Lost: Season 3, Episode 17 "Catch-22" Review

 "Camp!"
-Jin Kwon



"Catch-22" kicks off with Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) having a series of visions, which include him, Hurley (Jorge Garcia), Jin (Daniel Dae Kim), and Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) trekking through the jungle, Charlie accidently setting off a booby-trap, which kills him, and finding someone who has parachuted onto the island.  Desmond is convinced that person is his love, Penny (Sonya Walger).  Desmond gets the rest to accompany him on a camping trip to make the flashes happen, but leaves out the part about Charlie's death.

That night, they see a helicopter crash off-shore, but someone bailed out with a parachute.  They follow into the jungle.  They find a backpack in the jungle with a picture of Desmond and Penny inside, as well as a satellite phone that isn't working.  Just before Charlie is killed from the trap, Desmond pushes him out of the way, saving his life again.  Desmond is now concerned he may have changed the future for the worst.  They end up finding the parachutist, who is not Penny, but a woman we will come to know as Naomi (Marsha Thomason), who knows Desmond.

At the beach, Sawyer (Josh Holloway) tries to seduce Kate (Evangeline Lilly), but she rejects his advances.  That night, she sees Jack (Matthew Fox) spending time with Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), so she goes back to Sawyer and sleeps with him.

In flashbacks, we learn that Desmond was once engaged to woman named Ruth (Joanna Bool), but ended up running off and joining a monastery because he felt that the universe was calling him to be there.  After getting drunk on the monastery's wine, Desmond is fired from being a monk.  Before he leaves, he help load a van with bottles of wine, where he meets Penny for the first time and she asks him to help her unload the van at her destination.  He agrees to go with.


What Works:

The main storyline is definitely the best part of this episode.  It's extremely exciting.  I remember the teasers for Lost the week before Catch-22 building up the arrival of someone new on the island and I was extremely hyped.  I feel the same way with every rewatch.  It's an intriguing development that sets up the endgame for the season and one of my favorite arcs.

The tension is palpable in the episode and the show does a good job of making you think they might actually kill off Charlie here.  Desmond is given some wonderful conflict with his impossible decision.  Cusick's performance along with some excellent editing really builds up the suspense.

I love the group of Desmond, Charlie, Hurley, and Jin.  This is not a group that typically gets to go on the big missions and I love seeing them interact.  Jin's excitement to go on a camping trip and telling a ghost story around the campfire brings me so much joy.  He is my absolute favorite part of the episode.

Finally, I have some issues with the B-plot, but one scene I really enjoyed is Jack and Sawyer playing ping pong.  They have an extremely turbulent relationship and this is one of the best moments between them. 


What Sucks:

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Kate is not my favorite character on Lost and having the majority of the B-plot focused on her conflicted feelings about Jack and Sawyer is not interesting to me.  I found most of this stuff very annoying.

Finally, the flashbacks don't do much for me.  They're not bad, but they aren't particularly memorable either.  None of it is necessary in the grand scheme of the show.


Platinum Polar Bear:

The Platinum Polar Bear goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For "Catch-22" this award goes to Desmond for getting everyone together on the trip, getting to the parachutist, and for saving Charlie's life.  This is his 4th time winning this award, which ties him for 6th place overall with Sawyer.


Verdict:

"Enter-22" has an awesome A-story with a fantastic group of characters, extremely engaging story developments, tons of tension, and some absolute gold from Jin.  The flashbacks and the Kate story aren't as interesting, but this episode has still got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good 

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