Lost season premieres are a mix of feverish anticipation and universal befuddlement.
Now, penetrating the heart of the island, we're going to deconstruct the latest double episode, LA X, with the microscopic precision of the best forum-dwelling underling you can find.
To recap: The last season ended on typically unusual grounds – with some of the survivors underground and others inside an ancient Egyptian toe. Still, with Ben getting the grumps with the god-like Jacob, Locke turning out to be an evil doppelganger and Juliet detonating a nuclear bomb, it sent the whole premise in a giant tailspin.
So, keeping a sharp mind, we point out the bits you should have been paying attention to in Friday night’s new episode:
In traditional Lost rug-pulling fashion, we start off back on Oceanic 815, with the bomb detonation resulting in a reset – except things are slightly different. Jack is back on the plane, with a look suggesting he either remembers something about the Island or the person sitting next to him has just guffed. Probably the former, given the mysterious cut on his neck (a pre-bomb battle scar?) and his surroundings.
Differences from the original plane to note: Bernard managing to take a crap in the toilet without falling out the back of the plane, Hobbit Charlie choking on his drugs, Season one?s Boone minus his sister Shannon, the air hostess deciding not to give Jack as much booze as in the original and Hurley being uncursed by the numbers.
Most importantly, Scotsman Desmond was on the plane, instead of sitting in a room pushing buttons every 108 minutes in a life far too depressingly similar to ours. Jack seems to recognise him as well, which, is probably significant.
After we've seen Bizzaro Oceanic Flight 815, the show cuts to a circa ?95 Windows screensaver, plunging the viewer underwater to reveal the Island’s more aquatic location in this alt-verse.
In another interesting turn of events, it appears we are back on the island, with Jack and co also being flung forward to present time (well, 2007), now creating two timelines. Clearly the nuclear device was the most non-effective of all time, as everybody seems to have survived the blast.
In 2007 we are also back with the now evil Locke (Cocke, as the kids are sure to call him) acting all self-important after convincing Ben to do away with his nemesis Jacob. Not an episode for peripheral supporting players, he soon rains down pain by turning into the smoke monster and killing three people. When he turns back into Cocke, he apologises to Ben for seeing him like that, sounding like a guilty teenager after his mum has absently caught him masturbating. He also mentioned being a bit homesick as well, bless him.
As the episode decides to spiral more into lunacy, Hurley takes the gang on a mission to save Sayid at dead Jacob?s behest (he can see dead people). They visit The Temple, the seemingly tribal grounds of The Others (did you spot ex-air hostess Cindy?) and playing home to John Lennon and that bloke from Sunshine. Here, they dunk Sayid underwater to boil for twenty minutes or so until tender, leaving him to cool down for a further ten until resurrected from the dead, serving us a satisfying climax to the episode.
Lost Season six launches by copying Sliding Doors ? having two different timelines running parallel ? but instead of having to watch John Hannah we get an actual charismatic Scotsman. Time travel, dead people, smoke monsters, underwater islands and John Lennon; Lost is either the most brilliantly audacious and absurd show on television or a complete load of mythological turd. We dunno which either, but we?ll be back for more.
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Oli says
I used to love watching Lost; it was twisted and intruiging but followable. I have since given up though as it has degeneratged into a mess; a real shame given the quality of the cast.
gigi says
This reviewer David Scarborough should not be in charge of writing the Lost reviews. Surely there is someone on the staff who understands the show and what is going on in it.
David Scarborough says
What is your problem gigi? Apart from your name has the unfortunate coincidence of resembling a bad Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez movie. Was there something missing in my deconstruction?