Lost: Meet Kevin Johnson

When Michael set sail from the island at the end of season 2, it was unclear whether or not we would actually receive any closure in the tale of Michael Dawson. Harold Perrineau's relationship with the producers had become strained, and the actor had a few pilots lined up for the fall season. Thankfully, all of those pilots failed, Harold made nice with Lindleloff and Cuse, and as a result, Lost fans will get their closure. Quite a bit of closure actually.

I loved how this episode was written. They started out with island exposition, with Ben setting up Rousseu and Karl, dove right into Michael's missed exposition, and then finished off with an end that I don't think anyone could have predicted. The pacing was tight, and it seemed like every second a massive A-Bomb of information was being dropped on us.

Michael's state of mind was one of the most compelling aspects of the episode. Most fans (and Ben) agree that Michael killing Ana-Lucia and Libby seemed excessive when it came to rescuing Walt, and the guilt of those senseless killings has driven Michael to the edge. The scenes where Michael attempts to kill himself are very intense, and Perrineau does an outstanding job making them believable. It turns out Michael can say more than "Waaaaaaaaalllllllttttt", in fact, he can play manic depressive pretty well. M.C Gainey also made his triumphant return as Tom, revealing more of how the Others actually operate as an operation through recruiting Michael. They manage to convince Michael that stopping the freighter might be Michael's only chance at redemption, because the island won't let off so easily as simply killing himself. This scene still left we wondering how the Others have a seemingly endless supply of information, money, and gay lovers. Yes, Tom is gay, just like everyone predicted, but it was nice to see it finally revealed, despite it's relative cheesiness.

Then there's the ending. People who know me, know that I'm a spoiler hound, and I had no idea that this was coming at all. Of course there was the warning from the ABC promo department ("Someone will.......DIE!!!!"), but I never suspected that it would go down like that. I have a pretty good feeling that Karl is gone, but Danielle? That's up for debate over the next few weeks. Also up for the debate is whether or not Ben set up Danielle and Karl to get the ax or someone else entirely.

Overall, Meet Kevin Johnson was a solid episode and a triumphant return for Harold Perrineau. How he will play into the rest of the season should be interesting to watch, and adds yet another layer to the onion that is the Lost story. The

The next new episode isn't until April 24th and will be the first of the final five episodes of the season. Right now all signs point to the episode being a Sayid flash forward. If that's true, then season 4 continues to be very unorthodox, as there has yet to be an episode about Jack, Locke, or Sawyer. I guess we'll find out. Until then.........watch more Basketball.

9.1/10

America. You just got served.

The comments that Jeremiah Wright made were ridiculous, and as an Obama supporter I was very concerned as to how he would react. I thought his media tour after the comments was effective, but I didn't think that he would be able to fight back the media hellstorm in the end. Then Barack Obama did something I didn't think he would be able to do. He took this situation with Rev. Wright and turned it into an impassionate, intelligent, and much needed dialogue on the state of race in this country. While he still condemned Wright's comments, he shed light on the reasoning behind his attitude while at the same time accurately stating the racial qualms of the white community. Obama was honest to America, and displayed the ability that he has claimed to possess over the past few months during his campaign. I know people give Obama greif, telling him that he is simply a great speaker, but people forget that the most inspirational and effective leaders that we've ever had in this country possesed the ability to inspire through words. Never in my short life have I seen some one with this ability as I see it in Barack.

Lost Double Dose: The Other Woman and Ji Yeon

Once again real life has stood in the way of me writing timely Lost reviews. Damn you responsibility! Luckily I was still able to watch the past two episodes, and on top of that, I was able to formulate opinions about them. Whuda thunk it?

First up is....

The Other Woman

This episode had the misfortune of following up the greatness that was "The Constant". Which means that inevitably, it was going to be a let down. The flashbacks themselves were a bit melodramatic, but also very informative in the manner that they shed more light on the creepiness of Ben. It think that it's now very well established that Juliet has every reason to want Ben dead, and even more reason to want to get off of the island. Harper, the new Other, was sort of clumsily introduced (not nearly as inept as Nikki and Paulo), and her appearance and disappearance in front of Jack was a little much for me. I guess the Losties are so used to random events happening, that some chick vanishing before their eyes isn't that big of a deal anymore. Just ask Ghost Walt.

What did work very well in this episode was every scene that Terry O' Quinn and Michael Emerson shared together (Ben and Locke). The conversations written for these two deserve truckloads of Emmy's. The way Ben underhandedly manipulates Locke is fun to watch, except this time Locke had something to come back with, as he had convinced Miles to start talking (A grenade in your mouth will tend to do that). Their conversation led to what is one of the biggest revelations so far this season, and that is that Penny's father, Charles Widmore, is the man after Ben, and also the island itself. Tie this together with Charlotte and Daniel's interest in the island (they were hand picked by Widmore for their expertise) and what a wonderful web Lost is weaving.

The Other Woman told a mildly interesting Juliet story that if nothing else painted a clearer picture of the true strength that Ben possesses. This was meant to make us as the audience question Ben's motives in revealing sensitive information to Locke. Faraday and Charlotte continue to be in a morally grey area as well. In one scene they are pistol whipping fools (Kate), and in the next scene they are saving those same fools lives. The gas they deactivated also serves as another reminder as to how crazy Ben is, hence to weight put on the closing scene with Ben walking free in Othertown. Intriguing. Indeed.

8/10 (extra point for the Widmore reveal alone)


Next up is......

Ji Yeon

(The date of Jin's death is the same date of the crash of 815)

Don't get me wrong, Sun and Jin's back story has always been one of my favorites, but the first 45 minutes of this episode were borderline sappy. The reveal that Sun and Jin made it off the island was interesting, everything on the freighter was awesome (especially the speech the Captain gave about Widmore) , and Juliet stabbing Sun in the back by telling Jin that she was indeed, a triflin' hoe. All of this was fun, nice and entertaining, then the last 15 minutes happened. It was then that the writer's pulled the rug out from underneath me, and then continued to kick me in the head repeatedly until the credits rolled.

In fifteen minutes, Michael returned (no real shocker there), we realized that we had been watching Sun flash-forward, and a Jin flashback in the same episode, and last but not least, Jin dies. How, when or if are still yet to be determined, but Jin is dead in the future. These revelations in the last fifteen minutes transformed what had been a sappy episode into an excellent piece of storytelling, as Lost continues to find new ways to reinvent itself here during the course of Season four.

9.5/10

This weeks episode is the last before a four week break. It's titled "Meet Kevin Johnson" and will be a Michael flashback story. The next new episode is April 24th, when Lost will return with a new time slot, Thursdays at 10:00. Until then....watch some basketball.

Oxygen Tanks and Dead Dogs: My Review of No Country For Old Men

First off, this guy above, he's the baddest/craziest/smartest mofo you'll ever seen in a movie. Period. I was having nightmares about Anton Chigur before he stepped foot on screen.

Javier Bardem deserved that Oscar, no doubt about it.

No Country For Old Men was a very tense, haunting, and depressingly true tale of the small, forgotten elements that exist in our country. You know, the small towns, the gas station clerks, the blue collar workers who are struggling to make ends meet, the parts of this country who work so hard to get ahead yet never get anywhere. Some people begrudgingly accept it (Tommy Lee Jones), and some people fight it (Josh Brolin), and some people fall off the tracks (Javier Bardem), or in Bardem's characters case, they completely destroy said tracks.

I'm not saying this movie is a completely realistic portrayal of these ideals, but it does do an effective job of presenting them in the framework of a down and out welder who happens across $2 million dollars, and is subsequently hunted down by the most sadistic assassin since well.....since ever. Through excellent cinematography and selective, smart dialog, and odd pacing, the Coen Brothers delivered a movie experience that I've never seen before. I won't go so far to say that it was my favorite movie from 2007, because there where a few more that I "enjoyed" more, or shall I say, put me in a better mood. However, No Country for Old Men more than deserved Best Picture honors for the level of detail and expert story telling that it displays. This is movie that will stick with you for a long time.

9/10

McCain Hearts Waterboarding

John McCain has more reason than anyone in this country to be an advocate against the use of torture by the U.S. military, which he has been for a very long time. In fact, in one of the last republican debates, McCain speaks out against torture, specifically the use of water boarding. Now, for some reason, McCain suddenly doesn't think that it's all that bad. So much so, that he opposes the bill set forth to ban water boarding.

Why the sudden change? Oh yeah, I remember. John McCain has zero political backbone.

Republicans who hate McCain do so because he always followed his own beliefs, and not the beliefs of his party. Since 2000, McCain has abandoned that approach and now changes his mind a the drop of a hat if it means a few more votes from the base of his party. Which is exactly what McCain is doing in this situation. There is no other way to explain why a former POW, who was painstakingly tortured for 5 years would support torture.

But for some reason, he does now. Only a few days after he is endorsed by President Bush.

Here we go again....

Lost Double Dose: Eggtown and The Constant

Completely missed reviewing Lost last week do to my crazy schedule continuing to be crazy. Just because it was missed does not mean that it has been forgotten. So to make up for it I'll toss a few thoughts up before I review the mind melter that was "The Constant".

Eggtown

Kate episodes are usually my least favorite, and minus a few "WTF" moments, this one was no different. I generally just find her flashback/flashforward storylines to be repetitive and uninteresting. I get it, Kate likes to run and she ruins everything she touches. She's a pivotal character on the island, but the rest of her cannon needs a shot in the arm. I did enjoy Sawyer and Kate's conning of Locke in order for Kate to talk to Miles, however, the "deal" that they struck seemed a little silly, even though the conversation between Miles and Ben raised some questions about who and what Ben really is off the island. Locke's reatliation was fun to watch, especially the grenade he shoved in Miles' mouth. However, his banishment of Kate led to one of the lamest scenes in Lost history. That of course being the Sawyer and Kate "Grey's Anatomy" scene. There's just something about romantic relationship dialogue on this show that doesn't work for me. It seems forced. Thankfully it doesn't last long, and Sawyer kicks Kate to the curb like the straight pimp that he is.

The most interesting parts of Eggtown were small. For example, Jack's testimony in Kate's trial. Obviously a lie, Jack's story sheds a little light on the Oceanic 6's predicament, serving as a little piece of the puzzle that will bring the flashforwards into focus down the line. The biggest moment of the hour came in the final seconds when it was revealed that Kate, for some reason, is raising Aaron, Claire's weird looking baby. For what reason, and under what circumstances are left in the air in true Lost fashion, but I'm sure we'll know the answer by the end of May. Another peculiar moment was Jack's reaction to Kate's child. I'm not sure if he knows that the baby is actually Claire's, or if he think's it's Sawyers', but he's uncomfortable with the situation that's for sure.

Overall, Eggtown was hit and miss for me. It had some strong moments, such as the ending, but for the most part was an uninteresting "shipper" story (storylines focused on relationships). That's not to say I hated it, but it was the weakest of what so far has been the strongest season to date.

7/10

Now to the good stuff.....

The Constant

The Lost writers have flirted dangerously close to unveiling Lost as a sci-fi show. Yet every time the show steps a foot over the line, it jumps back over, shuts the door and turns out the lights(the monster, Dharma, miraculous healings, ghost Walt and so on). Last year, Desmond's episode "Flashes Before Your Eyes", was the semi-coming out sci-fi party by introducing time travel theories, but things went quiet on that angle soon after. Last weeks episode, "The Constant", changed things. In fact, it changed everything. Including my pants. Ladies and Gentleman, time travel is real. Or at least it is on Lost.

Now I know when the average person hears the phrase "time travel" and "television drama", the words "genius" and "compelling" don't usually follow. I normally think the concept is lame as well, mainly because most television shows and movies (sans Back to the Future), don't take the time to explain and make sense of how it would even be possible. This is the reason why "The Constant" is one of the most intelligently written hours in Lost history, but also a lesson in story structure for any aspiring screenwriter (me!), and an amazing display of how to awesomely edit. Yes, awesomely. It's that good.

When Desmond starts losing his mind I was skeptical. I've seen that plot element on other shows, and it usually ends in disaster, which looked eminent on this occasion too. That is, until my boy Daniel Faraday started dropping knowledge.

Human beings only use 10% of their brain. The power of the other 90% has been a source of scientific study for as long as Phrenology has existed. When the hatch exploded, Desmond was exposed to a high level of electromagnetism that jarred his collective conscious loose in the framework of time. Allowing his mind to jump randomly through time. Why and how is this possible? Faraday explains.

Imagine your entire life as a timeline where both the future and the past exist in conjunction with the present. What's happens to Desmond, is that the force of the electromagnetism on his brain jarred his mind loose in time, not his entire body. Allowing him to jump to alternate moments in time without the ability to control it.The only way to fix his problem was to find a constant. Something or someone that exists in both his past and his present in order to give his brain an anchor to base time on. By finding Penny and alerting her to his problem, Desmond was able to bring his mind back to homeostasis. Cementing his place in time once again. Now this may sound crazy and far-fetched, but what's happening on Lost is cemented in real scientific theories by such thinkers as Michael Faraday (whom Daniel's character is named after) and Stephen Hawking. Especially Hawking's String Theory, which can be used to explain Desmond's ability to move through time, as String Theory not only takes into account as time being a fourth dimension, but the possibility of there being an infinite number of dimensions beyond human understanding. Sorry, didn't mean to nerd out there, but these concepts are what make Lost so great. You can take the show at surface value, or you can follow the rabbit hole as deep as it will go.

On top of the mixture of scientific theory and storyline, "The Constant" was edited to perfection. The cuts between time jumps were creatively done as they came without warning, just like they were for Desmond's character. It got even better when the jumps to Desmond's past placed him in scenes that were filled with an abundance of clues to the origin of the island. During the auction scene, Penny's father, Charles Widmore, was bidding on a diary from the Black Rock. Which is the wrecked slave ship that is somehow in the middle of the island. The author of the diary had the last name "Hanso", which is very important considering the "Hanso Foundation" are the founders of the Dharma Intiative. Oh how the plot thickens.

The Constant was an incredible rebound from what I considered a weak episode in "Eggtown". Further proving that Lost as a show is incredibly focused, and answers to the mysteries we have been discussing for years are starting to take shape.

This weeks episode is title "The Other Woman" and it's Juliet flashback. Good times.

10/10