Lost @ soapcentral.com

I just watched LOST, last night's episode.  I thought it was really good.  Let me start out though by saying...Never, EVER, for any reason, on ANY show, reality or otherwise is it necessary to film someone regurgitating!  It's gross and yucky and I'm tired of seeing it.  I try to avert my eyes if I see the wretching approaching.  YUCK!  Why is it necessary to show it?  Ben on last night's LOST, pretty much any DEADLIEST CATCH episode (I LOVE that show BTW!!!), ANY & ALL reality shows on **MTV or VH1 (can you say too much partying?!) etc. it's just not needed for the drama--camera men and editors...CUT AWAY at the last minute!  We get it, we understand.  No more television vomit, PLEEEEASE!

 

That being ranted upon, I did think last night's episode of LOST was really good.  I actually felt sorry for Ben when the bad guy (can't remember his name so I'll just go with "bad guy")  shot Ben's "daughter" and I despise Ben.  I think Ben somehow set up Sayid to "do his dirty work" in the future by having his wife killed.  I don't think Ben showed up out of the goodness of his heart to help Sayid get revenge.  I was surprised that Ben could conjure up the smoke monster, I thought that was pretty cool.  If that is possible though, then wouldn't it be easier for Ben to bring Widmore to the island and then just sic the smoke monster on him?  That seems as if it would take care of all Ben's "I'm going to lose my island" issues?!  Maybe the smoke monster has a contract with Ben and can only be summoned a cetain amout of times per calendar year?  I wonder if there is some deep, ages old, good against evil battle between Ben and Widmore?  Are they related?  Brothers?  All the internet speculation about this show gives me a headache, I can't believe I'm doing it too.   It is a bit sad IMO that the few who get off the island don't seem to have much good in store for their futures.  Finally, I am glad that Sawyer is going back to the beach!  I have missed him and just between you and me...he makes my tummy feel squishy inside.

 

**Disclaimer...I am NOT admitting that I watch ANY of the ridiculous reality programming on MTV or VH1!

So it comes upon us that the "Meet Kevin Johnson"  conclusion (Sayid outing Michael in front of Gault, Danielle and Karl being shot) will factor in to the war in the new episode "The Shape Of Things To Come".  I mean the episode features death, explosions, and one hell of an execution!!!

I'll post some more next Thursday before the finale.  But we got more action, more info on the monster (yes, Smokey comes back), and everything else...So glad it back!

I may be overreacting but I think tonight's episode of lost made things much easier on me.  No longer will I need to catch every episode or download it ASAP for reviewing.  I still have an interest in the show but it's been significantly downgraded. 
As a soap opera fan I have a pretty liberal suspension of disbelief but Lost is really pushing it with it's characterizations.  Locke who has admittedly always been naive and easily controlled has sunk to new depths of stupidity that drastically out weigh his impressive survival skills and the intrigue of his mysticism.  He finally believes that he has the upper hand with Ben and the only thing he cares to know is who Ben's man on the boat is?  Why does Locke even think the name will mean anything to him?  And there are so many more important and interesting questions that Ben has the answers to, at least as far as John knows.  I understand that it's for the sake of drama that Locke can't ask these things and have them answered but in that case they shouldn't have put Locke and Ben in that situation in the first place.  And since the answer came off screen they could have had Locke ask better questions instead of making him into a bumbling fool. 
As for Ben they keep giving us evidence of what a crazy manipulative bastard he is.  He keeps screwing people over and using his power to control others and yet no one has decided to take him out.  How many killers are on this island and none of them have set there sights on the dangerous psycho who seems to be controlling everything. 
And Juliet needs to learn to use that gun.  She's been held against her will for years and all this crazy shit has gone down.  maybe when Harper shows up it's time to shoot her in the knee and demand to know how Ben got orders to her.  And once Charlotte and Daniel were finished maybe keep the gun on them and demand to know exactly what they know, how they know it and why there are there.  But hey when you can ignore obvious danger and go flirt with Jack, I guess the choice is easy.  You won't be manipulated by Ben anymore, no only everyone else on the island can pull your strings now. 
When a show trashes characters and relies so heavily on sloppy storytelling to maintain suspense it's a lot easier for me not to care.  Don't be confused by my blogging at midnight, I definitely care way less than I did last week.  I've never been a bitter fan when it comes to lost (except about too much Jack airtime) but tptb managed to drive me away a fair bit with this crap episode.  I'd be more appreciative if I thought I'd use my new found free time for something better but I'll likely just fill it with more soap operas.  Maybe I'll go re-watch the Des/Penny phone call from last week and see if I can forget all about tonight.

How does the saying go?

Horses sweat, gentlemen perspire, and ladies... glow?

Yeah, I'm glowing like a bloomin' firefly tonight!!! And not for the good reasons! lol

I guess that wasn't exactly substantial. But I'd like to take this opportunity to lament that the Brits get all the good TV shows. I mean, there are some quality shows here in America, don't get me wrong -- I absolutely love Lost (although am NOT happy that it doesn't come back until January! *sob*) and there are a few other decent ones. But really, the Brits have given us Monty Python's Flying Circus, Coupling, The Office, the Planet Earth series, and most importantly Doctor Who! A British friend of mine got me curious enough that when I stumbled onto an episode on PBS about a month ago, I bothered to watch it all -- and it's bloody brilliant! I know, many people poo poo science fiction, but Doctor Who is so much about character development and social commentary... well, as previously stated it's absolutely brilliant. The writing, the acting, the direction, everything. It actually might surpass Lost as my favourite just because of that silly hiatus.

I've been told by a higher authority that I need to actually post a blog here -- very well, then, Ms. Higher Authority. I am actually not a soap fan, unless you count Lost, but to each her own :) If you don't like it, well, I guess don't read me. I never promised to be INTERESTING, after all!

For this initial entry I'll try to stick to a soap-ish theme by talking about the show. Lost definitely has some neat philosophical themes. First of all, there is a very blatant use of philosophers' names for characters. JOHN LOCKE. Danielle ROUSSEAU (think Jean-Jacques Rousseau). Desmond DAVID HUME. Juliet BURKE (think Edmund Burke). MIKHAIL BAKUNIN. Then of course the whole Dharma initiative thing brings in plenty of Eastern philosophy, and there are themes of free will versus determinism, good and evil, epistemology... the whole thing works on oh so many levels. And this is why I watch :)