Two TV Anniversaries

Friends premiered 20 years ago today. Could there BE a better anniversary to celebrate?

Just as importantly Lost premiered on this date 10 years ago. Apparently September 22nd is a springboard for TV greatness.

Lost trivia

Trivia of the day: Matthew Fox, star of "Party of Five" and "Lost" is the great-great-great grandson of General George Gordon Meade, commander of the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg and the Overland campaign of '64-'65. Howabout that?

Lost: The New Man in Charge

I finally saw the LOST epilogue, "The New Man in Charge". Eh. So-so. 12 minutes is too short a time to answer any question worth asking. I'd like to see Hurley's 'reign', and Walt and Ben's employment, explored further in other media as the years go by.

TV Night

Gasp - a Tues w/ out AI or Lost. I hope Glee is good. It's gotten a little heavy lately, w/ the wheelchair and long-lost Mom storylines. Plus there's the whole Kurt is gay and angry plotline - WTH is up w/ him? He's got a loving and supportive father, a great teacher, friends that adore him, and plenty of talent. That kid has a better support system than Jayne Mansfield's bossum - quit whining already.

A Great Quote from Lost

MIB: Am I [wrong]? They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same. 

JACOB: It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.

Lost's finale: A more detailed exploration

I intentionally avoided any details/spoilers about the Lost finale yesterday, but by now you've either seen it, or have no interest in ever taking the plunge. So I'd like to put some of my thoughts down, in part to refute some of the wilder (aka dumber) notions out there. Not that I blame the fans; for once we were treated to a more-or-less straightforward story, with clearly defined cause and effects, and I think some Lost fans just can't change gears at the last moment.

Let's start out simple. I think Desmond was put on the island by Jacob as a weapon, just as Jack said. Destroying the island was a temptation MIB couldn't pass up, and he was too busy relishing the idea to realize disconnecting the source once again made him mortal and vulnerable. It was, to paraphrase Sawyer, a long con.

What was the source? Who/what put it there? We'll never know. Neither did any of the characters, and if they're not complaining, why should we?

Was Jack destined to die? It was his choice to take the job, but there's that gray area of fate/free will again. Knowing Jack, was there any real question who would accept the duty? Was he steered towards the position because he was a better candidate (no pun intended) to physically defeat MIB? Was he sacrificed in order to preserve Hurley's eventual reign?

You tell me. None of it matters. Come to think of it, did anything?

I don't know if letting MIB free would have destroyed our world. Still, I can't imagine it's a good thing to have a cunning, ruthless and violent immortal walk the streets of Topeka. I can empathize with him, to a degree; keep me trapped for two millenia and I'd get miffed too. But oh well. Whatever his motives, whatever Mommy issues he had, he'd grown into a murdering thug. The last thing the world needed was him walking free.

Now, as to the 'flash-sideways'. Yes, it's purgatory, and if that word bothers you because of some 'Papist' connotations, deal with it. They are dead but not in heaven or hell, but rather in a 'holding cell' where they explore and move past the issues that plagued them in our world. In other words, a sort of purgatory.

It is NOT solely Jack's afterlife, where each character could be nothing more than the sum of his memory. Each character is clearly independent of the others; connected by their shared past, but dealing with a full life of their own.

No, this is a communal afterlife. Now I don't know if it's an L.A. created and occupied only by the Lost cast, or if it a larger, general 'world' that the characters borrow as their stage. My money is on the latter. When Christian talks of the cast making a world to find each other, I think he means that the force of their bonds drew each of them into proximity with one another. Their experiences - their 'world' - is fashioned by their need to reconnect.

So what about David, Jack's son? Who pops out a kid in purgatory? I go back to some references this season about how much the boy resembled Jack when he was young. I view him as a surrogate for Jack himself. I think Jack imagined/was given David to work out his issues with Christian and break the Shepard's dysfunctional father/son relationship.

Was the island (and all the events of the series) real? Yes, dangit, didn't you listen to Christian? It was real, so real that the relationships forged on the island transcended death. It was real, there were no do-overs, what happened happened.

Finally, Jack's death scene: I teared up. It was the ONLY suitable ending for the show, and I like how, thanks to Vincent, he didn't 'die alone'. Well done.

Well done indeed.

In

RE: Lost's finale: it makes television history as the first scripted/non-sports TV show to have an episode be simulcast in multiple countries, other than the US and Canada. Italy, Israel, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom showing the episode at the same time as the West Coast broadcast in the early hours of May 24, 2010 (5am to 7am, depending on location) in Europe

grrrrr

I spent some time w/ a friend before watching Lost, and he p*'d me off by blasting Lost as 'mainstream' (as if that's an insult) and all but an opiate of the masses. Here's what I think: I think anyone who watches 'The Cleveland Show' and literally LOL's at the lame, mildly racist 'comedy' is someone who's opinion on TV matters for shit.

Lost: The End

You want another insight into my chaotic head? For years now I've made the series finale of Lost a benchmark in my life, a goal that I had to reach. I was always a little worried that God, with His sense of humour, would have me drop dead a week before the finale just so I'd never know how it ended. Along the same lines I've decided, well in advance, to avoid becoming interested in anything after the age of 70, just so He can't screw me out of the answers to that too :)

Now . . . it's over. I made it.

And you know what? The word that comes to mind when I think of the finale, more than any other, is 'satisfied'.

As always Lost stayed devoted to the 'story', a true rarity on TV. The characters moved us and spoke to our hearts, but they existed to move the story along, not to bump it to the side. I love that, just as I love characters like Jack and Desmond.
What also impressed me is that through all the confusion and all the theories, Lost stayed true to its own canonical beliefs. There was an unapologetic belief in the spiritual, and the unflinching rule that 'what happened, happened'. There was no reset button, no 'it was all a dream'. For the characters, free will is real and powerful, even in the face of fate, but what is done is done; no amount of wishing will absolve them from facing the consequences of their actions. They may come to terms with the past, but they can never outrun it.

As to the finale in particular: I think Jack's fate on the island was what it needed to be, a necessary (and freely chosen) sacrifice as part of Jacob's long con; that the means of Smokey's defeat was surprising and emphatic; that the role of the Protector went to the person who was always destined to carry the burden. I also think the duct-taped jet using a dirt runway was a stretch, but who am I to argue with a majic island?

For the record, I think the resolution to the 'flash-sideways' was poignant, sweet, and most importantly, absolute. We know their fate was was exactly what we saw on the island - what happened happened, no takebacks. We also know that in the end it all mattered immensely - and didn't matter at all.

I think back on the last shot of the series, that perfect bookend to the pilot, and I'm torn between a smile and a tear.

Lost, I'll miss you. It's been a hell of a ride.

The Lost Finale (delayed)

Too much chaos here to watch the Lost series finale in 'real-time', so I'm DVR'ing it. I'll watch it once the kids and the Mrs. are asleep, so I can enjoy every second. One near disaster: Lisa walked into the living room to find the kids had shut off the recording of the pre-show to put on Disney. Lousy buggers!

Facebook March 7th - 11th

March 7th - my Smiley's 5th Birthday!!

* Smiley's name appeared on Sprout's Birthday Wishes at ~9:32 this morning, but (so far) not his card.

* 3 words to describe Smiley's bday party (in progress): pretty dang lousy. [only one of six invited guests from his class showed up, despite folks RSVP'ing]

* [3:18 pm] The kid party is done. 1 hr 55 minutes until the family party for Smiley starts. I think I'm going to try and nap. Or watch the Magic-Lakers game. Either/or.

March 8th:

I'll say it again: as early as the 2000 election I witnessed, first hand, voter fraud at the polls here in Milwaukee. A few hundred fraudulent ballots may not sound like a lot, but in a battleground state like we were in '00 and '04, it matters.

* I finished *One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich*. The blase acceptance of the gulag as normal and "just something to bear" is as much an indictment of the Soviets as the injustice of the camp itself.

* [from my sister K] Danny - Congrat's dear man . Your wish has come true . People .com is reporting that Betty White will be hosting Saturday night live !!!!! Your fantasy lady is fullfilling your dreams :)

* [on the death of Natalie Wood in the '80's] I was seven at the time, and I think it's the first high-profile celebrity death I remember. Ah, memories.

* [re: a serial killer who won on 'The Dating Game'] By the time of the show he'd already raped a little girl, and by the end of that year he would abduct and kill the first of his victims. Even at the time the other contestants on the game felt he was 'creepy' and despite winning, the woman refused to go out with him.

March 9th:

* On Sunday I caught YaYa using "BRB" (as in 'be right back') in actual, human to human conversation. Our culture's decline is all but complete.

* [Rep Eric Massa (D - NY) on White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel] Quote: : "I am showering, naked as a jaybird, and here comes Rahm Emanuel, not even with a towel wrapped around his tush, poking his finger in my chest, yelling at me." Icky-ick. At least it was just a finger he was poking with . . .

* Internet quote of the day, from a commenter on a Baseball Think Factory article about Obemann's over-the-top (surprise!) & rude attack on sportswriter Bill Simmons: "It may take months. It may take years. It may take decades. But as God is my witness, before I die, I will see Science get that stick out of Olbermann's ass"

* AI: A srong night for the women, and I much prefer the terse one hr format to the dragged out 2hr crap. Lacey saved herself this wk, and I think it's obvious Paige has to go. 2nd elimination is harder to pick this week - maybe Katelyn for her good vocal/no personality performance?

* Lost: After last weeks yawner, it was good to see Lost back on track. I'm happy Ben is a good man in the flash-sideways. Note also that on-island he rejected neoLocke/devil?'s offer & been accepted into the (good) group simply by confessing his sins. Jack's transformation has begun as well; on the Black Rock it became ...clear he is now a man of faith, and a believer in destiny. The lines have been drawn. It's showtime.

March 10th:

* Actor Corey Haim dies (RIP) and Einstein's theory of relativity is allegedly proven

* Happy birthday Chuck Norris!. One of my favorite Norris facts: He destroyed the Periodic Table of Elements because he only recognizes the element of surprise.

* [on the retirement of the great but oft-injured Nomar Garciaparra] There's no sport that likes to dwell more on 'what coulda been', but baseball mythology aside, injuries rarely derail what was sure to be a Hall of Fame, history making career. Not so with Nomar. He could be the poster boy for great talent rendered useless. I tip my cap to you sir. Enjoy your retirement.

March 11th:

I think the men did quite well tonight on AI. Michael Lynche won the night, although not my vote, but I was also quite impressed with Alex Lambert's voice. My picks to go home: the one-note Andrew Garcia and Todrick Hall.

* Just finished watching the Spanish language film "Before the Fall" (Tres Dias). The world has 3 days before a meterorite destroys the earth. So its a disaster movie right? Nope. Prison riots break out, & a serial killer escapes to kill the family of the man who caught him. Only the man's loser brother is left to defen...d the children. Think High Noon meets Armageddon meets Party of Five. Very good flick.

Lost - Across the Sea

It's been a long, long time since I did a weekly post about Lost. Frankly, I often have to DVR the show and watch it later, which ruins the relevancy of the writing. And now, with only 3.5 hours left in the series, what's the point of posting at all? All the mysteries will be answered, right?

Maybe. But even if the answers are around the bend, the fact is I sit here feeling very confused after watching "Across the Sea". That's unusual. After an episode what I 'know' may turn out to be wrong, but I always walk away with a grasp of the plot and a plausible theory in my head. Not this week.

I'm not going to waste time typing out a synopsis. If you saw the episode, you'll know what I'm talking about, and if you didn't, well, you should have 'x'd out this post by now.

Here are my three primary concerns about this episode:

1. Does this episode reinforce or refute or notion of Jacob as 'good' and Esau/Locke/Man In Black as 'bad'?

2. Regardless of who is good or bad, is there validity to the current status-quo of the island? If Locke leaves will disaster befall humanity? Is it necessary for someone (Jacob/candidate) to assume the role of 'protector' of the island and foe of Locke?

3. To what degree are the events of 2000 years ago (this episode) a manipulation to acheive a desired effect? Do they mirror events of 2004-2007?

POINT 1:

Well, damn, this episode screwed with the show as a whole, didn't it? Nowhere in the course of the hour was anything presented that labeled Jacob as 'bad', but it knocked away the idea that he was a benign, all-wise entity.

He is human, not a god [although many religions feature a god born of a woman]. Throughout his childhood he is clearly a follower, not quite content living in the shadow of his brother but unwilling to alter the situation. He is clearly devoted to his 'Mother', and believes her words with the conviction of a priest. Yet he is all too aware that his brother is the 'favorite', the leader, the boy who possesses both the spark of curiosity and the favor of his Mother's heart. This blossoms in violence and anger twice on screen.

On the other hand we are presented a portrait of MIB as a gifted, curious child with an adventurous heart, one who is clearly the favorite of his 'mother'. There is no clear, discernible 'evil' act to hold against him save matricide, and one could argue that the mass murder in the village momentarily pushed his sanity aside.

But . . .

If the words of warning about the Source were true, and MIB willingly and with full knowledge sought to breach that line in the sand - and remember, he somehow came to possess specific knowledge about it - then he is acting immorally. Immorally, and to such a scale he could be called 'evil'.

In the end of course, their childhood is nothing but irrelevant baggage. Who you are at 12 is not who you are guaranteed to be at 30, 40, 60 - or 2000. In his 30 years with the colony MIB had already grown bitter and distrustful of man, while Jacob seems to have picked up a fascination and affection for the same. Extrapolate that down 20 centuries, and 2004 MIB may be 100% evil, and Jacob may have evolved into the benefactor he appears to be.

POINT 2

Well shoot, how do I know? I'd say yes, and not just because it's necessary for the show to function. The show could amount to nothing more than leftovers from the imagination of a single crazy woman, but that's ignoring some facts. If she's such a complete loon, what about the source and the disappearing cave? The presence of a freakin' Smoke Monster, folks that live for millenia, and the simple fact that MIB physically can't seem to maneuver a way off into the wild blue yonder.

Something is keeping MIB in place, and whether you label MIB good or evil may be irrelevant. Perhaps, like a communicable disease, it must be contained before it spreads to the general population. It doesn't mean the infected person is any less good or moral than the next; there is not value judgment, simply a necessary precaution.

So yes, there's some point to this whole mess.


POINT 3:

We open with a mother giving birth to a child (in this case, two boys) who are taken from her by force or circumstance, ala Danielle and Claire.

Years pass. The smoke monster can take the shape of any person who is both dead AND whose body is somewhere on the island. Was it the smoke monster who appeared as MIB's true mother and introduced him to the colony? Was it his intention to set forth the chain of events we see?

Follow my train of thought. The role of Jacob/mother/candidate seems less a matter of defending the island/source than of protecting it by acting as the jailer of the smoke monster. Therefore, the smoke monster is stuck on the island 2000 years ago, presumably prisoned by the Source or the mother. Seeing an opportunity, it exploits the young MIB by posing as his birth mother, separating him from the Protector (the 'mother').

30 years pass, and the monster continues to whisper in MIB's ear, giving him information about the light and how to escape. Yet 'mother' intervenes. What's next is up for debate, but I doubt a lone woman could orchestrate the murder of a village and the destruction of a well. I suppose she could have summoned Smokey to do the deed, but I think it more likely that the monster exploited yet another opening. It wiped out the village and destroyed the well, not to hinder MIB but to push him into killing the island's protector, believing she was to blame for the village. Presumably, Smokey could then escape the island.

Farfetched? Why? It's been done before. Think about how complex Smokey's machinations were in maneuvering Locke and Ben into killing Jacob. That was a decades long process, no less or more an effort than what I've spelled out.

Except that the mother had thought ahead, and designated Jacob as her heir. When she was killed Smokey had no 'release'; it was just as much a prisoner as ever. Oopsie.

We're told Jacob can't kill MIB and vice versa. Yet MIB's physical body obviously perishes in the Source, and we see the Smoke Monster flee the cave. What happened?

Two choices. A, MIB died, period, and Smokey later took his shape. Or B, his physical form died but his soul was transformed into the Smoke Monster, which could later imitate his old form as the body was still on the island. Which doesn't explain who/what destroyed the village the day before, but there ya go.

Yes, I know neither boy was 'allowed' to kill the other. But I think that rule expires once a new protector is chosen. Only a candidate is unable to be killed by the other's hand. Once someone is chosen the other is left as 'normal' as you and me.

I think B is the more likely plot point, but I kind of lean towards A.

Jacob and MIB never refer to themselves as brothers in the future (granted, proof of nothing). Morevoer, the death of MIB not only sets up all the points I've listed it makes this truly an eternal battle between good (the protector's) and evil (the smoke monster), not just the remnants of a petty family feud.

So. One more episdode, and then the 2.5 hour finale. God I'll miss this show.

Tonight's TV

I'm like Tinkerbell Finn - I need applause to live! Tuesday's Glee was a downer, wasn't it? Quadraplegics (sp?), John Mellencamp and Kurt going all boo-hoo over a Dad who CLEARLY loves his son despite their differences. Nut up kid. Ah well. Neil Patrick Harris guest stars next week. Should be a hoot. 

 And I finally saw last night's Lost. I'll cop to being a little confused, which is unusual; sometimes what I 'know' turns out to be wrong, but I always walk away with a gist of it down and a decent theory in my head. I'll need to mull this one over.

Lost

*spoilers* I finally got around to watching this weeks Lost. THREE principal characters killed off in a single episode - what other show would have the ba**s to do that? The death of the Kwon's was moving, as was Jack's last speech with Locke in the hosp.It was good to see Sayid shake off the 'fugue' - and wonderful to hear Jack named, however unofficially, as Jacob's successor. Wow.

Madonna + Glee = the best hour of American TV last night. Well done! Unfortunately, the Bowersox love caused AI to run over their time, which in turn cut off the last few minutes of Glee. #%#$ I'm seriously close to ditching AI this season. If I wanted to be bored by folks with bad teeth & dirty hair I'd watch Celebrity Rehab.

Lost - trumped by Glee last night, but still a great hour of TV. PseudoLocke is wrong. Jack is not 'with' him; his refusal to leave the island is clear evidence he's Locke's foe. And it looks like Sayhid may just be redeemed. Unless the rules of fiction writing have changed, he lied when he said he murdered Desmond. The plot thickens.

A Night of TV

Dear Lord it's like the perfect storm: DWTS, American Idol, Lost, Glee, V, 19 Kids and Counting- all new, all tonight. I can hear the Black Eyed Peas in my head: Tonight's gonna be a good good night . . .

DWTS - sad the yummalicious Edyta is gone, but what a great hour of dance. AI - boring. Tim was good, Andrew needs to go. What's up w/ Ryan? He's jacked up & rude lately. Glee - great reset episode, bringing the core character conflicts back into play. Love the Vogue clip. Lost - like the Hurley stuff, p.o'd at Desmond for f'ing up Locke in the flash-sideways. 19 Kids - love when the Duggars and Bates get together.

Facebook Feb 24th -

Feb 24th: This weeks episode told u everything you need to know about Lost: It's all about Jack. Past, present(s), and future - the island, and the show, is all about Jack Shephard.

- That said, it's theory time! The web seems to be populated with dinkleberries who haven't thought anything through. I disagree w/ almost all published theories about last nights episode.

For starters, the appendectomy scar that Jack doesn't remember seems (to me) to be proof that this ISN'T a flash-sideways. Jack is Jack, and somewhere down the ... See Moreroad he is succeeds in ?? and resumes a normal life, as do the rest of Flight
815. We are watching what could/will be the present of 2004 IF Jack triumphs.

- to clarify: while life has 'reset' in the new 204, the characters are unaware of their time on the island.

Life is better w/out the island. Locke has found peace, Hurley is lucky, and Jack has overcome the damage wrought by his father and forged a bond with his once estranged son. (That scene outside the conservatory brought tears to my eyes, btw... See More.)

So life sans island is a reward, a not-perfect world where the characters are willing and able to struggle past and overcome the issues that torment them.

- I now believe more than ever that Jacob is good and neoLocke evil. Newest evidence: Claire going nutso and axing a man to death under the tutelage and lies of NeoLocke.

- Note that Jacob, even tho' he appears to have been 'defeated', seems to know what will happen before it does.

He knows, for instance, that NeoLocke will shortly gain access to the temple before the possiblity even arises, and moves Jack and Hurley clear of danger.

He is the Destiny aspect of the show, whereas neoLocke must force and lie and manipulate hsi way to uncertain and mixed results. ... See More

That Jacob favors and sees tied to Jack is curious. Iit was always Locke that believed in destiny and Jack that was for choice and free will, and yet both men have been clearly used in the service of the opposing philosophy.

* Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, secretly converted to Christianity in 1996 and soon began a decade of feeding Hamas info to Israel, aborting many suicide bombings in the process - some by physically intervening. "So many people owe him their life and don't even know it," [an Israeli official] said.

* Yikes: SeaWorld trainer killed by killer whale

* Prequel to 'The Passion of the Christ' close to production!

* ‘Idol’ Winners: Not Just Fame but Big Bucks

* Lousy kids r arguing @ the table over whether or not YaYa is actually swallowing her grilled cheese or just 'faking', & about who can upchuck into their mouth w/out spitting it out. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Here's what non-breeders and the 'bred because it was expected' fail to comprehend: you can hate 17.5% of any given day with all ur heart & still not regret any of it. It'd be like hating pizza forever because 1 slice of one pie was crap.

- To clarify 'bred because it was expected' - I know a few people (no one reading this) who had kids for no apparent reason other than it was the step between 'marriage' and 'retirement'. Then they whine about the gig. No one begged ya to reproduce, as I recall. Quit yer belly-aching. ;)

TV Time

The kids accidentally erased this weeks Lost from the DVR, and in retrospect I'm almost grateful. Now that I've watched it on ABC.com I thought it did little to move the plot and next to nothing to develop the characters. C-

Meanwhile, American Idol  (women): an up-and-down night. I liked Bowersox but don't understand the mad love the judges have for her; no way she'll adapt to the weekly themes to come. Lily was good, on par or better than Bsox, but Shiobahn was spectacular. Plus she's a short -haired kooky brunette? Hell yeah. Adios to Haley, Lacey or Didi.

Lost

This weeks episode told u everything you need to know about Lost: It's all about Jack. Past, present(s), and future - the island, and the show, is all about Jack Shephard.

This week's Lost

Lost: Excellent episode, u can really feel the season picking up steam. So in alt. timeline Locke is happy; he has his woman, comes to grips w/ his paralysis, and is fufilled @ wrk - all by abandoning faith, making him a true opp. of his 'old' self. Will Jack be equally fulfilled by *embracing* faith in that timeline? Yin/Yang, etc?