Open Mic Wednesday 5/26/10
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
It’s Open Mic Wednesday. What’s on your mind?
(Don’t forget—up to three comments today will count toward the RANSOME’S CROSSING PRE-RELEASE CONTEST!)
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Books by Kaye Dacus
Novel in Progress
Follow the Heart*
Book 1 of The Great Exhibition Series
Due May 1, 2012
first draft completion goal date: 01/31/12
*working title
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Middle Tennessee Christian Writers
Three days out, I’m still trying to figure out exactly how I feel about the LOST finale. I liked it, but in a way, it almost felt like a cop-out style of ending—all build up and no bang. Yes, it’s a show that was always focused on the characters, but it was also a show that was about mystery and about getting questions answered. And instead of answering questions, it’s almost like they said, “All those plot twists and turns we gave you . . . none of them really matter because they’re all dead anyway.”
That said, non-emotive person that I am, I freely admit that I bawled throughout most of the last hour of the show, especially during the reunions. (Except the Sayid/Shannon reunion. I never saw that relationship being meaningful/working.) I practically screamed when Juliette and Sawyer came face to face—I got the happy ending there that I wanted . . . and Claire and Charlie, too. Oh, and I was right about Juliette being Jack’s son’s mother!
[I actually had to switch over to something else after the first hour of the finale because there were SO many commercials. I knew the last 90 minutes would be extremely emotional, and I didn't want that delicious euphoria of feeling to be interrupted by commercials that seemed to go on forever, so I watched the last part on the DVR.]
LOST to me has always been about reconciliation and redeeming one’s past. Every time a character came to terms with his/her past, becoming a better person, letting go of bitterness, forgiving someone, or reconciling something they’d done or wish they’d done, they died, for the most part. Sure, there were some deaths of characters who hadn’t gotten to that point, but I think that was less about storytelling and more about disputes between the actors and the show’s makers. The final episode was about the ultimate redemption of our main characters—each one finding his or her purpose and reason for having been on the island. I think my favorite line was when Hurley looked down at Ben and said, “You were a great number two,” followed by Ben saying, “You were a great number one,” proving that even Ben Linus could change (and had). Either that, or Miles’s “I believe in duct tape” line.
Did anyone else fear a Matrix-style explanation to the sideways timeline—that they were all still on the island but unwitting participants in some kind of DHARMA Initiative experiment in which they were all unconscious but their minds had connected and they’d built this alternate timeline together?
So I suppose now would be the time to start watching Lost on DVD, eh?
I know, I know…we never bought into it. By the time we did it was already season 3 and I didn’t want to start partway through…
I’ve never seen Lost either. Actually, Is it really that good? If it’s fantasy beyond the normal Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Enchanted, etc., than it’s not really something I particularly like. For example, I never got into the whole Lord of the Rings thing. I started the first one and than just shut it off. Chronicles of Narnia I can kind of understand because I know it’s an allegory of sorts.
Season 3 is when a lot of people stopped watching. That was before they’d decided exactly when they were going to end the show. Once they had an end date (which they decided on during the hiatus mid-season 3), the writing got much more focused. Season 4 is my favorite season of all.
LOST FINALE SPOILERS AHEAD!
I did feel a sinking of heart once they reached the church interior…. but up to that point I loved the finale. Favorite laugh out loud line was Hurley’s about Jacob and no answers: “That’s kinda true, dude. He’s worse than Yoda.”
I finally felt real connection with Jack as a character (yes, it took me this long), happy about Charlie and Claire, but the ultimate moment for me was James and Juliette by the vending machine. I looked over and yep, hubby was crying too.
So they died when they died on the island, but some got off and presumably have longer lives before the church reunion thing. Two of those were Kate and James. Do you think they ended up together? Or do you think James went and found his daughter and her mother?
Still matchmaking, I am. Good grief.
Christian said that some died before and some long after Jack. So, basically, they ripped off the ending of Titanic.
I wondered how, with all of the new plots/characters they introduced in season 6 they were going to pay everything off. And now I know. They never planned to pay anything off. Damon and Carlton went on record saying the island was not purgatory or hell and that they weren’t all dead (on the island). But if they already knew that the sideways flashes in season 6 was going to be a place of “limbo”—where each person has to come to terms with his/her own passing—they basically lied to us.
My question is—were all these people just there in Jack’s mind? Because wouldn’t each of them have had other people present in the “church” before they crossed over? Wouldn’t Jin and Sun have had Ji Yeon there with them? Wouldn’t Desmond and Penny have had their son there with them?
That was a very Jack-centered scene, now you mention it. John Locke should have had Helen. Why was he all alone?
It’s just too bad, isn’t it? I felt blindsided, not in a good way. I was sure what they were going to do was somehow merge these two alternate time lines. I didn’t know how, but had hoped it would be “right” in the end. Or maybe like in sci fi shows like Stargate when alternate universes get crossed… I had hoped something like that was going on because of the bomb Juliette set off in the hatch, that the characters were alive in both, and would somehow be given the choice of which time line they would continue to exist in based on their choices. Or else protecting the island as per Jacob’s instruction would guarantee them the good time line where everyone seemed to be getting past their issues, and not protecting the island and letting the MIB loose would guarantee them the horrible island time line, which was getting worse as the MIB gained in strength and followers. Oh my prophetic soul… not.
After hearing all the talk of the finale, I’m glad I didn’t watch Lost. I would have felt so robbed by the ending of them all being dead anyway.
I haven’t watched the finale yet, but I was anticipating not having any real answers. I am going to hopefully watch it online this weekend and probably end up just as confused as before. lol I thought that the whole parallel timeline could be a weird Dharma experiment too. I hope that was explained….my hubby has gotten frustrated with the show this season and hasn’t wanted to watch, but I’ve made him.
I kept hoping something would make sense.
I’m not a “cryer,” either, Kaye, but Charlie and Claire have made me cry EVERY TIME. Sigh. I did like the reunions. Daniel and Charlotte, Sawyer and Juliette. So does this mean Jack’s son didn’t really exist? Was he just there to guide Jack back to his relationship with his OWN father? I was SO glad to see Rose and Bernard – and VINCENT!!
But the end? it felt very anti-climactic. It was like, “Oh! We’re at the END, already? Hmmm . .. . out of time, so we’ll just say they were all dead and now they’ll be dead happily ever after.” Being someone who likes geology and stuff, I was really hoping for a little more explanation of the island than “there’s this cool light in the center of the island.” OK. We already knew that. What was it FOR? I was thinking volcano, but no lava. And how did Jack get out of there. I know, I’m majoring on minor details, but continuity is important to me.
A few characters I would have liked to have seen in the church – Mr. Echo (sp?), the pilot. Why weren’t they there? Or maybe they haven’t died yet? I’m so confused…
Now we have no LOST, and we have no CASTLE. It’s going to be a long summer. On the other hand, I think I’ve read about 4 books in the last week.
I was told by someone on Twitter that the actor who played Mr. Eko left with bad feelings—on his side and on the producers’ side—so that’s why he never came back.
There are plenty of summer season shows on cable—I’ve still got Army Wives, Merlin, Top Chef (starts in June) and others. But I think as soon as the Season 6 DVDs come out, I’m getting rid of my DVR and expanded digital cable. I don’t need to spend as much time in front of the TV as I do.
I’m getting rid of my DVR & satellite plan when I move and changing to a cable package. Haven’t decided which cable package yet, but the DVR is going to have to go…not only do I want 1 bill for internet/cable, but I also don’t need to be spending so much time in front of the TV “catching up” on the shows recorded on my DVR. I’m already thinking I’m going to be having DVR-related withdrawals though…
The one thing that is helping me make the decision to get rid of it (and expanded digital, which includes BBC-A) is that the shows I would be likely to watch (if I had a DVR to set series recordings for them) are those that are either going to be available online on Hulu the next day or they’ll eventually come out on DVD and I can get the discs or watch online at Netflix.
That’s very good reasoning. I’ve never liked watching programs online, but I may force myself to adapt.
But White Collar is starting back up again in July!!! If you haven’t checked out that show Regina, it’s very very good.
I can’t WAIT for the return of White Collar!!!!
We need some American Idol and Dancing with the Stars Fans. I also watched the finale of Biggest Loser. I think I could easily get hooked on that show.
I’ve tried watching those shows, but just couldn’t get into them. Even with cutie-pie Evan Lysacek on DWTS this season, I couldn’t bring myself to watch it. I’ve also tried watching Biggest Loser—but as someone with as much weight to lose as many of the contestants on that show, to me it sets up unrealistic expectations, for me and everyone else with a lot of weight to lose, that it’s somehow a “failure” if you don’t lose double-digits of pounds EVERY WEEK, when all scientific research shows that it’s healthiest to lose between 1 to 2 pounds each week—and you’re more likely to keep it off. It’s just my opinion, but Biggest Loser is dangerous to the psyche of people trying to lose weight the right way—who don’t have ten to twelve hours every day to work out and personal trainers and only healthy food provided (never watched it long enough to see about the food part, but I imagine they put these people on pretty strict diets).
I walked away from Lost happy. Before Sunday I was really hoping to get the answers about the island, but that wasn’t going to happen. Watching the clip show before the final helped me to put the show in some perspective and focus on the characters. Almost everyone got their happy ending, poor Ben sitting outside the church. I am not sure what else to say about it other than I was crying like a baby and happy at the end of the night.
The commercials drove me crazy, but I kinda liked the target ones.
I read on a website that they offered Mr. Eko a bunch of money to come back, but he wanted 5x that amount to do the show.
I would love to see what happened on the island with Hurley in charge and Ben as his number two. I smell a spin-off; though Damon and Carlton will never talk about the show again. Maybe it will be like ST and 10+ years need to go by before they can pick it up again.
I was over on the E! website and they just posted that the season 6 DVD will have a bonus scene “it’s 12 or 14 minutes that opens a window onto that gap of unknown time between Hurley (Jorge Garcia) becoming number one and the end of the series.”
We are also suppose to find out what happened to Walt on the DVD. Just when you thought the waiting would be over. Hopefully you tube or hulu will also have the content as some time.
Grey’s was also a great final. I am kinda surprised that all the Mercy westers are gone except for one, but that was another final that I cried through. Poor Mer losing the baby. Will she tell Der she was even pregnant? Mer was finally a shiny happy person and what is this going to do to her?
I am glad Owen finally made his choice let’s hope he can stick with it now. He and Cris balance each other so nicely. They wrote a nice jumping off point for their next season.
It will also be interesting to see what happens when Bones comes back in the fall. It looks like they are going to jump a year into the future, unless something is going to happen to bring them all back together sooner.