"Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history." -- Jack Dann, The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Lost: Canterbury, Decameron Tale Tonight

An unusual, almost standalone, gem of an episode of Lost tonight, which detailed the lives on the island of two new characters, Nikki and Paolo.

Actually, they weren't really new. They were on the plane and on the island with Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and all of our people all along - we just hadn't seen them before a couple of weeks ago, when they were not so subtly introduced, so any one paying any attention would know that something was coming up with them.

I won't tell you their story - except to say it was a good one, with a pretty nice twist. No need to spoil it for you if you haven't seen the episode.

And it really wasn't the main purpose of the episode, anyway.

The best delight of tonight's Lost was seeing the whole story of Lost, from the beginning, except with Nikki and Paolo now in the picture. There's Boone and Shannon arguing again in airport, Locke finding his feet on the island and looking around, Jack saying we have to work together or we won't survive - it was good to see that again! - and even a nice short new scene with Ben and Juliet from a while back, which revealed a bit of important information.

The series at its best has always had a Canterbury Tale-ish, Decameronistic quality to it, and it very much had that flavor tonight.

Even though it did not move the central story forward.

But tonight, that was no problem at all.

Useful links:

2 and 1/2 minute podcast of this review at Levinson news clips

Canterbury Tales

The Decameron

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

worst episode ever

Paul Levinson said...

well, that's what makes the world go 'round ...

Anonymous said...

I wonder what the writers were thinking when they awkwardly inserted Nikki and Paulo, didn't give them many lines for a while and promptly kills them after just one flashback episode. I hope no more of this type of 'guest starring' would happen again.

Other than that, I like the Seinfeld-ish backward episode where some of the old timers showed up. I wonder if they planned/shot these scenes in the past or were they shot recently and have Shannon, Dr Arzt and Boone fly out to Hawaii again?

Anonymous said...

Agree with you on this, Paul. This was a really well-conceived episode. It had hints of Ronsencrantz and Guildernstern Are Dead, crossed with Tales From the Darkside. I'm not sure if this development was originally conceived for the characters, but their use as a counterpoint to the main cast was inspired. Here's how two people who aren't like Jack, Sawyer, Kate, etc., would act in similar circumstances.

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