I am not 100% positive that they used Juliet's voice to throw us off in the beginning of the episode (when an unidentified woman was in the shower), but it sounded like it. Regardless, it didn't sound like Kate, and since I was absolutely certain that the woman in the shower was Kate, I started off feeling rather annoyed. Hah. Also, a Ben episode is a hard act to follow no matter what, so I may be less critical of this episode when I eventually watch it again.
I did enjoy it, though I thought it was a bit all over the place. Mostly I had a strong feeling my old man crush was going to show up in this episode, and he did, so that made me happy. Yay, Jack's Dad, who may or may not be Jacob. (Or, maybe Jacob is able to make himself look like anyone he pleases....)
It was hard to get caught up in the Jack's island dilemma. I mean, no need to worry about whether or not he'd survive when we've seen him in future tense episodes. So I'm assuming that his getting sick had more to do with Rose's point: People don't get sick on the island; they get better. So, why did Jack get sick? And why did Locke, some time ago, begin to lose his ability to walk? Is it faith based? Is it a lesson they're being taught by the Island?
Are we sure that all of the mercenaries survived? I cannot recall how many there were in the episode before. I thought, for dramatic effect, they might all (save the leader, who is a somewhat recognizable actor these days) be killed. The scene of the smoke monster trailing through the sky and trees with violence reduced to the sound of people screaming was very striking. But others have survived the smoke monster's attack, and these guys are supposed to be pretty badass. I assume there's some reason for it, though, so until them...wait and see, I guess.
I do love that Claire saw her dad holding the baby. More and more, the writers are making it clear that these manifestations (ghost or other) are physical beings. Charlie could touch Hurley. Jack's dad could pick up the baby. I wonder if Miles could see Jack's dad because of his powers, or if Sawyer would have seen him, too. Anyway, Claire's disappearance at the end is creepier than just coming upon he dead body.
I thought the speed with which Jack hit his downward spiral was a bit forced, but it's in line with what we saw him going through in last year's season finale. Still, he was awfully quick to turn on Kate. Then again, she's still addicted to secrets, and those secrets being tied to a rival would be, I supposed, understandably upsetting.
And how much do I love Jeff Fahey on this show? BIG FAT LOVE.
And have any of you been watching the
missing scenes that were (I think) shot before the season aired. A bit of retrofitting to tie current plot points back to older episodes...