Somebody Smarter Said

"There are no shortcuts, no do-overs – what happened, happened. All of this matters." - Jack Shepherd

Lost: The End

I don't even know where to begin.

Six years of my life came to an end last night. And it was.... amazing.

I don't want to say perfect, because it wasn't. I still have questions. There are still unanswered plot points. So from a plot and mythology standpoint, it wasn't perfect.

But from a character standpoint? It was perfect. Every scene in the alt tonight killed. I take back all the negative thoughts and opinions I had about the alt from the beginning of the season.

The Island? Good, not great. Nothing extraordinary. I did love Hurley becoming the new new Jacob, and nearly cried when he refused to let Jack sacrifice himself... And Hurley offering Ben Richard's position... Man, Hurley was really the best of them, huh?

The Locke / Jack fight was suitably epic. Just amazing. I really liked the heroic shot of Jack jumping to punch Locke in the head, right before it went to commercial. I liked that Kate got to shoot Locke (even though she didn't know he was mortal, so she's still dumb).

Frank and Richard being alive was happy. I was so afraid of one of them getting shot in the outrigger by Juliet (one of the beefs with season six - no outrigger chase scene). Happy that they got to fly away - although it made me smile and think of a sequel to Lost, where Frank crashes the Ajira plane on a different deserted island...

The Alt was, like I said before, amazing. I lost it when Charlie and Claire reunited... And Jin/Sun. And Juliet/Sawyer. Just amazing.

I loved the very end - the mirror of the opening scene. Jack's eye closing felt a perfect way to end the series.

And finally, the twist. That the alt was not in fact an alternate universe - but a waiting room for heaven. And that all these people chose to wait for each other. It's a bit like the season 3 finale - where we had to rewatch the episode to understand more of the flashbacks (flashforwards!). Now, we need to reexamine all of season six.

This was such a beautiful poetic way to end the series. I was afraid they would all wake up happily ever after and that would cheapen the real sacrifices made. This was so much better; and it helps explain some of the issues with continuity in the Alt. Just an amazing beautiful way to end the show.

I'm rambling, but that's where the show left me.

It only ends once. Everything else is just progress...

P.S. I hate you, Jimmy Kimmel.

Lost: What They Died For Review

Summary: Three main parts to the episode. First off, we have Sideways world. Jack has breakfast with his son, and plans to go to his concert. Desmond calls him and pretends to be Oceanic, with his Dad's casket. Desmond then beats the crap out of Ben, who starts to remember, and when he says a few words to Locke, Locke decides to get fixed. Then Ben hooks up with non-crazy Rousseau. Finally, Desmond turns himself in and gets Sayid and Kate on his side when he breaks them free, with the help of millionaire (and in on the Sideways) Hurley and corrupt (not in on the Sideways) Ana Lucia. And they're all off to the concert...

Next, we have Otherton. Ben, Miles, and Richard arrive, and shortly after that Widmore and Zoe arrive. A standoff ensues until they realize that Smokey is on the way. Charles and Zoe hide, Miles runs off into the jungle with a walkie-talkie, and Richard and Ben head out to face Smokey. Smokey tosses Richard into the jungle, and then calmly asks Ben to kill some people. Ben agrees, and then Fauxcke kills Zoe. Widmore reveals that he's working for Jacob, and brought Desmond back as a failsafe. Ben then shoots Widmore. Ben/Faucke go to the well, but Desmond isn't there, which is probably good, since Fauxke wants to use Des to destroy the island.

And after mourning, Jack and crew head to find Desmond. They are stopped by the ghost of Jacob, who reveals that he brought them to the island because they were miserable. Now, he wants to give them a choice to succeed him. And Jack steps up.

Reaction:

Funniest line of the night from Sawyer: "And I thought he had a God complex before..."

Next funniest from Miles: "Good luck with that!"

Is it just me, or was the music just amazing last night? I recognized some Season 1 cues but also some new stuff. Great job. (On that note, I don't think I like Jacob's general musical cue. It's kind of egyptian... And I just don't like it.)

I won't believe Richard (or Frank, actually) is dead until I see a body. It being the finale, you never know though... The list of characters that could show up at any random time in the finale includes Claire, Frank, Richard, Miles, Rose/Bernard, Vincent, Walt, Nikki and Paulo, and Achara (the tattoo lady).

I'm not sure about Ben right now. Is he playing Smokey for a fool? Because that really worked out well for Sawyer.

And speaking of that, I don't like the fact that now there is another backpack full of C4.

Thoughts:

I'm skipping themes/speculation this week, because I want to focus on the character of Jack. Here's his arc through the seasons:

Season 1: Leadership is forced on him, and he struggles with it, leading to a power struggle with Locke.

Season 2: The tension between Jack and Locke builds, until Jack just becomes dismissive of Locke. Then he gets kidnapped by the others.

Season 3: Jack is held captive by the others, and then promised freedom. Locke destroys it, and Jack swears revenge on Locke and the Others.

Season 4: Jack nearly kills Locke, and then sacrifices everything he can to get people off the Island. Jack listens to his inner Locke, lies about the Island, and then falls apart.

Season 5: When he gets back to the Island, Jack doesn't do anything - until he starts sensing a chance to fix his mistakes. And he blows up a nuke.

Season 6: Jack is broken, having realized that his decisions are almost always wrong. He lets Hurley lead, and starts being a leader, rather than acting like one.

It's a good arc. Season 1 (especially early in the season) he can do no wrong. He hits his absolute lowpoint in the flash forwards (Through the Looking Glass for example). And since then, his character has been building up. In fact, once Jack hits that low point, I can't think of a single thing he did that was stupid. Blowing up a nuke, okay, that's kinda dumb. But he's been such a good character since they broke him.

And now, he's back on top. In this episode, Jack says "I'll do it. This is my destiny." And Jacob asks him "Is that a question?" And in one of the best acted moments on Lost, Jack says "No."

In the look on Jack's face there, you can see all of his history. Every interaction with his father. Every mistake he's made on the Island. Every mistake he made off the Island. Every person he's gotten killed. Every person he couldn't save.

Every moment we've seen, since his eyes opened in the Pilot, is shining in his eyes there.

And that's been Jack's story so far. With 150 minutes left, there's so much more to go. And for the first time since season 2, I think I'm excited about what part Jack will play next week.

A Little Introspection

It's time to do a little self reflection.

I've found through the years that my understanding of myself changes. I don't know if it's growth, per se, or simply understanding who I am better, but many of the things I used to be and do are no longer true about me.

Four years ago, I was in college, at the top of the world, in some senses. I was a leader on campus, in multiple positions, with many friends. I was someone that people looked up to, someone that was funny, someone that could spiritually challenge you.

And then I moved to South Carolina and tried to take that persona with me, into a new world. And I sort of fell flat on my face. I made a lot of friends, but I also sort of came to realize I'm a jerk. And I'm a poor leader when I'm trying.

I came to realize that I generally succeeded in spite of myself. It was when I withdrew and backed off that I found myself at the forefront of the game, in a way.

I moved to Seattle and have basically said I was going to sit back for three years and support Jess. I wasn't going to take the charge; I wasn't going to start a church or lead a small group; I wasn't going to push or pull anyone.

And then I consistently get pushed into positions where I'm doing well, despite having backed off. My supervisor refuses to let my job just be a job - if I'm not growing or learning, then something's wrong. Jess doesn't let me just sit back and do nothing - she challenges me to strive for more, in our relationship, and in other relationships. And even God isn't letting me sit back, and is constantly throwing things for me to do and learn and stretch with.

And all this is teaching me some things about myself. Maybe I'm not the leader I always imagined; maybe I'm a different sort of leader. I don't think I should ever be the senior pastor for a church - I don't do well with power. Even the little bit of managing that I've been given at work is a struggle for me - because I let it become about me and what I want. I used to assume that once I was in a leadership/management position I would wow everyone with my skills - but I simply don't think thats true anymore.

This has been an interesting time of my life. And it only continues from here.

Lost: The Candidate Review

Originally posted this to the wrong Blog!

Summary: Starting with the Alt, Jack can't leave poor Locke alone - he wants to fix him. Locke refuses, so Jack goes on a Jackian journey to discover why. Turns out Locke was in a plane crash - he was the pilot. His dad (Anthony Cooper) became a vegetable as a result. Locke, who was muttering some Island type sayings in his sleep, turns down Jack's offer to help him.

On the island, Sawyer and everyone else are locked in the cages. Jack and Smokey rescue them, and they all make their way to the plane. Fauxcke disarms the planes C4, and they decide the safer route would be to take the sub. On the suspiciously unarmed dock, Jack knocks Fauxcke in the water, and they all run into the sub and press submerge. Fauxcke, along with Claire, are left on the dock. On the way, Kate gets shot but lives.

In the sub, Jack is tending to Kate when they discover that Fauxcke screwed them by planting the C4 in Jack's backpack. They have 2 minutes, and it will take five minutes to get to the top. Jack tries to convince everyone that nothing can happen because they are candidates. Sawyer, with echoes of Juliet in his eyes, doesn't believe him and pulls the wires. The bomb stops for a heartbeat, and then speeds up.

Sayid tells Jack about Desmond who is still alive, and then runs the bomb to the other side of the sub, sacrificing himself. The bomb explodes and the sub starts sinking. Frank is killed (presumably) by a door that bursts. Hurley takes Kate and escapes, and Sawyer, Jack and Jin attempt to free Sun who is trapped by some wreckage. Something collapses and hits Sawyer on the head, and Jin screams at Jack to get Sawyer out. And then, in one of the saddest moments in Lost, Jin refuses to leave Sun trapped, and they drown, together.

Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and Hurley wash up on the share, and cry.

Reactions: What a bloodbath... Absolutely brutal. I was just about in tears as Jin refused to leave Sun. And Sayid - what a heroic exit. In a way, I feel all the characters went out the best way possible - Jin/Sun touched us, Sayid was heroic, and Frank gave one of his classic one liners.

Sawyer is gonna be wrecked. At least Jack's plan only killed Juliet.

Also, how freaking evil is Fauxcke? Terry O Quinn has been amazing.

Themes: True love, redemption in the alt, Jack has to fix things. The man of science/man of faith dilemma now appears to rest a bit in Jack / Sawyer - also a bit of the Destiny / Free Will component.

Speculation: Maybe now we're going to go get some revenge on Fauxcke? Next week is "Across the Sea."

Fare thee well in the alternate, Jin / Sun.

How CGI Ruined Monster Movies

I bought a movie the other night. I was at a discount grocery store, and they had movies for 2.50. I thought about buying Children of Men - an excellent movie, but I ended up going with my more... primal instincts. I bought a giant killer crocodile movie - Primeval.

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved monster movies. Jaws is still one of my favorite movies of all time. Jurassic Park may have been the first movie I saw in movie theaters. To this day, I see a movie about a giant man eating crocodile/shark/dinosaur and I want to go see it in theaters.

However, and there is no denying this, Dumb-People-Getting-Eaten-Movies (DPGEM from here on out) have gone downhill. The absolute peak was 1974 - Jaws. The next comparable quality DPGEM is Jurassic Park in 1993 - and that one movie sparked the slide into mediocrity and sci-fi-channel badness.

Name one quality DPGEM since 1993. Here are your options: Deep Blue Sea, Lake Placid, Anaconda, and Cloverfield. Three of thosel came out in the late 90's and are generally considered "so bad they're almost good."

It's depressing to me that in 10 years we've had more quality X-Men movies (1.5) than DPGEM. And it's all, in my opinion, because of CGI.

In 1974, you had no option when making a DPGEM. You made a robot shark. And even if it was the fakest shark in the long and noble history of fake sharks, it looked real on camera. It was tangible. It had presence.

Now? You film the entire movie and then make the monster later. In the making of Primeval, they had all the principle photography done, and then started working on what the beast would look like. And it just kills the movie...

It changes the shots you do - CGI requires quick composite shots, where as a real creature can do long takes. It changes the way the actors act - compare Robert Shaw's death in Jaws with the death of Saffron Burrows in Deep Blue Sea. One is acting - and one is simply CG gore with no emotional stakes. It even changes the focus of the movie - the strength of Jaws was in the characters, not in the shark. When a movie is focused on the beast and on the kills, you end up with a forgettable movie.

And yet knowing all of that, I'm still sort of a sucker for DPGEM. When the inevitable remake of Jaws hits theaters, I'll go and watch opening night - excited to see people get eaten, and terrified that they'll ruin the characters and story in service of plot and CGI.

Lost: Across the Sea Dissection

I'm going to forebear my normal review of Lost's new episode for a longer, more indepth, dissection. Because Ladies and Gentlemen... it didn't work. For a more profanity-laden dissection, check out Dave's quick thoughts.

Quick summary: The entire episode is the story of Jacob and MiB. They are born, and their mother is killed immediately after birth by a woman who comes to be known as Mother. Mother shows the boys a source of golden light, coming from an cave, the heart of the island. When MiB sees his dead real mother, he leaves Jacob/Mother for some other people - who are busy digging wells. When MiB comes up the plan to attach a (not-yet-frozen) donkey wheel to one of the wells to hopefully go through the light to Across the Sea, Mother knocks him out, fills in the dirt, and kills all the other people. Off screen. Then MiB wakes up, kills mother, and Jacob throws him in to the golden light cave. MiB becomes the black smoke monster. Jacob leaves the MiB's body with his mothers body in the caves, and we flash forward to Jack/Kate/Locke discovering the bodies of Adam and Eve.

I think some of the common complaints from this episode will be the vagueness of the answers, the slow pace, and the golden light cave. Oh, and the lack of explanation of the full rules. These are valid concerns, but I want to examine the episode in terms of narrative.

This episodes has 3 purposes - Explanation, Backstory, and Revelation. Let's deal with these in order.

Explanation - Perhaps better titled Answers. This is (expository or not) answers to the questions that we've been asking, in some cases since the first episode. Two mysteries are given answers that I don't expect any further clarification on, and one mystery has (probably/possibly) also been answered.

First, we know who Adam and Eve are - MiB and Mother. This I have little issue with. The largest concern is that Jack said the bodies were only 40-50 years old, while we know they at least predate 1867 (Ab Aeterno). I suppose on an island that frequently travels through time and space that could be expected. Perhaps they also age slowly like Jacob?

Second, (the most satisfying of the answers) - how did a frozen donkey wheel come to exist? Well, apparently the MiB created it to try to get off the island. This answer seemed satisfying to me. The island is one of those special magnetic places in the world - like that place in Australia where Rose visited a Faith Healer. Okay, I buy that one.

Third... the smoke monster is created when MiB is thrown into the golden cave of lightlovehope. This is the answer that hopefully has more coming - I would think so. See the revelation section for more details on this. Otherwise, it's not satisfying.

Okay, so on to the Backstory. The entire episode is backstory on Jacob and MiB. Stephen King says that the one rule of backstory is that even if the audience doesn't know it, the characters do. And I felt that the backstory was consistent with what we've seen of Jacob and the MiB. However - there were very few surprises. At this point, with 3.5 hours left, was this backstory necessary in this way? Was Mother necessary? That was a significant portion of the episode, and a portion that could have been very much left to the viewers imagination.

And finally, Revelation. The large revelation is the golden cave of living loveope. Loveope is a combination of love and hope, just so ya know. This is too random of a thing to introduce with 3 hours left - so this will be something important. It has to be revisited, right? At the very least, we need to know why it turns people into smoke monsters. Maybe Hurley will become a white smoke monster? Maybe that's what Widmore is looking for? What Desmond is going to be sacrificed for?

I did like the light portion connecting to the light at the frozen donkey wheel. That was one of the stranger aspects of that wheel in my mind - the light behind it. And now we know a bit more about it.

So overall, this episode has to rate as one of the more disappointing episodes, right? Not a bad episode, necessarily, just disappointing...