meta on Lost 6.16

[cynthia_arrow]

I had planned on a full month of hiatus, to get my head screwed on straight about what I wanted this LJ to be (and I will definitely be posting about that soon!), but I couldn't resist some thinky meta on last night's episode. Lengthy, too

Comments

[crowgirl13]

I love your brain. A LOT. *heartseyes*

I don't have much in the way of feedback here, except to say that this is fantastic and makes a ton of sense. I'll be interested to see more on the epic/novel concept. Particularly here: Both Hurley and Desmond are, I think, characters who make Lost's hybrid of Epic and Novel storytelling and worldview possible.

[cynthia_arrow]

I'm all about Lost making sense. And it almost always does, at least from the abstract viewpoint of old school narrative theory

[diandrahollman]

I think ultimately the show proves itself to be a tug of war between the genres (between fate and free will), a real hybridization of genres rather than a fuckup.

Yes. That.

Except I've been here and writing Jack/Sawyer slash fanfic since season 1 and I seem to have made the transition just fine (?). Granted, I wasn't posting regularly and participating in fandom discussions...at least since I decided the fans on the TWoP boards were sapping my will to live. Maybe I'm weird. Maybe I've been through too many fandoms to get so invested in the direction of the show that I get worked up over the slightest perceived misstep.

Or maybe I just recognize that even the best of television is subject to the limitations of the medium. Am I pissed that Kate has been completely marginalized over the years to the point where we are constantly reminded now that she doesn't matter at all anymore? Yes. But 90% of all television shows reflect a patriarchal society so I'm not surprised. That's one of the reasons *why* we write fanfic, right?

[arabella_hope]

my head hurts.

but i love you and will now go ponder.

[cynthia_arrow]

*squishes you*

[diandrahollman]

*applauds*

First of all, it makes me feel so much less depressed to know that I'm not the only one on LJ who isn't screaming bloody murder at my television every Tuesday night and cursing the day they ever started watching Lost. Yes, it has weak moments. No, I didn't really like this episode either. But Lost is still possibly the best television show I've ever watched.

Second...my mother floated the knowledge theory too, but she's a teacher and I'm a librarian so we might be a little biased on that front. I do like the stressing that everything is not, in fact, pure black and white, good and evil. Very little in the postmodern era of books, movies and television is ever that polarized - and it shouldn't be!

Bravo! :D

[cynthia_arrow]

I think there are probably a lot of us, and we're just afraid to talk about it. I have a brain that just won't allow me to focus on the negative of things I'm interested in. There's always something positive if you're looking for it, and I'd rather enjoy my viewing experience than complain about it. And, seriously, isn't the Best Television Show Ever allowed to have a few off episodes? Sheesh

[diandrahollman]

I think there's a difference between recognizing flaws in something you love and focusing on those flaws to the point where you can't see anything good anymore. I can recognize that the Sun/Jin reunion a couple episodes back was cheesy and too short but that doesn't ruin the rest of the episode for me.

I'd rather enjoy my viewing experience than complain about it. And, seriously, isn't the Best Television Show Ever allowed to have a few off episodes? Sheesh.

*hugs you* YES!

We'll have to stick together through the finale!

Oh, god yes, definitely! I'm just so thrilled to finally find someone here who doesn't make me feel like an outcast for still actually enjoying the show! I was getting seriously depressed over not being able to enjoy my favorite show without people around me screaming about how awful it is and groaning "my god, that show is still ON? Why?". Reality is depressing enough for me lately without all the enjoyment being sucked from my main route of escapist entertainment. Gah. Thank you!

[hendercats]

I have very little brain today and honestly cannot concentrate on this long enough to read everything you have here. But I want to come back to this. I want to consider, in detail, what you've said. There were things I did not like about the ep (shit - they really should have left the Adam and Eve question to us fanficcers), but I want to sit and pick apart the concept that saving the Island must be done - at *any* cost.

One thought that has crawled up out of the soup Lost has made of my brain has to do with this S5 finale exchange between Jacob and his brother:
MIB: They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same.
JACOB: It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.

It only ends once ... because Jacob controls the game. And he's going to keep playing (bringing hapless people - who will ultimately die because of his meddling - to the Island) until the result is the one he wants? Creepy.

[cynthia_arrow]

You may not be able to concentrate because this isn't entirely coherent. ;)

but I want to sit and pick apart the concept that saving the Island must be done - at *any* cost

Yes, this! That's what the whole thing hinges on for me. Does the island really need protecting, and if so, how far could/should Jacob go to do that?

Great quote you brought up here. I'll have to think on it a bit. :)

[birch_tree]

ok, first of all let me tell you how I happy I am to find this post. A bit late, but finally, here you are: someone who didn't hate this episode!!
I just want to hug you.
Maybe I wouldn't say that I loved it, but I did enjoy and appreciated it a lot, for the same reasons you explained in one of your comments above, when you say: I have a brain that just won't allow me to focus on the negative of things I'm interested in. There's always something positive if you're looking for it, and I'd rather enjoy my viewing experience than complain about it.That's exactly how I feel. I love to enjoy my viewing experience! ^_

[cynthia_arrow]

I don't care how much we have or haven't talked. I always like hearing other people's opinions...especially if they agree with mine. ;)

I think I'm gonna do a daily post everyday between now and the finale just for people to celebrate what they like about the show. Seems like we're keeping quiet because we're in the minority, and that's just silly.

Thanks for adding your thoughts on the knowledge idea!