11 February 2007 - Sky One, 10.00 pm
WRITERS: Jeff Pinkner & Carlton Cuse DIRECTOR: Stephen Williams
CAST: Matthew Fox (Jack), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet), Michael Emerson (Ben), M.C Gainey (Tom), Tania Raymonde (Alex), Blake Bashoff (Karl), Robin Weigert (Rachel), William Mapother (Ethan), Michael Bowen (Pickett), Ariston Green (Jason), Teddy Wells (Ivan), Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert), Steve Labrash (Morgue Employee), Kimberly Estrada (Sherry), Rob McElhenney (Aldo) & Zeljko Ivanek (Dr Edmund Burke)
Kate and Sawyer escape as Jack holds Ben's life in his hands. In the operating theatre, Juliet has a difficult decision to make...The controversial decision to split season 3 into a 6/16 run of episodes certainly caused upset with fans. Last year's 6-part "mini-series" that opened season 3 wasn't particularly memorable, allowing audience disappointment to congeal into apathy. It's no surprise that the hiatus gave many people time to contemplate Lost's general direction and question their loyalty.
Well, the wait is over and Lost needs to rebuild viewer commitment in its increasingly complex plot. Not In Portland certainly goes some way towards doing this, at the very least confirming Lost as the smartest genre show on the block.
Events continue immediately from last year's cliffhanger. Jack, coerced into performing life-saving spinal surgery on Ben, secures the escape of Kate and Sawyer by making a dangerous incision in his patient. The episode is split between Kate and Sawyer's escape bid, nice-guy Jack's possible bluff in the operating theatre and the obligatory flashback interludes (this time focusing on Juliet).
Elizabeth Mitchell has been the best new addition to season 3 as Juliet Burke, an ambiguous friend/foe character who has given a more human face to the Others. Not In Portland's flashbacks focus on Juliet's pre-island life as a maternity doctor in Miami. It's a storyline that, in true Lost style, deepens some of the show's mythology, while simultaneously intriguing us with some background elements (the appearance of deceased villain Ethan Rom, just one).
Juliet's history contains definite meat for theorists to wrap their teeth around (the maternity aspect must be linked to Claire's baby, Sun's pregnancy and the kidnapping of Walt, surely?) Straight answers are never given, but there's enough here to strengthen my faith in the writers' overall command of the web-like narrative.
Mitchell is a natural screen presence and the juxtaposition of her ditzy pre-island self and her commanding on-island persona is brilliantly played. If you didn't enjoy watching Juliet last year, this episode should make you more appreciative of the character.
The sense of action returns with Kate and Sawyer's escape bid, rushing through the jungle pursued by some angry Others, before finding brief respite with Alex (the kidnapped teenaged daughter of Rousseau). As always, Evangeline Lilly (Kate) and Josh Holloway (Sawyer) are enjoyable to watch and their breathless plot finds time for some amusing moments, including a Star Wars-inspired con to rescue a boy from a Clockwork Orange-esque "re-programming" chamber.
Narratively, Not In Portland gets the balance exactly right, flitting between intense scenes with Jack, exciting action in the jungle, moments of mythology and some thought-provoking flashbacks. The writers are making a real attempt to get back to basics after the sci-fi heavy second season, injecting more characterisation and honest action into their script, yet still providing some nuggets of mythology. It's a tricky balance to get right (pander to fans or charm casual viewers), but not impossible.
Not In Portland is a strong returning episode and one that will hopefully set the tone for the rest of the uninterrupted season. It's great to see Matthew Fox back on heroic form and the writers have penned a script that ticks all the boxes.
