A "nothing much" ep would probably work better later in the season, but this is only the second week--I want some info! And, if there are no answers to be had, at least some more questions! I think that they could have combined last week's ep with this week's and shrunk them down to a 90-minute extended episode, especially if they moved Michael's flashbacks to another ep (maybe when Walt returns?).

Okay, well I'm apparently alone in still liking the show a LOT, and liking last night's episode specifically.

t /chopped liver

but I think it was meant to give some sort of character arc to what was going on on the raft, which was a whole lot of static nothing.

Here's the thing though -- I felt the exact opposite. On the raft, we had the suspense of not knowing when they'd hit land, whether or not Jin was alive, whether or not Michael and Sawyer would start making out kill each other...it was awewome. Whereas the flashback didn't exactly tell us anything new. We already knew the broad outlines of what happened with his losing Walt, and I didn't feel like we got anything filled in that changed how we felt about that. I would have happily traded the flashbacks for more raft time.

whether or not Michael and Sawyer would start making out kill each other

I'm still trying to figure out whether Sawyer giving Michael mouth-to-mouth was a shout-out.

And if I weren't intrigued by Desmond, I totally would have stopped watching by now, I think.

Regardless, I'll be over here, liking the show, all by my little ol' lonesome.

Nonsense. I'm over there, too. I'm still liking it a LOT.

I would have happily traded the flashbacks for more raft time.

And by more raft time you mean...?

The flashback was truly weak. It felt like a pander to new viewers, or something. For the life of me I could not figure out why on earth they would show us that flashback narrative, because nothing new happened. Even the polar bear thing is really not anything.

Island!Michael pisses me off. Flashback!Michael, I don't know. They keep throwing in that woman who distracts me with seething hatred. Well, my seething hatred of her distracts me.

I would have been OK with all the callbacking from last week, if they hadn't thrown that dumb ass flashback in, I could have rolled with that and thought *that* was the flashback.

And by more raft time you mean...?

You know, rafts and bunks have a LOT in common.

Well, the number confirmed on the island is 46.

48 includes the pilot who died. The narshall died. The woman swimmer we never saw, the man whose name few people knew was killed by Ethan. Boone. That leaves 43.

Add to that, Claire's kid. Danielle and Desmond.

/chopped liver

Oh, there you are Jess. It's about time you closed that tag. I thought I was all alone over here....

I would have happily traded the flashbacks for more raft time.

I would have too. While I thought they added a little, I think we would have been better served with more of their story on the raft. I think the real problem is that the writers felt they're sort of stuck with a Main Story/Flashback format now, and had to do somebody's flashback. And they probably already have big plans for Sawyer, Kate and Locke, so they were left with a Michael backstory, and frankly, I think Michael's just a character without a lot buried in his past, so there's not much left we're going to glean from his flashbacks.

For the life of me I could not figure out why on earth they would show us that flashback narrative, because nothing new happened.

The one thing it showed me that (I think) was new was that Michael had seen Walt once in person, and vice-versa, and been introduced to him as his father. Whether Walt was old enough to even remember is a whole 'nother question.

Not enough of a thing (or potential thing) to spend THAT much time on, though. I would have rather had half (or less the amount) and another Sawyer flashback as a tag-team.

And, no, by tag-team I do not mean porn, but you all can do with it what you will.

and frankly, I think Michael's just a character without a lot buried in his past, so there's not much left we're going to glean from his flashbacks.

They should start using backstory from his Oz character. Lots more material there.