TV Series: Lost

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
Hahaha my god. I didn't mind seeing more of Claire since I like the actress, but ultimately it was all a waste of time (the whole alternate universe thing is, unless of course it ends up being the final timeline like I already said). And Kate crying after Sawyer throws Juliet's ring into the lake... Why? Because he doesn't love her? Didn't she say she just wanted to find Claire? It's like someone accidentally pressed the "KATE CRY" button on the set or something.

And now Claire's back, Rousseau-style but EVIL according to pretend-Japanese dude (or his hippie sidekick, forgot which). Fantastic.

Yeah, barely any plot progression at all, plenty of soap opera bullshit.

Aazealh said:
Also is it me or are the "others" (who are supposed to be the original others that whisper in the forest and psychologically traumatized Rousseau for 20 years) popping up like that as if they'd always been there yet were a separate group from Richard's that was never ever mentioned? No one's even picking on that? Cheap ass way to tie those loose threads. Also why do they seem so concerned about smokey now but didn't care when it roamed in their holy temple's underground tunnels?

And why do they go out of their way to give people grief? I mean do they really have to beat people up without saying a single word all the time? It's retarded, serves no purpose and doesn't get results. Zero credibility.

It's not just you, those things have been nagging at me since the season opener. Besides everyone obtusely pretending these others were always the others, the thing I'm most tired of in this series is Party B, in this case the new/old/fake others, instead of just explaining the situation in a rational way any human being could follow, mysteriously strong arming Party A, Jack n friends, and creating false complications , which are later falsely labeled misunderstandings, that if explained in the first place, would have never happened. Dumb scenarios, requiring dumb characters, resulting from dumb writing. I'm sick of that nonsense like that with this show.

Aazealh said:
Lastly I miss Juliet already, but I can't blame Elizabeth Mitchell from bailing out after landing a role on V's remake.

No way, it was all part of the plan since season 1 man, J.J. Abrams sweated an outline into his gym shorts explaining it all! Like Shannon not being on the flight in the alternate reality... oh wait, the actress just wasn't available, and, like every other detail on this show, it really doesn't matter.

Aazealh said:
:ganishka: Awesome. Speaking of crossovers, I was sadly thinking while watching this episode that things would be far more enjoyable if the show featured another Shepard.


fightforthelost.jpg

Aazealh said:
Well the thing is you're one of 5 people in the world who can remember what happened that far back into the show without suffering a brain hemorrhage, and the writers aren't among the 4 others.

The more true the believer, the more mad they shall become! :carcus: < :schierke: < :azan: < :mozgus:

Aazealh said:
P.S. This is how the alternate timeline ends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ6hIEqKR7A

I just hope Kate gets syphilis and dies before it's over. =)
 

Aazealh

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グリフィス said:
Dumb scenarios, requiring dumb characters, resulting from dumb writing.

I see we're in agreement here. :void:

グリフィス said:
No way, it was all part of the plan since season 1 man, J.J. Abrams sweated an outline into his gym shorts explaining it all! Like Shannon not being on the flight in the alternate reality... oh wait, the actress just wasn't available, and, like every other detail on this show, it really doesn't matter.

But what about the flight attendant and the kids?! :isidro:

グリフィス said:

Arg, this is NOT how I meant it!
 

Th3Branded0ne

I'll be back.
Being fat tueday today, this episode sure deserve some beads(for better or worse)

When I saw Katey Sagal talking to Locke,"Married with children"just came into my mind :ganishka:.
Even in an alternate reality they have the "maybe it's destiny"talk, and having Locke having people from the island together is like they were meant to be together no matter what. I thought at first the boy new Locke was seeing was Jacob, then tells him about the rules which confirms it. I also thought James was going to plunge into his demise by himself since "Locke" could not actually kill him. Finally, the numbers are revealed. "Locke" says that they were candidates, probably in the order he visited them is the number they have. So can we call the number mystery solved?
 

Walter

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Have to admit, seeing Ben as a middle-school teacher got a dorky laugh out of me. Even though it is pretty fucking ridiculous that all these characters would just HAPPEN to meet up.

The most important thingi in this episode to me wasn't the numbers game or the mysterious kid, but that the main macguffin of the entire show was revealed: keeping Smokey/NotLocke on the island.

As for the kid, who knows. I won't bother with too many mental gymnastics when there's no way I can come to a firm conclusion. He resembled Jacob to me. Click for high res capture. Also a little like ... what a male Claire would look like =)

PS: Just caught this on the SA forums:
"I hope locke remembers to do everyone's loyalty missions"
. That was well played. :void:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Th3Branded0ne said:
When I saw Katey Sagal talking to Locke,"Married with children"just came into my mind :ganishka:

They also managed to retcon and undermine his entire character, including what Dark Locke said about him realizing he had a better life on the island than the pathetic one he left behind; one where he was utterly alone in a shitty apartment harassing call girls, but now his worst outlook is just that he'll be married... with children. Anyway, the theme seems to be not only what if they didn't crash, but were also happy to begin with, the point of which I guess will be revealed in the end? I'm not counting on it.

Walter said:
The most important thingi in this episode to me wasn't the numbers game or the mysterious kid, but that the main macguffin of the entire show was revealed: keeping Smokey/NotLocke on the island.

Well, he said he wanted off in the first episode, and we can't be sure that the point of it all is to specifically keep him trapped, or if that's just a consequence of their circumstances (especially since the so-called main point could change in every episode before the series ends =). I thought the big thing, though not surprising since Locke's plot has revolved around "chosen one" nonsense since I can remember, was that their all candidates to be the next Jacob.

I call dibs on Jack, and zombie Locke (and I want to parlay that last bet with one on the odds of an open grave reveal later).


BTW, what that woman said about smokey being stuck as Locke doesn't mesh with last season when it was apparently appearing as Christian Shephard, and Ben's daughter, in addition to Locke. Something's inconsistent here, either her information, or the true nature of Dark Locke and smokey, their exact relationship, or his/their abilities. Or the writers just forgot and changed it all on the fly again, "Nothing is irreversible."
 

Aazealh

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Th3Branded0ne said:
I thought at first the boy new Locke was seeing was Jacob, then tells him about the rules which confirms it.

Yeah the boy does resemble Jacob, first thing I thought when he showed up. I wondered if the kid referred to Evil Dude thinking about killing Sawyer or to his attempt to kill Jacob though. Anyway, the "don't tell me what I can't do" line was just so arbitrary and stupid. Not to mention the super bad guy stumbling on a vine like any loser when he can apparently transform into super smoke at will.

Th3Branded0ne said:
Finally, the numbers are revealed. "Locke" says that they were candidates, probably in the order he visited them is the number they have. So can we call the number mystery solved?

What's solved about it exactly? Does that explain why the numbers were broadcast around the world, why they allowed Hugo to win the lottery, why Desmond had to input them in an old, shitty computer so that the world wouldn't be destroyed? I don't see how anything has been solved, it's just more random bullshit thrown at us. "Jacob liked to play with numbers." OK great, so that's what it meant all along! :schierke:

On a side note, I was seriously expecting an alien spaceship when they revealed the numbered ceiling. :void:

Walter said:
Have to admit, seeing Ben as a middle-school teacher got a dorky laugh out of me. Even though it is pretty fucking ridiculous that all these characters would just HAPPEN to meet up.

F4TE.

Walter said:
The most important thingi in this episode to me wasn't the numbers game or the mysterious kid, but that the main macguffin of the entire show was revealed: keeping Smokey/NotLocke on the island.

Yeah, that's apparently what it's all about. The whole ordeal and mysteries about leaving the island finally comes down to other guys opposing each other on whether or not to leave it. Makes sense... Not.

グリフィス said:
I call dibs on Jack, and zombie Locke (and I want to parlay that last bet with one on the odds of an open grave reveal later).

I would never even think to bet against a Locke resurrection, seriously.

グリフィス said:
BTW, what that woman said about smokey being stuck as Locke doesn't mesh with last season when it was apparently appearing as Christian Shephard, and Ben's daughter, in addition to Locke. Something's inconsistent here, either her information, or the true nature of Dark Locke and smokey, their exact relationship, or his/their abilities. Or the writers just forgot and changed it all on the fly again, "Nothing is irreversible."

I figured it was since Jacob was dead.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
Anyway, the "don't tell me what I can't do" line was just so arbitrary and stupid. Not to mention the super bad guy stumbling on a vine like any loser when he can apparently transform into super smoke at will.

He's John Locke's spiritual successor after all!

Aazealh said:
I would never even think to bet against a Locke resurrection, seriously.

You want to make it a triple bet where we throw in odds that at some point the two Locke's are standing together with weapons pointed at them as they both desperately claim to be the real Locke?

Aazealh said:
I figured it was since Jacob was dead.

I thought that, and it'll probably be the reason if they explain it, but again, who knows? It could also be because the writer forgot. It just seemed like it was tossed out there in a convenient moment. I mean, why'd he even have to pretend to be Locke in the first place then, he could have gotten to Jacob disguised as any of the other "candidates" that weren't suspiciously dead, and with the body still around. [rant]This whole episode was so choppy to start, like it just randomly stopped and started wherever it wanted with barely any relation to what had just happened, the whole thing with taking Richard off the beach was another false cliffhanger that went nowhere (oh, smokey wanted to hang him up in a bag off screen and then let him go immediately, OF COURSE!). Anyway, unlike what Jacob Jr. said, since there aren't any rules because they change episode to episode without explanation, I'm just as likely to think this episode's writers threw that line in there despite what we've seen and they'll either ignore it, explain it, or simply contradict it again later with the next shocking revelation. Speaking of revelations, so far I've been totally underwhelmed; a spaceship, a stargate, a walrus, anything would have been better than those stupid numbers in a cave. Just more nothing behind the curtain, Sawyer should have shot him when that was it. This season is actually shaping up to be the shittiest yet (not surprising since, as we've noted many times, the possibilities of the mysteries are better than any reveal these guys could hope to come up with).[/rant] See ya next week! =)
 

Aazealh

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グリフィス said:
He's John Locke's spiritual successor after all!

Yeah, seriously... Too much Locke in him for his own good.

グリフィス said:
You want to make it a triple bet where we throw in odds that at some point the two Locke's are standing together with weapons pointed at them as they both desperately claim to be the real Locke?

Only if Jack has to choose which one to shoot.
:ganishka:

グリフィス said:
I thought that, and it'll probably be the reason if they explain it, but again, who knows? It could also be because the writer forgot. It just seemed like it was tossed out there in a convenient moment. I mean, why'd he even have to pretend to be Locke in the first place then, he could have gotten to Jacob disguised as any of the other "candidates" that weren't suspiciously dead, and with the body still around.

Well the whole thing was dubious from the start anyway. Manipulating Ben into killing Jacob seems like a huge gamble that had as many chances to backfire as to succeed, if not more.

グリフィス said:
the whole thing with taking Richard off the beach was another false cliffhanger that went nowhere (oh, smokey wanted to hang him up in a bag off screen and then let him go immediately, OF COURSE!).

Hahaha yeah, that was ridiculous. =)

グリフィス said:
Speaking of revelations, so far I've been totally underwhelmed; a spaceship, a stargate, a walrus, anything would have been better than those stupid numbers in a cave. Just more nothing behind the curtain, Sawyer should have shot him when that was it.

Yeah, I have to agree. I was actually fairly interested in the prospect of seeing something, and it was utterly underwhelming. One of the laziest possible options they had.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
Well the whole thing was dubious from the start anyway. Manipulating Ben into killing Jacob seems like a huge gamble that had as many chances to backfire as to succeed, if not more.

He did game Ben rather well by appearing as the monster/his daughter and telling him if he didn't do whatever Locke said she'd destroy him. Then Jacob practically went along with it, insulting Ben, and causing him to do it anyway merely for selfish reasons. The whole thing was/is dopey.

Aazealh said:
Yeah, I have to agree. I was actually fairly interested in the prospect of seeing something, and it was utterly underwhelming. One of the laziest possible options they had.

Yeah, and I'm not expecting much else. The real revelation is just what we've been saying all along, they've got nothin', and the more they show, the more apparent it becomes, even to the most enthusiastic Lost fans (I haven't heard anyone, even the true believers I know, say they thought any of these episodes have been particularly good, quite the opposite in fact, and this is supposed to be the epic final season that justifies everything, uh oh).

NightCrawler said:
Do we know why Ben killed Locke? I forgot.
Aazealh said:
I don't think we do, actually. Those surprised lift their hand.

There's no rational explanation given (that wasn't a lie), so I assume he felt Locke was a threat to whatever status he felt he had on the island; which, as it turned out, was just that of a pawn anyway.
 

Aazealh

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グリフィス said:
He did game Ben rather well by appearing as the monster/his daughter and telling him if he didn't do whatever Locke said she'd destroy him. Then Jacob practically went along with it, insulting Ben, and causing him to do it anyway merely for selfish reasons. The whole thing was/is dopey.

Yeah, definitely. Jacob's reaction was a pure joke (obviously baiting Ben into doing it) and the way he died was straight out of a cartoon.

グリフィス said:
There's no rational explanation given (that wasn't a lie), so I assume he felt Locke was a threat to whatever status he felt he had on the island; which, as it turned out, was just that of a pawn anyway.

As much as I like the actor's perfomance, I've always felt that the character should have never graduated from "random enemy" to "supersmart manipulator," regardless of how much the fans liked him. I'd be tempted to say it greatly increased the amount of bullshit the writers threw at us, but I would probably be kidding myself to think they weren't flying blind from the very beginning. I still remember what a travesty the reveal of the monster was. Awful CGI smoke.
 

Walter

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グリフィス said:
Well, he said he wanted off in the first episode, and we can't be sure that the point of it all is to specifically keep him trapped, or if that's just a consequence of their circumstances (especially since the so-called main point could change in every episode before the series ends =).
It explains the purpose of the Jacob-NotLocke relationship. Jacob exists to keep NotLocke in check, and "trapped" on the island, possibly with the help of other properties of the island as well, which is possibly the function of the island to begin with. That's why I call it the potential macguffin of the entire series.

NightCrawler said:
Do we know why Ben killed Locke? I forgot.
I had a vague memory of why, but checked it out and I remembered correctly. Ben flew into a rage when he learned Locke had communication with Jacob (Locke could only have known about Eloise Hawking through Christian-Jacob). It's not the first time he's been jealous of that special treatment.

Better question, why did Ben and Hawking insist on Locke's corpse being on board? Just to recreate the 816 flight? Really? I guess it's ok then that the flight ran BACKWARDS from LAX to ... GUAM? And that bullshit with Christian's shoes ... Jesus, fuck this show.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
It explains the purpose of the Jacob-NotLocke relationship. Jacob exists to keep NotLocke in check, and "trapped" on the island, possibly with the help of other properties of the island as well, which is possibly the function of the island to begin with. That's why I call it the potential macguffin of the entire series.

I know what scenario you meant, just not that it was certain or truly "revealed," only a potential. I sure hope they come up with something better though, all this stuff is so simplistic, and not in a refreshing way. It feels like they just watched season 1 on DVD and decided they'd play up the vague Backgammon light/dark angle for lack of anything better:

images5Cscreen_captures5CS1E02_Lock.jpg


Turns out this throwaway scene was the most important in the first 5 seasons of Lost!​

Walter said:
Jesus, fuck this show.
 

Aazealh

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Walter said:
It explains the purpose of the Jacob-NotLocke relationship. Jacob exists to keep NotLocke in check, and "trapped" on the island, possibly with the help of other properties of the island as well, which is possibly the function of the island to begin with. That's why I call it the potential macguffin of the entire series.

I agree with Griff that this is "just" our best guess.
So far in the actual show it has actually sounded more like Evil Dude simply doesn't want to be an eternal guardian and disagrees with Jacob about their duty. He just wants to leave but can't because both guardians need to agree on it for it to happen, and is desperate to do anything for it. Of course considering the black/white stuff they're hitting us on the head with, it's likely that the balance of good & evil must not be upset and so on. Man I'm already bored.

Walter said:
I had a vague memory of why, but checked it out and I remembered correctly. Ben flew into a rage when he learned Locke had communication with Jacob (Locke could only have known about Eloise Hawking through Christian-Jacob). It's not the first time he's been jealous of that special treatment.

Is that a valid reason though? Seemed random then and seems random now.

Walter said:
Better question, why did Ben and Hawking insist on Locke's corpse being on board? Just to recreate the 816 flight? Really? I guess it's ok then that the flight ran BACKWARDS from LAX to ... GUAM? And that bullshit with Christian's shoes ... Jesus, fuck this show.

Yeah. =)
 
I was always under the impression that Ben killed Locke simply as a tool to get Jack (or maybe any of the survivors) back on the island. They sure set it up that way throughout most of season 5. Sure there was probably other driving factors behind the murder, but I'm almost positive that Ben's main motivation was to use Locke's death as a means to an end.

I think it's been fairly obvious since season 4 and on what type of show Lost is. Turn your brain off and go with the flow or kill yourself needlessly trying to figure out plot points that the writers themselves have either discarded or forgotten about. Things have become a complete mess with factions within factions with more factions sprinkled on the sides that seem to have popped up out of nowhere and now these side flashes that so far seem to just be boring filler (honestly, should these exist the way they do in what's supposed to be the last season? Do we really have to suffer through this for every single character?) That said, I've found the show entertaining enough in the last 5 years, so I'm willing to withhold my opinion until we're a little farther in. I don't mind what few reveals they've given so far. Honestly, out of most of the speculations, this is probably the one I expected the least.

I'm not sure how some sort of struggle between good and evil is so much worse than many other things they could have come up with. Aliens? First off, that hasn't even been ruled out yet, but really, isn't that the easiest way out? Aliens made everything! Religious? God/Satan did it all! Also not completely ruled out yet, but I don't see how that's much better. I'm not so sure I'm crazy about the 'Jacob the guardian looking for a replacement' reason for them all being on the island, but I'm still going to wait and see how it plays out before I jump to conclusions.
There's still 14 episodes left before I make a full judgment on the series as a whole. I doubt it'll happen, but who knows, they could pull a Metal Gear Solid 4 in the last few episodes and throw out some answers even if they're weak (My faith in this is waning due to the inane amount of time they're wasting on side-flashes though).

I do have to wonder why people watch a show that supposedly gives them so much pain~ One of the most popular shows on the market right now is NCIS. I utterly despise the show and as such I don't subject myself to watching every episode just to have something to complain about.
 

Walter

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CowTip said:
I do have to wonder though why people watch a show that supposedly gives them so much pain~ One of the most popular shows on the market right now is NCIS. I utterly despise the show and as such I don't subject myself to watching every episode just to have something to complain about.
Lost has always been a mixed bag, for me. Mixing enjoyable portions with utter pain. And at this point I'm watching because I want to see how/if they're able to successfully wrap things up from the mess they've made.

I also like many of the characters on the show in spite of the ridiculous circumstances they're placed in. I enjoy Locke, Ben, Hurley, Sayiid, and Sawyer in pretty much any scene they're involved in.
 
See, I have to give the show some credit in that it can continue to entertain me despite the overt problems in the plot and sometimes pacing.

It's sort of the same reason as to why I watch 24. I realize that the show has become a self cliche, but yet I still enjoy watching Kiefer enough to keep watching to the end (well, there's a good amount of nostalgia involved with 24 for me as well).
 

Aazealh

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CowTip said:
I was always under the impression that Ben killed Locke simply as a tool to get Jack (or maybe any of the survivors) back on the island. They sure set it up that way throughout most of season 5. Sure there was probably other driving factors behind the murder, but I'm almost positive that Ben's main motivation was to use Locke's death as a means to an end.

I would agree with you on this if it weren't for the sudden way he kills Locke after hearing him talk about Eloise and stuff. It's like he panics and kills him because of what he knows. Always seemed pretty fishy to me and it's never really explained.

CowTip said:
I think it's been fairly obvious since season 4 and on what type of show Lost is.

Only since season 4? :iva:

CowTip said:
Honestly, out of most of the speculations, this is probably the one I expected the least.

What speculations?

CowTip said:
I'm not sure how some sort of struggle between good and evil is so much worse than many other things they could have come up with. Aliens? First off, that hasn't even been ruled out yet, but really, isn't that the easiest way out? Aliens made everything! Religious? God/Satan did it all! Also not completely ruled out yet, but I don't see how that's much better. I'm not so sure I'm crazy about the 'Jacob the guardian looking for a replacement' reason for them all being on the island, but I'm still going to wait and see how it plays out before I jump to conclusions.

I'd say the aliens cop-out isn't any worse than the divine guardians cop-out, which is itself a mere variation of the God/The Devil cop-out. In any case, it's a cop-out. Oh and let's see how they explain all the random Egyptian symbolism, that'll be fun. As for jumping to conclusions, honestly when it comes to the quality of the show and the quality of whatever semblance of closure we'll get, I think your own comment on turning one's brain off says it all.

CowTip said:
I do have to wonder though why people watch a show that supposedly gives them so much pain~ One of the most popular shows on the market right now is NCIS. I utterly despise the show and as such I don't subject myself to watching every episode just to have something to complain about.

I watch NCIS and enjoy it more than Lost. :azan: Lost isn't "painful" though, on the contrary it's fun to bash. :guts: It's not like it's the worst thing ever broadcast on TV.
 
Aazealh said:
I would agree with you on this if it weren't for the sudden way he kills Locke after hearing him talk about Eloise and stuff. It's like he panics and kills him because of what he knows. Always seemed pretty fishy to me and it's never really explained.

I'd have to rewatch season 5 to really put together a better argument, but the show probably wants us to think that was his main motivation. There's a reason for everything after all, even if they don't feel the need to explain it to us simple viewers. :troll: Though, Ben has proven to be completely irrational and emotional lately what with the odd murder of Jacob so perhaps he acted out of passion then figured out how to use the death to his advantage later.

Only since season 4? :iva:

Well, for me at least the end of season 3 was when things really switched from 'mysterious' to 'just for plain entertainment'.

What speculations?

Any of the multitude that exist on the internet as to what the big 'mystery' behind Lost is? (Again, we don't know everything yet, I know.)

I'd say the aliens cop-out isn't any worse than the divine guardians cop-out, which is itself a mere variation of the God/The Devil cop-out. In any case, it's a cop-out. Oh and let's see how they explain all the random Egyptian symbolism, that'll be fun. As for jumping to conclusions, honestly when it comes to the quality of the show and the quality of whatever semblance of closure we'll get, I think your own comment on turning one's brain off says it all.

Honestly, I'm not sure how any answer could have been super satisfying at this point with how much time people spent trying to come up with their own version of the 'truth'. To be completely honest, I doubt JJ Abrams even bothered to think out an ending when he first came up with the show. If you watch any of his multiple interviews, he often talks about the mystery box and how it's not what's in the box that matters but the mystery of what might be in the box that matters. I bet he came at the show with the intention of never explaining anything. It was probably the amount of people clamoring for answers that they've even gone this far. On top of that, considering how Abrams pretty much nothing to do with Lost now (nor has he really since the first season) it's not really surprising that things seem sort of cobbled together.

I watch NCIS and enjoy it more than Lost. :azan: Lost isn't "painful" though, on the contrary it's fun to bash. :guts: It's not like it's the worst thing ever broadcast on TV.

I know this isn't the right place for it, but some day I'd love to have someone explain to me why they like that show. Enjoyment completely evades me.
 

Aazealh

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CowTip said:
I'd have to rewatch season 5 to really put together a better argument, but the show probably wants us to think that was his main motivation. There's a reason for everything after all, even if they don't feel the need to explain it to us simple viewers. :troll: Though, Ben has proven to be completely irrational and emotional lately what with the odd murder of Jacob so perhaps he acted out of passion then figured out how to use the death to his advantage later.

Hahaha, that's a long-winded way to say we have no fucking idea and will likely never know because neither do the writers. :guts:

CowTip said:
Any of the multitude that exist on the internet as to what the big 'mystery' behind Lost is? (Again, we don't know everything yet, I know.)

Oh, well uh yeah like you said I wouldn't say things have been explained just yet. We know there are two superhuman beings opposing each other on the island, but honestly so far it's felt more to me like it had been tacked on at the last minute than anything else. Remember when we were told that the smoke monster was just a defense mechanism for the island? When Locke said he'd seen into it and it was beautiful? The time Ben just summoned it like you activate a security system?

CowTip said:
Honestly, I'm not sure how any answer could have been super satisfying at this point with how much time people spent trying to come up with their own version of the 'truth'.

It's the job of a professional writer to come up with something satisfying even when the viewers can't. And I'm not even saying it absolutely had to take us by surprise, just that so far it's been unsurprising, incoherent and kind of boring all at once.

CowTip said:
To be completely honest, I doubt JJ Abrams even bothered to think out an ending when he first came up with the show. If you watch any of his multiple interviews, he often talks about the mystery box and how it's not what's in the box that matters but the mystery of what might be in the box that matters. I bet he came at the show with the intention of never explaining anything. It was probably the amount of people clamoring for answers that they've even gone this far. On top of that, considering how Abrams pretty much nothing to do with Lost now (nor has he really since the first season) it's not really surprising that things seem sort of cobbled together.

Oh but I'm more than certain Abrams didn't have an ending in mind when it started. The guy just "fleshed out the initial setting of the show" along with Lindelof, based on a pitch by Lloyd Braun. After that he co-wrote the Pilot and then went on his merry way; he's had nothing to do with it for a long long time. I can't stress enough that his involvement is completely overplayed. Which is why his lack of involvement is not an excuse.

Mentioning the mystery box got a laugh out of me though, it reminded me of the one in the show and how it was pathetically swept under the rug.

CowTip said:
I know this isn't the right place for it, but some day I'd love to have someone explain to me why they like that show. Enjoyment completely evades me.

It's a light hearted murder-solving series with endearing enough characters. Doesn't take much more than that.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
The show's biggest strengths in the beginning were its mysteries and, mostly, its characters, each episode was like a character study, and it's basically sacrificed both of those in pursuit of a plot it never had, and never will. It used to be that you didn't really care so much about the mysteries themselves, they were there, and heightened everything and gave it a sense of strangeness, urgency and suspense, but the real payoff for watching was the characters themselves, the most compelling mysteries were their past. Elements that you couldn't just complicate and double down on when the time came to payoff; like, what happened to Locke, would Sawyer somehow get his revenge, what's on the island and what would happen when/if they got off? Well, most of those things were covered for every character by season 4, if not 3, and the answers didn't live up to the potential of those questions, and there hasn't been anything about the show since to make me care as much. It's essentially been coasting on the potentialities of season 1 and 2 ever since.

The last time Lost fired on all cylinders was the season 3 finale. That's the last time it lived up to the first season in regards to mystery and character development you'd care about. It even managed to present an ending, with an appropriate twist, fulfilling those critical elements; mystery, character development, and even some payoff in the overall plot and story arc. For me, that's basically the end of what Lost was and what made it good, and it's not surprising that it came to be after they realized they were going in a bad direction, went on hiatus, and came up with a fitting conclusion to that season, which was really a fitting conclusion to what Lost originally was.

The past three seasons? It's like spiritually they picked up where they left off in the middle of season 3, not the end of it. It's been about ridiculous, over the top scenarios with increasingly contrived plot points and so-called "reveals," and the characters have sadly become caricatures. It doesn't feel so much like a true continuation or conclusion to what was begun in season 1 or even at the end of season 3, but more like a sequel... a bad sequel. It's Lost 2: Island Boogaloo.
 

Th3Branded0ne

I'll be back.
Another tuesday night
What I really liked tonight was that we got to see more Claire and that she said that eventhough JIn lied, that she would have killed Kate.
 
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