Villains can shake us to our very souls, sometimes just with a gaze Artwork by Cody Anderson

What truly makes a villain scary? What is the one thing that makes us fear one villain more than another? The villains who truly stand out, the ones who haunt people’s darkest nightmares, have something about them that sets just about anyone on edge. It’s their disposition, their mannerisms, and the way they get to the victim. With every villain they have some special, evil skill; but there are the few who not only scar their victims physically, but emotionally as well.

There are three cliché types of villain. One type just goes straight for the blood and guts. Let’s call them the homicidal maniac or the HM for short. Then comes the hidden villain, the one who is not expected, the devil in disguise, the DID. Finally the victim could be faced with the most peculiar villain, the “cold-blooded killer,” the CBK. Those are the ones that come at the victim apathetically, who usually do so without showing anger, rage, or many other emotions.

The HM are the simplest type of villains. They are there for the blood, the guts, and the gore. There usually is no rhyme or reason to most of their killings other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There tends to be a generic back-story for these villains, usually showing a simple, and sometimes seemingly stupid cause for their murderous rampages. These villains give the audience a cheap thrill, but as for any real value behind their characters, it can be sorely disappointing.

The HM are all about the Blood Blood Blood Artwork by Cody Anderson

Next, in the look at all things sinister, is the devil in disguise.  The DID are the villains who have quirks. The audience usually either knows them from the start as the villain, or is shocked when the DID is revealed in one big sweeping conclusion. More often than not, this type of villain will be a child. This may be based on the idea that children hold something in them that is pure, so they are unexpected as the villain.  The story behind these types of villains usually involves either some supernatural force, or some horrible, mentally scarring event in their past. As the main villain of a film, it can be shocking for the viewer to accept the fact a child or someone of such innocence could commit such heinous acts. This type of villain is a disappointment as the main villain because of the fact that there is little excitement in the idea of the DID performing such acts.

Finally there is the cold-blooded killer. The CBKs are the ones who torture their victims. The CBKs stalk their prey, hunting down what means most to that person and crushes it. They take away all sense of security, any hope, and any thought of survival. They break into the minds of their victims and wreck their sanity, their will to live, and their dreams.  These villains do not have a constant story background besides the fact that they tend to be genius sociopaths. The stories range from some traumatizing event as a child to mental disorders to figments of the imagination. But as the main villain of a film, these villains truly excel because the fear they have grips people almost universally, not just based on some experiences or specific fears the audience may share.

But why does all this matter? Why should anyone care why one villain is better than another? Simple, if you want to have a film that goes down in history, if you want a film that everyone knows of, then you need to know how to create the villain to drive the story. Whether it’s the kind who cackles as the screen fades to black or the one who jumps out at the audience when the screen flashes, the villain should be the reason that the story moves. Without the villain, the hero is just a person who lives his/her life, without a purpose.

The CBK shatters the normal world, breaking the minds of their victims. Artwork by Cody Anderson

The traits that separate the different types of villain are used because of the ways they move the story forward, and the reasons of why the villain needs to be stopped. The homicidal maniac needs to be stopped for the blood bath to end, because the world within the story couldn’t survive with someone killing people without anything stopping him or her. The devil in disguise corrupts the world, destroying it from the inside. There’s a recurring theme here; we can’t have a broken world, inside or out, so the villain must be stopped. But then there is the cold-blooded killer. The reason that the hero rises up to stop them is because of how they twist the world, how the world becomes so distorted that the way it once was becomes as real as a dream.

That is what makes the cold-blooded killer the most interesting type of villain, because of the fact the CBKs twist the world, instead of destroying it. They do not just try and kill everyone. No, instead, they stalk their prey; learn its weaknesses, the things their prey depends on most. Then with a masterful stroke, the CBK takes it all away, either destroying the things the victim depends on most or turning them against the prey until there is no hope of returning to normal.

Maybe that is what makes the CBKs so brilliant, because of the fact that they not only take away everything that the victim holds near and dear, but they also twist the world so that it seems like nothing is safe. To kill somebody is horrible to start with, but what if the victim was being punished? The CBK often methodically takes away people the victim trusts, people they love and depend on. That way when the victims wake up each day, they now are running on less and less of what made them the person they once were, so that in the end even if the CBK is caught, if the CBK is defeated, the victim will never be the same. So, in the end, the villain is there to push the story forward, but are they going to resonate so deeply in not only the victim, but also the people watching it?

by Manny Perez

    Everyone loves when regular TV shows mix-up their air times, right? No? Yeah, well me neither. Lost, in the spirit of “ABC’s All-New Thursdays”, has decided it will be airing from now till May 29th at 9 pm instead of the regular 8 pm; thus throwing this reporter into at least one high-speed chase trying to get home on time, only to learn he still has an hour to spare.

9:07 – Good old Lost Island seaside. Jack is feeling off due to this completely warped schedule and is thus taking some medication to ease the pain. Kate welcomes herself into the tent and she starts talking with Jack about why Sayid isn’t back from the boat, but before too long Bernard is yelling for help from the shore. Apparently he sees dead people. Someone is floating facedown in the water, but no worry, it’s just the stupid doctor from the boat we all hate.

Meanwhile OTOSOTI (On the other side of the island) Locke, Sawyer, and Hurley, are playing Risk before being interrupted by an automated phone call “Code 14-J.” Taking their time, they go ask Ben if he would like to sign-up for a free MasterCard. At this, Ben jumps, grabs and pumps a shotgun, and tells the three to head over to the other house. “They’re here”.

We are treated to another “eye flashback” to the Sahara Desert. Ben is wearing a fur-lined coat and vomiting. Before too long two Saharans appear on horseback and try to capture him. As they frisk him, Ben, complying, reveals a small and harmless black tube-thing. Spinning in place he completely owns his arrester with a whack to the head with his extendable and very harmful tube-thing. He then uses him as a shield before the other Saharan can shoot him. Ben then knocks him off his horse, kills him, and then rides off on one of the horses. Ben is officially cool.

9:25 – The Locke Lot are fortifying the house, but before too long the military, aka the captain from the boat and the captured Alex, arrives. Three random Losties are almost instantly shot down outside as Sawyer ducks and jumps trying to get to Clair’s house – Aaron safe with Hugo at the moment. Her building is then hit with a missile and collapses.

Tozeur, Tunisia, Ben is asking for assistance at a hotel desk under an alias. Being the special guest he is, he asks the year before seeing Sayid on TV. It’s 2005 and Sayid is married – or was anyway, seeing as he’s off to attend Nadia’s funeral.

Back at Otherville, Ben, Locke, Hugo, and Aaron are staking-out and keeping away from the windows. Clair, much to the dismay of many people, I’m sure, is still alive and is hauled back to the house by Sawyer. As the group is huddling and awaiting the army to either charge-in or launch a missile, we hear the doorbell. Ah, it’s a recently-freed Miles – with a walkie-talkie. “They wanna talk.”

9:37 –Watching a middle-eastern funeral from a rooftop, Ben assembles a camera and starts taking shots of a bald guy. He then turns his lens toward the funeral only to find Sayid look up at him at the exact same time. Running out on the roof, Sayid tackles him and demands xplanations. Ben is apparently tracking down Nadia’s killer – the bald guy.

Miles is babbling, tries a lame divide-and-conquer, then tells about how they have Alex. This grabs Ben’s attention and he agrees to talk to the Captain, though with hesitance. After a bit of arguing, which Ben obviously wins (He’s Ben, remember?), the Captain brings out Alex at gunpoint. Ben proposes a counter-proposal – GO AWAY. “She means nothing to me,” Ben says wide-eyed.
Mark shoots Alex.

9:47 – Alex is on the ground and Ben is basically paralyzed. “He changed the rules,” he says softly. Going into one of his many hidden BenCaves before Sawyer can grab him, we get a flash-forward.

Drinking tea, Ben is following Ishmael, the bald guy, and Nadia’s murderer, through a busy market and into an alley. Ishmael loses him, turns the tables, and Ben gets cornered. Before Ben can get his message across to him, Sayid empties his pistol into Ishmael. “Who’s next?” he asks Ben.

Back in the house Ben comes back dirty and a bit ruffled. He has released The Monster and, charging like a huge locomotive made of electricity and smoke, it eats the Army. But before running off into the forest like the rest of the Lot in the house – Ben says goodbye to Alex.

Back on the beach, Daniel is literally sending a telegraph through the SatPhone in Morse code, as Jack has requested. Daniel, being incredibly honest says the helicopter is coming soon and that they are not to worry. Bernard, the know-it-all, accuses Daniel of being a liar, and correctly translates the Morse; “What are you talking about? The doctor is fine.” Jack is then mean to poor Daniel and he rudely asks him if he is going to help the survivors at all. “No.” says Daniel.

OTOSOTI, they’re in the forest and off to see Jacob. “I don’t know why I ever followed you wackos in the first place,” says Sawyer before going back to Jack’s camp, along with Clair and Hugo. But Locke needs Hugo to get to Jacob. They argue over him – pistol to pistol. Trying to avoid more disagreement, Hugo stays with Locke. So they’re off to see the Wizard with Ben, “Follow me.”

London, England – Ben enters a fancy penthouse suite. Charles Widmore is sleeping in his bed. Charles argues that Ben is not the victim; HE killed Alex. No matter, Ben has decided he will kill Penelope. “You’ll wish you hadn’t changed the rules.”

Afterthoughts:
    Although it wasn’t exactly good enough to justify a two-week hiatus, or the stupid schedule change, I liked the episode. The Monster finally decides to make an over due appearance. Ben is finally turning away from his quiet evilness to his cool evilness. And we even get to see Daniel some more.
    One thing I’m starting to notice is that a lot of people are dying now, but due to the rather huge cast, I’m starting to not care much. Sure, Alex was interesting and all, but emotionally her death was kinda empty. I’m not sure if the writers simply need to whittle down the chaotic aspect of the show (see the overabundance of OTOSOTIs), or that death is just good television. Either way, if it keeps going in this direction, I’ll start caring when it’s down to Vincent the Dog and Ben. Vincent will win, obviously.

by Manny Perez

8:10 –
OK, Desmond is crazy. He keeps switching from the helicopter/boat to the British Army.
On the island: Daniel confirms the timespace-fluxuation thing – well, almost. Back on the boat, I freak out when I hear a voice that sounds like Walt, turns out it’s just some dude [disappointment]. More on him later, as it looks like he’s crazy too.

8:15 –
Sayid phones home. Desmond continues switching realities, talks to crazy dude briefly, talks to Penny. We switch back to the boat, Sayid hands the SatPhone to Desmond because Daniel wants to talk to him. Danny seems to get what’s happening to Dez and asks him some questions and gives him instructions to find him in 1996 [?] at Oxford University [?] [WHAT???]

8:25 –
More crazy instructions then SWITCHBACK. 2.342? Eloise? Past Dez goes to visit Past Danny at Oxford. [Oh God. the hair!] Standard “ha ha I don’t believe you” from Danny until Dez mentions Eloise. Turns out she’s a rat. He sticks her under a microwave thing. Zaps her with some light, which he explains almost like she’s sending her through time and after he puts her in … a maze? SHE TIMETRAVELED in her conscious? Switchback to present. Crazy George is awake and explains how he knows Penny OMG [sarcasm].

8:40 –
Switchback to 1996. Eloise died apparently during the switchback [!]. “Past Danny” says Dez can avoid dying if he can talk to Penny, well basically – but then ANOTHER switchback. Dez needs to talk to Penny on the boat too, and Crazy George can help. They’re escaping –then SWITCHBACK. We arrive at some haughty auction… Penny’s father is there. He gives him Penny’s address then – SWITCHBACK. George is helping them escape then – HE DIES, wow. Dez starts having the same symptoms [!!!].

8:52 –
Switchback to Past Dez. He flies off to Penny’s house and touchingly blabs to Penny that he needs her number. She gives it then – SWITCHBACK. He starts calling her on the boat (8 years later)… SHE ANWSERS! “Dez where are you?” [So sweet]. “I spoke to your friend Charlie” [Crying at reference to Charlie] “I love you Penny, I’ve always loved you, I’m so sorry, I love you” “I’ll find you!” “I promise!” [Blubbering at the sweetness of it all. The world is such a beautiful place] and… END SCENE. [Wipes tears away to see the screen]
Back on the island:
Present Danny is riffling through his notebook and it says, “If anything goes wrong Desmond Hume is my constant.” [Bad cliffhanger or food for thought?]

Afterthoughts:
Oh wow, that wasn’t confusing at all. Very interesting episode, full of specific and scientific explanations courtesy of everyone’s favorite nerd (or at least mine) Daniel! Just the way I like it.  Desmond has always been the freak among the Losties and I think this episode was rather fitting, but then again they did go for the cheap he might die angle. He has survived boat crashings, Hatch explosions, monster attacks, and probably some more, and the writers try to scare me with some time-travel headache? Pfft! Tell these writers it barely worked. I’m only slightly gripping my laptop.