If and when you are certain, will you make sure to let us know?

Hardly torture. He got a single shock combined with the sedative, to put him in some kind of state. I am not even sure if such a shock hurts.

Yes, audience-handholding is dragging this show down, most of all. Fringe still does it from time to time. But far less show-y. They just do that briefing-post-talk at the scene of the crime, not those silly "OMG, it's a 69'er!" eureka moments. I am more bothered by handholding in general, though.

@avclub-d0cf409eb912cc0cc950b41b6d892d07:disqus Way to back-paddle from "every time" to "at least one other time". From a total of six. The first of which didn't count.

Are you playing the game? Or are you playing me?

Who's to say she can decide who lives and who dies? Oh, never mind. Now I remember.

This is the first episode I didn't watch. Unless something changed dramatically in this episode, I can only tell you that if you are impressed by the level of "meta" in this show, you need better shows to watch. I never predicted so much plot in any show I watched and I am not really the best at not being taken by…

uhhhhh no don't think so. It was whoever is behind all this. Cobb doesn't plan like that. He doesn't need a bullseye from across the street, that's for n00bs. He kills you in a ferris wheel from a hilltop a mile away.

Yes, they really do think the audience is that stupid. And for large parts of it, they are probably right about that, too. And yes, it's annoying. But I didn't mind it that much this episode.

Forestraz is not in the vicinity of Alcatraz.
The base is under Alcatraz, unless I am getting it all wrong, now. When Madsen and Soto get knocked out on Alcatraz, they wake up inside the base and Soto mentions that they built a Batcave under Alcatraz. Not to mention that the Alcatraz Donkey Wheel Room is down there.

Yeah, I get the feeling that Sarah Jones is capable of more than she's given, right now. 
I think Garcia has been given some good stuff, that was different than him being Hurley, though. But the Hurley-like lines they give him are mostly horrible.

It would have been the best episode, if it wasn't for this awful exposition/catch-up in the beginning. Our characters briefly forget about TPTB and Garcia is forced to represent the audience again, "Oh, those guys.". 
Seriously bad. Fringe didn't do that crap.

Oh, but here is where I lose you again, a little bit…
I'd like to think that the procedural aspects are related to the mythology. There is a pattern of living out your past regrets vs keeping your old behavior patterns vs picking up new programming - which sounds a lot like Lost's pattern of learning from past mistakes…

Removing/implanting doesn't have to be a physical process, sure. I think more along the lines of conditioning. That process could have been reversed, which is how we end up with what we have now.

Yeah, there should be an addition, unless he truly thinks that Fringe in its entirety is mediocre.

"He basically said that it was going to remain a mostly procedural show so people would not be intimidated to jump-in to the series whenever, as they had been with Lost. He also said there would be the central mystery to "hopefully" keep people hooked.  "
He said the exact same thing about Fringe.

Yes, that's how I remember it, as well. Fringe started intriguing, I'd say still better than Alcatraz. But I noticed early on pretty bad writing in the procedural elements and it got really bad and plain dull for most of the remaining season.

For the record, since I am opposing you quite a bit on your opinion about the show so far: I think there is zero tangible evidence that Lucy is from the present. She might be wearing red such that even those who watch 5 scenes from the show recognize it's her and to drive the point home that she was an outsider back…

Now, you really make me wish to dislike your comments, for once. One could argue that you are going out of your way to find a fault in everything. Because they can't handle the procedural stuff, clearly doesn't mean they will be stupid about less conventional plot elements.

Don't forget that the prisoners are locked up in Forestraz and once there are enough of them, they could have them interact more frequently. 
Sure, that depends on how many of the actors are affordable during the same episode and might only happen for sweeps.