John Locke is by far, I think at least, the most central and important character to this show.
So the fact that we saw all of about 5 minutes of him in the last 2 episodes of the season was a bit of a tragedy. But he did the 'work' that WALT, yes WALT told him he had to do. Was this Jacob, the Smoke Monster, actually Walt? Who knows.
Anyways, Locke buried his trusty knife right into Naomi's skull, but not before the satellite phone begins to dial. It was the showdown we had been waiting for, and Jack won, defying the (completely right) opinions of Locke, and Ben, seeing nothing else but escape.
Locke had the gun pointed at Jack, and as much as many of us wanted him to pull the trigger, you knew he wasn't going to. If he couldn't kill Anthony Cooper, after all that man has done to him, he's not going to kill Jack.
He could walk, but he was still holding his side, so we're not sure if Walt/Jacob/Smokey actually healed him, or his legs were just the power of positive thinking.
After he couldn't pull the trigger, Locke just went back into the jungle, sad, alone, defeated, as he has been for much of his life. He is such a tragic, conflicted hero, doing what he thinks is best, and finding all he has done means nothing.
Who knows what next season holds for any one of the castaways, but for Mr. Locke, it may be more complicated than the rest, no matter what the last few minutes meant for the path this show is set to chart.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Lost: Through the Looking Glass: Review
Seeing how the last post was kind of a restless rambling, I'm going to give this episode a more thorough blow by blow type of review.
There was three major storylines and one MAJOR twist. I wish i could write major in even bigger letters, and even then it wouldn't really do it justice.
First, The Looking Glass.
Freakin' amazing to see Penny show up like that, and Des was so close, yet so far, once again. Charlie died, semi-needlessly, although he did shut the door to stop the flooding. If that equipment is waterproof, They could theoretically repair the window, open the door, let the water out and use it, but, that's besides the point of everything I mentioned in the previous post. Who even knows who will be there next year. And what was that, like 3 deaths for Mikhail now? And don't really know if he is dead again anyways. Looks like it, but the guy took a spear to the chest and kept rollin, so who knows. Thought one of the women in the Looking Glass might have been Annie, but seems like they were just dispensable Others.
The Beach
We had to know that plan wasn't going to go down well. I was surprised that it was Jin that missed the shot, as he's supposed to be ex-military, and as Rose said, all Bernard did was go hunting. I was also surprised that they did put three shots into the sand, but like Tom said, they're starting to think Ben is out of his mind. Hurley coming out of nowhere to redeem himself was pretty cool, and the Dharma van, which he just had to get running, played the pivotal role, nice. Juliet seems to actually be with the Losties, and although you can never be sure, everything seems to point to Juliet actually turning on the Others.
The Tower
I haven't liked the Jack character in a long time, but tonight I really did. Although as we found out in a jaw dropping, stunning last few minutes, he really did make the wrong decision, and Ben was right. Rousseau and Alex seemed to bond pretty quickly, having their first 'awww' mother-daughter moment when Danielle asks her if she'll help tie Ben up. Awww. I disliked the lack of Locke, which I will get back to in a full posting later on, but he proved yet again that he wasn't a killer, even though I was yelling at the TV for him to pull the trigger.
The Twist
My god, did this change everything. Obviously we were meant to believe this was sometime after Jack's divorce, when he was teetering on alcohol and pain pill addiction, but wow, it sure wasn't. This was an absolutely fantastic idea, and I applaud Lindelof and Cuse for taking such a step. Matthew Fox played this brilliantly, and it was by far the best Jack flashback (or I guess it would be forward) there has been to date. When Kate stepped out of that car, my jaw dropped further than I think it ever has with this show. Too bad they didn't get into who Kate had to get back to or exactly who was in the coffin, but it could easily be Sawyer on both accounts.
Amazing episode, mostly amazing season, can't wait for February.
There was three major storylines and one MAJOR twist. I wish i could write major in even bigger letters, and even then it wouldn't really do it justice.
First, The Looking Glass.
Freakin' amazing to see Penny show up like that, and Des was so close, yet so far, once again. Charlie died, semi-needlessly, although he did shut the door to stop the flooding. If that equipment is waterproof, They could theoretically repair the window, open the door, let the water out and use it, but, that's besides the point of everything I mentioned in the previous post. Who even knows who will be there next year. And what was that, like 3 deaths for Mikhail now? And don't really know if he is dead again anyways. Looks like it, but the guy took a spear to the chest and kept rollin, so who knows. Thought one of the women in the Looking Glass might have been Annie, but seems like they were just dispensable Others.
The Beach
We had to know that plan wasn't going to go down well. I was surprised that it was Jin that missed the shot, as he's supposed to be ex-military, and as Rose said, all Bernard did was go hunting. I was also surprised that they did put three shots into the sand, but like Tom said, they're starting to think Ben is out of his mind. Hurley coming out of nowhere to redeem himself was pretty cool, and the Dharma van, which he just had to get running, played the pivotal role, nice. Juliet seems to actually be with the Losties, and although you can never be sure, everything seems to point to Juliet actually turning on the Others.
The Tower
I haven't liked the Jack character in a long time, but tonight I really did. Although as we found out in a jaw dropping, stunning last few minutes, he really did make the wrong decision, and Ben was right. Rousseau and Alex seemed to bond pretty quickly, having their first 'awww' mother-daughter moment when Danielle asks her if she'll help tie Ben up. Awww. I disliked the lack of Locke, which I will get back to in a full posting later on, but he proved yet again that he wasn't a killer, even though I was yelling at the TV for him to pull the trigger.
The Twist
My god, did this change everything. Obviously we were meant to believe this was sometime after Jack's divorce, when he was teetering on alcohol and pain pill addiction, but wow, it sure wasn't. This was an absolutely fantastic idea, and I applaud Lindelof and Cuse for taking such a step. Matthew Fox played this brilliantly, and it was by far the best Jack flashback (or I guess it would be forward) there has been to date. When Kate stepped out of that car, my jaw dropped further than I think it ever has with this show. Too bad they didn't get into who Kate had to get back to or exactly who was in the coffin, but it could easily be Sawyer on both accounts.
Amazing episode, mostly amazing season, can't wait for February.
Lost: Through the Looking Glass: Thoughts
It's been about half an hour, and I'm still a bit breathless after that ending. Snake in the Mailbox for sure.
I don't know if it was Cuse or Lindelof that said "After the finale, you'll wonder how this show can go on." Either way, it's completely true. Obviously it's going to go on, but in what form? Are we going to flash forward a few years until everyone's off the island, and do flashbacks to fill in the gaps? Or are we just going to know that somehow they get off at the end, and keep going on the Island still after some kind of screw job on the escape?
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh, so many questions...And it's going to be 9 months until we get anything resembling an answer.
I was watching the Lost: Answers special on the second run through before the finale, and noticed that Damon made a quip about how if they get off the Island, the show was over. These two are always so coy about everything, that when he said something straight like that, I smelled a foiler. And boy was I right.
I think we may start to see either a mix of flash-forwards with flashbacks, or just completely a flash-forward type of format. I hope the Island doesn't take a back seat to the after-Island events, but I think after this kind of game-changer, they're going to be expanding on this after-Island timeline, they kind of have to.
We have to some extent run out of flashbacks, so a switch in formats may be due. It is a crazy idea, but I put nothing past Damon and Carlton, and the Island and post-Island stories running in parallel, instead of pre and present running parallel as we have seen up to now, would be just fine with me.
There's so many different ways they can go, and it really opens the story back up.
Can't believe that Sawyer's dead in the future...or was I wrong on that one? And who was Kate going back to, maybe Sawyer and I was wrong on that one. If so, could be anyone from Locke to Ben, but someone Kate seems furious at. Sawyer seems logical to me, but you never know.
All in all, I think this was a fantastic finale, although I would have liked a bit more resolution on Naomi's people, that's a pretty decent cliffhanger to leave us with. Can't wait till February, I'm sure someone's already got a clock going somewhere...
I don't know if it was Cuse or Lindelof that said "After the finale, you'll wonder how this show can go on." Either way, it's completely true. Obviously it's going to go on, but in what form? Are we going to flash forward a few years until everyone's off the island, and do flashbacks to fill in the gaps? Or are we just going to know that somehow they get off at the end, and keep going on the Island still after some kind of screw job on the escape?
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh, so many questions...And it's going to be 9 months until we get anything resembling an answer.
I was watching the Lost: Answers special on the second run through before the finale, and noticed that Damon made a quip about how if they get off the Island, the show was over. These two are always so coy about everything, that when he said something straight like that, I smelled a foiler. And boy was I right.
I think we may start to see either a mix of flash-forwards with flashbacks, or just completely a flash-forward type of format. I hope the Island doesn't take a back seat to the after-Island events, but I think after this kind of game-changer, they're going to be expanding on this after-Island timeline, they kind of have to.
We have to some extent run out of flashbacks, so a switch in formats may be due. It is a crazy idea, but I put nothing past Damon and Carlton, and the Island and post-Island stories running in parallel, instead of pre and present running parallel as we have seen up to now, would be just fine with me.
There's so many different ways they can go, and it really opens the story back up.
Can't believe that Sawyer's dead in the future...or was I wrong on that one? And who was Kate going back to, maybe Sawyer and I was wrong on that one. If so, could be anyone from Locke to Ben, but someone Kate seems furious at. Sawyer seems logical to me, but you never know.
All in all, I think this was a fantastic finale, although I would have liked a bit more resolution on Naomi's people, that's a pretty decent cliffhanger to leave us with. Can't wait till February, I'm sure someone's already got a clock going somewhere...
Monday, May 21, 2007
Heroes: How To Stop an Exploding Man: Review
Wow, what a complete and total letdown.
The entire season of this show has been stellar. But the last two episodes, they were just so forced. There was so many things wrong with this finale I don't even know where to start.
Peter can fly on his own, he doesn't need Nathan.
How is Peter punching Sylar, and how is Sylar letting him? How does Peter let Sylar choke him out while he fights off everyone else? Why does Sylar let Hiro run about ten feet and stab him in the chest while doing nothing more than saying 'You...' ? SUPERPOWERS people, superpowers.
If Claire had shot Peter, would he not have had to regenerate, and therefore calmed down a bit?
Did Bennett break his back or something, making it impossible for him to get off a shot?
What purpose did Nikki really serve, other than doing something that any one of Peter's numerous superpowers could have done?
We've been waiting all year for the Peter-Sylar showdown, and it consists of a few punches, Peter getting hit with a parking meter, and a choke move. WEAK.
Now the ending, it was really cool, with the mysterious symbol making an appearance and Hiro being in Imperial Japan. It set the stage pretty well for next year, but even the eclipse at the end seemed like a forced way to tie the Heroes opening into the show in a meaningful way.
I really liked the part on the roof with Charles and Peter. I wish they explained just what it was, time travel, mind trick, etc, but even without it, it was nice to see things come full circle, and we see that Peter really is viewed as the anti-Sylar, the yin to his yang, lightness to his darkness, etc...
Peter and Sylar are linked, and this better not be their last fight, there better be something epic coming, because Sylar's not dead, and neither is Peter.
It seemed like the ending was totally and completely avoidable, and not destiny at all. Everyone was forced to NY to get this meaningful ending that really didn't have to be.
I must say though, learning Bennett's first name, Noah, was pretty nice after all this time, might have been the highlight of the episode, and the only thing that seemed to make logical sense.
I love this show, it's among my favorites, and I loved the entire season, but this ending just left a bad taste in my mouth.
The entire season of this show has been stellar. But the last two episodes, they were just so forced. There was so many things wrong with this finale I don't even know where to start.
Peter can fly on his own, he doesn't need Nathan.
How is Peter punching Sylar, and how is Sylar letting him? How does Peter let Sylar choke him out while he fights off everyone else? Why does Sylar let Hiro run about ten feet and stab him in the chest while doing nothing more than saying 'You...' ? SUPERPOWERS people, superpowers.
If Claire had shot Peter, would he not have had to regenerate, and therefore calmed down a bit?
Did Bennett break his back or something, making it impossible for him to get off a shot?
What purpose did Nikki really serve, other than doing something that any one of Peter's numerous superpowers could have done?
We've been waiting all year for the Peter-Sylar showdown, and it consists of a few punches, Peter getting hit with a parking meter, and a choke move. WEAK.
Now the ending, it was really cool, with the mysterious symbol making an appearance and Hiro being in Imperial Japan. It set the stage pretty well for next year, but even the eclipse at the end seemed like a forced way to tie the Heroes opening into the show in a meaningful way.
I really liked the part on the roof with Charles and Peter. I wish they explained just what it was, time travel, mind trick, etc, but even without it, it was nice to see things come full circle, and we see that Peter really is viewed as the anti-Sylar, the yin to his yang, lightness to his darkness, etc...
Peter and Sylar are linked, and this better not be their last fight, there better be something epic coming, because Sylar's not dead, and neither is Peter.
It seemed like the ending was totally and completely avoidable, and not destiny at all. Everyone was forced to NY to get this meaningful ending that really didn't have to be.
I must say though, learning Bennett's first name, Noah, was pretty nice after all this time, might have been the highlight of the episode, and the only thing that seemed to make logical sense.
I love this show, it's among my favorites, and I loved the entire season, but this ending just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Brothers & Sisters Season Finale: Review
This show has been a pleasant surprise all year, and I've found over time, as I'm sure a lot of people have, that's the appeal, that the Walker family is a lot like mine.
It's always well written, and the star quality, Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, Rob Lowe, Balthazar Getty, Rachel Griffiths, never seem to outshine each other, as can be the case when there are plenty of 'names' on a show.
I think we ended off very well, finding out a few things, leaving some cliffhangers, and seeing the family come full circle from the pilot episode. I'll get back to the circle in a second.
First off, of the things we found out, Saul has to be the most intriguing. Some might say they didn't see this coming, but I think most had a little bit of suspicion, but buried it under the Holly relationship. Well it's all out in the open now, at least to us, and it gives a ton of fodder for next year.
I found it a bit strange that Rebecca was accepted back so readily and easily by the family, but I guess Nora's stare has more power than I give it credit. And speaking of the youngest (half) Walker, what a revelation. It did seem overly heavy, and something like that, you think the girl would learn her lesson about the older, married guys, especially the ones that are married to her sister. Maybe, just maybe.
Justin's story was very touching, and I liked how he tried to include everybody with their own interests into his goodbyes. I wonder if we'll actually get a Justin element next year, or whether he will return shell-shocked, be injured, killed, it could go a lot of different ways.
Speaking of Justin, I think he's changed the most out of all the Walkers, going from a selfish druggie to a thoughtful, caring member of the family. His character's evolution was great to watch this year.
Nora struggling with Kitty's engagement/moving out/Justin leaving was very true to life, and struck a chord with me, and I hope the same for anyone else reading.
Back to the circle. Seeing the entire family jump into the pool that their father collapsed into in the pilot was a perfect way to pull everything together and show how far they came from that point to where they are now. William Walker's death unleashed a tidal wave of secrets amongst his family, but it ultimately pulled them closer together than they had ever been.
It's always well written, and the star quality, Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, Rob Lowe, Balthazar Getty, Rachel Griffiths, never seem to outshine each other, as can be the case when there are plenty of 'names' on a show.
I think we ended off very well, finding out a few things, leaving some cliffhangers, and seeing the family come full circle from the pilot episode. I'll get back to the circle in a second.
First off, of the things we found out, Saul has to be the most intriguing. Some might say they didn't see this coming, but I think most had a little bit of suspicion, but buried it under the Holly relationship. Well it's all out in the open now, at least to us, and it gives a ton of fodder for next year.
I found it a bit strange that Rebecca was accepted back so readily and easily by the family, but I guess Nora's stare has more power than I give it credit. And speaking of the youngest (half) Walker, what a revelation. It did seem overly heavy, and something like that, you think the girl would learn her lesson about the older, married guys, especially the ones that are married to her sister. Maybe, just maybe.
Justin's story was very touching, and I liked how he tried to include everybody with their own interests into his goodbyes. I wonder if we'll actually get a Justin element next year, or whether he will return shell-shocked, be injured, killed, it could go a lot of different ways.
Speaking of Justin, I think he's changed the most out of all the Walkers, going from a selfish druggie to a thoughtful, caring member of the family. His character's evolution was great to watch this year.
Nora struggling with Kitty's engagement/moving out/Justin leaving was very true to life, and struck a chord with me, and I hope the same for anyone else reading.
Back to the circle. Seeing the entire family jump into the pool that their father collapsed into in the pilot was a perfect way to pull everything together and show how far they came from that point to where they are now. William Walker's death unleashed a tidal wave of secrets amongst his family, but it ultimately pulled them closer together than they had ever been.
The Simpsons 400th Episode Spectacular: Review
I was seriously digging the 24 format of the first half hour. It was fantastic in the way it was done, and Kiefer Sutherland was very good in his Bauer cameo. I wish they had it go the entire hour, in the real 24 format, which I actually thought was the plan, but even the half hour was very impressive.
Homer and Milhouse in the dumpster had me cracking up, as did Martin in his 'mole' role, the bullies playing the role of the terrorists, Lisa as a quasi-Chloe, the big red cancel button on top of the stink bomb, Jack cringing as the nuclear bomb went off, after diverting all resources to get Bart for his prank call, it was all great.
My one question though, they were trying to stop the smoke bomb to save the Bake Sale, didn't they kind of ruin it anyways with the hot dog water flooding?
Either way, this was probably one of the best Simpsons episodes I've ever seen, right up there with 'Behind the Laughter' and 'The Computer Wore Menace Shoes'.
I'm going to completely gloss over the second half hour, because the first 30 minutes completely overshadowed it in my mind, but I will say that they really kept that 24 vibe going with Marge's sprint back to the house didn't they?
Homer and Milhouse in the dumpster had me cracking up, as did Martin in his 'mole' role, the bullies playing the role of the terrorists, Lisa as a quasi-Chloe, the big red cancel button on top of the stink bomb, Jack cringing as the nuclear bomb went off, after diverting all resources to get Bart for his prank call, it was all great.
My one question though, they were trying to stop the smoke bomb to save the Bake Sale, didn't they kind of ruin it anyways with the hot dog water flooding?
Either way, this was probably one of the best Simpsons episodes I've ever seen, right up there with 'Behind the Laughter' and 'The Computer Wore Menace Shoes'.
I'm going to completely gloss over the second half hour, because the first 30 minutes completely overshadowed it in my mind, but I will say that they really kept that 24 vibe going with Marge's sprint back to the house didn't they?
Finales
Its that time again, where all our favorite shows head out to pasture for the summer. Some finales have been great, others, meh. Some have yet to air, but in a week or so, we should all be prepared to shut off that TV and actually get off the couch.
A shock to the system? Definitely, but there is a world out there, I promise. A world without regular people finding out they have superpowers, creepy islands and Jack Bauer yelling 'Dammit!'.
Some shows are saying goodbye for a few months, others, forever. Some we're not sure about.
Of the dearly departed, Gilmore Girls definitely takes a bit of me with it, but it ended where it should have, and the end was just...perfect. Jericho deserved another season, if for nothing else than to keep proving that Skeet Ulrich can actually be compelling in a lead role. (Although there is an online campaign for the show to be picked up by TNT, so fingers crossed all you Jerichoites)
Of those that we know are coming back, some are hitting highs, and some are hitting the blahs.
Lost and Heroes are closing out their seasons with a bang (literal on both cases).
The Office and My Name is Earl both had fantastic finales, and 30 Rock looks to be poised for (hopefully) a long run into the future.
Grey's Anatomy, usually one of the best shows out there, went out with a bit of a whimper this year. Some will disagree, but I just found it to be predictable and fairly underwhelming for something of its caliber.
24 needs a serious retool, but I'm sure the finale will be as compelling as ever, and apparently we're going foreign next year, which will be a breath of fresh air.
In a few months, the productions will pick up, the rumors will begin to flow, spoilers will make their way onto the boards, and everything will be back to normal. But until then, all that's left is the burn-off episodes of Studio 60, Big Brother and the. gasp, outside world...
A shock to the system? Definitely, but there is a world out there, I promise. A world without regular people finding out they have superpowers, creepy islands and Jack Bauer yelling 'Dammit!'.
Some shows are saying goodbye for a few months, others, forever. Some we're not sure about.
Of the dearly departed, Gilmore Girls definitely takes a bit of me with it, but it ended where it should have, and the end was just...perfect. Jericho deserved another season, if for nothing else than to keep proving that Skeet Ulrich can actually be compelling in a lead role. (Although there is an online campaign for the show to be picked up by TNT, so fingers crossed all you Jerichoites)
Of those that we know are coming back, some are hitting highs, and some are hitting the blahs.
Lost and Heroes are closing out their seasons with a bang (literal on both cases).
The Office and My Name is Earl both had fantastic finales, and 30 Rock looks to be poised for (hopefully) a long run into the future.
Grey's Anatomy, usually one of the best shows out there, went out with a bit of a whimper this year. Some will disagree, but I just found it to be predictable and fairly underwhelming for something of its caliber.
24 needs a serious retool, but I'm sure the finale will be as compelling as ever, and apparently we're going foreign next year, which will be a breath of fresh air.
In a few months, the productions will pick up, the rumors will begin to flow, spoilers will make their way onto the boards, and everything will be back to normal. But until then, all that's left is the burn-off episodes of Studio 60, Big Brother and the. gasp, outside world...
Welcome
Hello and welcome to anyone that manages to stumble across this page in its infancy. I'll be reviewing any TV shows, books, movies or anything else that piques my interest.
I'll keep this first post short and sweet, but I hope you enjoy, and please comment as much as possible.
I'll keep this first post short and sweet, but I hope you enjoy, and please comment as much as possible.
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