Lost season four letdowns
This season of Lost was my second favorite season ever, so it was difficult to come up with criticisms. A shortened season meant that there wasn’t room for a weak episode. Nikki, Paulo, and Bai Ling stayed away. A few things are bothering me now that this chapter is finished, though. Some characters got a raw deal, and some twists failed to shock. It wasn’t all time travel and brilliant action scenes.
Jack’s appendicitis - Apart from bringing Jack and Kate closer together, I don’t understand why this storyline was necessary. The flash-forwards ensured that Jack would survive his low-tech surgery, so there wasn’t any tension there. It seemed like the only point of Jack’s illness was to completely kill the Juliet-Jack relationship. Jack and Juliet’s chemistry never worked for me. They shared two forgettable kisses, and then Jack basically blew her off after she saved his life. Still, Juliet deserved a better break-up, from both Jack and the writers.
Farewell, Rousseau - I had big hopes for Danielle Rousseau. She had been a mysterious figure on the island since the first season, and she’s one of the few island characters that hasn’t had (or appeared in) a flashback. I always assumed that the payoff of Rousseau’s character would come later–some bizarre island secret or revealing detail about the Others. Imagine my surprise when Danielle was killed, along with that annoying Karl, in a brief scene at the end of “Meet Kevin Johnson,” an episode that primarily focused on Michael’s storyline. They didn’t even give Rousseau the proper Lost send-off of a flashback followed by death. Less intriguing characters like Ana Lucia and Shannon had better exit episodes, for crying out loud!
Fewer episodes - This isn’t the fault of anyone connected to Lost, but the diminished season had a noticeable impact on the show. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse admitted that they wanted to do an additional freighter folk-centric episode, but had to put those storylines off until next season. I would have liked to learn more about the freighter folks, especially since some of them are stuck on the island with the 815ers. Daniel is the only familiar face on the Zodiac raft (now adrift without the island or the freighter as a destination), and I hardly know anything about him. A little extra time with the freighties would have given me more reasons to care about them. The season’s timeline also changed as a result of the missing episodes, and the finale was overflowing with plotlines. I love that Lindelof and Cuse fought to make the finale an hour longer, but I was mentally and emotionally drained after so many deaths, touching moments, and shocking scenes in one sitting.
What happened to the Others? - The Others took a back seat to the freighter drama in the first part of the season. Nestor Carbonell was away doing the now-canceled Cane, so we didn’t see Richard Alpert until “Cabin Fever.” I expected the Others to have a bigger presence after the first freighter group parachuted onto the island. These people were a major threat to their way of life, after all. They made up for their absence by doing away with the mercenaries, but why couldn’t they have wiped them out sooner? Juliet had a weaker role in the island goings-on as well. “The Other Woman” was supposed to be a Juliet-centric episode, but served to make Ben’s character more complex instead. You had to keep your eye on Juliet last season, because you never knew which side she was on. Now she’s in the same boat as the other 815ers who simply want to be rescued. Will she become even less significant over the next two seasons?
Aaron is one of the Oceanic Six - I lost interest in Aaron a while ago. Nothing against Turniphead, but he was probably the last of the survivors that I wanted to see back on the mainland. He hasn’t turned out to be special in the way that Season One led us to believe. I’m among the fans who took Malkin’s warning seriously. Why weren’t there consequences for Aaron being raised by another? Aaron’s presence in Kate’s flashback also caused some unnecessary confusion about the identities of the Oceanic Six. The tease in “Ji Yeon” was heartbreaking; for a moment I believed that Jin was safe. On the bright side, non-815ers like Desmond, Frank Lapidus, and Ben made it off the island. We might even get a glimpse of Locke (aka Jeremy Bentham) on the mainland in the future.
The “surprise” return of Michael - We all saw this twist coming, right? Ben dropped hints about his spy on the freighter several times, and most fans knew that Harold Perrineau was returning to Lost in some capacity. Lack of surprise aside, Michael’s season four appearances weren’t all that exciting. He told Sayid that he was there to die, and stayed true to his word in the finale. I understand Perrineau’s frustration about being killed off so quickly. Michael’s guilt over murdering Libby and Ana Lucia drove him to attempt suicide several times, and his moment of redemption was far too brief. When Christian Shephard dismissed him, Michael looked more confused than at peace. At least he didn’t yell “Waaaaaalt!” before he died.
Check back soon for my Lost highlights post. For now, feel free to share some of your thoughts on how this season could have been better.
Lost Redux: Promises to Keep, and Miles to Go Before We Sleep
Jen here with your final redux of season four. (Sorry everyone, Kristin planned this trip she’s on months ago before the Lost finale moved back a week. She will be back Monday. Please bear with me until then!)
Anyway, if you’ve haven’t seen it yet, well, your priorities are all screwed up anyway. Begone.
If you have seen it, chase those peanuts down with a little Dharma rum and join us for a redux of Lost’s “There’s No Place Like Home, Parts Two and Three.”
WHAT WE LEARNED, OR…18 AWESOME THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THIS EPISODE
1. Kayid! Kate and Sayid have been awesome together ever since the pilot, and it’s still a pleasure to watch their silent camaraderie, especially against the Rambo guys.
2. SuperWaaaaalt! Malcolm David Kelley got so tall!
3. Keamy died, and it’s about frelling time. So long, sucker! Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.
4. JuJu. Seriously, that woman’s smile to Daniel? It was like an angelic benediction. Elizabeth Mitchell is amazing, and I love Juliet for keeping her promise to get everyone off the Island before going herself.
5. Charlotte was born on the Island! Island natives are always fascinating: See, for example, Ms. Alexandra Rousseau (Alex is her slave name, yo) and Turniphead. Best of all, I think this means more Rebecca Mader. Holler!
6. Charlotte and Daniel kissed sweetly.
7. Sawyer and Kate kissed spectacularly!
8. Sydney Carton jumped out of a helicopter to save his friends. “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
9. Jack didn’t let Kate get left behind.
10. Yunjin Kim. Sun’s screams when the freighter exploded Jin in front of her were perfect and right and wrong all together.
11. The helicopter crash. Nicely done, CGI monkeys, nicely done.
12. Jack leaned back in the rubber boat and sighed with relief, “It’s OK…It’s OK…we’re alive.” Kate and Sun, despite being alive themselves, had brilliant expressions that read something like, “Speak for yourself, dumbass!” Can’t wait for those two grieving widows to discover their lovers (and friends) are alive (uh, right?!) and need a ride back home from purgatory. They are going to be fierce, and not the annoying Christian Siriano kind of fierce either—more like the Amazon warrior princess kind of fierce.
13. Did that guy just say “Ms. Widmore”?! OMG! Penny is here to rescue us all! OMG, OMG, OMG! (”Now we are so happy we do the dance of joy!”) OMG!
14. Desmond and Penny kissed spectacularly! Now that, my friends, is a TiVo moment of Lost.
15. Penny immediately adopted the Losties as her own. We love you, Pen.
16. There was an Octagon Global Recruiting commercial! You sly bastards…
17. Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey). Full stop. Unlike Jack, I do hope we see him again, because he was one of the leading awesome things in this awesome episode.
18. Jeremy Bentham was Locke was in the coffin!!!
THE CENSUS
Who is off the Island, but has to go back whether they like it or not?
Kate, Sayid, Jack, Sun, Hurley, Walt, Ji-Yeon, Aaron, dead Jeremy Bentham-flavor Locke, Desmond, Ben and maybe Frank
Which Islanders are neither safe nor sound, but at least standing on dry land?
Sawyer, Juliet, Rose (and probably Bernard), Charlotte, Miles, Island-guru-flavor Locke, Vincent the dog and Richard Alpert
Who is missing in action and currently unaccounted for?
Claire, last seen in the jungle before being beckoned into some kind of weird vision quest by her dead dad; Michael, last seen standing next to enough C4 to blow up an aircraft carrier; Jin, last seen on the deck of the exploding freighter; Daniel, last seen on a tiny motorboat in a watery borderland between the moving Island and the open ocean
Who is dead?
Michael. Apparently, Michael is dead. I thought there was a chance of a miracle that Michael might survive, but according to Shawna Malcom’s TVGuide.com interview with Harold Perrineau, Michael is quite dead, and he may never be seen again on the show. Odd. Very odd.
Do you think that Michael redeemed himself for the murders of Ana-Lucia and Libby by helping Desmond and the Oceanic Six escape? The wages of sin is death, but is dying enough? Was he supposed to do more? Can you let go of your Walt-Michael reunion dream? I’m not sure I can, but post your thoughts in the comments.
COUNTERPOINT & CONSEQUENCES
Despite all the awesome itemized above, this was such a very sad finale. As Kate said, “All the horrible things that happened that day…” were, in total, overwhelming and awful, and the catastrophe has had devastating effects extending years in the future.
A King Abdicated: It made me sad to see Ben hand over the mantle of Other leadership to John Locke, as much as Ben is twitchy little weasel, he is great at what he does. I wonder if we’ll ever see him reclaim the throne.
Dramatic Irony Is Cruel: Sawyer jumped out of a helicopter to save Kate and Hurley. He miraculously survived the fall and the swim without drowning, but when he landed on shore, Juliet pointed out the burning wreckage of the freighter beyond the horizon. Sawyer is left thinking that Kate and Hurley are dead, and he didn’t even get to go down with their ship. I foresee a lot of guilt for future Sawyer, and perhaps a return to one of his fallback behaviors, one he shares with Meredith Grey—at least according to her shrink: “You’re careless with your life!”
Kate’s Sorry: Nonspecific guilt is also doing a number on Kate, and her subconscious is doing a number on her: Dream-state Claire tells her to stay away, but the voice on the dream phone tells her to come back. I think Kate’s misery in the future is an extension of the isolated, lonely Kate we first saw get off the transport plane. She doesn’t know where to turn, she has no one to lean on, and she’s being asked to make major decisions for herself and Aaron seemingly without any reliable, trustworthy friends who could help her work through these issues. So, in the end, all she can do is suffer survivor’s guilt alone, and mourn on her lonesome, and try to make a good life for her son.
Our Constant? Dr. Daniel Faraday still knows lots more than he’s telling about the Island’s effects and properties, and indeed, about the timeline that this story is supposed to follow, assuming no one mucks it up by accidentally tripping a time paradox. I think if Penelope is the short-term rescue solution, Faraday might be the long-term answer. And I think Faraday will get the enlightenment he seeks, but he might have to die for it…
¡EXPLICAME! HELLO, I HAVE SOME REQUESTIONS
- Are shirtless Sawyer and pretty Juliet going to mandatorily have to hook up now? Because, in the immortal words of Ana-Lucia Cortez, “She’s hot. You’re hot…plane crash…nice beach…it’s what people do.”
- Does Sun blame Jack and only Jack for Jin, or does she blame Kate a little, too, because Kate said she would go get Jin if Sun took the baby to the helicopter? Oooh! Flash-forward flashback! Is Jack the other person, besides Mr. Paik, that Sun blames for Jin’s demise?!
- “Can we get a translation, please?” Was Jin yelling anything on the deck of the freighter, other than, you know, “Hey, can you drop me off at the mall?”
- Can someone tell me why the frozen Island gearshift made Ben so weepy? Was he sad or just in pain? I know he was allegedly leaving the Island behind, but my feeling is that if it’s Thursday, Ben must be lying.
- OK, seriously: “Negatively charged exotic matter.” Is that like when dark matter wears in a G-string and forgets to take its medication?
ORCHID (STATION 6 of 6) ORIENTATION FILM
EASTER EGGS & FACTOIDS
- Sayid shot that guy in the Santa Rosa parking lot at 8:15. The numbers are bad! The numbers are bad!
- The heavy-breather on the other end of Kate’s dream phone was talking backward. What did he say? Press play below to hear:
QUOTES TO NOTE
“Boom.”
—Jin-Soo Kwon
“It’s not an Island. It’s a place where miracles happen.”
—John Locke
“There is no such thing as miracles.”
—Jack Shephard
“Lie to them, Jack. If you do it half as well as you lie to yourself, they’ll believe you.”
—John Locke
“John, why don’t you watch this very informative video, and I’ll take care of some business.”
—Benjamin Linus
“If you mean time-travelling bunnies? Yes.”
—Benjamin Linus
“Dude. I’ve been having regular conversations with dead people. The last thing I need now is paranoia.”
—Hugo Reyes
“Checkmate, Mr. Eko.”
—Hugo Reyes
“You can go now, Michael.”
—Christian Shepherd
“I hope you’re happy now, Jacob.”
—Benjamin Linus
“Don’t bring him back, Kate. Don’t you dare bring him back!”
—Claire Littleton
“I love you, Penny, and I’m never gonna leave you again.”
—Desmond David Hume
“I’m here to tell you that the Island won’t let you come alone…You have to do it together. All of you.”
—Benjamin Linus
WHAT’S TO COME
According to Kristin’s sources, our Claire-bear (Emilie de Ravin) will not be a regular in season five, but rather she will be on a “holding contract.” However, after her sojourn in the underworld, or wherever she is, she will return to us for season six.
Hmmm…What did happen to Claire?!
Of course, next season is largely about the who, what, when, where, why and how of getting back to the Island, and season six is about what happens when everybody finally returns and reunites.
And Kristin has it on good authority that Jin is fine. Put your minds at ease.
See you on the other side…
Lost’s Perrineau joins The Unusuals
Just last week, Harold Perrineau was wondering why his character was killed off on Lost, wishing the producers hadn’t blown Michael up with the freighter. He wasn’t out of work for long. Harold Perrineau has just been cast on a new ABC comedy/drama called The Unusuals. The pilot, which could be a mid-season replacement on ABC, is an hour set in a New York City police precinct.
Harold will play Detective Leo Banks, an agitated cop who’s so afraid of being shot or attacked that he’s never without his Kevlar bullet-proof vest. (Does he wear it in the john?) Sounds potentially funny. The writer of The Unusuals is Bones’ Noah Hawley and the executive producer is Peter Tolan (Rescue Me, The Larry Sanders Show), so there will be an emphasis on humor. Maybe not full-out Barney Miller, but still funny.
By the way, if there are any doubters that Lost has definitely killed Harold’s character, listen to what writer Damon Lindelof said about Michael. “He sacrificed his own life to redeem himself for past mistakes and to help the Oceanic 6 get off the island.”
And if that wasn’t an obit, Harold himself has commented on his Lost exit, which he believes is final. “I’m disappointed, mostly because I wanted Michael and Walt to have a happy ending. I was hoping Michael would get it together and actually want to be a father to his kid and try to figure out a way to get back [home]. But this is [the producers’] story. If I were writing it, I would write it differently.”
Lost Redux: "Destiny Is a Fickle Bitch"
OMG, the evil freighter guy killed **** and the ******! ****** is in the cabin with *********! And Locke has canoodled with both ******* and ******** in his pre-Island past! Aaaah! We have so much to Redux! Get in here!