OK fellow “Losties,” all we have to do now is get through the holidays, and then we can start drooling in anticipation of the sixth and final season of “Lost.”
Since the fifth season ended last May with Juliet setting off the H Bomb, we have waited in anticipation to find out if her “ploy” worked. (As if setting off an H Bomb would ever just be a “ploy,” but to addicted “Lost” fans the move made perfect sense.)
Now over five months have passed, and I decided to conduct a little research in an effort to discover any clues about the coming season. Lo and behold, I found a recent interview with “Lost” executive producer Damon Lindelof, in which he revealed a few tidbits that I thought it important to pass on to you guys.
Moreover, at a Q and A at the recent Comic.Con, Lindelof and fellow exec producer Carlton Cuse also revealed some additional facts related to the coming season
But before passing on these reveals, I first have to relate a fascinating “Lost” –“True Blood” factoid that my research uncovered. And that is that Carrie Preston, who played Sookie’s friend and fellow Merlot’s waitress, Arlene Fowler, is married in real life to Michael Emerson, who plays my favorite character Benjamin Linus on “Lost.” But what is even more interesting is the fact that Carrie also appeared on “Lost,” as Ben’s mother, Emily, who in a flashback died shortly after giving birth to baby Ben!
How about that?
Anyway, here’s what I discovered:
* ABC has yet to announce when season six will begin. But Lindelof said that it would have to be in mid-January, as there will be 16 episodes that must conclude during the May sweeps. They are filming a total of 18 hours, as the premiere and final episode will both be two hours in length.
* This season will definitely be the end of the “Lost” saga. There will be no movie, spin off show, or reunion show. The “Lost” story will be concluded this May and Lindelof assures everyone that all the questions that people have about the show will be answered.
* When asked if the show’s ending is what they originally planned, Lindelof replied “Yes, the actual ending ending is exactly the same as we'd always planned on it being, except we didn't know if we were going to get there after two seasons, four seasons or after six seasons, so the road to the ending has had to change significantly.”
* He was reluctant to answer questions about specific characters, but he did say that pilot Frank Lapidus will be a main character this season.
* At Comic.Con, Lindelof and Cuse assured questioners that both Juliet and Daniel Faraday will “appear” in season six. Of course that doesn’t mean that they will be alive in the present; then again, when or where the “present” is on “Lost” are not simple questions.
* They added that the mysterious Richard Alpert’s back story will be revealed.
* Very interestingly, the producers said that the Dharma Initiative will NOT be the focus of this season. This must indicate that the H Bomb did destroy the Dharmas…I guess.
* Lindelof mentioned that certain external circumstances beyond the producers’ control have played a role in some plot developments. He cited as examples the fact that Walt’s character’s role had to be limited because the child actor playing him was growing so fast. And that Mr. Eko had to be written out of the show because the actor playing him did not feel at home in Hawaii.
* One character who according to Lindelof has played a “significant role” on the show but was not a series regular will not be in season six because he or she just did not want to return.
* As for the numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) that I am sure many of us have played in various lotteries, Lindelof said that in the final season they “would be enormously remiss if we were to not evaluate the numbers and their significance.
Well, that’s about all the dirt I could dig up. Now we just have to “fast forward” ourselves past Thanksgiving, Xmas, and New Years, so we can catch the final “Lost” season.
I can hardly wait.
Showing posts with label LOST. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LOST. Show all posts
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
'Flash Forward': Now There Was a Premiere!
It's almost not fair.
If you're a sci-fi fan who is addicted to “Lost” and was addicted to “The X Files,” Thursday night's premiere of ABC's “Flash Forward” was like placing a steak in front of a dog…or a shot of MacCutcheon whiskey in front of Desmond Hume. (If you get that reference you definitely are a fellow “Lostie.”)
The action-packed “FF” show sucked viewers in from the first seconds it came on the air. To briefly recap what this series is all about (as if most of you didn't already know), everyone on the planet blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, causing all sorts of accidents and crises.
During that period, almost everyone has a “flash forward” view of their lives six months into the future. Obviously the question is what caused this “global event” to happen?
But for the people involved, there are two equally important issues that are raised by the lead character, FBI agent Mark Benford, played by British actor Joseph Fiennes.
First, while trying to console his daughter he says “Because we saw these things, that doesn't mean they are going to happen.” Later, at a meeting in the FBI offices he asserts “We can use what we saw to stop what we saw.”
The real questions are “Can they really stop what they saw” or “Are they destined to live out the ‘flash forwards' that occur on April 29, 2010?” (By the way I just looked on my calendar, and April 29, 2010 does occur on a Thursday, the night the show airs.)
Of course, the whole question of whether a person who knows (or once lived in) the future can change the future is at the heart of “Lost,” especially in terms of the way Season five ended.
Several other “Flash Forward/Lost” comparisons also come to mind:
While “FF” hits the ground running in terms of action, except for the plane crash itself, early episodes of “Lost” were more subtle, focusing on character development more so than plot development. While some people complained that there was not enough action in the show's first few seasons, many of us did not care as we became so attached to characters like Jack, Locke, Hurley, Kate, Sawyer, and Ben. The real roller coaster action in “Lost” did not begin until midway through Season 3.
When “Lost's” producers announced that there would be a definite end to the series, the show seemed to rise to a new level; before that point many of us “Losties” wondered if we were just being jerked around by the writers. Even though we have only seen one episode of “FF,” I would like to hear ASAP how many seasons the show will run. (But of course that will never happen, as ABC will delay any decision of that sort until after they see the ratings. I was deeply disappointed when the show “Invasion” was canceled after one season because of low ratings, leaving those of us who were fans of the show in the proverbial “lurch.”)
As with “Lost,” this is a show that cries out for fans to freeze frame certain scenes, such as Agent Benford's “flash forward” to try and get clues to figure out future episodes.
Note that the final episode of “Lost” is scheduled to air on a Wednesday in May, 2010, perhaps a week or two after April 29, 2010. Hmmm, any chance of a crossover?
Sonya Walger, who plays FBI agent Benford's wife Olivia, also plays Penelope (Penny) Widmore in “Lost.”
Dominic Monaghan, who played “Charlie” on “Lost”, will appear on episode 3 of “FF” as a character named Simon.
Anyway, let us hope that “FF's” producers take a lesson from “Lost” and tone down the action just a bit in future episodes and focus more on character development, so it doesn't turn into one of those action-packed television shows that get carried away with computer-generated building explosions and random car chases.
And if you are a sci-fi fan who somehow missed the “FF” premiere and forgot to DVR it, please note that ABC will be re-running the pilot episode this evening at 8:00.
I'll probably watch it again.
If you're a sci-fi fan who is addicted to “Lost” and was addicted to “The X Files,” Thursday night's premiere of ABC's “Flash Forward” was like placing a steak in front of a dog…or a shot of MacCutcheon whiskey in front of Desmond Hume. (If you get that reference you definitely are a fellow “Lostie.”)
The action-packed “FF” show sucked viewers in from the first seconds it came on the air. To briefly recap what this series is all about (as if most of you didn't already know), everyone on the planet blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, causing all sorts of accidents and crises.
During that period, almost everyone has a “flash forward” view of their lives six months into the future. Obviously the question is what caused this “global event” to happen?
But for the people involved, there are two equally important issues that are raised by the lead character, FBI agent Mark Benford, played by British actor Joseph Fiennes.
First, while trying to console his daughter he says “Because we saw these things, that doesn't mean they are going to happen.” Later, at a meeting in the FBI offices he asserts “We can use what we saw to stop what we saw.”
The real questions are “Can they really stop what they saw” or “Are they destined to live out the ‘flash forwards' that occur on April 29, 2010?” (By the way I just looked on my calendar, and April 29, 2010 does occur on a Thursday, the night the show airs.)
Of course, the whole question of whether a person who knows (or once lived in) the future can change the future is at the heart of “Lost,” especially in terms of the way Season five ended.
Several other “Flash Forward/Lost” comparisons also come to mind:
While “FF” hits the ground running in terms of action, except for the plane crash itself, early episodes of “Lost” were more subtle, focusing on character development more so than plot development. While some people complained that there was not enough action in the show's first few seasons, many of us did not care as we became so attached to characters like Jack, Locke, Hurley, Kate, Sawyer, and Ben. The real roller coaster action in “Lost” did not begin until midway through Season 3.
When “Lost's” producers announced that there would be a definite end to the series, the show seemed to rise to a new level; before that point many of us “Losties” wondered if we were just being jerked around by the writers. Even though we have only seen one episode of “FF,” I would like to hear ASAP how many seasons the show will run. (But of course that will never happen, as ABC will delay any decision of that sort until after they see the ratings. I was deeply disappointed when the show “Invasion” was canceled after one season because of low ratings, leaving those of us who were fans of the show in the proverbial “lurch.”)
As with “Lost,” this is a show that cries out for fans to freeze frame certain scenes, such as Agent Benford's “flash forward” to try and get clues to figure out future episodes.
Note that the final episode of “Lost” is scheduled to air on a Wednesday in May, 2010, perhaps a week or two after April 29, 2010. Hmmm, any chance of a crossover?
Sonya Walger, who plays FBI agent Benford's wife Olivia, also plays Penelope (Penny) Widmore in “Lost.”
Dominic Monaghan, who played “Charlie” on “Lost”, will appear on episode 3 of “FF” as a character named Simon.
Anyway, let us hope that “FF's” producers take a lesson from “Lost” and tone down the action just a bit in future episodes and focus more on character development, so it doesn't turn into one of those action-packed television shows that get carried away with computer-generated building explosions and random car chases.
And if you are a sci-fi fan who somehow missed the “FF” premiere and forgot to DVR it, please note that ABC will be re-running the pilot episode this evening at 8:00.
I'll probably watch it again.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Finishing the 'Lost' Puzzle
I love doing 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzles, though when you first break open the box and begin the hunt for all the straight-edged border pieces, the process is rather tedious.
But as one progresses, and you begin to fit together certain sections, such as the blue, cloud-scattered sky, the row of towering trees, or the large red barn in the foreground, it starts to become much more interesting. (At least to puzzle freaks like myself.)
After working on such a puzzle for weeks or perhaps months, the exhilaration crescendos as you approach the final stages. Everything speeds up, as fewer pieces remain, and chunks of pieces fit together.
A similar sense of excitement is what I and my fellow “Losties” are now feeling as “Lost’s” two-hour season 5 finale will be aired this evening (Wednesday, May 13) at 8 p.m.
I consider the show the best network television drama of all-time. (I differentiate network series from cable series, as such commercial free cable shows as “The Sopranos,” “Dexter,” ‘The Wire,” and “Six Feet Under” stand in a class by themselves.)
But for network television, “Lost” is far superior to most if not all of the somewhat mindlessly-juvenile shows produced by NBC, ABC, CBS, and of course Fox.
While I enjoyed the first couple of seasons of “Lost,” at times it seemed like the show was just going in circles. But once the producers set a definite end date and decided to begin moving the plot line forward much more rapidly, I and millions of other fans got caught up in the complexities of a show that is unbelievably complex.
When I say “fans,” I recognize that there are three categories of people who watch “Lost.” Of course like all television shows there are probably some casual fans, though I have difficulty imagining how anyone can just casually or occasionally watch this show.
The casual fan group probably consists mainly of those people for whom the show became far too complex, as the flashbacks of the early years turned into flash forwards, and this season morphed into just plain flashes, as the Island moved back and forth in time, dragging its protagonists along, like shoes tied onto the rear of a “Just Married” car.
(No, that is too simple of an analogy; a better one would have those shoes bouncing back and forth from the road to the closets where they temporarily lived and back to the shoe store where they were purchased, and then back to the road, and then back to the factory where they were created, and then on to the feet…well, you get the point.)
In any case, most of those casual fans probably no longer watch the show. Again, I can’t picture someone just skipping a few weeks and then saying “Maybe I’ll catch ‘Lost’ tonight, just to see if Jack and Kate are still together.”
The next category of “Lost” fans is probably the largest, and I would include myself as a member. We are people who are obsessed with “Lost,” watch every episode at least once and usually twice, and make a serious effort to try and figure out exactly what is happening and where the show is going.
We love the characters, and I mean practically ALL of the characters. I have never watched a television show that had such a large ensemble cast and felt so involved with so many of them.
Here are just a few of my favorites. I can’t get enough of Ben, trying to figure out if I should love, hate, or pity him. And how cool is Hurley, who always says just what I (and most of the viewers) am thinking, seconds before he says it?
Then there’s bad boy Sawyer, with his nicknames for everyone and Richard Alpert, he of the eyelashes that most women would die for.
Of course I was devastated when Charlie drowned and when Daniel Faraday was fatally shot by his mother, Eloise, while she was pregnant with him (if that doesn’t make any sense to you, don’t ask), and Locke, who is an enigma wrapped inside a riddle.
Then there’s Kate. Even though I am happily married, I would run off with “Freckles” in a minute if she snapped her fingers, and my wife knows that but doesn’t care, because I know that she would leave me in a nanosecond if Sayid just whistled.
Anyway, do I understand all the plot twists and turns? Not really, but like most obsessed fans, I am going along for the ride and enjoying every moment. And when on my second viewing of an episode I finally figure out the significance of a particular reference to something that happened in Season 3, it is the same feeling I have when realizing that I can fit that section of flowers perfectly into the lower left corner of my jigsaw puzzle.
Finally, there is the third group of “Lost” fans whose extreme obsession with the show borders almost on psychosis. These are the fans who watch each episode in slow motion, freeze framing every moment in an airport scene so they can point out that while Jack was in line at the ticket counter, his dead father’s ex-girlfriend’s boss was reading a book whose title is an obscure reference to something that will occur three years from now.
I am not sure how large this group is, but I do enjoy perusing the “Lost” bulletin boards where they post their findings, and I must admit I have learned a great deal about the show by reading some of their postings.
So tonight is the season finale, and we know that one more season remains. I do believe with absolute certainty that I will watch tonight’s show and there will be moments when my mouth will drop open in shock and awe. I have absolutely no anxiety that tonight will produce a “Seinfeld-like” letdown.
And tomorrow morning I will read some of the psychotic fans’ postings to try and better figure out what actually happened. Then I will go into “Lost” withdrawal, having to wait about 8 months for the final season to begin.
Unless I can figure out a way to move the lever in the basement of my house so I can flash forward my television set to next February, and hopefully discover whatever happened to Bernard and Rose.
But as one progresses, and you begin to fit together certain sections, such as the blue, cloud-scattered sky, the row of towering trees, or the large red barn in the foreground, it starts to become much more interesting. (At least to puzzle freaks like myself.)
After working on such a puzzle for weeks or perhaps months, the exhilaration crescendos as you approach the final stages. Everything speeds up, as fewer pieces remain, and chunks of pieces fit together.
A similar sense of excitement is what I and my fellow “Losties” are now feeling as “Lost’s” two-hour season 5 finale will be aired this evening (Wednesday, May 13) at 8 p.m.
I consider the show the best network television drama of all-time. (I differentiate network series from cable series, as such commercial free cable shows as “The Sopranos,” “Dexter,” ‘The Wire,” and “Six Feet Under” stand in a class by themselves.)
But for network television, “Lost” is far superior to most if not all of the somewhat mindlessly-juvenile shows produced by NBC, ABC, CBS, and of course Fox.
While I enjoyed the first couple of seasons of “Lost,” at times it seemed like the show was just going in circles. But once the producers set a definite end date and decided to begin moving the plot line forward much more rapidly, I and millions of other fans got caught up in the complexities of a show that is unbelievably complex.
When I say “fans,” I recognize that there are three categories of people who watch “Lost.” Of course like all television shows there are probably some casual fans, though I have difficulty imagining how anyone can just casually or occasionally watch this show.
The casual fan group probably consists mainly of those people for whom the show became far too complex, as the flashbacks of the early years turned into flash forwards, and this season morphed into just plain flashes, as the Island moved back and forth in time, dragging its protagonists along, like shoes tied onto the rear of a “Just Married” car.
(No, that is too simple of an analogy; a better one would have those shoes bouncing back and forth from the road to the closets where they temporarily lived and back to the shoe store where they were purchased, and then back to the road, and then back to the factory where they were created, and then on to the feet…well, you get the point.)
In any case, most of those casual fans probably no longer watch the show. Again, I can’t picture someone just skipping a few weeks and then saying “Maybe I’ll catch ‘Lost’ tonight, just to see if Jack and Kate are still together.”
The next category of “Lost” fans is probably the largest, and I would include myself as a member. We are people who are obsessed with “Lost,” watch every episode at least once and usually twice, and make a serious effort to try and figure out exactly what is happening and where the show is going.
We love the characters, and I mean practically ALL of the characters. I have never watched a television show that had such a large ensemble cast and felt so involved with so many of them.
Here are just a few of my favorites. I can’t get enough of Ben, trying to figure out if I should love, hate, or pity him. And how cool is Hurley, who always says just what I (and most of the viewers) am thinking, seconds before he says it?
Then there’s bad boy Sawyer, with his nicknames for everyone and Richard Alpert, he of the eyelashes that most women would die for.
Of course I was devastated when Charlie drowned and when Daniel Faraday was fatally shot by his mother, Eloise, while she was pregnant with him (if that doesn’t make any sense to you, don’t ask), and Locke, who is an enigma wrapped inside a riddle.
Then there’s Kate. Even though I am happily married, I would run off with “Freckles” in a minute if she snapped her fingers, and my wife knows that but doesn’t care, because I know that she would leave me in a nanosecond if Sayid just whistled.
Anyway, do I understand all the plot twists and turns? Not really, but like most obsessed fans, I am going along for the ride and enjoying every moment. And when on my second viewing of an episode I finally figure out the significance of a particular reference to something that happened in Season 3, it is the same feeling I have when realizing that I can fit that section of flowers perfectly into the lower left corner of my jigsaw puzzle.
Finally, there is the third group of “Lost” fans whose extreme obsession with the show borders almost on psychosis. These are the fans who watch each episode in slow motion, freeze framing every moment in an airport scene so they can point out that while Jack was in line at the ticket counter, his dead father’s ex-girlfriend’s boss was reading a book whose title is an obscure reference to something that will occur three years from now.
I am not sure how large this group is, but I do enjoy perusing the “Lost” bulletin boards where they post their findings, and I must admit I have learned a great deal about the show by reading some of their postings.
So tonight is the season finale, and we know that one more season remains. I do believe with absolute certainty that I will watch tonight’s show and there will be moments when my mouth will drop open in shock and awe. I have absolutely no anxiety that tonight will produce a “Seinfeld-like” letdown.
And tomorrow morning I will read some of the psychotic fans’ postings to try and better figure out what actually happened. Then I will go into “Lost” withdrawal, having to wait about 8 months for the final season to begin.
Unless I can figure out a way to move the lever in the basement of my house so I can flash forward my television set to next February, and hopefully discover whatever happened to Bernard and Rose.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
For 'LOST' Fans Only
One if the things I love about the TV show "Lost" is the whole "bad boy/good boy" struggle between Jack and Sawyer.
Originally Sawyer was the classic "bad boy," while Jack was the classic "good boy."
Unlike most television shows where never the twain shall meet, beginning last season Sawyer began to make a transition to being sort of a "good boy," and Jack has been moving in the opposite direction.
Of course all of this has proven tremendously confusing to poor Kate and Julia, the women caught up in this romantic rectangle. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out...if they ever escape 1977!
I would love to hear what you lady readers are thinking these days!
Originally Sawyer was the classic "bad boy," while Jack was the classic "good boy."
Unlike most television shows where never the twain shall meet, beginning last season Sawyer began to make a transition to being sort of a "good boy," and Jack has been moving in the opposite direction.
Of course all of this has proven tremendously confusing to poor Kate and Julia, the women caught up in this romantic rectangle. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out...if they ever escape 1977!
I would love to hear what you lady readers are thinking these days!
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