Pre Season 5 Write-up

As the 5th season of Lost is rapidly approaching and Fringe is in reruns, it was a good time to view the 4th season episodes as I recently did. As a preview to new fresh episodes and the quick decent into pleasurable madness, I’m going to do a quick review of each of the significant non background characters, maybe a couple of thoughts on each, and if I came across any new tidbits or theories of their roles in overall scheme of the show. As always, I do my best to avoid spoilers.

Sayid: inconsistent. First of all, anybody he falls in love with dies (Shannon, Nadia, Elsa the assassin in Germany). One minute he is looking like a bad ass in torturing Sawyer or killing at Ben’s bidding, the next he is getting outmaneuvered by The Others or crying as he confronts his torture victim. Nevertheless, how long will be continue to be Ben’s witless puppet? He did seemingly take Hurley out of the nut hut I imagine to prepare for a trip back to the island. Oceanic 6 member.

Jack: moron. He has the type of competence that is a nearly identical match to Roscoe P Coltraine. Nothing makes me happier to see Matthew Fox in movie after movie that flop at the box office. His character is awful. I was quite pleased when the island gave him appendicitis and I was very angry when he lived. The illness began around the time Keamy started killing people on the island. Oceanic 6 member. He has more flash backs/forwards than any other character, much to every viewer’s frustration. Enough already. We get it. He has daddy issues, drinks, cries in almost every episode, and inexplicably loves fellow awful character Kate instead of Juliet. After coming up with the lies of the rescue, and being in denial about how Locke was right about absolutely everything, he is now trying to convince the other Oceanic 6 to return to the island. Well, at least he finally got something right. It still boggles the mind how he replied to Hurley’s remark of Locke moving the island “No he didn’t.” Ass. Here is a very interesting tidbit. I re-watched Season 1 Episode 1 for nostalgia. Remember the first scene, Jack wakes up laying in the jungle, sees Vincent, then stumbles out to the chaotic beach.? Guess what was laying next to Jack? Something that looked a lot like the fold up baton that Ben uses to hit people with. Could this be some sort of result of a time travel for Jack, where the baton is the constant, a way that Ben gets Jack back to the island? This theory needs to be fleshed out.

Hurley/Hugo: gaining importance to island and show overall. Apparently he is the only one who can find the cabin now, and has left the island, so I don’t know how Locke will talk with Christian again. Hurley is talking with dead people from the island like Charlie and Mr Eko. Mr Abaddon was stalking him in the mental hospital. Sayid killed a guy in a car outside the hospital who was keeping tabs on Hurley. The numbers continue to haunt him (car odometer). Seems to play the role of lovable victim, and is probably more important to the show than anyone realizes. There has been some debate if the whispers mean the Others are in the area, but when Hurley first encounters the cabin, we hear the whispers, but the cabin is somehow transported across the island, or Hurley is, and even switches locations much to Hurley’s confusion. How the hell are the Others keeping up with the cabins’ magical trip. No, the whispers are caused by something else. And how great was that scene of Hurley and Ben sitting on a log, sharing a candy bar.

Sawyer: born again. His debt settled with the original Sawyer/Locke’s father, he is now playing the hero role, protective of Hurley, Claire, Aaron, Kate, jumping out of the chopper to save the Oceanic 6. Actually since he has done his penance. I can see him being killed off soon. I know he is a popular character, but they killed off Charlie and Jin, so anything is possible. I don’t like that his biting sarcasm is fading away a bit. We need more of that.

Jin: sadsack. He really pissed me off in Season 4. He spend quite some time being pissed at Sun because she learned English behind his back. But when he found out she cheated on him, a few hours later, he came back to her sheepishly and didn’t even ask for an apology. Are you kidding me? That is a defeated man. He had the role of buying a panda for the baby in the hospital in the episode that had a flash back and flash forward running simultaneously. The 2nd panda he purchased was an example of the universe course correcting. Is Jin really dead? Remember, when the kidnapping of Walt happened, the Others blew up the raft. We didn’t see Jin until Michael and Sawyer washed up on shore and met the Tailies who were chasing Jin. Jin could still be alive. The problem is, he is too far away from the island, and might be doing a doggie paddle in the middle of the ocean with zero islands of any kind near by. Maybe he can be lucky enough to find the island if he swims in the direction of the right coordinates. Then lands on the island and has Desmond type of time travel episode where Sun is the constant. Or he is just dead. And why was he continuing to look at snipping wires while Michael was freezing the charge on the freighter? Desmond couldn’t do it, and gave up. What makes Jin think he could have done it? Then he stayed too long and was blown up. Dummy. Jin is/was a hapless pawn.

Sun: one of the biggest villains on the show. Remember her meek character in Season 1, and in her flashbacks. Now, as an Oceanic 6, she screwed her father out of his company and is becoming a partner of Charles Widmore as they have “common interest”. She blames two people for the death of Jin, one being her father Mr Paik. But if she is working with Widmore, who is the second blame worthy person? I think it would be Jack, Ben, Locke, or Frank. Jack refused to turn the chopper around to rescue Jin from the freighter just before the explosion. Frank could take that blame too. Ben killed Keamy and set off the charge, but how would Sun know that since she was already on the boat and only Locke knew that happened. So maybe Ben told her off the island what he did, but that seems pointless. So if it is Jack, and he told Ben in the finale that Sun blames Jack for the death of Jin, why does Sun need Widmore’s help to go after Jack as he is self destructing fine all by himself. So maybe Sun wants Widmore’s help to find the island so she can get revenge on Locke who she may not know is laying in a coffin. Very confusing. Anyway, she cheated on Jin, maneuvered Jin into working for her ruthless father, was all set to let him, ruined his life, got him killed…do I really have to go on.?

Kate: moron. Oceanic 6. Left island stupidly. Yeah, she was going to do hard time, but somehow she skated . She did not know that ahead of time. So why leave, like Sawyer told her? To leave because Jack wanted to leave? Ugh. Then, she berates Jack for not wanting to be around Aaron, who Jack is actually related to. What the hell? Kate has fooled herself into thinking she is really Aaron’s mum. She yells at Jack at the airport because he says they need to go back. She ignores Locke’s funeral. Kate is a very unlikable character, and much like Sun, has gone from an early show hero to villain status.

Locke: humble new leader of Others. Wow, just look at that last phrase. New leader of the Others. Can you imagine that a few seasons ago. John is one with the island, recognizing early on what a special place it is. He has stumbled in spots, but really is the lead character of this show. A man of faith. So, how does he end up in a casket? Did he have to move the island like Ben, and not able to return. Did he leave the island like Michael or Ben or Tom or Richard who came and go as they please but without a submarine now, and try to recruit the Oceanic 6 to come back, just to be killed by Ben/.Sayid or Widmore/Sun? Will he come to life if they return to the island. I look forward to Zombie Locke. And to see if he gains the missing ingredient for himself in Season 5: confidence.

Claire: gothic and creepy. I was so annoyed with her character for so long. “My baybee. My baybeeeee. What about my baybeeeeee? Charlie, come here so I can treat you like crap some more while I act all self absorbed and ignore how nice you are being to me.” Hated her. Then she gets blown up in a house but doesn’t have a scratch on her. She walks off into the jungle, leaving her baybeeeee behind, and shows up in Jacob’s cabin. Is she alive or dead? I don’t know, but I like her new mysterious role. Then again, she is Christian’s daughter and gave birth on the island without dying, so it is was inevitable she would have to take on a bigger role.

Charlie: dead. But should have more cameo appearances in the future.

Michael: dead. But he showed the power of the island and course correction of the universe when he was unable to kill himself until the freighter bomb. And it gave an opportunity for Libby cameos. Why do you tell Walt you killed a couple of women so they could leave? Walt needs to hear this why exactly? Another moron.

Benjamin: genius. What a great character. One of the best in TV history. Is there anybody he can’t manipulate? “I always have a plan.” Yes indeed. He shoots Charlotte while his hands are tied. He summons the Smoke Monster to do his bidding. My favorite moments were when he yelled at Juliet “You’re mine!!!” as they stood over the dead body of Goodwin. But Ben is off the island and Juliet remained, so I don’t know where that story line can possibly go. Ben reluctantly moved the island at Jacob’s bidding. He swore revenge to Widmore and promised to kill Penny. You know what, as much as people probably love the Penny character, I’ll be rooting for Ben to actually do it. That’s how much I like his character. Murder? Good luck, dude. Also, when Ben turned the frozen donkey wheel, we were watching what happened to him next during the flash forward earlier in the season when he journeyed to Tunisia. Interesting to see how seamless that is if you watch that after the season finale. Ben had been in Tunisia several times before, but not for a while. While? The polar bear? Does the island have wormholes that send you to certain points on Earth. Like Tunisia.

Desmond: overachiever. Coming from meager beginnings, he finds a rich girl to fall in love with him, his mind time travels, and after 8 years apart. Sounds like a cross between a Charles Dickens novel , a romance novel, and a straight to DVD science fiction movie. He is on the run with Penny, apparently to stay away from Charles Widmore. He will no doubt resurface, when Ben goes after Penny. Actually, did Desmond and Ben ever appear on screen together during this series? Not sure. I thought The Constant episode is one of, if not the best, episodes of Lost we have seen thus far.

Juliet: underutilized. I really enjoyed her character immensely during Season 3. The smirks, the mystery, her betraying of the Others, so much complexity to this character. But, much like Shakespeare’s version, Juliet didn’t end up with the guy and live happily ever after as Jack dumped her for Kate. Then again, like Sayid‘s issue, if you sleep with her, you die, like Goodwin. Her storyline really can only go in another direction. Maybe a coupling with Sawyer as they were together on the island at the end of last season. But I can see her being killed off soon.

Vincent: you never know when and where he will appear. He is still on the island, and I believe the Smoke Monster occasionally impersonates him.

Shannon/Boone: both dead, but it would be nice to see them again in a cameo.

Walt: with Ben saying all of them must return to the island, including Locke who is not Oceanic 6, does that mean Ben, Locke and Walt must return as they are all alive and off the island, but need to come back with Jack and the others? May see more of him.

Mr Eko/AnaLucia: I seriously doubt they will be seen again, considering how both left the show, behind the scenes.

Libby: dead, but we really need a flashback for her. She was in the same nut hut as Hurley, but was also the one that gave Desmond the boat to compete in the around the world race which led to him marooned on the Lost island. What is her story?

Daniel: pivotal player. If we are to get an explanation, a scientific one, of what the hell is going on concerning Lost island, it will come from this geeky scientist with the self confidence of a trapped ferret watching a rapidly approaching combine, getting closer and closer. His rocket experiment showed the time gap. Then the freighter doctor washes up on shore days before he died on the boat. Daniel has issues where Desmond is his constant and he has trouble remembering what in on the face of three overturned playing cards. He was exposed to much radiation during his experiments, as Desmond was exposed to electromagnetism during the hatch explosion, and both seemed to have some side effects. Time is fractured around the island. He knows to stick to certain coordinates. He even pointed out the light falls differently on the island. He is no doubt going to explain a lot in the upcoming episodes. Since Daniel and the castaways were in the ocean when the island disappeared, I suspect they disappeared along with the two islands because they were close enough to be caught in the island’s aura.

Miles: smartass. I welcome this character wholeheartedly. He is the new Sawyer with his sarcasm. His ability to communicate with the dead brings an interesting potential for his character. He is a weasel, but an entertaining one.

Charlotte: b!tch. If Daniel is a ferret, and Miles a weasel, that makes Charlotte the rat. Whether or not she is oblivious to how obnoxious she is, her snarky demeanor overshadows some of her mysterious comments or by others. “Returning to the island” “finding where I was born”. She is the one who found the Dharma collar beside the polar bear skeleton in the desert. I suppose she might turn out to be Dharma. In fact, let’s talk about Charlotte, Miles, and Daniel. They were part of Naomi’s team. But I suspect Naomi and Keamy were on separate missions. Both by Widmore? Well, with Keamy, it was a Widmore mission. But I don’t know if Naomi and Mr Abaddon work for Widmore or for somebody else. Since the Keamey crew is all dead, I wonder how these 5 will assimilate to the Losties.

Tom: gay. I guess he will be know for two things. Gay, but not a surprise when you watched him toss a football back at the Barracks. And the bearded Other who kidnapped Walt. I’m sure he will be around for several cameos.

Danielle: unresolved. We really need a Danielle flashback. It’s kind of a shame. She was on the island for 16 years, minding her own crazy business. They Oceanic 815 crashes on the island, she finds her daughter, and is killed a few days later. She was better off alone and crazy.

Rose: moron. I used to like her no nonsense character. Then she reached the same crossroads as Locke. She knows that the island heals, knows it for a fact. Yet, when a decision needs to be made, she wants to side with Jack and leave the island because Locke is crazy. Moron. Go ahead and leave the island and die. She is very expendable, no story line left, and will be killed soon. Hopefully.

Richard: Info dude. Glad to see the return of Richard and the Others by the end of the season. He certainly made a weird appearance in the episode where we see young John Locke. He gave Locke a chance to pick several items, items he already owned, and Locke didn’t follow the instructions correctly, making Richard angry. So, the theory is that Locke, in some way, had been on the island before. I know that only fools are enslaved by space and time, but this is a real head scratcher. When he see Locke and the Others this season, I hope we get more insight into the history of the island natives, and how Ben interacted with them, and the history of the island and it’s powers.

Bernard: moron. Talked Jin into going back to his wife. Screwed up when the Others attacked in Season 3. Just kill him off already. I’m tired of the Aw Shucks routine. We get it. You’re a simpleton. Go put some more black rocks down on the beach to spell SOS.

Alex: dead. Classic scene when Ben allowed Keamy to put a bullet in her skull.

Nikki/Paulo: dead. I wonder if Locke comes back as a zombie, will these two rise from the grave, and immediately try to eat each other’s brain. I still enjoy the memory of them getting buried alive. Probably the coolest and most unexpected type of death on the show so far.

Christian: unknown. Sure, he is the spokesman for Jacob. We’ve seen him outside the cabin and communicating with Jack and Claire. But I take his word that he is not Jacob. Besides, we have seen three different residents in the cabin, of which Christian and Claire are two of them. I honestly have no idea who Jacob is unless is it a different incarnation of Locke in a past lifetime living inside the cabin. Christian had a delightful creepiness when talking to Locke and I hope we see him a lot more in the future.

Naomi: commando. She apparently tried to carry out a secretive mission solo and then with a bunch of misfits. She got a knife in back for her trouble. With her dying breath and strength, she kicked Kate’s ass and warned the freighter with a code for trouble. Miles: sure, I’ll miss her. She was hot and had a sexy accent. That’s as good of a eulogy I’ve come across. Maybe I’ll have that put on my gravestone., Well, changing the she to he, but you get the idea.

Frank: gone. I don’t think we will see him again. Unless he has to return to the island with Ben, Locke, and Walt. After all, he was supposed to be the original pilot of 815. That fact probably allowed him to fly to and find the island in the first place.

Ethan: We’ve seen him with more screen time since he died than when he was alive. I liked him more as the creepy kidnapper who bore a resemblance to the Terminator is facial expression and power rather than a smiley corporate suit for Miletos Industries.

Karl: dead. I don’t think we will see him again. Pretty useless character, other than being a part of the brain washing scene back on the other island.

Keamy: super commando. Kills a lot of people, stays alive long enough to confront Ben in the Orchid. Just an overall good character. No more appearances from him.

Mikhail: dead: I guess he really is dead. I would have loved to see this psycho fight Keamy.

Penny: Bullseye. Uh, oh. Ben is coming after you. We get it. You love Desmond right now. But you didn’t for some time either. So don’t pretend that this was some beautiful love story. You didn’t talk to him for years at a time. Plus, I suspect she has some kind of evil streak.

Dr Candle/Halliwax: video host. I wonder if this guy is alive and will show up in a future episode.

Charles Widmore: villain. There is an effort to make this guy more evil than Ben. Using the references made, seems like this guy was on the island a long time ago. Hell, just look at the walls of his penthouse apartment. There are paintings of the island’s scenery all over the place. I wonder if Dharma chased off Widmore, then Ben took over, and now Widmore is trying to come back and control the island again. And what rules did Widmore break that Ben was furious about.?

Harper: whether or not she was the smoke monster when she confronted Juliet in the jungle, and she moved way too fast for a human to appear and disappear like she did, she instructed Juliet to go to the Tempest and stop Daniel and Charlotte from releasing the gas, which was the opposite of what they were up to. Why didn’t the Others themselves take care of it? Why did Ben want Juliet to stop them? Made no logical sense.

Aaron: Big head. I’m sorry, but this kid has a head that is huge. You expect to see a pumello, but instead get a big ‘ole pumpkin.

The Smoke Monster: re-watching Season 1, episode 1, the monster’s crashing around in trees was truly scary, a horror movie type of moment. Now that we have seen it, it seems less menacing. Except for that rare Season 4 appearance, when it came roaring over the tree line at the barracks, coming with the force and size of a freight train with no breaks, crackling lighting, and attacking Keamy’s men. Being that Smokey has killed Mr Eko and the pilot, why did it not hurt Keamy’s men more? Odd.

OK. That’s it. I’m tired of typing.