Quote:
Originally Posted by irishjayhawk
Hmmm, where to start, Reaper.
I agree with about 98% of what you concluded. Hell, our lists are almost identical. I do wonder if Henry Ian Cusick would be in the elite tier if his character was as meaty as, say, Locke. I think so.
I'm curious why you think the determinism is un-American. While I can see your perspective, I find it extremely American, especially when one views America thru the religious light it casts.
I do think a lot of your Season 6 dislike stems from the sideways being ultimately pointless, which is my main complaint. But I thought they hit enough highs in the season to rank it higher than you did.
Having said that, I am certainly a "Man of Science" yet find myself taking the Man of Faith position wrt the end (aka Dane vs all).
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America is the land of individual liberty and free choice. Determinism doesn't mesh with that. It the least, it doesn't mesh with the conservative view of America. It does fit up with the Calvinists (whose Puritan Work Ethic does have important influence on American culture).
I don't know if Cusick could get better. He was pretty good, and mostly because of his role, imo. A lot of people confuse good acting with intense characters. Few lost fans, I'd wager, will be able to see how great of an acting performance that Yunjin Kim turned in as Sun. Earlier in the thread Buck gave me a curt, dismissive "no" in response to my assertion that she might be the best actor on the show. She was superb. Trust me on this: it is easier for someone to give a good performance if their roles are as meaty as Ben and Locke. There was tons of shit for the actor to work with in those roles, and Emerson & O'Quinn stepped up to the plate marvelously. Junjin Kim has shit to work with and her acting was still as strong as Emerson's & O'Quinn's. Cuskick was good and convincing with all the wild eyes and shifts between confusion and calmness and "You gonna' die, Chaa-lee" and "[INSERT PHRASE HERE IN CAPS LOCK], BRUTHA!" But he wasn't on the level of the three actors I placed in the elite tier.