BARBELITH underground
 

Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.


Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Lost (US thread)

  
  

Page: 1 ... 1718192021(22)2324252627... 52

 
 
Yotsuba & Benjamin!
12:53 / 26.01.06
She worked at the same Psych Ward is my guess. Being a kind and decent person, once she realized were she remembered him from, she changed the subject.

Damn, it's gonna be really hard to have a casual relationship on The Island Where Everything Happens For A Reason isn't it?
 
 
Aertho
13:05 / 26.01.06
Having a casual relationship gets you dead. Didn't Friday the 13th teach you anything?

The way to stay alive is to have a doomed love affair with equal parts angst, lust, selfishness, and clichéd romance.
 
 
buttergun
19:59 / 26.01.06
Last night's episode featured two of my least favorite things: babies and Christianity. I'm getting sick of the Xian stuff consistently creeping into this show. First it's Rose and Charlie praying together last season, and now it's Eko baptizing Claire and child. I don't know, maybe it's just the current "thing" for sci-fi/fantasy entertainment (re: the Star Wars "prequel" dreck, which included "immaculate conception" nonsense straight out of the Bible, and the Matrix sequels, which obliterated the original film's gnosticism by reverting back to the usual Judeo-Christian garbage).

Religious diversions aside...I can't be the only one who found last night's baptism-glorifying finale underwhelming. Is this the Middle Ages? Anyway, lots of red herrings/curveballs last night. Is Locke going bad? Or is Charlie? The final shot of him pulling on his hood in the darkness, while foreboding music played, seemed to imply as much (and again, another Star Wars reference -- reminded me of Anakin/Darth Vader in the latest SW prequel, sad to say).

And I wonder about the Libby situation. She very much seemed to be making up her story of meeting Hurley on the plane, and let's not overlook her facial expressions as she tried on the blouse, while his back was turned -- the gears turning in her head as she came up with a story. But revelations don't come so easily on Lost.

I'm thinking this stuff with Libby is a red herring, to make us think she's bad. Her actions last night weren't in keeping with such an opaque show. It was so out in the open, like the writers were saying, "Look, Libby might be bad, and she's lying to Hurley!" I think the person who truly acted suspicious last night was Locke -- particularly the scene where, after Charlie told him the island was a test and the heroin had been stashed there as part of his (Chalrie's) test, Locke said, "It's there because you put it there, Charlie," or something smug to that affect. Really fucking annoying that Locke said this -- after all, isn't he the guy who believes the island gave him back the use of his legs? Either the writers are trying to change his character (remember, Eko even told Locke earlier this season not to confuse fate with coincidence...the LAST thing you think you'd need to tell Locke), or they're setting us up for the lamest move in Lost history: namely, Locke turning out to be a "bad guy." I also don't want a "bad Locke."

And also, I realized last night that A-L is such a more dynamic presence than Kate has ever been. I take back all the mean things I said about her. She's the only character so far to display a modicum of common sense...I've been saying since September '04 that in the REAL world, photogenic people such as the cast of Lost would be fucking each others' brains out within a week of being stranded on a desert island -- there'd be none of the coy "will they or won't they" shenanigans which are such a drag on this show. A-L finally pointed this out. And she got one of the best lines yet: "Are you hittin' that?"
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
01:08 / 27.01.06
Well, the religious/Christian stuff is kinda urgent and key in the context of the bigger storyline - for one thing, one of the central themes of the show is faith vs. reason, so it totally belongs even if it offends your secular tastes. It would be crushingly unrealistic for a bunch of people to be stuck in an extreme situation and not have some of them be religious or find religion. Also, it seems like The Others/Dharma is some kind of nightmare combination of Skinner and spiritual dogma, which is a hell of a lot more interesting than plain old mad scientists.

As for John Locke - it's important to keep in mind that he was getting territorial about his relationship with Claire and the baby, so he had some selfish motivations that he didn't have when he had been helping Charlie in the past. Also, Charlie totally deserved it! He repeatedly put that child in danger, and he's shown no reason for John, Claire, or anyone else to believe that he's anything but a wreckless junkie at this point in time.

Also, keep in mind that John Locke is kind of a selfish, myopic character in spite of his very good qualities. For him, it's always about HIS destiny, and what HE was MEANT TO DO. They've been setting him up for a tragic fall since the third episode.
 
 
one point, oh
10:11 / 27.01.06
I think we can probably assume that Locke is getting tetchy as he is forced to question his faith; he sincerely believed that the answers would be in his precious hatch. A few episodes ago we saw him fawning over the orientation tape, which allowed him another avenue into which to pour his hope of resolution. But, of course, the missing bit of tape didn’t really come to fruition. I think Locke’s previously glacial patience is wearing thin, and this frustration is probably what caused his somewhat abrupt treatment of Charlie.

The last episode’s Christian elements didn’t rattle my cage as much as the horribly clichéd and truly cringe worthy depiction of life in the north of England; Kestrel for a Knave and Billy Elliot mashed up and churned out once again. They even seemed fairly well to-do in the Christmas morning scene until she started ranting about being saved destitution. I have to say considering what a whiney cow he is Charlie’s back story is considerably less painful than the majority of the rest of the cast. Got to feel sorry for him though; the islanders always seem to need an outcast; it’s passed hands so many times (Locke, Sawyer, A-L, etc...) but now it rests on Charlie and I kind of question how easy his redemption is going to be.
 
 
Lel
15:52 / 27.01.06
Didn't Jack say something to Anna like "Sayid said you were a copy." If so, it seems obvious that Jack DID talk to Sayid first, he really wasn't in the mood to talk about war, and said "You should go talk to AL, she was a copy."
 
 
buttergun
16:12 / 27.01.06
>>(Sayid) said "You should go talk to AL, she was a copy."<<

If he said THAT, then Sayid's accent has just gotten terrible.
 
 
Spaniel
16:15 / 27.01.06
You should go talk to AL, she was a copy.

Er.

Comments on the show later...
 
 
Aertho
16:40 / 27.01.06
So everybody in Podcastland is thinking Locke is turning "evil". I think Flux nailed it. Locke is setting all his players into their places. He knows the circumstances are engineered, and he's exploiting them.

He keeps pushing Jack's buttons, he enables Michael in his drive to get Walt, he gets close to Claire - who was kidnapped, rendered amnesiac, and returned - by the island. And he alienates Charlie, who's being enabled by the island. He's being methodical and experimenting with the island's effects on people.
 
 
Yotsuba & Benjamin!
17:03 / 27.01.06
Maybe he said "Talk to AL, she's a bobby"? Letting his British accent and vocab slip through?

Or maybe "Talk to AL, she's a copy" meant she's actually a clone and is potentially the key to unlocking the secrets of the sinister Hanso Foundation and their mysterious DHARMA Initiative?
 
 
doyoufeelloved
17:37 / 27.01.06
I also agree that Flux has Locke described quite well -- I wouldn't say he's "turning evil," in the sense that he already kinda evil to start with. Seriously, guys, I know a lot of people love him, but the dude is a human-hating douche.

Also, I strongly dislike Charlie (possibly because any and every time the show's writers try to do something involving music, it turns out terrible), and am really looking forward to his journey into the dark side. I wouldn't be surprised if he was dead before the season was up, actually.
 
 
buttergun
17:52 / 27.01.06
Didn't the actor who plays Charlie (can't think of his name at the moment, dammit!) say something a few months ago along the lines that the producers have set everything up so that all the characters could end up dead at the end of this season? Taking that into consideration along with the clone-rumors being dropped about (ie the forthcoming Lost tie-in novel), I'm figuring this might mean OUR main characters (such as Charlie) might be killed...and then a few months later, hey look, here's clone Charlie. With Abrams' name attached to the show, I wouldn't be shocked -- I lost track of how many clones popped up in Alias. The man is clone-crazy.
 
 
Keith, like a scientist
18:13 / 27.01.06
I firmly believe all that clone stuff that is floating around on the various tie-in websites is a complete red herring.
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
19:05 / 27.01.06
What the hell are you people talking about? Jacks says "Sayid said you were a cop." SHE WAS A COP. This is not a confusing thing.

As for John Locke - I don't think John will ever be an "evil" character, but I definitely think that he will ultimately meet a very tragic fate as the result of his delusions of grandeur. His faith has nothing to do with a higher power and everything to do with him believing that HIS life is meaningful and special. I am certain that Locke will eventually be crushed by his hubris. I think it's almost definite that at some point, he will lose the use of his legs again, most likely as a form of punishment.
 
 
Aertho
19:30 / 27.01.06
everything to do with him believing that HIS life is meaningful and special.

Evidenced most by Eko's cuffing our Man-of-Faith upside the head when he says: "Do not confuse coincidence with fate."

Up until then, Locke was our go to guy when it came to seeing the bigger picture and having faith in the unknown. Then he holds the missing reel and asks "what are the chances?" That struck me as bad writing... then as Locke acting dumb to throw off the potential physical threat of Eko... then as Locke actually being so self-focused he doesn't see his hypocrisy.
 
 
buttergun
19:50 / 27.01.06
>>What the hell are you people talking about? Jacks says "Sayid said you were a cop." SHE WAS A COP. This is not a confusing thing.<<

I think you need to switch on your sense of humor. We were all poking fun at Lel for writing "copy" instead of "cop."
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
21:01 / 27.01.06
Oh, okay! I think sometimes I just sorta expect Barbelith to be full of completely off-the-mark speculation that I just come in totally prepared to be exasperated.
 
 
Spaniel
06:00 / 28.01.06
I am certain that Locke will eventually be crushed by his hubris. I think it's almost definite that at some point, he will lose the use of his legs again, most likely as a form of punishment.

Yes

but the dude is a human-hating douche

I understand why you'd say that, but no.

He's being methodical and experimenting with the island's effects on people.

Kinda no, in that he thinks he's working for the good, and maybe sometimes he is, oh, and he's clearly motivated mainly by emotion when it comes to Claire.

Does anyone know what was written on Battersea Power Station? According to the Lostcast, something written on a famous building on the London skyline was of interest.
 
 
Spaniel
06:10 / 28.01.06
He's being methodical and experimenting with the island's effects on people.

It's not so much that he's methodical (although I agree he is, I mean, why else is he hanging on to those statues?) more that he's hubristic.

Something which hasn't been mentioned is the way that the episode worked to set up the Locke Eko divide. The characters were functioning at odds with each other and there was some portentous cutting between the two.
It's about time that the camp suffered a major rift.
 
 
Spaniel
06:21 / 28.01.06
Um, and Voltron is *always* significant.
 
 
Yotsuba & Benjamin!
08:40 / 28.01.06
Good call with Locke/Eko at extreme loggerheads without even realizing/intending it. I'm curious to see how that's going to dovetail into the overall Army plot though. ("The smoke monster is for beach racing!")

Ah, who am I kidding. They won't be mobilized until February Sweeps 2008. By that time Eko will have married Libby and Hurley, Locke will have started spiking Charlie's Coconut Lattes with heroin, and they'll both be living in seperate DHARMA stations with their respective acolytes.

Bookmark that post, folks. A few years from now it will make you go "Wow. Prescience."
 
 
Keith, like a scientist
15:40 / 28.01.06
Found this curious hint about Charlie from an article about Monaghan:

The Lost writers concocted quite the dilemma for Monaghan's Charlie: a Catholic character faced with having to break statues of the Virgin Mary to get to a drug that could end his life. "That all has to do with the big thematic master plan of the show," hints executive producer Bryan Burk.
 
 
Aertho
15:45 / 28.01.06
So he's not turning evil, he's turning suicidal! Grrreat!
 
 
Spaniel
17:41 / 28.01.06
So, no one around here knows anything about Battersea Power Station? (I've done a google search, for all the good it did.)

On the creative process behind the show, Lindeloff and that other fellow, whose name temporarily escapes me, compared it to going on a road trip, knowing that you want to hit certain cities, and knowing where you want to end up, but not knowing exactly what routes you're going to take.
 
 
Spaniel
17:49 / 28.01.06
Does that quote really contain any new information?
I'm not sure where you're getting the suicidal stuff from, Chad. As far as I can see the writer of the piece is simply describing Charlie predicament. Also the bit about the "big thematic master plan" could simply be a reference to how Charlie factors into the show's themes of redemption/facing your demons.
 
 
CameronStewart
06:50 / 30.01.06
>>>Does anyone know what was written on Battersea Power Station? According to the Lostcast, something written on a famous building on the London skyline was of interest.<<<


From the shots here, it appears that they added a banner to the Power Station in the episode, it's not something that was written on the building in the real world.

Very tiny and illegible, though.
 
 
Spaniel
19:40 / 30.01.06
Yes, I spotted that, but I couldn't make it out. I was wondering whether it was the fault of my bittorented copy - in that perhaps the resolution wasn't high enough - but it's starting to look like no one can read it, which kinda defeats the point. After all, why include illegible easter eggs?
 
 
yawn - thing's buddy
14:05 / 03.02.06
watched the first 10 fuckers o season two t'other day.

excellent.

really excellent.

the 'other 48 days' was harrowing man, fucking grim.

once a week never again.
 
 
Spaniel
19:02 / 03.02.06
I like the weekly format because of what the spaces in between episodes make possible: the speculation and the anticipation, coming to communities like this and chatting about last week's cliffhanger, going through frame by frame trying to spot easter eggs.

People think they want the answers now, and getting a slew of answers would be very pleasurable, but only momentarily.
 
 
Keith, like a scientist
20:08 / 03.02.06
Totally agree, Boboss. It's more like taking leisurely time with a good book, which is the main thing I enjoy about plot/arc driven television these days.
 
 
Spaniel
20:50 / 03.02.06
The book analogy holds, but I was working on a post earlier that compared enjoying Lost to delaying orgasm...
 
 
yawn - thing's buddy
22:29 / 03.02.06
I'm usually with you on this - but gorging on ten episodes in two blocks of five was really fucking enjoyable.

I'm thinking it'd be cool to wait till the rest of the series is done and then do another binge.

lovin the smoke.
 
 
sleazenation
22:37 / 03.02.06
I'm with yawn on this one - If i hadn't seen the first 12 eps back to back i probably wouldn't still be watching this...
 
 
CameronStewart
01:21 / 04.02.06
I actually admit that my patience is wearing thin with season 2. With the exception of the Mister Eko episode, the last few have been plodding, pointless and dull, and last week's Charlie episode was, in my opinion, just awful. Contributing to the problem is the week-long gap between them - I'm finding the lack of substance increasingly irritating and anticlimactic after a week's wait, whereas it might not be as noticable if I were to be watching them in a block, as I did with season 1.

Right now I'm actually almost sort of indifferent if I ever saw another episode - I'm hoping that next week has something to hook me back in...
 
 
doglikesparky
05:18 / 04.02.06
I haven't found any of the episodes awful yet but I do agree, the last few haven't been nearly as good as the show has been.
I'm torn between watching on a weekly basis and saving a few up to do in one hit. I really like watching the show and then coming here and reading what everybody has to say and then letting it digest for a week before the next ep but I do really feel that, at the moment at least, the anticipation of the next episode far outweighs what actually gets delivered.
 
  

Page: 1 ... 1718192021(22)2324252627... 52

 
  
Add Your Reply