Just watched “The shape of things to come” again and I was just as floored the second time around - albeit some things stuck out a bit more. First, Ben is truly broken up over the death of his daughter - I think this is the first time he has every been truly “real” in the show. I get so used to second guessing his motives. But the real thing I want to open for discussion is the Widmore/Linus angle. At first, I was thinking Widmore may indeed be Alvar Hanso, and I still hold to that a bit (rich, mysterious benefactor) but now…not so sure.
First of all, we need to applaud the direction and writing of this show in the past couple weeks, Ben has slowly turned into a hero. That’s right, I said it, Ben is becoming the hero - slowly but surely. So - question time:
Why does Charles refer to the island as “his” (this supports the Hanso concept) - Ben very clearly stole it from him by killing everyone
“I know who you are, I know what you are” : Charles Widmore. OK, who, I get - he’s the little boy who came to the island as a child, but “what”? “what you are”? “What” as in profession, or “What” as in something more Meta?
Why can’t Ben kill Charles - are they both linked in some way?
Now that Ben wishes to kill Penelope, what is Desmond’s take on this? Obviously since he was not on the manifest of 815, then he wouldn’t be part of the Oceanic 6. So he could be off the island in the future.
How did Ben just “appear” in Tunisia? I’m thinking it has to do with the “magic box” that brought Locke’s father to the island (I am clinging to the mystical aspect of this and not the possible reality that they just went to the mainland and kidnapped him)
What did the desk clerk at the hotel looked scared when she realized who “Dean Moriarty” was? And in no way, shape, or form is “Moriarty” meaningless.
I think Jacks’ “stomach bug” is a physical reaction to the fact that everything is unraveling and he is losing control. The thought that he may NOT get these people off the island is literally eating him up inside. Thoughts?
The SMOKE MONSTER! Holy crap I love this. Ben called it? Of course he called it! He can control it to some point, but kinda like the Greeks controlled the Kraken in Clash of the Titans. What do you think?
Ben Edlund must have taken some serious Awesome Pills while on strike because this episode embodies a wit and dramatic flair that reminds me of Joss Whedon’s best (think “Hush”). Now Supernatural is no stranger to great TV - in my opinion, this is one of the better shows on TV right now, simply because it is just purely entertaining and never insults my intelligence (buy the premise and you’re in). Jensen Ackles (as Dean) and Jared Padalecki (as Sam) do an amazing job of being believable in an unbelievable world. The acting is top notch and it touches on a trend that is pervasive through today’s best SciFi and started with the X-Files: Just deliver good drama, period. The SciFi, the horror, it’s just a back drop - Believe in what the premise is and surpass it. Just because it’s SciFi doesn’t mean it has to take off in silly directions. Shows like Battlestar Galactica, Space Above and Beyond, and Farscape all did this. The actors embody their roles and go for it, plain and simple.
It helps, of course, to have great material. And this is were Supernatural really shines and “Ghostfacers” is a prime example. The episode follows a crew of reality show dweebs as they enter the “Morton House” - a derelict haunted house filled all sorts of creepy goings-on. But what this episode does smartly is bring back characters that appeared on a previous episode, and fleshes them out and adds to the mythology. The episode is almost entirely shot on handheld HD cameras with a generous sampling of Blair Witch - and Cloverfield.
The two stars of the series are seen sporadically throughout the episode but their “bad-assness” is in no way diminished. The editing of the show was brisk and relentless. They even acceptably explained how they could capture non-handheld footage (the team placed several stationary camera’s throughout the house).
All-in-all I give it an >i< score of 10 - Top notch episode. So thanks, Eric Kripke for bringing us this excellently entertaining show. Keep ‘em coming.
Holy crap is right. I know this is not really breaking news at all, but I’ve been a fan of STP’s from the very, very beginning. Way back in my college days at SUNY Cortland, circa 1992, I was the metal music directory at our college radio station 90.5 WSUC FM (”SUC on your FM dial and we’ll come in your ear” - seriously we said that). One afternoon a CD single single (remember those, true believers?) came across my desk, it was “Sex Type Thing” from a new band called Stone Temple Pilots. Now many of my colleagues brushed them off as “Pearl Jam ripoffs” - but quite frankly, I never saw or heard that at all. I recognized them for exactly what they were…incredibly talented and incredibly fresh. I distinctly remember writing my notes on the jewel case (so the DJ’s would know which tracks to play on air for the new music rotation) and finishing them up with a “these guys will probably be insanely popular.” Prophetic, maybe. Fanboy, definitely.
The fanboy was cemented in my mind when I saw them live in NYC during the CMJ Music Festival in 92. STP is one of those bands that just completely come alive when they perform. If you’ve never seen Weiland come out on stage in a Zorro outfit, flailing his arms widely as he grins and grits his teeth, well… you haven’t lived, my friend, you just haven’t lived.
“Sex Type Thing” kicked my ass from the second it hit my ears and I’ve followed STP ever since. The band helped define an era for me with music that was not only skillfully written but had a lyrical soul that was sorely needed at that time in music. Don’t get me wrong, I was a HUGE fan of 80’s hair metal (and still am) - but after a while, I really didn’t want to hear about how many girls you can bang and who long you can do it for. STP wrote intelligent songs and never insulted their audience. They even helped usher in the unplugged era (along with Tesla) when Dean with just his guitar and Scott with just his mic performed “Plush” live on Headbanger’s Ball.
I’ve followed the members of STP through several incarnations including Weiland’s solo album, 12 bar blues; the Weiland-less STP (with Dave Coutts on vocals) as Talk Show; The Guns & Roses/STP mash-up Velvet Revolver, and the Filter/STP mash-up Army of Anyone. I’ve loved it all - there is true musical genius flowing through all of those bands.
So, needless to say I’m excited to catch them on tour and can’t wait to hear what’s next. I’m already on line at the Vatican gift shop.
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