That was dissappointing.
The writing just felt off, and not as good as I've come to expect. Why were the beach characters all hanging around like there was nothing going on? All the "leaders" are missing, there was a crazy explosion... and nobody went looking for any of them? Charlie actually gives Locke a hard time about showing up a day later!? No questions about what happened, or what are they going to do? Nobody cares that the hatch and it's resources are gone?
Charlie didn't seem at all like the character we've come to know.
Hurley seems to have no passion about telling what happened or getting help, it's almost like he knows this plot point means nothing this week.
Desmond gets just one scene, and when he's back at camp, he doesn't put on any more clothes, instead choosing to throw rocks in the ocean?
Locke has a flash back with no resolution, or point? It didn't really seem to fit Lockes character. Locke used to have visions in the forest (many characters did), why did they have to come up with the 'sweat lodge' deal? Why if that was part of his character, would he have only now done this? We used to wonder if Locke was being mislead, or 'turned' by the island somehow, now in this episode it's made so straight-forward and simplistic. I was looking forward to Locke getting his passion and determination back, but this just felt sort of awkward... the whole episode felt that way.
Watching LOST used to include those moments that made you go "whoa!". This episode had none of that energy, there we no surprises, no revelations, it was boring.