LOST: There's No Place Like Home, Part 1

LOST is in a strange position going into tonight's episode, the first of a three-part season finale: we already know the future. We don't know what happens to all the characters but most of the main ones' fates are already set: Sayid, Jack, Kate, Hurley, Ben - we already know where they end up, just not how they got there. This puts tonight's episode in a strange position: it's hard to build up tension in a scene if the ultimate outcome is not only not in doubt but is, in fact, known.

Knowing this, why did the show bother to keep pointing out Jack's leaky appendix wound? We all know he's one of the six "survivors"- if we didn't know, or had forgotten, they reinforce this within the first few minutes of the show. This completely undermines any tension we might feel since we know he'll survive: whatever happens with his injuries, ultimately it isn't a factor. Yet the writers waste time and dialog on it. I don't know why.

It's the characters whose fates we don't know that should have gotten the lion's share of the time but don't: Sawyer, Locke, Jin, and Desmond (I'd say Claire but she seems to have gone over to the dark side). Locke spends the episode standing behind Ben chewing his lip and looking confused while Sawyer plays baby taxi and Jack escort. Jin? He does a good job standing behind Sun doing exactly nothing. Great.

I think I've labeled just about every episode I've written about thus far as a "setup" episode. This must be the ultimate setup episode but nothing happens. And I mean nothing. I could summarize the "action" as a travelogue of movement around the island. It was all about moving people around to put them in place for next week. That's it. And they didn't exactly do much to make those moves exciting to watch. It was a five minute bit of exposition stretched out into an hour. I hope it's worth it because, otherwise, this was a total throwaway. Next week better make up for it.

LOST: Cabin Fever

For an episode all about setting up the season finale, Cabin Fever had some meat to it. The beneficiary of this content was my favorite character, Mr. John Locke, whose early years now revealed beg as many questions as they answer.

We also finally (finally!) not only get into "Jacob's Cabin", we also learn the identity of the man inside. Claire is somehow transformed from a moving, talking piece of scenery into something halfway interesting- this is a tremendous feat in itself. Some (read: I) might call it a miracle. Her look at the end of the episode was somehow knowing, smug, and... evil. Yes, evil. And I liked it.

While we didn't get an all Locke episode, the other segments were more than watchable. The beach got little more than a sidelong glance and the boat segments had both purpose and blood-letting. This show can always use more blood-letting.

Things are shaping up nicely for the big finale. I wasn't all that keen on last week's episode but this week brings the excitement back up nicely. There's no better character to ride into the finale than Locke and tonight we got a full dose of the island mystic. I also like Ben in his role as Locke's reluctant sidekick. It fits in nice contrast to Ben as power politician supreme.

The finale should bring us to the "rescue" and the unveiling of the "Oceanic Six". This plot aspect I find the least interesting of all the threads outstanding. Since this episode got a big dose of Locke, I hope that doesn't reflect on a Locke-free finally. Every episode needs some Locke. Tonight we got a double dose. It was a banner night.

LOST: Something Nice at Home

This felt like a filler episode. What I learned was that the Jack and Kate of the future are the same as the Jack and Kate of the present (and past), Juliet is handy with a scalpel, and Claire has disappeared. That's it and it's nothing that the writers couldn't have condensed into about five minutes, if it even deserved that much time.

I am sure that Kate's "failure" at the operating table will be meaningful in some way but I just don't care. And Juliet's admission to Kate is a revelation only to Kate and I have my doubts that even she didn't know. This episode was a sleeper and, by that, I mean it threatened to put me to sleep.

Next week looks much better, back to the Ben and Locke Express and all the awesomeness they bring with them. After this week, LOST needs all the Ben and Locke it can get.

Twix Means LOST?

LOST Film Shoot?
Originally uploaded by Critical Todd

I heard that film teams are shooting footage for the LOST finale here in New York and in L.A. I also heard that, to keep things on the down-low, they're using cover names. It has been suggested, therefore, that the "Twix" film shoots (see here and here) were actually LOST shoots in disguise.

I have no facts, none at all, but I choose to believe it's true. Why would someone, anyone, shoot a candy bar ad at midnight? It makes no sense. Actually, I'm sure there are perfectly logical reasons but I don't see them. Even if I did see them, I would ignore them. What sounds better, shooting a LOST finale or a candy bar commercial? It's no brainer. It's a Locke.

Sorry for that last bit. I'll be quiet and wait over here for the Dharma police to arrive. (Sorry again.)

LOST: The Shape of Things to Come

This episode has fired me up in a way that hasn't happened for a long time. There was the perfect combination of action and exposition, tension and release, mystery and reveal.

Ben is a bad man. There is no doubt about that. It is almost impossible to tell, at any time, if he's caught up in events or simply playing a part in a situation he orchestrated, the outcome never in doubt. However, it appears he may out have out-Benned himself tonight. As he said repeatedly, the nefarious forces of Mr. Whitmore changed the rules and, for once, Ben was caught by surprise. Judging from the aftermath, he's not taking it lying down.

I loved the culling of the extras during the assault on the village but they didn't take it far enough. Claire was sitting directly in the crosshairs but the writers were not brave enough to pull the trigger. That she emerged from the wanton destruction so unscathed is the apex of cheese.

The beach boys, Jack and co., are becoming less and less interesting. I suppose that explains why Sawyer has to go back: he's got to liven things up down there. As much as I am not a fan of the love triangle, I don't think I can stand anymore Jun and Sung episodes.

I am not a Hurley fan. His comic relief only goes so far and, for my mileage, that distance can be measured in inches. However, he did man up when he needed to. Could this be a sign that he could be maturing? Yes, I know, every six or so episodes, Hurley will step to the fore but he inevitably slides back into sidekickdom. Maybe the cycle is just due to come around again but I'd prefer to fool myself for the time being in thinking he's turned a corner... until next week.