'Lost': Hugo is an OK guy

February 28, 08:31 PM

Let's make a pact, you and me and all the other Lost watchers out there. Let's agree, from now on, just to ignore ABC Promo Voiceover Guy for the rest of however long the show's on the air. Because he does a disservice to the show with his overzealous intonations.

See, I really rather enjoyed Wednesday's Hurley-focused episode. But I kept hearing Promo Guy's voice in the back of my mind, telling me that this was an episode everyone was going to be talking about tomorrow, and I don't think everyone will be. (My colleague Alan Sepinwall is bothered too, and gets the skinny from ABC.)

But since I'm choosing to ignore Promo Guy, I'm just going to focus on the show itself. Which, again, I rather liked.

After nine episodes that were almost all downbeat, it was nice to see the show lighten up a little, as is often the case when Jorge Garcia is front and center. His seemingly quixotic effort to get an old VW Microbus (property of the Dharma Initiative) upright and running seemed to have a positive effect on several of his fellow castaways -- he got Charlie to quit moping about his possibly imminent death, Sawyer to cheer up after his latest little psychodrama with Kate (or maybe that was just the beer, but still), and Jin to have more than a few seconds of screen time.

Did we learn much new about Hurley from the flashbacks, save that he was skinny till his dad (the well-stunt-cast Cheech Marin) left home and that a meteor destroyed the Mr. Cluck where he once worked? Not really, save that he's also a member of the Lost Daddy Issues Club, joining Jack, Kate, Locke, Sawyer and Sun. Jin (daddy-in-law issues), Claire (babydaddy issues) and Desmond (would-be daddy-in-law issues) are adjunct members.

In both the Hurley story and the B-plot involving Kate, though, there was at least a little indication that the islanders, you know, talk to each other about stuff. She summarized the events on Alcatraz for Sayid and Locke, Charlie told Hurley about Desmond's premonitions, Locke shared his Eko's walking stick-based calculations (the look on Sayid's face as he relayed this bit of info to Kate was pretty priceless). And, probably most important, Kate shared with Rousseau her belief that the Frenchwoman's daughter is alive and living among the Others.

Well done, islanders -- keep up the chatter.

Tonight, though, was all about Hurley and the joy he spread. Some of the better moments:

"'Crafty.' It's like, when you're good at ... crafts."
Sawyer's English lesson to Jin, consisting of "the only things a woman ever needs to hear": "I'm sorry," "You were right" and "Those pants don't make you look fat."
Hurley's pep talk to Charlie (across America, people cheered when he slapped the mopey musician across the face): "Let's look death in the face and say, 'Whatever, man.'"
Hurley: "You're gonna help us fix it." Sawyer: "Why the hell would I do that?" Hurley: "'Cause there's beer."

Now, presumably the castaways could put the vehicle to some use beyond Hugo's redemption -- or at least study the map they found inside. And if there's a car, it would stand to reason that Dharma has a stash of gas somewhere. I'm thinking that might be handy as well. Those, though, are issues for another time. Tonight, I'm sticking to my happy place.

What about you? Happy to see Lost lighten up a little? And can we all agree to ignore Voiceover Guy?

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Comments (35)

Comments

I also too liked this episode, though I am one of the guys that liked the others this season as well. Yes, we need to avoid the voiceover guy at all costs. I liked having Kate's B-plot in there because it gave me something to look forward to next week. There was really one character that I missed seeing and that was Locke, because he is definitely one of the most interesting characters in the story. I think next week with him Sayid, the french women, and Kate will be very good.

Randy | Feb 28, 2007 8:39:35 PM | #

Probably the best episode of the season. Just perfect in all regards, THIS is how "Lost" is supposed to be. A show about faith and hope in the face of absolute adversity. Last week's episode proved doomsayers about ratings equating the show's quality right. This week proved them wrong.

As for the "meteor hitting Mr Cluck's" being 'new' info, it isn't. We already knew it happened, we just didn't know the specifics. For instance, we DIDN'T know Hurley bought the place BEFORE it was hit by the meteorite.

Frank Rook | Feb 28, 2007 10:42:52 PM | #

The Charlie-Hurley stuff? Good.

The Jin-Sawyer stuff? Great.

The Kate story with Locke, Sayid and Rousseau has me already geared up for next week.

Why the hell does Paulo keep stopping Nikki from interacting with the main guys? He didn't want her to go the the Pearl station, and tonight he pulled her back when she tried to go with Hurley and the car (rewind and check). They haven't sold me on them yet, but I refuse to hat them until I know more about them. I hated Jin in season 1 and now he's my favorite character so let's see what happens.

Plus, yay! Vincent! and more yay, no Jack! I think the first Jack-less episode since "The Other 48 Days." But seriously, 9 Jack flashbacks and only 2 for Claire? Seems lopsided.

All in all, a decent episode. Not great, but decent.

Jeff | Feb 28, 2007 11:35:56 PM | #

Thouroughly enjoyed the episode. Loved the way the stereo started up, then Jin and Sawyer piled in and they had a little road trip around the meadow. A light hearted episode was needed after so many tense ones in a row. Any episode about hope is welcome.
Sawyer continues to be a great character, and his interaction with Jin was excellent.

C | Mar 1, 2007 5:10:43 AM | #

I loved this ep as well. I've been ignoring Promo guy since day one (he does just spoil it with empty-poitntless-promises). I loved the bus (I have an even older version) and the road to Shambala (still humming it) I am looking forward to Locke, Sayid and the French woman because I always think they've got interesting interactions and story arcs.

no-idol | Mar 1, 2007 5:11:50 AM | #

very likabke epsiode - just like all the hurley eps. as for jack not being in it and jeff giving that a yay bothers me. jack is my favourite, and yeah they sometimes write slow epsiodes for him you have to look past that, most jack episodes are the best in my eyes. he's the leader and rescuer for all, i think he gets a bum wrap - everyone loves sawyer but jack is truly the better protagonist. but back to last night's, i liked the sub plots, i think thats what was missing this season.

Kirk | Mar 1, 2007 5:21:52 AM | #

Heroes and Lost both had excellent episodes this week. I sure wish ABC and or some higher powers would "save" this show; because I am seriously starting to worry about it lasting another season; let alone to a 5th season! Ugh!

Jason | Mar 1, 2007 5:29:44 AM | #

lost will be back no matter, and possibly for a ffith season - which is what they always planned so i m not wooried, people just need to stick with it, because i can feel that it will get so much better, even though this season has been preet good anywyays, keep hope alive, for hurleys sake. and for all those former fans tuning out, were they real fans to begin with, probably not, the american tv viewer are complete a**holes.

Candice | Mar 1, 2007 5:38:28 AM | #

the time slot doesn't help the show. I know a lot of people who watch this show, who don't care too much about how fast questions get answered, but just like it...well they all have jobs in the morning and 10pm is a while to hold out. If the show is slightly off, it makes it worse for the waiting up. That's where the viewers are getting Lost. Also, the show isn't so racy that the high school crowd should be ruled out. I know they probably stay up til 11pm on a school night but they really shouldn't be. (I had to be in bed by 10 - latest - on a school night.) There's another potential loss of viewership.

There's not a lot of patience in the general american viewship. Qucik gratification is the order of the day (ugh). It's Deal or No Deal appeal. I think they can "save" the show by moving back to 8 or 9 - screw Idol, Grey's Anatomy beat it last time. And modifying their promos for the show. All they really need to do is give us little snippets without the whole voiceover aspect.

Oooh laaaaa, yeah yeah yeah yeah, On the road to Shambala... that's the answer, just keep playing little snippets of that song.

no-idol | Mar 1, 2007 6:37:00 AM | #

My thoughts exactly on the Promo Guy. Good Episode, all in all, though.

They need to focus on the characters on that part of the island for awhile.

Jason | Mar 1, 2007 6:38:54 AM | #

and did somene mention it already? But I had to love Sayid's explanation to Kate of where to look... (can't remember it word for word) but something like John saw the sun hit Mr.Eko's stick just right.

no-idol | Mar 1, 2007 6:39:41 AM | #

Loved it!

But how did Vincent get the arm out of the enclosed van? And why did they guy die in the car with the keys in his hand? Dun dun dun...

Matty | Mar 1, 2007 6:52:56 AM | #

I liked the episode, but was it suppose to come as a big shock to us that Alex could be the French womans daughter? ABC made it seem like we never thought of that before, ending on that note...

Also, it needs to go back to the 8 or 9 o'clock time slot. It's really killing me at 10, because even though I have Tivo and could watch it the next day instead, I dont want to hear any news about it during the day Thursday!!

Becks | Mar 1, 2007 8:03:32 AM | #

Shambala by Three Dog Night, that was it! It was bugging me this morning. Found it on MySpace, listening to it now.

C | Mar 1, 2007 8:04:36 AM | #

This was traditional don't worry be happy tv and it's exactly what Lost and its fans needed. Kate and Sawyer split up and they are discussed in a blog I like at JamiesLost | Mar 1, 2007 8:07:35 AM | #

I've always hated the promo guy. I just turn it off after LOST comes up and mute any ads for the show. Helps a LOT - besides the false promises, the promos show way too much and ruin the upcoming surprises (like Cindy's reappearance - that was one of the 3 promised "revelations" in that episode, and the show had nothing more than the promo did). Just don't watch them. At all. Ever. It really will help the show.

| Mar 1, 2007 8:13:45 AM | #

Favorite line of the night: when Hurley wants Charlie to run off after Vincent with him, Charlie's response: "Follow the dog with the decaying arm in his mouth into the creepy woods...?" (I probably don't have it exactly right, but it was laugh-out-loud funny, as were other moments in the episode -- loved it!)

Julie | Mar 1, 2007 9:28:42 AM | #

Regarding some of the worries about ratings and whether it'll be back next season: The show seems to have leveled off at about 13 million viewers a week, and it's still in the top 20 (maybe even top 15) in adults 18-49. I seriously doubt ABC would even think twice about bringing it back -- to say nothing of completely losing the trust of a bunch of viewers.

Rick | Mar 1, 2007 9:29:37 AM | #

When Sun told Jin that he needed to learn English, Jin responded in Korean. There are usually subtitles, but none was there. Was that a hint for everybody to learn Korean?

Ken | Mar 1, 2007 10:10:10 AM | #

I kind of liked the episode. It was fun, and I loved finally seeing the other losties interacting with each other again. I started to fall asleep though, and I don't know if it's because I was bored or tired. I used to be able to stay up until 11:00, but now with two elementary school kids - I'm just beat at the end of the day. Does the Lost audience really overlap that much with the American Idol audience? I think it's different, and they're probably losing viewers or at least losing people who watch the ads because everyone is Tivo-ing it now whether they want to or not.

Sue | Mar 1, 2007 11:00:27 AM | #

On LOST, like in life, sometimes you have a crappy week and other times you have a happy week. That's what I love about this show and why I refuse to carp on it. It follows the up and down, wholly unpredictable rhythm of life.

I thought this was one of the best episodes of the series. Not because it was all happy and warm (though it was a nice touch) but because we were reminded that even the simplest of things (in this case a beat up VW van) can bring us joy.

Also, any show that is twisted enough to have someone killed off by random meteor strike (into a fast food chicken shack, no less) is aces in my book. The scene was brilliant and looked amazing on my big screen TV.

Which brings me to my closing point...LOST has one of the largest "off network" audiences right now. That is, people who watch the show online, either at abc.com or from iTunes. While both are great back-up options, the series is so well shot (indeed, cinematic) that you are really missing something if you don't at least try to catch first-run episodes on as a big a screen as you can.

Bravo LOST, you continue to keep this faithful viewer very satisfied. Looking forward to Kate's rescue mission.

Ron H. | Mar 1, 2007 11:39:15 AM | #

All I have been thinking since the start of the season is where is Vincent? Is Vincent okay?? And why don't they keep better track of him? I am just happy he's safe, loved watching Hurley being Hurley, agree that it is odd that Paulo pulled Nikki back, loved Jin even more than always, wondered how badly skunked the beers would be after sitting in a hot rain forest for a few years (glad they addressed that) and Shambala blaring was awesome (and thought it was cute that Vincent was included with the gang when they were cruising!) Oh, and the window was open which is why the arm was accessible.

And if 10pm is too late, do what I do - go in late to work! lol

Michelle | Mar 1, 2007 12:05:32 PM | #

I'll take Hurley, Charlie, a VW bus and a case of beer over The Others any day. Sawyer was in top form (a map? who cares? there's beer!). Loved his bonding with Jin, too. Great episode!

hooked on phonics | Mar 1, 2007 2:57:18 PM | #

This was an okay episode, it's only real plus, for me, being that they lightened up a bit. Sawyer was at his comic best, and I was happy just to see Sayid, Jin, and Locke again (which is a sad statement about the direction the show's taken, really).

Sometimes I wish LOST aired like idol, with one group of characters on Tuesday and another on Wednesday. The plot lines are so disparate that it may as well play as two connected shows rather than one that ignores major characters for a season at a time.

Hurley's an excellent character. Too bad they just treat him as "the fat guy." I'm tiring of the daddy issues, too. Come on, J.J., Lindeloff, and crew! Didn't you get the daddy issues out of your systems with Alias? Move on!

Anyway, I stick with LOST for the excellent sense of drama and fantastic acting, but I can really see why viewership is down.

Enough with the flashbacks! We don't need them! Just tell the story on the island!

Brandon | Mar 1, 2007 5:51:56 PM | #

I agree w/ Brandon, let's focus on the what's happening on the island. There's so much happening that the flashbacks aren't as relevant as they used to be.

Enjoyed the Hurley-centric episode. But the flashback didn't really add much to his character. We get it, he's unlucky...now lets move on.

The entire sequence of them starting the car and going for a joyride was one of the best scenes this show has had in a while.

Bob | Mar 1, 2007 6:35:22 PM | #