Podcast Reactions

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akritas
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Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 1:12 pm

Podcast Reactions

Post by akritas »

Thanks to both Claude and Justin; I really enjoyed this one. While I agree more with Claude's dissatisfaction with the episode, like Justin I didn't really want to see an "Architect" scene. To me, the lack of Answers in this episode wasn't the problem.

Ultimately, it boils down to individual taste and what one finds compelling. I personally found much of the dialogue eyeroll-inducing and have expressed elsewhere my amusement with the golden cave and the light that's inside all of us. Regardless, I understand and respect that many enjoyed this tack and when the writers come up with Answers that are impossible to guess (Adam & Eve).

I really enjoyed hearing both J&C consider the merits of each scene. The successful navigation of a via media was a welcome break from the "fanboy" vs. "hater" arguments that have dominated the past week.

What a strange feeling to be here at the end, when the theorizing gets shorter and shorter and the endings of the LLD more and more melancholy! Any favorite moments from the podcast?

Justin
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Re: Podcast Reactions

Post by Justin »

Thank you for saying "via media", very apropos.

Upon reflection, and watching the scene a few more times, the light cave is a bit silly. I honestly wish Mother had said less about it. I really liked Tim Roth's line in Pulp Fiction "Is that what I think it is? It's beautiful." They almost did that, but Mother had to take it a step further.

I stand by my enjoyment of the episode as a whole, particularly the family drama and the relationship of the brothers. It is interesting to me that this giant story we've been watching is largely influenced by the personalities and histories of two individuals.

In the end, though, it is a matter of taste. I mentioned the Twin Peaks/Star Trek dichotomy, but I don't think I made clear that although I enjoy both series, I fall more on the Twin Peaks side of things. I prefer having room to imagine, and to be given hints that excite my imagination, rather than to be limited and simply told explicitly what I am watching. I am aware that many people do not share this view and I don't think there is anything inherently superior about it.

Claude
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Re: Podcast Reactions

Post by Claude »

Thanks for the compliements, akritas. I think it's interesting when Justin and I disagree, because that usually means there's at least 2 compelling arguments on the table. It's a welcomed break from hearing "you're right" all the time. I kid!

I like the Star Trek/ Twin Peaks analogy. I think that may represent Justin and I very well. Because I am more on the ST side. I like the mystery of exploration, but I want to find things, get answers to questions at the end of the day. Which might explain why I'm more into scifi than Justin.

Sorry about the melancholy. I'm sure we're only reflecting what we're all feeling (except for maybe 1 or 2 out there). I just hope we're not causing people to short out their keyboards from crying while doing spreadsheets*. I thing the end is going to be intense and dramatic (which sounds like the most obvious statement now that I said it), and I won't be surprised if I'm fighting back the tears at some point on the finale cast.


*can we start calling this activity "excelling." Makes doing spreadsheets sound cool.

aurorawest
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Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:28 pm

Re: Podcast Reactions

Post by aurorawest »

I thought the Star Trek/Twin Peaks comparison was very apt, and I think I'm squarely on the ST side (though part of that could be my unflagging loyalty to DS9). One thing that I particularly thought DS9 did well was that even though it 'explained' the Prophets (and used them to bookend the series), there was still something very mystical about them. I'm still hopeful that Lost will do the same thing with the 'light inside all of us'/electromagnetism.

I am definitely going to call doing spreadsheets 'excelling' from here on out.

akritas
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Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 1:12 pm

Re: Podcast Reactions

Post by akritas »

Thanks for your thoughts! It has been fun thinking about the now notorious episode that Divides Us All after your discussion. I think I come down on the "Twin Peaks" side of things. I'd like to have the last critical piece of the puzzle missing, leaving it open to interpretation. I like your "explaining without demystifying", aurorawest. If anything, I thought they demystified without explaining in ATS. This feeling is probably due to the fact that I always liked the Island as a character itself, which is what they seemed to be going for (with Jacob almost as a classical personification) until this season. With the relationship between the light and Mother/Jacob/Jack now defined, I don't see the Island as much as a character anymore. But who knows, until they wrap things up, we don't really know what we're looking at. Regardless of how it ends, it has been truly great entertainment.

(On a side note regarding WTDF, am I the only one that was disappointed that the Source did not turn out to be where the Temple was ultimately built? I thought that would have tied in nicely with where we spent so much time at the beginning of this season. Again, we'll see in 2.5 hours.)

And I did enjoy the melancholy. We're all adjusting to the imminent post-LOST era and it is appropriate considering all the hours you guys have put into podcasting. To me, it's a compliment to the show that it has produced such great things to listen to as a by-product. Looking forward to the next one—stiff upper lip!

TheRadioTower
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Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:57 am

Re: Podcast Reactions

Post by TheRadioTower »

I don't know where precisely I'm on the Twin Peaks-Star Trek scale. When I started watching Season 1 I was definitely firmly on the ST side however as the series has gone on I have shifted significantly towards the Twin Peaks side. As the series has gone on I've become more invested in the journey or our characters rather than the specific mythology bits. It's sort of the same as my relationship with the Harry Potter series, some of the answers they gave in the final book would probably be disappointing if looked at in isolation, but in context I didn't care how mundane Snape's motivation was as that chapter where everything about him is explained is completely gripping, I didn't care how disappointing the way voldemert gets defeated was as the the story around which it was built was so emotional. Had someone told me earlier that the answer to LOST would be a magic golden cave that is the source of all "life death and rebirth" I would have been disappointed. But in context it just works for me as I loved the Jacob-MiB-Mother fable around which the reveals were constructed. I would have been very disappointed had the concept of the light not been introduced. I need to know if there is a force that is behind the island. But I'm fine not learning exactly how it works or precisely what it is. Part of the reason it works for me is that I'm kinda getting an answer but at the same time the answer is so abstract that it somehow maintains its mystique. I guess to me I'm having my cake and eating it too. So I think I'm somewhere in the middle of ST and Twin peaks.

As for the melancholy, the idea something that has been part of your life for years would suddenly end in one moment end is very depressing. LOST has been a part of our life for so many years that the idea that on Sunday 11:30 pm there will be no more new LOST is sad (esp for LLD listeners as anyone who spends 4-7hrs a week listening to a podcast about this show is probably more invested in it than the average viewer/fan).

aurorawest
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Re: Podcast Reactions

Post by aurorawest »

TheRadioTower wrote:It's sort of the same as my relationship with the Harry Potter series, some of the answers they gave in the final book would probably be disappointing if looked at in isolation, but in context I didn't care how mundane Snape's motivation was as that chapter where everything about him is explained is completely gripping, I didn't care how disappointing the way voldemert gets defeated was as the the story around which it was built was so emotional.
It's interesting that you bring up a comparison to Harry Potter. Not trying to be down on Lost here, but in my head I've been thinking how HP is an example of a sprawling story that tied up all its loose ends quite well. The specific points you mention, particularly Snape's motivations, I thought were set up well in advance, and so when the Snape chapter in DH finally came round it was a very satisfying feeling of having followed the clues to the right answer. And I guess that's really where my disappointment with Lost is coming from at the minute -- I couldn't follow the clues to work out the right answer, because the clues haven't been there. That's not quite true, of course, some of them have been. When Mother said the light was 'life, death, and rebirth," that was something that's been set up for a long time. Maybe the problem is that we already know that, and it's very vague, so to present it in the guise of an answer is a little frustrating to some viewers? I dunno, just kind of musing and rambling on here.

The worst part about Lost ending is that it's by far the best fan community I've ever been part of. It sounds kind of cheesy but I really owe a lot to it. It's terribly sad to think of everyone going their own separate ways after Sunday.

Perry
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Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Podcast Reactions

Post by Perry »

I'm with Justin. Rather leave things as mysteries, well at least some things. I think that's one of the reasons the series will have huge rewatch value, even though I'm sure I've seen most episodes for than 5 or 6 times already, well at least the early ones after rewatched between seasons.

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