Season 3, Episode 1:
A Tale of Two Cities
A woman named Juliet Burke hosts a book club at her house in a rural village. Suddenly, the ground starts shaking, and the villagers, revealed to be the Others, witness Oceanic 815 break apart in mid-air and crash on the Island. "Henry Gale", whose real name is Ben, instructs Ethan and Goodwin to go undercover among the survivors.
In flashbacks, Jack stalks his wife, Sarah, determined to find out who the man she is leaving him for is. He begins to suspect his father when he finds his number in her phone, and assaults him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Sarah bails him out, and tells him his father is drinking again.
On the Island, the Others keep Jack, Saywer and Kate at a DHARMA Station named the Hydra. Juliet interrogates Jack in his cell. He attempts to escape when she brings him food, but fails. Tom instructs Kate to shower and gives her a dress to wear for a breakfast meeting with Ben, who tells her the next two weeks will be very unpleasant. Sawyer is kept in an outdoor polar bear cage, opposite a teenager named Karl. Karl tries to escape and sets Sawyer free, but both are caught quickly and Karl is taken away. Kate is put in Karl's cage. Juliet tells Jack that the Others know everything about him. Jack decides not to ask who Sarah's new man is. Ben congratulates Juliet on a job well done.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Call-Back: The opening scene, similarly to the opening scene of the previous season, introduces a new character in what appears to be an off-Island flashback but is actually revealed to be taking place in an area of the Island we haven't seen before, while a classic song from The '60s plays in the background.
- Given Name Reveal: "Henry Gale" has his real name revealed: it's Ben.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Jack tails his father to a support group where he learns he's been sober for 50 days. Jack attacks him for thinking he's been seeing Sarah, causing Christian to get drunk afterwards, and it's implied that this triggers the chain of events that ultimately leads to his death in Sydney.
- No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine: Ben arranges for Kate to have a pleasant breakfast with him with a view of the sea, explaining that he wants her to have a nice memory to focus on because the next two weeks are going to be very unpleasant for her.
- No OSHA Compliance: Against Juliet's warning, Jack opens a door that causes the section to flood. Justified, as the DHARMA stations are clearly in a state of disrepair.
- P.O.V. Sequel: The plane crash is shown from the Others' point of view, and we see Ben sending Ethan and Goodwin to pose as survivors.
- Quip to Black: Just after witnessing a horrible plane crash, Ben turns to Juliet, and noticing that she's been holding a book club meeting without inviting him, quips "So I guess I'm out of the book club", immediately followed by the opening title.
- Sci-Fi Ghetto: In-Universe. Adam, the Jerkass guest at Juliet's book club, dimisses her favourite book, Carrie, partly because it's science fiction, considering it to not even be true literature.
