LOST Season 5 could be divided into three sections: episodes 1-5 (rapid white flashes / time shifts on the island, the Oceanic Six and their adventures back in civilization), episodes 6-7 (transitional), episodes 8-17 (white flashes stop, almost all of the characters - most notable exception: Desmond - are back on the island, but on different time periods). Out of these three sections, the first one is my least favorite, because although it started very promisingly with "Because You Left", eventually it devolved into a repetitive pattern of white flashes / time shifts that took some characters back to witness some events that we already knew had happened. The good thing about "Jughead" is that it doesn't follow that formula; instead, the on-island action stays on a specific time period (1954), and what's more in a specific time period that we knew nothing about so far. This allows for some important revelations (the H-Bomb, Charles Widmore's past, Richard Alpert's first (from his point of view) encounter with John Locke, "Ellie", etc.) that are relevant to past AND future episodes of the series. Also, Daniel finally confesses to Charlotte that he's in love with her, which makes her kind of glow. Meanwhile, the off-island action focuses on Desmond's quest to find Daniel's mother, and although this part has its revelations (Daniel's failed human experiment) and touching moments as well ("You're my life now. You and Charlie"), it doesn't come close to the previous Desmond classics. However, the green of the island and the gray of Oxford make an interesting color contrast. Best line of the episode: "Well, I wouldn't want to contradict myself". *** out of 4.
Review of Jughead
