LOST 6×01 & 6×02 “LA X” Parts 1 & 2
February 3, 2010 · Print This Article
A lot has changed for me since the first season of LOST back in 2004. Has a lot changed for the show? Read on but beware of spoilers.
***SPOILERS***
Just for some background, I no longer watch LOST in the pristine, almost sacred type viewing environment I did for LOST seasons 1-4, so my ability to enjoy an episode I believe is naturally reduced, all other things equal.
I watched the 1-hour catch-up show that aired before the season premiere on ABC and was glad I did as I had forgotten a lot and did not have a chance to rewatch the 5th season finale (ABC.com is horrible for viewing episodes on). No mention of Walt or Michael at all in the hour long series recap show.
So about the 6th season premiere . . .
Things I liked:
- The number of “dudes” Hurley said and in the situations he said them in
- The typically LOST emotionally manipulating score
- The “it worked” versions of the characters on the non-crashing flight
- The mercenary looking smug (momentarily) for putting the powder circle around him preventing the smoke monster from attacking him
- hmm, actually really struggling to come up with anything here one day removed
Things I did not like:
- Sawyer so upset about Juliet who was already gone while Sayeed was bleeding out and still could have been saved
- Sawyer being over the top emotional in the first place when we all know he loves Kate best anyway
- Basically any screen time that ep with Kate and Sawyer in her dying scene, was excruciating to watch, just wanted it over
- So many guns inside the temple
- Having no explanation for their being a flight that lands in LA X with all LOST characters on board
I hope the series finale is not somehow the characters fighting their doppelgangers or something like that. Don’t need to be manipulated by Sayeed coming back to life at the end, that is EXACTLY why his “death” had ZERO emotional impact on me.
I guess I like the badass Locke smokemonster incarnate. It will be cool to see what havoc it wrecks on the island.
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- LOST 6×04 “The Substitute”
- LOST 6×03 “What Kate Does”
- LOST 5×12 Dead is Dead — spoilers
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It`s been so long since we last discussed LOST on this site, and yeah, a whole lot has changed. It`s good to have it back, even if it is the final run.
Of course- SPOILERS.
Where to begin with thoughts on the opener? While waiting for this episode, theories abounded. They would land in LAX. They wouldn`t. Well, it seems they`ve split the difference and done both- and I`m in for the ride. I loved every bit of interaction on the plane. Jack and Rose having that interchange we`ve seen before. Locke lying to Boone. Sawyer being smart. Kate being some escaping dumbass. Poor stupid Charlie. And best of all- Locke and Jack. How bizarre that after 6 years, I never really made the connection that it was such a coincidence that Jack was a spinal surgeon, and Locke a man with a broken back.
Now it seems obvious. How could that be coincidence? It seems like it couldn`t, like the writers knew this scene was coming from the very beginning of the show, when they put Jack and John on the same island together. Well, whether they did or not, whether Jack`s efforts to `fix` Locke will play much of a role at all in these `sideways` flashes or not, it`s a great capitalization of a long-known fact.
As to theories on the sideways flashes, good question. Looks like a whole other universe, not at all connected. One where the electromagnetism never happened, where Hurley has no bad luck cos no numbers. A world with the island at the bottom of the ocean, and so no manipulative Jacob and old friend.
Loved everything with not-Locke. Loved him describing how pathetic, but still admirable, John Locke had been. The last words in his head- `I don`t understand`. Brilliant. What we`ve been thinking for so long- looks like we get to move beyond it. And again, looks like the counters have been reset- and we`re back to having no real clue as to who the good guy is.
Not-Locke says- `Good to see you out of those chains` to Richard, says `I`m very disappointed in you all` to the beach Others, says `I just want to go home`, to Ben.
How can he be the bad guy if he just wants to go home? Was Jacob keeping him trapped there? Richard too? To what end?
Phew. A whole new mess of things to think about and theorize over. Genius.
Sad to see Juliette go. I hope she gets brought back, but who knows. Maybe in the sideways flashes.
Very promising indeed.
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Jason Collin Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:00 PM
Yeah, to me best line of the episode was the Locke smoke monster incarnate saying to Richard something like, “nice to see you out of the chains.” Hope we get to see a flashback to him in those chains!
For some reason, totally not sad to see Juliette go, and we all know no one liked her more than me. Maybe because she was tainted by Sawyer?
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Watched with a big crew of folks in Tokyo. First time to not watch an episode by myself (well, Juri is usually not paying attention) so that was weird, but in a good way.
I was totally pissed that everyone just left Sayid to die while Sawyer was trying to save Juliet. Now it seems like Jacob is going to try to take over Sayid’s body? What will it mean if Jacob takes over the most morally broken character (Sayid) vs. the physically and mentally broken Locke. I’m curious to see if Locke or Sayid will have any free will to resist (since free will seems to be the theme of season 6).
Also, what’s up with the random cliche last samurai and his JET program flunky? I dig the stewardess–she’s sexy and hopefully not as annoying as Kate. But Juri scoffed at the Japanese dude’s herb garden.
Finally, my prediction for the end of the series: somehow each character gets to choose which life they want.
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Jason Collin Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 10:39 AM
I like that prediction Jei! Getting to choose island or off island life at the end. How was the guy’s Japanese? Too funny, “JET program flunky.” I know I recognize that actor form somewhere, but haven’t looked it up yet….took some digging but found out, his name is John Hawkes and he played Sol Star on Deadwood.
About Sayid, right? I mean, I was just thinking the whole time, “they are letting Sayid die. Umm, why didn’t Hurley tell Jin to take him to the Temple as soon as he returned to the van!”
I wonder how Widmore will play into both the island reality and the flash-sideways reality of LA X?
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Jei Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 12:52 AM
The Japanese actor was Hiroyuki Sanada and he’s a big deal over here. You’d recognize him from The Last Samurai as the swordsman who gave Tom Cruise a hard time. Accodrding to Juri he’s a badass former stuntman who can do crazy flips and fight scenes as a samurai/yakuza.
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Thought ep. 1 was pretty slow and not much good to say about it, although still very watchable of course, this being LOST.
Basically the whole thing with Sawyer and Juliet was annoying, and barely watchable, and if she’s just going to die, why even bother finding her in the first place? I guess so she can utter her ‘it worked’ line, and I’m supposing that if a character is about to die they can maybe ’see’ the other time line they’re in, and move there, or something like that. Really didn’t like to see Sawyer in his ‘rage’ mode again, I like him much more when he’s calm and in control.
Jack, who has manned down severely in past seasons, and who was starting to man up again at the end of season 5, is once again on the bottom, looking like a failure in everyone else’s eyes.
Very interesting to see how their lives wouldve unfolded had they all survived, and the dialogue with Jack and Locke in ep. 2 was especially interesting.
Actually ep. 2 more than made up for things, with Locke staying firmly on top as the most interesting character, even though he’s not really Locke anymore. Loved the scene with him becoming the smoke monster and killing those new Jacob protecting fools who just annoyed me in season 5. Only that chubby lady is left now, and I’m wondering why she didn’t take a shot at Locke when she had a gun pointed right at him? Did she know right away that bullets wouldn’t stop him?
Was a bit put out to see Hiroyuki Sanada and the guy from Deadwood suddenly appearing in the show, and amused that I could understand all his Japanese without any translation either, how many people watching Lost can claim that? Well us guys in Japan of course. Don’t like his comment about him not liking the way English sounds on his tongue, and I’m wondering how long he’ll be around in the show. The ‘translate every word he says’ bit will get tired pretty quickly I think.
Of course Sayid came back to life, like Jason said, was not a surprise at all. They’re obviously not going to kill off anymore of the original characters at this point.
Damn Kate, still escaping and annoying me. Glad that on the island she has learned a bit of control though.
How did that stewardess get to be part of the ‘in’ group so quickly I wonder?
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Well… this episode had me teetering both ways between love and hate. A big part of me was disappointed because they laid the story arch out for us and it seems to clean cut which I will not appreciate if I am right. The other part of me was super excited and intrigued by the “it worked” scenario. Flashbacks have always been my favorite tool in the hands of the writers of Lost, so this has potential which will hopefully play out better than the flash forwards we witnessed last season.
Here is my sense of what is going on:
The island really was a place where everyone who’s life was super fracked up could start over… yet who wants to accept that? If given the keys to paradise knowing that you could never go back to what you left behind, and who you left behind, would you truly go? Ultimately the island is Jacob’s paradise. Somehow though I forgot about the guy I call Johnny Cash – the man in black. His struggle and disagreement with Jacob.
Here all of the answers are made clear. The smoke monster is Johnny Cash who now has control over John Locke’s body, who really is dead. I am gonna go out on a limb here, but if I had to guess, we are not getting Sayeed back, Jacob is going to take over his body just like the man in black is controlling Locke’s. Jacob died within the hour, the instructions were get Sayeed to the temple or we are all screwed, and wallah… instant body to reincarnate into.
So now Jacob/Sayeed struggle with The Man In Black/Locke over the final outcome. Will they escape Eden to head back to reality where it seems some of the people on the island are living a dual existence or will they stay and realize how wonderful paradise is. My other guess is that the people back in “real” life will start living their lives for good – e.g. Jack healing Locke or Sawyer and Kate finding each other and living out the life Sawyer and Juliet created on the Island.
Strangest moment from the plane… was it Hurley is the luckiest man alive or was it that the weird incestual brother dude was there without his sister who decided to work out her relationship in Australia?
I like the potential here and am looking forward to riding this out, a little sad this is the end, but feeling confident that they can pull off a killer season and end just at the right moment in time.
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Jason Collin Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 10:11 PM
There are still 16 more hours of LOST so things could still end up anywhere with that amount of time.
It’s about time to watch the 3rd episode now!
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