s3e03: Further Instructions

I guess this episode wasn't bad, but it had a few negative things going for it:

1. Our third crappy backstory in a row. I suppose it's interesting to find out exactly what the characters did before they were here, but is it too much to ask that those things not be totally disposable? Jack's and Sun's both told us nothing about the characters we didn't already know (and did so in pretty on-the-nose fashion, too), and Locke's barely even makes sense, except that it shows - again - that he's long been searching for meaning in life and keeps having a hard time finding it. Is there a more pathetic character in TV history than Backstory Locke? I say no.

2. A return to my least favorite of the abandoned plot strands, Charlie and Claire. In the first season, these small interpersonal conflicts on the beach were all well and good, but with the scope of the series having expanded dramatically, they just seem trivial and a waste of time now. Plus, Charlie and Claire continue to duke it out for the title of Most Annoying Character, particularly with Michael having sailed off (yes, I know his boat did not have a sail).

3. A totally cheesy plot device: the return of Boone in a hallucinogen-induced dream sequence of Locke's. Barely rates above Jamie Kennedy's cameo in Scream 3 on the list of "Most Forced Guest Appearances Ever." Why did Boone need to show Locke every single other person of concern? We already know he's not going to be able to do anything for most of them. Seemed like a lot of foot-dragging, which has defined the better part of the first three shows of this season, dare I say.

The whole hatch thing strikes me as a little implausible (all the metal sucks in on itself, but the survivors are blown outwards?), and it sure looked like they left a continuity goof in there (what kitchen is Hurley going to get bandages from if the hatch went reverse Big Bang on us?), but I guess I can live with that for now. Desmond potentially seeing future events, however, seems like it has potential to either get unlikely in a hurry or just offer tons of openings for future deus ex machinae.

I suppose it seems like I'm complaining a lot, and I suppose I am. I still like the show - there is, overall, none more compelling on television week to week - but I'm starting to get a little more frustrated with its pacing and general tendency to pad out its episodes with a ton of needless filler when it could be giving out actual info.

Next week: Kate, do you like Sawyer? Check yes or no. The Others clearly either like over-the-top psych testing or they're just a bunch of sadists. Or maybe both.