24 May 2007

Lost and All That Jazz


For those of you who are Lost fans and haven't watched last night's season finale episode yet, STOP RIGHT HERE!
That being said, allow me to rant and rave a bit, my friends.
WHAT!? CHARLIE?
They did warn me. I knew it was going to happen, especially when Charlie asked about Desmond getting a flash and Desmond said no. Dead-um, bad word choice-giveaway. I'm very upset. I really like Charlie's character: the musician, the one who developed in his understanding of what it means to be human more than any other character.
Of course, Chris (my hubby, not the misfit) said that the actor (Dominic something-or-other - actors and actresses don't interest me outside of their characters) must have found something else to do and quit the show. That is completely beside the point.
THEY KILLED CHARLIE!
So other thoughts beside that: um, yeah, Penelope just happened to be by some video broadcast signal the moment Charlie entered the code. I suspend several beliefs for this show, but even that was outside the range. And Walt? Funny how they've been on the island 90 days (or something to that effect - I think it's around a month for every year), but this boy has aged three years and looks like he might be hitting puberty. Speaking of, whatever happened to the dog?
And the flash forward. That was disturbing. My theory: it was Locke's funeral (is his name a play on the philosopher?), which is why no one was there. No family. No Oceanic people because he tried to stop them from getting off the island (also explains Kate's hostility). The "he" Kate referred to who would be wondering where she was: Sawyer? And poor Jack who can't move on and now has a ruined life. Just disturbing.
Okay, I've vented.
Almost. You know, while I'm on the thread. Let's talk Gilmore Girls. I still haven't seen the SERIES finale (and that popped up out of no where) because stupid Verizon can't seem to get it through it's DVR brain to record the show, even if it was set. Ten minutes into the encore performace, it occurred to me to check to make sure stupid (or stupit, as I say when really irritated) Verizon was recording. It wasn't. So I'm missing the first 15 minutes. I haven't watched those last 45 minutes yet because I think I need to be a little more emotionally stable to be able to handle it. My parents just left from all that mess, but will be returning in a couple weeks for an appointment with a surgeon (the next Crohn's step). And, though I got some great critique from Genesis (which encouraged me to work on rewrites yesterday based on their feedback, in between taking care of my sick niece, that is), I'm disappointed in the outcome. All that to say, don't say anything about what happens. I'll watch it sooner or later.
One more thing: a movie rec. Volver. Loved it. Loved the colors, the dialogue, the relationships, the strength of women. But talk about not having a single good male character!

10 comments:

L.L. Barkat said...

I don't watch this, but my spouse is always telling me about it. I also felt it was poor taste to kill off Charlie. Plus, I liked his accent.

After my spouse finished telling me all the other stuff that happened, he made me chuckle with this observation...

"For a deserted island, it sure is the busiest place. You can't walk two steps without bumping into someone in the jungle."

Anne Mateer said...

Okay, I sat in the back of the room, determined to ignore the craze of Lost--and it sucked me in! No matter how hard I've tried to ignore it, the maddening questions niggle at me, force my attention back to the tv screen! (Which, of course, means the writers have done their job!)

I HATED to see Charlie die! Not just to know he died, to watch that compartment fill up with water. I swear I'm not going to watch next season, but then again, that's what I've said after every episode of this season!!

Heather said...

That's funny, L.L.
I'm with ya, D'Ann! During the first season, I swore I'd never watch the show if only because everyone else did. Every Thursday, the girls at work were all a twitter over the latest happenings. That summer, a coworker of my husband lent us the first season DVDs. My husband watched them back to back to back. Halfway through the season (so maybe three consequtive nights in our household), I realized that if I wanted to spend time with him (our first summer married), I had to take in a book and read while he watched. I read less and less and watched more and more. Another victim of the suckage-effect.
I cried when Charlie died. Why did he not run out the door before shutting it? Why can't he swim out of the hole and to the service? I asked between sobs. I'm bitter.

Pamela said...

I couldn't take the suspense on LOST, so I quit after the 2nd episode. I know, I know... I am a wuss.

I watch dancing with the stars... and now it's over for the season.

I watched the Gilmore Girls for quite a while and then quit when they started getting to quirky.

Dineen A. Miller said...

Hey Heather,
I can't imagine them keeping Charlie "dead." They've certainly bent the thruth on things, and contracted themselves. But maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part.

I'm getting really frustrated with the show. The whole black mist thing not liking the "electric" fence? They can climb over it, but this thing that floats and has been shown to be quite agile can't simply fly over it? Yeah, whatever.

Still, like you, it's the characters that keep me coming back. Sigh...not sure I'm up for another season though. We'll see. :-)

Dineen A. Miller said...

Oh, you're right. Why didn't he run out, shut the door and grab the gear with Desmond? Was he that set on dying?

I want to sit these writers down sometimes and ask, "Did you really think this through!?!?"

Jennwith2ns said...

I got sucked into the show by my roommate(s). Now we have people come over on Wednesday nights and we all rant together. But I'm less emotionally invested than I was, so here's what I'll say:

Dominic Monahan wanted to move on--the rumours are (a) he wanted more money, or (b) he likes playing new roles and wanted to do something else. Choice b, at least, seems fair enough to me, and choice a seems to cast aspersions on Charlie, so either way, I think Charlie's dying a noble hero's death was a good way to handle it. Plus, as one of my Lost-watching friends put it, none of the other characters have worked through and worked out their pasts as much as he had--it's like he had reached the pinnacle and could be released or something. I loved his character, but I guess I don't feel too broken up about it.

The flash-forward was really disturbing. I can't figure out if it's a foreshadowing of what WOULD happen if they all got off the island, and that's why we shouldn't want them to, even though they don't know it yet, or if it's what actually WILL happen. I think that even though Ben's probably one of my least favourite characters ever in anything, he's going to turn out to be right about this. None of these characters have anything left to return to in their old lives, but on the island they all have each other.

There were some sinister and disappointing things about the finale, but didn't you think it was great to see Jack beat the **** out of Ben?

Heather said...

Jenn: yeah, it was gratifying to see Ben bleed. I'm hoping that's a future flash of what could happen and the will have a choice (obviously, or the show will end at the first episode of the next season) and Ben will prove to be right.
And Charlie will come back to life. Just kidding.

Erin said...

I thought it was very appropriate for Charlie to die. Although I really liked him too.

For as long as we've "known" Charlie, he has been the loser, the inept, the guy everyone tells to stay behind because "you can't help" (well, and Hurley too). In general, he had his manhood assaulted and insulted by himself and everyone else. Sacrificing himself was his last chance at redeeming the life he'd tossed away to drugs and stardom.
I'm not sure why he put so much stock in Desmond's flashes, but he did, and so it makes complete sense to me that when Desmond told Charlie he was going to die this time, that Charlie might actually MAKE things happen in such a way that Desmond's prediction came true. I think we do that with what we perceive to be God's promises... we interpret what we think He's saying to us, then run out and force it to happen. Then get rather hacked off when it doesn't turn out like we envisioned, esp. because we were just sure it was GOD'S WILL and was SUPPOSED to happen.

Ok, this was not supposed to get that deep.

And I think it's Ben in the coffin. Ben is the thorn in Jack's side that keeps him going. It's like Superman and Lex Luthor- they rely on each other to keep doing what they're doing. What's a superhero without a nemesis? What's a villan without a superhero?
So when Ben dies, Jack really has nothing left. Kate has obviously chosen someone else, they're off the island where Jack ruled the roost and led the populous, he's no longer given carte blanche with patients- even the ones he saves- people don't respect and revere him anymore... he's a real wreck.

I actually enjoyed the flash forward. Call me weird. I think it shows Jack as he really is inside. Or at least the course he's on. Which is the same course he was on before the plane crash. His former wife saw it pretty clearly. Driven, obsessive, angry, controlling-and-yet-completely
-out-of-control, dependent and addictive.)
Jack's character is so complex. I can't tell if I love him or hate him, but I know it's not somewhere in between.

He should have just killed Ben and called the dogs off. Then the Others and the crash survivors could sail off into the sunset together. Do you think that would have ended the show?

Jennwith2ns said...

Oooh Erin, that's pretty profound. I can't wait to find out if you're right.