Sherlock Holmes (2009)

It's no mystery what the best part of director Guy Ritchie's “Sherlock Holmes” is: It's Robert Downey Jr. in the title role.

The story, though – with screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg – is still fun – if somewhat convoluted and uneven – as the iconic detective teams up with Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) to solve the case of the mysterious self-proclaimed sorcerer Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong).

Downey does make Holmes his own, offering little quirks to the character that make him both amusing and flawed. The detective isn't always personable – he seems to have some trouble being sociable – yet he does have his fondness for certain individuals, and those he holds in high regard know it. Ultimately, he's so intelligent as to be eccentric, a bit of an oddball, and Downey does this quite well. Downey is simply a delight to watch here, easily stealing the spotlight, even though others do quite well, too.

Law makes for a good companion. His Watson seems both amused and troubled with Holmes' oddness. But he also takes a certain pleasure in the adventure of helping Holmes' out, partially because it strokes his own ego to be needed so.

While not hugely well-developed, Rachel McAdams' Irene Adler adds a nice flair to the film, as a seductive yet secretive female companion – who may just match him in wits – to Holmes.

Luckily, Holmes' wits are still apparent in this film, even if some may feel that aspect of his character was underplayed.

Indeed, some complaints around this film focus on how Holmes is made into a bit of an action hero. But the way Ritchie handles this makes it basically work. It's Holmes' knowledge – of the human body, human reactions, physics and skills – that he is able to think it through and bring a foe down. Plus, the action helps the pace – which changes from fast to slow and back again – thus making the whole experience a fun ride. In fact, had Holmes only been about the wit (while forgetting the action), the movie might've been too sleep-inducing to truly be enjoyed.

But, luckily, it's (mostly) enjoyable. It's often surprisingly funny, as Holmes and Watson – under Downey and Law – become somewhat of a comic duo, playing well off each other, as the audience becomes invested in their relationship.

Sure, sometimes the story gets a bit too strange (and, at other times, it gets somewhat dull), but stick with it, and it all seems to piece together nicely. But the characters' use of heavy accents and dialect coupled with a sometimes-convoluted plot makes it all a bit hard to follow at times. But we can't all be Holmeses, so maybe being a little lost is appropriate at times.

Stick with Holmes and listen to his explanations (even if they aren't always easy to understand). The payoff lessens earlier minor pains.

I'm fully convinced I would've enjoyed this film much more had I seen it on more sleep than I did (I think it was about four hours – maybe less), yet still, even as tired as I was, I managed to have quite a bit of fun with “Sherlock Holmes,” even if it's not profound or life-changing.

COMING UP: In LOST, I'm rarely a fan of what Kate does, but will I be a fan of “What Kate Does,” the second episode of Season Six? I don't even know the answer to that yet, as it's on later tonight.

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LOST 6.01: “LA X”

LOST returned for its sixth and final season! Was it everything I hoped for and more? Well, it's great that it's back, and I'm certainly intrigued to see where it's going from this point, but it wasn't the show's best premiere and perhaps didn't quite live up to my expectations. Yet I still really did like it, and once again, it's one of those episodes, that I like even more as I think more about certain elements of it and watch parts of it again.

WARNING: These reviews are meant for people who have already seen the episode. If you haven't seen it yet, it's best to skip the review and come back when you've seen it. But beyond that, it's your own decision. But it will contain spoilers.

First, some thoughts on the episode title. What exactly does “LA X” mean? Many had wondered that when the title was first announced, and I believe – and still do – that the key to the title's meaning lies in the space between LA and X. But even after seeing this episode, I don't think it's quite clear, but I do have some thoughts on it.

Now that we know we are seeing two different parallel (probably not the best word for it considering they are likely taking place at different years, but it's the best word I got for now) time lines – I think the space – which acts as a separator in language – is separating the two realities: the L.A. reality (where our Losties make it safely back to L.A.) and the X reality – that unknown variable, the Island (where our Losties seemed to have been propelled forward in time but our still on the Island).

In one, Juliet's detonating the bomb worked; in one, it didn't seem to work.

That brings me to my first small complaint with the episode. Going back to last year's season premiere, there were a lot of theories hopping about regarding the moving of the Island. But many people did seem to guess that along with moving through space, it was moved through time as well. But the premiere of Season 5 (“Because You Left”) threw a curve ball by revealing that not only did the Island move through time, but it was continually moving through time – at random intervals. That was something I didn't see coming at all, so it intrigued me when it happened.

But here – “LA X” – when I looked at the possibilities of whether or not detonating the bomb worked, one of the theories I did have is that an alternate reality would've been created when Juliet detonated the bomb, and that we'd see a bit from both realities. So this wasn't as much of a shocker, but there were enough twists to the idea that I was still surprised at parts.

OK, now let's visit the two alternate realities for a bit, and I'll give some of my thoughts.

THE L.A. REALITY
Here I liked how there to see the little differences between this newly created (for a lack of a better term) time line and the time line we've already seen. And it starts before the crash would've happened to, so that it suggests our characters' lives were changed by the bomb even before they got on the plane. Cindy the stewardess only hands Jack one extra bottle of alcohol instead of two when he complains about the strength. Jack's more nervous (more on that bit in a bit) on the plane and Rose is at ease. Hurley says his luck is all good. Sawyer seems to be in a better mood overall than he did when we have previously seen him leading up to Oceanic 815. Shannon's not on the plane; Boone wasn't able to convince her to come back. Locke's also more at peace with himself, and he tells Boone he went on a walkabout (but with the reveal later in the episode – that he is indeed still in a wheelchair in this time line – the question comes: Was Locke lying to Boone or did he really go on the walkabout – though in a wheelchair – in this version of reality?)

And while I didn't necessarily care to see Boone back (I was never a huge Boone fan; I didn't despise the character, but I just didn't care for him either), one of my favorite lines of this episode came from him: “If this thing goes down, I'm sticking with you”

But then there is the most intriguing difference: Desmond being on the plane (if he indeed was). It's possible (though seems unlikely as a whole) that Desmond would be on the plane. Since we saw that in this version of reality the Island had sunk, we know that Desmond couldn't have crashed on the Island (assuming the Island had been sunk for at least those three years), and so would be out and about in the “real world,” and perhaps be traveling from Sydney to L.A.

Still, though, there was something odd about that whole encounter. Desmond changing seats. Desmond being gone when Jack returned. Jack being the only one we see interact with him. It's leading me – and others – to wonder: Was Desmond really on the plane? Or was Desmond – who's been called “special” by Daniel Faraday – doing some weird hopping between realities? Perhaps that wouldn't quite work, because then he'd probably know Jack. Or was he just a vision of Jack's? Jack did seem to recognize him. But it's still possible that those two had their encounter in L.A. that we saw in “A Man of Science, A Man of Faith” (the Season Two premiere). Desmond was training for his solo race around the world then. It's entirely possible that he still went on such a race, but, in this reality, he completed the race and didn't crash on the Island. So, Jack's recognition of Desmond could simply be that he did remember him from running the bleachers a few years back.

Or it could be something else.

It many ways (the just-mentioned Desmond encounter included), it seemed Jack had an odd sort of sideways deja vu, as if some deep part of his mind remembered things about the Island. This (to me) is especially apparent when the plane hits turbulence. Jack looks terrified. But it's as if he's remembering something (a crash? An Island? A smoke monster? Benjamin Linus?). Maybe it's a memory his mind can't quite articulate, but it seems as if he's sensing something really bad is coming. Is it possible that, for one reason or another, Jack has some memory of both realities? If so, this is quite an intriguing possibility.

And when he went into the airplane bathroom, his neck was bleeding. Is it possible that his body has some sort of physical sideways deja vu, like an inexplicable cut broke out because a cut would've broken out had they crashed?! Whoa!

Another cool element of this alternate reality is how the characters' lives still seem intertwined. I think this is a callback to “Flashes Before Your Eyes” when we were first introduced (by Miss Hawking) to the concept of course correcting. These characters are meant to meet; they're met to influence one another's lives, so despite the fact they didn't crash on the Island, they will interact: Jack and Kate will have a flirtatious moment on the plane, Sawyer will help Kate escape, Jack and Locke will talk, Boone and Locke will talk, Sawyer will warn Hurley about being too open about winning the lottery, Jack and Sayid will work together to save Charlie, Kate will hijack the taxicab Claire is in. But that leaves one big question: What else will course correcting cause in this altered time line?

And, admittedly, even though I don't care much for Kate, her escape from custody in the airport was pretty damn good. This is Kate at her best – when she's in action woman mode and not whining or doing something stupid that'll get them all in trouble (more often than not, though, she's either whining or doing something stupid!)

One of my biggest questions about this altered time line could be one that winds up being unimportant – or it could be very important – what does it mean that Christian Shephard's body (his whole coffin) is missing in this L.A. alternate time line. His body was missing from the coffin on Island – in the original time line – too. Is this just simply a way to allude to that? Or is it something bigger than that? Is Christian really quite special? Did he ever truly die – in either reality?

Christian's coffin being misplaced leads to what is probably my favorite scene in this episode: Jack and Locke's encounter at the airport – as both had important pieces of their luggage misplaced.

Really, this is when Jack is at his best – when he's so human, so likable. And this Locke is like Season One Locke – when he was kindly and philosophical. And it's great to see this exchange – so friendly – and compare it to the times when Jack and Locke have been at each other's throats.

Locke asks him, “Well, how could they know?” when Jack wonders how the airline didn't know where his father is. Jack – it's that logical part of his mind again – says how they were responsible for the coffin, but Locke interrupts and tells him he wasn't talking about the coffin; he was saying how could they know where Jack's father is. “They didn't lose your father; they lost his body.”

Perhaps another Jack – at another time – would've been angered by this spiritual, philosophical question. But he takes it to heart here. He takes it the way Locke meant it, as comforting. Locke was reaching out for Jack – and Jack accepted.

Then he does his own reaching out to Locke, noticing him in the wheelchair and telling him that he is a spinal surgeon. And then there's perhaps the greatest single exchange of the episode:
LOCKE: (saying it as if he's at peace, so unlike the off-Island Locke we've come to know through the years) Surgery isn't going to do anything to help me. My condition is irreversible.
JACK: Nothing's irreversible.

Jack the Fixer offers Locke the Peacefully Broken hope. Perhaps it's the one area where Jack truly has faith: his ability to fix a broken spine. And there's those words – Nothing's irreversible – that define the episode, and this whole alternate reality. Perhaps they even define this entire season. I wouldn't be surprised if we see an episode title in the future called, “Nothing's irreversible.”

But has everything been reversed?

THE ISLAND REALITY
One of the best things about this reality was Sawyer and his anger and hurt over Juliet's death. Josh Holloway really delved into this performance, and we could see his heart ripped apart. It was also a darker Sawyer – which we, of course, have seen before – emerging again. From kicking Jack in the face (go Sawyer!) to vowing to kill him (no follow-through there, Sawyer) to saying Jack deserves to be miserable on this rock, just like the rest of them; it's a damaged Sawyer again, and a damaged Sawyer can be a dangerous Sawyer. I don't believe Jack's quite off the hook yet.

And it was great to have Juliet back for a bit. I heard one complaint about how this episode had a lack of respect for Juliet – and while in some ways I see that point, to bring her back just for her to quickly die again – I was very happy they did. 1) It's always great to have Elizabeth Mitchell on the show; she is remarkable on the show, oftentimes portraying so much emotion without saying a word. 2) Juliet's my favorite female character, so again, always a bonus to have her, even if it's only for a bit. 3) Sawyer and Juliet got to have a more proper goodbye (instead of the too reminiscent of “Titanic” never-let-go goodbye they had in “The Incident.”).

They get that one last cast, and it was so bittersweet, and I was right there in that moment. Again, Mitchell and Holloway doing so great; you'd believe she was dying and that he was losing the love of his life.

And to top it all off, we get her secret. Of course, I was mad that Juliet died before she got to reveal what the “very important” news she had to share was. But my anger was more about I thought we'd have to wait several episodes before we ever, or even if we ever (we still don't know what Boone wanted to “tell Shannon”; good thing I don't care about those characters as much), learned what she wanted to say.

But, thankfully, we now have Miles. And, thankfully, Sawyer was smarter than I was at the moment and remembered Miles' power and had him stay behind.

So we learn what she had to tell him: It worked. Of course, earlier when Sawyer first discovered her still alive and she was all broken, she'd said the exact opposite. But perhaps that was before she “saw” that it worked. What I'm imagining happened is that – being near death – her consciousness probably jumped from one reality to the next. Perhaps it's even somewhat similar to what may be Jack's “sideways deja vu” I discussed in the other reality.

She knows it worked, and she had to tell Sawyer it worked. And I think the idea that she knew it worked will be more important later. It speaks to a connection that's still there between the two realities, and I believe that will be a big focus of this entire season.

Then, we have Sayid, my longtime favorite character. When last we saw him, he was near his death, and he was looking much worse here.

He had another of my favorite lines from the episode:

SAYID: When I die, what do you think will happen to me? … I've tortured more people than I can remember. I murdered. Wherever I'm going, it can't be very pleasant.

When I heard this, I wanted to shout out, “No, Sayid, you're a good person! You've been redeemed!” But – besides annoying the person sitting next to me watching it with me – I did have to wonder: Has he? He's done an awful lot of dark deeds in his day. Has he done enough good to outweigh them yet? My heart wants to say yes; my mind is making me think otherwise.

So perhaps here we reach a core question about faith and redemption – possibly something that'll be a core question of the show as it nears its end: Is feeling true remorse in your heart enough to redeem your wicked deeds?

Either way, the scene speaks to a lot of what the episode as a whole was about: death and what happens after it. And, since this episode is setting up for the entire season, perhaps we'll get a lot of that to come. Which means, perhaps we should be prepared for a lot of death. And, considering we got two realities – meaning just about two of every character out there, we may see some of our most beloved characters come to an end in one reality or the other.
Another exchange I really liked relates to Sayid's dying. It's when Hurley sees Jacob on the Island:

JACOB: Your friend Jin won't be able to see me.
HURLEY: Why not?
JACOB: Because I died an hour ago.
HURLEY: Sorry, dude. That sucks.
JACOB: Thanks.
HURLEY: How'd you die?
JACOB: I was killed by an old friend who grew tired of my company.

There's so many little things that I just love about this scene. After Jacob says he died an hour ago, there's no protest from Hurley – no exclamation that he can't be dead – as you'd expect from just about any other character on any other show. But Hurley has come to accept that he not only sees dead people, but that they seem to seek him out. And, so Hurley just takes it in stride and tells Jacob, “Sorry, dude. That sucks.” But what's also great was how Jacob says he died: a little mysterious, but he also seems to say it with a bit of pain. Like this man – this man we all now know who became the Smoke Monster – was at one time Jacob's friend. I think Jacob truly saw him this way, anyway.

That, of course, brings me to that other reveal (the one I thought we'd have to wait most – if not all – of the season for, but that happened right in the first episode. I'd predicted it after seeing “The Incident,” and it seemed right on every way I thought about it since, but it was simply WONDERFUL to hear it confirmed and much earlier than I thought. So, this too, became one of my favorite lines of the episode: It comes from the “man in black” in Locke's body, just after the Smoke Monster killed Bram and crew, he tells Ben “I'm sorry you had to see me like that.”

So, Man in Black = the guy currently inhabiting Locke's body = Smoke Monster. Since we don't know the original man's name yet – and since he's in Locke's body still – I've decided to coin a term for the Smokey in Locke's body (to make it easy on me and my readers): Smocke.

So, when I say Smocke, know that I'm referring to Terry O'Quinn's performance as the human Smoke Monster.

It was also during that attack that we learned that the ring of ash prevents the Smoke Monster from entering a circle, but we also learn that he (it?) has clever ways of getting around that. Goodbye, Bram, you likely won't be missed and will probably be quickly forgotten.

Smocke also had a couple of other choice lines:

SMOCKE: (about Locke) He was weak, pathetic and irreparably broken. (Then SMOCKE – and I'm just paraphrasing here – talked about Locke was at least admirable in that he wanted to remain on the Island, because he saw that it made him a better man) … I want the one thing that John Locke didn't: I want to go home.

So where is Smokey's home? Any guesses? I've heard some guess the Temple, but considering he was talking about it in reference to Locke wanting to remain on the Island, I'm going to guess Smokey's “home” is actually somewhere off-Island. Beyond that, I don't really have a guess.

And another choice line that hints at a reveal:

SMOCKE: Hello, Richard. It's good to see you out of those chains.

It certainly seems like the show is STRONGLY hinting at Richard Alpert being a slave on the Black Rock here. Is it possible there just trying to throw us a curve ball here because most people had guessed he'd come over in the Black Rock? I'm gonna say, no, I think this was the first part of the full reveal that Alpert did come over on the Black Rock. This, after all, should be the season of answers, after all.

And, boy did Alpert looked freaked out when he realized who Smocke was – that is before he was knocked out, anyway.

When Hurley tells Sayid's lifeless corpse that if he ever wants to talk, Hurley will be around – I found that both moving and funny. For Hurley, friendships don't have to end at death.

But, speaking of people who can speak to dead people, Miles' reaction when he was around Sayid's body was certainly one of note. Why the look of shock? Is it because he heard nothing, and thus realized that Sayid wasn't actually dead? Or was it because the voice he heard wasn't Sayid's? If when Sayid arose at the end, he was really Jacob reincarnated in Sayid's body (as I guessed when I saw it and still believe, and I've seen/heard many people predict since), perhaps Miles was confused because he heard Jacob's voice and not Sayid's?

That “What happened?” (Sayid's line that ended the show) was hard to gauge: If Jacob is in Sayid's body, would he have Sayid's voice or his own? Was that man Sayid? Was he Jacob? Sayob? Jacid? (in other words, some combination of the two; Smocke seemed to have at least known Locke's final thought, so it's possible that both Sayid and Jacob could be in the vessel that is Sayid's body).

But one aspect that I really didn't care for in this episode was the character Dogen (the Asian guy who seems to have a leadership role over this group of Others), though his one line in English – “I don't like the way English tastes on my tongues” – did make me chuckle. But ultimately, I felt this character was somewhat off-putting. It's weird to have yet another Other who seems to have some sort of leadership status (and whom we haven't met yet), but I suppose if a group of them had gone to the Temple, one of them would've been in charge of that faction. And Lennon, his sidekick/translator, was a little better (perhaps because we could understand him), though he did look like another version of Horace Goodspeed, and the whole idea bringing in two new characters in what could've easily been filled by one character was also off-putting, with the not speaking English not really being a good enough reason to do so.

Yet, overall, it was a really good episode, and I look forward to where things are going from here: Are the two time lines/realities going to merge at some point? For how long are we going to go back and forth between these two realities? In some ways, I picture it not lasting very long – maybe a few episodes. I could see it being like last season and how the Island skipping through time stopped after a handful of episodes. But I could also see it going the rest of the season – but will they have enough there to hold our interest? That's one thing the LOST creative team is usually good at, so I suspect they will.

DUTCH THEORY
I believe when Juliet was talking to Sawyer before she died – when she seemed to be out of it, and Sawyer was hurt and confused – I think we will discover that she was actually consciously traveling through the two realities at this point. And, on some future episode, during what I've been calling the L.A. time line, though this particular scene may take place in Miami, or anywhere – we will hear that version of Juliet (after all, in that reality, like Desmond, she likely never went to the Island) tell James, “We can get coffee sometime,” … “We can go dutch.” In another words, in that separate reality, I see Sawyer and Juliet finding each other again, and falling in love, as if they were destined to be together. Is that too hopeful of me?

COMING UP: Soon … as promised earlier … “Sherlock Holmes” … a profound mystery or a waste of time? Or something in the middle?

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O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Something happened in the 13 years between “Raising Arizona” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”: The Coen brothers learned a thing or two about how to make a good – and at times, brilliant – absurd comedy.

The story itself, on the surface, doesn't necessarily sound like it's anything better than the first film: Convict Everett (George Clooney) escapes the prison yard, but he's chained to friends and fellow prisoners, Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), so he must take them along. Once free from prison, they search for a hidden treasure while the law pursues them.

But deeper than that, it's really a clever retelling of Homer's epic poem “The Odyssey” – set in the Depression-era deep South. There's really some clever bits, as classic parts of the tale are woven into this unlikely setting. The film's greatest scene involves the three sirens (Mia Tate, Musetta Vander and Christy Taylor). It's both provocative and funny.

And it leads to one of the film's greatest lines. When Delmar – after discovering a toad in Pete's discarded clothing the next morning – says, “Can't you see it? Them sirens did this to Pete. They loved 'em up and turned him into a horny toad.”

And there's quite a few wonderful one-liners here that bring laugh-out-loud moments to “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” That's already one area where the film is far superior to the Cohen brothers' work from 12 years earlier.

Another way in which “O Brother” succeeds where “Raising Arizona” failed miserably is with its quirky characters. There's both more depth – and more humor – in the folks we meet on this journey.

Nelson's Delmar is a loveable dolt who carries around a toad, hoping to save his friend. Clooney's Everett is a man who promises big ideas but whose heart may be elsewhere. John Goodman nicely plays Big Dan Teague, a conniving one-eyed Bible salesman who sells “the truth” because there's “damn good money” in it during these times. There's also George Nelson (Michael Badalucco), who plays a crazed bank robber who feels he was “born to raise hell.”Badalucco blends wonderfully from laugh-out-loud nuttiness to a man dwelling on the emptiness of a life unfulfilled.

There's more characters too who each have their own quirks and humanity, and each of the actors seem perfectly cast, naturally finding the tone of these oddballs. But it's best not to spoil the experience too much.

Of course, the Cohens do their own share of spoiling the experience a bit. There are quite a few moments where the humor is quite dry and reminiscent of their earlier work, “Raising Arizona” (read: not funny). And, as often happens with stories that are all about the journey, the journey itself drags things down at times. The pace meanders a bit slowly at parts, but there's enough quirkiness strewn about to make it a worthwhile venture.

“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” may perhaps be the Cohen brothers' best film, depending on how one weighs such things. Both “Fargo” and “The Big Lebowski” probably have an overall better pace, but “O Brother” has a more creative story – a unique way of looking at a classic. These other two films perhaps have more jokes that work overall, but the jokes of “O Brother” work better – and are usually funnier. It's not a wonderful film, but it's a big leap above “Raising Arizona” and “No Country for Old Men.”

COMING UP: Two upcoming posts – not sure which will be first yet – for LOST fans, I'll take a look at “LA X,” the Season Six premiere; and I'll also uncover the mystery of whether I enjoyed “Sherlock Holmes.”

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GROUNDHOG GREATNESS!

Happy Groundhog Day everyone! And what's that mean? Oscar nominations are out! Oh, and something else... what was it? I can't remember. Oh, yeah, I think a show I'm somewhat partial to may be returning today for its final season.

To mark the day, a few words about groundhogs (I mean, LOST). (Don't worry, movie buffs, I will eventually do a post on the Oscar nominations as well).

THE NUMBERS
No, believe it or not, I don't mean: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Instead, I want to take a brief look at some stats involved in my top 42 moments.

So, for the 42 moments, 5 came from Season One, 8 came from Two, 11 came from Three, and both Four and Five had 9 moments apiece. So, Three has the most, but Four and Five have a pretty strong showing as well, especially considering those were shorter seasons than the first three. This may be partially skewed, as these are the seasons that are brighter in the fog of memory. But I think another reason – perhaps a bigger reason – is that Season Three is when answers really started to come forth and things started to take crazy turns, which made for some really enticing moments.

There were seven episodes* with multiple moments, and they were as follows:
Through the Looking Glass (3.22) – 3 moments
The Shape of Things to Come (4.09) – 3 moments
The Constant (4.05) – 2 moments
The Man Behind the Curtain (3.20) – 2 moments
The Man from Tallahassee (3.13) – 2 moments
The Incident (5.16) – 2 moments
Whatever Happened, Happened (5.11) – 2 moments

* Though, it should be noted, if it weren't for a couple of cheats, “There's No Place Like Home” (4.13) would've wound up with multiple moments (and likely more than three), and “Orientation” (2.03) would've wound up with two moments.

But just looking at the seven episodes that truly had multiple moments on the Top 42 list, three come from Season Three, and two each come from Seasons Four and Five. And, on top of that, three of the top 5 moments (with two of those being from the same episode) were from Season Three.

Could this mean the season that started out so weakly overall and the season that includes my least favorite episode (“Stranger in a Strange Land”) could possibly be my favorite season?

HONORABLE MENTIONS
There are many moments that didn't quite make my list of Top 42 that I wish had – and had I done the ranking on another day, they may very well have done so. So, I'd like to do a quick shout-out to those “honorable mention” moments. In order from when they first happened on the show:

Charlie rescues he and Jack from a cave-in. (1.07 The Moth) First time Charlie is shown as heroic, despite previously getting in the way a lot.

Sayid meets Rousseau. (1.09 Solitary). We also finally meet that French woman from the broadcast our Losties heard back in the pilot episode … and she's been on the Island for 16 years; she's gotta be nuts!

Desmond turns the key and the hatch implodes. (2.23 Live Together, Die Alone) Wow! The button-pressing did mean something, but there goes the hatch we've been focusing on for so long!

The arctic station, and Penny's looking for Desmond. (2.23 Live Together, Die Alone) After the hatch implodes, two men stationed somewhere in an arctic climate notice an anomaly. They make a phone call – to Desmond's Penelope! Whoa!

Hurley “cons” Sawyer into being a nice person. (3.15 Left Behind) It's funny and sweet. Such is Hurley.

Ben asks, “So?” (4.13 There's No Place Like Home) It's in response to Locke telling him that he just killed everyone on the freighter. It's funny and so Ben!

Sawyer and Jack talk leadership qualities in Dharmaville. (5.09 Namaste) Sawyer calmly puts Jack in his place by telling him he wasn't a good leader because he didn't think things through before he acted. Go Sawyer!

HOPES FOR THE FINAL SEASON
Let's answer some questions! I don't expect all questions to be answered, but here's some – off the top of my head – that I would like to see addressed (in no particular order): Why was Libby in a mental institution? Is Jacob good or evil? Who is the man in black, and is he good or evil? What is the smoke monster; is it the man in black; can it take the form of dead people? Why can't pregnant women give birth on the Island, and why have their been exceptions? What's Jack's dad's role in all of this? Where is Claire and what has she been up to? Can the time line be changed? Why did Jacob select these people? Why doesn't Richard Alpert age? How old is Alpert? When and how did he arrive on the Island?

CINEMA CERVELLO'S PLAN FOR SEASON 6
For those of you who used to read my previous blog last year, the plan for LOST Season Six is virtually the same as it was for Season Five. For those of you who aren't familiar with what I did for Season Five, basically I intend on writing a review/analysis of each new episode of LOST (and post it here) – sort of my own personal commentary and reaction that may be coupled with theories and questions. But you should allow me a few days to write the commentary.

When it gets posted will vary, depending on my work schedule, my life, etc. I will aim to have the commentary up for an episode by the Saturday following the episode (but it may be sooner or later). For sure, I'd like the episode commentary to be up in enough time for people to read it before the next new episode airs, so I'd say Monday evenings are what I'd consider the absolute latest I'd like to have these posted.

So tune into LOST and come back to Cinema Cervello to hear my thoughts.

COMING UP: For those of you non-LOST people, another movie review will be coming up shortly. I try to better nail down my opinion of the Coen brothers as I review O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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TOP 42 MOMENTS OF LOST: THE TOP 6

TOMORROW LOST IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!! Let's reflect again, shall we?
What's this all about?
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 42-37
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 36-31
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 30-25
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 24-19
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 18-13
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 12-7

For today's six moments, I've included a photo for each one. And, now, the moment we've all been waiting for (OK, humor me), Cinema Cervello's Top 6 moments of LOST … Drum roll, please ….

6. “It's never been easy!” OK, so this is the other cheat, but more on that in a bit. Someone recently asked me if I could pinpoint at what moment I fell in love with LOST. The answer, in some ways, surprised even me. In some ways, I would've expected that moment to have been a Season One moment. Indeed, I thought I loved the show in Season One, but I think it was like a high school relationship: You think you're in love, until later, upon reflection, you realize you were not. So, now after five seasons of LOST and as the sixth and final season quickly approaches, I now realize the true moment in which I fell in love with the show was actually in early Season Two with this famous Jack-Locke exchange that still resonates strongly with me:
LOCKE: If it's not real, then what are you doing here, Jack? Why did you come back? Why do you find it so hard to believe?
JACK: Why do you find it so easy?
LOCKE: It's never been easy!
As Locke is trying to convince Jack to push the button in the Hatch for the first time, these simple words set up the foundation for the show to come: the Jack/Locke struggle, the faith/reason struggle. But those four words – “It's never been easy!” – really ring out, for it's all about how faith is a struggle, a process, and it shows how some people without faith believe that people with faith are taking some sort of easy way out – that they never actually struggle with their beliefs. For three short lines, it's really a phenomenal exploration of the core of these characters, which will be explored in the seasons to come.
Now I said that this moment was a bit of a cheat, so now I'll come to how it's a bit of a cheat. First of all, some of you may have noticed the photo. In case you've been too long away from the show and have forgotten what they look like, no that's not John Locke and Jack fighting over whether or not to push the button. Those are the two polar bears shown in the Swan's orientation film. And there's the cheat: I'm combining the “It's never been easy!” moment with the moment in which Jack and Locke first viewed the orientation film. In some ways, this is a bigger cheat than the previous one, because these two moments are separated by quite a bit of other moments; but in some ways it's a smaller cheat, because it's only combining two moments. But ultimately, the two moments are interrelated, and they were ranking near each other when I had them separated, so I felt it was OK – and probably best – to simply combine them and allow for another moment to be included.
And the first viewing of the orientation film I see as LOST's first game-changer. For, to me, this is where LOST started to venture toward the science fiction. Prior to that, I would've called it a supernatural drama or fantasy – but I wouldn't have classified it as sci-fi. But once the Dharma Initiative was introduced, and it seemed that their may be a (pseudo) scientific explanation for just about every odd thing on the show (like the polar bears on island), then it started to enter that genre. And, while I'd been weary of that genre in the past and had even thought about how I didn't want LOST to go in that direction, the moment it happened, I welcomed it with open arms. That orientation film simply floored me, and I was along for the ride.
So, I know what some of you may be thinking … if this is the moment I first fell in love with the show shouldn't it be No. 1? Or at least in the top 5? Well, the moments that follow simply helped to reinforce and prove that love (you will note that they all take place in episodes after this one) (2.03 Orientation)

5. Sawyer avenges his parents' deaths on the Black Rock. Since Season One, we had been waiting for Sawyer to have closure on his parents' deaths – for him to show that letter to the man who conned his mother and then to kill him. Who would've believed that it would happen right on the Island? I remember when a friend of mine first predicted (way back) that Anthony Cooper was “the real Sawyer.” I must admit, it was a theory I hadn't thought of, but as soon as she said it, I believed it wholeheartedly, and it was simply awesome when that was confirmed. And it was chilling – yet oddly comforting – to see Sawyer find his dark soul eased some with the revenged he'd been waiting for years to enact. (3.19 The Brig)

4. “Not Penny's boat.” Charlie's death. It was one of the most (if not the most) emotional and moving deaths of a character I've seen on a TV show. It's hard not to weep when watching it. And to end on that heroic note – quickly scrawling “Not Penny's Boat” on his hand – simply added to the beauty of it all. But what I cherish most about this moment – is his final act: doing the sign of the cross just before he dies. For what it's worth, Charlie Pace – who had a bit of a tortured soul and sometimes made some big mistakes – found redemption at his end. And that is what LOST is all about. (3.22 Through the Looking Glass)

3. Hurley the hero, Sayid the neck-breaker, Sawyer the killer. While, after the Season 3 finale aired, everyone was either talking about Charlie's death (which clearly I loved) or Jack shouting “We've got to go back!” and the whole flashforward thing (moment #13), my favorite moment from the episode that I kept wanting to discuss started with a van approaching and ended with a bullet to the chest for one of the top Others. These couple of minutes remain, for me, the most exhilarating, edge-of-your-seat times of all of LOST. Add to that the fact that it says a bit about the characters, and it's simply easily for me one of LOST's best moments ever. Sawyer and Juliet wondering how they can save Jin, Sayid and Bernard from Others – Tom, Pryce and Jason. They hear something from behind (I shouted out at this moment “It's Hurley in the Dharma van!”), and sure enough, Hurley races forward in the Dharma van and runs over and kills Pryce. Tom dives out of the way. Sawyer grabs Pryce's gun. Jason is distracted, and Sayid (using only his feet, because he's tied up and unarmed, mind you) knocks Jason down and breaks his neck. Juliet grabs Tom's gun and he surrenders. But Sawyer shoots him in the chest, saying, “That's for taking the kid on the raft.” It was all simply awesome. And, again it was also about the characters: Hurley shunning aside people's perceptions of him, and choosing instead to be a hero, despite the fact that he was feeling unwanted; Sayid proving yet again how he's quite the force to be reckoned with; Sawyer – who just three episodes prior to this (see #5) found some closure by avenging his parents' deaths – finds more closure via killing by ending a vendetta that began when Tom and co. blew up the raft and kidnapped Walt. At one point in Season 2, Sawyer told Tom (before we knew his real name), “You and me ain't done yet, Zeke.” The only thing that would've made this moment better – and who knows, it may have even climbed up to No. 2 had this happened – is if Sawyer had said, after shooting Tom, “We're done now, Zeke.” These were two dark moments for Sawyer, but they were moments he needed to have before becoming the man he has become by Season 5. (3.22 Through the Looking Glass)

2. Ben murders Locke. Wow! Once again, I was literally at the edge of my seat this entire scene. First, Locke is trying to hang himself, but Ben interrupts, and they have this powerful conversation, as Ben convinces Locke that he can't die, that he has work to do, and that his efforts to convince his friends to come back to the Island have actually started to work. He talks Locke – who was at his most pathetic – out of committing suicide, and what's more is Ben seemed so absolutely sincere as he did it. But how quickly many of us forget who Ben truly is. He's a master manipulator, and once he's convinced Locke to live and gotten that crucial bit of information, in one quick motion, he moves to strangle Locke. Locke grasping desperately. Ben looking merciless. And that after Locke's death – Ben quietly moves about cleaning the place up, making it look like that Locke had indeed hanged himself. And it's all topped off with Ben's great line (that once again seems so genuine; and maybe this time it was, since no one alive was actually there to hear it, so it wasn't necessarily about manipulation): “I'll miss you, John. I really will.” Then why did you just ruthlessly murder him, Ben? But asking such questions to the screen will rarely result in answers. But this dark, chilling, and in some ways, moving moment still affects me as I think back on it. (5.07 The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham)

1. Desmond and Penny talk at last! Tears may or may not have been shed here. But, if said tears did appear, they were tears of joy. It's so great that my No. 1 moment of LOST is a happy one for me, considering there's not much happiness to go around on that Island, and perhaps that's part of the reason it is No. 1, for it's hopeful and sweet. Despite the fact that Desmond was oftentimes a fool in his pursuit of Penny (I'll certainly admit to this), I always rooted for their relationship. I always saw their love as a tragic one – the two were soul mates who were cruelly torn apart from each other. I was overjoyed to learn that Penny was looking for Desmond at the end of Season 2. And I was excited again to see she and Charlie talk – with Desmond not too far away – at the end of Season 3. I kept wanting their reunion (which, for me, shockingly occurred as early as the end of Season 4). But it always seemed hopeless. Tragic. Utterly depressing, really. Until that call. Until Desmond – coming back from a recent time skip – calls Penny in London. A call she's been wondering for 8 years if it'd actually come. She answers. And that alone shows the greatness of Penny: She has been incredibly patient, incredibly loyal. When many others would have (understandably) so long ago turned away, she answers the phone. The declarations of love. The vows. A promise to never give up searching. A promise that they'd be together again. Incredibly touching. Incredibly lovely. But, above all, it was hopeful. In a show with a lot of darkness (not that I'm complaining about that), such hope is a bright, golden light. And it came for Desmond, one of my top 5 favorite characters; and it was all made possible by Sayid, another of my top 5 favorite characters. In conclusion, to sum up why this moment makes my No. 1, I'll quote Desmond himself when Sayid asks how Desmond's doing after the phone call ends. Perhaps it can be said to describe the moment as much as it describes Des' feelings: “Aye, I'm perfect.” (4.05 The Constant)

COMING UP: A brief analysis of what the moments chosen mean for me and the show as a whole, honorable mentions, and hopes and plans for Season Six – all on the day Season Six is set to premiere. Stay tuned to Cinema Cervello!

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TOP 42 MOMENTS OF LOST: Nos. 12-7

It's already February tomorrow. What does that mean? Hmmmm... only two more days til LOST. And we are getting to quite the big moments here as we look back.
What's this all about?
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 42-37
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 36-31
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 30-25
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 24-19
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 18-13

But you want some new, juicy moments, right? Without further ado, for moments 12 through 7 we have ...

12. Keamy kills Alex. While Alex was never one of my top characters, her death just came so suddenly, so shockingly, so emotionally, it's hard for me to not consider one of the show's better moments. From her tearfully pleading to her father to Ben virtually denying her to Keamy's pulling of the trigger, there's a huge impact in the silence that follows. And it makes us feel a bit sorry for Ben, even though he's been shown as evil and merciless and even though he basically taunted Keamy into killing her. Yet the look on his face still pains me. (4.09 The Shape of Things to Come)

11. Sun learns Jin is the father of her baby. When Juliet tells Sun that her baby was conceived on the Island, it's so very emotional for both women. Sun is overjoyed – knowing that her husband, the man she's rediscovered her love for is the father of her unborn child; yet she's also full of fear and sorrow, knowing that pregnant women who conceived on Island always wind up dying before their child is born. Juliet, too, is on her own coast of emotions – filled with happiness and pride to be able to share some “good” news with one of her “on-Island patients” and also hopelessness, guilt and grief knowing that she's essentially signed Sun's death warrant. It's just: Wow. The performances Elizabeth Mitchell and Yunjin Kim are exceptional. It had easily been Kim's best work to date on the show, until about a year later (in a moment that may or may not be coming up on this list soon. Very soon), she outshone herself again. (3.18 D.O.C.)

10. Ben confronts Widmore in London. I remember when I first saw “The Shape of Things to Come.” After Ben summoning the smoke monster, Ben and Sayid's chat, Alex being killed, as the episode was nearing an end, I literally had this thought in my mind (It was about the time Ben was getting out of the cab in London): “It can't get any better than this.” I was wrong. I simply loved that first, on-screen verbal interaction between Benjamin Linus and Charles Widmore. Here's the end of it:
WIDMORE: Have you come here to kill me, Benjamin?
BEN: We both know I can't do that.
WIDMORE: Then why are you here?
BEN: I'm here, Charles, because you murdered my daughter.
WIDMORE: Don't stand there, looking at me with those horrible eyes of yours and lay the blame for the death of that poor girl on me, when we both know very well I didn't murder her at all, Benjamin. You did.
BEN: No, that's not true.
WIDMORE: Yes, Benjamin, it is. You creep into my bedroom in the dead of night--like a rat--and have the audacity to pretend that you're the victim? (Widmore leans forward.) I know who you are, boy. What you are. I know that everything you have you took from me. So... Once again I ask you: Why are you here?
BEN: I'm here, Charles, to tell you that I'm going to kill your daughter. Penelope, is it? And once she's gone... once she's dead... then you'll understand how I feel. And you'll wish you hadn't changed the rules.
WIDMORE: You'll never find her. (Ben turns to leave.) That island's mine, Benjamin. It always was. It will be again.
BEN: (Turning) But you'll never find it.
WIDMORE: Then I suppose the hunt is on for both of us.
BEN: I suppose it is. Sleep tight, Charles. Reading this scene over now after having seen “The Incident”
It's interesting to re-look at this conversation after talk between Jacob and the man in black (see moment #39), and some things stick out. Ben tells Widmore he can't kill him; the man in black speaks of wanting to kill Jacob but needing a loophole to do it. Are Ben and Widmore the modern-day Jacob and the man in black? Either way, this was a fitting name for this episode, because this conversation in particular was shaping the future of our show. This conversation really sets up a great war between Charles Widmore and Benjamin Linus, and I'm looking forward to seeing exactly how that plays out in LOST's final season. (4.09 The Shape of Things to Come)

9. The heartbreaking/heartwarming/strange rescue of the Oceanic 6. OK. This is the one where I cheat quite a bit. At one point, I had this one divided into quite a few different moments, including: Sawyer jumps from the helicopter; “You can go now, Michael”/Freighter explodes; the Island disappears; and Penny rescues the Oceanic 6, reuniting with Desmond. But in ranking these, many of these moments (but not necessarily all) were ranking quite near each other (at least 2 were back to back), and I was having to make sacrifices that I didn't really like doing on the other end of the list, so I finally just decided to combine these into one mega-moment: the rescue of the Oceanic 6 and all that entailed. I'm OK with doing that for two main reasons: 1. These smaller moments were all interrelated and took place probably over a 30-minute (give or take) span, and 2. It allowed for the inclusion of other nice moments. And, as a whole, this big sequence of events that makes up the Oceanic 6's rescue runs the gamut of emotions, from moving heroism of Sawyer as he gives up rescue for the others' rescue; to the odd yet humorous exchange between Christian Shepard (after he suddenly appears on the freighter) and Michael (“You can go now, Michael”/“Who are you?”); to the heartrending pain of Sun's emotional breakdown over seeing Jin likely die on the exploding freighter (it's quite the remarkable performance by Yunjin Kim; easily her best to date); to the mind-blowing wow of the Island suddenly disappearing; the the wonderful, loving moment when Penny's boat comes to the rescue and the two lovers – who've been torn apart for years – are reunited. Really, there's pretty much everything you could ask for during these sequences leading up to – and including – the now-famous rescue, and who would've thought – back in Season One – that we would see a few of our main characters getting rescued off the Island with still two seasons left to go in the show? (4.13 There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 and 3)

8. Locke revealed in a wheelchair. I knew before ever even watching one episode of LOST that there was a character who had been paralyzed and was inexplicably able to walk again after crashing on the Island (Indeed, it's why I started watching the show – because that premise closely matched the premise of my senior film at Chapman University). I can't remember if I was told it was Terry O'Quinn's character, or if that part was just easy to figure out once you knew someone had once been paralyzed. But I knew from the beginning John Locke was paralyzed. So, the big reveal at the end of “Walkabout” – seeing that John Locke was actually confined to a wheelchair before crashing on the Island – wasn't as much of a shocker for me as it was for most others, but it's still a pivotal, classic moment that deserves a high spot on the list. It's quite possible it would've wound up higher up (maybe even in the top 5) had I not known going into the show, but still it's in the top 10, which is pretty high for a show with so many wonderful moments, and I'm happy with its placement. (1.04 Walkabout)

7. Juliet detonates the bomb. (or did she?) Who didn't get emotional seeing a bloodied, broken Juliet using the last of her energy to pound away at the core of Jughead, hoping to detonate the bomb? And whose mind didn't contemplate what it meant when the screen went to white and, instead of the usual white lettering of LOST on a black background, it was reversed – the first time showing the LOST lettering in black over a white screen? Elizabeth Mitchell does a great job here, showing the emotion behind her desire to detonate the bomb. And, watching it, it's hard not to think back to her tearful line to Sawyer earlier in the episode: “If I never meet you, then I never have to lose you.” So sad. We love you, Juliet! (5.16 The Incident)

COMING UP: From the f-word to the p-word. Another cheat, but we've got the moment where I first fell in love with LOST, and THEN we get to the top 5. There's love, revenge, heroism and murder.

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TOP 42 MOMENTS OF LOST: Nos. 18-13

Sorry this post is a little late, but it's still before midnight. Now down to only 3 days. Whoa. Ready for more reflection?
What's this all about?
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 42-37
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 36-31
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 30-25
Top 42 Moments of LOST: 24-19

And, of course, as usual, six new ones for today, so moments 18 through 13 are ...

18. Alpert first revealed in the 1970s. When Ben as a young boy sees Richard Alpert looking a very similar age to present day Richard Alpert, my mind practically exploded. Ever since then, the apparent agelessness of Alpert has captivated me, and it still has yet to be given a full answer. From where and when did Alpert come from? Here he tells Ben to be patient (easy to say, coming from a man who doesn't age, but young Ben doesn't know that); that he'll be able to join the “Hositles” (“Do you even know what that word means?”) soon. And, of course, we all know what happens when that happens. (3.20 The Man Behind the Curtain)

17. Group divides. Were you Team Locke or Team Jack? That seemed to be the question after the premiere for Season 4 when our Losties divided up between whom they were going to follow. So did LOST fans divide themselves. For a long time these two central characters have been like opposing forces (faith vs. science), but here is where it caused the friction, as friends separated from friends, deciding whether to join Jack in the hopes of getting rescue or to join Locke for fear of being killed by the supposed rescuers. The moment starts when Jack pointing Locke's own gun at him. But Locke tries calling him on it, saying, “You're not going to shoot me, Jack, any more than I was gonna shoot ...” Jack pulls the trigger, but the gun just clicks. Locke looks up in pathetic surprise and simply says, “It's not loaded.” The Locke gives an impassioned plea about how anything he has ever done he's done for the best interest of everyone. He talks about his plan to get protecting in the Barracks, and just when it seems no one is going to listen to him, that no one is going to follow him, Hurley gives a moving speech about Charlie and how, in his dying moments, he took the time to warn them all. Hurley joins Locke. Claire and Aaron join Locke. Some others join Locke. But perhaps the most human mometn comes when Sawyer goes to join Locke, and Kate asks him what he's doing. He turns to her, with a sweet look in his eyes, and says, “Same thing I've always done, Kate. Survin'” It gets me every time, much like Hurley's speech before it. In a time of division, some powerful character qualities surface. (4.01 The Beginning of the End)

16. Sayid and Ben chat in Iraq. After seeing this episode, I replayed this scene again and again. There was something about this interaction that I just cherished – it's two of my favorite characters having a conversation about grief, anger and the unspoken word: revenge. But, through it all, Ben's simply manipulating Sayid. And Sayid – the best judge of character; the one who knew from episode 2.14 that Ben was evil (Moment #38) – had been duped by Benjamin Linus. It just goes to show how deep his grief was; how much he loved Nadia: It clouded his judgment and made him not see how Ben was toying with him. I'd even memorized a couple of the lines from the exchange for awhile. Anyway, here it is, the conversation in its compelling entirety:
BEN: That should do it. (He beings to walk away)
SAYID: Wait. Where do you think you're going?
BEN: We're finished here, Sayid. Turn around and walk away. Mourn your loss. Get on with your life.
(Ben turns to leave again)
SAYID: I have no life. They took it from me.
**BEN: Go home, Sayid. Once you let your grief become anger, it will never go away. I speak from experience. This is my war. It's not yours.
(BEN tries to leave once more, but Sayid stops him)
**SAYID: I spent the last eight years of my life searching for the woman I love. I finally found her and I married her. And I buried her yesterday. So don't tell me this is not my war. Benjamin … who's next?
BEN: I'll be in touch. (BEN walks away, and as he does, the corners of his mouth curl upward) ** These are the two lines I had memorized for awhile. It's really just a wonderful character bit here, and Michael Emerson and Naveen Andrews both simply do a fantastic job, as always. (4.09 The Shape of Things to Come)

15. Juliet and Sawyer kiss, declare their love in 1977. I remember when I first saw the scene in the Season 4 finale when Sawyer is coming up out of the ocean onto the beach, after having jumped from the helicopter, and seeing Juliet drinking on the beach, my immediate reaction was, “Oh no, writers! You better not hook these two up! You better not go there!” Oh, how wrong I was! The writers, along with Holloway and Elizabeth Mitchell, did a great job building up this relationship throughout Season 5 that not only was it believable when we see Sawyer give Juliet a flower, hear them declare their love for each other, and kiss, but most of us (and I'll admit, that includes me) were rooting for it by that point. I was annoyed with the love triangle and simply angered when it appeared they were adding Juliet as a love interest to Jack to make it a love rectangle. But of all the combinations of this foursome (Jack & Kate, Jack & Juliet, Sawyer & Kate, Sawyer & Juliet), this is the only one I can truly (and proudly) get behind and root for. In fact, I believe Sawyer and Juliet have surpassed even Desmond and Penny for me as my favorite coupling. I only wish we would've gotten more of their (apparently?) doomed relationship. Sayid and Nadia are also another favorite coupling, but there's too little of that relationship to really rank that high. (5.08 La Fleur)

14. Sayid shoots a young Benjamin Linus. He did not just do that! I was thinking something along those lines after seeing Sayid shoot kid Ben. It was the show's version of “if you could go back and time and stop Hitler before he rose to power, would you?” And with it moral questions are raised (in a way only a good time travel story could raise them): Should you be allowed to punish a kid for heinous crimes he has not yet committed and won't for many years? For some, I know it was a little disappointed that this action was simply “reversed” in the next episode. Some, I've read, saw it as the show taking a cheap way out of one of the season's greatest potential game-changers. But, ultimately, I saw it as Sayid – in a domino effect that started with him shooting Ben, Jack refusing to fix him, Kate and Juliet taking him to the Others, where he would lose his innocence, to be cured – played a big role in making young Ben Linus into the evil Benjamin Linus he's come to loathe. And that, to me, is more thought-provoking than some paradox involving killing a young Ben Linus would've been. (5.10 He's Our You)

13. “We've got to go back.” Zap2It's No. 1 moment. And probably easily in a lot of people's top 5. It's certainly a “wow!” moment and a true game-changer. Need I describe that more? All I really want to say about Jack's shouting “We've got to go back!” at the end of Season 3 is that it may have been a lot closer to the top of my list – may have even made my No. 1 like Zap2It – if it had been characters other than Jack and Kate. Still, though it was a big wow, so I'll happily put it as No. 13. (3.22 Through the Looking Glass)

COMING UP: Admittedly, I cheat quite a bit on one of tomorrow's moments, but moments 12 through 7 (which include two from one episode that is neither a season premiere nor finale) really take us on an extreme emotional roller coaster ride.

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