Wow. For the second week in a row, I've begun my review of "Lost" with that word, albeit for different reasons. "This Place is Death" was a frantic, time-shifting, brain-bending episode that saw the death of a secondary character. This week, the time shifting was put on hold, but the action occurred at warp speed.

The opening scene was familiar, but slightly different. Jack awakens on the island and reads a partial message from a scrap of paper in what could pass for a flashback from season one. But alas, it is not -- Jack and at least two other members of the Oceanic Six are back on the island.

Flash back 36 hours, in a technique J.J. Abrams employed often on "Alias," and it becomes immediately clear: the return to the island is imminent. Perhaps I was naive, or even jaded from years of television shows padding seasons with pointless filler episodes, but I truly did not believe that the return to the island would occur until the end of the season.

But this season of "Lost" cannot be pigeon-holed into any category we?ve seen before. It appears that all the rules have been thrown out the window, the action has been ramped up and events unfold so quickly you barely have time to notice that some pretty large questions were raised. What made Kate and Sayid change their minds and end up boarding the plane? How did the plane actually crash? Where are the other members of the Oceanic Six? Where are Ben and Frank Lapidus? What year did they return to? Obviously, it must be the past, given the condition of the VW van. How is Desmond going to return?

The important thing is that they are (well, most of them at least) all back on the island, and that is a huge dramatic movement. This was inevitable, but shocking in that it has occurred so early this season.

What Worked

This was a frantically paced episode, with everything coming together quickly. I'm shocked they are back on the island already.

I liked Hurley's heroic act of buying up the 78 tickets to keep people from getting on the plane. It is not a very dramatic act, but it is heroic nonetheless.

I loved the reversal from the original plane crash, which had Kate under the protective custody of a male agent; this time Sayid is in the custody of a female agent, a nice detail that shows just how well thought out this episode was.

What Didn't Work

It's hard to complain about such a solid episode. I generally like episodes that utilize more of the cast, but this was a fine episode. That advanced the story a great deal while raising a myriad of new questions.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

"316" was written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. It was directed by Stephen Williams. "Lost" stars Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Michael Emerson.