Lost Season 5 Episode Report Card

Remember Lost?

Yeah, I think I got to this post too late. Originally, I had planned, shortly after the season wrapped up, to do a brief episode-by-episode review and assign a grade to each episode, similar to what I did last year.

But I never really got energized to do it (which is why you're reading this at the beginning of July and not the end of May) and now that I think about, I don't have a lot of things to say about each episode, and even less desire to arbitrarily assign a grade to each one.

So instead I think I'll just post a few brief (well, brief by my standards...) comments for each episode and leave it at that.


Because You Left: The premiere looked in on the entire cast, but I appreciated that the focus was firmly on the time-jumping Losties on the island, answering early on what happened when Ben moved the island in the season four finale. I'm sure some viewers felt confused or alienated by the huge emphasis on time travel from the outset of the season, but I loved it.


The Lie: Not a bad episode, but not one I love as much as some fans. I will almost always be more interested in events on island than off, and this was very much an off-island episode (and a little too "Weekend at Bernie's" for my taste, though several parts of it were genuinely funny, especially Hurley summarizing the first four seasons to his mom and flinging his Hot Pocket at Ben).


Jughead: One of my favorites from this season, showcasing two of my favorite characters, Desmond and Daniel. And, in retrospect, this episode really laid the foundation for the entire season: time traveling, Jughead, Ellie, integration into the island's history by the main characters.


The Little Prince: My least favorite episode of the season. The on-island story easily outshines yet another lackluster Kate story off-island. The best part of the episode is finding out Jin's alive and hanging out in the past with Rousseau, but all of that is paid off in the next episode.


This Place Is Death: Another favorite that managed to effectively cram a lot of story into one episode, highlighted by Jin's adventures with young Rousseau and Charlotte's sad death scene.


316: The first Jack episode I've liked in a long time (other than the season three finale, and that became interesting only in retrospect), I also enjoyed the uniquely (for Lost) straightforward narrative structure, focusing solely on Jack during a 36 hour window of time. The final scenes on the plane, including Jack finally reading Locke's suicide note and the reveal of Frank as the pilot of Flight 316, were especially good.


The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham: I don't love this episode as much as everyone else, nor, really, as much I want to. I just can't get over some of the continuity glitches it causes enough to fully embrace it as one of the show's classics. The two biggest bones to pick, for me, are:

1. The fact that NO ONE is told about Locke's Bentham identity on screen nor given a reason to use it in this episode, yet in the season four finale, everyone is using it and going out of their way to make sure it's used exclusively.
2. It appears that Locke's suicide occurs shortly after he encounters Jack in the hospital, at a point in which Jack isn't obsessively trying to get back to the island and his beard is under control, which would suggest that Ben (or the authorities) sat on Locke's body for at least a month before crazed Beardo Jack read Bentham's obituary,which doesn't seem likely.

It's possible these inconsistencies (and more) might be addressed in a future episode, but with only sixteen left, it seems more and more likely that this episode is all the Bentham story we're going to get, and that leaves me troubled.

Of course, the real reason everyone was using the Bentham name so aggressively in the season four finale was because the producers were trying to keep the reveal of Locke in the coffin as shocking as possible, but Lost is usually better at covering for those kinds of for-the-sake-of-drama moments, and I expected as much in this episode. Which has led some Lost fans to coin the term "Bentham" to describe a reveal on the show that doesn't quite match the level of intensity of the question it's answering, especially in cases where said revelation makes it clear the mystery was played up simply for the sake of drama (other "Benthams", for example, include the revelation of what Sawyer told Kate on the helicopter before he dived out and why Kate told Jack to never mention Aaron again before schtupping him and boarding flight 316).


LaFleur: Probably my favorite episode of the season, I really enjoyed this traditionally structured episode that bounced back and forth between Sawyer and the Losties life in the 70s Dharma Initiative and how they got there.


Namaste: The first of three episodes that tend to blur together a bit, as the returning Oceanic 4 are integrated into Sawyer's Dharma con, leading to the unraveling of said con.


He's Our You: A standout for the ending alone, in which Sayid shoots Harry Potter Ben. Easily one of the most "Holy crap, did they really just do that?" endings of the entire series.


Whatever Happened, Happened: This was surprisingly good for a Kate episode. While most of the revelations in this episode were more Benthams (specifically, what Sawyer asked her to do before leaving the helicopter (why, exactly, did she have to keep that from Jack except that the plot demanded it?) and why she was so weird the night before leaving on flight 316 (I get that she was devastated by leaving Aaron, but her dialogue with Jack in "316" suggested something more mysterious/sinister happened than "I gave him for his own good")) the scene in which Kate tearfully says goodbye to Aaron was one of Evangeline Lily's greatest performance on the show, and terribly moving.


Dead Is Dead: Good, evil, or both, Ben is ridiculously fun to watch, so his episodes always shine, and this was no exception. Between the Ben/Locke interaction, flashbacks that filled in and revealed crucial bits of island history, the culmination of Ben's vendetta against Widmore via Penny, and more Smokey, this episode is another highlight of the season (even if the finale's revelation that it wasn't really Locke screwing with Ben's head in this episode takes a little something away from it).


Some Like It Hoth: Somewhat more that a token "funny" episode, with the long-delayed look at Miles' past, yet still not as character driven or mythologically-heavy as other episodes this season. An entertaining romp sprinkled with some deep dramatic moments, particularly Hurley watching his numbers getting stamped into the hatch door and Miles watching his dad interact with his younger self at the end.


The Variable: Billed as a counterpoint to season four's seminal "The Constant", it fails to hit the emotional highs of that episode. Still, the ultimately tragic examination of Faraday's past helps it stand out. Much of this episode's impact on the series as whole will depend on the outcome of the finale's cliffhanger: whether whatever happened, happened, or if Faraday was right in this episode about the variables being able to change things (or, if Faraday was conning Jack all along with his talk of variables).


Follow The Leader: A standard penultimate episode that ramps up the action and moves everyone into place for the big finale.


The Incident: Easily one of the most maddening cliffhangers in Lost history ("how the hell will they survive an atomic blast!?! Did history change!?! Jacob's dead!?! What's the deal with NotLocke!?!"), the season five finale had much in common with the similarly-maddening season one finale: both took place entirely on or around the island and both resolved their central plot (blow open the hatch, blow up Jughead) without revealing the consequences of those actions (What's in the hatch? Was time altered?).

Lost: Episode Report Card

This'll be my last Lost post for awhile, I swear...

The Beginning of the End (aka The One Where the Losties Split into Two Camps): An exciting start to the season that picked up right where the last one left off, it set-up much of the season’s plotlines: the divide between Jack’s camp and Locke’s group in New Otherton, the notion of the Oceanic Six, and the presence of the freighter and its crew. A more than suitable beginning to an intense, dense season. B+

Confirmed Dead (aka The One that Introduces the Freighties): Probably the best introduction of new characters in the show’s history, this episode did for the main four Freighties what no episode did for Nikki and Paulo: made us either care about the newbies or be intrigued by them. By the end of the season, Charlotte, Miles, Frank and Daniel seem as much a part of the cast as many of the original Lostaways, and much of that groundwork was laid here. A-

The Economist (aka The One Where Sayid is a Suave Assassin): The flash forward story involving Sayid falling for a woman he’s been assigned to kill was enjoyable enough but the real significance of it was the ending, in which we discovered that Sayid was taking orders from an off-island Ben. The island story mainly served to get certain players into certain positions (Miles to Locke’s camp, Sayid and Desmond freighter-bound), though we did get the first concrete evidence of the time anomaly via Daniel’s missile experiment. B

Eggtown (aka The One with Kate’s Trial, Also, She’s Aaron’s Mom Now): Kate episodes are always a bit dull, and this one was no exception, though the surprise revelation at the end helped it rise above some previous mediocre Kate outings. The trial story itself was fairly routine, with a bit of intrigue thrown in (the first hints of the fake story the Oceanic Six concocted) but the business between Kate and her mother I couldn’t have cared less about. On the island, we had some fun interactions between Kate and Sawyer and more of Ben taunting Locke’s impotent leadership, but otherwise, a fairly average episode and one of the season’s weaker outings. C

The Constant (aka The One Where Desmond Time Travels): Easily the best episode of the season, and one of the show’s best overall. Not only is the character work compelling (Desmond and Penny’s tearful phone reunion is powerful, and far superior to their physical reunion at season’s end) but the overall plot is also advanced as Sayid and Desmond learn more about the creepy freighter, Daniel’s character is expanded on, and the narrative structure of the show is once again manipulated. This was Lost at its best. A+

The Other Woman (aka The One Where Ben Freaks Out About Juliet): There was no question that whatever episode followed The Constant would pale in comparison, but even given that, The Other Woman falls short. It’s saving grace was the flashback portion, which gave us another always appreciated look at life amongst the Others, as well showing us the depths of Ben’s obsession with and possessiveness of Juliet in particular and everything he believes he owns in general. The island story, involving Daniel and Charlotte’s attempt to neutralize the poison gas at a Dharma station, suffered from a lack of tension and plot-hammering; the entire story could have been resolved by a two minute conversation:

Jack: Where are you going?
Daniel and Charlotte:We’re going to neutralize a threat to the island?
Jack: Why?
Daniel and Charlottle: Sorry, can’t say.
Jack: Fine, whatever, we’ll still help, because you’re neutralizing a threat to everyone.

See how easy that was?

Plus, the whole thing was capped off with that perfunctory and utterly sparkless Jack and Juliet kiss that left us with the feeling that while Juliet may have escaped Ben’s possession, she was still being viewed as a possession by Jack, something he wanted because it meant Ben couldn’t have it. C-

Ji Yeon (aka The One Where the Producers Dicked Around and Made Us Think Jin Was One of the Oceanic Six): A lot of people seem to have loved this episode a lot more than I did. I didn’t dislike it, I just didn’t love it. And not just because they made us think the Jin flashback was actually a flashforward-I loved that idea. Playing with our expectations of the narrative structure is something a show like Lost can and should do more often than other shows. Sun’s tearful visit to Jin’s grave to introduce Jin to his daughter was certainly moving (especially in light of the events of the finale), but I honestly don’t recall much else about this episode. B-

Meet Kevin Johnson (aka The One about What Happened to Michael Since Last We Saw Him): Conversely, a lot people seemed down on this episode, but I kind of liked it. It certainly wasn’t the best lead-in to the strike-enforced hiatus and it would have been a horrible season finale had the strike not abated but every once in awhile it’s nice to have an infodump plot episode devoted to telling us “what happened when (fill-in-the-blank).” There are plenty of bothersome timing issues with the events presented herein (there simply isn’t enough time for Michael to realistically do everything he does in his flashback) but it was nice to see Tom again, and some interesting notions were introduced: Widmore faked the Oceanic 815 wreckage, maybe, and the island can exert some kind of protection over those who still have work to do. B+

The Shape of Things to Come (aka The One With All The Action): This was a straight up action-orientated episode, but there’s nothing wrong with that, from time to time. Alex’s death was a genuine surprise, and cryptic clues aplenty were dropped amongst all the fighting. The first episode back from a six week hiatus, there was a distinct energy to this episode that carried all the way through to the finale, as if to say “strap in; we’re heading towards the ending at ramming speed!” A-

Something Nice Back Home (aka The One Where Jack Has Appendix Surgery): Honestly, this episode’s biggest strength is that it didn’t suck more. Jack being foolishly stubborn, Future Jack having relationship and daddy issues, there’s nothing new here. And of course what little suspense Jack’s appendicitis would generate is nullified by the fact that in the same episode we see him in the future, hale and healthy. But things aren’t a total wash; the image of Christian Shepard wandering around Future Jack's life was intriguing, and the threat of his bursting appendix was really more about character development than suspenseJuliet really shines here, moreso than in her feature episode earlier in the season, taking charge and later quietly resolving the tedious Jack-Juliet-Kate triangle. B-

Cabin Fever (aka The One with Locke’s Secret Origin): A game-changing episode that developed characters, expanded the show’s mythology, and moved the plot forward. There’s no doubt that when all is said and done, this episode will be looked back on as one not only an essential Locke episode, but an essential episode of the show, period. A

There’s No Place Like Home part 1 (aka The One Setting Up the Finale): It’s tough to judge this, as it really was the first part of the finale, and thus did a lot of the setup work that the finale paid off. Still, it did that well, and the intensity of the previous episode carried over into this one, and from there into the finale. B

There’s No Place Like Home part 2 (aka The One Where Crazy Shit Happens All Over): Intense, exciting, action-packed, sad, questioning, this episode did everything a good finale should: it wrapped up the preceding season’s plot (Freighter: blown up, Mercenaries: Defeated, Oceanic Six: rescued, Locke: ascended to Other leadership) while laying groundwork for next season (why do the Six need to get back to the island? How did Locke die? Where’d the island go?). While the ending wasn’t as poignant as Charlie’s sacrifice last season, and the cliffhanger not as shocking as the flash forward reveal, it was still eminently satisfying and accomplished. A

What did YOU think?