Lost from the beginning (NO SPOILERS)
- Thread starter OdoWanKenobi
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Season one of Heroes aired at the same time so it made it hard to watch LOST since Heroes demonstrated how you could constantly introduce dozens of questions and keep you confused while constantly answering questions and advancing the plot in a compelling way--all the alternate threads were interesting and you had the feel all of it was going somewhere.
So it made it all that harder to watch LOST where it just dragged its feet and had lots of uninteresting filler. It was probably right after the first six episodes I almost gave up on the show and criticized it mercilessly. But then "Not in Portland" gave me hope--an episode that was interesting from start to finish and was advancing stuff--it got me to hold on a little longer. Then it dipped again with "Stranger in a Strangeland", "Tricia Tanaka" but really the turning point for the series that was a seminal moment was "Enter 77"--that was the first episode that really made me feel the show was going somewhere and was going to stop boring me. And it did every episode from there until the end of the season was tightly focused and generated a momentum that I argue carried the show up until the first few episodes of Season Six and let LOST have a long consistent streak of solid good episodes with not a single bad episode. The only ones from that stretch that were a little so-so was "Left Behind" and "Catch 22"--although the latter had a compelling storyline unfolding in the present.
Finally the writers had nailed how to approach the series--treat each season like a volume the way Heroes did, decide to tackle certain elements each season but tie them into the larger tapestry, and give us answers from the season while folding over a handful for later seasons. And it worked beautifully until season six and I would argue the show fell back on those bad habits that made early portions of Season 3 and a lot of Season two aggravating--lots of stalling and focusing on the least interesting stuff.
So it made it all that harder to watch LOST where it just dragged its feet and had lots of uninteresting filler. It was probably right after the first six episodes I almost gave up on the show and criticized it mercilessly. But then "Not in Portland" gave me hope--an episode that was interesting from start to finish and was advancing stuff--it got me to hold on a little longer. Then it dipped again with "Stranger in a Strangeland", "Tricia Tanaka" but really the turning point for the series that was a seminal moment was "Enter 77"--that was the first episode that really made me feel the show was going somewhere and was going to stop boring me. And it did every episode from there until the end of the season was tightly focused and generated a momentum that I argue carried the show up until the first few episodes of Season Six and let LOST have a long consistent streak of solid good episodes with not a single bad episode. The only ones from that stretch that were a little so-so was "Left Behind" and "Catch 22"--although the latter had a compelling storyline unfolding in the present.
Finally the writers had nailed how to approach the series--treat each season like a volume the way Heroes did, decide to tackle certain elements each season but tie them into the larger tapestry, and give us answers from the season while folding over a handful for later seasons. And it worked beautifully until season six and I would argue the show fell back on those bad habits that made early portions of Season 3 and a lot of Season two aggravating--lots of stalling and focusing on the least interesting stuff.
The Glass Ballerina:
That screeching sound you hear is the show slamming on the brakes for this episode.
Sawyer and Kate do some manual labor, while Sawyer checks out Kate's ass. He also solves a puzzle and gets a biscuit. Sayid, Jin, and Sun plan to ambush the Others, but get ambushed themselves. Sun shoots one, but the boat gets stolen. Jack and Ben talk, and Jack watches the Red Sox winning the world series. That's it. That's the whole episode in one paragraph. I see why this stretch is considered the weakest part of the series. Practically nothing happens here. We learn that the Others are not isolated from the outside world, but that's about it. Well, moving on:
Further Instructions:
Locke wakes up unable to speak, Desmond wakes up naked, and Eko gets captured by a polar bear. Locke builds a sweat lodge and goes on a spirit trip, guided by Boone. He realizes he has to save Eko. So he does. In flashbacks, Locke grows some weed. and gets caught.
Desmond says something curious about Locke making a speech before he actually does it. Has the hatch explosion given Desmond some clairvoyance, or made him unstuck in time, or something? Well, anyways, Locke brings Eko back to camp and then makes a speech about saving Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. We do get final confirmation that the Swan hatch is gone. I guess they needed the space for the Hydra hatch sets.
Um...yeah. I really don't have much to say. Seems like the show is grinding to a bit of a halt right now. That's disappointing considering how much the finale for last season rocked.
That screeching sound you hear is the show slamming on the brakes for this episode.
Sawyer and Kate do some manual labor, while Sawyer checks out Kate's ass. He also solves a puzzle and gets a biscuit. Sayid, Jin, and Sun plan to ambush the Others, but get ambushed themselves. Sun shoots one, but the boat gets stolen. Jack and Ben talk, and Jack watches the Red Sox winning the world series. That's it. That's the whole episode in one paragraph. I see why this stretch is considered the weakest part of the series. Practically nothing happens here. We learn that the Others are not isolated from the outside world, but that's about it. Well, moving on:
Further Instructions:
Locke wakes up unable to speak, Desmond wakes up naked, and Eko gets captured by a polar bear. Locke builds a sweat lodge and goes on a spirit trip, guided by Boone. He realizes he has to save Eko. So he does. In flashbacks, Locke grows some weed. and gets caught.
Desmond says something curious about Locke making a speech before he actually does it. Has the hatch explosion given Desmond some clairvoyance, or made him unstuck in time, or something? Well, anyways, Locke brings Eko back to camp and then makes a speech about saving Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. We do get final confirmation that the Swan hatch is gone. I guess they needed the space for the Hydra hatch sets.
Um...yeah. I really don't have much to say. Seems like the show is grinding to a bit of a halt right now. That's disappointing considering how much the finale for last season rocked.
"The Glass Ballerina"
How did Ben get to the island? If Dharma came in the 70s he couldn't have come with them so if these are Dharma folks he isn't one of them but recruited them? And just as that was raised here Ben claims he was born on the island. Why is he their leader? What did Karl do to deserve punishment was one of the more cleverly handled threads. And it opened up the question of whether the Others had kids. Why were they breaking rocks?
One of the things I looked most forward to was hoping they would do a flashback to their arrival.
I didn't particularly care for the Sun/Jin flashbacks except in how they confirmed Jin or that other dude could be the father. We don't know when the baby was conceived. I thought the offer to Jack of going home to LA was an interesting development. And Colleen's telling Sun she knows about her was an eerie moment.
This was definitely an episode where the present storyline was the more compelling. A B.
"Further Instructions" was the worst episode in this fall stretch in my opinion. A definite D episode. I can't stand spiritual mumbo jumbo or vision quests--brings back bad memories of Chakotay's "a koo chee moya". The appearance of Boone was a waste and the pot grower backstory for Locke was the absolute worst.
How did Ben get to the island? If Dharma came in the 70s he couldn't have come with them so if these are Dharma folks he isn't one of them but recruited them? And just as that was raised here Ben claims he was born on the island. Why is he their leader? What did Karl do to deserve punishment was one of the more cleverly handled threads. And it opened up the question of whether the Others had kids. Why were they breaking rocks?
One of the things I looked most forward to was hoping they would do a flashback to their arrival.
I didn't particularly care for the Sun/Jin flashbacks except in how they confirmed Jin or that other dude could be the father. We don't know when the baby was conceived. I thought the offer to Jack of going home to LA was an interesting development. And Colleen's telling Sun she knows about her was an eerie moment.
This was definitely an episode where the present storyline was the more compelling. A B.
"Further Instructions" was the worst episode in this fall stretch in my opinion. A definite D episode. I can't stand spiritual mumbo jumbo or vision quests--brings back bad memories of Chakotay's "a koo chee moya". The appearance of Boone was a waste and the pot grower backstory for Locke was the absolute worst.
Yes, this would be the stretch I mentioned awhile back... Just hang in there, things do pick back up again in big ways. 
Not everyone agrees, but in my opinion the first six episodes of Season 6 do indeed drag quite a bit. That said, it's worth watching them, as various elements introduced do fit into the story later.
That's all I'll say...
Not everyone agrees, but in my opinion the first six episodes of Season 6 do indeed drag quite a bit. That said, it's worth watching them, as various elements introduced do fit into the story later.That's all I'll say...
Season 6 or Season 3?
D'oh! Season 3, sorry...!
The episode ends with Jack letting go of his obsession over his ex-wife. Juliet then heads out into the hall and addresses NotHenry by his real name: Ben. Wait....Ben? If I may quote myself from early in season two:
JMGNGDFGKNEDKPCMPDKMPIKODG
You have no idea how many people here have been waiting for this moment!!
I don't think I'm the only one who had to bite their tongue right then.
It's applicable to both--unfortunately unlike S3 season 6 never gets back on track.Season 6 or Season 3?
Every Man For Himself:
Things pick up a bit with this episode. Juliet has Jack try to save the life of the woman shot by Sun in the last episode. He fails, but he sees something interesting. Someone has a tumor on their spine. Jack just happens to be a spinal surgeon. Coincidence? I think not.
Sawyer comes up with a rather ingenious plan involving the fish biscuit box that might have worked had he not blabbed it to the camera. The Others finally get tired of all of Sawyer's escape attempts and shove a pacemaker in him to keep him in line. Seeing Sawyer utterly afraid for his life is a little disconcerting. There's also a little humor inserted when Kate starts to undress, and Sawyer starts to get excited. Of course, it turns out that they didn't put a pacemaker in him, and they were just trying to freak him out. Oh, and they're also on another island. Well how about that? I think any rescue attempt is about to hit a little hitch.
The flashback humanizes Sawyer a bit. He's in prison from the con he pulled earlier, and is trying to manipulate a corporate thief into giving him the 10 million he stole. When he gets it, he gets his freedom, and cut that he puts into an account for the daughter he just learned he has.
Also, Desmond makes a lightning rod for some reason. Don't know exactly what's up with that one.
The Cost of Living:
Eko takes off into the jungle, seeing visions of his brother everywhere. Lock decides to use the computer in the Pearl to try to find Jack, Sawyer, and Kate. This also has the bonus of finding Eko, as the plane is where he will certainly go. So, Locke heads off with Sayid, Desmond, and.....um, who are these two idiots? Well, one of the two idiots makes the rest of the characters look like idiots by figuring out the TVs look in on the other hatches. The other idiot goes to the bathroom. On the TV, they don't see Jack, though. They see a guy with an eyepatch, who knows he's being watched.
Back with the Others. We got some confirmation that the x-rays are indeed Ben's, and he brought Jack there to help. That doesn't explain the need for Sawyer and Kate, but I'm sure that's forthcoming. The biggest thing is Juliet asking Jack to accidentally kill Ben on the table. Looks like there's some dissent in the ranks.
The flashback shows Eko's life immediately after the events of his first flashback. He goes back to the church and does the wrong things for the right reasons. He's forced to leave, and go on his own spiritual journey, that will lead him to become the man he is, now.
In the present, Eko finally catches up to his brother. When told to repent, Eko refuses. He says he has only done what was necessary to survive. Eko's brother then reveals himself to not be Eko's brother, but the Smoke Monster in disguise. It then proceeds to brutally murder Eko.
Damn.
I liked Eko. I found him one of the most complex and interesting characters on the show. To see him go so soon really saddens me. I think this is the first character killed off that I actually really cared about. Eko leaves this world with a warning to Locke: They're next. Dun Dun DUH!
Things pick up a bit with this episode. Juliet has Jack try to save the life of the woman shot by Sun in the last episode. He fails, but he sees something interesting. Someone has a tumor on their spine. Jack just happens to be a spinal surgeon. Coincidence? I think not.
Sawyer comes up with a rather ingenious plan involving the fish biscuit box that might have worked had he not blabbed it to the camera. The Others finally get tired of all of Sawyer's escape attempts and shove a pacemaker in him to keep him in line. Seeing Sawyer utterly afraid for his life is a little disconcerting. There's also a little humor inserted when Kate starts to undress, and Sawyer starts to get excited. Of course, it turns out that they didn't put a pacemaker in him, and they were just trying to freak him out. Oh, and they're also on another island. Well how about that? I think any rescue attempt is about to hit a little hitch.
The flashback humanizes Sawyer a bit. He's in prison from the con he pulled earlier, and is trying to manipulate a corporate thief into giving him the 10 million he stole. When he gets it, he gets his freedom, and cut that he puts into an account for the daughter he just learned he has.
Also, Desmond makes a lightning rod for some reason. Don't know exactly what's up with that one.
The Cost of Living:
Eko takes off into the jungle, seeing visions of his brother everywhere. Lock decides to use the computer in the Pearl to try to find Jack, Sawyer, and Kate. This also has the bonus of finding Eko, as the plane is where he will certainly go. So, Locke heads off with Sayid, Desmond, and.....um, who are these two idiots? Well, one of the two idiots makes the rest of the characters look like idiots by figuring out the TVs look in on the other hatches. The other idiot goes to the bathroom. On the TV, they don't see Jack, though. They see a guy with an eyepatch, who knows he's being watched.
Back with the Others. We got some confirmation that the x-rays are indeed Ben's, and he brought Jack there to help. That doesn't explain the need for Sawyer and Kate, but I'm sure that's forthcoming. The biggest thing is Juliet asking Jack to accidentally kill Ben on the table. Looks like there's some dissent in the ranks.
The flashback shows Eko's life immediately after the events of his first flashback. He goes back to the church and does the wrong things for the right reasons. He's forced to leave, and go on his own spiritual journey, that will lead him to become the man he is, now.
In the present, Eko finally catches up to his brother. When told to repent, Eko refuses. He says he has only done what was necessary to survive. Eko's brother then reveals himself to not be Eko's brother, but the Smoke Monster in disguise. It then proceeds to brutally murder Eko.
Damn.
I liked Eko. I found him one of the most complex and interesting characters on the show. To see him go so soon really saddens me. I think this is the first character killed off that I actually really cared about. Eko leaves this world with a warning to Locke: They're next. Dun Dun DUH!
Oh the things I could say...but nope, no spoiling from me!!!
Because I started watching at the beginning of S3 I wasn't bothered by Eko's death since I had no idea who he was. In retrospect...I feel like maybe I need to rewatch those episodes, because part of me wonders why they didn't just kill Eko at the end of S2 and be done with it. This also rendered something moot that bothers me in retrospect.
Boone's death bothered me a lot, because he seemed to be becoming a real boy just as he got chopped down. Not coincidentally my serious dislike for Locke (I almost typed dislocke, actually) started here...I never really forgave him for lying about what happened to Boone, especially since there's the slim but non-zero chance that it could have made a difference.
Because I started watching at the beginning of S3 I wasn't bothered by Eko's death since I had no idea who he was. In retrospect...I feel like maybe I need to rewatch those episodes, because part of me wonders why they didn't just kill Eko at the end of S2 and be done with it. This also rendered something moot that bothers me in retrospect.
Boone's death bothered me a lot, because he seemed to be becoming a real boy just as he got chopped down. Not coincidentally my serious dislike for Locke (I almost typed dislocke, actually) started here...I never really forgave him for lying about what happened to Boone, especially since there's the slim but non-zero chance that it could have made a difference.
"Every Man for Himself" was indeed one of the better episodes in this stretch. It was a good episode for Sawyer. I always liked his character and he only gets better stuff to do from here on out. I felt really sorry for him the way the Others humiliated and neutered him.
Here you wonder why island doesn't heal Ben. This was certainly the point where I actively hated Ben in a good compelling way. Liked the reveal of a second smaller island. By now pretty obvious Desmond can see the future. I would give it a B.
The Eko episode did little for me. The two most memorable moments were when we finally see the Smoke Monster in all its glory after two years of only being teased with bits and pieces of it. Here it seems smoke is an island creation not some Dharma experiment gone amuck. The second being seeing the two brothers walking off into the sunset.
I was still wary of Juliet's motives at this point--Was she playing Jack as some sort of test that Ben assigned h-but still Juliet was a character I liked from the beginning. I loved the way Elizabeth portrayed the character and all the little idiosyncrasies.
I enjoyed Eko in season two but his exit here did little for me either way.
Overall the episode was a little slow and here was where the doling out of answers and stalling started to really bug me. I give it a B-.
Here you wonder why island doesn't heal Ben. This was certainly the point where I actively hated Ben in a good compelling way. Liked the reveal of a second smaller island. By now pretty obvious Desmond can see the future. I would give it a B.
The Eko episode did little for me. The two most memorable moments were when we finally see the Smoke Monster in all its glory after two years of only being teased with bits and pieces of it. Here it seems smoke is an island creation not some Dharma experiment gone amuck. The second being seeing the two brothers walking off into the sunset.
I was still wary of Juliet's motives at this point--Was she playing Jack as some sort of test that Ben assigned h-but still Juliet was a character I liked from the beginning. I loved the way Elizabeth portrayed the character and all the little idiosyncrasies.
I enjoyed Eko in season two but his exit here did little for me either way.
Overall the episode was a little slow and here was where the doling out of answers and stalling started to really bug me. I give it a B-.
I never really understood the fan hatred of Nikki and Paolo. I think at worst they should have only generated indifference not the over-the-top backlash they did--but I guess that is the internet fandom for you.
Why would you not wait to watch the series from the beginning in order rather than jump in midstream? I can see people doing that with episodic shows like CSI but a show as heavily serialized and one where a large percentage of the fun is the surprise twists and revelations as LOST just seems wrong. But to each their own.
I know personally am glad I never read any spoilers, watched any trailers, watched any podcasts or read interviews for LOST. It is so much rewarding going in blind and not knowing what happens.
Because in some cases that could mean waiting years to finally be able to watch a show.
Because I knew very little about the series, including how heavily-serialized it was, and wanted to see a few episodes before putting any effort into trying to figure out what I'd missed.
As it was I caught up during the S3 hiatus, so I wouldn't say I suffered a great deal. The beginning of S3 isn't exactly the most critical part of the series.
As it was I caught up during the S3 hiatus, so I wouldn't say I suffered a great deal. The beginning of S3 isn't exactly the most critical part of the series.
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