View Full Version : Didn't Love it.
Karri 02-21-2007, 06:00 PM Didn't like the ep? Tell us why. :biggrin:
This thread is for those that did NOT like the episode. If you liked the ep please visit the "Loved it!!!" thread. If you want to debate the episode (likes and dislikes), then please take your comments to the "Rate This Episode" thread or start your own topic. Any off topic posts will be deleted and possibly warned or given infraction points.
wasnt a huge fan. there wasnt much in the way of character development. thought it would reveal more then it actually did. so maybe they're just setting up for another episode. guess i'll have to wait and see.
The Shapeshifter 02-21-2007, 09:21 PM I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. It was okay, with a couple of scenes I really liked, but overall not a favourite. I'm looking more forward to next week's ep.
cylune 02-21-2007, 09:41 PM This one I'm going to forget easily. I was hoping all the boring Flashback stuff was building to something but it just went nowhere.
They end last week with a killer cliffhanger but there's nothing about it this episode. Continuity, please. :mad: Hopefully this is the end of fragmented storytelling.
Didn't they say they were getting back to the ensemble/beach after the mini-season? 3 episodes so far and two had only Jack/Kate/Sawyer in them.
ikonn 02-21-2007, 09:46 PM told us lots of what we already know. jack got his tattoo in thailand. we still don't know why. but we have yet another mysterious 'special' character introduced and her actions and her brother's were not clear. the significance of the tattoo was not explained. why jack even wanted to be branded was not explained. how did this guy who was so 'faithless' before the hatch, want to believe this slutty woman and want to get tattood?
why didn't Cindy elaborate? Cuz Jack got upset? Did you expect him to be calm? Why on earth would Sawyer let Karl go? That made no sense. and navigating the island on that boat actually makes a lot of sense, since they left the next day they had plenty of daylight and could've collected water. rather than walking through the jungle to find camp.
everything was backwards. compare season 1 to now...the flashbacks then enhanced the story and expanded the character. Now you are watching flashbacks and checking your watch waiting for them to get back to the important stuff because you know the fb's aren't going anywhere.
I think one of the reasons ep 7 was so well received was because we learned something about the character and her history in a flashback for the first time in a long time. Tonight was among the worst this show has ever done IMO.
Ellyson 02-21-2007, 10:30 PM wow, i totally agree
penyours 02-21-2007, 10:41 PM Yeah I have to say the FB was poorly handled and Cindy's introduction, while initially surprising didn't go anywhere, why did Jack have to start screaming at her, doesn't he want to know any sort of information? For a man of science he had curiosity of info gathering skills at the moment.
unhans 02-21-2007, 10:48 PM The answer to three of the biggest mysteries?
Did anyone catch them?
Ikonn really said it all.
cdngurl26 02-21-2007, 11:15 PM not impressed at all....just another filler episode....they could have at least showed some of juliets trial....heres hoping next week lives up to the hype.
ikonn 02-21-2007, 11:30 PM a Juliet trial episode would have been awesome. With this stuff as the B-plot and leave Sawyer/Kate/Karl out entirely.
The crappy thing is, many people LOVE to hate on this show. I'm watching it my second time through and i'm TRYING to find a level to enjoy this episode on. And I just can't. How can the brains behind so many amazing moments in tv over the past 2-3 years come up with this??? HUGE let down.
100%
The answer to three of the biggest mysteries?
Did anyone catch them?
Ikonn really said it all.
if I had to guess.
1. what happened with the tail section people and cindy?
answer: they are 'watching' .... that's it. just watching. don't know what that means. but they are not dead, as if any of the viewing audience actually thought that.
2. what do these others do?
answer: projects. 'like the nabbing the kid from the raft experiment' as sawyer said. again no mention as to why. that's not important. one word answers for the win!
3. what's going on with juliet?
answer: she may be killed. unless our heroes can snap into action.
then again as i was typing this, Alex was answering 3 questions from jack. but none seemed overly important. Maybe those were the questions.
cdngurl26 02-21-2007, 11:41 PM a Juliet trial episode would have been awesome. With this stuff as the B-plot and leave Sawyer/Kate/Karl out entirely.
The crappy thing is, many people LOVE to hate on this show. I'm watching it my second time through and i'm TRYING to find a level to enjoy this episode on. And I just can't. How can the brains behind so many amazing moments in tv over the past 2-3 years come up with this??? HUGE let down.
100%
if I had to guess.
1. what happened with the tail section people and cindy?
answer: they are 'watching' .... that's it. just watching. don't know what that means. but they are not dead, as if any of the viewing audience actually thought that.
2. what do these others do?
answer: projects. 'like the nabbing the kid from the raft experiment' as sawyer said. again no mention as to why. that's not important. one word answers for the win!
3. what's going on with juliet?
answer: she may be killed. unless our heroes can snap into action.
then again as i was typing this, Alex was answering 3 questions from jack. but none seemed overly important. Maybe those were the questions.
i think the were sent to watch juliets trial...to see how they deal with disobedience
ortiz34 02-22-2007, 12:03 AM worst episode ever, suicide level boredom , NOTHING happened, jacks flashback was dull and really didnt make sense, i will never watch this episode again
dangerousdirk 02-22-2007, 12:04 AM I should have known that after 2 good episodes that this one was going to suck. Poor writing, crappy flashbacks and there were no answers to "the 3 biggest questions" that they promised. I haven't been this mad since crappy episode 6. Not surprised though.
Kevonski 02-22-2007, 12:05 AM I was so psyched for tonight..... But in the end it was blah. Hoping next week will be uber!
Alvar Hasselhoff 02-22-2007, 12:08 AM I'm pretty forgiving, but to quote Simon Cowel, "that was absolutely dreadful." The story was slow, the flashbacks didn't add anything to the story, and overall the episode was just flat and boring.
badger195 02-22-2007, 12:10 AM god was that boring. After two really great episodes and the previews from last week, that episode flat out sucked. Where were the 3 answers? And talk about a pointless, directionless flashback.
wolffootball37 02-22-2007, 12:13 AM wasnt terriable, writing was very bad, had some moments, i usually like jack backs, but i think without John Terry it suffered. mainly pissed off at the markiting for saying 3 answers. 3 answers my @$$!!!
ortiz34 02-22-2007, 12:17 AM putrid episode, if this was the first episode they showed, lost would have been cancelled
OnionSandwich 02-22-2007, 12:19 AM I definately think it was the worst episode so far, through all the seasons. It was just boring. And I was so looking forward to three questions being answered. I'm so disappointed.
South Shore 02-22-2007, 12:25 AM It's hard enough now that it's on at 10:00 EST, and I work in education (EARLY mornings for me). I won't DVR, as I've been a rabid fan for too long . . . this was indeed filler - all they have to do to please me is advance the plot a bit each week, and give me something to chew on. This week, I'm chewing on my own cud, because it indeed tastes like regurgitated dinner. Blech.
colin72 02-22-2007, 12:26 AM Answers to three of Lost's biggest mysteries huh? They must have been easter eggs during the commercials because I missed them.
Once again our gang of little geniuses fail to ask the most basic questions of those who may be able to answer. I keep forgetting these people are in a life and death situation stranded on a bizarre island in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, so do they. By not asking (even if people evade or don't answer), they appear stupid and not concerned about their situation.
Basic, common sense questions they don't ask:
Where are we?
Is it possible to leave this island? If so, how?
What's going on with _____ (enter any number of the bizarre island occurances)?
Who are you people?
What are you people doing here?
Kate and Sawyer fail to ask Carl.
Jack fails to ask Cindy.
Jack fails to ask slingshot pro Alex.
Jack fails to ask Juliet.
Jack says he's going to help Juliet leave but doesn't bother asking any relevant questions.
Sawyer and Kate have Carl who could be a wealth of information but not only fail to question him, Sawyer lets him leave. Sayer can give carl love advice but not ask a relevant question.
Slingshot pro Alex and Jack talk and answer each others questions but does Jack ask any of the previously mentioned questions? No, he just asks about Juliet.
Does Jack ask Cindy how she survived the crash? Nope.
Does Jack ask Juliet what the mark is that they gave her? Nope. He just sensitively touches her stomach, applies aloe and makes the boo boo better.
I also thought the scene where Jack agressively badgers Achira to tattoo him made no sense.
pacejunkie 02-22-2007, 12:31 AM I wasn't looking forward to this one to begin with because I'm so done with Jackbacks and I had a feeling we wouldn't see any beach. I guess I can say I wasn't disappointed because my expectations were so low. The flashbacks were so thin and cryptic as to be meaningless. So Jack and Juliet are both "marked" with signd indicating "who they are". That's all I got out of that.
We still don't know the meaning behind the tattoos because Jack so much as says, that's what it says it's not what it means. Great, thanks for that Jack. Just when I thought they were giving us one stinking answer you have to take that away.
Then I was disappointed with the montage at the end. I don't care enough about the Alex and Karl love story yet, I was hoping Kate and Sawyer would be returning to the beach at the end. Let down there.
It seems more and more that Ben's promise of "home" and "off the island" clearly mean back to Otherville. Sorry Jack, you didn't say which island and whose home. *sigh*
Ripoff.
kpdjp 02-22-2007, 12:33 AM The ending of this episode was incredibly cheesy, which is something Lost has NEVER been until now. Karl and Alex looking at the stars, Jack and Juliet smiling at each other, and the music made me want to barf =P
I also agree this had the worst flashback ever, which isn't a surprise considering it's Jack's SEVENTH one!! this better have been his last one or else they are really beating a dead horse (his tattoos mean he's a "reluctant leader"? as if we didn't know that already...)
this is not what lost needed after a decline in the ratings... oh well, you win some and you lose some. the first 2 were so good it couldn't have lasted forever.
mastaskillz33 02-22-2007, 12:35 AM The flashback really added nothing to the story. The men beat up jack for what reason? don't know. The chick couldn't give him the tatoo because she took a blood oath to only tatoo asian men? dont' know. Flying a KITE boring as crap, Jack making out with a hot chick. eh who cares. The juliet story was ok. The kate and sawyer scenes were a bit lame also. Overall this episode was pretty lame. O well. This is the one jack flashback I actually didn't like. Normally they are KIK AZZ. This one sucked. ty
adam8023 02-22-2007, 12:43 AM I wasn't looking forward to this one to begin with because I'm so done with Jackbacks and I had a feeling we wouldn't see any beach. I guess I can say I wasn't disappointed because my expectations were so low. The flashbacks were so thin and cryptic as to be meaningless. So Jack and Juliet are both "marked" with signd indicating "who they are". That's all I got out of that.
We still don't know the meaning behind the tattoos because Jack so much as says, that's what it says it's not what it means. Great, thanks for that Jack. Just when I thought they were giving us one stinking answer you have to take that away.
Then I was disappointed with the montage at the end. I don't care enough about the Alex and Karl love story yet, I was hoping Kate and Sawyer would be returning to the beach at the end. Let down there.
It seems more and more that Ben's promise of "home" and "off the island" clearly mean back to Otherville. Sorry Jack, you didn't say which island and whose home. *sigh*
Ripoff.
:shesaid:
Whoa, never thought I would find myself in here!
Anyway, I'm just going to let this emoticon describe how I felt about this episode.:undecide:
A bit of a wasted opportunity, I'm just glad that Kate and Sawyer are making there way back home to the survivors. (And oh yeah, the cinematography was great as always!)
Here's to a better next week.
Cardielost 02-22-2007, 12:49 AM I know that the Losties never ask the Others any questions whose answers might be helpful to them, but when Sawyer was having the Dear Abby talk with Karl, you'd at least think he'dask him why Ben is so opposed to him and Alex being together, to the extent that he'd have him killed.
I had hopes when I didn't come here for the past two episodes, but his one was pretty useless. I did like the Jack-Ben scene, with Ben critiquing Jack's bedside manner.
Cardie
Vertical 02-22-2007, 12:53 AM OK, I guess I'll start with the obvious: They didn't answer three mysteries (no surprise there). If you'd like to see my take on that issue, see this thread (http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=70219). There's no way I'm re-typing all of that here. Needless to say, that promise was as false as "There's no Time Travel. Honest."
Next up: New nominee for the worst flashback ever. The current title holder is a three-way (four way?) tie for all of Kate's flashbacks. But at least in Kate's flashbacks, people acted moderately rationally and like human beings not on acid. In this flashback, we have this mysterious, soulful, tattoo arti...er, sorry, person marker, see-er of people's true identities (aaahahahaha), and apparently a bunch of Xenophobes who decide to beat up Jack for no reasonably plausible reason. I... I can't even think of anything else to say about this flashback, because it made zero sense. None. None, none, none. Complete and utter garbage.
And we were robbed of what could have been one of the most interesting scenes in the entire series - the 'trial'. For pete's sake, writers, SHOW us this stuff! This is the interesting stuff! Don't show me Sawyer having a heart to heart with a 4th tier character we know nothing about and don't care about!
I can't go on. I just.. I'm beyond words. Is anyone home?
sickotriz 02-22-2007, 01:01 AM Add me to the didn't love it crowd... I'm not ready to blame them for the !3 questions answered! thing because the ABC promos have been notoriously bad for a long time, and I don't think the creative team has anything to do with them.
This episode just leaves us with nothing to really discuss. The last 2 were great, this one... not so much.
Cardielost 02-22-2007, 01:05 AM If only Achara had at least seen something totally shocking when she sized Jack up. You know, something like, "Your father found you abandoned at his hospital and no one knows where you came from." I don't think either we or Jack needed to be told that he's a natural leader but that makes him lonely, frightened and angry. We've had six previous flashbacks plus 2.5 seasons of the show to have that point hammered home.
Cardie
Steve L 02-22-2007, 01:05 AM Pure filler, last weeks ep was very good but this was 40 minutes of nothingness. I cannot even remember what the 3 questions answered were. Thats how insignificant they were.
One of the worst 5 eps ever.
jellyfrog 02-22-2007, 01:06 AM I love Jack, but this episode felt really pointless. And I'm not one who is always looking for big, spectacular answers about the mythology, but it would be nice to have answers to questions like "What is the context for this scene?" I don't even know why Jack was in Phuket. I'm guessing it was after his marriage broke up, but from the episode itself I don't know what he was doing there, or when he was there, or his frame of mind. Character development episodes are great, but I don't feel like I learned anything about Jack. If any episode could labeled "FILLER", it would be this one.
It kinda seems like TPTB have gotten so used to keeping information back and trying to be mysterious that they're having some trouble with basic storytelling. :undecide:
wedestroymyths 02-22-2007, 01:20 AM LOST's biggest enemies are Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina Kim. I don't think they've written a good episode between them. Whenever I see their names I am instantly skeptical, and tonight is why. Bad character interaction (the scene where Jack DEMANDED the tattoo was ridiculous), and weak story development.
This was more of a filler episode, officially closing the second island story and the season's initial arc, so there wasn't a ton of content, but it still could have been an hour of riveting television if written well.
Really, we didn't learn a ton over the last two weeks but each episode was masterfully written and directed. Barclay's direction tonight seemed pretty cool, but the writing just fell flat. Very, very flat.
SursumCorda 02-22-2007, 01:23 AM I did not like this episode. I probably would have been ok with it if ABC hadn't made it sound like something BIG would happen. All that build up and nothing happened.
So we know what Jack's tattoo means. I never cared to begin with and I never considered it to be imperative to... anything. If the purpose of revealing the tattoo's meaning was just to further explain Jack, that's fine. But don't tout it as a big mystery when it is not.
We also know that Cindy and the kids are still alive, along with a bunch of other people who were taken. But why were they taken? "To have a better life." Sorry, but as far as Big Huge Answers go that just doesn't fly with me. Where have they been, what have they been doing, why were they taken but not everyone else ("Because they're good" doesn't cut it either), and what were they there to watch?
Bah.
pacejunkie 02-22-2007, 01:25 AM I love Jack, but this episode felt really pointless. And I'm not one who is always looking for big, spectacular answers about the mythology, but it would be nice to have answers to questions like "What is the context for this scene?" I don't even know why Jack was in Phuket. I'm guessing it was after his marriage broke up, but from the episode itself I don't know what he was doing there, or when he was there, or his frame of mind. Character development episodes are great, but I don't feel like I learned anything about Jack. If any episode could labeled "FILLER", it would be this one.
It kinda seems like TPTB have gotten so used to keeping information back and trying to be mysterious that they're having some trouble with basic storytelling. :undecide:
:shesaid: That's exactly it jelly. I feel sorry for anyone watching this whose not an uberfan. Unless you've watched every Jackback six times and know his backstory back to front, you would have NO CLUE what he was doing in Thailand and why. It was almost difficult to tell it was Thailand the reference went by so fast. There was no context at all not only to why Jack was there of all places but the whole "mystery" surrounding Achara was without reason. So she "sees" people? Big deal. Essentially she's a good judge of character. For that she gets paid the big money?
I feel like there was some cultural backstory to this whole tattoo thing that the writers forgot to make us privy to. But we needed that information or it was all just nonsense.
popandlocke 02-22-2007, 01:25 AM This definitely goes in the bottom 2 episodes in my opinion. I don't know if it worse that "Fire + Water", but it is close. Jack's motives in the flashback seemed nonsensical and random, Bai LIng can't act her way out of a paper bag, and Alex is really starting to annoy me. Even Sawyer's nicknames were kinda annoying tonight.
Baileysdad 02-22-2007, 01:26 AM Sooo...Jack has Cindy in front of him...has a shot at finding out something about these crazy people...and screams at her to get away?? Are you kidding me?
We find out what the tats say...but not what they mean?? I smell another flashback...maybe Jack will seek help making a paper hat this time instead of a kite.
Sawyer giving goo goo advice to a kid crying on a log? But not telling Bobby to spill the beans about Other Town??
The apparent re-birth of the love triangle?
Jack manhandleing a twig of a woman to get a tatoo?? Huh? Only to be told what we have learned in all seven of Jack's FBs to this point??
How many questions were answered and how many more created after tonight?
I love this show but this was a headscratcher for sure...
Aurora10 02-22-2007, 01:26 AM This is only the 2nd episode that was only "eh" to me in LOST history. :undecide: It was just kinda "there," for a lack of better words.
wedestroymyths 02-22-2007, 01:29 AM Jack manhandleing a twig of a woman to get a tatoo?? Huh? Only to be told what we have learned in all seven of Jack's FBs to this point??
No kidding. I HATED this scene. It was so uncharacteristic of Jack. Sure, he's got a temper. But the scene was handled in a very violent manner...
Kipsy 02-22-2007, 01:30 AM Wow.
THAT was anti climatic.
Three of the biggest mysteries? What a letdown. Try a boring answer to a mystery no one cares about. We didn't even get a full fledged answer, either. ("Yes, that's what it says, but it's not what it means." Well, great. :rolleyes:)
Not that what the tattoo said was fairly exciting or interesting. I can't even remember what it was supposed to say, an hour after the episode aired.
Filler, filler, filler. Not to mention, people seemed to acting completely irrationally. Why did Jack get beaten up by the men because of his tattoo? So he got a freaking tattoo; why did they even care? Will it even be explained? Probably not. :rolleyes: I completely missed the reason why she couldn't give him a tattoo in the first place. It could've been because I was busy fuming due to lack of answers, though most likey, it wasn't explained. Sigh.
And wow. The "mind-blowing conclusion" the "person reader" came to about Jack was...everything but mind-blowing. We already knew everything she said since about season one. (You are a great leader, but are lonely? Well, DUH he's lonely. He just got a divorce. He flew half-way across the world for that?! Pffft, what a ripoff.)
Of course, acting completely irrationally, Jack resorts to his old habit of yelling his head off, and forcing her to give him a tattoo...The entire thing seemed bizzare.
Back to the island, the castaways were given several oppurtunities to ask questions about, ya know...everything. When Cindy came, Jack hardly took his time asking questions. Instead, he YELLS AGAIN, and forcing Cindy to leave.
Sawyer gets no answers from Karl. He lets him free, to find Alex.
Do they just not care anymore?
Wow, the next episode better be incredible, because this one just sucked.
Vertical 02-22-2007, 01:33 AM And apparently there's no shortage of large, sea-going vessels on this island, or gasoline to power them:
screenshot (http://home.comcast.net/~therealvertical/TheBoat_copy.jpg)
Baileysdad 02-22-2007, 01:35 AM I wondered about that too...that looks much larger than the boat they were on during the end montage...and why was it so far out? Why were they not at the Pala Ferry?? That made no sense to load Ben onto a surfboard and paddle out there.
pacejunkie 02-22-2007, 01:36 AM No kidding. I HATED this scene. It was so uncharacteristic of Jack. Sure, he's got a temper. But the scene was handled in a very violent manner...
Of course we're getting to know Jack better and learning that he's a tad unstable when he's not in control so I wouldn't say this was out of character necessarily, just that there was no buildup. There seemed no reason for his behaviour at that time. In the scenes leading up to it, he's happy and smiling. Then out of nowhere he's got her against a wall and is demanding a tattoo. If we would have seen scenes of him slowly cracking up, drinking, punishing himself, I could buy it because the truth was Jack was at a low point in his life. But that wasn't what we saw. Flying kites?? Picking up pretty girls?? It looked like he was on a Club Med vacation. The change was too abrupt.
Baileysdad 02-22-2007, 01:42 AM Wow...almost three hours since air time out east...and barely three pages of threads?? Wow...
Anyone else thinking that was Desmond's yacht out in the horizon?
Vertical 02-22-2007, 01:45 AM Des' boat was a sailboat, this was definitely a motor boat. Des' boat looked to be around 30 feet, at most... the boat on the horizon was at least 40 feet.
The boat on the horizon looked something like this:
http://www.anglersfishingcenter.com/img/indian_charter_boat.jpg
colin72 02-22-2007, 01:48 AM The more I think about this episode, the more stupid it gets and makes less sense.
Why did the Others send Ethan "their best surgeon" to spy on the Castaways on the beach? Why would you give up your best surgeon?
Just another example of them making stuff up as they go and then trying to crowbar something in that makes no sense.
Carlo210 02-22-2007, 01:49 AM Aye, seems like more of a simple time issue.
At this point in LOST, I know most everything about the character personalities and most of what I see that 'doesn't fit' usually makes sense within some overlooking of the situation. I hated Locke during most of season 2, Kate since the start of season 2, and Jack during season 2. Not to mention I always hated Claire. After a bit of stepping back and analyzing, I can be more forgiving.
Locke was being 'played' by Ben and was being emotionally and faithfully torn apart. What I absolutely still hate, though, is his jackarsery towards his good friend Charlie. Also, I hate how Locke was making fun of Eko and Charlie when they said the island showed them something. I mean, what a hypocrite. Of course, this was all because he was depressed and pessimistic about what he 'thought' was a divine messenger, but he was totally out of character for half of season 2. They could've at least shown us some good ol' hunter Locke or friendly Locke, but all they really showed us was unfaithfull Locke, which was hard to endure.
Also, why is everyone so mean to Charlie? Claire is a freaking bench towards Charlie.
Charlie, there are other fish in the sea. Dump Claire until she learns how to treat a good, supportive friend correctly.
Kate still doesn't make sense 75% of the time - she seems to be a utility during many parts of the show's event-scenes due to obvious reasons.
Anywho, Carl's cool. I wanna see more of him. By the way, I liked Sawyer in tis episode - nice guy. Kinda illogical in his decision making in regards to letting Carl go, but he did it because he obviously felt for the kid and he didn't want any ties with 'the others' with them because it'd lead them back to them in one way or another (others come to find Carl, for example).
I didn't love it, but I'll never admit it. :) I still enjoy LOST overall.
what I didn't like was Jack's ability to pin to the wall a woman he had been sleeping with, over something as silly as a tattoo. Didn't seem believable to me. And although I know that many people love tats, love Jack, and love Jack's tats, I just didn't see the significance of Jack's whole flashback.
Still, I rarely post in this thread, because I'm willing to take the ride w/ Damon & Carlton, for however long they want to lead us astray. (I mean that in a good way, of course.) :)
sheba 02-22-2007, 02:07 AM Didn't love it? I didn't even like most of it, and about half of it was barely tollerable.
Sawyer is my favorite character and even he fell flat tonight.
Did anything in this episode make any sense? At all? To anyone?
Jack looked after Ben's infection and Juliet's apparent branding. Ok. That makes sense, but he's a doctor. That's what doctors do. They treat injuries. So even though it made sense, it didn't tell anything I didn't already know.
Jacket appears to be sailing a little smoother, and their scenes were sweet, but, but, but, I need to feel there's a point in order to enjoy a story, and piecing one together from a bunch of scenes that feel incomplete just doesn't come anywhere close to sating that need.
tjw1308 02-22-2007, 02:07 AM Quite possibly the worst episode I've seen.
LOST used to be a show that I would arrange my schedule around in order to watch. It was intriguing, moved at a solid pace, and had a lot of interconnected "a-ha" moments that made it the mega-hit it was.
Tonight's episode was boring. There, I said it. It was more of the same tired "Kate/Saywer go somewhere and have arguments while doing so" and "Let's have a backstory that only half develops the idea, so that we can revisit it later if we run out of ideas". Yawn...
I love the show. Really I do. But it needs to get back to some interesting revelations, not just filler so they can stretch out a 4 year show into a 6 year one.
Just my thoughts. Flame away =)
ZoeWashburne 02-22-2007, 02:08 AM And although I know that many people love tats, love Jack, and love Jack's tats, I just didn't see the significance of Jack's whole flashback.
As one of those people, and someone who's been waiting to see the story behind Jack's tats since early on in Season One, it was kind of disappointing, I'm not going to lie.
They need to start having the entire ensemble in every episode pronto. When was the last time Sun and Jin were even seen? Like episode four or five or something crazy like that... :undecide: I'm still hopeful the season can be salvaged, but putting in two more Jack/Kate/Sawyer-only episodes after that was one of the huge complaints about the first six episodes was not a good idea (Though I suppose these two were filmed before the first six aired... but still...)
wedestroymyths 02-22-2007, 02:08 AM Of course we're getting to know Jack better and learning that he's a tad unstable when he's not in control so I wouldn't say this was out of character necessarily, just that there was no buildup. There seemed no reason for his behaviour at that time. In the scenes leading up to it, he's happy and smiling. Then out of nowhere he's got her against a wall and is demanding a tattoo. If we would have seen scenes of him slowly cracking up, drinking, punishing himself, I could buy it because the truth was Jack was at a low point in his life. But that wasn't what we saw. Flying kites?? Picking up pretty girls?? It looked like he was on a Club Med vacation. The change was too abrupt.
that's a good point, i forgot where Jack was supposed to be in his life because the episode didn't contextualize it for us.
I ultimately view lost as a tv show that will entertain me...so even the weakest episodes I can find something redeeming in. i don't know about this one. if this were one of my student's papers it would get an 'F' it was unfocused, barely organized, lacked a main idea, and didn't establish any sort of context. I imagine that looking at the script would reveal any number of typos and other editing problems.
McGuane 02-22-2007, 02:11 AM What, ya'll didn't like the latest installment in Jack Vanity Theatre?
I am convinced it is contracted in Lost Law that there has to be a Jack episode every half dozen or so, whether it fits into the story or not.
So of course it was utter filler, of course it stopped the momenteum of last week'
s good ep in it's tracks. Of course it offered nothing new. It was just meeting the Jack quotient.
But it didn't have to be THIS bad. They used to be able to stop Lost dead in its tracks and do a required Jack ep and still give it some relation to something anyone cared about. Guess not this time. This seemed like one of those eps where they were actually lampooning the show and itself. Twice the room I was in erupted in laughter. Once when she said the tat or whatever means "LEADER". Well, of course! That's the point, Jack is a leader, even if he doesn't know it! Who'd have ever guessed?!?
The second time was the "starcrossed lover" moment. As the camera panned up to the stars, we all started cringing and saying , "Oh please, please don't . . ." and sure enough, they did and we just rolled. I guess that was one of those things that the writers thought would be so bad it would be good. Unfortunately, it was just bbbbaaaaaaaaddddd.
Guys, until they actually get back to the beach, and I mean to the beach with the whole ensemble, until they pare the stories down to a managable number and find a narrative flow for these stories, the hemoragging will continue. This one tonight was just downright embarrassing.
AZJeepDude 02-22-2007, 02:20 AM Wow. At this moment there are only 15 replies in the "Loved It" thread.
sheba 02-22-2007, 02:21 AM What, ya'll didn't like the latest installment in Jack Vanity Theatre?
I am convinced it is contracted in Lost Law that there has to be a Jack episode every half dozen or so, whether it fits into the story or not.
So of course it was utter filler, of course it stopped the momenteum of last week'
s good ep in it's tracks. Of course it offered nothing new. It was just meeting the Jack quotient.
:rotflmao2:
As I said in another thread, I'm waiting for us to get to the episode where the camera stays tight on Jack the entire time and we have to identify other characters by recognizing their voices.
100%
Wow. At this moment there are only 15 replies in the "Loved It" thread.
Which is fine. To each his own.
Taylor 02-22-2007, 02:28 AM That episode was horrible to the point of being insulting. I don't know how they can offer this sort of crap up and expect people to keep tuning in. Utterly, utterly awful.
Nothing new learned, pointless and incomprehensible flashback, the same tired routine of Kate and Sawyer bickering and indications that the Love Triangle of Boredom is still not dead. And of course, the nothing near the island's biggest mysteries was revealed. I'm really at the end of my rope in hoping this show is going to recover, which is amazing since I loved Desmond's episode last week. I guess it was a fluke.
Maybe in Desmond's next time loop iteration he can warn ABC not to air it.
lostfan4ever 02-22-2007, 02:35 AM I love LOST, but I think this episode may cause more viewers to give up on the show. Jack had an affair with a tatoo lady? Please! This was by far the weakest flashback story ever. I saw nothing encouraging about LOST from this eppy. I really think Jack's backstory has run its course. Please, put that attention to other characters. I have to say it was very disappointing.
sarakat 02-22-2007, 02:35 AM As I said in another thread, I'm waiting for us to get to the episode where the camera stays tight on Jack the entire time and we have to identify other characters by recognizing their voices.
:rotflmao2:
This episode was not enjoyable for me. It felt like filler. If we're going to get filler, why not at least give it to someone who hasn't had a gazillion flashbacks already?
Lost_In_Louisiana 02-22-2007, 02:44 AM everything was backwards. compare season 1 to now...the flashbacks then enhanced the story and expanded the character. Now you are watching flashbacks and checking your watch waiting for them to get back to the important stuff because you know the fb's aren't going anywhere.
Tonight was among the worst this show has ever done IMO.
I absolutely hate to say this but I agree with you COMPLETELY. This Jackback did NOTHING to expand on the good doctor's character. And there weren't any surprises. We pretty much got the gist of this epi's Jackback from the LOST moment . I just didn't feel like we learned much.
1. what happened with the tail section people and cindy?
2. what do these others do?
3. what's going on with juliet?
I guess I'll take a stab at trying to figure out the 3 HUGE mysteries that were answered tonight. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Let's see ...... well:
1) We sorta found out what 1/2 of Jack's tattoos mean, but the dharma-esque triangle & number 5 were left unexplained (although we can figure out the 5 on our own),
2) We sorta found out what happened to the Tailies & the children. They're alive, seemingly well, and were taken to give them "a better life." Oooookaaaayyy.....
3) We sorta got confirmation that Alex is Ben's daughter (but most of us had figured that out anyway). Yet we still don't know whether or not he is her biological father or her adoptive father. It would be exciting to find out he was her biological father because that would have all KINDS of implications in the storyline, but .... oh well ..... :undecide:
wasnt terriable, writing was very bad, had some moments, i usually like jack backs, but i think without John Terry it suffered.
AHA!!! You totally NAILED it. :hammer: I wondered what was so wrong with this Jackback - it was the absence of John Terry! Wow, I didn't realize how indispensable he is to the Jackback epi's until tonight. :frown:
Does Jack ask Juliet what the mark is that they gave her? Nope. He just sensitively touches her stomach, applies aloe and makes the boo boo better.
Ugh, ugh, and double ugh!!! :sick: Jack's "sensual touching" of Juliet is such a big, fat, obnoxious and painfully obvious foreshadowing of a romantic relationship between the 2 of them that I rolled my eyes so far back I thought they were going to stick that way. :rolleye1:
Remember the days when Sawyer was that great bad guy you loved to hate? Now he is giving relationship advice like Dr. Phil.
I, too, am sick of "sensitive Sawyer." :pinch: I want good ol' bad boy Sawyer back! I'm not buying that this guy turned into a pile of mush in just a couple of months after performing a lifetime of hard-hearted malicious actions. :drowsy:
The ending of this episode was incredibly cheesy, which is something Lost has NEVER been until now. Karl and Alex looking at the stars, Jack and Juliet smiling at each other, and the music made me want to barf =P
Who else was CRINGING during the "love montage" and the sappiest, most melodramatic music playing in the background? It reminded me of a soap opera. Same with the kite-flying, even my teen daughter who is quite love sick and adores that sort of thing was bored out of her mind and rolling her eyes! :yucky:
- the 'trial'. For pete's sake, writers, SHOW us this stuff! This is the interesting stuff! Don't show me Sawyer having a heart to heart with a 4th tier character we know nothing about and don't care about!
No kidding!!! A trial would have been fantastic. We would have been GLUED to the set! Instead, we had to suffer through sensitive Sawyer giving love advice to a teenager deep in the throes of puppy love.
LOST's biggest enemies are Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina Kim. I don't think they've written a good episode between them. Whenever I see their names I am instantly skeptical, and tonight is why. Bad character interaction and weak story development.
{Resounding applause from audience in full agreement!} :gora:
Why are these people writing LOST episodes at all? And for what reason did the script supervisor choose to approve this dreck? Maybe they have daddies in high places. :lipsseal:
I feel like there was some cultural backstory to this whole tattoo thing that the writers forgot to make us privy to. But we needed that information or it was all just nonsense.
Yes Yes Yes! I finished watching this epi thinking that somehow a very important, crucial scene accidentally got cut and was left on the editing room floor. This mangled epi actually makes me quite angry. There are so many people who despise Jackbacks because they bore them. I thought surely Thailand would be fantastic and mysterious!!! What a letdown.:frown:
Wow...almost three hours since air time out east...and barely three pages of threads?? Wow...
I noticed there was absolutely NO slowing of the board as per usual on a Wednesday night. Maybe the epi bored them into a stupor and they are still trapped in a catatonic state on their sofas? :down:
:Whoa, never thought I would find myself in here!
I felt the same. :(
You'd think he'd ask him why Ben is so opposed to him and Alex being together, to the extent that he'd have him killed.
I was hoping for that, too. Is it just because Ben doesn't want Karl for himself, or is there a deeper reason? What have Karl and Alex done together that makes Karl so dangerous to Ben or the Others?
And we were robbed of what could have been one of the most interesting scenes in the entire series - the 'trial'.
I think that would've been fascinating. I only wish we knew if it really WAS a trial, or just more head-games for Jack's sake.
If only Achara had at least seen something totally shocking when she sized Jack up.
... We've had six previous flashbacks plus 2.5 seasons of the show to have that point hammered home.
Amen to that!
Has he really had 7 FBs now? Unbelievable. yeah, I think we know enough about Jack for a while. It would've been cool if we'd at least seen another character from the Island crossing Jack's path in China/Thailand, wherever it was he was supposed to be.
They used to be able to stop Lost dead in its tracks and do a required Jack ep ...
LMAO!
ZoeWashburne, I was sorry to read that you were disappointed in the story of Jack's tattoos. Well, here's hoping the reason behind the big "5" will be more interesting. I'm guessing he got that later.
I miss the beach too, and can only hope we get back to our LOST friends there real soon. I rather post in the "Loved it!" thread. :(
Happybuu 02-22-2007, 02:52 AM I was feel just really let down by this episode.
Wow i mean wow.
heatherlar 02-22-2007, 02:59 AM I was disappointed with this episode as well, for many of the reasons already stated here, so I won't repeat them. If I had to say something positive, I would say that the Jack/Juliet scenes were not bad.
sheba 02-22-2007, 03:02 AM If I had to say something positive, I would say that the Jack/Juliet scenes were not bad.
And in the immortal words of the Scarlet Pimpernel ... "Nothing is quite so bad, as something, which is not so bad."
I gave this episode a 8.
So why am I posting here?
Well... 8 is my subjective rating. However... objective rating is around 4.
Although I enjoyed the episode.... this episode was... simply put: horribly written.
I don't like bashing the crew, but.... it's clear that the writer duo who done this episode is simply not capable of handling the show.
There were 3 critical scenes in the episode I almost laughed.
First, Sawyer letting Karl go. Using love as an excuse. I'm sorry but.... oh my god. I mean, even a polar bear taking Karl would've been better! This was... ridicilious. Sawyer totally forgot everything? THEY NEED ANSWERS! But no... just let him go. Or are they satisfied with the answer to the question'what happened to the kids?' -'They have a better life now!' - That sounded so cheesy, so laughable... almost as bad as a dialogue in a Heroes eppy.
Ok, scene #2. Jack forcing whatshername to do the tattoo. Not only it was completetly out of character ,but it was stupid. We were convinced in S2E1 that Jack is a MAN OF SCIENCE. So why does he care about a tattoo?!
Scene #3. Well, not a scene, but... the whole Isabell being the 'sheriff' thing was a bit... too much. Okay, the island is like a mini country. But still... do they have to pay taxes too?
And, the flashback was not only forced,but it was emberassing. For me. First half: Jack flying a kite, and sleeping with whatshername. Second half: Jack going nuts, forcing whatshername to tattoo him, and then getting beaten up. Eeeeek.
This episode had much more potential in it. Much more. :frown:
Tom Chaney 02-22-2007, 03:13 AM Time and time again, Jack finds himself in a postition to bargain. The others need something only he can supply. Why is it that he just doesn't seem interested in finding out "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!!" I'd ask that question first, I think
wannabecoollikesawyer 02-22-2007, 03:16 AM This episode opened doors and then closed them right away. It seems that everytime Carlton and Damon are not involved in the writing of the episode, the episode "really suckS" as some may say.
This Elizabeth Kim writer has been part of some pretty crappy episodes im noticing.
whatever, move on to the next one.
penyours 02-22-2007, 03:18 AM This Elizabeth Kim writer has been part of some pretty crappy episodes im noticing.
whatever, move on to the next one.
LOL there's two writers for this epi Elizabeth Sarnoff & Christina Kim , you've combined them into one person.
colin72 02-22-2007, 03:19 AM Sorry but this whole tattoo thing is really bugging me. So, let me get this straight...
Jack follows the girl, then our "man of science" finds out she has some nutty reason for doing tattoos and so he agressively DEMANDS ONE?! He decides to get a tattoo out of the blue from some nutjob? And not only that but she actually goes ahead and gives him the tattoo?
That makes absolutely no sense.
Unfortunately, I've found this to be common with Lost. TPTB seem to really not know what they're doing and so they come up with these lame, irrational scenarios to give an explanation for something they threw at us previously.
This kind of crap doesn't gave fans very much confidence in the reveals to come. Gee, I wonder why millions are giving up and not watching?
wannabecoollikesawyer 02-22-2007, 03:21 AM LOL there's two writers for this epi Elizabeth Sarnoff & Christina Kim , you've combined them into one person.
yeah well christina sarnoff and elizabeth kim have crappy episodes and crappy writing.
whatever their names are.
longdong 02-22-2007, 03:27 AM Truly a horrible episode. Ugh...what a disappointment after two good eps.
why bai ling? She absolutely sucks.
and are they going to deliver on the preview for the 2nd episode where it shows the losties attacking some building? That was a total ripoff.
colin72 02-22-2007, 03:27 AM If you believe the writing was bad, then it's the fault of Lindelof and Cuse.
They are in charge of the show and it's not as though the writers of a specific episode do anything without their approval. I'm sure even though they don't get a writing credit, they edit and work on each script. Also, storylines for an episode are broken down and assigned to writers who are told what to write about.
CountChocula 02-22-2007, 03:29 AM 1) Why did they send their best surgeon -- Ethan -- into harm's way, instead of say, Danny?
2) Could Alex have used that boat at any time? Why do they give her so much free reign when she's so much of a loose cannon (i.e., knocking out cameras, etc.)?
3) Why were the people who were "observing" Jack acting like they were stoned? Do they revel in watching someone sleep and use the bathroom?
4) Why didn't Jack have a rational conversation with Cindy, to get answers, instead of screaming at her?
5) What were the three "answers"? I'm guessing: What Jack's tatoo meant, what happened to Juliet, and were Cindy & the kids still alive. Wake me up when they finally provide answers to REAL mysteries.
Oh for crying out loud. Guys, the flashbacks are draining the life out of this show!!!! Ok, Juliet's fb was great (the previous six, during the mini-series all were terrible). But you've plowed all the ground you can with Jack, and frankly most of the other survivors -- except for Locke's paralysis fb.
Be on notice: You're losing viewers faster than Bush lost support in the war on terror... And that is an incredible accomplishment.
Time and time again, Jack finds himself in a postition to bargain. The others need something only he can supply. Why is it that he just doesn't seem interested in finding out "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!!" I'd ask that question first, I think
Yes, that's what I kept thinking, too. It would look as though Jack was going to refuse to comply and I'd applaud (not literally), and then he'd give in anyway. I thought he'd refuse to answer at all when the "sherriff" started her questions, but instead, he tried to lie when they already knew the truth. I was surprised that he'd give any help to Ben at all, after they practically tortured Jack to get him to do the surgery.
Even the description for the show tonight said that "Jack has bargaining power", but the only thing he used it for was to free Juliet?
Someone whom he KNOWS he can't trust, has been caught lying???
...*sigh* I just don't know. I'm going to another thread for a while--this one is depressing me. :sad:
Eschew-Obfuscation 02-22-2007, 03:53 AM May I have another Jack flashback, quickly please!
That well will never run dry!
Solid gold hits every time. I tell ya, Solid Gold!
The above is my Official Fuselage standard boilerplate pat response to this show.
In reality, I'd score this show a big Zero. ABC hyped all week that THREE BIG Lost Questions would be answered. I didn't notice any big answers this week.
I realize that the kid with Kate and Sawyer could not stay around, because dramatically he could spill too many beans. But why was he with them in the first place? What little key information the Kyle did impart could have been mentioned as a casual aside by almost any of the "so called others". (Kyle did help with by being in the "backwards talking scene" a couple of weeks ago, but that trick was leftover from way back when, and wasn't very origional when Twin Peaks did it.)
Stick with the time travel theme. You don't have it correct yet, but you are getting close.
Note to the Producerss: Have ABC tone down the HYPE a little. Yes, even during sweeps. Keep it real. OK?
njvol27 02-22-2007, 04:39 AM OK, I just got done watching it on DVR and I am blown away by what an absolute travesty this episode was. I can honestly say this was by far the worst episode to date. There is no point in going over how bad this was because it will take pages to write and frankly if the writers and producers dont get it by now they never will.
What I can not figure out for the life of me is why once the show starts to gain some momentum after two great episodes, do they revert back to the old habits that began to kill the ratings and alienate fans. Why in pluperfect hell do you hype up 3 big mysteries and not deliver on any front. Jacks tattoes are minor compared to the 88 others still on the choping block. And since I have no idea what the other 2 are, they obvious failed in that regard. All this deception does is piss people off more and more when it seems to me now is the time when you should be coming out firing to get people back on the bandwagon.
The best thing LOST has going for itself is that people have short memories and in 6 days they have a chance to make everyone forget about tonights dysfuctional episode. Thank goodness there isnt a month to wait because I dont know if anyone would come back. I have a gut feeling though that next weeks will be more back tracking filler with another needless flashback all leading up to some big reunion where once agian no one will ask the right questions or respond in a logical manner.
ozieozwall 02-22-2007, 04:45 AM Its a real shame to wait for the new season, then get let down with crummy episodes. Lost was the best show on TV. The first EP was getting there then we two goof EP's. Is this the kind of programming we who are loyal to LOST deserve?
hugheser1988 02-22-2007, 04:47 AM An absolute and utter disappointment. No plot progression. Terrible flashback plot. If all of our island's "mysteries" are drawn out to the degree that Jack's tattoos were, our Losties might need to start looking for some more acting jobs...
Yet, I have faith in the producers. (I just need to remind myself that after an episode like that)
DeadMouse 02-22-2007, 05:04 AM 1) We sorta found out what 1/2 of Jack's tattoos mean, but the dharma-esque triangle & number 5 were left unexplained (although we can figure out the 5 on our own),
If you look carefully, you'll see that it was 5 Thai guys that kicked the snot out of Jack. How's that for enlightenment on the number 5 on his tattoo? That would make more sense than to me than whatever tripe they conjure up to give it some more mysterious and purposeful meaning :biggrin:
Happybuu 02-22-2007, 05:09 AM I watched it again and skipped the flash backs and it became a much better episode.
But thats not saying a whole lot.
Sad.
sheba 02-22-2007, 05:11 AM Why in pluperfect hell do you hype up 3 big mysteries and not deliver on any front. Jacks tattoes are minor compared to the 88 others still on the choping block. And since I have no idea what the other 2 are, they obvious failed in that regard.
I can't be 100 % certain, but I think the three mysteries were ...
1- What do Jack's tattoos mean!?!
I think what TPTB failed to comprehend is that they wouldn't need the fingers
and toes of very many people to count the total number of people who give a
rat's behind what Jack's tattoos mean. Guys, we just don't care.
2- What happened to Cindy?
Anyone could have made this mistake. We wanted to know how the Others
had managed to snatch an adult woman away so silently? Where did they take
her? What have they been doing to her since they got her there? Was she actually
an Other all along and only posing as a stewardess? Alas, there was some sort
of miscommunication and those crazy guys thought we were curious about
whether Cindy had decided to take up a new and exciting career as a brain dead
voyeur. A simple error. I do it all the time.
3- Where are the tailie children?
I suppose that in the interest of fairness, we need to take responsibility for this
one. We wanted to know where the Others had been keeping the children. Have
they been fed? Taken care of? Harmed in any way? For this one, the writers
decided to slap our hands and accuse us of asking the wrong question, by
taking the technicality route and showing us exactly where the children were ...
at that particular moment. Nothing more. Exit, stage left.
So, the remaining question is ... did this second rate dog and pony show deliver?
They didn't answer three mysteries. They didn't answer three curiosities. They didn't even answer three questions! They answered two. Jack found out where Juliet was and Sawyer found out the Others have yards.
Wow. I'm sure everyone will excuse me for being monumentally underwhelmed by this new information. :drowsy:
Ferris 02-22-2007, 05:11 AM We still don't know the meaning behind the tattoos because Jack so much as says, that's what it says it's not what it means. Great, thanks for that Jack. Just when I thought they were giving us one stinking answer you have to take that away.
Amen to that! I thought we were finally going to get one solid, no other possible explanation answer, but no. He even had to say it in that snarky, snobbish way. Terrible!
So we start the episode with Sawyer paddling the boat, singing the drinking song featured in "Jaws". No, I am not impressed with your cleverness, writers. No, I am not going to go scour "Jaws" for clues about Lost. I know better now. I know why that reference is in there. It is there in the hopes that some of the magic from that outstanding film will somehow be transferred onto this show. Not happening.
The rest of this episode I'd rate right down there with "Fire + Water". Not quite that low, but right down there. There were attempts to go somewhere. Characters were asking questions. "Where's Juliet?" just wasn't a question I cared about... at all.
I knew the writers would never allow Carl to spill much of anything about the Others, but I thought it would be because he'd get killed, or have brain damage from his "therapy" or something... interesting. Nope! Sawyer just let him go. Just plain ol' let him go.
When Juliet and Jack were on the deck of the boat at the end, I was just waiting for them to re-enact the scene from "Titanic". They were right there at the bow railing. All she had to do was stretch her arms out and... "Jack, I'm flying!" See, don't even have to change the name!
Sorry, I just feel like that episode was such a slap in the face. Definitely not what this show needed at this point.
digitalash 02-22-2007, 05:15 AM I haven't been this angry at a Lost episode since Fire + Water. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Lost...but to write and shoot this kind of episode? I do not see this paying off any time soon. The whole episode could have been told within 15 minutes. The backstory could have been a lot more interesting than it was. It could have been Jack getting involved with the gangster underground or something..getting trained to be Batman! That would have been so much more fun, rather than that terrible excuse for an actress, Bai Ling.
This goes under the list of Lost episodes I despise (which aren't very many).
MPmom 02-22-2007, 05:22 AM When the writers mentioned the bombs they would be dropping this season, they said there would be a character bomb in one of the first 3 episodes after the break. If it hit, I didn't feel the explosion.
This episode was dull for me. I expected much more from it. There is very little to even discuss about it. A lot of the discussion topics are only statements of the obvious.
With the recent talk of the finale coming after 4 or 5 seasons, they should not be wasting time opening up a dozen new questions in one episode, without making any progress towards answering a few of the hundreds of questions we already had. We knew Cindy & the kids were with the Others. We learned no more about them. We learned nothing about the real meaning of Jacks tattoo. Sawyer & Kate are no closer to home. A new mysterious Other we know nothing about.....
This episode was a case of screwing around and not getting any work done.
I am nervous that the series will end with too many mysteries left unanswered.
lostfan72 02-22-2007, 05:26 AM I agree with everyone else. This was a very frustrating episode. I mean who cares about Jack's tatoos? People get tatoos all the time, nothing mysterious there. Also they could of revealed more about Cindy and the kids. There really wasn't anything new there. Nothing at all was accomplished in this episode ::frown:
m3r0v1ng1an 02-22-2007, 05:26 AM Hated it. Total filler. Nothing important was answered and the mythology was not advanced in any significant way. The flashbacks no longer advance our understanding of the characters. We get it - Jack is a reluctant leader with daddy issues. Do we really need to have this fact continually reinforced with flashbacks?
There are a hundred mysteries that need to be answered and I'm beginning to think that the writers are incapable of answering ANY of them in a satisfying way. I suspect when this series finally wraps up, we'll be left with more questions than answers.
We're almost half way through season three and Lost is in a serious slide. If something significant doesn't happen in the next couple episodes, I'm bailing on Lost.
LordoftheFiles 02-22-2007, 05:30 AM If you believe the writing was bad, then it's the fault of Lindelof and Cuse.
Yep. Don't know about her partner on this episode, but Elizabeth Sarnoff is an incredible writer/producer. She helped shape Deadwood, which is one of the most innovative and well-crafted television shows ever made.
As the show runners, Damon and Carlton are responsible for everything that makes it onto the air.
Tom Chaney 02-22-2007, 05:47 AM Very early on we were told that "Jack's" tatoos were not relevent. They are the tatoos that were already on Matthew Fox prior to his casting as "Jack" in the show.
Fine... your actor has some body art on him.
So now, we need to waste an entire episode working so very hard to tie those irrelevant tatoos into the plot?
Instead of knowing how you can twist and turn to make a few green marks on an actor's arm fit into the show... I'd really rather you'd take on the (oh, so very obvious) question: What the hell is going on here?
Let's advance the plot rather than waste time trying to account for irrelevant details.
AnalogKid 02-22-2007, 05:51 AM This thread is more entertaining than the episode was. :helps:
DeadMouse 02-22-2007, 05:55 AM This thread is more entertaining than the episode was. :helps:
ROFLMAO :biggrin:
Ditto my friend, ditto! :)
strangelove311 02-22-2007, 05:55 AM Just want to clarify I didn't hate this ep but I want to address something:
We still don't know the meaning behind the tattoos because Jack so much as says, that's what it says it's not what it means. Great, thanks for that Jack. Just when I thought they were giving us one stinking answer you have to take that away.
I'm pretty sure what Jack meant was that Isabelle was interpreting it at face value, but Jack was thinking about what Achara said to him "you're a leader but it makes you lonely, etc.". "He walks among them but he isn't one of them" (para, only saw the ep once so far) is what it says, but what it means is so much more than that...and I don't think its necessary to spell that out. So, imo, we still have our answer...basically its solidifying the "hero" thing...and I really hope this isn't comparison to Christ because we all know what his fate was. :frown:
Happybuu 02-22-2007, 05:56 AM This thread is more entertaining than the episode was. :helps:
There are it would seem better writers in this thread than on the show.
hehe
TimeLost 02-22-2007, 06:19 AM I am very sorry that have to join in the bashing, but this episode was awful.
It was really exciting how the season restarted after the hiatus, and I was sitting tight waiting for another great episode...and nearly nothing got delivered. A real filler.
And another A-Team episode I really didn't want to see.
There were at least some information contained that will help develop the story in further episodes, but they were so buried in the other 40 minutes of boredom, I can understand if a lot of people give it a terrible rating.
Not to get me wrong, I'm still totally entangled by LOST and I still think that it will be possible to come up with a plausible explanation (The Master Plan), even only short before the end.
But I am also the kind of person who loves movies with a twist, like Memento or nearly everything from David Lynch (and try to get an explantion about his movies from him, will you?:biggrin:)
So I am not letting down LOST, but I just have to beg to the producers that
a) they spare us filler-ladden crap like this epi and
b) they are going to give their devoted viewers some answers SOON.
I can stand it answer-free for quite a while, but a lot of people are understandably so fed up and these are the people responsible for your ratings, so please with icing on top make them happy. They decide indirectly whether you writers get fired or not.
Cheers
Gfoxx 02-22-2007, 06:27 AM Hated it!!! The worst episode so far in the history of Lost! I am so sick of the Jack/Kate/Sawyer show and I wish they would disappear for the rest of the season. They have changed Sawyer from being a really cool character into being a sap.
I find Alex to be really annoying and now with the addition of Karl and them staring at the stars at the end of the episode I felt like I was watching a daytime soap!
Bring back Locke, Sayid, Charlie, Hurley, Sun, Jin, Claire, and Vincent!!!!!!!!
hellotzp 02-22-2007, 06:49 AM This thread is more entertaining than the episode was. :helps:
i totally agree!
back_gammon 02-22-2007, 06:55 AM Please, no more Kate and Sawyer and Jack triangle melodrama for a while. I like these characters very much individually, but I'm bored to insanity with the triangle, what remains of the triangle, and future speculation about the triangle.
Let's get back to circles like the brooch on Ms. Hawkings scarf.
Luna_02 02-22-2007, 07:08 AM Add my name to the ever growing list.......I actively disliked this episode.
I was mildly interested in whatever Juliette's 'marking' meant (Tom and Alex seemed overly shocked and slightly scared), and I had a smile on my face at the prospect of Jack getting zapped by the food button......but of course he didn't fall for it :rolleyes: .
The Jack/Juliet bonding was good (if not a little cheesy), but it leads me to believe our favourite triangle is going to morph into some wierd fork shape...... Sawyer loves Kate who loves both Sawyer and Jack who loves both Kate and Juliet :confused: Great....sounds like fun.....
TimeLost 02-22-2007, 08:12 AM Add my name to the ever growing list.......I actively disliked this episode.
:rotflmao2:
Reminds me of: "It's an active kill...meaning that whatever is eating this is gonna be back for more"
As long as you don't pro-actively dislike episodes :)
...and I had a smile on my face at the prospect of Jack getting zapped by the food button......but of course he didn't fall for it :rolleyes: .
:crying:
I was so hoping that Mr. Grumpy/Been-there-done-that/Daddy-Issue/Bully/Got-way-to-much-Jackbacks would receive some therapeutical electroshocks....*sigh*
Wouldn't it be nice if story progression needed to kill off Jack?
The Jack/Juliet bonding was good (if not a little cheesy), but it leads me to believe our favourite triangle is going to morph into some wierd fork shape...... Sawyer loves Kate who loves both Sawyer and Jack who loves both Kate and Juliet :confused: Great....sounds like fun.....
:yikes:
***Mod edited*** when they fail to ask existential questions when the have the chance to?
Please! No! More! triangels, tetraeders, or other odd-formed shapes of love tangles. Please! I mean it!
Maybe this is the secret plot:
They are in a kind of "Vanilla Sky" VR to get cured from monogamy?
driveshaft76 02-22-2007, 08:36 AM They followed up what I thought was the best episode of the series with what was with out any doubt whatsoever the absolute blue ribbon, gold medal winning worst episode of the series, by FAR.
Absolutely nothing happened. Jacks flashbacks made no sense. Jack screaming at Cindy made no sense. The most interesting part of the whole episode we don't get to see but a glimpse of.
Oh, and by the way, Darlton... Nobody cared about Jack's tattoos. This was one of Lost's biggest unanswered "questions"? Really? I could probably think of 100 questions I'd like answered before Jack's ink.
And his tattoos didn't really mean crap anyway. "He is one who walks amongst us who is not one of us?" Reaaaaaaaaaal insightful. What a waste.
I guess after two fantastic episodes we were bound for a bad one, but boy this was bad.
The_Monkey 02-22-2007, 08:47 AM Some parts were good (like Cindy & the parts where Ben was in).
The flashbacks were so boring one might've though they were Charlie's.
Captain_Falafel 02-22-2007, 08:51 AM Hated it!!! The worst episode so far in the history of Lost! I am so sick of the Jack/Kate/Sawyer show and I wish they would disappear for the rest of the season. They have changed Sawyer from being a really cool character into being a sap.
I find Alex to be really annoying and now with the addition of Karl and them staring at the stars at the end of the episode I felt like I was watching a daytime soap!
Bring back Locke, Sayid, Charlie, Hurley, Sun, Jin, Claire, and Vincent!!!!!!!!
Amen.
Not really much to add (except bring back Desmond too). An appearence from our long absent Beachies would have made this episode much better for me.
Lost has slowly but surely lost the plot. I'm unconvinced these "reveals" were anything special. The answering of questions with questions has really become tedious. 57 hours so far and yeah stuff has happened and I really enjoyed season 1 but does anyone else feel that since the initial success of the first season a lot of lost now is just padding for more revenue through advertising? Something is going down but at an extremely slow and excruciatingly painful rate.
Joshypoo 02-22-2007, 09:13 AM I was disappointed. Like most before me have stated, the Jack flashback wasn't necessary - filler and fluff. Seems like the tattoo back story was only put in to introduce Isabelle - it's meaning is insignifcant to the overall story. The writers could have covered that in 10 minutes instead of a full hour. I would have loved to see some other mystery added in Phuket that ties Jack to the island or the others.
The_Monkey 02-22-2007, 09:17 AM Written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina M. Kim. Directed by Paris Barclay.
I'll remember not to have high expectations when watching their next creation. (If some good soul doesn't fire them before they have the chance to mess up the show even more.)
Captain_Falafel 02-22-2007, 09:23 AM I can't decide who was more annoying in this episode...dullard Jack, soppy vomit-inducing Sawyer, infuriating Kate, vapid Karl, smug self-righteous Others, skanky Ancara...pretty much every character in this episode was at their worst. Bring back the beachies (I can't say it enough!)
AnalogKid 02-22-2007, 09:26 AM I'll remember not to have high expectations when watching their next creation.
Just keep in mind that, while they wrote the script, the ideas were not theirs solely. The episode ideas are brainstormed in a room and then the script is assigned to writers. The writers are responsible for things like the dialogue, but not the overall story idea.
UncleHenry 02-22-2007, 09:35 AM LOST is my favorite television show, and I look forward to each episode with anticipation.
Last night's episode was a huge letdown. It is definitely the worst episode of the current season thus far, and doesn't compare favorably to most episodes of any season.
The flashback was lousy- I'd rank it in the Top Five Worst Lost Flashbacks, along with several of the Kate flashbacks. The only flashback that annoyed me more than this one was Kate's toy airplane flashback.
Did we gain any great insight into Jack's character or motivations? At the end of the show, I knew I'd need to log on here just to see if anyone could explain to me what I saw. What did I miss?
The main plotline was as uninteresting as it could be, considering we had one of the show's Best Episodes Ever last week. I no longer care about the Others. I want the Smoke Monster, Locke, Charlie, Sayid etc
The worst/best thing about last night's episode: It convinced me that LOST could easily survive the loss of Jack.
With the show leaking viewers every week, I hope they can do better than this next week. I'll be there to see this through- I just hope ABC will let this show survive so we can get some ending.
littleplasticpeople 02-22-2007, 09:52 AM HERE, HERE!!!
Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina Kim... please stop.
"The Hunting Party" was just plain awful. "The Whole Truth," "Abandoned," "Two for the Road," and "Further Instructions" seemed so anithetical (in terms of plot AND character) to what has been already established by the LOST canon that these episodes could -- for the most part -- be THROWN AWAY and the rest of the surrounding episodes would still make sense. But maybe that's their missive from CC and DL? To write "filler" bewteen the episodes that actually establish plot and initiate dynamic character development?
I'm a writer, I write for a living. If I wrote an episode as bad as ASIASL, my editor would have had to issue a public apology and then a public dismissal. Even if this is a "filler" episode, you could at the very least make it interesting - there ARE writers who CAN do that. I regard this flashback as I regarded Kate's in "I Do" (ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh... I'll never get those 42+ minutes back...) -- more fluff, filler, rambling inane dialogue and ineffectual discourse. At the end of every episode, the writers SHOULD ask:
1) How have I furthered the plot?
2) To what EXTENT have I furthered the plot?
3) And the most important issue: how does this build upon/add to the established LOST canon?
How could two writers (in good faith) put their names on those 42 minutes?
-- MWB :mad:
P.S. And with all of the hanging sub-plots from seasons 1-3, why should we even HAVE a filler episode???
Slowboat 02-22-2007, 10:24 AM Lost is really starting to disappoint me. Seasons one and two were so good. What the hell happened? I cannot believe how uninteresting last night's episode was. They haven't lost me as a viewer just yet but they are slowly pushing me away.
SawyerSandwich 02-22-2007, 10:37 AM This episode was insulting. Just awful. The writiers STILL take for granted that they can jerk the audience around indefinitely. Hubris anyone?
The Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle is moronic beyond words and the dead weight that's sinking this show for good.
I liked "Flashes Before Your Eyes" and I actually got excited for 5 minutes that this show had found its way again. Ah.....should have known better. Big fat raspberries for yet another stinker.
MellonCollie 02-22-2007, 10:43 AM The Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle is moronic beyond words and the dead weight that's sinking this show for good. That little montage at the end of this episode doesn't bode well; looks like they'll be continuing down the love story route.
bryce110 02-22-2007, 10:51 AM Two things really irked me.
1- The fact that Jack apparently has no actual desire to escape. He seems to be perfectly fine being a prisoner despite the few times he's gotten out of his CAGE to walk about at his leisure. Even if he wants to stay with the Others, I see no reason why he would agree to continue to live like an animal in a cage. Why not make one of your stipulations that you get treated like a human being if you stay to be Ben's doctor?
2- It's so nice to see that the Others will not tolerate "murder." It's interesting that Ethan's name was brought up in this episode, as well as ironic, since the last time we saw Ethan alive on the island, he was busy killing people in the night and hanging Charlie on tree branches in the jungle. At this point, it's painfully obvious that the Others were pretty much invented out of thin air long after Season 1 had finished.
And one last thing... I didn't mind Jack's flashbacks as much, because really No Daddy + No Sarah = Much improved Jack flashback, BUT in the end, when you think about it, the story made NO sense.
Ginge 02-22-2007, 10:58 AM That little montage at the end of this episode doesn't bode well; looks like they'll be continuing down the love story route.
Remember last summer how TPTB were saying season 3 would be "the season of romance"? The minute I heard that, I figured things would start to nosedive. I'd wager the bulk of Lost fans don't care about romance. At least not to this sickening degree.
Get back to the beachies and the real mysteries of the island, please. And ABC, stop flat-out lying to your viewers. "Three Big Answers"? Right...
That was awful its all I can say.
Get back to the beachies and the real mysteries of the island, please. And ABC, stop flat-out lying to your viewers. "Three Big Answers"? Right...
Ha yeah like What do you do with children? We give them a better life....right well thanks for clearing that up!
Semisan 02-22-2007, 11:07 AM HATED IT!!!! Spent much of the episode screaming at the TV - "W. T. F.!!!!!!"
What did Tom mean by his comment about glass houses? That Jake shouldn't talk? That he is just as bad at the Others???? Jack has hung someone? Jack did experiments on a pregnant woman and was going to kill her to take her baby? Jack forced someone to do surgery by threatening to kill someone?? WTF??
The whole time that Ben or Juliet or Cindy or Tom talked to Jack and were condesending or expecting him to cooperate as if that is normal for a person who just went through a very traumatic experience of being in a PLANE CRASH only a couple months ago while trying to bring his dead father home for buriel, then dealing with the Others attacking and killing the survivors because the were poking around the island they were trapped on, then is kidnapped and told if he doesn't do surgery they will kill Sawyer....but now, well there has been an incident and they have to sort out the paperwork, so could Jack please tell his side of the story as to what happened in surgery???? WTF!!!
Oh, and one of the off screen conversations had better be about Alex and her mother!!!!! The long walk that Alex and Jack took between surgery and the "courtroom" and he didn't say anything about the French Lady, or ask any kind of questions? AND how convienent that they didn't show us ANY of that journey and that apparently they didn't meet one person!!
The writers have GOT to be kidding me with the characterization this episode!! Kate for some STUPID reason turns to Sawyer and says they have to go back, and then just looks stupidly at him when he says NO! Then Sawyer for some STUPID reason doesn't decide to use the boat to get around the island to the beach because he can't steer in the dark?? WTF?? Its called going to shore for the night and taking the boat back out the next day so that the Losties will at least have a boat to go fishing!!! Sure they can't take the boat into the beach they are on, but they could sure as hell TRY to keep the boat! Kate never asks Karl any clear questions, and doesn't ask for clarification for any of Karl's vague answers?? Sawyer for some STUPID reason (called the writers can't have Karl stay with the losties) lets Karl go??? WTF
Let me be very clear, I don't care about getting the answers, I know they can't give us the answers, I know that Karl couldn't get back to the beach just as I know that Ethan had to be killed but in EVERY case, they really really REALLY should have had the Losties at least ASK the questions! Writers, just because they ask doesn't mean that you have to answer!!! Avoiding the asking does not make the questions the viewers have go away!!!!!
There were so many places where they could have had Jack ask and they didn't. The closest they came was him telling Tom what kind of people he thought they were, and they come up with the reference to glass houses???
Also, I am sick to death of the Others treating the Losties like they are stupid, or that they shouldn't judge what the Others have done to them so far! Either explain their attitude, or the writers need to show the Losties calling them on it.
I am a rapid fan of the show, I may have ranted and raved about the show, but I am addicted to it. My hubby stopped being a fan early last season but he still watches with me. This last episode was so bad, my hubby asked me why I make him watch it. About half way through, he told me that I should stop watching it if it makes me so angry! Always before, I have felt a loyalty to watching the show, but after seeing the preview for next week and knowing what it is actually about due to spoilers...for the first time EVER, I am not feeling the anticipation for next week.
I hate many things about the show, but I love it too. Last night I felt indifferent during the preview which scared me more than anythingelse, cause as you know, the opposite of love isn't hate, its indifference.....
Bahamut_King 02-22-2007, 11:12 AM This episode's flashbacks were just silly, and not silly in a comedic way like with Hurley's flashbacks. Are Jack's tattoos that big of a mystery? Not really. It's just a tattoo. Who cares. And the dialogue. My god, Lost may not be known for it's "compelling" dialogue, but this episode reached a new low. The first scene might as well have gone like this:
JACK: Why hello there exotic Thai woman. I am big strong American man.
ACHARA: Ooooooh, I am little Thai woman, I grow up on rice patty. I love big strong American man!
Euuuuuh. To top it all off, not one single answer. I thought we were going to find out why the tailies were taken. All we found out was, yes, the tailies were indeed taken...which we already knew.
I'm also getting tired of Jack's overdramatic screaming and hollering. I see them as nothing more than hissy fits now. Just give the kid a cookie, and maybe he'll shut up.
ginger 02-22-2007, 11:16 AM To borrow a line from a good episode of one of my favorite sitcoms ("Newhart")...
Me no like.
cac_205 02-22-2007, 11:17 AM The only good thing about this episode is that maybe people will stop comparing every bad episode to "Fire + Water" - which I kinda liked.
While I don't think this was the "worst" episode ("I Do"), it was pretty cringe-worthy.
I am not sure if the writers realize it yet, but changing the "others" from a bunch of crazy island living hillbilies into a suburban-living normal people really tanked the show. I still can't get over the fact that they went from people with stealth abilities and super-human strength to people who like cheeseburgers and the Red Soxs.
Regardless, too many "mysteries" and too few satisfactory answers and too many characters destroyed for the sake of plot points.
Captain_Falafel 02-22-2007, 11:20 AM The Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle is moronic beyond words and the dead weight that's sinking this show for good.
We are seeing the light. Jack, Kate and Sawyer are good (if over-rated IMHO) characters individually, but the triangle drags them all down and makes them so annoying that I just want to lock all three of them in little monkey cages and throw them in the ocean.
SenatorKent 02-22-2007, 11:23 AM Ya, I don't understand what relevance the flashbacks had to Jack's emotional development.
And the "three questions" did turn out to be lame. HOWEVER, i don't think thats a fault of the show, rather a fault of promotion at abc. Remember, this episode was the way it was far before the people at abc decided to promote it as answering 3 questions. I don't think the episode was ever meant to say/do that, they just promoted it that way.
BlemiChic 02-22-2007, 11:35 AM The episode was one big fat ZERO. Definitely NOT worth staying up till 11 for.
sickotriz 02-22-2007, 11:40 AM Ya, I don't understand what relevance the flashbacks had to Jack's emotional development.
And the "three questions" did turn out to be lame. HOWEVER, i don't think thats a fault of the show, rather a fault of promotion at abc. Remember, this episode was the way it was far before the people at abc decided to promote it as answering 3 questions. I don't think the episode was ever meant to say/do that, they just promoted it that way.
The promo department at ABC needs a serious slap in the face. Way to overhype guys, I feel kind of bad for the producers. This wasn't a great episode, but it was made even worse by that idiotic "THREE QUESTIONZ!!111!" promise.
Lost_In_NJ 02-22-2007, 11:44 AM This is my first post here. Up until last night, I have loved every epi. This one, well, I'm still trying to figure it out. I was disappointed, to say the least. But, on a brighter note, I'm hoping that this will be my last post here as well.
Lunch 02-22-2007, 11:48 AM The promo department at ABC needs a serious slap in the face. Way to overhype guys, I feel kind of bad for the producers. This wasn't a great episode, but it was made even worse by that idiotic "THREE QUESTIONZ!!111!" promise.
I agree, the promos overhyped the episode way too much- and they were on all the time!. I still can't figure out exactly what questions we got answered besides Jack's tattoos, which I didn't even realize those were mysterious let alone one of the "big island mysteries." The only saving grace for me was the Jack/Juliet interaction.
outta_control 02-22-2007, 12:13 PM Yeah this episode was pretty dull. I couldn't really hear the part where Jack follows that girl into the tattoo parlor. What did she say? I didn't understand the whole episode. Anyway, it didn't even seem worth understanding.
snakey 02-22-2007, 12:18 PM the writers of this show seemed to have bombed. TMZ's weekly take, it never has been this negative as far as I remember. Still, it's pretty funny.
http://www.tmz.com/2007/02/22/lost-diary-stranger-in-a-strange-land/
150cc 02-22-2007, 12:20 PM Overhyped episode. And hella confusing. And that's not just because of the medication I was on while watching it.
Why is a Thai lady "carving" Chinese letters into people? Wouldn't she, you know, "carve" Thai letters, maybe? All Asians aren't the same, you know.
Why the heck are the people so mad that Jack gets a tattoo? What in the world is this "gift" nonsense? None of it was explained even remotely well.
Why couldn't I tell what the Bai Ling character was saying 3/4 of the time? She was absolutely awful. Maybe I am some horrible American pig, but I don't mind characters speaking in accents as long as I can still sort of process what they're saying. I know I'm being too picky on that one.
The end of the episode was pretty decent though, and I don't want to throw it all away. But it was still fairly lame overall, especially after an excellent episode like Flashes.
Oh, and Karl just had to leave before he dishes out any real information. Ha. Just like Charlie had to show up and gun down Ethan. Just like Desmond had to run away after 3 episodes. Just like Rousseau has to disappear for half a season between appearances. How convenient and how annoying!
I am just fine with the powers that be withholding the secrets of the island from us! That's cool. Hold back some stuff so that we have things to look forward to learning! But when you hold back information when the characters ought to have learned it at this point (like the bajillion opportunities to talk to Alex or Karl or Juliet to get them to explain what all this Others nonsense is about), then it just gets frustrating and ridiculous.
snakey 02-22-2007, 12:44 PM How did Taiwan get in the mix, she was supposedly Thai, I think that's what you mean, oui?
Vertical 02-22-2007, 12:50 PM So what was it about this episode that suddenly snapped so many people out of their 'Lost can do no wrong' trance? I mean, I watched this episode and thought "same old garbage", but usually when I think that, I log on here only to see the "Rate this episode" poll showing sky-high numbers, with tons of people voting 9 or 10 for every episode.
But not today. Today, there are only 26 replies to the "Loved it" thread (twenty six!), but 126 in the "Didn't love it" thread, and the "Rate this episode" thread has almost half of the respondents voting a 5 or below! Incredible!
I'm honestly shocked at how many people are actually disappointed in this episode (not because I thought it was good, but because I didn't see anything THAT different from other episodes which I have thought were equally garbage, but others thought were "A PERFECT 10!!11!")
Mr Crisp 02-22-2007, 12:51 PM The biggest question answered last night was Cindy’s line “we’re just watching Jack” I’m more convinced then ever that the premise of this show is hook millions of viewers, then slowly, diabolically and deliberately cripple the show and observe the reaction via the internet message boards.
The Dharma initiative is watching you…the viewer!
colin72 02-22-2007, 01:02 PM So what was it about this episode that suddenly snapped so many people out of their 'Lost can do no wrong' trance? I mean, I watched this episode and thought "same old garbage", but usually when I think that, I log on here only to see the "Rate this episode" poll showing sky-high numbers, with tons of people voting 9 or 10 for every episode.
But not today. Today, there are only 26 replies to the "Loved it" thread (twenty six!), but 126 in the "Didn't love it" thread, and the "Rate this episode" thread has almost half of the respondents voting a 5 or below! Incredible!
I'm honestly shocked at how many people are actually disappointed in this episode (not because I thought it was good, but because I didn't see anything THAT different from other episodes which I have thought were equally garbage, but others thought were "A PERFECT 10!!11!")
I've been thinking the exact same thing. This episode was just a continuation of many of Lost's faults.
Darbi 02-22-2007, 01:11 PM I was certain that I wouldn't have to post in this thread this season, because by and large, even with some inconsistences, and horrible balancing of the entire cast, I've enjoyed ever episode so far, especially the last two. But this episode...dreadful. Just dreadful.
It dawned on me last night, how utterly uninspiring MF is as a lead actor. Generally speaking, I like the guy, and have enjoyed his performances, but it became noticable to me that he lacks charisma, and with the sub-par writing for this episode, his lack there of was glaringly obvious, in my opinion.
Aside from that, this episode was such a let down from the previous two. For the first time ever, I can honestly say that I could have cared less about S/K, and their issues. I just didn't need to see them last night. Outside of Sawyer's conversation with Karl, those two retreating to their neutral corners after lashing out at one another could have waited. :rolleyes:
Where are the beach Losties? I want to see how Jin is doing, how he's processing all this craziness. I want to know how Sun is dealing with having shot a woman. Where is Sayid? Locke? Claire?
I like the 'Others'...and I want to know more about their story, but unless the writers were going to let us in on what actually happened during Juliet's trial, then the trade off in finding out what Jack's tatoos say, but not what they mean, and him skanking it up in Thailand with some broad who can "see" who people really are...rubbish.
I really hoped I wouldn't have to post in this thread ever again. :(
Tarkus 02-22-2007, 01:23 PM My first time posting in a thread like this. I can't say that I have loved every eppy. Some were very good, while others have been lacking. I was more disappointed in this one than any other.
That whole story on how Jack got the tat was a waste of time.
Jack had the opportunity to get a few answers from Alex, and all he asked about was Juliet.
Kate and Sawyer had a perfect oppotunity to get some answers from Carl, and they did not take advantage of that.
Not much about this one to be positive about. Just wasted time and wasted opportunities.
I also hope that I never feel the need to post in a thread like this again.
crashsurvivor 02-22-2007, 01:23 PM I agree with Vertical that this episode was very much like what we have been seeing lately, but the disappointment I felt last night was stronger than any other time. It had a much slower pace, and I felt time was wasted on the whole tatoo backstory.
I also think it's mainly due to the previews implying that we are going to learn something important, and then instead they give us nothing. :mad:
Over the past several weeks, the writers and producers have acknowledged the fans are not happy with the way the show has been going, so by that alone I had hoped they would change things. Alas, it is not to be I guess. :frown:
Krystal 02-22-2007, 01:46 PM So what was it about this episode that suddenly snapped so many people out of their 'Lost can do no wrong' trance? I'm honestly shocked at how many people are actually disappointed in this episode (not because I thought it was good, but because I didn't see anything THAT different from other episodes which I have thought were equally garbage, but others thought were "A PERFECT 10!!11!")
I agree with you. Aside from NIP, these past two episodes and the beginning of season three have been awful. I'm a huge Jack fan and I love MF (and I'm not going to rip on how inspiring he can be like someone else did :rolleyes:) but this episode was for lack of a better word completely dull. I don't blame MF for this at all, because he is a terrific actor and unfortunately he had really bad material this week. If I were him, I think I would have sat down with the people that wrote this episode and asked that some things actually be changed, even if no action would have been made. It wouldn't have hurt to try, because from a viewers standpoint, there was a lot wrong with this episode. Many people are blaming the writers and ABC, but those I believe come secondary to TPTB. They are the masterminds behind this whole show and they are the ones that create the plots. They did not and have not done a satisfactory job so far with this season. For the first time in my viewing experience, I will say that I think it would do them a great service to pay attention to the ratings and what people (not only on here) are enjoying and what could be improved.
polusmaximus 02-22-2007, 01:55 PM What a rip-off this show is turning into!
They are really starting to stretch things way too much. How did tonight's episode advance the story?
Exactly how did they answer any question last night?
The writers promised: We'll tell you what Jack's tattoo means. Hmm Still waiting for that one! The only thing you explained is PART of his tattoo, not the whole thing, notice that when the Thai guy lifts jack's sleeve to see the tattoo there's only one line of chinese caracters. Where's the rest of it? Oh Wait I know it will be explained in season 4, either way who cares? We know they have absolutely nothing to do with the story as he had them before joining the show.
They also promised: You'll find out about Cindy....We found out what exactly? That scene was so confusing. Only brought more questions. Oh wait they did answer the Cindy question, the answer is they still dont know what to do with her caracter despite the fact that she disappeared over a year ago.
They also promised: "you'll know what happened to the kids", That answer must of been revealed during the commercial breaks when I was on a pee break because I sure didnt see/hear anything to that regards.
If Jack is so important to the storyline then why did the writers want to kill him off in the very first episode?
What was the point for this episode? Juliet getting marked? ooo ooo oh no, they marked me, boo hoo, I will ashamed in public for the rest of my life....oh no wait It's on my back where no one can see it...Who the hell cares about Juliet, seriously?????????? Was it explaining Jack's tattoo? Which could of been done in a 1 minute exchange between Jack and anyone else on the island at some point.
Someone: Hey cool tattoo, Is that Chinese? What does it mean?
Jack: "He who walks among us, but is not one of us"
There! I wasted 30 seconds of your time instead of one hour!
Things that should of happen to advance the storyline
Jack asking better questions to Alex, something like"Hey we found this crazy lady in the Jungle who says she's your mom, is she?
Sawyer asking better questions to Carl Something like "What? Were you born on this island? when carl said he never heard of the Brady Bunch.
The lack of reasoning from the main caracters is really wearing thin.
I want the hour back that I lost watching this turd!
If next week is the same, then I'm simply going to wait til the season is over and download the episodes,that way I can skip through their commercials!
annieone 02-22-2007, 01:58 PM ok, now, let's see... the tattoos belong to Fox. Whatever meaning was attached to them was a post hoc reason. There is no way the tattoos have any importance in a story whose plot is already outlined. Pointless, anticlimatic, wasteful.
And now we have to wait for another jackback to know what the rest of the tattoos mean? Sheeesh.
BTW, am I wrong or is this the largest difference between "loved it" / "didn't love it" ever?
Tiny Time Machine 02-22-2007, 02:01 PM Yeah, this episode pretty much sucked.
I did get a good laugh, though, when Jack said Achara's kiss tasted "salty". But that was when I thought she was a prostitute.
Krystal 02-22-2007, 02:10 PM BTW, am I wrong or is this the largest difference between "loved it" / "didn't love it" ever?
Nope, check out the "I Do" thread and the three or four prior.
RodimusBen 02-22-2007, 02:12 PM This is my first time posting in a "didn't love it" thread.
I had high hopes for this ep. I was curious about the new blond woman, I was hoping Carl would reveal some meaningful information, and of course, I wanted MUCH more out of the Cindy scene.
Alas, it was not to be. But I'm not in despair.
Next episode looks to be a really great one, and now that we are finally off of that little island, I expect things will pick right back up.
Dolphincrc 02-22-2007, 02:13 PM I have never watched a LOST episode I didnt like- until last night. It's not that they didnt reveal anything- it's the fact that it was plain and simple TERRIBLE. Flashback was horrible and didnt really advance the story or tell us anything new about Jack. On island stuff was bland and non-engaging.
Krystal 02-22-2007, 02:20 PM Yes, it was very confusing. My biggest beefs at the moment are:
1. What was the point of the flashback and the tattoo's if what they actually say isn't what they actually mean?
2. What was the point of putting Jack in Sawyer's cage, even if only temporarily?
3. What was the point of Alex and Jack's "I'll answer your question if you answer mine" conversation? That didn't go anywhere except to show us that Jack obviously cares for Juliet (which actually is one of the things I liked about this episode.)
4. What was the point in Cindy and company "watching" Jack? That whole scene was a waste of air time. And then I didn't understand why Jack got very angry at Cindy when he quite possibly could have found out a few more things about them and the others.
5. Why did Sawyer let Karl go?
6. Why is Ben so against Karl? Is Karl an outsider and not one of them, because Ben wants Karl dead and I thought there is "capital" punishment for killing one of their own?
7. Number six leads me to my next point in why these others actually have "capital" punishment. So they are allowed to kidnap and kill outsiders, but when one of their own does it within the camp, it's looked down upon? :blink: Yeah, that's really civilized. :rolleyes:
Relic 02-22-2007, 02:26 PM I don't post, this is one of my first few, my first in months, but I have to agree with everyone.
Nothing was answered, no plot was furthered, this show is an ensemble show, but it's been nothing but Jack/Kate/Sawyer for far too long, the flashbacks were completely pointless (does anyone really care about jack's tattoos? I mean, come on now). If Kate is feeling all guilty about her little tryst with Sawyer now, then why did she do it? Last night's episode was the worst one I have seen. It's getting harder and harder to justify watching this show!!
MrsArtist 02-22-2007, 02:30 PM I am a huge fan of the show and I HATED last nights episode. Usually, I defend the writers if they don't write such a good episode, but this time THERE ARE NO EXCUSES.
1. The new lady, "the sheriff" OH MY GOD!!! Lets have another lady (this time a little older) have wierd and mysterious conversations with Jack. OH, wait that was last year and her name was Julia. Oh, that lady and those coversations just made me furious!!!
2. The whole thing about 'revealing where Cindy is' and the kids. So, they are alive, MAN, I totally DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!! Give me a break!!! No one even questioned that! The question is, how are the Others keeping them from escaping? And why are they willingly staying there and listening to the others. Cindy's explanation "it is not that simple" was basically the writers way of saying "we don't know what to write here"
3. Karl - OK if he is one of the OTHERS, why do they want to kill him? And how did taking him to the other island 'save' him? Where is he going to go? Back to those houses with back yards, and then when all the others return from work, they are just going to say "hi" to him and continue on with their lives? It makes NO sense! Also, if the others were torturing him, why does he defend them "we live better lives" WHAT THE HELL??? OH, again, made me furious!
4. Kate and Sawyer - OK, so I know that when there is sexual tension between favorite characters the shows usually keep going, but when they get together the 'fun' stops. But seriously, how many more Kate/Saywer arguments are we going to listen to?
5. They BRANDED Julia? OH MY GOD, BUNCH OF CRAP!!! Its like 'The Scarlett Letter' only wait, no one can even see it!! And who goes around 'branding' people? I was really hoping that they explain why Julia is on the island if she never wanted |