I am officially unspoilable, caught up through 6.3. So maybe I should turn this into an “Ask the guy who just now caught up on LOST” thread, although that would be really annoying.
Overall: Season 4 was the peak, I think; there’s been a distinct lack of focus since then. Fionnula Flanagan was a bad casting choice. Jack becomes a less and less believable character as the show progresses. Ditto Kate. Claire intrigues. Christian–wtf? Hurley’s gradually gone from being the most human, solid person, to a series of one-liner comic relief gags.
Drinking game: Take a shot whenever–
–A rifle butt is used as a lazy writer’s plotting shortcut
–Anyone says: “There’s no time to explain! You’re going to have to trust me!”
What other drinking game tropes would you suggest?
I thnk those are excellent points. After a strong start, Jack’s character went off the rails with each passing season. Hurley went from interesting to “the fat funny guy”.
What did you think of Sawyer’s character progression? I thought he went the other way - from a caricature into a character of real depth. And I attribute most of that to the skills of the actor, who has really sold just about everything he’s done on the show. I also suspect that the deterioration in Jack’s character has a lot to do with Matthew Fox’s general lack of range.
Sam Stone - I love what you said here: "
“What did you think of Sawyer’s character progression? I thought he went the other way - from a caricature into a character of real depth. And I attribute most of that to the skills of the actor, who has really sold just about everything he’s done on the show. I also suspect that the deterioration in Jack’s character has a lot to do with Matthew Fox’s general lack of range.”
I agree that Sawyer as a character became more complex, but comparing the two actors I think Fox has more chops than Holloway. True, Holloway was given a more interesting character–a man of mystery who has an odd need to be hated, who grows more sympathetic as he learns how to love. Kinda cliche, but still a juicy character arc for any actor. Fox got the short end of the stick: he starts out as a cliche boyscout carved out of marble and virtue, and as the writers seem to lose interest in him, he simply becomes less coherent as a character. Plus, when your arc starts at the top–the bestest guy in the world AND a doctor–there’s really nowhere to go but down. Sawyer was given the opposite track. But for whatever reason, I tended to buy Fox’s emotional state more easily than Holloway’s mugging. He has two expressions: “Looka my dimples,” and frowny tuff guy.
Yeah, I was thinking, every time Jack turns his face to the side and breaks eye contact, which he does every time he has something difficult to say. Again, you’d be drunk by the first commercial break.