Season 3 - Ep. 9 - "Stranger In A Strange Land"

Initial Episode Reaction:

Descriptors used to assess transitional episodes often fall into the “meh” category. “Stranger In A Strange Land” was no exception. Exposition overload? Check. Forced plot devices? Bingo. Montage ending? You bet. In many ways, episode nine of season 3 represented the epitome of bad stock screenwriting 101. Even the episode’s bright spots were overshadowed by dramatic heavy-handedness and contrived metaphors that simply had no place.

In most LOST episodes, the writers excel at balancing the flashback and on-island story in congruence with a compelling allegory. Or, at the very least, the writers relate the choices made in the centric-story to the current circumstances upon the island. However, when the analogy comes off as forced, the episode fails to ring true. This especially is the case when the writers attempt to connect the proverbial dots with curved lines instead of straight ones.

“Stranger In A Strange Land” is a poor episode because it carried an obtuse, unclear goal – and did so in a not-so-pleasant stylistic manner. Jack’s flashback tells us precisely what we already know about him: he is a leader, one who exhibits hidden noble qualities; but within him exists undermining aspects of his personality - stubbornness, impatient, anger - that pushes people away. All of this has been previously established in past Jack-centric episodes; and, as a result, the repetitive storytelling that plagued “I Do” also damages this past episode

The LOST narrative trademark has always been found in the relationship between past decisions and present situations, and the tie-in usually works so well that the viewers can anticipate how a certain character will react to a specific event. Rather than moving Jack’s character in a clear direction – either towards his heroic progression or his inability to overcome the negatives within himself, which could lead to a disastrous result – the episode leaves confusion and ambiguity. In fact, the viewers are only left with the literal meaning of Jack’s tattoo as a potential suggestion concerning his eventual role on LOST Island and among the Others.

Overall, “Stranger In A Strange Land” lacked an inclusive focus while the writers appeared to struggle with paralleling Jack’s background story to the island on-goings. Even some of the parallels that “worked” stumbled out of the gate and never felt fluid, but rather, forcefully engineered by the writers. The promotions department also didn’t help the episode since it was advertised as something that it obviously wasn’t and teasers gave away more than they should have. Considering the previous two episodes, this one was bound to suffer, but that’s not an excuse. Nevertheless, all seasons hit obstacles and setback episodes; and one would hope that this hurdle is jumped in the future.

Analysis:

Tattoo: The translation of the Chinese characters tattooed on Jack’s shoulder reads, “He walks amongst us, but he is not one of us.” The Others’ sheriff, as Tom describes as her, interprets that as an ironic statement given his current situation. Aside for the fact that ‘ironic’ is the wrong word to use, the saying is actually a different way to refer to a leader. After all, a leader is often forced to separate him-or-herself from the rest of the group—therefore, he is not of the same ilk as the others.

Jack’s response to what the tattoos translate to is interesting as well. He says that is what the tats say, but not what they mean. When he received the tattoo, he was told it would brand him as “a leader, a great man … but one who is lonely and angry.” To Jack, that’s what it means, and that's why he demanded it. After turning in his father, Christian, he needed validation and an understanding that he did the right thing but would be tortured by it. He may have never known what his tattoo truly said if not for that moment, but the story behind the tattoo carries much more weight.

Stranger: Taken in context with this episode, the novel by Robert Heinlein entitled, “Stanger in a Strange Land,” may tell us quite a bit about the direction Jack’s character could take. One can conclude that the meaning of Jack's tattoo (to those in Thailand) is not simply “Stranger who walks among us” but more along the lines of “Stranger who comes to lead you.” The Thai boys wanted no part of this outsider taking on any kind of leadership role in their society so they violently forced him to expedient as soon as possible. The Other's reading of it may have been a literal translation, but the true meaning hints towards Jack’s destiny to lead the Others.