Re: Pops' blog

Trying not to spoil anything, I will respond to a few of Pops's thoughts in his last post. Most of these thoughts I've probably shared at some point, but in reference to Pops' comments, they may be refreshed in significance.

1) As I've stated before, I think Season 2 was my favorite. I plan on restarting my re-watching in earnest shortly, so I'll reevaluate at that point. But the bizarreness of the Hatch and the introduction of some of my favorite characters, including Desmond and Eko.

2) I agree (as do most LOST fans) that season 3 was the weakest of the five. It was a slight (though probably unavoidable) cop-out to introduce a large cast of additional characters, living unnoticed, in a fully formed and civilized community nonetheless, just miles from the survivors. Some of them I did grow to like. In particular Ben, who thanks in large part to Michael Emerson's brilliance, was formed into one of the most important characters, a role he has continued up to the current time. Juliet was a frustrating character for me at first; her mysterious teetering character was overwrought at the onset, but has also grown to be a favorite and important character. But most of the Others failed as interesting characters with me and other viewers, so it's no surprise that few of them were left after the season. The first episode, I agree, was a complete shakeup and effectively done.

3) Season 4 again introduced a new host of characters, but most of them ultimately succeeded more than most from season 3. The main reason, I believe, is their interconnections with each other and the past lives of characters we have already known. They seemed a more natural fit to the overall arc of the series, with a sense that the writers had a better idea of their importance to the series as a whole from the onset. Daniel Faraday in particular, also brilliantly portrayed, catapulted almost immediately to the top of my favorites list.

The slow unfurling of the Widmore-Ben saga was effective, and seemed to set the stage for many future reveals, instilling an unshakable sense that something much larger than the sum of the individual characters' lives was in play the whole time. I also grew to enjoy Charlotte's character, and after seeing him morph through season five, Miles as well has become a well-loved character in the LOST community. Season 4 also contained what still believe to be the best episode of the series, "The Constant."

The use of flash-forwards was an innovative solution to keeping the intrigue of the series up, without relying on the same largely doomed techniques of season 3. Michael's 'reincarnation' (not literal) as Kevin Johnson was an ok twist, but his whole arc rang hollow to me; he just isn't interesting. Also, I wholeheartedly agree with Pops' assessment of "Ji Yeon"; it was a transparent and crass attempt at engendering sympathy and surprise, an entirely forgettable episode. All in all, a successful season, for it's well-formed and fully-committed delving into time travel, successful integration of characters, and explosive yet measured action; a great setup for season 5.