The Package

Well, Sun finally gets to actually do more than complain about finding Jin this week. Although, when you think about it, that's pretty much all she did in the 2007 time line in this episode. Mostly in Korean. However, in 2004, she's a hot tamale!

In case you haven't heard, there's been a wedding amongst our Lost actors - Yunjin Kim married her long time boyfriend over the weekend. They won't go on honeymoon though until after they finish filming Lost.

Well, enough celebrity gossip. Let's get on with the show!

Sun in 2004

It turns out that Sun and Jin are not married in our sideways timeline. Thus, she and Jin have different rooms. But when Jin comes over to tell her he's going to Keamy's restaurant, Sun takes control, using her feminine wiles to seduce him. It turns out, Jin asked her to button her sweater on the plane not to control her, but to maintain the illusion that they aren't lovers. For that is clearly what they are. The next morning, she tries to talk Jin into running off with her (in the original timeline, she was going to run away from him), stating she has something to tell him. But they're interrupted by Keamy, who wants to know where his money is.

Sun has a plan - she'll get it from her super-secret account! With Mikhail Bakunin (!) as her translator, she goes to the bank, only to find her father's closed her account. Back at the restaurant, they find what Sayid left, but Jin has escaped, and after Bakunin shoots off two rounds, Jin shoots him dead. But not before Sun is shot in the stomach. She reveals what we already figured out - she's pregnant!

Did you notice Sun looking at herself in the mirror before letting Keamy in? She looked a little confused, like she didn't recognize herself...

Jin in 2004

Jin has apparently put his life in his hands by having an affair with the boss's daughter. He should be relieved customs took his money - he never asked what it was for, but we learned it was Keamy's fee for killing Jin! Apparently, no one's allowed to sleep with Sun.

Jin is far more nervous about the missing money than Sun, and doesn't jump at her offer to run off with her. He might have been talked into it, however, had Keamy not interrupted their idyll. He begs Keamy to not tell the boss that Jin and Sun are having an affair, and goes to the restaurant with Keamy and Omar. He's in the refrigerator tied up when Sayid shoots the kitchen up. Sayid gives Jin the tools he needs to escape, and he shoots Bakunin dead. Sadly, Sun is shot as well. It's then he learns he's going to be a father.

Sayid in 2004

So, is Sayid just as dead in the sideways timeline as he appears to be in 2007? The helpful man on the plane who kicked the bathroom door down to rescue Charlie from his drug overdose wouldn't set Jin free. Of course, in Sayid's defense, it probably would have been foolish to release a stranger who doesn't speak any language he knows right after killing Keamy et al. But there was something cold in how Sayid notes, "I don't know why you're here and I don't care." At least he gives Jin the box cutter.

Martin Keamy in 2004

No surprise to find out that Keamy works for Mr. Paik. Is he a contractor or is their relationship more permanent? Does he act as a loan shark for Mr. Paik too? He's still a heartless killer who doesn't care about the lives he disrupts. I was a little surprised that Sayid's bullets didn't kill him, but I'm going to guess (hope?) that he's dead now.

Mikhail Bakunin in 2004

How fun to see him again! Apparently, Mikhail is a friend of a friend of Keamy's. And he's a genius with languages, apparently knowing Korean. Sadly for him, he's doomed to lose that eye in any timeline, including this one.

Sun in 2007

Sun is clearly tired of all the stalling and all the talk about destiny and candidates. She just wants to find her husband. She retreats to a place where she's retreated before - the garden she grew so lovingly all those years ago. Okay, just 3, but still.

She's alone at the garden when she's approached by notLocke. And she's clearly uncomfortable, if not frightened. He promises to provide her with what she's been wanting - to be reunited with Jin - but when he stretches his hand out to her, she does what (so far) no one else has done - she runs away from him. Sadly, she doesn't look where she's going and runs into a tree, sustaining brain trauma.

The brain trauma induces a weird form of aphasia, in which she can only speak Korean but can understand English. Remember the first season when she pretended she didn't understand English? Further, we see that when Richard returns with a plan, Sun is the only one who doesn't fall in line. Instead, she goes off, in Korean, basically telling Richard that she will do nothing that will destroy their only way home.

We then get what would have been one of the best scenes in the night if ABC hadn't put a "V" tag on the corner, hiding what Sun was writing. Sun is staring out into the ocean when Jack joins her. He's figured out that just because she can't speak English doesn't mean she can't write it (I do believe that speech and writing are controlled by different parts of the brain). She didn't follow notLocke because she didn't trust him, but she does trust Jack. He promises to find Jin, if she goes him to the Hydra Island. She takes his hand.

I had forgotten how close these two had been in the first season. It was nice to see again, especially after all the animostiy Sun felt toward Jack after Jin "died" in the freighter explosion.

Jin in 2007

Well, Sun may not be able to speak English, but Jin sure can! Almost like a mirror to the first season!

Jin's having nothing to do with notLocke, and once notLocke leaves the camp, he gathers his stuff. When Sawyer tries to talk him out of it, Jin makes it clear that he wants to leave "before that thing comes back." However, it's taken out of his hands when Zoe and Frederick - I mean Seamus - shoot them all with darts. It turns out that Jin's the guy.

Jin wakes up in, of all places, Room 23. We've seen that place before! Jin finds the subliminal experiment video, which he quickly turns off. It turns out that Jin is "the guy" because during his time in the DHARMA Initiative, he worked on a map that showed the electromagnetic pockets on the Island. But Jin holds his ground - he'll only talk with Charles Widmore.

Widmore did one of the nicest things for anyone I've ever seen him do - he shows Jin the pictures of his daughter on Sun's camera. Jin knew he had a daughter, but he's never met her and never seen pictures of her. Did you cry when watching? I wanted to. He's so proud. I hope that we get to see him meet her.

For reasons not clear to us, Widmore decides that Jin needs to see Widmore's "package", which is not a what, but a who.

Ben in 2007

Like Sun, Ben is restless to move, and isn't confident that Richard will actually help them out. While out gathering fruit, he finds Sun unconscious. After bringing her back to Ilana's camp, he finds Ilana staring at him.

Ben: What? Oh, for the fourth time, I was gathering mangoes and she was already unconscious when I found her. Why won't you believe me?
Ilana: Because you're talking.

I found that to be extremely hilarious. You may be allowed in the fold, Ben, but they still don't trust you.

Claire in 2007

I am going to take a stand and declare that Claire hasn't really forgiven Kate for taking and raising Aaron. She's curious - is her name on the cave? No. Kate's? Not anymore. She comments that she is a stranger to her own son and that Kate's his mother now. But that's okay. Once notLocke is finished with Kate, Claire can do whatever she wants to her. I don't think that bodes well for Kate.

Desmond in 2007

Well, big surprise that Desmond was locked in that room in the submarine. I know it was supposed to be a big reveal, but it really wasn't. Instead, it was the eye contact between the drugged Desmond and the numbed Sayid that really hit home. These two once worked together. No longer.

Jack in 2007

Jack's back! He's like the leader we had in Season 1. Only, he's different. Because now he believes in that which cannot be seen. He trusts in Richard and Jacob. He tries to talk to Sun about the business of candidacy but backs off when it's clear she wants to hear none of it. But after her confrontation with notLocke, he approaches her again, giving her a tomato that he'd found in her garden. He makes a deal with her - come with them and he'll help her find Jin.

I kind of have to wonder - why does she have to come with him? Couldn't he help her find Jin whether she joins him or not?

Ilana in 2007

Ilana is only second to Jack in her devotion to Jacob, holding faith that Richard will return, and that he will have the answers for them. An extremely patient woman, she finally has a chance to change clothes. But she also lets us know that she still thinks Ben is a big liar.

Kate in 2007

Kate has an extremely minor role this week. Sawyer spends a lot of time talking with her. Claire glares at her.

Miles in 2007

There's only one reason to bring up Miles from this episode. As Ilana expressed faith that Hurley would find Richard and bring him back, Miles snarks, "Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I'm not sure Hurley's tracking anything." Oh, Miles.

notLocke in 2007

notLocke was a little out of control this week. Jin doesn't trust him, Sawyer continues to confront him publicly, Sun runs away from him, and Widmore's people shoot darts at his people while he's gone.

We learned a little bit about why he's gathering candidates - he needs them all to leave the Island. And the fact that he didn't take Sun with him after she was knocked unconscious indicates that they really do have to follow him of their own free will.

notLocke is not very comforting with the man he makes his second in command. It's okay that you're numb, Sayid, because it will help you get through what's coming. What's coming? And how does notLocke know about it?

notLocke clearly doesn't like Kate very much. He lies to Claire about whether Kate's name was in the cave and whether Claire's name was. No matter what Claire feels about Kate, and she clearly doesn't mean Kate well, notLocke needs Kate to help him get the other three candidates on the plane. Once that's done, "Whatever happens, happens."

notLocke is justifiably angry that his camp was attacked and Jin taken. Not that Jin would have stayed in his camp. So he takes Sayid and goes to the Hydra Island. And confronts Widmore. Widmore stays behind the safety of the pylons. When asked, Widmore denies taking Jin. Whether he lied or didn't know we just don't know. Either way, notLocke gives one of the great lines of the night, "A wise man once said that war was coming to this Island. I think it just got here."

Richard Alpert in 2007

The other Man in Black returns to Ilana's camp, and he's the man we've known through the years. Decisive and determined, he makes his plans to prevent notLocke's escape from the Island. Perhaps fortunately for him, he doesn't understand Korean. His ears would have burned.

His plan to prevent notLocke's escape? Blow up the airplane on the Hydra Island.

Sawyer in 2007

Sawyer is disturbed that Jin is planning on leaving notLocke's camp. I'm not sure why. He definitely takes offense when Jin questions Sawyer's willingness to listen to notLocke. They don't get a chance to finish the argument, thanks to Zoe and Frederick - I mean Seamus.

Sawyer confronts notLocke when he announces that he and Sayid are going to the Hydra Island on an outrigger. He wants to know why notLocke doesn't just smoke on over to the Hydra. notLocke responds: "Do you think, if I could do that, I would still be on this Island?" Sawyer responds, "No, because that would be ridiculous." He has a point.

When notLocke returns from the Hydra Island without Jin or Sayid, Sawyer asks about them. It's good to know that he still cares about his friends. I don't know what kind of relationship Jin and Sawyer had during the three years of their time together in the DHARMA Initiative, as it doesn't appear to have made them close like Sawyer and Miles. But Sawyer's still looking out for him.

Sayid in 2007

Sayid is the logical one to choose as a second-in-command. I would. But when promoted, Sayid says, "I don't feel anything. Anger, happiness, pain. I don't feel it anymore." He doesn't feel enough to even be terribly bothered by this numbness. But he is slightly bothered by it. At least, enough to comment on it.

Sayid can swim, and he takes on the mission of finding out what is in Widmore's locked room. As he comes out of the water, all Apocalypse Now, he comes eye-to-eye with an equally numbed Desmond. But they did recognize each other.

Widmore in 2007

I noted Widmore's kindness to Jin earlier. It's not the first time we've seen him be kind. I'm thinking of his conversation with a 12-year-old Ben in Dead is Dead. But I also felt that he was manipulating Jin. Big surprise, hunh? As Jin looks at his daughter's pictures, Widmore states:

I know what it's like to be kept apart...I understand the one thing you want is to be reunited with your wife and daughter. But it would be short-lived if that thing masquerading as John Locke ever left this Island...Everyone we know and loved would simply cease to be.

Like notLocke, Widmore has lost a little control over his own camp. Zoe bags and tags Jin too soon, because Jin was about to leave notLocke's camp. I assume that his verbal confrontation with notLocke was too soon for his own taste.

Widmore's still a mixed bag, however, as evidenced by his decision to drug his own son-in-law and bring him back to the Island. Also, knowing the time frame, I think it is safe to say that Desmond is probably still recovering from the gunshot wound he sustained from Ben. Maybe the Island will heal him quickly. However, Desmond's presence as the Package does not bode well for Widmore's relationship with Penny.

Zoe in 2007

Zoe barely warrants a mention, except that she apparently bagged and tagged Jin too early for Widmore's plan. She points out that he perhaps should have found a mercenary to do the job instead of a geophysicist. I guess she doesn't know what a disaster the mercenary Widmore hired made of things.

Well, now that we've got that done: Questions:

Whose Side is Widmore On, Anyway?

For a long time, we thought of Widmore as the "big-bad" of the Island, the one willing to do anything to return to it, seemingly to engage in evil-doing. When Miles was "kidnapped" by Bram after being hired by Widmore to return to the Island, Bram told Miles that he was on the wrong side of the war coming up.

Yet it now seems that Widmore and Ilana have the same goal - preventing notLocke from leaving the Island. Will they join forces? Or are their methods for achieving this goal so far opposed to each other that they can never work together?

What's the Connection Between the Sideways Timeline and the 2007 Timeline?

There has to be a connection. We just don't know what it is. Until recently, it appeared that the lives of our characters were better in the sideways time than they had been. Jack resolved some of his father issues and improved his relationship with his son. John Locke confronted his own feelings of helplessness and deepened his relationship with Helen, whom he plans to marry. Kate escaped, at least for a little while. Ben's a high school teacher.

But, while Nadia lives, she is not Sayid's lover, despite their obvious love for each other. Sawyer's life is still overshadowed by what happened to his parents. Kate was caught. And Sun was shot in the stomach.

So, what is this timeline? Is it the result of Juliet blowing up Jughead? Or is it what would happen if notLocke escapes? Is it the beginning of the end, the ceasing of what all knew and loved as predicted by Widmore?

There's so much more, but I'm exhausted. What did you think?

Ab Aeterno

Wow. What an episode. A number of things happened in Ab Aeterno, providing answers to some questions, perspectives on some characters, and ideas about what the nature of the Island really is. I think we can also put to rest the idea that Jacob might be God, or at least, the Judeo-Christian God.

Let's start first with what we learned about the candidates.

The Candidates

We return to the same scene between Ilana and Jacob that we saw in The Incident. Jacob never touched her, but we got more of the conversation. He needs her to protect 6 people - they are the remaining candidates. Flash forward to 2007, where, around the campfire, Sun announces that she, Jack, and Hurley are three of them. Ilana didn't correct her, but didn't she tell Sun earlier that she didn't know which Kwon was the candidate? Oh, well, nothing like confidence.

After Ilana brings them from the Temple, she's to ask Richard what to do next. And, at this point, we realize that Jack's intervention with Richard in The Black Rock did little other than prevent his suicide. He's still agitated, and announces, "You're dead. We're all dead....We're in hell." He then stalks off into the jungle, determine to find someone else to listen to.

It's at this point that Jack learns something rather vital - Richard wants to talk with Locke.

Jack: Locke is dead.
Ben: If it's any consolation, it's not exactly Locke.

One of Hurley's two best lines of the night comes when Jack demands to know to whom Hurley's speaking: Sorry Jack, but this has nothing to do with you.

Go Hurley!

The rest of our time focuses on Richard's story.

Ricardo

Ricardo's story is a sad but unfortunately not uncommon one. In 1867, the man comes home to find his tubercular wife coughing blood and burning with fever. He rides half a day away in the pouring rain for a doctor, to find the doctor is a venal man only interested in money. There's a shoving match, the doctor falls backward and dies, and Ricardo takes the medicine from the doctor's hands. But it's too late, Isabella, his wife is dead, and the police (or the Canary Island version of them) are banging on his door.

In prison, he's reading his English Bible when a priest brings him food and asks if Ricardo is prepared to make his confession. Which Ricardo promptly does. But when he asks to be absolved of his sins, the priest refuses. The only way Ricardo can earn the grace of absolution is through penance, which Ricardo won't have time for, seeing as he's scheduled to die the next day. "I'm afraid the devil awaits you in hell.'

I don't think much of this priest. I know enough about the sacrament of reconciliation to know that if you are truly sorry for your sins, you will be forgiven. And I'm convinced that Ricardo was truly sorry for killing the doctor. But this is just an aside.

As Ricardo is prepared for hanging, a Mr. Whitfield is given the opportunity to check Ricardo's hands and teeth. If Ricardo speaks English, he's good to go. Where? The New World. Whitfield announces, "This man is now the property of Magnus Hanso."

I'm pretty sure the New World to which Ricardo was headed is not America. I suspect it to be Australia or some other prisoner colony. I also want to point out that Hanso must be an ancestor of those who set up the Hanso Foundation. If you keep up with the activities of the producers at various Comic Cons, you then know that the Hanso Foundation funded the DHARMA Initiative. But this Magnus Hanso was killed in the shipwreck.

The trip to the New World looks completely miserable for prisoners, especially when there's a storm and shipwreck. The prisoners survive, but Whitfield decides he must kill the prisoners before they kill him. He's about to kill Ricardo when the Smoke Monster makes his appearance, killing all the officers, but, after pondering Ricardo, leaving him alive.

Ricardo, who really looks like he's wearing eyeliner in one of his close ups, tries to escape from his chains, but fails to. At one point, he awakens to find his now-dead fellow prisoners being eaten by a boar (yuck). But then, a miracle happens, as Isabella, his dead wife appears to him. Yes, we're dead, we're in hell. We must escape the devil. She runs from the ship, apparently to be killed by the Smoke Monster.

And so finds the Man in Black (not Jacob, as I had at first thought) nursing Ricardo back to health. He confirms that Ricardo is in hell and that the devil has Isabella. He agrees to help Ricardo, but only if Ricardo promises to do anything the Man in Black says. Ricardo is in no shape to refuse. He's shocked when he hears, "I'm afraid there's only one way to escape from hell. You're going to have to kill the devil."

So, if you eat a boar that has just recently eaten your friends, does that make you a cannibal?

The Man in Black gives Ricardo some instructions on how to kill the devil that we've heard before. The devil has to be stabbed in the stomach with a fancy knife before he says a word (apparently, the devil "can be very persuasive."). When Ricardo points out it is hard to stab black smoke, the Man in Black (I really wish we had a name) admits that he is the black smoke. Ricardo loses trust. He hears, "The devil betrayed me. He took my body. My humanity." And the Man in Black promises to reunite Ricardo with Isabella.

I still think it's not fair to get ticked with people when their alleged victim speaks before they really have a chance to stab. And let's face it, Sayid had been dead and Ricardo nearly so. What are people thinking?

The last thing that I expected Jacob to do was to beat Ricardo up. This is not the kind, gentle Jacob of The Incident. Indeed, this guy is all edge and irritation. He even dunks (or baptizes) Ricardo in the ocean after Ricardo protests once too often that he's dead.

And finally, we learn something about Jacob after he admits to bringing Ricardo's ship to the Island.

That man who sent you to kill me believes that everyone is corruptible because it's in their very nature to sin. I bring people here to prove him wrong. And when they get here, their past doesn't matter.

Ricardo is confused when he learns that everyone Jacob has brought to the Island has died and that Jacob never helped them.

I wanted them to help themselves. To know the difference between right and wrong without me having to tell them. It's all meaningless if I have to force them to do anything. Why should I have to step in?

Ricardo then says the thing that apparently Jacob has been needing to hear for years, "If you don't, he will." To which I say, duh!

Jacob realizes the truth of what Ricardo says, and offers Ricardo a job to act as his intermediary between him and the people he brings to the Island.

What's in it for Ricardo? Well, Jacob can't bring Isabella back, and he can't absolve Ricardo of his sins, but he can make Ricardo live forever. And Jacob puts his hand on Ricardo's shoulder, and Ricardo's fate is sealed.

Ricardo brings a white rock to the Man in Black (subtle), who seems unsurprised that his plan has failed. He then gives Ricardo the necklace with a cross that Isabella had given Ricardo to pay the doctor for her medication. I'm as confused as Isabella as to why he buries it.

Fast forward over 140 years, and now Richard is wearing black (I just noticed that - has he always?) and digs up his cross. He then yells to the Man in Black that he's changed his mind, and ready to follow him. He hears a noise, and is angered that it's not the Man in Black, but Hurley.

One things the producers do well is heartbreaking romantic scenes. Perhaps some viewers found the conversation between Richard, Isabella, and Hurley to be treacly, but I did not. I loved it, and wanted to cry. In the conversation, Isabella reminds Richard that they are always together, and that there was nothing he could do to save her. She also tells him that he needs to stop the Man in Black from leaving the Island, "If you don't, we all go to hell." Okay, so Hurley said the latter in Spanish, but whatever.

The episode ends back in 1867, with Jacob asking the Man in Black why he wanted to kill him. Really? You don't know why? I guess that was his first attempt. The Man in Black promises that he will kill Jacob and whomever takes Jacob's place.

And so much falls into place.

Thoughts

There's been a lot of discussion as to what is the nature of Jacob and the Man in Black. Good, evil, God, devil. I do believe that the Man in Black is evil, somehow, even if at most selfish, but I suspect he's more than that. But I'm not as convinced that Jacob is all good, and I'm sure he's not God. First of all, God kicked Lucifer out of heaven. He never dedicated himself to keeping Lucifer in one place. Perhaps Jacob is an angel of sorts, sent by God to keep this evil within bounds, but I'm not so sure.

Jacob himself seems to have a lot of rough edges in 1867. He brings The Black Rock onto the Island, but does nothing to prevent the Man in Black from killing the passengers and crew. How can they prove they can choose good if they're killed immediately? And why would he start punching Richard before talking with him? What's that comment about not letting anyone in his foot (okay, the foot of the statue, but it sounds better my way) unless they're invited? He sounded really irritated.

Richard may have thought that his 140 years as Jacob's intermediary was pointless, but I disagree. I think that Richard must have humanized Jacob to a large degree. Perhaps Richard was the first real human Jacob interacted with. But what a difference between Jacob in 1867 and Jacob over a hundred years later. In 1867, he petulantly demanded to know why he should intervene with the people he brought to the Island. But we saw him pay for Kate's lunch box, give James Ford a pen, congratulate Sun and Jin on their wedding, give Jack a candy bar, ask Sayid for directions, and perhaps revive John Locke after a fall from eight stories. And who can forget his conversations with Hurley? He didn't know Richard's name, but he certainly knew these eight intimately.

When Jacob talked with Ilana, he knew that only six candidates remained. We know that one named Kwon, Hurley, and Jack are candidates. It's doubtful that Ben, Miles or Lapidus are. There were eight people Jacob touched in The Incident: Kate, Sawyer, Sun, Jin, Jack, Sayid, John Locke, and Hurley. I personally think it's fair to say that John Locke and Sayid are no longer candidates. Locke was killed by Ben, and Sayid has apparently gone to the dark side (Darth Vader would be proud). That leaves six. A lot of hay has been made that Kate is not a candidate since we didn't see her name on the ceiling or on the lighthouse thingie. But just because we didn't see it doesn't mean that it wasn't there.

It's getting late, and I have a feeling that rambling could occur if I stay on, so I'll sign off. I'll be curious to hear what you have to say about this episode. It's definitely a hard one to not think about.

Delays Happen

As you may have heard, my DVR decided to not record Lost on Wednesday night. I really hate when these machines start thinking for themselves. I didn't realize this until 20 minutes into the hour. I loved what I saw, but I want to watch the whole episode online before I post my thoughts. Hopefully that will happen tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime, I would like you to ponder the nature of good and evil.

The Life and Times of 'Lost's' Ben Linus (Set to Michael Jackson's "Ben")

The Life and Times of 'Lost's' Ben Linus (Set to Michael Jackson's "Ben")

How could I not share this with y'all?

Recon

Well, if this episode didn't make my mother happy, she's just impossible to please. We got plenty of Sawyer, and the producers know how to make it's female viewers happy - he spent quite a lot of that time without a shirt. Oh, my.

This episode wasn't about redemption and it had little to no mythology. Instead, it was all about relationships. Specifically, James Ford's relationships with the people in his life, and his relationship with the world. Let's get started.

Jimmy Ford in 2004

Yes, that's right. Our favorite con man never took on the name of the man who ruined his family. Instead, when it came time to choose to be a criminal or a cop, he chose the later. We were tricked, of course. In LA X, Jimmy's warning to Hugo Reyes that his bragging will attract con men made us all think that Jimmy was setting him up as a mark. At the beginning of Recon, we saw the beginning of the first season episode Confidence Man. It's post coitus with a beautiful woman, when she suddenly realizes he is late to a meeting. As he rushes to get ready, a briefcase opens up, spilling money all over the place. Oops - she wasn't supposed to see that. But this woman recognizes the con game - it seems her husband is a con man too. Suddenly, we realize that Jimmy's life is different from Sawyer's.

He tries to tell her (and us) that he's a cop. She's not the only one shocked, I'm sure, when he says the magic word - LaFleur! - and the cops burst in, including Jimmy's partner, Miles. Yeah! More Miles time!

Although Jimmy has taken a more legal path in his life than his counterpart, it is still an empty life. We have learned that his parents were still killed when he was nine after Anthony Cooper conned them. This has left a hole in his heart and soul, and he still has difficulties trusting others. He has a hot date with Charlotte Lewis (!), but it ends abruptly when he realizes she's found his Sawyer file. He lies to Miles about his trip to Australia, and when confronted by the lie, he refuses to trust his partner. He lives in a barely furnished apartment and watches Little House on the Prairie.

Michael Landon is long dead, but apparently, his message lives on. Jimmy pays close attention as Pa Ingalls tells Half-Pint that she shouldn't worry about his future death: "People aren't really gone when they die." He reminds her to enjoy her time while she's got it.

So a sunflower and six-pack later, Jimmy shows up at Charlotte's doorstep. Sadly, it's too late for her to accept him, so he leaves the sunflower and slinks away. Charlotte's made of far sterner stuff than I am, by the way.

Jimmy then reconciles with the person he should have - Miles. He shows Miles the Sawyer files, and explains why he kept his investigation from Miles - Miles would prevent him from killing Anthony Cooper. Their conversation is interrupted by a car plowing into them. A car and foot chase later, Jimmy captures ... Kate. Of course.

Sawyer in 2007

Sawyer is a man of many names. Recently, he had been James Ford, but I think he's now returned to Sawyer. But he's a little different from the Sawyer we first met, six years ago. That Sawyer was out for himself. This Sawyer seems to be, but his goal is not just to get himself off the Island but all his friends. And not just Kate, though the last scene might imply it. But I think he was genuine when he told Jin that they wouldn't leave the Island without Sun.

But Sawyer's tolerance of notLocke has lowered. And who can blame him after notLocke tells the group that they have to settle in a clearing for a few days? notLocke clearly doesn't like being challenged by Sawyer in front of the group, so he sends the con man on a recon mission - find out which survivors of the Ajira flight is on the Hydra Island, as notLocke believes they don't mean him well.

Apparently we're spending Season 6 looking at all the places we've known and loved through the series. Tonight, we got to see the polar bear cages where Kate and Sawyer were imprisoned in Season 3. And remember the dress that Mr. Friendly gave Kate? So did Sawyer. He seemed to remember a lot.

I love that this episode is called "Recon", since it's kind of a Sawyer con and re-con against two powerful men (well, one might be more entity than man, but still). Sawyer figures out Zoe isn't who she says she is, so he gets a quick trip to see Charles Widmore on his sub. He then tells Widmore about notLocke, and lies that he'll tell notLocke no one is on the Hydra Island. But then he tells notLocke all about Widmore.

Why? Well, he's not anyone's errand boy. And while notLocke and Widmore fight it out, Sawyer and his friends can take the submarine and finally leave the Island.

Charles Widmore in 2007

We watched as Widmore's people collected Sawyer, put up pylons, and were generally busy on the Hydra Island. He makes fun of Sawyer for not knowing much of what's going on, but says nothing more because, of course, Sawyer doesn't ask. Instead, he seems to take Sawyer's words at face value, acting at though they are allies. I am presuming that he knows better.

Charlotte in 2004

Wow, Charlotte's hot. Gentlemen, you'll have to let me know if her hotness made up for all that shirtless Sawyer.

Charlotte is still an archaeologist, but she seems less obsessed with finding a mysterious Island. I can only assume that since she's working with Pierre Chang, she was on the Island, just as Ben and his father were, but that's just supposition. She loves her work, and finds travel to be exciting and romantic. She's very flirty and very attracted to Jimmy. Until he kicks her out, that is.

Charlotte is probably right in turning the apologetic Jimmy away. After all, "You blew it". You don't kick hot women out of your apartment at 3 a.m. The sunflower was a really nice touch, though. James Ford understands the power of a single flower in any timeline.

Claire in 2007

Claire remains a creepy figure on the Island. Did you shiver a bit when she grabbed Kate's hand as they listened to notLocke? But we quickly learn that she's just biding her time. While Kate is distracted trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with Sayid, she attacks. And is shocked when notLocke, her "Friend", pulls her off Kate, and slaps her.

Claire appears to have heard notLocke's message that Kate took Aaron because Claire was missing. She finds Kate, and hugs her, thanking her for caring for Aaron. Is it a sincere reunion? Just too hard to tell.

Jin in 2007

We don't have a lot of Jin time this episode. He's still recovering from his bear-trap-induced injury. He tries to convince Sawyer to leave Claire's shack of scariness, and is shocked when Sawyer reveals he's with notLocke: "That is not Locke." Not news to Sawyer. Jin tells Sawyer that he can't leave the Island without Sun.

I don't remember seeing Jin after that. I assume he follows notLocke and his crazy band, along with Sawyer and Kate, but we don't see him. I also assume he still needs help, though maybe the Island's healing mojo has worked its magic on him.

Kate in 2007

Kate's world on the Island continues to fall apart. She quickly realizes that there's something wrong with Sayid, but is then shocked when she's attacked by Claire. She had plenty of clues that something wasn't quite right with Claire, but clearly didn't expect her friend to attack her with a knife.

So we find Kate sobbing away for the second time this season. Kate's a tough woman, and to be beaten down so much is hard for her. After all, she'd been friends with Claire, and had even helped her deliver Aaron. Sayid is missing in action. And she's getting apologies from a dead man. A dead man she never really liked all that much.

I'm not sure what notLocke's game with Kate is all about, and neither is she, but she appears to be listening, especially to the part about Aaron now having a crazy mother. Sadly, it's true, and Kate doesn't look all that mollified when Claire apologizes for herself later.

Liam Pace in 2004

Did you recognize Charlie's brother as he tried to get details from uncooperative police (including Jimmy)? In our original timeline, Liam had turned into a sober family man who refused to rejoin Drive Shaft. I wonder who he is now? Clearly, a caring brother.

Miles in 2004

Is he Miles Straume or Miles Chang? I never heard nor saw any indication one way or the other. We do know that Miles' father works at a museum with Charlotte Lewis. I was really hoping for a glimpse of Pierre Chang, but no such luck. Instead, we got plenty of Miles-time. Miles is Jimmy's partner, just like in their alternative DHARMA days. One difference, though: Miles has a girlfriend, but Jimmy doesn't. So he sets up Jimmy with his father's co-worker.

In this timeline, Miles needs to know that Jimmy trusts him. He may or may not be a ghostbuster in 2004, but he definitely can tell when he's being lied to. Apparently, the best liar notLocke ever met isn't good enough to snow Miles. Maybe Miles is a lie-buster in this timeline? Either way, he investigates, and can't believe Jimmy went to Australia without telling him. Sometimes people just don't like being lied to. And when Jimmy refuses to tell Miles why he went to Australia, Miles breaks up with Jimmy. I mean, he refuses to be Jimmy's partner.

It was good to see Miles and Jimmy make up at the end of their time on the episode, and how well they worked together to capture the fleeing Kate. I think that they are back on track.

notLocke in 2007

I think it is safe to say that notLocke is not happy to have the uncrazy Sawyer and Kate in his retinue. He promises his group answers, but then stalls them in a clearing.

What did you feel as you watched notLocke console Zach and Emma? Honestly, it didn't make me squirm nearly as much as notLocke's attempt to smile at Kate.

What made notLocke send Sawyer on his recon mission? Was it Sawyer's open challenging of his authority? Did that make him realize that Sawyer's not a pawn? He confessed to Sawyer that he was "the smoke thing" that killed remaining Others at the Temple. What he didn't explain was why they had to be killed so he could leave the Island. It doesn't really make sense. Later, he thanks Sawyer for his loyalty, but I doubt he buys that Sawyer is really loyal to him. What is cool is that Sawyer is loyal to his own group, not just himself. But didn't I touch on that earlier?

notLocke interacts much more with Kate this episode. He has to, if he's going to protect her from Claire. And he promised to keep all his people safe. Whatever that means.

What it means with Kate is pure, unadulterated manipulation. And it is there that we learn a little about the creature that has taken on Locke's shape. He asks Kate, "Have you ever had an enemy? Someone you needed to hate?" I'm trying to think. Honestly, I don't think she has, unless you count her father, Wayne.

But later he tells Kate, "My mother was crazy, a very disturbed woman...Because of that I had some growing pains." He made it clear it wasn't Locke's mother by indicating this is the mother he had long before he took on Locke's shape. And because he was raised by this woman, things happened that didn't have to happen.

That takes me back to Genesis, to Rebecca, the mother of Esau and Jacob. Remember that post? Rebecca made decisions that caused her family great problems. She made her preference for Jacob obvious (in her defense, Isaac, their father, made no secret of his preference for Esau), and arranged for Jacob to steal Esau's birthright. Just thinking.

Is notLocke lying about whom he is? Well, I don't think so. Maybe I'm just thinking that because we only have 10 hours left. We had to have some mythology this week.

Sayid in 2007

While Claire's eyes retain that religious ecstasy expression, Sayid's are now just dead. His impassive face gives us no idea of what he's thinking or feeling. And impassive is a good word for him. The Sayid I know and love would never have just watched while Claire tried to kill Kate. This Sayid barely seemed to know anything was going on.

Seamus in 2007

I'm probably the only fool that caught this. Remember the guy who came out of the bushes yelling at Sawyer to fall to his knees when Zoe whistled? He's played by Frederick Koehler. He played Chip Lowell, on Kate & Allie as Allie's son in the 1980s. He's been playing thugs and teenagers ever since then. It made me happy to see him.

Zoe in 2007

Sheila Kelley plays Zoe. She had a bit of a career in the 1990s. I haven't seen her lately. Until now. She asked too many questions for anyone to assume that she was anything but a trick. It would never occur to me to ask someone how many guns they have.

A lot of people on the blogosphere are really ticked that she joined the show. Oh, my goodness! A new character at the end of the show!?! What were the producers thinking? I'm not so bothered. Widmore needs servants. What are they expecting?

Extraneous Thoughts

So, who is Widmore working with? He seemed surprised that Locke is the shape of whatever our entity is. Is he here just to kill Ben and take control of the Island? Or does he have deeper alliances? And who or what is in that locked door on the sub?

Is the Anthony Cooper that conned Jimmy's parents the same that is John Locke's father? Remember, we saw a picture of Anthony Cooper with John on John's desk at work. Does John not know that Cooper is a con man?

I noticed a bit of parallelism in the episode. Okay, it was obvious, but still. When asked if he's okay by Kate, he says no, just as Kate does minutes later when asked by notLocke. There's a lot of that going on.

We've seen Watership Down before. It was one of the books that Kate found in Sawyer's tent in Confidence Man, and now on Jimmy's chest of drawers. Ford likes to read in any timeline.

Are we moving from father issues to mother issues? Does anyone have a healthy relationship with their parents?

So, tell me what you think.

The Return of Charles Widmore

Well, if Ben can return to the Island, so can Widmore, I guess. I'm a bit embarrassed that I completely forgot to say anything in my analysis of Dr. Linus about Widmore's arrival via submarine. I think that my friend Mike (hi, Mike!) put it best - the scene just interfered with our enjoyment of the beach reunion.

But we can't just ignore Widmore's return, as we know it doesn't mean anything good.

How much time has elapsed since Ben shot Desmond and Desmond beat Ben almost to a pulp? A week? How did Widmore find the Island? It seems unlikely that Eloise Hawking helped him, after her slap when he dared to compare his loss with hers. Daniel Faraday is dead. Did Widmore have plans in place already when he hovered outside the hospital? Did he know that Locke, aka Jeremy Bentham, had died?

I'm also curious about any allies that Widmore might have on the Island. Clearly, Ben is not an ally. Ben exiled Widmore off the Island (a fate worse than death?) and bears the horrible memory of Widmore's agent killing his daughter. Locke is dead.

But what about Miles? Miles was hired by Widmore for purposes still unknown to us. What was Miles supposed to do for Widmore?

Sun was also an erstwhile ally of Widmore's. Now, of course, all she wants is to find her husband. But what was she supposed to do with Widmore? What did their plans involve? Did she somehow help Widmore find the Island?

A lot of bloggers are wondering who is on the sub with Widmore. I think it is safe to say neither Eloise nor Daniel are on the sub (these were both suggested by bloggers). Maybe Aaron, Ji Yeon, and Clementine? Okay, I'm just dreaming about this one. But surely he has someone important on that sub!

In the meantime, according to Comcast's description of Recon, this week's new episode, Sawyer's back. My mother will be so happy.

Jacob's Touch

In Dr. Linus, we learned from Richard that Jacob's touch brought about changes, changes that can be seen as either blessings or curses. We know that Jacob's touch made Richard never die (at least, by his own hand) and never age. It also appeared to me that Jacob's touch revived John Locke after his father pushed him out of a window eight floors above ground. We don't know if Locke would have aged, but we do know he could be killed - just ask Ben.

So, what are the rules of this touch? Are there rules? Clearly, some who are touched by Jacob can age, or else Kate and James Ford would be the oldest children ever. Actually, I can hear some of you say that Kate is a child, but you know what I mean. We know that those who have been touched by Jacob can be "claimed" or "infected", as we saw with Sayid.

Can Sayid, Jin, Sun, Jack, and Hurley age? Is it possible that they will never die? Or can they never die until Jacob or the Island is done with them?

Is it Jacob's touch that makes a Candidate? notLocke seems to think so. If so, then Kate is surely a Candidate, as are both Kwons. Is it the touch that makes the Candidate worthy? Or is it just an acknowledgment of their worthiness? Or perhaps the touch is just to make the Candidate safe?

And what about Ben? I don't remember this, but apparently, Jacob actually touched Ben as Ben stabbed him to death. Did this touch pass on to Ben any of the qualities we're looking at? Could it have possibly turned him into a Candidate? Wouldn't that be funny?

We have to adjust to the fact that not all questions will be answered, but I sincerely hope that we get answers to some of these questions. It might help explain why these people were brought together to the Island.

Dr. Linus

Before I forget, I must express concern for my poor mother. She has had to suffer for three full weeks of a lack of Sawyer. I must admit, I'm missing some James Ford too.

A lack of Sawyer aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this week's episode. Even if it wasn't the best of the Ben-centric episodes, a Ben episode in Lost is one of the best ever to be seen. Ben in the sideways world has a Ph.D in European history and teaches high school. The one class we see him teaching focuses on Napoleon - not his wars or his impact on the law, but his exile on the island of Elba. Ben was telling his rapt students that on Elba, Napoleon faced his greatest challenge - not his exile, but his loss of power. Indeed, Napoleon "might just as well have been dead."

Power, the loss of power, on an island was certainly the theme of tonight's episode, in both timelines. Though I'm taking the metaphor of a school is an island perhaps too far.

Dr. Linus in 2004

Ben is a frustrated teacher. His principal clearly doesn't appreciate him and is stingy on supplies and ways to improve his school. Principal Reynolds is so disrespectful to Ben that he only calls him Linus, not Dr. Linus. But worse than that, he tells Ben that history club, with its five members, isn't for the students but to make Ben feel needed - not a good enough reason for Ben to get out of staffing detention for the week.

Ben's complaining with his best friend at work - Leslie Arzt - about how the principal just doesn't care about the students when he's interrupted by John Locke, suggesting that perhaps Ben should become principal. Who would listen to Ben? Well, John's listening.

I must have nearly fallen out of my chair when I saw who lives with Ben. I was hoping for Annie, but his dad was really cool. Apparently Roger lived just as unhealthy a life in the sideways timeline as he did on the Island. Perhaps Roger's vice here was cigarettes, as we watched a solicitous Ben trade out one oxygen canister for another (here he gasses his father for his health; on the Island, it was to kill). Ben clearly cares for his father, and his father clearly cares for him. As Ben speaks of his frustration with his position, finally noting, "Maybe I'm more of a loser than any of them (the students in detention)", Roger looks wistful: "This isn't what I wanted for you, Ben." That doesn't sound anything like the Roger we knew and ... well, I can't say loved. But then the other shoe drops - this pair had been to the Island in the DHARMA Initiative. And for reasons unknown, they left, clearly before it sank. And Roger believes that Ben could have been so much more had they stayed: "Who knows what you would have become?" Well, Roger, if his father on the Island had been as good as you, maybe he wouldn't have become the power-hungry killer he turned out to be.

Then we meet one of Ben's students, a bright young thing named Alexandra Rousseau. Apparently, she is one of Ben's most promising students, but her mother works two jobs and can't afford to send Alex to the college of the girl's dreams - Yale. However, Principal Reynolds is a grad (he didn't get far himself, now did he?), and a letter of recommendation from him would be worth gold. Ben clearly cares about Alex, and wants her to do well. But it's not until we see Dr. Linus' attempt at blackmail that we realize how much. Yes, the principal has engaged in an extramarital affair on school property. But, he quickly regains the upper hand. Reynolds can resign and suggest Linus as his replacement, or Reynolds can write a glowing letter of recommendation for Alex.

Lost tricks us into thinking that Ben chose power over Alex, but instead, Ben changes what he wants. Alex gets the best letter of recommendation she could have gotten, and Ben gets out of detention. Off the Island, Ben finally does what the on-Island Ben failed to do, pick a person over his own aggrandizement. Yes, he's still a frustrated teacher, but now he knows he's done the right thing.

Yes, yes, Principal Reynolds really had nothing to hold over Ben's head. All Ben had to do was wait until after the letter was written and then use those incriminating e-mails to oust the principal. I know it was a weak point in the writing. Suspend disbelief, however. It is a symbolic victory in the character of Ben Linus.

Ben in 2007

Ben tries to sustain the lie - he works very hard, though not very convincingly, to convince everyone that notLocke killed Jacob and Miles is lying. But Ilana is having nothing of it, rebuffing Ben's first attempts to "make nice" and then forcing him to dig his own grave.

I think there is no crueler torture than to force someone to dig his own grave. He tries to do it slowly, and tries to bribe Miles into releasing him, but nothing works. He even learns from Miles that Jacob did care about Ben, and had hoped that Ben would do the right thing up to the second that Ben stabbed Jacob. Ilana interferes. Keep digging Ben. So he does.

But then the tell-tale sound of the Smoke Monster, and sure enough, notLocke shows up. And he offers Ben not just freedom, but what Ben has spent decades seeking - leadership over the Island. Claire is offered a reunion with her son, Sayid a reunion with Nadia, and Ben power on the Island. notLocke knows his people.

Except he doesn't. Ben is far more complicated than that. He wants power, or he did, but he also wanted his leadership to have meaning, he wanted Jacob to find him special, and more importantly, there is Alex.

And we became witness to one of the two best scenes of the night, if not of the season so far. Holding Ilana at gunpoint, not killing her, he tells her that he knows just what she's feeling.

I watched my daughter Alex die in front of me, and it was my fault. I had a chance to save her. But I chose the Island over her. All in the name of Jacob. I sacrificed everything for him. And he didn't even care.
Yeah, I stabbed him. I was so angry, confused, I was terrified that I was about to lose the only thing that had ever mattered to me - my power.
But the thing that really mattered was already gone.
I'm sorry that I killed Jacob. I am. And I do not expect you to forgive me because I can never forgive myself.

He tells Ilana that he wants to join notLocke "because he's the only one that will have me." And suddenly Ben hears something that he had been desperate to hear from Jacob for so many years, "I'll have you."

First, here's Michael Emerson's Emmy nomination reel. The expression on Ben's face as he registered what Ilana was offering him, and as he took his gun, following her back to the beach, told novels of what is going on inside Ben. I do think that Emerson could read the phone book and make it compelling. This was masterful.

So why did Ben follow Ilana instead of going to the Hydra Island? I honestly think it was those three little words: I'll have you. Three seemingly simple words filled with power and hope for Ben. If Jacob's bodyguard could forgive Ben for killing someone who was like a father to her, then perhaps Jacob could have forgiven him, and perhaps he can forgive himself. Perhaps there's hope for Ben yet.

Alex in 2004

Of course, Alex is not Ben's daughter in this timeline, because the Other-in-training never kidnapped her from her mother. Instead, she lives in LA (as does everyone it seems) and is a student at the same school where Ben teaches. She's a student of great promise and dreams of Yale, but her mother is poor and has to work two jobs to make ends meet. I guess life isn't easy for Danielle in either timeline. She's also disgusted by the thought of a principal having sex with a nurse. As a typical teen, perhaps she should hook up with David Shephard?

Frank Lapidus in 2007

After wryly noting that Ben doesn't make friends easily, Frank spends his time on the beach building a fire. He reveals that he had been scheduled to pilot Oceanic 815, but overslept (is that another word for "had a hangover?"). He then wonders, "Imagine how different my life would be had that alarm gone off." Ben points out, "How different would it have been? The Island still got you in the end. Didn't it?"

Hurley in 2007

I have never dreamed of cheese curds, but I guess it is not surprising that Hurley would. I got the feeling that Hurley had fallen asleep while Jack stared out into the ocean, and this was the first communication between the two of them since the end of The Lighthouse. So I understood why Hurley didn't just come out and tell Jack they shouldn't return to the Temple. But he's such a bad liar. Oh, Hurley.

Hurley's great moment came while quizzing Richard on his agelessness. "Are you a cyborg? A vampire?" Sadly, Richard sidesteps all Hurley's questions. All we really get is that Jacob touched Richard, and thus, Richard is ageless. But now, Richard wants to die. Hurley wants nothing of it, and seems shocked as he watches Jack seemingly help Richard with his plan. When he realizes that Jack is staying with Richard, Hurley turns to leave, "I'll be about a mile away."

How pleasant to see Hurley return to the beach, reuniting with Sun and Miles. His hug with Miles just about made my night. Go Hurley!

Ilana in 2007

Jacob's body guard is now the protectoress of the six remaining candidates for Jacob's replacement. She finally forces the issue of just who killed Jacob, and asks Miles to do his thing. When it is revealed that Ben was indeed the murderer, her face said it all, but her words drove them home, "Jacob is the closest thing I ever had to a father."

Once on the beach, she forces Ben to dig his grave. She follows Ben when he escapes. notLocke had said she wouldn't hesitate to shoot Ben, but I think she does. And when Ben confesses, and apologizes, she accepts. She lets Ben return to the beach with her, as one of her group.

We still don't know this woman very much, and I don't know that we ever really will. But I do think that Ben made a mistake in lying to Ilana in the first place. I understand why he did lie, but it hurt him in the long run, clearly. I think all she needed to hear from Ben was the truth, the whole truth, something he is rarely capable of doing. My affection for Ilana grew when she accepted Ben into her group. And it made me really feel for her as she sobbed over Jacob's ashes.

Jack in 2007

Who is this guy and what did he do with Jack? Finally, the man of action and science has melded with the man of faith. And he's finally asking questions like he should (though he's not always good with the follow ups - I guess he's taking baby-steps). When he lit the dynamite for Richard, I was curious, but then he sits down as the lit fuse heads to explosion, "Now, let's talk."

Unfortunately, the talk is more about Jack than getting answers out of Richard, but we learn a lot. So much so, that this is the second great scene of the episode. First, Jacob, unlike notLocke, knows his candidates. notLocke thought Ben wants power over the Island. But as Jacob knew, Jack learning that Jacob has watched him all these years brought a new clarity to his purpose on the Island. And Jack knows it is not to be blown up in The Black Rock. As the fuse gets closer to the dynamite, Jack closes his eyes. The fuse, of course, goes out. Just as Jack knew it would.

So Jack leads Hurley and Richard back to the beach, where he is reunited with Sun, Lapidus, Miles, Ilana, and Ben. Hugs and handshakes, and then Jack takes a measuring look at Ben. What is he thinking? Is he remembering beating him up after Ben ordered Mr. Friendly to kill Sayid, Jin, and Bernard? Or is he remembering that he refused to operate on the 12-year-old Ben? Whatever, it is certainly an understandable stance.

The only thing that annoyed me about Jack this week was his own annoyance at Hurley's stalling. He finds it irritating that Hurley is clearly stalling returning to the Temple. Why didn't he just come out and ask Hurley why? It's not until Richard explains that all at the Temple are dead that Jack realizes Hurley knew.

Leslie Arzt in 2004

I guess we'll never get rid of this man, will we? Didn't he die in the first season? He's the gift that keeps on giving. However, it was pleasant to watch Ben and Arzt interact in their nerdy ways. Ben on the Island was extremely friendless (well deserved, mind you). But in the sideways timeline, he has a friend and confidant. And if someone asked me to break into someone's e-mail account, I think I'd ask for something better than a parking spot. I'm just saying.

Miles in 2007

How nice to get more Miles again! I guess Ken Leung didn't have a secret DUI after all. Miles gets to do his "hearing the dead mojo", not just once but twice. At first he taunts Ben with his "uh oh" after Ilana finds out Ben killed Jacob, but he's also nice to Ben, offering him food. However, Ben's bribe is pointless to Miles at this point, since he knows where a cache of diamonds are buried.

After Ben rejoins the group, we see Miles pondering a big diamond. I wasn't as bothered by that as some others on the blogs were. Yes, Miles has changed a lot in the past three years, but he's still Miles, and it's not like Nikki and Paolo need the diamonds anymore. What I think the commentators missed was something that made me almost laugh with joy. Did you see the hug Miles gave Hurley? Now, that is progress for Miles.

notLocke in 2007

Yes, John Locke showed up in 2004, and it was really cool when he told Ben that he was listening to him. But his one scene was more about Ben than John. However, notLocke's appearance was more substantial. I am convinced that he released Ben not because he wanted Ben to take over leadership of the Island once notLocke left but because he wanted Ben to kill Ilana. He warns Ben not to hesitate because Ilana certainly wouldn't (though I think she did). But notLocke misjudges his man. Ben didn't want to kill Ilana, he wanted atonement.

Richard Alpert in 2007

I thought that Richard was running like a rabbit in the jungle to escape from notLocke, but I guess he was also running from himself, and his own despair that now that Jacob is dead, his own long-lived life was pointless. Like Ben, this belief was devastating.

Instead of just telling Jack and Hurley about the events of the Temple, Richard takes them to The Black Rock. He handles some chains (perhaps the ones that once imprisoned him?), then manhandles some dynamite. It turns out that Jacob's touch has prevented Richard from killing himself. However, someone else can do it for him. Unfortunately for him, Jack has a plan for Richard as well. So he follows Jack with Hurley to the beach. More to come, I'm sure.

Sun in 2007

Sun continues to ask all the questions and focus on Jin. Nothing much else for her to do right now. She asks Ilana a bunch of questions, and who can blame her? She or Jin are candidates? For what? And what does replacing Jacob mean?

But at the end of the episode, her joy is palpable as she is reunited with Hurley and Jack. Of course she hugs Hurley, but it is nice to see her hug Jack too. She and Jack had not left on very good terms last season.

On a side note, I was really happy to see William Atherton as the ruthless Principal Reynolds. I understand that Atherton has been in tons of movies, but I know him from the mini-series (24 hours worth of mini-series) Centennial, which aired in 1978-79. He played such a nice character. I think it may have been the only time he's ever played a nice character. Oh,well.

So, any thoughts?

Sawyer and Sayid

I'm having a hard time adjusting to the fact that Lost is now on Tuesday nights and not Wednesdays. Normally, I'm pretty flexible, but this change in days has me quite confused.

Tomorrow night's episode will apparently focus on one of my favorites, Benjamin Linus, perhaps a Dr. Linus in another timeline, but I had a few thoughts I wanted to share.

When Lost started, Sayid was a man of morals who did bad things and Sawyer was just a selfish con man. Sawyer's morals were all survival and his own economic gain. If he participated in group activities, you could be sure that there was some kind of ulterior motive. Now, you could argue that sometimes Sawyer acted selfishly after being treated with disregard by his fellow survivors. But remember The Long Con? In that second season episode, Sawyer worked with Charlie to convince Kate that Jack and Ana Lucia pretended to kidnap Sun to force everyone to join an army against the Others. It ended with Sawyer taking control of the guns and medications. When Charlie asked Sawyer why he did this, he responded, "I'm not a good person, Charlie. Never did a good thing in my life." After watching him that episode, it was hard to disagree.

Sayid, on the other hand, always tried to help the group. Even when he was engaging in some terrible behaviors (say, torturing Sawyer in the first season and "Henry Gale" in the second season), you knew it was to gather information, not for some selfish purpose. He kept a bonfire burning in hopes it would be seen by rescuers, helped Hurley set up a date with Libby, and prevented Jack from killing Locke. Sayid was so shaken by Naomi's death that he insisted her body be taken to the freighter for appropriate disposal later. He seemed such a good man.

But in the fourth season, things changed, starting with Sayid. We learned that Sayid became a hitman for, of all people, Ben Linus. Finally, in the fifth season, we saw Sayid shoot to kill a 12-year-old boy because of who the boy would grow up to be.

In the meantime, the fifth season saw a sea change in Sawyer. After Locke left the Island, he took a leadership role, and though he did develop a pretty complicated con, it was for the purpose of preventing their exile from the Island. And though Sawyer now believes his desire to keep Juliet on the Island was selfish, he found himself falling in love with her. Sawyer met the boy Ben in the DHARMA Initiative, but never tried to prevent the boy from growing up to be Ben Linus. Instead, he was just as shocked as Juliet and Kate after Sayid shot Ben. And somewhat dismayed when Sayid returned to life after dying.

Both Sayid and Sawyer are brilliantly developed and acted characters, and the past two seasons have seen them both grow and change tremendously. I would not follow either man for moral reasoning. Well, I take that back. I'd ask Sayid (prior to his "resurrection") for moral guidance, but I'd be more likely to do what Sawyer does. They've switched, with the only difference that Sayid desperately believes that he is a good man.

We don't know how Sayid's world views have changed now that he's bat-shit crazy. He just knows it's too late for him. But I'm not really sure what that means.

We had no idea last week where James was while notLocke and Claire planned and executed their destruction of the Temple. I assumed that he had been left behind to take care of Jin, but that is just an assumption. I hope that he is not on his way to becoming bat-shit crazy, simply because I'm having a hard time adjusting to the two we have. But perhaps Saywer and Jin are both safe from infection. Perhaps you have to be a candidate (such as Claire and Sayid) who has been killed (I still suspect that Claire was killed when her barracks-house was bombed). notLocke can then resurrect them, but has left his mark on them.

That's my theory. And I'm totally psyched for tomorrow night.

Sundown

Oh, Sayid. Why are you giving me two difficult seasons in a row? Don't you know that I've been in your corner for forever? And how do you reward me? Death, destruction, and now madness. Let's get to it.

Sayid in 2004

One of the differences between this new 2004 and the original 2004 is that Sayid now has an Iranian passport, not an Iraqi one. I didn't pick up on that myself. We saw other differences in Sundown. Still deeply in love with Nadia, he pushed her into his brother's arms, and now plays an active role as Uncle Sayid. Why didn't he marry Nadia when he clearly could have? Because he couldn't forget the things he had done twelve years ago in Iraq - he didn't deserve her.

Omer, Sayid's brother, apparently couldn't forget what Sayid had done in the past either, wanting Sayid to use those skills to get him out of a dangerous relationship with a loan shark. But Sayid was having nothing of it, even to help Nadia, noting, "I'm not that man anymore."

He almost turned into that man when Omer is "mugged" outside one of his dry cleaning stores, but he didn't, swayed by Nadia's plea. But, as always, with Sayid, events happen, and while essentially kidnapped by Keamy (now a loan shark) and his henchmen, he uses his skills to protect himself. Perhaps shocking, but I'm not so sure, was his cold-blooded shooting of Keamy. Should Sayid have not killed him? Would Keamy have really left Omer alone?

This is the first sideways where we didn't see or meet an Other. Instead, it was Sayid's brother, Omer, who we met when he couldn't kill a chicken, Nadia, and the mercenary Keamy. And what a surprise to find Jin in Keamy's refrigerator. Did this have something to do with a bunch of cash in a suitcase?

Sayid in 2007

Well, Sayid started out righteously angry and ended up bat-shit crazy. Yes, bat-shit crazy is an extremely technical term, and I'm sure it will be included in the next DSM. Hearing from Jack that Dogen wanted Sayid to take a poison pill inspired Sayid to confront Dogen. But how frustrating that he accepted Dogen's answers, which consisted of vague comments on how Sayid's scale tipped toward evil. Sayid insisted, "You don't know me...I'm a good man." I guess that he's trying to convince himself. Dogen was clearly unconvinced, as he then attacked Sayid, and the battle between the Iraqi soldier and the Samarai commenced. A lot of people on the blogs really liked this fight. Dogen finally got the upper hand, but his baseball falling to the floor seemed to stop him from killing Sayid. Instead, he banished Sayid.

But Claire's announcement that "he" wanted to talk with Dogen changed everything. Did Sayid want to prove that he's good? All he had to do is stab the man who walked in the body of someone he knows who has died. But he must do so before the man speaks.

I watched Sayid in the jungle as he was surrounded by the smoke monster - it felt similar to when he heard the voices in the jungle after escaping from Rousseau. Was it his fault that notLocke said, "Hello, Sayid" before Sayid could stab him? It's not like Sayid was just sitting back, tapping his fingers. But nothing happened, not even a drop of blood oozed out.

Is this when Sayid changed? Is this when the infection took over his heart? By the end of the episode, he was clearly claimed, is this when it happened? Was it when he agreed to deliver notLocke's message in return for the life of Nadia? We know from Miles that Sayid was dead for two hours - and Miles would know - before he returned to life. Was it notLocke who resurrected him? It clearly isn't Jacob reincarnating as Sayid.

Sayid delivered notLocke's message to the Others, and the Others quickly divided into two teams - those who would join notLocke at sundown, and those who chose to die in the Temple (they were warned, after all). In the meantime, Sayid told Miles he had to return Dogen's sword to him. I assumed Dogen was going to end up with a sword in his gut.

Instead, we saw a warm heart-to-heart. Why did you try to get other people to kill me, but fail to do so when you had the opportunity? Dogen told Sayid how he ended up on the Island, after his son was mortally injured because Dogen was driving drunk. But Jacob, like notLocke, drives a hard bargain - Jacob would save the boy, but Dogen could never see his son again. Kind of like when he saved Rachel, Juliet's sister, who was never seen by Juliet again! When Dogen noted that it was sundown and asked what Sayid planned to do, I thought maybe Dogen's story touched Sayid when he said he'd stay. But Sayid immediately sprang into violence (his ability to do that is quite intimidating), shoving Dogen's head under the waters, just as Dogen had shoved Sayid's head under the water earlier. Then we learned that Dogen was all that was keeping notLocke out. A dead Dogen was all notLocke needed. The interpreter protested Sayid's actions, but then was killed for his troubles. Good-bye gentlemen. Nice knowing you.

It was clear Sayid was lost at this point. Presumably he was lost in the sideways 2004 as well. Ben tried to tell Sayid there was time to escape, but Sayid noted, "Not for me." Ben's expression told us he knew exactly what was going on with Sayid, and that it ain't pretty.

Finally, the scene with all the religious symbolism. Sayid, followed by Claire and Kate, wonders through the Temple yard amongst the dead bodies of the slain Others, and even a burning cross, with a look of ecstasy on his face. He passes through the doors, and joins notLocke. He is happy, and he is gone. Sayid is bat-shit crazy.

Ben in 2007

So, Ben followed Ilana to the Temple, and was quite the helpful boy scout, volunteering to find Sayid. I guess Ben still doesn't know that Sayid tried to kill him in 1977. But Ben certainly recognized whatever demon is in Sayid, slowly backing out of the room in fear. I guess maybe the Temple didn't turn him bat-shit crazy all those years ago.

Claire in 2007

Sayid is not the only one who is bat-shit crazy. She seemed almost normal in her conversation with notLocke - even seemed concerned about the Others that might be hurt by notLocke. After delivering notLocke's message, she spent her time in a pit in the Temple singing "Catch a Falling Star." This is the song Claire had wanted Aaron's adopted parents to sing to him.

It seemed to take Claire a minute to recognize Kate, but not long to understand Kate's message - Kate raised Aaron. I doubt she heard much of what else Kate tried to tell her, but as Kate was dragged away, Claire yelled out, "He's coming and they can't stop him."

Kate still didn't know that Claire is bat-shit crazy when she ran to rescue Claire from notLocke's attack. But Claire didn't need saving, at least, not from imminent death. Claire joined her fellow devotee with a similar ecstatic look in her eyes. She knows that notLocke's going to reunite her with Aaron. In the meantime, if I were Kate, I'd watch my back.

Dogen in 2007

Well, I was really getting into the hang of Dogen, so I'm a little surprised that he's now gone. What was the point of having him around again? Granted, he kept trying to get Sayid killed, but I was actually starting to like him. Oh, well.

Ilana in 2007

We still don't know a lot about Ilana, but she clearly knows a lot about the Temple. Only able to collect Miles from the survivors, she quickly saves her small group from notLocke.

Kate in 2007

I guess Kate changed her mind about searching for Claire in the jungle. It's kind of ironic that she found Claire in the very place she had determined to avoid. Using her finely honed people skills, she forced Dogen's interpreter to take her to Claire. Sadly, I don't think that Kate could see that Claire is bat-shit crazy, so I doubt she realizes that her life is in danger. It will be interesting to see her as she follows notLocke. I assume she is doing so as part of her pledge to reunite Claire with Aaron.

Martin Keamy in 2004

So, Keamy's a scary guy in any timeline. Why does't that surprise me? It took me a second to figure out who he was, as he talked about cooking eggs. The first time Keamy met Sayid, Sayid didn't succeed in killing him, but he did this time. But I'm guessing since we found Jin in the kitchen we'll be seeing Keamy again.

Miles in 2007

Wow, we finally get some Miles-time! Yeah! Granted, all he did was give information to various Oceanic survivors, but even that is better than the non-Miles we had.

I was a little frustrated when Miles told Sayid about how he died and was brought back to life without the help of the Others. Did Miles not see more than what we saw? Why didn't he say anything about it? Argh!

No Hurley this week, so we only had Miles to count on for humor. And he provided some, when Kate asked what was going on. He told Kate about Claire's entrance in the Temple, noting that while she was acting weird, she's "still hot though." Oh, Miles, we can always count on you.

But I was surprised by his empathic response to Kate about Sawyer though. His relationship with Sawyer was stronger than I would ever have thought it.

notLocke in 2007

According to Dogen, the entity wearing the looks of Locke is evil incarnate. And he certainly seemed so in this episode. Did he recognize that Sayid was infected? Either way, he manipulated Sayid with the skill of Ben Linus. And then he murdered every Other that remained in the Temple at sundown. That was one of the scariest scenes in Lost, even if some of the special effects weren't very special. I don't think he is happy that Kate is one of his followers, but he didn't turn her away either.

Sun in 2007

Sun, following Ilana, learns that Jin is not only alive, but also in her decade. That's all we saw of her.

I'll write more on theories tomorrow night, as it is late tonight. It's a little sad that Sayid has been pigeon-holed as the ruthless killer. I'm not sure that he's been all that different from Mr. Eko. But those are thoughts for further speculation.

In the meantime, post your thoughts!