Summing Up: Lost

Things have gotten pretty crazy since I last checked in with "Lost". The episode with Jack's bursting appendix was rather plodding, all save for the big finish ("Dad?" - Claire). Later on, the idea of moving the island is rather hokey and before the finale seemed like a pretty ridiculous idea. "Lost" isn't grounding itself in reality enough, and all the far-fetched sci-fi/fantasy stuff doesn't work as well as it should, in my opinion. The action on the freighter is much better to watch, but that's some scary stuff happening there with the violent and crazy Keamy killing off anything and anyone who gets in his way.

Now, to the finale. Part one which aired two weeks ago was fine but offered little in terms of actual, gratifying excitement. Mostly it was a "delay of game" to wait for things to get really exciting in part two & three (though they weren't quite that altogether exciting). Keamy really likes hitting people in the face with guns right before commercial breaks (see: Michael, Ben). I enjoyed the sudden appearance of Richard and his crew who most definitely outnumbered Kate and Sayid. As for the freighter, I was really worried that Desmond was going to blow up along with his fellow failed bomb-diffusers.

But then, part two and three came. It delivered several truly exciting moments, introduced some new shocking mysteries, and otherwise was a bit of a letdown. Going right in from the "previously on" segment from last season's finale to this one was a great move, and as awesome and dramatic it is hearing Kate yelling at Jack, there wasn't actually as much "horrible" stuff that occured on the beach as she continually claimed there was. I'm upset that Ben killed Keamy because it seems like he's always in control and to see him lose it so easily (obviously he had good reason, but he's always been so perfectly in control) is unfortunate. Did anyone else notice that the weapons Richard and his band of Others used to kill Keamy and his crew were just like those used to kill Rousseau and Carl? Could this be an indicator of the "terrible things" Locke claims will happen on the island? The Others in league with Widmore's people?

My two favorite scenes of the finale were the freighter's demise and the island moving. Desmond shouting and trying to wave the helicopter away was quickly replaced by a speedy exit minus a certain Korean cast member. Nice and dramatic, and should leave little doubt as to whether Michael and Jin are really dead. Although this is "Lost" and you never know. The last-minute appearance of the whispering Others and Christian on the freighter might indicate otherwise. While I found Ben's turning of that mystical-looking wheel to be a bit much, I did find the sequence with the island actually disappearing to work quite well. Now we have Daniel and those people in the boat alive as well, but with the exception of one Jeremy Davies, the rest of the passengers are just random filler people, so they couldn't possibly have any role in the next season, could they?

I'm excited about the future, especially with no-funny-business attitudes from Sayid and Sun, frantic notions from Jack and Hurley, and worried antics from Kate, but I don't know about this new direction. Them all having to go back, with Locke in the coffin (why the new name?) continues to make the show too hokey. I had always hoped that there would be an overarching explanation for the show that had little to do with supernatural phenomena, but now it seems far too intrisically linked to that kind of idea. Regardless, I do hope that next season will flashback to show us more of what happened between the moment of the opening of the coffin and the Oceanic Six's return to society. I'm sure I'll think of more to say, and may post it here later on.

Season grade: B-
Season finale: B-/B
Season MVP: Michael Emerson