Kill Your Television Update

The ending of Battlestar Galactica has left me without a weekly excuse to blog about something. I don't plan on reviewing shows episode to episode as I did with the final season of BSG, but I'm going to try to post my thoughts about some of the shows I'm currently watching. Be forewarned about spoilers ahead.

Lost - Season five continues to build on the momentum established by the last season and the new shorter seasons, plus the established end date, seem to suit the show well. This makes the writers fill each hour with little filler, which bogged down some of the first three seasons.

This week's show was a Kate episode that was actually really good. The character was given quite a bit of badly needed development. Hopefully this will continue to happen and we'll get a Kate that is creating her own destiny and not dependent on someone else the entire time.

Sawyer has really developed into a great multi-faceted character. I used to hate the guy and his nicknaming and smart remarks, but the writers have gone a solid job of transforming him into a leader over four and a half years of the show. I certainly hope he sticks with Juliet and doesn't go padding off after Kate, again. This week's show gave me hope.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Despite how slow the show tends to be, particularly during the first three episodes after the winter hiatus, I'm still really digging it. The resolution of the whole Jesse/Riley arc was handled really well and we finally got to see John behave as if is going to grow up to be the savior of mankind that we've led to believe he's going to be.

I was sad to see the death of favored recurring character last week. I was hoping that his reintroducton would lead to a more frequent appearances, maybe even joining up with the Connor's team, but it doesn't look like that will happen now.

The Weaver/Ellison/John Henry plot took some interesting turns this past week. While Weaver's true agenda continues to be unknown, we now have another rival agency to contend with. I wonder if this will force Weaver and the Connors to have to work together in the near future.

There's No Place Like Home - Part Two

Lost - Episode 4.13/4.14

Unlike the previous season finales for Lost, which ended with big shocking twists, the fourth season wraps up by bringing events to their logical conclusions. This season was more about the journey to an end that brought the past and future events together. The show has caught up with itself, so to speak. In doing so, the series is set up for the next season's big story thrust: returning half of the cast to the island.

The reveal of John Locke as the man in the coffin wasn't a big shock. He had long been suspected to be the occupant and given the clues laid throughout the season, it was pretty inevitable. This being Lost, I doubt Terry O'Quinn is out of a job. Locke is one of the show's most important characters, and I'm sure we'll be seeing him up and about before too long. I'm willing to bet that we'll get some "Jeremy Bentham" scenes in flashback during the season premiere.

The method of getting the future Oceanic Six off the island at the same time worked for the most part. Sawyer made the noble sacrifice and gave up his seat so the leaking helicopter could make it to the boat. Jin couldn't make it in time because Frank was panicked and wanted to get away from the freighter that was about to blow up. Frank and Desmond's exits were handled in a way I didn't expect, but worked quite well. The Desmond and Penny reunion was one of my favorite parts of the show, and it was nice to have at least one ray of sunshine amongst all the tragedy.

Since a lot of events played out as expected, I'm more compelled to speculate on what may come next season. I don't think that Jin is dead. He's smart and he would have jumped off the freighter once it looked like Frank wasn't turning back. Michael is probably dead. The moment "Christian Shephard" appeared and told him he "can go now", was great. Michael has been released from the island's hold and is allowed to die. Besides Jin, the other major players on the island are Juliet (who looked gorgeous this episode) and Sawyer (getting the required "oops, my shirt fell off" scene). For some reason I can see these two forming a bond. They're two with the most leadership qualities left on the island and it could be an interesting relationship.

Good sub-characters like Rose, Bernard, Charlotte, and Miles are also there. Daniel was still at sea when the island moved, but when it vanished the second island (a mile or two away) was gone, too. This may be the out that allows Jin and Daniel to be transported, too. There were some hints that Charlotte may have been to the island before. Could she, Miles, and Daniel be Darma children that once lived on the island? They're all around the same age. Just a wild theory.

The idea of rounding up everyone that left the island and going back opens up some great potential character conflict. Kate is already hesitant and Claire's dream visit about not taking Aaron back won't help matters. I'm curious if this extends to Frank and especially Desmond, as well. Desmond and Penny are tied so close to the Widmore/Darma part of the mythology that it seems fitting that they would have a continued presence on the show. Speaking of Widmore, Sun's conversation with the man raises some interesting questions. Is she playing him for revenge or is she wanting to us Widmore as a means to strike at Ben? Whatever the case, I'm loving post island Sun. She has become confident and determined. This is a logical character growth given the circumstances of her life before and during her stay on the island.

I will give the creators and writers of Lost a lot of credit for delivering fourteen hours of the planned sixteen episodes. The writer's strike disrupted things a bit, but they recovered nicely. Streamlining these final three seasons down to sixteen episodes each instead of stretching them out to twenty-four was a wise move. The writing has been tighter and answers are coming at a quicker rate. This allows for less filler and re-establishing a sense of urgency that the series was starting to lack. Season four has made me excited about Lost, again.

This episode: 8 out of 10
This season: 8 out of 10

There's No Place Like Home - Part One

Lost - Episode 4.12

It's hard to review an episode like this. This is the first part of the final three hours for the fourth season of Lost, and as a result, there is a lot of chess piece movement so all the characters are where they need to be for this arc's resolution. Interestingly enough, the writers have positioned the cast in such a wide separation, that I have no idea how this is going to happen.

We know who will get off the island. The opening of the episode re-enforces this by revealing the details of the Oceanic Six's (Jack, Kate, Sun, Sayid, Hurley, and Aaron) return to civilization. We also know that they aren't telling the truth about their survival. Luckily, the press start to fish out some of the plot holes that are fairly evident. If Aaron is really Kate's child, then she would have been six months pregnant when she was in custody with the U.S. Marshall. Hurley is surprisingly overweight for a guy that has spent months on a tropical island.

Given the placement of the Oceanic Six on the island before the rescue at the end of this episode, I'm wondering how the hell they end up in the same place to be rescued? Sun has Aaron and is on the freighter deck, while Jin, Michael, and Desmond are down below disarming a bomb. Kate and Sayid are in the hands of Richard and the Others. Jack is off with Sawyer and Frank at the helicopter, not far from the Orchid Station, and Hurley is right outside the Orchid Station with Locke. Jack, Kate, Sayid and Hurley are close enough that I can see them potentially getting off in the helicopter, but Sun and Aaron are five miles off shore. It's going to be an interesting two hours in two weeks, to say the least.

Questions, questions, questions:
1. How's Ben going to get out of this one? Even Locke was skeptical about Ben's "plan". To tell you the truth, Ben sort of came off as a caricature when he told Locke that he "always has a plan". Not that there was anything wrong with Michael Emerson's delivery, but the line was written in a way that Ben didn't seem like the bad ass we got to see in "The Shape of Things to Come". The line bordered on cliche. However, I have every confidence that Ben will pull off something spectacular and position himself to be able to teleport to the Sahara Desert.

2. How is the island going to get moved? We know it involves the Orchid Station. Also, given the time theory involvement, will time off the island spent by the Oceanic Six move at a different pace? Will years off the island seem like months on the island?

3. What will be the circumstances that will keep everyone else from leaving the island? This might not be too hard to suss out. Events will conspire to put the Six together and they might be the only folks that are alive and off the island when it moves. I think any nameless Losties on the freighter are going to get blown up. I bet Desmond and Jin will somehow live as a result of some noble sacrifice by Michael.

Then there are the few that would choose to stay. Rose's cancer has been halted due to the healing properties of the island. Her husband Bernard would understandably want to stay with her. Locke's destiny is intertwined with that of the island. Sawyer has nothing worth going home to and has actually become a leader and has found people he cares about on the island (though the two people that he's the closest to, Kate and Hurley, leave).

And least I forget...
4. What about the goddamn four-toed statue? That one was for Allison.

On a side note, Michelle Forbes makes an appearance as the spokesperson for Oceanic Airlines. She's been getting a lot of work lately (Lost, Battlestar Galactica, In Treatment). I wish she had a regular series to star in, though. I think she's awesome.

7 out of 10

Cabin Fever

Lost - Episode 4.11

This is the kind of episode I like when watching Lost. The plot continues to move forward and we're given more insight into a character. This time the focus is on John Locke. What's different about the nature of this hour is that we're treated with flashbacks rather than the norm of this season, flashforwards. Also, we're shown various moments throughout Locke's life that go a long way to inform us of his importance in relation to the island.

The idea of Locke's role in the mythology of the island faded a little bit during the end of the last season and most of this one. This episode goes a long way to remind us of his importance. Apparently, the seemingly immortal Richard Alpert has been tracking John since birth. The fact that he's also visited by Mr. Abbadon, who seems to be working for Widmore, makes John an even more valuable piece in the Others vs. Dharma Initiative game.

Claire's appearance at Jacob's cabin with her and Jack's father, Christian, seems to fit with my theory that she died while sleeping next to the fire last episode. She's very calm and not concerned about abandoning her son. Oh, and she's hanging out with Christian, who's deceased. Also, Miles, who can commune with the dead, saw Christian last episode. The dead have made contact with may of the Losties over the span of the show, so this seems to fit.

The real kicker of "Cabin Fever" is that Locke is told by Christian that they need to move the island to save it. This plays into the other dimensional aspects of the island and I can't wait to see how this is supposed to be achieved.

Best Scene: Michael Cheats Death... Again! When Keamy finds out that Michael is Ben's spy, he goes to shoot him, but his gun misfires over and over again. Looks like the island isn't through with Michael, yet.

Episode MVP: Frank the Helicopter Pilot. This poor guy is caught up in something so strange and so much bigger than him, but he's trying so hard to do the right thing. He's able to do a few little things, like funnel information to Michael or dropping the tracking device to the Losties on the beach, but I've got a bad feeling that he's going to end up making a noble sacrifice by the season's end.

7 out of 10

Something Nice Back Home

Lost - Episode 4.10

Jack has never been one of my favorite characters on Lost. The fact that he has at least two or three episodes dedicated to him each season doesn't help this opinion. Luckily, due to the remaining three season getting a reduction in episodes down to sixteen (this fourth season is reduced further to thirteen due to the writer's strike), the writing has gotten tighter and there are less opportunities for Jack based shows. This is a good thing.

What annoys me more than Jack is Jack and Kate together. Their attraction to one another has never really rant true to me and honestly, I think Sawyer is a better fit for her. Juliet is the better choice for Jack. Juliet at least has the backbone to confront Jack when she thinks he's making a wrong decision. She'll argue it out and point out where he's mistaken. Kate will just make a confused, teary face and run off and do something behind his back.

The flashforward lets us know that Jack and Kate are briefly happy together after they get off the island. But like most of his relationships, Jack finds some way sabotage it. If anything, we get to see the beginnings of his decent that will result in his mental state that was first introduced at the end of last season's flashforward.

Dancing around this are several more interesting plot threads. Juliet has to remove Jack's appendix and of course he wants to be awake enough to oversee it. Not that she removed a million of them during her residency. I liked that the writers remembered that Bernard was a dentist and had him help out. It made perfect sense for him to play anesthesiologist and assist with the surgery. I'm sure he's had to put plenty of people under to cut out some teeth.

Speaking of Bernard, he's been getting more screen time as of late. His wife Rose finally gets some dialogue after being off screen for most of the season. I've always like these two because they're the most relatable people on the show. They don't have the outlandish backstories everyone else has and they provide more of a realistic conduit for the viewers. Also, I'm always happy to see another interracial marriage on screen.

Jin is taking steps to ensure that his wife and unborn child make it off the island. His discussion with Charlotte was cool, to the point, and threatening. Jin isn't a bad guy, just someone that will do whatever to protect those he loves. We know that Sun goes back to Korea, but Jin's fate is still unrevealed.

Claire's disappearance at the end of the hour looks to lead to her potential separation from her son. Hopefully, we'll get some clues about what the deal is with Christian Shephard and his relationship with the island. Also, I couldn't help but think on Cable in the X-Men's Messiah Complex crossover, when Sawyer was holding both the baby and a big gun at the end of the episode.

Big Question: Where's Claire and what's up with Christian Shephard?

Best Scene: An unhinged Hurley explaining his conversations with dead Charlie to Jack. I like how it toys with the "They're Already Dead!" theory.

6 out of 10

The Shape of Things to Come

Lost - Episode 4.09

Benjamin Linus is probably one of the most compelling characters I've had to pleasure to watch on television. A good villain can be fun to watch, but a great villain has depth. A great villain can make you feel some degree of empathy for why they do what they do or when they display some form of compassion towards someone that they genuinely love. Also, it never hurts to have an actor or actress that can act the hell out of the role. Examples that come to mind are Tony Soprano (The Sopranos), Dukat (DS9), Scorpius (Farscape), Baltar and Cain (BSG).

Ever since Ben first appeared on Lost and shocked the series' ailing second season back to life, the little man has continued to prove himself a force to be reckoned with. This guy has the uncanny ability to see the whole picture, keep two or three steps ahead of everyone else, and manipulate anyone to his benefit. He does all these things and continues to maintain that he's the good guy.

With this episode, we finally get to see Benjamin Linus care about something and feel loss. We've seen Ben display affection towards Juliette, but that can be attributed to his obsession with her and a desire to control her. His feelings for his adopted daughter, Alex, have always seemed genuine; never more so than with the circumstances of this hour.

It all comes to a head when Keamy threatens to shoot Alex unless Ben surrenders. Of course Ben can't give himself up. He knows that they'll kill her anyway, along with Losties that are holed up with him in the house. What happens next is both heartbreaking and mesmerizing, and actor Michael Emerson plays out the scene perfectly. As Keamy counts down the last seconds Ben has to surrender, Linus tells him that Alex isn't really his daughter and that she means nothing to him. It's sad that Alex has to hear these words, but Ben is actually speaking to himself in preparation for the inevitable. Then Keamy shoots Alex. The result is a few moments of Ben standing there completely gobsmacked.

When he finally comes to his senses, Ben becomes all action. He ducks into a secret room in the house, seemingly abandoning the Losties. When he finally returns there's a look of determination in his eyes that let's us know that "it's on now". As if to portray Ben's emotional state, the smoke monster/security system erupts out of nowhere and attacks Keamy and his soldiers. As the Losties run off into the jungle for cover, Ben calming walks over to his daughter's body and silently says good-bye.

In this episode's flash-forward, Ben wakes up in a parka in the middle of the Sahara Desert. When confronted by men with guns, he displays physical prowess that matches his intellectual aptitude. This little guy is a badass. These scenes from the future result in his recruitment of Sayid (we get to see more of his post-island life) as an assassin, as well as Ben's face to face with Charles Widmore, the man responsible for the raid on the island. Ben tells him that since Widmore changed the rules and Alex was killed, that he's going to kill Widmore's daughter (Desmond's girlfriend, Penelope).

Another character that was interesting to watch this episode was Sawyer. This character has grown from a self-centered con man into a leader that cares for his friends. When Keamy's men are assaulting the settlement, Sawyer runs through a hail of bullets and explosions to rescue Claire. When Locke makes it clear that Hurley is leaving with him and Ben, Sawyer threatens to shoot them. Hurley, not wanting any bloodshed on his behalf, tells Sawyer that he'll go with Locke. They part with Sawyer declaring that if any harm comes to Hurley, he'll kill Locke.

Daniel Faraday is another character that has been rather compelling this season. While he's attached to the Widmore crew, he has displayed a level of sympathy for the Losties. He's being pulled in two directions due to his seemingly decent nature and the fact that he has been hired by Widmore's organization to do a certain job. When he's caught in a lie near the conclusion of the show, he fesses up quickly. Also, Jeremy Davies is such a good actor that you see the internal struggle on his face.

Best Scene of the Episode: Ben's showdown with Keamy and the outcome. Unfortunately, one of the results was the death of Alex (play by the lovely Tania Raymonde).

Big Question: Well, Lost is riddled with questions, but for this episode I'll ask only one. What's Jacob going to do that Ben's so sure will save them all?

MVP Award: Michael Emerson. He's always strong whenever he's on the screen, but when given an entire episode as the focus, he takes it to a whole new level.

9 out of 10