THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM SPOILERS
From 2006 to 2007, Lost aired Season 3. It’s first two seasons were exciting, vastly different, totally surprising, and, sometimes, exhausting. As the first few episodes of Season 3 began to run, even die-hard fans felt the strain of a narrative with no end in sight. Then, right in the middle of that season, showrunners Damon Lindeloff and Carlton Cuse announced a deal with ABC to end the series after Season 6.
Suddenly, Lost was no longer lost. Treading-water episodes, like “Stranger In A Strange Land” where we found out where Jack got his tattoos (Thailand!), were replaced by episodes that revealed secrets of the Island, committed to crazy sci-fi twists, and heightened the stakes
When the end is in sight, clarity arrives. The first three episodes of The Bad Batch Season 3 “Confined,” “Paths Unknown,” and “Shadows of Tantiss,” leap directly into the wrenching circumstances from the Season 2 cliffhanger. They’re propulsive and cohesive; even the quiet, character-driven first episode has an eerie energy. Finality has given The Bad Batch focus.