LOST, for the last time

Beth: You can't go anywhere on the Internet this week without stumbling over a blog post about the end of LOST. I guess I don't really need to contribute to the hype, but I'd like to at least share a few of my thoughts about the show's ending.

In 2004, when LOST premiered, it was unlike any other television show I'd ever seen. I didn't start watching right from the beginning; if I remember correctly, it was on at the same time as another show I watched regularly, although for the life of me I can't recall now what it was. But I was hooked as soon as I saw that group of survivors on that beautiful beach, as soon as I saw Sawyer shoot that polar bear, as soon as I saw Locke with that somehow sinister orange slice in his mouth. There are people who say that the magic of LOST is in its mythology, but I disagree. The real magic of LOST, for me, has always been in the complexity of its characters. On LOST, as in life, no one is ever all good or all bad. Rather, there are an infinite number of shades of gray. That's what kept me coming back week after week, and what has kept me hanging on to the very, final end.

It's been a 6-year journey to get to this point. LOST has had its ups and downs, and to my mind it never quite regained its footing after the giddy excitement of the first couple of seasons. I think the show suffered after JJ Abrams left, although it's still likely one of the best shows on television. Even when I've been annoyed with the show this season (for reasons I won't start to list here or I'll never stop), I've stuck around because I have been in this for the long haul. LOST has been more than just a show, it's been the medium through which I've made some wonderful friends, truly some of the most fabulous people I know. It's been the medium through which I learned something new with almost every episode; this show requires more concentration than anything I've ever watched outside of a documentary. It's been the medium through which I became part of a larger entity: the LOST nation. This is a group of fans whose attention to detail would put even the most anal retentive person to shame. And I have been proud to be one of their number since the fall of 2004.

It's been equal parts thrilling, frustrating, exhilarating, and exhausting to be a LOST fan. And by Sunday night, it will all be over. But oh, what a ride it's been.

Bittersweet Tuesday

Edna: Margie, I don't mind telling you today that while I'm excited, I'm also a little bit sad.

Margie: Why is that, Edna? Is it because I ate your last can of sardines?

Edna: Oh please, those are your sardines, and any day you get rid of a can of them is cause for celebration. No, I'm of mixed feelings today because the 6th season of LOST starts tonight. I'm so excited for it to start up again, but I'm sad because it's the last season ever of one of my favorite shows. What am I going to do when it goes off the air?

Margie: Glory be! We can go back to playing cards when this season is over. Does this mean you'll be taking those Sawyer posters off your bedroom walls?

Edna: You hush up about those posters, those are between me and my honey-bunny Sawyer.

Stuff about LOST is all over the Internet lately, but maybe our readers will like this video from ABC that recaps the last five seasons of the show. No spoilers here, folks!

LOST Untangled: 5 Seasons in 5 Minutes

Edna: On second thought, watching that might confuse everyone. Just watch the season 6 premiere tonight on ABC at 9PM EST. I'll be tuned in with my bowl of popcorn and my stupid sister on mute.

Margie: I'll be doing my nails.

Edna's Fun Friday: Mon cher Gilles has returned!

Edna: Yes, I know, I've posted about Mr. Gilles Marini before when he was still a contestant on last season's Dancing With the Stars. So why bring him up now, you ask? Well, I have been mourning the loss of mon cher Gilles on the TV every week since last season ended. So, I'm pleased to tell you all that he has a guest spot on the ABC show Brothers & Sisters, starting this Sunday night! My lands, I haven't been this excited since mon cher Gilles almost won the DWTS dancing trophy.

Here's a promo clip from ABC for Sunday night's episode:


And in case you needed a reminder of Mr. Marini in action on DWTS...


Have mercy!

The 2nd Annual M&E Awards

The Primetime Emmy Awards are coming up this Sunday night, and as usual we don't fully agree with all the choices the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has made. So, in what has become a tradition here in the Basement, we present to you our very own...

M&E AWARDS

Hottest male lead on a new show: Nathan Fillion
(Castle, ABC)

Show that was finally (thankfully) put out of its misery: According to Jim (ABC)

Worst new show (now canceled and none too soon):
Kath and Kim (NBC)

Shows that shouldn't have been canceled
but, sadly, were:
Pushing Daisies (ABC), Samantha Who? (ABC)

Best last-minute show renewal choice: Chuck (NBC)

Sweetest voice: Jensen Ackles
(Supernatural, The CW)

Sweetest Voice runner up: Patrick Warburton (Rules of Engagement, CBS; The Venture Bros., adultswim)

Show that made us want to turn on all the lights in the house:
Harper's Island (CBS)

Most exciting show: Sons of Anarchy (FX)

Best reality show: 2-way tie
Margie's Choice: The Biggest Loser

Edna's Choice: Dancing With the Stars

Cutest non-couple that should be a couple: Penny and Leonard (The Big Bang Theory, CBS)

Oddest Romantic Coupling: Sawyer and Juliet
(LOST, ABC)

Most nail-biting season finale: Lucifer's summoning on Supernatural (The CW)

Show that is quickly surpassing LOST as being confusing as all get-out: Fringe (Fox)

To our faithful readers

Recently, we had some nice comments posted on our "Margie and Edna remember VJ Day" blog entry. While we're very glad you enjoyed the sisters' "memories" of that day, we felt like we needed to correct some misconceptions. Margie and Edna are not real people, and what we wrote are not real memories. By and large, the posts on this blog are works of fiction, and are meant to be enjoyed primarily for their entertainment value. Neither of the authors of this blog are octogenarians--not even close! Nor are we real-life sisters. Now, this is not to say that there might not be a kernel of truth in some of these posts; we often take from our real-life experiences, or from those of our parents and/or grandparents.

We are delighted and flattered that these caricatures ring so true for some of you. We've been told that the ladies' interactions often remind people of their own relatives, and we're happy that they strike a chord among our readers. We enjoy so much presenting these ladies to you, our regular readers, and we hope that you continue to visit here to see what the ladies are up to. We promise you, they have many more adventures to tell you about!

Sincerely,

Jane and Beth, aka "Margie" and "Edna"

Etiquette

Edna: Margie, I was up in the attic and I found this old etiquette book of Mama's. I think there are some passages in here that our readers might find useful. Let me blow the dust off and give it a look-see.

Here's one for you, Margie! "Flirtation: The coquette should remember that, with every successive flirtation, one charm after another disappears, like the petals from a fading rose, until all the deliciousness of a fresh and pure character is lost." You'd better pay attention, you old hussy.

Margie: Edna, you lie. Not only have you never understood the art of flirting, but your character was lost when you turned 16.

Edna: We’re not going to get into a contest of who has the better character, because you know I’d win, you reprobate. Listen to this one: "Etiquette of the Street: A gentleman should always offer his arm to a lady in the evening. In the day this is only in order in case of the pavement being slippery, there being a crowd, or the lady being old or needing support. If there are two ladies, he should offer his arm to one, and let the other walk beside her."

Margie: So that's why all the gentlemen offer me their arm and you walk beside us. Interesting.

Edna: Margie, I only walk beside you because I don’t want to even touch the man that would offer you his arm. They usually have hygiene issues.

Oh, this one is my favorite: "How to Grow Old Gracefully: A charming old lady revealed the secret of her fair and rosy complexion to a group of young women as follows: “Late hours,” said she, “and oversleeping ruin the complexion. Go to bed early, arise early, and you will grow old slowly, and retain your good looks to an advanced age. If, however, your position forces you into society and you are obliged to be up late at night, sleep an hour every afternoon. Before going to bed take a hot bath and remain in the water only a few moments. Then drink a cup of bouillon, and a small glass of Malaga wine. Sleep will soon follow, and last until the natural time of awakening, which is about ten o’clock in the morning under these circumstances. Take a cold plunge or sponge bath, a light breakfast of café au lait, and bread without any butter.” She continued: “Out-of-door exercise is an absolute necessity, but must not be carried to excess. A daily walk is excellent and it is scarcely necessary to say that whole days of lawn tennis, croquet, etc., are not favorable to the complexion.”

Margie: Edna, I told you to stay out of my diary, you old fool.

Edna: Margie, the day anyone describes YOU as having grown old gracefully is the day I eat my hat.


Excerpts from: The Home Library of Entertainment, Instruction, and Amusement, by Thomas Sheppard Meek. Published 1902.

Such Devoted Sisters

Edna: Margie, my goodness but you look stunning today!

Margie: Edna, you’re a beautiful lady.

Edna: Margie, please give me some of your words of wisdom, I'm in need of the expert guidance that only you can provide.

Margie: My goodness, Edna, you flatter me. I think you're far wiser than I am. You're brilliant!

Edna: Margie, I think you exaggerate, you're clearly wiser than I am. And may I say, you certainly don't look like the older sister.

Margie: Edna, you are the best sister a person could have. Do you know I couldn't live without you?

Edna: Margie, you know I feel the same—oh, I can’t go on with this blather any longer! Can we please just yell “April Fools!” and have done with it?

Margie: I lie like a dog, Edna.

Edna: Nice to hear you finally admit it, you old bat.