Thursday, February 26, 2009
News The Televangelist: 'Lost' episode 7
Posted by Allison Keene @FlossyAlli on Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 4:22 PM
In the first season of "Lost" I was absolutely on Team Jack. I would have followed him to the caves and lived there as Adam and Eve no problem. Locke, on the other hand, I despised. "Lost" has always been keen at creating divisions and factions and then subverting them. Over the course of the show, Jack grew less and less likable whereas the once creepy John Locke became an unlikely hero and possibly (if fan theories are to be believed) the very soul of the island.
Last night we were treated to a Locke-centric episode written by Darlton and helmed by frequent lost director Jack Bender. The premise was a game of catch-up in the form of a whirlwind journey through "Jeremy Benthem's" experiences that were teased last season. Locke is back in the dreaded wheelchair after finding himself in sunny Tunisia, home of island refugees courtesy of Frozen Donkey Wheel Tours, where Charles Widmore is on hand to offer his services and make us believe, once again, that he's somehow the good guy and Ben is more or less Shiva. If that's true, then why does Widmore have an assistant named Abaddon (a Hebrew word which translates loosely to "Satan")?
Lt Daniels Abaddon (played by "Wire" alum Lance Reddick) has been a fan favorite minor character for years. His name, unexplained presence, and connection to the island have provided him a short but frequently visited Lostpedia page. Given all that, his treatment in this episode seemed particularly unfair and infuriating. First he's relegated to Driving Mr. Locke and is later unceremoniously executed before we get any deeper sense of his importance. R.I.P. Abaddon. We hardly knew ye.
The main thrust of the episode came in the form of a chess match of manipulation between Charles Widmore and Ben, with Locke as the pawn. We got an Oceanic Six roll call (minus Sun), and saw Locke's failed (for the nonce) attempts at convincing them to go back to the island, where it appears Locke will eventually be resurrected.
Is he alive, or is he Christian Shephard alive? As we learned a little more about Locke's past from the Tunisia drop to his "assisted suicide," we also gained some insight into Widmore's past, and his beef with dear old Benjamin. For one, Widmore (if he's to believed) relates that he was the leader of the Others until Ben tricked him into exile. But wasn't Ben Jacob's Chosen One?
Both Widmore and Ben are exceptionally apt at making themselves appear genuine when the mood strikes, so it's always difficult to know who to believe about what and when. For instance, I was 100 percent on the Ben Train until he suddenly killed Locke. But even that act was steeped in mystery. Did he kill him after he extracted necessary information from him? Or would Locke have lived if he hadn't invoked the name of Eloise Hawking? Some of these questions may be answered next week in an "action-packed episode full of twists and turns!"
Next week: Sawyer and Kate Plus Eight.
Musings and Miscellanea:
- I find it interesting Locke so easily lied that it was Richard who told him he was going to die. Why wasn't Jacob's name mentioned at any time?
- Inside Joke of the Night: "Boy's gotten big." So is this the last we'll be seeing of Taller Ghost Walt on the show? Remember when Walt used to read that comic about polar bears? He's still clearly deeply connected to the island, but his appearance in this episode evoked a sense of closure. For old time's sake: WAAAAAAAALLLLLLTTTTT!!!!!!!
- Ladies (and gentlemen), how good was Lance Reddick looking tonight?
- I was happy to see Christian's message to Jack was delivered. That message in and of itself (its sentiment) seems to indicate that he's not really dead, even if his body is just being used to convey Jacob's messages to Locke (if theories are to be believed). And I'll say it: I effing love Jack. Haters to the left.
- Text message from a friend during the episode: "They always kill the black people!" Can anyone refute this?
(Photo courtesy Bestweekever.tv)
Comments (2)
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I wasn't bothered that Abaddon was killed. Not enough to use words like "unfair" and "infuriating." In a show with too many characters, major and minor, I figure we can use one less, and Abaddon was, in my eyes, particularly minor...thrown in from time to time as a mysterious, skeletal-looking near-mute to up the creepy factor. No thanks. Didn't bother me that he was "relegated" to squiring Locke around either; he was a hired-hand, after all. Though I think it was calculated. Locke often needs a push, and Abaddon was nothing if not Charles' "pusher." My anti-spam word, BTW, was "gidday." Hee-hee.
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I think that Abaddon was such a key figure for so many fans that to show him as more or less inconsequential just annoyed those of us who thought he meant more. It made us reconfigure our conspiracies, which is indeed both unfair and infuriating! hah
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