Lost and a little Friday Night Lights 2/21/07

OK, color me confused. Last night's episode was even more trippy than the one the week before with Desmond going back in time.

I feel like I learned more about Jack in the main story than in his flashbacks last night. I guess I'm just not entirely sure where in the timeline that Jack's flashback took place. (Yes, I know from a prior episode that only fools are bound by time and space, so I guess this makes me a fool. ;)) Clearly, it had to have been after Jack went to the medical board about his father, but it must also have been before he went to get his father in Australia. Am I correct, or just losing my mind?

I also don't understand the purpose of learning about his tattoos. I know that it's probably important to the overall mythology, so it will probably make sense in later episodes. But, still, it didn't feel like all that much happened in the flashbacks. Jack was in Thailand for several months, got some tattoos from the lady he was sleeping with, and then got beat up because he got these said tattoos. Maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention to the details, but I was more confused in this episode than I have been recently.

I did like the main story, though. I like that Jack is loyal to Juliet after she told him more about herself. I really enjoy their chemistry together, too. I think they'll make good allies, although I'm still not entirely sure if Juliet is all that she's appearing to be.

Did anyone else want someone to just push Ben off the canoe that was taking them to the main boat? Just me? OK...

I'm also finding it quite intriguing how the Others' society works. It felt like a very early-America fictional society, sort of like in The Scarlet Letter (especially with the branding) or in the short story The Lottery. Am I the only one that felt that way?

The sheriff really creeped me out, though. She sort of reminded me of the jewelry store lady in Desmond's flashback. It was the same kind of creep factor. Interesting character, though, so I'd like to see more of her.

I liked Kate and Sawyer's conversations, too. I think a lot was said in very few words between them. I also like that when Sawyer shows his softer side, like he did with Carl. I could tell that Sawyer was still hung up on Kate and thinks she's worth the trouble that she's caused him.

How cute were the scenes with both Carl and Alex looking at the stars from where they were? I was totally reminded of the cartoon An American Tail, specifically of the song "Somewhere, Out There."

Next week's episode looks hilarious. I love Hurley. And the vehicle they found reminds me a lot of a light blue Little Miss Sunshine VW van.

Things I'm pondering after watching this episode:

- What did the mark on Juliet mean? Is there any significance?
- Is Juliet what she appears to be?
- Will Ben really be able to stay in power now that he's pretty much helpless?
- Does Jack's other tattoo have any significance to the overarching mythology?
- What will happen when Kate and Sawyer return to the camp? How will the other Losties react? Will Kate and Sawyer know who Nikki and Paulo are?

And now for a little on Friday Night Lights. I sampled this show on the recommendation of other various posters. I will say that I'm interested enough to give another episode some viewing. I'm not going to write much about it, because I'm still slightly confused by who all these people are and the history of the show. I don't like to comment on things I don't know much about, so I'm going to hold off.

All I will say is that I like the Coach and his wife. They have one of the most real relationships I've ever seen on TV. (Of course, I still have my thing for Kyle Chandler, too. :)) Next week's episode looks pretty good, too, so I'll keep watching and try to catch up on what's happened so far so I'm not as confused next week.

I guess that's it for now. Next Wednesday looks like a great night of TV for both shows, so I'm looking forward to that. And I'm especially looking forward to tonight's Grey's Anatomy, but that's a discussion for a future blog.