So I just got done watching the first two episodes of "Lost" season five, and I can tell you the following three things, in the hope that none of them will spoil your enjoyment of what's to come when the show premieres on January 21: • They're really good, in terms of keeping the momentum from last season going, servicing the characters and their emotions, and providing an appropriate number of "Whoa"s per hour.
• At one point, a character is told, "Look, everything's going to make sense. I promise."
• Hurley heats up, but does not eat, a Hot Pocket.
Okay, so maybe that last one's a spoiler, or maybe it's just an excuse to link to this. Either way, you have at least one thing to look forward to in the new year.
Now I want Jim Gaffigan on 'Lost'!
ReplyDeleteAs long as we're sharing Hot Pocket clips here's my personal favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNNj3vKVpHQ
ReplyDeleteI do not like you right now, Mr. Alan Sepinwall.
ReplyDeleteI do not like you right now, Mr. Alan Sepinwall.
ReplyDeleteAgain, Jim, for lack of a better term, I have become... pure evil.
If I pay for my own plane ticket and come to your house, can I watch the Lost episodes now?
ReplyDeleteI'm only kind of kidding.
I suddenly have a craving for a Caesar Salad and a Hot Pocket for dinner.
ReplyDeleteI've been sadly lacking the appropriate number of "Whoas" per hour lately, so I *can't wait* for the premiere! My friends have all been forewarned that the obsession will begin again, actually over the long MLK-Inauguration weekend when I camp out to rewatch all of Sn 4 before the premiere.
ReplyDeleteDamn you, Sepinwall!
ReplyDeleteAll I'll say is, I too watched it last night (and apparently I'm the only TV blogger in the world who didn't post about it, mainly because I'm allegedly on vacation, though I spent much of Tuesday being gravely irritated by an advance DVD of The United States of Tara. I digress. But I had to vent.)
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, all I'll say is that I want to watch the whole thing again. Not just cuz of the whoas, but so I fully understand it.
Jim Treacher...I'm on board with you...Alan, you're pure E-v-i-l and you're killing us! ;)p
ReplyDeleteJust a public service announcement here, Amazon has How I Met Your Mother Seasons 1, 2 and 3 for $15 each - $10 discount = $35 with free shipping.
ReplyDeleteAdd Season 1, Season 2 and Season 3 to cart, and check out. Discount will show at the final step of checkout before submitting the order.
Lowest on PriceGrabber for Season 1 is $28, Season 2 is $21 and Season 3 is $26 if purchased individually.
Okay, so the critics got it a full three weeks before the premiere. If this doesn't find its way online early, then the critical community need be ashamed.
ReplyDeleteYay! Lost and Gaffigan!
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite Gaffigan moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM2q8dmVJWw
You live in the ocean cuz you ain't got no job!
Domino87: Wow! I just did it. How rocking is that? $35 out the door delivered to my door in 8-10 days!
ReplyDeleteAs a Lost-fanatic who has just finished this very moment re-watching season 4 on the quite excellent DVD set (unfortunately, no Blu-Ray for me), I'm quite heartened by this post.
ReplyDeleteI was a little wary at first reading your post, Alan, because you seem a little bit reserved regarding the quality of the episodes (as in, not as great as we all hope). So hopefully that is you just purposefully bring a certain pithy tone to the post and not your actual enjoyment of the episodes.
I understand that not every single question or even ambiguity raised by the show will be answered or probably ever heard of again. However, I would give any amount of money, once the show is completely over, to sit through all 6 seasons with Damon and Carlton and pause and ask them to explain random things. Either that or a series of expanded universe novels à la Star Wars.
Do you think an expanded universe is likely to happen? If so, think Darlton will have reign over it? Am I showing too much of my fanboyness?
I was a little wary at first reading your post, Alan, because you seem a little bit reserved regarding the quality of the episodes (as in, not as great as we all hope). So hopefully that is you just purposefully bring a certain pithy tone to the post and not your actual enjoyment of the episodes.
ReplyDeleteI figured I was being d-baggy enough by announcing that I had watched them that I didn't want to go overboard in my praise. I really, really liked them.
what Alan said. I practically did a Snoopy dance of glee during the first 10 minutes of the first episode.
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/5fzdud
Not to oversell--I didn't do a jig for the whole two hours (jigs are tiring!) -- but imho, it's mostly a heaping helping of solid Lost goodness.
That photo's freaking me out. It looks like a remake of "Thirtysomething."
ReplyDeleteThanks Alan. Really looking forward to the resumption of this series.
ReplyDelete"D-baggy" - awesome! I wouldn't call you a d-bag...but perhaps an a$$ for being lucky enough to get advance copies.
ReplyDeleteOh well...I guess that's what I get for choosing Lawyer over TV Critic/Writer.
Any advance copies of '24' floating around that you'd like to comment on?
Any advance copies of '24' floating around that you'd like to comment on?
ReplyDeleteI've had the first four episodes in my bag for a few weeks now, and I haven't had the heart to watch them yet. The last season and "Redemption" were so disappointing, and these early episodes were the ones that the producers reportedly weren't very happy with. I'll get to them eventually, maybe even starting today, but there's a lot of stuff I'm looking forward to more.
Don't know if it's d-baggy of me to chime in re 24 as well but -- yeah. I've had the 24 DVD for weeks now, but it keeps getting pushed to the back burner, then it falls behind the stove entirely.
ReplyDeleteI keep re-watching BSG or watching other pilots instead. Last night I was gonna watch it, but re-watched The Constant and part of the Lost Season 4 finale instead.
Though I should be, I'm just not getting to 24... don't want to be let down, I guess.
I'd be happy to take those "24" DVDs off your hands and do the reviews for both of ya :-) Just sayin', I'm a helpful kind of gal that way.
ReplyDeleteAlan,
ReplyDeleteYou may not want to answer this if you feel it's a spoiler - if so, don't - but there is one thing I am curious about.
Lindelof and Cuse have talked about how this season they were going to be using some different narrative device, neither flashback nor flashforward but a new variation on the idea. (I'm particularly interested because it reminded me of how they described Flashes Before Your Eyes and The Constant).
If you feel it's not too spoilery, what is that new device? And if it is too spoilery to reveal, could you make any general comments about how it worked, was sufficiently clear, etc.
Matthew, I don't think it's too spoiler-y to say that both episodes are structured in a way that frequently bounces back and forth between the action on the mainland in the aftermath of Ben and Jack in the funeral parlor and what happened on the island immediately after it disappeared from the sight of the Oceanic Six. No strict flashbacks or flashforwards; just parallel narratives.
ReplyDeleteI love that photo...most creative cast photo I've seen in awhile.
ReplyDeleteWe also benefit when Alan gets screeners because he often writes up responses beforehand and posts them as soon as the episode is over. Instant gratification!
Parallel narratives - thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, that was how I had assumed they would tell the story (because they pretty much had to), but for some reason I hadn't put together that that would be the new device they would use.
Cannot wait for LOST to return
ReplyDelete