Lost: A Tale of Two Cities

"A Tale of Two Cities" is the third season premiere, and 50th episode overall, of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC)'s serial drama television series Lost. The episode was written by co-creators/executive producers J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, based on a story by Lindelof and directed by executive producer Jack Bender. The episode begins with the introduction of Juliet Burke (Elizabeth Mitchell) and The Barracks. The character of Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) is featured in the episode's flashbacks. This is the only episode of the series other than the pilot to have been co-written by J.J. Abrams. When the episode first aired on October 4, 2006, in the United States, it was watched by an average of 19 million American viewers, making it the fourth most watched episode of the week. It premiered to generally positive reviews, with many praising Mitchell's new character.