My "Lost" preview column - inspired in part by my decision to re-watch the pilot on Friday for the first time in years - will be posted tomorrow morning. I haven't seen the premiere in advance(*), so we'll see how much physical and mental energy I have on reserve tomorrow night at 11 p.m. Ideally, I'll power through and stay up to write my premiere review, but it may have to wait until Wednesday morning. (*) Once again, let me remind you of the No Spoilers section of the commenting rules around here. Between the four minutes of the premiere that leaked online, the screening of the premiere's first hour in Hawaii on Saturday, and the promo shown during last night's "Desperate Housewives," there's a lot of potential season six spoilage out there, and I want absolutely none of it discussed here. Got me?
In the meantime, I heartily endorse heading on over to A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago to read Isaac Spaceman's latest "Previously on Lost" post, his inspired semi-regular recap of all the weirdness out there on Craphole Island. (Here's last year's version, which may be the pinnacle of this particular gag. And here are the first and second versions.)
At one point, I had contemplated doing a Great Moments on "Lost" post with tons of Hulu embeds in time for the premiere, but other things got in the way, and it feels like something that, if I do it, feels more appropriate for right before the finale. After the jump, though, I've got one of my favorite "Lost" scenes, and one that's fairly unheralded because of the character involved. From season 2's "The Other 48 Days"...
Yes, Ana-Lucia was pretty justly unloved (and the Tailies turned out to be a waste of time), but that's one helluva scene between Michelle Rodriguez and Brett Cullen. And, in retrospect, Ana-Lucia's question about the Army knife has a lot more resonance. (Is that the first reference on the show to the military having once been on the island?)
Too much work to do today and tomorrow, but I'm sorely tempted to just camp out in front of my laptop and watch highlights from the previous five seasons.
Obama didn't go far enough in merely not giving the SOTU address on February 2 - he should have declared today, tomorrow, and Wednesday National Holidays in honor of Lost.
ReplyDeleteToday, for the reasons Alan cites in his post; tomorrow, so that we can properly psych ourselves up to watch it in the evening (let's face it, our minds won't be on anything else); and Wednesday, so that we digest and discuss the episode with our online and offline friends.
I have a question, Alan. I know you don't watch the scenes for next week that air at the end of most shows, but when a commercial comes on during something else do you run out of the room screaming??
ReplyDeleteI found out in July of last year that I had colon cancer. I'm 28 years old, so it was a huge shock to me, the doctors, everybody.
ReplyDeleteI lay in that hospital bed for three weeks, and I had a lot of time to think about the things I'd miss if I didn't make it. I'm not ashamed to say that at one point I was worried that I'd never see the end of Lost. It wasn't at the top of my list, but it was on there.
Thankfully I'm on the road to recovery now, and I'm actually going to see how Lost ends. I can't wait.
DJ, it's very good to hear that you're doing better.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't feel too silly about it. I have an ill friend who's a die-hard Lost fan, and at a point when things looked dire (they have since improved), I thought seriously about trying to tap into my sources to find out something about how the show would end, so I could tell her. I'm not much use in a medical crisis, but I can offer TV info.
I know you don't watch the scenes for next week that air at the end of most shows, but when a commercial comes on during something else do you run out of the room screaming??
ReplyDeleteBetween DVD screeners, online streaming and DVR time-shifting, I watch virtually no live television anymore, save sporting events. And even there I can just pause the ad, wait 30 seconds, and jump ahead.
I have, however, been known to close my eyes and hum if I'm in a movie theater and a trailer comes on for a movie I already know I'm going to see.
DJ, I'm thrilled to hear you are doing better. And I'm so excited for you that you get to see the end of the show.
ReplyDeleteI was up way too late last night rewatching the pilot, Tabula Rasa and Walkabout.
I blame Sepinwall.
All about the blame with you, isn't it, Mo?
ReplyDeleteI watched most of the first season on Hulu this weekend and it was quite an experience. Even though I knew what would happen, experiencing it again was quite surreal. The way the characters have evolved is bizarre and satisfying: remember when Jin was a jerk? Or how Locke was incredibly menacing and mysterious? Or Walt being... Walt? And I still get shivers from little things like the Locke reveal in Walkabout, or the first sight of Smokey, or that final shot of Locke and Jack looking down the opened hatch.
ReplyDeleteI'm so ridiculously excited for this premiere. I can't remember the last time something filled me with so much excitement/dread.
...there's a lot of potential season six spoilage out there, and I want absolutely none of it discussed here. Got me?
ReplyDeleteWhat if we were to discuss potential (humorous) promos that (probably) wouldn't ever take place? I've been chuckling at the idea of a Vincent-centric promo. "He came. He drooled. He peed on things. Now... Vincent will finally reveal the inner workings of the Island to his fellow castaways." (With a shot of a giant Vincent looking over the Island like a snow globe.)
I think the fan reaction towards the final season of Lost really speaks to the quality of the show. And I think concern over not seeing the end (very glad both DJ and Alan's friend are doing better!) is totally valid. Imagine never being allowed to read the final Harry Potter book or reading three quarters of and never being allowed to finish it. Of course there are greater things in life, but there's nothing silly about wanting to see great art in its entirety. (Boy, Mona Lisa's hair looks nice... I wonder what the rest of the painting looks like.)
My wife and I had our annual Star Wars-a-thon on Saturday, Chuck's tonight, and Lost is tomorrow. Can you imagine a better 4-day span in terms of entertainment?
I got all 5 seasons as a Christmas present and set off on rewatching the entire series before the season 6 premiere. Five weeks (and very little sleep or social interaction) later, and I find myself with only 5 episodes left to watch on the day before the premiere. I think I might actually do it.
ReplyDeleteI read Mo's wonderful 3-part interview with Lindelof and Cuse - thank you, Mo! - and what they said about how the show is really mostly about character, and how the mysteries are secondary, well, it really is so true. I had seen every episode at least twice *before* I began this rewatch, yet I still cried when characters died, when they were born, when they left, when they were re-united. And because of that, I have great faith that no matter how the mysteries are or aren't resolved, I am going to be enthralled by this final season.
I can't wait!
PS I am glad to hear that you are doing well, DJ :)
I was doing the same thing Mo did, except I fell asleep in the middle of Walkabout. (I'm not proud about it.)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jen. Locke was super mysterious/ creepy early on. I believe they ended Tabula Rasa with a close up of his face with the big scar down his eye and some eerie music playing.
Beyond excited for tomorrow night.
I thought about blaming Fienberg but somehow that didn't seem as much fun.
ReplyDeleteThe question now is, I do have a few hours to watch some more eps this evening. Do I go for the 2-part S1 finale, or plunge straight into the S2 premiere and then watch Orientation? I'm gonna try to hit on a lot of the eps that this EW list recommended (http://bit.ly/bLqsfc) and Darlton also recommended some must-see eps in the NYT.
Decisions, decisions.
I feel somewhat unwell today (headcold) so a partial sickday is looking somewhat likely....
I thought about blaming Fienberg but somehow that didn't seem as much fun.
ReplyDeleteOh, trust me: it's a lot of fun. And often very useful.
This is a LOST thread. Blame your fathers.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm going to reserve blaming Fienberg for when I can see/hear his reaction. Though imagining that can be fun in itself.
ReplyDeleteCome on, I need answers. Do I watch the S1 finale or skip to S2 premiere? If only I had a time machine.... and started this re-watch 2 months ago.
Where's Faraday when you need him?
heh!
ReplyDeleteI will blame my father. His response to everything is, "Why did you call me when '24' is on?"
Word verification: "brortle"
Mo, skip Exodus. Good as it is, if you want to be boning up on mythology, you don't bother with the episode that ends before we see what's in the hatch.
ReplyDeleteThis is a LOST thread. Blame your fathers.
ReplyDeleteNice.
Thanks, Alan.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go for the S2 premiere, then, and after that Orientation. Then S3 premiere, I think.
I'm really torn and want to re-watch some sentimental faves, but I suppose I can do that on the weekends during S6....
Sadly I won't get to the Bai Ling episode this time around. I'm devastated.
May end up live-tweeting some of these. A few people on Twitter have said they just watched the entire series for the first time over the last few weeks. Wow.
The Ana-Lucia episode was on late the other night and I stayed up just to watch that scene. (I could have DVR'd it). Definitely one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of when Sayeed confronted "Henry Gale." So bad-ass.
On my lunch hour. Rewatch of Man of Science, Man of Faith begins.
ReplyDeleteIs it weird that I am already nostalgic for the way that Lloyd Braun says "Previously on Lost" at the start of each ep?
I don't know, I think that Jack-Locke conversation in Exodus---"each and every one of us was brought here for a reason"---is probably more important to S6 than just about anything that happens in S2.
ReplyDeleteI love Michelle Rodriguez. Thanks for reminding me why. She always plays what can only be described as a Michelle Rodriguez character. I was delighted to see her pop up in Avatar in that same role. Perhaps her career would be better if she had a broader range of roles. But I love the bad-ass girls she plays and wouldn't want her to change a thing.
ReplyDeleteOn Friday night I got together with some girls, opened some wine, and watched the Season 5 finale on Friday. It was geektastic fun.
Tonight maybe I'll watch the pilot.
Yay!!!
Gosh, there's lots of great character-driven shows...but this isn't one of them. This is one of the great plot-driven show of all-time. They've done a great job of dovetailing character moments in and there's certainly a lot there, but this show stands out as one of the best ever exactly because of its intricate plot/mythology. If the creators shun that part of the show at the end, it'll suffer the same fate as BSG did.
ReplyDeleteI do truly think they'll do better, though. These are the guys that "have a plan".
These are the guys that "have a plan".
ReplyDeleteI thought that was the Cylons.
P.S. Thread-appropriate word verification - lorst. So that, what, the Swedish Chef's favorite show?
I just want to use this Lost thread to reiterate that I am apparently the only person in the world that liked Expose (The Niki and Paulo episode). Not just liked it but LOVED it. As in top 10favorite episodes of the series.
ReplyDeleteAs far as rewatching the show, I have plans after this season is available on DVD to rewatch the entire thing from Season 1 to the finale. Course I had plans to do the same with a certain well received sci fi show that got dashed at the last minute. No, not "Homeboys from Outer Space." The other one.
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ReplyDeleteNot alone, srpad! Apparently you and Poniewozik are in a very exclusive club.
ReplyDeleteThe last months, I've been slowly working my way through rewatching the entire run of the show, and I've timed it pretty perfectly - I'm up to the season 5 finale ("The Incident") which I'll be watching tonight.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting seeing moments like the army knife scene, because I feel that it really does show that Lindelof and Cuse did have a plan - at the time, they had already introdued the incident, and presumably had some idea that they would need the army to bring a hydrogen bomb to the island in order for them to do whatever they will do in season 6.
(At the same time, it also points to the (inevitable) limits of their planning. Ana-Lucia refers to the knife as being 20 years old, but the army's presence was much older (50 years). Perhaps Lindelof and Cuse had intended the army to be on the island at the same time as the Dharma initiative, but at some point in the past few years decided that their idea didn't work, or could work better if they were there earlier.)
Rewatching the show has been really great, largely because it now has me firmly convinced that Lindelof and Cuse really did have a grasp on the mythology of the island and their broad story from a very early point. And that just makes me excited because it suggests that we won't get a pulled-out-of-mid-air ending, but one that really does work for the series as a whole. And that is exciting.
I had seen every episode at least twice *before* I began this rewatch, yet I still cried when characters died, when they were born, when they left, when they were re-united.
ReplyDeleteI recently re-watched "The Life and Death of Jeremy Benthem" and both times I started crying when Locke raises his hand to greet Walt from across traffic. I guess it's because Terry O'Quinn plays that character with so much heart.
I just watched the entire run of the series for the first time over the last few months via Netflix streaming.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am beyond excited for the final season, I don't know how I'll be able to cope with waiting a week between episodes. How have you people managed to do it for five years?
I'm still mad about the havoc that the Quadrangle of Idiocy wreaked on the internal logic of the show (and more specifically, Juliet).
ReplyDeleteHopefully tomorrow's two-parter makes sense.
I just re-watched "live Together Die Alone' last night. I feel like that is a great episode to get me in the season 6 zone. The statue, the failsafe, Libby's boat, Desmond's book, Radzinski's brains, Locke's "i was wrong". So many questions! My Favorite is the scene when Eko is about to attempt to blow the blast doors open. When he rips off Charlie's belt and throws it at the magnetic wall - AWESOME!! I hope we get more Eko. Please give us more Eko!
ReplyDeleteGot through Man of Science, Man of Faith and Orientation.
ReplyDeleteI usually sit there reading the paper when I take my son to his hourlong tai kwon do lessons on Monday nights. But I may actually bring a little DVD player this time. It may look a little odd, but I have A Tale of Two Cities to get through!
Pity me, folks, for I have to WORK during the 2-hour premiere and either I attempt to stay unspoiled all the next day at work (hahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH), or I wake up at 5 a.m. and hope it's uploaded online somewhere where the player works.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, it better be up on Hulu, working, and relatively ontime, people.
I also went through Doc Jensen's list of required episodes this past weekend as well as a few personal favorites - it's not a coincidence that I watched every Desmond-heavy episode.
ReplyDeleteI think the last few minutes of "The Other 48" rank up there with anything this show has ever done even though the tailies all get knocked off quickly.
Came to the conclusion that season 4 is amazing and probably my favorite so far - "Confirmed Dead" and "The Constant" are obviously required pre-season 6 eps. How do I flash forward to tomorrow night?
I hope that everyone here has seen the awesome interactive timeline over at the NYTimes with audio commentary from Damon and Carlton. It's awesome. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/31/arts/television/20100131-lost-timeline.html?hp
ReplyDeleteThe more I think about it, the more I'm desperate for there to be some sort of redemption for Locke. All the things that happened to that poor guy, to have it end this way is just awful.
I don't know how I'll be able to cope with waiting a week between episodes. How have you people managed to do it for five years?
ReplyDeleteYou think that's bad - try the first couple of seasons, when they would air three or four episodes, then a couple of weeks of reruns, then another few new episodes. (There was even a "Is this week's Lost a new episode" website to help people out.)
Then there was season 3, when they first tried running the show without reruns - they aired the first six episodes, then took it off-air for three months before bringing it back (the rest of the season aired straight through).
Or season 4, where the strike-interrupted season meant we ended on a rather lame cliffhanger and had to wait a month.
Season 5 was the first time we actually were able to watch the entire season only waiting a week.
More than anything, I just want the characters' arcs to come to a satisfying resolution. Whenever I've been disappointed in the series, it's not because of revelations regarding the show's mythos, but with how certain characters have concluded their arcs. As much as I love the island mythology, the characters are why this is my favourite series of all time.
ReplyDeleteClick on my username if you want a link to my blog where I expand on my thoughts regarding character vs. mythology on Lost.
I still think the only plan they had was to make a bunch of stuff up and then worry about explaining it later, if they don't get cancelled. It wasn't until they set an end date did they start working on the final plan. Did they really have a plan when they first brought up the army knife? or did the fact that they brought up an army knife then make it part of the plan going forward?
ReplyDeleteI already believe the series finale won't make any sense because many of the character's actions in previous season finale's did not make any sense. I still don't understand why Charlie had to die in season 3 and why he couldn't just close the door from the other side. Maybe it was just poor execution by the producer, I don't know. And last year's finale, the flip-flops for no apparent reason, especially Juliet's , left me completely baffled. yet for some reason I am still going to watch every episode. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking about feeling better, I can only hope that J Wood returns for the final season. He took last season off for health issues.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have an update / Know if he is feeling better?
I just rewatched "Exodus" parts one and two this morning (capping off my Season One marathon in preparation for the new season)...
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten how much fun it was to find out what the Black Rock really was, watch Arzt go boom (even if I knew it was coming this time), see the exceptionally sentimental and moving launching of the raft and so on...
It may not have the mythological impact of other episodes, but it really was a great example of the show firing on nearly all cylinders.
My God, can this show use spooky music well or what?
ReplyDeleteI've been watching a few shows from each year over the weekend..in Blu-Ray, which is exceeding wonderful. The pilot, with Locke explaining backgammon to Walt - the dark and the light locked in battle...
"Walkabout", "Through the Looking Glass", "The Constant"... many more.
I think the show is actually very character driven but they're more like real life people who can drive you crazy than neat little television characters. IMO, Jack is like a textbook example of a dsyfunctional alcoholic/child of an alcoholic.
I don;t know that I'v ever looked forward to a show this much, with anticipation and some regret..there's really no other show I look forward so much to all week. It's more than the show...discussing it later is very enjoyable. sometimes even enlightening.
Crossing my fingers that it's in the traditional of the really good episodes.
Today I got through Man of Science, Man of Faith, Orientation, Tale of Two Cities, Man Behind the Curtain, Through the Looking Glass (parts 1 & 2).
ReplyDeleteTomorrow hoping to get to The Constant, Because You Left/The Lie, The Variable and The Incident.
If I were to leave any out of that list, due to time constraints, would it be Because You Left/The Lie? Thoughts, Alan? Anyone? Bueller?
Not that these are all necessarily my favorites, I'm just trying to burn through as many mythology-heavy/Season 6 setup eps as I can... and trying to get work done too!
EW list says to rewatch the Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham again, but I don't know if I will. It's so frakkin depressing. Whereas I could watch LaFleur 3 times in a row quite happily. If I end up inventing a time machine, I may try to watch that again too.
Just a warning: Lost administered in massive doses may cause sleep deprivation and hallucinations. If you start seeing polar bears and menacing smoke columns, seek medical attention.
Mo I would say skip The Incident only because it'll probably get summarized at the 8PM hour before the premiere. The scene to FF to in that episode is the last 10 minutes when Juliet and Sawyer have their farewells. It is a powerful scene, one of the best. I really felt for poor Sawyer who had 3 years of bliss and apparently lost it all.
ReplyDeleteI'm so amped up for this season, and yet I have to repeat to myself what Cuse said to the NYT:
“Obviously not every question’s going to be answered,” Mr. Cuse said. “We felt if we tried to just answer questions, it would be very pedantic. Apart from that, we also really embrace this notion that there’s a fundamental sort of sense of mystery that we all have in our lives, and certainly that is a huge part of the lives of these characters.”... “To sort of demystify that by trying to literally explain everything down to the last little sort of midichlorian of it all would be a mistake in our view,” ... “I think there would be, hopefully, a kind of healthy cocktail of answers, mystery, good character resolutions and some surprises.”
midichlorians... remember the damn midichlorians!
To Mo Ryan:
ReplyDeleteI rewatched Season 5 over the last few weeks and I think you could safely eliminate Because Your Left/The Lie from your list if you’re short of time. They’re good episodes, but I view them as transition episodes between seasons 4 and 5, setting up the main events to come during the rest of S5. You could always read the episodes recaps on Lostpedia for a quick refresher. If you can fit in “Follow The Leader” I’d recommend that one too. I think you could pass on “Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”. I like that one a lot, but it’s kind of a fill-in-the pieces episode that explains a lot of happenings that were hinted at in other episodes (i.e, Locke’s visits to the O6 in an attempt to convince them to go to back to the island). I understand what M. Chavez said about the Incident, but I respectfully disagree. It’s a very entertaining episode, and I think the Locke/Jacob-related plotline along with Jacob’s flashbacks and Ilana’s plotline are far more important, mythology-wise, than the 1977 events leading up to the incident. You could go back and watch the episodes you skip during the upcoming week?
Thanks for the advice!
ReplyDeleteI think if I can only go with the bare bones, I'll try to get through The Constant, The Variable, The Incident and maybe Follow the Leader.
And yeah, I had thought that I can always watch a few more over the weekend. Thing about Season 5 is that it skips around in time so much that I'm not sure I'd be any more confused by viewing the eps out of order.
I'm very tired.
I blame Fienberg. And my father.
Hey I didn't say *not* to watch The Incident... just that if time is constrained, you'll probably get a good chunk of what transpires in that 2-parter at 8PM tonite. That's all! As you were...
ReplyDelete