WRITERS: Jeff Pinkner & Drew Goddard DIRECTOR: Paul Edwards
CAST: Yunjin Kim (Sun), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin), Byron Chung (Mr Paik), Tony Lee (Jae Lee), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Matthew Fox (Jack), Naveen Andrews (Sayid), M.C Gainey (Tom), Tania Raymonde (Alex), Paula Malcolmson (Colleen), Michael Bowen (Pickett), Joah Buley (Luke) & Tomiko Okhee Lee (Mrs Lee)
Sayid, Sun and Jin decide to moor their sailboat at the Pala Ferry and find Jack's rescue team. Meanwhile, Sawyer and Kate are put to work by the Others...The Glass Ballerina is a Sun and Jin flashback episode, two characters whose lives always seem more interesting in flashback than on the island. We return to the Sun-Jin-Jae love triangle started last season, which comes to a head after Sun's father Mr Paik discovers her illicit affair with the bald lothario.
On the island, the adventurous side of Lost returns with Sayid's plan to lure The Others into a trap at the Pala Ferry. It's refreshing to see Lost stretch its adventure muscles, after the mythology-heavy second season's reliance on Hatch-based mystery. This, combined with the "prisoners versus guards" subplot with Sawyer, Kate, and Jack, means the episode certainly moves at a more agreeable pace than last week's premiere.
Josh Holloway continues his excellent work as Sawyer, making a move on Kate despite its repercussions, while Jack's story doesn't really go anywhere until the final scene with Ben (formerly Henry Gale). Matthew Fox's character has become increasingly annoying over time once his resourceful leader role was diminished last season, so I'm hopeful he'll get back on track in season 3.
A smattering of questions are even answered, such as: Ben's last name, the current date, and a few theories about off-island activity are finally put to bed. But don't you just love it how a definite answer prompts more questions?
In summation, The Glass Ballerina is a good episode of Lost, blessed with a more adventurous streak, although the prison camp subplot could become quite tiresome unless something remarkable happens soon; perhaps involving Alex (Danielle the crazy French woman's estranged daughter) who makes a welcome return here. The potentially yawnsome Sun and Jin flashbacks were also quite enlightening and contained a surprise I didn't expect...
NEXT TIME -- We find out what happened to Locke, Mr Eko and Desmond after The Hatch went haywire...
