definition as Sayid was put to the test with that knife, but it was protrayed that way. I'm reminded of John being asked to kill his father, Cooper...again, as a test of his goodness since daddy was an evil man. Really?
Most people would agree that killing is allowed in war and self-defense (even though these compromises really make you gut check your core values). But stabbing even before one speaks? Seems a little situational ethics to me.
GRADE
C-
Maybe I've over analyzed this episode. And I'm way too far into this story to back off now. But if this was aired in Season 2 or 3, I might have been watching Biggest Loser last night instead of LOST.
It just served as a reminder as to why this God and Devil stuff that humanity has chained itself too over the centuries makes me mad. We have all had a time when we raise our fist to the air and said, "Why God?!" This episode reminded of those times when we learned a good god offered a Pet-Cemetary-like resurrection of a child in exchange for a life of penance. And then the same deal is extended to Sayid it seems.
So my displeasure is probably more due to my deeply-rooted guilt complex than anything else!
Well, that and the fact that once again LOST left me with more questions than answers like:
* What's up with that line of ash that John Black can't cross?
* Why was John able to cross it eventually?
* Why is Claire so messed up?
* Whose really dead and whose not?
* Why a special knife to kill John?
* Why is Claire mad that Kate cared for Aaron?
* Why is Kate alive after giving Claire a chance to kill her if she is so upset about Aaron?
* Why can't Smokey sense Kate was in the pit?
* Why can't Smokey go through walls?
* Why didn't someone else kill Kate since she joined Locke without making a choice?
* Why didn't Sayid kill Ben?
* Why is Jin in the storage locker?
* What is the full meaning behind the "scales of good and evil"?
* Why did the Others so quickly abandon their cause?
* Why did the death of Dogan allow Smokey access into the Temple?
* What isn't Miles noticing who is the living dead with his gift?
* Where is God through all of this?
* Why was it too late if John spoke first?
* What is Sawyer doing with his time in the cave?
* Is Hurley complaining about being hungry?
* What is the significance of sundown?
Be sure to check back on TIDBITS for some proposed answers. And hopefully we won't have to wait for the final buzzer to sound before getting some getting some answers.
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Enjoy,
KC
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4 comments:
Dogen's son isn't dead. He was hurt in the car accident. Jacob gave Dogen the choice of coming to the island & having his son survive, but never seeing him again, or not coming to the island & having his son potentially die from his injuries.
JC
KC, this note is just for you. I am from Iowa also and the Iowa State games are annoying for a person who doesn't care about watching them. The week the President was on he pre-empted the basketball game. But fear not, the station broadcasted the game on 5.2. I don't know why they can't do that all the time and leave the regular programs alone. This is the first time a show was shown in it's entirety. Usually we miss part of the episode. But I don't think ABC was going to let that happen to LOST. Also wanted to say I enjoy your columns.
I start losing faith in the series and especially in the writers' ability to be consistent. People surround themselves with ash to avoid smoke monster but when it invades the temple nobody thinks of using ash. One episode we're learning that it can't enter the temple and now we see it eventually in. There is no single explanation how did he/it manage to get inside.
Add one more to your series of questions. If the sonic fence did such a great job keeping the smoke monster out then why didn't they ask Dharma to build one around the temple. And now that I think
of it, we saw at one point Linus summoning the monster when the village was invaded by Wildmore's mercenaries. So what's the point been able to summon something you go to such lengths to keep out of the way?
Overall I'm afraid that the finale would be an utter disappointment.
Ben says...
I totally agree with your critique of the last show. There were so many goddamn holes in it...the fight scene left me yawning, which only ends because a baseball falls. Where is Sawyer, whatever happened to Jack's dad? why did the others allow Claire to leave after testing her?
It left me nearly as pissed as when they added time-travel into the mix.
Oh, and will Dogan (and Lennon) revive after drowning in that spring like Sayid?
And to take a step back, we still don't have an answer as to why babies cant be born on the island.
I'd give it a straight C, per the killing scene deserves some credit, but what does smokey plan on doing with the surviving Others? Its not like he needs them.
Your company in frustration,
-Ben
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