Season 1 was all about surviving on the island.

Season 2 was all about mysteries. More survivors. The Hatch. A monster made of smoke.

And now we get Season 3: All about the Others.

Oh, what a season that was.

We learn how they live in several different guises, from the cages of A Tale of Two Cities to the village/barracks of Stranger in a Strange Land, to a sort of mass exodus.

Tom: Hey, you got yourself a fish biscuit! How’d you do that?
Sawyer: Figured out your complicated gizmos, thats how.
Tom: It only took the bears two hours.
[Sawyer contemplates briefly]
Sawyer: How many of ’em were there?

All sorts of medical madness, in Every Man for Himself and pretty much anything with Juliet.

On top of that all, one character who really goes through an arc this season is Locke. He’s lost his way… only to find it again. And lose it. And find another. Oh Locke. You’re so very interesting, but also so hard to actually root for…

Sayid: Kate, if you were looking for help to find Jack, why didn’t you ask us?
Kate: Two reasons: you don’t know where to look and you’re not motivated. And I don’t blame you. Why would you want to go on another trek across the island, risk more lives just to get Jack back?
Locke: You’re wrong.
Kate: Oh, really? They why didn’t you come after-
Locke: Not about the motivation, just about knowing where to look. We got a compass bearing, and I’m pretty sure if we follow it, it’ll lead us right to ’em.
Kate: How?
Sayid: Because of the way the sunlight hit Mr. Eko’s stick…

Perhaps my continued favorite though? Desmond. Wakes up naked. Wakes up in his flat. Wakes up and buys a ring. Oh, he’s got a complicated life, both on the island and off of it.

Desmond Hume: See you in another life, brother.

On a less positive note, we have main-character-who-have-obviously-been-there-all-along Nikki and Paulo. I mean, it worked well enough for Desmond and seems to be working okay for Juliet. So why not someone else? But they come out of nowhere and get all Exposed by the end. So it goes.

All that… to go Through the Looking Glass…

Man, this is a fun show.