LOST 3.1 - "A Tale Of Two Cities"

4 Oct 06. ABC, 9/8c pm
WRITERS: J.J Abrams & Damon Lindelof DIRECTOR: Jack Bender
CAST: Matthew Fox (Jack), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Michael Emerson (Ben), Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliette), Julie Bowen (Sarah Shepherd), John Terry (Christian Shepherd), M.C Gainey (Tom) & Blake Bashoff (Karl)

WARNING: I hate spoilers and always try to avoid them. However, with Lost it's impossible to discuss anything without mentioning things that could be classed as spoilers. I strongly suggest you don't read this review until you've seen the episode. I'll never ruin major surprises (like character deaths), and do my best to avoid them in general, but don't blame me if I indirectly ruin something for you...

Jack, Kate and Sawyer find themselves held captive by The Others in a strange complex somewhere on the island...

After a stunning pre-credits sequence, easily one of Lost's most jaw-dropping moments, the season 3 premiere settles into an interesting but ultimately unmomentous story. Unlike last year, the fallout to the preceding season's finale is nowhere near as unpredictable as Desmond and The Hatch was. Instead, A Tale Of Two Cities is a fairly run-of-the-mill story of imprisonment and mind games.

This week's flashbacks focus on Jack, a character who was the focus in season 1, only to fade into the background during season 2. It doesn't help that the writers have gradually made Jack quite a whiny and tortured person, as he was far more enjoyable to watch as the tough but kind-hearted doctor.

Jack's history with his alcoholic father and marital problems has never been particularly interesting to me, despite the always excellent presence of John Terry as Christian Shepherd. Another piece of Jack's puzzle is presented to us, although after two years it's becoming difficult to care about some of the characters' histories when the present day island-based adventure is now far more interesting. Only Locke has a flashback storyline I'm desperate to see reach a conclusion.

Anyway, it transpires that The Others live in more modern accomodation than you'd expect, and have access to "The Hydra" (a underwater hatch, explaining season 2's shark). It's still not clear if The Others are remnants of DHARMA, but at this moment it's difficult to think why else they'd be there! Of course, straight answers are never very forthcoming with Lost, with any answer usually spawning more questions.

Sawyer finds himself locked in a cage that apparently used to contain a polar bear (a definite explanation for where the season 1 polar bear came from), so it would seem Sawyer and Kate are being kept in a zoological station of some description. Why? Well, folks, that's another question...

To be frank, A Tale Of Two Cities does very little beyond accustom the viewer to the new locations and characters. The most enjoyable and rivetting moment happens in the first five minutes, with everything else failing to match it. Elizabeth Mitchell joins the cast as Juliette, another enigmatic Other and sexy blonde (the number of identikit sexy blondes on the show is staggering and increasingly confusing...)

The really good news is that Michael Emerson is now a main cast member as Henry Gale (real name Ben, we discover). Emerson is a wonderful actor and brings a much needed creep factor that unsettles the screen whenever he's around. At the moment it appears Ben is the leader of The Others, although you can never be sure of anything with this show! Where's Miss Klugh?

Overall, A Tale Of Two Cities isn't a bad episode, but it's certainly not as dramatic as the season 2 premiere. In fact, much of what happens was predicted by fans throughout the summer, and it's worrying that the pre-credit twist (while undeniably excellent) is basically the same trick performed in last year's premiere. Together with the fact season 3's opening hours will be split (hydra hatch/boat) just like season 2' (swan hatch/boat) is another echo that makes it seem like the writers have fallen into a pattern.

Then again, every time you suspect Lost is about to jump the shark, it manages to get back on track and throw a delicious curve ball. I hope season 3 will continue to see the show evolve into new areas now we're out of The Hatch. Perhaps a few answers to some long-standing questions might also be in order, as it would be a mistake to store up all the answers for the final season.