After the others pack up and leave the barracks, Kate finds herself waking up handcuffed to Juliet out in the jungle. Their intensifying rivalry, the core aspect of the on-island plot, was fun to watch from the very first scene. The dialogue between Kate and Locke before the others leave was really well-written and sets up some extremely interesting developments to come for Locke. The scenes involving Smokey more easily intriguing than in the Cost of Living - it moved faster and seemed more like an animal than a machine. The bright flashes add another mysterious aspect to it and the three-headed approach it made towards the fence looked stellar, the best CGI of it since The 23rd Psalm. I didn't expect the sonic barrier to come back into play so soon but it was cool that it did, and awesome that its purpose was explained visually. Smokey is not without weaknesses. Besides the action-oriented jungle scenes, the beach scenes with Sawyer attempting to be sociable but ending up coming accross as extremely awkward were also a highlight of the episode. For a transitional episode this was a really entertaining one.

'Stranger In A Strange Land' would have a better rating at TV.com if the ABC promo team hadn't been so deceptive in a lame attempt to prevent a further decline in ratings. They promised the fans not 1, not 2, but 3 big answers, and the episode didn't follow through with that promise. Does this lack of answers make the episode awful? I don't think it does. This episode is by no means amazing but it definitely has highlights that redeem it for me.

Pros - The interaction between Jack and Juliet, the addition of Diana Scarwid to the cast (She's creepy and I like it), the scene with Alex & Jack at the cages, the score/editing that accompanied the exodus scenes from the hydra island, the Q & A session with the post-brainwashed Karl, Sawyer punching Karl when he finds him crying, Jack paying the price for being so demanding in his flashback.

Cons - Flashbacks were weak, Phuket looked too much like any other Hawaii setting, Bai Ling was just terrible and miscast, the scene with Cindy was ruined months ago in promos, Jack did the laugh while smiling act far too often and seemed unreasonably forceful in the tattoo room (though it was probably because he had just gone through the divorce and was tired of being lied to)

The scenes between Roslin & Baltar were excellent. I didn't mind the Lee/Dualla storyline that much only because I'm glad he's understanding that his love for D is genuine. If he screws up again though, that would pretty much ruin the already weakening integrity of the show, and I might just give up on it. Hoping the producers have caught onto the unrest over this mess of a multi-relationship drama I'd like to that think the Lee & Kara glance shouldn't be taken for face-value and they're just misdirecting the audience, but it might just be me wishing this deal with the four of them will end and not drag on until the final episodes of the season.

The idea that a few of the final five cylons could be aboard Galactica is an intriguing premise and most new episodes gives subtle hints as to whom they might be. Gaeta certainly fits the profile of a cylon initially thinking he's human. Dualla, considering her ranking position and extremely caring persona, would have an easy time getting to Lee or other Galactica officials if she were to end up like Boomer. As for the rest of the crew (Kara & Tyrol), there are more suspicions I hope will be addressed in the future.

James Callis and Mary McDonnell delivering stellar performances, Baltar being forced to confront his demons, Dualla not entirely giving up on Lee, the idea of Baltar being put on trial, and Edward James Olmos directing makes this one of my favorite episodes of the third season.

After saving Boone but being unable to save the life of another, Jack is reluctant to be the leader of the group again. Since the day before (Walkabout), he also believes he's been seeing his dead father's corpse wandering the island. An even closer encounter with this re-animated body sends Jack into a tailspin and he displays erratic behavior as he leaves the beach to chase down this white rabbit. After narrowly escaping a painful death due to help from an pretty omniscient John Locke, Jack and him, soon to become rival decision-makers, share an important conversation about the island and their personal perceptions. Back at the beach, Claire and Charlie start to develop their friendship, and the search for the culprit that took the water supply continues. As Jack continues on his trek through the jungle, he stumbles upon large caverns with a freshwater source, as well as some wreckage from the plane - luggage, eerie-looking dolls, and his father's coffin - now empty. This discovery drives Jack to lose his cool and he lets out his built-up anger and frustration. As the day comes to a close, Boone is caught with the water stash and is confronted by a large group looking for a place to assign blame. At the end of the episode Jack shows up and gives his "live together, die alone" speech urging everyone to keep a level head because they have no idea how long it'll be until they're rescued, and until then they need to band together in order to survive.

What more could you ask for? The return of Brennan's family mystery and her brother, the confirmation that something is surfacing between Brennan & Booth, as well as a whopper of a case for the team, which becomes very personal for Brennan.

The filming and editing in this episode caught my attention from the first second and I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen. David Duchovny, from all his brilliant work with the X-Files over those 8 or so long years, has developed a great eye for angles and an amazing skill in directing a storyline. The 2nd season has been very consistent thus far and is very close to surpassing the overall intrigue of the 1st.