Lost Redux: Choice? What Choice? Isn't This Show About Destiny?

Tue., May. 18, 2010 9:11 PM PDT by Kristin Dos Santos

John Locke has it right. It is hard to let go!

Episodes like tonight's Lost remind us just how much we're going to miss this crazy-awesome series when it ends this Sunday.

Click in only if you've seen tonight's episode, cause there is much to discuss, including the reveal of which co-star punched Michael Emerson in real life...

Henry Ian Cusick, aka Desmond. Apparently one of those punches in the crazy-good parking lot scene (I die!) accidentally made contact, and Michael Emerson got quite the shiner in real life a few weeks back. That black eye was pretty obvious in subsequent island scenes in this episode, which begs the question: Lack of sufficient spackle/concealer or an intentional nod to injuries bleeding between the two worlds, which could also be the case with Jack's recurrent bleeding neck? Hmm…

Jack Is the New Jacob! After raising his hand at Jacob's self-burning (weird!) campfire and volunteering to protect the island, Jack drank the cup, absorbed the knowledge and became "like" Jacob. So now Jack will go on forever as the island protector, right? And that's the end of that? Maybe…I have to say, full disclosure, I do not know the answer (I am keeping myself mostly spoiler free for the finale), but I have doubts about Jack "sticking" as the island guard for a few reasons (see if you agree):

From the very beginning of Lost, we've been told that this series is all about destiny. Not choice.
It seemed that the island chose the past protectors, not the other way around. (Cue Allison Janney's words last week to Jacob: "I see now that it was always you.")
Jacob noted hesitation in Jack's voice when he volunteered, asking "Is that a question?"
Jacob told Jack he would protect the island "as long as you can"—which isn't even a legally binding marriage vow as far as I know.
This is really out there but must be said: Desmond sure has had that look of the protector/Jacob lately: glossy-eyed, blissed-out, calm and plain and brutally honest and knowing exactly what to do. What is up with that?
Ben Is the MIB's Puppet; Widmore Was Jacob's: As Ben and Charles Widmore's long-running rivalry comes to a tragic end tonight—Linus shot him! To try and hurt Penny! You bastard!—we are left wondering what the big Ben v. Widmore pissing match was about all these years. My theory? All along, Ben thought he was talking to Jacob, but it was the MIB wrongfully portraying Jacob. (Ben said tonight: "I was told I could summon the monster. That was before I realized it summoned me.") And Widmore, it seems, was actually talking to the real Jacob. (Tonight he told Ben, "Jacob brought me to the island.".) Both were led to believe they were special. And chosen by Jacob. But perhaps neither were.

Ben Is Reentering the Dark Side: Volunteering to kill whomever MIB wants, ratting out Widmore, shooting Widmore dead… A few days ago, I asked Michael Emerson if Ben would end the series redeemed, and he reiterated that Ben is "preredeemed" by the island, perhaps hinting to the MIB's ruse all these years. And of course, off the island, in the Sideways world, Benjamin is a big old softie, tearing up at Alex's need for a father figure after enjoying a good homecooked meal from Rousseau. (Darlton, I know you already shot and edited the finale, but any chance Ben could end up in the Sideways world, shacking up with Rousseau?)

Kate Was/Is a Candidate: We found out tonight that Jacob crossed her off the list because she's a mother now. Does this mean she's meant to raise Aaron? And does this mean the Kwon that remained on the list was Jin?


ABC/Mario Perez
Terry O'Quinn Needs an Emmy: To be able to flip back and forth so seamlessly from the ruthless Man in Black slitting Zoe's throat to a meek, sweet and guilt-ridden Locke trying to let go in Jack's office? Ay, so good. Any other actor would make this character whiplash laughable, but T.O.Q. rocks every moment of it. Epic awesome.

WHAT LIES AHEAD

The end.

Ugh.

Ugh.

Ugh.

I don't even want to give any spoilers tonight because you have so little time before you get all the answers you are going to get. Less than a week. Five days and counting.

Please remember to come back to this very section next Sunday night (very late) or early Monday morning for the last-ever Lost Redux, and exclusive video from my Lost party in Los Angeles, where I'll attempt to tackle any lingering questions. (Key word: attempt.)

My one hope? That after the series finale airs this Sunday, our faces all look like Jack's did tonight right after he drank the cup. "Aha! This is what it's all about."

But the reality is Damon and Carlton have told us many times now that there will be unanswered questions, and the finale focuses more on the characters and what matters to them.

And given that the real explanation of the island is transmitted not by words but by the drinking of a cup we can't get our grubby little non-candidate hands on, we should be prepared this Sunday to just…go along for one hell of a final ride. And savor every last minute with these characters who've given us some of the best TV of all time.

You can't tell I'm getting sentimental or anything, can you? Naaahhhh….

We're still selecting the final candidates (see what I did there) for my Lost party, so if you still want to attend, email me at tvdiva@eonline.com, or tweet me at @kristindsantos.
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E! Kristin: Live from ABC Upfront: Matthew Fox Talks End of Lost!

Today 3:26 PM PDT by Kristin Dos Santos

What will life after Lost be like for the Alphabet network? Matthew Fox is here at Lincoln Center in NYC to tell us (and make Lost fans cry)...

Matthew Fox just took the stage to tell advertisers and reporters that "every story must have an end" and showed us a tearjerkingly good video of the Lost stars saying goodbye and expressing how much the show meant to them.

Matthew Fox: "I couldn't have imagined it ending in such a beautiful way."

Evangeline Lilly: "I came here as one person. I leave as another. I will be eternally grateful." Evi also said the finale will end with the "six people who took you on this journey." Hmmm...

Daniel Dae Kim: "I can't imagine anyone having a conversation about 21st-century television and not mentioning Lost." True dat.

Matthew then intro'd two new dramas that are supposed to help fill the Lost void: My Generation (pre-Grey's time slot this fall; looks really good!) and No Ordinary Family. Now, I want to love NOF—it's got Julie Benz and Michael Chiklis and even Greg Berlanti (Brothers & Sisters, Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money) at the helm. My only gripe? It's about a group of people who discover they have powers after a mysterious plane crash...why does all that sound a little familiar? Have Heroes and Lost had a secret love child? We told them to use protection!

Jimmy Kimmel also showed up and killed, delivering the best line I've heard to date about Lost: "Watching Lost is what I imagine it's like being trapped inside the brain of Paula Abdul."

And on Fox putting Glee after Super Bowl: "Apparently they're trying to set a world record for most drunk 43-year-old guys going, 'What the f--k is this?'"

The Modern Family cast also just popped in to intro a few new comedies. The only one worth getting excited about looks to be Mr. Sunshine with Matthew Perry, Allison Janney and Andrea Anders (of Better Off Ted. RIP).

I spotted Perry in the audience blending in with the sea of suits. He never took the stage. Bummer.

Shonda Rhimes' Off the Map looks pretty fantastic. Think Lost + Grey's (doctors in a tropical locale) with Wonderfalls' Caroline Dhavernas. Yes, please! Too bad we have to wait until midseason. Ditto that with Perry's show.

No chance for interviews at ABC and there was no reception (and thus no wine), so that's a wrap on the Alphabet net, folks! We'll put up new show clips when we get 'em.
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b181657_live_from_abc_upfront_matthew_fox_talks.html

Kristen on Lost Deaths

Janet in R.I.: Anything new to report on Harold Perrineau’s death on Lost? I was so sad to see him go!

You and me both, babe. But the good news is that Harold is set to star in a dramedey on ABC (he was cast in the pilot The Unusuals), which is music to my ears. If you’ve seen much of H.P. in real life, you know he is (a) hilarious, (b) funny and (a) did I mention the funny? And of course, he can act his ass off. Personally, I never felt like poor, unlikable Mikey-poo did him much justice, so a fresh start where he can flaunt his comedy chops sounds good all around to me. Just my opinion! If you disagree, let mama have it in the comments below...

Mena in Los Angeles: Please, spill the beans! Is there a chance that my darling Jin survived the freighter explosion on Lost?

Jin is gonna be fine. I don't know exactly how, but he's going to be fine. I suspect that the difference between Michael's and Jin's survival is that Michael was trapped inside the hold, whereas Jin being up on the edge of the deck meant he had a chance to be blown clear of the ship. Besides, the guy magically survived the crash of a 747 and the wreck of the raft. No reason he shouldn't survive this shipwreck—I choose to believe the Island clearly joins us all in loving him and wanting to keep him around.

Cristina L. in Miami: About the person leaving Lost next season but returning the for season six...

You said it's a girl from the first season, so is Rose included, or do you just mean Kate, Sun and Claire.Rose would have been included, but as revealed in the Redux's "What's to Come" section, Emilie de Ravin will be on a holding contract with Lost for season five and returning in season six. But don't worry, you can get your Emilie fix elsewhere in the coming year: She's got a part in the Johnny Depp flick Public Enemies, she's in the period baseball picture The Perfect Game with Clifton Collins Jr. and last but not least, she'll be costarring in Ball Don't Lie with Nick Cannon and Ludacris. Even without Lost, she's going to be a busy cookie!Marc in Brooklyn, N.Y.:

When Ben was in the funeral parlor in the finale, was that live, real, off-island Ben or dead, spirit-vision Ben?

I had to read the comments of the Redux to figure this out (thank you Nick!), but I think that was the real Ben, because...When he moved the Island, he was teleported (or whatever) to the Tunisian desert, where we find him at the beginning of the circa 2005 flash-forward in "Shape of Things to Come." When we first see him in that scene, he has a wound that matches the cut on his arm at the end of "No Place Like Home." Crazy, right? So, to me, it does seem like he's been genuinely exiled from the Island, and since he leapt forward to 2005 he has been living and working only in the "real world."

Source: E! Online

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