Thoughts on L O S T

L O S T : season FIVE

Episode 4 : “THE LITTLE PRINCE” – February 4th, 2009

I’m getting a little concerned already about season five of LOST, and not simply because tonight’s title, “The Little Prince,” referred to baby Aaron and not Ben as I had hoped…
I worry that the season will fall into a pattern of parceling out bits of information and clues at too steady and even of a pace. It seems we’ll be spending the whole season following the “70 hours left” before Ben’s window of opportunity to get the Oceanic 6 back The Island closes. Soap operas spring to mind watching Sun… She gets a package!…There’s a gun!…She sees Ben…Is she going to shoot him?…Tune in tomorrow! Meanwhile, the “left behind” crew are trotting around rather aimlessly, going through periodic time fluctuations. Miles takes over wisecracking duties from Hurley and we’re left with less-than-inspired dialogue from Locke, Sawyer, and even Juliet (“James, GO AWAY!”). How does Locke explain his intentions to find The ORCHID Station? “That’s where all of this started, maybe that’s how we can stop it.” Really? Maybe that’s good enough for Sawyer, but I don’t know if I’m sold.
Just when I was beginning to feel that the writers weren’t taking advantage of the possibilities of time travel on The Island, we’re thrown a bone when Jin washes up and is found by raft full of Frenchies. The impact was dulled though, as they wasted their THUMP/endbeat on the revelation that the pregnant woman that looked like a younger Rousseau was in fact…ROUSSEAU!!! Regardless, having her character (and Jin) back in the mix should bring more interesting storylines. Perhaps Rousseau can enlighten us on her pregnancy (Ben was nowhere to be seen) and the death of the rest of her crew… or perhaps they will vanish into the purple sky and Jin will become just another of the band of characters dragging out that side of the narrative.
One thought I had tonight was that with most of the “redshirts” (the background Flight 815 survivors) dead or not accounted for, there’s fewer and fewer people left to “go back” for. The guilt of abandoning 30 or more people is one thing, but the way things are unravelling, the Oceanic 6 might risk their lives for six or less people still on The Island. Of course, Jack & Co. have no way of knowing this AND conveniently we have Ms. Hawking’s 70 hour deadline to keep things urgent. Can Ms. Hawking keep the show ENTERTAINING, though? Time will tell…

…one more thing…
Faraday’s discussion with Miles about his nosebleed included a hint that Miles had been on The Island before. T.Berger told me about a THEORY this week that all of the ‘Freighter’ characters were born on The Island. The blonde lass from last week, ‘Ellie’ might be Eloise Hawking (who is likely Faraday’s mom). Charlotte seems to have been born there from hints and her own musings. Miles? Perhaps Miles is the baby seen in the season’s opening moments at the home of Dr.Candle/Halliwax/etc. Hopefully, the show won’t spend all season teasing and ultimately revealing these connections…

 

Episode 3 : “JUGHEAD” – January 28th, 2009

 This season’s third episode, “JUGHEAD,” aired this evening and definitely laid the ground work for an exciting story arc this year.  Some highlights for me:
  – Locke asking Juliet “exactly how old” Richard Alpert is… her reply: “Old.”
  – The quick moment where it’s apparent that Faraday is not only AWARE   of Miles’ psychic abilities, but that he trusts it enough to mine him for details after Miles informs him they just passed a fresh gravesite.

     I was a bit worried about the relationship of Penny and Des after watching him struggle to explain his “new memories” of Faraday visiting him in the hatch.  You’d think after three years together, he would’ve gotten the point across that The Island, everything about it, and everyone who’s ever been there or even heard of it is involved in some pretty BIZZARRE SH*T!!!  My concerns were alleviated by the great scene where Desmond tries to lie and shrugs off her detection of it…perfect!  They are still the best couple on this show by far.
     It doesn’t seem like Faraday and Charlotte will ever have a chance to rival them, as the episode featured both Daniel professing his love AND Charlotte dying (filling the rumored death quota of 1 female series regular).  While I never got invested in her character, it seems kind of pointless to have had her along for the freighter ride just to die now…
     While Charlotte’s death was the closing “THUMP” moment, the episode’s real plot gem was the revelation of Charles Widmore on the island of 1954.  This could keep the braniacs at LOSTPEDIA up all night recalculating and revising their theories.  He was there, as an other, looking about 50 years younger than in “the present” and taking orders from Richard Alpert.  No clue as to how or when he got there, but though his brash, bold attitude was present, he seemed youthfully naive and not completely enlightened about The Island.  The most important detail to me, though, was his youth; he certainly doesn’t age as well as Mr. Alpert who Juliet said has “always” been there…
     Next week will find the “left behind” crew in another time and perhaps find Des, Penny, and CHARLIE (sweet name choice!) docking in Marina del Rey and approaching Faraday’s mum who looks to almost certainly be Mrs. Hawking…

  UPDATE !!! : Something I (and I would guess 99% of LOST fans) missed: apparently the actress   that played the Oxford library receptionist (when Desmond queried about Faraday) was the SAME actress shown in season one working the counter at OCEANIC AIRLINES as the passengers of Flight 815 checked in and picked up their tickets… WhaaaaAAAAAAAA???  Surely NOT just a coincidence, but yet another mysterious detail…  Thanks, LOSTPEDIA!

 

For hours of L O S T research, I reccomend LOSTPEDIA, which I regard as THE site for verified Lost information.