The Lost Diary

Time for another edition of the "Lost" Diary.

While we were watching "Lost" last week, Ari joked that when Charlie "died," all the Diary readers were probably thinking of me. And, lo and behold, I got several comments last week like this one: "Man when I saw the arrow go in Charlie's neck I was saying to myself Daniel is going to so love this." Or this one: "The first thing I thought of when Charlie was shot in the neck was 'Daniel is going to be so happy.' "

You guys are the best, really. And the offer still stands: When Charlie really does die, party at my house.

For all you "Lost" Diary newbies, here's how it goes. I gather with a group of friends watching "Lost," writing what happens on the show as it happens, and throwing in my two cents along the way. We got the OG crew back together this week: Ari, Lauren, April and Matt. Let's roll:

10:00 -- We're all curious about what's going to happen with Sun's pregnancy. Who is the dad? Will the Others want her or her child? Will she survive the pregnancy? Now Jack is curious too. A little too curious, maybe?

10:02 -- It's Sun flashback time and we've jumped back to when Jin and Sun first got married. I like that the flashbacks lately aren't completely linear.

10:03 -- Some of you may remember that I always make fun of Jin/Sun flashbacks because they use the words "honor" and "shame" in nearly every scene. The fact that Jin's mom is a prostitute will apparently bring shame to Mr. and Mrs. Kwon. From now on, whenever the words "honor" or "shame" are used, you have to drink.

10:04 -- I love Desmond as much as the next guy, but I think he's better in small doses. Am I wrong here?

10:05 -- "Oops." -- Hurley.

10:09 -- Nothing really interesting going on yet with Sun and Jin, except that after nearly three years of "Lost" I now am 100% certain which is Sun and which is Jin. I used to get it backwards every now and again, but I am good now.

10:10 -- Yup, Sun is suspicious of Jack. I don't know why it's weird when a doctor asks a pregnant woman how she's doing, but it just is.

10:11 -- Sun confronts Juliet about her "research" and Juliet acts like she didn't know Sun was pregnant. Riiiiiiiight.

10:12 -- "They die. They all die." -- Juliet. Glad you asked, Sun?

10:13 -- The crew of Desmond, Charlie, Jin and Hurley is really starting to bore me.

10:14 -- But then Mikhail comes running out of the woods. Which wouldn't be weird except for the fact THAT HE DIED!!!

10:17 -- Jin serves Mikhail up a nice helping of Korean whoop ass.

10:18 -- "As your friend pointed out, I already died once this week." -- Mikhail. Fair point.

10:19 -- Desmond takes Mikhail up on his offer to save the parachutist. Given the circumstances, I'd say it's the right call. Though I'd like to point out again, MIKHAIL DIED ALREADY!!!

10:20 -- Sun found Jin's dad and asks him why he wasn't at their wedding.

10:21 -- Drink.

10:22 -- What are the odds that the blackmailer is Jin's mom?

10:23 -- Drink.

10:24 -- Juliet wants to take Sun somewhere, just the two of them, to answer Sun's questions about the Others. Here's my question: has it been a week since Ben told Juliet he'd see her in a week? Cause if so, say 안녕 to Sun. (Yes, I looked up how to say "goodbye" in Korean.)

10:28 -- Sun is hesitant to tell Juliet when the last time she had sex with Jin was. The paternity of Sun's baby is "Lost's" version of the Anna Nicole Smith saga.

10:29 -- Sun is asking her dad for the money to pay off the blackmailer. This scene is almost over and no one said ...

10:30 -- Drink.

10:31 -- Interesting turn -- Jin began his career of "working" for Sun's dad because of this whole affair. There are always consequences.

10:32 -- After Mikhail saved her life, parachute girl muttered something in Portuguese. Mikhail says she said, "Thank you for saving my life," but I don't buy it for a second. Some Internet research will be required. (Apparently she said, "I am not alone.")

10:33 -- Juliet has taken Sun to the creepy hatch. This is definitely the last place a pregnant woman should be hanging out.

10:34 -- Juliet just gave Sun some bullshit speech about wanting to give good news again and Sun tells Juliet about her affair with Jae.

10:36 -- Man, that's a lot of security for a nursery.

10:41 -- "On this island, the wounds are a bit different." -- Mikhail. Understatement.

10:42 -- "Phone!" -- Jin. His english is really getting good.

10:43 -- There is no doubt that Desmond is making the wrong choice in letting Mikhail go, but at the same time I respect the fact that he did. He gave his word and, even on the island and even when the Others are involved, that has to mean something.

10:44 -- Juliet has great bedside manner, you know, for a lying bitch.

10:45 -- Ok, so I wonder: Assuming Ben and the Others are after Sun's baby, does finding out where she conceived change what they do? Do they want her either way or only if the result is one way? And if it's the latter, I think they want someone who conceived off the island -- isn't that what Juliet said a few weeks back?

10:46 -- "I don't want to be in your father's debt anymore than we already are." -- Jin. Brutha, you don't know the half.

10:48 -- Alright, daddy sweepstakes time is almost upon us. I am saying that Sun got pregnant off the island and thus, Jae is the father.

10:49 -- Sweet moment as Sun sees her baby for the first (and only?) time. Man, they are setting this up to end soooooo badly for her.

10:50 -- And Sun got pregnant on the island. So I lose, Jin wins and Sun dies. So if Sun is Anna, that makes Jin Larry Birkhead, Jae Howard K. Stern and Juliet as Judge Seidlin.

10:53 -- Sun goes to meet the blackmailer. I am loving my call that she's really Jin's mom. Not a tough call by any means, but I need to get one prediction right.

10:54 -- Sweet! I'll take any victory I can get. Lauren has proclaimed that Sun is her new Korean idol.

10:55 -- According to Juliet, Sun doesn't have much time and she has no chance of even giving birth. Damn. Is abortion not an option?

10:56 -- Juliet is going back inside the hatch for some reason. Hmm, that doesn't sound suspicious at all ...

10:57 -- Sun should lock Juliet in the hatch. That would be awesome.

10:58 -- Juliet is leaving Ben a message. Apparently her assignment was to find if the women on the island were pregnant -- or at the least the one's who aren't just milling around in the background.

10:59 -- "Flight 815, they found the plane. There were no survivors. They were all dead." -- parachute girl.

11:00 -- "What?" -- Hurley.

Sometimes I think I am too hard on an episode, other times I think I am too easy. This might be a week that I am too easy.

We got a few answers tonight (the paternity of Sun's baby, more info on Juliet's "mission") and got hit with a few more questions, too (Mikhail is alive? Everyone on Flight 815 died?). It was a good mix of give and take and the flashback had just enough information to keep me interested the whole way through. Add it all up, and the episode gets a B from me. Not bad considering it didn't have Locke or Henry Gale in it.

One of the first "Lost" theories about the show to become popular was that the Losties didn't survive the plane crash and they were all in purgatory -- producers quickly said this was not the case. The ending of tonight's episode sure lends credence to that old theory.

Assuming they aren't all in purgatory, and assuming this woman isn't lying (after all, she was looking for Desmond) here is a quick theory that will no doubt be proven wrong: Once the plane crashed on the island, Henry Gale called back to the Hanso/Dharma people to tell them what happened. The powers that be decided they couldn't have rescue teams come looking for the plane because they might find the island. So they somehow staged a fake crash site to keep people from looking. Could be, right?

So I am going to continue the theme of "community" that we have here at the "Lost" Diary with my question to you this week: Obviously we're all "Lost" fans here (except the guy who posts under the name No Longer A Lost Fan), but is "Lost" your favorite show? If not, what is? Catch you next week.

Posted by Daniel at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)

Time for another edition of the "Lost" Diary.

To clear up a little confusion: I know that Henry Gale's real name is Benjamin Linus, I just prefer Henry Gale. I can't quite explain why, but as soon as I heard the name "Benjamin Linus" I just said, "Uh-uh, no way." So I proclaimed way back when I first my wrote diary that I would always refer to him as Henry Gale -- I just think it sounds better. Sorry if I ruffled any feathers.

For all you "Lost" Diary newbies, here's how it goes. I gather with a group of friends watching "Lost," writing what happens on the show as it happens, and throwing in my two cents along the way. This week I'm working with the skeleton crew of myself and Ari. Let's roll:

10:00 -- The intro is all about how Desmond thinks Charlie is going to die. Is this the night I have been waiting for?

10:01 -- Charlie and Hurley are having a stupid comic book argument when Charlie gets shot in the throat with an arrow. It can't happen like this, can it? This has to be a dream, right?

10:02 -- Yup, we cut to one of Desmond's flashes of the future: Hurley pulling a cable, a blinking red light in the sky, the picture of Desmond and Penny, Jin looking up, some kind of a sheet, someone hanging, and Penny's face (yes, we went back and watched in slo-mo). Hey, as long as it ends with Charlie dying, I'm cool.

10:03 -- "Because someone is coming." -- Desmond. Well, he can see the future, so ...

10:07 -- Desmond flashback time, and no one is disappointed by that. Apparently he's in some kind of convent where they like to call people "brutha." No wonder he likes it there.

10:08 -- Desmond needs Jack's first aid kit -- to save Charlie, I am assuming. Also, Hurley: great eulogy giver, terrible liar.

10:09 -- Early warning: If this episode gets too sappy, it will lose me. I am all for emotional, but let's stay focused here.

10:10 -- Gratuitous shot of Kate in her underwear -- I'm a fan.

10:11 -- Sawyer wants round two with Kate. Hard to blame him.

10:12 -- "Want me to make you a mix tape?" -- Sawyer. There isn't a guy alive who hasn't done two things: a) made a mix tape for a girl, and b) thought it would actually work.

10:13 -- Desmond is plotting on how to get Jin to follow him. Now, any discussion about the space-time continuum usually gives me a headache, but let me throw this out there: If Desmond tries to force his vision to come true, do you think it still happens in the exact way he saw it?

10:14 -- Desmond is willing to sacrifice Charlie to get Penny to come to the island. Now THIS is a plan I can get behind.

10:18 -- Hurley and Jin find the wire. I love it when a plan comes together.

10:19 -- "Perhaps you underestimate the value of sacrifice." -- other monk. As long as that sacrifice is Charlie, I'm fine.

10:21 -- A fairly innocuous scene between Kate and Jack is really just meant to show us how far apart they've grown. As soon as they are done with their awkward conversation, Jack goes right over a giggling Juliet. And Kate ...

10:22 -- ... goes right to a horny Sawyer. Kate could use me for sex anytime. It's not a Sawyer/Kate sex scene if Lauren isn't around to pant at the screen.

10:23 -- Jin's scary story and Desmond's sappy one are interrupted by what sounds like a helicopter in the distance. Nah, couldn't be.

10:25 -- Something splashed into the water and then they spot the flashing red light. It's all happening.

10:31 -- Desmond is trying to convince everyone to go out into the jungle now because he has to follow his vision step by step. I can't help but think that Desmond trying so hard to make his vision happen isn't going to work out like he wants.

10:32 -- Charlie is defying the vision, refusing to go with Desmond. See, if Desmond would just let things happen instead of trying to force them to happen ...

10:33 -- Another Desmond vision shows what looks like a catapult and a parachuter stuck in a tree. Totally normal.

10:34 -- Is it me or did Desmond just flash Charlie a look that says, "I'm leading you to your death and you don't even know it"?

10:35 -- So apparently, Desmond dated this Ruth girl for six years before breaking off their wedding. Desmond certainly has commitment issues. Oh, and I want to date a girl with an accent.

10:36 -- While Desmond is giving this poor girl some sap story, now seems like a good time to mention this episode kinda sucks. Just saying.

10:37 -- "You two arguing over who's your favorite Other?" -- Sawyer. That's a GREAT line. Of course, my answer is Henry Gale, but you knew that.

10:38 -- Watching Sawyer and Jack bond over ping pong (while avoiding the topic of Kate) is pretty funny. It's like a pissing contest with paddles.

10:39 -- Charlie, actually acting perceptive for once, is wary of Desmond and his little plan. But Desmond finds a backpack that fell from the sky that has an iPhone in it. OK, it's a satellite phone, but it sure looks like the iPhone.

10:40 -- Oh, and the parachuter somehow has a picture of Desmond and Penny in between the pages of a book. What book you ask? Why "Catch 22," of course!

10:43 -- Sawyer confronts Kate about throwing him a sympathy lay. Take it where you can get it, my man.

10:44 -- So now here is the question: With everything that has happened, does Desmond do something to prevent Charlie's death? Because God hates me, I'll go with yes.

10:45 -- Are monks allowed to get drunk?

10:46 -- Guess not -- Desmond just got monk-fired.

10:47 -- The Flash vs. Superman argument has begun. Place your bets now: does Charlie die? I go with no.

10:48 -- Yup, Charlie survived. I don't even want to watch the rest of the episode right now.

10:53 -- Desmond is worried that by changing his vision, he has failed God's test. I can't speak to that, per se, but he sure failed my test.

10:55 -- Does anyone really think Penny is the parachuter?

10:56 -- So the point of this whole flashback was to show us how Desmond met Penny. We needed a while episode for that? (By the way, check this out).

10:57 -- Seriously, does ANYONE think it's really Penny in there? Who could it be?

10:58 -- Last chance to guess... I'll say Michael. Wouldn't that be great?

10:59 -- Nope. Who is that chick?

Forgetting for a second that a random woman fell from the sky (which is certainly important), did this episode have any other redeeming quality? Were Locke and Henry Gale in the episode? Nope. Terrific dialog? None. A mind-blowing scene that you had to rewind and watch again? Uh-uh. Oh, what about a great flashback that taught you a lot about the character? Nah.

Did Charlie die? No, no, no.

I give this episode a D. They could have dropped this woman from the sky at the beginning of the next episode. I mean they had nobody fooled whatsoever: we knew it wasn't Penny in the parachute and we knew Desmond would save Charlie. This episode didn't do a damn thing for me.

But I did enjoy the theme of fate and sacrifice. Here's a thought: if Desmond didn't save Charlie, would it have been Penny in the parachute? Afterall, Desmond made the choice to alter that part of the vision. He wasn't willing to sacrifice Charlie, so he didn't get the reward. Something to chew on.

Since I have nothing more to add about this week's episode, I am going to make this week's question a tad personal. You guys read about my "Lost"-watching experience every week -- what's yours? See you next week.

Posted by Daniel at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)

Hey, it's Daniel here, back with another edition of the "Lost" Diary.

Last week I asked you guys about your favorite connection between two castaways. A lot of you went with Jack and Claire as siblings. That one is OK, but I have to go with Libby in the insane asylum with Hurley. I still want an answer to that one.

For all of you "Lost" Diary newbies, here's how it goes. I gather with a group of friends watching "Lost," writing what happens on the show as it happens, and throwing in my two cents along the way. This week I am with Ari, Lauren and April. Lauren had two glasses of wine beforehand, so I don't think she'll be contributing anything meaningful tonight. Let's roll:

10:00 -- Jack and Kate decide to go get firewood, leaving Sayid and Juliet behind. Do you think they'll exchange pleasantries or will Sayid just go straight into interrogation mode?

10:01 -- The correct answer was "interrogation mode." I'm glad Sayid doesn't believe in verbal foreplay.

10:02 -- Before Juliet's flashback starts, I have to say I am beyond excited for a Juliet backstory. She's a converted Other, who obviously isn't quite with the program. I am dying to see how she first got to the island, when she realized what was really going on, when she found out she wasn't allowed to leave, and what happened to turn her into a mega-bitch. If one or more of those things isn't answered, I can't see how this episode can get any better than a D from me. Alright, on with the flashback.

10:03 -- Not much time has passed since we last saw Juliet in her flashback, and it's our first glimpse at what is probably a Hanso Foundation building -- with security to the max. No shocker there. Juliet says she won't fit in there, and Lauren says it's because of her perm. Women.

10:04 -- "If I told you who I was, if I told you everything that I know, you'd kill me." -- Juliet.

10:04 -- "What do you think I'd do if you don't." -- Sayid. I got three words for you: IT IS ON!!!

10:05 -- Wow, ok, so Jack is immediately taking Juliet's side over Sayid's. To call Jack's loyalties "flexible" would be an understatement. He's the kind of guy in college who would completely ditch his friends once he started dating some hot sorority chick. Then when she cheated on him and broke up with him, he'd come to hang out and just say, "What's up?" -- like nothing ever happened. Hated those guys.

10:08 -- Claire is getting sick. Does this have anything to do with the mysterious "sickness" from last season?

10:09 -- So when Juliet described the things "her people" did to Sayid and Kate, she mentioned handcuffing Sayid to a swing-set and handcuffing herself to Kate. Hey sister, that's the LEAST of what YOUR PEOPLE have done.

10:10 -- "Time flies once you're there," "you're going to want to be asleep for the trip" and "it can be kind of intense." Those are some serious WTF? lines right there.

10:11 -- "You created life, where life wasn't supposed to be." -- Alpert. I hate to reveal my inner geek, but wasn't that a line from "Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan"?

10:13 -- "Lost" gives me chills during moments that would seem completely ordinary to people who have never seen the show before. Watching Juliet meet Henry Gale for the first time was one of them. Goosebumps.

10:16 -- How many times can people on this island reunite with other people on this island with cheesy music playing in the background? This show is averaging like a reunion a week right now. Debate in the room: whether or not Sawyer is happy to see Jack. I say yes; Sawyer wanted no part of being the leader. That's not his style.

10:17 -- "What the hell is she doing here?" -- Sawyer. To be expected.

10:21 -- "I had the day off." -- Juliet. Pretty funny. One of the subtle ways you can tell a good episode of "Lost" is how many great quotes (not including stupid Sawyerisms) the show gives us. This is one is on fire right now.

10:22 -- "Hey you're a doctor, right? So how come I've been on this island for almost three months and I haven't lost any weight?" -- Hurley. OK, I made that one up.

10:23 -- So the scene between Juliet and Henry Gale got real interesting, real fast. Apparently Juliet was brought to the island because the women there die when they get pregnant; no real shocker there. Henry Gale says that Jacob said he would take care of Rachel's cancer himself. Who is this guy? He can cure cancer? Oh, and remember this line of Henry Gale's from two weeks ago: "I find out what he's emotionally invested it and then I exploit it." Juliet is emotionally invested in her sister, wouldn't you say?

10:26 -- "I want to ask you why you're fighting every single one of us and sticking up for one of them." -- Sawyer. Good question, James.

10:28 -- Juliet knows what's wrong with Claire. Of course she does, how else is she supposed to earn everyone's trust?

10:29 -- "Because I did it to her." -- Juliet. Convenient.

10:32 -- Juliet tells the long and wordy story of why Claire is sick, which fills in a few of the Ethan gaps from the previous seasons. Maybe he wasn't as crazy as we thought. Random question: remember when we first learned about the Others, they seemed to have superhuman strength -- what ever happened with that?

10:35 -- So Juliet and Goodwin were knocking boots. Juliet is nearing her three-year anniversary on the island and I might learn the answers to all my questions. I am downright giddy.

10:36 -- Another top notch scene between Juliet and Henry Gale. Did he cure Rachel's cancer? And if he is the grand wizard of cancer, why did he get it? Even he doesn't know. Is it possible that, in some way, the island gave him cancer as some kind of punishment? I know, I'm reaching.

10:42 -- Sayid and Sawyer trailed Juliet to the marked tree with the medical supplies. They aren't exactly the trusting type, and who can blame them?

10:43 -- Juliet's speech to Sayid and Sawyer just blew my mind. She just absolutely silenced them. And when she just reached down and took the case from Sawyer, that took cajones. She may still be evil, evil, evil -- but I love her. Serious kudos for that scene.

10:45 -- YES! I was so waiting for them to revisit the opening scene of season three. I love when flashbacks get all "Back to the Future II" on us and start showing the same scenes again, but giving us new info.

10:46 -- Hey, Mikhail is back. I kinda missed the guy. Quite the setup he has there.

10:47 -- Henry Gale kept his word. Rachel is still alive and she had a son. Juliet wants to leave so she can see her sister, but Henry won't let her because it wasn't "their agreement."

10:48 -- "Who knows? Maybe there is even one on that plane." -- Henry Gale.

10:49 -- Juliet returns to give Claire the shot. Honestly, I don't love or hate Claire -- I don't care which way this goes.

10:53-- And Claire is fine, which makes Charlie happy, which makes me mad. If he isn't going to die, I prefer he be miserable.

10:54 -- "You want to get off this island more than anything in the world. Makes you one of us." -- Jack, to Juliet.

10:56 -- Oh ...

10:57 -- ... my ...

10:58 -- ... God!

10:59 -- EVIL! EVIL! EVIL! EVIL!

11:00 -- "See you in a week." Henry Gale, to Juliet.

I am going to come right out and say it: this was a top five all-time episode for me. I have three reasons why:

1) This episode actually delivered in the way that it should have. I mentioned in the beginning that I had four questions about Juliet I wanted answered, and they actually got answered. There is something to be said for an episode of "Lost" giving you what you're expecting.

2) I counted six scenes that left me completely amazed: The whole sequence that revolved around Juliet coming to the island and meeting Henry Gale, Juliet and Henry Gale at the beach, when Henry Gale found out he had a tumor, when Henry Gale showed Juliet her sister, when Juliet lectured Sayid and Sawyer, and when we saw Juliet and Henry Gale discuss their plan. I don't know if any other episode can say that.

3) Let's say, for argument's sake, that "Lost" has 10 categories you would grade an episode in -- things like writing, acting, shocking moments, etc. This episode probably wouldn't get an A+ in any one of them, but it definitely would get at least a B+ in all of them. To me, there were no weaknesses. Put that together, and this episode is an A+ for me.

So what is Juliet after on the beach? Sun? Aaron? Claire? Is it possible that Jack is in on it? One minute Juliet hates Henry Gale, the next she is doing whatever he asks. I don't get it, but I love it.

My question to you this week is this: Obviously Juliet is evil, at least in the sense that she is undermining what the Losties do. That being said, what do you think of her as a character? See you next week.

Posted by Daniel at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (213)

Time for another edition of the "Lost" Diary.

I argued with quite a few friends over last week's episode. Most of them (and a lot of you) said that I was off, and that last week's show was actually really good. I had a hard time explaining my side until I read James Poniewozik, a blogger for Time.com. He wrote, "Last night's was a really cool episode of 'Lost.' That is a different thing, however, from a really good episode of 'Lost.'"

Sums it up perfectly. If someone can skip an episode of "Lost" and pick right up next week without having missed anything (because certainly no one will miss Nikki and Paulo), then that's not a good episode.

For all you "Lost" Diary newbies, here's how it goes. I gather with a group of friends watching "Lost," writing what happens on the show as it happens, and throwing in my two cents along the way. This week it's the usual crew -- Ari, Lauren and April -- except Matt is at the Lakers game, and my old college roommate Chris is in town. Let's roll:

10:00 -- It may have only lasted five seconds, but a chick fight is still a chick fight. Good times.

10:01 -- So the "Previously on 'Lost'" was about Sawyer, but we're getting a Kate flashback this week. That's kinda weird. Think Kate and Sawyer's ex will cross paths?
10:03 -- And there she is, running cons at a gas station. Kate and Cassidy are the new Thelma and Louise, just hotter.

10:05 -- Locke tells Kate he's leaving and that she is staying behind. Is it me or does Locke sound like he drank a giant glass of Others Kool-Aid?

10:09 -- Hurley tells Sawyer that they are planning to banish him unless he makes amends. Sawyer actually looks like his feelings are hurt.

10:10 -- Of all the frightening things I have seen on "Lost," watching the Others pack up all their stuff -- and put on GAS MASKS!!! -- has to be right up there. April thinks it's mustard gas, but Chris points out that since it's not World War I, it probably isn't mustard gas. Welcome to the party, Chris!

10:12 -- So let's do a little con man logic equation, shall we? Sawyer teaches Cassidy, who is apparently about to start teaching Kate. Thus, Sawyer taught Kate. Small world, ain't it?

10:14 -- Kate wakes up in the bushes ... handcuffed to Juliet. Interesting. And kinda hot.

10:18 -- "Ain't gonna get the Korean vote." -- Sawyer. Watching Sawyer fish is like watching Hurley run; you get the feeling that neither of them does it often.

10:20 -- Kate and Juliet together -- does have some level of suspense, but it's not like when Locke and Henry Gale get together.

10:22 -- "Welcome to the wonderful world of not knowing what the hell is going on." -- Kate. Hey, we've been there over two years, thank you very much.

10:24 -- Kate and Cassidy are kind of boring together. Thelma and Louise would kick their asses.

10:25 -- What percentage of guys watching "Lost" are debating who they'd rather sleep with, Kate or Juliet? I'll go with 80%.

10:26 -- Alright, I need everyone to be quiet right now. Kate and Juliet are about to have a cat fight, while handcuffed together, and in the pouring rain! This is what "Lost" would be like every week if it aired on Cinemax.

10:27 -- Damn it! Nothing ruins a catfight like an island monster growling.

10:30 -- So that was new. I don't think we've seen the island monster light up before. Juliet looks completely humbled.

10:32 -- Hurley is like the Ghost of Island Past, schooling Sawyer on all he's done wrong to people on the island. Too funny. The consensus in the room is that Hurley is making the whole exiled thing up.

10:34 -- "The reason Jack told you not to come back wasn't because he didn't want you to get hurt. It was because you broke his heart." Juliet to Kate. Ouch.

10:35 -- If Kate and Juliet ever do fight til the death, I'll be pulling for Juliet.

10:39 -- Note to the producers: More Desmond. If I ever met Henry Ian Cusack, the guy who plays him, I would have sign an autograph to me that read, "To Daniel, See ya in another life, brutha."

10:40 -- So Kate's reunion with her mom didn't go as planned. I think this scene is very telling. More on this later.
10:43 -- Kate and Juliet are having a pissing contest over who knows Jack better. Women. But that will have to wait, because the monster is back.

10:44 -- So Juliet had a key the whole time, which she waited to use until the moment she needed to activate the fence to repel the black smoke monster. If that isn't the most ridiculous sentence I ever wrote, I don't know what is. Oh, and now Kate and Juliet are covered in mud. Welcome to "Lost: Lesbian Overtones Edition."

10:50 -- Yup, Hurley made up the whole banishment thing to get Sawyer to be nice to everyone and groom him to be the de-facto leader of the camp. Well played.

10:52 -- Cue the sappy music and the cheesy montage.

10:53 -- But maybe this is a turning point for Sawyer. Doubtful, but maybe.

10:54 -- Kate is apologizing to Jack for screwing everything up. But she's really apologizing for making dirty, sweaty island love to Sawyer.

10:56 -- Kate and Cassidy have their teary goodbye and Kate almost learned about Sawyer.

10:58 -- So Jack wants to bring Juliet back to camp because "they left her behind too." Can she be trusted? And another thing -- why are they leaving? They got houses there, beds, a black smoke monster protecting fence. Shouldn't they bring everyone up there to live? Just asking.

After last week's "let's ignore everyone else on the island and just kill Nikki and Paulo" episode, it was good to get back to the characters we love. Juliet's little "woe is me, I got left behind" spiel feels like a big fat lie, but at the same time I can't figure out what the point of it would be. Maybe to get at Aaron? Or a pregnant Sun? I still think she's evil, but I think she might be a bit of a broken woman right now.

So going back to Kate's scene with her mom, I couldn't help but think about how everyone on the island is the way they are because of one thing. Locke has his dad, Eko had his brother, Jack has his ex, Hurley has the numbers, and so on. For Kate, it was her mom hanging her out to dry. The Kate we saw in this flashback wasn't quite the same fully-formed bad ass Kate we saw rob the bank back in season one. And the fact that she got that way indirectly because of Sawyer was a cool revelation.

All in all, I give this episode a B-. I was glad to get back to the main story and move the train along the tracks, so to speak. When I complain about an episode not "solving any mysteries," it doesn't mean I want every question answered right away. I just want to know we're at least moving forward and headed in the right direction.

Last week I asked you guys what makes an episode of "Lost" good to you. I am going to steal one user's comment and use it as my answer, since it was so perfect. They wrote: "1) Locke 2) Henry Gale 3) Solving a mystery or two before (or even while) opening up a new mystery 4) Plot twists that we don't see coming 5) See numbers 1 & 2."

So this week my question is this: Seeing Cassidy in Kate's flashback is just one of dozens of random connections we've seen between castaways. What was your favorite one? See you next week.

Posted by Daniel at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (40)