Confession

Posted by Phoebe

After five years of watching LOST, I have a confession to make.

I hate Jack Shepherd.

(More inside; this entry contains spoilers for the sixth season of LOST.)

When I think of Jack, he looks pretty much like he does above: he’s wearing a dull-eyed, slack-jawed expression, with his dumb tribal tattoos showing, and I pretty much want to punch him in the face.

To be fair, he’s not the only character I hate. In fact, there’s one character I hate much, much more than Jack Shepherd.

Her name is Kate Austen.

I’m pretty positive that I’m not supposed to hate either of these characters. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure that I’m supposed to think that they’re terrific. They’re supposed to be our heroes. I know this because the writers have chosen to spend an inordinate amount of time with them. Early in the show, Jack was clearly meant to represent SCIENCE!(TM). And, like, sure, I like science.

But on LOST, liking science is apparently akin to being one of those handsome dickweed highschool jocks with an overblown sense of entitlement. Jack seems to have, as we might call them, control issues. At his best moments–the moments when he’s not a pills and booze addict–he seems to view everyone around him with sneering condescension. His soul motivation in life (despite the fact that “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” is Locke’s tagline) seems to be to be the boss of everyone around him.

This was beautifully illustrated in last night’s episode, when Jacob was able to manipulate Jack right into his hands by subtly implying that Jack has never had free will. How dare a mysterious island monster god thing watch me. How dare he! It didn’t seem to bother Jack one bit that Jacob was also watching all of his friends. All he cares about is himself, and so he goes ballistic.

I believe I was supposed to feel a deep pathos for Jack at the moment he smashed the mirror. Instead, I only felt frustrated. Not for Jack, but because of him. Because I really, really would have liked to see what the mirror reflected when pointed towards the names/numbers of the other characters.

I often feel that way while watching LOST. We spend so much time with characters that I don’t care about (Jack, Kate, even Claire) and comparatively so little time with characters that I find genuinely compelling: Ben, Desmond, Juliet, Bernard and Rose, even Locke or Sawyer. There are so many loose ends left–is it really necessary, now, in the final season and with just eighteen episodes to spare, to dedicate two to Jack and his Problems?

And nearly sandwiching a Kate-centric one. I’ll come right out and say it: much of my dislike towards Kate is thanks to her proclivities, the way she plays men off one another. It’s not necessarily the promiscuity, but her lack of characterization beyond promiscuity. I felt like the writers were trying, somewhat, to make her more likable last season–by turning her into an overprotective mama bear. But I didn’t buy it. And after five years with Kate, I still have no idea who she really is.

(Okay, I’ll admit grudgingly that she’s a stock survivor character. Emphasis on “stock”; she’s not a very interesting one.)

It’s not as if the writers aren’t capable of writing complex-but-still-likable people. This season’s Locke-centric episode “The Substitute” illustrated that perfectly. Because not only did I enjoy the mirror-universe’s exploration of Locke, but Ben’s appearance as a snarky history teacher also seemed totally appropriate and enjoyable, not to mention Rose’s cutting-down of Locke’s pretensions. And, what do you know? I also found myself empathizing with the monster that has taken on Locke’s form.

I thought for a moment–and my mother, who I chat with about LOST weekly, agreed–that maybe that episode was indicating that the monster wasn’t evil, but that Jacob is the real bad guy. This seemed, perhaps, supported by Jacob’s maneuvering of Jack last night. But then the writers showed us that the Locke-monster also causes the sickness, removing most of the moral ambiguity. Oh well. I should have known better. I was, after all, supposed to be cheering for Jack all along.

Well, fine, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

While we’re on the subject, here are a few theories of mine: Juliet is David’s mother; the Kwan who is a candidate is neither Jin nor Sun but their daughter. And the little boy who appeared in the woods is a time-warped version Aaron (a la Walt at Shannon’s death), not a manifestation of Jacob.

Man, this probably makes no sense to anyone who hasn’t seen the show.

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Permalink | Comments (6) | Feb 24, 2010

6 Responses to “Confession”

  1. Jordan Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 7:59 pm

    I still feel empathy for Jack, mostly because he tries to lead and protect people but always screws it up, leaving behind a pile of twisted, charred metal and charred corpses desiccating in the sun. Kind of like a plane crash. Of course, this only reaffirms what his father told him: YOU DON’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!

    Part of my empathy for Jack is due to him representing SCIENCE, making him my champion. Mostly I think to myself: “HOW DARE THE CREATORS SLAP AROUND SCIENCE IN SUCH A MANNER!” I don’t really find Jack to be a likable character, but I cheer for him nonetheless. I was happy as a TV watching clam when Jack went on to Locke about how entering the numbers was STUPID and that nothing would happen if he stopped.

    Unfortunately, SOMETHING DID HAPPEN! WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE?!?!?

  2. Ian Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 8:09 pm

    Back when I watched this show, I watched some of the extras for the first season and they pointed out that originally Jack was going to die in the first season and Locke was going to be the “hero,” but the producers gave that a red light because Jack was clearly the character with the broadest appeal: a successful doctor who is young, hot, passionate, self-centered, and emotionally disturbed.

  3. JayTee Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 8:13 pm

    I agree with everything you said here. I’m not afraid to admit that I hate Jack. I also can’t stand Kate. And I feel the same way, like, I know they aren’t meant to be unlikeable but they are, they really are! The mirror thing really pissed me off last night for the same reason you mentioned. And Claire doesn’t scare me at all. Fake John Locke is scary and interesting though.

  4. Phoebe Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 8:23 pm

    I don’t know, Jordan. What kind of scientist is he if he repeatedly tests his hypotheses in high risk situations involving the lives of _people_? Particularly when his judgment has proven to be wrong time and time again? A bad one, or at least an unethical one, I think. You would say he makes negative EV decisions, probably.

    Ian, I always wonder what would have happened with the show if they’d done that. So much of the mythology hinges on the Shepherds now that it’s difficult to imagine the show without Jack.

    JayTee, you’re right–Claire isn’t scary at all. Rousseau, on the other hand, was scary and awesome. Another of those terrible but fascinating characters. Retreading her via Claire just dilutes the impact of the original character.

  5. Jordan Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 8:42 pm

    Jack makes bad decisions. Well, at least decisions that don’t work out. I don’t necessarily think he’s a good scientist or leader.

    Does he have to test his “hypotheses” in high risk situations involving the lives of people? Hell yes! That’s frequently what a leader is forced to do. A good leader has to be able to accept the burden of those decisions. In war (and sometimes other enterprises that put people in mortal danger) that burden includes risking lives. Jack struggles to handle that burden.

    Eisenhower actually made some piss poor decisions during the invasion of Europe, especially due to being overcautious. -EV Decisions. He’ll be remembered as a genius since he WON! If he lost, maybe he’d be Jack Shepherd! General Robert E. Lee made a million -EV decisions, LOST a war, and is still considered a great leader. Why? Because he’s more likable than Jack Shepherd.

    DOCTOR Jack Shepherd. I shouldn’t be so disrespectful!

    Anyway, to sum things up, I don’t like Jack, even though I empathize with his struggles at times. Poor, dumb bastard.

    He only has himself to blame for those tattoos, of course.

  6. phoebeeating.com » Blog Archive » Why LOST Sucks Says:
    May 12th, 2010 at 8:52 pm

    [...] was spending entirely too much time talking about Jack and Kate (who, if you didn’t know, I hate) and the pacing has been uneven. Since the destruction of the temple, there seems to be an awful [...]

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