"Homecoming" is weakened by what are arguably the most useless flashbacks of the series up to this point: they play like watered-down versions of the genuinely surprising cons of earlier episodes ("Confidence Man", "Whatever The Case May Be", "Hearts and Minds"). Their only redeeming virtues are the lovely Sally Strecker as Lucy and an atypical scene of slapstick comedy. The on-island action has some extremely tense moments, plus the best fight scene of the series so far (Jack vs. Ethan), but it lacks the variety of, say, "Hearts And Minds". One notable thing about "Homecoming" is that it is one of the few non-season-finale episodes that acknowledges the existence of the "extras", even to the extent of giving one of them a small funeral scene. *** out of 4.
8 Reviews
More Good than Bad
borowiecsminus27 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This episode had a lot of "bad" in it, too. For one, there's the fact that these people don't seem even remotely interested in an explanation for why there might be a polar bear on this island. Claire probably wouldn't have gotten amnesia, but even if she did, the odds of her remembering pretty much EXACTLY up to the moment of the crash, are, well, pretty slim. Also, people with amnesia don't just remember things that made them happy or horrified, they remember random things, so remembering peanut butter is not a sign that it was a significant event.
I have to praise two actors and ridicule two. Hollway, who played Sawyer, was fantastic in this episode. Really, truly brilliant. So was Emilie de Ravin, who played Claire. However, two integral characters were portrayed not-so-well. William Mapother, playing Ethan, just did a terrible job. I hate to say it like that, but it's true. He shows too little emotion. And that's okay if you're good at it. Moriarty from Sherlock portrayed little emotion, and he's fantastic. It's very difficult to play a character like that, and Mapother just doesn't have the chops. The other criticism is for Monaghan, playing Charlie. I don't know what it was about his performance, but I didn't believe it.
Anyway, this episode was very topsy-turvy in terms of quality, but it earned eight stars.
I have to praise two actors and ridicule two. Hollway, who played Sawyer, was fantastic in this episode. Really, truly brilliant. So was Emilie de Ravin, who played Claire. However, two integral characters were portrayed not-so-well. William Mapother, playing Ethan, just did a terrible job. I hate to say it like that, but it's true. He shows too little emotion. And that's okay if you're good at it. Moriarty from Sherlock portrayed little emotion, and he's fantastic. It's very difficult to play a character like that, and Mapother just doesn't have the chops. The other criticism is for Monaghan, playing Charlie. I don't know what it was about his performance, but I didn't believe it.
Anyway, this episode was very topsy-turvy in terms of quality, but it earned eight stars.
The return of Ethan
TheLittleSongbird4 January 2018
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.
Having been so impressed by "Special", which was an almost special episode, one of the best Michael-centric ones and a real step up from the two episodes before it, "Homecoming" sees quality dipping somewhat again. It is a well done with lots of good elements, but a pivotal turning point for 'Lost' in story promised a lot but delivery was not as consistent as it could have been.
Thoughts on the flashbacks were mixed, they're well acted and does a great job of providing a contrast of past-Charlie and present-Charlie. They do however add nothing new, hammering home what we already knew about Charlie but it was handled much better earlier, and it is agreed that it is a distraction from the events on the island.
For me, William Mapother didn't quite send chills up the spine in the way that he did in his previous appearances, and this should have been the episode where he should have done that the most considering that this promised to be Ethan at his most evil the whole season.
On the other hand, Dominic Monaghan does a great job, Charlie's anguish and fury wholly believable and harrowing. Of the rest of the cast, particularly impressive were Josh Holloway and Emilie De Ravin, adding emotion and urgency to the proceedings.
Charlie and Ethan's conflict and what it culminates in is handled with a lot of tension in the nail-biting sense. Charlie's actions (don't want to spoil) culminate in something that feels satisfying and one can see totally why they were done, though if what happened was opposite to what turned out perhaps a few of the mysteries may have been answered.
Visually, "Homecoming" is well made with the island as beautiful and mysterious as ever and is beautifully shot. The music is understated and chilling, even beautiful at times. The writing has smart and taut moments.
Overall, a lot of impressive elements but a little frustrating at the same time. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Having been so impressed by "Special", which was an almost special episode, one of the best Michael-centric ones and a real step up from the two episodes before it, "Homecoming" sees quality dipping somewhat again. It is a well done with lots of good elements, but a pivotal turning point for 'Lost' in story promised a lot but delivery was not as consistent as it could have been.
Thoughts on the flashbacks were mixed, they're well acted and does a great job of providing a contrast of past-Charlie and present-Charlie. They do however add nothing new, hammering home what we already knew about Charlie but it was handled much better earlier, and it is agreed that it is a distraction from the events on the island.
For me, William Mapother didn't quite send chills up the spine in the way that he did in his previous appearances, and this should have been the episode where he should have done that the most considering that this promised to be Ethan at his most evil the whole season.
On the other hand, Dominic Monaghan does a great job, Charlie's anguish and fury wholly believable and harrowing. Of the rest of the cast, particularly impressive were Josh Holloway and Emilie De Ravin, adding emotion and urgency to the proceedings.
Charlie and Ethan's conflict and what it culminates in is handled with a lot of tension in the nail-biting sense. Charlie's actions (don't want to spoil) culminate in something that feels satisfying and one can see totally why they were done, though if what happened was opposite to what turned out perhaps a few of the mysteries may have been answered.
Visually, "Homecoming" is well made with the island as beautiful and mysterious as ever and is beautifully shot. The music is understated and chilling, even beautiful at times. The writing has smart and taut moments.
Overall, a lot of impressive elements but a little frustrating at the same time. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Ethan returns
MaxBorg894 November 2010
With Homecoming, the mystery arc of Lost plays a very important role, returning for a predominant spot alongside co-creator Damon Lindelof, who wrote the script and has subsequently admitted that he too, like some fans and critics, considers the episode a disappointment. While refreshingly candid, that remark is actually erroneous, as Homecoming is a masterpiece of tension, pathos and light comedy - all in one 40-minute package.
The teaser picks up with Locke finding Claire in the jungle and bringing her back to the camp. Unfortunately, the girl suffers from amnesia and doesn't remember what the Others did to her during her captivity period. As the mystery thickens, Ethan also returns and threatens Charlie, stating he will kill a survivor each day until Claire is returned to the Others. When he manages to do so during the night, Jack decides to set a trap for him, and enlists Kate, Sayid, Sawyer and Locke for help.
Charlie is left out of the group, but is the focus of the episode's flashbacks, which reveal more of his darker side: at the height of his drug-using days, he plans to steal a valuable object from a woman named Lucy Heatherton (Sally Strecker), and sell said item so he can buy heroin. The situation changes when he meets Lucy and develops feelings for her, leading to an attempt to become a more respectable man. Needless to say, it doesn't work out as planned.
Much of the criticism aimed at this episode had to do with the flashbacks which, according to some, fail to add anything of substance to the character involved. That is not the case, as the final scene with Lucy has repercussions on Charlie's relationship with Claire (besides, kudos to De Ravin for making the amnesia subplot more than a simple gimmick); also, the real purpose of those scenes, aside from showcasing Dominic Monaghan's more comedic side (and put in a cute reference to British sitcom The Office, whose American remake features an episode directed by J.J. Abrams), is to act as a lighter counterweight to the bleaker Island moments, with William Mapother pulling off a genuinely unsettling performance as Ethan and thus partly justifying the violent - and, to some extent, frustrating - climax. And he's just one of the Others: what will the rest be like?
The teaser picks up with Locke finding Claire in the jungle and bringing her back to the camp. Unfortunately, the girl suffers from amnesia and doesn't remember what the Others did to her during her captivity period. As the mystery thickens, Ethan also returns and threatens Charlie, stating he will kill a survivor each day until Claire is returned to the Others. When he manages to do so during the night, Jack decides to set a trap for him, and enlists Kate, Sayid, Sawyer and Locke for help.
Charlie is left out of the group, but is the focus of the episode's flashbacks, which reveal more of his darker side: at the height of his drug-using days, he plans to steal a valuable object from a woman named Lucy Heatherton (Sally Strecker), and sell said item so he can buy heroin. The situation changes when he meets Lucy and develops feelings for her, leading to an attempt to become a more respectable man. Needless to say, it doesn't work out as planned.
Much of the criticism aimed at this episode had to do with the flashbacks which, according to some, fail to add anything of substance to the character involved. That is not the case, as the final scene with Lucy has repercussions on Charlie's relationship with Claire (besides, kudos to De Ravin for making the amnesia subplot more than a simple gimmick); also, the real purpose of those scenes, aside from showcasing Dominic Monaghan's more comedic side (and put in a cute reference to British sitcom The Office, whose American remake features an episode directed by J.J. Abrams), is to act as a lighter counterweight to the bleaker Island moments, with William Mapother pulling off a genuinely unsettling performance as Ethan and thus partly justifying the violent - and, to some extent, frustrating - climax. And he's just one of the Others: what will the rest be like?
Could have done without the Charlie flashbacks
natashajamos-0131527 July 2022
Def could have done without the Charlie flashbacks. They don't add anything to the story at all it's more filler. It was really unnecessary to the main storyline. I skip most of it while watching this episode as what happens to Ethan is more important.
More About the Past of Charlie Pace
claudio_carvalho11 April 2006
Claire Littleton has amnesia, and Charlie Pace tries to help her to recover her memory. Meanwhile, he recalls his girlfriend Lucy (Sally Strecker) and how he destroyed their engagement due to heroine. Ethan Rom stalks Charlie in the forest, and tells Charlie to bring Claire back to him; otherwise he would kill one survivor per day. Dr. Jack Shephard, John Locke, Sayid Jarrah, James "Sawyer" Ford and Kate Austen organize a group to capture Ethan using Claire as bait and disclose the mystery of the island.
"Homecoming" is one of the best episodes of "Lost". The tense story of Ethan and the past of Charlie hold the attention until the very last scene. My vote is ten.
Title (Brazil): "Homecoming"
Note: On 21 March 2013, I saw this episode again.
"Homecoming" is one of the best episodes of "Lost". The tense story of Ethan and the past of Charlie hold the attention until the very last scene. My vote is ten.
Title (Brazil): "Homecoming"
Note: On 21 March 2013, I saw this episode again.
"Audience, let's repeat a couple of points: Charlie is very addicted to heroin, and Ethan's people are mean."
ametaphysicalshark17 July 2008
"Homecoming" is two unrelated episodes in one. Damon Lindelof, normally capable of writing scripts with real flow, penned "Homecoming", an episode with a hopelessly boring and completely pointless Charlie flashback, and an involving if flawed mythology-centric island story involving Ethan and Scott (or is that Steve?).
"Homecoming" is one of the episodes I tend to avoid watching too many times. It has several iconic scenes that one remembers so well, but virtually everything outside those iconic scenes is mediocre. Charlie's flashback does nothing but reiterate that he's struggling with addiction, and it is horrifically poorly-written by Lindelof, easily the worst work I've seen from him on this show.
The on-island events with Ethan's threats and Claire's return are fairly enjoyable, but hugely inconsistent, with some of the dialogue frankly making me cringe. The episode is directed terribly by Kevin Hooks, continuing the severe lack of visual quality in the first season of "Lost", where three out of the fifteen episodes thus far have been notably well-directed.
6/10
"Homecoming" is one of the episodes I tend to avoid watching too many times. It has several iconic scenes that one remembers so well, but virtually everything outside those iconic scenes is mediocre. Charlie's flashback does nothing but reiterate that he's struggling with addiction, and it is horrifically poorly-written by Lindelof, easily the worst work I've seen from him on this show.
The on-island events with Ethan's threats and Claire's return are fairly enjoyable, but hugely inconsistent, with some of the dialogue frankly making me cringe. The episode is directed terribly by Kevin Hooks, continuing the severe lack of visual quality in the first season of "Lost", where three out of the fifteen episodes thus far have been notably well-directed.
6/10
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