Lost - Season 6

Lost - Season 6

Created by Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Starring Naveen Andrews, Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, Terry O'Quinn, Henry Ian Cusick, Michael Emerson, Daniel Day Kim, Yunjin Kim, Emile de Ravin, Alan Dale, Nestor Carbonell, Zuleikha Robinson, Jeff Fahey, Ken Leung,
Transmission season: 2010
ABC, 16 episodes, 43 mins.

Note: This review is written with the assumption the reader has already watched the entirety of seasons 1-6, for there are spoilers abound.

Plot: It's a fight of good vs. evil on the island as the Smoke Monsters puts its plan into fruition to finally get off the island, and the LOSTies need to stop him to save everything they hold dear.

Letting go. What a powerful message, and one that seems utterly simple to execute. But it’s not; it’s difficult, and it goes against our nature. All six seasons of LOST, and especially this sixth and final season, is about each character on the show – including and especially Jack Shephard – letting go. It’s simply beautiful. No matter the amount of grievances fans point and shout at executive producers and show runners Damon Linelof and Carlton Cuse about the lack of answers or some other problem, what they have accomplished these last six years is nothing short of extraordinary, and they exit this grand show in spectacular fashion. All these years in the making, and the messages and themes the writers have explored since Day One come into fruition: the goodness and darkness within ourselves, free will versus fate or destiny, and of course, simply letting go. These wonderful and timeless themes are juxtaposed against a thrilling story of good vs. evil this season as the LOSTies face off against the Man in Black, briefly seen in the season five finale “The Incident”, the notorious Smoke Monster (“security system”?) of the island who wants nothing more than to be free.

Episodes
Juliet detonates a nuclear bomb. Um, okay. So...what the frak happens now? New timeline? Alternate reality? Nothing? "LA X" opens with everything as it should be: Oceanic 815 lands, all is good. Yet we flip back to the island, where everything has gone to shit again. Welcome to the flashsideways, apparently some sort of consequence of Jack's plan that doesn't seem to actually include them. Now that would suck: executing the bomb plan, only to not have yourself be brought back to the beginning. In this world, Claire's still preggers, Jack has a son, Sawyer's a cop, Desmond's the shiz, Kate's still innocent but fugitivy-Kate, Charlie still loves him some drugs...there's similarities and differences in what came before and what happens now. Watching the Sideways world unfold is one of the true delights of the season. With each clue, with each flashback to something that happened on the island or some sort of shout out, what the Sideways world is becomes a question that's just as exciting as 'how is it all going to end?'

On the island, friendships are crushed and unexpected allegiances are formed. The Man in Black is doing everything in his power to get the frak off the island, and many of the surviving LOSTies aren't exactly opposed to the idea themselves. However, the ghost of Jacob isn't too keen on his brother getting out, so he uses the LOSTies to foil his plan.

Anyway. So: answers. The Man in Black is the Smoke Monster. Alright, coolio. There are some confusing elements about past explanations of the Monster that doesn't seem to correspond with this revelation, but I'll go with it. Also, to no surprise, the LOSTies were brought to the island by Jacob as a means to protect the island when he's gone...which was, like, two days ago LOST time. Alright, I dig that explanation. I especially liked the whole lighthouse stuff, explaining how Jacob's able to leave the island and 'touch' each of the candidates in "The Incident" flashbacks. However, my only complaint is that he shoula oughta been preparing them or something all these years. Really, what was the purpose of staying idle until he got murdered to prep them? Did he wanna see who would be the last ones standing? And isn't Jacob more or a monster than Flocke for allowing all the non-candidates to die just for, what, six people? By non-candidates I mean casualties on the plane and the people who died since...Libby, Anna Lucia, Shannon, etc. I know, I know, reading too much into this.

Although each episode of the season was pretty damn good, my favorites include: "Sundown", which was one hell of a stellar episode. Sayid kicking ass! Smokey victorious! Now that's always good television. "Dr. Linus", where even in the Sideways world Ben can be a manipulative small person, but the best part was the interaction between Ben and daughter Alex. "Ab Aeterno" (of course), with every bit of its 48-minute running time as compelling and cinematic as a feature film; "The Candidate" is just plain extraordinary, from the emotional character goodbyes to the action packed moments; "Happily Ever After" is wonderfully written, and a brilliant tease at what the Sideways actually are; and "The End", which still has some problems creatively, but is still one hell of a exit and works on so many levels thanks to the powerful performances, script, and of course, Michael Giacchino.

I Are Actor
I love the entire cast, you know I do. I love 'em, and they are all fantastic. But there is one particular individual that deserves significant mention this season: Terry O'Quinn. Yes, he's done some absolutely splendid work for the show before, but nothing can compare to his performance not only as the Sideways John Locke but also the Man in Black. With words, MIB comes off as a pleasant man, but his face and eyes convey a animalistic, wicked personality, a snake ready to lash out if you displease him. Forget Jack, Desmond, Kate, Sawyer, or even Ben, but this season was completely Lockes, and Terry O'Quinn milked the opportunity for all his worth, and it was magnificent.

Not saying Michael Emerson didn't get to play. Gosh, no. It is true that for the majority of the season, Ben was mostly overcome with a guilty conscious about killing Jacob and being manipulated himself. Ben wasn't up to his normal games or standards we've known of him since season two. Instead, like many have noted, he sort of underwent a transitional period, slowly becoming one of the good guys that's officially cemented in "The End" with his anointment of No. 2. Now, is it possible to parade a actor with accolades because of one single episode? In "What They Died For", when Ben watches Richard being thrown into the jungle by Flocke, Michael Emerson gives such a cool performance. After seeing Richard disappear, Ben just has that face that says, Oh. He slowly walks to a nearby porch, sits down faceforward, and just waits for Flocke to show up, and when asked by him where Charles Widmore is, he coldly says "in my secret closet" (or something like that). Excellent, excellent performance, and one of my top five favorite moments of the season.

Naveen Andrews provides just the right amount of disconnect to Sayid's zombie-like state. Matthew Fox can do this role in his sleep, but luckily he doesn't sleepwalk through his performance, instead allowing Jack to smile for the first time in what seems like eons and actually lead without commanding. Josh Holloway gets his grieving going on in the real world, but it's his performance as a police officer in the Sideways that had me applauding and demanding a spin-off with Miles, played to perfection (once again) by Ken Leung. Jorge Garcia - he can do no wrong, and with his escalated importance to the story this season, he rises to the challenge and is one of the most memorable elements this year. Emile de Ravin shines most profoundly in "The End", not given much to do other than 'crazy girl' for most of the season. Henry Ian Cusick commands the screen just as strongly as Terry and Michael, and any episode with Desmond in it is a blast. Evangeline Lilly is thrown to the sidelines, unfortunately, but she gets her due in the Sideways. Yunjin Kim outshines Daniel Day with emotional intensity and complexity. Nestor Carbonell gives the audience something they've never seen before in "Ab Aeterno", and Alan Dale is basically Alan Dale. As for Zuleikha Robinson, she's....okay. At the end of the day, was her character really needed? Well, I guess she did provide the necessary exposition.

The Season
If there is one absolute, unequivocal, strength with the show, it’s its unwavering dedication to their characters. Toss in as many intriguing mysteries and mythologies into the mix as one would like, but at the end of the day, LOST (and the strikingly similar science fiction show BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) are first and foremost all about the characters, the good and the bad. This season, more than anything, is a complete service to these flawed people we’ve grown to love these past five seasons, as each of them make difficult choices and in the end, face their destiny.

Hell, the writing in general is just fantastic, and pretty much some of the best that was found on television. Week after week, be in present time, a flashback, flashforward, or trip into the Sideways world, the writers of LOST created such unique, individualistic characters with distinct voices and so many dimensions. If it wasn’t for the writers, the actors wouldn’t have such strong material to work with, and the emotional stakes for each character episode after episode wouldn’t be so high and involving. LOST deserves a lot of accolades, and next to the wonderful performances, the writing is next in line.

Since I breached the topic of writing, let’s take a stab at story and the flashsideways for a little bit. Season 1 was all character, Season 2 was about mysteries and questions, Season 3 more about destiny and choices, Season 4 – hell, I don’t know, it was all over the place: love, science fictionyness, action/adventure, etc. – Season 5 was time traveling and purpose, and Season 6 is a fight of good versus evil with the greatness emphasis on character than ever before. It seems appropriate for the series to culminate in such a biblical, mythical storyline. But next to that theme and continuing the character arcs, the writers brilliantly provide us with what seems like an alternate reality: what would happen if Oceanic 815 didn’t crash and none of this destiny mumbo jumbo stuff happened. The flight lands safely, and everyone goes on with their lives. There’s little differences here and there, and lines of dialogue that are callbacks to the first season [sort of OT: I cannot believe how stoked and in love I was when the Man in Black screamed at a ghost of Jacob: “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” Goosebumps successfully bumped], and for the majority of the season, we, the fans, are completely stumped at what the hell was going on. What is the Sideways world? Why take up time in the shows final season to do this weird…thing? And when everything turns crazy in “Happily Ever After” as Desmond Hume starts a chain of events that lead up to “The End”, I was confused, worried, and filled with theories. How it all comes together and the final, painfully obvious in retrospect answer to what the Sideways world was is brilliant and just as emotionally moving as anything seen on television. I love what Lindelof and Cuse did with the Sideways, I love that this aspect of the story needed to be told. The series could not have worked without this new device, I now believe. It’s so important, so integral to these characters (and especially Jack), that there would be so much weight and story untold and unfelt with its absence.

So, the Man in Black, or ‘Smokey’, the big bad of the season, and, it seems, the entire series. Alright, I’ll give it that. I always love the theme of good versus evil, and won’t fault LOST for centering its final season on such a mythic storyline. But the more we get to see how the unnamed Man in Black came to be who he is, why he wants to kill Jacob, and what his whole motivation is, not to mention his upfront and rather suave personality, I don’t really see this entity of pure evil that, if unleashed, will cloud the world, as Jacob seems to think will happen. Yes, he did kill Jin, Sun and Sayid (and other non-Candidates), but either I’m a heartless bastard or just peculiar but that alone doesn’t make him an evil person. If Cuse and Lindelof failed in anything this season, it was their inability to make the Man in Black’s so-called ‘evil side’ live up to the hype. Instead, I quite found myself not minding the guy. He has a valid reason to hate Jacob by all means, and with the exception of a manipulative side (which Jacob himself has in spades), I get this character, and I don’t fault him. MIB just came across as a desperate man who will do anything to live.

On that note, R.I.P. Jin, Sun, and Sayid. Concerning their deaths, and I’m singling them out because I daresay they made the most impact, I thought there was some poetry and beauty to it. True to, say, the mind of Joss Whedon, it makes perfect sense to have the long-apart couple that once united must die. It just fits, and I applaud the writers for going that route, not to mention how stunning and beautiful and heartbreaking it came across on film. As for Sayid, it’s unfortunate that the kickass individual he could have been was unrealized, but just like Jin and Sun, there is something strangely right about Sayid being a emotionless shell of the man he once was. He felt nothing, he cared about nothing, and he had no hope or (seemingly) conscious. It was a fitting ending for the character, really, when he made his final choice.

One of the amazing things about LOST since the first season is it’s wonderful pacing. This is especially abundant from season four onwards. From the first episode of the season to the last, every beat and every episode feels perfectly placed and planned: where all the characters are geographically from beginning to end, where the characters are emotionally and story-wise, where the plot is at, etc. There’s this amazing coherency and inevitable destination vibe to the whole thing that I don’t see often. And this season is no different. In no time after starting ‘LA X’, we’re at ‘The End’, because the story moves so melodically and smoothly. There’s almost poetry to the whole thing.

I understand there were questions left unanswered, and I frankly didn’t expect any sort of Answer of the Week type thing happening. But there were a few that I felt were far too important and repeated that just didn’t get their just rewards. For one, this whole Walt thing. Now I get that behind-the-scenes, the actor playing Walt just grew up way too fast, so he had to go bye-bye. But all this emphasis on him (and other characters) being “special” [a phrase I so hate after being overused to death in HEROES] goes nowhere. Not even “The New Man in Charge” really shines a light in this area. I don’t care if it was an offhand comment about his specialness, like Ben just saying something to Hugo when Hugo says perhaps, “Hey, Ben, why were you guys all batshit about Walt, again? I forget.” One line, I’d be happy. But most importantly, I wanted a bit more details on the island. What I understand of the island comes much more from interviews with Damon and Carlton than in context of the show itself, and when that’s the case, perhaps there’s something wrong. I’m appreciative that we got “Across the Sea”, showing how long the island’s been around as well as its mystical properties; I appreciate season 5 with all the stuff about electromagnetism and Dharmaville. But the question Charlie asked in the “Pilot” remains largely unanswered. With the Man in Black being so intent on leaving his prison, it was the perfect opportunity for him to spout off some exposition like, ‘in my attempts to destroy/get off the island I discovered…’ Easy peasy. Yes, the characters were the number one most important element of the show, and they serviced them exceptionally well, but the question of what the island is – and more of its history – should be just as important. At the end of the day, obviously nothing I can do about it now other than guess and make up my own history and opinion of the place, but I just feel it was a important question that was left unanswered, and maybe to the shows detriment.

One last element – and perhaps one of the single most crucial if not the crucial – is the score, provided by Michael Giacchino. Anyone reading my LOST season reviews back-to-back will notice one thing in particular: I friggin’ love this guy. Each season Giacchino delivers new themes, new renditions of old themes, and suites that just sink your heart (in a good, I-need-a-cry type of way). With season 6 good and done, it’s safe to say that Michael Giacchino is truly one of the top five best composers working in the business today. You need proof? One could literally pick any episode at random and listen to purely the music, and the evidence is right there on the table. Without Giacchino’s transcending awesome score, would LOST carry the same emotional weight and impact it would otherwise? I personally vote no. No matter the writing or the outstanding and nomination-worthy performances, it’s completely the work of Michael Giacchino that brings everything home, that will, in the end, resonate with the audience more than the events of “The Candidate.” This season, Giacchino’s mastery over music is best exemplified in the season premiere “LA X” [as everyone gets off the plane for the first time since ever], and the series finale “The End” [the CD tracks “The Hole Shebang” and “Moving On” deserve awards on their own]. Seriously, my love for this man has basically cemented my seat in any movie he composes – with the exception of a HANNAH MONTANA sequel because I don’t think my conscious could cope (although it would be interesting to see how he deals with that…). So the point is Giacchino rocks, and one should appreciate the awesomeness of the music. There’s a reason he wins awards (although I wouldn’t necessarily had given it to him for UP).

In the end, season 6 of LOST is a masterpiece of television, of storytelling, of staying true to characters, and of maintaining the same integrity, originality, and brilliance since day one. For all the naysayers who aren’t interested in LOST (and subsequently most likely wouldn’t be reading this, but in the off-chance you are, this is for you), I absolutely recommend it. Initially I wasn’t in the fan-loving league, either, wondering where the excitement of a show about people stuck on an island could possibly come from. But lo and behold, I was captivated from the “Pilot”, and I will think of this show often and analytically. It demands careful attention; it demands thought and self reflection. It demands to, most importantly and impossibly, let go.

Series Review
I had watched Season 1 long before I started really getting into the show, and although I felt it was a very good show, I wasn't particularly enthused to continue. That and the library didn't have the next season (this was before I had Netflix). So for over a year I had seen those first twenty-plus episodes and read some spoilers on the island shenanigans (knew about the time travel aspect of season 5; knew about a few deaths here and there and the infamous Nikki and Paulo storyline), but never really gave it a shot. Then with the info that the final season was about to start, the girlfriend and I thought it'd be fun to fast-track through all previous five seasons and (by that time) the season 6 episodes that had aired by the time "The End" aired. So, in mostly rapid succession, we watched the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth season, and only three of the season 6 episodes before we decided "screw it!" and watched the series finale. I know, I know, dumb choice and all, but it's not as if I was overly spoiled by some aspects.

The entire series is amazing, and it's just as amazing to see the continuity from episode one to the last. Although it does feel like this one grand over-arcing story, anyone else feel there's a sort of double trilogy thing going on? The first three seasons were purely island and character stuff, and the last three was time travel, character, fate material. Just thought it was an interesting observation.

So, my favorite seasons in order: 5, 6, 3, 4, 2, 1. Five is just superb. Six was, as you've read, great. Three was compelling as hell. Four had a good middle and end, rough beginning. Two was pretty damn good. One I need to rewatch again, but still loved. Basically, I loved them all, and a complete series marathon is mandatory during the summer. Perhaps I should post my thoughts here. Again.

I would be remiss to end my coverage of LOST without mentioning something no fan of the show should be without. First and foremost is Nikki Stafford's comprehensive and always enlightening FINDING LOST books, delving into the mythology, characters, mysteries, theories, and other anecdotes relating to the series that is absolutely riveting and insightful. $14.99 a piece, these are must-owns in any fans collection. Online, I direct you to We Have to Go Back - A Year-Long LOST Rewatch. At the time of this writing, they're six episodes into season 2, and their insights and retrospective look is always worth a read. Coming from a vantage point of people who had already seen the entire series, they note correlations with later seasons, themes, character arcs, dialogue motifs, etc. Great stuff.

In the end...
I'm glad I watched LOST.

Misc. Season Notes:
- It was fantastic and immensely satisfying to have Nestor Carbonell elevated in his importance to the story, and he gave hell of an great performance each episode, making him undoubtedly a series highlight.
- Miles: "Well I lived in these houses 30 years before you did... otherwise known as last week.”
- Jack in the Sideways: I loved the continuous nods to Jack's fate from "LA X" all the way to "The End", with the puncture wounds showing up on his neck and side. Moments like that just make me giddy.
- Juliet. Not entirely sure if it was necessary to have Juliet in "LA X" just to die at the end, because really, I don't think her presence in the premiere helps the story along at all. There's dialogue between Sawyer and Juliet that echoes "The End", but when Miles reports her last thoughts ("it worked") it doesn't really mean anything to the characters but more to the audience, so I question her inclusion, welcome as it may be.
- Crazy hair Claire. Yikes.
- Dialogue and STAR WARS references at an all-time high, although nothing can quite compare to Hugo rewriting THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in season 5.
- Even though it was a tad corny at the beginning, the Jack vs. Flocke fight in "The End" was epically awesome. There's even a pretty decent YouTube rendition of this fight with lightsabers!
- Benjamin Linus and Charles Widmore's final moments in "What They Died For." Fantastic.

Goodbye, LOST!

Lost - Season 5

Lost - Season 5
Starring Naveen Andrews, Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, Terry O'Quinn, Elizabeth Mitchell, Henry Ian Cusick, Michael Emerson, Daniel Day Kim, Yunjin Kim, Alan Dale, Ken Leung
Developed by Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Transmission season: Spring 2009
ABC, 17 episodes, 43 mins.

Plot: Oceanic 815 vs. 1977!!!

NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS WRITTEN WITH THE ASSUMPTION YOU HAVE FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THE EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE IN SEASON 5, SPOILERS BELOW.

Wow. Just wow. A few hours ago, I finished the show's fifth season, and I'm absolutely blown away. In two days - the quickest I've went through a season of a show - I've watched some of the most amazing, awesome, brilliant, and moving episodes I've ever seen. Yah ever get that feeling, watching something, that a particular episode or entire program was crafted specifically for you? That was my experience with this year of Lost.

As the end date of the show approaches ever nearer, the writers have created a complicated season full of time travel mumbo jumbo, character reversals, major twists, major amount of destiny vs. free will fights, and some of the best storylines the show has ever crafted. And by the end of this season, we get a glimpse of the larger picture that encompasses the entire Lost universe, and it is phenomenal.

Basically, I'm so enamored with this season I'm rushing off and picking it up on Blu-Ray ASAP. I will leave no bonus feature or commentary unturned. This season calls for multiple rewatch, and damn if I don't comply.

The Season
Alright, last season introduced the freighter, the flashforwards, the characters Frank, Charlotte, Daniel, and Miles, and the concept of time and movement. This season, as a ramification of Ben moving the island, a hiccup effect occurs and the island "flashes" and moves through diverse time periods; Locke embarks on a mission that could very well cost him his life; the "Oceanic Six" are faced with a extremely difficult choice, although it may not be a choice at all if fate has anything to do with it; the freighter folk find hidden connections to the island they've never known before; and the mysterious Jacob, the Dharma Initiative, and the Others shed a bit more detail about themselves, but of course not the whole picture.

With 17 episodes, a lot happens and it doesn't feel like a single episode was wasted.

With the whole time travel aspect, time is quite the important factor this season, moreso than others. The trademark Lost gimmick of introducing something amazing in one episode and paying it off with the resolution three or four episodes down the road is used here, but not as often as prior seasons (thank God). But it's still around: the opening scene of the season with Dr. Change and Daniel Faraday springs to mind, as resolution to that doesn't come until the end of the season. But anyway, time is a gorgeous thing: the whole Locke telling Richard to tell a wounded Locke something blew my mind, and it took a few brain cells to finally 'get' that whole sequence of events once it's explained before the finale; the whole thing with Eloise and Daniel in 1954/1977 was also particularly well thought on. Basically, the Lost writers did a amazing job coordinating all these different time-lines, deciding what they can and can't do according to quantum physics and general sci-fi rules of time itself.

I also think they did a fantastic job with meshing all these time periods together. Before I even watched the series, I knew about this whole 1977/2007 thing the show was doing, and I was confused as hell but simultaneously interested in how they would pull it off. Well, brilliantly simple. Everything changes but them - they are the constants (throwback to a season 4 episode), but the environment alters according to said timeline. For example, the Swan hatch not existing, then existing, and then blown up - all three instances shown in the season. As far as why the island goes through these multiple time periods without being some sort of plot contrivance, it's a nice ramification of when Ben moved the island, it started to go a little haywire, zapping from period to period. The only part I didn't get is why getting the Oceanic Six back would basically save the day (since the time looping ended when Locke zapped himself to Tuscany or wherever), and I hope that gets explained someway somehow before the finale.

But anyway, I love the reveal of Miles, Sawyer, Juliet, and a well-sounding English speaking Jin working at the Dharma Initiative, stuck in 1974 with not much else to do. The only other Oceanic survivors who are still around on the island, Rose and Bernard, have set up came somewhere else and really don't give a damn about what new plot to save the day Jack & Co. have in store. Obviously I don't know if this whole time table scenario was part of the original mega-mythology plan created by Lindelof and Cuse, but it seems so effortlessly tied into everything established thus far while simultaneously wonderfully setting up elements for what's to come, I can't help but think that perhaps these guys really have had a master plan all this time.

And furthering the mythology big time this season, the writers finally, finally, finally give us a glimpse of Jacob (Supernatural's Mark Pellegrino), the enigmatic powerful figure that's been mentioned since, I believe, season 3. The downside to this great reveal? He's only featured in the two-parter "The Incident." But overall, that's OK: the first scene of the finale gives us the set-up for the big events that will unfold in season 6, and presents to the audience the bigger storyline of Lost and what everything has been about from the beginning. Turns out that the island has been a battleground between two brothers, one dressed in white and brights (Jacob, the protector), and the other made up all in black and plotting to kill his broheim (because the "rules" dictate he can't kill Jacob). It's a grand Shakespearean tale of betrayal and tragedy laid out on a mystical island.

Way freakin' cool!

In previous reviews, I've sorta complained about a lack of movement with a lot of the characters. I get that the flashbacks are done, so further insight into their past and what makes them them is not gonna happen anytime soon. But as far as on the island, unless there's a death threat, everyone is very reactionary and aren't given a moment to grow as a character. Well, this season changes all that. Everyone gets to shine, and I mean everyone.

There's two characters who particularly go through quite a change - Ben and Sawyer. Introduced in season 2, Ben/Henry Gale was always the 'man in charge', even when held prisoner by John and Jack. Throughout season three, he further solidified his power of manipulation and utter malice, and in season four we began to see his exterior break a little, but tragic events in his life hardened his shell back into a force of calculation and murder. But here in season five, Ben is completely out of his element, a broken version of who he once was. When he gets back on the island, he is nothing more than a rodent compared to greater powers, and at the very end of the season it is he who is manipulated. A very nice reversal of character three years in the making.

Sawyer matures and becomes a leader, making the tough decisions, maintains a stable relationship, and is all around a new and improved version of the broken down man he was in seasons three and four. Now he has a great relationship with Juliet (super shocker), is the Chief of Security at the Dharma Initiative, and is rather living a pretty good life. And when the Oceanic Six return to frak things up for him, he thinks things through, contemplates multiple solutions, and acts quick on his feet. This isn't the Sawyer we all knew - this is a grown man, and it's awesome to see Josh Holloway allowed to do this character like this. It's also quite awesome to see Sawyer take a anti-Jack stance near the end, effectively trying to stop him from going through with his Jughead plan. That was some super riveting stuff, and Sawyer's transformation is definitely one of the major highlights of the season.

Speaking of Juliet, I did find her more likable this season, but Elizabeth Mitchell honestly can't seem to convey a single emotion on her stern, seemingly glued expression. With the sole exception of her final scene at the Swan Station, Juliet maintains the exact same expression on her face the entire season. Happy, mad, sad - doesn't matter; that expression don't move, dude.

Miles, Daniel, and Charlotte are given the opportunity to explore their pasts. Turns out Daniel has a lot of connections to the island stemming from his parentage (LOVE the twist with his mom on the island and the BOOM!), and I loved every sequence with him in it. Charlotte lived on the island as a young girl, but her storyline and character is unfortunately not given enough material to really care - with the exception of Daniel's agony over her decreasing health with each subsequent 'flash'. Miles' background isn't paid off till the final episodes, and it's delicious to find that a recurring character from since season 1 be integral to a season 4 character.

Locke gets the short end of the stick big time. His 'leadership' over Richard's gang doesn't exactly last too long, and he's immediately thrust into the time game as the island flashes at random intervals. And then he seems to discover his purpose - to reunite the Oceanic Six and save the island. Enter Ben, doing a deed that I still don't understand and effectively destroying Locke's life. Um, why? And damnit, that's just cruel. I half wish the twist at the end of "The Incident" involving Locke didn't happen, and that everything that happened on the island after 316 crashed was actually him. But I can deal; it sucks that it happened, and I feel a little short-ended by the producers, butt it's also a delicious twist that even I as a show runner couldn't pass up. Plus, it directly ties into the show's overall mythology.

Another great thing about the time travel element - it allows the audience to get a glimpse of the Asian man who hosts all the Orientation videos: Dr. Chang. And it turns out Dr. Chang has a connection to one of our Lostites. This season allows the opportunity for characters who have been briefly seen in flashbacks to be fleshed out, given greater dimension, and also see the beginnings of certain things/projects/places that will be very important to the Oceanic 815 crew.

I could honestly bask in the brilliance of this season in a ginormous blog, and write about how much I love certain aspects of every friggin' episode, but I won't and I'll just say that season 5 is the best season yet, and I'll probably analyze it over and over and over again. For those who want to join in the fun, I recommend the book Finding Lost: Season 5, by Nikki Stafford (who wrote books on Buffy, Xena and Angel, as well). That woman leaves no clue unturned, delves into the books the characters read (e.g., Ben's book given to him by Locke in Season 2; Sawyer's book he's reading in 1977 at Dharmaville), poses questions, reveals goofs and hidden Easter eggs in each episode - it's a goldmine of Lost information. My apologies if this sounds too much like a TV ad - it's simply that this lady has done her research and written a magnificent series of books that unlocks even deeper layers of Lost awesomeness, and shouldn't be skipped by any means.

Misc.
I could go on and on and on and on about the brilliance of Michael Giacchino and how the series couldn't be nearly as powerful as it is without his majestic score, but I won't. I'm simply going to say that you're doing a disservice to the show if you don't go out and try to iTunes or buy the CD of his work, you positively won't regret it. Or hell, before you buy it, give it a listen on YouTube.

- It's great to see Richard Alpert get a even bigger role in events this season.
- Charles Widmore and Eloise Hawking had a "complicated" relationship!
- The Smoke Monster and The Temple!
- Jin is alive, rescued by a important [now deceased in 2004 timeline] character!

Final Words
The best season by far, it has everything I could ask for: riveting plot, beautiful character development for everyone involved (even the minors get their time to shine), plenty of surprises, brilliant cinematography by Jack Bender (as always), and a game-changing new direction for the show to take in its sixth and final season. But the true essence of why this season should be seen are these two names: John Locke and Benjamin Linus. Yeah, you knew it. Well, onward to re-watching season 6.

Lost - Season 4

Lost - Season 4
Starring Naveen Andrews, Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, Terry O'Quinn, Elizabeth Mitchell, Henry Ian Cusick, Michael Emerson, Daniel Day Kim, Yunjin Kim, Emile de Ravin, Harold Perrineau
Developed by Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Transmission season: 2006-2007
ABC, 14 episodes, 43 mins.

Plot: The Oceanic 815 survivors are uber-giddy 'cuz it appears that rescue is on its way - but y'know the thing about appearances....they tend to be, well, deceiving.

"I used to have dreams" - Benjamin Linus, "Cabin Fever"

Thanks to the 100 day Writer's Strike, Lost - Season 4 had a truncated season. From the usual 23 episodes, we got 14 (a extra hour given at the 11th hour due to the magnitude of events that transpire in the two-part finale). On one hand, a smaller season, but on the other hand, it offered a tighter story structure which allowed more plot points to happen at a quicker pace, and less stand-alone episodes. Plus with the announcement that Lost would be concluding its run in three seasons by 2010, every episode would be precious.

What we got is a overall decent season, but not nearly as powerful as the third. I know I said this with the previous review, but I'd say it more qualifies here: season 4 acts as a epilogue to the original story - the story of 40+ survivors on a island full of mysteries, and then moves us into the final act - which introduces science fiction elements, furthers destiny vs. free will, and introduces a whole new set of problems that will eventually lead up to the series finale.

The Season
When we left the islanders, the survivors were in jubilee, super happy that rescue is imminent, but yet Locke and Charlie's warning that something is amiss quite dampers the mood, which literally separates the survivors into Team Locke and Team Jack. Through the course of the season, both members of the groups analyze their decisions, come to conclusions about themselves and about what matters to them, and occasionally switch sides here and there.

This season's main mystery is all about the freighter, the people on the freighter, and what exactly is their purpose on the island if it isn't rescuing the survivors? It's overall not as compelling as the Others storyline from the past season, but by the finale, the suspense and masterwork of storytelling is at a all-time high, so the decent season is quite forgiven. And Lost being Lost, this season brings new characters and expands old ones as their roles in the mythology become more important.

In the category of new recruits, we've got Daniel Faraday, Miles, and Charlotte, three dudes picked by Charles Widmore to come to the island and do...stuff. Daniel is the highlight character by far, all of his awesome eccentricities and mild mannered whisper-like voice easily making every one of his scenes something special. Faraday is also the personification of a exposition tool, something that will become more extreme in the following season. Basically, it's great fun to watch this guy act and say his scientific mumbo jumbo. As a casualty of the strike, Charlotte's character isn't allowed the opportunity to really be significant, but again, this gets addressed in the first batch of season 5 episodes. And then we got Miles, the witty to-the-point bloke who apparently can 'feel' and 'speak' to our dearly departed. As far as new characters introduced, Miles is my second fave.

Alan Dale's Charles Widmore, father of Penny Widmore, becomes far more integral to the plot than ever before (and from what I've seen of the next season, he's only gonna play a even bigger role). Widmore hires some army dudes and these scientists to go to the island, extract/kill Benjamin Linus, and then murder everyone on that island. Charles is one badass mofo that you just don't want to cross paths with. As to be expected by Alan's amazing ability to be a cold, heartless jackass, his performance is rock solid. No complaints. Gotta love that dude.

Additionally, making a return appearance after being totally absent in season 3, Harold Perrineau rejoins the cast as Michael, and this time with a redemptive storyline that I actually don't mind! Michael has been on his own little journey since leaving the island - basically a journey to kill himself. He's been so emotionally burdened by what he did to Ana and Libby in season 2 - plus the fact that after he blurted this info to Walt the kid doesn't want to speak to him - that he becomes reckless and fully embracing death. It's odd that characters like Michael and Charlie, two blokes who I had no love for, became interesting only after death gets involved: for one of 'em, a prophesied death, and for the other, a need for death that won't be fulfilled by the island's reckoning. His character, although credited for the entire 13-episode run, only appears in about seven of those episodes, which is a shame. This time around, his arc of redemption is quite engaging to watch, and it's a shame it's not further explored with the exception of Michael's flashback episode "Meet Kevin Johnson."

A nifty device that that makes this season unique compared to its predecessors is the introduction of the flash-forwards, events that take place three years after everything that's happening on the island. There's the "Oceanic Six", which we quickly learn the identities to, and we get information about their official story of what happened to them during the plane crash, as well as the not-as-happy-ending-as-we-would-figure scenarios that happen to basically everyone. Legal troubles, institutions, suspensions, assassinations - these guys come back messed up, perhaps moreso than they were on the island.

Oh! And before I forget, that's another beautiful element of season 4 that gets solidified more in the flash forwards - addressing the island as its only little alive creature, basically being something really powerful, really unique, and really special. I mean that the island isn't just some place where the Oceanic survivors walk around and face off enemies, it actually seems to be something alive, something that can make decisions (e.g., being not 'done' with people yet, like in the case of Michael), something God-like almost. Hopefully the answer of what the island is and its many mysteries will be revealed in the series finale airing in...three days. Sheesh. I've got 23 episodes to watch before Sunday!

As far as our heroes are concerned - Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Juliet, Sun, Jin, Hurley, Sayid, Locke, Claire - they have two goals: 1) surviving any way they can, and 2) getting off the island (for those in Team Jack). It's those goals that bring the momentum to the season, and regrettably, with everything going on with the freighter and the determination to get off the island, characters aren't allowed to evolve. The good news is that the Oceanic Six brings some gorgeous character development - or, in a sad way, regressions. You'll know what I mean when you see the episodes. It is quite interesting that in the midst of them not knowing what to do with their lives, some of them resort to who or what they were before.

In the midst of all this ongoing war stuff with the army dudes on the freighter, season 4 delivers one of the biggest emotional punches in the entire series (as of yet), and it happens to a character we all love to despise: Benjamin Linus. Two characters that are very close to him die, one of them right in front of his eyes. The pure shock, fury, and hatred that's etched on Michael Emerson's face was worthy of a Emmy alone. By the finale, Linus takes his revenge at a great cost of many other lives. Y'know in Braveheart when Mel Gibson rides in slowly on his horse after his wife is killed and you just know that shit. got. real? Yeah, well that's Ben Linus' face when he says, "They just changed the rules."

Concerning Ben, his character arc nicely evolves as well. No longer is he the man in charge, calling for action and making the tough decisions. Instead he spends a good portion of the season tied up and dragged around until the halfway point, where he really becomes a pitiful character to a extent. Yeah, he stays true to his old ways of using nothing but his words to coerce people into doing what he wants them to do, and is as sinister as he was in the season before, but this year Ben becomes quite the sympathetic figure. The finale really hit me in the gut emotionally as Ben makes a sacrifice, nearly as much as that line I quoted before the review. It's beautiful cases like these that show the beauty of the Lost writers.

When Lost is done and gone, and we remember the show, the time traveling element and the rich, beautifully written characters will be the top two things I will fondly recall of the show.

Once again, Michael Giacchino gives us outstanding work. I'd go so far as to say his compositions this season kicks the ass out of the previous three. He shows off some particularly jaw-dropping work in the two-part finale, and a Lost - Season 4 soundtrack is definitely high on my list of must-buy stuff. Next to pizza. See, that's how important it is to me.

One final thing worth mentioning - the DVD extras. The Complete Fourth Season box set comes with a buttload of extras - two discs worth! Behind the Scenes footage galore, nearly a hour of chronological order flash forwards, and perhaps the best part of the set: audio commentaries! For those who've read earlier DVD reviews, you know I'm a commentary whore, so their inclusion is a happy bonus. The best thing, though, is that the two-part finale "There's No Place Like Home" features commentary with Lindelof and Cuse, who are friggin' awesome - a nice balance of detail, info, and jokes. For those who own the set, I implore you to listen to them, you will not be disappointed.

Final Words
A strong season, no doubt, but not one of my favorites. There's some great episodes, such as the much-hailed "The Constant" and two-part finale, but it was overall just a decent, although necessary, season. The show is beginning to walk away from the stranded-on-a-weird-island storyline and is now entering new uncharted territory by introducing sci-fi elements into the program, but yet nicely keeping it in the realm of possibilities within the shows universe. Themes of fate/destiny vs. free will, individual purpose, life, death, and the human reaction to loss...it's all still there. I'm 11 episodes into Season 5, and it already is one hell of a jaw-dropping ride!

Lost - Season 3

Lost - Season 3
Starring Naveen Andrews, Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, Terry O'Quinn, Elizabeth Mitchell, Henry Ian Cusick, Michael Emerson, Daniel Day Kim, Yunjin Kim, Emile de Ravin, Dominic Monaghan, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Co-starring M.C. Gainey, Tania Raymonds, Mira Furlan
Developed by Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Transmission season: 2006-2007
ABC, 23 episodes, 43 mins.

Plot: Oceanic 815 survivors have even more problems on their plate, this time in the form of "the Others", a group of baddies that live on the other side of the island and aren't too keen on having them take up space on 'their' land.

Now that was awesome. Through the course of the entire season, I feel like I've just went through a roller-coaster ride. Season 3 was filled with so much emotion, so many thrills episode to episode, filled with so many awesome and immensely interesting characters and storylines - I can safely say I dug it more than the second season and first season. Seriously, I was throwing in disc after disc - and it's finals week, mate! I need to study!!! However, it's top ranking may not last long - I just picked up the fourth season from the library, and I have yet to hear a negative word against that truncated season. So, we'll see, but the intensity of season 3 would be hard to top.

The Season
This year is all about the Others, expanding info on the Dharma Initiative, and continuing to build on the island mythology. The sad thing is, though, even with nearly the entire year dedicated to the Dharmas and the Others, I still don't get their motives or purpose on the island. Eh, I'll tackle that a little later. Month three of the Oceanic 815's residence on the island is truly chaotic - at least for our main leads. The group on shore are rather aimless, spending a majority of their time questioning what to do now, brainstorming new ideas of rescue, and a unexpected pregnancy is about the big news that happens to them.

Our main groupies - Jack, Sawyer, and Kate, have been caged by the Others, beaten up and 'experimented on.' The true essence of these first six episodes is the character of Ben Linus (aka the impostor Henry Gale from season 2), watching this rather short and freaky-looking dude manipulative people to do anything he pleases, which makes him a frighting individual. His cool, calculating voice, never wavering unless he's truly provoked - yeah, I get why Michael Emerson gets a lot of attention. Let's not forget his stunning backstory in "The Man Behind the Curtain."

We also get to meet a new cast member, Juliet, a woman he initially really comes off as quite a bitch. Even though I knew she would be around up to the end of season 5, I was really hoping the Smoke Monster or a giant polar bear would just kill her in a very ouch-filled manner. Of course, her flashbacks throughout the season help flesh out her character, and add a bit more sympathy, but truth be told, Juliet is a tough woman to get a fix on. Even as her character progression at the end is cloudy, and her loyalties are never fully determined - which of course heightens drama and continues the thrilling Lost model of ambiguity, but even when she helps Sun in a later episode, I never really got a sense of her humanity. It's like she's a Dharma Initiative robot, or has been around Ben too long and has become as cold and calculating as he has.

"A Tale of Two Cities", the opening episode, is terrific."Further Instructions" (S03E03) is not. Locke, currently suffering from momentary lack of voice ('until he has something to say'), enters a spiritual dimension to locate Eko, who has been missing since the hatch implosion. Alright, I can deal with that - sounds pretty cool, even. But the whole Eko-captured-by-polar-bear bit...yeah, not so cool. In fact, Mr. Eko is terribly wasted in the two episodes he's in. It would make better sense to have killed him off when the hatch imploded.

Alright, back to the Jack/Sawyer/Kate thing - it's tense, really, super duper tense. Kate and Sawyer are beginning to bond heavily, and I can't help but purr and ahhhhh when they make their little cuddly faces to each other. Jack can't tolerate being caged, 'losing' so to speak, and he devises a friggin' awesome plan in "I Do". So Jack succeeds in getting Kate and Sawyer out of the Others' hands, he does good on his promise to Ben, and then the focus shifts to the two escapees getting back to camp.

Well, now's a good of time as any: why were Kate, Sawyer, and Jack treated in the manner that they were? What is the primary goal of the Others? Juliet was recruited for her fertility research, Ben is just a head honcho, and Tom is the older Dwayne Johnson character. But what are they doing, and why the hell did they think it necessary to taunt, beat, and shoot at our beloved trio? In regards to Jack, I understand Ben was planning to manipulative him into doing something for him, and perhaps hurting Kate and Sawyer was the best avenue of coercion. I guess I'm frustrated because the treatment of Kate and Sawyer, and the whole purpose of them doing so, is too cloudy, and what the Others are even doing ('something special', they keep on saying over and over again) is never explored or explained.

The remainder of the season is pretty good, and then the two-hour finale comes upon us, and it's like, "Holy friggin' crap! COOL!" With Juliet tagging along Jack and Kate to their camp, she expectedly receives a lukewarm welcome, Jack being the only one who really trusts her. While this is going on, Locke is losing his bloody mind. I don't get his motivation, I don't get what continues to drive him other than his anointment of being 'special', but he stays with the Others, hangs around Ben, and overall seems directionless. However, I will say Locke/Sawyer get a MAGNIFICENT episode in "The Brig", where Locke gets Sawyer to do his dirty work for him. The episode is suspenseful and utterly dramatic - a series high point. By the end of the season, though, Locke seems lost. He kills someone - something I found rather uncharacteristic, but whatev - to stop something 'bad' from happening, and then just leaves. Um, yeah.

When "Through the Looking Glass" originally aired, it definitely stirred a lot of O!M!G! reactions, and understandably so. By the finale's conclusion, the game has changed, a end to the series appears to be in sight, and so many news questions are raised and offers a extremely intriguing path for the series to follow. All in all, a great season.

The Characters
Jack spends the most of the season frustrated by his captivity by the Others, rather adventurous and ballsy, and quite determined by the finale to get the frak off the island. As a character, I would say he grows stronger. Kate, too, I would add to that category. Sawyer probably gets the best pay-off, what with his blossoming romance with Kate and his fulfillment of revenge in "The Brig", his character definitely gets to shine this season.

A much undeveloped character gets his due this season, although it's sad he's given great material to work with just when he reaches a tragic end. The character I speak of, is of course, Charlie. Severely annoying and manipulatively written, Charlie was never a character to really like or take seriously, and sorta came across to me as Edward to Claire's Bella: always watching and stalking. So it's fantastic to see Dominic Monaghan work his wide range of skills as Charlie comes to terms with Desmond's visions of his death, and even face his destiny head-on in the finale.

The character of Desmond is given given a greater capacity to shine, and boy is this 'brotha' one hell of a awesome dude. His love story with Penny (the gal from The Librarian!), his duel of respect against her father (the dude from The O.C.!), his self-hatred about his cowardice, and his never-ending goal to help Charlie avert his fate. Desmond is probably one of the most unique and interesting characters on that island, and his ability to see snippets into the future and also survive a electromagnetic explosion is remarkably awesome and intriguing.

Misc.
I made a horrible error in my Lost - Season 2 review: I neglected to mention the work of composer Michael Giacchino. Doing such is, in my opinion, tantamount to a really bad sin. It's difficult to express how closely the success of Lost and the thrill and emotion it conveys is tied to Giacchino's terrific, magnificent score. If you've never watched a episode of Lost in your life, and maintain that you have no intention of doing so, I nevertheless implore you to do a blind buy of Giacchino's stuff. He's the John Williams of this age - a master at work, creating gorgeous works of music that deserves to be listened to over and over and over again. So, yeah, Giacchino rocks!

There's one thing I would like to mention that sorta irks me, and that's the time lapse between when a story element is introduced and when it's picked up again. Sometimes, a cliffhanger finale isn't resolved until two or three episodes down the line, which can be ridiculously maddening. I understand why they do that - I get it, I do; and I have no doubt it was more frustrating at a week-by-week basis, but a story follow-up with the next episode isn't necessarily a bad thing, guys.

And it's quite cool that the writers are already introducing elements that tie in with the greater Lost mythology (as I understand it from seasons 5 & 6 spoilers), such as the character of Jacob and Richard Alpert. That's kinda uber-nifty.

Final Words
The third season of Lost is terrific, and one hell of a high-energy rollercoaster of a ride. Moreso than season 2, I was flipping from one episode to the next, anxious to find out what happens next. This season benefits from the addition of Ben Linus and the enigma that is the Others, proposing many new questions, bringing in plenty of new obstacles and characters, giving payoffs to standing subplots and character arcs, introducing a season-long fight with fate in the form of Charlie's dilemma, and the stunning finale which offers a new direction and fresh ideas. Damn this show is awesome.

Lost - Season 2

Lost: Season 2
Starring Matthew Fox, Evangelline Lilly, Daniel Day Kim, Jorge Garcia, Yunjin Kim, Naveen Andrews, Josh Holloway, Harold Perrineau
Co-starring Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Watros, Michael Emerson, Maggie Grace
Developed by J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse
Original transmission season: 2005-2006
ABC, 24 episodes, 43 mins.

Plot: A very large group of plane crash survivors are stuck on a island that holds a lot more mysteries than just 'so how many trees do you think are on the island?'.

They weren't lying - this program is friggin' addicting! The characters, the stories, the strong writing, the suspense, the mysteries, and the gorgeous scenery - Lost is a very interesting show. I'm already pulled in by the characters and their subsequent flashbacks, clinching to every word uttered by Henry Gale, rooting for Sayid in nearly any situation, smiling like a dumbie when the beautiful Evangeline Lilly is on screen, digging every one-liner Hurley gives, and being captivated by the newly introduced Mr. Eko.

You'll have to forgive me if this review isn't brilliant and in-depth on the philosophical implications Lost presents, my mind is still reeling from the events of the first two discs of season 3, which have thus far been spectacular. But first, a brief overview of the season...

Season 2 consists of 4 main plots: 1) 'the hatch', discovered by Locke and Boone midway through season 1, and a series of numbers that must be entered into a computer every 108 minutes or it will cause 'the end of the world' - as said by the newly introduced enigmatic character of Desmond (Cusick), 2) the four survivors of Flight 815 that landed on the other side of the island - Mr. Eko, Libby, Ana Lucia, and Bernard, 3) Micheal's obsession in finding Walt, and 4) the continuing threat of "the Others."

First up on the discussion board is the hatch. Metaphorically, it represents the power struggle
between Jack and Locke, two people of opposing ideologies that have been designated, so to speak, as leader of the Oceanic 815 survivors. The two who make the rough decisions and play the 'hero' role. For Locke, the hatch - and furthermore, the code that needs to be executed every 108 minutes: 4 8 15 16 23 42 - is a representation of destiny, a reward of his unyielding faith. What's interesting about the Locke character is that as the season progresses, he slowly goes from this charge to a doubting man, a questioning man, while Jack begins to consider the concepts of destiny and fate. A beautiful scene in "Orientation" juxtaposes the two men's ideologies when they first decide to enter the numbers: Locke urges Jack, and Jack's adamant that nothing is going to happen. Makes for some great drama. The very concept of fate/destiny/free will is front and center this season, especially with the introduction of Mr. Eko, a man who firmly believes everything that has transpired the last 48 days have been the act of God.

As far as Desmond's claim that not entering in the code would end the world, well, in the finale we did see the disastrous after effect of not doing the whole code-executing thing, but it wasn't globally devastating. Hopefully further explanations on the numbers, the electromagnetism of the hatch, and the overall importance of all these elements will shed more light on the subject. Just, in the grand scheme of things from what I've read about Jacob and the Man in Black, how does the Dharma Initiative and these hatches fit into the whole equation?

Apparently Lindelof and Cuse felt they needed more cast members added to their already lengthy billing, so we're introduced to the other survivors of Flight 815 who landed on the other side of the island, in the episode "The Other 48 Days." Ana Lucia was a cop until she shot and killed a man who shot her; the utterly awesome and equally awesomely-named Mr. Eko was a drug lord-ish dude in Nigeria until he renounced his wicked ways (although they're not entirely gone) and followed the path of God as directed by his deceased brother Yemi; Bernard is the husband of the old African American lady on the beach and really wants to get back to her - although whenever I see that bloke onscreen I see him as Holland Manners, head of the LA Wolfram & Heart branch; and Libby, a sweet gal who ends up having a awesome arc with Hurley later in the season.

The third over-arching storyline is Micheal's mad hunt for Walt, reducing his entire episode lines to him screaming "WALT!!!!!!!" and "They took my son!!!", as if we didn't get that part the first 1,505 times he actually said it. However, his irritating presence is lessened in the middle portion of the season, as he's absent searching the island for WALT!!!!!! However, with his return episode, we're given one hell of a cliffhanger ending that literally made me shout "Holy friggin' AWESOME!" Even though it was spectacular and completely unexpected, it was sad to see two characters depart. From that episode on, though, the season's momentum goes to high-gear and brings us a really jaw-dropping finale.

And finally, we have "the Others", a group of island folk that have been talked about since the first season. They present themselves as primitive individuals lacking in shoes and decent clothes, bu in actuality, they're highly intelligent, manipulative, cunning, and advanced. The whole "Others" storyline picks up speed with the introduction of Henry Gale, played to utter chilling perfection by Michael Emerson. His speech about what he would do if he was a Other - said against the backdrop of him eating breakfast - will continue to haunt me for years to come. The Others will be explored much more thoroughly in season 3, as in this season they are or more or less enigmatic enemies the Oceanic survivors need to brace themselves against.

Overall, it's amazing the show makes it feel like we've endured a miraculous, emotional and adrenaline-filled journey when, in retrospect, not a lot happened in 23 episodes. Jack and Company discovered the hatch and need to put in a particular code, a new small group of survivors are introduced and nearly quickly dispatched, relationships get complicated and convoluted, the Others finally strike and things turn to shit again. A decent enough summary, eh?

The Best Episodes of the Season: "The 23nd Psalm", the Mr. Eko-centric episode, is pure gold from a acting, scripting, scoring, and visual effects standpoint - it's just brilliant, and gives us a nice visual of the Monster (aka "Smokey"). The two-part finale "Live Together, Die Alone" is also splendid, what with the double-crossing, Henry Gale, the difficult choices that everyone is being forced to make, and most awesomely - Locke's faith put to the test down in the hatch. Speaking of betrayal, "Two for the Road" was pretty damn awesome, and delivered a definite OMG!!! ending. "Collision" was nice just to see Shannon finally bite the bullet. Oh, and "One of Them" was a awesome Sayid-centric episode; I always love those ones.

The Not Best Episodes of the Season: "Fire + Water" was dumb and pointless (yeah, yeah, even though it reintroduces the heroin subplot of Charlies, it was still worthless) and painful to watch due to utterly bad writing (although it was awesome to see Locke beat up Charlie); "Dave" was just OK, and I'm still pissed that little revelation about Libby hasn't been explored yet; and "Adrift" was sorta boring.

Characters who aren't Jack, Locke, Mr. Eko, or Hurley don't really seem to go through any character growth. Charlie remains his obnoxious, Claire-obsessed stalker-y-self successfully making him Obnoxious Character #1; Kate doesn't have anything to do, and shines best in her flashback episode "What Kate Did"; Sawyer remains Sawyer; lovebirds Sun and Jin are reunited, and after the bliss passes Jin's back to his commanding ways; Ana Lucia and Libby aren't given the opportunity to grow; Michael doesn't remotely grow - his IQ actually seems to drop; Claire's life is centered on her child Aaron; Bernard and his wife are also reunited and also go back to their bickering ways...Luckily, looks like season 3 features a bit more development with nearly all the characters.

Speaking of characters, let's take a gander at the actors. Matthew Fox is pretty darn tootin' good as Jack, able to bring the goods whenever necessary. Josh Holloway is a absolute joy to watch as Sawyer, a man who delights in being a prick. However, his flashback episode is a marvelous example of Holloway's abilities, as he's able to not only amp up the prick level but show a profound vulnerability not seen in the character on the island. Jorge Garcia shows us why he's a fan favorite, basically voicing the audiences' questions and reactions right on the show. I actually didn't mind Michelle Rodriguez as Ana, and I felt her character went away too quickly. Adewale was awesome as Mr. Eko, and it took a IMDB search to realize I've actually seen this dude before, and without the accent! Naveen Andrews and Terry O'Quinn are truly the masters of the show in my opinion, being perhaps the most versatile actors on the payroll.

Dominic Monaghan is alright, Emile de Ravin is alright, Evangeline Lilly is pretty good, Harold Perrineau did a nice job showing the emotional turmoil of Michael whenever the character wasn't highly annoying, Michael Emerson gives a tour de force performance as Henry Gale, Maggie Grace is mercifully discarded, and guest star John Terry as Jack's father is utter awesomeness.

Whenever a show tackles subjects like free will vs. fate/destiny, I'm immediately intrigued. It's one of the awesomest aspects of Supernatural, aside from the obvious Dean/Sam brotherly love. Season 2 seems to be all about that theme, with Mr. Eko and Locke being the prime advocates. Charlie seems to becoming drawn to the idea that a higher power has been guiding them and has a larger purpose for them - Claire and Aaron, specifically. The best use of the theme is in the finale, "Live Together, Die Alone", with Locke choosing not to put the code in and pushing the "Execute" button, believing that nothing will happen. The insane tension that comes out of the Locke/Desmond/Eko scenes in that episode is unrelentingly nail-biting and exquisitely interesting. I'm half tempted to go out and buy me some "Lost and Philosophy" book just to read about the show's proposed philosophy on the free will vs. fate debate.

Seasons 1 and 2 sort of act as "the island" seasons, where the emphasis what solely on the characters and their island-bound situation. As of right now, I'm 9 episodes into season 3, and already I can tell that season is very much the beginning of the real story - the meat. Since I'm a sucker for spoilers, I know about Jacob and the Man in Black from seasons 5 and 6, and there's already hints at the Jacob character twice in these last 9 episodes. Season 3 is Losts Empire Strikes Back, and the following seasons appear to be the major conflict/resolution, whereas the previous two were set-up, in a way.

Before I finish up this review, I do want to mention watching Lost week-by-week vs. the DVD format. I understand that season 3 debuted with six episodes, and then went on a lengthy hiatus until the later episodes had a uninterrupted run, and that it became excruciatingly frustrating for fans. I have concluded that watching Lost on DVD format is the way to go. The DVD route makes the bad episodes not quite as bad and irritating to watch. Lost not only likes to play with time in the show, but also likes to put a episode or two in-between giant cliffhangers and lingering questions, and I can absolutely understand fans discontent with a stellar episode being followed up with a pointless filler. Although the DVD format doesn't entirely make this problem a thing of the past, it nonetheless lessens the annoyance level of it.

Plus, it just makes everything flow much better. It nicely cements the full storyline idea, where everything flows full circle, and the longevity of some scenarios seem to take less time on DVD than waiting week for week. Take the New Caprica stuff from Battlestar Galactica season 3, for example. Four weeks of Cylon occupation constitutes a one-time sit down disc that takes no more than three hour and some change. Voila! Less time spent without the Galactica in action, and audiences are happy again.

Anyway, Lost is a pretty damn good show. I'm interested enough to continue pursuing the program, to hopefully find resolution to lingering questions and the characters. Is it at the level of greatness that many claim it to be? Might be, but season 2 isn't quite the best example of it. I'm nearly through season 3 as of press-time, and right now I'd call that season pretty great, so I have a feeling the best has yet to come.

My goal is to watch all of the seasons including the majority of season 6 before the 23 May 2010 finale, so that gives me about two weeks to watch 60 episodes...Wish me luck! A review of season 3 should be forthcoming by next Wednesday.