Lost 4.10 Something Nice Back Home
May. 2nd, 2008 12:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakErr... it's better than the "Jack gets a tattoo" episode? Also, this time at least they waited that long with inflicting a Jack episode on us (a first when compared to the other seasons, I think), and there is a subplot?
The thing is, while the s3 finale got me somewhat interested in future!Jack, he's till very low on my order of Lostian priorities. So is his love life. Plus since a) we know he won't die on the island, and b) we already know he's not with Kate in his bearded state, so a pre-beard relationship is bound to implode, both the island and the flash forward plot were predictable to a spectacular degree. Though I will say that at least ever since the s3 episode where Jack stalks his ex and drives his father to drinking again, I feel that the writers don't try to sell him as this wonderful hero to us anymore, and when he behaves like a jerk he's meant to behave like a jerk, not be misunderstood and tragically noble. So, zero surprise that his relationship with Kate implodes because he's still a control freak with jealousy issues. Jack starting on the medication and alcohol due to more visits from his late father (while not talking about same with Hurley or Kate, either of whom would not disbelieved him) is typical, too.
Poor Kate. How long has it been that she had any kind of characterisation that didn't revolve around her involvement with either Jack or Sawyer or both? Ever since the horrid "please save me from evil stalker Ben, Jack!" scene with Jack and Juliet I was afraid the symptom of being a badly written female character would spread to Juliet too, as it is intimately connected with being in love with Jack, but no, here she was competent and mature throughout the episode. Phew. While I rolled my eyes at the apparant necessity on the writers' part to make Juliet into a cheerleader for Jack/Kate, I infinitely prefer it to another idiotic triangle and Juliet depicted in jealous misery. I also liked Juliet giving Jin the gun and letting him supervise Daniel and Charlotte.
Speaking of Jin: hooray for a speaking!Jin scene. Comes complete with reemergence of ruthless!Jin and some more writerly telling of 'shipping states, in this case Charlotte/Daniel. Charlotte, wiser than Ben last week, does not call the bluff (and I didn't think Jin was bluffing, either). So she speaks Korean. Where did Widmore get all those dead bodies from again?
Sawyer, Claire and Miles trekking back through the jungle was by far my favourite part of the episode, even though it came with the crushing proof that Danielle Rousseau isn't just mostly dead but really, really dead dead. That was an effective and creepy use of Miles' dead-people-seeing power, as was the thing with Christian Shephard later. Sawyer versus Miles was very ironic, as in many ways Miles is early Sawyer. Frank the pilot in his cameo saves Our Heroes' lives and proves he's not on board with the mercenaries' killing policies, though sadly this intermezzo also proved more of the bunch are still alive instead of being dead by smoke monster. Ah, well. Ben will think of something else, I'm sure.
Lastly: Claire seeing Christian Shephard on the island and Jack seeing him off the island tied the two plots together, but Lost, tell me you didn't kill the fourth female character this season! (Actually, I'm pretty sure they didn't; Naomi, Rousseau and Alex all died on camera, and Claire is a regular which they were not, so if Claire dies, she'll do so on camera, too, not by mysteriously disappearing. I bet we'll see Claire again in the Locke/Ben/Hurley plot once they manage to find Jacob (who these days seems to be embodied by the late Christian S.).
In conclusion: I do appreciate the acid irony of the title, and hold out hope this much Jack in one episode means little of him in the next...
The thing is, while the s3 finale got me somewhat interested in future!Jack, he's till very low on my order of Lostian priorities. So is his love life. Plus since a) we know he won't die on the island, and b) we already know he's not with Kate in his bearded state, so a pre-beard relationship is bound to implode, both the island and the flash forward plot were predictable to a spectacular degree. Though I will say that at least ever since the s3 episode where Jack stalks his ex and drives his father to drinking again, I feel that the writers don't try to sell him as this wonderful hero to us anymore, and when he behaves like a jerk he's meant to behave like a jerk, not be misunderstood and tragically noble. So, zero surprise that his relationship with Kate implodes because he's still a control freak with jealousy issues. Jack starting on the medication and alcohol due to more visits from his late father (while not talking about same with Hurley or Kate, either of whom would not disbelieved him) is typical, too.
Poor Kate. How long has it been that she had any kind of characterisation that didn't revolve around her involvement with either Jack or Sawyer or both? Ever since the horrid "please save me from evil stalker Ben, Jack!" scene with Jack and Juliet I was afraid the symptom of being a badly written female character would spread to Juliet too, as it is intimately connected with being in love with Jack, but no, here she was competent and mature throughout the episode. Phew. While I rolled my eyes at the apparant necessity on the writers' part to make Juliet into a cheerleader for Jack/Kate, I infinitely prefer it to another idiotic triangle and Juliet depicted in jealous misery. I also liked Juliet giving Jin the gun and letting him supervise Daniel and Charlotte.
Speaking of Jin: hooray for a speaking!Jin scene. Comes complete with reemergence of ruthless!Jin and some more writerly telling of 'shipping states, in this case Charlotte/Daniel. Charlotte, wiser than Ben last week, does not call the bluff (and I didn't think Jin was bluffing, either). So she speaks Korean. Where did Widmore get all those dead bodies from again?
Sawyer, Claire and Miles trekking back through the jungle was by far my favourite part of the episode, even though it came with the crushing proof that Danielle Rousseau isn't just mostly dead but really, really dead dead. That was an effective and creepy use of Miles' dead-people-seeing power, as was the thing with Christian Shephard later. Sawyer versus Miles was very ironic, as in many ways Miles is early Sawyer. Frank the pilot in his cameo saves Our Heroes' lives and proves he's not on board with the mercenaries' killing policies, though sadly this intermezzo also proved more of the bunch are still alive instead of being dead by smoke monster. Ah, well. Ben will think of something else, I'm sure.
Lastly: Claire seeing Christian Shephard on the island and Jack seeing him off the island tied the two plots together, but Lost, tell me you didn't kill the fourth female character this season! (Actually, I'm pretty sure they didn't; Naomi, Rousseau and Alex all died on camera, and Claire is a regular which they were not, so if Claire dies, she'll do so on camera, too, not by mysteriously disappearing. I bet we'll see Claire again in the Locke/Ben/Hurley plot once they manage to find Jacob (who these days seems to be embodied by the late Christian S.).
In conclusion: I do appreciate the acid irony of the title, and hold out hope this much Jack in one episode means little of him in the next...
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no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 02:24 pm (UTC)While I'm not thrilled that they decided to tip the Jack-Juliet-Kate triangle toward Jack/Kate, which I find much less interesting than Jack/Juliet, I was pleased that Juliet was calm and awesome. I am, however, afraid that she will end up sacrificing herself for Jack and/or Jack and Kate, or will in some other way continue to be primarily defined by them. Which would be a bit crazy, since she has so fearlessly and ruthlessly chased after her primary objective--getting off the freaking island and back to her beloved sister--in the past.
I like C. Shepherd as the embodiment of Jacob, for no other reason than it's cool.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 02:31 pm (UTC)C. Shephard as Jacob: we're in agreement.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 02:51 pm (UTC)I do like the idea of Sun being the recipient of any possible Juliet sacrifice. They certainly are weaving an intersting dynamic between the two. I'm glad they've taken the time to do that this season.
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Date: 2008-05-02 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 02:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 07:32 pm (UTC)I was so, so glad Juliet was allowed to remove herself from the triangle. Maybe some part of her is so tired of overcontrolling men in her life, she decided shoving Jack off to Kate after "I need to supervise my own surgery" would be the best idea. Although this plot does make it look like she might stay on the island, doesn't it? At least they would have a halfway decent surgeon (as opposed to Desmond who can set ankles and Bernard who could do their teeth).
Liked the Sawyer, Claire, Miles trek, too, as well as the smaller parts of the Sudden Appendicitis plot - and I agree Jin wasn't bluffing. As for Claire's state: I think as long as she wasn't dead before, i.e. when the house collapsed, I don't think she's dead now, but I'm guessing she might disappear for a while.
Christian as Jacob: I don't think so, because I think Jacob is a person. He might control the apparitions - which is what I think Christian is - but it's not a part of him. At least in my head.
Where did Widmore get all those dead bodies from again?
Thailand, actually.
Btw, from the promos, I think you might like next week a lot. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 08:01 pm (UTC)Angela Petrelli would slay Jack with one lifted eyebrow and thus rid the universe of him. My favourite comparison is actually one Andraste made as early as s1 - the problem with Jack is that he makes me feel about Lost the way I'd feel about Alias if, instead of Sydney, Vaughn had been the main character. (Err, neither 'draste nor self are Vaughn fans as you may deduce.)
Juliet's future: well, Ben isn't one of the Oceanic Six and he's off the island in the future (err, our past now actually) anyway, so I suppose Juliet could have found a way other than how the Oceanic Six came back. After all, there is still the Elizabeth which we know Ben did not take...
True, though, the islanders still would need a doctor who can do more than a dentist.
Christian as Jacob: I don't think so, because I think Jacob is a person. He might control the apparitions - which is what I think Christian is - but it's not a part of him. At least in my head.
If Jacob is a person and not a manifestation of the island itself - is he an immortal the way Richard appears to be, only more evolved?
Promo: link please?
no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 08:53 pm (UTC)Now, this is a crossover I would love to see.
My favourite comparison is actually one Andraste made as early as s1 - the problem with Jack is that he makes me feel about Lost the way I'd feel about Alias if, instead of Sydney, Vaughn had been the main character. (Err, neither 'draste nor self are Vaughn fans as you may deduce.)
I would agree with that, only that I'd narrow it down to Vaughn Season 3, who annoys me a lot more than the other versions. The actors certainly seem equally bored with their roles.
Juliet's future: well, Ben isn't one of the Oceanic Six and he's off the island in the future (err, our past now actually) anyway, so I suppose Juliet could have found a way other than how the Oceanic Six came back. After all, there is still the Elizabeth which we know Ben did not take...
When I try to determine who stays or not, I usually go by "would they stay on the show if they weren't on the island?" And so far I've found no reason for Juliet to actually go back once she managed to get off, because that has been her primary objective for the last two seasons. In addition, the two people she connected to the most - Jack and Sun - are both off the island, so why return? There is also the fact that in interviews, TPTB seem to be honestly smitten with Elisabeth Mitchell, so I doubt they'd let her go just yet. But who knows, they could very well surprise me. (Mostly I think I just want Juliet to stay, as I adore her.)
The Elisabeth: my conspiracy sense says she is programmed to always return to the island. Or maybe Locke will blow her up next season like he did with the submarine...
If Jacob is a person and not a manifestation of the island itself - is he an immortal the way Richard appears to be, only more evolved?
I think he is partly immortal and partly something akin to unstuck in time/space, mostly because he doesn't seem to be completely "there" - and, well, because he can apparently make his cabin apparate at will. I don't think he is a manifestation of the island, because it usually seems to communicate differently - through the (familiar) dead, or through dreams and visions. It seems strange that it should create a unique interacting person for Locke and Ben (and apparently Hurley?).
Promo links: concentrated on a certain character (will spoil one surprise return character, if you recognize him, that is): ABC promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEZqkuXiig)
and more general melodrama: CTV promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx6wagDJckM) (remarkable for a great use of the height difference between Naveen Andrews and a certain other actor)
no subject
Date: 2008-05-03 03:35 pm (UTC)Surprise guest character: I wouldn't have recognized him on sight alone, but the line he said kind of gave it away...