On Lost: "Whatever Happened, Happened"
Lost is back on track! After a short detour last week, Lost re-entered the land of interesting episodes with last night's "Whatever Happened, Happened." It's probably a good thing I didn't write about "He's Our You." I considered it to be by far the most boring Lost episode in recent memory. I mean, if you're going to introduce a character who is supposed to be as badass as Sayid, he is going to have to match the level of breaking someone's neck with his legs while his hands are tied...not get them high.
Enough hating on last week's episode and enough hating on Kate. I'll admit I was one of the many that was just not getting Kate's purpose. But last night's episode did a marvelous job of making me care about her character (and bringing a tear to my eye). Maybe I'm a sucker, but Kate's goodbye to Aaron was tugging at my heartstrings. Her parenting style... not so much. I understand you're stressed out but hold on to your kid's hand and don't leave him in hotel rooms by himself when a heartless Ben is running around!
I think any episode can automatically be saved from crappiness when it involves Nestor Carbonell's Richard Alpert. Seriously this character is awesome. I think he is #2 on my favorite characters list, right behind Locke. I really hope we get some back-story on this mysterious figure. I bet it would definitely satisfy our constant cravings for information and answers.
As for all the time travel questions: the debate between Hurley and Miles was both philosophical and comedic genius (if that's even possible). The writers perfectly captured the debate that has being going on between the fans for weeks. Hurley The Everyman trying to grasp time travel the best he can (going to Back to the Future as his source) and Miles trying to explain how time travel actually works on this show was priceless. When Hurley exclaimed that if this already happened why didn't Ben remember that Sayid shot him in the future, it was as though he exclaimed it for all of us. Richard later explains this by telling Kate and Sawyer that if he helps the dying Ben, he will not only take his innocence, but he also won't remember Sayid shooting him.
I loved the ending of this episode. We see Richard Alpert taking YB (Young Ben) into the run down temple then quickly cut to OB with Locke at his side. The utter shock on Ben's face seeing Locke alive was priceless and Locke's old squinty smile is something I haven't seen in a long time. It was a wonderful sight.
Overall, this episode did a great job setting up and explaining what is going on with the characters and where they're going. "He's Our You" seemed like more of a stall. With only a handful of episodes left, we shouldn't feel like stalling. A breather episode like "LaFleur" is okay, but "He's Our You" crap and "Whatever Happened, Happened" was right where we need to be: On the edge of our seat.
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I find Kate episodes boring. She always acts like a hunted animal. I think she became friends with the mother of Sawyer's baby just because the woman talks about Sawyer and that's what Kate wants to moon over. I like how Sawyer has become more complicated. He was a con man and he is certainly playing the Dharma game. I was with Jack on letting little Ben die. If I time traveled and met little Hitler, I think I would shoot him like Sayid shot little Ben. That said, I love the show and wouldn't miss an episode. I want more Richard. Let us know some of the big secrets. Don't save them all for next season.
Where has Desmond been???
I have watched LOST from the beginning, and I have to admit, I don't know WTF is going on this season, but I keep watching because I'm invested in the character, it doesn't insult my intelligence like most shows, and the acting is great. I do get frustrated that there aren't more "big" questions getting answered sooner - supposedly, this season was supposed to offer some of the big secrets and it really has only added more questions. e.g. where the heck is Daniel? Why was Daniel so wrecked last season when he was watching about the fake plane crash on t.v.? What happened to the other survivors on the beach after the flaming arrows (Rose, Bernard..)? When are we going to have some sense of who or what Richard and the others are?.....I could go on and on...
I hope there is a satsifying climax to this season!
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Is it just me or does this whole "it will change him thing" make anyone think of the sarcophagus that they use to regenerate people in Stargate? Ben linus is a Go'auld!
The 'why didn't adult Ben remember Sayid shooting him' question didn't phase me at all - Ben's a consummate liar and strategic thinker, I would think he'd absolutely remember getting shot by Sayid and just lie - it's all part of the plan. It would actually make character sense, having Ben realize as a child that all of this is to come - he'd spend years turning it over in his head, making plans, and then would unquestionably be motivated to make all of this come true.
Because of circumstances beyond their control (writers strike, demanding actors, etc.) the writers of LOST look to have made *some* of it up on the fly.
However, the writers have interwoven many story points and arcs throughout all five seasons. They definitely had a plan.
Many complainers (a) don't watch the show, or (b) have short attention spans, demand easy answers, and therefore gave up on the show.
LOST is not going to pay off until next season, Season Six. It's not a half hour episode of FRIENDS.
Yes, the writers have taken some weird tangents (Nikki and Paulo?), but they have been mostly consistent, which is why I do not understand the complaints.
Also, I do not believe its central themes are as easily explained as "Purgatory" and "Hell". The show has always embraced many different philosophies and religions ("Don't use Jesus as a weapon!").
I believe the show, ultimately, has something to say about changing ourselves. For me, the theme was very evident in this week's episode with Jack and Kate in the kitchen. Jack said that he'd already saved Ben as a favor for Kate and that he wasn't going to do it again. Jack stepped aside and got out of the way of LIFE, the ISLAND, etc. I think that's what the show is trying to tell us: we have to change ourselves, not do things mindlessly, become present, and give in to the flow of life -- exemplified by The Island.
One of the theories that's been going around since the beginning, is that this island is a form of "hades" or "purgatory". It was dismissed, but in this episode, the "lost of innocence" remark makes me suspicious. Could Richard and his followers be the dead or non-dead survivors of the Black Rock; their clothing at one point was ragged and 19th century looking. The Island's mysterious power has prevented them from aging.
I just hope that the very last season episode doesn't pull a "Bobby Ewing" in the shower on Dallas thingy, where his wife Pam was dreaming the whole sequence - Hurley could be imagining all this in the psych ward.
Lost had an amazing 1st season.
Then the writers make the mistake of constantly telling people "they had a plan" and that "there's no X" or "Y" or "Z" in Lost but then later introducing elements "X, Y and Z" into Lost. Plan, yeah, whatever.
For many the show has collapsed under it's own unbelievability. Many do still enjoy it, but I have to wonder why. There isn't a character left who hasn't twisted their personality all over the place and become unlikeable. The plot never makes any sense if you just take five minutes to think about it.
And the writers constantly using Hurley to mock anyone who questions the storyline or plot elements of Lost is getting old.
I feel sorry for you. Lost is the greatest show on tv EVER.
What does " take his innocence" even mean. It makes no sense at all. If he has no memeory of the shooting, it cannot be that event that will " take his innocence" To many people on this show do not behave as normal people would. You wonder off into the jungle and see the smoke monster and it's not the first thing you tell eveyone when you get back?
Let's not forget season one when the writers said this all had an explination, it would not just be some cheap science fiction, time travel, or space aliens explination.
Lost is not a reference to the people on the island, it referes to those that write it and those that watch it.
It's a freaking TV show. People do not have to act like they would in real life that's why they call it fantasy or science fiction.
They did set this storyline up a bit with the Rousseau flashback. When her crew got taken by the smoke monster, they turned all evil and she had to shoot them.
I totally agree with your gripe that no one tells anyone anything. Kate and Jack were living off-island for years and it was strongly hinted that they broke up because of jack's jealousy over sawyer. But if Kate just once said "sawyer has a kid. he asked me to check on her" the whole problem would have been resolved. Also if she at any point said to Jack "I'm going back to find Clare", she could have avoided needless conflict. It drives me nuts...
I had a big conversation with folks on Doc Arzt's chatroom re: exactly this - other than loss of virginity, I really wasn't clear what taking of innocence truly meant. Consensus was that it was demonstrating the power of the island and making it visible to Young Ben in a way he would not be able to deny.
However, I've been thinking through this and wondering how it's possible to take the innocence of YB, when he likely was never innocent to begin with - YB always knew the power of the world and the unfair and incomprehensible control it had. YB's mother died the moment he was born, he was abused by his father and lived in an environment where standard school procedures included a response plan to invasion from The Hostiles. Additionally, he went to Richard Alpert asking for his help in escaping the Dharma Initiative even before he communicated with Sayid. So, did YB even have an innocence to be taken? I'm thinking not...
Going to watch "WHH" again right now - for a Kate episode, it sure does pose a lot of questions and provide a significant amount of information that has little to do with her. BTW, Sawyer agreeing to help save Ben because Juliet asked him to and letting Kate know that's why he was doing it is just priceless - his evolution has been the most noteworthy on this show. Team Julawyer!
I agree that He's Our You was a little light, but still enjoyable. This episode was great and I love where Jack's character development is going. Looking forward to next week - looks like it will be Ben-centric?
LOST is my favorite show on tv - always entertaining to the max and keeps me on the edge of my seat.
I take it for what it is and just enjoy the ride.
WHY are people so critical of everything these days?
because everything sucks these days. everything is so deriviative of everything else. creativity is dead. just look at all the "remakes" they're doing now.
originality is dead.
"All the great deeds have been done, all the great themes, ,used up and turned into theme parks"
-Pump up the Volume (1990)
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