Category: Lost (Page 20 of 29)

Enter 77

March 7, 2007 / Jason Zingale

I’ve long said that the Sayid-centric episodes of “Lost” are among the show’s best, and while the flashback sequence behind this week’s story wasn’t nearly as interesting as those of the past, it still made for one excellent episode. Apparently, Sayid is one damn good cook, and while working in Paris after leaving his post with the Republican Guard, he’s approached by a fellow Iraqi with an offer to come cook at his superior restaurant. Despite Sayid’s keen sense for knowing when others are lying, however, he agrees to meet the man only to be ambushed and interrogated for the torture of the guy’s wife. The whole time I was watching it, I was thinking to myself, “Of course Sayid didn’t torture this woman,” only to be completely shocked when he begged for her forgiveness later in the episode. Luckily, the woman took kindly to his apology and released him.

Getting back to more gripping stuff, Kate, Locke and Sayid continue their journey to the Flame hatch only to discover that it’s a farm in disguise, run by Eye Patch Man. After Sayid is shot for trespassing, Kate and Locke flank the guy only to discover that he’s “the last living member of the Dharma Initiative.” Bullshit, and this time Sayid can smell it miles away. After being served some very nasty looking yellow iced tea, Eye Patch Man (or Mikhail to his friends) attacks Sayid again, but has his ass handed to him as is expected from an ex-soldier. Meanwhile, as Sayid and Kate learn more about Eye Patch Man’s business on the island, Locke plays a friendly game of computer chess and upon winning, accesses an override to the hatch that gives him several command options.

Now, is it just me, but when did Locke become so damn stupid? I mean, did he know that if he entered “77” into the computer that the whole building would blow up, and if so, why? They could have easily used the hatch to their advantage, so it doesn’t really make any sense why you’d knowingly let it explode. Anyways, the past is behind them (Mrs. Klugh is dead – anyone know Russian that can translate that?) and they’re moving on with their mission to save Jack.

On a side note, it’s nice to see that rest of the survivors are having fun while a select few risk their lives. Last week it was the joyride through the woods, and this week it’s a friendly game of ping-pong. Sawyer, upset that all of his goods have become thrown into the community sharing pool, makes a deal with the rest of the camp: if you’re best player can beat me at a game of ping-pong, I’ll stop calling people by nicknames, and if I win, I get all my shit back. Well, he loses… to Hurley, though I hardly believe that the writers will put an end to the nicknames – that makes his character – though I love the fact that the survivors are finally lightening up to their situation.

The funniest line of the night comes courtesy of Hurley after crushing Sawyer in ping-pong: “It doesn’t look like that last slam caused any long term damage to your forehead.”

External TV, Lost, TV, TV Dramas

Large and in charge

March 1, 2007 / Jason Zingale

It’s been only three days since the broadcast of the 79th Annual Academy Awards and it appears that Hollywood still can’t say goodbye to the Little Indie That Could. How else do you explain Hurley’s sudden discovery of an old VW van turned over in the jungle, not to mention the humorous subplot involving Sawyer, Jin and Charlie helping him jumpstart the car by pushing it down a hill? I’m not complaining – it’s been a long time since the writers last delivered such a light-hearted episode – and I’m just happy to see that we’re finally back on the original island again.

And so are the rest of the survivors, apparently, as they all welcome back Kate and Sawyer with open arms. Heck, even Hurley gives Sawyer a great big hug when they meet up later in the episode. The two on-again-off-again lovers get right back to business when the return, however, and while Sawyer heads off to help Hurley and the gang with the van (not to mention teaching Jin a few new English phrases to wow the wife), Kate begins hatching a rescue plan with Sayid and Locke… which leads them to Rousseau, yet again. This time, though, she’s more apt to help after discovering that her daughter is, in fact, very much alive.

This week’s flashback was dedicated to Hurley – namely his relationship to his father (played by Cheech Marin) and the curse that has surrounded him ever since winning the money – and while we didn’t learn anything of particular interest, we did learn a little bit more about the big guy’s past. Like how his father left him at a young age, only to return 17 years later (gee, I wonder why?) Or how only days after purchasing the Mr. Cluck’s restaurant that he used to work at, it’s blown to bits (along with news reporter Tricia Tanaka) by a meteor… or an asteroid. Some kind of falling rock from space. Tough luck, kid, but at least your situation isn’t nearly as bad as Charlie’s is. Dude is very bummed, and he’s got good reason, too. Luckily, Hurley’s to the rescue, and it looks like he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Charlie’s mind off his impending death.

Man, I really hope the writers don’t decide to off Charlie any time soon (the character’s next episode is only a few weeks away), especially when there are plenty of others that could just as easily go. Hasn’t he been through enough already?

External TV, Lost, TV, TV Dramas

Major shakeup in latest edition of Bullz-Eye’s TV Power Rankings

February 25, 2007 / Jason Zingale

Since the dawn of creation — well, the creation of this feature, anyway — Jack Bauer sat atop Bullz-Eye.com’s TV Power Rankings, owning the #1 slot for better than a year and a half. Some would say it was only a matter of time, but now that it’s finally happened, the sudden fall from grace of Fox’s hit show “24” is actually a lot more embarrassing than it is depressing. But the real-time thriller isn’t the only major shakeup in the winter 2007 edition of the rankings. HBO’s “The Wire” makes its grand (and, forgive us, long overdue) debut, while NBC experienced a big surge thanks to its fresh fall lineup. Of course, HBO still came out the big winner with five shows emerging in the Top 10 (four in the first six), proving once again that it pays to, well, pay for quality television.

Here are a few entries from our list:

11. Scrubs (NBC): It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see that “Scrubs” has dropped so low in the rankings. Coming off one of the best years since its debut, expectations for the show were certainly higher than usual – especially when it was called up to the big leagues and given a spot in NBC’s highly coveted Must See TV lineup – but no one could have guessed that the sixth season would start out on such a sour note. Whether it was the accelerated progression of J.D. into adulthood (he’s got a baby on the way, with guest star Elizabeth Banks, no less) or Carla’s all-too-brief post-partum depression (a subplot added to accommodate Judy Reyes’ real-life hip injury), the first five episodes of the new season were particularly somber. Things were looking so bleak, in fact, that fans of the show were preparing to concede that the medical comedy was finally showing signs of wear, but with the much-publicized musical episode creatively rejuvenating everyone involved with the show, things are finally getting back on track. And as long as things remain this kooky and fresh (read: Kelso getting his own episode, or the Janitor using a stuffed rabbit as a salt and pepper shaker), we don’t see any reason why “Scrubs” won’t being making a triumphant return to the Top 5 in the very near future. ~Jason Zingale

17. Deadwood (HBO): Well, despite all the rumors, “Deadwood” isn’t quite dead…yet. Last year, HBO decided not to extend the options of the terrific ensemble cast, making a fourth full season unlikely, but the network and series creator David Milch agreed to produce two two-hour telefilms to wrap up the show’s loose ends. Season Three contained a myriad of intertwining storylines, but focused on the growing influence of businessman/asshole George Hearst, which put former adversaries Al Swearengen and Sheriff Seth Bullock in an unlikely alliance. “Deadwood” features stronger language than any other HBO show, and with “The Sopranos” and “The Wire” on the network’s roster, that’s saying a lot. The truth is that everything about the show – the language, the acting, the story, the sets and the costumes – is colorful, and whether or not HBO wants to admit it, they’re going to miss “Deadwood” once it’s gone for good. ~John Paulsen

Check out the full list here.

24, Battlestar Galactica, Deadwood, Entourage, External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, Lost, My Name Is Earl, Prison Break, Rome, South Park, The Office, The Shield, The Sopranos, The Wire, TV

Stranger in a strange land

February 22, 2007 / Jason Zingale

This is the episode where the audience was supposed to finally discover the secret behind Jack’s tattoo, but after all the build up, it didn’t amount to very much. First off, anyone who took a glance at the title of the episode already knew what its relation would be to the tattoo, and second, the writers still never explain why he decide to enhance the ink job with the pyramid and number 5 placed right above the Chinese phrase. All we know is that Jack visited Phuket, Thailand some time after his riff with his father, met a hot Asian chick (Bai Ling) with a gift for reading others, and then got a tattoo from her marking his destiny. Wow, exciting stuff.

Actually, despite the fact that it wasn’t nearly as revealing as the last few weeks, not to mention that it was yet again centered on the Mod Squad, I actually thoroughly enjoyed most of the episode, and think that it marks a big turning point in the series. With Sawyer and Kate on their way back to camp (sans Carl, after Sawyer convinced him to head back), and Jack on a boat back with Juliet and Ben (after Jack made a deal with Ben to save Juliet’s life), it looks like we’re finally getting back to the group dynamic that has been missing since the end of season two.

Will Jack finally learn to live amongst the Others? Or better yet, will Ben and Juliet be assimilated into the group of survivors? Things are finally starting to get interesting again ABC, so you had better not screw it up.

External TV, Lost, TV

Not exactly faster than a speeding bullet, but he can do some weird shit with his mind.

February 15, 2007 / Jason Zingale

Last night’s episode is either going to go down as one of the most important shows in the history of “Lost,” or as one of the most boring. Despite my mixed feelings of the transpiring events, I’m going to have to lean towards the former, as it delivered yet another change in structure for the series. Last week gave viewers their very first flashback via the lives of the Others, while this week took it one step further and created a sort of flashback-within-a-flashback scenario for everyone’s favorite Scotsman, Desmond. And in case you still haven’t figured out just what Desmond’s newly gained “powers” are, Hurley is quick to clears things up: “That guy sees the future, dude.”

Charlie’s interest in Desmond has all but amplified ever since he predicted the lightning strike on the island, but after saving Claire yet again from drowning in the ocean, he schemes a plan to find out how exactly he’s able to do this. So, with the help of Hurley, Charlie decides to get Desmond drunk (that always works, right?) before interrogating him. His plan doesn’t work very well, however, and Desmond attacks Charlie for calling him a coward. This results in a flashback of the hatch explosion at the end of season two. We’re quick to discover that upon turning the key, Desmond is seemingly transported back to the past during the height of his relationship with Penelope.

The Desmond that appears in this “flashback” is certainly aware of the fact that he’s supposed to be on the island (and so the possibility of time travel is certainly plausible), but after meeting with a woman whom he believes to be his subconscious (Fionnula Flanagan in one of the best cameos of the series), Desmond realizes that it’s really just all in his head. Of course, if that’s the case, then did he really meet Charlie in the past? Whatever the answer, his relationship with Charlie has certainly become a fatal bond of sorts. You see, Desmond was never really rescuing Claire from death. He was saving Charlie. Charlie was the one that would have been struck by lighting, and Charlie was the one that would have drowned when he dived into the water to save Claire.

This dynamic presents some very interesting theories, the most obvious being that Desmond’s sole purpose of being on the island is to save Charlie from death. It all makes sense, really, since the song that Charlie was playing on the street in Desmond’s flashback sequence was Oasis’ “Wonderwall.” And with lyrics like, “Maybe, you’re gonna be the one that saves me,” you can’t help but believe that it’s destiny. Then again, as Desmond was quick to learn in his trippy flashback/time travel, there’s no such thing as free will, and so it seems, no matter how many times he saves Charlie’s life, the poor kid’s doomed kick it. Hmm. Methinks I’ve seen this movie before. Wasn’t it called “Final Destination”?