Skip to content
A Tale of Two Cities
S3E01Episode 50 of 121

A Tale of Two Cities

Synopsis

Before you watch

A Tale of Two Cities opened the third season on October 4, 2006, more than four months after the second season ended. Jack Bender directed, and J.J. Abrams wrote it with Damon Lindelof. It is Abrams’s first writing credit since the pilot, and his last on the show.

Where things stand: the second season ended with the button’s truth being tested and Michael making his choice, after Desmond came back to the Island by sailboat. The survivors have been living with the Hatch, the orientation film and a lot of unanswered questions for a long time.

The scene is set from the start: the Others’ community is revealed, and Jack, Kate and Sawyer are their prisoners. Some of the new Island scenes were filmed at YMCA Camp Erdman near Mokulēʻia, a camp with cabins on the mountain side of the highway, a few minutes from the beach where the pilot was shot. It is a Jack episode, which is a fitting way to begin again.

Key revelations

Mysteries in play

What is the Island?

mythology

Themes

Watch Along

Nikki reacts: A Tale of Two Cities

The Normies · spoils this episode only

Just finished it? Watch someone see it for the first time. Friends pile onto the couch from Season 2. Full playlist →

Play bingo with this episode →

Want to watch this episode? It's available on licensed streaming services. This site does not host or stream any content. Lost is a trademark of Disney/ABC.

From the archives

Comments

We read every comment before it goes up, and show it only to people who have watched far enough. Tick the spoiler box if you mention anything past this page.

Loading comments...