'Lost': I Do

Ending the controversial six-episode arc of Season 3's Fall with a Kate flashback might not have been the sanest thing the producers of Lost ever did. People were already fed up by the slow pace, the complete dominance of the Others, and the surfeit of screen time for two bozos we'd never seen before. But now? This is just the episode after Eko dies and the one before Juliet's ex gets pancaked by a bus. As such, it goes down much smoother. DVD is like a spoonful of sugar that way, people. It helps both the btwrth and the Kate flashbacks goes down much easier.

End of an era, kids. How many of you had "Bernard" in the "last remaining Tailie neither killed nor brainwashed" office pool? Exactly. Here lies the sad tale of Mr. Eko: Nigerian warlord, unorthodox priest, polar bear snack, and smoke monster victim. The smoke monster had Paolo and Nikki right there for the killing, but no, it had to go kill a fan fave. That smoke monster's a lot like Ben Linus' version of fate: a fickle...well, you know what. I understand the behind the scenes reasons why this happened, but can any Lost fan truly argue that the show is better without Eko? I love the show more than peanut butter, y'all: but I miss this character something fierce.

Didja know Sawyer's a con man? I swear, he is. And even though Lost seems to think you've forgotten, they are gonna spend another hour reintroducing you to James Ford: Con Man.  Course, this time around they added a slight twist (he cons for the love of his daughter!), but if you've seen one episode about cons, you've kinda seen them all at this point. Luckily, the flashbacks are kept to a minimum as Sawyer meets his on-Island (or should I say off-Island) match this time around.

There are many pros and cons about being known as "the Lost blogger." Sure, I'm far from the only one, but those who know me (in real life or virtually) pretty much know me first and foremost as "the Lost blogger." I kinda wish they'd opt for "the super awesome dude," but hey, beggars can't be choosers. But every once in a while, being known as "the Lost blogger" has its benefits, as when a few hundred people simultaneously sent me emails with the title "Lost Season 5 Trailer OMG!!!" late last week. Even my grandmother sent me one, which astounded me in that I wasn't aware she knew about either Lost or the internet.

It's my firm belief that this blog, while pretty darn tootin' cool, is not the be all and end all of the online Lost universe. I know, I sometimes act that way, and sure, I had that limited edition of "Be All And End All of the Online Lost Universe" baby tees printed, but I blame that all on imbibing too much Dharma boxed wine. Point is this: I'm but one element of the overall body that is the Lost online world, and occasionally I look towards another organ, limb, or capillary in order to get some (non-spoilery) information about the Lost universe.

This episode marks a first in the We Have to Go Back series: the first episode I liked LESS second time around. Every other episode I've either maintained my general enthusiasm or increased it, but this episode just feels off to me in hindsight. More »

Lost wants to know that Sun is a very bad person. She cheats on her husband. She gets maids fired for no reason. She paid a lot for this muffler, dammit! She's a horrible, horrible person, and if this all sounds out of character and out of left field, well, then, my point's been made. The final scene might make you think this is a better episode than it is, but trust me: taken as a whole, it's a sub-par episode in a season that took a little while in finding its footing.

We're onto Season 3 here in the We Have to Go Back Campaign. I know, time flies when you're recapping all the episodes of Lost in anticipation for the start of Season 5. I know my hands and wrists sure can't wait for that glorious day. In this episode, we have underwater hatches, French presses, and a new perspective on the crash of Oceanic 815. Literally.

You wanted the best, you got...my latest podcast. Oh well, can't win 'em all, Lost fans. But trust me when I say this is a good one. The wife and I spent thirty minutes answering your questions about all things Season 2 related. We thought about abandoning the podcasts for interpretive dance, but common sense won out in the end. But trust me: I had some sweet moves to describe Eko's motivation for pushing the button in Locke's absence. But something about my wife's mood was...off. Why so off? Well, you'll have to listen to learn.

I kid around here a lot on the Lost blog. No real secret. This shouldn't be some stodgy, clinical, academic exercise here. I don't write two thousand word entries about the difference between Blue Suited Christian and Cabin Christian to produce some piercing illumination about the show that will rock the Internet as we know it: I do it because I find it fun to think about topics such as that. I couldn't possibly have an output like I do here if I wasn't having fun, and I am not afraid to let that show. In short: I take this gig very seriously, but on a fundamental level, I try to not take the show too seriously, and above all take MYSELF too seriously.