Excellent, yet again. A very good episode on the writing scale. I know this was originally going to be 2 parts but Darlton couldn't depress it and I'm glad they didn't. Everything flows along smoothly. Props to the scene with Jack and Locke talking about destiny and the reasons for being on the Island. A very good scene with some excellent foreshadowing ("It's an Island, John! No one needs to protect it").
Also liking the snappy dialogue between Sawyer and Juliet, setting up for their relationship in Season 5. Forward planning on the writers there, good stuff. Sawyer has a lot of good lines in the episode, as normal.
Yunjin Kim and Michael Emerson steal this episode from everyone. Yunjin Kim has to portray a woman who has just witnessed her husband dying and what she does is amazing. Her screams in the helicopter are so full of power and so emotional, I get goosebumps every time I watch it. Minutes later she breaks down again. Yunjin has never been stand out in the show until now but this moment secured her as being great at showing off raw emotion.
And Emerson. Well he's brilliant all the time is he not? But here I felt sympathy for him, even after he killed Keamy to make the freighter go boom. Ben loves the Island and the thought of him leaving it breaks him apart. And Emerson shows this. When turning the wheel Ben begins to cry and I feel sorry for him on how much he doesn't want to do this. Emerson, we love you.
Honourable mentions go to Terry O'Quinn and Matthew Fox. Trying to believe an Island moved is hard work and even harder when you believe science can explain everything and Jacks disbelief is easy to understand.
Wow, now this is a good episode for visuals. 3 major things happen here, the explosion of the freighter being the first one. The explosion looks tremendous here and is realistic as the whole boat goes down in one big bang.
Second is the Island moving. Yeah, silly but pulled off very well. One second it's there, the next it's not. What's cool about this is the ripple of water that's left there as the Island moves and it just simmers back.
Finally the helicopter crash. This is kind of weak, it doesn't look nearly as good as the previous 2 big moments. Looks nice but very easy to tell the CGI here.
It stands up in high regard as one of LOST's best finales. Season 4 is my favourite season and the finale doesn't disappoint. This is a huge way to end the season where all the flash-forwards culminate and the answers are revealed. What was Sawyers choice, how did Jin die? All answered in this finale. The reveal of Locke in the coffin is still a great shot and is easy to remember as shown in the Season 5 finale. Repeated viewings do this episode no harm.
Excellent. The fight between Sayid and Keamy is epic as hell. Military soldier VS Iraqi Torturer. Very fast paced and these guys know the moves. Lots of quick reflexes and fast moves to keep themselves alive. Sayid is a bad-ass and this shows it.
Suns screaming on the helicopter is very emotional, Yunjin Kim knocks it out the park with this bit. Gives me the chills whenever I hear her scream of pain and sorrow. Awesome stuff.
And Locke in the coffin. I didn't want it to be true but alas, he is dead. It's sad now but when we know how, and why he died everything is so much more brutal and more emotional.
