Ok, there's a new guy!* Where did Artz come from all of a sudden?* I figured I would start a new thread for Dr. Artz, the high school science teacher.* He apparently has a doctorate in something and is fairly smart in weather and climate.* And for the first time in a while a minor character on the island has emerged to a speaking role on the show.

Dr. Artz.

The actor has been listed on IMDB for the show, including some of the earlier episodes. I think I have seen him before but I can't remember where or when.

For those of you who are horror movie buffs the actor, Daniel Roebuck, will be appearing in the Devils Rejects.

The first episode that Daniel Roebuck was in is "Born to Run", and that's what the IMDb says as well.

You may remember him from the later seasons of Matlock

Daniel Roebuck is one of those "Hey! It's that guy!" guys who's been in loads of things. He played Jay Leno in that HBO movie too about the late night TV wars.

Now, if he's supposed to be a new regular, what's his purpose? For one thing I like the diversity of another good actor who's not 20-something and spectacularly beautiful. ;) But as he's been introduced, as the science teacher ("I'm a doctor!!!") who makes noise about things that are true but the others don't want to hear...I'm picturing someone with Locke's useful knowledge but with the annoying tendencies of the rash guy. Anyone else have a first impression to share?

Ethansgirl, I agree. It will be nice to have a new character on the show to add some spice to the regulars. And Dr. Artz must have invented a potion to make Rose disappear because she hasn't been on the show in a long time.

Ethansgirl, I agree. It will be nice to have a new character on the show to add some spice to the regulars. And Dr. Artz must have invented a potion to make Rose disappear because she hasn't been on the show in a long time.



I too miss the lovely Rose, but I'm delighted for the actress who plays her because she is in a successful stage play. :) Much better to miss Rose now while the actress is busy and know that she'll likely be back when the play is done, as opposed to missing her because she got the boot.

I thought Artz was great! He was very funny, and SUCH a pompous *** taht I can't wait to see more of him.

I thought Artz was great! He was very funny, and SUCH a pompous *** taht I can't wait to see more of him.



Me too.* I could see him being useful for comic relief, but also actually serving a purpose as someone who knows enough about a variety of valuable subjects that he could be one of those indespensable-even-when-he-drives-you-nuts kind of characters.* Also, I would imagine he'd have a Locke-esque quality as someone who has *finally* found his audience (a captive one, pardon the pun).* Years of being blown off and disrespected by obnoxious teenagers in school, and now the Lostaways tend to do the same thing to him...but they really need his knowledge, so he's important to them.

Do you think he will be on another episode in the future as a speaking character again?

Do you think he will be on another episode in the future as a speaking character again?



As I heard it he's a new regular character.

Good. It will be fun to have another regular on the island. Maybe he is one of the "others" :o

I can't wait for him to start showing up more. I think he is funny and should have more screen time.

I'm wondering if ole Arts is going to be a regular since he was on again tonight and not just a bit part like last week. He went into the woods with the regulars.

Okay, so now it's "Arzt" instead of Artz...?

Show of hands, folks: who else watched tonight's episode and thought "Yay, Artz!" only to follow it shortly thereafter with "Oh crap, I think he's the bad guy!"?

He was awesome in this episodes

Danielle: The black rock is where my team got infected and Tom lost his arm.
Arzt: I'll meet you guys back at camp!
Jack: I thought you wanted to come for the dynamite.
Arzt: Yeah! That was before Tom lost his arm! :lol2: :lol2:
Jack: What about the dynamite?
Arzt: Yeah... Just be careful ;D

Can't wait to see Arzt and Hurley to have another conversation. They are obviously the two funniest on the island so far. Maybe the producers thought Hurley needed a comic partner. I dunno, but I know I like Arzt. ;D

Daniel Roebuck is from my hometown of Bethlehem, PA so I'm excited he's on my favorite show. Good job Daniel.

I agree with hurley,

Leslie IS a bitchin' name.

I like his character, the first one to actually be afraid and turn away. That part was friggin priceless and he came running back like a sissy hahaha.

Yeah....Leslie is bitchin. :)

Gimme more Arzt and Hurley humor!!!

Show of hands, folks:* who else watched tonight's episode and thought "Yay, Artz!" only to follow it shortly thereafter with "Oh crap, I think he's the bad guy!"?

I was thinking after I saw that he was going with the group, "Oh crap, I think he's going to be eaten by the monster" Then as he was running from it, I just knew he was going to be another chopped up human like the pilot was. Fortunately for us Arzt fans, he's still on the show.

What if Dr. Arzt really isn't Leslie Arzt at all. I mean, Leslie's a girl's name. What if this guy, saw Leslie Arzt on the manifest and took that name????

Leslie Nielsen, Leslie Howard, Leslie (Bob) Hope.

All very well known actors.

Not just a girl's name

"I know a classroom full of 9th graders who can pronounce it just FINE."

This guy is CLASSIC.

Dr. Arzt is Fantastic. Hope to see more of him in the final episode.

I agree with hurley,

Leslie IS a bitchin' name.


Definetely agree with you. Leslie...It's so bitchin'. ;D

There has to be a reason why they introduce this character now. Why here at the end of the season? He's either going to be bad, or he's going to be an easy cast member to kill off by the monster, others, etc...

What if Dr. Arzt really isn't Leslie Arzt at all. I mean, Leslie's a girl's name. What if this guy, saw Leslie Arzt on the manifest and took that name????



There has to be a reason why they introduce this character now. Why here at the end of the season? He's either going to be bad, or he's going to be an easy cast member to kill off by the monster, others, etc...



My point exactly, Scubagert.

There has to be a reason why they introduce this character now.* Why here at the end of the season?*

To replace Boone.

Why do people think he's a bad guy? I really haven't noticed anything too suspicious.

I am very amused by this new addition. He reminds me of my Web Design teacher -- they kinda look the same and both are very, very sarcastic and funny.

...

I miss Artz.

They killed him off already.
Well, he still got one funny joke in from the beyond!

Waiting in line...
Arzt: Oh, so now you take the computer out!

:'( :'( :'( Why the new guy? :lol2:

Dr. Arzt is Fantastic. Hope to see more of him in the final episode.



Well, you got your wish. I saw parts of him I hadn't quite anticipated.

*Sniff.* I'll miss you Arzt. I had such hopes.

R.I.P. Arzt. . .. We hardly knew ya.


Shame to see you go, but I admit it was worth it for two lines.


He just. . . . . . . . . exploded.

And.

Dude, you got a little Arzt on you.

Well, It looks like I was right. He was put on the show to be blown to pieces. Ok so I didn't get the method of death. Oh well, poor, poor Arzt. He will be missed. Not really though, he was annoying me last night. I think the writers made him talk too much on purpose so you wouldn't mind him getting blown up. AND I agree superfuld, when Hurley said You got some Arzt on you, that was hilarious and yet a little disturbing.

Poor Arzt went splodey. :( RIP.

well, there is something to be said about going out with a bang, rather than a whimper. :lol2:

Well, It looks like I was right. He was put on the show to be blown to pieces. Ok so I didn't get the method of death. Oh well, poor, poor Arzt. He will be missed. Not really though, he was annoying me last night. I think the writers made him talk too much on purpose so you wouldn't mind him getting blown up. AND I agree superfuld, when Hurley said You got some Arzt on you, that was hilarious and yet a little disturbing.



I think he served another purpose: he voiced the same thing that so many of us in fandom have been saying, that the "redshirt" islanders must be saying by now, that the clique system is alive and thriving on Craphole Island. It was unrealistic that this small handful would be making all of the decisions and going on all of the "adventures" and the others wouldn't be raising a few "well aren't you special?" eyebrows. He called it out into the open, yet made it funny at the same time. Then he exploded as a warning to all else who might also be thinking that the clique system can be breached. ;)

Wow thats deep! The way my simple mind works, I was just glad he exploded because he was starting to get annoying.

Wow thats deep! The way my simple mind works, I was just glad he exploded because he was starting to get annoying.


Yep, that too.* *;)

I sort of liked his brand of annoying, though.* I would've liked to see him stay and add the annoying/comedic/observational dynamic to the show.

Edited to add another random observation:

Why would Dr. Science, while explaining how dynamite works and why it's so dangerous as it sweats nitroglycerine, choose to pick up the gnarliest, gooiest stick in the chest to wrap up for the trip home? Even Locke figured out that they'd be safer taking the driest sticks.

Why would Dr. Science, while explaining how dynamite works and why it's so dangerous as it sweats nitroglycerine, choose to pick up the gnarliest, gooiest stick in the chest to wrap up for the trip home? Even Locke figured out that they'd be safer taking the driest sticks.


Yeah I was wondering about that too.

Furthermore I'd like to say something about his critical comments in the last episode. Everybody seems to hail him now for adressing the "clique system" in a funny way. Although I must say I do not entirely disagree, I'd like to present another view on this matter.
In the first place, from a cinematographic view I think it's fairly logical that not all 48 survivors are in the spotlight. Heck, I think 10 or so is quite much already! And even though the camera focusses on the actions of 10 people, that doesn't necessarily imply that the other 38 aren't making plans on their own... I mean as far as we know some of the other 38 might be discovering the island or building a raft of their own if you know what I mean. The fact that we mainly see 10 people doesn't necessarily mean they are more important. Our natural assumption is that the people that the episodes focus on are the most important, but isn't it also possible that they are just a random sample of the whole group, and that the rest are experiencing comparable events? We don't know about all of those 38, but what we do know is that Arzt for one feels that the 10 main characters were doing more than he was doing... which might just say more about himself than about those 10 people, which brings me to my second point.

After all, isn't this the way it goes in real life aswell? Although people may have a point that cliques are being formed, one must consider to look at it from another point of view. Isn't it always that way, that a certain minority decides to take action, or at least takes more action than most of the others, after which some of the others bring the ever so tasty "who elected you leader" argument? My reaction on Arzt's comments were like "well roll up your sleeves; who forbid you to contribute?". I mean: in one of the first episodes Sawyer said the same thing to Jack and I'm fairly sure we all agreed back then, that it confirmed Sawyer's reputation of a jerk (although he may have lost that reputation later on).
My view on it is this: Jack has been very active because he's the only doctor. He, and the others who have been very busy making plans and taking action to contribute (Charlie, Kate, John, Sayid) would of course bond more amongst them than they would bond with the other people on the island. So even though it is quite right that a clique has been formed, isn't it rather unfair to say that they are placing themselves above the rest in an arrogant, elitist way?

Isn't it possible that Arzt's comments had a double meaning? Besides that the makers of the series were poking fun at themselves by having Arzt translate some of the critique that people usually express about Lost, his character may also be meant to portray the type of person that I tried to describe above: somebody who doesn't really contribute, only to fire unfair critique at the people who do something, and in that way poke fun at this kind of person at the same time. You may think I'm stretching it, but doesn't his behaviour in the last few episodes confirm that he has more words than action? I mean: he wanted to come to get the dynamite because he insisted that those 10 people weren't the only ones who could do something useful, but when it got a little rough he'd rather return to camp. Doesn't this confirm that the makers of Lost wanted to portray him as a slightly cowardish person? And doesn't this make his critique at the clique system a little undeserved, even though it was a quite funny and effective way to poke fun at Lost in general?

Your thoughts?

Love it.

I can't wait to find out what the other lostaways have been up to.

In the first place, from a cinematographic view I think it's fairly logical that not all 48 survivors are in the spotlight. Heck, I think 10 or so is quite much already!

I never meant to imply that this didn't make sense from the vantage point that this is a tv show and has to have a finite number of main characters--I'm just viewing it as the creators of the show mean for us to see it, that these select few are only a percentage of a larger number of survivors in this strange land and seem to be acting as the leaders in all aspects of decision-making. Regardless of the actions/inactions of the rest of the survivors, Arzt served to show us that some of the others view Jack & Kate & Co. as "the cool kids" clique.


And even though the camera focusses on the actions of 10 people, that doesn't necessarily imply that the other 38 aren't making plans on their own... I mean as far as we know some of the other 38 might be discovering the island or building a raft of their own if you know what I mean. The fact that we mainly see 10 people doesn't necessarily mean they are more important. Our natural assumption is that the people that the episodes focus on are the most important, but isn't it also possible that they are just a random sample of the whole group, and that the rest are experiencing comparable events?


"Important" isn't a word I would use, but it seems to me that Jack & Co. are the only ones venturing beyond the beach-to-cave territory and are taking the leadership roles in decision-making. As for the other characters experiencing comperable events, I respectfully disagree with this theory. Arzt's comments, compiled with the actions that we have seen from the "background survivors" in relation to the actions/decisions of the regular characters, suggests much more strongly that Michael's raft was the only raft, and that they might be helping out with food and wood gathering but otherwise they do what they're advised from Jack or Sayid or whomever.


My view on it is this: Jack has been very active because he's the only doctor. He, and the others who have been very busy making plans and taking action to contribute (Charlie, Kate, John, Sayid) would of course bond more amongst them than they would bond with the other people on the island. So even though it is quite right that a clique has been formed, isn't it rather unfair to say that they are placing themselves above the rest in an arrogant, elitist way?


I totally agree here--I don't think that their "clique" was formed out of conceit or superiority, but whatever the reason it did in fact form in the eyes of those on the outside. I also think it's made Jack & Co. leery of accepting involvement from the other survivors except in cases where group effort is really needed (like launching the raft, or the aforementioned food/wood collection).



Isn't it possible that Arzt's comments had a double meaning? Besides that the makers of the series were poking fun at themselves by having Arzt translate some of the critique that people usually express about Lost,

Absolutely!


You may think I'm stretching it, but doesn't his behaviour in the last few episodes confirm that he has more words than action? I mean: he wanted to come to get the dynamite because he insisted that those 10 people weren't the only ones who could do something useful, but when it got a little rough he'd rather return to camp. Doesn't this confirm that the makers of Lost wanted to portray him as a slightly cowardish person, besides the fact that he also said some things that poked fun at Lost in general?

Again, I totally agree. And actually, his "expertise" didn't help him or anyone else out too much...unless the sole purpose of one's life is to serve as a warning to others! :lol2:

Or maybe he was an annoying little science teacher who thought he knew more than he did, and thus blew himself up because of it.

Or maybe he was an annoying little science teacher who thought he knew more than he did, and thus blew himself up because of it.



Always a possibility. A dull one, but a possibility. :lol2:

RagingR2, that's an interesting way of looking at it. Although I have to say that it never seemed to me that his complaint was that the main characters were the ones doing everything or making all the decisions for the rest, but that they gave one another preferential treatment and did things without consulting anyone but those in their own "clique". You're right though, I definitely don't believe that they're doing so because they think they're better than anyone, but to Arzt it may look that way. It also struck me as a bit of jealousy and insecurity on his part, especially combined with his comments about no one wanting to sit with him at lunch back where he worked. Maybe he was upset because he felt he had knowledge to contribute but that no one listened to what he had to say, or if they did they didn't appreciate it because it wasn't a practical skill like hunting or physical strength. I could definitely see that causing some built-up resentment after a while.
I don't think he was a coward, though. Maybe that is how the writers meant us to interpret his behaviour, but he just seemed... human to me. I mean, he knew that Jack was planning to use dynamite to blow up the hatch, and he knew full well how dangerous that dynamite was. No one was begging him to go - no one knew that he was familiar with explosives - no one but Hurley even knew that he was aware of the plan. He could have just kept quiet and no one would ever have known. But he made the choice to speak up. Maybe I just have low standards, but for me that was enough to balance out his oh-so-"cowardly" fear of death & dismemberment in the Dark Territory.* :P

I think he thought he knew more than he did. Everyone knows someone like that who is outspoken and gives you a story about every subject that comes up. He knew all about dynamite. Well apparently he didn't know enough. Kaboom .

Ummmm...excuse me...but you've got some Artz on you! :lol2: