I love Jack, but this episode felt really pointless. And I'm not one who is always looking for big, spectacular answers about the mythology, but it would be nice to have answers to questions like "What is the context for this scene?" I don't even know why Jack was in Phuket. I'm guessing it was after his marriage broke up, but from the episode itself I don't know what he was doing there, or when he was there, or his frame of mind. Character development episodes are great, but I don't feel like I learned anything about Jack. If any episode could labeled "FILLER", it would be this one.
It kinda seems like TPTB have gotten so used to keeping information back and trying to be mysterious that they're having some trouble with basic storytelling.
LOST's biggest enemies are Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina Kim. I don't think they've written a good episode between them. Whenever I see their names I am instantly skeptical, and tonight is why. Bad character interaction (the scene where Jack DEMANDED the tattoo was ridiculous), and weak story development.
This was more of a filler episode, officially closing the second island story and the season's initial arc, so there wasn't a ton of content, but it still could have been an hour of riveting television if written well.
Really, we didn't learn a ton over the last two weeks but each episode was masterfully written and directed. Barclay's direction tonight seemed pretty cool, but the writing just fell flat. Very, very flat.
I did not like this episode. I probably would have been ok with it if ABC hadn't made it sound like something BIG would happen. All that build up and nothing happened.
So we know what Jack's tattoo means. I never cared to begin with and I never considered it to be imperative to... anything. If the purpose of revealing the tattoo's meaning was just to further explain Jack, that's fine. But don't tout it as a big mystery when it is not.
We also know that Cindy and the kids are still alive, along with a bunch of other people who were taken. But why were they taken? "To have a better life." Sorry, but as far as Big Huge Answers go that just doesn't fly with me. Where have they been, what have they been doing, why were they taken but not everyone else ("Because they're good" doesn't cut it either), and what were they there to watch?
I love Jack, but this episode felt really pointless. And I'm not one who is always looking for big, spectacular answers about the mythology, but it would be nice to have answers to questions like "What is the context for this scene?" I don't even know why Jack was in Phuket. I'm guessing it was after his marriage broke up, but from the episode itself I don't know what he was doing there, or when he was there, or his frame of mind. Character development episodes are great, but I don't feel like I learned anything about Jack. If any episode could labeled "FILLER", it would be this one.
It kinda seems like TPTB have gotten so used to keeping information back and trying to be mysterious that they're having some trouble with basic storytelling.
That's exactly it jelly. I feel sorry for anyone watching this whose not an uberfan. Unless you've watched every Jackback six times and know his backstory back to front, you would have NO CLUE what he was doing in Thailand and why. It was almost difficult to tell it was Thailand the reference went by so fast. There was no context at all not only to why Jack was there of all places but the whole "mystery" surrounding Achara was without reason. So she "sees" people? Big deal. Essentially she's a good judge of character. For that she gets paid the big money?
I feel like there was some cultural backstory to this whole tattoo thing that the writers forgot to make us privy to. But we needed that information or it was all just nonsense.
This definitely goes in the bottom 2 episodes in my opinion. I don't know if it worse that "Fire + Water", but it is close. Jack's motives in the flashback seemed nonsensical and random, Bai LIng can't act her way out of a paper bag, and Alex is really starting to annoy me. Even Sawyer's nicknames were kinda annoying tonight.
Sooo...Jack has Cindy in front of him...has a shot at finding out something about these crazy people...and screams at her to get away?? Are you kidding me?
We find out what the tats say...but not what they mean?? I smell another flashback...maybe Jack will seek help making a paper hat this time instead of a kite.
Sawyer giving goo goo advice to a kid crying on a log? But not telling Bobby to spill the beans about Other Town??
The apparent re-birth of the love triangle?
Jack manhandleing a twig of a woman to get a tatoo?? Huh? Only to be told what we have learned in all seven of Jack's FBs to this point??
How many questions were answered and how many more created after tonight?
I love this show but this was a headscratcher for sure...
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
Three of the biggest mysteries? What a letdown. Try a boring answer to a mystery no one cares about. We didn't even get a full fledged answer, either. ("Yes, that's what it says, but it's not what it means." Well, great. )
Not that what the tattoo said was fairly exciting or interesting. I can't even remember what it was supposed to say, an hour after the episode aired.
Filler, filler, filler. Not to mention, people seemed to acting completely irrationally. Why did Jack get beaten up by the men because of his tattoo? So he got a freaking tattoo; why did they even care? Will it even be explained? Probably not. I completely missed the reason why she couldn't give him a tattoo in the first place. It could've been because I was busy fuming due to lack of answers, though most likey, it wasn't explained. Sigh.
And wow. The "mind-blowing conclusion" the "person reader" came to about Jack was...everything but mind-blowing. We already knew everything she said since about season one. (You are a great leader, but are lonely? Well, DUH he's lonely. He just got a divorce. He flew half-way across the world for that?! Pffft, what a ripoff.)
Of course, acting completely irrationally, Jack resorts to his old habit of yelling his head off, and forcing her to give him a tattoo...The entire thing seemed bizzare.
Back to the island, the castaways were given several oppurtunities to ask questions about, ya know...everything. When Cindy came, Jack hardly took his time asking questions. Instead, he YELLS AGAIN, and forcing Cindy to leave.
Sawyer gets no answers from Karl. He lets him free, to find Alex.
Do they just not care anymore?
Wow, the next episode better be incredible, because this one just sucked.
That's exactly it jelly. I feel sorry for anyone watching this whose not an uberfan. Unless you've watched every Jackback six times and know his backstory back to front, you would have NO CLUE what he was doing in Thailand and why. It was almost difficult to tell it was Thailand the reference went by so fast. There was no context at all not only to why Jack was there of all places but the whole "mystery" surrounding Achara was without reason. So she "sees" people? Big deal. Essentially she's a good judge of character. For that she gets paid the big money? 
MR.FUSELAGE 2007
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