San Diego Comic-Con - Day 3

Our third day, Saturday, was a doozie. The girls had one panel that was non-negotiable and I had two panels that were non-negotiable. Can you guess our day's targets? Let's pretend you guess correctly...Good job! You are correct! They were Lost and True Blood. You're so good it's scary! You just won a years supply of turtlewax! Now, aren't you glad you played?

Anyhow, back to the blog at hand...

The final Lost Comic-Con panel was at 11am Saturday morning. Apparently people started lining up the night before (lucky ducks got to meet Damon and Carlton!) but since I'm only half a loony-toon, I got up at 6am Saturday morning (Tina and Katie aren't Lost fans, so they got to sleep in) and was in line by 7am-ish. I had a few hundred people in front of me but overall, I liked my seating chances. From what I had heard, Hall H could hold about 6,500 people. I knew it would be a madhouse, but since I was only one person, I knew I could probably sneak to the front and find a single seat that was pretty close to the stage. The four-hour line wasn't that bad actually. We were lined up in a grassy area and the weather was cool and beautiful, so most people just plopped their rumps down, brought out a book or comic, and enjoyed the scenery. I thought it was a swell idea, so I did the same (and called Corrie and my mom to fill them in on all the days activities) and before I knew it, we were being moved into the Hall. I didn't know it at the time, but as I walked in and chose what direction to take (this was seriously the BIGGEST room I had ever been in - it was like the size of a baseball field), I was choosing whether I would be right next to the fan questions line, and therefore right next to, as yet unknown, awesomeness, or on the opposite side of the room from said awesomeness. Fate took me to the opposite side and therefore hates me for no reason at all that I can tell. Later I would pout when Jorge and Michael Emerson showed up on the otherside of the room for the (fake) fan questions. Still, I was able to get a pretty close seat, if a little off-center from the stage. By 11am, I was in heaven. I figure that most of you have probably already seen most of the panel online, so I won't waste everyone's time by doing a in-depth run-through. Instead, here are a few tidbits that you may not know about:

- When walking into the Hall, we were given small posters. They were very simple - all white with the LOST logo and "The Final Season" written on them. I was sneaky and grabbed two. One is now hanging on the last available wall space in my room and the other is somewhere in Brett's new apartment.

- Each actor was introduced in a unique and fun way. No other panel I saw was anything like this panel. Jorge Garcia (Hurley) was in line for fan questions and was then joined in line by Michael Emerson (Ben). The part you may not have seen was the introduction to Nestor Carbonell (Richard Albert):

Fan question: Does Richard Albert wear eyeliner?

Damon and Carlton: Well, since you mention it - we have another guest joining us. Let's go backstage and have him come out and join us.

A cameraman goes backstage and we watch as the camera peeks around a corner, showing Nestor Carbonell at a vanity table, staring at himself in the mirror and pumping himself up for his walk onto the stage. He grabs some eyeliner and starts gingerly applying it to his beautiful eyes. After a second he stops, having noticed the color isn't the one he requested, goes into a fit (something about "amateur hour"), discovers the camera and cameraman, goes into another fit, rushes the cameraman and ends up running onstage.

It was AWESOME!

- Josh Holloway (fake) tazers Damon to get a hold of the (fake) final script pages of the final Lost episode. Michael Emerson reads it for the audience (because Josh can't read) and it turns out to be a really crappy Heroes script. Laughs all around.

- The final video brought tears to my eyes. It was a montage of all the dead of Lost. The last bit was long and torturous, showing our favorite, Charlie. As it ends, Dominic Monaghan walks onstage! He's up there for only 30 seconds, waving to the screaming crowd and then the panel is over.

Favorite Moment:

When Josh Holloway (fake) tazers Damon and then a minute later finds him up and drinking his water. Josh says something like "You better go back to sleep! I will tazer you again!". Priceless.

Scoop/Spoilers:

- We were shown a couple videos - one was a commercial for that chicken joint that Hurley owns, showing Hurley and him saying "I've had nothing but GOOD luck since I won the lottery" and another commercial for Oceanic, promoting "30 years of perfect flying" or something like that. End theory: The bomb DID restart the timeline, where no crash occurred.

- The arrival of Dominic at the end pretty much confirmed that he would be in some episodes next season and that was all later confirmed again. The same goes for Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet), Ian Somerhalder (Boone) and Jeremy Davies (Faraday). Woo and HOO!

Panels missed for Lost:

- Chuck (so sad, I heard it was an awesome panel). Also, later I saw the whole cast signing autographs, but more on that later.

- Eastwick - It was a screening of the pilot for the new show and also a Q&A panel. Not a big loss, but I was curious to see the pilot.

So, after wandering, awed and fulfilled, away from Hall H, I realized had a good hour to walk around before I expected Tina and Katie to arrive. I hadn't had nearly enough time to look around the Exhibition halls and seeing how I was the only one of us that could stand the hall (seriously, it was totally worth the crowds), the unexpected time alone was a boon. I excitedly made my way back to the always teeming, always bright and loud and overwhelming and wondrous Exhibition Hall. As I mentioned before, even four whole days wouldn't be long enough to see everything and so one hour was barely enough time for me to walk the first quarter of ONE of the halls (I think there were two or three big ones). Once again, all I could do was stare and bump into people. I was able to see Jon Favreau as he was being interviewed and that was pretty cool. As I wandered closer to the WB booth, the crowds got completely unmanageable. I went in a different direction to avoid those crowds and eventually looped back to find the WHOLE cast of Chuck lining the square WB water tower. I made like a ridiculous, obnoxious fangirl, raised my camera as high as I could hold it and got some pictures. My main target was actually Adam Baldwin (he of Angel and Firefly fame) and I got a couple pictures but I was so focused on getting the pictures that I didn't actually get to see that much of him.

Less than an hour after I stepped into the Hall, Tina called me to tell me she was getting into line for the 5:15pm True Blood panel. Keep in mind, it was only about 1pm or so at this point. It's almost impossible to sneak into line to join anyone (I was able to do it about two times, using the bathroom as an excuse. Seriously, what are they gonna do?!) since the line goes outside and then back inside again and all the doors are guarded. So, instead of staying in the hall as I longed to do, I joined Tina in line and later Katie was able to sweet-talk her way outside to join us. In line, we passed Eric McCormack doing an interview in an odd, shaded area at the side of the building. I wanted to tell him I was sorry about Trust Me, but we were inside before I could express my condolences or even snap a picture.

By 2:30pm we were in the room, sitting out the last 15 minutes of the Simpsons panel. I understood about .05% of what they were talking about. *Shrug* After that panel, we moved closer and sat through the pilot screening of the new show "V". It wasn't bad and it had a lot of familiar faces. After the screening, Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet from Lost), Scott Wolff, Morena Baccarin (Firefly, Serenity) and others came onstage for the Q&A. Scott Wolff's dimples were, as Michael Ausiello later put it, "a force of nature" and everyone else was very charming and they all seemed genuinely excited about the show. Another plus - Alan Tudyk guest stars in the pilot and its always lovely to see his face.

After V was the Fringe panel, which I was excited about, if only to get to see Joshua Jackson. This ended up being a great panel. Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble and Jasika Nicole joined the panel, along with J.J. Abrams collaborators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. John Noble and Joshua Jackson could not stop smiling and since it was Joshua's first time at Comic-Con, he was overwhelmed by the amount of people and the support for the show. He was absolutely adorable and seemed totally excited about being there. John Noble also seemed excited and couldn't say enough good things about his co-stars. Anna Torv was, well...Anna Torv. Sorry guys, my mind was thoroughly engaged with the boys. It really turned into the Josh and John show and I don't remember a whole lot about what was talked about.

Favorite Moment:

When Joshua realized that the crowd pretty much screamed at anything they would say, he says, "Let me try one thing...RUTABAGA"! The crowd roars and he just cannot stop grinning from ear to ear.

Scoop/Spoilers:

Like I said, I don't remember much but...it seems like next season will only touch on TWO universes, our own and the one that Olivia walks into at the end of last season (the one with the Twin Towers still standing).

Sidebar: This is how much of a nerd I am - I actually typed Two Towers (as in Lord of the Rings) before I realized I meant Twin Towers. Oy.

So finally, we come to the non-negotiable Saturday panel. Katie put down her Harry Potter novel (which she had been reading through the last two panels), Tina and I wiggled to readjusted our numb butt-cheeks and we were ready for one of the hottest casts on television. As each cast member was introduced and walked onstage, the room got louder and louder. Alexander Skarsgard (Eric), Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica), Sam Trammell (Sam), Nelsan Ellis (LaFayette), Charlanne Harris (the author of the book series), Rutina Wesley (Tara), Michelle Forbes (Maryann), Alan Ball (the creator), Stephen Moyer (Bill) and Anna Paquin (Sookie). It was the largest panel we attended the whole of the Con (I think) and it was AWESOME. I really need another word for awesome, I think I am using it too often...

Anyway, I honestly can't remember most of the details, there were just too many people on the panel, but I do remember that Alexander had to apologize to Stephen for openly admiring Anna's "good looks" and hoping for a Eric/Sookie romance due to said "good looks" in answer to a fan question. Anna and Stephen were cute (and aware that everyone in the room was focused on them) but even though they sat next to each other, there was no obvious PDA. But I would bet my left ankle that they were playing footsie under the table. We got to watch a special Comic-Con preview of upcoming episodes and I cannot express how excited everyone got after watching it. Most of the fan questions were aimed at Alexander (mostly the gals, duh), Nelsan, Alan Ball and Stephen Moyer (again, the giggling girls). However, it was Deborah who stole the audience's hearts. She was the cutest thing imaginable. Tall, skinny, beautiful pale skin with that red hair, and sweetest thing you'll ever meet. Which leads me to my favorite moment...

Favorite Moment:

Deborah Ann Woll (in the cutest little sundress) sweetly says, "This is my first time here and I'm sorry if I'm a little nervous...". Everyone claps at her to show their support and Alexander, who is sitting next to her, puts his arm around her, pats her shoulder and smiles reassuringly at her. The moderator says to Deborah something like, "Every girl in the audience wishes she were you right now". Alexander smiles humbly and Deborah laughs in delight as the female members of the audience roar in agreement. I'm not at all ashamed to say that I screamed right along with them. Alexander is most definitely swoon-worthy.

Scoop/Spoilers:

In an unexpectedly direct answer from Ball, he bluntly says "yes" to a fan who asked if the Bill/Sookie/Eric love triangle would unfold in the show like it does in the books. I have no idea what that means, but I'm thinking Eric might eventually get what he's secretly wishing for...Hummmmm.......

Panels Missed for True Blood:

- Bram Stoker: The Joss Whedon of His Day? Come on, that had to have been an awesome panel!

- Glee (sad, but not a terrible, terrible loss)

- Sony Pictures - Zombieland and 2012. Could care less about Zombieland, but wouldn't have minded seeing 2012. Just another movie panel sacrificed for television.

- Heroes. This was a BIG ouchie. BIG BIG.

- The Boondock Saints II. With Julie Benz. Would have been cool to check out.

- Iron Man 2. Another BIG ouchie. I heard the footage shown was pretty awesome. I was not at all happy about missing this one.

- The Vampire Diaries. Yikes, another one I hated to miss. It included a screening of the pilot, which I am really curious to see. But True Blood vamps trump Vampire Diaries vamps. Sorry Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder!

And there ended our third day at Comic-Con. We left the convention center after the True Blood panel and made our way back our hotel to spend WAY too much money on WAY too much Italian food for three girls. And at the same time, we missed all the coolest parties. Lame!

Day 4 coming soon!

Love Letter to Sylar

Dear Sylar,

You may find it surprising to be receiving a love letter, given your current status as a brutal, remorseless killer. However, I suspect you will instead think it only natural. You are, after all, very special. Even though you have just recently murdered one of my favorite people, leaving me uncommonly displeased with you, I find even now that I cannot resist your twisted sense of humor and ghoulish charms. While others, understandably, hate and despise you for ruining their lives or killing their loved ones, I am contrarily pleased with you for being so very good at being so very bad. Life would be so abundantly boring if there was no natural need for balance and therefore a natural need for heroes and villains. Though I sometimes quietly wish (never more intensely than when Micah finally voiced it himself) that you would side with your own, using your powers for good or at the very least for killing that creepy Danko, I find that I rather prefer you accepting your innately evil nature and mischievously making our heroes' lives more trying.

Never since first being introduced to Dexter Morgan have I loved and emphasized so fully with a serial killer. When you flash your cocky smirk and declare that your wicked schemes are so very fun, I can't help but grin delightfully with you and agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment. You are the very thing that shows the Dark Side for what it can be, tempting the soldiers of good out of the light and into the shadows since the beginning of time. While your enemies toil in confusion and seriousness, while they pout and complain, dodge along the morally gray line and live in overall pain and chaos, you fine joy in the simple things in life and live every day past the limits of your potential.

But this isn't the only thing that defines your devilish appeal. Before, when you were merely a veiled figure in the shadows, you were so much more frightening, but you lacked humanity and therefore lacked any real allure. Now however, I know you better and you are so much more than an evil clockmaker out to bring misery for misery sake. You show your deep need for acceptance and love with every person you cruelly murder, with every journey of self-discovery and with every indifferent chuckle. In the rare instances where your humanity shines through - the fervent, however temporary, desire to be good, the understanding of heroes that do not even understand themselves, the occasional helpful act in the name of good- you prove to be one of those highly complex and deeply contradictory villains that have excited all of literary history.

Personally, I find egotistical men very unattractive and I don't wish to blow up your head too much - but you are just too damn cool. If I wasn't so sure of your solid and resilient character, I'd be fearful of ever seeing you again (since you now reside deep, deep under a Nathan Petrelli exterior). But I am sure of your strength of character and sense of self, and even though the pain from the loss of Nathan ( I am VERY angry with you about that, by the way) is still fresh, I can hardly blame you overly much. It is, after all, in your nature to prove yourself as unique and special (since you have killed everyone that has ever loved you, all you can have now is your enemies' fear and respect) and it was rather stupid of Nathan to go up against you with such a passive power while you have so many aggressive powers at your disposal.

I hope to be seeing you again soon. Life will be dull and colorless without your shiningly dark presence to spice it up. Until then, I suppose I can make due with a Nathan-Sylar hybrid. It is, after all, a marvelously cruel deception.

Ever Yours,

Lauren

Scoop o' News

I begin this post with a piece of devastating news. Andy Hallet, who played Lorne on Angel, died Sunday night from heart failure. Lorne was a fan favorite on Angel and one it's most endearing and colorful characters (literally). Personally, I believe the show was at it's best when he was on screen and he was a key part of some of the best episodes. He is in our thoughts and he will be be sorely missed.

For more information, go here.

Here is a small scene from Season 2 of Angel, featuring the great talents of Andy Hallet.






In other, lighter news, the premiere for True Blood season 2 has been confirmed for June 14th. Some new photos from the second season have been posted online and they are getting me seriously keyed up. Bring on the gore, sex and forbidden love!

For more pics, go here.


Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof are the proud parents of a baby girl, Satyana Denisof! She was born March 24th, giving her the same birthday as her mother. Congrats to the new mommy and daddy!
Side note: Not that I don't LOVE Alyson and Alexis, but seriously, what is WITH celebrities and crazy baby names? It's like the two just go hand in hand. Sheesh.

TV Review


What's Getting Good:

1) Dollhouse. Since the first episodes, which were ok but lacked the tell-tale Joss greatness, I have held onto the hope that we would soon start to see a story that pulled deeply to us, one like Buffy's story and Angel's story and Malcolm Reynolds' story. Even like Dr. Horrible's story. As was expected, my faith has been rewarded and Dollhouse is now blowing me away each week. I cannot wait to see more of it, especially when it comes to the obviously damaged, but incredibly intriguing eye-candy that is Paul Ballard. Ummmm...Tahmoh.

2) Heroes. Yes, I know, I know. Most people are SO over this show. But if you were EVER going to give it a second chance, now is the time. Bryan Fuller is officially back on the writing team, the story is starting to level out and our characters are slowly coming back to themselves. Sylar is finally over his daddy issues and back in the Fugitives game and just as I suspected, he is teaming up with Danko. What was unexpected in this development is the hilarity that the two evil masterminds bring to their evil plans. Who would have thought those two dark and sinister characters could bring out the chuckles?

3) Supernatural. We are finally back to the real struggle. Angels vs demons vs humans. The "been there, done that" filler episodes have been benched and we are now getting back to the nitty-gritty, ploughing inevitably towards the season's final battle between our favorite Winchester brothers and also an unknown character death. Let me just say, if it's Bobby, I'm writing a strongly worded email to the writers.

What's Losing It:

1) Castle. I'm not 100% decided on this show yet and it's still entertaining enough but something new needs to be introduced into the formula to keep this show from turning boring and repetitive. As you know, I'm all for Nathan Fillion and his performance is as witty and adorable as usual, but the truth's the truth.

What's New:

1) Kings. So far, so good. I'm not really one for politics and that's certainly what this show seems to be centering on, but even that doesn't keep me from enjoying it. It has a unique way of spinning an unoriginal idea (the noble man/soldier against a corrupt city/government) and making it seem original, mostly due to the fact that it looks like our world, it feels like our world, but it's not our world. But it COULD be our world. It contains surprisingly deep and complex characters and behind them all lurk dark and mysterious secrets. It's compelling, interesting and not without it's own baby-faced, handsome hero.

2) Cupid. It premieres tonight so I'll keep you updated. The main reason I am giving this show a try is because it's Rob Thomas' (Veronica Mars) baby and I know what that man can do. So far the reviews haven't been great, but I'm willing to see for myself. Stay tuned.

Heroes - Shades of Gray - 3/9

Does anyone else get the feeling that Heroes has some major daddy issues? The overreaching father theme can escape no one's notice and if I had my say, they would change the title from Heroes to Sins of the Father. Week after week, we're intently watching the immoral actions of daddy dearest more so than the beneficial actions of our heroes. As far as I can see, Heroes now contains far more morally gray characters (half of which are key father figures) than outright GOOD characters. I guess the title of the episode kind of gave that away though, huh? Yeah, yeah, I'm a sharp one. Anyway, where was I? Oh right...

Sins of the Father

Not exactly the most original overriding theme, but Heroes has always been focused on generations and origins (Volumes both), so it makes sense that it would eventually delve deeper into the background of our most mysterious character, Sylar. We come to find, via the last two episodes, that Sylar's biological father, played brilliantly by the one and only John Glover, is one very sick (literally and figuratively) and twisted individual. So, as suspected, Sylar is a regular chip off the ol' block. And so, for the third time, Sylar faces off with his father (the first time being with Arthur Petrelli and the second being with his adopted father) and for the second time, he finds the killing of his "father" beneath him. Apparently, as far as fathers go, Arthur is the only one worth the effort of killing (not that it takes much effort on Sylar's part). As with his adopted father, Sylar gets what he came for and then leaves his father to wallow in his painful misery.

It's sad really, how even his bio father with the exact same power, does not pose even a small threat to Sylar. All I could think was, "He is gonna squash you like a bug, creepy and dirty John Glover". Still, I can't help but feel grateful towards Mr. Needs-a-Bath Gray. It's long past time for Sylar to join the previously-Nathan-now-Danko game. His mission to find his lost parents and discover the reasons behind his own malicious character was an exciting idea in theory but, interestingly enough, I found that I didn't really want to know. Not only did the story-line drag on longer than it should have, but Sylar has always been at his best when he's been a mystery. Think back to Season 1, when all we saw of Sylar was a ticking watch and a hat-clad shadow lurking in the corner. I'm not saying that some revealing facts didn't up his character's creepy ante (honestly, the eyebrows do all the work), but sometimes it's better to leave things a mystery. There is nothing scarier than a villain who is evil just because he can be (hello, the Joker anyone?).

Rebel With a Cause

Rebel is popping his (or her or their) head up more and more as each episode goes by and I gotta say, he/she/they are extremely helpful. I think it probably goes without saying that Rebel is not working alone. Plenty of suspects have been thrown out there, but my own best guesses are Micah, Molly and Angela Petrelli. With Rebel pushing Doyle in Claire's path, it's becoming obvious that he's/she's/they're not discriminating between "good" specials and "evil" specials, which I believe is a good thing. If the previously-Nathan-now-Danko Project isn't turning anyone away, whether they be heroes or villains, I don't believe Rebel should either. It's no longer Heroes vs. Villains, it's now Humans vs. Mutants and the Mutants can use all the help they can get. Still, Rebel seems to be pretty on top of things and I personally can't wait to see who's behind the computer.

Claire's Daddy Issues

Claire's story is slowly snailing its way in the direction I want it to go. I guess my Jedi mind tricks are starting to work. Or else I'm the other not-so-secret child of Matt Parkman (more on that later). Either way, Claire is beginning to whine less about wanting to be normal and is starting to accept her inevitable destiny as a hero. However, every hero needs guidance and it's only natural to turn to your father for that guidance. And yet, I found Noah's advice seriously lacking (probably because it was), despite the pile o' shit that's on his own plate. Still, apparently Claire heard what she needed to hear in order to step-up and accept her hero-ly duty. Again, I feel a wave of gratitude for one of our more gray-ish father figures for pushing one of my characters in the right direction.

And here comes another wave, this one chalk-full of surprise, gratitude and some serious "awwwwww" feelings. As soon as Nathan's secret is discovered, he Superman's (not the dirty one, get your mind out of the gutter!) his way to Claire, saving her from Danko's agents just in time. That shot, with the camera slowly panning backward, away from Claire's window, to show Nathan holding her in his arms while he floats by a nearby tree, is one of my all-time favorite Heroes shots. It was unexpected and unexpectedly sweet. When it seems like either one or both of her fathers are always letting her down, here comes a day where both support her in unexpected ways. *tear*

Whose Baby Daddy?

Here's a shocker, yet another "special" kid with yet another absent "special" father. I'm going to start counting daddy figures instead of sheep at night. I kid, I kid! I don't actually count sheep. That never works. Anyway, with all Matt Parkman is dealing with at the present, why not bring up that whole "the past is going to come back and bite you in the ass" thing? Luckily, he has Hiro and Ando to babysit for him while he's being held prisoner for being a terrorist. Thank goodness for close friends, eh? So, I sort of jumped the gun earlier. We don't actually know if Parkman's baby is "special", but I'm willing to bet $2 that that cute chuck of smelly baby is in fact mentally gifted like his father. I just hope Hiro and Ando know how to change a diaper. Or do I...

Okie dokie, that's all for this week. Next week, our whole week will be ruined due to the loss of a new Heroes episode, but stay strong, Heroes lovers. We'll make it through this dark time together.

Heroes - Exposed - 3/2

So, I know I've dropped the ball on Heroes. *looks down in shame* It's not that I've stopped watching it or even stopped loving it. In fact, after last night's episode, it's quite the opposite. It's just that it's moving along very slowly right now, due to the tightly-spaced plot-line and I didn't think it useful to write my notoriously (or not...) long-winded posts each week. Not enough really happens in each episode to warrant that. But, I'm back in the game! Put me in coach! I'm ready to play!

So, as noted above, not a whole lot happened in last night episode, but what did happen was important. Not only that, it was GOOD. Really good; smack-my-lips first season good. The writers stuck to three story-lines, not overwhelming us and giving us a nice amount of time with each story. The episode was intense but focused and it allowed for some major character development, which is something we needed. When you have characters that are growing and changing in a speedy manner, it's imperative that you give your audience lots of face time with them, showing us WHY they are changing. This is something Heroes seriously lacked in the last part of Season 2 and into Season 3. It may cut into the action, but it's worth it if the audience can see the reasons behind...oh say...Mohinder going from peaceful scientist to power-hungry monster, just as one example. Anyway, I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah...

This episode was the best I've seen in a LONG time. So far, Fugitives has been entertaining and Monday night is still my second favorite night of television, but it's obvious that the writers are still working out the kinks of Season 2 that have flowed into Season 3. I really do have faith that the show will straighten out and get back on track (every show has bad seasons and it was hard for Heroes to show-up their amazing first season) and I think last night's episode was a great step forward towards that goal. And honestly, even if it doesn't find its groove, I'll still enjoy watching it. I love the characters and the cast and the concept is still way beyond cool. But again, I digress...

I just want to bring up a couple key points (opinions) and we'll call it a day:

1) I know some people were worried about the possibly repetitious romance between Claire and another dark and handsome "special", but I really enjoyed it. This show could use a little bit of romance drama and who better to bring it but a cute 17 year old girl? I've become very fond of our new Aquaman character and yes, I'm probably biased due to the very kind shirtless shot the writers gave us last night, but honestly, I liked him way before I saw his rockin' bod. Regardless, they gave us just enough romance to balance out the action and I thought it worked out very well. Not to mention, underwater kissing scenes make for great vicarious viewing.

2) There was a lot of humor in this episode, which is something I think the show seriously needed. Everything has been very real and serious for our characters this volume and it's important to have some comic relief for the audience. Perfect example; Sylar's "Cake?" line. This episode, from Clarie's "we're having sex" excuse to Matt Parkman's "whatup" nod to the camera in Building 26 to Sylar smushing Luke's face against the car window, had some great, unexpected comedy. It really leveled-up the quality of the episode.

3) I experienced a new emotion while watching Sylar this episode, one I haven't ever felt before; boredom. How that's possible, I'm not sure but there it is. I don't want to place Zach Quinto in this, he was his usual brilliant self, but as far as Sylar goes, I'm kinda over his whole parental unit scavenger hunt. It's interesting to know about his past and that's great information to have, but I feel like it's been dragged out a bit. I would really love to see Sylar back in the heroes game, playing along side our other characters. Some major stuff is going down and it's about time Sylar stuck his head into it, creating a whole new dynamic. In fact, I'd love to see a Sylar vs Danko face-off. Right? Right? Yeah, that'd be AWESOME!

4) At this point, do Nathan and Peter not realize that when the other comes in for a brotherly hug, it probably doesn't bode well for the hugee? Peter let's Nathan hug him and he gets tazered. Nathan lets Peter hug him and Peter uses his ability to fly away. I'm pretty sure this faux-hug theme has been played a lot over the seasons. Isn't it about time that they get a clue? No hugging allowed! It just opens a window for backstabbing!

5) Peter and Parkman are badass together. Simple.

6) And....Nathan's catching on. What he is trying to do could have been accomplished in a better way and I loved that Angela pointed that out to him. He has completely lost control of his operation and has instead unleashed a ruthless and determined semi-psychopath against innocent "specials". Let's just hope he starts to make amends for what he's done in next week's episode. I really don't want Matt to blow-up. I like Matt.

7) What did Angela whisper to Nathan and why did Nathan look back up to where Peter disappeared? Does it have something to do with Peter? Tell me, dangit!

Anyway, in conclusion, it's my informed opinion that this episode totally rocked. If you don't agree, I will happily fight you to the death.

Until next week, Heroes lovers!

Lost - The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham - 2/25

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.

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.

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.

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...