It's Day 31 on the Island, and after losing one member of the Tribe another was born, so we still know 19 out of the 45 people alive on the Island.
This episode review is dedicated to Boone. He wasn't my favorite survivor. For much of this season Boone was my least favorite character. I hated Boone. Then he started to redeem himself, and by the end of this episode I was genuinely sad to see him go.
So the writers killed off a main character! Wow. It's a big move, and I think I'll take some time to discuss this choice. I think killing off any character is always a risky choice, because there's the chance that losing that character will hurt the dynamic of the show. I like it when the writers take these risks though, because it raises the stakes of the series. I'm also okay with Boone dying, because I felt like he was an expendable character. Unfortunately that sort of undermines the choice to kill him. It's not a big of a risk to kill off someone who is clearly expendable; he himself made a comment about redshirts earlier in the series. I also suspect that Boone was unpopular with the audience, so again, it's not that big of a risk killing him. It would have been riskier to actually deal with the sexual tension between him and Shannon. I still think killing Boone was the right move for the series, but I'm afraid I don't see it as particularly risky.
"Don't tell me what I can't do!" (The writers have clearly followed by advice by repeating this line with Jack.)
The way Boone died was wonderful though. Right up until the end, I thought Jack was going to find a way to save him. He saved Charlie, I was sure he was going to save Boone. Seeing Jack and Sun have to adapt to their environment and find a way to help Boone was really cool. Pulling off a blood transfusion without medical supplies is pretty bad ass. I was also convinced that Jack would go ahead and amputate Boone's leg. I thought there would be a House like plot where Boone resented Jack for not just letting him go. It was very suspenseful and brutal and terrifying. We were lead to believe by that flashback that Jack wasn't able to let go, and yet when Boone asked him to, he did. He let Boone die.
And the whole time Boone was calling for Shannon, but she never came.
Seeing the romantic getaway Sayid arranged with Shannon was cute, and the fact that it distracted her from being there when Boone died was brutal. I did like that she told Sayid about Boone's feelings for her though. I appreciate honesty. I wonder whether they had sex or not though.
"Hopes. Not expectations"
They didn't come back until morning though.
I've been dreading having to see Claire give birth, and I was glad that they slipped it into this episode. It was beautifully ironic that Claire's son was born at the same time that Boone died. The birthing itself was awkward, and it always is, but I liked seeing Kate have to step up to help her. Jin and Charlie were also hilarious during that scene.
"It's not going to want me."
I love Claire. I love her guilt over not wanting her baby, and her newfound desire to raise him. She's going to be a great mother; she's got such a wonderful heart. I think the problem is going to be that Charlie isn't going to be a naturally good father.
Seeing everyone's joy at the birth of Claire's son was a wonderful scene.
Seeing Shannon break down at the death of her brother was an equally wonderful scene for completely different reasons.
Jack was married! What the hell? Did we know this before? I did not expect this scene, although I think it must have happened well before his previous flashbacks. His relationship with his father actually seems pleasant in this episode. Could he possibly have been a delusion? Jack was drinking a lot at the time. I love how Jack's strongest feature is his commitment, although I'm not sure I exactly understood his wedding vow about letting go. He seemed to just ramble until he finally told Sarah he loved her. How horribly is she going to die in a future flashback?
So at the end of this episode, Jack left to go find John Locke. He apparently believes that whatever happened between Locke and Boone qualifies as a murder. In retrospect, Boone's death was completely pointless, but I wouldn't call it murder. Locke's behavior after Boone's injury was suspicious though. I had forgotten to mention his lame attempt at hiding the secret of the hatch. I don't like that at all. There's no way this whole plot can end well. Or is there?
Rating: 9.5 out of 10 baby boys who will love their mother Claire.
It actually pains me not to give this episode a perfect 10. It was really really good. There were just a few quibbles I had with it. Tiny things, but I don't feel like this episode was perfect. Jack's wedding vow was a little weird, and the birthing scene was a little cliche. These things didn't bother me or take away from this being a great episode, but I just can't call it perfect.
No comments:
Post a Comment