xtvonline

I am surprised that I have not written about this before, as it used to be such a massive piece of my life. The time that it took was so great, I would focus more of my attention on it that on the degree I was supposedly studying towards at the same time.

xtvonline is the online student television station at Exeter University. It was founded in the early 90′s, with a major force being Thom Yorke of Radiohead. Its outputs range from comedy to drama to music to factual and much more. Over the past few years, its quality has grown at an exponential rate, with links to the BBC and ITV providing invaluable.

Lost: Season 5 Premiere

SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T SEEN THE END OF SEASON 4 OR SEASON 5 OF LOST

 

One week ago, I had just got to the end of season 4 of Lost. Jack and Ben were in a funeral parlour. Ben had just told Jack that he needed to get everyone back to the island, including “Jeremy Bentham”, who had committed suicide. Everything was relatively normal. That was until the identification of who “Jeremy” was. John Locke. What?! How?! Fade to black. To be continued.

So Sunday night, I sit down, slightly tired and began watching Season 5. At that point, Lost lived up to its reputation. I just ended up more confused than ever. The island now time travels, backwards and forwards between prior to the crash and current time. Ethan Rom is “back” from the dead. The hatch intact.

Off the island, Jack and Ben are on a mission to get Kate, Aaron, Hurley and Sayid back. All four are on the run. Kate and Aaron are being pursued by “lawyers” demanding blood samples to confirm if they are actually related. Hurley and Sayid are wanted by the police for murders Sayid committed but Hurley is the suspect in.

All of this leads to general confusion, especially if you are only half-awake, like I was.

Still, Lost has regained a place in my heart as a great show. Can’t wait for next week.

LOST is shown on Sky1 on Sundays.

The Rebirth of my interest in Lost

WARNING THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS UPTO THE END OF SEASON 4.

 

I, once said to many a friend, that I would never watch an episode of Lost ever again. At that point, the show had just started its third season, and it looked like this story would ask more questions than it would ever answer. I had just found out that The Others lived in nice houses on The Island. Then I thought, no, I will stop watching. Where was this show going? How could the story develop if they are stuck on an island? Flashbacks, they were interesting but surely there is a limit? Would Jack just please die of that asthma attack he so obviously was about to have?

So I stopped watching and it felt good. Or so I thought.

A few months later, I was on the net and saw that they had announced that Lost was ending. I thought excellent, maybe they are doing the right thing before it gets boring. I will watch it when it finishes. A year or so passed before I kept catching glimpses of new episodes. I had to find out what was happening. The impulsive side of my personality won through. I bought Season 4 on Blu-Ray. I then watched “Lost Seasons 1-3 in 8:19″. I was semi-caught up.

I thought I will watch an episode every couple of days. That’s all I felt I could watch. I was wrong. The first 6 episodes I watched back-to-back. I was hooked, even though I still wasn’t quite sure the precise details of the rest of Season 3. That was what Wikipedia, and most other TV show guides, were for.

The inventive introduction of flash-forwards has answered a few of the questions I had prior to my abandonment of Lost in the first instance. They provide another space for the characters to interact and grow. Whilst, my initial reaction was that of “won’t this spoil who makes it off the island”, I have come to really love them as they provide as many twists and turns as both the past and present timelines have done.

The “rescue” ship is another great new introduction. Once again, it is a location with strict initial confines, with its own set of strong characters, ranging from doctors to mercenaries to our old friend Michael Dawson, who we last saw powering away in a boat after betraying the survivors at the end of season 2. The boat, like the island, is a mysterious place. People going crazy left right and centre. This is also when we find out another oddity of the island. It seems that even if you know where it is, the visitors still need to follow a particular route, otherwise there may be “side effects”.

The battle-lines have been redrawn again. Are the Others really that bad? Or are they as Ben said “the good guys”? Are the rescuers actually there to rescue?

I have come to the conclusion that Ben is just out for himself. He is willing to sacrifice anyone to save his own skin. This was proved when he allowed his own daughter to be executed right in front of him. This is just one of the many reasons why I have fallen back in love with Lost. The characters are written so well, that even when the plot meanders off on a random tangent, the show keeps you hooked in.

Oh JJ, I am sorry I doubted you. Please now don’t let me down by not making a good finale.

24: Day 7: 8am – 10am

So the wait is over, Jack is finally back in the US after his African excursion, although, from the looks of it, we have not heard the last of that. Day 7 picks up about 4 years after Day 6. To say Mr. Bauer is in trouble is to flog a dead donkey. Only this time, he’s been brought before the US Senate to answer charges of breaching the Geneva Convention. This is a new style 24. LA is now DC. CTU is no more. The opening episodes felt more like a political drama than the action-thriller that the show has become known for. 

This is not to say that it is weak. This is a refreshing change. Previous season premieres have been getting more and more explosive and as such the rest of the season has been found lacking with a prime example being Day 6.

The new characters as with anything new will take time to grow, but it was something that the show needed.

The big “shock” return could have had more impact if it hadn’t been broadcast for the last year. However, it was good that it was dealt with before the first ad break of the season. Tony and Jack’s relationship was one of the most interesting in recent TV and now that Tony’s gone bad, it will be interesting to see where they will take it.

Having earlier said that it was not as much of an action-thriller, the action is still there but as it was compact in amount, the quality of the set-pieces and tension was intense.

Alison Taylor is like David Palmer in the fact that she is truly believable as the Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful country. She is understated in her portrayal. The White House characters are all strong, and it was interesting to see how the Washington based plot of 24:Redemption would be carried on. The fact that there is this gap in which Roger Taylor, the President’s son has committed suicide (or has he?) creates great suspense.

I myself can’t wait for Jon Voight to return.

In all, strong start in what the creators correctly call a reboot of this highly successful show. Roll on Mondays for the rest of the season.