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We're near the end of Season 5, "Lost" fans, but you wouldn't know it. Ever gone on a run, and the finish line seems to get further and further away as you approach it? You know you're moving forwards, but it feels as if the finish line is moving away at an even more rapid pace? That's how I feel about the distance left to be traveled next week: the show has a LONG way to go. Can it get there? Absolutely. But it's not a given that they can.
With its 100th episode, "Lost" pulled out all the stops tonight with "The Variable," a Faraday-centric episode that sought to shed light not only on his whereabouts in the past, but his purpose throughout the history of the Dharma Initiative. While the episode featured some outstanding work by Jeremy Davies and a few incredible reveals, I'm working through how I feel about the episode's final moments.
For a Miles-centric episode, he was curiously the least interesting thing about the entire hour. While the events surrounding his character was generally fraught with intrigue, mystery, and more than a dash of mythology, we didn't learn a whole lot about the man himself. The biggest thing we learned? That like 97% of the "Lost" universe, the guy's got some daddy issues. Then again, it's hard to know your dad when the man has more identities than Anthony Cooper.
Ben Linus. Brian K. Vaughn. Like this could possibly have not been awesome. Throw in Ben's nemesis John Locke and Vaughn's writing partner Elizabeth Sarnoff and you had an instant classic of a "Lost" episode, entitled "Dead is Dead." You crave answers? The episode delivered. You wanted even more mystery? The episode delivered. You want to know what lies in the shadow of the statue? Um, well, you might have to wait a bit on that one.
It's almost Pavlovian at this point: you realize you're watching a Kate-centric episode of "Lost," and you start to get that "oh, no" pit in your stomach. Let's just say most fans of the show ill never, ever give toy planes to their offspring as gifts thanks to her backstory. But in "Whatever Happened, Happened," we got a small miracle: a Kate episode that was not only decent, but downright fantastic.
So how many brains went "bloop" at the end of tonight's episode? Show of hands? I won't spoil the end up front, lest the casual eye lay upon the shocking conclusion, but needless to say that's pretty much all anyone will be talking about after this episode. Now only was it by far the coolest part of the show, but the rest...really wasn't all that great. A few cool bits here and there, but overall, a letdown in a generally stellar, trippy season of "Lost."
It's been a long two weeks since last we spoke here, "Lost" fans. Hopefully, absence made the heart grow fonder. While not as epic in scope as some other episodes this season, with "Namaste" the show nevertheless settled into what will undoubtedly be its groove for the rest of the season: comparing actions on the Island in 1977 with those in a (potentially alternate time line) modern day. But more about that below. Let's get to the recap!
See, now this is what I'm talking about, people. I know the last few weeks have divided the
Lost
fanbase, setting us up against each other not unlike the Dharma Initiative and the Hostiles. And boy, things did get hostile there for a while. But the show found its footing this week, literally and figuratively. With the time-jumping apparently in the past, the show settled into the particular groove on the narrative record from which everything else will now play out.
Anticipation can be a great thing. But it can also lead to disappointment. And sadly, the build-up to 'The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham' falls under that category. While providing several powerful and shocking moments, it failed to provide a compelling overall episode. Rather than shedding light on many Lost mysteries, it instead left many of us more confused than ever. Confusion is part of the game here, but the rules right now seem a little less than fair.
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