Lost: Down the Hatch | Season 3 Episode 20: “The Man Behind the Curtain”
Josh Wigler (@roundhoward) and Mike Bloom (@AMikeBloomType) take a look at “The Man Behind the Curtain.”
In “The Man Behind the Curtain,” John Locke rejoins the Others and pushes Benjamin Linus for some answers. Careful what you wish for. In the past, we learn how Ben became the man we know him as in the present, and the answers are very bleak indeed. It’s yet another all-time episode in what Josh and Mike believe is the best stretch of LOST. Hold onto your appendix!
LOST: Down the Hatch is a full-tilt spoiler-filled rewatch of LOST. Every week, Josh and Mike break down an episode of LOST with the benefit of knowing the series’ full trajectory, using the following structure as a guide:
• We Go “Fourth” – Josh and Mike begin each podcast with a deep-dive into the story both in front of and behind the camera, and they do so with the assistance of eight sound clips from each episode.
• The Others – Josh and Mike answer questions sent their way by listeners through the official e-mail address: [email protected]
• 23 Points – Each week, Josh and Mike hand out points for the best and worst characters of the episode in question, in a foolhardy attempt to determine the most and least valuable players in the LOST pantheon.
• 4.2 Stars – Josh and Mike rank every episode of LOST, by rating them all on a scale from 0 – 4.2. Josh and Mike offer their individual scores, listeners’ scores will be averaged as a third data point, then the three points combine as the podcast’s official score on each episode.
Additional reading/listening/viewing from the podcast:
- Support Post Show Recaps through Patreon
- The LOST: Down the Hatch Wikipedia Page
- Josh’s LOST Episode Rankings on The Hollywood Reporter
- Javier Grillo Marxuach’s Lost Will and Testament
- Jim Fels music analysis
The 2/3 MVP/LVP Points For Season 3:
Juliet: 12
Hurley: 9
Sawyer: 8
Richard Alpert: 4
Ben: 4
Jin: 3.5
Kate: 3
Sayid: 3
Monster: 3
Sun: 2.5
Eloise: 2
Claire: 2
Cassidy: 2
Penny: 2
Charlie: 2
King Daddy Kwon: 2
Annie: 1
Jack: 1
Achara: 1
Eko: 1
Boone: 1
The Marshal: 1
Amira: 1
Billy Dee Williams: 1
Christian: 0
Alex: 0
DHARMA: -1
Desmond: -1
Derek: -1
Ethan: -1
Aunt Lindsay: -1
Ms. Klugh: -1
Lynn Karnoff: -1
David Reyes: -1
Roger Linus: -1
The Others: -1
Red Shoes: -1
Jan: -1
Eddie: -1
Polar Bears: -1
Karl: -1
Sarah: -1
Marijuana: -1
Colleen: -1
Law + Order: -2
Diane: -2
Tricia Tanaka: -2
Edmund: -2
Emeka: -2
Munson: -2
Locke: -2
Evil Mommy Kwon: -3
Isabel: -3
Widmore: -3
Paik: -3
Nikki: -3
Roger Linus: -3
Paulo: -4
Pickett: -9
Anthony Cooper: -10
The 4.2 Star Episode Rankings For Season 3:
- Flashes Before Your Eyes – 4.16
- The Man Behind the Curtain – 4.15
- The Brig – 4.12
- The Man From Tallahassee – 4.7
- The Cost of Living – 3.93
- Tricia Tanaka is Dead – 3.92
- A Tale of Two Cities – 3.83
- Not in Portland – 3.77
- Catch-22 – 3.76
- Exposé – 3.7
- Enter 77 – 3.68
- D.O.C. – 3.48
- I Do – 3.46
- One of Us – 3.43
- Par Avion – 3.21
- Every Man For Himself – 3.14
- The Glass Ballerina – 3.02
- Left Behind – 3.01
- Further Instructions – 2.48
- Stranger in a Strange Land – 1.85
Mike Bloom’s 4.2 Star Episode Ranking Rubric
4.2 – Perfect episode of LOST. Firing on all cylinders, no real weak points
4.0-4.1 – Near-perfect episode of LOST. Has one or two minor things that are meh or weak.
3.7-3.9 – Awesome episode of LOST. Has one or two major things that are meh or weak.
3.3-3.6 – Great episode of LOST. Many great elements, but not enough to put it in the top tier
3.0-3.2 – Good episode of LOST. More good than bad, but not a lot of outstanding moments
2.5-2.9 – Below average episode of LOST. Has a few redeeming moments, but a lot of misses as well
2.0-2.4 – Dud episode of LOST. The good stuff is few and far between
< 2.0 – Bad episode of LOST. Nearly all of it doesn’t work
Josh Wigler’s 4.2 Star Episode Ranking Rubric
Insert question mark here.
Get lost in more LOST coverage:
Lost: Down the Hatch | Season 3 Episode 19: “The Brig”
Lost: Down the Hatch | Season 3 Episode 18: “D.O.C.”
Lost: Down the Hatch | Season 3 Episode 16: “One of Us”
Lost: Down the Hatch | Season 3 Episode 15: “Left Behind”
When your favorite show ends, we're just getting started. LIVE interactive podcasts take place on Youtube, right after the episode ends of shows like THE WALKING DEAD, GAME OF THRONES, 24 plus Netflix original shows like HOUSE OF CARDS. Post Show Recaps features Rob Cesternino from Rob Has a Podcast.
