Just To Talk Lost "Midfinale"

I'm breaking my vow of silence over last night's episode. I so very wanted to break it over last week's episode - which was the first Lost episode I pretty much unequivocally enjoyed from beginning to end since somewhere near the middle of Season Two. The flashback was tight and relevant. The island was dangerous and menacing. And we got to see a whole new perspective on part of "the mystery".

That is what Lost is about to me. It was fun. It was interesting. And for a change, I actually felt like paying attention to previous episodes had paid off.

So someone tell me what the hell last night was. Most of the episode was Kate mooning over one guy or another - be it Sawyer, Jack or Mal from Firefly (and as a side note - how did we get stuck with a pair of nobodies like Paolo and Nikki if Nathan Fillion was available? Seriously?). The Others are now an incoherent mess disguised as being enigmatic. Is Juliet trying to get Ben killed or not? If so - which is more important - making it seem like an accident or having Ben die? There was probably no less than fifteen times last night that she could have gotten Ben offed - even inadvertently.

Largely last night felt like pandering to the Kate-Jack/Kate-Sawyer crowds (I can't remember their nicknames and I can't pretend to care). Much of this "half-season" has felt like it was bordering on paying attention to this soap opera and now it felt like it simply boiled over. Who cares if they've escaped from their cages when there is a smoldering hot Sawyer in front of them? A sane woman, that's who. Kate has left that particular group now. Kate (and heck, Sawyer too) deciding to remain in captivity simply because they believe they are miles away from their old beach is a) counter to both of their personalities and b) counter to rational thinking.

It's nothing short of convenient writing to get a sex scene and to set up the end scenario. It was cheap and tawdry.

And while we're on the subject of insanity - really what is Pickett's damage? His vendetta against Sawyer is completely nonsensical rage. It's another concept which only fits to serve the overall plot. If the Others are really this set of half-cocked lunatics - how are we to buy that they are calculating and manipulative. Why must Pickett wait for Ben to be under to execute an innocent person? It makes as much sense as just waiting until he was ... asleep or something. Does Sawyer even know Colleen is dead?

Why can't Pickett just head off and kill those actually responsible? This one aspect of the last few episodse doesn't feel interesting like a mystery - it feels confusing like a mess. Pickett's anger - justifiable. His inability to exact revenge in any way that makes sense? Now bordering on stupid.

The only likable portion of last night was Jack's endgame plan. It makes sense that he wouldn't care if Kate and Sawyer shacked up (I know I don't). It makes sense that he wouldn't trust either Juliet or Ben. It makes sense that he would use his skills as a physician to gain the upper hand. I'm not entirely sure how medically sound the actual trick was (he ripped open Ben's kidney? And he can sit back and wait an hour?) ... but at least the concept felt sensible.

What's sad is that they didn't simply open with that, write a decent episode and leave us with something tangible for the hiatus. Honestly, I'm not even sure I care if Kate and Sawyer get away. They had their chance and they were reduced to whiny horny teenagers. Please, someone just shoot them so that we can get back to that monster eating people.

OK - I'm back into my hidey hole to try and finish NaNoWriMo. Happy November, y'all.




tagged: lost, television