Thursday, May 24, 2007

I am a dentist, I am not Rambo.

That 50 million people aren't watching Lost every week will continue to baffle me on a personal level. I find myself dumbfounded by the show on a weekly basis, and when I'm roused from my Lost-watching haze, I look at my notebook (strategically placed on the coffee table so I can better come over to the computer and share my thoughts) and it's empty.

It's like putting your toddler in front of the TV.

Anyway -- STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED YET! You don't want this one ruined for you, I swear.

Aptly, this series has always been about the past -- what else can you really consider when you're a band of plane crash survivors doomed never to leave a desert island? At that point your future is just a dream (or one of Desmond 's premonitions). Doom and gloom comes easy in this fictional world, huh? And what you see leading up to this there are nowhere near the doom and gloom that's to come. We're talking serious tragedy... and stuff.

But first, you have to cater to the "fans" who want to see something significant happen. What better way to do that then to char 7 or 8 obligatory Others beyond recognition? This episode may have had the highest body count yet, if you don't count Ben's little genocide. Sad to see Tom go, though. I kinda liked where his character was headed.

(Side note: I'm annoyed at Hurley for begging for recognition for his big save. I know he irks a lot of viewers, but I've always liked him.)

Anyway, for the first time we see into our characters' future (what was obviously a flash-forward from the very beginning, so don't act surprised), and it's pretty bleak. Though it seems to involve a rescue of at least four people from the island, and it (obviously) means more questions. The real question here is: Is this real, or is it just the manifestation of Jack's worry now that he's made the call that Ben and Locke seem so sure will spell doom (and gloom)?

Oh, yeah, Locke's alive. Surprise. Seriously, how could you kill the guy? What actually did surprise me was the return of Island-ghost Walt... who we last saw draw Shannon to her doom (good work, buddy!), though this time he's hit puberty. Locke and Ben don't seem to be wrong, either. Charlie, in his quest to meet his destiny, finds out that Naomi isn't exactly working for Penny.

It may have been the saddest moment in the show's history, but it was also a brilliant way to go out for Charlie. I really never liked the character, and now I have some respect for him.

Who Naomi and her friends are will have to wait. We'll also have to wait to find out who was in the casket (Locke, probably. Or Ben.), and what "the temple" is. Fewer new questions than I expected, for sure.

In all, it was pretty exciting and didn't leave us with a big gaping question like previous finales have. The story will just continue when next year rolls around. For that, I'm grateful.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, good. Here's Lost.

First of all, and though in retrospect this was very short-sighted of me, I did NOT see the flash-forward coming. For most of the episode I thought we were watching a Jack flashback in which he reacts to his FATHER'S death (though now I recall we already saw that happen).

If I had to guess, I'd say the flash forward was real. I hope that this is a sign that the flashbacks will be replaced by flash-forwards in the new season, and we will see the rescue and everything immediately after that while simultaneously viewing the future consequences of those events, which would be awesome.

Of course Locke's still alive, and it became clear Charlie definitely wouldn't make it when they fake-killed Jin, Sayid and Bernard (which was pretty obvious, really; no TV show would so quickly dispatch principal characters). I've got a pretty good theory going on Naomi/Penny, and also a pretty good one going on Jacob.

But you must've heard something I didn't, because I don't know what "temple" you're talking about.

Anyway, a great episode, a great finale, and still the best show on TV. And I should know. I'm TV's Adam.

Matthew Falzone said...

Ben told the guy with too much eyeliner to "get everyone to the temple" before leaving to catch up with the 815ers.

And, if the flash-forward was real, that changes everything as far as the big picture goes. I'd been assuming they'd never make it off the island, but everyone I've come in contact with has said, "oh, of course it's real."

Everyone thinks it was Sawyer in the casket, too, but I can't support that one. And the "he" that Kate spoke of wondering where she is? I'm pretty sure now that it's Ben, though that could also be Sawyer. I think I said that already.

I hate that I've been geek-arguing this show all day.

Anonymous said...

Dude. I think it was Ben in the casket. Who else would show up to a showing of a dead Ben besides future-Jack, tortured by the knowledge of whatever bad things happened as a function of his (surprise!) refusal to listen to anyone else?

The dude waiting for Kate may well be Sawyer. If she were in some weird captive situation with Ben or Penny's dad (who it's safe to assume is behind Naomi and whatever else is behind her), she likely wouldn't be able to, like, get in a car on short notice and go meet a dude.

you know what I hate? That I DIDN'T get to geek-argue the show all day. Nobody I know at work watched it. They all watch American Idol.

Seriously. The machine vomited out another manufactured pop star. Who CARES?

Matthew Falzone said...

Maybe we don't yet know why Jack's the only one at the mystery casket.

I still want to believe it's Locke, simply because I don't think Jack would have that kind of connection to Ben. He doesn't like Locke but he'll obviously feel bad when he finds out that he's right.

Ben won't make it past the next story arc and he certainly won't make it off the island.