I mean after it's all said and done was tonight's epi really just pointless .....did it just show us the effects on Desmond or is a small part in the greater scheme of things?

I think we should assume it is a small part in the greater scheme of things. Sure, it probably didn't need a whole episode to get that across, but it sure was an interesting watch!

I'm going to have to go with, "not pointless."

Well not so much pointless but just weird

One of the most unique episodes there has been--- so no way it could be called pointless.

This epi rocked! One of their best.

great episode.
was very light on the island and heavy on the flashback.

I definitely don't think pointless b/c it seems to be pointing the general direction that the show is going to be heading, more science fiction-y, more mind-bending concepts, which is intriguing, imo. I can't wait to see what the writers have up their sleeves.

pointless? don't think so.

intriguing? explicitly.

Haven't been this confused by an episode.....maybe ever :cnfused1:

EXCEPTIONAL episode. I think that if anyone found it pointless, then they don't really know what good TV is. Definitely a piece of a greater puzzle, but a great episode. I was enthralled!

Well we had to find out what happened to Desmond sometime...

Are you kidding me? Tonight was the WHOLE POINT!!!

i'm just left extreamely confused....i dont know what to think....lol, i wish they would have showed more of the island. i'm kind of dissapointed because i got the impression they were showing the islanders and they didnt, i hope its not going to be like this for the rest of the season or i'm going to be very dissapointed. dont get me wrong, i love desmond and his backround but i miss everyone...

i'm just left extreamely confused....i dont know what to think....lol, i wish they would have showed more of the island. i'm kind of dissapointed because i got the impression they were showing the islanders and they didnt, i hope its not going to be like this for the rest of the season or i'm going to be very dissapointed. dont get me wrong, i love desmond and his backround but i miss everyone...

near the beginning of the episode, i was having the same thoughts....
but by the end, it was completely reversed.
I also don't think the rest of the season will 'like this',
i'm thinking we'll look back at it as a very unique episode
:biggrin:

Well, we must understand what 'pointless' means. I absolutely LOVED this episode...but part of me thinks about it and says...what REALLY happened? Because, in fact, nothing did. Did Desmond go back or did he just relive his old experiences in his mind? We still have no idea what really happened to him when he turned the key, except now he's having these 'forward' flashes.

When it comes to understanding the underlying fabric of the forces at work on the Island and in the Losties lives, this is the most important episode yet.

It certainly gives us reason to watch Charlie very closely from this point forward. I suppose that could have been accomplished much quicker, but the "flashback detour" not only served the purpose of (perhaps) downloading tons of mythology, but it got us to the woman in the jewelry store, the dude with the ruby slippers red shoes, and then the big payoff that it's Charlie Desmond's been saving.

Plus, it was so damn well executed and a joy to watch. That's never pointless, in my book.

:shrug:

When it comes to understanding the underlying fabric of the forces at work on the Island and in the Losties lives, this is the most important episode yet.

I think it's one of the most important episodes ever, from just about any angle.

reminds me of the hurely mental hospital episode and the numbers.

Tonight was the best epi ever!!

great episode.
was very light on the island and heavy on the flashback.

i prefer flash forward. :-)

great episode!!!!! weird but left me feeling good about the show.

I agree that this was an awesome episode. I wouldn't say that it was pointless but I have a small feeling that it won't be a huge factor in the grand scheme of things. Other things in the past that seemed really major have been kind of left behind. For now anyway.

Way too interesting to be pointless. TV that makes you think long after the hour's over does it's job, entertain. My opinion, too many TV shows are of no value & very little quality. How many rehash the same old storylines, low brow humor, t & a with dumb dialogue to attract viewers? Lost, though frustrating at times, is usually above such tactics. It assumes their audience has a brain.;) ;) ;) :biggrin:

How could something so entertaining be "pointless"? I think TPTB have tried to remind us to just sit back and enjoy the ride and not stress so much about the destination. I enjoyed that epi more than any since season 1, so it was certainly worth it to me! :biggrin:

Pointless? Maybe if you lived in bizarro world.... or if it were opposite day.

There's no doubt it was instrumental to the show, but once it was over, I admit I was disappointed. It seems like the show has taken more of a psychological turn. Now it's more about the mysteries going on in the characters' minds rather than the mysteries of the island. This has to be an essential plot line which number one, explained what happened when the key was turned, and number two, explained why Des can see the future. I just miss the Smoke Monster and polar bears and stuff. That's all.

Pointless? No way.

They dedicated an entire show to Desmond and what he can do. I can only assume that it will play a major role in the overall scope of the show. I think last night's episode was very relevant.

Long time lurker here using her first post ever to say: POINTLESS.

As a stand alone TV episode? Compelling. It was fantastic, and I was certainly intrigued by the time travel implications. Plus, Desmond is quite pretty, I don't mind seeing him on my TV screen.

As a S3 Lost episode? Meh. No plot development. No character development for the S1 cast members. We did get answers to such pressing questions as: (a) when was that picture of Des and Penny taken? and (b) why did Des break up with Penny? Right.

I don't think ANY Lost episodes are pointless. :)

Lost is mainly about character development. The producers said that many times in interviews & on the Lost Survivor Guide. Its being written as a very sophisticated soap opera to develop that character as fully as possible so he/she will fit into the scheme of the premise of the show which is about a bunch of strangers stranded on an mysterious island. So why do so many fans complain about flashbacks - how else are we get to know these people?

yeah who doesn't like the excitement of encountering the mysteries of the island? I certainly do but I also appreciate the whys and hows of what makes a certain character tick. And the writers are doing this in an extremely creative way which is one of the main reasons why this show has captured our imaginations.

This episode definitely was not pointless & it may prove to be very pivotal. I enjoyed it very much especially now that this new & very intriguing element that Desmond seems to be experiencing has been brought up.

YES... and flat out just a waste of time. An hour of my life i'll never get back!!

Did nothing for the PLOT, I think all it did was give the red shirts and most of the cast another week off.

Only ray of sunshine was that little bit we learned about Charlies future. (can't come soon enough)

Over all I gave it a #5 on the "rate the epi"

RJ

How sad, quikgta! I love charlie.

Anyway, I agree this episode was fantastic. But look at the implications. It was "apparently" about what happened when Des turned the key and how he can see the future, but did we really learn anything about either of those two scenarios? Nothing, except that he briefly had flashbacks and now he's having flash forwards.

Likely one of the most important episodes yet in terms of understanding the interconnectedness of our characters.

I'm going to say "yes, it was a bit pointless." Actually, though, I'm beginning to think that all of the flashbacks are, since I read an interview with the producers, and they say that they'll never really explain why everyone has been connected w/one another in the past - they're just making a statement about the interconnectedness of the world or something.

Essentially, the losties weren't chosen and there's no grand scheme to get these specific people onto the island.. they just happen to be connected. So, I don't really appreciate these flashbacks/back stories anymore. I think they're just doing it to fill the time so that they only need to spend 15 minutes or so on the actual plot. :mad:

Not at all pointless, loved the episode and I think it's all a part of what the island is and what it can do to you.

Long time lurker here using her first post ever to say: POINTLESS.

As a stand alone TV episode? Compelling. It was fantastic, and I was certainly intrigued by the time travel implications. Plus, Desmond is quite pretty, I don't mind seeing him on my TV screen.

As a S3 Lost episode? Meh. No plot development. No character development for the S1 cast members. We did get answers to such pressing questions as: (a) when was that picture of Des and Penny taken? and (b) why did Des break up with Penny? Right.
Uh oh. Our screen names are so similar - this should get very confusing.

I don't think the episode was pointless at all, but it may be awhile before we can fully comprehend what the point was. I think the "point" depends on how "real" Des's memories turn out to be--something I don't think we'll know for awhile.

This was the first Season 3 episode that I've actually enjoyed and that seemed to have the spirit and quality of the "old" Lost. I was very near to giving up on the series altogether and this episode saved it for me.

This is the first episode that has left me with a clear picture of what is really happening. I think this episode gave away way to much.

I don't think it gave away too much, but it definately wasn't pointless. How else would they have got that Experience across in a different way and kept it interesting to watch??
And it's Lost so of course we can assume it's part of something bigger.
I don't think any episodes of Lost are pointless anyway, they all add to the story and the characters etc in different ways.
Also it answered (to some degree anyway) what happened to Desmond when he turnt the failsafe key. I'm sure it will become completely clear as to what happened at a later point in the show and this episode will make that full story a lot more interesting and easy to digest.

I really enjoyed the episode a good deal (best of this season, by far), but I think in the overall scheme of things it will turn out rather insignificant. It was a cool way to show a flashback, but it didn't really show us anything new.

No way was it pointless, or insignificant.

The main theme running through the ep was that of fate.
The theme of free-will has been quite prominent so far this season, but ep8 has just contradicted all that. We've now been told that the characters cannot change their destiny no matter how hard they try - Des can't, Charlie can't, and if they can't then it would suggest that none of the characters can.

Whether this is true or not, whether fate or free-will will overcome in the end, I guess we'll have to just wait, watch and see. ;)

Yeah, that's one of the things I really loved about this episode, the free-will vs. destiny theme. I don't think it was in contradiction to the episodes we've seen so far, though. I felt that this season so far has been about the question of free-will's existance, and if it does exist what exactly does it mean? Destiny/fate is part of that equation.