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Lost: Whatever happened might not have to happen

For the first time – it felt that way, at least – Lost gave us a hint that not everything is predetermined and there just might be the chance to decide your own fate.

In fact, that’s what “Dr. Linus” was all about.

On the Island, Ben spent the hour first trying not to admit he killed Jacob, trying to weasel out of his punishment for killing Jacob and then, finally, explaining why he did. Telling the truth, for once.

And his telling the truth saved his life. Ilana knew he was speaking the truth. Knew that Ben had given his life to serve Jacob, serve the Island, sacrificing perhaps the only person he’d ever cared about for … what? For an island that Jacob, whom he’d never seen, had asked him to protect.

And Ben may actually be redeemable. He chose to stay with Ilana and the others because they’d have him, rather than going with Flocke, who gave him a gun and freed him. And told him to kill Ilana. (What’s he gonna do when he finds Ben isn’t coming to the Hydra station?)

The fact that Ben chose not to kill her, even though he knew she would kill him in a second, showed there are third acts in life.

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Lost: Sundown

I know there are some out there who are tired of this alternate reality storyline, but to them I say: You’ve been along for the ride this long, and THIS is what’s bugging you?

Team Darlton has been building toward this season for years now; this is not a red herring, this is not just some throwaway storyline. This is absolutely imperative to understanding everything they’ve been telling us for more than five years now.

What is that? Beats the hell outta me, but I am along for the ride.

So, last week gave us a Sayid-centric episode, and I found it right in line with everything we’ve ever been taught on Lost.

Sayid is a tortured soul. Yes, how ironic, given that he was a torturer.

But I wonder: Is the darkness Dogen found within Sayid the MiB or just the stain Sayid himself has cast upon himself?

In the alternate storyline, we see a Sayid who travels the world translating documents for an oil company. Nice jet-setting life that also happens to be incredibly boring. If he was telling the truth. The way he disarmed Keamy’s slimeballs and killed Keamy makes it seem he’s kept up his training. I suppose it’s possible.

He’s as hung up on Nadia as ever, but she married his brother. We later find out that Sayid pushed Nadia toward his brother because he felt unworthy of being with her, due to all the bad he had done while in the Republican Guard.

Sayid’s never forgiven himself, in either timeline. He believes that he deserves everything bad coming to him for that very reason.

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24: Please wake me up when something happens

I don’t have a helluva lot to say after Monday night’s episode except for: What? Did ANYthing happen?

Yeah, some guns were drawn and a guy jumped out the window after shooting who he thought was Hairbib Schwartzmann, but, really? That was it? Jack’s leading a bunch of redshirts around, but no one’s getting killed. And Chico Jr. is spending WAY too much time with Dana/Jenny. Isn’t there some national crisis going on?

Maybe something else happened, but I got distracted by something interesting, so I must have missed it.

Lost: The Lighthouse

I was struck this week by how perfect the music is on Lost.

I think it came to mind because I finally watched, “There Will Be Blood” last weekend (why did everyone flip out about that milkshake line? I mean, really!) and the soundtrack reminded me of Lost.

It wasn’t so much that the music sounded like the soundtrack of the Best Show On Television, though there certainly were moments that sounded similar. It was how the music evoked a feeling the moment before the movie did.

Every music change on Lost prepares you for the next moment. It so perfectly sets up the next feeling, emotion.

That was in evidence this week, as the Lighthouse episode answered more bits and pieces and brought us justhismuchcloser to find out what on Earth is going on here.

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24: A tale of two episodes

The last two hours of 24 – 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. and 12 a.m. to 1 a.m. – have been both exhiliarating and a crapfest.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some fantastic moments in last night’s episode – Jack’s defense of Renee, his Jack Sack adjustment, his being freed even though he’d just attacked an official of the Justice Department – but it was so overwhelmed by the stupid Dana/Jenny plot as to be infuriating.

There have been many stupid side plots on 24, with Season 2’s “Misadventures of Kim Bauer” — which included her being framed for murder, being trapped by a mountain lion (cougar), being held hostage by Johnny Drama for about an hour and being a hostage in a convenience store robbery (really? the Kwik-E-Mart? Truth be told, that was even stupider than the cougar) — being the gold standard up until now.

Why is 24 wasting Katee Sackhoff on such a putrid storyline?

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Lost: The Substitute

One of many things I love about Lost is that they are so meticulous about titling their episodes.

“The Substitute” works on so many levels.

Most obviously, Locke finds his calling, perhaps, as a substitute teacher (I’ll get to Ben later. Yowza!).

But then there’s the idea of the substitute Locke on the Island. He’s Smocke, and he can, it seems, take form as the Smoke Monster, but also as John Locke. According to Jacob’s bodyguard, he can’t take on the form of anyone else right now, though (of course) we have no idea why.

And then there’s the third level (ooh, a trinity!) – Jacob has been looking for a substitute all this time. Sawyer was a candidate. Jack. Hurley. Sayid. Jin (or Sun, but I’m guessing Jin). Locke (the real one). So many names crossed off. Noticed “Austen” wasn’t among the names Smocke pointed out. Is that because he must take the form of a man or because Kate isn’t “suitable”?

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Caprica: In Which Joseph Adama Becomes Badass

The most interesting thing, to me, about Reins of a Waterfall, is that we started, finally, to see the Joseph Adama who was hinted at in Battlestar Galactica.

Up to this point, the Joseph Adams/Adama we’ve seen in Caprica is a family man. Sure, he’s related to a major crime family, but he’s the legit one. Sure, he works long hours, but he loves his family and is trying to do right by his son.

We saw snatches of a more domestic Joseph before the bombing, talking with his daughter and wife on the cell. We see it in his attempts to bond with Willie. We see it in his tears for his daughter, whom he now believes to be gone forever.

But the Joseph Adama we heard about on Battlestar was different. He was badass enough to have produced Bill Adama, who joined the military – about as big a rebellion as he could find, it appeared.

The Joseph Adama we heard about seemed mythical, almost. Larger than life.

And in the final moments of “Waterfall,” we saw that man begin to emerge.

His admonition to his brother to “balance things out,” was downright chilling.

For the Graystones, the hurt is only just beginning.

For the viewer, things are really starting to get good.

Supernatural officially becomes post-apocalyptic

Or something like that.

Yes, Supernatural has been picked up for a Season 6.

It’s going to be hard to improve on this season (though I admit, I’m a couple episodes behind). It’s no secret that I wouldn’t have been disappointed if this were the last season, purely for story purposes.

So long as the entire team is behind another season, it should be good.

Lost: What Kate Does. Or Did. Or Something Like That.

As usual, my brain hurt (in a good way) after watching Lost this week. Though it didn’t REALLY answer any questions, it did start to go in that direction, I thought.

I have trouble recapping Lost in any sort of normal way – I suppose that’s because it’s anything but a normal show, so I’m going to do what I did last week and break it into two parts: Alternate Reality and The Island. Since we didn’t get anything with Ben and the Others with him or Smokey Locke with Richard, I’m not going to say too much about them, except for some fascinating thoughts about Richard in this post from JOpinionated.

OK, so, let’s start with the

Alternate reality

Further evidence that this group of people are drawn together and that no matter how reality changes, some things stay the same.

Remember how Kate was the one who delivered Aaron in the jungle first time around? No coincidence that she’s there when Claire almost gives birth. She and Claire have a strong connection. That stuffed animal, the orca whale in Claire’s bag? Didn’t Aaron have one just like it when he was living with Kate?

And Claire is fated to raise her child, at least off-island. The couple who were supposed to adopt suddenly split just before Claire flies to the states? And the wife doesn’t bother to call to say, “Nevermind”? That’s because Claire was supposed to get on that plane. I can’t help but think that somehow Jack will find out Claire is his sister (trust me, I’m chomping at the bit to get to that part, too, but patience!) and they’ll be drawn together.

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24: Can you say, “Awesometastic,” boys and girls?

OK, let me start by saying that the entirety of Monday night’s episode was about as far from Awesometastic as you can get.

In fact, I almost fell asleep a couple of times. Or would have, anyway, if I hadn’t been liveblogging.

But that 30 seconds or so — you know what I’m talking about — were among the best 30 seconds in the history of this storied show.

Let’s recap, shall we?

Renee stabs the crap out of Leoben Vlad, ’till he’s dead and bloody on the floor. Jack comes in, Renee stabs him in the gut.

Oops.

Jack slumps to the ground.

Suddenly, a bad guy bursts in! Without missing a beat, Jack slides the knife out of his gut and flings it across the room as only Jack Bauer can, stabbing the bad guy in the throat. I think he got pinned against the wall, even.

But wait, there’s more.

Jack and Renee leave the room, whereupon Jack shoots two more bad guys — to death! By the way, he’s bleeding a lot.

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