tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post5517240206017094926..comments2024-03-18T13:50:45.615-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Sepinwall on TV: 'Lost' goes time traveling for season fiveAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3102965362933048192009-01-27T02:33:00.000-05:002009-01-27T02:33:00.000-05:00http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Oc74Aia4c-M/SRyBEaylttI/...http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Oc74Aia4c-M/SRyBEaylttI/AAAAAAAAAG0/OtBvX8WNj-c/s1600-h/photo-717749.jpg<BR/><BR/>show this to them, it's minejramirezphotographyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05408007704160174117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-25220135334242720082009-01-25T01:37:00.000-05:002009-01-25T01:37:00.000-05:00Great interview- and really interesting that the p...Great interview- and really interesting that the previous commenter brings up David Lynch. I don't think it's saying to much to say that shows like Lost owe a great deal to shows like Twin Peaks. David Lynch made it acceptable to create an admittedly very different show that hinged on small plot details that demanded attention from the show's followers.<BR/><BR/> I really think that Lost is a new version of that- a smart, very detailed but also very intelligent show that doesn't cater to the casual viewer, but has drawn a very strong, dedicated cult following.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-89815606908957116412009-01-22T12:53:00.000-05:002009-01-22T12:53:00.000-05:00If only David Lynch could do-over Twin Peaks. Make...If only David Lynch could do-over Twin Peaks. Make it tighter, more controlled and then get out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-69116668567016170672009-01-21T18:28:00.000-05:002009-01-21T18:28:00.000-05:00Re: alex & Rousseau -- they could show a quick...Re: alex & Rousseau -- they could show a quick flashback scene of mother and daughter together, reunited, just before Rousseau is shot, when the show gets back to Rousseau's character - who we all know is still alive. It would be good as it would show her motivation for her actions going forward on the show, and I think we need it after spending four seasons with this lady on her journey to get Alex back.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73138757364092908582009-01-21T18:25:00.000-05:002009-01-21T18:25:00.000-05:00Awesome interview... I know where I'm going fo...Awesome interview... I know where I'm going for my Lost coverage now! <BR/><BR/>Re: alex & Rousseau -- they could show a quick flashback scene of them together, reunited, just before is shot when they get back to Rousseau, who we all know is still alive. It would be good as it would show her motivation for her actions going forward, and I think we need it after spending four seasons with this lady on her journey to get her daughter back.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-7317228889595733802009-01-21T09:56:00.000-05:002009-01-21T09:56:00.000-05:00Great interview, Alan. Thanks for posting it! Alth...Great interview, Alan. Thanks for posting it! <BR/>Although, if you ever get a chance to ask them important matters again, can you do me a favor and confirm my theory that Vincent is truly behind everything? ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73198378221515836412009-01-21T06:22:00.000-05:002009-01-21T06:22:00.000-05:00Especially if they leave out anything that has to ...<I>Especially if they leave out anything that has to do with Tailies, bear cages and/or Jack's tattoos.</I><BR/><BR/>The other two I can understand, but the Tailies? Really? That would mean losing Mr Eko, Hurley and Libby's romance, not to mention Bernard. Do you really want to do that?Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08196372589248892579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-82414213863229478832009-01-21T01:59:00.000-05:002009-01-21T01:59:00.000-05:00Especially if they leave out anything that has to ...Especially if they leave out anything that has to do with Tailies, bear cages and/or Jack's tattoos.<BR/><BR/>'Essential Lost', they could call it.dark tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13461345493748899275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-40348664106089333992009-01-21T01:09:00.000-05:002009-01-21T01:09:00.000-05:00Holy cow, all four seasons are on ABC's site? I kn...Holy cow, all four seasons are on ABC's site? I knew that a big bunch were there but I didn't realize they're ALL there. Wild. <BR/><BR/>I watched a bunch of season 4 eps recently in HD on ABC's site and they looked fantastic on my computer. I had to endure a few commercials, but better that than shelling out for DVDs. Which I'm sure I'll want when they do the inevitable HD Dharma Pak of all six seasons some day...Mo Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01685367085407381479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33352474807421988662009-01-20T20:45:00.000-05:002009-01-20T20:45:00.000-05:00I really love long-form storytelling, but I don't ...<I>I really love long-form storytelling, but I don't see how a new viewer could get into 'Lost' at this point without going to ground with a stack of DVD's and a twenty gallon drum of speed.</I><BR/><BR/>No real need for DVDs when all the episodes of all four seasons are still available in full on ABC's web site. I never watched a single episode of seasons 1-3 when they aired but started watching from the beginning online a few weeks before season four. Fully addicted to the show now, though three years late, and it didn't take a twenty-gallon drum of anything.Steve Elyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00239436730488849797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-67235940890953217162009-01-20T20:43:00.000-05:002009-01-20T20:43:00.000-05:00Great Interview as always Allen. The explanation o...Great Interview as always Allen. The explanation of having a "master plan" while also having a central figure on the show, Ben, start out a a bit player has been something bothering me for quite some time. <BR/><BR/>I know this is wayyyy off topic, but since we haven't been getting that free post to bring up random questions like you promised ;). Maybe some one could answer this question for me.<BR/><BR/>Did men in the 1960's not wear wedding rings? I re watched mad men over winter break, and not one of the hitched men on the show wears one.<BR/><BR/>Im 26 and have no clue. Thanks!jogree01https://www.blogger.com/profile/03278213520479356864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-70936105704660857742009-01-20T18:00:00.000-05:002009-01-20T18:00:00.000-05:00I started watching the show last season without ev...<I>I started watching the show last season without ever watching a whole episode of the show previously (I did catch about the last half hour of the season 3 finale while channel surfing), and I still enjoyed the hell out of it. Whenever there was some major plot point I didn't understand, I simply looked it up on Wikipedia or something. It wasn't difficult at all.</I><BR/><BR/>That's good to hear, Andrew, but I think you're probably the exception to the rule. Most people don't want to have to go to Wikipedia to be able to follow a show.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-87000024352229167172009-01-20T17:54:00.001-05:002009-01-20T17:54:00.001-05:00I think he was referring to the type of conspiracy...<I>I think he was referring to the type of conspiracy films that exist on the WTC, not that he believed those films.</I><BR/><BR/>Okay, whew. I just read that and I was like, "Please, no, not you too, Damon..." Guess I need to pick up the season 4 DVD!<BR/><BR/>Oh, and thanks, Alan. It's tough to get anything out of these guys -- and I understand why that is, the tightrope they have to walk -- but you always get some good stuff out of them.<BR/><BR/><B>P.S.</B> Another vote for The Yiddish Policeman's Union. Chabon is amazing. He packs more information in the first page of that novel than most writers can manage in a chapter, and yet it's not confusing or overly expository. He does an amazing job of creating this alternate world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-56926652694662415462009-01-20T17:54:00.000-05:002009-01-20T17:54:00.000-05:00I really love long-form storytelling, but I don't ...<I>I really love long-form storytelling, but I don't see how a new viewer could get into 'Lost' at this point without going to ground with a stack of DVD's and a twenty gallon drum of speed.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, I'll use myself as an example. I started watching the show last season without ever watching a whole episode of the show previously (I did catch about the last half hour of the season 3 finale while channel surfing), and I still enjoyed the hell out of it. Whenever there was some major plot point I didn't understand, I simply looked it up on Wikipedia or something. It wasn't difficult at all. As the new season approaches, I still haven't watched seasons 1-3, but I don't expect my enjoyment to be all that effected. It's a well-written, well-acted, handsomely made show. Even if I couldn't make heads or tails of all the mythology stuff, I'd still probably enjoy it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-15858170799104587902009-01-20T17:46:00.000-05:002009-01-20T17:46:00.000-05:00Amazing interview, Alan. Thanks.On a side note, Mi...Amazing interview, Alan. Thanks.<BR/><BR/>On a side note, Michael Chabon roolz.dark tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13461345493748899275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-5683885858663324812009-01-20T17:17:00.000-05:002009-01-20T17:17:00.000-05:00But as my late Nanna used to say, "If you try to b...<I>But as my late Nanna used to say, "If you try to be all things to all people, you just end up being nothing to nobody." As show runners, Lindelof and Cuse definitely have a responsibility (and enlightened self-interest) in making the show appeal to as large an audience as possible.</I><BR/><BR/>Your late Nanna sounds like a smart lady. As far as giving the show a wide appeal is concerned, I feel like Lindelof and Cuse have gone about that the right way. I think they did a great job establishing the characters before heading into the sci-fi deep end, where they might lose some viewers. There's always been a strong sci-fi element present on LOST, and I think that all they really need to do is keep on keepin' on. Keep the characters interesting and as you said (more or less), hopefully good writing will win over people with genre issues.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and as a side-note, I just got Yiddish Policeman's Union recently and look forward to reading it. It's my first by Chabon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-28995287928139981522009-01-20T16:45:00.000-05:002009-01-20T16:45:00.000-05:00I really love long-form storytelling, but I don't ...<I>I really love long-form storytelling, but I don't see how a new viewer could get into 'Lost' at this point without going to ground with a stack of DVD's and a twenty gallon drum of speed.</I><BR/><BR/>Cuselof (or Darlton, or whatever you want to call them) are aware of that, too. Somebody asked them about it during the press tour session, and they said it's a drawback of the format, but occasionally they can do an episode like "The Constant" that's relatively accessible to newcomers (my wife had never watched an episode before and she cried at the end) and potentially good enough that they'd go back to the beginning with the DVDs to catch up.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-11928772201361198772009-01-20T16:35:00.000-05:002009-01-20T16:35:00.000-05:00Dijonase:Fair comment, well put. I didn't start g...Dijonase:<BR/><BR/>Fair comment, well put. I didn't start getting into <I>Deadwood</I> until around halfway through the second season -- and even then it look a lot of positive word of mouth from people I trust -- because I'm just not that into "westerns". So, I get that SF/fantasy isn't everyone's cup of tea; and there are some people who are never going to go for anything with that label attached. <BR/><BR/>But as my late Nanna used to say, "If you try to be all things to all people, you just end up being nothing to nobody." As show runners, Lindelof and Cuse definitely have a responsibility (and enlightened self-interest) in making the show appeal to as large an audience as possible. But -- as they touched on in the interview with Alan -- I suspect it isn't 'genre elements' that are the real problem, but the fact 'Lost' is the most heavily serialised show on television. I really love long-form storytelling, but I don't see how a new viewer could get into 'Lost' at this point without going to ground with a stack of DVD's and a twenty gallon drum of speed. :)Craig Ranapiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923246310584658857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3046081152296511352009-01-20T16:13:00.000-05:002009-01-20T16:13:00.000-05:00Alan:You did a fine job of getting the tone across...Alan:<BR/><BR/>You did a fine job of getting the tone across, and it was crystal clear from the context anyway. I was just venting. <BR/><BR/>I remember reading an interview with Tim King before the premiere of season two of <I>Heroes</I>, and he spent most of it bending over backwards saying the show "isn't really" sci-fi. If he didn't have a network PR flack holding a taser to his nads, I've got to wonder how fraking stupid he thinks viewers really are. I prefer Chabon's "the work is what it is, and if you don't like it -- well, you can't be all things to all people" attitude.Craig Ranapiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923246310584658857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-41254109371583841962009-01-20T16:07:00.000-05:002009-01-20T16:07:00.000-05:00Craig: the thing about the genre comments, though,...Craig: the thing about the genre comments, though, is that they're not talking to you or I. I'm absolutely on board for the show going more genre, but there are a lot of people who might not be. Extreme time travel elements could really frustrate people who have a genre bias and only watch to see Sawyer with his shirt off (or Juliet in a tank top). A show being surreal and stylized is one thing, but some people just don't do sci-fi, no matter how well written it is.<BR/><BR/>I recently found out that a friend of mine hated the X Files because "alien stuff is stupid." Some people might tune out when the sci-fi stuff ramps up, and I can't blame Lindelof or Cuse for apologizing to those people. We're getting to the point where the genre elements will have to start taking center stage, and that's bound to piss off the people who preferred to ignore them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34098854170188899812009-01-20T15:59:00.000-05:002009-01-20T15:59:00.000-05:00But I still get enormously frustrated that they're...<I>But I still get enormously frustrated that they're still saying things like "We're sorry that it's getting more genre"</I><BR/><BR/>It's not always easy to convey tone in text, but Lindelof was being very snarky when he said that, as he's exasperated that there are still people who watch the show yet are in denial about all the skiffy elements.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-29167634675863961952009-01-20T15:50:00.000-05:002009-01-20T15:50:00.000-05:00Alan:After getting cranky-pants over the Diablo Co...Alan:<BR/><BR/>After getting cranky-pants over the Diablo Cody interview, I've got to go with the herd and say this was well done. (And if you're still lurking, Mo, same to you.) I don't think I'm the only person who gave up during season three, and to give credit where credit's due Lindelof and Cuse have pulled off the most impressive resurrection since Lazarus. <BR/><BR/>But I still get enormously frustrated that they're still saying things like "We're sorry that it's getting more genre" -- even if there's a heavy element of snark involved. I don't know about anyone else, but I've never noticed American primetime schedules being awash is documentary neo-realism (and I'd argue even so-called 'reality shows' are as surreal and stylised as a kabuki play).<BR/><BR/>I happen to be re-reading Michael Chabon's 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union', which is a wonderful exercise in alternate world SF <I>and</I> a knowing homage to the 'hardboiled' pulp fiction of Raymond Chandler <I>and</I> and moving examination of a man dealing with an absent father and a failed marriage every bit as deep as the relationships in Chabon's more 'mainstream' work.<BR/><BR/>But more important, it's a bloody fine piece of writing whose author is utterly unapoligetic about the genre elements in his own work. Chabon's also been an articulate de-bunker in his non-fiction of genre snobbery. As the late Sir Kingsley Amis -- no slouch about crossing lines between 'high' and 'low' himself -- once said: "Importance isn't important, good writing is."Craig Ranapiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923246310584658857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-63741517573642070702009-01-20T15:41:00.000-05:002009-01-20T15:41:00.000-05:00I'm still trying to figure out why Naomi had a pho...I'm still trying to figure out why Naomi had a photo of Penny and Desmond on her when she parachuted onto the island...<BR/><BR/>DarrenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55413941689310730432009-01-20T15:40:00.000-05:002009-01-20T15:40:00.000-05:00"Any idea what he meant by this? Please tell me he..."Any idea what he meant by this? Please tell me he was not talking about Loose Change."<BR/><BR/>On the season four DVDs, there is a 20-minute fake documentary that claims the whole Oceanic Six thing is a conspiracy. It uses physics experts that claim it is impossible for the plane to remain intact, or nutrition experts to claim that the survivors should have been in different conditions, etc. I think he was referring to the type of conspiracy films that exist on the WTC, not that he believed those films.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3482914638192027082009-01-20T12:58:00.000-05:002009-01-20T12:58:00.000-05:00But what about the Russian in the pine barrens?Kid...But what about the Russian in the pine barrens?<BR/><BR/>Kidding. Great stuff. Thanks, Alan.Mo Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01685367085407381479noreply@blogger.com