Lost delivers a great episode, then punches your mother + Veronica Mars
Why? Seriously. Why?
Say what you will about Lost this season, (I’m of the opinion that these first five episodes are leaps and bounds above the first five from last season) there is no denying the fact that the character Mr. Eko was extremely popular. This raises the always valuable question: at what point is a character unkillable? For example, you can’t kill off James Woods from Shark. The show doesn’t really work without him. See, his character’s name is in the title. Ensembles are a little harder to draw that line, especially when the character in question isn’t even an original castmember. More thoughts after clicking below…
But they killed him nonetheless. What’s frustrating for me is that the episode was one of the strongest they’ve had this season if not in a few seasons. And if one really thinks about it, Eko’s death fit in perfectly with the episodes theme. Sure, it might not have given us much closure, but Eko certainly appeared to have died feeling he had lived a complete life, which is more than can be said for Boone, Ana Lucia, Libby, Shannon, and the rest of ‘em. And in terms of a storytelling point-of-view, perhaps Eko had done all the writers needed him to do* (or maybe they’re just throwing darts and a board and his number came up).
As good as the episode was, there were two things that are starting to drive me crazy: 1) Those two new “castmembers” who have started following everyone around. Talk about boring. We want characters not cut-outs. 2) If The Others big plan was to get Jack to operate on Ben, why didn’t they just say so from the beginning? Why the mind games? Jack seems like a good enough guy that if someone approached him and said, “Hey, um, excuse me, but we have this village on this other island, and we have food and books and checkers and we’d love for you to join us but our dear friend Ben is dying and we need your help,” I’m sure he’d have said OK.
On another Network a day earier we had what I believed to be the best Veronica Mars episode of the season. It had the perfect mix of characters interacting with one another, with the highlight being the Logan/Weevil meet-up and Logan delivering the line, “Is it called Deja Vu when it happens more than twice or it that something else?”
Still, as much as I liked this week’s episode, I must admit, there is something different going on this season that I can’t seem to put my finger on. The curious lack of narration could be one thing. Alan Sepinwall of the Newark Star-Ledger suggests that the problem is in Kristin Bell’s portrayal, in that Veronica seems a bit too cold this season. Though I prefer my theory that some of the show’s magic was simply eaten by Weevil.
The show is always good, but I feel like I’m still waiting for a knock-out episode. What do you think?
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:29 pm
I’m totally with you on the Lost thing–great episode, hate the two new hot islanders who just appeared, BUT I just can’t get with that frackin’ black smoke. It seems it literally picked him up and thrashed him all over the place, and that just seems like such a dumb way to go. If you went to the afterlife, and told God/Allah/whoever that “yeah, I died ‘cuz black smoke picked me up and threw me against a tree,” I think he/she/it would just send you back for a do over. And it’s silly especially because Eko, if I remember correctly, stared down the smoke thing before, and it backed off. And did I just miss how he got away from Locke and everybody, when he was in terrible shape? Take care of your own, guys. I thought he was going to be the guy to go in last season’s finale, but I’m sad he went down now, and that smoke thing is just ridiculous.
And, I’m going to say that Weevil has some sort of a glandular problem. That really should have been the season long mystery this year. But I agree on the something’s different deal–and I’m not sure it’s Kristen Bell’s portrayal. Veronica really hasn’t had much emotion of any kind besides the “I’m a gonna get ‘em” thing this season for her to show much human side with, except for maybe the episode that ended with her going to freak Logan in the Library. There’s not much going on with her and Keith–I think he just feels forced into a lot of these episodes now.
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:16 pm
That was easily my favorite epiosde of Lost this season. I thought Eko died at the perfect time and just like Boone and all the rest of them died when he had closure in his life. Who is that guy with the eye patch!!!??? Does it finally answer my theory that there two groups of Others?!!! I cant wait till next week, where we will barely learn anything and have to wait 3 months too find out more nothing.