I was eight for eight with my picks last round, and so far I'm two for two with my final four picks, putting my in 32nd place in the entire DarkUFO Cup pool. If "The End" wins it all, I'm going to go out in the same blaze of glory that Lost itself did.
Pilot vs. Live Together, Die Alone
Picked: Pilot Voted: Pilot
I don't know if I was just in a nostalgic mood that day, but I surprised myself and voted for the Pilot. Part of it is, the more TV I watch, the more I appreciate just how hard it is to make a pilot that kicks your ass and sucks you into the world of the show like Lost's did. The perfect amount of action, drama and weirdness sets the stage perfectly for what's to come. And unlike a lot of shows of this ilk, it doesn't try to hard to blow your mind and set up the big mysteries by throwing too much stuff at you. It's really a remarkable piece of television. Add in some nostalgia and yeah, it got my vote. "Live Together, Die Alone" is great (or else it wouldn't have made it this far), but the Elite Eight is the end of the line.
Through the Looking Glass vs. The Constant
Picked: Through the Looking Glass Voted: Through the Looking Glass
It's a shame that both of these two couldn't be in the Final Four, but I guess that's just the luck of the draw. This is like the Illinois-Arizona of Episode Cup regional championships. I've expressed my thoughts on both of these episodes plenty of times before, so it's no surprise that the vote and the pick were fairly easy for me. But the results of this one - a fairly easy win for "Through the Looking Glass" - tell me that the post-Season 4 Episode Cup was a bit of a fluke. By that I mean "The Constant's" victory was mostly the result of the recent-season effect. In a perfect world, I think "The Constant" would finish fourth behind only "Through the Looking Glass", "The Incident" and "The End", making it the strongest non-finale in the field, but it can't compete with the biggest of the juggernauts. If it could have won this year, and as the only other winner in the four-year cup history, it might have a case for best episode of the series. With its victory here, though, "Through the Looking Glass" plants it's flag as the greatest Episode Cup contestant ever.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Episode Cup, Round 3, Part 2
It's been a while since I've wrote an Episode Cup update. We're actually two match ups into the Elite Eight at this point. Let's get to it.
The Incident vs. Ab Aeterno
Picked: The Incident Voted: The Incident
Maybe the toughest pick of the round and an equally tough vote, this match up pitted the highest rated episode of Season 6 (and the second-highest rated episode ever) against a finale that went to the last year's Cup finals. It's a tough vote because my opinion on either episode has hardly solidified. "Ab Aeterno" was excellent, and I think I'll like it even more after a second viewing. But I haven't watched it a second time yet. There's no way I would have voted for "The Incident" after one viewing, but after three run-throughs and Jacob's rise up my favorite character rankings, it gets the nod. As for the pick, when in doubt, pick the finale. That proved correct.
The Man From Tallahassee vs. Exodus
Picked: Exodus Voted: Exodus
"The Man For Tallahassee" isn't strong enough to knock off a finale, so the pick was easy. The vote was a little tougher. I love "The Man From Tallahassee". It's loaded with great Ben and Locke ("I hope that box is big enough to imagine yourself up a new submarine"), has strong flashbacks that solved a mystery we'd been waiting to have answered for the entire run of the show (Locke's paralysis), and had a cliffhanger I didn't see coming (even if everyone else seemingly did). But it's not easy to take down a finale, and "Exodus" has some awesome stuff. The whole "All roads lead here" conversation between Jack and Locke is one of the best and resonates even more today than it did then. Tormented Sawyer and the courage he shows on the raft is great, especially the line "I ain't no hero, Mike". And there's a ton more great stuff. "Exodus" puts up a strong showing every year and this year is obviously no different. But it never has quite enough to get past the Elite Eight. Looking at what's ahead, this year will probably be no different.
Man of Science, Man of Faith vs. The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham
Picked: Man of Science, Man of Faith Voted: Man of Science, Man of Faith
If this was a battle between opening cliffhangers, these two might be in the top five (The rest of the contestants: "The Incident", "Because You Left", "The Constant", "316", "Follow the Leader", and "LA X"). I still listen to "Make Your Own Kind of Music" sometimes when I get ready in the morning. And John Locke alive?!?! What?! But both episodes are much more than just their opening. "Man of Science, Man of Faith" dives into Jack's backstory as a fixer and somebody who gets to close to his work better than maybe any other episode. It shows how Jack deals with being confronted with a miracle and how he has the need to rationalize it all. It sets up the showdown between him and Locke in "Orientation" brilliantly. "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" was terribly emotional, especially watching John standing on that table preparing to kill himself. Really, that whole scene with him and Ben is just epically awesome. And it's not easy to watch John get shut down over and over as he tries to recruit his "friends" to come back to the Island. I don't hate Kate like lots of fans do, but the way she rips Locke apart from the inside out, cutting to his very core makes me upset every time. There's also some good Widmore, Abaddon, and, of course, Waaaaaaalt! Tough call, but I voted for "Man of Science, Man of Faith". The pick was easier. "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" never gets the respect it deserves, starting with its rating the episode poll, while "Man of Science, Man of Faith" usually has a pretty strong showing. I knew "The Incident" would beat either one, so it wasn't a very stressful pick.
The End vs. The Man Behind the Curtain
Picked: The End Voted: The End
I picked "The End" to win it all this year so it was going to take some pretty heavy artillery to take it down. "The Man Behind the Curtain" is a nice episode. A really nice episode. But I can't compete with the smorgasbord of greatness of the series finale. Since I'll have a few other chances to talk about "The End", I'd like to say a few words about Ben's first flashback. Like a lot of the other episodes that make it this far, it has a ton of great stuff. Along with a great backstory for Ben, we got our first glimpse into life in the Dharma Initiative, our first look (since debunked (or has it?)) at Jacob, and a excellent cliffhanger. I remember after watching this episode in my apartment sophomore year, I dropped Stefan and Al back off at the Six Pack, then spent the next fifteen minutes with Adam, Paul, Ceddy and Berger rewinding that cabin scene for the slightest hint about what Jacob looked like. Our best guess at that point was a pirate. Isn't that stuff what Lost is all about? Just looking for those little hints, even when they may or may not even mean anything? For that, "The Man Behind the Curtain" will always hold a special place in my heart.
The Incident vs. Ab Aeterno
Picked: The Incident Voted: The Incident
Maybe the toughest pick of the round and an equally tough vote, this match up pitted the highest rated episode of Season 6 (and the second-highest rated episode ever) against a finale that went to the last year's Cup finals. It's a tough vote because my opinion on either episode has hardly solidified. "Ab Aeterno" was excellent, and I think I'll like it even more after a second viewing. But I haven't watched it a second time yet. There's no way I would have voted for "The Incident" after one viewing, but after three run-throughs and Jacob's rise up my favorite character rankings, it gets the nod. As for the pick, when in doubt, pick the finale. That proved correct.
The Man From Tallahassee vs. Exodus
Picked: Exodus Voted: Exodus
"The Man For Tallahassee" isn't strong enough to knock off a finale, so the pick was easy. The vote was a little tougher. I love "The Man From Tallahassee". It's loaded with great Ben and Locke ("I hope that box is big enough to imagine yourself up a new submarine"), has strong flashbacks that solved a mystery we'd been waiting to have answered for the entire run of the show (Locke's paralysis), and had a cliffhanger I didn't see coming (even if everyone else seemingly did). But it's not easy to take down a finale, and "Exodus" has some awesome stuff. The whole "All roads lead here" conversation between Jack and Locke is one of the best and resonates even more today than it did then. Tormented Sawyer and the courage he shows on the raft is great, especially the line "I ain't no hero, Mike". And there's a ton more great stuff. "Exodus" puts up a strong showing every year and this year is obviously no different. But it never has quite enough to get past the Elite Eight. Looking at what's ahead, this year will probably be no different.
Man of Science, Man of Faith vs. The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham
Picked: Man of Science, Man of Faith Voted: Man of Science, Man of Faith
If this was a battle between opening cliffhangers, these two might be in the top five (The rest of the contestants: "The Incident", "Because You Left", "The Constant", "316", "Follow the Leader", and "LA X"). I still listen to "Make Your Own Kind of Music" sometimes when I get ready in the morning. And John Locke alive?!?! What?! But both episodes are much more than just their opening. "Man of Science, Man of Faith" dives into Jack's backstory as a fixer and somebody who gets to close to his work better than maybe any other episode. It shows how Jack deals with being confronted with a miracle and how he has the need to rationalize it all. It sets up the showdown between him and Locke in "Orientation" brilliantly. "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" was terribly emotional, especially watching John standing on that table preparing to kill himself. Really, that whole scene with him and Ben is just epically awesome. And it's not easy to watch John get shut down over and over as he tries to recruit his "friends" to come back to the Island. I don't hate Kate like lots of fans do, but the way she rips Locke apart from the inside out, cutting to his very core makes me upset every time. There's also some good Widmore, Abaddon, and, of course, Waaaaaaalt! Tough call, but I voted for "Man of Science, Man of Faith". The pick was easier. "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" never gets the respect it deserves, starting with its rating the episode poll, while "Man of Science, Man of Faith" usually has a pretty strong showing. I knew "The Incident" would beat either one, so it wasn't a very stressful pick.
The End vs. The Man Behind the Curtain
Picked: The End Voted: The End
I picked "The End" to win it all this year so it was going to take some pretty heavy artillery to take it down. "The Man Behind the Curtain" is a nice episode. A really nice episode. But I can't compete with the smorgasbord of greatness of the series finale. Since I'll have a few other chances to talk about "The End", I'd like to say a few words about Ben's first flashback. Like a lot of the other episodes that make it this far, it has a ton of great stuff. Along with a great backstory for Ben, we got our first glimpse into life in the Dharma Initiative, our first look (since debunked (or has it?)) at Jacob, and a excellent cliffhanger. I remember after watching this episode in my apartment sophomore year, I dropped Stefan and Al back off at the Six Pack, then spent the next fifteen minutes with Adam, Paul, Ceddy and Berger rewinding that cabin scene for the slightest hint about what Jacob looked like. Our best guess at that point was a pirate. Isn't that stuff what Lost is all about? Just looking for those little hints, even when they may or may not even mean anything? For that, "The Man Behind the Curtain" will always hold a special place in my heart.
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