Wednesday, December 16, 2009

5.02 The Lie

Follow along! The episode guide for “The Lie” is in Finding Lost — Season 5, pp. 16-27.

What a fantastic episode. That epic scene between Hurley and his mother AND the flying Hot Pocket? Genius.

Fun things I noticed:
• I found this book on conspiracy theories in the summer, and in it there was an entry about the Jekyll Island conspiracy, where the richest men in America met on Jekyll Island in an attempt to convince the federal reserve to switch to paper money, crippling the economy but insuring their own wealth in the process (or something… I don’t remember it exactly). Apparently they were planning a lie they were going to spread through the rest of the world. The reason this meant something to me when I read it was because Lapidus brings everyone Jekyll Island Beers at the beginning of this episode, as they, too, are constructing a massive lie to tell the world. Damn, I wish I’d found this book before FLS5 went to print!!
• Maybe it’s because I watched the season finale of Dexter the night before, but did anyone else notice that Jill in the butcher shop was the CI that told Debra about Dexter’s mom?
• Oh Frogurt. Your death might have been even funnier than Arzt’s.
• “Why is there a dead Pakistani on my couch?” Still one of the funniest lines EVER.
• Honestly, that scene between Hurley and his Ma… Jorge Garcia deserves an Emmy for that one. I ♥ that scene SO much.
• Watching this ep on the heels of season 4 shows us that Jack is going through major withdrawal in these scenes. Notice how subtly Matthew Fox handles these scenes, being ever-so-jittery, sweaty, and off-balance. It’s the beginning of his best season performance of the series. I’m so angry that he wasn’t nominated for a Golden Globe. ARGH.
• Hot Pocket!!!! HAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!

Things that have new meaning:
• WHAT did Ben take out of that vent? We never actually see him remove that thing from the box again. Was it the gun that he used on the dock with Penny? Was it the S5 DVD limited edition box set?
• MAN Widmore was a complete spaz when he was younger. It’s so strange to see him like this after seeing the calm and collected 40-year-old or the terrorizing 70-year-old.

24 comments:

Marebabe said...

Nikki, I’d like to compliment you for your choice of screencap to illustrate this post. Perfect. And I’m intrigued by that Jekyll Island conspiracy book you found. Another awesome tie-in that the writers included to reward well-read Lost fans.

I’d forgotten that Hurley coined the phrase “Bloop!” An instant classic.

I think a caviar sandwich would hafta be an acquired taste. David Reyes clearly loves him a good caviar sandwich, but I must say, when I had my first taste of caviar, my reaction was pretty close to Tom Hanks’ character, Josh Baskin, in “Big”. Yucky!

Nikki, you hit the nail square on the head with your description of Ben: “He lies so much, it’s like a chronic condition with him. He could insist he’s a vegetarian WHILE eating a steak, and could probably convince half the room he’s telling the truth.” Ben was such a major player in these early episodes of S5. And how wonderful was his pitch to Hurley, “If you come with me, you won’t ever have to lie again.” POWERFUL persuasive argument! And it really got to Hurley. For a moment. If not for the heart-to-heart talk he’d already had with Sayid, I think Hurley would’ve been completely won over.

It occurred to me that “God Help Us All” would’ve been a good title for this episode if they hadn’t already perfectly named it “The Lie”. And I got to thinking that it wouldn’t be half bad for the title of the series finale. I actually went back to look at the suggested titles from our October contest to see if it was there. Yep, someone guessed it. It would be a very catchy finale title. I know many of you steer clear of all spoilers, so you may not have heard that the titles have been released for episodes 1-9 already. It won’t be long before the writers finish the scripts for the whole season. We really are barreling towards the end.

Susan said...

I've heard people complain that Jack seemed to recover from his addiction pretty quickly, but it's not true. Nikki your description is spot on, and compare to how he looks and acts later in the season where he looks like he has recovered.

I had a brief wild thought that Ben's box might contain, not a gun for himself, but the gun and info that was sent to Sun. Ben was manipulating the rest of the O6, why not Sun as well?

Loved David Reyes as he's leaving the house and he waves at the cops and says "Officers." Hilarious!

Something that strikes me every time I watch this episode. When Ben is with Jack he treats him with respect because he's conning him. But why does he jump on Jill when she makes fun of Jack? I wondered if this respect for Jack comes from the fact that Jack saved his life.

Here we see one of Sawyer's most brilliant decisions. They're being chased by hostile (sorry no pun intended) people shooting flaming arrows at them and he yells out very loudly "meet at the creek." And thus ends the rest of the socks.

Fred said...

I'll write something later, but just one point. Ben and Widmore can't kill each other. But Widmore sees Sun as his loophole. Yes, loophole, just like MiB sees Ben as his loophole to get to Jacob. Notice how Widmore pays attention to Sun when she tells him she wants to kill Ben. You can almost hear the wheels turning in Widmore's mind--she's the one to do it, without me breaking any rules.

Batcabbage said...

@Fred Re: Sun Loophole. Ooooh, I just got chills. Very nice observation.

And for the record, the Hurley Summation is my absolute favourite scene in Lost.

Marebabe said...

@Fred: Love your Sun loophole theory. That could work!

Marebabe said...

@Susan & Fred: Ohmygosh! I just re-read both of your comments regarding Sun. Susan, you brought up the very interesting idea that Ben may have been the one to send the gun to Sun, so maybe he has big plans/hopes to get her to do his bidding. And Fred, you pointed out how Widmore may be looking to Sun to be his loophole. It seems that there is an epic tug-of-war going on, with Sun in the middle. NOT a comfortable place to be! There are plans within plans, and oh, what a tangled web we weave, and the more I interact with you clever and insightful people, the more unbearable the last days of this hiatus become! I just got way more impatient for the start of S6!

The Question Mark said...

Oh, Eloise Hawking in that creepy hood, lighting candles...when Ben entered the church I half-expected the two of them to whip out some red lightsabers and start duking it out, Old Republic style.

@Fred- I believe you're on to something regarding Sun.

I found a new promo on YouTube for Season 6, and it was both REAL and very, very creepy.

Joan Crawford said...

I found this book on conspiracy theories in the summer, and in it there was an entry about the Jekyll Island conspiracy, where the richest men in America met on Jekyll Island in an attempt to convince the federal reserve to switch to paper money, crippling the economy but insuring their own wealth in the process (or something… I don’t remember it exactly).

I love you for adding that at the end! That is exactly how 90% of my "Tales of Amazing Facts and Conspiracies!" end. :D

Hurley and his mom *little hearts everywhere*

The hot pocket! Sayid in a vulnerable position! One of the best ever!

The Question Mark said...

Oh, by the way,
who else loves the fact that the menu screen for Disc 1 of the new DVD is the interior shot of Hurley's microwave, hot pocket and all!
Hilarious! :)

verification word: ROPLE
noun; a race of people made entirely out of rope and cord.

Rebecca T. said...

Nikki, once again you nailed almost every point I had to make.

Hot Pocket! Best. Scene. Ever.

And I said this before, but I love how much of a leader Sawyer has become and how everyone follows his direction and he tries to get everyone to safety. I definitely can also see the building of his relationship with Juliet and I like it better the second time around. Still not completely thrilled with it, but it makes sense within the story line.

Ben tells Hurley if he comes with him, "You won't ever have to lie again." Except then they end up in the 70's and his life becomes a lie all over again. Poor Hugo.

Someone on here asked why Ben lights so many candles in the church. My sister and I have a theory. He lights one for every lie. That's why the church is nearly filled :D

verification: Sigulara - Ask your doctor about it today!

Anonymous said...

My favorite episode, hands down - and not JUST because Sayid totally kicks ass (death by dishwasher!) and then is - as you say, Joan, "vulnerable" (sigh!) - while Hurley plays Weekend at Bernie's.

LOVED when Hurley gets pulled over by Ana-Lucia ("Oh, Libby says hi,") and of course, we can never see too much of Hurley's mom. ("I don't understand you, 'ugo. But I believe you.")

The only scene that tops Hurley's "explanation" of what happened on the island for humor is the upcoming one in which he tries to convince Dr. Chang that he and the others aren't from the future.

Dr Chang: "You were in Vietnam?"

Hurley: "Uh...yes?"

Jin: o-O

M9 EGO said...

The Menu Screen !....when my wife and I watched this again for the first time I had completely forgotten what it was was and my wife (a part time Lost watcher) said " why has someone put a dog poo in the microwave "....I had no answer ;-)

Blam said...

The errant Hot Pocket rocket hurled by Hurley is an absolute classic.
...
Nikki: WHAT did Ben take out of that vent?
Crackers.
...
"Oh yeah... Libby says Hi." Yet another great line from this episode. Unlike you, Nikki, I still think both that Ana Lucia means it (grudgingly) as a courtesy and that Hurley takes it that way. gu

Blam said...

Susan: Here we see one of Sawyer's most brilliant decisions. They're being chased by hostile (sorry no pun intended) people shooting flaming arrows at them and he yells out very loudly "meet at the creek." And thus ends the rest of the socks.
O. M. G. Hilarious!
...
Verification word: bonicen — The multi-vitamin for folks age 100 and up.

humanebean said...

Hurley, Hurley, Hurley. I am surely being redundant here when I echo the praise heaped upon Jorge for the range and subtlety of his acting throughout the series. From the first moment we saw Hurley on the beach, we bought into his character and while it has been easy at times to overlook the strength and consistency of his performance, given the flashier material often handed to other actors on the show, Jorge shines every single time he is provided the opportunity to step out and 'solo' on the show.

Think about it: avid watchers of LOST, as much as they love any other character to pieces, can easily point to clunky moments over five seasons when their fave was (they might say) saddled with silly dialogue or inconsistent plot lines. As I try now, I cannot recall a single instance where Jorge doesn't nail the line, the scene and the motivation. His work in this episode is merely another in a long line of brilliant performances.

Hurley, I sing thy (ample) body electric. You rock, Dude!

Nikki Stafford said...

Joan: (or something… I don’t remember it exactly).

I love you for adding that at the end! That is exactly how 90% of my "Tales of Amazing Facts and Conspiracies!" end. :D

LOL! Last night my husband put on this new CD and said, "Do you recognize the singer?" I said "Yeah, of course. She's the woman from that band and she sang a duet with that other guy on a record that came out a few years ago."

And I said that seriously, not meaning it as a joke at all. The crazier part? He knew that I knew exactly what I was talking about, and he said, "Yep, you're right. It's her." Without any irony. And that is why we've been together so long. Haha!!

Anonymous said...

This was actually my least favorite episode of the season---Hurley and Sayid's off-island adventures were just a little too madcap for me---though that scene with Hurley and his mom is definitely in my top 5 favorite scenes.

M9 EGO said...

Check it our when Hurley throws Sayid in the passenger seat and fumbles around iin his pocket for the keys, there is a large long grey hair on his black top...where did that come from !.....Eloise ?

JennM said...

Do you think Darlton ever thought that the Hot Pocket would have SUCH an impact on season 5?

Marebabe said...

Nikki, I really enjoyed your description of the verbal shorthand that old friends and/or couples can develop after many years together. It reminded me of a fun little exchange near the end of the movie "Broadcast News". The two friends are on the phone, and he says, "Meet me at the place by the thing where we went that time." And she knows exactly what he's talking about and says, "OK, bye!" That's all part of the fun of being in long-term relationships. Sometimes my husband will ask me to bring him "the deal with the thing", and I usually know what he means.

Rebecca T. said...

@Marebabe and Nikki: My sister and I are like that. We spend a LOT of time together and when we are with other people they usually have NO idea what on earth we are talking about or trying to say. It's quite hilarious.

Verification: SATSE - Special Edition of the SAT

crazyinlost said...

Breathe, Marebabe, it's going to be OKAY!

crazyinlost said...

Another great example of why I 'heart' Hurley! Hey, maybe I can get a t-shirt made that says that just like Hurley's "I 'heart' shitzu's" shirt. Papa Reyes,"since when do you 'heart' shitzu's?"hahaha

Gregsaw said...

I'm late to the party (I guess I'm about a week behind you guys), but I just have to say this.

Hurley's explanation of what happened to them on the island is AWESOME. Also, my friends and I still make fun of him throwing the hotpocket