Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare

Rating: 3/5

Lost References:

Eloise calls Daniel a Romeo because she thinks he’s hitting on her right after declaring his love for Charlotte. In her defense, she didn’t know he was her son. Plus, sorry, Daniel, but you did act a little Romeo-esque when you threw over Theresa for Charlotte. On a romantic tangent that is acceptable only because I’m reviewing Romeo and Juliet… did anyone else notice that in everyone’s happy little purgatory, everyone paired off with their Island flings instead of their long-term romances. Daniel thought Charlotte was his one true love… Sayid met Nadia in the afterlife. (Remember? The woman he grew up with, shot his commanding officer to rescue, spent years trying to find again, married, and lost tragically?) But he went with Shannon instead. It makes no sense, but end of tangent.

Thoughts:

Okay, so Romeo’s in love with a girl. She won’t have him. He goes to a party and instantly falls for someone else, and for some reason, she loves him back. They never seem to go deeper than a mutual admiration for each other’s looks. When they later think the other has died, both kill themselves. Juliet was right, but even so… Overreacting much? The simple fact of the matter is that I can not respect either of these kids. What was Shakespeare thinking? I mean, the rest of the play was fine. The whole thing was even well-written, but I’ll admit here that I’m a huge Shakespeare fan and therefore biased. It’s just not his best work. Probably the worst of his famous ones. But it just happens to work in context, though not for the reason Eloise thinks.

The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

Rating: 5/5

Lost References:

Charlotte Staples Lewis takes her name from Clive Staples Lewis, the author. There is a DHARMA station where Eloise works called The Lamp Post, which is an important marker in the first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Narnia is a hidden world that only certain people can enter, much like the Island. In the Narnia books, Aslan usually brings in the visitors, and on the Island, it’s Jacob. Actually, on the LA X audio commentary, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have fun comparing Aslan and Jacob. (They decide Aslan would win in a fight.)

Damon Lindelof: You know what Aslan needs? Daddy issues.

Thoughts:

This series has long been one that holds great nostalgia for me, largely because of the old BBC movies, I have to admit. Whenever my dad would go away on business trips, my sister and I would camp downstairs on the hide-a-bed and pop one of the tapes in. True, the special effects were less than special, but I forgive them. Walden Media has, apparently, not forgiven them, for the effects are the main strength of the new movies. The first was a really spectacular remake; I absolutely loved it. The cast was variable. I loved their new Lucy – she had naivety in place of whininess. The new Tumnus was actually likeable. The White Witch, unfortunately, was personality-less. Just like Prince Caspian in the new Prince Caspian movie, which had far more angst and inter-king conflict than was necessary.

But enough about the movies. The books are also wonderful – there are seven of them, all unique fantasy adventures. C.S. Lewis evidently didn’t run out of ideas. If they were longer (and in poetry form), I’d probably call them epics, based on how much time they cover in the world of Narnia (which passes much more quickly than time in our world). They also deal with mythic themes and battles. But as it is, they’re children’s stories which partially serve as Christian allegories on different subjects, in the different books.