LT351: Sundown - First Impressions

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

LT350: Strangers, Blondes, and Offspring

NUMBER 108

Wallace can have the meaning of “stranger”.

Henry Gale has the meaning “ruling stranger”.

Ben used the nickname Henry Gale which is sort of double play on words. We know that Ben wasn’t recruited as much as he volunteered for service. And if one wants to point out that Ben’s participation started when he was a child and healed at the Temple then even more we can point out that he wasn’t selected. Both time he was delivered by someone – his father to Dharma Docks and by Kate and Sawyer to Richard.

Yes, he is/was the ruler, but he was a stranger in that he was outside the normal group. I’m thinking Stranger in Strange Land especially since Heinlein has been referenced before.

So who then is the “outsider” coming now? I think this disqualifies Widmore. Could it be the young boy? I’m leaning that the boy being a young Jacob. Oh, here’s an idea: what if Smokey works only to keep the balance? Now that John Black is getting established, maybe Smokey now manifests who Jacob wants. Hmmm…

Ok, back to Stranger. The best candidate for this role seems to someone who was not really invited in, but stumbled onto the island. Or maybe I should say he crashed onto the island (just like the real Henry Gale did). Or maybe I could just say, “Welcome back Desmond!”


BLACK ROCK THOUGHTS

One of the earliest mysteries was how in the world it got so far inland? Some suggested a major storm and that is plausible. But wouldn’t it be easier if the Black Rock ship sunk and drifted down to settled on a sunken island!?!


THE BLONDE BOY

Jacob is a leading contender for this new character. But let’s not forget that Aaron has blonde hair and way back when it seemed he was going to have an important role.

Also consider how much that a) Claire doesn’t want him to return to the island evidence by her showing up in Aaron’s bedroom to say as much to Kate and b) how much Claire wants Aaron back in her arms. I don’t think we saw all that transpire in recent episodes without it coming full circle for the Shepherd family.


CRAZY THEORY OF THE WEEK

Imagine that Christian ends up being the Man in Black. We’ve seen Jacob travelling the globe, why not the Man in Black?

Now here’s the crazy part: Christian as the Man in Black had children: Jack, Claire and now a grandchild, Aaron.

Evidence #1: He has definitely been pushing Jack in the direction he wanted his son to go.

Evidence #2: The sort-official Missing Pieces has it all starting with Christian telling Vincent that his son has work to do.

Evidence #3: When Christian met Sawyer in that Australian bar he dipped his finger in the drink and tasted it…just like John Black did!

Evidence #4: When Christian was on the island he was very dead, but in that manifestation he said, “We need to bring the family back together.”

This then suggests that the big battle is over Jack. John Black already has Claire under his influence. And he is Christian already (according to this theory). Jack is the last piece of this game for John to get. Well, there is one more and that fits nicely into the stranger coming back…Aaron.

It would be a clincher if Aaron’s last name (or middle name?) was Wallace. Perhaps Claire’s mother remarried a Mr. Wallace along the way.

Hey, I entitled this section, “Crazy Theory”, for a reason!

Oh, one more related point: the Bible does have a verse that has preplexed scholars for years. It says, "That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose...There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."

So, it isn't completely out of question for the Man in Black to be of some "alien" nature and also have fathered children. Yeah, weird. To be fair, some scholars have noted that a certain people used to call themselves "sons of God" so maybe this is just a reference to those people integrating into another tribe of people. Who called themselves "sons of God"? Why the Egyptians, of course! And there is little debate that whoever these "sons of God" where, their offspring were a unique lot of folk being giants and all.

Isn't LOST great? It makes you think.

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Enjoy,
KC