LOST: Greatest Hits

Great review, sir. I'm proud to say I'm one of those fans that has never given up on this show. Actually, I'm one those extremely rare fans that has never considered it a challenge to stay with and enjoy the show all the way through. I haven't had the problem that many seem to have had with the ratio of questions to answers.

And to take this one step further, I'm equally proud to say I'm also one of those exceptionally rare (it seems) fans that has always liked the character of Charlie. Maybe it's my geek love for hobbits, or my obsession with "dead" rockstars... who knows? For whatever reason, I've loved him all along, even through his awkward confused/semi-dark phase in Season Two, when the writers seemed to not know what to do with him.

Being a fan of his I find it hard to admit, but I'm actually okay with the idea that he might be doomed. I don't WANT him to die, but at this point I'd like this "Charlie-gotta-die" prediction trend to pay off or shut up.

However, I maintain he doesn't need to die to be a "hero." You only mentioned four out of the five greatest hits from Charlie's list in your review. You left out his rescue of the woman in the alley... the woman that called him a hero... the woman that also happened to be Sayid's girl Nadia!

Oh, also I'd just like to point out that the chick that runs up and points a pistol at Charlie in the Looking Glass station at the very end is actress Tracy Middendorf, a.k.a. Tina the doomed waitress from the 'Angel' series premier "City of..."

I was right about how the found the island.

How who found the island?

Yes, another great episode. Lost is surely back to where it needs to be.

I missed the Nadia connection, Haunt. If you are right, and I've no reason to doubt you, good eye!

I've got a feeling this is going to be a disappointing 2 hour finale - a bad, sick feeling. And I hope I am very, very, very wrong!

first off, HAUNT, good eye in spotting Sayeed's Nadia. I'll admit I thought she looked familiar, but just chalked it off to her being a character actress or whatever.

I really liked this one too.

I liked the whole Charlie as a hero thing a lot. And I liked seeing young Charlie swimming with dad as a greatest hit of his life. It was simple and touching and practical to the episode at hand, which reflects the writer/producer’s attention to detail. it good to see Bernard and Rose. fun to see Sayeed tackle that kid on the beach. I liked seeing Jack turn out to have a plan, and to almost be obsessed and have to be reeling back in by Sayeed.

While I’m one who tends to like intros of things like this week’s LOOKING GLASS UNDERWATER STATION, I did kinda feel it came from no where. I seriously wonder if they all knew that this was what it was when they had them find the cable in the sand or if it was one of those things that sounded really cool in the writer's room, so they went with it (“okay, any suggestions on what’s at the other end of the cable?” “what about a funky underwater station?” “yeah, that’s really cool…”)

I’m not being cynical, I’m just saying, I seriously doubt that they had that idea way back when. But that don’t make it any less cool, and so I’ll move on.

I really liked the girls who came up on Charlie in the end. and with Brian K. Vaughn being one of the writers on the show – he does Y: The Last Man, an AMAZING comic everyone should be reading — I wonder if the fact that there are women at the station has a significance? Like maybe… if they’re Others… this is the only place they can safely have kids? Don’t know. Maybe this is where they are BRINGING THE KIDS? Maybe that’s why WALT WAS WET in Shannon’s vision… (hey maybe they didn’t just think of this!) but then again, why was Walt speaking backwards? (see, if can fall apart too.)

Whatever the deal, it was cool. I wonder if we're going to find out that those chicks at the station were actually with NAOMI, not the Others... so, maybe if/when Desmond comes down after Charlie, they'll recognize him and let Charlie go. This whole thing with flipping a switch, Claire on a helicopter, Charlie dying… all this too can be a ruse for us.

See we’re watching a show that has little certainty, so when we’re told by a character who “can see the future” then that builds in expectation of certainty, and all we can do it hope for the certainty (even when it’s something that we don’t want to happen – cause I sure don’t want Charlie to die) because atleast that’s something that we can rely on. But of course, “we” the audience didn’t see Desmond’s actual vision like we have at other times. So he might be telling Charlie only part of the vision. He might still be looking out for Charlie the only way he knows how: by making him think he’s going to get this “vision of his own death” thing out of the way, and by getting Charlie to focus on that noble part of himself.

I'm sad to say that it really seems that we'll get no Locke until February '08, which kinda sucks. Mainly cause the whole “Jacob” mystery thing was a nice introduction and I think it’s kind of lame for that to be dropped for set up for next year. I’m eager to find out if I’m my guess is right that Jacob and smokey ARE NOT one and the same, but rather, smokey-the-security-cloud is actually there to contain Jacob in someway. But, I’m rather certain we won’t get those answers til Feb. 2010, so I’m not holding my breath (isn’t that the date in BLADERUNNER?).

I think the "need for answers" has to do with our commitment to the storytelling. we're listening and, liking the story told, we're eager to see it's continued unfolding and resolution (like: oh cool, Richard in Ben’s past and he hasn’t aged… and that line from Ben “today’s my birthday, you remember those don’t you.” Finding connection and answers about that would be really fun… but I doubt those will be coming any time soon). I don't think that means that we need the answers to be pat, neat, or ultimately predictable so we can sleep better at night. but I do think that our eagerness shows we care and are listening, and with that, stringing us along begins to feel like taking advantage when they don’t provide something.

In this case, what they’re providing is DRIVING STORY which, while doesn’t put to bed the questions and mysteries, does push things further along, and so it’s good.

I’m trying to remain as spoiler free as possible between now and next week. I’m looking forward to the 2 hour finale, without getting my hopes too high. They’d said that this finale was not unlike the mid-season finale of ALIAS when out of no where they captured all the bad guys of the series, ended the threat, and got everyone essentially what they wanted. I wonder if something like that really will happen with LOST on this finale. Whatever the case, I can’t wait to come back here in a week and rant about it… my prediction: VERY VERY GOOD. (let’s keep our fingers crossed)

I love Charlie. He's a broken underdog I just can't help but love and Dominic Monaghan did a hell of a job playing him this week. The emotion of this episode was unbelievable. I got a bit teary-eyed at points, especially the scene between Charlie and Desmond on the boat.

But as my friend said, as much as I want Charlie to live a lot of the episode's emotional weight will be lost if he does.

Haunt, great eye. I totally missed that.

Two ideas -- is one of the women on the Looking Glass Ben's Annie? Also, I'm not 100% sure I buy Desmond's vision this time. Charlie would not be in that situation if it wasn't for Desmond and it makes me wonder what Desmond's motivations are (I know there was a similiar situation in Catch 22). I don't think he's being malicious, per se. I just am not sure he saw what he said he did -- not all of it at least.

The ending was awesome. God, I love this show.

Excellent ep, looking forward to next Wednesday!
Excellent catch, Haunt!
Scoundrel, if Annie is down in the Looking Glass, and Ben has something to do with the Switch, then Ben must know Annie is alive.
Hmm. Now that I think about it, that could be interesting, too...