I Do (Lost)
Encyclopedia
"I Do" is the sixth episode of the third season of Lost
, and the 55th episode overall. It aired on November 8, 2006 on ABC
. The episode was written by Damon Lindelof
and Carlton Cuse
and directed by Tucker Gates
. The character of Kate Austen
(Evangeline Lilly
) is featured in the episode's flashbacks, where her brief marriage to a police officer, Kevin Callis (Nathan Fillion
), is shown. In the present events, Jack Shephard
(Matthew Fox
) considers whether or not to perform surgery on Ben Linus (Michael Emerson
), and is motivated by Kate's claims that if he does not comply, Sawyer (Josh Holloway
) will be killed.
This was the last episode to air before a 13-week hiatus, so it was written so that it would fit as a "mini-series finale
", and also had a major theme in the contrast between Kate's relationships with Kevin and Sawyer. "I Do" gained mostly positive reviews, with much praise to the cliffhanger
ending, and had 17.15 million American viewers upon release.
). Before their wedding, Kevin's mother, Suzanne, gives Kate a gold locket that had been passed down on the female side of the family at weddings. A while after the ceremony, Kate calls U.S. Marshal Edward Mars (Fredric Lane). She does not want to run any more and pleads for him to stop chasing her. Mars guesses that Kate has got involved with a man, and tells her that if Kate can really stay put, settle down, he will stop chasing her, but that they both know it is unlikely that Kate will ever stop running. Later, Kate shows signs of relief after getting a negative pregnancy test
, and decides to reveal the truth about her life to her husband. She drugs Kevin, places her mother-in-law's locket in his hands and leaves.
(Terry O'Quinn
) tells Nikki Fernandez
(Kiele Sanchez
), Paulo
(Rodrigo Santoro
), Sayid Jarrah
(Naveen Andrews
) and Desmond Hume
(Henry Ian Cusick
) that Mr. Eko
(Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
) was killed by an animal, and decides to bury Eko where he died as he thinks the other castaways have seen have "too many funerals" recently. As Locke goes to the beach to get shovels, Sayid follows him and asks what really killed Eko. Locke says that the survivors call it "The Monster", and further speculates that The Monster may be what brought them there and that Eko died for a reason, he just does not know what it is yet. After the burial, Locke sees a message on Eko's stick: "Lift up your eyes and look north, John 3:05".
On Hydra island, Jack Shephard
(Matthew Fox
) checks Ben Linus's (Michael Emerson
) x-rays and medical file, and tells Ben that the tumor in his spine will become inoperable in a week. Jack however adds he is not going to operate on Ben because he does not trust the Others' promise of freeing him, Kate and Sawyer (Josh Holloway
).
After the quarry where Kate and Sawyer are working suffers an invasion by Alex
(Tania Raymonde
), who demands to know where his boyfriend Karl (Blake Bashoff
) is, Juliet Burke
(Elizabeth Mitchell
) brings Kate to talk to Jack, telling her that it is the only way to prevent Danny Pickett (Michael Bowen
) from killing Sawyer. When Jack and Kate see each other, Kate asks him to operate on Ben to prevent Sawyer from getting killed, but Jack gets angry and refuses.
After returning to her cage, Kate and Sawyer have an argument, and she climbs out of her cage and breaks open Sawyer's, saying if he does not want Jack to save his life, then he is going to save his own. Sawyer then tells her that they cannot run because of being on another island, something he did not tell her "because I wanted you to believe that we had a damn chance." Kate and Sawyer then have sex, unknowingly in full view of the cameras. At the Hydra station, Jack finds his door unlocked and unguarded, and outside reaches a surveillance room, where he sees Kate and Sawyer cuddling together on a monitor. Ben appears behind him, and after a brief exchange Jack decides to do the surgery, but wants Ben to keep his promise to let Jack off the island.
As Juliet anesthetizes Ben and Jack begins the operation, Pickett goes with another man to Sawyer's cage. Kate and Sawyer attempt to fight, but Pickett's companion overpowers Kate and holds her at gunpoint, leading Sawyer to surrender. Meanwhile, Jack sabotages the operation by cutting Ben's kidney sack, and demands for Tom
(M.C. Gainey) to speak with Kate. Before Pickett can shoot Sawyer, Tom calls over the walkie-talkie. As Pickett gives the walkie to Kate, Jack tells her she has an hour head start, and directs her to call him on the radio when she is safe.
s Damon Lindelof
and Carlton Cuse
wrote "I Do" as a "mini-season finale
", as it was the last episode before mid-season hiatus
, and would end in a cliffhanger
. It also served as a climax and beginning of a closure of Jack, Kate and Sawyer's captivity on Hydra Island, with the writers saying that afterwards there would be a return to the beach and the six-episode block would be "more palatable" and make more sense, comparing them to the first seven episodes of season 2 where the tail section survivors are introduced. Executive producer Bryan Burk
also said the pre-hiatus episodes were "our season 2.5. Like, this is kind of like wrapping up a lot of where we were last year", considering season three would really begin in the seventh episode.
A main theme of the episode is Kate's inability to commit to other people, always running from difficult emotional situations, and having barriers between her and her interests – physical, as in Sawyer's cage or Jack's aquarium, or metaphorical, as in her inability to settle down as Kevin's wife. Kate's marriage, which was first alluded in the season one episode "Outlaws
", is meant to be a contrast with her relationship with Sawyer in the realtime events – Kate and Kevin is a heartfelt and passionate relationship where Kate tries to get involved but her lifestyle ends up on making the marriage fail, whereas with Sawyer both are afraid of intimacy and connection yet still end up together.
Nathan Fillion
was cast as Kevin because the producers thought he fit as "someone to believe that Kate had actually married and settled down with" for being "really good and kinda fun and intelligent", and also because Cuse and Lindelof were fans of Fillion's work on Firefly
. Fillion said that he was a Lost fan and described his experience working at the show as "a dream".
Chris Carabott of IGN
gave a 9.3 out of 10 to "I Do", describing it as "delivering some key moments in the series' history and leaving viewers with a spectacular cliffhanger ending." Carabott complimented Locke's scenes as "short but nonetheless powerful" and praised Matthew Fox's acting, saying he "steals the show with one of his best performances to date". Writing for Entertainment Weekly
, Christine Fenno considered that the flashbacks "weren't as exciting as the action on the island, but they were full of fun details" and liked Jack's scenes at the operating room. Jonathan Toomey of AOL
's TV Squad called "I Do" "an episode worthy of being called a mid-season finale", thinking that the romantic scenes between Kate and Sawyer worked for "the tension that existed". BuddyTV
's Oscar Dahl considered "I Do" as "a worthy end to Lost's truncated Fall season", having a good reaction to the cliffhanger and saying the episode "set up incredible possibilities for the rest of the season". Not all reviews were positive, with Slant Magazine
s critic Andrew Dignan feeling it was "lacking both the immediacy and urgency that keeps viewers clamoring for months on end", and being critical of the writing, particularly on most of the essential plot elements occurring in the final minutes.
"I Do" was selected as one of the "25 Sexiest TV Shows on DVD" by Entertainment Weekly. IGN ranked the episode 28th out of the 115 Lost episodes, describing it as a "turning point episode of the third season." On the other hand, a similar list by Los Angeles Times
ranked "I Do" as the 91st, saying it "mostly botched" the plot point of Kate's wedding despite Nathan Fillion's presence, and feeling it was an episode that "probably shouldn't have had to have as much pressure on it as it did (acting as a mini-cliffhanger in early Season 3)". Evangeline Lilly
submitted this episode for consideration on her behalf in the category of "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
" at the 2007 Emmy Awards
.
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, and the 55th episode overall. It aired on November 8, 2006 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The episode was written by Damon Lindelof
Damon Lindelof
Damon Laurence Lindelof is an American television writer and executive, most recently noted as the co-creator and executive producer for the television series Lost. He has written for and produced Crossing Jordan, and wrote for Nash Bridges, Wasteland, and the MTV anthology series Undressed...
and Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse is an AmericanEmmy Award winning screenwriter and producer, most famous as executive producer andscreenwriter for the American television series Lost for...
and directed by Tucker Gates
Tucker Gates
Tucker Gates is an American television director and producer. He has directed several episodes of the J. J. Abrams shows, Alias and Lost, including the very last episode of Alias...
. The character of Kate Austen
Kate Austen
Katherine Anne "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. She is the de facto female lead...
(Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Kate Austen in the ABC drama, Lost.-Early life:...
) is featured in the episode's flashbacks, where her brief marriage to a police officer, Kevin Callis (Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion is a Canadian actor, currently starring as Richard Castle on the ABC series Castle. He is also known for his portrayal of the lead role of Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the television series Firefly and its feature film continuation, Serenity.He has acted in traditionally distributed...
), is shown. In the present events, Jack Shephard
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
(Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox (actor)
Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is mostly known for his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, and for portraying Jack Shephard on the supernatural drama television series Lost.- Early life :...
) considers whether or not to perform surgery on Ben Linus (Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on Lost and fictional serial killer William Hinks in The Practice.-Early life:...
), and is motivated by Kate's claims that if he does not comply, Sawyer (Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway
Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:...
) will be killed.
This was the last episode to air before a 13-week hiatus, so it was written so that it would fit as a "mini-series finale
Series finale
A series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...
", and also had a major theme in the contrast between Kate's relationships with Kevin and Sawyer. "I Do" gained mostly positive reviews, with much praise to the cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
ending, and had 17.15 million American viewers upon release.
Flashbacks
While on the run from the law, Kate goes to Miami, where under the name "Monica" she meets and gets engaged to a police officer, Kevin Callis (Nathan FillionNathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion is a Canadian actor, currently starring as Richard Castle on the ABC series Castle. He is also known for his portrayal of the lead role of Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the television series Firefly and its feature film continuation, Serenity.He has acted in traditionally distributed...
). Before their wedding, Kevin's mother, Suzanne, gives Kate a gold locket that had been passed down on the female side of the family at weddings. A while after the ceremony, Kate calls U.S. Marshal Edward Mars (Fredric Lane). She does not want to run any more and pleads for him to stop chasing her. Mars guesses that Kate has got involved with a man, and tells her that if Kate can really stay put, settle down, he will stop chasing her, but that they both know it is unlikely that Kate will ever stop running. Later, Kate shows signs of relief after getting a negative pregnancy test
Pregnancy test
A pregnancy test attempts to determine whether or not a woman is pregnant.These markers are found in urine and blood, and pregnancy tests require sampling one of these substances. The first of these markers to be discovered, human chorionic gonadotropin , was discovered in 1930 to be produced by...
, and decides to reveal the truth about her life to her husband. She drugs Kevin, places her mother-in-law's locket in his hands and leaves.
On the Island
On the main island, John LockeJohn Locke (Lost)
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...
(Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn is an American actor, most famous for playing John Locke on the TV series Lost. He made his debut in a 1980 television movie called F.D.R.: The Last Year. Since then, O'Quinn has had minor supporting roles in films and TV movies such as Young Guns, All the Right Moves, Silver Bullet,...
) tells Nikki Fernandez
Nikki and Paulo
Nikki Fernandez and Paulo are fictional characters on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the south Pacific...
(Kiele Sanchez
Kiele Sanchez
Kiele Michelle Sanchez is an American actress who stars in the A&E Network drama The Glades. Previously she starred as the second-eldest Sorelli sister, Anne, a therapist in her mid-twenties, in The WB's comedic ensemble drama, Related. She was cast as a co-star in the third season of the ABC...
), Paulo
Nikki and Paulo
Nikki Fernandez and Paulo are fictional characters on the ABC drama television series Lost, which chronicles the lives of over forty people after their plane crashes on a remote island somewhere in the south Pacific...
(Rodrigo Santoro
Rodrigo Santoro
Rodrigo Junqueira dos Reis Santoro is a Brazilian actor.-Life and career:Santoro was born in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro. He is of half Brazilian and half Italian descent. In 1993, as Santoro was studying Journalism at PUC-Rio, he entered the Actor's Workshop of Rede Globo...
), Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Hassan Jarrah is a character from the ABC show Lost portrayed by Naveen Andrews.-Season 1:Sayid fixes the transceiver recovered from the cockpit, and leads a group into the jungle in order to send out a distress signal. Instead, he picks up a looping message . He tries to locate the...
(Naveen Andrews
Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British American actor. He is best known for portraying Kip in the movie The English Patient and Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
) and Desmond Hume
Desmond Hume
Desmond David Hume is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick. Desmond's name is a tribute to David Hume, the famous empiricist author and philosopher. Desmond was not a passenger of Flight 815. He had been stranded on the island three years prior to...
(Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick is a Scottish-Peruvian actor of stage, television, and film. He is well-known for his role as Desmond Hume on the United States television series Lost, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination....
) that Mr. Eko
Mr. Eko
Mr. Eko Tunde is a fictional character, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje on the ABC television series Lost. He is introduced in the second season episode "Adrift" as one of the plane-crash survivors from the plane's tail section. Flashbacks reveal that he became the leader of a gang of guerrillas...
(Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
) was killed by an animal, and decides to bury Eko where he died as he thinks the other castaways have seen have "too many funerals" recently. As Locke goes to the beach to get shovels, Sayid follows him and asks what really killed Eko. Locke says that the survivors call it "The Monster", and further speculates that The Monster may be what brought them there and that Eko died for a reason, he just does not know what it is yet. After the burial, Locke sees a message on Eko's stick: "Lift up your eyes and look north, John 3:05".
On Hydra island, Jack Shephard
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
(Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox (actor)
Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is mostly known for his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, and for portraying Jack Shephard on the supernatural drama television series Lost.- Early life :...
) checks Ben Linus's (Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on Lost and fictional serial killer William Hinks in The Practice.-Early life:...
) x-rays and medical file, and tells Ben that the tumor in his spine will become inoperable in a week. Jack however adds he is not going to operate on Ben because he does not trust the Others' promise of freeing him, Kate and Sawyer (Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway
Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:...
).
After the quarry where Kate and Sawyer are working suffers an invasion by Alex
Alex (Lost)
Alexandra "Alex" Linus is a recurring fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Tania Raymonde. She was born 16 years prior to the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, but was taken from her mother, Danielle Rousseau by the Others. She was raised among them, believing her mother to...
(Tania Raymonde
Tania Raymonde
Tania Raymonde is an American actress. Raymonde's first prominent casting role was the recurring character of Cynthia Sanders in TV series Malcolm in the Middle between 2000–2003, followed by a popular role as Alex Rousseau in ABC's Lost from 2006 to 2010.She can currently be seen as UTF officer...
), who demands to know where his boyfriend Karl (Blake Bashoff
Blake Bashoff
Blake Warren Bashoff is an American television and motion picture actor, known for his role as Moritz Stiefel in Spring Awakening. He has also appeared in a number of guest roles on television series, including the ABC series Lost as Karl Martin.- Life and career :Bashoff was born in Philadelphia,...
) is, Juliet Burke
Juliet Burke
Dr. Juliet Burke is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Elizabeth Mitchell. Her character was introduced in the third season premiere.- Prior to arrival on the island :...
(Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell , is an American actress/modelwho is known for her roles as Dr. Juliet Burke on ABC's TV series Lost and as FBI agent Erica Evans on V. She has starred in such films as The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, and Gia.-Early life:Mitchell was born Elizabeth...
) brings Kate to talk to Jack, telling her that it is the only way to prevent Danny Pickett (Michael Bowen
Michael Bowen (actor)
Michael Bowen is an American actor. Films he has appeared in include Jackie Brown, Magnolia, and Less Than Zero. Bowen also had a recurring role as Danny Pickett on the ABC television series, Lost....
) from killing Sawyer. When Jack and Kate see each other, Kate asks him to operate on Ben to prevent Sawyer from getting killed, but Jack gets angry and refuses.
After returning to her cage, Kate and Sawyer have an argument, and she climbs out of her cage and breaks open Sawyer's, saying if he does not want Jack to save his life, then he is going to save his own. Sawyer then tells her that they cannot run because of being on another island, something he did not tell her "because I wanted you to believe that we had a damn chance." Kate and Sawyer then have sex, unknowingly in full view of the cameras. At the Hydra station, Jack finds his door unlocked and unguarded, and outside reaches a surveillance room, where he sees Kate and Sawyer cuddling together on a monitor. Ben appears behind him, and after a brief exchange Jack decides to do the surgery, but wants Ben to keep his promise to let Jack off the island.
As Juliet anesthetizes Ben and Jack begins the operation, Pickett goes with another man to Sawyer's cage. Kate and Sawyer attempt to fight, but Pickett's companion overpowers Kate and holds her at gunpoint, leading Sawyer to surrender. Meanwhile, Jack sabotages the operation by cutting Ben's kidney sack, and demands for Tom
Tom (Lost)
Tom Friendly, often referred to as Tom or Mr. Friendly, is a recurring fictional character portrayed by M. C. Gainey on the American Broadcasting Company television series Lost. The series follows the lives of around forty survivors from the crash of Oceanic Flight 815...
(M.C. Gainey) to speak with Kate. Before Pickett can shoot Sawyer, Tom calls over the walkie-talkie. As Pickett gives the walkie to Kate, Jack tells her she has an hour head start, and directs her to call him on the radio when she is safe.
Production
Show runnerShow runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
s Damon Lindelof
Damon Lindelof
Damon Laurence Lindelof is an American television writer and executive, most recently noted as the co-creator and executive producer for the television series Lost. He has written for and produced Crossing Jordan, and wrote for Nash Bridges, Wasteland, and the MTV anthology series Undressed...
and Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse
Carlton Cuse is an AmericanEmmy Award winning screenwriter and producer, most famous as executive producer andscreenwriter for the American television series Lost for...
wrote "I Do" as a "mini-season finale
Season finale
A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...
", as it was the last episode before mid-season hiatus
Hiatus (television)
In television scheduling, a hiatus refers to a break of at least several weeks in the normal schedule of a broadcast programming. It can occur during a season of a television program, or can be between television seasons .- Planned hiatus :Many times television stations will implement a hiatus...
, and would end in a cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
. It also served as a climax and beginning of a closure of Jack, Kate and Sawyer's captivity on Hydra Island, with the writers saying that afterwards there would be a return to the beach and the six-episode block would be "more palatable" and make more sense, comparing them to the first seven episodes of season 2 where the tail section survivors are introduced. Executive producer Bryan Burk
Bryan Burk
Bryan Burk is an American film and television producer, as well as an occasional screenwriter.A graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television, Bryan Burk began his career working with producers Brad Weston at Columbia Pictures, Ned Tanen at Sony Pictures and John Davis at FOX...
also said the pre-hiatus episodes were "our season 2.5. Like, this is kind of like wrapping up a lot of where we were last year", considering season three would really begin in the seventh episode.
A main theme of the episode is Kate's inability to commit to other people, always running from difficult emotional situations, and having barriers between her and her interests – physical, as in Sawyer's cage or Jack's aquarium, or metaphorical, as in her inability to settle down as Kevin's wife. Kate's marriage, which was first alluded in the season one episode "Outlaws
Outlaws (Lost)
"Outlaws" is the 16th episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by Drew Goddard. It first aired on February 16, 2005 on ABC...
", is meant to be a contrast with her relationship with Sawyer in the realtime events – Kate and Kevin is a heartfelt and passionate relationship where Kate tries to get involved but her lifestyle ends up on making the marriage fail, whereas with Sawyer both are afraid of intimacy and connection yet still end up together.
Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion is a Canadian actor, currently starring as Richard Castle on the ABC series Castle. He is also known for his portrayal of the lead role of Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the television series Firefly and its feature film continuation, Serenity.He has acted in traditionally distributed...
was cast as Kevin because the producers thought he fit as "someone to believe that Kate had actually married and settled down with" for being "really good and kinda fun and intelligent", and also because Cuse and Lindelof were fans of Fillion's work on Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
. Fillion said that he was a Lost fan and described his experience working at the show as "a dream".
Reception
17.15 million American viewers watched this episode live, standing as the ninth most-seen program of the week. It also had 1.1 million viewers in the United Kingdom.Chris Carabott of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave a 9.3 out of 10 to "I Do", describing it as "delivering some key moments in the series' history and leaving viewers with a spectacular cliffhanger ending." Carabott complimented Locke's scenes as "short but nonetheless powerful" and praised Matthew Fox's acting, saying he "steals the show with one of his best performances to date". Writing for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Christine Fenno considered that the flashbacks "weren't as exciting as the action on the island, but they were full of fun details" and liked Jack's scenes at the operating room. Jonathan Toomey of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad called "I Do" "an episode worthy of being called a mid-season finale", thinking that the romantic scenes between Kate and Sawyer worked for "the tension that existed". BuddyTV
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website based in Seattle, Washington, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profiles, actor biographies and...
's Oscar Dahl considered "I Do" as "a worthy end to Lost's truncated Fall season", having a good reaction to the cliffhanger and saying the episode "set up incredible possibilities for the rest of the season". Not all reviews were positive, with Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
s critic Andrew Dignan feeling it was "lacking both the immediacy and urgency that keeps viewers clamoring for months on end", and being critical of the writing, particularly on most of the essential plot elements occurring in the final minutes.
"I Do" was selected as one of the "25 Sexiest TV Shows on DVD" by Entertainment Weekly. IGN ranked the episode 28th out of the 115 Lost episodes, describing it as a "turning point episode of the third season." On the other hand, a similar list by Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
ranked "I Do" as the 91st, saying it "mostly botched" the plot point of Kate's wedding despite Nathan Fillion's presence, and feeling it was an episode that "probably shouldn't have had to have as much pressure on it as it did (acting as a mini-cliffhanger in early Season 3)". Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Kate Austen in the ABC drama, Lost.-Early life:...
submitted this episode for consideration on her behalf in the category of "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Drama Series
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – a Drama Series.-Superlatives:-1950s:*1952: Helen Hayes*1953: no award*1954: Loretta Young – The Loretta Young Show*1955: no award...
" at the 2007 Emmy Awards
59th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition...
.