Unfortunately, season five returns to the trite relationship development that I feel bogged down the first few seasons. The conflict between Jack and Sawyer over Kate falls awfully short though does allow the writers a moment of expiation when they finally let the two duke it out--though not over a woman. The writers also hint at a drama between Kate and Juliette for Sawyer's heart; this, however, was so far from coming to fruition and annoyingly dramatic that certain episodes feel like "Grey's Anatomy"...not that I watch or have watched "Grey's."
I did, however, enjoy a few motifs this season: questions of who is behind the curtain and questions of causality. At one point or another, Sayid challenges Locke: "Who is manipulating you?" Prior to this season, we would presume this was a question of Widmore versus Benjamin. This season, we meet Jacob and this other fella' who the writers refer to as the Man in Black (no "MiB" jokes allowed). They both possess supernatural powers and seem embroiled in a conflict as yet unrevealed, still we know that said conflict has led the Man in Black to want to kill Jacob. We are not entirely sure of limits or extents of either Jacob's or the Man in Black's powers, but we do know there are "rules" that govern how they behave--perhaps these rules relate to the island, perhaps not, perhaps the island is merely a proxy for the rules, whatever. But as mentioned before, rules are off henceforth. So, these two new forces seem to be the grand manipulators. But how many curtains need be pulled back before the true wizard is revealed? I'll save the questions for later
The causality discussed through the play on time and changing the future by changing the past are interesting ones that propelled some high-quality sci-fi (e.g. "Terminator," "12 Monkeys," etc.). I am a sucker for mind-bending puzzles. "Lost" veers in this direction in season five. This trick in the writing indicates a certain motivation in the face of what was then a writer's strike. However if these ideas and notions are entirely dismissed in season six, I am afraid this "trick" will actually be a trite cop-out.
Since I have been watching the series as I have, I have been able to retain an interest in each of the sub-plots and/or lines of questions. I would still hesitate to recommend the series to anyone because of the absurd time commitment, but if you must fall into the "Lost" pit I would recommend doing so all at once--even I am fatiguing of the writing, the formulas, the non-stop questions.
The non-stop questions:
Here are the questions left over from Season 1:
What's the deal with the moving black smoke?
What did the others want with Walt?
What is so special about the numbers?
What's with Locke's occasional paralysis and even more occasional feeling in his legs?
What made him move to the box company?
What's with Jack's dad on the island?
What is Walt's super power?
What's the point of Vincent?
Season two left overs:
Why do people see a dripping wet Walt when he's not actually around?
What is he saying in said incidents?
What is the significance of the hatch names?
What's with Kate's black horse?
Was Sawyer really holding the spirit of Kate's dead dad?
Is this all going to be some sort of religious metaphor?
What did the blacklit blast door say?
Why did the Dharma Initiative drop more food?
Why does Hurley start seeing Dave again?
Why didn't Ben run away when the blast doors had fallen?
Why was Desmond in prison?
What's with the big freak bird that seems to only show up once a season?
What's with the statue foot with four toes?
And now the slew of questions from the third season:
What's Carl's back story?
Why does Jack hear his dad on the intercom?
Why was Locke on that orchard?
Why can Desmond see the future?
Why was Jack in Phucket?
What is the meaning of Juliette's mark?
How does Mikhael keep surviving death?
What happens to the gull carrying Claire's message?
What happened to Locke's spot on the weed farm?
How did Locke's dad get on the island?
How did Abrams and Co. get Billy Dee Williams to guest?
What was the point of Nickie and Paulo? ("Who the hell is Nickie?"--Sawyer)
Will those two stay buried? ("Things have a way of not staying buried"--Locke)
Why didn't the monster take Juliette and Kate?
Why can't the monster cross "the others'" fence?
What is the story with Jacob?
Why was Desmond at an abbey?
Why do men have higher sperm counts on the island?
Are the people on the island dead? Are these layers of hell?
Why hasn't Richard aged?
Why is Ben in charge?
That brings us to questions about season four:
Why does Hurley see the water of the ocean in the mirror in the police station?
Who pounds on the glass of said mirror?
Why are only some people allowed to see Jacob's cabin?
Who was in Jacob's cabin when Hurley peeked in?
How does the cabin move?
How does Hurley make it disappear?
Why does the woman who Miles visits have a photo of young Echo?
What's the tool Miles uses?
How can he talk to ghosts?
Why was there a Dharma Initiative polar bear skeleton in the desert?
Why was the "rescue team" of Charlotte, Miles, Farraday, and Lupides put together?
Where is Mikhail?
Is Locke's tyranny supposed to be a religious zealotry metaphor?
Why didn't Dan's experiment with the "payload" work?
Why was the payload 31 minutes late?
Why does Ben have so many passports?
Why do people with radiation/EMP exposure get disoriented going to and from the island?
What triggers the space/time shifts that Des goes through?
What's in the Black Rock journal? Tell us more about Tovard Hensel.
Why is Widmore so fascinated with the Black Rock?
What is Harper's deal? How come she can disappear with the whispers?
Who filmed Widmore beating Ben's accomplice?
Who are Zach and Emma?
Why does Michael tell Des and Sayid not to trust the captain when he can, in fact, be trusted?
Why does Ben use "Dean Moriarity" as his alias in Tunisia?
Why does he receive a funny look from the hotel clerk?
Ben and Widmore have rules of war?
What's with the door in Ben's house?
What's with the temple?
What's with the hieroglyphics?
Why can't Ben kill Widmore?
What happened to Claire and Jack's dad?
What's Horace's story? Bloody nose?
Why does child Locke draw the smoke monster? Does it come from man-made fire?
Why does child Locke pick the knife? Does that link with his struggle to find Jacob and answers?
Why does the secondary protocol have the Dharma Initiative logo? Was the D.I. Widmore's?
What's with the references to Geronimo Jackson?
What's with the references to Portland?
Why is Claire in the cabin? Jack's dad?
Finally, questions from season five:
Who were the original hostiles?
How did they start?
Why didn't Richard and "the others" move in time as well?
Why does Hurley see dead people?
Who is Charlotte's dad?
Why is Jack's dad helping Locke?
Are all these "visions" (by Hurley, Locke, etc.) really visions of the Man in Black?
When did the Man in Black supplant Locke?
What happened to the statue to make it fall?
How come only some Oceanic 6 time travelled?
When are Frank, San, and Ben?
Sayid's brother?
What did Richard do to young Ben in the temple?
What is Ilana talking about: "What lies in the shadow of the statue"?
Who does she work for?
How does Dan know who is and isn't supposed to be on the island?
Why isn't Jack supposed to be on the island?
Dan and Penelope are brother and sister?
What are the secrets of the temple?
How does Jacob bring the Black Rock to the island?
What is Jacob and the Man in Black's debate?
Why does the Man in Black want to kill Jacob?
What's the statue?
Does the statue's ankh have anything to do with previous ankhs seen in the show?
What does Ilana mean when she is looking for a "candidate"?
What does the ash outside Jacob's house mean?
What's in Hurley's guitar case?
What happens when Jacob dies?
So the stage is set for an epic season six, right? Right. I may or may not be looking forward to it for the sole purpose that I will finally be free from the shackles of curiosity imposed upon me by Abrams and Co.
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