Lost (spoilers)

[Kal]

SPOILERS for Tonights Episode (in Ask Ausiello). He says its 'the best episode of the season so far'.


Question: Any chance of some Lost scoop?— Roisin
Ausiello: As a matter of fact, there's a pretty good chance, since I illegally and unethically obtained an advance copy of tonight's Juliet-centric outing. Now, before we get to the spoilers, I feel it's my responsibility to tell you that this is easily the best Lost episode of the season. Bar none. You want answers? This one's got 'em in spades. Not only will we find out how Juliet came to the island, but we'll learn why she stuck around and the reason her people gassed her. And unlike some of the show's other "answers," these make perfect sense in the context of the overall narrative.

We'll also discover that:

* Claire's kidnapping didn't exactly go as planned.
* Juliet carried on an affair with an Other whose name wasn't Ben or Henry.
* There are real feelings between Sawyer and Kate. I know because there's a moment between the two of 'em that made me go all misty-eyed and sniffly, and that's never happened to me while watching these two before.
* Sun's fetus has bigger problems than figuring out who its daddy is.

And stealing a page from Ain't It Cool News' playbook (thanks, Herc; wish I'd thought of it myself!), here are some of the episode's standout quotes:

* "I had the day off."
* "If you choose to stay, I promise you we will *a** ******'* *i**."
* "The last thing either of you needs right now is more blood on your hands."
* "Because I did it to her."

One question this episode didn't answer is which category Elizabeth Mitchell will win her Emmy in: lead or supporting. You've come a long way, Dinah Lee Mayberry.

[Sigur Rós]

Something better happen tonight! I'm starting to doubt that they have an idea for a cool ending and it's just gonna be polarbears and Smokemonster going crazy...

[JG]

LOST is officially back on its feet again.

what a great episode. 

[polkablues]

LOST is officially back on its feet again.

For the last time, Lost was never off its feet.

I hereby revoke your seat on the bandwagon.

[modage]

i LOVED last nights episode.  don't think it was the best of the season, (didn't quite top Locke's from the recent batch) but it was goddamned good. 

MAJOR SPOILERS

everytime Juilet is onscreen i can hardly help myself from saying aloud how much i hate her.  i loved that the episode spent the bulk of the backstory trying to make her sympathetic only to pull the rug out at the end to say NOPE SHE IS FUCKING EVIL.  LOVE it. LOVE IT LOVE IT.

i loved that Sayid and Sawyer tracked her down.  Sayid has never been fooled by anyone. ever.  he knows who is not who they say they are, he knows if you're lying, he will hang back to not upset the Jack relationship but be waiting and watching her close.  LOVE IT.

did i misinterpret this or do you think that The Others are all cancer patients (and doctors/researchers)?

the thing i love about LOST that i can't think of any other show that does this (as well) is the way it constantly doubles back on its own timeline.  midway through the episode when they got to the first episode of season 3 was amazing.  and then seeing the events that happened just after that, filling in the grey areas.  and then it jumps forward in a later flashback and there is still so much to learn of how Juliet went from only wanting to leave the island to participating in evilness.

i love that "see you in a week" sets up such great tension for the upcoming episodes.  we know she's evil, sayid and sawyer know she's evil.  nobody else knows.  what could she possibly be doing there? and if the show follows the rough 1 day per episode model that means that a week will coincide exactly with the 2 hour finale, which means its going to be a(nother) mindblower.

on episodes of LOST like this one there is such a sense of forward motion that it makes it so disappointing on the inbetween weeks when you know there are places to go and you're not going there.  the last few weeks have been good but this week was great. 

[grand theft sparrow]

Juliet isn't evil EVIL.  She's just this season's Michael.  "I'll do whatever it takes to see my sister again."  Except she's better at lying.  I really wasn't expecting a confirmation that she was full of shit until closer to the end of the season.

And when she finally grabs Sun to take her back to the Human Project others, who's gonna be able to stop her with her awesome karate skills?

[Kal]

This is the best show on TV.

No other show makes you feel like you cant wait a week to see what is next, not even 24.

The episode was amazing and Juliet's acting was superb. She did great in both flashback episodes.

One of my favorite scenes of Lost is really when the Others gather out there and see the plane going down... amazing moment.

And its great that they jump back and forth in the timeline, its great to see all those dead characters over and over again.

And these are the moments when I'm so happy they had that 3 month hiatus and we dont have to see repeats, because this is the typical episode that they would put a repeat after last year.

[mogwai]

i feel that the episodes is better when the whole cast is gathered. minus locke who will probably appear in the next episode.

[Gamblour.]

This is the most Lost episode of Lost since Season 2. Absolutely amazing, agree with everything that's been said...except mod's 'hatred' of Juliet. She's so beautiful, I can't help but be on her side no matter what.

The writing on this episode was so pitch perfect, but in a way not risky. I found myself completing many of the characters' sentences. In any case, one of the best in terms of developing plot, but not full-blown answering questions.

I don't think Lost has ever lost its footing. For christ sake, judging it one episode at a time doesn't take into account the entire arc of a season.

So Sun is preggers too. Is she next?

[Chest Rockwell]

Indeed, very good episode. I was worried last couple of episodes when Juliet started becoming a good character. That final scene was a brilliant stroke of manipulation on the writers' parts, completely shattering everything we've seen of her this past half-season.

The montaging toward the end was a little silly, is my only complaint.

[MacGuffin]

'Lost' in Transition
Finally, some answers! The show's producers come clean about sagging ratings, the Nikki/Paulo debacle, and the beginning of the island's end
Source: Entertainment Weekly

Jack is back on the beach! The Others can't make babies! And ding-dong...Nikki and Paulo are dead! Yes, the stormy third season of Lost is finally clearing up, in case you haven't noticed — and judging by the ratings, you haven't. Since the castaway drama returned to ABC in its new time slot (10 p.m. on Wednesdays) on Feb. 7, viewership has slipped by nearly 20 percent to 11.7 million, and the series is down 12 percent from its season 1 highs. Exec producer Damon Lindelof is blunt about the ratings drop: ''It sucks.''

To be fair, numbers alone don't tell the whole story of Lost's health. Despite the decline, the show still wins its time slot in the 18-49 demo, and it's also one of the most watched shows outside of its time period, thanks to Internet downloading and DVRs. ''Because we moved it to 10, it does seem as if the percentage of DVR recording has gone up. It's tough for people to stay up,'' says Larry Hyams, ABC's chief of research. ''The numbers should be building toward the season finale.'' While ABC has renewed Lost for another year, the producers admit that their demanding enterprise isn't the weekly must-see that it once was, especially during this strangely scheduled, awkwardly crafted third season. ''We've always felt Lost was a cult show at heart. I think what we're seeing now is a marketplace correction,'' says exec producer Carlton Cuse. ''The research shows that for the most part, the audience that started with the show is still with us, though they may be watching it in different ways.''

The producers are working very hard to keep the fans who are still watching satisfied and tuned in. That's why they (literally) buried Kiele Sanchez and Rodrigo Santoro's unpopular newcomers, Nikki and Paulo. Originally, the diamond-swiping crooks were to have anchored a winking arc of stories; one twist-ending episode would have devoted its flashback to actress Nikki's cheeky TV show, Exposé about strippers who solve crimes. But faced with mounting disdain toward the abruptly introduced characters — and ramped-up viewer frustration with the show's aggressively enigmatic storytelling — the producers decided in December to telescope their ideas into a single, kiss-off episode. ''Back when we had more good faith with the audience, we could have gotten away with these shenanigans. Given the backlash against them, we had to clean up the mess,'' says Lindelof. ''We're now judged on an episode-by-episode basis. There's not a lot of room for error.''

The encouraging news: A sneak peek at upcoming episodes finds Lost delivering some serious storytelling goods. The April 18 outing sheds more light on Desmond's future flashes and brings a new character to the island. The April 25 installment — building on the recent disclosure that women who get pregnant on the island appear doomed to die — reveals the paternity of Sun's baby and has an ending that will leave theory spinners reconsidering their scenarios. And on May 2, fans will learn the answer to one of Lost's biggest mysteries, ''something we set up way back in season 1,'' says Lindelof. Care to be more specific? ''No way.''

The season's final three episodes are cloaked in mystery. Will the May 9 hour, entitled ''The Man Behind the Curtain,'' finally lay bare the Dharma Initiative mythology? ''No comment,'' teases Cuse. ''But it would be interesting if we finally met someone who was actually part of the Initiative.'' As for the two-hour May 23 finale, rumors of war and death abound. (RIP, Dominic Monaghan's Charlie and Michael Emerson's Ben?) Lindelof says they wrote the finale mindful that viewers probably won't see Lost again until January 2008 — when it would launch a rerun-free season, and perhaps the beginning of the end of the show itself. The producers have long approached Lost as a novel with a definitive final chapter, and have been in negotiations with ABC about determining and announcing an end date for the series. Such a move would be fairly unprecedented in broadcast television — and could imbue Lost with renewed urgency. But for now, neither side is commenting on the talks. ''Discussions continue'' is all Cuse will say.

However season 3 ends, Lindelof hopes Lost will again be on friendly terms with its rabid — but easily frustrated — audience. ''We made a promise back in the pilot,'' he says. ''We believe by the end of the season we'll have made good on it. And don't start pestering us about which frigging promise. Trust us. You'll know.''

[Kal]

Past midnight and still no posts? Thats strange.

I really liked this episode. SPOILERS.

I honestly loved it when this bastard got killed in the first minute, but it was too good to be truth. I did not care much about the flashback, but it did reveal some interesting things about Desmond and how he got there.

Jin telling ghost stories was the best part. I liked also that Sawyer knew that something happened with Jack after Kate came in crying and wanting to have sex. Still, it was good that he did not care about it and still had sex. The ping-pong between Jack and Sawyer was cool too, as they didnt have a moment like that since last season.

I wonder how that helicopter got there, as the range of a helicopter is not much. If there is a ship somewhere close by, I'm sure Penny is on it and that is what we will see in the finale.

It was a really good episode. Too bad Charlie is still alive though 

[A Matter Of Chance]

[diggler]

^ i thought there was something weird about that picture (besides being a horrible photoshop job)

[grand theft sparrow]

If the Jay and Jack podcast callers are any indication, that is the most universally noticed easter egg of the run of the show.  I think that shitty photoshopping was what caught the eye.