“Principal Reynolds is an administrator, not a teacher.  He’s forgotten what the public school system is about.” – Dr. Benjamin Linus

With “Dr. Linus” Lost has a special installment, one that transcends the obvious drawbacks of its current approach. Put simply, this is an episode that manages to convey a deeply meaningful and profound tale with an exceptional amount of craft. All three of the episode’s story lines share a common thread about choice and fate. The directing and cinematography are excellent and the dialogue is crisp and multifaceted. All told, this is an exceptional installment, even if it doesn’t fundamentally change the approach the series is taking in its final episodes.

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With “Sundown,” Lost continues its familiar approach of slowing doling out tantalizing answers while telling a thoroughly obtuse story. That’s not to say that there isn’t action (there is quite a bit of it) or that this installment doesn’t move the story forward (it does). In fact, the story is as much a tragedy as it anything else. But by the end of the episode, the overall narrative – the hows and whys of what happens – is still too vague to provide useful commentary on the characters or thematic elements.

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With “Lighthouse,” Lost has another addition to its string of excellently produced episodes which may or may not have a lasting impact. There’s no question that this is a thoughtful, carefully constructed episode, with plenty of symbolism and continuity. It’s also quite entertaining, with a wonderful blend of humor, drama, mystery and suspense. But as a standalone story, this installment is unevenly paced. And without a clearer connection between its two primary storylines, it’s difficult at best to draw any meaningful conclusions about the events that unfold.

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Lost gets back on track, in terms of narrative, with “The Substitute,” an episode which features a tightly focused plot and some very compelling characterizations. There are a few pacing issues early on, but as the episode unfolds, the story becomes increasingly engaging and entertaining. There’s plenty of mystery afoot, but in typical Lost nature, the answers come with at least as many questions. All told, this is a strong episode, moving the story forward, while keeping characters and questions firmly in mind.

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With an episode titled “What Kate Does”, you sort of expect this to be an episode about Kate … and what she does. It’s a bit surprising, and more than of a bit of a letdown, that Kate does remarkably little in this episode that is either interesting or compelling. Part of the problem is an overall structure that meanders for far too long, revels far too much in simply avoiding any kind of answers, and just doesn’t invest enough time in its characters. There are some solid moments tucked into the production, but overall it’s a fairly average installment.

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With “LA X” Lost begins its final season. Ultimately, I cannot think of a better way to begin its final swan song. I can’t say that the episode is a perfect balance between plot, character and theme — it is, afterall, very much a plot-based story — but there’s plenty of potential for the series to conclude its story in a way that does justice to all three facets of storytelling. What’s most important about this installment is the craft which went into its construction. For a double-episode, there are very few, if any, wasted moments. The story is riveting in terms of its mysteries and ultimate conclusion. The new approach for the series has great potential to inform and explore character. And there’s no question that this episode not only advances the most common themes of the series — it finds new ways to look at them. Put simply, this is one of the most engaging, entertaining and thoughtful episodes of television I’ve seen.

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“Nothing is irreversable”

That is the theme of “LAX,” the premiere episode to the final season of Lost — and what a premiere (and premise). For anyone who ever wondered about how to undo the past, or find redemption or salvation (something that I am, personally, all too familiar with), this is an episode well worth watching.  From start to finish, the episode is filled with profound character and narrative revelations. It takes risks. It gives us an alternate story that isn’t quite the past and isn’t quite the future. And in the meantime, it presents characters struggling with fate and choice. Plus, the story is entirely riveting.

It’s going to take a day, maybe two (and likely a rewatch of the episode), to sort through everything that is presented on screen. Once I do, though, expect a full review. In the meantime, I’ll just say that this was easily one of the best season premiere episodes I’ve ever seen — and I’m not one who is usually given to hyperbolic statements.

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“The Incident, Parts 1 & 2” wraps up the penultimate season of Lost with what can only be describes as a very big bang. The episode itself unfolds in tantalizing bits as each piece of the puzzle is slowly placed, revealing deeper and more intricate patterns and connections. This is best symbolized by the opening scene of the episode which features a heretofore unseen character at a loom, slowly constructing an intricate tapestry. The story itself is much like this tapestry in terms of how layered and interdependent each character is. Toss in the mythic notion of fate as woven tapestry, and you’ve got plenty of thematic elements and narrative twists to keep Lost fans scratching their heads in wait for the series finale in 2010.

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Tensions (and levels of violence) are ratcheted up to extreme levels in “Follow The Leader,” the latest installment of Lost. Charged with setting the stage for the two-hour season finale, this episode moved pieces into place with a flurry of pistol whips, slaps to the head, gunshots, and all manner of deviousness. Having held most of this high-octane melodrama in check for most of the season, Lost is no going for broke. Personally, it’s a bit of a turn off for me. Fortunately, the episode manages to wedge a few character and thematic points into the cacophony – enough to allow the episode to be slightly better than average.

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Fate and free will. Two sides of a coin that has “constantly” flipped throughout the entire series of Lost. At one moment, the series heavily advocates the ideas of destiny while, at others, the notion of personal choice plays a prominent role in deciding events. “The Variable” is the first episode in some time to take such an extended and explicit look at these concepts – and the answers are, unsurprisingly, a bit ambiguous. Even so, the episode is, once again, thoroughly entertaining and engrossing. The character interconnections are even further deepened. And there’s just enough shoot’em-up action to give everything a kick.

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“Some Like It Hoth” is an episode modeled much like some early Lost episodes, using the past to explore character and thematic connections. In this case, it’s the first episode to explore the history of Miles – as well as provide a rather important connection between his character and the DHARMA Initiative.

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“Dead Is Dead” plays something a bit like a ghost story. It’s an episode that is often tense, suspenseful and intriguing. But there are some issues with characterization which are more than a little bit annoying. What the episode has going for it, aside from the overall tone, is its ability to continue to deepen the “mythos” of the Island and the series. As such, the episode is almost as notable for what we learn about the Island as it is for what we learn about Ben and Locke.

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“Whatever Happened, Happened” is an episode that takes a much closer look at Kate’s character – her recent motivations and inner conflicts. And while the episode deserves credit for some deliberate character work, and some natural dramatic tension following the previous episode’s dramatic twist, the fact remains that the character work isn’t seamlessly integrated into the overall plot. And, too, the pacing doesn’t help matters. The result is a decent episode, one which fans of Lost will surely enjoy, but is otherwise only marginally successful.

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“He’s Our You” is a riveting and entertaining episode that just so happens to provide a major focus on character. As such, the direction and intentions of this installment are refreshingly welcome in a series that, for some time now, has been content to focus on the greater plot machinations of its story – rather than on the deep explorations of the characters. That isn’t to say that this episode is entirely successful with its purpose, or that it’s as good as earlier episodes of the series. But to give credit where it’s due, I enjoyed both the story and the character work of this installment.

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“Namaste” is the perfect example of what Lost has become: a saccharine-sweet dose of plot-coated goodness around a singularly hollow core. Part of me simply cannot help but be amused and entertained by what transpires on-screen. In that respect, I have to give Lost credit for continuing to create episodes which are, if nothing else, entertaining. Unfortunately, the story continues to be just as shallow as ever, detailing a wonderfully detailed plot that has almost no relevance beyond the series itself – a far cry from what Lost used to be. And if I seem to be belaboring the point, it’s because I’ve long hoped for a return to the more character-driven stories of the earlier seasons of the series. At the very least, though, Lost manages to avoid the self-indulgent nonsense of Battlestar Galactica.

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