Namaste

I haven't decided how I feel about last night's episodes. I really liked some parts of it, but most left me sort of ... grey. I read somewhere that this seems like a transitional episode, and perhaps that's why it seemed like, even though a lot happened, none of it connected as emotionally as some of the earlier episodes.

• Didn't Frank do a great job of landing the plane? How did the Others know that a runway would be needed? I am assuming that this was the very runway Kate and Sawyer helped build - at gunpoint.
• Why didn't Sun flash with the others? I guess we'll find out, but I'd like to know now.
• The reunion between Sawyer, Hurley, Jack, and Kate was very nice and touching.
• Ethan! Why didn't I think of him! Of course Amy and Horace's son is Ethan. Far more logical a choice than Karl.
• The term "recruit", as in "Dharma recruit" makes me nervous.
• Poor Sayid. He must have felt like he was in bizarro world, with Sawyer in charge and Jin with good English.
• I think that Sun is my new favorite character. Who knew she was so smart? And how refreshing to see Ben being manipulated.
• How cool to see Pierre Chang, complaining about having to leave the lab, registering Jack.
• How uncomfortable was Juliet and Kate's reunion? And how odd that Chang had Jack's name but Phil didn't have Kate's? (Thanks to Brian for noticing).
• Radzinsky was the Paul Giamatti look alike in the Flame station building a model of the Swan station. The Swan station is where the numbers had to be inputted into the computer. Do you remember Kelvin Inman? Long story: Inman was the American soldier who taught Sayid how to torture. We also saw him in the Swan, with Desmond. Inman told Desmond about a man named Radzinsky, who served in the Swan with Inman and started the map on the door that Locke saw. One night, while Kelvin slept, Radzinsky shot himself dead. Inman had 108 minutes to bury him.
• What's going on with the creation of the Swan, anyway?
• Is Hurley going to try to save the Dharma Initiative from Ben's Purge?
• What a nice picture of the Dharma class of 1977.
• So, when Christian takes Sun on her journey, will Frank accompany her?
• Keep an eye on Phil; he's going to be trouble.
• Sayid and Ben's meeting was taut with meaning. I really hope we don't see Sayid trying to kill a young Ben. That would bother me for some reason.

Best lines of the night were all Hurley's (no surprise). "Um....what?" (Upon learning that they were all back in 1977). Later, seeing Sayid hauled out of the van: "I guess we found Sayid."

It was the penultimate confrontation of the episode that left the biggest impression on me. At first, I wanted to bang Jack and Sawyer's heads together, what with all that posturing. Did they need a measuring stick? They had an opportunity to compare notes, to learn what has been happening to them in the past three years. But no, instead, sword rattling.

But I thought about it. Remember Jack's interview with Pierre Chang? Based on Jack's aptitude test, he's suited for janitorial work. It reminded me of Roger Linus's reaction upon learning of his similar assignment. Two alcoholics, two demeaning work assignments. Did Sawyer arrange for the position with an intent to demean Jack? Later that night, he challenges Sawyer. Sawyer responded in kind, criticizing Jack's leadership skills and pointing out that Sawyer saved the day, for all of them. Did Sawyer go too far? Probably, but I can't say that Jack didn't deserve it. Some commentators thought that Jack was shamed, but I'm not so sure. I just think that he'll act on his own (or should I say "react"), without Sawyer. Good things will probably not happen from this.

I'm sure that I'll think of something to add later. I'm curious to hear what y'all think.