LOST Finale 10 year anniversary (spoilers)

Hello all

I am still blogging.  Please check out my other blog – engineeringthebible.wordpress.com for bible archeology and literature study.

Well it’s the 10 anniversary of the infamous Lost series finale.  If you remember there was a big run-up to the finale back in May of 2010.  Lost had been on the air for six seasons.  The show had nearly ended a few times before.

First, during the premiere season, ABC, the network that paid multi-millions for the pilot episode fired the head of network programming on his insistence on basically betting the network’s success on Lost and another show, Desperate Housewives.  Both shows were risky in terms of content (PG-13 or nearly R in some ways), and cost.  Also in the first season J.J. Abrams, the primary creator of Lost, turned the reins of the show over to Damon Lindelof, who was having second and third thoughts about his ability to run the show.  So much so he was happy if the show didn’t find an audience and would be terminated.

Then during the third season of Lost, the writers started to need an end date for the show.  They wanted it to end after five seasons, but the network wanted more.  After negotiations, they decided on season five being broken into two parts with 17 and 18 episodes each.  (The first season was 25 episodes and season 4 was cut short due to the writer’s strike).  While the negotiations for Lost’s end date were happening, the episode quality dropped significantly and fans were getting unhappy (me included).

During the fourth season there was the writer’s strike which could have curtailed Lost but luckily the producers had already agreed to the end of the series and by then plans were in place to finish the series.  By the way it was during an earlier writer’s strike that reality shows became a big part of network TV.  And during this time, the CBS reality show Survivor became a big hit and also a big inspiration for Lost.

[Spoilers for Lost Seasons 5 & 6]  With that as background let us recollect the feeling of anticipation for the finale for Lost.  As someone who loves science fiction, I was ready for a big sci-fi type ending.  The producers had regularly hinted that the entire world’s (in the show universe) existence depended on Jack and the Losties defeating the Man in Black.  It was a typical Good versus Evil showdown.  The Man in Black if you remember had taken on the form of the now-deceased John Locke.

There was also a secondary story where the Man in Black was scaring the Losties into leaving the island by using Ben Linus’ army of mercenaries who were really controlled by the Man in Black.  Sayid had died but was resurrected (like Locke) into an evil character.  He threatened to kill some major characters in the service of the MIB.  The MIB knew about a list of candidates who would eventually rule the island when the current caretaker was gone.  MIB didn’t want that happen as he thought he should rule the island.  So going into the finale we thought our beloved characters may die.

Disappointment in the finale ensued.

[Spoilers for the finale and Season 6].  So we were ready for an epic battle of Good versus Evil with the usual hope that Good will prevail.  Well that was undercut by the realization that Season 6 was a flash-sideways.  It represented an alternative reality to the question of what would have happened to our characters if their flight had not crashed on the island but continued on safely to Sidney, Australia.  This alternative reality actually was a sequential reality because the flash-sideways actually occurred after the Losties had died (or at least most of them).  This led some viewers to mistakenly believe that the entire series had taken place in a kind of purgatory, but this was not the case.

The flash-sideways did take place in the afterlife, but it wasn’t God’s doing but the Losties themselves.  They created this type of afterlife so they could find each other and relive the experience of getting to know each other again but under different circumstances.  Why?  Well because they were forced to come to the island against their will.  The MIB’s brother Jacob had brought them there by crashing their plane by distracting the man in the hatch (Desmond) to not enter the computer control (the Numbers) which kept the islands electromagnetic properties in check.  It was Jacob who was looking for a new candidate to replace him as caretaker of the island.  He created the list of candidates who the MIB wanted dead (or at least removed from the island).

Did Good defeat Evil?  Was the world spared destruction because of what the Losties did on the island?  Were those things even important?  The finale show of Lost brought out the Love the characters showed for each other which transcended all those things.

I hope you enjoy this Memorial Day weekend.

TLE

 

Final Thoughts on Vanessa Ives

SPOILERS AHEAD – Everything spoiled, even the finale.

Vanessa Ives is one of the most fascinating fictional characters I have ever seen on TV.  To the surprise of us show watchers, Penny Dreadful ended its 3 season run on Showtime with the demise of its main character (and then quickly ended the show!).  Now Penny Dreadful wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.  It was a genre show that mashed together some Victorian era Gothic characters including Dr. Frankenstein, His Monster, a werewolf or two, the never ageing Dorian Grey and a few others.  It was the TV version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  But it was better because it brought the characters to life with wonderful period details, amazing costumes, and beautiful dialogues.  Now again this is a show that not everyone would like, but it draws in a very loyal fan base.  I mean not everyone enjoys the graphic violence, seances, bodily levitations, cut wives, and gory blood everywhere (myself included).  But I did really enjoy the intricate characters, their inner thoughts and their motivations.

Dr. F was a scientist who dreamed of glory.  He wanted to bring about life and then needed affirmation to know that he was appreciated by society.  Only problem was his “creatures” basically wanted to do him in for making them into monstrosities.  But in the end, his monsters were able to find a peace of sorts by reconnecting with their previous lives and finding out they could admit their heart-breaks and still find some acceptance in the world.  In some ways they were better creatures and understood their creator better than he did himself.

The Werewolf had a destiny that only he could fulfill, but it left him weak many times to resist and control that power around the innocent (and not so innocent) bystanders.  He was also a protector of sorts but his desire for revenge took him away from that role just long enough to abandon his main purpose until he realized too late that he had left her vulnerable.

Vanessa Ives – Penny Dreadful

With Vanessa we have a woman with a tortured soul.  She was tortured by guilt but also had the power to heal just about everyone she came in contact with.  Her inner beauty though was the thing that drew both good and evil to her.  She had a power to see into the dark world of the night creatures and that also drew them to her.  She let the evil in one day in a moment of great despair.  From that moment on she was hunted by it.  She had a strong faith in God, but those around her did not.  They tortured her both mentally and physically because they could not believe her stories of this other world.  Finally when she had lost hope, the evil creatures and their master made their move.  She tried to resist again but needed her protectors there and though they were rushing back to her, they did not make it on time.  In the end she died as a martyr of sorts.  The evil could no longer use her and so it fled back into the shadows.  The world was set right.  And Vanessa got to see her Lord on the way to the afterlife.

Thoughts:

I liked how in a season 1 episode she told her wannabe boyfriend that she just wanted a kiss from him and the evil would have been set aside.  And in the last moments of the final episode she asks for a kiss and she gets it finally from someone who isn’t trying to control her.

I didn’t like the vampire very much as he defied all the normal rules of vampires.  But I will say he was subtle and it was convincing how Vanessa didn’t recognize him in time to marshal forces against him.  She went to his work place alone, which was a huge mistake.

Unfortunately the other Penny Dreadful characters couldn’t match the intensity of Vanessa.  But I found them interesting never the less.  They introduced a female Van Helsing type character in the last few episodes.  If they ever made a sequel to the show, she could go on chasing the vampire with Malcolm Murry’s help.

Mystery Sci-Fi Show – Wayward Pines – Premiere

All right.  It’s the start of the Summer 2015 TV season.  Here is a short recap and thoughts of the premiere of Wayward Pines.

Wayward Pines S1:Episode 1,

Plot:

S1.E1 Where Paradise is Home:  A Secret Service agent goes to Wayward Pines, Idaho, in search of two federal agents who have gone missing in the bucolic town. He soon learns that he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.

Thoughts:

• The opening shot is a mirror of the shot of Jack from LOST waking up to find he is alive, but injured.  Where is he, and what just happened?  This time its Agent Ethan Burke.  We can’t forget Ethan from Lost S1, and Juliet Burke from Lost S3.

• Wayward Pines reminds me of some recent sci-fi movies including:  1.  The Truman show where a man is stuck inside an artificial city but trapped there and everyone is in on it, except him.  2.  Source Code:  An injured military pilot is barely alive but his mind and memory are being manipulated in order to solve a crime (that is about to happen). 3. Twin peaks and the Twilight zone:  both are creepy stories of isolated societies that maybe real or maybe paranormal.

• I have heard that this show will reveal a major plot point sometime before episode 5.  So it would be wise to hang on until then if you are interested in this show.  So far I am intrigued.  It seems better than both Under the Dome and Extant.

WAYWARD PINES: Ethan (Matt Dillon, R) has questions for Kate (Carla Gugino, L) in the “Where Paradise is Home” Event Series Premiere episode of WAYWARD PINES airing Thursday, May 14 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2015 Ed Araquel/FOX

Big Surprises:

• The biggest surprise is that whatever this is, it was planned by a scientist or doctor (played by Toby Jones), and that the Secret Service seems to know about it.  And as in the X-Files, the agent (played by Matt Dillon) was trying to find out about hidden secrets within the agency when he too became part of the mystery.  He went looking for two people and he found one (played by Carla Gugino) who wants him to give up his old self and become part of Wayward Pines – whatever that is!)  Stayed tuned.

 

 

A.D.: The Bible Continues 2.05 – The First Martyr

You can free stream the entire first five episodes here: NBC’s free showing of A.D – The Bible Continues.

My Recap:

This week’s episode tests Peter.  Will he give up the assassin named Boaz to the authorities, or will he risk losing the small faith community he has built to the wrath and retribution of Rome?  Peter allows Boaz, the man who killed Pilate’s bodyguard, to live in his camp under the condition that he gives up his desire for a violent overthrow of Roman ruler-ship and instead allows the love of Christ to rule him.  Boaz’s betrothed, Eva is approached by Caiaphas’ wife, Leah to give up her husband for the sake of her countrymen, who are being crucified in order to flush Boaz out of hiding.  Eva wants to protect her fiance but knows the death of her people are now her responsibility.  So she gives Rachel some information.  She tells her that Boaz has gone to a place where he can receive forgiveness.

When Caiaphas hears this news he heads to Peter’s camp and asks him to turn Boaz over to him.  But Peter will not do it.  Instead Peter implores Boaz to turn himself in before the Romans come to find him (and likely burn down the camp).  Peter tells Boaz he will not turn him in himself because it is God’s will who may live and who may die.  Boaz voluntarily turns himself in to Caiaphas’ men and accepts his fate as a martyr for the cause of the Zealots.  Pilate and the Romans want a slow public execution by crucifixion to be a warning to any more who would challenge them.  But as Boaz suffers on the cross, a man (the leader of the Zealots, named Levi) shoots him through the heart killing him quickly.  Levi escapes the Romans who chase after him.

When Cornelius, chief guard to Pilate, explains this development to him, Pilate is extremely angry at his loyal servant.  Pilate wants any and all who threatened his life to die now.  Cornelius offers his apologies and is willing to accept any punishment that Pilate wants to inflict on him.  But all Pilate does is dismiss him and tells him to not to show his face to him again.  I wonder what Cornelius will do next.  Will he try to capture more Zealots to appease Pilate, or will he maybe speak to Peter about the movement?  Ultimately Eva decides to join the Zealots to get her revenge on what they did to Boaz.

Speaking of Peter, he gets Caiaphas somewhat on his side when Boaz turns himself in.  But that quickly changes when Peter speaks the name of Jesus again, after Caiaphas had told him not to.  He arrests all the disciples this time.  But they are set free by an angel.  When they preach again in the name of Jesus, they are brought before the Sanhedrin (Jewish ruling council).  But this time an elderly priest named Gamaliel wants to release the disciples.  He believes that their movement will fail if it is not from God (he believes it will simply dissolve into nothing).  However if the cause of the disciples is for God, it would be best that the Sanhedrin not oppose God’s will.  So Caiaphas decides to flog them with whips and let them go.

In a really touching scene, Peter admits to his daughter that he can’t go back to Galilee (their hometown) and that she won’t be safe here in Jerusalem, so they decide to part ways.  These scenes with Peter and his daughter aren’t in the Bible but they are beautiful and remind us what the disciples are giving up.

Stephan, a new disciple is given the task by Peter to take care of the widows in the camp, but Stephan doesn’t believe his years of theological study should be neglected in this way.  So Peter comes up with the idea that Stephan shall begin to write down the accounts of Jesus that can then be read and studied by the new followers.  However Stephan’s desire for righteousness leads him to confront the temple priests.  He accuses them of being unjust by crucifying Jesus and unfairly detaining God’s messengers.  They arrest him and pronounce a sentence of stoning on him for defying the council’s authority to measure out punishment as they see fit (and again Stephan reminds them of the foretold destruction of the temple).  He is dragged outside the city gate, tied to a post, and then stoned.

As he is dying, a zealous student of the priests picks up the last stone and hands it off to the crowd.  With the last throw of the stone Stephan dies as the first martyr for Christ.  And with this we meet Saul, he was the one holding Stephan’s coat, and he is the one who picked up the last stone.

Next week we can expect to see the persecution of Peter’s group (also known as followers of the Way) by Saul who would later become Paul (defender of the faith).

Galleries:  Check out the galleries page or this one to see the characters in action.  There are a lot of characters to track, so it’s worth it to take a look at their faces, names and category groups (Followers of Christ, Temple Authorities, The Romans, Zealots).

Next week:  May 10th – The Persecution

A.D.: The Bible Continues 2.04 – The Wrath

You can free stream the entire first four episodes here: NBC’s free showing of A.D – The Bible Continues.

My Recap:

This week’s focus is on the retribution of Pilate and his need to exercise the might of Rome over the land of Judea and city of Jerusalem.  Pilate has completely had it with the “silliness” of the Jews practices and beliefs.  Last week one of his guards (bodyguards even) was killed by a Zealot.  The zealots want to rid the Holy Land of the occupying Roman army and its iron-fisted rule over them.  So Pilate instigates a witch hunt.  His plan was to crucify 10 Jewish citizens a day until the real culprit(s) are handed over to him.  There is no justice in this, and so Caiaphas wants it to stop before Pilate allows an even larger city-wide revolt to occur.

Meanwhile Peter and John are awaiting trial by the Jewish council (the Sanhedrin) for their preaching that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah (or rescuer) of the Jewish people.  The Sanhedrin called Jesus a heretic for thinking he was equal to God himself. Peter recently had healed a lame man who could not walk from birth.  Although I don’t remember if this is actually in the Bible, Caiaphas’ wife tries to bribe the blind man into testifying against Peter and John.  She says that Jesus followers want to bring down the Temple (but it was something Jesus had not directly said.  Jesus said “Tear down this temple and I will raise it in three days”, as He was referring to his resurrection).

At the trial, Caiaphas calls Peter a liar pretending that he had healed the man under the authority of God, but the once lame man shows up to testify.  He says he was lame from birth, that no one paid him to pretend he was lame, and that now he is healed.  The lame man had spent years at the Temple, so many of the people there knew that he was lame and likely telling the truth.  The people want Peter and John set free (for justice, but also because they want to experience more healings, I would suppose).  This makes Caiaphas extremely angry.  He has been shown to be weak compared to Jesus’ followers.

Caiaphas is also weak to the Romans.  He tries to humble himself to obtain God’s mercy by wearing sackcloth and pouring burned up ashes onto his head and body.  He hopes that his piety will convince the Romans, but Pilate only mocks him by making him eat the ashes of the cremated Roman soldier who was killed (I don’t remember this in the Bible either).

Peter returns to the upper room where the disciples are gathering and is shocked to see hundreds of people there.  They had witnessed the disciples miracles of healings and speaking other languages.  Peter’s resolve is strengthened by this.  Instead of keeping quiet as Caiaphas had asked, Peter believes it is God’s will to spread the message while knowing it may cost him his life.  The show represents this strengthening by showing the Holy Spirit as a wind that rushes in to help the disciples when they need it.

John has a dream that leads him to a place where he meets Barnabas (a wealthy believer in Jesus).  Barnabas promises the disciples some land to set up a new community of believers where common goods are shared to care for the poor.  This of course attracts a lot of people, because Rome has placed a huge tax on the citizens in order to support Rome’s building projects.  This makes the citizens both poor and resentful of the Roman system.  It also attracts followers who want to help.  Unfortunately two of the followers are not sure Peter’s mission will truly succeed, so they hedge their bets and keep some of their money hidden.  I don’t think this would have been a problem but they lied and said they were giving it all to ministry.  In a vision Peter is informed by the Spirit of what happened.  Both of the two followers die of internal hemorrhage and are quickly buried.  And Boaz meets Peter and wants to join the camp but Peter says he must repent first.  Boaz refuses saying that being a citizen of Judea is enough.

Finally we meet Stephen who is a new convert and very strong when it comes to seeing justice done.  He tries to stop the Romans from arresting the citizens for crucifixion. He is knocked down and beaten by them.  Next week I fear something even worse will happen to him.  And we have the wives working together to find the culprit, Boaz who killed Pilate’s guard.

Next week we can expect to see the stoning of Stephen who is the first martyr for Jesus recorded in the Bible.

Galleries:  Check out the galleries page to see the characters in action.  There are a lot of characters to track of so its worth it to take a look at their faces, names and category groups (Followers of Christ, Temple Authorities, The Romans, Zealots).

Next week:  May 3rd – The First Martyr