S04E10: 'Something Nice Back Home'

Every show needs a constant, and Jack has often proved to be the dependable character on Lost - a regular source of stability surrounded by increasingly erratic figures. This has recently led to a growing sense of blandness when the spotlight turns on the surgeon, so it comes as a relief that his own little world becomes increasingly messed up in the future. That's Schadenfreude for you.

However, for the bulk of the episode the Jack-Kate romantic intrigue is rather dull, while the appendix plot feels like an unnecessary narrative obstacle for viewers to surmount. Wasn't Rousseau deserving of a more rewarding demise? In the early days of Lost she was the one link between the crash survivors and the dense history of the island, yet her death was confirmed by Miles uncovering her face under a mound of soil. Let's hope the writers see sense and resurrect her in some form to fill in a few blanks.

It's always a pleasure to see Christian Shephard return. John Terry is superb in the role, embodying the flawed character with both wisdom and regret. Claire's nocturnal vision of her father is suitably eerie and hugely ramps up the levels of intrigue in the Aaron subplot. What has led her to abandon him?

Overall, this episode was bound to feel a bit of a comedown after the marvellous Ben Linus orientated story the week before. Fortunately, despite a bit of padding, it keeps the ball rolling nicely as the season finale draws nearer.


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