Lost Review: Answers, Lies and The Show's Central Message Comments (Page 3)
51 Comments
Gorman
May 12th, 2010 9:53 AM
Skeptic, fantasy TV shows may not be the best place to go to find science. Maybe a science lab instead?
Gorman
May 12th, 2010 9:48 AM
Sue, congratulations on being the world's best writer of horror fiction. Pretty pumped to follow your flawless show now that it's been given the green light. Hopefully each episode title will be as clever as A Plot-Hole Too Far!
Skeptic
May 12th, 2010 9:47 AM
"There is a higher power at work. But it's impossible to know everything about it. So don't ask. Don't worry about it. Just have faith, live in the present and love your neighbor. That's all that matters in the end. I like that message. I believe that message. It fits into the show's themes of religion and redemption, of living together and dying alone. But I don't like the way the message has been delivered; or, getting to this week's episode specifically: I don't like the messenger." That's the major problem I have with this show right now. I *don't* like the message, OR the messenger. LOST had previously been set up as a show about two conflicting opposite worldviews -- the (rational) search for genuine knowledge, as epitomized by Jack, vs. the (emotional) appeal to blind, dumb faith, as epitomized by Locke, and for the longest time, it seemed as if rationality and knowledge was winning. But now it seems that Lindelof and Cuse have gone the idiotic religious route, and just thrown t
Brady
May 12th, 2010 9:41 AM
I've been saying ever since this show released the "Last Supper" promo image that it's going to end exactly like Battlestar Galactica; everything will be answered by the phrase, "God did it." And this episode only seems to confirm my suspicions. There aren't gonna be any answers. They're just going to get away with saying, "We're not supposed to know." And I have to say, I think that that's a pretty shitty central message for a show to have. It basically says that the creators have been stringing everyone along for six years, saying, "We'll answer everything," when in reality, they're not going to answer anything. Frankly, that's just lazy writing. I've been an on-and-off Lost viewer (I've watched the even seasons), and I'll probably watch the last few episodes, but I have no interest in going back and seeing what I missed. Not if the answer is, "You're not supposed to know."
gues
May 12th, 2010 9:29 AM
When it was over, all I could think was "That was it?!?" I had such high expectations for this episode. We could finally learn what the island was, the mythology would be answered, and the last couple of episodes could deal with Widmore, the MIB, and flash sideways, and tying everything up together. But now...now....why can Jacob leave the island? How does he know the island is like a cork? Who would tell him these things? How could the mother be a smoke monster and their mother? How could Jacob and the MIB talk about "kill all of the candidates" and smash the wine bottle when the MIB's body is now gone? sigh....
Phil
May 12th, 2010 9:28 AM
I found this episode very satisfying, and thrilling! The observation of "every question will simply lead to another question" as the explanation we have all been waiting for is central to understanding Lost. It is a show for the 21st century and says to me: "yes, we need to keep asking questions, but we will never get all the answers; only with some degree of faith can we be satisfied". This could be one of the most accurate pop-culture portrayals of Kierkegard's "leap of faith" which is so often misrepresented as an anti-rational and thoughtless.
Trish
May 12th, 2010 9:04 AM
Feeling very frustrated with Lost now. And am thinking that whatever the next projects are for these two writers, I will not watch for fear of another unsatisfactory closure.
In a way I feel like their overall goal was to gain a significant amount of loyal viewers with the intent to manipulate and confuse. In this, they were successful. But we are smarter than that, and I truly believe that their future projects will be looked on in a doubtful light by those of us who have committed SIX YEARS of our lives to this program.
I will watch until the last episode, but doubt that I will ever watch anything these two have a hand in, in the future.
Sue
May 12th, 2010 8:55 AM
"Any ideas on the other timeline and how that comes into play?" The writers invented the sideways timeline to get the "action " out of the jungle. In the early episodes they had a handle on the storyline divergence, but as time went on... well, the monster escaped the lab. There is no way, they can connect all of the dots. I mean, what of Faraday's time cop mom and her giant pendulum?- aud infinitum. A couple of years ago, when the writers announced that they would have to set an end to the show in order to effectively keep writing with clarity, I knew they knew, they were in trouble. I thought they would reign in the storyline and begin to pull all of the threads together. Instead, to my surprise, they continued to create new mythology. I don't get it.
Angela
May 12th, 2010 8:40 AM
I think we all have to face the fact that we're not going to get the answers we've been wanting (or thought we would get)! How disappointing and anticlimactic. Any ideas on the other timeline and how that comes into play?
Sue
May 12th, 2010 8:37 AM
I have just jumped back into LOST for the final season. As a writer of horror fiction, I was interested in how the writers would get themselves out of the jam they wrote themselves onto with all of their blind alleys and red herrings over the years- only to see them cop out with a new character out of the blue.
Nice try, guys, but that just doesn't cut it. Only Rabbis answer questions with other questions and we all know how exciting that can be. I would have called this episode: A plot-hole too far.
Eddy
May 12th, 2010 8:26 AM
Ok. I thought that episode sucked. Wreaked even. Jacob's character is completely destroyed. So does HE build the statue by the beach. Where does he learn the rules about how he dies, how his brother gets off the island, etc? Where does he get knowledge of his powers, i.e. leaving the island, making people live forever, etc. As stated above... he's a punk now. Sniveling and Lost himself as to what the hell to do. Will they ever answer why Clair's baby is dangerous? Will they ever answer what the deal is between Ben and Widmore's rules? Are they related now? So much left, and I feel we aren't going to get any answers.
Jeff
May 12th, 2010 8:26 AM
I believe Jacob's mother commented, "Questions answered just lead to more questions," or the like. Convenient, for the writers, who it appears are unable/unwilling to answer them in the time remaining. I'm turning into a very disappointed fan, one among a growing number.
disappointed
May 12th, 2010 8:16 AM
I have to say that this was an incredible disappointment. It's not that I'm looking for so many answers, but I did imagine that this episode would explain more about all those "rules," how they were instilled, what they are, as well as the ways of protecting from smokey/why. I feel like I am wasting a lot of time with corny narrative that is not compelling. I can't help but say that is the worst season of lost and I don't feel that the show is delivering, even just with original storyline. Except for The Variable--still love Desmond.
Skeeter
May 12th, 2010 8:14 AM
HOLY SHIT!!!
Joseph
May 12th, 2010 8:14 AM
I thought it was just shy of awful, and for all the same reasons you didn't like it. Lost's producers and writers have been, for five and a half seasons now, setting up a worldview that seems (on some level at least) to be basically Judeo-Christian in terms of good v. evil, who and what Jacob is, etc. In this episode, though, the worldview seems to be way more random than that - and more in line with epistemological nihilism, the view that knowledge and ultimate meaning are not possible. The characters who are supposed to at least be clues to all the answers, Jacob and MiB - we find out that they don't really know any more than we do, at least not by the end of last night's episode. Completely unsatisfying. And, yes, it is possible that "unsatisfying" is the goal of the producers and writers. If that's the case, it makes it even worse.
Rebecca
May 12th, 2010 8:03 AM
This show left me with even more questions! I think what you said about "nobody actually knows anything" is proven true in this episode and this is frustrating. If Jacob and MIB cannot supposedly leave the island, why was Jacob able to leave the island seemingly at will to interact with the Losties? And is it just me or did Jacob come off as a wimp in this episode? MIB, before he "died", seemed more likable ... he was portrayed as curious and more independent. Also, who killed all the people in MIB's camp? It seems we are to assume Allison Janney did that, but is one woman capable of killing all those people alone? Or is there another presence on the island that predates her character? And where did she come from anyway? Don't think those questions will be answered and perhaps we won't see the personality transformation that Jacob obviously undergoes after the events in this episode. Will we ever find out why Hurley sees dead people and no one else seems to? Grrr......
May 12th, 2010 9:53 AM
Skeptic, fantasy TV shows may not be the best place to go to find science. Maybe a science lab instead?
May 12th, 2010 9:48 AM
Sue, congratulations on being the world's best writer of horror fiction. Pretty pumped to follow your flawless show now that it's been given the green light. Hopefully each episode title will be as clever as A Plot-Hole Too Far!
May 12th, 2010 9:47 AM
"There is a higher power at work. But it's impossible to know everything about it. So don't ask. Don't worry about it. Just have faith, live in the present and love your neighbor. That's all that matters in the end. I like that message. I believe that message. It fits into the show's themes of religion and redemption, of living together and dying alone. But I don't like the way the message has been delivered; or, getting to this week's episode specifically: I don't like the messenger." That's the major problem I have with this show right now. I *don't* like the message, OR the messenger. LOST had previously been set up as a show about two conflicting opposite worldviews -- the (rational) search for genuine knowledge, as epitomized by Jack, vs. the (emotional) appeal to blind, dumb faith, as epitomized by Locke, and for the longest time, it seemed as if rationality and knowledge was winning. But now it seems that Lindelof and Cuse have gone the idiotic religious route, and just thrown t
May 12th, 2010 9:41 AM
I've been saying ever since this show released the "Last Supper" promo image that it's going to end exactly like Battlestar Galactica; everything will be answered by the phrase, "God did it." And this episode only seems to confirm my suspicions. There aren't gonna be any answers. They're just going to get away with saying, "We're not supposed to know." And I have to say, I think that that's a pretty shitty central message for a show to have. It basically says that the creators have been stringing everyone along for six years, saying, "We'll answer everything," when in reality, they're not going to answer anything. Frankly, that's just lazy writing. I've been an on-and-off Lost viewer (I've watched the even seasons), and I'll probably watch the last few episodes, but I have no interest in going back and seeing what I missed. Not if the answer is, "You're not supposed to know."
May 12th, 2010 9:29 AM
When it was over, all I could think was "That was it?!?" I had such high expectations for this episode. We could finally learn what the island was, the mythology would be answered, and the last couple of episodes could deal with Widmore, the MIB, and flash sideways, and tying everything up together. But now...now....why can Jacob leave the island? How does he know the island is like a cork? Who would tell him these things? How could the mother be a smoke monster and their mother? How could Jacob and the MIB talk about "kill all of the candidates" and smash the wine bottle when the MIB's body is now gone? sigh....
May 12th, 2010 9:28 AM
I found this episode very satisfying, and thrilling! The observation of "every question will simply lead to another question" as the explanation we have all been waiting for is central to understanding Lost. It is a show for the 21st century and says to me: "yes, we need to keep asking questions, but we will never get all the answers; only with some degree of faith can we be satisfied". This could be one of the most accurate pop-culture portrayals of Kierkegard's "leap of faith" which is so often misrepresented as an anti-rational and thoughtless.
May 12th, 2010 9:04 AM
Feeling very frustrated with Lost now. And am thinking that whatever the next projects are for these two writers, I will not watch for fear of another unsatisfactory closure.
In a way I feel like their overall goal was to gain a significant amount of loyal viewers with the intent to manipulate and confuse. In this, they were successful. But we are smarter than that, and I truly believe that their future projects will be looked on in a doubtful light by those of us who have committed SIX YEARS of our lives to this program.
I will watch until the last episode, but doubt that I will ever watch anything these two have a hand in, in the future.
May 12th, 2010 8:55 AM
"Any ideas on the other timeline and how that comes into play?" The writers invented the sideways timeline to get the "action " out of the jungle. In the early episodes they had a handle on the storyline divergence, but as time went on... well, the monster escaped the lab. There is no way, they can connect all of the dots. I mean, what of Faraday's time cop mom and her giant pendulum?- aud infinitum. A couple of years ago, when the writers announced that they would have to set an end to the show in order to effectively keep writing with clarity, I knew they knew, they were in trouble. I thought they would reign in the storyline and begin to pull all of the threads together. Instead, to my surprise, they continued to create new mythology. I don't get it.
May 12th, 2010 8:40 AM
I think we all have to face the fact that we're not going to get the answers we've been wanting (or thought we would get)! How disappointing and anticlimactic. Any ideas on the other timeline and how that comes into play?
May 12th, 2010 8:37 AM
I have just jumped back into LOST for the final season. As a writer of horror fiction, I was interested in how the writers would get themselves out of the jam they wrote themselves onto with all of their blind alleys and red herrings over the years- only to see them cop out with a new character out of the blue.
Nice try, guys, but that just doesn't cut it. Only Rabbis answer questions with other questions and we all know how exciting that can be. I would have called this episode: A plot-hole too far.
May 12th, 2010 8:26 AM
Ok. I thought that episode sucked. Wreaked even. Jacob's character is completely destroyed. So does HE build the statue by the beach. Where does he learn the rules about how he dies, how his brother gets off the island, etc? Where does he get knowledge of his powers, i.e. leaving the island, making people live forever, etc. As stated above... he's a punk now. Sniveling and Lost himself as to what the hell to do. Will they ever answer why Clair's baby is dangerous? Will they ever answer what the deal is between Ben and Widmore's rules? Are they related now? So much left, and I feel we aren't going to get any answers.
May 12th, 2010 8:26 AM
I believe Jacob's mother commented, "Questions answered just lead to more questions," or the like. Convenient, for the writers, who it appears are unable/unwilling to answer them in the time remaining. I'm turning into a very disappointed fan, one among a growing number.
May 12th, 2010 8:16 AM
I have to say that this was an incredible disappointment. It's not that I'm looking for so many answers, but I did imagine that this episode would explain more about all those "rules," how they were instilled, what they are, as well as the ways of protecting from smokey/why. I feel like I am wasting a lot of time with corny narrative that is not compelling. I can't help but say that is the worst season of lost and I don't feel that the show is delivering, even just with original storyline. Except for The Variable--still love Desmond.
May 12th, 2010 8:14 AM
HOLY SHIT!!!
May 12th, 2010 8:14 AM
I thought it was just shy of awful, and for all the same reasons you didn't like it. Lost's producers and writers have been, for five and a half seasons now, setting up a worldview that seems (on some level at least) to be basically Judeo-Christian in terms of good v. evil, who and what Jacob is, etc. In this episode, though, the worldview seems to be way more random than that - and more in line with epistemological nihilism, the view that knowledge and ultimate meaning are not possible. The characters who are supposed to at least be clues to all the answers, Jacob and MiB - we find out that they don't really know any more than we do, at least not by the end of last night's episode. Completely unsatisfying. And, yes, it is possible that "unsatisfying" is the goal of the producers and writers. If that's the case, it makes it even worse.
May 12th, 2010 8:03 AM
This show left me with even more questions! I think what you said about "nobody actually knows anything" is proven true in this episode and this is frustrating. If Jacob and MIB cannot supposedly leave the island, why was Jacob able to leave the island seemingly at will to interact with the Losties? And is it just me or did Jacob come off as a wimp in this episode? MIB, before he "died", seemed more likable ... he was portrayed as curious and more independent. Also, who killed all the people in MIB's camp? It seems we are to assume Allison Janney did that, but is one woman capable of killing all those people alone? Or is there another presence on the island that predates her character? And where did she come from anyway? Don't think those questions will be answered and perhaps we won't see the personality transformation that Jacob obviously undergoes after the events in this episode. Will we ever find out why Hurley sees dead people and no one else seems to? Grrr......