Mistaking Coincidence For Fate

Long Time...

2011-06-13T13:23:00.001-04:00

How is everyone doing? Still haven't decided what I'm going to do yet, but I have the glimmerings of a new blog in mind, one that would focus on a number of interests of mine, including baseball.

I'll have an announcement up here once I get it up and running. :)

Carlton Reminices...

2011-01-30T19:07:00.003-05:00

Hey all,

Still haven't decided what I'm going to do with my future of blogging, but this article in the NYT from Carlton gave me the impetus to post. Well worth a read.

How's everyone doing? My life is crazy right now. Anyone find a suitable replacement for Lost? We're now through four seasons worth of "Dexter" - that's helped.

Cheers,
Jay

Top 108 Moments: #10-1

2010-10-08T23:32:00.000-04:00

"Phone's right over there, John..."

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the final installment of the Top 108 Moments in Lost!

Previous installments:

Honorable Mentions are here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made and was excluded from the list.

Moments #108-101
Moments #100-91
Moments #90-81
Moments #80-71
Moments #70-61
Moments #60-51
Moments #50-41
Moments #40-31
Moments #30-21
Moments #20-11

Today we have Moments #10-1! The Top 10 is finally upon us! Namaste.

10) Cooper throws Locke out the window

Episode: 3.13 - The Man From Tallahassee
Synopsis: We finally find out why Locke was in a wheelchair
Why it’s great: Brutal. Makes Cooper the #1 bad daddy of the show

As Season 3 rolled around, the flashbacks were getting very stale. Yes, flashbacks for Juliet and Desmond kept things kind of interesting (and "Flashes," of course, was outstanding), but there really wasn't much we needed to learn about any of the original cast. However, probably the biggest outstanding question fans had was "how did Locke get in the wheelchair to begin with?" We knew from previous flashbacks that he hadn't always been paralyzed - something happened to him to put him in that chair. So when it was announced that this episode would finally answer that, expectations were sky high. This was a moment that could have easily been screwed up by the writers, but I think it's safe to say it ended up exceeding all expectations and more.

Cooper had already betrayed Locke several times. He befriended him to steal his kidney, he used him to avoid the mob, destroying his relationship with Helen in the process, and he remained an albatross around Locke's neck, preventing him from "moving on" with his life (and afterlife, for that matter). But here Cooper morphs from a swindling nuisance to a murderous beast. Not only does he attempt to kill Locke, the end result is actually worse - life imprisonment in a rolling steel cage. And throughout it all, Cooper showed no remorse for anything he did. His son was simply a means to an end for him - a tool to be used and then discarded.

If you didn't feel sorry for Locke up until this point, you certainly felt sorry for him now. Much of Locke's miserable life was from his own choosing - his craving for a father figure, his desperate attempts to get into Cooper's life at the expense of those who really cared about him (like Helen) and his starry-eyed dreams of the explorer's life he always craved. But this moment was not his fault. Here he was trying to do the right thing in getting Cooper to leave (although you could probably argue he should have gone right to the police and let them handle it), but underestimated what Cooper was capable of. It's a defining moment for Locke and a defining moment for the show as well, one that was made flawlessly.

9) Ben kills Jeremy Bentham

Episode: 5.07 - The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham
Synopsis: Ben finally succeeds in killing Locke
Why it’s great: Ben at his most cold-blooded evil

Locke's murder at the hands of Ben was shocking at the time, but I think of all the moments on the list this is the one that for me gets even better with age.

Ben murdered Locke out of nothing more than pure jealousy and hate - he hated the idea that this man, this one pathetic man, could potentially usurp his power over the Others. And I think there was quite a bit of indignity there as well - Locke was a fairly intelligent guy, but he was no rocket scientist and he was incredibly gullible and far too trusting. Ben hated him because he felt Locke hadn't do anything to earn the Others' trust. The thought that this person whom Richard had apparently known for years could simply swoop in and suddenly take over the power role he had earned with years of hard work and patience was probably infuriating to him. So Ben manipulated the gullible Locke every chance he got, right up until the moment he killed him. Over the course of the show, we've gotten to see many different facets of Ben's personality and we've see him do some really terrible things. But in my book, this was the worst of the worst - a petty act of pure evil committed against an innocent man.

And Locke's death couldn't have been more sad and desolate. Ben killed him in a shabby hotel room, alone and without any of his friends or his beloved Island. And right before Ben killed him, he used him until his last breath, pumping him for information and taking Jin's wedding ring so he could eventually manipulate Sun as well. Locke deserved a better death than that - and, let's face it, any death would have been better than being strangled at the hands of your most hated enemy.

This moment is also one of the reasons I think the scene in "The End" where Locke forgives Ben is the best of that episode. Think about being Locke at that moment and remembering everything this little man did to you. Then think of the fact he's got a pretty nice afterlife in purgatory despite everything he did. I'd still be pissed at him, but Locke forgave him anyway. Ben got off really easy there, and it made Locke seem like all the better man because of it.

8) Sawyer finally gets his revenge

Episode: 3.19 - The Brig
Synopsis: Sawyer finally avenges his parents
Why it’s great: Nobody deserved death more than Cooper

Two Cooper moments in the Top 10? Yup. Because Cooper's evil irrecoverably changed not one, but two of our Losties forever. This time, however, it's Cooper who gets his just desserts. This is arguably Sawyer's best scene of the entire show and the one fans had been waiting for since Cooper was first introduced and revealed to be a con man.

This is a moment that's truly great largely because it's so satisfying. Purportedly Ben had the Others bring Cooper to the Island for no other reason than to humiliate Locke, but that was such a bizarre scene - Ben kept saying the Others were good people who didn't kill, so why the heck would Locke have to ritually sacrifice his evil dad in order to become their leader? It basically was all pretense for the writers to get Cooper to the Island and set up this scene between Sawyer and Cooper. And given how good the scene was, I guess we can give the writers a little leeway here.

Part of what makes this scene so good is just how evil and spiteful Cooper is right up until the end. He's almost comical in that regard; he has no remorse for anything he did. Even under the delusion that he died and went to Hell, he still showed no remorse, asked for no forgiveness and showed no sympathy for anything he'd done. By the end of his berating Sawyer, you wanted Sawyer to kill him just to shut him up. And let's face it, Josh Holloway was terrific all through the show, but this was by far his best scene. He was given the material and absolutely knocked it out of the park.

This could be the best scene of Season 3... that is, if we didn't have a certain finale to still discuss.

7) Desmond starts his day

Episode: 2.01 - Man of Science, Man of Faith
Synopsis: Desmond starts his day in the Swan... then gets interrupted
Why it’s great: Best. Opening. Ever.

You're gonna be knowing
the loneliest kind of lonely.
It may be rough goin',
just to do your thing's
the hardest thing to do.

But you've gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sings along.

This, in my humble opinion, is the best directed scene of the show. And it really needed to be given all the hype and buildup over what the heck was down in the Hatch. This is the scene that made "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" synonymous with Lost and introduced one of the best characters of the show. I love, love, love the head fake we're given as we see this person waking up and "starting his day," going through all the motions normal people go through - throw on some music, check the computer, shower, exercise and eat breakfast... until the explosion, that is. Then it's time to grab your jumpsuit, grab your gun and check the periscope. At the other end, high above at the top of a long shaft it's two men, one waving a torch. And the end of the long shot is the exact reverse of the shot that ended Season One. Brilliant.

And could there have been a more perfect song? It's from the perfect era, has the perfect sound for this scene and the lyrics are terrific. I've argued before that make Your Own Kind of Music could really have been written for Desmond specifically, as a Lost original. It wasn't, of course, it's just that the writers found the perfect piece to set to this scene. Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News often likes to talk about how certain music, if co-opted in the right way to a great scene, become redefined by the movie that used them, like "Battle without Honor or Humanity" became to Kill Bill or "In Your Eyes" became to Say Anything. "Make Your Own Kind of Music is now like that to Lost - you can't hear the song without thinking of the scene.

Man of Science, Man of Faith remains one of my all-time favorite episodes. For Desmond, for the song, for Jack in the Stadium and for the terrific ending. But the opening shot is by far my favorite from the episode and is the best episode opener from the show.

6) Shannon translates Danielle's message

Episode: 1.01 - The Pilot
Synopsis: Shannon translates Danielle's chilling S.O.S.
Why it’s great: "Guys, where are we?"

I don't think the Pilot episode could have ended on a more perfect note. Not only do we get introduced to a terrific Island mystery, we also get Charlie's now classic and oft repeated line ending with the very first trombone of the series. But this more than anything else is the plot line that set things off and running for the first part of Season One. Sayid trying to figure out where the "French woman's transmission" came from, whether she was still alive and what happened to her and her friends was one of the biggest mysteries of the show and probably the one fans most wanted answered. And what a transmission it was, set on a loop for 16 years (I love Sayid's human calculator impression for that as well). But just listen to it again:

I'm alone now.... on the island alone. Please, someone come. The others, they're... they're dead. I-it killed them. I-it killed them all.

It's ominous, cryptic and chilling, perfectly encapsulating the feeling of the first season. It's easy to forget the questions that were being asked at the start of the show. Are all these people dead? Is the Island really Hell or Purgatory? Does the outside world really exist? If someone was trapped here with some sort of Monster that killed all her friends for 16 years, what does that mean for us? Will anyone ever find us? Are we all doomed?

The first season was tense simply because we didn't know anything about the Island yet. And of the little information we did get, this was by far the most foreboding. It ratcheted the atmosphere and suspense of the show up to eleven right from the get-go and no matter how many times I hear Shannon say those words, I still get goosebumps and a tingle of excitement.

"Guys, where are we?" Awesome.

5) "Not Penny's Boat"

Episode: 3.22 - Through the Looking Glass
Synopsis: Charlie finds his redemption and meets his fate
Why it’s great: Signature death of the series

Top 5 time! The order is a little fluid here - I think some people might put Charlie's death a little higher up the ladder, but I do like the other four moments just a little bit more than this one.

This is the moment of Charlie's redemption, where he chose to sacrifice himself, fulfilling Desmond's vision (which never really came true now that I think about it) and also saving Desmond's life in the process. And make no mistake about it, this was a sacrifice - Charlie had plenty of time to escape and swim for the surface, provided he could tear Desmond away from the communications device after he heard Penny's voice. But when Desmond told him of the vision he had of Claire and Aaron escaping, he made the decision to choose to die because of his love for them.

Now I never really liked Claire and Charlie together - I always thought the relationship seemed forced and they really didn't seem to have much chemistry on screen. But everything Charlie did leading up to his death made me feel a whole lot better about it, simply because Charlie's end game felt very genuine, especially in making his greatest hits list to give to Claire and - most of all - leaving his "DS" ring for Aaron (that's another prop I wouldn't have minded owning). That was a terrific touch by the writers and I love the shot of it in the crib. Showing him going through all of that beforehand made his sacrifice all the more poignant and real because it showed us he had made peace with himself and accepted his fate. It really was one of the bravest acts on the show.

Now "Not Penny's Boat" is one of the signature, iconic moments of the series and one that - even I admit - even makes me a bit verklempt. I never thought I'd end up being sad to see Charlie go, but the writers did a phenomenal job here.

4) Desmond connects with his constant

Episode: 4.05 - The Constant
Synopsis: Desmond calls Penny on Christmas Eve
Why it’s great: Best scene from the best episode

Best scene from the best episode and it's not #1? Well, yeah, because as moments go it may the emotional high point of the series (for me), but I still think the three moments above this one are slightly better.

"The Constant" remains my favorite episode, a sentiment I think many of you probably share. It was brilliantly written, perfectly acted and it focused on the best relationship in the show. Some may disagree with that point - Jin and Sun, Rose and Bernard are two other worthy couples there - but in Desmond and Penny you have star-crossed lovers, one of whom waited eight years for a phone call and the other who spent three years trapped inside an underground hatch and who nearly committed suicide if it wasn't for a hidden letter from her.

And call me sappy, but I also love that the phone call took place on Christmas Eve. To me, 'The Constant" is the closest thing to a Christmas episode Lost has and there's something about the idea of Penny sitting alone in a nice warm house on Christmas Eve, tree up, fire in the fireplace, waiting. She was probably sitting there thinking, "This is so stupid, Desmond's not going to call," but she waits anyway. And then the phone rings and - miracle of miracles - it's him. It has the same emotional feel to me as Charlie Brown seeing his little tree all decorated or George Bailey being toasted by his war hero brother.

I'm toying with the idea of making it a tradition to watch this every Christmas, but somehow I think Em's going to veto that one. Perhaps if I volunteer to wrap the presents every year....

3) "We're going to have to take the boy..."

Episode: 1.23 - Exodus
Synopsis: Turns out the Others weren't after Aaron after all
Why it’s great: Shocking end to the raft storyline

There were really two cliffhanger endings to Exodus, and while the Hatch being opened without letting us see what was inside certainly received the brunt of the fan rage at the end of the season, the conclusion to the raft storyline was much more of a shocker.

Of all the head fakes the writers threw at us during the show, the fact the Others wanted Walt instead of Aaron was probably the best crafted head fake of them all. I didn't see this coming a bit - and who would? We hadn't known the Others had access to a boat at the point (let alone a submarine) and it really seemed at first like Michael, Walt, Sawyer and Jin had really escaped the Island and perhaps even got themselves rescued by some kind, local fishermen. But then, the late great Tom Friendly, as he came to be known, delivered the line...

"Only, the thing is, we're going to have to take the boy."

And then there was a great dramatic pause in the show, because Michael was taking those words in just as much as we were. And it slowly dawned on us who these people were, what they wanted and that Rousseau was right in her warning, but she merely interpreted it wrong.

It was wonderfully set up from start to finish and one of the best cliffhangers I've ever seen on the small screen. And yes, it did lead to Michael becoming a caricature of himself with his oft repeated refrains of "WAAALLLLLLLLT!" and "They took my son!," but both of those lines are now considered classic in the show, despite their unintentional humor. Walt's kidnapping drove the storyline for much of Season 2 and the image of him being taken away by the Others is one of the most indelible images of the show.

2) "Don't tell me what I can't do!"

Episode: 1.04 - Walkabout
Synopsis: We discover Locke was in a wheelchair on the plane
Why it’s great: This is very likely the scene that hooked you on the show

I really struggled with where to place this moment in the Top 5, questioning whether it had been surpassed by Charlie's death or Desmond's phone call to Penny. But coming back to it again, I realized it simply had to be #2. This was the moment that hooked me on Lost and I imagine it did the same for many of you as well. Jack may have been the show's official leading man, but Locke was its heart and soul. And "Walkabout" was the moment we were introduced to him and, chances are, he became your newest favorite character afterward.

The setup for this episode was just so good through the first two episodes of the show. Locke was portrayed as kind of a weird, creepy guy with a scar who seemed to have just a little too much affection for Walt, if you know what I mean. I certainly felt he might become the villain of the show right off the bat, especially after his creepy mouth-full-of-orange grin. So when "Walkabout" rolled him out (sorry), I think part of the reason it worked so well is the shock of not only finding out he was in a wheelchair on the plane, but finding out he may actually be the hero of the show as opposed to the villain, given his incredible connection to the Island. It certainly made me do a 360 on his character.

There are a lot of moments from Walkabout I could have selected, but this is really the one that deserves to be here, the moment we see him in the wheelchair, being denied his place on the walkabout trip. That was where see him give his best use of "Don't tell me what I can't do!" and why that particular phrase carries such meaning for him. And suddenly all the images of the first couple episodes - when he wiggles his toes, runs around happily helping Jack, telling Walt a secret, even just happily eating an orange - suddenly they all make sense. This man is happy because this place somehow made him whole.

People who say "Walkabout" is overrated (you know who you are) simply have forgotten just how powerful it was at the time. If you've never seen the show before and are watching it through for the first time, this is the moment that drags you in.

And bravo to Terry O'Quinn who gave John Locke all he had and more.

1) "We have to go back, Kate! We have to go back!"

Episode: 3.22 - Through the Looking Glass
Synopsis: Turns out Jack and Kate get off the Island after all
Why it’s great: Best moment of the show... and one of the best in TV history

And so we've finally reached #1! And, really, could it be anything else?

It speaks to the writers that the most pivotal turning point of the show not only happened to be one of the show’s best, but will probably go down as one of the most iconic moments in television history. I remember when I was watching “Through The Looking Glass” for the first time, I really wasn’t 100% sure whether we were seeing the past, future or some alternate timeline in Jack’s “flashbacks.” The writers did a really good job disguising it – having Jack say “get my father down here” - really made it seem like it was a normal, old Jack flashback we hadn’t seen before. Would have been no surprise to see he was a boozy, painkiller-addicted surgeon before the plane crash – seemed a normal progression given we’d already seen him losing it after his divorce.

And when the episode was over, I remember enjoying it, but not more than, say, the ending of “Exodus.” In fact, I didn’t even have this episode on my original Top 10 list that I made between Seasons 3 & 4. But Jack’s “We’ve got to go back, Kate!” cry not only became one of the most quoted lines of the show, in retrospect it was the moment that turned everything on its head and showed what direction the show was going to follow over the last three seasons.
Fitting this scene was the final scene of the first three seasons because it's really an inflection point. After watching this scene, all the questions change from "are they going to get off the Island" to "OMG, what happened after they left."

Great moments in TV history don't come along very often and it's rare they come along in the middle of a show as opposed to the end. And it's also rare when they're great moments within a storyline as opposed to something topical or controversial. No, this was a scripted moment and, yes, it had a twist to it, but it was so much more than just a plot device. By the end of Season 3, people had begun to wonder whether Lost was going to turn into Gillian's Island before it was all over, its inhabitants doomed never to leave until the final episode. Here we learn that not only do they escape, they have to return because they weren't supposed to leave.

Lost leaves behind a great legacy to television. It demonstrated that a largely intelligent scripted show (despite the ending) could succeed in an era of brain dead, cookie cutter reality TV. And it did so by simply combining an excellent cast, excellent writing and, most of all, telling a great, captivating story. I'm going to miss it dearly - there may be nothing like on television ever again though, given its success, I'm sure some will try.

Now if you'll excuse me, it seems I have some "Dexter" to watch. After all, something has to fill the void Lost left behind.

Moment Tally (final!):

Looks like Ben managed to hang onto his lead, but just barely. And I'm fairly pleased with my Top 5 - if you told me Ben, Locke, Jack, Sawyer and Desmond would end up at the top of my list I would have thought that sounded about right. Of course, I split Locke and Smokey up separately and half of Smokey's scenes were played by Terry O'Quinn, so I suppose one could argue that Locke/Zombie Locke was the real winner here.

The Season tally was a bit more surprising, both in the fact that Season 3 was the overall winner and that Season 5 was the runner up. I really expected the first two seasons to run away with it, but I guess 1) I really dug all the time travel more than I realized and 2) even though Season 3 is a terribly inconsistent season with some of the worst episodes the show had to offer, it also had some of the best episodes and even the bad episodes had some very, very good moments in them. Season 3 might not be the best season overall, but it certainly had its fair share of terrific Lost moments.

Final tallies below:

Main/Recurring Characters:

Ben - 25
Locke - 24
Jack - 18
Sawyer - 15
Desmond - 13
Smokey - 12
Sayid - 8
Hurley - 7
Jin - 7
Charlie - 6
Michael - 6
Eko - 5
Jacob - 5
Juliet - 5
Kate - 5
Tom Friendly - 5
Charles Widmore - 4
Daniel - 4
Danielle - 4
Richard - 4
Claire - 3
Penny - 3
Pierre Chang - 3
Walt - 3
Anthony Cooper - 2
Bernard and Rose - 2
Eloise - 2
Frank - 2
Keamy - 2
Miles - 2
Shannon - 2
Vincent - 2
Aaron - 1
Alex - 1
Ana-Lucia - 1
Arzt - 1
Boone - 1
Charlotte - 1
Ilana - 1
Libby - 1
Mikhail - 1
Nikki and Paulo - 1
Roger Linus - 1
Sun - 1

Seasons:

Season Three - 24
Season Five - 22
Season Two - 20
Season One - 18
Season Six - 14
Season Four - 10

Up next: Really not sure. I think I might be done Lost blogging for quite a while. Perhaps I'll revisit my Top 10 list in the future, but I think I'll take a short break from blogging and will likely start up another, different blog sometime soon. There will be an announcement here once I do.

In the meantime, I still answer questions and comments, so feel free to post away and especially let me know what moments I missed. I suppose Aaron's birth/Boone's death is one of them - I guess it just never impacted me at all despite it being an important moment on the show. The Pilot opening is another. Anything else I miss?

Hope you enjoyed this - I certainly did. Thanks for reading and following along over the years. I'm not through blogging, but I do think I need a bit of a break for now. :)

Top 108 Moments: #20-11

2010-10-01T23:08:00.000-04:00

"John, you fell eight stories and survived, OK? I don't want to hear about what you can't do. Now let's go. It's going to be all right."

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the penultimate part of the Top 108 Moments in Lost!

Previous installments:

Honorable Mentions are here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made and was excluded from the list.

Moments #108-101
Moments #100-91
Moments #90-81
Moments #80-71
Moments #70-61
Moments #60-51
Moments #50-41
Moments #40-31
Moments #30-21

Today we have Moments #20-11. The Top 20 is finally upon us! Namaste.

20) Locke gets put into a wheelchair for the first time

Episode: 3.13 - The Man From Tallahassee
Synopsis: Locke is told he's going to have to be in a wheelchair
Why it’s great: Terry O'Quinn is simply amazing here

Since this scene hit #20, I think you can probably imagine what its compliment(s) will be in the Top 10 next week. I debated leaving this off entirely because of that, but the thing is it's just too good of a scene not to include. Not only do we get to see the origin of John's "Don't tell me what I can't do" catchphrase, but Terry O'Quinn is simply magnificent here. This is the scene, to me, that above all others earned him his Emmy.

It's a completely heartbreaking scene to watch, even moreso if you flip through the screencaps of the entire shot. John's in a hospital bed and an orderly comes in to attend to him. He flips open a wheelchair and the camera pans down to it. It's the same type of wheelchair John was using in the Pilot. And as John realizes that chair is meant for him, he starts saying "no" and "I can't do this" over and over again, a horrible mix of anguish and realization at what his life is about to become. And can there be a worse fate for an idealistic dreamer with delusions of grandeur? No more Locke the Explorer or Locke the Hero. The stark reality is he's going to be Locke the Paraplegic, likely for the rest of his life (had Jacob not intervened).

This is one of the very best acting performances of the entire series, if not the best overall.

19) Desmond opens "Our Mutual Friend" and finds Penny's letter

Episode: 2.23 - Live Together, Die Alone
Synopsis: Desmond realizes he wants to kill himself, but Penny saves him
Why it’s great: Shades of "Shawshank" with Penny's voice over

This is a scene that I think doesn't readily come to mind when we think of great Lost scenes, but it's unbelievably powerful. Going into making this list, "Live Toegther, Die Alone" wasn't at the top of my favorite finales list. In fact, largely because I really didn't like the whole kidnapping storyline much, it was close to the bottom. But I think I may need to reevaluate that since Desmond's flashbacks were so incredibly good.

And people forget that this scene was the only scene in the show that used "Our Mutual Friend" to its full potential. I really thought the end of the series was going to have Desmond sacrificing himself in some way and cracking open Our Mutual Friend as he waits for death to arrive. That never happened, but this scene is just as good, if not better. Here, Kelvin is dead, Desmond is stuck in the Hatch alone (and has been alone for nearly 40 days). He's been drinking and is contemplating suicide. He's got a gun. We see him pull the band off "Our Mutual Friend" and open the cover. We know what that signifies.

But something falls out of the book - a letter. A letter from Penny. The whole time he was in prison, Charles had intercepted all of his letters to Penny, but he couldn't stop his daughter from putting the most important letter in the place he needed it most. And what a letter it was:

Dearest Des, I am writing this letter to you as you leave for prison. And I've hidden in the one place you would turn to in a moment of great desperation. I know you go away with the weight of what happened on your shoulders. And I know the only person who can ever take it off is you. Please don't give up, Des. Because all we really need to survive is one person who truly loves us. And you have her. I will wait for you. Always. I love you, Pen.

Gives me chills. And it reminds me so much of Andy's letter to Red at the end of Shawshank. He gave it to Red to keep him going, keep him wanting to live, because he knew for sure there would be a time where he'd think about ending it all. Shawshank, to me, has one of the best endings in cinematic history and it's really the highest praise I can gave when I say this scene reminds me of that one.

Lastly Penny's letter not only saved Desmond that day, but it allowed Desmond to save Locke, who was in equally dire straights. After he finishes reading the letter, he hears Locke banging on the Hatch and shines the light up through the window. That light gives Locke the strength to go on. Two lives saved with one letter. Part of the reason I left "The Hatch lights up" off the list because I kinda like seeing it from this moment better. Possibly the most underrated moment on my list.

18) Ben shows Jack the Red Sox winning the series

Episode: 3.02 - The Glass Ballerina
Synopsis: Ben proves to Jack the outside world still exists
Why it’s great: Because the writers took advantage of one of the best sports stories in the last century

The fall of 2004 really was a fairly eventful time. As Ben points out, we had a presidential election, Christopher Reeve died and one of the biggest sports stories of the century: The Boston Red Sox win their first World Series since 1918. And not only did they win, in order to get there they had to become the first team in history to come back from an 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven to win the series 4 games to 3. And they managed the comeback against their arch-rival, the New York Yankees, this after the Yankees embarrassed them in the postseason the year before. So when Jack was introduced as a Red Sox fan in Season One, one of the common refrains was "oh man, he's going to totally miss the Sox winning the series." Fortunately, Carlton Cuse is a Red Sox fan, so this wasn't overlooked.

As I stated before, the widely panned mini-series at the beginning of Season 3 is a bit underrated as a whole. Yes, it contains a few terrible episodes, but it also had a total of six moments on this list:

106) Jack telling Ben: "At least you won't have to be disappointed for very long"
86) Sawyer gets a fish biscuit
85) Locke's smokehouse vision
59) Smokey kills Eko
23) Flight 815 comes apart over the Barracks
18) Ben shows Jack the Red Sox winning the series

That's really not too shabby. And let's face it, this was by far the best moment of that mini-series. Not only was it a terrific scene for Jack, who honestly and truly couldn't believe it when Ben told him not only that they won, and that they were down three games to none against the Yankees and came back. But it was also the first time it was confirmed to the Losties that the outside world still existed and that they weren't all trapped in a "snow globe" as Desmond thought.

A terrific scene with one of the best payoffs of the show. Added bonus: some quality Jackface here as well.

17) Eloise confronts Desmond

Episode: 3.08 - Flashes Before Your Eyes
Synopsis: Eloise tells Desmond of his destiny
Why it’s great: One of the best monologues of the show comes out of nowhere

"Flashes Before Your Eyes" was my very favorite episode of the first three seasons. Not only was a wonderful break from the formula and the first episode that introduced time travel to the show, it was a wonderful story as well. Desmond gets a second chance to make things right with Penny. This time he's going to do what he should have done so many years before and ask Penny to marry him, Charles be damned.

He goes to buy a ring, picks one out and decides to buy it. But for some strange reason, the elderly shopkeeper resists. In fact, she oddly knows his name. And when Desmond still insists on purchasing the ring, Eloise Hawking (as we now know her), mother of Daniel, wife to Charles, bursts out with the best goosebump-inducing monologue of the show:

"I know your name as well as I know that you don't ask Penny to marry you. In fact, you break her heart. Well, breaking her heart, of course, is what drives you in a few short years from now to enter that sailing race to prove her father wrong. Which brings you to the island where you spend the next 3 years of your life entering numbers into the computer...until you are forced to turn that failsafe key. And if you don't do those things, Desmond David Hume, every single one of US is dead. So give me that sodding ring!"

And with that statement, everything we thought we knew about the Island and the survivors was turned on its head. It's one thing to think about time travel, it's another entirely to have someone who knows the future and tries to keep it on its course. This is actually a moment I've wanted to revisit because in order for it to have happened like it did, Eloise must have gotten detailed notes in the past (likely from Daniel) about all the events that happened on the Island that would eventually lead to his death. Her true purpose here, for whatever reason, was to keep the conditions the same that would lead to Daniel going back in time and being killed by her hand.

It's hard to say what her "every one of us is dead" was referring to, whether it be the universe ending in a temporal paradox or Desmond needing to turn the failsafe key, but I think it's clear that Desmond was simply a means to an end here - if he doesn't crash on the Island, Flight 815 never crashes and no one goes back in time. Part of me kind of wishes there was a "What if" version of Lost that could go back and see what happens if Desmond does propose to Penny instead of crashing on the Island. Might make for an interesting story, eh?

Regardless, this is one of my favorite shock moments of the show. And it's delivered perfectly by Fionnula Flanagan.

16) Eko confronts Smokey

Episode: 2.10 - The 23rd Psalm
Synopsis: Eko confronts Smokey face-to-face
Why it’s great: We see Smokey up close and personal for the first time

"The 23rd Psalm" was my second favorite episode of the first three seasons and Eko was, by far, my favorite character. And this moment was certainly one of the most iconic images of the entire show (I'll be using "iconic" quite a bit in these top moments, as you'll all see). Up until now, we had really only gotten one fleeting glimpse of Smokey in "Exodus" and it was really hard to know what to make of him. But this was not only the best full-screen scene with Smokey we had gotten on the show, damn if it wasn't just so freakin' cool.

It was also the advent of the "pause your VCR and run it on slow" moments with the show. Yes, the Hatch really introduced the Lost mythology to us, but the images of Eko's life that flashed in Smokey as the camera panned around him was a watercooler moment for everyone on the internet. And it fueled so many questions as well. Why didn't the monster kill Eko? Did it really read his mind? What was it looking for? Did it come from and disappear underground? What the heck is it really? And even though it brought up a lot of new ideas and theories about Smokey, it also answered a whole lot of general questions since it gave us such a good look at him and what he was capable of.

It's also worth mentioning that the direction and special effects of this scene were top notch. I love the way the camera pans around Eko and the aerial shot from above was terrifically cool. And this was, I think, the best Smokey special effect on the show. The scene in "Left Behind" was pretty neat too, but I think this one still wins. This is a moment where, if you weren't really hooked on Lost or were starting to lose interest, you got sucked right back into the vortex.

15) Locke sees the Blast Door Map

Episode: 2.17 - Lockdown
Synopsis: Locke sees the Blast Door Map during the pallet drop
Why it’s great: Most analyzed screenshot on TV ever

I will say that Lost is a show that you have to put some time into to really appreciate and the Blast Door Map is probably the best example. Did you really need to translate and pore over every little detail of the map to fully appreciate the show? Of course not. But this Easter Egg is what solidified Lost's presence on the internet and led to the various summer Alternate Reality Games and the very well done webisodes that really expanded upon some plot details that didn't make it into the mainstream show. For me, this was a terrific bonus to the diehard fans who wanted more detail into the show (and in the case of the webisodes, nearly an entire new episode worth of material).

But the scene itself was incredibly cool. Yeah, overall, the logic behind it was kinda wonky. Why Kelvin and Radzinsky made the map in the first place is certainly a little odd and all the stuff on it doesn't totally make sense ("Cerebus" is probably kind of a misnomer now, eh). But the scene will probably go down in history as the most analyzed screencapture ever. And how cool did it look? With the dark light and the awesome reflection of the map in Locke's eye (one of neatest directorial touches of the show). It was creative, original and, most of all, incredibly memorable and a terrific bonus to the fans by the writers.

14) The Numbers are on the Hatch

Episode: 1.18 - Numbers
Synopsis: It's revealed Hurley's numbers are stamped on the Hatch
Why it’s great: Mind-bending reveal that ramped up the suspense for the finale

Numbers made my Top 10 episode list of the first three seasons. Not only did it give a very unique angle to Hurley's character, but the fact Danielle was brought to the Island by these very same Numbers gave us the idea that perhaps everyone was meant to be on Flight 815 after all. In addition, the episode rammed home the idea that perhaps the Numbers were a bad omen. After all, they were responsible for Danielle crashing on the Island and Hurley blamed them for all of his bad luck. So when the episode ended with a shot of the Hatch and the Numbers imprinted on the side, it made everyone go "Holy ****! Don't open that thing up!"

The end of Season One was all about what was in the Hatch. It was like Pandora's Box - you hoped it wasn't imprisoning something awful, you hoped opening it didn't bring about the end of the world. Thing is, though, there really wasn't a whole lot these type of horrible thoughts floating around until the Numbers were revealed - once that happened, the Hatch went from Island curiosity to Little Hatch of Horrors. It totally ramped up the suspense leading up to the finale and made it one of the biggest water cooler mysteries since "Who shot J.R.?"

13) Desmond tells Charlie he's going to die

Episode: 3.08 - Flashes Before Your Eyes
Synopsis: Desmond tells Charlie the universe is out to get him
Why it’s great: One of the best episode endings of the show. Plus: Charlie's going to die!

As if "Flashes" episode-long flashback wasn't terrific enough, it also set up one of the best storylines of Season 3 with its ending. I really hated Charlie by the start of that season. His druggie storyline had run its course, his relationship with Claire was annoying and his flashbacks were among the worst of the show. I freely admit I was openly rooting for him to be killed.

But then something funny happened - when Charlie went from lame druggie to dead man walking, he became...interesting again. This plot line totally rejuvinated his character and gave him the shot at redemption that he so sorely needed. Brilliant idea by the writers here.
But kudos also go to Henry Ian Cusick who so perfectly delivered his end-of-episode speech to Charlie. I still get goosebumps just thinking about it. Take a gander:

When I saw the lightning hit the roof you were electrocuted. And when you heard Claire was in the water you -- you drowned trying to save her. I dove in myself so you never went in. I've tried, brother. I've tried twice to save you, but the universe has a way of course correcting and -- and I can't stop it forever. I'm sorry. I'm sorry because no matter what I try to do you're going to die, Charlie.

At the time, I applauded. Hey! Charlie is going to die! Woo hoo! In retrospect, however, this is the moment that not only began Charlie's journey towards redemption, but made him one of the most memorable and iconic characters on the show.

12) Jack and Locke watch the Swan Orientation film

Episode: 2.03 - Orientation
Synopsis: Jack and Locke watch a video
Why it’s great: We're going to have to watch that one again

This is the moment that was turned into a Superbowl commercial in 2006: "Addicted to Lost," so it has got that going for it right off the bat. But the Swan Orientation film was one of the most original and creative things the show put forth. Some fans think the DHARMA Initiative was a mistake, that it took away from the mystery of the Island and distracted the characters (especially Locke) from the Island's true purpose. But DHARMA was really as much a part of the history of the Island as anything else, Jacob or otherwise, and this was the moment when we were properly introduced to it. And, oh, what a moment it was.

I don't know what most people expected to find in the Hatch. I was kinda hoping it was originally Smokey's prison cell and that we'd find clues inside as to what it was and how it could be recaptured. When we found Desmond and the computer and the button, it really blew my mind because it was simply so different than anything I expected. The film was like the icing on the cake here - it was enigmatic enough to keep us guessing and informative enough to give us an idea about this whole DHARMA thing. Plus, the fact the Swan was labeled as "3 of 6" immediately got everyone wondering where the other stations were and what were they used for.

Finally, the Swan Orientation film is about as iconic as Lost gets. Every morning I get up and pour myself a cup of coffee in a Swan Station mug. Seriously. The Swan logo is probably one of the most recognizable images from Lost, largely because of this amazing 70's style film that introduced it to a legion of fans.

11) Jacob and Smokey chat on the beach

Episode: 5.16 -The Incident
Synopsis: Smokey tells Jacob he wants to kill him
Why it’s great: The true villain of the series is revealed

This scene could have been #1 had it actually lived up to its potential. It was an incredible start to an incredible finale. We finally meet the true villain of the series, The Man in Black. We finally meet Jacob face-to-face for the first time. We finally see the front of the statue. We see the Black Rock arriving on the Island. We learn Jacob brought the Black Rock here. We learn the philosophy behind the conflict between Jacob and the Man in Black. All of this in a succinct, well-directed, well-acted, perfectly casted scene.

I really wish I could have put this in the Top 10, but everything that came after simply diluted the power of this scene. It had so much potential, especially since MiB was set up to be a perfectly evil counterpart to a perfectly good Island god. Instead, they had to go and blur the lines between the two of them with "Across the Sea." Sometimes lines are drawn perfectly and for a reason - they certainly were here.

Regardless of how the series ended, this scene will always remain one of my very favorites. It's a big scene, in a big episode of one of the biggest shows and it knocks it out of the park here.

Top Ten Challenge!

OK. So we are down to the last ten. How about a guessing game? I figure by process of elimination most of you can guess at least half the moments in the Top Ten, if not all of them. Post what you think my Top 10 moments are in the comments and see how they compare to the real thing when I post my own. No prizes for this, just smug satisfaction. :)

Hint: The opening of the Pilot is NOT in there as I posted in the comments a week or two, but the Pilot is represented there nonetheless. :)

Moment Tally (updated through #11):

I'll be keeping a running tally of the number of times main or recurring (not minor) characters appear in these moments, along with which seasons they came from. I might even do a Power List later on - giving each points based on where they are in the list (1 point for #108, 108 points for #1) and so on. Depends on how ambitious I am. :)

Seasons 2 and 3 were the big winners this week with four moments each, but Season 5 still clings to it's very narrow lead. But every season but Season 4 is in striking distance of the top (though Season 6 won't be taking the crown). Locke is also probably the only one who can catch Ben at this point. Only 10 more to go! :)

Main/Recurring Characters:

Ben - 24
Locke - 20
Jack - 17
Sawyer - 13
Smokey - 12
Desmond - 10
Hurley - 7
Sayid - 7
Jin - 6
Eko - 5
Jacob - 5
Juliet - 5
Michael - 5
Charles Widmore - 4
Charlie - 4
Daniel - 4
Danielle - 4
Kate - 4
Richard - 4
Tom Friendly - 4
Claire - 3
Pierre Chang - 3
Bernard and Rose - 2
Eloise - 2
Frank - 2
Keamy - 2
Miles - 2
Penny - 2
Vincent - 2
Walt - 2
Aaron - 1
Alex - 1
Ana-Lucia - 1
Arzt - 1
Boone - 1
Charlotte - 1
Ilana - 1
Libby - 1
Mikhail - 1
Nikki and Paulo - 1
Roger Linus - 1
Shannon - 1
Sun - 1

Seasons:

Season Five - 21
Season Three - 20
Season Two - 19
Season One - 15
Season Six - 14
Season Four - 9

Next installment: #10-1! Finally, the Top 10 moments in LOST. Don't forget to post your guesses! :)

Top 108 Moments: #30-21

2010-09-22T00:19:00.001-04:00

"You would remember! You would remember how deep! You would remember every shovelful, every moment! You would remember what it felt like to place her body inside. You would remember if you buried the woman you loved! You would remember -- if it were true!"

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the ninth part of the Top 108 Moments in Lost!

Previous installments:

Honorable Mentions are here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made and was excluded from the list.

Moments #108-101
Moments #100-91
Moments #90-81
Moments #80-71
Moments #70-61
Moments #60-51
Moments #50-41
Moments #40-31

Today we have Moments #30-21. It's the beginning of the end! Namaste.

30) Sayid tortures "Henry" while the Countdown Timer hits zero

Episode: 2.14 - One of Them
Synopsis: Sayid tortures Henry Gale while the Timer runs out
Why it’s great: Two great tastes of Lost in one great scene

When I was making up my list I originally had these two as separate moments, forgetting they were actually the same (long) scene. I toyed with keeping them separate, but you can't really discuss one without the other, so this is an "extended" moment, if you will. Putting them together makes it the Reece's Peanut Butter Cup of Lost - you get a character moment and a mythology moment all in one. Two great Lost tastes that taste great together!

On the character side, you have Sayid interrogating Henry. Sayid, still reeling over Shannon's death, is convinced Henry is lying because he doesn't seem as distraught as he should be over the death of his supposed wife. While I never really liked the Shannon-Sayid pairing much (and not because of Shannon - they just really didn't have much chemistry on screen), I did think that Sayid's grief in the above quote was genuine and used very, very effectively. It's also what drove Sayid to later dig up Henry Gale's grave to see if "Henry" was telling the truth.

But while all this was going on inside the armory, outside the Countdown Timer was ticking down. Jack, who didn't approve of Sayid torturing the new guy, told Locke to let him in or else he wouldn't let him push the button. Locke relented at the last minute and raced to the computer, but he wasn't quite quick enough - the timer hit zero... and up popped a bunch of hieroglyphics? Season 2 was arguably one of the most mythology heavy seasons of the show, which is why it didn't sit well with some fans, but the mythology was what kept me hooked on the show.

I still remember scouring the net for translations of the likely sequence that popped up and later discovering it translated to "Underworld" - that's just creepy brilliant. This scene was perfect, classic Lost and had something for everyone to enjoy.

29) Ben purges his father

Episode: 3.20 - The Man Behind The Curtain
Synopsis: Ben kills his father on his birthday while the rest of DHARMA gets purged
Why it’s great: We finally see the purge... and learn Roger's true identity

"Tricia Tanaka is Dead" was a very good episode that came at a very bad time, largely because it had the misfortune of following arguably the worst episode of the entire show in "Stranger in a Strange Land." At the time, it seemed like yet another filler episode - Hurley finds a DHARMA van, Sawyer has some entertaining scenes with Jin and Hurley and Charlie get the van working and go on a joy ride to shake off the blues.

But that episode set things up for two very important scenes later in the season: Hurley coming to rescue in the DHARMA van (which wouldn't have been plausible had we not seen him get it working) and Ben gassing his dad in the very same van. The fact we discover here Roger "Work Man" was in reality Roger Linus, Father of Ben, makes Tricia Tanaka a much, much better episode in retrospect, given what an important part of the Island's history that van (and that body) represents.

But I haven't even spoken about the actual scene yet. This is where Ben became the man we came to know and love throughout the series. It's a horrible act of patricide, yet we can't help but feel a bit sorry for Ben as well. After all, it's his birthday and he's a janitor on an Island drinking cheap DHARMA beer with his alcoholic father, who doesn't really love him and blames him for the death of his wife. His father kinda deserves it here, but all of DHARMA? That's what really later takes away any compassion we had for Ben. This is one of the very best scenes of Season 3 and one of the most important in terms of the Island's history.

28) Sawyer is LaFleur

Episode: 5.08 - LaFleur
Synopsis: Sawyer is revealed as the head of DHARMA security... in 1977?
Why it’s great: One of the best openings of any episode

There's really only two episode openings I like better than this one (one which we'll come to very soon), but not by much. It's one of the best plot twists the show ever gave us and really began one of my overall favorite storylines of the show: The DHARMA origins. Two episodes earlier, Ajira Flight 316 crash landed on the Island and Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid had disappeared from it. The first three were found by Jin wearing a DHARMA jumpsuit. Now we knew Jin had been time traveling along with the others, but we didn't know where they ended up after Locke turned the Donkey Wheel again.

This episode opens with all the time travelers standing around the area where the Donkey Wheel well once stood. Locke is gone, the well is gone, but the rope remains. Locke turns the wheel underground and the flashes stop - everyone's headaches and nosebleeds are gone. Saywer says now they just have to wait "however long it takes" for their friends to return.

Cut to three years later. Two DHARMA guys, Phil and Jerry, are goofing off on duty. One remarks that they better not let LaFleur catch them of it'll be their heads. Suddenly a situation pops up, Horace is outside drunk with dynamite. They go to wake up LaFleur at 3am and meekly knock on the door. A shadowed figure gruffly asks "What?" They explain the situation and the response? A very familiar "son of a bitch" - it's Sawyer, who grabs his DHARMA jumpsuit and heads out with them.

It's an amazing scene from start to finish, but the shot of Sawyer's jumpsuit with "Head of Security" written on it is just brilliant, and a moment that makes you go "Awesome!" This scene told us everything we needed to know in perfect style and kicked off a rollicking action-adventure that was the second half of Season 5.

27) Jeremy Bentham is Locke

Episode: 4.13 - There's No Place Like Home
Synopsis: We finally find out who's in that darn coffin!
Why it’s great: We all saw it coming, but it still shocks nonetheless

The great coffin debate that went on through Season 4 was one of the most tantalizing mysteries of the show. Everyone pretty much figured it was someone we knew and that Jeremy Bentham was simply an alias, but who it was was certainly up for debate. Locke was one of the leading candidates, but Walt's name was also thrown around a lot, as was Desmond's. And, in fact, three separate endings were filmed showing Locke, Desmond and Sawyer in the coffin.

But despite being the most predicted choice, the scene lost none of its potency. First of all, it meant that at some point in the future (or past, I suppose), John Locke was going to die. Everyone figured the writers would figure out a way to keep him on the show, but certainly not in the manner it was done (which was excellent). Secondly, Ben's assertion that everyone was going to have to go back together, including John Locke, set up a fun storyline whereby everyone had to get on Flight 316 together. It was really never explained why they all had to be on the plane together, but the "getting the band back together" storyline was a nice start to Season 5.

Lastly, Locke's image in the coffin is probably one of the most iconic images of the show - just look at how easy it is to find a screencap.

26) Sayid shoots young Ben in 1977

Episode: 5.10 - He's Our You
Synopsis: Sayid shoots young Ben in the chest
Why it’s great: Sayid opens up a whole new bag of time travel worms... and theories

I almost made this moment the one when young Ben meets Sayid for the first time. That moment was great, largely because you could see Sayid thoughts as he introduced himself to Benjamin: "I am going to kill you, child. And I am going to enjoy doing it." That was great, but clearly this is the better moment of the two and one of the best cliffhangers of Season 5.

The metaphysical can of worms Sayid's act opened was simply delicious (and you know I love to eat my worms). At the time, we had no idea whether Ben was actually going to survive because we had no idea whether the Losties could change history or not, so that whole idea was debated. But then, if he survived, the question became why he wouldn't remember being shot by an Iraqi named Sayid later in life, especially after said Sayid tortured him.

Both of these debates were answered (they did not change history and Ben's mind was wiped, deus ex machina style, in the Temple), but the ultimate answer then presented an even more interesting and delicious observation: Sayid, by shooting him, made Ben an Other and set him on the path to becoming a murderous, power-hungry man. Then Ben, in turn, used Sayid and turned him into his personal assassin. Thus we have an infinite time loop of abuse between two people.

I think that's the worst thing I've ever heard. How marvelous.

25) Jack meets Desmond in the stadium

Episode: 2.01 - Man of Science, Man of Faith
Synopsis: Jack meets Desmond in the stadium after operating on Sarah
Why it’s great: Because it made Desmond seem almost mystical

And so begins the Top 25!

To kick it off we have one of my personal favorite scenes from one of my personal favorite episodes. When I saw this scene for the first time, I guessed Desmond might be the person in the Hatch, especially after he said his famous parting line to Jack. And this scene, more than just about anything else, shifted the coincidence vs. fate argument needle firmly into the fate range because it just seemed like too great of a coincidence that this random person that Jack met years ago would be the same person inside the Hatch on this weird Island.

But the whole scene was just written so well. I don't think there's been another conversation on the show that's been parsed to the degree this one had been after the episode aired. Every line was analyzed for an underlying meaning. And it had a trippy, ethereal quality to it - was Desmond some sort of mystical person, hinting to Jack of his fate to come? Take a look at the dialogue here:

[Flashback - Jack running the steps at a stadium. Another person comes into view running faster than Jack. Jack tries to keep pace but hurts his ankle.]
JACK: Ow, damn it.
DESMOND: You alright, brother?
JACK: I'm fine. I'm fine.
DESMOND: Take it easy. Keep the weight off. Here, let me have a look. Does this hurt? [Jack shakes his head.] You haven't sprained it then. I don't fancy your chances of catching up with me tonight, though.
JACK: I wasn't trying to catch up.
DESMOND: Aye, of course you weren't.
JACK: What do you know about sprains, anyway?
DESMOND: I was almost a doctor once.
JACK: Small world.
DESMOND: You a doctor then? [Jack nods. Desmond offers Jack his water bottle.] So what's your excuse?
JACK: Excuse?
DESMOND: For running like the devil's chasing you. My excuse - I'm training.
JACK: Training for what?
DESMOND: For a race around the world. Impressive, I know. So your excuse better be good, brother.
JACK: Just trying to work a few things out.
DESMOND: Ah, a girl, right?
JACK: A patient.
DESMOND: Ah, but a girl patient. What's her name?
JACK: Her name's Sarah.
DESMOND: What'd you do to her then?
JACK: Do to her?
DESMOND: You must have done something worthy of this self-flagellation.
JACK: I told her -- I made a promise I couldn't keep -- I told her I'd fix her and I couldn't. I failed.
DESMOND: Well, right. Just one thing -- what if you did fix her?
JACK: I didn't.
DESMOND: But what if you did?
JACK: You don't know what you're talking about, man.
DESMOND: I don't? Why not?
JACK: Because with her situation that would be a miracle, brother.
DESMOND: Oh, and you don't believe in miracles? [Jack chuckles and shakes his head.] Right. Well then, I'm going to give you some advice anyway. You have to lift it up.
JACK: Lift it up?
DESMOND: Your ankle. You've got to keep it elevated. It's been nice chatting.
JACK: Jack.
DESMOND: Jack, I'm Desmond. Good luck, brother. See you in another life, yeah?

The bolded lines were the most debated ones. It's in actuality a perfectly normal conversation, but doesn't it sound like Desmond is some sort of guardian angel or something and that he knows exactly what's in store for Jack? This is one of my favorite scenes of the entire show. I love how it's filmed, I love how it's shot and I love the overall atmosphere of the scene.

You have to lift it up. The writers certainly did here.

24) The Raft Launch

Episode: 1.23 - Exodus
Synopsis: The raft finally sets sail
Why it’s great: An amazing scene for a scripted show

When the whole raft storyline began, I thought "no way is this going to work." Meaning there's no way the writers are going to break up the cast and have four principal members out at sea for however long they're out there. In addition, I couldn't imagine having to film raft scenes for an extended period of time. So when the raft actually launched, I was amazed they were going to go through with it. Of course, the trip didn't even last the rest of the episode, but it still gave us an hour or so of hope.

But the whole scene itself was amazing. The cinematography was incredible for TV, even given the gorgeous Hawaiian coastline where it was filmed. And really, this scene could fall under the category of reunion scenes because, even though it was a parting of ways for some of these characters, it was also a scene of hope. The four sailors were going to find help and salvation for the survivors. It was a moment of joy, even though it was tinged with sadness for some (especially when Vincent ran into the water). Possibly the most uplifting scene in the series save one, which we'll address a bit later on.

23) Flight 815 breaks up over the Barracks

Episode: 3.01 - A Tale of Two Cities
Synopsis: We see Flight 815 break up... from a slightly different perspective
Why it’s great: Meet the Others

Ah, the second best opening scene of the show. This one, I believe, was actually directed by JJ Abrams himself... and it shows. First we meet Juliet, a lovely lass, burning her muffins. She has a book club and her very favorite book is "Carrie." She has excellent taste, I like her already. And then she steps out of her charming house to speak to her handyman who happens to be... Ethan? And then all **** breaks loose as Flight 815 flies overhead and starts to break apart before their very eyes. And who should immediately break into action and start giving directions, none other than Henry Gale, who then turns to Juliet to say:

"Guess I'm out of the book club."

And then we see there's a small town in the center of the Island. Commercial.

*jaw drops to the floor*

I stood and applauded after this opening. It was classic Lost, filmed to perfection and turned everything we knew about the Others to that point on its head. Bravo.

22) Sawyer tells Jack he met Christian in Sydney

Episode: 1.23 - Exodus
Synopsis: Sawyer eases Jack's pain
Why it’s great: One of the best character moments of the show

This is a scene that doesn't need much explanation. It's one of the best character moments of the show and one of the best payoffs as well. We knew for quite a while that Sawyer had run into Christian in Sydney, but we did kinda wonder whether it would get mentioned. Well, it did... and it was spectacular. In Sawyer's own words:

Jack. -- About a week before we all got on the plane, I got to talking to this man in a bar in Sydney. He was American, too. A doctor. I've been on some benders in my time, but this guy -- he was going for an all time record. So, it turns out this guy has a son. His son's a doctor, too. They had some kind of big time falling out. The guy knew it was his fault, even though his son was back in the States thinking the same damn thing. See, kids are like dogs, you knock them around enough they'll think they did something to deserve it. Anyway, there's a pay phone in this bar. And this guy, Christian, tells me he wishes he had the stones to pick up the phone, call his kid, tell him he's sorry, that he's a better doctor than he'll ever be -- he's proud, and he loves him. I had to take off, but -- something tells me he never got around to making that call. Small world, huh?

Jack's reaction had some serious Party-of-Five- quality Jackface to it as well. Just a great moment and both Matthew Fox and Josh Holloway were simply terrific here. It also sets up another classic Red Sox moment a bit later in the series.

21) Zombie Locke reveals Locke's final thoughts to Ben

Episode: 6.01 - L.A. X
Synopsis: Smokey reveals his true nature to Ben
Why it’s great: "I don't understand!"

I believe this is the final Season 6 moment on the list, and it's definitely my favorite of them all. Back in Season 2, a lot of people were complaining about how John Locke had changed, how pushing the button had robbed Locke of all his gung-ho, Shaman/Warrior qualities. But I argued at the time that really the pathetic button pusher in the Hatch was who John Locke really was. He made himself into something different on the Island when it gave him back the ability to walk. He always had a high opinion of himself and he was an idealistic dreamer; he really thought he was put on the Island for a reason and was there to be great leader and to save them all.

All that is what makes this speech from Smokey all the more heartbreaking:

"I'm not talking about Jacob. I'm talking about John Locke. Do you wanna know what he was thinking while you, choked the life outta him Benjamin? What the last thought that ran through his head was? "I don't understand". Isn't that just the saddest thing you ever heard? But it's fitting in a way, because when John first came to the island, he was a very sad man. A victim, shouting at the world for being told what he couldn't do, even though they were right. He was weak, and pathetic, and irreparably broken. But, despite all that, there was something admirable about him. He was the only one of them that didn't wanna leave. The only one, who realized how pitiful the life he'd left behind actually was."

And Smokey's right, there was something admirable about John. he represented the dreamer in all of us. The young adventurous boy who wanted to go off and do great things, everyone who's every read an adventure novel and longed to have one of their own. Instead he met his death at the hands of his most hated rival in a beaten down hotel, completely bewildered as to how this - this - could have been his ultimate destiny. It's totally heartbreaking to think about and even worse as Smokey relays this to Ben using John Locke's body.

Best scene of Season 6 for me, hands down.

Moment Tally (updated through #21):

I'll be keeping a running tally of the number of times main or recurring (not minor) characters appear in these moments, along with which seasons they came from. I might even do a Power List later on - giving each points based on where they are in the list (1 point for #108, 108 points for #1) and so on. Depends on how ambitious I am. :)

I was surprised a bit this week as the tops of both lists were reinforced a bit; both Ben and Season 5 strengthened their grip on their respective tallies. The number of Season 5 moments on my list is especially surprising to me, though in retrospect the time travel storyline did have a tremendous number of awesome moments. But every season but Season 4 is in striking distance of the lead (though Season 6 won't be taking the crown). Locke is also probably the only one who can catch Ben at this point. Only 20 more to go! :)

Main/Recurring Characters:

Ben - 23
Locke - 16
Jack - 15
Sawyer - 13
Smokey - 10
Desmond - 7
Hurley - 7
Sayid - 7
Jin - 6
Juliet - 5
Michael - 5
Charles Widmore - 4
Daniel - 4
Danielle - 4
Eko - 4
Jacob - 4
Kate - 4
Richard - 4
Tom Friendly - 4
Charlie - 3
Claire - 3
Bernard and Rose - 2
Frank - 2
Keamy - 2
Miles - 2
Penny - 2
Pierre Chang - 2
Vincent - 2
Walt - 2
Aaron - 1
Alex - 1
Ana-Lucia - 1
Arzt - 1
Boone - 1
Charlotte - 1
Eloise - 1
Ilana - 1
Libby - 1
Mikhail - 1
Nikki and Paulo - 1
Roger Linus - 1
Shannon - 1
Sun - 1

Seasons:

Season Five - 20
Season Three - 16
Season Two - 15
Season One - 14
Season Six - 14
Season Four - 9

Next installment: #20-11! Almost there...

Top 108 Moments: #40-31

2010-09-13T09:15:00.004-04:00

"I think I crashed your plane..."

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the eighth part of the Top 108 Moments in Lost!

Previous installments:

Honorable Mentions are here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made and was excluded from the list.

Moments #108-101
Moments #100-91
Moments #90-81
Moments #80-71
Moments #70-61
Moments #60-51
Moments #50-41

Today we have Moments #40-31. The Top 50 Moments in Lost continues here! Namaste.

40) Desmond reveals he may have crashed the plane

Episode: 2.23 - Live Together, Die Alone
Synopsis: Desmond discovers he may have made a big "Oops"
Why it’s great: The Flashback that launched a thousand theories

This is probably the moment from the show that most made me a Lost theorist. In a terrific reveal following a terrific flashback, Desmond explains to Locke that he may have been responsible for causing Flight 815 to crash. It was an accident, pure and simple - Flight 815 just happened to be overhead at the exact moment Desmond wasn't there to push the button. Nice, neat, tidy and some great storytelling. The problem with the reveal, however, was that if Flight 815 crashing was an accident, it basically meant that everyone wasn't on the plane for a specific reason, which seemed kinda counter intuitive to what the show had given us to that point. And trying to reconcile those two things is what drove me to write about the show.

Honestly if the true answer was a bit neater and tidier I'd probably have this moment in the Top 10. But the way this all hashes out is that Jacob ex machina orchestrated the whole accident so his plane full of candidates would be conveniently deposited on his Island. Desmond's accident wasn't really an accident since the Island God was behind the scenes pulling the strings. But regardless of how it all played out, it was a terrific moment of Lost mythology.

39) Ben turns the Donkey Wheel

Episode: 4.13 - There's No Place Like Home
Synopsis: Ben moves the Island
Why it’s great: Amazing, imaginative scene

This really was one of the coolest (pun intended) spectacles the show put forth. So there was a donkey wheel embedded into the rock in a frozen chamber underneath a DHARMA station? And turning said wheel led to the Island moving through space and time? There aren't many shows that could pull a scene like this off and make it look cool rather than dumb, but Lost did it with style.

In addition, because we had already seen Ben appear in Tunisia in his parka with his injured arm, we already knew what happened to him afterwards. That made the scene even more goosebump-inducing than it already was. This is also was one of my favorite screencaps of the entire show. If I didn't have a cute daughter, it would likely be my computer wallpaper. :)

38) Rose, Bernard and Vincent are at peace

Episode: 5.16 - The Incident
Synopsis: Rose, Bernard and Vincent have made a new life for themselves
Why it’s great: Because they're awesome

I loved "The Incident" - loved it from start to finish. It's chock full of good scenes, including two in this segment of my list alone. And while this isn't the best scene from the episode, it's probably the most heartwarming (and the most anticipated). Everyone fully expected to see Bernard and Rose again, but to see them living happily and at peace on the Island (with Vincent nonetheless) was simply a joy.

And Bernard and Rose's story hit all the right notes of Lost's major themes. If you're talking about characters being able to leave their life behind and start over, coming to terms with who they are, being comfortable in their own skin and, most importantly, leaving all the trappings of life behind and living a simple life of peace, Bernard and Rose followed a perfect path. They're truly the only ones who fully embraced what the Island had to offer and were rewarded with a (supposedly) long and happy life together. I would have loved to see Hurley and Ben visiting them later on - maybe having tea and forming a bridge club or something. :)

37) Sayid confronts "Henry"

Episode: 2.17 - Lockdown
Synopsis: Sayid knows Henry's a fake
Why it’s great: One of the best trombone endings of the show. Plus: Awesome monologue

This is my personal high point of the whole "Henry Gale" story arc. Every time I see this scene I get a shiver of excitement. It's something about Naveen Andrews' delivery here that does it. Here's his short monologue:

We did find your balloon, Henry Gale, exactly how you described it. We also found the grave you described -- your wife's grave. The grave you said you dug with your own bare hands. It was all there. Your whole story -- your alibi -- it was true. But still I did not believe it to be true. So I dug up that grave and found that there was not a woman inside. There was a man. [Sayid shows him a driver's license] A man named Henry Gale.

The payoff is great. Ben didn't expect anyone to dig up the grave - he figured the balloon and the grave marker would be enough. But digging up graves just to prove someone wrong is just so Sayid. And I love, love, love the way Sayid is so cool, calm and collected here - he's got Ben nailed to the wall, but he takes his own sweet time in doing it, especially when he says the highlighted line above. Ben almost thinks he's off the hook, then blammo. It's a terrific ending to one of my favorite episodes of the show.

36) Charles offers Desmond a nice glass of scotch... Not!

Episode: 3.08 - Flashes Before Your Eyes
Synopsis: Charles tells Desmond he's not worthy to drink his scotch, let alone marry Penny.
Why it’s great: Soul crushing scene for Desmond... and us as well

"Flashes" was my very favorite episode from the first three seasons of the show. This is the first of three moments from that episode, though it could have easily been the last. Desmond comes crawling to Charles, who thinks he's there to merely ask for a job. But Desmond has other ideas - he wants to ask him for Penny's hand in marriage. And not only does Charles refuse to give his blessing, he (figuratively) slugs Desmond in the face with a really, really expensive bottle of Scotch.

I think this scene makes my hair stand on end so much because we all can relate to moments like this. Not necessarily Desmond's exact same situation, mind you, but being put in a position where you desperately want (or need) something. You probably go through all the possibilities before you attempt to obtain it, bracing for the worst, hoping for the best. But I imagine nothing Desmond imagined came close to what Charles said to him in that office. My heart sunk to my Scotch-free stomach in that scene, right along with Desmond.

35) Smokey shows Sawyer the names in the cave

Episode: 6.04 - The Substitute
Synopsis: Smokey shows Sawyer Jacob's cave
Why it’s great: Goosebump inducing scene in which the candidates are revealed

This is another scene that could have been a bit higher on the list, perhaps, but just felt right here. Smokey revealing the six candidates to Sawyer told us a lot about the endgame of the show and, for once, the writers were actually speaking plain to us. Granted, many people, myself included, thought there might have been more to it at the time, i.e. this wasn't Jacob's cave, it was Smokey's instead, Smokey was lying to Sawyer or didn't really know who the true candidates were, etc. But here it was - answers plain and simple. This is why they were all here. This was their purpose. These are the people Smokey had to get rid of.

It also was a nice way for the writers to give another explanation for the meaning behind the Numbers without having to go into the Valenzetti Equation and such on screen and I have to say, I really liked the way they tied them to the candidates instead. Two meanings, neither of which excludes the other. It was very well done and filled with Easter Eggs for people who looked closely - aside from the Blast Door Map, I don't think there was anything else on the show I scrutinized to the degree I scrutinized the cave wall. :)

34) Michael shoots Ana-Lucia and Libby

Episode: 2.20 - Two for the Road
Synopsis: Michael murders Ana-Lucia and Libby to free Ben
Why it’s great: Even if it was contrived, it's still shocking

During Season 2, Michele Rodriguez became a lightning rod both on and off the screen. Rumors were swirling she was going to be written out of the show due to both fan hatred and her drunk driving arrests, so you could kind of see it coming. Cynthia Watros also had a drunk driving arrest, but her character didn't invite the kind of criticism Ana-Lucia did. On the contrary, most fans were genuinely curious about her character after it was revealed she was in the same insane asylum as Hurley, and most fans (myself included) really wanted a Libby flashback episode. That, I think, is what makes this scene so utterly shocking. Pretty much everyone expected Ana-Lucia to die, but Libby's death came out of nowhere and turned a scene that, had it been just Ana-Lucia, some might have applauded and turned into something truly horrifying instead.

There's also Michael's motivation to talk about here. At the time, I thought there was no way Michael would commit murder in order to save Walt, but the scene sits a bit better with me now in that regard. Would I do the same thing were I in Michael's shoes? Probably not. I imagine I would have tried to work out a plan with, say, the former torturer for the Iraqi Republican Guard. But I can also now sympathize with how a parent would do anything to save their child. The scene is somewhat compromised by the writers desire to rid themselves of one, if not both, of the actresses, but it's a great scene nonetheless and a genuine shock when you see it for the first time.

33) Danielle rescues Jin in 1988

Episode: 5.04 - The Little Prince
Synopsis: Jin is saved by a young Danielle Rousseau
Why it’s great: Looks like we're getting Danielle's story after all!

Since she was introduced in the first season, I waited and waited and waited for a Danielle flashback. I loved her character and so wanted to see her story, through her eyes. But the time travel storyline presented a new opportunity - instead of flashbacks, what if we saw all these great events that were alluded to first hand, through the eyes of the time travelers. As a result we got to see some of the origins of DHARMA, we got to see Charles and Eloise in their youth and we got to see the Incident. But none of these trumps my excitement of seeing Danielle and her crew land on the Island. As soon as I heard all these characters speaking French, I realized who they were and jumped off the couch and clapped.

But this scene is also great for another reason: It was the first time we were shown that Jin survived the ship explosion. I had guessed that he did and was thrown into the time travel radius surrounding the Island, but until now that hadn't been confirmed. And to have him rescued by Danielle was just the icing on the cake. Jin's short adventure with Danielle was terrific and this moment was one I had waited for since Season One.

32) Desmond turns the failsafe key

Episode: 2.23 - Live Together, Die Alone
Synopsis: Desmond seemingly sacrifices himself by releasing the Discharge
Why it’s great: "See you in another life, brotha."

This was really the climactic moment of the Season 2 finale. And it really looked like Desmond sacrificed himself at the time. Of course, since he became a full cast member Season 3, we knew before the season started he had survived, but it was a brave and noble thing he did in the moment and the scene was perfectly executed too.

First off, if "See you in another life, brotha." hadn't become etched into the Lost annals of great lines yet, it certainly was after this episode. Secondly, interspersing of images of Penny as Desmond contemplated turning the key was both terrific and foreshadowing. Here, his life and the most important thing in it literally flashed before his eyes as he turned the key, which is probably a large part why the Discharge sent his consciousness back to that moment in time. This moment also set up Desmond and Penny has having the best relationship on the show. It made "Flashes Before Your Eyes" all that more poignant and allowed "The Constant" to become the best episode of the series. Had I money to burn in the Lost Auction, the Failsafe Key would have been very high on my list of memorabilia to own.

31) Juliet detonates the bomb

Episode: 5.16 -The Incident
Synopsis: Juliet ends it all with a bang
Why it’s great: Heartbreak. Pure heartbreak.

One of the greatest travesties of Lost's run was that Elizabeth Mitchell didn't win an Emmy for her work on the show. Heck, she wasn't even nominated once for a Supporting Actress Emmy and it wasn't until the last season that she even got a Guest Actress nomination (she lost to Ann-Margret who did a guest turn on Law and Order: SVU). But she was the heart and soul of Lost in Season 5 with her love of Sawyer, giving us new and improved reasons to hate Kate all over again. Now to be fair, I did think Evangeline did well on her side of the stage - it's just that the writers totally made Kate the villain in this love triangle. Juliet, despite her introduction as the tough new Other in Season 3, turned out to be one of the sweetest, most vunerable characters on the show and just when she thinks she's got Sawyer safe and all to herself in 1977 - *BAM* - in comes Kate again to wreck a beautiful relationship.

Juliet detonated the bomb out of heartbreak for Sawyer. She thought that as long as Kate was around she would always be #2 in his heart, so she decided to end it all and give him what she thought he wanted. I always hated the Kate-Jack-Sawyer love triangle. Not only was it annoying, I honestly didn't care who won. Juliet-Kate-Sawyer not only made me care, it actually made me root for Juliet and feel awful - totally awful - after this heartbreaking scene. Kudos to Elizabeth Mitchell who was totally robbed.

Moment Tally (updated through #31):

I'll be keeping a running tally of the number of times main or recurring (not minor) characters appear in these moments, along with which seasons they came from. I might even do a Power List later on - giving each points based on where they are in the list (1 point for #108, 108 points for #1) and so on. Depends on how ambitious I am. :)

This week both Ben and Season 5 maintain their respective leads, but take notice that Desmond and Season 2 leaped up quite a bit this week - I imagine by the time the list is complete, both are going to be considerably higher than they are right now. I'm expecting a great deal of shuffling in both lists in the weeks to come; the top of the list is quite different character and episode-wise from the bottom. Well, except for Ben - Ben's just all over the list. :)

Main/Recurring Characters:

Ben - 17
Locke - 14
Jack - 11
Sawyer - 10
Smokey - 9
Hurley - 7
Desmond - 6
Jin - 5
Sayid - 5
Charles Widmore - 4
Daniel - 4
Danielle - 4
Eko - 4
Jacob - 4
Juliet - 4
Kate - 4
Michael - 4
Richard - 4
Tom Friendly - 4
Charlie - 3
Claire - 3
Bernard and Rose - 2
Frank - 2
Keamy - 2
Miles - 2
Penny - 2
Pierre Chang - 2
Aaron - 1
Alex - 1
Ana-Lucia - 1
Arzt - 1
Boone - 1
Charlotte - 1
Eloise - 1
Ilana - 1
Libby - 1
Mikhail - 1
Nikki and Paulo - 1
Sun - 1
Vincent - 1
Walt - 1

Seasons:

Season Five - 18
Season Three - 14
Season Two - 13
Season Six - 13
Season One - 12
Season Four - 8

Next installment: #30-21

Top 108 Moments: #50-41

2010-08-31T20:10:00.006-04:00

"Widmore? Charles Widmore?"

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the seventh part of the Top 108 Moments in Lost!

Previous installments:

Honorable Mentions are here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made and was excluded from the list.

Moments #108-101
Moments #100-91
Moments #90-81
Moments #80-71
Moments #70-61
Moments #60-51

Today we have Moments #50-41. The Top 50 Moments in Lost begins here! Namaste.

50) Locke meets a young Charles Widmore in 1954

Episode: 5.03 - Jughead
Synopsis: Seems there were some familiar faces on the Island way back when
Why it’s great: Terrific surprise, but it also sheds light on why Charles wanted the Island

Pretty much all the Desmond-centric episodes are classics and Jughead is no exception. Season 5 began with a whole slew of revelations as the time travel storyline began and quite possibly the biggest revelation of all was Locke discovering that the hot-headed young Other they encountered was none "other" than Charles Widmore himself! This revelation led to the further (correct) speculation that the curly, blonde gun-toting Other, "Ellie," was another familiar face - Eloise Hawking.

These revelations completely changed all speculation surrounding Charles. Up until that point, Charles Widmore seemed simply like a wealthy industrialist who wanted nothing more than to exploit the Island for personal gain. The fact he was an Other caused us to immediately question why he was no longer an Other and made us wonder just how deep his conflict with Ben went. It was a great plot twist and Locke's surprise on screen mirrored our own.

49) The Black Rock is a pirate ship?

Episode: 1.23 - Exodus
Synopsis: The Losties see the Black Rock for the first time
Why it’s great: One of the classic, all-time images from the show

The first time we heard the words "Black Rock," most people thought Danielle was simply describing an ominous Island structure. And when she volunteered to lead a group deep to the Black Rock deep into the "Dark Territory" in Exodus, I think pretty much everyone was expecting something along the lines of a lava field. So when the camera panned up onto the majestic, land-locked pirate ship in the middle of the Island, my mind was completely blown.

Not only was the shot gorgeously filmed, it remains to this day one of the neatest things I've ever seen on the small screen. Wonderfully imaginative, beautifully filmed, perfect in its execution.

48) Sawyer shoots a polar bear
Episode: 1.01 - The Pilot
Synopsis: The Island has an indigenous population of polar bears?
Why it’s great: Introduces one of the strangest mysteries of the show

Falling into the same "wonderfully imaginative" category is the introduction of the Island's indigenous population of polar bears. We already knew the Island had some sort of Monster at this point, but Monster Islands fall squarely into the category of fantasy. A tropical Island with polar bears, however, suggests there's also a more mundane mystery happening. Again, it's a brilliantly imaginative scene and also probably the best explained Island mystery of the entire show.

It's also worth mentioning that this scene sets up so much in terms of the characters. We learn Sawyer has a gun and handcuffs he got from a Marshall who was on the plane. We discover Sayid has some sort of military training since he knows how to disassemble a gun. And all this leads to a great Kate flashback where we discover not only that she's the fugitive, but that she's also a terrific liar (since she lied about not knowing how to handle a gun). As an added bonus, I also love Sawyer's t-shirt from the Pilot - one of the few pieces of Lost apparel I'd like to own (along with Miles' shark-bear t-shirt).

47) Locke forgives Ben
Episode: 6.17 - The End
Synopsis: Locke forgives Ben for killing him
Why it’s great: Ben gets a bit of redemption. Plus: We find out he's a great #2

This is my very favorite scene from "The End." Locke and Ben are simply terrific here, pure and simple. Ben's humility and sorrow are in such stark contrast to Locke's happiness. It's worth noting that probably for the first time, Locke is about to join a group of people he can truly call his friends. He was always very alone on the show, always thinking of himself as a leader. The only person he really bonded with was Walt, and that was more like a father-son relationship (or master-student, perhaps) than a true friendship, but now they're all inside waiting for him to rejoin them.

Ben, on the other hand, still isn't comfortable with the group, despite the fact they would probably accept him (Hurley definitely would). And while he does get a modicum of redemption here, simply apologizing to Locke isn't going to make up for all the things he did to that group of people in the church. The difference here is that he realizes this now, thus his hesitance to go in. Ben, like Locke, was also alone for much of his life, so he decides to stay with his Purgatory family - Danielle, Alex and his dad - instead. Both Terry and Michael deserved an Emmy for this scene alone.

46) Ben shoots Desmond in the carton, gets pummeled

Episode: 5.12 - Dead is Dead
Synopsis: Ben tries to murder Desmond and Penny, but gets pummeled instead
Why it’s great: Scene we were waiting for that didn't disappoint.

When Ben declared to Charles he was going to kill Penny back in The Shape of Things to Come, it set up some dreadful anticipation on the show. I don't think there was anyone actually rooting for Ben to succeed (and if you were, shame on you), but we all knew it was coming. And when Ben arrived on the plane battered and bruised after taking care of some "unfinished business," I certainly feared the worst for Penny, despite the fact it looked like she and/or Desmond put up a good fight. Little did we know we wouldn't actually get to see the scene for several more episodes.

But it was totally worth the wait - my heart leapt out of my stomach when Ben shot Desmond. But then he hesitates, gets tackled and pummeled by an adrenaline-pumped Desmond and thrown in the harbor. The scene runs the gamut of emotions - fear to horror to hope to relief. And when it's later revealed that Desmond's life was saved by the strongest jug of milk in existence, hilarity is added as well.

Goes without saying - drink your milk, kids. Just might save your life someday. :)

45) Hurley drives the DHARMA van to the rescue

Episode: 3.22 - Through The Looking Glass
Synopsis: Hurley saves the day in his own unique way
Why it’s great: Makes you stand up and cheer

The DHARMA van sold for the highest price by far from the Lost Auction - a cool $47.5K. I don't know if it was worth it, but it is quite possibly the most recognizable prop from the show. And who would have thought back in "Tricia Tanaka is Dead" that the van would have played such an important role in the story? That episode seemed like joke filler at first glace, but it was really there to set up two important scenes: Ben gassing his dad as a birthday present to himself and Hurley saving the life of his friends from the Others.

This is a scene that makes you stand up and cheer. When Hurley comes barreling out of the jungle and flattens one of the Others, it was awesome, plain and simple. I think the smile on Jorge Garcia's face right afterward was genuine, a reflection of our own.

44) The Listening Station finds the Island

Episode: 2.23 - Live Together, Die Alone
Synopsis: Penny's Russian friends pinpoint the Island
Why it’s great: Looks like the outside world exists after all

One of the primary questions of the first two seasons was where the heck is the Island anyway? Was it on Earth, in our time? Was it in a parallel dimension? Is it really heaven or hell (or purgatory)? And the corollary to all of this was does the outside world even exist? We didn't get the answer to that question until the very last scene of the second season where we learned that 1) yes, indeed it does exist and 2) Penny was actively looking for it to find her long lost love. It was an enormous revelation and one that instantly obliterated a whole category of theories that had been batted around for two seasons.

This scene is also a good example of finishing off an inconsistent episode with a bang. "Live Together, Die Alone" is not my favorite finale by any means, largely because 1) I thought the whole kidnapping storyline was weak and 2) those scenes were juxtaposed with Desmond's terrific flashbacks, which kind of made them worse. But by finishing off the episode with such a terrific scene, it sent me into the summer with a heady Lost buzz. Great capstone to a great season.

43) The teddy bear walks by

Episode: 2.05 - ...And Found
Synopsis: Jin and Eko watch the Others walk by their hiding spot
Why it’s great: Creepiest. Teddy Bear. Ever.

Early in Season 2, the Others were still a nebulous bunch. Ethan, the Other we had seen the most, seemed to have superhuman strength and endurance, though he was a very real human being who could be (and was) killed. Then there was the group that had kidnapped Walt who seemed to be a rag-tag bunch of violent hillbillies straight out of "Deliverance." But we really had no idea who or what they were, why they wanted Claire, Walt and the other Tailies and what happened to those they had kidnapped. Did they experiment on them? Eat them? Turn them into zombies for the zombie season? That latter one may sound strange, but after watching the Others walk by in this episode, it didn't seem quite so far fetched.

We hadn't seen Zack or Emma yet at this point - they first appeared two episodes later in "The Other 48 Days" - so we had no idea who the teddy bear signified when they walked by. But Jebus, this was a freaky scene at the time. Barefoot, silent and one dragging alone a teddy bear on a string - how could you not get the chills seeing that? And then, when we finally do see Zack and Emma with the bear, it made it even creepier because you had to think what the heck did the Others do to them?

Turns out, the answer was "nothing, really," but the teddy bear is simply terrific for giving us the creepiest toy this side of Stephen King's monkey.

42) "We're not going to Guam, are we?"
Episode: 5.06 - 316
Synopsis: Frank notices some familiar faces on his flight
Why it’s great: In a goosebump inducing moment, Frank returns with a terrific line

In general, I loved the getting-the-band-back-together, returning to the Island storyline. Some of the pieces didn't quite make sense after all was said and done, but watching everyone board and take their seats on Flight 316 was awesomely cool, especially when Ben came in and Hurley freaked out. But the very best part of the scene - the part that really gave me goosebumps - was when we heard Frank Lapidus' voice come over the intercom. Frank comes out to speak with Jack , surveys the cabin and sees Hurley... and Sayid... Kate... Sun... Ben... and realization slowly creeps across his face, prompting the best line of the episode:

"We're not going to Guam, are we?"

It's a terrific line, a terrific scene and one of the many reasons Frank was one of my favorite characters on the show.

51) "You guys got any milk?"

Episode: 2.16 - The Whole Truth
Synopsis: Henry Gale plays some mind games with Jack and Locke
Why it’s great: Moment when Ben became the best character on the show

I think many people might have placed this scene a tad bit higher on the list and I shuffled it around a great deal before settling on it here. After all, "Got Milk" is now classic Lost - and probably one of the most memorable moments of the second season. The Henry Gale story arc was by far the best Season 2 had to offer and "You guys got any milk?" was by far its most memorable line.

Thing is, as great as this scene was with Ben - and it's probably the scene that finally cemented him as the leader of the Others in the eyes of the writers - it's not the end of this story arc and I actually liked a few of the subsequent scenes even better than this one (and you'll be seeing some of those scenes very soon). So feel free to shuffle them around in the list if you disagree.

I think this scene might have been higher on my list had Ben actually set a trap for Ana-Lucia, Sayid and Charlie at the balloon. But that's nitpicking, I suppose. Instead we got Ben playing some delicious mind games with Locke and Jack... and eating cereal. And who eats cereal without milk? :)

Moment Tally (updated through #41):

I'll be keeping a running tally of the number of times main or recurring (not minor) characters appear in these moments, along with which seasons they came from. I might even do a Power List later on - giving each points based on where they are in the list (1 point for #108, 108 points for #1) and so on. Depends on how ambitious I am. :)

This week Ben maintains his lead in the character rankings and Season 5 pulls away a bit in the Seasons. I'm expecting a great deal of shuffling in both lists though in the weeks to come. The top of the list is quite different character and episode-wise from the bottom. Well, except for Ben - Ben's just all over the list. :)

Main/Recurring Characters:

Ben - 15
Locke - 12
Jack - 11
Smokey - 8
Sawyer - 8
Hurley - 7
Daniel - 4
Eko - 4
Jacob - 4
Jin - 4
Richard - 4
Sayid - 4
Tom Friendly - 4
Charles Widmore - 3
Charlie - 3
Claire - 3
Danielle - 3
Desmond - 3
Michael - 3
Kate - 3
Frank - 2
Juliet - 2
Keamy - 2
Miles - 2
Penny - 2
Pierre Chang - 2
Aaron - 1
Alex - 1
Arzt - 1
Bernard and Rose - 1
Boone - 1
Charlotte - 1
Eloise - 1
Ilana - 1
Mikhail - 1
Nikki and Paulo - 1
Sun - 1
Walt - 1

Seasons:

Season Five - 15
Season Three - 13
Season Six - 12
Season One - 12
Season Two - 9
Season Four - 7

Next installment: #40-31

Note: I'll be away this coming weekend for four days, so the next installment may be delayed a bit, depending on how much typing I can get done while I'm away. Happy Labor Day, everyone! :)

Top 108 Moments: #60-51

2010-08-24T20:36:00.008-04:00

"But when he asked to see you, he gets marched straight up here as if he was Moses. So... why him? Hmm? What was it that was so wrong with me? What about me?!"

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the sixth part of the Top 108 Moments in Lost!

Previous installments:

Honorable Mentions are here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made and was excluded from the list.

Moments #108-101
Moments #100-91
Moments #90-81
Moments #80-71
Moments #70-61

Today we have Moments #60-51. This is the last of the first half - we cross the halfway mark in this post. Pretty much all the humorous scenes are gone, now we're starting to get to the nitty gritty of Lost goodness! Starting next week: The Top 50 Moments in Lost. Namaste.

60) Ben kills Jacob

Episode: 5.16 - The Incident
Synopsis: Ben unleashes years of pent up frustration into Jacob's chest
Why it’s great: The loophole comes full circle

Putting aside the fact it never was fully explained why Smokey was trapped in Locke's body when he took his form or if Smokey's master plan was really to manipulate Ben into killing Jacob, you can't really argue with the results. This is the moment we realize Zombie Locke is really the MiB - certainly a WTF? moment on its own. But this scene is really great because of Ben - selfish, childish manipulative Ben, who finally finds himself on the wrong end of a scheme, and his speech to Jacob right before he kills him is one of the best of the show.

I said at the time it reminded me a bit of "Field of Dreams" in that regard, where Ray Kinsella asks the ghost of Shoeless Joe "What's in it for me?" Joe's response was "Is that what this is about, Ray? You?" In many respects that scene is a perfect parallel - albeit in an alternate twisted universe - to this one. Ben spent the entire show professing that everything he did was for the good of the Island, but really Ben was simply doing whatever he needed to do to remain in power. In addition, he also had a childlike need to feel wanted, needed, respected and important, in much the same way that Locke did, ironically. So Ben lashed out at Jacob like a child, just like Smokey hoped he would. Michael Emerson did an amazing job with this scene - one of his best of the show.

59) Smokey kills Eko

Episode: 3.05 - The Cost of Living
Synopsis: Smokey kills Eko for allowing the Hatch to implode
Why it’s great: Eko goes out with a great line. Plus: Did Smokey mock him at the end?

This is a scene that I hated at first, but has grown on me a lot in retrospect. Eko was my favorite character in Season 2 and I was greatly disappointed that the writers were forced to write him out of the show due to Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's demands. But there are two terrific things about this scene. First off, there's Eko's unrepentance of his life. I love, love, love this line:

"I did not ask for the life that I was given. But it was given, nonetheless. And with it... I did my best."

When Eko was first introduced, it seemed he was truly trying to repent for his past sins. But upon reaching the end, he suddenly realized he wasn't repentant at all and took responsibility for all that he'd done. It turns Lost's major theme of repentance and starting over on its head - really Eko was probably the only character on the show who completely embraced his pre-Island self at the end, flawed as it was.

The second thing I love about this scene is something that may not have actually been intentional, but if it was, it was terrific. I first thought that Smokey's method of killing Eko by bashing him against trees was kinda lame, especially in contrast to the way he shredded the pilot. But after the episode aired, some people commented that Smokey actually made the Sign of the Cross as he was flinging Eko around. Did he really? Hard to say - judge for yourself. But if the writers intended to have Smokey mock Eko by killing him in that way, kudos all around. Simply brilliant.

58) Jack spikes the football
Episode: 3.12 - Par Avion
Synopsis: Kate, Locke and Sayid find Jack enjoying a nice game of football with Tom
Why it’s great: Kate's expression is priceless

The second half of Season 3 starts to pick up steam this episode as Sayid, Locke and Kate finally make their way to the barracks to find Jack. But when they arrive, they find the unthinkable - Jack happily playing a game of football with Mr. Friendly. As far as episode enders go, this one was hardly a shock - after all, we knew Jack had made an agreement with Ben to go home. But what really made this ending a classic was Kate's expression at the end. Her shock at seeing Jack happily cavorting with one of the main antagonists of the series to that point was simply hilarious, the perfect mix of incredulity and horror. Makes me laugh every time I see it.

57) Sawyer confronts Richard in 1974
Episode: 5.08 - LaFleur
Synopsis: Sawyer convinces Richard to keep the truce by dropping Locke's name
Why it’s great: Sawyer unwittingly reinforces Richard's opinion of Locke

LaFleur may very well make it onto my overall Top 10 list in the end and this scene was one of the very best of the episode. The best thing about the whole time travel storyline was how Richard's opinion of Locke was reinforced over the years by all the time travelers. The only reason Richard even considered Locke important at all was because he disappeared in front of his eyes in 1954. Twenty years later, Sawyer appears on the Island and drops Locke's name as he tries to keep Richard to preserve the truce:

SAWYER: Yeah, I know about it. I also know that 20 years ago, some bald fella limped into your camp and fed you some mumbo jumbo about being your leader. And then poof... he went and disappeared right in front of ya. Any of this ringin' a bell? That man's name is John Locke, and I'm waitin' for him to come back. So... you still think I'm a member of the damn DHARMA Initiative?

In doing so, Sawyer unwittingly helped reinforce Richard's opinion of Locke in 1974, and in doing so played a major role in Jacob's eventual demise in 2007. Goosebump inducing scene for me and very well played by Josh Holloway.

56) Ben is "judged" by Smokey

Episode: 5.12 - Dead is Dead
Synopsis: Smokey tricks Ben into helping him
Why it’s great: Great at the time, even better in retrospect. Plus: Smokey Alex is awesome

This is a scene that I think loses something by not having all the Egyptology stuff explained, especially the hieroglyphs of Smokey appearing in front of Anubis. Still, the scene was awesomely great at the time, made even better once we learned that Smokey and Zombie Locke were one and the same since this was probably the critical point which allowed Ben to be pushed over the edge into killing Jacob. After all, how was he supposed to say no to the visage of his beloved, dead daughter?

Speaking of which, Smokey Alex was simply terrific here. The part where she pins him to the stone column and tells him to do whatever John Locke says (and even accuses Ben of trying to kill him again) was darkly brilliant and effective. Made for a nice return cameo for Tania Raymonde too.

55) Jacob gives Katie a gift

Episode: 5.16 - The Incident
Synopsis: We see the first of the candidates being born
Why it’s great: All Jacob's moments are great, but Kate's is the best

I really wanted to put all of Jacob's flashbacks into one moment, but in the end I decided to pick just one to represent them all. Jacob's flashbacks are great because they answered one of the series' most important outstanding questions: Were all the Flight 815 survivors on the Island for reason? The answer was a most emphatic "yes" after seeing Jacob touch all the candidates at critical moments in their past. It was tremendously well done and another reason why The Incident is a standout episode.

The reason I picked Jacob's flashback with Kate is because of all the candidates, hers had the best Easter Eggs for the fans. Yes, it was cool seeing Sawyer write his letter and John hitting the pavement in the background, but seeing Kate getting caught shoplifting the lunchbox she used for the Time Capsule she buried with Tom was something that probably wouldn't have been picked up by everyone. And before you say "Hey, you always thought the toy airplane was lame," which it was, it's still Lost history and a very neat reference for observant watchers. If you prefer one of the other flashbacks to Kate's though, feel free to insert it here.

54) Hurley finds someone is not on the manifest

Episode: 1.10 - Raised by Another
Synopsis: Hurley discovers Ethan wasn't on the plane
Why it’s great: One of the most ominous moments of the show

And now we start the top half of the list! Woo!

First up is probably the most ominous moment of the first season, if not the entire show. For nine episodes we had gone along seeing weird things and getting the feeling the Island wasn't all it seemed to be. Polar bears and Monsters were menacing enough, but the former could be killed while the latter was rarely seen. However, when Hurley discovered that there was someone in their group who wasn't on the flight manifest it suddenly presented a very real, very tangible threat to the group.

I remember my heart sinking into my stomach when Hurley told Jack there was someone who wasn't on the plane. Then a quick cut to creepy looking Ethan staring at Claire and Charlie, alone in the jungle. It was one of those "oh ****" moments and one of the best trombone endings of the show.

53) Juliet and Ben have a little chat

Episode: 3.16 - One of Us
Synopsis: Ben outlines his plan to Juliet
Why it’s great: Terrific shock ending

Speaking of trombone endings, here's another one. We finally start to like and sympathize with Juliet. Jack trusts her, and tries to convince the group to do the same. And just when it seems she really is one of the group we get a terrific flashback of her and Ben, going over his plan to scout out the camp for pregnant females, stealing them away and killing the rest. And all of this was delightfully juxtaposed with Juliet setting up a tent at the beach as she's looking around and scouting out her new found friends.

Not only is this a terrific scene for Juliet, but it's also a terrific scene for Ben, solidifying his status once again as the master manipulator of the show. This is the way Lost episodes are supposed to end, on the edge of your seat and wanting more. One of the best endings of the third season.

52) Desmond Hume will be my constant
Episode: 4.05 - The Constant
Synopsis: Daniel reads his journal
Why it’s great: Terrific epilogue to the best episode of Lost

Yes, yes. The true ending and emotional high point of "The Constant," if not the entire show, was Desmond's Christmas Eve phone call to Penny. But nearly as good is the actual scene that The Constant actually ended with: Daniel, sitting on the beach and reading through his journal, coming across the words "If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant."

Those words eventually became a catchphrase for the entire show, spawning a legion of fan related merchandise. It was the perfect ending to the best episode of Lost.

51) The Tailies reunite with the rest of the beach folk

Episode: 2.08 - Collision
Synopsis: The Tailies complete their trip across the Island
Why it’s great: Best reunion scene of the show

Of all the reunion scenes on the show, nothing tops the reunion on the beach as the Tailies arrive at camp with Sawyer, Jin and Michael in tow. Bernard and Rose were the centerpiece here, of course. But we also got to see Jin and Sun together again, Sawyer and Kate, Michael and Vincent and, to a lesser extent, Jack and Ana-Lucia. We had waited for this moment since the raft survivors discovered the Tailies on the other side of the Island, but in my book it exceeded all expectations. Not a dry eye in this household when Bernard and Rose embraced.

Lost tried many times to replicate the emotion of this scene, but I don't think any of them topped the original.

Moment Tally (updated through #51):

I'll be keeping a running tally of the number of times main or recurring (not minor) characters appear in these moments, along with which seasons they came from. I might even do a Power List later on - giving each points based on where they are in the list (1 point for #108, 108 points for #1) and so on. Depends on how ambitious I am. :)

This week Ben pulls away a bit in the character rankings, but the real change was in the seasons, with Seasons 3 and 5 leapfrogging Season 6 into the lead. After next week, I might split the rankings into Top Half and Bottom Half - remember the halfway point for this really at #54-55, with #54 being the first moment in the top half of the list.

Main/Recurring Characters:

Ben - 12
Jack - 9
Locke - 9
Smokey - 8
Sawyer - 7
Hurley - 5
Jacob - 4
Daniel - 4
Sayid - 4
Tom Friendly - 4
Charlie - 3
Claire - 3
Michael - 3
Eko - 3
Jin - 3
Kate - 3
Richard - 3
Charles Widmore - 2
Danielle - 2
Desmond - 2
Juliet - 2
Keamy - 2
Miles - 2
Pierre Chang - 2
Aaron - 1
Alex - 1
Arzt - 1
Bernard and Rose - 1
Boone - 1
Charlotte - 1
Eloise - 1
Frank - 1
Ilana - 1
Mikhail - 1
Nikki and Paulo - 1
Sun - 1
Walt - 1

Seasons:

Season Three - 12
Season Five - 12
Season Six - 11
Season One - 10
Season Four - 7
Season Two - 6

Next installment: The Top 50 begins! #50-41

Top 108 Moments: #70-61

2010-08-17T13:40:00.003-04:00

"Dad?"

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the fifth part of the Top 108 Moments in Lost!

Previous installments:

Honorable Mentions are here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made and was excluded from the list.

Moments #108-101
Moments #100-91
Moments #90-81
Moments #80-71

Today we have Moments #70-61, starting to get into some more of the substantially great scenes from LOST, really only one humorous scene this week, and we're creeping ever closer to the really powerful moments which make up the Top 50. Namaste.

70) Michael talks to "Walt"

Episode: 2.09 - What Kate Did
Synopsis: Michael talks to someone using the Swan computer
Why it’s great: Great early shock ending...

In making these lists it has continually surprised me how many great stand alone moments are in overall poor episodes of the series. I think I speak for the majority here when I say that "What Kate Did" was a bit of a let down. We had been waiting for a season and a half to discover why Kate was on the run and who she murdered (remember she admitted to killing someone to Sawyer), but they fact she killed her abusive step-father just didn't quite fit with the intensity with which the Marshall pursued her. And the other minor plots in the episode - Kate tending to Sawyer (who appeared to be possessed by Smokey pretending to be Wayne) and Kate meeting a black horse that reminded her of one from her past - were similarly weak.

But it's easy to forget that this episode had the mind-blowing ending that helped Season 2 get its groove back. Michael communicating with "Walt" opened up so many new questions and possibilities. Was it really Walt Michael was talking to? (nope) If not, how did the Others know Michael was there? (the Pearl) Are there more working DHARMA stations out there? (yep) Is this all an elaborate trap? (yep)

The second half of Season 2 is one of the best overall runs the show had starting with 1) Eko's backstory and our first really good look at Smokey, 2) the introduction of "Henry Gale" 3) the Blast Door Map and the pallet drop, 4) Michael's shocking murder of Ana-Lucia and Libby, 5) our first look at The Pearl and 6) Desmond's return and the destruction of the Swan. But all that started at the end of "What Kate Did" and it was the moment Season 2 got back on track.

69) Locke makes a cradle
Episode: 1.18 - Numbers
Synopsis: Locke makes a cradle for Aaron
Why it’s great: Shaman Locke at his best

Most people consider "Season 1 Locke" to be the classic Locke - he's the hunter, the shaman, the all-knowing wise man who's on the Island for a purpose. When Locke realized he could walk again, he also gained the self-confidence he never had before in his life and he used that self-confidence to great effect in the first season. Granted, a lot of that was all wishful thinking on Locke's part, but his confidence didn't wain until the end of the second season (and the arrival of Henry Gale).

One of the best examples of classic Locke was actually just a sub-plot in one of my favorite overall episodes - "Numbers." The main plot of the episode was Hurley's backstory and his trek across the Island to find Danielle. It was the first time we had gotten any of Hurley's past and it was simply fabulous from start to finish. But intertwined with that story a curious series of scenes with Claire and Locke, where Locke asked a very pregnant Claire for some help on a project. At the end, Locke cleverly reveals they were working on making a cradle for Aaron, which became a prop staple for the remainder of the show.

And the really neat thing about it was that the way it was filmed, it was really hard to tell they were making a cradle until Locke flipped it over (I thought it was some sort of booby trap myself) so we were just as surprised as Claire was.

68) Eko tells Michael a story
Episode: 2.22 - Three Minutes
Synopsis: Eko tells Michael a parable as they mop up Libby's blood
Why it’s great: Eko at his best

This is probably my personal favorite overall scene of Lost, partly because it so perfectly encapsulates why I loved Eko during his far too short Lost run. When Michael shot Libby and Ana-Lucia I didn't but his motivation at first - thought someone so completely innocent as Michael would never stoop to murdering an innocent person to save someone they loved. It still bothers me a bit, but perhaps not as much as it used to now that I have a kid myself. Granted I'd like to think were I in Michael's situation, I would have tried to work out a plan with, y'know, the people I've come to know and trust instead of going off (including a certain Iraqi Guardsman) instead of murdering them.

That being said, after Libby died and her body was removed, we saw Michael staring guiltily at Libby's blood on the floor of the Swan. He was wiping it up with a rag when Eko came across him and they had this exchange:

EKO: Hello.
MICHAEL: I didn't hear you come in, man.
EKO: I left my shoes outside. They were muddy.
MICHAEL: Did you find him? Henry?
EKO: No.
MICHAEL: I hear you're a priest.
EKO: Yes.
MICHAEL: I guess you believe in hell, then.
EKO: [helping Michael clean the blood] For a brief time I served in a small parish in England. Every Sunday after Mass, I would see a young boy waiting in the back of the church. And then one day, the boy confessed to me that he had beaten his dog to death with a shovel. He said that the dog had bitten his baby sister on the cheek; and he needed to protect her. And he wanted to know whether he would go to hell for this. I told him that God would understand -- that he would be forgiven, as long as he was sorry. But the boy did not care about forgiveness. He was only afraid that if he did go to hell -- that dog would be there waiting for him.

It's an amazing scene, especially as Eko starts helping Michael wipe the blood he spilled off the floor. And he's right too in that Michael, at that moment, didn't really care about forgiveness; he did what he thought he had to do (even though it went against his very nature) to save Walt. He was sorry for what he'd done, but he was more afraid of what his punishment was going to be than being forgiven for it. Incredibly powerful scene, and one of my very favorites of the show.

67) Locke tells Walt a secret over backgammon
Episode: 1.01 - The Pilot
Synopsis: Locke tells Walt a secret
Why it’s great: Boy, does that Locke guy seem creepy. Plus: Foreshadowing

The first two episodes of the show, Locke looked like he was going to be the villain. Between the orange smiley face, his weird eye scar and his friendliness towards Walt, he gave the impression of a pedophile rather than a shamanistic hunter/tracker with delusions of grandeur. And nothing more encapsulates this than his conversation with Walt over backgammon where he asks him whether he "wants to know a secret." When I first saw this I thought "Yeeek, run, Walt, run!" But it's simply a great set up for "Walkabout" which came two episodes later.

Now that the series is over, however, it's really an even better scene in that it perfectly foreshadows the general plot of the show in the very first episode. In fact, now it almost seems like it should be Smokey Locke saying those words rather than the real thing. Who knows, maybe it was...

66) Ilana and Ben have words

Episode: 6.07 - Dr. Linus
Synopsis: Ilana confronts Ben over Jacob's death
Why it’s great: Ben finally shows some regret

Ilana really didn't do very much during her short run on the show. In fact, since I left her death scene off this list, I think this may be her only moment to make the list, and only because Ben is so incredible here. Ben never really redeemed himself in what we saw on the show. Yes, he apologized to Locke in Purgatory and it was certainly hinted he had a nice run at #2, but even after he realized he was used as a pawn by Smokey and may have played a key role in bringing about the end of the world, he still lied and connived and generally showed no remorse for what he'd done.

It wasn't until Ilana chained him up and made him dig his own grave that he actually started to think about the consequences of his actions. And so came this honest explosion of emotion from Ben where he actually admits how alone he is in the world and about how, on this Island where all these people formed wonderful relationships, he has no one to turn to, nowhere to go but to Locke, because Locke is the only person who would have him. Ilana, to her credit, then forgives him and allows him to rejoin the group.

The writers have repeatedly said the show was all about the characters, something I generally disagree with. But in Ben's case, I concede; Ben's character moments in the final season were by far the best of any we saw and this moment was near the top of his list.

65) Daniel witnesses the Orchid being built

Episode: 5.01 - Because You Left
Synopsis: We see the Orchid being built... and Daniel is there?
Why it’s great: Guess there's going to be time travel on the show, eh?

Back in my Best Season Opener poll, "Because You Left" didn't receive a single vote. Not surprising given that it really is the weakest of all the season openers, but it's so easy to forget that it opened with this terrific foreshadowing scene. Remember that, at this point in the series, there was no physical time travel yet, only Desmond's flashes and mental trip in "Flashes Before Your Eyes." And in the season finale, the Island had simply disappeared - we hadn't yet learned to where or when.

But this episode opened things up with a bang. What did this single scene have?

1) A look a Pierre Chang's life with DHARMA on the Island
2) The revelation that the Donkey Wheel was found by DHARMA on the Island
3) A look at the Orchid while it was being built
4) The revelation that Daniel was present while it was being built

And that last one was a huge "whoa" at the time. And to their credit, Darlton didn't leave us hanging as to how Daniel got there since we immediately saw the Losties on the Island were flashing through time. The time travel/DHARMA past portion of Lost was one of my favorite stretches of the show and this scene gave us a delightful taste of what was to come.

64) Miles and Hurley talk time travel

Episode: 5.11 - Whatever Happened, Happened
Synopsis: Miles and Hurley freak and geek out
Why it’s great: Because every fan had this exact same conversation

This is really two separate scenes, but I'm mashing them together as one. The screencap above is from the first brief portion where Hurley checks his hand to see if it disappears, ala "Back to the Future." But then the scene shifts and when it returns to our dynamic duo they have this conversation:

[Hurley is seated in the house, questioning Miles.]
HURLEY: Let me get this straight.
[Miles is pacing.]
HURLEY: All this already happened.
MILES: Yes.
HURLEY: So this conversation we're having right now...we already had it.
MILES: [Claps his hands] Yes!
HURLEY: Then what am I gonna say next?
MILES: I don't know. [Shakes his head.]
HURLEY: Ha'! Then your theory is wrong!
MILES: For the thousandth time, you dingbat, the conversation already happened, but not for you and me. For you and me, it's happening right now.
HURLEY: Okay, answer me this. If all this already happened to me, then...why don't I remember any of it?
MILES: Because once Ben turned that wheel, time isn't a straight line for us anymore. Our experiences in the past and the future occurred before these experiences right now.
[Hurley's face tightens in confusion as he thinks, Miles stares at him.]
HURLEY: Say that again.
MILES: [Pauses in exasperation and pulls out his gun and holds it out for Hurley to take.] Shoot me. Please. Please!
HURLEY: Aha! I can't shoot you. Because if you die in 1977, then you'll never come back to the island on the freighter 30 years from now.
MILES: I can die because I've already come to the island on the freighter. Any of us can die because this is our present.
HURLEY: But you said Ben couldn't die because he still has to grow up and become the leader of the Others.
MILES: Because this is his past.
HURLEY: But when we first captured Ben, and Sayid, like, tortured him, then why wouldn't he remember getting shot by that same guy when he was a kid?
[Miles blinks and looks around. Hurley raises his eyebrow.]
MILES: Huh. I hadn't thought of that.
HURLEY: Huh. [Crossing his arms.]

We now know that Ben didn't remember Sayid because of the effects of the Temple Spring. But I swear I had this exact same conversation about time travel with my brother. In fact, I even wrote a blog post about it. It's a terrific scene for the geek in all of us. :)

63) Jack teaches Kate to count to five

Episode: 1.01 - The Pilot
Synopsis: Jack meets Kate and has her stitch him up
Why it’s great: Became a signature moment of the series

This is the second moment from the Pilot to make the list (along with the moment above) and I can tell you there will be more. The Pilot was so iconic, there are several moments from that episode that simply have to be included. And haters can hate, but Kate meeting Jack for the first time over suturing is certainly one of them in my book. Not only does this scene get referenced many times during the series (when Kate flees from the Monster later in the episode, as Kate is lowered into the Hatch by Locke, Jack's password for Kate when he knew she escaped from Hydra Island, etc.), and we actually get to see the story Jack tells about his botched surgery later on in The Incident.

It's a terrific scene, both Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly are super here and the latter looks fabulous (if you met her on the street you'd never know she was a fugitive who just survived a plane crash).

62) Jack sees Christian on the beach
Episode: 1.04 - White Rabbit
Synopsis: Jack sees his dad standing in the water
Why it’s great: Iconic image of the first season

When I first made the list, this image was one that immediately popped into my mind. When I went back and looked, I was surprised that this wasn't the first time Jack saw Christian on the Island; in "Walkabout" Jack sees his dad standing under a tree on the edge of the beach. That scene was the first time we got a clue there might be something going on with dead people on the Island. But this is the scene that sticks out in my mind for me - right after Jack rescues Boone from drowning, he looks and sees his father, wearing his funeral suit, standing in the breakers on the beach. It's such a striking image, it's one that's stayed with me throughout the series.

61) Alt Desmond runs over Locke

Episode: 6.12 - Everybody Loves Hugo
Synopsis: Desmond runs over Locke
Why it’s great: Shockingly great at the time

There are several "Theory Making" moments during Lost - moments that turned everything we thought we knew about the Island on its head. The finding of the Hatch was one, Jack's first flashforward was another, Locke being revealed as Smokey was huge. All of these fundamentally made us question the nature of the show itself and where the plot was heading and they made for great, momentous television.

And even though it turned out to be a bit disappointing in the end, Desmond running down Alt Locke was a mind-blower. At the time, we still had no idea that the Alt was Purgatory. In fact, the predominant theory was that it was an alternate timeline. So when Desmond ran Locke down in a way which really made it look like he was trying to kill him, my first thought was "What if Alt Locke was really Alt Smokey?" After all, he didn't have to seemingly kill any of the other Losties to wake them up - this was something totally different from how he approached the others, it made us think Alt Locke was different and needed to die. Alas, it was not the case, but it made for the best week of Lost discussion of the final season and was a terrific, heart-stopping ending to a great episode to boot.

Moment Tally (updated through #61):

I'll be keeping a running tally of the number of times main or recurring (not minor) characters appear in these moments, along with which seasons they came from. I might even do a Power List later on - giving each points based on where they are in the list (1 point for #108, 108 points for #1) and so on. Depends on how ambitious I am. :)

This week not much change at the top of the character rankings and Season 6 also keeps its lead, but Season One leaps up with four entries on the list.

Main/Recurring Characters:

Ben - 9
Jack - 8
Locke - 8
Sawyer - 6
Smokey - 5
Hurley - 4
Charlie - 3
Claire - 3
Daniel - 3
Michael - 3
Sayid - 3
Tom Friendly - 3
Charles Widmore - 2
Danielle - 2
Desmond - 2
Eko - 2
Jacob - 2
Jin - 2
Kate - 2
Keamy - 2
Miles - 2
Pierre Chang - 2
Richard - 2
Aaron - 1
Alex - 1
Arzt - 1
Boone - 1
Charlotte - 1
Eloise - 1
Frank - 1
Ilana - 1
Juliet - 1
Mikhail - 1
Nikki and Paulo - 1
Walt - 1

Seasons:

Season Six - 11
Season One - 9
Season Three - 9
Season Five - 8
Season Four - 6
Season Two - 5

Next installment: #60-51

Top 108 Moments: #80-71

2010-08-08T14:10:00.004-04:00

"Well, look at that. Somebody's hooked on phonics."

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the fourth part of the Top 108 Moments in Lost!

Previous installments:

Honorable Mentions are here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made and was excluded from the list.

Moments #108-101
Moments #100-91
Moments #90-81

Today we have Moments #80-71 - keep in mind that most of the really powerful moments are reserved for the Top 50. A lot of the bottom of the list goes to humor and cool character pieces. Namaste.

80) Sawyer tries to teach Jin some English

Episode: 3.10 - Tricia Tanaka is Dead
Synopsis: Sawyer teaches Jin all the English he ever needs to know
Why it’s great: Funny scene, largely because Jin and Sawyer have a great friendship

Nothing builds friendships like being forced into awkward situations together. Sawyer and Jin first bonded on the raft, a bond that was reinforced during their trek across the Island with the Tailies. It's one of the unlikeliest of friendships, but one that really worked well on the show. It's not often you talk about chemistry between friends, but Sawyer and Jin had far more chemistry than Sawyer and Kate.

"Tricia Tanaka" for me was an okay episode the first time through, but it's one that looks even better in retrospect because 1) it introduces us to Roger "Work Man" several episodes before we discover who he really is and 2) it sets up Hurley's awesome drive-by save in the season finale. But the best scene of the episode was shortly after Jin reunites with Sawyer, who had just returned to the camp after his stay on Hydra Island. Sitting in the van, drinking what must have been some seriously skunked DHARMA beer, they have this exchange. I think I'll let it speak for itself:

SAWYER: I'm sorry.
JIN: I'm sorry.
SAWYER: Okay, nice. Keep it coming.
JIN: You were right.
SAWYER: Okay. That's two. Hit me.
JIN: Those pants don't make you look fat.
SAWYER: Now you got it -- only three things a woman needs to hear.

Ba DUM, ching!

79) Jacob tells Richard a metaphor
Episode: 6.09 - Ab Aeterno
Synopsis: Jacob tells Richard the purpose of the Island... and offers him a job
Why it’s great: Info, straight from the Island god's mouth

"Ab Aeterno" was definitely the high point of the sixth season for me. Not only did it give us Richard's backstory, but it filled us in a bit on the nature of Jacob and Smokey's conflict. It also showed us the darker side of Jacob, hinting at what we were going to see later on in "Across The Sea" - this wasn't a pure and innocent Island God we had here. And after Jacob waterboarded Richard and determined he was an innocent pawn, he sat down on the beach with him and explained the nature of the Island. It was a great scene, one that if you were making a clip show of the entire series you could probably open with because it explains the central conflict of the show eloquently and succinctly.

I do, however, think this scene neatly shows also why I was a bit disappointed with the ending of the show itself. Here Jacob presents Smokey as "evil, malevolence" - horrible stuff that would destroy the world if it escaped. And the sole purpose of the Island was to keep that evil contained. The first problem I have with this is that the Island existed long before Jacob threw his brother into the Source, thus the Island's original purpose was not to contain Smokey, it was to contain whatever that red light was underneath the cork. Now maybe that red light was the actual evil Jacob was referring to, but if that's the case why doesn't he let his brother go free? Seems it would be easier than having to continuously dodge all the attempts on his life. Secondly, regardless of whether Jacob was referring to Smokey or the Source, this scene makes it seem that Smokey escaping would mean the end of the world. But would it really? After "Across the Sea," where Smokey was actually shown to be a somewhat sympathetic character and a product of poor choices by Jacob and Mother, I really don't think so. But regardless of later happenings on the show, this was a terrific scene and probably the mythological high point of Season 6.

And, of course, it's also worth mentioning that right after Jacob's little story he offers Richard a job and makes him immortal. Minor details there. :)

78) Jack putts for sunscreen

Episode: 1.09 - Solitary
Synopsis: The Losties bond over golf
Why it’s great: Maybe they can all get along after all. Plus: Sawyer joins the group

The Island golf course that Hurley made was sadly never really returned to after this episode, which is a shame since I think it would have been nice to visit it every once in a while, like using "play a round of golf" as a euphemism for "have a serious talk" or "we need to make a plan somewhere no one will overhear us."

And the final golf course scene in "Solitary" is terrific. It features most of the original cast together, watching Charlie and Jack play a round of golf. Jack's up to putt and needs to make it to win. Bets begin to change hands as he sets up for his shot, when suddenly Sawyer, who to this point has been persona non grata on the show, bets "two tubes of sunscreen and a flashlight he chokes." It was really the first time Sawyer made the effort to integrate himself with the rest of the Losties and really the first time "classic" Sawyer appeared.

The scene ends right after Jack hits the golf ball - we don't see whether he actually made it or not. I love that.

77) Arzt explodes

Episode: 1.24 - Exodus, Part 2
Synopsis: Arzt demonstrates how not to handle old dynamite
Why it’s great: First surprise death of Lost, and by far the best

I've put up a new poll asking which was the best Season Finale and I'm very curious to see the results. For me, I'd have to choose between "Exodus," "Through The Looking Glass," and "The Incident." All have their high and low points, but I think Exodus had a total of more memorable scenes than either of the other two. One of the best small scenes in any finale was Dr. Leslie Arzt, whose memorable demise made him a fan favorite. And one of the best things about it was the way the writers subtly introduced him. If you remember, Arzt first appeared the episode before in "Born to Run" to deliver a lecture on ocean currents to Michael and his fellow raftees. It was a fairly seamless introduction of what we thought at the time might be a new, recurring cast member. And when he appeared again in the finale, I actually thought the writers might be setting him up to be a regular in Season 2 (or that he was another Other mole, like Ethan).

His dynamite departure though was a complete shock at the time. In retrospect, it was necessary to effectively illustrate the volatile nature of the stuff they were moving - really this scene made every other scene on the show using the dynamite a lot more suspenseful than it would have been otherwise (even if there wasn't another accident until Ilana went boom). And Hurley's later quip "Dude, you got some Arzt on you" became one of the classic Lost lines of all time. R.I.P., Arzt.

76) Sawyer gets glasses

Episode: 1.19 - Deus Ex Machina
Synopsis: Jack gleefully fixes Sawyer's headaches
Why it’s great: Jack enjoys seeing Sawyer squirm

Much like Jack's comeback to Ben, this scene is a rare case of Jack getting the better of somebody. Sawyer had been having frequent headaches, so Kate convinces him to go to Jack for help. Jack deduces the problem immediately, but in a rare display of quick thinking on his part, he manages to use the opportunity to put one over on Sawyer, asking him an embarrassing series of questions about his sex life in front of Kate.

And the funniest thing is Sawyer was probably more embarrassed when he later got the actual glasses than he was from Jack's interrogation.

75) Tom Friendly recruits Michael

Episode: 4.08 - Meet Kevin Johnson
Synopsis: Tom Friendly convinces Michael to take a job
Why it’s great: A great last goodbye to a fan favorite

Back in "A Tale of Two Cities," Tom Friendly hinted that he was gay when he told Kate that she "wasn't exactly his type." And when he was killed off in "Through The Looking Glass," fans were a bit disappointed we didn't get to explore Friendly's life (and backstory) in a bit more detail. The following season, however, not only does Friendly return in Michael's flashback, we actually get to see his swank Manhattan apartment he shares with Arturo.

Not only was this a great encore for Tom, but it also allowed us to get a glimpse into the other lives of the Others - seems Ben does allow them off the Island for some R&R once in a while. A fitting finale to a great character.

74) Danielle and Locke share a moment in the Black Rock

Episode: 3.19 - The Brig
Synopsis: Danielle and Locke run into each other unexpectedly
Why it’s great: Terrific moment of understanding between two great characters

This is one of those little scenes I love, love, love. Locke has Sawyer in the Black Rock's brig with Cooper, when Danielle enters to gather some dynamite for Jack. They notice each other and barely any words are spoken. Locke doesn't ask her why she's gathering dynamite and Danielle doesn't ask who he's got in the brig. It's a terrific scene because it only works when you have two great characters (and character actors) that the audience knows and understands. And the looks Danielle and Locke give each other as Danielle departs are pitch perfect.

73) Charlie finishes his list

Episode: 3.21 - Greatest Hits
Synopsis: Charlie finishes his Top 5 list
Why it’s great: Charlie's redemption

I really hated Charlie starting at the end of the first season. I thought his "relationship" with Claire seemed forced, his drug addict storyline was tired and his flashbacks were boring. When Desmond told him he was going to die in "Flashes Before Your Eyes" I lept up out of my chair and applauded. But Charlie being told of his imminent demise totally rejuvenated his character during the third season.

I knew I wanted to have a moment from "Greatest Hits" on the list, but it was really hard to pick a single one. I think GH is an episode that works better as a whole; it's one of the best overall episodes of the show, despite not really having any stand out moments. I thought about using the shot of Charlie's DS ring in Aaron's crib, but that's really not a scene, per se, despite it being the most iconic image of the episode. But really the best overall moment of the episode is at the end, after he finishes his list. Before diving down to the "Looking Glass" Charlie tries to give his list to Desmond to give to Claire, Desmond refuses and tells him that he'll go in Charlie's stead. As he's getting ready to dive, Charlie hits Desmond with the paddle and dives down alone, fully embracing his destiny in the hopes Claire and Aaron will be rescued with his sacrifice. That's Charlie's moment of redemption and that's the scene that makes the list.

72) Ben kills Charles

Episode: 6.16 - What They Died For
Synopsis: Ben gets his revenge on Charles
Why it’s great: Only Ben would choose revenge over saving the world

If there's one thing you can say about Benjamin Linus it's that he's consistent. Everything Ben does is for the good of one person: himself. He had Jack kidnapped because he needed him to perform an operation to save his life. He shot Locke when he thought Locke was going to steal his power. He strangled Locke when he still thought Locke was a threat to his power. He had Charles Widmore banished because he wanted his position. He used Sayid to kill off all his enemies. He killed Jacob for not ever rewarding him. Most, if not all, these decisions were were to the detriment of the Island he always professed to be trying to save. And you would think that after killing Jacob and purportedly putting the entire world in peril Ben might rearrange his priorities a bit.

But when Ben was presented an opportunity to do so - he certainly didn't have to tell Smokey where Widmore and Tina Fey were hiding - he instead chose to betray them and take his revenge on Widmore, even if it might mean the end of the world. And yes, Ben did end up helping Team Jack in the end, but only because he wanted to survive by that point.

Ben's revenge on Widmore is a great moment for me because, given an opportunity for redemption, Ben stayed true to himself instead.

71) Keamy kills Alex, then gets pummeled by Smokey

Episode: 4.09 - The Shape of Things to Come
Synopsis: Ben pays a steep price, then reveals a secret under his house
Why it’s great: Brutal death of a favorite character. Plus: Smokey can be summoned?!

This is the second moment from "The Shape of Things to Come" in the list (the previous moment was #101) though it's by far the more significant. First off, Alex's death at Keamy's hand was both brutal, shocking and, while it wasn't exactly out of nowhere since Danielle and Karl were both killed the episode before, it was one of those deaths you really didn't think the writers would follow through on. But Alex's death was the catalyst behind most of Ben's actions the rest of the show (like #72) and sadly made Ben realize just how much he cared about her. Seemed to profoundly influence his afterlife too, eh?

But the second half of this scene was equally as shocking at the time, since Ben's reaction to Alex's death was to run to a secret room underneath his house and summon Smokey? As cool as this scene was at the time, in retrospect it doesn't hold up quite as well because 1) it never really was explained why the heck the Others had a method to summon Smokey and 2) now that we know who Smokey is, it really doesn't seem plausible he'd be able to be summoned for anything that didn't result in Jacob's death.

But at the time, this scene was one of the very best moments of the show in one of the best episodes of Season 4.

Moment Tally (updated through #71):

I'll be keeping a running tally of the number of times main or recurring (not minor) characters appear in these moments, along with which seasons they came from. I might even do a Power List later on - giving each points based on where they are in the list (1 point for #108, 108 points for #1) and so on. Depends on how ambitious I am. :)

This week Ben takes over the lead from Jack and Season 6 keeps its lead over Seasons Five and Three. Also, just to make note of it here, Smokey in Locke's body counts as Smokey in the tally. Thus pretty much any time we see Locke after "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" it's actually a Smokey appearance even though we didn't actually find out it was really Smokey until "The Incident." Just FYI.

Main/Recurring Characters:

Ben - 8
Sawyer - 6
Jack - 6
Locke - 5
Smokey - 4
Charlie - 3
Hurley - 3
Sayid - 3
Tom Friendly - 3
Charles Widmore - 2
Claire - 2
Daniel - 2
Danielle - 2
Jacob - 2
Jin - 2
Keamy - 2
Richard - 2
Aaron - 1
Alex - 1
Arzt - 1
Boone - 1
Charlotte - 1
Desmond - 1
Eko - 1
Eloise - 1
Frank - 1
Juliet - 1
Kate - 1
Michael - 1
Mikhail - 1
Miles - 1
Nikki and Paulo - 1
Pierre Chang - 1

Seasons:

Season Three - 9
Season Six - 9
Season Five - 6
Season Four - 6
Season One - 5
Season Two - 3

Next installment: #70-61.

To DVD Or Not To DVD, That Is The Question...

2010-08-04T12:54:00.003-04:00

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Lost Moments list to bring you this important announcement:

The Season 6 DVD comes out on August 24th, however there is a Lost: The Complete Collection set being released on the same day. This brings up a question. I wouldn't necessarily be against getting the Complete Collection and selling my remaining DVDs on eBay if the CC contained a lot of additional footage worthy of the additional expense of both time and money. I certainly don't need the following:

• Special edition collectible Senet game as seen in Season 6
• Custom LOST island replica
• Exclusive episode guide
• Collectible ankh
• Black light

However the two things that interest me are the "One full disc of never-before-seen content" and "30+ hours of bonus from Seasons 1-6." I think I'm going to wait for reviews to see if the additional footage is worth it. The one thing that does interest me (that's available on the Season 6 set) is this:

The season 6 DVD, out Aug. 24, offers an original, 12-minute vignette called ”The New Man in Charge,” a tantalizing look at what Hurley (Jorge Garcia) and Ben (Michael Emerson, left) do as the new Island overseers. ”Ben is going around to Dharma installations and closing some down,” Emerson says. ”There are some good surprises.” And yes, ”it does answer questions.”

Now that I want to see. Check out this image:

Very cool. Really looking forward to seeing it. Bit more info here too. Now back to our regularly scheduled Lost Moments list (which should be up in a few more days).

Top 108 Moments: #90-81

2010-07-29T08:27:00.001-04:00

"So... when do we leave?"

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the second part of the Top 108 Moments in Lost!

Previous installments:

Honorable Mentions are here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made and was excluded from the list.

Moments #108-101
Moments #100-91

Today we have Moments #90-81 - keep in mind that most of the really powerful moments are reserved for the Top 50. A lot of the bottom of the list goes to humor and cool character pieces. Namaste.

90) Locke beats the crap out of Patchy

Episode: 3.18 - The Man Behind The Curtain
Synopsis: Locke makes his point to Ben... emphatically
Why it’s great: Because it put the exclamation mark on the fact Patchy was the Scream killer of Lost

Mikhail was one of my favorite characters from the third season, especially because of his hilarious propensity of bouncing back from a beating. First he was roughed up by Sayid at the Flame, then thrown through the sonic fence at low power, scrambling his brain and knocking him out. Later on, he ran into Desmond and crew in the jungle while they were looking for the helicopter pilot and got kickboxed into submission by Jin.

When he finally reappeared at the Others' camp to report that Naomi had landed on the Island with a satellite phone, Locke was in the middle of trying to convince Ben to take him to see Jacob. And that's when Locke - the real Locke, mind you, not Smokey - finally let out all the anger and frustration that had built up over two seasons, landing it all squarely on Mikhail's face. It was hilarious because it was unexpected; Locke is not a violent man at heart. But seeing him finally let out some of his anger was one of those moments which made you stand up and cheer.

And the fact Mikhail bounced back from that beating as well solidified his status as the "Scream" killer of Lost. For those of you unfamiliar, one of the running gags of the Scream series was that the killer was always someone who gets repeatedly pummeled by his victims as they're trying to get away, only to keep shrugging it off, bouncing back up and continuing the pursuit. And that perception of Mikhail is why so many people (including myself) expected him to have survived the grenade explosion that killed Charlie at the Looking Glass.

But alas, it seems there are some things you just can't bounce back from anymore.

89) Sayid works for Ben

Episode: 4.03 - The Economist
Synopsis: Sayid reveals he's become Ben's personal assassin
Why it’s great: It's raining on Sayid's wedding day. Plus: It's a classic Ben move

The Economist is another very underrated episode, IMHO, and it just might be Sayid's best episode. Lost really got its mojo back in the fourth season with the flashforwards which not only rejuvenated the Lost formula, but also gave us fresh looks at all our favorite characters. Sayid's episode was neat in that it featured a James Bond-like plot, with Sayid stalking his target in Berlin while romancing his prey's partner. I'm sure many people *ahem* didn't complain about the Sayid eye candy this episode either.

But the ending, finding out Sayid was doing all of this for Ben was simply mind-blowing. First of all, it told us that Ben also got off the Island somehow, despite not being part of the Oceanic Six. Secondly, it opened the possibility that all the rest of the O6 was in some sort of danger. But the best part about this scene were the character developments it brought about for Sayid for the rest of the show, all leading to him attempting to kill young Ben and briefly embracing his dark side when he kills Dogen and Lennon in the Temple.

And then there's the great scene later in the season where Sayid professes he will never work for Ben, ever. Awesome.

88) Ben gives a blunt eulogy for Locke

Episode: 6.04 - The Substitute
Synopsis: Ben says a few words over Locke's body
Why it’s great: Again, classic Ben. Plus: Frank gets a one-liner

This scene could be labeled as Ben Comedy, but it's really not. Ben was trying to be serious and genuine here. He was manipulated into killing an innocent man, one he really had no reason to hate as much as he did. His very blunt apology "I'm very sorry I murdered him" shocked the heck out of Ilana and the others and made us laugh with its honesty.

But it's Frank who gets the punchline here with his "Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to..." comment afterward. Comedy gold, Jerry.

87) Young Eloise kills her son

Episode: 5.14 - The Variable
Synopsis: Eloise completes a time loop with herself
Why it’s great: One of the biggest shock deaths of Lost

This was a total surprise to me and if certain elements of this scene didn't quite feel right with me it would be a lot higher up on my list. Still, as imperfect as the scene is, the idea that Eloise spent all her life training Daniel and pushing him in the direction of the Island to ensure he gets killed by her hand in the past was a pretty dark and brilliant idea by the writers.

What bothers me a bit about the scene was how it all developed. Daniel's death in the Others' camp seemed a bit forced to me; he certainly didn't have to head in there waving a gun as he's not a violent man by any respects. Seemed there would have been better (and more tragic) ways of pulling this off without making it feel so contrived. But the shock was genuine and the scene fits perfectly with one of the major themes of the show: Free will vs. fate.

Eloise was convinced that time couldn't be altered. That's why she sent Desmond to the Island, that's why she raised her son to be sacrificed at her hand. She believed in destiny - the the universe was ordered and set in stone and did everything she could to help it along. Was she right? Really hard to tell - the fact the Incident really didn't change history at all (all it did was create a Purgatory somehow) seems to suggest it really is immutable.

Yeah Daniel believed otherwise, but look what happened to him!

86) Sawyer gets a fish biscuit

Episode: 3.01 - A Tale of Two Cities
Synopsis: Sawyer gets a tasty treat
Why it’s great: One of my favorite humorous scenes. Plus: Tom Friendly gets a one-liner

As bad as the bear cages were as the mini-series edged forward, Sawyer's initial introduction to them was hilarious. First of all, it did solve a major Island mystery for us: How did the Island get its indigenous population of polar bears? Turns out DHARMA was experimenting on them and they escaped after the purge. That in itself was pretty cool, but Sawyer figuring out the polar bear cage task was hilarious. And the fish biscuits became fan favorites too, even inspiring fans to make their own (presumably much tastier) versions.

But the punchline to the scene just might have been the best line of the season by Tom Friendly. After noticing Sawyer had gotten himself a fish biscuit he blithely says "It only took the bears two hours." And with that line he completely surrendered the "major villain" title to Ben. Not that that's a bad thing.

85) Locke's smokehouse vision

Episode: 3.03 - Further Instructions
Synopsis: Locke gets a tour of the future with Spirit Guide Boone
Why it’s great: Best of all the Lost dreams and visions. Plus: Stephen King reference

Out of all the dreams and visions on Lost, Locke’s airport tour of the future with Spirit Guide Boone was my very favorite. First off, it was so well filmed; I loved the brighter-than-normal quality of all the shots, where all the colors are ethereal and incredibly vivid, especially Eko's blood at the top of the escalator that closed the scene. Reminded me a bit of "Sin City" in that respect. And all the sequences with the various factions of characters were really cool, especially as they were paired with Boone’s comments to Locke (and I like that Boone wasn’t especially kind to Locke during the vision too).

But I also love this scene because it's a direct reference to one of my favorite Stephen King novels of all time: "IT." There the young group of kids in the novel, who have been tormented by a malevolent force living in their town, decide to create a smokehouse in order to see if they can find some way to kill the creature. All the kids go in, but only one is able to stand the smoke and has a vision of IT arriving in the town, shown by a Spirit Guide who happens to be a turtle (as in the turtle with the world on his back).

I can't do the scene justice, but it's one of my favorite parts of the book and that reference makes this vision my favorite of them all.

84) Crazy Claire's creepy Aaron doll

Episode: 6.05 - Lighthouse
Synopsis: Claire shows Jin something very disturbing
Why it’s great: Best. Prop. Ever.

When Season 6 began and we first saw Claire, we knew something was a bit... off about her. After all, she had been apparently living alone on the Island for the past three years (admittedly I wasn't totally sure she was some Smokey zombie or something, but we knew she was off-kilter). And even though the writers really didn't follow through on Crazy Claire's potential as the season went on (I mean, c'mon, not only did she not kill Kate, she actually left the Island with her), she was one of the best parts of early Season 6. But Crazy Claire's pièce de résistance was her Aaron doll, made out of some sort of animal skull with a body of black fibers, just like the picture of Smokey on the temple wall.

When Jin looked in the cradle and saw that, we saw all we needed to know about Claire. "Run, Jin! Run for your life!"

83) Hooded Charlie admits to the con

Episode: 2.13 - The Long Con
Synopsis: Sawyer's con partner is revealed... and it's Charlie?!
Why it’s great: Best use of Charlie in the first two seasons

Season Two Charlie was fairly awful. His addiction storyline had run its course, his relationship with Claire was annoying and his flashbacks were actually worse than Kate's; I spent much of Season 2 simply wishing him dead. But the one shining moment Charlie had in Season 2 was something where he did something so very un-Charlie like: Helping Sawyer pull a long con on everyone by pretending to kidnap Sun and drag her into the jungle. And his motive for doing it? Revenge on Locke for embarrassing him in front of Claire.

The reveal that Charlie was Sawyer's assistant in the con, gave him a new, darker side that was, well, interesting. And the touch with his hoodie was great too, made him seem like he changed into a different person under there. Sadly, Dark Charlie was never seen again and even though Sun eventually found out it was Charlie who kidnapped her, she even forgave him.

Charlie redeemed himself in Season 3, of course, it's just a shame he had to die in order to do it.

82) Hurley writes "The Empire Strikes Back"

Episode: 5.13 - Some Like It Hoth
Synopsis: Hurley tries to change Ewok history
Why it’s great: Even Lucas would have to laugh at this

Miles and Hurley became the dynamic duo of geekdom during the fifth season, something that was greatly entertaining to watch. I really enjoyed "Some Like It Hoth" too - it's the only true Miles episode, had a very good flashback and I enjoyed the whole Hurley trying to get Miles to know his father storyline.

But the second-best (yes, you read that right) set of banter between Hurley and Miles was Hurley re-writing "Empire Strikes Back" for George Lucas "with a few improvements." Now it's an entertaining scene enough in itself and you kinda saw it coming considering Damon and Carlton are about as equally geeky as Hurley and Miles and probably even bigger "Star Wars" fans; you knew they weren't going to set an entire season in 1977 and not ever mention it was the same year "Star Wars" came out.

But the really great part about the scene is how later in the episode Hurley brings it up while trying to get Miles to talk to his dad, saying just like them Luke and Vader should have "communicated better." Yeah, it's a bit of a contrived stretch, but one that makes me laugh.

And Ewoks do indeed suck. :)

81) Locke is "alive"

Episode: 5.07 - The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham
Synopsis: Locke is alive?
Why it’s great: We didn't realize it at the time, but it's the true beginning of the end

TLADOJB was a rather up and down episode for me when I initially watched it. I thought a lot of Locke's efforts at recruitment were lame and most his conversations with the Oceanic Six (except for Jack) kinda shallow and disappointing, though the episode was redeemed by Locke's death at Ben's hand and his rebirth on the Island. But now that the show is over, this entire episode is a true masterpiece to me.

Locke's efforts at recruitment were lame because Locke was genuinely clueless. He was tasked with a quest that was destined to end in failure for the sole purpose of making him frustrated enough to kill himself, the seed of which was planted by Smokey himself in the future after Locke was already dead (see last week's list). And the fact Ben ended up doing the deed himself, while all the more shocking to us, while it may not have been exactly in Smokey's plan, was welcome all the same.

But the true shock of the episode was the fact "Locke" appeared alive, no different than before, on the Hydra Island beach. We didn't know it was Smokey at the time, so it kind of made everyone think Locke really was the mystical Island savior. And that's the really cool thing about this scene in retrospect. The entire show I had been arguing Locke really wasn't special - the only reason the Others considered him special at all was because he visited Richard in 1954, setting up his own destiny for himself. And the frustrated, Season 2 button pushing Locke was closer to the real Locke than anything we'd seen on the show.

So when "Locke" appeared alive on the beach, all of a sudden he really did appear to be special to the Island. It was a brilliant move by the writers, not just to keep us all in the dark as to "Locke's" true nature, but to keep Terry O'Quinn in the dark as well until the finale. Made the scene in the finale all the more powerful when we (and Terry) finally realize who he really is.

Moment Tally (updated through #81):

I'll be keeping a running tally of the number of times main or recurring (not minor) characters appear in these moments, along with which seasons they came from. I might even do a Power List later on - giving each points based on where they are in the list (1 point for #108, 108 points for #1) and so on. Depends on how ambitious I am. :)

This week Ben takes over the lead from Jack (it was actually a Jack-less week) and Season 6 keeps its lead over Seasons Five and Three. Also, just to make note of it here, Smokey in Locke's body counts as Smokey in the tally. Thus pretty much any time we see Locke after "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" it's actually a Smokey appearance even though we didn't actually find out it was really Smokey until "The Incident." Just FYI.

Main/Recurring Characters:

Ben - 6
Jack - 4
Locke - 4
Hurley - 3
Sawyer - 3
Sayid - 3
Smokey - 3
Charlie - 2
Claire - 2
Daniel - 2
Tom Friendly - 2
Aaron - 1
Boone - 1
Charles Widmore - 1
Charlotte - 1
Danielle - 1
Desmond - 1
Eko - 1
Eloise - 1
Frank - 1
Jacob - 1
Jin - 1
Juliet - 1
Kate - 1
Keamy - 1
Mikhail - 1
Miles - 1
Nikki and Paulo - 1
Pierre Chang - 1
Richard -1

Seasons:

Season Six - 7
Season Five - 6
Season Three - 6
Season Four - 4
Season Two - 3
Season One - 2

Next installment: #80-71.

Top 108 Moments: #100-91

2010-07-19T16:55:00.000-04:00

"Razzle freakin' dazzle"

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the second part of the Top 108 Moments in Lost!

Previous installments:

Honorable Mentions are here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made and was excluded from the list.

Moments #108-101

Today we have Moments #100-91 - keep in mind that most of the really powerful moments are reserved for the Top 50. A lot of the bottom of the list goes to humor and cool character pieces. Namaste.

100) Nikki and Paulo meet a satisfying end

Episode: 3.14 - Exposé
Synopsis: Who the heck are Nikki and Paulo?
Why it’s great: The writers serve up some tasty fanboy service by offing the two most hated characters of the series in spectacular fashion

"Exposé" is another one of those episodes that fans either love or hate. Personally I'm firmly in the love category because, as miscalculated as the addition of Nikki and Paulo was in Season 3, the way they were subtracted was both brilliant and inspired in its hilarity. First off, I loved the fact that the writers did string tidbits of the overall plotline to "Exposé" throughout the beginning of the first season. Secondly, The whole episode played light and loose with the fourth wall, with even Sawyer shouting "Who the heck are Nikki and Paulo?" at one point.

But Nikki and Paulo's ultimate demise - with Nikki starting to recover just as dirt is shoveled on her - was an homage in tried and true fashion to a classic "Alfred Hitchhock Presents" with Joseph Cotton, where Cotton plays a paralyzed car crash victim who everyone thinks is dead. It's dark, it's awful and it's a tongue-in-cheek mea culpa to fans who had wanted them dead and buried as soon as they appeared on screen. Kudos to the writers.

99) Jack needs Christian's coffin on board

Episode: 1.05 - White Rabbit
Synopsis: Jack delivers an emotional plea to get his father's coffin on Flight 815
Why it’s great: Because we see it over and over again from so many different points of view. Plus: Party of Five Jackface!

One of the signature moments of the first season, Jack's emotional plea to "Chrissy" to allow him to take his father home and bury him so "this can be over" was a fine piece of acting by Matthew Fox and was probably the first time in the series I thought - "Whoa. That was so Party of Five." But the moment is also neat in that we see it again and again from different points of view. Sun and Jin are standing in line behind Jack and we get to see it again in two of their flashbacks and we see Jack going up to the counter in the background of several other shots. It's also one of Jack's best monologues on the show - much better than his "Live Together, Die Alone" speech which comes later.

It also comes in the midst of one of my favorite episodes - one of my original Top 10's - "White Rabbit" and the flashback is juxtaposed alongside Jack finding his father's coffin empty on the Island. That was a great transition and it led to Jack smashing the coffin to pieces and giving us our first clue that there might be something up with dead people on the Island.

98) Desmond gets the Dr. Manhattan treatment from Widmore

Episode: 6.11 - Happily Ever After
Synopsis: Desmond gets zapped for the second time in his life
Why it’s great: It's a great reference to an even greater comic

As disappointing as the ending of Lost was for me, the ramp up to it was pretty terrific, highlighted by "Happily Ever After." All Desmond and Ben episodes have been pretty much universally great throughout the show and Desmond in particular has two of the top episodes of the entire series in "Flashes Before Your Eyes" and "The Constant." HEA doesn't quite live up to those two, but it certainly had its share of great moments - the backwards Alt version of Desmond's office meeting with Charles, Desmond's flash of NOT PENNY'S BOAT and, of course, Charles' twisted little box experiment that sent Desmond's consciousness into the Alt in the first place.

The entire scene was a direct homage to the accident that created Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen and I thought it was incredibly well done. Because they accidentally fried one of Widmore's henchmen right before they threw Desmond in, the look on Des' face as he entered the box was priceless. Not to mention, in a season where I was underwhelmed by the special effects, this scene stood out as incredibly well done from that standpoint. And to think, Des didn't even have to reassemble himself afterward. :)

97) Richard Malkin makes an impression on Claire

Episode: 1.10 - Raised By Another
Synopsis: Claire gets a creepy ultimatum from a supposed psychic
Why it’s great: Because it's one of the things that hooked me on the show

This is a scene that could have dropped off my list entirely, largely because to me it's still an unanswered question as to why somebody hired Malkin to put Claire on Flight 815. Paula points out there's a deleted scene where Malkin states he was paid $16K by a couple in LA to get Claire to give up their kid, but that's still kinda unsatisfying to me and kinda nonsensical (how did an LA couple hear about Claire?). I'd almost rather theorize that Jacob tipped off the couple to get Claire on Flight 815 because she and/or Aaron were candidates. That's a pretty plausible explanation given everything we saw in the final season and wouldn't it have been cool to see Jacob doing things like hiring Malkin, getting Hibbs to lure Sawyer to Sydney, tipping Kate's farmer friend off as to who she was, etc...? Anyhoo, I digress...

I kept this scene on here because for someone watching through Lost for the first time, this is a scene that grabs you. Not only does it suggest Claire and her unborn child are critically important to the show, but by extension it also hints might be an actual reason they - and all of Flight 815 - crashed on the Island (which is a theory the LA couple explanation would have negated). I still get goosebumps when I watch this scene and I wish it was something they could have returned to, perhaps from Jacob's perspective. This was one of the first season scenes that hooked me on Lost for good.

96) Jack's a "Work Man"

Episode: 5.09 - Namaste
Synopsis: Jack gets his assignment from Pierre Chang
Why it’s great: Hilarious, brilliant touch by the writers

Mid-season five was brilliant, with the dual storylines of "Locke" coming back-to-life in 2007 and the time-traveling quartet in 1977. The run of "This Place Is Death" to "Dead is Dead" just might be the best run of episodes Lost ever produced. "Namaste" is smack-dab in the middle of them and while overall the episode didn't have a lot of epic moments (largely because it was kind of transitory), it was action-packed from start to finish, highlighted by the Sawyer taking charge and trying to figure out a way to save all his friends from being discovered by DHARMA.

But one of the best touches amidst all this chaos was Jack being given his assignment by Pierre Chang and finding out he's a "Work Man." Not only is it a terrific reference to Ben's father, but it's also the writers letting Sawyer get in a subtle dig at Jack, something he does much less subtly when Jack confronts him at the end of the episode. It's a great moment and the look on Jack's face when he gets his jumpsuit is perfect.

95) Mr. Friendly draws "The Line"

Episode: 2.11 - The Hunting Party
Synopsis: Mr. Friendly delivers an ultimatum to the survivors
Why it’s great: Lost got a villain for the first time and he was... competent!

Sometimes it's easy to forget that before Smokey and Benjamin Linus there was Mr. Friendly, arguably the main villain of Season 2. He kidnapped Walt in "Exodus," then wasn't seen again until this scene in "The Hunting Party." And oh, what a scene it was.

Lost always looks visually spectacular at night, but this was probably the best night scene of the show, moody and atmospheric with the dark jungle and torches. But the best part was the fact Mr. Friendly wasn't exactly the dirty rube he seemed to be on the boat; on the contrary, he turned out to be a well-spoken, smart and competent antagonist. The best villains to me are effective villains, and this scene demonstrated that 1) the Others lured Michael to the jungle, 2) clearly knew everything about the survivors, and 3) seemed to have a plan as to what they wanted from them as well. It basically set up all the conflict for the next season and a half in terrific fashion and set Mr. Friendly on the road to becoming a fan favorite. It's too bad Lost didn't film more at night during its run - the cinematography is simply gorgeous with the jungle shadows and the torchlight.

94) Smokey comes roaring out of the Source

Episode: 6.15 - Beyond The Sea
Synopsis: Jacob kills his brother and a Smoke Monster is born
Why it’s great: It's the Origin of the Smokey

Am I really putting a scene from "Beyond The Sea" on this list, one of the most controversial episodes of the show's final run and one that I was personally disappointed with? Why, yes. Yes, I am. Origin stories, even if you don't agree with them (and I certainly was disappointed by this one), are always interesting to say the least and upon further reflection it might have been a good thing for the writers to leave open the question of Smokey's true nature - much of what has been speculated is probably better than anything they could have put forth on the show.

And say what you will about the motivations of Jacob and Smokey, the cheesiness of the Source special effects and the lingering questions regarding what exactly the Source and Smokey could do, the moment where Smokey emerged from the Source was a terrific one. Smokey's special effects have always looked great on the show and this scene was no different. This scene also gave us a new perspective on the Jacob/Smokey conflict - one I'm still not sure I agree with, but one that grabs your attention for sure - in that Jacob is responsible for creating Smokey.

In reviewing this episode, I stated I really didn't like that dynamic because it makes Smokey sympathetic and I kind of preferred it when he was simply evil incarnate. While I still think this, the flip side of that is it does make Jacob a more complex and interesting character.
If ABC was ever going to make a bit more Lost to fill in some of the blanks not addressed while the show was on, I'd love to see an episode set shortly after this one - with Jacob and MiB having their first conversation post-Smoke Monster. Now that would be awk-ward!

93) Smokey completes a time loop with Richard

Episode: 5.15 - Follow The Leader
Synopsis: Smokey has Richard tell Locke he has to kill himself... while he's inhabiting Locke's dead body!
Why it’s great: Best use of time travel on the show

This was exactly the sort of thing I was hoping to see when time travel was introduced on the show. The only reason Richard ever considered Locke special was because Locke visited him in 1954, giving him the compass and telling him he's going to be their leader. But that whole scenario was put into motion because in the future Richard tells Locke he's special, helps him kill Cooper and sets him on a path to go back in time. It's really everything you want time travel to be, which is why I'm so disappointed they ended everything so abruptly and the only result of the 77ers causing the Incident was that they created a Puragtory for themselves when they died. *sigh*

But the absolute pinnacle of that whole storyline was Smokey completing a time loop with himself (since he's in Locke's body at this point). When Locke was time traveling alone with a wounded leg, Richard came and found him (knowing exactly where he would be), gave him his compass back and told him he was going to have to die. Here we see the reason he knew where Locke would be - Smokey told him so, culled from Locke's own memories. Awesome. Doc Brown would be so proud.

92) "Hello, Aaron"

Episode: 4.04 - Eggtown
Synopsis: We finally meet Kate's son... and it's Aaron!
Why it’s great: It's surprising, creepy effective and very ominous for Claire.

Part of the reason I try to avoid spoilers at all cost are for scenes like this one. "Eggtown" wasn't the best episode ever, but I was surprised the reaction to it around the internet was so negative. But it seems a lot of the negative reaction stemmed from the fact people knew Kate's son was going to Aaron. I absolutely had no clue and it blew me out of the water. A lot of the speculation early in Season 4 was who the Oceanic Six really were - the fact Aaron was one of them changed things entirely (and there was also a lot of debate as to whether or not Aaron even counted as one of the six - that wasn't confirmed until Ji Yeon).

But the best part of this reveal wasn't the fact Aaron left the Island or that Kate had been raising Aaron for three years, what was really great was that it implied something very, very bad had happened to Claire. All of sudden, the storyline of Season 4 changed from speculation of who the Oceanic Six were to what the heck is going to happen to Claire to make her give up Aaron? Turns out she got blown up, got mind screwed by Smokey and was slowly driven insane. Not a bad answer.

91) Daniel tells a young Charlotte she has to leave

Episode: 5.14 - The Variable
Synopsis: Daniel full-fills Charlotte's memory of him
Why it’s great: We had been waiting for it all season and it didn't disappoint

Another very good use of time travel on the show, this was another foreshadowed event that didn't disappoint. Daniel was one of my favorite characters on the show and I actually loved the crush he had on Charlotte from the beginning. But that crush was made even better by the fact Charlotte knew Daniel as a child - she just didn't realize it until it was too late; in her dying breath she told Daniel she knew him as a kid and her last words were she wasn't "allowed to eat chocolate before dinner." Eight episodes later we finally got to hear those words from young Charlotte herself.

It was a great setup, and when we did finally get to see the actual scene Jeremy Davies didn't disappoint. In fact, you could say the scene was given even more gravitas considering Daniel was killed by his mom shortly after - thus Daniel completes a time loop with Charlotte by telling her never to return to the Island, then Eloise completes a time loop with Daniel by killing him, thus completing the destiny she'd always prepared him for. Not exactly poetic, but very cool nonetheless.

Moment Tally (updated through #91):

I'll be keeping a running tally of the number of times main or recurring (not minor) characters appear in these moments, along with which seasons they came from. I might even do a Power List later on - giving each points based on where they are in the list (1 point for #108, 108 points for #1) and so on. Depends on how ambitious I am. :)

Main/Recurring Characters:
Jack - 4
Ben - 3
Hurley - 2
Locke - 2
Sayid - 2
Smokey - 2
Aaron - 1
Charlie - 1
Charles Widmore - 1
Charlotte - 1
Claire - 1
Daniel - 1
Danielle - 1
Desmond - 1
Eko - 1
Jacob - 1
Juliet - 1
Kate - 1
Keamy - 1
Nikki and Paulo - 1
Pierre Chang - 1
Richard -1
Sawyer - 1
Tom Friendly - 1

Seasons:
Season Six - 5
Season Five - 3
Season Three - 3
Season Four - 3
Season One - 2
Season Two - 2

Next installment: #90-81 (and maybe a link dump in between). :)

Top 108 Moments: #108-101

2010-07-14T22:07:00.002-04:00

"What if I don't? You going to beat me with your Jesus Stick?"

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the first installment of the Top 108 Moments in Lost! My Honorable Mentions can be found here, which you might want to read first to get some of my thought processes on what made or what was excluded from the list.

Today we have Moments #108-101 - keep in mind that most of the really powerful moments are reserved for the Top 50. A lot of the bottom of the list goes to humor and cool character pieces. Namaste.

108) The Jesus Stick

Episode: 2.10 - The 23rd Psalm
Synopsis: Eko forces a disgruntled Charlie to lead him to the beechcraft wreckage.
Why it’s great: Favorite one-liner of the series

Before I begin, remember that this is the moment that will be bumped when you insert “The End” somewhere into the list. This really isn’t deserving of a slot of its own – after all, there are a lot of funny quotes and one liners that I’d love to include and the list already has a fair share worth of comedic moments. But I did want to at least acknowledge that Lost did a generally good job with banter, most coming from Sawyer and Hurley.

But Charlie asking Eko “You going to hit me with your Jesus Stick?” was probably my favorite of them all, just narrowly edging Sawyer's nickname of Ben as “The Artist Formerly Known As Henry Gale.” It also helps that the Jesus Stick comment came in one of the best episodes right before one of the best scenes of the entire show (Eko confronting Smokey for the first time). In fact, you can kind of almost consider this an extension of that scene, but I really wanted to give the line a little bit of attention of its own.

107) Alt Keamy Makes Some Good Eggs

Episode: 6.06 - Sundown
Synopsis: Keamy makes the mistake of threatening Sayid
Why it’s great: Keamy makes an even better villain in the Alt than he did in the real world. Plus: Jin!

Figuring out everyone’s role in the Alt was one of the most enjoyable parts of early Season 6. Just about everyone had changed to a degree – some for the better, some for the worse. Keamy really hadn’t changed at all – he was still as evil as ever – but his slick, Christopher Walken-like mafia goon impression was simply hilarious.

This was also the first time the show really let us know for sure the Sideways Flashes were going to all intersect. Yes, we had gotten a glimpse of Ben in Locke’s flash, but there was no guarantee we’d come back to that. But Sayid finding Jin tied up and bloodied in the fridge without explanation told us for sure we’d be seeing this scene from Jin’s point of view later in the season. Lost has gotten had some really nice character actors in lesser roles and it was nice to see them bring Kevin Durand back in Season 6.

106) Jack tells Ben "At least you won't have to be disappointed for very long."

Episode: 3.06 – I Do
Synopsis: Pretty much the only time in the show Jack gets the better of Ben verbally.
Why it’s great: When it comes to a war of words, Jack never gets the better of anyone, let alone Benjamin Linus.

The early part of Season 3 was a mistake by the writers. A lot of stuff from the mini-series – Ben’s breakfast with Kate on the beach, Ben conning Sawyer for no apparent reason, using Kate and Sawyer to build the runway, Jack taking Ben’s kidney hostage – really didn’t make a whole lot of sense if you looked at the overall picture. But after looking back at those episodes again, there were a lot of diamonds in the rough once you scraped off all the polar bear poo. And of all the episodes of the mini-series, "I Do" was probably the worst of the bunch - the cliffhanger was kinda silly and Kate's flashback was boring, despite the fact she married Captain Mal. But the start of the show had one terrific scene that holds a warm place in my heart today: Jack bluntly confronting Ben about his tumor.

Jack never does well in confrontations throughout the show. He’s good at speeches and pep talks, but when he’s one-on-one with one of the other characters, especially Sawyer and Ben, he almost never gets the final word and is usually ends up with a despondent Jackface at the end. But in this scene, Ben confronts Jack about his x-rays and tells him his marvelous, nonsensical plan to manipulate him was “shot to shit” when he saw them. Jack understandably refuses to operate on him and Ben responds that he’s “disappointed” in him. And then, with one of the best expressions ever (it’s actually kinda evil-looking), Jack leaves Ben speechless with the line above. It’s a great scene not just because of the interaction between the two, but because it’s so much fun to see Jack confidently have the upper hand for once on the show, even moreso over Ben.

105) Sayid redeems himself

Episode: 6.14 – The Candidate
Synopsis: Sayid proves once and for all he’s not an Evil Smokey Minion
Why it’s great: Because Sayid deserved to go out with a bang

One of the big problems with Season 6 was the inconsistency in the writing. Early on in the season, Sayid looked like he was going to be Zombie Locke’s second-in-command – a darker version of himself from which there was no coming back. But as the season progressed, Dark Sayid started to wilt. He first saved Desmond, then rebelled against Locke by getting the other candidates to the submarine. Part of me really didn’t like this at all, partly because it became clear they weren’t going to explain exactly what happened to Sayid in the contaminated Temple Spring and partly because it seemed kinda weak to suddenly have Sayid become good again.

That being said, I really did love the bomb scene on the sub. Yes, I saw the backpack switch coming from a mile away, so I knew the bomb was there. But I thought that whole sequence was very well done and I loved the shot of Sayid running down the sub corridor with the bomb after telling Jack “It’s going to be you.” Of all the characters on the show, Sayid is probably the one most in need of some redemption and it was really nice to see him get it in really awesome fashion.

Now if he only ended up with Nadia instead of Shannon in the Alt. *sigh*

104) Dr. Edmund Burke gets hit by a bus

Episode: 3.07 – Not In Portland
Synopsis: The Others "bus" in a badly needed fertility doctor
Why it’s great: 1) It literally came out of nowhere and 2) it showed exactly how ruthless the Others (and Ben) could be when there's something they want

This is the surprise death scene that I really wanted to leave off, but kept laughing at every time I tried to drop it. I think “Not in Portland” is a rather underrated episode. It introduced us to Juliet and Richard, had plenty of Easter Eggs for the die-hard watchers (Mittelos Bioscience and the Room 23 video) and gave us a very solid return from the hiatus after the mini-series. But it was the sudden demise of Dr. Edmund Burke that gave us the best, most hilarious moment of the episode: Richard tried to recruit Juliet, but she resisted because she knew her ex-husband, Edmund, wouldn't allow it unless he was “hit by a bus.”

Two scenes later it literally happened, with an Apollo Candy Bar ad on the side. Simply awesome.

103) Danielle has Ben over for dinner

Episode: 6.16 – What They Died For
Synopsis: Purgatory Ben gets a chance to start over with Alex and her mom
Why it’s great: Because the thought of Ben and Danielle together somehow... works

Alt Ben was the most interesting character to me in Purgatory Land, largely because his ghostly self still had elements of everything that made him ruthless on the Island, but was reined in by his love of Alex. This one scene I thought was so perfectly done in its brevity, showing us that this version of Ben actually has a chance at happiness, not only with Danielle (since they seemed to hit it off so well), but also at a second chance at being Alex’s (step)father. Michael Emerson was great in this scene – his facial expressions have always been the best on the show, but when Danielle told him she'd make sure to "use less onions next time" his face was simply perfect. And even though it was only one scene, I really thought the two had some good chemistry. Too bad we didn't get more from them.

One of my favorite little moments of the final season.

102) Hurley and Ben share a candy bar

Episode: 4.11 – Cabin Fever
Synopsis: Hurley shares an Apollo Bar with Ben outside Jacob's Cabin
Why it’s great: Best of the Ben Comedy scenes

This, to me, is one of the best of the Ben comedy moments, better than the burrito for sure. Nothing needs to be said here, just a quiet, solemn moment between the Future #1 and #2.

101) Sawyer, Locke and Hurley play Risk

Episode: 4.09 The Shape Of Things To Come
Synopsis: Because Locke fell victim to one of the classic blunders
Why it’s great: It’s Risk, people, Risk! How could it not be great?

The set up for this was great - after all the stress and tension throughout the season, the opening at first glance seemed serious - but then it turned into something wonderful in its hilarity. Honestly I'd love to see a blooper reel of this scene because I don't know how they kept straight faces filming it. Out of all the cultural references in Lost, having the guys play Risk was probably my favorite. And I so love this exchange:

HURLEY: We're all gonna die.
SAWYER: Calm down, Chicken Little. The sky ain't falling just yet.
HURLEY: This is exactly what he wants--to fight amongst ourselves. You're making a big mistake, dude.
LOCKE: It's his to make, Hugo. (To Sawyer) Let's get on with it.
SAWYER: Right ... I'm attackin' Siberia.
[Sawyer and Hurley roll the dice, and then Sawyer laughs, picking off some of Hurley's pieces.]
SAWYER: Sorry.
HURLEY: Can't believe you're just giving him Australia. Australia's the key to the whole game.
SAWYER: Says you.

I've now used that Australia line myself while playing. It never gets old. :)

Moment Tally (through #101):

I'll be keeping a running tally of the number of times main or recurring (not minor) characters appear in these moments, along with which seasons they came from. I might even do a Power List later on - giving each points based on where they are in the list (1 point for #108, 108 points for #1) and so on. Depends on how ambitious I am. :)

Main/Recurring Characters:
Ben - 3
Hurley - 2
Sayid - 2
Charlie - 1
Danielle - 1
Eko - 1
Jack - 1
Juliet - 1
Keamy - 1
Locke - 1
Sawyer - 1

Seasons:
Season Six - 3
Season Three - 2
Season Four - 2
Season Two - 1

Next installment: #100-91

Emmy Nods...

2010-07-08T10:09:00.008-04:00

Lost got a haul this year. The short list:

Outstanding Drama (Expected)
Outstanding Actor in a Drama: Matthew Fox (Nice!)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama: Michael Emerson, Terry O'Quinn (Expected)
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama: Elizabeth Mitchell, "The End" (Yay!)
Outstanding Direction for a Drama (Jack Bender, "The End")
Outstanding Writing for a Drama (Darlton, "The End")
Outstanding Art Direction for a Drama (For Ab Aeterno)
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama (For "The End")
Outstanding Original Dramatic Score: Michael Giacchino, (For "The End")
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Drama (For "The End")

Pretty sweet. Elizabeth Mitchell so deserves an Emmy for her work on Lost, even if it's only for her guest shot in the finale. Nice to see Matthew Fox get nominated too. I think Lost is going to win a bunch this year as a way for the Academy to send it off with a bang. Congrats to all. :)

Also, a quick note: My Blogger polls have been acting funny lately - I'm going to delete this one and try again later.

UPDATE: Yeah, Blogger Polls seem to be down, so I created a free account at PollDaddy instead. Really quick to set up, easy to use. Thanks to DarkUFO for the suggesting it in the Blogger help forums. :)

Top 108 Moments: Honorable Mentions

2010-07-06T23:00:00.001-04:00

"Have a cluckity-cluck-cluck day, Hugo."

(Thanks to Dark UFO and Lost Media for all the screencaps).

And so it begins! Sorry for the delay - work simply buried me last month, ending with a week-long conference in sweltering Orlando. And so I return... to sweltering New York? Sheesh.

I can't tell you what an undertaking this was for me, but it's really a labor of love and I'm fairly satisfied with the final list. Yeah, some of these can be shifted around a bit, but my hope is that this is a very good overall list that, with a couple exceptions (see below), most fans would probably agree with.

My final list had over 150 entries and cutting it down was hard. Very hard. I realized after poring over it for a couple days taking various entries on and off, it that there were several types of scenes where I really just had to pick the cream of the crop and leave the rest out, even if those moments by themselves were very enjoyable. So think of this list as a "wild card" - if there's a scene on here that's one of your favorites, feel free to substitute it in where you feel appropriate.

Here I'll present what ended up on the cutting room floor, along with my train of thought in the snippings. I really tried to capture a bit of everything that made the show great and I hope I caught all your favorites. The first bunch are all categories of cuts, along with the specific examples:

10) Surprise Death Scenes

Cuts:
Frogurt gets "arrowed" (5.02 - The Lie)
Ilana blasts off (6.12 - Everybody Loves Hugo)

Ah, the Arzt treatment. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of death scenes on the list - for the most part they're 1) shocking 2) memorable and 3) very well done on the show. But after Arzt blew up in "Exodus," the writers almost made it a running gag to off someone in a darkly amusing fashion once in a while. I have two of these I kept - one of which could have easily been left off except that every time I tried to remove it, I chuckled.

In fact, it's making me chuckle right now. Heh.

9) Visions and Dreams

Cuts:
"Theresa falls up the stairs..." (1.19 - Deus Ex Machina)
Claire's dream of Locke with the backgammon eyes (1.10 - Raised By Another)
"Have a cluckity, cluck, cluck day, Hugo." (2.04 - Everybody Hates Hugo)
Charlie dreams Hurley is Jesus (2.12 - Fire + Water)

Lost tended to do the creepy dream/vision thing fairly well and fairly often, the latter largely because Smokey was so adept at inducing them. Of course, this was more prominent in the early seasons than later on since Smokey kinda left the vision inducing business once he took Locke's form.

Many of these were hard to cut, especially the first three. Locke with the backgammon eyes was probably one of the most disturbing scenes of the first season, if not the entire show. Boone's "Theresa falls up the stairs..." vision to Locke was just a step behind that one and Hurley as Jesus was the only redeeming scene in Fire + Water, one of my least favorite episodes of all.

The one vision that did end up making the list was my personal overall favorite from the show, though any of these could be easily substituted for it.

8) Reunions and Meetings

Cuts:
Hurley's family gives Sayid a hug (4.12 - There's No Place Like Home, Part I)
Sun and Jin meet for the first time (2.05 - ...And Found)
Sawyer and Michael finally meet Bernard (2.04 - Everybody Hates Hugo)
Alt Hurley finally sees Charlie again (6.17 - The End)
Alt Sun and Jin, Sawyer and Juliet wake up (6.17 - The End)
Alt Locke meets Dr. Linus (6.03 - The Substitute)
Claire meets her father for the first time (3.12 - Par Avion)
Jin talks to his dad (1.17 - ...In Translation)
Sun meets Jin's father (3.18 - D.O.C.)

Lost also did the emotional reunion/surprise meeting fairly well, though I think some of them lost their potency in the later seasons. All of these cut scenes had things I loved. The scene where the Oceanic Six is rescued is great, not just for Hurley introducing Sayid to his parents, but for Kate standing there alone holding Aaron (though I'm actually a bit surprised Jack didn't introduce her to his mom - too soon?) I love the scene on the waterfront where Sun and Jin bump into each other - Jin's looking for someone wearing orange and turns as a girl in an orange dress walks by only to bump into Sun. That whole flashback was much better than I remembered it being.

Bernard's introduction was one of the best parts of the early second season once we met Ana-Lucia, showing us there were survivors from the tail section of the plane. And when he finally introduced himself to Sawyer and Michael asking if Rose was okay, it was a terrific payoff after a season of buildup.

There are lots and lots of neat meetings from "The End" and, while I didn't agree with the ending of the show, I did enjoy all the reconnections. Hurley seeing Charlie in the hotel room and tranquilizing him was probably my favorite - Hugo's smile as Charlie opened the door was awesome. And Sun/Jin, Sawyer/Juliet were probably the two best emotional payoffs in the finale. Instead of all these, I chose one other meeting scene from the finale to represent them all. Alt Ben revealing himself as a European History teacher early in Season 6 was great as well.

Claire meeting Christian was one of those big moments that was totally expected by the time it came around, especially since it was strongly hinted at in the "Lost Connections" extra on the Season 2 DVD set. Plus, Goth Claire was cool. Jin's dad was one of my favorite flashback characters on the show. Loved the scene where he finally met Sun - that was a really hard one to leave out.

All of these were cut because there's an excess of these types of scenes in the list already, but all are certainly worthy scenes.

7) Ben Comedy

Cuts:
Hurley throws a burrito at Ben (5.02 - The Lie)
Ben asks Locke whether the rabbit had a number (4.06 - The Other Woman)
Ben cheerfully says 'See you guys at dinner!" (4.06 - The Other Woman)

During the Jimmy Kimmel, Live! Lost special after the finale, Michael Emerson was asked what his favorite scene was to film. He responded with the one above about the rabbit and the number saying "That's when I realized I was in a comedy." I thought it was an amusing comment at the time, but after making this list I finally see that he was serious.

Yeah, there are a lot of "Evil Ben" scenes on the list, but there are also a lot of "Funny Ben" - dark humor for the most part, but humor nonetheless. All the scenes above are great, the latter one especially for Sawyer's WTF look, but all were cut in favor of other Ben moments. I'm going to keep a running tally of character representation on the list and I suspect Ben will be at or very close to the top.

6) Locke Abuse

Cuts:
Locke discovers his father conned him out of a kidney (1.19- Deus Ex Machina)
"Henry Gale" plays mind games with Locke in the Swan (2.19 - S.O.S.)
Alt Rose tells Locke to accept who he is (6.03 - The Substitute)
Ben shoots Locke in the non-kidney (3.20 - The Man Behind The Curtain)

Locke (and Smokey as Locke) will also likely be near the top of the list in terms of appearances, but in Locke's case a lot of the scenes are heartbreaking ones. Locke had a screwed up life, largely because of Cooper, and Terry O'Quinn simply did an incredible job making us feel awful for John over and over again throughout the series. The hardest ones of these to cut were the scenes in Deus Ex Machina where Locke learns from his mom that Cooper conned him out of his kidney and where the security guard refuses to let Locke into his father's estate. Thing is, that wasn't the worst thing Cooper would do to Locke (and, in fact, it actually saved his life later on) and these scenes were cut in favor of others.

Now we move on to three individual scenes - the last three I cut from the list.

5) Assassin Sayid kills Ben's final enemy in Russia (5.10 - He's Our You)
4) Sun wears a bikini on the beach (1.17 - ...In Translation)
3) Kate interrupts Sawyer and Juliet in the sub (5.15 - Follow The Leader)

These three scenes are all great - Sayid looks awesome in the first scene and his realization his life has no real purpose beyond killing for Ben at the end of it was some fine acting on Naveen Andrews part. Sun wearing a bikini on the beach is an iconic moment from the first season (one that was made into a toy) and a reminder of just how far the characters came over the course of the show.

The final scene listed above wasn't really wasn't a great moment. In fact, it was an awful, sick-in-the-pit-of-your-stomach moment that made you feel so very sorry for Juliet. But it also, almost inconceivably, made me care about the outcome of the stupid love triangle and for that monumental achievement it deserved some consideration.

Now we get to the last two moments...

2) The Island is underwater in the Alt (6.01 - L.A. X)

When I first saw this scene, I jumped up and clapped. Now it just saddens me because it's kind of meaningless - it really was shown for no other reason than to make us think the Alt was an alternate timeline where the Island was destroyed and Smokey escaped, greatly diminishing its potency. Probably would have been a Top 10 otherwise, which brings me to...

1) The end of The End (6.17 - The End)

I know many of you would have this in their Top 10, if not first overall. And I did try and place it somewhere in my list, but in "the end" I just couldn't figure out where to place it, especially since there's so much disagreement over it, so I'm copping out and leaving it up to you. It certainly deserves a place on the list, but I don't think I'm qualified to choose the position.

So think of this as a wild card - place it in your own list wherever you deem appropriate and bump #108 off, which is a guilty pleasure scene of mine put there as a kind of placeholder (as you'll see).

The Rest of the Rest:

Other scenes that were cut from the final list, offered without comment. They were all just father down the list for me and, well, we only have 108 spots here...

1) Miles tells Ben Jacob hoped he was wrong about him (6.07 Dr. Linus)
2) Locke asks Ben what the Monster is (4.02 Confirmed Dead)
3) Jack sees the lighthouse dial (6.05 Lighthouse)
4) Jae Lee takes a dive (3.02 The Glass Ballerina)
5) Hurley beats Sawyer at ping pong (3.11 Enter 77)
6) Hurley cons Sawyer into being nice (3.15 Left Behind)
7) Hurley gets a lecture from Ana-Lucia (5.02 The Lie)
8) Young Ben brings Sayid a sandwich (5.09 Namaste)
9) Infected Sayid kills Dogen and Lennon (6.06 Sundown)
10) Smokey rampages through the temple (6.06 Sundown)
11) The Hatch lights up (1.19 Deus Ex Machina)

Upcoming Schedule:

So my plan for this list is to post them in groups of ten (except for #108-101). I'm also going to keep a running tally of character appearances and seasons all these moments were taken from so we'll be able to look back once this is complete.

The schedule is going to be fairly erratic, but be assured this list will be completed at some point this summer - really the hardest part was deciding what was on it - now that I've got my outline the rest is semi-difficult-to-bake pie. But my goal is to try and post once a week until I'm done. See you soon! :)

An Excellent Question...

2010-06-03T11:44:00.003-04:00

I'm back! My Top 108 Lost Moments list is coming, although I'm still revising it because after looking it over I realized there were a couple important ones I left out. As a result, over the long weekend I read through the Lostpedia synopsis of every episode again. Of course this drove my list up above 140 and I'm now working to pare it down to 108 with about 10 honorable mentions or so. Will probably take me a couple more days before the first post goes up. I'm also trying to find clips or screenshots for all of them and that's been adding a lot of time to the project.

But Matt sent me an e-mail this morning on something else I've been meaning to address:

I was looking over your list of top ten episodes, drawn up at the end of season three. I know that you've got the 108 moments list cooking, and that the more charitable thing to do would be to identify the ten best episodes from the last three seasons.

I'm curious, though. What would a top ten list for the whole series look like? Relatedly, are there any episodes on the original list that you see in a different light with the series as a whole in mind?

I have been meaning to draw up a new Top 10 Episode list (you can read my previous one here) for the series as a whole, although I'm unsure as to how to go about it. I could add reviews for new entries on the list and simply reprint any holdovers or just do a short, one-post update to the list itself. I'm currently leaning towards the former, likely after my moments list is finished.

But the really hard part is that my opinions of some episodes have changed a lot. I didn't even include "Through The Looking Glass" on my original list because at the time, while I thought it was good, I don't think it had sunk in yet just how good it was. I made my list shortly after that finale aired and I also think part of me didn't want to include it because it was too new. Also I already had two season openers and a season finale on there and I wanted to spread the love around a bit. Now I don't think you could have a Top 10 episode list without having it on there somewhere.

Rereading all the synopses has also given me a new appreciation for some of the episodes too. For example, while the mini-series at the beginning of Season 3 was by-and-large still terrible with a lot of plot elements that didn't really work (Ben and Kate on the beach, Ben's tumor, Ben's "con" of Sawyer, Kate's wedding, Bear Cage Sex, etc...) that mini-series also contained a few of the best moments of the entire series (with the really prominent one being Ben showing Jack the Red Sox winning the World Series).

All of this has really only gone in one direction for me - i.e. it's made me like some episodes more than I did before; episodes I really, really liked have continued to hold up pretty well. I don't think any episodes are going to be removed from the list on their own, I simply think they're going to be bumped off by better ones or ones I now hold in higher regard (like TTLG).

I also put up a new poll. The results from "The End" were really impressive as 75% of you thought it was "above average" or better. Bodes really well for Lost's legacy overall and that's really nice to see. After all, we do want someone to eventually find the next "Lost," eh? :)

What Could Have Been...

2010-05-27T22:36:00.002-04:00

One last thought on "The End" and I'm done. I was looking back through some of my old theories and such and came across this entry, and I couldn't help but think how much cooler (to me) a sci-fi ending to the show would have been.

I know most of you disagree, but I think right up until "Across The Sea," I was still expecting an ending like that. That change in expectations after AtS definitely contributed to my disappointment in the finale.

Makes me also realize just how wrong my predictions were about everything, especially in Seasons 4 & 5. *sigh*

Moving On...

2010-05-26T09:29:00.004-04:00

Few more thoughts from the finale, which I don't really want to dwell on, but there were a couple (positive) things I forgot to mention in my review. I'm a pretty optimistic guy by nature and I really hate being negative. I've read a lot of reviews the past few days and I'm happy so many people liked the finale, critics and fans alike. It's going to solidify Lost's reputation as one of the best shows ever seen on the small screen, a reputation I happen to agree with regardless of my feelings on the finale. I think if there was a positive review I agreed with the most, it was The Onion AV Club. While I dislike the fact the ending of the show was more metaphysical than sci-fi, I do like the idea that the friendships and connections these characters made was what helped them triumph in the end.

- Best awakening scene, IMHO: Sawyer and Juliet. Yeah, Kate, Claire and Charlie was good too, but somehow James and Jules got to me the most.

- Hurley's grin when Charlie answered the door was great too. Also loved his pose as he aimed the tranq gun.

- And as wrong as it was that Shannon awakened Sayid instead of Nadia, it was great seeing Boone again, as himself instead of a trippy spirit guide.

- As I mentioned in the comments, my favorite line of the night was: "You all head to your heart of the island and I'll go get the magic leprechaun out of the well."

- I did love all the homages to earlier episodes. The Hatch shot, as Jack and Locke looked down at the Source, the sonogram Juliet gave Sun, Kate and Sawyer cliff diving together.

- So when Desmond time-traveled in "Flashes Before Your Eyes" and "The Constant" did he actually travel to the Alt? Maybe in the former, likely not in the latter. Desmond very well could have died in the Swan implosion sending him temporarily to the Alt universe where Alt Eloise (who seemed to be just as aware as the one who was married to Charles) tried to keep him on the right course. When he traveled in "The Constant" was was very clearly in the same timeline as present day Penny, so I don't think that was a trip to the waiting room. Not to mention, escaping the Island isn't quite the same experience as being thrown into a giant Em box or releasing a huge amount of EM energy.

- So why was Smokey so angry at Eko for not preventing the destruction of the Swan? Two reasons. First of all, I think he knew that the Swan's energy could destroy the Island if it wasn't kept contained and since Jacob was still alive at that point, he knew he'd be destroyed along with it. Secondly, I think he was worried that even if the Island wasn't destroyed, his personal loophole, John Locke, would be. I think the reason he wanted Eko to "help John" was partially to protect his escape plan.

- It's also fitting Michael wasn't in the final reunion. He didn't deserve to be there for what he did and he related as much to Hurley when he saw him on the Island. And the more I think about it, the more I really like Ben staying outside the church despite being forgiven by Locke. I really hope those two guys do get to work together on a project in the future.

- I'm currently editing my Top 108 moments list. Really hard to pare down and organize. Should foster some interesting discussion. I'm having a particularly hard time about where to place some moments from the finale because even if I disagree with some of the choices the writers made, they're too important not to have on the list. First installment will be up after the holiday.

Lost Episode Review 6.17 & 6.18: "The End"

2010-05-24T00:36:00.010-04:00

"This is the place you all made together so you could find one another. The most important part of your life was the time you spent with these people. That's why you're all here...."

(Thanks to Dark UFO for all the screencaps).

I was going to simply use "See you in another life, brutha" as my quote, but it just seemed too obvious.

Leading up to the finale, there was a lot of online discussion about where Lost's ending would fall among the ranks of the great and the not-so-great. On the great side, you have M*A*S*H, Newhart and Cheers; on the not-so-great (or at very least, controversial) you have Seinfeld, The Sopranos, St. Elsewhere and BSG. My gut feeling is that if you're one of the people who liked "Across The Sea" you're going to put "The End" in with the greats. If you didn't, it's going to fall in the latter group, possibly pretty far down.

As for myself, I'm of two minds. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the narrative overall, but I'm greatly disappointed that 1) everything in the Alt was kinda made irrelevant by the fact it was really just an existential waiting room and 2) all the unresolved questions that were ignored in favor of the Jacob/MiB conflict this season made much of the previous seasons feel irrelevant as well.

On some of the message boards, it's been suggested Lost would have been better if it ended with Season 5 - Juliet detonates the bomb and fade to black (or white, I suppose). The end. Dark? Sure, but dark is always cool. The same thing could be said for BSG, which could have ended in even a darker manner halfway through the final season (in fact, it could have gone down in history as the darkest, bleakest ending ever seen). But BSG instead chose to go out happy, giving most of the characters a fan-friendly send-off that treated them with reverence. Lost chose this route as well. There was also a touch of "The Sopranos" here as well, especially in the fact that Darlton chose to go out on their own terms.

Darlton were kinda sensitive in their defense of "Across The Sea," especially in regards to the words "cop out." But there's really no way to spin this ending without mentioning those words. Even if you liked the feel-good reunion at the end and didn't care about all the unresolved questions, in order to make it all work and us in suspense all season they had to give us a big head-fake as to the Alt's true nature. And now, in retrospect, a lot of what we saw in the Alt this season doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. And for a show that prides itself on its intelligence and the intelligence of its viewers, this is extremely disappointing to me.

I'm not going to be totally negative here, if you want that you can go here instead. Let's go through some of the individual plot elements from "The End" and take a look at what I liked and didn't like.

1) The Alt is an existential waiting room where the Losties gather until they're all dead and ready to "move on."

I did like this. Sorta.

Is it creative? Yes. Is it schmaltzy? Yes. Were all the awakenings emotionally manipulative? Heck yeah. But I really enjoyed all of the Alt scenes regardless. The ending in the church felt a little too much like a self-congratulatory cast party, but it still tugged the heartstrings. And it didn't cheapen what happened on the Island because all these people really did die, just some much later than others. Kate, Sawyer and everyone on the Ajira plane really did escape from the Island.

The problem with it is that because it was just a "waiting room," nothing in it was real. Everything we saw in the Alt this past season was fake. And in retrospect, even though all the awakenings were cool, it makes us question why they all had to wake up in the first place.

Also, because they didn't want to give the ending away, they had to mislead us all season into thinking the Alt was actually an alternate timeline. Yes, Jack's cut on his neck and "appendix scar" (yay, more blatant Christian symbolism) were nice bits of misdirection, but there was so much about the Alt that now, in retrospect, just doesn't make a lot of sense. Showing us the sunken Island in "LA X" was a total head-fake, put there simply to make us think it was an alternate timeline and that kinda ticks me off. It does make me feel somewhat good that my pocket universe theory was somewhat closer to the actual truth.

Also because the Alt is a total fake, a lot of the stuff we saw there this season just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. As I mentioned above, why did Desmond have to wake everyone up? How did he get woken up in the first place? Did he did actually die and come back when Charles Widmore tried to turn him into Dr. Manhattan? Certainly seems like it. But the weirdest thing was Aaron being "born" into the Alt. He certainly must have lived a full life in the real world with Claire and Kate. Must suck to have to then spend your entire afterlife as an infant because that's how these people remembered you. :P

2) The Island really is a cork to keep Hell in its place.

It's not just a cork, it actually has a literal cork too. And when you pull it out, it negates all rules on the Island or something. Jack and Smokey become mortal, everyone dies. Again I imagine anyone who liked "Across The Sea" liked this. I thought it was kinda cheesy.

3) You gain no awareness or knowledge whatsoever by becoming the new Jacob.

I think this is the plot element that annoyed me the most. Jack becomes the new Jacob and doesn't have a clue. WTF? Granted, this was only done because it was the only way to set up the ending, but this was emblematic of the episode itself. The awakenings, Jack being clueless, Jack and Smokey becoming mortal, Aaron being an infant in the Alt... all these things were done to get us to the reunion and the final shot of Jack's eye closing. Darlton knew the final shot was to be Jack's eye closing in the bamboo field and had to come up with some pretty silly plot devices to get him there.

Jack's been stabbed in the side and has to cross the Island and climb down a rope? No problem. Jack gets blown out of the Source like Smokey and survives? No problem. After all that he's still able to stagger through the jungle to the bamboo forest? No problem. After all that he wants to stagger through the forest to the bamboo jungle? Yeeesh. It was almost like you could see him thinking "I've... got... to... get... perfect... final... shot... before... I... die" while he was walking. Completely contrived and really, really weak.

4) What happened on the Island, happened. Those who escaped, escaped.

I liked the fact that some people did manage to escape the Island, that Kate managed to bring Claire back and that all the Island stuff wasn't a dream. There's also a bit of fanservice in that Kate and Sawyer get to be together in real life while Kate and Jack (and Sawyer and Juliet) get to be together in the afterlife. Guess Kate got the best of both worlds, eh?

I also cheered when I saw Frank was still alive. Makes me feel better knowing he didn't die a pointless death.

5) Ben and Daniel stay behind to be with the people they love.

I kinda like this even if it doesn't make much sense. Daniel wouldn't go with them since Charlotte was here. Ben would stay for Alex (and maybe Danielle), not to mention, he always felt he was a bit of an outsider of the group - remember his pained speech to Ilana where he told her he was going to Locke because he had nowhere else to go? The scene outside the church reminded me of that. In fact, I think that would be the one scene from the episode that would make my Top 108 moments list - Locke forgiving Ben.

But why would you want to stay in a waiting room when the real afterlife awaits? Wouldn't the real afterlife be so much better? Maybe there's a really juicy issue of People Magazine they haven't read there or something.

6) Rose, Bernard and Vincent did time travel to 2007 and lived out their lives on the Island.

Yay. Just yay. :)

Oh, and I totally called it, by the way. In general I was pleased with several of my predictions: The Alt being Lost's happy ending, Desmond entering the source, Juliet being Jack's ex-wife, Hurley being Jack's backup, Smokey using The Elizabeth as his escape plan. Just didn't see the waiting room coming. *sigh*

7) Hurley becomes the new Jacob and Ben becomes his #2.

I liked this as well. And props to Michael Emerson here too. Did you notice the way his eyes dropped when Jack chose Hurley as his successor? He so wanted the job himself, even though he knew he didn't deserve it. But somehow the thought of those two living on the Island for an eternity together after everyone else has left is kinda neat.

8) Eloise really was self-serving.

I kinda predicted this. Smokey had nothing to do with the Alt, but it does fit that all of Eloise's motivation was selfishness, driven by the desire to be together with Daniel.

9) The writers really didn't care about anything other than the characters.

And this sucked. Yeah, they've been warning us all season, but it doesn't make it suck any less. And don't get me wrong, the characters were important, but Darlton knew the fanbase cared about the mythology as well and to just ignore it entirely in favor of heart-tugging schmaltz is a total cop out. You can almost hear Journey playing in the background.

Darlton will argue that they had no obligation to answer every question on the show, but the sheer magnitude of everything they've ignored diminishes every season of Lost outside of this one and the first. Why do all the Egyptian stuff in the first place? Why spend so much time on childbirth on the Island? Why tease us with giant statues of fertility goddesses if they're just there for show? I'm not angry, I'm just sad and incredibly disappointed they chose the easy way out.

10) I have perfected the chicken wing.

If there is one excellent thing that came out of last night, it's that I've perfected my chicken wing recipe. The breading was excellent, the sauces were incredible and they were cooked to perfection. I actually had to put the remaining Honey BBQ sauce into the fridge otherwise I would have eaten the entire bowl with a spoon. I wish I was eating them right now...

Summary (and future blogging plans)

I'm going to give this episode a 2.5/5. The character stuff was a 5, but it gets a 0 for the mythology and overall I feel a little disappointed, about the same as I did after the BSG finale, but I do think on the whole I liked that finale a bit more because (with one major exception) I thought it was a bit more honest about it's intentions than Lost was.

Next week, I'll start my Top 108 Lost Moments list. I'll probably post them in batches of 10 or so along with a few honorable mentions that didn't quite make the cut. After that, I think I'm probably going to start a new blog, one that will touch on a variety of subjects I'm interested in, including science, the Mets, parenting and, of course, pop culture. There will be an announcement once that begins.

As for Lost, it will still remain one of my favorite all-time shows. I'm just a bit saddened that it's legacy to television (which will still remain great, to be sure) is likely going to be diminished by the ending.

What did everyone think? :)

Thoughts?

2010-05-23T23:46:00.002-04:00

So.... what did everyone think? I'm working on my review - which will be up tomorrow morning - though I might need to marinate on this for a couple days before it all sinks in. Very curious to see the poll results on this one.

Still can't believe it's all over. :(

I Need A Countdown Timer...

2010-05-23T18:19:00.004-04:00

Less than three hours left. I've got three types of hot wings going. Some Honey BBQ, Mild Buffalo and the original Anchor Bar wing recipe (which is absolutely fabulous). I'm ready for a cluckity, cluck, cluck final evening of LOST. :)

Of course, there might eventually be one up for sale, although it's not currently in the LOST Auction preview. I think the timer is the one thing I'd really, really kill to have of all the memorabilia. Out of what they've listed though, I think Hurley's Lottery Ticket and the Jesus Stick are my two favorites. Locke's backgammon set is tempting too, but it's just not distinctive enough. Faraday's journal would be a neat thing to stick innocculously on my lab bench. :)

What would all of you really, really want from the show?

In Tears...

2010-05-23T09:47:00.002-04:00

But not from sadness. Jimmy Kimmel's LOST-themed "Unnecessary Censorship" had me laughing so hard I was crying.

Less than 12 hours people... :)

Finale Preview

2010-05-22T13:13:00.009-04:00

Before the season kicked off, I made several lists of mysteries I predicted we would or would not get answers to before the end of the show. For starters, let's look at how we're doing on mysteries from my pre-season poll:

1) Who are Jacob and the Nemesis?

Pretty much answered, although I'd still like to know whether they or Mother have any ties to Egyptian mythology (or whether all the Egyptian stuff was just a hobby of Jacob's).

2) What is the Monster?

Again, pretty much answered and we'll certainly find out what the exact nature of the Monster is tomorrow night, i.e. Is he Smokey's soul or something Jacob released by throwing his brother into the Source.

3-tie) What are the Whispers?

Answered. Restless souls trapped on the Island, incapable of moving on.

3-tie) What is the Island?

Basically answered. It's certainly a prison for Smokey now, but we still need to know exactly what The Source is and why Mother was protecting it before Jacob came along.

5) What's in the Temple?

Answered. Too bad it was kinda lame. I am still curious as to whether the pool in the Temple bubbles up from The Source. If so, it seems The Source was corrupted with Jacob's death. Has it been restored now that Jack has taken over?

6) Why is Aaron important?

In the wake of the previous episode, this something I'm even more curious about. Since the end of last season, I thought Aaron had to be raised by Claire and Claire alone so that he would remain "good" and be able to replace Jacob. However, Jacob said he chose all the candidates because they were "flawed like him." Furthermore, he was raised as an innocent and railroaded into becoming Jacob against his will and I can't see him doing the same thing to another young, blond-haired lad.

So was the whole Richard Malkin thing simply a ruse by Jacob to get Claire on the plane. Did Aaron have a destiny on the Island before Kate took him away. This is one of those big questions that hasn't been addressed. I really hope we get an answer to tomorrow.

7) Why do pregnant women die on the Island?

This will be addressed tomorrow. It's one of those things Darlton has been incredibly evasive on, so you know it ties into the nature of the Island itself.

8-tie) Who are Adam and Eve?

Answered. Even if (to me) the answer was incredibly disappointing.

8-tie) What's Libby's backstory?

Unfortunately I think this is one of those things that's going to fall by the wayside, unless her Alt timeline counterpart reveals something in the finale. And the sad thing is how little we really know about her - we don't know why she was in Australia, why she gave Desmond the boat, who her husband was or why she was in Santa Rosa. And even sadder is the reason we don't know all of this is likely because Cynthia Watros decided to get go get herself a DUI and was written out of the show. :P

10-tie) Who are Ilana and Bram?

Answered. Again they were both kinda lame, although Ilana did have one really good scene with Ben before she went boom.

10-tie) Does everyone on Flight 815 have a specific destiny?

Answered. The people who survived certainly did. It does seem that the majority of them were candidates, brought to the Island by Jacob. And you have to imagine he manipulated them to get them all on Flight 815. Much easier to have to bring just one plane to the Island then have them all arrive separately. :)

12) Did the Juliet really change history by detonating the bomb?

Kinda answered. She certainly created the Alt, but it remains to be seen how the two timelines are connected and how it's all going to be resolved.

So out of the twelve listed here, we have five that have been fully answered, four more that we've gotten partial answers on and one that we've got nothing but almost certainly will be addressed tomorrow. The only two from this list that might fall by the wayside are Aaron (boo) and Libby (oh well). That's really not too shabby.

But what about my two lists of Minor Mysteries (some of these do overlap)? How did I do on these?

Mysteries That Will Be Answered:

1) Claire and Aaron - Probably not
2) The Whispers - Answered
3) Walt's importance - Probably will
4) The Black Rock - Answered
5) The Supply Drops - Likely not

Mysteries That Will Not Be Answered:

1) Ben, Locke and The Swan - Probably not
2) Kelvin, Radzinsky and The Sickness - Probably not
3) Henry Gale - Likely not
4) The Capsule Dump - Likely not
5) The Elizabeth - Answered

Unless we revisit (and get to see) a bit of the aftermath of The Incident, I think most of the DHARMA minutiae are going to fall by the wayside as well. I definitely think we'll get a reason why they kidnapped Walt - Ben is going to say something along the lines of "we were trying to get him to manipulate the Island's energies for us" to wrap that up. We could conceivably get the same sort of answer about Aaron as well, but part of me thinks Walt is more likely.

Regardless though, I'm really not that concerned. As long as they wrap everything up in a well-written, non-cheesy manner that does right about the characters, I'll be really happy. Lost has been a wonderful, imaginative, completely original trip for the past six years and I'm really happy I've been along for the ride.

Don't forget that tonight at 8pm there's a pop-up version of The Pilot on ABC! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some wings to prepare. :)

Valiant Effort

2010-05-21T11:24:00.003-04:00

Woman who just lost her job tries to watch all six seasons of Lost in 4.5 days and writes a blog on it as well. She may not succeed, but it's pretty fascinating to follow her along. As of early this morning she was up to the end of Season 2. Might take a couple all-nighters to get it done. :)

I'll have some pre-finale thoughts tomorrow as I contemplate my wings. Missie, you're totally right, I need a Mr. Cluck's bucket for them. :)

Lost Episode Review 6.16: "What They Died For"

2010-05-18T20:35:00.030-04:00

"Mr. Locke, I think you're mistaking coincidence for fate..."

(Thanks to Dark UFO for all the screencaps).

Yeah, it wasn't the best quote of the episode, but I couldn't resist.

Now this was the heady Lost buzz I was looking for last week. I really can't believe they didn't air this episode right after "The Candidate" and give us "Across The Sea" earlier in the season. AtS was easily the most polarizing episode I ever had in my Lost poll. The results:

Best episode ever: 10%
In my Top 10: 10%
Above average: 32%
Average: 13%
Mediocre: 20%
Awful: 10%
Toy airplane awful: 3%

I've never had an episode poll where every single category got at least one vote. I expect this episode to be much more clustered near the top. Overall a great set-up for the finale - it didn't redeem AtS much, but it at least returned to the Island and Alt narratives that were chugging along so well until last week. The one reference to last week I did like is the fact Jacob wanted to give the candidates "what he never had" - a choice, even though there was a risk none of them would take the job (although, much like his Mother, Jacob really didn't explain all the negatives that come with the position).

It's now down to Jack, Hurley, Sawyer and Kate (and maybe Richard and Miles) vs. Locke and Ben (and maybe Claire). I like those teams. My predictions were completely off this week. Not only did the reveal of Alt Jack's wife get put off until the finale, but I guess I was totally wrong about Ben redeeming himself (maybe). Ben's betrayal of Widmore and Tina Fey was the most shocking scene of the season to me - easily makes my Top 108 moments list, possibly fairly high up on it too.

Alt Desmond was great too. Part of what's so enjoyable about his "getting the band back together" routine is how much fun he seems to be having doing it and I loved how Hurley is now fully on board as well. Now it seems that entire storyline is on a collision course with David's concert where Jack's wife is waiting for us... and where Kate is now heading as well... in a little black dress. Methinks Jack's head is about to explode.

The only thing I was a little disappointed with was how easily Jack took over Jacob's job. It was all kind of anti-climactic - happened pretty much exactly as we all expected it to happen. The candidates have a choice? Check. Jack volunteers? Check. Jacob makes Jack take a drink and Jack gives him some good "Party of Five" Jackface? Check aaaaaand check! But that's really a nitpick. This was a great prelude to the finale and I can't wait until Sunday!

The Final Five Questions... Ever!:

1) How can Desmond destroy the Island?

Desmond is really the Failsafe Key to both universes. Alt Desmond very clearly understands what he's trying to do and seems to be executing it with ruthless efficiency. Present day Desmond also knows what his significance is and (presumably) headed to where he needed to be after escaping from the well. Speaking of which, who let him out? Sayid said he left him at the bottom the well, but there was clearly a rope there. My wild guess: Rose and Bernard. After all, they're not Adam and Eve, right? And I have to think they time traveled with the rest of them since if they didn't, Vincent would be dead in 2007. And we know Vincent will be in the finale in some way. :)

But I think Desmond knows how to kill Smokey using the EM energy on the Island and his counterpart in the Alt. I'm guessing it's going to take a combination of the two to work. But how could Desmond destroy the Island? That's certainly not his intention here, although it's why Widmore brought him along. After this episode, I'm revising my previous prediction from this week - I now think that if Desmond enters The Source, the Island will be destroyed. The Source seems to act by separating the soul from the physical body, but if Desmond is resistant to this I think throwing him in the Source would act as a wrench in the gears - The Source would be unable to destroy him and it would start a chain reaction that would destroy the Island.

If I were Jack I'd want to keep Desmond as far away from the Source as possible.

2) What will happen once Alt Jack and Locke remember?

Whatever happens in the Alt, whatever role the Alt has to play in the finale starts and ends with Jack and Locke. Both of them need to "let go" of their baggage in order to remember the other universe. Desmond and Kate are converging on Jack at David's concert and I imagine Hurley and Sayid are heading to see Locke. So what happens when all of their memories come flooding back? Will Locke remember dying? Will Jack remember becoming the new Jacob? And what implications will this have on the present day universe?

Part of me feels like this might be leading up to a mind-switch thing where, if both of Jack and Locke's counterparts remember the present day universe, they'll be able to mind-switch with their on-Island counterparts. And maybe if that happens, Smokey will be trapped in a mortal body and can be killed (or can choose to live a "normal" life off the Island). Alt Locke becomes Smokey and gets to have the Island adventure he always wanted, playing backgammon (or Senet) with Jack for all eternity. As amusing as that ending would be, I think Smokey's too crazy now to allow to live. They're going to have to kill him.

But there's a third key here as well: Alt Jack's wife. I'm sticking by my original prediction that Alt Jack's wife is actually Juliet, who's important because her deceased present day counterpart was the one who actually created the Alt. Maybe Juliet is the most important one out of the three, especially if she can affect the entire Alt universe in some way? Now watch - Alt Jack's wife will turn out to be Nikki or, worse, Mother. Ewwww...

3) So can Jack make up his own rules now?

This is really a bunch of questions all strung together. Jack is officially the new Jacob, and judging from his quality zen-like Jackface after he drained Jacob's cup I imagine he knows everything that's going on now. So the question is, since the Island has a new Jacob can he make up rules that Smokey has to abide by, especially rules like "No killing former candidates."

Since Hurley and Sawyer are no longer candidates can Smokey kill them or are they still backup candidates in case Smokey succeeds in killing Jack? After all, Jack would certainly be able to pass on his mantle to one of them in the same way, provided they volunteered. Heck, I bet Kate would even take the job if both of them refused.

But if Jack does make up new rules, I imagine he's going to have to convey them to Smokey and whenever and wherever he does that, Smokey's going to have Ben waiting in the weeds to kill him. Unless...

4) Is Ben really on Smokey's team?

Ben's betrayal of Widmore was by far the most shocking (and enjoyable) scene of the episode. Understandable too, in that Ben wanted revenge on Widmore for Alex's death - his motivations in that case were perfectly clear. But Ben doesn't exactly like Smokey either - not only did Smokey manipulate him, but he's inhabiting the body of the one man Ben hates most in the world as well. Plus, if Smokey's backup plan is to destroy the Island, that probably doesn't sit well with Ben, considering the Island is supposed to be his prize for helping Smokey escape.

All this season I've thought Ben was going to redeem himself for killing Jacob, which made his betrayal all the more shocking last night. Especially in light of his Alt self where we see he really is capable of becoming a good, kind human being who is loved and appreciated by others. So while part of me understands it's completely in Ben's nature to want to take his revenge on Widmore and work with Smokey to get "his Island" back, I'm thinking there's going to be a double team here.

Yes, Ben is completely self-serving, but sticking it to Smokey would be something he'd love to do anyway and he does have a backpack full of C4. I think Ben is going to double-cross Smokey first chance he gets and possibly get a modicum of redemption with his Island self as well.

5) Would the candidates all have been flawed without Jacob's interference?

Of all the things this episode, this interested me the most. Jacob told them he chose all of them because they were "flawed like him" and they weren't happy in their previous lives. But in the Alt universe this season we've seen what the candidates became without an Island, without Jacob's influence. So just how much of their flaws was due to Jacob himself? Certainly Kate still has her problems, Sayid is still a torturer, Sawyer still has his past to deal with, but with the exception of Kate I'd say they're all a lot happier in the Alt. Did Jacob take away their only chance at happiness for the greater good? Seems like it to me.

Now he may not have done this intentionally. He may not have known how things were going to turn out in the future. But it's also neat to see that, when left to their own devices (and their own choices), pretty much all the Losties chose good over evil. In a way, it's Smokey's worst nightmare. If Jacob and Smokey were to go through each of the Losties in the Alt on a case-by-case basis Smokey would have a pile of white stones in front of him. And in no one is this more evident than in Ben, who (right now) is the polar opposite of his Alt self.

So was Jacob making lists to protect the non-candidates? I think so. The Others were taking away "good people," i.e. people without flaws (like Mihkail once pointedly told Sayid, Kate and Locke they weren't). Jacob must have had them take the good people away to protect them from the Island and from the other candidates. I wonder how much of this Ben and Richard knew.

Bonus: How will it all end?

The only question left to ask, right? I'm guessing Jack is going to figure out a way to destroy Locke - maybe using Desmond to transport him to the Alt, making him mortal or something - but both timelines remain intact. That way, all the characters who've died in the present day universe get their happy ending, but I'm guessing the final scene will come down to Kate choosing to stay with Jack on the Island over leaving with Sawyer. And Jack will give her Richard's gift of eternal life so they can be together forever.

Yes, I'm predicting the show is going to end by answering the most important mystery of all: Jate or Skate? (I keed, I keed). ;)

Tidbits:

- I think it's fairly clear that since Sun was a mother, it was Jin who was the actual candidate of the two.

- Raise your hand if you thought Jacob and Jack were going to Locke lips after their Communion? Yeah, Em and I both...

- Is Richard dead? Can he be killed by Smokey? Presumably he was attacked before Jacob transferred power. My gut says he's still alive.

- I liked that The Source was near the bamboo forest where Jack, Kate and Charlie first encountered the Monster.

- A little disappointing not much more was done with Jacob's ashes, but I suppose using them against Locke would have been too easy.

- Wasn't Zoe the most useless character Lost has ever introduced? Her death was quite satisfying.

- "Even if we have to kidnap you." I loved the dinner scene with Danielle and Dr. Linus. I actually think they'd make a nice couple...

- "Nice not knowing you." Great Ana-Lucia cameo too.

- Text messages for the finale? Jebus, they're milking this for all it's worth. And what was the deal with the squeaky-voiced woman who did the preview for the finale? Sounded like the psychic from "Poltergeist," although Zelda Rubenstein (great name) died earlier this year. Maybe she's a ghost on the Island. :)

Summary:

As far as penultimate episodes go, this one was great. Jack taking over, Locke killing Zoe, Ben betraying Widmore and lots and lots of Alt Desmond. What more could anyone want? 4/5. See you Sunday! :)

Comments, Predictions And The Penultimate Link Dump...

2010-05-17T21:13:00.007-04:00

Been quite a week. I haven't had a chance to watch "Across The Sea" again, but I have read a good deal of opinions online, most of which were at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of liking or disliking it. I still fall into the 'dislike' camp, but not because I wanted more to be revealed (as many of my friends and many of the commenters in this thread were), but because I thought what we were told was kind of cheesy.

This interview with Darlton has been making the rounds because the interviewer asked them about some of the specific complaints people had with the episode and they got a bit testy. On the one hand, they're absolutely right in that there's no way they can please everyone with the finale (and no reason to think they should have to either). On the other, I do think that many of the problems that I had with the episode were self-inflicted and correctable. If you think a cave with a golden light might look cheesy - don't show it. Either that or come up with something else. And I do agree that this episode probably would have gone over better had it been shown earlier in the season rather than now.

But they're also stuck between a rock and hard place here. I had really high expectations of "Across The Sea" because the show has been one of the best things on TV for the past six years and I was hoping the end run would meet that standard. So if you're going to reveal the centerpiece of the Island's mythology, come up with something better than a glowing cave (or at least make it look better than it did on screen). And I also realize that once the show ends, The Source (and "Across The Sea" in general) could look much better in retrospect.

The watering down of Smokey's evil also bothered me, but this is a personal preference thing. For me, the villains often make the show or the series and throughout Lost, Smokey was one of the most compelling reasons to watch. All this season has been constructed around him, building him into a villain with a single, solitary purpose - to escape the Island and destroy whoever got in his way - and I thought that was terrific. But now we understand why he wants to escape and, well, now I completely understand and kinda sympathize with him.

Yeah, he's certainly more bitter and evil in the present day than he was in "Across The Sea," but he isn't the product of his own arrogance like Dr. Doom, isn't pure evil like Randall Flagg or completely insane like the Joker. No, he's the product of a crazy, manipulative Mother and an impulsive, irrational brother who didn't think before he acted. It doesn't forgive everything he's done in the present, but it make us understand why he's the way he is. And the fact the supposed good Island god is partially responsible for creating him makes their whole conflict a lot less - *ahem* - black and white. And that just doesn't sit right with me, given everything we've seen this season, and seems to go against one of the major themes of the show. I like my evil to be EVIL, dammit! ;)

But anyway, this episode doesn't change the fact that I still love the show and am greatly looking forward to tonight and Sunday. What's everyone making for the finale? I think it's going to be wings of some sort for myself, but I can't decide whether I want slow-cooked Thai Peanut Wings or some breaded, fried Hot Wings. Mmmm... wings.
---

The only other link I have to share other than the above Darlton interview (which you should read in full) is this letter from George Lucas to Darlton. I can't tell whether it was written in jest or not, but it is amusing nonetheless. :)

---

Tonight's episode, "What They Died For," sounds rather expository to me. You gotta figure the entire endgame will be revealed tonight - i.e. Jack's gotta learn what Desmond's task is on the Island and (hopefully) what the role of the Alt is in all this. And you have to imagine they're going to be going to The Source at some point. Desmond's probably the only one who can find it...

Fearless Predictions

Considering there are only two episodes left, I might as well go all out...

1) I'm going to guess that not only is Desmond the only one who can find The Source, he's the only one who can enter it and survive. And perhaps if Desmond enters The Source he can reverse whatever damage Jacob caused by flushing his brother's body down the cave...

2) I'm going to guess one of the three remaining candidates will die this episode: Sawyer. And he does so in spectacularly heroic fashion to save everyone else. Unfortunately we'll probably get a teary goodbye scene with Kate beforehand.

3) Smokey will send Claire after the remaining candidates and she'll succeed in mortally wounding Kate before the candidates are rescued by... Ben!

4) Alt Jack will achieve awareness this episode and realize the person he really needs to make everything right is the creator of the Alt Universe - his wife, Juliet!

5) Someone will rhetorically ask "what did they die for" during the episode and Hurley will respond by quoting "Wrath of Khan."

I am 100% certain these things shall come to pass. Enjoy the (second-to-last) show everyone! Review up tomorrow morning! :)

Lost Episode Review 6.15: "Across The Sea"

2010-05-12T14:05:00.002-04:00

"So do you want to play or don't you, Jacob..."

(Thanks to Dark UFO for all the screencaps).

I think my Kool-Aid glass has finally been drained. Honestly if the Mets hadn't had a thrilling come-from-behind win last night, I would have gone to bed totally depressed. I thought this episode was incredibly weak and the explanations given incredibly... lame? Silly? Vague? Pick your adjective. Granted this show has set the bar quite high for a very long time now and this episode had some very high expectations from me coming in, which is part of the reason I'm disappointed, but it just seemed like incredibly weak writing for one of the last three episodes of the show. Let's look at a few of the major things we learned:

Jacob and ....... are actually brothers. OK.
Their real mom was killed by Allison Janney who raised them. Eh.
The Island protects a mystical golden light. Lame.
You become the new Jacob by taking Communion from the previous one. Doubly lame.
Adam and Eve are really Smokey's original body and Allison Janney. Triple-ly lame.

And I think the thing that bothers me the most is that this episode makes you feel sorry for Smokey which, IMHO, makes him a weaker villain and makes Jacob seem like a naive tool. Don't you kinda want Smokey to get off the Island now? And Allison Janney could probably have prevented all of this from happening if she just gave them some straight answers on who they were and what they needed to do instead of jerking them around. I mean, she kills their real mother and forbids them from leaving the Island for a greater purpose that she never fully explains, nor does she explain the consequences if they refuse. I'd say screw you, I'm leaving too! Someone's gotta make some "I'm with Smokey" bumper stickers...

And lastly, the last two episodes were arguably two of the weakest of the season, but I didn't really have much of a problem with them because they seemed to be getting the pieces into place for the finale. This episode, however, was supposed to be a major piece of the mystery of the show and for it to be even weaker than the previous two (IMHO) is extremely saddening to me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still greatly looking forward to the final two episodes. It's just that my expectations have been significantly lowered now. And that's kinda sad. Am I being too harsh? Maybe. And maybe after the finale I'll be able to look back at this episode in a different light. But I was bummed when I went to bed last night and that has never happened to me before on a Lost night.

Before we delve into the questions, let's summarize the stuff we did learn this episode:

Bullet Points:

- Jacob and Smokey are human-born fraternal twins born on the Island.

- Their birth mother was killed by their adoptive Mother.

- Their adoptive Mother was the guardian of the Island who raised them away from what she considered to be man's "corrupting influence" so one or both of them could take over her mantle.

- Their adoptive Mother has some sort of powers since 1) she was able to grant eternal life to the two human children she found and 2) she seemed to slaughter all the men on the Island quite easily for an elderly woman, not to mention filling in the Donkey Wheel well with dirt. She does mention that she came to the Island "by accident."

- The Source of the Island is what the Mother is guarding, a cave filled with golden light described as "life, death, rebirth." She passed her mantle on to Jacob by having him drink a very symbolic cup of wine. *rolls eyes*

- Smokey is "special," according to Mother and can see ghosts on the Island. Jacob cannot.

- Smokey created the Donkey Wheel and intended to use it to go home.

- Smokey killed his Mother, after which she said "thank you."

- Jacob threw Smokey's body into The Source, out of which emerged the Smoke Monster and his brother's dead body.

- The mysterious boy seen on the Island in present time is really the ghost of Jacob. Why he's appearing as a boy to the candidates and Smokey while Hurley sees him as an adult is still a mystery, Maybe he's just messing with Smokey's mind.

- Smokey's original body and his Mother are Adam and Eve. Of all the disappointing reveals this episode, I found this one to me the most disappointing of all. After all the seasons of hype and speculation in a show filled with time travel we finally discover that Adam and Eve are (de)composed of a woman we've never seen before and the soulless corpse of Smokey. How... how... boring. I mean, really. Of all the possibilities out there this is the best they can come up with? Not to mention the fact that now we're supposed to believe that the skeletons that Jack had said had been there 40-50 years really have been there for centuries and still have decomposing clothes?

I suppose I should have expected this when Hurley gave a nod to the time travel theories back in Lighthouse, but this was just incredibly anti-climactic for me. And the splice of Season One footage was rather poorly done too, I thought. *sigh*

Anyway, there were some good things about the episode. The kids were excellently cast - spitting images of their adult counterparts. Jacob and Smokey are always a delight to see together and Smokey emerging from the Source was cool. Plus, we do have a lot to talk about.

OK, enough ranting. Lemonade out of lemons and all that. :)

Five Questions:

1) What is the energy at the Source of the Island and what did it do to Smokey?

When we first were shown the Source, two things came to mind for me: Midichlorians and Pulp Fiction. The former is not good, the latter makes me think of what the scene could have been. Wasted potential, especially when you have an actress of Allison Janney's caliber spouting off lines like "life, death, rebirth" and "the light that's inside of every man." Sigh.

Midichlorians, for those of you unfamilar, is George Lucas' feeble attempt to explain The Force in the later Star Wars films. What are midichlorians?

They are microscopic life-forms that reside within the cells of all living things and communicate with the Force. They are symbionts with all other living things and without them life could not exist. The Jedi have learned how to listen to and coordinate the midi-chlorians. While every living being thus has a connection to the Force, one must have a high enough concentration of midi-chlorians in one's cells in order to be a Jedi or a Sith.

Suffice it to say that this was one of George Lucas' worst ideas, and a self-inflicted one at that. The Force didn't need explaining, especially when that explanation is so ridiculous. Now the Source isn't quite that bad, but the cheesy yellow light coming from the cave and behind the wall in the well made me wince and groan. Now maybe The Source will be explained in more detail in the finale, but the vague explanation we got last night made me think they might have been better not saying anything about it at all, which brings me to Pulp Fiction.

One of the most iconic parts of Pulp Fiction was the briefcase John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson were picking up for their boss, Marcellus Wallace. We never see what's inside the case, but whenever it's opened, a bright orange light shines out, a light one character later describes as "beautiful." At its essence, it's a MacGuffin, pure and simple. And as a MacGuffin, it works because it leaves what's inside up to our imagination. In fact, Tarantino has stated that knowing what's inside the case "radically alters one's understanding of the movie."

Part of me feels, at least at this point, that the Source would have been better left a MacGuffin - we never see anything inside the cave with no explanation given for what it is, only that it's important and Jacob and Smokey have to protect it. This can also be used to change Jacob and Smokey's motivations as well: Smokey is curious and covets the light, wants to possess it. Jacob sees the importance in protecting it and finally understands what his Mother wants of him. There are some things you want definitive answers for and some that are better left alone. I think this (at this point - I may change my mind after the finale) would have been better left alone.

But given what we've been told, what is The Source? Seems to me that this is the collection of human souls unable to "pass on" because of their past sins, as Michael explained to Hurley. That's why ghosts can materialize on the Island - they're all floating around in The Source, waiting to be redeemed. Once they are, I'm guessing they have the chance to be either reincarnated or head to the afterlife. This is also why I think the Mother was cynical towards humans - she knows just how many souls are in there and how corruptible they are. And what happens if "the light goes out?" All the souls in The Source lose the chance to pass on - doomed to the Underworld for all eternity.

So what happened to Smokey when he entered The Source? When he came out of that cave the first thing I thought of was Pandora's Box, but I don't think that's what the writers were aiming for. I think The Source separated Smokey's soul, black and corrupted after his time with the humans, from his body and purged him from the cave. Thus, up until he got stuck in Locke's body by killing Jacob, he had no corporeal form and that's why he was able to shape-shift. And the punishment that's "worse than death" is his soul now has no opportunity whatsoever to pass on, in either direction. He's trapped on Earth for all eternity.

This also means that the consequences of Smokey escaping the Island would be the damnation of everyone else on the planet by the extinguishing of The Source and, possibly, also the total corruption of mankind by Smokey's cynical views.

Speaking of those views...

2) Is Smokey really the "Man of Science" and Jacob the "Man of Faith?"

"So, Lone Starr, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb."

This is another thing that bothered me about the episode. One of the standing themes through this past season is the difference in philosophy between Smokey and Jacob. Smokey sees mankind as irredeemably corrupt while Jacob sees the good in everyone. And since Smokey's been so clearly set up as the evil villain, especially after he tried to brutally kill all the candidates two episodes ago, I was really looking forward to a knockdown, drag-out battle of good vs. evil over the last couple episodes where I knew who I was rooting for to win.

Now I'm all for character development and I love every moment Jacob and Smokey spend on screen, but this episode not only shows Smokey in a new light, an intelligent, inquisitive man whose birth mother was murdered and who was forbidden from leaving the Island for reasons that were never fully explained to him, but also paints Jacob as a dumb, naive momma's boy who's entire optimistic view of mankind comes from the fact he was sheltered his entire life and all his vaunted power comes by default because his brother said "no thanks." Not to mention his temper tantrums that resulted in 1) Smokey running away to the humans and 2) the creation of the Smoke Monster himself.

It makes you feel sorry for Smokey and wonder if his worldview is correct because 1) he's actually experienced life among humans and 2) Jacob is dumb. It also makes Jacob the "Man of Faith" (fine.) and Smokey the "Man of Science" (really?), though that's kinda ironic considering Smokey now inhabits the previous Man of Faith's body, but I digress.

There's nothing wrong with blurring the lines between the two characters, after all, we did see Jacob waterboard Richard in Ab Aeterno. But ever since The Incident we've been led to believe that Smokey's worldview is cynical and wrong because he's the evil guy, right? Well now he seems more like a guy who got screwed over by a murderess and sheepish son and that just doesn't feel right to me.

And the final piece of this is that Jack is now going to be converted from the Man of Science to the Man of Faith in order to save the world. Too bad he's not a Momma's Boy... *sigh*

3) So who exactly is the Mother?

This seems to be the overwhelming question this episode introduced and the answer likely ties together all the Egyptian symbolism seen on the show so far. She seems to certainly be a deity of some sort or at least someone with god-like powers... and that would point to Taweret, right? Really can't think of anyone else it could be.

And since Jacob was so smitten with her and is likely responsible for the construction of the statue, I'm guessing he had the statue built as a memorial to her. This could also be the source of the problems with childbirth on the Island - the goddess of fertility was killed by her adopted son.

4) So the Donkey Wheel's entire purpose is merely an escape hatch for Smokey?

Seems like it. Smokey wanted to use "soul power" to open a wormhole that would allow him to escape, though it looks like the side effects of turning the wheel is not only that the person who turns the wheel moves, but the Island moves as well. And when Ben spun the wheel he knocked it off its axis and caused the Island to skip through time. I actually kinda like this explanation for it.

And this also means that Smokey plans to use the wheel to escape now that the sub and plane (not to mention the pilot) are out of commission.

5) Why can Smokey see ghosts, but Jacob cannot? Is Hurley as "special" as Smokey?

This kinda perplexes me, unless Smokey has some "special" connection to the Underworld, especially since you would think the Man of Faith would be the most likely of the two to see ghosts. And this makes me wonder whether Hurley and Smokey have some sort of connection as well.

Does every Jacob need his own Man in Black? Will Jack need Hurley on the Island to act as a bridge between him and the spirits? This makes me think Hurley is a lot more important than I thought and that perhaps Jacob is not responsible for him being able to see ghosts. Maybe he's just cut from the same cloth as Smokey. Good thing he doesn't have his cynicism.

Tidbits (and additional questions):

- The game Jacob and Smokey play is an ancient Egyptian game called Senet, one of the oldest games in the world whose rules are unknown to this day. No wonder they had to make the rules up as they went along.

- Will we ever get Smokey's name? Does he have a name? I'm not so sure that he does. After all, Claudia said that she only came up with one name - maybe they never gave him one. Of course, if he does have a name, it's something very, very significant which is why they're saving it for the finale. But I'm guessing that he might not have one altogether.

- So how will Jack become the new Jacob in the absence of wine? Will he have to eat Jacob's ashes? Given all the Christian imagery I wouldn't be surprised if all he has to do is smear some on his forehead. I thought the wine thing was really poorly done, though it does make me wonder whether Jacob was trying to trick Smokey when he gave him the wine bottle, i.e. drink this and we'll be as one. Makes me also wonder if Richard is also special since he also shared wine with Jacob.

- Despite all this gloominess, I did really like the Doors-themed preview for next week and I am looking forward to it.

Summary:

Despite some very good casting and cinematography, I was very disappointed in this episode, not just in the reveals, but also in the alteration of my sympathies towards Jacob and Smokey. Now maybe this will change in the last two episodes and I'll be able to look back at "Across the Sea" in a completely different light, but for now it gets a 2/5.

Very interested to hear all your thoughts. Am I overreacting? As Rachel Maddow would say, "talk me down."

Technical Difficulties...

2010-05-12T09:20:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Firefox crapping out on me on the train, I lost everything I typed this morning. As a result, my review won't be up until a bit later this afternoon. And usually I back everything up in Word, but for whatever reason I didn't today, so now I have to type it all over again. *facepalm*

So... very... angry....

So in the meantime, discussion topic: What did you think of "The Source" and the Mother's quasi-explanation for it. I have a strong opinion, but I am curious to see how many of you agree.

Link Dump + Predictions

2010-05-11T10:27:00.005-04:00

I have no clue what the title of tonight's episode, Across The Sea, means, nor do I have any idea whether it'll have some sort of centricity either. But my gut feeling from the title is that this may be an info dump on the origins of the Island, Smokey and Jacob in general. Anyone who's seen the "No Exit" episode of BSG will know what I mean. I'm not linking to that episode because it contains MASSIVE SPOILERS for anyone who hasn't seen the series yet and still wants to (and I highly, highly recommend it - in fact, this reminds me that I still have a BSG series review to do. Hmmm....)

Link Dump:

- Lostpedia is hosting a Q&A with Darlton, not about show mysteries or questions, but about general influences, writing stuff, etc. You can post your questions to them here and they'll try and answer as many as they can before the finale. Be warned: There are a lot of questions already.

- This is a funny Darlton video (featuring the Muppets), if you haven't seen it already.

- I picked up the EW Lost Finale issue and I was a bit underwhelmed. It's not bad, per se, just kinda thin, especially when compared with what they did for Seinfeld's departure. I still have that Seinfeld issue and it's simply one of the best magazines I've ever read. Complete series guide with capsules and ratings for every episode, lists upon lists of minutia, guest stars, Jerry's girlfriends, Newman appearances, a guide to Seinfeld around New York City, etc., etc...

Now I really didn't expect something quite so good for Lost, but I did hope it would be similarly comprehensive. And while there is some good stuff in it, it wasn't anything special. Oh well. Worth picking up if you're traveling and need something to browse.

Fearless Predictions:

1) The big reveal tonight will be a full explanation of "the rules" behind Smokey and Jacob's little contest and I predict we'll also find out just how the new Jacob is chosen and ascends his Island throne,

2) The big Alt reveal tonight will be exactly what Eloise knows about the Alt timeline and what her role in all of this really is.

3) The episode will end tonight with Desmond telling Jack and company about the existence of the Alt

4) The carnage will continue. My guess is Richard or Miles is going to buy it tonight at the hands of a really pissed off Smoke Monster.

5) A new, underground DHARMA station will be found, The Leaf, manned by two guys who've subsisted on nothing but Twinkies and Ding Dongs for the last fifteen years (that stuff never goes bad, right)?

I am 100% certain these things shall come to pass. Enjoy the show! Review up Wednesday! :)

Lost Episode Review 6.14: "The Candidate"

2010-05-04T20:46:00.027-04:00

"Because it's going to be you, Jack..."

(Thanks to Dark UFO for all the screencaps).

Welcome to the action-packed review of The End, Part II of VI... at least, that's what it felt like. My predictions were not too bad this week, depending on whether you think Claire's really gone back over to the dark side or not. I had accepted the fact that all the Losties weren't going to make it through the finale, but I really didn't see us losing Sayid (who did indeed manage to redeem himself), Frank, Jin and Sun this episode. Em had tears streaming down her face as they sank, though I managed to fend the waterworks off. That was really the reunion scene we were waiting for - so much better than the previous episode. The scene where Sun gave Jin back his ring was really sweet as well.

Really I didn't see this episode coming at all. I was expecting a lot more conversation - especially between Jack and Smokey, plus some catching up plot-wise with Widmore, Desmond and Richard and company (and the latter two we didn't see at all). Instead we got an hour of action which ended up halving the number of viable candidates and took out the only pilot on the Island (poor Frank).

And so then there were three... Jack, Hurley and Sawyer. And Sayid claims that Jack's "the one." Is he right? I think so, and it looks like the next step is to collect Desmond before Smokey finds him.

As a side note, this may be the last week I'm really able to do five questions, considering there are only four and a half hours of the show left (yes, you read that right - the finale's been extended by another half hour) and it feels like we're already in the endgame, so my reviews will probably be a bit more general over the next two weeks and I'll have an overall show wrap-up after the finale.

1) Will the Alt be LOST's happy ending?

My official answer to this is "no," because my gut feeling is that Lost is not going to have a touchy-feeley happy ending. But didn't you get a vibe this week that the Alt is going to replace the regular universe? After all, everything seems to be going pretty swimmingly for Alt Jack; he's a good doctor with a much improved bedside manner, he's a good father who's not a drunk (which is always a plus), he's been united with his half-sister who's about to give birth to his nephew and he's above all happy with his life.

And, yeah, not all the other Losties are happy in the Alt, but at least they're alive. And since the body count in the regular universe looks to be extraordinarily high, seems the only way to get a happy ending for all our Losties is to have the Alt replace the regular universe entirely now. And if that happens, it seems to me that it's all going to be up to Jack.

A lot has been made about how everyone, manipulated by Desmond, is converging on the hospital. But I don't necessarily think it's to bring them all together - I think Desmond's sending them all to Jack. Maybe one Alt Jack achieves some Desmond-like awareness, he's going to have to choose which timeline stays and which timeline dies. Seems kinda like a no brainer at first: Everyone alive with happy Jack or Everyone dead with sad Jack.

But what if the choice is more complicated than that? We still don't know if Smokey even exists in the Alt and if he does, what effect he's had on that universe. That could be a deciding factor, but I'm guessing it's going to be something sappier than that - namely that if he chooses the Alt universe, Jack will be choosing a universe where he never knows Kate. And I can't help shake the feeling that whatever Jack chooses, Kate is going to play a large role in the decision.

2) Where the heck did Widmore get a list from? Did Jacob give him one as well?

The fact that Widmore had a list surprised me; Jacob's the list maker around these parts. Did he personally enlist Widmore to come to the rescue? And what does that say about Ilana - did Jacob use Widmore as his backup plan because he knew she was going to blow herself up? Kind of a gruesome thought.

And it seems that Widmore's list contained the same six candidates as Ilana's (Sayid and Jack weren't mentioned because they weren't with the group at the time). I kinda liked the fact the writers were pretty explicit in saying Kate wasn't a candidate - not only did Sawyer mention Kate's name was crossed off the cave wall, but Widmore seemed pretty adamant about it as well.

Of course this means that Kate will almost certainly survive until the end of the show. Methinks she has a bit of Mikhail in her now.

3) So how's Smokey getting off the Island now?

OK, so if Smokey's plan wasn't to take either the plane or the sub, how's he getting off the Island? Two choices I see:

a) He lied to Sawyer previously and really can fly off the Island once all the other candidates are dead.

b) He's going to take the Elizabeth.

Personally I don't think he's going to escape at all. But he's got to at least have a plan for leaving now, right? And I think he can fly - after all, didn't Jacob say that once the cork has been popped, the evil can spread? Methinks Smokey can simply leave if he manages to kill Jack, Hurley and Sawyer.

4) What's the deal with Christian's music box?

Have we ever seen it before? I don't think so. Seems to be something totally new - it's certainly not Danielle's music box - the only other music box we've seen on the show that I can recall. Was there anything inside it? Seems they went out of their way not to show us the contents. And what was the song? Was it Catch A Falling Star? I think it was - can't imagine it would be anything else.

Here's my fearless prediction as to what's inside: The black and white stones that Jack found on Adam and Eve.

5) Would the bomb have gone off if Sawyer hadn't messed with it?

I don't think it would have. Jack was right - just like the dynamite in the Black Rock the candidates can't die by their own hand or by Smokey's hand directly, but they can kill each other indirectly (and I guess Sawyer manipulating the bomb qualifies as indirect). Of course, this begs the question as to whether Sawyer would have survived the bomb he manipulated himself, but let's not go there.

No, this episode definitely confirmed that Smokey can't kill the candidates directly. He needs to find someone to do his dirty work for him... and that's where Claire comes in (hopefully).

Tidbits:

- Loved the backgammon preview for next week - want to watch it again in slow-mo. Here's hoping we'll get a hefty helping of Jacob and Smokey.

- I loved Alt Jack's new bedside manner. He's happy! He's optimistic! I think I might actually want him as my doctor! Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen Jack smile as much on the show as he does in the Alt. :)

- Locke mumbled "Push the button" and "I wish you had believed me" in his sleep in the hospital, the latter of which was what was in his suicide note to Jack. Alt Jack then turns it around by saying it back to Locke later on. He also said "whatever happened, happened" to Locke as well.

- Thought what happened to Locke and Cooper was heartbreaking. And there's something about Locke using the wheelchair as his penance that I like a lot.

- Anyone else think Hurley and Jack escaped from the sub a wee bit too easily given they were respectively hauling along a shot Kate and an unconscious Sawyer?

- Also anyone else a bit disappointed we didn't get a fish biscuit? :)

- And where the heck did Smokey get his bomb making ability? Did he pick Sayid's brain or something?

- Jack bought an Apollo candy bar and offered it to Claire in the exact same way Jacob offered it to Jack in "The Incident"

- Frank deserved a better death than to be floored by a sub door. :P

Summary:

The last 15 minutes of this episode were about as good as anything Lost has done, and Jin and Sun's death scene will almost certainly make my best moments list. Everything up until that though (in the present timeline anyway) felt a little contrived and Locke's backpack switcheroo was just a little too telegraphed for my taste. Still, the ending makes this easily a 4.5/5

So Who's It Going To Be?

2010-05-03T21:53:00.003-04:00

Season 6 can now basically be boiled down to three questions:

1) Which candidate will become the new Jacob?

2) How will the two universes come together (or will one be destroyed)?

3) What will happen to all the remaining Losties when all this is over?

I'm guessing that Tuesday's episode, "The Candidate," is going to definitively address #1. And since we know that the remaining six (kinda) candidates are Jack, Hurley, Sawyer, Sayid and Jin or Sun, we can kinda speculate on who it's going to be.

Jack is the obvious candidate - he's the hero, the one who's now been set up to spend some quality alone time with Smokey and the common sense pick for the new Jacob. But perhaps Jack has another role to play - maybe he needs to make a sacrifice (playing the hero) so that one of the other candidates can become Jacob. If that's the case, who will it be?

You have to think Sayid is automatically disqualified, given he killed the protector of the Temple and his hippie translator. Likewise, I think whichever of Jin or Sun is the actual candidate will turn down the role, given their ~~son~~ daughter is still alive out there in the outside world.

As I speculated before, I see Hurley in more in a supportive role (i.e. the new Richard) than becoming the new head honcho. That leaves Sawyer, and I have to say of all the remaining candidates outside of Jack, I could definitely see him as the new Jacob. Why? Mostly because he really doesn't have anything to go back to. Yeah, there's Cassidy and Clementine, but even if he did leave the Island, I really can't see him playing much of a part in either of their lives.

Plus, can't you see Sawyer becoming an omniscient Island God and convincing Kate to stay behind with him? Of course, if this came to pass, they probably wouldn't become Adam and Eve, but that's what Rose and Bernard are there for anyway.

Am I right? Probably not - it probably will be Jack, setting up the inevitable Jack vs. Locke endgame showdown, which is probably how it should end anyway. But I've only got three hours worth of speculation left before we get the rest of the answers - I've got to make the best of the time that I've given! :)

Predictions:

1) We will find out in this episode who the new Jacob will be.

2) Widmore will reveal how he plans to defeat Smokey using the Island's electromagnetism.

3) Smokey will blaze a trail of murderous destruction through Hydra Island, only to be stopped by Hurley's bag of Jacob's ashes (right before he's about to slaughter Tina Fey).

4) Claire will revert to evil form, reveal she just went along for the ride for an opportunity to sink her teeth into Kate's sweet, sweet brain.

5) We'll finally get to see Ben, Richard and Miles again and discover they've spent the last 24 hours getting wasted off of stale DHARMA beer while playing pool in the rec room.

I'm 100% certain these things shall come to pass. Enjoy the show! Review up Wednesday morning! :)

Few Observations From An "Ab Aeterno" Rewatch

2010-05-02T08:38:00.007-04:00

Last Tuesday, in the absence of new "Lost," I watched the pop-up version of "Ab Aeterno" and came away with a couple things.

1) They told us straight-up that the remaining six candidates were exactly what they told us they were: Jack, Hurley, Sawyer, Sayid, Jin/Sun and Locke (with Locke obviously eliminated from contention now). No Kate, which might have been a production snafu on the lighthouse wheel, which also means Smokey was telling the truth about "not needing her," no Frank and no Ji-Yeon as well.

So I was totally wrong about Kate and it seems the writers have been playing it straight with us from the beginning on this point. In fact, it really does seem to me that this season pretty much all the answers have been fairly straightforward. We're heading toward an ending where one of the six candidates will become the new Jacob - and it seems it's going to be one of the expected ones all along (the only twist they can throw in there is if it's not Jack).

Part of me does wonder though, that if Smokey does finally figure out which of Jin/Sun is the actual candidate, if he'll immediately kill the other (or, at least, threaten to kill the other unless the candidate leaves with him).

2) Richard was the first of the Others - apparently everyone else Jacob brought to the Island before him had died (or been killed). Missed that the first time around. This also seemed to be the first time Smokey tried to kill Jacob too.

3) The Statue of Taweret was referred to as "protecting the Island." And since the Others really didn't start until 1867 with Richard, I wonder if the childbirth problems all stem from the statue being broken? Maybe the Others didn't even try to reproduce until Ben took the leadership mantel from Richard - after all, didn't Charles have Penny with an off-Island woman? And Eloise gave birth off-Island as well.

Maybe having kids on the Island was all Ben's idea in the first place - the Others simply hadn't even tried to have kids until then, being completely populated by Jacob from outside sources. Ben always did seem to want a "normal" life though, and may have encouraged them to try, especially after the Purge when they took over the Barracks. However, since the statue was broken and Taweret's protection was lost, Smokey was able to prevent any children (i.e. possible future candidates) from being born. Maybe the key to fixing the Island's childbirth issues is restoring the statue?

Just a few things muddling around in my head. Have a great Sunday - predictions will be up tomorrow. :)

Cool Read...

2010-04-26T10:00:00.003-04:00

If you haven't seen this article in Wired, you're missing out. Lots of cool stuff here. Loved the cargo list from Flight 815. :)

Addendum: It goes without saying that if you look closely at the big board behind Darlton, there are some spoilers to be seen, including the centricity of the next two episodes. Squint at your own risk. :)

Subtle Hint Or Writer/Fanboy Mindgames?

2010-04-23T13:39:00.002-04:00

This has been noted elsewhere (via New York Magazine), though it was first pointed out to me by Matt over e-mail.

Could this be a subtle hint as to the identity of Adam and Eve? If it's really a hint, I like it. A lot. (Biggie)

Lost Episode Review 6.13: "The Last Recruit"

2010-04-20T22:48:00.016-04:00

"John Locke was not a believer, Jack. He was a sucker..."

(Thanks to Dark UFO for all the screencaps).

Once again all of my predictions were totally wrong, but this time I don't feel quite so bad. Just who was the last recruit anyway? Jack, I suppose, not that he really joined up with Locke. Maybe it's because he's the only one left now after everyone else got blown up? It would be interesting to have Jack and Locke together for the remainder of the series, kinda like a warped version of "Midnight Run." And you know some portion of the finale is going to come down to Jack vs. Locke, as it should be.

To me this episode felt like The End, Part I of VI. It moved things along, got a lot of pieces into place (especially in the Alt, which I really dug) and set things up for the final stretch. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), it felt kinda slow to me. Yeah, a lot of stuff happened, but the end result was just to shuffle a bunch of people around. Not a whole lot of big reveals and the ones we got (like Smokey finally admitting to Jack he was one impersonating Christian) weren't really earth-shattering.

And I was disappointed that a lot of the tension that had built up in some storylines and subplots were diffused so easily, especially in Kate confronting Claire and the Hurley/Smokey talk, which turned into a Hurley/Jack talk instead (which was neat, but was I the only one expecting something a lot more suspenseful in the culmination of Hurley's plan)? Claire started off so wonderfully creepy this episode with her "you're with him" conversation, had some tension build when she said Locke's the only one who didn't "abandon her" and then was summarily abandoned by all the Losties, but had all that wonderful tension totally diffused by... a Kate sob story? Disappointing.

As far as the Alt goes, Desmond is acting as chessmaster, setting up the board for some grand design. I loved every moment of the Alt and now we have a plan to get just about everyone together at the same time. Jack's at the hospital with Locke, Ben, Sun and Jin. Presumably Miles and Sawyer will be coming to interview Jin (and Ben for that matter, since he saw Desmond). Sayid and Kate will probably be sharing a jail cell at some point and Claire and Ilana will have at least one more meeting with Jack. It's all coming together, the only question now is "For what?"

It was particularly difficult to find five questions this week because, by and large, they're the same questions we've been asking all season. We're a little bit closer to getting the answers, but nothing was really clarified. But I think I made a valiant effort here. :)

Five Questions:

1) Can Claire and Sayid be redeemed?

As I mentioned before, the one striking thing about this episode to me (that was actually kinda disappointing) was how both Claire and Sayid both made choices that were less, well, evil than in recent episodes. Claire in particular seemed to do a 360 - she seemed so evil and manipulative early on with Jack and the others, but seemed to melt after Kate had a heart-to-heart with her. Raise your hand if you expected Claire to fire. I sure did. Seemed too easy to me.

Sayid also softened after Desmond asked him what he would say to his dead lover when Smokey brought her back (which I thought was a very good scene). Perhaps Evil Minion Sayid can feel something after all? He certainly let Desmond live and I suspect he helped him out of the well as well. So what's the future hold for these two?

If they really are both dead and resurrected by Smokey's black magic, they're probably not getting off the Island. But perhaps their souls can be redeemed by sacrificing themselves for the others. I'm guessing Sayid in particular is going to sacrifice himself to save Jack or one of the other candidates at some point.

Though I'm still holding out hope that Claire's hunger for Kate's brain will return.

2) What will happen when Jack fixes Locke's spine?

Locke's going to walk again, for certain. And now it seems that the sole purpose of Desmond running Locke over was so that Jack could operate on him. Will this merely help both Jack and Locke remember or is it something more powerful than that. In the first few seasons, Locke's wheelchair came to represent everything that was pathetic and futile about his life. Does it also carry a greater significance here?

One other Alt thing: Obviously the shooting has restored Sun's memory of the original timeline as well since she recognized Locke (or did she recognize Smokey - seemed kinda scared when she noticed him).

3) What did Claire mean when she said "if you spoke with him, you're with him."

This goes back to the same "don't let him speak to you" line that Dogen said to Sayid and Smokey said to Richard (referring to Jacob). It could simply be that Smokey's a very good persuader - in other words, there's nothing special about talking to him, it's just that he's really good at getting people to do his evil bidding. If Eve had never spoken to the Serpent, there would never had been a Fall, after all.

But all of these "don't talk to him" instances seem to indicate it might be something more. Can Smokey plant the seeds of infection through his voice? Is that how the evil spreads throughout the world? If so, Jack might be in a world of trouble if he's going to be buddy-buddy with Smokey for the rest of the show.

4) Can Widmore stop Smokey without Desmond?

Judging from Tina Fey's actions this episode, Widmore seems just a wee bit desperate to get Desmond back. Now this implies either 1) that Widmore doesn't think Desmond knows what he has to do yet or 2) Widmore thinks he has no chance of stopping Smokey without Desmond.

It could also be some kind of combination between those two - he needs Desmond to release some EM energy in order to stop Smokey, but if Smokey's coming to Hydra Island now, does Widmore have anything in his sub aside from the fancy sonic pylons to stop Smokey or keep him at bay long enough to let Desmond do what he has to do.

I don't think he does. And I think we're going to see a Smokey rampage in an episode or two. But ironically, there is someone on Hydra Island with a weapon that might be able to hold Smokey at bay: Hurley, and his pouch of Jacob's ashes. Widmore might have been unwittingly handed the best weapon remaining on the Island... if he doesn't shoot Hurley first.

5) Where is Desmond now?

I was going to title this "Did Sayid really kill Desmond," but we all know the answer to that. No, the real question is where did Desmond go, since I imagine Sayid also helped him out of the well.

Presuming he knows what Widmore needs him to do, I imagine he's heading towards one of the pockets of EM on the Island. If he doesn't know, he heading back to Widmore... on Hydra Island... where Smokey's heading. That would be bad. Methinks Desmond knows better than that. I expect to see Desmond at a new DHARMA station in an episode or two and I'm guessing Charles is going to try and meet him there.

Tidbits:

- Augh! No new Lost next week? And they didn't even warn us? The rest of the season runs straight through after that, but still... way to ruin my Lost buzz, man. :P

- "There are pills for that, Doc." Sawyer still gets the best line of the night award.

- Ilana's office was on the 15th floor in the law offices of "Sweetzer & Verdansky"

- Nice to see the "Elizabeth" again, though I can't believe they all simply abandoned it and swam aboard. Why not simply dock the ship - felt weird to me.

- Still want to know who Jack's ex-wife is. Still think it's Juliet.

- Anyone else think it's weird Sawyer didn't know who Anakin was?

- Also, when Sawyer called Frank "someone who came out of a Burt Reynolds movie," I was actually surprised he didn't reference "The Love Boat" instead.

Summary:

This was an okay episode for me. It felt kinda scattered since there was no centricity, but it certainly moved things along. 3/5. Now we have the long two-week wait until The End, Part II. :P

Fearless Predictions...

2010-04-19T20:28:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow's curiously titled episode, "The Last Recruit," doesn't tell us a whole lot about its centricity, considering it will likely be about whoever Smokey's final recruit will be (remember that Sawyer was technically his first recruit). So let's go through the possible candidates (outside of the real candidates):

1) Frank - Smokey needs Frank to fly the plane, so presumably he's going to have to recruit him.

2) Jin - Smokey presumably needs Jin back in order to leave the Island, something that will be a whole lot easier now that Sun is in his camp.

3) Charles Widmore - Make your enemy your friend by making him an offer he can't refuse, like serving him up the Island on a platter.

I can't really see Smokey recruiting anyone else but these three and, out of the three, Frank seems the most plausible, especially since we've already had a Jin/Sun episode this season.

So a Frank-centric episode tomorrow? I would admittedly love that... :)

Predictions:

1) If we do get a Frank-centric episode, his Alt story will feature Desmond searching him out so he can ask him when he's next flying to Guam.

2) Jin will finally sit down with Widmore and Tina Fey and tell us all where the pockets of EM energy are on the Island.

3) Ben, Miles and Richard will arrive at the Barracks looking for explosives and find Smokey beat them to the punch.

4) Hurley will attempt to trap Smokey with Jacob's ashes, but Evil Minion Sayid will ruin his plan.

5) Now that Jack, Sun and Hurley are all in Smokey's camp, Claire will subtly attempt to cover Kate's head in BBQ sauce.

I am 100% certain all these things shall come to pass. Enjoy the show! Review up Wednesday morning! :)

Link Dump 4-17-10

2010-04-17T07:15:00.006-04:00

- This might just be the most awesome thing ever:

TV Guide has reported that O'Quinn has written a "Bible" for a series that would reunite him and Emerson, and possibly even LOST creator J.J. Abrams. That project, still untitled, will center on O'Quinn and Emerson "as suburban hit men juggling family issues." Does that not sound like perfect TNT fodder? And does that not sound even more awesome with those LOST names attached? I'd watch it, no doubt about it.

“I really hope this works out because Michael would be in his prime in this. We’d play kind of awkward partners," O'Quinn divulged. This is pretty much the antithesis of their LOST characters, in that neither Ben or Locke are exactly awkward. This would make the series even more awesome to see yet another side of our beloved Ben and Locke.

“It’s very sweet of him,” says Michael. “I’m all in favor of it. Any reason to work with Terry again.”

Would I watch this? Hell yes.

- Neat article on Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays (played) Dogen. Sounds like a really nice guy.

- Some fun, silly stuff:

- Paula has a nice review of all the dead people that have been seen on the Island. And I totally agree that Dave is merely a figment of Hurley imagination. In fact, I kinda consider the entire episode a tongue-in-cheek mind game the writers were playing with the fans. After all, at that point we still didn't know whether there was even an outside world or not (that wouldn't be revealed until the Listening Station set up by Penny caught the Discharge), so we really didn't know whether to take Dave seriously or not.

Of course, if the entire show had been merely a figment of Hurley's imagination a lot of people would have been a wee bit ticked off. ;)

- In case you missed them from the comments two weeks ago, these guys have a very entertaining Lost Vlog.

- I'm currently watching the finale of Battlestar Galactica on DVD. I might post a short review of thoughts and likes and dislikes of the series as a whole once I'm done (but no comments here - I still have the last two parts to watch). But regardless of how it ends, I've really enjoyed the series. Fabulous cast, great writing (in general) and just a lot of fun. I think most people who enjoy Lost will probably like BSG and vice versa. Highly recommended. :)

Lost Episode Review 6.12: "Everybody Loves Hugo"

2010-04-13T22:37:00.018-04:00

"Dead people are more reliable than alive people..."

(Thanks to Dark UFO for all the screencaps).

Well, not only were most of my predictions totally wrong, but I completely forgot Richard said they were going to destroy the plane two weeks ago. Yeek. But I've never been so happy to be so totally wrong.

I loved this episode from start to finish. Yeah, a few of the scenes were a bit disjointed and some of the motivations seemed kinda forced (like Hurley taking everyone to Locke, the explanation for the Whispers), but this episode totally shocked me twice: When Ilana got the Arzt treatment and when Alt Desmond flattened Alt Locke with his car (Locke sending Desmond well-diving you could see coming from a mile away). Lost is always at its best when it surprises and tonight was probably the best twisty-turny episode of the season.

Not to mention, there we're so many great little things about last night:

- Pierre Chang giving Hurley his T-Rex award. I want one of those.
- Seeing Michael again.
- Seeing Libby again.
- Ben's morose monologue about Ilana and the Island. He's kinda got a point too.
- Smokey trying to figure out Desmond.
- Alt Desmond looking so cool, calm and collected, helping people get their memories back
- Hurley and Libby getting their picnic on the beach. I never really bought the two of them together - always thought it was kinda forced - but there was some genuine chemistry last night.
- The trippy "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" preview for next week, which was taken from a 2005 album by Pendulum.

Just so much win this episode. Kudos to Jorge Garcia who gave it all last night.

Lots to ponder here, eh? Time to... *puts on Desmond's sunglasses*... ask some questions, brutha!

Five questions:

1) Is Alt Locke really Smokey? Does he realize he's Smokey?

The ending of the episode totally shocked me. At first I thought Desmond was simply trying to shake Locke's memory loose, but 1) Desmond hit Locke a wee bit too hard to just be trying to jog his memory and 2) he certainly didn't have to do that to Hurley to get his brain moving. So why kill Locke?

The most obvious answer is that Alt Locke is really Alt Smokey who, like all of the other Losties, has lost his memory in this pocket universe as well. If this is true (which it very well may not be - maybe Locke needs to die to collapse the pocket universe or something), it would suggest a number of things about the Alt:

1) Smokey is just as trapped as the rest of the Losties

2) Smokey is still stuck in Locke's form

3) Smokey didn't create the pocket universe at all

There are a couple things I like about this theory, especially in that it explains why the Alt is so normal. After all, the Island is destroyed in the Alt and the world certainly doesn't seem to be this Hell that everyone says would come about if Smokey escaped. Also I've been expecting Smokey to make an appearance in the Alt for several episodes now and this would certainly explain his absence. It also gives us another theory as to why the Alt exists: It's a last-ditch effort to contain Smokey.

With the Island gone, Smokey is free. But let's say someone (or some people) created the Alt at the last minute to prevent Smokey from escaping into the world, and you have to think Eloise is one of the primary masterminds here. Thus the Alt is really a proxy for the Island here - it's simply a prison to contain Smokey and everyone else just got taken along for the ride.

But there are a few problems with this theory. First if all, if this is the case, what good would it do to destroy the Alt? Seems in this case you'd want to keep it intact since you get the best of both worlds: Smokey contained and most of the Losties are happy. Furthermore it seems weird that Smokey would be trapped in Locke's form here since he didn't attain the form until 2007 in the present day universe.

I'm not totally comfortable with this theory - too many loopholes, so to speak. But I think we can say for certain that Desmond wants Alt Locke dead for some reason and that seems to suggest to me that if Locke isn't Smokey in this universe, then Smokey needs Alt Locke alive for some reason.

Poor Locke. Has anyone in the history of television had a more miserable existence?

2) Does Smokey really know what Desmond can do or why Widmore really wants him?

The conversation with Desmond and Smokey intrigued me in that Smokey really didn't seem to know what to do with Desmond. He insinuated that Widmore wanted to use Desmond as a compass to locate pockets of EM energy around the Island. This is plausible at face value, but doesn't seem to be what Widmore needs him for. After all, Widmore now has Jin to show him where the pockets of EM are, that's why he kidnapped him in the first place.

And Desmond was almost certainly lying when he told Smokey he was "John Locke" - I think Desmond knew exactly what Smokey really was. In fact, since Desmond's Alt trip, both versions of Desmond seem to have complete awareness of what's going on, which partially makes me think Desmond wanted to get thrown down the well knowing that 1) he'd survive and 2) there may be a pocket of EM energy down there. Note that the well Smokey threw Locke down was not the Orchid well. There's no Donkey Wheel down there for Desmond to turn.

If all this is true, it says a couple things to me: 1) Smokey isn't able to read minds anymore and 2) Smokey probably decided to kill Desmond just in case. You have to think if Smokey could still read minds, he would have scanned Desmond for sure, but lacking that option after a normal interrogation probably figured the safest thing to do was to simply get rid of him. Bit surprised he didn't go full blown Smoke Monster on him. All the James Bond villain ghosts on the Island must be facepalming right now, since he'd certainly still alive. Speaking of which...

3) Why are all the ghosts stuck on the Island? Can they interact with each other at all?

So the Whispers are really the muttering of ghosts who, in Michael's words, "can't move on." This seems to suggest the Island is really some kind of purgatory for wayward souls, even though it does seem to really physically exist in the world as well. And remember that since Hurley saw Richard's wife on the Island, it's not necessarily only people who have died on the Island either - it really seems to be a full-blown purgatory for spirits.

Looking back at some of Lostpedia's whisper transcripts, it does seem that the spirits can interact somewhat, talking to each other while they observe the living people on the Island. But it's kinda weird that Michael told Hurley to tell Libby he's sorry if he sees her. After all, if Hurley sees her wouldn't that suggest she's trapped on the Island just like Michael?

So why are the spirits stuck there? Is there something that can be done to help them move on? I'm guessing that the new Jacob will be able to address this question in the series finale.

4) If Jack becomes the new Jacob, will Hurley become the new Richard?

All through this episode I sat thinking, "Man, Richard is really useless now. Hurley's doing his entire job for him." And doesn't it seem weird that even though Jacob told Ilana that Richard would know what to do, Richard really doesn't seem to have a clue? When Jack interrupted Richard's suicide attempt in the Black Rock, we never actually got to see whether it would have worked in the absence of Jack. I'm betting that with Jacob dead, Richard can die now and will do so before the end of the season.

Now the new Jacob doesn't necessarily need a new Richard; he or she can simply choose talk to people directly. But I was struck by the conversation Jack and Hurley had in the jungle where Jack told Hurley that he trusted him and Hurley then gave Jack some advice - seemed like a really great working relationship to me.

So what would be Hurley's motivation to stay on the Island if Jack is chosen as the new Jacob? How about being able to talk to ghostly Libby all the time?

5) Does Hurley plan to try and trap Smokey with Jacob's ashes?

When Hurley went through Ilana's belongings, he grabbed a drawstring bag, which is probably the one Ilana filled with Jacob's ashes back in LA X. Is the reason Hurley suggested that everyone go see Smokey because he's planning to try and trap him a different way? If so, suddenly Hurley's decision to travel to Locke makes a lot more sense. I do kinda wish he had said to Jack "I have a plan" or something, but I'm betting we'll see those ashes in action sometime in the near future.

Tidbits:

- So if Smokey kills Desmond and Alt Desmond kills Alt Smokey will the universe implode?

- So Jacob told Richard once what the Island really was. Any chance Ben or Miles will follow up on this in the next few episodes? Ordinarily I'd say no, but we are awfully close to the end of the show.

- Interesting that Desmond could also see Jacob/Aaron in the jungle. Richard couldn't see him, but Sawyer could. Does this mean Desmond's a candidate too? There's certainly something very significant about people who are able to see him and that boy is the one thing on the Island that seems to annoy the heck out of Smokey. At first glance, the boy seemed older to me too, but it seems to be the same young actor in both episodes.

- I love Locke's curious head nod (like the one he used when he saw Desmond for the first time), which makes him look like he's a velociraptor, right before it's about to tear your face off. ;)

- The book Hurley picked up from Ilana's stuff was Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

- "You talk to wood now?" Sawyer still gets all the best lines despite his limited screen time. Seriously though, what was Smokey carving that stick for? Is it a new Jesus Stick?

- A while ago I tried to predict what centricity the remaining Lost episodes would be. My predictions:

6.08: Sawyer
6.09: Jin/Sun
6.10: Ilana
6.11: Claire
6.12: Frank
6.13: Charles Widmore
6.14: Hurley
6.15: Richard
6.16: Desmond

And what we've gotten so far is:

6.08: Sawyer
6.09: Richard
6.10: Jin/Sun
6.11: Desmond
6.12: Hurley

Out of my remaining four predictions, the only plausible one I think is left is Charles. Ilana is now gone and Frank and Claire just don't seem that likely to me. So who could the remaining four be? Well, there always could be a repeat from earlier in the season - Jack being the most likely candidate (pun intended) there. But I can't see having really more than two repeats, so were going to have to get at least one more new (for this season) flash in addition to Charles (assuming Charles actually gets one).

So now that Richard, Ben and Miles are broken off into their own group, I really think Miles is going to get an episode. He's the only one of the three who hasn't gotten one this season and he ties into Sawyer and Kate's Alt stories, so we'd be able to see the resolution of that storyline (of course, they'll all probably be getting a visit from Desmond soon).

- Another good thing about a Miles-centric episode this season: More Daddy Chang. :)

- Desmond's order number at Mr. Cluck's was 42.

- Did Dr. Brooks have that photo of an Island in his office in the original timeline? I think he did, but it's been a while since I've seen "Dave."

Summary:

I loved this episode from start to finish. Is it a Top 10? Don't know yet, but it's got two top Lost moment contenders in Ilana blowing up and Desmond running over Locke. Regardless it's one of the best episodes this season. 4.8/5

Fearless Predictions...

2010-04-13T09:17:00.002-04:00

The title of tonight’s episode, “Everybody Loves Hugo,” is an Alt-play off the Season 2 episode “Everybody Hates Hugo.” I’m expecting healthy doses of Numbers, ghosts and Alt-y goodness this evening! :)

1) Hurley will be the first person Desmond contacts in the Alt and helps regain his memory. But Alt Hurley will love his new life so much he’ll want nothing to do with Desmond. Odds Alt Hurley is married to Libby: 80%

2) Widmore is told that Sayid has captured Desmond and says “Good. All according to plan.” Odds Smokey freaks and kills Desmond outright when he sees him: 50%

3) Jacob tells Hurley about Desmond and tells him they need to get him away from Dark Minion Sayid. Odds Jacob tells Hurley how one of the candidates will become the new Jacob: 10%

4) Illana and company finally join up with Team Widmore as they try and figure out how to stop Smokey. Odds one of them comes up with the idea of destroying the plane: 0%

5) Widmore brings Hurley a giant tub of ranch dressing as a present, tells him to try it with some of his delicious chicken nuggets as it really brings out the ham. Odds Hurley actually has a stash of chicken nuggets somewhere on the Island: 108%

I am 100% certain all these things shall come to pass. :)

Enjoy the show! Review up tomorrow!