LOST: Sundown

This seems to be the most polarizing episode of LOST in a long time. EW's Doc Jensen described it as one of the best of the season, while the Washington Post LOST gurus Jen and Liz pretty much hated it. I'd say I fall somewhere in between.

If you like action, you were probably on Doc Jensen's side, as this had shades of The Temple of Doom. Sayid was the focus, and Naveen Andrews did not disappoint. (But really, does he ever?)

In the sideways reality, Sayid had allowed his brother to marry Nadia, even though Sayid and Nadia were clearly in love. He felt he didn't deserve her, it seemed. After his brother got into a mysterious "accident" (and was treated at Jack's hospital), Sayid came face to face with… Keamy! Wow, wasn't expecting that one. Keamy proceeded to give a creepy monologue about how he's good at frying eggs. Sayid shot him in cold blood and discovered Jin tied up in a freezer. (Reading that last paragraph, you'd think I'm on crack.)

Back on the island, Sayid (cleverly?) allowed himself to be the pawn of both Dogen and Flocke (that's my new term for Fake Locke). Per Dogen's instructions, he attempted to stab Flocke to death, to no avail. Flocke, convincing Sayid he could give him whatever he wanted most (which Sayid noted "died in his arms" – is he talking about Nadia or Shannon?) got Sayid to go back to the temple, tell everyone Jacob was dead and advise them to flee by Sundown. Which they did, until Smokey killed most of them. Oh, and Sayid quickly killed Dogen and Lennon.

Claire, meanwhile, had been banished down a temple hole by Dogen, and her encounter with Kate was priceless. Her rendering of "Catch a Falling Star" during the most gruesome action was… well, pretty awesome and creepy.

The end – with alliances seeming to take shape – seemed ominous. Sayid seemed happy with himself, as evidenced by the Flocke smirk. What do you think – since he was "infected" has he been evil all along?

If this episode lacked anything, it was answers. We need more answers. If we don't get some in the next couple of weeks, I will start to worry. B

LOST: The Lighthouse

Anyone who knows me would understand that an episode of LOST called "The Lighthouse" would prove irresistible. The lighthouse itself turned out to be more of a Jacob station and wasn't exactly pretty to look at. But hey, since it's at a distinct vantage point, why the hell hasn't anyone seen it before? Hurley sort of answered that question by observing, "Maybe we weren't looking for it."

The (frozen donkey?) wheel was cool – it seemed to be a way for Jacob to see into the Losties' lives – which of course led Jack to destroy it. It was the first Jack-centric episode in a while, and I have to admit, I like his less-annoying state of late.

The "alternate" Jack has a teenage son, David. The main question we're obviously supposed to be asking is, "who is the mother?" Clearly it's not Sarah, because that would be too obvious, wouldn't it? It must be someone we know. My mind kept going back to Juliet. After all, the key to the house was hidden under a ceramic rabbit. Get it? Juliet the fertility doctor keeps her key under a rabbit! It could be someone totally unexpected, of course – like Libby! Time will tell, I'm sure.

Up until now, Jack has always had daddy issues. Only here, that turns into son issues. It's just that Jack is better about communicating with his son than Christian was. The alternate Jack seems to have improved as a human being. I'm not sure the same can be said of all the others (Kate? Locke?) but this Jack is more honest and humble.

Back on the island, the "new" Claire is a bit scary. Don't get too defensive around her, or she'll stab you in the chest with an ax. The skull she kept in Aaron's crib seemed right out of a horror movie. The revelation that Fake Locke is her "friend" isn't exactly surprising – but I'm wondering how much she knows about him. If she were dead or infected or haunted, wouldn't she have an inkling about others in the same boat?



Other observations:

-Of course Jack runs into Dogen off island. How long until he encounters Desmond?

-At the recital, David plays the same song Farraday played as a boy. Hmmm, could their stories intertwine somehow?

-Jack didn't recognize his appendix scar, just like he didn't recognize the cut on his face in the premiere.

-Looks like we're headed for a Jin/Sun reunion at the temple.

-Hurley's comment that maybe the Adam & Eve skeletons are actually themselves – obviously a nod to fan theories. But does that mean he's correct? B

LOST: The Substitute

Last night's Lost was the first classic and truly great episode of the season. Locke's story was at once touching, funny and action-packed. I'll admit: I was sad when it set in that the real Locke (at least in the Island World) was dead, but Ben and Lapidus certainly made the funeral entertaining.


In the Sideways Universe, Locke somehow was engaged to Helen (the always lovely Katey Sagal). She even mentioned John's father, meaning Locke never threw Helen over in favor of stalking his dad, and in turn his dad never threw him out a window. So how did Locke end up in a wheelchair? Something tells me we'll find out. And even though John tore up the card with Jack Shepherd's name on it, something tells me we'll see that meeting too.

Seeing Ben Linus as a European History teacher was a scream, and it's fitting that Hurley is finally happy and in charge. It's interesting – isn't it? – that Hurley is more confident and proactive in both worlds. I hope that doesn't somehow spell doom for him. And Rose still has cancer. And she's still direct, sympathetic and down-to-earth, all at once.

Back on the island, it was jarring to see Richard – so normally put together – in such a precarious position. One could say his eyeliner was running. What do we make of Sawyer's following the Man in Black (aka Fake Locke) to the cave, then agreeing to leave the island with him? Is Sawyer really that easily manipulated, or is he setting up a long con of his own?

Finally, the NUMBERS. Now we (sorta) know what they mean: they correspond to our Losties brought to the island to take over for Jacob as "protector." So why wasn't Kate one of the designated on the Cave-crusted list? Is she the odd one out?

Also…
-Who's the blond kid? Aaron? Jacob? Someone else? What's his purpose?
-Just as last week's story paralleled "What Kate Did," this one clearly mirrors "Walkabout."
-"The Substitute" has a nice ring to it, a la "The Constant" and "The Variable." I think it means Locke, Desmond and Farraday are three of the biggest characters in the LOST puzzle.
-EW's Doc Jensen points out that Helen is making plans for a wedding with Locke – coordinating all the details and all. She's bound to run into Boone and his wedding planning company, no?
-The black and white stones go all the way back to Season One, with Locke's explanation of Backgammon and the skeletons in the cave. Clearly it's all coming full circle.

Hopefully next week is this good. A

LOST: What Kate Does

Talk about Déjà vu – haven't we seen this before, Kate on the run? Actually, the answer is, "not quite." In the "alternate" timeline, after ditching the marshal, Kate hijacks a cab – with pregnant Claire in tow – and high-tails it to a workshop to get rid of her cuffs.

After realizing she stole a pregnant woman's stuff, she (miraculously?) finds Claire outside, offers her a ride and well, kinda becomes Claire's friend, driving her to the would-be adoptive parents of Aaron, and then to the hospital after she goes into labor.

I say it's no coincidence some of these details mirror what happened on the island in 2004. And how cool was it to see Ethan – sorry, Dr. Goodspeed – as Claire's OB-GYN, proclaiming that he didn't want to "stick her with needles" and stuff. That was a definite "whoa" moment.

Back on the island, it's Sawyer who's running, with Kate following. It seems James is pretty devastated by the loss of Juliet (he was going to propose and all) and the depth of his pain seems to take Kate by surprise. Stuff happens in the temple too – Sayid gets tortured as a "test," and it's noted that he, and others like him, might be "infected."

But the big reveal at the end – Claire is alive on the island too, and seems to be Rousseau-ified – is what gave this episode some much-needed punch.

Other observations:

-It would seem Jack has grown a pair. Doesn't he seem a little more feisty and honest? I like it.

-Hurley's taking charge! Finally he gets to do something besides eat and say, "Dude."

-Best quote of the night: "We'll be in the food court" (courtesy of Miles).

-Is Claire wearing a wig? Maybe she got a buzz cut on her hiatus.

-I don't know about you, but I missed the Evil Locke/Ben/Jacob/Sun/Lupidus/Richard/Ilana storyline. Did you? B-

LOST: LA X

The premiere of LOST's sixth and final season opened with the whiteout of last season's finale – after Juliet (possibly) detonated Jughead – and coasted into the clouds with Oceanic Flight 815, intact, in some sort of parallel universe or reality.

Everything mirrored season one's pilot – but not really. Not only did the plane not crash this time, but Charlie nearly chokes on his drugs. Shannon is absent, left behind in Australia by Boone. Bernard makes it out of the tail-end bathroom. Jack only finagles one bottle of vodka from the flight attendant instead of two. And Desmond is on the plane. Desmond! Oh yeah, and the island is under water.

Obviously, the bomb – or something – sets off this sideways reality. And yet, the action picks back up on the island, too – now back to the year 2007. Juliet is pulled from the Swan's imploded wreckage only to promptly die – though, in death reveals that "it worked."The crew decides to take Sayid, still dying from his gunshot wound, to the Temple to be healed. A cast of new recurring characters at the Temple (of Doom?) promptly drowns Sayid. He comes back to life, of course – but as whom? Strangely, Jacob, only an hour dead, had earlier come to Hurley and didn't even seem irked at his fate. Hmmmm.

Meanwhile, Fake Locke (also revealed to be Smokey) exerts further control over Ben, over Richard, over Ilana's crew, over everybody – and seems poised to try to "go home" – something the real Locke never wanted.

Back in the alternate reality, Kate is still outrunning (and escaping from) the marshal (but what crime did she commit? The same one, or something different?). Jin is back to being completely paternalistic with Sun. Sawyer is still a bit of a sleeze. Hurley considers himself "lucky" (a far cry from cursed). Jack, after trying to find his father's body (not on the plane this time) has a lovely conversation with Locke. And as Kate runs of, she gets into a cab with Claire!



While raising a lot of new questions, this episode did answer a few, including:

-We know what happened to Cindy and the kids. They have been living in the temple for years.

-We finally (sorta) know what Smokey is: Esau, aka the Main in Black, aka Fake Locke.

-The bomb did create a re-boot. Maybe. Sorta.

-We finally know what was in the guitar case. Was this list similar to the "lists" the Others used to create?



Aside from the cheesy CGI and temple scenes, it was an explosive premiere. Let's hope the rest of the season can maintain that momentum. A-

Oscar 101

The Oscar nominations, announced Tuesday, went widely as predicted. There were just a few notable exceptions:

SURPRISE!
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart

WHY?

The Blind Side

Penelope Cruz, Nine

SNUBBED

Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria

Julianne Moore, A Single Man

Samantha Morton, The Messenger

Clint Eastwood and Invictus

James Cameron's Avatar script

NEVER HAD MUCH OF A CHANCE ANYWAY

Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles

Viggo Mortensen, The Road

Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds

Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds

Alfred Molina, An Education

Saoirse Ronan, The Lovely Bones

Tobey Maguire, Brothers

Ben Foster, The Messenger

For a complete list, see here. What did you think of the nominations?

And the nominees might be...

Here are my fearless predictions of what and who will be nominated for Oscars tomorrow morning.

BEST PICTURE
An Education
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Precious
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTRESS
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Basterds

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo'Nique, Precious
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Samantha Morton, The Messenger

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
James Cameron, Avatar
Scott Neustatder & Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Nora Ephron, Julie & Julia
Tom Ford and David Scearce, A Single Man
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Nick Hornby, An Education
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air