Season 2 of Lost is a bit of a mixed-bag compared to its predecessor. It's definitely more plot-focused and has a lot more going on, but not all of its storylines are necessarily all that great.
The main storyline of Lost's second season involves the Hatch, and it's probably the best thing about the season. The premiere alone reveals that the hatch is a research station for the "Dharma Initiative" and that there was a person named Desmond inside the whole time, both of which are elements of the show I love. The Dharma Initiative is one of the most important things in Lost, boasting fascinating lore and singularly being an answer to many of the series' biggest questions. And Desmond is easily one of my favorite characters of the show. He seems a bit loopy at first but he's definitely the most genuine member of the cast, and his storyline of wanting to leave the island to reunite with the love of his life Penny leads to some of the most emotionally affecting moments of the show. The most compelling mystery of this season also deals with the Hatch, being about a ticking time clock that needs to be maintained or else "something horrible that happened". There's a great sense of tension in wanting to learn what the clock does but not wanting to risk something awful happening to the characters, and there are several great bait-and-switches to keep viewers on their toes.
The rest of the season is a bit more mixed, however, with some good plotlines and some very weak ones. A few episodes into the season we learn that there were some other survivors from the tail end of the plane that no one knew about, revealing that Locke misheard that recording in Deus Ex Machina. I really like the tail section, particularly the leader Ana Lucia, though I kinda wish they got a bit more development and weren't all killed off so soon. The storyline I don't like, however, is Michael's search for his son Walt who got kidnapped in the Season 1 finale. Don't get me wrong, that twist was great, but my god is Michael so annoying this season. His constant screams for Walt, anger towards the other characters, and incredibly rash decisions make for one of the most insufferable TV characters I've ever seen. It wasn't all bad though, this storyline did let us learn more about the mysterious Others, particular their leader Ben Linus, who eventually becomes one of the show's best characters. As for the flashbacks, they're definitely not as good this time around. Now that we don't have the novelty of learning about the characters, it's starting to feel like the flashbacks are there just because it's what Lost is known for. At worst, we get Fire And Water, which is probably the worst episode of the whole show and serves no purpose other than restating that Charlie has drug problems, something we very much already know.
Even being a worse season than its predecessor, Season 2 of Lost still has its high points:
Man Of Science, Man Of Faith: Lost really does have some of the best opening scenes, that shot taking you through the hatch and subtly revealing Desmond's existence is such a sly and clever way to reveal what's inside. I also like the title of the episode, being based on the many engaging ideological arguments Jack and Locke have throughout the episode. Also, I really like that Michael isn't in this episode, that's always a win in my book.
The Other 48 Days: I wasn't quite sold by the tail section at first (probably because they started off interacting with Michael), but I grew to really care about them through the course of this fantastic flashback episode. I love how it goes through pretty much the entire show from the tail section's perspective, and it does a great job of fleshing out Ana Lucia as she struggles to be the leader.
Lockdown: This was a pretty big turning point in the season's progression, with Locke contemplating letting the clock run out only to back out. Still, we do end up learning about the several other Dharma stations just like this one as well as the fact that "Henry" is an imposter. We eventually learn Henry is actually Ben Linus, and I already explained how much I love this guy.
Live Together, Die Alone: While not as good or lengthy as Exodus, this finale was an absolute anxiety attack of an episode, especially Part 2. From the hatch completely falling apart, several presumed character deaths, the Others capturing much of the main cast, and an even better and bigger cliffhanger than that of the last season, this finale left me gasping for breath for much of its runtime.
Overall, Season 2 is a mixed-bag of good and bad plot points. On one hand, I love the stuff regarding the Hatch and Dharma Initiative, Ben and Desmond are great new characters, and I love the tail section survivors. On the other hand, the flashbacks are starting to get dull, Michael is ridiculously annoying, and the tail section was wasted. Season 2 of Lost tries to do a lot more, but as a result is much more uneven than its predecessor.
3/5 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment