Summary: In flashbacks, Sun is confronted by a woman who demands $100,000 or she will reveal that Jin's mother is a prostitute. Using her resources, Sun meets with Jin's dad to confirm this. She pays off the woman using money from Mr. Paik, indebting Jin to him forever. She also reveals that she knows the woman is Jin's mother and that she will kill her if she sees her again. On the island, Sun is concerned when Jack asks her questions about her pregnancy. Sun goes to Juliet and learns that pregnant women die on the island. Juliet takes Sun to The Staff to confirm is the baby is Jin's or Jae's. If it's Jin's, Sun will die, but if it's Jae's, she will live. The baby is Jin's. Juliet leaves behind a report for Ben. Meanwhile, Mikhail stumbles upon Desmond, Jin, Charlie and Hurley as they try to save the parachute woman who is dying from a wound. Mikhail saves her life and in exchange Desmond lets him go. Mikhail tries to steal the satellite phone but Jin stops him. The woman wakes up and reveals that Flight 815 was found and all of its passengers are dead.
The Good: This was an excellent episode for Sun. She has always been the most interesting of the female characters on this show, and she proved that again in this episode. We get to see the strong-willed, determined Sun dealing with engaging conflicts in both the past and the present, and Yunjin Kim delivers a strong performance, ensuring that it's a blast to follow Sun's struggles throughout. The flashbacks tell a very good story that fills in some of the gaps in Jin and Sun's history. These flashbacks were excellent, and featured some of the show's best side characters in Sun and Jin's fathers, two very different men. I was glad to see Sun using her family's power to her advantage in this episode as she tracked down Jin's father and also identified the woman blackmailing her as Jin's mother. It showed us a new side of Sun, who had commonly played second fiddle to her husband and father. Here we see a confident, ruthless Sun who stops at nothing to get what she wants, going as far as even intimidating her father (see: Best Moment). On the island, Sun shows the same grit and determination as she sees through Jack's suspicious behaviour and immediately goes to Juliet for answers. The dynamic between Sun and Juliet is unique and I really enjoyed seeing Sun slowly come around to trust her as she learns more about who Juliet is. Their relationship develops nicely to the point where I can buy into the idea of Sun letting Juliet go back into The Staff alone at the end of the episode. Both characters were given very good stories in this episode to emotionally engage us. Sun is put in one hell of a predicament as no matter what the case is, she loses. Learning that she is going to die is a hard reveal for Sun who breaks down, but she shows her grit once more by looking on the positive side, expressing joy that the baby is Jin's. It's a wonderful little moment for her. Juliet also benefits from that moment as the news is bittersweet for Sun, but at least she got a smile from her patient rather than a grim realization. Juliet's arc in this episode is how she has lost the joy of being a fertility doctor due to the harsh realities of her research. But here she is rewarded for helping Sun, which is nice to see. The other half of the island storyline is also very effective. Most of the episode's drama comes from this storyline as Desmond, Charlie, Hurley and Jin scramble to figure out who this mysterious woman is and how to help her. It's fast-paced and exciting stuff made all the better by the inclusion of Mikhail who unexpectedly survived being thrown into the fence. It was wonderful seeing Mikhail again, and his presence lead to increased tension and a very good action sequence between him and Jin. However the real highlight of this storyline is the conclusion where the woman finally wakes up and drops a major bombshell that will presumably have huge ramifications (see: The Unknown). The Bad: Mostly just small things in this episode. The way Juliet wakes Sun up is needlessly dramatic and only happens to give the audience a small burst of tension. The same goes for Jack showing up in Sun's garden at the start of the episode. It's getting a bit tired since we have seen Sun hearing rustling in the jungle countless times by now. Also, I was annoyed to see that Kate has resumed her random bodyguard role from "Maternity Leave" as she tries talking for Sun and getting her away from Juliet. The Unknown: How was Flight 815 found with all of its passengers dead? Is the island some kind of a connection between parallel universes? Could this somehow tie in with the theory that they were dead all along? How would that work, especially since we have seen people like Richard and Ethan travelling to and from the island at will? How will this impact the story going forwards? Is Sun destined to die now? What if she is taken off the island before birth? Can that save her? I don't think it's a coincidence that Juliet was unable to try this, perhaps her new goal will be to save Sun's life by getting her off the island. Also, that's 2 characters now who are destined to die, with Charlie being the other one. Is there any significance to this? Where do Juliet's loyalties lie? Is she still firmly loyal to the others, or is she planning to switch allegiances to the survivors? The "I hate you" at the end of the episode is a really important moment because of how nicely it suggests the possibility of Juliet betraying the others without actually confirming it. Best Moment: The scene between Sun and Mr. Paik was superb television. Desperate to do anything to get what she wants, Sun goes in hard against her own father, threatening him and trying to stay in control of their negotiation. It's a wonderfully executed scene that once more serves to humanize Mr. Paik. He doesn't relent to Sun's aggressive claims, but once he learns that she is doing it for Jin, he is quick to give her the money that she needs. But it comes at a cost. We learn that this whole thing is why Jin was promoted and why he wasn't allowed to leave after working for a short while like it was promised. It's a sad reveal since in protecting Jin's honour, Sun ended up transforming him into the monstrous man he was back in season 1. Excellent storytelling. Character of the Episode: Sun. Conclusion: This is another really strong episode. While not the show at its absolute best, this is very entertaining television with solid character work and some dramatic reveals to set up the final stretch of the season. Score: 68
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Summary: In flashbacks, Desmond runs away from a marriage with his girlfriend Ruth to join a monastery. He doesn't fit in however and is soon fired. Once he's fired, he meets Penny at the monastery and they leave together. On the island, Desmond has a vision of Charlie dying to one of Rousseau's traps and somebody arriving on the island, someone he hopes is Penny. Desmond gather Hurley, Jin and Charlie to go "camping" in hopes of seeing Penny. Shortly into their trip a helicopter crashes into the sea and somebody parachutes out into the jungle. The group head inwards to find her. Desmond almost lets Charlie die to ensure Penny does arrive but he changes his mind at the last moment. They find the person unconscious in the jungle. She isn't Penny, rather another woman who knows Desmond's name. Meanwhile, Kate tries to get back on track with Jack but he ignores her so she ends up going back to Sawyer and they have sex. However, Sawyer realizes why Kate went to him and lets her know about it.
The Good: This is a very fun episode to watch. The very first scene of the episode provides a hook as we get a glimpse into one of Desmond's visions, which sets the stage for the rest of the episode: somebody is coming to the island and Charlie has to die for it to happen exactly as Desmond saw. The plot is laid bare in these opening moments and the rest of the episode is just as thrilling and dramatic as you expect it to be. On top of being a fun watch, this also ends up being a hugely important episode. The arrival of somebody else to the island is a massive development, likely one that will shape how the rest of this season plays out. The presence of this mysterious woman is immediately intriguing and it's the kind of forward movement the plot needed. Desmond's story is very well done too. His key conflict comes from the idea of if he's going to sacrifice Charlie in order to ensure that Penny arrives on the island safely. This is a wonderful use of Desmond's abilities since knowing what is about to happen gives him an engaging moral dilemma. The moment where Charlie's death is impending is very dramatic and you do get worried for a moment that Desmond may actually let Charlie die to further his own goals. It's very interesting drama which does actually pose some more interesting questions about how this world works (see: The Unknown). The flashbacks have some good moments in them too. I like that Desmond's cowardice is shown to extend further than Penny since she isn't the first woman he has left out of fear. I thought that Desmond's speech about how he knew he was supposed to go to the monastery was extremely well done, and it sounds like just the kind of ridiculous crap that Desmond may be telling himself to deal with the fact that he's a coward. The meeting with Penny at the end was another terrific moment since these two have excellent chemistry together. Lastly, I thought that Desmond's past in the monastery was a neat explanation for why he calls everyone "brother". The Kate/Sawyer/Jack subplot was pretty well done for what it was. This love triangle storyline certainly isn't top tier television, but I am impressed at how well the show is handling the characters involved. Kate's desire to be with Jack is easy enough to understand, and we can see why she would go to Sawyer to get comfort once Jack has become too distant. Kate has always been selfish, so she is certainly not above using men for her own needs. I really appreciated that Sawyer discovered what she did and was completely fine with it. This story could have easily become unnecessarily melodramatic, but the writers showed restraint. The Bad: When you look into the logic behind this episode, things quickly fall apart. The only reason that Desmond, Hurley, Charlie and Jin go on their journey is because Desmond had his vision. Otherwise it would never have happened. This is a common problem with all time-jumping stories. There's always the risk of writing a time paradox, which allows the entire episode to fall apart when the details are scrutinized. If the writers want to delve further into the complexities of Desmond's powers they need to be more careful than this. I was also bothered by some of the editing in this episode. I thought it was really excessive how often the writers spliced parts of Desmond's visions into the episode. That was very unnecessary and I think it took away from my immersion in the episode when there are random flashes being thrown in where they don't belong. I thought the flashbacks could have been stronger. Sure there are some good scenes and the story is well written, but there isn't enough to make the story really stand out or change how we view Desmond as a character. I was bothered by Sawyer outright asking Kate to have sex randomly. They only ever did it once, and that was when Kate thought Sawyer was going to die. Furthermore, there was an intense break-up scene shortly after that, so why would Sawyer ever think that he would just be able to have sex with her whenever he wanted? It's such a strange request, especially seeing how long they had been apart prior to the previous episode. The Unknown: Who is the woman at the end of the episode? How did she know Desmond? Was she sent by Penny to find him? Is the universe recognizing that Desmond is saving Charlie's life? I wonder if the universe somehow targeted Desmond specifically with this vision to tempt him into letting Charlie die. It would be very interesting if the universe operated like that. Furthermore, it could also explain the time paradox problem if the universe was somehow breaking its own rules in response to Desmond breaking the rules by seeing the future. Best Moment: Desmond meeting Penny for the first time was a really sweet moment. Intercutting that with Desmond saving the woman from the parachute ended up being a genius choice since it combined the feelings of love and happiness with feelings of hope, turning the whole sequence into something really sweet and powerful. Character of the Episode: Desmond. Conclusion: This episode was a lot of fun to watch and Desmond got some more strong development as he remains one of the show's better characters. However, there are some flaws underneath the surface, blocking the episode from scoring too high. Score: 68 Summary: In flashbacks, Juliet meets with Richard and Ethan who take her to the island in the sub. Once on the island she meets Ben and is tasked with solving the problem of women dying in labour on the island, but she is unsuccessful. Juliet wants to leave, but Ben forces her on the island by promising to heal her sister whose cancer has returned. Juliet agrees to the deal. Later when Ben finds out he has cancer, Juliet angrily accuses him of lying. Ben shows her a video of Rachel and her new son to calm her down. In the present, Jack protects Juliet from any interrogation. When the group returns to camp, everyone is less than pleased about Juliet. However, Claire suddenly gets sick and Juliet reveals that it has to do with the medications Ethan was giving her. She retrieves some of Ethan's supplies and saves Claire, earning some trust. However, it's revealed that the whole thing was planned by Ben because he wants to have somebody in the survivors' camp.
The Good: Juliet's story is really well done. We get to see her transformation in full by comparing the early flashback Juliet to the current Juliet on the island. The difference is huge, and it's great to finally see what it was that led to her becoming so cold. We learn that Ben essentially held her hostage on the island for 3 years, simply not allowing her to leave and seemingly emotionally manipulating her the entire time (see: The Unknown). And in all that time, she was operating on patients who were continuously dying, and with nobody close to talk to about her feelings, it led to her becoming closed off emotionally. What helps the story even more is how easy it is to sympathize with Juliet. We know that her heart isn't into staying on the island and there is never a moment in the flashbacks where we don't know what she wants. It's clear that she just wants to leave the island, and that makes her no different from any of the survivors on the beach in that her main goal is to return to the life she had before coming to the island. From a plot perspective, this was really well done as well. We get to see that Juliet was always tightly involved in the others society, and there will presumably be answers on the way now that she's infiltrated the camp. We already get some good answers about why Ethan kidnapped Claire, why she was important and why the others did experiments on pregnancy. We're slowly getting a more fully formed view of how this society works and I'm excited to see more of it. One of the most interesting aspects was Richard, who seemed to have spent a lot of time off the island, possibly as some sort of recruiter. I'm very interested to learn more about him. The island storyline is very well done. Juliet's arrival in the camp shakes things up as expected, and for once I think that everyone's reactions are explored fittingly, since it's obvious that the survivors would not be at all comfortable with one of the others joining their camp. Moments like Hurley being sent against his will to keep an eye on her and Sayid immediately trying to interrogate her make perfect sense. I was also very pleased with Sayid and Sawyer choosing to follow her since they naturally did not trust her at all. That allowed for a great confrontation which pleasingly allowed Juliet's character to shine as we got to see how she approached the problem of Sawyer and Sayid not wanting to trust her with anything. The twist at the end of the episode was very effective. Juliet is there as a spy, and it's her job to get people to trust her. She already succeeded with Jack and so she has infiltrated the camp and will likely be feeding information to Ben. But the intrigue comes in when you consider that Juliet wouldn't have any reason to stay loyal to Ben and it's possible that she changes sides to the survivors. I'm really excited by this storyline and I can't wait to see where it goes. The Bad: Nothing I'll call bad. This was a very consistent episode. The Unknown: Apparently Jacob himself was going to cure Rachel. Who is Jacob? Can he leave the island? Is he on the island? The others seem to worship him. Is he some kind of deity or a grand leader of some sort? It seems like Juliet was converted to whatever belief system the others have which is very interesting. Did Rachel actually have cancer or did Ben just make that up? I wouldn't put it past him to manipulate Juliet like that to get her to stay. But if he did actually cure her cancer, it raises some important questions. How did he do that? Can Jacob cure cancer? Why did Ben get cancer then if he can cure it? Why can't women give birth on the island? Is it something to do with conception that's the problem? If so, why was Claire successful? What does it mean for Sun since she got pregnant on the island? Is she going to die or can Juliet somehow save her? Why are the others so concerned with solving this issue? Are they scientists? What's the point of all these experiments? Why did Ben send Juliet as a spy? What are his plans for the survivors camp? Best Moment: Ben showing the video of Rachel to Juliet was heartbreaking stuff. Juliet has been isolated for so long that she is hardly even herself anymore. But with the slightest glimpse of home, she immediately falls back into the timid, emotional woman she was before, a desperate plea to anyone that is around that she wants to go home. But nobody listens, and when Ben shuts the TV off, Juliet is thrown back into her unfortunate reality. It's a fantastic moment that perfectly captures the emotion of Juliet's storyline. Character of the Episode: Juliet. Conclusion: This was an immensely satisfying episode to watch, one that gave us lots of answers about the others through Juliet's flashbacks while still managing a spectacular character journey showing us how Juliet went from the timid and nervous woman to an emotionally detached and ruthless woman. It's a welcome episode to get after the story was essentially put on hold for 2 whole episodes. Score: 75 Summary: In flashbacks, Kate meets Cassidy in Iowa and Cassidy helps her arrange a meeting with her mom. Kate asks why she turned her in and her mom tells her that she loved Wayne and warns her that she will scream for help if she ever sees Kate again. Kate parts ways with Cassidy. On the island, Locke visits Kate and reveals he is leaving with the others. Kate is gassed and she wakes up handcuffed to Juliet in the jungle. They head back to the barracks and have a close call with the smoke monster. Juliet reveals she had a key to the handcuffs and handcuffed herself to try to endear herself to Kate since she was also abandoned by the others. Juliet and Kate meet up with Sayid and Jack and they head back to camp. At camp, Hurley convinces Sawyer that he's going to be banished so Sawyer starts trying to get on everyone's good side.
The Good: Kate's flashbacks were fine. It was nice to get an explanation as to why her mom screamed for help back in "Born to Run". The conversation between Kate and Diane is well done, and I appreciate how the episode frames Kate's view of her actions (noble and justified) against Diane's (selfish and criminal). It's also good to see Cassidy again in the flashbacks, and having her meet Kate is very unexpected and leads to them developing an interesting connection which we may see come up again (see: The Unknown). The island storyline had some moments too. The Juliet/Kate dynamic is unique and there are some good moments from their time in the jungle, particularly everything involving the smoke monster which remains one of the show's most engaging mysteries (see: The Unknown). The B-story is a ton of fun as Hurley cons Sawyer and gets him to be nice. It's funny and entertaining, especially considering how invested we are in both Hurley and Sawyer. Buried beneath all the fun is a good story of Sawyer learning to be a leader which does feel worthwhile. The Bad: Unfortunately much of this episode feels completely pointless. I don't know why so many episodes this season have been filler but it has made many episodes feel completely inconsequential. This is one of those episodes. The only important event that happens is that the others leave the barracks. Then Kate and Juliet end up in the jungle and the plot of the episode is just them walking back to the barracks so everyone can leave together. It's all so skippable and I feel like if we skip from Kate being gassed to everyone else waking up, we miss nothing from the story outside of minor mystery building with the smoke monster. Additionally, Sawyer's story ends up being pointless too. He seems to be set up as a leader, but with Jack, Kate and Sayid on their way back to the beach, he won't be a leader anyways. The Juliet and Kate drama was flat and completely uninteresting. Instead of developing the characters at all, the show inexplicably decides to spend their time talking about Kate's non-romance with Jack which is really dull and I found myself completely bored by all of it. The love triangle stuff has always been one of the show's weakest points. Even the Kate/Jack scene wasn't good in this episode. Typically Jack and Kate's scenes have bordered on having too much melodrama but have had enough depth to remain compelling. But here it goes way too far and their scene just doesn't work because it feels like it's trying to hard to make us feel Kate's guilt for messing things up with Jack. Unfortunately the episode doesn't succeed at connecting my emotions to Kate's. The Unknown: Where are the others going? Why is Locke going with them? What are they going to do with him? Why did they leave everyone else behind? Why was Juliet left behind? Are they actually abandoning her like that? Or is this some kind of a trap engineered by Ben? Why was Juliet antagonizing Kate so much if she wanted to be accepted into the survivors' camp? It feels like something is going on. Did Dharma build the sonic fence to keep the smoke monster out? Why can't it go through the fence, or even over it? It seems that even the monster has some limitations. Also, the monster seemed to "scan" Juliet like it did with Eko back in "The 23rd Psalm". This is interesting. Does this mean that the monster is going to end up judging Juliet like it did with Eko? Best Moment: I'll go with Kate speaking to her mother, it was one of the only scenes that I was invested in. Character of the Episode: Sawyer. Conclusion: This wasn't a good episode. There wasn't a lot to connect with, and the storylines felt both pointless and melodramatic. We've had 2 filler episodes in a row, this season needs to start picking up soon. Score: 49 Summary: In flashbacks, Nikki and Paulo steal diamonds from a rich TV show producer but the diamonds make them grow apart. While on the island, Nikki is increasingly invested in finding the diamonds which makes Paulo paranoid that she doesn't care about him. Paulo finds them diamonds and hides them from her. Nikki finds out and paralyzes him with a spider but she gets paralyzed too. In the present, Hurley and Sawyer find Nikki and Paulo paralyzed but think that they are dead. They investigate to find out what happened but don't end up getting an answer. They end up burying Nikki and Paulo alive along with their diamonds.
The Good: This was a fun episode that tried something new. The characters of Nikki and Paulo hadn't done much before and weren't very well received so the writers chose to kill them off in what ended up being a pretty fun and creative way. This episode feels less like "Lost" and more like a murder mystery, which is a neat format break that allows the show to do something different in taking care of these two characters. Admittedly, the story for Nikki and Paulo is very well done. They're despicable people but are still human enough to understand and that makes this story resonate more than it should. By the end of the episode I understood their conflict very well and it was a little tragic to see their relationship fall apart the way it did. The final visuals of Nikki and Paulo being buried alive was pretty horrific and it felt like a suitably grim fate for the two of them, giving the episode a memorable conclusion. What made this really stand out was the details. This episode was impressively well written and packed with foreshadowing, Easter Eggs and group interactions that impressed me. The foreshadowing in this episode was lovely. Nikki's comment about how guest stars always die at the start of the episode was fitting considering that she and Paulo were essentially just glorified guest stars themselves. I also appreciated the nod to them not wanting to end up like Boone and Shannon with the irony being that they ended up being buried on the island just like Boone and Shannon. I was pleased with all of the callbacks. We got to see more footage from the crash that neatly integrated things like Boone searching for a pen, Ethan making an appearance and Dr. Arzt returning. The story allowed for these cameos to fit in organically so it isn't just meaningless fanservice. The episode also gave us some answers about the others when Ben and Juliet visited the Pearl (see: The Unknown). I appreciated that the survivors discussed some of the mysterious things that are going on, like the monster and Mr. Eko saying "you're next" when he died and what that meant. Furthermore, there was also some speculation on if Nikki and Paulo were in touch with the others which was another fun detail. Lastly, I was really happy to see Charlie making amends for attacking Sun back in "The Long Con". I'm glad that this storyline wasn't forgotten and it gave both Charlie and Sun some good moments in the episode. The Bad: This episode was filler though and that does hurt its quality. It's fun to watch but the episode doesn't fit in at all with the overarching story and could easily be skipped without missing anything. If this was the pay-off for Nikki and Paulo, I think the show would have been better off if they just hadn't bothered introducing these characters at all. They just feel like a waste of time now. Even if the episode wasn't bad, Nikki and Paulo didn't end up adding anything to the story. It seems farfetched that Nikki and Paulo would discover things like the Beechcraft and the Pearl and hear plans from Ben. What makes things especially bad is that the two of them told nobody about any of this which makes no sense. Surely they should mention these things right away! Instead it seems like they simply didn't care. Nikki and Paulo's death has little impact because nobody else really seems to care that they died, especially Sawyer who continually messes up their names. The Unknown: So the others knew about both the Pearl and the Swan. Why didn't they man these stations? Surely they could have taken both of them if they wanted, like they did with the Flame. Why leave these two? Did Ben simply not want to do experiments here? That makes no sense, especially considering that Ben hadn't even seen the Swan when he was first captured. Also, we learn that Ben was likely captured on purpose with the idea of manipulating Jack. Why did he make such a risky move? Who did he place in charge while he was captured? Why was the smoke monster involved in Nikki being paralyzed? Did it condemn Nikki and Paulo to death the same way it condemned Eko? Best Moment: Charlie confessing what he did to Sun was a powerful moment. It's nice to see Charlie making a conscious effort to redeem himself, knowing that his days are numbered. Even knowing that Sun would be angry at him, he doesn't make excuses but simply resigns himself to her judgement of him. It's a lovely piece of character growth. Character of the Episode: I'll give it to both Nikki and Paulo, why not. Conclusion: This was a solid episode overall. It was a lot of fun and was written very well, though it couldn't overcome the fact that this episode didn't need to exist and was the most filler episode of the show so far. Still, I had a fun time watching this and the score should reflect that. Score: 65 Summary: In flashbacks, a depressed Locke is approached by Peter Talbot who suspects that his mother is marrying a con man, the same man who Locke donated his kidney to. Locke doesn't tell anything to Peter but goes straight to his father and tells him to stop ruining people's lives, ordering him to leave or he'll tell Peter's mother the truth. Peter turns up dead and Locke confronts his father who pushes him out of an eight story building, ending in Locke's paralysis. On the island, Kate, Locke and Sayid try to free Jack. Kate and Sayid are quickly apprehended, though Locke sneaks into Ben's room and inquires on the whereabouts of the submarine. After talking with Ben, Alex takes Locke to the submarine, where he promptly blows it up. However, this works in Ben's favour as both Jack and Juliet were going to leave shortly on the submarine. Locke is captured and Ben shows him that the island somehow brought Locke's father to the island, and he has been imprisoned by the others.
The Good: This is a terrific episode of drama. This episode continues the trend of "Lost" departing from its slower paced, character-driven format in favour of more exciting and dramatic scenes with a sense of suspense always lingering behind every scene. Quite literally every moment in this episode is superb and adds to the story being told, providing us a masterclass of an episode that absolutely nails the storytelling, the twists and the character development. I'll start with the wonderful story we got in the flashbacks. For once, the flashbacks told a story worth telling as we discovered what put Locke in the wheelchair. We get to see once again that Anthony Cooper took everything from Locke. He took his kidney, he took his father figure, he took his relationship with Helen and now he's taken his ability to walk. It's so heartbreaking for Locke because this really feels like the last nail in the coffin. When we catch up with Locke, he's horribly depressed with very little going well in his life. All he had left was a final chance to go back to his father and get back at him for what he did. Locke had learned from before and wasn't about to let his desire for a father figure consume him. Instead, he just didn't want other people to suffer the way he has. But even then, he's still a complete sucker and totally falls for Anthony's manipulations yet again, leaving him a broken shell of a man by the end of the flashbacks. The final sequence with a dejected Locke being put into a wheelchair by the chipper physiotherapist is heartbreaking television, and is easily the most powerful moment we have seen in flashbacks since Desmond's meltdown in season 2. The flashbacks even tie into Locke's island story, which is something that hasn't been very common this season. Just like in the flashbacks, Locke tries to take control of his life on the island, and all of his efforts all end with the same result: yet another manipulation. But island Locke is a changed man, and the episode takes the time to explore him and his mysterious motives in depth. We learn that his plan is to destroy the submarine because he believes that it's cheating for the others to be able to leave the island and come back at will. At least that's what he tells Ben, but we learn by the end of the episode that this isn't the whole truth. Learning about the extent that Anthony has ruined Locke's life gives us a perfect reason why Locke doesn't want to leave the island outside of being put back in the wheelchair. He's afraid of his father. He doesn't have much left, and nothing scares him more than the idea that what little he has can be taken away. So he enjoys his time on the island precisely because of the isolation. He's happy to have broken free from the rest of the world because now he can actually do whatever he wants without the fear of being stepped on. The submarine represents a chance for Locke to return to the world, and not wanting to do that, Locke is more than happy to blow it up and ensure that there's no way off this island. It's a lovely bit of character writing that serves as the icing on the cake for what was a tense and exciting episode. The drama on the island built up so well. The highlights of the episode were certainly the scenes between Locke and Ben. The two had such a wonderful dynamic together and their scenes came together perfectly. The acting from Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn was simply stellar, and the dialogue written for the characters was somehow even better. The atmosphere was electric whenever they were talking, and the connection that their conversation had to the deeper themes and plot of the show made everything feel must-watch. The rest of the episode holds up well too. The entire episode is dedicated to the attempt to save Jack and blow up the submarine, allowing the episode to naturally build tension. As the episode progresses, there are plenty of tense moments, like Locke hiding in the closet or the others capturing both Kate and Sayid. It's very exciting television that's easy to enjoy, and the added layers of storytelling make it even better. There are a lot of other really strong moments. I enjoyed the Kate and Jack conversation, and I especially liked how they paralleled the conversation they had back in "I Do". Rousseau got a very nice little moment as she got to look at her daughter's face for the first time in years. Ben had an outstanding episode all around as he manipulated Locke before lying through his teeth to Jack and Juliet, knowing full well that they wouldn't be going anywhere. Lastly, the ending of the episode is spectacular. Anthony appearing on the island is a wonderful twist that completely caught me off guard (I thought the episode would go the generic route and end without showing us what Locke saw in the room - I'm very pleased the writers resisted the temptation to do this). Not only does this propel the magical forces of the island forwards in a significant way, but this also sets Locke up with a terrific conflict as he's not going to be able to escape the threat of his father anymore. He'll have no choice but to face his past and get over it if he wishes to continue living his new life. The Bad: Nothing I'll call bad. This was one of the show's most consistent episodes yet. The Unknown: How did Ben end up getting sick? Did he do something that angered the island? Is there some meaning to this? How do the others get electricity and plumbing? Ben's line about the hamsters was hilarious, but I'm curious if this will actually be answered. Where is this magic box? How did it bring Anthony to the island? When did he get there? What have the others done with him? Did they know who he was? I have so many questions about that ending. Who is Richard? He seems to be a higher ranking other, so does he have a particular role? Best Moment: So many of the Ben/Locke conversation snippets could have been the best moment of the episode. My favourite has to be when Locke accuses Ben of cheating and not listening to the island's demands. A frustrated Ben is evidently hit hard by this accusation, and wonders how Locke could possibly think that know the island better than him after such a short amount of time. Locke then replies with the best line of the episode: "because you're in the wheelchair, and I'm not". A spectacular moment. Character of the Episode: Locke. Conclusion: This is "Lost" back at its absolute best. The drama, storytelling, acting and writing all came together perfectly to make the best episode of the season so far, an episode that completely reshapes the story with some excellent twists and also does some very worthwhile exploration of Locke, the show's best character. This was an absolute win, and a sign that despite some inconsistency, there is still much that this show can do to wow us. Score: 84 Summary: In flashbacks, Claire is in a car accident that leaves her mom in a coma where she may never wake up. She meets her father, Christian, who had been paying all of the medical bills. Claire sends him away but Christian tells her not to keep her mom alive out of guilt. Many years later, Claire's mom is still in a coma and Claire apologizes for everything. On the island, Claire sees birds that are tagged and plans to catch one to send an SOS message. Desmond, having seen Charlie dying because of these birds, prevents this. Claire follows Desmond and forces him to explain everything to her and he does. Claire sends out a message with a bird caught by Desmond. Meanwhile, Locke, Kate, Sayid, Rousseau and Mikhail reach a sonar fence encircling the barracks. After Mikhail threatens to reveal Locke's paralysis, Locke sends him into the sonar fence, killing him. Sayid discovers that Locke smuggled C4 out of The Flame. The group climbs over the fence and reach the barracks where they see Jack playing football with Tom.
The Good: Everything surrounding Locke and co. was the strongest stuff in the episode. The drama was engaging, and it was more than enough to overcome the fact that there wasn't very much character exploration done in the storyline. Mikhail's presence added a lot, particularly during the scene where Kate started quizzing him. Just like last episode, it was fascinating hearing what Mikhail has to say, and he offered us some very interesting insight about the others. Additionally, it was very interesting to see Locke's behaviour. Evidently, he seems to be following his own agenda and I have no idea what that is. I'm excited to find out what he's up to, and I think there's a lot of potential for strong character conflict if Locke continues to work on his own, away from Sayid and Kate's attempt to save Jack. Claire's story was fine. I was pretty happy to see somebody making a conscious effort to find a way off of the island, and I wish that the show explored the idea of trying to get off the island more often than it does. It was good to have Claire learn that Charlie is destined to die as I think this prevents a lot of more melodramatic stuff later in the season. The flashback story was good as well. Claire has always been the least interesting of the main cast, mainly because her character has hardly been explored. Here we finally delve into her backstory and we're given a nice story of Claire learning to come to terms with her own mistakes. Furthermore, we're actually given a good reason for Claire's poor treatment of Charlie last season. We learn that her father abandoned her, and adding on how Thomas abandoned her back in "Raised by Another", it's easy to determine that Claire has trust issues and likely finds it easy to believe that the men in her life would betray her, even if they haven't actually done so. The Christian twist works very well. We now know who Christian was visiting back in "Two for the Road", and we also know that Jack and Claire are half-siblings. This is an interesting twist as I'm uncertain about its significance to the story. It seems like more of a character detail for both Jack and Claire, knowing that they are connected through Christian. I imagine that this connection could be explored in an interesting way, particularly for Jack who would be forced to deal with even more turmoil from his father's messy life. The cliffhanger was pretty effective. It should be interesting to catch up with Jack and see how his feelings for the others have changed since we last saw him. The Bad: Did Desmond have to be so needlessly vague and ominous throughout the episode? He should have just told Charlie not to go bird hunting or he would die, and that could have solved so many of the episode's conflicts. Instead Desmond loses the ability to communicate normally so that the episode could have drama. No scene encapsulates this more than when Desmond explains to Claire that Charlie died after falling and breaking his neck. Why on earth would he tell her about his visions like this? This is so much more likely to cause her to panic, and it's done exclusively so that the episode could be more dramatic. Dialing the drama up to 11 and sacrificing any sense of immersion is a common problem of this episode. It's obvious that the birds won't lead to a rescue, so any drama centering around them doesn't work. The reading of the letter is another scene that didn't work for me because it didn't sound real and was overly dramatic in an attempt to make the episode more powerful. The letter should have been much shorter than it was, and surely there was more important information to write about instead of talking about what life is like on the island. Mikhail being interrupted right when he was about to reveal Locke's paralysis was very cliched. Furthermore, it made no sense that Sayid wouldn't inquire more about what Mikhail was saying, regardless of what Rousseau wanted to show them. The Unknown: Why isn't Kate capable of understanding why the others want to stay on the island? Why isn't she on the list? Is this the same list that Danny mentioned? Who is the magnificent man? Is it Jacob, who has been mentioned a few times before? Apparently the others can't return to the island now because the beacon has been shut down. Do they have any way of fixing this? How badly have they been impacted by being isolated from the outside world? What is Locke planning to do with the C4? Will Kate and Jack find out that they are half-siblings? What impact will this have on the story? Best Moment: Mikhail answering Kate's questions was a wonderful way to spoon-feed us more mystery, while also setting up conflict for the characters. Character of the Episode: Claire. Conclusion: This was a solid episode. There isn't anything particularly special and the excessive drama makes this feel like a pretty generic episode, but it's an easy watch. Score: 62 Summary: In flashbacks, Sayid is apprehended by a man named Sami, who claims that he tortured his wife Amira. Sayid denies it out of self preservation and is beaten for it. Amira speaks with him alone and asks him to admit what he did. Sayid does and Amira chooses to forgive him and lets him go. On the island, Sayid, Locke, Kate and Rousseau follow the bearing and find a Dharma station called The Flame. They see the eyepatch man and head in to investigate. His name is Mikhail and he claims to be the last member of the Dharma Initiative. Sayid interrogates him and quickly determines that he's lying and is an other. He also determines that he's not alone. Kate and Sayid knock him out and investigate the station. Locke gets really interested in a computer chess game and Mikhail takes control of the situation while he's distracted. Sayid and Kate find and capture Bea in the station. In a confrontation with Mikhail, Bea convinces him to kill her which he does. Mikhail is taken captive. Sayid finds an electrical diagram showing a place called the barracks and decides to head there. Locke beats the chess game and accidentally causes The Flame to self-destruct. Meanwhile, Hurley beats Sawyer at ping pong, banning him from using nicknames for a week.
The Good: Finally, plot movement! I normally stand by the fact that character and story is more important than plot movement. But for "Lost", the show's best character work and storytelling always comes when there is interesting plot movement. So the return to relevant storytelling after two dull episodes is a breath of fresh air, and it gives the story some momentum again. The scenes in The Flame were fantastic to watch. This show does a wonderful job of getting the watcher intrigued and invested whenever there is some mystery to explore. I had my eyes peeled when Sayid, Kate and Locke were poking around The Flame, and I was analyzing every word said by Mikhail in an effort to get some answers and discover who this mysterious guy actually is. Sayid's interrogation was a joy to watch, filled with suspense and mystery. With every conversation, the tension was ramped up as it became clear that Mikhail wasn't who he said he was. The scenes had an almost Tarantino-esque vibe at times and built up towards a tremendous climax as Sayid and Mikhail get into a brutal fight. This episode was certainly the most action-packed of the season thus far, and it used suspense and action perfectly to tell the story. The character beats were also done really well. Sayid's use of logic was superb and he came off as even more smart and realistic than usual. The writers were at their absolute best with Sayid in this episode. Locke playing the chess game also fit with what we knew about the character and his love for games. I was also quite pleased by the amount of answers and background info we got in this episode. We learn where the submarine came from, we get hints about a mysterious purge that wiped out the Dharma Initiative (see: The Unknown), and we even find out what the cable going out into the ocean is for. This episode gave out these answers organically without ever giving us heaps of exposition, once again exemplifying how well written this was. The flashbacks also told a really powerful story. Despite not being essential to Sayid's character (see: The Bad), the flashbacks were a joy to watch. The story of guilt and forgiveness is new territory for "Lost" to explore, and it does a terrific job. The performances were tremendous, and I was particularly moved by Amira's speech about forgiveness towards the end of the episode. The B-story is good fun and it's the perfect place to put the Hurley/Sawyer comedy stuff. The Bad: The flashbacks and B-story aren't important at all unfortunately. They exist only to kill time, and while they are fun, they never have as much drive or engagement as the main storyline. The Unknown: What was the Dharma Initiative purge? What's the full story behind this conflict? Why did the others wipe them out? How did they wipe them out? Why was Bea so willing to die in order to protect the others' secrets? How important is the others' work? What are they actually doing on the island? Why would Bea go to such extremes in order to protect her community? Best Moment: I'll go with one of the Sayid/Kate/Mikhail scenes. Sayid just explained to Kate that Mikhail is an other and most certainly isn't alone. The ensuing scene is tense and dramatic as Sayid and Kate play normally, quizzing Mikhail gently to see if he gives anything up. Then things slowly escalate until everything explodes in a great action scene. The sequence delivered some of the best tension-based drama in the entire series. Character of the Episode: Sayid. Conclusion: This was a fantastic episode that got "Lost" back on track. This season has been inconsistent, similar to season 2, but thankfully it's still more than capable of creating some superb drama. Score: 72 Summary: Flashbacks show that Hurley's father left when he was a kid. After Hurley wins the lottery, he returns and Hurley is upset by it. His dad tries to make things right for Hurley but Hurley doesn't give him the chance. On the island, Hurley discovers a Dharma van in the jungle and vows to get it running. Jin goes to help him. Kate and Sawyer return to camp. Sawyer ends up helping Hurley and Jin with the van. Kate goes into the jungle to find Rousseau to plan a way to bring Jack back. Hurley gets the moping Charlie to join him as they try to force the van to start. It works and everybody celebrates.
The Good: The best thing I can say about this episode is that it was entertaining. There is a lot of humour here and most of it is actually really good. Hurley is a really fun character who is almost impossible to dislike. The lightheartedness that results from the focus on Hurley makes this episode a joy to watch across both the island and flashback stories. The deterioration of Kate and Sawyer's romance continued from last episode and it felt a lot more final in this episode. It was quite sad to see them drift apart, and over practically nothing. The acting from Josh Holloway and Evangeline Lilly was as great as ever and I felt the impact of their split. The Bad: Unfortunately this was in no way a good episode. Following a filler episode, we get what is essentially another filler episode. Nothing of importance happens here outside of Kate and Sawyer returning to the camp, and that's not even the central focus of the episode. To put it bluntly, this whole episode felt like a waste of time and it didn't tackle any sort of interesting themes, character development, or plot movement. The deeper exploration of Hurley's character didn't work at all. Now, just like many other characters, Hurley has been given the case of daddy issues. His problems aren't particularly interesting, and they are worse off because it has taken nearly 3 seasons to unveil this detail about Hurley. His relationship with his father has never been important to Hurley and it simply feels tacked on in an attempt to inject some emotion into the episode. Furthermore, the themes about making your own luck are hammered on too hard and are explored with far less subtlety than they were in "Numbers". Kate and Sawyer's return ended up being a major anticlimax. We got the happy reunion scene which was fine, but nobody asked anything about the others. In what world would Kate and Sawyer not be expected to provide information to everyone? I was stunned at how they were both allowed to simply wander off in the jungle without providing any help. Additionally, I was surprised to see that Locke and Sayid still hadn't followed up on the hint that Locke found back in "I Do". They were both talking about immediately doing something, yet here they are 4 episodes later having done absolutely nothing. It's very odd storytelling, and I find it absurd that Locke agrees with Kate about them having no motivation, despite him making it clear that getting Jack, Kate and Sawyer back would be a top priority back in "Further Instructions". The storytelling is odd and makes no sense. Another case of the survivors acting strangely is when nobody shows any interest in checking out the Dharma van. Why wouldn't they want to learn more about the island technology? Perhaps there is information that would help them, or something else valuable to find. The fact that nobody showed even the slightest bit of interest is unrealistic. The scene with Hurley and Charlie in the car as it goes down the hill was shot extremely poorly. It was hard to determine how far the car was from the rocks and there were several moments where it looked like the car was right about to hit the rocks despite it apparently being extremely far away. Additionally, do they have to turn the car on to swerve away from the rocks? Just turn the damn steering wheel. The Unknown: Who was Roger? Why is there a Dharma van on the island? Were there roads on the island at some point? Are there other Dharma settlements? Best Moment: The comedy was really the best part of the episode, and the funniest scene was Hurley's mom covering Jesus' ears and telling Hurley "I have needs". As poorly executed as this episode was, I can't deny that it was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Hurley. Conclusion: This was another meaningless filler episode. But thankfully, unlike the last episode, this one wasn't boring and it at least had some great comedy going for it. Granted, that's not enough to give this episode a passing score, but it was at least pretty funny. Outside of that, the poor pacing of this season continues and the follow-up to "Flashes Before Your Eyes" has been atrocious so far. Score: 48 Summary: In flashbacks, Jack meets a woman named Achara in Thailand. He is too insistent on learning more about her and follows her, forcing her to "mark" him which gives him his tattoos. Jack is hated for this and Achara's friends force him to leave Thailand. On the island, Kate, Sawyer and Karl reach the main island. Kate and Sawyer fight as Kate feels guilty for sleeping with him. Karl leaves them to go back to Alex. Meanwhile, Jack is moved to the cages to accommodate Juliet who is being punished for killing Danny. The plan is to execute her but Alex frees Jack who goes to Ben and cuts a deal to spare Juliet. The others pack up and leave for the main island since their position is now compromised.
The Good: Jack has some pretty solid moments here. Matthew Fox has been consistently great as Jack and that continues here. Jack gets some very good moments expressing his frustrations to everyone. His back-talk to Tom is very good, and it's nice to see somebody calling out the others for having the gall to act like good people after what they have done. Another great scene was when Cindy arrived and asked Jack about Ana Lucia. Fittingly, Jack flips out and snaps at everyone, frustrated by the gall of the others. It was nice to get more information from Karl about the others. I do wish that he had spent more time with the survivors to give us more insight on how the others operate, but if we learn this stuff later then there is no problem here. The Bad: This episode is an incredible waste of time. Hardly anything of importance happens here, and the whole episode is both slow and boring. There really isn't much to talk about because not much even happens. The flashbacks are also a waste of time. We learn nothing new about Jack here. We already know that he's a stubborn prick sometimes, so getting yet another case of him acting like this is underwhelming. Furthermore, the characters aren't interesting at all and there is no drama produced int he flashbacks. Learning about Jack's tattoos is hardly essential to the story and it feels similarly superfluous to Kate's marriage from "I Do". The island plot is also pretty bad. The investigation on Juliet produces no drama whatsoever, and it's hurt by the fact that we still know next to nothing about how the others operate. We aren't able to understand how serious Juliet's offense is, and it doesn't help that nobody seems to be particularly upset about what happened. We have no stakes or context to get us immersed in the plot, so why should we care? The show tries to draw parallels between Jack and Juliet as both of them get marked, but there isn't anything significant enough to make these comparisons feel worthwhile. The attempted character dynamics of this episode fall horribly flat. If Ethan was the others' surgeon, why the hell did they risk his life instead of sending somebody more expendable? This makes the others look like morons for risking the life of their only surgeon, especially knowing that Ben had a tumour. The Unknown: The others have a sheriff apparently. Why? Is this how they solve infighting issues? What else does the sheriff do? What does it mean to get marked? What's the significance of Juliet's new mark? Is the home that the others are going to the village that we saw back in "A Tale of Two Cities"? Best Moment: Cindy and the kids appear to Jack and it's the first time we have seen them in ages. Surprisingly enough, they seem to have been treated well and assimilated amongst the others. Emma asks Cindy to ask about Ana Lucia and she does. Angry, Jack snaps at them and shouts for them to leave him alone. It's a well-acted scene that is the closest to drama that this episode gets. Character of the Episode: Jack. Conclusion: This was a failure of an episode. It was slow, boring, and provided very little of interest to think about. A filler episode if I've ever seen one. Score: 38 Summary: Locke, Sayid and Desmond tell Charlie and Hurley what happened to Eko. Desmond suddenly runs off and saves a drowning Claire. Confused how Desmond knew she was in the water, Charlie and Hurley get Desmond drunk in an attempt to get answers from him. Desmond recalls what happened when he turned the key. He went back in time when he was living with Penny. He relives his life and realizes that he remembers everything that happened and that he has somehow time traveled. Attempting to correct his mistakes, Desmond decides to ask Penny to marry him but a mysterious woman tells him that he is supposed to leave her. Desmond resists but eventually gives in, thinking he is crazy. When he realizes he isn't crazy, Desmond is knocked out and sent back to the present. Desmond tells Charlie that he has continually had flashes of the future since then and that he has been seeing Charlie's death. Desmond can try to hold it off, but eventually Charlie is going to die.
The Good: The format break once again does wonders for "Lost". This episode is a spectacular standalone experience that works both as a piece of the overall story and as its own thing, similar to "The Other 48 Days". It worked extraordinarily well in that episode, and it does so here too. The plot is the most fantastical and complex that this show has ever been. The introduction of time travel to this story is wholly unexpected, but it works tremendously well since the show doesn't go too far with it and establishes a simple rule (the universe course-corrects) to ensure that things make sense. The mysterious nature of what's happening to Desmond is conveyed excellently throughout the flashbacks as Desmond has bursts of memories from the future which interrupt some fairly important conversations with Penny and Widmore. It's an effective way to keep us in suspense without taking away from the emotional importance of each of these scenes. Then when Desmond meets Charlie in another excellent scene, the story blows up and suddenly we are immersed into a time travel epic. The build up is superb, and I'm impressed at how much care was put into providing the viewers with a logical flow of information to prevent any confusion. Moments like the Charlie scene do this perfectly without ever feeling expository. Despite such a complex story, things always make sense and the stakes are always clear. Then we get to the emotional core of this episode which surrounds Desmond's decision to leave Penny because of his own cowardice. This story is a really powerful one, and it's a logical continuation of Desmond's character arc after what we learned about him back in "Live Together, Die Alone". Here we focus on the pivotal decision in his life that led to him coming to the island. Desmond's inner conflict is presented in logical fashion, and we can see both sides of the coin. We are given ample reason for him to propose to Penny, but then we also understand his doubts which pop up in outstanding scenes with Widmore and the mysterious exposition lady who shows up in the back half of the episode (see: The Unknown and The Bad). In the end, Desmond chooses for the second time to leave Penny. And by the time he realizes his mistake it's tragically too late for him to make amends (see: Best Moment). The opening scene with Locke and Sayid was another case of the show giving us some satisfying leadership. I liked that Locke pulled over Hurley and Charlie because he planned to tell everyone what happened to Eko instead of keeping it a secret. The Bad: The mysterious exposition lady was a wonderful addition to the episode, and provided a wonderful surprise. However, there are some big problems stemming from her introduction. It's going to be very tough for the writers to answer this character's existence and how she knows everything, and I'm not certain that the writers have any intention of answering this. If we never see this lady again, or if the provided answer isn't satisfying, it will make this episode feel weaker. Claire would have died in the time it would have taken Charlie to notice she's drowning, get in the water and save her. How would he have noticed anyways if she was already unconscious and needed CPR? It's a sloppy bit of writing. The Unknown: How and why did Desmond get a time traveling experience? Is this somehow linked to the visions he is getting of the future? How does the universe course-correct? Is this a confirmation that fate does exist in this show? Who is the mysterious exposition lady? How does she know all of this information? How does she know who Desmond is? Why is she working in a jewelry store? Just, who the hell is she? Is Charlie destined to die then? What does this mean for his story? How long will it be until he dies? Can it somehow be prevented? Best Moment: Right after deciding to go back to Penny to fix his mistake, Desmond gets knocked out by Jimmy Lennon. Once he wakes up on the island he realizes that he missed his chance, and upon finding the picture of him and Penny, he begs the world to give him another chance to do things right. It's a really powerful moment that is easy to empathize with, and it provides the strongest emotional beat of the episode. Character of the Episode: Desmond. Conclusion: Finally season 3 returns to form with a tremendous effort. This episode was unique, memorable, dramatic and poignant. Everything went together smoothly, resulting in an episode that not only delivers a fantastic experience, but also takes the series in a new direction. Score: 81 Summary: In flashbacks, Juliet is a researches who is running a secret experiment on her sister in an attempt to get her pregnant. Juliet's horrible ex-husband Ed finds out and forces his way in to reap the rewards. Juliet gets a job opportunity from Mittelos Bioscience (the others) but refuses them because of Ed. Ed is hit by a bus and killed and Juliet takes the job offer. On the island, Juliet sends everyone to bring back Kate and Sawyer, revealing to Jack that they are on a different island. In turn, Jack reveals that Juliet plotted to kill Ben. Kate and Sawyer are attacked by Danny but Alex helps them escape. After a quick stop to save Karl, Alex takes them to a boat. Ben wakes up during surgery and tells Juliet to ensure that Kate and Sawyer escape, promising that she can leave the island in exchange. Jack works to complete the surgery. Kate contacts him and tells him the story from "Pilot Part 1". Jack completes the story and Sawyer, Kate and Karl escape.
The Good: This episode felt refreshing in a lot of ways. From the start, this proved to be a return to form as we were treated to a surprising opening scene that presented a twist similar to the season's opening twist. We see Juliet going about her life on the island (we even see Ethan!) and many questions are raised on what her purpose on the island is. But then we get the shock twist that we were watching Miami all along. It's an effective opening scene that gives us the pleasant reveal that we would be seeing what Juliet's life was before the island, promising a return to the mysterious storytelling that made this show so good. And that's exactly what we got. Juliet's flashbacks were great television. It's an effective surprise to see this cheerful and openly emotional Juliet in comparison to the cold, stoic and intimidating woman that we met on the island. It's clear that her time with the others has changed her completely and this episode lays the foundation for another episode down the line showcasing Juliet's transformation. But that's not to say that this was exclusively a set-up episode fro Juliet's character. She has been a complete mystery thus far, so learning more of her background is essential for the story. This episode builds up to the reveal that Juliet wants to leave the island just as badly as Jack and we can now see why that is. She left her sister behind to take on this job, so she has something back in the rest of the world that she needs to get back to. Furthermore, the flashbacks also serve to add more mystery to the others. We see Ethan off the island following and gathering information on Juliet. It's evident that they are far more resourceful and dangerous than what we have seen on the island which is refreshing to see. The portrayal of the others in the flashbacks is much more reminiscent of how they were portrayed back in season 2: intimidating, resourceful and scary. The plot point of Ed getting run over by a bus only for Mr. Alpert and Ethan to extend the offer to Juliet again conveyed all of these traits perfectly. On the island the story was pretty solid. As expected, this episode served to be a dramatic escape episode following last episode's sudden cliffhanger. There isn't too much to say about it other than the fact that there was some solid drama inserted into the episode. Some highlights included the mysterious brainwashing room (see: The Unknown), the tense chase sequences with Danny, and the emotional high point of Kate telling Jack the story from"Pilot Part 1" as he rushes to stitch up Ben and save his life. The Bad: The start of the episode continued exactly where we left off in terms of the incompetence of the others. Sawyer and Kate easily overpowered Danny, making me question if Jack's call was even necessary to initiate an escape anyways. Danny and the others come off as absurdly weak after this (though I can't deny that Sawyer giving Danny an electric shock was immensely satisfying). Most of my gripes come from individual moments that didn't work for me rather than problems with the story as a whole. Kate threatening to shoot Aldo's kneecaps was a weird moment because we hadn't seen this side of Kate ever before on the island. Had the show been more consistent at portraying Kate's role as a fugitive, this would have worked much better. Another weird moment is Ben waking up during the surgery. It's absurd to think that this would happen and it comes off as an unnecessary way to manufacture more drama. Juliet outright murdering Danny is another strange moment. Surely this should be a bigger deal than it was treated as. I mean, she just killed one of her own people for pretty much no reason (just shoot his leg or something!). Lastly, the writers went out of there way to go to unreasonable lengths to portray Ed as an asshole. Having him call his mother insufferable was a step too far for me. The Unknown: What's the history between Juliet and Ben that Tom alluded to? What is the brainwashing room? Why was Karl in there? Is this the same room that was referenced back in "Three Minutes"? Who is Jacob? We see his name come up again in the brainwashing room. Is he some sort of deity that the others worship? Did the others somehow organize Ed's death? How did they do that? How much power do they have off of the island? Ben has seemingly adopted Alex as his daughter. Does she know that he's not her real father? What is their relationship like? Best Moment: The opening scene was wonderful. Character of the Episode: Juliet. Conclusion: This was really good stuff. Juliet is an interesting new character, and centering an episode around her led to a compelling story in the flashbacks mixed with a dramatic on-island story. This isn't yet "Lost" at its best, but with Kate and Sawyer out of captivity, hopefully the story can move in an interesting new direction. Score: 69 Summary: In flashbacks, Kate falls in love with a man named Kevin and marries him, hiding her identity as a criminal. She tries to make the relationship work, but she realizes it's doomed and ends up leaving him. On the island, Locke sees a message as he buries Eko and plans the group's next move. At the Hydra, Danny lets Kate know that Sawyer is going to die. The others take Kate to visit Jack and she tells him to do the procedure or else they will kill Sawyer. Jack still stubbornly refuses. Upset that Sawyer is on borrowed time, Kate goes over to him and they have sex. Jack manages to escape his imprisonment and sees Kate and Sawyer on the TVs. He decides to do the operation on Ben. As Jack starts the operation, Danny goes to the cages to kill Sawyer.
The Good: On the surface, this is a very good story. The emotions that stem from our investment in the Jack/Kate/Sawyer relationships carry the episode. After two full seasons, we understand the relationships between these three characters, and it is easy to root for them to escape and find a way out of captivity. Furthermore, the acting from all three is superb. The performances are very strong, and a number of scenes are really brought to life because I'm able to connect to the emotions that are being expressed. Some highlights include Kate's conversation with Jack, Kate and Sawyer arguing and ultimately having sex, and also Jack's reaction to seeing Kate and Sawyer together. These moments were done very well, and made the episode quite enjoyable. The climax of the episode is very engaging. The tension amps up naturally throughout the episode until Jack actually starts the surgery. What makes this so good is the sheer amount of things that are going on. Ben's life has been put into Jack's hands, and he has the motivation to do a lot of different things (save Ben, kill Ben, do something else entirely). The unpredictability gives this episode a lot of extra drama, making up for the fact that Ben is unlikely to die. Also adding to the drama is the situation between Danny and Sawyer. With this episode serving as a midseason finale of sorts, there is a nagging sense that Sawyer may die which adds even more drama to an already exciting climax. Things heat up to an extreme amount by the episode's end, and then we are left with a stunning cliffhanger in the middle of the surgery. Ordinarily, I would be appalled by cliffhangers like this, but I think this one works. The story of this episode does feel completed, and I get the sense that there is a lot more to Ben's surgery that is being saved for the next episode. Furthermore, instead of feeling cheated by the sudden end to the episode, I felt satisfied. Jack has essentially secured an escape for Kate and Sawyer, so the next episode will likely focus on their actual escape. And hopefully that can be just as exciting to watch. Some other things were very good. I loved Sayid and Locke's conversation. It makes perfect sense that Sayid wouldn't easily submit to Locke's lies, and it was also refreshing to hear Locke openly tell his plan to Sayid instead of keeping meaningless secrets. I wish that more time could be spent with Locke and Sayid this season since there has been some interesting developments on the main island. The flashbacks saw the return of Edward Mars, which is always welcome. Fredric Lehne is a joy to watch in the role. The Bad: Unfortunately two big problems heavily detract from this episode, and they are the same two problems that have hurt this season the most so far. The first is that the flashbacks are hugely underwhelming. We finally learn about Kate's marriage that was hinted at back in "Outlaws", and unfortunately it doesn't do a whole lot. Once again we see that Kate has a penchant for running away, but we knew that already. There really isn't anything special about these flashbacks and the story is really dull. Furthermore, the romance between Kate and Kevin isn't fleshed out at all and I don't understand why they love each other. The most important part of these flashbacks should be to explore Kate being in love, so it could tie in to her love for Jack and Sawyer on the island, but the episode doesn't even attempt to explore this. The other major issue is the portrayal of the others who continue to look woefully incompetent. All they have done so far in this season is senseless mind games, which have now become utterly pointless since Jack discovered the plan anyways. Furthermore, Ben is on extremely borrowed time so it seems absurd that he would waste his precious time on playing mind games when he could simply put a gun to Kate's head and get Jack to do the surgery. Outside of this worrying plot hole, there's Alex's unexplained role in the others' society. What is her purpose there and why is she allowed to do whatever she wants when she is seemingly just a loose cannon? It screams disorganization and it diminishes the threat of the others. Furthermore, Alex's escape attempt in this episode would have fit in with any typical bland drama. Additionally, Ben looks horribly incompetent as a leader since Juliet is openly plotting against him, and now Danny goes strictly against his orders to kill Sawyer. Why is Danny in such a powerful position if he is capable of flying off the handle so suddenly? He doesn't fit with the strict organization of the others at all. This episode does feel more melodramatic than the usual from "Lost". This show has made its mark by being unpredictable and different. With an episode that conforms more to your average TV show, "Lost" is no longer playing to its strengths and that hurts the show's ability to reach the heights that it has reached before. The Unknown: What's Alex's role as part of the others? What is her relationship to Ben? Why did they kill her boyfriend? What does the John 3:05 message mean? Where is Locke being led now? Who is Jacob and what is his list? Why wasn't Jack on it? Is Danny referring to the lists from "The Other 48 Days"? Will Kate and Sawyer somehow get away? How will they get off the island? What happens to Jack now that he's acted out? Will he still be allowed to leave the island afterwards? Were they going to allow him to leave anyways? Best Moment: The Jack and Kate scene resonated the most with me. They both haven't interacted at all this season, so their reunion is an emotional moment. They are both evidently concerned for each other, and extremely happy to see each other. The performances from both are outstanding. Kate is clearly hurting because she doesn't want anybody to die, while Jack is as frustrated as ever when he realizes that the others have broken Kate. It's unforgivable for him and the anger is evident on his face. This scene helps make Jack's decision to hijack the surgery (ordinarily an out-of-character moment) make total sense. Character of the Episode: Kate. Evangeline Lilly gave her best performance of the show here. Conclusion: This episode did a lot of things right, and on the surface this is great stuff with an emotional core to it. But when you look under the surface towards the poor handling of the others and the underwhelming flashbacks, this episode doesn't hold up nearly as well. It's an effective episode but it's still far from "Lost" at its best. Score: 65 Summary: Flashbacks show Eko returning to Yemi's village to take up his job as a priest. Eko doesn't fit in and comes face to face with a group of people who take 80% of the vaccine shipments from the village in exchange for "protection". Eko kills these men to secure the vaccines for the village but he is shunned by the villagers who are angry at him for sinning. On the island, Eko wakes up to a vision of Yemi who tells him to find him in order to confess. Eko goes after him alone. Locke, Sayid and a few others decide to go to The Pearl in an attempt to find a way to communicate with the others to get Jack, Kate and Sawyer back. They find Eko on the way. Eko stays outside while the others go in and sees Yemi. He reveals that he is unrepentent and Yemi reveals that he isn't actually Yemi. The monster then appears and kills Eko. Locke, Sayid and the others manage to get a glimpse of a man in a different Dharma station. At the Hydra, Jack asks Ben about his tumour. The others hold a funeral for Colleen. Juliet secretly asks Jack to kill Ben during the surgery and to make it look like an accident.
The Good: This episode tells a really strong story for Eko as he makes his exit from the show. The flashbacks are very nicely done and they complete Eko's story in a very satisfying way. In previous flashbacks we had seen Eko as both a crime lord and as a priest in training, and now we get to see Eko trying to make the transition from one to the other, and how the person he was has influenced the person he became. We get to see that despite being a religious man, Eko isn't somebody that regrets the crime he has committed. He's a very pragmatic man who became religious to pay respect to his brother. He isn't a priest at heart, and that shows when he mercilessly slaughters people in a church for the betterment of the village. Eko has always done horrible things with good intentions, and he's never shown to care at all about what the morally correct thing is. The flashbacks do a wonderful job of building up the story for a big climax with Eko's confession. While the tension doesn't build as superbly as some of the best episodes of the show, Eko's emotional state is developed perfectly to set up for a big moment of redemption at the end. The tone of the entire episode is quite dark, be it in the flashbacks, or with Eko on the island. It becomes clear that there is a nagging memory that Eko must atone for, and the episode builds its drama by slowly unveiling what it is, and whether Eko actually feels any guilt for what he has done. Everything culminates in a fantastic scene where Eko pours his heart out for "Yemi" (see: Best Moment). It's a powerful scene, but perhaps more importantly, it develops into a truly stunning character death that raises many questions, and promises that the show will soon start delving into what's really going on with the island. A few little things were done very well with the Locke storyline. The interesting visual of a man with an eyepatch is immediately memorable and excites me with the possibilities of what's to come this season. I was also a big fan of Locke inviting everyone to come with them to the Pearl. It never made sense why Jack only invited a few people on every mission, so it's nice to see Locke making a logical decision by following the principle of strength in numbers. I was also very happy to see that Locke immediately starting working towards finding a way to save Jack, Kate and Sawyer. Seeing how nobody did anything when Claire and Michael were missing, it feels refreshing that something is actually being done now. Lastly, I'm enjoying Nikki and Paulo so far as some random side characters. I always liked it when "Lost" gave some attention to the random other survivors instead of shifting them to the background and ignoring them. The Bad: Unfortunately, Eko's story isn't entirely consistent with what we have been shown about him, and it's clear that the writers invented the concept of this episode after introducing his character. The unrepentant Eko that we are treated to in this episode would never have taken a 40 day vow of silence like he did in "The Other 48 Days". It's common knowledge that "Lost" wasn't a planned TV show, and things like this continually prove that point. Furthermore, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje leaving the show did not make things easier for the writers to conclude Eko's character arc. His death was always going to feel anticlimactic considering the circumstances, and it's unfortunate that the actor didn't want to stay on the show. Still, I feel the writers did an impressive job giving Eko a fitting send-off, but I am left feeling like there was still more that could have been done with the character. Furthermore, 3 of the 4 tailies have been killed off now which makes me question what their role in the overall story was if they were all just going to die. The storyline with the others isn't very interesting in this episode. The mind games all amounted to nothing since Jack figured out the truth anyways, which is pretty frustrating. Also, the others continue to look pretty incompetent. Now we learn that there is infighting between Ben and Juliet, which is a boring development that made me roll my eyes. The show has taken the least interesting route with its handling of the others. The Unknown: What's with Colleen's funeral procession? What kind of religion do the others follow? Why did the others see it as necessary to break Jack? Was it just because Ben wanted to recruit him as their doctor, or is it something else? What happened to Yemi's body? My mind immediately goes back to Christian's body being missing back in "White Rabbit". Is this somehow connected? It can't be a coincidence that Christian has also appeared on the island, just like Yemi has. Who is the eyepatch guy? Where is he located and what is he doing there? Eko's death has raised so many questions. If Yemi isn't Yemi, then who is he? Has he always been a fake? Does this have something to do with how Yemi's body disappeared? Also, the monster killed Eko immediately after this reveal. Why? Was Eko deemed a bad person for not repenting his sins? How is the monster connected to "Yemi"? Does the monster serve whatever being "Yemi" was? I'm very confused, but also extremely interested to learn more about what happened here. Best Moment: Eko follows Yemi out into the jungle to make his confession. Then Eko hits us with a big twist by revealing that he does not believe he has sinned. The whole episode had seemingly built up Eko's guilt for having murdered so many people, so it is a surprise when his character takes this turn. It's a very welcome surprise wince it provides us a very unique take on morality, and it allows Eko to deliver another wonderful speech about the hardships he has endured. But then in another massive surprise, "Yemi" hatefully tells Eko that he isn't his brother at all. The tension immediately ramps up and we get hit with the shocking spectacle of the monster brutally murdering Eko. This sequence of events was outstanding, developing the mystery of the show in a huge way while also sticking to an emotional core. Brilliant television. Character of the Episode: Eko. He will be missed. Conclusion: This was easily the best episode of the season so far. It still had its flaws, but this was the first time this season that it felt like we had watched a story that was worth telling. And boy did Eko's final story deliver, as it developed the mystery in a big way while showing us a strong character journey. This had the classic twists and turns that we've come to expect from "Lost", and this episode did more to set up for the rest of the season than any of the previous 4 episodes. Score: 76 Summary: In flashbacks, Sawyer is in prison. He befriends a guy who stole $10 million and when he learns the location of the money, he gives it to the warden to secure an early release. On the island, Colleen arrives in critical condition and Juliet goes to operate on her. Sawyer tries to orchestrate an escape, but it fails and Ben has a pacemaker put into him. Defeated, Sawyer returns to his cage without any fight left which unnerves Kate. Juliet brings Jack to operate on Colleen but she dies anyways. In his anger, Danny beats up Sawyer. Ben visits Sawyer and takes him out of the cage. He reveals that there is no pacemaker and that the Hydra is located on a separate, much smaller island. Meanwhile, Desmond behaves strangely and gets lightning to strike a structure that he built.
The Good: Sawyer's story is decent fun and there are some very good moments. I especially liked his failed attempt to electrocute Ben which showed both how resourceful Sawyer is and how cunning the others are. The relationship between Sawyer and Kate is explored in a meaningful way. We don't see much attraction between them, but they are both trapped together and concerned for each other. It's easy to buy into their emotional state, and the scene where Danny beats down Sawyer in front of a crying Kate was certainly a highlight of the episode (see: Best Moment). Lastly, I really liked the ending twist that the others are located on a separate island. This nicely explains why the security is so lax (since there's nowhere to escape to) and it also adds another layer to the mind games that the others are playing on Jack, Kate and Sawyer. We do learn some interesting detail about the others. There are some hints that these people aren't as together as it initially seemed. They were woefully unprepared for injury, so much so that they had to bring in Jack to help. It's evident that despite their resources, they may not be as well off as it seems. The Bad: Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of this episode. Sawyer does well in the lead role but unfortunately he isn't explored in a particularly meaningful way. There is the nice irony of the con man getting conned, but there isn't much for his character to do. On the island he's the same plucky hero that he has been in the past few episodes, only now he's hit a low point. There isn't much more to it than that unfortunately, and even the flashbacks don't add anything of value. This episode really drops the ball from a character perspective and I found it tough to remain emotionally engaged. The plot had several issues as well. The most frustrating of these problems were the flashbacks which suffered from the exact same drawbacks as the last episode. We learn literally nothing new about Sawyer, and the plot line is completely uninteresting. We are introduced to characters that we have no reason to care about, and we aren't given a story that rewards getting invested at all. It's such an empty plot with no real twists or turns, and I found myself looking at my watch during almost all of the flashback scenes. The island story is similarly problematic. The others are still persisting with their mind games, but the impact is lessening dramatically. As we begin to see more incompetence and disorganization within the ranks of the others, they become less intimidating and frightening, which almost entirely removes all of the drama in the episode. All we're left with is an organization of people who think that they are smarter than they actually are because they play mind games. I have no more fear for these people. Furthermore, these mind games are not making for good television. It's quite dull to watch, and if it wasn't for Michael Emerson's great performance as Ben, the others would be a total bust. The pacemaker plot is a perfect example of why the storylines this season haven't clicked with me. There just isn't any good drama produced from the pacemaker outside of one scene (see: Best Moment). And the whole thing serves no purpose in the overall story. We get a big twist that the others have taken drastic measures to control Sawyer, but then it turns out that nothing actually happened. So what was the point? The story has meandered too much this season. The Unknown: What's with Desmond doing his "experiment"? Did it have something to do with his strange ability to predict the future in the previous episode? It seems like lightning was going to strike Claire's tent, so did Desmond just save her life? Is Juliet saying the truth when she says that the others have no leader? Because Ben absolutely seems like a leader, and everyone seems to acknowledge it. Is there more to the hierarchy than what meets the eye? Apparently the others have a submarine. Is this how they can leave the island? Where is the submarine? Could it be taken by Jack, Kate and Sawyer for them to escape the smaller island? Whose scans were those? Apparently somebody has a tumour on their spine and it seems that this is why Jack has been held captive. Is it Ben's scans? Why are the others so unprepared for any kind of medical emergency? They had an entire town back in "A Tale of Two Cities" and they even had control of a Dharma station full of medical supplies. Are we really supposed to believe that they don't have any doctors or medical equipment? I won't put this in The Bad because there may be an explanation, but on the surface it seems like sloppy writing. Best Moment: In a rage following Colleen's death, Danny goes to Sawyer and viciously beats him in front of Kate who begs him to stop. Danny demands that Kate admit she loves Sawyer, and she does so in order to stop the beat down. This scene is the most intense the episode got, and it was the only time I was ever at the edge of my seat. Character of the Episode: Sawyer. Conclusion: This episode fell victim to all of this season's biggest weaknesses. This is watchable television, but the show's much simpler and far less exciting than it was in season 2. Score: 53 Summary: Flashbacks show that Locke found a new community after leaving Helen that has helped him find peace. He picks up Eddie, a hitchhiker, and introduces him to the community, who are illegal weed growers. Eddie turns out to be a cop, and Locke ends up ruining the community by bringing him in. On the island, Locke wakes up unable to talk. With Charlie's help, he builds a sweat lodge and receives a vision from the island telling him to save Eko who has been captured by a polar bear. With Charlie's help, Locke saves Eko and brings him back to the camp. Hurley also returns and finds a naked Desmond who seems to have had a premonition about Locke. Locke returns to camp with Eko and Charlie and announces that they are going to work to bring back Jack, Kate and Sawyer.
The Good: This is an effective reset episode for Locke. After losing his way last season, this episode fulfills its purpose of restoring Locke's faith and having him return to being the wise leader he was looking to become at the end of season 1. The story is well done and has plenty of island mystique to go along with Locke's mission to save Eko. Charlie has a pretty good episode too. He's consistently funny and I enjoyed watching his utter disdain for Locke as he throws out sarcastic replies to almost everything. I don't like that Charlie has been made into such a prick, but I do commend the writers for going along with the direction they sent his character instead of inexplicably returning Charlie to his season 1 self. I really liked the editing in this episode. A lot of this episode was shot very well and a couple sequences strike me as particularly effective. The opening moments of the episode obviously paralleled the opening moments of "Pilot Part 1", which nicely symbolized how this moment was like a rebirth for Locke. I thought that the scene was filmed perfectly to reflect this feeling and it conveyed the point of this episode perfectly. I absolutely loved the sweat lodge/airport sequence with Boone. "Lost" is really good at these dream sequences and I think that this one is the best one we have seen so far (see: Best Moment). The Bad: The polar bear threat didn't work for me. After such an exciting start to the episode, it felt disappointing to have the main dramatic hook be saving Eko from a polar bear, something that feels extremely irrelevant after all that has transpired in recent times. I never felt like anyone was in danger throughout the episode and the tension was never up to par. It also doesn't help that the few shots that showed the polar bear were quite atrocious. The flashbacks also failed pretty badly for me. The whole story was completely uninteresting to watch, and now that it's over, I still don't know what purpose it serves in the long run. It's just another case of Locke putting his faith in something only to be let down. The only "twist" this time is that Locke tries to clean up his own mess. The story does mirror the island story in some parts which I give it credit for, but it completely fails at creating a story that is worth telling. We don't learn anything new about Locke from this, making this flashbacks feel meaningless and unnecessary. In the end this episode falls victim to the biggest problems that flashbacks cause: disjointed pacing, repetitive storytelling, and a decrease in suspense and overall interest in the story. It's a shame because "Lost" is usually so good at avoiding these trappings. The complete lack of concern from the camp regarding everything that happened continues to bother me. Nobody cares enough to ask Locke where he has been or what has happened, and it feels so awkward. Furthermore we see Hurley arrive in camp and nobody even asks him what happened to everyone else. Then when Hurley finally reveals what happened (why didn't he just tell everyone immediately????), people have the nerve to get angry at him for not telling them. Well why don't you guys just ask him yourselves! The people in the camp completely fail to behave like normal humans in this episode and it is frustrating to see. As a final quibble, Locke nearly kills Hurley in this episode yet it is brushed off like nothing happened. The Unknown: How and why did Locke lose his voice? Was this a test from the island, similar to when he lost the ability to walk back in "Deus Ex Machina". Did Desmond get a vision from the island about Locke's speech? He definitely had a premonition of some kind based off of his comments to Hurley. Does Desmond have a connection to the island now? How did this happen? And why? I'm curious to learn more about this. We see another case of somebody being possessed while unconscious. First it was Sawyer back in "What Kate Did" and now it's Eko. How does this keep happening? What is causing it? Is it the island? Best Moment: Boone appears to Locke in the sweat lodge and wheels him around in a wheelchair in an airport. The scene is shot superbly well to feel dreamlike and strange, creating a fantastic atmosphere. And then we are treated to some wonderful pieces of visual storytelling as all of the main characters are shown in situations reflecting their current positions on the island. The scene is done so artfully and the strangeness in its presentation makes it impossible to look away, and immensely satisfying to experience. Character of the Episode: Locke. Conclusion: This episode has a purpose and it accomplishes that purpose. Unfortunately, the episode doesn't do much else to wow me and is a fairly ordinary episode overall. Score: 57 Summary: Flashbacks show that Sun did sleep with Jae. However, her father finds them together and is displeased. He sends Jin to deliver "a message" to Jae. Jin beats up Jae and decides to let him go, but Jae ultimately jumps off a balcony and kills himself. Mr. Paik goes to Sun and tells her that it's her place to tell Jin about her affair. On the island, Sayid realizes that Jack and co. have likely been captured and plans to lure the others and ambush them, despite Jin not wanting to go through with it. Sun keeps it secret from Jin, who is unhappy about it. They go through with the plan and Sun stays on the boat. However, the others arrive on the boat and steal it, and Sun shoots one of them to escape. Meanwhile, Kate and Sawyer are put to work by the others. Sawyer attempts an escape to gauge their enemies. He discusses his findings with Kate, not knowing that Ben is watching and listening to them. Ben goes to Jack and proves that they have contact with the outside world. He offers Jack a way off the island if Jack cooperates.
The Good: This was pretty solid television. Sun took center stage here and she got a decent storyline exploring how she has a tendency to lie to people, showing that she prioritizes self-preservation more than anything else, a trait that she more than likely developed from her father. This episode opens up with a big reveal that Sun did actually sleep with Jae and she was lying to Jin back in "The Whole Truth". This sets the tone for the rest of the episode which sees Sun once again keeping secrets from Jin, showing that she's yet to overcome her biggest character hurdle. It would have been more satisfying to see her overcome this flaw in this episode, but it works fine as a set-up for pay-off down the line. A nice touch is how Sun shoots Colleen at the end of the episode. We've learned how much Sun values self-preservation, so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that she's willing to shoot to kill in order to save herself. I found the flashback storyline to be pretty compelling. Mr. Paik in particular was a joy to watch. "Lost" has consistently had terrific side characters (Rousseau, Christian, Desmond and Tom to name a few), and he is no exception. I really appreciated the way that the writers showed us his reaction to Sun's infidelity. He doesn't scold her or discipline her. He simply has Jae murdered to show her that her actions are unacceptable. But his actions are primarily driven by his own selfish desires, and we see that clearly in his scene with Jin as he manipulates him by calling him a son in order to remove the stain that Jae has put on his honour. This entire episode is driven by the theme of selfishness over selflessness and I think it handles this pretty well. The on-island story is pretty interesting at points. Sayid's plan predictably falls apart, and the gunfight near the end has some intense moments. I do like that Sayid was both able to determine that something went wrong and was willing to do something in an attempt to get the advantage back from the others. At the Hydra, I thought the scenes continued the slow-burn build-up that the last episode started in an effective way. Sawyer's escape attempt was fun and gave the story some much-needed momentum. Ben continues to be an interesting bad guy as he remains creepy and mysterious. His scene with Jack was the highlight of the episode (see: Best Moment) The Bad: Unfortunately the problems from the previous episode persist. We still haven't checked in with the hatch after two episodes which is pretty frustrating now. "Lost" has a bad habit of leaving us in suspense from cliffhangers for longer than necessary ("Abandoned", "Man of Science, Man of Faith"). The way the others have been presented is pretty disappointing so far. I'm all for the idea that the others are more civilized and human than we would have expected, but do they have to become so nonthreatening? Alex is able to secretly talk to Kate without anybody noticing, and there's a huge panic about Sawyer despite him being only one man. This hugely diminishes the threat of the others which is a big misstep after they were built up so well last season. There was one particularly poor scene I have to point out, and that's Sun and Jin's conversation in the flashbacks. It's strange that Jin would openly talk to Sun about his work, especially since the whole point of Jin's season 1 storyline is that he wasn't able to tell Sun how much of a monster her father was. Worse yet is how Sun suggests to Jin that they escape to America and he declines. The whole tragedy of their story is how they both wanted to escape to America at the same time but never communicated it. It makes no sense that Jin would be so against the idea here, especially since he came up with the same idea later. The Unknown: So is Sun's baby Jin's or Jae's? Both seem to be a possibility now. What are Kate and Sawyer working on? Are the others trying to build something? Why do they need Kate and Sawyer to do the work? Can't they do it themselves? Is it some kind of test? Who is Karl to Alex? A boyfriend? What is Alex doing in the others' organization? Why is she such a loose cannon? How is she able to break the rules like this? What does Ben want from Jack? Will he actually let him go afterwards? Why don't the others just send the other survivors back to the mainland if they can do that? What does Colleen mean when she says that the others are not the enemy? It echoes Ben's statement about them being the good guys back in "Live Together, Die Alone". Best Moment: Ben comes to Jack and offers him a deal to go home, and Jack being Jack, isn't buying it at all. And so Ben teases him with a short clip of a baseball game. The moment is short, but is executed perfectly. Matthew Fox shows the longing in Jack's eyes beautifully, and it's heartbreaking when Ben suddenly shuts off the TV. Then Ben offers Jack an escape, but the catch is that he must do what they say. The mind games for Jack have built up to this proposal, and things are starting to click into place surrounding what the others want. I expect we will get an answer in the next episode. Character of the Episode: Mr. Paik. Conclusion: This was a solid episode with good storytelling. However, the slower pace of the season is getting a little bit frustrating and episodes like these don't work very well when there's still a major cliffhanger that needs to be resolved. Add on the issues I have with the others, and this season is off to a bit of a rocky start. Looking back on this episode may improve it once we get more information, but as of now I find myself yearning for more, and not in a good way. Score: 63 Summary: In flashbacks, Jack obsesses over finding the identity of Sarah's new lover. He ends up following Christian in his paranoia and attacks him during an AA meeting. Jack is arrested and Sarah bails him out. Jack tries to get her to tell him the name of the man but she refuses to, insisting that Jack instead get over it. On the island, Jack, Kate and Sawyer wake up in various confinements. Jack is in an aquarium. He talks with one of the others, Juliet. Juliet offers him food but Jack is too stubborn to take it. Jack stages an escape but it fails and he ends up back in containment. He eventually relents after Juliet reveals that they know everything about him, including his past. Sawyer is put in a bear cage. There's a second cage with a boy in it. The boy tries to escape with Sawyer but they get taken back. The boy is taken away and Kate is brought in to replace him after she has an awkward breakfast with Ben.
The Good: Just like last season, this season starts with an unexpected plot twist that was executed masterfully. It's evident that something is up since the episode starts with some random woman living her life. It's just not clear what the twist is yet. But when you realize that you're watching the others and that they are normal people living in a normal little town on the island, it's a big shock. This scene throws everything we thought we knew about the others out the window and promises that there's still plenty of new things to learn about these people. This sequence followed the pattern of the opening sequence of "Man of Science, Man of Faith", and it's successful for similar reasons. While I don't think it's quite as impressive as that scene (simply because that scene came first so it was a bigger surprise), this is still wonderfully executed television that legitimately gave me chills while watching. This episode is helped by the focus on Jack, one of the strongest characters on the show. I remain impressed by how flawed this show has portrayed its main protagonist. The further we delve into Jack, the more flawed he becomes and I think that's such a fresh way to portray the main character of the show. The flashbacks in this episode delve into Jack's stubbornness and guilt in a meaningful way. We get to see that Jack gave Sarah a lot more hell than she deserved while finalizing the divorce, needlessly obsessing over what's happened between them, desperate for answers. Based on what we know about Jack from before, this is accurate to his character. But it's still shocking to see the hero of a story in such a negative place, going as far as to physically assault his own father at an AA meeting, causing him to relapse into alcohol abuse. That reveal that Jack prevented Christian from recovering adds another layer to the guilt that Jack carries around. We knew that Jack's morals cost Christian his career, but now it seems that Jack's own obsessiveness indirectly led to Christian's death as well. The story on the island was very interesting to follow. What's most striking is how slowly paced this episode is. "Man of Science, Man of Faith" was an exciting episode where a lot of things happened. This is the polar opposite of that. This episode patiently developed suspense and mystery throughout its runtime and I was consistently intrigued to learn what was actually going on and where Jack, Kate and Sawyer had found themselves. In this regard, the episode works pretty well and it sets up for the rest of the season. There were some good moments here. Juliet revealing that she knows everything about Jack was pretty well done. The show has introduced her very nicely. She's both intimidating and likeable so far. She doesn't hesitate to take out Sawyer when he escapes, but she's also quite nice to Jack. Speaking of Sawyer, watching him solve the puzzle was very entertaining, as was his reaction to only getting a fish biscuit for his troubles. The Bad: This episode did have some major flaws however. This biggest issue I have is the decision to restrict the events of this episode to just one location. After the big cliffhanger at the end of the second season, it's very unsatisfying to get no follow-up on what happened at the hatch. The slow pacing of this episode unfortunately makes this an even bigger issue. Instead of getting as absorbed in what was a pretty good episode of patient build-up, I found myself impatiently waiting to see what's happening with all of the other characters. This proves that constructing a good episode isn't enough to make compelling television, you also have to understand the emotions the audience is feeling and apply that to the episode. Another big issue with this episode is the lack of context, which made things extremely confusing at times. Unfortunately this is a problem throughout the episode. We don't know what the others are planning to do with Jack, Kate and Sawyer. While this does create drama, it also leaves me scratching my head when we see Sawyer and Jack both staging escapes immediately. The others look wildly incompetent for letting this happen, and I'm left confused as to what the goal is. They seem to be playing mind games with the survivors, but to what end? At times it screams lazy writing to me, and even if that's not the case, it does feel that way in this episode. Some little things bothered me as well. I'm confused about why Jack didn't ask Juliet if she knew a way off the island. He knows that the others have access to the rest of the world now, so why wouldn't he ask if there's any way for the rest of the survivors to just leave the island? Another issue I had was with the directing. Juliet asks Jack to put his back on the wall so she can give him food. Jack does so and she leaves, then we cut to flashbacks. The tone heavily implies that Juliet just left with his food. Yet when we cut back, apparently she just walked out to go use a different door to get to Jack. It's very sloppy directing to not make this clearer to the viewers, and it was another case of needless confusion in the episode. Lastly, Ben's commands to Goodwin to bring him lists in 3 days doesn't correspond to what actually happened in "The Other 48 Days", which is a sloppy oversight. The Unknown: Oh there is plenty for this section. Where is that town located? How does this place relate to the others goals? Why do they have book clubs? What do they do on the island anyways? Where is the Hydra in comparison to this place? Why do the others have control of this station but not the Swan or the Pearl? Are the others actually leftover Dharma people? Who was that person in the cage in front of Sawyer's? Why was he caged? Is Tom gay? His comments to Kate suggest that he is. Was that actually Christian on the intercom or is it just another mind game? Speaking of mind games, why are the other doing them? I thought they would be doing ominous scientific tests, but they haven't done anything like that. What are their goals for Jack, Kate and Sawyer? Why was Ben so pleased with Juliet getting through to Jack? Were the others really so incompetent as to let Jack and Sawyer escape so easily? Or was this somehow intentional? What happened to Kate off screen? She looks pretty roughed up, physically and emotionally. What did the others do to her? How did the others get full information on Jack? How acquainted are they with the outside world? Do they have a way off the island? Even more interestingly, do they have connections in the real world? Best Moment: The opening sequence. Once again, "Lost" nails the intro to a new season. Character of the Episode: Jack. Conclusion: This episode was ultimately a bit of a mixed bag. The opening scene was superb, but the rest of the episode never came close to hitting that same level. The pacing was slow, and while there was some good mystery and character work, I just didn't get as invested in this episode as I expected. I'll still call this a good episode, but it's a far cry from the epic thrills of the season 2 premiere. Score: 65 Summary: In flashbacks, Desmond is discharged from prison and meets with Charles Widmore who doesn't want him to talk with his daughter Penny anymore. Desmond decides to do a race around the world to win Widmore's respect to get Penny. He ends up on the island and meets Kelvin. Desmond learns from Kelvin that the button is to discharge intense electromagnetism but that there is a failsafe to blow it all up instead. After two years, Desmond discovers Kelvin was lying to him and accidentally kills him in an argument. Desmond misses the button counting down and a system failure occurs but it is aborted. This ends up causing the Flight 815 crash. On the island, Desmond is the man in the boat. Sayid comes up with a plan where he, Jin and Sun take the boat to the camp while Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley follow Michael through the jungle. After engaging in a fight with some of the others who followed them, Jack reveals to everyone that Michael is lying and they continue. However, Michael leads them into a trap. Sayid raids the camp but finds nobody there, and Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley are captured in an ambush. Michael is given a boat and leaves the island with Walt. Hurley is sent back to the camp, and the remaining 3 are taken by the others. Meanwhile, Locke tells Desmond that the button is just an experiment and they lock Eko out of the computer room with a lockdown. Desmond realizes that the button is actually real but Locke doesn't believe him and breaks the computer. The timer runs down and the hatch starts to destroy itself. Desmond desperately goes to the failsafe and turns the key. Elsewhere, two people detect an electromagnetic anomaly and inform Penny that they finally found it.
The Good: Similar to "Exodus", this was an epic finale that concludes the season's stories with a bang, completely changing the landscape of the show for the next season. There were tons of major events and reveals in this episode, and it was a blast to watch the entire time. Though the episode was a season finale, it was still a character-centric episode. I think it actually worked quite well as Desmond was a good character to center on for such a big episode considering how we knew nothing about him and that his story ties directly into the history of the hatch. As expected with "Lost", the show gave Desmond a surprising amount of depth, and we learn a lot about him in this episode. Back in "Orientation" we saw a picture of Desmond with another girl, who we can only assume that he was in a relationship with. Now we learn a little bit about that relationship. The episode is subtle with the details of their story, and from what I can determine, Desmond left her out of fear and ended up in prison after disobeying orders in the army. He wrote to her frequently, but Penny's father Widmore hates Desmond and intercepted his letters. To prove to Widmore that he is worthy, Desmond took the race around the world but tragically ended up on the island, away from the woman he loved. It's a sad story, but also a good one that leaves room for further exploration in future episodes. I think the writing really made this story stand out. The writers used clever tricks to tell us this story, relying on character dynamics and emotions to tell us the story rather than giving us major exposition dumps. It's an expertly crafted story and it's clear that a lot of thought was put into writing this. Once Desmond reaches the island, the story takes a big turn. We meet Kelvin, who is a surprisingly familiar face (see: The Unknown), and he provides us tons of interesting answers. We learn the history of the blast door map, the nature of the hatch, and more hints about what the sickness actually is. His scenes with Desmond are quite good, and it becomes easy to understand why Desmond is so hysterical in the present, having been trapped in this little world for so long with a man who he learned was lying mere moments before his death. Desmond's life was a misery without any purpose, filled to the brim with unanswered questions to drive him insane. That scene near the end where Desmond finally snaps after reading the letter from Penny was extremely powerful and gave the episode the emotional heart is needed (see: Best Moment). In the present, the hatch storyline was superbly done. There was tension from the conflict between Locke and Eko. The return of the dynamite was a good way to build some unpredictability, and Charlie's involvement was also intriguing even if it didn't amount to much (see: The Bad). The closer the countdown got to zero, the more intense things seemed to get. Once Eko knocked himself out, Desmond began to get doubts and tension came from that. We get two very strong hints that The Pearl was the real psychological experiment, and that added to the sense of building dread as Locke forced Desmond to wait until zero, even going as far as to break the computer. The moment where the timer reached zero was fantastic. The direction was superb as we got to see everything falling apart while Locke reacts in a stunned panic, realizing that he was wrong. The turn of the key at the end was a dramatic moment that the show nicely transformed into an emotional moment as well, turning it from a great scene into something even better. This was a pretty tricky story to execute. Had Locke's motives not been understandable for all of this, that would have destroyed the credibility and believability of what we were watching. But I was quite impressed with how well Locke's turn had been handled in the past few episodes. This episode gave us some surprisingly poignant moments with Locke. First we get to see him tearing up in the jungle after he gets hit and scolded by Eko which is a small but effective moment to show us Locke's headspace. Then later we get a brilliant speech from Locke as he reveals to Desmond how the island had betrayed him, reflecting on Boone's death and how much it had shaken him. The speech was wonderful, and it recapped the sadness of Locke's story effectively. The episode gave us some big answers to long-running mysteries, and all of them were quite satisfying. We learn that the button is real and that it's used to disperse electromagnetism which charges to an extreme degree every 108 minutes. The incident was an electromagnetic leak which likely did a lot of damage. Everything isn't crystal clear, but these are effective answers that fit with everything we have learned so far. On top of that, we also get an unexpected reveal that Desmond actually crashed Flight 815 with a burst of electromagnetism from the hatch. I don't think very many people were wondering why the plane crashed, but "Lost" went the extra mile to impress us by answering a question we didn't know that we had to ask. The other half of the episode saw a trek across the island, which is becoming a signature for "Lost". The trek was filled with drama considering that only Jack and Michael were aware that there was something deeper going on. This resulted in a large amount of tension which culminated in a brilliant scene where Jack puts Michael on the spot and gets him to confess to what he did. That scene was superb. Everybody acted tremendously, and Harold Perrineau continued to impress me as he embodies Michael's guilt in a near-perfect way. I really appreciated Hurley calling Michael out on his claims that killing Libby was an accident, and Michael's response to all of this was tremendous. All he can say is "it's my son", a feeble attempt to justify what he did as the right thing, not only to the others but to himself as well. The Bad: I have a few griped with this. The biggest problem with this episode, and perhaps even the season itself, is Charlie. Charlie is impossible to like in this episode. He relishes in Locke pain and never seems to have anything nice to say to anybody. That may be acceptable if the writers want him to be a character we detest, but seeing that Charlie kisses Claire at the end of the episode, I don't think that's the case. The last scene with Claire was really bad. Charlie doesn't seem to care whatsoever that Eko, Desmond and Locke may be dead, and he makes no effort to help them. He doesn't even tell anybody what went down in the hatch! It's so unbelievable that he would do this, and his sarcastic replies to Claire are more frustrating than charming. The character has done nothing to deserve the kiss he gets at the end of the episode, and I can't help but feel that the writers have turned a rather simple redemption story into something nearly unwatchable because it makes little sense and completely destroys a character who I really liked in season 1. There are some holes in Michael's plan. The others never communicated to him that he should be taking Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley to anywhere other than the camp he visited. That's a big hole, and it made the dramatic ambush mean less since the writer's fingerprints are all over the episode in order to set up that scene. I was also confused by Sayid charging into the others' camp all alone. What would he have done if people were actually there? There's no way he could fight them all by himself. There are also some inconsistencies with the planning from the others. It looks like Henry is some kind of a leader among them. If that's the case, then why has he allowed to be captured by Rousseau? Also, a major issue for Michael was getting Hurley to join the trek, especially since he isn't a fighter. This is pretty much what allowed Sayid to determine that Michael was lying to begin with, since Sayid couldn't come along. Yet the others inexplicably let Hurley go back to the camp. SO why did Michael need to bring him specifically? Bringing Sayid could have been way easier and he would have served the same purpose! The Unknown: Libby appears in Desmond's flashbacks. Is there still more to learn about her and her dead husband? What's with the bird that shouted Hurley's name? What is that four-toed statue? Who built it? What destroyed it? Michael is apparently only able to leave the island at a specific bearing. How is this possible? Why is this the only way to leave the island? How are the others aware of this? Was the Dharma sickness fabricated by Kelvin somehow? He seems to be completely aware that it isn't real but he still tricks Desmond into believing that it is. Is Henry the leader of the others? He seems to be in command of everybody else. We also learn the names of "Zeke" and "Miss Klugh" as Tom and Bea respectively. Is there any significance to the others hiding their true names? What happened when Desmond turned the failsafe key? Why did the sky turn purple? What happened to the hatch? What happened to Locke, Desmond and Eko? Are they still alive? Very interesting ending scene. Is Penny aware of the island's existence? How? Is she looking for it because she knows Desmond is there? Will we be seeing her next season? Best Moment: Following Kelvin's death, Desmond realizes there is no purpose in his existence and he contemplates killing himself. But at his lowest moment, he finds a letter from Penny encouraging to keep fighting so they can be together again. Now unsure of what to do, Desmond panics and has a complete breakdown. Henry Ian Cusick is brilliant in the scene and makes it remarkably easy to sympathize with Desmond. Then we get to see Locke at his lowest moment as well, and unknowingly both of them give each other the hope to keep pushing on. It's a beautiful message, and the scene ends on an optimistic note. Then we cut to the present where Desmond tells Locke this story and decides to repay Locke by saving his life. That's fantastic writing, and it makes me connect a lot more to the characters. Character of the Episode: Desmond. Conclusion: This was excellent stuff. A huge episode to end the season in a memorable way while also including some new mysteries and big cliffhangers to pave the foundation for season 3. This is everything I want to see in a season finale, and then some. This season has been rough for "Lost", but at least the show found its groove eventually. The first half was very inconsistent, with plenty of disappointing episodes saved by a few outliers that included some of the best episodes of the entire series. But thankfully, the second half found some consistency, and while the writing was still a little awkward at times, I was hit by the same emotional magic that "Lost" had mastered in season 1. This season took the show in a new direction with an emphasis on plot development, but the characters still managed to shine in several episodes, including this brilliant season finale. But I still feel that this season pales in comparison to season 1, which I think is one of the greatest TV seasons of all time. This season is still very good and at times excellent, but there's no denying that it is a step down in quality. I look forward to season 3, and I hope that we get a more consistent season that can balance plot and characters in a more effective way. Score: 83 Summary: Flashbacks show Michael going after the others. He is captured and taken to a small camp where he is broken by a brief meeting with Walt. The others send him back to free Henry and to bring them Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley. In the present, Michael tries to get Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley to attack the others, but everyone decides to have a funeral first. Sawyer invites Sayid on the trip so Michael goes to him and tells him not to come. At the funeral, Sayid tells Jack that he suspects that Michael is lying, and suggests that they play along for now. Meanwhile, Charlie learns that Eko is no longer working on the church. He tries to work alone and accidentally stumbles upon the heroin which he throws into the ocean. At the end of the episode, a boat appears off the coast of the island.
The Good: Harold Perrineau carries this episode. His performance is incredible and he gives it his all to make Michael somewhat sympathetic, an impressive feat considering that he just murdered two people in cold blood. This episode does a great job of making us understand why Michael did what he did. We learn that he wasn't brainwashed; he did everything of his own accord, and the reason he did so is presented simply, but effectively through an outstanding scene with Walt (see: Best Moment). Outside of Michael's story, this is good if unspectacular set-up for the season finale. The tensions in the camp develop organically to prepare for another epic trek across the island in order to get Walt back. The ending cliffhanger is very interesting, and I'm curious to see who is on the boat and what it means for the story (see: The Unknown). The flashbacks were some of the most interesting parts of the episode. The others were portrayed just as mysteriously as ever and I was fascinated by the little tidbits that we learned about them. The others are very cunning, and the ambush to capture Michael was clever and intimidating. Their interrogation of him was very interesting. Miss Klugh's questions for Michael intrigued me and it seems like these people are much more interested in science and experimentation than any kind of physical torture, recruitment or whatever else that has been theorized. There were a few moments that I really liked. Eko's speech about the boy and the dog was a signature Eko moment. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje plays the role with such charisma that every scene with him becomes must-see. I also liked that Claire was momentarily afraid of Charlie's claims that he tried the vaccines, considering his history as an addict. I was very happy with Sayid being able to see through Michael's crap and determining that something was up. Locke being able to walk again after such a short time was also quite nice. The Bad: Some things didn't work in the episode. I was surprised that Jack agreed to let Michael decide who went on the trek. Jack has always been overly emotional and often insists on being in control of things, so I expected that he would have wanted to make some suggestions. The fact that he was alright with Hurley going with them is quite baffling. Hurley doesn't even know how to use a gun! And he's also proven to be squeamish (Tabula Rasa) and fearful of violence (Exodus). Why would anybody want to take him to go kill people? Charlie throwing away the heroin was a wasted moment. It feels too late for him to pass up on the heroin as his character has already been sabotaged by poor writing and questionable behaviour. The moment doesn't have the weight that it would have had if Charlie had been giving a better story. This simply felt like a hollow attempt to course-correct a character who had been badly mishandled. It's a small detail, but the location where Michael had a brief gunfight with the others doesn't match up with the location in "The Hunting Party". It's a small thing, but it did bother me. The Unknown: Why do the others want Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley specifically? Does it have something to do with them assorting people as good or bad? Miss Klugh mentions that Walt was apparently appearing in places he wasn't supposed to be. Does this have something to do with Shannon randomly seeing Walt earlier this season? What tests are the others doing on him? What are the others pretending to do? Does this have something to do with those fake beards that Kate found? Also what is the room that Miss Klugh threatened Walt with? Who is on that boat? Is it the others? Could it be Desmond? Or another group of people who have discovered the island? Best Moment: The others allow Walt to speak with Michael, albeit briefly and the relief in Michael's eyes is palpable. But then Walt has to be taken away from Michael again and we get to see the panic set in as Michael is forced to watch, helpless, as the other take his son away from him once again. And it breaks him. Michael breaks down into tears and submits to the others, willing to do whatever it takes so that he wouldn't have to look at himself as a failure of a parent anymore. It's a really sad scene that is acted brilliantly, and it allows us to sympathize with Michael. Character of the Episode: Michael. Conclusion: This was a solid enough set-up episode elevated by Harold Perrineau pouring his heart out to make Michael sympathetic. Score: 68 Summary: In flashbacks, Eko is sent by the church to investigate a miracle he doesn't believe. A girl, Charlotte has apparently come back to life, but her father, Richard Malkin, denies that it happened. Charlotte reaches out to Eko and tells him that Yemi left a message for him and that they will see each other soon. On the island, Eko dreams of Ana Lucia who tells him to get Locke to take him to the question mark. Eko arrives at the hatch and leaves with Locke to track Henry. Michael tells a story that Henry escaped and shot them all. However, Libby is still alive and Jack tries to treat her. Hurley learns what happened to Libby and comes to the hatch. Libby eventually dies. Meanwhile, Locke has a dream showing him where to go next. He and Eko find the question mark underneath the Beechcraft. They find a hatch and discover another Dharma station, The Pearl. They watch an orientation video explaining that the button is apparently a psychological experiment. This shatters Locke's faith and he angrily lashes out, but Eko decides that he is going to start pushing the button now.
The Good: This was a true return to form for "Lost". This season has had its moments and I've been entertained during most episodes, but it never seemed to threaten the consistently jawdropping storytelling of season 1 until now. Now we've had a stretch of strong episodes which have built up to this one, which develops the mythology and advances characters in a brilliant and organic way, making me feel the same sense of wonder that I felt while watching season 1. Dreams have been badly misused this season, becoming meaningless (like in "Everybody Hates Hugo" and "Fire + Water"). Thankfully, that changed in this episode and the mystique of dreams has returned as the island seemingly guides Eko and Locke throughout this episode by sending dreams, just like in "Deus Ex Machina", one of the best episodes of the show. This episode takes a lot of inspiration from "Deus Ex Machina" and I think that's one of the reasons that it is so fantastic. It's so refreshing to see an episode that feels so important, and the narrative is given a driving force through the use of dreams. The character arcs of Eko and Locke become intercut in this episode, and seeing the contrast between them makes for incredible television. Eko is now in the position Locke was in back in season 1. He's the optimistic believer while Locke is the disappointed skeptic. I greatly enjoyed their interactions, and I thought that the advancement of their journey was a joy to watch. I especially liked their wildly different reactions to the orientation video, showcasing how each character is on a different journey, taking different meanings from what the island shows them. Eko's arc is the main focus of the episode, and it's a joy to behold. In the flashbacks we learn that while Eko has taken over Yemi's line of work out of guilt, he isn't truly a believer. He doesn't have the faith nor the passion to be a priest. But Charlotte delivers him a message from Yemi which evidently sways Eko a little bit. And so when Eko lands on the island and actually finds Yemi in the plane (this plot also brilliantly explains why Eko seemed so unhinged when Claire showed him the Virgin Mary statue), he truly starts to believe. And so Eko takes instructions from the island without question, and his faith holds strong throughout the episode as he forces Locke to come with him in an attempt to get him to find his way again. Locke on the other hand, has a completely different story. Fresh off of yet another failure which resulted in the deaths of two people, Locke is bitter, upset and completely unwilling to go anywhere with Eko. He is more shaken and lost than he has ever been. But when the possibility of his faith being rewarded presents itself, Locke begins to believe again and it's wonderful to see. From Locke standing eagerly while Eko climbed to him wanting to open the hatch himself, it's easy to see that Locke is beginning to feel that he can believe again. But that all get snuffed out when he watches that orientation video which seems to confirm that everything he had been doing so far was pointless. It's sad to see Locke slowly realize that everything was for nothing, and his disappointment and anger following that is completely understandable. I've been critical about Locke's character arc earlier in the season and my complaints still stand strong, but I have to admit that the show has recovered his story in an outstanding way. Once again, Locke has become one of the show's most compelling characters. It was lovely to get some answers in this episode. The ? was brought up a few episodes ago, and now we get to see what it is. Like in "Maternity Leave", it was very fun to explore a brand new Dharma station just because of the possibilities of what could be found in there. The orientation video was a lovely surprise that deepened the mystery of the island. (see: The Unknown). The story in the hatch was pretty solid as well. Libby's death was suitably sad, as was Hurley's guilt over forgetting the blankets. I was pleased with Jack finding a way to determine the location of the guns by sending Kate with Sawyer to get the heroin. Sawyer hiding the guns in his own tent was a fittingly clever move from him and I liked the reveal. The Bad: Unfortunately, the storyline of Sawyer getting the guns led absolutely nowhere. There were a few filler B-plots showing Sawyer being an asshole, but that's all the pay-off we got from that exciting ending to "The Long Con". That's quite disappointing. Libby waking up and having some dramatic final words felt needlessly melodramatic. Showing some restraint and having her die quietly while unconscious would have been a much more powerful moment. It seems strange that Jack wouldn't question Eko's choice to take a man on crutches to go after Henry. The Unknown: So Richard Malkin is apparently a fraud. Should we believe him? If the show is simply confirming that Malkin was a fake all along, that is quite a disappointing answer especially seeing how desperate he was to get Claire to raise her baby. Could it be that he was a fraud that unexpectedly had a legitimate vision which promptly scared him? I do hope that we get to see more of Malkin so we can learn more about what happened. Where are the Dharma headquarters that the notebooks were being sent to? Is anybody still there to receive Locke's note? The Pearl is apparently a psychological station. What are all of the TVs for? Do they all show various parts of The Swan? Is the button actually real or is it all just a psychological experiment? Could it be that Dharma simply created a psychological experiment out of a job they actually needed to do? Does the button actually do anything? Why does Marvin Candle have a different name in this orientation video? Best Moment: Eko and Locke's differing reactions to the orientation video were amazing. Locke is angry and lets out his rage in an incredible way. Whereas Eko takes the video as reaffirmation of his faith and he tells Locke his entire story. Eko's speech is such a wonderful moment for the character, and his decision to push the button himself was great. Character of the Episode: Eko, though Locke is a very close second. Conclusion: What an episode. I've been very critical of this season so far despite it still offering very good television regularly because it feels like a big step down from season 1. But this episode makes it feel like going through the rough patches of the season was well worth it. There are still brilliant stories to be told, and this episode makes it clear that "Lost" hasn't forgotten what made it so good to begin with. Score: 82 Summary: In flashbacks, Ana goes to Australia after her mother figures out that she murdered Jason. Ana meets Christian who is in a pathetic state. Ana initially agrees to be his bodyguard, but leaves him after realizing how toxic his behaviour is. She decides to go back home. On the island, Ana tries to get more answers from Henry who attacks her. Locke knocks him out. Ana goes to Sawyer in an attempt to get a gun. Sawyer refuses but Ana has sex with him and steals his gun. Jack and Kate bring Michael back to the hatch. He wakes up and tells them that the others are extremely unprepared and that they need to fight. Jack, Locke and Kate go to Sawyer to get back the guns, leaving Ana and Michael in the hatch alone with Henry. Ana tries to kill Henry but realizes that she's unable to do it. She gives the gun to Michael who kills her and Libby before freeing Henry and shooting himself in the shoulder. Hurley had set up a picnic with Libby who had gone to the hatch to get blankets.
The Good: What a fantastic ending. The show just delivered an incredible cliffhanger that left me speechless. I was legitimately stunned when Michael shot Ana Lucia, and then Libby's death immediately afterwards was even more shocking. I think that this was the biggest scene of the show so far that completely changed the direction that the show was heading in. A sense of grandeur doesn't necessarily guarantee an awesome scene however. The execution of the scene is half of the battle, and I'm pleased to say that this was done perfectly. Harold Perrineau did a spectacular job of conveying Michael's emotions as he worked up the courage to kill Ana Lucia, and then afterwards when he started feeling the guilt of what he just did. The directing was also top-notch. The shots and camera angles were done perfectly, and the lack of music made the scene carry much more weight. Before that ending, this episode was all about Ana Lucia, and it told two very compelling stories in the past and present that see Ana grow as a character and change her behaviour for the better. It's quite sad that she dies immediately after we see her resolve her inner conflict. On the island, her storyline mirrors the flashbacks we saw in "Collision". Courtesy of the flashbacks in this episode, we see the negative consequences that revenge murder had on Ana Lucia's life. Her murder of Jason, and also her murder of Shannon on the island, drove a wedge between her and everyone else she knew. She became distant and lost herself by denying any help. Now when she's given a chance to kill again, she doesn't make the same mistake twice and overcomes one of her biggest character flaws. It's a lovely bit of storytelling, and it's so easy to sympathize with Ana here when she realizes that she isn't the person she thought she was. In the flashbacks we get a similarly effective story. After killing Jason, Ana runs away from her problems by going to Australia and drinking. When she's there, we get another surprise appearance as she meets Christian who gives her a reason not to stay in Australia, lest she become as miserable and pathetic as he is. Seeing his sorry state, Ana decides to go back and fix her life, calling her mother and righting the wrongs she had done. The phone call with her mother was a very powerful scene, and the fact that this scene precedes Ana's emotional speech to Michael gives the episode a perfect emotional climax. There were some small things I liked. Hurley and Libby's relationship was suitably sweet throughout the episode, and I liked Hurley asking Sayid for the radio. Jack burning the end of Sawyer's book was pretty funny and fit with Jack's character. Ana having sex with Sawyer just to get his gun was pretty clever. The Bad: The only thing preventing this from being top-tier television is the lack of urgency. The story is well told throughout, but there is never any drive or excitement until the final few minutes when you realize that Ana Lucia has a gun and is alone in the hatch with Henry. Had I began to grow uneasy with tension earlier in the episode, this would have been much better. The Unknown: Henry's claim that the two dead others were good people who were leaving Ana alone is very interesting. Why would he think this? Does this imply that the others wouldn't have done anything aside from kidnapping some of the people? Does Henry think that the others are in the right with their actions? I like what that implies since the best villains are always the ones with good intentions and sympathetic motives. Who is Christian's daughter? Does Jack know that he has a half-sister running around somewhere? How old is she? Is she going to play a role in the story, whoever she is? Is Michael's story about the others accurate? Seeing that he just freed Henry, I have my doubts about it. Speaking of which, why did Michael agree to kill the survivors and free Henry? Was he brainwashed? Did he make some sort of deal with the others? Has he joined with the others? Christian bumps into Sawyer on the way to the bar, adding on to the many coincidental character meetings that we have seen in the flashbacks. Best Moment: The ending of course. Character of the Episode: Ana Lucia. Conclusion: This was a really strong character piece which became a fantastic episode in the final 5 minutes with an emotional conclusion for Ana Lucia's character and a stunning cliffhanger that promises an exciting final act in the season. Score: 78 Summary: In flashbacks, Rose and Bernard meet and immediately take a liking to each other. Bernard proposes to Rose and they marry, but Rose reveals she is dying of cancer and only has a year left. Bernard takes Rose to see Isaac, a healer. Isaac can't heal Rose, but Rose decides to tell Bernard he healed her. On the island, Bernard tries to get the survivors to help him make an SOS sign out of rocks to get rescued. Rose is opposed to the idea and in the end, the plan falls through. Rose reveals to Bernard that Isaac didn't heal her but the island did, and the two of them decide that they are staying on the island. Meanwhile, Locke leaves the hatch in frustration but has his faith restored in a conversation with Rose. Jack takes Kate to make a trade with the others. They make it to the line and Michael suddenly appears.
The Good: Bernard and Rose's relationship is explored in a beautiful way. Their romance is sweet and they have fantastic chemistry with each other throughout the episode. I can easily buy into the fact that these two love each other. What's more impressive is that the writers manage to weave a serious conflict into this episode without ever damaging the credibility of their relationship. Both of them are understandable in how they differ. Rose is frustrated by how Bernard seems more interested in doing things instead of spending time with her. Whereas Bernard is earnest and noble in what he's trying to do, and you can sympathize with the motivations behind his actions. I love how their conflict ends up being the same in past and present just with a slightly different spin to it. What made this episode work so well was how it felt like a standalone episode. The episode started with Bernard and Rose first meeting and ends with them deciding to spend the rest of their day son the island. This episode doesn't feel like part of a story because the writers told a complete character story with an emotional conclusion at the end. The episode is not quite a formula break like "The Other 48 Days" was, but it's similar in the reasons that it was successful. The themes of this episode are another highlight. The way this show explored its characters suggested that everyone was ultimately meant to find fulfillment on the island. This is the first time that we have seen some characters address that the island is where they are meant to be. This is a very important moment for the show, and it is nice to get confirmation that most, if not all, characters are likely to find closure on the island. Furthermore, we also get to see the island's magical properties in action for the first time since "Walkabout". Now we learn that the island has also cured Rose's cancer, which is a surprising reveal that makes perfect sense. I love seeing the mythology of the island developed more, and that makes this episode much more significant than a small scale love story for minor side characters. Everything else in the episode was very good. I really enjoyed the inclusion of Isaac, a healer who uses some kind of energy to cure people. This is such a fascinating inclusion that raises important questions about the island (see: The Unknown). Isaac's mysterious nature reminds me of Richard Malkin, and I'm always pleased to learn more lore. Locke's character arc continues in wonderful fashion. We get to see Locke's frustrations early in the episode, and for the first time in a long while, we see Locke completely lose faith. He leaves the hatch and sits on the beach, looking aimless and confused. But then a stellar conversation with Rose (see: Best Moment) restores his faith, and by the end of the episode he is back to working on solving the blast door map. Kate and Jack's story was also very good. The scene of them getting caught in Rousseau's trap was surprisingly fun. Kate and Jack have always had pretty unspectacular chemistry, so I didn't expect much from the scene. But this time something clicked, and the scene held the same kind of flirtatious fun that we typically only get from Kate and Sawyer's scenes. Then of course there's that great cliffhanger as Michael suddenly returns (see: The Unknown). I'm hoping that this is the catalyst that can kick the story into motion for the final few episodes of the season. The Bad: Unfortunately, this episode feels out of place. I didn't get to say it in my last review, but I feel similarly about "Dave" as I do with this episode. With about 5 episodes left in the season, it feels like we should be kicking the plot into action for an exciting conclusion. Instead, we have gotten two slow-paced character-driven episodes that haven't advanced the plot at all. Now I'm all for character episodes, but it certainly feels like these episodes should have happened earlier in the season, not right at the end. In season 1, we had two outstanding episodes in "Numbers" and "Deus Ex Machina" as episodes 18 and 19, and it should be pretty easy to see why the latest two episodes aren't as satisfying for me near the end of the season. I could see other people being very unsatisfied with this episode. Focusing on two very minor characters makes this episode feel unimportant, and I wouldn't blame anybody who was unsatisfied with this episode because they just didn't get invested in the story being told. It was odd that nobody seemed willing to help Bernard. Surely most people still want to get off this island! I understand that the writers want us to believe that Bernard's "management problems" forced everyone away, but instead everyone comes off as selfish and stupid for not wanting to bring rocks to the beach to help get off of the island. Of course Kate wouldn't have told anybody about the medical facility she found back in "Maternity Leave". It isn't "Lost" if characters don't frustratingly keep secrets all the time. The Unknown: What is the energy that Isaac was talking about? Does this energy fuel the island's powers? How does it work? Does this energy have something to do with why the Dharma Initiative went to the island? Could it have something to do with the hatch? Where has Michael been this entire time? Did the others get him? Did he escape from them? Or was he sent to Jack and Kate as a response to the trade? Why is Eko building a church? Why is Henry trying to manipulate Locke? Does he have a goal in mind? Best Moment: I really loved Locke and Rose's conversation. Their light-hearted banter was a lot of fun, and I appreciate that Rose did to Locke what he has tried to do for so many of the other survivors: help him resolve his inner conflict. Locke was broken as he sat on the beach, and Rose gave him the clarity he needed to get back to his feet and return to the hatch. Plus, there was also that fantastic line from Rose where she said that they both know that things heal faster on the island. It was a fascinating moment, and I loved seeing the two people with the most faith having a brief talk about the powers of the island. Character of the Episode: Rose. Conclusion: This was terrific stuff. The character work was great, and the exploration into the nature of the island's powers was fascinating. The only issues come from the episode's placement in the season, and that prevents the episode from scoring higher than it otherwise would have. Score: 71 Summary: In flashbacks, Hurley is at a mental hospital with a friend Dave. It's revealed that Hurley has been obsessively eating to cope with how he indirectly killed two people when he caused a deck to collapse. Hurley's doctor lets him know that Dave is imaginary and personifies Hurley's negative behaviour. Hurley is able to rid himself of Dave. Libby is revealed to be in the mental hospital with Hurley. In the present, Hurley destroys his secret stash with Libby's help but immediately stumbles upon more food. He encounters Dave again, who tells him that everything isn't real and that he has been asleep this entire time. Dave tries to get Hurley to jump off a cliff but Libby stops him and they kiss. Meanwhile, Sayid continues interrogating Henry but Henry doesn't reveal anything. Locke speaks with Henry who tells him that the button doesn't do anything.
The Good: Hurley gets some of the best character work of the season in this episode. We learn a truckload of things about him in this episode, and for once it feels like an episode this season is completely dedicated towards telling a singular, focused story about the struggles of a character. It works very well and leads to one of the more emotionally powerful episodes of the season. This episode surprisingly focuses on why Hurley is so fat. Hurley's size is something that needs to be acknowledged, and I'm very happy that that writers had the courage to tackle this subject. The background we get on Hurley is very sad and it brings his story full circle in a brilliant way. We finally learn that Hurley's past in a mental hospital was due to a traumatic experience he had when he accidentally killed two people. As a result, he picked up the habit of eating as a way to both cope with guilt and punish himself for what he did. This story is really easy to relate to, and it humanizes Hurley even more, revealing a surprisingly tragic past that Hurley carries around with him. The Dave aspect of the episode is also very well done. Dave is cast very well and he plays Hurley's subconscious very well. Dave clearly represents that part of Hurley that hates himself for what he did, and across both the island and the flashbacks plots, the story is that Hurley needs to free himself of his self-hating qualities (Dave) and move on with his life in a positive way. It's a very satisfying story to tell, and both of the cathartic moments in the episode work well. Hurley letting Dave leave in the past is a good moment, but even better is Hurley choosing not to jump and going back with Libby to move past his baggage and get on with his life. It's surprisingly heartwarming stuff that is very well executed. I really love that the show acknowledges the "dream theory" that everything is taking place in somebody's head, a joke theory that always seems to be suggested as an answer to complicated plots. Furthermore, the writers fully went through with the idea of dream theory, basing an entire episode around it rather than just poking fun of the idea. It made for a surprisingly effective story, and Hurley seemed suitably crazy for suggesting that nothing is real. The story is also helped by Dave giving surprisingly good reasons for everything being in Hurley's head. Sayid's interrogation of Henry was stellar stuff for the most part. I liked the way that he caught Henry in yet another lie, and Sayid's growing frustrations were very understandable. The Locke/Henry scene was also terrific, and one of the episode's best scenes. It's so unclear if Henry is lying or not, and that makes it fascinating for us to be given this "reveal" that the button does nothing. It's also a great move for the show because it forces Locke to face the idea that all of his faith may have been for nothing, which is the next step towards advancing Locke's character arc this season. There were a lot of little things I appreciated. Locke refusing to be put back in a wheelchair was a nice tough. Hurley beating up Sawyer is probably one of the best scenes of the entire show from a comedy/entertainment point of view. I'll always enjoy that scene. Lastly, Hurley eating peanut butter off of a leaf was suitably disgusting, and it demonstrated how horrible Hurley's eating habits are in an unexpectedly effective way. The Bad: The Dave twist is unfortunately quite easy to predict. Being predictable doesn't necessarily hurt the story too much, but it does diminish the emotional impact of Hurley realizing that Dave doesn't exist because we already know that fact and aren't experiencing the same emotions as him. Sayid attempting to murder Henry was completely idiotic. How do you plan to get information out of him if he's dead? The Unknown: Was the island testing Hurley by giving him more food immediately after he destroyed his stash? It doesn't seem like a coincidence that Hurley was given more food immediately. Could Dave have been sent by the island somehow as another test? Who is this leader that Henry mentions? How does the others' hierarchy work? What is Eko building? Was Henry telling the truth about the clock resetting on his own? We really can't trust anything he says now that he's been exposed as a liar. Why was Libby in the mental hospital? Does this have something to do with why she is getting closer to Hurley? Best Moment: Hurley revealing what happened in the accident to Dr. Brooks was fantastic stuff. It's really powerful, and all of Hurley's self-destructive behaviour is explained wonderfully in this scene, from his eating habits to the existence of Dave. Character of the Episode: Hurley. Conclusion: This was a fantastic character episode for Hurley. Sure, it was predictable and there wasn't much plot advancement, but the character work here was some of the season's absolute best. Score: 70 Summary: In flashbacks, Locke learns that his father has died. He goes with Helen to the funeral and ends up running into Anthony alive and well. He has faked his death and asks Locke to bring him money. Locke does it but lies to Helen and says he hasn't seen him. When Locke brings Anthony the money, Helen follows him and leaves him for lying. On the island, Locke is trapped with Henry inside the hatch when a lockdown occurs and the blast doors suddenly come down. Locke tries to lift the doors and squeeze under but the door crushes his legs, trapping him. Henry goes through the vents and presses the button. The doors come up and Henry helps nurse Locke back to health. Meanwhile, Jack and Kate find a supply drop in the jungle. There they meet with the returning Sayid, Charlie and Ana Lucia. The group goes to the hatch and apprehends Henry. They found the balloon and the grave, but the man buried in the grave was the real Henry Gale.
The Good: The plot here was refreshingly strong. The lockdown was a big surprise since I had completely forgotten about the blast doors. Having Locke and Henry trapped together allowed for some solid character development while providing some tension with the timer counting down on the other side of the blast doors. The plot was engrossing and it built up organically to a wonderful climax where a mysterious map was revealed (see: Best Moment). The episode didn't stop there though. Sayid, Charlie and Ana Lucia's returns allowed for a wonderful twist at the end: Henry Gale is an other. Had this happened in any previous episode, it wouldn't have been a surprise. But this episode did an astonishing job of making Henry seem innocent through his growing bond with Locke. The shift in tone in this episode made the ending reveal a genuine surprise, proving once more that "Lost" is still capable of producing compelling twists. Locke's story is also quite good. His island and flashback stories don't correlate very much but they are both excellent stories in their own right. On the island, Locke has been succumbing to his frustrations more and more often this season. So naturally, the island tests his faith once again by taking out his legs. Locke's frustrations are prevalent once again, but then things turn around with the reveal of a surprise blast door map and Henry's decision to stand by Locke and help him. Locke's faith may have been building up once again, but now it seems that Henry was manipulating him all along. I can't imagine that Locke will have a particularly positive response to this reveal, and I'm excited to see where the character goes after this. In the flashbacks, Locke once again finds himself dragged down by his relationship with his father. In "Orientation" we see Locke leave his father behind and make his choice to stay with Helen. But when Anthony seeks him out, Locke finds it too difficult to simply leave behind an opportunity to get that fatherly love he so badly desires. Locke's response to Anthony is so understandable, and that makes it much more painful when this one unfortunate decision costs Locke everything as Helen leaves him for lying. Once again, Locke's desire for a father in his life has led to him making a very bad decision that ruined his life. I was pretty happy with Hurley commenting on how he's not in the loop and isn't allowed to know all of the secret information. At least the show is self-aware with how unrealistic it is to have all of these absurd secrets. The Bad: The poker story is a boring B-story that feels like filler. It only serves as an explanation for why Jack doesn't come back to the hatch during the lockdown. Furthermore, we get to see Jack completely own Sawyer in poker which feels like needless fanservice to show that Jack is still higher up on the island hierarchy than Sawyer is. The gangsters that showed up in Locke's flashback could not have been more generic. The leather jackets, the voice, the name "Jimmy Bane"? Come on now. The Unknown: Why was the lockdown triggered? Does it have anything to do with the supply drop that Jack and Kate found? Who dropped the supply drop anyways? Is the Dharma Initiative still operational? Who is Henry actually? It seems that he is an other. What is his position in the others' society? What was that blast door map? What is the "?" in the middle? Why did black lights come on anyways? Best Moment: The appearance of the blast door map was perfect. The episode built and built to the moment that the timer reached zero, and the tension had never been higher. And right at the moment of peak tension, the blast door map appeared and offered us a tantalizing glimpse at what this island has to offer us. And just like that, it was gone. Character of the Episode: Locke. Conclusion: This was an excellent episode. We had an engaging plot filled with mystery, and two fantastic stories for Locke. This is everything that I want from a "Lost" episode. Score: 75 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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