"Three Minutes" is meant to fill in some gaps, mostly involving Michael's absence for several episodes earlier in the season, and to set up the finale. It succeeds in doing so, and is involving and entertaining enough, but despite being in the top 15 or so episodes from the second season it still feels a bit like a missed opportunity. This could have been truly pulse-pounding and thrilling, but it needs more than a Giacchino score and lots of camera motion to be truly thrilling. There needs to be an emotional connection for the audience, and what we're seeing doesn't show us anything new about Michael. It feels sort of same-old same-old, like stuff we've already seen this season rehashed.
Still, the episode is very good and quite involving, as far as island-based flashbacks for 815'ers go it's better than "Maternity Leave" but not on par with "The Brig". There's a lot of mythology-based fun relating to Walt (and even a hint at Room 23, which we would see in season 3 and a "Missing Pieces" episode), and we get to see a whole lot of the Others, possibly more than we'd seen in one episode up to this point in the series.
All in all there's not much to talk about. Stephen Williams is an erratic but talented director, and this is not one of his finer efforts. The script is very good, but could have packed a bigger punch. Setup episodes for the finales can be magnificent, see season 3's "Greatest Hits" or if you consider them separate from the second parts, "Exodus: Part 1" or "There's No Place Like Home: Part 1". It's a successful episode at getting everything ready for the naturally mind-blowing finale "Live Together, Die Alone", and it's entertaining, so I'll give it:
8/10
Still, the episode is very good and quite involving, as far as island-based flashbacks for 815'ers go it's better than "Maternity Leave" but not on par with "The Brig". There's a lot of mythology-based fun relating to Walt (and even a hint at Room 23, which we would see in season 3 and a "Missing Pieces" episode), and we get to see a whole lot of the Others, possibly more than we'd seen in one episode up to this point in the series.
All in all there's not much to talk about. Stephen Williams is an erratic but talented director, and this is not one of his finer efforts. The script is very good, but could have packed a bigger punch. Setup episodes for the finales can be magnificent, see season 3's "Greatest Hits" or if you consider them separate from the second parts, "Exodus: Part 1" or "There's No Place Like Home: Part 1". It's a successful episode at getting everything ready for the naturally mind-blowing finale "Live Together, Die Alone", and it's entertaining, so I'll give it:
8/10