LOST Season Six: More Thoughts on The Candidate

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Jason

A few more thoughts from this week’s stellar episode of LOST:

Locke has some sort of Island awareness or ability to know what’s going on. When Jack wakes up on the beach, Locke is already aware of the fact that Widmore has put the rest of the castaways in the polar bear cages. How does he know this? I suppose he could’ve been hiding out in the jungle and seen this taking place. But if that’s the case, then why go back to the beach and get Jack? I know he says he needs Jack to convince the castaways to trust him…and I know that to be true…but I’m just wondering how Locke had seemingly instantaneous knowledge of Widmore’s activity. Could Locke have a spy in Widmore’s camp? His own version of “Ilana”, summoned from some off-Island locale to help liberate him? Just food for thought.

Locke tells Jack he can kill him and all of his friends. I think this is a bluff; we’ve been told that the “rules” stipulate that candidates can’t be killed, at least not by Smokey. Sounds kinda like God and Satan ironing out the terms of Job’s trial. But someone else posited that maybe Smokey CAN kill the candidates; maybe if he kills them, then he won’t be able to leave the Island, which seems to be the one thing MIB really wants anyway. So by telling us he “can’t” kill the candidates, maybe what that means is that in order to accomplish what he wants, he can’t kill them. Maybe it’s not so much a matter of Smokey’s inability to kill, but it has to do with MIB’s desired outcome. Again, just food for thought.

Speaking of killing and whatnot, why didn’t Smokey just go and kill Widmore while he was getting all his henchmen? (Am I the only one whose glad that the plaid-shirt-wearin’ “dough boy” finally met his maker?) I guess he needed the gambit of “Widmore’s trying to blow up the plane” to steer the castaways to the sub. But where was ol’ Chuck anyway? Other than that brief cameo, we haven’t seen much of Charles since he arrived on the Island. Do we believe him when he says he’s acting in the best interests of our castaways?

I worry about the fact that Kate’s lack of candidacy was pointed out several times in this episode. I fear that the endgame will come down to Smokey and our remaining castaways — Sawyer, Jack, Kate, and Hurley (the same four that were brought to the pier by the Others at the end of Season 2) — and Smokey threatening to kill Kate if Jack doesn’t comply with his wishes. And Jack’s determination won’t allow him to back away at this point….and that makes me worry for Senora Austin.

In the recent issue of EW (which was almost completely devoted to the ending of LOST), Damon Lindelof was asked to comment about the much-maligned Sideways world that’s been a part of this season’s story. I thought what he had to say was really interesting:

We resign ourselves to the fact that perhaps even after LOST is over, there will still be people who wish we hadn’t done the Sideways. But personally speaking, they’re on of my favorite things we’ve ever done.

Part of me wants to say, “Well, yeah. You know the significance of the Sideways world while the rest of us are still trying to figure it out.” But that comment gives me incredible hope that all of this is going to come together in a satisfying way. We’ll see.

Another comment that was interesting: Matthew Fox on how it all ends. Nothing spoilerish here, just interesting. Here’s Fox on the finale:

I think it’s beautiful. If we all did our jobs right, I really feel it’s going to be terribly sad, but at the same time be really cathartic and full of hope. It has the potential to be really profound. I will say this: It’s not going to be what anybody thinks it is. I know a lot of people have written a lot of theories about how this will all end — and I’m pretty sure nobody guessed it.

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LOST Season Six: The Candidate

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Jason

Wow. What an episode. I’m still a little choked up over the ending. I have to say that I didn’t see that coming. Wow.

All right. This will likely be a much shorter review than usual and there are a couple of reasons for that. First, I’m out of town this week and I have a very limited window here to try and get this typed and published. Second, because I’m away from home, I haven’t had the chance to absorb this ep on the same level I normally do; typically I watch the episode once — “just for me” — and then I’ll rewatch it as I type my review. Since I’m away from home (and the luxuries of my DVR), I’m going basically from memory here based on one viewing. So here goes.

The Sideways was awesome; full of Twilight-Zone-esque parallels and great dialogue between Locke and Jack. I was taken with Locke’s guilt over his father’s injured condition. In the Sideways reality, John Locke feels that he deserves to be in a wheelchair, a radical distinction from the Locke we’ve come to see in the Island reality. It was always Locke’s refusal to believe he was simply a wheelchair bound victim that drove his Island iteration. But now we see why Sideways Locke refuses to believe; his hopefulness has been replaced with guilt. Jack’s line: “I think you’re a candidate” gripped me, too. Did you catch Locke’s words as he was coming out of his sleep? “Push the button. I wish you would’ve believed me.” Clearly, he’s having some sort of dream-like awareness of his Island existence. But did Desmond fail here to bring Jack and Locke to their moment of revelation? I doubt it, but with these two, it seems to be more of a slow boil. Always with these two, right? This is honestly the first time this season that I can’t wait to see what comes next in the Sideways world. I’m really, really anxious to see how these two worlds / timelines are going to merge, if at all.

According to an EW interview with Cuse and Lindelof, the deaths of Sayid, Sun, & Jin were meant to leave no doubt in our minds as to the villainous nature of John Locke / MIB. Clearly, he’s been pulling a long con on the castaways, with the intent of killing them all. We’re still left to wonder what killing the castaways really proves or accomplishes. I suppose if he can somehow kill the candidate for Jacob, then he wins in their Island-diety cosmic struggle. But how are our castaways supposed to kill / harm Smokey? The only thing I can think of is the bag of Jacob ash that Hurley should still have with him (if it isn’t on the bottom of the ocean now along with Sun and Jin). Maybe the best they can hope to do is contain Smokey rather than kill him.

I have to say I expected some kind of heroic demise for Sayid. His arc this season has been fairly tragic; after being “infected”, it was believed that Sayid had completely “crossed over” to the dark side. And he did, or at least it seems, or at least it seems he did so for a while. But Hurley’s comment from a few weeks back — something like “you can always come back from the dark side; you know, like Anakin” — was probably meant to foreshadow his heroic sacrifice. Sayid has always been one of my favorite characters; the torturer whose self-inflicted wounds are far more torturous than anything his foes could heap upon him. While he’s been wrestling with not being able to “feel anything” here as the series winds down, he acted in a primal, selfless moment last night to save the lives of his fellow castaways. For that, he goes down as a hero and hopefully, he’s earned the redemption he’s longed for over the course of the series.

But I wasn’t prepared for the kick to the gut that followed his death. Sun and Jin — long separated lovers — becoming the series’ “Romeo and Juliet” (as the actor who plays Jin referred to them). It was only one episode ago that these two were tearfully reunited on the beach of Hydra Island. But their death — Jin’s refusal to leave Sun — was beautiful in my opinion. I know others were more angry about it, which I understand. It does bother me that Ji Yeon is now an orphan; and for all practical purposes, so is Aaron, at least in the Island timeline. But it would’ve been a greater travesty for Sun or Jin to survive without the other. After being separated for so long (and across the expanse of time), it was altogether appropriate for them to go down with the ship. But yeah, I was really hoping for a happy ending for them.

Question: Where in the world are Ben, Richard, and Miles? I can’t remember if they had access to any C4; I don’t think they did. So I’m guessing the detonation device Locke found on the plane was actually put there by Widmore. But maybe not. Remember, Widmore is the one who sent a freighter full of C4 to the Island the first time, so we’re probably meant to associate last night’s C4 with Widmore. But Ben and the boys have been conspicuously absent throughout all of this end-game drama. I expect them to make some sort of eleventh hour rescue appearance or something, perhaps even next week. Either way, I want some more Benjamin Linus. After offing three of our favorite cast members, don’t we at least deserve that?

What are your thoughts? What did you think of the episode? I’ll be checking back in often and we can discuss in the comments. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Posted in Television | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Things I Want to Remember, Vol. 7

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Jason

Last night before bed, Joshua and I sat down to watch a little Sunday night baseball. During the commercial, he turns to me and says, “Daddy? Do you think Albert Pujols could come over to our house sometime and play catch? Maybe he can show me how to hit like him, too.”

__________

I love that my kids love music. I have a playlist of some of their favorite music. Each of these songs makes me smile because my kids love it so much.

  1. Mansard Roof by Vampire Weekend (the kids love to jump around the den in their pajamas to this one)
  2. Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey (I need to post a video of them singing this. It’s hilarious.)
  3. Our Song by Taylor Swift (girly, I know, but all three of my kids sing this at full volume, grinning ear to ear)
  4. The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens
  5. Barbara Ann by the Beach Boys (This was when I knew my kids loved music.)
  6. To the Dogs or Whoever by Josh Ritter (I’m pretty sure they like this one because Ritter uses the word “underwear” in one of the verses.)
  7. Life Is A Highway by Rascal Flatts (Cars)
  8. Hot Hot Hot by Buster Poindexter
  9. Lions by Lost and Found
  10. Rocky Top by Osbourne Bros.

__________

Posted in Baseball, Kids, Music | 2 Comments

Lebanon

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Jason

These are pictures of my hometown, Lebanon, Tennessee. It was completely slammed by yesterday’s storm, as were many towns in middle Tennessee. Prayers are with all our friends and family in the area.

The Lebanon town square completely submerged

Another view from the heart of town

Posted in Family, Friends | 3 Comments

MLB Thoughts: April 30, 2010

Posted on April 30, 2010 by Jason

I was on the road last Friday, so I missed my usual MLB review. That meant no commentary on the previous week, including the Cardinals / Mets 20 inning marathon game. Here’s all I’m going to say about that game: we scored our run off their closer; they scored off our 4th outfielder. At that point, you’re just playing with house money.

Surveying the MLB landscape, there are a couple of surprise teams atop the standings at the end of Month #1. Everybody expected Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Philadelphia to be competitive, but the Padres? The Mets? Oakland? It’s certainly early, but these clubs couldn’t ask for better starts. I doubt the Pads fast start will be enough to keep Adrian Gonzalez out of a BoSox uniform this season, but it’s nice to see. And Jerry Manuel deserves some credit here for using smoke and mirrors and Johan Santana to navigate the Mets to first place. I still think he’s a fairly lousy manager, but credit where credit is due. You shouldn’t be this competitive when you’re giving regular at bats to Gary Matthews Jr. and Angel Pagan.

As for disappointing teams, things certainly look to be in disarray in Bobby Cox’s last season at the helm in Atlanta. They look old and sluggish and lacking in motivation. The one bright spot has been mega-hype rookie Jason Heyward. Legend has it that after swatting his Opening Day home run, he also helped a little old lady carry her groceries across the street, saved an orphan from a burning building, and volunteered to be the situational lefty out of the bullpen. It’s looking like it’ll take a Messianic performance to get this team back in the hunt.

Red Sox Nation has to be up in arms, too, about their pedestrian 11-11 mark here at the end of the month. Beckett and Lester have been bad (although Lester’s seven-inning, one-hit performance this week gives promise), David Ortiz doesn’t have a clue at the plate, and the outfield has been crippled by injury. With the way the Rays and Yankees are playing, the Sox can’t afford to dig themselves too great a hole. They need a good two week stretch (with home series vs. the Yanks and Angels) to stay afloat.

On an individual level, how about Kelly Johnson? We all know Chase Field increases left-handed power numbers by 20% or so, but this is crazy. With six home runs in the past week, Johnson has vaulted to the top of the NL leaderboard. Think the Braves wish they hadn’t given up on him now? We all laughed at the guy who put in an $11 claim on Johnson in the reserve draft of my fantasy league; now that guy looks like a genius. So does the Diamondbacks GM.

It’s always tough when you see a former great player struggle in his twilight years. I’m afraid we’re seeing that with Trevor Hoffman. With 6 HR allowed in 9 innings, he’s gotten old right before our eyes. No way will he be yanked from the 9th inning role anytime soon; 594 saves earns you a little slack in the rope. But at 42 years old, how much longer can he do this?

Posted in Baseball, Sports | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

American Idol: Top Five

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Jason

I’ve been so busy soaking up the final season of LOST that I haven’t really posted anything about American Idol. Like everybody else, I felt that this season was pretty ho-hum at first. Maybe it’s the impending loss of Simon Cowell or the fact that after 10 seasons, the show has just become too predictable. For many, it had to do with the underwhelming cast of performers featured this season. But over the past few weeks, this group has really grown on me. Here’s my quick rundown on each of the remaining contestants:

Crystal Bowersox

Mama Sox has been my pick to win it all along. I would buy her album today. She is far and away the best and most original artist on the show this year. The only question is whether she’ll garner enough votes to be crowned the champ. I can only hope that Sinatra week doesn’t throw her for a loop.

Lee Dwyze

This guy has grown on me in a big way. His tamed his nerves, amped up the personality a bit, and now he stands as the only viable opposition to Crystal, especially now that Shioban is gone. As it is, he has a radio-ready voice and the look to match. Of the remaining artists, his rock / singer-songwriter vibe most closely aligns with my predominant musical tastes.

Casey James

When he took his shirt off for Kara, I thought this guy was a joke. But he has some real musical chops. Dude can play. His voice is just ‘aight, but so far so good. Am I the only one that thinks he sounds like Huey Lewis? Not that that’s a bad thing…I’m just sayin’. I’m predicting he’s the next to go home, which is about right. When that happens, his fifteen minutes will probably be up. He’ll probably go the way of Blake Lewis, never to be heard from again.

Michael Lynch

I think Big Mike made the right move by listening to whoever told him to lose the Jason Mraz vibe; instead, he’s been channeling Lionel Richie for the past couple of weeks and the change really suits him. Definitely not my kind of music, but he sings it well. He’s my dark horse candidate to win it all. The producers love playing up his story (Have you heard? Big Mike’s got a kid!) and America seems to love it — the judges’ save notwithstanding.

Aaron Kelly

A good showing for a 17-year-old. But his performances have lacked the consistency of Crystal or even Lee and that’s going to hurt him in the end game. Still, he seems to blow out a power note or two each week that serves to remind us how he made it this far. Once his “Idol journey montage” rolls, Music Row producers will be all over this kid. But I don’t think he has a shot at winning.

Posted in Music, Television | 2 Comments

LOST Season Six: The Home Stretch

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Jason

No new episode of LOST to review tonight (although I’m enjoying the enhanced version of “Ab Aeterno”) but I thought this would be as good a time as any to reflect on where we are and what we can expect from the final stretch of episodes.

I had serious misgivings about the “flash sideways” storyline in the beginning and although I’m still not crazy about it, I’ve accepted it as this season’s narrative device. I was upset that we were introduced to a “new reality” or “alternate timeline” or whatever it was, especially after I’ve invested 5 seasons and a hundred-plus episodes. But slowly, the LA X world has grown on me. We’re all assuming that the off-Island world stands as some sort of “pay out”, the fulfillment of the promises of MIB to the castaways…or a redemptive choice to be offered to the castaways somehow. The question for me is: who will choose their “other” reality? And who will choose to remain on the Island? After all this talk about candidates and someone replacing Jacob, I find it hard to believe that the Island reality will just be done away with. I’m willing to bet that at the very least, our Island protagonist Jack will choose to stay and fulfill whatever destiny the Island has in store for him.

That’s where I’m calling MIB’s bluff. Last week, in “The Last Recruit”, Jack asked Locke about the different forms he’s assumed over the course of Jack’s Island tenure. The real question for Jack, of course, pertains to his father Christian. Has MIB assumed his form, too? “Yes,” Locke tells Jack. And although I believe most of what Locke has told the castaways has been true, I think he’s lying through his teeth on this one. Think about it: what was the one thing that brought Jack back to the Island anyway? It was his off-Island encounters with his dead father. It began when Jack saw what appeared to be Christian in the lobby of his office late one evening. This “hallucination” sends Jack into a world of doubt, fear, and substance abuse. Later, Locke was hospitalized in LA; his attempt to recruit Jack back to the Island fails miserably, but before Dr. Shepherd walks out the door, Locke tells him about seeing Christian just before he turned the frozen donkey wheel. Jack comes to believe that his destiny is intrinsically bound to the Island, the place where Christian’s body was never found.

Back to Locke, he tells Jack that he’s been assuming Christian’s form. Yet, we also know that MIB can’t leave the Island. Which begs the question: how could Jack see MIB / Christian in his office? Either Locke is lying and he’s never assumed Christian’s form, or there are two Christians floating around out there. Same thing happened with Michael. Remember Season Four, the freighter? Michael is the last one in the boiler room with the C4 bomb; he’s valiantly using the fire extinguisher to keep the bomb cool, buying his friends the time they need to get on the helicopter. Just before he dies, Christian appears to him. “You can leave now, Michael,” he says cryptically. BOOM goes the dynamite and Michael’s job is done. But that couldn’t have been MIB; he can’t cross water (at least that’s what he’s told others). That whole episode opens up yet another question: why is Michael’s “soul” still on the Island if he was allowed to “leave”? I don’t have an answer for that, but I hope we get one somewhere in the next four hours of programming.

But back to Jack. I’m more convinced than ever that his Island destiny will involve some kind of showdown with Christian. Locke is lying about taking on Christian’s form; he knows that’s his only way to get Jack to leave the Island. But Jack’s destiny has always been linked to Christian. I wrote this after “What Kate Does”; it sums up my hope for Jack heading down the home stretch:

I loved Jack in this episode. Say what you will about his el wimpo character shift last season, but I think he’s been through the fire and he’s come out a different man. Think of Locke’s comment last season: “I needed that pain to get to where I am today.” That’s a fitting way to describe this version of Jack. In some ways, he’s more driven than ever to “fix” whatever problems he encounters; but his process seems to be more measured now. It’s like he’s more aware of the great cost of some of his decisions; those losses of life have weighed heavily on the good doctor. I wonder if his willingness to swallow the poison pill intended for Sayid foreshadows Jack’s fate. Is he destined to redeem the ones he loves by giving himself up for them? We’ll see.

I’d hate to see Jack die, but I think it might be in the cards for our protagonist. I think, in Jack’s mind, that’s the only way he can redeem himself for all the lives he’s lost along the way. Does that make him a worthy candidate to replace Jacob? I’m not sure.

We still don’t know much about “the rules” and how they apply to our castaways. Who established “the rules”? Is Smokey allowed to kill anyone EXCEPT the Candidates? At one time, I was convinced that repentance was the key to Island redemption. Mr. Eko was unrepentant when staring down Smokey; he was promptly offed. Ben, on the other hand, entered the bowels of the Temple for his “judgment” last season and, when confronted by Ghost Alex, completely fell apart. Of course, now it seems that MIB was simply looking for people to exploit for his purposes. Eko’s defiance wouldn’t serve him very well, but a broken Ben certainly would. MIB quickly saw this as his opportunity to strike a fatal blow to Jacob. This demonstrates the show’s classic themes of free will and destiny. For each of these characters, they believe that they are free, that their decisions are truly their own. Yet, this season, coupled with the Season Five finale, have demonstrated that these two forces (Jacob and MIB) have been at work to manipulate their lives and decisions to suit their purposes. Jacob, the supposed omnibenevolent protector of the Island, has been bringing people to the Island for centuries. MIB might be even worse; as soon as he does you a favor (like when he finally frees Richard from his chains in “Ab Aeterno”), he immediately wants you to do whatever he asks you.

Prior to this season, I wrote this. I still feel the same way:

I guess we’ll finally find out what happened to Claire. Is she a ghost? I don’t really care. But one thing has always bugged me: so far, Desmond’s flash that convinced Charlie to give up his life has yet to come true. He told Charlie that if he flipped the switch in the Looking Glass and died there, that Aaron and Claire would get on a helicopter and be rescued. I’m struggling to see how that can happen at this point. And that annoys me. I’d be disappointed if they don’t circle back around to this; I hope it’s not a hole in the narrative.

I don’t see how this can be resolved, so I’m preparing myself for disappointment here. It was just such a major part of the Season 3 end game; I wish it had been more meaningful instead of just narrative fluff.

I’m also having a hard time figuring out how Jacob’s cabin fits in here. When we last saw it, the creepy cabin was going up in flames in the jungle, thanks to Ilana and her goons in last season’s finale. But what did she say before burning it down? Something about Jacob not being there; that someone else had been living there for a long time. And that someone had broken out, as evidenced by the broken circle of ash. I’m thinking that MIB was somehow contained in the cabin and he somehow broke free. But that doesn’t answer Smokey’s activity prior to this. If MIB was truly locked in Jacob’s cabin, bound by the ring of ash, then what do we do with Smokey’s appearances all over the Island previously? Is MIB REALLY the Smoke Monster? Or is he simply a man with some kind of control over Smokey, like a cosmic lion tamer or something? Why would MIB want people to think he was Smokey? I don’t know…I’m probably missing something here, but it’s just not adding up for me. I also want to know more about Walt, the Hurley bird, the wayward shots Juliet fired at the other outrigger during last season’s “flashing”…and a host of other questions that I’m sure won’t be answered.

Anyway, enough rabbit chasing. It’ll be interesting to see what Desmond is up to in these two alternate timelines and how he’ll shepherd people between them. Which one are you hoping wins out? Personally, I’m partial to the Island timeline, but that’s just me. What happens to Jack’s son, David, if he ends up “stuck” in the Island timeline? And what happens to Ji Yeon if Sun and Jin choose the LA X reality? I don’t know how this stuff can be resolved. But it’s going to be interesting. Right?

Posted in Television | Tagged | 5 Comments

The Sermon on the Mount 15

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Jason

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5.17-20

In these verses, we find the key to understanding the balance of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus affirms His role as fulfillment of Hebrew prophecy and Mosaic law, a truth that is all too often lost on modern Christians. Taking a page from Marcion, we’ve almost exclusively absorbed Paul’s theology re: law without giving voice to what Jesus Himself has to say about it. Our reference to the Hebrew Scriptures as “Old Testament” has produced the unfortunate side effect of diminishing these texts as “non-binding” and therefore irrelevant to the Christian experience. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Jesus “fulfills” the law by revealing that which God willed from the very beginning: to create a people to share in the righteous character of YHWH. Indeed, this righteousness — the very hallmark of the Kingdom of God (5.20) — is God’s ultimate purpose for the law and, moreover, his people. But by Jesus’ day, the law that was intended to be life-giving had become burdensome, thanks in no small part to Pharisaic legalism. Moving forward in the Sermon, Jesus will offer an interpretation that greatly contrasts with the view of the Pharisees and the religious leaders of the day. But Christ’s teaching hearkens back “behind” the law, going beyond the legalistic interpretation of the Pharisees, to the embedded Truth of God latent within the law. “You have heard that it was said….but I say unto you.” Jesus contrasts the prevailing view of the law with His “new” teaching that reveals the ultimate intention of God and the purpose of the law.

I find that I much prefer this way of viewing Jesus. He stands as the fulfillment of salvation history, the revelation of the fullness of God (Colossians 1.19). I’ve heard Christian teaching that positions the Old Testament as God’s initial effort to save the world, albeit a failed attempt. So God went back to the drawing board and came up with Salvation Plan 2.0, this time sending His Son to fix what Abraham, Moses, David and everyone else could not. Not only does this kind of theology ignore the teaching of Scripture (Gen. 3.15; Gen. 12.2; Isa. 53; Micah 5.1-5 and other Messianic texts), it also paints the portrait of a “fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants” God who just can’t seem to get it right when it comes to salvation.

The previous call to be salt and light are also instructive for understanding what Jesus says in 5.17-20. N.T. Wright points this out:

Jesus is calling the Israel of his day to be Israel indeed, now that he is there. What he says here can now be applied to all Christians, but its original meaning was a challenge to Jesus’ own contemporaries. God had called Israel to be the salt of the earth; but Israel was behaving like everyone else, with its power politics, its factional squabbles, its militant revolutions. How could God keep the world from going bad — the main function of salt in the ancient world — if Israel, his chosen ‘salt’, had lost its distinctive taste? (Matthew for Everyone, p.40)

Light, salt, law, righteousness — these terms point us back to the inescapable truth that God calls for distinctive character in His people, a chosen people for a singular God. Through the remainder of His sermon, Jesus will demonstrate in great detail the righteousness God wills for His Kingdom citizens.

Posted in Discipleship, God, Gospel, Jesus, Sermon on the Mount | Tagged | 9 Comments

A Wild Week

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Jason

Things have been a little quiet here for a couple of days on the ol’ blog. In short, it’s been a busy week. Tee ball games; a visit to Kingsport to spend some time with some of my best friends at the Northeast church; a quick stop in Nashville to drop off the kids; and a fairly heavy weak of ministry. Needless to say, blogging has taken a back seat lately.

But it’s a new week and I’m planning several new posts. I hope to continue my Sermon on the Mount series with a look at Matthew 5.17-20 and how the message and ministry of Jesus stands in continuity with the prophets of the Hebrew scriptures. Since there’s no new LOST episode this week, I’m planning a recap post on the direction of Season Six so far and what we should be expecting from the home stretch of episodes leading up to the finale. I’ll also have my MLB Thoughts post on Friday; since I missed a week, it should be chock full of great ruminations on the young baseball season. If I have time, I might comment on American Idol and the relative drabness of this season; I also have several books in the queue for reading and reviewing, thanks to BookSneeze, Tyndale, and the Viral Ooze Blogging Network. Once I digest all these books, I’ll be posting my reviews here.

Check back later this week for more.

Posted in General | 2 Comments

LOST Season Six: The Last Recruit

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Jason

I have a feeling that some fans aren’t going to care a whole lot for this episode. After we watched it, I believe Sunny’s words for it were “hodge-podge”. “The Last Recruit” will probably be quickly labeled as a “set up” episode where all the major pieces are put in place for the episodes to come. But personally, I loved this episode. After slowly getting used to the Sideways world and the character-centric episodes that have carried the narrative thus far, it was nice to see all the divergent streams starting to come together. Plus, we finally got the Sun / Jin reunion I’ve been waiting for. So I rate this is a really good — but not great — episode.

Right out of the chute, we pick up where we left off in Locke’s camp. Jack and Locke step aside for a convo and we’re instantly given an answer to a mystery dating back to Season One: Christian’s identity. Locke confesses to taking on Christian’s form before trying to convince Jack of the importance of leaving the Island. But as we’re starting to see, Jack doesn’t have any intention of leaving. He believes his fate is linked to the Island somehow.

Jack and Claire’s reunion moment — though not as emotional as Sun and Jin’s — has been a long time coming. Claire got a lot more play in this episode than I would’ve liked, but she is shaping up to be pretty integral to the story, so it’s understandable. Claire reminded us, though, of the whole “Don’t let him speak first or else it’s all over” thing that’s permeated this season. Claire tells Jack that he’s “with” Locke now, based on this whole talking-thing. I don’t get it (nor do I understand why all of them MUST travel back together) but this is me rolling with it.

In the Sideways world, the paramedic says that Locke’s wheelchair saved his life, a fitting parallel to the Island reality, where Locke’s wheelchair actually keeps him from living as he was meant to live. And what was up with Sideways Sun flipping her lid when she saw Sideways Locke being ushered in the ER alongside her? “It’s him! It’s him!” Is she remembering him as John Locke or as MIB?

Some of the Sideways scenes didn’t really work for me. Sawyer’s interaction with Kate seemed REALLY forced; the dialogue was weak and the whole premise (the cop hitting on the inmate) was just too out there. I know, I know…it’s a sci-fi show about time travel and destiny and blowing up hydrogen bombs. But I also wasn’t a big fan of the Desmond / Claire exchange. Again, Sideways Claire was willing to get back in the cab with Kate, who had just kicked her out of the cab at gunpoint, so I guess it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Claire to accept the kindness of Desmond the super stalker.

The most maddening part about this episode for me is that we didn’t get another scene in the Desmond / Sayid showdown at the well. Did Sayid do the deed? (I seriously doubt it.) If not, then what happened? And if he didn’t, is this proof that redemption might still be possible for him? As Hurley said, you can always bring people back from the dark side.

The best part of the episode: Jack. He’s been a much-maligned protagonist, and yeah, there have been times when he’s been a bit spineless. But this is the most clear eyed Jack has been in quite some time. I love his depth of conviction that the Island wasn’t done with him, prompting him to jump ship in the sacrificial manner that paralleled Sawyer’s jump off the chopper in Season 4. But I also loved his humility; deferring to Hurley before talking privately with Locke; apologizing to Sawyer for Juliet’s death just before he jumped. As I’ve said before, he’s ready to finally realize his destiny on the Island and I’m excited to see the outcome.

Quick hits:

  • I’m thinking Jack’s line to Kate — “We’re all different now.” — is a crucial one.
  • I have a feeling Locke knew that Sawyer would defect. I’m just not buying his “the larger the group, they slower they move” stuff.
  • I loved the cool mirror moment at the end when Jack sees his own reflection and then the reflection of Locke.
  • Was anybody else worried that Claire was going to shoot Kate on the dock of the boat?
  • I wonder if MIB is telling the truth when he tells Sun that he didn’t do anything to take away her voice. Maybe that was a consequence of her own choice? I don’t have all of this figured out yet.
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