Good to know! Thanks Simon... (I've been yearning for another Buffy homage like, "You taste like strawberries.") Wonder if we'll get one.

[ edited by Tonya J on 2008-02-08 00:48 ]

Tonya J | February 08, 03:29 CET

Wow. I'll definitely be watching tonight then :-)

Valentyn | February 08, 03:39 CET

...two Buffy writers co-wrote an episode (when did that last happen?)

I think it was fairly recently actually, on The Batman...

Yup. Per IMDB, Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie wrote the two-part fourth season last spring.

(I hope this wasn't one of those rhetorical thingamajigs I've heard rumors about.)

Lady Brick | February 08, 03:51 CET

Fantastic epi.

Loved the "Col Kurtz" line. It's telling that I'm such a Buffy nut that the first thing I thought of was Xander in Restless not Heart of Darkness!

Reddygirl | February 08, 07:15 CET

Very good episode.


Buffy Comic reference from Sawyer about Walt "tall like a giant" ala Dawn

taliily | February 08, 07:18 CET

Really good episode. Better dialogue than usual, too. Especially the end of act... two, I think. "I don't know, Miles. How stupid are you?"

Teehee.

Jobo | February 08, 07:19 CET

Not sure where else to ask this...but after LOST I happened to catch a few minutes of Eli Stone...is that the Wolfram and Hart set from season 5 of Angel?

Sigh. I miss Angel on TV.

yamsham | February 08, 07:23 CET

Personally I liked the hidden reference of the last name of the Physicist - Daniel Faraday to...Michael Faraday

sporter | February 08, 10:06 CET

I thought they were using the W&H set on House...

Looking at the photos, I don't think it is. Just similar wood.

However, for a laugh, if you look at the promo pictures here and look at photos 15-21 in quick succession, while chanting, "Janet! Brad! Rocky! Dr. Scott" you're guaranteed a good time.

Knuckleball | February 08, 13:17 CET

I thought this was a great episode. Loved the introductions of the new characters, very intriguing stuff.

UnpluggedCrazy | February 08, 13:25 CET

I adore Lost. When I watch it, I feel like I'm watching quality and that doesn't happen much these days.

And I can't wait to see this episode on Monday as I adore Ultimate Drew and BKV. Even though Virgin Media lost Sky One, I can still watch the show on cable as the Irish channel RTE 2 is included in my package.

Simon | February 08, 13:30 CET

LOST is very good. Unfortunately here in Germany it's not getting the appreciation it deserves by the audience.

Recently I rewatched several Buffy season 7 episodes and I'm thankful for Drew Goddard joining the writers' team at that time. His episodes feel to me the most substantial ones.

I'm also happy with the Faith/Giles arc Brian K. Vaughan penned for the season 8 comic. Faith's mental evolution, her emanzipation from the mayor was brought out well. The frictions between Buffy, jumping to conclusions, a reserved Giles and Faith still on her path for recovery, really strikes me.

cleveland | February 08, 14:02 CET

Yep, excellent. Thanks for the Faraday link! Should have known someone else's name would have a connection to something that tied into the island. And finally, someone has aptly given Locke a nickname. I love you, Brian and Drew.

Tonya J | February 08, 18:34 CET

I thought that was a great episode, the new characters feel very genuine to me, unlike Paulo/Nikki last season.

Still don't like Locke, but I reckon soon the 'Oceanic Six' will be off the island. My guess (apart from the three we already know): Ben, Jin and Sun. The writing seemed very fresh to me, good one Brian and Drew!

Vortigun | February 08, 19:17 CET

Fantastic, thrilling episode. What is Lost to me? *Fun,* damn it. IMO, it doesn't come close to the character complexity of the Whedonverse, but (a) I realize others might disagree and I'm fine with that, and (b) does it really have to? Nah. It has other strengths. (I only bring the character stuff up because Lost has been lauded for that and I've never understood why. But, whatever.)

Lost is a rollicking, wildly ambitious adventure-scifi-fantasy-whothehellknows show. It's a total geek show in that it rewards close viewing and rewatching. Since discovering the Whedonverse, I've been happiest watching shows that allow me to do a little work for, and with, them. Challenge is fun. Challenge gives me far more pleasure than just sitting back and being spoon fed. Lost has some amazing talents behind it - not least Drew Goddard and Brian K. Vaughan. I've never been a JJ Abrams fan but I honestly think that Lost now comes more from the minds of Cuse & Lindelof (and their stable of writers) than Abrams.

Okay, enough Lost lauding. Now, WTF?? about that opening scene? My god! And what the hell was up with the polar bear skeleton with the Dharma leash in Tunisia? I'm loving the new characters. Why was Faraday crying in the beginning? And a thousand gajillion more questions. How fun. I'm glad Lost is back on the air.

phlebotinin | February 08, 21:03 CET

Ahh, Drew will make sense(!?). Looking forward to the show.

Madhatter | February 08, 21:36 CET

The Tunisia scene with the red-headed archaeologist invariably and wonderfully reminded me of Scully in the X-Files movie (though I think that was the African coast where she was gazing at the alien artifact). And how great was the use of Jeff Fahey as the burned-out, alcoholic helicopter pilot (I had to look and look and look at him before I accepted it was Fahey. Damn, does that make me feel old). And after looking at his bio, realized Jeremy Davies is the kid who was in Spanking the Monkey (a terribly twisted little indie film - but he was awfully good). My, how things come full circle (no pun intended).

[ edited by Tonya J on 2008-02-08 18:49 ]

Tonya J | February 08, 21:49 CET

Tonya J, the first thing out of my mom's mouth when she saw Jeff Fahey was "damn he's old." ;) But no worries; it's cool to have him on the show.

I want to start watching, I really do. But there's this nagging paranoia that tells me not to. My mind keeps flashing on the utter convoluted mess that was season two. But who knows, maybe they can get over that sophomore (and junior) slump.

deepgirl187 | February 08, 23:45 CET

Tonya J.
Nice catch on the Scully vibe, though the scene you mentioned didn't come from the movie, but rather the end of season 6/beginning of season 7 cliffhanger.

I didn't think this episode was quite as entertaining as last week's, but it certainly sets up a lot. The actresses who plays Charlotte is very appealing, and the actor who plays Dan made me laugh a lot.

sorethumb | February 09, 01:01 CET

Reddygirl, it's telling that you're awesome that you thought of "Buffy," then "Heart of Darkness," and not "Apocalypse Now." Hard. Core.

Never did get into "Lost." Okay, I didn't really give it a chance, one half of the pilot; but I watch too much t.v. already.

aimstomisbehave | February 09, 03:46 CET

Buffy Comic reference from Sawyer about Walt "tall like a giant" ala Dawn

Yeah I don't think that's what that was.

It was just the writers finally making an in-script reference to the fact that all the fans were going "so how are they going to address the fact that the actor who plays Walt is older and taller now?"

theonetruebix | February 09, 04:12 CET

It was just the writers finally making an in-script reference to the fact that all the fans were going "so how are they going to address the fact that the actor who plays Walt is older and taller now?"

I totally agree that it was an reference point just like Lockes bullet hole.

But why would Sawyer actually think Walt was a giant. I know there is some weird things that happen on the island but Walt being a giant? If anything, Sawyer would of asked if Walt was Adult or asked if he was older. Not a giant.

I really think it was a little rub to the buffy fans from the two writers who had the last and current arcs for Season 8.

taliily | February 09, 08:45 CET

But why would Sawyer actually think Walt was a giant.

I think that (1) Sawyer is a smart-ass and (2) stranger things have happened on the island.

theonetruebix | February 09, 09:04 CET

deepgirl187 said:
"I want to start watching, I really do. But there's this nagging paranoia that tells me not to. My mind keeps flashing on the utter convoluted mess that was season two. But who knows, maybe they can get over that sophomore (and junior) slump."

I thought Season 3 vastly improved on Season 2 in terms of overall arc focus and just...I dunno...there was no slow and boring middle, basically. Season 2 had, from what I remember, a bit of intrigue in the first two eps, that first episode featuring the Tail survivors' story, and then didn't really come back to being especially entertaining again until Michael's return, the shootings, and the exciting season finale that finally kicked the plot in the ass and got it moving (I'm all for smartly paced shows, but Lost Season 1 and 2 overused the flashback-as-character-exploration device to a criminal degree to draw out the arc into an unnecessarily overly long series).

Season 4 feels, to me, like an extension of the rolling ball that was most of Season 3 (and hey, I liked those initial six episodes focusing almost solely on Jack, Kate, and Sawyer in the cages--I usually enjoy those characters and I'm all for smaller casts). Only now if feels committed to this apparent planned ending that the creators have. It feels like the series climax is actually in sight, a couple seasons from now, and that we're not simply going to be jerked around without major reward for another few years or, worse yet, get ripped off by an abrupt cancellation or whatnot.

Lost is a fun, sometimes well-written, almost always well-acted, beautiful to look at TV show that has on occasion reached Whedon-level/most-of-premium-cable's-content quality (there is and have been quite a few shows on par--or on the same level but on a different planet--with Joss' works).

Kris | February 09, 10:02 CET

While we're with Brian K. Vaughan - the Y: The Last Man fundraiser party held tonight to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was a great success. They raised over $13,000 in donations and auctioning off two items: original dedicated artwork by Pia Guerra (which fetched two grand) and a Y: The Last Man straitjacket - which Drew Goddard, who was in attendance all evening, also bid on . . . Joss gave a great keynote, talking mostly about how beautifully structured, written, and drawn the book was, a little about how he and BKV met, and said various other funny things, most of which I've already forgotten (sorry, not feeling so well at the moment). BKV and Pia answered questions in amusing and heartfelt fashion, and a very good time was had by all. Plus, Meltdown rocks as a comic book store and as an event location. That's all for now.

SoddingNancyTribe | February 09, 11:43 CET

SoddingNancyTribe, thank you for the report from Meltdown! I've been reading 'Y: the Last Man' and it has been consistently brilliant, I'm sorry to see it end (but I loved the ending). I didn't realize that Joss would be there, but I shouldn't be surprised that he would come to support Brian K. Vaughan's book and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

embers | February 09, 14:40 CET

The report is great, but geez SNT, sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Please take care of yourself so you're not gone for an extended period again.

Tonya J | February 09, 20:11 CET