Talk:The Glass Ballerina

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Locke

According to TV Guide, the October 11th episode will be Locke-centric. Does anyone have a source saying otherwise? --Elonka 19:49, 2 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A good reason not to trust unofficial sources. Or, for that matter, to speculate about an episode before it airs. -- PKtm 02:51, 13 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Map

Has anyone got an image of the map that Sayid was looking at, where he was evidently charting the island's coastline? That would be a good addition to the article. --Elonka 19:43, 12 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Plot summary length

I admit that I thought the additions I added to the plot summary a few days ago were a bit much, and figured someone would pare it down, but I think the version that I found today was a bit too pared down. IMHO, the summary should include at least not only the most salient plot points but character developments and recurring element developments as well (Jin's refusal to kill Jae Lee, Sawyer's assessment of the others' fighting skills, Kate learning Sawyer's name, the visible effect that the video had on Jack's skepticism, etc). Other points should be described a bit more formally (Jin telling Jae to leave the country rather than "disappear"), or more clearly (as when things in different scenes are described in consecutive sentences in the same paragraph, giving the plot a run-on feel to it). In this way, where the flashbacks end and the present story continues is not clear on a casual reading. I expanded the section again, but it's WAY smaller than my previous edit. I hope this is a good compromise for you. :-) (I also see that for some reason, I wasn't signed in when I made my last two edits. Sorry about that.) Nightscream 04:49, 15 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'll support any additions that comply with Wikipedia:WikiProject Lost/Episode guidelines. --Elonka 06:50, 15 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you look at the episode table, you'll see that I marked this article for copyediting. You're welcome to make changes as long as they abide by the episode policy we've setup. In fact, this article is about 100 words too long, but it was a dense episode so I don't mind. Jtrost (^T | C | _#) 12:06, 15 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Couldn't we divide it up into certain sections, like: "The Captured", "Sun, Jin and Sayid", and "In Flashbacks", or something? --The monkeyhate 19:13, 15 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How would that improve the article quality? Jtrost (^T | C | _#) 00:14, 16 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

By it being more easy to find certain passages. --The monkeyhate 15:03, 16 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If we had an excessively long article (a couple thousand words), I could see how that could be an advantage. However, this article is a mere 615 words, so I don't see the point. Also I think adding sections would increase the chances that people will add information that does not comply with the episode policy. Jtrost (^T | C | _#) 00:50, 17 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for pointing me to the Lost Episode Guidelines resources. I think the 500 word limit is a bit too little, or at least should be interpreted a bit more loosely, since it is just a guideline, and not a policy or rule. Important information gets left out, or can be presented vaguely or confusingly if we adhere to that limit so strictly. For example, in these passages:

As a child, Sun breaks a glass ballerina. Sun blames it on the maid, even after her father, Mr. Paik, threatens to fire the maid. On the sailboat...'

In a flashback, Jae gives Sun a necklace after they slept together. After she refuses it, Jae suggests they run away together. Mr. Paik finds them in bed together. Mr. Paik tells Jin to kill Jae.

Putting the bit about the sailboat, right after the flashback scene can be confusing for the unititated. And the second passage makes it seem as if Jin is right there in the hotel room with Jae and Sun in bed together. I think putting the flashbacks in their own paragraphs (for the most part at least), with the intro "In Flashback..." makes this clearer, and events that by necessity take place several scenes apart should be presented as such. I'm not advocating a scene-by-scene synopsis, but just a clear one. In addition, there were some factual inaccuracies in the article. It stated Kate and Sawyer overheard Colleen planning the raid. This did not occur. It says that the boat trio "sail clear of the mountains and start a signal fire. Jin refuses, but Sun and Sayid convince him to continue sailing." Jin refused before they went passed the mountains. This is because they were relying on his sailing knowledge. And Sun and Sayid don't "convince" him to continue. Rather, Sun tells Sayid that she too has sailing knowledge, and helps Sayid herself. I also think that ending the synopsis with the World Series bit does not accurately reflect the effect it had on Jack, or the gravity of Ben repeating his offer, since that's what that scene was about, and not the World Series. By contrast, I don't think that Kate's dress having been Alex's, or Juliet pouring water for Sawyer was very important. I made another edit with more detail, but it's still much smaller than either of my previous two edits, and I think it looks good. Tell me what you think. :-) Nightscream 15:09, 17 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Another option for providing details, is that we include links to the other wikis where this kind of information is being gathered without the strict size & verifiability requirements of Wikipedia. I'd recommend adding the following as an "External links" section:

External links

ABC wiki for "The Glass Ballerina" episode

Lostpedia wiki entry for "The Glass Ballerina"

"Lost Wiki" entry for "The Glass Ballerina"

We can also add in others which have consensus approval, and potentially add a disclaimer like, "Information at these links may contain unverified and speculative information. Use at your own risk.". I strongly believe that having these kinds of links on the episode articles will help divert "fancruft" away from Wikipedia, as it will help direct people to other locations where they can post all the information that they want. I also believe that it will make the Wikipedia articles even stronger, as a useful central location from which our readers can find the information that they're looking for. --Elonka 17:05, 17 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that WP articles should not have fancruft or speculative information themselves. (Apropos of nothing, I'm the one who tagged the fanwank article since it has no sources). Thanks. Nightscream 18:52, 17 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]