Thursday, January 21, 2010

Lost: Best Episodes - Season 2

Let's jump right into the best episodes of Lost Season 2

LOST SEASON 2 BEST EPISODES


Season Two picked up right where Season 1 had left off. The opening scene is one of the best of the series. I think Season Two is the best overall season. It provides this raw suspense, you really want to know what is happening next, but there are still great flashbacks and character development. I see it almost being split into three parts, or three main story arcs or themes. First would be the discovering of the hatch coupled with Michael, Jin, and Sawyer getting back with everyone, culminating in the death of Shannon. The second is a set of very good episodes exploring a single character and developing them. The third arc is about Henry Gale aka Ben, leading to the betrayal by Michael and the capture of Kate, Jack, and Sawyer. The longer story arcs really, really make you watch and want to know what will happen next. The single character shows are the ones that are more enjoyable when watching a second or third time. It doesn’t seem like much happens, but oh, it does.

New Characters: Ben, Eko, Bernard, Libby, Desmond, Alex, Tom, Penny, Charles Widmore, DHARMA

I have to give honorable mention to What Kate Did, The Hunting Party, and One of Them

6. Season 2 Episode 13 – The Long Con

Island: The crew has finally met the "others" and Jack wants to attack them. But no one else is really on board. Sun is attacked in the jungle and this fires everyone up to go after the "Others". Locke has Sawyer hide the guns, but Sawyer ends up taking them.

Flashback: Sawyer does a Long Con with a woman named Cassidy. He ends up falling for her, but ends up still betraying her in the end.

This is definitely the best Sawyer episode. This is Sawyer at his best, or worst, but we also see signs of some redeeming qualities in him. The episode is so much more layered than my little summary. There is the further rift between Locke and Jack and much of the idea about the long con – having someone else think what you want them to do is there idea – has a lot to do with Ben, the "others", and even Jacob.

5. Episode 10 – The 23rd Psalm

Island: Charlie takes Eko to the plane and Eko finds his dead brother Yemi, tells Charlie he is a priest.

Flashback: Great flashback of Mr. Eko as a child, then a brutal gangster, then Yemi saving Eko.

This is definitely also in the category of single character episode. Nothing really has too big of an impact on the rest of the series, but it give you what you want, more information about Mr. Eko. Reciting the 23rd psalm was a bit melodramatic. The flashbacks are really the best part of the episode here. Oh, and Eko confronts the Smoke Monster. Yes!




4. Episode 3 – Orientation

Island: Jack and Locke learn more about the Hatch in the DHARMA Initiative video. Desmond flees.

Flashback: Locke meets Helen and tries to get over what his father did to him.

Orientation just builds off the steam of the first two episodes. You really, really want to know what the island is, what the hatch is, why they have to push the button. What you get is this awesome, grainy orientation film, which, like any good piece of Lost, raises more questions than are answers. Great scenes with Locke and Jack and Desmond and Jack. This one really continues to get you hooked. Would you push the button?


3. Episode 7 – The other 48 Days

Island: Shannon has just been killed

Flashback: Pretty much the entire episode is the flashbacks of the tail section survivors.

Watching this episode seems to happen in 10 minutes. So much is happening. You really want to take in every single piece. I think it was brilliant to introduce the tail section people slowly over 4 or 5 episodes and then give them this feature. You again have all the intensity and chaos of the first episode of the series. You have many similar things that happened over the course of season one happening in this 45 minutes episode. We see how Eko got his stick, we see our first glimpses of the others, see some redeeming qualities in Ana Lucia, and we see where the fear that these people have has come from. The best bits are Ana thinking this guy is an "other" but being wrong and then finally confronting Goodwin and killing him. Yes. Action packed!


2. Episode 1 – Man of Science. Man of Faith

Island: Jack, Kate, and Locke enter the hatch.

Flashback: Jack saving Sarah and the miracle that heals her. Oh and a great scene with Jack and Christian and Jack and Desmond?

Well, starting the season with a bang indeed. This was one of those episodes that you did not want to end. You wanted to learn as much as possible. And I have to mention the awesome beginning sequence, one of the best scenes of the series – check it out. I love the camera scan up the hatch mirroring the camera scan down the in season one's finale.

You are really in the same position as the characters. You want to know what this hatch is, what this place is, who his weird dude is. There is so much suspense, you don't even care that the fate of the raft is not addressed. So much suspense! It was pretty much a toss up between this ep and the my choice for #1. Oh, and even the title is great. Is it referring to John and Jack, Desmond and Jack, Desmond and John, Jack and his father, all of them? Very nice. And the song "Make your own kind of music" applies to Locke and Desmond, maybe Charles and Ben.


1. Episode 23 – Live Together, Die Alone

Island: Wow, just watch it.

Flashback: Pretty much everything you need to know about Desmond – how he got to the island and why, what he did on the island and in the hatch, and what happened the day of the plane crash


Seriously, this episode is full of action, too full of action to summarize. You have a "breaking of the fellowship" of sorts. (I could really extend this metaphor, but will hold back) Everyone is off doing their own thing – getting Walt, stopping the button from being pushed, finding weird statues. One thing I remember from watching it the first time, is that even though it was a trap, I really thought Jack and Sayid would save the day. Then all of a sudden they are tasered and caught. The hatch/button scene was great as well, lots of emotion and action. Great flashbacks! One drawback was that the final scene was Claire kissing Charlie – lame. But what put it over #2 on our list was the awesomeness that happened right before and right after Desmond turned the key. Especially love all the magnetic stuff and Desmond's leap of faith.



Best Season Two Scenes:

Obviously the first scene of episode one and the climax of the final episode

Crazy raw emotion from Mr. Eko when he finds his brother

There are loads of intense Jack scenes, but I'm not sure if anything is as emotional as when he learns Sarah is leaving him in The Hunting Party

Locke's finding the crazy map in Lockedown

Adrift – Michael and Sawyer finding Jin escaping and when the ask him what is – "Others"

What Kate Did – Scene with her adopted father, another great layered episode

Abandoned – Shannon getting shot by Ana-Lucia, Michael asking the Tailies "What happened to you people?" and Ana telling shedding a bit of light on their story

Collision – the reunion of Jin and Sun and Rose and Bernard – one of the best scenes of the series

Two for the Road – Michael shooting Ana Lucia and Libby

All of Ben's Crazy manipulation of Locke

Orientation:

Jack: Don't. It's not real. Look, you want to push the button, you do it yourself.
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!

The Long Con: Music on the radio with Sayid and Hurley - foreshadowing season 5 time travel?

Live Together – Michael: "Who are you people?"

Ben: "We’re the good guys"


Unnecessary Connections and reveals:

Locke being Nadia's home inspector

Libby at the mental institution with Hurley

Libby giving Desmond her husband's boat

The US military guy getting Sayid to torture his fellow prisoner being Desmond's Hatch mate, though it was cool when it was revealed he spoke Arabic.

Kate's Mom as Sawyer's waitress in The Long Con

I'm sure there are more.


Characters Stock Market:

Jin: Moving up quickly

Desmond: Buy now, sharp rise coming soon

Jack: Slowly decreasing

Sawyer: Slowly increasing

Kate: Steady

Locke: Steady

Ana Lucia: volatile

Sayid: Steady

Charlie: Up and Down

Hurley: Stagnant


I would advise you to watch Live Together and Man of Science before the next season starts.

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