Sep 27, 2010

Lost Season Two - press execute for cool new characters and the best setting ever


SPOILER ALERT!

Number of episodes / Days it took me: 24 / 18 (... just like last season! I thought it took me much longer... Sure felt like it did.)

What goes on on season 2: We get to go inside the mysterious hatch, to start with! There's a cool Scottish guy in there and he's been saving the world for three year by pushing a button. He takes off and Locke & co. take over the job. Also, the passengers from the tail-section of the plane (or what's left of them) unite with our friends with a bang. Then they catch a man who calls himself Henry Gale from Minnesota, but really he's an Other and on his way of becoming one of my favourite characters. Michael wants to find his son (... I think. He doesn't talk about it much. Only in every freaking sentence he says...) and is ready to do anything, I mean ANYTHING, to get him back. Not cool, Mike. Well, we know what's waiting for you...

Coolest new characters: Desmond (aah, I love him! Maybe THE favourite character of mine. Maybe), Ben, eh, I mean "Henry" (obviously. What would Lost be without him, really?) and Bernard (didn't care much for the other tail-section characters, but Bernard rocks).

Coolest storylines: Everything about the hatch. It's just my favourite setting in the show, it's so cool! The computer and the beeb beeb beeb sound, the lavalamp, the ping pong table, the record player, the marks on the wall (counting days, weeks...?) and all that... Pushing that button is just brilliant! How they keep pushing it to "save the world", no matter how ridiculous that sounds, because you just never know... Shame it blew up. I also like the "Henry Gale" storyline.

Coolest foreshadowing: There's a lot of that this season! All that ambigious stuff about the Dharma Initiave - the Orientation film, Pierre Chang (not going by his real name yet), the Incident, Radzinsky... Just think how cool it is we get a hint of all these things so early on! Also, hinting that the Others are civilized, the Widmore Labs pregnancy test, the look in Sun's eyes after she tells Jin "the whole truth", Penny's line "with money and determination you can find anything"... And the statue! Damn, yeah! (Though I'm still a bit bitter about that lousy explanation... Mumblemumblemuble...) It was also cool that they said the line "what's done is done" a couple of times, as it'll play an important role later on. And of course, how could I forget the genious introduction to the epic story of Jack's tattoos and Phucket! ... Kidding.

Coolest character developments: Michael goes through a lot this season. And John's struggle with his beliefs is interesting to watch.


The "...meh" moments of the season: Fire + Water is officially my least favourite episode of Lost. There are a lot more boring episodes I feel more indifferent about, but this Charlie episode just always makes me feel so bad. I never enjoy watching it. Poor Charlie.

The "OMGSFRgtrh"#¤#T%TY!!!11" moments of the season: Shannon getting shot. Damn, that was cruel! The monster's first proper appareance was quite shocking, too. We went short of inside it and there were those flashes... Cool. The biggest OMG moment was in the finale, delivered by Desmond: "I think I crashed your plane." Aweeeesome. EDIT // Well, damn it. As Harri kindly pointed out, I forgot to mention the obvious OMG moment, the deaths of Ana Lucia and Libby in the end of Two for the Road. That was OMG, alright...

The "WHAT-THE-F..." moments of the season: The dripping wet ghost walt, whispering strange things. That was super creepy, too. The Pearl station Orientation video, claiming that pushing the button is just a psychological experiment. The last scene of the season - the two guys in that very snowy place, a flashing red light and a call to Penny Widmore... "I think we found it." Cool.

The "snifsnif" moments of the season: The end of Collision - the slow motion reunions of Michael and Vincent, Jin and Sun (my favourite of all their reunions), Rose and Bernard (so sweet, so joyful, so touching!). Hurley on Libby's deathbed. "I'm sorry I forgot the blankets." Oh god... Libby and Ana's funeral - Hurley's speech especially.

The "HAHAHAHAHA" moments of the season: Kate kicking Jack's ass in golf. The poker ("How about you put your mangoes where your mouth is."). Bringing back the Scott/Steve joke, I always found that funny. I also get a kick out of that 'got caught in a net' gag - "Is that what they're calling it these days?" Charlie is hilarious this season. His humour is short of mean, even meaner than before, becase he's going through those dark times, but I like it! For example, his line to Ana, regarding Sayid: "Humour is not his strong suit. (pause) And I'm saying this to you." And him pretending to give the gun to Ana and but giving it Sayid instead, and asking Eko if he's building a Starbucks. Not to forget: "Did either of you see a guy run through here? In a bathrobe? With a coconut?" "No, I saw a polar bear on roller blades with a mango." Ah, Charlie...

The "awwwwww" moments of the season: Hurley giving Charlie peanut butter in the end of Everyone Hates Hugo. Kate helping Sawyer swallow the pill by stroking his hair and whispering into his ear. Hurley giving the thumbs up to Jin when Sun's not looking and Jin giving the thumbs up to Hurley when he's about to have the picnic with Libby. The whole failed surprise picnic thing is very sweet, at least until the other participant gets shot. S.O.S. is perhaps the most aww episode ever, because Rose and Bernard are the sweetest couple of Lost.

The "WHOO! Kick ass!" moment of the season: I had to add this one category of moments, although I tried not to. Anyway, here it is now, and the most kick-ass moment of the season is Hurley beating the crap out of Sawyer. It's funny too, with Jin watching the tussle amused, but also a bit tragic, because of what's going on with Hurley in that episode.

The moments I can't fit under any other category but want to mention anyway because they are simply awesome: Sayid and Hurley listening to the radio broadcast that "could be coming from any where in the world" ("Or any time." Haha. Who knows, really?). Jin listening to the others, but only hearing gibberish. They did it once already on season one, and again, it's a great reminder of what is is like for Jin, not understanding a word of what people around him are saying. Sawyer admiting to Jack that he's the closest thing he has for a friend, after Ana's death. End of dave - hell, for a moment I wasn't sure if it was all real after all! The final scene at the pier... "We're the good guys, Michael."

Dumbest Jack moment of the season: "How long do you think it would take to train an army?" 

Funniest Sawyer nickname of the season: "This is how people end up dead in scary movies." "If this was a scary movie, I'd be with a hot chick, not you, Barbar." "It's Babar." Also, Pippi Longstocking. I think he was refering to Kate. Heja Sverige!


Best openings: Man of Science, Man of Faith has perhaps my favourite opening scene ever. I remember seeing it for the first time, feeling confused and checking if I had the right channel on. Not only it's the first appareance of my soon-to-be favourite character, it's also wonderfully confusing and unexpected in the most brilliant Lost kind of way. 'What's inside the hatch?' was the question on everyone's mind, and there you go, they didn't keep us waiting. Add the Mamas and the Papas song and that's it, a perfect opening. Also, the first 30 seconds of The Other 48 Days are quite cool.

Best endings: "You guys got any milk?" That's so chilling, seriously! Like the first glimpse of real Ben.

Best special feature: The World According to Sawyer. Isn't he lovely?

Best of the Blooper Reel: "I can't quit you, baby." & "I must have been... doing something." & "That baby IS delicious." And of course, Dom Monaghan dropping the branch, then looking up and smiling idiotically. That guy is hilarious...

Best episodes: Man of Science, Man of Faith, I think. Also Live Together, Die Alone, because Des rocks. And Long Con.

The questions I wanted aswered but they never were: Libby and Santa Rosa. Argh, you guys!

The quote to summarize season 2: "Just saving the world."

Overall how it felt like to watch season 2 again: The rewatch evoked quite a lot of memories from the time I first saw this season. I'll share a few of them with you: When the season opening aired, I'd just had a surgery and there was a fresh operation scar on my lower stomach. Anyone who's ever had a scar in their stomach knows you can't do anything with your abs without a terrible pain - so no laughing, no getting up too quickly, no sudden movements. So, when the first commercial break of Man of Science, Man of Faith came (that was after the first appareance of ghost Walt) I was so freaking excited about the season's killer start that I got up from my bed, ran to the living room, hysterically tried to explain what an awesome show Lost is, and then had to kneel down and swallow tears because I noticed my stomach was about to burst open. Haha. Understandable, really. That was one hell of an opening. Also, by that time I was so freaking ignorant that I actually expected to get some vital info from an episode called The Whole Truth. Nah. Finally, I remember being bitter because in the finale, before the Others put the bag over her head, Kate looks at Jack, not Sawyer. Back then I still thought Kate should be with Sawyer, and I remember why, they share some great scenes and that chemistry is undeniable. Of course, that was before season five and... Oh well, I'll get back to that in time.


What's next: The truth about the Others!

Ps. I don't know about the quality or coherence of this post, I have a nice little flu and fever and it's making my head quite hazy. Sorry. I'll never go to a foam party again.

2 comments:

Harri said...

I looove season two, the whole hatch thing is pure awesomeness. :D And new characters are great (especially Desmond, "Henry" and...what was it...hmh..Eko? I don't even remember his name :D).

I like to read about foreshadows you see (epic story of Jack's tattoos :D hah, yeah. The tattoo is behind it all!!1) and OMSGSORJOr!11-moments. :D Though you forgot Michael shooting Ana Lucia and Libby, at least I was like "OMGMGs that can't be happening!!1", I don't know how to explain my surprise and shock after that. :D

And yes, the opening of Man of Science, Man of Faith-episode is still good. And I think that the Mamas and Papas' song stucked to my head for weeks after that episode. :D

I'm eagerly waiting season 3 post, though it's "worst" (it's nod bad but not so great as others) in my opinion.

Eeva said...

Eko, that's right. I never really warmed up to him, for some reason, though his story is cool.

Oh, damn it! I actually forgot to write that shooting thing in there! Maybe I should blame my incoherent notes/scribblings, but I guess it was the fever. Argh, I need to edit the post and add it in there. That is like the most OMGnocne23u#¤R%T%!!!!1 moment of the whole damn series! I noticed I forgot some other things too. Note to self: Never publish a post again when fevery. ;)

Oh and yeah, the third one is the "worst", but I've now watched 8 episodes and I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would, more than I have before, I dare say! I'm trying to figure out what this is all about... :D