 Just when I was beginning to feel comfortable with the various mysteries surrounding the show, the writers had to go and throw a new one into the mix that is so unbelievably confusing, I’m beginning to question if they still know what they’re doing. I mean, I totally buy the whole Ben Linus/Charles Widmore connection, but since when did Locke become such an important entity that he was literally being recruited by Dharma as a child?
Nevertheless, it appears Locke is the new (less evil) Ben, and after dreaming about a conversation with a former Dharma worker named Horace, the trio set off to find the cabin using Locke’s newly learned information. It’s with a map he finds in the Dharma death pit (i.e. the place Ben dumped all the bodies) that they’re able to locate the always moving cabin, but Locke is sent in alone when Ben declares that his destiny has already been fulfilled. When he enters, however, Locke doesn’t find his expected guest, but rather… Dr. Christian Shepherd, who claims he can speak on Jacob’s behalf. This is where the show totally lost me, because not only does it not make sense that Jack’s father is on the island (and seemingly not a ghost), but apparently, Claire is now a part of the whole cabin/Jacob secret as well. She’s acting mighty creepy, too, and if that weren’t enough, Christian has just told Locke that in order to save the island, he’s going to have to move it. In the words of Harold Lee, “What the fuck?” Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External Entertainment and External TV Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
In fact, Richard Alpert didn’t only visit him as a prematurely born baby (I’m still curious as to how Alpert manages to remain the same age for nearly 50 years), but he contacts him twice more throughout his childhood – once under the guise of a “school for special kids” and again via a pamphlet for a Portland-based science camp. Then, as an adult going through rehab following his accident, Locke is visited by another Dharma suit: Abaddon, who suggests that he experience the Australian walkabout to help discover himself. It’s all very coincidental, and while the writers utilized this same tactic in the first two seasons, those instances weren’t bound by such disbelief.|
It only makes sense that following last week’s awesome episode, tonight’s show would be comparably worse. Them’s the rules of “Lost,” I’m afraid, and though we got some more insight into the events leading up to Jack’s eventual post-rescue breakdown, the action on the island was considerably tame.
Of course, I honestly believe that none of the original freighter folk (Faraday, Charlotte, Lapidus and Miles) are bad people, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve been placed in an incredibly awkward and high-tension position. For all the hoo-hah caused about their possible disloyalty, however, it seems like the only reason that entire subplot was written was so that Jin could approach Charlotte about her ability to speak Korean. Charlotte denies it at first, but when Jin threatens (in Korean, of course) to break Daniel’s fingers, she gives in. And what exactly does Jin want in trade for keeping Charlotte’s secret? A promise that when the helicopter arrives, she’ll take Sun away from the island. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External TV Comments: 6 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
I mean, does Jack’s appendicitis really qualify for that level of dramatic tension? Hardly, but when Juliet announces that she’s going to have to operate, everyone freaks out, including Jack, who becomes so unruly during the actual surgery that Bernard eventually just knocks him out with some chloroform. Before all that, however, Faraday and Charlotte head to the medical hatch to pick up some supplies for the surgery, and since everyone has decided that they’re no longer to be trusted following Bernard’s Morse code trickery last week, Jin and Sun tag along with orders that if they try to run away, they’re to shoot them in the legs. That's always a nice way to make someone feel at home, no?|
After a few slow weeks threatened to ruin everything that Carlton Cuse and Co. worked so hard to build to this year, “Lost” returned from its month-long break with both guns literally blazing. Tonight’s episode wasn’t particularly revealing, but it did feature more action than I’ve seen in an entire season, and if this is any indication of how a “Lost” movie might turn out, count me in. Of course, the fact that I enjoyed it so much while simultaneously battling an unexpected sickness speaks volumes of just how good it really was, and while I’d usually follow that up with a play-by-play breakdown of the episode, I’ve decided to take the easier route by pointing out some of my favorite moments:
- Sawyer’s Vietnam moment was equally enjoyable. It had bullet-ridden redshirts, picnic décor-turned-battle shields, and even a rocket launcher. Now we know where all that extra money from the strike went. - Not to be upstaged by a bunch of Army men, Ben called upon the powers of the Black Smoke Monster to open up a can of SFX-powered whoop-ass. It’s been a while since Smokey last showed his amorphous face, but boy was it awesome. - Not only is Ben a Jedi Master when it comes to mind games, but he’s apparently pretty handy with a retractable baton as well. Kudos to Michael Emerson for channeling his inner Neo, but now I want more. - Ben used Desmond’s boat to get off the island? Fair enough, but then where the hell is Desmond? Hmm… maybe he’s on the island with Penny. - We already knew that Sayid was a card-carrying member of the Dharma Assassin Death Squad (DADS), but the fact that Ben tricked him into thinking it was his idea really tickles us. - Emerson is the king of the intimidating one-liner, but when he told Charles Widmore that he was going to track down his daughter (Penelope) and kill her, well, I couldn’t help but cheer him on. Could he really have been a good guy all this time? - “That’s not what he said.” Bernard knows morse code? Ruh-roh, a certain paranoid physicist is in trouble… Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External TV Comments: 5 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
- The expression on Sawyer’s face when Ben handed him the shotgun was priceless. He went from “Holy shit, Ben’s going to shoot me” to “Holy shit, Ben’s my ally” in a matter of milliseconds.|
I’m not a particularly big proponent of posting videos on a blog (unless it’s a trailer, of course), but this is simply too funny to pass up. While perusing my usual selection of movie and TV blogs this afternoon, I came across this hilarious 42-second video over on SlashFilm. In a nutshell, it’s essentially what the opening credits of “Lost” would look like if it were treated like any other television show.
Which got me thinking, if there are people out there willing to create fake opening credit videos using original theme music, then surely there are some diehard fans that have done the same with songs from their favorite shows. As it turns out, I was right, and while there are quite a bit to mine through, these two using theme songs from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Friends” are probably the best of the bunch. Enjoy! Filed under: TV and Humor and Lost and External TV Comments: 1 Comment Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
 Michael Franti once described television as “the drug of the nation, breeding ignorance and feeding radiation.” As such, we’re guessing he isn’t nearly as excited as we are that we’re finally beginning to see the fruits of Hollywood’s writers at last being able to put pen back to paper. CBS clearly got the jump on everyone else with the premiere of their new episodes, but as you can see, the other networks will soon be joining in the fun as well, offering up all the fresh new comedy and drama we’ve been craving for so very long. Okay, maybe it hasn’t been that long – as soon as the strike wrapped up, you probably noticed how some series magically “found” a few episodes they’d unabashedly been sitting on – but it’s damned sure been long enough. Check out our coverage here, then head back over to tell us what shows you’re most psyched to see return!
Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and Desperate Housewives and Lost and The Office and My Name Is Earl and External Entertainment and External TV and Heroes and TV Sci-Fi and Reaper Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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If you were sad to see Michael go at the end of season two, well, tonight was your night. If you were like me, however, and felt like his departure couldn’t come any sooner, then you were probably cursing the TV gods for bringing him back. In what quickly became a special “Lost” version of “Where Are They Now?,” tonight’s episode did little more than run through what Michael has been up to since leaving the island. It was a major departure from the basic narrative structure of the series (though they’ve done something like this once or twice before), and it was easily the worst episode of the season.
Whether or not this means Tom was actually telling the truth is a moot point, because after seeing footage of the wreckage on TV, Michael is quick to agree to go undercover and play hero to his “friends.” Given a new identity (Kevin Johnson) and a job as a deckhand on the freighter, Michael’s first day on board brings him a present from Ben. It’s a giant fucking bomb, but after activating it, he discovers that it doesn’t quite work. Instead, Ben wants Michael to simply sabotage the ship so that it will never reach the island, but when Michael relays his tale to his fellow Losties, Sayid turns him over to the boat’s captain as a traitor. Read more after the break.Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External TV Comments: 6 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
After failing to commit suicide by driving his car into a dock container (is that really the best he could come up with?), Michael goes to visit Walt at his mother’s house. Unfortunately, Walt won’t talk to his father after what happened on the island, and so Michael tries to kill himself (again) using a gun he swapped Jin’s watch for at a local pawnshop. Before he can pull the trigger, though, Michael is visited by an unexpected guest in the alley. It’s Tom (AKA Mr. Friendly), and he doesn’t waste any time in letting Michael know that Ben has been keeping tabs on him since his departure. He also insists that Michael can’t kill himself because “the island won’t let [him].”Nevertheless, being the sorry-ass idiot that he is, Michael decides to test this theory out, and the gun jams.|
One more week of these sorry-ass misdirections and I might just be forced to send a letter to ABC with the words “JUST HOW STUPID DO YOU THINK WE ARE?” written in black marker. I mean, really, did anyone for a minute think that both Sun and Jin were going to make it off the island alive? The mathematics simply didn’t allow for it. With all but one of the identities of the Oceanic 6 confirmed, Sun was a strong favorite to round out the group. After all, you couldn’t leave both mothers on the island, right?
The episode itself was pretty uneventful. The flash-forward and flashback sequences took a major event (Sun’s delivery) and stretched it into a Looney Toons-esque plot that finds Jin trying to buy a stuffed panda for who you’re supposed to assume is his baby. It’s not, but as I mentioned before, anyone who considers themselves a fan of the show probably figured that out right way. (Psst, his haircut totally gave it away). Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External TV Comments: 8 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
As for Jin, well, I won’t say that I’m not disappointed. Daniel Dae Kim is one of my favorite cast members, and aside from getting screwed on Day One when J.J. Abrams was handing out backstories, his existence on the show is virtually useless. That’s the problem with killing someone in the future. They’re still alive in the present. Of course, if the writers em>really wanted to throw us all for a loop, they’d reveal in the final season that Jin isn’t dead at all, but rather just one of the unlucky many who were left behind.|
Who would’ve thought Juliet was a homewrecker? Not me, but after a trip back to her past this week, we now have a better understanding of Juliet’s relationship with Ben. Unfortunately, with the exception of the revealing flashback, and a couple other treats for the fans, tonight’s show didn’t even come close to the quality of previous episodes.
As it turns out, Ben has a massive crush on the good doctor, and when Oceanic Flight 815 crash lands on their island, it gives him the perfect excuse to split the pair apart. Ben sends Goodwin away to spy on the Tailies, and as we already know, that didn’t end very well. When Ben hears the news, he escorts Juliet to Goodwin’s body, and reclaims her as his own. It was pretty creepy stuff, but, well, that’s Ben for you. Back on the island, Juliet has a completely new set of problems. It seems Faraday and Charlotte have managed to slip away into the jungle, and when Juliet and Jack split up to go looking for them, Juliet is greeted by Harper. Warning her that the freighter duo is on their way to the Tempest (the island’s electrical station) to release the toxin gas, Harper gives instructions from Ben to stop them by any means necessary. Oh yeah, and then she just sort of disappears. Was it Juliet’s imagination? Not possible, since Jack saw her too, but aside from that simple observation, I have no idea what else it could be. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External TV Comments: 1 Comment Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
Juliet’s flashback originally had me believing it was actually a flash-forward. As she’s speaking with a therapist named Harper (an almost unrecognizable Andrea Roth), the two discuss her status as a celebrity. Could Juliet be the final member of the Oceanic Six? Nope. Instead, she’s referring to her arrival on the island, and before long, her popularity level has plummeted when she begins having an affair with Harper’s husband, Goodwin. Surprisingly, Harper couldn’t care less, but she does offer a warning to keep their relationship a secret from Ben.|
Seeing as how I wasn’t a particularly big fan of the last Desmond time travel episode (“Flashes Before Your Eyes”), I was wholly expecting not to enjoy tonight’s episode either. In fact, that’s exactly how it was panning out until the story took an unexpected turn that no one could have seen coming.
When he snaps back to the present, Desmond completely freaks out – recognizing neither Sayid nor Frank. As it happens, Desmond can now time travel (sort of), and when the helicopter lands on the freighter, he’s taken to sickbay to get checked out. It’s there that he meets George (Fisher Stevens), one of the freighter folk who seems to be experiencing the very same side effects. Unfortunately, between jumping back and forth in time, and arguing with the boat’s crewmembers Ray (Marc Vann), Keamy (Kevin Durand) and Omar (Anthony Azizi), Desmond can’t figure out what’s happening to him. Lucky for him there’s a physicist (Daniel Faraday) on the island, and after speaking with him over the SAT phone, it’s revealed that not only does Desmond believe it’s 1996, but that his recent exposure to electromagnetism (via the hatch explosion) is the reason he’s reacting this way. Confident that he can help, Daniel orders Desmond to board a train (in the past) and visit him at Oxford where he used to teach. When he arrives, Desmond finally gets some answers from Daniel – but they’re not exactly to his liking. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External TV Comments: 5 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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We knew it was coming. After all, not even the best season of “Lost” could deliver solid gold each and every week, and if we were going to be subjected to a lackluster episode, it might as well be a Kate-centric one. Seriously, though – am I the only one who finds Evangeline Lilly’s character absolutely dull in comparison to guys like Sayid, Locke and Desmond? Perhaps it’s that silly love triangle she has with Jack and Sawyer, or maybe it’s just that Kate hasn’t had an interesting backstory since season two. Whatever the case, Carlton Cuse and Co. certainly gave it their best shot this week with a last-minute reveal meant to dominate the watercooler talk tomorrow morning.
As the trial progresses, Kate’s mother comes to visit, but when Kate refuses to make a deal that would prevent Mrs. Austen from testifying in exchange for allowing her to see her grandson, she doesn’t anyway. And with no key witness, Kate’s lawyer is open to make a deal that includes absolutely no jail time and only 10 years probation. Not bad, especially since that laundry list of crimes could probably include kidnapping as well. What’s that, you say? Well, allow me to enlighten you. You see, Kate’s son isn’t actually hers – it’s Aaron. As in Claire’s Aaron. As in, Claire’s probably going to die real soon. Oh well. One less pointless character to worry about, especially now that Charlie’s out of the picture. Read more after the break.Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External TV Comments: 5 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
In her second flash-forward appearance of the season, tonight’s episode followed the ex-fugitive during her long-awaited trial. Charged for no less than six different criminal acts (including fraud, arson and murder), Kate’s fate seems to be sealed, despite her celebrity status as one of the Oceanic Six. When her lawyer suggests that Kate’s son (what?) be in attendance to help persuade the jury to show pity, Kate refuses. Instead, he calls Jack to the stand, who not only lies about the actual crash (i.e. only six survived), but also states that Kate was responsible for rescuing them all. It’s the one mystery that I’m actually curious to find out more about, but it looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer for an actual answer – probably at least until they’ve revealed the other two survivors.|
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Sayid-centric episodes almost always rock, and tonight was no different. Opening in the future with a cleaned-up Sayid playing golf, the former Iraqi soldier is clearly living the good life courtesy of a large settlement from the airline. Or so it seems. When an Italian gentleman approaches him with a friendly golf bet, Sayid reveals his true identity – much to the shock of the man, who looks genuinely spooked by his presence. It isn’t until Sayid calls the man by name and shoots him dead that things become a little clearer: he’s a bounty hunter.
Meanwhile, back in the present, Sayid has just cut a deal with Frank. If he can rescue Charlotte from Locke, he’ll get a one-way helicopter ride to the freighter. Joining him on the hunt is Kate and Miles, but when they arrive at the barracks, they discover Hurley locked away in a closet. He claims that Locke and the rest of B Troop went scavenging around Ben’s house, but it’s quickly revealed that, well, Hurley was lying. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External TV Comments: 3 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
Fast-forward a couple months and Sayid is tracking yet another target in Berlin. This time, it’s a woman named Elsa, and as they spend more time with one another, Sayid appears to be falling in love. Elsa admits to feeling the same way, but when Sayid tells her the truth about why he’s there (i.e. using her to get close to her employer), she shoots him in the chest. Apparently, this girl was playing him too, but how she managed to do that when Sayid approached her first is beyond me. Still, she seems to believe that she can get information from Sayid about his boss, and while she dials her employer to tell him the good news, Sayid is given just enough time to grab his gun and kill her first. Upon closer inspection, he discovers a silver bracelet on her wrist. The same bracelet, in fact, that Sayid has seen once before – on Naomi’s wrist, with the inscription “I’ll always be with you.” Now, that isn’t to say that they were lovers, but it definitely suggests some kind of Dharma tie-in between the two women, as well as the Italian man from before.|
Much like season two’s “The Other 48 Days,” tonight’s episode wasn’t exactly devoted to answering any of the ongoing mysteries, but it did introduce several new characters that will play a major role this season. First off, let me just say that Carlton Cuse and Co. has done an exceptional of casting this year. Fans of “The Wire” were no doubt excited to see Lance Reddick pop up in last week’s episode, but the addition of guys like Jeremy Davies, Ken Leung and Jeff Fahey will definitely force the series regulars to up their game. Oh yeah, and there’s a new female character as well (played by Rebecca Mader), but I can’t really speak on her acting ability since, well, I’ve never heard of her.
– Daniel Faraday (Davies) is a physicist who, upon watching television footage of the underwater discovery of the Oceanic Flight 815 wreckage, breaks down and cries. We really don’t know why he’s upset (and it doesn’t look like he does, either), but I’m sure we’ll find out soon. – Miles (Leung) is paranormal detective of some sort who tricks an old woman into believing that he can contact her dead son and assist him in crossing over. As it turns out, Miles really can contact the dead, but he uses his abilities for different reasons – namely in locating some (drug?) money hidden in the kid’s room. – Charlotte (Mader) is the lone female of the group, but she's got a far cooler back story than the first two. While interrupting an archeological dig in Tunisia, Charlotte comes across the fossilized remains of a polar bear and discovers – wait for it – a Dharma-branded collar beside its skeleton. Pretty neat stuff if you ask me, and it might finally lead to an answer about the three-toed statue that's since been forgotten. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External TV Comments: 3 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
Before I get ahead of myself, though, it’s probably best to discuss these new characters – all introduced in their own flashback sequences: |
After eight long months off the air, “Lost” is finally back… well, for eight weeks anyways. With the writer’s strike rearing its ugly head midway through production, it looks like fans will have to endure yet another lengthy wait for the remainder of season four. Still, it’s nice to have one of my favorite shows back in rotation. Sure, I probably complain more than anyone when it comes to the chronic inconsistencies of J.J. Abrams’ island drama, but when it comes down to it, there’s no denying that “Lost” has continued to captivate me, through good times and bad.
Speaking of which, tonight’s episode opened with yet another flash-forward – this time starring Hurley. As Jack goes about his daily morning routine (i.e. drinking a glass of OJ spiked with a little vodka), he turns on the local news station to see Hurley in a high-speed pursuit with the police. After crashing into a convenience store and being arrested (all while shouting “Don’t you know who I am? I’m one of the Oceanic Six!”), it’s more or less confirmed that Hurley has gone a bit insane. When the detective in charge of the arrest mentions that he knew Ana Lucia, Hurley denies ever meeting her, and instead pleads for a transfer to the nut house. It’s there that he’s visited by Matthew Abaddon (Lance Reddick, from HBO’s “The Wire”), a man Hurley doesn’t seem to know, but who seems to know everything about him. In fact, when he asks Hurley if “they’re still alive,” the dude totally freaks out. Filed under: TV and TV Dramas and Lost and External TV Comments: 2 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
For the time being, it appears the flash-forward is the new flashback, and this is probably the best news of the season. There weren’t many memorable flashbacks last year, so the integration of this new parallel storytelling device is tantalizing at the very least. I don’t expect the flashbacks to be completely discontinued (then again, maybe they will be), but I wouldn’t expect one to crop up for quite some time.|
In these dark days, with the writer’s strike continuing along unabated, new episodes of scripted television are getting harder and harder to come by. For the most part, our favorite series have either run all of the episodes that were finished before the strike or, if their respective networks are really stingy, they’re still holding on to one or two episodes, to dole out as the need arises. There are, however, a few exceptions to that rule, and we’re here to spotlight those series that still have at least half a dozen new episodes on deck. We’re not going to pretend that we here at Bullz-Eye are actually fans of every single one of these shows, but we are fans of scripted comedy and drama, and as steadfast supporters of the writers in this strike, we’d like to think that watching even the worst of these shows is still better than having reality series like “America’s Top Dog” or “Farmer Takes a Wife” shoved down our throats. Start programming your TiVo by clicking here. Filed under: TV and News and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and Lost and External Entertainment and External TV and The Wire and Jericho and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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Given that the TV season generally runs from September to May, it always feels a little strange doing a year-end wrap-up of the best in television, since you end up bringing in bits and pieces from two separate seasons. Still, between the second half of the 2006 – 2007 season and the first half of the 2007 – 2008 season, we’ve certainly been given plenty of material to work with. Six of our most prolific TV writers have provided their opinions of both the best and the worst that the small screen has had to offer, and while they do occasionally concur on a show, it’s a safe bet that no two people on the Bullz-Eye staff have identical season pass lists on TiVo. Head over to the homepage by clicking here, but don’t forget to swing back by to offer your own opinions! Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and Reviews and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and Lost and The Office and External Entertainment and External TV and The Wire and Heroes and Jericho and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi and Reality TV and Reaper and Journeyman and Friday Night Lights Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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NBC may not be King of the Nielsen Ratings just yet, but we know good television when we see it, and the Peacock has returned in full force with a dominating presence that includes the top three shows and five of the top six. HBO, on the other hand, is experiencing the opposite, with the departure of “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “Rome.” Add to that the fact that our list features a whopping 10 new entries — five of which are freshmen — and you’ve got one heck of a Power Rankings shakeup. Much of this has to do with so many shows being on hiatus until next year, but whatever the cause, it’s nice to see some much-needed change to a usually familiar lineup. And, hey, don’t miss the list of our favorite shows which are currently on hiatus (and are therefore ineligible for the Top-20), our farewell to “The Sopranos,” and our stable of Honorable Mentions. Check out the list here, then come back and let us know how we did…or if we missed any of your favorites! Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and Reviews and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and Rome and Lost and South Park and Prison Break and The Office and 24 and The Shield and The Sopranos and Rescue Me and Deadwood and External Entertainment and External TV and The Wire and Heroes and Jericho and Battlestar Galactica and TV Sci-Fi and Reaper and Journeyman and Friday Night Lights Comments: 2 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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* Your obligatory non-answer about “Lost”: “(The creators) would need to address where the show will head,” said ABC President Stephen McPherson. “They have not released whether it will take place with flash-forwards or flashbacks. They pitched where they’re going this year and where the next two years will take us, and I honestly think that, now that we have this specific end date, it allows them to craft that story in the next 48 episodes they want they want, and I think that running the episodes straight through will be best way to (display) that.” * “Dance Acts” is a spin-off in the works from “Dancing with the Stars,” based on a similar spin-off in the UK. The judges have teams of dancers, competing against each other. * Dana Delaney is joining the cast of “Desperate Housewives,” along with the already-announced Nathan Fillion. * Harold Perrineau will be returning to “Lost” as Michael…and, on that note, let me tell you about a moment during this panel which really, really grated on my nerves: When McPherson acknowledged that the creators of “Lost” would be making an announcement tomorrow at Comic-Con, in San Diego, several writers just went apeshit about the utter ridiculousness that they would dare to bypass the Television Critics Association gathering in favor of a “fan convention.” Um…how about the fact that the shows are about their fans and not their critics? I mean, I didn’t even blink when they said that was going to be the case. Of course the fans should hear the info first, if it’s do-able…and if that’s what the creators want to do, then what’s the big honking deal? But, no, people kept pressing and pressing, throwing out statements about the state of the newspaper industry and how their editors would be upset if they found out that breaking news was available but wasn’t going to be given to them, and so on. Finally, it reached the point where someone actually called Damon Lindelof to get his permission for McPherson to give us the news, which was that nugget about Michael coming back.
As God as my witness, I hope Lindelof has more super secret info up his sleeve for the fans. If I was a fan, and it’d been built up to me that I was going to get exclusive info when I showed up for that panel, I would be pissed if I found out that, oh, sorry, the critics strong-armed us and made us give it to them first. I’m just sayin’, is all. UPDATE, 12:03 PM: I spoke to McPherson in the lobby a few minutes ago, revealed myself to be as much of a fanboy as a critic, and asked if indeed Lindelof had saved some exclusive information for the Comic-Con panel. He didn’t really confirm or deny - which I’d kind of expected, since he knows full well that my peers would probably pummel him if he they read such a thing - but he did acknowledge that the Comic-Con crowd would be getting far more access to Lindelof than the TCA is, since there’s no “Lost” panel at our press tour. Therefore, I think it’s reasonable to infer - if not an ironclad guarantee by any means - that, logically, the chances of the fans getting more information than the critics are pretty good. Which makes me happy. Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and Interviews and TV Dramas and Desperate Housewives and Lost and External Entertainment and External TV and TCA Press Tour and Fall TV Preview Comments: 1 Comment Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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While last year’s season finale ranks among the best ever cliffhangers in television history, tonight’s two-hour finale was a little rough along the edges. That doesn’t mean that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse haven’t done it again, because they have, and the proof is in the number of “holy crap” moments that took place throughout the final twenty minutes of the episode. Instead of deconstructing the entire episode, however, I’ve decided to mix things up by focusing my attention on six events that everyone will be talking about tomorrow morning. 1) Sayid, Jin and Bernard’s sneak attack on the Others I actually thought that Ben would radio his team to warn them of a possible attack after he discovered that Juliet had betrayed him, but the attack went off without a hitch. Well, sort of. Both Sayid and Bernard hit their targets dead-on, killing five of the Others, while Jin’s aim was a little off. He did manage to kill two more with his pistol before all three survivors were captured by the remaining Others: Ryan, Tom and some random dude. 2) Locke is still alive This was a bit of a given, since we all know that Locke plays a major part in the good vs. evil dynamic between him and Jack. Of course, I wasn’t expecting a vision of Walt to be the thing that motivates him to live on, but Locke still seems to believe that he has a purpose on the island and he’s not about to give up now. On a completely unrelated note, I totally forgot how bad of an actor that kid who plays Walt is. It’s probably a good thing that we don’t have to see him on a weekly basis anymore. |
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If you’ve been paying any attention to the “Lost” forums over the past couple months, you’re well aware of the heated discussions taking place over whether Dominic Monaghan would be leaving the show following the final Charlie-centric episode of the season. For the time being, it looks like fans can finally put their worries aside, as the London rocker managed to make through the entire episode without even a scratch. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll be alive and kicking when the two-hour season finale is all said and done, but I’ll get to that later. The idea for tonight’s episode was a great one. Simply entitled “Greatest Hits,” we were treated to five flashbacks from Charlie’s past that he deemed the best moments of his life (an idea that he no doubt got from Naomi when he heard about the release of a Driveshaft “Greatest Hits” album released in the U.K.). In order from bottom to top they included 5) the day his band first heard their single on the radio, 4) learning how to swim with his dad, 3) receiving his brother’s coveted “DS” ring, 2) being called a hero after saving a woman from a street mugger, and 1) meeting Claire for the first time. The last one was probably a bit obvious, but it had an even greater impact as we watched him say his goodbyes to Claire and the baby. He didn’t exactly tell her where he was going, and it was probably for good reason, too. |
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Yep, ABC’s released their 2007 - 2008 schedule, and, as you probably guessed from the title of this posting, the biggest focus isn’t on how good or bad the new shows look but, rather, how lazy it looks for the network to have picked up a series that’s inspired by a series of commercials. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely laugh every time one of those commercials is on, but that doesn’t mean I want a half-hour series based on them…especially not when it means that “The Knights of Prosperity” gets cancelled and “The Thick of It” - starring Michael McKean, Oliver Platt, John Michael Higgins, and Alex Borstein - is passed over for pick-up. (How does that happen, anyway? The pilot was directed by Christopher Guest, fer crissakes!) But that’s enough complaining for the moment. This is intended as an educational post, not a bitter diatribe. (Besides, there’ll be plenty of time for that sort of material in our Fall TV Preview!) So let’s take a look at how the fall schedule will look…and, uh, let’s also clarify that we’ll probably still end up getting snarky along the way. MONDAY We begin with more of that star-dancing crap at 8:00 PM…an hour and a half of it, apparently, since it isn’t until 9:30 that we’re scheduled to see the new Christina Applegate sitcom “SAM I AM.” “Sam I Am” - When a terrible accident leaves Samantha “Sam” Newly in a coma for eight days, she wakes up with no recollection of any past experiences, memories or events. Faced with amnesia, Sam must start over. To her dismay she discovers that she wasn’t a particularly honest, good-hearted or loving person. In fact she was self-involved, narcissistic and devoid of real relationships - essentially a bitch. Sam must now struggle with her desire to be good and her temptation to be…not so good. Finding the line between good and evil is never easy. Um…that’s a comedy? Well, anyway, after that, 10 PM finds another season of “The Bachelor,” which means we can’t get to Tuesday night soon enough. Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and Desperate Housewives and Lost and External Entertainment and External TV Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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