Lost from the beginning (NO SPOILERS)
- Thread starter OdoWanKenobi
- Start date
The early part of season 3 was...err...a bit of a drag at times (yes, that's a nice polite way of putting it). I never seriously considered bailing on Lost but some of these episodes did test my commitment, the Jack in Thailand Getting His Tatts crap in particular.
It really does get better, though.
You can trust me. 
It really does get better, though.
You can trust me. 
Ha, yeah, I completely forgot that was even an episode.
Flashes Before Your Eyes:
Whoa!I think this is easily the best episode so far this season.
Desmond "hears" Claire drowning out at sea, even though he's a mile away. After her rescue, Charlie starts to wonder what's up. Hurley says what everyone else is thinking: Desmond can see the future. We finally get some answers (um...kinda) about what happened to Desmond when he blew the hatch. Namely, he went back in time.
Wait...he went back in time? Well, alright. It rather tragic, really. We see him ruin everything all over again. He tries his hardest to make a change in his life, to stay with Penny. When he's going to buy a ring, the jeweler suddenly starts saying things a jeweler typically doesn't. She tells Desmond that he has a destiny he can't escape. Everyone does. Even if changes are made, the universe has a way of course correcting. So Desmond is again forced to break up with Penny, and take all the steps that lead him to the place he ended up. It's tragic, really. I think Desmond has been a great addition to the show. He's quickly become one of my favorite characters on the show. I hope that since we saw Penny at the end of the last season, that a reunion for the two is forthcoming. Of course, this being the show it is, I'm sure the reunion won't stay happy long.
Desmond drops another bombshell at the end. In the past, he was seeing flashes of his future on the island. Those flashes simply never stopped. What he really saw earlier that day was not Claire dying, but Charlie when he jumped in to save her. When the lightning would have hit Claire's roof, Charlie would have been killed. Looks like Charlie has suddenly become a character in a Final Destination movie. Desmond has averted death for him twice, but he can't do it forever. Charlie is going to die. Whoa. Is poor Charlie really doomed? I guess I'll find out soon.
One of my favorite episodes of the series. It's the episode that first clearly defines what genre LOST is. The "If you're not good enough to drink my whiskey what makes you think you're good enough to marry my daughter" scene is one of my favorite scenes of the series. Avoiding spoilers, if this episode illicited a "woah" for you, I'll be tuning in a little bit later to see what you think of another episode...
Tricia Tanaka is Dead:
This episode is clearly filler. It's good filler, though. Funny filler. I'll admit, I was smiling though most of it. Hurley finds a van in the jungle and decides to get it working again. Jin, Sawyer, and Charlie all get involved eventually. Charlie takes some motivating, though, as he's been moping ever since Desmond predicted his death. This actually leads to some funny scenes, such as Sawyer finding the head in the van.
The flashback, well it gives Hurley the requisite daddy issues. It seems every character on this show has to have them. Hurley's father is Cheech Marin, which smacks of stunt casting to me.
The only other plot relevant thing is Kate deciding to find Rousseau, and enlist her help in finding Jack. Not a whole lot happened in this episode, but it was light enough, and feature no Jack cage sitting, so I can forgive.
Enter 77:
Ah, at last some stuff.
The rescue team comes across another Dharma station, the flame, where the man with the eye-patch is dwelling. After shooting Sayid, the team is able to talk their way out of a sticky situation, only to land in another one. The man, Mikhail, claims he is the last remaining Dharma member. Sayid, however, knows when he's being lied to, and knows that Mikhail is one of the Others. Also, Locke comes across an old computer chess game, that turns out to have a hidden purpose. Winning the game reveals another video from that Dharma doctor. He says if there has been a hostile incursion, to enter 77. Locke almost does, but is taken hostage by an escaped Mikhail. After some fighting, our heroes come out on top. Locke enters 77, and the flame becomes true to its name. Did Locke know what he was doing? Maybe he did, as he's shown he has no desire to leave the island. Either way, I see Sayid and Locke becoming a lot less friendly like soon. This is the second time that Locke has sabotaged a possible means of communication.
The flashback is actually a good one this time. Sayid is seen and captured by someone that he once tortured. The scene at the end where he admits that he remembers the woman, like he remembers the face of everyone he ever tortured is great. Sayid was a broken man at this point, deeply scarred by the things he had done. The woman realizes this, and she cannot bring herself to punish him further.
There's also a bit with Sawyer trying to win back his stash in a ping-pong game. Hurley kicks his ass, and the stash stays community property. Sawyer also has to call everyone by their actual names for a while. I love seeing Sawyer get taken down a peg. It's always good for entertainment.
Seems like the show may be back on track with this episode. Since the Others moved Jack to their home a couple episodes ago, I'll just wait and see if the next episode features Jack sitting around in a house instead of a cage or cell. I hope not. You guys have said the worst is behind me. I hope that's true.
This episode is clearly filler. It's good filler, though. Funny filler. I'll admit, I was smiling though most of it. Hurley finds a van in the jungle and decides to get it working again. Jin, Sawyer, and Charlie all get involved eventually. Charlie takes some motivating, though, as he's been moping ever since Desmond predicted his death. This actually leads to some funny scenes, such as Sawyer finding the head in the van.
The flashback, well it gives Hurley the requisite daddy issues. It seems every character on this show has to have them. Hurley's father is Cheech Marin, which smacks of stunt casting to me.
The only other plot relevant thing is Kate deciding to find Rousseau, and enlist her help in finding Jack. Not a whole lot happened in this episode, but it was light enough, and feature no Jack cage sitting, so I can forgive.
Enter 77:
Ah, at last some stuff.
The rescue team comes across another Dharma station, the flame, where the man with the eye-patch is dwelling. After shooting Sayid, the team is able to talk their way out of a sticky situation, only to land in another one. The man, Mikhail, claims he is the last remaining Dharma member. Sayid, however, knows when he's being lied to, and knows that Mikhail is one of the Others. Also, Locke comes across an old computer chess game, that turns out to have a hidden purpose. Winning the game reveals another video from that Dharma doctor. He says if there has been a hostile incursion, to enter 77. Locke almost does, but is taken hostage by an escaped Mikhail. After some fighting, our heroes come out on top. Locke enters 77, and the flame becomes true to its name. Did Locke know what he was doing? Maybe he did, as he's shown he has no desire to leave the island. Either way, I see Sayid and Locke becoming a lot less friendly like soon. This is the second time that Locke has sabotaged a possible means of communication.
The flashback is actually a good one this time. Sayid is seen and captured by someone that he once tortured. The scene at the end where he admits that he remembers the woman, like he remembers the face of everyone he ever tortured is great. Sayid was a broken man at this point, deeply scarred by the things he had done. The woman realizes this, and she cannot bring herself to punish him further.
There's also a bit with Sawyer trying to win back his stash in a ping-pong game. Hurley kicks his ass, and the stash stays community property. Sawyer also has to call everyone by their actual names for a while. I love seeing Sawyer get taken down a peg. It's always good for entertainment.
Seems like the show may be back on track with this episode. Since the Others moved Jack to their home a couple episodes ago, I'll just wait and see if the next episode features Jack sitting around in a house instead of a cage or cell. I hope not. You guys have said the worst is behind me. I hope that's true.
A lot of people don't like "Tricia Tanka is Dead," but it's one of my favorite episodes because it's so damn fun. I grinned like a fool when they finally got the van running. Hell, even Sawyer got swept up into the fun!
^Well, then those people are dead inside. 
"It's time we looked death in the face and said whatever, man!" 
Agreed, Tricia Tanaka is one I love during rewatch. Pissed myself the first time I saw it.
Par Avion:
Ok, certainly back on track, now.
Claire sees some migratory birds and comes with with an idea that's actually rather ingenious. It's good to see her doing something not involving the baby for a change. The plan gets sabotaged by Desmond, who is actually trying to save Charlie's life, again. Of course, it all works out in the end, as Desmond finds her a bird, saving Charlie again, and they get to send a message. If it will amount to anything or not remains to be seen.
In flashbacks, Claire's mother is killed in a car accident, and oh yeah, Christian is Claire's father. Looks like I guessed right, earlier. Now we just have to wait for Jack and Claire to find out they're related. This is irrelevant to the episode, but I don't think the dark hair suits Claire. I like her better as a blond.
Mikhail mentions something to the castaways about a list, and how only some people are on it. This isn't the first time it's been mentioned either. What's up with this? He also indicates that he knows Locke from somewhere. Hmmmmm. They then come across a perimeter around the barracks, that Locke throws Mikhail through. He dies a pretty grisly death. So, over the perimeter they go. They reach the barracks only to find Jack playing football with Tom. Cue shock!
Good to see the show gaining some momentum again. I guess I should have been shocked by the revelation of Claire's parentage, but the clues in Two for the Road, plus this show's propensity for coincidence, had already led me to the conclusion. Hopefully the jungle crew doesn't get captured, and we don't get subjected to more cage sitting next episode. I've had about enough of that.
Ok, certainly back on track, now.
Claire sees some migratory birds and comes with with an idea that's actually rather ingenious. It's good to see her doing something not involving the baby for a change. The plan gets sabotaged by Desmond, who is actually trying to save Charlie's life, again. Of course, it all works out in the end, as Desmond finds her a bird, saving Charlie again, and they get to send a message. If it will amount to anything or not remains to be seen.
In flashbacks, Claire's mother is killed in a car accident, and oh yeah, Christian is Claire's father. Looks like I guessed right, earlier. Now we just have to wait for Jack and Claire to find out they're related. This is irrelevant to the episode, but I don't think the dark hair suits Claire. I like her better as a blond.
Mikhail mentions something to the castaways about a list, and how only some people are on it. This isn't the first time it's been mentioned either. What's up with this? He also indicates that he knows Locke from somewhere. Hmmmmm. They then come across a perimeter around the barracks, that Locke throws Mikhail through. He dies a pretty grisly death. So, over the perimeter they go. They reach the barracks only to find Jack playing football with Tom. Cue shock!
Good to see the show gaining some momentum again. I guess I should have been shocked by the revelation of Claire's parentage, but the clues in Two for the Road, plus this show's propensity for coincidence, had already led me to the conclusion. Hopefully the jungle crew doesn't get captured, and we don't get subjected to more cage sitting next episode. I've had about enough of that.
Never really liked the episode where Walt talked to the cages via Vincent.
"Stranger in a Strangeland" is an awful episode. When it originally aired the promo promised "Three of the Show's Biggest Mysteries" would be answered so it was a major disappointment to find it very misleading. I also could never tolerate Bai Ling-- too trashy. It did show some insight into the Others code of behavior ending with Juliet's branding.
"Tricia Tanaka is Dead" was another low point for the series. It reminded me of the way DS9 would build up momentum with its arcs and then sidetrack with a fluff piece that was nowhere near as interesting as the core material was--I don't care about seeing them sharing a beer when all this more interesting stuff is hanging in the air. So to me coupled with the previous episode just halts all the momentum. I know many love it but the last thing I wanted to see was more dicking around after so much footdragging this season--this was the closest the series ever got to being standalone with very little mythology to offer up besides wondering what caused the van to crash and why beer?. It also didn't help that it was a Hurley centered episode. I was bored to tears by his flashback and the asteroid hitting the fast food joint was one of the lamest things I had ever seen--it was corny as could be--I expected better from LOST.
The only things I enjoyed was the feel good moment of the guys in the Dharma van blasting Three Dog Nights' "Shambala"--another excellent use of pop music by the show--and a plot point it seeds here that I won't mention to avoid spoiling it. Hurley behind the wheel was hilarious. Overall though it was pretty slow.
Now "Enter 77" in my opinion was the turning point in terms of getting LOST back on track. When I first watched it LOST was quickly losing my interest and I really wasn't invested in it as I had once been but this episode changed everything. I actually still remember how it instantly just pulled me right back into the story and made me excited which hadn't been the case in some time. There was an urgency to the episode, fast pacing, finally some advancement on the mythology front. We got to see another Dharma station, meet eye patch dude, see Bea again, learn about the cable and have a shocking plot development with the revelation that the Others weren't Dharma folks afterall but hostiles--it made the Others eerie once again in a way they hadn't been since S1--just the idea that the Others are mysterious again and took over the Dharma stations gave me chills--who are they?.
We also first learn of the ominous sounding Purge--when I first watched it I was intrigued that there was some sort of clash between Dharma and Others--very interesting as Sayid points out"why would scientists fight hostiles". YOu also wondered if the Dharma benefactors knew of this Purge(I appreciated this added wrinkle)--afterall season two showed food drops were continuing. Did they think their people were still alive? Or did Dharma guys make some kind of deal with these Others? Why did Others sit back while Dharma built on their island?
This also showed why I liked Sayid so much as a character--he kicked ass here and I was glad he acknowledged that everything eyepatch dude said could be lies. This also was a good showcase for Kate--I loved the Kate/Bea smackdown.
And the flashbacks thankfully comprised very little of the show-the writers wisely focused most of the hour on the more interesting stuff in the present. It did finally seem like things were heating up and we were going to finally start making headway and progressing things.
"Par Avion"
I quite enjoyed this episode. The show is definitely picking up. I loved the twist that Christian is Claire's dad--very soap opera-esque. I didn't see it coming, it stunned me and then after it sets in it makes so much sense and is such a cool idea. I didn't connect Christian's visit to Australia w/ Ana Lucia with Claire but it sooooo works. I didn't connect that child with a familiar face. The question then became how would this secret family connection come out--would the Others spill the beans?
I was tipped off to Terry's guest starring but figured it had to do with Jack then when it became clear his appearance would have nothing to do directly with interacting with Jack I just figured it would be one of those throwaway crossing paths easter eggs--maybe he was the attending physician? or that the car accident was result of drunk driving and Christian was the driver.
I thought the flashback was going to be mediocre but it was another good one. It revealed new, relevant and significant information. It was also a relatable, human story. Everyone can relate to strained relationships with parents and how people can say hurtful things. Also when Claire was informed her medical costs would be taken care of I immediately thought of Others/Dharma involvement.
The pylons were another striking sight and an interesting contrast between the verdant island background and these clunky aging futuristic sci-fi structures. I thought they were neat. It was also a reasonable obstacle.
The idea of chopping down a tree to traverse them was a nice clever course of action and made the characters look smart which is always nice. It offered up a tense moment as Kate was first to volunteer. It also demonstrated that Kate worked best up to this point as a character in the thick of things and not as Kate the Character Study. Sayid also shined like last week wisely not trusting Locke.
Desmond also gets a little something to do with his new obsessive repetitive task to replace pressing the button in the Hatch-saving Charlie--I liked him this season for the first time while Locke annoyed me here with his enigmatic behavior.
I also loved how the show didn't drag out the gang's arrival at the village. They could have easily held off in reaching it but it comes across as a nice message to the audience of the writers' newfound sense of narrative urgency and increased pacing(although the way they kept interrupting Eyepatch Dude when he was trying to tell them stuff was annoying) and it offered up a really nice moment as it contrasts with the life the survivors have been struggling through and this bucolic resort with people on bikes. The biggest shocker was Jack tossing the football with Tom--was he brainwashed? was the first thing that came to me.
I also liked the idea that the bird may play a role possibly down the road. For a moment I thought the bird would end up back with Ben--that we'd watch the bird fly from Claire and landing on Ben or one of the Others' arm.
"Tricia Tanaka is Dead" was another low point for the series. It reminded me of the way DS9 would build up momentum with its arcs and then sidetrack with a fluff piece that was nowhere near as interesting as the core material was--I don't care about seeing them sharing a beer when all this more interesting stuff is hanging in the air. So to me coupled with the previous episode just halts all the momentum. I know many love it but the last thing I wanted to see was more dicking around after so much footdragging this season--this was the closest the series ever got to being standalone with very little mythology to offer up besides wondering what caused the van to crash and why beer?. It also didn't help that it was a Hurley centered episode. I was bored to tears by his flashback and the asteroid hitting the fast food joint was one of the lamest things I had ever seen--it was corny as could be--I expected better from LOST.
The only things I enjoyed was the feel good moment of the guys in the Dharma van blasting Three Dog Nights' "Shambala"--another excellent use of pop music by the show--and a plot point it seeds here that I won't mention to avoid spoiling it. Hurley behind the wheel was hilarious. Overall though it was pretty slow.
Now "Enter 77" in my opinion was the turning point in terms of getting LOST back on track. When I first watched it LOST was quickly losing my interest and I really wasn't invested in it as I had once been but this episode changed everything. I actually still remember how it instantly just pulled me right back into the story and made me excited which hadn't been the case in some time. There was an urgency to the episode, fast pacing, finally some advancement on the mythology front. We got to see another Dharma station, meet eye patch dude, see Bea again, learn about the cable and have a shocking plot development with the revelation that the Others weren't Dharma folks afterall but hostiles--it made the Others eerie once again in a way they hadn't been since S1--just the idea that the Others are mysterious again and took over the Dharma stations gave me chills--who are they?.
We also first learn of the ominous sounding Purge--when I first watched it I was intrigued that there was some sort of clash between Dharma and Others--very interesting as Sayid points out"why would scientists fight hostiles". YOu also wondered if the Dharma benefactors knew of this Purge(I appreciated this added wrinkle)--afterall season two showed food drops were continuing. Did they think their people were still alive? Or did Dharma guys make some kind of deal with these Others? Why did Others sit back while Dharma built on their island?
This also showed why I liked Sayid so much as a character--he kicked ass here and I was glad he acknowledged that everything eyepatch dude said could be lies. This also was a good showcase for Kate--I loved the Kate/Bea smackdown.
And the flashbacks thankfully comprised very little of the show-the writers wisely focused most of the hour on the more interesting stuff in the present. It did finally seem like things were heating up and we were going to finally start making headway and progressing things.
"Par Avion"
I quite enjoyed this episode. The show is definitely picking up. I loved the twist that Christian is Claire's dad--very soap opera-esque. I didn't see it coming, it stunned me and then after it sets in it makes so much sense and is such a cool idea. I didn't connect Christian's visit to Australia w/ Ana Lucia with Claire but it sooooo works. I didn't connect that child with a familiar face. The question then became how would this secret family connection come out--would the Others spill the beans?
I was tipped off to Terry's guest starring but figured it had to do with Jack then when it became clear his appearance would have nothing to do directly with interacting with Jack I just figured it would be one of those throwaway crossing paths easter eggs--maybe he was the attending physician? or that the car accident was result of drunk driving and Christian was the driver.
I thought the flashback was going to be mediocre but it was another good one. It revealed new, relevant and significant information. It was also a relatable, human story. Everyone can relate to strained relationships with parents and how people can say hurtful things. Also when Claire was informed her medical costs would be taken care of I immediately thought of Others/Dharma involvement.
The pylons were another striking sight and an interesting contrast between the verdant island background and these clunky aging futuristic sci-fi structures. I thought they were neat. It was also a reasonable obstacle.
The idea of chopping down a tree to traverse them was a nice clever course of action and made the characters look smart which is always nice. It offered up a tense moment as Kate was first to volunteer. It also demonstrated that Kate worked best up to this point as a character in the thick of things and not as Kate the Character Study. Sayid also shined like last week wisely not trusting Locke.
Desmond also gets a little something to do with his new obsessive repetitive task to replace pressing the button in the Hatch-saving Charlie--I liked him this season for the first time while Locke annoyed me here with his enigmatic behavior.
I also loved how the show didn't drag out the gang's arrival at the village. They could have easily held off in reaching it but it comes across as a nice message to the audience of the writers' newfound sense of narrative urgency and increased pacing(although the way they kept interrupting Eyepatch Dude when he was trying to tell them stuff was annoying) and it offered up a really nice moment as it contrasts with the life the survivors have been struggling through and this bucolic resort with people on bikes. The biggest shocker was Jack tossing the football with Tom--was he brainwashed? was the first thing that came to me.
I also liked the idea that the bird may play a role possibly down the road. For a moment I thought the bird would end up back with Ben--that we'd watch the bird fly from Claire and landing on Ben or one of the Others' arm.
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