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Reviews
Lost: The Cost of Living (2006)
Goodbye Eko
Island Plot: Eko faces judgment for his past. Jack finds out the purpose behind his kidnapping.
Flashback: Eko begins his life as a priest.
Eko remains one of my all time favorite Lost characters so this episode is bittersweet for me. It was one of the better episodes from early season 3 but that's not saying much. I was happy to finally find out what Ben wanted Jack for though the whole kidnapping scheme still seems to be as bit contrived. Juliet's surprise request at the end of the episode was a nice twist and made her character even more compelling.
The main story with Eko seemed rushed and pointless but that was due to some behind the scenes problems so I can't really blame the writers for this one. What I can blame the writers for is the continued poor development of new characters Nikki and Paulo. These two remained one of the worst mistakes the producers made. The flashbacks weren't bad but, like may from season 3, was unnecessary.
All in all it was not a bad episode but it continued the string of mediocre episodes from early season 3.
Favorite scene: The return of the smoke monster is always a treat even if it led to a tragic outcome.
Lost: Every Man for Himself (2006)
Lost at it's darkest
Favorite Scene – The only really good scene in the episode. The scene with Boone in the sweat lodge.
Episode 3.4 Every Man for Himself 6/10
Island Plot – Ben goes to drastic means to get Sawyers cooperation. Jack tries to save an Others life.
Flashback – In prison Sawyer tries to con another inmate.
This is the episode where the Hydra Island subplot started to get tedious and a little to dark for my taste. If seeing Sawyer get beat up and emotionally and physically abused for an hour seems fun to you than this is your episode. For me it grows only more tedious with each viewing. Having said that, I have to admit there is a certain perverse pleasure in seeing Ben kick Sawyers rear end. Who knew he had it in him?
The flashbacks are OK and do give an interesting fact about Sawyer personnel life that I didn't see coming. The Jack and Juliet scenes are very good as usual and the subplot with Desmond, Charlie and Claire is mildly interesting. The "surprise" reveal at the end of the episode was pretty lame at the time and hasn't gotten much better.
All and all, not a bad episode but definitely not a classic.
Lost: Tricia Tanaka Is Dead (2007)
Underrated
Island plot - Hurley finds an old van in th jungle and sets out to fix it.
Flashback - Hurley is suspicious when his long lost father returns.
This is one of the most underrated episodes of lost. It Hurley centric so of course its funny. But its also probably the most feel good episode lost ever produced. After spending half a season with our heroes being locked in polar bear cages this was a welcome change of pace. It focuses on Hurleys attempt to find hope in the aftermath of his almost girlfriends death at the end of last season. Basically Hurley finds an old Dharma van in the jungle. With Jin, Sawyer and Charlie's help he tries to get it running again. Why? Because he can. Add some very old Dharma beer, Sawyer trying to teach Jin some English and, of course, Roger Workman, whose mummified body is found in the van, and you have the makings of a classic.
Plus it has Cheech Marin in it. That alone has to makes it a classic. Right?
Lost: Flashes Before Your Eyes (2007)
clever episode
Island Plot - Charley and Hurley try to uncover the reason behind Desmond's strange behavior
Flashback - Desmond's breakup with Penny
This episode initially annoyed me. mainly because at the time it was said that it would tell the story of what happened to Desmond after the destruction of the hatch. It does, but not how I expected. Instead of telling us how Desmond, Locke and Eko survived the hatch explosion it showed Desmond some how transported to an earlier point in his life. the crucial point that led to him coming to the Island. Will he use the opportunity to change his past or will he follow his destiny.
This is an unusual episode in how it's set up. Instead of having flashbacks spread out throughout the episode it has one giant flashback bookended by some on island scenes. Basically Charlie and Hurley realize that Desmond seems to be able to see things before that happen. They confront him about it. In the end he ends up telling one of them a very terrifying prophesy that will haunt the rest of the season.
In re-watching it i found it to be a very good episode with huge implications for the remainder of the series. It also introduced us to the character Eloise. That makes it worth the price of admission.
Lost: A Tale of Two Cities (2006)
Great season premiere
Island Plot: Jack, Kate and Sawyer are being held captive by the others. Jack finds himself matching wits with a mysterious Other named Juliet.
Flashback: Jack becomes obsessed with finding out about the man his soon to be ex-wife left him for. He begins to suspect his own father.
So begins the much maligned third season of lost. Or at least the first half of the season is maligned. The second half is improves dramatically. I personally like early season three better than most though I will acknowledge that there were a number of flaws. Flaws that are largely absent from this first episode of the season. In fact the opening scene is one of my all time favorites. It also introduces one of my all time favorite characters – Juliet – plus brings the character of Ben, who until now we knew as Henry Gale, into sharper focus.
On the downside we only get to see three of our heroes. Anyone wanting to see Locke, Eco, Sayid or the rest will have to wait an episode or two. The flashback in this episode , like many in season 3, is very dry and serves no real purpose in the overall story though it does feature good performances by Mathew Fox and the great Julie Bowen. The only thing it accomplishes is to show remind us of Jack's troubled relationship with his father.
Still the on island scenes play well. Michael Emerson's Ben is wonderfully creepy, Kate and Sawyer's scene at the end is sweet, and the back and forth between Jack and Juliet is wonderful. I had forgotten how much chemistry those two had in early season 3. Sadly that would fade as the season progresses but it is enjoyable in this episode.
Best Scene – The opening remains a personal favorite.
Lost: The Glass Ballerina (2006)
solid episode
Island Plot:. Sayid's plan to rescue Jack, Kate and Sawyer puts himself, Jin and Sun in danger. Kate and Sawyer are put to work by the Others.
Flashback: After finding out about Sun's affair with her English tutor, Mr. Paik orders Jin to kill him.
This episode was a bit of a letdown after the season premiere but still good in its own right. Jin and Sun flashbacks aren't my favorite but I still like them better than some fans do, and this is one of their better ones. The revelation that Sun had cheated on Jin added a new layer to her character. It also, of course, put into question the paternity of her unborn child. The scenes with Jin, Sun and Sayid are well played but not all together memorable.
Much better are the Scenes with Kate and Sawyer doing hard labor. Sawyer tries to test the metal of his captors and finds the only serious threat is Juliet. The brief scene with Kate Sawyer and Juliet is even more interesting now looking back and knowing the future of these characters.
Still the episode was stolen by the great Michael Emerson whose character Ben finally introduces himself to Jack and the audience. Emerson can turn even the cheesiest of lines into gold and he excels in this episode. All told a average episode with some good moments but nothing special. Still for fans waiting to find out what happened to the people in the hatch at the end of season 2, they would have to wait one more episode to learn their fate. Which at the time was more frustrating than you can imagine.
Favorite moment – Ben's chat with Jack at the end.
Lost: Further Instructions (2006)
Disappointing
Island Plot - In the aftermath of the destruction of the hatch Locke receives instructions from the island to save another castaways life.
Flashback - Locke brings a new friend to the commune he's staying at unaware that he's really an under cover cop.
This marked a unique moment in my lost viewing experience. It was the first Locke episode I didn't love. In fact it is one of my least favorite episodes ever. Definitely one of the most disappointing episodes ever. I had been looking forward to this episode since the end of season 2. What happened to Locke, Eko and Desmond when the hatch was destroyed was the cliffhanger I was most interested in. Unfortunately I still don't have an answer to what happened to them because the show never bothered to tell us.
It starts with Locke waking up in the jungle unharmed. Then we see Desmond running around naked in the jungle. How these two, especially Desmond survived has never been explained. Locke stumbles back to the beach where Charlie, who's still acting like the jerk he was throughout season 2, helps him "talk" to the island. What follows is an admittedly cool and trippy scene where the dearly departed Boone takes him via wheelchair around Sydney Airport where he sees all the rest of the cast. The big message he gets from this metaphysical experience – he has to save Eko from being eaten by polar bear. And that's the main plot of the episode – Locke and Charlie marching through the jungle to a bear cave to save Eco, which given future events kind of seems pointless, but whatever. They do manage to become friends again but since they barely have any scenes together after this episode even that seems kind of pointless.
Meanwhile Hurley makes it back to camp. After having his girlfriend murdered by someone he thought was a friend, being kidnapped by the others, and walking back to camp from the other side if the island he seems surprisingly carefree and unaffected . He runs into the very naked Desmond, loans him a shirt, and discovers something about Des that will be important throughout the season.
The flashbacks are some of the worst the show had ever had. Seemingly pointless and boring they are definitely Locke's worst flashbacks. At least I thought so at the time. Looking back from season six however they do seem to represent Locke's whole story throughout the series. So in retrospect I guess the writers had a point but it still bores the heck out of me.
Favorite Scene – The only really good scene in the episode. The scene with Boone in the sweat lodge.
Lost: Pilot: Part 1 (2004)
Best pilot ever
The first episode of Lost is, without a doubt, the best pilot for a TV show that I have ever seen. Good acting, a wonderful script, and very good directing by JJ Abrams make this an exciting 2 hours.
A group of people survive a plane crash but find themselves stuck on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. While most of them try to set up camp on the beach, three of them go into the jungle to find the cockpit of the plane - the plane had broken apart in midair - to find the transceiver (radio) so they can try to call for help. They succeed but but with deadly complications.Later another group goes off to take the transceiver to the highest point on the island to try and get a better signal. What they find is makes one of them ask the main question of the series - "Where are we"? The episode is fast paced and beautifully shot (the show is filmed in Hawaii). You have to suspend your disbelief that forty some odd people could survive a plane coming apart in midair and crashing on an island with little more than scratches to show for it. Still if you like interesting characters, complex plots and intriguing mysteries then this show is for you.