Do No Harm

Janet Tamaro's only script for "Lost", "Do No Harm" is one of the most unpleasant episodes of the show and really quite hard to sit through, but it's a solid dramatic effort which emphasizes some of Jack's key character traits while developing his relationship with his wife. The island events deal with the aftermath of Boone's fall from the Nigerian drug plane while Claire gives birth to Aaron and Sayid takes Shannon for a romantic dinner.

The flashback scenes with Jack are the highlight of the episode, although the final five minutes feature wonderful use of montage to contrast birth and death, and Jack's mute conversation with Shannon is very tastefully-shot and acted and is quite powerful. We see Christian Shepard again, a fascinating character used well here.

I was personally sad to see Boone go as I found him quite an engaging character, but his death was handled quite well overall.

There's not really much to say about this episode. It's a straightforward drama with nothing new to add to the mythology or characters other than the two major events already covered.

7.5/10

This series is very underrated. I love that. Very perfect and very informative. Especially this episode. I cried at last of that. I think the writer of this episode is a great man or woman( I don't know him unfortunately) after this review I'll read about this incredible person. And my question is why this series doesn't have the best rate of series. I wish at least this episode had 10.

It showed as best as somebody can how hard and complicating is what a doctor does. And what a man does when he is on the edge of life and what a man does when he really care about others. I like it. Thank you all that made this series thanks for every moment of that.

Like most TV dramas, Lost saves the big emotional moments for the latter half of the season, and Do No Harm stands out as the episode with the most at stake, featuring a series of situations that provide plenty of build-up for the season finale.

Picking up from the end of Deus Ex Machina, Boone is seriously wounded, with a collapsed lung and a crushed leg. With Locke missing and Jack not really believing his story regarding the origin of the injuries, tensions are already high when a race against the clock to save Boone's life begins. Meanwhile, Sayid and Shannon take their relationship further, and Claire goes into labor, causing part of the survivors to help her and Charlie to freak out.

Jack's determination to fix Boone is reflected in the flashbacks, which depict the events leading up to his wedding. It is revealed that the bride, Sarah (Julie Bowen, who has previously guest starred on another show with Matthew Fox, namely Party of Five), was originally a patient who many believed to be beyond help. Jack saved her, but is now uncertain when it comes to writing his vows. Help comes from an unlikely source: his father.

Although nearly every cast member gets something to do, the episode belongs to Somerhalder and Fox: the former finally gets a really big moment in the spotlight (Hearts and Minds notwithstanding), enhancing the script's emotional power with a compelling, vulnerable performance; the latter, benefiting from another solid chunk of back-story, emerges more prominently as the show's real human anchor, while also showing a tougher side with a deliciously bad-ass closing line that qualifies as one of the program's most mouth-watering cliffhangers.

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.

"Do No Harm", as said in the review summary, does no harm to the show at all...quite the opposite. It may not quite advance the mysteries of the island as other Season 1, and since, episodes do, but it is a turning point character-wise for Jack, with some of the meatiest material he's had all season. It is also demonstrative that it was a real shame that Boone was gotten rid of so early when he was starting to really grow as a character.

Matthew Fox and Ian Somerhalder are exceptional here, Fox gives Jack humanity and toughness and Somerhalder is incredibly moving. Their scenes in "Do No Harm" are emotionally gut-wrenching, devastating and not an easy watch. Jack's flashbacks actually add to his character, rather than reiterating what is already known, and they don't distract from the main story either, in fact it adds to Jack's motivations.

The rest of the cast and characters are also compelling and far from wasted, especially with the labour subplot, but it's Jack and Boone's show all the way.

Visually, "Do No Harm" is slickly shot and makes the most of the beautiful but mysterious island. The direction is skilful in one of the season's better directed episodes, succeeding in getting the best out of the story's themes and bringing out the emotional power, intensity and urgency needed adeptly.

Regarding the writing, it is some of the season's best, smartest and tautest. There is not a dull spot in the story and the music is typically understated yet chilling.

Overall, a season high point. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Episode 20 of season 1 of LOST is a difficult episode in which there is a difficult choice for Jack. We've seen two important events, the first is Bunn being seriously injured, and the second is Claire giving birth. An episode that lasts 40 minutes holds us from beginning to end without letting go. We also saw a flashback of Jack where he gets married and makes a hard choice again, and that's why the series is so good, it reveals the character's situation from different angles, giving us a chance to think about whether it's necessary. As a result, the episode turned out to be very sad, and not almost boring. Even I shed a tear. The perfect episode.