technosquid said:
To me, jack and irenas love is just... there, lingering, but neither of them can admit it.
Arvin and Emily were devoted to each other for a period of 30 years. To each other. Their relationship has stood the test of time. And obviously, Sloane loved her deeply.
Meanwhile, to describe Jack's love for Irina as mere lust simply because his love may or may not be returned simply is not fair. He said that he and Sloane shared a similar "devotion to our wives"--the depth of emotion in his voice was unmistakable, and it most certainly was not lust. If it was only lust that he feels for Irina, how could he hold onto her memory so tenaciously--in the face of betrayal and death--for 20 years? Despite the fact that he hedged his bets, Jack did in fact give Irina the chance to prove herself and his heartbreak at her renewed betrayal was genuine. In fact, Jack's continued love and forgiveness for his wife (he still has not initiated annulment proceedings, has he?) could be interpreted as more romantic as that of Arvin and Emily because his love has suffered privation and setback that Arvin's certainly has never had to face. In "Page 47," Jack's concern for Emily was very noticeable, and he seemed to feel that it was a little bit of a slip--I think he felt a kinship with Emily, who had a similar unknowing relationship with her husband that he had with his wife, and a deep envy of Sloane because he had from Emily the return of love that Jack so desperately needed himself.
Irina's love for Jack has not been sufficiently defined, and whatever is there is primarily in the mind of the viewer. In any case, I find it hard to place her love first because of the way she has treated her loved one. She may send Sydney messages, but has she ever given Jack--the man she supposedly loves--such consideration. Whoever voted for Irina's love for Jack, could they please let me know why?
Ah, Sydney and Vaughn. Well, they're together, aren't they? Like Arvin and Emily, they haven't suffered the tests of a great romance--even the test of time, in this case. We can't tell in their case yet. We have to see if this shapes into a great romance or not. All we have now is your-mom-killed-my-dad and Vaughn won't even face that yet.
Gee, I wonder where I put my vote? Romance suggests a love that survives difficuties and suffers privations. It suggests great sacrifice. Arvin was willing to sacrifice his quest and forgive his wife's betrayal, yes. Yet
he knows for a fact that Emily returns his love. Jack faced the fact of Irina's betrayal and her death and loves her still--and
cannot know for certain that his love is returned. Irina certainly can be certain where Jack's affections lie--she was counting on it, wasn't she? There is a tragic intensity to Jack's situation which makes his the more romantic, in my opinion.
