The Lost Diary

Sorry I am a day late on this. I've been a little under the weather this week (the TMZ newsroom can best be described as a meat locker) and I was going to launch into this whole tirade about how much I hated the premiere of "Heroes," but I have decided to let it go. "Lost" had a few bad eps last season (though not nearly as bad as "Heroes"), so hopefully it can bounce back.

Two more quick snap judgments: "Reaper" is fantastic and "My Name Is Earl" was actually funny last night (instead of just cute, like it has been). I also liked "Dirty Sexy Money," though I wish I had liked it more.

Let's roll:

00:01 -- Remember how last week I was bewildered as to why people would speak in English to Jin? Well now I have no idea why Jin is speaking Korean to Hurley. Just keep saying it over and over again man, eventually he'll figure it out.

00:02 -- We're a minute into this episode and already I like where it's going. The last few episodes haven't done much to advance our overall plot. The hatch, the island, the French Woman -- all forgotten about. Time to get this train back on track.

00:03 -- See? The numbers! Now we're talking.

00:04 -- "That makes tonight mega lotto jackpot number 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 with the mega number 42."

00:05 -- Hurley's interview skills are, how do you say ... lacking.

00:06 -- "Grandpa?" -- Hurley. Dude, that sucks, dude.

00:08 -- I want to help Locke with a project!

00:09 -- Hip-hop music sounds completely out of place on this show.

00:11 -- "Ever since we won the lottery, it's like we had nothing but bad luck." -- Hurley

00:13 -- "Yo, French chick!" -- Hurley

00:15 -- Michael and Jin make a cute couple.

00:16 -- I think Sun is hotter when she speaks Korean. And no, I have no idea what that says about me.

00:19 -- As I've said before, I am an awesome Connect Four player. I would whoop Leonard's ass.

00:20 -- "What do the numbers mean?" -- Hurley

00:21 -- "You opened the box!" -- Leonard. Imagine a box ...

00:22 -- "Dudes, chill." -- Hurley

00:23 -- No way in HELL that bridge would have held up Hurley.

00:27 -- "He put a shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger." -- Martha Toomey. Pleasant.

00:28 -- Oh shit! I forgot what Locke was making until just now. Just another reason why he is the man.

00:31 -- "You must be the French chick." -- Hurley

00:33 -- Good ol' fun time Hurley is pissed. I kinda like the new Hurley.

00:34 -- Danielle mentions the radio tower. You gotta love this show. The radio tower first gets mentioned now and then we don't see it until the end of season three. You have to pay attention on this show.

00:36 -- "Thank you." -- Hurley to Danielle. It's not a good sign when a crazy French woman who has been living alone on a creepy island is the one who proves your sanity.

00:37 -- "She says, 'Hey.'" -- Hurley to Sayid

00:39 -- Do you think Locke knew it was Claire's birthday somehow?

00:41 -- "Back home, I'm worth $156 million." -- Hurley

00:42 -- "Fine, don't tell me." -- Charlie. Why is it so crazy that Hurley could be rich? Fat people can't be rich? Rich people don't say "dude" a lot?

I've said several times before that I find Hurley to be a very one-dimensional character, though on multiple occasions (beginning with this episode) he has proven himself capable of more. Just saying "dude" a lot and making self-deprecating jokes does not make him a good character. Storylines like this does.

In re-watch, this episode is like a B, though I imagine the first time around I probably freaked out at the end when is I saw the numbers. Sometimes, you just can't recapture the feeling of watching "Lost."

 

Posted by Daniel at 09:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)

“Gossip Girl” – Trashy, trashy, trashy – in that good way. Love this show and I love Kristen Bell’s narration. The only way I could love KB more was if she were about to become a cast member on a really cool show I watch. Wait, what’s that?

“Journeyman” – I actually watched it and it was actually kind of good. Too bad the ratings kinda blew. Oh well.

“Back To You” – Mildly funny, but my new rule with half-hour comedies is that they either have to be doing something interesting with the genre (think “Arrested Development”) or star someone I love. This has neither of those.

“Kid Nation” – I Tivoed it, but couldn’t bring myself to actually watch it. Can you put a price on your soul?

Posted by Daniel at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)

You know what isn't overrated? Health insurance.

I've seen a chiropractor twice and gotten a massage at the place once and I am almost back to 100%. My chiropractor appointments only cost $15 and the massage is $30. Health insurance -- it isn't just for the sick!

Oh and I still haven't watched "the bunny video." Will power, motherf**kers!

Let's roll:

Q: Here a question for you. After reading the last few posts on season 1, I'm noticing a lotta love for Boone (maybe a little too much?). Granted he was a cool character, but is it ok to have a "man crush" on fictional character? -- Jon

A: Absolutely. Other characters I have a man crush on include: Tyler Durden, Darryl Zero, John McClane and David Addison. I'm also way too big of a fan of Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Phillippe than I should be. In fact, I have invented what I like to call the Ryan Phillippe Theory.

The Ryan Phillippe Theory goes like this: both Ryan and Freddie Prinze Jr. had their breakout roles in "I Know What You Did Last Summer." Ever since that movie, Freddie has gone to do the same movie roughly 20 times -- "She's All That," "Down to You," "Boys and Girls," "Head Over Heels," and "Summer Catch" -- all between 1999 and 2001!

Ryan, on the other hand, has done "Cruel Intentions," "The Way of the Gun," "Gosford Park," "Igby Goes Down" and "Crash." Not a single "just for the paycheck" movie in the bunch (ok, maybe "Antitrust"). He could have just relied on his good looks and made bank for the rest of the career. Instead, he tried doing something I like to call "acting." Is he Tom Hanks? No, but he tries and that's more than anyone can say for Freddie.

Q: Did you watch the Emmy's?  I didn't watch the entire show because, honestly, I get bored with it BUT I did see Terry O'Quinn win his Emmy!  My husband and I were flipping out!  Hope you had a chance to see it.  A grand LOST moment. -- Gracie

A: It took me about a week to get through the whole Emmys (I was stuck working that night). Locke was awesome, obviously, and the Stewart/Colbert/Carell thing was hysterical and Sally Field never disappoints at an awards show. I don't blame Ryan Seacrest for sucking so bad (I don't think HE was so bad, the material was shit). But who thought he'd make a good host? Nobody thought he'd be good! I want to see the list of people that passed on hosting. It better have been EVERYONE.

Also, I tend to wear a lot of strange-colored shirts (purple is a staple of my wardrobe) but I cringed a bit at Locke's hot pink shirt. A for effort, T for nice try.

Q: Hey Daniel, you want to take back your "best episode ever" comment about "...In Translation"? -- Me

A: Um, maybe. I still think this episode is definitely among the top 5 and I think what I liked most about is the balance. It may not have hit the highest of highs, but there were no lows either. And if you wanted to show someone who had never seen "Lost" before a single episode, wouldn't you pick this one? It stands on its own very well. All you need to say beforehand is, "They're stuck on an island and the Korean woman speaks English, only her husband doesn't know." I keep going back and forth, but I still love this episode.

Speaking of love, a little movie recommendation for you. If you happen to live in NY, LA, Austin or Toronto, I highly recommend "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." Incredibly well-directed, Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck are incredible and it's just a gorgeous movie. A little long at 2:40, but well worth it.

Posted by Daniel at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)

THEN DON'T CLICK HERE!!!!

Posted by Daniel at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

So due to the catastrophe that is O.J. Simpson, I haven't actually had time to finish watching Emmys until Wednesday night. Whoever thought Ryan Seacrest should host the show should be shot. He wasn't bad, per se, but he certainly wasn't good either. The Emmys are a joke; why I even care about them is beyond me.

But care I do and I was definitely excited that Terry O'Quinn won. He certainly deserved it and he does probably give a better performance that Michael Emerson as Henry Gale. But which is my favorite character? I am still not ready to say.

With that, let's roll ...

00:01 -- Jin has been on screen for about a minute and I already regret only putting him 5th on my list of Top 5 "Lost" Characters Not Named Locke or Henry Gale. I have shamed myself but not ranking him higher on my list.

00:02 -- Sun's dad is evil, and watching him now, when we didn't know he was evil, just makes even more evil.

00:03 -- I love that Jin still has the handcuff on his wrist. And what a look Michael gave Sun after she slapped him. A lot going on between those two at that point.

00:04 -- Ok, if you had to rate the people on the island based on who could look the most menacing and the sweetest, wouldn't Jin be at the top of both lists? How does he do it? And he doesn't even speak English! My shame knows no limits.

00:06 -- Lord, and how good does Sun look?

00:08 -- Does Hurley understand that people who don't speak English do not understand people when they are speaking English?

00:09 -- "Maybe we should get some rope, spend our Saturday alone together, and see what happens." -- Shannon. I just started liking Shannon more.

00:11 -- Sun vs. Kate: I think if you factor in personality, I gotta go with Sun. Kate is liable to get you killed.

00:12 -- Ah, the mystery of the raft fire. The least of the mysterious things that would happen.

00:13 -- Jin has been promoted to be special assistant to his father-in-law. The beginning of the end.

00:15 -- Watching Jin in that man's house, you can almost pinpoint the exact moment he catches on.

00:17 -- If I had a sister, I would set her up with Sayid.

00:18 -- Sawyer is a dick.

00:19 -- "Should I be writing this down?" -- Locke. He's had two lines and he steals the episode.

00:20 -- Everyone gets a new life on this island, Shannon. Maybe it's time you start yours." -- Locke. Seriously, he just keeps stealing the show.

00:21 -- Every scene Sawyer is in reminds me how much I used to hate him. He really is an asshole.

00:22 -- Note to self: never "deliver a message" for a menacing Korean man.

00:23 -- Note to self: never "deliver a message" with a menacing Korean man either.

00:24 -- "I do whatever your father tells me." -- Jin

00:26 -- Great choice by the show to mess with the dialogue and put us in Jin's shoes.

00:27 -- I can't understand what Jin is saying, obviously, but it sure sounds insulting.

00:28 -- Hey, honey. Oh yeah, about that. Um, I can speak English. Remember how we were at the airport in Sydney? Well I was going to leave you there and hide in America. I'd been taking English lessons for months in preparation. Oh and I was banging my English tutor too. Honey?

00:29 -- "They've attacked us, sabotaged us, abducted us, murdered us. Maybe it's time we stop worrying about us and start worrying about htem. We're not the only people on this island AND WE ALL KNOW IT!" -- Locke. I'm sorry, I forget: Who is the man? Oh, that's right, Locke is.

00:31 -- Great scene between Michael and Walt. Michael wasn't yelling, for a change.

00:32 -- Apparently now Sun has forgotten that people who don't speak English don't understand English.

00:34 -- "I was ashamed of you." -- Jin. Finally, I thought we were going to go a whole episode without shame or honor.

00:36 -- Great scene between Jin and his dad. Somehow, Jin's asshole side seems much forgivable than Sawyer's. Must be my inherent racism towards caucasians.

00:37 -- GET SOME, SAYID!!!

00:38 -- "Do you have a dad?" Walt to Locke. Well, that's a long story, Walt. See it all started when my dad stole my kidney ...

00:39 -- "Why did you burn the raft, Walt?" As William Forrester might say, not exactly a soup question, is it?

00:40 -- "I like it here too." -- Locke

00:41 -- "Boat." -- Jin

00:42 -- "Son of a bitch." -- Hurley

I wrote the Diary on Wednesday night and have saved this part until Thursday morning so that I could sleep on it a little bit. I keep coming back to the same conclusion: this is my new favorite episode of "Lost" ever. I know, even I can't believe it.

Let me ask, what didn't this episode have in it? Great flashback? Absolutely. Great revelations (Jin learns Sun can speak English)? Definitely. Little bit of mystery? Walt burned the damn raft! Did Kate/Jack ruin the episode? Nope, they were hardly in it.

This episode hit on every cylinder. Were any of those elements I mentioned the absolute best ever? Absolutely not. But I think that any episode that gets a least a B+ in every possible category is an A+ in my book. I mean, even Shannon was good in this one!

Alright crew, I need help here. Is this worthy of the title of Best "Lost" Episode Ever? 

Posted by Daniel at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)

Sorry I am day late on this one. I've been laid up with a sore neck for the past week -- so much so that I saw a chiropractor for the first time. He was a nice guy, "aligned" me for a bit and sent me on my way. I feel a little better today and am going back on Saturday. Some people just hate chiropractors; the jury is still out for me.

Also, I saw a billboard for "Cain" on my way to work today and gave it the finger. 

Anyway, let's roll:

00:01 --  I would have figured Sawyer's mom was a little more white trashy.

00:02 -- As a kid, I had a bed that had built in drawers and shelves. So, if my father had come home and shot my mom and then himself, I couldn't have hidden underneath the bed. So, ya know, I can't really relate to that scene.

00:03 -- You can read a transcript of the whispers by clicking here. Creepy shit.

00:05 -- "I thought I heard ... whispering." -- Sayid

00:06 -- When Sawyers walks in slow-mo, I imagine all the women watching stop breathing for a moment. Am I wrong?

00:07 -- "We both know you ain't the killing type." -- Hibbs. Well, you never know ...

00:08 -- I'd love to be able to refer to something as "The Tampa Job."

00:09 -- A note to all the women out there: tank tops = good.

00:10 -- How in the world did Kate and Jack not have sex? They practically did everything but in season one. I bet Kate is goooooood in bed. I'm rambling. And drooling. Let's move on.
 
00:11-- Now why is Charlie giving the girl he's in love with the cold shoulder?

00:12 -- Sawyer vs. the boar, man vs. beast -- it's like a show on FOX.

00:14 -- Daniel fun fact: I've never fired a gun.

00:15 -- "He catches me first because I'm heavy and I get cramps." -- Hurley. Yes, that's exactly why.

00:16 -- "What's wrong with Charlie?" -- Sayid. How much time you got?

00:18 -- Daniel fun fact: I never played "I Never."

00:21 -- "I never killed a man." -- Sawyer. Just a great scene.

00:24 -- Locke can tell a story, can't he?

00:25 -- Gee, that story has nothing to do with Sawyer's flashback and the boar that's haunting him and the voices he's hearing. Nothing at all.

00:27 -- Does this guy even look like a con man? Not that I know what con men look like.

00:28 -- Now for the best part of the episode ...

00:29 -- "To Sawyer, may he find whatever he's looking for at the bottom of a glass." -- Dr. Christian Shephard.

00:30 -- "Some people were just supposed to suffer." -- Dr. Christian Shephard. He's talking about all the Losties in a way, isn't he?

00:33 -- Just a phenomenal scene between Sawyer and Jack's dad. The interconnecting fates of our castaways really began in earnest there and this is far from the last time that Dr. Shephard would be heard from.

00:34 -- Look out Dr. Phil -- it's Dr. Sayid time.

00:35 -- Now, I didn't like Sawyer's baby boar act either, but leaving him alone in the jungle seems kind of harsh.

00:36 -- Sawyer's back to get the job done for real this time and you know how I know why (besides the fact that I already saw this episode)? Because it's raining.

00:37 -- "It'll come back around." -- Duckett.

00:39 -- Sawyer the Merciful.

00:41 -- "That's why the Sox will never win the Series." -- Jack

00:42 -- Sawyer could have done the nice thing there, but didn't. I said it once and I'll say it again: I did like it better when some people were just assholes.

I can't give this episode anything more than a B. It was solid, no doubt. The flashbacks were better than anything that went on on the island, though.

It still boggles my mind though how little the plot of "Lost" advanced during season one. The show took the whole first season to pretty much introduce us to the Losties, then spent the next two seasons giving us the show. It takes a great deal of patience (and confidence in the story you want to tell and the manner in which you're going to tell it) to pull that off.

Posted by Daniel at 06:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (78)

I've been debating for awhile now what my next List should be. I don't feel obligated to do something "Lost"-related every time, but I figured I should try.
 
Now, I have excluded Locke and Henry from this list for two reasons: 1) They would obviously be the top two and 2) I am not ready to decide which of the two would get the top spot. It's the Sophie's Choice of "Lost."
 
Without further ado ...
 
5. Jin
 
Pretty solid ranking for a guy who doesn't speak English. No one on television says more without saying anything like he does. He is stoic, he is solid, he is consistent -- Jin is a rock with a heard of gold.

4. Juliet
 
I despise this woman with every fiber of my being and don't trust her no matter what -- what other character evokes so much emotion? Women hate her, men love her. She is cold and calculating and I have absolutely no idea whose side she is on ... still. That is the mark of a good character.
 
3. Dr. Christian Shephard
 
Mark my words: We have not heard the last of him. He ties into so many characters on the island, his grave was empty -- I'm not saying he is Jacob, but he's a factor in everything that is going on, I just feel it. Putting him this high is really just my faith in the role he will play down the road.
 
2. Desmond
 
First off, everything is cooler in a Scottish accent. Secondly, hell I don't know if I need s second thing. Does any "Lost" fan NOT love Desmond? He might be the only person on the island who's life got worse once he arrived there and that makes his journey to get off the island different from almost everyone else's. See ya in another life, brutha.
 
1. Sayid
 
Sayid is number one on my list for one reason and one reason only: he might be the only Lostie who actually asks the right questions. The reason why I can't include most of the other castaways on this list is because they act like idiots most of the time. Sayid is always on point and rarely does anything that makes me scream at the television in frustration. Plus, he bagged Shannon and made her somewhat tolerable as a result. Props for that.
 
Reasons why ____ didn't make the list:
 
Hurley -- He is a little too one-note for me.
Sawyer -- The nicknames are old. Please stop.
Kate -- Been held at gunpoint one too many times.
Jack -- Too holier than thou sometimes.
Sun -- Just barely missed the cut.
Claire -- Eh, too boring.
Michael -- "WALT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Walt -- "VINCENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Nikki/Paulo -- Um, where do I begin?
Rose/Bernard -- They were MIA for too long.
Eko, Boone, Libby, Ana Lucia -- RIP
Charlie -- LOL, right!

Posted by Daniel at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)

Before I start, did you see Britney's performance on the VMAs last night? I felt bad for her -- it was GOD AWFUL!!! Man oh man...

Q: If you could pick one regular character to die in the first half of Season 4, who would it be, and why? -- Allison

A: I've said it once and I'll say it again: Sawyer serves very little purpose for me anymore. He killed "the real Sawyer" -- what else is there? His nicknames are old, he already bagged Kate ... he does nothing for me anymore. I think it's about time an A-level castmember went (Charlie was B). Sorry ladies.

Q: Since I'm stuck waiting on a few of my favorite shows to come out on DVD, (Supernatural Season 2, Heroes Season 1, and of course Lost Season 3) can you recommend any movies? They don't have to be new releases. -- Amber

A: Depending on the city you live in, try and see "King of Kong." It's a documentary about a guy trying to break the world record in Donkey Kong. It was unbelievably good -- Ari and I were literally yelling at the screen, rooting for one guy and against another. Also, I thought "Superbad" was hysterical and "Knocked Up" was overrated.

On the DVD front, my favorite movie of all-time is "Fight Club," with "JFK," "Memento" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" near the top. My favorite movie of the last several years though is "Brick." It's like the most hard-boiled 1950s detective movie, but set in present day high school. The characters talk so strange, I had to watch part of the movie with the captions on. But you won't see a more uniquely written movie.

Q: What was your favorite movie of the summer? -- Amber

A: Toss-up between the aforementioned "King of Kong" and "Superbad," along with "Sicko." I thought "Bourne Supremacy" was good, but overrated. No way the last two Bournes were better than the first, "Bourne Identity" and neither of the last two were better than "Casino Royale," either. I also thought the new "Die Hard" was a little underrated.

Q: If you could bring dead LOST characters back to life, who would they be and why? -- Liz

A: I think it would have to be Boone, it would help the ladies get over the loss of Sawyer. Plus, I want Libby back, but really only in flashbacks, which could still happen. Why was she in the insane asylum? Dying to know.

Q: If you were stranded on an island (like our losties) and you could only have five albums with you to listen to for the rest of time. What would they be? List them by preference. Or in no order at all. -- Hannah.

A: Here we go ...

5a: "Midnight Marauders" -- A Tribe Called Quest
5b: "The Marshall Mathers LP" -- Eminem
4. "1999" -- Prince
3. "Purple Rain" -- Prince
2. "Sign O' the Times" -- Prince
1. "Kind of Blue" -- Miles Davis.

A little hip-hop, a lot of Prince, and the greatest CD of all-time by man Miles. I think I'd be good for life with that.

Posted by Daniel at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)

-- "Bionic Woman" dropped its showrunner today, but it wasn't Jason Smilovic (the guy I wrote about the other day -- he's still on as an EP). So I think we're all good here, but it's still a bit of a warning sign -- anyone remember "Commander In Chief"? Didn't think so.

-- TIME published a list of the 100 best TV shows of all-time, but didn't rank them. It's fun to look at the list, but why not make it interesting and rank them 1-100? Opportunity missed. 

-- The "Lost" Diary now has 600 friends on MySpace. Woo hoo! I'm comin' for ya, Brody!

-- Going to try and do an LDQA on Monday. I have a few questions saved up from the last few weeks, but I could use some more. Click here to send me one.  

-- And on a personal note: TMZ the TV show launches on Monday. Click here to find the time and channel it's on in your area. I doubt you'll see much of me, but I'll be around there somewhere.

Posted by Daniel at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

It's September already, can you believe it? By the end of the month, most of the shows on TV will have premiered. Except, of course, for "Lost." God giveth ...

00:01 -- Claire is back and she looks just fine ... for an amnesic pregnant woman.

00:03 -- Claire doesn't remember anyone, including Charlie. I'm jealous.

00:04 -- Nice little conversation between Jin and Sun, with Jin asking about the baby. At the time, we had no clue about their problems getting pregnant. A 30-second scene that meant absolutely nothing at the time means so much more now. In a way, those 30 seconds are why I love watching a television show again -- to see the things you couldn't have possibly picked up on at the time.

00:05 -- "Ethan's the bad guy." -- Charlie.

00:07 -- It's going to take a lot for me to write anything about this Charlie flashback. Every time a Charlie flashback starts, I am just going to put in a favorite movie quote of mine.

00:10 -- Ethan kind of irks me. Not because of all the shit he did, but because they made him seem almost superhuman -- which he clearly wasn't. Just feels stupid watching him now.

00:11 -- Though, of course, I am rooting for him to kill Charlie.

00:12 -- "What if Ethan isn't alone?" -- Locke

00:14 -- "My motherf**ker is so cool when he goes to bed, sheep count him." -- from the movie "Heist."

00:16 -- The more I think about it, the more I would totally be Boone if I were stranded on the island. Minus the chiseled features though.

00:18 -- "Champagne for my real friends, and real pain for my sham friends." --  from the movie "25th Hour."

00:19 -- "Ask any dope rat where their junk sprang and they'll say they scraped it from that who scored it from this who bought it off so and after four or five connections the list always ends with the Pin. But I bet you got every rat in town together and said 'show your hands' if any of them've actually seen the Pin, you'd get a crowd of full pockets." -- from the movie "Brick."

00:20 -- Staying awake is probably one of the keys to being a good night watchman.

00:22 -- "How did he get past us?" -- Sayid, talking about Ethan. See? Again, they make Ethan seem almost superhuman.

00:23 -- "Sorry I kept calling you Steve, man. Amen, I guess." -- Hurley at Scott's funeral.

00:24 -- "You mean nobody's told you?" -- Shannon to Claire.

00:25 -- "And it is in the humble opinion of this narrator that this is not just 'Something That Happened.' This cannot be 'One of those things...' This, please, cannot be that. And for what I would like to say, I can't. This was not just a matter of chance. Ohhhh. These strange things happen all the time." -- The narrator from "Magnolia."

00:28 -- Guns, the great equalizer.

00:30 -- "Well, technically speaking, the operation is brain damage, but it's on a par with a night of heavy drinking. Nothing you'll miss." -- From the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

00:31 -- "Yeah, I remember. You shot him ... and missed." -- Jack to Sawyer.

00:32 -- "Guns are a last resort. We want him alive." -- Sayid. Foreshadowing?

00:33 -- Should pregnant women be standing out in the pouring rain?

00:34 -- Ethan smash!

00:36 -- While I appreciate the nobility of Charlie killing Ethan, may I just say one thing? What a jackass. I mean really, just a stupid move. On every level.

00:38 -- "I really thought you were retarded. I mean, you're better than that Corky kid and he's actually retarded. If there was a retarded Oscar you would win, hands down, kick his ass!" -- From the movie "Garden State."

00:40 -- "It was imaginary peanut butter, actually." -- Charlie. Ok, that was a good line.

This episode would fall under the category of being a good episode on its own, but doesn't do much for advancing the story line -- either on the island or in the flashback. Overall though, I give this episode a D. Really did little for me.

Posted by Daniel at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)

I've been slacking a little bit on my Fall previews, so I figure I owe you at least two.

"Bionic Woman"

Along with "Pushing Daisies," this is the show I heard the most hype about. With a show like this, I am not so much judging the actual pilot itself, but more on how good a job they do on setting up the future of the show. On this point, I was pleasantly surprised.

I don't want to give too much away, but there are several good plots set in motion by the pilot -- the best of which is a second bionic woman who is set up as an enemy for Jamie Sommers, the main character. Any time two women fight, I am on board.

Worth noting: Jason Smilovic is a writer/exec. producer on the show. He held the same post on the criminally-underrated show "Kidnapped," wrote the movie "Lucky Number Slevin" (which was surprisingly good) and was a writer on the short-lived ABC show "Karen Sisco." Long story short, I have faith in the guy and thus have faith in the show.

"Chuck"

Computer nerd accidentally gets all of the government's secrets uploaded into his brain. How can this not be good?

The pilot was quite entertaining and they set up just enough of a story for the show to have a legit future (don't miss the last few seconds), though I wonder if it will all into the pattern of "a secret a week" kind of a thing. At the least, the show will be enjoyable -- though I don't see a lot of "Oh my God did you see 'Chuck' last night?" in my future.

Worth nothing: Josh Schwartz is a writer/exec. producer on the show. Schwartz, of course, is best known for creating "The O.C." I imagine Schwartz will have learned his lessons from that one -- don't make an entire season one long downer! -- and that "Chuck" will keep things very light.

It's hard to believe the new shows are starting soon. Where has the summer gone?

Posted by Daniel at 09:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)