A Case of the…. Lost

Shows

Fellow IPPTP (that’s InsidePulse Prime Time Pulse, for those not in the know) writer Mathan recently posted a column about his annoyances at how the tail end survivors were basically just fodder for the plot lines of the main cast. Truth be told, he does have a point. In fact, the first thing I said following Eko’s death was “good thing those Tailies were written into the show.”

But by that same token, I think it’s unfair to say “they killed off characters who have only been on the show for a season.” Afterall, the show is only a few episodes into its third season, so it’s not as if the show has been on for 10 years and a character who has only been on for a year is inconsequential. Boone’s death was impactful and resonated with a lot of viewers (in fact, a friend of mine who just started watching the first season cried for a solid half hour over his death), yet he was on for a shorter amount of time than Ana Lucia, Libby, and Eko. Shannon was on for about as long as Eko, and I daresay her character had much less impact than any of the Tailies did.

Did Ana Lucia, Libby, and Eko change the entire face of the show? No, of course not. But in fairness, I do believe that their characters (at least Ana Lucia and Eko) played a more dynamic role than, say, most of the main cast minus Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and Locke. You can ask “how did Eko’s character add to the mythology of the show?” By that same token, how did Sayid’s? Or Charlie’s? Or Claire’s? Or even Kate, Sawyer, and Jack? My point is, as stand alone characters, most of the cast is “expendable” in their own way.

Nevertheless, I think some people are being a bit harsh towards the Tailies. Last season devoted a lot of time towards showing the vieweres that these characters were connected in some way before they were stranded on the island. Jack’s ex-wife was in the car crash that killed Shannon’s father. Kate’s mother served Sawyer at a diner. Kate’s father met Sayid in Iraq. Libby and Jack both met Desmond.

With that in mind, I think the Tailies did play an important role. Eko’s brother was the Nigerian plane that had crashed on the island. Through him, we found out Claire’s psychic was a fraud, which completely alters her particular story arc. Ana Lucia had previous interactions with Jack’s father, and through that flashback, we discovered the possibility that Jack and Claire may be related. The connection between Libby and Hurley seems incomplete, and I venture to guess we will discover more about her and Desmond.

Were the writers playing it “safe” when they killed off Eko instead of, say, Locke or Jack? Yes, of course. However, I still believe that killing him off was gutsier than, say, Claire.

Some other thoughts on the episode…

I found it interesting that, when approached by the monster, Locke saw a beautiful light (which, by the way, didn’t harm him), while Eko saw a dark cloud, which beat the crap out of him and killed him. Could this perhaps be a connection to the “good” and “bad” list that The Others were making? Did we ever get clarification on whether The Others were collecting the good or bad people? Because didn’t they try to take Eko?

I was very intrigued by the whole Jack/Juliet/Ben thing. Ben revealed an awful lot to Jack, didn’t he? Was he being truthful, or was it another trick? I was very intrigued by Juliet’s revelation that she wants Ben killed. And once again, she brings up “free will.” The way I see it, there are three options: She’s being truthful, she’s in cahoots with Ben, or that Ben is actually the “good” Other, and The Others that want him dead are “bad.” I’m kinda rooting for Juliet to be good, because I’ve been liking her.

Oh, and Jack cracked a pretty funny joke with the “No Ketchup?” line.

Sir Linksalot: Lost

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into various popular television shows. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.