fairy tales a go-go

I stopped watching the fantasy fairy tale mash-up Once Upon a Time pretty early into its second season last fall as I was simply bored. But the kid likes it, so we thought we'd give it a try and watch the first episode of the third season last night. As much as I like Robert Carlyle as Rumpelstiltskin, I have to say that once again, Once Upon a Time failed to thrill. Lots and lots of whining and haranguing, and very little action or magic. That's OK, it's not like I really need to watch another serial-story television show.

During one of the commercial breaks a promo for its spin-off, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, aired. Even more fractured fairytales seemed like way too much of a not-so-great thing when I first heard about the new show, but then I caught a glimpse of Lost's Naveen Andrews. Damn. And apparently Iggy Pop (at least in voice) is also involved. I guess I'm stuck with at least checking out a few of the episodes.

cumberbatch into darkness

Warning: spoilers abound, for those of you who haven't already guessed, viewed, or Googled Benedict Cumberbatch's true identity in the film.

J.J. Abrams's second entry in his rebooted Star Trek franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness, warped into theaters last week and did pretty well — over $164 million worldwide earned at the box office so far. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), and the rest of the gang were back, but there's no denying that what made Star Trek even more fun and fascinating this time around was the arch-villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Abrams & Co. are undoubtedly big fans of the original series and its subsequent films, as there were many shout-outs to fans peppered throughout the film.

Cumberbatch made a swell villain, and the film-mmakers definitely wanted to tweak the fans by revealing him to be ... Khan, but ... by making him Khan they have really messed with what had come before, both in the original series episode, "Space Seed," and the film, Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan with Ricardo Montalban playing the Indian Sikh super-warrior Khan Noonien Singh. It is undeniable that as gorgeous and kick-ass as Cumberbatch may look on the widescreen, he is quite the pale fellow. Khan's ethnicity and the series' historic nod to Genghis Khan went right out the window. Reportedly Benicio Del Toro was originally slated for the role, but Cumberbatch was great, one of the best things about the movie.

A super-man who can take out an entire army of Klingons? Yes, please!

Spock and Kirk work on their relationship

Uhura is not only fluent in Klingon, but can save her man at the end of the day

Having Kirk go into a radiation tube so that Zachary Quinto could yell, "KHAN!!!" after his friend had seemingly died, and then go after him for revenge was a nice switch. A cameo from original Spock Leonard Nimoy was also fun, although it smacked of not only deus ex machina, but that wacky LOST sideways universe, which is not necessarily a good thing.

Dr. Carol Marcus, (of Genesis project fame) played by Alice Eve, made an appearance, mostly so that we could see her in her underwear. Oddly, bra and panty design doesn't seem to have changed or improved much in the future. How a British-accented lassie could be the daughter of the very American Admiral Marcus, played by Peter Weller is anybody's guess.

There were definitely some great set-pieces:

The opening sequence on the planet Nibiru, was visually stunning and exciting, as Spock tried to save a primitive civilisation from an about-to-erupt volcano, while Kirk as usual, broke every rule in the book to save him from being blown up with the volcano.

The banter between Kirk and Spock, Kirk and Scotty (a very funny Simon Pegg), Spock and Uhura, Kirk and Khan — all great stuff. The relationships, as always, are the heart of these movies. The CGI pyrotechnics are just window dressing.

Kirk and Khan teaming up (temporarily) and hurtling through space together, to save the Enterprise and its crew was a great sequence.

The overall experience of watching the film was a fun one, but Star Trek Into Darkness was one of the noisiest damn movies ever. So many things exploding in space, with tons of gray metal junk flying all over the place. Whatever happened to no one being able to hear you scream in space? There will undoubtedly be a sequel, although which aspect of the Star Trek legacy the filmmakers will choose to plunder next time around remains uncertain. The fate of Khan and his companions wasn't left ambiguous enough to really register as clever, or a twist in storytelling. I wouldn't mind at all seeing Cumberbatch again, but is that really a story that needs to be (re) told?

gratuitous violence

I was only able to make it through the opening scene in Watchmen on-demand last night and half of the opening credits before I had to turn it off. My first thought was, "I must just be over gratuitous violence in movies." But that's not completely true. I really enjoyed Wanted, and its crazy over-the-top slo-mo bullet action. And not just because it featured my favorite kick-ass actress Angelina Jolie (I love what that girl stands for, and if by that your gossipy mind immediately leapt to husband-stealing then you've got to stop visiting those sites and think about other things.) I liked Wanted because it's silly plot was as twist-and-turny as its super bullets. It was fun.

I'm not squeamish, but I definitely had no use for the look and feel of Watchmen. The first few moments I thought, "Here we go again. I've seen this scene more times than I care to count." That may not be fair, may not be giving the movie a chance, but that's the instant decision culture I live in, so too bad. I had another thought—maybe I just wanted my violence a bit more in-the-world. The pilot of LOST is still some of the most riveting television I have ever seen. And quite violent. But not just a gratuitous body count. We've all been on a plane, made our silent prayers against crashing before take-off (at least I know I have.) Watching the survivors of flight 815 try to piece their lives together in the aftermath of the crash on that strange Island, coupled with the spooky, smoky, sci-fi elements—I was in heaven. But there were also plenty of avert-your-eyes moments. That wasn't Gilligan's island.

This is how I like my gratuitous violence. "Tis but a scratch."

The procedural shows that my mom likes to watch—CSI NY, Bones, The Closer, The Mentalist—I guess are the cream of a too-large television crop. A crop of shows with violence and death at the center of every episode, graphically depicted. Apart from Bones, however, I wouldn't seek them out. Kyra Sedgwick and Simon Baker at least use personality to drive their shows, rather than the CSI "how gory can we get the corpses of the week" template. I really hate the CSI franchise, can you tell? I'm sorry, Gary Sinise, I still love you and I'm sure you've got to get the kids through college. But I won't watch your show.


I guess like anything, gratuitous violence in television and film is a matter is taste. You would never see me at any of the Saw or similar gore-fests. I wasn't a Friday the 13th fan either. But I do love horror films and mystery novels, if the deaths are done "right." If they add meaning to the plot. If there is a plot. Substance as well as style. Watchmen styled me right out the door, and fast. It also didn't help its chances any when the HBO caveat of "violence, adult subject matter and rape" were listed as content before the movie started. It's unusual to see rape highlighted in that fashion. It's not exactly a selling point.

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lost . . . the end

I like the ad that ran before the finale with the running boar for barbecue sauce . . .

So here we are back on LOST Island, for the final time, The End. It's sad and wonderful and I'm going to miss wondering what will happen next to this group of people, and I'm crying more than teary-eyed Jack ever did, but here we go. Answers are coming.

Island Desmond has caught a glimpse of the Sideways world, the only Lostie in the Island world who has (except perhaps Juliette). This is why he can be so calm in the face of Smokey. He thinks he has seen a better world. He isn't afraid to die. He's the embodiment of an enlightened soul. Sideways Desmond has the whole story. He wants to gather all the Losties and go "home."  It is significant that Sideways Jack can attempt to "fix" Locke, but he can't keep his appointments to pick up Christian's coffin or get to his son's concert. He is in a fog, unable to awaken his Sideways self, no matter how often that cut on his neck bleeds. Christian's coffin finally reaching its final destination mirrors Locke's coffin returning to the Island.

Sideways Hurley, who remembers everything and has joined Desmond in the job of shepherd, is beyond happy to see Charlie. But that doesn't stop him from knock-out-darting the bratty rock star and kidnapping him to make sure he gets to the concert.

Juliette, Jack's ex (big duh) gives Sun a sonogram which jolts Jin and Sun back to the future, complete with English speech mastery. Everyone's awakening is a happy thing, even the ones who have died on the Island. It also seems that people who are still alive on the Island (Desmond, Hurley, Kate) are good at awakening and guiding their friends who died in another life, brotha.

On the Island, Jack wants to "Shephard" the remaining Losties to the golden heart of the Island, to kill Smokey. Sawyer sets off on his own to find Desmond. Hurley rightly says, "I've got a bad feeling about this." These Losties still haven't learned that it's no good when the tribe splits up? Sonofabitch!




Kate tries to reach Jack, who is now all about his purpose, tries to convince him there's more to his future than just the Island, "Nothing is irreversible." Hurley brushes past them, "This would be so sweet if we weren't about to die." On the Island Jack and Hurley know why they're there. Kate is still finding her way.

Sawyer spies on Smokey, is caught by Ben, but quickly turns the tables on his captor. For a moment I thought Sawyer was going to tell them he was the new Jacob. Guess he's done conning. Elsewhere in the jungle there is . . . Vincent! Rose! Bernard! Taking care of Desmond, until Smokey shows up. This is a total shout-out to the fans, who have been whining "Where's Vincent?" forever. And seeing how Rose and Bernard are faring is a nice way to tie up their story as well. Any second now we're going to hear someone yell, "WAAALLLTTT!!!" Just kidding. I really hope not.

Richard gets his first gray hair. Jacob's final disappearance from the Island must have released him from his "gift." He and Miles are derailed from their plan to blow up the Ajira plane by . . . Lapidus! "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a pilot." They run across Claire, who still seems a bit bonkers, and doesn't want to go home with Miles & Co. For a moment I was afraid that newly mortal Richard would get blown away, but Claire isn't that crazy. So glad that "Chesty" made it. And can fly whoever is left off this rock.

Jack and Smokey have a killer exchange about Jack being the new Jacob. Smokey, disappointed,  "You're sort of the obvious choice." Jack, "I want to go with you [to the heart of the Island]." Smokey, "Why?" Jack, "Because you think you're going to destroy the Island I've sworn to protect. But I'm going to kill you." Smokey, "How are you going to do that?" Jack, "It's a surprise." Jack, do you know how much I LOVE you right now?

Hurley, full of love and faith, as always, "Jack, I believe in you, dude." Jack and Desmond set off with Locke towards the Island's heart. Desmond tries to convince Jack, "This doesn't matter, you know." He tries to show Jack a glimpse of the other world, much like his counterpart is doing to the Losties Sideways. Island Desmond may not have the whole picture. But Jack is past all that, past his own future. He has his purpose and he knows the cost. "What happened, happened."

When they reach the golden grotto and lower Desmond down a waterfall shaft on a rope, Smokey tries to bring back memories of Locke, Desmond and the Hatch with Jack, who doesn't let him blow smoke. Jack can see Smokey clearly and isn't fooled by the face of Locke that he wears. Can Smokey not go all smoke anymore? He seems pretty contained. But Smokey is right, it is an apt comparison. The pair stare over a waterfall, much like they stared down into the mysterious Hatch. But there is no air of mystery this time, just foreboding.

Desmond sees the eye of the Island and it's beautiful. And hurts like hell. His nose bleeds, he pulls out the "cork," and it all goes dark. And then red. Jack and Smokey hear his screams. "Looks like you were wrong, Jack." Jack follows him out of the cave and wallops Smokey until he . . .  bleeds. "Looks like you were wrong, too." Smokey can be killed. He's mortal again.

Sideways, everything is progressing. Hurley, the love doctor, tells Sayid not to let others tell him who he is as they drive up to an alley, where Sayid finds Shannon, love, and reawakening. Boone is already enlightened. All is going according to plan, but what exactly is the plan?

Juliette, Claire and David arrive at the concert. Charlotte tries to rouse Charlie and has a moment with Daniel (one of clarity?) Desmond seats Claire and Kate at the same table. Pierre Chang (not the puppet) introduces the musical act. Charlie sees Claire from onstage, who looks up and starts to have birth pangs. Kate, you better help her birth that bay-bay!

Kate is amazing with Claire again and they both flash to the Island. Charlie brings a blanket and Claire's touch brings him to his Island senses. Their lives may be a bit better Sideways, but they've been in a fog. Desmond checks in to see that all is as it should be. "Do you understand?" Kate, "I know."




Back on the Island Ben saves Hurley from a falling tree but gets pinned beneath it himself. The Island is covered in a downpour as Lapidus, Richard and Miles continue to get the plane flight-worthy and Kate, Sawyer and Hurley try to free Ben, who tells them that Smokey has a boat. Jack, meanwhile, is hell-bent on killing Smokey, who he now knows is mortal, and chases him to Jacob's cave with the numbers. I'm worried that Jack will not make it out of this. Smokey stabs Jack. "I want you to know that you did it all for nothing." Kate arrives and shoots Smokey, "I saved you a bullet." Smokey tells her, "You're too late." Jack kicks him over the side of the cliff. Adieu, Smoke Monster.

Kate, "Locke's dead. It's over." The Island is still shaking and rumbling. Sawyer, "Sure don't feel like it's over." Ben tosses the walkie talkie to Sawyer. Jack and Sawyer shake hands, finally make amends. Kate and Jack kiss goodbye. Ben, "If the Island's going down, I'm going down with it," and Hurley, "I'm with you, dude," go with Jack to try and re-cork the Island. Sawyer and Kate take a leap of faith off the side of a cliff into the sea.




In the hospital, Locke is awake, tells Jack, "It worked." Is he talking about the end of Smokey? "I can feel my legs." He flashes back to the Island. "Did you see that? We need to go." Jack has a momentary flash, but blocks it, says he needs to go see his son. "You don't have a son, Jack. I hope that somebody does for you what you just did for me." Locke is on the path.

Detective Sawyer sees Sun and Jin in the hospital. Jin is amused that he is a "cop" and overjoyed to see him, "We'll see you there." "See me where?" Sawyer sees Jack in the hospital, but also runs into Juliette. A minor power outage and a candy bar gives them their flash of recognition, complete with Juliette falling down the shaft. "We should get coffee sometime." Fans everywhere sigh with satisfaction.

The good doctor has arrived late to the concert. Who is going to shake Jack out of his Island denial rut? Kate, of course. Kate walks up to him, "It's over [the concert]." She admits to stealing his pen on the plane.  He still has no flash. "I've missed you so much, Jack." Jack, per usual, is such a hard-head, tries to block what's happening. "If you come with me, you will understand."




Jack is so going to die on the Island. He touches Hurley. "Hurley, I believe in you." Jack transfers Island protectorship while Ben looks on in awe, jealousy? But Ben gives Jack an Oceanic 815 water bottle to perform the ritual. Awesome. dude. Hurley takes a sip, "Is that it?" Jack smiles, "Now you're like me."

Jack crawls down into the cave to find Desmond, who thinks it didn't work, "You were right, Jack." Jack laughs, "There's a first time for everything." He tells Desmond/Odysseus to go home, find Penny. "What about you, Jack?" "I'll see you in another life, brother."

Kate and Sawyer find Clare while chunks of the Island fall into the sea. Sawyer, economic with his phrases as always, "That ain't good." Lapidus is trying to take off, until he sees them running towards them on the runway. "We've got some late arrivals." Miles is happily sarcastic to see Sawyer, "Way to wait until the last second." Frank gets them in the air. Sawyer looks a little airsick.

Jack manages to get the giant stone cork back in the eye of the Island, which seems to stop all the crazy earthquakeyness. Water flows again and the light comes back. Ben and Hurley pull up on the rope, rescuing Desmond, thinking it will be Jack. Hurley, full of grace, asks Ben to help him take care of the Island.

Jack is done, but seems happy, down in the water, down in the light. Neither he nor Desmond became smoke monsters when confronted with the Island's source. Desmond because of his special magnetic properties and Jack because his purpose was true, full of love.




Sideways, outside a church,  Hurley tells Ben, "You were a great number two." Ben smiles and answers, "And you were a great number one, Hugo." But he doesn't go in with Hurley, who doesn't prod him. Kate and Jack drive up. "This is where you're going to have your father's funeral."

Jack goes in the back entrance of the church. He touches the casket and his Island life is revealed.  The casket is empty, but Christian is there. Jack, "You died. How are you here right now?" Christian, "How are you here?" Jack, "I died too." He starts to cry, as do I and I suspect everyone else who's watching. "It's OK son." Jack doesn't quite understand. (You're not alone Jack.) He doesn't believe that Kate died. So why is everyone out there, in the church? What is this place? Christian is full of love and answers for his son. "This is a place you all made together so that you could find one another. The most important part of your life is the time you spent with these people. I was here before you, you are here before some of them."

Sideways is a place beyond time, heaven's waiting room. Jack can be in the room with Kate even though he died long before she did or will. The Sideways world was a house of mirrors, a "better" world of their own creation, without the Island, Jacob or their real, pre-Island lives. It's a way station, where the Losties could always find one another before they were ready to cross over. But after they died  and went Sideways, they couldn't or wouldn't remember their time on Earth, on the Island. Desmond, the constant, woke them up to their lives, to their love for one another. Jack embraces his father (closure!) and then enters the church to embrace his friends. Everyone is there, except Ben, who isn't ready to cross over, who believes he must stay in purgatory.

Island Jack wakes up downstream, in a similar spot to where Jacob found his brother. He is no longer the protector. He heads back to the bamboo grove, where his Island adventure began. Thank goodness for Vincent, who approaches and snuggles up to Jack so he doesn't have to die alone . . . Sniff. Jacks stares up at the sky and watches the plane, carrying his friends home, to safety, fly overhead. Perfect symmetry, as his eye closes.

So where does that leave the adventure that was LOST? What did they die for? Major themes—the Island as source of life, religion, faith needing to be protected—these people were thrown into life and death struggles to accomplish that. Science versus faith. Choice versus destiny. The possibility of redemption—for all of the Losties—but shown most completely through the character of Jack. There were many other underlying themes in this rich and complicated tale—parenting issues, the fact that they were all killers, the power of love across time and space. Rich and varied storytelling.

There are also, of course, some unanswered questions—if new Jacob Hurley and new Richard Ben stayed to protect the Island, who took over after them? Did they select candidates, like Jacob did, or I suspect, let someone freely choose the job? Let whatever happen happen? I'm sure Hurley was a better protector than Jacob. The Island is undoubtedly safe, constant, not underwater. It just seemed underwater to the Sideways Losties because it was buried in their subconscious and had to be awakened. The Island is still important, the most important thing that they have ever done together, besides love one another. It was the catalyst, even more than Jacob, to discover their love for each other.

My kid was sick with  a tummy ache most of the evening, so I felt like I was missing some of the details and will have to watch the finale again. As well, I'm sure, the entire series. But I suspect that LOST won't be crystal clear on second viewing. Like most good art, good novels, LOST is something to contemplate, to interpret. Not everyone will agree on what it all means.

To paraphrase Kate, I'm going to miss you so much, Jack. And all the rest . . .

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lost love

After watching the pilot last night I was reminded about how great it was and how many clues to the course of the series were planted: black & white, the smoke monster (which sounded just like 815 breaking apart), levels of trust and communication issues with the Losties.

Some of my favorite LOST moments are in the pilot, and got me thinking about great moments throughout the series:

• Charlie's ominous question after they hear Rousseau's transmission, "Guys, where are we?"
• Mr. Eko face to face with the smoke monster.

• Desmond and Penny, on the phone, declaring their eternal love for one another.
• Ben, still posing as Henry Gale in the Hatch, manipulating Jack and Locke while asking for milk. "I guess it's a good thing I'm not one of them, huh? You guys got any milk?"
• Sawyer, cracking wise and wonderful.
• Hurley & Co. driving the Dharma van on the road to Shambala.
• Desmond in the hatch waking up, exercising, self-injecting, to the hits of the 70s.
• Jack and Desmond on the stadium bleachers.
• Jacob and the MIB on the beach, when we first see them.
• Locke, when he learns he can't go on his walkabout. "Don't tell me what I can't do!"
• Sayid, by the magic pool, looking eerily at Ben and saying that it is too late for him.
• Richard communicating with his dead wife with Hurley's help.

There are so many more, but these are a good start and a reason to watch the whole damn thing again.

So Dharma radio silence until the finale has been watched and digested. I'll probably have to check out the Jimmy Kimmel special on the web later this week. The internets are abuzz with LOST-related end-of-an-era activity. Here are some fun links, but mostly tonight I'll be glued to the set, with a box of Kleenex close-by, just in case.

• Finale drinking game, via Flavorpill
• Michael Emerson being creepy with ordinary phrases, via Buzzfeed
• Auditions & kittehs, via Pajiba

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lost weekend

And so the marathon begins. It's truly a LOST weekend. I'm looking forward to re-watching the pilot tonight, some of the best television I've seen in a long time. It goes without saying that tomorrow will be bitter and sweet.

This video also illustrates how pleasant it has been to get lost on the Island . . .

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lost . . . what they died for

This LOST episode was all about people being led towards something, either known or unknown. The end, I'm afraid.

On the Island, Jack tells the surviving candidates that they need to find Desmond. As Jack sews up Kate's gunshot wound, nicely mirroring Kate sewing him up in season one, Kate expresses how pissed she is that Ji Yeon's now an orphan. "Locke did this to them. We have to kill him, Jack." "I know." Kate is still a mother first, by instinct. Sawyer watches the flotsam and jetsam wash up on the shore from the sunken submarine. Four candidates left, staring out at sea. Jack tells them they have to find Desmond. Sawyer is the first to follow him, guilt-stricken that he may have been responsible for the deaths of his friends.

Sideways, Desmond is herding the Losties back towards the Island. Jack's eye opens, another beautiful morning.  He checks himself out in the bathroom mirror and the cut on his neck is bleeding again. Is the Island reality literally bleeding through to the Sideways world? He and his son David and his sister Claire all seem as happy as clams at the breakfast table. So far, if Jack is having any flashes of his Island existence, he is suppressing them.

The phone rings, they've found Christian's coffin, but it's not flight 815 calling Jack, it's Desmond! I thought for sure that on the Island Jack & Co. would find Desmond and we would get to hear what his role would be, but Desmond on the Island remains elusive. Can he really be two places at once anymore? Maybe he is now the Island's constant. He is working overtime to get the Sideways Losties where they belong, back on the Island. First by stalking Locke. "Dr. Linus" sees him, in his car, revving the engine, and is about to call the cops when Desmond literally slaps Ben back to Island reality. Ben not only sees glimpses of his Island life, but believes Desmond when he tells him he's not trying to hurt Locke, but to "Help him let go."



Desmond then heads to the police station, asking to see the world's coolest cop team, Sawyer and Miles. He admits to the Locke hit-and-run and to his latest Sideways crime, beating up Ben. All to get into a cage with Sayid and Kate. Kate tries to work her magic on Sawyer, but he takes the high road. As the criminal trio are loaded into a van, presumably on their way to a larger lock-up, preternaturally calm Desmond tells them, "I think it's time to leave. Do want to get out of here or not? I'm going to set you free. I'm going to ask each of you to do something. Do you promise?" Sayid signs onto his as-yet-unrevealed plan without a thought (a touch of zombie here too?) Kate is more skeptical, but decides to go along with him. The van stops suddenly and the door opens to reveal Ana Lucia, a crooked cop, there for a pay-off to set them free. Desmond's friend with the pay-off cash-in-hand is of course . . . Hurley. Hurley asks him about Ana Lucia, "She's not coming with us?" Desmond replies, "She's not ready yet." Naturally Hurley, who was the first to follow Jacob, would also be the first to not only sign on to whatever Desmond is planning, but to instinctively know it's the right thing to do. Desmond hands Kate a fancy dress and tells her they're going to a concert. I don't think it's Drive Shaft, but Jack's kid's recital. David's mom is supposed to be there too, and we all already know who that is, right? (Jul - cough, cough - iet)

Locke shows up at Jack's office. He's connecting all the Sideways dots. "Maybe this is happening for a reason." Jack isn't interested in the mystical connections, but he's more than thrilled that Locke is willing to let him "fix" him. Maybe you guys have time to fit in a concert before surgery?

On the Island, Ben is leading Richard and Miles toward explosives. But does Desmond's Sideways Ben-slapping also slap some of the scheming, power-mad Ben back into Dr. Linus? Because in the Island reality, Ben is leading the cavalry of himself, Miles, and Richard back to the Dharma/Others village, towards Ben's "secret room." Brings back some creepy memories of Locke cooking eggs in Ben's kitchen . . . As they cross the white picket fence, Miles gets vibes from Ben's daughter Alex. Richard admits to burying her body after Ben left. "Thank you Richard." They go to Ben's house and the secret passages are all still intact. He opens up a safe and . . . oh no, not more C-4. And not in a backpack. Not a good idea. They hear noises from the kitchen. The trio investigates. It's Zoe—just shoot her! But Ben is gobsmacked at the sight of her boss, Widmore. Almost as much as he is Sideways by . . . Rousseau! It's a love connection. Rousseau tells him that Alex considers him the father she never had, which chokes him up. Sideways is the land of the good fathers.

Ben should channel his good side. He's going to need it back on the Island. Widmore tells them in that reality that he is back on the Island because "Jacob invited me." Are Ben and Widmore finally teaming up (!?) Smokey is coming, heading directly for them. Miles, never shy when it comes to expressing his terror, runs off. Richard and Ben choose to stay and face Smokey. Smokey, in his smoky form, grabs Richard and throws him. Far. Yikes? What the? Is Richard no longer immortal? Or is he just immortal and really banged up? No answers yet on that one. I still hold out hope that he will represent the left flank. And Miles is out there loose, running around the island, with all the whispering ghosts. That must be fun for him. Ben calmly takes a seat on his porch and appears to bargain with Smokey. Can Smokey not read people's minds any more? Or is Ben shifting allegiances yet again?





Ben leads Smokey directly to where Zoe and Widmore are hiding in his house. Smokey dispatches Zoe, dismissively, as soon as Widmore tells her not to talk, "She had nothing to tell me." He then threatens Penny, so Widmore starts to tell him about the amazing magnetic Desmond and why he brought him to the Island. This whispering conference is interrupted when Ben shoots Widmore dead, with multiple gun shots. "He doesn't get to save his daughter. You said there were other people to kill?" Ben, in all the previous seasons of LOST could twist with the wind, but I'm still hoping that he is trying to con Smokey big-time. I guess we won't be getting that in-depth Widmore origin story now, either. See ya, Charles.

Jacob is leading the candidates to their destiny. Ghost Boy Jacob steals his ashes from Hurley, who chases him, leading him to Ghost Man Jacob, who has thrown them in a fire. "When those ashes burn down you'll never see me again. We're getting close to the end." You can say that again. And that fact makes me sad, both not to see Jacob again and the inevitable end we seem to be hurtling toward, with the Losties.





Jack, Kate and Sawyer find Hurley and Jacob by the campfire, lit by the remains of Jacob's ashes. They can all see Jacob, which distinctly freaks Hurley. Jacob promises to tell them the ultimate campfire tale, "What they died for," and anything else they need to know before he goes up in a puff of smoke and one (or all?) of them decide to protect the Island.

Hurley asks the first question. "Why did you bring us to the Island?" "I made a mistake. You call him the monster. I made him that way. I brought you all here to replace me. I didn't pluck any of you out of a happy existence. I chose you because you were like me. You were all alone. You needed this place as much as it needed you."

Jack gets where this is all leading. "You want us to kill him. Is that possible?" "I hope so, because he will try to kill you." Jacob makes the case that there is a very important vacancy and one of them will need to take the job.



Jack jumps in, fixer to the end. "I'll do it. This is why I'm here. This is what I'm supposed to do." "Is that a question Jack?" "No." "Good. It's time."

Sawyer has the best line of the night, per usual, "I thought that guy had a God complex before . . . "

A relieved Hurley, "I'm just glad it's not me." Not so sure you're off the hook completely just yet, dude.

Jacob leads Jack off to perform the ritual, but the other three get to watch. Apparently you don't need wine and an ancient corked bottle. The protector just needs to bless some liquid for his or her successor to drink. "Now you're like me."

Smokey is still trying to write the story, not just follow it. Smokey and Ben are at the well. But Desmond isn't there. "Widmore told me that Desmond was a fail-safe. One final way to make sure that I never leave this place." For a moment it seems like Smokey is going to tip Ben into the well, but he's too busy bragging about his evil-super-genius plan. "I'm going to destroy the Island."



As I have suspected all along, the hall of mirrors that is the Sideways world, if it continues, is the result of Smokey on the loose. If he succeeds, the Island is sunk, under the ocean, and the Losties' lives are completely changed. The hard part will be convincing the ones who are gone in the Island world that the Sideways world is a wrong world. To explain to them what they died for.

Jack's got his work cut out for him. Even though he went through Jacob's ritual, I'm not convinced that the protector job should be a solo gig. That he should or can do it on his own. The best way to defeat Smokey will be as a group. I think they have to do it together. Desmond is trying to orchestrate a team effort in the Sideways world. Jack needs to do the same on the Island.

Protect together, or die alone.

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in preparation for tonight . . .

. . . Jezebel has put together a crazy little video of all the souls who have fallen on LOST. I think they may have left off a few, especially last week's MIB. But it is pretty unrelenting. Also fits the theme of my post from yesterday, as most of these deaths have had an impact on the story and mythology of this crazy wonderful show. One of the main themes of the early seasons was that any and all of the Losties were capable of becoming killers, if they hadn't taken a life already and this compilation certainly illustrates that point.

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i'm still on the island . . .

some funny LOST links . . .

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lost . . . across the sea

The Island is older than Jacob and his no-name Smokey Brother, older than dirt. Apparently Mother is looking for candidates to be the new Island protector, and she's willing to kill to secure some pure, untainted souls—the twin baby boys—twins . . . Jacob and . . . what's yer name again? I knew that crazy Mother was going to kill the poor new mother. Some shades of Rousseau here . . .




Many years later, TeenSmoke, who everyone seems to only refer to as Brother, finds a game of Senet washed up on the shore. Delighted, he begins to play a game with Jacob, "How do you know how?" "I just know." "Show me how." "Promise not to tell Mother." Typical teenagers, right? Typical teenagers who have never seen anyone except their spooky old Mother. Do they even realize they are lacking in cute girls?

Back at the cave, Mother weaves a tapestry, Jacob helps. "Do you love me Jacob? Then tell me what happened." She knows what's going on, a la Smokey in the present timeline, but wants to hear things from the boys of their own free will. In Jacob/Esau, Osiris/Set fashion, Mother is definitely favoring Brother over Jacob, "Jacob doesn't know how to lie. He's not like you. You're special." But Brother, although flattered, has his eyes trained across the sea. He's not as bound to the Island as his twin.

Mother is alarmed when the boys finally run across some "Others," also Island inhabitants. "They're not like us. We are here for a reason. They come, fight, corrupt—it always ends the same." Sound familiar? Jacob, of course, has used these same turns of phrase, but Mother also talks A LOT like John Locke used to talk. Is it what's in the Island water? Fanaticism? She takes the boys to see the Island's heart, its source. She has seen the [golden] light, much like Locke did when he saw the hatch [at the time not realizing Desmond was just flipping a light switch.] Mother is convinced the Island must be protected. Is this something she actually knows, has been taught, or is the light of idolatry what motivates her actions, what has made her crazy? Is the light good, or evil, or just energy, power?




"I've made it so you can never hurt each other, This is the reason we're here [golden grotto]. If the light goes out here, it goes out everywhere." Well, maybe Jacob and his Brother (is that his name, Brother? Or should we call him brutha?) can't exactly hurt each other, but the Island can hurt them. The smoke monster, we will learn, is part of that pretty golden light.

"It's against the rules." Brother talks to dead people (uh oh Hurley!) He sees his real mother's ghost and she tells him that their people come from the village, and originally from across the sea. Not everyone can speak to the dead on the Island, apparently. Jacob couldn't. But Ben could. Jack probably can, because I think he did see his father Christian, not Smokey. Claire may have seen both her father and Smokey pretending to be him—we may never know for sure.

Brother tries to get Jacob to leave the Island and their lying "Mother," but Jacob wants to stay. Mother tells Brother he'll never be able to leave the Island, and that the people in the village are bad. Brother takes off, never to return. Jacob tells her that he will stay with her, "For a while." But he ends up staying a long time, long enough to grow into the actor we have known as Jacob through most of the series, long enough to learn how to weave a tapestry like a pro. But possibly not long enough to build a statue of Tawaret. Guess that was done by another set of shipwrecked souls . . .




Grown-up Jacob visits Brother in the village, they play Senet again. Brother has come to hate the village people, even though he chose to live with them. He is building the donkey wheel. Brother shouldn't sneer about the villagers, as they must have some crazy cool science, introducing him to fields of magnetic energy and time travel and all.

Mother doesn't even waste time trying to pump Jacob for intel, but heads off for a confrontation with Brother. She wants to know what he's discovered, how he's found a way off of the Island. At first I thought she was jealous and wanted off of the Island herself, but she takes her Island protector role seriously. Throughout their brief interview Brother is making "the" knife. Creepy Dogen-reminiscent implications, but she goes with what she knows and bops him on the head instead. She doesn't kill him—is she still holding out some hope that he might stay and change his mind? But no, she goes ahead with her "spare," and decides to initiate Jacob as the island protector. Once again she takes him to the golden grotto, "Life, death, rebirth, the source, heart of the Island. Promise you will never go down there—it would be much worse than dying." Jacob doesn't want to go down there, much less the job as protector, but she forces the wine ritual upon him. "You don't really have a choice—take the cup and drink. (Tree of knowledge?) Now you and I are the same." Temporarily, it seems, there can be more than one protector (unlike the Highlander.)

Meanwhile Brother wakes up in the middle of a burning village, bodies strewn about, his magnetic well filled in with dirt. Is Mother also a smoke monster or did she summon it? I doubt she could run around killing and pillaging all by herself. Or maybe she could . . . Brother grabs his knife, charges up to the cave and dispatches a grateful Mother, much like Ben will do to Jacob, who knows exactly how many years later. Jacob walks in on the death scene, freaks out, and drags, hurls, his twin into the stream (Styx?), the chaos that is the golden grotto. He was listening closely to the "much worse than dying" part of her warning speech, apparently. And it's pretty terrible. His brother is killed by the smoke monster (Cerberus?) and hurled out into a tree. How much of his brother's soul or essence is taken up by the smoke monster? Smokey does seem to absorb some of the personality of the bodies it tends to take over. But the answer to its existence seems to be utter chaos, with a possible malevolent intent, if so directed. By the way, the Egyptian god Set, Osiris's brother, is the god of chaos, just sayin'.




Once again going back to magnetic Desmond, maybe when he flipped on that light down in the Hatch he and Locke were symbolically tuning into the greater force of the Island. There might be a quite different result if Desmond were to take a trip down the golden grotto's Stygian river, which may be exactly why Widmore brought him back to the Island. Except Widmore wants to harness the power, something Mother wouldn't have approved of, and the power of Desmond may nullify it . . . I'm going round in circles. I still think Desmond's greatest power is L-O-V-E.

Jacob lovingly inters his Mother and Brother, and for the few viewers who haven't been paying attention, a Season One snippet confirms that Adam and Eve are not Rose and Bernard. Sorry, theorists. For all of the fan boys and girls out there that have been wanting answers, this episode was chock-full, but I suspect that they might still be disappointed that the answers aren't . . . something else. That's the problem with over-analyzing every phrase and scene and entertaining great expectations. You're bound to be disappointed. LOST is great storytelling. It may not always take you where you want to go, but it takes you along for quite a ride. There's not much left, just a few hours to view, but there will be plenty left to ponder and argue about, I'm sure. Like Jacob's tapestry, there are bound to be some threads left dangling.

the candidate

LOST episode The Candidate was unrelenting, emotional, excruciating and just right. At times it was a little bit Western, a little bit Poseidon Adventure a little bit Mission Impossible (the original series, not the movies.) Seeing Sayid's eyes clear as he tried to defuse the bomb was just wonderful, as were Sawyer's and Kate's expressions when faced (once again) with the cages.



The Sideways alterna-verse seemed a little more tame than usual compared to the Island—at first. Doctor Jack told Locke, "I think you're a candidate . . . I think I can fix you." Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. In Season One Jack fashion he went against his patient's wishes and checked first with his dentist Bernard (!) who seemed to know that flight 815 was not just your average flight. He then tried to talk to Locke's father to find out why Locke might resist his brilliant surgery. In the meantime, he ran into newly found sister Claire. In this universe brother and sister bonded over Apollo bars and Christian's  Catch A Falling Star music box, while on the Island, they seem oblivious of each other. Even after all his fixer-upper and intrusive questions, Doctor Jack kept reaching out to Locke, but a guilt-stricken Locke still resisted. "Whatever happened, happened."

The Sideways events in themselves weren't all that startling, but they provided a good background echo to the serious action taking place on the Island, where Southern Gentleman Sawyer still wasn't going to let anything happen to Freckles. Jack, holding firm to his new purpose, told Smokey and Sayid, in reference to the other candidates, "They're not my people and I'm not leaving the Island." While rescuing a puzzled Kate & Co. from the cages (son of a bitch!) Jack gestured in the direction of Smokey, in full genocide Widmore redshirt-murdering mode, "I'm with them." Exactly, Kate. Holy freaking crap.



Ze plane, ze plane! Smokey's cons are so transparent, is Sawyer the only one hip to him? Are they all just too butt-tired and freaked out to be suspicious? Correction—Hurley also seemed to smell a rat. Wasn't it Richard's plan a few episodes back to blow up the plane? Was that his C-4? Thanks Hurley, for reminding us all that left flank Richard, Miles and Ben are out there, somewhere, still. And by the way, Smokey, I HATE neck-snapping. Lame television cliche violence. The only way I'm accepting this behavior from LOST is because it's by lame-con Smokey and seemed right up his alley.

Smokey handed Jack his backpack as they headed towards the sub—the old switcheroo! I'm sorry, maybe its something in the air, but I saw Smokey's intentions from a mile away last night. Jack put it all together way too late . . . I have suspected before that Smokey's grand evil plan was to kill all the Losties, but it was still extremely tense to watch: "Sawyer—don't stick your head out of the sub!" "Kate—Owww!" Yes that was me, yelling at the screen.

Smokey Hell broke loose. For anyone who in the past who doubted for even one second that Smokey was pure evil . . . Freakin' LOST, you had me crying like a baby, for a straight five minutes or however long that sequence was between Sayid running down the passageway and Sun and Jin . . . I've cried at movies many times, but not full-out sobs like I was shedding for ex-Zombie Sayid and the Kwons. Lapidus, we hardly knew ye. And Hurley sobbing after the commercial break almost got me started again . . . Maybe the fact that I am in my own home makes the viewing experience that much more intimate, more intense. Or maybe it's that these characters have gotten under my skin more than any other television characters since Angel and Buffy.

At first I thought the Sideways world in this episode was a bit boring, but after everything started to go boom on the Island I realized that we needed those few scenes as opportunities to catch our breath or dry our tears.



Widmore's goals are still undetermined, but this show has gone beyond good and bad, blood and guts. We're back to love and faith. Sun and Jin choosing love over life. Sayid, shaking away the last of the zombie dust from his eyes and finally becoming the true hero, the good man he always wanted to be (sniff.) Jack, back (again) on the Island, where he belongs. Who will get to stay and survive with him? Hurley? Will Richard and Ben sacrifice themselves to the Island? Will Kate and Sawyer and Claire and Miles get away? And what about Desmond?

Smokey may think he's going to "finish" it and them, but he ain't seen nothing yet. Is Smokey the candidate? Does he want to replace Jacob? Is that the only way he can be set free?

should i stay or should i go?

This is the first episode of LOST this season where we see everyone, all of Jacob's candidates, on the Island and Sideways since the pilot, LA X.





Jack's ping-ponging—it kinda sucks when you're a follower, doesn't it Jack? He's listening to Smokey, talking to Hurley, Kate and Claire, but ultimately decides to go with Sawyer's plan to join Widmore & Co. by boat.

"Nice job, Doc."

And then there's Claire.

"Claire's nuts" I LOVE YOU SAWYER!!! "You, me, Jack, Hurley, Sun, and that pilot who looks like he stepped off the set of a Burt Reynolds movie."

At first I thought this might be a set-up for when they were in the canoe and were shot at in an earlier season, but it's the Elizabeth, Libby's boat, which she gave to Desmond to sail around the world. Desmond is still helping . . .

Kate gets Claire on the boat with the power of love, telling her what she needs to hear, that she, Kate, never should have raised Aaron—it should have been Claire. Sawyer and Kate are sticking together, it seems, on the Island and Sideways.

Claire: "He finds out we're gone, he's gonna be mad."

I hate to admit that I'm loving Jack these days, but I really am. I don't think I've liked him this much since 815 went down. He is open, willing to listen to others, but more importantly, willing to listen to himself. Sawyer tells him to take a (flying) leap of faith (in the ocean.) And he does, but not before apologizing to Sawyer for Juliet's death. Jack hasn't reached Desmond's level of calm, purpose and acceptance, but he's on his way.  Hurley's going to be pissed at Sawyer making Jack take a dive, but sums up the Widmore crew quite nicely, "People trying to kill us again."

Jack: "Doesn't feel right. The Island isn't done with us yet." 

Jack and Sawyer are always at loggerheads. Jack wants to stay, Sawyer wants to leave—sound like any(two)body(s) we know who favor monochromatic wardrobes? At the moment Jack and Sawyer are both painted in shades of gray.





As far as Smokey is concerned, Jack is The Last Recruit of the episode title. Is he also the only recruit in Smokey's eyes?

Claire to Jack: "You joined him the minute you let him talk to you."

Not sure I buy that, but I can see why she does. Smokey "admits" to Jack that he was impersonating his dead father, White Rabbit Cristian. Smokey's such a lying liar from liarville it's hard to listen to anything he says. Actions, like temple massacres for instance, still speak louder than words.





And super hero strength carrying Jack to safety aside, Smokey seems to be losing his touch. He's  unable to communicate with the silent, scribbling Sun. He also seems unable to tell what really happened between Desmond and Zombie Sayid.

Smokey can't read a zombie's mind . . .

"So what did he offer ya?" 

Desmond hit Sayid where it counts, even for a zombie. He asked him if he can tell his true love what he did (blow away Desmond, or didn't he?) to bring her back. Is Sayid still savable? is Claire? They both seemed to take some positive leaps of faith tonight, leaps away from Smokey's tendrils. Sideways, Miles has a recording of Jabroni Sayid on the security cam, a killer no matter what world he is in. Saying a quick farewell to Nadia before he tried to escape the police, Sayid falls (trips) literally for one of the oldest tricks in the book—a string (hose) pulled across a space. Sawyer: "You're under arrest."

Sideways Locke is with Ben, on the way to the hospital and Dr. Jack Shephard. Where coincidentally, Sun and Jin are as well. Sun is terrified (in subtitles) at the sight of Locke, "It's him!" But the couple gets good news Sideways (Sun and the baby are O.K.) and on the Island they get their long overdue reunion, although Jin's promise to never leave Sun again sounded ominous to me, even before Widmore's goons appeared.

"My name is John"

I have been wondering lately when exactly Smokey took over Locke. He told Jack that it happened when Jack brought Locke's dead body to the Island. He also said some very unkind, even if they were somewhat true, things about our favorite fan of all things Island, John Locke. But was Locke just a Smokey chump? Was he so easily duped and led? Or did he actually see Jacob that night in the cabin? Was he the ultimate candidate for a time? is he The Candidate that will be featured in the next episode?

It's tempting to surmise that when Locke was able to get up and walk after the plane crash it was because of Smokey, not Jacob, or the healing powers of the Island. But that idea doesn't jibe with his travels off Island courtesy of the donkey wheel. I guess I think that Locke was always Locke, but was being influenced by Smokey, much like Ben was. The bigger question is: Is Smokey now being influenced by Locke? With all of the candidates having flashes of their parallel lives, maybe Locke can flash into Smokey. Maybe that's what Desmond is enabling. Smokey hasn't gone all smokey in quite a while. Maybe he can't anymore. Maybe that's why he had to pick up Jack and carry him, chase Sun on foot, push Desmond down a well, rather than go on a smokey rampage . . .





Sideways, Jacob stand-in Desmond is with Claire; he's guiding her towards floor 15 where lawyer Ilana (!) has arranged a meeting with half-brother Jack and half-sister Claire. And of course Jack gets interrupted, mid emotional family reunion, getting the call to operate on Locke. Which brings us back to . . . the beginning? The end? Almost? We get a week off, so that's plenty more time to debate and come up with some more crackpot theories . . .

i figured it out . . . well, not exactly . . .

LOST is such a wacky show that it gets into your brain and you get "flashes" that make you think may have solved it all. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, this week, alchemy suddenly seemed key to me. Jacob said that the Island is a "cork," after all . . .

Could Jacob and Smokey be two parts of the same entity? Is that who those two boys are running around the Island? Lostpedia confirms "they" are played by one actor, but one is blonde, one brunet . . .

In alchemy, The Androgyne is a symbol of alchemical balance, Male & Female; Black & White. Remind you of a certain set of scales, anyone?





Additional random thoughts:

Island:
Michael told Hurley that he was one of the "whisperers," and was bound to the Island because of what he had done (murder.) The whisperers may truly be the Others, for real this time. There are so many of the Losties who have done bad things—does this mean that we will soon be seeing once again Ana Lucia, Rousseau, and dare I hope, Mr. Eko? Sawyer and Kate, etc. better not bite it on the Island, or a job opening as whisperer looms large in their future . . .

Desmond and Smokey at the well:
Desmond: "You read my mind." That is Smokey's forte, and I think he knew as soon as Desmond said he was John Locke that Desmond was lying and on Team Widmore. But Desmond had Smokey sussed, too. And Smokey wasn't reading Desmond as easily later: "Why aren't you afraid?" Even though Desmond was wearing a red shirt in that scene, I am confident he will make it through until the last episode. He might still be the ultimate sacrifice, however. Misleading promo editing aside, I actually fear that Zombie Sayid may bite the big one Tuesday. We'll see.

Sideways:
Desmond knows he has a son named Charlie. I don't think there are "two" Desmonds, just like there aren't "two" Eloises. Desmond knows what's what, and can trip through time, Sideways and Island-ways.

"Whoosh" transitions:
In every episode this season we have heard the sound of a plane when making a transition from the Island to the Sideways world. That is, every episode except the Locke-centered one. In that episode the scene transitions were the sounds of the smoke monster. I have been convinced for a while that Sideways is Smokey's dream come true, and it is what will happen if he escapes the Island, if "evil is on the loose." And more than just that, but I believe that his form of "escape" is to live as John Locke, happily ever after, with Helen. I think the makers of LOST leave us breadcrumbs from time to time and the Smokey "whoosh"sound effects, since they have never been repeated, seem like a huge clue to me . . .

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