tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1453926 2009-07-05T20:39:57Z TypePad http://images.zap2it.com/html/zap2itlogo_144x29.gif Zap2it.com tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451b92469e2011570cd9360970c 2009-07-05T13:39:57-07:00 2009-07-05T20:39:57Z

Let’s face it: while Season 5 of "Lost" might have been the most ambitious season of television ever aired, it sacrificed character for story. That’s not to say that character development was absent (see: James Ford). But in exerting more energy explaining a time-bending plot rather than those caught up in it, the show ended up wasting its most valuable asset. We’ve now spent five years with many of these characters, and several were shortchanged in Season 5.Luckily, the show has one more season to right these wrongs. Unlike LL Cool J, I’m calling this a comeback for these following six characters next season after being underserved over the past year. In no particular order…Jack ShephardNo one’s been a bigger whipping boy for the machinations of unseen forces over the past five years than the good doctor. We as audience members have largely been frustrated by his character, not due to his inherent sense of...

Ryan McGee tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451b92469e2011571a6122d970b 2009-07-02T16:39:47-07:00 2009-07-02T23:41:45Z

Another week here on the "Lost" blog, another installment in the “Light vs. Dark” series. This week, we’ll be looking at another Season 1 moment to see either Jacob or The Man in Black potentially pulling the strings. On tap today: Charlie causing a minor cave-in with a certain choice phrase.The Episode: “The Moth”The Scene: Charlie, already on edge due to heroin withdrawal symptoms, takes issue with Jack’s order to move his stuff in the newly found caves. He rushes over to the would-be leader, feeling he’s being treated like a child. At the top of his lungs, Charlie yells, “You don’t know me! I’m a bloody rock god!” At this point, a small cave-in occurs, locking Jack inside.The Case for Jacob: A prime testing ground for Charlie’s inner hero, Jacob could have used Charlie’s words literally in order to further bolster Charlie’s newly sober self. What better way to get the rock star past...

Ryan McGee tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451b92469e2011570a66813970c 2009-07-01T16:13:20-07:00 2009-07-01T23:13:20Z

Quick programming note, "Lost" fans: if you missed last night's live chat, be sure to read the transcript. If nothing else, check out reader A-Rob's worst case scenario ending of the show, which made me spit soda clear across the room.Speaking of reading, while I value all your eyeballs on this here blog, "Lost" has taught us the value in reading a good book as well. So with the summer upon us, I thought it wise to recommend a few reads inspired by the show. These are books that have appeared onscreen, inspired dialogue, contributed to episode titles, or in my opinion inform the show in a fundamental way. Both ABC and Lostpedia already offer exhaustive lists, but I thought I'd expand on the list a bit while breaking them down based on what type of mood you might be in."I'd like something a little more involved that a pop-up book, but not much more."Easy....

Ryan McGee tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451b92469e20115717b6b75970b 2009-06-28T07:53:41-07:00 2009-06-28T14:53:41Z

I try and read every comment that you leave here on the "Lost" blog. Not only was I not held enough as a child and therefore crave any and all attention that I can, but you guys quite often challenge and provoke in a way that makes me either refashion the way I think or spur me to think about elements in a brand new way. And some comments, like the one below, compel me to not just write a quick comment in response, but an entire entry. It’s not that I dismiss this comment below; it’s just that it goes so contrary to the way that I personally view things that having both viewpoints in the same entry might be a way to illuminate a similar schism that may exist in the “Lost” fan community now. Here’s the comment, from “wooster182,” in response to my desire to see a scene between Jack Shephard and...

Ryan McGee tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451b92469e2011570664d15970c 2009-06-25T16:21:24-07:00 2009-06-26T12:03:13Z

Its summertime, but the living aint easy here on the Lost blog. Im working hard to bring you continual insight into the show, long hiatus be damned. But sometimes, i cant do it alone. And thats when I bring in some heavy artillery from the outside to fire a few blasts of goodness your way.So its with great pleasure I announce that Erika Olson will be stopping by again next Tuesday, June 30th, for another live chat with all of you. Well be talking about all the recent things discussed here on the blog (the variety of deaths in the shows history, Light vs. Dark,) and also look back at Season 5 as a whole. Weve had a few weeks to digest it all: will our perspectives change weeks after Juliet detonated Jughead?Well also be touching upon ways Lost fans can endure the offseason: television, movies, books, videogames, and maybe even something called going outside....

Ryan McGee tag:typepad.com,2003:post-68462979 2009-06-24T15:30:10-07:00 2009-06-24T22:30:10Z

In my effort to coin as many series names as possible in the "Lost" off-season, I'm introducing "Six in Six" today. The basic gist? Six things about Season 6, plain and simple. That's the only thread that will connect these intermittent entries between now and next January.Some will be serious, some will be superfluous. But they will also involve six things concerning the final season of the show. Today's inaugural topic? Six encounters I direly hope happen next year. They range from the likely to the improbable, but they are foremost on my mind when I think about meetings that HAVE to happen before the show ends for good. In no particular order...Claire/Aaron. I, like many "Lost" fans, want a payoff to Desmond's vision in Season 3. It's possible that his premonition concerning the pair safely leaving the Island in a helicopter was produced by malevolent forces, I choose to look at it as a...

Ryan McGee tag:typepad.com,2003:post-68389473 2009-06-22T19:59:42-07:00 2009-06-24T22:28:08Z

A few weeks back, I teased the “Light vs. Dark” series, in which I proposed to look back at key moments in the history of Lost to explore deeper meanings. Specifically, we’ll be looking at moments that once seem produced by the “Island” and looking to see if either Jacob or the Man in Black manufactured those instances.In the months leading up to Season 6, I’ll be periodically looking at these moments in the show’s history, moving through the episodes chronologically as they air. What I’m particularly interested in exploring in this series is which entity behind the scenes pulled the strings in these important scenes, and what they hoped to accomplish by doing so. I’ll make a case for both Jacob and The Man in Black for each instance, and let you have the final word.If you need to remember the specific criteria for these “Light vs. Dark” moments, or want to see the...

Ryan McGee tag:typepad.com,2003:post-68331343 2009-06-21T07:00:36-07:00 2009-06-21T14:02:12Z

It’s funny posting a Lost entry on Father’s Day, in that it’s one day that most Losties would rather ignore altogether. But post I will, albeit nothing about the show’s pervasive daddy issues. Rather, I’m going to complete a series started last Fall and present Season 5 of “Lost” as a series of Facebook updates.If you missed the original series, be sure to check it out. For those of you that already know the drill, read on as I look at Season 5 in short, narcissistic bursts.Pierre Chang can see for Miles…and Miles…and Miles.Jack Shephard has no faith in medicine.Hugo Reyes just transformed a Hot Pocket into a semi-lethal projectile.Bernard Nadler smells roasted Frogurt nearby.Eloise Hawking is tweeting from the Looking Glass station.Daniel Faraday completed the “When in Time are You? Quiz and scored “1954.”The Others have just added the “Bury the Bomb” application.Charlotte Staples Lewis has a headache THIS BIG.John Locke and James Ford...

Ryan McGee tag:typepad.com,2003:post-68268749 2009-06-18T20:13:54-07:00 2009-06-21T13:57:30Z

We are at the final destination in this week about final destinations, my Lost chickadees. In the final installment of “This Week is Death,” we’re looking at the biggest WTF deaths that the show ever dropped. These were deaths that, while powerful, left us also confused, annoyed, and basically shouting WTF at the screen. These are the most controversial deaths that the show has delivered, leaving the audience frustrated at the outcomes of some of their most beloved characters.Death is obviously a huge part of the show; otherwise, how could I squeeze a week’s worth of entries out of the topic? While death is a necessary part of the story, the following five deaths left many an audience member upset at the ways these characters went out. Either they died too soon, died in a way not befitting their character, or just plain made us mad that a beloved figure would no longer grace the...

Ryan McGee tag:typepad.com,2003:post-68221831 2009-06-17T15:59:58-07:00 2009-06-17T23:00:42Z

OK, time to lighten things up, Lost fans. You can only get so light when the theme is “This Week is Death,” but a little morbid humor never hurt anyone. Guns, dynamite, flaming arrows, buses, meteorites...THESE might hurt you, but laughing at those that fall prey to them isnt always a bad thing. So today we’re going to look at the funniest deaths in the show’s run.These are the deaths that had us gasping for air, not only due to shock but due to excessive laughter. The deaths that had us giggling despite ourselves. The deaths that made us think, “I’m going to hell for cackling right now.” Given how dark the show is, it’s always good to get our smile on. Usually Hurley fills that role for us, but sometimes a hysterical offing does the trick as well.Honorable mentions: Omar, Montand, the safe house intruder that ended up on a pile of recently cleaned...

Ryan McGee