UPDATE

I've have just learned that one of the shows i mentioned in my last post is coming to DVD. The first two seasons of Duckman will be released on Sept 16th.

Hopefully the rest of the shows mentioned will quickly follow suit.

TV Shows That Need A DVD Release

With the advancement of DVD’s television viewing has changed considerably. Now people can watch their favorite shows whenever they want, and discover new shows they may have missed when they originally aired. But despite the multitude of shows that have DVD releases, there are still many that have still not been released. Below is a list of a few shows that I personally want to see on DVD in the near future.

Gargoyles: Even though it’s technically already on DVD, I’ve put it at the top of the list because I want the entire series released. Gargoyles was an animated action adventure show that told the story of six medieval gargoyles who wake up in modern day Manhattan after a magical induced 1000 year sleep. The show dealt with several themes not normally seen in most animated shows. Some of which include betrayal, unrequited love, moral ambiguity, vengeance, genocide, and gun safety (which was dealt with more seriously and realistically then many live action shows have done). The first season, which consisted of 13 episodes, was released in it’s entirety in 2004. The second season, which consisted of 52 episodes, was split into two release dates. The first half of season 2 was released in 2005 with plans for the rest of the season to be released later. Unfortunately sales for the second season were lower then expected and all future season releases were abandoned. Which is a shame because there are legions of fans who want to own every episode of this amazing show.

Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place: A gem of a sitcom that aired in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. The main characters were three twenty something friends, two guys and a girl as the title suggests, that have known each other since college. There was Berg, a fun loving pre med student; Pete, a conflicted and frantic individual who’s unsure about where his professional and love life is going; and Sharron, a neurotic yet confident woman who’s afraid of commitment. In addition to the standard sitcom mode episodes the show occasionally experimented with different styles, such as a episode without any dialogue and one shot in a film noir style. It also borrowed a page from the Simpsons and had annual Halloween episodes which were surreal and separate from the normal show’s continuality.

Unhappily Ever After: I’ll state the obvious and admit that this show was basically a slightly tamer version of Married with Children. But I still got a kick out of watching it. It was hilarious, plan and simple. Like Married with Children it focused on a bitter man with a low paying job who couldn’t stand his wife and was frustrated with his children. While the breakout character of the show was Tiffany, the beautiful and extremely smart daughter, my favorite character would have to be Mr. Floppy, a tell it like it is stuffed bunny brought to life through the protagonist’s schizophrenia.

Daria: While it was a spin off of Beavis and Butthead, Daria had a style and sense of humor vastly different then its predecessor. The show focused on a girl named Daria, an exceptionally intelligent high schooler with a biting wit and cynical anti conformist personality. Along with abundant references to the negative aspects of high school the show also took numerous jabs at suburban life and pop culture, all done in a very intelligent way. One reason I suspect this show has had trouble being released on DVD is music licensing. When it originally aired the show was saturated with the latest pop songs, no doubt an influence of airing on MTV. The use of so many various songs from different artists has created countless licensing issues making the release of original unedited episodes extraordinary difficult.

Duckman: This is probably the strangest of the shows on this list. It follows a crass anthropomorphism duck who works as a private eye with his more talented pig partner. It focused on the strange and bizarre, with a distinctive style that people either loved or hated.

Spin City: Another gem from the 90’s that focused on the behind the scene runnings of politics. The show starred Michael J. Fox as the deputy mayor of New York City who often had to put a positive spin on an arised problem. Other memorable performers were Barry Boswick as the dim witted mayor, Richard Kind of "Mad About You" as the cowardly press secretary and Michael Boatman as the head of minority affairs. The show was funny in it’s ability to show how what we hear in politics isn’t always what is true in politics.

And that completes my list.

The Loss of a Comedic Legend

Sadly, my latest entry is also about the passing of a legend. This entry is on the passing of comedian George Carlin. George Carlin, who has entertained fans with his often controversial stand up routines, passed away on Sunday June 22 at the age of 71.

George Carlin’s humor often focused on his views on what he felt was idiotic about humanity. This ranged from people’s obsessions with celebrates and child raising to more controversial topics such as his views on religion and politics. His humor also greatly challenged censorship and what we deem as inappropriate. One of his most famous examples of challenging censorship was with his routine “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television”, which lead to him being arrested in 1972 for violating obscenity laws after he performed the routine at Milwaukee’s Summerfest.

In addition to being a comedian, Carlin was also an actor. Most of his roles were comedic ones that played to his strengths, such as Rufus in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Cardinal Glick in Dogma. One exception however was his part in the film Jersey Girl, in where he played the father of the film’s protagonist. The role required him to be a serious three dimensional character rather then simply a caricature. He rose to the challenge and his role was one of the highlights of the movie.

George Carlin’s comedy paved the way for future comedians to perform controversial material in their routines. It also had a hand in laxing what content can and can’t be broadcast, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on one’s viewpoint. His passing is a great loss to the world of comedy and he will surely be missed.

Stan Winston: A Old School Scholar in a New School Industry

On Sunday June 15th the film industry lost one of its most renowned special effects wizards: Stan Winston. Stan Winston was a special effects genius with an ability to make the creatures he created into legitimate characters. While his name might not be a household name, his creations certainly are. Some of his most well known creations are the alien queen in Aliens, the razor fingers worn by Johnny Depp’s character in Edward Scissorhands, the trophy collecting alien in Predator, the robot endoskeleton and additional robotic effects in Terminator, the monstrous animal hybrid in The Relic, the iconic red and yellow medal suit in this summer’s Iron Man, and the Tyrannosaurus Rex in Jurassic Park.

Mr. Winston came to Hollywood in 1969 to begin a career as an actor. After failing to achieve success he took an apprenticeship at Walt Disney Studio’s make-up department. His skills were fully realized in 1974 with his work on the TV movie The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, in which he transformed then 40 year old actress Cicely Tyson into the 110 year old title character.

What set Stan Winston apart from many of today’s effects creators was his consistent use of particle effects. Even with the advance of computer imagery he continued to employ make up, animatronics and robotics to bring his visions to life. This brought an extra level of realism not only to his creations, but also to the performance of those acting alongside his creations.

Sadly there hasn’t been a great deal of coverage on the passing of this revolutionary effects man. I only heard about it after reading a tiny blurb in the local paper. Hopefully Hollywood will pay proper tribute to the passing of this effects mastermind. And at the very least fans can take comfort in the knowledge that his work will be experienced and remembered by future generations.

External Factors for a Dismal Performance

When a movie doesn’t do well at the box office, it doesn’t necessarily mean it did badly because it was a bad movie. Multiple factors can contribute to a less then stellar performance. The movie could have been released at the wrong time of the year. It could have either not been promoted enough or promoted in a way that misleads audiences as to what the actual tone of the movie is. Still another factor could be having to compete with another movie released at the same time.

A perfect example of a movie bombing at the box office because of outside reasons is the dark comedy Very Bad Things. It was released during the 98 holiday season and started Christian Slater, Jon Favreau, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Stern, Jeremy Piven, and Leland Orser. The movie follows timid Kyle (Favreau) as he prepares to marry his shrewish bride Laura (Diaz). Laura is an extremely demanding woman who seems to care more about having the perfect wedding then the guy she’s actually marrying. To escape from his demanding fiancé Kyle goes to Las Vegas for a bachelor party with his four closest friends. First there’s Moore (Orser), a quiet mechanic Kyle has known since grade school. Then there is Adam (Stern), a very uptight and moral individual, and his brother Michael (Piven), who’s less moral and not as tightly wound. Rounding out the circle of friends is Boyd (Slater), the unofficial leader and least moral member of the group. What follows is a drug filled romp that culminates with a stripper giving them a wild show. Unfortunately things take an ugly turn when Michael accidently kills her while they are having sex. Things go from bad to worse when a security guard finds the body and Boyd kills him to keep their secret. With no other option the group take the bodies into the desert to be buried and swear to keep what happened a secret. As they return to their lives paranoia sets in and the body count continues to grow. By the end of the movie the remaining characters have been scared for life, in more ways then one.

This hilarious movie is as dark as it is funny, with multiple moments that bring as many cringes as they do laughs. Probably the best example of this is when the group is burying the bodies in the desert. During the middle of it Adam says that according to Jewish law the bodies must be buried united or else the souls will not find peace. This proves to be problematic as they dismembered the bodies before they set off. What follows is a perverse jigsaw puzzle with everyone trying to match up body parts to the correct bodies.

While this movie is certainly not for everyone, I don’t believe it didn’t do well in theaters because it was bad. Rather it did badly because of external factors. For one thing it was released during the holiday season. Most movies released during this time are either family films, sentimental films, or epic adventures. A comedy about people trying to cover up a murder doesn’t really fall under any of the mentioned genres. A bigger problem then the release date was the promotion. The trailer and TV spots tried to make the movie to be much more lighthearted then it really was. This meant that people who would have wanted to see a sick comedy didn’t see it because they thought it lacked the bite it really had. The promotion also tried to play off of the notoriety of Cameron Diaz, who had just stared in There’s Something About Mary a few months before the release of Very Bad Things. In previews she seems to be more of a put upon wife to be, where in the movie she is a heartless bitch who cares only about herself. When her fiancé finally confesses what happened she tells him she doesn’t care and that the wedding is happening no matter what. Those who saw the movie thinking they’d see a bubbly light hearted Cameron Diaz were in for a rude awakening. It is my belief that these factors were the reason for the movie’s abysmal performance in theaters.

Luckily with the rise of home video, and now DVD, movies that did badly in theaters can find a new life with home viewing. And Very Bad Things is one of those movies. It has become a cult classic, with people loving the sickness of the plot. If not for home viewing, this movie would have always been thought of as terrible based on how it did in theaters. So before one writes off a movie because of its theatrical performance, see it first.

When Viewers Can't Discover a Show

Today as I was reading the paper I came across an article in the television section. It was about the cancelation of the show “Men in Trees”. While learning of the show’s departure didn’t move me, I was struck by one piece of information. According to the article the show aired in six different time slots and disappeared for long lengths of time to make room for other shows during its two season run. After reading this I have come to believe that “Men in Trees” probably would have drawn better ratings if more of an effort had been made to allow it to find an audience.

Unfortunately nowadays if a show isn’t an immediately huge success it is either canceled or moved around so much that people don’t know when it is on. What makes this unfortunate is many times shows need time to be discovered. Two of the best examples of this are with “Cheers” and “Seinfeld”. When “Cheers” first premiered it was far from a success. It came in 74th in the ratings of that year, out of 74 shows. But by cleverly placing it in between already popular shows during its second season “Cheers” was able to thrive and become a juggernaut for NBC. A similar story is with the start of “Seinfeld”. When its pilot aired the ratings were so poor that it was almost a year before a scarce number of additional episodes (4) were aired. In spite of poor viewership NBC executives had faith in the series. In addition to getting a second season the show was aired in a single consistent time slot. This allowed people to discover the show and tell others about it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Am I saying that with time “Men in Trees” would have become as successful as “Seinfeld” and “Cheers” were? Probably not. But I do wholeheartedly believe the show would have been more successful if it had truly been given a chance to find an audience. I only hope that more shows are given the chance “Seinfeld” and “Cheers” received instead of the sink or swim attitude that now dominates the airwaves.

Favoritism With LOST Mysteries

Since Lost’s debut in 2004 numerous mysteries have been layered into the show. As the show has continued more and more mysteries have been introduced. Some have been explained, such as what caused the plane to crash onto the island. But most of the mysteries of this intriguing show have yet to be solved.

My concern with so many mysteries being on the show is that when the show does end, not all of them will be solved. Just as I have charecters that I like more then others, I also have specific mysteries that I want to see solved. Below are a few of the ones I hope will be resolved before the series ends.

The Four Toed Statue: Although on the surface minor, the four toe statue has intrigued me since its first (and so far only) appearance and remains the mystery I personally want to see most solved. In the episode “Live Together, Die Alone” Sayid, Sun, and Jin sail around the island to the other’s supposed camp. During the journey they encounter a large marble foot standing atop a rock in the surf, which appears to be the remains of a giant stature. Sayid remarks that he doesn’t know what disturbs him more, the fact that the rest of the statue is missing or that the foot has only four toes. What’s fascinating about the foot is that this is the first time we get an inkling about the inhabitants of the island during ancient times. The fact the there are four toes instead of five could mean that the original island inhabitant are older then regular humans, implying that humans might have later grown a fifth toe. There also is the observation that the foot was once part of a statue. One has to wonder who the subject of the statue was and how it came to be destroyed. Hopefully the four toed foot is explored before the series end.

The Origin Of The Others: So far the only Others we have really gotten to know are Ben and Juliet, and both of them were outsiders brought into The Other’s community. We still know nothing about them and where they came from. Are they decedents of the original island inhabitants or people who discovered and came to the island? Their origin might also answer the question of their aging. So far the only example we have seen of The Others not aging is with the character Richard Alpert. He has been shown in a number of flashbacks, going back as early as the 50s, and he always looks the same as he does now. While originally this could have been explained by saying that no one on the island ages this theory has been disputed by Ben. He grew up on the island and has aged normally. So it seems that agelessness might only apply to those who are descended from the original island inhabitants.

People Being Unable To Procreate: This is a mystery I want to see solved not so much for the answer to the mystery itself, but for when it started happening. Meaning if the island indeed has people who originated from the island, then when and how did procreation halt? Did the inhabitants do something to anger the island and this is their punishment?

Libby: Of the charecters that have died on the show, her lose might be the worst one. It is particularly because her character was set up with a great mystery and then killed before it was solved. In the episode “Dave” we learn that Libby once spend time in a mental hospital, the same hospital Hurley resided in. So far we have no explanation as to why she was there. Or if both she and Hurley knew each other when they were hospitalized and neither remember it for some reason. I really hope we get her complete back story before the series ends.


These are some of the mysteries I hope will be answered before the series end. With any luck, my wish will be granted.

Waitress: A Flawed Yet Delightful Romp

Reviewing the work of someone who is deceased can be a difficult task. One might feel it is permissible to be overcritical of their work because they are no longer here to defend it. On the other hand the reviewer could be afraid to point out the flaws in the work since the artist is dead. Personally, I feel the best way to honor a deceased artist is to review their work as if they were alive. That way it is reviewed fairly and objectively. This is the attitude I will be taking when I write my review of The Dark Knight later this summer. It is also the same approach I’m applying to my review of the film Waitress.

Waitress is a movie about escaping one’s problems and finding out what kind of person you are at heart. It stars Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Jeremy Sisto and Andy Griffith and was written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly. The plot follows a young southern waitress named Jenna (Russell) who has big problems. She’s stuck in an unhappy marriage to an abusive husband (Sisto) who controls her to the point where he won’t let her have a car so he knows that she can’t go far. She dreams of using her exceptional pie making skills to open her own restaurant and leave her husband forever. But her plans come to a screeching halt when she finds out she is pregnant. She dreads having the child, for she feels it will tie her forever to her husband. It is soon after she discovers her pregnancy that the regular town doctor is replaced by a new doctor named Jim (Fillion). Although she is put off by his nervousness the two end up having a passionate affair. Eventually her husband finds out about the baby and becomes even more dominating over her. As the months go by Jenna begins to see that motherhood isn’t the soul killing stigma she originally thought it would be. The film ends with her baby being born and Jenna being able to change her life for the better.

Before I point out what I didn’t like about the movie I’ll talk about what I did like. The film seemed to say our initial perceptions of people are often wrong. While first impressions habitually stick, they often dissolve once the person is better known. When Jenna first meets Jim she doesn’t like him and exclaims that he makes her uncomfortable. But as she gets to know him she finds he acts as a stimulant in her life. After they begin their affair he becomes a close friend in addition to being a lover. Perception shattering is additionally shown with the character of Old Joe, played by Andy Griffith. Old Joe is the owner of the diner Jenna works at and is generally a crabby old man. But in spite of his demanding nature he holds Jenna in high regard and tries to give her advice so she will not live her life unhappily.

However, I did have some real problems with other aspects of the film. The biggest problem I had was with Jenna’s husband. He had ABSOLUTLY no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He was a bastard from beginning to end, so much so that I found it impossible to understand how anyone would ever date him, much less marry him. In most abusive relationships the abuser will show tenderness after they abuse their spouse. Here he would hit her and then badger her some more. The whole time I kept waiting to see some reason why she would have first fallen for him. But it never came. He was so complete in his abuse and selfishness that he almost seemed a caricature. For me the most over the top moment is when she tells him she is pregnant and he makes her promise that she will not love the baby more then she loves him. For me to believe she would have married him I needed to see a reason she would have fallen for him, either during their time together or at the very least by having a flashback to their dating days.

I also felt that the end was very clichéd. I won’t spoil exactly how she her life at the end of the movie is changed, but it is painfully obvious how it will happen not long into the movie. It was unfortunate it ended up that way because many of the other kinds of clichés one would expect from this type of movie do not occur.

In spite of the problems, I wouldn’t write off Waitress as a failure. It had quirky dialogue and direction and the romantic leads grow on the viewer. I think with time Adrienne Shelly would have become a fine contributor to film, which makes her untimely passing all the more dreadful. Instead of being a promising up and comer, a senseless act of violence had made her another what-could-have-been Hollywood tragedy.

Lost Finale: A Exciting End to a Intriguing Season (Part 2)

And now for part 2 of my review of the season finale of season four of LOST.

After the rescue of Ben we have the second flashforward of the episode. This one features Hurley at the mental hospital, where he gets a surprise visitor: Walt (Malcolm David Kelley). Walt, after voicing his disappointment that no one visited him after they got back, explains that he has been contacted by Jeremy Bentham and asks Hurley why everyone is lying about the crash. In response Hurley tells Walt that they are lying to protect everyone that was left behind.

Before I continue I feel I have to mention Malcolm David Kelley’s growth spurt. If not for seeing his name on the guest credits I never would have thought it was the same actor. While he merely looked like a taller version of himself in his season three appearance, now he looks like a completely different person. It’s even easier to see why the writers were forced to write the character out of the show. But now that it’s been established that the flashforwards cover a timeframe of three years and counting, it’s feasible to bring the character back.

We are then returned to the present, where Faraday (Jeremy Davies) returns from ferrying the first group to the freighter and prepares to take another group. Before he goes his teammates Miles (Ken Leung) and Charlotte (Rebecca Mader) inform him that they are staying on the island. During these brief moments we learn a bit more about Charlotte. Apparently she has been to the island before and might even have been born on it, giving viewers yet another series of questions to be answered. If she was born on the island then is she An Other or part of the Dharma Initiative? Would her birth have occurred before or after pregnant women started dying on the island? If she wasn’t born on the island then how did she end up there the first time? Why and how would she have left? These are just a few questions about the character I’m hoping will be answered next season.

Meanwhile, Locke and Ben make it down to the hidden chamber of the Orchid station. Locke watches an orientation video on the purpose of the station, which Ben humorously simplifies with the phrase “time traveling bunnies”. Just then Keamy, who survived being shot by having on a bullet proof vest, arrives at the station. He explains that he’s wearing a remote trigger that will set off the bomb on the freighter if his heart stops and reminds Ben that the last time he underestimated him Ben’s daughter was killed. This causes the normally emotionally collected Ben to finally lose control and attack Keamy, where he stabs him repeatedly in the neck until he dies. When Locke explains that Ben just killed everyone who was on the freighter Ben’s only answer is “So?” It’s another example on how truly ruthless and uncaring Ben can be. Only this time it is raw emotion rather then purpose that drives his actions

While this is going on Jack, Sayid, Sawyer, Kate and Hurley all meet up at the helicopter and begin the journey to the freighter. Halfway there they realize they are losing fuel as a result of the earlier fight with the mercenaries and will only make it to the ship if they lose weight. So Sawyer, after first whispering something to Kate (which upon magnification of the audio reveals that he tells her about his daughter Clementine and asks Kate to find her), leaps into the ocean and swims back to shore. This act further shows that Sawyer is truly a good man at heart who was hardened by horrible life circumstances, instead of the selfish bastard persona he tried so hard to have people believe when the series began.

After another belief flashforward, in which Sayid breaks into the mental hospital holding Hurley and convinces him to leave, the helicopter lands on the freighter and Jack and Sayid scramble to repair and refuel it. At the same time Michael, who has been keeping the bomb from going off by freezing it with a rapidly shrinking supply of liquid nitrogen, tells Desmond and Jin to leave him and warn the others on the ship that the bomb is about to go off. Desmond leaves but Jin stays to help. Eventually Michael convinces him to go by reminding him that he’s a father now and his kid has to come first.

It is during the panic and commotion of the frantic situation that Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun, Aaron, and Desmond make it onto the helicopter as it takes off. As it rises into the sky Jin makes it to the deck. But the copter is unable to set back down and rescue Jin. The survivors can only watch in horror as the bomb goes off and destroys the freighter, killing Michael, Jin, and everyone else who was on board.

I was saddened by Jin’s death. Over the series he really redeemed himself for his past actions and became the good man he was when he first met Sun. And his reward is to die for tying to save the lives of those he cared about. I personally have my own theory for why the character was killed off, which I will reveal in a different entry.

We then have another brief flashfoward, in which Sun confronts the mysterious Charles Widmore (Alan Dale) and offers her services in his mission. Afterwards we are brought back to Ben and Locke. Ben tells Locke that he will now be leading The Others as anyone who moves the island will be unable to return to it. Ben makes his way down a tunnel to a chamber with a giant ice covered wheel inside. He bitterly exclaims to Jacob that he is doing his wish and then turns the wheel. A metallic hum is heard as a white light engulfs the island and just like that the island disappears.

With nowhere now to land the helicopter crashes into the ocean and everyone inside manages to get into an inflatable raft. They float into the night until they are spotted by a boat. But it’s not just any boat. It belongs to Penny (Sonya Walger), Desmond’s love and Charles Widmore’s daughter. Everyone comes aboard and Desmond is finally reunited with his long lost love in the second most romantic moment in the series (my vote for most romantic moment is when Jin and Sun are reunited in the second season). The boat is at sea for a week before it reaches its destination and The Oceanic Six leave to be rescued. Before they leave they agree to say they are the only ones who survived the original crash in order to spare everyone who was left behind.

The episode then goes to its final flashforward and final scene, in which our broken hero Jack breaks into the funeral home we saw last season and opens Jeremy Bentham’s coffin. He is then confronted by Ben, who asks Jack what Jeremy Bentham talked to Jack about before his death. Jack explains that he was told that terrible things happened on the island after they left and that it was Jack’s fault for leaving. Ben knows that Jack has been trying to unsuccessfully return to the island and tells him that the island won’t let him return unless everyone comes back. Ben says that he can help get the other five to go back. But when he says everyone has to go back me also means Jeremy Bentham. That’s when the identity of the deceased Jeremy Bentham is revealed. The final shot of the season is John Locke lying dead in the coffin.

During last season’s finale I guessed that the person in the coffin was either Locke or Ben. My reason was neither was a friend to Jack, since Jack’s response when the funeral director asked if Jack was a friend or family member of the deceased was “neither”, and that I felt the person was deeply connected to the island. So it turns out my theory was right on the nose.

I’ll also mention that two different endings were shot to try and keep the true ending a secret. The first showed Sawyer in the coffin. The second one had Desmond in the coffin.

Of course now there are a million more questions that have to be answered as a result of the finale. While I know the show is a mystery show I sometimes think there are too many mysteries going on at once. Because even when one is revealed the answer usually leads to twelve additional mysteries that have to be answered. It can cause some viewers to possibly forget important things that have been yet to be answered because they are concentrating on other aspects. I also fear that because there are so many unanswered questions not all of them will be answered by the series end. Hopefully the ones I most want to be revealed will be answered before the ultimate end.
And that concludes by review and summery of the fourth season finale of Lost. Now I just have to count the days until the fifth season begins.

Lost Finale: A Exciting End to a Intriguing Season (Part 1)

As I tuned in last Thursday to watch the finale of Lost my expectations were high. After being less then impressed with the season finales of The Office and Ugly Betty I knew I couldn’t take another disappointing finale. Luckily the last two parts of the three part finale “There’s No Place Like Home” were anything but disappointing. The fourth season of Lost ended with several bangs and one of the biggest reveals yet.

Before I review the finale, which I warn now is riddled with spoilers, I feel it is necessary to briefly recap what happened in the closing moments of part one. By the end of the episode Jack (Matthew Fox) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway) resolved that they had to rescue Hurley (Jorge Garcia) from the mercenaries that were now hunting him, Locke (Terry O’Quinn) and Ben (Michael Emerson). Jin (Daniel Dae Kim), after arriving on the freighter with Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Aaron, discovers alongside Michael (Harold Perrineau) and Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) that the freighter is wired with a large amount of C4 explosives. Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) were captured by The Others during their attempt to rescue Jack and Sawyer. And Ben, after leaving instructions to Locke on how to get to the true Orchid Station, turns himself over to mercenary leader Martin Keamy (Kevin Durand).

The finale began with the final scene of last season, in with a drug addicted Jack pleads to Kate that they have to return to the island during the series first flashforward. Only this time it continues from where it left off and much more information is revealed. We learn that three years have passed since the Oceanic Six (Jack, Kate, Sayid, Sun, Hurley and Aaron) were rescued from the island. And that during that time both Kate and Jack have been approached by a man named Jeremy Bentham, who we learn is the mysterious man in the coffin, who wants them to return to the island. Kate angrily tells Jack that she can’t believe he would listen to him and that it is an insult to ask her to go back after everything they went through before she leaves Jack to wallow in despair. After seeing Jack so assertive and sure of himself on the island it is still a revelation to see him a completely broken individual. While the events in the episode “Something Nice Back Home”, in which Jack is visited by the ghost of his father and Kate leaves him after he angrily reveals to Aaron that he and Kate aren’t related, are indicated as being what makes Jack broken I personally think there is more to this transformation that will be revealed during the next season.

The action then switches back to the island, where the mercenaries and Ben arrive at the helicopter just as Kate appears to warn them that The Others are chasing her. This proves to be a ruse as she was really meant to distraction them before The Others attacked. What follows is an impressive display of guerilla combat as The Others use the cover of the jungle to take out the more experienced mercenaries. The battle ends, after an exciting hand to hand fight between Sayid and Keamy, with Keamy being shot and Ben successfully rescued by his people. Afterwards The Others reveal that Kate and Sayid agreed to rescue Ben if they would be allowed to leave the island. When Ben hears this he has no objections and very simply exclaims that they can go. Knowing Ben I’m sure he has a reason for allowing them to leave, as he has proven that he always has a very distinct reason for his actions.

This concludes part one of my review of the Lost season finale. Tune in tomorrow for part 2.