More Lost thoughts

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I've now watched through episode nine. So far I love Hurley and Sayid, hate Sawyer, think Jin's a dick and feel bad for Sun, and have diagnosed Jack with a serious hero complex (okay, I did that in the first five minutes). Oh, and Locke's a major weirdo. I was also rather unconvinced that Kate is as dangerous as they tried to make her seem in the beginning there. Like, what exactly is she going to do? The US Marshal dude is all, [srs voice] "She will do anything to get away." Get away from WHAT? They're on a DESERTED ISLAND. It's not like they're going to lock her up in jungle jail, so I'm glad they've kind of dropped the whole "Kate's so ~dangerous~" angle. Personally, I'd be more worried about asshole Sawyer hogging all the supplies and picking fights with people.

I am trying very hard not to think that anything means anything, because I know that way leads to madness, but I can really see why people got all fanatical about that kind of stuff. If I'd been watching it as it aired, without the benefit of knowing that it's complete and utter lunacy to try, I'd probably be writing essays about all kinds of thematic and symbolic shit.

I will say, though, that I am enjoying the story qua story. I like the way they are handling the flashbacks, and the character development seems to complement the tension from everyone keeping secrets and all the scary shit on the island (seriously, there sure are plenty of ways to die on that island, aren't there? It's a freakin' death trap).

Comments

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Hee! Jack's hero complex is extreme! That said, what eventually makes it tolerable (for me) was that the show did 'get it' that Jack's "Mr. Fix-it! I'm in charge!" thing was his Achilles heel and hyper-controlling character flaw, so you get to enjoy watching Jack being wrong again and again and again (I didn't say he was a fast learner in this regard. Heh, watching Jack belatedly realize that he was wrong never got old for me. :)

Hurley is always love.
Sayid is always kick-ass.
I'm willing to bet that Jin will change your mind eventually. (Jin/Sun = love!)

And Kate the dangerous criminal... was never believable.

And, yeah, the island is a big ol' death trap so lots of characters do in a variety of ways.

Actually, I take that back, it's not just a death trap. It's more that the island doesn't give a damn if someone dies...or rather most someones. There are a handful that it won't let die. At least not until it's darn ready to let them do so).

Personally, I know I'm in the realitively satisfied group, but I honestly think that most things are explained. Not everything. There are a couple of big things that are never explained (except... damn you Lost -- hee! -- with the DVD extra that was leaked, it looks like one and a half of lingering dangling plot threads is answered in the DVD extra (which is a 30 minute epilogue to the finale involving at least 4 of the characters... which means I've got to see it) At any rate, while granting that there are indead some dangling threads, I think that most of the stuff had answers.

Polar bears? Answered. Smoke monster? Also answered. Why no one found the island? Answered. The island 'whispers'? Answered. Now, granted, some answers boil down to "fate" and/or "magic" but, I thought there were answers. And, honestly, if the question is about some tertiary character and/or red shirt, it may have fallen by the wayside (especially if the character happened to have died somewhere along the way). Oh, and if the question is "Where did Jack get his tattoo?" Grant that you never wanted it answered and skip that episode. It was pointless. No one cared!

There are thematic things going on (I believe). The whole story is about redemption. All of the survivors are damaged goods. They all have things they must be redeemed from. They all were -- in one way or another -- on the wrong path. But it's still free will... or fate. Actually the free will/fate debate is endlessly debateable. Develop your own opinion which most applies. But the survivors have the chance to be their better selves and to find redemption. Whether or not they do so is always part of the story.

I do agree with others that it's better to focus on the characters the emotion, because when push came to shove, the writers tended to choose sentiment over sense. But, frankly, that's actually one of the things I liked. I mean, if in the end they chose character love over plot, it's better to be given the sweet end of the lollipop rather than the fuzzy one, even if it meant sacrificing sense and occasionally going with "It's magic!" :)

I will say that Lost loves its starcrossed lovers because it has several pairs of them. :)

[2maggie2.livejournal.com]

I love your Lost love even if I can't quite share it. They did answer a bunch of the mysteries. I just never much go for plotty McPlot stuff, and I could never find an angle for any interesting meta -- which was weird cause it seemed like it should be there. Maybe it was, but too much noise to wade through to figure out what as meaningful, what was Plotty McPlot and what was just crazy random happenstance.

But it was fun to watch. Not sorry I did. When the DVD comes out I'm counting on *you* to spill the extra info!!

[2maggie2.livejournal.com]

Season one was good with the characters and their back stories. It had a lot of promise, and not all of it gets left on the table (which means while it doesn't do as much as it could, it does more than nothing). I look forward to hearing what you think when you get to season 3. The one element of the show that I have pure love for gets introduced then. Lots else to say, but all of it spoilerish, so I'll wait!

[seductivembrace.livejournal.com]

I've been on a Lost marathon myself. I'm up to season 3 now, on the last two episodes now. ^_^ (I don't think I could have suffered waiting for each episode to air.)

[lusciousxander.livejournal.com]

I've only watched S1 and the first episodes of S2. The first season of Lost is really good, I've watched it in one sitting -the blessings of being a baby-less, single girl. I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't like Sawyer -though I've always guessed he's gonna have a Spike-storyline.

I was happy with Sayid, finally an Arab character who's likable and Iraqi nonetheless. Though being half-Arabian, I can't stop laughing when he starts speaking formal Arabic, and a very bad one. Nobody speaks like that. There are dialects and accents, and formal Arabic is just used in writing. The funniest part though is when Sayid prays, so many mistakes. I'm actually shocked they didn't bother to bring someone who's Arab and Muslim to help them with that -it may not be a problem to a non-Arab viewer, but it always ruined the scenes for me and my family, we never got into them and we always wish Sayid sticks with English.

I'm curious about what you think of Charlie, Clair, Michael, his son, the blonde and her brother -forgot their names.

[scarlett2u.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but there seems to be some typo here about you hating Sawyer. What the huh?! How can you hate the ever so hot, snarky outsider with a mysterious backstory, all sorts of layers and serious antihero potential? It's like hating chocolate or Christmas.
*is mind boggled and clearly loves my Sawyer*

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That said, what eventually makes it tolerable (for me) was that the show did 'get it' that Jack's "Mr. Fix-it! I'm in charge!" thing was his Achilles heel and hyper-controlling character flaw, so you get to enjoy watching Jack being wrong again and again and again

Ooh, I think I could like that. Otherwise, I can see how it might get irritating.

I'm willing to bet that Jin will change your mind eventually. (Jin/Sun = love!)

Yeah, based on what I've absorbed from fans about some of the characters, I imagine things will change drastically from my first impressions. We'll see if they win me over, but right now I'm kind of thinking Sun should ditch her husband and go hang out with Michael. :)

It's more that the island doesn't give a damn if someone dies...or rather most someones. There are a handful that it won't let die. At least not until it's darn ready to let them do so).

....That would make the island sentient....

There are thematic things going on (I believe).

So far, the only things I'd really identified are a conflict between light and dark (e.g. Locke's backgammon), lots of talk about what characters can and can't do, and "everybody deserves a fresh start," which is sort of related to redemption, I guess. Also, I don't know if there's a point to naming multiple characters after philosophers, or if that's just to fuck with people. :)

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Given the way the fandom evolved, I kind of expected the first season to be brilliant and thought-provoking, to have engaged so many people so much, and then for it to get muddled later on. :)

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Considering how confusing it's supposed to be, I don't think I could've kept it straight in my head if I'd been watching as it aired, lol.

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I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't like Sawyer -though I've always guessed he's gonna have a Spike-storyline.

Oh, yeah, definitely. If only from the number of fans who absolutely adore him, I'd say there's a redemption are coming up. And it actually did make me think of Spike, except there's one major difference - I always loved him. He didn't go from a character I hated to a character I loved. I loved him when he was evil, and I loved him when he was good. Whereas with Sawyer I actually legitimately hate him and want to smack the smirk off his face every time he's on camera.

I'm curious about what you think of Charlie, Clair, Michael, his son, the blonde and her brother -forgot their names.

Uh, let's see... of those, Charlie's the only one whose backstory I've seen. I like him, but his character isn't especially interesting to me the way some of the others are. That's really the same for the others as well. They haven't done anything to make me dislike them yet, but they also haven't made me love them, either. Oh, and I still can't shake the feeling that Shannon and Boone (the brother and sister) dropped in from some CW show, lol.

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Nope, not a typo. I don't find him at all attractive. There's a line between snarky and asshole, and Sawyer is firmly on the other side of it. And frankly, anyone who's deliberately an outsider on a deserted island is jeopardizing survival, so yeah, not convinced. I'm assuming he does go through some sort of antihero arc, to have made so many people love him, but until that happens, I still mostly just want to punch the smirk off his face.

[agnes-bean.livejournal.com]

I''ll be interested to see if you end up liking Sawyer -- I definitely didn't like him at ALL at first. I can't really remember when exactly I started loving him. But yeah, he starts out as a total asshole. He's one of the few characters ever to go from really high on my hate list to really high on my love list.

(Jin gets way better too, IMO).

Sayid and Hurley, OTOH, are always, always love. Just, the best. God, Sayid, especially. I just love everything about his set-up and characterization. Jack is annoying, though.

(*already can't wait for you to get to the second season, because that's when my two favorite characters are introduced*)

The flashbacks are really cool, and they go super-interesting places with them as a structuring device. It's one of the best things about Lost, IMO.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

....That would make the island sentient....

Did I imply that? ::whistling innocently::

Well, you know it's... No, actually it's really... Hmm

The truth is that it's kind of confusing. ;)

So far, the only things I'd really identified are a conflict between light and dark (e.g. Locke's backgammon),

That's also true and yet nothing is actually black and white. And the backgammon thing will arise a few time.

Also, I don't know if there's a point to naming multiple characters after philosophers, or if that's just to fuck with people. :)

Heh. They spent years playing with character names that way. :)

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Hahaha, see, the thing is, I've heard so many explanations for what the island is and why they're there and what's the point that it's nearly impossible to figure out what's actually going on. Another case of spoilers that don't spoil, lol.

I have always known that it wasn't a normal island or a simple plane crash, though - another thing I picked up through osmosis, so it's not like I wasn't expecting weird shit like a sentient island. :)

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Have you reached his backstory yet? Not that that really changes the issues you're talking about.

Hee, this is going to sound wierd (because it is) but I think his nadir is when he killed a tree frog. Given all the people that are killed, it's bizarre. But I really hated him when he killed the tree frog!

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Yes, I did get to his backstory. At least the first flashback episode - I don't know if he gets more than one (Jack and Kate already have two each). It didn't really make me like him, though I did get the distinct impression I was supposed to find him more ~complicated~ and therefore more sympathetic. Like Kate's observation that he wants everyone to hate him... well, guess what happens when you do that? People hate you. That doesn't make me more sympathetic toward him, lol.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

LOL! No. It doesn't solve anything. He can be an enormous jackass, and he's a really tough nut to crack. He's never easy in that regard and, actually that makes his end rather interesting. The final twist made his final season story both ironic and amusing for me. There is growth down the line, but there are also fans who have always hated him so I can't guarentee you'll change your mind about Sawyer. (I'm pretty much willing to guarentee you'll change your mind about Jin. But Sawyer is always prickly. Still, I will say that it was Sawyer and _______ who really got me to sob (in a good way) in the finale, and I wouldn't have imagined it way back in Season 1 because, even though I had never hated him, I had thought he was pretty much irredeemable way back then. .

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Oh everyone (well, virtually everyone) get multiple flashbacks. It's the spine of the show for the first several years.

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Hehe, it's a good thing I'm watching this fast (I finished ep 16), because people seem to be really excited for me to get to later stuff. :)