Lost Rewatch: Week 15

This week in the Rewatch, we get to the 2nd premiere of season 3. "Not in Portland" originally aired following the six episode fall mini-season. This week also gives us one of the most controversial Lost episodes, yep, the one about the origins of Jack's tattoos. This is the episode that persuaded ABC and the producers of Lost to agree on an end date for the series. Can you image how many "stalling" episodes we would have gotten if they wouldn't have agreed to six seasons? Onto this week's episodes:

Not in Portland (Zap2It Recap)

• LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback focuses on Juliette's recruitment to the island by Richard (his first appearance) and Ethan. The episode title is a play off Richard telling Juliette that their facilities (the island) is not quite in Portland.
• Juliette is recruited because she is a fertility doctor, and this episode subtly introduces the pregnancy issue on the island by showing the X-ray of 26 year old woman, who Juliette assumed was in her 70s.
• Room 23, man that thing is still crazy. We've learned more and more about the Others over the years, but there's still so much we don't know. "God loves you as He loved Jacob" ... what is going on in this room? Do all the Others have to sit through it to be indoctrinated or is it just punishment?
• Juliet helps Kate and Sawyer escape with Karl because Ben promised he'd let her leave. He's really a man of his word.

Flashes Before Your Eyes (Zap2It Recap)

• LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Unique flashback focuses on what happened after Desmond turned the failsafe key in the Swan. Desmond became "unstuck in time" and traveled back to a time in his past.
• Lots of island clues and Lost lore in Desmond's past: "the end of the world," clock reading 1:08, microwave sounding like the timer, 815, the race around the world, the painting in Widmore's office, MacCutcheon Whiskey, "Make Your Own Kind of Music"
• Desmond runs into Charlie playing "Wonderwall," with the lyrics "maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me" ... yep, for a while. As Desmond later told Charlie on the island, no matter what he does, no matter how many times he tries, the universe will course correct and he's going to die.
• Where'd Desmond get that course correct line? Oh yeah, he ran into Ms. Hawking during his flash. A few questions remain regarding his meeting with her/his flashback: Why'd he flash to the past after turning the failsafe? Did his past always happen that way or where they changed? How was Hawking a part of Desmond's past? Did she travel back with him or was she always there? Is pushing the button the only great thing Desmond will do? Every single one of us is dead, what does she mean by that?

Stranger in a Strange Land (Zap2It Recap)

• LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback focuses on Jack's time in Thailand when he received one of his tattoos, which according to Isabel translates to "he walks amongst us, but he's not one of us." Jack says it may say that, but it's not what it means. O-K.
  
• Why were Cindy, the kids and some of the Others watching Jack? What did the Others do to them to get them to buy into their lifestyle? When Jack asks her about being captured, she says it's not that simple.
  
• Ben reveals that Ethan was their surgeon. Why'd he send their only surgeon to investigate the 815 crash?
• What does Juliette's mark mean?
  

Tricia Tanaka is Dead (Zap2It Recap)

• LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback focuses on Hurley after winning the lottery, just before his trip to Australia. His father has returned after being absent from his life for 17 years.
• Roger Workman makes his first appearance on Lost. Crazy seeing him with Sawyer joking about "Skeletor," especially since LaFleur lived in DHARMAville with Roger Linus.
  
• Hurley needs some hope after everything that's gone bad for him and the other survivors and the DHARMA van represents that hope as they enjoy a joy ride around the island. The van will also become more important in the season finale.
  
• Kate, Sayid, Locke and Danielle form the group that will follow the directions on Eko's stick, setting up the next episode, "Enter 77."