617 – The End – Sawyer & Juliet

Sawyer

614 – The Candidate

Review:

Now I’m really glad that I wrote my death list last week.  At least I was partly ready for this bloodshed.  Four down, and the best part is, they were all people I wanted to die!  I didn’t really predict Sun and Jin’s death, but it wasn’t unwelcome.

I was strangely annoyed by Jack and Locke’s conversations in the hospital.  Just let Jack to the surgery, everyone wants that, screw your guilt, Locke.  Anthony Cooper came back for a few seconds, but it wasn’t the same.  This wasn’t the character that we all grew to hate, it was a boring brain-dead version… sigh.

This episode was probably the most stressful episode yet.  First the part with Kate almost getting shot (which seems comical now); and then invading the sub, and Kate actually did get shot; then the bomb, then the bomb again and everyone escaping the sub… more like half the people escaping.  I was on the edge of my seat, and my hands were literally shaking.  Lost isn’t the most stressful show I watch, I get more stressed watching episodes of Damages or Survivor (I’m literally vibrating during almost every tribal council).  But this episode really got to me.  Maybe preparing myself for the deaths only made me more aware of their inevitability.

Obviously I really enjoyed those deaths, but after the episode one of my friends said this was the best episode, and I found myself disagreeing with that fiercely.  I’m having a hard time deciding how I feel about this episode.  Off the Island was a drag, we all wanted one thing to happen with Jack and Locke, and Locke dashed our dreams.  Not great.  It was good that “Locke” finally gave up the charade and tried to kill everyone, that innocent act was getting annoying.  I loved the ending with only four people on the beach, that was a great shocking image.  I liked four things in this episode, and I really liked them, but I’m not prepared to call this episode perfect.  8.5/10.0

604 – The Substitute

Review:

See, this is why we should always trust the writers.  Can you imagine the headache we would have had if this episode was episode 303.  Without a Kate episode to bring things back down to Earth the show would have accelerated needlessly fast.  We need this alternating pace so our heads don’t explode.

But enough about last week, let’s get on with this review.

Off the Island Locke’s life begins to self-destruct.  But this time he’s not alone. Helen, Hurley and Rose are there to catch him and set him back on his feet (not literally).  Locke postpones his fated meeting with Jack, but we all know it’s coming, “it’s destiny”.  And right at the end we get a fun little reunion with surprising connotations: Ben is off the Island, and more importantly he’s a history teacher DUN DUN DUUUUN!!

Things aren’t as rosy on the Island.  It turns out “Locke” didn’t really need Richard, he just wanted to punch him and then try to convince him that he’s really a nice guy.  It didn’t work.

So “Locke” moves on to Sawyer, and has more success with him.  Or does he?  I’m convinced that our favorite con-man isn’t stupid enough to be conned by “Locke” and that he’s wise to his manipulations.

“Locke” does us a favor and tells us, in his very biased way, about Jacob’s scholarship program called Name on the Wall.  It turns out Jacob was looking for Candidates, and we have his Master List to prove it.  “Locke” thinks it was more of a hit-list and that these people were possible replacements for Jacob.  I’m not buying it.  I’m sure Jacob was watching these people closely, but I don’t think he was killing them, and I doubt he was hoping to die and get replaced soon.

I see this episode as a journey of discovery.  Sure it sounds ridiculous, but that really does sum it up.  It wasn’t a big flashy action episode, well besides that stressful ladder scene, it wasn’t an insane finale or a turning point.  But we learned a lot and many lines were drawn in the sand.  It’s one of those episodes like The Man Behind the Curtain and The Shape of Things to Come that is just a dream come true for theorists and mythologically obsessed fans.  8.5/10.0.

On a side note, I’ve noticed a pattern in the episodes so far.   First we get a two part episode about all of our characters with most people getting flashbacks, then we get a Kate episode, then a Locke episode.  Sound familiar?  It harkens back to Season 1.  We’ll see if I’m right next week, according to the pattern it should be a Jack episode next.  (Don’t correct me if I’m wrong.)

Post 602, 602 thoughts and theories

OK.  So I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’ve gone back and forth with many of you in the comments all the while forming new theories.  So here goes nothing.

New Theory About Dying

I’d like to put forth this theory: once characters die in one of the timelines they become aware of the other timeline. This would explain Charlie thinking that he had to die and also Juliet knowing that “it worked”.  It doesn’t really explain what happened to Sayid.  I tend to think that possibly he died in the non-Island timelines, but that seems kinda crazy (maybe Arzt killed him in some sort of racially motivated rage, you saw that look he gave him).

Sub theory.  I know I already said that this would explain Charlie thinking he had to die, but I might change that.  In 2004 he isn’t dead.  So it’ll take a while before he dies and his consciouses merge.  The first person to die will be The Marshall, and then Boone soon after.  This could be fun if I’m right.  (I doubt the redshirts dying will make a difference to my theory.)

Who’s Alive and Where

This is just a list of the people off the Island who are likely dead or alive.  And just so you know, I’m staying spoiler free this year.  So I know there are a lot of rumours going around about who’s coming back and who isn’t but let’s not post those items here.

Foreign Theories: Top 10 Lost Villains

This isn’t a theory, but it’s still quite good.  The Ack Attack is always a good site, this list just proves that.  I highly recommend you check out her site if you haven’t already.

This is her list of the Top Ten Villains on Lost.  I dare you to try to guess her list before you go there.  I got it wrong simple because I forgot that her number one villain was actually a villain, also I forgot about Smokey.  This is why I don’t do top ten lists, I tend to omit important things.

– izi

319 – The Brig

Review:

It doesn’t even seem like there is a flashback in this episode.  Technically it’s an on-island flashback with Locke.  So we see what Locke did with The Others over the past few episodes, including some very enlightening conversations with Ben and Richard.

Locke also comes to the beach and gets poor Sawyer to kill Anthony.  It was nice to have some closure on Sawyer previous life, but it was tragic to see him kill Anthony.

Also Naomi was hidden from the beach camp and was interrogated by Sayid (nicely, for a change).  We also got some insight into Jack’s big finale plan.

This episode addressed a lot of questions about the Others.  It didn’t provide answers but it showed them in their natural environment and it hinted at Locke’s place with them.  It also gave us some more info about the “plane at the bottom of the ocean story”.

Great episode, tragic, but great. 9.5/10.0

313 – The Man From Tallahassee

Review:

In Lost there are a few moments when you the writers shock us beyond belief.  In season four we got Locke saying “We have to move the island”, and our minds were collectively blown.  In season three Locke said, “dad”, and our minds were collectively blown.  That truly was a shocking and insane end of an episode.

And that’s not all.  This episode had many crazy, important elements.  Ben gets philosophical with Locke.  Jack chooses freedom with Juliet over captivity with Kate.  Rousseau sees Alex for the first time in about 16 years.  Locke “blows up” the submarine.  Richard shows up on the island as Ben’s faithful companion.  And we finally find out how Locke was paralyzed.

That is one crazy episode.  10.0/10.0  And if I do say so myself, this is a very good revlysis.  I don’t know why but I found that I had a lot to say about this episode, and most of it is important.

217 – Lockdown

Review:

The last episode ended with Ben giving Locke and Jack a hypothetical about how if he was an Other he would have led their friends into a trap.  This leads to a very tense moment at the beginning of this episode.  Last week we may have believed that he was an Other, but he quickly covers his tracks.  As the episode goes on his actions and behavior make it seem like there is no way that he’s an Other.  Then in the final scene we know for sure that he is.  Quite the whirlwind of plot twists.

Also we see Locke’s life get screwed again, but this time it involves Helen leaving him and Locke getting some awkward and artificial closure with his father.

And this episode also gives us the infamous glowing map on the blast-door.  As with almost every Locke centric episode I give this one a high score.  9.5/10.0

119 – Dues Ex Machina

Review:

When I think of a Locke flashback I don’t think about “Walkabout” I think of this episode.  This one was much more emotionally significant.  Finding out Locke was in a wheel chair was a pretty epic twist, but finding out that Locke had been screwed in one of the worst ways possible, by his own father was so much worse.

Oh, and Boone died (or at least came close to dying).  Also at the end of the episode when that light came on in the hatch it was just magical.  If that didn’t happen at the end of this episode, the episode would have been so depressing.

I’ll give it a 9.0/10.