LOST - Dead is Dead

What I liked:

--Ben Linus vs. The Smoke Monster. The greatest buildup to one final confrontation since David vs. Goliath. Everything about the build was excellent, from Ben revealing he's needs to be judged by what they call "The Monster", to Ben threatening Rousseau, to Alex emerging from the smoke of his memories. The last five minutes with the smoke surrounding Ben might've been the most exciting "What the hell is going to happen now?" moment since Tony Soprano walked into the Holsten's Diner. I liked the subtle touches in the episode which showed that Ben and The Smoke Monster weren't really as demonic as they've been made out to be throughout the last 4-5 years.

--Ben vs. Locke and the role reversal. Another great thing about the episode was how the power structure slowly, yet suddenly, shifted. With Locke making amends with Ben, while showing he's not buying into his bullshit anymore, to Ben revealing to Sun that he was frightened of John's resurrection, Locke was taking charge of the Island throughout the episode and Ben was turning into a follower. Smoke Alex's confirmed the shift, but she didn't cause it.

--Ben vs. Charles Widmore. I loved how Widmore told Ben he had to kill Alex, and Ben told Charles "No, you do it." I also liked the foreshadowing/implication of Charles telling Ben the Island would take Alex's life. The two villains have great chemistry on screen together, even though I was disappointed with one aspect of their confrontations.

--Ben vs. Penny. Ben taunting Penny instead of shooting her was sort of a James Bond-villain moment for sure, but it was counterbalanced by his non-hesitiation in shooting Desmond, and his sudden hesitation to do the deed when he saw Little Charlie. Desmond's sudden recovery and subsequent beatdown of Ben was exhilirating. I'm a fan of Ben, I've always rooted for great villains, but even I went "YEAH!" as he got thrown into the water with blood pouring out of his nostrils.

--24 vs. absurdity. It has nothing to do with Lost, but I just wanted to mention I haven't done a mocking post about the chronicles of Jack Bauer because it has been excellent ever since Bill Buchanan sacrificed himself for the greater good. The show does get ridiculous. There is and always will be "WTF?" moments from ticking clock to ticking clock. Even so, I find myself wanting to find out what happens next, rather than making sarcastic comments to my roommates about whats happening on screen. Jack's sudden mortality has been surprisingly poignant, and a possible foreshadowing to a Metal Gear Solid-esque (hero battling evil while facing death) final season. Re-establishing Tony as a hero, rather using him as a "is he a villain or not?" plot device has been very smart. And Jonas Hodges, played by the great Jon Voight, could be the best villain in any of Jack's 7 long days. I have no complaints about the past 4-5 episodes. Unfortunately, the foreshadowing of Kim Bauer's return could mark an end to this mini-Golden Age for the Bauer Hour, but right now I'm just glad 24 is back to being a great action show, rather than a showcase for the absurd.


What I didn't like:

--Michael Emerson playing a young-adult Ben Linus. Emerson has a boyish face, but he's still an middle aged man. It was awkward to see, especially since the original Ethan didn't play his younger version.

--Charles Widmore's exodus. It's disappointing if the reason Charles got exiled from the island was because he made frequent visits to the real world. They didn't go much further into what happened, but hopefully there's more to the story.

--The other passengers. I reserve judgment, because I get the feeling they're involved with the Island somehow, possibly as agents for Charles Widmore, but I don't like any of them. The one character who was interesting, Cesar, got shot by Ben. Although contrary to what Ben told Sun, Dead apparently isn't Dead at all.