Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 12 Review: Bad Eggs

Bad Eggs
Original Airdate: January 12, 1998
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: David Greenwalt

Considering Marti Noxon just came off writing a two part episode and had to write this one to fill the gap between major points in the season, this episode feels rushed from exhaustion. Spike’s reprieve meant some changes had to be made to the arc, and unfortunately it was too late to dramatically modify what was leftover. They had to do what they could with the existing pieces to put them aside, but it doesn’t quite work. The episode is slapped together, but there is some set up for the second half of the season.

The main storyline relies too heavily on the audience forgetting certain plot holes and errors (never mind the self-fixing egg). While Mr. Whitmore is responsible for unleashing the eggs on the students, it isn’t clear why he did it. Does he worship Bezoar or is he another person wrapped around its finger? If the latter’s the case, who or what caused him to be a host? And when the demon is killed and its victims regain their bearings, what happens to him?

The body snatcher plot line also feels like another wasted opportunity. Such a storyline is perfect for “Buffy”, especially analogous for the group think common in high school. It might’ve been more compelling to have students disappear throughout the episode to work in the basement or roaming campus in a trance while the last non possessed try to figure out and foil the plan before they’re turned as well.

The Gorches are the odd ball story in this episode. They could’ve been meant to be a major piece of the season’s story, but as they realized Spike would be a better adversary added with the short amount of time they had to rethink their plan, they rewrote their role. Because of that, they are a tacked on side show to the main event, apparent in the irrelevant scene where they fight in the sewer tunnel. Perhaps their knowledge of Angel and his history could’ve been setting up something from their Plan A for the season arc, but the game changed.

Joyce’s anger over Buffy feels forced, especially after their reconciliation at the end of “Ted”. This story more to sets up future episodes as Buffy’s destiny strains her relationship with her mother. All of their fights in this episode spring from Buffy’s slayer duties, from saving the girl at the mall to the late night patrolling to being angry that Buffy wasn’t where she said she would be, the area of the “gas leak”.

Giles and Joyce’s scene is interesting, despite Giles not being completely himself. Seeing Buffy’s parental figures shows an interesting juxtaposition between those who know Buffy’s secret and those who don’t and how that affects their attitude. Joyce thinks Buffy’s irresponsible and Giles thinks she is the opposite. During this scene there are also hints of a possible romance between the two, which is a bit more subtle than other relationships on the show.

Considering their behavior, the fact that no one in the gang has realized that Cordelia and Xander have started a romantic relationship makes them look dumb. Between the not so subtle fight in sex ed to Cordelia’s insistence on checking closets for Mr. Whitmore, anyone can see that there’s more to it than them just acting weird.

There is a lot of emphasis on the physical nature of Buffy and Angel’s relationship. Through most of the episode they’re making out, even when they’re supposed to be patrolling for bad guys. Clearly the camera panning to the headstone engraving “In Loving Memory” is a not so subtle visual of what’s to come in this relationship, and the frequent kissing is a farewell to viewers.

There are also some big moments that could’ve been dealt with, but are underplayed or ignored. Giles at one point in the climax rushes towards Buffy to attack and Joyce almost swings a pickaxe into Buffy’s skull. Demon/other supernatural entity possession served “Buffy” and “Angel” very well, but they don’t utilize it. This might’ve been because they just did it in “The Dark Age” and future episodes in the season would deal with it, but no real follow up feels out of character.

Overall, this episode is all over the place. The three main stories have little to hold them together, which makes the presumed theme of responsibility obscured. Their decision to retool the season with Spike living might’ve influenced that, but only too late for them to do much about the remaining pieces of the original plan. It is a disappointing episode, but by the next episode, the show would start to hit its stride.

Overall Score: 5/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 11 Review: Ted

Ted
Original Airdate: December 8, 1997
Writers: David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon
Director: Bruce Seth Green

Unlike many modern serialized shows like “Lost” or even “Heroes” that are so dedicated to its arc, “Buffy” tends to follow the mold “The X-Files” used to great success: a few stand alone episodes in between episodes dedicated to the overall story. The “What’s My Line” two-parter was a big turning point in the season, with some twists that will define the series and its direction. Within a few episodes, that bar would be raised higher. The episodes in between, where Spike and Drusilla keep a low profile and are presumed by the gag as deceased, are transitional and lighter in subject matter while the writers prepare to turn everything upside down.

Buffy’s home life has been mentioned in passing before, but this episode gives us a better idea of what it is really like. The recent divorce of her parents hasn’t sunk in yet, and she finds it hard that her mother’s dating other men. This is another connection to her desire for normalcy. Buffy would rather have her parents reconcile and return to the way they were. Of course Buffy’s going to see the worst in the new guy because Ted isn’t her real father and Ted is moving awfully quick in starting a father/daughter relationship with her. It doesn’t make it easier when her friends eat his cookies (the episode’s version of drinking the Kool-Aid) and become devoted to him.

While there are hints of his identity through the episode (“…wired that way”, his nickname at work, Stepford, etc.), Ted’s attitude is more troubling. He is a psychotic control freak who ultimately wants Buffy out of the picture, as seen literally in his office, and Joyce to himself in his 50s style bomb shelter. He also has a deep rooted misogyny, put in by the original Ted to capture and to hold hostage any woman resembling his ex-wife until she’s dead. The late John Ritter, best known for his comedic roles, plays that demeanor for creeps, and it works well.

This episode explores a compelling and deeply disturbing idea: Buffy killing a human. Even though Ted wasn’t likeable, Buffy still believed he was human. Her job is to fight the evil creatures of the night and leave the human baddies to the law. While she may have been able to claim self defense at first, when Joyce saw them fighting Buffy was on the offense. Only in the past episode did she say her anger was a major asset in a fight. Now we see it’s also a liability.

Then there are the legal problems that come with this event. In the interrogation room, some of her answers could’ve been construed as long term abuse without the context of her being the slayer. Regardless, the police let her go unusually quick. They are investigating a death, after all and she’s released within an hour.

However, the reveal that Ted is a robot negates the drama, along with some fine acting between Gellar and Sutherland, which followed his “death” scene. All’s well since he was evil in the end. It could’ve been interesting to see the guilt following Buffy with the growing unease between her and her mother, but they had other plans for where to take the season (and killing a human being wouldn’t be forgotten for other characters).

Since that appears to be the case, they should’ve focused more on the second half’s story. With so much emphasis going on Buffy believing she killed someone, the explanation for Ted is rushed. The actual story could’ve been great had Xander’s quickie account been developed into the A-plot.

Three weeks (and episodes) since “The Dark Age”, and things are still uncomfortable between Giles and Jenny. While it hasn’t been mentioned much in the following episodes (much due to Spike and Drusilla’s hijinks along with Kendra’s arrival), it was clearly on Giles’ mind, as seen in previous episodes with him burying himself in his work. So the subplot in this episode seeks to wrap up the uneasiness and get them back together before the next phase of the season. In contrast to their estrangement in “The Dark Age”, their reconciliation is the comic relief of the episode.

The technology mentioned in this episode is funny in its datedness. With the ubiquity of digital music, photos and movies, could anyone operate a computer with only nine gigabytes of hard drive space? Another instance occurs when Ted hands Willow the upgrades he promised: a few floppy disks! This is trivial as I’m sure someone in 2017 will laugh at how big we thought a 320 gig hard drive was, but enough technobabble.

This episode is transitional, giving some time to develop Joyce’s character while delving into Buffy’s home life. Ted’s robotic identity is the piece that hurts this episode, as it is an easy out for what could’ve been a compelling storyline. However, they would have their chance with similar issues later.

Overall Score: 6/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 10 Review: What's My Line, Part 2

What’s My Line, Part 2
Original Airdate: November 24, 1997
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: David Semel

With this second part, the pieces are coming together for the second season and in some cases, beyond that to even the final episode. It offers plenty of good character moments, comparing Buffy to the newly tapped chosen one Kendra. These pieces connect to the overall theme of the season.

Kendra represents what the Watcher Council wants a slayer to be; respectful of the rules, on top of her studies and socially isolated. The first two qualities make her a big hit with bookworm Giles, and even arouse some jealousy in Buffy. However, what Buffy lacks in studying “The Slayer Handbook”, she makes up for with experience. She’s already prevented one major catastrophic event (many more will follow) whereas Kendra doesn’t know how to handle a cross bow properly.

Of course, these two slayers with different techniques would clash, especially with regards to the social element. It’s puzzling to Kendra that Buffy would have as many people in the loop regarding her secret, much less call them her friends. Kendra doesn’t even have a last name she has distanced herself so far from other people. This detachment leads her to be awkward when around others (nothing ever came out of the Xander thing), but effective when in a fight.

It isn’t until Kendra steps in and helps Buffy combat the cop assassin that they reach some kind of agreeable coexistence. Ultimately Kendra learns a little about Buffy’s techniques such as channeling her anger towards her fight and being able to think on her feet. Also, Kendra gives Buffy the sense of normalcy she has needed. She isn’t alone in her calling.

It’s unfortunate that they would brush Kendra aside after her introduction, since these two personalities clashing would’ve been exciting to see developed further. Buffy had been looking for a chance to have a normal life, and Kendra provides the perfect exit. It might’ve been interesting to see Buffy try to take a vacation from slaying and let Kendra do the work, but they had other ideas for where this season would go.

Angel’s guilt over siring Drusilla is a major part of the psychological torture aspect of Dru and Spike’s pre-game. He must watch his handiwork, thinking that he will be responsible for her return and more bloodshed. Not to mention tying him up and watching them presumably have kinky sex in front of him seems like a perfect way to traumatize someone before killing them (since murder just isn’t enough for monsters).

While Spike’s allegiance and love to Dru is unquestionable, the feeling isn’t mutual. As Noxon noted in her commentary, Drusilla is attracted to where the action is and it’s with Angel. Angel’s her new toy and she is enjoying him a little too much for Spike, whose jealousy almost causes him to stake Angel and thwart his own plans. This character development is rather good considering how it will play through the rest of the season.

Although the police officer revealed as the third assassin was unexpected, having a cop start shooting in a crowded school wouldn’t be allowed in the post-Columbine/Virginia Tech landscape (as of this writing, only two months have passed since the Virginia Tech tragedy). Despite the fact that “Buffy” is in a fantasy world, there is a fine line for where they can go for student deaths. Generally they preserve the fantasy line by only having them be killed by vampires or the monster of the week rather than one of their own.

The third assassin provides a catalyst for Oz and Willow’s beginning relationship. They decide to go the rhetorical route by having Oz literally take a bullet for Willow. Luckily he’s only grazed, but Willow’s appreciative all the same. Unlike other guys in her life, Oz has shown her a genuine interest in a possible romantic relationship. His complements aren’t something she isn’t used to either.

On the other end, Cordelia and Xander, once stuck in the basement at the mercy of the bug man, deal with their antagonism with straight lust. This kind of “to the chagrin of the character” attraction is typical of these situations in romantic comedies. The swell of music during both kisses is a bit corny, but that could be a deliberate reference to those types of movies and TV shows.

An odd element is Willie “the Snitch”. Such a character, at least the way he’s portrayed, is more suited for old cop shows (Huggy Bear on “Starsky and Hutch” comes to mind). However, considering hell spawn are generally more dangerous than street criminals, he would be prime fodder for the various demons that set up in Sunnydale. It doesn’t seem like he’d be alive for long considering his loose lips.

One of the better decisions the show made was scraping the original idea of killing Spike in this episode or around this point in time. That reprieve was one that would define the series. The series would’ve been completely different had they followed their original plan. While it is usually good for arc-orientated shows to have a plan of where they are going, flexibility in this case is even better. If something works as well as Spike has, it would be fitting to have more of him.

Thankfully, they delve more into his character than just keep him around to satisfy fans. As the episode ends, the twisted vampire lovers have switched roles, with Drusilla proving to be quite strong, hoisting the ailing Spike out of the ashes of the church. This would only be the beginning for this fascinating character.

This is one of the most pivotal episodes of the series, as the original plan would’ve altered much of what’ll come later. The season is starting to take shape with Drusilla’s recovery, effectively ending the introduction phase of the season (perhaps a bit late than preferred). These episodes work well upon multiple viewing to see how much they set up for future episodes.

Overall Score: 9/10

Lost: Season 3, Episode 12 Review: Par Avion

Par Avion
Original Airdate: March 14, 2007
Writers: Jordan Rosenberg and Christina M. Kim
Director: Paul Edwards

Of the lead castaways we’ve known since the beginning who haven’t been killed off, Claire is the least developed. Her character has been largely defined by her pregnancy and later motherhood to Aaron, as well as her relationship with Charlie, similar to Walt defining Michael’s character. There have been hints at a larger plan for Aaron, but that would be hard to tell since he is only a month old. So the episode takes advantage of the “transitional” format and give us Claire’s back story with context outside of her pregnancy (although she was expecting in the last flashback). Ultimately we see Claire’s difficulty becoming a mother is due in part to her issues with her mother and absentee father, although with the former she was more cruel to her mother.

The comatose status of Claire’s mother represents Claire’s struggle with hope and guilt. While there is little chance of her waking up and being as she was, Claire is hanging on to her as a way to atone for her behavior. Claire’s goth look (which was a little hot), represents that rebellious attitude, and her final appearance with her natural hair and a blue shirt symbolizes a change in perspective. With Claire’s belief in fate, she believes that saying she hated her mother is responsible for the accident, which intensifies the guilt.

Learning that Christian is Claire’s father is hardly earth shattering, as many saw this coming since “Two For the Road”. What this revelation does for Claire’s character is place her on a path of accepting more responsibility knowing where it will lead her. This connection between Claire and Jack (who were wisely not coupled up) reinforces the notion that the people on the island are there for a reason. Whatever reason for placing him in the episode, it’s still great to see John Terry again. He was sorely missed during the last Jack flashback.

Desmond’s weird insistence that Charlie go with him boar hunting and his sabotaging the attempts to get the birds so Charlie wouldn’t kill himself placed Claire in a position where she had to learn the secret of Charlie’s impending doom. Considering the three “flashes” Desmond’s had of Charlie dying have all involved Claire, it would make sense that she would feel some guilt over that and want to step up and prevent it, as monumental a task as that has been for Desmond.

The plan involving the birds is pretty clever, and ties to Claire’s need for hope. With no other form of communication, placing a message on a tracking bird is a far more reliable than in a bottle. Thankfully they didn’t have a lame coda where the bird flies to Ben’s windowsill and he intercepts it or gets eaten right after Claire releases it.

Jack’s two week absence from the main camp has created a power vacuum among the remaining leaders. Locke is out for himself; to accomplish an unknown goal that only frustrates his co-horts. It doesn’t feel like rescuing Jack is his top priority. As Mikhail said, Locke is angry. Locke, while remaining a man of faith, still has anger issues to face, as we see when he mercilessly throws Mikhail into the sonic fence.

During the trip to the barracks, the personalities among the A-team clash, with Locke being the prime agitator. There have been hints of this back when they first assembled the rescue team in “Tricia Tanaka…”, but now Sayid and Locke’s differences are at the forefront. Now that Sayid has a map, he no longer has to follow the bearing Locke believes will lead them to Jack. In the feud between science (Jack) and faith (Locke), Sayid represents the middle man. He was willing to go on Locke’s tip before, but with a concrete clue.

Obviously Sayid was mad that Locke destroyed The Flame before he could see if the communication system could be revived, much less use any of the extra information in the manuals Sayid couldn’t carry with him. Initially Locke plays dumb and pretends that he didn’t know entering “77” would detonate the C4, but he did, and packed a piece of the C4 with him for an unknown purpose. His reluctance to answer why he’s doing this is only heightening tensions in the group, and challenging Locke’s role in it.

While The Others aren’t known for being forthright, Mikhail offers some insights to The Others’ society, while bringing up several recurring themes to the front. It’s safe to presume the great man who brought Mikhail to the island was Jacob, although how that happened isn’t explained. Mikhail also mentions the list, and the reasons why the three castaways are not on it. He never explains what this list means and why certain people are on it, but it’s a good reminder of another important piece to The Others puzzle.

One revelation that was conveniently cut off was Mikhail informing Kate, Sayid and Danielle of Locke’s paralysis. His inflection implies that he once knew Locke when he was paralyzed. If he is honest about when he got to the island, it’s unlikely he left in the last few years to encounter Locke, unless he was one of the long theorized “recruiters”.

The sonic fence, both the design and the scenes focusing on it, are probably the biggest conversation point in the episode. Were these pylons designed to keep something out, like the smoke monster, or keep something in, like test subjects? Regardless of the truth, seeing Mikhail get his brain scrambled was disturbing (and maybe the writers taking advantage of the later time slot) in its unrelenting brutality.

Their rescue plan for Jack hits a major snag when they see him appearing to have fun with Tom. It seems that they believe The Others have converted Jack to their way of life. However, he could always be playing the submissive go along guy to mislead them while planning his turn against The Others. Regardless, the recovery isn’t going to be as easy as they may have hoped.

As a transitional episode, this one works very well. It sets up some major fireworks which are due for the next episode while also developing an underdeveloped character, which utilizes the transitional format.

Overall Score: 8/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 9 Review: What's My Line, Part 1

What’s My Line, Part 1
Original Airdate: November 17, 1997
Writer: Marti Noxon and Howard Gordon
Director: David Solomon

As the season tackles largely with Buffy’s dream to live a normal life, it’s fitting that they devote two episodes to where Buffy’s future will take her. With Sunnydale High in the midst of “Career Week”, Buffy has to deal with the fact that even if she makes it to adulthood (an idea her friends politely left out), her career was decided when she became the slayer. Anything she does will have to relate to slaying, like Giles can be a librarian and watcher. Unfortunately, law enforcement, the field most connected to slaying, doesn’t appeal to her at all.

There is an emphasis on Buffy’s isolation, with her mother being out of town and moments like the shot of Buffy’s reflection where Angel can’t appear or the scene where Buffy and Giles talk between the huge stacks of books. Even Angel’s sweet gesture to take her skating goes awry when her slaying duties take priority.

Unlike Buffy, Willow’s future has many options because of her academic record. As Marti Noxon points out in the DVD commentary, the burgeoning computer world (it’s easy to forget this was before Windows 98) was a timely place for her prosperity to take her, not to mention she is able to do things on ten-year-old computers that modern machines can’t. This piece isn’t so important for now, but sets up the stage for when they approach graduation.

Xander on the other hand, doesn’t have much ambition, as the career paths he has are unfortunate. Like Willow’s story, this serves more to establish where Xander will head towards graduation and the future.

This episode shows the first instances of Oz interacting directly with the group. Even though the computer subplot is quickly forgotten, it lets Willow and Oz have their first conversation. Plus Buffy pining him to the wall, suspecting he is one of the people sent to kill her, made a memorable first meeting.

The book Spike’s minion stole in “Lie to Me” becomes more important than initially believed. It turns out this book contains the piece that will cure Drusilla’s sickness. Of course, if they could read it properly, then Buffy would be helpless to stop it. However, the need for them to decode the ancient text (I’m pretty sure there’s no such thing as archaic Latin) and to keep Buffy from foiling them propels the main plot.

With assassins (bounty hunters really isn’t the most applicable term here) out for her, it’s expected that Buffy would be a little paranoid, even when passing by innocuous people like obnoxious door slammer and inopportune hair comber. As the slayer, this is the type of fear she would likely experience all the time, but it’s fitting at this time when Buffy is feeling restless about her chosen one position.

While many cults and groups on “Buffy” have some ideological motivation, The Order of Taraka are contract killers who will focus on nothing but destroying their target. It’s a clever move not to show us all three of the assassins in one episode. With one unknown, it revs up the suspense for the next episode, when one will reveal him or herself.

It isn’t clear why Bug Man heads toward Buffy’s house when he had no confirmation of her being there. It is possible that they left out a scene where it confirms he had no idea what she looked like and confused Cordelia with her, but why would they cut out that piece? Having Xander and Cordelia seek shelter in the basement gives them a space for them to deal with the rising tension in their dynamic, similar to the classic trapped in a room sitcom device.

From her introduction after Biker guy and Bug guy to her following Buffy and Angel and later attacking them, there’s great misdirection leading us to believe Kendra is one of the three assassins out to get Buffy. It would seem fitting to have a diverse group of hitmen include someone Buffy’s age, which in a way has the twist staring the viewer in the face but still unaware.

The twist where Kendra reveals herself to be a slayer marks the payoff to what happened in “Prophesy Girl”. Buffy died, albeit briefly, but even a short death allowed Kendra to be called in her place. It is an interesting repercussion, one that has consequences throughout the series. Kendra is, as we’ll see, an effective reference point to Buffy’s current status.

It’s a little odd that Drusilla’s tarot cards happen to match with what Spike and his crew are out to accomplish. However, we do know Drusilla has some degree of clairvoyance, and that is likely scrambled because of her insanity. Clearly the fallen angel tarot card symbolizes Angel. With the guilt we learned Angel had towards making Drusilla the monster she is, being a part of something to heal her would intensify said guilt. Of course, they better get moving with the sunshine ready to permeate through that cage.

This first part effectively throws most of our heroes, besides Giles and Willow, in some form of high stakes peril. After spending most of the episode dealing with the lonesome life of slayerdom, Buffy suddenly learns there is another. This episode contains some moments that set up turning points in the season, as well as things that become more important down the road.

Overall Score: 8/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 8 Review: The Dark Age

The Dark Age
Original Airdate: November 10, 1997
Writers: Dean Batali & Rob Des Hotel
Director: Bruce Seth Green

Like many kids, the gang doesn’t think much about the lives of their elders before they came into their lives. As far as they know, Giles has always been a stuffed shirt; a British guy who was proudly unhip, dedicated to work and in control. However, in “Halloween” we got a taste that there was a dark side to him, and this episode gives us more detail. Ultimately, when they return and wreak havoc on his stable life, we see that Giles is flawed with past regrets, although it may not be deep enough to make a lasting impact on Giles’ character.

With the hints of a dark side, the pay off feels slightly toned down. Perhaps it’s because Giles’ past pales in comparison to his demonic counterparts. Angel’s mass murderer; Giles summoned a demon to get high and had to kill one of his friends when possession became permanent. His liking the Bay City Rollers almost sounds darker (Bay City Rollers? Really, Giles?) It could’ve been darker had we learned that Eyghon had some bigger plans besides killing those who summoned him twenty five years earlier.

This episode also establishes the use of demon possession as a way to keep a couple apart, which was first used in “The Pack”. Things seemed to be going well for Giles and Jenny, complete with heavy flirting and PDA. It was cute to see Giles get the girl, but nice relationships rarely last long on “Buffy”. So to enforce the idea of Giles’ past coming to haunt him, they have someone he cares for pay the penalty. Although Jenny under possession was a bit hot (not with the Eyghon make up of course).

It was neat to have Ethan return. His character serves as a model of what Giles would be like if he had not tried to make up for killing his friend. Ethan is selfish to the point where he would mutilate Buffy to save himself, whereas Giles has many people close to him and would sacrifice himself to save them. Although one nitpick; did Ethan know about this in advance, since he got another month’s lease on the costume shop? He would’ve left town otherwise. Did he know Eyghon was back and wanted to be in close proximity with another potential victim?

Another problem, albeit minor, is that for some reason they to made the metaphorical “scent” of the Mark of Eyghon literal. How exactly is a tattoo going to produce a scent Eyghon could use to locate them? Unless the searing flesh is a tell, this just came off as sloppy. It would’ve worked better had Eyghon scanned Ethan with his/her eyes before figuring that he didn’t have the mark.

This episode brings up the concept of Buffy’s friends as Watchers in training. It certainly feels fit at this point in the show. With Giles out of commission through most of the episode, the three in the library have to step up the usual research. Willow once again proves to be resourceful as she realizes a vampire would be a perfect host to destroy Eyghon. And as Xander and Cordelia bicker, which is so over the top with excessive one liners that only assures they’ll get together, she once again brings up the stern side to put personal drama aside until the job is done.

One element that felt undercooked was vampires seizing the human blood delivered to the hospital. For creatures that don’t object to feasting on human beings, Angel excluded, it seems odd that they would go through the effort to take donated blood. Only Angel gets packaged blood because he doesn’t want to directly harm someone to get his sustenance. Since one of the vampires referred to the blood as “product”, perhaps they spike the blood with something for vampires to use like drugs. Blood intoxication has been mentioned in “School Hard”.

This episode, a bit like its predecessor, could’ve been a bit better. The exploration of Giles’ dark side is intriguing, but doesn’t go much deeper than his “lost weekending”. Even throughout the series, it is only a motivation here and there. With the spin off series “Ripper” scrapped (as far as I know) this may be one of the few examples of this dark side, which makes Giles a little incomplete.

Overall Score: 7/10

Lost: Season 3, Episode 11 Review: Enter 77

Enter 77
Original Airdate: March 7, 2007
Writers: Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse
Director: Stephen Williams

One of the biggest complaints of the first part of the season was the lack of coverage for the Fuselagers. In this second part, they've done a good job bringing us back to the main camp and giving us episodes on our favorite characters. Sayid has unfortunately been one of the characters left on the back burner for most of the season so far, so it was about time to get another glimpse into his character, especially as he prepares for a showdown with The Others. He has been preparing for revenge against The Others since Shannon died. When Ben was taken prisoner, he found an outlet for that rage briefly. Since Ben escaped The Swan, Sayid hasn’t been able to focus this energy on anything. Now their quest to get Jack back leads them right to a reclusive member of The Others, and when he is thinking revenge, his conscience comes into play.

The flashbacks, explaining why Sayid displayed some mercy to Mikhail when he previously had a clear desire for revenge, worked very well alongside the A-plot, even if the actual event that would trigger the flashback occurred later in the show. I prefer to give the flashbacks some leniency than being flashbacks a person would usually have. Some may accuse these flashbacks as being filler because it didn't contain any major revelations or developments. However, I think that an episode like this adds more meaning to what we've already seen with Sayid.

Sayid undergoes a role reversal in this episode, becoming the captor seeking the revenge. Despite his desire for revenge, he remembers when one person he tortured forgave him for his brutality when he was certain that her husband would kill him. Amira provides an argument of mercy being more powerful than vengeance, sparing a homeless cat from being hurt further by kids with firecrackers. The cat with a similar appearance, aptly named Nadia, symbolizes that return of mercy overriding his quest for revenge.

If you want to take the whole story as a direct parallel, perhaps Mikhail was trying to distance himself from The Others by working alone in The Flame. When Klugh convinces him to kill her, he doesn't seem to be as willing to go that far for whatever cause The Others have. His wanting to die at the end feels more like an admittance of defeat.

Klugh’s brief return alleviated some complaints from some who wondered where she was among the rest of the Others who captured Jack, Kate & Sawyer. While her role in The Others’ society is still not clear (and may never be explained), apparently she has some technical prowess and was there to help Mikhail get the communications running.

It has been hinted this season that The Others have been cut off since Desmond turned the fail-safe key and The Flame, which is station that allows communication with the outside world. Presumably, this is where Ben got the footage of the Red Sox winning the World Series. The communications going down symbolize a major blow to The Others’ power, but Locke’s destruction of the Station is a major setback for the castaways hoping for rescue.

Many people criticized Locke for blowing up the station and how that action made him look like an idiot. While there is weight to this criticism, it would've been out of character for him not to do what the computer says. Locke believed that fate had originally led him to The Hatch and that what happened in "Live Together, Die Alone" was a form of punishment for his lack of faith. So when he's presented with a new station and a new computer, he wouldn't disobey it and face the consequences again.

It could've been interesting to have Mikhail be or think he was the last surviving member of the Dharma Initiative (technically Desmond is the last Dharma). Many of the things he said made sense; things Kelvin said in “Live Together, Die Alone” support his claims. However, making him an Other works too, as he would've known that those in The Swan wouldn't be able to participate in "The Purge" because they had to stay by the button to press it every 108 minutes. Also, it might've been more appropriate to have a revelation like this last season when The Hatch was the big focus.

Dr. Candle's automated video offers insights into what Dharma knew coming to the island. That Dharma material would acknowledge The Others/hostiles adds to the theory that Dharma knew that this island was inhabited. In addition, they felt their presence in a communication station was such a risk to their operations that destroying it by entering 77 was the only solution if communications were down. Was part of the motivation behind Dharma to study The Others? Clearly, the four-toed statue was meant to show us that this island has history going beyond Dharma in the 70s, but how would Dharma find out such a thing that the rest of the world didn’t know?

Assuming Mikhail is honest about everything besides not being an Other (which apparently has been confirmed), this adds a lot of detail to the history between The Others and the Dharma Initiative. Now it can be said that they are two separate entities. If that's the case, how does Mittelos Bioscience figure into The Others, and what relationship did they have with Dharma if any? If the purge went as well as they hoped, is there any assimilated ex-Dharma in the ranks? And why would Dharma engage The Others in combat?

The Flame appeared to be responsible for the pallet drops from "Lockdown", although it seems odd that they would be responsible for deciding when people in The Swan would get their rations. There were also Swan logos on various items in The Flame station. As The Flame was responsible for communications, it has to be asked how much the other Dharma stations communicated or worked with each other or if each was its own entity.

It’s also odd that The Flame has a small functioning farm in the land around it, which explains how Juliet was able to get a cheeseburger. Unlike the other stations, which appear to be made of steel The Flame has a barn façade with a basement. This could’ve been made by The Others post purge, but it seems unlikely since The Others have more commandeered old Dharma stations and used them for their own needs rather than change them.

Another thing worth thinking about is that Rousseau has never seen this station. Considering the amount of time she has spent on this island, it doesn’t seem like she’s encountered half of what the main castaways encountered by the end of the first season. Once again this begs a Rousseau episode, but who knows when that’ll happen.

On the lighter side, we got a fun subplot involving Sawyer playing Hurley in a ping pong match, the stakes being his stash or nickname privledges. There were some nice call outs to the fans, like whether the Hatch imploded or exploded and the awkward introduction of Nikki and Paolo into the main group. Perhaps Sawyer's excessive nicknames this season was the writers getting it out of their system before this.

After last week’s break from the mythology, this episode returns to it, deepening our sense of the history of Dharma and The Others in the process. The flashbacks are strong because they work along the main story and explain Sayid’s motivations. Sparing Mikhail could be seen as a step forward, but who knows when the step back will come.

Score: 8/10

Lost: Season 3, Episode 10 Review: Tricia Tanaka Is Dead

Tricia Tanaka Is Dead

Original Airdate: February 28, 2007

Writer: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz

Director: Eric Laneuville

This is an episode Lost needed badly. Throughout this season, and the ill-managed three month break, the “haters” have been complaining endlessly about how “Lost” is, to use a non-clever word, “lost”. Too many unanswered questions, too much about the Others, not enough from the main cast, etc. It seemed to leave that behind when it came back with two solid episodes. However, “Stranger in a Strange Land”, generally considered a misfire made worse by misleading ads, ruined the newly earned good will. It gave the critics, largely quiet during the first two episodes, more than enough fuel to resume their declarations that “Lost” was past its prime and should be canceled. That is a pretty steep order for this episode.

Perhaps one of this episode’s strengths is that it takes a step back from the complicated mythology. While some have the unrealistic expectation that each episode will offer a mind blowing twist/advancement to the plot, they need to realize that “Lost” is a human drama surrounded in the mystery. This episode doesn’t have any major revelations, but it proves that a “Lost” episode doesn’t need that to be satisfying because it was invested in its human drama.

It certainly helps that this is a Hurley-centric episode. He’s been fan favorite since the beginning and it’s easy to see why. “Numbers” was one of the many highlights of the first season, with its darkly comic storyline and the introduction of the now iconic numbers. The following episodes, “Everybody Hates Hugo” and “Dave” were increasingly dark, focusing on his problems with overeating and his mental illness. His hard times have made him more endearing and complex than if they just kept him as light-hearted comic relief. They do a great job of reminding us of that in the heartfelt scene at the graveyard. In addition to losing Libby (we must remember than on the island it has barely been two weeks since she died), he and the rest of the Fuselagers are reeling from the abduction of Jack, Kate and Sawyer and Eko’s death.

Hurley has believed for a long time that he’s cursed, that using the numbers to win the lottery caused it. Many have wondered just what it is about those six numbers that can do that. But as his mental health problems took a major role in his character, the idea that Hurley is simply cherry picking bad incidents in his life, which just happen to be catastrophic, to support his idea that he’s cursed must be considered.

Like many characters, Hurley has some daddy issues. David left Hurley and his mom for some unknown reason, returning only after Hurley won the lottery. Regardless of the fact that he abandoned his family, David isn’t that bad a guy compared to the other dads. However, how threatening can a character played by Cheech Marin be? David’s big error was leaving Hurley without solidifying the idea that he can make his own luck. It’s worth noting that his dad’s name is the same as his imaginary friend “Dave”, who we met last season. There are some similarities between them, like when David gives young Hurley the candy bar when his mom forbids it. Perhaps Hurley created “Dave” as a way to deal with his father leaving.

Vincent (whom Walt left behind) has been suspected of being something more than just a dog. He seemed to lead Shannon on her journey last season, and in this episode he provides Hurley with the key. This could be reading too much into it, but the fact that Vincent has done things like that before is worth chewing over.

So we are introduced to the Dharma van and its driver, Roger “WorkMan”. A van in the jungle is enough to cause speculation, but considering the Dharma logo and the Dharma equipment (beer) in the van, it isn’t hard to believe that Dharma used vehicles to transport things throughout the island. Considering how decomposed Roger is, he likely died some time ago. Now his death could’ve been a number of different things, ranging from a van accident that no one was aware of to something “incident” related.

The scenes of the van crew were a blast to watch. Their real life friendship translates really well into the show. It also had much needed comic relief, like Roger’s falling head, Sawyer hitting his beer against Roger’s skull and Hurley’s poor nickname skills (“Red…neck…man”). This season has been lacking the levity of previous seasons and this bit made up for it.

“Flashes Before Your Eyes” explored the idea that no matter what any of the castaways do, fate will intervene to do what it finds fit in the end. In “Tricia”, we see that the individual has the ability to “look death in the face and say ‘whatever, man’”, as Hurley eloquently put it. Perhaps this motif of the series will culminate in some balance between fate and free will, where some things are beyond our control, but we are not completely at the mercy of forces more powerful than we are.

Like Hurley says, they needed some hope. This season has been the darkest so far, with many of our heroes in bad situations that keep getting worse. Those working on the van, besides Jin, could use some hope in particular. Following Desmond’s prophecy of Charlie’s impending death, it’s not surprising that Charlie would mope around the camp after that. Sawyer’s been stewing in the fact that his relationship with Kate isn’t what he wants.

The conclusion where Hurley gets the old Dharma van working is an utter delight. One would be hard pressed not to crack a smile or even cheer as the boys jump around the van yelling in triumph while “Shambala” blasts on the 8-track. The segue to a similar piece by Michael Giacchino was a nice touch to close the episode before the epilogue resumed the major island story.

Kate recruiting Rousseau on a rescue mission makes sense for her, but why she’s leaving Locke & Sayid out is a little puzzling. Yes, they don’t know what it was like stuck on the Hydra island, but Locke and Sayid both have personal stakes tied into The Others. Sayid has wanted some payback since early in season two, when some cast members didn’t think of The Others as a major threat.

There is a follow up to what Locke saw on Eko’s stick. Following on his idea to absolve himself for allowing the trio to be captured, he gathers that the scripture quote referred to him bringing the group back home. Kate & Sawyer returning eased that, but Jack there is still work to be done.

Sayid, considered to be the middle man between the science and faith debate, is obviously skeptical about how following the compass at a bearing of 305 will lead them to Jack. His brief comments in the epilogue hint at a larger unease between his partnering with Locke.

This episode seemed to be made for anyone unhappy with the previous episodes this season. It gives us a status update on each main character on the beach. There are no “Others” in sight. It focused on a fan favorite character and gave him a major victory, leaving many viewers with smiles on their face.

Overall Score: 9/10

Lost: Season 3, Episode 9 Review: Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger in a Strange Land
Original Airdate: February 21, 2007
Writer: Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina Kim
Director: Paris Barclay

ABC’s promo department sabotaged this episode with the claim that we would get three major answers in this episode. The ad people, aware of the growing restlessness of answer-demanding viewers, threw that in the ad to try to assure them that something will happen. Only problem is the core of this promise: three major things weren’t answered. Jack’s tattoo’s were partially explained (I guess they thought they were going to do another episode), but did anyone really care? Jack’s tattoos were a mystery some producers hyped and most viewers ignored. Now that we know, does it unlock any major answers into the island or mythology?

The second thing we learned was where the people went after The Others took them. The return of Cindy and the kids felt tacked on from another episode. They show up, speak with Jack for a few moments, not really saying much, and disappear. It doesn’t make any sense. All we get are vague statements like “you don’t understand” or “they’re in a safe place”, which considering the episode’s hype, could be considered anything from irritating to down right teasing. I’m also guessing “where are the kids” and “what happened to Cindy” were supposed to be two answers, but no one bought it.

It isn’t fair for me to fault the whole episode on the advertising debacle. The creative team doesn’t work with the ad team, so the results can have too many spoilers or misrepresent the episode among other problems. When “Lost” is in syndication and even when it comes out on DVD, this ad problem should not be an issue to viewers and critics, but considering the negative reaction, “Lost” simply failed to make up for the ad screw up, resulting in a sub-par episode.

The chronology of Jack’s flashback is puzzling. Considering how many he’s had, there are several points where Jack would want to head to Phuket to “find himself”; after his marriage fell apart, after the confrontation in “A Tale of Two Cities”. Not being able to fit it in the chronology hurts the context because we don’t know which event spurred Jack to go on his vacation or his unreasonable anger.

Achara, played by Bai Ling, apparently was going to be featured in three episodes. Considering the overwhelmingly negative response this episode received, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see her again. This is reminiscent of another Bai Ling role, when she guest starred on “Angel” seven years ago. Her character then was supposed to be featured in several episodes, but was quickly jettisoned after poor responses as well. You have to feel bad for her with that track record.

Considering how many flashbacks Jack has had, it’s important that they continue to incorporate new elements to Jack’s character and develop him further. Unfortunately, the tattoo flashbacks don’t do much of that. We know Jack is a leader and is often lonely because of that, but what else? Ultimately, the flashbacks serve only as a parallel to the current state where Juliet gets marked.

Because she killed one of their own, Juliet is now branded with a mark that looks like an upside down version of the Scientology logo. This type of punishment seems fitting with older customs The Others have, but why would they put her mark in the same place coeds get tattoos on spring break? If they really want her to be branded as an outcast, why wouldn’t they place where it is harder to hide?

The most obvious reason would be so Jack and Juliet can have a tender moment while he tends to this new mark. They have made a connection and since Jack knows she wants to leave the island, they have a mutual goal. Obviously his feelings for her earlier in the episode were what provoked him to sway Ben from executing her, as he doesn’t even care for sympathetic Others like Tom.

A big problem with this episode is the introduction of “The Sheriff”, Isabel. Unfortunately for a show that has had such a great track record with its actors, this actress just doesn’t cut it. While the monotone may be channeling Hannibal Lecter similarly to the way Ben speaks, it just comes off as robotic. I’ve seen her in other work so I know she isn’t a bad actress, but she doesn’t quite fit on “Lost”. Perhaps Klugh was supposed to fill “The Sheriff” role, but the actress had other engagements and this role was meant to be temporary.

One element in the episode that deserved a lot more exploration was Ben’s apparent slow healing. It’s been shown that the island has been able to heal Locke’s paralysis, Rose’s cancer and (maybe) Jin’s infertility. However, Ben can’t heal quickly from his surgery and is rather weak (the brief shot of Tom holding the umbrella over Ben’s head was intriguing). In fact, the infection is getting worse. Maybe this episode would’ve been better had they focused on Ben and hallucinations he had while taking the drugs for his infection.

Leaving the Hydra Island effectively ends this introductory phase of the season, one that has been harshly criticized for not featuring much of our beach castaways and focusing too heavily on The Others. This shift in the narrative, with the promise that The Others prefer the main island and live there full time (if that was supposed to be the third mystery solved, then that makes the promos even worse), is certainly welcome to those who stuck through this one.

It was clear in “Not in Portland” that there were some bumps in Kate & Sawyer’s relationship. Sawyer knew it as she emotionally retold the “Count to 5” story. Kate’s insistence that they return to Hydra Island (which Karl informs them isn’t where they live) is a clear indicator that although Kate slept with Sawyer, her affections are still split between the two men. As for Sawyer, hurt by this, tries to brush off their intimacy by saying that it only happened because she thought he would be dead soon, which may be partially true

Karl and Alex’s relationship develops more. Of the romantic relationships, this one seems pure in its “puppy love” nature, which makes it more endearing. You feel bad for Karl seeing him sob over his lost Alex and smile when Sawyer convinces him to go for it, even if he may die in the process. There is a certain star crossed quality to it as their feelings override many of the politics meant to keep them apart.

This episode came at a bad time. Following the hiatus, people complained about the show’s direction while praising the new hit show “Heroes” (a show with similar attributes. I won’t go into any comparisons here). They had two good episodes, but this episode may have been enough to tilt some viewers to stop watching. This episode taught them some major lessons in how delicately you need to treat some fans, or else the situation will become a full fledged fiasco. Despite its faults, it is forgivable considering many of the above average/excellent episodes later in the season.

Overall Score: 6/10

Lost: Season 3, Episode 8 Review: Flashes Before Your Eyes

Flashes Before Your Eyes
Original Airdate: February 14, 2007
Writer: Damon Lindelof and Drew Goddard
Director: Jack Bender

Of the mini-season, the biggest mystery brought up not connected to The Others was Desmond’s sudden precognition. While the Swan explosion seemed to return both Locke and Eko to their original paths, it threw Desmond on a different journey altogether. Of course, Desmond’s character wasn’t developed to the point where Locke or Eko were last season. With this new gift, he has a new foundation to develop his character now that his old reference point is gone.

Turning the failsafe key in last season’s finale caused Desmond to see his life flash before his eyes. Not only did he see moments from his past, and experience several days leading to the day he broke up with Penny in 1996 (even with a song from 1997 creeping in to the mix), but in current time he can see the future. Unfortunately for him, the journey he undergoes in the lucid flashback negates this gift, making him believe that no matter how many times he prevents things like Charlie’s death and breaking up with Penny, they will eventually come to fruition. These moments explain Desmond’s despondent behavior at the end of “Further Instructions”.

Some have criticized “Lost” since the second season for flashbacks that offer little to the story or retread moments already covered. While this wouldn’t be a problem for Desmond, who has had only one flashback, they try something different from the formula by having him lucid during his flashback. What works favorably in this is that Desmond’s memory isn’t complete. Only exposure to things from the island or reminiscent from it jogs his memory. It isn’t until he encounters Charlie after Widmore’s brutal rejection that things start to fall in place. It also solidifies Donovan’s skepticism and validates the Ring Lady’s authority later.

Why is it that whenever someone in a movie or TV show deals with time travel/alternate reality/dimensions, they happen to have a friend who is a physicist? Perhaps the most obvious answer would be to explain to the audience what is happening without having the layperson suddenly become way too smart. Also, it is to reinforce the notion that whatever the hero is going through is impossible, leading to the reveal that it is.

The Ring Lady, appropriately named Ms. Hawking, is an interesting character. She could be just another person who is in a similar ordeal to Desmond’s and is well aware of what to expect. She may have tried to prevent something from happening so many times and the eventual defeat wore her down. Or she may not be a person at all. There have also been comparisons to The Oracle of The Matrix films, an older woman who seems to know a lot about this alternate reality, including Desmond’s story. Some have theorized that The Monster manifested as her, possibly to sabotage Desmond.

This episode recalls, among other things, Kurt Vonnegut’s masterpiece “Slaughterhouse Five”. In it the protagonist has become “unstuck in time” and spends the book flashing forward and backward through his life; reliving his marriage, duty in World War II and alien abduction. Desmond similarly goes back to when he broke up with Penny back to the island where he lies naked among the hatch ruins. If it has happened after this flashback, we can only assume that it happened to be the moments he saved Charlie from dying.

Time travel is a tricky narrative device. One can go far with elaborate scenarios of even a small alteration of the past. Someone goes back in time and kills a bug, then in the present the world has been annihilated by nuclear war. If Desmond really did travel backward, did he do something in the lucid flashback that changed current events? You could argue that Desmond traveling back in time was what caused him to break up with Penny, but for that to work, he had to get on the island, which he wouldn’t have done had he not broken up with Penny. This type of circular logic can be extremely confusing and will be kept to a minimum in these reviews, same as how an electromagnetic discharge could cause time travel.

As we saw in “Live Together, Die Alone”, Desmond’s issue with facing his fears is his major flaw to overcome. Because he doesn’t confront Widmore directly, he tries to impress him by achieving things Widmore values. It is hinted that the break up is what made him go into the army, which is something we assume Widmore admires. This is why he participated in Widmore’s race, which resulted in his shipwreck on the island. What these events have in common is that both acts fail miserably. Using this timeline, Desmond’s time in the army was less than three years not including his prison sentence. Desmond’s mission to save Charlie could be a major stepping stone for him, as some have cited the “Wonderwall” (which Charlie sings in the episode) lyrics as foreshadowing. As he has found it so hard to face his human problems, he is now facing a battle with fate, the outcome of which may finally give him the courage to face his fears.

Like Jin’s story, class plays a big role. When Desmond checks in and during his interview, his Scottish accent is noticeably toned down. Even in America, certain accents can make a person seem lower in stature. Widmore flaunts his status during the MacCutcheon speech as well. Also it’s no surprise that Desmond’s flat is no where near the quality of the one Penny gave up to live with him.

Charlie’s suspicions of Desmond, which have been evident in the last few episodes, appear to be rooted in the belief that Desmond was moving in on Claire. There have been hints as Desmond saving her life twice, looking like Claire’s Knight in Shining Armor. The image of Desmond carrying Claire out of the water while Charlie helplessly stands with the rest of the castaways is certainly one that would make him feel insecure about his newly found reconciliation with Claire. While that wouldn’t explain how Charlie would think that Desmond orchestrated these events, jealousy can easily overpower logic.

Assuming “the universe” as Ms. Hawking called it can course correct, is the universe trying to prevent something by killing Charlie? Is saving Charlie setting up someone else to take his place or something worse that would happen with Charlie around? It could be that the universe is neutral and without an agenda.

While this flashback takes up about 75% of the episode and doesn’t offer a major reveal into the mythology, it doesn’t feel wasted at all. Instead, it offers ruminations on the fate vs. free will debate, a big piece of “Lost”. At times, it recalls moments from “The Twilight Zone”, with most of the episode taking place in this weird flashback. It also gives two characters major pushes for their stories.

Overall Score: 9/10