Tuesday, April 21, 2009

"Little Big Miles - 5.13"

Probably everyone would agree that it was great to see a Miles origins episode, and we now know that his story fits in with all the DHARMA drama this season. It was worth the wait to have TPTB insert it here, and his backstory was a lot more than I expected that we would get about our favorite ghostbuster.

I also really like the trusting relationship that has evolved between James and Miles in DI-ville. The two most belligerent guys of the island "intruders" have formed their own circle of trust, that helps the FBs manage to keep their profiles low and their phony story going. That is, until Mr. Nosy got his hands on the fence tape. Well, I guess that he was just doing the job that he was hired to do.

OK a picture is worth a thousand words so, 'nuff said here. Whew. I really just can't believe that Kate and Juliet didn't try to think up a better cover story than, "...uh, um, I'm sorry Roger, um, uh..."

TPTB have drawn us farther into the DI machine with every S5 episode and that's fine with me. I have been dying to know more about the DI since the TLE ARG days, and although we're getting it in the usual bits and pieces Lost is known for, it's great. Miles rolls with whatever game is necessary, to keep up the FB charade. He's good with every contingency plan that arises and is adept at staying under the radar. But chaos theory will win out as the security tape incident shows, and Hurley in all his dopey innocence is bound to let every dang cat out of the bag if he's not careful! It's also interesting that the two guys who can converse with the dead (albeit in different ways for different reasons) keep ending up together. I know, that's the way that TPTB are writing it, but it's still neat. Their banter has filled the gap where Sawyer's ritual sardonic repartee used to be, now that he's all serious security man and has the fate of the FBs on his shoulders.

Ken Leung in Miles' punk version looked so young, his voice even sounded more innocent and less marred by years of pent up feelings as the angry young dude with a 'tude. Maybe he was just being gentle with his mother, but Leung did a great job in this scene. We got some juicy details about his parents' past too, although it's not like we didn't already have enough time to mull over and guess all that info, which is the one bad thing about this show's structure...they give us fragments of hints to things, and then give us too much time to guess what's going to happen.

Is Bram a part of the group that we were supposed to fly to the island with on flight 316? I guess we'll never know what our part might have been with the reconstituted DI. Lost2010 at TLC thinks that Bram is part of the DI kids that got ejected off of the island along with Miles and Charlotte. I really like that idea and it fits with Charlotte's story, i.e., searching all her life for signs of her past and returning to the island. Perhaps these DI offspring have been on the same lifelong quest as hers, and ultimately Miles', but in a much more aggressive way. Are they backed by Alvar Hanso? Let's not even mention Hans from the last ARG, he's dead to most of us now.

Again, well done Mr. Leung and Lost writers, the scene of Miles watching his baby self with his dad gets me ferklempt every time I watch it. Especially when Chang charges out of the house after the phone call and says, "Miles I need you," and Miles squeaks out, "You do???" Great scene. Viewing Miles' recruitment by Naomi was an interesting and unexpected addition to the episode. I wonder if Charlotte got some kind of skills test. Did Naomi test Michael's deck swabbing skills as well before he got hired? :o)

We are privy to more of the secret station construction this week also, and it makes you wonder exactly how much TPTB really spend on this show. Seriously, take a good look at all the equipment and structures at both the sites! Just incredible, even if some of it is CGI, and we fans really appreciate it. Koreambear at EyeMSick and I noticed in the captions that someone carrying the bodybag mentioned something about Jimmy Hoffa...was that a hint from TPTB that Mr. Fillinghead is going to be buried in one of the cement pylons or cornerstones of the Orchid building to hide him? :-)

And then we have Mr. Faraday without his tie. I honestly thought he'd have it on till the end of the show, but he wears the DI jumpsuit very well. As disappointed as I was that the DeGroots didn't pop out of the sub, seeing Dan climb out and looking as if he has his wits about him again made up for it.

Now a little comment about Mr.Chang. I've mentioned here before that I've worked with many wild and woolly scientists during my lab career and Chang has many of the typical characteristics of the most annoying ones. Daniel is on one end of the scientific personality continuum, and Chang is on the other. There are guys like Chang who are so smart that they can't possible tolerate dealing with peons who don't have the brain power that they have, because we're like ants to them. They also think that everyone else's work and particular discipline is inferior to theirs, and to say that they have a superiority God-complex would be selling them short. Then you go to one of those company picnics where everyone's family shows up and there this idiot guy is with his family acting like Chang did with baby Miles, and you say to yourself, "This is the pompous ass that I work for????" So whether they realize it or not, TPTB really did a good job of portraying a certain type of scientist that's a jerk on the outside and the doting dad on the inside. This guy really does exist in life, not just in the DI.

12 comments:

Wayne Allen Sallee said...

Nice post, Capcom. I'm sure the show has a decent budget that gets made up by the insane amount of commercials each hour. But I'm not certain how much of that can be out in the open, not like on a backlot. I recall hearing that the Hatch was the first non-manmade set they had used.

I pretty much could have said that Kate would be the one to keep yapping away, like with Roger, or sticking her nose into things, like last week when Horace saw her talking to James.
And for all the work on the Swan, it seems as if very little was accomplished on the Orchid, unless those scenes of Faraday as Joe were from 1977, not 1973.

Charlotte really knew more about the DI than the Island, in a way. I doubt that she saw much as a kid, but imagination can be everything.

Wayne Allen Sallee said...

Oh, and it really seemed odd that neither Juliet nor Kate (OK, Juliet) attempted to lock the door or pull the curtain around where Ben's bed was. Then Juliet said "Well, here we go," as if this was the real test of 'whatever happened, happened,' that there was no stopping the consequences, because they were already a done deal.

Capcom said...

Hi Wayne, tx!

Exactly!! For Juliet to make no attempts at a cover-up at all or even delaying Roger's discovery of Bennie's absence really seemed ridiculous and unbelievable to me. She would have had plenty of time to tidy things up toward a ruse while James and Kate were delivering him, and I could have believed the scene a lot better if she had tried, and then Roger pushed his way through and tore open the curtain to Bennie's bed. :-p

Wayne Allen Sallee said...

Yes, but the scene made me think that Juliet is resigned about everything since J, K, and H returned. I'm hoping we get one more Juliet-centric episode, filling us in on her Others days, her knowledge of the Tempest, etc. You must read NetProphet's article at the numbers blog, Big linked to it at EYEMSICK. It actually makes more sense than trying to understand the time travel.

Plus, a commenter made the suggestion that the Temple Security System--which we really only get from the science team, then to the 815ers via Rousseau--could actually be Temporal Security System. Interesting, that. Would the science team even know the word temporal and just go with temple, even though they were near the temple boundary? Hmn.

Capcom said...

Good points! Yes, it would be very good to get just a little bit more of Juliet's experience with the Others, and even to see the moment when she realized, or was told, who they actually were and what they are all about, and was made privy to the secrets.

I did scan over that article at 4815162342, and I have to go back and read it more thoroughly. It's good stuff.

Haha, Temple/Temporal, hmm!

Greg Tramel said...

yeah, we need LOTS more Others and less DI about now, that's why i hope our 77ers end up leaving DI and join up with The Others

Capcom said...

Wait, we need to meet the DeGroots first, and see the Incident! :-D

Then we need some serious Richard backstory.

Wayne Allen Sallee said...

Re: Juliet. Yes, at the very least we know she knows THEY speak Latin to each, um, other. So, yes, that alone tells me there is more to Juliet's story, as well as what you mention, Capcom. When did she know about the DI or when/how they died? Remember out by the Tempest, she told Jack, he didn't want to read her file?

Greg Tramel said...

i can't help to wonder if juiliet was on the island as a baby or something like that

Capcom said...

Wow, maybe Juliet was a DI baby who left too, and she didn't remember either...until she got tricked into returning and all her memories came back.

I can't help thinking that we might not get anything more about Juliet beyond the springboard of hints that we've gotten, because TPTB recently said that they consider Libby's story to be over and closed. Wha-wha-whaaat???

synchrobrarian said...

i'm a guy so i ALWAYS want more juliet, i HOPE your WRONG

Capcom said...

X-D