Join me for another Virgin Diary entry on my favorite stranded castaways. This time I’m taking on the remainder of Season 2, from Episode 18, “Dave,” to Episodes 23-24, “Live Together, Die Alone,” and the beginning of Season 3, from Episode 1, “A Tale of Two Cities,” through Episode 8, “Flashes Before Your Eyes.”
Oh my. I feel like Lost has been quickly unraveling since my last post. So many characters have died and there has been so much betrayal and confusion that I don’t even know how I feel about the show right now. While I always knew Michael would do anything to look out for himself and Walt first and foremost, I really didn’t think he’d be capable of murdering innocent people for no apparent reason.
I can’t say I’m really sorry Ana Lucia is no longer around, but Libby’s death made me sad for Hurley. I understand Michael wanted to get his son safely back and be rescued from the island, but how could he shoot two people in cold blood, pull the trigger on himself and then act like it was someone else who had done the deed? Shame, shame, Michael. I know Walt and he will probably be back at some point, but I don’t think I can look either of them in the eyes again.
And another one bites the dust? So the death count has been rather heavy in this bout of episodes. I’ve seen Ana Lucia, Libby and Eko meet their deaths, and the last episode I watched implies that Charlie’s death may not be as far off into the future as I would like. Lost really enjoys getting you attached to these characters and then suddenly yanking them away from you, huh? Did they have to kill off everyone from the other survivors’ camp except Bernard? Eko was beginning to grow on me and I’m upset that a black mist (no matter how powerful they made it appear) brought him down.
I really do not like “The Others” now that I’m getting an opportunity to observe them. I understand this will probably change by the season’s end as I’m shown more of their stories, but I don’t get their motivations at this point. I understand they wanted Jack to perform spinal surgery on their leader (I know “Henry” is really Ben Linus) and I get that they took Kate and Sawyer as bait to get Jack to comply, but why were they keeping them locked in animal cages and making them do seemingly pointless manual labor? It really angered me. Nobody deserves to be treated that way. It angered me last season when Jack’s group was being mean to Ben, too. The crash survivors have only been there a few months – I don’t want them turning into savages yet.
The first part of Season 3 showing “The Others” witnessing the plane crash from what appeared to be normal suburbia really surprised me. I was having trouble deciding if they were on a different island or not. I didn’t think the Dharma Initiative would have spread over multiple islands. But if they were on the same island, why hadn’t Rousseau ever found their camp and rescued Alex? That fact and the last bit I watched showing Kate, Sawyer and Alex’s boyfriend escaping by boat seemed to indicate I was wrong.
I’m having trouble visualizing “The Others” as leftover Dharma Initiative scientists now because they almost seem more like a cult. I guess I’m saying this because of their ritualistic-looking robes they were wearing as they said goodbye to Danny’s wife, followed by what they were doing to Alex’s boyfriend after he tried to escape. It looked like they were trying to brainwash him into being a better follower.
Ben acts like he could be a charismatic cult leader who rules with an iron fist to keep their faith in his leadership intact. His people all seem afraid of him. At times, it feels like no one wants to be there, from Alex and Juliette to maybe even Tom (the “bearded man”). Now that Ben’s surgery is over, I’m wondering what will become of Jack. Will Kate and Sawyer come back for him? Will Ben keep his word about letting him go?
Have the survivors bought a one-way ticket into The Twilight Zone? Desmond’s episode about time-traveling and trying to do certain things over but being unable to do so has certainly left me wondering. Everyone’s visions and dreams keep getting weirder and weirder, though I did enjoy Locke’s vision in the airport depicting Desmond as a dashing pilot flirting with the stewardesses.
Nothing seems to make sense anymore! I feel very disillusioned and the clue-deciphering is making me a little weary, but I vow to keep watching.
WTF Moments (Season 2, Episode 18 – Season 3, Episode 8):
Memorable Quotes:
“We’re stuck in a bloody snow globe.” – Desmond
“Don’t mistake coincidence for fate.” – Locke
“The only way to gain a con man’s respect is to con him.” – Ben Linus (to Sawyer)
“My wonderful plan got shot to sunshine when you saw my damned x-rays and figured out I was dying.” – Ben Linus (to Jack)
“Ben is a liar and he is very dangerous. Some of us want a change but it has to look like an accident. And that’s up to you, Jack.” – Juliette’s recorded message to Jack
“Lift up your eyes and look north.” – Inscription on Eko’s stick that seems to have a meaning for Locke
“No matter what you try to do, you can’t change it.” – Desmond
They were kept in cages because Season 3 is when the producers realized that they couldn’t keep writing the show without some idea of how many episodes there would be. The show gets pretty aimless in there for a while…I think your next episode is the oh-so-exciting hour devoted to explaining why Jack has tattoos. It’s hard to tell a complete story when you have no idea how many more seasons you have to stall before giving out some actual answers. It was during Season 3 that the producers realized that they needed to have an ending point, and it was between Seasons 3 and 4 that they negotiated with ABC to set a finite end for the series, pinning down just how many episodes were left, and over how many seasons. This allowed them to really bring the show back to life in Season 4, and proceed pretty much straight through to the finale with interesting plots and storylines. No more stalling.
I think most LOST fans would agree that Season 3 is the nadir of the series, despite having some very good episodes, and introducing full-time some much-loved characters as Ben and Juliet (my comment a few of your posts ago about 2 of my favorite characters not even being in the 1st season referred to Ben & Juliet. There’s a lot to come with both of them, making them much more dimensional and relatable.) Your reactions to Nikki and Paulo, though, are subject to change after an episode later in Season 3.
P.S. Your Locke question will be answered in Season 3.
*POST AUTHOR*
Yes, I had a feeling that might be the case. I’m going to keep plugging along in hopes it will all make sense again…I felt like this post wasn’t my best because I was so muddled about all the recent events. :)
Aww, you’ve reached the point where it all goes to hell. I always felt that the showrunners realized they were in it for the long haul, had no idea what they’re story/end-game was, and decided to give themselves options. Seriously, Walt? It’s one of those story lines that didn’t really matter, beyond a plot driver.
This season is heartbreaking. It also introduces some great new characters. Really. They’re keepers.
This show ruined the actress who plays Juliet for me in the Season 5 finale. Flash Forward came out later, and I just couldn’t. And her character could have been really interesting. And she does get back-story, but it does get cheesy.
But, as bad as it gets, and it does get bad, keep going. Season 6 is as perfect as a show involving time-travel with no end game can get. And it’s better since you’re watching straight through, opposed to waiting 6 years for the pay-off. The end is beautiful enough to sustain the low points, and you’re not even to the low points yet.
*POST AUTHOR*
I’m looking forward to the pay-off very much, I’m dying of curiosity! It’s about all I can do to just Google the ending and end it. :)
The Lost wait for the big pay-off at the end was torture. But at least we had time to digest each show..talk about it to our friends..read some recaps..make some sense out of it. I would have loved to have gone without all the breaks..but I can’t imagine all that information coming at me so fast as in the way you are watching it. I would probably not be able to stop myself from watching another..then another..then at the end your brain is fried!
*POST AUTHOR*
That’s exactly how it is Toni! I’ve gone through two and a half seasons since the beginning of June – I haven’t watched so many episodes of the same show every free minute in a long, long time. The first two seasons I literally could not wait to get to the next episode…but I’m struggling with Season 3. They introduced so many new characters for me to keep track of and then they killed half of them (which pissed me off a little) and now my brain is muddled. I’m looking forward to the story lines picking up again soon! :)
Okay, so… the middle part of Season 3 was pretty much the worst of the show. That said, there’s another high around the end of S3, and more importantly, the people (like myself) who stuck it out were seriously rewarded by the finale.