s3e13: The Man From Tallahassee

This was probably the best episode of the season so far. I might be exaggerating a little when I say this next part, but I think there's a chance that it was the best episode of the past two seasons - at the very least it's top five in that time period. What made it so good?

1. Meaningful backstory.
Backstory was beginning to feel like a tired gambit that continued to be included in every episode just for formality's sake, but finding out how Locke ended up in the wheelchair - something I think we've all been waiting to see for two and a half years now - is pretty darn important. It's a shame that the CGI in that scene had to be so terrible, but then TV CGI usually is. The whole thing also told us more about Locke's motivations than the backstories usually do; generally the connection is superficial and evident, like "Check out Jack having no respect for other societies" or "Sayid doesn't want to kill this guy because he learned about mercy" or something. Benry spells out the connection for us at the end - part of the reason Locke doesn't want to go is because his con man father can't find him here - but it still works better than any backstory since Season One.

2. Good one-on-one scenes.
The Jack/Kate scene in the rec room was solid, although Kate's repetition of "What did they do to you?" got a little annoying. Better still were the scenes between Benry and Locke, with excellent acting jobs from both Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson.

3. Great cliffhanger.
How long has it been since we had a really good cliffhanger? Mid-Season 2? Longer? All I know is, Locke's dad being behind the door was pretty awesome.

So, quick recap: Kate, Locke and Sayid find Jack. Kate goes in but Jack tells her to leave because he's being watched; Kate and Sayid get captured. Locke goes to Benry's room because he wants to blow up the submarine. Benry acts like he doesn't want this to happen, but it turns out that he actually does (which Alex tells us ahead of Benry actually admitting it - this is also a parallel to Locke's dad, whose plan, you may recall, was to make Locke think that giving him the kidney was Locke's idea). Locke blows up the submarine, preventing Jack and Juliet from leaving. Jack had made a deal with Benry that Kate and Sayid would be let go as soon as Jack got off the island. Sorry, Kate and Sayid. Backstory Locke is much less pathetic than usual, confronting his father after the son of his father's new mark gets suspicious and asks Locke for a reference. The son turns up dead; Locke's dad claims no part in it but then knocks Locke out a window, breaking his back. Then at the end Benry shows Locke "what came out of the box" that supposedly will give you anything you ask for: Locke's dad, who looks MAJORLY freaked out to see Locke. And I guess that makes sense. Could this explain Jack's dad and the horse as well?

Next week: someone dies, apparently, and it looks like some nasty jungle bug/spider is involved - thanks a lot, show. My guess is that it's someone inconsequential - Nikki, Paulo, someone even more faceless - and not Charlie, much though we all want it to be. And then the teaser acts like Sun kills Sawyer, which we all know won't be what happens.