Lost: The 23rd Psalm So, did anyone on the island have a good relationship with their family before boarding that Oceanic flight? I'm beginning to think not, which might explain why this group has formed into one huge dysfunctional family out here in the wilderness.
This week, we delve into the background of Eko. At first, I feared they were going to make Eko into the Nigerian Tony Soprano and to some extent they did. His comment to the kid telling him that Eko let him live seemed like something right out of the Tony Soprano Book of Leadership (it's short cause Tony doesn't give away all his secrets....at least not and let you have kneecaps). But instead of just making Eko some mafia boss person, instead we got to see a bit more into who he was and what led him to become the man he is. He's yet another person on the island seeking redemption for his sins--whether real or perceived. I won't argue that Eko did some things before coming to the island that he could beat himself up for--such as gunning down the innocent old man to start the show. But it seems as if he has a lot more guilt about getting his brother killed when it seems as if the initial reason he killed a man was to save his brother. The pain on his face when his brother is shot and killed by the military showed that. In a way, Eko created the same fate for his brother that he intially tried to save him from. It just took a few more years for the final outcome to, tragically, occur.
Last year, I speculated that the island had this way of giving people what they needed. And I think we saw that here with Eko. Eko needed a way to forgive himself for his sins. So, the island provided him with the plane that had his brothers body as well as the statues full of heroin that he was smuggling out of the country. (Interesting to see Eko's code of ethics here--well, I should get them out of our country so our people don't use them, but forget the rest of the world...). Maybe I just don't know much about geography, but it seems to me that the plane would have to be WAY off course to get to where it crashed on the island. Of course, then again the Oceanic flight was way off course as well. Coincidence or are these two thinks linked somehow? (Wait, this is
Lost, there are no just coincidences).
Also of interest is that Eko is another person to face down the island and live. To see him go toe to toe with the giant black cloud of doom and stare it down was one of those cool moments on the show. It does make me wonder a bit though as to why the island seems to back off on some people but kill others. Thinking back to the pilot, the pilot was killed when he faced down the island but yet Locke, Eko and Jack have encountered the black cloud (I am presuming Locke encountered it back when he faced down the island) and lived to tell the tale. Thinking about it, I wonder if the pilot was at peace or had no inner demon to face down, hence why the island had no use for him and killed him. The rest of our island residents have something in their past they need to make peace with or move past and so the island has some way to get inside of their head as it were. Or I could just be overthinking this entire show here.
Meanwhile, in other areas of interest, life on the island continues forward. Kate cutes Sawyer's hair, Hurley seems to have a crush on Libby and Ana Lucia is given a fish by Jin. Interesting to see Jin reach out to Ana Lucia to make her part of the community. He may understand with her feeling of isolation becuase in a way he's isolated due to the language barrier between himself and the rest of the people on the island.
And Michael is IMing still with Walt and planning something. OK, I have to wonder--why would the Others let Walt out of their sight and near the computer to communicate with Michael like that? I just have to think that it's some kind of trap to lure Michael away from the main group for some reason. What is the Others' interest in him? Or is it just to kill him to sever that connection with Walt? Without a father to want to go back to, would Walt then slowly become part of their group and be part of whatever purpose they have for him?
Thankfully, we don't have to wait too long to maybe start finding out answers to these questions. Seriously, six weeks is way too long to go without new episodes during a season. That's back to season two
Buffy days when the WB went top heavy with new episodes and we had the huge gap from March to May with no new episodes....and yes, I'm still bitter.
The Shield: ExtractionSo, the new and possibly final season of
The Shield is upon us. I have to ask myself--why'd it take me so long to find this? How'd I miss that we had a lot of former
Angel scribes working on this show?!?
Whatever the reason, I'm catching up on the past four season (thank heavens for DVD) , but I have enough of an idea of what's going on from the season sets I've been watching that I can keep up and not feel too lost. I bet I'm missing a few nuances here and there, but overall, I feel confident I can figure it out.
That said, a strong season opener. Interesting that if this is to be the beginning of the end for Mackey that it would come now. A referendum for a half cent sales tax increase fails and the department is forced to do cutbacks, including putting Vic on early retirement. Now, having seen how Vic operates on the past, it's hard to imagine him leaving quietly. Also, he seems to have schemes within schemes going on that it will be hard to have tied up in four months. It makes me also wonder that since Vic rules with an iron fist if once he does retire if the district will go to hell in a handbasket. I'm not saying Vic is a force for good, so much as he keeps a sense of order. People within the district know who the top dog is and should Vic be forced to retire, does that create a power vacuum? Honestly, I don't think any of the rest of the strike team could rule in the same way Vic does.
But the web is starting to tighten around Vic. After years of trying to prove he's corrupt and failing, IED may have someone who can and will pursue it. Enter Lt Kavanagh, who tests for weakness by offering gum to people. Interesting that Acaveda refuses and sees through the games and manipulations while Connie doesn't. It does me make me wonder if in some ways Kavenaugh may not be a bit like Vic in that he manipulates everyone around him through secrets. lie and misdirections to get what he wants--in this case Vic. And Vic may not yet realize the net is tightening, though we got some nods to that here, where Vic acknowledged he doesn't have the friends in high places he used to.
I will admit I knew this show had me hooked when the closing credits came up and I wanted to hit the menu button and start the next episode. But then I remembered, this is the live season and not one on DVD. I'm so spoiled....
posted by Michael Hickerson at 1/12/2006 09:28:00 AM |
|
