Well, it's been 8 months (or thereabouts) since "Through the Looking Glass" blew our collective minds. In all that time, I'm sure some of you may have forgotten some details of where we left off. So, at the urging of loyal reader Todd, I've put together the following recap of where each of our characters found him or herself at the end of Season 3.
The Others
Juliet Burke triple-crossed Ben, choosing to join the lostaways rather than fake-infiltrate their camp just to mark off the pregnant women's tents for some late night kidnapping action. She left the beach with Jack's party headed towards to radio tower, but when it became obvious the ambush was not a complete success, she joined Sawyer in heading back to the beach, where we'll find her when the series resumes.
Karl and Alex, the star-crossed teenage lovers, decided Ben had gone too far in keeping them apart. When Alex learned Ben was stepping up the kidnap raid, she dispatched Karl to get to the beach first and warn the lostaways. Karl accompanied Jack's crew to the radio tower. En route they ran into Ben and Alex (Ben had brought Alex with him because, feeling his relationship with her slipping, he planned to dump her on Jack's people). Alex was finally reunited with her mother, Danielle Rousseau, who she helped to tie up "dad."
Ben Linus seemed to honestly believe he could talk Jack out of calling Naomi's freighter for rescue. Having realized the beach raid was a failure, he took Alex to head off Jack's party before they reached the radio tower. Jack beat Ben bloody when Ben tricked him into thinking he had the ambush party executed. Ben was tied to a tree outside the radio tower begging Jack not to call Naomi's people, when he was knocked unconcious. Jack told Kate he planned to kill Ben after Ben saw them all get rescued.
Tom, Ryan, Aldo, Isabelle and five additional nameless Others were killed on the beach, some by Sayid, Jin and Bernard's ambush, Ryan by getting run over by Hurley's Dharma bus, a nameless extra by Sayid's bad-ass neck-snapping move, and Tom by Sawyerific execution.
Bonnie and Greta, on Ben's orders, were killed by Mikhail to prevent the rest of their people from learning Ben was having them jam the Looking Glass transmissions.
Mikhail blew up with the grenade he used to flood the control room of the Looking Glass to try to prevent the jamming signal from being deactivated.
Jacob is still a sometimes-visible telekinetic hermit who appears to have been trapped in a unabomber shack by a ring of white ash. He asked John Locke to help him, prompting Ben to gun Locke down at the Dharma mass grave.
Richard Alpert, Cindy, the Kids, and all other Others continued on their pilgrimage to what Ben called "The Temple."
Desmond and Charlie - At the Looking Glass
Charlie died heroically, per Desmond's vision. He deactivated the Looking Glass jamming signal and spoke briefly over Dharma video phone with Penny, of all people, before he sacrificed himself closing the door to save Desmond from drowning after Mikhail blew out the porthole. Charlie's last living act before making the sign of the cross and floating away, lifelessly, was warning Desmond that the freighter that had dispatched Naomi was "not Penny's boat."
Desmond, having witnessed Charlie's sacrifice, was still underwater in the interior of the Looking Glass station. Many sets of scuba gear were available for him use to swim back to the beach.
On the Beach
Sawyer, still reeling after he finally fulfilled his life's goal and killed Mr. Sawyer himself, Anthony Cooper, thought he'd sacrifice himself trying to save the ambush party. Joined by Juliet, we last saw him standing over Tom, whom he executed "for taking the boy."
Jin, Sayid and Bernard, held captive by the survivors of the Others' raiding party, were freed by Sawyer, Juliet, and...
Hurley, who, stung by Charlie's refusal to let him help at the Looking Glass and Sawyer's insistence he'd only get in the way at the beach, once again revived the Dharma bus and used it to mow down Ryan, turning the tide on the beach and saving his friends. We left him talking to Jack via walkie-talkie. Jack told Hurley they should stay put, and rescue was on its way.
At the Radio Tower
John Locke, left for dead by Ben in the Dharma Initiative mass grave, was inspired to save himself by the unexpected appearance of Walt, who was clearly older than we last saw him. Walt told John he had work to do. Jack staggered to the radio tower, where he killed Naomi with a throwing knife to prevent her from calling her ship. But he could not bring himself to kill Jack, and, pleading that Jack was "not supposed to do this," John slinked off into the jungle.
Danielle Rousseau turned off her 16-year-old transmission, and helped tie up Ben, but told Jack she did not plan to leave, since there was nothing for her off the island anymore.
Sun, still pregnant with Jin's baby, faces certain death if she does not leave the island soon.
Kate, Claire, Rose, Aaron and the rest of the 815 survivors, having hauled their gear all the way to the radio tower with Jack, now wait for their return to the beach, where they expect to find rescue.
Other Characters
Michael Dawson was last seen at the end of Season 2, piloting an Others boat away from the Pala Ferry dock with Walt.
Walt was last seen leaving with his dad, until he appeared (older) to Locke by the Dharma grave.
Anothony Cooper, inexplicably brought to the island, was killed by Sawyer at Locke's urging.
Sarah was with another man after leaving Jack, and will be pregnant in about three years' time.
Christian Shepherd, Ana-Lucia, Libby, Mr. Eko, Boone, Shannon, Nikki and Paulo are all still dead.
Arctic Researchers have not been seen since the Season 2 finale.
Penny could be anywhere, but does not appear to be on the freighter, and does appear to have direct communications with Dharma facilities.
And, finally, in the future....
In 2007, Jack and Kate, we know, will have left the island. Jack, who flies across the Pacific and back every weekend, is a wreck of a human who wants desperately to return to the island, even if it means he needs to go down in another plane crash. When he reads an obituary for an as-yet unidentified person, he contemplates suicide, only to once again heroically pull people from burning wreckage on the 6th Street bridge in Los Angeles.
So that's where we left off. We've got two weeks to go before "The Beginning of the End." While you wait, here's a little snack for you. ABC has put together this cute recap of the first three seasons, titled "Lost in 8:15." The double-entendre of the title should be apparent. So please enjoy this toungue-in-cheek look back at where we've been.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
What do you think this means?
A quick tease for the new season. Can any of you guess what this frame, buried in the now ubiquitous Season 4 promo that's run in movie theatres and on ABC for weeks could mean?
Lost certainly has its fair share of significant numbers. But this ain't 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 or 42. Post a comment, or email me with your thoughts.
My answer to this question introduces you to my new secondary blog...Lost Loving Lawyer: The Spoilers. Click the title of this post to see that answer, and to be taken to the new address.
I set up this secondary blog because so many of you have indicated trepidation that reading this blog will spoil the show. Since that's not my intention, I've now moved all spoilers elsewhere.
Don't worry, you won't need to know the URL for another webiste (though it happens to be http://lllspoilers.blogspot.com/). I'll always give you a link to follow on this page when there's someting new on that one!
Lost certainly has its fair share of significant numbers. But this ain't 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 or 42. Post a comment, or email me with your thoughts.My answer to this question introduces you to my new secondary blog...Lost Loving Lawyer: The Spoilers. Click the title of this post to see that answer, and to be taken to the new address.
I set up this secondary blog because so many of you have indicated trepidation that reading this blog will spoil the show. Since that's not my intention, I've now moved all spoilers elsewhere.
Don't worry, you won't need to know the URL for another webiste (though it happens to be http://lllspoilers.blogspot.com/). I'll always give you a link to follow on this page when there's someting new on that one!
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Curse My Lack of Resolve...I'm Back!
Boy, I stink. The Writers' strike continues, and yet, here I am. So much for sticking to my guns.
Despite my earlier pledge to stand firm with the writers and not support the corporate masters by contributing to the buzz around their product until the strike is over, there are a few reasons why I've returned to my posting ways.
1. My blog's hits, on a good week, are in the low three figures. Realistically, Disney does not notice any benefit from the "buzz" I generate (which is about the same as a fruit fly not flapping its wings).
2. As Carlton Cuse's sign displayed in my previous post points out, love of Lost is love of the writers.
3. My seven-week old daughter Sarah is such a good sleeper, I'm not nearly as tired as I thought I would be when I came up with a good excuse not to blog.
4. There's just so much cool new Lost content out in the weeks before the Season 4 premiere, I just couldn't contain myself!
First off, there have actually been a number of new scenes released online. This brand new content, called "Missing Pieces," debuts each week on Verizon Wireless Vcast phones before showing up on ABC.com the following Monday. All in all, 13 of these "Missing Pieces" were written and shot with the show's regular writing and directing staffs and main cast members. You can see these scenes, in reverse order of release, by clicking on the title of this post. Amazingly, the deal that was struck between Disney and the creative folks behind Lost is almost identical to the deal the WGA is seeking in the strike, except for the clause that states the "Missing Pieces" deal is not to be used as a negotiating point with the unions.
So, what are these Missing Pieces? Think of them as deleted scenes from the first three seasons. But, unlike DVD special features, these scenes were written after those seasons were completed (and, indeed, if they had been included in the "normal" sequence, they may have shaded the story unduly). A brief set of highlights of what you'll encounter in these vignettes:
Despite my earlier pledge to stand firm with the writers and not support the corporate masters by contributing to the buzz around their product until the strike is over, there are a few reasons why I've returned to my posting ways.
1. My blog's hits, on a good week, are in the low three figures. Realistically, Disney does not notice any benefit from the "buzz" I generate (which is about the same as a fruit fly not flapping its wings).
2. As Carlton Cuse's sign displayed in my previous post points out, love of Lost is love of the writers.
3. My seven-week old daughter Sarah is such a good sleeper, I'm not nearly as tired as I thought I would be when I came up with a good excuse not to blog.
4. There's just so much cool new Lost content out in the weeks before the Season 4 premiere, I just couldn't contain myself!
First off, there have actually been a number of new scenes released online. This brand new content, called "Missing Pieces," debuts each week on Verizon Wireless Vcast phones before showing up on ABC.com the following Monday. All in all, 13 of these "Missing Pieces" were written and shot with the show's regular writing and directing staffs and main cast members. You can see these scenes, in reverse order of release, by clicking on the title of this post. Amazingly, the deal that was struck between Disney and the creative folks behind Lost is almost identical to the deal the WGA is seeking in the strike, except for the clause that states the "Missing Pieces" deal is not to be used as a negotiating point with the unions.
So, what are these Missing Pieces? Think of them as deleted scenes from the first three seasons. But, unlike DVD special features, these scenes were written after those seasons were completed (and, indeed, if they had been included in the "normal" sequence, they may have shaded the story unduly). A brief set of highlights of what you'll encounter in these vignettes:
- An eerie bit of foreshadowing, in which patient Ben, playing chess with Dr. Jack in Othersville, suggests there may come a time after Jack leaves the island where he finds he wishes he never left.
- A fairly clear indication that "the Room" to which Ms. Clugh threatened to return Walt was, in fact, the psychadelic Room 23 on Hydra Island.
- A near-kiss between Sun and Michael before Sun reconciled with Jin in Season 1.
- A conversation between Juliet and then-captive Michael, tying her character into the story earlier than her first appearance on the show.
- Juliet's coming clean to Jack about her double-agent status.
- ...and much much more.
Also, a new "alternate reality game" akin to The Lost Experience from Summer 2006 has sprung up. It began with the announcement that Oceanic Airlines has resumed operations (Doc Jensen at ew.com notes there is a continuity error here - apparently, the flash-forwards in the Season 3 finale were set in April 2007. They featured Jack regularly flying Oceanic Airlines. This game suggests Oceanic was not flying until December, 2007. Hey, nobody's perfect!)
If you go to the airline's new website, flyoceanicair.com, you will find the carrier's re-introduction video was hacked by technician Sam Thomas, who directs you to another site, find815.com. The Lost Experience, with all its herculean labors, was incredibly cumbersome, relying on multiple websites, hidden messages in magazine, TV and online ads for various sponsors, and posters and flyers that were left in plain sight in locations all over the world. In contrast, find815.com exists entirely on the one site (it occasionally forwards you to hidden parts of Lost's site on abc.com, but it does so directly). In the new game, you'll get to know Sam Thomas, an Oceanic IT worker whose girlfriend, Sonya, was a flight attendant on 815. When Oceanic announces it has abandoned the search for our lostaways, Sam takes it upon himself to keep the hunt alive, particularly after he receives a mysterious email from the Maxwell Group that contains clues about a cargo ship, a geographic location and the familiar-to-lostophiles name, "Black Rock."
This game is pretty easy to plow through (particularly compared to its predecessor, which required advanced codebreaking skills and friends around the world to solve), and has been produced with an amazing degree of production value. It's not a major time-suck, and, given that it is scheduled to end just hours before the January 31 premiere of Season 4, may even provide some hints of what's to come. The first such clue may indeed be this mysterious Maxwell Group. Given that the Maxwell Group website will only go live the day after the season premiere (click on the login button on the home page to get this information), Doc Jensen surmizes we will hear more about these guys in the coming episodes. Could they be the people who sent the freighter that put Naomi and her satellite phone on the island?
In any case, I suggest you peruse this game (or, if you don't want to take the time to solve the little clues, check out http://www.docarzt.com/, where the good doc reveals each new piece of the puzzle as it debuts).
Well, that's that, lostophiles. Only 20 days until Season 4 begins with the ominously titled episode, "Beginning of the End."
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
On Strike!
Ok, loyal, Lostophiles. I lied (twice) in my last post. First, I said I would not post again before the birth of my daughter. Well, she's now five days late and counting, and blogging sure does wile away the time...
Second, I suggested that this blog is no place to take a side in the WGA strike that is shutting down television (and, to a lesser extent, film) production in L.A. Well, I'm here to proudly state that I am taking a stand. I'm putting all the considerable muscle of this blog (deluded much?) into supporting the writers in this battle.
As a fan of episodic television, I feel the need to acknolwedge that it's the writers who make us come back each week. Taking nothing away from the fine actors, cinematographers and editors who contribute brilliantly, if there's no story, there's no audience.
And the online Lost fan community already acknowledges this more than the fans of most shows. After all, we refer to co-creator and co-executive producer Damon Lindelof, and co-executive producer Carlton Cuse (pictured here, on the picket line) as "the Powers that Be." And as Cuse's sign notes, it's the writers who will ultimately unlock the island's secrets.
Again, you all saw how I came out in favor of Michael Emerson's Emmy nomination, how I raged at Elizabeth Mitchell's Emmy snub, how I lauded the editing that went into "Through the Looking Glass" as the finest TV has seen in years, and how I warmly congratulated Terry O'Quinn on his Best Supporting Actor Emmy victory. But it's Damon and Carlton, and Brian K. Vaughn and the rest of the writing staff that makes Lost so singularly compelling.
The same is true for other TV series. Sure, 24 might lean more heavily on the acting and the second-unit direction, and Pushing Daisies and Heroes may lean more heavily on the visual elements, but if the scripts didn't speak to us, we would not tune in each week (or catch up later on our DVRs or DVD players).
Alas, I've come to a realization. It is the studios that benefit most from the hype that the online fan community creates with blogs such as this one. We bloggers and fansite creators stoke others' interest, and do our little part to keep them consuming the product for which the writers are, frankly, not fairly compensated.
Because of this, I am now "on strike" in support of the Writers Guild of America. I will not blog about the "Missing Pieces" shorts appearing on abc.com, or about spoilers leaking from the production of Season 4. I will not go forward with my Master Theory of Lost. And I will not take any action on this blog to support the studios, directly or indirectly, until they resolve this conflict in good faith.
I'm not calling for a boycott, and I'm not even going to suggest that I myself will quit consuming new entertainment product during the strike. I just will not contribute new content, much as the writers are not contributing new content, until the strike is over and the Powers that Be are back at work.
Until then, carry on, Lostophiles. I look forward to seeing you all again in the future.
Second, I suggested that this blog is no place to take a side in the WGA strike that is shutting down television (and, to a lesser extent, film) production in L.A. Well, I'm here to proudly state that I am taking a stand. I'm putting all the considerable muscle of this blog (deluded much?) into supporting the writers in this battle.
As a fan of episodic television, I feel the need to acknolwedge that it's the writers who make us come back each week. Taking nothing away from the fine actors, cinematographers and editors who contribute brilliantly, if there's no story, there's no audience.
And the online Lost fan community already acknowledges this more than the fans of most shows. After all, we refer to co-creator and co-executive producer Damon Lindelof, and co-executive producer Carlton Cuse (pictured here, on the picket line) as "the Powers that Be." And as Cuse's sign notes, it's the writers who will ultimately unlock the island's secrets.
Again, you all saw how I came out in favor of Michael Emerson's Emmy nomination, how I raged at Elizabeth Mitchell's Emmy snub, how I lauded the editing that went into "Through the Looking Glass" as the finest TV has seen in years, and how I warmly congratulated Terry O'Quinn on his Best Supporting Actor Emmy victory. But it's Damon and Carlton, and Brian K. Vaughn and the rest of the writing staff that makes Lost so singularly compelling.
The same is true for other TV series. Sure, 24 might lean more heavily on the acting and the second-unit direction, and Pushing Daisies and Heroes may lean more heavily on the visual elements, but if the scripts didn't speak to us, we would not tune in each week (or catch up later on our DVRs or DVD players).
Alas, I've come to a realization. It is the studios that benefit most from the hype that the online fan community creates with blogs such as this one. We bloggers and fansite creators stoke others' interest, and do our little part to keep them consuming the product for which the writers are, frankly, not fairly compensated.
Because of this, I am now "on strike" in support of the Writers Guild of America. I will not blog about the "Missing Pieces" shorts appearing on abc.com, or about spoilers leaking from the production of Season 4. I will not go forward with my Master Theory of Lost. And I will not take any action on this blog to support the studios, directly or indirectly, until they resolve this conflict in good faith.
I'm not calling for a boycott, and I'm not even going to suggest that I myself will quit consuming new entertainment product during the strike. I just will not contribute new content, much as the writers are not contributing new content, until the strike is over and the Powers that Be are back at work.
Until then, carry on, Lostophiles. I look forward to seeing you all again in the future.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Effect of the WGA Strike on Lost
By now, unless you've living under a rock, you've heard that the Writers Guilde of America has gone on strike, meaning no new scripts are being written for film or television. While I have no intention of taking sides on this blog (although the writers are right here), it's worth noting a few ripple effects that will affect Lostophiles...
Production Halt
Although Lost went into Season 4 with a long lead time before it airs, only 8 episodes (one half of the season order) were completed before the strike. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, both of whom have been very visibile on the picket lines (Cuse has been one of the most quoted writers in the press regarding the strike) report that episode 8 ends on the kind of cliff-hanger a network would be foolish to leave unresolved for a long period of time.
As a result, there is talk that Lost, despite having more available episodes to air than almost any other TV show (due to its mid-season start), may not air in 2008 at all, depending on the length of the strike. The 8 unaired episodes would be added to the 16 episodes planned for season 5, presumably leaving a 24-episode season 6 to air in 2010. Considering Damon and Carlton's earlier comments that there are 3 major story arcs left, which were to each last one 16-episode season, this could have serious effects on the remaining seasons (though, since nobody outside the writers' room really knows what the rest of the story is, it's hard to tell how serious or how difficult it would be to re-work these arcs into two rather than three sections).
Lost is, of course, not alone. This week Fox announced that it had canceled the planned start date of 24 in January, choosing not to begin to air a season with only 8 hours completed (given the one-season-equals-one-day format, this seems like a well-founded plan). Heroes, which was designed to air 2 11-episode "volumes" this season, has reshot the ending of episode 11. Now, instead of being a volume-closing springboard into the second half of the season, episode 11 may air as the finale of season 2. Also, NBC's spinoff anthology series, Heroes Origins, which would have debuted 6 new characters in one-shot stories written and directed by different hollywood bigshots like Kevin Smith, has been canceled for this season.
Good News
But there is a "good" result for Lost fans who don't own Verizon v-cast phones. Starting Monday, November 12, abc.com will launch weekly 2-3 minute digital shorts of all-new Lost content. These mini-stories are original content, ironically enough, the first of its kind to be negotiated directly with the WGA, SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and DGA (Directors Guild of America). Originally, the plan was to distribute these exclusively as video content for Verizon Wireless v-cast video-capable phones. But, perhaps acknowledging the bad will that ABC's potential delays in releasing new Lost content will engender, the network has decided to make these "mobisodes" publicly available. The first such mobisode will supposedly feature Jack and Christian Sheppard. So, again, check out abc.com starting Monday.
End on a Joke
Finally, special thanks to loyal reader Alyss Dixson, who sent me this based-on-real-life joke about the strike.
Apparently, among the many actors who have turned out to support the picketing writers is William Mapother, who plays the late Other Ethan Rom on Lost. Only, the funny thing about Mapother's joining the picket line is....
...(wait for it)...
...dude, he isn't on the manifest!!!
So with that, I take my leave of you. When next I post, I may well be a new daddy (we're due any day now). And here's hoping the strike is resolved soon so we can all look forward to a February debut for Lost season 4. Namaste.
Production Halt
Although Lost went into Season 4 with a long lead time before it airs, only 8 episodes (one half of the season order) were completed before the strike. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, both of whom have been very visibile on the picket lines (Cuse has been one of the most quoted writers in the press regarding the strike) report that episode 8 ends on the kind of cliff-hanger a network would be foolish to leave unresolved for a long period of time.
As a result, there is talk that Lost, despite having more available episodes to air than almost any other TV show (due to its mid-season start), may not air in 2008 at all, depending on the length of the strike. The 8 unaired episodes would be added to the 16 episodes planned for season 5, presumably leaving a 24-episode season 6 to air in 2010. Considering Damon and Carlton's earlier comments that there are 3 major story arcs left, which were to each last one 16-episode season, this could have serious effects on the remaining seasons (though, since nobody outside the writers' room really knows what the rest of the story is, it's hard to tell how serious or how difficult it would be to re-work these arcs into two rather than three sections).
Lost is, of course, not alone. This week Fox announced that it had canceled the planned start date of 24 in January, choosing not to begin to air a season with only 8 hours completed (given the one-season-equals-one-day format, this seems like a well-founded plan). Heroes, which was designed to air 2 11-episode "volumes" this season, has reshot the ending of episode 11. Now, instead of being a volume-closing springboard into the second half of the season, episode 11 may air as the finale of season 2. Also, NBC's spinoff anthology series, Heroes Origins, which would have debuted 6 new characters in one-shot stories written and directed by different hollywood bigshots like Kevin Smith, has been canceled for this season.
Good News
But there is a "good" result for Lost fans who don't own Verizon v-cast phones. Starting Monday, November 12, abc.com will launch weekly 2-3 minute digital shorts of all-new Lost content. These mini-stories are original content, ironically enough, the first of its kind to be negotiated directly with the WGA, SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and DGA (Directors Guild of America). Originally, the plan was to distribute these exclusively as video content for Verizon Wireless v-cast video-capable phones. But, perhaps acknowledging the bad will that ABC's potential delays in releasing new Lost content will engender, the network has decided to make these "mobisodes" publicly available. The first such mobisode will supposedly feature Jack and Christian Sheppard. So, again, check out abc.com starting Monday.
End on a Joke
Finally, special thanks to loyal reader Alyss Dixson, who sent me this based-on-real-life joke about the strike.
Apparently, among the many actors who have turned out to support the picketing writers is William Mapother, who plays the late Other Ethan Rom on Lost. Only, the funny thing about Mapother's joining the picket line is....
...(wait for it)...
...dude, he isn't on the manifest!!!
So with that, I take my leave of you. When next I post, I may well be a new daddy (we're due any day now). And here's hoping the strike is resolved soon so we can all look forward to a February debut for Lost season 4. Namaste.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
October Lost News Wrap-up
Good morning, Lostophiles. Sorry I've been a bit incommunicado of late - impending fatherhood is really pretty time-consuming. But there have been a few tidbits of Lost information over the past couple of weeks. In no particular order...
Doc Jensen Resurfaces
It seems ew.com's Jeff Jensen is operating on a "post per month" schedule during this long hiatus. The October entry is in (click the title of this post to read all the good doc had to say) and it offers a few juicy tidbits.
After a heavily-bleeped interview with Silent Bob himself, director Kevin Smith, who gushes about the stroke of genius that was the flash-forward in "Through the Looking Glass," Jensen turns to two more bits of business: a question and a theory.
His question - why did Locke kill Naomi? Certainly he had other options to stop the phone call than cold-blooded murder. Again, I refer to you Jensen's column for the full response he got from the show's producers, but here's the nutshell: Locke just "resurrected" himself from the Dharma mass grave based on an image of Walt telling him he still had work to do. Not only do we not know what task Walt may have assigned, we also don't know to what end Locke believes his work will lead. In any case, if that isn't the kind of "burning bush" moment that makes a man believe that God or some other higher being has given him direct communication on what task he must follow, I don't know what is. Also, as Damon Lindelof points out, the death of Naomi was basically secondary to the goal of stopping the phone call. And Locke had been having a rough go of things, so his rational mind may not have been at full power. In any case, his willingness to kill Naomi but not even try to wound Jack is puzzling.
And the theory - explaining why Ben seems so convinced in his innate goodness while acting like such a random evil-doer. The good doc postulates that Ben may have been gifted with Desmond-like predictive abilities. As Desmond explained to Charlie in season 3, the images have to transpire exactly as he saw them or the final event will not occur. Perhaps Ben has gotten a glimpse of truly beneficial end-game but he knows some truly awful things must happen to get to that point. In other words, he's more Machiavellian than "evil," and the ends may very well justify the means.
Another New Cast Member
A few posts ago, I introduced you to several new cast members who had been announced by the producers for Season 4. This week we learned that the role of Minkowski, a.k.a. the voice on the other end of the satelite phone who told Jack rescue was imminent, has been cast and will be played by...Fisher Stevens. Follow the link to Stevens' resume on imdb.com.
Doc Jensen Resurfaces
It seems ew.com's Jeff Jensen is operating on a "post per month" schedule during this long hiatus. The October entry is in (click the title of this post to read all the good doc had to say) and it offers a few juicy tidbits.
After a heavily-bleeped interview with Silent Bob himself, director Kevin Smith, who gushes about the stroke of genius that was the flash-forward in "Through the Looking Glass," Jensen turns to two more bits of business: a question and a theory.
His question - why did Locke kill Naomi? Certainly he had other options to stop the phone call than cold-blooded murder. Again, I refer to you Jensen's column for the full response he got from the show's producers, but here's the nutshell: Locke just "resurrected" himself from the Dharma mass grave based on an image of Walt telling him he still had work to do. Not only do we not know what task Walt may have assigned, we also don't know to what end Locke believes his work will lead. In any case, if that isn't the kind of "burning bush" moment that makes a man believe that God or some other higher being has given him direct communication on what task he must follow, I don't know what is. Also, as Damon Lindelof points out, the death of Naomi was basically secondary to the goal of stopping the phone call. And Locke had been having a rough go of things, so his rational mind may not have been at full power. In any case, his willingness to kill Naomi but not even try to wound Jack is puzzling.
And the theory - explaining why Ben seems so convinced in his innate goodness while acting like such a random evil-doer. The good doc postulates that Ben may have been gifted with Desmond-like predictive abilities. As Desmond explained to Charlie in season 3, the images have to transpire exactly as he saw them or the final event will not occur. Perhaps Ben has gotten a glimpse of truly beneficial end-game but he knows some truly awful things must happen to get to that point. In other words, he's more Machiavellian than "evil," and the ends may very well justify the means.
Another New Cast Member
A few posts ago, I introduced you to several new cast members who had been announced by the producers for Season 4. This week we learned that the role of Minkowski, a.k.a. the voice on the other end of the satelite phone who told Jack rescue was imminent, has been cast and will be played by...Fisher Stevens. Follow the link to Stevens' resume on imdb.com.
A versatile character actor, Stevens is perhaps best known as the bumbling Indian scientist Ben from the "Short Circuit" movies, in which his ability to mangle English colloquial expressions provided all sorts of fantastic humorous shenanigans.
There is no word at this point as to how important a role Minkowski will turn out to be. However, as a character who has already been introduced, the casting is certainly newsworthy.
Finally - What to Watch While We Wait
Originally, this was to be a separate post, but really quickly, here's my take on the new Fall shows:
Hits: "Dirty Sexy Money" (ABC), "Bionic Woman" (NBC), "Pushing Daisies" (ABC), "Back to You" (Fox), "Chuck" (NBC), and "Tell Me You Love Me" (HBO). This last show deserves special attention if for no other reason than a subtantial proportion of the regular and supporting cast are Lost regulars (Sonya "Penelope" Walger and Ian "Boone" Somerhalder, in particular).
Take It or Leave It: "Life" (NBC).
Misses: "Private Practice" (ABC), "Journeyman" (NBC), "K-Ville" (Fox), "Cavemen" (ABC), "Carpoolers" (ABC).
Won't Have Time to Watch: "Reaper" (CW), "Gossip Girl" (CW), "Christine Who?" (ABC), and anything else not mentioned here.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Non-spoiler spoilers
Happy October, Lostophiles. Every new month is one month closer to the return of Lost.
Today, SciFi Wire (the website run by the SciFi channel) put up a little blurb that purports to reveal some Season 4 "spoilers." Click on the title of this post for the full artcile.
I put "spoilers" in quotes because, in my mind, telling what questions will be answered spoils nothing, whereas telling me what the answers will be is a true spoiler. With that caveat in mind, I do not believe what is below, or the rest of the original article, constitutes spoilers, per se. But if you have a different opinion, please read no further.
Okay? You were warned...
Today, SciFi Wire (the website run by the SciFi channel) put up a little blurb that purports to reveal some Season 4 "spoilers." Click on the title of this post for the full artcile.
I put "spoilers" in quotes because, in my mind, telling what questions will be answered spoils nothing, whereas telling me what the answers will be is a true spoiler. With that caveat in mind, I do not believe what is below, or the rest of the original article, constitutes spoilers, per se. But if you have a different opinion, please read no further.
Okay? You were warned...
- Damon Lindelof revealed: "Michael is coming back. Definitely. As for Walt, we've always known [Malcolm David Kelley] was going to grow faster than we could shoot the show. And we planned for it. Trust us. Please trust us."
- Carlton Cuse said, "Yes, we do know how Jacob will be depicted. Notice the careful wording of my answer. And no, Jacob did not appear before he was met by Locke." Cuse also declined to say whether an actor had been chosen to portray the character.
- Cuse said. "Moving forwards, you'll get a mix. Every week will hopefully be a guessing game as to not just who will be focused on, but when we're focusing on them. Flash-forwards will be a part of season four, yes."
- "The reverberation of [Charlie's] death echoes right into the premiere of season four," Lindelof said.
Finally, responding to an anonymous poster's comment to the previous post, there is no specific start date or time for Lost's return, but the producers are assuming it will be in early to mid February, 2008.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Flight 815 Anniversary Podcast
Today, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse released a "surprise" podcast to commemorate the third anniversary of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. If you click on the title of this post, you will go directly to the podcast, in which D and C call a number of Lost fans who submitted questions (though, of course, not yours truly) and answered their questions on the phone. Some highlights:
- As I observed in my recap of "Through the Looking Glass," the Krazr phone Jack used in the flash-forwards was meant to be a clue as to about how far in the "future" of the crash of 815 the flash-forward was meant to take place.
- The Jack and Kate at LAX scene is by no means meant to be the end of the story (with the remaining 48 episodes designed to catch us up to that moment).
- On the subject of how time travel works on Lost - see Ms. Hawking's self-correcting universe theory from "Flashes Before Your Eyes." In other words, Jack's obsession to get back to the island, and the fact of flash-forwards, are not meant to indicate that it will be possible to go back in time to alter whatever it is that makes Jack so miserable after his return to L.A. What happens on Lost stays happened on Lost.
- The story of Richard Alpert remains "parked" as actor Nestor Carbonnel has been cast as a regular on CBS's new series, "Cane." There is more to this story, but its telling will depend on whether Cane gets a full-season order or, in general, on Nestor's availability going forward. There is some hope for flexibility, however, in that Cane is an ABC studios production, meaning the studio could arrange Cane's schedule to make Nestor available. Sorry, Jimmy Smits, but Richard is too cool, so I hope your new show gets cancelled early...
- The answer to the question of whether Kate is pregnant with Sawyer's baby will be answered by around the fourth episode of Season 4.
- Mikhail is dead. No matter how resilient the guy seems to be, point-blank grenade explosions are awfully lethal. That said, he will in all likelihood appear in future flashbacks.
- Carlton joked that the mysterious occupant of the coffin in the flash-forward might have been John Locke, until Terry O'Quinn had to go and win an Emmy.
Finally, though not in the podcast, TV Guide reported this week that Libby (Cynthia Watros) will be returning to Lost this season for a multi-episode arc (which will, of course, be told in flashbacks) that will fill in the blanks of her story.
So, that's what's new in Lost-land. Happy (?) anniversary of the crash!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Terry O'Quinn Wins Emmy
Kudos to Terry O'Quinn, who last night took home an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Lost's third season. Though I admit my vote would have gone to fellow cast-mate Michael Emerson (who gets a great acknowledgement by O'Quinn), O'Quinn's work as John Locke this year was fantastic. As maddening and frustrating as the character may be at times, the performances that captured this award, from confronting his murderous father, to getting Sawyer to do his dirtywork, to meeting Jacob, and to being rescued from his own suicide by a vision of Walt were fantastic.
So rather than lament the fact that Elizabeth Mitchell was robbed of a nomination for Best Supporting Actress by no fewer than three characters from Grey's Anatomy's disappointing third season, or that the brilliantly-executed finale, "Through the Looking Glass," was denied its rightful awards for writing and editing, join me in congratulating Terry O'Quinn on this achievement.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
New Faces Join Lost's Cast
As we've seen each of the past couple of years, a new season of Lost brings with it a slew of new characters. Season 2 brought us the "tailies." Season 3 introduced us to a bevy of heretofore unseen Others. Season 3 figures to introduce us to the "not Penny's boat" people. But whoever the new characters are, the actors playing some of them have been identified.
Our friend Doc Jensen interviewed Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about the new cast members. Click on the title of the post for the full text of the interview, but here are some key excerpts about each of the new cast members (click on each name to see a list of the actor's credits, courtesy of the internet movie database (imdb.com):
Jeremy Davies
Cuse on Davies: "He's one of those incredible opportunities. He's a guy who only does movies, and for him to do a part in our series, it was exciting. He's one of our favorite character actors — a complete chameleon. We both really responded to what he did in Solaris; the way he spun that character was engaging."
Lindelof on Davies: "He's a real actor's actor — there's an intelligence you glean from this guy. He's usually the smartest guy in the room in any part he plays — that transformative quality, plus the tremendous intelligence that seems to emanate from him, sort of seemed perfect for this particular character."
My take on Davies - the actor will always resonate most for his key role as Cpl. Timothy Upham in "Saving Private Ryan," the character from whose perspective the movie's story is told. But beyond being the serious version of R2D2, Upham experienced (as we experienced) the horrors of war, how it can reduce a man to crippling cowardice (remember how he cringed in the fetal position as Adam Goldberg's character was slowly killed by a lone German just up a flight of stairs) and astonishing wrath (when he brutally executed the same German who had been taken prisoner later in that battle). This range of emotions solidified Davies as a masterful actor, even as bigger names (Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Ed Burns) got most of the credit for the film's power.
Rebecca Mader
Lindelof on Mader: "What was really cool about Rebecca's [audition] read was, she did it on tape, but the producer who was with her asked her, ''All these things on your résumé are from the BBC — are you British?'' She said yes, and we asked her to read it again, this time as a Brit, and it opened up another dimension we hadn't foreseen. Now [her character is] English."
Cuse on Mader: "She is a beautiful young British actress. We auditioned actors for this part, but she won us over with her charm and presence and charisma. People compare her to a young Nicole Kidman — she has that strength, beauty, effervescence, and accessibility."
My take - although Ms. Mader was in "The Devil Wears Prada," which I saw twice, I have no memory of her. Still, Damon and Carlton have spotted some real talents in relative unknowns (Evangeline Lily stand out), so I'm eager to see what they do with this woman.
Ken Leung
Lindelof on Leung: "Literally, the morning after his episode of The Sopranos aired, I said to Carlton, ''Have you seen that episode? There's an actor on this show — I'm not going to tell you who he is — and I wonder if he has the same impression on you that he had on me.'' The next morning, Carlton came in and he had seen the episode and said, 'Ken Leung?' And I said, 'Bingo.' We were still [in post-production] on the finale when that aired, in mid-May, so we immediately did an outreach to his people, and we found out he was a New York actor, and that he was getting a lot of interest. So when we came back from our hiatus, we called and luckily he was available and interested. The part he's playing — it's a character we wrote very specifically for Ken. Nobody else read for it. It had to be him."
Cuse on Leung: "In fact, given the construct of the character, it wouldn't have been the same if we didn't have him in the show. It is so specifically geared to what we thought he could do as an actor [that] if he had said no, we would have had to scrap the character and rewrite him and come up with a different one."
My take - speculation on who Leung might play has been rampant on the message boards and blogs. Some think he could be the way flash-forwarded son of Jin and Sun (suggesting she survives the pregnancy). Others note his passing resemblance to the actor who plays Drs. Candle/Wickmund/Hollowax, and suggest Leung may be the pre-Dharma flashback version of the orientation film star. One thing's certain - his edgy role as "Kid Omega" in "X3, the Last Stand" and his even edgier role as Junior's would-be nuthouse protege in "The Sopranos" tells us Leung's character is certain to be a force to be reckoned with.
Lance Reddick
Cuse on Reddick: "We had been interested in Lance back when we were casting the Mr. Eko part, but he was unavailable due to The Wire. When a window of opportunity arose after the recent season of The Wire, we jumped on it, with a part that seemed right for his complete focus and intensity."
Jeff Fahey
Cuse on Fahey: "The Lawnmower Man and The Marshall [a 1995 TV series starring Fahey] are personal faves. And he has the most intense eyes of any guy out there, and I say that as a non-gay man."
Lindelof on Fahey: "Fahey is one of those actors who feels like he fits into the Lost model: He's enormously talented and will be vaguely recognizable to some people, but he'll be able to land on our island without most people going, 'Oh, I know who that guy is.' And especially for the part we cast him for, he has exactly the right sensibilities."
My take - Fahey has always been a perforer who burns with intensity, whether it's the man-child turned psychotic terror in "The Lawnmower Man" or his rugged Bo Derrick-shagging adventurer in the Cinemax classic, "Woman of Desire." The beard suggests a possible flashback Jacob, but Fahey was apparently cast before the beard sprung out, and the producers claim not to know if they'll have him shave it before filming starts.
So those are the new cast memebers. Others wonder whether recurring actor Nestor Carbonell, who plays the only recognizable Other to survive the finale (Richard Alpert) will return, now that he has landed a series-regular role on the Jimmy Smits-starring "Cane." I have to believe that Damon and Carlton can make this work with Carbonell, given that most of the season will be written and well into production before the first episdoe airs (i.e., there is time to go back and film a missing scene even after the cast and crew has gone on to other episodes, in order to accommodate Nestor's schedule). As an intriguing and apparently ageless character, I for one hope he returns with a somewhat prominent role.
So what do you think, Lostophiles? Impressive additions to the cast? Annoying distractions from the characters we care about? Comment away...
Our friend Doc Jensen interviewed Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse about the new cast members. Click on the title of the post for the full text of the interview, but here are some key excerpts about each of the new cast members (click on each name to see a list of the actor's credits, courtesy of the internet movie database (imdb.com):
Jeremy Davies
Cuse on Davies: "He's one of those incredible opportunities. He's a guy who only does movies, and for him to do a part in our series, it was exciting. He's one of our favorite character actors — a complete chameleon. We both really responded to what he did in Solaris; the way he spun that character was engaging."Lindelof on Davies: "He's a real actor's actor — there's an intelligence you glean from this guy. He's usually the smartest guy in the room in any part he plays — that transformative quality, plus the tremendous intelligence that seems to emanate from him, sort of seemed perfect for this particular character."
My take on Davies - the actor will always resonate most for his key role as Cpl. Timothy Upham in "Saving Private Ryan," the character from whose perspective the movie's story is told. But beyond being the serious version of R2D2, Upham experienced (as we experienced) the horrors of war, how it can reduce a man to crippling cowardice (remember how he cringed in the fetal position as Adam Goldberg's character was slowly killed by a lone German just up a flight of stairs) and astonishing wrath (when he brutally executed the same German who had been taken prisoner later in that battle). This range of emotions solidified Davies as a masterful actor, even as bigger names (Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Ed Burns) got most of the credit for the film's power.
Rebecca Mader
Lindelof on Mader: "What was really cool about Rebecca's [audition] read was, she did it on tape, but the producer who was with her asked her, ''All these things on your résumé are from the BBC — are you British?'' She said yes, and we asked her to read it again, this time as a Brit, and it opened up another dimension we hadn't foreseen. Now [her character is] English."
Cuse on Mader: "She is a beautiful young British actress. We auditioned actors for this part, but she won us over with her charm and presence and charisma. People compare her to a young Nicole Kidman — she has that strength, beauty, effervescence, and accessibility."
My take - although Ms. Mader was in "The Devil Wears Prada," which I saw twice, I have no memory of her. Still, Damon and Carlton have spotted some real talents in relative unknowns (Evangeline Lily stand out), so I'm eager to see what they do with this woman.
Ken Leung
Lindelof on Leung: "Literally, the morning after his episode of The Sopranos aired, I said to Carlton, ''Have you seen that episode? There's an actor on this show — I'm not going to tell you who he is — and I wonder if he has the same impression on you that he had on me.'' The next morning, Carlton came in and he had seen the episode and said, 'Ken Leung?' And I said, 'Bingo.' We were still [in post-production] on the finale when that aired, in mid-May, so we immediately did an outreach to his people, and we found out he was a New York actor, and that he was getting a lot of interest. So when we came back from our hiatus, we called and luckily he was available and interested. The part he's playing — it's a character we wrote very specifically for Ken. Nobody else read for it. It had to be him."
Cuse on Leung: "In fact, given the construct of the character, it wouldn't have been the same if we didn't have him in the show. It is so specifically geared to what we thought he could do as an actor [that] if he had said no, we would have had to scrap the character and rewrite him and come up with a different one."
My take - speculation on who Leung might play has been rampant on the message boards and blogs. Some think he could be the way flash-forwarded son of Jin and Sun (suggesting she survives the pregnancy). Others note his passing resemblance to the actor who plays Drs. Candle/Wickmund/Hollowax, and suggest Leung may be the pre-Dharma flashback version of the orientation film star. One thing's certain - his edgy role as "Kid Omega" in "X3, the Last Stand" and his even edgier role as Junior's would-be nuthouse protege in "The Sopranos" tells us Leung's character is certain to be a force to be reckoned with.
Lance Reddick
Cuse on Reddick: "We had been interested in Lance back when we were casting the Mr. Eko part, but he was unavailable due to The Wire. When a window of opportunity arose after the recent season of The Wire, we jumped on it, with a part that seemed right for his complete focus and intensity."
Lindelof on the character Riddick plays (described in casting calls as a "corporate recruiter": "Around here at the Lost offices, 'corporate recruiter' means something entirely different than corporate recruiter. Let's just say that part of the character's skill set is coercion. If people are reading into that that he is an Other, or has the same job as [Nestor Carbonell's character Richard] Alpert, we would encourage that speculation, but we wouldn't confirm or deny it."
My take - I know this is sacrilege for a hard core TV-watcher to admit, but I've never gotten into the Wire. That said, Reddick is a frequent guest star as an uber-intimidating g-man type on all sorts of police procedurals, and if Lindelof says he will be all about coercion, I suggest we watch this character with wary suspicion.
Jeff Fahey
Cuse on Fahey: "The Lawnmower Man and The Marshall [a 1995 TV series starring Fahey] are personal faves. And he has the most intense eyes of any guy out there, and I say that as a non-gay man."Lindelof on Fahey: "Fahey is one of those actors who feels like he fits into the Lost model: He's enormously talented and will be vaguely recognizable to some people, but he'll be able to land on our island without most people going, 'Oh, I know who that guy is.' And especially for the part we cast him for, he has exactly the right sensibilities."
My take - Fahey has always been a perforer who burns with intensity, whether it's the man-child turned psychotic terror in "The Lawnmower Man" or his rugged Bo Derrick-shagging adventurer in the Cinemax classic, "Woman of Desire." The beard suggests a possible flashback Jacob, but Fahey was apparently cast before the beard sprung out, and the producers claim not to know if they'll have him shave it before filming starts.
So those are the new cast memebers. Others wonder whether recurring actor Nestor Carbonell, who plays the only recognizable Other to survive the finale (Richard Alpert) will return, now that he has landed a series-regular role on the Jimmy Smits-starring "Cane." I have to believe that Damon and Carlton can make this work with Carbonell, given that most of the season will be written and well into production before the first episdoe airs (i.e., there is time to go back and film a missing scene even after the cast and crew has gone on to other episodes, in order to accommodate Nestor's schedule). As an intriguing and apparently ageless character, I for one hope he returns with a somewhat prominent role.
So what do you think, Lostophiles? Impressive additions to the cast? Annoying distractions from the characters we care about? Comment away...
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