TBG TV: Lost - "Jughead"

The Good:

For the most part, viewers have had to swallow the notion that the Oceanic passengers – a collection of strangers to each other prior to the crash – could develop a loyalty to one another based on Jack's redoubtable (HAW~!) leadership skills, some passing physical attraction and a smattering of tension-breaking wisecracks. So, it was refreshing to see Miles so quickly sell out Faraday as the "leader" of their group while at gunpoint.

I appreciated the scene where Locke tried to convince 1954 Richard Alpert that his fantastic time-traveling story was true. Even with the compass, Richard still wasn't buying it. ("Well, I hate to contradict myself.") And, the continuity between Locke's plea for Richard to visit Locke in two years for Locke's birth and last season's "Cabin Fever" episode was gold.

No Jack. No Kate. No Hurley. Huzzah!

The Bad:

Soooo…let me get this straight: Desmond, in a panic, runs up and down the streets of some tiny fishing village. He needs a doctor for his wife – who is in labor and about to burst. The doctor races to Desmond's boat, finds Penny flat on her back and writhing in agony. The doctor's contribution? He tells Penny to push. Once. That's it. He didn't even wash his hands or send Desmond off for hot towels, which are the two staples of TV pregnancy scenes. Come on, writers.

Wow. Considering two of the clear highpoints of last season were easily the "Constant" episode and the unexpected payoff of the Desmond/Penny saga in the season finale, it's amazing that the writers could undo that excellence in such a short time. Penny as the nagging wife? Desmond awkwardly attempting to lie to her? Penny seeing right through it? To think me and my hard heart were rooting for them last year.

Separated at birth: Guest star Alexandra Krosney and this.

Enough with the "…where when I've been" lines. We get it…they're all traveling through time. You writers have beaten us into submission with this concept. The silly play on words isn't helping me embrace it.

Well, the dialogue wasn't as creaky as last week, but Faraday's "I'm in love with the woman sitting next to me…" speech (and Charlotte's "You didn't have to say that…" follow-up)...Just, ugh.

Easy on the eyeliner, Richard Alpert. Easy on the eyeliner.

For a show that's prided itself on esoteric clues and outright red herrings, the Charles Widmore/1954 revelation sure seemed…just thrown out there. And, Locke's "reinforcing by repeating" reaction was almost insulting. Kudos for the reveal, I guess, but it still felt like reading the answer from the back of the book.

It's still early, but the time flashes make for a lousy storytelling device. This whole "we're going to find something out, we're going to find something out, we're going to find…aauuugh, the flash!" thing is just jerking the audience around.


The Verdict: I dunno, kids. Maybe I need to watch it again, but the intentionally disjointed direction of this show is starting to feel annoyingly disjointed, instead. And, the prospect of yet another doomed island romance (while the only interesting relationship – Desmond and Penny – has been essentially neutered) sure feels like filler.