The lost rant

I didn't post anything Friday because I was busy spewing out onto Geoff Klock's poor blog a review of Lost's last episode before the hiatus. It became a surprisingly long rant, fed mostly by my frustration at having no new Lost to watch for the last two weeks.
I'll reproduce it here. Mr Klock's excellent blog is reachable through the links on the right.


I miss Lost. Deeply.

It was a mistake to crush my longing under the wait of a three season marathon, held over two weeks, as now my brain has melted.

However, I did re-encounter many things I had forgotten, such as the 'Adam and Eve' skeletons and the white and black rocks they held.

Please allow me space to discuss the last available episode, 'Meet Kevin Johnson', as a way to ease my pain. I may cover well-worn ground. I apologise.

I the reason I feel such anticipation for Lost's return is that this episode was deeply unsatisfying, even for a Lost apologist such as myself.
The previous episode, in which Jin's potential demise is revealed, would've been a much stronger break point, as I believe was the writer's intention. It's a shame the writer's strike had this affect at all, as otherwise 'Johnson' could've survived as a bum note amongst the greatness of this season. As it is, the seemingly tacked-on final scene pays testament to the artificial level of drama this episode is vested with. It crumples under the pressure.

Michael's backstory was dull. More importantly, it was a waste of potential bordering on criminal.
We already knew the broad strokes. Michael must've lost Walt along the way, as he would not've voluntarily left his side. He must've been coerced by the Others at some point. He was on the boat. The revealed flashback seemed a perfunctory manner in which to tell this story.

In outlining the squandered potential of which I speak, four points are considered:
The actor who plays Walt is aging at a rate too rapid for him to remain in the show;
This season has cemented that time travel is a cornerstone of the show, including a revelation that there is a schism in time between the island and elsewhere;
While Michael has been gone a long time from the audience's perspective, his departure was a recent occurrence for the characters - he has not been gone very long, and;
Michael's return is unlikely to result in a pat on the back from his former castaway chums.

With that in mind, I had high hopes for Michael's experience. It seemed certain in my mind that time travel was the perfect device to account for Walt's accelerated ageing and allow Michael time to change into his current guise.
Admittedly, it's my fault that my imagination ran away from me in a 'my, wouldn't that be awesome' fashion, but putting disparate pieces together in that fashion is encouraged in the viewing of Lost, and is what makes it so compelling. Rarely have I done so and been disappointed. Blindsided, flabbergasted and dumbfounded, but not disappointed.

So, instead of a time-travelling romp with the Hostiles, we got to see Michael being depressed because he sucks so hard.

It is, admittedly, a natural progression for his character to go through. On paper, Michael's arc should be one of the most compelling in the show - "desperate father goes to extreme lengths to save his son from first isolation and then capture, losing his soul in the process" - but in the execution it has been one of the show's weaker elements.

Whenever presented with a choice, Michael has taken the wrong path. His choice of a life partner, the first choice we are privy to in a chronological sense, was a dismal failure. He took Walt on the raft. He set off into the jungle alone. He killed two women. He postponed his return to the show to film a failed pilot.

This episode was an extension of that. Compelling arc. Poorly told.

There were bright spots. The concept of the island preventing Michael's death delivered by a man who had time to sabotage his gun. Sayid's rage. Tom continuing to be entirely awesome. Automatic weapon-toting psychopaths and the future they suggest. I always enjoy seeing the freighter captain, as I remember him as the host of a somewhat dodgy Australian reality program called "The Mole".

As mentioned by Geoff previously, the Others' belief that they are the good guys is compelling. I want it to be true simply for the joy I find in skilful misdirection, but it would require an explanation that included an elastic, broken morale code to be convincing. They have done terrible things, and justification is needed if their altruism is to be proven.

Thanks for your time. I needed that.