User Reviews

When Claire's baby is feverish and with allergy, Rousseau comes to the camping and tells her that the baby may be infected. Claire partially recalls her period living among The Others, and asks Kate to go with her to the woods to look for Rousseau. While in the forest, Claire recovers her memory and the experience she was submitted, and she tries to find a vaccine for the baby's harsh. Meanwhile, Mr. Eko finds that Jack and John are keeping Henry Gale as prisoner and asks to talk with him.

In this episode, it is finally disclosed what happened with Claire when she was abducted by The Others. Further, in Claire's recollection of memories, there is a young woman that may be Rousseau's daughter Alexandra. Henry seems to have successfully poisoned the relationship between John and Jack. In the end, "Maternity Leave "is a good but not exceptional episode of "Lost". My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not Available.

Note: On 31 March 2013, I saw this episode again.

When 'Lost' was in its prime, it was must-watch television. Remember first watching it, found it remarkably easy to get into, was hooked from the start and was on Season 3 by the end of one week. The general consensus is that the final season is a disappointment and cannot disagree.

Season 2 of 'Lost' to me was very solid with many good to outstanding episodes (with a notable exception being "Fire + Water", which took strangeness too literally). "Maternity Leave" is not one of the best episodes of the season and a little bit of a let down after the brilliant "One of Them". It is still very good, just not outstanding and missing the extra something that the best Season 2 and 'Lost' in general episodes had.

"Maternity Leave" may not have the tautest of writing in the present day Claire scenes, particularly when the scenes between the men and the memories with The Others are so strong.

Furthermore, while Emilie De Ravin is still good, and gives some of her most heartfelt acting at this point of the show, she pales a little in comparison to the rest of the cast who have stronger characters to work with.

However, the men's scenes and chemistry have a lot of compelling power and advance the story and raises some interesting points. Henry is getting more fascinating as a character all the time. Meanwhile the memories are beautifully shot and have real urgency and tension, providing necessary answers to necessary questions and again raising points that one cannot wait to see being explored.

It's a very well acted episode, with a touching Mira Furlan, sincere Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson giving intensity to the proceedings being most impressive. De Ravin is not as strong but is still good and one does care for Claire.

Visually, 'Lost' continues to be stylish, atmospheric and beautiful in "Maternity Leave", as always making the most of the island setting. The music is as always chilling and understated, most of the writing is very well written and the direction handles everything with great skills.

Overall, very good while falling short of being outstanding. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This episode starts out with Claire Littleton's baby having a fever, an event which leads the young mother's subconscious to unlock more of the repressed memories she has been harboring concerning the particulars of her earlier abduction. Fearing that something might have happened to her baby, which back then was still unborn, she, Kate and Danielle Rousseau set out in order to backtrack her memories in order to find out more about what happened those faithful weeks.

It is a very interesting episode, although it is helped along the way by the fact that it reveals quite a few things. I'm not much of a fan of Emilie de Ravin and between a cast of great actors, she quite often falls short in my honest opinion, but Mira Furlan beautifully acted Danielle's weak and strong balanced personality. It is always quite fulfilling to see Rousseau and this Episode will allow you to regain respect for her, which I am happy for. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's Mister Eko is a pleasure to behold, for he brings a powerful serenity to the scenes he is in, making even moments of weakness a tour de force.

In this series, which is rather male oriented, it is a nice breather to see an all girl act take a hold of the plot, although instantly femdom-symbolisms are sputtered across, most notably Sawyer's new nickname for Kate ("Thelma"). The dream-like sequences that are allegedly shooting through Claire's head are both visually and audibly powerful and do the Series proud as a magnificent depicter of dreams, visions and in some cases throughout the now one and a half seasons old series, slight rubber reality references. Welcome was seeing the cradle with the Oceanic Flight airplanes that had appeared as early as in halfway Season 1.

In the course of this Episode, you will learn some very implicit, but surprising information about the Others, some of what they are, some of what they do. However with the why, the series has been very modest. The new settings reek of abandonment and an angst inspiring solitude, providing for an excellent all through atmosphere. Especially when we can compare the visions with what we see of the place 'ourselves', later, this episode shines and makes us wonder so.

If you want to endure some minor spoilers, please desist from reading further down.

As with many other Lost Episodes, this one has quite some symbolic references, one of the most clear being the medical caduceus on the Dharma Logo of the newly discovered compound. These lovely touches allow you to be pulled in to further enjoy the mystery of the Island.

On a final note, I'd like to add that Michael Emerson's Henry Gale, the prisoner acquired in the former episode, innocent at first sight, but oh so nasty and creepy in some undefinable way, is sublimely acted.

Great episode, although not as great as my top five, consisting of 'Walkabout', 'White Rabbit', 'Numbers', 'Deus Ex Machina' and 'The 23rd Psalm' (not in that order).

4 out of 5

Coming as the resolution to the storyline regarding Claire and Charlie's abduction by Ethan, which was the focus of "Raised by Another" and "Homecoming", and to a lesser extent "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues", which concentrated on the search for Claire and Charlie, season two's "Maternity Leave" is one of the most plot-driven episodes in the entire series and really does suffer from a lack of depth which keeps it from being the potentially amazing episode it could have been, and it really ends up being as annoying, over-the-top, and poorly-realized as season one's "Homecoming". It's basically the writers' room completely geeking out and forgetting that they're not writing a daytime soap.

The only episode scripted by Dawn Lambert and Matt Ragghianti, who have no other writing credits to their name on anything else. They're not good writers at all, and given a plot and storyline which are fairly solid and good resolutions which offer some great answers and interesting questions and turn it into a middling, half-baked experience. Even series regular director Jack Bender isn't on form here, with certain scenes constructed poorly at best and the transitions used to cut to the 'flashes' to Claire's time at the medical station are fairly annoying, especially the BOING sound. Ugh.

Actually, the scenes with Eko and one or two inspired moments within the main story are the only things keeping this episode afloat, as the rest of it is a noisy mess of screaming, average to terrible exposition, poor dialogue... The design for the DHARMA medical station is phenomenal too, and quite creepy.

The problem with "Maternity Leave" is that it's more fun to talk about than it is to watch, really.

6/10