A REAL BOY
John Locke always knew he was special. It's just that it didn't seem like being special was such a good thing to be. He was specially misunderstood.
Specially unpopular.
And specially unwanted.
Rejected.
He just wasn't a regular sort of guy. He wanted to be the kind of guy who liked boxing and fishing and cars and sports, but try as he might to deny it, he was always the kind of guy who liked....
...backgammon.
Our culture can be hard on boys. There's not a lot of slack for those who fall short in the manly rituals of initiation. So it was easy to sympathize with young John's stubborn refusal to embrace his preordained destiny as a nerd.
He didn't want to go to Mittelos Science Camp because he did not plan on becoming a Man of Science when he grew up. His mind was still stuck in the rut of traditional boyhood dreams, however illfitting they were in his case.
John resisted the destiny he was born to fulfill . But maybe that was because the advertising was so uninspired.
Someone should have sat him down and told him a story to get him fired up. They should have told him the oldest story in the mythos of mankind...The Birth of the Hero.
In Western mythology, it always comes back to the same thing. The hero. First he must be born.
Preferably to a young, sweet maiden.
In many myths, the hero has no earthly father. Jesus was one such. And not to be sacriligious in our cultural associations, but Anakin Skywalker was another. That prick Anthony Cooper was a genetic match for purposes of organ donation, but are we absolutely certain that he was the older man who fathered Emily Locke's child?
It's possible the daddy may have been even older than Grandma Locke could possibly have imagined. In any case, we saw that this birth was not an accident.
Divine intervention played a hand. From the start the very special baby thrived despite impossible odds. The man who found resurrection by crashing in an airplane started life as the youngest preemie his 1950s hospital had ever seen survive. Which is not to say he lived any kind of charmed life.
Like so many heros, the earthly father Locke eventually came to know was a dirty rotten bastard. Who tried to kill him. And who he arranged, with mythic deviousness, to have murdered by another fatherless son.
Ever since Zeus stopped his father Chronus from cannibalizing his own children, the age old competition of father and son has shaped the story of men.
Like Moses or Oedipus or Luke Skywalker, the mythic baby is often sent away immediately after birth to protect him from the wrath of the evil father figure. Even if the father himself is not a villain, the hero may still need to be sent away in order to survive.
Like Kal El being sent off into space in his intergalactic incubator, little John Locke was set adrift at birth to fend for himself and find his destiny.
Once set adrift, orphaned, the hero child is raised by surrogates. It seems to be a critical ingredient for heroic stature that one not be raised by one's own ma and pa.
You can run down the list from Oedipus to Moses to Clark Kent all the way through Peter Parker and Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter, and the one thing many of the great superheroes have in common is that, like little Johnny Locke...
...they were all raised by another.
You know, when you look at it this way, it starts to seem like maybe crazy old Locke knew what he was talking about when he said that he was special.
Who looks outside, dreams
Who looks inside, awakens. - Carl Jung
Locke, as we know, is prone to interesting dreams.
Jung thought that, in dreams, each person creates their own personal mythology. Using the archetypes of our own unconscious, dreams tell us the stories of ourselves. But where do the characters come from? How does Locke, for instance, dream of Horace Goodspeed - a man he had never met?
Horace returned through time to guide Locke to his destination - to Jacob, who has been waiting such a long time for the Chosen One to arrive. In the illogic of dreams, Horace seemed trapped in a broken loop of time. He cut down a tree, only to find the tree still standing. His nose bleed reminded us of the way he and Ben's other victims died in his genocidal coup
but also reminds us of the sickness that infests the freighter
and of the way Desmond's nose reacted to his recent tangle with the wrinkle in time.
The nosebleed in the dream was an example of the way our own unique dream motifs are larger than our own unique consciousness. The archetypes of dreams share a commonality that spills across our individual experience and break through the limits of our individual knowledge. They are evidence of the collective unconscious we share with all humanity, where the shadow world beyond this waking dream has messages to tell us, if only we can be made to listen.
"So, sailor, don't spite me, don't be sparing with the shifiting sands,
grant instead a little to my unburied bones and skull" - Horace
Horace the Ghost came to push Locke with goodspeed on his way to Jacob.
In the collective unconscious, as described by Jung, dreams have been known to predict future events. How can that be possible? How can the sleeping mind know of things that haven't happened yet?
How did little Locke know about the smoke monster on the Island he wouldn't visit for another forty years? This is the kind of myth where Time is a magical power. With the illogic of a dream, a man can be killed
long after he has already washed up dead on shore.
Perhaps the Island is surrounded by a kind of zone that refracts time in much the same way that our atmosphere refracts light when looking through a telescope. Doc Ray's body, once thrown into the sea, may have drifted willy nilly through the zone of time refraction, missing the one true course of 305 that would have kept his death and murder in its proper consecutive alignment. The pseudo scientific teases in this story can keep theorists busy for hours, I'm sure, but really only one thing was clear to me about the mystery ship of very manly men:
It's a waking nightmare.
I have no idea why Sayid was rushing off to bring any more poor schmucks back to be terrorized there
nor why Desmond thought he'd ever find his way to Penny by staying behind on a ship of such relentless death.
In Buddhism, death has a different meaning than it has in Western religions. Life does not end, but only changes form. There is no need to cling to any fixed point in time. Or in space.
When it's time
I move my hermitage and go,
And there's nothing
To be left behind - Layman P'ang
Jacob is a nomad. He can pack up his little grass shack any time he wants and wander off into the mystical ether any time he gets restless. This week, however, Jacob stayed put for a little while. He had some houseguests.
Christian Shephard was looking very much at home in Jacob's shabby digs. He shed the funeral suit and was kicking back in his casual duds, looking more relaxed and at home than we'd ever seen him. It seems he speaks for Jacob these days. Apparently he's like his agent or something.
The sight of Christian looking so mischievous also served as a reminder of how often this dude has been spotted at the scene of the crime. He's had an influence on more than a few of the people who ended up on Flight 815. There's Jack, of course, who went to Australia to haul his dad's drunk ass home one last time. Christian also steered Ana Lucia to her fatal destiny by hiring her as bodyguard for his Australian drinking tour.
And Sawyer might never have found his destiny in murder if not for Christian's well lubricated encouragement.
All this time we thought Christian was a hopeless alcoholic, when maybe it was all an occupational hazard of his job as mystical recruiter. Now he's trying to make up for lost time with his neglected little girl Claire, by bringing her over to the dark side for some tea and crumpets. It's not entirely clear whether Claire's being "with him" means she died when her house exploded - though the sight of another one of her symbolic "houses" being destroyed was not a good omen
- and she did have a certain surreal serenity about her.
What a girl won't do to get a break from all those dirty diapers. Death seems to have put Claire's by-bee completely out of sight, out of mind. Perhaps she's not worried because she's seen the light of Aaron's own mythical destiny and understands that, at that moment, her son is exactly where he's supposed to be.
There must have been a reason that Locke was the one invited to this macabre Shephard family reunion. In this episode, Locke finally had all his hunches about himself confirmed. He has not been chosen. He has been found.
You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force.
You believe it's this...boy?
When the Dalai Lama dies, a ritual is performed wherein one of his possessions is presented along with other objects to the child suspected of being his reincarnation. The child is found to be the reincarnation of the lama if he chooses the correct item out of the selection he's presented with.
In a clever reinterpretation of that ritual, Richard came to the home of little sad sack Johnny to measure his midi chlorian count. The boy didn't so much as look at the baseball glove that any other six year old would likely glom right on to. He picked up the vial of sand (or volcanic ash?) first
- the symbol of the island whose destiny he shared. He considered the compass
- a symbol of exploration, like the explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton
that the teenage Locke had hanging in his locker, and a reminder as well of the geomagnetic anomalies that make our beloved island what it is. He pondered the Book of Laws,
which Eko would one day use as a teaching story and which was revealed as a vessel of discovery for more of the Island's secrets,
but he did not pick it up. And we can't really say if he felt any pull to the comic book,
but it was easy to see that he was drawn inexorably to the power of the knife. The symbol of manhood
at its most brutal.
Like many fatherless boys, John confused machismo with manhood ... and, in doing so, he failed his first test.
Richard left in a huff of disappointment. Locke's career as a professional failure had begun.
Not knowing how close the truth is,
We seek it far away
-what a pity! - Hakuin Ekaku Zenji
Locke resisted his destiny as long as he could. He spurned the advances of the Island whenever it tried to reach out to him over the course of his life. Trying to be the kind of man he was not, Locke hit rock bottom when he became no kind of man at all.
However, as we've seen before, spectral messengers have a way of catching Locke before he falls into any permanent pit of despair.
It turns out Christian wasn't the only recruiter out there cherry picking passengers for the mythical Flight 815.
Echoing the poster on the wall behind them, Matthew Abaddon appeared in Locke's life to get him back into the Game. It was Abaddon that planted the idea of a walkabout in Locke's mind, another mythic ritual of manhood, and the one that would end up sealing Locke's heroic fate.
Jacob was another mythical figure who dreamed of climbing things.
Much is made of the fact that the names John, Jack and James are all derivatives of the name Jacob. Very fittingly, Jacob is also the name of one of literature's most famous ghosts, Jacob Marley, who sent poor Scrooge's head spinning all those Christmases ago. But Jacob was also the Biblical twin who usurped his brother's birthright.
Ben and Locke may not be brothers, but both are sons of blond Emilys and both were left motherless at birth. Like Jacob's brother Esau, Ben saw his status as Chosen One disappearing before his eyes.
He gave way gracefully to Locke - who, for the moment at least, is Destiny's favorite child. Ben was very gracious about this whole business, but since this is Ben we're talking about, that's a huge tip off that he's got something up his sleeve.
We know that in the near future, Ben will still be vying with Widmore for control of the magical Island.
We know that Widmore is Dharma, or whatever Dharma has become, and that this Ship of Death that is drifting in the Sea of Time belongs to him. We know that the bad guys are coming back.
We know that Frank Lapidus, one of the good guys, has dropped a phone letting the beach gang know where the plane is headed - probably to make sure they stay as far away from it as possible.
And it looks like Dr. Dumbo is still just as stupid after his appendectomy as he was before it, and is going to gallop with his gullible flock of sheep right into their trap.
But it won't matter what Jack and his magical disappearing appendix end up doing. He isn't in charge of anything any more, if in fact he ever was. The only Force that matters any longer is The Island. The Island has chosen who it wants. Who it needs to protect it. The Island decides who can die
and who can't.
Ben came to the calm realization that the Island was never going to let him kill Locke.
It didn't let Jack murder him in a pique of temper either.
The Island will protect the hero it needs. Now it's up to The Chosen One to face his first Challenge. There is a disturbance in the Force. The hero's task is simple: Move the Island. Maybe the Island wants to jump Galactica-style through Space. Or maybe it's looking to hop into a wormhole and travel through Time instead. Either way, it's time for The Chosen One to start earning his keep.
There's no time to lose, Hero. Godspeed.
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126 Comments:
Sorry, but the way you review episodes is really lazy.
Excellent recap, Fish! One of your very best.
Pictures. One Sentence. Pictures. One Sentence. Tbh more detail and less pictures what makes this review a whole lot better.
I've no criticism of your style, it's uniquely yours and it works.
If it weren't for that conspicuous dig at Jack ('Dr. Dumbo' and a strategically taken screencap? C'mon, you can do better) I'd have no problem awarding full marks.
meh.
nothing to see here folks, move along.
Freaking AMAZING! ... As usual!
I love the reference: "...they were all raised by another" and how it connects John and Aaron. And maybe even James too. :)
Brilliant. :D
Disagree that we now 'know' Widmore is Dharma. When I saw the file with the logo on the front my first thought was 'How did he get hold of that?'. He might be Dharma, but it's by no means confirmed.
And Jack's assumption wasn't entirely stupid. Actually, I think Frank's warning was pretty unclear. This is a group of people who want to be rescued - why on earth would they choose to run away from a helicopter that could take them off the Island?
Minor points in the overall scheme though, I liked everything else.
To all the whiners, if you don't like the review style, don't read the reviews. This reviewer has consistently used this style, so I don't know what you expect.
It's a recap, plain and simple, mixed in with the occasional cool quote and speculation on the storyline.
If you think this stuff is so easy to do, put together your own column and submit to DarkUFO.
I believe Jack's "I think they want us to follow 'em." line was for the viewer's benefit. It would have been very difficult to convey Frank's intentions otherwise.
Chester Kilburn said...
And Jack's assumption wasn't entirely stupid. Actually, I think Frank's warning was pretty unclear. This is a group of people who want to be rescued - why on earth would they choose to run away from a helicopter that could take them off the Island?
Because 1) Ben (and Charlie and John) said that making that phone call was the beginning of the end and that they would all be killed 2) a dead man with a slashed throat shows up in the water 3) Daniel have been telling Jack from day 1 that the freighter people are NOT there to rescue them. :)
Sanna
Why dont you and fishbiscuit go make up your own website where you bash jack. That is all you talk about you and fishbiscuit. It is getting really annoying. I think Jack is one of the best characters on the show.
Great recap.
I've always thought of Locke as the show's true hero for a longtime now, despite repeated moronic suggestions that the doctor has the double job of being the hero as well. Ummm, no, just no.
Keep up the good work (and ignore the nonsensical comments of hate attached to this post)!
Awesome Recap Fish. A very enjoyable read. Loved the pics too. The best recap so far!! Keep up the awesome work.
You know, I've disliked Locke since he declared that Boone's death was the sacrifice that the Island demanded. My dislike of him has grown more intense over the course of all these seasons. But, since I realize that he's an important character and one that's integral to the progression of the show, I try to keep an open mind about him. I realize that my dislike of him has more to do with my own personality than with his character and how it fits into the show.
Last Thursday's episode heavily tweaked my dislike of Locke. I have to admit that I was wrong about some things. There are many things I still dislike about Locke, but I will have to incorporate them into this new picture of him.
That said, your intense dislike of Jack, an integral character of the show, completely ruined this review. Without a statement of purpose, it's just name-calling and quite childish. There is no analysis of action, just the assumption on your part that his statement will be followed to the end, and, as always, the unflattering picture accompanied by the textual sand-kicking.
It's a shame because I enjoyed the rest of the review.
love it!
It seems a little dig at Jack is apparently like insulting the Pope around here.
Please, please, please stop telling people who dislike things to stop reading the reviews. Only educating yourself with things you enjoy is never a way to better yourself.
I found myself reading this week's review and I was actually enjoying it. Some interesting things about Locke.
But in an episode about Locke, with no appearance from Sawyer and very sparing usage of Jack, Fish still felt the need to pump up Sawyer and bash Jack.
There must be some sort of Jungian analysis available here.
I was ready to write about how much better this review was; but silly me, the Dr. Dumbo, white knight garbage was already waiting for me.
Rowdy, I believe you actually have to be talking about someone in a negative manner for it to be considered as bashing...
Sanna, you do it every week with Jack it is really childish. Cant we all just get along including Fish biscuit does alright until starts bashing Jack calling him Dr, Dumbo it ruins the review. Everything else about it was great.
Crystal, people get so offended because fishbiscuit digs on jack every week.
I was sat here thinking... how the hell can bishfiscuit work some unreasonable hatred into her review this week when Jack has literally three lines... and how will she get some Sawyer SQUEEEing in too when he wasn't even featured?
Predictable as hell I'm afraid :)
Great review as usual.
I gained a new perspective of John this week seeing him as a teenager. I am glad the writers added that scene.
Keep up the good work.
blandestk said: "But in an episode about Locke, with no appearance from Sawyer and very sparing usage of Jack, Fish still felt the need to pump up Sawyer and bash Jack."
I don't see why Fishbiscuit should ignore events surrounding what's being shown on screen in one episode. I think it's similar to many aspects of life, where one thing affects another, indirectly or directly. Battles in history affecting decisions made by governments and countries; one organ not operating solely without some interaction with another organ in the body, etc etc. One episode on Lost does not mean the audience forgets what the overall storyline is. I think the Fish sees it this way too.
How Jack is acting and how Sawyer is the one taking care of the little individual who is "exactly where he is supposed to be" are a part of this episode. Sawyer isn't seen on screen, but Christian refers to Aaron's whereabouts. Given that we know Jack has reacted with poor judgment in the past when decisions are called for, it isn't surprising that some fans see him as ready to continue on the same course again. Heck, he is acting like Dr Dumbo here, eating and running directly after surgery, like no other human can do and like every other doctor knows better!
Fishbiscuit, I love that you use the images to bring together thoughts and reminders of events in previous episodes to make excellent points. By the way, is that Jacob's Cabin in your Last Emperor manip? Lol.
Well written as usual. Thanks for highlighting the Dalai Lama info especially. Or should I say specially since we're talking about John Locke?? ;)
Last year Locke (and what I feel is his selfish agenda) finally displaced Jack as my least favorite character on the show and this episode did not change that. But I did enjoy the recap and do think Locke like Jack and every other character on this show is not only capable but will achieve his redemption. Nice job.
I do find it ironic and strange that some people find the need to bash a real person for her perceived bashing of a fictional one. I would have thought that people would be familiar with fishbiscuit’s style by now, so I continue to be surprised when it happens week after week, especially from a lot of the same people. Personally, I do cringe when I see anything negative about Jack or positive about Sawyer in fishbiscuit’s recaps, mainly because I know the reaction it will get. I didn't even bother reading last weeks's comments because I know how vicious they can get and it was a Jack episode. (And yes I thought she went over the top with the negativity of her recap, but it’s her recap and her choice and nothing I or anyone else says is going to change that. Since the comments went into the hundreds, it must have been something.) I thought this week was rather mild and it would be fairly safe to jump in, but I see that is not the case and the controversy continues. (Personally, my favorite review she did was the first one I read by her on The Brig last year. I thought that one had great insight. I would like to see her do more like that one.)
If you don't like the Fish's reviews, no one is forcing you to read them.
Even though Sawyer wasn't physically in the episode, Christian referred to him by saying Aaron is "where he's supposed to be", and right now he is with Sawyer.
I always learn something new in your recaps, Fish. Great review as always. Keep up the good work!
Why dont you and fishbiscuit go make up your own website where you bash jack. That is all you talk about you and fishbiscuit. It is getting really annoying. I think Jack is one of the best characters on the show.
They have one. It's called Fishbiscuitland. It doesn't just stop with bashing Jack though, no, what fun would that be when you can trash and make up lies about the actor and his family. Their jealousy of Jack/MF would be amusing if it weren't so vile.
No-one is forcing anyone to read these comments threads either. But lets all be honest, they're often far more entertaining than the actual review. :D
I'm just killing time till it's Arsenals turn on MOTD. ;)
Rowdy, wtf are you talking about? I left comments on the Fish recap last week and this one, I have never even seen them on this site before. Me bashing someone here without even saying a bad word about the character is all in your head. I think it's about time you stop trying to tell us what to think and say and just accept that we are all entitled to our own opinions, no matter if you agree or not!
Once again: Great recap, Fish Biscuit!
Good review.
People saying FB shouldn't bash Jack (or anyone for that matter), you're saying she shouldn't have an opinion on Jack, but that's your opinion... kind of hypocritical. Your opinion is that FB shouldn't have an opinion, heh, go figure...
The whole picture thing is unique, and expresses individuality.
Awesome once again! I love how different, original and funny your reviews are. Keep it up!
rowdy & sanna: Lets not get personal. That's not how we do it round here.
i was going to say i don't mean to be rude, but then i realized how rude and mean spirited your reviews are. i'm not even a big jack fan, but the way you cherry pick bad pictures of him weekly is very childish. grow up.
Man, every week it's the same thing. Jack=Moron and Sawyer=Hero. Even when they're barely in the episode. Sawyer didn't even make an appearance!!
Also, I believe Locke's mother had red hair, not blond.
Hair colour differs between 16 and 64... (I think she's 64 now)
YOU HAVE IT BACKWARDS.
Really. Locke is NOT the hero of this show. What is it about this show that people don't get? Locke is being groomed to fulfill the ISLAND'S purpose, not HIS OWN. He's being molded to become the perfect surrogate for the island, and that does not make him a HERO - THAT MAKES HIM A CHUMP. Just like we've seen throughout this life. But that's okay, because that's what he wants, that's what he believes is his purpose in life except, well...like Ben said, it will come at a very heavy price.
You guys are still in a daze about the island as a moral entity - is the island good or evil? Ask yourself this, then ask whether Locke's purpose is meant to reinforce it and whether he's smart enought to realize this. Or is his blind devotion to become something he isn't preventing him from SEEING clearly?
Speaking of which, from this review, it's clear you know NOTHING about what's going on with the show; you've taken posters' observations and adopted them as your own here. You're not revealing anything new like Vozzek does week after week. And yet, you feel compelled to provide a chuckle here and there for your minions in stupid, asshat one-liners about Jack and his actions, which, by the way, are reasonable considering he has no idea what's been going on on the Freighter for the past few episodes. DUH.
It's one thing to make observations as a voyeur and critiqueing their actions, it's another to let your odd, crazy obsession with hating a fictional character ruin the time you're spending watching this show. LIGHTEN UP.
I'm sorry, Crickey, but it's annoying to see how someone openly starts to accuse and bash real people because he/she believes someone is bashing their favorite fictional character.
... Although this is the last thing I have to say about it all:)
Anyway... The Dalai Lama-reference is great! And I particular liked the "Ben and Locke may not be brothers, but both are sons of blond Emilys and both were left motherless at birth"-part. That was something I hadn't thought about before...
I think Fishbiscuit puts herself in the firing line with her recaps, and critiques and support of it are fair enough on here, but like you say, we're not here to call each other names (and yes, they started it :) )
But then, what the hell do I know? It's none of my business :D
Crikey, mostly I was actually talking about the accusations against me, not Fish;)
And I also have to agree with everyone who says the pictures makes the recap even better, not worse as someone claimed.
Thanks to the pictures we actually see that Fish (and others who uses the same technique) not only make things up along the way but can actually back their statements up by referring to real, actual scenes. And it also works as a reminder for those who forgot some parts of previous scenes. I love it!
alex said: "i'm not even a big jack fan, but the way you cherry pick bad pictures of him weekly is very childish. grow up."
You know, I may have thought Fishbiscuit was going for the bad images of Jack, but since I started downloading the episodes and taking my own screenshots, I realise she isn't. Every single still frame of Jack in his scenes result in bad pics. Try it and see what I mean!
rsk, while Fishbiscuit doesn't much like Jack, I know she loves other characters on this show. To give you a POV on this type of thinking, I see it this way - one character I don't warm to does not result in me hating a show. I happen to love the Losties, they're what makes the show great. Personally I can't stand Jack and his arrogance but he still a part of the original set of characters with their variety of personalities. The characters I love make up for this one character I hate.
Yeah yeah... don't care... crikey's Reasonable Half-Hour is over for another month and it's back to trolling... :)
Leonie:I don't particularly care whether Fish personally loves or hates certain characters on the show. That's a given. And moot. Wanna know why? Because Dark is featuring his/her review on this site, and because he's generous enough to give him/her this opportunity, I'd think that a little objectivity would work to this reviewer's favor. Obviously, from reading some of the comments here, a little subjectivity goes a looong way.
This is a great site, and the reason I come here is for information and (obviously) spoilers. But I gotta say, Dark, this weekly review is, by far, the sole unflattering stain on what's otherwise a brilliant, well-manicured Lost blog. Just sayin'...
Sorry Crikey
All this Jack bashing is starting to get on my nerves that is all some people talk about. Sorry for getting personal.
rsk, I guess we all think differently on these matters. I prefer reviews that are somewhat subjective. Reviews don't have to be completely objective, there's no rule to say that. A personal stand always influences a review favourably imo, since otherwise why would we read reviews? Fishbiscuit's is always my favorite on this site and her take on it always makes me think more about it. I would think that's the point of a review. Can only make the quality of a site better.
Nice Job
I like reading all of the recaps and if I didn't care for a particular style then I'd probably read it anyway to satisfy my "lost jones"
I'm appreciative of the fact that I can actually be a part of the whole experience and be exposed to others views on the show.
Pre-Al Gore Internet this would have been difficult to say the least.
Keep on with the reviews and the use of images has always been effective for you.
Cheers until next week
I didn't see how Frank could have expected anyone to infer a particular meaning from his throwing the phone out the helicopter. Therefore, I assume that Jack's interpretation was the one the writers had in mind.
And I agree that Locke is not a hero. I nearly applauded when Bernard told Jin that they didn't go with Locke because Locke is a murderer.
I read and appreciate all the reviews I can find because I love this show. So, some reviewers have different opinions... so what? That's what makes life interesting. I find it puzzling why some commenters feel the need to bash anyone with whom they don't agree. Note to richardam, freckles, me, miramax and susan... thanks for pointing this out as well.
The reason people feel the need to express their dislike of FB's review style week after week is surely indicative of the fact that some of us think it's absolute bilge, driven with a negative agenda that adds nothing to show apart from hate, unless you're a 'shipper', 'skater' or you have a pathological hatred of one of the shows main characters, or indeed, the actor who portrays him.
IMHO of course :)
Leonie: I appreciate your opinion. So a review is just a review is just a review? If personal subjectivity of a particular character or actor is laced into evey 'review' I ever read, I could hardly label that as a 'review'. That's an editorial. An opinion. It's not a review of the episode - it's a sounding board to convey the writer's personal tastes. I don't recall Vozzek or Jensen letting their personal opinions of the various elements overshadow their excellent reviews.
Hey I'd be fine with this review itself if he or she just hadn't included the little bitchy comment about Jack. Otherwise, it's whatever. Just like his/her assessment of the episode...parochial at the least, but whatever.
What I love is that Fiscuit doesn't give a damn about what anyone thinks. She doesn't defend her posts in comments, and doesn't have to.
I doesn't matter if Jack is integral to the story, he's still an idiot, and apparently always will be.
I also find it HI-larious that people actually get offended over a TV show review.
Instead of shedding jears while commenting on how Fiscuit hates Jack, take a look at yourself.
You're too emotionally invested in fictional characters. I love Lost, but not THAT much.
Matt Fox is an excellent actor, and he plays Dr. Dumbo to the tee.
amen BSTI. i love Fish's reviews. i like the pictures, i like her sarcams, and i think its great that her comment sections always end up with 100 plus comments by the end of the week. she brings a lot of hits to Darkufo's site.
people around here are passionate, thats for sure!
Love the photoshops of John as a quarterback and the Dali Lama.
I was waiting for the Jack bashing and it didn't disappoint. :-)
Hey guys don't post your criticisms here because they won't be tolerated! Only posts that praise Fish Biscuit for her work will be allowed! So let's all tell her how great her reviews are! Because they're always great, right? And never are they unfunny. Always hilarious and always insightful. Because having to scroll down the page to read one hilarious line after the next is just great. I love those gaps that the pictures make. It just makes the review seem longer!
Or, for those that can't pick up on sarcasm: People are entitled to their opinions, and that means they're entitled to an opinion that differs from yours. Quit getting so upset that people don't like Fish Biscuit's reviews. They have just as much right to express their opinion as she does of her hatred of Jack.
I guess the more people bitch about the pictures, the more you are going to put into your reviews. Gotcha.
Why do people think that Internet anonymity allows them to post non-constructive attacks? Don't they know it makes them look like royal jackasses? And it makes the rest of us glad that we DON'T know them in person?
I enjoy these write-ups posted here on DarkUFO. I like the variety in presentation and style. Some people should, maybe, take their issues elsewhere so that the nice people who spend their time posting interesting theories won't stop doing so.
Anyway.
Nice catch on the Jacob symbolism. One can almost believe that those Locke flashbacks that included all those stairs were put there as deliberate foreshadowing.
I found the review entertaining and fun to read, even though I didn't agree with it.
In no way, shape or form is Locke a hero. With each step he takes he becomes more and more like Anthony Cooper, who stepped on whomever was in his way to what he wanted and didn't care the damage he left in his wake.
In the last two episodes Locke has been in he did nothing to protect the people he told he'd keep safe if they came with him, he let Ben lock Sawyer and Claire out when the barracks was under attack, he pulled a gun on Sawyer to force Hurley to lead him to Jacob's Cabin, since the so-called Chosen One can't find it on his own, and he left a girl he's known for months and wasn't acting like herself in a cabin with some strange man who did something to her and didn't care what happened to her.
With each step he takes Locke becomes more and more a villain and a mindless cipher for the island.
There have been heroes: Sawyer, Hurley, Jack, Sayid, Desmond, Charlie, etc, but Locke doesn't even rate amongst them.
But I did enjoy your review. It's a fun read and you get a good chuckle from it.
Hahaha! I, for one, and not upset at all! You know why?
IT'S A TV SHOW!
I think the JackLovers are hilarious! It's just grand that she can make people who are too deep in love with a TV show character mad!
And if anyone thinks this forum is rough, they've not really been to many forums.
"Hahaha! I, for one, and not upset at all! You know why?
IT'S A TV SHOW!
I think the JackLovers are hilarious! It's just grand that she can make people who are too deep in love with a TV show character mad!"
This doesn't seem like a fair statement, since Fishbiscuit also obviously cares enough to bash the same character week after week. ;)
I could have sworn that Locke told Jack, after Jack tried to shoot him, that he didn't load the gun. So that wasn't the Island at work, right?
Excellent. I liked the hero theme you choose. A lot of great comparisons.
I liked the way you use the pictures to frame certain important messages of the episode. It worked really well for this one, talking about Locke being the chosen one and how people were "recruited" for the island. Very nice.
I think your style of recapping is wonderfully unique. I really enjoyed this week. What you said about Christian was really eye opening. I had completely forgotten about his "meddling." Its exactly why I adore this particular site... you are all superb at what you do... which is quite simply... shedding some light and recapping from a certain angle with wit and cleverness. Thank you FB!
Enjoyed the recap...several things in it I hadn't twigged to. Liked the Jacob's ladder reference. I also wouldn't have realized how many fictional "heroes" were raised by people who weren't their bio parent.
This episode was trippy, but I don't really understand where they're going with it. Claire's dead-but-here state after her house exploded - that's weird. I look forward to your next recap.
They have one. It's called Fishbiscuitland. It doesn't just stop with bashing Jack though, no, what fun would that be when you can trash and make up lies about the actor and his family. Their jealousy of Jack/MF would be amusing if it weren't so vile. - katieB
This is a lie. They rag on Jack - as do other sites - because he's one of the most mockable characters ever on TV. They aren't particularly impressed with the actor, but again they're not alone in that. They do not, however, make up lies about him and his family. THAT is false.
I'm shocked that a couple sentences about Jack could spark this much animosity when there is so much more to this episode for people to discuss. Does anyone actually think that Jack following the signal is a smart idea? I didn't think so. The character should be criticized for such a bone-headed move. I mean, Faraday and Charlotte just told him they weren't there to rescue them! And the doctor washed up on the beach with his THROAT SLIT. Jack's obviously not making a good decision.
"You're too emotionally invested in fictional characters. I love Lost, but not THAT much.
Matt Fox is an excellent actor, and he plays Dr. Dumbo to the tee."
Ah, but see, that's not it. She doesn't think he's a great actor.
She HATES Matt, hates his family, anything to do with him. She seeks out anything about him, and hates on him. It's rather frightening, really, to have so much animosity for someone you don't even know.
Which is why people harp at her about it, because it's all she ever does. Matt/Jack = devil; Josh/Sawyer = god.
She's really just a hateful fangirl.
Leeness - you're the second person to say Fish hates Foxy's family. That's a lie and you will find nothing on the internet to back up that ridiculous, hateful accusation.
Great recap as always Fish, and thanks for posting them Dark!
What I think a lot of people don't understand is that it's not a love of Jack that leads to the call-outs on these reviews, at least for me. I wouldn't put Jack near my Top 10 characters on the show. The point isn't even that it's subjective vs objective. Do you think there's one reviewer that doesn't have an opinion on every character? I could probably tell you which characters don't strike the fancy of every reviewer on this site. The point is that the Jack hate in these articles is so vitriolic and so frequent, that it detracts from what could be good reviews. Even people who don't particularly like Jack can see that; why can't the people who hate Jack see that? If I hated Juliet, the last thing I would do would be to write about it every week because that's all anyone would ever focus on. And to tell you the truth, they would be right to do so.
Speaking in strictly human terms, doesn't it ever get boring to write the same things about Jack and Sawyer every week? Honestly, after week 35 I think I would probably be a bit tired of it.
@rsk, though I agree with the overall theme of Locke's "hero" status and disagree about the larger views of the island, I think you're spot on with the analysis of these reviews. I said the same thing about the site and the blot last week.
@leonie, please don't give me an obtuse speech about all organs mattering, i realize that each scene in a show such as Lost matters. but give me a break, we all know the hate would be here no matter how much jack were in the episode.
further, the garbage about screencaps of Jack is just that: trash.
even further, the line about aaron being where he's supposed to be does not at all concretely mean he should be with sawyer. I could come up with a dozen other possibilities.
and seriously, people should just stop saying that if you don't like a specific thing that you should never read it. that's just an irresponsible philosophy.
"Leeness - you're the second person to say Fish hates Foxy's family. That's a lie and you will find nothing on the internet to back up that ridiculous, hateful accusation."
Guess you've never really seen her old Fishbiscuitland site. She does it less at her new one, but the old one... hoo boy!
The only pathological behavior here are the same five or six people, the SAME people, who read this review week after week just so they can trash it. It's like people who eat in a restaurant they hate, every week, and then write the same letter of complaint. Now they seem to be campaigning for censorship, since if they don't like something, no one else should be allowed to. And what brings this on is the defense of a make believe character that most of the rest of the internet also enjoys making fun of.
This review hardly spoke of your glorious Jack. There was ONE LINE. And that's all you saw, all you read, all you care about and you're using that one line to destroy this comments section on a review that brought in a fair number of points that weren't discussed anywhere else, from the relation to other hero stories to the Jacobs ladder references to the idea of a shared subconscious of symbols. There was a ton in this review and none of us can discuss it because a tiny group of people who are addicted to hating this review are once again destroying it.
I don't know what's creepier, the hatred of FB or the need to defend a fictional character, but some people really need to get some perspective.
Leeness - I've been there from the beginning. Still say that you won't find anything to show that Fish hates MF's family.
Great post Gary. The mind boggles, really.
Leave Fishbiscuit alone! :D
(NSFW - sweary words)
great review fish!! i loved it!! and i hadnt noticed that all the heroes had been "raised by another". your reviews are always entertaining and just pue brilliance!!
to all the haters - if you want to read something that you know full well you wont like, thats up to you. if you want to criticise fish, fine.
but criticising her for one little mention of jack, and his undeniable stupidity in that scene, thats quite ridiculous,
i know fish hates jack, and yet when reading this, i didnt pick up on it. her "bashing" of jack was more like light hearted mockery that should be taken lightly. i know it usually isnt, but i honestly thought fish's criticism of jack here was a) completely fair and b) light hearted.
its blatently obvious that frank didnt want them to follwo him, he wanted them to avoid him. thats obviosu to the average viewer (except for those who cant see faults in jack and his decisions), BUT daniel has told jack TWICE now, plus a body washed up om shore. jacj made a bad decision and the "dr dumbo" comment came across (to me) as light mockery. i saw no trace of jack hate in this review.
and about sawyer, of course he deserves a mention. christain said aaron is where he is supposed to be - all fish did was point out that he is with sawyer. there is nothing wrong with that.
anyway, great review as always! cant wait til next weeks reviews! i tend to love all reviews but yours are by far the best imo. love ya! xx :)
sorry for typos. i had to type quickly and on a key board i am unfamiliar with :)
sorry for typos. i had to type quickly and on a key board i am unfamiliar with :)
Crikey, have you considered a 12 step program for your Fishbiscuit addiction? You call it bilge but you're the first one here every week and the last one to leave. Is it just that you enjoy making fun of real people because they enjoy a review that (in part) makes fun of a fake one?
I think the hero designation in this review was spot on. People misidentify heroism with judeo christian moral goodness I think but the symbols chosen here show that the heroic path isn't about morality. Darth Vader is the hero of Star Wars not Luke Skywalker. At least that's one major interpretation of it. I think it's very possible to see Locke as the hero when you consider that angle. A good case was made in this review anyway. As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
No need to get personal, gary. None of my comments have been specifically directed at yourself have they?
I'm just having a laugh, as I do in almost every comments thread you'll see me in. Lighten up a bit fella, it's a tv show... and this is a comments thread on a commentary on the tv show... 3 steps away from reality. There you go! Your very own 3 step programme! :)
I LOVE Fishbiscuits reviews. I know some people have a problem with picture/sentence/picture but I love them.
I especially loved the part about being "raised by another". That was amazing. I wonder if Aaron would pick the right items if Alpert put them in front of him?
It seems a little dig at Jack is apparently like insulting the Pope around here. - Crystal
LOL. I think the island is the one taking digs at Jack at the moment. Last episode they had Rose speculating what it might mean that Jack got sick on the island. This episode, they had Ben explaining that he knew his time as the "Chosen One" was coming to an end because he got sick. So I don't think it's a stretch to say Jack is out of favor with the island at the moment. Given that Ben said his judgment failed, resulting in Alex's death, I think it's fair to question Jack's judgment which, IMO, has never been all that stellar to begin with.
I wonder if he came into disfavor with the island because he tried to kill Locke, the island's new Chosen One? Jack pulled the trigger to kill Locke, but his gun didn't work in exactly the same way that Keamy's gun didn't work when he tried to kill Michael. The island protects certain people and makes others sick. Does Jack's illness signal that it's his time to step down as leader, just the way it showed Ben it was his time to step down? I think those are valid questions to be asking, given what has been shown to us onscreen.
Does anyone alse think the photo of young Locke (holding the knife) looks a lot like Aaron in Kate's house?
I'm sure this comment will be taken as a defense of a fictional character, despite the fact that Jack is no where near my favorite character, but here it goes anyway:
I love how a negative comment in these threads is portrayed as sick or somehow wacky, but the unadulterated adoration that people shower on the pro-Sawyer, anti-Jack bit, i.e, agreeing with the review, is somehow not just as wacky.
Again, I like both Sawyer and Jack, but I find it laughable that pro-Sawyer people find Jack to be stupid when Sawyer has absolutely ZERO sense about what's going on with the island/others/freighters/anything. All he understands is "survival," which is ok, because that's his character. He just isn't the brightest guy in the world.
Also, saying Aaron is where he's supposed to be, I reiterate, does not concretely mean being with Sawyer...but you can continue to blindly believe that if you like.
Excellent as usual!
blandestk - I think Fish writes her reviews with her tongue firmly planted in her cheek where Jack is concerned. It wouldn't be a Fishbiscuit recap if she didn't throw at least one mocking jab at Jack. As to the Sawyer thing, I took it to mean Aaron is safe, he will have protectors. Sawyer's role in that may well be transitory, merely delivering him to Kate at the beach. I'm not sure we can categorically say more about it at the moment, one way or the other. JMO, of course.
Nice recap, Fish Biscuit; I like the pictures-and-commentary format, it works with a show like this that's so densely packed with visual clues.
I've been lurking around these pages for a couple of years but never felt compelled to post until recently. I don't really get the shipper tensions 'round these parts--I'm not that invested in that aspect of the show--but one of the things that makes "Lost" so endlessly rewarding is that it provides so much fodder for speculation. I don't see any reason for so many angry posts, but I guess it's pretty cool that people feel so passionate about the show.
Keep up the good work.
Again, I don't think Jack's deduction was a dumb one. Keep in mind that the beach group knows nothing about Keamy or what happened at the Barracks. They have heard Daniel say they were not there to rescue them but the Freighter people they have been in contact with were harmless for the most part. What is he supposed to think when given a way to track the helicopter.
Now, I do think his deduction was overly quick, but then a debate about what the phone meant would have slowed the episode down too much.
Meanwhile, Frank is trying to prevent Keamy from torching the island. How does telling everyone to stay away from the helicopter accomplish that? The logical conclusion is that he's looking for people who will *stop* Keamy.
We'll have to wait and see how this all turns out of course. Jack's plans often end badly, but not always, and he's certainly not the only one to exhibit bad judgement at times.
Now we know why Whidmore can't find the island in the future, because Locke moves it!!
Excellent recap, Fish. Loved the name analysis and just your general pattern of finding these little itsy-bitsy parallels and bringing them out.
Don't mind Jack bashing a bit. The character is quite entertaining and just begs to be mocked. And after all, a review is a subjective perception of a person and a person is entitled to their opinion. Keep up excellent job and don't mind the haters. At least your reviews manage to leave no one neutral. Which means you're a success.
Awesome as usual Fish, I loved the idea that most of the Losties were 'raised by another'. Five stars out of five.
Isn't it rather funny how the same group of people come here every week to bash this reviewer and usually more than once/twice in the comment section while complaining about her bashing Jack/MF. Get over yourselves and accept the fact that not everyone is a fan of that character or the actor who plays him. Not everyone has to be, there is no rules stating you must love Jack or Foxy in order to be a fan of Lost or write a review. Read some of the reviews done by the professionals and the words they use to describe Jack and MF and you will find the Fish's comments are pretty tame by comparison.
Here's a few examples:
Jack's rotundness that was popping out of that towel he was wearing. It looked like homie made a beeline to Dunkin' Donuts as soon as he got off the island.
Jack crying to Kate that he knows she is lying to him, Jack being Jack.
Jack always seems to have this smug, cocky, inflated sense of grandiosity.
Because there’s nothing more sympathetic than a sick hero.
Matthew Fox continues make to Jack one of the most prickly, genuinely pig-headed heroes on TV.
Jack is obsessed with fixing things, but all he ever does is mess them up.
So I wasn't too far off last week when I speculated that The Mad Doctor might try to perform surgery on himself.
I'll be honest. I briefly (pun intended) entertained the idea that after all of the island trauma, Jack returns to the mainland and becomes a cross-dresser.
It seems from this that Jack might be aware that he's Aaron's biological uncle, but my guess is that he's just being an asshole. Much like my new "Everything at face value" policy in regards to the show in general, I'm starting a new "Jack's just being an asshole" policy this week. I simply can't believe that he actually knows anything.
These are usually considered "filler" episodes, but on "Lost" I like to call them Jack episodes.
I'll also give Matthew Fox this: he plays Jack's mania well, even if I'm tired with the ways the character tends to channel his craziness.
And why do they grind to a halt? Well, because it’s time for a Jack episode, and Jack’s only relevance to the plot at this point is in being an irritating, gurning fool torn between two inexplicably attractive women who somehow want to get horizontal with him. Never before has a TV show has such a bizarrely repellent lead as Jack from Lost.
I don‘t know about you, but over the last couple of seasons, I've personally started to dislike Jack. He's arrogant, thinks he knows everything (when he clearly doesn't), is a control freak, and yeah, I'll say it… He's a bit of a prick.
I no longer like or to a fuller extent really enjoy Jack as a character on this show. He's basically his own worse enemy with the choices that he's made, and he has his head so far up his own personal you know what that I wouldn't trust him to rescue indigenous sand crabs from the impending high tide. Okay, perhaps I'm overstating a bit, but you get my point.
I think a lot of this personal animosity I have towards the character is that he's been force-fed down our throats too many times at the expense of more interesting characters such as Sayid and Rousseau.
Jack is offended at the idea that he could only be happy if he were dead. No, that's me -- I can only be happy if Jack is dead.
So those of you who feel you have to come here every week and blast away at FB's reviews have your work cut out for you don't you? Because there are many other places where you can find a deeper, nastier level of Jack bashing then you are whining about here, week after week after week.
b, what a negative comment, I'd love to see your recap. I love Fish's style, keep it up.
The book of laws is from Aleister Crowley and one of the most evil books ever written - NOT the Bible that Eko used in a prior episode.
Your statement that Jesus is mythological was highly offensive and wrong as well.
almost there! keep the comments coming!
yay personal offense about fiction!
Sarah: Some people just LOVE to argue... personally I can't understand it. Crrrazzzzy :D
LOL oh Crikey, i'm sure!
Seriously, why is it that so many people lose it over 1 anti-Jack sentence in a review? Jack has become the biggest joke when it comes to TV reviews in general. He practically gets mocked everywhere. If you want to blame someone, blame the producers for writing him as such a mockable character in the first place. And nothing against Matt Fox, but some of the faces he makes when he tries to emote are downright hilarious. They don't call him/his character crapzilla for nothing.
Crystal: It seems a little dig at Jack is apparently like insulting the Pope around here.
So true! Apparently he can do no wrong.
I agree with what someone said way back in the comments. I find almost all of the reviews entertaining; each for different reasons. I like Fish's for two reasons: 1) the format has me read one line, check the screencap, then think about the scene and decide my own input and 2) before I begin reading, I always try to figure out where the Sawyer worship and Jack bashing is going to be incorporated.
@Darkstream: Crowley's book is the "Book OF the Law," not the "Book of Laws." Locke may be evil, but your citation is incorrect and not admissible as evidence!
Nice recap, very humorous.
Ps. "Our culture can be hard on boys." Sadly thats true.
What I don't get is why some of these people are bashing fishbiscuit in the first place. If you know already that you don't like her reviews, why even bother to continue reading them? If it causes you that much distress that she dislikes your favorite character? If you are this upset every week you read fishbiscuit's reviews, just STOP reading them already..because frankly, the people who are coming on here and posting such dense comments are beginning to get annoying.
I like Jack myself...not the biggest fan, but I like him. I'm not angered by fishbiscuit's remarks towards him at all. It's her opinion and I respect her opinion. I respect anyone's opinion until they begin to sound childish and make hypocritical remarks, or attempt to start trouble...which some of you really are doing. Now, if she was bashing Jack ALL THE WAY THOUGH IT, well, that's a different story. But she isn't!
I really enjoyed this one. Loved the reminder of Eko talking to Locke about the Book of Law, the references you made...all great! Thank you!! Keep up the wonderful work!
yay over 100!
Some good thoughts from Fishy this time. I've skipped her last several recaps after consistently pointing out her penchant to go out of her way to broaden her dislike for Jack Shephard on LOST to an indictment of the frailties of the male sex as a whole.
Seems she's cleared that problem up, so congratz, FB. The Big Jack Attacks are actually pretty funny in that FB is so relentless about what a fraud she thinks he is.
And even the most diehard Jack fans have to agree that the show is not painting him in the divine lighting pattern of Season One any longer. The guy is as deeply flawed as any and maybe completely out of his mind. I mean, last week he wanted to stay awake during surgery to see what Juliet, a woman he kissed a few days before, was doing poking around on his insides. It's so crazy it's laughable.
Jack needs Santa Rosa more than Hurley.
Great recap Fish!. Don't let some people comments to get you.
Awesome review, Fish. And one of the most difficult ones due to all the symbolisms that appear in this episode.
We had very good surprises, Christian, Claire so difficult how to interpret what they're doing now.
Locke and Benry so different but at the same time so equal. Benry seems to have accepted that Locke is now the ONE receiving orders from Jacob and his time has come to an end. Benry seems to have a new plan, chasing Widmore and killing Penny.
Amazing job as always, Fish!
Great review! I hope Claire isn't dead, she has to raise Aaron! But maybe the Island wants him to be raised by another so he can become the leader in the future... maybe Malkin was trying to prevent the Island from getting him in some backward way by making sure that Aaron stayed with Claire.. or something.
Excellent review. I truly don't understand the bruhaha over the 'Jack hate'. It's just one person's opinion, and if you're going to get worked up over it rather than have a little laugh and enjoy the rest of the review, then that's really too bad. Find some dry reviews to read.
@sarakat2002: I truly don't understand the bruhaha over the 'Jack hate'.
It degrades the rest of her review, which is unique and fun to read. As a non-shipper, I enjoy the content of her reviews, but so much of the fun is stolen by the way she devolves into shipper behavior when it comes to Sawyer and Jack.
FWIW, I like both Sawyer and Jack. I don't like Locke, and I realize that's a personal preference. Yet I liked this review, despite the positive spin on Locke. I like Juliet, read tons of negative stuff about her, yet never complain. So go figure, huh?
I'd sincerely like to see her do her reviews (with the same style and wit!) for a general audience. Just tone down the shipper stuff.
For non-shipper folks, this stuff gets pretty old really fast.
I can just picture Fish Biscuit writing her recap. As she sits at her computer, re-reading what she's typed up so far. It's good, but something's missing...what is it...oh, yeah..."Dr. Dumbo!' A mischievous little grin appears on her face as she clicks "send".
Wonderful review! I love the format. Brings back memories of things in the ep I had forgotten about or adds to what I didn't know before. I do like Matthew Fox, though I'm not a big Jack fan. Jack-fans have taken over other places to the detriment of other characters (like the Locke thread at TWoP) so I guess turnaround is fair play.
Love, love, love LOCKE!
I don't read Fish's reviews. They are boring to me.
But I like to come to read the comments to her recaps)))
And they are all about Jack, even when Jack was hardly there.
It's interesting. And very telling. Jack is a hero of this show, and always will be.
Thank you, Fish, for making it so obvious.
Well done Fish for another excellent recap! Your points about heroes again are very interesting. Locke indeed seems to be on something of a traditional hero's journey. Who would have thought it at the start of the show, huh? He seems a very unlikely candidate at first sight!
I hope you don't let the naysayers here get you down, I've no idea why so much is made of your dislike for Jack. If you disliked Ben or Jin or someone would you be getting the same responses, I wonder? The mind boggles.
lena, you should read the reviews. They're not all about Jack. There is a small group of commenters here who are obsessed with Jack and become unhinged at the idea that everyone doesn't agree with them. I'm sure most of the bashers here don't read the reviews either, so you're in good company.
Speaking as a non shipper myself, I find nothing to turn me off about these reviews, the mrs., but then I've found the Jack fans to be even more obsessive and extreme than any shipper group. They don't seem to have moved beyond the static definitions of season one, even as the show has become almost entirely a different kettle of fish than it started out as.
Wow! Sarcasm aside, it's awesome how a tv show and it's characters' attitude and actions can lead to this kind of heated discussions. Seriously, it's a phenomenon! I think Lost is one of the greatest shows ever made, if not the greatest. Just wonder if they ever thought it was going to be so huge...
Hey nickad, having pictures speak for you is simply lazy. All of those pictures disguise the fact that there is not one original thought in Fish Biscuit's column. Fish Biscuit's column is neither a review nor a recap. It's barely coherent, and after reading it you have absolutely no idea where she was going with her ideas (hint: nowhere). If the only thing that distinguishes her review from the others is the ridiculous amount of pictures, then that is just sad.
Fish often has insights that no one else comes up with. Fish is a structuralist. The pictures are juxtaposed and captioned in ways that I find really thought provoking. She uses pictures economically. It's that whole 1000 words thing, and the way she does it is quite original, in my opinion.*
Thanks for another great review, Fish. I always enjoy them, although I too am starting to feel the pain of the Jack fans. Yikes!
*I know, I'm just BEGGING to get called an elitist! I'm fairly SHAKING in anticipation!
A REAL RECAP
by Fish Biscuit
[Pic]
Two lines of text
[Pic]
Two lines of text
[Pic of Jack cross-eyed and sticking his tongue out]
Two lines of text calling Jack names
[Pic of Sawyer with shirt off/hair waving in the wind]
Two lines extolling His virtues
*NOTE: This formula is religiously adhered to, regardless of the relative screentime alloted Jack/Sawyer
@losttvfan could you direct me to links of articles where these jack lines come from?
Surly said, "*I know, I'm just BEGGING to get called an elitist! I'm fairly SHAKING in anticipation!"
I'm with you, I also just cannot wait for the Fish Biscuit line of popup books.
brilliant as usual
Blandestk: Here ya go:
The island makes Jack sick when it has made everyone else well? Maybe it doesn't like Jack any more than we do ...
http://www.film.com/tv/story/did-anything-actually-happen-lost/13982602/20664985
Jack's rotundness that was popping out of that towel he was wearing. It looked like homie made a beeline to Dunkin' Donuts as soon as he got off the island.
Jack crying to Kate that he knows she is lying to him, Jack being Jack.
http://trent.blogspot.com/2008/05/lost-home-is-where-heartache-is.html
Jack always seems to have this smug, cocky, inflated sense of grandiosity.
http://buzzsugar.com/1597147
Because there’s nothing more sympathetic than a sick hero.
http://www.fanwanker.com/?p=13
Matthew Fox continues make to Jack one of the most prickly, genuinely pig-headed heroes on TV.
http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/tvtracker/archives/022862.html
Jack is obsessed with fixing things, but all he ever does is mess them up.
http://nikkistafford.blogspot.com/2008/05/lost-4.html
So I wasn't too far off last week when I speculated that The Mad Doctor might try to perform surgery on himself.
http://darkufo.blogspot.com/2008/05/s4ep10-something-nice-back-home-by.html
I'll be honest. I briefly (pun intended) entertained the idea that after all of the island trauma, Jack returns to the mainland and becomes a cross-dresser.
It seems from this that Jack might be aware that he's Aaron's biological uncle, but my guess is that he's just being an asshole. Much like my new "Everything at face value" policy in regards to the show in general, I'm starting a new "Jack's just being an asshole" policy this week. I simply can't believe that he actually knows anything.
http://www.tvgasm.com/shows/lost/patients-make-t-6917.php
These are usually considered "filler" episodes, but on "Lost" I like to call them Jack episodes.
http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/05/05/jack_battles_appendicitis_other_demons_o
I'll also give Matthew Fox this: he plays Jack's mania well, even if I'm tired with the ways the character tends to channel his craziness.
http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2008/05/lost_something_nice_back_home.html
And why do they grind to a halt? Well, because it’s time for a Jack episode, and Jacket’s only relevance to the plot at this point is in being an irritating, gurning fool torn between two inexplicably attractive women who somehow want to get horizontal with him. Never before has a TV show has such a bizarrely repellent lead as Jack from Lost.
http://www.denofgeek.com/television/50657/lost_season_4_episode_10_review.html
I don’t know about you, but over the last couple of seasons, I've personally started to dislike Jack. He's arrogant, thinks he knows everything (when he clearly doesn't), is a control freak, and yeah, I'll say it, He's a bit of a prick.
I no longer like or to a fuller extent really enjoy Jack as a character on this show. He's basically his own worse enemy with the choices that he's made, and he has his head so far up his own personal you know what that I wouldn't trust him to rescue indigenous sand crabs from the impending high tide. Okay, perhaps I'm overstating a bit, but you get my point.
I think a lot of this personal animosity I have towards the character is that he's been force-fed down our throats too many times at the expense of more interesting characters such as Sayid and Rousseau.
http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/74921/Get-LOST:-Something-Nice-Back-Home-.htm
Jack is offended at the idea that he could only be happy if he were dead. No, that's me -- I can only be happy if Jack is dead.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/lost/something_nice_back_home.php
From J. Woods’ review posted on this site:
Jack is "a man twisted inside-out who's still losing to Sawyer despite having won his freedom."
From Luhks’ review, also posted here:
The flash forward scenes draw a further comparison between young James and young Aaron; not only do the two young boys look alike, but Aaron even walks into a domestic scene that probably resembles life at the Ford household.
Not surprisingly, that one element revolves around a commitment she made to Sawyer. She barely even needs to mention his name, and at first she just refers to 'Him'. Jack’s response is way out-of-line, but his jealousy is not unfounded.
You may find this one interesting as well:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/celebritology/2008/05/lost_dueling_analysis_somethin.html?hpid=entnews
losttvfan - thanx, i was gonna ask for the links too, but as blandestk asked i figured i wouldnt need to. i am definately gonna read these when i get the time, they sound great! :) :) :) :)
"which Eko would one day use as a teaching story and which was revealed as a vessel of discovery for more of the Island's secrets..."
Erika pointed this out, but it's actually NOT the same book at all. And the one with the tape in it is a Bible.
http://forum.lostpedia.com/showthread.php?t=14229
Good Jack!face screencap.
And you got in two of Keamy...so...bonus...
Still really wish you were over this Jack-hate already though. Or at least gave him some sort of benefit of the doubt. I still maintain that these would be better appreciated by your legion of fans at your own Blog. But, I guess there's still one blogger here giving Sawyer attention when he hasn't had a centric since 2006. So, you know...that's nice. Unrepresentative, but nice. It would have been cool if you'd compared Jack and Locke's hero story. That would've been your goldmine, right?
Gah, I don't actually read yours unless I've heard five people complain about it. That's weird, right? Ah well.
Ha! Another Fish review was turned into the battlegrounds of a Ship/Character war.
That's depressingly predictable.
Sorry. /end snide comment. It just comes out of me like this.
Blandestk said: "@leonie, please don't give me an obtuse speech about all organs mattering, i realize that each scene in a show such as Lost matters. but give me a break, we all know the hate would be here no matter how much jack were in the episode.
further, the garbage about screencaps of Jack is just that: trash.
even further, the line about aaron being where he's supposed to be does not at all concretely mean he should be with sawyer. I could come up with a dozen other possibilities."
Did you try to obtain a screenshot of Jack in this episode? What I said isn't garbage, maybe you just don't want to believe it, but please don't make it sound as if I'm making something up.
Regarding Aaron being where he's supposed to be - it could indeed mean more than one thing, but right at that moment in time, we know exactly where he is, in Sawyer's arms on his return to the beach and the life he is destined to be in next.
As for the hate for Jack here, I can't say I blame anyone for showing it and it seems a lot do (see LostTvFan's quotes). For a hero, he's the most detestable I have ever seen. Give me all the other heroes on this show any day before Jack.
Finally, please don't tell me what I shouldn't do blandestk! I'm as free to state my opinion here as you are. When you commented that this was a Locke centric episode and yet you complained the Fish mentioned other characters related to it who were barely in the ep or not at all (and actually Fishbiscuit only just about mentioned them too), then I took it to mean you that you see each episode as a stand alone when it comes to reviews.
Fishbiscuit, I have re-read your recap and I love it even more second time around. You really included so much in this one... the heroes with no real fathers, dreams and their meanings, the spectral messengers appearing to Locke, Jacob and the mythical/biblical/spectral meanings for him, and the Island with its control over its inhabitants, including what its present Chosen One Locke has to do for it next. I really love that you covered so many of those finer points here.