I’m totally gobsmacked to be honest by last night’s episode. We expected some collateral damage sure but I thought we would not see deaths until the final episode. (I think in my head I was expecting a finale similar to Buffy where Spike and Anya stuck it out until the bitter end before falling at the last fence – sad but it’s all over anyway so not a bad result). Cuse and Lindelof set down a marker last night – nobody is safe so if you think we are in for some happy clappy ending then think again.
Island Jin, Sun and Sayid are definitely dead and Frank probably is too. If indeed Lapidus is dead then there is an entire blog which could be written as to the point of his character. His main role seems to have been acting as the Minister for Stating the Bleedin’ Obvious with contributions such as “I guess somebody got their voice back” and “I guess we’re not going to Guam.” Last night he just about managed a grunt before being flattened by a submarine door so I guess that’s an "over and out" from him. You’ve got a great gravely voice and a cool look Jeff Fahey but apparently your Lost contribution peaked while playing cards with Miles and almost flying a plane.
Anyway I digress so back to the main casualties of war last night – Jin, Sun and Sayid. You know what, sad as I was to see them go – I felt I should have cared more.
Sayid has long been one of my favourite characters in the show but I feel that in the last couple of series we have become disconnected from him. He made the wrong choices in LA and on the Island in Sundown and I have since felt that it was inevitable he would die. Did Desmond’s conversation with him at the well spark something in the zombie-like Sayid which prompted him to make the sacrifice he did for his friends last night? Since returning from that encounter he seemed to have a new sense of purpose and he didn’t really hesitate once the clock speeded up on the bomb. Pausing only to tell Jack where Des is and that “it’s going to be you” (did he mean here who will rescue Des or who will ultimately decide the outcome of the battle? And if it’s the latter then what does Des know that we don’t?), he ran and thus managed to save three of the remaining candidates and Kate. It was good at least to see Sayid achieving redemption on the island but his death was inevitable.
I wonder if the impact of deaths of long-standing characters on the island is lessened by the fact that we have this alternate reality in LA where the characters are still living (although in Sayid’s case he is on the run). Sure it has all the hallmarks of a constructed world which is on the verge of evaporating but still there they are – we caught a glimpse of Jin in the hospital only moments after his island death.
On the island dead was dead so I wonder if any deaths now in 'two-reality land' can really compare to the emotional wrench we experienced when we saw Charlie drown?
Ben commented a few weeks ago in relation to the death of Illana “I wonder what will happen to us when the island is finished with us?” (By the way where the heck are Richard, Ben and Miles at this stage? A spot of island-snorkelling perhaps?) Clearly the island had finished with Jin and Sun last night. Lost has focussed on telling their story in relation to them as a couple. When they were apart their entire focus was to find each other and bang as soon as they were reunited a watery grave awaited them. It was interesting that Cuse and Lindelof presented a scenario where one of them had the chance to escape (Jin) but despite his decision resulting in their daughter being left an orphan he choose to die with his wife after pledging that they would never be parted again. Both characters were separately and together very interesting but I really feel that they have been badly served by the need to wrap up the story and there is an unsatisfying feel about their end.
Smokey as predicted last night sought to wipe out all the candidates in one go by using the sneaky ‘switch-the-backpack’ routine. This makes me wonder if the rule that has been mentioned that he cannot kill the candidates is rubbish. He set the bomb. Earlier in the episode he told Jack “I could kill you Jack – right here and now” so can he? As I said in a previous blog it strikes me that as the ultimate evil in this tale he’s a bit of a Frank Spencer. Last night he seemed to be winging it yet again. Cleary at the end when he sussed (presumably he has special powers) that three of the candidates were still alive, he put on his grumpy face and pledged to finish this thing. Well go on so – show us what you got then!
Another man who seems to be winging it is Jack – his mantra is “I am not leaving this island” and his every action is guided by that. He seems like a man happy to take on Jacob’s role of island guardian.
I am still really confused about Widmore’s role in the final showdown. Again last night he trotted out the line of “trust me, I’m one of the good guys” just as he was locking Sawyer, Kate and co up. Kate’s significance in the final showdown is also very unclear. We know, and now she knows, she’s not a candidate (and didn’t she look a bit peeved when Sawyer told her “he doesn’t need you Kate"). Chin up Kate things could be worse – you could be Frank Lapidus – you only got a flesh wound!
The LA story disappointed last night. A number of weeks ago during Desmond’s and Hurley’s episodes I felt the LA reality was breaking down but now things seem to have reverted. Claire and Jack shared a moment last night but not a spark or realisation was evident from either character. Locke may have said “push the button” in his sleep but his entire character focus in LA seems to be paying for the accident which left his father so badly injured. Given the option to walk again he choose to stay in his chair. He asks Jack “why he thinks letting go is so easy”. It was in fact a marginal character last night – Bernard – who seemed totally clued in. Was it just me or did he seem to have full awareness about what was going on?
So please let me have a ‘Pedantic Pat’ moment before I finish. A couple of things about this series have really been bugging me – the main one being the constant switching between day and night-time on the island. The rescue of the gang from the hydra cages took place at night and then cut to the next scene which featured Sawyer thanking the Doc and it’s daylight. The gang then rushed to the plane before abandoning Plan A and heading for the sub, the sub departs and they almost immediately they find the bomb which goes boom in minutes but again night has fallen by the time they reach shore (the sub had barely left the dock when the explosion happened).
Another thing which really irritated me last night was this super-sub which had dived to a great dept in just minutes. I know we are on a mysterious island here but surely you would expect the sub to have had to have travel for some time before there was sufficient dept to dive. I know it’s a minor issue but it really bugged me last night and distracted from the show.Rant over.
There is no doubt lots more to say but a meeting calls so I will pass this one over to you guys.
Bree Treacy
PS Lads just found out that the Lost Finale will be on May 27 as expected. It will be on at 10.05pm as the Eurovision semi-final is on live prior to it (I think I might give that one a skip). It will finish at 11.55pm and seems to be shorter than the US version due to much fewer advertisement breaks.
