Lost (TV Series) A Tale of Two Cities (2006) User Reviews

And That's Just The Beginning.

[hard8casino-1 · 10/10 · 5 October 2006]

Many people got hooked on the 30sec. and/or 1min spots ABC was running for "Lost" prior to the premiere. The night before Season Three began, I saw an ad that said, "The first five minutes will leave you breathless, and that's just the beginning." The first five minutes lived up to the expectations I had, and passed them with flying colors. This was a great lead into the rest of the season and it can only get better. There is so much mystery and intrigue about who The Other's really are and many fans get angry if we don't find out all the information right away. But it's a slow burn, unraveling mysteries, the reason for why things are taking place, and bringing up more questions. Jack's flashbacks were wonderful. Each episode we'll peer into the mind of the those on this Island, to discover more truth and more past, which all add up to who they are now. The survivors have already changed, but with more time, things will be different. "A Tale of Two Cities" was neither underwhelming nor overwhelming, but done with a great amount of care and love and completely thought out. This season will be far better than the second. Slowly we'll find out what the entire meaning of "Lost" is. And I do mean Slowly.

The answer to why Kate was wearing that dress. Ben, "Because the next two weeks are going to be unpleasant". Now, doesn't that alone just grab your attention?

"Then you don't get any coffee"

[gridoon2024 · 8/10 · 12 March 2009]

If you want to hook someone on LOST, the Season 3 premiere AKA "A Tale Of Two Cities" is an excellent choice. Trust me, I'm speaking from personal experience! This episode masterfully creates a sense of mystery and disorientation, putting the three leading characters of the show, Jack, Kate and Sawyer, in a situation beyond their control. The real identity of "Henry Gale" is also revealed, but the strongest point of the episode is probably the introduction of Juliet Burke. Elizabeth Mitchell's performance is so good that she manages, in only a few minutes of screen time, to put across the conflicts of her character: the humanity of her as a person vs. the machine-like efficiency that she is required to have as a member of The Others. The flashbacks, centering on Jack's relationships with his father and ex-wife, are a little soapy, but very well-acted by all. *** out of 4.

Intense.

[venckman-1 · 10/10 · 11 October 2006]

One of the best, most unusual, most emotionally intense episodes shown thus far.

From its dazzling opening, the tension is ratcheted up and the tone darkens to the final scenes, which hint that things will get far worse for our friends before they get better -- if they get better at all.

For all its range, the episode is really about Jack and the surprisingly ugly and dark corners of his psyche. Matthew Fox, who has been excellent throughout the show's run, really shines here. He is performance is quite powerful and extremely moving. If this episode is an indicator of where the series is headed this season, we're in for quite a ride.

Intriguing Start to what I hope to be a great season

[kclb1288 · 8/10 · 11 October 2006]

Season 3 starts with a look inside a mysterious location. A new, mysterious character is introduced, going about life like everything is normal, as a heart warming, yet ominous song plays.

Go back 1 year...

Season 2 starts with a look inside a mysterious location. A new, mysterious character is introduced, going about life like everything is normal, as a heart warming, yet ominous song plays.

I'm starting to get deja-vu, then our hero-of-the-moment burns some muffins and invites some people over for a book club meeting. The ground shakes. Something big is about to happen. The book clubbers run outside, and are joined by some familiar faces, as they all turn their heads to the sky. They witness the breaking of Oceanic Flight 815. The doomed flight screams toward the ground in two pieces, and our dear friend "Henry Gale" kicks into action, sending Ethan and Goodwin to infiltrate these helpless victims. The camera zooms away revealing this small community in middle of the massive jungle.

And my mind has just been blown.

What follows is a slow yet good episode revealing to us what Jack, Kate, and Sawyer are up against being captured by "The Others". We learn a little more about Jack's inner turmoil, and are introduced to a charming yet not-be-trusted "Other" named Juliet.

Thumbs up on a excellent episode, yet seemingly frequent commercials took a little away from the pacing and flow. Let's hope they can keep things intense and entertaining, yet thought provoking as well, like last Season, which I thought was great.

Season 3 starts with a bang!

[endarochford · 12 October 2006]

Another season of Lost kicks off with this peach of an episode. As we have seen in previous episodes, just when you are getting comfortable with the "Survivors on an Island" story they throw in something to totally change your perspective on what is really going on. Last season ended on the Marina with Jack, Kate and Sawyer being bound and blindfolded and the prospect of being brought back to the others camp. From what Michael had led our survivors to believe this would be a bunch of Island shacks and tents with little sign of modern life. We have also seen that the others were using wigs and costumes to hide what they were really up to. We start with a scene in a small community. Music is playing, the sun is shining and everything seems normal. Our Henry Gale character is there and a woman who seems to be his wife. They are enjoying a peaceful morning together when suddenly there is an explosion and the couple rush out of the house into the village to see what was the cause. Another group of villagers are standing around looking up and high in the sky we watch as a large passenger jet breaks into pieces above the village. If we cast our minds back to last season where we were treated to the crash from the point of the tail section obviously this must now be the crash from the point of view of the others. Henry shouts orders at various villagers and we watch as some are sent to the tail section and some are sent to the nose section. They are told to infiltrate the survivors, "get names, I want lists" says Henry as he instructs his crew what to do. This is the pivotal moment where all three stories come together for the first time. We are presented with a radically different picture of what is really happening on the island. The camera pulls back and as it retreats we are shown an idyllic little community with houses and sheds and what could be a normal village anywhere in the world, except here it is right in the middle of thick jungle on our mysterious island. The level of advancement and technology is completely removed from the picture Michael has painted and now the idea we can understand is that maybe the hostility from the others is about protecting this paradise from whoever is about to invade. This is a fantastic episode which exposes more of the threads of the story and we can only assume from past experience, another fantastic season ahead.

Top notch, great opener

[pd13_159 · 9/10 · 5 October 2006]

From the first seconds of the episode i could tell this was going to be a great episode. With the opening 5 minutes they somehow topped last seasons opening which i thought was impossible. Once the main part got going (first 5 minutes is a bit out of place really but who cares its great)it is still as good. Iv heard a few people moan about jack's flashback but i thought it was by far his most interesting and gave the best idea of why he is so controlling of Kate all the time. The way he was almost giving up at end was so un-jack-like too and from the previews looks like his character is going to continue to change.

The new other was also really interesting and i can see her and jack playing a role together this year, sawyer's segments were funny as well but by fair the best parts were from Henry. He is really turning into the evil genius and overall i thought the episode worked really well. Definitely need Locke and Des back though.

Roll on next weeks episode.

LOST - but not as you know it!!!!

[jacobpowers2003 · 9/10 · 7 October 2006]

SPOILER! First Thoughts: . Who the hell is that?! Desmond's girlfriend, Penelope? Jack's (ex-)wife, Sarah? No - it's none of those...

. I love this song'Watching the people go DOWNTOWN'... Must be the new 'Make Your Own Kind of Music' . Why is she crying?! I want a muffin! . What the hell is going on? Who is SHE? and who is THAT?! . I love Stephen King - who's Ben? Why is everything shaking... Earthquake? Result of Desmond turning that key in a suburban town? . OH MY GOD! HENRY GALE! OH MY GOD! OCEANIC FLIGHT 815! OH MY GOD! GOODWIN AND ETHAN! OH MY GOD! WE ARE ON THE ISLAND!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, it basically went a bit like that. One of the best openings ever? You bet! This episode was brilliant for answering questions on the others - but, inevitably, we got more as the episode went on.

Though I couldn't help thinking as the time went on, if I actually enjoyed the episode for it was a brilliant episode, or because we saw the Others full pelt... But, when the last two lines were said, and the word 'LOST' appeared on the screen - I well and truly got shivers for LOST was back...

The script was brilliant, the set pieces were fantastic, the plot was weird, yet wonderful - and now we've been introduced to the Hydra! Roll on next week...

3rd season was worth the wait.

[sandeepkain425 · 10/10 · 11 October 2006]

The first episode of 3rd season was worth the wait. It was really great to look at the characters after so long. There were not all survivors in the episode but it rather focus on the life style of others. Episode it did not reveal much rather created a few more mysteries to be solved. The characters relation to each other was quite breath taking. The first meeting of Kate and and Sawyer really gave energy to the episode. Jack's story seemed rather boring as it revealed some dirt of his past. The others, who seem to be nice at first actually giving a sign of some sick brutality which they have in sack for Kate and her friends. Overall it seems that 3rd season it gonna be better than the second one. It is gonna be difficult to see so many characters on the show meaning the others. Lets hope the maintain the "hook" in the same way and not stretch the story for another season.

Easter Egg of Powerful Symbolism Sets The Mood & Tone For Season 3

[eddietorbalinda · 8/10 · 28 September 2021]

Jack, Kate, and Sawyer, are in cages like animals. They are treated like animals by the Others. They are conditioned and trained like animals. Sawyer learns a reward system to obtain food in the cage... like an animal. ("It only took the polar bears two hours to figure out.") The symbolic imagery and accompanying message tells us this: Devolution. The survivors of Oceanic 815 have devolved into animals.

By season 3 everyones packing. Everyone shoots first and asks questions later. Paranoia and distrust are rampant. There is no law. There is no order. There is no beacon of civilization remaining in the hearts of anyone on the island. It's the Wild West with automatic weapons. The law of the jungle prevails, or, as Guns-N-Roses quite correctly point out in a song: "It's a jungle baby, and yer gonna die...." Season 3 is actually an Easter Egg. It's a shout out to "The Lord of the Flies," and much of season three reflects, like a mirror, (another iconic symbol used extensively in the series) a Lord of the Flies theme, tone and mood.

So, sit back and enjoy Lost's reinvention of Lord of the Flies.

Great season premiere

[mpenny2 · 8/10 · 22 April 2010]

Island Plot: Jack, Kate and Sawyer are being held captive by the others. Jack finds himself matching wits with a mysterious Other named Juliet.

Flashback: Jack becomes obsessed with finding out about the man his soon to be ex-wife left him for. He begins to suspect his own father.

So begins the much maligned third season of lost. Or at least the first half of the season is maligned. The second half is improves dramatically. I personally like early season three better than most though I will acknowledge that there were a number of flaws. Flaws that are largely absent from this first episode of the season. In fact the opening scene is one of my all time favorites. It also introduces one of my all time favorite characters – Juliet – plus brings the character of Ben, who until now we knew as Henry Gale, into sharper focus.

On the downside we only get to see three of our heroes. Anyone wanting to see Locke, Eco, Sayid or the rest will have to wait an episode or two. The flashback in this episode , like many in season 3, is very dry and serves no real purpose in the overall story though it does feature good performances by Mathew Fox and the great Julie Bowen. The only thing it accomplishes is to show remind us of Jack's troubled relationship with his father.

Still the on island scenes play well. Michael Emerson's Ben is wonderfully creepy, Kate and Sawyer's scene at the end is sweet, and the back and forth between Jack and Juliet is wonderful. I had forgotten how much chemistry those two had in early season 3. Sadly that would fade as the season progresses but it is enjoyable in this episode.

Best Scene – The opening remains a personal favorite.

A promising tale

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 22 March 2018]

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 3 gets off to a promising start with "A Tale of Two Cities", a very good and nearly great episode in its own right and one of the better episodes for me to deal with this particular storyline. It is though something of a let down after Season 2's brilliant finale "Live Together, Die Alone" and not in the same league as the pilot episode(s) and "Man of Science, Man of Faith" as far as previous season openers go. Nothing is done terribly exactly, it is mainly because there are a couple of elements that have been done better in other episodes.

Jack's flashback scenes are where "A Tale of Two Cities" is at its least successful. They do a laudable job at making Jack more interesting and are well acted (Matthew Fox does give some of his best acting to date here in a powerful turn). On the other hand they are not exactly illuminating on Jack's character, generally reinforcing and slightly building upon what we already know and other episodes do better at having flashbacks that feel relevant with the rest of the episode and gel well.

However, the island events/mysteries, centred solely on the captives and the Others is where "A Tale of Two Cities" really engages. Kate and Sawyer don't have as much to do as the rest and are underused somewhat.

But the opening scene is very suspenseful, loved the development of The Others and there is a major revelation involving a major character's real identity that is well handled and is suitably surprising. It is the tautly written and superbly acted interaction with Jack and Juliet and the character of Juliet (only introduced here and already fascinating) that come off most successfully.

All the acting is great. Have already mentioned Matthew Fox and Michael Emerson is suitably chilling, but the best performance is given by the knockout that is Elizabeth Mitchell.

Can't fault the stylishness and atmosphere of the visuals, nor the effective use of music, mostly taut writing and the tightly controlled direction.

Overall, promising Season 3 opener. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Great Openng at what Appears to be a Great Season

[bigtkeller · 9/10 · 7 October 2006]

While I did like Man of Science, Man of Faith a little better, this this episode was almost as good is that and even better than The Pilot. I must say the first five minutes were the best. Who would of thought that there was an actual neighborhood on the island. This was definitely the best opening to date on the show.

As for Jack's flashbacks, I thought it was one of his best with the exception of last season's premier where he actually saved Sarah. The only problem I had with this episode was that it focused on Jack a little too much. I'm not complaining about the fact that only three of the main characters were shown because these three happen to be my favorite characters, however I would have preferred a little more of Kate and Sawyer because I am hoping that these two get together later in the season. Still this was a great episode, the action was top notch as well as the performances. Michael Emerson is definitely the perfect actor for the chief Other. Yes the episode did not answer all of our questions and in fact it brought some new ones, but this is a slow process and eventually we will get our answers.

Weird Episode

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 11 October 2006]

Jack, Kate and Sawyer are kidnapped by "The Others" and put in different environments. Kate has a shower, gets a dress and is invited to have breakfast on the beach with Henry Gale; Sawyer is locked in a cage for wild animals and without food or water, being "awarded" when he hits a lever as if he were an animal; and Jack is locked in a sort of aquarium, being interrogated and controlled by Juliet, who has a complete report about his life. Meanwhile, Jack recalls his divorce process with Sarah.

The beginning of the Third Season is a weird episode focused in the former life of Jack and disclosing some aspects of the life style of "The Others". After three months without "Lost", I found "A Tale of Two Cities" intriguing, and it seems that the story is going to have a big twist, now finally disclosing "The Others". Henry Gale increased his importance in the series, since he is one of the leaders, and a new Machiavellian character, Juliet, is introduced. What I like most in "Lost" is that I do not guess what may happen in the next episode. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Note: On 3 April 2013, I saw this episode again on DVD (divided in two parts).

worst episode ever

[minscc · 3/10 · 5 October 2006]

This is the most boring episode ever appeared on lost. The first minutes where we catch a glimpse of the others when the plane crashed looked promising about the episode, but that's it. The flashbacks of Jack were so boring that i missed Charlie's episodes. And there was no character that was on the plane other than Jack, Sawyer and Kate, what were they thinking? Have i been waiting for this episode for 4 months? That was a disappointment for me, i hope it gets better soon.

PS: By the way, i can't understand how possibly can this episode get that high rating? If this episode is a ten, an average lost episode must get forty-two or something out of ten.

A Tale of Two Cities

[ametaphysicalshark · 2 November 2008]

The first episode of season three has the show's trademark attention-grabbing, well-staged 'what the hell is going on?' season-opening scene, but it's really more an introduction to the experimental and not so well-received six episode long mini-season which aired in fall 2006. The bulk of season three certainly has a different feel and focus than the 'mini-season' (which is what even the producers/writers referred to it as), and is of a much higher quality in general. I'd consider "Not in Portland" the first episode of the 'real' season 3.

The opening scene is certainly quite nifty. It's certainly well-filmed and suspenseful, and although it was more predictable than the immense season two opener with Desmond in the hatch, it was still a great scene. The rest of the episode is significantly weaker, though, centered on pretty standard follow-up stuff showing us that Sawyer, Jack, and Kate are in cages. Ah, the start of one of the worst multi-episode story lines on the show (the worst?). It's all quite rubbish, the atmosphere they're clearly going for on the Hydra island just isn't working, even Giacchino's score sounds off somehow. Juliet is interesting and is introduced well, however, and is basically the saving grace of the majority of the episode.

The flashbacks aren't much better, focusing on a jealous Jack. There's barely any real character development here, very little of interest. I suppose seeing Christian is always a plus, but that's about it really. More 'drama' with Sarah Shepard... It's all quite boring and tired. This was J.J. Abrams' first script for the show (co-written with Damon Lindelof) since the pilot, and it's just not cohesive and interesting enough. I suppose that seeing Ben become Ben is fun, but there's not much of interest in this episode otherwise, mainly because it's introducing a storyline which is incredibly tiresome. It's watchable, but very far from great.

6/10

Tale of Two Cities

[steveman149 · 8/10 · 1 October 2006]

This episode was great, although it didn't answer all the questions of the season last year it is still a great way to start the season.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!! The first couple of minutes are unbelievable.Unfortunately this is easily the best part except the end.As the story gets going we find Jack, Kate, and Sawyer in different places.Jack and Sawyer try to escape while Kate has a date with Henry Gale(we find out it is Be).n As the story started to wrap up we really don't who the others are, but one scene brings up a load of questions.

If you didn't like season 2 as much as 1, this is a great episode to a promising start of the season.Even though it just involves Kate, Jack, and Sawyer it is a must see episode.

Good for season opener.

[jamellbest · 8/10 · 23 January 2024]

I might be venting but let me just get this off my chest. I hate how everyone who gets headbutt or punched gets knocked out for several minutes or longer. A female professional boxer can't knock out another person with one punch but you want me to believe a female doctor can knock out a grown man and have him out for 10-15 minutes? Why is Jack's ex wife making it so difficult to name who she is fooling around with? She would rather torture Jack? How is this super huge island that looks just as big as half of Australia somehow off the grid to the world? I know we will find out later and I'm also writing this 14 years after it's gone off.

a tale of two cities

[Freckles_4815162342 · 10/10 · 10 October 2006]

Since I'm from england that means that series three won't be out for a while and the only way to watch it would be from the internet (tvlinks.50webs.com)

I loved this episode the beginning shook me up a bit the others have all these houses and plumbing and ovens and stuff here are the three main characters situation JACK- in a glass tank previously owned by sharks n stuff. This woman called Juliet keeps talking to him and trying to get him to eat. he tries to escape which ends up with a big wave of water coming from the doorway. Juliet tells him she knows everything about him and she proves it KATE-she wakes up with a shower running and is told to have one. when she returns her clothes have been taken and they give her a dress to wear. She has breakfast with henry gale (ben) who says that things are going to be unpleasant. She is then taken to a cage which is opposite sawyers SAWYER- he wakes up in a cage outside. Opposite him is a young man. there is machine in the cage with him which at first knocks him backwards. the man escapes with a lock-pick and lets sawyer come with him . They are captured however and taken back. Sawyer finally gets it to work and his reward is a biscuit in the shape of a fish followed by some seeds and water. Kate moves into the cage opposite and they talk, nervously hearing one another's tale. Sawyer gives k8 his bickie. Bless him HOPE YOU LIKE IT AS MUCH AS ME LOL HOPE I've BEEN HELPFUL 2 LOL

A thousand and one nights, modern version

[tzot · 3/10 · 6 October 2006]

Another great, boring episode. The series is going downslope since season 2, and it keeps on this way.

In this, where we meet one more of the others, we see only Jack, Sawyer and Kate. Kate is just cosmetic, Sawyer plays a trained ape and Jack plays the shark that becomes tamed. We get to know a little more about the Others, and more questions are supposed to form in our little heads. Yawn.

The writers seem to have a faint idea of where should the story go, but they still do exactly what Shehrazade did thousands of years ago: they keep inventing things on the way. The intertwined story of everything being connected and happening for a reason and no supernatural forces exist, breaks apart at the event of the plane crashing: so far the story hints it was an accident. This should be corrected, dear writers.

Now, things could be better, perhaps like this: They check the remaining survivors, and among them is a guy who slept through the accident: Jack Bauer. They wake him up 23 hours later to let him know that the Others kidnapped Kim Bauer (who, thankfully, died, but as an accident of course, the Others never actually kill anyone). Jack gets mad, and in one hour opens the hatch and disarms the annoying mechanism, next day he opens shop as COU (Counter Others Unit), he locates, interrogates, kills half of the Others finding out the whole story, and the final day he restores communications to Division and takes everybody away with the black choppers.

Otherwise, imagine that Gregory House was in the plane instead of Jack Shepherd; he would walk without a cane, of course, and on the first meeting with the Others he would know everything just by looking at them, diagnosing and fixing them by the way, and everybody (deserters and Others) would join forces plotting how to get rid of this irritating doctor.

Dear writers, try to write a story for Lost that is not annoying.

Best opening episode so far

[cris_ericsson · 3 August 2010]

Hello everyone, As a former cinema student, I like to go on IMDb from time to time, especially right after seeing a movie or a TV show. Most of the time some comments are so revealing that I realize things I didn't even think about at first. And just for that, I think this site is very useful.

However, as I am watching Lost seasons back to back, I don't find the comments about the episodes as instructive as they could be. So what I'll try to do is to write down my own comments, hoping it will bring Lost analysis one step further.

A Tale of Two Cities is, of course, the opening episode of the well-expected season 3. The introduction scene is, really, amazing. A group is reunited for what seems to be a book club reunion, but the meeting is interrupted by an earthquake. When the earth stops shaking, the group go out, look at the sky and see an airplane crashing to land, but before the crash the airplane literally splits in two. So we realize we are on THE island, and that the house in which was held the reunion is just a tiny tiny part of what seems an elaborate, complete village, with actual houses. And we recognize Henry, giving orders to infiltrate the survivors and gather on them as much information as possible.

Back to the present, Jack, Sawyer and Kate are held captive of the others. The episode revolves mainly about Jack, and we see flashbacks of his divorce and how obsessed he is with finding Sarah's new lover. He will come to suspect his own father, and confronts him right in front of his therapy group (for his alcoholism), causing himself to go to jail and his father to have a relapse.

Now, the main question of this episode is: Is Jack right ? Is it right to be stubborn (as Juliet says) or obsessed (as his father says) at this point ? Is his actual situation, is this the best attitude to have ? In his case, the dilemma is about letting go or not. By being obsessed about finding Sarah's new date, Jack has caused his father's relapse. However, is Christian seeing Sarah or not ? I think so, because she's the one he is trying to see the night in Sydney when he is escorted by Ana Lucia (see episode 2.20: Two for the Road). Unless he's trying to see her for another reason, with Lost we never know... Anyways, in Jack/Christian relationship, this episode is the breaking point: this is where the bond is truly broken, and what leads, in a certain way, to Jack testimony about telling his father has caused the death of a patient because he drank on service. After losing his license, Christian decides to go back to Sarah, because this is where it all started, where his son has stopped trusting him. All things considered, the fact that whether Christian is seeing Sara or not is of lesser importance than the suspicion of Jack, as the consequences prove it.

This is the same thing in the present. Does Jack has to trust Juliet or not ? Probably not. However, resisting is of greater consequences than accepting to eat the food, and thus trusting his jailer. By holding Juliet hostage, he risks his own life and the one of Juliet, just because somewhat he can't accept the fact that he's not controlling the situation. He can't "let it go". But as he reminds himself of what happened to his father because of his previous behaviour, he finally sits in the corner. In the end, the consequences are not worth it. Is this the right decision ? No one could say, especially after Ben(that is his real name) is congratulating Juliet for her efforts, and success. Again, this is Lost signature: a lot of gray zones, and even for us it is difficult to tell which decisions or the survivors are good or not.

A great thing about this episode is that, finally, we get to know more about the Others. Did someone really think they lived in tents ? The fact they're living in a small city - or a big village, as you wish - fits more with their knowledge and their intelligence (for instance, Juliet has everything she has to know about Jack and his relatives, and think about the passengers list). For the characters part, Tom, under his apparent toughness, seems to be most delicate and careful of the gang (and confessed to Kate he's a homosexual); Ben (a.k.a Henry Gale) gets more frightening and calculator as we see him; and, finally, there's Juliet, who seems to show a great deal of compassion but somehow I don't entirely trust her. In her role, Elizabeth Mitchell'is absolutely great. And we note that Ben and Juliet seem to share a kind of love / hate relationship.

On the downside, we would have liked to see what happened of the hatch and Locke, Eko and Desmond. But the episode is only about Jack, Kate and Sawyer (and the Others, of course). So it's gonna be for another time...

Overall, a great episode. Better than "Man of science, man of faith" ans as good as the first part of the pilot. 9 out of 10.