Well, I guess I’ll go first. For the first time I’m starting to feel what some of those who have stopped watching Lost feel. For a set of episodes that are supposed to answer questions, that episode answered nothing and raised a ton more.
My first reaction was basically, “heh?”
I have no clue what I saw for most of the hour. Let’s start with Jack’s “flashback.” What was that all about? Who was the weird Thai woman and what does it mean that she sees who people are and then tatoos them? So she puts a tatoo on Jack that says he walks among us but he is not one of us. OK. Now why did her brother and those other thugs beat the sh.. out of Jack? What about that tatoo drove them nuts?
Speaking of tatoos, what the heck does marking Juliet mean? They basically branded some weird symbol on her back. Why? She’s a persona non-grata and as long as all of the Others know it, what’s the point? For being “the good guys” they’re pretty barbaric.
Then we have the whole Ben thing. He has a terribly infected wound that needed to be debrided etc. Does no one remember that it was Jack that operated on him? How did our superstar surgeon do such a lousy job? What makes anyone think that he can do better a second time fixing Ben?
Alex and Karl are clearly the Romeo and Juliet here. How clear can they stress the star-crossed lovers theme? I don’t see where that is going either.
Then we get to the flight attendant and the children. What the heck was that all about? “We’re here to watch.” Watch who or what and why? How come no one answers a question when asked. Speaking of which could Sawyer and Kate maybe have asked Karl a few more detailed questions such as “who the heck are you people and what are you doing on these islands etc.”
Speaking of which, WHO THE HECK ARE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE??
Can’t we get at least one clear answer before the ratings tank so much that the show gets cancelled before it gets concluded?
Gees, I sound angry and I am. Too many questions upon questions all wrapped in an enigma. It’s worse than watching The Prisoner back in the ’60’s. I never figured that show out.
I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with John on this one. I think this is exactly why people are tuning out, especially if one has very little patience. I’m at the point where I’ve decided that I’ve tuned in all this time, I do like the characters and I’m going to stick it out for the long haul.
I think the deal with the tattoos is that she is able to see the future. I think what that tattoo says is exactly the position he is in right now and I think she saw that, which is why she was so freaked out about tattooing him. She probably didn’t want to tell him his unlitmate fate because of she did, Jack could have changed his fate therefore creating a sort of imbalance in the universe. Her brother probably freaked out because he basically forced her to do the work.
This episode was supposed to answer 3 questions and I guess the only thing that was really answered to satisfaction was how they got off that Alcatraz island.
As for your question about what Cindy and those others (pun intended) were there to watch — I think it was Juliet’s trial.
Bad surgery? Possibly, but I got an infection from surgery once. It was the staples. It had pulled my skin apart and the skin got infected. They were also operating under ridiculous circumstances. They really should have been IV’ing antibiotics to Benry.
After speaking with Michael Emerson, the creepiness of his voice just takes on a whole new meaning for me and he was ultra creepy sounding last night! He’s creepy and he loves it! LOL
Was I the only one who nearly laughed out loud at the previews for next week when they said it would be the episode everyone will be talking about the next day? I’m sorry, but I’ve pretty much “Lost” all confidence in the promises of the producers.
To be fair, I am going to watch the episode again today or tomorrow and see if maybe I missed something.
On the other really twisted side of this – isn’t anyone afraid we’re going to learn too much and lose interest because we’re closer to the real answers?
I’m also tired of hearing that the next episode will be blah, blah, blah. I agree with to watch what is left but on dvd without compromising my time like before. In PR it airs at 11:00, so staying up to tatoos that are as important as Sawyer insecurities s*cks.
Is the girl that was with Cindy the one that Ana Lucía tried to rescue her parents? She seems too old to the one of the past season. Please give me some relevant discovery to keep on track. And what’s this about new characters without resolving important things about the old ones. I preffer the plain idea of survival in the island instead of this fiasco without any direction. Im too afraid that the ratings will keep kamikazing and then they will rush a stupid end to the series like what happened with the X-files. Its time the creators read this site and acknowledge the fans imput for God’s sake, or do they need Scully and Mulder to figure out if the smoking man buys his smokes from the darma iniciative??
Comment by Frances Rivera — February 22, 2007 @ 11:17 am
That episode was a waste of time.
I’ll not again be staying up in anticipation of catching new episodes immediately. No questions answered. I never did care about Jack’s tattoos, and still don’t. And usually the flashbacks are my favorite part of the show! Did the writers run out of backstory?
If we go with the theory that the characters have a chance to change the past in the flashback, then Jack just sort of “locks in” his destiny with the tattoos. But, meh, who cares?
Regarding the infection: It’s a tropical island and skin infections take off very, very fast in the tropics. It takes much more fastidious care to prevent them. Ben needed a good NURSE to ensure he got good after-surgery care. And good antibiotics.
I’m tired of Jack and Kate and Sawyer. The island can just swallow them up for all I care. I want me some Locke and Sayid and Hurley!
Writers – you are on notice. Stop wasting our time.
Not one good thing to say, huh? Wow, I didn’t think it was that bad, although I do understand the not wanting to stay up to catch the episode right away.
I also understand the frustration with the promises in the promos. I try not to watch those because they never seem to be accurate and I enjoy the show a lot better without the “benefit” of the hype.
As far as the questions not being answered, I’m satisfied. To me the point of Lost is to make you think. They are not answering the philosophical questions for us, we are meant to do that on our own, and I like it. I like the way this show makes me examine human nature.
As far as the concrete questions (Jack’s tattoos, how they get off the island, etc.) I am confident that most of these questions will be answered eventually and I don’t feel frustrated with the lack of answers.
I think the show is far too criticized, which must mean that it’s doing something. At least we’re talking about it, right?
I admit to being hugely biased with my love of this show, but I think people (in general, not necessarily just those here) are far too critical. Sit back and enjoy. Don’t worry about the unanswered questions.
Yes – do have one good thing to say….TPTB do a fantastic job with casting! That Isabelle lady was just as creepy as Benry.
One thing I noticed and maybe I’m way off on this….
Didn’t it seem like the Jack in the flashback is more reminisent of the Jack on Alcatraz Island, rather than the Jack we’ve seen in other flashback episodes?
I remember watching the episode last night and wondering if he was having a Desmond-type flashback. I just don’t remember Jack being such a jerk in other flashbacks.
I am also wondering if tattoo woman is responsible for Juliet’s branding. Didn’t the producers say that Bai Ling was going to be on 3 episodes this season? I know, I’m reaching on that one, but it was just a thought.
Yay! A nice thing. Yes, they do a great job at casting. It’s so interesting how Ben, Juliet, and Isabel are all creepy, but they are creepy in different ways.
I think Jack was pretty much always a jerk in his flashbacks.
I’m not sure if Bai Ling will be back or not, but I thought the branding was similar also. Not that it looked similar, but just the fact that Juliet was branded in the same type of way as Jack was branded.
What if the branding is not a bad thing, but a mark that Juliet has finally been admitted to the group. Maybe all of that was a test for Juliet to see how far she’d go to save Ben. Maybe the Others wanted her to kill Pickett since he was a bad man. We’re all taught to think that a branding is a bad thing. Mayb e for them it’s like a gang tatoo.
Ah, I hadn’t considered that. It is possible, but by the looks on Isabel and Tom’s when she read about the mark, it seems like a bad thing. Plus, Juliet seemed ashamed of it when she was with Jack later.
Yes, I’ve always like Diana Scarwid (Isabel) and I’m glad she’s been cast.
What’s funny about Bai Ling is that I really only know of her from lots of photos on gossip and Fashion Police sites, where she is known for her outrageous red carpet appearances, often in “Not Safe for Work” photos. So, it was practically the only time I’ve seen her with all of her essentials covered.
I’m surprised by all of the folks on the numerous Lost forums who are attacking Bai Ling for being such a terrible actress in her Lost appearance. I’ve never seen her before but her appearance neither seemed really great or bad to me. It was fine.
I’m new here. I haven’t been thrilled with the show for quite a while. But I think since the break it is much faster paced and more interesting to watch. I like the new faces.
Before they were on the beach, in the caves, on the beach, pressing the button, on the beach, in the woods….
You get the idea. I don’t believe any hype before a show because lying to the fans has become second nature on TV.
Really, the only complaint I have about this episode is the overhyped promos. I thought the episode itself was great. They obviously had to tie up the Alcatraz segment, although they did say some intriguing things about it. I guess Cindy and the kids are part of the “work” the Others do on Alcatraz, but that village on the main island didn’t look that big to house lots of shifts of people to go over to Alcatraz.
Mr. Friendly was actually friendly!
The Juliet Court added an extra dimension to what we know about the Others, as well as making the relationships more complex between Jack and them.
We saw more of Alex and Carl, although I agree that MANY more questions should have been asked of them! I mean really!
I thought there were quite a few funny moments as well. (”Show me the way to go home…”)
Got a question for anybody/everybody. In the last episode, Jack met Achara in Puhket. There was an episode a while back where Sawyer mentions Puhket. I think he was talking about getting an STD or something like that there. I wouldn’t swear to it but I think it may have been when he and Jack were playing poker (episode name:Lockdown, season 2) which by the way is the best episode yet. Does anyone else remember that? Maybe Sawyer got the STD from Achara. LOL. Or at least maybe they met which would be one more character connection.
It was Jack who had talked about going to Phuket. Those poker scenes were some of the best ever Lost scenes! Here’s their exchange from Lockdown Recap Page 4:
“So where’d you learn to play cards, Jack?” Sawyer asks.
“Phuket.”
“What the hell were you doing in Thailand?” Sawyer deals. Jack doesn’t respond so he continues. “What? You don’t think I know where Phuket is? Just because I dropped out in 9th grade don’t make me an idiot. Far East, huh? I wouldn’t have taken you for a world traveler. That where you got the art on your shoulder?”
Jack tells him to deal again, this time from the top of the deck. Sawyer chuckles and says, “Well I had to try.”
I have no complaints other than wondering what everyone on the beach is up to. Where’s Sayid? Where’s Locke? What are they doing these days?
Unlike everyone else, I just started getting into Lost. Someone gave us Season 1 for Christmas and after a marathon viewing we had to rush out and buy Season 2. We caught up with Season 3 on ABC.com.
I will say this third season is more of a letdown after the first two seasons, but I’m still riveted and will still watch.
So we have big wonderful smart Dr. Jack in Thailand, land of forbidden sex. Had he never heard of diseases before sleeping with a local girl? This affair just seems a little too big of a stretch for respectable, stable Jack.
We have all these Others, who all seem to pretty much look alike. Trying to keep all the blonde characters straight is giving me a headache. Then we get another new character to divide our attention. Do we really need more bad people, to make the previous evil ones seem nice and tame?
Let’s get back to the basics.
I guess I’m really a weirdo. I really liked the episode. I’m like glued to the TV to see what will happen next. The tattos totally make sense now. We know what they mean and why Jack has them. I think there must be a connection to his tattos and Juliet’s tattoo. Not sure exactly what yet.
I am not going to watch another “next on Lost” preview. Whoever does the promos for this show is on crack.
If we hadn’t seen the preview with Cindy a 100 times and we were surprised by her and the children – it would have been a much different reaction by everyone.
In Canada we get it at 8 PM so I will be sticking with it, hope the ratings pick up.
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Well, I guess I’ll go first. For the first time I’m starting to feel what some of those who have stopped watching Lost feel. For a set of episodes that are supposed to answer questions, that episode answered nothing and raised a ton more.
My first reaction was basically, “heh?”
I have no clue what I saw for most of the hour. Let’s start with Jack’s “flashback.” What was that all about? Who was the weird Thai woman and what does it mean that she sees who people are and then tatoos them? So she puts a tatoo on Jack that says he walks among us but he is not one of us. OK. Now why did her brother and those other thugs beat the sh.. out of Jack? What about that tatoo drove them nuts?
Speaking of tatoos, what the heck does marking Juliet mean? They basically branded some weird symbol on her back. Why? She’s a persona non-grata and as long as all of the Others know it, what’s the point? For being “the good guys” they’re pretty barbaric.
Then we have the whole Ben thing. He has a terribly infected wound that needed to be debrided etc. Does no one remember that it was Jack that operated on him? How did our superstar surgeon do such a lousy job? What makes anyone think that he can do better a second time fixing Ben?
Alex and Karl are clearly the Romeo and Juliet here. How clear can they stress the star-crossed lovers theme? I don’t see where that is going either.
Then we get to the flight attendant and the children. What the heck was that all about? “We’re here to watch.” Watch who or what and why? How come no one answers a question when asked. Speaking of which could Sawyer and Kate maybe have asked Karl a few more detailed questions such as “who the heck are you people and what are you doing on these islands etc.”
Speaking of which, WHO THE HECK ARE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE??
Can’t we get at least one clear answer before the ratings tank so much that the show gets cancelled before it gets concluded?
Gees, I sound angry and I am. Too many questions upon questions all wrapped in an enigma. It’s worse than watching The Prisoner back in the ’60’s. I never figured that show out.
Gees, come on guys.
John
Comment by John Fischer — February 22, 2007 @ 7:55 am
I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with John on this one. I think this is exactly why people are tuning out, especially if one has very little patience. I’m at the point where I’ve decided that I’ve tuned in all this time, I do like the characters and I’m going to stick it out for the long haul.
I think the deal with the tattoos is that she is able to see the future. I think what that tattoo says is exactly the position he is in right now and I think she saw that, which is why she was so freaked out about tattooing him. She probably didn’t want to tell him his unlitmate fate because of she did, Jack could have changed his fate therefore creating a sort of imbalance in the universe. Her brother probably freaked out because he basically forced her to do the work.
This episode was supposed to answer 3 questions and I guess the only thing that was really answered to satisfaction was how they got off that Alcatraz island.
As for your question about what Cindy and those others (pun intended) were there to watch — I think it was Juliet’s trial.
Bad surgery? Possibly, but I got an infection from surgery once. It was the staples. It had pulled my skin apart and the skin got infected. They were also operating under ridiculous circumstances. They really should have been IV’ing antibiotics to Benry.
After speaking with Michael Emerson, the creepiness of his voice just takes on a whole new meaning for me and he was ultra creepy sounding last night! He’s creepy and he loves it! LOL
Was I the only one who nearly laughed out loud at the previews for next week when they said it would be the episode everyone will be talking about the next day? I’m sorry, but I’ve pretty much “Lost” all confidence in the promises of the producers.
To be fair, I am going to watch the episode again today or tomorrow and see if maybe I missed something.
On the other really twisted side of this – isn’t anyone afraid we’re going to learn too much and lose interest because we’re closer to the real answers?
Comment by Rae — February 22, 2007 @ 9:21 am
I’m also tired of hearing that the next episode will be blah, blah, blah. I agree with to watch what is left but on dvd without compromising my time like before. In PR it airs at 11:00, so staying up to tatoos that are as important as Sawyer insecurities s*cks.
Is the girl that was with Cindy the one that Ana Lucía tried to rescue her parents? She seems too old to the one of the past season. Please give me some relevant discovery to keep on track. And what’s this about new characters without resolving important things about the old ones. I preffer the plain idea of survival in the island instead of this fiasco without any direction. Im too afraid that the ratings will keep kamikazing and then they will rush a stupid end to the series like what happened with the X-files. Its time the creators read this site and acknowledge the fans imput for God’s sake, or do they need Scully and Mulder to figure out if the smoking man buys his smokes from the darma iniciative??
Comment by Frances Rivera — February 22, 2007 @ 11:17 am
That episode was a waste of time.
I’ll not again be staying up in anticipation of catching new episodes immediately. No questions answered. I never did care about Jack’s tattoos, and still don’t. And usually the flashbacks are my favorite part of the show! Did the writers run out of backstory?
If we go with the theory that the characters have a chance to change the past in the flashback, then Jack just sort of “locks in” his destiny with the tattoos. But, meh, who cares?
Regarding the infection: It’s a tropical island and skin infections take off very, very fast in the tropics. It takes much more fastidious care to prevent them. Ben needed a good NURSE to ensure he got good after-surgery care. And good antibiotics.
I’m tired of Jack and Kate and Sawyer. The island can just swallow them up for all I care. I want me some Locke and Sayid and Hurley!
Writers – you are on notice. Stop wasting our time.
Comment by WB — February 22, 2007 @ 11:45 am
Not one good thing to say, huh? Wow, I didn’t think it was that bad, although I do understand the not wanting to stay up to catch the episode right away.
I also understand the frustration with the promises in the promos. I try not to watch those because they never seem to be accurate and I enjoy the show a lot better without the “benefit” of the hype.
As far as the questions not being answered, I’m satisfied. To me the point of Lost is to make you think. They are not answering the philosophical questions for us, we are meant to do that on our own, and I like it. I like the way this show makes me examine human nature.
As far as the concrete questions (Jack’s tattoos, how they get off the island, etc.) I am confident that most of these questions will be answered eventually and I don’t feel frustrated with the lack of answers.
I think the show is far too criticized, which must mean that it’s doing something. At least we’re talking about it, right?
I admit to being hugely biased with my love of this show, but I think people (in general, not necessarily just those here) are far too critical. Sit back and enjoy. Don’t worry about the unanswered questions.
Comment by Lostaway Bonnie — February 22, 2007 @ 12:00 pm
Yes – do have one good thing to say….TPTB do a fantastic job with casting! That Isabelle lady was just as creepy as Benry.
One thing I noticed and maybe I’m way off on this….
Didn’t it seem like the Jack in the flashback is more reminisent of the Jack on Alcatraz Island, rather than the Jack we’ve seen in other flashback episodes?
I remember watching the episode last night and wondering if he was having a Desmond-type flashback. I just don’t remember Jack being such a jerk in other flashbacks.
I am also wondering if tattoo woman is responsible for Juliet’s branding. Didn’t the producers say that Bai Ling was going to be on 3 episodes this season? I know, I’m reaching on that one, but it was just a thought.
Comment by Rae — February 22, 2007 @ 2:04 pm
Yay! A nice thing. Yes, they do a great job at casting. It’s so interesting how Ben, Juliet, and Isabel are all creepy, but they are creepy in different ways.
I think Jack was pretty much always a jerk in his flashbacks.
I’m not sure if Bai Ling will be back or not, but I thought the branding was similar also. Not that it looked similar, but just the fact that Juliet was branded in the same type of way as Jack was branded.
Comment by Lostaway Bonnie — February 22, 2007 @ 2:14 pm
What if the branding is not a bad thing, but a mark that Juliet has finally been admitted to the group. Maybe all of that was a test for Juliet to see how far she’d go to save Ben. Maybe the Others wanted her to kill Pickett since he was a bad man. We’re all taught to think that a branding is a bad thing. Mayb e for them it’s like a gang tatoo.
Comment by John Fischer — February 22, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
Ah, I hadn’t considered that. It is possible, but by the looks on Isabel and Tom’s when she read about the mark, it seems like a bad thing. Plus, Juliet seemed ashamed of it when she was with Jack later.
Comment by Lostaway Bonnie — February 22, 2007 @ 4:53 pm
Yes, I’ve always like Diana Scarwid (Isabel) and I’m glad she’s been cast.
What’s funny about Bai Ling is that I really only know of her from lots of photos on gossip and Fashion Police sites, where she is known for her outrageous red carpet appearances, often in “Not Safe for Work” photos. So, it was practically the only time I’ve seen her with all of her essentials covered.
Comment by WB — February 22, 2007 @ 6:06 pm
I’m surprised by all of the folks on the numerous Lost forums who are attacking Bai Ling for being such a terrible actress in her Lost appearance. I’ve never seen her before but her appearance neither seemed really great or bad to me. It was fine.
Comment by John Fischer — February 22, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
Yeah, I agree. Her acting didn’t stand out to me one way or the other. Her hair drove me crazy, but it seemed to fit the character.
Comment by Lostaway Bonnie — February 22, 2007 @ 9:37 pm
Great summary, and thanks Bonnie.
Comment by Contender — February 22, 2007 @ 11:10 pm
I’m new here. I haven’t been thrilled with the show for quite a while. But I think since the break it is much faster paced and more interesting to watch. I like the new faces.
Before they were on the beach, in the caves, on the beach, pressing the button, on the beach, in the woods….
You get the idea. I don’t believe any hype before a show because lying to the fans has become second nature on TV.
Comment by Rick — February 22, 2007 @ 11:28 pm
Didn’t get to watch the show until last night.
Really, the only complaint I have about this episode is the overhyped promos. I thought the episode itself was great. They obviously had to tie up the Alcatraz segment, although they did say some intriguing things about it. I guess Cindy and the kids are part of the “work” the Others do on Alcatraz, but that village on the main island didn’t look that big to house lots of shifts of people to go over to Alcatraz.
Mr. Friendly was actually friendly!
The Juliet Court added an extra dimension to what we know about the Others, as well as making the relationships more complex between Jack and them.
We saw more of Alex and Carl, although I agree that MANY more questions should have been asked of them! I mean really!
I thought there were quite a few funny moments as well. (”Show me the way to go home…”)
I liked it a lot.
Comment by Laura — February 23, 2007 @ 10:25 am
P.S. When we heard the beginning of the promo for next week – again with Overhype Guy – we collectively groaned and told him to shut up.
Comment by Laura — February 23, 2007 @ 10:27 am
Overhype Guy, perfect name and I think I heard your groans all the way over here!
Comment by Lostaway Bonnie — February 23, 2007 @ 11:27 am
Got a question for anybody/everybody. In the last episode, Jack met Achara in Puhket. There was an episode a while back where Sawyer mentions Puhket. I think he was talking about getting an STD or something like that there. I wouldn’t swear to it but I think it may have been when he and Jack were playing poker (episode name:Lockdown, season 2) which by the way is the best episode yet. Does anyone else remember that? Maybe Sawyer got the STD from Achara. LOL. Or at least maybe they met which would be one more character connection.
Comment by Bill — February 23, 2007 @ 12:36 pm
It was Jack who had talked about going to Phuket. Those poker scenes were some of the best ever Lost scenes! Here’s their exchange from Lockdown Recap Page 4:
“So where’d you learn to play cards, Jack?” Sawyer asks.
“Phuket.”
“What the hell were you doing in Thailand?” Sawyer deals. Jack doesn’t respond so he continues. “What? You don’t think I know where Phuket is? Just because I dropped out in 9th grade don’t make me an idiot. Far East, huh? I wouldn’t have taken you for a world traveler. That where you got the art on your shoulder?”
Jack tells him to deal again, this time from the top of the deck. Sawyer chuckles and says, “Well I had to try.”
Comment by Lostaway Bonnie — February 23, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
I have no complaints other than wondering what everyone on the beach is up to. Where’s Sayid? Where’s Locke? What are they doing these days?
Unlike everyone else, I just started getting into Lost. Someone gave us Season 1 for Christmas and after a marathon viewing we had to rush out and buy Season 2. We caught up with Season 3 on ABC.com.
I will say this third season is more of a letdown after the first two seasons, but I’m still riveted and will still watch.
Comment by Deb — February 23, 2007 @ 2:30 pm
So we have big wonderful smart Dr. Jack in Thailand, land of forbidden sex. Had he never heard of diseases before sleeping with a local girl? This affair just seems a little too big of a stretch for respectable, stable Jack.
We have all these Others, who all seem to pretty much look alike. Trying to keep all the blonde characters straight is giving me a headache. Then we get another new character to divide our attention. Do we really need more bad people, to make the previous evil ones seem nice and tame?
Let’s get back to the basics.
Comment by Mel — February 23, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
I guess I’m really a weirdo. I really liked the episode. I’m like glued to the TV to see what will happen next. The tattos totally make sense now. We know what they mean and why Jack has them. I think there must be a connection to his tattos and Juliet’s tattoo. Not sure exactly what yet.
Comment by Dixie — February 23, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
I am not going to watch another “next on Lost” preview. Whoever does the promos for this show is on crack.
If we hadn’t seen the preview with Cindy a 100 times and we were surprised by her and the children – it would have been a much different reaction by everyone.
In Canada we get it at 8 PM so I will be sticking with it, hope the ratings pick up.
Comment by Ash — February 24, 2007 @ 2:47 pm