“Flashes Before Your Eyes”
An excellent episode as Desmond’s secret is revealed but that only serves to deepen the mystery. Episodes like this one are a joy to watch, particularly as Henry Ian Cusick is so good as Desmond, a man who’s as puzzled as the viewer as to what’s going on. The problem is, I’m left wondering if the writers weren’t as confused as Desmond and I were.
“Stranger in a Strange Land”
Last year Jack was one of my least favourite characters, this year he’s turned that feeling on its head. Here we learn some more of his past and the secret of his tattoo, a souvenir of his visit to Thailand. There is something inscrutable about Jack and it serves to make him immensely likeable or intensely annoying by turns. He’s also incredibly pigheaded which can also be a blessing and a curse and I wouldn’t take bets that he won't be on my least favourite list again by the end of the season.
“Tricia Tanaka is Dead”
A feel-good episode starring the master of disaster Hurley and introducing us to Hurley’s dad played by Cheech Marin. Nothing of consequence happens (or at least seems to) with the exception of the ending, but it will put a smile on your face all the same. Jorge Garcia has created in Hurley a character everyone loves, he’s impossible to dislike. Like CSI and Heroes, this episode strikes an emotional chord but a far happier one.
Masters of Horror
"Dream Cruise"
As with the final episode last season, this year finishes with a Japanese director at the helm. There are a couple of things that separate this from the first season’s "Imprint" though. Firstly this one actually aired ("Imprint" was deemed too shocking for American TV, even cable) and secondly Takashi Miike is a famous (or infamous) Japanese director while Norio Tsuruta is a nobody who’s most well known film, Ring 0: Birthday, is by a long way the worst film in that franchise.
Taken from a short story by Ring author Kôji Suzuki there is far too much going on here. We get a homicidally jealous husband, his dead first wife coming back for revenge while he’s trying to bump off wife number two. Add to this the ghostly dead brother of the man the second wife was having an affair with and you get an episode that’s bursting at the seams with ideas. The problem is the whole thing feels as if it was created backwards, as if it was built around the twist ending and it’s a twist that doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Things aren’t helped by Naoya Takayama’s script; had it been written in Japanese it would probably have been fine but the English dialogue comes across stilted and false and it’s made worse by two of the lead actors clearly not being particularly comfortable in English. A disappointing end to a disappointing second season.
Article comments
1 - manfred
imo the Nikki/Jessica plot was pretty fun in Run. She finally comes out well , something that hasnt been shown before.
Nice to see you writing again Ian :)
2 - Ian Woolstencroft
Hi manfred.
Yes Run was one of Niki's best episodes. Early on she was one of my favourite characters but she dropped down as the series progressed. She's started working her way back up now though.
The only character who's been at the top of my favourites list since the beginning is Clair and she just gets better and better.
Thanks for reading.