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matt_zimmerLost Season Two
The Second season of Lost was when the show really opened up it's mythology and actually delivered answers to questions that had been lingering since the Pilot. While I didn't approve of all of the twists in the season (Micheal killing Ana Lucia and Libby seemed like a "jump the shark" moment at the time) I appreciated the season for actually telling the audience that the producers knew what they were doing and that we weren't going to get screwed over like the fans of Twin Peaks and The X-Files. The revelation of what was in the Hatch was brilliant.
The new characters (The Tailies) were both good and bad. I liked Mr. Eko and Libby a lot but Ana Lucia got on my nerves. I was also bummed that we didn't get a good explanation of WHY Libby was in the mental hospital with Hurley. And with Mr. Eko's death at the beginning of season three the entire Tailies subplot from this year seemed like a waste of time in retrospect.
I loved how they set up Mr. Eko as the Anti-Locke. They are both men of faith but Eko is much more rational and also much more devoted than Locke who is both unstable and reckless.
I also love the character of Desmond and was thrilled that he (along with "Henry Gale") returned as regulars in season three.
And Henry Gale. I loved him. Micheal Emerson is SUCH a creep and though I had originally suspected he WAS in fact one of them when I was first watching the season the revelation still comes off as shocking. I am SO glad that we actually got a better explanation of who the Others actually were and am especially glad that they were developed even more in season three.
I wasn't sold enough on Lost to buy the DVDs until after the third season but I really should have trusted the writers after the second. It's that good. Season Overall: ****1/2.
Man of Science, Man of Faith: A doozy. I LOVED the use of Mama Cass and the revelation of Desmond in the Hatch was AWESOME! Jack's flashbacks were also actually GOOD for once. A GREAT premiere after a disappointing finale last year. *****.
Adrift: This episode didn't answer many questions about the Hatch but it was still cool for introducing a glimpse of the Tailies and Micheal and Sawyer's bickering. Considering what Micheal does later in the season upon rewatches you are totally on Sawyer's side. Micheal's flashbacks however SUCKED. ***1/2.
Orientation: Great Locke episode. Locke's father is a slime and it's really fun watching Kevin Tighe because you know HOW awful he actually is from season three. The Dharma Initiative stuff was wild especially Dr. Candle's orientation film and I loved Jack's scene of reconnecting with Desmond in the jungle. *****.
Everybody Hates Hugo: Hurley was absolutely right that food was going to mess everything up. He's never been more sympathetic than in this episode (the dream sequence at the beginning was hilarious). This episode also started season two's habit of making Charlie a reprehensible git instead of the fun character he was in season one (and thankfully season three). ****.
...And Found: Great Sun and Jin spotlight. I love how loyal Jin is now to Micheal (even if his loyalty will turn out to be misplaced) and I also loved the look on Kate's face when she realized that Sawyer might be in trouble. Good episode. ****.
Abandoned: Shannon's flashbacks were uninteresting (even if it was nice seeing Boone again) but the ending was literally a killer. Ana Lucia's increasing frustration and paranoia paid of handsomely two episodes later. ****.
The Other 48 Days: This is not only the origin ep for the Tailies it's also the episode where we get our first real hints of what the Others' plans are (even if we are tantalized with frustratingly little.) The Tailies REALLY had it badly off. Jack's group really WAS lucky. ****1/2.
Collision: The revelation at the end of Ana Lucia being formerly pregnant as she murdered that guy in her flashback was great but the writers seem to be going out of their way to make Ana Lucia as unsympathetic as possible so her death is blunted later in the season. Good scene between her and Sayid though. And Jin and Sun and Bernard and Rose being reunited at the end was absolutely great. ****.
What Kate Did: Good flashbacks for Kate. I loved Jack's scene with Ana Lucia near the end where he basically vents his frustrations at how crazy Kate was acting. I also loved Sawyer's "Son of a-" when he found out they HADN'T been rescued after all. Mr. Eko and Locke's conversation was awesome and I loved the discovery of the film. Walt being on the computer at the end signaled that bad things were about to happen. ****.
The 23rd Psalm: Good origin for Mr Eko. I loved the Monster finally being revealed (a smoke monster!) and Eko was pretty much boss the whole way through. But Charlie is SO annoying here so marks off for that. ****.
The Hunting Party: Awesome episode! We finally get a GOOD look at the Others and Mr. Friendly is scary! Him shouting "Light 'em up!" freaked me out. I also loved Sawyer's reaction to seeing him and calling him Zeke. Great Sun and Jin stuff too. Fantastic episode. ****1/2.
Fire + Water: Charlie is a punk and this is the first time I've been on Locke's side about anything. I could care less about Charlie's flashbacks with his screwed up brother after he kidnapped Aaron TWICE and has been practically stalking Claire since she came on the island. I was glad when Locke punched him. ***.
The Long Con: I hated this episode when I first saw it but upon reflection it's a pretty darn good Sawyer spotlight. Unfortunately Sawyer having sole access to the guns is going to bite everybody in the butt later on. The episode's Sawyer flashbacks were really good too. ****.
One of Them: I love Rousseau and Sayid's banter here and Henry Gale makes a cool debut in this episode. I loved the insight the episode gave Sayid especially seeing Clancy Brown as the army guy. I also love how everybody is connected in small ways in the flashbacks. I HATE the torture on 24 but this show shows it to be sick and soul shattering so I don't mind it here. ****.
Maternity Leave: Claire is a fool. She seemed to keep wanting to get rid of Aaron at every opportunity before he was born. I liked the revelation that the Others are playing dress-up though. ***1/2.
The Whole Truth: I hated this episode because Sun lied to Jin when we learned she WAS unfaithful to him in season three. The end of Henry telling Jack and Locke what his plan would have been if he HAD been one of them was chilling and brilliant however. ***.
Lockdown: I keep screaming at my TV for Locke to stay AWAY from his father but he never listens. The fact that he almost connects with him here had to have made his betrayal in season three sting all the more. I loved the lockdown with John and Henry and that map that glowed in the dark. Cool episode. ****.
Dave: FUNNY Hurley spotlight. Hurley is one of the few genuinely GOOD people on the island and learning that he once accidentally killed two people is heartbreaking. Dave on the island must be the monster although I cannot for the life of me figure out it's agenda. Libby and Hurley's kiss at the end was sweet and I'm bummed we never learned how Libby got into the hospital in the first place. ****.
S.O.S.: Sweet Rose and Bernard spotlight. I loved the end flashback of Rose meeting Locke in his wheelchair before they boarded the plane. It was also cool seeing Scorpius (Wayne Pygram) as the faith healer. ****.
Two For the Road: The ending was shocking but I also liked the flashbacks that connect Ana Lucia to Jack's father and Sawyer. I had no idea what was going to happen after Micheal shot Ana and Libby when I first saw this. Lucky for us the writers knew what they were doing. ****.
?: Mr. Eko's flashback scenes weren't as good as his first spotlight but the revelation that Claire's psychic might be a fraud raises a lot of questions. I loved Mr Eko and Locke finding the Pearl and Mr Eko's faith being restored while Locke's was destroyed. I also thought Hurley's goodbye to Libby was heartbreaking. ****.
Three Minutes: Third to last episode of the season answered a LOT of questions about the Others and how Micheal had been compromised. I wanted to hit Micheal for his badgering Hurley before Libby's funeral though. ***1/2.
Live Together, Die Alone: AWESOME Desmond spotlight that answered so many questions and raised a bunch of new ones. We finally see a present day scene off the island at the end and the revelation that Kelvin was Sayid's torture mentor just takes the cake. We also finally learned how the plane crashed. I loved the Locke/ Eko smackdown too. I thought the scene where everybody learns Micheal betrayed them was great especially Hurley realizing he killed Libby. It was great the look Jack, Kate, and Sawyer gave Micheal as he and Walt sailed away. Charlie's kiss with Claire at the end made me gag. It also turns out the Pearl was the experimental station NOT the Swan. This episode was SO great and a MUCH better and more satisfying finale than season one. *****.
The Rocketeer:
Not as good as Dick Tracy or Roger Rabbit, the other two noirish period pieces from the late eighties/ early nineties Disney era but still a lot of fun. I think the thing I like best about the movie is picking out all of the roles and cameos of character actors who went on to bigger and better things like Terry O'Quinn (Lost, Alias, Millenium) as Howard Hughes, Max Grodenchik (Rom from Star Trek DS9) as the fleeing mobster, Melora Hardin (Monk and The Office's Jan) as the Torch song singer, and Jon Polito (Homicide: Life on the Street) as Bigelow. I also loved Paul Sorvino as Eddie Valentine who gave the best line of the movie (and one of the best lesser known movie lines ever): "I may not make an honest buck but I'm 100% American".
Bad things about the movie? I hadn't noticed it until I watched it again but the heroes ESPECIALLY Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell) and Jenny Blake (the ultra-hot Jennifer Connelly) are dull and lifeless. Maybe this is the kind of movie that didn't actually NEED complex characters but the movie probably would have been more memorable if the people you were rooting for weren't cardboard cut-outs. And it's ridiculous how little chemistry Campbell and Connelly actually have in the movie considering they were actually married in real life for a while.
The climax is nice and exciting and had lots of great twists (including Valentine switching sides) and Timothy Dalton was wonderfully hammy as the villain Sinclair. SO smarmy that I wanted to take a shower every time he was on-screen. His "seduction" scene of Jenny is SO creepy and disturbing that I wish the movie had made it clearer to the audience that Jenny beaning him over the head with a vase was premeditated and that she wasn't actually into him at ALL and just decided at the last minute he was a creep.
A clearly underrated movie that deserved a bigger audience than it got when it was first in theaters. For now it will simply remain a "cult" film among Disney's live-action projects. ****1/2.
