the stage

I believe that everything is connected. And that despite our intrinsic connection to the universe around us, our lives are the direct result of the consequences we create.

That is not to say that I don’t believe that there is a unifying force that guides the universe, but I believe that within the physical construct of our existence that we are interactive, independent actors.

Actors on our own stage, a landscape of our choosing through action or inaction, when we stop we find ourselves where our actions have led us.

We cannot anticipate or prepare for every eventuality and sometimes the smallest action from the theater around us can shake the very foundation of our stage, maybe even change the scene. Or change our choices, such is the way the interaction part works.

To know where we are is to know where we have come from, to understand the consequences of the actions and the nature of the choices that we have made. To be able to examine and second-guess our past gives us the opportunity to predict our futures, and to… make choices, to take actions and then not just “live with” but to also accept responsibility for the consequences. And then to choose again.

I am an actor on a stage, the drama and sometimes comedy of my life is unscripted. The pen is in my hand.

I am an actor on a stage, but I am not the only one, nor is this the only stage.


1.15.2011

Lost: Season 5, Episode #03: “Jughead”

“Jughead”
Season 5, Episode 3

This review & commentary contain spoilers. If you don’t want to know what happens in this episode, don’t read this review.


The Review

“Jughead” was an interesting episode. There were two distinct plots unraveling simultaneously, one has Desmond trying to track down Daniel’s mother and uncovering a very interesting secret while the other is action-packed, has explosions, a hydrogen bomb, and more time-travel excitement.

A few high points: we get to see more about “the Others”. We learn more (although realize then how little we know) about Richard, which actually makes him more interesting. The time-travel skipping is still going on for the islanders, and it’s still kind of cool.

The low point is Desmond. Desmond and Penny are just not interesting. Sure, Desmond has a mission sent to him from the past, but he’s borrring. And Penny is worse.

It was also interesting that we take a break from the Ben & the Oceanic Six storyline in “Jughead”. That was okay too. Overall, the episode was another winner.


Characters
Too much Desmond (and Penny), Locke and Richard, and Daniel are the center of “Jughead”’s plot. Desmond is on a mission (sent by Daniel) to find his mother, which takes him on an interesting direction. Locke and Richard are pretty good set-up pieces both to explore the Others and to lead into future things (I presume) and Daniel continues to be the main thread on the island.


Grade: B


Running Commentary (or Greg’s Inner-monologue)
Wow. Penny has a soccer ball in her belly! No, literally, it looks like a soccer ball. It’s worse than Claire’s. Or maybe it’s the same fake baby-bump on a differently shaped lady, but it’s still funny looking!

I know Desmond and Penny were in kind of a panic and an emotional state, but I think I would have preferred that the “doctor” at least wash his hand before jumping down there and reaching in with his rusty tongs.

Heather says Penny died. I say it’s because the doctor didn’t wash his hands. Ohp, there’s Penny.

On the Island
How many ties does Red need to ask Daniel if he knows what’s wrong with her before, either a) he tells her, or b) she beats the snot out of him for not telling. And I now her name is Charlotte, I chose not to use it.

How is it that two people just got blown to bits and I didn’t have any idea who they were? How many frack’in people are on this island!!! Oh look, there’s more. And they have a collection of claymores, rifles and bows. How come they don’t have lasers? Or thermal pulse cannons? Or since J.J. & company went there… phasers? You know, if the island goes through time willy-nilly, why not further in the future? I know it’s one of those rules that only the cool time-travelling kids get to break.

Penny & Desmond
Okay, Penny & Desmond are kind of like The King of Queens on a boat. Neither is really interesting, so to Greg they sound like:
Desmond: blah-blah-blah-blah
Penny: blah-blah-Why didn’t you remember until two days ago-blah-blah
Desmond: blah-blah-blah

The Island
Okay, the claymores weren’t the guys with the bows and rifles. You realize the implication is that means that there are even more people on this island. This island isn’t “Lost” it’s on some kind of “Map to the Stars” for militant lunatics.

Of course Juliette speaks Latin. Oh, that makes perfect sense: the “Others” speak Latin. I suppose it’s easier to teach a bunch of people a dead language, as opposed to making up a new one.

Miles “sees dead people!”…. four U.S. soldiers, one dead from radiation. Great Scott more people wind up on this island than visit Graceland. It’s amazing the island doesn’t sink from the weight of all the folk traipsing around it. I heard Disney was thinking of putting a theme park there.

Richard!

Desmond
Blah-blah-blah…was trying to send rats brains back in time…
Faraday… greeeaat… another person. Because, oh never mind…

Prisoners
Okay, so Daniel and the other two are the main characters on the island tonight. That is more than a little disconcerting. I know they’ve been around for two or three seasons or so, but seriously, outside of Daniel, I still don’t really care about them. And really, really don’t want to waste any time on their back-stories!!!

Hydrogen bomb?!?

Sawyer & Locke
Well, it is kind of interesting to be learning more about “the Others”, even if it means that they have more of them populating the island.

The “Richard Alpert” mystery is kind of interesting.

Don’t shoot him! Where’s he going to run off to? Right… his camp…

Desmond
Hey! The woman who opened the door looks like the girl from the hunting party on the island! I wonder if it’s her sister?!? Uhm, nope. Doesn’t look like it.

A Hydrogen Bomb
Blah-blah-blah romantic banter between Daniel and the dying red-head. Blah-blah-blah.

That girl does look like the lady from Daniel’s past.

Oh good, Richard is going to tell Daniel, “the truth”.
Richard has a chain of command.

Lookie, the guy ran off to his camp!
Ellie. Dang another name. Frack!!!

How old is Richard? Old. Hmmm, that’s kind of interesting.

Oooh. Daniel sees the resemblance to the other lady too!!! That’s pretty cool.
Daniel: You want to know who I am, I am the best chance at disarming that bomb.
Yeah, he’s all that! I like him!

People on the island have great complexions.

Oh… they’re fifty years in the past. Wow, Richard is old.

Juliette: Why don’t we all put our guns down?
Let’s go back to blah-blah-blah. That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

Desmond v. Widmore
“namaste" at the top of the painting
Oh yeah and blah-blah-blah California blah-blah-blah

Locke & Richard
Locke: Jacob sent me.

Widmore?!? Charles Widmore?!? WOW!!!

Desmond
Desmond: Blah-blah-blah-Good day? Blah-blah-blah…
Penny: Blah-blah-blah-Why are you lying to me? Blah-blah-blah…

Awww… they named their son Charlie! How cute. Heather thinks they named him after Charlie from the Island.

Penny: Blah-blah-blah…

Richard & Locke
Richard: I certainly don’t want to contradict myself…
Isn’t time-travel a bitch.

Flash. Dang. Time-travel is a bitch.
Locke told him where and when he was born. That’s going to be important.

Miles: I’m fine too.
Yeah, it’s sad that people on the island care less about him than I do. I don’t care about him at all.

Oops. One less person. Eh, that’s okay.

Postscript: While writing the review, I think I figured out who the woman with the rifle is and why she looked familiar to Daniel and why I thought she looked like the lady Desmond went to see. She is the woman Desmond goes to see in the future! We learn, late in the episode, that the islanders are in 1954. Depending on when she goes back (presumably a few, at least one – Widmore- do go back), she could meet Daniel’s mother. Her sister was being experimented on by her. Or however that part goes, I wasn’t paying attention. Desmond: blah-blah-blah and all. Thin theory, but I’m going with it for now.

Lost: Season 5, Episode #02: "The Lie"

“The Lie”

Season 5, Episode 2

This review & commentary contain spoilers. If you don’t want to know what happens in this episode, don’t read this review.


The Review
Ben and Jack are still “trying” to get everyone to the island. Though truth be told if not for some other unfortunate circumstances, they would still be at square one. Kate and rutabaga head are on the run (a familiar place for Kate). There are strange doings on the island and Hurley’s parents are very cool.

Season Five of Lost is moving really quickly. I can’t imagine what this season would have been like watching it week-to-week. I can see why it regained some of its gusto, in the eyes of some jaded fans. Mine included.

The best part of “The Lie” is Hurley and his family. The absolutely, positively best part is Hurley explaining the lie to his Mom. And his Mom just going with it.

The on-going plot for the season is moved along (though you do have to wonder what Ben would have done had Hurley not dropped Sayid in his lap?) and the island is still a place of discontent.

In fact, the discontent on the island is almost moving in a disturbing direction. While it is great that we are on a path to conclusion, there are enough loose ends to be wrapped up without adding more. So far, there were one-or-two new (old?) adversaries on the island for the castways in “The Lie”. In one scene they are volleying flaming arrows, in another they are armed with machetes and rifles. Okay, the time skipping… might be able to explain that. But (as much as it pains me to say) I do hope we find out who was shooting those arrows at some point. (Because really we need more subplots in this series).

Overall though, two episodes in to season five and we are still enthralled. Or at least ready to watch the next episode (without mocking).

Characters
Ben and Hurley are the main characters in the future story. Jack, Juliette and some new guy lead the charge for the islanders. Hurley’s parents play an awesome role and Sun makes another appearance.

Grade: B




Running Commentary (or Greg’s Inner-monologue)
I kind of miss all the episodes opening with someone’s eyes opening.

On the Searcher
Why does it look like Kate is trying to breast-feed rutabaga head?

Hurley: I don’t think we should lie dude.
Go Hurley.
Jack is so full of it. He is so bent, how is it that any of these folk are buying this. He’s working from so many flawed assumptions it’s not even funny. The least of which would be that Widmore wouldn’t already know what happened!!! Go Hurley!

Awesome! Hurley totally just took out a FedEx box. Oh yeah, go Hurley! Wait, I mean, I love FedEx.

Hey!!! It’s Ana-Lucia! No wonder she pulled him over… he was driving like she does in real life! Who said that?

On Fantasy Island
Neil!?!? Arrgh!!! Another new person. C’mon… no more new people!!! Please!!!

Wow. Daniel’s really cool. It’s too bad he’s not hot like Jack and wasn’t stuck on the island with them from the beginning. They’d be home by… oh yeah, home didn’t work out so well did it… he’s still cool! J

Back to the Future
Wow, Kate and Hurley missed each other by “that much”…
That is the worst cell phone “simulated screen” I have ever seen.

Jack & Ben are kind of like DeNiro and Grodin in Midnight Run. And kind of not.

Dad: You killed three people?
Hurley: No, Sayid did.
Dad: Oh, that’s better.

Dad’s are great.

Dad: That’s not going to work, we need a doctor.

Ha-ha! They need Jack! Yay!

And Kate re-unites with Sun. Kate and Sun, Hurley and Sayid, Jack and Ben. And of course, Ben goes to another new person (Jill). How many new people am I going to have to remember?!?!

Fantasy Island
Ugh. Neil. Maybe the Polar Bear will get him.

Awesome. Looks like Neil got fire. Okay, and arrows. Fire and arrows, uhm the Dharma Initiative circa 1700?

The Hugos
That is a beautiful house. And Hurley has great (very understanding!) parents.

Kate & Sun
…hmm… now that is an interesting turn of events. Sun’s recollection of Kate’s uhm, betrayal?... I wonder where Sun stands in all of this right now. Clearly she’s on her own in her dealings with Widmore.

Jack & Dad
It’s nice that Dad can see that Jack is full of #(*$#&.

Hurley’s recap of the first three seasons… four seasons to his mom is awesome.

Mom: I believe you. I don’t understand you, but I believe you.
And yes, that’s exactly how it felt for the rest of us. Up until the third season when we gave up. It’s fun to hear it all recapped like that.

Island
Uh oh, Sawyer stepped on a horrible poisoned spike. The one horrible poisoned spike in all the jungle, he’ll most likely be dead by morning. Or sooner if the shadow guys get him.

More people! I hope I don’t have to remember their names. This island is worse than Grand Central station. It needs its own Census.

General Hospital
Oh good, Sayid is alive. It would suck to have to drag two dead guys back to the island.

Ben is creepy. How does he know all this stuff. I mean sure he’s from the island, but how can he know what would happen or what has happened?!? Has this all happened before? Is there like a bug-log for the island?

Hurley has always been very clever!

Island of the Danged
He’s going to cut off her hand. Of course he’s not going to get to cut off her hand. Of course, were I her, I would have busted some caps!!! Just sayin’…

Back to the Future
Okay, very dramatic pause. Old lady in a hood. Are we supposed to know who the old lady in the hood is?!?! For pete’s sake there are more people in this story than you can shake a stick at. Forget the census, we need them all to wear nametags.

The end?!? Already? That’s a good sign.

Lost: Season 5 ep 01: “Because you left”

“Because you left”

Lost Season 5, Episode #1

This review & commentary contains spoilers. If you don’t want to know what happens in this episode, don’t read this review.

The Review

You might think adding actually jumping through time might be more confusing than flashbacks and flashforwards, but you’d be mistaken, at least in the case of “Because you left”.

While we still don’t know why the people who left the island need to go back, or how Locke got off the island or how Ben got off the island… (at this point I’m just going to assume tribal council didn’t go their way), the story is firmly set in motion that they have to go back. Ben and Jack are heck-bent to bring the old gang back together.

Kate and Sun have problems of their own. Kate has little rutabaga head in tow and now has someone hot on their tail. And Sun has another showdown with Widmore.

A really solid episode, no new mysteries and everything that happens moves the most prominent story arc (time skipping) forward (so to speak). It is also really cool to have the castaways go back in time to things (and people) we recognize from earlier in the series.

Characters

Sawyer and Daniel are the featured characters on the island, while Sayid and Hurley pull the lion’s share of advancing the plot in “real time” back on the mainland. Oh yeah, Locke also features prominently, back on the island.

Grade: B+

Running Commentary (or Greg’s Inner-monologue)

The record skips…

Dr. Chang is super cool.

An almost limitless energy that will allow them to manipulate time. And there are rules, rules that cannot be broken. I’m just curious, who do you suppose writes these rules? I’d like that job.

Heather says, she writes the rules. In fact…

She writes the rules that make the whole world sing… she writes the rules for every-thing…

Oh, it’s that guy. I guess, I’m going to have to remember his name. I think it’s Daniel. He’ll be Daniel until I can tell you his real name.

Mortuary

Jack was a train wreck when the plane crashed. Jack became a train wreck on the island and is a train wreck now.

I’m glad Ben has a plan. I’d be sad if Ben didn’t have a plan.

Three years earlier

Okay, a time reference. I guess that’s good. They’ve been off the island for three years. Watching Ben move the island, I am reminded that he was the one who said, “Whoever moves the island can never come back.” Uhm. Maybe he’s not going to go all the way, it would be a shame for something so cryptic to be contradicted so quickly. I mean that sounds like one of those rules. If someone is going to go to the trouble to write them and people are going to remember them, they shouldn’t be so easily cast aside. At least that’s what I think.

The Island – moved

Everything but the people is gone.

Oh, good. His name is Daniel. Apparently Daniel (the physicist) knows something about the camp...

Daniel: Your camp isn’t gone, it hasn’t been built yet.

Oh, I am sooo sure that’s not what Sawyer wanted to hear.

Now. (Kate)

And away she goes…

Island

Sawyer is the voice of reason.

Daniel: blah-blah-blah-blah

Sawyer: SLAP

Ah, there we go. All is good.

Cool, the island (or the people) are skipping through time like a record? Oh yeah, Daniel was on the island way back when Chang was. That’s pretty cool.

It’s ironic (and big of me to point out) that in my review of the last episode, it totally escaped me that that Locke was not one of the folk who got rescued. Good job guys.

Eco’s brother’s plane! The drug madonnas!

Wow. Evil Ethan! Huh, who’d have thunk. I suppose the whole moving the island is kind of like the creators calling for a mulligan. I’m actually good with that. I’d rather go back to a show that I like and enjoy it all over again than be sad that it went ca-ca.

Back to the future

Sun – Whitmore round 2: “Common Interests”

Uh-oh, Hurley has been implicated in Sayid’s dirty work.
A change of plan, should just be built into to all of Ben’s plans. Because his plans don’t really seem to go very well.

Sayid: …whatever he (Ben) tells you, just do the opposite.

Now, that sounds like a plan.

Wow. That was the worst action foreshadowing I’ve ever seen. I called the frying pan. Heather called the knives. Like it was choreographed by Charlie Brown.

We were really doing well up until the lame fight scene.

Back on Gilligan’s Island

Having the story jump back and forth in flashbacks and then flashforwards was one thing. Having the actual story jump back and forth in time is kind of fun. But I like time travel.

Time is like a string.

That is such an antiquated concept. Totally linear. Good theory, easy to prove (since we can neither go forward or backwards in time) but if we could… then this theory would kind of be like the whole “world is flat” concept. Just give us some time… we’ll figure it out.

Richard

Okay, I can totally see why my cool friends are hooked on this show again.

Richard: It’s a compass.

Locke: What does it do?

Richard: It points North, John.

That is awesome dialogue. That was a really scene with a guy who know what time travel is all about. Okay, Richard (whose name I apparently know) can stay.

Time-skips

Can I just say it now, I really like the time-skips. Sure if they go on all year I can see them becoming annoying. But this is kind of cool.

Sawyer: This would all be fascinating, if I was listening.

LMAO!!!

You can’t change the past

We say that only because we don’t know if anyone if anyone already has.

Miles is an idiot. And yes, apparently I know his name too.

Uh-oh, Charlotte has a nose-bleed. Dang, I know her name too. Frak me.

Daniel is definitely my new favorite character. Desmond is definitely like a little marionette, time’s puppet. I say, “puppet” but mean a word that rhymes with bitch. Oh wait, I mean bitch.

Oh crap that the end.

Okay friends, you are right. At least for one episode: Lost is back.