LOST Episode Reviews & Ratings

(Just found this draft from 2014 and thought I should post it, unfinished as it is... )

Lost was an excellent show with many stellar episodes and, unfortunately, near the end, many terrible and lame ones. Here's my episode by episode breakdown of the episodes as I re-watched them. as you will see once you read this post, I couldn't make it all the way through and I explain why and point out where I think it all went wrong.

Enjoy and remember, this is a show that relies on mystery so no matter how hard I try to keep the spoilers out of it you're better off watching it first before reading these! (spoiler free review here).

Season 1 - Best Season 

Ep 1&2 Pilot
The pilot of this show is fantastic. It not only did an excellent job of introducing the main characters and their stories, it was also action packed and weaved together many of the elements that made this show so loved. An excellent start that had me - and millions of other viewers - hooked from the get go.

Ep 3 Tabula Rasa
This was a Kate episode - all about revealing her past and her connection to the Marshal. If you've watched the whole show the idea of a Kate flahsback episode doesn't sound so appealing, but upon first viewing this was a solid episode that carried the momentum created by the previous episode quite well while laying the groundwork for the coming episodes. Also, it cannot be forgotten that this episode gives us just as much tantalizing insight into Sawyer's character as it does that of Kate with that haunting scene in Jack's tent at the end.

Ep 4 Walkabout
Walkabout is as good as it gets. One of the best episodes of Lost with a shocking character revelation, excellent flashbacks and a gripping Island story. This episode was the turning point that took this show from a cool, solid story that I enjoyed watching and took it up all the way to awesome.

Ep 5 White Rabbit 
This episode reveals the relationship between Jack and his father Christian, while at the same time moving the Island story forward in a logical way. The crash survivors were bound to start realizing that they needed to organize a bit more and find sustenance on the Island. It's not super awesome, but you can't have Walkabout-levels of awesomeness every single time!

Ep 6 House of the Rising Sun 
Another thrilling episode almost on par with Walkabout. It had a shocking revelation and some exciting power-plays on the Island. Sun's flashbacks were excellent and I love that they spoke in Korean and used susbtitles as that gave it a sense of authenticity and a unique flavor.

Ep 7 The Moth 
Charlie is one of my favorite characters and he was certainly great in his first flashback episode. Like Kate, his flashbacks get a little bit repetitive later on, but in this episode he's excellent and his story is gripping. The on-Island and flashback stories were very closely linked in this episode, which was wonderful. Also worth mention is the fact that this episode, while giving Jack a 'break,' so to speak, allows other characters like Michael, Kate, etc, to shine a bit more and actually contribute in a meaningful way!

Ep 8 Confidence Man 
Sawyer's first flashback episode is quite revealing. Again, it's a solid episode with plenty of interesting revelations and a great on-Island story. I love that this show didn't shy away from keeping information from some characters while showing us, the viewer, what was going on. This creates wonderful dramatic tension and rings with authenticity. In general the first season was a lot better at this than later seasons.

Ep 9 Solitary 
The on-Island story of this episode was much more impressive (for me, anyway) than the flashback tale of Sayid's time in the Republican Guard. While many of the other flashbacks held surprises for the viewer there was nothing surprising - and plenty stereotypical - in Sayid's tale of torture and love. It's still a decent flashback, a cut above most of the flashbacks to come later, but unfortunately, Sayid wasn't allowed to grow beyond what we see here. A much more immediate disappointment for me was the excessive use of English in the flashbacks. Where Sun and Jin were allowed to do complete scenes in Korean, Sayid and his fellows would do a couple of words or sentences and then switch to English with terrible accents. But their English accents are nothing next to their horrible Arabic pronunciation. Naveen Andrews is awesome so I don't want to complain, but I really wish they'd made more of an effort with the language here!

Ep 10 Raised by Another 
Claire's story isn't as awesome and shocking as some of the others, nor is it as emotional, but it does a fine job and complements the on-Island story - and especially the mysterious aspects of it - quite well. Plus it has Claire and Charlie and the beginning of the thrilling on-Island Claire sub-plot, so there's nothing to complain about here.

Ep 11 All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues
If there was any doubt that the main focus of this tale is on Jack this episode dispels that doubt as we're treated to yet another Jack flashback episode. It further develops Jack's relationship with his father and it also contains some of the most haunting and chilling on-Island happenings as Ethan Rom's tale further unfolds.

Ep 12 Whatever the Case May Be
We're with Kate again, but instead of showing us what we really want to know - what Kate did that made her a fugitive on the run - we get treated to a pathetic bank-robbery tale that's supposed to show us how ruthless and selfish Kate can be - especially when it comes to getting random inanimate objects with small sentimental value. From the way the episode goes this was supposed to build Kate up as a bad-ass character, but it doesn't succeed in quite the way the authors intended, it just starts to become annoying. Especially when I couldn't care less about Kate and would rather see what happened to Claire!

Ep 13 Hearts and Minds
Boone is a great character and his need to always protect his sister was great, but then they had to ruin it with the flashbacks in this episode. The on-Island story with Locke trying to cure Boone of his obsession wasn't bad, but it was hardly the strongest. Overall, a decent episode, but not one of the best.

Ep 14 Special
Our first look into Michael's past is a very touching one. Michael is an excellent character and with this episode they managed to dispel a lot of the worries I had that this would be a stereotypical portrayal. The whole African American dad who wasn't part of his kid's life while growing up had me worried, but the flashbacks here revealed a very caring father who had very bad luck - and a terrible partner. Walt's mother has got to be the character I hated the most this season. The on-Island story was action packed and included some great tension between Michael and Locke and Michael and Walt. It's a shame the hints of Walt being "different" and special didn't amount to much in later seasons.

Ep 15 Homecoming
This episode was a long time coming. It was a little annoying how they failed to address the Claire plot thread for several episodes in a row and how some of the characters kind of seemed to forget about her. Not Charlie, of course, which may be part of the reason I liked him so much. This Episode was filled with action, emotion, and a tantalizing look at Ethan and the mysteries of the Island. It's a great episode all around.

Ep 16 Outlaws
Another Sawyer focused episode and thankfully this one focuses more on his revenge story than on his cons and romantic exploits. The flashback story is a heartbreaking one that more than makes up for the slightly silly boar-chase of the on-island episode.

Ep 17 ...In Translation
In Translation is a stellar episode. One of the best that this season has to offer because it provides a deep exploration of characters and their relationships both and off the Island. In the Flashbacks we're allowed to delve into Jin's perspective and as always, this sheds a very humanizing light on one of the less than popular people from the crash. On-Island we're finally seeing someone take control of their situation and really try to get off the Island. We also get to see that some of the characters are perfectly content where they are and don't want to get off. Tensions rise between characters and the episode is full of misunderstandings as well as shocking revelations. Even the annoying Shannon/Sayid friendship that's developing can't ruin this excellent episode, although the completely unnecessary Sun in a bathing suit scenes did get on my nerves.

Ep 18 Numbers
The first Hurley-centric episode is an excellent one. It has a great mixture of regular island happenings that progress the plot, jungle adventures, and hilarity from Hurley's past. It also doesn't fail to humanize Hurley and show us his more serious side, show us that underneath his fun attitude he's actually got opinions of his own about what's happening on the Island.

Ep 19 Deus Ex Machina
Another Locke-centric episode which is, once again, very strong. We get more information about Locke's past through the flashbacks and this is nicely juxtaposed with his present predicament as the hatch just won't open no matter what he tries. It's the first episode where the "faith in the Island" theme became really big, but it wasn't annoying yet. A wonderful episode overall with a shocker ending.

Ep 20 Do No Harm
In this episode there are two medical emergencies. Sun steps up to help Jack and does an excellent job of not only helping him with the medical side of things, but also making sure he doesn't overtax himself. The on-Island story was mostly Jack realizing that he has to let go, but the off-island flashbacks centered around his wedding and how he had to "let go" of writing his wedding vows himself. That whole flahsback sequence was quite weak and, watching it the second time, it reminded me of a much better Jack flashback that came later on - the one where he saw a runner as he worried about preforming a difficult operation. That one would have fit much better here, in my opinion. I also believe that this episode could have been excellent without ANY flashback, but the producers seemed to think they were tied to showing a flash back sequence in every single episode. The on-Island story was excellent and had a very emotional ending, however, so the weakness of the flashaback didn't hurt anyone.

Ep 21 The Greater Good
This was a Sayid-centric episode, but this time his flashback was unbearable. I thought before, with his first flashback involving Nadia that they had at least managed to keep away from the cliche terrorist story-line. Well, guess what? They couldn't stay away from that for long! It was difficult to watch the second time around and I found myself forwarding those parts. The on-Island story, however, was quite strong as everyone suspects Locke of foul play after it is revealed that he was lying about Boone's injuries and Shannon takes matters into her own hands. It gives Shannon something real to do for once and it also shows us Sayid's intelligence as he tries to find out the truth from Locke. And, refreshingly, we have some comic relief with Charlie, Hurley, and even Sawyer.

Ep 22 Born to Run
This episode focused heavily on Kate both on and off the Island. It was a great episode on-Island, but the more they reveal of Kate's past the less I care about her. On-Island the story was excellent - the action and tension are increasing as the raft comes closer to completion. Dr. Arzt is introduced in this episode, which was nice - it's great to see more of the other - background - survivors, especially smart ones that know stuff, but I feel he should have been introduced a little bit earlier, especially considering his attitude it's a little hard to believe he hasn't done anything worth showing up until now... overall, a great episode.

Ep 23 Exodus Part 1 
Exodus part 1 takes us back to the survivor's last few hours before they boarded the plane so the flashbacks concentrate on more than one person. It works really well, especially now that we know these characters well and can easily identify with them and put these brief moments into context. On-Island the final touches are being put on the raft when Rousseau arrives with a dire warning that the "Others" are coming. Overall, it's a solid story and the way it ends is a perfect ending point for the series in general. If they had only just added a two minute montage showing a rescue and ended it here while it was awesome the show would have gone down as one of the best tv shows ever made. Not so, unfortunately. If this is your first time watching the show have pity on yourself and STOP HERE. Your experience, while brief, will not be tainted with any of the nonsense that occurred later on!

Ep 24 Exodus Part 2 
This episode doesn't so much end the first series as it teases the next. Again, the flashbacks deal with several characters which is excellent. The only unfortunate thing about this episode (other than the beginning of the parents-are-insane theme) is that with the hatch and the way the raft story-line goes you won't be able to stop here but will be compelled to go on to the next season looking for a resolution to the huge events that have just occurred. The first time around this episode felt perfect, the second time watching it felt bittersweet with the knowledge of what would happen in season 2 and the other seasons to come.

There was a really great story in there somewhere about the Others being survivors from all the shipwrecks over the years (included the slavers of the Black Rock) combined with the surviving scientists from Dharma, and how their society developed as a result of this away from other civilization and so on, but at some point the writers chose to throw random things at the screen instead of looking at all the separate elements they had created and doing some proper world-building.


Season 2 - Starts Strong and Deteriorates Fast!

Ep 1 Man of Science, Man of Faith 
Season 2 starts off yet again with a Jack episode. This is a strong episode that explores the mystery of the hatch and shows us some more tantalizing hints of the Island's (and/or Walt's) powers. The raft folks are completely ignored, I guess to leave it a mystery and show those left on the Island wondering/worrying, but they don't do much other than the hatch effectively this episode so the brief scenes with Sayid, Shannon, Charlie, Sun don't feel very substantial. A good episode on it's own, but looking back/re-watching you can see the seeds of the show's destruction being sown here...

Ep 2 Adrift
In this episode we get to see what happened to the raft folk after the events at the end of season 1. We also get to see the continuing tale of the hatch. The flash backs this time are Michael's and it just shows us more of how horrible a person Walt's mother is. Seriously, I hate her. It's a great episode overall that feels like a return to form because it has enough variety between the hatch and the raft and the flashback to keep it interesting. It also ends on a cliffhanger which by this point has become an essential element of the show.

Ep 3 Orientation
This episode gives us the first glimpse into the Dharma initiative and the people who built the hatch. The characters in the hatch are introduced to the code and the button they have to push (which in my opinion is the worst thing that happened to this show) and Jack and Locke have an argument about faith and destiny and so on. This argument was cringe-worthy even the first time around and it doesn't improve watching it again. The episode moves the plot along in a decent fashion, but it's not one of the more stellar episodes.

Ep 4 Everybody Hates Hugo 
This episode comes as a breath of fresh air after all the Locke and Jack antics of the last one. It's about Hurley so it's fun and includes people doing logical things (more or less). We get to see Rose for a bit (it's been a while!) and of course the story-line with Sawyer, Jin, and Michael further develops. It's a great episode.

Ep 5 ... and Found 
A Jin and Sun flash back episode which, like all Jin and Sun episodes, is quite strong. It shows us their lives before they met. Meanwhile on the Island Sun lost her wedding ring and Michael, Jin, and Sawyer, learn more about the tailies and the others. Another great episode!

Ep 6 Abandoned
This episode sheds some light on Shannon's character by showing us her side of the story of her life, a story we already saw a part of from Boon's perspective. It serves to humanize a character I had never thought I'd sympathize with! We also get to see Whisper!Walt again and Shannon is determined to find the poor boy as she believes the rest of the raft folk have drowned and left him alone. It's actually great to see Shannon do something and have some motivation. Not so great to see Sayid following her around with nothing of his own to do. That whole relationship is completely ridiculous for so many reasons, but it's the only bad thing about this episode that bring the tailies and the survivors we've come to know and love closer and closer to a meeting. Ends on a cliffhanger, of course.

Ep 7 The Other 48 
This is hands down the best episode in Season 2 and possibly the best episode in the whole show. It expands on the hints we've had so far of the tail-section survivor's struggles by showing us brief glimpses of their lives in the 48 days since the crash. It's a great story and an excellent way to humanize them before taking us back to the same point last episode ended on... the meeting of the two sets of survivors. While this episode is a self-contained story from start to finish it shouldn't be viewed on its own as it's much richer and better for knowing the other side of some of the happenings! Definitely a must-see episode!

Now I know there's no way you'll be able to stop here if you're watching the show, especially with the cliffhanger and all the awesomeness you just watched, but if you can help it at all then I would highly recommend you stop here.

Ep 8 Collision 
This episode finally shows us what happens in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. We get to see Ana Lucia's background in the flashbacks and it's a pretty solid flashback episode. Meanwhile on the Island the survivors we've come to know and love start to realize that their friends from the raft are back with some new faces. Overall, a decent follow-up to the shocking events that came before it - plus Mr Eko is just awesome.

Ep 9 What Kate Did
By the time this episode rolled around I really did not care "what Kate did". Maybe in Season 1 I would have cared. It was a passable Kate flash back episode, but it didn't help the Island story much. As the focus shifted to Kate apparently going insane from her flashbacks people we should have seen and heard from got ignored and their stories didn't make any sense: for example, why was Michael worrying so much about the Blast doors in the hatch and not figuring out a way to find Walt? Why didn't Michael and Sayid have a chat about the whole seeing Walt in the jungle thing? It just didn't make sense to focus on Kate at this point when a Micheal-centered story would have made much more sense.

Ep 10 The 23rd Psalm 
We get to see some of Eko's past and he's great as usual. This time while the story focused mostly on him and a little on Charlie on Island they at least addressed the fact that Michael has a kidnapped kid he probably wants to find. Not adequately, but still, at least it was there. Overall, a pretty strong episode although the writers do seem to be losing the threads of all the separate character stories.

Ep 11 The Hunting Party
Michael finally decides to go out and look for Walt. He also seems to feel the need to lock Locke and Jack in the weapons closet so they won't stop him. Not like anyone said they would stop him. I feel like there was something missing that we didn't get to see because the focus was shifted away from Michael for so many episodes. This was another Jack flash back episode and let's be honest, it was a little interesting to see how his marriage ended, but it really wasn't necessary. Overall, a watchable episode, but not one of the best.

Ep 12 Fire + Water 
I didn't mind this episode the first time I saw it, but soon after it became apparent that the writers did not intend to ever address the hallucinations Charlie was having and what may be behind them. It also became clear that they didn't want to vindicate Charlie anytime soon and reveal to everyone that he had not been on drugs at the time/he had not been trying to drown the baby and there really was something about the Island that made him have those hallucinations. Trying to watch it a second time is difficult. And man, those hallucinations were really badly done... I did like one thing about it, though, "Kate sees a horse. Nothing. Pretty much everyone's seen Walt wandering around the jungle. But when its Charlie, it must be the bloody drugs, right?"

Ep 13 The Long Con
This episode sees Sawyer return to form as his old self. It doesn't ignore the character development that's occurred in the past season and a half, but it does remind us that not everyone is ready to take Jack and Locke's insane leadership for granted and that someone rightly questions their attitude. I didn't much care for the flashbacks, but the Island story was solid and very well done in all respects. Also, we get to see Darth!Charlie. Not going to comment on this too much, since I've already expressed how unhappy I am with the Charlie storyline as a whole at this point in the season, but it served a purpose in this episode at least. This episode felt more like an episode from Season 1 which is a great thing.

Ep 14 One of Them
Sayid's torturer past is getting really old at this point and this time we don't have Nadia to humanize him. His whole moral compass this episode is completely shot and to be honest it felt like the writers wanted someone to be really violent and barbaric towards Henry Gale so they thought "Hey, we have this character Sayid that we haven't used in a while, let's make him do it!" Sayid has no reason to hate Henry Gale or the Others. It would have made much more sense for someone who has been directly hurt by the Others to do this. One of the three Tailies or even Michael or Jin or Sawyer, even Charlie. In the end this episode moves the season's plot along interspersed with almost unwatchable Sayid flashbacks (in which the Arabic is so bad it's quite hilarious!) Looking back and knowing what a huge influence this episode has on future seasons I find I like it even less.

Ep 15 Maternity Leave 
This is a wonderful episode that takes us back to Claire's kidnapping and some of the best and creepiest moments of season 1. In this episode the Flashbacks are Claire's memories of her time when she was kidnapped by Ethan. As she struggles to remember these things we get to learn a tiny bit more about the Others. One of the best episodes of Season 2!

Ep 16 The Whole Truth