When 'Lost' was in its prime, it was must-watch television. Remember first watching it, found it remarkably easy to get into, was hooked from the start and was on Season 3 by the end of one week. The general consensus is that the final season is a disappointment and cannot disagree.
By all means, that was not true of all of the season. There actually were excellent episodes such as "Sundown", "Dr Linus", "Happily Ever After", "The Last Recruit", "The Candidate" and the season's high point "Ab Aeterno" too. Most episodes were solid to very good, just not quite classic 'Lost' standard with the previous five seasons were a little more consistent in the high quality stakes and a higher number of great and more episodes. A few episodes could have been better, as far as previous episodes go "Lighthouse", "The Package" and particularly "What Kate Does" were disappointing but to me they weren't misfires.
Sadly, "Across the Sea", one of the show's most polarising episodes and often considered one of its worst, is a misfire from personal opinion. Not awful but a big disappointment, it is one of my least favourite episodes and for me the worst episode since "Stranger in a Strange Land", probably not a popular opinion and there are always episodes that others hate in between that and this. Am not sure which is worse. That episode may have been not written well at all, was bland and dull, silly and strange and didn't do anything for the plot or characters but it did at least make sense somewhat, but that episode is ever so slightly worse.
There are a few good things here in "Across the Sea". The camera work has atmosphere and slickness and there is beauty and mystery in the production values overall. The music is the biggest saving grace, it continues to be chilling and understated as usual, perfecting fitting the atmosphere and good music too on its own.
A few answers are provided, like the origins with Jacob and his motivations, and the acting from Titus Welliver and especially Mark Pellegrino (the second best thing of the episode after the music) in the two central roles is very good. It is interesting for a few things, being a rare episode of featuring none of the regulars except in flashback, a rare episode to be set entirely in the past rather than two different timelines and the only one to see the Man in Black in original human form.
Sadly, the bad things outweigh it. The rest of the acting is not up to Welliver and Pellegrino's level, the inexperience in the child acting shows and to say that Allison Janey went on to much better things (including her very well-deserved Oscar win for her outstanding performance in 'I, Tonya) is an understatement, found her cold and stiff in an underdeveloped role. The characterisation generally lacks meat, The Man in Black is actually the most interesting character here. The direction is neither alert or accommodating, found it rather rushed and careless, and the editing is uncharacteristically sloppy, there is a made in haste feel all over "Across the Sea".
What especially dooms "Across the Sea" is the writing and story. The writing is a big departure from being taut, intriguing or thought-provoking, instead it came over as awkward and convoluted with some rambling and soapy moments. There is not an awful lot of story or character advancement, other than the Man in Black's true form, but what is wrong about the episode's story is that the storytelling is muddled and structurally it's confused and jumpy, with more questions raised than answers and too many things not making sense or too vague (the Adam and Eve revelation, what?). There was no need for the flashback and its placement felt random, while there is not an awful lot illuminating or interesting about Jacob's childhood scenes let down by the writing and acting.
Concluding, disappointing and one of my least favourite 'Lost' episodes. 4/10 Bethany Cox
By all means, that was not true of all of the season. There actually were excellent episodes such as "Sundown", "Dr Linus", "Happily Ever After", "The Last Recruit", "The Candidate" and the season's high point "Ab Aeterno" too. Most episodes were solid to very good, just not quite classic 'Lost' standard with the previous five seasons were a little more consistent in the high quality stakes and a higher number of great and more episodes. A few episodes could have been better, as far as previous episodes go "Lighthouse", "The Package" and particularly "What Kate Does" were disappointing but to me they weren't misfires.
Sadly, "Across the Sea", one of the show's most polarising episodes and often considered one of its worst, is a misfire from personal opinion. Not awful but a big disappointment, it is one of my least favourite episodes and for me the worst episode since "Stranger in a Strange Land", probably not a popular opinion and there are always episodes that others hate in between that and this. Am not sure which is worse. That episode may have been not written well at all, was bland and dull, silly and strange and didn't do anything for the plot or characters but it did at least make sense somewhat, but that episode is ever so slightly worse.
There are a few good things here in "Across the Sea". The camera work has atmosphere and slickness and there is beauty and mystery in the production values overall. The music is the biggest saving grace, it continues to be chilling and understated as usual, perfecting fitting the atmosphere and good music too on its own.
A few answers are provided, like the origins with Jacob and his motivations, and the acting from Titus Welliver and especially Mark Pellegrino (the second best thing of the episode after the music) in the two central roles is very good. It is interesting for a few things, being a rare episode of featuring none of the regulars except in flashback, a rare episode to be set entirely in the past rather than two different timelines and the only one to see the Man in Black in original human form.
Sadly, the bad things outweigh it. The rest of the acting is not up to Welliver and Pellegrino's level, the inexperience in the child acting shows and to say that Allison Janey went on to much better things (including her very well-deserved Oscar win for her outstanding performance in 'I, Tonya) is an understatement, found her cold and stiff in an underdeveloped role. The characterisation generally lacks meat, The Man in Black is actually the most interesting character here. The direction is neither alert or accommodating, found it rather rushed and careless, and the editing is uncharacteristically sloppy, there is a made in haste feel all over "Across the Sea".
What especially dooms "Across the Sea" is the writing and story. The writing is a big departure from being taut, intriguing or thought-provoking, instead it came over as awkward and convoluted with some rambling and soapy moments. There is not an awful lot of story or character advancement, other than the Man in Black's true form, but what is wrong about the episode's story is that the storytelling is muddled and structurally it's confused and jumpy, with more questions raised than answers and too many things not making sense or too vague (the Adam and Eve revelation, what?). There was no need for the flashback and its placement felt random, while there is not an awful lot illuminating or interesting about Jacob's childhood scenes let down by the writing and acting.
Concluding, disappointing and one of my least favourite 'Lost' episodes. 4/10 Bethany Cox