What did you think? Rate it and then discuss the good and the bad. :)

WOW!

That was just the best episode of the season yet! LUV IT~:cool:

Locke has always been the greatest character, enough said.

WHAT AN EPISODE!

So much to take in!
I'm gonna have to see it again.

Brilliant, so much craziness I can't wrap my mind around it all, gotta watch the west coast feed.

WOW! Locke centric eps never fail to make me chant.
"I LOVE this show! I LOVE this show":jump1: :woohoo: :jump1:

Excellent episode. It was nice to have flashbacks return, and to learn more about Locke. The cabin scene, Alpert, and Abandon will have me wondering all week about what is going on!

Wow, lots to digest in that episode. I liked the episode, but didn't think it was awesome, but then I'm not a Locke fan, so I gave it an 8, the same rating as last week. It was nice seeing Richard again and that he was interested in Locke from his birth. I also liked seeing Abaddon again, but I have no idea what his agenda is......:confused:

Really great episode - very informational.

Locke-centrics never fail to disappoint. 10 all the way!

10-Very Exciting! I liked it much better than last week weeks episode,

Totally mind blowing!! :eek2: By far the best episode of the season and perhaps the best episode of Lost ever, anyone who did not like this episode ***Mod edited*** is probably never going to like an episode of Lost again. This episode was everything that is so great about this show packed together in 1 hour.

I honestly didn't like it that much. I thought it went WAY to much in the supernatural side of things and the acting the flashbacks were just awful.

10. Excellent episode. Claire in the cabin gave me chills. The island's torch seemingly passed on to John Locke, whose life is now officially part of the mythology. Another great Locke episode. Bravo, Terry O'Quinn.

I honestly didn't like it that much. I thought it went WAY to much in the supernatural side of things and the acting the flashbacks were just awful.


" ...anyone who did not like this episode ***Mod edited*** is probably never going to like an episode of Lost again. This episode was everything that is so great about this show packed together in 1 hour."

Great episode. A 10 from me...loved lots about it (namely the Locke stuff, and some great lines from Hurley) but I especially loved how its setting up the finale. Loved the scene at the end when the chopper flew over hear and they're all staring at it, all starry eyed: rescue is here. Little do they know. Jack's "I think they want us to follow them" was chilling. It's going to be quite the encounter.

I gave it a 9. I thought about giving it a 10. So I said, is it as good as Expose? I decided not as good as Expose, so no 10, but pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Gave it a nine. Would have given it a 10 if they had shown Sawyer with the biiibaaa! Terry O'Quinn hits it outta the park, as always! Claire's grin - creepy and is making my head spin. Hurley sharing a candy bar with Ben - that's our Hurley, the true good guy. :kiss:

It wasn't bad. It was certainly better than last week's SNBH, but not nearly as good as TSOTTC two week's ago. I was hoping that we'd finally get some answers this week, but instead it seems, we just got a fresh crop of new questions.

TOQ was great as usual, but the "move the island" thing really jumped the shark. I know that is a theory that has been talk about on the internet for years, but I never really expected it to pop up on the show.

The thing with Claire and Christian hanging out in Jacob's cabin was just weird too.

I gave it a 7. With just a few more answers, I would have ranked it a lot higher. I guess I just need some answers already!!!

I gave it a 7. It was a good episode, but it was slow moving, and took a while to get to the key points, which were about three in all. I thought last week's episode was better: more character stories like in season one, and most of the cast was seen. I didn't need to see 30 minutes worth of "he's special" from three different aged "Johns" to get the idea. I don't understand why it took Locke to get into his 50s to find his way, but I'll have to be patient with the storytelling.

The interesting parts of the episode for me were:

1. Richard Alpert and Abaddon were both interested in Locke (not really sure yet why). Being "chosen" doesn't really help me.

2. Abaddon made sure that Locke would get on flight 815 by putting him on the path to his walkabout, and thereby end up on the island.

3. The Shephard clan is tied to the island somehow.

I think all episodes of Lost are always above average, and this one was no exception, but I would hardly rate it a 10 or even a 9. It gave a few breadcrumbs, but it didn't really give any real information, not like The Constant anyway. It raised a few questions, naturally:

What is it about John that makes him special?
Why does the Shephard family seem connected to the island?
Why does Claire seem soooo different, almost complacent now?
How do Alpert and Abaddon tie into everything? I thought they were on opposing sides.

I was thrilled to see Frank, and I'm glad that he is turning out to be a good guy. His efforts to protect the Losties gives him huge points for me. On the other hand, Desmond is turning into a dweeb. All the man cares about is his precious Penny. Charlie gave his life to make sure that Claire and Aaron got on the helicopter, and Desmond refuses to even go back to the island to make sure that that happens. At the very least, he can SEE what's going down with Keamy and his men, and yet he does nothing. Sorry folks, I could give a flying fig about Desmond and Penny. I think their relationship is the least interesting.

Locke seems to have a purpose now, and Locke is always great when he has a purpose. I liked how he said that he's not Ben, but at the same time, he confirmed that he's all about saving the island. If it were me, I'd be trying to save my friends, but Locke is all about the island. Ultimately, that might not turn out to be a bad thing, but there better be something really wonderful about the island that makes all its sacrifices so necessary.

Hurley and Ben were nice, but nothing really interesting overall.

Jack and Juliet were actually really cute, especially when she's scolding him for moving around. Jack healed mighty quickly for an appendectomy. Granted, it's not heart surgery, but it's still surgery and involves cutting into the body cavity. He's walking around pretty well, although he was clearly still not 100% when he ran for the bag that Frank tossed. What exactly was Frank trying to tell the Losties anyway by dumping the sat phone? If he didn't want them to follow him, why drop the phone (or whatever it is)? I'm guessing Jack will leave most of the Losties behind while he goes after the chopper, but that's just a guess.

I always love Sayid. He's still fighting to bring about rescue, and whether it's a good idea or a bad idea, in terms of bringing the freighters, at least him (and Jack) are trying to get everyone off the island. I loved that scene between Sayid and Keamy, with both men staring each other down, and you know Sayid isn't going to budge, and he didn't.

Overall, it was an enjoyable episode. It wasn't fantastic, but it certainly moved the plot, and left us with the some nifty intrigue: moving the island. That would explain why Jack can't find it in the FF.

Oh, I love Locke, always have always will. I knew he would get back on track. Oh, my God this was such a great episode. I gave it a 10. I have never done that before. Even TSOTTC I gave just a 9 to, and I loved it. I think I gave this one a 10 because Lost very seldom ever disappoints me and it keeps grabbing me almost every week and makes me breathless and it just keeps doing it for three and a half seasons now. WOW...Just WOW!!

10-Very Exciting! I liked it much better than last week weeks episode,
Couldn't agree more. The Jack episode seemed like a lull between two powerhouses.
Return of Richard.......wow! Glad I wasn't spoiled. :cool:

One of the best episodes of the season. Great lead up to the finale.

I'm totally ready to reconsider if this leads to a guest spot from Terry Pratchett on the guest writers' list and by "move it", they mean activate the Great Turtle and we see the Island raised on its back. But this week, I'm just going to sit here in my corner and wait for the finale.

Dude, awesome.

9.5 easy.

Now gimme time to process all of that. Dang.

9.2/10

not quite as good at the Constant or the SOTTC but pretty darn close. what brought the episode down a little for me, was a lot of it was just moving people in position for the finale ( a little filer-ish in that regard) .

but otherwise, it was way awesome seeing Locke's childhood and the Cabin scene. Creepy!! and awesome.

"we have to move the island."dun, dun, dun!

Just got done watching it., Im pretty torn honestly, part of me want s to give it a 5 and the other wants to give it a strong 7. I mean, basically this episode was one big tease. Im not going to rate it just yet, Im going to go watch it again and see if ill change my mind.


" ...anyone who did not like this episode ***Mod edited*** is probably never going to like an episode of Lost again. This episode was everything that is so great about this show packed together in 1 hour."

***Mod edited*** Even though I may not like this episode, I can guarantee that I'll LOVE plenty more to come.

That was awesome. I loved seeing The Wonder Years, Locke style (shocked to see Alpert be such a jerk to Little John), and Abbaddon?? HE'S the one who inspired the Walkabout? And here I thought he had it out for the Oceanic 815 survivors. John will owe him one - I smell a morality test coming up for John, and I'm not sure he'll pass.

And Claire! What the hell? She's dead, isn't she? So I guess Kate is supposed to raise her after all? Can't wait to see more on that. I'm guessing we'll see another hunt for the next Island Lama, with Aaron as a front runner.

And moving the Island? I have no idea how that's even going to play out.


Very, very interesting. I wish there were more than three hours left.

One of the best ever!
Richard doesn't get old!
I think claire's dead.
The doctor time travels.
Move the island!?

I LOVED this episode. This was the first episode in a while that I didn't spoil myself on, mostly because I was moving this whole week, but I think I will quit spoiling myself, it turns out to be a better experience! I love Locke! I missed Sawyer this episode though. And I hate to say it but Keamy is smokin hot!

Great episode 10!

Very nice episode. I give it a 9.5 rating, It answered alot of questions for me, and made me realized that John Locke is the ultimate chosen one of the Others. It looks like that Claire is really dead. The finale is really set up for who wants to leave and who wants to stay. It was a mindblowing episode, which confirmed that Ben is now powerless and Locke is now calling the shots. Loved the scene with Christian and Claire and Locke. Mindblowing that the Others knew about Locke when he was born. Locke is now officially the King of the Others. I love any episode involving Christian Shepard. It seems like everything is set for the finale, so the next three hours of the show should be awesome.


Mystille

I agree. Honestly i think it was lackluster. I can't get behind all the people who are giving it a 10. It was primarily a set up episode. Clumsily seamed but necessary to fill the gaps. Which means it can't stand on it's own without the wight of the series to support it. The best episodes, rather, are stand alone episodes like "Flashes Before Your Eyes snd The Constant. Anyone unfamiliar with the series could watch these cold and come away totally satisfied and yet intrigued.


I honestly didn't like it that much. I thought it went WAY to much in the supernatural side of things and the acting the flashbacks were just awful.

Man from Tallahasee was also really good and that was definitely more a stand-alone episode. I'm inclined to agree. Within the series it was good, but it wasn't that good. good enough for a 9, but a 10 no.

Fantastic episode! As much mythology as was present I was surprised to see it wasn't written by Damon and Carlton.
They have to move the island?! How do you move an island? Unless it's not really an island... And why can't it move itself? This should be good!
Claire was kind of creepy in the cabin, or was it just me?

Just finished it, I still have goosebumps.
9. Just when I thought Lost couldn't get any WTFer.

:jawdrop:

Really, really liked it overall, but a 9 from me, mainly because of the flashbacks - I thought they were a bit clumsy, forced and unnecessary.

That said - loved to see Richard Alpert again, the Hurley/Ben/Locke scenes are awesome, Claire was super-creepy (what I loved!) , so might finally get something to do out of it, and the freighter story was exciting as well! Oh, and I absolutely love Juliet :D

Not sure what I think of the final twist - I'll probably wait to see how it plays out till I give my judgment. I guess other than that the thing I only really disliked were the flashbacks - but more because I thought the dialog and acting for the teenage Locke was uninspired and not pulled off very well, and I'm really not digging this determinism theme as of lately. Whatever happened to 'you make your own luck'? :(

90%, top notch epi... truly amazing

I really liked the ep, and gave it an 8 (I seem to reserve the 10's for very rare outings :biggrin: )

The one mark against this ep: pacing -- some big pacing issues (imo) during the first 2/3 of the ep. It was all great info, and I loved the neat use of young-John FBs, rather than the conventional adult-centrics. And so many new mysteries that represent Lost at its very best :biggrin:

Abbadon is super creepy and awesome -- I definitely want to see more of him. Keamy may be the worst baddie they've had on the show, just for how heartless and cruel he is.

But the last 15 minutes made this one of the best rides of the season: that freighter scene with Keamy going crazy was just super-insane! And poor Frank being caught in the middle like that!

And then the cabin reveal, CS, Claire! I have no idea where they're going with that, but it is Lost at its creepiest best.

And then the very last line had me squealing with delight: "We have to move the island." :eek2:

8... It was creepy to see Christian and Claire together. The ghostlike Claire showed that Emilie could do much more with Claire character if the writers had given her something to act. I'm not giving higher because supernatural elements are taking over the show much more than I like. And I'm still not getting the feeling that "everything happened for a reason" in the past seasons.

Dude, that was a perfect 10. In the immortal words of John Locke: we're gonna have to watch that again.

Whoa.

Move the island? ...Sure, why not. Nothing unusual in that. Cue Hurley:

"Okay, that thing in the woods, maybe it's a monster, maybe it's a pissed off giraffe, I don't know. The fact that no one is even looking for us, yeah, that's weird, but I just go along with it because I'm along for the ride, good old fun time Hurley. Well guess what? Now, I want some friggin' answers."

I'm about to that point, too, between the time anomalies, moving the island, seeing dead peeps, the smoke monster, I could go on and on, but my basic gist is: there are more mysteries here than one can shake Eko's stick at, and I want some friggin' answers! But in the meantime? It sure is a suspenseful thrillride not knowing what the heck is going on--I'm just along for the ride because I'm good old fun-time LOST fan *LOL*!

Translation: this episode was a perfect 10! I'm TOTALLY "lost" (I can see why they named the show what they did) and confused...and I love it!!!! If being perplexed is wrong, I don't wanna be right!
:cnfused1: :14happy:

9
Locke sure has faced challenges from the day he was conceived huh?
Ageless Richard and Abadnon are head scatchers. Christian and a very laconic Clarie in the cabin also real intriguing. A Horace sighting, now who saw that coming?
WOW. I love this show.

Umm...my head hurts. I loved the whole episode up until "He wants us to move the island." That's just.....wow.

8. Good episode. Mind-blowing moments, great information, tons of characters, etc.
Only problem: akward pacing. Blame the Writer's Strike. I think TPTB did the best they could to fit in the story in the time that is left and did an admirable job, but there were flaws due to the circumstances, and therefore can't give it a 9 or 10. Really enjoyed it though (and I HATE Locke so that's saying something).

I gave it a 7. I'm not that intrigued by Locke's quest for Jacob and his mythology because the violent cultism of the Others is not something I can remotely see as good for humanity. Would Locke be a more benevolent leader of the Others than Ben? I would hope so, but then again he might just feed grenades to those who protest. But I digress.
Locke's opening eye - lying sideways, just like Jack's last week - belied the fact that he was having a dream about Horace Greenleaf. That was just like "?" when he dreamed about Eko climbing the cliff and falling. The Island definitely seems to talk to Locke when it needs to

The Flashbacks: Locke's special communion with the island is supported by his flashbacks. Richard Alpert present in the hospital! Although at first I wondered, "What's Michael Scott doing here? Did Dwight send him?"

So I hear the choosing of objects test is similar to what is done to find the next Dalai Lama? If I knew anything more about that, it might make more sense or be more interesting. Why was it a bad thing that little John chose a knife?

And we got a BTTF George McFly flashback but without the humor, and with Richard serving as Michael J. Fox. Great. Why didn't they work in the importance of asking someone to the Under The Sea Dance as part of Locke's path to the island? What a missed opportunity. :rolleyes:

So with Richard and Abbadon having been watching Locke all this time, what were their motivations? Were Widmore and the Others on opposing sides even back then, or were they working together? Or was Abbadon's first appearance after Locke was thrown out the window? Abbadon's focusing how surviving an 8-story fall made him special reminded me of M.Night Shalyman's "Unbreakable", where Samuel L. Jackson searched for miraculous lone survivors to find the superhero, his opposite, that he had been seeking.

The Cabin: Always love to see John Terry, and Christian looks better rested and more tanned than before. I guess he’s been relaxing on the beach waiting for this season. Claire was creepily calm. I’m afraid that means she is dead, but I’ll hang onto hope for the hiatus since they undoubtedly will string out this question till next season. So whose side is Christian on? The Islands’s? Widmore’s? Is he a manifestation of Jacob? If so, why, when Locke doesn’t know him, and doesn’t care about Claire anymore

And Locke wants to know how to save the island. Not the people on the island, but the island. I thought TPTB had dismissed the moveable island theory as internet fluff long ago. I sure hope it turns out to be something else

So if Christian knows how to save the Island and tells Locke how, then Christian must not have been in cahoots with Widmore who seeks to destroy or control it. This is me breathing a sigh of relief as the Dark Cabal of Rich and Powerful Men Controlling the World theory gets chipped away at. (I know that in reality, the world is controlled but such a cabal but I don’t like it in my drama

The Freighter: I was glad to go back to the action every time they cut to the freighter. One would need a timeline diagram to keep track of whether the time of the Morse code call vs. the arrival of Keamy & co. with the helicopter made sense with the previous episodes, so I’ll let other Lost fans do that

Woe is me, Capt. Aussie is dead! He was truly the good guy, in the middle of the old bad guys’ chess moves against each other.

I’ve got no use for Keamy. He’s playing an awfully big role for a character we know nothing about. This is Lost – we’re used to looking behind the characters to see what makes them tick, like they did in Confirmed Dead with the Freighties. More importantly, we’re used to complex characters, and Keamy seems to be all baddie with no redeeming qualities. This is not enough for him to be the instrument of island destruction. Stop him before he kills more of my favorite supporting characters!

Sayid rocked the house again, thinking on his feet and taking action to fulfill the mission – getting the Losties off the island.

Frank is another guy you want to have on your side. One by one the Confirmed Dead Four are realizing “I didn’t sign up for this” and this is going to be interesting in how it plays out. Quick thinking for a care package for the beachies! And I loved his line "Man, I thought I was Mr. Conspiracy, (hello, Fuselage) but you got me beat there.”
Desmond, like in Locke’s vision, is looking out for himself. Let’s hope this is only for the purposes of placing him where he needs to be, on the freighter, for the finale.

Like any penultimate episode, it seemed to have a lot of time placing people where they apparently need to be for the finale. TPTB also commented on this in an interview, where they said there was a lot of travel going on in the plot with all the locales being widely separated

Great questions, Maxum:
It raised a few questions, naturally

What is it about John that makes him special?
Why does the Shephard family seem connected to the island?
Why does Claire seem soooo different, almost complacent now?
How do Alpert and Abaddon tie into everything? I thought they were on opposing sides.

10 - Exceptional!

Nice come back from last week's snoozer. I loved that it touched it on each of the three contingencies of losties. I really loved how it proved wrong our assumption that the O6 were leaving on the chopper. And I really loved the WTF moment I had when I saw the Doc on the freighter after seeing him wash up on shore two eps earlier with his throat slit. I am certainly looking for an explanation on that one.

This is what I like to see on LOST. My favorite character front and center charged with the mission to move The Island. How cool is that?

Rated a 9 in my books.

- I like people's assessment of how our Losties are being moved into place for the finale. I kinda felt that in the episode, but didn't realize it until I got here...
- fav moment - Alpert's return! I love being unspoiled...
- 2nd fav moment - Ben and Hurley's chocolate bar moment. Well done for TOQ, ME and Jorge this whole episode.
- I enjoyed watching Ben slowly spell it out to Locke about the changing of the guard. Will this make Ben a mentor for John?.. teaching him how to control Smokey, how to make duplicate passports, how wield a whip-stick, etc... ;)
- I loved Christian's demeanour in this episode,.. strong but silent, powerful but not conceited, and,.. not drunk. I can't wait to see where Christian shows up next.

all that said... please sir, may I have another?

9 - great epi! Only reason it's not getting a 10 is because it wasn't a Ben or Sawyer epi.. Yeah I know.. I'm shallow... :71:

I thought it was great. 10/10. It left me wanting a lot more. I wish the show was 2 hours.

I don't think I've enjoyed an ep through the whole thing as much as this one since The Constant.

Keep it up!

Excellent, a 10. It was a great Locke episode. Plus we saw more of Abbadon and Alpert. I have to really wonder what they are up to. Are they recruiters or pulling strings in some way? Lots to chew on as a result of this episode.

8+, only cuz they didn't just come out and say for sure who Locke's real Dad was. Seemed like they spent a lot of time telling us very little with the FB's....again! Last week was a 'set-up', so couldn't be that great. the next 3 should be 10+ all the way!

I kind of agree too. It was a pretty good episode, but Im frustrated that an episode called, "Cabin Fever" only had about 5 minutes of the cabin in it and it was kind of anticlimactic too...

I did let out an involuntary, "Whoah" when the last line of the episode was said though. :)

I gave it a 7.

I agree. Honestly i think it was lackluster. I can't get behind all the people who are giving it a 10. It was primarily a set up episode. Clumsily seamed but necessary to fill the gaps. Which means it can't stand on it's own without the wight of the series to support it. The best episodes, rather, are stand alone episodes like "Flashes Before Your Eyes snd The Constant. Anyone unfamiliar with the series could watch these cold and come away totally satisfied and yet intrigued.

Excellent! Definitely 9 material. :D

This is my third favorite eppie of Lost so far, after Man of Science, Man of faith and Through the Looking Glass. I only had a top 2 and was hoping to get a #3 soon, and this was awesome.

I don't look for eppies that stand alone when it comes to the series - probably the best example of a great stand alone eppie was Expose, but it really added nothing to the show, however this episode blows the mind and puts a lot more of the puzzle together in surprising ways. That's the kind of stuff I like.

I hasn't sunk in for me! soo much in one ep. Amazing amazing amazing

I liked the episode, but I guess I was expecting something else. I gave it an 8. I have more questions now, but I'll be happy just to go for the ride the writer's are taking us on. I thought we would recieve answers about the "nature" of the cabin.....but maybe that is to come. I'll be watching it again before the next show. I am enjoying this season very much, and I think the writer's are topping themselves each time.

A great!! episode. Richard in the past, abbadon, jacob, crhristian, Claire, the losties in the beach, the insane Keamy.... very complete episode

10/10

I loved it, I thought it was extremely well written and Terry O' Quinn among others gave a terrific performance. It was really thought provoking, there are so many little tidbits to mentally digest such as a seemingly growing time differential between the rocket and the Doctor's body washing up on shore to teh cabin of creep and Claire's bizarre behavior. I was disappointed the Captain was killed off the show, I thought he could have been a good ally to the Losties. I was extremely pleased to see Richard back and Abbadon is teh evol, lol. Great episode, I can't wait until next week. :)

second 10 of the season for me - the first was the constant

10 out of 10. This is a contender for best episode of the season, I loved every minute of it.
It was great to see Richard back and the scene in the cabin was fantastic. I thought for a second Christian was Jacob but I guess not. Ben and Hurley sharing the chocolate bar was my highlight of the episode. :)

I gave it a 6. Didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. Just sort of meh. :undecide:

Dazed and confused. That’s how I felt Thursday night. I haven’t read the other posts on this or any of the other threads (haven’t had access to a computer since Wednesday night and I don’t want them to bias my opinion), but I think I might have had too much to drink that night. I still don’t know what rating to give it. I was on vacation and managed to catch it live (I never watch it live- always after recording it), so I don’t know if the million commercials interrupted the rhythm or what, but my head was spinning at the end of this one.

Now that we’re our home, we will watch it again tonight, but… man… what the hell was going on? It felt like 3 – 5 different tangents all at once. I know it was better than Eggtown and not as good as The Constant, so I’m guessing I’ll end up somewhere in the middle- 5ish?? The most bizarre part, I think, was Claire seemed happy or drugged like when Ethan doped her up at the medical hatch. They seemed to imply she was dead (since, before Locke entered, she was sitting in a totally dark cabin with her dead- or at least, once-dead dad), but that makes no sense to me. She was alive when she saw “Dad?” and then got up and left Aaron in the brush in the last episode. Then again, with all the time jumping in the episode, anything’s possible.

My initial reaction: I think TPTB are just getting their jollies out of making our heads spin. Just to see if we’ll put up with it. One week Commando / Indiana Jones, the next week a soap opera fest, the next week- well, I don’t know what.

Will post again with my final take after watching it again tonight.

10 - EXCITING!!!!!!

SO much was addressed in this episode, there was never a dull moment! There were so many characters in this one with bits and pieces here and there. And all Locke's flashbacks?!?!?! UBER EXCITING!

I kind of agree too. It was a pretty good episode, but Im frustrated that an episode called, "Cabin Fever" only had about 5 minutes of the cabin in it and it was kind of anticlimactic too....

The title also related to the situation on the freighter and the cabin fever going on there. Plus, Ben/Locke/Hurley did spend the entire episode talking about and walking to the cabin....

On paper, this would sound like an episode I would be likely to give a 9 or 10: It had a freighter storyline, was Locke-centric and there were no Kate lines. But after watching it I come away with the feeling it was a 6 or 7. Okay, but nothing on the level of, lets say, The Constant

Gets a 7.

I gave it a 9. Even though Locke is my favorite character and I really loved the episode, I keep the 10 for those really shocking episodes, the ones that you just think about for the whole week until Lost is on again. Great episode, loved seeing Richard and how he tracked Locke throughout his lifetime. I am dying to learn more about Richard and who he is and his purpose.

9 Finally got around to seeing it. Fantastic episode and definitely the best of Season 4. This episode is what the show is all about: The Island. It's also been far too long since we've last seen Locke in form. Flashbacks were great, although I'm not sure I dig Alpert giving Locke the test and Abbadon telling Locke to go on his walkabout. I think it would be cooler if Locke found out about it himself.

But still, this was a great episode. I hope they deliver episodes like this for the last 3 hours of the season.

I give it a 4– finally, 4 days later. I was on vacation and finally got a chance to watch it again over the weekend, without the million annoying commercials. I had a hell of a time trying to decide if I thought it was all right or disliked it. That was an improvement from most of the episodes this season.

The Good
· Return of the Island as a character.
· Kept me thinking and my interest, unlike the past several episodes. In this sense, it felt more like S1 or S2.
· Pacing was better- especially compared to the soap-fest last week.

The Bad
· Mercenary stuff is still really stupid.

· Body-bag count continues. Has there been an episode, recently, where people were not killed off?

· Time jumping was and is out of control. FBs; Richard’s around when Locke is born, etc. (just like when Ben was a kid); freighter doctor is dead, then alive, then dead; Keamy was gone when woman (Regina ??) killed herself and others on the ship were “sick”; Christian is buzzing around 2 – 3 years in the future last week and now is just chillin’ with Claire in Jacob’s pitch black cabin this week, etc.

· FBs, as usual, were unnecessary. The only thing of any relevance was Richard showing up when Locke was born, again when he was a little kid, and again (implied) when he was in high school. But, we already knew Locke was special and that the Island somehow chose him. Richard’s “appearances” really just begs one obvious question: why is Richard always the same age? I only see three possible answers: Option A- time travel. Option B- he’s dead but “here,” like Charlie. Option C- parallel universe kind of garbage.

· What have they done with Claire? “I’m fine. I’m with him (dad).” What? Speaking of which, why wouldn’t she have just said, “I’m with my dad (instead of “him”)? Just another example of the tortured dialogue this season- just to keep characters, or us, or both, in the dark a little longer. Then she shares a smile of relief with “dad” as if to say “Locke is special and he will save the Island.” For 3.5 seasons all Claire did was care for Aaron, then suddenly she just tosses him in the brush and… that’s it? All so we just ask, “Is she dead? Does her maybe-dead-dad have her under some kind of a spell?” Very bizarre. Maybe they can make this work going forward, but right now, it was really out there in left field- and not in a good way.

· Move the Island? What? God help us with where they are going with this.

· The excuse they gave Desmond for not going with Sayid- lame and stupid. All they had to do was have him say something like, “I can’t- I can’t risk it, brotha. Something obviously happened to me when we came here to the boat. If it happens again when we go back to the Island, I won’t have my bloody constant. Sorry, brotha.” How hard was that?

· It appears that they are definitely going down the path of over-the-top sci-fi, leaving the characters in the dust. They spent the first two seasons trying to build quality characters that we would care about and the payoff (so far) just hasn’t been worth it. Last season Charlie is killed off for no real good reason (apparently, just to haunt Hurley and tell Jack, through Hurley, that he shouldn’t be raising Aaron) and now Claire is turned into some weirdo, tossing Aaron in the brush to hang out in a dark cabin with maybe-dead-daddy who once abandoned her.

So, on the one hand, the episode got back to the Island theme and did a good job of at least making me think- both curiously absent almost this entire season. But, ultimately, it was just loaded with a lot of confusion (on purpose, I know), without much of a payoff. I know a lot of people will say, “but wait until the next episode or next season, because we don’t have the whole blueprint,” etc. In S1 or S2, I’d cut them more slack, but since their track record this season has been terrible when it comes to giving conclusions to big things (e.g. Kate’s future in Eggtown), I seriously doubt they will ultimately pull this off. We’ll see.

Great episode.

I liked Locke's flashbacks and seeing him as a young child/teenager.

I agree that Emily didn't look pregnant at all in the beginning. Btw, who else agrees that she looks a little like Claire?

The Freighter scenes were cool. Keamy is one bad a**

And the cabin scene was cool and freaky at the same time. Seeing Christian and Claire in the cabin.....wow!!
100%
Btw....I really hope that Claire is not dead....although it certainly seems like she is.
If she is indeed dead- that leaves- Juliet and Charlotte as the only females among the left behinds...

I rate this episode an 8

Great epi! I gave it a 9. What a relief it is to get back into Lost and away from the stupid soap opera episode we had last week!

This was a 10, up there with The Constant. The flashback to John's pre-birth gave it a completely epic feel. The filling in of Locke's childhood, and at the same time giving us a lot more info on what Richard has been up to over the past 50 years, was very satisfying. I think it helped to further flesh out who Locke is, and what his life has been about.

The scene with Abbadon was fantastic, and gave the impression that he's a bigger deal than just some Widmore employee, and this favor that he will be asking for, is going to be a key to the whole shebang.

The transformation of Ben into a lamentful, impotent, candybar-coveting tag-along was surreal to watch, and very entertaining, especially when we know that he'll be returning to his murderous ways before long.

The time refraction stuff they give us is perfect -- it's a steady stream of observational data that confuses the heck out of any wrong theories, and fleshes out right ones. It takes a lot of guts to mentally challenge viewers! A lot of them don't appreciate it. I love it though.

In this episode, Keamy has unexpectedly turned into one of the most amazingly portrayed characters on the show.

Locke's rocky road to self-realization seems to be finally coming to its destination, which is extremely satisfying. Claire has a new, and important role to play (not that mothering an infant isn't extremely important, but it's not exactly gripping television), and seems to have experienced something extraordinary. Christian has finally entered into the main stream of the story as a character. And what is wonderful, you get the feeling that he gets the very same feeling with John -- he hasn't seen his journey as we have. All he knows is from his talking with Jacob. And to see him just show up out of the jungle... to say, "I was chosen to be here" and to say "What do I need to do to save the island?" the look he shares with Claire shows the sense of wonder or awe at how all things are working together for a purpose.

That's amazing writing. We don't know what he knows yet, but to be able to show his perspective in that way... all I can say is that I've never seen anything on par with this show.

9, would have been a 10 if we had been told about smokey, as promised by Ben. Even so best episode this series I reckon.

Cabin Fever is next to the Constant the best Episode so far. Lockes flashbacks were very interesting in terms of Richard Alpert. The meeting between Christian Shepard and Locke in the cabin was just awesome. Claire just sits cosy on the chair. And then: moving the island. Cant wait to see the next episode.

This might be starting to sound like a broken record, but... 8/10. I really like the direction this story is taking. I thought they crammed in too much content to make it a perfect episode - possibly an effect of the writer's strike.

9/10.

It shifted focus nicely to the cabin and Jacob, and gave us some important backstory for Locke. Excellent!