Lost: Strangers In a Strange Land

I'm really trying to get caught up so please bear with me with all the posts.

This episode brought us back to the major pre-Desmond island events. In exchange for helping Ben get well, Jack requests Juliet’s execution be staid. Ben submits, but brands Juliet. And they all begin to sail back to the Island. Kate and Sawyer get back to the original Island with Karl, but they fight the whole time.

Jackbacks: Jack visits Thailand to find himself, and hooks up with a crazy sexy non-tattoo artist who ’sees who people are’ and, against traditions, tattoos Jack (at his coercion) with who he is: “He walks among us, but is not one of us.” But, Jack insists “that’s not what it means.”

I still don’t like Bai Ling.I don’t think Jack would have hooked up so pointlessly with someone for such a long time. Hence, his stalkage AGAIN. He MUST have more control.He only got a piece of the full tattoo.Bai Ling, in Thailand, gave him a Chinese tattoo? Jack’s known all along that he’s a leader, an angry reluctant born leader. He ‘forced’ Achara to tattoo it on him so he’d never forget.

Jack/Juliet: They make perfect sense as a couple, but is any of it still a ploy? The goal all along was to get Jack to go for Juliet. Now he seems to be. Is that part of the Others ploy or part of Jack’s ploy? Or is it honest to goodness aloe-spreadin’ love?

Killing and the Others: Apparently it’s terrible to kill one of your own. So eye for an eye. Juliet kills Danny, she should be executed. But they seem to have no problem threatening to kill anyone else. And apparently killing Karl is OK.What the heck did Karl do?? He was caged, then brainwashed for who knows how long, and who knows what else. And Alex and Juliet were clear that Ben would kill him.

Now we know Cindy and the children are “better off.” And clearly they were there to watch Juliet’s execution. Which of course, didn’t come to pass. But creepy that they want the children to watch trials or executions or whatever. But they gotta learn NOW, right?Poor Emma, asking about Ana-Lucia. More “God loves you as He loved Jacob.”

New creepy character: Sheriff Isabel!

The Others have several boats! Surely that wasn’t the same tugboat Michael and Walt left in. So I’m guessing since there was a ferry system, they had more than one ferry.Turns out Ethan was their good doctor. So why did Ben send him to explore the losties?

Kate likely really did only sleep with Sawyer because she thought he was a dead man. I think she would have waffled for much much longer, and possibly never chose, under normal circumstances.

Yeah, I get it: Juliet and Jack are both marked people now. Was that part of the ploy too? Would she be willing to go that far? If it really is that she’s marked, then what does that mean, and why do they do it? Why in a nonvisible place? Why THAT mark? Does Danielle have that mark too?? EH??

Book Review: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

The Great Readers of M read this book for their March selection. It was actually chosen by me and I do have to say it was just beautiful. I cried my eyes out, yet I didn't find it depressing. I learned so much about the Chinese culture in the 19th century while soaking in every word of this rich story. Even though I read at night to help put me to sleep, it was hard to put this book down for a second.

Lisa See's style in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is much like the strokes in the women's secret writing described in the book: flowing, personal, and nostalgic. This novel describes nineteenth century China when young girls' feet were still bound and their lives were determined by the outcome of that experience. Obedience was the ultimate characteristic in a girl and woman, and this was represented by their feet, which were crushed and bound until an ideal seven centimeters - about 3" long. To compare, I wear a perfect shoe size 6, which is considered small in today's world, but my foot measures just about 9" long.

The theme of the book is relationships and Lisa See explores the relationship between mother and daughter, husband and wife, and the most important in this case, friendship, more specifically arranged friendships between a laotong, or an "old same". Lily, the narrator, is telling the story as a guilt-ridden old woman. She reflects on her past and the experiences she shared with her laotong, Snow Flower.

Although at the start the two seem to be completely different due to their social classes, they find a way to love each other and share their deepest secrets by way of a fan and the women's secret writing referred to as nu shu. The novel begins with the two girls finishing their childhood separately but at age six they have their feet bound and they come together.

At this time in the nineteenth century in China, a foot binding was considered the most important event in a young girl's life. See describes the binding so vividly that I myself was in pain, but was also very much intrigued by that part of Chinese culture (I later looked up pictures of a bound foot and to my surprise found it looked exactly as it was described, a lily).

As women, the pair continues to be inseparable and the connection they share touched me. Together they go through the pains of handling their in-laws and meeting their husbands, which ironically is what jeopardizes their friendship. When the new relationships with their husbands become a major part of each laotong's life and Lily finds herself getting competitive about becoming pregnant with a son, a change in character seems evident in both women.

It seems both characters swap personalities. Lily becomes harder, stronger, and surer of herself. Snow Flower on the other hand, retreats into what seems like a weaker character. Although Lily seems heartless nearing the end of the novel, See made me sympathize with both characters by showing how vulnerable both women truly were.

The novel, although it describes a completely different culture and set of times from modern day, I found, was very relatable. The pressures on women and their duties are different, but the importance and sensitivity of friendships is still a significant part of a girl and a woman's life. See combines history and modern day, and reality and fiction carefully and beautifully making the novel exciting and absorbing.

Friday Night Lights: I Think We Should Have Sex

Well, they certainly are hitting all the hot buttons. The big sex episode is nothing new for a drama that deals with high school kids. Even though I knew going in that we would be traveling a familiar path, I was looking forward to it for the simple reason that we would get to see Tami Taylor's reaction.

The scene where she confronts Julie about having seen Saracen buying condoms was the highlight for me. It was a nice setup to the discussion she had with Eric later. With no real idea of what she was supposed to do, she just jumped right in. "I saw Matt Saracen buying condoms today." There's an icebreaker.

The interaction between Tami and Eric as they tried to deal with all of it was also very good. "Well they're sure as hell not mine, so what would our 15 year old daughter be doing with these?" Eric was wound up so tight. Her resolution at the end to just have faith in Julie doing the right thing, and Eric coming around to her side was a nice scene. It all wrapped up nicely with the covert little, "Thanks for the talk." line too.

Away from the parents, there was some good stuff too. Julie's reaction to the whole thing was a little odd, approaching the whole affair as some sort of odd science project. Her little scene with Tyra was interesting. After the big blowup where Eric and Tami explained that Tyra was a bad influence, there she is telling Julie that she doesn't have to do this.

Saracen reacted just as one would expect having seen the previous 16 episodes. A big ol' bag of unsure of himself nerves. I liked the way it ended, with him giving Julie the out. She seemed so relieved.

I think we have probably seen the last of Walt Riggins. The story has run its course and there really isn't a lot to be added. It did serve its purpose though, giving us a good understanding of why Tim is the way he is.

This might have been my favorite part of Street's story so far. Hearing him tell Susan the story of how the accident happened, and how he has been dealing with it, showed some good growth for Street. Herc continues to be a good influence and it looks like the rugby team may be just what he needs.

And then there is Buddy Garrity. We all saw that one coming. Heck, I think people that don't watch the show saw it coming. The altercation at the church is certainly going to play in to future episodes. I think the best part of the story was Eric's reaction. Before Buddy could even get the words out Eric was just as uncomfortable as everyone watching. And he shared the viewers sentiment when he told Buddy, "You're a stupid man."

Overall, another really good episode.

Studio 60: 4am Miracle

I knew watching that this might be the last Studio 60 I'd ever see on NBC so I really didn't know what to expect since I haven't really been thrilled with this show. However, this was a 90% great episode with an ending that was enough of a predictable sour-note to remind me of why this show has had trouble living up to its lofty expectations.

But let's deal with the good first, shall I? There was a lot of it...Jordan and Danny and the Robot Baby. Funny and cute with a dash of sparkling dialog ("You don't drive a baby... ever" and "Now we know not to put it in a guillotine" being two of my personal favorites). I know I don't think that Jordan and Danny have chemistry, but this episode almost changed my mind! They were not bad together.

Tom and Simon. Though I thought that Simon's speech about the warning labels on consumer products was a little lame, everything else between them was great. I don't think there's been a bigger laugh-out-loud moment in the whole run of the show than when Danny leaves the Robot Baby with them and the first thing they do is throw it on the ground. Simon forgetting who he seduced was pretty funny too.

Matt and the lawyer. It was really interesting watching the discussion about the link between writing and ratings. It certainly seemed like Sorkin was acknowledging his own culpability for the Studio 60 slide in ratings, didn't it? I don't think I've ever seen a television show make such a self-aware pronouncement regarding its own place in the TV universe. I thought it was a cool touch but also a little sad (considering that the show might not be back). When the lawyer showed, I thought that the Russian-Roulette that was the Matt and Harriet relationship was finally going to splat against the wall like that teenager's brain from the moview Harriet is making.

But, no...Harriet is back. Again. Ugh. (If you haven't guessed, I'm up to the 10% that wasn't so great tonight).Listen, I need to say this: Harriet is still shrill and annoying. There's no way around it. I think she's a fine actress who can do a really good English accent and who can also make a dolphin sound, but her character is death. If I were that kid in bed with her, I would have asked for a real gun so I could end the hell of being around her and all her silly drama.

When Harriet showed up at Matt's office and Matt muttered "The 4am Miracle", my first thought was to scream "Noooooooo" like when Luke Skywalker found out that Darth Vader was his father. Then I collected myself.

My second thought was that the ultimate frustration that I have with this show is that there is so much great stuff there (like the other 90% of this episode) that is being weighed down by the anchor of their relationship.Matt started the episode by talking about Coleridge's "Kubla Khan." I think he would have been better off talking about another poem that Coleridge wrote: "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Because Harriet is an albatross, both for Matt and the whole of Studio 60. And yes, I am unduly proud of myself for that literary reference.

(Final sidenote: what happened to Matt's pill popping? They showed it in the recap at the beginning of the episode and then... nothing. Has he stopped taking pills? Or am I to assume that the pills have something to do with his writer's block. I'll be interested to see, if the show comes back, if this is a storyline they're keeping or if it's just going to disappear...)

Prison Break: Bad Blood

Man, that felt good. Seriously, the best part of the season was in the second half of this episode, when Bill Kim got a beat down by the front end of an SUV and then Lincoln's fist a few times. It's almost too bad he didn't get a few slugs in the process, but we already knew that wouldn't happen ... yet.This was actually one of the better episodes of the season, though not without its own set of problems.

The T-Bag portion of this story was well played out. We got a revealing view into the terrible past Ted had as a kid and how it clearly affected him as a man. Now I know this show isn't necessarily known for being deep on social values, but what we're seeing here is how T-Bag's life after breaking out of prison is having a better effect at "fixing" him (for lack of a better word) than prison was.

I'm actually sorry to see that C-Note is still in the picture, as next to Lincoln he may be the stupidest escapee of the bunch, including Haywire. Ever since he revealed his intent on escaping, I knew he was one person not to trust. He just couldn't bear to live without his selfish intentions, almost killing his daughter in the process. And now he has to throw Michael to the wolves (aka FBI)? That's just great.

For once the conspiracy surrounding Lincoln's setup was interesting to me. I've always liked Stacy Keach's character as Pope, and to see him come back again was a treat. I'm also very interested to know what could possibly be on that recording that would help Lincoln so much -- could there really be a recording that's convincing enough not to be a forgery?

Dinner & a DVD: Four Feathers

Ready in just 10 minutes and very good.

Ham 'N' Noodle Toss

2 cups broccoli florets

1 3/4 cups water

1 1/4 cups cubed fully cooked ham

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 packages (3 oz/e) oriental-flavored ramen noodles

Sliced ripe olives, optional

In a large saucepan, combine broccoli, water, ham, soy sauce and one flavoring packet from the noddles (discard second packet). Break noodles into small pieces; add to pan. simmer, uncovered, for 6-8 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring frequently. top with olives if desired.

Featured Attraction: Four Feathers

"Four Feathers" was a bit of a surprise. I watched it on a whim and was duly impressed. I'm not really a Heath Ledger fan, spoiled by "A Knight's Tale" and "Ten Things I Hate About You" which are really teen fare. (Sorry, haven't seen Brokeback Mountain yet.) However, Ledger manages to carry off a truly adult role believably and with passion.

The movie brings to life, in the tradition of "Zulu", the arrogance and brutality of the English Empire. In their mission to make the world English, the troops in this film find themselves fatally underestimating the Sudanese fighters (I think there's a rule somewhere that says imperialists must lose in any film made after 1970).

The sets are phenomenal and the acting is superb. Djimon Hounsou (Juba in "Gladiator") is fantastic. Wes Bentley (Jack) creeped me out a little, remembering him from "American Beauty", but convincingly maintains the British 'stiff upper lip'. Kate Hudson was a bit useless as the role demanded more emotion than she was really capable of, but fortunately it was a fairly small part.

I liked the film, although some points in the film were a little confusing. Several scenes which ought to have been key (particularly at the prison and at the end) I thought were a little off because I didn't understand what was happening and these points were never fully clarified.

Also, while the film did an excellent job of portraying Sudanese cultures and eighteenth century English, our hero's motives were at times a little suspect (since an awful lot of his actions seem very precipitous - heading off to Africa might be considered rash) Other than that, I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a sweeping historical drama.

Book Review - Villages by John Updike

Since I haven't read any of John Updike's novels, I felt it was about time. The brief and humorous description of Cabot City and Haskell's Crossing made it momentarily interesting. However, my dislike of the main character, Owen, made it painful.

The sexual history of a fearless adulterer is at times a work of pornography, with repeated scenes of hardcore sex. One would think that the sexual escapades of a successful businessman might be a quick read, but it was just the opposite. Owen lacked passion in his extracurricular activities, or for that matter anything in his life.

And the last chapter, when Owen at 70 turns away from his wife's caresses and takes up oil painting, is full of reflection on his relations with women throughout his entire life -- from his doting mother in Pennsylvania to his girl friend in high school, to his first wife, Phyllis, who gave him four children before killing herself in an automobile accident when he asked for divorce, to his succession of creative lovers who taught him the joys of sex, to his second wife, Julia, first married to a minister, who loves Owen for 25 years and gives him a feeling of everlasting contentment.

Also in this book, an examination of the early years of the computer industry, including the creation of the mouse, as Owen starts a software business with his friend Ed that will make him rich.

But while I appreciate Updike's agility with language, I just cannot get past that this story is 90% sexual exploits. Who cares? It's just not interesting to me to read that a man, a supposedly well-educated man, would engage in one affair after another, with one bad consequence following the last, never learning or growing. Owen was totally unsympathetic to me.

I enjoy a good read, and this wasn't one.