3.31.2006

Okay, so "Lockdown," Pretty Much Ruled...

I was gonna be done for the night, but then I decided I'd post this now instead of later. I'll be watching the latest episode of Lost and commenting on it - IN REAL TIME! Feel the technology! Obviously, there will be SPOILERS, so you've been warned.

First off, this episode's written by Damon & Carlton, which means quality. Seriously, these guys love this show. You can hear it in the way they talk about it on the Lost podcast (which, if you're not listening to it, start now or you will have your Obsessive Pop Culture Nerd card revoked and have to watch nothing but Golden Girls reruns on the Oxygen channel).

Okay, Jack's bossiness is getting tiresome, but the head games employed by Mister Henry Gale are brilliant. "I don;t know why you let him talk to you like that." Oh Hery Gale, you sneaky, eyebrow-less serpent.

It's unfortunate that Charlie's character had to take such a retarted turn in "Fire + Water," (man that episode sucked) because I liked him in season 1 and am only now starting to like him again despite the fact he klonked Sun & went all "Darth Charlie Drug."

Okay, Jack's talking to Hurley right now. I love Hurley and the fact that he's one of the only people who calls it as he sees it. There is a little clique, a "loop" especially now that they've got a little ring of conspirators who know about Henry Gale, and it's nice of the producers to recognize that some people (besides "Go BOOM!" Artz) would like ot be one of the "cool kids." Also, I'll just add in that I'm 95% sure that Libby's an infiltrator. I'd go through the reasons why, but just watch her scenes in the first few "Tailies" episodes and see if you don't think so, too.

In the Hatch now. Locke's messing with the speaker. ...And flashback @ the funeral. Nice touch with him forgiving his father who I think it's obvious is the real Sawyer. Poor Locke. He's had some lame moments this season, but I'll admit, he's still probably my favorite character. Kind of reminds me of my dad, but it's probably the hiking boots and brown clothes (C'mon dad, you know it's true). Back to the Hatch. Blast doors shut. Freakin' sweet Indiana Jones slide courtesy of Locke. Now what?

The poker subplot's cool, and a chance to rekindle the Sawyer/Jack spitting contest.

Back to the Hatch - flashback - Locke's checking out with, HOLY SMOKES!, is that Sayid's girlfriend from Iraq? I'll admit that I didn't see the faked death coming, and the tragedy of Locke's undying love for his (fake?) father is really well-done.

Back in the Hatch and I'll be danged if they didn't have me believing, for just a moment, that Henry Gale was who he said he was, no eyebrows and all.

Poker game. Sawyer's getting taken to town by the good doctor. "Should I go and get a ruler?" - great line.

Back in the Hatch - the toolbox is an obviously bad idea. Quick question? Why is Locke in pain when the doors slam on his legs? When he took the shrapnel from Boone's and his catapault-type thing (I know it's not a catapault, but I can't remember the name right now) back in season 1 (when they were trying to get the Hatch door open) he didn't feel anything. Hmmmm? Continuity gaffe, or will Damon and Carlton manage to explain it all in the next Podcast?

Katie Segal's great in these flashbacks, by the way. Also, the toughs, where do they get these guys? Is there a Slimy Character Actors Guild out there?

Poker game and more questions: why's Jack been to Thailand? Where's the tattoo from?

Hatch - Locke's fanaticism for the numbers is great. Did the fact that Henry managed to rattle them back so quickly make anybody else do a double-take?

Poker game - "Jack and Sawyer are finally going to beat each other up." - I wish, it'd make all this macho swaggering end quickly. Sawyer's "Somethin' burnin'" line was funny. Also, on Jack's "When I need the guns, I'll get the guns," line - I'm kind of intrigued that everybody but Jack so far has had to face a major personality flaw. When will his desire to control EVERYTHING, including life and death, be confronted, and how quick will it take until he backslides? We're already seeing Locke slide back into violence and anger, Charlie slide back into (maybe) drugs and Sawyer backslide to his self-loathing rogue routine.

Back to the Hatch and Gale's in the ducts. And...flashback. Sad scene with Locke and his "dad" and his inability to leave him alone. "Then why did you do it?" and...silence. Geez. Just heartbreaking stuff. And both of them, the dad and the lady, just driving off. Man.

Back to the Hatch - the blacklights come on aaaand...let the Internet begin a-buzzing. The map's been dissected in a million other places by people more determined than me, so I'll leave that for you to look up, but I'll admit to a fluttering in my little nerdy heart whan that map flashed up. Here's a pic:

I know that it's sort of in vogue to complain about the questions being drug out, but I'll admit to a certain fondness for that, and I guess I just have enough faith in the producers to believe that they'll follow through - eventually - with the answers. in the end, it's just a TV show, It's just entertainment, and good entertainment at that. Also, nice touch having the reflection on the eyeball, a la Desmond in the hatch and Jack in the first episode (which, by the way, the Ultimate Lost Theory - google it - has a great image of the first shot with what appears to be the black smoke monster - the Cerberus referred to in the map? - reflected in it. Hmmm.

Locke's comment to Henry, "Thank you for not leaving me," is sad, and you just know that Gale's going to have Locke's undying love and support after that - he's now "the one that stayed" and, in this very episode, we've just seen how illogically loyal Locke can be.

Kate and Jack in the jungle, all junior high crush talk. The blinking light...and this is where the episode goes from "really good" to "friggin' kicks." When the travelling three show up alongside the parachuted ration delivery, you just know that Sayid dug up that grave and that things don;t look so good for the ersatz Henry Gale, the eyebrow-free human pincushion and punching bag. Also, I don't buy that Gale had no part in the lockdown ending and his headgames here: "Well, it's your Hatch," are really creepy. Then Sayid, Darth Charlie and Ana Lucia come in with Jack and Kate (now part of the Cool Kid Clique again!) and call him on his fake-ness and you know that he's just about to crap his pants. And the "KHooM." sound and we're left until teh next one.

Well, there it is. Another awesome Lost episode with the patented "Big Red Robot Useless-o-tron 3000 Commentary." Man I just love this show to bits. I'll leave you with another question sparked as I trolled thefuselage.com message boards: The real Henry Gale, the black guy on the I.D., how much you wanna bet that's Rose's brother? Just something to think about.

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