User Reviews

"Who are you people?" asks a visibly confused Michael.

"We are the good guys Michael." responds a calm Henry Gail who has managed to resurface after fleeing the hatch where he was caught for several days.

By the time one is watching this scene so many interesting sequences have already happened. In the two hour second season finale of the series LOST you get to see a lot more intense and gripping action. The kind one can easily associate with this amazingly well written series but despite what calculations one might have there is always the strong chance that one might be hopelessly wrong. So instead of guessing all one can really do is report. And that is what this review does.

We start off by exploring what was in the sailing boat that had appeared just after Libby's and Ana Lucia's memorial service. As Jack, Sawyer and Sayeed swim onto the boat they realize that a drunk and delirious Desmond is in it. Apparently he has been trying to get out of the island after his disappearance at the beginning of the season having assigned the new crew with the task of pushing the button in the hatch. But somehow to add to his frustration he has managed to end right back into the thick of things. Using the 'Lost effect' the episode explores Desmond's past as an officer in the service of Her Majesty in England who was in prison and was dismissed from service for reasons not yet clarified. His ambition to take part in a boat racing contest finds him groping for dear life among masked strangers on the island one day. The story then takes us into the life of Desmond and how he came to be the sole responsible man to 'press the button' until Locke entered the hatch.

Meanwhile Michael is leading Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hugo into the trap. At one point in the middle of the forest he is confronted about this and he hopelessly confesses about the sin he committed. The pack realizes that they are being followed and a rather hasty Kate actually manages to open fire on the followers. One of them drops dead as invisible darts paralyze the team one by one thus making them prisoners at 'The Others' camp. Michael meets up with an oddly authoritative Henry who keeps his promise and hands Walt back to Michael. As a gagged Jack, Sawyer, Kate and Hugo watch Michael disappear with Walt one can't help but wonder what fate awaits these four captives.

Back at the hatch things have heated up big time. Torn between belief and logic Locke seems to have taken the extreme step as he manages to drag out Eko from his position and locks him out of the hatch. Locke is convinced that the button does not do anything and is merely a part of some weird psychological experiment. Desmond joins hands with him initially but a few seconds before the timer ticks off to zero he realizes Locke is wrong. As Locke and Desmond get into a war of words the ticker has gone to zero as Locke smashes the computer to the ground. Seconds tick by as we get a glimpse of what happens if the button is not pressed. This, in effect, is one of the most defining moments of the season's finale. Desmond scrambles around to hope and fix the error Locke has made but maybe it is too late. We do not know yet.

As the second part draws to a rather exciting close we see Charlie and Claire finally find peace and love. Sayeed, Jin and Sun are left on one part of the beach with Desmond's boat. Jack, Sawyer, Hugo and Kate are at the mercy of the Henry and his team. The future of Desmond, Eko and Locke is a major question mark.

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere with a snow storm outside a couple of foreign speaking strangers sit around as their computer monitor splashes a message that has them panicking and calling up the one person we would never have guessed.

A super finale for a super season. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

This episode so far is the best of the series. The story was told perfectly. I especially liked how the writers made it a Desmond episode; it was his best performance to date and he definitely deserved the Emmy for his performance.

We had some of our questions answered in this episode, but since the show is called Lost we know there will be more questions brought up too. First the answered: Walt is reunited finally with his father Michael, second, Michael's betrayal is exposed to Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and Hurly and because of this betrayal Kate, Jack, and Sawyer are all taken captive by The Others. This was a great way to end the show.

On the other side of the island we see Locke going through a mental breakdown with the button. This leads to another answered question about how the plane really went down. However there are some unanswered questions: first, what happened to Locke, Eko, and Desmond when Desmond turned the failsafe key and what was the deal with the scientists in the Arctic searching for electromagnetic annamolies. Guess we'll find out next season, however great ending to the best show on TV.

What's the point of this messages if not to discuss and share thoughts about the next season... Here is my forecast: 1. The hatch was indeed blown, but somehow everybody inside survived. Buts lets see about that. 2. The episode at the end with the tent is an observation team monitoring the tracking device installed on Desmonds boat by Penny. Now that the magnetic shield around the island was lifted, the signal was picked up by the observation station and they are going to send a rescue mission. 3. After the destruction of the hatch, the island is not isolated any more, and other ships/airplanes are going to arrive 4. The others are finally going to share their secret with us poor observers

Was it actually confirmed that there are going to be 4 seasons of LOST?

Cheers Mike

"Live Together, Die Alone" is divided into three main story lines, and each one of them alone would have been enough for a great episode. So when you put all of them together, you have a great ^ 3 episode. It was a daring move to give the flashbacks of a season finale to a character (Desmond) who had only appeared in 3 episodes up to that point, but it worked: his backstory is absolutely fascinating to watch, both informative about the past of the island & the Swan station itself and honestly moving. Desmond and Penny seem magically connected to each other, even when they are on opposite ends of the world, and both characters are beautifully acted (it's hard not to cry when Desmond reads Penny's letter). The action inside the hatch is edge-of-your-seat tense, as Locke is determined not to allow the button to get pushed again, convinced it was all just a psychological experiment, Desmond gradually realizes the consequences of this decision, and Eko is locked outside and tries desperately to get back in. The melting of the clock and Locke's "I was wrong" are unforgettable moments. The outside action has Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley captured by the Others due to Michael's betrayal (after they make a puzzling discovery connected to the Pearl), and "Henry Gale"'s game-changing return as the Others' leader. Even the least important plot line, Sayid, Jin and Sun sailing to the beach where the Others are supposedly camping, contains one of the greatest mythological mysteries of the show, the giant statue that's almost entirely missing except for a foot with four toes. In short: emotion + history + mythology + adventure + suspense + the threat of annihilation + a ray of hope = a classic LOST episode. ***1/2 out of 4.

The writers of lost have outdone themselves. Season two's finale is even more heartbreaking and intense than the finale for season one. Locke's lack of faith has not only resulted in spiritual consequences for himself, but in tragic physical consequences for the lives of the other castaways. Michael's betrayal resulted in a success for him but can he possibly escape the island? He will have to if he wants to stay alive. I don't doubt that one or more of his former friends would be willing to kill him in revenge. This finale has left more questions than the previous finale; and I can't wait for fall.

A side note: What is the point in posting a review just to write out all the spoilers? Where is the pleasure in ruining the surprise for everyone else? The current review on this page is nothing but a big fat spoiler fest, poorly constructed in barely readable English with the express purpose of making someone mad. Good job.

It was Libby talking to Desmond in the flashback, and if anyone is confused about her past (like how did she end up in the same hospital Hurley was in) then you should know that despited Libby dying in season 2, the character will be explored more in season 3 and we will get answers to questions surrounding her.

BTW, great episode. It had a really great cliffhanger and some interesting questions...like what happened to Eko and Lock and what about the four toe statue?

I cannot wait till season 3, Lost just rules!!! I hope all the unanswered questions will be answered. I loved how they explained why the plane actually crashed. Desmond did it when he did not manage to type in the numbers in time. 4 8 15 16 23 42

It seems all characters are in difficulty at the end Kate jack swayer - captured Charlie eko - wounded Locke desmond - in the hatch Jin sun sayid - went to nothing Hurley - just got away

I guess nothing could be make me watch season 3 more than this.

Excellent episode!

It must have been a pretty daunting task: How do you follow-up on what was perhaps the greatest first season of a television show ever conceived to that point? Remarkably, the show runners of LOST are able to craft a sophomore effort that is nearly as compelling as that original by tweaking the format just a bit and deepening the mysteries and characters that only had their surfaces scratched in Season One.

Picking right up where the Season One finale left off, it is clear from the get-go that the theme of this season will be "expanding the mysteries of the island". Whereas I would classify the first season as "75% characters, 25% mystery", this second one is closer to a 50/50 split. Without getting into too spoiler-ish territory here, suffice it to say that the Hatch is explored in great detail, as well as more information being given about the mysterious "Others" that seem to roam the island. Many new locations that weren't ever seen in S1 also make appearances in this slate of episodes. More than ever before, there is a real feeling of forward momentum to all the on-island happenings (well, except one...we'll cover that in a minute). Instead of the S1 formula of tailoring the island events to fit the character flashbacks, this time it seems as it the flashbacks more supplement the "island stuff".

That isn't to say, of course, that the character arcs aren't as dramatic and emotional as ever. Some of the most compelling episodes that come to mind involve in the flashbacks include:

-Hurley's battle with potential mental illness -Jack's deteriorating relationship with wife Sarah -It finally being revealed "What Kate Did" -John Locke's heartbreaking personal struggles in dealing with his father -Sawyer as the continued "con man" (albeit one with a bit of a conscience)

There's even an episode devoted to flashbacks of Rose and Bernard! It says a lot about just how solid this show was that they could take two auxiliary characters and still manage to create an emotional story surrounding them. New characters like Desmond, Penny, Henry Gale (or is he?), Anna-Lucia, & Mr. Eko also abound and, more often than not, become tremendous additions.

There is no doubt that S2 of LOST is just as deserving of five stars here as was S1. That being said, in the nit-picking business, there are two reasons why after my latest viewing I personally rank it a small notch below S1:

1. The main reason is because, for the first time in show history, it is clear that some stall tactics are being used. This is primarily seen in the plot involving the "Tailies", or those that crashed on the island in the back section of the plane. While this is a great idea on the surface (and one that probably needed to happen in some respect), it felt like a disproportionate amount of time was spent away from the main cast that viewers had grown to know and love. Like I said, I know that this was going to be a bit of in inevitability at this point with no end-date set, but this angle seemed to consume much of the early portion of the season.

2. This season really dives into the serialized nature of the show, racing forward with plots in nearly every episode. While on one hand this makes for an incredible "binge-watch" experience, on the other it somewhat lessons the value or "mystique", if you will, of individual episodes. In that first season, the show writers were able to almost miraculous match each flashback to an organic plot development happening on the island, and often slowing down the storytelling to do so (which I was okay with). In S2, both the flashbacks and island material are stellar...but they just don't mesh with each other quite as well in that perfect synergy.

Overall, though, this second season of LOST is still storytelling and character-creation at its very finest. It may not "flow" quite as perfectly as S1, but the individual flashbacks and "wow!" moments on the island are easily as compelling. Also, even with the addition of much new material and mysteries, I never once felt confused or cheated by a "lack of answers". As long as the viewer is paying attention (and the availability of all episodes at one time is helpful to this point), there is nothing in this show yet that is too confusing to follow.

*Could contain spoilers, read only after seeing last episode season 2* Think about it. The guys on the north pole? Center of the earth? Looking for abnormal magnetic behavior? They also said something about: "did we miss it again?" So there was another abnormality? Of course that was when the plain crashed! I think this whole Island is a setup. Set up by her daddy. She found out about it and is looking for her Desmond. How else can she know what to look for.

So basically it's an Island in a magnetic shield. All of it is fake. All the signs are there. Fake beards, fake doors, fake medicine, fake observations stations, with fake air shafts that lead to nothing. It's a project indeed, and because of the final scene in the season 2 finale I know it has to do something with Desmond, his chick and her dad (and probably Libby, she's weird, maybe she actually has something to do with the plane crashing, OK now i'm drifting off).

Also in this episode, Henry Gail tells Michael to go to some coordinates, and he'll find rescue their. This is probably some sort of door in the magnetic shield. "once you're gone. there is no way back".

I think it's pretty obvious, despite of the numerous questions I still have and hope to get answers for in the next season. If you think back on what we've learned in season 1 and 2, I'm sure we'll get loads of answers in season 3.

Can't wait.

Can anyone agree on this theory? Hope to hear from you...

Was a good season finale. The show keeps perplexing the audience.

On another note, I think Michael is a good representation of the people who are willing to do anything for their offspring but will look the other way when someone else's children are hurt. Can't help disliking him forever for what he did though.

All in all, this episode is a classic and I am happy that the heroes were alerted by Sayid even if they they ended up getting caught.

Lost has been one of the most mesmerizing and thrilling experience I've ever seen. Not only it's the mother of coincidence, but also every time that you think you can set up the whole puzzle in your head, the story takes a completely new direction.

Take this casualty for example, The US marine, whom gives Sayid the way to become a Torturer, Is Clancy Brown, playing a character named Joe Inman. In the last episode, he is playing Kelvin Inman, the Desmond partner in the Hatch. Destiny, uh? Yeah Right!

I guess that all of us will have to wait, to see what's next in the life of the wonder people in that strange island, in the middle of nowhere. Knowing that several of my favorites characters, Desmond, Sayid and Mr. Eko, have an unclear destiny

I believe that along with 24 and The Shield, this is one of the best TV shows ever, of course, keeping Twin Peaks at a special place.

Watching the last 2 episodes i remembered a TV add from my childhood. It showed the wild west, very dusty and dry, and there is a small saloon, a man enters the bar/saloon, he is thirsty as hell, lips cracked etc...., he has just walked through the Nevada Desert and hasn't drunk water for days. He croaks to the bartender "gimme a packet of potato chips" While he is eating it we can feel how thirstier he is getting, we hear a voice in the background saying.... "Keep building that thirst, build it till you cant hold it any more............. then blow it away with TEAM" The man drinks TEAM (a soft drink) It feels like a few dozen bags of potato chips the thirst is so intense that i cannot hold it any more, Season 2 has even more twists and turns then season 1. The ending answers a lot of questions but asks many many more questions hopefully we will know the answer in season 3, but i doubt it because i feel LOST has the momentum go a lot further then 3 seasons, if the people behind the camera keep up their good work.

I for one will keep watching.

From Pakistan with Love

Having blown open the hatch, the plane crash survivors are perplexed to discover a "modern" apartment below the ground and a man living in fear of a computer countdown to an event that must be prevented by typing in a code. Meanwhile Michael and Sawyer cling to the remains of their raft awaiting death only to find that the tide has brought them right back to the island but the far side from the rest of the group. Picked up by another group of survivors, they decide to cross the island as Michael is frantic to find Walt. However the actions of both groups puts them all on a path of confrontation with the "others".

Season one left me feeling a little annoyed about the massive cliff-hanger but the opening five minutes of season two left me looking forward to the next 24 episodes. It reveals who and what is down in the hatch and at the same time it tells us that there is definitely more to the island than just some big creature and a load of coincidences – I looked forward because I thought that this season would take us deeper into the mystery and answer questions even if it asked more. Sadly though season two is less of this than it is an exercise in stagnation disguised up as motion. The second group of survivors is a case in point. They appear to be movement forward but really we end up retreading the "mystery" of the island through a slightly different set of eyes and experiences. The two groups coming together is also used to create lots of internal dramas which fill 40 minutes but don't provide any overall forward motion. It offsets this by regularly having moments where it rears up going "look at me, I'm so mysterious and strange" in different ways, while many episodes end with a mystery and the "next week" trailers present scenes that suggest solutions that really don't exist when you see the same clips in context.

Of course this is what Lost did in season one and it worked to a degree, but this is not a trick that can be pulled off indefinitely and season two is indeed proof of that. By the halfway point of the season I had started to lose interest and develop fatigue with how rudderless it all had become. This is not to say it has changed significantly though because even fans of season one will acknowledge that it was a lot of superficial stuff and little substance – the difference is that settling into a mystery is different from stagnating in one. It still offered enough mystery to keep me interest but I was amused by how my interest was more of "getting through it to the answers" than actually enjoying each episode. It doesn't help that the writers appear to have no clue what is going on either and insist on having weird things happen one week that are then not talked about ever again – as it was in season one with Locke's sighting of the "monster", we have season two doing just the same with Ecko and his black cloud thingy. There does appear to be a general march towards conspiracy and experimentation (original) but this is confused by so many coincidences and mini-mysteries that, lets be honest, it is increasingly unlikely that any conclusion that will tie it all together in a satisfying way will ever exist. The season does the same thing as each episode in that it picks up towards the end in order to hold the audience for season 3 and minimise those who were considering chucking it in. However by episode 19 it was too little too late and the plot developments were just yet another example of Lost keeping stuff on the surface while little is going on underneath.

But yet I keep watching. Not because it is a great series but because season two has continued to prove how style and superficial nonsense can be enjoyable as brainless fluff. I would like to think that I am into art and deep thinking but each week it is freeing to be able to turn off my brain and sink into Lost. The acting is pitched at this same level as most of the cast are good looking pieces of fluff who can do the emotions and actions required of them at any one time but aren't given the material to deliver actual characters. The flashback scenes have long since stopped being pieces of character development to play alongside the mystery and themselves have become red herrings and mysteries – much to the detriment of the cast. The additions are mixed. Akinnuoye-Agbaje is an impressive addition but, after a few good episodes he sinks into the mire. Rodriguez adds more young female flesh while also being all dark and brooding – she is fine but she contributes to the mini-drama more than the overall flow. The rest of the other group are a lot more average while the rest of the cast do what they did last time without adding or varying a great deal.

Overall then, more of the same but what was so engaging and mysterious the first time round has become rather stale this time around. The mystery is regularly forgotten in the face of mini-dramas with little or no consequence and every time something could reveal something about the wider mystery it is forgotten before the next episode. It is engaging nonsense none the less but you do have to wonder how much long it can keep stringing out the audience. I suppose at least if it continues this way it will start shedding more viewers which will mean that at least those left will get some closure!

For me this is a good series. I am kind of disappointed that Ana Lucia and Libby died but more upset that Micheal lied to everyone about who killed them. And if any one can answer this what was that guys name who was supposedly "Henry Gale" he was like the leader of the others (or was that Ms. Clue??) anyway if you know his name cool. Well trying to think of what can possibly happen next after they finally didn't press the button. Does that mess up the whole DARMA project thing and i personally thought it was cool how they had that key thing underground that Desmond used to shut off the magnet thing, yeah and what was the whole point of that? I am just glad they didn't press the button finally, but what happens to the people in the hatch? Like Mr. Echo, John, Charlie and well Desmond probably died but what about the others? I think they survived, I forget? well this is just my little thing on what i thought about this season finale!!!

a very good episode, although not as devastating a finale as the end of season 1. The idea to make it a Desmond flashback worked very well, and Henry Ian Cusick was fantastic, perhaps putting in the best performance of this entire series, but my only complaint would be the Michael plot line felt very much like a subplot, and after three minutes the previous episode, i thought it would feature more. But the strength of Cusicks character and performance pulled it through. the plot developments, as always, left more questions then answers, like who are the others, something we still don't know, and where are they taking jack, Sawyer and Kate. What was the white light, what impact has it had? Are Locke, Eko and Desmond dead? as the hatch destructed around them. If they are it would be a major mistake, because these three are the most interesting characters and the series would suffer without them and Terry O'Quinn has been fantastic throughout both series as Locke. A fitting finale to a better series then the first.

Woaww Is it only now that you notice the links between all the characters ?? Of course it's Libby ! And for the guy in the hatch with Desmond, any deja vu ??? Yeah !! He was the "same" guy that gave money to Sayid after he's killed or tortured the other soldier in the episode 14th of the 2nd season : One of Them. Well actually it's not completely the same guy, he's named Joe in the 14th episode and Kelvin in the last 2 episodes. Twins ?? :) Who knows ?? JJ Abrams ... mmmm I'm not even sure of that :) There are hundreds of links like this one between all the characters.

But that was just in response to the Libby comment.

I found those 2 episodes far more interesting than the whole season 2. During all that season I felt that there was lots of things I've missed and very few things I've learned. Especially at the very beginning, the 1st episode of the 2nd season is excellent, and then the 2nd one is a kind of flash back of the 1st one ... I found that disappointing even if I'm pretty sure that everything in Lost tend to have a meaning. That was just an example of how I was frustrated watching those episodes.

Let's go back to the last 2 episodes. I think we've learned more new things in those 2 episodes than in the entire season. But all we learn are little pieces for the next puzzle, like the involvement of Desmond's "relatives" (sorry if I spoil too much, believe me or not I'm trying not to) for example. So lots of things evoked in the past 2 seasons are still unclear or have been developed once then nothing. And still, there's new material as if all the holes in the picture were not enough. We all want to see the big picture of all of it of course, but I think we'll have to be very very patient. I hope there will be only 3 seasons. I'm not sure I will watch more than 3 seasons anyway. There was also lots of actions in the very last episode. And a good cliffhanger at the very end.

So basically, yes I loved that last episode ... and yes I want to see the third season.

(this is a spoiler if you haven't seen the episode)basically, i was blown away by how intense this episode was. basically, to sum it up, Jack knows Micheal is misleading them so he has Sayiid set a trap where Sun and Jin go with him on the boat. and WHO was on this boat!!!??? it turned out to be Desmon. he had been trying to get off the island and thought he was near Fiji but he ended right back there and the whole episode is Desmon centric and how he got onto the island. to get to the top points, Locke convinces Desmon that it was all an experiment and so Desmond plays with wires and locks down the hatch so they can keep Mr. Eco out of it so he can't press the button and it ends up setting off this huge magnetic thing and on the day the plane crashed was when Desmond killed his partner and didn't press the button and the magnetic things brought down the plane. yeah thats the about it. oh and Claire kisses Charlie after Jack,Sawyer,Kate, and Hurley get taken by the others.

Indeed, Cynthia Watros is in this movie as Elizabeth talking to Desmond. Though I'm just wondering how she ended up as a 'rehab patient'(?) where Hurley is also in there trying to reduce his weight (as seen from the previous episodes).

Anyway, this last episode is really suspended. The ending is not so understandable. I think the writer did expect the audience that there is a season 3 coming.

I just hope the next season will give light to more unclear/hanging events that were happened.

Just can't wait further for season 3.

I think Cynthia Watros actually was in this episode as Libby. If you look closely at the Elizabeth person Desmond got the boat from you'll notice a few things...

1) The actress is obviously wearing a wig.

2) The Elizabeth character makes Libby-esquire leaps of insight several times in the conversation with Desmond (that psychologist/mental patient background).

2a) These insightful jumps are written into the dialogue in a bit of an incongruent way that makes you think "wow...what a weird woman", making the actions stand out, like they want it to be easy to realize it's Libby.

3) If you stream the episode from ABC.com and pause you can see it's Cynthia Watros. The eyes stand out.

4) Libby is short for Elizabeth.

Anyone else notice this, too?