Ep 1. A Tale of Two Cities

As the third season of Lost opens, the audience is thrust right into the middle of the action. We are introduced to a seemingly tranquil beach where members of the camp are lounging and enjoying the scenery. Suddenly, chaos ensues as a group of menacing strangers dressed in clean white clothing come crashing through the jungle.

Familiar characters come to life in this episode. Our hero Jack is seen being held captive in one of the newcomers' sophisticated guard shacks. Meanwhile, the rest of the camp is in an uproar as they try to figure out what's going on. Sawyer, now sporting a beard, suddenly becomes the voice of reason, as he bands together with Kate and heads out to investigate the situation.

A Tale of Two Cities takes on a distinctly different feel from the previous two seasons of Lost. Instead of the familiar setting on the island, we are introduced to a mysterious and high-tech facility. The atmosphere is cool and clinical, a sharp contrast to the rough-and-tumble jungle setting of Season 1 and 2. This is clearly a very different group of people than our core castaways.

The tension of this episode is intense. The clean-cut newcomers are distinctly not friendly, causing a great deal of fear and concern among the original Lost characters. The camera spends quite a bit of time lingering on these strangers, and it's clear they are going to be a big part of the show's third season. Their leader, a handsome, dark-haired man named Ben, is particularly intriguing. His calm demeanor and soft voice are in stark contrast to the hooligans who kidnapped Jack.

As we move through the episode, we also see glimpses of what is happening to Jack. At times, he is shown conversing with a female doctor, whose calm and assured bedside manner is the result either of great training or a nefarious agenda. There are several scenes of medical examinations, and it's clear that Jack is being poked and prodded in some way. It's not yet clear why.

At the end of the episode, we learn there is a second facility besides the one in which Jack is being held captive. Kate, Sawyer, and others have stumbled upon it, and it's clear that the plot is about to thicken. This episode of Lost does an excellent job of setting up the conflict for the whole season. With the introduction of these new characters and settings, we know we're going to have a whole slew of new mysteries to solve.

Overall, A Tale of Two Cities is a fantastic start to the third season of Lost. It drops us immediately into the heart of the story, introduces us to new characters while still familiarizing us with the old ones, and sets up all kinds of delicious tension and intrigue for the rest of the season. Fans of the show won't be disappointed with the start of Season 3, and newcomers to the series will undoubtedly be hooked after this fantastic first episode.