Matthew possesses a rare & evident talent...An uncanny ability to convey a myriad emotions in a few subtle expressions with a notable range...His gifts were first shared w/the viewing public in the critically acclaimed Party of Five, & was further cultivated in the well crafted series Haunted. While Haunted's stay on the air was terse, its quality was exceptional, & the character of Frank Taylor provided the perfect transition to Lost's Jack Shephard. As Jack, Matthew brings a warmth and commanding presence to the screen. Completely believable as a selfless action hero one minute, & an intelligent doctor/conflicted man the next.
And now an essay on the intricacies of that conflicted man:
Jack stumbles through the thicket fighting for clarity as a scene of anarchy comes into focus. And it is in these moments of post crash chaos that perhaps best defines the character before us. As a man of action, his bravery, selflessness, & paradoxical strength/ vulnerability propel him to help anyone in need....But he is human before hero, & just a guy trying to do the best he can.
The pressures he faces would be overwhelming to anyone. In his hands are the lives of 40 ppl in a dire survival situation on an island that is beyond extraordinary. With "others" & monsters lurking around every corner, Jack has to contend not only with his constituents being his patients, but his "family" as well. Thus the line that determines what he should do as a doctor, a leader, & a friend becomes blurred between his personal and "professional" responsibilities.
The above only adds to the struggle & complexity of his character....This situation is his worst nightmare in having 40 chances to fail on a daily basis in several capacities. And now as he is thrust into the forefront, he's forced to confront his demons while so many count on him to take care of them & his beliefs are brought into question.
Yet perhaps Jack's greatest burden, is the need to make sense of a man whose life & death have left heavy footprints on his heart and psyche ...Having yet to properly grieve for his father, Jack is silently suffering, caught in the purgatory that is the Kubler Ross stages of grief. With no body to bury, words from a stranger are his only comfort for requiem of a relationship that was the epitome of misguided love... In having his own inadequacies & fears, Christian actually thought he was doing his son a favor, shielding him from disappointment by emotionally cutting him down- "You just don't have what it takes". Yet in actuality, it was more about Christian than Jack for if he could "mold soft metal into steel" & turn his son into a successful doctor, then Christian's bruised ego would be validated....Somewhere inbetween the memories of drunken stupors & "constructive" criticism, is the father Jack loved and misses. The irony being Jack's own choice led to the subsequent death that now leaves him in a compounded maelstrom of guilt & pain.
A stereotypical doctor and hero is not what you will find here. Jack is a man so dedicated to the preservation of life, that he's willing to cross his own moral & physical boundaries in order to serve that devotion...Doctors typically are emotionally detached from their patients out of self preservation & have confidence in their abilities, but Jack is emotionally tortured by his failures & his self doubt is his biggest hindrance...He is no Superman, he bleeds, cries, & gets his bruises along the way, but his courage, wits, & heart make him every bit the hero.
He is a "hides in plain view" character. He requires you to peel back the layers one by one in order to see the breath of complexity & interest beneath. I think of him as a stained glass of humanity...Having all of these different shades & colors that ppl often isolate as if they can't be part of the same man, but together they make an intricate mosaic..Jack has flaws & makes mistakes, but he's a good man and a wonderful character that hopefully more can come to appreciate as we do.
Please take a comfy seat & I hope you enjoy your stay!
The Spotlight (brought to you by jinxy ) A section to showcase talented authors & posters who have captured the essence of Jack.
Pool Room (yes we have our own virtual pool table now ).
F.O.X.Den Yahoo An extension of our wonderful thread that allows for more features not available on Fuse. I encourage all Foxes to join. Please be sure include your Fuse screen name in request for membership, & to read the welcome e-mail message you receive upon acceptance. Thanks.
So peruse the front page & check it out. Everything will always be linked in the first post for fast access.
Re: The F.O.X.Den 5 (Jack & Foxy fandom/discussion)
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The Big Screen
Catch the latest here about Foxy's ventures into the realm of film
We Are Marshall
Upcoming Appearances & Events
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Dec. 6 Matthew Fox on CBC's The Hour
Matthew McConaughey will also appear that day on “Oprah” to discuss the film
Dec. 9-11 We Are Marshall national and regional press junkets in NYC with those in attendance to include McConaughey, Matthew Fox, David Strathairn, Anthony Mackie, Kate Mara, Ian McShane and McG
Dec. 11 Matthew Fox on Regis and Kelly + MTV's TRL with Matthew Fox and Matthew McConaughey
Dec. 12 We Are Marshall premiere in Huntington, WV
Dec. 14 We Are Marshall Junket and premiere in Los Angeles
Dec. 15 Matthew Fox on Letterman
December 21: A&E's WAM Special
December 22: WAM Opens Nation Wide
*info courtesy of Matthew-Fox.net & MatthewFoxOnline.com
He just stares at Ana’s lifeless body slumped on the couch, her defiant face slack and the fire gone from her deep brown eyes.
She’s dead and he knows it. Knows he can’t save her.
So he turns away, not wanting to face it.
Libby gasps and sputters, sending Sawyer reeling back in shock and Jack faces her instead.
Ana’s body is still sitting on the couch, soaked in her own blood.
No one will move her. They’ll just leave her there as if he is the one who has to deal with it.
Of course he has to deal with it.
But he has to deal with Libby first.
He kneels beside her. One look and deep down he already knows, just like Ana, nothing can be done.
The only thing separating her case from Ana’s is time.
They’ll just have to sit and wait now, wait while another person dies, another person he couldn’t save.
....
He doesn’t want to sit by Libby’s side and wait for her to go. It’s this that Sawyer doesn’t understand when he growls at him, reminding him that he needs to stay and take care of her.
Sawyer doesn’t understand that he can’t sit there and watch someone else fade away. He’d watched Boone die and he doesn’t think he can stand there and go through it again.
He’s lost people before. Death is nothing new. But he’d never lost someone that he lived with side by side for days on end. Never people who would be missed by others he had to keep living with for god knows how long. Others who knew it was his fault.
Whenever he saw Boone, he thought of Joanna.
Whenever he saw Shannon, he thought of Boone.
Whenever he sees Sayid, he is reminded that he hadn’t even had the chance to try to save Shannon.
And now Hurley sits across the room from him, waiting for him to save Libby.
But Ana Lucia…he won’t have to look any further than his own reflection to find that person, that person who is pointing the finger of blame.
Sawyer doesn’t understand why he wants to go after Henry right then, that moment. It’s not about revenge, it’s about escape. It’s about him wanting to run from responsibility this time, to avoid that look on Hurley’s face when Libby breathes her last breath.
It’s about finding someone else to hold accountable for a change. Having someone to hold up and say It’s not my fault this time, it’s his.
He can yell at Sawyer for letting Ana have the gun, he can blame Locke for lying, just like he blamed Locke for his lies when Boone died.
But it never worked. Just like finding Henry won’t work.
Sawyer doesn’t need to tell him. He’s not an idiot. He knows he can’t go. He could delay witnessing Hurley’s pain, but he can’t escape it.
Just like he can’t escape his own.
.....
He finishes wrapping her body and stands up, crossing the room toward Sawyer. Kate had laid the statues out on the counter but neither of them had broken one open.
Eko would break them. He’s broken them before. But Eko is not here to help him this time.
So he has to do what they won’t.
Without a word he picks one up. He walks to the table, sits down, and smashes the figure against the hard edge. Ceramic pieces fly everywhere and the packets of brown powder tumble out.
He looks at the tiny bags for a moment, picking one up and turning it in his fingers. Kate and Sawyer stand by, watching, fear and pain in their eyes.
He stands up with a deep breath, needing to get the right supplies to do this.
“Doc,” Sawyer says, almost apologetically, when he pushes by.
Jack ignores him.
.....
That should hurt, but somehow, right now, it doesn’t.
Because there’s no place for it to go. There’s too much hurt present already.
Because what he wants is to be left alone and that is what he’s gotten.
He throws the medical supplies back into the duffel bag harshly. He wants to punch something, yell at the top of his lungs, but all he can do is lean over the sink and bite back his rage.
Because he feels angry. Seething. And not even at Henry for doing this, for killing Ana and Libby, for shooting Michael and escaping. It would be too simple to hate him.
He hates himself. Hates himself because he’s the one who had spared Henry’s life. He’s the one who had wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Sayid would have killed him that very first day if he hadn’t stopped him and then none of this would’ve happened.
He keeps making decisions based on what is right yet everything comes out wrong. Maybe right and wrong don’t matter in this place. Maybe morality has no place. It simply doesn’t work, like fire signals and distress calls, like sailing away on a raft, like a compass that points in a different direction than it should.
He’s only made it this far because he doesn’t stop to think about himself. Not because he’s selfless, not because he’s a born leader, but because he’d rather think about them, it’s easier to think about them. If he thinks about himself, he just wants to collapse and give up.
So he thinks about them because they remind him that he can’t give up.
But right now he’s having trouble thinking outside of himself. There are no thoughts in his mind beyond those of anger and retribution.
....
Perhaps it is because Sawyer had never been present during another death on the island. He’d never had to watch one of them die before his very eyes, never had their blood on his hands.
Maybe that’s why he is suddenly so full of concern.
Maybe he thinks he understands how Jack feels.
But until someone looks to him and asks him to fix it, Sawyer will never know.
And try as they might, no one else on the island will ever know. It’s not their fault, but they simply can’t understand.
Re: The F.O.X.Den 5 (Jack & Foxy fandom/discussion)
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The Shirts
A special section to pay homage to Jack & Foxy's shirts which he wears oh so well. Here you can find pics of said worship worth garments as well as the list of "keepers". enjoy!
Re: The F.O.X.Den 5 (Jack & Foxy fandom/discussion)
Good Sunday Foxes
And welcome to The F.O.X.Den 5!
You guys have been so supportive & understanding of my absences I hope I can make it up to you w/some new bells & whistles. I'll get right to it & then do a little catch up:
updated pics in the first post (over the fireplace)
The Spotlight (brought to you by jinxy ) A section to showcase talented authors & posters who have captured the essence of Jack.
Pool Room (yes we have our own virtual pool table now hehe)
F.O.X.Den Yahoo which has more features not available on Fuse. I encourage all Foxes to join. Please be sure include your Fuse screen name in request for membership, & to read the welcome e-mail message you receive upon acceptance. Thanks.
So peruse the front page & check it out. Everything will always be linked in the first post for fast access. Enjoy!
And Thank you ever so much to jinxy for her assistance setting up the thread & for maintaining the Spotlight.
(This same message is on the Marquis)
The catch up:
I didn't forget about you Dany_E & welcome to morry as well...
cheers for Dany_E FOX #201 morry FOX #202
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Originally Posted by wildjinx
lol, I know hon, I was actually speaking generally ... I didn't mean to appear that I was singling you out or anything
no worries I just thought I should clarify so I didn't sound like a WAM detractor (We Are Marshall not WHAM but I shamefully admit having crushed on them in my younger days *waits for darts*)
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Originally Posted by October
Okay, so how awsome does WAM look? I think they'll need to open up a special bonus isle for tissues in stores Dec. 22
I showed the trailer to my parents (my father being the antithesis of a chick flick & sports fan-he likes war movies lol, & my mom prefers comedy) & both said they want to see it.
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Originally Posted by shoegirl
Hole in One Banshee!
Thank ya..you taught us well.. but you are forever the pic story master.
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Banshee,
Good luck hitting the books (or is that the computer screen?) again...
Here's a few quotes to wish you well on your new endeavor and adventure...
" What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to a human soul. " -- Joseph Addison
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. " -- William Butler Yeats
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." --Mark Twain
hey pps,i haven't been here for a while did i miss something???
Welcome back FoxyJo!
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Originally Posted by workingmom
Hey guys! If you got the S2 DVD's, hang up the phone and go watch the director's commentary on Man of Science Man of Faith. It's got Damon, Carlton, Jack Bender the director, and Bryan Burk doing commentary. They talk a ton about Jack's character and how they envision his journey throughout the series.
Damon said people think Man of Science, Man of Faith refers to Jack vs. Locke, but really they felt that it was Jack being both these things and they wanted to show his evolution from a man who believes in the power of medicine to a man who is faced with finding a reason for the unexplainable that happens on the island and with Sarah's surgery.
They also touch on the flashback with his dad, where Christian is telling him to give people just a little hope even when there is little, and how Jack came around to using this when talking to the group in the caves when everyone is fearful of attack by the Others.
Damon also said what we've known in this corner of the Fuse: that they strive to strike a balance between character and mythology, and how they approach the storytelling from a character point of view while unfolding the mysteries on the island. Like in the cave scene where Locke gets the cable and goes back, Locke represented the people who just wanted to get down and see what was in the hatch (mythology), and Jack was more about giving people hope and standing with moral strength, and then Kate's conversation with him was a balance of both, showing their bond in "if you weren't here, Jack" while preparing him for the fact that she's off to discover the mystery too.
It's a really great commentary, as those commentaries go, and it really enhances that great episode to hear what the writers were thinking.
So long to the Den! I hope we can draw Banshee away from her books to dig out a new Den soon. Thanks in advance, Bansh!
obliged for the info mom..I'm getting pumped for the season. I de-spoilerfonted the above because I think we're ok since it speaks generally of the past w/no reference to future events. And I wanted to bring it over from Den 4...
What's cool is I distinctly remember us discussing those exact things about how Jack had grown as a man of faith/science via Sarah's surgery & the ways he had applied what Christian instilled upon him (giving ppl hope) on the island.
I must be honest, I wasn't buried in books, I took a nap longer than Rip Van Winkle. I promise I was studious the rest of the week , hence the tiredness
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Originally Posted by everblue3
Lead the way, bansh! We'll keep the light on here until you get back.
aw blues. You folks are the best.
What's a new Den w/o some discussion...Inspired by what mom posted, a slightly dif q than I've asked before:
How do you feel Jack has evolved emotionally & spiritually since being on the island?
F.O.X #1(Foxy/Jack fans)
unabashed Jater #4
K.A.T.E #7
avi by Luka
Re: The F.O.X.Den 5 (Jack & Foxy fandom/discussion)
Wow I haven't stopped by for a while. I had to come say HI. I'm hoping for a Jack epidode for the season premier, I think the main character deserves it.
Re: The F.O.X.Den 5 (Jack & Foxy fandom/discussion)
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Originally Posted by lostgurl
Wow I haven't stopped by for a while. I had to come say HI. I'm hoping for a Jack epidode for the season premier, I think the main character deserves it.
Hey lostg good to see ya
I saw Access Hollywood last night and..
Spoiler:
they had a special segment on Lost which confirmed the first ep is indeed Kate's...But since they're holding off on Jack it tells me the big things will go down in his (i.e. the jump the shark ep)
ok it's official...I'm addicted to the virtual pool
F.O.X #1(Foxy/Jack fans)
unabashed Jater #4
K.A.T.E #7
avi by Luka
)
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thanks to Matthew Fox Net you can see clips of all of 
) A section to showcase talented authors & posters who have captured the essence of Jack.
).
~ FOD #25! 
~ JuSt #36!
~ I 
Karma ~ 
, hence the tiredness 
and
and 