“Dr. Linus” is a great example of what I love most about LOST. An excellent character driven story dominated this one: the redemption of Ben Linus. I felt all kinds of seasons one and three during this one, folks. I really, really loved it. I think it’s my favorite of the season thus far. Let’s dive into it, shall we?

We all know the history of Ben Linus. His father wished to Ben that they had stayed on The Island because Roger would’ve liked to see how Ben would’ve turned out there. Of course we know what Ben has done on The Island and for The Island. He sacrificed his daughter. He kidnapped pregnant women. He killed Locke because Locke threatened his power on the Island. He even killed Jacob, out of frustration, anger and sadness. He kidnapped Jack, Kate and Sawyer. He kidnapped Walt and eventually used Michael to kill for him so that he could be free. He did whatever it took to return to the Island. He manipulated (somewhat) Sayid into killing for him. More succinctly, Ben has a checkered past to say the least. When he returned to the Island, there was a noticable shift taking place in Ben Linus. When he awoke to an alive John Locke, he was terrified. He didn’t say it at the time. He told Sun, as they sat on a porch in New Otherton, that he was terrified that Locke was alive because dead is dead on the Island. When he did awake, after being knocked out by Sun, the thing wanted was punishment for killing his daughter. He traveled to the some area of the Temple and sought punishment from Smokey. Of course all that led to was Ben being manipulated into killing Jacob. This episode he had to deal with the consequences.

The episode opened with a frantic Ben running through the Jungle after Smokey went all The Book of Exodus on The Temple. What an opening! I think LOST has the greatest teasers ever and I’m a huge “Buffy” and “Angel” fan (their teasers were usually spectacular) but LOST just owns the teaser. Even the teaser of “What Kate Does” when Lennon’s walking quickly through the Temple is epic. Anyhow, Ben saw Ilana, Frank, Sun and Miles walking through the jungle. He immediately caught up with them. Ilana was amped up to get answers. She didn’t believe Smokey had killed Jacob. She knew Miles could communicate with the dead and find out how and who killed Jacob. Miles did his thing and ratted Ben out. As Miles said, “Uh-oh.” We also found out Jacob’s dying thought was that he was wrong about Ben and Ben wouldn’t kill him. Shouldn’t have responded with “What about you?”, Jacob.

Anywho, the fivesome went to the beach (oh how I’ve missed the beach) and Ben was gently trying to save his own ass. He offered to help Ilana with anything but no dice. The others were gathering supplies. Later on, Ilana marched over to Ben, forced him to Boone Hill and locked him to a makeshift rope tied to a tree. Ben had to dig a grave because Ilana was going to kill him for killing Jacob. So Ben began digging. As he dug, he tried to bargain with Miles to cut him loose but Miles had no interest in Ben possibly getting 3.2 million for him since Nikki and Paulo are buried with over 8 million in times (of course Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz would throw that in). Ben did get his chance to escape though. Crazy ol’ evil NotLocke showed up and told Ben he went back to the statue to retrieve Ben but Ben wasn’t to be found there. NotLocke freed Ben and told him to flee, that a rifle was sitting at a tree 200 feet away and that he could meet up with him and his group on Alcatraz Island. Ben ran, reached the tree, grabbed the rifle, and pointed it at Ilana. Ilana dropped her gun and Ben told her that just wanted to explain himself. He wanted to explain why he had killed Jacob. He told her that he sacrificed everything including his Alex and that he killed Jacob out of anger and frustration. After he finished, he told Ilana he was going to find Locke. She asked why. He said because “he is the only one who will have me.” Ilana softly told Ben that she would have him and walked back towards the beach. Ben followed. It was a small act of kindness that reminds me of what Angel tells Kate in the ANGEL episode “Epiphany.” “The smallest act of kindness can be the greatestest thing in the world.” I really liked the image of Ben putting down the rifle and then asking Sun if she needed help with her tent. The redemption of Ben Linus is on.

In the Sideways narrative, Ben felt like a loser. We found out he earned a doctorate in Modern European History but was stuck monitoring detention. He wasn’t the only one. Good ol’ Dr. Arzt was unhappy with the work conditions he had to deal with. Ben was frustrated because the principal was unconcerned with the kids, telling Ben that it was no big deal to cancel the History Club because only 5 people were in the club. Ben didn’t agree with that assessment. He cares about the kids. Recall the scene when he took Alex for Rousseau and the unhappiness of Widmore that the baby wasn’t killed. Ben was so earnest when defending why he didn’t kill baby Alex. The Sideways story dealt with Alex. Ben was able to make up for what he did to her in “The Shape of Things to Come.” But before I focus on that, I have to mention what leads to his Alex moment. In the teacher’s lounge, Locke has the idea that Ben be the principal. Ben asks Locke, “who will listen to me?” Locke raises his hand and says that he’s listening. Ilana later echoes such a sentiment. Now, what one would expect is a massive power-play for principal that involves the manipulation we’ve grown to love from Ben Linus. He finds out the principal and the nurse have been fornicating in the nurse’s office during school hours (shades of what got Widmore banished and put into the Island). He enlists Arzt to hack into e-mail for some dirt. He gets said dirt and approaches his boss with the information; however, the principal knows that Alex is a favorite student of Ben’s and she’s just e-mailed him for a recommendation. If Ben forces the resignation, the principal promises to ruin Alex’s academic future. Ben does not go through with it. He chooses to preserve Alex’s academic potential. It’s a lovely scene when Ben tells Alex that he had nothing to do with the recommendation letter when, in fact, he had everything to do with it. As she walked away and Ben walked the other way, it was such a great moment. She has the chance for a marvelous life. I thought the scenes between Ben and Alex were so moving. He treated her with such fondness. It was very fathlerly.

Speaking of fatherly, the relationship between Ben and Roger isn’t toxic. Ben is taking care of his sickly father. He prepared an organic meal for him to help keep him alive. Of course one must recall the scene in “The Man Behind The Curtain” when he kills his father. Such juxtaposition. The scene between them was rather nice. Roger had comforting words for his son because he saw his son was frustrated with the school and the limitations he felt. I do like this Sideways world quite a bit for all of these great stories we’re getting.

There’s one piece of information that I’ve yet to mention: Roger had joined the Dharma Initiative and brought Ben with him to the Island. I find it significant that they had been to the Island and left. We all know the Island exists underneath the sea (New Otherton, Ezra James Sharkington and all!) because we saw it in that epic ‘LA X’ teaser. The obvious questions regard why Ben and his father left the Island. I could speculate and speculate but I’m not going to. It’s funner to wait for the show to reveal that stuff.

And boy did it get a little dusty when Hurley and Jack returned to the beach (of course I’m going to write about that! hold your horses! I’m not finished with Benny Linus’ story!). I was reminded of season one. It was overwhelming how happy I was to see that. I was also reminded of season three. Specifically, “One Of Us.” The Juliet centric episode that began her intergration into the Losties camp. In the end of that episode, Jack, Kate and Sayid enjoy a nice reunion with the camp. It’s so great and then Sawyer notices Juliet standing there. She’s not accepted. At the end of “Dr. Linus,” as Sun hugs Jack and Sun and joy is felt, Ben stands in the distance watching, sheepishly and lonely. But Jack did look his way. I think Jack, like Ilana, will have him too. After all, it is Ben who helped bring Jack to the Island. And Jack now knows he’s back for a reason.

Gazing out at the ocean and thinking has helped Jack. I knew it would. Tonight, Jack became a true Man of Faith. He told Richard about the lighthouse, the image of his childhood home, and how Jacob had watched him for his entire life and that if he was so important then there’s no way he OR Richard would die in The Black Rock. I think Jack gave purpose back to Richard. Richard was suicidal. He desired death. He felt as if his entire life had been a waste. Since The Black Rock he had given his life to the Island. I imagine since Jacob got him out of those chains. Jacob had told Richard that everything happens for a reason and that he would one day reveal his plan to Richard but then Jacob died. Richard felt utterly hopeless. He reminded me of Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy believed suicide was the only option if life was without meaning and purpose (another thing reminded me of Tolstoy but I’ll get to that). Richard knew he couldn’t kill himself because of Jacob’s touch but he wanted Jack to light the fuse for him. He really wanted to die. Hurley urged Jack to not do it but Jack said he couldn’t talk Richard out of it. Oh that sneaky man. Jack must have restored Richard’s life with purpose and meaning again in that slave ship. There was so much symbolism, allusion and meaning in this episode that I fear I won’t be able to address it at all. Jack then told Richard that it was time to go back to the beginning so he, Jack and Hurley returned to the beach. Their story was all about faith in an episode that dealt with forgiveness and renewal, rebirth.

Before the season began, I had wanted to write an epic essay on LOST and Finnegan’s Wake but I felt overwhelmed by the massiveness of Finnegan’s Wake. But I was tempted to write the essay because of the themes of circularity, resurrection and rebirth in Finnegan’s Wake. Jack’s line about going back to the beginning spoke to those ideas. Jacob and Man in Black can be seen as Shem and Shaun figures. Shem and Shaun are twins, often opposed against the other. Jack sort of personifies Tom Finnegan. He falls from Ajira to the Island when he returns. In Wake, Finnegan falls from a ladder and there’s the famous sentence “hohohoho you’re going to be Mister Finnagain!” I hope you get the gist. As dark as it got last week (and oh it got dark) there was mostly light in this episode after the darkness had lifted. Even Hurley was seen awaking from a night’s slumber.

The final image of the episode is of Widmore in a sub making his way to the Island and he’s indeed very close. I wonder if he’s going to Hydra Island or going to the Pala Ferry docks and heading to the beach.

Time for even more thoughts:

–Michael Emerson probably won himself another emmy for his performance in this episode. He was tremendous. The scene with Ilana alone should be enough to win the emmy.

–We saw Ben teaching his class about Napoleon’s exile. Napoleon nearly took over Russia if it wasn’t for that pesky deadly winter of Russia. Napoleon’s exile clearly paralleled the Ben Linus we’ve known for nearly 5 seasons on the Island. Once upon a time Ben was banished from the Island, put into exile. Also, whenever I hear about Napoleon I always think of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. What a book.

–No one seemed too concerned that Ben was about to be murdered by Ilana but Ben has done some shady deeds over the years. Sun once wanted to kill him because she thought he had something to do with Jin’s death. Frank and Miles were on a freighter whose sole mission was to extract Ben from the Island. So it’s understandable.

–I wonder if NotLocke really thought Ben would kill Ilana without hesitation. I think Ben’s learned his lesson though. He was genuinely repentant to Ilana when explaining why he killed Jacob. It was the same repentance he had when he said his last words about John Locke. Will Smokey be pissed? Most likely. Smokey doesn’t handle things not going his way too well. Ben is safe with Ilana but I imagine Smokey is not done with Ben. His offer to Ben appeared to be the same offer he has made to Sayid and Claire. There’s just no way he can deliver on those promises. I do think he can deliver on getting them off the Island but is that really his endgame? Conceivably he can reunite Claire with her son but that lying so and so promised her she was in the Temple. But she’s very confused so I don’t blame her for going back with Smokey after Smokey went all biblical on the Temple. The same thing goes for Sayid. Nadia died. I just think Smokey’s a manipulative so and so. I think Jacob’s fairly manipulative as well but Jacob seems to have better intentions. Of course he left most of The Temple, minus Hurley and Jack, to die. I digress. Back to The Smokeness: Do these promises and the Sideways world reconcile in some way? Who indeed knows. We shall find out, at some point, in the final 11 hours of the show.

–NotLocke is pretty clever hiding away on Hydra Island but at least he’s far away from the beach camp. But Jack’s definitely going to go to Hydra Island to get Kate, Sayid, Jin and Claire. I think he’ll be calm about it though and let Ilana do her thing. Ilana’s also great. So much better than Ana-Lucia.

–Dare I hope Desmond is somewhere on the submarine? Dare I? Henry Ian Cusick’s name has been in the credits ALL season. The last time this happened with Harold Perrineau in season four. He didn’t show up until the end of episode 7 and then he got episode 8 all to himself. We saw no signs Desmond’s with him. I don’t even know why he’s be with Widmore because he HATES Widmore. But, Darlton, we’ve got 11 episodes left. We’ve had one scene with Desmond. Desmond’s one of the greatest characters ever. He’s gotta show up.

–I was so excited to see The Black Rock again. I mentioned this earlier but this felt so much like season one and season three. I adore both seasons. I think season one is as close to perfection television will get. Season three had so many excellent episodes. The scenes in The Black Rock felt like “Exodus” all over again with the dynamite. During that episode, Locke and Jack argued about why they were here. Jack was then the staunch man of science but in this he became the man of faith. We also saw Dr. Arzt in the Sideways. Hurley even mentioned Arzt when cautioning Richard about the dynamite. Hurley told him he was cleaning Artz out of his shirt for two days. You know, I’ve always liked Arzt. I enjoyed his appearances in season one and I get a kick out of the webisodes he’s in. Miles referenced “Expose” and Nikki and Paulo. Fittingly enough, some fans expressed frustration about the lack of answers provided in the episode (though I’d argue answers were given. Plenty actually.). “Expose” suffered from criticism even though it provided some fun answers as well. We even got the great scene when Charle confessed to Sun that he had been behind the fake kidnapping of Sun in “The Long Con.” I digress. As I noted already, the end mirrored the end of “One Of Us.” I hope it was intentional. I believe it was. The beach camp goes without saying. It was so prominent in season three (the construction of the beach camp as we saw it was in progress during season two). How I wished adorable, not homocidal Claire was there too in her cute designer clothing. But Feral Claire is pretty cool and Emilie de Ravin gets something to do other than hold a baby. I’m digressing.

–We found out a number of things: Jacob’s touch prevents people from dying. Richard did in fact arrive on The Black Rock. Why he was brought here is another story. We found out Ilana’s role on the Island. She’s also done her homework on everybody.

–Imagine if instead of Widmore being revealed on the sub it was AARON AND WALT. I joke about that scenario with STEVE and STEVE’s comment: “I’d kill myself.” STEVE’s prediction for Widmore’s gameplan? Sinking the Island.

–I got a kick out of Sawyer’s stash. I noticed a few things but I’d have to go back and pause to catch everything. I imagine Lostpedia’s all over it anyway so head over that way for all that Ben found.

–Great exchanges between Hurley and Richard in the jungle as Hurley asked Richard about not aging. Hurley wondered if he was a cyborg or a terminator. What a great scene.

–There was a nice little scene between Ben and Frank. Ben said it felt like yesterday Oceanic 815 broke apart above New Otheron. Frank told him he was supposed to pilot the plane but he overslept. Ben commented on Frank winding up on the Island still.

–As Ben tutored Alex, he spoke of the 19th century East India Trading company. Not the first time it’s been mentioned (see Season Four’s The Constant when Widmore wins the bid for The Black Rock materials written by the first mate. The same ship Richard was on).

–I keep thinking of what Ben says to Michael in “Live Together, Die Alone” about being the good guys. Is that a long a set-up or what by Lindelof and Cuse? Goodness!

–Three weeks of no Sawyer. Very surprising indeed. I’m leaning towards getting a Sawyer episode next week. I feel fairly sure that we’ll be joining His Smokeness and his recruits next week on Hydra Island which means CLAIRE! will be there. Listen, I love her australian accent so much. Emilie’s delivery and inflections this season have been different from the previous four seasons she’s been in the show. I’m even more attached to the accent because of those inflections and her delivery. The way she speaks in “Lighthouse” is great. I’m digressing again. The point: things will get more intense next week.

–Once again, I have to mention how much I loved the montage at the end. The hugs, the happiness. Giacchinno’s score (The Oscar winner for the score he wrote for “Up”) was beautiful. I nearly fell off the couch with excitement when I realized we were getting a reunion/montage. I LOVE THIS SHOW!

–Overall, I think this is the episode of the season to date. I loved everything about it. Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz wrote it. Mario Van Peebles directed. Season Six has been a blast so far.

TO THE RANKINGS!

THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS

Per the rule, Dogen and Lennon are no longer being ranked. Jack is now no. 2 on STEVE’s ranking. STEVE likes it when Jack is intense. Jack remains in the top spot for me. Miles dropped out of the top 5 for me. He’s number six. Hurley’s the one who bumped him because, you know, it’s time for Hurley to be in the top 5. He’s always hovering around the top 5. Man in Black keeps rising on STEVE’s list. Will he one day claim the top spot? Desmond remains number one for STEVE and number two for me. Desmond rocks. But enough talking. Here’s the rankings in all of their glory:

AFTER EPISODE 7

RANKED: 3/10/2010

CHRIS

1. Jack

2. Desmond

3. Ben

4. Locke

5. Hurley

6. Miles

7. Jin

8. Claire

9. Sayid

10. Kate

11. Sawyer

12. Richard

13. Frank

14. Sun

15. Ilana

16. Jacob

17. Man in Black

18. Widmore

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Jack

3. Kate

4. Miles

5. Ben

6. Sawyer

7. Man in Black

8. Sayid

9. Jin

10. Frank

11. Sun

12. Jacob

13. Claire

14. Ilana

15. Locke

16. Richard

17. Hurley

18. Widmore

Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk

Oscar Night Preview

Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and a nakked guy named Oscar. Like I needed anymore convincing after the first two. I mean they’re no Hugh Jackman, but they should be pretty good. Here are my picks for this evening’s affair. Fingers crossed that I don’t embaress myself too much. My picks will appear in bold and if I happen to have a personal favorite in a certain category, well that shall appear in italics. I’ve left off any category where I’ve seen less then half of the nominated films or honestly have no idea about it (i.e. Art Direction). Buckle your seat belts boys and gals! 

 

Best Picture

 

Avatar

The Blind Side

District 9

An Education

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious

A Serious Man

Up

Up in the Air 

Best Director

 

 Avatar- James Cameron

The Hurt Locker- Kathryn Bigelow

Precious- Lee Daniels

Inglourious Basterds- Quentin Tarantino

Up in the Air- Jason Reitman

Best Actor

 

 Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”

George Clooney in “Up in the Air”

Colin Firth in “A Single Man”

Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”

Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker” 

Best Actress

 

 Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”

Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”

Carey Mulligan in “An Education”

Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious”

Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia” 

Best Supporting Actor

 

 Matt Damon in “Invictus”

Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”

Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”

Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”

Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Best Supporting Actress

 

 Penélope Cruz in “Nine”

Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”

Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”

Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”

Mo’Nique in “Precious” 

Best Cinematography

 

 Avatar

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

The White Ribbon 

Best Screenplay (Adapted) 

 

District 9

An Education

In the Loop

Precious

Up in the Air

 

Best Screenplay (Original)

 

 The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

The Messenger

A Serious Man

Up

 

Best Animated Feature

 

 Coraline

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Princess and the Frog

The Secret of Kells

Up

Best Visual Effects

 

 Avatar

Star Trek

District 9

Best Sound Editing

 

 Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Star Trek

Up

Best Sound Mixing 

 

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Star Trek

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

 

Best Film Editing 

Avatar

District 9

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious

THAT WAS INSANE! OH MY GOD! I WAS SO ANXIOUS AND NERVOUS DURING THAT FINAL ACT! And then CREEPY VERSION OF ‘CATCH A FALLING STAR’ KICKS ON! And Smokey’s flying around The Temple like God as he killed the Firstborns. You know what happened before that plague? THE PLAGUE OF DARKNESS! THIS EPISODE’S TITLE? “SUNDOWN.” But dear god almighty! I sound like Jim Ross! I definitely expected The Temple to be over with in the next two episodes but DAMN did that story go out with a bang. But I’ll settle down now. I will reel myself in. It’s time to dive into Sayid’s story.

The episode opened with Sayid arriving to see Nadia and her family. A Randy Wolf curveball was thrown our way when we find out Nadia is married to Sayid’s brother and that she’s the mother of two. Interesting. Sayid, we learned, was not in Australia to work with the FBI in an effort to thwart his old friend’s suicide bomber plans. No, he was in Australia because he translates for an oil company. But he still has the torturer past and he’s still tortured by that past. He’s still in love with Nadia and carried her picture around with him. Nadia wondered why Sayid pushed her towards his brother. Sayid told her that he doesn’t deserve her because of the horrible things he had done for twelve years. I hope the past we saw in “Solitary” actually happened because that episode is awesome. But yes, Sayid is very much doing penance for what he’s done.

Of course his brother gets himself into a situation and ends up dragging Sayid into it (which isn’t a bad plan at all). His brother has seemingly entered into business with Mr. Paik, that so and so of a man, and did not pay back all of the money he owed though he claimed he did. Jin in the freezer, beaten up, is the only reason I’m assuming this. We haven’t seen what happened in the airport after they found a lot of American dollars in Jin’s suitcase. Sayid wanted to give money to help his brother out his situation but Nadia declined, telling Sayid his brother must handle it himself. Nadia also kept Sayid away from whoever mugged his brother by telling him to wait for the kids and to make sure they were and felt safe. He did just that. He didn’t want relive his past. But then Omar showed up. Yes, Omar Freighter D-Bag. He took Sayid to see good ol’ Martin Keamy. Keamy was cooking egg and being the d-bag we knew when we last saw him in “There’s No Place Like Home.” Sayid sat calmly, listening to Keamy yammer on about paying back money when it needs to be paid back and THEN he threatened Nadia and the kids so Sayid tapped into Republican Guard mode and took care of business. He shot Keamy as Keamy swore the debt’s been forgiven and forgotten. Sayid couldn’t forget. Those words carry a whole lot of meaning considering Sayid has never been able to forget his past. It spoke volumes about Sayid.

It’s sad that Sayid hasn’t been able to work out his issues as Locke and Jack have. At least Locke and Jack have made important progress. Sayid is stuck. I thought season five’s “He’s Our You” was the tipping point in Sayid’s journey for redemption but I misinterpreted the tipping point. He tipped to the wrong side. After all, one can’t forget he shot kid Ben and announced himself to be a killer. Those events didn’t happen too long ago either. But if Sideways Sayid can’t forgive himself, Island Sayid is seemingly a lost cause.

I’m completely sold on this infection stuff. Last week, I was pretty much holding onto the hope that cutey-pie Claire was still there and just confused as Claire described her. She’s pretty far gone. But I digress.

The Island story opened with Sayid wanting answers from Dogen about why he wants him dead. Dogen gave it to him straight. He told Sayid that, after awaking from death, he leaned on the evil side of the scale. Bad times for Sayid. Dogen and Sayid then had an awesome fight that ended right before Dogen would stab Sayid in the neck. A baseball fell. That changed Dogen and he then told Sayid to leave and never return. But then things changed because Claire walked into The Temple. Dogen told Sayid to go into the jungle and kill NotLocke but warned him that it’d be too late to succeed once NotLocke had spoken to Sayid. Sayid went out into the jungle with the huge knife Dogen gave him. He ran into Kate who asked him what had happened in the Temple. Sayid told her to go there and ask Miles. Once she left, His Smokeness arrived (and boy does he know how to arrive! Wind and Those Gnarly Sounds!). He said hello to Sayid. Sayid stabbed in the chest but nothing happened. NotLocke and Sayid got to talking. NotLocke told him Dogen sent him out here to be killed and then Sayid appeared to make a deal with Smokey concerning Nadia. The next thing we saw was Sayid giving a message to The Others. Either leave and live or stay and die. At sundown, all hell would break loose. And, oh did it break loose but I’ll delve into that later (and I sort of already did). Sayid had one last thing to do: kill Dogen so that NotLocke could raise hell. He did kill Dogen but not before Dogen told him about why he came to The Island. Jacob promised to save his son but told Dogen he could never see his son again. It reminded me a whole lot of Juliet not being allowed to see her sister even though Jacob healed her. But, as we saw last week, Dogen is with his son in goody Sideways. I digress.

I wish I knew what exactly being infected meant. I know it involves being badass as hell but what the infection is is not very clear. Sayid has seemingly ceased seeking redemption. But, then again, if there’s one man who hates The Others it is Sayid Jarrah. But if Dogen is to believed, his true self went away and all that is left is darkness. The scene between Miles and Sayid stands out because of Miles relationship with the dead. Remember his expression when sitting beside Sayid? Hurley asked him ‘what?’ and Miles said nothing but he looked like he knew something was up. He told Sayid that The Others did not save him, that he died and was dead for two hours and that something else saved him. If Jacob can heal people, I guess there’s no reason why NotLocke can’t do the same thing. But I think Sayid is beyond saving now. I hope I eat these words. The scene between him and Hurley was so powerful in “LA X” when Sayid wondered what would happen to him when he dies. But, you know, if I still believe in Claire being saved then SAYID WILL BE SAVED. After all, Ilana has arrived!

NotLocke is walking around The Island thinking his smoke doesn’t stink. He just took out The Temple, Jacob’s dead, he’s winning recruits. But Ilana is still alive. When she showed up at the end, I felt such relief. There is hope for a happy ending because “Sundown” was as unhappy an ending as I’ve seen so that was needed. The scene between Jacob and Ilana in “The Incident” is very short but one imagines the two have a long history. She knows this Island and I bet she knows how to stop NotLocke. She got Miles, Frank and Sun to safety before Smokey found them. Ben went to get Sayid. It was poignant. Recall, quickly, in your mind their incredibly complex history together. Ben tried to save Sayid and then Ben got freaked the EFF OUT when he realized NotLocke had gotten to Sayid. But he missed the chance to get to safety with Ilana and crew.

Anywho, it’s time for some more thoughts:

–Miles saying Claire is still hot rocked. I even pointed to the television and said “hell yeah man!” Miles is the king.

–I literally just wrote this but I was DELIGHTED to see Frank and Sun again. Frank’s quick explanation to Miles about why he’s here was great. I also enjoyed how Miles told Sun that Jin had left to the Temple to find her. Sometime soon, those two will be back together. More so, I’m really excited that the characters should all be together soon. Sure there’s two different groups and Richard is wandering around in the jungle for all we know but MAYBE (please be so) the days of characters not being in episodes for 1-3 weeks will finally be over.

–Poor Kate. All she wants to do is reunite Claire with her son. Now she’s found herself with NotLocke and company. I imagine Claire wants to kill her as well. I know Lennon only gave Kate two minutes to speak with Claire but, now that she and Claire are together again, Kate only has to say the words I suggested she say last week. Kate’s got the best intentions, Claire. Settle down.

–Dogen’s story about his son was very touching. It’s a shame Sayid had to kill him because I liked Dogen. It wasn’t too long ago I announced Dogen as, perhaps, my favorite Other. Oh well. He is alive and well in the Sideways narrative.

–I got duped by the crafty writers. I totally thought “Sundown” would be a Sun/Jin episode. Nope. This episode blew my mind. I felt like how I felt watching the end of “Two For The Road,” “Exodus Part 3,” etc. I’m fascinated by where this is going. I think we’re heading to an amazing finish. The final 12 episodes are going to be amazing.

–Last week I predicted things would get more intense. Did I call it or DID I CALL IT?!?

–How ominous was that version of “Catch A Falling Star?” I did enjoy Claire’s rendition of it while stuck in the hole.

–The shot of Smokey roaring past Kate as she hunt from the ladder was fantastic. Fascinating the way NotLocke looked at Kate when he realized she joined his merry ranks.

–Naveen Andrews was superb. He never disappoints when it’s his time to shine in an episode.

–Paul Zbyszewski and Graham Roland wrote the episode. It’s a first for Graham. Boy were these two given an insane episode. Bobby Roth directed.

–I’m so pleased with how season six has unfolded thus far. It’s insane and it’s got a lot of great character stuff thanks to the sideways. Right now we’ve got one hell of a story and, remember, it’s always about the story. And I think the pieces are set for a mindblowing final 12 episodes. Bring on next week!

TO THE RANKINGS!

THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS

AFTER EPISODE 6

RANKED: 3/3/2010

Another wild week of rankings. Hurley’s dropped 10 spots in STEVE’s. Miles cracked the Top 5 for both me and STEVE. Claire is inching her way to my top 5 while she got demoted in STEVE’s. Ilana is slowly climbing the rankings. Man in Black is a top tener for STEVE. Sawyer’s moved up for me despite not being seen for two weeks now. Sayid has dropped out of me and STEVE’s top 5. This infection stuff messes with my mind! Kate’s back in the top 10 for me because she is awesome. Anywho, take a look yourself. Also, this is the final week for Dogen and Lennon in the rankings.

CHRIS

1. Jack

2. Desmond

3. Miles

4. Locke

5. Ben

6. Hurley

7. Jin

8. Claire

9. Sayid

10. Kate

11. Sawyer

12. Dogen

13. Frank

14. Ilana

15. Richard

16. Jacob

17. Sun

18. Man in Black

19. Widmore

20. Lennon

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Sawyer

3. Dogen

4. Miles

5. Kate

6. Jack

7. Ben

8. Sayid

9. Jin

10. Man in Black

11. Frank

12. Richard

13. Locke

14. Ilana

15. Claire

16. Jacob

17. Sun

18. Widmore

19. Hurley

20. Lennon

THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS

An exciting week of rankings especially STEVE’s. I was so pumped when I saw he moved a character up TEN SPOTS. Mine aren’t too exciting. The top 5 changed around a bit. We added Jacob as I mentioned in the recap of “Lighthouse.” It’s now a huge list of 20 characters. It’s great. But STEVE’s rankings are where the action is this week. Whatchya waiting for? TAKE A LOOK!

AFTER EPISODE 5

RANKED: 2/24/2010

CHRIS

1. Jack

2. Sayid

3. Desmond

4. Locke

5. Ben

6. Hurley

7. Jin

8. Miles

9. Claire

10. Dogen

11. Kate

12. Sawyer

13. Frank

14. Jacob

15. Richard

16. Sun

17. Ilana

18. Man in Black

19. Lennon

20. Widmore

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Sayid

3. Sawyer

4. Jack

5. Ben

6. Kate

7. Dogen

8. Miles

9. Hurley

10. Claire

11. Jin

12. Frank

13. Man in Black

14. Richard

15. Locke

16. Ilana

17. Jacob

18. Sun

19. Widmore

20. Lennon

Dear lord I love this show.

I think Desmond is coming to the Island. Why? It’s a gut feeling. I’m writing this nine minutes after “Lighthouse” ended so I have not yet gone back to look at the first building seen in the mirror but it reminded me of Desmond. As Faraday has told us and Desmond, Desmond is special. It HAS to be Desmond. I’m feeling it. I AM FEELING IT.

As for the mother of Jack’s child? I have no guesses. But I’ll get there. I’ll also have many, many words to offer about good ol’ Claire. All in good time. Let’s start with Hurley and Jack.

Hurley said it best: an old school Island adventure. WE EVEN SAW THE CAVES AGAIN! I was thrilled. I missed the caves so much once season two dropped them from the mix. But I digress. I’ll return to the caves in a bit. Anywho, after a game of Temple tic-tac-toe with Miles, Hurley was off to find the kitchen when he came across Jacob, who was kneeling by the spring. Interestingly enough, Jacob was running the water through his hands. Jacob had a task for Hurley. The task: go to the lighthouse because someone is coming to the Island. But this wasn’t about the lighting up the lighthouse at all. It was about Jack. Hurley told Jacob that Jack wouldn’t agree to go so Jacob gave Hurley some helpful words to get Jack to go: you have what it takes.

Jack told his son, David, how he’s been carrying those words with him all of his life. And he has. That’s why he was so determined to bury his father in “White Rabbit.” But Jack has burying his feelings for his father all of his life. David really is his father’s son. But I shall get into the Sideways in a bit.

Back to Island Jack, after he lost his shit when he saw his childhood house in the looking glass, he sat on a cliff and stared out at the ocean. Jacob arrived and told Hurley that some people need to stare out at the ocean in order to know what they need to do and Jacob needed Jack to know how important he is because Jack has to do something very important. Jack told Hurley, on their way to the lighthouse, that he came to the Island because he was broken in Los Angeles and he hoped the Island would fix him. Jack referred to the hope of being fixed as stupid. He wanted to detonate Jughead because he wanted to erase the past, start anew, be reborn. He had destroyed his engagement with Kate. He was popping pills, drinking excessively, and he wanted to die. “Through The Looking Glass” opens with Jack on an airplane, hoping it will crash (as he tells Kate later) and then he was going to jump before a car crash saved his life. This dude was a shattered shell of himself. You want symbolism? How is Jack literally shattering his past with a hard object? And he’s also dealing with the fallout of Jughead. Juliet’s dead. Sawyer is off on his own. Things are as they’ve always been (but not really–SIDEWAYS). But he’s not like how he was in 2007 off-the-Island. He’s in more control than, possibly, ever. He lost it but then he was sitting quietly, thinking. He did what Jack usually does which is react but then he contemplated afterwards. Perhaps he did learn a little thing or two from Sawyer in “LaFleur.”

As for that important thing he’s going to do but doesn’t know yet? I think it begins with saving his sister. Oh my does she need some saving. But I’ll get to her in a little bit.

As for Sideways narrative, I think we’re seeing how Jack can work through his father issues. He told his son how he never wants to be how Christian was to him. But he was doing his best Andy Brown impression. He barely interacted with his son. His son seemed to hate him. But he managed to repair some of the damage by Sideways end. He just wants to be part of David’s life which I thought was very nice.

As for the other stuff in the Sideways narrative, we had another bathroom scene. In this, Jack looked at himself in the mirror and noticed the scar from having his appendix removed. Recall “Something Nice Back Home” in which he had his appendix removed and the flash-forward. Yes, the very flash-forward that spells the end of he and Kate. It’s the second time Jack has noticed something as he looked at himself in the mirror. He even asked his mother about getting his appendix removed (age 7). But Jack still perceives something to be off. As he sorted through Christian’s files with his mother, he denied a drink from his mother. And then his mother asked him about Claire Littleton. He’s gotta save his sister.

Speaking of Claire, she is no longer the sweet peanut butter craving girl, eh? She’s a character I adore because of how Emilie’s portrayed her, and how she’s been written, throughout the first four seasons. The sweetness is sort of there (am I reaching? she was pretty nice to Jin if you ignore the fact he was TERRIFIED of her) but she’s massively mentally unbalanced, hates the Others as much as Rousseau did, refers to NotLocke as her FRIEND, has quite the crib set up because of missing Aaron but I still love the character and I badly want her to be rescued/saved.

What seems to have happened the last three years for Claire is a lot of manipulation. I don’t have much to write about that yet. She was taken by the Others, put through what Sayid was put through, and then escaped. She was once seen hanging out in the Cabin (i assume before her time with the Others) and she thinks the Others have Aaron when, in fact, he was left in a tree. Kate did what needed to be done. DON’T KILL HER, CLAIRE! And she’s set up tons of traps in the jungle and stuff. I covered this in “What Kate Does.” I knew she wouldn’t hurt Jin. Did I fear for his safety? A bit, especially when he got involved in the Aaron business. But she took care of him. She apologized for the trap, cleaned out the wound, and stitched him up. She still loves Jin. Why wouldn’t she, you know? He was there when she gave birth, helped her catch migratory birds, hung out with her and stuff. It’s JIN!

My ol’ soft, fragile heart broke for Claire when Jin told her about Aaron and Kate and Claire realized her son was three years old. Oh, Claire. She had no mercy for Justin. She put axe into his gut. Jin later told Kate that The Others had her baby. Claire said she would kill Kate for taking Aaron. Jin is trying to save lives but he’s in a bad, bad situation because NotLocke showed up. Claire’s friend. They are on their way to The Temple to cause some chaos which is why Jacob got Hurley and Jack out of dodge. What about Miles and Sayid though?

I think it’s time for the other thoughts:

–Great scene when Jack listened to his son’s answering machine and heard himself calling, hoping to talk to his son after the death of his father. Matthew Fox played that scene so well.

–This episode had so many callbacks to past episodes. “White Rabbit,” “House of the Rising Sun,” “Something Nice Back Home,” “Confidence Man,” “Solitary,” “Numbers,” “Orientation.” The episode was penned by none other than Darlton. They know us fans so well. Allow me to breakdown said callbacks.

–We had Jack tell Hurley how he found the caves: “chasing the ghost of my dead father.” Jack told Hurley had smashed the coffin because his father wasn’t in it. And there was the caves. Oh, how I loved the caves. I know I wrote this already but it bears repeating. They were so awesome. Season one really is a fantastic season. “White Rabbit” also introduced the issues Jack had with his father which were a key theme in tonight’s episode.

–The skeletons returned! Hurley voiced the fans when he thought that maybe the skeletons are one of them. Rose and Bernard? I may be reaching here but Jin was in a bit of helpless situation in “House of the Rising Sun.” I might be jumping the gun too because season six has been following season one so I imagine Jin/Sun’s episode is next week.

–I mentioned the “Something Nice Back Home” stuff already.

–Hurley came across Shannon’s inhaler. In “Confidence Man,” Sawyer gets tortured because people suspect he has them and won’t give them up. Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowtiz mentioned that a scene was cut from ‘Expose’ in which Paulo throws the inhalers into the jungle which explains why Hurley found it where he did. Sun saves the day for Shannon in “Confidence Man.”

–Jin wakes up much like Sayid does in “Solitary” and he looks around much like Sayid does.

–”Numbers” has the great Locke-builds-a-crib-for-Claire’s baby story. NotLocke shows up in Claire’s shelter at episode’s end.

–108, the numbers, etc reminds me of “Orientation.”

–Love the lighthouse and the idea of the lighthouse.

–Hurley was fantastic this episode. He had some great lines like the one about ink on his forehead, Obi-Wan. The scene with Dogen was great. Dogen was none too pleased.

–Speaking of Dogen, the scene between he and Jack in Sideways narrative seemed pretty important. His words carried a whole lot of significance.

–Loved how Mr. Friendly was once a candidate to replace Jacob. I hope we see Tom once last time. What a character.

–I’m still not sure about this whole infection stuff. I still don’t think a darkness has consumed Claire. We know what happens when Aaron’s taken from her. In “Exodus,” she’s a bit like current Claire when Aaron’s taken from her. She became completely detached. So, yeah, I don’t think there’s an infection. She’s just changed. Oh my how she has changed.

–Miles and Sayid! Don’t leave them there at the Temple! COME ON! I wonder, on a scale from 1-10, how uncomfortable Sayid is in The Temple. He hates Other. He just died and then was put through annoying tests. Everyone thinks a darkness will consume him. The Others want him to die for good. At least he’s got Miles there.

–Kate was so nice this episode, hoping Jack and Hurley find what they’re looking for. I love her desire to find Kate. Hopefully Claire’s not insane enough to do something stupid. She’ll need to listen to Kate carefully because Kate will tell her: ‘look you wandered off into the jungle, no one knew where you were, THE ISLAND DISAPPEARED WHEN WE WERE ON OUR WAY BACK TO LOOK FOR YOU, someone had to raise Aaron, Jack YOUR BROTHER helped me and took care of him as well, he is now with YOUR MOTHER who is OUT OF THE COMA AND ALIVE, and they are waiting for you.”

–I’m enjoying the openness of the characters. They are telling each other stuff. Jack told Kate that Dogen informed him that something happened to Claire. Jack told Sayid that the Others wanted Jack to kill him. Hurley and Jack discussed why they came back to the Island. Jack told Hurley how he found the caves. I loved it. How dare The Sports Gal fall asleep during this!

–I have a feeling The Temple stuff might be wrapping up in the next few weeks or so. If LOST has taught me anything, it’s that there’s a first half and then a second half (of the season). Jacob doesn’t seem too interested in preserving The Temple. I don’t think whoever is coming is coming to save The Temple. Stay tuned.

–Emilie de Ravin was a pearl in the episode. She sold this new Claire very well. I was a bit nervous and on guard like Jin. A bit of an aside, how underrated is Jin? What a character. Daniel Dae Kim is the man. I thought Matthew Fox knocked it out of the park.

–I think Jorge Garcia and Mark Pellegrino work great together. More Hurley and Jacob!

–Darlton and Jack Bender, the Tim Lincecum/Roy Halladay of the show, pitched a complete game YET AGAIN.

–Last, but not least, I can’t forget about Alice In Wonderland showing up (was that an annotated version?). In “Something Nice Back Home,” Jack was reading it to Aaron (a favorite scene of mine). Alice in Wonderland popped up all over this episode. The Looking Glass, Sideways, etc. Here’s what he reads to him:

”Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle!”

I think it’s great to think about in the context of season six and I’m thinking Darlton want us to think about it with that context. My mind immediately goes to the Sideways, the scenes with Jack looking in the mirror, wondering if he, too, has been changed in the night (and he has). The final two sentences are so significant to LOST right now. That’s the most important question I want answered in this final season: who, in fact, are these characters. It’s going to be amazing, people.

The Official LOST Rankings will be posted a little later. I’ll tell you now that Jacob has been ADDED to the Rankings! It’s very exciting. Until then, have a happy Wednesday.

An absolutely fascinating episode of LOST. I think we might’ve just found out the significance of the Numbers. I’ll get into that. It looks like The Man in Black is not the Big Bad or whatever you want to call it. I’ll also get into that (but then again Richard looked absolutely terrified). It seems as if someone is coming to The Island. I’ll get into that. Perhaps I should quit writing “I’ll get into that” and actually, well, get into it. SO I WILL!

I have missed the real John Locke, folks. The sideways story had me once Helen walked through the door to help John up after he fell. He was still the same sad man we saw in “Walkabout,” full of self-pity and just awfully sad. He doesn’t believe in miracles. My mind immediately went to that scene in “There’s No Place Like Home” when Locke describes the Island, to Jack, as a place of miracles. He was denied a chance to go on the Walkabout. But his life isn’t all sadness anymore. He has Helen in this sideways world. Not only does he have her, he’s going to marry her. He met Hurley after being fired from his job and it turned out Hurley put him on track to find another job quickly. He met Rose in the job placement office and she told him to begin living his life again, that she did even with her terminal cancer. They were both healed, of course, when they landed on the Island. And Rose even told John, in her way, that she knew about his healing. Something that stuck me was Locke’s faith even when it appeared he had lost it. He told Helen that he’s aware he can’t do what he wants to do but he never stopped thinking or trying to do the things that he wanted. That’s John Locke. In the end, when he essentially accepted his fate, Helen tore up Jack’s card.

Once again, there were some differences in the Sideways world. But Doc Jensen beat me to the punch in stating all of them so swing over EW.com way for it. Continuing with The Foot recap:

I, of course, won’t continue with this recap without mentioning the words written on Helen’s shirt. “Peace&Karma.” Listen, EVERYTHING is significant in this show. I had half the mind to go back and carefully examine Jack’s card but I didn’t. Peace&Karma will not be ignored because those two words sum up what I hope the future holds for John Locke. Peace and the Karmic gods to do John Locke some good. I hope when/if there is a reconciliation of these two worlds that John Locke will find the ultimate peace. It would be the finest way to end John Locke’s story.

I also won’t continue into the meaty on-Island story without mentioning the fact that Benny Linus and Johnny Locke are now colleagues. Both teachers. European History is what Ben teaches and Locke is simply a substitute (and do I really need to break down the symbolism/significance/meaning of the episode title and Locke’s role in sideways world? I probably will, anyway). Locke is teaching biology. Science. Very sneaky, writers. I knew Ben would show up at some point. I was delighted when he did and delighted that he was chastising the faculty for not removing the empty coffee bag from the coffee machine. It’s going to be great to watch the working relationship develop between the two of them.

As for the actual John Locke substitute, Mr. NotLocke, Mr. Man in Black…he is not a happy man. There was quite a bit of story in that Island tale. NotLocke accused Jacob of manipulating the candidates to the Island. He told Sawyer that Jacob always wanted to protect the Island. When Sawyer asked NotLocke what the Island was being protected from, NotLocke said nothing. NotLocke reminds of a total and complete nihilist. He’s the Ippolit of The Island. Ippolit is a character in Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot.” Anywho, NotLocke believes in nothing. All three choices involved nothing. They could literally do nothing. Sawyer could protect the Island but NotLocke called protection meaningless and reduced it to nothing. The third is to leave the Island. Again, doing nothing. Nietzsche’s Superman rejected the traits of humility and passivity. Perhaps that’s what NotLocke perceived Jacob to be instilling into these characters. He insinuated Sawyer and the rest were pawns or puppets with no free-will, that they were here because of Jacob but their purpose is meaningless and no purpose actually exists. It reminds me of the ‘push the button’ question that dominated the second season. Faith vs. Science, predeterminism vs. free-will. Returning to Superman, the Superman believed traits of humility and passivity were devices of that powers-that-be to control man.

Here’s why I explain my Numbers remark at the top of this recap. I don’t at all think the Numbers were explained. It’s merely the philosophy of NotLocke throwing out an answer to Sawyer’s question. His response is inherently nihilistic: “Jacob had a thing for numbers.” STEVE described NotLocke as wild. I totally agree. Here’s a dude who told Sawyer that he felt pain, joy, and the whole nine yards of humanity, that he is a man. But he’s been trapped. And now he’s absolutely miserable. I speculated he wanted to return to The Temple, that the Tempe is his home. Scratch that. This dude, as far I can tell, wants to get the hell off of the Island.

So, then what, do we make of Richard’s absolutely terror of him? Hm. I trust Richard. He still holds the greatest Other title. NotLocke was disgusted that Richard followed Jacob blindly. I think the idea of Richard disgusts NotLocke. Re: Nihilism. Richard is convinced he’s going to kill Sawyer and others. I don’t know. I really don’t know. It’s only the fourth episode!

How about that boy NotLocke saw? I’m thinking that was Jacob. “You know the rules. You can’t kill him.” I think that refers to Jacob. It was very creepy though and I loved it. It reminded me of the ol’ season 2 Walt vision days. That first shot of the boy was INSANE. This is going to be a dynamite season, folks.

We learned via Ilana that NotLocke is stuck looking like Locke. He is a permanent substitute. Interesting. Also, going back to the vision of the boy, perhaps NotLocke isn’t responsible for the Walking Dead. HMMM. The boy also reminded me of how Christian was in “White Rabbit.” HMMMMM. As for Ilana, I’m still intrigued by her. She’s more together than Richard is but, of course, she wasn’t beaten and hung up in a ball in a tree. I like the knowledge she possesses. If I’m Frank, Sun, and Ben…I feel safe. I also was touched by Ilana’s moment of mourning in the Foot. The four of them will be journeying to The Temple. But before that…

Sun wanted to bury Locke. And they did. They took him to the graveyard where so many of our beloved characters lie. Ben’s eulogy seemed sincere and heartfelt. I think he’s truly sorry considering the recent events in which he was manipulated into killing his leader, Jacob. He spoke truly of Locke. A believer and a man of faith. I really do hope Ben can be redeemed. Poor Sun was wary of following Ilana but Ilana assured her that Jin would be in The Temple. Poor Sun doesn’t know Jin left The Temple to find her and is now with a gun-toting Cliare and trapped in a bear trap. But I think Claire will not even harm Jin. The two are friends. FRIENDS. He tried to help her catch the Par Avion bird! I digress. I cracked up when Frank said the funeral was the weirdest he’s ever been to. You bet your Aldo bobblehead that Frank is going to rise in the rankings for that. Dear LORD how I laughed! Frank Lapidus, everyone!

Don’t think I forgot about Sawyer. Sawyer is in absolute “I don’t give a flying BLEEP” mode. He was drinking whiskey, listening to The Stooges, and basically inviting death to come. He knew MiB wasn’t Locke. And the man followed him for answers alone. NotLocke told him he could tell him why he’s on the Island. Sawyer chose to stay with NotLocke when a frantic Richard told him to get the heck away from him. Sawyer just wants get off the Island. He did choose number three: Get off the Island. What will it take to get off of the Island? I’m sure it’s going to be intense. Sawyer’s had some bad luck in his attempts to get off of the Island as he noted to NotLocke. Considering what he’s been through, I don’t blame him for wanting to get off the Island. I’m not sure what the future holds for Sawyer. STEVE thinks he will die. Perhaps he will. Perhaps a few characters I love will die. It is the final season after all.

The previews for next week hint that someone is coming. I think this is going to get very, very intense. Here’s some more thoughts:

–Ben covered his ass with Ilana. I mean, NotLocke essentially murdered Jacob. Sure Ben did the stabbing BUT NotLocke did kick Jacob into the fire which really killed him. And you know? NotLocke is essentially doing what he’s accused Jacob of doing. He’s manipulating the bollocks out of people so far.

–Had a thought while re-watching “What Kate Does.” Perhaps “The Incident” began the flash sideways. Bear with me. What sparked this thought was the scene between Kate and Claire when Kate asks Claire whether or not she’d be believed if she told Claire she was innocent. When Jacob visited her, he touched her hand and told her (i’m paraphrasing) to not steal again. She said yes. In the sideways, she may be innocent. I’m not much into theories but one can consider this is a theory. Am I saying they were all sideways? No. I’d be daft if I suggested that. It’s just a thought that I don’t really buy into myself. I also continue to have a love/hate relationship with message boards.

–I really am anxious to see Claire/Jin again. I’m SO INTO THIS SEASON! I want everything going on in one episode. NotLocke/Sawyer, Sun/Frank/Ilana/Ben, The Temple.

–How about NotLocke throwing the white stone into the ocean? He told Sawyer it was an inside joke. We saw those two stones with the skeletons in season one. Also: backgammon.

–The Aaron theories are abundant on the message boards. Tell me: how can the boy NotLocke saw be Aaron when Aaron is just three years old? I’m all for Aaron emerging as a character of mythic and epic proportions but I really think it’s simply about getting Claire and Aaron back together. Claire deserves it. Aaron deserves it.

–I don’t think I have much to say about the cave or about the names. It’s worth noting that Kate is not a candidate. Only males. And Locke had his name crossed out because he’s dead. NotLocke can be incredibly understanding and then incredibly harsh and cold.

–Ilana collected some of Jacob’s ash before leaving The Foot. If I’m NotLocke, I wouldn’t be all smiles with Ilana on the Island.

–This episode mirrored season three’s “The Brig.” I deemed “The Brig” one of the show’s most underrated episodes. I stand by that. In “The Brig,” Locke gets Sawyer to go with him with the promise that Ben is imprisoned in The Black Rock. In this, NotLocke lures Sawyer with him through the promise of answers. Murder soon follows in “The Brig.” Will murder soon follow? Hm.

–Terry O’Quinn was dynamite this episode. What an actor. I loved how he portrayed Locke in the Sideways world. Loved the NotLocke stuff. I’ve gotta mention Jeff Fahey for delivering one of the greatest lines in the show. I think Elizaberth Sarnoff and Melina Hsu Taylor wrote an outstanding episode.

–I’m predicting next week’s episode is a Jack episode. Why? Season Six has been following the blueprint of season one and, after all, the season is clearly mirroring season one.

TO THE RANKINGS!

THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS

It was only a matter of time until Locke returned to the top 5 for me. It took me nearly 9 months and the Sideways story to properly rank Locke. He’s still one of my favorite characters and would’ve reclaimed the top spot if Jack wasn’t so badass and awesome last week. There was some exciting movement in the rankings. Sawyer dropped in both our lists. You know, this is a very tough numbers game. It’s the way the biscuit bakes, you know. Desmond retains the top spot for STEVE. MiB moved up for STEVE because MiB is wild. Here they are:

AFTER EPISODE 4

Ranked: 2/17/2010

CHRIS

1. Jack

2. Locke

3. Sayid

4. Desmond

5. Ben

6. Hurley

7. Jin

8. Miles

9. Claire

10. Dogen

11. Frank

12. Sawyer

13. Kate

14. Richard

15. Sun

16. The Man in Black

17. Ilana

18. Lennon

19. Widmore

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Sayid

3. Sawyer

4. Ben

5. Kate

6. Miles

7. Jack

8. Jin

9. Frank

10. Dogen

11. Man in Black

12. Richard

13. Claire

14. Locke

15. Ilana

16. Sun

17. Lennon

18. Widmore

19. Hurley

AFTER EPISODE 3

RANKED: 2/10/10

Me and STEVE have added Dogen and Lennon to the rankings. Juliet was removed as per our rule. Not much else to say other than check ‘em out!

CHRIS

1. Jack

2. Sayid

3. Desmond

4. Hurley

5. Ben

6. Jin

7. Dogen

8. Sawyer

9. Miles

10. Claire

11. Kate

12. Richard

13. John Locke

14. Frank

15. Sun

16. The Man in Black

17. Ilana

18. Lennon

19. Widmore

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Sawyer

3. Sayid

4. Kate

5. Ben

6. Miles

7. Jin

8. Dogen

9. Jack

10. Frank

11. Richard

12. Claire

13. John Locke

14. Lennon

15. Sun

16. Man in Black

17. Ilana

18. Widmore

19. Hurley

What an episode! I’m so excited and pumped after watching that. It’s been 21 minutes since the episode ended and I’m so damn pumped!

Where do I begin? With Jack, once again, being awesome? With Claire, seemingly, returning as Rousseau no.2 (traps, gun, and all)? With how awesome Dogen is? The fantastic flash sideway with Ethan Goodspeed and the relationship between Kate, Claire, and Aaron? I’m such a fanboy that this recap is going to go every which way and insane! I told myself I’d settle down with these recaps, watch word count, and try to write with some coherency. I think I can do that. Don’t count 2,000 words out.

“What Kate Does” is the title of episode three of season six of LOST. “What Kate Did” is the title of season two’s ninth episode. This episode brought back some season two-ness and some season one-ness and some season three-ness AND some season four-ness AND SEASON FIVE-NESS. I’ll get into all of that later. I’m going to stay focused on the central Kate story first.

There have many Kate episodes throughout this fantastic series. For the most part, in her flashbacks, she’s been running and she’s hurt a lot of people in the process. There’s Tom who was killed in “Born To Run” as she fled police. She caused a car crash when Ray, the farmer who took her in in Australia in “Tabula Rasa,” though she does drag him to safety. But she’s not a heartless, cold hearted person and never has been. She helped Cassidy while on the lam. She DID drag Ray to safety. She did a whole lot to preserve Tom’s memory (”Whatever The Case May Be”). She protected Kevin from any legal trouble once she realized she couldn’t have a life with him. Tonight, she WENT BACK to help Claire. After being terribly rude to Claire, she was moved to go back to her when she discovered she had things Aaron in her bag. She’s still very much on the run but she took time to drive Claire to the adopted parents (oh there’ll be more on that) and to the hospital when Claire experienced contractions. It was so awesome. My favorite scene in the sideways is the Ethan scene. Ethan Goodspeed. Confirmation that he’s the son of Horace and Amy. The interaction between he and Claire was such a reversal from the flashbacks seen in “Maternity Leave.” He tells her the last thing he wants to do is drug her, to stick a bunch of needles in her. That’s all he did to her while in The Arrow. She had a choice to make as well. Whether to have Aaron now or later. She decided later to wait to deliver Aaron and, after a brief scare, Aaron was a healthy as can be. I really enjoyed the scene that followed when they discussed Aaron’s name and how Claire said it just came to her. Kate told her that she should keep him. The most moving moment was when the camera revealed Claire holding Kate’s hand. I’m very glad that Claire is back.

I’ve written ad-nauseum about Kate, Claire, and Aaron (as recently as last week!) but I can’t help it. I love their story. I love how it’s evolved and how meaningful it’s become. Why would Claire trust Kate after that experience in the cab? I think it goes back to the idea of predeterminism and free will. Fate and destiny imply that individuals are pawns of fate but what if that isn’t necessarily it? I’m with Jacob. They have a choice. Kate had a choice. She could’ve kept running after going through her bag. She didn’t have to return to the Island but she did. What I’m writing is connected with Kierkegaard’s notion of the absurdity of faith. Of couse I think it’s all meaningful. These characters and their interactions and their experience on the Island. The episode is very aptly titled. It’s about what she does and about what they all do. The Temple represents this idea of predeterminism. The Others need Sawyer, Kate, and Jin in The Temple because, I presume, of what was written on that list of Jacob’s that was in the ankh. The sideways world is a representation of active free-will. I think the two ideas will reconcile as will the sideways and the present.

On The Island, in 2007, Kate followed Sawyer to New-Old Otherton where he really just wants to be alone. He’s just very sad. He blames himself for Juliet’s death because he asked her to stay with him that night in 1974. He didn’t want to be alone and now feels like he’s destined to be alone. I wrote last week that I thought Sawyer and Kate would end up together but I don’t think that’ll happen anymore. His love for Juliet might be diminished. While trekking with Jin, she told Jin that she was escaping and showed no interest in helping him find Sun which wasn’t too cool. She implied that she wanted to be with Sawyer and to stay with Sawyer somewhere that wasn’t anywhere near The Temple. She also asked for his help finding Claire but he just wanted to be alone. I can’t fault the dude. He needs to properly grieve. Kate cried and then it seemed like she’ll be returning to The Temple.

Elsewhere, in The Temple, some really, really, really cool stuff was taking place. Dogen and Lennon sought to diagnose Sayid after he returned to life after dying. Jack was there throughout, looking after Sayid and making sure he was protected. Dogen wanted to poison Sayid because he detected a darkness in Sayid that would consume him. Sayid had been claimed. Dogen stated that what would happen with Sayid happened to Claire. The entire story was/is fascinating. They tortured the torturer. I don’t quite buy what Dogen and Lennon were selling. Dogen attempted to use Jack’s past to get him to give Sayid the pill but Jack has learned from Jughead. He didn’t want to give anything to Sayid that he didn’t know everything about it. To learn, he put the pill in his mouth. Dogen finally told him the pill was poison. This story contained a whole lot about The Others, for a lack of a better word, methodology and lended discussion to the idea of predeterminism. In “LA X,” Dogen didn’t signal for the removal of Sayid from the water until the hour glass ran out. Did they run into Claire and cast her out? I get the impression she’s been Rousseau for the last three years, totally on her own, building traps and doing all she can to survive. Man of faith Jack took a backseat to man of science Jack tonight and I LOVED IT!

As for Island Claire, I loved the return. I’ve been waiting. I don’t believe she’s been consumed by darkness. She’s Claire! She’s goodness and light. I hope we get a flashback for whatever happened to her the last three years. I’m glad Claire ran into Jin. She looked absolutely insane (and still so pretty) but she and Jin were close. He’s in good hands. I didn’t really pick up on what Aldo was doing when stopping Justin from saying anything. Now I understand. Justin was close to telling Kate and Jin about Claire on several occasions but Aldo stopped him every time. I’m thinking Claire did die after the explosion but was saved by the Spring. So, where does Christian fall into all of this?

I’m loving season six so far. Here’s some more thoughts:

–Emilie de Ravin was wonderful. I loved everything about the sideways story. Back to sideways Claire for a moment, a couple actually existed in Los Angeles. I wish Malkin would return for one episode. “?” is still messing with my mind!

–Speaking of the sidways world, listen to the latest Official Lost Podcast if you’re confused. Darlton are preaching patience and not thinking too deeply or too much about it. Just let it progress, folks. Let the story unfold.

–Dogen is amazing. The scene between he and Jack, in his office, when Jack asked questions that Dogen actually answered rocked. Dogen said he was brought here just like Jack. And Jack seemed like he scoffed a tiny bit at that.

–Kate was absolutely badass tonight.

–I mentioned the season one-ness so I’ll explain it here. Kate’s first flashback is the third episode of season one and she got the third episode of season six. Man in Black/NotLocke next week? The season three-ness was explained by Aldo himself. He was a guard on Alcatrez Island. The actor who created ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.’

–Miles and Hurley were just hanging out somewhere around The Temple. I re-watched “LA X” and read the scene when Miles is attempting to communicate with Sayid differently. He says ‘nothing’ to Hurley when Hurley asks ‘what?’ Given the revelation about Claire, perhaps Miles sensed the same thing but didn’t want to cause alarm. I don’t know. I might be looking too much into it. We shall see.

–Josh Holloway’s been knocking it out of the park this season. The scene on the dock was terrific. I’m a fan of what they’ve been doing with Sawyer so far this season.

–Hurley asked Sayid if he’s a zombie. The Zombie season awaits, folks.

–Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz wrote one heck of an episode. I loved every moment of it. Paul Edwards helmed the episode.

Such a great episode. I’ll be buzzed all week. I’m going to really miss this show. The rankings will be up ASAP. Me and STEVE didn’t have the chance to rank last night and I like to get a recap up as soon as I possibly can. Expect the rankings later in the week as well as additional thoughts.

Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk

Great idea but poor execution ends up sinking ‘Big Fan’

 

            Every now and again, a movie comes along that has an incredible, absolutely can’t miss concept. An idea so brilliant that even if you tried to do it poorly, you wouldn’t be able to.

            Then you watch the thing and somehow they managed to mess it up.

            A movie that immediately jumps out to me is the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” I still remember when I was a kid wandering aimlessly through Blockbuster and finding the box for the VHS copy of “Texas.” It sounded like the most horrifying thing ever put on film. Then I watched it and it was a sort of funny, sort of creepy movie but nowhere near the nightmare I had envisioned.

            Sadly, “Big Fan,” is one of those kind of movies.

            “Big Fan” is the directorial debut from Robert D. Siegel, who wrote the outstanding “The Wrestler.” The film targets the world of the rabid sports fanatic. The type of person who calls in regularly to radio shows, gets in fights with fans of rival teams and all in all allow their lives to be dictated by the outcomes of children’s games.      

            Even though these people very obviously have an addiction, they never get called on it. In fact, the world just kind of laughs along with them as they paint themselves from head to toe with the colors of their favorite team. On the addiction scale, I guess that sports falls somewhere around porn in terms of severity. It likely won’t kill you but it can make it so that people won’t want to come over your house all that often.

            In the case of “Big Fan,” the addict in question is Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt). Along with his side kick Sal (Kevin Corrigan), Paul eats, sleeps and breaths New York Giants football. Things are so bad that the two actually drive down to Giants Stadium on Sunday just to sit outside of it and watch the game on a portable TV. They just want to be near their team, even if they can’t get inside the building.

            Paul works nights at a parking garage and spends his time there scripting out the phone call that he plans to make to the local sports talk radio station once he gets back home. He, of course, still lives with his mother because he has spent his entire life worshipping at the alter of pro football and couldn’t spare a second to buy a place of his own, let alone settle down and start a family.

            Paul’s entire world is built on this shoddy foundation and eventually everything comes crumbling down when a sort of chance run-in with his favorite player leaves him in a hospital with a black eye that has gone past black and into yellow.

            “Big Fan” isn’t a bad movie, it’s just that the concept is so good and the film’s budget is so small and the script could have used a little bit of tweaking. Really, it was only another draft and a marginally bigger budget away from being great.

            The problem is that Siegel struggles to balance the comedic and dramatic aspects of his film. Sometimes he veers too far into comedy and other times he plays things too safe. Also, he misses a perfect opportunity to turn Paul into a Steve Bartman-esque pariah in the wake of the yellow-y/ black eye incident. He toys with the idea, but never really commits. My guess is that it was the low budget that caused this, but that’s only me.       

            The movie is at its best when it’s lampooning our sports-crazed culture. It falters when it tries to be too funny or too cute. Things really fly off the rails during the outrageous third act, which culminates in a conclusion that is anything but.

            “Big Fan,” is saved by its brilliant cast made up of actors best know for their work on TV. Oswalt and Corrigan are both fantastic in the film. Oswalt really carries the movie, but as far as second bananas go, Corrigan is one of the best. Each infuses their character with just the right amount of depth, elevating them above your average wackos. You can’t help but feel bad for Paul and Sal, who are both so blissfully ignorant to the sorry state of their own existence.

            Michael Rapaport, another TV veteran stops by for a quick turn as Paul’s radio nemesis, “Philadelphia Phil.” The sarcastic and at times grating role is right in Rapaport’s wheel house and he nails it.  

              As a director, Siegel does just fine for his first time out, but his script is just lacking. The concept is definitely there, but the execution isn’t. Not funny enough, not sad enough and the conclusion is frustrating. The whole point of a movie is to make a character go somewhere and not just in the physical sense, something Siegel seems to forget.

Verdict: C+

Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk

J&J= A-OK! or How I Learned to Watch A Movie Where People Cook and Nothing Blows Up

It seems that the term “bromance” has latched itself firmly onto our culture these days, like a barnacle onto the hull of a ship. If you’ve some how escaped this formerly funny, now very overplayed concept, allow me to explain and also apologize for ruing your blissful ignorance.

            A bromance is a powerful emotional relationship that it shared by two guys. The best examples of this meaningful connection can be found on TV’s “Scrubs” or in the film “I Love You, Man.”

            But what of women? Things like “Sex and the City” have prominently featured the platonic relationships between women, but there doesn’t appear to be a term that accurately defines such things.

            I propose “wo-mance.” It’s easy to remember, it rolls off the tongue. Look, don’t take my word for it, but just try it out over the next few days and I’m sure you’ll agree that this is the way to go here.

            The aforementioned “Sex and the City” certainly falls into this category, but a more recent— and in my humble opinion better— example is “Julie and Julia” which features a Golden Globe Award winning and Academy Award nominated performance from Meryl Streep and another winner from the great and still underrated Amy Adams.

            Streep plays the legendary cook, author and TV show host Julia Child, while Adams is Julie Powell, a phone bank worker by day and a talented cook and aspiring blogger by night/ early morning. The two women are worlds apart, so much so that they don’t even share a second of screen time together and yet are still able to bond thanks to a shared passion for cooking.

            Now I won’t lie to you— this is NOT a movie that I should like. I don’t have any interest in cooking, I’d never heard of Julia Child before seeing it, I have no real opinion on Streep one way or the other and absolutely NOTHING of any real value blows up during the entirety of the film’s two plus hour run time.   

            All of that being said, it’s really impossible not to enjoy “Julie and Julia,” it’s just so darn likable. It’s funny, engaging and even heartfelt.

            As the film’s title indicates, the relationship between its two leading ladies is the center of the story. As I mentioned, the two don’t appear together in even a single scene, but Adams does a remarkable job of depicting fandom at its core. She lives her life trying to emulate Julie Child, even chastising herself for doing things that Julia may disapprove of.

            Think of the way that a teenage girl who wears entirely too much eye makeup and shops exclusively at Hot Topic looks at Robert Pattenson. This is about the same level of obsession that Powell has for Child, but thankfully with much less screaming.

            The film follows Child’s life after moving to 1950’s Paris with her wonderfully supportive husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) as she tries to figure out just what to do with herself there. After a failed go at hat making she takes up cooking and viola! A legend is born.

            Meanwhile in 2002, Powell is stuck at a job she hates, handling customer service for the company charged with creating the Sept. 11 memorial. Basically, she splits time between being screamed at and providing a shoulder to cry on over the phone. Her friends are mostly high-powered business types and she feels left behind. Eventually she decides to start a blog detailing her adventures cooking her way through her idol Child’s famed cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Naturally, she does this all with the help of her wonderfully supportive husband, Eric (Chris Messina). 

            The film is essentially made up of two separate stories, but it meticulously details the parallels, not only between the two women, but between their wonderfully supportive husbands as well. It also cleverly tackles the notion of hero worship and the disappointment that comes with realizing your heroes aren’t perfect. The film systematically uses the scenes with Child to poke holes in Powell’s vision of her as a perfect creature without any faults at all.

            Across the board, the acting in “Julie and Julia” is incredible. Streep received a well earned Golden Globe for her channeling of Child, while Adams continues to prove herself a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. Tucci and Messina’s characters are sure to have women casting angry eyes at the men in their lives for not being more like those two. Neither is perfect, but their hearts are always in the rightest of places.

            It’s painful but undeniably appealing.

            “Julie and Julia” is a great example of the “wo-mantic comedy.” Sure, in this case the love is sort of one-sided, but it’s easy to get swept up in Powell’s fantasy world where she and Child are a crime-fighting, culinary super duo. It’s delightfully funny and engaging, but guys should brace themselves for the “why can’t you be more like (insert Tucci or Messina)” speech that is sure to follow fast on the heels of the film’s credits.

Verdict: B+