LOST Fan

Hello, and welcome to the Special Passover Edition of “Almost-Live” blogging, full of puns and analogies stretched past the breaking point.

9:04 Alpert, with a fresh application of mascara, mentions Jacob. But where IS Jacob? Everyone always talks about him, but no one ever actually sees him…. um, just like Elijah?

The Island saved Little Ben, which explains how he survived a gunshot wound to the chest. It’s a miracle … like the parting of the Red Sea!

Charles is back!

Ben explains why he killed John. He says he came back to be judged by the “Monster.”

9:17 Ben, with teenage Ethan, grabs Danielle’s baby. Wow. There’s one long-standing question answered — how Alex ended up with Ben. But it still leaves the question of why.

Ben, to Locke: “Well I just didn’t have time to talk you back into hanging yourself.”
Locke: “I was just hoping for an apology.”

Ben shoots Cesar! Wow, that is COLD. Ben, to Locke: “There’s your apology.”

Ben is evil … like the Pharoah!

9:27 Flashback. Ben with Alex. Now we know why he took Alex. The answers are coming fast tonight. I count, ahem, Four Questions that have been answered so far in this episode.

Neither Charles nor Ben will kill baby Alex, so there are limits to their evil. Ben, with the baby, is actually quite the softie. So sweet …. like charoses!

Back to the present. Someone is in Alex’s room! Horror-film music. It’s Sun!

Um, there was a lot of sun in the desert that the Israelites wandered through for 40 years.

Undead John waves sweetly. More charoses!

9:38 Ben goes down secret passageway, sticks hand in yucky dirty water. You better, uh, wash your hands, Ben!

Flashback. Charles banished from the Island. Ben says, accusingly, that Charles had a daughter with an outsider. Penny!

Ben: “Dead is dead.” He’s tells Sun that John being undead scares him. Is he telling the truth?

John says he knows where Smokie is.

He will lead Ben to Smokie … like Moses led his people out of bondage!

9:49 Ben on the pier. So it WAS Penny he wanted to kill! That’s another question answered. That makes — uh oh — five questions.

In the present: Locke: “I just know.” Ben: “How does that work, exactly?” Hah.

They see the Temple wall. Uh, next year in Jerusalem!

Back at the pier. Ben is as bitter as a bitter herb. He shot Desmond!!! There’s Penny! Oh, Ben has a soft spot for children, which makes him (ahem) pass over Penny. Yay, Desmond’s not dead! That explains how Ben got beat up. Question number 6 now answered. Ewwww — blood in the water.

10:02 Ilana: “What lies in the shadow of the statue?” She knocks Lapidus down. This is seriously weird.

Ben and Locke wander through a structure underneath the temple. Ben falls through the floor. There’s an altar with Egyptian hieroglyphics. (Egypt! Hello, Passover tie-ins!) There’s a picture of a snake-like creature (Smokie?) facing what I think may be the animal-like head of the Statue.

And theeeeeere’s Smokie! Full of faces from the past, as it had been with Eko. Oh! Alex!! Undead!! Hah — she’s still mad at him. So much for Ben’s getting forgiveness for his sins. But that would be the wrong holiday, anyway.
———-

There was a lot of information in this episode, many questions answered. But I found it a bit inert. I didn’t find it really exciting until the scene on the pier, which was an adrenalin pumper. And I was intrigued by the bizarre scene with Ilana and Lapidus. And I loved the scene after that, where Ben and Locke were wandering around in the strange underground temple, a scene which felt like something straight out of a dream.

Photo of (ahem) Big Ben is by David Iliff, GNU FDL, via Wikipedia

9:05 Jin’s ok. Little Ben is alive. I figured he would be (for the sake of not entangling the show in time-travel paradoxes), but how does someone survive being shot in the chest?

Flashback. Cassidy: “What are you doing here?” Kate: “Sawyer sent me.”

9:17 Cassidy, about Sawyer: “What a coward.”

Hurley checks to see if he’s disappearing! Which he would be if the show had become entangled in a time-travel paradox. I love this. Miles says, no. He’s a believer in the Faraday line of thinking that you can’t change the future.

And then, in the middle of the time-travel discussion, Hurley, standing in for us, the viewers, as he so often does, says “This is really confusing!” Ha ha ha!

Jack refuses to help Ben. Kate says Ben will die. Jacks says, “Then he dies.”

9:29 Jack is tired of being the guy who always fixes things. “Maybe the Island just wants to fix things itself.”

Kate: “I don’t like the new you. I liked the old you.”

Jack: “You didn’t like the old me, Kate.”

Interesting.

Roger is remorseful. Who would’ve thunk it?

Hurley and Miles continue their discussion of time travel. This is cracking me up. They’re pursuing threads that are becoming more and more convoluted and incomprehensible, just like two LOST fans arguing about their favorite theories.

Hurley, again standing in for us: “Say that again?”

Juliet says they have to go to the Others for Ben. I don’t really understand this. Do the others have more advanced medical skills than the Dharma folk?

9:37 Flashback to scene on pier. Kate loses Aaron in supermarket. Finds him with a woman who looks like Claire, from the back, but it isn’t Claire.

Meeting of Kate and Sawyer (and the cute blue VW vans) in the meadow.

9:49 Kate and Cassidy have become friends. Kate: “Aaron needed me.” Cassidy to Kate: “You needed Aaron.”

Sawyer: “I’m dong it for Juliet.”

Juliet to Jack (echoing Cassidy to Kate): “You came back here for you.”

New Jack (channeling Locke): “I came back because I was supposed to.”

Kate and Sawyer have The Talk, then are interrupted by armed Others.

10:02 Kate, confirming Cassidy’s point, tells Claire’s mother that she lied because she needed Aaron.

Back on the Island, Kate and Sawyer give Little Ben to Alpert, who says “If I take him, he’ll never be the same again.”

Hey, maybe Alpert really IS a vampire! Hah.

Alpert carries Little Ben through the jungle, towards a cabin. It’s Jacob’s cabin, I think. Is Christian Shephard inside? I bet that’s it. How many other surgeons are there hanging out in the jungle?

Big Ben wakes up and sees Locke. Big Ben looks shocked, and I don’t think he’s faking. Locke just smiles and says, “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

I’d say this was a good, though not a great episode. What kept it from being great, for me, was that Kate didn’t really engage me emotionally. When she was crying about giving Aaron up, I wasn’t feeling it. Same thing when she reunited with Sawyer. I’m not sure if it’s the character or the actress, but Kate usually seems remote to me.

On the plus side, we got answers to several questions: what Sawyer had whispered to Kate in the helicopter, what happened to Aaron, and how Ben ended up with the Others. The dialogue between New Jack and Kate was interesting. And I loved the scenes with Hurley and Miles, acting as stand-ins for all of us theory-spouting LOST fans.

Evangeline Lilly promo photo (c) ABC

Blogging during commercials …

9:05 Father tells boy to kill chicken, but he can’t. He’s too kind-hearted. His younger brother enters the pen, snaps the chicken’s neck. Which child is little Sayid? I’m thinking it’s the kind-hearted one. Oops! I was wrong about that!

Dharma guy: “Whatever.” Hey, writers, that seems anachronistic! People didn’t say “whatever” like that back then.

But they did read “A Separate Reality” by Carlos Castenada. Oooh! Nostalgia attack.

Little Ben was creepy and Ben-like, even back then. “I think I can help you.” Oh, I bet you can, Creepy Little Ben.

9:16 Long-haired Sayid. Russia. Bang bang! Now what does he do with himself?

Horace, opening and shutting pliers. Menacing. “Put out your hands.” What is this, “24″? No — ha — fake out!

“I’ll have to take this to the next level.” Hmm, maybe they are imitating “24″ after all. But why are the hippies into torture anyway?

Sawyer! And Juliet! In the cute house! Awww.

Sawyer and Sayid! Sayid: “Then I guess I’m on my own.”

9:28 Hurley, Kate, and Jack in the cafeteria. Kate didn’t know about Suliet? Really?

Wow, Ben’s father is a nasty piece of work. This is one for the bad fathers file.

Ben and Sayid in Santo Domingo. Great scene. Ben: “You’re a killer, Sayid. It’s in your nature.”

Sawyer tasers Sayid. Oh, Sawyer, shame on you!

“He’s our you.” There’s the title!

Creepy guy puts Sayid in restraints — his arms out, as if crucified.

9:42 Sayid in bar. Is that the woman from the plane? Not sure.

Sayid talks. The drug wasn’t painful after all! Whew! One “24″ is more than enough.

“I’m from the future.” “Maybe I should have used half a dose.” Ha ha ha!

Kate has engine duty with Juliet! I like the idea of them becoming friends but, hey writers, giving them both mechanics jobs seems like another anachronism. Few women worked on cars in the 70s. Could this be a Dharma experiment in redefining gender roles? I doubt it — they don’t seem that progressive in general.

But thank you, writers, for not staging a cat fight between Kate and Juliet. I was half expecting it, and I’m glad you took the high road here, and steered clear of the looming cliche.

Voting to kill Sayid. Sawyer raises his hand. Shame on you, Sawyer!

9:52 The woman kicks Sayid! “I am a professional.”

Sawyer didn’t betray Sayid after all! Whew! I really didn’t want to have to hate Sawyer!

Van rolling through Dharmaville, like it did in last week’s “Lost Untangled”! Except this time, it’s on fire.

Cloaked figure. It’s not Ms. Hawking again, is it? Ha. Nope, it’s Little Ben.

Little Ben: Will you take me to your people? Sayid: That’s why I’m here.

10:02 Sayid, at gate of Flight 315: “Can we get the next plane?” Ha ha. Sorry, Sayid. This is your destiny!

Sayid shoots Little Ben! OMG! It’s a time travel paradox!!! I was sure they weren’t going to have any of those!! Very, very interesting. Could it be that Little Ben is not really dead? And if he is dead … then what? What does that mean, if the Losties are able to alter the past?

Wow. Cue the Twilight Zone music.

I liked the episode. Lots of action, good set-up of the tension between Sayid and Ben, and a kicker of an ending.

Graphic by Ms Terri, using a smoldering hot picture of Naveen Andrews from the abc.com website (c) ABC

Hi there. LOST is back! Yay!

I am blogging during commercials, as usual…

9:07 Wow! Great beginning! We get to see Flight 316 after the flash. Frank lands the plane! But his co-pilot is dead.

Inside the cabin, many of the seats are now empty, which reminds me of the rapture in “Left Behind” — a book I haven’t actually read, but know about from reading some of the deconstructing posts on Slacktivist.

“30 Years Earlier.” I’m liking these title screens. Reminds me of something Darlton said, on one of the Season 4 DVD features, about how we’ve seen the present, the flashbacks, and the flashforwards, which created the framework of a mosaic, and that the show from this season on would be about placing the tiles into place in the mosaic.

Sawyer: “It’s 1977!” Hurley: “Oh … what?”

9:19 Sawyer and Juliet, in their bedroom. Is she jealous of Kate’s being back, or is she thinking of the larger picture? The latter, I think. Jin hits guy with glasses (Radzinsky?).

Ben takes off. Sun, who seems unafraid of anything these days, follows. Sun: “Where are you going?” Ben: “Back to our Island. Do you want to come?”

9:27. The baby is Ethan! Sawyer: “Trust me.” Jack, the new, calmer 2.0 version, nods ok. Sayid!

9:36 The music and Kate’s peasant blouse are giving me a nostalgia attack. The beads are a bit much, though.

Sun: “I have to trust him.” Sun hits Ben in the head. Frank: “I thought you trusted that guy.” Sun: “I lied.” Sun is so badass these days!

Dr. Candle/Cheng: “Namaste.” Juliet: “Hi, Kate. Welcome to the Island.”

9:48: Sun and Frank, in long-deserted Dharmaville. A light comes on! The door creeks! Oooh, this is like a horror film! A figure is in the doorway, in silhouette. It’s Christian Shephard!!! “Follow me,” he says. Uh oh!

10:01 Sun: “Where is my husband?” Christian gives her picture taken in 1977. “I’m sorry, but you have a bit of a journey ahead of you.” Does that mean what I think it means?

Sawyer sends a signal to Sayid with his eyes.

Jack hugs Juliet on her doorstep! That’s weird — aren’t they afraid that the Dharma folks will see them? Why don’t they go inside?

Jack and Sawyer have a showdown. Sawyer says that he thinks, but Jack only reacts, and that’s why a whole bunch of people got killed on Jack’s watch. That’s pretty offensive, but Jack doesn’t seem to mind — seems like Jack is so glad to hand over the reins that he doesn’t care about anything else, even about being insulted to his face.

Kate and Sawyer wave to each other from their porches. Aww.

Kid brings a sandwich to Sayid — it’s little Ben! Ha. Fun with time travel!

Good episode! I like the way everyone seems to be converging (slowly) on the same place and time.

Previous “almost-live” blogging posts:

5×01 Because You Left

5×02 The Lie

5×03 Jughead

5×04 The Little Prince

5×05 This Place is Death

5×06 316

5×07 The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham

5×08 LaFleur

The wonderful picture at the top of this post shows the Thailand version of Ronald McDonald performing the Thai “Wai” greeting (very similar to the Indian “Namaste”). The picture was taken by ChrisO in Patong Beach, Phuket.