'Lost' Recap: Ready, Set, Reset
The sixth season starts with a bang and never looks back
By Vinnie Penn
Special to MSN TV
Half an hour into the much-anticipated season premiere of the final season of ABC's "Lost," I was sporting the same expression as Jack: confused. Jack's jaw was on the floor for a good 45 minutes, like all of ours, really, a few episodes into season one.
Also: Last Night on TV | Related: Q&A: Michael Emerson
Hell, I was even confused during the recap (effectively narrated by Emmy-winner Michael Emerson), by the absence of Michael, his son Walt, Shannon and Boone, and even Mr. Eko and Ana Lucia. But the cast has become so sprawling there had to be some casualties in the recap. Besides, Boone showed up midway through hour one, where Oceanic flight 815 was either taking off all over again on September 22, 2004, and safely riding out the turbulence, or we were witnessing an alternate version of the original flight. Or ... I dunno ... William Shatner was on-board but unseen, staring out at some creature on the wing. Yes, Rod Serling woulda been proud of the 6th season premiere (the glimpse of the statue on the ocean floor screamed "Twilight Zone" and got my phone ringing off the hook; dare I say "Lost" causes almost as many phone calls as "American Idol" on voting night).
As for Ian Somerhalder's return as Boone, it was utterly and completely eclipsed by the return of the black smoke in what was easily the most exciting scene of hour one, followed immediately by the most ingenius: The black smoke was revealed to have a human form. Plus, it was the perfect actor (character?).
Now, let me take a moment to cop to something many of you will disagree with but that some may have been waiting for someone else to say first: I was not a fan of the time travel element introduced last season. It felt like filler, like time-buying, like life was good for the cast and crew filming in Hawaii. It also only succeeded in further convoluting an already convoluted storyline. And if the time travel element is utilized to provide closure to the series, as the end of hour one suggested, then I, for one, will be disappointed. A simple reset? That'd be no different than Bobby Ewing coming out of a season-long shower on "Dallas." Seriously.
Hour two begat at least one new location for the gang: Baggage claim. It was about as exciting as baggage claim, too, while on the island side -- as the back and forth is indeed back-- new characters were introduced, which is pretty much the LAST thing I wanted, or the show needs. If the show ever scores another Best Drama Emmy win, this time they're going to have to open the back doors at the Shrine Auditorium to fit all these folks on stage.
As for the new characters, the poor man's Jet Li, who drew his own blood and offered it into a mystical pond dotted by hourglasses, played out about as ridiculously as it was to just write that sentence. And "Lost" lost a major character at the end of the scene. Except for the fact that it didn't.
Jet Li's beatnik translator is equally laughable, and the entire kingdom thing veered dangerously close to jumping the shark territory. But, thankfully, an hour after the black smoke took a human form it returned to essentially introduce itself, while eulogizing its vessel to boot. The "smoke's" declaration of "I want to go home" was intense, a line uttered by probably every character on the series over the course of its run, yet never with such relevance to the storyline. It is a fantastic worm on a hook we've all loved for six years. I just hope it doesn't catch a shark.
The Temple was always there. They have always said that the wall known as "The Temple" was actually just a wall SURROUNDING their temple, protecting it. So this entire time "The Others" have been at the temple, (not that wall that we've seen but inside those walls inside the ACTUAL temple). Also I think that when Cindy (the stewardess) says that Jack, Kate & Hurley were on "the first plane that crashed" I think the other plane she was talking about was flight 316. The plane that crashed carrying the Oceanic 6 survivors and brought them back to the Island.
I think their lives will all remained intertwined. The deja Vu and weird feelings will compel them to remember, and realizing they were better off on the island, (Kate, Sawyer, and Charlie to name a few) they will figure out a way to go back...to that point we all watched them waking up around the hatch in 2007.
So if point A is 1977. Point B is 2007with crash and Point C is 2007 w no crash, the time line will go B A C B...when all said and done
A perfect solution to a show you don't like, is a remote control. Thank you to everyone who wasted their time watching the entire two hours so that later they can tell us how much they hated it. This show is the best thing to happen to television by a long shot! For those of us who actually enjoy thinking a little deeper then "i think it was the butler did it" this show combines all the perfect elements that at the very least tell us, hey there is a little bit more to this life than the obvious. As long at they don't give us the ending by feeding us some lame, it was all a dream, explanation, this show can do no wrong.
First season, first episode - In one reality, John Locke rises from the ground, having miraculously regained the use of his legs after the plane crashes on the island.
Final season, last episode - In another reality, as the result of a 'chance' meeting in baggage claim after the plane lands safely, John Locke again rises with the use of his legs, this time from a hospital bed.
Okay everyone, here is my theory. (Be nice!)
The parallel universe is their do over. The main characters had something, or someone, they were running from or regretted. The plane crashes and they get their "do over". Play out their fantasies. The survivors that weren't interested, or saw no need, were taken by the others after the crash. Now, was it really what they expected, remember, "It's A Wonderful Life"??
When John references the chains, was this referring to the pirate ship? Hummm???
what about the possibility that the plane/lax scenes are simply a flash forward? that isn't uncommon on the show. the alternate universe theory wouldn't surprise me though. stranger things have happened on the show. and how come nobody mentioned (at least as far as i read) the fact that, in the plane/lax scenes, all of a sudden there are people on the plane that weren't originally? aka desmond, arnsdt (sp?), etc. people from the island on the plane? what does that mean? and why does everybody still have the same problems? locke is still crippled, kate is still a fugitive, sun and jin are still "estranged", claire is still giving up the baby for adoption... weren't these all things that happened so they would end up on the island? they were all part of the plan. their whole lives in fact were part of the plan to get them to the island. as locke would say, it was their destiny. so, theoretically, if somehow "it worked", and none of this happened, shouldn't their lives be different? would they all still be on the plane heading to la? haha i have a lot of questions and i hope they are all answered by the end. i have faith that they will and i remain intrigued!
I think Julia just meant that the bomb did go off and that the bomb by exploding had prevented the original plane from crashing which meant that things would go on like the plane never crashed and they would all reach their destination in LA, hence the alternative parallel universe. But nothing is ever perfect and so some things are a bit skewed. Jack may have some memory of life on the island and may recognize some of the people from the island.
Jack on the island is starting to realize that he can't save everyone when he states he can't save Sayid, that he is willing to give Hurley some authority in the situation.
Remember the big foot, the home of Jacob, well there is quick scene where it shows the full statue as it was, probably before the bomb blast. I don't see why there are no other effects on the island showing that an atomb bomb went off. The island should have been decimated and they should all be under water. There really shouldn't be anyone left, people and island after a blast like that, yet life continues as if nothing happened and our group doesn't even know that the bomb went off. Hopefully time will tell all.
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Deanna Barnert | Los Angeles, Calif.
Entertainment journalist Deanna "TVDeeva" Barnert visits sets, interviews industry players and critiques the final product. Buzz's daytime TV queen covers it all for MSN TV, but loves her sitcoms, soaps and any juicy drama that doesn't call itself Reality TV.
