Thoughts on Lost 6x01, "LA X".
As with all prior season premieres of this show, we're left at the end desperately seeking more context in which to place what we've just watched. With Season Two it was all "Okay, so THAT'S what's in the Hatch, but what IS it, exactly?" Season Three had us finally understanding that the Others had a little homey neighborhood, but still didn't give us any insight into what they were up to, or who they were. Season Four clued us into the fact that there were more who left the island, but still didn't give us any inkling as to what the Freighties were up to. Then, of course, Season Five kicked our ass and shot us with a flaming arrow.
The point is that I didn't really expect a lot of resolution in "LA X" and of course, I didn't get it. They have 18 more hours to give us that resolution, but last night's episode was entirely about set-up. We finally get to see what's in the Temple, but without any idea as to what the Temple really is. We finally got an answer as to the relationship between Smokey and whatever was wearing Locke's body as a puppet: there is no relationship, they are one and the same. This is something I suspected after last season's "Dead is Dead", when Ben is confronted by "Alex" underneath the Temple wall.
"LA X" had us fearing for the fate of Sayid, but I can't be alone in not having any doubt whatsoever that he would be around, in some form, after the premiere. LOST has never, that I can remember, killed off a major character in the premiere episode, and I think we would have heard if Naveen Andrews had a reduced role this season. What I am curious about, however, is whether or not Sayid Jarrah is still Sayid Jarrah, or if he has been blessed with a new personality, a la "John Locke" from last season. With Jacob dead, I have to wonder if Sayid is now a mouthpiece for Jacob. This makes sense to me because we've seen this already with fake Locke, and on top of that, Sayid Jarrah's story has been told, much like Charlie. There's not much left for Sayid to do on the show besides moan the word "Naaaaahdia" when he's upset.
Of course, I haven't mentioned the biggest surprise with "LA X" yet, that being that all that time we've spent since May wondering if Jack's plan worked has been for naught. It both did, and didn't. I could have sworn that at some point, listening to LOST Podcasts, I remember Damon and Carlton saying that they didn't have any interest in alternate timeline stories, so I was a little surprised to see them use exactly that tactic for this season. Still though, one thing I haven't read much about in the few recaps I've read so far is the fact that we have one "reality" in 2007, and another in 2004. I know it's incredibly unlikely, what with the 2004 "reality" having an underwater resort instead of an island, but I am wondering if these are not alternate realities, but in fact just a three year gap in the same timeline. If not, then how do we account for the missing three years? Eventually these two timelines have got to come together to make one story for the finale, and how's that going to work when Jack is 3 years older in one of those two timelines? Believe it or not, but THAT is my biggest question coming out of "LA X".
Nice to see the return of Boone, Charlie, and Cindy. It's a shame Maggie Grace didn't come back to reprise her role as Shannon, but I'm not really going to lose any sleep over it. The absence of the tailies (Ana Lucia and Eko, notably) and Michael and Walt was felt, and I've yet to decide if it was a storytelling absence or a logistics absence.
I think my favorite scene in the entire episodes might have been between Locke and Jack at the airport, where they have a friendly conversation about John's spinal injury and Jack's father. It's been a long time since we've seen these two have any sort of rapport whatsoever, so I really enjoyed that.
I'm sure I'm missing a lot, but for now I'll wrap this up. This is a show that has taken me on a ride for 5 years, and I'm ready for that ride to come to an exciting conclusion. Even if I don't find out who's making the Dharma food drops, or what the numbers mean, I expect that I'll enjoy this season.
Topic: Lost (Read 144334 times)
