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.
Am not sure as to whether to call "Fire + Water" the worst ever 'Lost' episode. To me, and many others, it is down there and easily one of the weaker episodes of the earlier seasons. Wouldn't go as far as to call it terrible or a waste of time, at the same time it tries to do something different and fails to execute it very well.
There are things that work in "Fire + Water's" favour. It is beautifully and stylishly photographed with a good deal of atmosphere and the surrealistic/symbolic images being quite striking visually. The beautiful and mysterious island setting is made the most of and like its own character.
Music is still chilling and understated. Although the characterisation is severely wanting here, the acting is without complaint, Dominic Monaghan carries the episode very well. Hurley is pretty fun and the episode's stronger moments are actually with him. Some of the direction is neat, if more visually and in the direction of the actors than in how the story is told.
"Fire + Water" sadly is not particularly compelling on a story level, and says very little illuminating or interesting about Charlie and does very little with advancing the island events, making one question the point of it.
It is further hampered by dull pacing and pretty much all the characters being out of character and inconsistent, especially Locke (Charlie also goes from being one of 'Lost's' most likeable characters to a character one is very frustrated with well before the episode is over). The writing has been tighter and smarter elsewhere, little stands out here. What really hurts "Fire + Water" is the surrealism, as visually striking as it is it features far too much, is very heavy-handed and with the subtlety of an axe and just gives the episode an unintentional weirdness that fails to ignite any intrigue or fire.
Overall, very odd and not very fiery. One of the few early season major disappointments. 5/10 Bethany Cox