Discuss the good and bad about the episode. If you totally loved the episode or totally didn't love the episode and do not wish to discuss the pros and cons, please visit the Loved it or Didn't Love it threads.

Okay, I really need a discussion to happen in this thread. I need somewhere to discuss the episode in general and weigh the pros and cons and the information we were given. The format of this episode was so different, with tons of new characters introduced, each with his or her own FB. Each FB was very, very different from each other. And then we seemingly had a FB from the POV of a dead woman, unless Naomi is really alive. Or ... unless Abaddon is Smokey, and Smokey had a FB (only half joking). We had major reveals all in one episode. We had major time off of the island that is post-crash but pre-flash forwards (of our Losties). We even had bonus Vincent time.

What the HECK is going on with this episode? What is going on with Lost? I did NOT hate it. I might end up LOVING it. But right now?? I'm just plain stupefied. I would love to hear other opinions and thoughts relating to the differences with this episode and how we got so much information all at once.

Okay, I really need a discussion to happen in this thread. I need somewhere to discuss the episode in general and weigh the pros and cons and the information we were given. The format of this episode was so different, with tons of new characters introduced, each with his or her own FB. Each FB was very, very different from each other. And then we seemingly had a FB from the POV of a dead woman, unless Naomi is really alive. Or ... unless Abaddon is Smokey, and Smokey had a FB (only half joking). We had major reveals all in one episode. We had major time off of the island that is post-crash but pre-flash forwards (of our Losties). We even had bonus Vincent time.

What the HECK is going on with this episode? What is going on with Lost? I did NOT hate it. I might end up LOVING it. But right now?? I'm just plain stupefied. I would love to hear other opinions and thoughts relating to the differences with this episode and how we got so much information all at once.

I definitely agree that this episode was all over the place and I'm not usually one to complain. I was thrown off by the FB of Naomi as well. It was informative but definitely ruined the flow.

As I posted in the Hated It thread, I really thought the whole ghostbusting business was a jump the shark moment.

I like the new characters but really found myself indifferent about the episode as a whole. I think that the episode would have been better had they made some effort to connect the flashbacks in some way. Even a particular theme would have been better than just telling us a little about each characters past. It sort of felt like that episode where they killed off Nikki and Paulo, something they just had to get out of the way before they continued on with the story.

I thought that this episode was a total mess & it really could have been fantastic. It was as if they just threw this episode together at the last minute.

If some things are explained as supernatural ghosts then I'll be disappointed. We need actual answers in this show. Sure some far fetched pseudo science involving magnetic energy...fine I can swallow that. But are they leading us down a path to believe that Jacob is just some old timey ghost and the smoke is some apparition from beyond?

As I posted in another thread, Ben was great. LOVED him. I don't always know whether to trust him or not and that is the beauty of his character.

ITA with the ghosts thing. It's too easy.

Re: FB. Yeah, it was a tad choppy, but I really liked it. We actually got some answers within a show instead of having to wait 4-5 episodes to find something out. We still don't know exactly who they are with, but we know that Ben is connected to them.

I liked Naomi's FB and hope we see more. The extent of her mission hasn't been defined yet.

Yeah I am hoping for a rational explanation of this ghost nonsense. I didn't mind the rest of the episode, I just don't want the explanations in the show to be supernatural, it is a cop out

If some things are explained as supernatural ghosts then I'll be disappointed. We need actual answers in this show. Sure some far fetched pseudo science involving magnetic energy...fine I can swallow that. But are they leading us down a path to believe that Jacob is just some old timey ghost and the smoke is some apparition from beyond?
I agree that we don't want a ghostbusters story, but there are ghosts on the island....jack's dad and ben's mom. i'm not saying that guy's there for that, but we must admit there are some supernatural things going on.:biggrin:

Hm, see the reason I posted here is because I did NOT hate the episode. It may have been a bit choppy. I don't disagree with that. But I think it's mostly because of this interseting format they applied to the show. I just feel very confused by it all. It's sort of like being in season 1 again when they are tons and tons of new characters introduced all at once and you don't know what to think or who to trust or what their motives are. But then we did get some of the motivation right away---that they are looking for Ben... and that was odd. I'm used to having to wait for big answers. So, I don't know. I just feel confused. But I did not hate it, that's for sure.

We thought it was pretty bad taste to not close Naomi's eyes. That was creepy not to mention uncivilized.

Also, her flash-back, even if attributed to Abbadon was ill placed since it did not tangent off of him being in a scene. Unless, Naomi is not dead, in which case it was really odd because flash-backs and flash-forwards usually occur after a character has spoken.

The ghostbuster comment was interesting. Naomi, like the rest of us are more rationable and we are sure that she had doubts about Miles as we do.

We believe that the "Lost" story has changed (matured), therefore the format has changed. We are half-way through the seasons and we would expect the story to not stay the same. The story does seem to be "all over the place" but one thing is sure; the story lines are headed in some direction. What direction is the question.

P. S. We are one quarter through the season and we have only seen two episodes. Can anyone believe it? I think it's going to be one wild hiatus.

Scattered (like the light) is how I would describe this episode. It's like they wanted us to have a bunch of info, but just kind of threw it out there all willy nilly. Not much seemed connected, it was very fractured and not enough of anything to make sense of any of it. I didn't hate it, but wish they would have picked a couple of things and stuck with them.

I hate to neutralize this thread but I thought this episode was a big improvement over the season premiere. The island and its characters were losing a little steam. The newcomers and their FBs allowed us to see the island and its people from a different perspective. I think its interesting how some people look at FBs as the thoughts of the characters in them. But FBs always show the characters that are supposedly having them, so they're not what the character remembers, unless the losties have a lot of out of body experiences. FBs are just a simple way for the producers to show us the characters' back stories. The lessons from the FBs aren't for the characters, they're for us.

The lessons I got from this current batch of flashbacks is that this new group of people are not representing the freighter people so much as doing their dirty work. In Naomi's FB, we got her talking about the rest of her group like their not all that professional. Besides being a ghostbuster, Miles is a con artist. He and the woman seem to have a little too much of the Nikki and Paulo thing going on. (What was that thing she stole from that digging site?) Their motives, whatever they might be, don't seem all that pure. I see them as out for whatever money the freighties are throwing their way. The other two I'm not so sure about.

As for the losties, it was good to see Jack and Kate flirting again. Even Sayid and Juliette seemed to be loosening up. And I don't know how far Sawyer can follow Locke but so far it's been pretty much fun. Confirmed Dead is the best episode so far of this season.

I have only watched the epi once (I plan to watch it again)...anyway, the more I read and think back on what I remember from just the first view I kind of think it was meant to be choppy. I have been thinking about the flashbacks and focusing not so much on the content but more so on what they told me....what each character has to offer. Why would that person be needed for that "mission"? I'm wondering if the writers wanted us to see that...not so much the content but what each person means to the direction of the show. (Although the content was somewhat interesting too.)

Just my initial thoughts.

....

The lessons I got from this current batch of flashbacks is that this new group of people are not representing the freighter people so much as doing their dirty work. In Naomi's FB, we got her talking about the rest of her group like their not all that professional. Besides being a ghostbuster, Miles is a con artist. He and the woman seem to have a little too much of the Nikki and Paulo thing going on. (What was that thing she stole from that digging site?) Their motives, whatever they might be, don't seem all that pure. I see them as out for whatever money the freighties are throwing their way. The other two I'm not so sure about.

....


Yeah I kind of got that idea as well when I saw Naomi's FB with the creepy tall man. Oh ... from the excavation site in Tunisia, I think Charlotte took a harness with a Dharma seal on it. Looked like the Medusa station seal.

Lots to figure out!!

from the excavation site in Tunisia, I think Charlotte took a harness with a Dharma seal on it. Looked like the Medusa station seal.

the polar bear skeleton was wearing a leather collar that had a DHARMA tag, bearing the symbol of the Hydra station.

i tend to agree w/ Calvin Hobbes, that the flashbacks are not intended to represent thoughts/flashbacks/recollections of the people they feature. they are there to give context to the viewer, to give US insight.

i don't get why everyone is freaking out all of a sudden, over the whole ghost hunter/spiritualist thing. if the supernatural/ghost element is such a turn-off, shouldn't that freak out have come during Man Behind the Curtain? if the events in the cabin didn't reveal a definite supernatural element, i don't know what could. not to mention that, at the very least, apparitions have been showing up since day one. jack has been seeing christian since he first arrived on the island.

What I find extremely interesting is not the inclusion of the "ghost buster" persay, but the fact that whomever orchestrated the mission must have known a tremendous amount about the island. Consider the occupations of the freighties: a paleontologist, a physicist, a spiritualist, and a seemingly military trained naomi. They had to know about the physical properties of the island aka the physicist, the fact that a lot of strange spiritual phenomena occurs, the existance of the ruins (why else include a paleontologist) and the existance of the hostiles.

If it were strictly an opperation to extract Ben, why not send in a crew of ex military types, they'd have a much better shot of a hot extraction than this motley band.

i don't get why everyone is freaking out all of a sudden, over the whole ghost hunter/spiritualist thing. if the supernatural/ghost element is such a turn-off, shouldn't that freak out have come during Man Behind the Curtain? if the events in the cabin didn't reveal a definite supernatural element, i don't know what could. not to mention that, at the very least, apparitions have been showing up since day one. jack has been seeing christian since he first arrived on the island.

I can only speak for myself regarding all the ghost stuff. I didn't have a problem with Jack's dad or even Kate's horse bc we knew that the island was different and I was eager to get an answer for that. Even the stuff with Walt was ok, but again, I knew there *had* to be something different.

Then the blatent Ghost Whisperer, just seemed I dunno, too elementary for a show of this intelligence. I hope that it's a momentary thing brought it for a greater purpose, or a storyline for a springboard to another. I just hope it's not the end result, kwim?

I walked away from it with mixed emotions. I really didn't expect the new people to be so different. A ghostbuster, and a guy who cries all the time was far off from the re-con team I expected. These people are going to get schooled by Ben, heck they were already ambushed an hour on the Island:) I thought it ended strong with Ben being the focal point, and I like the question Locke asked. I have confidence the writers are going to make this all look brilliant.

Well i'm actually happy with the supernatural element added to the show. Maybe not Miles the ghostbuster, but i love the Jacobs, the Christian Sheperd visions, the whole vision angles actually. One of my favourite moments from Season 1 (The best season) was Locke's vision of Boone bloody standing on top of the hatch.

Science can't explain EVERYTHING after all, and if you think LOST is a pure science fiction show, then you're not going to be happy with the answers. This isn't Star Trek, or Battlestar Galactica we're watching here. LOST is part drama, part science fiction, part fantasy, part comedy etc .

My predicament is that i don't think the show will ever reach the highs of season 1 ever again, yet i am frothing at the mouth for the next episode, which i'm sure will be fantastic.

Is it just my nostalgia? Was Season 1 really that much better?

After all the build up about how much of a threat these freighter people are, we get a muttering geek, a psychic with a dust buster, a condescending anthropologist, and a pilot that was supposed to be flying 815?

When I first saw pics of Ken Leung, I was excited, cause he looked like a badass. I was hoping the rest, even the geeky looking Faraday, would be as nefarious as Miles looked. But no, we get this crew, who seem about as threatening as Alex's slingshot. I hope they'll prove me wrong, but this episode left me quite underwhelmed with them.

Come on , we have to have scientist study the place so we know what the hell is up. I think the newbies are GREAT!

Loved this episode. I'm so impressed with the first two episodes out of the gate this season. Very nice. The new characters don't seem forced (although new characters have always been introduced very smoothly on this show), and the quadruple backstory worked nicely, too, catching us up on The Boat People easily and quickly.

...although I'm still confused on a couple things. Then again, it wouldn't be Lost if I weren't a little confused. :-)

First thing I'm confused about: the wreckage of Oceanic 815. What? We've got both halves of the plane sitting on the island! I'm guessing all the flashbacks are prior to The Boat People's arrival on the island, and not a flashforward like we've seen for the past two episodes.

Oh, Hurley and your big mouth. No talking about the spooky haunted cabin! Especially in front of PsychoKiller!Locke and Ben. This entire scene as Locke's band of mutineers starts off through the jungle after the rain passes is great. And I mean the entire scene, every segment of it sprinkled throughout the episode. Locke's discussion of Walt being "taller" and giving him orders was funny, as was Sawyer's "what, you mean like a giant?" reply. This scene also addressed two major problems I'd had with the show from last season. Firstly, only a few months have passed on the island, but Walt looked a lot older. I'm glad they're not trying to hide that. Secondly, we'd seen Ben shoot Locke and leave him in a pit and then suddenly--whoops!--he's up and walking around again. I love the tied-in perfect explanation of the missing kidney. This is continuity at it's best.

Daniel's nervous evasiveness is cute as Jack and Kate start questioning him about the pack with the gas mask in it. And who didn't see the Miles-isn't-passed-out-and-he's-got-a-gun thing coming? Come on. Still cool, though. I also like the Good Cop/Bad Cop thing they had going between Miles and Daniel.

Which brings me to Miles. Odd backstory. Hurley had the award for Weirdest Backstory before, but Miles may have just usurped the title. What was with the little vacuum cleaner? Does it really do something, or was that for effect in front of the grandmother? And how much did he know walking into that house? Did he know about the money, was he scamming granny? I'm assuming he really can talk to the deceased, or spirits, or whatever, since he seemed to get the whole story from Dead!Naomi.

I like that Juliet and Sayid are suspicious and have enough sense to arm themselves before things got really out of hand. When the tables turn and they catch up with Jack, Kate, Daniel, and Miles (BTW, I love the name Miles) they have such a great little scene. Nicely played by all, and cute dialogue to boot.

Charlotte. Hmm. I think I like her, but I'm not sure. I'm impressed by the Tunisia set, and I love that they find a polar bear skeleton with a Hydra collar on. So confused, but I'm loving it! I'm glad they managed to split The Boat People up. It'll be much more interesting to get stories from both. Charlotte's attempt at sweet inquiry was uncomfortable. Well done, but uncomfortable. And holy haunted islands, Batman, Ben shot Charlotte! Glad they had her in a vest, though, I'm looking forward to the interplay between all four of them and our original characters.

And our final Boat Person, Frank. How bad would you feel if you got a buddy to cover for you flying that particular trip? Ugh. The cow was great, as was his admission later: "I saw a cow." Also a great line: "Crashed? What kind of a pilot do you think I am? I put her down, safe and sound, right over there."

My favorite part of the episode is Naomi's flashback. I like that she was The Military of this little band of Boat Peoples and that the rest are all civilians. This makes them all much more interesting, because they're real people. With flaws and fears and fun stuff like that. :-) And now she's gone, and the lay people are loose among us. Fantastic. I also liked that the Oceanic Lawyer Dude--Abbadon, is it?--who will later visit Hurley in the mental hospital was the one sending Naomi and her team. Who is this guy??

Things got so interesting when Frank figured out Juliet was a native. I'm so curious about The Boat People's mission! Why do they want Ben? How do they know about Ben? What did he do? And how did Charlotte not give herself away when she saw Ben? She must have recognized him. Talk about playing it cool! And who in the world is Ben's "man on their boat"? Was the spy there from the beginning, sent to infiltrate before the mission to the island ever started, or was he sent out there when the boat arrived and is hiding on it, unnoticed? Ooh, so many questions.

I'm quite interested in why Oceanic (if Abbadon is indeed from Oceanic) is trying to cover-up the fact that 815 didn't go down the way they're broadcasting it did. Because, really, Oceanic would rather run around screaming that their company didn't kill everyone. Publicity would be better that way.

So now I'm just insanely curious about who Daniel Faraday, Miles Straume, Charlotte Staples Lewis, and Frank Lapidus are. So curious I'm about to chew off my own arm for answers.

Bits and Pieces:

* The CGI beginning under water and Daniel's fall from the helicopter were beautifully done.
* What is with Locke and predicting the weather? I mean, I did it for about a year and a half in college, but not this specifically. And really, I didn't predict the weather, I influenced it with my mood. ;-)
* Ben continues with the funny-line-o-rama this episode: "Karl! Now, if you're going to sleep with my daughter, I insist you call me Ben."
* Nice to see Vincent again. Cute dog. I hope he's one of the Oceanic Six. :-)
* Captain Seth Norris! Hey there Matt Parkman. Nice mustache.
* Oceanic hotline: 888.548.0034. Anybody got any ideas on what the numbers mean? I'm totally going to call this number tonight and check it out.
* Great line: "Who are we to argue with taller ghost Walt?"
* Another great line: "It's dodgy enough without having to babysit a headcase, ghostbuster, anthropologist, and a drunk." Ah, Naomi. You were pretty cool while you lasted. I'm actually pretty sorry you had to die.
* Yet another funny line, but this one is mostly funny because of Terry's delivery: "I'm sorry you got shot. I didn't mean for that to happen."

This post was edited for what some might call spoilers (my thoughts on what this episode means for the future of the show), ***Mod edited***

GG