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Lost - Episode 4.10

Jack has never been one of my favorite characters on Lost. The fact that he has at least two or three episodes dedicated to him each season doesn't help this opinion. Luckily, due to the remaining three season getting a reduction in episodes down to sixteen (this fourth season is reduced further to thirteen due to the writer's strike), the writing has gotten tighter and there are less opportunities for Jack based shows. This is a good thing.

What annoys me more than Jack is Jack and Kate together. Their attraction to one another has never really rant true to me and honestly, I think Sawyer is a better fit for her. Juliet is the better choice for Jack. Juliet at least has the backbone to confront Jack when she thinks he's making a wrong decision. She'll argue it out and point out where he's mistaken. Kate will just make a confused, teary face and run off and do something behind his back.

The flashforward lets us know that Jack and Kate are briefly happy together after they get off the island. But like most of his relationships, Jack finds some way sabotage it. If anything, we get to see the beginnings of his decent that will result in his mental state that was first introduced at the end of last season's flashforward.

Dancing around this are several more interesting plot threads. Juliet has to remove Jack's appendix and of course he wants to be awake enough to oversee it. Not that she removed a million of them during her residency. I liked that the writers remembered that Bernard was a dentist and had him help out. It made perfect sense for him to play anesthesiologist and assist with the surgery. I'm sure he's had to put plenty of people under to cut out some teeth.

Speaking of Bernard, he's been getting more screen time as of late. His wife Rose finally gets some dialogue after being off screen for most of the season. I've always like these two because they're the most relatable people on the show. They don't have the outlandish backstories everyone else has and they provide more of a realistic conduit for the viewers. Also, I'm always happy to see another interracial marriage on screen.

Jin is taking steps to ensure that his wife and unborn child make it off the island. His discussion with Charlotte was cool, to the point, and threatening. Jin isn't a bad guy, just someone that will do whatever to protect those he loves. We know that Sun goes back to Korea, but Jin's fate is still unrevealed.

Claire's disappearance at the end of the hour looks to lead to her potential separation from her son. Hopefully, we'll get some clues about what the deal is with Christian Shephard and his relationship with the island. Also, I couldn't help but think on Cable in the X-Men's Messiah Complex crossover, when Sawyer was holding both the baby and a big gun at the end of the episode.

Big Question: Where's Claire and what's up with Christian Shephard?

Best Scene: An unhinged Hurley explaining his conversations with dead Charlie to Jack. I like how it toys with the "They're Already Dead!" theory.

6 out of 10