Oh, LOST gods, you are cruel masters indeed! There we sat, watching Jeremy Bentham's story unfold, confident in our knowledge of the how, when and why of his inevitable death and you pulled the metaphorical rug right out from under our metaphorical feet. And that's not the only rudely withdrawn rug that caused us to stumble around blindly like the morons we are, oh no. What we thought we knew about Abaddon's future role on the show was dashed to poo, seeing as he was
SPOILER WARNING!!
dead by the end of the episode! I guess he does have that long-standing appointment with The Pattern that he has to keep (this is a cleverly placed Fringe reference, in case you didn't pick up on that). And what about our long-held belief that, though obviously still trending on the dark-side, Ben is slightly less wicked than one Charles Widmore? What are you trying to do to us, LOST writers? Make us doubt ourselves?! Thank you, but I already have low self-esteem. So, were we wrong all along? Is Charles Widmore actually the lesser of two evils and Ben is actually the FREAKING DEVIL INCARNATE?! I'm thinking...yes.
dead by the end of the episode! I guess he does have that long-standing appointment with The Pattern that he has to keep (this is a cleverly placed Fringe reference, in case you didn't pick up on that). And what about our long-held belief that, though obviously still trending on the dark-side, Ben is slightly less wicked than one Charles Widmore? What are you trying to do to us, LOST writers? Make us doubt ourselves?! Thank you, but I already have low self-esteem. So, were we wrong all along? Is Charles Widmore actually the lesser of two evils and Ben is actually the FREAKING DEVIL INCARNATE?! I'm thinking...yes.
Talk About Kicking a Man When He's Down!
All LOST episodes, especially the ones this season, are practices in intense and complex storytelling that more often than not leave the viewer emotionally fizzled, sizzled and...something else that ends is "izzled". Meaning, as a fan and after watching an episode of LOST, you are left feeling emotionally fried and/or emotionally charged. This episode blew, like our favorite freighter, all the previous episodes out of the water. Not only was I left with the worry that my face would stay frozen in this expression forever, but I also felt slightly nauseated. Jeremy Benthan's death scene was not only completely different from what we were lead to believe it would be, but it was ten times more horrifying and believe me, I was pretty sure it was going to be horrible anyway. And all this for someone I don't even really like and caused by someone whose actions shouldn't have been surprising in the first place. John Locke has never been my favorite character. He tends to whine, run on and on about destiny and he always gets himself into trouble. He is easily manipulated, which often reminds me of Nathan Petrelli from Heroes. For these characters, the end always justifies the means and I have personally always been against that theory. As for Ben, I'm shocked at myself for being shocked at what he did. As I have written before, the audience is just as often lead astray by Ben as the characters on the show are. Even so, the scene will be forever imprinted upon my memory as the most pitiful and horrifying murder/betrayal I have witnessed in a long time.
All LOST episodes, especially the ones this season, are practices in intense and complex storytelling that more often than not leave the viewer emotionally fizzled, sizzled and...something else that ends is "izzled". Meaning, as a fan and after watching an episode of LOST, you are left feeling emotionally fried and/or emotionally charged. This episode blew, like our favorite freighter, all the previous episodes out of the water. Not only was I left with the worry that my face would stay frozen in this expression forever, but I also felt slightly nauseated. Jeremy Benthan's death scene was not only completely different from what we were lead to believe it would be, but it was ten times more horrifying and believe me, I was pretty sure it was going to be horrible anyway. And all this for someone I don't even really like and caused by someone whose actions shouldn't have been surprising in the first place. John Locke has never been my favorite character. He tends to whine, run on and on about destiny and he always gets himself into trouble. He is easily manipulated, which often reminds me of Nathan Petrelli from Heroes. For these characters, the end always justifies the means and I have personally always been against that theory. As for Ben, I'm shocked at myself for being shocked at what he did. As I have written before, the audience is just as often lead astray by Ben as the characters on the show are. Even so, the scene will be forever imprinted upon my memory as the most pitiful and horrifying murder/betrayal I have witnessed in a long time.
Nice to See You Again, Mr. Abaddon. Will You Be Staying Long?
Though Matthew Abaddon has come off as slightly creep-tastic in the few previous scenes we've had with him over the course of LOST, we couldn't help but wonder at his hidden role in the greater Island scheme. Is he good, evil, or gray? Who side is he really on, Widmore's, Ben's or the castaways? What's his agenda and will he be important later on down the line? All the shady dealings and mysterious pop-ups seemed to hint at a greater purpose for Abaddon. So when we finally get to learn more about him in this episode, we were expecting a great reveal (perhaps accompanied by some trumpets and a tambourine). We were sorely disappointed.
First off, Abaddon came off a lot less creepy in this episode. Actually, there was really no "creep" at all. He was good-natured, friendly and helpful as John's chauffeur. His working for Widmore was an initial cause for concern, but it seems that he has worked with slimier things than Charles Widmore (see there, another clever Fringe reference). But, back to being sorely disappointed, as it turns out, nothing is as slimy as one Benjamin Linus. He came on heavier than a highly annoyed scientist-turned-spikalicious monster (my last Fringe plug-in, I swear!) as he splattered our kindly Mr. Abaddon across the back car window. We didn't even have to guess who the shooter was; the whole incident just reeked of Bug-Eyes. And there we have it. Our suspected greater purpose for the mysterious Abaddon turns out to be nothing more than a startling and bloody exit from the show. The words "ah crap" come to mind.
Though Matthew Abaddon has come off as slightly creep-tastic in the few previous scenes we've had with him over the course of LOST, we couldn't help but wonder at his hidden role in the greater Island scheme. Is he good, evil, or gray? Who side is he really on, Widmore's, Ben's or the castaways? What's his agenda and will he be important later on down the line? All the shady dealings and mysterious pop-ups seemed to hint at a greater purpose for Abaddon. So when we finally get to learn more about him in this episode, we were expecting a great reveal (perhaps accompanied by some trumpets and a tambourine). We were sorely disappointed.
First off, Abaddon came off a lot less creepy in this episode. Actually, there was really no "creep" at all. He was good-natured, friendly and helpful as John's chauffeur. His working for Widmore was an initial cause for concern, but it seems that he has worked with slimier things than Charles Widmore (see there, another clever Fringe reference). But, back to being sorely disappointed, as it turns out, nothing is as slimy as one Benjamin Linus. He came on heavier than a highly annoyed scientist-turned-spikalicious monster (my last Fringe plug-in, I swear!) as he splattered our kindly Mr. Abaddon across the back car window. We didn't even have to guess who the shooter was; the whole incident just reeked of Bug-Eyes. And there we have it. Our suspected greater purpose for the mysterious Abaddon turns out to be nothing more than a startling and bloody exit from the show. The words "ah crap" come to mind.
Ms. Hawkings as She-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named
So it would seem that Ben's loyalties can change at the drop of a hat...or the drop of a name. Was his plan to kill John all along, or did his scheming just not allow for John to meet Ms. Hawkings? How does Ben get from murdering Locke before he could get to Ms. Hawkings to shouldering Locke's mission and working with her instead? What is it about HER? Regardless, his ruthless murder of the pitiful Jeremy Bentham will forever turn the audience against him, if they weren't already looking the other way. And where are we looking? To Charles Widmore, of course. We don't know his game plan anymore than we know Ben's, but anything is preferable to the heart-wrenching strangulation of an already broken man. That's just plain MEAN. I may be repeating myself, but honestly, did you that scene?!!?
And to end this morbid session of LOST discussion, a cheery Lost Untangled, just for you, kind readers.
That's all for this week, LOST lovers! See you next week for the episode "LaFleur", which means "flower" in French. Interesting...
So it would seem that Ben's loyalties can change at the drop of a hat...or the drop of a name. Was his plan to kill John all along, or did his scheming just not allow for John to meet Ms. Hawkings? How does Ben get from murdering Locke before he could get to Ms. Hawkings to shouldering Locke's mission and working with her instead? What is it about HER? Regardless, his ruthless murder of the pitiful Jeremy Bentham will forever turn the audience against him, if they weren't already looking the other way. And where are we looking? To Charles Widmore, of course. We don't know his game plan anymore than we know Ben's, but anything is preferable to the heart-wrenching strangulation of an already broken man. That's just plain MEAN. I may be repeating myself, but honestly, did you that scene?!!?
And to end this morbid session of LOST discussion, a cheery Lost Untangled, just for you, kind readers.
That's all for this week, LOST lovers! See you next week for the episode "LaFleur", which means "flower" in French. Interesting...
1 comment:
LOST untangled is hilarious! :)
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