- So last night, in the bleak wasteland that is the Strike-depleted TV landscape, the best drama of 2007 returned, in what has to be one of the most anticipated TV events in a long while. Yes, after delivering a stunning twist to end last season, with one of the most jaw-dropping cliffhangers ever seen in prime time, last night ...
... LOST returned ...!
- All in all, I have to say that, especially with the current lack of new, good TV, it was damn good to have Lost back. And to preface, a special thanks to Matt McG, who hosted a great LOST party at his new place, complete with Dharma-labeled beverages. Also, Matt had a 50" HDTV. This was the first time I've really sat down and watchd one of my favorite primetime shows in HD, and I have to say, I was blown away. The detail and clarity was simply amazing - I felt like I could reach out and touch the water around the island.
Now, as to the episode itself - it wasn't really a slam-bang, action-packed installment, as one might have expected following the Season 3 finale. However, it was a great reintroduction to the current status quo, and it deepened the mystery of how and when the "Oceanic 6" got off the island to great effect. I think that the chief reason why Lost seems to be 100% clicking of late is simply that, unlike some previous eras of the show, it now feels like the producers and writers HAVE a plan, and it's easy to just let yourself get caught up in the plot without worrying about inconsistincies or dropped plot points. You can now watch Lost and feel the puzzle pieces aligning, sense the curtain slowly but surely being drawn back - and it's great to see, it's how the show always should have been. Having that definitive endpoint marked down has been the best thing to happen to the show. The endgame is there, it's written, the fun now will be getting there.
Some of the highlights of this one ...?
- Everything with Jacob and his myterious cabin. Sure, we still know nothing about Jacob, but man were these scenes well-done - positively creepy. And yeah, like everyone else I'm dying to know Jacob is. Is he the smoke monster? Is he Jack's dad? An alternate version of Locke? Hmmm ...
- Ben. This guy is just a great character, and Michael Emerson is simply awesome in the role. As frustrating as his double-speak can be at times, his interplay with Jack here was priceless. "Can I go with Locke?" Classic.
- The flashforwards are already a great change-up in style, and it's very cool to see how these glimpses of the future fit into the broader Lost timeline. Again, the interconnectiveness of these flash-forwards is, at least so far, working like magic. This is simply tight storytelling, I'm loving it.
- The mystery of the boat. If these people weren't sent by Penny - who are they? Can't wait to see more of Jeremy Davies' character and figure out who this new group of potential adversaries are and what they want.
- A great new character. How badass was Lance Reddick as Matthew Abbadon? I'll tell you: very.
- Charlie's back? Sure, Charlie's appearance to future-Hurley may have just been another Hurley hallucination. But, if it isn't, it opens up a whole new series of questions. Is he time-traveling? A ghost? A version of Charlie from a parallel earth? In any case, this is the one plot point from last night's ep that will have everyone talking.
The one thing that continues to bug me though is Lost's insistence on never allowing its characters to actually ASK QUESTIONS. The biggest example of this was towards the end of the episode, when the survivors begin to split up into two groups, choosing either to stay with Locke on the island or else go with Jack in hopes of being rescued, despite Locke and Charlie's warnings. Everyone just acts as if they have these two choices and nobody dares ask a logical followup, ie "waitaminute, what the hell is going on here?!?!" Why doesn't anybody just ASK Locke , "Hey dude, can you please explain WHY it is that you believe we'll all die if we leave the island?" Instead, the show always tries to do these broad divisions of faith vs. reason, etc. I get it, I see the metaphor and dramatic effect they're going for, but sometimes ,I just want the characters to act at least semi-realistically and actually think and ask questions. I mean, would someone like Claire or Bernard just blindly choose to follow Locke or Jack without at least being a little more inquisitive?
Anyways, I know this is not reality but Lost, so I won't dwell on the above too too much. Overall, it was great to have the show back, and this one was really a home-run in terms of kicking off the fourth season and laying the gorundwork for what looks to be an incredibly compelling season long mystery and story-arc. I can't wait for next week's ep, and to me that's the mark of great serialized storytelling.
My Grade: A -
- Alright everyone, have a great weekend. Next week: a tribute to Y: The Last Man, Super Tuesday, and more.
And by the way ... Go Patriots!
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