Ranking Every LOST Episode, Part 2: #100-91

Welcome to the second installment of my LOST rankings! I'm not sure how soon the next one will be up, as I had most of this one already written a while ago, and I've barely started on the third installment. I hope this one will tide you over in the meantime.

Part 1: #111-101
Part 2: #100-91
Part 3: #90-81
Part 4: #80-71
Part 5: #70-61
Part 6: #60-51
Part 7: #50-41
Part 8: #40-31
Part 9: #30-21
Part 10: #20-11
Part 11: #10-1

100. "Do No Harm" (ep. 120)

What? The episode where Aaron is born? The episode where Boone becomes the first major character to die? That's powerful stuff! Shouldn't this one be ranked much higher? Well...yes, it probably should. The fact is though, I'm a squeamish person when it comes to blood and intense medical situations (I get uncomfortable watching Doogie Howser sometimes), so it's hard for me to sit still during this episode.

"Do No Harm" deserves a lot of credit for the final wellup-inducing score montage in which the survivors meet Aaron while Shannon sobs over her brother's lifeless body (that "Life and Death" theme may be LOST's most effective piece of music). To a lesser extent, there's also the moment when Claire accepts her role as a mother while giving birth. The flashback, where Jack's inability to let go of things he commits to is established, isn't particularly interesting. Maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of weddings.

99. "Adrift" (ep. 202)

I know Michael and Walt weren't the most popular characters, but sue me, I cared about them. Michael's single-minded impulsiveness could be frustrating, but honestly, I'd probably be a lot like him if I were a father. I'm not saying I enjoy his often-annoying behavior, I'm just saying I understand it. The backstory, which focuses on Michael's custody battle for Walt, is the best thing this episode has going for it. We find out why Michael, who clearly wanted to be a part of his son's life, ended up relinquishing his paternal rights, and the scene at the end where Michael tells toddler Walt goodbye is touching. Other than that, this episode is just OK.

Michael and Sawyer's scenes on the flotsam of their raft are a bit dull. Watching two characters bicker during an intense survival situation isn't my idea of quality entertainment (though it's probably pretty realistic). This episode might also hold the record for the most anguished cries of "Waaaalt!" (if anyone wants to check that out, be my guest), not exactly a point in its favor. The on-island stuff is just a rehash of the hatch entry from the previous episode, except this time it's from Kate and Locke's perspective rather than Jack's. I guess it was necessary for character placement purposes, but having two episodes in a row end with that storyline in the exact same spot feels like a gyp.

98. "A Tale of Two Cities" (ep. 301)

This was most definitely the weakest season premiere. Perhaps it's fitting then, that Season 3 was (in my opinion) the weakest season. In a way, this episode encapsulates all the things that went wrong.

If each season can be thought of as a separate chapter in the LOST story, S3 would be the one where we get to know the Others. That's certainly a big theme in this episode, as it centers completely on Jack, Kate and Sawyer as the Others' prisoners. Kate gets to have breakfast with the former Henry Gale (revealed at the end to be "Ben"), and this strange new half-smiling woman named Juliet keeps visiting Jack. Of course, they don't reveal too much; there's no end date in sight for the series, so they have to keep you in the dark about most of the stuff you're wondering.

Then there's the flashback. Look, we knew Jack was an obsessive person, but he takes it to borderline insane levels here. I've already mentioned how weak the flashbacks in "The Hunting Party" and "Do No Harm" are, and this one, featuring Sarah again, may be the worst of them all. Jack knows Sarah's seeing another man, and starts to suspect that it's his own father. If that weren't Jerry Springer enough for you, we find out Christian's been getting help for his alcohol problems and making progress...until Jack, in a fit of irrationality, physically attacks him at his support group meeting, driving him back to drinking. Sarah's line when she informs Jack his father's off the wagon ("Look at the bright side: Now you have something to fix.") is downright maddening. How on earth did they come up with this story? It's as if they'd run out of ways to develop Jack's character, so they decided just to fill in the empty space between old flashbacks.

The glimpse into the Others' world is interesting and new, but as a whole this episode is unsatisfying.

97. "Something Nice Back Home" (ep. 410)

This one's plagued by some of the same problems as the episode above. Jack's love life is involved again, in this case his off-island romance with Kate. It's so sweet! They even get engaged! If only an argument about Sawyer weren't the tipping point for their breakup. That dang love triangle! At least we see how Jack became the pill-popping mess he was in "Through the Looking Glass" (the call of the island torments him!).

It's still not exactly clear what was going on when Christian appeared to Jack and the smoke alarm went off. It couldn't have been Smokey, since he's trapped on the island, right? Or did the writers change their minds about something somewhere along the line? I have a theory that there's some sort of "island spirit" (kind of like a good smoke monster) that appears to people, but I have nothing to back it up. Perhaps that mystery's going to remain unsolved.

Jack's control freak tendencies make another appearance, and again they border on ridiculous. Wanting to supervise your own appendectomy? Who does that? This is also the episode where Claire disappears after meeting Smokey as Christian in the jungle, which I guess was the producers' way of giving Emilie De Ravin a season off. "Something Nice Back Home" isn't a bad episode, it's just not likely to make many people's "favorite" lists.

96. "Maternity Leave" (ep. 215)

In a rare on-island flashback, we learn what happened to Claire while she was kidnapped. It turns out Ethan was a doctor and he kept her in an old DHARMA medical station. To add an extra layer of creepiness to Ethan's character, he comes across as a very kind person when dealing with Claire. Yep, he's a sociopath. Or just a typical Other. We don't get an explanation for why Ethan had scratches on his face when he came back for Claire in "Homecoming," though I doubt many people besides me noticed that. This episode also introduces us to Alex. While we don't learn definitively that she's Rousseau's daughter, it's hinted at strongly enough that we basically know it. I doubt even the twist-loving writers would've faked us out like that.

Back at the ongoing hatch story, Sayid believes the prisoner is "one of them," and Mr. Eko throws in his implicitly concurrent two cents. The scene where Eko confesses to "Henry Gale" about his killing of two Others is perhaps the finest moment in an otherwise so-so episode. The ending, where Henry messes with Locke's head, only confirms that whoever this strange captive is, he isn't to be trusted.

95. "Recon" (ep. 608)

It sounds dorky, but I'll admit it: The sideways reveal that Sawyer was a cop put a huge smile on my face. It was a hilarious twist I didn't see coming. Once you get past that scene though, the flash is kind of "been there, done that." We see Sawyer (now "Jim") back to searching for the man who conned his parents, except this time he's a lawman rather than an outlaw. Considering Sawyer had settled his score with Anthony Cooper three seasons ago, revisiting that storyline served no apparent purpose.

The island portion feels like another stall job. Fake Locke sends Sawyer on a reconnaissance mission to Hydra Island, where we meet Zoe (not the most significant of recurring characters), we discover the other 316 survivors are dead (tying up a loose end with some redshirts), and Sawyer makes a deal with Widmore (all part of his plan to escape, of course). In the end, very little progress has been made plot-wise or character-wise. This episode offers a few useful pieces of information, but they seem like insufficient returns on the time investment.

94. "Across the Sea" (ep. 615)

I remember how poorly-received this episode was when it first aired. LOST is ultimately a character-driven story, so what do you make of an episode that centers on two characters whose conflict is more a MacGuffin than something we're emotionally invested in? I was among the viewers disappointed by it originally, though I appreciated it more after I'd seen the finale. While mostly a mythology download, some of the background information is significant to the endgame. We finally learn that Jacob's role as "island protector" entails guarding the bright light we'd seen at the donkey wheel, and the finale will later show us the potentially dire consequences of letting that light go out.

Another reason this episode drew the ire of many a fan was that they didn't tell us the Man in Black's name. I completely supported that decision, though. Names symbolize our view of a character to a certain extent, and for us to start calling the Man in Black something different with only two episodes to go would've involved some mind-reshuffling (kind of like how it was hard to call that Henry Gale guy "Ben" at first).

Now that I've defended certain elements, I'll do the obligatory pointing-out-of-flaws. There's the aforementioned issue of us not personally caring about the two featured characters. We know them both as higher beings in the LOST universe, not everyday people we can vicariously experience the adventure through, and one episode isn't enough to make them relatable on that level. While a necessary story to tell, it just wasn't going to have much emotional impact. Also, showing that Season 1 clip at the end? I know, the producers said they wanted to show the audience how events from the past are connected to the present. Sorry, I still oppose the decision (am I sounding pretentious enough with this whole "support" and "oppose" thing?). Maybe the "popcorn" viewers found it useful, but for a hardcore fan like me (and probably you, if you're actually reading this) it was just cheesy.

93. "Every Man For Himself" (ep. 304)

Ah yes. The episode where the Others con Sawyer into thinking his heart's going to explode. If you saw my comments for "Do No Harm" you can probably imagine how comfortable that idea makes me. This one has a few notable reveals, like the fact that the Walt Exchange Three are being held on a separate island and that Jack was brought there to perform a spinal surgery (not earth-shattering stuff, I know). And who can forget that flashback which is complete filler except for the introduction of Sawyer's daughter? Truthfully, the Sawyer-centricity may be the best thing this episode has going for it, as the wily fellow gets his usual plenty of good lines.

From a balance standpoint, this is the first Season 3 episode to show both the Hydra Island arc and the events of the main survivor camp. The main thing we see back at the beach is that Desmond saves Charlie's life for the first time with the golf club lightning rod. We already know something's up with old Des, and here the mystery deepens.

92. "S.O.S." (ep. 219)

Obviously the #92 ranking doesn't put this episode in elite company, but it is an enjoyable experience. We finally get Rose and Bernard's backstory, and it isn't the racial unity tale from the civil rights era that some fans were expecting. Who would've guessed the two of them were in Australia for their honeymoon? I assume the producers didn't take their story too far into the past because using new actors to play younger versions of Rose and Bernard would've created sort of a disconnect. I can back that.

Anyway, it turns out that long before they settled into their joint role as "recurring reminder of what's really important in life," Rose was dying of cancer and Bernard, like fellow castaways Jack and Boone, suffered from a compulsive need to fix things. Now on the island, Bernard's still struggling with that issue and Rose is cancer-free, except...the island was what cured her, not the faith healer Bernard spent ten grand on. Bernard, of course, thinks the faith healer did it, so Rose tries to thwart her husband's "SOS" sign in order to cover her lie.

I have to say, it seems that viewers tend to like Rose better than Bernard, but I think I favor our man Bernie. He's a nice guy and an all-around devoted husband, and yet...Rose spends so much time nagging him and putting him down. It's pretty cruel the way she belittles his plan for the "SOS" sign, and you can't help but feel bad for him when his project fails to get off the ground. I mean, he's only trying to get everyone rescued. At least he's not interfering with anything like Boone, or being annoyingly obsessive like Jack. The scene where she finally stops playing games with Bernard and tells him what's going on is not only relieving, but a tender moment as well.

A tradition from Season 1 is resurrected at the end (thanks to the hatch's record player): a music montage with popular music! It's difficult to raise any objection to the soulful sounds of Otis Redding, and the montage focuses mainly on the island's couples. Usually I'm kind of cynical when it comes to the coupling obsession (everyone should be bitter and single like me!), but knowing how flawed each of these characters is makes me appreciate the miracle of anyone ever getting together at all. All things considered, this isn't the most compelling of episodes, but you can't complain about how nice it makes you feel.

91. "I Do" (ep. 306)

Not bad...for a Kate-centric. This, of course, is the one where Kate and Sawyer consummate their relationship after all the sexual tension, and even though I'm not into the whole love triangle thing, it was a turning point for the characters. At some point they had to quit toying with each other and be honest about how they felt.

The flashback doesn't really add much (hey, it was Season 3), but it does fill in the gaps from "Outlaws" and "The Whole Truth" where Kate mentioned being married once and taking a pregnancy test, respectively. I guess they were obligated to show us those things at some point, although they weren't monumental necessities. Other than that, the flashback only reinforces Kate's pathological inability to stay situated.

The legendary cliffhanger line ("Kate, damn it, run!") is ironic in a way, given that Kate usually runs without prompting. Is her hesitance to flee supposed to show us that she's growing as a person? Or that her love for Jack is true (as opposed to her non-true love for Kevin in the flashback)? Well, "The End" showed us that Jack and Kate were each other's soulmates, so clearly this was foreshadowing!

Ranking Every LOST Episode, Part 1: #111-101

LOST. It may be the most fascinating and addictive television series ever created (besides Perfect Strangers, of course). It has something for everyone: drama, romance, comedy, action, sci-fi, you name it. That the show has a dedicated and sizable fanbase should astonish no one. With all the discussions out there about the best and worst episodes, I thought I'd attempt something even bigger: why not rank every single episode of LOST's six seasons? You might think I'm a complete nerd for undertaking a project like this (and you'd be right), but if you're a fellow list-maker you probably understand completely why I'd want to do it.

On what basis am I ranking them? Ultimately, the main criterion is how enjoyable I find the episode to be. It doesn't matter if it plays a crucial role in the ongoing plot or if it's a slow-things-down-and-get-to-know-the-characters outing. All that counts is how much it strikes my fancy. Sound good?

Another rule I ought to mention is that I won't be counting divided-up episodes separately. It seems silly to consider "There's No Place Like Home (Part 1)" a separate episode from "There's No Place Like Home (Parts 2 & 3)" just because they aired on different dates. Clearly all three parts are meant to be one unit, and it's easier to treat them as such. Altogether that gives us 111 episodes to rank.

Since these rankings are based solely on my opinion I can state the obvious up front: you will disagree with my list at times. It's OK, though. I welcome any discussions in the comments as long as they're civil and intelligent. One thing I'd like to note is that just because an episode is ranked near the bottom doesn't necessarily mean I consider it a bad episode. In fact, I'd say only the very lowest-ranked episodes would be worthy of that label. In most cases, a lower ranking simply means the episode wasn't quite as awesome as the ones ahead of it.

By the way, I'm aware that I'm not the first person to rank every episode of LOST. I did, however, think of doing it before I was aware of anyone else doing it (I'm no copycat), and I ranked them by re-watching the entire series from start to finish after the finale had aired. I'd like to think that I have the optimum perspective on each episode, independent blogger though I may be. If you'd like to see these other writers' rankings, check them out here.

Enough talk though. You're here to see my list! I've divided it up into 11 parts just so that it'll be easier to digest them all. Here we go with the first 11!

Part 1: #111-101
Part 2: #100-91
Part 3: #90-81
Part 4: #80-71
Part 5: #70-61
Part 6: #60-51
Part 7: #50-41
Part 8: #40-31
Part 9: #30-21
Part 10: #20-11
Part 11: #10-1

111. "Stranger in a Strange Land" (ep. 309)

There'll be plenty of disagreements with mainstream opinion on this list (just wait 'til you see what's at #2!), but you won't find any here in last place. I still remember my reaction when I first saw this episode. It felt like I'd just spent an hour (more like 45 minutes, since I'd viewed it online) watching nothing happen. I mean, stuff does happen, it's just that they drag it out needlessly and waste time with useless scenes. Sawyer and Kate take Karl back to the mainland and Jack remains in captivity. The only important character development to come out of all this is that Jack and Juliet bond over him saving her from execution.

That flashback of Jack's trip to Thailand? Yeah. Worst flashback ever. In addition to being weird and corny ("Well, I'm a very likable guy." Ugh.), it had nothing to do with anything. OK, we find out how Jack got his tattoos. Not exactly a crucial piece of information, and the story behind it left us with more questions than answers. I guess the marking given to Juliet by the Others was supposed to parallel Jack's skin graffiti. There's a word for that kind of tie-in: weak. Season 3's flashbacks tended to be filler that only existed to demonstrate a minor point, and this episode's is a prime example.

Also, is it just me, or does the acting in this episode seem to be a notch or two below par? Josh Holloway and Matthew Fox are both terrific actors, but if all you saw of them was this episode you probably wouldn't know it. Perhaps there's a good reason "Stranger in a Strange Land" was Paris Barclay's only directorial credit on LOST. The score montage at the end is also one of, if not the least-moving of those sequences in series history. Karl and Alex's longing to be together wasn't exactly something people were going to get emotionally invested in. Gotta say, LOST producers, not your best work here.

110. "The Other Woman" (ep. 406)

This episode is one big pile of not-doing-anything-for-me. Harper Stanhope, one of the series' most confusing characters, makes her only appearance here. She arrives and departs so suddenly that it's unclear from just viewing whether she's alive, dead, the smoke monster or what. The LOST Encyclopedia tells us she was in fact alive during her present-day meeting with Juliet, but little else. I suppose we have to grade some elements of Season 4 on a curve due to the writers' strike, but this episode has a lot more going against it than Harper.

The flashback explores Juliet's romance with Goodwin. Was anyone ever actually interested in that? The only twist is that we learn Goodwin was already married to Harper. For shame, Blondie! To make matters worse, they introduce this idea that Ben has (or had) a crush on Juliet. Was that ever even hinted at before? I'd never been under the impression that Juliet was anything more than one of Ben's chess pieces. Jack also reminds us of that irksome love rectangle by kissing Juliet. What's the point of all this? Does anyone really care? I know I don't!

The most interesting part is the subplot where Ben negotiates his way out of captivity at the Locke camp. It's funny to see Sawyer and Hurley amazed by their prisoner suddenly walking freely at the end. Otherwise, you watch this episode trying to find something worth commenting on, and you mostly come up empty.

109. "The Hunting Party" (ep. 211)

There's good slow-paced and there's bad slow-paced. This one falls on the bad side. The flashback is focused on Jack's overwork at the hospital and how it drives Sarah away from him. It's probably better known as the one where Jack kisses the Italian woman, a plot point that didn't even matter, because Sarah was already planning to leave him before she found out. I guess its purpose was to show that Jack's an honorable guy in spite of his flaws, but even so, I didn't really need that story to take up half the freaking episode (maybe it wasn't half, but it sure felt like it).

Meanwhile, back on the island, Michael's gone after Walt equipped with his new knowledge of shooting, and Locke, Jack and Sawyer set out to stop him. The part where they're tracking Michael drags too much, and the face-to-face meeting with Mr. Friendly goes from potentially cool to frustrating when Kate shows up. That moment when our heroes turn over their weapons helplessly leaves me wanting to wring Other neck (which I guess was the writers' intent, but still...it's vexing to watch).

Then there's the cliffhanger line of "how long do you think it would take to train an army?" A cool idea, one you'd like to see go somewhere. Once you've seen the next two episodes it's exposed as a temporary diversion, and the line has little impact on repeat viewings.

108. "Two For the Road" (ep. 220)

This one's mostly unmemorable except for the shocking final scene where Michael shoots Ana Lucia and Libby. It's interesting how the episode begins with Michael unconscious and by the end he's a dual murderer. I doubt too many people missed A.L. after her sudden death, but Libby? Come on, she was Hurley's girlfriend, and she was really nice too! How could those writers be so cruel?

The flashback where Ana and Christian travel to Australia together is pretty lackluster, even if it does answer some minor questions (and plant the seeds for the later revelation that Claire is Jack's half-sister). As difficult to like as Ana Lucia was, it was satisfying to see her reconcile with her mother over the phone before she left Sydney. Those semi-redemptive moments are the best some characters can hope for.

107. "Born to Run" (ep. 122)

Just one in a long line of forgettable Kate episodes, the title sums up Kate's entire raison d'etre in three words. In the flashback we learn more about that toy airplane from "Whatever the Case May Be" and how she killed the man she loved. I want to care. I really do. It's just...there's something so un-compelling about Kate.

We're shown that she's wanted to run away ever since she was young, but we aren't given a reason. Even though we learn it later in the series, the way this situation plays out only makes Kate seem selfish. She kisses her now-married-with-a-kid childhood sweetheart, then puts him in the line of fire because she refuses to surrender and crashes his car in the process (hey, his widow might need transportation). This heartbreaking story is also virtually forgotten after this episode, since Kate becomes so preoccupied with Jack and Sawyer that poor Tom gets relegated to the distant reaches of her memory.

Then there's the raft drama where Sun attempts to poison Jin and Michael drinks the water instead, blah blah blah, you know what happens. Sawyer reveals to everyone that Kate's a fugitive, though it doesn't seem to affect anyone's opinion of her after this episode. Just another moment that should be significant but ends up being inconsequential.

But hey! This is the episode where Dr. Arzt is introduced! He's a funny character! That's gotta count for something, right? Right? Ah, who am I kidding?

106. "Eggtown" (ep. 404)

Yep. Second Kate episode in a row. Truthfully, I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would, but there was still little to merit a higher ranking. The flash-forward, concerning Kate's trial, isn't all that exciting. The scenes with Jack taking the witness stand and talking to Kate afterwards (all meant to set them on the path toward hooking up, of course), are pretty lame. The twist at the end is clever, since they allude to the possibility of Sawyer and Kate's illicit encounters producing offspring in the island storyline, but one surprise doth not a great episode make.

To "Eggtown"'s credit, it has one of my favorite touches of humor on LOST: Hurley watching Xanadu. Come on, how is that not hilarious? One can only imagine what other classics are contained in the DHARMA video library.

105. "Confidence Man" (ep. 108)

Before he was Sawyer the lovable rascal he was Sawyer the angry antagonist. It's almost easy to forget that at one time our buddy James Ford was a rough-around-the-edges jerk who refused to cooperate with the other castaways. This was his first centric episode, where we discover he was a con man in his pre-island life.

The backstory is little more than a demonstration of the type of scam Sawyer would execute, and it's only interesting for the conclusion where Sawyer calls off the deal because he learns his dupes have a young son. Awww. So deep down, somewhere, this guy does have a heart. And that letter he carries around? Surprise! It wasn't that kid who wrote it to him, it was something he wrote to the man who conned his parents! Oh, those plot twists.

While this episode succeeded in making Sawyer sympathetic, it'd take a bit longer for him to become likable. Hey, just because you feel sorry for the guy doesn't mean you want to put up with his crap.

104. "The Cost of Living" (ep. 305)

This episode has a very rushed feel to it. If you know the real-life story, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje wanted off the show, so the producers were in a position where they had to kill off Eko. "The Cost of Living" comes across as an attempt to make him satisfyingly unsympathetic as quickly as possible in order to justify his death at the hands of the smoke monster. Unfortunately, they throw too much information at us and in the process destroy our view of a character who was previously very likable and fascinating. It's a shame, since the writers originally had much bigger plans for Eko.

In another noteworthy development, Nikki and Paulo start getting some significant screentime when they accompany Locke, Sayid and Desmond to the Pearl. Who the hell are these people?

103. "Par Avion" (ep. 312)

It's a nice way to pass the time, but this Claire-centric doesn't fall in the upper echelon of LOST episodes. On the plus side, there are plenty of closeups on Emilie De Ravin's face (which is quite lovely). On the not-plus side, there are some cheesy moments, like the montage of survivors set to Claire's reading of her letter. I should probably also deduct some points for that silly rehash of "Claire gets upset with Charlie and doesn't want him around her baby." Claire was originally such a sweet character, but by the third season she'd grown into a moody whiner. The stresses of motherhood'll do that to you, I guess. At least Chah-lie's back in Claire's good graces by the end after Desmond explains that her boyfriend's eccentric behavior is caused by his being marked for death.

We do get some new information from this one, like our first look at the sonic fences and the revelation that Christian is Claire's father. There's also some confusing talk about lists from Mikhail, which may or may not be consistent with the stuff we later learn about Jacob. In their defense, it was Season 3, when the show's timetable was still up in the air. Perhaps some leeway should be given for muddled details.

102. "Whatever the Case May Be" (ep. 112)

As I mentioned five episodes above, this whole storyline about Kate's toy airplane didn't exactly have a way of drawing in the viewer. It was pretty absurd that she staged a bank robbery all so she could procure some trinket from a safe deposit box. I mean...really? That was the super-secret motivation behind Kate wanting the Halliburton case? It may have belonged to the man she loved but...was it really worth all that trouble, especially when she'd just forget about it later?

This episode's not a total loss though. The scene where Sawyer and Kate go swimming is a fun, carefree romp. Charlie, still recovering from post-hanging trauma, finally opens up to Rose emotionally in a moment that's sort of touching. Sayid first reaches out to Shannon, in what will be the beginning of an odd, but apparently destined, coupling. Minor reasons for making it interesting, but reasons nonetheless.

101. "Left Behind" (ep. 315)

Wow. Four Kate episodes in the bottom eleven? You think she might be one of the weaker characters?

Like most Kate episodes, this one isn't particularly memorable. Here we have another case of the subplot being more interesting than the main one. Hurley, of all people, cons Sawyer into being nice to everyone. It's such a great payoff when you learn that one of the less quick-witted characters outsmarted the craftiest guy on the island. Talk about a victory for the (big) little guy!

As for the Kate-centric stuff...well, whaddaya want me to say? The flashback fills in why Kate's mother called for help when she saw her in the hospital (not the most important information), and makes a pre-island connection by having her team up with Cassidy (kind of cool, and an alliance that proves useful later). Kate and Juliet's excellent handcuffed adventure feels like nothing more than a stalling tactic. I'm glad it turned out to be part of a con, because it's pretty implausible that Juliet would've done something like that in order to gain Kate's trust. The most relevant thing to come out of that whole mess is that we learn the sonic fence keeps out Smokey.

Overall, this isn't a terrible episode, but it's one of the least essential.