LOST: Top 10

So at this point the Lost finale has been discussed ad nauseum. But come on it was pretty awesome. Not quite as epic as "Through the Looking Glass" but even more emotionally evocative (minus Charlie's poetic death scene that is, I still get sniffly just thinking about it). "No Place Like Home" was the perfect capper to dare I say it, a perfect season of my crazy show. Without further adeu, my top 10 moments.

1. Penny/Desmond reunite. This was quite possibly the most rewarding scene the powers that be at Lost have ever given us. I spent most of the finale pleading with the tv gods to spare my favorite time-travelling Scotsman from some horrific death, so seeing him live and get his happy ending---at least for the moment was an embarrassment of riches.

2. Sawyer gets to be the hero. I'm not as diehard a Sawyer fan as most Lost fangirls, but I've always thought he was one of the most interesting characters on the show. I have to admit even I swooned when Sawyer kissed Kate before leaping from the helicopter allowing our gang to make it the freighter.

3. Juliet drinks rum. Oh Juliet, how do you break my heart all the time? Sitting on the beach drinking rum watching her last hope of leaving the island go up in smoke was one of those quiet aching moments that Lost does best. When a wet Sawyer comes swimming out of the ocean calling back to that glorious scene in "Whatever the Case May Be", my brain may have started dreaming about a Juliet/Sawyer pairing.

4. Sayid and Keamy throwdown. In a year full of awesome new cast additions, Keamy managed to be one badass standout. Getting to watch him go at it with our resident badass? Priceless.

5. Ben. I can't pick one moment. Emerson plays them all to perfection. From the comedic (Locke must have too busy hanging out in his locker to study botany) to the serious (Ben kills Keamy...and everyone else on the freighter) to the seriously creepy (Ben moves the island. With a frozen wheel.) It was a terrific night to be Benjermin Linus.

6. Jin misses his plane. Sun sounded as if some essential part of herself was being ripped away as that helicopter flew away leaving her husband to die on the freighter. Not that I believe Jin's dead.

7. Sun makes a deal with Widmore. Future Sun proves to be awesome...and kind of scary.

8. "Checkmate, Mr. Eko." Sayid shoots a guy and then busts Hurley from the asylum, but not before Hurley beats the late Mr. Eko in a game of chess.

9. Daniel says goodbye to Charlotte. Let's face it, I love Daniel Faraday. And Daniel Faraday loves Charlotte. Therefore I love Charlotte (and Miles--let the man eat his peanuts, Rose). Finding out Charlotte was born on the island? Cool. Being forced to spend the next nine months wondering if my sweet, gravelly voiced physicist was on the good or bad side of the island move? Not cool, Damon and Carlton. Really, really not cool.

10. "You can go now Micheal." The actor may not be pleased with his send off , but as a fan of the character since the beginning seeing him get some measure of redemption was pay off enough for me. A ghostly Christian Sheppard allowing him to shake of his mortal coil was just the creepy icing on the cake.

Bonus: I have to mention seeing a downward spiraling Jack listening to his emo and breaking into the funeral home for his late night rendevous with Ben. And of course the reveal of Locke in the coffin, unlike last year I didn't figure this twist out before it happened.

Is it January yet?

The Truth Is Still Out There

In my 21 years on this planet I have loved many fictional things. When I was five I learned boys weren’t icky when I fell in love with Mario Lopez’s dimples (conversely now I find Mario Lopez about as attractive as a Ken doll, but hey we all have to start somewhere right), when I was seven I wanted to be a Power Ranger, and at some point in my childhood I thought Rouge/Gambit had the most epic of epic loves (thanks Fox Kids!). Then of course there was Harry Potter, Buffy, Gilmore Girls, and eventually Lost—some things don’t fade my friends. But in between there was a little show about aliens, conspiracies, and the legendary love of two FBI agents that would directly impact every story I would ever care about after. And that show is getting its second big screen treatment two days after my birthday this year.

Oh X-Files, where would I be without you? Probably spending my days watching The Hills and According to Jim instead of Lost and How I Met Your Mother or reading chick lit instead of Harry Potter. The X-Files taught me the joys of dense mythologies, fed my love of stories about things that go bump in the night, taught me the joy of “shipping”, and most of all gave me Fox Mulder (my favorite TV boyfriend). I remember being absolutely terrified by the theme music and happily chiming “I made this” at the end of every episode. Oh and the sheer exhilaration I felt every time Mulder and Scully brushed against each other. I still get chills when Mulder breaks down crying next to Scully’s bed when he thinks she’s going to die. Show I’ve missed you so much.

Most of all I loved the stand-alone episodes. At ten most of the mythology went right over my head (black oil? Aliens? I’ll be over here praying that Mulder holds the door open for Scully if you need me). But those episodes where they just went to a town somewhere and searched for Bigfoot or vampires never get old. Everything I love about good TV probably stems from “The Post-Modern Prometheus”, and I still can’t hear “Walking in Memphis” without smiling. “The Ghosts Who Stole Christmas” may very well be my favorite Christmas episode of anything ever. “The Triangle”, “Bad Blood”, and “Monday”, all classics. Oh and the achy episodes like “Emily” and the cancer trilogy and “William”. To this day I can not re-watch “William”.

Watching the show now as a grown up person who has consumed a lot of media, I can see cracks and flaws in my show. It was at times overwritten and sometimes underwritten, the acting in the beginning was shakier than I remember, the mythology baffling no matter how closely you watch, but it still shines. I still owe it my love for The Twilight Zone, everything Joss Whedon touched, even my obsession with Luke and Lorelai. Most importantly I owe it for my love and patience for Lost. Whenever someone makes a face and starts whining about never getting answers, I sigh and think, “Clearly, you never watched the X-Files.” In the end it gave me a deep appreciation for good storytelling and characters. And Fox Mulder.

All that being said, I’m beyond excited for the movie. Particularly since I’ve heard rumblings that it’s going to deal with the William issue. In the end I don’t need some grand conclusion, wrapping all of those plot threads up in a neat little bow. All I need is Mulder and Scully being awesome, a spooky case, and some sunflower seeds and I will be more than happy. Oh and kissing, there had better be kissing.

Things That Are Cool

1. Doctor Who Season Four starts in a mere two weeks. And that theatrical promo? Already has me squealing like the little fangirl I am.
2. That bootleg X-Files trailer floating around YouTube. July 25 needs to be here now. Tell me you didn't get chills when you heard that theme song. Oh Mulder and Scully it's been too long. Bonus: I've heard talk that a certain William will not go unmentioned. That gives me hope that my favorite FBI agents will go to Kansas and get their little alien baby back.
3. Chief, BSG. He's just barely edging out Helo as my favorite BSG boy. Oh Chief. That episode where he thinks he might be Cylon and accidentally beat the snot out of Callie may have broken my heart. And the one where he and Helo charge off to save Sharon? Yes. And when that one guy got shot while he was trying to protect him? He may be the most noble one of them all. And apparently he ends up with Callie. Please tell me that doesn't end tragically but from what I've seen of this show, nothing ever ends well.
4. Wired Magazine. It seems like it would be super techie but it actually has it's geek on.
5. "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan. Currently my favorite Dylan song. I'm a sucker for songs that tell stories. See also: "Outlaws" by Joe Purdy and "The Ballad of Billy Joe" by someone whose name I can't remember.

Dear Lost,

Thanks for erasing any need for me to watch the inevitably crappy film adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife, Penny and Des will do just fine thanks.

Oh Lost. I want to post coherent and unbiased analysis for you but how can I when you fill me with so much awe and glee? How can I offer up cold-hard analysis of a scene like
Des and Penny’s Christmas Eve phone call that it so clearly the definition of poetry in motion? The sheer epicness of their relationship means I cannot speak about it in the cynical manner I usually use when talking about the dreaded "star-crossed lovers".

And Sayid with his old school season one MacGyver skills! And looking after Desmond! And slamming Doctor Man against a wall!

And there was time travel. Honest to God time travel that was explained well sans paradox---well mostly. (Sidenote: Shouldn’t Desmond have already possessed the memory of meeting Daniel in 1996?) And “Desmond is my constant”. There should be a t-shirt, yes?

And Daniel Faraday: time traveling super genius for the win! Oh and thanks for making my brain spin crazy theories about Eloise (She’s his ex-love who died tragically! She’s his ex-partner who he accidentally trapped in the fourth dimension! She has a restraining order against him because he’s really a creepy stalker! She’s his time traveling lab rat….wait, what?).

Well you see why I can’t have rational thoughts about you. I guess I’ll just have to settle for channeling my squee-filled inner fourteen year old on Thursdays. I hope you’re happy.

P.S. If you hurt one hair on Juliet’s head next week I swear I will post unbiased and completely coherent analysis about you, don’t look at me like that I’m not kidding.

P.P.S. To ABC actually, feel free to run that Iron Man preview on a continual loop if you like. MMM…Robert Downey Jr.