Charlotte Lewis (Lost) - Reception

Reception

"I think that's because these new characters were integral to the storyline. It made sense that these new people were coming on, because it was part of moving the whole storyline along where all these people were going to get off . It wasn't just adding new people and throwing them in and seeing if it stuck."

Mader, on why she thought the freighter cast were well received

The producers of Lost were nervous about how well the new characters would be received after two characters introduced in season three, Nikki (Kiele Sanchez) and Paulo (Rodrigo Santoro), were hated by the fan community. However, according to Jon Lachonis of UGO, Charlotte has been well received by fans, describing her as "one of the most speculated-about characters". Paige Albiniak of the New York Post praised the cast addition, while IGN's Chris Carabott described Charlotte, as well as the other new characters from the freighter, as "great" and "exciting". James Poniewozik of Time liked the introduction of the new characters from the freighter because "Each got just one flashback and a little time on the island, and yet by the end of the episode, felt had a true handle on what they were like as individuals". Jeff Jensen from Entertainment Weekly liked that the "fascinating" new characters brought "mind-blowing new possibilities, and exciting new theory fodder". Oscar Dahl of BuddyTV called it the "perfect introduction". Michael Ausiello of TV Guide also liked their introduction, and praised the actors' performances.

During the season Charlotte's storylines had mixed reactions. Jensen thought Charlotte and Faraday's mission to the Tempest in "The Other Woman" felt "forced". Dan Compora from Airlock Alpha liked Charlotte and Juliet's fight scene in this episode. BuddyTV's Oscar Dahl thought the whole plot at the Tempest was "filler" and wondered if it had been added just to give Charlotte and Faraday something to do. After Charlotte speaks Korean in "Something Nice Back Home", James Poniewozik from Time became curious about her past because she is "the member of the four freighties whom we know the least about, and the most secretive and sinister-seeming of the bunch". Chris Carabott was also intrigued after this scene, which he called "one of the more unexpected scenes".

Carabott felt Charlotte's death could have been explored further, but as there was so much happening in the episode not enough time was made for her death. Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger noted it was Jeremy Davies portrayal of Faraday's grief that made him care about her death. Cynthia Littleton from Variety said this was one of the few times Charlotte did not annoy her, as she acts as a translator for Jin, "finally do something worthwhile". Noel Murray of The A.V. Club felt distracted by Charlotte in this episode, because her reaction to time travel was different to what was shown in "The Constant", and found it "incredibly awkward" when Charlotte explained her whole backstory to Faraday. TV Guide's Mickey O'Connor praised Mader's acting, saying "Well done, Rebecca Mader, who has really done some fine work on Lost".