Lost from the beginning (NO SPOILERS)
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The Substitute:
Lost answers questions with more questions! Gaaaah!
In the alternate universe, we see the real John Locke again. Um, sorta. Since it might be an alternate universe I don't know if it's really our Locke, but, well you know what I mean. Locke is still in a wheelchair in this universe. He's still in the same crappy box company job, too. There are some differences, though. He's still together with Helen, and they're engaged. Dialogue also implies that he's on very goof terms with his father. He's not at his same job for long though, as he gets fired for not actually attending his conference in Australia, and trying to go on the walkabout. He runs in to Hurley in the parking lot, and the two end up hitting it off. Hurley recommends him to a recruiting agency for a new job. The head of this agency is Rose. Locke wants to do construction work. Rose is apparently the only person in the world allowed to tell Locke what he can't do, though. He accepts a job as a substitute teacher. On the faculty is Ben Linus. Well, isn't that something.
I'm really hoping that these flash-sideways are leading to something interesting. Right now they seem completely detached from everything else. I mean, they're intriguing, but there had better be some big reason.
The happenings on the island are pretty interesting as well. The cat is let out of the bag that Ben is the one that killed Jacob. The crew with Illana decides to move towards the temple, but not before burying Locke. This leads to, as Frank says "the weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to."
Not often that the murderer is at the funeral to say he's sorry.
Meanwhile, Smocke finds Sawyer and manages to recruit him to his cause. He tells Sawyer that there's something he wants to show him, and the two begin a jungle trek. When Smocke steps away for a little bit, a very frantic Richard runs out of the jungle telling Sawyer to basically run for his life. I've never seen Richard this way before. Smocke must be pretty bad news.
The trek does bear some fruit, though, in the form of a cave covered in names. They just happen to be the names of our heroes. Each one of them is also associated with one of "the numbers." Meaning unknown at this time. Smocke explains that each of the people is a candidate to become the new Jacob. Ha! I was right! Conspicuously absent are the names of Kate and Claire. Also, only one of the Kwons is a candidate.
So....one mystery down, then. Of course, this raises so many other questions, such as how were the candidates selected? Do the numbers attached to each name have deeper meaning, or are they arbitrary? How did these numbers come to be so prevalent on the island and beyond? My head is spinning.
Lost answers questions with more questions! Gaaaah!
In the alternate universe, we see the real John Locke again. Um, sorta. Since it might be an alternate universe I don't know if it's really our Locke, but, well you know what I mean. Locke is still in a wheelchair in this universe. He's still in the same crappy box company job, too. There are some differences, though. He's still together with Helen, and they're engaged. Dialogue also implies that he's on very goof terms with his father. He's not at his same job for long though, as he gets fired for not actually attending his conference in Australia, and trying to go on the walkabout. He runs in to Hurley in the parking lot, and the two end up hitting it off. Hurley recommends him to a recruiting agency for a new job. The head of this agency is Rose. Locke wants to do construction work. Rose is apparently the only person in the world allowed to tell Locke what he can't do, though. He accepts a job as a substitute teacher. On the faculty is Ben Linus. Well, isn't that something.
I'm really hoping that these flash-sideways are leading to something interesting. Right now they seem completely detached from everything else. I mean, they're intriguing, but there had better be some big reason.
The happenings on the island are pretty interesting as well. The cat is let out of the bag that Ben is the one that killed Jacob. The crew with Illana decides to move towards the temple, but not before burying Locke. This leads to, as Frank says "the weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to."
Not often that the murderer is at the funeral to say he's sorry.Meanwhile, Smocke finds Sawyer and manages to recruit him to his cause. He tells Sawyer that there's something he wants to show him, and the two begin a jungle trek. When Smocke steps away for a little bit, a very frantic Richard runs out of the jungle telling Sawyer to basically run for his life. I've never seen Richard this way before. Smocke must be pretty bad news.
The trek does bear some fruit, though, in the form of a cave covered in names. They just happen to be the names of our heroes. Each one of them is also associated with one of "the numbers." Meaning unknown at this time. Smocke explains that each of the people is a candidate to become the new Jacob. Ha! I was right! Conspicuously absent are the names of Kate and Claire. Also, only one of the Kwons is a candidate.
So....one mystery down, then. Of course, this raises so many other questions, such as how were the candidates selected? Do the numbers attached to each name have deeper meaning, or are they arbitrary? How did these numbers come to be so prevalent on the island and beyond? My head is spinning.
^That would be one freaking huge letdown if that's the explanation for the numbers. It's barely an explanation at all.
Another slight difference between the two timelines, which I only noticed because I just watched "Walkabout" last night. In this "new" timeline, Locke went to Sydney for a conference i.e. on the company dime. But in the original timeline as per "Walkabout", Locke was on vacation.
Well, without spoiling anything or giving an answer either way, I can say we haven't seen the last of the numbers yet this season. Well, I guess that's sort of spoiler-ish. All I'm saying is, that wasn't the last of the numbers.
"The Substitute" was actually pretty decent owing no small part to the island-side part of the story. I'm just not feeling the Flash Sideways. And this seemed to be just "there". I mean were any of the scenes that involving--I mean we get a John/jerk boss scene, the Hurley/John parking lot scene, the Rose/John employment scene etc. I really can't say any of them were that interesting or probing. They merely existed to get John to the school position. So yeah it is set-up but LOST had a knack for making the journey to the point where they needed the characters to be to advance the story much more entertaining than we got here. Plus it was about here that the whole "crossing paths" trick LOST ushered in that had initially been very creepy and intriguing in the early years had become tired.
Like I said the more interesting stuff took place on the island. We learned MIB might have once been human so what turned him into a pillar of black smoke? Also who was the little boy that seemed to unnerve MIB? Perhaps a third party from the ancient civilization? And if so that means Jacob and he are yet more pawns instead of the actual manipulators orchestrating all this.
I was glad to see the Numbers return and their use here was effective. MIB also referred to "balance" and "scales" hinting more about the delicate balance of good and evil within an individual as we recently heard regarding Sayid, Claire and the Infection. I also thought the MIB POV at the beginning of the show as we saw him move about the island was just a neat thing to do.
All in all one of the better episodes.
Like I said the more interesting stuff took place on the island. We learned MIB might have once been human so what turned him into a pillar of black smoke? Also who was the little boy that seemed to unnerve MIB? Perhaps a third party from the ancient civilization? And if so that means Jacob and he are yet more pawns instead of the actual manipulators orchestrating all this.
I was glad to see the Numbers return and their use here was effective. MIB also referred to "balance" and "scales" hinting more about the delicate balance of good and evil within an individual as we recently heard regarding Sayid, Claire and the Infection. I also thought the MIB POV at the beginning of the show as we saw him move about the island was just a neat thing to do.
All in all one of the better episodes.
Gotta disagree. The off-island scenes continued to underscore the subtle differences between what we were seeing and what we would have expected to see if this were just "what if the plane had never crashed?". It continued the mystery started in "LA X" that this timeline was more complicated than that.
Yes I understood what the writers were trying to do but I personally felt that they failed to dramatize or present those differences in a compelling manner. As such I was pretty much bored by not just this FSW but all of them.
It was just retreading themes and information we already knew about these characters from six seasons and so none of it felt particularly fresh. I mean did we learn anything we hadn't known from the much more effective S1 flashback stories for these characters where we learned about their hang-ups and flaws that plagued them--I don't think so.
If you sit down and analyze word-by-word and the scenes as wholes there really isn't all that much there in my opinion--but obviously you feel differently and I can respect that.
It was just retreading themes and information we already knew about these characters from six seasons and so none of it felt particularly fresh. I mean did we learn anything we hadn't known from the much more effective S1 flashback stories for these characters where we learned about their hang-ups and flaws that plagued them--I don't think so.
If you sit down and analyze word-by-word and the scenes as wholes there really isn't all that much there in my opinion--but obviously you feel differently and I can respect that.
I agree. I really appreciated the flash-sideways stories; there was clearly a lot more going on than met the eye. There were parallels between the two universes, and it really heightened the mystery for me.
Yes they were intriguing watching them the first time to some degree due to the mystery of their exact nature and intrigue is certainly an important ingredient in entertainment but after we learn what they are--which I'm not going to get into here--and the intrigue/mystery surrounding them is gone how do they stand up on their own as character scenes--and for me not very well. You might end up with one decent final scene in each episode's FSW.
They're lots of fun on rewatch. I love when Locke gets angry at Hurley and says, "Have you ever parked a car IN YOUR LIFE?!"
For the record, flashsideways were my favorite part of season 6 and the reason why I still found it enjoyable, though less than the earlier seasons. It's the Island stuff that was incredibly disappointing (though I liked the both backstory/flashback episodes... yes, both of them).
I like the trippy sound FX going into the flash sideways.
This episode raises another one of Lost's mysteries -- how did Hurley even get out of his vehicle in the first place?
I think it was the passenger said that was close to Locke's car. Makes sense if they were both parked in the same direction.
Alright. I'm back with a couple more
Lighthouse:
Jack has a flash-sideways to himself this time. In this universe, he had an appendectomy at an early age, and he has a son. His relationship with his son, big surprise, is strained. They make up, eventually, of course. Can't have our heroes going around being bad parents, can we? I mean it's not like Kate abandoned....oh wait. And Michael never...heh, um..... Well, at least Sun didn't leave......um, never mind.
Man, the characters on Lost are all really lousy parents. :lol
Now we move on to island. Jin has a really really nasty injury that they insist on showing us closeups of over and over.
Looks like three years alone have done a real number on Claire. She's batshit crazy, now. She thinks that the Others have her baby, and even after Jin tells her that they don't, she still executes a guy in cold blood. She's also friends with the Man in Black. I guess him posing as her father and gaining her trust would do that. Claire also tells Jin that if Kate really had her baby she would kill her (please, please, please!)
Hurley gets sent on a new quest by Jacob. It's nice to see him step up and take charge. He's not typically the person you would think of as a leader, but he's always had it in him. While Jack may be the obvious candidate for Jacob's job, I wouldn't count Hurley out for it either. Hurley has to take Jack, and only Jack, to a lighthouse. I really wanted to slap Jack when he tried to invite Kate along. Thankfully she showed some rare sense and declined.
So, what's in the lighthouse? Pretty much the same stuff that we found out in the last episode. The only difference is Jack and Hurley finding out about it this time. There is a bit more number stuff, how they correspond to degrees on the wheel. It would seem that turning the wheel a certain way allows you to look at another place in the world. Is this how Jacob selected his candidates? Is there little more significance than they were the people that would appear in the mirror? This still doesn't explain where the heck the numbers came from and why they keep popping up. Jack puts an end to any further use of the mirror by smashing it to bits. Well, so much for that.
Sundown:
Sayid is dead. Whatever is inhabiting his body now is not Sayid. That much is clear. He's sent out of the temple by Dogen to talk to Smocke. He's also given a magical dagger (
) that should kill him. It doesn't work, (good) and Sayid is turned to the dark side. He claims all he wants is the woman he loved back. Now, is he talking about Nadiya, or Shannon? Either way, it looks like the darkness has taken him. What a tough life this guy has led. He's done horrible things that he is truly sorry for. Yet, every time he tries to redeem himself, he gets pulled further and further into the black. Is there still any hope for him?
Even in the flash-sideways universe he doesn't have any luck. He's still not with Nadiya, and he's still being asked to do evil. He resists at first, but must relent when his family comes under attack. It was pretty cool seeing Keamy as the loan shark. He was an enjoyable character in season four, simply for how freaking evil he was. Well, Sayid does what he does best, and ends every person in that room. He does find Jin in the pantry as well. I guess we'll have to wait until Jin's flash-sideways to find out the story behind that one.
All hell breaks loose in the temple once Sayid returns with his message. Most of the people leave to join Smocke's party. There's a few holdouts, such as Dogen and the John Lennon look-alike. There's also a bit of an attempt to flesh out Dogen's character. It seems rather pointless though, as Sayid goes crazy and kills him. Then he kills John Lennon, too. Smokey is then free to infiltrate the temple. They really haven't been shy of showing what Smokey can do lately. It makes for some great looking action. In the end, Miles ends up escaping with Illana's crew, while Kate ends up stuck with Smocke's. Clearly that's not where she wants to be, but it would seem Smocke will tolerate her for the moment.
Pretty good couple of episodes. I won't miss the temple, really. It was a little underwhelming what was there. I felt like, after seasons of buildup, that the reveal should have been bigger.
Lighthouse:
Jack has a flash-sideways to himself this time. In this universe, he had an appendectomy at an early age, and he has a son. His relationship with his son, big surprise, is strained. They make up, eventually, of course. Can't have our heroes going around being bad parents, can we? I mean it's not like Kate abandoned....oh wait. And Michael never...heh, um..... Well, at least Sun didn't leave......um, never mind.
Man, the characters on Lost are all really lousy parents. :lolNow we move on to island. Jin has a really really nasty injury that they insist on showing us closeups of over and over.
Looks like three years alone have done a real number on Claire. She's batshit crazy, now. She thinks that the Others have her baby, and even after Jin tells her that they don't, she still executes a guy in cold blood. She's also friends with the Man in Black. I guess him posing as her father and gaining her trust would do that. Claire also tells Jin that if Kate really had her baby she would kill her (please, please, please!)Hurley gets sent on a new quest by Jacob. It's nice to see him step up and take charge. He's not typically the person you would think of as a leader, but he's always had it in him. While Jack may be the obvious candidate for Jacob's job, I wouldn't count Hurley out for it either. Hurley has to take Jack, and only Jack, to a lighthouse. I really wanted to slap Jack when he tried to invite Kate along. Thankfully she showed some rare sense and declined.
So, what's in the lighthouse? Pretty much the same stuff that we found out in the last episode. The only difference is Jack and Hurley finding out about it this time. There is a bit more number stuff, how they correspond to degrees on the wheel. It would seem that turning the wheel a certain way allows you to look at another place in the world. Is this how Jacob selected his candidates? Is there little more significance than they were the people that would appear in the mirror? This still doesn't explain where the heck the numbers came from and why they keep popping up. Jack puts an end to any further use of the mirror by smashing it to bits. Well, so much for that.
Sundown:
Sayid is dead. Whatever is inhabiting his body now is not Sayid. That much is clear. He's sent out of the temple by Dogen to talk to Smocke. He's also given a magical dagger (
) that should kill him. It doesn't work, (good) and Sayid is turned to the dark side. He claims all he wants is the woman he loved back. Now, is he talking about Nadiya, or Shannon? Either way, it looks like the darkness has taken him. What a tough life this guy has led. He's done horrible things that he is truly sorry for. Yet, every time he tries to redeem himself, he gets pulled further and further into the black. Is there still any hope for him?Even in the flash-sideways universe he doesn't have any luck. He's still not with Nadiya, and he's still being asked to do evil. He resists at first, but must relent when his family comes under attack. It was pretty cool seeing Keamy as the loan shark. He was an enjoyable character in season four, simply for how freaking evil he was. Well, Sayid does what he does best, and ends every person in that room. He does find Jin in the pantry as well. I guess we'll have to wait until Jin's flash-sideways to find out the story behind that one.
All hell breaks loose in the temple once Sayid returns with his message. Most of the people leave to join Smocke's party. There's a few holdouts, such as Dogen and the John Lennon look-alike. There's also a bit of an attempt to flesh out Dogen's character. It seems rather pointless though, as Sayid goes crazy and kills him. Then he kills John Lennon, too. Smokey is then free to infiltrate the temple. They really haven't been shy of showing what Smokey can do lately. It makes for some great looking action. In the end, Miles ends up escaping with Illana's crew, while Kate ends up stuck with Smocke's. Clearly that's not where she wants to be, but it would seem Smocke will tolerate her for the moment.
Pretty good couple of episodes. I won't miss the temple, really. It was a little underwhelming what was there. I felt like, after seasons of buildup, that the reveal should have been bigger.
Right about here is where I started feeling LOST slipped in its storytelling. These two episodes just didn't have the spark to them. Just look at "The Lighthouse" lackluster cliffhanger--we meet Claire's friend who everyone in the audience knew would be MIB.
Also LOST was great at executing big action sequences but the big attack on the Temple by Smokey should have been oozing with tension but not much was there. Also this was on paper a big bloody massacre and it just didn't feel terrifying or a like a game-changer where the stakes have been raised to the next level. Even worse you have a beloved character like Sayid seemingly lost forever to the darkness culminating in cold blooded murder of Dogen yet for me it felt so routine--I should have been stunned, recoiled by what I just witnessed and fearing for what lies ahead but it was like so much else this season--"there". Although I never tire of seeing Smokey in action--with his pillar of smoke form, the flashes of light in him and the cool sound associated with his appearances.
The Lighthouse was neat and I was curious about who was coming to the island. But the return to the S1 cave felt less like a nostalgic stroll down memory lane and came across more as the writers screaming "Look there is the old cave set, this is the final season, this oughta make you feel sentimental".
Both sideway stories were boring yet again. Surely they could have done a better job in crafting these stories to make them feel more compelling and not so much like underwhelmingly run-of-the-mill vignettes. I know the Jack's son reveal was suppose to be one of LOST's [TM] WTF reveals/water cooler grist but it too fell flat. I could care less about this David or who his mom might be. And sticking Dogen in the FSW was pretty pointless other than to cram another familiar face into this storyline.
Both episodes were astonishly average.
Also LOST was great at executing big action sequences but the big attack on the Temple by Smokey should have been oozing with tension but not much was there. Also this was on paper a big bloody massacre and it just didn't feel terrifying or a like a game-changer where the stakes have been raised to the next level. Even worse you have a beloved character like Sayid seemingly lost forever to the darkness culminating in cold blooded murder of Dogen yet for me it felt so routine--I should have been stunned, recoiled by what I just witnessed and fearing for what lies ahead but it was like so much else this season--"there". Although I never tire of seeing Smokey in action--with his pillar of smoke form, the flashes of light in him and the cool sound associated with his appearances.
The Lighthouse was neat and I was curious about who was coming to the island. But the return to the S1 cave felt less like a nostalgic stroll down memory lane and came across more as the writers screaming "Look there is the old cave set, this is the final season, this oughta make you feel sentimental".
Both sideway stories were boring yet again. Surely they could have done a better job in crafting these stories to make them feel more compelling and not so much like underwhelmingly run-of-the-mill vignettes. I know the Jack's son reveal was suppose to be one of LOST's [TM] WTF reveals/water cooler grist but it too fell flat. I could care less about this David or who his mom might be. And sticking Dogen in the FSW was pretty pointless other than to cram another familiar face into this storyline.
Both episodes were astonishly average.
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