Television

[Gintaras]

Seems Ben gave himself over to the dark side long ago, and it doesn't seem Smokie needs a body per se, as Locke's body was still in the coffin.  Seems he takes whatever shape is convenient for him or suits his purpose, like using Christian to get at Jack back in season one. But, then he led Jack to water so what gives?  Maybe Jacob was using bodies as well?  I don't think the writers really thought this out, or had even conceived of Jacob and the MIB back in season one.  But, it does provide a nice tie-in to Locke holding up the game pieces back in the early going and essentially saying it was a Manichean struggle on the island.  BTW, the Roman sandals are a nice touch.  Judas?

Also interesting is how easy it was to kill Jacob but how hard it is to kill the MIB.  He seems virtually industructible.  One assumes these two have been taking on the forms of castaways for centuries.  Veritable "shape shifters," but then maybe Jacob was more comfortable with his form than the MIB, and it is enough for Jacob to haunt Hurley's imagination, and pass along his instructions through him.  BTW, Where's Alpert?

The problem when you make stuff up as you go along is that it is very hard to cover all your tracks, especially when you have inspired an avid following that loves digging for clues.  What gets me is how many Lost fans accept the missteps as just part and parcel of the program, chalking them up as "red herrings."  As for me, I would like to see a little better understanding of the characters they have developed in the closing episodes, and making Ben more a part of the action.  Seems "redemption" might be the best way for him to go.

[barton]

The trailer for next week appeared to show Ben digging his own grave.   I think Ben has been duped at various times all through his life -- it's an interesting character arc, where you have someone who appears to be very smart and wily and then gradually see how someone is pulling their strings like a puppeteer.  Yeah, it would be good if he can go out with some kind of heroic and redemptive action (isn't that how we'd all like to go?).

[knoxharrington]

Several seasons back, a viewer could have entertained the notion that "Lost" was a true science fiction series, and that the series would end with amazing science-based revelations.  At one point, you could speculate that a flying saucer had crashed and its propulsion system was the exotic mystery buried underground.   Maybe Smoky was an alien, or an alien's device.   You could imagine that Rose's and Locke's cures were due to some kind of magnetic field or whatever.  It looks to me the producers and writers were led by fans away from that, towards the supernatural and mythic.  We have demons and angels now, magical lighthouses, circles of ash, Egyptian deities, bodily possession, etc.   Yeah, I have to agree that my confidence in some kind of consistent writer's blueprint is pretty well demolished.

I agree this week's show was weak.  Sayid just caved instantly, with almost no sense of an inner struggle between his good self and his "infection."   All MIB had to do was wave Nadia in front of him.  I thought he would show some doubt, maybe some anger at NotLocke's using dead Nadia as a hook, maybe some deep suspicion, something.

     

[Kam]

Also interesting is how easy it was to kill Jacob but how hard it is to kill the MIB.  He seems virtually industructible.  

The answer might lie in what Dogen said to sayid.  "Don't let mib open his mouth and talk to you, otherwise you can't kill him".
Maybe MIB and Jacob are opposite in that way.  If Jacob talks to you, you CAN kill him.  But he's safe if he doesn't.  Which might be why Jacob kept himself hidden for years from Ben.   It was easy to kill Jacob because jacob appeared and spoke to Ben.  That made it possible to kill Jacob.  But the MIB, you can only kill him before he speaks to you.

Maybe?

[Gintaras]

I think it was like the MIB said, Dogen sent Sayid out on a suicide mission, knowing he wouldn't be able to kill the MIB.  I just think the writers like dealing with Jacob in the abstract and the MIB more literally.  Seems that the MIB's strength is his ability to appeal to reason, whereas Jacob appears to work on a more intuitive level.   I think it is setting up a Wizards-like ending where something very simple proves to be the MIB's undoing, given that they all come to view him as indestructible.  I wonder if Hurley will have the honors?

[Gintaras]

We have demons and angels now, magical lighthouses, circles of ash, Egyptian deities, bodily possession, etc.   Yeah, I have to agree that my confidence in some kind of consistent writer's blueprint is pretty well demolished.

Yea, I get the feeling the writers have been reading too much Dan Brown.

[Gintaras]

Or, listening to the Rolling Stones?

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith

And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game

[jbottle]

Zack Galafinakis on SNL tonight:  For those unfamiliar with his stand-up and only familiar with "The Hangover," DVR or watch a very funny comedian who may actually make SNL skits funny, as opposed to 80% of what they normally do--I have low expectations but know that ZG is really, really funny.

[barton]

Agree.   I liked both Ed Helms (the improv song at the piano) and Zack G. in The Hangover.   Though I remain unconvinced that guys slipped a roofie can kidnap Tyson's tiger, I would like to believe. 

 

[jbottle]

I thought the show of the Oscars pretty much sucked, there was nothing glamorous about what went on and it was too clever by twice with Baldwin and Martin, I mean, they were funny, but only sporadically, the whole thing was a disaster without memorable moments, maybe it's too casual and Globey now, like it's nothing to get an Oscar, that might be the thing, of course it's a big deal, but if you're Jeff Bridges, nah, and you just don't see where it's a more intimidating atmosphere, which it should be, where, you have to walk up these stairs, not if you are matronly or anything, but the lights should be bright and you should be all fucked up by the whole thing, if it feels too familiar, it's the fucking EMMYS, which is sad.  And even the shots, are like, too close to the person, who should look alone on the stage like a child winning an award, and the framing and the production and I haven't gone to film school but you want to tell a story with a picture, it looked like a fucking cocktail party, and that, my man or lady, is what the Globes are for...get your shit together, worst Oscars ever in recent memory.  Cool for the DUDE, but put the dude in the same room his pops was in...that's the fucking disrespect, pathetic.  And fuck this fat Gabby person, and Mo'nique, and Quentin Tarantino and Cameron.  The "Hurt Locker" was the fucking two or three hours you spent watching the awards vs. watching her movie evidently.  "Precious," obviously, sucks, and is a film that I will never, ever, see, unless in the unlikely event of my death I am brought back to fuck with people.

[harrie]

My favorite part of the Oscars this year was the red carpet - particularly when Meryl Streep ever so sweetly gave Seacrest a good dose of medicine.  Sorry, I can only find the clip at Gawker.  
http://tv.gawker.com/5487784/streep-shuts-down-seacrest-you-were-cheerleading-for-bullock  


Oh, and Zack G did really well on SNL, I hear.  Good eye, jbot.

[barton]

Jbot -- don't be so reticent.  Tell us how you really feel.

I think the Bridges Oscar was one of those body-of-work-overlooked-too-long deals.  When they do that, the statuette is always for the wrong movie.

[Kam]

At least Cablevision and ABC allowed the Oscars to be aired.

[knoxharrington]

Show was unwatchable.  A troop of baboons could have made better selections for the awards.  Except Bridges, but even there I'd probably agree it was for the wrong movie.  Piss poor movie year if the Hurt Locker is really the best picture.  It's an okay movie, but....seriously?

[Cameo Appearance]

There's a blind item floating around about an actor and his famous actress wife who were put just a couple of seats down from the actor's famous actress mistress.  (He tried to get his seats moved, but couldn't because the camera choreography was well in place.)  Had the wife and mistress figured things out, the show could have been much more lively.