Episode 509 - DHARMA says "Namaste" to Jack and company

Foreword

A couple of weeks ago, after "Lafleur," I pointed out the apparent discrepancy between Ben's claim last season that Charlotte was born in 1979, and Daniel's belief this season that he saw young Charlotte running around the DHARMA barracks in 1974. On this week's podcast, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse confirmed, this was a mistake. The original script of last season's episode called for Ben to say Charlotte was born in 1970. On the set, Rebecca Mader protested that she's not that old, so the line was changed to 1979. The producers, busily writing the rest of Season 4 in Burbank, were not there to explain the importance of the date, and they just plain missed the change while doing the final edit. Oh, well!

The Tease
Frank's super landing depicted! The whereabouts of Sayid and Sun revealed!! Radzinsky finally seen!!! All this, plus Sawyer's minor revenge on Jack, in "Namaste."

Ajira 316
Much as Lost first did with Oceanic 815, we were given the knowledge that Ajira 316 went down, without seeing it happen. Until now.

Just after Frank had his disturbing chat with Jack, he returned to the cockpit, where his copilot says he recognizes Hurley as one of the Oceanic Six. "Maybe he doesn’t believe lightning will strike twice in the same place.". (Heh heh). Frank takes controls ust as plane is engulfed in light. The plane stalls, then emerges into daylight (it had been nighttime just seconds before). Frank’s copilot spots a crude runway.

Frank skillfully sets the plane down, though the bushes at the end of the runway smash through the cockpit windshield, impaling the copilot. Frank goes back to the cabin. Ceasar awakens Ilana, who, semi-conscious, blurts out a name (my wife and I couldn't make it out. Ew.com's Jeff Jensen was semi-sure she said "Sarah"). Frank sees that the people he knows are gone…except Sun. Ben, awake and uninjured, tells Frank the others are gone. Frank asks where. “How would I know?”

Aside number 1 - one of the mysteries over the past couple of weeks was what happened to Sun when the plane went down. Unlike Jack, Hurley, and Kate, we now know she was not whisked back in time. Is the island mad that she didn't bring Ji Yeon?

Also, another explanation from this week's podcast was that the runway was, indeed, the same project the Others had forced Sawyer and Kate to work on back in Season 3. We're meant to have understood (though, without the podcast, I can't guess how) that Jacob, perhaps knowing that a runway would be needed in the future, told the Others to build one, which they dutifully did. Now that's planning.

On the beach, Sun plays with Jin’s ring. Ilana asks if she lost someone. She says she was traveling alone. Frank gathers the survivors. The radio is dead, but there will be a search party (I've heard that one before). Ceasar asks were they are. Frank says the island isn’t on his charts. As Ceasar points out the nearby Hydra station, and suggests they search it, Ben slinks off into the jungle. Sun follows.

In the jungle, Ben doubles back on Sun. Ben says he’s going “back to our island. You wanna come?”. Ben tells Sun about the 3 outriggers, which were apparently an Others stash. Ben slips off his sling.

Aside Number 2 - It would seem Ben is back in the island's favor. One day after sustaining his injuries, Ben has already been healed. That's a far cry from the island giving him cancer. Maybe Ben is not the bad guy he's seemed to be this season...

Sun asks Ben if Jin is on the main island. He says he doesn’t know, but that’s where he’d look. Frank finds them, and asks Sun if she thinks they can trust Ben. She says she has to. Ben leads them to the three outriggers. Frank asks Sun to be careful – the freighter had been full of commandos whose sole mission was to get him. "How’d that work out for them?" Ben interjects. Ben says there’s a dock a half mile across the water at the main islans, and he points it out. Sun then decks Ben with an oar. (Hence his infirmary-landing injury). “Thought you trusted this guy" asks Frank. Remorseless, Sun responds, “I lied.” (Never get on her bad side!)

Sun and Frank get off the canoe at a pala ferry dock, which in disrepair. The sounds that usually serve as a precursor to Smoky's arrival are heard, and the jungle moves nearby, but then it subsides. Sun says probably just an animal. "Animal, snorts Frank. " Right."

Aside number 3 - did Smoky come to check out who dared to come to his island, see Frank and Sun, and then just say, "oh, you two are cool.". Why would the island whisk the other 815ers away, but not mind Sun's presence? My theory - it wants her to leave and bring back Ji Yeon. After all, the island super-charged Jin's sperm count, which qualified as "shooting blanks" before flight 815. Since the island seems able to choose who it does and does not heal, it clearly had a reason for letting Ji Yeon get conceived. It would appear that reason has yet to be revealed. And Sun screwed up by not brining her along.

They walk to the barracks, which are still deserted from the freighter commando attack. The whispers make a return, and suddenly a light turns on in one of the houses. The door to the house opens, and Christian Shephard is standing there. He introduces himself as Christian. He tells Sun to follow him when she asks about Jin.

Aside Number 4 - my prior theory that the whispers were time-hopping team Sawyer's attempts to warn the 815ers of danger doesn't seem to work anymore. The whispers actually seem to be heard any time the island, itself, is about to act, such as here, when it sends Christian to meet Sun.

He leads them into an office, and shows them a photo from 1977, featuring new DHARMA inductees Jack, Kate and Hurley. Christian says Jin "is" there, too.

The door blows open. "I’m sorry," says Christian, "but you have a bit of a journey ahead of you."

Aside Number 5 - what I really wonder is if this photo containing Jack, Hurley and Kate was in the DHARMA barracks even when they were all previously in the Others-appropriated buildings. In other words, did they merely fail to notice their future, which would be in the past, hanging on the wall? Or have they changed the future by going back in time, a-la the disappearing McFlys in "Back to the Future?" Meanwhile, in the background of this scene, there was somebody else in that room!!!! Is that what the opening door was all about? What the frak is going on here?

Thirty years earlier…
The main action of the episode picked up where we left off after LaFleur. Hurley drops the guitar case, and gives Sawyer a huge hug. Jack shakes Sawyer's hand, and Kate tentatively gives a hug (If this were Grey's Anatomy, the dialog between Kate and Sawyer here would be something like, "is this weird? It's a little weird, right?" Since it's Lost, instead we got silent looks). Sawyer, smiling, says Locke said he was going to bring them back. Jack tells him Locke died, but says the how doesn't matter. For some reason, Sawyer doesn't ask a follow-up question (I swear these characters learned their interviewing skills from the Bush-era White House press corps. No matter what response they get, they just nod and say "okeedoke.") Hurley asks about the DHARMA jumpsuits. Sawyer explains that it’s 1977, to which Hurley responds, "uh, what?"

They compare notes – three years have passed for all of them. Jin knows he has to report in.

Jack mentions Sun’s being on the plane, and Jin takes off, saying if a plane landed, Radzinsky would know about it. Sawyer tells them to stay put until he figures things out.

Juliet finds Sawyer back at home rifling through their closet, pulling out era-appropriate clothes. He tells her Jack, Hurley and Kate are back. Juliet seems taken aback (will Kate get between her and Jim; will their arrival plunge this happily settled couple out of their current mini-paradise and back into constant peril; a lot for poor Juliet to process). James says he has to bring them in before anyone finds them and they screw up everything they’ve got there. Apparently reassured by this statement that Jim doesn't want anything to change, either, Juliet points out the next sub is coming in shortly, so they can be inserted into that group of newcomers.

Jin drives to the Flame station. Inside, we find Radzinsky, building a geodesic dome model - one we recognize as part of the scale model of the Swan station that was in the first DHARMA orientation film we saw in Season 2.

Aside Number 6 - At long last, we have met Radzinsky. He has been one of the shadowy figures of the island's past since the second season finale, "Live Together, Die Alone." In the Desmond flashbacks in that episode, we learned that Radzinsky was stationed alone in the Swan station before Kelvin Inman joined him there. Kelvin told Desmond that Radzinsky killed himself, and the blood spattered on the Swan station's ceiling was from Radzinksy shooting himself in the head. We also were told that Radzinsky painted the cryptic blast door map that Locke saw in the Swan station, although we know that Kelvin later added to it.

Now, it would appear, Radzinsky actually designed the Swan station, and had been present since well before it's construction. The first question this raises is how it is Radzinsky ended up trapped on perpetual button-pushing duty until his suicide - if it was a suicide - until Kelvin came along? More on Radzinsky later...

Jin checks Radzinsky's printout, and demands to check his radar logs. Radzinsky is insulted at the idea he would miss a plane flying over, but Jin tells him to check with the other stations. He asks Jin why the plane is so important, but Jin keeps checking equipment without responding.

Juliet goes to see Amy, who’s sleeping in a hammock. The baby’s name is Ethan…

Aside Number 7 - according to this week's podcast, this Ethan is the same future Other who was obsessed with kidnapping Claire, until Charlie killed him out of revenge. He's also the same Ethan who, along with Richard, recruited Juliet to the island. In other words, if Ethan had not brought Juliet to the island in 2001, she would not have been there in 2004 to go back in time to 1974, enabling her to deliver Ethan in an emergency C-section in 1977. Trippy!

What this, plus the revelation that Radzinsky was around in 1977, tells us is that Ben was not the only survivor of the Purge. For some reason, Radzinsky will be left alive to push the button, while Ben and Ethan will join the Others. We know that Horace dies in the purge, as does Ben's father, Roger. Years later, Richard and Ben told Locke he could only join the Others by killing his father. There is something seriously Oedipal about this whole initiation thing the Others have going on...

Amy asks when she and Jim will have a baby. Smiling, Juliet deflects (and explains why she had snagged the sub manifest from sleeping Amy), by explaining she had come to help the new mom out by making some last minute changes to the manifest that called in - as a favor to Amy.

Still waiting for Sawyer to return, Kate asks Jack if Eloise mentioned they’d be returning 30 years ago. Smiling, Jack says she left that part out. Jack is not sure what to do now, but his new evolved self is content, for the time being, to just go with the flow. Sawyer comes back with his DHARMA bus. He tells them about how they’re masquerading as new recruits, but they have to hurry.

Radzinsky confirms for Jin there's no sign of a plane…when suddenly there’s a data blip. Hostile inside the perimeter! Jin charges out with his rifle. Radzinsky tries to follow. Jin finds…Sayid, still in cuffs. Sayid is overjoyed to see him. Jin asks where Sun is, but Radzinsky shows up at that very moment. Jin has to step into character, so he takes Sayid prisoner, “say another word, and you’re dead.”
In Sawyer’s van, Hurley asks James if he realizes DHARMA is going to get wiped out. Sawyer says they’re not there to be Nostradamus, and mentions Faraday’s theories, then says Daniel isn’t there anymore.

Aside Number 8 - really, guys? This isn't something you want to follow up on? The guy who apparently had some explanations for how they went back in time is gone, and you don't think to ask what happened?

Now let's crunch this "Faraday's gone" thing. In the first episode of the season, we saw Daniel present at the construction of the Orchid station. So we know he, like Sawyer, Juliet and Miles, managed to integrate into DHARMA. Is Daniel dead, or did he simply leave? Charlotte's memory of him from her youth was as a crazy man. Did he continue his downward spiral after her death? Did something go wrong at the Orchid, hurting him, or sending him away? Also, while I'm not quite ready to figure out what it means, I find it interesting that the Orchid was built before the Swan. Perhaps the two stations are connected, and the Swan was needed to deal with unforeseen problems at the Orchid?

They arrive at the welcome reception. Miles pulls up, and sees what’s going on. “what the hell are they doing here?" he demands, but Sawyer shuts him up. Miles tells Sawyer about Jin. Sawyer calls, and finds out about the Sayid/Radzinsky problem.

Our characters watch the Chang orientation tape in the welcome center. Phil (okay, I mixed up Phil and Jerry in my recap last week) calls off Jack’s name. Chang complains about how Jack’s file isn’t there. Chang asks who his shuttle driver was. Jack tells him LaFleur. "Good man, tight operation," says Chang. Jack gets handed a "work man" suit, and, like Roger, he's been assigned janitorial work “based on his aptitude test.” Even Jack has to smile at Sawyer's little dig here. Kate’s not on the list, or the sub manifest. Juliet comes in with a “revised” list, and Phil is satisfied. Juliet “introduces” herself to Kate.

Sawyer gets to the Flame. Radzinsky is paranoid that Sayid saw the model of the Swan, and the plan of where to build it (which, unlike the rest of DHARMA, apparently threatens the Hostiles/DHARMA truce - strange, then, that Radzinsky will be spared in the purge). He suggests they shoot the spy. Jim demands the keys to the storage room where Sayid is being held. Sayid sees him, but knows to be quiet. Jim "reminds" Sayid of the terms of the truce – he needs to identify himself as a Hostile, or they shoot him. "We don’t refer to ourselves as hostiles, but yes, I am one of them." Sawyer leads Sayid off, and Radzinsky complains he’ll tell Horace about this unorthodox handling of a prisoner.

Phil leads the welcome photo - the same one Sun will be shown in 2007 or 2008 or whatever year she's in. Sawyer radios that he’s coming in with a "14-J." Phil asks everyone to hold back, and they see Sayid. Jim takes Sayid to a holding cell, and tells Phil to get him some food. He gives Sayid a knowing look, and Sayid stays quiet.

That night, Jack asks Phil where James LaFleur lives. Phil points it out, "but don’t call him James – he hates it." Juliet opens the door, and smiles. Jack hugs her. "I was looking for Sawyer, guess I came to the wrong house." "No," she assures him, "come in." Juliet leaves them in the living room. Jim invites Jack to sit. He says he had to improvise with Sayid. Jack asks where they go from here, and grumbles about how Sawyer is reading when there's a crisis with Sayid. Jim says he heard once Churchill read a book every night, even during the blitz. Jim challenges the results of Jack’s rule, noting how high the body count was when Jack was acting as the leader. "I got us off the island," protests Jack. "But here you are, right back to where you started." Ouch, Jim. Point, set, match. "So I’m going to go back to reading, so I can think." Jack heads off, and Jim sees Kate. He waves, she waves back, and they leave it at that.

Aside Number 9 - go Sawyer, it's your birthday (whoop whoop)! Jack was, in my mind, a lousy leader. he never asked enough questions to know what was going on around him. Single-mindedly obsessed with getting people off the island (and succeeding with only 7 out of 50), he never bothered trying to figure out what forces were keeping them there in the first place. Sure enough, after three years off-island, he just wanted to come back. I'm glad Sawyer called him on it. Really, Jack thought he was coming back to save those he left behind, when, in reality, it seems to be Jack and company that need saving (at least until the Purge comes along...)

Food arrives for Sayid, carried by…young Ben Linus. As he previously did when he first met Richard, Ben asks if Sayid is a "hostile." Sayid asks, "do you think I am?" Ben introduces himself, and Sayid says, "It’s nice to meet you, (pause) Ben."

Aside Number 10 - perhaps I am letting myself get led astray by the scenes from next week, but I think I have an idea where this is all going. Before "breaking up" with his fellow Oceanic 6ers, and subsequently showing up on the island, Sayid made no secret of his rising animosity towards Ben, or of his willingness to violently deal with Ben should they meet again. Perhaps on some level, Sayid has come to blame Ben for Nadia's death; given his paranoia, and his rejection of the two years he spent as Ben's assassin, such a belief would be consistent. I think Sayid sees his chance, now that he's in the past, to kill young Ben, preventing much of the pain from his future from happening. However, since DHARMA thinks Sayid is a "hostile," and since, according to Faraday, such an attack from Sayid is doomed to fail, I theorize that Sayid's botched attempt to kill young Ben will be the end of the truce...which will lead DHARMA to create the deadly gas...which will lead directly to the Purge. Or not.

One final note of interest from this week's podcast - the season finale now has a title - "The Incident." No doubt, this refers to the same "incident" written about on the Swan hatch door, and discussed by Chang/Candle in the Swan orientation video. If you recall, the "incident" has something to do with why the Swan button needed to be pushed every 108 minutes. It appears, by the end of this season, that will all make sense. Which is really funny, when you recall that, at the beginning of the season, Hurley himself commented on how he was never quite clear what that was all about.

As for next week, Sayid will be confronted with DHARMA's version of a tough interrogator, in episode 510, "He's Our You." Until then, rehashing the title of this week's episode, Namaste!

Episode 508 - "LaFleur" Shoots and Scores

Preface
In an interview before Season 5 began, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse discussed how this season was going to be the “Year of Sawyer.” Halfway through last night’s episode, “LaFleur,” we also hit the halfway point of the season. And, sure enough, James “Sawyer” Ford finally, indeed, stepped into his own, under his assumed DHARMA guise as the titular “Jim LaFleur.”

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The Tease
The full Ancient Statue! Another look at life in DHARMA!! Juliet finally delivers a live birth on the island!!! All this, plus Sawyer as leader, in “LaFleur.”

Where We Left Off
The narrative structure this season has tended to be such that we lurch forward with the story, then jump back to fill in the blanks. So it was with “LaFleur,” which picked up where “This Place is Death” left off, only this time, from the now Locke-less Team Sawyer’s perspective. We return to Sawyer, holding the rope that got lodged in the ground during the time jump that sent Locke plunging into the donkey wheel cave. Miles spots the best evidence that this jump took them to a time well before the well was even built – a massive, Egyptian-looking statue facing out towards the ocean.

Aside Number 1 – some may think I’m being too quick to just assume this colossus is, in fact, the four-toed statue of which Jin, Sayid and Sun spotted the last remaining foot way back in the finale of Season 2, “Live Together, Die Alone.” But, with only a season and a half of story left to tell, I have to think the “big” mysteries of Lost are in a contraction phase, and there’s little to gain by adding multiple giant ancient statues. Feel free to disagree, but I’m going to come right out and say it – that was Mr. Four Toes, fully realized (at least from behind).

After Locke fixes the wheel, there’s another flash, which both Miles and Juliet realize “feels” different from the prior ones. The time is now…

1974
(Although our heroes have yet to figure out when they are). Sawyer, seeing the well again, and ready to assume his new role as leader of his makeshift group of left-behinders, charges headlong into following Locke, only to find the well is filled in with rocks. Juliet - whose cool logic during the time-hopping ordeal seems to have provided most of our knowledge of what the frak’s been going on – thinks it's over, that Locke saved them. Sawyer proclaims that now they wait for Locke to come back. Juliet asks “for how long,” and Sawyer responds, “as long as it takes.”

They find Daniel, sitting alone. He murmurs that Charlotte's body disappeared in the last flash. "She moved on, and we stayed." Daniel says "whereever we are now, whenever we are now, we're here for good." He goes on to mumble “I’m not going to do it again,” or something to that effect.

Aside 2 – We see again Daniel’s theory that history cannot be changed come into conflict with his desire and attempts to, in fact, change history. As for Charlotte’s disappearance, two thoughts. One, since the island seems to be yanking specific people through time (still can’t discern what the criteria are being one of the yank-ees) perhaps it no longer needs you once you’ve died. The other thought is that, somehow, Charlotte has been erased slowly from existence, by virtue of history actually having been rewritten since Ben turned the wheel. Remember, shortly before she died, she felt her memory of her mother fading. Could her whole family start to disappear? More on Charlotte in a bit…

Sawyer wants to make for the beach. Miles doesn't like the idea. "Sure, we'll go to the Beach. Until you want to go back to the Orchid. Then we'll go back to the beach again. Those are the only plans you people ever have." (Miles has yet to discover he has become as much a part of "you people" as the rest of the group). Sawyer insists that, if they’re in a time in which their stuff at the beach isn’t there, they’ll just build new stuff. Juliet stands by James, and Miles wonders who put James in charge. Privately, Juliet tells Sawyer the beach was a stupid idea, but any plan is better than no plan. He thanks her for having his back.

Suddenly, they hear gunshots and screams. A woman we’ll come to know as Amy (Reiko Aylesworth, best known as the late Michelle Dessler on 24) is being held at gunpoint by two men in Hostile-era Others frocks, with a sack over her head, and the dead body of her husband, Paul (wearing a DHARMA jumpsuit) at her feet. Miles tries to get Dan to agree - they don't get involved, because there’s no changing history. Daniel, still devastated from losing Charlotte and losing patience with explaining time travel, reiterates, not that taking action is wrong, but that “whatever happened, happened.” Sawyer quips, “thanks a lot, Plato.” With Juliet again at his back, he goes to intercede. One gunman turns on him, but Juliet shoots him, then James kills his companion. Amy asks who he is...(providing an opportunity to be anyone).

As Amy cries over Paul’s body, Juliet explains to James she doesn't know these Others because this is before her time (and, if Daniel is right, they always had killed them, so she never would have met them). Sawyer tells Amy their ship wrecked on the way to Tahiti. They have to move, he insists, because the Others will call for help (as if the term “Others” has any meaning to Amy). Amy insists they need to hide the Others’ bodies because of a truce, and take Paul’s body back with them. They march, then Juliet shouts to Daniel to stop in his tracks - they're at the sonic fence, only it's all new and not rusty like we've seen it in the past (future). Juliet figures out to play dumb about recognizing the fence, but Amy gets there's something up. She agrees to turn off the fence. Sawyer has Amy go first, then they follow her through...only they're all knocked out. Sneaky Amy had put in earplugs!

Sawyer wakes up on a couch in the familiar barracks rec room. Horace Goodspeed, who we know several years earlier personally recruited Roger Linus and his young son Ben to DHARMA, is waiting for him. He appreciates what our heroes did for Amy. Horace explains (in an understated way) about their not getting along with the Hostiles. Sawyer, sensing his con artist skills may be useful here, introduces himself as Jim LaFleur. Thinking on his feet (or, as it were, the couch), he says his people were in a shipwreck, from a salvage vessel, searching for Black Rock. Horace hasn't heard of the ship. LaFleur says his group was looking for the rest of his crew when they stumbled across Amy and the Hostiles. Horace says they're going to have to leave by sub first thing in the morning. Only DHARMA members, he insists, can stay at the barracks, "and you are not DHARMA material."

Aside Number 3 – Is Horace lying about not recognizing Black Rock? I had always believed that Magnus Hanso’s getting marooned on the island in Black Rock was how Alvar Hanso’s family learned about the island, which was how DHARMA came to be there in the first place. Charles Widmore would certainly come to know about Black Rock in the future, and Rousseau, who would come to the island in another 14 years, seemingly discovered it shortly after her arrival. So it seems Horace must be lying, because how would the leader of the DHARMA camp not know about such an important relic on the island? On the other hand, perhaps Black Rock has not yet been marooned. Given that the ship launched in mid-1800s, this would seem impossible…unless the time jumping is not as “finished” as Juliet surmised. Indeed, we know, sometime between 1974 and 2004, Ben will trick Charles into turning the wheel. Perhaps the trick will be based on having to fix the time jumps, just as Locke did. In any case, I’m interested in seeing why Horace claims not to know about Black Rock.

Juliet, looking at her former/future house at the barracks, explains her history to Miles. Jin asks Daniel about the lack of further flashes. Daniel explains the flashes have stopped because the record is spinning again. “We're just not on the side we want to be on.” (Hey, the guy loves his metaphors!) Daniel sees a young girl with a British accent playing, and recognizes her as Charlotte.

Aside Number 4 – this girl being Charlotte represents a bit of a disconnect. Last season, when captive Ben wanted to illustrate how well he knew about the newcomers to the island, he announced Charlotte’s history, and said she was born in 1979. Yet, here we are in 1974, and Daniel thinks this little red-haired girl is his precious Charlotte. Two explanations – one, he’s just wrong, and the pain and guilt over losing his no-longer-secret crush is getting him to project onto this girl. Alternatively, as part of covering up their DHARMA past, Charlotte’s mother may have falsified records, including Charlotte’s birth certificate. Still, it can’t be easy to pass off a 6-year-old as a newborn. So ultimately, either Ben, Daniel, or (gasp!) the writers made a mistake.

Rejoining the rest of his group, Sawyer explains he chose “LaFleur” because it’s Creole, and he liked the spiciness. Miles likes the "leave tomorrow on a sub" idea. Suddenly an alarm blares. They get pulled indoors by a security tech named Phil, who tells his rifle-slinging wife to keep an eye on them. Outside, they see Richard walk into the middle of camp and plant a torch. Sawyer and Juliet exchange a frightened look.

Horace goes to speak to Richard, who makes clear that the sonic fence doesn’t keep him or the Others out (so much for the theory that DHARMA built it for them). Richard says the truce is broken and he wants his missing men. Miles really wants to get on the sub. Horace comes back and asks how well LaFleur and company buried the bodies, to which James responds, "that depends how well they look." Horace tells Phil to call the Arrow station and get the heavy ordinance ready. James asks him to hold off and says he'll go and talk to Richard (whom he called out as looking like he wears eyeliner).

James addresses Richard, who does not know him at this time, by name. Shifting from con man to incredibly honest, he introduces himself as the guy who killed the men, then tells the story about why he did it. He also explains DHARMA are not his people. Richard wants to know who he is, if not DHARMA. Sawyer asks about the Others’ burying of Jughead, and tells him he knows about Locke showing up, then disappearing. He says he's also waiting for Locke to come back, which seems to move Richard somewhat.

Aside Number 5 – this scene takes place 20 years after the events of “Jughead,” but also 19 years after Richard went to see Locke’s birth, and 13-16 years after Richard angrily determined that Locke had failed the compass test. Does this conversation with James explain why, another 30 years later, Richard will again try to get old man Locke to take over as the Others’ leader? Did he perhaps figure out that the compass test wasn’t the best way to identify his chosen leader?

Richard believes James is not DHARMA, but says his people need some kind of justice. Sawyer and Horace go to see Amy, still standing over Paul's body. Horace explains that Richard needs to take Paul's body with him to maintain the truce. Horace, passive-aggressively, tells Amy, “if you don't want to give him to them, we can suffer the consequences.” Amy relents, but requests a minute. She reaches into Paul's jumpsuit, and retrieves an ankh on a necklace. Sawyer apologizes to Amy, then offers to help Horace move the body. Horace says they can stay for two weeks, while the sub is on its next run, to continue to look for their crew.

Aside Number 6 – A number of things have come together now to suggest that Richard Alpert may be of Ancient Egyptian decent. First, we know from Juliet that he’s “old” and has “always” been on the island. We have now seen the full statue, and it sure looks a heck of a lot like Egyptian god Anubis, especially with the ankh in his hand. The temple where Smoky dwells, and the writing on the walls by the donkey wheel, all appear to be Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Thanks to quick research performed, not by me, but by Jeff Jensen, I can tell you that it’s believed that in ancient Egypt, men tended to wear an eye-liner-like form of makeup. Throw in the other Egypt references – Paul’s ankh, the appropriated glyphs on the DHARMA countdown clock in the Swan, and the name of DHARMA’s leader – Horace (another Egyptian god) – and we’re clearly meant to get the hint that Ancient Egypt has a connection to the island. And I personally dig the theory that Richard, himself, may very well be that connection. Now, as for how that it possible…I can only guess. Thoughts?

Sawyer finds Juliet by the sub dock, and tells her about their two week reprieve. She wants to leave, anyway. They're saved, she notes, with no more threat from the flashes, so whether Locke comes back or not, there’s nothing left for him to do for her. Sawyer reminds her it’s 1974 (the first time we get the actual date), and there's nothing she knows back in the U.S. to leave for, but she responds, that’s no reason not to leave. She reminds him how she had been Ben’s captive on the island for more than 3 years, and, regardless of where (or when) she would be going, she just wanted to leave (very pre-conversion Jack of her). James turns on the charm – “What about me, you going to leave me with the mad scientist, and the guy who sees dead people?” Pointing out that Jin’s conversational skills leave a lot to be desired, he asks, with a grin, “who's going to get my back? Just give me two weeks. That's all I'm asking.” She agrees, and Jim LaFleur – because that’s who he’s about to be for real - smiles.

Aside Number 7 – I really like how the Sawyer/Juliet relationship has progressed. They first bonded in “Through the Looking Glass,” as both of them had something to prove to themselves when they chose to go back to the beach to save Sayid, Jin and Bernard from Tom’s attack team. They then found themselves thrown together in this misfit group of left-behinders, and I totally believe the trust they’ve formed, backing each others’ plays even as they disagree with them. You know it’s happened naturally, too, when Sawyer, of all people, reached out to Juliet this way. Too bad it might not have a happy ending (more to follow)…

1977

We get a glimpse of the glory days of DHARMA, from the perspective of a barracks video security room that looks a lot like the Pearl station. This room is manned by Jerry and Phil, only Jerry has, in typical 70s fashion, invited Geronimo Jackson-loving Rosie to party with him while he's on duty, against the rules (Jerry ironically quips that it's not as if the polar bears are ever going to escape). They notice that someone just dropped by the perimeter fence. Is that a Hostile, they wonder. No, it's Horace, who lights a firecracker, then blows up a tree. They kick out Rosie, and Phil says they need to get LaFleur. They run to the barracks, and apologize to James about the sudden security emergency. James Ford, now three three years into his long con role as LaFleur, has become head of security for DHARMA (so much for two weeks).

Miles, also part of LaFleur's security contingent, gets into Lafleur's DHARMA bus. Horace's tree-demolition spree is apparently the result of drunkenness. Given that Horace is DHARMA's leader, and nobody thinks he's a drinker, they realize they have to keep this on the down low. James decides he'll be the one to take him home, because he can tell Amy where they found him.
Amy, we discover, is now married to Horace, and very, very pregnant. Amy explains she and Horace had a fight about Paul, her late husband, when she goes into labor.

The baby is in breach (which seems to happen far more often with TV babies than in real life, right?). DHARMA women always go to the mainland to give birth, we discover, but Amy's early, which is why she's still around. The only doctor is an internist, and not at all comfortable with performing a C-Section. Sawyer goes to get Juliet, who, still there three years later (more on this shortly) has been living the life of an auto mechanic. Juliet, three years removed from her time as an experimental obstetrician, resists Sawyer's pleas for her to help, and reminds him that every birth she's tried to facility on the island in the past has resulted in the death of mother and child. Sawyer suggests the toxic fetus problem may not have happened yet. Juliet, out of excuses, takes charge, and Sawyer waits outside.

Jin arrives and asks if everything's ok. He now speaks English (three relatively crisis-free years makes for better language lesson time than four months of struggling to survive). Sawyer tells Jin he had to pull Juliet out of retirement. Jin reports he finished another grid - no sign of their people. Sawyer wants him to keep looking. Juliet comes out. It's a boy, and everyone's ok. Her first success as an OB on the island!

Aside Number 8 - as much as this was a Sawyer episode, I loved that Elizabeth Mitchell finally got some good scenes. She was one of few bright spots in the third season, but has been largely relegated to a lesser role since then. Her fine acting skills really showed through in this episode - so much so that I "became a fan" on Facebook.

As for the baby-birthing crisis not claiming Amy and her son, there can be a few explanations. One is quite simply that Amy is DHARMA, and not an Other. The problem Juliet could never solve may have something to do with what makes Others, Others. After all, they weren't yanked through time during the flashes, and, according to Richard, the sonic fence doesn't affect them either. The other explanation was Sawyer's - that the problem has not yet happened. Given that we will apparently be spending more time in the DHARMA years in upcoming episodes, I think James may have been on to something. I'm very much looking forward to learning what caused the fertility crisis, as well as what the "incident" was.

Later, Sawyer picks a flower. A dinner table is waiting for him, complete with DHARMA merlot. Juliet is cooking. He gives her the flower, and tells her she was amazing, then gives her a hug. "Thank you for believing in me," she says, her face awash with emotion. They kiss, passionately. She says she loves him, and, now three years since the time when he might have been tempted to get all Han Solo in response, he smiles and returns the "I love you."

Sawyer reads (in glasses made for him, unlike the jerry-rigged pair Jack once fashioned for him) as Horace snores. Horace wakes up with a hangover. James says he has good news and bad news. The good news – he’s a daddy. Bad news, he missed it. Horace explains he was drinking because he discovered that Amy was still keeping Paul's ankh hidden in her sock drawer. He wonders if the three years that have elapsed are enough time for Amy to have gotten over Paul. Jim has to think about that, then reminisces about a girl he could have taken a shot at, whose face he says he can now barely remember. "She’s just gone, and not coming back. Is 3 years long enough to get over someone? Absolutely."

Aside Number 9 - you really wanted to believe, for his own sake, that James meant this, especially after seeing how well he had settled into his new life with Juliet. But I think that he and Jin have continued their clandestine searches for their missing crashmates out of a hope that they'd be reunited with their lost loves. Poor Juliet!

In the morning, Jim and Juliet are spooning when the phone rings. He growls, then seems genuinely shocked when he answers. "Don’t bring them in, just meet me in the North valley," he orders. Juliet asks who it was. He says it’s Jin, and then just says he has to go.

Sawyer takes a jeep to meet Jin’s DHARMA bus, out of which step Hurley, Jack (who smiles - apparently three years is enough for even him to miss Sawyer), and Kate. The look on James's face makes it abundnantly clear - he has not forgotten her, at all.

Afterthoughts

Curse you, Kate Austin! Poor James Ford finally, after making his clean break with the kiss and dive act on the chopper, found a life he could live in happily ever after (or at least until the purge). And then, of all the time-traveling tropical jungle islands in all the world, you had to come into his. And poor Juliet! The weight of all those failed pregnancies finally lifted, she, too, actually managed to settle into a happy life on the island. What will happen to her? And let's not forget, she had confessed her love to Jack just days before he left the island, too.

As for DHARMA, there were four characters noticeably absent from the glimpses we got in this episode. Naturally, we have to start with Pierre Chang. If Horace is the leader, what is Chang's role?

Next up is Olivia Goodspeed, Horace's apparent significant other from the late 60s. Behind the scenes, I've learned (ok, Jeff Jensen reported on ew.com), that actress Samantha Mathis just didn't want to come back to the show. But, storywise, what happened to Olivia? When Locke saw the vision of Horace in an endless time loop constantly building "Jacob's" shack, he said it was for he and the Mrs. Horace's hair in that vision was the same length it had been in the 60s, and not the longer cut we spotted here in the 70s. Was that something he did for Olivia, or for Amy?

Finally, and most importantly, there's Roger and Ben Linus. I'm pretty sure the Linus boys joined DHARMA a few years before Jim LaFleur and company. Given what Sawyer and Juliet (and Miles, having talked to the dead) must know about the purge, not to mention the hell Ben would someday put them all through, why have they not taken an active interest in changing young Ben, getting him off the path of the wicked (or, more Machiavellianishly (if that's a word), just killing the little twerp)? Have they tried, only to discover that Daniel's "what happened, happened" theory keeps this from working? Can't wait to see.

Now, it's going to be a couple of weeks before we get another episode (not sure why that is, but I bet it has to do with "American Idol"). In the meantime, until March 18, when we see the fittingly entitled episode, "Namaste," I bid you all, namaste.

Ep. 506 - "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"

Questions Answered

Towards the end of last week's recap, I posed a few questions (scroll down for the prior recap to see what I'm talking about). At least one of those questions was answered this week in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham." To wit, what happened to the plane? As we saw this week, Captain Frank Lapidus apparently set it down in more or less one piece on Hydra island, albeit not on the runway built by Sawyer, Kate and the Others.

Aside Number 1 - Frank Lapidus can be my pilot any day. He safely brought down the chopper last season despite its being bombarded in a freak electrical storm, and now he managed to bring flight 316 to a relatively gentle landing despite getting zapped by island-magic white light energy. Sure, some people were hurt (more on this later,) but, unlike flight 815, the majority seem to have survived.

Once off the plane, Lapidus took one of three outrigger canoes, accompanied by "a woman" and the flight 316 passenger list, and paddled over the main island.

Per this week's podcast, I can tell you when another one of the new questions - what happened to Aaron, and why is Kate so upset about it - will be answered. According to Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, this mystery will be solved in episode 511, in 4 weeks.

Critique

When I first saw this week's episode, "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham," I thought it was freaking great. But on a second viewing, I didn't think it really held up like most epsiodes do. Sure, there were plenty of reveals (or quasi-reveals), but the bulk of the action just showed us things we already knew happened, with little added by way of actually the events transpire. Furthermore, the new burning question - just how is John Locke walking and talking in his burial clothes on Hydra Island after his death a few days earlier in Los Angeles - requires one of the biggest John-Lockian leaps of faith from us the viewers of any plot point thus far on Lost.

That said, the revelations in this episode were pretty spectacular. And, having seen both of the last two episodes, I fully agree with the producers' decision to reverse their order.

The Tease

Locke's death explained! Waaaaaalt!! Abaddon returns!!! All this, plus additional insight into Charles Widmore's ideas of how he connects with the island and its history, all on "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham.

Flashback

As promised, the bulk of the action in this epsiode dealt with showing us everything that happened to John Locke between the time he fixed and turned the frozen donkey wheel, and the time he ended up in the casket at Hoffs/Drawlar. He found himself in the Tunisian desert , his leg still injured. He throws up, and sees he's being watched by security cameras on a series of posts - oddly reminiscent of the DHARMA barracks fence. Unable to get up (he still has that nasty compound fracture), he shouts to the camera for help.

Night falls, and he's still on his back. A truck approaches, with several gunmen in the back. They pick Locke up and toss him into the payload. He is taken to a field hospital. A doctor rushes him some medication. Locke looks...and sees Matthew Abaddon watching him.(Yeah, Lance Reddick really does bring the creepy, doesn't he?) The doctor sticks a biting stick in Locke's mouth, then resets the break. Pain sets in, and Locke passes out. He awakens, and Charles Widmore is sitting by his bedside. Locke's leg is in a cast, suspended in midair. Widmore says he had a specialist flown in to treat him. Widmore - "it's nice to see you again. I know you're confused. I met you when I was 17, now all these years later, here you are. You look exactly the same." Widmore clarifies who he is. John tells him it's been 4 days since they met in 1954. Widmore is impressed that so much time went by, but apparently not shocked. Widmore knew where Locke would be, he says because that's the exit. Those were his cameras. He was sure Ben would trick Locke into leaving, like he had to Charles. Charles was, he explains, the Others' pre-Ben leader. "They're not 'the Others to' me, John, they're my people." He claims they protected the island, peacefully for more than 3 decades before Ben exiled him. He can't understand why Locke would leave willingly (i.e. untricked by Ben), then surmises he was there to bring his friends back. Widmore tells him about the 3 years the Oceanic 6 have spent in the world, and how they've never breathed a word of their actual experiences to anyone else. Widmore says he'll do everything in his power to help Locke bring them back, because there's a war coming, and if John's not back on the island when that happens, the wrong side is going to win.

Locke sits outside, and inspects his new identity as Jeremy Bentham. Widmore joins him and explains that he thought Locke's parents were exhibiting a sense of humor naming him after an English philosopher, so why shouldn't he do the same? (Umm, is that condescending, or is it just me?) Widmore gives Locke an international cell phone, and says "press 2 3 to contact me" (Numbers!!!). Widmore also hands Locke a folder with his friends' whereabouts. Widmore suggests Locke not mention that he's helping, and Locke asks why he should trust his new benefector. "I haven't tried to to kill you. Can you say the same about Ben?" Locke brings up the mercenary force he sent to the island, and Widmore explains he sent them to remove Ben, so it could be John's time to lead. "What makes you think I'm so special?" asks John. "Because you are," responds Charles, authoritatively. A Range Rover pulls up. Locke tells Widmore that Richard said he'd die, but Widmore says he won't let that happen. Abaddon gets out of the car, and Widmore says Mathew will protect John from anything. (Is it just me, or this a lot of bald actors for a single scene on network TV?) Abaddon unfolds a wheelchair, and Locke seems to recognize him. They drive off, to begin Locke's quest to try to recruit the Oceanic 6, and Abbadon says he'll provide anything Locke needs, including helping him find anyone in the world he wants to tell he's alive. Locke doesn't respond.

Aside Number 2 - Let's pause and talk about the Widmore/Linus feud. Obviously, over the past two seasons, we've been meant to see-saw between our views of Charles and Ben and which, if either, of the two of them will turn out to be the good guy. Season 4 seemed to be Ben's time - he showed Locke the video of Widmore ordering a beating, and, after all, Widmore did send an army of armed murderers to the island to kill everyone. They even executed sweet, innocent teenaged Alex. Widmore was enough of a boogeyman that the Oceanic Six lied about what happened to them, and Jack even accepted Ben's help.

Now, it seems, we're meant to think that perhaps it was Widmore who was the aggrieved party, and Ben who we should be booing. After all, Ben killed his own father (or so it seemed), tricked Charles into exile (or so Charles says), promised to kill Penny, had a lawyer show up to come between Kate and Aaron, coerced Sayid into 2 years of assassinations, and, as we'll see at the end of this episode, killed Locke. To be sure, Ben is no angel, either.

But let's examine what Widmore just told John - I saw no indication that Keamey and company were trying too hard not to kill Locke when they stormed New Otherton last season. Also, didn't 17-year-old Widmore break his co-Other's neck to get him to stop talking to Locke and Sawyer? As for "peacefully" defending the island - didn't his people exterminate the military expedition who brought Jughead, then fatally gas the DHARMA initiative? And what about Widmore's claim to have been the Others' leader? Didn't he seem to be taking orders from Richard as a teen?

Finally, an observation on the points on which Ben and Charles appear to agree: both men seem to want the Oceanic 6 to return to the island. Why would two people with such opposite agendas seem to agree on such a big thing? Two thoughts. One, to the extent these big bads are playing some sort of game of ultra-violent chess, I would imagine the game can't be played until all the pieces are on the board.

I'm also thinking of the primary point of agreement between certain ultra-orthodox Jews and certain fundamentalist Christians. The Jews believe the Messiah (Moshiach) will only come when all Jews have gathered in the Biblical Holy Land - indeed, these Jews oppose the political state of Israel because they believe it is wrong to establish a Jewish kingdom before all Jews are present and Moshiach walks among us. The Christians, on the other hand, believe that the Messiah (Jesus), will only return when all Jews have gathered in Israel. Only, in the Christian belief system, the Jews would then be consumed in a massive, God-tossed fireball. In other words, two rather contradictory philosophies that nevertheless both cling to the notion that a messiah will only come when a certain group of people have gathered in one place. A bit of a reach? I don't think so, in light of the (bumbling idiot of a) messianic role Locke has clearly been put into on Lost. Now, if you feel like you're in either the Jewish or Christian group that espouses the beliefs I've tried to describe, and yet you completely disagree with how I've described them, please feel free to correct me. I only know what I think I've been told about these things. In any case, as far as Ben and Charles are concerned, I think they both feel for some reason their final victory will only come with the Oceanic 6 firmly back on the island. The big question is whether either or both of them wants or expects our heroes to survive the experience.

The next stretch of the episode was where we learned surprisingly little that we hadn't already been told about. Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurley and Walt have all had conversations in prior episodes about their conversations with Bentham, and how he hadn't convinced them (for the most part) to go back to the island. The few highlights:

Sayid (Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic). After whatever ended his Jason-Bourne-like employ under Ben after 2 years, Sayid had been working with "Build our World," a Jimmy-Carter-like organization building housing in third world countries. In passing, we learned both Widmore and Ben had been monitoring Sayid (and the other former 815ers), which Sayid presumably discovered shortly after Locke's visit, prompting him to spring Hurley...but, of course, we knew all that.

Walt (New York, New York). Walt hasn't seen his dad in three years, and he asked Locke if Michael was on the island. In order to spare Walt further pain, Locke lied and said the last he heard, Michael was on a freighter just offshore from the island, and then decided not to try to recruit Walt. He took his leave of his former protege, but not before hearing that Walt had been dreaming about Locke, in a suit, back on the island, surrounded by people who want to hurt him. (more on this in a bit). Also, Ben watched this whole exchange.

Hurley (Santa Rosa, California). In the funniest bit of the episode, Hurley, seeing Locke, assumed his former comrade had died (like the other former island residents who had visited him at the mental hospital). Discovering Locke was actually alive, and seeing him accompanied by Abaddon, Hurley freaked, refused to go back to the island, and warned Locke that Abaddon was evil.

Kate (Los Angeles, California) Kate is just plain mean to Locke. She says she always figures he never loved anyone, which was why he didn't want to leave the island. He tells her about Helen, and about how he screwed things up by being angry and obsessed, and Kate retorts, "look how far you've come." Ouch, Ms. Austin!

Along the way, Locke asks Abaddon to find Helen for him. He also asks what Matthew does for Widmore, to which Abaddon responds by saying he "helps people get where they need to go," and reminds Locke about how, after his "accident," it was Abbadon, pretending to be an orderly, who convinced him to go on walkabout in Australia, which led to his presence on flight 815. Later, Matthew claims to have found Helen, and takes John to a Santa Monica cemetary, shows him a headstone, and says Helen died from an anyeurism. Locke gets choked up, and thinks out loud that if he had done things differently, they could have been together, but Abaddon points out she would have died either way.

Aside Number 3 - I don't believe for a moment that Helen is dead. Rather, I think this was a fake-out by Abaddon to keep John from having any reason whatsoever not to return to the island.

Also, we get what seems to have become a recurring theme this season - whether or not different actions in the past indeed could have changed the future. We know Faraday says it can't be done - and yet he gave Desmond the message to seek out Ms. Hawking, and will (already did) try to tell child Charlotte she can't come back to the island in the future or she'll die. Looks like Daniel was 1-1. How will Locke fare?

As Matthew loads John's wheelchair back in the car on the way out of the cemetary, he is gunned down with several shots to the chest and back, and appears to have died. Locke jumps to the drivers seat, drives off, then gets into a 3-car crash at an intersection. He awakens in another hospital bed. Jack is sitting there, sporting the early stages of his crazy beard, wondering what Locke is doing there. Locke immediately launches into "we have to go back." Jack, as he always had in the past, scoffs about the notion that they have a destiny. Locke says someone tried to kill him, which Jack interprets as a delusion. Jack rails into him - "did you ever think the delusions you're so important are not real, that you're just a lonely old man who crashed on an island?"Locke tries the one move he knows he has left - "your father says 'hello'". He tells Jack about how Chrisitian told him to move the island. Jack refuses to accept this, because he put his father in a coffin. Locke pleads that Jack alone can get the others to go back. Jack again insist, "we were never imporant, so you leave, and you leave the rest of them alone."

Aside Number 4 - this, clearly, is the moment that Jack became a believer. He believes that John believes what he's saying. And how would John know about Christian? Not that Jack embraced his destiny fully. It's more like he just began to doubt his doubt.

At some point later in time, at the Westerfield Hotel, Locke writes the suicide note Jack would come to read later on flight 316. Taking his crutches, Locke positions a table under a beam, takes out and extension cord, and fashions a noose out of it. He puts his head in the loop, tightens the knot, steps to the edge, then hears a knock on the door. It's Ben, who bursts in, and finds him. He says he found Locke because he has a man watching Sayid, and someone watching all of them (leaving out the whole I watched you talk to Walt thing). Ben admits to shooting Abaddon, who he says would have killed John sooner or later. Ben insists again that Widmore was dangerous, that he moved the island so Widmore couldn't find it, so Locke could lead. "You have no idea how important you are," soothes Ben. "Nothing can happen to you."

Aside Number 5 - man, if you tell John Locke he's "special," he'll follow you around like a teenage girl you just called "pretty." Which is what's a little upsetting. His learning curve is so flat - how can he indeed be so special when he's so easily manipulated?

Locke insists he's a failure, for not being able to get any of them to come back. Ben says Jack booked a ticket to Sydney, with a next day return trip. (This, we know, is true). "If you got Jack, you can get the rest of them." Ben gets down on his knees and pleads, "you can't die, you have too much work to do. We've got to get you back on the island so that you can do it." Ben unties the cord. He stands and offers to help Locke get down. "I know we can do this, John. You haven't even been to Sun yet. Let's start with her." Locke tells Ben about Jin not wanting Sun to come back. "Jin is alive? Alright, John, a promise is a promise."

Aside Number 6 - at this point, Ben seems to already be thinking that befriending John here won't work exactly as planned. He seemed genuinely surprised to learn about Jin being alive, but about as convincing in his agreement to leave Sun out of it as he did last season when he told Kate they could leave the island.

Ben takes off his jacket, then helps John to his wheelchair. He says he can help. John says he knows where to go - to a woman in Los Angeles, Eloise Hawking. Ben asks if Locke is sure about the name. Locke asks if Ben knows her. Ben says, "yes, yes I do,"... then abruptly strangles Locke with the cord!

Aside Number 7- we've sen Ben do all sorts of despicable things, but this was the single most violent, viscious thing he's ever done. So why did he do it? Why save John's life, then, minutes later, kill him? It certainly seemed that Ben was set off by John's knowledge of Eloise Hawking. But was it really suddenly ok for Locke to die, just to conceal some sort of secret from him? I can't help but think that Ben's plan for the island required Locke to have died, but not by suicide. The way he died must have mattered. Again, very religious, if you choose to think of it that

Ben stages the suicide, then wipes down his prints. He spots Jin's ring, then pockets it, knowing he can use it to get Sun back to the island. Ben says, as he leaves, "I'll miss you, John. I really will." And you kinda have to believe him, because why else say it to the dead guy?

The Bookend - Hydra Island

As I mentioned at the outset of the post, the episode began with Lost newcomers Ceasar and Ilana poking around an office in the Hydra station. Flight 316 had been set down on this smaller sister island (which apparently has been bouncing through time and space with its larger counterpart).

Alone in the office, Ceasar breaks into a file cabinet, and finds maps of the island, and drawings eerily reminiscent of the ones we've seen before in Daniel Faraday's notebook. As you can see from this screen capture, the diagram includes vectors labeled "real time," "space-time," "imaginary time" and "imaginary space."

There is a sawed-off shotgun under the desk, which Ceasar grabs and shoves in his backpack. Ilana comes in, wants to know what Ceasar stashed. He lies and says it was a flashlight. They discuss having seen somebody, who was not on the plane, who was in the water. As they walk past Flight 316, still in predominantly one piece, they get to the beach, where the stranger introduces himself as John Locke.

Aside Number 8 - It's difficult to figure out at this point if Ceasar and Ilana knew each other before the flight. It's hard to imagine why a marshall and a random single passenger would. On the other hand, they were the only two people, other than Ben and the Oceanic 6, who managed to get seats in business class. However, given what Ceasar tells Locke at the end of the episode, they may only seem to know each other now in light of a freakish shared experience.

In the morning, Locke stands on the beach, looking out at the waves, across at the island. Ilana brings John a mango. She tells Locke about the pilot and woman who took the passenger list and one of the 3 outriggers they found while everyone slept.

Aside 9 - earlier, we saw two of these outriggers at the flight 815 beach camp. It appears one carried Frank (assuming "the pilot" is Frank) and a woman (Sun?), while they other will have followed shortly after in an attempt to find the first. Sawyer (and Locke, Juliet et al) will (already did?) take one of the two, while another group - presumably the people who will take the second one from Hydra beach - will (already did?) shoot at Sawyer and company. You follow (or lead?)

Ilana doesn't remember Locke from the plane, and Locke says he doesn't, either. Locke explains the suit he's wearing is what he was going to be buried in. "You asked what I remembered? I remember dying."

Aside 10 - I can't take credit for this observation, though I don't precisely recall where I read it - but this scene was quite reminiscent of the first season scene when, shortly after the crash, Locke shares a piece of fruit with Walt and tells him he couldn't walk before the crash of flight 815. All too trusting, this John Locke fella.

And, speaking of Walt, didn't Walt tell Locke about a dream he had...where Locke was on the island...in a suit...surrounded by people who want to hurt him? Locke seems to have taken Walt dreams/visions seriously in the past. Why ignore this one? Or could it just be that Locke is doing his full-on Jesus/Aslan/Luke Skywalker/insert mythical hero here shtick? In other words, he's already died, so what does he have to fear? If these are to be his attackers, these flight 316 strangers, perhaps he figures he might as well lean into the punch, so to speak. But, given that every single decision Locke ever makes seems to be a bungled one, I'll stand by my "stupid move, Lockester" theory.

Later, Locke goes to see Ceasar in the same office from the episode's open, and finds him reading a file with a Hydra logo on it. Locke starts to explain DHARMA. Ceasar asks if Locke was already there when they crashed, but Locke explains he had left the island before. Ceasar asks why Hurley and the others disappeared off the plane when the light hit.

Aside 11 - This at least partially explains why Jack, Kate and Hurley ended up in the lagoon with no recollection of crashing with the plane. It does not explain where Sun and Sayid are. Was Sun the woman who paddled away with Frank? Why wouldn't Sun have been taken, too, by the flash of light? For that matter, as I'm about to mention, why wasn't Ben?

Locke says he thinks he knows how he came to be there (really? Because I'm not sure I do). Ceasar tells Locke some people got hurt. He takes him to a makeshift infirmary, in the Hyrda medical area, where Locke finds Ben, one of the injured. "You know him?" asks Ceasar? "Yeah," says Locke, "He's the man who killed me."

Final Thoughts

Locke as messiah continues to bother me. He never seems to make the right move, does he? I mean, it's not just that he's unafraid of the consequences of his unpopular decisions. It's more than he makes decisions that seem destined to keep him from achieving his own goals.

Ben in this vulnerable postion is also interesting. The island clearly took who it wanted from the living on the plane...and yet, Ben was not one of them. Did he become, in a sense, unworthy, for what he did (whatever it was) after leaving Jack at Eloise's church? Or for killing Locke?

Finally, on the whole confused notion of time...Jack, Kate and Hurley did not seem to experience any time jumps from the time they woke up on the island to the time Jin pulled up in a 70s era DHARMA bus. Yet, it appeared that the Hyrda Island people arrived in the future of the island - which explains their outriggers being left at the future version of the 815 camp. Did the separation of the groups leave them in different time periods? Will this cause some of the unpredictable effects Eloise mentioned (since, after all, Walt, Aaron, and perhaps Ji Yeon did not come back?)

In any case, next week we'll return to the Sawyer/Juliet/Daniel/Miles group, and, the previews lead us to believe, see Sawyer and Kate reunited, in "LaFleur." Until then, Namaste!