TVSquad

(S05E16/S05E17) "See you in Los Angeles." - Jack

I'm not really sure where to begin, but I think this is a pretty good starting point: holy crap. Just like every season finale before this one, Lost has once again left us all with our jaws on the floor and our brains on overdrive. This changes everything. The big question? How does it change everything? Is it January yet?

(S05E15) "I have a purpose now." - Locke

I can't believe how fast this season of Lost has gone by. There's probably a time-travel joke buried in that realization somewhere, but my head is still spinning from "Follow the Leader," so I'm not really in clever witticism mode. Honestly, I'm speechless. For the most part, this wasn't one of my favorite episodes of the season. But for me to be at a loss for words at one of Lost's sub-par installments - well that says something about the quality of this show. "Follow the Leader" was a lot of set up for next week's two hour finale and the events that have been set in motion (even though it seems they always happened) are mind-numbing.

(S05E01) "You're gonna have to die, John." - Richard Alpert

Time travel! The future is now! later! here! gone! beginning! ending! OK, I give up. Lost is back and the future is... well, we don't know what the future is. Or the past. Or the present. All we know is what they were, because now they're just one big time travelin' mess.

As with seasons past of Lost, the fifth chapter of TV's favorite mindf*ck opens by presenting an entirely new storytelling technique - one that demands equal parts patience, attention, and imagination. More than anything, it's a test for true fans because the casual Lost viewer (do they exist?) probably had a hard time moving from A to Z (worst metaphor ever - I know) in tonight's season premiere. That being said, this whole hour gave me my own bloody nose.

This season of Lost was my second favorite season ever, so it was difficult to come up with criticisms. A shortened season meant that there wasn't room for a weak episode. Nikki, Paulo, and Bai Ling stayed away. A few things are bothering me now that this chapter is finished, though. Some characters got a raw deal, and some twists failed to shock. It wasn't all time travel and brilliant action scenes.

Jack's appendicitis - Apart from bringing Jack and Kate closer together, I don't understand why this storyline was necessary. The flash-forwards ensured that Jack would survive his low-tech surgery, so there wasn't any tension there. It seemed like the only point of Jack's illness was to completely kill the Juliet-Jack relationship. Jack and Juliet's chemistry never worked for me. They shared two forgettable kisses, and then Jack basically blew her off after she saved his life. Still, Juliet deserved a better break-up, from both Jack and the writers.

(S01E12) This was a great episode of Cane. For once, they didn't try to wrap up all the loose ends of a story in one episode. I hate when everything is resolved too quickly. Some of the situations are dramatic and serious and should be drawn out. The shot of Alex in the rain at the end was great and left me wondering how would he get himself out of this debacle. (Unfortunately, I didn't catch any scenes for next week so I'm not sure about the fate of Cane as it has been suffering in the ratings.)

Speaking of Alex, all the best episodes of the season have been when the odds were against him. Last night proved no different. He is such a clever strong-willed character so I really like seeing him get into sticky situations and then having to dig himself out.

(S01E11) There was a double episode of Cane last night. I suppose that was because Cane was not on last week. But whatever the reason, I just wanted to point out before I start talking about "Hurricane" that I have reviewed both episodes. I linked to the review of "The Perfect Son" at the end of this post.

Firstly, why did the people in the convenience store start panicking and rushing out like that? I rewound that dialogue a few times to see what Alex said right before the people went nuts. He just told his son to be calm. So, was the uproar because that thug had a recognizable gang tattoo? Or did people start panicking because of something with hurricane?

(S01E12) Look at this picture. Why did they leave poor Rebecca out? Is it because the little harlot cheated on precious Jaime? I thought perhaps the picture was just supposed to be the groom's family but that doesn't explain why Ellis Samuels is there.

Okay, I'm sidetracking already. But, I'm finished now. Cane was very dramatic and action-packed tonight. At 9 p.m. we had a hurricane and at 10 p.m. we had a huge fire in the cane fields. The Duques just can't catch a break.

(S01E10) Firstly, let me say that I was a little worried when Cane didn't show any previews for next week. I wonder if it's been affected by the writers' strike. Maybe because of poor ratings they are just taking it off the air. I wouldn't be surprised--they are fine with taking good characters off the show without warning (hello? Santo?). I would be upset if Cane got canceled though. The show really has so much potential and it would be such a waste of an excellent ensemble cast to cancel it.

Now let's get to the review. Tonight's episode was good. The parallel stories were clever. Alex / Jaime are both confronted with morally gray situations (i.e. a hooker in the hotel room and strippers at a bachelor party). Both, however, stay true to their wives.

(S01E09) So, is it just me or is Cane a little all over the place? I was convinced last week and in the few weeks before that that Ellis Samuels was genuinely interested in Frank Duque and really wanted to be parted from her despicable father. But this week (because now it's convenient for Alex's character) she is back on the other side with Daddy dearest.

I seem to remember Ellis confronting her father about the death of Lucia Duque. The look on her face said everything: she was in shock and deeply disappointed to discover her father ordered the death of a little girl. Then, her father threw her under the bus with the Cuban land deal. He even rudely ignored her while playing cards with his buddies. It was clear they were not in cahoots.

(S01E08) "There was a time I was especially fond of you." Ellis to Alex

What does that mean? Did Ellis and Alex have a deeper relationship that we will find out about? Now that would be a good twist in this conflict between the Duques and the Samuels. From their conversation last night, I couldn't quite gauge whether Ellis just meant that she used to like Alex as a friend and business peer or if she was referring to a past romantic relationship.

Another good episode of Cane--it is truly getting better. Sadly, CBS still hasn't changed the time slot and sadly, Santo was not in this episode. I sincerely hope they are not doing away with him. But, on the bright side, some much needed developments happened last night.

(S01E07) "You've got to stop this vendetta. It will destroy your family" --Pancho

Now, why would Alex stop trying to get revenge on Joe Samuels when things are just getting really good? This episode was great. And that's the first time I said that. As I watched the previews for next Tuesday, I was, for the first time, excited to see what happens next on Cane.

I need to make one comment before I start the real part of my review though. I think this show would be more popular if it was on at 8 or 9 p.m. I say, get rid of the musical acts (it's not The O.C.) and move to an earlier time slot.. CBS could have a show with the same success and longevity as Dallas.

(S01E06) "It's not who you are, it's what you're becoming" --Pancho Duque to Alex Vega

Pancho says it all with this quote from next week's episode of Cane. What is going on with Alex Vega? He's a dedicated family man who adores his wife. He's a smart business man who has innovative ideas for Duque Rum. And he's a wrathful man who will exact revenge on anyone who threatens his family. All this in one person. I just don't know if this is believable sometimes.

(S01E05) Last night on Cane things continued to heat up for Alex Vega. He had some close calls with the law. How much longer can he cover his tracks with his involvement in Quinones's murder? Plus, Senator Barnes had to resign because he was found with a male hooker. (Is that the right term? I think Joe Samuels helped would say so.) Guess there's no ethanol deal. Bad news for Alex. Good news for Cane fans. We get to watch him try to clean up this fine mess.

(S01E04) I was pleasantly surprised yet again this week by last night's Cane. The narrative is really starting to gel in both the overarching plot of the season and within individual episodes. Maybe it's wishful thinking but this show could be the Dynasty or Dallas I have been waiting for. Okay, maybe that assessment was premature (I don't want to put that kind of pressure on the Smits), but this episode was great. The show is finally doing a good job of balancing the all the different storylines and making most, if not all, the characters interesting in their own right. For awhile there, it was just Jimmy Smits and his interactions with everyone else.

(S01E03) So I was beginning to have really mixed feelings about this show. I loved the classic themes and plots which allow for so many storylines and conflicts. And of course, no one can argue with this ensemble cast. But I felt like the story wasn't pulling me in and Alex's character wasn't believable or appealing. (I know it's TV so "believable" is a huge demand, but I mean that brand of TV believable.) I watched last week and had this sense that something was just missing. Maybe it has too many characters. Maybe it has too many storylines. Maybe CBS keeps these storylines a little too PG for a show that's slated for 10 p.m. (HBO could turn this plot and this cast into the just-can't-miss-it television that populates the Sunday night time slots.) But tonight, all my mixed feelings about Cane started to disappear...