Confirmed Dead

Another great episode of LOST last night, made greater by the fact that my wife and I travelled to a friends house to watch it in 50 inches of HD goodness.  Something about my favorite show in HD makes me want a TV like that really bad.  But I digress…

Tonight’s episode provided more flashbacks instead of flash forwards.  However these flashbacks were different in two new (and pretty cool) ways.  The first difference that became apparent by the second flashback was that each flashback was for a different character.  Usually the flashbacks follow a particular characters journey through a past experience that relates to what’s currently happening on the island.  In this case, each new character had a flashback showing something of their former life.  The final flashback made things more interesting being a flashback of not only a seperate character, but a dead one.  That’s right, we flashed back on the life of someone who was dead.  Either that or the presence of a flashback implies that the character isn’t really dead.

 Speaking of the flashbacks (the last one in particular), I love the fact that Locke happens to kill the one member of the team, Naomi, who’s supposed to make sure everyone completes the mission and comes back.  I also enjoyed the flashback with the Polar Bear skeleton.  In the middle of the desert.  With a Dharma collar.  I can’t help but wonder if that has some connection to this. 

And you can’t help but wonder why they’re all after Ben.  I guess he’s the leader of “the Others” but that’s a different question altogether.  How does some kid from off the island become leader of “The Others”?  Or “The Hostiles”?  Or whatever you want to call them.  Regardless, someone is interested in Ben.  My only theory right now is that it could have something to do with his connection to the Island.  It has some power (obviously) and someone else wants to control it.  Sadly, I was disappointed that Ben (claimed he) didn’t know what the Monster was.  I was hoping for a surprising answer.  After Ben’s big reveal that he has someone on their boat, my wife immediately turned to all of us and said “Michael.”  I’m going with her on this one.  It’s a strong assumption.

Finally, some of my favorite moments:

-Finding out that in the long list of philosopher’s names in this show, a few more are added with Daniel Faraday and, can this be right, Charlotte Staples Lewis?  Really?  I’m almost disappointed at how easy that one is.  At least change the Staples…

-When Miles says that if Jack was in trouble, he’d say “Tell my sister I love her.”  After thinking about it, this is ironic since Claire is technically Jack’s half sister.  He just doesn’t know that…

-When Hurley inadverdently reveals he saw the cabin. The look on John’s and Ben’s faces are priceless.

Question? Disagreements? Love?  Comment below!

Not Quite a Sci-fi Junkie

I’m not talking about the channel mind you, just the genre in and of itself.  I love sci-fi: lit, movies, radio dramas, it’s all good.  But I’m not sure I can qualify myself as a junkie.  I would love to be able to.  But, whenever I try, I think of a few things sci-fi I’ve never seen or read or heard, and then I think, “Well I can’t be junkie.  Those things are staple sci-fi and I know nothing about them.”

 Of course, as I write this, I can’t think of anything I haven’t read off the top of my head.  There’s a movie or two I haven’t seen that are sci-fi that I’d like to see, for example “Children of Men”.  When a movie is advertised as the “Blade Runner” (which I have seen) of the 21st century, I feel instantly attracted.

As to why I feel like a sci-fi junkie, well, I don’t know if I should start a list.  It might either be long or embarassingly short.  I love watching Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Lost, and recently I’ve started to get into the classic Babylon 5.  I have the full Robot Trilogy by Isaac Asimov on my shelf at home, and I really need to get around to re-reading the Foundation series one of these days.  I love Ender’s Game and the subsequent books.  I find The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy absolutely hilarious in movie, book, and radio drama form (all three forms I own).  I also enjoy Star Wars,  The Matrix, and other similar films.  That’s not everything (it makes the list sound bigger if I say that) but I hope it gets the point across.  If anyone has any great suggestions for all things sci-fi that should be seen, heard, or read, feel free to post in the comments box.  I’d love to hear them.