Thursday, February 21, 2008

Lost: Eggtown


While the quality of this show has continued to be amazingly high and the atmosphere amazingly mature, I think this season has slowed down a little. There weren't many questioned asked and not many answered. The season has found it's groove, I think. Before we get to the juicy stuff, I must put the regular disclaimer that THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS about the episode.

The recap: Ben plays mind-games with Locke, causing Locke to go on a power trip and act like a kinda-dictator, slowly becoming like Ben himself. Kate wants to talk to Miles to find out if people know about her rap sheet. (They do.) But before he tells her that, he needs to talk to Ben. So Kate uses Sawyer to distract Locke while she breaks Miles out and takes him to Ben. Miles uses the art of extortion, asking for $3.2 million in cash within a week, in exchange he'll keep Ben's very existence a secret. Why $3.2 million? Because 3.2 reversed is 2.3, and 23 is one of the numbers! THAT's why, Ben. Ben agrees. Locke is upset, and acts like Jigsaw and leaves Miles tied up and with a LIVE GRENADE in his mouth. Kate is kicked out/leaves the barracks, but not before cozying up with Sawyer again.

Elsewhere, Charlotte helps Dan practice memory-strengthening techniques, Jack can't contact the boat and no one has seen the copter in a day and a half. And they had limited fuel, too. So, they're dead! No, not really. Because they're alive in the previews for next week. So they'll die then? Also, Jin wants to move to Albuquerque, but Sun wants to go back to Korea.

In the FUTURE... Kate stands trial for a whole laundry list of crimes that hilariously takes about 30 seconds just to read. Kate is oddly defensive about HER KID, who she won't let be a character witness. She also won't let her MOM, who is still alive (!), see the child. And Jack doesn't want to see him. After a long trial, Kate's mom refuses to testify and the case falls apart. Kate jumps at the chance to have 10 years probation, under the condition that she cannot leave California. Like, she's really excited at that opportunity. Is it because she doesn't want to go back to Mystery Island, like we've already seen? Or is it because she wants to stay and protect her son, who isn't really her son, but instead is a kid named AARON? Yes, Aaron, Jack's half-nephew. Claire's baby. He is living with Kate and unnamed caretaker, with no Claire in sight.

What worked: The pacing, editing, everything about the show worked really well. I want that judge to have his own show. Having Kate's mom still be alive was a nice little twist. (As was the end.) And, well, pretty much everything has been great so far. This is season one quality here. Even when it's a slower episode, like this, it still feels ten times better than other things on TV. (Like, Lipstick Jungle!)

What didn't work: That has to be the most depressing lighting in a courtroom I have ever seen. Is the future that bleak? That they use harsh gym lighting in our nations courtrooms? (I thought the design was great, though.) I know we wrapped up Charlie's plotline pretty well in the season premiere, but can we please see Claire miss him? I know he was on-again, off-again, but still! They were good friends.

Questions: Is Claire alive? Is Aaron counted as one of the Oceanic Six or not? Did I hear wrong when Jack testified that eight survived the plane crash? If so, is part of the cover story that two died on the island, or are there eight survivors, not six? Why is Kate so protective of Aaron? Why does Sun want to go back to Korea? Why isn't the helicopter back yet? What happened to Daniel's memory - and are he and Charlotte a thing? How stupid-crazy is Locke? (Answer: very.)

Next week: We follow Sayid & Desmond's journey on the helicopter. And despite Charlotte's objections, Daniel Faraday lets loose a hint about an island secret we recently found out to Jack and Juliet. (And there may be more to Daniel than we knew...)

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