Lost: Season 3, Episode 13 "The Man From Tallahassee" Review

 "We have two giant hamsters running in a massive wheel at our secret underground lair."

-Ben Linus

"The Man From Tallahassee" starts off in a flashback.  John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) is suffering from severe depression when he is approached by Peter Talbot (Patrick J. Adams), whose mother is about to marry Anthony Cooper (Kevin Tighe).  Peter doesn't trust him and wants Locke to vouch for him because he gave his kidney to Cooper.  Locke claims it was an anonymous donation, but goes to see Cooper himself and tells him to call off the weeding or be exposed.  After Peter mysterious dies, Locke confronts Cooper, who maintains his innocence before shoving Locke through the window.  He falls eight stories, but survives and ends up in a wheelchair.

On the Island, Locke, Kate (Evangeline Lilly), and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) wait for nightfall to approach Jack (Matthew Fox), but they don't realize Jack's house has cameras inside.  Kate and Sayid are both captured by the Others, but Locke abandoned the plan and went to see Ben (Michael Emerson).  Ben figures out that Locke is planning to blow up the submarine and tries to convince him not to.  Locke has Ben's daughter, Alex (Tania Raymonde), retrieve Sayid's bag to get the C-4 and Locke blows up the submarine just as Jack and Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) arrive to leave the island.

Locke is capture by and reveals to Ben that he knows Ben actually wanted Locke to destroy the sub to stop Jack and Juliet from leaving.  Finally, Ben reveals that, somehow, Anthony Cooper is on the island and being held prisoner by the Others.

What Works:

The highlight of season 2 of Lost are the interactions between Locke and Ben, then known as Henry.  We haven't had any scenes with them together in season 3 until this episode, but, boy, was it worth the wait.  Locke spends the majority of this episode just talking to Ben.  O'Quinn and Emerson are simply fantastic here as they verbally spar with one another.  I could watch these two converse all day long and it makes this episode a lot of fun to watch.

This episode marks a significant change for the character of Locke.  He's definitely always done things his way, but he's always been more or less aligned with the 815 survivors.  That's not true anymore.  Blowing up the submarine is a major turning point for the character, not to mention a shocking moment.

The flashbacks are some of the most emotionally gut-wrenching in the entire series.  This episode was advertised as being the one that would finally reveal how Locke ended up the wheelchair.  We all knew this would be something special, but I don't think any of us expected to see Cooper throw Locke out of a building.  It's an iconic moment and the scene after with Locke crying in the wheelchair is one of the most heart-breaking moments in the show.

Speaking of emotional moments, we get another great one from Kate and Jack.  It's a tough moment for these two.  Jack didn't want Kate coming back for him, but she did and now Jack has to leave her behind.  We know it can't be easy for him, but it's the right thing to do.

Finally, the reveal that Anthony Cooper is on the island is an excellent cliffhanger.  How he gets here is never properly explained, but who cares?  He's here...and that's incredibly exciting.  What a way to end an episode.

What Sucks:

I got nothing for you.

Platinum Polar Bear:

The Platinum Polar Bear goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For "The Man From Tallahassee", I'm giving the award to Ben Linus for planting seeds in Locke's brain in order to later manipulate him and for allowing Locke to blow up the submarine.  This is Ben's first time winning the award.

Verdict:

"The Man From Tallahassee" is a masterclass episode of Lost.  We get some excellent scenes between Locke and Ben, a top-tier flashback, plenty of shocking and emotional moments, and an amazing cliffhanger.  Across the board, this episode has got it going on.

 10/10: Amazing