Lost/BSG

LOST:

So who called Ben as the person behind Kate's legal problem? My mom and I both suspected Sun at first, then I was completely thrown by the appearance of Claire's mom, but once she was cleared, I knew it had to be Ben. How else would they get Kate to go back to the island with them? And how are they gonna convince her now? (Though I loved Jack being, "No, he wouldn't" and Ben just goes, "No. You're right. It was me" with no guilt or shame. Psychotic as he is, I love the way Michael Emerson plays him!)As for Ben and his lying, manipulating ways, I'm sure he can't be trusted and that he's really only looking out for himself and/or the island's well-being, but I still think they should all go back. Regardless of Ben's motives, they have to go back and save their friends - they can't leave Juliet and Sawyer and Rose and Bernard there. (Or they could go back and finish whatever purgatory they're supposed to live - whatever happens first.)


Looks like the nosebleeds are catching up with everyone. Daniel says it has to do with how much time you've spent on the island: more = quicker dying from the time shifts. So Charlotte was supposedly born there, that explains her, and Juliet was an Other for years, that explains her, but what about Miles? I'm beginning to suspect that he too was born on the island and is the son of Dr. Chang from the Dharma Initiative videos. That would explain the opening of the season premiere with Chang feeding his child.

I don't really care about the Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle because Kate deserves neither of them, and Jack kinda reminds me of Dan Humphrey sometimes (ever so obliquely) but I really like Sawyer. He's a stupid hothead most of the time, but his heart is in the right place. So I was kinda broken for him last night, sharing emotions all over the place, and oh my goodness, the sadness on that face as he watched Kate help Claire give birth! That was beautiful...


(It has been theorized that those whispers in Seasons 1-3 that always presaged "the Others" may actually be our intrepid time travelers moving through the jungle, avoiding changing the past. Doesn't really seem likely when I think about it, but it's a nice theory.)

JIN'S ALIVE! JIN'S ALIVE! JIN'S ALIVE!!! I am so relieved. Just don't let Sun go crazy and do something she'll regret once she finds out!


Everyone else say "Rousseau!" the second you heard those castaways speaking French? What I'm really loving about this season is the way it is exploring where these historical island figures originated and how their history make have intersected with the Losties before.

Something I read on EW: Check out these photos of 1950's Other Ellie and who is presumably Eloise Hawking, Farraday's mother. Same person? Would explain Daniel's comment about Ellie looking familiar. Also of note, the TWoP recap posited this theory: Widmore and Ellie/Eloise are siblings. The way he said "Shut it, Ellie." The fact the he was Daniel's benefactor and covered his mess? Could be reaching, but I like it.



BSG:

ZARECK KILLED THE QUORUM!?!?!?! WHAT THE HELL?


I know this is a mutiny, but damn, that was a radical step. Shocked the hell out of me! Are they even gonna bother reorganizing a democratic system now? Their "disposal" does clear the way for Adama/Roslin to lead the entire fleet as they see fit, without a whole lot of checks and balances. Something tells me they'll take a little time to get the Quorum up and running again. Also, whatcha wanna bet Lee becomes the new Vice Prez...

Quick thoughts: Is Sam okay? I'm assuming yes, but we didn't see it. How awesome is Romo Lampkin? That bugger is consistently entertaining, loved his assessment of the "trial" and thank GODS he stuck around to help Kara. And a big GO TYROL!!! Everyone played an important part, but I'd say Tyrol was the hero of the hour, even if no one else knew it! I also loved his "You got me" laughing scene with Kelly. But what was up with the tear on the wall of Galactica's engine room?


After last week's excellent build-up, I felt like this episode wrapped things up a little too quickly and cleanly. I understand the time constraints, but I felt more time and planning should have been given to plotting how Adama/Tigh/Kara/Lee got so many people together so quickly, to specific motivations for some of the mutineers (they gave us a nice Narcho moment, but how about some time with Racetrack, Connor, people on the command deck, like Hoshi?), and a resolution that didn't feel so rushed. I have no problem with what actually happened in the episode, but the pacing in the second half felt off. (I'm just nitpicking, because the fact is, this two-parter was absolutely stellar!)

I am really glad that Gaeta had a moment with Gaius there at the end. As much as the mutiny was in many ways a selfish cover to assuage his guilt over New Caprica, I do believe that Felix did it for many of the right reasons, at least to himself. It wasn't a power hungry move on his part, like it was for Zareck, and there were many instances of Gaeta trying to avoid bloodshed tonight. I really liked that last conversation with Gaius - whom Felix started out idolizing - where you at least partially understand the pain of this character. I was relieved that Gaius said the right thing - that he knows who Felix really was. That's a good send off for the character, and the beginning of a redemption arc for Baltar. (How awesome is it that less than 2 hours after being saved from a bloody coup, Baltar is already sexxing up a Six!) But I did appreciate his realization that he is responsible for the Baltar Harem Cult and he can't abandon them. Some growth!



Here's hoping we will see some actual repercussions for this event dealt with - not just for those guilty of mutiny, but for Adama, Roslin and Lee to figure out a better way to lead these people, and for individual conflicts to be addressed within the fleet and our main characters.

P.S. Adama and Roslin were really on their game tonight. Welcome back Madame Airlock! As for Adama, as usual TWoP put it best: "Also not rolling over: Admiral William Adama, who literally spends the entire episode telling every single person in the world to fuck off as loudly as one can through one's dentures. He is a Lean, Mean, Fuck You machine. It is amazing. Turns out his Bucket List has one item on it, and that item is: Everybody Goes To Hell. Bill's Care Bear Glare powers have never been so magically delicious. He tells Gaeta to cram eleven things up his ass, invites Zarek to blow him, calls his lawyer a pimp, tears holes in the hull using his glare... A couple of lieutenants actually cry, because he's that scary. Finally they have no choice but to tie him to a chair in front of a firing squad. Then he just starts spitting at people."