"Lost" Diary: Every Man for Himself

So yesterday morning I received two nearly identical instant messages from friends of mine. The message was simple: this better be good. "Lost" has had three episodes that have been below par (except for "those five minutes") -- and the ratings have echoed that. This episode might be the most anticipated non-premiere or finale so far.

As always, I gather with a group of friends to watch the show and keep track of what happens. Tonight's crew: Ari, Lauren (aka Sawyer's future ex-wife) and April. On with the show ...

9:00 -- We open up on Desmond as he stares at Claire and Aaron, no doubt pondering the future. His offer to fix Claire's roof are shot down -- just a guess, but I am thinking they should have listened to him.

9:02 -- Jack is still in captivity, watching cartoons and seemingly fighting psychological warfare with psychological warfare. I think he might be getting to Juliet. Meanwhile, the Others are a little pissed about Sun shooting Colleen. Understandable.

9:04 -- "Sounding a little stuffy there, Chinatown." Sawyer. Seriously, Sawyer must subscribe to Netflix or something.

9:05 -- The Others are all in a frenzy trying to save Colleen. Minor prediction: they need Jack to save her.

9:08 -- Sawyer is plotting his escape from captivity using the bear reward game. Sawyer's plan is great and all, but, once again, he doesn't know the Others are listening. I don't like his chances.

9:10 -- Sawyer flashback time and he's in prison -- one con too many I guess. I notice Kim Dickens among the list of guest stars. She played the victim in Sawyer's long con last season. I am guessing she's the reason he's in jail.

9:11 -- Odds Sawyer ends up with the $10 million somehow? I am saying 100%.

9:13 -- Sawyer's attempt to outsmart Henry Gale didn't work in the slightest. As Sawyer takes a beating, Lauren yells out, "Don't break his face!" The lesson, as always, everyone watches "Lost" for different reasons.

9:14 -- I don't have an official list of "worst things I can possibly imagine," but waking up strapped to a bed with Henry Gale lurking over me would definitely be among the top five. And the "being stabbed in the chest with a needle" thing didn't help either.

9:19 -- So the new guy is a golfer. Almost four episodes in and the guy has had like three lines. Does anyone know his name is Paolo without looking it up? Oh, and his golf swing sucks.

9:20 -- What in the name of holy hell is Henry Gale doing to that bunny?

9:21 -- Ok, now that Henry Gale has explained to Sawyer that he is the human version of the movie "Speed," we have to ask, is he telling the truth? If my theory about the Others needing Jack to save Colleen is true, then they don't have the medical know-how to put in a pacemaker. So, I am going with no.

9:23 -- Back in the cage, Sawyer's first heart-rate test doesn't come from physical confrontation, but from Kate being half naked. I don't have anything strapped to my heart, but I am pretty sure a naked Evangeline Lilly would kill me, too. Lauren says, "This is the best episode for everyone."

9:29 -- Yup, Cassidy is back. She's the one who put Sawyer in jail and guess what? Sawyer's got a daughter. Didn't see that coming. Let's just say he didn't take the news well.

9:31 -- Now Kate is trying to break out through a magical hole in the bars of her cage. Yeah, she's gonna kill Sawyer.

9:32 -- Juliet needs Jack's help. Score one for me, a minor one, but I'll take my victories where I can get them.

9:33 -- Great move to turn on the sirens when the Others move Jack. They think of everything.

9:34 -- There is some debate in the room as to whether Jack should save Colleen or barter his services for his release. The guy is a doctor, he saves people. It's just what he does, it's not in his character to NOT save someone. They cut to a shot of Henry Gale and he has this look on his face as if this were all a test. Let's see how this plays out.

9:35 -- R.I.P. Colleen.

9:36 -- Pickett didn't take his woman's death too well and Lauren isn't taking Sawyer's beating well either. Kate tells Pickett she loves Sawyer. Odds she meant it? Eh, I'll go 50/50.

9:40 -- After watching the latest exchange in jail, I decided to go back to something I wrote during "The Long Con" episode from last season. The definition of the long con, according to Sawyer: "It works by getting someone to ask you to do something like it's their idea, but it's not their idea, it's your idea." Hmmmmm ...

9:42 -- So Kate doesn't love Sawyer, but she's not exactly going to leave him behind either. "I only said that so they'd stop hitting you," Kate. Ouch, that one hurt.

9:44 -- Cut to Henry Gale watching Kate and Sawyer. The man is like a puppeteer. Dance puppets, dance!

9:45 -- "Who am I here to save?" Jack asks. Kind of played out the way I thought it would. I am also guessing it's Henry Gale who is sick -- that would make the most sense. Also, Juliet is a fertility doctor, which is interesting on a few levels. Why do the Others steal all the kids? And is she in someway responsible for Sun being pregnant?

9:51 -- Desmond is building something, probably related to his earlier comments about Claire's roof. Odds that thing protects a tree from falling?

9:52 -- What would the bolt of lightening hit if it didn't hit Desmond's little art project?

9:53 -- Ok, again with the waking up to Henry Gale. This is definitely going to give me nightmares.

9:54 -- And Sawyer got the money. Except he used it to bargain his way out of jail and, predictably, give some money to his daughter.

9:55 -- Whenever the last five minutes involves Henry Gale, I get a little giddy. Not sure what that says about me.

9:56 -- The pacemaker thing was a hoax. No real surprise there, but when Henry Gale tells you something, you never know whether or not to believe him. He could tell me the sky was blue and I wouldn't know what to think.

9:58 -- So the Others took Kate, Jack and Sawyer to a whole different island? This only builds upon my frustration about how little exploration of the island the Losties have done. They didn't notice a whole other island? Of all the implausible things this show has thrown at us, this one seems to bother the room the most.

9:59 -- "You're pretty good Sawyer. We're a lot better," Henry Gale.

So what did we learn this week?

The key to every good con is to pick at a person's weakness, and now Sawyer has one in Kate ... The Others need Jack to save someone's life (is this what Jack is supposed to do "when the time comes?") ... Desmond is still honing his soothsayer abilities ... There is more than one island ...

Anyone frustrated with the first three episodes will probably find reasons to hate this one too. The flashback was just average; interesting, but predictable. The Others continue to screw with the Losties in ways I don't understand. I am of the belief that the Others aren't bad guys, as they say themselves. So why all the secrecy and mystery and conning? If you need Jack to perform spinal surgery, just ask. Makes no sense. If they were just a little more forthcoming, none of this would be necessary.

Oh, and when are we going to see Desmond's girlfriend again? Kinda curious what that is all about.

I give this episode a B-. It was the kind of episode that doesn't answer a whole lot, but does set things up for future episodes. But how many setups can we endure?

The question of the week: When we finally find out what the Others are up to (which, at this rate, might be in the year 2012) will we learn that they are good or evil?