While I enjoyed the opening sideways “tease,” where we learned that Sawyer is actually a cop in the alternate reality (where he’s now using his classic ploy as a different type of trap), I was a bit spoiled after reading an off-hand comment made by actor Josh Holloway. But I did love the appearance of Miles as Sawyer’s partner.

Speaking of Miles, his casual reference to his father is potentially significant. Last week we did learn that the Dharma Initiative was in existence, as was the island until at least the 1970’s. So, much like Ethan, Ben and his dad, what are the circumstances that surrounded Miles and Dr. Chang leaving the island? Presuming they were on there in the first place.

Actually, I suppose that same question could apply to Charlotte as well. Was she ever on the island? And does her work relationship with Dr. Chang relate to the island in any way (“Hey, didn’t your parents used to live across the barracks from me?”)

I don’t have a whole lot to say about the Sawyer/Charlotte escapades (other than the fact that I loved that Sawyer brought a 6 pack of beer with him when he went to apologize), except that I do have to sorta confess that I was hoping he’d get set up with Juliet. I still expect that to happen, but I suppose they may be holding off on that.

One final thought: I’m curious, but how did Sawyer discover that his “Sawyer” is Anthony Cooper? In the world we’re familiar with, he only came to this realization after meeting the man himself. How’d he find it out in the sideways universe? For that matter, this was a pretty big revelation. In the Locke episode, we’ll led to believe he has a healthy relationship with his father (which includes hunting trips and wedding invitations). Is this the same man that conned Sawyer’s parents?

Oh, and the subtle Charlie reference was nice.

Over on the island, the Locke Ness Monster sent Sawyer over to Hydra Island (I kinda love that that’s now its name even within the show’s universe), where the conman met a little lady who tried to manipulate him with some of her own lies. Naïve little girl. I am interested in this little game Sawyer is playing, though. He’s basically playing both sides against each other, hoping to slip through the cracks in the midst of the chaos. What’s intriguing, though, is that this isn’t entirely the long con that many assumed it was. It doesn’t seem that Sawyer is fishing for information. He genuinely does seem obsessed with getting off of the island. And until Kate and his friends arrived, it really doesn’t appear that he was looking to bring anybody else with him. But if Survivor has taught me anything, it’s that simply telling everybody what they want to hear will eventually bite you in the ass.

Yeah, this is probably the Jack/Kate fan in me talking, but I really could have done without Sawyer longingly reminiscing about his cage sex with Kate. In addition to me not wanting this relationship to happen, I think it cheapens Sawyer’s devastation over losing Juliet. I know most people don’t want to see Sawyer acting all mopey and Emo for 18 episodes, but in terms of the show’s storyline, didn’t Juliet die, like, yesterday? A little soon to be thinking about reigniting a romance with an old flame, don’t you think?

I was fascinated by the story Locke told Kate, mostly because of the duality of it. We know full well that the real Locke had a mentally disturbed mother, so when he began pouring his heart out, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was referring to the history of his visage in order to manipulate Kate. But as he continued, you got the sense that he was actually providing us with some potentially critical information about the history between Jacob and the Man in Black. And perhaps most interestingly of all, there was something compassionate and remorseful about his tone – as if he genuinely wished circumstances were different. I’m now really buying into this theory that Jacob and the Man in Black are brothers.

And man, what a visual seeing him slap Claire after her outburst on Kate. I’m thinking that there might be something to this idea that the Locke Ness Monster can’t lie now, because of the dagger Sayid stabbed him with. There were a couple of occasions that he seemed to rub his wound as he reluctantly told the truth about a situation. And he seemed oddly even more honest than he had in the past. And there did seem to be a certain resistance, as well. And in regards to Claire, how sincere do you think that hug was?

Alright, it’s been a pretty exhausting week (how is it just Tuesday), so I’m cutting things off at this point.

Anyway, anybody else REALLY looking forward to next week’s Richard episode? This is the one episode where I’ll say that they shouldn’t pull any punches. Go balls out!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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In short, I really enjoyed it. Though some of the parallels between Island Ben and Sideways Ben were just a little on the nose (the Napoleon Elba scene in particular), I just bought into the whole deconstruction of the Ben Linus mythology. As events have unfolded, it’s become increasingly clear that might not been a large part of the Island’s plan. He had to scam his way into a position of power by pushing Charles out and he had to slink back to the Island aboard the Ajira flight even though It was explained that those who turned the wheel were never allowed back.

Ergo, Ben was forced to make the same choice in the sideways world that he was on the Island, choosing between Alex’s livelihood and his own advancement. This time, he made the moral decision, hearkening back to the Alternate stories of Locke, Jack and (to some extent) Kate, which provided the show’s characters with something of a happy ending that may not have been possible.

That left Island Ben fully exposed, quite literally digging his own grave. He was given a choice between taking Locke up on his offer to look after the Island once he’d gone or taking up with the Ilana/Sun/Miles/Frank camp. And for once in his life, Ben seemed totally vulnerable and totally willing to allow himself to be part of a community. Of course, there is always the lingering question of his true intentions, but I was certainly sold for the moment.

On that note, we move to “Recon”, a Sawyer-centric romp which was similar in theme to “Dr. Linus” in that it took everything we perceived to be a true about Sawyer and flipped the script a bit, presenting the character with the same internal dilemma in a different light.

Re-con, as in, to con again

We appeared headed for a carbon copy of the season 1 outing “Confidence Man”, wherein we were first introduced to Sawyer’s life as a dangerous grifter, hell-bent on revenge. Well, it was same story, different medium last night, as the alternate universe found Sawyer logging time on the other side of the law, yet still pursuing the same ghost of a man who ruined his life.

I like the sort of hard-boiled cop movie type of vibe I was getting from the Sideways story, exploring the notion that cop and criminal are actually two parts of the same psyche. As he described it himself, he arrived at a point where he had to choose one or the other. I think it’s pretty clear that that moment was shortly after his parents funeral, when he began writing the letter to the real Sawyer (Anthony Cooper, whom Sawyer was still doggedly pursuing). In the standard timeline his pen began to run out of ink before Jacob’s intervening. Are we then to assume that Jacob just didn’t show up this time around?

The Sawyer/Charlotte interlude was a little out of place and was juuuuust teetering on the edge of being filler, but I really appreciated it as sort of a microcosm of where the stakes are at this season. Here are two characters who had largely nothing to do with each other, save for some season 5 time-travelling escapades, just going at it like dogs in heat and sharing really sentimental and emotionally loaded exchanges. It was freaky and weird really tickled me in an odd way.

“It’s sad really, how little you actually know”

Those are the words of the Island’s newest inhabitant, Charles Widmore. He intercepted Sawyer on a Recon mission by the Locke-ness Monster. I think stuff like this really allows Sawyer to shine. While the Monster was busy trying to sell his escape plan to the rest of his followers, while carefully not revealing the whole truth (you noticed that he said “the black smoke killed them” while failing to mention the was, in fact, the black smoke right?), Sawyer made it clear that he’s not as gullible as the rest of them and went to work for the Monster. Then it seemed like he was working against the Monster, selling him out to Widmore. Then he seemed to be on Team Smokey once more, alerting him to the subterfuge he was running on Widmore. Just when you thought the double-agenting was all over, Sawyer revealed to a downtrodden Kate (we’ll get to her) that he was, as usual, looking out for number one. He plans to fly the coop via the Widmore sub while the two ominous entities settle their own stuff.

I was reminded of the season 2 outing “The Long Con”, in which Sawyer, thinking about a million steps ahead of both Jack and Locke, telling the Island’s local alpha males, “You were so busy worrying about each other you never even saw me coming, did you?” We appear to be closing the loop on this aspect of Sawyer’s personality. And it would be sheer negligence forget Sawyer’s thematically-loaded closing line in that episode: “I’m not a good person, Charlie. Never did a good thing in my life.” Sawyer’s moral compass has always been just a little off-kilter as he more often than not has his own interests at the forefront of his mind, but he feels confident enough in this plan to involve Kate, providing a pleasant companion to the Sideways cliffhanger.

A boy’s best friend is his mother

For being so Sawyer-heavy, I thought we got a nice little dollop of advancement in the whole Kate/Claire/Aaron problem. The most puzzling scene was the one in which the Monster confided in Kate that he once had a crazy mother, who was largely to blame for him having turned out the way he did. The Norman Bates-esque soliloquy was meant to ease Kate’s thoughts about Claire having tried to off her, and Locke seemed to imply that Claire was becoming a problem that would soon need to be dealt with. Lost has always been a show relying heavily on daddy issues and it’s somewhat intriguing to have the tables turned onto the maternal side in this anything-goes final season. It also opens the door for the notion that the crazy mother the monster is speaking of is actually Claire herself, and that the Monster is actually an unstuck in time Aaron. Too much? Alright let’s move on.

And how about that Kate? I gave her a lot of flack for what is undoubtedly the season’s lowlight “What Kate Does”. But, I thought Evangeline Lilly did a stupendous job communicating Kate’s overwhelming sense of hopelessness and defeat. Bear in mind she traveled back to the Island to reunite Claire with her baby and pretty much everything has gone completely wrong since she arrived. She wasn’t in many scenes, but I was completely sold on all of her brooding, self doubt. Well played, Evie.

Parting thoughts

• I was a big fan of Miles and Sawyer continuing their buddy cop dynamic originally formed in the Dharma era as security detail in a much more literal sense in the Sideways universe. Miles is such a great foil with almost anyone, but particularly Sawyer. I suspect there will be no Miles episode this season, which is sad, but he’s been used quite well in such limited time.
• We got another look at Claire’s disgusting skull/pelt baby thing. Again, it’s not entirely clear that we’ll be given a whole episode on Claire’s exploits this season, but that one prop says so much about how far off the deep end she’s gone since the Oceanic Six split town. That said, I’d be cool if we never saw that grotesque abomination ever again. Skin=crawling. Ugh.
• Sideways Sawyer is still an old softie for “Little House”. The particular scene he was watching, wherein Pa tells Laura that people aren’t really gone when they’re dead, would seem to give creedence to the notion that the flashsideways stories represent a sort of reincarnation for the castaways after they are done with whatever is going to happen on the Island.
• Next week appears to be Richard-centric. In a related story, this will be the longest week of my life.

So, how do you feel about Sawyer’s zig-zaggy, tenuous allegiances? What’s your read on the flashsideways storytelling technique at this point? Did anyone else think Liz Lemon was on the Island for a split second? You know the drill, sound off!

Namaste.
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And how about the undead ghosts? Walt appeared to Locke (granted, on the island) and Claire appeared to Kate (and strangely, this was the ONLY ghost that warned somebody NOT to return to the island). Considering we’re now learning that the Smoke Monster can’t leave the island – who were these people? Discuss…

Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the feedback I’ve received following this episode. These comments come from my blog. Kyle offered this:

Also, as far as Richard goes, did you catch the apparent confirmation that he was on the Black Rock? That was the assumption, but he seemingly confirmed it with his comment about how “in all his time here, he’d never come back here”.

I did catch this comment, and it made me realize something. While the first several episodes of this season hasn’t necessarily given us some mind boggling answers – nor do I think it should have – it has confirmed quite a lot of what we already suspected. And I think it’s a bit unfair that fans don’t recognize this. Yeah, we may have all suspected that Fake Locke, the Smoke Monster, and the Man in Black are all one in the same, but I think receiving this confirmation counts as an “answer” to a question. The same goes for Richard being on the Black Rock. And him achieving his agelessness after being touched by Jacob. As well as the idea that one cannot commit suicide after being touched by Jacob. And getting the deets on Jacob’s list, for that matter.

Like I said in a previous column, if the writers confirm certain ideas that have, at this point, pretty much been confirmed, these unsatisfied fans say “yeah, well we already knew that.” Yet if everything isn’t spelled out, these same fans will say, “They never solidly answered this question.” It’s a really unfair lose/lose situation, actually. DaBooty added this:

With the whole dynamite thing…do we think that Jack and the gang are immortal now also? Unlike Richard, the Losties have aged. Jacob touched Kate and Sawyer when they were kids and they obviously grew up. I think that when Jacob touches you, you can’t die until your purpose is fulfilled. Richard thought he lost his purpose but he didnt. However, I am not really sure why Richard can’t age but everyone else can. Unless its that you only age up until a certain point like 42 (Richard could be 42).

This is an EXCELLENT observation that I had completely overlooked. Kate and Sawyer, in particular, were touched as children (well that sounded wrong), yet they grew up to be adults. So obviously the agelessness – and, perhaps, the suicide barrier – is a bit more complex than a simple brush of the hand. I suspect we’ll find this out in the Richard flashback episode (which will, I believe, totally kick ass).

The on island stuff was interesting but I am becoming increasingly annoyed by the lack of questions being asked by Sun, Miles and Lapidus to Illana. Clearly Illana knows stuff! Don’t they want to know stuff too?!?!? Just a few questions about Jacob or even who the heck she is would have been nice by now.

This will likely go down as the greatest flaw on this series. Characters never seem to ask the obvious questions, and they give up entirely too easily when they’re given answers like “I can’t tell you” or “does it matter?” or some variation thereof.

Now let’s look at some of the comments from the episode review on the Entertainment Weekly website. This first comment refers to Ben’s dilemma at the conclusion of the episode:

He came to the outskirts of the Beach camp, then stopped and considered his options. Stay and serve in this humble little patch of heaven, or join Devil Locke and coldly play for a shot at living the ”Vida La Vida” once again. You always have a choice. This time, Ben made the right one — fulfilling, perhaps, Jacob’s dying thought hope that Ben had the capacity for change. Has Ben the flip-flop artist truly embraced redemption? If so, would his redemption have been possible without Jacob’s death? If so, did Jacob know that when he offered his chest for Ben to puncture? And so we debate like theologians.

There’s something very Christ-like about this theory – that Jacob had to die in order to salvage Ben’s soul. And I really dig it. It just adds some depth to that scene. It actually reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: Everything works out in the end. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end. In other words, Ben had to hit rock bottom in order to rise to his greatest height. Here’s another religious allusion:

In my recap of ”Sundown” last week, I proposed that the Island portion of Lost 6.0 will take place over three full days, using the Biblical template of Christ’s long Easter weekend trip to hell and back. The first six hours of the season took us through the dark night of Good Friday, which means that ”Dr. Linus” brought us to Saturday morning. On Saturday, as Jesus assayed the Harrowing in the underworld, his disciples on Earth were presumably freaking out, feeling a little bit like Sally Brown, I’m sure. The Island story in ”Dr. Linus” focused on three disciples of Jacob who processed their grief and despair and anger over his death in different ways. Richard wanted to die. Ilana wanted vengeance. Ben, as usual, just wanted to survive, by any means necessary. All three were on the precipice of making dark, damning choices to resolve their agita. Instead, they each chose something different, and found themselves stumbling into something totally unexpected: hope.

And, finally, just a fun little observation:

Ben became the first person this season to turn down a FrankenLocke bargain.

Sure, blame it on a long con or an infection, but while people like Sawyer, Sayid, Claire, and arguably even Kate have fallen for the Locke Ness Monster’s spell, evil, diabolical Ben took the high, yet rockier, road. The EW.com comments section offered these observations:

I don’t care you takes over for Jacob or who wins between Jacob and MIB. Maybe once the writers decide to tell us why this stuff is happening I’ll care. It is strange that this has become the central concept of the show yet we have no sense of the importance of it. Simply question that needs to be explained is why does it matter if someone replaces Jacob?

This was actually one of the first times I’ve read a comment about a fan complaining about not getting answers and actually thought, “Hey, this person has a point.” Granted, we’re less than ten episodes into this season, but they are expecting us to become emotionally invested in this story arc. We are supposed to care about which sides the characters choose. But are they playing this a bit too ambiguous? They’ve given us VERY little to work on here. Like this poster has noted, we don’t even really know who the good or bad guy is in this scenario. It might help to shed a bit of light on the matter. Another poster offers his perspective on how the Locke Ness Monster is a lying liar who lies a lot:

I am now 100% convinced that Flocke is the evil one. He told Ben that Ben could be the next protector of the island after Flocke leaves, because someone has to stick around to protect it. But when Flocke was recruiting Sawyer, he told Sawyer that the island was just an island, and that it didn’t need any protecting. So Flocke is contradicting himself and proving that we cannot trust anything he says, and that information or “answers” we get from him cannot be believed. Thoughts?

And finally, an observation on Jack and his sudden ability to believe:

Jack has shown a proven ability to believe (putting his father’s shoes on Locke, convincing the Oceanic 6 to get back on the plane) when he believes there is cause. Honestly, to me, it’s one of the reasons his character is believable. Faith is flexible, people waver, experiences shape them and reinforce their faith. After the lighthouse, he believes.

I personally didn’t have any problems with Jack’s sudden leap of faith, only because it was somewhat consistent with his epiphany when he arrived on the island (keep in mind, only a couple days ago he was singing Locke’s praises, telling Richard not to give up on him). This didn’t seem like too much of a stretch for me. Actually, I was a bit disappointed he had been veering back towards his skeptical ways.

Anyway, that’s it for tonight. Check out my next review following the new episode. Enjoy!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.

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Ben and Sayid: from Ben’s perspective, the last time he saw Sayid was on Ajira 316, right? When Sayid told Ilana Ben was evil, because Ben had recently manipulated Sayid into becoming an assasin, no? I’m not sure what other “familiarity” we should expect. Ben doesn’t know Sayid shot him as a kid, he just knows Sayid pretty well and knows Sayid hates him. But he doesn’t know Sayid has now fully embraced his dark half…and when he sees that he has, he his rightfully scared.

I should clarify that my disappointment comes from a viewer’s perspective. From a character standpoint, perhaps it wouldn’t have been “natural” for them to act like anything was out of the ordinary (they are on a crazy island, after all), as they saw each other on a flight not too long ago. But from a viewer’s standpoint, we’ve learned so much more about their history and relationship. And from that point of view, I was hoping for something a bit more. Just a minor quibble – it was an awesome episode.

As was this, of course. You know how last week I noted that Locke episodes usually rock while Kate episodes can be a dud? Well, count Ben-centric (Bentric?) episodes as ones that are pretty much guaranteed homers (if nothing else, they enlighten us with new ways of how much Ben tends to lie). In a lot of ways, this was the most revealing flash sideways yet. The big reveal, of course, was that the island was in existence up until the early 70’s (at least), and that Ben and his father spent a bit of time there. But what made them leave? I assume it wasn’t Ben getting shot or the island getting attacked, which happened in the familiar reality, since their outlook was pretty nostalgic as they wondered if their lives would be better had they never left. Of course, when his dad mentioned the island he might’ve been talking about Manhattan or something. So who knows?

Much like the past episodes we’ve seen, certain characters seem to be intimately tied to each other. Even with the island no longer a factor (presumably), these people are still meant to come together. With Ben, seemingly, no matter what he’s destined to surround himself with people like Locke and Alex. And, much like we saw with Sayid last week, no matter how different the circumstances and variables, certain character traits are inevitable. Ben has a seemingly healthy relationship with his (unhealthy) father, and he lives in everyday society. Yet once the opportunity presents itself, he resorts to lies, manipulation, and threats in order to attain power.

And like his island counterpart alluded to later in the episode, when his proverbial moment of truth came, he had to decide between the power and a girl he cares deeply for. On the island, he chose the power (or, perhaps more accurately, he called the wrong person’s bluff). In the sideways world, I’m glad to see that he selflessly sacrificed his rise up the ladder. Speaking of which, though, part of me wishes we learned more about the relationship between Ben and Alex. What drew them to each other? Did he just recognize her as a special person? In this universe, what made him care for her so deeply?

And can I just bring up the fact that this show just LOVES to use Artz as an extra. I’m beginning to think they regret killing him off. He’s like the Flight 815 version of Ethan.

Naturally, the island hijinx more than held its own in this episode as well. If nothing else, this episode was all about Ben’s redemption. And much like how I was pleased to see Ben choose Alex over his promotion, I was also happy to see Ben stick around with Ilana and the Losties instead of going the “easy,” presumably evil route of rejoining the Locke Ness Monster. I truly do believe this was a turning point for the Ben character. We can now appreciate why he did some of the terrible things he did, and he’s shown remorse for many of those deeds. That doesn’t necessarily make him a good person, but he is a lot easier to forgive and understand. I really enjoyed his final confrontation with Ilana in the jungle. And I know it’s merely a taxi cab receipt printing, but the sound of the Smoke Monster approaching is still one of my favorite sound effects in all of television.

And just think, for the past few weeks I’ve been worried that Widmore will end up being inconsequential in the grand scheme of this story. And who pops up at the end of the episode? Ol’ Charlie Boy himself! Could he be the person Jacob was referring to? Where will he fall in the epic end battle? Sweet!

While it was the “B” story, I actually loved the stuff with Jack, Hurley, and Alpert. For the most part, Alpert has been pretty detached from these particular characters (obviously, he’s mostly been surrounded by Ben, Locke, and Sawyer), so it seemed fresh seeing this threesome together. And for that matter, it was great seeing the return of “Man of Faith” Jack. It was such a surreal change seeing him talk about hope and destiny at the beginning of last season. Yet, by season’s end, and especially since the beginning of this season, it seemed like we were seeing the old, stubborn Jack. However, Jack lighting a stick of dynamite and sitting there, waiting to see if it blows up, so incredibly confident that it won’t because he’s meant for something bigger – all in the name of a man he never even met – was powerful and utterly exhilarating. Hell, even Hurley hustled (well…) out of dodge. And at the end of the scene, he jolted Alpert back into his role as the faithful follower. And his “should we try another stick?” line was fantastic.

And of course, we got some answers! Not only did we learn why Alpert hasn’t aged, but we discovered that he’s essentially immortal. The only way he can die if it’s by the hands of somebody else. And it all happened because Jacob touched him (like he did many of the other characters). If nothing else, this may explain why Jack was seemingly unable to jump off that bridge (and why Locke’s attempted hanging wouldn’t have succeeded). Interesting idea, though: Did he ever lay his hands on Michael? If you recall, he wasn’t able to commit suicide. And he only died when Christian “released” him.

Oh, and considering how genuinely touching seeing Sun reunite with Hurley was, I really can’t wait to see her and Jin together again.

That’s it for this week. I await your comments!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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Now, before getting to last week’s phenomenal episode, I thought I’d revisit (hey! That’s the title of the column!) the possibility of Christian – and not Jack – being a candidate for Jacob. Consider this: When Jack was staring at the lighthouse mirrors and saw quick images of scenic views that were not supposed to be there, what did he see? The locations that appeared were Jin and Sun’s wedding, and Sawyer’s parents’ funeral. What’s significant about these places? Well, from what we learned last year, these were the moments when those respective characters met Jacob.

Consequently, I think a fair argument could be made that the mirrors represent when each candidate met Jacob. Yet when Jack put the dial to his name, the image in the mirror wasn’t the hospital where he had met the mysterious island entity. No, instead he saw his childhood home. Perhaps where Jacob and Christian met long ago?

Just something to ponder. Okay, let’s kick off this column by taking a look at the comments on my blog. DaBooty had this to say:

I am surprised you didn’t touch on this, but do you think that the Locke Ness Monster speaking to Sayid is what caused him to turn? He seemed completely normal up until that point.

Dogen explicitly told Sayid to ram the knife into his chest before he can say anything, so does that mean the Locke Ness Monster speaking is what triggered Sayid? I subscribe to this theory. Also, they did not show the Locke Ness Monster telling Sayid to kill Dogen and Lennon, but we now know that the LNM couldn’t get into the temple without Dogen being killed, so is this something that Sayid instinctively knew to do, or did they just not show LNM telling Sayid?

As the expression goes, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I’ve read this theory at quite a few different places (it was echoed by Jennifer in the comments section of last week’s column, as well) – that the Locke Ness Monster physically speaking somehow prevented him from being killed. While I don’t doubt that the writers wanted us to consider this possibility, honestly I think it’s more likely that Dogen was banking on Smokey killing Sayid after he made his attack. But he also knew that the Locke Ness Monster’s attempts at manipulating and tempting Sayid could lead to their destruction (which, it should be noted, it did). As such, Dogen needed Sayid to attack “Locke” before he had an opportunity to speak. Because, once he did, he knew it would mean the end of the Others and the Temple. Basically, the only thing that didn’t work was that the Locke Ness Monster didn’t kill him.

Now that the battle lines are drawn, where does Kate stand? She seemed to be a reluctant tag along. And speaking of indifferent reactions, she didn’t seem to make any kind of big deal about seeing Locke alive.

I disagree somewhat about Kate not making a big deal about seeing Locke alive. Granted, we only saw about ten seconds, but she most certainly had a shocked look on her face. It was certainly better than what we saw from Sayid and Miles. Speaking of which, Kyle offered this…

Yeah, the reactions kind of sucked this episode. The only decent one was Sun finding out about Jin (but where was he anyway?).

By the way, really hope Ben doesn’t die next week. Ben’s awesome. I want Ben to win Lost.

I, too, am curious about the unusual absence of Jin and Sawyer, both of whom we last saw with Claire and the Locke Ness Monster, respectively. Methinks we’ll see both of them shortly. And for what it’s worth, I don’t see Ben dying next week. But I’m not sure I see him “winning” either. It’s actually pretty remarkable how, in the grand scheme of things (so far, anyway), characters like Ben and Widmore – who we all thought would be the “end game” battle – have become relatively insignificant in the conclusion of the story. Over in the comments section of last week’s column, Funback Joe said this in defense of the strange reactions:

Sayid and Miles’ bland reaction to Claire, explained:

Bada bing bada boom

I think that’s oversimplifying things, and this whole argument that Sayid wasn’t himself is a convenient excuse being used, in my opinion. Sure, he ended up doing some monstrous and selfish things that he probably wouldn’t have done under normal circumstances, but his behavior, overall, was pretty typical and normal up until that point. He expressed anger, confusion, and shock numerous times since his death and resurrection. For that matter, his interactions with everybody were pretty consistent with the way he’s always acted. Michael L. elaborates a bit more on the Miles matter:

In regards to Miles & Sayid’s reactions to Claire, I don’t think Miles ever really knew Claire, as he was with Locke’s group for only a few days before the mercenaries came, and much of it was while Miles was in lock-down.

While technically true, Miles’ behavior around Claire the day she vanished gives me every reason to believe that he should have had SOME reaction to her suddenly reappearing. Yes, it’s been three years, and since then he’s gone through a whole lot of crazy crap, but even so, him merely referring to her as that cute chick seems a bit TOO understated. There was definitely something up with her – whether she “died” or was “infected” – and Miles recognized that. So I expected something a little more out of him.

And for that matter, keep in mind that the people on the freighter had only met each other for the first time just a couple days before they arrived on the island. And if I remember correctly, once they reached the island, Miles and Frank were kept apart nearly the entire time. Yet Miles certainly reacted to randomly seeing Frank on the island again.

The TV Obsessed seems to agree, and adds a few comments of his own:

I totally agree with the part about Sayid and Miles seemingly ignoring Claire. They should have been going crazy. For all they know, she’s dead.

Was anyone expecting Sayid to kill both Dogen and Lennon? That totally caught me by surprise, because I thought Dogen would play a big role. I’ll be disappointed if this is the last we see of Hiroyuki Sanada.

I’ve actually grown to really enjoy the flash sideways (more on the significance of them later), but I will confess that I did not expect Sayid to kill Dogen and Lennon. Perhaps in hindsight I should have, because they effectively tied up everything about his character. They gave him an epic fight scene, they provided his backstory, and they explained his role in the show’s mythos. But it was a HUGE shock to me. And I agree, I hope we see more of the actor and character.

So what is the significance of the flash sideways? The review over at the Entertainment Weekly website offered this:

It’s hard not to hear Fake Locke’s enticements and not wonder if what he’s offering the castaways is a psychic ticket to Sidewaysville, that if they do what he asks he’ll transfer their minds/souls into the bodies of their parallel world doppelgangers.

The more I think about it, the more I enjoy this theory. This sideways universe is the bargaining chip he will be using to gain followers, like a world where where Nadia is still alive. But like a good episode of the Twlight Zone, there’s a twist. Sure, Nadia is alive, but she’s married to Sayid’s brother. One of those “be careful what you wish for” deals. Another observation from the column:

The part about coming to you ”as someone who has died” was interesting: it all but confirms that any manifestation of the dead on the Island has been an expression of Smokey, although I’m holding out hope that Christian Shephard might be an exception. Dogen’s final instruction was interesting, too. ”If you allow him to speak, it is already too late.” Theory: the only way to master the god of endings is to deny him any kind of beginning.

Ah, it’s good to see I’m not the only person hopelessly, um, hoping that Christian ends up being a little bit more than just another manifestation of the Smoke Monster. But this point brings up an interesting “lose/lose” situation that the writers have found themselves in. Many people have argued that we haven’t gotten any answers yet. Yet this is a perfect example of how they are providing some answers. However, most people counter this point by arguing “yeah, but we already pretty much knew that.” No, we didn’t know that. We strongly suspected it, but this scene confirmed it.

It may not seem like a big deal that people aren’t crediting the show with providing us with these insignificant “answers,” but there are just as many fans out there that say, “I know we’re never going to get answers to those little things.” So basically, when they confirm these “little” ideas, they’re not real answers – they’re only telling us something we already knew. Yet if they don’t spell it out for you, they’re leaving the viewers with unanswered questions. There’s just no winning with some of these fans.

Moving on, the author over at EW.com pondered whether or not Dogen’s knife actually served or purpose (or was it merely to eff over Sayid?) Here’s the idea he proposed:

It’s going to make Fake Locke tell the truth. I think that’s why he couldn’t hide that look of shiftiness right before he promised the world to Sayid.

Not sure I agree with this, but it’s a clever possibility. Here are a couple of miscellaneous notes from the comments section of the EW.com review:

After viewing screenshots, I’m pretty sure Keamy was wearing Jin’s watch.

Geez, that watch really gets around, huh?

Here is what I was wondering. When Flocke asked Sayid what he wanted most in the world, Sayid said what I want died in my arms. What if Flocke pulls the old switcheroo and gives him Shannon instead. She also died in his arms. Just wondering. You know how those smoke monsters operate. You can’t trust a one of them.

I can just imagine Smokey bringing Shannon back and Sayid saying “Oh….right….her….”

Anyway, that’s it for me tonight. Hopefully I’ll be back on Tuesday for the new episode. If not, I guess I’ll have to wait for the episode to get posted on Hulu.com. Which is BS.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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I’d be really hard-pressed to tell you about the last time Lost was legitimately frightening. Locke’s vision of Boone drenched in blood comes to mind, as does Eko listening to the not-quite-dead Charlotte Malkin’s autopsy tape. But the closing moments of “Sundown”, a slow mo surveying of Monster-inspired carnage with the dulcet tones of “Catch a Falling Star” giving way to a downright dastardly Impostor Locke leading his minions into the jungle, vault right to the top of the list.

The lines have certainly been drawn. It seems fitting that the Island’s resident badass, Sayid, would be the one to evidently kick off this cataclysmic “war” we’ve heard so much of . The show’s coda was so jarring that I fear it may have bordered on overshadowing the rest of the hour, which was about as good as Lost gets.

I’m very partial to Sayid adventures on the show because they always play very heavily on the show’s theme of redemption. This pretty ironic when you consider that Sayid’s actions in this episode put him about as far from from redemption as he has been in quite some time. But, again, we’re getting off track.

A Tale of Two Sayids

What immediately struck me about “Sundown” was that it was the first episode wherein the flash-sideways story did not serve to merely provide some off-island levity for whomever was in focus. Rather, Sayid’s parallel existence seemed just as turbulent as his primary one. For starters, I had no complaints about seeing him share another scene with Keamy, seeing as the two of them were the combatants in what is, to date, Lost’s best and most visceral donnybrook. Except this time around, Keamy was a little bit more of a pushover, despite having Sayid’s brother over a barrel with a steep debt. But this off-island adventure ended on a cliffhanger, with a downright puzzling reveal of Jin in a meat locker. If you remember, we last saw him getting hauled off by customs officials at LAX for having not checked a rather sizable amount of cash.

I’ll leave the significance of that for you all to discuss, as I’d like to move on to the relationship between the two Sayids we saw last night. The Sayid we’ve always known is man wracked with guilt over his past, but has also taken active steps to atone for it. Sideways Sayid convinced himself that the things he had done left him destined to be alone for all time, telling Nadia (now his brother’s wife) that he ignored her advances because she is far too good to deal with a tortured soul such as himself.

On The Island, Sayid reminded us that just when it seemed that he had finally put the darkness in his life to rest, Nadia was taken away from him, leading him down the dark, twisted path of offing people in the employ of Ben Linus in an effort to avenge her. All this killing inevitably led him to death’s door on the very same Island where the whole crazy mess began.

Once again, Sayid was being used as instrument of destruction. First by Dogen, who sent him to kill the demon inhabiting Locke (Though it could be argued he was actually sending him on a death march) and then again by that same Locke, this time as a veritable turnkey, offing Dogen and leaving the Temple susceptible to attack. Though I still have lingering questions about what was actually keeping the Monster out: The ash or Dogen. Possibly one enabling the other?

Anyhow, if there was any doubt as to whether or not Sayid had been “turned”, I would imagine it’s all but gone after “Sundown”. And I will say, that if this conflict comes to direct fisticuffs, I’d have to favor a team with Sayid, Sawyer and a suddenly much more menacing (but still pretty hot, thanks Miles) Claire.

Sayid is now sporting a dark side swagger menacing enough to send Ben himself slinking out of the Temple like a scared deer. What sold him on Team Locke? Locke’s promise that he could have Nadia in his life again, even if Sayid considered that an impossibility. Which brings me to…

A method to the madness?

This is my first somewhat lucid postulation about what may be going on with these damn flash-sideways glimpses. What if this parallel existence is the loose fulfillment of the Monster’s promises. In plain English, think of the Monster as a devious genie, manipulating the survivors to his side by promising them what they’ve always wanted. We did see Sayid reunited with Nadia, though certainly not on the terms he would like, we’ve seen Kate somewhat set free, even though she is still on the lam. This is just a thought, but it doesn’t do much for those still not entrenched in Locke’s camp (Jack, the real Locke, etc).

Final thoughts

• For the first time, I was completely sold on Hiroyuki Sanada’s work as Dogen. He revealed himself to be, like Sayid, a man wracked with guilt over sins in his past. His story about killing his son in a drunk driving incident gave his character some true gravitas and meaning. Of course, in true Lost fashion, this got him promptly offed.
• I was also pleased to see the Ben, Sun, Ilana, Lapidus contingent arrive at the Temple in such a timely manner, even if all the important people (Jack, Hurley, Jin, Sawyer) had already split by then.
• Mea Culpa time for me to Emilie de Ravin. I shredded her pretty good last week for what I thought was a distractingly bad performance in “Lighthouse”. But, as I surmised in that same review, she seems to have grown into this new iteration of Claire. She was much better in every scene this week, with her menacing glares at Kate from that Jamie Gumb-esque pit taking precedence. My fears have been put to rest for now.
• Terry O’Quinn continues to bring the noise. He’s clearly having a boatload of fun playing the walking form of the Monster, and I, for one, am having almost as much fun watching him.
• We appear to be in store for a Ben episode next week. Business is about to pick up.

So, that’s where I’m at. Were as floored by “Sundown” as I was? What do you think of Sayid at this point? What is Jin doing in that freezer? You know the drill.

Namaste.
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Well, over on my blog long-time reader and frequent contributor Kyle correctly pointed out that this is not exactly how the scene played out. Christian told them to wait in the cabin for somebody who would help them. A little later Ben arrived, who brought their attention to the Locke Ness Monster.

So, basically, we’re no closer to cracking this mystery than we were a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway, I keep intending to write this every week, but I always forget, but I absolutely love the new remix of the classic “swoosh” sound that segues the cuts between each reality (flashback/forward in the past, flash sideways now). There’s an extra bounce or two to it, almost as if to symbolizes how completely deranged the line between these two realities have become.

So typically speaking, Kate episodes are viewed as duds, Locke episodes are lauded as spectacular, and Sayid-centric episodes can be hit or miss. According to most fans, anyway. While I don’t dislike Sayid, I’ve never actually been a huge fan of his character. It seems like every finale I’m suggesting he dies. But I must say, I found this episode exhilarating. There were no less than three times that I expected to see the “LOST” title appear as it does at the end of each episode, only to discover that there was still 20 minutes left. And it just kept getting better and better.

First and foremost, was I the only one who was devastated by Dogen’s death? I had really started to enjoy his character once he began regularly speaking English. I was especially fond of the unspoken, mutual respect between him and Jack. Despite all of the misleading truths, blatant lies, and arguable manipulations, at the end of the episode these two could just sit down together and understand what the other was going through. It made both of them more likeable. And after all the Losties have gone through, it was a bit surreal seeing Jack cozying up to a high-ranking Other. This actually reminded me of a point I wanted to make in my Revisited column, which is that certain characters seem to be intimately tied together no matter what the universe. In both the Island world and the Sideways reality, pairs like Claire and Kate, Jack and Dogen, and Ben and Locke are brought together.

As a final note on Dogen: I found the tragic story behind the baseball genuinely touching. And I was further moved by the information he had not given us. Quite simply, that his actions essentially led to his son’s death, but that he was given a great gift and his son’s life was saved. In return, he promised never to take another life. Hence why he attempted to get Jack and later the Locke Ness Monster to kill Sayid, and why he halted from doing the deed himself when he saw the baseball drop. That was my interpretation, anyway.

But man, did Sayid look twisted once his intentions became clear. I honestly thought we were going to see a new understanding between Dogen and Sayid, where the former would come to realize that the latter was right, that there was goodness inside of him. But instead he drowned him, quite suddenly. Then he coldly and coolly stepped out of the water – the very pool he was “resurrected” and he told Lennon, in a rather inhumane tone, he was aware of his actions and the dangers that would consequently occur. Then he turned around and slashed Lennon’s throat.

From there, we heard the familiar sounds of the Smoke Monster – before we knew he was a billow of dark smoke – similar to what we heard in the pilot episode. And then we saw one of the most kick ass massacres this series has ever shown us. And I really wasn’t sure who would survive. And the understated reunion between those who remained on the Ajira flight and those that traveled back to the 70’s was wonderful. I do have to wonder, though: In the midst of all of this, where were Jin and Sawyer? Weren’t they with Claire and the Locke Ness Monster, respectively?

A final note on Island Sayid: how awesome was that fight scene between Dogen and Sayid? That was easily the best battle we’ve seen on this show, even surpassing the great Sayid/Keamy skirmish of Season 4. And hey! Keamy showed up in the flash sideways as well. Except he wasn’t going to reclaim his throne, as he basically talked tough, made some eggs, and got shot.

Okay, so my thoughts on the flash sideways aren’t going to be quite as verbose, but I actually really did enjoy it. Much like the other sideways realities we’ve seen thus far, the basic gist of each person’s lives is the same, but only with an interesting and unexpected twist. With Sayid, he’s still in love with Nadia, but she’s married to his brother. And much like his island counterpart, sideways Sayid was being pressured by somebody else into reverting to his violent ways. And in both scenarios, he submitted to their will. He DID kill the loan sharks, he did try to kill the Locke Ness Monster, and he did allow said monster into the Temple so that he could kill everybody else. And don’t think I forgot about Jin’s cameo appearance in Sayid’s story (or Jack’s!), I just don’t have any theories quite yet. What do you think?

That’s not to say the episode was flawless. Was I the only one a bit disappointed by Sayid and Miles’ reaction to seeing Claire? I frequently defend certain instances of indifference by bringing up the insane things they’ve experienced. But after not seeing Claire for three years – and not even knowing if she’s alive or dead, and being fully aware that she abandoned her son under very peculiar circumstances – I expected something a bit more spectacular. I mean, this is somebody they’re supposed to care about.

There was one other interaction I was a bit unsatisfied with, and that was the one between Sayid and Ben. This was the first time these two characters came together since we discovered that Sayid shot a young Ben back in 1977. Sure, we were led to believe that “whatever happened, happened” and that Ben (rather conveniently) had the occurrence wiped from his memory – but neither of those theories had really been tested yet. Would there be a sense of familiarity? Were new memories uploaded?

Of course, keeping the interaction so brief and urgent was possibly/likely a deliberate move on the part of the writers, in which case I anxiously await to see what’s going to happen next.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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Basically, when I watch an episode of Lost, there are a few things I factor in when I determine how much I enjoyed it. Most importantly, was it entertaining? I mean, they can answer all the questions in the world, but if it’s not in an interesting manner, does it really matter? Which brings me to my next criteria: Does it answer any questions? I’m not naïve (or unfair) enough to think that they’re going to give us these massively significant answers in an episode that isn’t a premiere or finale, so – to me – I can find satisfaction in simply learning what Jacob’s list refers to. And last – and this is where last week’s episode comes into play – how significant is the episode in the grand scheme of things?

So at face value a lot may not have happened this past episode, but I have a big feeling that certain actions that were taken in this episode will play a big part in future episodes. There’s Jack’s quest, Hurley’s servitude to Jacob, Jin taking Claire to the Temple, Claire’s “friendship” with Locke, and so on and so forth.

Okay, there ya’ go. That’s my methodology. Shall we move onto the thoughts and theories of last week’s episode?

As many people have noted, Kate was on the lighthouse dial, next to the number 51. A lot of people are making a big deal out of the fact that she wasn’t on the cave wall, but I’m not sure that’s necessarily true. There were LOADS of names on the wall that the Locke Ness Monster didn’t mention, for one reason or another. I believe Kate was one of those unmentioned people. I’m intrigued by why she wasn’t named, though.

And for those of you wondering, the name next to 108 – which, if you recall, is the sum of The Numbers – was “Wallace.” As far as I can tell, we’ve never met this person before. Perhaps he’s the person heading to the island?

Now let’s discuss some of the comments left on my blog. The following comes from long-time contributor Kyle:

As for Christian, it’s also possible Smokey switched forms on her, ala him appearing to Ben as Alex and Locke right after the other. You may very well be right, but I’m not sure.

I just find it hard to believe that Christian is going to be written off in such an inconsequential way after playing a relatively significant role over the past five years. If Christian is the Smoke Monster, who we now know can only appear as Locke, that would imply that we’ve seen the last of Christian. I just don’t see him going out with such a whimper. Kyle adds:

Rewatching Season 5, and Christian specifically told Sun (according to her) that if she wants to see Jin again, she has to wait for John Locke. Who goes on to claim he has some ideas about finding Jin.

Seems like an odd thing for someone with Jacob to say, considering who Locke is at this point. Who knows, of course, but it’s something to think about.

I do not believe that Christian is Jacob, but I’m just not entirely convinced that he’s the Smoke Monster either. I’ll be discussing this aforementioned scene a little later, as well. Finally, Kyle brings up this point about Claire:

As far as Claire and time traveling goes, I’m not sure if it was the Temple or something else. Not everyone on the Island time jumped, I don’t think…or were all of the Others in the Temple at that point? I thought someone was out, but perhaps not.

I think Kyle is right about the Others not being in the Temple during the time traveling. I had initially assumed that they were, since they spent pretty much all of the prior season hiding out there. But I now remember that Locke met up with them in the jungle, where he began time traveling but they did not. This brings me back to a question I had been asking since the beginning of last season, which I hope we get an answer to, and that’s what determines who time travels and who doesn’t? The Oceanic survivors did, but those survivors that ended up with the Others (like Cindy) did not. Then on the Ajira flight, Jack, Kate, and Hurley did travel while Sun, Frank, and Ben did not. And Claire? Well, that remains a mystery at the moment.

Also on my blog, DaBooty offered this (I’m going to respond to each point individually):

I was surprised that Jin didn’t explain the whole “Kate was raising Aaron” thing a little bit more. Like hey remember when the Dharma barracks blew up and then you disappeared and left Aaron alone in the jungle? Well we weren’t going to let Aaron just lay there and die so we SAVED HIM! Then again, maybe talking rationally to Claire wouldn’t have worked.

While it did seem a little odd that Jin didn’t try to explain the scenario a bit more rationally, I think he recognized that Claire wasn’t quite right, and that for his own protection – not to mention Kate’s – he’d be better off lying, taking her to the Temple, and hoping that they have some way of “curing” her.

I loved this episode, mainly because of Hurley and Jack’s interactions. It did feel very old school except Jack is not quite the same. I guess because he is still “broken”.

I still think Jack is the candidate and not Christian. That is why Jacob needed to get him and Hurley out of the temple. Jacob seems to be putting all his eggs in one basket with Jack and Hurley (or 2 baskets i guess) by separating them from the rest.

Yes, but for all we know, Jacob needs Jack as a means to getting to Christian. In fact, I could totally imagine Jack believing the hype and thinking that he’s something special, only for it to all come crashing down when he discovers that his father is actually the special one.

I love how the writers answer the question of “how have we not seen this giant lighthouse that isn’t too far from where we lived for a while” with “i guess we weren’t looking for it”. Maybe it wasn’t there before? Who knows. i wish Jack was a little more intrigued by this magic mirror instead of instantly angry and smashed it. It would have been nice if he stopped on some of the other names so we could take a peek.

I agree, his reaction was a bit annoyingly impulsive and arguably selfish, but I guess that’s the reaction Jacob was expecting and perhaps hoping for.

So now we know that the numbers are degrees, but i still want to know what they have to do with the hatch.

I’m not quite sure we do “know” that the Numbers are degrees. In my view, this is just another example of the Numbers popping up. I don’t think we quite know what the Numbers are yet, though.

Looking in the mirror in the ATL is clearly important, and Jack definitley remembers or feels something. Remember, he got his appendix out on the island, which is why his attention was drawn to it.

Yes, but I find it curious that only Jack seems to be aware of the fact that something just isn’t right. And for that matter, the only other character who appeared to experience déjà vu was Kate….when she saw Jack.

Alright, now let’s take a look at the always enjoyable review at EW.com. The first idea actually coincides with the appendix issue above:

Consider this: If we assume that Jack is about as old as Sawyer, then that means it’s very likely that Sideways Jack had his school collapse/appendix episode the very same year that a certain group of time traveling castaways were blowing up Jughead on the Island. What if Young Jack’s collapse was caused by Castaway Jack’s mind/soul getting blown into him? What if Young Jack’s appendicitis was reflexive a psychosomatic response to the appendix-free Castaway Jack’s sudden psychic migration into his mind? What if Castaway Jack’s mind/soul has lain dormant within Sideways Jack ever since, but now is starting to stir and take hold?

Eh, not sure I see this coming to fruition, but it’s a fun little observation. But one thing about Jack that did seem curious was the fact that his son’s mother – presumably his ex-wife – went specially unmentioned. No mention of her name. No photos of her at her home. Was it the same ex-wife he had in the “regular” universe, or was it somebody different? The reviewer proposes this possibility:

Who’s David’s Mom? Who’s the female participant in the creation of this inexplicably conceived Sideways child? Who’s this phantom woman that Sideways Jack was once with and now isn’t? Wouldn’t if be totally ironic and fitting if she was the Sideways iteration of Lost’s resident fertility doc/Jack dumpette, better known to us as Juliet? And you wanna know why she wasn’t home last night? That’s right, kids: Going dutch on coffee with new boyfriend Sawyer.

One problem with this: David’s mother was “out of town” not “out on a date.” That’s not to say I don’t see this being true. I’m just not sure why they’d hold off on this revelation. Why not show a photo of her in her home, and later on we find out she’s dating Sawyer? But as a few people noted, do we really need to see Jack and Sawyer competing over the same girl in yet another reality? Shifting gears to the island world:

Along the way, Jack tried to pick up some baggage: Kate. But Hurley said No, that Jack had to come to Jacob alone. It made sense: Kate is now part of the painful past that Jack has to learn to let go of, part and parcel of the Something (Allegedly) Nice Back Home dream/nightmare that he has to grieve and detach from.

I don’t have much to add to this idea other than the fact that I dig it. Jack has always had issues with letting go of the past – a character “flaw” that seems to be true in both universes (this must also make us wonder: What ended his marriage in the alternative reality?) I was further intrigued by Hurley’s resolve to make sure Jack takes this journey by himself. This Jacob-guided-Hurley is no pushover.

The Lighthouse doesn’t cast light outward. It casts light inward, and reveals the state of your heart. For Jack Shephard, his heart is still locked up in his childhood home, his father’s house, his past, and he won’t be free and realized until he leaves all of it behind.

Possible. Although I still prefer my theory, that Jack’s childhood home is more an allusion to the senior Shephard. Here’s another interesting observation:

The episode was filled with conversations about truth telling. It began with Jack and Dogen praising each other for their mutual honesty. Claire demanded total honesty from Justin the Other as well as Jin, who told the truth about Aaron, then lied about telling the truth to save his life. The episode ended with Hurley scolding Jacob for not playing straight with him. Interesting: the Lockeness Monster professes to be the straight-shooter of the two Island deities, and after this episode, we have no reason to doubt him; the revelation of the Lighthouse didn’t contradict anything UnLocke told and showed Sawyer last week in the cave. Meanwhile, Jacob has resorted to lies, puzzles, and possibly supernatural coercion to get people to do what he wants them to do. And yet, I STILL find myself thinking that Jacob is the good guy and Lockeness is the bad guy in their feud. What do you think?

Somebody in the EW.com comments section responded to this idea far more eloquently than I would have:

MIB gives people the “truth” to shape their choices. Jacob allows people to discover the truth to make their own choices………..alternately known as free will……….

This is indeed an excellent point. Sure, Smokey tells people the truth – at least, we assume he does – but he’s doing so with the intention of manipulating them so that they can do his bidding. He convinced Alpert to tell Locke to kill himself. He influenced Ben to kill Jacob. He managed to get all of the Others to confront Jacob – something they had never done (that being said, he’s also not completely honest – he lied to Claire about the Others having Aaron). While Jacob appears to mislead people, it seems evident that he’s leaving the decisions up to his followers. Like he said to Ben in the statue, he has a choice and he doesn’t have to do this.

tonight’s episode almost guaranteed my theory that Jacks story arc is leading towards him not being the new Jacob but to ending “the game” breaking the endless stalemate (tic-tac-toe). he has struggle since season one to breaking the cycle from turning into his dad now that was mirrored with him breaking the cycle with his sideways son

I’m not entirely positive I see Jack and Sawyer becoming the new Jacob and Man in Black, if only because I don’t foresee them ending the series with Sawyer in such an obviously villainous role. However, that’s not to say the series will ultimately end with two characters (perhaps familiar ones, like Locke and Christian) taking over those roles, essentially saying that this cycle will continue on and on. As another commenter said in response to this remark:

Good observation. I think you are right. Did you notice Hurley and Miles playing tic tac toe and tying every time?

Oh, and that scene with Christian, Frank, and Sun? Consider this observation:

Not only does Christian talk to Sun and Lupidos, doesn’t he point out John Locke outside. Doesn’t JL give one of those signature smile/nods? I don’t think MIB can be two places at once.

That may be the biggest bit of proof that Locke and Christian are not both incarnations of the Smoke Monster. For that matter, if you recall that Christian seemed more or less unaware of the fact that Locke needed to die in order to bring the Oceanic Six back to the island. And we now know that Smokey – as Locke – came up with the plan to begin with.

That’s it for this week. I’ll be back Tuesday night with my next review!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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That was a pivotal scene from the fifth episode of Lost’s first season, entitled “White Rabbit”. It’s with that stellar episode in mind that I am able to truly appreciate this, the fifth episode of the show’s sixth season.

I suspect that that is not an accident on a part of the writing staff. There were many nods to “White Rabbit”, with Jack’s recollection of smashing his father’s casket only to find it empty and his heated reaction to being told he “has what it takes” chief among them. Jack Shephard has, to some degree, become a pretty polarizing character at this point in the show’s run. Some find him whiny, wishy-washy and annoying, while others still cling to his alpha dog status from the show’s heyday and identify with the ebbing and flowing of his fragile psyche as the group’s de facto leader.

If you’re in the latter group, like myself, you most likely found “Lighthouse” thoroughly enjoyable. If you’re not really on board with the good doctor, then there was probably a lot of eye-rolling and yawning on your end by the time this was over. And, seeing as how we’re entering the stretch run, if you’ve made up your mind about Jack, there’s likely not a whole lot I’ll be able to say to sway you. Nevertheless, here are my very pro-Jack thoughts.

The Doctor is in

The early internet reaction to “Lighthouse” had a good amount of fanboys/girls shouting “filler!”. Well, not shouting as much as typing in capital letters with exclamation points. Admittedly, there was not a lot of new information to be gleaned from this hour, but that doesn’t mean the plot is not advancing.

You see, even though we all found out last week that the A-Team of castaways are “candidates” to replace Jacob, the dramatic irony in play is that nobody, save for Sawyer, is aware of this. If you’re willing to concede that Jack is going to play a pivotal role in the show’s endgame (duh), then the revealing of that piece of information to Jack is extremely critical.

The reveal came courtesy of what I perceived to be the episode’s strongest arc, Jack and Hurley’s “old school” trek across the jungle, culminating with a truly chaotic exchange in the titular edifice on the Island’s shore. Hurley was tasked with bringing Jack along by Jacob. I thought the notion of Jack catching the image of his childhood home in the lighthouse mirror was a clever, not overly on the nose way of exposing the scope of Jacob’s plan to Jack. And, as always, Matty Fox crushed it. Well, he crushed the scene from an acting standpoint, and later went on to crush the actual mirror itself.

This turn of events marks the tipping point of Jack’s arc from last season to this season. In his own words, Jack returned the Island because he was “broken”. Last season saw many instances of the man of science taking on many of the characteristics of the local man of faith, Locke. It was a nice little turn for the series protagonist, and particularly well-executed over such a short amount of time.

But Jack has begun to doubt his purpose again, no doubt embittered by what he perceives as the complete failure of his leap of faith detonation of the Jughead. I suspect that last night we saw Jack hit rock bottom, and Jacob’s words indicate that these are all necessary steps to fulfilling his true Island destiny: ”Jack is here because he has to do something. He can’t be told what that is. He’s got to find it himself. Sometimes, you can just hop in the back of someone’s cab and tell them what they’re supposed to do. Other times, you have to let him look out at the ocean for a while.”

Father of the Year

I think it’s safe to say that “The Substitute” set the standard for the manner in which the parallel timeline stories ought to be handled. I also suspect that the clues we’re being given to the timeline’s relevance are hidden in plain sight and that these adventures will strike a much deeper resonance with us with future viewings, when the entirety of the plan has been made clear to us. The discrepancy over Jack’s appendectomy scar, the continuous popping up of relevant Island personalities (this week was Dogen’s turn) and other things of that nature have me resting easy that this is not all for naught.

In the meantime, we got what I thought was a pretty nice little glimpse of Jack as a father. This is  a fascinating story to tell, considering all we know of Jack’s myriad father issues, and the flash-sideways narrative scheme gives the powers that be the opportunity to explore that notion.

Shockingly, Jack didn’t make a great dad. But there were hints all around that he used to be pretty okay at it. He used to encourage David’s piano playing (perhaps too much, even) and he fondly recalled reading him “Alice in Wonderland”. This is, by the way, the same book we saw him reading Aaron when he was playing Dad in season 4. The flash-sideways was filled with all types of easter eggs for careful viewers, including the sign at David’s audition reading “Welcome all candidates” to Jack’s retrieval of a house key under, you guessed it, a white rabbit.

Not unlike Locke’s sideways adventure, Jack’s pseudo-redemption as a good guy in his son’s eyes provided a nice counterpoint to all his Island strife.

I was spitballing with a co-worker of mine that we could be in for an interesting reveal as to who David’s mother is. It’s entirely likely that it’s Jack’s original timeline wife, Sarah. But I’ve got another possibility for you. Can you say “Juliet”? It might not even be a big deal, but it sure is fun to speculate, no?

And now for something completely different

Amidst all of this introspective character contemplation, we had that delightful vignette inside Claimed Claire’s shanty. You know you’ve really delved into some weird territory where a dude taking an axe to the solar plexus seems relatively normal. On the page, I’m sure this seemed great, and I’m actually totally okay with the way things unfolded from a story perspective. Sides are being chosen, Claire is on the bad side, as his Christian, and she’s been manipulated into thinking some things that just aren’t so. For instance, her claims that the Others swiped her baby struck me as odd, considering that she was the one who abandoned her baby in the middle of the jungle at Christian’s behest. And any way you can shoehorn the Locke-ness Monster into the show’s cliffhanger, you’re doing something right.

What fell short for me here was largely on the acting of Emilie de Ravin. She’s been on hiatus from the show for some time, and I think she may be a bit rusty. I get trying to maintain some of that innate Claire cuteness while still trying to appear as if she’s gone completely off the rails, but there were some line readings here that just befuddled me. Here’s hoping she grows into it.

On the other hand, I thought Daniel Dae Kim as Jin was moving mountains with very little help. He conveyed, in a mostly non-verbal manner, Jin’s process of putting together the notion that the Claire he spent over 100 days with on the Island is gone for good.

Parting shots

• So, who is coming to the island? Jacob indicated that Jack was brought to the lighthouse in an effort to help guide “someone” to the Island. Jack was instructed to turn the dial to 108, but stopped short before bashing it to pieces. Early screenshots indicate that the name next to 108 on the dial was “Wallace”, a name that, as of yet, has no significance in the Lost universe, which leaves open the possibility that this mission may have all been an elaborate ruse.
• As always, Hurley elevates the comedy level of any scene he is in. Case in point, the early exchange with Dogen, wherein Hurley claimed to be poking around because he liked temples and history and stuff, before brashly proclaiming that “I’m a candidate and I can do what I want.” Here’s hoping he doesn’t pay the price for lying to a samurai.
• I’m pretty solidly geeking out about the sh*tstorm that will ensue when Jack inevitably encounters this new incarnation of John Locke.
• For the life of me, I just can’t grasp why people don’t like Jack.

So, there you have it. Where do you stand on “Lighthouse”. Do feel free to chime in as usual, particularly on the things I overlooked. If you’re feeling a little “meh” about the episode, go ahead and give “White Rabbit” a watch again. It will help, trust me.
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Speaking of my Revisited column, earlier this week I reiterated an idea proposed by the reviewer at EW.com, that “Shephard” actually refers to Christian, and not Jack. I think this is a distinct possibility, which I daresay solidified a bit with this past episode. When Jack turned the dial to the “Shephard” dash, in the mirror he saw a vision of his childhood home, which he admitted he hadn’t lived in since he was a youngster. While it’s entirely possible the Shephard family moved, I think it’s more likely that this was Christian Shephard’s house up until the day he died. So it wasn’t so much Jack’s childhood house as it was Christian’s home.

Another idea that has been tossed around is if Christian and the Smoke Monster are one in the same. This has been the assumption for quite some time. However, as I noted in my Revisited column, Christian seems significantly less adversarial than the Locke Ness Monster. Could we have received a hint this week? Claire noted that she’s been with her father AND with a friend. We learned that the Locke Ness Monster is that friend. And it’s also apparent that Claire recognizes that this person ISN’T John Locke (so she would likely understand that Smokey as Christian = Smokey as Locke, if that were the case).

Honestly, so much time and attention has been devoted to Christian Shephard that I’d be surprised if it turned out he was merely a manifestation of the Smoke Monster. After all, if that were the case, would they really call an 11th hour audible and say, “Okay, let’s just have him appear as Locke now”? There’s just something deeper about his character to have him written off so nonchalantly.

My current line of thinking? I’m intrigued by this idea that Christian is a candidate. In fact, I’m starting to tempt the idea that Christian is the next incarnation of Christian, and that his various appearances in other people’s flashbacks (Claire, Sawyer, Ana Lucia, in addition to Jack, of course) is the equivalent of Jacob appearing in people’s lives and touching them.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the stuff with Hurley and Jack. Hurley acted quite humorously as the voice of the audience, bringing up the fact the island’s Adam and Eve were pretty much all but forgotten, and how the concept of a couple of characters voyaging out into the jungle for Lord knows what reason is really “old school.” He also made all the right theories (the skeletons could be one of them, through time travel), made the right observations (the inhaler belonging to Shannon), and asked the right questions (like why Jacob essentially arranged for Jack to react to the situation in this way). And I thought their conversation about Kate was, well, just really authentic. These two have grown to be close friends, and it makes perfect sense that they’d open up to each other about this sort of thing. If the show lacks anything, it’s this sort of typical humanity. Just all around great stuff here.

Oh, and Kate saying, “Jack, I almost shot you!” so casually was strangely adorable.

So what do we have going in the Sideways World? Well, one difference is that Jack’s mother is apparently so inept that she can’t find her late husband’s will as it sits on a bookshelf in an envelope labeled “Last Will and Testament.” And the existence of the island is ultimately irrelevant when it comes to determining whether or not Christian Shephard bags an Australian chick. But other than that, Jack apparently has a son. And while in the reality we’re all familiar with, self-reflection is not exactly Jack’s strong suit, in this universe he seems to make a conscious effort to not make the same mistakes his father made. He wants to have a close, healthy relationship with his son, and he reaches out to him in order to make that happen. And when he realizes that his behavior might be the issue, he attempts to change accordingly.

One of my favorite scenes of the episode was when he left a message for his son when he was trying to find him. I was so worried we were going to see that Jack with a short fuse, yelling about how he’s worried sick. Instead, we saw Jack acting calmly and compassionately, apologizing for what he may or may not have done. What made the scene even more powerful was that it was such a stark contrast to the way he would react in the lighthouse.

And for those of you keeping score: Yes, there was another “look at your reflection” Flash Sideways scene. It’s interesting, though, that Jack has had two instances where he’s noticed a physical imperfection that has thrown him off guard.

And then there’s that little whackabee Claire. So on the one hand, she remembers Jin and Aaron (and Kate), but on the other, she doesn’t seem to recall abandoning Aaron to live in Jacob’s cabin. I do find it interesting that she was held at the Temple, though. This could explain how she survived all that time traveling fun (if you recall, the Temple was apparently immune from time traveling). So is the obvious thought the right one? That Claire is the “terrible thing” coming to the Temple? Intriguingly, all of the central characters have left the Temple for one reason or another, except for Miles and Sayid. Ya’ know, the guy who’s ALSO infected with the darkness? Hmmmm….

Nothing really jumped out at me as “assignment” worthy, but if you have any thoughts, feel free to send them my way for our next Revisited column. The last couple of weeks have brought me some great feedback, so keep up the good work!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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Now, before we get to last week’s episode, there is an important matter we have to discuss. Quite simply, we really can’t avoid this topic any longer….it’s something we have to deal with in order to continue on with this season. And that matter is – what are we going to call the Smoke Monster in Locke clothing? The most frequent nicknames are as follows: Smocke (a combination of “Smokey” and “Locke), Un-Locke (clever in a cutesy way), and The Locke Ness Monster (my personal favorite). So unless anybody has any better suggestions, I’m going to go with my preference. So from here on out, I’ll refer to Fake Locke as “The Locke Ness Monster.” There ya’ go.

Also, in last week’s original review I noted that while I did recognize that the numbers next to each Losties’ name was one of THE Numbers, I didn’t quite catch whose name was attached to which number. I now have that information:

Locke: 4; [Hurley] Reyes: 8; [James ''Sawyer''] Ford: 15; [Sayid] Jarrah: 16; [Jack] Shephard: 23; [Jin or Sun?] Kwon: 42

I know my Revisited column typically attempts to unravel theories, but I’m going to open this particular topic up for discussion throughout the season. Any idea what these numbers mean? However, there is one tidbit that’s fun to consider. If you remember way back when, one of the Others mentioned that Jack wasn’t on Jacob’s list. Yet we clearly saw “Shephard” on the cave wall. Over on his Twitter page, the very talented author of the EW.com Lost reviews offered this idea:

So maybe “Shephard” doesn’t refer to Jack. Maybe it refers to…. Christian?

After all, there definitely seems to be several similarities between Jacob and Christian. Both have a proclivity for popping up in the lives of the Losties before they ended up on the island. Sometimes in very significant ways. And Christian has appeared on the island more than any other dead person. Plus he shacked up in Jacob’s cabin and he’s responsible for that whole island moving thing. There could be something to this.

Before I get to some more observations and comments I picked up from my e-mails and other reviews, I thought I would discuss a fun idea that didn’t quite occur to me after I initially viewed last week’s episode. For the first five seasons of Lost, we’ve been acting on this theory that the island saved these characters from an overall unhappy existence. Kate was a fugitive guilty of murdering her father. Sawyer was a conman, without a family and fueled by vengeance. Locke was paralyzed, stuck in a body that could never fulfill his greatest desires. Jack was obsessed with fixing things and controlling every situation he encountered. Sun and Jin were in a deteriorating marriage. Yet, the island allowed them to escape from these lives, and after their “rebirth” on the island, they were eventually able to overcome these insecurities. So the island saved the, right?

Not so simple.

One of the neat parts of the Flash Sideways is not that it shows what would have happened if they never crashed, but instead it shows what would have happened if the island essentially never existed. “The Substitute” revealed to us, should we choose to believe the Locke Ness Monster, that Jacob had essentially arranged for these characters to end up on the island. Well, if that’s true, we learned that if these interventions were never made, the characters (so far) would have lived a far happier and better adjusted life than what they ended up having. Before this season, one could have argued that there was something noble and altruistic about Jacob and the island. That’s a little harder to swallow now.

This idea was echoed in some of the comments left on the EW.com episode review. One person noted:

Enough of this faith nonsense. Locke was finally happy because he had transcended the need for faith.

I think this is a fair point. In a lot of ways, Locke’s blind faith is a crutch that he completely relies on. Not to sound like Monk or Spider-Man, but it was a curse just as much as it was a gift. Much like Jack, who once refused to acknowledge the supernatural – even as they were happening in front of his eyes – because of his inability to accept anything that could not be explained by science, Locke was hindered by his absolute faith in, well, faith. Hell, he was willing to commit suicide because a bunch of people, most of whom he had never even met before, told him that he had to die.

Perhaps what Locke really needs is to not be a man of faith or a man of science. He just needs to be a man – one who isn’t defined by his beliefs. Here was a somewhat related remark:

Surprised by Locke’s glee in the sprinkler? If we follow the similarities to the original timeline, that to me just echoed locke sitting on the beach smiling peacefully as the rain came down on his face.

That’s a fun point, but you also have to acknowledge that the sentiment between their smiling is quite different. In the former, Locke was able to find humor in an unlucky situation. In the latter, he felt a sense of peace and belonging in an otherwise unsettling situation. Visually they were quite similar (and I’d like to give the writers the benefit of the doubt here and assume that was purposeful), but thematically there are some disparities.

Okay, so let’s take a look at some of the theories that popped up in the recent EW.com episode review. The first is a rather throwaway observation, but one I still enjoyed:

For the third straight episode, the episode’s lead character was given a conspicuous moment in the bathroom, looking long and hard in the mirror.

So I guess “looking at your reflection” is the new “eye close up” token effect on Lost, huh? And while I suppose this can also be considered a throwaway observation, as the information was revealed in the passing, but I have a feeling this may prove to be a lot more significant:

We were told nothing about how this Locke and Helen met. But we were told they have an October wedding date, and given that it’s late September in the Sideways world, I’m predicting that their Big Day will serve as a key moment for the entire Sideways arc — perhaps the time and place when all the disparate story lines will converge.

I actually quite like this idea. We’re starting to see the characters come together in different ways, so I can totally buy the idea that somehow, some way, they all end up at Locke’s wedding. Could this also coincide with when the castaways all reunite on the island? Speaking of the Locke nuptials…..

We know from season 1 that Boone Carlyle’s mother, Sabrina Carlyle, owned a massively successful wedding business, and that Boone served as the company’s chief operating officer. Methinks the Carlyle family biz will play a role in solving Helen’s catering crisis….

Ha. Neat!

There were a few miscellaneous observations that I thought I’d touch upon, such as the identity of the boy that appeared throughout the episode. I initially figured it was a young version of Jacob, and that perhaps only “candidates” could see him (hence why Richard didn’t). The EW.com article proposed this idea, however:

The boy functions as a referee in the Jacob-Man In Black skirmish. He got that honor because the boy represents the first person the Man In Black ever killed.

Now that I think about it, I actually quite like the possibility that this boy is the Man in Black’s first kill. Besides which, visually, the adult Jacob that we were just introduced to would be a more compelling casting choice, in my opinion. Speaking of casting decisions, this comes courtesy of the comments section of the EW.com review:

The woman at the temp agency who asked Locke what kind of animal he would be was the actress who played the phony spiritual reader in Tricia Tenaka Is Dead.

Building this idea of rules and referees, there’s this observation from Mees and Only Mees, who left a comment on my original review:

I think it’s interesting how there are “rules” that Jacob and MIB know about, yet thre were also rules that Ben and Penny’s father knew about. Where is Penny’s father anyway?

It’s funny that you mention that, because during last week’s episode, one idea that popped into my mind (rather randomly) was: I really hope that Widmore doesn’t end up as a passing thought in the grand scheme of things. His role was made so much more significant last season. I really hope he plays a crucial role this year as well.

And on the topic of the candidates, this comes from david, who also commented on my original review page:

There seens to be a balance…black and white. jacob and MIB.
Since Jacob is looking for a replacement, does that mean that MIB will have a replacement as well? maybe Sawyer is his replacement??
Ilana seems to know what is going on and who Smokey was and about the temple etc. im pretty sure she would know the rule about the MIB not being able to kill Jacob directly. so does that mean she knows Ben was lying when he said he MIB killed Jacob?

I think a fair argument could be made that Locke was the Man in Black’s replacement. I mean, he essentially took over his body and mind (memories, anyway). Perhaps this “replacement” idea isn’t necessarily physical (after all, Locke’s actual body has been buried) but a spiritual and visual thing, instead. And I’m not sure if Ilana knows that Ben was lying, but I’m sure she has her suspicions.

And this excellent point comes from the comments section as well:

If Ben is alive in the sideways world, then there is an issue with the bomb destroying the island in 1977. Ben would have been killed when the island sank. He was at the temple at the time of the explosion and could not have been on the submarine.

Ah, very interesting point. In last week’s Revisited column I was corrected that Ethan was likely on the submarine. But, based on what we saw last season, Ben was still in the Temple with the Others when the Incident occurred. So how did Ben survive and get off the island? Apparently there’s a Richard Flash Sideways episode coming up this season (on a side note, it’s a bit disappointing that this guy never got a FLASHBACK!) and I have a feeling we might get the answer to that question then. And now, let’s end things with a final thought from the EW.com review:

Because I believe as heartbroken and furious as Sawyer may be… he ain’t betraying the castaways to this monster.

While I do agree with the popular theory that Sawyer is essentially “using” the Locke Ness Monster in order to gain important information, let us not forget that just one season ago he was more than willing to leave everybody he cares about (including former flame Kate and best friend Hurley), knowing full well that they were being left in a life threatening situation.

Oh, one final idea I’d like to briefly bring up: Do you believe the Locke Ness Monster when he claims that the cave belonged to Jacob? There was definitely something a bit “gates of hell” about that cave. This leads me to believe that the Man in Black actually lived there. This could make sense thematically, with the supposedly “evil” Man in Black finding residence in the dark, dreaded cave surrounded by sharp rocks, while the allegedly “good” Jacob lives out in the open in paradise. Of course there’s also the biblical “Jacob’s Ladder,” which is a ladder to heaven. So who knows?

Anyway, next week’s review is going to be a little late. Tuesday night I’m going to see my alma mater, Rutgers, face off against my dad’s alma mater, Seton Hall, in some college basketball fun. But I’ll try to have it posted late Tuesday night, depending on how late I get home. Go Scarlet Knights!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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If we’re willing to agree that Kate episodes are Lost’s Achilles’ Heel, then I think you’d have to strongly consider the possibility that Locke episodes are, well, every other part of Achilles? Okay, how about an SAT-esque analogy?

Locke episode : Lost :: spinach : Popeye.

Right? Right??

Even if Locke is not you’re favorite character, you have to admit that his episodes more often than not particularly accentuate those things that make the show so fantastic. They’re always heavy on geeked-out mythology bits, but are also always delivered in tender, heartfelt dollops.

Never was this truer than in last night’s rock-solid outing “The Substitute.”
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If we’re willing to agree that Kate episodes are Lost’s Achilles’ Heel, then I think you’d have to strongly consider the possibility that Locke episodes are, well, every other part of Achilles, I guess. Okay, how about an SAT-esque analogy?

Locke episode : Lost :: spinach : Popeye.

Right? Right??

Even if Locke is not you’re favorite character, you have to admit that his episodes more often than not particularly accentuate those things that make the show so fantastic. They’re always heavy on geeked-out mythology bits, but are also always delivered in tender, heartfelt dollops.

Never was this truer than in last night’s rock-solid outing “The Substitute.”  In way, we sort of got cheated out the notion of conventional “centric” episode, but it’s becoming very evident that season 6 will be anything but conventional. The flash-sideways tale focused on the parallel existence of John Locke, while the story on The Island was not really focusing on Locke, but rather the Monster’s exploits in Locke’s form.

A Monster Development

First off, let me say that I can do with a lot more Monster P.O.V. shots. The main thrust of The Island’s action focused on the Locke-ness Monster guiding a distraught Sawyer (who nearly stole the show for the second straight week) across The Island to discover an all-important truth about his purpose on The Island, as well as that of his fellow castaways.

This dichotomy led to some great exchanges, starting with Sawyer’s assertion that this profound journey toward the meaning of his existence would probably require some pants. Also, we got several callbacks to the show’s earlier moments. Watching those two trudge through the Jungle, I couldn’t help but be reminded of season 3’s “The Brig”, wherein Sawyer followed Locke all the way to the Black Rock, where he was manipulated into killing Locke’s father/the man who conned his parents. Sawyer’s attempted re-enactment of “Of Mice and Men” evoked “Every Man For Himself”, also from season 3, which saw Ben and Sawyer discussing Steinbeck’s classic tome while atop a cliff on Hydra Island.

Following these events, and one somewhat-gimmicky action sequence with suspect rope ladders, the pair arrived at the mythological nexus of the hour. A cavern in the cliffs where Jacob and the Man who now assumes the form of Locke have clearly spent an exorbitant amount of time, as evidenced by the old-timey scale equipped with light and dark stones. Sawyer learned that he, and certain other members of his party are “candidates” to replace Jacob as the Island’s protector. The fact that they were each assigned to one of the numbers was a great shout-out to the legions of rabid internet fans that they explain those damn things. Personally, I’ve always found them to be a great sort of creepy recurring motif, and was pleasantly satisfied with Monster’s explanation that Jacobs “had a thing for numbers.”

But of course, with the answers came…some more questions. Kate was explicitly touched by Jacob the season 5 finale, but her name was not among those scrawled on the cave’s wall. The Impostor Locke’s position that Jacob’s quest for a protector was completely futile strikes me as disingenuous. If that was the case, why go out of your way to kill him and anyone else who may have assumed his post?

Bottom line: this was all perfectly executed for where the show is at now. I can’t tell what all the moving parts are quite yet, nor do I particularly care to surmise what they are, but it seems pretty evident that there is an elaborate scheme being put into motion. The Monster/Sawyer’s trek did a stellar job pulling the curtain back enough to give you hint of what is afoot, while also setting up an epic conflict that is no doubt looming.

The more things change…

While it’s still not entirely clear to me what the utility of the flash-sideways device is, there is no denying that it’s a boatload of fun. At least, when it pertains to characters we give a crap about. I’ve maintained that if the John Locke we know is indeed dead (and his funeral last night would seem to indicate as much), then Locke has secured a place in the pantheon of the most tragic figures in the history of fiction. With that being said, the quasi-reboot seemed to give us die-hard Locke fans a tremendous bit of closure on the man. Another thing that’s fun about these is trying to be able to spot what is the same and what is different from the timeline we knew before this insane season began. Think of it like way more awesome memory puzzle in a  ”Highlights” magazine.

Locke, the alpha dog hunterer gather of The Island was nowhere to be found last night, as we were given a glimpse of a Locke who couldn’t even manage to get out of his car without tumbling out of his car onto the lawn, only to have the sprinklers kick on. Given his hairless dome, I might have sworn we were watching a live-action Charlie Brown short last night. But, it was largely a happy ending for Locke last night, thanks to the tender support of Helen (so glad they managed to wrangle Katey Sagal back to the show for an episode), the new and improved optimistic Hurley, and the sympathetic Rose. This nice little jaunt through Locke’s rebooted nirvana culminated with an at once silly/exciting/head-snapping cameo from the one and only Benjamin Linus. Oh, and he was a Euro History teacher. An uppity, ego-maniacal Euro History teacher. Of course he was.

That said, I think this timeline is still more than just fun and games. There definitely have been subtle hints that the characters seem to sense that things aren’t quite right, from Jack’s weird demeanor on the plane To Kate’s lingering staredown of Jack while she was in the cab. Last night, there didn’t seem to be much of that, apart from one odd moment when Locke was trying to explain his absence from his work-related conference to Randy (who is still a dick, even in a parallel universe). Locke begins to say that where he was was…personal. But before he gets to “personal” he stammers a bit and looks off for a brief second, with an odd expression on his face that played like something much more complex than “trying to keep the volume down in a crowded office.” To me, anyway.

Funerals and Other pressing matters

We also got a bit more of the Sun/Ben/Lapidus/Ilana quartet. The highlight of this was of course Ben’s eulogy at the real Locke’s funeral. Given everything that these two have been through all the lying, manipulating and well…killing…it seems fitting that Ben would be the one to commemorate the late Locke:

“John Locke was a…believer. He was a man of faith. He was a much better man than I will ever be. And I’m very sorry I murdered him.”

Even though the eulogy was spouted by a character known for lying with every breath that he can muster, I believe every single word of that.

• I love Richard Alpert. I always have. And, this season, I really love seeing him confused/rattled/scared out of his mind.
• As for that odd, all-knowing kid who seemed to stalk and taunt Sawyer and the Monster (yet was unseen by Richard, curious), you’re guess is as good as mine. Initially, I thought that little scamp Zack had abandoned his Temple drink-serving duties for some Island shenanigans, but his second appearance made it clear that we’re dealing with a while different little monster. My immediate guesses: A younger ghost Jacob, or Claire’s demon spawn Aaron.
• Did I mention more Monster P.O.V. shots?

So, that’s about it. Overall, a completely stellar bounce-back from a very shaky stumble. What did you all think? Were you satisfied with the glimpse of greater Island mythology? Did John Locke’s alterna-fate satiate your need for closure? I’m always intrigued by everyone’s opinions, so please don’t be shy.

Namaste, y’all.
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I hoped that season 6 would be devoid of talky, largely uninteresting filler episodes, but unfortunately, that’s mostly what we got with “What Kate Does”.

Even the most ardent of Lost fans will tell you that Kate-centric episodes are no picnic. She’s always been a character that’s sort of hard to get your arms around. Whether it’s her waffling between Jack and Sawyer, making really questionable decisions or forcing you to think long and hard about whether or not she’s really a good person, Evangeline Lilly has done the best she could with this somewhat difficult character. Knowing this was a Kate outing heading in (title sort of give it away, no?) I had a cautious optimism, but I was ready to give it the benefit of the doubt, as I actually enjoyed last season’s Kate Episodes, “The Little Prince” and “Whatever Happened, Happened”.

Let’s start with the LAX timeline. Some of the luster had worn off of seeing our characters moving through this parallel timeline, partly since the novelty of the concept in the premiere wasn’t new and exciting anymore, but mostly because, you know, it’s Kate.

From a purely narrative standpoint, the LAX timeline story arc in “What Kate Does” was a total mess. Take your pick, really: Kate’s commandeering of a cab, as opposed to a regular car she could just drive herself, or Claire’s total 180-degree turn of putting her full trust into a woman who not 20 minutes ago was waving a gun in her face, followed by giving that same stranger your credit card. I understand the significance of putting Kate and Claire together and hearkening back to their on-Island kinship, as Kate essentially delivered Aaron herself right in the middle of the jungle. But the episode really strained to make these rekindled moments of closeness seem genuine.

There were bright spots though. Chief among them was William Mapother’s pleasantly surprising return as the creepy Other-doctor Ethan. Only, he wasn’t so creepy. Quite the opposite in fact. He went out of his way to avoid drugging and needling a belabored and frantic Claire, which is in stark contrast the hellish, trippy experience he unleashed on her back when he kidnapped her in season 1. But let’s face it, he was still a little creepy, since he’s got that whole “William Mapother Face” going on.

It comes as no surprise that the night’s most interesting events unfolded when Kate was nowhere in the area code. I particularly dug the central conflict at the temple. Namely, what in the hell is going on with Sayid? Internet speculators ran rampant with theories about the stimulus for Sayid’s apparent resurrection. The prevailing theory seemed to be that Sayid had been embodied by the recently-knifed Jacob. For a bit, that seemed to have some legs, except when it became clear that the erstwhile torturer had not in fact passed his own torture-heavey “test”

I’d like to take this time to dole out some praise for Matthew Fox. Jack was really on the money in pretty much every scene, particularly in his attempts to get Sayid to take his (poison!)medicine. You really felt the genuine concern and the conflict that still exists within the good doctor. Also, his conversation with Dogen was dripping with tender emotional beats (the line “I don’t even trust myself” was a particular biggie, if you know anything about Jack) and mythologically rich buzzwords like “infected”, “claimed” and “darkness”.

If we’re to take the Sayid has been taken over by the Monster/Man in Black, and that the same thing has happened to Island-Claire we’re forced to consider a few things about Smokey’s rules of possession.

Can Ol’ Smokey take control over several bodies at once? It seems so, and if that’s the case, then to what end? Could we be seeing what is, in essence, a sort of draft for the cataclysmic “war” that Widmore and Bram spoke of last season?

Problematic as the episode was, I’m really not worried that it’s a sign of troubling things to come. The episode suffered from a lack of the MiB/Richard/Beach dweller set, which I can’t think will be something we’ll got much more of. Also, I think showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are not stupid. Though they would never admit it, I think they know in their heart of hearts that Kate episodes are not now, nor have they ever been, the show’s bread and butter.  With that said, I don’t think it’s coincidence that we got this story so very early in the season. Think of it as sitting through a dopey prop comic before watching Chris Rock take the stage.

Even the Island version of Kate was outshined by a rock-solid performance from Josh Holloway. Sawyer’s quest to get back to New Otherton in search of some sort of catharsis for Juliet’s death was pretty mesmerizing, cresting with the scene on the dock where he first convinced Juliet to stay on the Island, ultimately setting her fate in motion. Admittedly, the choice of having Sawyer divulge his intentions to propose to Juliet and never being able to forgive himself for what happened in full view of Kate was a refreshingly compelling take on the sometime tiresome love triangle business. If next week’s episode is as Sawyer-heavy as the promo indicated, I’d say we’re likely to hop right back into the swing of things.

Parting thoughts

• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney returned as Aldo, last seen falling for the Wookie prisoner gag in season 3’s “Not in Portland”. I can’t exactly put my finger on why he was asked back, but I suspect all the Mac fans out there appreciated it.
• Miles wins the the Line of the Night award for his thrilling rendition of “We’ll be in the food court if you need us.” Classic.
• Despite the shortcomings, no one can deny that Lost can still craft a hell of a cliffhanger reveal. The parting image of the Heart of Darkness/Rousseau-esque Island Claire was nearly enough to wipe the narrative foibles from my mind. Nearly.
• I’ll miss Hurley being the group’s de facto leader.

So, that’s about where I’m at. What did you all think of this season’s first (and hopefully only) subpar episode. Blip on the radar, or sign of things to come? Hell, am I totally wrong? Maybe you really dug it. Either way, don’t be shy to let me know in the comments or shoot me an email. Until next week,

Namaste, y’all.
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As was that line, Miles. As was that line.

I have to admit something. To tell you the truth, Jack and everybody kinda did deserve to get their asses kicked at the beginning of the episode. After all they’ve seen and all they’ve been through – first during their 108 days on the island, then during the three years off of the island, and finally during the TIME TRAVELING that occurred when they returned to the island – are they really STILL at the point that they’re demanding answers to questions? I’m not going to pretend to be even close to understanding what they’ve been through – and I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be for them to go through so many unbelievable things and for them to get so few answers (a lot of what the audience has learned has not been shared with the characters), but it just feels like they’ve outgrown the phase of making threats and demands. And to be fair, the Others should acknowledge that the Losties aren’t exactly some flash in the pan stranger who’s just flying through (Henry Gale!) I think these guys have earned their stripes, and deserve some solid answers.

I’m a rather outspoken Jack-Kate shipper, but honestly, how can anybody watch tonight’s episode and possibly argue that Sawyer and Kate should end up together? Sawyer is a man so immensely in love with Juliet that for him to end up with Kate so shortly after her death would seem like a betrayal of that relationship. That being said, I thought the scenes between Kate and Sawyer were magnificent. Kate’s acknowledgement of her role in Juliet’s death (which I discussed in my Revisited column) showed a self awareness that is sometimes lacking in the Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle. Sawyer’s heart wrenching response, that it’s his fault because he convinced her to stay on the island all those years ago, was utterly powerful. These two did a phenomenal job.

I also really enjoyed yet another fake out, where we’re led to believe that Kate’s motivations are her (possible) feelings for Sawyer, only for us to later learn that she’s truly determined to reunite her adoptive son with his biological mother. And for that matter, I really enjoyed the Kate/Claire story in the flash sideways, as well. It showed that these two characters are eternally linked. Or, at the very least, that Kate and Aaron will always have a bond. Kate was there for his birth on the island and later raises him as her own, and he assists his mother during a difficult time – at great personal risk – in the flash sideways. This tied in nicely with that constant theme of destiny. And hey! Doyle the Puppeteer was the cowardly cab driver!

I initially felt like Ethan as the doctor was some great casting, as it showed what some of these Others could have been had they not been brought to the island. Yet, upon closer thought, it created a bit of a contradiction. In the flash sideways, the island is underwater. But the barracks are built, which means that the Dharma Initiative had come to the island, which leads me to believe that the hydrogen explosion of 1977 was responsible for the sinking island. However, as we know, Ethan was on the island in 1977. Theories?

Of course, I don’t want to completely overlook the Jack and Kate stuff. Sure, they only shared two or three scenes together, but you couldn’t have missed their longing gazes. I also liked the way Jin called her out on her crap.

Oh, and did anybody else think that the test Sayid had to go through was to make sure he’s actually alive, and not some ghostly incarnation of Smokey D? Although, it seems, there might be a connection between “dark” Claire and Christian after all. And perhaps Claire did “die” in that barracks attack, as many of us (including me) have theorized.

And is anybody else thrilled that Dogen evidently won’t be speaking in another language – sans subtitles – for the entire season? Thank goodness for small favors!

Anyway, that’s it for me this week. I think I’ll be posting my Revisited column Sunday night, so be sure to send me your thoughts. You can e-mail me, visit my blog, or simply sound off below! I got some great feedback last week, so keep up the great interaction!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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While I failed to mention this great quote in my initial review, I didn’t fail to notice it. Not only was it a great line, but it was delivered to perfection.

By the way, the latest unique Lost method of storytelling is officially dubbed “flash-sideways.” Expect that to be the title of a struggling ABC drama next season.

Moving onto the premiere. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the response to the first two episodes of the final season has been overwhelmingly positive. I figured a lot of impatient fans would complain about the confusing new method of storytelling and would bellyache about there not being many big answers or revelations. In my experience, that hasn’t been the case. And that makes me glad.

Now, in my initial review, I pondered whether these two worlds represented a “real” universe and a “what could have been” alternate reality – however, the overwhelming prognosis seems to be that these two worlds are both real, just separate. I’m willing to buy into that. In fact, this is perhaps alluded to in the book Desmond was reading on the plane, Haroun And The Sea of Stories. According to those who have done more research than me, there’s a famous quote in the book that states: ”What’s the use of stories that aren’t even true?” Could this be our subtle indication that both universes are indeed “true”?

Speaking of Desmond, in my review I noted that there were some slight discrepancies between the original Flight 815 and the retconned flight. Most notably Desmond’s presence and Shannon’s absence, Hurley suddenly being lucky, and the missing luggage (Locke’s knives and Jack’s father). I find it interesting that these two particular items were lost, as they’re arguably the items on the plane that most defined them on the island. Odd how once the island is out of the equation, so is the baggage (literal and perhaps metaphorical as well).

In the comments section of my column, Aron referred to the meeting between Jack and Locke “kind of lame” and “a bit too cute.” I have to respectfully disagree, for two notable reasons. The first is that this brief interaction made me notice a huge connection between these characters that somehow, some way, I managed to miss all for these years. You have Locke, who’s paralyzed, and Jack, who’s a renowned spinal surgeon. In that regard, these two are very intimately connected. And, if circumstances were different, they really could have had a beneficial relationship.

The other thing I found interesting was how Locke has always been dubbed “the man of faith” while Jack was “the man of science.” Yet, following their interaction, it was Jack who found solace in faith, while Locke received hope with science. Again, had circumstances been less hostile, they could have helped each other.

Some additional differences brought to my attention by my readers as well as some other columns I read:

In their interaction on the plane, Rose was calm while Jack was stressed – opposite of their memorable “original” talk (thanks Andy, for pointing that out). Along with that, Jack only received one bottle of vodka, while he received two in the pilot. I find it interesting that, so far, Jack seems to be the only one who senses that something’s not right, or that he might have experienced something like this before. Significance? I guess we’ll see.

Now, let’s discuss some of the other people on the flight, starting with Sawyer. A few people have noted that Sawyer was noticeably less conflicted on the flight from Sydney. That’s a fair point. If you recall, he had murdered somebody in cold blood, incorrectly believing that this person was responsible for his parents’ deaths, and then he got in some trouble with the law and was unceremoniously ejected from the entire continent, I presume. When we saw him on the original Flight 815, he had that classic scowl that he was so infamous for in the early years.

In this reality, though, he was significantly lighter. Here’s a passage from the EW.com review:

In fact, I like to think that this not-a-care-in-the-world Sawyer isn’t some scheming con man at all, but rather owes his lightness to being a well-adjusted, law-abiding young man with a serious girlfriend in Miami. In some possible world, this surely must be true. Why not this one? But time will tell.

While I’m not sure Sawyer is the ruined man he was in the original reality, I can’t say I agree with this assessment. First off, did you see the way his face lit up when he heard that Hurley was a millionaire? Along with that, I just don’t see your average law-abiding citizen helping somebody in handcuffs escape security, no matter how hot or seemingly nice she may be. I buy that he’s better adjusted, but based on what I saw, the guy is most certainly the rogue we were introduced to in season one. Just take note of his close proximity to Hurley when they departed the plane.

Speaking of the EW.com review, I’d like to touch upon an idea I quite liked, regarding Jin and Sun:

Jin got hauled off, and Sun got pressed: Did she know English? Did she have an explanation for the undeclared cash? Cliffhanger. Theory? Jin brought the money to finance his new life with Sun in the United States.

I quite like the idea that Jin, despite his fall from grace, was actually planning to escape with Sun once they arrived in the US. While the concept of the crash saving their relationship is romantic, I think it would be an interesting twist to learn that Jin actually had seen the err of his ways and set out for a fresh start by his own accord.

Moving onto the island reality, as a viewer I find it interesting that Sawyer blames Jack for Juliet’s death. I say “as a viewer,” because we’re privy to certain knowledge that the characters may not have, and we also don’t share the same emotional bonds. But, after thinking about it, I realized that it’s not Jack’s fault at all that Juliet died. If it’s anybody’s fault, it’s Kate’s. Follow me here. Juliet died after she was pulled into the hole by the electromagnetic activity. Except the electromagnetic activity had nothing to do with Jack’s big plan. That happened because of the Dharma Initiative’s construction, and would have happened whether or not Jack intervened. So, basically, Juliet was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But why were they there?

If you recall, Sawyer and Juliet were on a submarine, set to finally get off of the island. They would have been free or clear, had it not been for Kate, who convinced them that they should return to the island to stop Jack. Of course, once they actually got there, Kate pulled an about-face and decided to assist her former fiance with his grand mission.

Just some food for thought. Also, regarding Juliet’s dying words that, “it worked.” I’m going to go with the popular opinion, which is that, when she died, her consciousness “merged” with the alternate timeline, and her comment about getting coffee and going dutch is some “code word” for them in that other life. The good news is, this might mean that Sawyer and Juliet find happiness together in this other timeline.

We also finally got to see the inside of the Temple, with more than a few people bringing up the curious point that the Others are evidently attempting to keep the Monster out of the Temple, yet he also seems to live beneath it. How odd… Also, for what it’s worth, the Asian man is named Dogen, and his translator is named Lennon. I’m curious how they fit into the island hierarchy, compared to Jacob and Ben.

Another great observation from the EW.com review: One of my favorite developments in the episode was the emergence of Hurley as castaway leader in the wake of Jack’s crisis of self-confidence and Sawyer’s ”Don’t call me boss no more” meltdown. And, as the article also points out, Hurley became the show’s newest “Man of Faith” when he followed Jacob’s orders to take Sayid to the Temple. The scene with Dogen and the Uber Others also reminded me of the methods the Others took in the earlier seasons. While we have come to learn that they may actually be the relative “good guys,” they’re still not above killing innocent people who might threaten their way of life.

Anyway, there are some people out there claiming that Sayid is Jacob resurrected. I don’t agree. I just believe that the healing resurrection worked – just not as fluidly as it would have if the water was “clear.” Oh, and while we did learn how the island heals people, I’m still a little confused. Even if we’re to believe that the water (in the general sense) has healing properties, Locke was cured before he ever set foot in the water. What’s up with that?

I am curious, though: What dire matter did Lennon need to talk to Jack about? Could it have anything to do with his dead father running around the island causing all sorts of hijinx? Speaking of which, is Christian Smokey? If so, that means Smokey CAN leave the island, as we saw him at Jack’s hospital (remember the smoke alarm?) That seems to contradict this belief that Smokey is being held captive on the island.

Oh, another thing a lot of commenters were talking about: Was Fake Locke’s comment to Alpert about being free of his chains a physical thing (as in, he was a slave on the Black Rock) or a symbolic thing (as in, he’s no longer being oppressed by Jacob)? Honestly, I suspect the former. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

I think we can all agree, though: Terry O’Quinn absolutely nailed this episode. His facial expressions were absolutely amazing. I’m in awe of how comforting he comes off in his interaction with Jack at the airport, and how chilling he could be while talking with Ben in the foot of the statue. Inredible stuff. I was a bit surprised, though, how harsh Fake Locke’s assessment was of real Locke. I had always imagined a certain kinship between Locke and the Smoke Monster, almost as if Smokey respected him and felt he was special. Instead it just seems like Smokey, just like everybody else, was manipulating the poor guy.

In a column-related matter, I’m thinking of posting my Revisited columns on Sunday nights, instead of Mondays. With 24 and Heroes (for now, anyway) both airing on Monday nights, I thought it would be a bit overwhelming for both you and me for me to post a 24, Heroes, and two Lost columns in the span of two nights. But I also know that Sunday nights might not have the same Internet activities as Mondays. So my question – if I posted these on Sunday nights, would that have an impact on your viewing habits? Sound off below!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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We’re calling it. With 100 % of the precincts reporting, Lost is officially awesome.

Alright, that’s the last one, I swear.

With the anticipation for this episode reaching radioactive levels, there was a lot of opportunity for us to be really, really disappointed. I can speak only for myself, of course, but I’m here to tell you: Nope. Not one little bit. Let the effusive praise runneth over:

For those of you who thought that Jack’s plan to blow up history would go for naught and the castaways would be stuck on that damn island like old times: Congrats, you win!

For those of you who thought that the plan would work to perfection, launching the castaways back onto Oceanic 815 securely fixed in their pre-crash lives: Congrats, you win, too!…sort of.

It wouldn’t be LOST if there wasn’t a multitude of insane shenanigans afoot. But can we all just take a second and appreciate those wonderfully heartfelt and soul-hugging moments. Never was that truer in “LA X” then the scene in which Oceanic 815 landed in Los Angeles, just like it was always “supposed to”. What we got upon its landing was vintage LOST, a perfectly executed slow-mo montage as the characters we’ve loved for five season calmly went about their business of exiting the flight, an otherwise mundane task. This was aided leaps and bounds by the always stellar musical score from Michael Giacchino, who scored an Oscar nod earlier in the day for his work on Up. Overall, a pretty solid day for Mikey G.

There was no shortage of these moments, but lets put that on hold and focus on some more prevalent matters:

Business as usual…?

Fun as it was to see all our old friends (Boone! Arzt! Charlie! Edward Mars!) I have no doubt you certainly noticed that things were a little, well, askew. Immediately springing to my mind are: Locke actually did go on his walkabout. Boone did not succeed in coaxing Shannon out of Australia. Hurley has embraced his winnings and apparently had nothing but good fortune since. Sun really doesn’t know how to speak English (though I guess technically that’s controversial). Oh, and I’m sure you all happened to notice that slightly subtle detail that DESMOND WAS ON THE DAMN PLANE. It of course begs a question that’s been uttered many times in conversations involving LOST : What the hell is going on here? More specifically, Why is the island at the bottom of the ocean?

Back to the present

Just when we had settled into the notion of a complete (if not a little wrinkled) reboot, we were whooshed (did anyone catch the slight, but very distinct difference in the whoosh we’ve come to know? More dissonant and haunting, right?) back to the island, circa 2007. Finally, the two divergent camps in the show are back on the same timeline. And, wouldn’t you know it, crises abound almost instantly. Sayid’s bleeding out, Juliet is trapped under all that stuff that fell on her, The bogus John Locke is just dominating those clowns that came to protect Jacob. Out of all this madness, a few things were made abundantly clear:

• The writers were definitely listening when all you folks were clamoring to know where Cindy and the kids, Zack and Emma, who crashed with Tailies were. They’ve been crashing at the Temple since waaaay back in the season three finale. What they were doing during all the freigher raiding, time jumping hijinks is really anyone’s guess, but still it’s nice to see them around.
• The Others have a really unorthodox method of saving people. I missed Sayid while he was gone. That was a really rough 20 minutes.
• The Man in Black, posing as John Locke, IS the Smoke Monster, definitively. Also, he has quite an aversion to that ash surrounding Jacob’s cabin, which makes sense, considering last year’s finale seemed to hint at a longstanding conflict between the two. This also lends credence to the fact that Christian’s squatting in the cabin in season 4 was a bit of trespassing, since we saw the ash had been broken.
• I already miss Juliet.

I love L.A.

Back in the quasi-reboot, Kate was up to more of the same stuff, running her cute little heart out. She seems to have been subject to the same circumstances pre-crash as she had before, which only makes the small diversions from the known canon all the more confusing. Why in the world are things somewhat different in these peoples’ lives, yet similar enough to get them back onto that plane at that time.

The highlight of this whole arc was undoubtedly the Jack/Locke interplay at the misplaced baggage office. Completely perfect in every way and on every level: Acting, writing, directing, the whole shot. You weren’t beaten over the head with the irony of their conversation, but the moment played perfectly. How refreshing was it to see these two just having a damn conversation. After all the intense, heated, sciencey/faithy battles they’ve waged, we saw a glimpse of what might have been. Just a distraught spinal surgeon dealing with the loss of his father (both in the death sense and, you know, they literally lost him) and a kind paralyzed stranger. I’m not one to ever really get emotional about fictional characters, but I came pretty close to losing it when Jack offered his services–pro bono, I might add–to help Locke out of that wheelchair, delivering one of the most thematically loaded lines of the night: “Nothing’s irreversible.”, which ranks right up there with Rose’s “You can let go now.”

Show me the way to go home

It stands to reason that my other favorite scene was also Locke-themed. It was Locke’s eulogy/manifesto delivered by none other than the smoke monster, in Locke form. As if having Locke’s long, tragic existence laid in detail wasn’t morbid enough, there was the surreal gut-punch of having it essentially delivered, aesthetically speaking, by Locke himself. Heartbreaking. As if this wasn’t enough, the monster then revealed that he is something of a prisoner on the island, longing to be set free, which was the night’s biggest shocker. In my opinion that was the episode’s only misstep. As giddily euphoric as the Sayid resurrection scene was, I think swapping that with the “Monster wants to go home” scene would have been a more effective cliffhanger here. But, really, we’re just nitpicking at this point.

Oh, and how about that beatdown the the Monster administered to Richard before carrying him off? It was really pretty jarring to see Richard so not in control, no? Even more jarring was the Monster’s reference to Richard’s “chains”, confirming a long-standing fan theory that Richard was a slave aboard a certain slave ship that now resides in the middle of the island.

Other things

I suspect some of you might be confused that the castaways are existing in two different timelines at once, one on the island, one in L.A. But remember that the flight took place in 2004. And that they’ve now been blown back to 2007, so it stands to reason that in this reboot, they will still end up back on the island. That still doesn’t answer that whole “Island at the bottom of the ocean” issue, though I’d have to guess another donkey wheel turn would be in our future.

If that’s not the case, then what we are being presented with is two separate, but equally real realities (yes, I just wrote “real realities”. On purpose.) We’re then left to ponder how the two are related. Will they converge? Will one become more important than the other? If these are not flashbacks or flash forwards, let’s call them flash-sideways. You have to start to wonder to what extent the castaways’ fate becomes inevitable. From the start, we’ve seen character stories off the island intersect. We now see that that would have always been the case, even without the crash, e.g. the Locke/Jack meeting, Sawyer aiding Kate in the elevator, Kate comandeering Claire’s cab. This gives the whole destiny/fate conundrum of LOST a great deal of gravitas.

Which brings me to this:

My Season 6 mindset

If you’ve noticed, I haven’t posited many answers to the myriad questions posed by “LA X”, and that’s likely to be a trend of my reviewing this season. I’ve never been one for theorizing, which puts me in the vast minority of LOST viewers, but that’s just how I get down. Frankly, I think if you’re watching this season with a checklist of mysteries that must be answered, I think you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Sure, I want some answers, but above all else I want a well-told story. We’ve come so far with these people and this show that I just want a coherent, interesting and thematically rich conclusion. Out of that, I think answers will come. If “LA X” is any indication, I can safely say that I’m well on my way to getting what I want. I hope I can say the same for you.

So, that’s it. How do you feel about the start the season’s gotten off to? Are you taking the “along for the ride” mentality, as I am, or do you want some friggin’ answers, people? Well, feel free to sound off below or shoot me an email. I encourage your input.

Namaste!
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I asked all the Inside Pulse TV staff members to give me their “Top 10 Shows of the Decade”. Any show that aired new episodes during the years 2000-2009 were eligible to be on their lists. All channels and genres were eligible as well. I got close to 20 lists with each writer not knowing what shows the other writers considered to be the best. After getting these lists, I assigned each show on each writer’s lists a point value from 1-10. The #1 show on each list was given 10 points. The #2 show was given 9 points. #3 got 8 and this continued to the #10 shows each getting 1 point. Once I added up the numbers, there was clearly a major line between the “best” and the “rest”. However, the line was between the Top 10 and the rest, it was more like the Top 15. So I made an executive decision and decided to create “Inside Pulse TV’s Top 15 Shows of the Decade” list instead of a top ten list.

First, I will give you each writers’ individual lists. After that, I will post our overall “Top 15 TV Shows of the Decade “ based on the overall points system. In addition, I gave each writer a show to talk about and explain why they considered that show to be among the “Best of the Decade”. So lets get to the lists….

Joseph Henson -

1. The Shield
2. The Wire
3. Brotherhood
4. Sons Of Anarchy
5. Frasier
6. Dexter
7. Breaking Bad
8. Lost
9. Burn Notice
10. South Park

Nicole Byer -

1. Lost
2. 24
3. House
4. Dexter
5. Monk
6. Family Guy
7. Friends
8. The Big Bang Theory
9. Everybody Loves Raymond
10. The Colbert Report

Matt Basilo -

1. Lost
2. 24
3. The Simpsons
4. Friends
5. Prison Break
6. C.S.I.
7. Curb Your Enthusiasm
8. Survivor
9. The Office
10. Arrested Development

Sharon Tharp -

1. The Office
2. Friends
3. Dawson’s Creek
4. That 70’s Show
5. One Tree Hill
6. Grey’s Anatomy
7. Arrested Development
8. Lost
9. Everwood
10. The O.C.

Sobaika Mirza -

1. Lost
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. The West Wing
4. Sex and the City
5. The Wire
6. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
7. Glee
8. Mad Men
9. Arrested Development
10. Entourage

Trevor MacKay -

1. Arrested Development
2. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
3. The Office
4. The Colbert Report
5. Veronica Mars
6. The Simpsons
7. Battlestar Galatica
8. Dexter
9. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
10. Chuck

Greg Stanwood -

1. The Wire
2. Arrested Development
3. Mad Men
4. House
5. 24
6. Flight of the Conchords
7. Battlestar Galactica
8. Breaking Bad
9. Survivor
10. Family Guy

Lindsay Filz -

1. West Wing
2. Friends
3. Survivor
4. The Sopranos
5. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
7. Veronica Mars
8. How I Met Your Mother
9. Mad Men
10. C.S.I.

Kevin Wong -

1. Battlestar Galactica
2. C.S.I.
3. 24
4. Survivor
5. House
6. Amazing Race
7. Extras
8. The Office
9. Arrested Development
10. The Colbert Report

Joe Corey -

1. The Wire
2. The Sopranos
3. Battlestar Galactica
4. The Big Bang Theory
5. Mad Men
6. The Daily Show with Job Stweart
7. The Colbert Report
8. Chappelle’s Show
9. Deadwood
10. Rescue Me

Raffi Shamir -

1. The West Wing
2. The Sopranos
3. Friday Night Lights 
4. The Office
5. Arrested Development
6. Lost 
7. House
8. Friends
9. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
10. Survivor

Mike Trevino –

1. House
2. The Office
3. Curb Your Enthusiasm
4. The Sopranos
5. 30 Rock
6. The Colbert Report
7. Dexter
8. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
9. Monk
10. Breaking Bad

Craig Russell –

1. The Wire
2. Friday Night Lights
3. Arrested Development
4. Gilmore Girls
5. Veronica Mars
6. Mad Men
7. Two and a Half Men
8. The Office
9. 30 Rock
10. Greek

Mary Duffy -

1. Law & Order
2. Law & Order: Special Victims Unite
3. Law & Order: Criminal Intent
4. Monk
5. Mad Men
6. Friends
7. The Sopranos
8. The West Wing
9. Lost
10. Saturday Night Live

George Avacolus -

1. The Simpsons
2. Desperate Housewives
3. South Park
4. Friends
5. The Sopranos
6. 30 Rock
7. Lost
8. Mad Men
9. The Office
10. Family Guy

Murtz Jaffer -

1. Survivor
2. Lost
3. Friday Night Lights
4. The Sopranos
5. American Idol
6. The Amazing Race
7. 24
8. The Office
9. Prison Break
10. Dexter

Widro -

1. The Sopranos
2. Survivor
3. Lost
4. The Office
5. 24
6. American Idol
7. Sex and the City
8. The Simpsons
9. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
10. South Park

Josh Clinton -

1. The Wire
2. The Office
3. The Sopranos
4. Lost
5. Survivor
6. 24
7. American Idol
8. Chappelle’s Show
9. How I Met Your Mother
10. The O.C.

Inside Pulse TV’s Top 15 Shows of the Decade

#15 – Dexter

**WARNING: This article contains MAJOR spoilers for all four seasons of the show.**

Many viewers miss the point of Dexter, even recently one who took the life of his own flesh and blood because, as he put it, he felt like the titular character: no discernible emotions, the inherent need to kill to satiate a dark passenger. But Dexter is much more than a drama about a serial killer masquerading as your average blood spatter analyst. It is, essentially, a parable about one individual who suffered a childhood trauma that turned him into a sociopathic “monster” with a thirst for taking the lives of others. He feels he must fake everyday emotions and follow a strict code taught to him by his foster father to mask who he really is. Beneath that, it’s about a man who continues to lie to himself after four seasons showing that he truly does retain these emotions he claims to fake. And that brings us to the question: is he really a monster?

Dexter, the show, skirts the line between whether or not the character is sane or insane, never teetering to one conclusion. Yes, Dexter ruthlessly murders people and seems to be faking the most basest of emotions. He kills people who are guilty of heinous crimes themselves, which seemingly justifies his actions. Yet, he often lets his guard down and gives the viewer a glimpse into another pathos – that of a man who does feel happiness, sadness, despair, regret. This allows the show an interesting paradox: if he truly doesn’t have emotions, then his actions can be understood, if not condoned. If he truly does have emotions, then his actions cannot be understood, and certainly not condoned.

On top of it all, Dexter is also a morbidly-hilarious black comedy with a running inner-narrative from the title character that deals with his everyday life and situations in a darkly-humorous way. Add to this a spice of stylized, soapy dramatics, dealing with other characters who waltz in and out of his daily life: a foul-mouthed, emotionally-vulnerable sister with father issues, a girlfriend-turned-wife who questions his dedication to their marriage and his familial duties, and a slew of fellow law enforcement officers who deal with their own personal demons, one of which (during the first two seasons) let an obsessive need to prove to everyone that Dexter is a monster cost him not only his career, but his life.

Through four seasons, Dexter, the character, has tried to find the brother he never had, the soulmate he never had, the best friend he never had, and the mentor he never had, all with mixed results. I am in the camp of those who feel the first two seasons were excellently written entertainments, and that the latter two seasons, despite a few episodes of sharp wit and brilliance, began to show chinks in the armor (high profile guest appearances by Keith Carradine, Jimmy Smits, and John Lithgow added a certain joi de vivre, but could not mask the problem of increasingly poor writing). Still, even at its worst, Dexter is a superior entertainment that takes a fantastical plot structure and smothers it with daring social commentary. For that, it is one of the most important television shows of the last decade, if not the best.

- Joseph Henson


#14 – Friday Night Lights

For me, the best thing about Friday Night Lights is this: while other very good dramas of the decade sometimes relied on style and/or shock value (Mad Men, Sopranos), FNL is pretty much always rooted in two simple themes: family and friendship. And while many of us pretend to relate to Don Draper’s lecherous behavior or Tony Soprano’s mobster life, the fact is we can’t. The Taylors, on the other
hand, are probably the most realistic family on the small screen since the Chases on My So-Called Life. In particular, the dialogue between Coach Taylor and his wife Tami is so well written it’s scary.

The fact that Friday Night Lights is annually snubbed by the Emmy’s is borderline criminal, while they continue to fawn over contrived HBO dramas like True Blood, In Treatment and Big Love. Lights has more heart, and talent – than all three combined. It’s funny, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s real. And that’s something television simply doesn’t achieve often enough.

- Craig Russell

#13 – Battlestar Galactica

In a prior life, Ronald D. Moore was known as one of the two guys that made Star Trek: Deep Space Nine the best show in the Trek franchise (in my humble opinion). But in the mid-2000s he got the task of remaking the cult 70’s show Battlestar Galactica and, well, we ended up getting one of the best dramas of the decade.

And to be honest, it’s hard to really pin down why. All things considered, the show had things going against it. Consider:

- It’s a science fiction show, on a (nominally) science fiction station. Sure, Star Trek managed to attract a large audience, but they at least had the benefit of several movies prior to The Next Generation hitting the airwaves. Smallville has done well for itself, but that has been largely due to keeping the focus away from the superpowers. BSG is based on humans on a spaceship. No getting around the sci-fi element.

- The heavy use of religion. Religion plays a large part in the show, as both the Humans and Cylons believe in the “Gods” (an amalgamation of sorts between Christianity and Greek Mythology). I can’t recall many other successful shows that manage to incorporate religion to the extent that BSG does. Unless you’re the Lakewood Church or some other megachurch on television, that is.

It would be easy to say that “almost naked Tricia Helfer” was the main catalyst for the show overcoming these two big issues, but fans of the show know that this isn’t entirely the case. You had some powerful acting from veterans Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos, a dark theme that made you think that the protagonists might actually lose at any given time, and stories that, while Bendis-like in nature, managed to draw you in week after week.

As a fan, I will admit that the show did not end as well as I hoped it would, but all things considered, Battlestar Galactica really did stand out in a decade where we had such a variety of shows, and I am happy that BSG has placed in Inside Pulse’s Top 15 shows of the decade.

- Kevin Wong

#12 -The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

At the start of the decade, The Daily Show was an entertaining show. But it was not an important show. As the decade progressed, there was a marked decline in the quality of news coverage from the traditional media. In the years that followed 9/11 it often seemed like there was no distortion, half-truths, or outright lie for the media to call BS on the Bush administration. Jon Stewart, and The Daily Show, filled the void. They were quite happy to call attention to lies and hypocrisy.

While The Daily Show has always been something of a left-leaning show, one of the things that has makes it a great show is that it’s entirely non-partisan when it needs to be. Jon Stewart is just as willing to go after independents or democrats when they are the ones spinning lies and half-truths.

Even though it is ostensibly a “non-news” comedy show, The Daily Show was, and remains, one of the best news programs on TV. The fact that it’s also hilarious is just the icing on the cake.

- Trevor MacKay

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was one of the more influencial TV shows of the 00s decade for its ability to combine hard hitting social and political commentary with appropriate humor mixed in. Its impact was such that despite being on Comedy Central and hosted by a noted comedian, The Daily Show was at times held as a legitimate journalistic source. The show has proven to be a breeding ground for stars as well, with both Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert getting their starts on the Daily Show before moving on to bigger and better. Throughout the decade, the Daily Show was a leading liberal media voice, calling out the government for its actions. Late in the decade Stewart and the Daily Show were able to successfully transition their tone and programming as the politcal scene changed in the US.

- Widro

#11 – The West Wing

I could have written thousands of words explaining why The West Wing is one of the best, most intelligent TV shows of all times, not just this decade. But I don’t have the space to write thousands of words. So, if I had to explain why I love that show in two words, those words would be “Two Cathedrals”. This episode, arguably the best single episode of a TV series ever, encapsulated all the good features of The West Wing in 45 minutes. Intelligent writing that doesn’t dumb itself down for the audience. The courage to tackle tough political and religious issues, perfect writing of Aaron Sorkin, combined with the perfect directing job of Tommy Shclame and perfect acting job of the entire cast, with Martin Sheen standing tall as first among equals. I remember how, even before I got the entire box-set of the show, I went out and bought a DVD that contained the last three episodes of season 2, jut because I wanted to watch this episode over and over again. Where else on network TV would you see a scene where the president of the US curses God at a cathedral and puts out a cigarette on the cathedral’s floor? Where else would you have parts of this monologue in Latin, without translation? Where else would the writer go against an increasing right-wing majority of America by presenting a liberal president who is not afraid of the word liberal? Sorkin’s other show from this decade, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which sadly did not survive its first season, featured an episode where Jordan Mcdeere tried to purchase a political drama but the creator was reluctant to sell it to a network. He felt that the show was too intelligent for network TV and wanted to go to HBO. And as strong as the following words are on the computer screen, they are far more stronger when spoken by the brilliant Martin Sheen as President Jed Bartlet:

“She bought her first new car and you hit her with a drunk driver. What, was that supposed to be funny?”

“You can’t conceive, nor can I, the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God,” says Graham Greene.

Bartlet continues “I don’t know who’s ass he was kissing there ’cause I think you’re just vindictive. What was Josh Lyman? A warning shot? That was my son. What did I ever do to yours except praise his glory and praise his name?
There’s a tropical storm that gaining speed and power. They say we haven’t had a storm this bad since you took out the tender ship of mine last year in the north Atlantic last year… 68 crew. Do you know what a tender ship does? Fixes the other ships. Doesn’t even carry guns. Floats around and fixes the other ships and delivers that mail. That’s all it can do.

Gratias tibi ago, domine. Yes, I lied. It was a sin.
I’ve committed many sins. Have I displeased you, you feckless thug?

3.8 million new jobs, that wasn’t good? Bailed out Mexico, increased foreign trade, 30 million new acres for conservation, put Mendoza on the bench, we’re not fighting a war, I’ve raised three children…
That’s not enough to buy me out of the doghouse?

Haec credam a deo pio? A deo iusto? A deo scito?
Cruciatus in crucem! Tuus in terra servus nuntius fui officium perfeci. [angry]
Cruciatus in crucem. [waves dismissively] Eas in crucem!

You got Hoynes!”

- Raffi Shamir

#10 – Mad Men

Not since Orson Welles’ 1938 radio take on H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, has controversy swirled around a creation of media as Mad Men, which is about to start its 3rd season. Which for those of us who love it, can’t come soon enough. The nature of the debate is quality versus quantity. This iconoclastic television tour de force garners numbers that are great for a channel like AMC (2-3 million), but small by our usual network standards, where moronic programming that aimed right at the double digit IQ set who like to see people eat spiders to the background of ominous drum-playing as an art form, still rules the airways.

On the other hand, it is said that Mad Men has the highest financial demographics of any show on TV. As in, you need a lot of education or that blasé attitude only money brings, to follow the actual part of the plot that is not a clever recap of those funsy early 60‘s days when men still ruled the workplace and the ad industry’s so called ‘boiler room’ tension made it necessary to resort to booze, cigarettes, sordid sex, ass-pinching, girl watching, more booze and cigs and then…lunch…sometimes a long lunch, sometimes a light lunch, but always with more booze and smokes.

Women are an accessory in the Mad Men world, and young women watching Mad Men may think it is all exaggerated, but, Sweetie, it’s not! Women of a certain age may watch Mad Men, thanking their stars that “things” have improved so that men have to at least pretend to respect females at work. Men of a certain age, on the other hand, may watch in part to be reminded of the good old days when American business was done right, with expense accounts, booze, smokers and “skirts.” Even as Betty leaves Don, the gorgeous Jon Hamm, for another man, to get back at Don for all his cheating ways, one has to wonder whether he is upset about anything more than losing his ordered life, his kids- when he has time for them, and his showpiece of a Bryn Mawr, Jr. League, former model, Grace Kelly clone. Now, he will have to find some new way to impress the boys besides Mrs. Him!

At the last Emmy’s, someone pointed out that it was an honor to be working and faring well in the New Age of Television. I like to call this the Second Golden Age of TV- the day of two new wonderful forms of entertainment to move, amuse and educate us: 1. The Reality Show, which, when done well, encourages and shows off American Talent- the kids who did not spend their teen years “hanging out”, but who learned to do something and want to sing, dance, design, build or cook their way into our living rooms, and 2. The Ensemble Cast, perhaps first inspired by all three Law and Orders, the television dramas and comedies without one main star/jumbo ego, but the result of genius casting of a group of chemically cohesive talents, from whom the public picks its own favorites. Enjoy, The Simpsons, Survivor, The Office, 30 Rock- I am sure they are all on this list. For me, Mad Men is the very best of the ensemble cast, the serious actors who can really act and make us believe lines from serious writers who can really write, and I could continue this tribute to award-winning costume, set, hair and make-up and to Matthew Weiner himself. Fresh, new, daring, unique, Mad Men is simply brilliant.

- Mary Duffy

#9 – House

In a world of Grey’s Anatomy’s and Traumas’s, House, M.D. has both redefined the medical procedural and introduced television to a Vicodin-popping, misanthropic diagnostician who is just as flawed as the rest of us and yet manages to draw in 15 million viewers every week. While House debuted as a medical procedural that focused on outlandish medical cases (that are at least somewhat based in reality), over the course of the last 120 episodes the show has shifted to what has managed to overshadow the bizarre medicine: the characters.

Time and again, the cast and writers of House have managed to make the medicine a fleeting interest as the characters pile on the emotional trauma every week yet retain their likability. From Robert Sean Leonard’s neurotic Dr. James Wilson to Lisa Edelstein’s tough yet vulnerable Dr. Lisa Cuddy, Hugh Laurie has had his work cut out for him in maintaining his character’s appeal among a cast that has grown over the past 6 seasons. Perhaps more difficult than keeping the characters interesting for over 6 years has been keeping the guest stars just as compelling. Robin Tunney, James Earl Jones, and David Morse are just a few of the more than capable actors that have had terrific turns in their respectable episodes, sometimes managing to outshine the stars.

Whether it’s the unique format of the series’ medical mysteries, the guest stars, or the characters, it seems that the overall iconoclastic nature of the show and its protagonist are the main draw. Despite being Vicodin addicted medical genius with a mean streak, House’s tortured emotional center has made the character relatable enough to keep us coming back for more. Over the series’ run, we’ve seen the writers put House through hell and back as he’s struggled with addiction and bitter relationships and if this season so far is any indication, we’re more than prepared for more.

- Mike Trevino

#8 – Arrested Development

Of all of the post-modern reinventions of the situational comedy during this past decade, Arrested Development may be the most risky (and ultimately successful) departure. The show became the embodiment of reflexive comedy, never enough self-awareness available to satisfy its own desires. It functioned brilliantly, not only as the saga of the dysfunctional Bluth clan, but as a window into television culture, giving its audience (however little of one there may have been) a new look at the way television was written, produced, and distributed. The struggles of the Bluth family mirrored the struggles of the program itself, as both of them tragically plunged into an untimely destruction, providing nothing but good times for all along the way. No other show this decade has had such a large percentage of its creative force, from the perfect cast (including the unsung voice of Ron Howard) to the amusing sensibilities of production designers and costumers, from top to bottom, from left to right, been in top form so regularly. Nearly every episode is now revered as a DVD classic to some degree, and the show’s creative and pop cultural legacy far exceeds any recognition it was ever allowed during its original run on FOX. For its new contributions to the situational comedy formula, and for its unbelievable success on DVD (the first of many FOX television shows that would discover a rebirth after their original broadcast period), Arrested Development takes its place among the best and most important television programs produced in the 2000s, as it prepares to transform itself into the feature film sphere in the coming years.

- Greg Stanwood

#7 – Friends 


You can tell a lot about a show’s success by the way that the cast treats each other. That’s why, with six people, ten years under their belt, and not a single show missed between them, Friends sticks out as one of the top ten shows of the first decade of the 21st Century. Sure, they may have left us in 2004, but they came in as a unit, negotiated as a unit, and consistently turned out quality television that Moonlighting, with its warring leads, could only have dreamed of. Even today, they’re friends on and off camera with ABC even touting the big “Friends Reunion” on Courtney’s latest project, Cougar Town.

And the greatest thing was, even ten years in, the show was still as fresh and as funny as that day in 1994 when Jennifer Aniston burst through the door of the Central Perk wearing the wedding dress. Some thought that the show may have jumped the shark with Chandler and Monica’s wedding in 2001 and the subsequent baby-making drama that followed, but that’s life. People do turn 30, they do get married, they do have babies — some accidentally, some with a little help from Anna Faris — and sometimes, they let love conquer even the most amazing jobs in Paris.

So yes, while Friends may not have graced us with its laughs in the second half of the decade, it still deserves its spot as one of the Decade’s Greatest Shows. And in twenty years when it’s peeking at us through the veil of Nick and Night reruns, it’ll deserve its spot there, too.

- Lindsay Filz

#6 – Survivor


There is no question that Survivor is the most defining show of the decade in my opinion. It revolutionized television and turned reality television from a cable specialty to a mainstream phenomenon. It is truly amazing that 52 million people tuned in to see Richard Hatch win over Susan Hawk in the Survivor: Borneo finale. What’s even more astounding is that it happened 10 years ago. The concept of 16 people trying to outwit the elements and outlast each other was groundbreaking resulting in Survivor becoming the biggest show of the decade. Variety magazine recently declared it to be the most influential program of our time and I can’t say that I disagree. The upcoming Heroes vs. Villains edition will only serve to push the show to an even higher degree of recognition in the popular media.

- Murtz Jaffer

#5 – 24

A list of the top shows of the decade would not be complete without 24. Jack Bauer has been fighting terrorist threats since 2001 and in our time of the War against Terrorism it is not hard to see why 24 has become such a popular show. Its popularity has stemmed out into a movie special, mad tv parody, a few songs, a 24 based Simpson episode, books, a drinking game, fan made “jack facts”, a board game, and of course a slew of merchandise. Keifer Sutherland’s excellent portyalal of Jack Bauer keeps fans rooting for him no matter how questionable some of his tactics may be. He never gives up as the clock ticks away until his 24 hours are up and the day has once again been saved. Each season, perhaps even episode, is in itself an action movie. It keeps are hearts racing and wanting more as Jack races to find answers. 24 has even survived to make it into our new decade with its 8th season starting on Jan. 17. I’m looking forward to seeing what Jack will do next.

- Nicole Byer

#4 – The Wire

For 5 years, The Wire was probably the most underrated show on television. Of course, you had to have HBO to watch it, but hardcore TV fans know that most of the best shows on TV today can only be found on cable or “premium” channels like HBO and SHOWTIME. Critics everyone praised The Wire every year, but yet it never was nominated one time for an Emmy Award in the “Best Drama” category. In fact, the show only received 2 nominations throughout its entire run, and that was a couple of writing nominations. That is the definition of criminal, which is ironic since The Wire deals with all kinds of criminals.

At its heart, The Wire was a cop show. What people loved about it was the fact that it was unlike any other cop show out there. You got to see both sides of the law through the same eyes. The Wire had “good guys” and “bad guys”, but not in the traditional sense. There are good cops and bad cops, and even good criminals and bad criminals. Every character on the show had their issues. No one was perfect. Deep down, everyone could relate to this characters, because they were real.

This show was also the most accurate portrayal of life in the city. It took the city of Baltimore and dissected the weakened institutions that can be found in all major cities. Everyone knows that the criminal justice, political, educational, and even media systems are all broken and likely won’t be fixed any time soon. But The Wire made this more perfectly clear, for even non-believers. Sure, that meant the show played out a like a Greek tragedy. But you still cared about the characters and wanted to see what happened to them, even though you knew you probably wouldn’t like what you saw.

The biggest complaint about this show was that fact that you had to pay attention to it every second. In today’s world of “reality television”, there is a lot of “dumb” programming out there. Lost gets most of the credit for showing that some TV viewers what to think too. But The Wire didn’t use any mysteries to make you think. The writing on this show was in-your-face and hold-nothing-back, but it was as thought-provoking every step along the way.

There really is no in-between. If you have watched The Wire in this decade, you have loved it and proclaim it to the best show ever made. If you don’t, then it’s because you have never seen The Wire, and probably haven’t even heard of it. A list of the top shows of the ‘00 decade could not be complete without The Wire. If you love smart television, you owe it to yourself to watch this show on DVD. You won’t be disappointed.

- Josh Clinton

#3 – The Office

Hands down the funniest ensemble cast and writing on television today, The Office has all the ingredients of a hit—without the comedic slump shows usually reach after six years in. This fan-favorite became a TV staple when it found its niche in the second (and in my opinion, best) season. Within 22 minutes time, the show manages to fit laughs, love and all the quirks of its 16 main cast members into the most ridiculous situations you can never imagine.

Michael Scott’s lack of self-awareness and his failed attempts at remaining politically correct are so endearing you can’t help but feel compassion towards his ill-advised sense of authority. Steve Carell perfects the character by riding the fine line between annoyingly inappropriate behavior and his desire to deliver pure comedic entertainment to his employees.

The always-loveable Jim tugs at our heartstrings via his famous facial expressions, subtle flirtation with Pam and that heartbreaking confession of love, which had us holding our breath for years until finally tying the knot in the most amazingly awkward ceremony ever.

Dwight’s strangely commendable sense of loyalty towards Michael, coupled with the confidence in his highly illogical reasoning makes him one of the best TV characters ever written. Michael’s irrational Toby-hate, Kelly’s celeb-obsessed personality, Ryan’s over-confidence, Stanley’s mundane laziness, Phyllis’ kinky comments, Andy’s falsetto voice, Angela’s holier-than-thou promiscuity, Kevin’s blah idiocracy, Meredith’s tendency to get drunk and naked, Oscar’s hilarious sensibility and Creed’s random kleptomania brings in the laughs year after year.

Are you really surprised The Office ranks among the top of the decade? Pure hilarity and comedic brilliance if you ask me.

- Sharon Tharp

#2 – 
The Sopranos

The Sopranos defined what made HBO better than any broadcast network. The pay cable channel didn’t force the bad guys to lose. Tony Soprano wasn’t vilified as an evil mafia kingpin. He was portrayed as a father struggling to keep his family business running smoothly and his family happy. He seemed a normal guy as he discussed his life with a psychiatrist. But he was far from an average guy in New Jersey. His business involved all manners of vice, theft and homicide. His friends and associates were very colorful although the predominate hue was blood red. He eliminated friends and relatives if he sensed they were conspiring against him. He worried about the families in New York City attacking his Garden State turf. He desired his son and daughter to have a better life than him without joining the criminal life. He wanted his wife to not worry about his Russian mistress. While he had lovable moments, he could turn vicious without warning. He was a complicated man that wasn’t simplified by HBO executives’ notes. He wasn’t like the numerous hoods on The Untouchables that had to pay the price for being outlaws. By allowing Tony to be a family man living the gangster life, he became a memorable TV dad on the scale of Bill Cosby. Ultimately Tony Soprano made people view HBO not merely as a movie channel, but as the cutting edge of television dramas.

- Joe Corey

#1 – Lost

What can be said of Lost that hasn’t been said already? It’s arguably one of the most clever, well thought out series any of us have seen in our lifetime, with an audience that comes from every conceivable walk of life. And whether it’s a teen drama like Melrose Place using flashbacks to fuel its central story, or a sophisticated satire about middle aged women like Desperate Housewives jumping five years in the future, Lost’s unique style of storytelling has had an undeniable impact on the industry.

In fairness, much of the programming attributes we associate with Lost, such as the return of an episodic series as well as the process of holding off until winter to premiere the show so that you can run the season without interruption, was actually pre-dated by 24. But I honestly feel like Lost took things a step further, and really did change the way we watch television, from both a viewer and producer perspective. Sure, 24 came along and challenged their audience to not miss a single episode first, but it was Lost that brought that mentality to their entire series, not just a single season. Hell, the first three seasons of Lost amounted to about three months of time. And all of season four, if I’m not mistaken, transpired over a matter of days. And before Lost, most people probably thought a viral campaign was making people aware of the flu vaccine.

And while many producers would sacrifice their vision for financial gain, the powers that be in the Lost world actively sought after ending its series, when it was at the height of its popularity, in order to ensure that they could tell their story in the fashion they initially conceived. Now that’s devotion.

- Matt Basilo

So there you have it. What is great about lists is that there is no wrong or right answer. While some will like this list, others will disagree with it, and that is okay. All of these shows have something in common in that they appeared on top ten lists of multiple people with different viewing tastes. Lost appeared in almost 3/4 of the lists. It was #1 on 3 of those lists. There were two other shows that finished #1 on more than 1 list and that was The West Wing and The Wire. The Wire was #1 on four different lists, beating out Lost, but was on far fewer total lists, which is why Lost ultimately became #1. The same can be said of The West Wing, which was on only a few lists, but was #1 twice. The Office, The Sopranos, and 24 weren’t as high up on individual lists, but they were consistently near the top of a lot of lists, so that put them in the top 5. One surprise on the list could be Friends, since it ended in 2004. Some could argue that Friends was at its best in the lat 90s, but there were still enough IPTV staffers that thought the early 2000s Friends was just as good and led to that show landing on our list as well. It should be no surprise that Survivor is the only reality show to make it on the list.

As mentioned before, there were thousands of shows on television during the last 10 years, but these 15 got the attention from a variety of Inside Pulse TV writers. Your thoughts and comments are encouraged as always, as I am sure there will be plenty more to discuss as we close out the decade.

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http://media.insidepulse.com/zones/realitydish/uploads/2009/08/survivor-120×120.jpg
http://tv.insidepulse.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fnl3-120×120.jpg
http://media.insidepulse.com/zones/realitydish/uploads/2009/08/survivor-120×120.jpg

All we get is a montage of characters’ faces and a quick glimpse of a couple important events — the plane breaking up, the turning of the fail-safe key in the hatch — and ABC Promo Guy intoning that “it’s the beginning of the end,” followed by Jack talking about destiny.

Check out the video preview here:

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2009/10/lost-releases-first-season-6-promo-tells-us-nothing.html

Source: Zap2It