LOST Season Six: "What Kate Does" and "The Substitute"

This is the second of my LOST Season 6 recaps. Each post will cover two episodes. Most of these will be moderately stream of consciousness and will not exactly follow the narrative that the episodes followed. Enjoy.

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"What Kate Does"

While the season opened with the shocking two-parter "LA X," the third episode of the season is "What Kate Does." Finding out the title name a few days prior to broadcast, I gave a sigh, and prepared for a Kate episode. Kate bugs me and it's actually pretty hard to describe. Not as annoying as Claire Bennett, but the focus on both her on Heroes, and Kate on Lost frustrates me because they're just not very interesting characters compared to the rest of the cast.

Well thank goodness for this "Sideways" universe. Kate may still be bland and annoying as ever, but we'll get something new and interesting and hopefully not too contrived. Well, were we left Kate off last time, she was on the run, kidnapping the "puppet master" from Heroes and Claire, who is not related to the Heroes character of the same name. He takes off, leaving the two. Kate eventually relents and takes Claire to the hospital - where... Doctor Ethan Goodspeed helps Claire with her crisis. Ethan's actions in the LA hospital mimics his season two appearance, where he takes care of Claire and injects her to "help" her baby. The

Claire calls the baby Aaron. I can't remember if that's what she planned to call him, or if it was pulled out the the Lost ether. Okay, later on Claire says she picked the name because she "knew it or something."

Back to the Temple... Okay, well Sayid is all screwed up. Something is seriously wrong with this guy. Dogen tortures him, and it appears to really hurt. Bad. Poor guy. Jack forces his way in to talk to Dogen, and is told that Sayid has the sickness, and will soon change. They try to get him to to give Sayid poison, but the plan fails. Apparently the same thing happened to Claire on the island.

Oh, sucks for Aldo. Bye bye Aldo - I hope you like your sleeveless shirts back in the real world. And who's the shooter? None other than Claire. What the frak.

"The Substitute"

Is a John Locke centric episode. Since Locke is dead, it's primarily set around the life of Locke in the "Flashsideways" universe.

John seems to have a much happier life than the one he ultimately had in the "real" universe. I don't say that it is happier because in the "real" universe he's dead. Almost any reality is better than one where you're dead. He seems to be much happier. Still in a wheelchair, but happier.

He's with Helen, and the two are to be married. She makes mention of his father, who I suppose while still probably a con-artist apparently have reconciled and (from what I gather) has probably given up the life of crime. Perhaps he even asked John for the kidney and didn't proceed to cut all ties with him (and didn't fake his death). The one problem (aside from the wheelchair) is that he's still at the box company and his boss is still Randy.

Well, it turns out that he lied about his trip to Australia, and that he had used the company dime to attempt to go on the Walkabout. My only issue with this is that if he was planning on going on a Walkabout for that week or so, why didn't he attend the company function a day late? He was supposed to be there, so it would seem that he went to Australia, didn't bother going to the conference, and then after a few days went to the Walkabout, it also seems to indicate that he probably didn't go to work for a few days, unless he got back on a Friday and was supposed to return on Sunday...

But anyway.

John is fired by Randy. On his way out, a vehicle blocks his handicap exit, frustrated, he tries to take out his anger on the vehicle, to no avail (Maybe important...). The vehicle is owned by none other than Hurley who understands Randy and offers to help John. He sends John to his temp agency and is helped by none other than Rose, completely unaware that they were on the same airplane just days prior. John gets a job as a substitute teacher at a school. He enters the teachers lounge. Another teacher is railing on the other teachers about the coffeemaker. That teacher turns out to be none other than...Benjamin Linus.

On the island, The Smoke Monster lets Richard, who he had trapped, go. Richard takes off into the jungle. The Smoke Monster then sees a young boy, in the woods (Jacob?). The Smoke Monster then travels to James, who is currently sitting in his old Dharma house. He convinces James to come with him, and they trek off to answer why they are on the island.

Richard appears to have been following the two. When The Smoke Monster takes off to chase down the young boy who has made another appearance, Richard tries to convince James to return to the Temple and tells James that the Smoke Monster wants "everyone dead." Unable to convince him, Richard takes back off into the jungle. The Smoke Monster and James make their way to a cliff and begin down a ladder. Not quite "Jacob's Ladder" right? Har har.

John is buried. Ben admits that he killed him and that he was sorry. Frank comments about the "Weirdest damn funeral [he's] ever been to."

At the bottom of the cliff there is a cave. Both James and Smokey enter, and Smokey throws a white rock, removed from it's scale. It's an "inside joke" between the two. Smokey is evil. EVIL!!! All the survivors are apparently "candidates" to replace Jacob. Why he needed replacement is unknown, unless he knew about his impending death. All

"23 - SHEPHARD," "8 - REYES," "16 - JARRAH," "42 - KWON," "15 - FORD," and so on. "4-LOCKE" is crossed out by Smokey.

James joins Smokey. duh duh DUHHHH!!!

To read previous Season 6 Reviews, follow the links below:
LOST Season Six: LA X (Parts 1 and 2) Review

LOST Season Six: LA X (Parts 1 and 2) Review

This is the first of my LOST Season 6 recaps. Each post will cover two episodes. Most of these will be moderately stream of consciousness and will not exactly follow the narrative that the episodes followed. Enjoy.

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Wow. LOST has been a ride so far this season.

The season opened with the shocking "LA X," which opened with an almost shot-for-shot scene that matched the scene that followed the first opening way back in 2004.

Wow. This strange turn of events threw me off initially. What the heck is going on? Why didn't the plane crash? What the heck is going on? Why is the island under water? What the heck is going on? Why did Desmond seem to appear and then disappear almost as soon as he appeared? Needless to say, for almost two hours I was gripped, confused, and extremely happy LOST had returned.

Jack appears to recognize Desmond, even for just a moment. Hmmm. Okay, so Jack saved Charlie's life on the plane (he apparently was choking on his heroin). Cue the "Maybe I was supposed to die" ominous line and music. Perhaps not subtle enough folks. Perhaps a bit more subtle than Boone's "subtle" performance where he says he'd follow Locke. Leslie Arzt chews the scenery... again. Can he get blown up again? Please?

Jin and Sun appear to be pretty much unchanged from their "real" selves - Sun is submissive, and pretends she doesn't know English. There has been some speculation that she really doesn't know - but that would destroy the entire scene where she struggles to answer the person, and finally does with a "No English."

Okay, everything is alright. Wait, no it isn't... They're back on the island. "They" being Kate, Jack, Sayid, James, Miles, Hurley and Jin wake up, disoriented from their "travel" back to the present day from the 1970s. Juliet is nowhere to be found. Distraught, James attacks Jack, blaming him for all of this. And who can't blame Jack - the plan apparently failed. Juliet somehow survived the fall and explosion - and is trapped below the wreckage of the Swan. James is able to dig to her, but she dies while apparently trying to order coffee. I suspect that the coffee ordering will play a part in a future episode.

They all travel their separate ways, with most of the group traveling to the Temple after Jacob, in all his dead glory (Ben killed him in the season finale), tells Hurley to take Sayid there to save his life.

Sun, Lapidus, Richard, Ilana and Bram wait with the others outside the Temple. Ben exits the Temple, fresh from killing Jacob. Bram and his men drag Ben back into the Temple - and discover that not only is Jacob dead, but that Locke isn't really Locke (they already knew that since they saw the body). When you start hearing the "tika tika" sound - shit's about to hit the fan. Sure enough, Locke turns into "Smokey" and decimates the whole group. Bram attempts to save his life by putting ash around him, but "Smokey" is able to circumvent it by hitting something into the circle to knock him out. Ben and "Locke" (who I will keep referring to as Locke) exit, with Ben confused, but quickly realizing what he is. Richard appears to be the most shocked - and is quickly knocked out and picked up by Locke. He announces that he is "very disappointed" with everyone on the beach.

Well, damn. The Temple is full of trademark "DOUCHE-BAG OTHERS" - I have a theory that the only way to become an Other is to at least act like a complete asshole, scumbag, or psychotic. Looks like Cindy in all her ratty hair has caught this bug. Well Lennon and a Japanese man named Dogen appear to be in charge. Interesting - we've never seen these guys before and they appear to be pretty high up in The Other's power structure. Interesting. Okay, all this talking has made sure that Sayid is dead. Dead as a... whatever is dead. Remember "Dead is Dead." But... apparently he isn't. Sure. Hey "Sayid."

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy: Alright. I'll jump first.
Sundance Kid: No.
Butch Cassidy: Then you jump first.
Sundance Kid: No, I said.
Butch Cassidy: What's the matter with you?
Sundance Kid: I can't swim.
Butch Cassidy: Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you.
Sundance Kid: Oh, shit...

While this film never pops to the top of my head when I think of westerns, this is a solid, wonderful, and fun film. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 western, staring Paul Newman and Robert Redford as Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid respectively. The movie was directed by George Roy Hill who went on to direct The Sting and Slaughterhouse-Five.

My favorite westerns are no secret. Sergio Leone's Man with No Name trilogy, which includes A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly are always top picks, as well as the crowning achievement, Once Upon a Time in the West. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid certainly ranks up there with the best of them even if the film wasn't shot in Spain and directed by an Italian.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is about two bandits, the namesakes of the film, who are out to score big by way of armed robbery. Butch is called out by one of his Hole in the Wall Gang members, but not only beats this hapless member, but takes his advice on a few additional jobs. The second job backfires, and Butch and Sundance are now on the run. They decide that the best place to go is far away Bolivia, which is like somewhere in Central America or something (little do they know...). Soon they become not just American outlaws, but International ones.

My father told me a story about the first time he saw this film when it first premiered. In the row in front of him, he remembers hearing a distraught person who exclaimed that they didn't know the movie would be in Black and White. The entire first scene is in sepia for 6 minutes.

This film is much more light-hearted than many westerns out there. The film is wonderful and perfect escapism. The leads, Paul Newman and Robert Redford, play off each other perfectly. The soundtrack is perfect. "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head"? Brilliant! That made the scene. The ending to this film is one of the most memorable ever on screen.

*****/*****

BREAKING: Lindsay Lohan sues Lindsay Lohan for ruining own image

I'm normally willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt but Lohan's been off the deep end for years.

A lawsuit has been brought against E-Trade for the use of the name "Lindsey/Lindsay" in an E-Trade commercial, where Miss Lohan believes her first name is such a staple that the public will recognize it alongside names such as Cher, Madonna, or Oprah is laughable at best.

Lohan's own destructive behavior has already caused enough damage on its own.

Put a fork in it, she's done. One can pretty much mark the end of her career when William H. Macy ripped her a new one. I sincerely hope she likes filming movies in Bulgaria because she's only going to be in SyFy Original Pictures from this point on in her career.

82nd Academy Awards

I watched a lot more of it than I had originally expected I would. Overall pretty tame, nothing spectacular, most winners were suspected to win so there were few upsets.

I saw my standard 20% of the Best Picture nominees before the ceremony, Inglourious Basterds and District 9. The only films that I saw that actually won an award was Inglourious Basterds and Star Trek. I guess that means that fu*king annoying little midget creature will probably make it to the next Trek movie. Great.

The interpretive dancing segment was, as usual was my least favorite part of the entire performance.

The best part of the program, and the one that forced me to look and say to my Father, who I was watching it with, "What the heck is going on?" was when Elinor Burkett, looking crazy, stormed on stage, cut off the director who was in mid-sentence, and blabbered on about nothing. Larry David wouldn't have been able to make heads or tails of what was going on and Seinfeld is too busy with that stupid staged marriage show but I digress. From my understanding, there should be one and only one person who speaks (which is why throughout the night the mic was cut whenever the first person finished). Looking into the story behind what happened is pretty clear cut. Roger Ross Williams should have given that speech and Burkett should have kept her trap shut.

The Hurt Locker won the big prize. I'm going to try to see this by the weekend at the American Film Institute Silver theater.

Rundown: Week ending in March 6th

Okay, last week was terrible. Terrible, terrible terrible. I think I was attached to a desk chair almost all week, sun up to when the moon was at its apex in the night. So that really put a damper on my week. But not to worry, the weekend provided plenty of time for me to unwind, relax and watch.

Hulu
I love Hulu, I know my friend Jonathan apparently doesn't, but I do. I knocked off so many things off my never shrinking queue. After enjoying Ed O'Neill on Modern Family, I decided to take a look at Married... With Children. Wow, glad I did. Visually dated at times, mostly due to the cheap sitcom video they used to use. The stories, even today can be pretty edgy, with comments that are less veiled than they are today. A lot of shows would imply that the oldest daughter is no longer a virgin through some kind of innocent innuendo, but Bud Bundy outright says it at the dinner table ("at least there's one virgin at the dinner table"). Hulu doesn't have all the episodes, and I suspect that the Frank Sinatra song, "Love and Marriage" has some sketchy legal rights that don't quite allow it to make the cut so a muzak version of the theme is present on many, but not all, episodes. Having a blast watching.

Tremors ended on a whimper. Perhaps it was a good thing, but after stepping away, perhaps this show deserved a full season to see if it really could hit its stride.

I'm still on the slow road to finish M.A.N.T.I.S. Wow, it's really starting to hit rock bottom, though the latest episode was actually not too bad. I'm completely drawing a blank on these episodes, so perhaps we just stopped watching or the show changed nights when it first aired back in 1994 and 1995.

La Femme Nikita
The La Femme Nikita re-watch continues. I just about finished the second season. Upon second viewing, and I say second because I only caught the odd episode when I was up at 2am back in my youth, the show really does have a lot more continuity that I had given it credit for. While there aren't many story arcs to speak of, there are threads that start in one episode which eventually push over to other episodes. However, this show, as I've already stated, is still pretty depressing. You really get sucked into and feel Nikita's desperation at being powerless to escape Section. The show really picked up its production values and dumped the silly "stone castle" theme of Madeline's office for something that actually fit the rest of the facility. Two episodes until season 3. More stories have cropped up that bear striking resemblance to some of Alias'.

The Olympics are Over!
There were new episodes of Community and The Office. I'm of two minds for the most recent Office episode, where Pam finally gives birth. Mind you it wasn't awful, but the show has really lost a lot of it's realism (and it didn't have a lot to begin with), at least there was some continuity, which I feel they generally push to the back burner and ignore. I think the show is far past its fresh date, though it's a lot better than it was around the time of the writer's strike.

The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is dead to me. Fuck Jay Leno and his stupid jean jacket. You know there's a problem when HE is the one copying George Lopez's lame jokes.

Caprica
Caprica never ceases to amaze me. The show seems to be getting better and better. Everyone, watch! Look for it on iTunes or Hulu!

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is the wonderfully fantastic 1988 fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film mixes live-action and animation together. It may looks "rough around the edges" today, but it is a revolutionary film.

The film was produced and released by Walt Disney Pictures under the Touchstone banner, and includes Disney (Mickey, and the rest you should be aware of), Warner Bros (Bugs Bunny, and the rest you should be aware of), MGM (Droopy, as well as others), Paramount Pictures (Betty Boop), Universal Studios (Woody Woodpecker), as well as others.

The film stars Bob Hoskins as private detective Eddie Valiant, Christopher Lloyd as the notorious Judge Doom, Joanna Cassidy as Eddie's girlfriend Dolores, Charles Fleischer as the voice of our illustrious title character, and Kathleen Turner as the voice of the sultry Kathleen Turner.

The casting was fantastic. Bob Hoskins plays a great detective. For my entire youth I didn't even know he wasn't a warm-blooded American. Of course in retrospect if you listen closely you can hear the typical "I have a cold voice" that many actors put on to mask the Britishness of their voice – but I digress. Christopher Lloyd was a masterful villain – how he doesn't make it somewhere on the AFI's 100 Villains list I don’t know. And jeez... Jessica Rabbit? I mean, I don't want to get inappropriate... She's not bad, she's "just drawn that way." Oh yeah, "Nice booby-trap".

Animation-wise this is a masterpiece. Most films made which combine animated characters were relegated to simple gimmicks and in musical numbers. This could range from either kind of hokey like the dancing penguins with Dick Van Dike or wonderful but pretty much banned like the film Song of the South. And before you say, hey Chris, what about the Blue Man Group people from Avatar? What about Jar-Jar Binks? Well CGI really has gone a far way, but it's just *not* the same. This isn’t even mentioning that this film did most, if not all of the heavy lifting without the extensive help of computers – unlike later films like Space Jam or Looney Tunes: Back in Action. As an aside to the conversation, Looney Tunes: Back In Action is a far superior to the dated, and pretty lame Michael Jordan vehicle that is actually pretty difficult to watch these days.

The film is jam packed with cameos from just about every famous classic cartoon character that was created in the heyday of Hollywood's golden era. The sheer sight of seeing both Bugs and Mickey on the same screen at the same time is amazing. It's also full of references to sight gags, and other classic gems. I never realized that the Toon Town musical entrance was based on a 1931 Foxy cartoon (Smile, Darn Ya Smile!).

Perhaps the best scene in the entire film is when Eddie enters the club and sees Daffy and Donald in a piano battle. A fan of classic cartoons who wasn't sold on this film's brilliance by this point could never be swayed seeing both ducks, from rival studios together in a honest to goodness film fighting each other. The scene is almost as good as the later scene where Eddie meets Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse during an unfortunate time to ask a 'toon for help.

The reason I always come back to it so often is that the film is not designed for only the kids to enjoy. This film is so full of adult themes that I may have a hard time letting my kids watch it until I think they're "ready." It can appear downright crude at times, through the crafty minds behind the film were able to make a lot of the jokes so implied, that without the right context, it'll go right over your head. That's because I did watch this as a kid, and for the life of me most of the mature themes did go straight over my head. It wasn't until I was much older where I really appreciated the subtle nature of the adult humor of the film.

Playing "patty cake" and having Roger get all worked up over a simple game when you watched it as a kid? How about the increasing pitch of her voice during that scene when you watched it when you were older? Woah. That was funny as a kid but taken to a completely different level, perhaps building, as an adult. Oh the joys of my naïve youth. I mean, seriously? Is Jessica Rabbit singing "Why don't you do right?" anything but for the dads who were dragged to see this film?

Honestly the saddest story to come out of this film was that animation director Richard Williams eventually got recognized because of his work on this film, and then subsequently got his life's work, The Princess and the Cobbler, taken away from him. The resulting film is the kind of movie that you see in a Supermarket rack with the rest of the crummy $6.99 DVDs. Occasionally some of the films turn out to be gems, but "Arabian Knight," the bastardized version of William's work is not that film.

The film was a resounding success, the second biggest film of 1988. It spawned 3 short films that appeared before some family and kids movies over the next few years, but no sequel has ever been able to get off the ground. Some rumors have been passing around the last year or so that there may finally be one on the way. I can only hope that it can live up to even half of what the first film was able to. Things have changed and I don't think that a sequel can ever have the same kind of appeal without making it more childish and less adult instead of finding some good balance between the two. But here's hoping.

***** out of *****