"Lost": Saying Goodbye To Season Three, Part II

In Part I of our look at “Lost’s” Season 3 finale, we dug into some of the key issues facing the show heading into the offseason. Today, we examine the other major characters who will have a significant voice in determining the course of Season 4 – and beyond.


LOCKE

“This is not how it’s supposed to happen.” These are the words that John Locke uses as Jack is prepared to use the satellite phone to call for rescue. Locke looks pleadingly at Jack, hoping that he can appeal to Jack’s sense that something doesn’t feel quite right, that this is way too easy after way too long. Locke appeared to lend some credence to the importance of hearing him out after sticking a knife in Naomi’s kidney from half a football field away, but Jack has had enough of Locke’s erratic, mountain-man-like behavior and makes the call anyway. It is a very foreboding seen, with the jubilation of the survivors after rescue is promised juxtaposed with the crestfallen looks on the faces of both Locke and Ben.

We see Locke shake his head and disappear behind the radio tower as the other Losties celebrate, but what will happen from here is the source of frantic discussion and speculation. Will he lead an uprising against the rescuers, who appear to be potential usurpers of the island? Will he be forcibly sent back to the real world by the rescuers? Will his paralysis return and have him face a life back in his hated wheelchair? Or is he even the one in the mysterious coffin, who died off the island?

Locke didn’t even appear in the finale until nearly an hour in, as we see him lying in the mass grave after being shot by Ben. Thinking he’s paralyzed again, Locke loses it and clutches a gun, ready to commit suicide. The ghost of Walt – played by soon-to-be first overall NBA draft pick Greg Oden – suddenly appears, chastising Locke for his weakness and seriously announcing, “You have work to do.” If this “work” was to stop Jack from contacting the outside world, did he fail and will he retreat into being a recluse like Rousseau? It’s hard to fathom that we have heard the last of John Locke … especially since many theorize that the entire show revolves around the story of Locke.


SAWYER

Mostly a bit player in the two-hour finale, Sawyer’s drama revolved mostly around his shunning of Kate and his cold-blooded killing of Tom. He is unmistakably part of an odd love quadrangle taking place between himself, Kate, Jack and Juliet, but part of Sawyer appears to throw in the towel and give up the brief period of hope and optimism that seemed to permeate him when he and Kate were together. When Sawyer leaves to try to check on or save Sayid, Jin and Bernard, he is literally and figuratively trying to remove Kate from his life. The brutal, crass Sawyer returns when he verbally assaults Hurley, who wants to help in the return to camp to check on the above-mentioned trio, who had stayed behind to attack the Others. Sawyer sees that Kate loves Jack and vice-versa, and he reacts with the only weapon he has and has always turned to: escape.

Does the concealed anger beneath that perceived rejection lead him to murder Tom? After Hurley saves the day by ramming the van into the Others, Sawyer is casually having a beer when he confronts Tom. Even though Tom surrenders, Sawyer shoots him anyway, saying, “That was for taking the boy on the raft,” referring to the abduction of Walt and the subsequent shooting of Sawyer. When a mortified Hurley intones that Tom had surrendered, Sawyer says only, “I didn’t believe him.”

Some “Lost” fanatics believe that it is actually Sawyer who committed suicide and resides in the mysterious coffin, while others feel that he is the “he” mentioned by Kate in the final scene with Jack at the airport. Did he and Kate discover a relationship off the island? Did Sawyer go back to a real world that offers him no options, whether voluntarily or involuntarily? Or is he the much-discussed corpse that draws nobody to his funeral and leads to Jack’s nearly attempted suicide?

Sawyer’s marginal inclusion in wrapping up the show’s third year was mildly disappointing after he experienced a roller-coaster season – from playing swallow the Swan (hatch joke) with Kate to killing the man that destroyed his family – but his likely return as a major factor in Season 4 is cause for anticipation.


BEN

Do you get the feeling that Ben is in a long, downward slide that he can’t seem to get out of? As his leadership becomes questioned more often by Richard and others and his decisions appear to go awry more often than not, the pervasive assumption is that Ben’s reign as king of the island is dwindling to a close and that his future is uncertain at best.

He still has a penchant for shortcuts, however, as somehow, he and his daughter, Alex, take a leisurely hike up a mountain and beat Jack and the rest of the survivors – who had an enormous head start – to the radio tower. Perhaps the most meaningful scene that Ben has is when Alex pleads with him and asks him why he doesn’t just let the survivors leave, and he turns to her and seriously intones, “I can’t.”

The question of why he can’t allow that to happen will follow him into Season 4, especially after he asks Tom to kill Sayid, Jin and Bernard; is caught in a lie by Mikhail; is beaten to within an inch of his life by Jack; takes a rabbit punch from Rousseau while tied to a tree; has his power taken from him; and tries unsuccessfully to warn Jack not to use the satellite phone and screams that Naomi is not who they think she is.

Does Ben know his cancer will return if he is removed from the island? Does he know that if the rescuers represent the return of the Dharma Initiative that he so coldly destroyed, they’ll kill him slowly? Is he the mysterious dead body in the coffin? Does he somehow escape and go into hiding on the island? Does he call on some type of island powers that we don’t know about to save him? The image of a bloody, battered, scorned and whiny Ben tied to a tree doesn’t inspire much faith that he’ll be a key character in Season 4 … but he is still Ben and he must be reckoned with.


DESMOND AND PENNY

OK, if the rescue boat doesn’t belong to Penelope, then where is she? Everyone seems to be focused on the identity of the rescuers, but few people are asking where Penny is and how she has been able to make contact with the island. Chah-lie’s final message – “Not Penny’s Boat” – seemed to get through to Desmond, who we have to assume escaped the flooding hatch safely. What will he make of that message and how will he go about trying to find a way to re-establish the lines of communication and transmission with his lost love, Penny?

One theory is that Charles Widmore, Penny’s father, sent Naomi to “finish” Desmond because he had found out that Des was still alive by tracking his daughter’s search efforts. Does her father think so little of Desmond that he wants to beat her to finding him and end his life? Desmond returns to briefly save Chah-lie even after the hobbit delivers him a needless shot to the head with an oar, but does he also possess the resolve to track Penny to wherever she is transmitting from and perhaps even mount a counter-insurgency to whoever is on the rescue boat?

There is little doubt that Penelope and her patient search party will emerge as a very big part of the storyline next season. With Chah-lie out of the picture and the island in turmoil, the story of Des and Penny is sure to be an enormous aspect of the early part of Season 4.


ROUSSEAU AND ALEX

After 16 years, Danielle Rousseau is finally reunited with her daughter, Alex, again in the season finale. Somehow disturbingly, there is a poignant mother-daughter bonding-through-binding scene when they tie up Alex’s “father,” Ben. The duo of Danielle and Alex remain bit players in the series, but a key question will be whether they are among those “rescued.” During their walk to the radio tower, Rousseau is adamant in telling Jack that she won’t leave no matter what, saying, “This is my home now.” Will finally meeting Alex change that stance?

Rousseau has always been in the background, lurking in the jungle until a Lostie needs rescue or dynamite or a bad French accent. Will she be able to convince Alex and her boyfriend, Karl, to remain on the island or will she wish a better life for them? I don’t expect this duo to suddenly emerge as vital characters in Season 4 and beyond, but their story is one that will be essential to what actually happened when the rescue boat was ultimately contacted.


JACOB

Obviously, next to nothing is known about Jacob, so it is fun to throw far-fetched theories at this person or entity, hoping something sticks. Did Jacob send the flash-forward to Jack as a dream geared toward convincing Jack to not let them get rescued? Is Jacob simply a figment of Ben and Locke’s imagination? Is Jacob the embodiment of all the sins and sicknesses of the island and its inhabitants? Is Richard actually Jacob? Is Christian Shepard actually Jacob? Is Locke actually Jacob? Is Sanjaya actually Jacob?

Jacob was introduced almost solely to introduce a Pandora’s Box of questions for “Lost” viewers, to distract Locke for a Ben attack and to serve as a “man behind the curtain,” a technique used similarly in “Wizard of Oz” (obviously) and “Carnivale.” Will he or it eventually earn a more integral and important role than that? We are likely to find out sooner rather than later when Season 4 arrives.


MIKHAIL

The forbidden love child of Jack Bauer and Jason Vorhees, Mikhail has survived a massive electroshock from an enormous power fence, a spear gun to the chest and possibly a grenade exploding in his hand, so we must surmise that he could still be around to haunt the Losties in Season 4. However, even though he obeyed Ben’s order to kill the underwater hotties, his faith in Ben appears to be shaken at best and destroyed at worst.

After seeing Desmond in the boat, he follows Des down to the hatch and discovers Chah-lie, Greta and Bonnie, but when it is time to kill all three, he conveniently forgot why he was down there in the first place: Desmond. He survives Desmond’s speargun attack long enough to remove the spear, swim around with a grenade, taunt Chah-lie and (possibly) sacrifice himself in an effort to destroy the Looking Glass – and ultimately, make Desmond’s vision of Chah-lie’s death a reality.

Though whether Mikhail is still alive isn’t readily clear at the end of the season finale, he began to emerge as a more and more important element of the show as Season 3 progressed. Will he return again in Season 4 to repeatedly laugh at and bitch-slap the Grim Reaper? We shall see.


SAYID, JIN, HURLEY, JULIET, SUN, MICHAEL, WALT, BERNARD, ROSE, ETC.

The stalwarts like Sayid, Jin, Hurley and Sun deserve better than to be lumped into the end here, but they did not progress as characters this season and have basically regressed into one-dimensionality. What we know is that Jin dropped the ball in his part of the dynamite-shooting assault; he, Sayid and Bernard were ordered to be killed by Ben; they weren’t; and they were saved by Hurley. Everything else is up for grabs.

Sayid, Jin and Bernard killed seven Others, Hurley ran over another and Sawyer murdered Tom … but what will the repercussions be, both in terms of spiritually and in the context of the island? Bernard sings like a canary in giving up the location of the rest of the survivors, but he is let off the hook. The return of he and Rose and their humorous back-and-forth was welcomed after a season of silence, but what lies in store for them in Season 4? Will Rose’s cancer return if and when she returns to the real world?

Hurley was severely dismissed by Sawyer when he wants to join the expedition back to camp, with both characters returning to the familiar roles of bully and wimp. However, Hurley saves the day as we were left hanging, wondering whether Sayid, Jin and Bernard were truly killed or not.

What of Juliet? Her shocked face after Sawyer killed Tom made one wonder, if even for a moment, whether she wasn’t still working a countermove with the Others after all. Did she eventually get off the island? What became of her relationship with Jack? Did she remain on the island, and that’s one of the reasons why Jack is so intent to return in the flash-forward?

Ultimately, we have to assume that at least some of the Losties were “rescued” and taken off the island, in exchange for remaining quiet – at the very least, we see that Jack and Kate have returned to America. Now, we are led to believe that they have realized they left something undone, turned the island over to the wrong hands or sacrificed something in the rescue that wasn’t worth it in the long run. So what are they going to do about it? The answer to that query will remain one of the many developments we’ll have to wait for in the interminable time between now and the onset of Season 4. Stay tuned …


Lost Links

June 4, 2007: "Lost": Saying Goodbye To Season Three, Part I

May 10, 2007: "Lost": Harry Potter and the Zany, Mysterious Adventures of Moonlight Graham

April 24, 2007: "Lost": An Island Of Paradoxes

March 29, 2007: The Resurgence of "Lost"?

February 8, 2007: "Lost" V 3.5: Let The Games Begin

November 9, 2006: Mini-Season Makes For Long, Lost Winter Months

November 2, 2006: Vaya Con Dios, Mr. Eko

October 4, 2006: "Lost" In A Sea Of Questions

Trent To Find Out If It’s Easy Being Green In Miami

Mercifully putting an end to a three-month, drawn-out process that bordered on the ridiculous at times, the Miami Dolphins pulled the trigger on a deal that will bring them Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green. Miami blinked first in the stalemate, which was created when Kansas City general manager Carl Peterson went back on his word and cancelled an earlier deal for Green. In early March, he agreed to trade the signal-caller to Miami in exchange for a seventh-round pick, but he withdrew the offer after the trades of Atlanta quarterback Matt Schaub to Houston and Miami wideout Wes Welker to New England netted much more signicant compensation. Peterson, who cemented his reputation as a complete dildo throughout the process, decided that he would not accept less than a fourth-rounder for quite some time, and he refused to budge during the NFL Draft. After the parameters of the deal were negotiated through the media for a while, making both sides look bad, Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller and coach Cam Cameron uttered a collective sigh on Tuesday and agreed to a deal they didn’t love. Miami will send a conditional fifth-round pick to Kansas City, with the contingency that the selection will upgrade to a fourth-rounder if Green participates in 70 percent of the Dolphins’ offensive plays in 2007.

“The price for Trent Green was more than Miami was willing to pay, but in the end, Miami felt desperate,” wrote ESPN analyst and South Park’s Mr. Garrison lookalike John Clayton. “June had arrived and time to prepare for training camp was slipping away.” However, Clayton still said Miami came out the winners because of Green’s proven ability to put points on the board – crucial for a Dolphins team that hasn’t averaged 20 points per game since 2002.

So what does Miami get in Green? Despite the fact that the quarterback turns 37 next month, Green has been one of the league’s finest passers over the past six years, earning Pro Bowl nods in both 2003 and 2005 and racking up three straight 4,000-yard seasons from 2003-05. To put that in context, no Dolphins quarterback has thrown for even 3,000 yards since 2001. The 6-3, 217-pounder has thrown for 26,963 yards in his career, with 157 touchdowns, 101 interceptions and 107 starts in 112 games. He has compiled a 56-51 record as a starter after originally being selected in the eight round – a round that doesn’t even exist in the NFL Draft anymore – by the San Diego Chargers in 1993. After a year with the Chargers and another year in the CFL, Green spent four years with the Washington Redskins, two seasons with the St. Louis Rams and the last six with the Chiefs. The 14-year veteran started a Kansas City-franchise-record 80 straight games before suffering a horrific concussion in last year’s season opener and missing seven contests.

That concussion is what led to the bulk of the disagreements between the Dolphins and Chiefs in terms of compensation. Green’s 74.1 passer rating last year was his lowest since 2001 (71.1), and far off his career mark of 87.5. However, the Dolphins are betting that Green returns to form, while the Chiefs elected to go with last year’s second-round pick, Brodie Croyle, and veteran Damon Huard. Kansas City was leery of a 37-year-old quarterback who carried a $7.2 million price tag, but Green renegotiated a new deal with Miami months ago that will pay him around $4 million over three years, more in line with where he is at this stage of his career.

The ‘Fins needed a quarterback of the present to bridge the gap to their quarterback of the future – this year’s second-rounder, John Beck of BYU. Green is seen as a placeholder for (likely) two years while Miami grooms Beck as the heir apparent. The franchise thinks that Green can be a strong mentor for Beck, the first of the Dolphins’ two second-round selections in April. Miami aims to bring Beck – who they view as a younger version of Arizona Cardinals passer Kurt Warner – along slowly and would prefer to keep him off the field in 2007. Cleo Lemon, who recently inked a one-year deal for $1.3 million, is likely to be elevated to the backup position if and when Daunte Culpepper departs.

In more ways than one, Culpepper represents the proverbial elephant in the room. Not only has he gained a lot of weight while losing the mobility that made him one of the league’s top quarterbacks three years ago, but he is making noise that he will cause headaches for Miami after Green’s acquisition. He sent an e-mail to Dolphins beat writers last night saying that he had received clearance from noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews to resume practicing today. Keeping in mind that Culpepper acts as his own agent, it is in his best interest to feign a full recovery – like he did last year – even though his knee likely looks like a pot of burnt spaghetti at this point. As recently as last evening, he professed a willingness to let the competition play out upon Green’s arrival.

“My position on Trent is that the Dolphins should get the best players that they can and let them compete for the starting job,” Culpepper wrote. “I am preparing to practice unless you know something that I don’t.”

With some help from Dolphins management, however, he apparently had a change of heart this morning. Culpepper, who apparently sends more e-mails than a 12-year-old girl, wrote that Mueller and Cameron told him this morning that they are going in a “different direction” at quarterback. Displaying further evidence that Culpepper’s delusion extends off the field as well as on, he went on to say that he told Miami that he’s “not interested” in being traded.

“They would like to trade me in order to ‘get something for me,’” Culpepper wrote in the second e-mail. “They have told me throughout the offseason that I am under contract to the Dolphins. Therefore, it will be up to them to either keep me under contract or release me. In the meantime, I will continue to work out at the facility with the team and prepare myself for training camp, wherever it may be.”

Though the blame only partially lies with him, the reality is that Culpepper serves only as the perfect symbol of the pointless, illogical, doomed and subversive nature of the Nick Saban Era. He was the most significant of a number of nonsensical moves made by Saban, who chose to send a second-round pick to Minnesota for Culpepper instead of no compensation and a smaller contract to land Drew Brees. We all know how that turned out (buy me a beer and I’ll tell you how Brees cost not one, but two, Miami coaches their jobs even though he never played for the Dolphins). In his prime, Culpepper’s threat came as a playground quarterback – a guy who would either launch it as far as he could and trust that Randy Moss would go get it or tuck and run, daring defenders to challenge his 270-pound body in the open field. After major reconstructive surgery on his right knee after a horrible injury in Minnesota two years ago – and another surgery on that knee during the past season – Culpepper has next to zero mobility. The present-day Culpepper is an overweight, aging signal-caller with a slow release and nearly no ability to read defenses or elude the rush. He still has a strong arm, but so does Jeff George – and even Jeff George doesn’t command a $5.5 million salary. So who would be interested in Culpepper at that price in today’s market? The Barcelona Dragons. Maybe.

Assuming that Culpepper will be traded, released or forced to slash his salary dramatically, he won’t be a factor for the Dolphins in 2007 except to serve as a slightly humorous, slightly irritating distraction until he’s officially gone. So let’s get back to why Miami became so enamored with Green. Cameron worked with Green in 1995 and 1996, when Cameron served as Redskins quarterbacks coach while Green was one of the team’s signal-callers. Dolphins quarterbacks coach Terry Shea tutored Green in Kansas City for five of the past six years, including both of Green’s Pro Bowl campaigns. With Miami installing a similar offense with basically the same terminology, Green’s working knowledge of that attack combined with his familiarity with Cameron and Shea made him a perfect fit. He fits Cameron’s view of the offense much better than Culpepper; Green’s bread and butter is making fast decisions and getting the ball out quickly. Plus, he’s likely to have something of a chip on his shoulder – especially toward Peterson – considering the way the Chiefs hung him out to dry. Put that together with his age and experience, and theoretically he’s the perfect fit to help Miami bridge the gap between himself and Beck.

Obviously, there will be no match for Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, tailback Larry Johnson or the powerful Kansas City offensive line in Miami, but just what will Green have to work with? Green will walk into an offense that is led by a host of players who have yet to reach their full potential. Top wideout Chris Chambers has shown flashes of brilliance, but has yet to put together a complete season of high-level performance. On the other side of the field, Marty Booker is a more complete and professional receiver, but has struggled to stay healthy. First-round draft pick Ted Ginn Jr. is a raw prospect, but has the type of speed that has Cameron salivating as he rubs his fingers together and ponders ways to work him into the offense. New tight end David Martin is perceived to have a high ceiling after outperforming Bubba Franks in Green Bay of late. In his third year, it’s high time that tailback Ronnie Brown justifies his lofty selection as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft, while third-rounder Lorenzo Booker is eager to put a disappointing college career at Florida State in the rear-view mirror and prove he is all that most predicted him to be coming out of high school. The offensive line is still a heartburn machine, but the hope is that line coach Hudson Houck can work some magic and turn chicken shit into chicken salad.

The good news is that, barring an unforeseen problem with passing a physical, Green will arrive in time to take part in a three-day Dolphins minicamp that starts on Friday. He’ll be one of five Miami signal-callers on hand, but he’ll be able to start the process of getting comfortable with the Dolphins offense and personnel as training camp quickly approaches.

Green is poised to become the 11th Miami quarterback to start for the franchise since Dandy Dan Marino retired in 1999. If he can manage to put his uniform on without tearing a rotator cuff and don a helmet that doesn’t include a yarmulke, he’ll become the best Dolphins signal-caller in that span – but obviously that’s not saying much when you include the likes of Ray Lucas and A.J. Feeley. When you consider that Miami surrendered second-picks for both Feeley and Culpepper, the fifth-rounder for Green starts to look like a helluva bargain. We’ll find out for sure this fall, but for now it is good to have the Trent Green Sweepstakes in the past – and to finally follow a Dolphins team that appears to have a plan in place and a path to follow.

DOLPHINS LINKS

May 7, 2007: “Samoans Hate Drywall”

April 30, 2007: “Drinking Ginn In Dolphins War Room Leads To Horrific First-Round Pick”

January 22, 2007: “Look Dad, Big Ben … Parliament … Ricky Williams?!”

January 10, 2007: “Geaux To Hell, Saban!”

January 3, 2007: “Saban Leaves As A Loser, Weasel”

January 3, 2007: “Saban, We Hardly Knew Ye … But We Knew Ye Well Enough”

October 26, 2006: “Of Coaching, Qui-Gon Nick Knows Not … Of … Not … Or Something”

"Lost": Saying Goodbye To Season Three, Part I

Despite a commercial roughly every six minutes, the two-hour season finale of "Lost" was heart-thumping every step of the way, throwing an enormous curveball at the end with a tension-filled rendezvous between Jack and Kate in a possible future. The title of the finale, "Through the Looking Glass," points to the question of whether Jack’s alternate reality (post-island) is really a dream, tying into the "Alice in Wonderland" theme. Is the ultimate query whether meddling in the courses of destiny and time brings dire consequences along with it? With the series starting back in February ’08 and running through 2009-10, the writers have 48 episodes remaining to resolve a variety of plot lines.

The finale dealt primarily with the potential rescue of the survivors, Chah-lie’s death, Kate’s love triangle, and Jack’s past, present and future. Since these issues are the likely keys to Season 4, we’ll examine these plot lines in Part I. In Part II, I’ll take a look at Locke, Ben, Sawyer and the remaining survivors, and how their roles might impact the course of the series next year.


JACK

The finale began with a glimpse of a disheveled Jack, bearded and rundown, preparing to attempt suicide after reading a newspaper clipping that appeared to be an obituary of someone close to him. Immediately, questions of whether this was a flashback or flashforward emerged, with Jack once referencing his dead father, Christian. Is it possible that Christian Shephard – Jack’s father, as well as Claire’s – is still alive in an alternate future? After all, Christian’s coffin was empty when Jack found it on the island in Season 1. Of course, another explanation could be that Jack is so banged-up on alcohol and Oxycontin that he has forgotten about his father’s death and even hallucinating.

At the last moment, Jack’s suicide attempt is thwarted by a car accident, and the doctor in him won’t allow him to jump off the bridge without trying to help the victims. He saved an 8-year-old boy and his mother, but it is later revealed that he isn’t a hero, since he, in effect, caused of the wreck because the driver was distracted by seeing him getting ready to leap to his death. Jack’s ex-wife, Sarah, visits him after the accident, but she refuses to even give him a ride home from the hospital.

Jack’s apartment is littered with maps of the Pacific, and when he meets Kate at a deserted location near the airport in the last scene of the finale, he mentions how he uses a "Golden Pass" to fly places as often as he can, hoping for a crash and a return to the island. Does he feel he made a deal with the devil and can’t stand what he sacrificed to get himself – and, presumably Kate and possibly others – off the island? Were the survivors given rescue off the island in exchange for keeping quiet about the island’s existence and never trying to return – is this the root of Jack’s guilt complex? Maybe some of them had to change their names and identities because of the report that Flight 815 was discovered and there were no survivors, and the fact that there was such a dismal funeral in a forgotten part of town with no attendees made Jack reconsider whether it was all worth it. Jack says, "We were not supposed to leave," echoing Locke’s warning just before Jack makes contact with the rescuers by using the satellite phone. "We have to go back," he continues. Also, many have pointed out that Jack is using a KRAZR cell phone in the flash-forward – does time move at a different pace on the island vs. off?

As humorous, pitiful and sad as bearded, alcoholic Jack on Oxy is in the future, island Jack is beset by doubts and events beyond his control. After he is led to believe that Ben had Sayid, Jin and Bernard killed, Jack beats the tar out of Ben and then tells Tom he’s going to find him and kill him. But he doesn’t let Locke’s intervention and killing of Naomi stop him from ultimately contacting the rescue boat and igniting a series of events that apparently led to a departure from the island.

On the island, he finally admits to Kate that he loves her, but their final-scene meeting appears to be illicit and uncomfortable. So how did Jack arrive at a place where he is a suicidal addict? Who is he seeking forgiveness from as he is about to leap to his death? Will Season 4 address Jack’s quest to return to the island to set things right and bring destiny back in line?


KATE

As disheveled and chaotic as Jack looked, Kate defined the other end of the spectrum, looking like a trophy wife in a brand-new Volvo. It is almost as if they have switched places in the future; prior to the plane crash, Jack was a successful, respected doctor, even if he had issues with his father. Meanwhile, Kate was a career criminal and fugitive, dogged by a series of bad decisions and cold-hearted moves. After their rescue, Jack is out of control, while Kate appears to be well off and no longer a fugitive. Are they Bizarro Jack and Bizarro Kate now?

There is a theory that posits that Kate is simply humoring Jack off the island, and that she never actually was on the island or doesn’t remember it, thinking Jack the addict is imagining or hallucinating it all. When Jack asks her if she went to the funeral with the mysterious coffin, she gives a perplexed look and says, "Why would I?", leading some to believe that she doesn’t know the deceased. However, when Jack wearily says that he is "tired of lying," Kate admonishes him and says they need to keep lying, seeming to ruin that theory. At the very least, Jack appears to have broken some kind of trust with Kate; was that a result of how they left the island and the circumstances surrounding it, or because of how he has slid into addiction?

The other burning question is who is the "he" that Kate mentions as having to go back to before "he" starts to wonder where she is. Is she was Sawyer off the island? Is it a son that she had after being impregnated by Sawyer on the island? Did she agree to be rescued because she knew that babies on the island don’t survive? Was removal of her fugitive status another condition of her rescue? She’s not wearing a ring, so she doesn’t seem to be married. Sawyer once told her she "always has to go back for somebody," but does having her own child allow her to turn her back on that inner trait?

Is the identity of "he" another question that will help drive Season 4? Was the disparity in appearance between Jack and Kate a reflection of the true toll that the island took on them, both physically and mentally? Will Kate ultimately aid Jack in his obsession with returning to the island, or accept her new life and go her separate way?


NAOMI AND THE RESCUE BOAT

Ben is certain that Naomi is not who Jack and the rest of the survivors think she is, and that certainly appears to validated when Locke kills (maybe?) Naomi and then Penny admits that the rescue boat is not hers. If we accept that that’s the case, however, who owns the boat and rescues the Losties?

Is it the return of the Dharma Initiative, which was apparently killed off the island by Ben and a rogue band of island dwellers? Are they bent on revenge and taking control of the island once again? Is it someone else interested in exploiting the mysterious gifts that the island appears to possess? Who is or was Naomi after all? Why is Locke sure enough of her betrayal that he nails her with a knife from 75 feet away?

And why is this rescue portrayed as such a dark and evil thing? Do Locke and Ben feel or know that having everyone leave the island will bring back all the afflictions that affected them before – such as Ben’s cancer, Locke’s paralysis, Rose’s cancer, Jin’s impotence, etc.?

In addition, who actually leaves the island on the rescue boat? We have to assume that Locke remains, since we see him fleeing the scene after Jack makes contact on the satellite phone – which rang and rang and rang before someone finally picked it up. Rousseau stated her refusal to leave earlier, but could she convince her new-found daughter, Alex, to stay? Will Ben be allowed to stay; if it is Dharma that is returning, will he be punished for leading an uprising against the initiative years before? What is to become of the rest of the Others, plus the children?


THE COFFIN

Perhaps no aspect of the season finale has been more hotly debated than who resides in the coffin. The identity of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding his or her death appear to be crucial issues that could determine the course of Season 4 and beyond.

The obituary is apparently from the April 5, 2007, edition of the Los Angeles Times. It has been pointed out that that date is the 13th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s suicide, which may have been why "Sentimental Apprentice" from Cobain’s band, Nirvana, was playing as Jack drove to the funeral home. Others have picked up on the fact that the funeral home is in a predominantly black neighborhood as being a significant detail, combining it with the apparent tidbit in the article that says the deceased had a teenage son to make the assumption that it is Michael in the coffin. Also, Michael apparently was approached by the producers of "Lost" to return for the finale and declined, which could make his death a convenient turn of events for a variety of reasons. Kate’s ambivalence toward the death would appear to back up this theory, but would Jack react so emotionally to the news that Michael – a traitor – had died?

Bloggers and diehards have frantically attacked the screen image of the newsprint, trying to make out words and information. The obituary appears to describe a suicide, with someone hanging from a beam in a loft in New York. Some fervently believe that it is Locke who has passed away, and Jack is despondent because he saw Locke as a way back to the island. Others feel that it is Ben in the coffin, and that Jack feels responsible as a doctor because Ben’s cancer returned after he was removed from the island. Still others have posited that it may be a new, future character named Jeremy Bentham.

The coffin is held in the Hoffs-Drawlar funeral parlor, and Jack is the only attendee who came at all. Hoffs-Drawlar is an anagram of "flashforward," but beyond that, the question of who is in the coffin – and the repercussions and ripples of that death – is the biggest mystery of the finale.


CHARLIE

A discussion of the Season 3 finale wouldn’t be complete without touching on the final demise of Chah-lie. For a few moments, it appeared as if Desmond’s vision of Charlie’s death was going to be rendered unnecessary after all, with Charlie even muttering happily, "So much for fate." However, "Lost’s" own Jason Vorhees, Mikhail, appears with a hand grenade to blow up the Looking Glass. Charlie sacrifices his own life to apparently save that of Claire and Aaron, even though it seemed as if he could have escaped along with Desmond.

Just before he dies, and after duplicating a Beach Boys tune to turn off the frequency and allow transmissions, he makes contact with Penelope Widmore, who tells him that the rescue boat reportedly residing 80 miles off the coast of the island isn’t hers. Charlie’s final act is to write "Not Penny’s Boat" on his hand and show it to Desmond through the door glass to let him know that it may be a trap.

This dying message has led to the question of whether Charlie is ultimately redeemed at the end of the show. After all, he gives up his own life to save his true love and her child, then shields Desmond from the blast and passes along the crucial information about the boat. He makes the sign of the cross at the end, but even that is done left-handed, showing that, even in death, Charlie can’t quite seem to get it right.

It did seem odd that Charlie was willing to take a beating from the underwater hotties, Greta and Bonnie, only to tell them about Juliet’s betrayal, opening up the possibility that the entire plan could be ruined before it started.

Despite some questions about what actually was learned and transpired in the Looking Glass and in the course of Charlie’s death, the end of his story arc was well-written and emotional. The question of whether he will begin to appear as a kind ghost from time to time – like Walt – remains to be seen, but it does seem that Charlie’s death will forever be linked to what happens to and between Desmond, Penelope, Claire and Aaron from here going forward.

Click here for Part II …

Lost Links

May 10, 2007: "Lost": Harry Potter and the Zany, Mysterious Adventures of Moonlight Graham

April 24, 2007: "Lost": An Island Of Paradoxes

March 29, 2007: The Resurgence of "Lost"?

February 8, 2007: "Lost" V 3.5: Let The Games Begin

November 9, 2006: Mini-Season Makes For Long, Lost Winter Months
November 2, 2006: Vaya Con Dios, Mr. Eko

October 4, 2006: "Lost" In A Sea Of Questions

Limerick Friday XXXII: NBA = Not Basketball Anymore

Contrary to what Zhao has to say
Absolutely unwatchable is the NBA
Flopping and touch fouls are the norm
Teams score 80 points and think it’s an offensive storm
I’d rather watch Tony Austin sing and on a mini-court play

As June rolls around, can’t you see
It’s already summer in fair Raleigh
Hotter than Cheney’s stolen wig
Makes you crave Gatorade to swig
Inside a cubicle ain’t exactly where you want to be

Pirate Master debuted with no ratings prayer
It’s just like Survivor except even gayer
I couldn’t believe that Christian Okoye is on there
Was wondering what ever happened to the Nigerian Nightmare
All that was missing was Shrek – did you know he attended Strayer?

Are we really thinking of attacking Iran?
Did Ollie North come up with this plan?
For some reason, the most-hated president of all-time
Trying to make one more dumb move with no reason or rhyme
Is it too late to impeach or is that something else W was able to ban?

Mr. Magee once wore a bushy ‘stache
Looked like Sonny Bono (pre-skiing crash)
He was constantly within a week of a mullet
Thought the Cowboys were No. 1 with a bullet
Kissed so much Kya butt he got a brown rash

Limer-inks

Limerick Friday I

Limerick Friday II

Limerick Friday III

Limerick Friday IV

Limerick Friday V

Limerick Friday VI

Limerick Friday VII

Best of … Limerick Friday

Limerick Friday IX

Limerick Friday X

Limerick Friday XI

Limerick Friday XII

Limerick Friday XIII

Limerick Friday XIV

Limerick Friday XV

Limerick Friday XVI

Limerick Friday XVII

Limerick Friday XVIII

Limerick Friday XIX

Limerick Friday XX

Limerick Friday XXI

Limerick Friday XXII

Limerick Friday XXIII

Limerick Friday XXIV

Limerick Friday XXV

Limerick Friday XXVI

Limerick Friday XXVII

Limerick Friday XXVIII

Limerick Friday XXIX

Limerick Friday XXX

Limerick Friday XXXI: Chewbacca Defiles The Think Tank

Casually dropped a grumpy in the middle of a meeting one time
Heartbroken by an account manager who looked like Fred Dryer in his prime
Unlucky in love made her unleash a forlorn Wookie roar
Then she chased poor Jud all the way to his front door
He called the cops to say, “Linda Tripp’s in my driveway sipping Zima and lime”

Another Guru.com project that made me shake my head
“Knowledge of SEO and keyword density necessary,” it said
Wanted a content developer for an adult dating site
Shady as hell like MSI clients for whom we used to write
Such topics led to the first Pat-Literace meeting in bed

A “Lost” season finale to make your head spin
Now it’s several months of questions again
Who took over the island from Ben the Other?
What became of Penny and Desmond, brother?
Was surprised the character of Walt was portrayed by Greg Oden

Misunderstood Ricky couldn’t lay off the weed
So it’s another tailback the Dolphins do need
Where’s Cecil Collins when things go wrong?
Somewhere passing Sammy Smith a bong
Don’t fumble the bong water is the advice to heed

Wishes for a terrific Memorial Day I send
As summer lies just around the bend
Hope for waves that are more curl than foam-y
Have a few beers and pour one out for your homey
Do what it takes to enjoy a great holiday weekend

Limer-inks

Limerick Friday I

Limerick Friday II

Limerick Friday III

Limerick Friday IV

Limerick Friday V

Limerick Friday VI

Limerick Friday VII

Best of … Limerick Friday

Limerick Friday IX

Limerick Friday X

Limerick Friday XI

Limerick Friday XII

Limerick Friday XIII

Limerick Friday XIV

Limerick Friday XV

Limerick Friday XVI

Limerick Friday XVII

Limerick Friday XVIII

Limerick Friday XIX

Limerick Friday XX

Limerick Friday XXI

Limerick Friday XXII

Limerick Friday XXIII

Limerick Friday XXIV

Limerick Friday XXV

Limerick Friday XXVI

Limerick Friday XXVII

Limerick Friday XXVIII

Limerick Friday XXIX

Limerick Friday XXX

Wave Of Ho-Hum Wipes Out “24” As Season Dog-Paddles To Close

After the end of yet another far-fetched season of “24,” the show took on a melancholy, overly dramatic tone, with a reeling Jack Bauer gazing numbly off a cliff at the ocean before the fade. Was he contemplating suicide after losing killing his father and losing yet another love interest? Was he wondering if Audrey’s father was dead on when he said that everyone that Jack touches is either killed or ruined? Was he thinking about doing a triple-lindy off the cliff, sticking the landing on the top of a wave and walking across the ocean to stop a volcanic eruption near Iwo Jima?

Early on this season, the show began hitting new levels of ridiculousness, seemingly in an attempt to differentiate this “day” from all the others. The season settled into an entertaining, if familiar, plot, throwing viewers a bone by digging a little deeper into Jack’s upbringing and the odd family dynamics that have edged him closer to monster than human. After all, we’re talking about a man who had to kill a friend, torture his brother, come on to his sister-in-law and assist in the murder of his father in the span of a single day … paging Dr. Freud?

The two-hour finale was somewhat predictable, with the occasional spectacular special effect thrown in. There were also some unintentional-comedy scenes interspersed with the tension, such as Jack and his father sharing a Darth Vader-Luke Skywalker moment, where they both are jolted by the arrival of a furrowed brow and stare off into the distance, in the direction of one another. The consternated looks and abrupt gazes harken back to when Luke and his father felt each other’s minds in Empire Strikes Back. In another scene, Jack is swimming back to shore after leaping off a helicopter’s ladder when he is crushed by a wave near the shore. Here’s a guy who is a cold-blooded assassin, sharpshooter, top-notch communications expert, international politics expert, accomplished linguist, heartbreaker, pilot of 20 different kinds of vehicles … it’s good to know that he has one minor flaw – he can’t bodysurf worth a shit.

Similarly to “Lost,” “24” occasionally suffers from an overabundance of relevant characters, though it does a fairly good job of killing them off at times. In this season, we were often left to wonder what happened to Gary Payton look-alike and President Wayne Palmer after he suffered another brain seizure; what took place with the previous President after he was stabbed in the neck by his crazy ex-First Lady; what the story was with Audrey, who was only cursorily addressed in the season’s final moments; and where the crikey hottie daughter Kim was all day long?

There were a few storylines that were seemingly unearthed to possibly set up and lead into next season, such as Chloe’s pregnancy, the strange appearance and disappearance of Milo’s brother, and Jack’s impending crossroads decision. Is it possible that the Chloe and Milo’s brother backstories are related? How did Chloe seemingly know him so well? Who is really her baby daddy – her ex-husband (how did Chloe get married and divorced so quickly)? Milo’s brother? Jack? Lisping Edgar? The Russian premiere? And what about Jack’s nephew-son? Are they setting him up to be the heir apparent to Jack after he had the stones to shoot his grandfather? How big of a variable will he be in the next season?

The question for “24” legitimately becomes, “How can we possibly fill two more seasons of a show that is losing viewers faster than panties disappearing in a Brit-pari-dsay limo?” And further, “How can we make the show original enough again to placate our faithful viewers while expanding the audience base to include newcomers?” I mean, Jack defies so many orders that he’s to the point where he aims his gun at colleagues and coworkers more often than at the enemy … how many times is this going to be deemed “just Jack being Jack”? In addition, is Bill Buchanan really going to get a free pass after assaulting two CTU agents, stealing a helicopter and attacking an enemy against Presidential order – AFTER he’d already been fired?! The lack of accountability was seemingly justified in previous seasons, but the screw-the-bureaucracy mentality on this day was taken to new, defiant, anarchistic levels. How many times can these people go “off the reservation” before they wake up scalped and drunk in an Indian casino?

The finale appeared to suggest that Jack was ready to take stock of his life and consider a stark departure from what had led him, literally and figuratively, to the edge of the cliff. Yet it felt like a scene we had seen before – like at the end of just about every other season of “24.” In that respect, the ending didn’t make a whale of a lot of sense, but the show has been creeping in that direction for a couple of years now. It seemed to be a fresher, more creative series when it was on a year-to-year leash, but with the announced extension through 2009, it certainly seemed to lose a lot of steam this season in particular.

At the end, Jack, in a rare moment of sarcasm, tells Audrey’s father that he’s “pretty good” at killing and disappearing. But as a producer of the show itself, he’ll have to be pretty good at making a leopard change its spots in order to make “24” relevant again.

Peyote, Bus Drivers and Asbestos: The Final Days Of “The Sopranos”

“I’m a good guy … basically.”

Amidst the boiling tension and gathering storm clouds that have permeated the final handful of episodes of one of the landmark shows in the history of television, Tony Soprano emerged from a frightening slide into an unavoidable destruction long enough to utter a statement that perfectly sums up the entire series. He has long blamed everyone but himself for his wrongdoings, seemingly trying to convince himself that he is doing everything in his power to live the right way. Yet the “basically” – interjected almost as an aside after a pregnant pause – gives him the leeway to recognize the truth that he is fatally flawed.

As the end quickly approaches, Tony is ultimately revealing himself to have few, if any, redeeming qualities, which is disturbing and problematic for the viewer because the entire core of the show is based around asking the audience to empathize with someone who is the definition of an unsympathetic figure. We have been asked to identify with and process our feelings for a brutal and fractured individual – and by extension, we are led to question what it is that lies within us that allows us to possess any positive justification surrounding Tony. It’s almost as if we are being called on the carpet for being able to feel anything but disgust for Tony, which is one of the reasons why the final season has become so uncomfortable and difficult to watch at times. Yet, despite all of that, why do we still have a painful sense of foreboding for Tony as we watch his undeniable downfall and all that he has created slowly slip away?

How can the same man fiercely protect his daughter’s sensibilities—but to the point where he pulls an “American History X” move on one of the henchmen of his biggest rival? How can the same man treat one of his captains, Christopher Moltisanti, like a son for his entire life, then coldly give up on him and kill him in the aftermath of a car accident? How can the same man stop his son’s suicide attempt and see so many of the same psychological problems within him, yet still berate and belittle him afterwards? How can the same man so painstakingly create a structured mob organization, yet possess no ability to halt or even limit the headstrong, impulsive actions that will give him short-term satisfaction while threatening everything in the long term? Yet even as we shake our heads at Tony’s self-destructive behavior, there is something attractive about his upholding of the “code” surrounding this culture. For every offense or misstep, there is an understood level of meted-out justice, a countermove aimed at forever keeping the balance between action and punishment. Seeing this code in black and white – even as Tony beats Coco within an inch of his life – is somehow welcoming, understated in its effectiveness, especially in a society where justice is so often unjust.

But we are also asked to consider what the impact is of living your life within a cocoon of violence. Does it lead to a separation between fantasy and reality? When Tony kills Christopher, it feels almost like a dream sequence, something that would jar Tony awoke in the comfort of his own bed. But it actually happened, creating a temporary distance between the action and the audience as we attempt to process what happened and all the ripples it will create, even as the show hurtles forward. We are given no time to feel shock or outrage … the show, like life, speeds on. Part of the denouement in these final episodes has been that many aspects of the action appear to be dream-like in context and nature, yet are actually taking place and severely impacting and affecting what comes next and decisions that loom down the road.

And what is the toll that this lifestyle takes on the family dynamic? A.J.’s aborted suicide attempt finally turns Carmela against Tony, possibly forever. Combine that with the part of Italian culture that leads Tony to be offended by and embarrassed by the failures of his eldest son and a scenario has been created where A.J.’s similarities to his father could ultimately bring down the family – and “the family.” These changes were reflected in the reality that most of this episode took place in therapists’ rooms; this undoubtedly could have been called “The Therapy Episode.” Increasingly, depression and the accompanying truth that we pay for what we do in one way or another are depicted almost as another character in the show. This idea is brought home when Dr. Melfi’s shrink suggests—citing “studies”—that talk therapy actually encourages and validates sociopaths, basically saying that Dr. Melfi’s treatment of Tony isn’t helping; that, it is, in fact, enhancing his violent tendencies while hastening his downfall. In a group session, A.J.—who has almost become humorous now, thanks to his complete absorption and adoption of social causes and sympathies—reveals that his grandmother, Tony’s mother, described life as “all a big nothing” to him as a child. She told A.J. that, ultimately, “you die in your own arms” … this from the woman who tried to have her own son killed. Is this proof that we have come full circle with this show as the end nears?

With just two episodes remaining, opposing boss Phil Leotardo looms, out of control, on a vengeful power trip that can only end very badly as he increasingly challenges Tony. For Tony, all the deaths are piling up at the edge of his conscience, figuratively like the asbestos waste dumped at the edge of the New Jersey marsh land as a result of a petty disagreement between him and Phil. Meanwhile, Carmela broods in silence, A.J. resides in a mental hospital under observation, Meadow pursues romance with the son of one of Tony’s captains, and his own crew, in many ways, is still reeling from the losses of Christopher, Vito Liberace and Furio. All of these variables lend to the stifling atmosphere, rife with violence, that lies just beneath the surface of everything, pervading every word and action in the show.

Despite all the outside influences and factors, the conclusion is still a personal one for Tony. He is frantically trying to derive some final meaning out of life, one that appeared to be within his grasp after he was shot, before slipping away. He tries peyote in the desert, searching for signs, wanting to believe that he saw something revealing on his trip. He wants so badly to prove his mother’s message wrong, to rid himself of the feeling of isolation that haunts his every step. For whom can he trust? Who can he turn over responsibility and authority to? Who will eventually take his place as head of the family? Every attempt to groom a successor is met with exasperation. Christopher, the heir apparent, was pulled in 20 different directions and dogged by drug abuse; brother-in-law Bobby Bacala is domesticated, without a killer instinct; Paulie Walnuts is basically a buffoon who doesn’t take anything seriously; his consigliere, Silvio Dante, is just a details man; and A.J. is pursued by his own demons, even if Tony wanted to involve him in “the life.” So Tony continues to scramble for answers, even as the observer recognizes that everything is crumbling down around him.

One of the final scenes of the last episode showed Tony in a session with Dr. Melfi, trying to articulate some truth he feels he’s unearthed. He said that mothers are just like bus drivers, and their children go wrong by spending their lives trying to get back on the bus after being dropped off—instead of just letting it go. It was a remarkably lucid thought for Tony; does it represent the clarity that he has sacrificed so much to pursue? As with everything else in “The Sopranos,” the answer is likely both yes and no.

Basically.

Limerick Friday XXX: The Heffernans Have Left The Building

The “King of Queens” series finale had me feeling blue
One of my top three shows of all time, this is true
Kevin James is undoubtedly a stitch
If he does movies, I hope there are no more like “Hitch”
In difficult times, I’ll always ask myself, “What Would Arthur Spooner Do?”

Is Chah-lie going to be “Lost” in the ocean deep?
Will he die so Claire and Aaron can escape the heat?
But christ, did he have to hit Desmond with a freaking oar!?
Couldn’t he have just said, “I feel strongly about diving to the ocean floor”?
Lastly, shouldn’t he be able to swim fast as hell with those ginormous hobbit feet?

On contract out at Tekelec
Stuck me next to the Indian Help Desk
Makes me want to have some curry
Or maybe a strawberry Slurpee
Funny to hear someone from Delhi translating to Redneck

Season finales abound
A long summer, the corner’s around
Time for crappy reality shows
Forgot how much “Big Brother” blows
Nothing great like “What About Brian” to be found

Working back on Perimeter Park
Brought back MSI memories, some light, some dark
Nostalgia leaves some with a heavy heart
The key is trying to recall at least one good part
Remember that Shrek look-a-like, proud Strayer alum Mark?

Limer-inks

Limerick Friday I

Limerick Friday II

Limerick Friday III

Limerick Friday IV

Limerick Friday V

Limerick Friday VI

Limerick Friday VII

Best of … Limerick Friday

Limerick Friday IX

Limerick Friday X

Limerick Friday XI

Limerick Friday XII

Limerick Friday XIII

Limerick Friday XIV

Limerick Friday XV

Limerick Friday XVI

Limerick Friday XVII

Limerick Friday XVIII

Limerick Friday XIX

Limerick Friday XX

Limerick Friday XXI

Limerick Friday XXII

Limerick Friday XXIII

Limerick Friday XXIV

Limerick Friday XXV

Limerick Friday XXVI

Limerick Friday XXVII

Limerick Friday XXVIII

Limerick Friday XXIX

A Very Special “Grey’s Anatomy”: McAlero Goes Off To Nursing School

Occasionally, a project originates from Guru.com, drifts through cyberspace and eventually reaches my desk. Some are serious, some are whimsical, some are challenging, some are paint-by-numbers, some are lucrative, some squeeze a nickel ‘til the buffalo shits. And then, one appears that makes it all worthwhile …

“Profile ID: xxxxxx matches...
Title: My daughter
Project ID: xxxxxx

Category: Writing / Editing / Translation
Description:

I am looking for someone who can write a poem or a song about my daughter. She is graduating this year from high school. She played basketball and softball in high school. her nick name is pumpkin. she just bought a oldsmobile alero. I think I would like to include some of her friends names. She is planning on going to college for nursing. I always call her my hero. She has a pet cat and dog.”

I heard your call, Melancholy Mother, as your fragile bird prepares to leave the nest. And I’ve decided to bestow to ye one limerick and one haiku … on the house:


I remember the first time you played basketball when you were just wee
To think that you’re almost a nurse now makes my heart fill with glee
Did I ever tell you that you’re my hero
As your hair blows in the wind outside your new Alero?
You’re my pumpkin – and you’re out of your gourd if you don’t believe you’ll always be

Hero to me, pets
Future nurse, sweet Alero
Gentle pumpkin, mine


Good luck, Anonymous, Gender-Confused Alero Girl Whose Mom Doesn’t Think She Has Any Friends – to you I say godspeed.

Limerick Friday XXIX: Long Live The City Of Big Shoulders

Took a trip to the amazing Windy City
Watched the Cubs win in quaint ol’ Wrigley
Walked the Magnificent Mile down Michigan Avenue
Had some deep dish and a little bratwurst, too
Saw all the incredible things that Chicago has to see

Pushing back basketball’s three-point line
Eliminating football’s dumbass rules for time
The NCAA is actually doing some smart things
Instead of just helping the big programs get more rings
If they can just put EZU on probation, we’ll be fine

“Lost” is cranking up for a memorable finale
How many will be killed off in the final tally?
Locke’s missing a kidney and lying in a pit
Chah-lie the Hobbit’s nine lives are just about gone to shit
If Sayid gets the ax, I’ll pour out a Slurpee and say, “Gollee!”

Tony Blair’s time running Britain is coming to a close
Londoners finally realized that the Prime Minister has no clothes
Seven years bending over for Bush must have been enough
I guess having tea and crumpets every day, it’s hard to look tough
Maybe a new UK leader will finally keep our next President on his toes

Casie’s more than a little pissed about “Grey’s Anatomy”
Word is they’re pushing a spinoff like “Three’s Company’s” Mr. Furley
Addison is unquestionably a stunning redhead
Meredith seems to know her way around a bed
But for my money they’re ain’t no hotter network hottie than Izzy

Limer-inks

Limerick Friday I

Limerick Friday II

Limerick Friday III

Limerick Friday IV

Limerick Friday V

Limerick Friday VI

Limerick Friday VII

Best of … Limerick Friday

Limerick Friday IX

Limerick Friday X

Limerick Friday XI

Limerick Friday XII

Limerick Friday XIII

Limerick Friday XIV

Limerick Friday XV

Limerick Friday XVI

Limerick Friday XVII

Limerick Friday XVIII

Limerick Friday XIX

Limerick Friday XX

Limerick Friday XXI

Limerick Friday XXII

Limerick Friday XXIII

Limerick Friday XXIV

Limerick Friday XXV

Limerick Friday XXVI

Limerick Friday XXVII

Limerick Friday XXVIII

“Lost”: Harry Potter and the Zany, Mysterious Adventures of Moonlight Graham

As “Lost” careens its way toward a scintillating final three hours of Season 3, the writers are making more and more references to pop culture:

 “Harry Potter”: Young Ben looks disturbingly like Harry’s doppleganger
 “Wizard Of Oz”: Last night’s episode was titled “Man Behind The Curtain”
 “Field Of Dreams”: Ben’s mother disappears into the shrubbery like the 1919 White Sox
 “Blair Witch Project”: Ben converses with an invisible enemy, Jacob, who terrorizes Locke
 “Sixth Sense”: people keep seeing ghosts, like Ben seeing his long-dead mother
 “The Invisible Man” and “Carnivale”: Jacob
 “Alice In Wonderland”: Young Ben sends his rabbit down the rabbit hole
 “The Village”: The Dharma Initiative creates a utopian society shut off from the outside world
 “Star Wars”: Jack=Luke, Kate=Leia, Sawyer=Han Solo, Sayid=Chewbacca (c’mon, that’s funny), Locke=Darth Vader, Ben=The Emperor, Jacob=Darth Maul (I’m trying here)

The latest episode reveals the formerly wheelchair-bound Locke turning into a combination of Rambo and Stephen Hawking, pounding the hell out of Mikhail—that dude HAS to be getting tired of having the christ beat out of him—and intimidating Ben into revealing some secrets. It seems that Locke has received some type of backbone-through-osmosis from coercing Sawyer into killing their father, Cooper/Sawyer. The theme of patricide is perpetuated as Ben kills his father, Roger Work Man, as part of “The Purge,” which looked like a ripoff of Jonestown.

At Locke’s insistence, Ben is forced—or is he?—to lead him to Jacob, who Ben believes is the imaginary “man behind the curtain.” Before they go, Ben’s daughter, Alex, sees fit to give Locke a gun, seeming to foreshadow some impending confrontation. On their journey, Locke and Ben come across a line of ash or gunpowder, and though Locke is intent on examining it, Ben appears flustered and hurries him along. Is this line a way to keep Jacob contained? Does it provide some type of barrier or protection? Is it a method of defense in times of trouble?

When they reach Jacob’s dwelling, a disturbing scene of Ben talking to an invisible man results in Jacob asking Locke to “Help me,” resulting in an enraged spirit/Jacob/invisible force to start whipping pictures around and breaking windows. In one instant, we appear to see the outline of a face, leading us to question whether Jacob is, in fact, real. After fleeing, Ben takes Locke to reveal a mass open grave where the bodies of “The Purge” that he led after joining the “hostiles" were disposed of. [Editor’s Note: If the Hostiles were the natives of the island before the Dharma Initiative arrived, after switching sides, Ben performed a genocide on the D.I. intruders—the original “Others”—then founded a modernized version of the Others.] Never one to think more than one step ahead, instead of capping Ben the moment he sees the open grave, Locke turns his back on Ben, then tries to turn and shoot him, allowing Ben to give him a gut shot that propels him into the mass grave.

Meanwhile, back at camp, Sawyer shows the tape demonstrating Juliet’s spying to Sayid, and the survivors confront Jack and Juliet. However, Juliet asks them to turn the tape over, and the details of a raid on the camp being planned by Ben and the Others are provided. Was Juliet planning to share this information before she was confronted? Either way, Jack says, “It looks like we have some catching up to do,” apparently meaning that he is intent on telling them what happened when he was detained by the Others and other helpful info. But I guess that will have to wait until next week.

A fascinating episode, indeed, giving more answers than possibly any other show in the series. However, a ton of queries still loom …

 Who is Annie, the young girl who befriended Young Ben? Was she Danielle Rousseau? Was she a reincarnation of Locke’s mother? Did Ben wind up marrying her, only to have her die during a pregnancy, fueling his passion to recruit Juliet and other doctors to help find a cure for pregnant women on the island?

 Who/what the hell is Jacob? What does “Help me” mean—is he being trapped/contained/controlled by Ben?

 Will the island “heal” Locke again? Will Jacob “help him”? Is Jacob actually Locke?

 Were the Hostiles part of an ancient civilization that created the four-toed statue and the other old-looking architecture that is found around the island?

 Did pressing the button in the hatch actually control the food drops and communicate to the supplier, allowing the now-controlling Hostiles to keep up the ruse that the Dharma Initiative was still thriving on the island?

 Why does Richard Alpert appear to be immortal and not age?

 Will the island take Chah-lie as a sacrifice in lieu of Locke?

The “Lost” braintrust recently announced that the show will air through the 2009-10 season. They are planning three more seasons of 16 episodes apiece (previous seasons have been either 22 or 24 episodes long). So, basically, counting the last two episodes of this season, they have 50 more episodes to answer or resolve all of the remaining questions that have been posed and put forth surrounding the island and its several generations/populations of inhabitants. With nine months between the end of this season and the start of Season 4, you can bet that the writers and producers will be frantically working to address the litany of problems and issues that have arisen.

And you can also assume that they’ll be watching a lot of movies in a quest for creative inspiration. Hell, maybe Yoda will show up next year, slay the Smoke monster, levitate the polar bear … and beat the almighty Dark Side out of Harry Potter in a game of Quidditch.

Lost Links

April 24, 2007: “Lost”: An Island Of Paradoxes

March 29, 2007: The Resurgence of “Lost”?

February 8, 2007: “Lost” V 3.5: Let The Games Begin

November 9, 2006: Mini-Season Makes For Long, Lost Winter Months

November 2, 2006: Vaya Con Dios, Mr. Eko

October 4, 2006: “Lost” In A Sea Of Questions

Samoans Hate Drywall

In addition to spending the ninth overall pick on a one-legged, skinny track star, Miami also saw fit to select Reagan Mauia, a player whose highlight film consisted of him running through some drywall. I’m not saying he’s not a good player … it’s just that he’s a fullback from the University of Hawaii who weighed 380 pounds like a year ago. He’s one of four Polynesian rookies added to the Dolphins roster this year, enough to make Jay Fiedler and Sage Rosenfels shake their yarmulkes in bewilderment.

And further confirmation that being a ‘Fin fan is -- literally -- like banging your head against the wall …

Forest Burns In Epic “The Last King of Scotland” Performance

What began as a historical perspective on one of the most vicious dictators of our time turned into a vehicle for a brilliant actor due to the sheer force of Forest Whitaker. He captivated “The Last King of Scotland” from the first frame he was in, lifting a strong film into a very good movie while giving him a stage on which to display his prodigious talents.

Based on a landmark novel by Giles Foden, this movie was a portrayal of Ugandan general Idi Amin Dada as seen through the eyes of a fictional character, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James MacAvoy). After initially travelling to the region as a way to escape his home life and try to effect some good in the world, Garrigan encounters Amin soon after he had ascended to power due to a coup and soon becomes a valued, trusted "advisor." Enlisting a fictional presence into a historical account can be a controversial, ineffective technique—perhaps the most damaging example coming in Oliver Stone’s “JFK”—but Garrigan’s usage here serves only to show the myriad sides and personalities of Amin, who remains largely misunderstood and mysterious to this day.

The tactic is one of many used in startling fashion by director Kevin Macdonald in his first feature film. Macdonald is a noted documentary-maker, and the film actually takes the form of a documentary at many points. A stunning soundtrack weaved itself perfectly throughout the film, allowing for a strong marriage of music and pacing. Macdonald also excelled in meshing scenes together to show various things going on at once, showing consciously and subconsciously how all is not as it may seem. The blending of a disarming Amin in rare form during a press conference at the same time that one of his wives, Kay (Kerry Washington), is found torn limb from limb and reassembled brutally created unforgettable imagery. The director also employed incredibly interesting camera work, building intensity through rapid focuses and quick panning methods.

Yet, right or wrong, everything extraordinary in this film is buried underneath the raw power exhibited by Whitaker. He is able to show the charming, humorous aspect of Amin, the optimism that was occasionally on display at the beginning of his reign. However, we quickly are shown cracks in the façade, indications that paranoia and possibly attention-deficit disorder dominate the man. While the self-effacing parts of Amin’s personality initially covered up the barbaric side, the dark part of the dictator gradually began to thrust aside the promising qualities. When we see Amin elevating assassins to positions of authority—Abby Mukiibi as Masanga, the fierce head of Amin’s brutal security force, is shudder-inducing in a stunning performance—we are forced to recognize the troubling undercurrents that are swirling more and more powerfully.

A Method actor, Whitaker immersed himself so deeply into the character of Amin that he admittedly dreamed that he was Amin, had trouble losing the East African dialect that he mastered and was reduced to repeatedly taking showers in an effort to literally and figuratively rinse the role off of him. To his credit, he threw himself into the role, refusing to enter into the portrayal with preconceived judgments or beliefs. In his pursuit of capturing the essence of the many-sided dictator, Whitaker learned Swahili, interviewed Amin’s family, read numerous books on the general and basically removed every barrier to violence within him that might inhibit him from “becoming” Amin for five months. The result was a staggering resemblance to Amin, in terms of stature, carriage and behavior, that was jarring to Ugandans who lived through the dictator’s regime. Justly, Whitaker won the Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, an NAACP Image Award and a BAFTA award for his efforts … hopefully, reward enough for half a year’s worth of a transition to a disturbed, murderous beast.

The book and film did not travel far enough down the bloody path to examine the roots of Amin’s violence or the death gasps that signaled the end of his rule. Amin was trained in the colonial British army and basically prepared to take over Uganda by the Brits. When he eventually grew beyond their grasp and lost control, the English did everything they could to distance themselves from his regime. His loss of stability is ably chronicled, along with the aspects of his regime that resulted in 300,000 — Amnesty International places the number at half a million — of his own countrymen being killed during his reign. However, we don’t see the connection that was built between he and the British culture, nor do we witness the downward spiral that resulted in his exile. Admittedly, following the story all the way until the end may have been too far-reaching and excessive, but one can’t help but wonder about the impact that his exile must have had on him.

The movie does document Amin’s decision to expel all Asians from Uganda, giving them 90 days to leave. The move was one of many reasons that the United States finally closed its embassy in Kampala in 1973, denouncing the brutality and horror of Amin’s regime. Amin’s erratic behavior eventually lead the Western press to detail him as a murderous ape and a caricature of himself. Amin’s arrogance and inability to have a finger on the pulse of his own countrymen backfired fatally when he ordered the invasion of Tanzania. Ugandan exiles joined the Tanzanian forces to storm Kampala in 1979, forcing Amin to flee to exile in Libya and, eventually, Saudi Arabia. In a last-gasp effort, he attempted to organize another Ugandan coup in 1989, but was thwarted and ordered to return to Saudi Arabia. A month before Amin’s death in 2003, one of his wives pleaded with Ugandan authorities to allow him to return to Uganda for his final days, but she was told that Amin would have to answer for his sins should he return. It would have been interesting to see the twist placed on this course of events by Macdonald, but the decision to conclude the film where he did was understandable as well.

All of the above is not meant to suggest that this is a perfect film. There were some scenes of sex and violence that could be construed as gratuitous, though a compelling argument could be made that the brutality of certain images was necessary to laying open the entire character of Amin. There were a couple of throwaway characters and some scenes that did nothing but add to the sense of urgency and show the overall debauchery of the climate and environment of the time; the merits of those scenes could be debated and argued in terms of excessiveness or essentiality to the story. The affair between Kay and Garrigan felt somewhat contrived as a means to demonstrating the depths of Amin’s sadistic side, even to those he supposedly loved.

Thanks to a governmental stance that involves basically pretending that Amin never existed, quelling interest in him and erecting barriers for natives seeking to learn more about him, sentiment and opinion about Amin within Uganda remain split. Apparently, one of Amin’s sons is working on a novel to counter the depiction put forth by Foden in his own book. In Uganda, the film has been applauded as remarkably accurate in some quarters and far too harsh on Amin in others. The movie does a terrific job of giving just enough detail in either direction to allow the individual viewer to make his or her own judgment. Whitaker’s flawless performance does more than enough to cover up some of the minor flaws inherent in “The Last King of Scotland,” making it easy to understand why it has been lauded as one of the most memorable pictures in recent memory and one of the finest historical portrayals of all-time.