Another uneven episode.You could fly an Oceanic Air flight through the plot holes in the LA sequence. C'mon, an accused murderer beats up a federal agent and escapes from custody, yet nobody is looking for her? The guy in the machine shop willingly helps Kate after getting a gun shoved in his face? Claire decides to get back in the taxi with an armed carjacker? And when the cops show up at the hospital, they make a token check and then leave? Sheesh. I'm all for advancing the plot lines, but a little believability is a good thing.
OTOH, I thought the island scenes were excellent. The idea of XLocke's "recruiting" is interesting, and the ambiguity of the temple folks is also intriguing. Sawyer continues to shine in all of his scenes, and Jack's conflicted emotions add to the drama.
Max's recipe for future success: Wrap up the LA parallel timeline and focus on events on the island.