25 February 2007 - Sky One, 10.00 pm
WRITER: Elizabeth Sarnoff & Christina M. Kim DIRECTOR: Paris Barclay
CAST: Matthew Fox (Jack), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Michael Emerson (Ben), Elisabeth Mitchell (Juliet), Bai Ling (Achara), M.C Gainey (Tom), Tania Raymonde (Alex), Blake Bashoff (Karl), Diana Scarwid (Isabel), Kimberly Joseph (Cindy), Shannon Chanhthanam (Thai Boy), Siwathep Sunapo (Thai Man) & James Huang (Chet)
Jack discovers the Others are planning drastic punishment for Juliet, prompting memories of his time in Thailand, while Sawyer and Kate cross the ocean...Jack is transferred to Sawyer's empty cage, to make room for Juliet, who is facing capital punishment for shooting Pickett. It's another episode focusing on the good doctor, still played with a great deal of enthusiasm and committment by Matthew Fox, although his flashbacks are becoming increasingly strained.
Here, a trip down memory lane finds Jack in Thailand trying to "find himself", where he meets a mysterious woman called Achara (Bai Ling). He's soon involved in a weird relationship that eventually reveals the circumstances for his upper-arm tattoo.
Lost is always criticized for refusing to explain some of its big mysteries, but it's even more frustrating when the writers answer a minor question in a way that just provokes some bigger one! I understand why there's a "hall of mirrors" mentality to the show (it's often part of the fun), but I'm getting increasingly desperate for some straight answers.
And I'm not alone. It's season 3. I think we deserve some answers after three years of committment and loyalty to the show. If only to prove the writers have some to give...
The Hydra Station storyline is undoubtedly more interesting than the flashbacks, particularly with the growing relationship between Jack and Juliet. It's also nice to see Michael Emerson conscious in a few scenes, as the show misses him when he's not around. M.C Gainey's Tom (who was the figurehead bearded villain last year) is quickly becoming quite a likeable and reasonable fellow, while Diana Scarwid joins the cast as Isabel (referred to as The Sheriff) and should prove to be an interesting new element.
Elsewhere, the supporting plot follows Sawyer and Kate in their boat, heading for the main island with a semi-conscious Karl. It's a fairly uninteresting storyline, enlivened by Sawyer's humorous attempt at a "man to man" talk with the lovesick teen. But it's unfuriating for two reasons: one, the Kate-Sawyer relationship already seems to be unravelling (their sex scene shrugged off as something Kate did in a life-or-death situation) and two, vital information Karl could provide them with about the Others is snatched away. Grrrr.
The Sawyer-Kate problem is particularly annoying because the producers promised Kate would "make her choice" between Jack and Sawyer this season, but Kate's going back on her decision just three episodes later!
The loss of Karl is also an obvious contrivance because having an on-side Other would mean he could actually tell the lostaways some pertinent information. God forbid the beach-dwellers actually get some answers eh?!
All Karl manages to reveal is that the Others live on the main island and that they do "projects" on the smaller island. As viewers, we already know this, so it begs the question: why did they even bother introducing Karl? He'd better have a role to play in future episodes...
Overall, Stranger In A Strange Land is a perfect example of why Lost is struggling now. No matter how ingenious the final resolution to Lost could be, it will disappoint most people because questions are more fun than answers. So while many people bemoan the lack of answers, I'm perfectly willing to be taken along for the ride, but with one caveat: I need to be assured that the writers do have some kind of overall plan.
For that reason, I think viewers are demaning atleast one BIG answer now. Fans pick out dozens of hidden background details in each episode week after week (most famously the proliferation of the Numbers), but such detail are little more than production injokes if there's no actual reason for them to exist.
Really, there's no point in refusing to reveal all of The Answers until the last season, as dwindling viewers could result in premature cancellation and that would be a great injustice for fans. So please, we didn't really care about Jack's tattoo. Its "meaning" is just another cryptic puzzle that will cause the writers more headaches later. Can we just have a few no-nonsense explanations now? Nothing that would totally ruin the overall mystery of Lost, but something a bit more relevant than Jack's body ink?
Really, there's no point in refusing to reveal all of The Answers until the last season, as dwindling viewers could result in premature cancellation and that would be a great injustice for fans. So please, we didn't really care about Jack's tattoo. Its "meaning" is just another cryptic puzzle that will cause the writers more headaches later. Can we just have a few no-nonsense explanations now? Nothing that would totally ruin the overall mystery of Lost, but something a bit more relevant than Jack's body ink?
Please.
