S4: Ji Yeon

I remember the first time watching this episode that I was only slightly surprised about the trick that the writers pulled on us.  As Sun was having the baby, Jin was running around the city looking for a panda for a baby.  Turns out that he was instructed to buy a panda per Jin's boss (and Sun's father) Mr. Paik instruction and to deliver it to a client since it was meant as a token of a hopeful future business relationship.  At that point, Sun and Jin had only been married for two months, or two years, I forget what Jin said, but the message was cemented in his comment to the nurse that the audience was watching a flash forward with Sun and a flash back with Jin.

Besides the flash back and flash forwards, we were treated to some good scenes on the freighter.  One of them being that Sayid and Desmond finally meet the captain and the big one was seeing Michael or as he is known on the freighter - Kevin Johnson.

I had forgotten that Juliet intentionally told Jin and Sun's affair to keep Sun from going to Locke's camp since she doesn't trust Faraday, Charlotte or even Juliet at the moment.  Sun and Juliet worked out their trust issues, but would Sun and Jin work things out?  Jin took the blame for the person he had become working for her father.  They had a very touching scene that really moved me, when Jin, trying hard to learn English for Sun, asked her in English if the baby was his.  I'm sure that question had been playing on his mind ever since Juliet let the cat out of the bag.  The emotional scene was very well done and acted.  They are definitely everyone's favorite couple, well at least mine, which is not hard to say because the only other actual married couple on the island besides Sun and Jin are Rose and Bernard.  (It was good to see Bernard too because at some point he and Rose sneak off to live their own private life; I'm just trying to catch the moment they do if possible.)

In the end, I was very surprised how much I enjoyed this episode on second watch as it was one I was expecting not to enjoy.

S4: The Other Woman

Faraday and Charlotte somehow sneak off and head to a never mentioned before now Dharma station called the Tempest.  Their mission appears to be to render the gas inert so it can't be used to kill everyone on the island...again.  After some tension and drama, they accomplish their mission.

Juliet appears to be "the other woman".  The audience is treated to all on island flashbacks for her character from her first days on the island, to her relationship with Goodwin and his death (if I remember at the hands of Ana Lucia) and her negative interactions with Ben and Goodwin's wife.

While it was cool to see the flash backs, Juliet isn't a "main" character so I found myself wanting an episode featuring a more main character.  While a little bit of foresight, I understand that this was probably a good time for her to have her own episode since she is going to be more of a main character in episodes to come and for the rest of the show's run.

S4: The Constant

So what is happening to Desmond?  Is his flip-flopping back and forth between a certain date in the past and the present.  When he returns to the presents, he has no recollection of anyone.  His mind must still be in the past.  But then he's able to retain information from the present to take to the past and then from the past to the present.  It's semi explained that since he was exposed to radiation (the Hatch imploding) that when he left the island his mind starting transporting through time and if he didn't find a constant (something familiar in both the past and the present instances) then he would surely die.  

Well thankfully with this knowledge, he is able to go to the past and find Penny and tell her not to change her number so he can call her in the future.  When he calls her in the future, they have a heart warming scene, which I thought was definitely more moving the first time I watched it.  Then Desmond was fine and remembered he people he forgot in the present.  

The surprise at the end of the episode was in Farraday's notebook - "If anything goes wrong, Desmond is my constant."

Overall, this was a fantastic episode when I first watched it.  Unfortunately, a lot of the mystery had been taken away and it wasn't as emotionally moving the second time but the story was really well written and the bonus of seeing Mr. Widmore purchasing a book from the Black Rock was pretty cool as well.

S4: Eggtown

I don't know why this episode was called Eggtown.  Is it about Kate's eggs potentially becoming babies?  Is it about the eggs that Locke cooks for Ben?  I have no clue.  I'll probably look it up after I write my thoughts on the episode.

Regardless of the title meaning, this was a Kate episode and I'm beginning to see why a lot of viewers hated her.  She doesn't really pay for her crimes.  He toys with Sawyer and Jack.  And she admits to using Sawyer for her own personal gain to get answers about herself because that seems to be the only person she cares about.

The big reveal at the end of the episode?  She is claiming Aaron as her son.  So far I think they've only been on the island for two months, but the audience doesn't really know how long it took them to get off yet only that there were 8 survivors of the plane and 6 left alive hence the Oceanic 6.  Also since "the world" didn't see Kate when captured in Australia she could have been pregnant on the plane.  I don't remember if the show really delves into this, but as far as the world is concerned, Aaron is Kate's son.

The only appeal of this episode is the teasing of the identify of the baby - whether it could be Jack's or Sawyer's.  The only thing I can't remember at the moment is if Aaron is considered 1 of the 6 survivors.  I think so.  I think Sun will be revealed next and I think that's it.  We shall see.

Update:
From Lostpedia:  The title of this episode baffled many fans. Carlton Cuse explained: Really, we could spend a lot of time talking about the titles that don't make sense, but the title "Eggtown" referred to the fact that Locke fixed a couple of eggs for Ben at the beginning of the episode, and then there's also the episode had a lot to do with Kate's pregnancy, and pregnancy involves eggs, and so that was the other kind of, sort of metaphoric significance of the title "Eggtown". (Official Lost Audio Podcast transcript/February 28, 2008)

S4: The Economist

The linear story line on the island continues as Sayid makes a power play to get on the freighter.  He promises to get Charlotte back, which he does, but he trades Miles for her.  The episode ends with Lapidus taking him, Desmond and the late Naomi to the freighter.

Off island we get another flash forward and learn that Sayid is a member of the Oceanic 6 and that he's working for Ben to protect his friends.

Overall, I remember this episode being huge back when I first watched it because it was fun seeing a bad ass Sayid.  It was fun again but knowing the surprises wasn't fun so the episode fell a little flat for me this time.  I did enjoy the scene as Sayid watched Elsa die.  A part of him fell for her while he used her...poor Sayid continues to be love less in his life while trying to pay for his sins.

Oh and who's the Economist?  It's whomever Elsa works for when that person is in Berlin.  Could it be Mr. Widmore?

S4: Confirmed Dead

If you didn't believe Naomi when she told the others that the plane was found with zero survivors, this episode cements that statement by showing the news broadcast multiple times and sometimes in different languages.  This episode also introduces some new characters that are going to be around for quite a while - Daniel Farraday, Miles, Charlotte and Lapidus.  The audience gets brief glimpses of their lives pre-island and how either the crash or something island related touched their lives.  The coolest of the three that doesn't make much sense now, but will later, is the Dharma polar bear in the desert.

I liked Jack's line in the episode where he tells Kate to calm down and just play along.  With this episode and the last, it's almost like the writers telling us to just settle down, and just enjoy the ride.  Right now things are pretty linear as we go from episode to next which is going to change very soon.  As this season slow builds just as the first and second season did, I'm very much enjoying the ride.

S4: The Beginning of the End

After the bomb shell of the Season 3 finale, the Season 4 premiere attempts to continue that momentum, but ends up falling a little short.  Thankfully the momentum is my only small criticism.  The episode introduces the term "Oceanic 6" so immediately I start to think who the 6 can be.  Come to think of it, I already know three - Jack, Kate, and Hurley.  The other 3 will be revealed in time, but that's not the most important part.  What's important is that this episode is the beginning of the end.

So far in Seasons 1 - 3, the audiences has learned a little bit about the island and it's inhabitants, and we get a lot of background about the main characters and what drives them.  Seasons 4 - 6 will give the audiences even more about the island and give us answers that we never suspected.  And even more importantly, we will see what drives the main characters and to what lengths they will go to solve mysteries, problems and ultimately help themselves and each other.

In the premiere, Jack's focus right now is to save his friends with rescue.  Locke's focus is to save his friends from harm.  Hurley currently runs from his destiny, but remember, it's only the beginning of the end, and in time, he will accept his destiny and harmony will ensue.  The chess game has begun and the pieces are ready to be played out in the next three fantastic seasons.

S3: Through the Looking Glass: Part 2

Great end to a season that began very slowly.  We get our first flash forward and learn that Jack and Kate have made it off the island.  Who else has?  Who else hasn't?  What have they lied about?  Who does Kate have to get home to?  These are all questions I know the answer to, but I'm looking forward to the events of the next three seasons and this episode was a great set up for it.

Unfortunately Charlie dies, but he sacrifices himself to save Claire per Desmond's vision.  Desmond claims to have saw a flash of her and the baby getting on a helicopter.  That was a pretty intense scene and Mikhail finally dies after blowing himself up with a grenade to flood the Looking Glass.

It's the first season where there appears to be a happy ending.  Everyone at the beach is safe, Jack and company contact the freighter and the victory music plays.  Hope of rescue appears to be in their grasp.  Or is it?

Personal side note:  The first time I ever saw this episode was back when I lived with my father. I had only seen a handful of season 3 episodes before the finale and really didn't understand what the heck was going on with this show.  I had a feeling that we were seeing flash forwards, but I didn't understand the gravity of the scene until my friend Dan introduced me to the show and let me borrow the first three seasons to catch up.  Then he and I proceeded to watch the fourth season together.  So I'm really looking forwarding to seeing what I might have missed the first time because it was such a surreal experience watching it with a friend and discussing the mind blowing scenes as they happened.

S3: Through the Looking Glass: Part 1

In what appears to be a flashback, Jack is shown doing something things that are pretty atypical.  He's drinking, using drugs, he's got a full beard, and he just looks lost.  He is about to kill himself by jumping off a bridge, but chooses to save a wife and child from a car wreck, probably one he created by leaving his car parked on the street.  But these last few sentences are describing a very small part of this episode that becomes a much bigger part of Part 2 and the driving force of future episodes.  For now, I digress.

On island, the plan isn't going as expected.  Charlie has yet to turn off the jamming signal, Sayid, Bernard and Jin only set off two dynamite traps and then get caught, and Jack and everyone else haven't made it to the radio tower and it looks like Ben might even beat them there.  Then Locke is visited by Walt and he's told that he has a job to do.

It was really hard not to continue watching Part 2, but I'll save it for tomorrow so I have something to watch while I work out which is what I've been doing during every episode.  I can't wait for the "Rattle Snake in the Mailbox" scene!

S3: Greatest Hits

In classic Lost style, just when you start loving a character is when they become earmarked for death.  Desmond sees a flash that Charlie will have to die to save his friends.  Currently the Looking Glass Dharma station is blocking all signals off the island, save for one that the Other's use.  Speaking of the Other's, they are on their way to steal all the pregnant woman a day earlier than expected.  The plan is two fold - while Charlie swims down to the station to turn off the jamming signal, Jack marches all the Losties to the tower to turn of Rousseau's broadcast and attempt to contact the freighter that Naomi came from that is supposedly there to rescue them.  While that is happening, Sayid, Jin, and Bernard stay behind to shoot the dynamite by the tents to blow the Other's coming for the pregnant women.

This episode is a really good Charlie episode since, as an audience member, you begin to like him if you didn't.  He remembers the top 5 best moments of his life with meeting Claire as his number one item.  And I believe they kiss for the first time in this episode.  Thankfully, he's not dead yet, but he certainly runs into a few surprises when he reaches the Looking Glass.  This episode is a setup episode for the two part finale but it was written in such a way that it doesn't feel like it.

S3: The Man Behind the Curtain

If my memory serves me correctly, this is Ben's first flash back episode which shows us that the "man behind the curtain" was not born on the island, helped purge the island of the Dharma Initiative, and supposedly talks to Jacob in his cabin, but can't hear him.  Locke is along for the ride, and ends up getting shot at the end of the episode.

Back at the beach, more answers are revealed and everyone is on the same page concerning Naomi's existence and that the world thinking they are all dead, Sun's pregnancy, Juliet being a mole but Jack knowing about it before it was revealed and that Ben and the Others are coming to take the pregnant and potentially pregnant like Kate (but she's not).

This was a great episode!  This episode and the past couple have really taken the sour taste that is the 3rd season out of my mouth and put in a sweet flavor and by the looks of it, it's only going to get sweeter.

S3: The Brig

It's very evident the finale is soon approaching.  A lot of answers are being revealed and new plot lines are being explored.  The parachutist finally gets a name - Naomi - and she reveals that she is part of a rescue mission.  Her helicopter came from a freighter 80 miles off shore and she claims to be hired by Penelope Widmore.  She also reiterates that Oceanic 815 was found and all aboard were found dead.  Coincidentally, Locke's dad, aka the original Sawyer aka Anthony Cooper is talking about being dead and he's obviously in Hell...and Hell is where Sawyer (James Ford) sends him after he puts the pieces together - finally figuring out that Locke's dad is the Sawyer that slept with his mother and took his family's money.  Locke takes the body and returns to find the Others.

This episode is non stop action and plot that it is never boring.  Even Rousseau pops into the "Black Rock" for some dynamite and then leaves as quickly as she came setting up something that even I don't remember at this point.  It was revealed many episodes ago that she used the dynamite to blow up her old home just so the Others couldn't track her.  So overall, this was a great episode.

S3: D.O.C

What is the D.O.C (Date Of Conception) of Sun's baby?  With the help of Juliet, they discover that the baby is Jin's and was conceived on the island, so she has a 2 months to live since all women who get pregnant on the island have died in their second trimester.  Elsewhere on the island, Mikhail runs into Desmond and friends, and helps save the parachutist's life, who reveals to Hurley that Oceanic 815 WAS found with no survivors.

This episode was OK.  It felt like more of a set up episode for bigger events to happen especially when Juliet leaves a recorded message for Ben concerning Sun's baby to find at the Staff station and the cliff hanger ending concerning Oceanic 815.

S3: Catch 22

Desmond, Charlie, Jin, and Hurley take a trip into the jungle following Desmond's visions, or as Desmond put it, puzzles pieces to attempt and figure out the picture of the puzzle.  The picture he hopes to see is that of Penny coming to his rescue as she promised in a previous episode that she would find him no matter how long it took.  In the end, a helicopter crashes, and a person parachutes onto the island but it's not Penny, but she knows Desmond as she says his name before losing consciousness.

I enjoyed this episode because while I thought Desmond intended to save Charlie a fourth time from death, he admits that he did not intend to as he didn't want to alter his potential reunion with Penny.  The final scene where we get to see Penny and Desmond meet for the first time off island years ago while it flashes in between scenes on island where Desmond and the guys are cutting down the parachutist waiting to see the identity is really well done.

S3: One of Us

Juliet's back story is revealed.  There is a problem with pregnant mothers on the island and she's there to try and solve the problem.  Unfortunately after 3 years on the island, she is unable to and therefore Ben doesn't allow her to leave until she does.  Frustrated with her, the audience is led to believe that she was left behind, but it's revealed at the end of the episode that it's all part of Ben's plan and he tells her that he'll see her in a week.

This was a pretty good episode because Jack is the only one to trust her and everyone loves Jack, even the audience, so as a member of that group I REALLY wanted to trust Jack, but I couldn't.  In the end, I was semi surprised because I forgot that it's all a set up orchestrated by Ben, but I think Juliet ends up betraying Ben if I'm remembering correctly.