The story of season two is a meandering tail that has some compelling highs (Michael's status as a double agent and the introduction of the tailies") and some low lows (Everything about Hurley). I'm leaving off the introduction of Ben, who at this point is known only as Henry Gale.
You see shades of his potential as a character when he suggests he sent the castaways into a trap, but you aren't given the full picture yet. I'll have more about Ben as I get into later seasons, as he is the most fascinating and entertaining character on Lost.
Ok, so my main problem with season two is that it seems to have a bunch of false starts. You've got Mr. Echo going twenty different ways at once and Charlie scurrying around as his personal assistant. But the main problem is that the "tailies" and the hatch hijacked the story. The "tailies" never meshed with the original castaways, which could explain why all but Bernard died, but more importantly they seemed to serve merely as filler. Take Ana Lucia, who was only good for killing off Shannon. Even in her flashback, when she escorted Christian, she didn't actually do anything.
Libby is a more interesting case, as she seemed poised to be an integral part of the show.
I'm not saying she might have survived her bullet wounds, but it is possible she could have gone into a coma or something and come out of it after Michael had led the select few into his trap. Regardless of all that, though, she could have been big in back stories. Libby was the driving force behind Desmond crashing and there was definitely more to the mental hospital storyline that has never been resolved. Unfortunately there were scheduling conflicts and it looks like she's lost to the ages with the answers she could have provided.Anyway, it just feels like each episode in this season was about positioning for some bigger theme. I like this about the show, but not at the expense of interesting stories in the short run. This season is just too convenient, as illustrated by the fact that food falls from the sky. Ugh! IT just rubs me the wrong way.
I'm still conflicted about Michael's turn as a bad guy. Well not really a bad guy, but a good guy driven to do bad things. My big question, though, is whether it was all necessary. Couldn't he have talked to Locke and Jack, so they would just let Henry Gale go? Jack embraced being led into a trap later on, so why not do this? Libby and Ana Lucia didn't need to die, except they did, since that's what the story required. ANd that's what i mean by it all being too convenient. Actions don't match the characters.
Oh! One of my favorite parts, which only gets better, is the introduction of the love stories. Never expected it, but Lost has generated three amazing love stories. First, is Penny and Desmond. Only because they had to overcome a physical separation in addition to the emotional barriers. We get a taste of this in season two, as we see what divides them and the lengths each will go for the other (boat around the world and set up emp monitoring stations).
Second, is the romance between Sun and Jin. This strained relationship seemed superficial in season one. but with Sun's pregnancy it receives some extra oomph. It only gets better.
The third relationship is the whirlwind romance of Sawyer and Juliet. I'll have plenty to say about that later on.
This season cemented my hatred for Kate. She's basically a moron. No idea why anyone would have a crush on her. Maybe you could admire her spunkiness, but she basically sucks. Disagree?
As for Locke and Jack, this is a trying season for them. Locke especially has his world view challenged.
I probably should talk about the hatch. I really don't have anything to say except that it blows up.
We get our first mention of the incident, which will occur in the season five finale.
This season is what it is (whatever that means). At the time it was a satisfying second course, but in retrospect it was just a tease. It was too long and much of it was pointless. Maybe I'll have deeper appreciation after the show is over, but right now I would think this is the worst season.
EXCEPT, I'm about to start season three, which if memory serves was terrible. Oh joy.
1 comment:
Yeah, you've got a point in some of the things you say. Like, some of the actions don't match with the characters. Especially Michael, if I was him, I would have talked to Locke and Jack. I found on the Internet that Ana Lucia and Libby where caught by police while drunk and driving. Of course, each one of them on their own car. Months later they were off the show. I really think there was a beginning in the story of Libby as she appears in the mental hospital, but it never did to an end. Anyway, I pretty much loved season two. The first chapter (the Desmond routine and then the BOOM somebody-has-exploded-my-hatch-entrance was awesome.)
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