LOST---The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Part IX

Another week spent in the Dharma Organization for Advanced Studies of Explorations on Lab Experiments Association yielded an exciting episode this week, and no matter what anybody says, it was a good episode. For those who are way familiar with LOST, there is no need to explain why. For those who are not way familiar, Benjamin Linus got shot and that was, by far, LOST’s most satisfying moment up until this point. While seeing a still innocent little boy get shot in the chest and possibly die probably should not excite any moral human being, the gratification could not be ignored or pushed away.

The good:

1. Benjamin Linus got shot! This does not mean that he is dead necessarily, but it is about time that at least one of the Losties came to their senses.

2. The LOST writers returned to the flashbacks in this week’s episode. The first two seasons of the show had the flashbacks being the main method of storytelling. It is one of the smarter methods employed by the show, and while the writers tend to be hit or miss regarding certain elements of the show like use of suspense and dialogue, one of the highest achievements continues to be the intelligent use of juxtaposition, not only between flashbacks and the present, but between different character plotlines as well.

3. The dialogue had another good showing this week. It was tense but interesting, and still retained the comedic flavoring it has been developing this season.

4. The suspense has gone down to different levels. This has been happening the last couple of weeks, but took a big dive this week. Though moments like Sayid’s confession and Ben getting shot were definitely suspenseful, they appeared at climax spots in the episode, whereas in previous weeks these types of moments have appeared at random. The reason this is a good thing is because the LOST writers are now using suspense as a driving force rather than a crutch.

The bad:

1. Every week, one of the performances on the show is untidy and/or simply bad. This week, it was Horace. Doug Hutchison’s performance during Sayid’s questioning and the discussion afterwards was bland and lacking honesty. If he was attempting to show Horace’s insecurities and/or his regret of torture, then he failed due to overacting.

The ugly:

1. In 1991, the novel Heir to the Empire was published and launched the Star Wars Expanded Universe out the gate(though technically it was not the first of its kind). This elevated Star Wars from just plain films and merchandizing to a full-blown franchise. Though George Lucas must consent to each and every new novel that comes out, he has been generous and highly respects the Expanded Universe. That being said, one of the smartest moves he made while filming the prequel series was establishing a firm wall between his story and the Expanded Universe story. Though he has snuck in a few Expanded Universe references into the films, like the name “Coruscant”, he has mainly kept the film and the franchise separated, and only allows the writers to expand off what he has created rather than creating their own storylines. This way, Star Wars fans of all kinds can enjoy the films their own way.
What I fear for LOST, and other shows and movies that are similarly buying into this “franchise” craze, is that they will not keep this separation. LOST, like Star Wars and a good deal of other things, has its own wiki. It also has its own fictional commercials. Other parts of the franchise include things like LOST 2.0 and the Dharma online short films, which originally referenced the Orchid. My concern is that eventually things will start appearing on the show that watchers will have to look up online to know and understand. That will make LOST a severely elitist show, to be enjoyed only by certain people. I am not saying that this is what is happening right now, or what will definitely happen. It is just a concern I want to voice.

As an individual episode, this week’s “He’s Our You” shined.

Ciao, and remember: there’s a Dharma for everything.

P.S. A driving force keeps people interested. A crutch merely keeps them occupied.