Lost 3.9: "Stranger in a Strange Land"

Written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina Kim
Directed by Paris Barclay

In which Jack becomes embroiled in the power struggle within the Others’ camp when Juliet is slated for execution, while Sawyer and Kate argue over saving Jack and dealing with Karl…

Status Report

Some episodes manage to balance the present and past with a strong sense of metaphor. At the very least, the connection between past decisions and “present” conditions should be strong enough for the audience to appreciate the point being made. When the metaphor or parallel is forced, the episode typically suffers as a result. And when the writers try too hard to build up connections that are obtuse for the audience, the episode doesn’t have a prayer.

It’s not entirely clear what the goal was coming into this episode. Jack’s flashback reveals that his true self is a leader of men, good and noble. And that has been shown over the course of the series to some degree. The flashbacks also seem to demonstrate how that positive aspect of Jack’s character is continually undermined by the most negative aspects of his personality. And this has also been aptly demonstrated over the course of the series. Jack is stubborn, impatient, entitled, and angry. Jack is also deeply troubled by that which defies logic and reasoning.

Of course, all of that has been established already. Now it feels redundant. The goal of this episode should have been progress towards that hidden nobility or a clear signal that his inability to move past his negativity will lead to something terrible. That’s been the hallmark of “Lost” since the first season. That’s where the episode fails to do anything new.

The writers use Jack’s mark, an indication of his true self, as an analogue to Juliet’s situation. Jack’s tattoo states “he walks amongst us, but he is not one of us”. The Others’ sheriff, for lack of a better term, interprets that as an ironic statement, applicable to his current situation. But it’s a rather clever way to refer to a leader. A leader is often forced to stand apart from the rest.

So what does this mean in conjunction with Juliet’s “mark”. Any kind of analysis is hampered by the fact that the meaning of the mark is only implied, not fully explained. Juliet appears to be some kind of social pariah, no longer trusted and barely tolerated. So in a sense, Juliet walks among the Others, but she is not one of them. If that literal meaning is wrong in Jack’s case, however, then is it also incorrect in Juliet’s situation? Perhaps the connection is that Jack and Juliet are perceived as outsiders, but they will ultimately emerge as the ones in control. Whatever the case, the writers were reaching for something there, and it’s quite possible that they missed.

There also seems to be a parallel between Jack and Sawyer. Sawyer appears to make choices that undermine his relatively new relationship with Kate. Jack seems to have something simple with Achara, but he can’t leave well enough alone and his choices destroy the delicate balance between them. Delving into the details, of course, the parallel doesn’t quite hold up.

For one thing, Sawyer’s problem with Kate has less to do with his insistence on survival and sympathy for Karl than Kate’s lingering feelings for Jack. Kate is the one feeling guilty about leaving Jack behind, even though Jack insisted on it. Kate is the one who wants to use Karl to pull together an attack plan. Sawyer may be insensitive to her emotions over the whole ordeal (and characteristically willing to screw things up with her), but he’s not creating a situation out of nothing.

On the other hand, Jack let his own insecurities and control issues get in the way of his free-spirited affair with Achara. Granted, her characterization was bizarre enough to test the patience and understanding of any reasonable man on the planet. Her personal style was one step short of exhibitionism. But this seems like a case of trying too hard to give Jack some small justification. The writers make Achara so over the top that the depth of Jack’s psychological damage is somewhat mitigated.

It’s fairly clear that Jack suspects Achara might be a prostitute. Her overall appearance is suggestive of a life on the fringe; she actually looked like the personification of an anime character. The comment about tasting something salty was, quite possibly, a thinly veiled reference to a certain sex act on her part. His decision to follow her into one of the less savory parts of town, complete with her barely-there red dress, was reinforcement of his assumption. It would have been a bit more intriguing if Achara’s questionable behavior was more subtle. It still ends with Jack acting like Achara’s entire life was his to question and dominate, so his issues were laid bare and the consequences were justly severe, but it wasn’t as effective as it could have been.

The point being that Sawyer’s situation with Kate was more about Kate, and Jack’s situation was all about Jack. So the parallel doesn’t quite hold water. The writers have also tried one final connection between the three relationships under study in the “present”, but that conclusion is based on assumption. The final act seems to draw a connection between Jack/Juliet, Sawyer/Kate, and Alex/Karl. One relationship possibly blooming, one relationship on the rocks, the last relationship in the midst of idealism. If that was the intended conclusion, then the rest of the episode wasn’t framed to lead into that or provide insight.

So ultimately the episode feels like a lost opportunity, revealing the origin and apparent meaning of Jack’s tattoo but little else of note. More than that, there’s no apparent progress in Jack’s development. It’s not clear when Jack’s trip to Bangkok took place, why he felt the need to find himself, or why he was so angry. And the trip to Thailand seemed rather extraneous and clichéd.

It certainly didn’t help that the ABC promotional department made the claim that three major questions would be answered during the episode. One has to wonder how they came to that conclusion (especially since the producers asked the same question). Yes, the mystery behind Jack’s tattoo was solved, but was that really a major question? The fate of those abducted by the Others is revealed, but only in the sense that they are alive and part of the Others’ community in some way. That still only counts as two possible questions to be answered. So what the hell were they talking about?

In the end, this episode simply didn’t come together. It couldn’t have happened at a worse time. “Lost” is struggling, thanks to the timeslot move and the dissatisfaction with the focus on the Others. This episode once again pertains to the Others and Jack’s unusual captivity, and that may continue to frustrate the audience. On the other hand, this is part of the complication phase of the season arc, so this is building towards something that might change the status quo in a major way. Hopefully this will be a momentary setback along the path.

Final Analysis

Overall, this episode seemed to have a lack of focus. None of the attempted parallels seem to come together by the end, which makes the episode somewhat unsatisfying. It also doesn’t help that the episode was promoted as something that it clearly wasn’t. This will hopefully be a temporary setback for the season.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

(Season Average: 7.3)