Oh, and FTR still enjoying it for the actors (much the way I do ALIAS). Michael was an asshat on the debris, and basically a patsy in the flashbacks, but Harold Parrineau was awsome and sold me on both.

I think that's a rather personal question, don't you?

Harold Parrineau was awsome and sold me on both.

I have been a fan of his since "Smoke." I love the actor to death.

FWIW, I enjoyed the ep, but I would have liked it more if we had a funky intersection. Even a strategically placed blink and you would miss it reference would have been okay with me.

Oh, and FTR still enjoying it for the actors (much the way I do ALIAS).

Yeah. I was debating whether or not I wanted to bother watching Alias tonight, and then I remembered I'd be missing out on Marshall and Weis and Jack if I did. I don't really care about Sydney and Vaughn anymore.

Of course, I think I'm one of three people who liked the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away, so somehow I have a pretty decent tolerance for nothing happening as a storytelling device.

It's funny you say that. While they were drifting around doing nothing, and more nothing, I was totally thinking about how much I hated Cast Away. And how much I hate serious!Hanks (since Philadelphia ) compared to funny!Hanks ( Big and earlier.) I miss funny!Hanks.

I guess I'm just impatient.

Even a strategically placed blink and you would miss it reference would have been okay with me.

Here's the thing, there may have been, and we just don't know it yet.

Don't know where it would have been.... Maybe something about Bitch!Face's lawyer, or maybe both she and Saul Rubinek will be among the Others.

I could just be reaching, though.

Even a strategically placed blink and you would miss it reference would have been okay with me.

The logo on the polar bear?

(Pretty meaningless, as references go, but that's all I can think of.)

Your reaction to my contention that Kate wiggling out of her bonds represented some of the best acting Evangeline Lilly has ever done on this show: now.

Actually, I thought the same thing. She was great in that scene, and it reminded me that there's a lot we still don't know about her past that I'm curious to know.

Jess, how did you manage to chap your liver?

Peppermint Schnapps. Feel the sensation.

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.

I think that's exactly what it was--a pander to new viewers. Or, not even that it was pandering, but my guess is they don't want newcomers to feel like they can't watch this year, just because they missed it last year. I'd expect this for one more episode, at least.

my guess is they don't want newcomers to feel like they can't watch this year, just because they missed it last year. I'd expect this for one more episode, at least.

I guess it is frustrating because of the many catch up specials, the DVDs, the repeating the previous episode before the new one... those are all things I don't need to see, 'cause I've seen it the first time, but they seem quite easy enough for a new viewer to get on board with if they have the inclination, I'm just annoyed that it bleeds into the new eps itself.

And this is no cult show - lots of people were already watching!

Now, a question- there was the mystery logo on the *stuffed* polar bear? When I read about the logo on the polar bear the other day, upthread, I read it that it was on the live, deadly polar bear.