LOST - The Little Prince or The Pain in the Ass Rugrat?

Posted by ScuzzBuster

February 4, 2009

I guess it’s a necessary evil to the development of the plot that we had to take Claire’s rugrat to the mainland. It was an intriguing plot twist during season 4 as the dirty laundry of the Oceanic Six got aired through the flash forwards. Unfortunately, when you utilize a plot device of that magnitude you’re eventually going to have to face it head on at some point. In other words, we’ve utilized Aaron as device to complicate the lives of Kate and Jack and to provide motivations for those characters to have make certain decisions. But now as we flow into the next stage of this story, we have to deal with the tangible character of the kid without severely complicating the show’s ability to generate action and pacing.

Yes, this is me bemoaning the fact that eventually we’re going to have to drag a kid back to the island and deal with it. Throughout the last few season, the infant was always sort of a problem. Every time Claire had to participate in the plot for any reason there she was dumping the kid on Sun. Here were are in season 5 and look where the kid is again now that we need Kate to suddenly be a part of the action. Now we’re faced with the possibility that we’re going to have to drag two rugrats back to that damned island between Sun and Kate. So far, it’s not doing too much harm, but it is concerning.

We did manage to advance both the story on the island as well as the mainland this week. However, I’m also still a little skiddish about them taking this entire season to try and get the Oceanic Six back to the island after we were already given that “70 Hour” deadline. I guess that’s the advantage the writers have by giving themselves this time travel flexibility of the survivors left back on the island. We could literally watch them fly through a lifetime independent in time from the Jack, Ben and the Mainland Crew. I’m going to place my money on this entire season culminating in a dramatic reunion of them all back on the island. The only question is WHEN is the reunion going to take place from a time perspective. Ultimately, events on the island right now are growing to be much more interesting than the mainland saga.

For what it’s worth, here’s my weekly State of Lost Summary:
• See, I Told You It was Schmuck. Last week I posed the question of whether Ben Linus was a Savior or Schmuck. If you bet against me, pay up. I’m actually surprised that they brought the true extent of his schmuckness out so soon (but was there really any doubt?). Now we know, as we really should have guessed, that he is behind the legal pressure that Kate thought she was feeling about Aaron’s true identity. The real question is has Ben Linus played his hand too early by admitting this now? After spending the first couple of episodes building up a multitude of reasons for all of these characters to want to go back to the island here we are three weeks into the season finding out that Kate really isn’t any real jeopardy of losing the kid and that Hugo is probably going to be cleared of any murder charges. Now, next week do we get to see Sun take her shot at Ben Linus, literally?

• French Roast. I guess you can change a lot in 16 years but I’m going to nitpick just a teeny bit on how Rousseau’s appearance as changed. Of course, if the “signal” had been playing for 16 years, I suppose there could be a significant amount of time between the crash itself and her setting up that signal. She was one chubby little French chick in The Little Prince. I’d have to rewatch it I’d guess, but she seems a bit short compared to the Rousseau we’ve come to know and be somewhat nauseated by over the past 4 seasons. Of course, I have to also reach back into my rickety brain or ABC’s Full Episode player and see what if any interaction Rousseau had with Jin to see if there as any indication of recognition there. Is it even worth it? I doubt if the writers had this in mind that far back.

• Speaking of Jin, Shaken and Stirred. Was there ever really any doubt that Jin was going to be coming back? How’s his time-travel readiness? Is he bumping around in the same time frame as Locke, Sawyer and crew? Where’s Kevin Johnson? I mean, if Michael couldn’t die without returning to the island before getting on the freighter, certainly he’s floating around out there, too.

• His Mind is Not For Rent – the drought of Sawyer nicknames is reaching disaster proportions. This brooding, introspective, thoughtful Sawyer must go. I think the only possible relief is to get him hooked up with the French castaways. There is an unexplored vast wonderland of nicknames that could be waiting.

• This Week’s Spin Off Idea: Locke Box! After season 6 concludes, John Locke finally realizes that after all that has happened over the previous several years that it was actually his destiny all along to return to his job and be promoted to a shift supervisor at the Box Factory where we first saw him in season one. Locke Box will be a weekly 30 minute situation comedy. In the pilot episode Locke tries to implement an aggressive idea to double box production at the factory by putting all the employees on rotating 108 minute shifts pushing the production line buttons in the correct sequence. When the president of the company makes a surpise visit to the factory and tells him that his idea is illogical and can’t possibly work, Locke hilariously responds “Don’t Tell Me What I Can’t Do.” Lock narrowly avoids disciplinary action by invoking his right to “reasonable accomodations” for disabled workers on the grounds that he only has one kidney.