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'Lost': A stranger among us
OK, Lost children, I know you've been waiting anxiously all week for The Big Event, but you're going to have to wait one more day. I know, I'm a major tease, but I want to make sure it's fully ready for deployment, and letting it simmer another 24 hours should do the trick. What am I talking about? Read on!
It's the recap of "Stranger in a Strange Land," naturally, undoubtedly the worst episode of Lost ever aired. If it were a member of The Brady Bunch, it would be Cousin Oliver. If it were the work of Nicholas Cage, it would be The Wicker Man. If it were an episode of Flavor of Love, it would be every episode ever aired of Flavor of Love. It's that bad. But I'll recap it in my own fashion tomorrow night. Trust me: I'll make it worth your wait. But a few things to tide you over...
1) Many of you have been referring to "Stranger in a Strange Land" by its acronym: SIASL. I think we should rename it more literally. Something along the lines of "We Like to Watch" or "Tattoo You" or "For the Love of God End Already!" Drop your suggested alternate title below.
2) We've set a new goal for Facebook group membership: 200! Feel free to invent your own formula derived from The Numbers in order to equal such a total.
3) Leave any questions regarding Season 3-specific topics below using the age-old "WAAAAAALT!" as your signal to me that you want a question answered on the blog. I hope to put out a "Letters from the Flame" article next week, and need your queries to do so.
4) While many of you have been dreaming about Season 5 of Lost, I've been dreaming about Lost. Period. The latest involved some plot in which I had to fake being Juliet's boyfriend in order to help her escape from The Others. This makes no sense in the least, given the plot of Lost, but it's one of many dreams in which I am either a participant in or viewer of editions of Lost in my noggin. Since I can't be the only one here that experiences this, consider the comments below an open thread to discuss any Lost-related dreams. Please, for the love of all Jacob considers holy, keep your dream stories clean.
Hopefully that will keep you occupied over the next twenty-four hours.
Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude, then peruses Zap2It's Guide to Lost Facebook group. He also encourages you to leave questions for the producers and cast of Lost here.
WAAAAAAAAALT: What do you make of these new characters Nikki and Paulo? It seems they walk among the lostaways, but they are not one (two?) of them.
A-Rob | Nov 5, 2008 7:18:43 PM | #WALLLLTTT: Why does Jack act so wierd from the moment we see him playing football with Tom up until the episode before the finale?
He acts totally bizarre when talking to Kate at Tom's house, he doesn't share any information about his time with The Others, he's ridiculously protective of Juliet, and wierdest of all, seems totally at peace with everything that's happened to him.
Even the fellow survivors ask each other whether he can be trusted anymore. Then all of a sudden, he's angry again and ready to blow The Others to smitherines. What's up with that?
I feel like this whole wierd behavior, "Can we trust Jack?" storyline was never really paid off. Do you agree?
BC | Nov 5, 2008 7:40:57 PM | #Oh yes. Sweet Sweet (well not really that sweet) Juliet. Few beauties on the island compare to the.
WAAAAAALT: (Spoiler Alert) Do you believe the eventual demise of Nikki and Paulo was written in the original script or a late add to season 3 because of fan backlash?
Jeff M | Nov 5, 2008 7:51:52 PM | #New name for SIASL: "I Want To Shoot The Sheriff...And This Whole Episode"
Random dream: Having a shower with Kate (see? I kept it "clean"!) Do you realize she's taken one in every season since 2?
WAAAAAALT: At what point in the Season 3 narrative do you think Locke made the decision to destroy every possible way to leave the Island or communicate with the outside world?
Other Sean | Nov 5, 2008 8:38:55 PM | #Other Sean, good man for keeping count of character showers! Keep up the good work!
Name for SIASL: "Torture" or "Btrwrth me alrde!"
I don't sleep, therefore I have no dreams.... I'll respect Ryan's request, and not mention any fantasies.
djc | Nov 6, 2008 1:12:19 AM | #Being a mathematician, I better get this one first!
(42+23-15)*(16-8-4) = 200
Enjoy :)
Todd | Nov 6, 2008 3:52:33 AM | #Morning, Dude. I just read your post about red shirts. I didn't put this comment there because I wasn't sure you'd see it.
I was trying to keep up with your "We Have To Go Back" recaps, but got waylayed by a hospital stay in July. Also, I have been watching the episodes when I run on my treadmill, which is only every other day. So, there was no way I could keep up. The last ep I watched was The Long Con. I very much look forward to finding your recap of whatever ep I watched and reading it the next day. Your recaps are by far the most detailed and far thinking on the web. I avoid reading any recap before I've watched the episode, so I can't really comment on any of them.
So, don't color me a redshirt....color me way way behind.
Later
Bert Hooks | Nov 6, 2008 5:12:56 AM | #Todd: you're the Daniel Faraday of this comment thread, hands down!
Bert: Glad to hear you're on the road to recovery!
Ryan | Nov 6, 2008 7:39:19 AM | #BC had an interesting topic. Why did Jack act so strange the second half of this season? (I'd forgotten about that.)
This post was such a tease. I saw the word "stranger" and got all excited. =)
My title:
"You say good-bai, and I say 'God no!'"
Natalie | Nov 6, 2008 8:56:10 AM | #WAAAALT! I second JeffM's question.
MK46 | Nov 6, 2008 9:48:08 AM | #The numbers are my constant. :)
Todd | Nov 6, 2008 10:30:35 AM | #WAAAAAALT: (Spoiler Alert) Do you believe the eventual demise of Nikki and Paulo was written in the original script or a late add to season 3 because of fan backlash?
Jeff M | Nov 5, 2008 7:51:52 PM | #
I can let somebody else, such as Ryan take this one. But my opinion is yes. It wouldn't make much sense to introduce new characters like that, have them involved in key plot points, and then kill them off. But with the backlash, they figured they'd cut their losses. Instead of continuing a storyline of unpopular characters, just get rid of them and ignore their impact.
Kevin | Nov 6, 2008 10:59:34 AM | #The way I understand it, Nikki & Paulo were put into the show as a personal indulgence of the writers to build a narrative arc around "Expose'", a fictional campy TV show popular in the world of "Lost", because the writers thought the show (and Nikki & Paulo in general) would be a great way to introduce some gags and funny moments. If you look at some deleted scenes on the Season 3 DVD, they were trying to build Nikki & Paulo as comic relief - for example, Nikki goes to Kate for sex advice and it turns awkward quickly.
The backlash to the characters and the way they were introduced into the show basically put an end to it, so they took alot of the moments they were planning (and the Expose' backstory) and just condensed it into a single episode, their last one.
Other Sean | Nov 6, 2008 11:31:03 AM | #My alternate title for the episode in question: Don't Bitch About One Poor Episode So Much, Because ABC Could Have Canceled Lost After the First 13 Episodes If the Ratings Had Tanked, So Be Happy It's Still On the Air At All, Thanks.
Runner Up: If a Supporting Character Falls In the Jungle, Does It Make a Sound?
Runner Up Runner Up: How To Piss Off the Entire Fan Base Without Really Trying.
Random Dream: There was Kate. And Claire. And Juliet. And a bubble bath. And two bottles of Hershey's Syrup. That's all I'm saying. :P
WAAAAAAAAALLLLLTTTT!: No question, I just really, really like typing that. Hee-hee!
Thorny | Nov 6, 2008 12:32:43 PM | #Name for SIASL:
"Stranger - Hate It Totally!"
The acronym might turn some people off.....
WAAAAAAAAALT!
In "Flashes" during the scene where Desmond encounters Charlie busking and it starts to rain, Charlie puts his cardboard sign in his guitar case and closes the lid, leaving his guitar out of the case to continue to get rained on. WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH HIM?
bassboneman, maybe it's a super-special Dharma guitar, guaranteed to not warp, even in the worst of tropical climates...i.e., The Island. I always wondered how Charlie kept that damn thing in tune when the humidity is about 165%. Maybe that's why the amps sometimes go up to 11? :P
And, Thorny, I guess your "dream" answers my question about whether or not you're a guy. :)
Kara Mel Apples | Nov 6, 2008 3:13:29 PM | #WAAALLT!: I have a question for all the regulars here:
Most people agree that by trimming the fat out of Season 4 and just telling the essentials, the storytelling got a much needed kick in the ass. So based on the shorter episode orders (let's say 16 or 17), what are the six or so episodes from each of the first three seasons that could easily be pulled out to make those seasons tighter?
| Nov 7, 2008 2:00:03 PM | #WAAALLT!: I have a question for all the regulars here:
Most people agree that by trimming the fat out of Season 4 and just telling the essentials, the storytelling got a much needed kick in the ass. So based on the shorter episode orders (let's say 16 or 17), what are the six or so episodes from each of the first three seasons that could easily be pulled out to make those seasons tighter?
Sambob | Nov 7, 2008 2:01:02 PM | #Sambob, you might want to re-ask your question in the more recent post, since regulars have a habit of ignoring older posts. Sorry, but that's how it is around here.
Thorny | Nov 7, 2008 2:41:57 PM | #Well, I'm a regular and I'm not ignoring anyone. But I also don't expect every post --from me or anyone else-- to get a response every time. Just too much chatter. I post 1-2x a week and rarely if ever get a personal response from anyone. So I can either assume everyone hates me and ignores me, or my posts don't require a response. I may be stupid, but I'd prefer to think it is the latter and not that I'm so "disliked." But that's just me.
I think Sambob has a great question. Even if the "regulars" don't always read posts on older threads, I think Ryan probably tries to stay on top of them, especially when he has asked for input.
djc | Nov 7, 2008 5:37:41 PM | #Thanks for the tip. I'll move it to the "Starnger in a Strange Land" talkback since it's relevant there, too.
Sambob | Nov 7, 2008 8:22:53 PM | #
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