Who would have thought of turning a story about a guy who wins the lottery into such a sad tale? And without even using the mystery of the numbers to propel it. It broke my heart to watch poor Hurley, holding that winning lottery ticket, knowing his life was going to change, and so desperately not wanting it to. And I loved the way they paralleled it with the food situation on the island. Beautiful.
And yes, I know, nothing really happened and hardly anything was revealed. I'm okay with that, because I love it for being a character-driven drama, not an action/adventure/mystery/thriller. I love (most) of the characters and love finding out about (most) of them and seeing how they react to the situations they're in. (Except for Jack, who must die. Now. Die, Jack! Die!)
Believe it or not, I didn't really care all that much about what was in the hatch. I'm much more interested in finding out why Hurley was institutionalized, or how Locke lost the use of his legs, and I'm happy to enjoy the ride and wait for the satisfaction of finding out. Because I know along the way I'll find out other interesting things, too. I'm enjoying the anticipation, and frankly, I'd hate it if they just came right out and explained everything to us. Where's the fun in that?
I was considering going to see Elizabethtown today, but the reviews have been so poor that I don't think I'm gonna. I never did see Vanilla Sky, because I preferred to keep my love for Cameron Crowe unadulterated and not pollute it with bad Tom Cruise movies, despite the presence of my wonderful boyfriend, Jason Lee. I may break down and give Elizabethtown a shot next week, though, if only for Patty Griffin.
Speaking of my wonderful boyfriend, Jason Lee, I have finally discovered one show worthy of the Best New Fall Show of 2005 award!
NBC reran three episodes of "My Name Is Earl" last Saturday so I was finally able to Tivo it. I hadn't held out much hope, despite the pretty good reviews, because I thought the previews looked awful. But it's actually darned enjoyable. It's got a very Raising Arizona vibe to it and is edgier than I was expecting. I'm not in love with the fact that it's yet another show with a narrative voiceover, but they got enough laughs from me that I'm willing to forgive. And my boyfriend is awesome, as always, despite the presence of a truly hideous pornostache and muttonchops. Plus, it's got Ethan Suplee, so it's like a Kevin Smith fanfest! Of course, thanks to the juggernaut of Tuesdays at 8, once baseball season is over I won't be able to watch it anymore unless I resort to the VCR. But I guess if I'm doing it for "Bones," I can do it for "Earl."
The sacrifices we make for our TV boyfriends. *sigh*
