Quad Blogs

So, I know today was supposed to be about the Flyers’ offseason plans but then I saw “Toy Story 3″ last night and instead of writing about hockey, I wrote a review of the film. So sue me. The offseason dealy will be up tomorrow. I apologize for the mix up.

            No one working in animation today can do what Pixar can. Heck, there are few people working in “real” movies, and I use that term loosely, that can do what Pixar can. Without fail, Pixar churns out one masterpiece after another. Taking familiar stories about young love, big dreams and growing up and making them somehow feel like new.

            Pixar’s incredible run started all the way back in 1995, when the original “Toy Story” changed animation forever. Now, as “Toy Story 3” storms into theaters, that run stands at 11 spectacular films and counting, with no end in sight.

            “Toy Story 3” begins with Andy preparing to leave for college, his formerly cherished collection of playthings relegated to a life stuck in the toy box, longing for someone to play with them again. After a series of mix-ups take them from the attic to the dumpster, the toys end up in a day care center ruled by a stuffed pink bear that smells like strawberries and where the kids are anything but gentle.

            Soon, Woody, Buzz, Rex and the rest of the gang set out for one last adventure as they try and make their way dutifully back home to be with Andy. Along the way, they encounter some new friends and some who are not-so friendly. Most of all though, the movie is about their struggle to find a place in Andy’s world, as he grows up and out grows the things that used to mean so much.

            Masterfully executed by director Lee Unkrich and writers Michael Arndt and John Lasseter, “Toy Story 3” is hilarious and heartfelt, regardless of age. As is so often the case with Pixar, you’ll be fighting back tears in between fits of laughter, while wondering just how a movie about (toys, robots, fish, ect.) could hit you so hard.

            Such is the magic of Pixar. They make movies with a soul and create characters that can jump off the screen without the aid of funny-looking plastic glasses. When people say that movies just aren’t what they used to be, I tend to think that they’re just not paying close enough attention. Movies are just different than they used to be. These days, the most human characters are sometimes made of plastic or voiced by a computer. Not better or worse, just different and you know what? That’s ok.

            Tim Allen (Buzz) and Tom Hanks (Woody) return once again to lead a cast of incredibly talented voice actors. New editions to the playroom include the aforementioned bear, called Lotso (as in Lots-O-Huggin’ Bear) voiced by Ned Beatty, Barbie’s gleefully self-absorbed soul mate Ken (Michael Keaton) and Trixie, a wonderfully charming Triceratops (Kristen Schaal), just to name a few. 

  

            I fell into a hyperbolic trap last summer, proclaiming three straight movies to be the best movie of the year. Armed with that experience and with the knowledge that a Christopher Nolan movie lurks just mere weeks away, I still feel confident saying that “Toy Story 3” is the best movie of the year. Honestly, it will be hard to top even for Nolan. I’ll even go one better and say that this is quite possibly the best of the beloved franchise; it’s funnier and more heartfelt than its predecessors. No small feat considering that the first two films are both rated at 100% according to the review aggregator Rottentomatoes.com.

            I’ve often debated with friends and colleagues over just what is the best film trilogy of all time. “Star Wars” doesn’t count because there are six of them. “Lord of the Rings” always felt wrong because that’s really more of one big movie. Thankfully, I think that we finally have an answer. I just hope Pixar doesn’t go and make a fourth “Toy Story,” because we’ll end up back at square one. Then again, I don’t think I would complain too loudly… or at all… if I got to spend just a little bit more time with the gang.

            Maybe that’s because the “Toy Story” films are a wonderful dose of nostalgia. Watching them is like being a kid again, alone in your room with only a handful of army men and a limitless imagination to keep you occupied. And that’s all you needed. “Toy Story” brilliantly taps into those childhood memories, making you regret all those yard sales where you sold off your friends a dollar at a time. It also gives you the chance to undo those mistakes and to be a kid again, even if it’s only for 100 minutes or so.

            See it: In theaters immediately

            Rewatchability: Very High

            Final Grade: A

Vaya con dios.

Image Credits: Poster; Andy

Today, the third season of Treat William’s Beard hits the shelves. The show starred Treat Williams, his beard, Emily Vancamp, Tom Amandes and Anna Faris’ significant other; however, another item has been released to the free world today: First Stop Pennsylvania’s debut EP “Down 0-3.” So, which one do you get? Allow the Foot to help you in that decision-making process.

Treat William’s Beard is a show that once held the title for best first season of all-time by certain people that may or may not include the author of this very blog.

The first season featured excellent writing, direction and acting. It was a classic WB show like Buffy or ANGEL. Treat William’s Beard had substance. It wasn’t like Dawson’s Creek or the atrocious 7th Heaven. The drama was earned. There was little melodrama (though the comatose boyfriend storyline leans that way but the show never melo-dramatized it) and a whole lot of heart. Much of the credit belongs to series creator Greg Berlanti and the show suffered a tonal shift when he began developing other shows for ABC because he handed the showrunning duties to Rina Mimoun. Now, there’s an old story that Berlanti was the one who was way into melodrama (and I should probably believe that considering he’s behind Brothers and Sisters) and that Rina Mimoun was the one keeping the story grounded. She made a wise move to eliminate the narrations but she and her group of writers fell victim to melodrama.

Season Two featured depressed Amy because her boyfriend died during surgery.

This was followed by her journey into drug experimentation with a fellow known by the TWoP crowd as Eyebrows. There was also a prolonged story arc about how she left home. Meanwhile, Treat Williams and his beard experienced the wrath of a town broken-hearted by the death of the town’s golden boy Colin Hart. People stopped going to his practice despite the fact that it was free. Ephram dated a succubus known as Madison. Add to that the fact she was 20 and he was 16 and a whole pile of drama was on that. Many conversations were had between the succubus and Ephram about how she’s too old and Ephram’s just a child. BUT NO, Ephram whined. He argued that he was masculine and manly enough for her. They of course break up. Meanwhile, Amy has had feeling for Ephram since episode six but the succubus rained on that parade. Of course, when she’s single and he’s single, he feels too scarred and hurt to date anyone because of Madison. There’s an episode when Ephram plays her and a Dawson’s Creek moment ensues when Ephram says he got her back for an entire year of being played. Amy cries. Back to the Beard though, he dates Dr. Abbott’s sister who contracted HIV while helping kids as a doctor abroad. This doesn’t scare Treat nor his beard because he loves Linda Abbott and it’s the first time he’s been able to love another woman since the death of his wife. His daughter doesn’t feel the same way. Just when she accepts Linda as a person, she finds out about the HIV and accidentally spreads it around town. Treat and his beard DUMPED Linda in the previous episode because of Delia’s fear of losing another motherish figure. She leaves. There’s also a malpractice thing with Dr. Abbott so he and Treat become buddies. Madison returns with news she’s pregnant. Treat and his beard BANISH her from the town. Ephram doesn’t know. Treat nor the beard wants Ephram to lose his innocence. He and Amy begin dating.

Allright. THAT did read as melodramatic. Now, it’s season three. The DVD you may or may not purchase based on my argument. I warn you it’s very melodramatic. Treat and the beard engage in an affair with Anne Heche despite the fact her husband can’t speak nor move and is being treated by Treat and the beard. This stresses Treat and the Beard out to the point he suffers a stomach ulcer. He’s also paranoid his son, Ephram, will find out that Madison was BANISHED with his spawn and, thus, destroying the years of healing that has happened in their complicated father/son relationship. The Anne Heche storyline is awful. It takes entirely too much time. It nearly destroys the season for me. Treat and the beard show stupidity that’s never been seen before. Considering’s a brain surgeon, one would expect a smarter person and beard. Also, that ticking time-bomb known as the Madison/pregnant storyline? It blows up and it’s annoying. Ephram overreacts, dumps Amy, sells every piece of musical equipment so he can go to Europe. WHAT?!?

You know, I imagine a group of 9-10 writers sitting around the table, pitching ideas for when Madison returns and the emotional beats and fallout of between Ephram and his father as well as the beard. How could they think it was a good idea? Ephram’s motivations aren’t believable. In fact, the entire storyline is implausible. Thankfully, at this point in time, I was having my mind blown by the first season of LOST and I forgot many of the happenings in season three. It was like a bad dream. It’s not a good season for Treat Williams and his beard. Of course, they wouldn’t name the show Treat William’s Beard if it meant Treat and the beard would sail through the show happily and without problems. It’s amazing that a writer’s room of many smart, intelligent writers consent to some ludicrous story arcs and plots. They did some great things in season three like the Ephram/Amy relationship, the Amy/Hannah friendship but then they did nonsense things like Anne Heche, Bright’s dumbass behavior post-college but the development of the Bright/Hannah future relationship was done well especially the episode when the four friends hang out in the snow. This is before the succubus and her baby hits the fan. As for that baby, Ephram pursues it once and realizes it’s not meant to be: fatherhood.

What this essentially boils down to is this: can you handle nonsense melodrama for the middle part of the season with Anne Heche, Treat Williams and the beard? Treat William’s Beard is a show with its fair share of flaws but the writers never lose sight of the show’s heart and why people loved the show as much they did when it was on. There’s a fair share of good in season three but some bad, bad stuff. In fact, season three has one of my favorite moments of the show. It involves a message from Ephram’s mother who died and Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, The Places You’ll Go.”

Now, I turn to First Stop Pennsylvania’s “Down 0-3.”

It is a six song EP written, produced and recorded by Bryan Funk. The six songs are well-done, catchy and fun. Track three has single written all over it. If I’m an A&R guy, I’d sign First Stop solely for “With You.” First Stop Pennsylvania blends a few different styles. There’s punk rock, pop-punk and 80s power-pop and it’s a blending of styles that works. There are infectious melodies and terrific use of effects. The EP isn’t overwhelmed by effects. B. Funk carefully chose his spots and it works. Also, an aspect of CDs that’s never given enough national attention is the closing track. I think enough has been made of openers and a golden rule seems to be open it up with some energy which this EP does. The closing track is pretty great as well. It reminds me of the glory days of pop-punk and even contains an expletive. The entire ep has that quality though. It’s more Blink 182 than All Time Low or Paramore. The ep is a healthy reminder of a golden era of pop-punk and one of the lasting things to take from this ep is this: pop-punk still has a whole lot of fun, quality and life in it.

It’s available here: http://firststoppennsylvania.bandcamp.com. It’s pay what you want. Pay 0 or Pay a dollar. It is like Jacob said: you have a choice.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE DAY

Um, I wanted to write about the words of Mr. Eko when he said “Don’t mistake coincidence for fate” to Locke in season two in light of what’s going on in the Sideways. You know, Jack’s starting to feel like something’s going on. Everyone he meets was on Oceanic 815. Things are falling into place in the Sideways world. I’m sure I’ll get into that. But…uh…it’s been 14 minutes since Act III of “The Candidate” ended. I still feel dust in the eyes. It’s been merely 4 minutes since the episode ended. “Two For The Road,” please take your second place trophy in the “Most Shocking Developments” awards of the show. “Through The Looking Glass,” you have a new buddy atop the list.

Ladies and gentleman, I just watched Sayid, Sun, Jin and Lapidus die in a one act span. I’m sort of speechless but not speechless enough that I didn’t feel compelled to update my status BEFORE the episode ended with a “holy BLEEP, LOST.” Lindelof and Cuse, I had my suspicions LOST was going to up the ante in the final month. Joss Whedon, you think you hurt the fans deeply by killing off Tara? Lindelof and Cuse just assumed the throne in that department. Part of me wants to give an eulogy for Sayid, Jin and Sun. Scratch that. A LOT of me wants to write that actually. My love for season one knows no bounds as well as my love for the characters Sayid, Sun and Jin. Did I feel as sad as Hurley, Kate and Jack as they cried? Hell yes I did. Will I tear up writing this? Most likely. Yes, I’m well-aware of the Sideways world. I really like that world. That is why I will not write any eulogies for these characters. The End has yet to reveal itself. I will not merely go along without addressing the final moments for each of the three originals (I won’t leave Frank out).

Thankfully, the writers gave Sayid a redemptive end. This has been a tough season for Sayid. He followed the false promise of goddamn NotLocke for awhile but the talk with Desmond at the well changed him. We saw only the Sayid we knew for six seasons tonight. How happy was I to hear him figure out what to do with the bomb? Pretty happy. It reminded me of Sayid trying to triangulate the signal in season one and all of the other cool stuff he always did. And then, when Sawyer made the poor decision to not trust Jack, Sayid took the fate of the bomb into his own hands. He told Jack that Desmond was on the Island, in a well, and that Jack was the one now. Sayid then took off with the bomb that doubled in speed because of Sawyer’s trust issues with Jack. He got out soon enough for everyone to have a chance and then boom. On a recent podcast (I wrote about this already but it bears repeating), Damon talked about Sayid’s story arc: if someone tells you that you’re evil, does that make you evil? Likewise, if someone tells you that you’re good, does that make you good? Sayid’s thought of himself as a killer and when Dogen told him that he is infected, he believed him. Thankfully, Desmond cleared his head.

While in the cages, Sun and Jin had a nice moment when they talked about their daughter. Sun was happy her husband was able to see his daughter. Soon, sadness would come. Oh would it come. The four blocks of C4 tore a hole into the sub so it was sinking. Sun was trapped by a few things. Jin, Jack and Sawyer helped to free her and then Sawyer got a big knock on the head. Jack had to keep Sawyer afloat and couldn’t help Jin. Jin told it was fine and to go. Jin wanted to be with his wife until the end. He tried to help her but he couldn’t. Before Jack left, he gave them both a look that basically said goodbye. I wish Jack had said “I love you both” but oh well. He left. They were alone. Jin told her in Korean that he would never leave her again. He didn’t. They died holding each other. And we knew they were actually dead when the water pulled their lifeless hands apart.

Allright. I feel like that’s good for those characters. Onto the meat of this episode: Jack and John Locke.

Coincidence and fate. The famous words of Mr. Eko. This season has been built around those two ideas. Free will vs. Destiny and Predeterminism. What we’re seeing as the series comes to an end is a reconciliation between free will and destiny. As Jacob told each candidate he touched, “you have a choice.” It’s the same words he said to Ben before Ben murdered him. Jack, in the Sideways and the Island world, is beginning to understand the relationship between both. This is good. It is good because he is The Candidate. Jackob. Fittingly, the episode revolved around two candidates: Jack and John Locke. The episode also focused on the MIB actualizing his plan to kill the remaining candidates so he can leave the Island. But I covered that and will write about more later.

I was hoping tonight’s episode would find Locke and Jack remembering their experiences on the Island. I was hoping they would remember all that they had been through. It’s getting there. We all know the story between the two: faith vs. science. The last words Locke spoke to Jack haunted him, made him a believer of the Island. I think it’s great that Jack is that man for Locke in the Sideways. Oh yes I believe Jack is the Locke to Locke’s Jack. He even uttered the last words that Locke wrote for Jack: “I wish you would believe me.” Locke stopped, contemplated the words as if he had uttered them while laying asleep in a hospital bed recalling a memory that laid dormant for who knows how long and who knows why they are now memories. But Locke continued to roll his chair on the way to meet his Helen. The two characters shared a very poignant scene about loss and letting go. Jack told Locke that he had seen his father because he wanted to understand why he didn’t want the surgery. Jack found a mute and paralyzed Anthony Cooper, a shell of the Island self we saw. Locke became angry and then emotional. He told Jack how he had become paralyzed. A week after getting his Pilot’s license, he convinced his dad to be the first passenger and the plane crashed. Locke felt a tremendous amount of guilt. Jack was there to comfort Locke. He reminded Locke of what he told him in Lost Baggage Claim area: they lost his father’s body, not his father. Jack told Locke that Anthony’s gone and told Locke that it’s okay to let it go. Jack admitted that he himself doesn’t quite know how to let it go and told Locke that he was hoping he’d be the first to let it go. Will Locke think carefully about what Jack told him? I sure hope so. I would love to see John Locke walk again.

Locke is the other candidate in this episode. Jack told him he was one for a new procedure that could reverse Locke’s paralysis. Locke did not have any interest. This sent Jack on his journey to figure out what happened to Locke. Along the way, he met with Bernard. Bernard recognized Jack from the plane (“you were flirting with my wife while I was away”). Bernard performed emergency dental work on Locke after his accident. Bernard sent Jack to his father because he didn’t want to break doctor-patient confidentiality. Bernard seemed aware.

Jack and Claire ran into each other at the hospital. Jack saw her in the hallway and she was there looking for him. She had something her father left her in the will: a music box that played “Catch A Falling Star.” Interestingly, she had no knowledge of the significance. I guess her father didn’t sing the song to her as a child in the Sideways as he did in the Island as she informed her friend in “Raised By Another.” Jack had no idea what the significance was. He was taken aback when he discovered she had been on the same flight as he. Jack might’ve set the world record for most times one has felt deja vu. The scene concluded with Jack offering Claire a place to stay in his place because “they’re family.” Jack is the king, ladies and gentleman.

What will happen when Jack becomes aware of these memories? I think he’s the real key. Desmond’s very important but he might just be an Abbadon figure. He sees things and puts people where they need to be. The redemption of Jack Shephard has been an amazing journey. One of the most effective scenes in ‘The Candidate’ is Jack, standing by the ocean, crying. He never allowed himself the time to grieve before he returned to the Island. He was obsessed with fixing everyone and everything. When Naomi died, he wanted to murder Locke. The same thing occured with Boone and so on and so on. This Jack cried. It was refreshing. And I loved how Kate reacted when she saw Jack. The hug, the tears. It was beautiful yet very sad.

More thoughts:

–Check out Doc Jensen’s Instant Reaction in which he talks with Damon and Carlton about what happened tonight. I really enjoyed what they said about the Man in Black and how this season has been a long con and the particular part when Carlton says MIB is the villain of the season and possibly the entire series. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Also, my favorite part of the Instant Reaction is when Doc quotes Yunjin Kim as she relates the story Jack Bender told her before she filmed her death scene.

–Damon and Carlton must’ve had a conversation with Joss Whedon. The Sayid, Sun and Jin deaths felt like something Mr. Whedon would do in Buffy and ANGEL. Joss defended the sudden deaths of beloved characters by saying “we give the fans what they need. not what they want.’ Indeed, all of us fans needed this because we’ve got to understand how big a bad MIB is. Certainly, if he’s been the antagonist for the entire series, that’s a pretty big deal. Going back to Whedon comparisons, I think the obvious comparison is Tara’s death in “Seeing Red” as I mentioned above. Jenny Calendar in “Passion” ranks up there with Sayid, Sun and Jin. Regarding their own show, I think this surpasses the end of “Two For The Road” though it’s still close in my opinion.

–Terry O’Quinn’s very good. I had the whole ‘MIB needs to kill the candidates’ in the back of my head but he really sold MIB’s desire to leave the Island. He was terrific in the Sideways too.

–Poor Frank died unnoticed. The internet community were unsure of his demise but it happened. He got destroyed by that door and then the water finished the job. Frank had some of the best lines of the season. I thought he would be more important but oh well. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a few members of thefuselage.com are arguing that Frank is alive. I’d be pretty cool with Frank being alive but I think he’s dead.

–MIB is one clever bastard. The Ajira set-up. Jack caught on to his gameplan but Jack had destroyed Sawyer’s trust. Claire seems to be safe because she’s Smokey’s girl. I’m glad she showed shock and surprise when he mentioned the sub sinking. Also, if you asked me last year if I thought Claire would be involved in a gun fight and dominating said fight, I would have laughed. She rocked it though. Hopefully she’s done drinking the NotLocke kool-aid. She seemed pretty upset by his actions. Stop him, Claire! Also, STOP ABANDONING HER! Her anguish and agony damn near broke my heart and big kudos to Kate for asking about Claire and insisting they go back.

–Speaking of Claire, she and Jack received a mirror scene after they opened the music box. Add that to the list of looking glass scenes.

–Seamus also died in this episode. I wasn’t a fan of his when he died. I didn’t like the cheap shot he took on Sawyer. Widmore also continues to be a true bastard.

–Thank goodness the group stayed in the cage for only 15 minutes. This episode’s pace was fantastic. Much happened, the plot advanced.

–Jaw dropped when Kate was shot. It was so odd seeing Kate hurt. She’s Kate! I have a feeling she’ll be the next to go. She’s so badass! How she get hurt?

–Many fans have expressed their anger about the season and this episode. People are upset about the lack of closure for Sun and Jin’s story. Well, their story isn’t finished yet. One thing that must be remembered throughout is the fact that DL&CC have stated that the Sideways isn’t an alternate universe. It’s as real as the Island world. Same thing for Sayid. He can still end up with Nadia in the end. I think we’ll see more of these three but I’d still like to thank Naveen Andrews, Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim for six glorious years for how they portrayed their great characters on the Island. The Sideways lives.

–I thought the plot progression off-screen was wonderful. Everyone on Hydra Island to begin the episode. Very good, LOST.

–Holy moly I just read (and it will soon be announced on Kimmel) that the LOST series finale is now 2.5 hours. That’s about an hour and fifty minutes not counting commercials. We’re essentially getting a film to end it all. A big thank you to the entire cast and crew, ABC and Bad Robot for this. Very exciting. That also means an even longer finale review/recap from Jacob’s Foot. ‘Twill be the final Jacob’s Foot post as well. Get out the kleenexes.

–Matthew Fox was the MVP of the episode. He was outstanding.

–How does a person defeat a person who can transform into smoke? I’m still placing my eggs in the electromagnetism basket. But who knows. It’s going to be awesome when he is defeated.

–I’ll be happy when Richard, Ben and Miles show up again. I wonder what they’re up to in New Otherton. They still should destroy the plane so MIB can’t leave. I want Claire, Kate and Sawyer to get off the Island because Sawyer hates the place, Claire needs to be with her son and Kate should still be involved in Aaron’s life. But I say: destroy the plane, Richard, Ben and Miles!

–I’d also be very happy to see Kate and Jack end up together but I don’t think it’s happening. The scene on the beach sold me on them. I just think Evangelline Lilly was terrific in it. I’m not even angry at Sawyer for doing what he did. Jughead wasn’t too long ago after all. It’s going to be interesting to watch Sawyer deal with the bomb and the aftermath. He essentially had the same luck that Jack had. Of course, Juliet said “it worked.” Moving on.

–STEVE noted, as have some fans on TWoP, that only white characters remain. I have nothing else to add.

–Elizabeth Sarnoff & Jim Galasso wrote “The Candidate.” Jack Bender, the no.1 director of LOST, directed this one. This episode hurt but it’s a good episode. Loved the Jack/Locke stuff and I liked the emergence of MIB as a legitimate threat. I think there’s going to be more sadness before all is said and done.

–Only 3 episodes left, 4.5 hours. The final episode has been shot and edited. It’s all done. It’s exciting. I’ll miss the show though.

TO THE RANKINGS!

THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS

We’re getting to a real interesting time with the rankings. With characters being killed off, we have to figure out if we stop ranking them or continue ranking them because of the Sideways. We’ve been ranking Sideways Locke the entire season so we’ll probably continue ranking Sayid, Sun and Jin. It’s tough. Some cool changes for me and STEVE’s rankings this week. Jin moves into STEVE’s top 5. MIB remains at 3. I moved Miles out of the top 10 because he hasn’t been seen and Sayid needed to get back into the top 10. I also moved Claire into the top 5 for the first time in the six seasons I’ve been ranking. Kate moves to no. 6 because she was outstanding this episode. Ben falls to no. 7. As for the rest, check it out. There’s only three more for season six and then the all-time rankings and that’s it.

AFTER EPISODE 14

RANKED: 5/5/2010

CHRIS

1. Jack

2. Desmond

3. Hurley

4. Jin

5. Claire

6. Kate

7. Ben

8. Sayid

9. Locke

10. Sawyer

11. Miles

12. Frank

13. Sun

14. Richard

15. Jacob

16. Man in Black

17. Widmore

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Jack

3. Man in Black

4. Jin

5. Richard

6. Ben

7. Kate

8. Sayid

9. Frank

10. Sawyer

11. Miles

12. Jacob

13. Sun

14. Claire

15. Locke

16. Widmore

17. Hurley

What an hour of LOST, folks. Goodness gracious, this felt like the penultimate episode of the series but we still have four left. We had the Sideways stories connecting and some serious plot movement on the Island. That was fantastic. I need a cigarette. AND I DON’T EVEN SMOKE! No singular character was focused on. It mixed in every lovable character from the six seasons of this magnificent show. I hope that this is how the remaining four episodes play out. I think it will. Did MIB just meet the new Jackob? EH? See what I did there?

Speaking of Jack, this episode did have a main focus: Jack and Locke. They are the most iconic characters on the show. Their relationship personifies the Man of Science vs. Man of Faith battle that has dominated the series since the first season. But, of course, this wasn’t Jack and John Locke because Locke’s been dead for a bit of time now. Jack finally got to meet The Smokness/His Smokeness/Smokey/NotLocke/The Man in Black. The writers aren’t playing around anymore. The teaser featured their conversation. THE TEASER. They had a heavy mythological conversation. Just how could Smokey take the form of John Locke? That is what Jack wondered. NotLocke downloaded a bit of information for him. John Locke had to be dead (which seems a given considering the rampant speculation since NotYemi reared his ugly head in “The Cost of Living). NotLocke scolded Locke again, telling Jack that Locke was a sucker who thought they were really there for a reason. Jack wondered whether or not NotLocke took the form of his father, Christian, in “White Rabbit.” NotLocke says he did. Jack wondered why. NotLocke explained that Jack needed to find water. He added that he’s always tried to help them. He didn’t want them trapped and he told Jack that he had been trapped by the Island even before he arrived to the Island. One could argue with NotLocke. The show wants the audience to debate that: fate vs. free will. What constitutes destiny? I believe we’re going to get more of that as we progress.

Their conversation ended when NotLocke brought Claire, who had been following them, out of the darkness. She just wanted to see her brother again. It was a moment four seasons in the making. I loved Jack’s first words to her: “I’m so sorry.” I digress though. Jack had a decision to make in an episode entitled “The Last Recruit.” Of course, Jack is the last one. Like Locke attempted for five seasons, even in death, NotLocke wanted to do: make a believer out of Jack. Of course, Jack’s been a believer since Locke’s death, since that meeting with Hurley in Santa Rose, since he had a vision of his father late at night in the hospital. Jack’s not going to buy it. He followed Sawyer’s plan to keep his promise to Sun. He wanted to get everyone off the Island but he doesn’t want to leave the Island. Not again. We all know what happened to him. A miserable, suicide beard man. Pill-popping and drinking alcohol. He didn’t come back just to leave again. He told Sawyer, during another heart-warming chat, that if NotLocke wants them all to leave then they should probably stay. Sawyer told Jack to get the hell off of his boat. Sawyer had no interest as Jack told his Lockeisms. Jack admitted he felt a piece of himself missing once he left the Island. He looked at Kate for possibly the last time. He apologized to Sawyer for getting Juliet killed and he jumped into the ocean. On the shores of goody Island, he found the waiting NotLocke. Of course, seconds after he arrived, Widmore’s crew had NotLocke’s position locked in. More explosions. This is rivaling John Locke’s great Island Explosion Tour of Aught Four, folks. Jack went FLYING. The familiar post-explosions sounds were heard. NotLocke rushed to get Jack. He carried him on his back to safety. “You’re with me now,” NotLocke told Jack.

Meanwhile, Sawyer successfully eluded NotLocke for the time being with Desmond’s ol boat that Libby gave him. Jack brought Sun, Frank and Hurley with him as planned. Sawyer explained to Jack that Claire and Sayid weren’t invited. Sayid’s a zombie and Claire’s nuts is how Sawyer summed it up. Jack went along with it. It was a bit cruel. Moments before Jack fled, he had a little talk with his sister about the trust she’s put into NotLocke. Claire put it simply: he was there for her when everybody else had left her. What she didn’t know is that the Island started throwing characters back in time. Of course, Jack immediately abandoned her again. She didn’t take kindly to that. She approached the boat with a gun, ready to shoot. She yelled that NotLocke would be mad. Poor Claire. She doesn’t want to be alone. Kate came through in the clutch. She finally told Claire why she came back to the Island. She apologized for raising Aaron. She told her she would not leave without her. It was enough to make a grown man dusty in the eyes, folks. She got on the boat but not before warning them that NotLocke will be mad if he finds the boat. HE’S A PILLAR OF BLACK SMOKE! OF COURSE HE’LL BE MAD! Sawyer’s Widmore-Submarine plan didn’t go as planned. We got one heck of a Jin/Sun reunion. I didn’t expect it. I yelled out loud and I command absolute silence during LOST. But we were left with the group of six on their knees. I assume Widmore, that bastard, wants them killed. Zoe told Sawyer that the deal was off. Someone name ONE thing that Widmore’s done to make him likable. ONE.

Also, NotLocke assigned Sayid another assignment: kill Desmond. You see, Zoe showed up to show off the power of her crew. NotLocke didn’t really care and wasn’t scared. After all, he IS black smoke. Widmore wanted Desmond back. NotLocke acted ignorant. Later is when he told Sayid what to do. Sayid arrived at the well and pointed the gun down. Desmond began talking to Sayid, his old buddy. They once traveled with one another to the freighter, had each other’s back. Desmond wanted to know what Smokey promised Sayid. Sayid told him about the return of the love of his life. Desmond wanted to know how Smokey could pull that off. Sayid explained that he died and was brought back by Smokey. Desmond then went for the heart. He asked Sayid what would he tell his love about what he did to get her back. Such sadness conveyed in this scene. Shades of what Michael did to get Walt back. It was brilliant. We didn’t see Sayid kill Desmond. The next thing we saw was Sayid tell NotLocke that he killed him. Hope for Sayid? I think I write those words every week.

In the SIDEWAYS, the threads began to merge. Sun and Locke were taken to the hospital. Sawyer had a chat with Kate about their little meaning. Sawyer made a big fuss about fate bringing them together. Kate assumed Sawyer didn’t want anyone finding out he had been to Australia. She’s very good. Claire ran into Desmond as she was arriving for her adoption appointment. Desmond told her he could help her with the legal stuff of adoption. Claire obliged though she seemed a bit freaked. They were both going to floor 15. There, she met Desmond’s lawyer friend Ilana. Yes, the very same Ilana who got Arzted last week. Ilana seemed to be waiting for her because she had Christian’s will. Later on, Claire and Jack met. Claire told him that she was his half-sister. Jack had a tough time dealing with that bit of news. He received a phone call from the hospital. He was needed for emergency surgergy. Also, Sayid got arrested for murdering Keamy and his friends. HOW’S THAT for a succinct recap of the Sideways? Listen, you can go to Lostpedia for a thorough detail recap of the Sideways. I do have more to say about the Sideways.

A fascinating bit happened very early when Sun and Locke were side by side. She said “no…no…no…it’s him.” HMMMMM. In the ambulence, Ben tried helping the paramedics as much as he could with the little info he had. Locke told them to contact Helen, his fiancee. “I was going to marry her,” he said. The way Terry O’Quinn delivered the Helen line was enought to make a grown man dusty in the eyes as he recalled the lousy life of John Locke. The man who believed when no one else believed and was rejected for his belief. The man whose own father conned him, who was left alone by Helen when he couldn’t and so on and so on. John Locke was so awesome. I digress. Jack arrived for surgery and noticed the man he was about to do surgery on was none other than John Locke, the man he had a nice chat with in the airport. Of course, I had a flashback of the season three spinal surgery storyline with Benjamin Linus. Do I think we’re going to see part II of that? Not really. But it sure was a familiar scene. About Sun’s line, maybe she was having memories like we’ve seen the characters having. She was bleeding, traumatized from being shot. I think John Locke is absolutely the original John Locke. In the Sideways that is. Sun’s lines are matter of the worlds slowly, slowly becoming…one…maybe…or bleeding into eachother. How they reconcile will be amazing I’m sure when we finally learn how they reconcile.

Time for some other thoughts:

–Of course I’m going to begin this by complimenting Emilie de Ravin’s beauty. She looked gorgeous in the Sideways. Absolutely gorgeous. I really enjoyed her reunion with Hurley. I especially enjoyed Hurley’s reaction. I felt quite bad for Claire. No one wanted her. People were afraid of her. She just wanted to be with her friends again. She even told Jack that she never had much family and was glad that he was back. All she needs is a little love. I thought Emilie was wonderful in this episode.

–Best scene of the night goes to Desmond and Sayid. Henry Ian Cusick is a hell of an actor. Great writing, great performances. That scene ranks among some of LOST’s best.

–Sayid, Sayid, Sayid. It’s been a rough season for him. I keep writing that there’s hope for Sayid’s redemption. Is there? If Hurley believes people can be brought back from the dark side, there is hope. He’s not giving up on Claire. I don’t think he’d give up on Sayid either.

–I feel a bit bad for getting angry at Richard, Ben and Miles for going off on their own. I now LIKE their plan. Hopefully, we catch up with them in two weeks.

–Who would’ve thought when watching seasons 1-4 that Claire would one day be a real threatening presence? I didn’t think she was going to shoot Kate but it wouldn’t have surprised me. That’s good writing and good acting.

–As I wrote earlier, this episode felt like the penultimate episode of the series. The final four are going to be astounding.

–Speaking of that, I can’t believe there’s only four episodes left. This season has flown by. I’m really going to miss this show.

–The Jin/Sun reunion was well worth the wait. Yes, I applauded when it occured. I thought I even saw Sawyer choke up.

–I must mention: there’s only 3 audio LOST podcasts left. The Official LOST podcast has been a favorite of mine ever since it debuted in late 2005. Damon and Carlton are awesome in every podcast. Yep. There’s only 3 podcasts left. I’ll probably give a recap and thoughts on the final podcast.

–Paul Zbyszewski and Graham Roland wrote this episode. It’s probably their last LOST episode. Tremendous job by them. Graham Roland, a new writer this season, has some potential. I’m looking forward to what he writes after this. Same for Mr. Zvbyszewski. Stephen Semel directed this one.

–I enjoyed this one a whole lot. I had so much fun watching it. The pay off is truly beginning. Every actor and actress was wonderful. The entire crew was fantastic as always. There was so much going on in this episode. I’m so excited to watch the final four episodes of the series.

–No LOST next week so I’ll be back in two weeks. Enjoy the re-run of “Ab Aeterno” next week.

–And yes, this is being posted a mere 2.5 hours after “The Last Recruit” aired!

TO THE RANKINGS!

Good times with the rankings. There’s some movement in both. STEVE moved Jack to 2 and MIB to 3. Kate was demoted in STEVE’s. Frank made it into the top ten. Sayid fell out of the top ten. As for my rankings, Claire remains on the cusp of the top 5. Will she make it? My top 5 remained the same. I moved Kate up because of how awesome she was with Claire. Sawyer got demoted for his plan backfiring and kicking Jack off the boat. Check ‘em out for yourselves:

AFTER EPISODE 13

RANKED: 4/20/2010

CHRIS

1. Desmond

2. Jack

3. Hurley

4. Jin

5. Ben

6. Claire

7. Kate

8. Locke

9. Sawyer

10. Miles

11. Sayid

12. Frank

13. Sun

14. Richard

15. Jacob

16. Man in Black

17. Widmore

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Jack

3. Man in Black

4. Richard

5. Ben

6. Miles

7. Kate

8. Jin

9. Frank

10. Sawyer

11. Sayid

12. Jacob

13. Claire

14. Locke

15. Jacob

16. Hurley

17. Widmore

The last thing I needed to see was Sideways John Locke being run over by a car as he simply was wheeling himself to his car but I suppose it’s a case of the end justifying the means. Why do I have a feeling I’m going to write more about John Locke than Hurley when it was a Hurley-centric episode? I can tell you one thing: I’m going back to the old way I wrote recaps STARTING NOW.

Hurley is a beloved individual. Both in the fictional world(s) in which he lives and in the fan community that celebrates his character. He’s been the heart of the show since episode one and, now, he is the leader. With Sayid the BFF of Smokey and Jack deciding that it’s time to let it go and to stop fixing things and with John Locke dead, it’s time for Hugo Reyes to take on the role of leader. If I’m any of them, I would trust Hugo with my life. This arc began when he first met Jacob in a cab outside of the prison. After his encounter with Jacob, he no longer felt like he was crazy because Jacob provided him with some perspective. What if he wasn’t crazy? What if the deceased people who visited him and talked with him was a gift? What if he wasn’t curse? Jacob left with a guitar case with an ankh in it that would get him into the Temple where he would take the next step. He stood up to Dogen, with some helpful ‘you can do it!’ from Jacob. He was tasked with a mission: to bring Jack with him to the lighthouse where Jack himself would be given some perspective. Jack realized quickly, after the death of Juliet and the own weight of responsibility he carried with him about her death, that he needed to let it go. He needed to let go of his anger, let go of his need to fix things he even though he sitting back and letting others tell him what to do kills him. I digress though. Hurley has assumed the responsibility for people now. Sun, Frank and Jack trust him with their lives.

Hurley never actively desired the leadership. It’s just in him. It comes naturally to him. For the first few seasons, Hurley was the man who wanted everyone to forget about how terrible a situation they were in. He wanted to provide them with pleasure and fun every once in awhile, just to relieve the depression they felt. There was the golf course in “Solitary.” There was the ‘let’s fix the van!” from season three’s “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead.” He had the idea for a census so that everyone would know eachother. Sure Boone had a problem with it but he was way liberal. I digress. Hurley also wanted to help. He volunteered for the trek to the Black Rock in “Exodus.” He witnessed the explosion of Dr. Arzt. I digress again. Hurley is nice to everybody. The Others used him to frighten the rest of the Losties or The Others loved him so much that they let him go and spared him from the good time in the cages and the Hydra station. He never wanted to hurt anybody. He would offer to carry Aaron for Claire. He wanted to comfort Sayid and suggested fixing a radio after Sayid lost Shannon. He didn’t want to lie when he and the rest of the Oceanic 6 left the Island. The lie killed him. He sought the comfort of his mother when burdened and tortured with the lie. He wanted to go with Charlie when Charlie volunteered to swim to the Looking Glass. After Ilana died suddenly from not being careful enough with the dynamite, he decided he was done with that. He destroyed the rest of the dynamite along with The Black Rock. No one else would blow themselves up. Of course Richard was on a mission to blow up that plane so he, Ben and Miles began their journey to New Otheron to get grenades and other explosives. But I digress. Hurley’s ultimate act of leadership was deciding to not use violence. The old leaders have used violence. Not Hurley. He went the Leo Tolsoty/Ghandi route: resitance through non-violence. He suggested talking with NotLocke. That’s why everyone loves Hugo.

In the Sideways, he was the same man only he didn’t feel cursed as he did for much of his post-lottery life. In fact, the episode opened with a speech given by good ol’ Dr. Pierre Chang at an event that celebrated Hurley’s donation to the Museum. As we learned earlier this season, he went to Australia for business reasons. He didn’t go to see Sam Toomey’s wife about the numbers he used in the lottery. Presumably, his grandfather Tito did not die of a heart attack shortly after he won the lottery. Presumably, his friend Johnny did not run off with the girl of his dreams Starla. No, Hurley was afraid of even saying hello to a girl. Hurley still possessed the altruistic and good-natured, caring and loving personality we’ve loved since episode one. He hooked Locke up with a job when he learned Randy Nations had fired Locke after seeing an angry Locke yell at Hurley’s car. When his mother set him up on a blind date, he went and was approached by Libby, the love of his Island life. She swore she knew him from somewhere but she couldn’t quite place it. Soon, Hurley’s old doctor from the Island took her away and apologized for the intrusion. The thing is, Hurley thought for a moment she was Rosalita, the woman Hurley’s mother arranged for Hurley to meet. He remarked that she was so pretty. He was so taken aback by her beauty. He didn’t react freaked or anything. He watched her wistfully as she was taken into the Santa Rosa Mental Hospital van. He became depressed and went to Mr. Cluck’s to eat a family size bucket of chicken. One wonders if his father returned in the Sideways. Probably. I assume he still left the family for awhile which is where Hugo’s depressive eating habits begun. At least that’s how it began in the Island timeline.

In Mr. Cluck’s, he met Desmond. Desmond was awaiting his order when he recognized Hurley from Oceanic 815. He sat down and they began talking. Hurley told him about Libby and what she told him. Desmond asked whether he had any memory of Libby. Hurley said he sort of did but didn’t quite believe himself. Desmond suggested looking for her so that he could talk to her. Hurley went to Santa Rosa, spoke with the Doctor who informed him that Libby’s mental illness involved confusion about realities. Hurley donated generously to the hospital so that he could speak to her. Libby told her about what she remembered, that there was a plane crash and that they liked eachother. Hurley couldn’t remember but he asked Libby out anyway. Those writers in Room 23 are pretty crafty and sneaky, too. Hurley recognized Libby but couldn’t quite place her in his head. She told him that he knew her because he stepped on her toe; that wasn’t true since Hurley remembered her from the mental hospital. We finally got confirmation on that matter when Libby told him, in the Sideways, that she remembers him being in Santa Rosa.

The relationship between Hurley and Libby produced one of the saddest moments in the show when Hurley sat beside her dead body and apologized tearfully for forgetting the blankets. She saved him from doing something very stupid when Dave tried to convince him that the Island was just part of his “crazyness.” It ended before it began when Libby ran into a desperate Michael who had just shot Ana-Lucia in the gut. Libby was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The two finally were able to have their picnic in the Sideways. Hurley even remembered Libby after a kiss as a satisifed Desmond drove off to rundown poor wheel chair bound Locke. The episode opened with Hurley speaking to Libby’s grave. The first act of of Act I in ‘Tricia Tanaka Is Dead” is Hurley talking to Libby. He explained that crazy things were happening but he mostly wondered why she hadn’t spoke to him like the others do. Ilana came by for some exposition and then left. Soon, Michael showed up to tell Hurley that they would all die. He was there to warn Hurley. It’s quite interesting that Michael was the guy to show up. I don’t mean interesting in regards to Island craziness. I just mean interesting in regards to the narrative they were telling. I was anticipating Hurley telling Michael that he forgives him in their last scene together but I think he did without saying after Michael told Hurley to apologize for murdering her.

Hurley, Jack, Sun and Frank arrived at NotLocke’s camp. Before Jack, Sun and Frank showed themselves, Hurley wanted to make sure no one would get hurt or die. NotLocke told Hurley that he would not harm anyone. And then the three came in. Kate smiled widely when she saw Jack. Sawyer looked sort of relieved. And then we got to the end of the episode when Sideways Locke was rundown by Desmond.

Time for more thoughts:

–As I’m returning to my recapping roots by focusing on the central character of the episode and NOT spending so much time trying to recap every iota of the episode, I devoted about 5 sentences to the end. I didn’t devote any words to the Desmond/NotLocke subplot. I will because that’s what this section’s all about: the subplots. NotLocke was rather offended by Desmond’s non-fear about everything. NotLocke could not get to Desmond. It was very, very interesting when NotLocke explained the origins of the wells. People dug for answers to the wonky compass issues. And there are multiple wells on the Island. Yes, I think there’s going to be a major electromagnetic event in the series finale. Desmond was eventually pushed into the well because NotLocke grew frustrated. Did Desmond get pay back in the Sideways? I’m not so sure. I’ll wait and see like I’ve been doing for the last six seasons. Could Locke be making his heroic return? Could he somehow from another world thwart the Man in Black? One can hope. Also, the final shot of the episode was of Locke lying on his back, bloody. Yes, it indeed mirrored the shot of Locke after he fell 8 stories. Perhaps Desmond just wanted to trigger some memories. He is a man on a mission after all. Also, how about Ben rushing to save John Locke’s life when, in Island timeline, he’s the man who ended Locke’s life.

–Loved Jack’s scene with Hurley when he explained why he trusted Hurley and went with him. It was a moment six seasons in the making. Matthew Fox was outstanding during that. Bravo, Mr, Fox.

–When I saw the shot of the dynamite in Ilana’s bag, I had a brief thought about how long it’s been since the unstable dynamite did anything. Well, I guess the writers did as well. Ilana got Arzted. Ben wondered what the Island has in store for them once It’s done with them all. Ilana, who trained for years and years to protect the candidates, dies as a result of handling the dynamite too casually. I think, like Hurley thinks, it was a case of not handing the dynamite carefully enough.

–I think it’s wonderful that everyone is pretty much together now. Hopefully every character is involved now. I hope I’ve seen the last episode that focuses on one group of characters and ignores another group. I long for the early season one episodes when everyone was invovled. We’ve still got Jin (Poor Sun) on Hydra Island, hanging out with Widmore’s crew, but this is as close as we’ve come to everyone being together since “The Beginning of The End.” Of course Richard, Ben and Miles are off to blow up the plane but they weren’t part of the season 1 magic anyway.

–NotLocke saw another kid in the jungle, smiling demonically at him. Desmond saw him too and NotLocke told Desmond to IGNORE HIM. This kid has dark hair instead of blond hair. It seemed like the same kid NotLocke saw in “The Substitute.” Who knows. NotLocke wasn’t too pleased. It certainly didn’t help when he made the decision to throw Desmond down a well. Am I fearful that Desmond is dead? No. The previews solved that problem. Plus, the well didn’t seem too deep when NotLocke dropped the torch.

–I was very disappointed in Sayid. Perhaps the most disappointed I’ve ever been in the character. Tying up Desmond to a tree? Do you not remember Ana-Lucia doing the SAME thing to you in “Collision”? Probably not since he is a ZOMBIE and BFFs with NotLocke. Of course Sayid probably thinks NotLocke can actually bring Nadia back to him and back to life. Bad times for Sayid fans.

–Sawyer continues to grow impatient with NotLocke. He wondered why NotLocke was carving himself a spear. NotLocke told him to sod off. Not in those words of course. NotLocke claims everyone needs to leave together just as the Oceanic 6 needed to be together to return. What if it turns out that NotLocke was telling the truth all of this time? I’m not sure he is telling the truth. I think he mixes truth and lies as he sees fit. I think NotLocke is like the Hatch. The Hatch was destroyed to prevent the end of human existence. NotLocke needs to be destroyed to prevent the End of All Things. I wondered internally about whether or not the Island’s Volcano would come into play at all this season since DL and CC said the volcano introduced in ‘The Man Behind The Curtain” would be important but I’m thinking there’s going to be a major electromagnetic event to destroy The Smokeness NotLocke.

–The mystery and intrigue of Libby wasn’t there in this episode. We’ll never know the backstory of Libby. Does it really matter though? I don’t think so. I was glad to see the Sideways Libby the way she was. Cynthia Watros looked beautiful.

–How about the answer to the whispers? They’ve been a favorite of mine since “Solitary.” The Island does have Purgatory qualities to it. I wondered who else is lingering on the Island. I also think Hurley’s line about dead people being more reliable than alive people is heavy foreshadowing.

–My face is going to be all kinds of red if Man in Black turns out to be a good guy. I also really enjoyed Hurley’s nervousness when thinking about his upcoming disucssion with Smokey.

–I want to see a 6’7″ Walt return and DUNK on The Smoke Monster.

–Lostpedia reports that this was the first episode directed by Daniel Attias since Hurley’s first flashback episode ‘Numbers.’ How fitting that he returns to direct the final Hurley episode. Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowtiz wrote this one. I really enjoyed this episode. It’s never a bad hour when Hurley’s at the forefront. Jorge Garcia was terrific. It was great seeing Harold Perrineau again and the beautiful Cynthia Watros. Kudos to see Terry O’Quinn and Henry Ian Cusick as well. It was great seeing Francois Chau again too.

–Damon Lindelof had a great tweet about not switching over to Glee because LOST would feature copious amounts of Madonna songs in the second half. By songs, he meant EXPLOSIONS. There was a lot of that in “Everybody Loves Hugo.” Also, just because I feel like it: season two’s Hurley episode title was “Everybody Hates Hugo.”

TO THE RANKINGS!

After a week of no changes, my rankings have gone wild. I’ve moved people all over the place. I’m not too happy that Richard, Ben and Miles went off their own and ignored Hurley. Ben remains in the top 5 but he’s at 5. Richard’s down to 14 and Miles is now 10. Sayid, after his actions, is no. 11. I moved Sawyer to 8 and Kate to 9 because they’ve been solid and loyal all season. Jin moved into the top 5. Claire is on the cusp of the top 5-dom. Will she make it before the rankings take their final bow? Also, I’d like to announce there’s a very special rankings me and STEVE will do once the series finale is over. Anywho, STEVE’s rankings are the same for the most part. There’s the usual switcharoo he does for the lower ranked characters. Also, we removed Ilana and Zoe. I made the mistake of wanting to rank Zoe. In the past, we usually gave a character who died one more week and we still might. Who knows. But the series is coming to a close quickly and we’ve got to rank the characters who really matter. CHECK ‘EM OUT:

AFTER EPISODE 12

RANKED: 4/14/2010

CHRIS

1. Desmond

2. Jack

3. Hurley

4. Jin

5. Ben

6. Claire

7. Locke

8. Sawyer

9. Kate

10. Miles

11. Sayid

12. Frank

13. Sun

14. Richard

15. Jacob

16. Man in Black

17. Widmore

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Man in Black

3. Jack

4. Richard

5. Kate

6. Ben

7. Miles

8. Sawyer

9. Sayid

10. Jin

11. Frank

12. Claire

13. Locke

14. Sun

15. Jacob

16. Widmore

17. Hurley

Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final act of the final season has begun.

Does patience pay off? It does because we just got a huge progression in the tale of the sideways. Our characters are having vivid memories of their Island lives. Charlie saw his life with Claire as he lay dying on the Oceanic 815 Faraday felt love the first time he saw Charlotte as he walked in her museum and he had never met her but, that night as he slept, he dreamt about her and awoke to write a complex equation and Desmond kept seeing Penny throughout and began searching for her. In the end, he awoke from the electromagnetic event Widmore put him through with a sereneness about him and purpose. He asked Charles, “when do we start?” We don’t know what Widmore told him. The next thing we saw was Sayid attack two of Widmore’s men and allow Zoe to run. Sayid invited Desmond to come with him and Desmond said, “lead the way.”

Desmond is, indeed, special as Faraday told us last year in “Because You Left.” He is the connection between the sideways and the Island. This episode mirroed “Flashes Before Your Eyes” but mixed in a little bit of “The Constant” with some “Through The Looking Glass,” “Further Instructions,” “The Variable,” “Man of Science, Man of Faith,” and “Live Together, Die Alone.” The two most important episodes to remember while thinking about “Happily Ever After” are “Flashes Before Your Eyes” and “The Constant.” Desmond was our introduction to time-travel (although Hurley teased it during season two). Desmind is OUR constant. He’s been a man trapped by fate as Ms. Hawking told him in “Flashes Before Your Eyes.” Desmond wanted to change things, to propose to Penny but Ms. Hawking told her that wasn’t going to happen because his purpose was going to the Island and pushing the button so the entire world didn’t go bye-bye. In this episode, he seemingly has full control of his destiny and it looks as if it will come down to choice in the end. Allow me to dive into an episode that didn’t have one insignificant scene.

The opening of the Sideways story mirrored the opening of “what happened after Desmond turned the key in the Hatch” in “Flashes Before Your Eyes.” No, Desmond wasn’t on the floor surrounded by red paint. Instead, he stared at his reflection as he searched for baggage claim for Oceanic 815. Luckily, Hurley came by and directed him. As Desmond approached the baggage carousel (is that what it’s called?) he found Claire trying to get her bags. He helped her and they talked. He asked about her pregnancy but apologized for asking since he was, you know, a stranger. They had a nice talk. Desmond offered her a ride but she wanted to take a taxi. Before they parted, he told her that her child would be a boy. NOW how would he know that? (I ask knowingly with a gleeful grin).

He found his driver, George Minkowski. Minkowski, if you recall, was the communications guy on the freigher and was the suffering from the sickness of mind time-travel and eventually died. He and Desmond bonded during that time. Anywho, Desmond was the right-hand man of Charles Widmore. Ms. Hawking (or Mrs. Widmore in this case) told Desmond, later at the concert set-up, that he got what he always sought: the approval of Charles Widmore. That’s debatable but it’s worth mentioning. Their scene was full of references to old episodes. The most symbolic part of the scene was when Widmore shared a bottle of McCutheon whiskey with Desmond as that bottle of whiskey represents the how beneath Desmond is to Widmore in the Island narrative. Widmore had a job for Desmond: get Charlie Pace, the junkie rockstar of Driveshaft, and take him to the concert where Daniel was going to mix classical music with rock n’ roll.

Desmond did just that only Charlie walked right past him, across the street, and into a bar. Desmond caught up with him and they drank together. In the bar, we got additional context for why Charlie told Jack that he was supposed to die. On February 2, it seemed like a nod to fate, a nod to what happened in the Looking Glass station. But no, it wasn’t. He told Desmond a story about love. We were misled to think that Charlie fell in love with Kate but, no, the marshal merely motivated Charlie to go to the the bathroom to get rid of his stash of heroin through swallowing. He told Desmond that he swallowed it and that darkness overcame him. In that darkness, he saw the most beautiful blond girl (“rapturously beautiful” is how Charlie described Claire). He loved her and it was like they had been together for all of time and would be together for all of time. Just as he was about to be engulfed in it, Jack saved him. The experience convinced Charlie that he was living in a reality that wasn’t all real and he became suicidal because of his experience. Charlie became motivated to show Desmond the falseness of the reality in which they lived because he saw the truth. Charlie didn’t believe that Desmond was happy with his life even though he was successful. Couldn’t be. He didn’t see the truth.

They left the bar and entered a car. On the road, they continued to talk. Charlie told Desmond that he’d show Desmond what he meant. Charlie grabbed the wheel and soon he and Desmond found themselves in the boat harbor where Desmond was shot by Ben in Island story. He escaped, surfaced to catch his breath and then went back down to save Charlie. As he attempted to open the door, Charlie opened his eyes and put his hand to the window (“Through The Looking Glass” parallel) and Desmond began having flashes of Charlie’s death in the Looking Glass station. He did pull him out eventually. I think it’s right to assume that Charlie experienced that experience as he lay dying in the airplane bathroom because he died with the thought that the love of his life and her son would fly safely away from the Island. I think Charlie definitely felt that.

At the hospital, the doctor was concerned about his head while Desmond was concerned about finding Charlie. The doctor wouldn’t let Des find anyone without undergoing an MRI first to figure out if there’s anything wrong with his head. At the MRI, he was given a panic button. Desmond was alarmed by the word button because of his history with buttons. He entered and saw flashes of his Island timeline that was all Penny. He saw every important moment including the birth of his son. He pushed the button. The doctor freed him and then Desmond went looking for Charlie. He ran into Jack while looking for Charlie. They exchanged pleasantries. Jack expressed incredulousness when he heard that someone from Oceanic 815 was in the hospital (shades of old man of science Jack). Charlie appeared, running through the hospital and away from nurses. Desmond followed him and, after descending a stairwell, cornered Charlie. Desmond immediately asked about Penny. Charlie was glad that Desmond had felt it. Charlie told Desmond that he wasn’t going to play the show because it didn’t matter, that none of it matted and that the only thing that mattered was that they felt it. Charlie told Desmond to find Penny. I think Charlie was the MVC of this episode. His characters seems to have set-up the final arc of this sideways narrative. Desmond echoed the words of Jacob in the bar as he talked to Charlie, “there’s always a choice.”

Desmond quickly updated Widmore on the Charlie news. Desmond was tasked with telling Mrs. Widmore. He went to the house and told her. She reacted kindly like she knew that it would happen but she grew perturbed when Desmond wanted to look at the list of guests. She told Desmond that he wasn’t ready to find who he was looking for and that he had gotten the approval he sought for his entire life from Widmore. Her son, Daniel, listened to the entire conversation. Desmond left, entered the limo, poured himself a glass of alcohol and told Minkowski to just drive but Daniel knocked on the window and wanted to talk with Desmond.

Daniel talked about love at first sight and proceeded to tell him the story about Charlotte that I described at the start of the recap. He also talked about dream. Daniel then pulled out a journal which he wrote in after the dream: a complex quantum physics equation. He didn’t know how considering he was a musician and not a physicist. It would take years and years of study but he brought the equation to a friend. Daniel learned that the problem was of a new reality being created as a result of something catastrophic happening, of a huge bundle of energy being released, like a hydrogen bomb being detonated (JUGHEAD!). Desmond asked Daniel does he want to detonate a hydrogen bomb. Daniel said he thinks he already did. Daniel asked about Penny, the girl he’s been seeing flashes of and searching for. Desmond said that she was just an idea. Daniel said that she was not just an idea, that she was his half-sister and that he knew where and when he could find her.

Turns out that she likes to run up and down stairs in an empty stadium just like Jack and Desmond did in “Man of Science, Man of Faith.” Desmond introduced himself after she confirmed that she was Penny and they shook hands. Also, that stadium was where Desmond saw Penny for the last time before his race around the world. He was the one preparing to run up and down the stairs.

And then he awoke in the Island timeline. Seamus and Zoe were stunned that he survived all of that electromagnetic energy. Not Widmore. He knew that Desmond would survive because he survived the Hatch explosion. He needed Desmond to be prepared to sacrifice for the sake of his wife and child. He needed Desmond to be on the same page. Desmond was game to do what needed to be done. He had purpose and he believed in Widmore. We don’t know what Widmore told him or if Desmond saw something that we didn’t see. He eventually wound up with Sayid as mentioned earlier.

And then we were back in the sideways. He had fainted upon shaking Penny’s hand. He asked to have coffee with her. He made his case by saying he had just fainted in front of her. Penny was swooning. It was adorable. She agreed to meet him in an hour at a coffee shop. He went back to the limo, all smiles. Minkowski told Desmond that he would get whatever he wanted after Minkowski had asked Des whether or not he found what he was looking for to which Des said yes. Desmond had one request. He wanted the manifest for Oceanic 815 because he had something to show them. I think it’s certain he possesses the knowledge of both timelines, both realities. We do not know what the plan is yet.

This episode has really brought a new level of meaning to the flash sideways. I followed the advice of Damon and Carlton so I didn’t dive into much speculation. I noted the differences here and there but I mostly waited for the sideways to reveal themselves a little more and, now, we have some real information. New context has been given to the previous sideways encounters. I’m thinking of Kate and Jack specifically. They both shared looks outside of “LA X.” I wonder did Jack and Kate experience or, rather, feel their other life experiences? Jack seems to have felt his other life but, like his encounter with Desmond, might be shrugging off as something insignificant. More than any other character (not counting the characters in “Happily Ever After”), Jack seems to have been remembering. As we are now in the third and final act of the season, we’ve gotta see more characters experiencing or feeling their other lives. I think I can see the ultimate conclusion of this show forming in the distance. I can see the various plot threads and narratives forming into what seems to be an extremely emotional and heartfelt finale.

The episode blew my mind. It’s one of the great LOST episodes. I got goosebumps during various scenes. I had a lump in my throat during various scenes and I felt quite emotional as I realized the threads of the story are slowly being pulled together as this show nears its conclusion. I was overjoyed that the endgame really is going to focus on these characters that we’ve spent six seasons with. I’m excited. I’m ready.

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse penned this episode and it was FULL of references to episodes past. So full that I’m going to wait until the “More Thoughts” section to detail every single one FROM MEMORY. I am a geek. I wrote an entry earlier today about my feeling that there would be some sideways revelations. I feel vindicated. I also argued for patience. Well, hopefully, people learn to settle down and just roll with the show with only 7 hours of the show left. But, anywho, let me dive into the central story of “Happily Ever After.”

Time for MORE thoughts:

–This episode most clearly mirrored “Flashes Before Your Eyes” as I’ve stated. Here’s the references I caught to that episode as well as all of the other references to past episodes:

Hurley was the first person to see Desmond in the airport after his conciousness shifted to the sideways. In “Further Instructions,” Hurley was the first person to see a naked Desmond running in the jungle after he turned the failsafe key.

In “Flashes Before Your Eyes,” Desmond can hear Claire calling for help from a mile away as she nearly drowns in the ocean. Desmond helps her with her luggage in baggage claim. The last time

Desmond was in a limo was “Live Together, Die Alone” where we also met Widmore for the first time. Widmore told Desmond that Des wasn’t good enough for his daughter and asked him to leave without a trace. In this episode, Widmore got a limo and a personal driver for Desmond.

Desmond’s task in this episode was keeping track of Charlie Pace. Of course, one of the big arcs of season three was Desmond trying and trying to prevent Charlie’s death even though he knew the universe has a way of course-correcting itself. In this episode, Charlie was suicidal and hell bent on dying because of what he saw as he lay dying.

His dual conciousness occured in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” and “The Constant.”

Desmond attacked Ben Linus and sent him into the harbor in “Dead Is Dead.” Charlie made sure they went into the harbor.

I think everybody noticed the “Through The Looking Glass” parallel/reference.

The only other significant bar scene in LOST that I can recall off the top of my head is the scene between Sawyer and Christian in “Outlaws.” The bar scene with Desmond and Charlie is pretty damn significant. Christian expressed regret that he couldn’t pick up a phone to tell his son that it’s allright. Charlie was obsessed with what we saw. Christian spoke about fate and destiny using the Red Sox. Charlie felt that he had witnessed his fate and destiny.

Desmond collapsed in a stairwell in “The Constant.” I expected that would happen as he chased Charlie in the hospital but it didn’t happen.

When Faraday knocked on the Hatch door in “Because You Left” and told Desmond that everyone was in danger and that he needs to find his mother, he awoke in bed with Penny. Penny asked him if he had a dream. Desmond said no. He thinks he just got a memory. In this episode, the characters dreamed these things they experienced but they aren’t dreams at all. They are memories.

Desmond and Faraday spoke about constands and time-travel in “The Constant.” We got a huge download of info in that episode. The same thing happened in this one with Faraday, once again, explaining complex stuff with simple terminology. I’ve missed Faraday. Jeremy Davies owns that role.

Widmore exposited the events of “Dead Is Dead” for the audience when Benny Linus shot Desmond. It’s sort of a reference.

–Dominic Monoghan was great in this episode. My favorite scene of the episode is Charlie telling Desmond about Claire. I almost forgot how big a fan I was of the two of them together. The music was very moving and the way Dom Monoghan played it was outstanding. Dare I believe there’s a happy ending for Claire, Charlie and Aaron together? That would make The Foot very dusty.

–I just re-watched the scene between Desmond and Ms. Hawking (should I refer to her as Mrs. Widmore?) and I believe she’s just as knowing. She told Desmond to stop because he has the perfect life. Is she, perhaps, trying to prevent the sideways from maybe crumbling? Who knows. We shall soon see.

–I’m a big fan of Seamus. He seems like a nice fellow. He hesitated with maximizing the electromagnetic energy. He looked relieved that Desmond was okay. I’m a fan. I don’t have much else. I also love the name. The name is a big reason why I’m a fan.

–I just re-watched the end when Desmond tells Minkowski, with clarity and purpose in his eyes, that he needs to show the people of Oceanic 815 something. Oh the goosebumps. The music is amazing. It’s going to be an immense final 6 episodes and 7 hours.

–Sayid was pretty nice letting Zoe go. I imagine Zoe has an important role to play. I don’t mind her. She’s better than Ana Lucia.

–It was cool seeing another old Dharma project. There’s no way Widmore brought that fancy contraception with him on the sub. Fun fact: electromagnetism was first introduced on the show in season one’s “Hearts and Minds.” Sayid theorizes about electromagnetism when trying to figure out the wonky compass.

–”Happily Ever After” is an episode that proves the creative masterminds always had a gameplan. Was it sketchy at times because of the fact that they are a network show? Sure. But it’s been there. I have the quotes and podcasts to prove it. Don’t believe me? Carlton gave away Tawaret IN THE “LIVE TOGETHER, DIE ALONE” REHASH PODCAST! Damon mentioned the possibility of flash-sideways in season four! Anywho, Desmond’s specialness was introduced in “Furthers Instructions” when he first saved Charlie’s life. His specialness became evident more so in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” and The Constant.” And then I’ve mentioned the other instances. My point: bravo, Darlton!

–This has nothing to do with the episode but I’m curious about what exactly was going on in that cabin that Jacob was not using.

–Widmore seemed taken aback when Desmond was on the same page with him. Could it be because HE HAS FLASHES OF THE FUTURE?!? Come on, Widmore! (I know he doesn’t know that but he knew Des is special). I also failed to mention Desmond’s beat-down of Widmore with an I-V stand.

–Desmond received two eyeball scenes. The first was when he awoke in the hospital bed. The second when he awoke…in a hospital bed in the sideways.

–I’m really excited to see how the two storylines will reconcile. I think it’s going to be tremendous.

–Last night, Damon accidentally retweeted a fan’s observation about Desmond’s missing wedding ring and wondered if it’s a result of the worlds bleeding into one another. Remember in “Recon” when Liam showed up to bail his brother out? Where in the world did Liam go? It could just be a case of Desmond beating Liam to the station. Also, last week, it sounded like Keamy told Jin he would freak if he told him what happened to the Island. Some people have opted to chalk that up to a sound glitch. But with the knowledge we got in “Happily Ever After” it might be very intentional.

–Henry Ian Cusick, Dom Monoghan, Sonya Walger, Jeremy Davies and Alan Dale were great. Damon and Carlton wrote one of the series best episodes (no surprise there). Jack Bender did an outstanding job. The ace team of LOST delivered yet again.

–Next week looks very, very good as well. It’s gonna be Hurley’s hour and it looks like some familiar people will be showing up.

TO THE RANKINGS!

THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS

We decided to add Zoe to the rankings. I tried to add Seamus but no one even knows his name really so it’s understandable. So Zoe enters the fray with just 7 hours left in the show. But besides that, there were pretty much no changes at all in either rankings. Save for Zoe and the usual switcharoo STEVE does with Widmore and Hurley, it’s exactly the same as last week. Take a look regardless:

AFTER EPISODE 11

RANKED: 4/7/2010

CHRIS

1. Desmond

2. Jack

3. Ben

4. Hurley

5. Sayid

6. Jin

7. Claire

8. Locke

9. Miles

10. Sawyer

11. Kate

12. Richard

13. Frank

14. Sun

15. Ilana

16. Jacob

17. Man in Black

18. Zoe

19. Widmore

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Man in Black

3. Jack

4. Richard

5. Kate

6. Ben

7. Miles

8. Sawyer

9. Sayid

10. Jin

11. Frank

12. Ilana

13. Locke

14. Sun

15. Jacob

16. Claire

17. Zoe

18. Hurley

19. Widmore

HE’S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DESMOND HAS RETURNED TO THE ISLAND! WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Patience is indeed a virtue, folks. Do I like the fact that Widmore kidnapped him and brought him back to the Island against his will? Hell No I don’t. Do I like that the previews hinted that someone would be sacrificed and that it seems like, according to Widmore and the secrecy of Desmond, Desmond will be the one sacrificed to somehow prevent Smokey from leaving the Island and destroying the world? No. But with that second question I posed for myself to answer, I now am thinking about the button, the hatch, saving the world and how Desmond’s purpose for three years was saving the world. I promise I’ll detail a bit later. Also, do I like Damon Lindelof’s cryptic tweet minutes after the episode ended after being, I assume, flooded with DESMOND!!! tweets? No. Anywho, this was Sun and Jin’s episode and that is where I shall begin.

“The Package” is an episode that really advanced the plot as we head towards the series finale. We found out why Widmore came to the Island. Richard is now a man with the plan and is ready to launch an assault on the Man in Black. For Jin and Sun though, the fate of the world/saving the world is secondary to them. In the scene between Jin and Widmore, Widmore pretty much sums it up: for Jin AND Sun, it’s about Ji-Yeon and being. It’s about getting off the Island to be with Ji-Yeon, to finally be a family. In the Sideways, we saw that same theme play out just a little differently.

I gave a chuckle when the first flash sideways ended with the revelation that Sun and Jin are not married in the sideways world. I know that the sideways world have their differences yet I am always surprised when I find out about the differences. I loved it though. Sideways Jin doesn’t have the anger of pre-Island non-Sideways narrative Jin. Sideways Jin is the man he was before Mr. Paik caused havoc in his life. He’s the man we saw in “…And Found” and “D.O.C.” He’s not the overbearing, controlling husband we knew from “House of the Rising Sun” etc. He was working for Mr. Paik and Sun had nothing to do with it. Is Jin’s father still a fisherman? Perhaps not. I doubt Jin is the son of a whore in the Sideways but I doubt his origins are important with just 8 episodes left to go. Or maybe it’s essentially the same. Who knows. The Sideways story filled in the blanks from what we saw at the end of “The Substitute.” What happened was a whole lot of fun (for the viewer). Customs confiscated the $25,000 and sent he and Sun on his way. The only problem? Jin had to deliver the 25 grand along with the the watch to good ol Martin Keamy. At the hotel, following the airport, we found out Jin and Sun are not married. Jin asked for separate rooms. What we didn’t know is that they were involved in a secret relationship. At around 11:30PM, Jin stopped by Sun’s room, preparing to go to the restauraunt. Sun told him to stay because no one would be there. Jin teased her by saying she’s only here for shopping and that the watch delivery is of little interest to her. He also told her that he does what her father tells him and does not ask questions. Anywho, in the hotel room, she unbuttoned her top button and asked Jin whether or not he’d tell her to button it. He said no. He explained he only told her to button the shirt on the plane in case someone was watching. Sun continued to unbutton her shirt, asking Jin whether or not she should button each button that become unbuttoned. Jin said no. She eventually removed her shirt, they kissed, and you know…

The following morning, they awoke. Sun told Jin that she wanted to run away with him (which is of course another difference) and Jin wondered whether or not this was her plan all along. She told him she had her own account and that they could run away. Jin reminded her that it was forbidden. Soon, Keamy showed up. Jin hid when they first heard the knock on the door. Keamy came in, got the watch. He asked about the money and Sun said ‘no English.’ Omar soon arrived after checking Jin’s room and finding no one. They looked in the bathroom and found a shirtless Jin. Soon, Sun and Jin were on the bed. They discussed what to do about the money. Sun suggested paying Keamy the 25 grand herself; however, Keamy and Omar couldn’t understand a word because they don’t speak Korean. Keamy made a Gozilla joke because he’s a so and so. The two of them put their brains together (Omar and Keamy) and decided to bring in the Russian dude who speaks a bunch of languages. The russian guy? NONE OTHER THAN MIKHAIL! Mr. I-Killed-Charlie Mikhail returned. He translated for Jin and Sun. Keamy decided to take Jin with him to the restaurant while Sun would go with Keamy to get the $25,000.

At the restaurant, Omar and Keamy put him into the fridge. Omar bumped Jin’s head and Keamy told Omar to be more gentle. I took this to be part of Keamy’s twisted sense of humor considering his job was to kill Jin. In the fridge, Keamy told him exactly that. Keamy got a kick out of it too. Little did he know that, when Omar returned with Sayid, he’d be laughing no more. He told Jin that Mr. Paik found out about Jin/Sun because Keamy told Paik (Keamy is a bastard). After all of that, Jin simply said thank you for Keamy cleaning up the cut on his forehead. Keamy then put a piece of tape over his mouth. Sayid soon arrived, did his thing we saw in “Sundown,” and he gave Jin the tool to set himself free. Once free, Jin met Mikhail where the dead bodies were. They had a brief fight and then Jin shot Mikhail in the eye. Mikhail shall always remain Patchy! But uh-oh. A bullet hit Sun. As Jin carried her off, she told him she was pregnant (yet another difference as Jin was sterile pre-Island). I wonder will Claire and Sun be giving birth at the same time. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, in the Island narrative, Jin was taken by Zoe and Seamus. But before that happened, NotLocke of The Smoke sat down to talk with Jin. He asked Jin about his leg. Jin told him that it still hurts. NotLocke suggested removing the bandage to the wound some air. Jin continued wrapping. He told Jin that about the candidates and admitted that he didn’t know whether he or Jin was the candidate but he told Jin that he was working on getting Sun back because he can’t leave the Island unless he has all six candidates with him (he did tell Jacob that he’d kill ALL of the candidates so he can leave…don’t forge that). After his talk with Jin, Claire sat down with NotLocke. She overheard NotLocke telling Jin about the caves and the names written in the caves. She asked if she was on there. He told her no. I wanted to hug her. I digress. Claire seemed closer to the Claire we knew from seasons one through four. They discussed Kate. NotLocke told Claire that he needs Kate to get three more people but after that “whatever happens, happens.” That bastard. Claire also talked about how Aaron wouldn’t even recognize her if she got off the Island and how he thinks Kate is her mother. Anywho, when they finished talking, NotLocke went to Sayid. NotLocke told Sayid that he was in charge of the camp while he was gone and that he’d be a gone for a day. Sayid told NotLocke that he doesn’t feel anything–not pain, not anger, not happiness. Nothing. Very powerful scene.

NotLocke soon left. Jin mobilized. He wanted to leave while NotLocke was gone. Sawyer tried to stop him. Of course Widmore’s people stopped Jin from going. Everyone is hit by darts. When they are all down, Zoe arrives with the team and they take Jin with them.

Meanwhile, at the beach, everyone is pretty much relaxing. Ilana has no plans to move forward until Richard returns with a plan because Jacob said Richard would know what to do next. Sun grows frustrated and walks off. She goes to her garden. Jack follows her there. He tries to assure her that they are on the Island for a reason by telling her about the lighthouse and the names. Sun tells Jack that she doesn’t care about destiny or the lighthouse. She just wants to be left alone. When alone, NotLocke shows up and tells her that he can bring her to Jin but she doesn’t trust him and she runs away. She eventually runs into a tree and knocks herself out. She awakes with a concerned Ben over her. She tells him that she is allright but in Korean. She is able to tell Ben that she was running from Locke.

Back at the beach, Jack examines her and tells her she might be suffering from aphasia. She still understands English but cannot speak the language. Only Korean. There’s a funny exchange between Miles and Frank when Miles wonders if they’re supposed to buy this. Frank says “this coming from the guy who communes with the dead.” That was great. I wonder when Sun will regain the ability to speak the English language or will Jin be her translator now. That would have a rather circular feel. Anywho, a bit later, Richard and Hurley returned from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Ilana was relieved as was everyone else except for Sun when Richard finally spoke. Ben tells Richard that NotLocke planned to go to Hydra Island and Frank confirms to Richard that the plane is on Hydra Island. Richard plans to destroy it and that’s when Sun takes issue because Richard will be destroying their only way off of the Island. After all, Sun only returned to the Island to bring her husband home. Once Ben convinced her of Jin’s survival, her only goal has been to find Jin. Not to save the world. She figures that, since she is candidate, she is important and needed and will refuse to go with them.

Later, at night, Sun sits on the beach and stares out at the ocean. Jack approaches her once again and sits down. He tells her about a patient he had who, after surgery, wasn’t able to talk and grew frustrated. What Jack did for the patient was provide a notebook and a pen. He does the same for Sun so that she can still have her English voice. He tells her that he went back to the garden to look for Locke but he didn’t find him. Jack did find a fresh, healthy tomato even though all of the vines were dead. Jack says to Sun, “No one told the stubborn tomato that it was supposed to die.” Sun tells Jack that she didn’t go with Locke because she doesn’t trust him. Jack asks if Sun trusts him. Sun smiles, tears up a little and writes yes. Jack tells Sun to go with him and the others because he’ll do whatever it takes to reunite Sun with her husband and get them on the plane. Jack offers her his hand and she takes it. Recall the scene when Sun did NOT take NotLocke’s hand. I thought this scene was lovely. I loved the score. I love the season oneness of it all. I’ve been thinking about the transformation we’ve seen of Jack from the pill-popping man we saw at the end of Through The Looking Glass to right now. I’ve thought about that intense scene when Locke shows his face after throwing a knife into the back of Naomi and Jack pulling the trigger on an empty gun and the look on his face. That man is gone. This might be Jack’s best season. More on Jack/NotLocke later.

We must return to Jin now. Jin awoke in Room 23. He made the mistake of accidentally turning on the video we saw poor Karl watching in season three. Zoe told Jin that Dharma used Room 23 to experiment with subliminal messaging. Zoe, the geophysist, had a map with her of the electromagnetic hotspots on the Island. The signature looked like Jin’s and Zoe told him that whoever signed it could really help her out. Jin had no interest giving answers to her. He wanted to talk to the Big Cheese: Charles Widmore. Zoe had no problems with that.

Meanwhile, Widmore was a tad busy. On the main Island, NotLocke got Sayid to travel with him to Hydra Island because Widmore took one of NotLocke’s people. Sawyer has a great line about The Smokeness and the ability to travel over water. NotLocke says it’s not that simple. He and Sayid take the outrigger over to Hydra Island. When they arrive, well when NotLocke arrives, since Sayid’s doing his stealth thing that he likes to do, Widmore meets him by the pylons after Seamus and crew go ballistic once they see the Walking Smoke. Widmore tells NotLocke that he knows that he’s not John Locke. NotLocke inquires about Widmore having one of his people. Widmore claims he has no idea what NotLocke is talking about. NotLocke responds with: “A wise man once said that war is coming to this Island. I think it just got here.” That wise man? Charles Widmore, of course, who told John Locke that war was coming to the Island in “The Life and Death of Jeramy Bentham.” He also told Locke that he needed to return to the Island or else the wrong side would win. NotLocke left soon after that conversation. He returned to camp without Sayid. Prior to his arrival at camp, Sawyer and Kate had a nice conversation. Kate asked Sawyer why he’s not worried. Sawyer says that he is worried but he’s just good at hiding worry. Sawyer hopes that Widmore had gotten NotLocke but one second later NotLocke wanders back into camp. Sawyer asks about Jin. NotLocke tells him that they said they don’t have Jin but it’s not to be believed. Sawyer asks about Sayid and NotLocke tells him about the locked door in the sub and how Sayid’s spying on that because NotLocke is not a fan of secrets.

Back to Jin, he’s finally able to talk to Widmore himself. Before their conversation though, Widmore has a very interesting exchange with Zoe about a timetable.Zoe tells Widmore that she should’ve hired a mercenary. Widmore doesn’t respond really. It looks like he’s thinking “I DID HIRE ONE AND HE’S DEAD!” But anywho, the great part of Jin/Widmore was the camera Widmore brought for Jin. Jin was finally able to see his daughter Ji-Yeon. He saw pictures of Ji-Yeon on a playground and pictures with her mother at her birthday party. Daniel Dae Kim was great during this scene. Widmore then told Jin about the Man in Black and about the need to stop him. Widmore tried to relate to Jin, explaining that he is not allowed near his daughter or grandson. Widmore told Jin that if the Man in Black leaves the Island then everyone will cease to be. It makes the Man in Black seem like the physical embodiment of the electromagnetic energy bottled up and if the button’s not pushed every 108 minutes then the world as we know it will be destroyed. If he leaves the Island, bye bye world. He’s a clever bastard though that Man in Black. It seems like anyone going with him will die so all of Jacob’s candidates will die. Claire talked about her fear of Aaron not knowing her. Well, he will know her in the Sideways. I believe the Sideways are going to bleed into the original Island timeline. How that happens? I don’t know. But I’m thinking this season gets even more intense and I think the Island will become a place of death again. We shall see.

And then, at episode’s end, we got the return of Desmond David Hume. One of the greatest characters ever created in all of fiction. Widmore wanted the package put into the infirmary. He told Jin that the package was a who. We soon saw, after the final sideways part and NotLocke returning to camp, Desmond emerge from the sub all drugged up. He fell down on the deck and saw Sayid in the water, looking up at him. And then he was taken away. End of episode.

Time for even MORE thoughts:

–I don’t trust Charles Widmore. I never have. I don’t even like the dude. He was a bastard to Des in every Desmond flashback. He was a bastard in Desmond’s time-traveling fun (Flashes Before Your Eyes and The Constant). He sent a freighter to kill everyone. The last time we saw Desmond and Charles was in “Jughead” when Desmond finally had the upper-hand. He told Charles to stay the hell away from he and his family. Desmond also didn’t want to go back to the Island. Ms. Hawking told Desmond that the Island’s not done with him though. The last time we saw Desmond was as he recovered from the gunshot wound. He also beat the daylights out of Ben for trying to kill Penny. Between then and now, Widmore kidnapped him and brought him back to the Island. Why? We shall soon find out. Desmond is special though as Faraday told us. Please use him for good, Widmore. It’s still great to have Desmond back.

–I really enjoyed the tiny scene between Sayid and NotLocke because it seemed like another tomato moment. Hope for Sayid. Hope for his redemption. Just hope. I really want to see a Jack-like Sayid transformation. HE’S SAYID! He’s the same guy who needed to leave camp after he tortured Sawyer, telling Kate “What I did today I swore I’d never do again.” Sure he’s done those acts quite a few times since that day but it’s not too late to shake himself out this…whatever is going on with him…and start on the path to redemption once again. Angel the vampire has been trying to atone for his past for over a century. There is hope for Sayid Jarrah. He’s just very, very lost right now. He’s been very, very lost since Nadia was killed.

–The Aphasia storyline is something I certainly did not expect. I’m interested in where it goes. I don’t have much else to add about it. We also got a mirror scene with Sun as she took a long look at herself.

–There were some terrific lines tonight. I loved the exchange between Ben and Ilana when Ben was pleading his case about NOT being behind Sun’s bump on the head. Recall when The Others were blamed for Sun’s kidnapping in “The Long Con” when, in fact, it was Charlie doing the kidnapping. Sawyer hatched the idea. Anytime Miles and Frank are together is always a good time. Miles had a good line about Hurley’s ability as a tracker, saying that unless Richard was covered in bacon Hurley wouldn’t be able to track anyone. Ilana believed in Hurley though.

–There was quite a lot of exposition early in this episode. I wonder why. This is LOST after all. No one’s going to suddenly decide, in the middle of season six, to begin watching the show without watching all of the show before. Of course, everyone will watch the finale without seeing the entire series. I digress though. Perhaps Lindelof and Cuse and Room 23 just wanted to point out the most important plot points as we begin the final part of the season and the series.

–I expected to see a Michael cameo just because he was an integral part of the Sun/Jin dynamic in season one and for most of the series except for when he yelled about Walt. Oh well.

–Speaking of Walt, there are some LOST fans on thefuselage.com that refuse to believe Desmond is the package and that Walt is, in fact, the package. WIDMORE AND WALT HAVE NEVER MET IN THEIR LIVES! COME ON!

–Keamy said that Mikhail’s friends name is Danny. Is that Danny Pickett? Also one of the top 9 so and sos of LOST (I did a whole top 9 early on in the hiatus. It was fun).

–I do wonder what’s up with locating the electromagnetic hotspots on the Island. What is Widmore’s gameplan?

–I think Terry O’Quinn knocked it out of the park yet again this week. Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim did a great job as well. This was a different kind of Sun/Jin episode though. We got a heck of alot of Island story

–Paul Zbyszewski and Graham Roland wrote this one. They also wrote “Sundown.” Veteran LOST crew member Paul Edwards directed it. Applause all around.

–Only six episodes left until the series finale. 8 hours in total. I enjoyed “The Package” a lot. I got a kick out of the Sideways story, seeing Mikhail again. It was a fun episode. It had a lot of heart and make it moved things along. Well done, LOST.

TO THE RANKINGS!

THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS

Exciting week for the rankings I dare say. Desmond has returned to the top spot for me. Sayid has also returned to my top 5. Sawyer’s no. 10 now. Kate got bumped to 11. Those are the big exciting changes. As for STEVE, his top ten stayed same pretty much. He switched Ben and Miles. But check them out for yourselves:

AFTER EPISODE 10

RANKED: 3/31/2010

CHRIS

1. Desmond

2. Jack

3. Ben

4. Hurley

5. Sayid

6. Jin

7. Claire

8. Locke

9. Miles

10. Sawyer

11. Kate

12. Richard

13. Frank

14. Sun

15. Ilana

16. Jacob

17. Man in Black

18. Widmore

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Man in Black

3. Jack

4. Richard

5. Kate

6. Ben

7. Miles

8. Sawyer

9. Sayid

10. Jin

11. Frank

12. Ilana

13. Locke

14. Sun

15. Jacob

16. Claire

17. Widmore

18. Hurley

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+

 Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk

“Hurt Locker” a thriller you won’t soon forget

         

  It is my solemn vow to you that I will go this entire review without resorting to horrible puns like “explosive” or “incendiary” to describe “The Hurt Locker,” which chronicles the exploits of one of the US Army’s elite E.O.D. (explosive ordinance disposal) squads operating in Iraq circa 2004.

            After all, that would be just too easy and just a smidgen insulting to your intelligence. After all, it is a movie about bombs right? So the very subject matter calls for it to be explosive does it not?

            Clichés aside, “The Hurt Locker” just happens to be one of the year’s best thrillers, and if it wasn’t for a little ditty from Quentin Tarantino, it would be the year’s best war movie. I suppose you could say it is the year’s best war movie that won’t make history professors wag their fingers in shame and outrage.

            As I mentioned earlier, it follows a group of E.O.D’s as they make Iraq safer, one road side bomb and improvised explosive device at a time. Think of these guys like a souped up bomb squad. Not only do they have to disarm bombs, but they have to do it deep inside enemy territory, under constant threat of enemy fire, riots and worse. You think your job sucks? Not so much.

            The E.O.D. team is lead by SFC William James (Jeremy Renner), a hot shot adrenaline junkie who actually gets off on risking his life on a daily basis. He regularly ignores protocol and common sense in an effort to get his fix of life on the edge. SFC James’ nonsense doesn’t fly well with fellow team members Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Spc. Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), neither of whom takes too kindly to James constantly risking their lives in addition to his own.

            “The Hurt Locker” does an incredible of depicting just what living in an almost constant state of danger can do to different people. Every decision they make just may be their last, every order they give could be the last that someone else obeys. The situation is not pretty, but each member of the E.O.D. team gets by in their own way, whether it be clinging to a set of principles or dreaming of the life that could await them as their deployment winds down.

            Or in the case of James, he just doesn’t give a damn what happens to himself. He just does things, not thinking of the consequences or possible repercussions. He constantly acts. Perhaps somewhere inside he fears that reacting might just be the thing that ends up killing him.

            Director Kathryn Bigelow actually manages to up the ante in terms of the devil may care attitude that flowed through one of her biggest successes, 1991’s “Point Break.” With “The Hurt Locker” she has created an unbelievably tense thriller that will have even the most jaded and cynical movie goers on the absolute edge of their seats. She even manages to turn audiences’ knowledge of movies against them at certain key points so effectively that it will likely keep Wes Craven up nights.

            Her film is a down and dirty look at the lives these men lead and what compels them to do the job that they do. At times it becomes easy to forget that you’re watching a work of fiction and not a straightforward documentary.

            For the most part, Mark Boal’s script barrels along like a tank, until the third act where it briefly loses a tread and gets bogged down in a character’s misguided attempt at revenge. The delay is only momentary and the film manages to shake it off with ease and finish strong.

            I could say that Jeremy Renner is dynamite as PFC James, but I won’t. What I will say is that Renner is fantastic. He’s able to convey both James’ lose cannon nature, while still allowing the character to feel like a real person. It would have been easy to turn him into a cowboy caricature, but in Renner’s skilled hands, James is a living, breathing person. Chances are good that you’ll be seeing a lot of this guy over the next few years and rightfully so.

            The film boasts an incredible supporting cast headed by Mackie as Sgt. Sanborn, who must learn to coexist with James for both their sakes. It’s easy for the audience to find themselves in Sanborn’s shoes, wondering just which higher up they pissed off to be saddled with a crazy man like James.        

            A stellar cast and razor sharp writing and directing make “The Hurt Locker” one of the best modern era war films ever made. It’s a movie that will embed itself in your head long after the end credits have finished rolling and is an absolute must see.

            Verdict: A-