316

"316," directed by Stephen Williams, is a pivotal episode that shifts the focus back to the Oceanic Six as they make the fateful decision to return to the island. The episode takes its title from the flight number of the plane that carries the characters back to the island, mirroring the original Oceanic 815 flight that set the series' events in motion. The episode is notable for its exploration of faith, destiny, and the idea that certain events are preordained, themes that have been central to "Lost" since the beginning.

The performances in "316" are strong across the board, with Matthew Fox as Jack and Evangeline Lilly as Kate delivering particularly compelling portrayals of characters caught between their past and an uncertain future. Jack's internal struggle with the concept of fate and his role in the island's mysteries is a central focus, and Fox conveys this with a nuanced and emotionally resonant performance. The episode also sees the return of several familiar faces, including Ben, played by Michael Emerson, whose enigmatic presence adds to the episode's sense of impending doom.

The script by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse is rich with symbolism and references to the series' earlier events, creating a sense of narrative continuity and inevitability. The pacing is deliberate, allowing for the gradual buildup of tension as the characters prepare to return to the island. The episode's structure, with its use of flash-forwards and present-day sequences, reflects the complex narrative style that has become a hallmark of "Lost."

Cinematography in "316" effectively contrasts the mundane reality of the mainland with the mysterious and otherworldly nature of the island. The direction emphasizes the characters' sense of unease and anticipation, particularly during the tense moments leading up to the flight's departure. The editing is precise, ensuring that the episode's various plot threads are woven together seamlessly, creating a cohesive and compelling narrative.

The sound design and score play a crucial role in establishing the episode's mood, with Giacchino's music enhancing the sense of fate and destiny that permeates the story. The use of sound effects, particularly during the scenes on the plane, adds to the tension and suspense, creating a palpable sense of dread as the characters embark on their journey back to the island.

In conclusion, "316" is a crucial episode that deepens the show's exploration of fate, destiny, and the concept of preordained events. Strong performances, particularly from Fox and Lilly, combined with a richly symbolic script and expert direction, make this episode a standout in the fifth season of "Lost." The episode's blend of suspense, drama, and thematic depth sets the stage for the events to come, keeping viewers engaged and eager to see what lies ahead.

Lazy writing, terrible reactions from most of the people involved (only Hurley acts kinda normal), Sayid with NO lines, no answers to anything, just an endless line of more and more questions.

In its first seasons, Lost was able to generate mystery in an interesting and stimulating way. This episode creates questions because, apparently, it's *mandatory* -- it's like the writers think that the viewers won't be able to understand it's a Lost episode if it has no new questions.

But EVERYTHING about this installment is just SO. BAD. Yeah, sure, we'll probably get our answers later on -- preferably NOT in Mrs. Hawking's infodump way -- but, boy, the *way* the questions were posed really, *really* sucked.

Jack awakes in the island and rescues Hurley and Kate from a lake. Two days ago, Ben, Jack, Sun and Desmond meet Ms. Hawking, who is Daniel's mother, and she shows a device to them to locate the island that moves through time. She also tells that, if they want to return to the island, there would be a window that could bring them back. But they need to be together to reproduce the original situation. Jack decides to come back to the island bringing Locke's coffin. In the plane, the pilot is Frank Lapidus and Kate, Sun, Hurley, Sayid and Ben also embark in flight 316. When Jack asks Ben what will happen to the passengers, he replies who cares.

"Lost – 316" is an unconvincing episode that shows an implausible situation, with the Oceanic Six returning to the island after so many deception in that place. Aaron is conveniently left behind. The worse, the Machiavellian Ben continues to manipulate the group like puppets as if they where dummies and not intelligent and experienced people. The shallow explanation of Ms. Hawking is unconvincing to make them back to such traumatic place. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "316"

When the characters are told about the whole plane thing none of them seem to care what will happen to the passengers, they don't even ask the question. When Jack actually does ask the question, Ben says who cares and Jack moves on. Also Hurley buys 78 seats to save some people but apparently buying all the seats was too expensive for him. I give this episode one star for making the characters terrible people and because it's also really dumb. Can't watch Lost anymore. The characters are practically terrorists.

"316" is a good deal less frenzied than last week's "This Place is Death", and probably less 'exciting'. Still, the two are on the same level overall, though for different reasons. The emotional content and strength of writing for the characters is at the same (very high) level as last week, but with a clear focus no episode since last season has really had, and an emotional depth which is given more time to sink in than any of the individual scenes in the last episode. I didn't realize how much I missed a clear focus on one character until tonight, although I still prefer "This Place is Death" slightly.

"316" is notable for including only two, very short on-island scenes. This is easily the shortest amount of time spent on the island in any episode thus far and surprisingly, almost preposterously given its obvious importance to the show, the episode didn't really need the island to work. The island's presence is felt constantly through the episode, thematically and when literally referenced, so it never really feels like we're gone for too long. It helps that both scenes (and the latter is really the opening scene replayed with an added thirty seconds or so) are excellent, and it was really surprising to see the iconic first minute or so of "Pilot" play out again. Many were guessing we'd see that at the end of the series, but right now this show is unpredictable in the best way: you may guess the big reveals or guess the story, but you'll never guess how they will tell the story. Unless it's an Elizabeth Sarnoff episode, anyway. You could read all the spoilers available and still be surprised by an episode of "Lost". How great is that?

I think this is possibly Jack's best episode as a character. Not necessarily the best Jack-centric episode (although it is a contender), but the one I felt did most with his character. It was oddly touching to see him go through the little stuff, the awkward morning after with Kate, his visiting his grandfather, etc. It's probably Matthew Fox's best performance, just in how quiet and reserved and subtle it is. The scene with Locke's body in the butcher shop, and the scene where he finally reads Locke's suicide note were genuinely heartbreaking, but not in an over-dramatic way. Stunning, subtle, wonderful writing and acting.

The episode raises some mysteries which will be answered relatively soon (why was Ben so bloody? What happened to Aaron? Desmond? Penny? Sayid?! Who's the middle-eastern-looking guy? etc.), but none of them are annoyingly big ones to add to the many significant mysteries which haven't been answered yet. The whole episode had a creepy, foreboding air, and the near-complete sadness of Jack's existence over the hours in which the episode took place only added to it. Some really nice photography and direction here too. I was personally satisfied with how they got back (especially with the 'proxies', Sayid in Kate's cuffs, etc.) and the conclusion of the episode, though obviously we are still left with some big questions at the end. "316" and "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham", next week's episode, were written concurrently by the same writers ("Lost" auteurs Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse), and I have a feeling I'll appreciate this episode even more when its companion piece, which promises to be even greater, airs next week.