Lost - "Something Nice Back Home"

What Aaron Liked: Elizabeth Mitchell's "Juliet" has been one of the best things about this season. Her refusal to kowtow to Jack's delirious operating table dictating (especially when juxtaposed with Kate and Bernard's sheepish reactions to Juliet taking charge) was awesome to watch. The same could be said for her opening up to Kate after the surgery and, especially, Juliet's deadpan "I know you're awake" line to end a great scene. The evolution of Ken Leung's "Miles" character, from everything I've read, was one of the storylines pushed back to the 2009 season due to the writer's strike. His "ghost whisperer" schtick didn't click with me when it was first introduced, but I'll admit to being the last Lost fan to realize its potential. Miles' gruesome discovery of Danielle and Carl portends to bigger "dead or alive" questions getting answered, at some point.

What Aaron Didn't Like: Shhh! Don't tell a soul, but I hate when Lost turns into an hour-long "Jack and Kate's Cavalcade of Whimsy" episode. I get that the writer's strike forced certain storylines to be hastened along and others to be tabled or abandoned entirely. That said, the only explanation we get from future Jack wanting nothing to do with future Kate (and "her son") four episodes ago to future naked Jack slobbin' on future naked Kate is that Jack "changed his mind"?! Blergh. And, hey, y'know what this show really needs? Another soap operatic angle of love! Thankfully, Charlotte and Faraday appear to have feelings for each other. Watch out for Jack, though, Faraday. He gets all the b*tches! Can't say I enjoyed the return of Jack's graying, grape-favoring father, either. Not to oversimplify this, but almost everyone else on the island has cooler, more interesting demons to deal with than an alcoholic father who didn't dispense enough hugs. On the plus side, "Ghost Dad 2" walked off with the consistently uninteresting Claire, so bully for that, I s'pose.

Verdict: This was the first episode taped after the writer's strike and, not surprisingly, things felt a bit disjointed. The next three weeks represent what's ostensibly the "big finish" for the fourth season, so I'll only give this week's episode a "conditional boo" pending where this all ends up on May 23rd. Too early to call Hurley as the coffin resident from the end of season three? Seems to be heading that way. That'd be as good a reason as any for me to rescind this week's "boo".