JBond Presents: The Televised Works of J.J. Abrams

[Neverending]

THE BEST SEASON FIVE EPISODES OF LOST!

LaFLEUR (MARCH 4, 2009)
NAMASTE (MARCH 18)
HE'S OUR YOU (MARCH 25)

Season 5 begins with Saywer & Friends jumping through time like some weird episode of Quantum Leap, while Locke tries to get off the island. In the flashforwards, Jack & Company debate whether or not to return to the island. After 7 episodes of that nonsense, the season settles into its main storyline. Sawyer, Juliet, Miles, and Jin end up in 1974 and bulls--t their way into joining Dharma. Three years later, they've settled into their new lives and are finally happy. But then Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid show up and ruin everything. These three episodes highlight the best moments of that situation. Sawyer manages to get Jack, Kate, and Hurley to join Dharma but Sayid is confused for a Hostile and is imprisoned. While in Dharma's holding cell, he meets 12-year-old Ben. Ben helps Sayid escape and Sayid returns the favor by shooting him. These episodes are great because it shows how quickly everything turns upside down after a period of peace and harmony. It's almost heartbreaking.


THE VARIABLE (APRIL 29)
FOLLOW THE LEADER (MAY 6)
THE INCIDENT, PARTS 1 & 2 (MAY 13)

In the 100th episode of Lost, Daniel returns to inform Jack that he can change the future by dropping a hydrogen bomb on Swan Station a/k/a The Hatch. But the bread and butter of these final episodes is Locke returning from the dead, taking over The Others, and finally meeting Jacob. In typical Lost fashion, more questions are raised than answered but it's all very compelling nonetheless.

[JBond]

There was a fifth season?

[Neverending]

THE 5 BEST SEASON SIX EPISODES OF LOST!

The first three seasons of Lost had their flaws, season 3 moreso, but they were compelling and imaginative nonetheless. Seasons 4 &5, however, were generally disappointing except for a few episodes. So, I can understand why so many people said farewell to the island. And for those who remained till the end, I can understand why some went into season 6 with a very cynical attitude. But I'll make the argument that season 6 was a major rebound for the series and the show concluded on a high note. Only 17 episodes were produced in season 6, so instead of doing a top 10, I'll do a top 5.


#5 - ACROSS THE SEA
Original Airdate: May 11, 2010
Written by Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof
Directed by Tucker Gates

In the early days of Lost, every strange occurrence had a plausible explanation. But towards the end, it got very - fantastical - or biblical. This episode, more or less, explains it all. It tells the story of Jacob and his brother. Jacob is, of course, the God-like protector of the island and his brother is just a dude trying to get off the island. Their "mother" doesn't want him nor Jacob leaving the island because they'll encounter people and people are bad. So the mother does everything she can to stop the brother, but is ultimately killed by him. That angers Jacob and, by accident, turns his brother into the Smoke Monster. Then they spend the next hundreds of years trying to kill each other and finally figure out how to do so. And our castaways are the solution to their problem. The Haters probably roll their eyes at this episode, and I don't blame them, because it's all very silly. But..... it answers a lot of questions and I guess I gotta give it credit for that. It may not be the direction I would have chosen, but Damon and Carlton had a specific vision and sticked to it. In fact, they rub it in at the end by including a flashback to the season 1 episode where Jack and Kate discover the caves and find the bodies of Smoke Monster and his "Mommy." So, I guess they really did have all this figured out from day one.


#4 - AB AETERNO
Original Airdate: March 23, 2010
Written by Melinda Hsu Taylor & Greggory Nations
Directed by Tucker Gates

The ageless Richard finally gets his backstory. It's an okay episode, I guess, but like Across the Sea, it answers a lot of big questions. The biggest being, "what's the island?" Since the pilot, people have had lots of theories, and they still do, but at least we have some perspective here. Jacob explains to Richard that the island is a place to keep evil contained. Of course he's referring to his brother, the Smoke monster, but it's also obvious that MOST people that land on the island have done bad things and they find it very difficult to leave. So, it works both ways. The island is a purgatory of sorts, but not literally the actual place.


#3 - THE CANDIDATE
Original Airdate: May 4, 2010
Written by Elizabeth Sarnoff & Jim Galasso
Directed by Jack Bender

Since returning to the island, Jack has decided to take a more passive role and just go with the flow. That leaves Sawyer in charge and he does nothing but make bad decisions. He may have been great in 1970's Dharma as Head of Security, but he's obviously out of his league when dealing with the fantasy-based ordeals of the island. His big plan in this episode is to steal Charlies Widmore's submarine and leave the island. When the entire gang gets there, they discover that the Smoke Monster, who is now walking around as Locke, planted a bomb on Jack's backbag. Instead of listening to Jack that "Locke" can't kill them and only wants them to kill themselves by trying to stop the bomb, Sawyer goes ahead and starts meddling with it. The bomb goes off and kills Sayid, Jin, and Sun. It's an edge of your seat episode with a very emotional ending.


#2 - SUNDOWN
Original Airdate: March 2, 2010
Written by Paul Zbyszewski & Graham Roland
Directed by Bobby Roth

The hydrogen bomb sents the gang back to the present day. Jacob appears and sents them to a temple where his people are located. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Locke didn't return from the dead. It's actually the Smoke Monster impersonating him. He builts an army and marches to the temple. When he gets there, he informs everyone that they have till sundown to join him. Those who don't will be killed. And boy, he sure wasn't f---ing around. What's great about this episode is that it sets-up the Smoke Monster as a major threat and it gives the castaways, or candidates, their purpose for being there. This - thing - wants to get off the island and they have to stop it.


#1 - THE END
Original Airdate: May 23, 2010
Written by Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
Directed by Jack Bender

The series concludes with Jack, who succeeded Jacob as protector of the island, fighting the Smoke Monster till one, or both of them, are dead. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang have a chance to get off the island when Lapidus gets his plane working again. All of that is an exciting ending to the show. Except... there's more. All throughout the season there has a been an alternate universe of sorts. Daniel explains it like Doc Brown in Back to the Future. When they dropped the hydrogen bomb in 1977 they created a new 2007. That's all fine and dandy, but then it's revealed that there's no Alternate 2007. They're just in limbo and once they accept death they can move on. This is, of course, where audiences lose their s--t because none of this makes any sense whatsoever. If this had been the conclusion to Season 1, then yeah, it's perfect and what everyone expected. But after 5 years of Dharma, The Others, and Jacob, it's a major WTF conclusion to the story. HOWEVER, with that being said, the producers have a secret weapon: composer Michael Giacchino. As every character on the show accepts death and moves on, Giacchino's beautiful score is blasting through the speakers. Personally, I can't help but get caught up in the moment. Intellectually, I'm disappointed, but emotionally, I'm not. If that makes any sense.

[JBond]

There was a sixth season?

[Neverending]

HERE WE GO!
THE 10 BEST EPISODES OF LOST!

#10 - THE 23rd PSALM
Season Two
Original Airdate: January 11, 2006
Written by Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof
Directed by Matt Earl Beesley



In the grand scheme of things, it's easy to forget about Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). His contribution to the series was minimal at best. However, I'm a fan of the character and would have loved to have seen him continue with the show till the very end. Although I've read that the actor who played Mr. Eko didn't want to stay and that's why he was killed off. That's a shame because no other character embodied the spiritual nature of the series better than him. In retrospect, it makes sense why the Smoke Monster didn't initially kill Eko. He saw him as a kindred spirit. Both are flawed souls haunted by the memory of their near-perfect brothers. In the case of Eko, however, he saw the errors of his way and seeked redemption.


#9 - SUNDOWN
Season Six
Original Airdate: March 2, 2010
Written by Paul Zbyszewski & Graham Roland
Directed by Bobby Roth



Speaking of the Smoke Monster, I find it amusing that the first mystery on the island turns out to be the biggest one. People end up on the island for one sole purpose, to stop it. And in this episode, we learn how difficult that task will be. Even more interesting, however, is Sayid (Naveen Andrews) and his side of the story. He's the only main character that has a truly disturbing past. And to see him abandon all humanity and become the monster's right-hand man gives the episode an overall feeling that everything just got ugly.


#8 - MAN OF SCIENCE, MAN OF FAITH
Season Two
Original Airdate: September 21, 2005
Written by Damon Lindelof
Directed by Jack Bender



At 23 million viewers, this is the most-watched episode of Lost. The fact it never reached those numbers again, not even with the series finale, comes to show how quickly people were disappointed with the show. In season one, Lost was about a group of lost souls who were redeeming themselves on the island. In season two, that theme continued but it took a backseat to the mysteries of the island, which would remain the central story for the remainder of the series. Personally, I have nothing against that and I don't think the show lost anything by shifting focus. At least at this point. This episode features the two most important characters, and perhaps the biggest theme on the show. Jack (Matthew Fox) is a doctor and believes in science. Even though he has encountered miracles and other fantastical events, he truly believes there's a rational explanation for everything. Locke (Terry O'Quinn), on the other hande, is a man of faith and believes the island is a spiritual place. They're both proven to be right and wrong when the hatch is opened and Desmond and the Dharma initiative are introduced. Throughout the remainder of the series, Jack begins to understand this and that's why he eventually becomes the island's protector. Locke, unfortunately, becomes confused and eventually becomes the face of evil. And all that begins, here, with the opening of the hatch.


#7 - DAVE
Season Two
Original Airdate: April 5, 2006
Written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz (creators of Once Upon a Time)
Directed by Jack Bender



Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia) is a strange character when you think about it. He's a former mental institute patient who wins the lottery by playing numbers he overheard from another patient. As soon as he gets the money, bad luck seems to follow him. It gets so bad that he travels to Australia to seek help. He doesn't get it. On his flight back home, the plane crashes and a new chapter of his life begins. He meets cool people and goes off on adventures even though he's ridiculously out-of-shape. Then he hooks-up with a blonde, big-breasted chick. She dies, but that's okay, because out of nowhere, he develops the ability to communicate with ghosts. Through those abilities he meets Jacob and eventually becomes "Island Protector" when Jack sacrifices himself to rescue the island. Now with all that being said, let's take a look at Dave. In this episode, the idea of everything being in Hurley's head, ala St. Elsewhere, is introduced and literally never brought up again. Has anyone here ever entertained the idea that MAYBE that's the answer? Even if you don't think so, and I'm assuming everyone here doesn't think so, it can't be ignored that the possibilities of that being the truth are very intriguing.


#6 - THE END
Season Six
Original Airdate: May 23, 2010
Written by Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
Directed by Jack Bender



Here's a question I've never seen anyone ask. Does Jack become the dog? In Across the Sea, we learn that going to the light kills your body but not your soul. That's why Jacob's brother became the Smoke Monster and needed vessels to roam the island in the form of a human. So we know Jack's soul remained on the island, but isn't it weird how Vincent just lays next to him? And Vincent, somehow, survived everything and always looks so well-groomed. Weird, huh? Anyway..... the finale is definitely a mixed bag. I enjoyed the conclusion to the main story, but the infamous "flash-sideways" or whatever you wanna call it, are disappointing and confusing even though composer Michael Giacchino makes it work.


#5 thru 2
THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN (May 9, 2007)
GREATEST HITS (MAY 16, 2007)
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, PARTS 1 & 2 (MAY 23, 2007)

Season Three

Writers: Carlton Cuse, Drew Goddard, Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Damon Lindelof, and Elizabeth Sarnoff

Directors: Jack Bender and Stephen Williams



I'm in the camp of people who believe the show should have ended with season three. I find Jacob, Smoke Monster, and the Island Protectors to be very interesting, but ultimately, the series got way too convoluted because of it. Some could argue that simplicity would make Lost lose its richness. If the show were simply the survivors battling Ben and The Others while solving the mysteries of the island through the Dharma initiative, it would be less interesting in retrospect. All the WTF moments are what makes Lost, well, Lost. However, the characters are the bread and butter of the series. Having them defeat the bad guys and leave the island is a much more satisfying conclusion than what we got. Not to mention that their experiences on the island would have made them grow as human beings and redeem themselves from their past sins. I guess it all comes down to art vs entertainment. What we got was art but what we really wanted was entertainment and these four episodes are easily the most entertaining.


#1 - WALKABOUT
Season One
Original Airdate: October 13, 2004
Written by David Fury
Directed by Jack Bender



Seconded chances. I think that's what Lost was ultimately about, at least initially. John Locke had a pathetic life in the real world but became everything he wanted to be on the island, at least initially. This episode is strangely inspiring and made Lost one of the standout TV shows of the `00s. If Lost had made more episodes like Walkabout and less episodes like Across the Sea, it would probably be considered one of the greatest shows of all-time, alongside Breaking Bad and The Wire.

[carnage4u]

random words

[MovieBuff801]

Originally Posted by MovieBuff801

I watched the pilot of Alias a while ago on Netflix. I've been meaning to give the rest of the series a shot.

Okay, so, I FINALLY started watching the other episodes and...I'm hooked. I agree with Neverending -- the pilot was unnecessarily long. But the regular 42-45 minute episodes have easily fixed that problem. In fact, I get so into them, that by the time they reach the end, I'm genuinely left wanting more.