Live-Blogging of "The Variable"

Tonight I'm attempting to live-blog LOST for a few reasons:

1) It'll be a challenge.
2) So this week's post won't be so gi-normous.
3) Because I have other writing projects to work on, and I can't afford to spend 5 hours putting this blog together after the episode ends tonight.

So I'll jot thoughts as we go, post during the commercials, and then I'll add a list of questions after the episode ends.

Now I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping Obama's live press conference doesn't cut into LOST time. Because after last week's stinker of a recap ("new
perspective," my butt), I think we can expect big things this week. I guess you could say I have the audacity to hope for that.

More to come...as soon as Obama's done...


So Desmond did get shot! And he's where? In a hospital?

Uh-oh, Penny...be wary of that mysterious Hawking woman!

"I'm Eloise Hawking, and I believe it's my son's fault that your son has been shot."
"Your son is Benjamin Linus?"
"Heavens, no! My son is Daniel Faraday..." (Was that supposed to be surprising to us? To Penny?)

Scene change back to Daniel climbing out of the sub.

Miles: "What are you doing back here? Once you left for Ann Arbor, I figured you'd invent the DVD and get rich or something." Ha!

Daniel goes to Jack and demands that Jack tell him how they got there.

Jack: We were on a plane.
Dan: Who told you to get on a plane?
Jack: As a matter of fact, it was your mother.
Dan: How'd she get you to come back? Did she tell you it was your destiny?
Jack: Yeah, that's exactly what she said.
Dan: I've got some bad news for you Jack. You don't belong here at all. She was wrong.

Oh, Dan...it's good to have you back. You and your mysterious knowledge.

[Commercial break]

And now we have a kid playing the piano...Jack? Daniel? Desmond?

Ah, it is Daniel! And his mom is talking to him about destiny.

"Your gift, Daniel, is your mind. A mind that is meant for science, mathematics. And it's my job to keep you on your path. So unfortunately, there's no more time for distractions."

Boy: I can do both; I can make time.
Mom: If only you could.

(Oh, the double meaning!)

Back to 1977, where Jack tells Sawyer that Faraday is back.

Juliet tells Sawyer to tell Jack about Phil...who is tied up in the closet.

Sawyer: "Phil, Jack. Jack, Phil."

Meanwhile, Daniel and Miles are at the Orchid station. And Daniel seems to know exactly what he's doing. Although he's busy flipping through his journal...and suddenly, Pierre Chang is saying the same lines, from the same scene we saw earlier this season (the first episode?). Only this time, we see Daniel approach Pierre and tell him to evacuate "every man, woman, and child" on the island.

Pierre says the electromagnetic energy is contained, but Daniel says it's going to be unleashed elsewhere on the island, including the site for the Swan station where it's 30,000 times as strong (or something like that).

Daniel: "The accident is going to be catastrophic!"
Pierre: "That's absurd. What could possibly qualify you to make that kind of prediction?"
Daniel: "I'm from the future."

(I wonder how many times one of our LOST-ies will say that before someone believes them...)

[Commercial]

We come back to

Pierre: Yes, you're from the future. You heard me talking about time travel, and now you've had your fun.
Daniel tries to get Pierre Chang to look at his equations in his notebook.
Miles comes over and tries to break them up. And then...

Daniel: "Miles is your son."

Pierre to Miles: "Is that true?"
Miles: "No."

Miles: "Are you out of your mind? What are you trying to do?"
Daniel: "I'm just trying to make sure your father does what he's supposed to do."
Miles: "And what's that?"
Daniel: "You'll see."

Scene change...

Daniel with his girl, Theresa, and Mrs. Hawking.

Mrs. Hawking: The women in your life will only be terribly hurt.

Daniel got a 1.5 million dollar research grant from "some industrialist." Mrs. Hawking was very surprised when Daniel said Charles Widmore's name.

Mommy Hawking gives Dan a congratulations gift (I'm guessing a journal?) and she says, "Good luck, Daniel. And I hope you know I mean that."

Aha! It is a journal, with a nice little message from mommy.

Scene Change back to an impromptu house meeting: Sawyer, Juliet, Hurley, Jack, Jin, Kate.

They're talking about what to do. Sawyer says they have 2 options:

1) Commandeer the sub...
2) Go into the jungle and "start from square 1"

They seem to be leaning toward option 2 when there's a knock at the door...and it's Daniel and Miles.

Sawyer to Dan: "Welcome to the meeting, Twitchy."

Sawyer to Miles: "Is he still crazy?"
Miles: "It's on a whole new level."

Daniel: What I have to do is of critical importance. Does anyone know where I can find the "hostiles"?
Juliet: Why do you want to know that, Daniel?
Daniel: Because one of them is my mother, and she's the only one who can get us back to where we're supposed to be (or something like that).

(I guess I get why they think Dan's crazy, but hasn't he been right about, well, almost everything? His people skills aren't great, and he comes across as a little crazy...but I'm surprised they're so inclined to distrust him.)

[Commercial]

Okay, they just showed a preview for Wipeout, and I just thought about how great it would be to see Hurley doing that obstacle course...

Okay, and we're back to Daniel crying (even though he doesn't know why) when the fake Oceanic 815 wreckage was discovered.

And then Widmore shows up to visit him.

Daniel: I'm sorry, sir. Did Caroline tell you that the condition affects my memory?
Charles: Don't be embarrassed. We've never met. My name is Charles Widmore. (How many times have we seen him introduce himself to various people?)

Widmore: "I came to offer you a new opportunity."
Daniel: "It's this plane crash; I don't know why it's bothering me so much. It's so sad. They're dead."
Widmore: Daniel, what if I told you, they're not dead. What if I told you the plane was an elaborate, and expensive, fake.
Daniel: How would you know that?
Widmore: Because I put it there! (Aha!)
Daniel: Why would you tell me that?
Widmore: Because come tomorrow, you won't remember I did.

Widmore tells Dan about the island with "unique properties," and he says the island will heal him, heal his mind and his memory.

Daniel: Why are you doing all this for me?
Widmore: Because you're a man of tremendous gifts and it would be a shame to see them go to waste.
Daniel: You sound like my mother.
Widmore: That's because we're old friends. (Daniel looked confused.)

Scene change back to 1977...

Sawyer: You're telling me your mother is an other?

Hurley: Whoa, you guys were in 1954? You mean, Fonzi times?

Jack wants Kate to help take Daniel to the Others. Sawyer is opposed. Sawyer says to Kate, "Come with us, Freckles."

Juliet's face...registered something. Jealousy? Anger? Shock? What?

Juliet: The code for the fence is 1411417...You should take Daniel; it's over for us here, anyway.

Wow, she totally emasculated Sawyer. And made the decision Sawyer couldn't.

Sawyer: When you realize you made a terrible mistake, meet us at the beach, where we started.

And then Daniel sees Charlotte on the swing set. (What's up with that swing set?)

Daniel to Charlotte: Hopefully, really soon, Dr. Chang is going to ask a lot of people to get on the submarine and get on the island. When he does, you and your mommy are going to have to get on that submarine. If what I came to do doesn't work, you can't be here...I tried to avoid telling you this, I didn't think I could change things. But maybe I can.

Jack and Kate are loading up their guns...and Dan says, "Do you have something for a beginner?"

Radzinsky and friends confront them, with guns.

Daniel: Listen to me, you really do not understand what's happening here. We're just going to leave, okay?

Gunfire erupts.

Dan gets hit. Jack covers Kate and Dan as they run to the Jeep. Jack's a bad dude. (Have we seen him firing a gun before?)

They drive away amid the gunfire...

Radzinsky: "Sound the alarm!"

[Commercial]

We see an older Daniel playing the piano, and Mrs. Hawking comes in. (Has Daniel forgotten how to play?...he stopped so abruptly.)

Mrs. Hawking: I hear you've been offered a job.
Daniel: How do you know that?
Mrs. Hawking: It's my business to know...I came here to tell you it's very important that you say yes to Mr. Widmore, that you accept this job.

Mrs. Hawking: This place he mentioned, this island. Did he tell you that it could make you better?

Daniel: You really want me to go?
Mrs. Hawking: Yes.
Daniel: Will it make you proud of me?
Mrs. Hawking: Yes, Daniel. It will. (this was kind of corny, I'm sorry...)
Daniel: Then I'll do it.

Scene change back to Jack, Kate, and Daniel riding out to the sonic fence... (the windshield either got blown completely out, or this is a continuity error)

Daniel: You've got to understand, Jack, this is our present. We can't be so naive as to think that nothing can happen to us. Any one of us can die, Jack.

Kate turns the fence off.

Kate: You think he knows what he's doing?
Jack: I sure hope so. There's no turning back now.

Scene change back to Sawyer and Juliet.

Sawyer: You can say I told you so.
Juliet: Maybe after we get to the beach?
Sawyer: Hey, you still got my back?
Juliet: You still got mine? (Think she's thinking of Kate?)

The siren sounds.
Hurley: That's not good, right?

Radzinsky: I just got shot by a physicist!
Sawyer: Calm down so we can talk about this...

Radzinsky finds Phil in the closet. Radzinsky makes Sawyer get down on the ground, at gunpoint.

And back in the woods... Jack says, "You need a gun to go talk to your mother?"
and Dan says, "You don't know my mother, Jack."

Dan tells them about the event at the Swan work site, in 4 hours, that's about to set in motion the chain of events leading up to now.

Dan says they can change it.

Dan: I'd been spending so much time focusing on the constant, that I forgot about the variables. You know what those variables are?
Jack: What?
Dan: Us. We think, we reason, we have free will. We can change our destiny.

Dan is going to try to destroy the Swan?

Kate: And how do you plan to destroy all this energy?
Dan: I'm going to detonate a hydrogen bomb.

(Ah, well, I guess that explains why they think he's crazy...and it explains why he's looking for Ellie, since she's the one he told to bury the bomb...but can they really be variables? Can they change things?)

[commercial]

Special shout-out to the anonymous person who just posted! I'm sorry you can't watch it right now, and I'm glad I was able to help out.

And we're back, in the hospital with Penny and Mrs. Hawking.

Eloise: Your son has become a casualty in a struggle that's bigger than us...
Penny: What do you mean? Is he going to be okay?
Eloise: For the first time, I don't know. I honestly don't know what's going to happen. (Or something like that.)

But it looks like Desmond is going to be okay...but what is Hawking up to?

WIdmore approaches her outside the hospital and asks, "Is he going to be alright?"
Eloise, "Yes, he's fine."
Charles: "Good." (Is he saying "good" because it's his son-in-law...or because Desmond is important?)

Eloise: "Your daughter is in there. You could go in and say hi."
Charles: "My daughter is one of the sacrifices I had to make..."
Eloise: "Don't talk to me about sacrifices. I had to send my son back to that island..."
Charles: "He's my son too, Eloise."
Eloise slaps him...and walks away.

So Faraday really is the "love child" (you were right, Todd) of Ellie and Charles.

Back in the jungle, Daniel approaches the Others' camp, gun drawn. A Hostile/Other went for his gun, and Daniel fired into the ground to deter him.

Daniel says, "I only want to speak to Eloise."
Richard Alpert comes out, mug in hand, "She's not here right now..."

Daniel: "Where's the bomb, Richard? I'm going to give you three seconds..."
Daniel gets shot.
Richard: "Why did you do that?"
Eloise: He had a gun on you.
Richard: He wasn't going to shoot, Eloise.

Daniel: You knew. You knew all along. And you sent me here anyway.
Eloise: Who are you?
Daniel: I'm your son.

Is Daniel dying? It doesn't look good...

(Whoa, whoa...so Eloise and Charles are Daniel's parents...AND they sent him back to the island knowing Eloise was going to shoot (and kill?) him! Crazy!)

[End of Episode]

I'll add the summary and the prevailing questions shortly...

Summary:

If this marks the end of Daniel Faraday, it was a great way to go out. Daniel, taking charge and carrying out his plan. And shot by his mother! What a great twist that was. I like Daniel, but if this is his end, I can live with that. This episode went a long way toward wrapping up his story (maybe all the way).

And this episode adds a whole new layer to Mrs. Hawking's story. So she and Widmore were once lovers—Daniel's parents—but then Widmore must have moved on (maybe the off-island child Ben referred to?) because he's Penny's father. But Mrs. Hawking is so committed to making sure things turn out correctly...but why? Why send Daniel back to the island? Why does she care so much?

And what about her telling Penny that, for the first time in a long time, she didn't know what would happen next? What's that all about?

But hey, it's good to see Jack doing something again. Good to see him being good ol' Jack.

Questions:

1) Why did Mrs. Hawking go to visit Desmond (and Penny) in the hospital? She doesn't strike me as the kind of woman who does anything unless it's part of a plan. So what's her goal here? To get Desmond back to the island? And why would she say that it's her son's fault Desmond got shot? Why is it Daniel's fault that Ben shot Desmond?

2) Is this the beginning of the end for Juliet and Sawyer? Or is that just what the writers want us to think? (Or am I the only one who thought we were supposed to think that?

3) How closely are Eloise and Charles working together? Now that we know that they were once lovers, what does that say about Eloise allowing Benjamin Linus to board Ajira 316 with the rest of the group heading back to the island? From Widmore's perspective, that's quite a betrayal, isn't it?

...and that's all the questions I can come up with right now. I'm a little disappointed in myself. But maybe I'll add more later.

Looking forward to next week...

—Thanks for Reading

"I Hear Dead People"

Obviously this episode's title, "Some Like it Hoth," refers to the planet Hoth, the snow and ice covered world that hosts the opening fight sequence in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

Um, duh!

Okay, maybe I only know that because I consulted wikipedia; I'm not a Star Wars fan. At all. But apparently, I'm a little more Star Wars-savvy than one Miles Straume.

In fact, that might have been the most unrealistic element of this episode—when Miles is reading Hurley's version of The Empire Strikes Back, and he has to ask, "What is this?" You mean to tell me that he didn't even recognize Chewbacca's name? I mean, how could Miles be so completely oblivious? What, was he born on some isolated island in the south pacific, or something?

Well, as a matter of fact...

...but we'll get to that in a bit.

Season 5: Episode 13—“Some Like it Hoth”:

LOST always makes me wish I had a DVR or Tivo. Usually because I'm transcribing as much dialogue as I can and the ability to rewind or pause would make my life considerably easier. But this week, my dilemma was even more significant. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I missed a couple minutes of the opening sequence. (*hangs head*) Barbie tells me I missed just a little bit of cute-kid Miles, but I did get to the living room in time to see little Miles making his dual discovery: a dead body and his ability to "hear" the dead man talking to him.

Later in life, when Miles' mother is dying, Miles asks her to tell him about his abilities and his father. She says nothing about his abilities, but says Miles' daddy has been dead a long time.

Miles: Where’s his body?
Mother: Somewhere you could never go.

Hmmm, could it be "the island"? Or some place even harder to reach? (If that's possible.)

Confirming the suspicions of many, this episode goes on to reveal that Miles' papa is Pierre Chang. And near the end of the episode, we see him reading a children's book to 3-month-old Miles, but then his phone rang and he had to go pick up the team of scientists from the dock (more on that later). I think this scene was included to show us that Pierre did care about his young'un, but Dharma work kept getting in the way. A workaholic father? Maybe. Or maybe just one who is part of something so vitally important that the best way he can care for his wife and son is by continuing the Dharma mission, including his classified activities in the Orchid Station. As a result of that, maybe Mama Chang (Lara is her name) thinks Pierre didn't care about her and Miles.

Maybe. Or maybe Pierre told her to leave the island for her own safety and the safety of their boy. (Her exact words were: "Your father...kicked us out when you were just a baby." Hmmm, "kicked us out"? I'd think a father who didn't care about his family would just leave. But kicking them out? Interesting word choice. Almost as if he were sending them away...wait for it...for their own good.)

Maybe Pierre couldn't tell his wife the real reason (he does seem to take that "classified" stuff pretty seriously), and maybe she's bitter/resentful, completely unaware that he was protecting her and Miles. Or, maybe she's lying to Miles. Trying to protect him.

After all, remember how Daniel Faraday told a young Charlotte she would die if she ever returned to the island? Maybe Pierre believed the same thing would happen to Miles. So Miles' mama concocted the whole "Your dad never cared about us...he's somewhere you can't go...he never cared...yada yada" story so Miles wouldn't go looking for his dad.

Who knows, Pierre Chang might still be alive somewhere (or alive in some time). Unlike Roger Linus and Horace, we don't see a dead Pierre Chang following the Purge.

But back to pre-island Miles...

As we'd already seen in at least one past episode, Miles uses his special ability and his entrepreneurial instincts (otherwise known, in this case, as "greed") to launch a lucrative ghost-whispering business. Apparently he's taken out an ad that says he can talk to dead people any time or any place or anyhow, way, what, where, when, why, or something like that...(unless they've been cremated, but that detail was probably buried in the fine print.)

After he meets with a new client, Mr. Gray, Naomi approaches him and takes him to a restaurant, but not to the dinner for which Miles was hoping. Instead, she presents him with a dead body and says it will be Miles' "audition."

Miles is prepared to walk out, but then Naomi tosses him a wad of cash. Then, not surprisingly, Miles decides it's game on.

Miles passes Naomi's test by revealing that the dead guy was a man named Felix who was trying to deliver "a bunch of papers, photos, pictures...of empty graves, a purchase order for an old airplane..." to a "guy named Wid...More."

That information helped him pass her test, but I want to know whether or not Naomi already knew that information. I also want to know if he learned anything from Felix that he didn't share. Like, maybe, how the guy died?

Oh, by the way, Naomi also said something to the effect of:

"I’m leading an expedition to an island, and on that island is a man who’s going to be very difficult to find. This island has a number of deceased individuals residing on it, and since this man is responsible for their being deceased…they might have some things to say that will help us find him."

I didn't get that quote down verbatim, but I know Naomi said that there are "deceased individuals residing on that island." Aside from the irony of "dead people residing..." this comment also piqued my interest because it begs this question: How does Naomi know these things? Maybe it's common knowledge that Ben has killed "a number of" people. But if Naomi is working for Widmore (we can assume this, right? After all, she was hired by Matthew Abaddon), I'm wondering if Widmore might have (or might have previously had) an on-island spy. Unless Ben killed people prior to Widmore's departure. Like, for instance, the Dharma Initiative. I just confused myself. Moving on...

Sometime after his rendezvous with Naomi, Miles buys a fish taco...and promptly gets jumped by some guys in a van. The guy who does all the talking introduces himself as Bram. I didn't realize it until after the episode ended, but this is the same Bram we saw working with Ilana on Sidekick (Hydra) Island in the last episode. So this Bram guy eventually gets to the island via Ajira 316. Worth remembering, methinks.

Bram tells Miles they had to do it this way because Miles' place is being watched, and then he tells Miles they're trying to convince him not to work for Widmore. Miles wants money, but Bram drives a hard bargain—offering our ghost-buster zilch. Bram does say, however, that if Miles will come with them, he'll learn why he has that gift and get details about his father. Oh yeah, and then he asks Miles if he knows "what lies in the shadow of the statue." Miles, of course, does not. Which, according to Bram, means he's "not ready to go to the island."

(Timeout: We know Bram and Ilana are working together. And they're both privy to knowledge about what lies in the statue's shadow. But who are they working for? Ben? That's my main thought, but I know others are suggesting a third party. Maybe Mrs. Hawking. Maybe a reconstituted Dharma Initiative. And now, after typing that, I think I'm leaning toward a new DI. Widmore and Ben are rivals warring for the same thing—kids playing King of the Hill. Dharma is the group trying to build laboratories and polar bear cages on that hill. So while Widmore and Ben will be enemies, I'm beginning to think we're seeing a mutual enemy of theirs creeping back into the picture...but we'll see. Want evidence that Bram might have Dharma ties: well, he just told Miles he can reveal how Miles has his special abilities, plus details about his father. His daddy was a Dharma man—a higher-up, too. Maybe Dharma is somehow responsible for Miles' gifts. Seems plausible to me, anyway. Need more evidence to support the idea of a reconstituted Dharma Initiative? If you haven't seen it already, watch the Comic-Con video from last summer. I included it at the end of this post.)

As we know, Miles does go to the island with Widmore's team. And then he ends up in 1977, working for the Dharma Initiative.

In this episode, the first thing we see Miles doing in 1977 is talking to Sawyer LaFleur via walkie-talkie. Sawyer asks him to delete the tapes that show him and Kate ushering baby Ben out of the Dharma compound. Miles complies, but not without a few questions and a bit of attitude. (And as we learn later, Miles might not have done a good enough job of clearing those tapes.)

Miles then lies to Horace to cover for Sawyer's absence, so Horace is forced to bring Miles into his "circle of trust." (Didn't this guy have any confidants prior to the arrival of Sawyer and Miles?) So Miles goes on a mission into Hostile territory—where Dharma is building the Swan. He takes something (which turns out to be a bodybag) and is given something (a dead body for the bag) to take back with him.

In a delightful turn of events, Miles has to carpool with Hurley out to the Orchid Station (which is where Horace had instructed him to take the body). I loved the dialogue on the ride there. First, Hurley is writing in his journal and he asks Miles how to spell "bounty hunter." My first thought was that Hurley had obtained some sort of knowledge of Ilana, which I'm sure is what the writers wanted me to think. But no, Hurley is just writing an improved version of The Empire Strikes Back to save George Lucas the trouble. Ha.

Meanwhile, Roger discovers that Ben is missing. And Juliet does a superb job of lying to him. And then she turns to Kate and, so matter-of-factly, says, "Well...here we go." Maybe I'm wrong, but it seemed like Kate was just a little bit disgusted by how easy it was for Juliet to lie to Roger. Or maybe it's because Juliet didn't seem the least bit bothered by Roger's concern for his missing son.

Roger said he went to call security, but we never really saw much of a response to Ben's absence. You'd think the abduction of a dying kid would be the kind of thing that would bring everyone out of their little Dharma house...but I guess not. (If they don't care when one of their kids gets shot and then abducted, well, maybe they deserve to get purged. Yeah, I said it.)

We don't see anyone concerned with Ben's absence until the very end when Phil brings a tape to Sawyer, one that reveals that Sawyer was the one responsible:

Sawyer: I got a perfectly good explanation for what you saw on that tape.
Phil: I sure as hell hope so.
Sawyer: You talk to Horace yet?
Phil: No. I thought that after three years of working together, I'd give you the benefit of the doubt—
[Sawyer shuts the door to his house, then spins and knocks Phil out with one punch. Phil lands on the floor, unconscious.]
Sawyer to Juliet: Get some rope. [Sighs]

So Sawyer and Juliet are both jeopardizing their Dharma lifestyle to cover up their actions. I suppose they had no choice, but I am wondering what's to become of Phil. If he lives, I think he will have learned a valuable lesson: Sawyer really doesn't deserve the "benefit of the doubt."

Kate finds Roger sitting on the swingset drinking Dharma Lite, and she sits down to have a brewski with him. But when she tries to tell him that she's sure Ben will be alright, Roger gets suspicious and accuses her of being involved—or at least guilty of being too interested in his boy. The scene culminates with Kate walking away and Roger yelling after her: "You want to help, Kate? Why don’t you just mind your own business?"

And then, believe it or not, we finally see Jack fixing something! Then again, maybe he was just protecting Kate. Whatever his motive, Jack does his best to convince a concerned Roger that Kate "would never do anything to hurt Ben." Not only that, but Jack also goes to Sawyer's house so he can let the Head of Security know that Roger is suspicious of Kate. And then we got this very civil, respectful exchange:

Jack: I had a talk with Roger. I don't think he's gonna say anything to anyone for now. I just wanted you to know.
Sawyer: Yeah? Well... [sighs] thanks for filling me in, Doc.
Jack: No problem.

Wow, no sarcasm, no tension. That's nearly a first for Sawyer/Jack. It was nice. I think that scene, short as it was, says a lot about the new Jack. What it means for the coming episodes, I don't know. But I liked it.

I'm wondering what prompted Jack to go talk to Roger in the first place. As Roger said, the room wasn't part of Jack's rounds. Maybe Kate let Jack know she blew it, tipped him off? Of course, Kate would know that Jack is always there to help her (unless, of course, she's asking him to save Ben's life again. That's where the "Good Doc" draws the line).

Over at the Orchid station, Miles and Hurley show up bearing their dead guy and sandwiches, and Pierre Chang greets them by saying, "We're ready for him." (ready for the dead body?) This is especially interesting considering Pierre's words just a little while later when they're leaving the Orchid:

Miles: What happened to the body?
Dr. Chang: What body?

Methinks we have some mysterious happenings at the Orchid. Which could also be why Pierre Chang was so quick to threaten Hurley with a job hauling polar bear poo. Interesting that Dr. Chang didn't threaten Miles with any consequences...I guess the inclusion into the "circle of trust" is both complete and instantaneous.

After this scene, we see Hurley playing two new roles. First, he was the not-so-subtle family therapist. It's a tough job, though, considering the distant father doesn't know he is the father and the son is resistant, snarky, and in denial. So what we end up with is Hurley asking ridiculously pointed questions like, "That's your name, too. Right, Miles?" Followed by, "We should all... get together for a beer sometime. How awesome would that be?"

Those lines are so great because Miles is hating every moment of it. But then the family therapy session comes to an abrupt halt when they arrive at the secret worksite for the Swan. Hurley sees them adding those oh-so-familiar serial numbers to the hatch door, and then he brings Miles up to speed on what happened/will happen in that hatch after their plane crash.

And then it's time for Hurley to play new role number 2: specialist in Star Wars-style psychotherapy. I thought it was funny. And I suspect actual Star Wars fans probably enjoyed it even more than I:

Miles: I never knew him. And I don't want to. It's not happening.
Hurley: That was Luke's attitude, too.
Miles: What?
Hurley: In Empire, Luke found out Vader was his father, but instead of putting away his lightsaber and talking about it, he overreacted and got his hand cut off.
Hurley: I mean, they worked it out eventually, but at what cost? Another Death Star was destroyed, Boba Fett got eaten by the Sarlacc, and we got the Ewoks. It all could've been avoided if they'd just, you know, communicated. And let's face it. The Ewoks sucked, dude.

Other odds and ends:

—Miles says his mother lined up behind him in the cafeteria on his third day there. That was his "first clue" that Pierre Chang is his father.

—Pierre Chang refers to the Polar Bears and the Hydra Station, calling those activities "ridiculous experiments." Hmmmm. Not a fan of zoology, Dr. Chang?

—Miles is able to see baby Miles, so they're co-existing on the island at the same time: 3-month-old Miles and roughly 31-year-old Miles.

—The episode concludes with the arrival of scientists from Ann Arbor, which is where the DI headquarters are located. Oh yeah, and Daniel Faraday is part of that team...and he recognizes Miles.

Summary:

I enjoyed learning more about Miles Straume. And I liked seeing Jack doing something admirable; it's been too long. I also enjoyed seeing Sawyer hit Phil. I'm not sure that was admirable, but I enjoyed it. It was also good to get confirmation about Pierre Chang being Miles' father.

But the most intriguing developments were these three:

3) Daniel Faraday is back!

2) Our time-travelers can co-exist in the same place with a younger version of themselves (which destroys the theories that Ben couldn't flash back to 1977 because a younger version of himself was already there...and subsequently destroys the theories that younger versions of Sun, Frank, and Locke might be on the island circa 1977...or maybe it doesn't debunk those theories, since Miles came to the island in 1974, but baby Miles wasn't born for another 2-3 years. So maybe we don't know for sure...but hey, we at least know that Miles' birth didn't make baby Miles or older Miles blink out of existence. Miles, as far as we know, hasn't had even as much as a nosebleed.)

1) Bram, the Ajira 316 passenger, was working for someone (and against Widmore) prior to his island arrival, and he asks Miles that same question: "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Whatever this means, I think it definitely sets the stage for what is to come (war, anyone?).

New Characters (introduced or referenced):

Lara Chang—Miles’ mother and Pierre’s wife.

Trevor—the landlord who rents an apartment to Miles' mother, Lara.

Mr. Vonner—dead guy in the beginning (Miles heard him calling for his wife, Kimberly, even though Kimberly died the year before).

Alvarez—the Dharma worker who had a filling pulled through his brain while daydreaming about a woman named Andrea.

Bram–not new, but suddenly his role is more pronounced. And he had a van full of lackeys in Miles' flashback.

Mr. Gray—man who paid Miles to find out if his son, Russell, knew that he loved him.


Glenn—the Dharma worker who read the serial number that needed to be printed on the hatch.

Felix—dead guy who had been delivering something to Widmore.

Evelyn—Lara Chang’s caretaker.

Scientists from Ann Arbor—they arrive by sub, and Daniel Faraday is one of them. And considering their point of origin (from a city that houses such a vile university), I immediately knew these people could not be trusted.

Character Development (in 10 words or less):

Roger Linus: suspicious of Kate

Jack Shephard: Protecting Kate, respectful to Sawyer—I like

Sawyer and Juliet: Covering their tracks and watching their backs.

Pierre Chang: Miles' daddy.

Radzinsky: Still a jerk—annoying

Naomi: Bringing her team together. Knowledgeable. Professional. Skilled. Scary.


Top 10 Quotes:

10) Miles (to Radzinsky): Horace sent me instead. [pause] I'm in the circle of trust.

9) Pierre Chang: You say a word, Hurley…
Hurley: Polar bear poop, got it!

8) Bram: Do you know what lies in the shadow of the statue?
Miles: No, I can’t say I do.
Bram: Then you’re not ready to go to that island.

7) Bram: You’re playing for the wrong team.
Miles: Oh yeah, what team are you on?
Bram: The one that’s going to win.

6) Hurley: Maybe he’ll let you hold baby you, or you can change your own diaper.

5) Hurley: That's how it works for me.
Miles: Great. I'm happy for you.
Hurley: You're just jealous my powers are better than yours.

4) Horace on phone: Pierre, if it was caused by the electromagnetism, we need to know. (Note: I assume this is a reference to Alvarez, the Dharma worker who had a filling pulled out of his mouth and through his brain, killing him. It also implies that Horace might not be privy to all of Pierre Chang's "classified" info.)

3) Hurley: That guy is a real douche.
Miles: That douche is my dad.

2) Daniel Faraday: Hey, Miles. Long time no see.

1) Hurley: We can carpool. It will help with global warming, which hasn’t happened yet. So maybe we can prevent it.

Questions:

1)How does Naomi know that the island has dead people "residing" on it? Even if Widmore hired her (which it seems he did), how would he know? Is this a reference to the Purged DIs? When I heard this, I assumed "residing" meant walking around, interacting with living people (like Christian Shepherd, Yemi, Ben's mom...), but maybe "residing" just meant their bodies are still on the island. If it's the latter, this question is much less intriguing.

2)So if Miles is the son of Pierre Chang, why is his last name "Straume"? His mom's maiden name? Or did he change it? Maybe it's irrelevant, but given the seemingly endless connections between characters and the significance of names on this show, I always prefer to assume there's an underlying reason. Your thoughts?

3)Daniel Faraday? So many questions...

4)Did Ilana come to the island knowing the question, "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Or is her partnership with Bram a new development? Maybe Bram told her to ask people that question so he can tell who's on his side? I'm asking this only because my first reaction was that Bram and Ilana must have been in cahoots prior to the Ajira 316 crash. But it would be just like LOST to mislead us by showing Ilana asking the question first when in fact, chronologically, it's Bram who firsts asks that question. And Ilana could be more of a lackey than "Dead is Dead" may have suggested. I don't know, but I'm going to keep it in mind.

5)Was Miles born on the island? We see him there as a three-month-old, but on a show that has focused so much on the infertility issues on that island, this omission could be quite relevant. In 1977, Ethan was born on the island. Alex was born on the island in 1988. In 2004, Aaron was born on the island. Those are the only on-island births we've seen. I suppose we can assume Miles was born on the island (or taken to the mainland for the operation), but are there any other possibilities here?

6)Pierre Chang: Dead? Living in another time period? Working in Ann Arbor? If dead, was it due to the Purge? Something else?

7)Maybe I'm looking too deeply, but why did they need to add serial numbers to the Hatch? That seems like something that would be added on a production line, not during the installation process. Once you're building it, what's the point of adding serial numbers to a part...unless they're planning to build more than one of these hatches...? Is that a stretch? Trying too hard? Yeah, maybe.


Video from Comic-Con 2008:

According to Lostpedia, this video was filmed in 1978 (Feel free to skip the first 50 seconds or so...and the end):



If the right side is a little cropped off on your screen (as it is on mine) I apologize, but I don't know how to fix it.

What Lies in the Shadow of the Statue?

It’s amazing that an episode could be so good without any appearances by Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, Hurley, Juliet, Miles, Jin, or Daniel. But it was good. So good.

In fact, my expectations for this week’s episode might have been at an all-time high. The previews were so titillating, first of all, and can a Ben-centric episode possibly be bad? But not only was it Ben-centric, it also focused on a lot of weighty Ben-Locke exchanges.

I certainly wasn’t disappointed. This week answered quite a few questions, and it showed us new regions of the island. And Michael Emerson (Ben) and Terry O’Quinn (Locke) delivered outstanding performances—as they always do.

So let’s recap…

Season 5: Episode 12—“Dead is Dead”:

I’ve decided that Ben might be the best villain ever. Why?

Well, he’s diabolical—capable of conspiring with "I call everybody 'my friend'" Caesar one moment and shotgun-blasting him pointblank moments later (with such an expressionless face, too!)—and yet I just can’t help but like the guy. Most days, I’d say he’s my favorite character on the show. Completely unreliable, untrustworthy, and, well, evil. But likable. And that tension makes his character so perfect.

In this episode, our diabolical conniver is off to summon Smokey so he can "be judged." One problem for Ben, Locke’s coming with him. Even worse, Locke suddenly knows things about the island Ben doesn’t…which is baffling for us (isn’t it?) and disturbing for Benjamin Linus.

But let’s recap this episode in chronological order, which means we have some scenes to review long before Locke makes his first appearance.

Leading off, Widmore was ticked. He confronted Richard about the decision to take Ben to the temple. Widmore says Richard should have let him die, but Richard says, "Jacob chooses who he chooses."

About 6-8 years later (I’m guessing), we saw more of Widmore as the leader of the Others. Including the scene when Ben snatched Alex from Rousseau. Turns out he was supposed to "exterminate" Rousseau, but he didn't. And suddenly we’re seeing a new side of Benjamin Linus:

Our evil villain is...(wait for it)...a sucker for babies!

More accurately, Ben can’t kill the mother of a young child. He knows what it’s like to live his entire life without a mother, and diabolical as he might be, he just can’t do that to little kids (like Alex…and later, Charlie Hume).

So instead of killing Rousseau, he only threatened to kill her—saying he would do it if she tried to follow. Oh, and he added this puzzling tidbit: “If you want your daughter to live, every time you hear whispers, you run the other way.”

I feel like some of the dialogue in Season 5 has been what I’m calling “hole-filler.” (I'm okay with that. I desperately want these hole filled.) And I think this comment is a prime example. We know that Rousseau told Sayid that she’s heard the whispers, but she says she has never seen anyone… so maybe this dialogue is supposed to explain why.

Also worth noting: Ethan accompanied Ben on this mission, and he seemed eager to help. He even offered to do it for him when Ben was hesitating just outside Rousseau’s camp. This confirmed that Ethan (assuming it’s the same one) was an Other at a young age. Though we still don’t know why or how he survived the Purge. Actually, this scene would have happened before the Purge...so Ethan was an Other before the Purge? Wow, we'll come back to that...

When Ben and Ethan showed up in camp carrying baby Alex, Widmore was not pleased (is he ever?). Ben was openly defiant, challenging Widmore in front of the camp. He gave Widmore a chance to kill the baby himself, but Widmore just huffed and puffed as he walked away.

In the next scene (chronologically) we see Papa Ben pushing Alex on the swingset (how endearing) when Richard comes to tell him that the submarine is leaving. Richard says Ben doesn't need to see "him" off, but Ben believes he does (at this moment, has Ben assumed control of the Others? I think so...). The "him" in question just so happens to be a handcuffed Charles Widmore, and I think this scene provides the framework for the entire episode:

Ben: Charles! I came to say good-bye.
Widmore: [Chuckles] No, you didn't. You came to gloat.
Ben: No, don't act as if I wanted this. You brought this on yourself.
Widmore: Are you quite certain you want to do this, Benjamin?
Ben: You left the Island regularly. You had a daughter with an outsider. You broke the rules, Charles.
Widmore: And what makes you think you deserve to take what's mine?
Ben: Because I won't be selfish. Because I'll sacrifice anything to protect this Island.
Widmore: You wouldn't sacrifice Alex.
Ben: You're the one who wanted her dead, Charles, not the Island.
Widmore: I hope you're right, Benjamin, because if you aren't, and it is the Island that wants her dead, she'll be dead. And one day, you'll be standing where I'm standing now. You'll be the one being banished, and then you'll finally realize that you cannot fight the inevitable. I'll be seeing you, boy.

So, chronologically, the next scene involves Ben and Widmore again, with Ben standing on a different dock. In this scene, Ben calls Widmore to tell him he's about to kill his daughter...

And he tries. Well, kinda. Summarizing:

Desmond (in strong Scottish accent): What are you doing here?
Ben shoots Desmond's bag of groceries...and Desmond falls? (I didn't see any blood on Des)
Ben to Penny: I don't like your daddy, so I'm going to kill you.
Penny: But I don't even like him?
Ben: He's a terrible man!
Penny: I'm not arguing with you. Just don't hurt my baby?
Ben: Baby?
Charlie Hume: Mommy!
Ben (gulps)
Penny cries.
Desmond tackles Ben and beats him good and bloody before tossing him into the water like a hunk of chum.
(And scene!)

And with that, we're caught up to the moment when Ben wakes up and finds a resurrected John Locke welcoming him back to "the land of the living."

Ben claims he knew Locke would be alive (Locke doubts this), and Ben says he's off to the main island "to be judged." Locke seems to like the sound of that. And so he's coming too.

Before they leave, there's the scene where Ben kills Caesar (my favorite scene this week). And there was that interesting exchange between Ben and the people moving a crate. I thought it was suspicious from the beginning (its inclusion was suspicious, anyway), and by the time the episode was over, I think that was confirmed.

BEN: What's in the crate?
Guy: Just some stuff we need to get moved.
BEN: Need a hand?
Guy: Oh, thanks. We got it.
BEN: Okay. Have a great day.

Okay, "have a great day"? Hmmm, do we think Ben knew what was in that crate?

Anyway, Locke and Ben paddle over to Ben's "home, sweet home" and they find Frank and Sun in Ben's old house (which is quite disheveled, for some reason...?) Frank and Sun say they met a "crazy old man" named Christian, and he told them to wait for John Locke:

Frank: But considering he's dead, we ain't holding our breath...
Ben: Well, you might want to look outside.
They look outside, and sure enough, there's Locke standing there nonchalantly, hands in pockets. Then he offers them a smile and a little wave. Ha. Priceless.)

So Ben learns (or did he already know?) about their friends showing up in Dharmaville circa 1977. Frank decides to head back to Sidekick island. Sun stays with Locke and Ben.

And then Ben goes to summon Smokey. He says this can only be done from his house. And when he goes into his secret passageway, this time we get to see more of it. He descends underground, sticks his hand in a puddle, turns something, the water drains, and then he leans down and says, "I'll be outside."

When Ben goes outside, Sun is sitting on the porch and Locke is gone. Apparently he told Sun he had "something to do," but she didn't ask what. (This seems to really bother Ben.) While they're waiting for Smokey's arrival, Ben tells Sun he had no idea John would be resurrected by the island. (Do we believe Ben now?) And he says, "the fact that John Locke is walking around...scares the living hell out of me." (I believe this.)

And then this great moment:

Ben: You may want to go inside.
Sun: Why?
Ben: Because what's about to come out of that jungle is something I can't control.
[Footsteps approach]
Locke: Any luck?
Ben: It hasn't shown up yet.
Locke: Last time we didn't have to wait this long.
Ben: It's not a train, John. It doesn't run on a schedule.
Locke: Well, if it's not gonna come to us, then... I suppose we'll have to go to it.
Ben: I only know how to summon it. I don’t know where it is.
Locke: I do.

(I have more to say about this in this week's Questions)

So Ben is stuck following Locke through the jungle (and Ben admits he hates it). Locke takes him to the Temple's outer wall, but Locke tells him that they aren't going to the Temple...they're going underneath it. Sun, understandably, stays outside.

Meanwhile, Frank made it back to sidekick island only to be greeted by a guy running over to him shouting something about "Ilana and three of the others" finding guns and saying "they're in charge now."

Then Ilana confronts Frank—does the obligatory gun cock—and asks him, "What lies in the shadow of the statue?"

Frank is understandably confused. And when his "I don't know what you're talking about—" is deemed unsatisfactory by Ilana, she knocks him out with her rifle butt. The scene ends with Ilana adding this: "Get everyone else. Tell them it's time. And tie him up. He's coming with us."

Poor Frank.

Underneath the Temple, Ben falls through the floor of the tunnel and lands in a larger opening below. Locke leaves to find something to get Ben out, and Ben wanders around looking at the hieroglyphs adorning every column (I saw Anubis...anyone else?).

Then the smoke monster rises from holes in the floor and envelops Ben. Like Mr. Eko did (only much more pronounced this time, and with sound we can here), Ben sees scenes from his past—all relating to his relationship with Alex.

(I admit, I got goosebumps as I watched this. Especially when Keamy killed Alex and Ben had to lower his head, unable to look anymore.)

And then, a moment when LOST did the impossible (again): transforming Ben into a sympathetic character...

Alex appears and calls Ben "Daddy." Ben is so genuinely moved, and "so, so sorry." And suddenly, Alex isn't his sweet, little girl anymore.

She slams him into the wall, calls him a bastard, and says, "I know that you're already planning to kill John again, and I want you to know that if you so much as touch him, I will hunt you down and destroy you. You will listen to every word John Locke says, and you will follow his every order. Do you understand?"

She makes him swear, and he does, that he will follow John Locke. (What choice does he have, really?)

And then the episode ends with Ben wandering back to the opening where John Locke has a rope (where'd that come from?). And Ben, seeming dazed (nearly traumatized) but not necessarily relieved, tells John, "It let me live."

And in that moment, I wondered if Ben might have been at least a little disappointed. Maybe.

Now, instead of just questions, this episode answered at least two pressing questions:


Answers:

Q: Does Ben remember Sayid shooting him?
A: No. After being taken to the temple, Ben asked Widmore “What happened?” And Charles tell him, “You were injured…”

Q: How/Why did Charles Widmore leave the island?
A: He was exiled. According to Ben, Charles “left the island regularly” and “had a daughter with an outsider.” And apparently, also in Ben’s words, Widmore “broke the rules.”
(Note: I think there’s more to this still. Based on Widmore’s comments to Locke earlier this season about Ben tricking him, I suspect Ben played a role in his exile.)


Character Developments:

Widmore suddenly got a lot more evil (and, unfortunately for him, he doesn’t have any of Ben’s manipulative charm). First Widmore thought Richard should have killed Ben. Next he wanted Rousseau and Alex murdered. What a ruthless baby-killer. Maybe we can actually believe Ben when he says Widmore is a terrible man. (Although I’m wondering if maybe, just maybe, Widmore might be a coward. Ben gave him a chance to kill baby Alex, and he didn’t do it. If he really thought that’s what needed to be done, he should have done it. And he would have done it if that's what needed to be done...unless he's a coward. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t call someone who can’t kill a baby a “coward.” Maybe that just means, regardless of how evil and ruthless he is, he might still have an ounce of humanity in him.)

Locke is seeping with smugness. He's Mr. I-Know-More-Than-You-Do to Ben's seething Mr. I-Wish-You-Had-Stayed-Dead. I don't love the smug Locke, but I admit, if I'd just been killed by a guy who held all the island secrets I desperately wanted, and I found myself resurrected with a new innate knowledge about island stuff—more knowledge, in fact, than the island guru who killed me, and my killer had to follow me to places on the island that he knew nothing about...I suppose, if there's ever a time and place for smugness, that would be it.

This episode somehow showed us a Ben who was just as (if not more) evil, and yet also made him a more sympathetic character. Amazing.


Notable Quotes:

1) Widmore: What have you done, Richard?
Richard: He was a boy, he was dying…
Widmore: Then you should have let him die…
Richard: Jacob wanted it done. The island chooses who the island chooses…you know that.

2) Ben: Where am I?
Widmore: You’re among friends…
Ben: I don’t want to go back. I want to stay. I want to be one of you.
Widmore: Just because you’re living with them, doesn’t mean you can’t be one of us.

(Note: Wonder if any other Hostiles are living undercover with the DI.)

3) Widmore: Every decision I’ve made has been about protecting this island.
Ben: Is that what Jacob wants? …Then here she is (holds out baby), you do it.

4) Rousseau: You’re the one who infected us, aren’t you? (Hmmm...)

5)Locke: I assure you, Sun, I’m the same man I’ve always been. (I'm not sure I believe him)

6) *My favorite scene/exchange this week:
Caesar: I'm sorry, but I'm calling the shots here, and I say you are not taking anything. What you are going to do is to sit down and tell us how you know so much about this Island, my friend.
Locke: You're in the habit of calling people "friend", but I don't think you mean it.
Caesar: Step away from the boat.
Locke: No. I'm not gonna step away from the boat. I'm gonna take it, and you're gonna let me, my friend.
Caesar: You're not taking anything.
[Caesar reaches into his bag for the sawed-off shotgun, but Ben points it at Caesar.]
Ben: You looking for this?
BOOM! (Caesar flies backward, and the other guys take a slight step back...)
Ben: This gentleman and I are taking a boat. Does anyone else have a problem with that?
Ben (tosses the shotgun to Locke): Consider that my apology.

7) Locke: If all I had to do was die, Ben, they why did you stop me?
Ben: You had critical information that would've died with you. And once you'd given it to me... well, I just didn't have time to talk you back into hanging yourself. So I took a shortcut. (Ha)

8)Caesar: When you were out cold, he was watching over you. And he said you killed him.
Ben: I killed him? Really? 'Cause he looks fine to me. [Chuckles] You know, I don't really remember him from the plane. Do you?
Caesar: No, I don't.
Ben: What if... he was already here, before we crashed? If he thinks I killed him, then he's insane. We may be dealing with a man who's dangerously deranged. Then the question is, what are we gonna do about it?
Caesar: Don't worry, my friend. (shows the sawed off shotgun) I have your back.

9) Locke: Was she [Sun] the one who hurt your arm? I noticed you were favoring it on the way over.
Ben: No, someone else hurt my arm.
Locke: You just make friends everywhere.

10)Ben: The man was unarmed because I'd stolen his gun—the gun he was going to use to kill you. I couldn't let that happen.
Locke: No sense in me dying twice, right?
Ben: You're welcome.

11)Lapidus: As long as the dead guy says there's a reason, well, then I guess everything's gonna be just peachy.

12) Locke: If you go with him, you’ll never see your husband again. I’m all the help you need…
Sun: Are you saying you know how to find Jin?
Locke: I have some ideas. (smug, smug, smug)

13)Ben: It's the wall around our Temple.
Sun: What Temple?
Ben: About a half mile from here. We built this wall to keep people like the two of you from ever seeing it.
Locke: We're not going into your Temple, Ben. We're going under it.
(Note the adjectives: for Ben it's "our" and for Locke it's "your" temple. And when Ben says "we" built it...I wonder who the "we" is. Looks a little too old for Ben, doesn't it?)

14)Widmore: Your orders were to exterminate that woman.
Ben: Why, she’s no threat to us? She’s insane. Besides, you didn’t tell me she had a child. What was I supposed to do?
Widmore: Kill it.
Ben: It’s not an “it,” it’s a child.

15) Widmore: Every decision I’ve made has been about protecting this island.
Ben: Is that what Jacob wants? Then here she is (holds out baby), you do it.

16) Locke: I never pictured you leading your people from behind a desk. Just seems a little…corporate.

17) Locke: I was thinking you and I could talk about the elephant in the room.
Ben: I assume you’re referring to the fact that I killed you.

18)
Widmore: How did you get this number?
Ben: Doesn't matter. What matters is I'm going back to the Island today.
Widmore: The Island won't let you come back, trust me. I've spent almost 20 years trying to return.
Ben: Well, Charles, where you failed, I'm going to succeed...

19)Locke: Whose idea was it to move into these houses? It just doesn’t seem like something the island would want.
Ben: You don’t have the first idea about what the island wants.

20) Ben: Hello, Penelope. My name is Benjamin Linus. I'm sorry that you're caught up in the middle of this thing, but your father—
Penny: My father and I have absolutely no relationship whatsoever, so whatever—
Ben: Your father is a really terrible human being. He's responsible for the killing of my daughter. That's why I'm here.

21)*Ben: Sun, I need you to do me a favor. If you ever get off this island, find Desmond Hume for me and tell him I was sorry.
Sun: Sorry for what?
Ben: He’ll know.

*Three things about this quote:
1) he addressed Sun, not Locke, probably because he knows Locke would never leave the island and Sun might. (?)
2) Ben said, “tell him I was sorry.” He would have said “am” unless he believes he’ll be dead before Sun has a chance to tell Desmond.
3) Ben didn’t apologize for killing Locke…but he wanted to apologize for planning to kill Penny? That's interesting.

Questions:

1) Ben mentioned the whispers to Rousseau, telling her to run the other way if she hears them? Why? Do they proceed the arrival of the Others? Or, I'm wondering, are the whispers people from another realm/dimension/time, and he fears what she might learn from them? So even though he let her live, he couldn't let her learn secrets of the island, too?

2) How in the world did Ethan become an Other before the Purge? We know his daddy, Horace, died in Dharmatown during the Purge. So Horace remained with the DI. But did Amy abandon ship? Was Ethan kidnapped?

3) Ilana and her three friends seem to be gearing up for "the war." But for which side? They seem to have brought a case full of guns...so they knew what they were getting into. My first guess: Widmore. But I wouldn't put it past Ben. After all, he made a point to note the crate they were moving. And then he took a drink of Ajira water and watched, almost as if he were supervising. And as Ben says, he always has a plan...

4) Why didn't the Smoke Monster come when Ben summoned it? Or did it...

5) Is it possible that Locke might still be dead...but reanimated by the Smoke Monster? I know that sounds far out, but there were subtle hints:
i. When Ben summoned Smokey, Locke came out of the jungle.
ii. Locke made a point to tell Sun he's the same man he always was...
iii. Locke suddenly knows a lot more about the island, and he was conveniently absent when Smokey was playing the role of Alex. (Can Smokey only animate one body at a time?)
iv. We have also seen the Smoke Monster do this with other people. When Yemi appeared to Eko, it's believed that it was the Smoke Monster speaking through him. (Maybe this is what's happening with Christian Shephard too?)
v. Remember the title, "Dead is Dead." Ben says the island has done a lot of things, but he hasn't seen it bring people back from the dead. So is John the exception (as I think we were led to believe) or is he dead?

6) When Lapidus refers to the man named Christian, did anyone else think Ben seemed to recognize that name? Or was I just hoping he would recognize the name? Maybe it was just a look of curiosity?

7) Ben claims he didn't know about that some of the 815 survivors joined the Dharma Initiative in the 70's...but do we believe this?

8) What does lie in the shadow of the statue? Is there a real answer? Is this a code so those "in on the mission" can identify one another? Can anyone think of a plausible (or creative) answer?

The Past is the Past is the Past (except with those for whom it's the present...but it's still the past, too)

I feel like this entire episode—from the title to Miles' time travel lessons for Hurley—was an emphatic message from the LOST creative team. And this is how I interpreted that message:

"We've been telling you for two seasons now that the universe (or fate, or the island) won't allow anyone to change the past, and this is the last time we're going to tell you. It's time to accept that the past can't be changed. So quit thinking that this fact somehow ruins something and start enjoying what actually happens in this immutable past, an immutable past which is still new to you, by the way. Just because it's already happened doesn't mean there's a lack of suspense or drama. Sure, Ben can't die. Horace and Radzinsky can't die (yet) and neither can Richard Alpert and a few others. (Neither could any of our characters during their flashbacks in previous seasons, but you still seemed to enjoy those without questioning everything.) And as Miles pointed out, the rest of them can die because they're living out their present. And that present, just so you know, is a pretty sweet story, if we do say so ourselves. I mean, c'mon, we just showed you a glimpse of how Ben became an Other/Hostile, we hinted at the Hostile hierarchy with the reference to Ellie and Charles, and Richard, I mean, you've got to be at least a little bit intrigued by Richard hauling Ben's dying body into the temple, right? You want to know what's going on there, don't you? Of course you do! And the ending...with Ben waking up to see Locke (alive!) and staring at him...what a teaser that was, right? We just know you're itching to see more of that! But if you're still asking, 'But what if they can change things?' this ship is gonna sail without you. And after this episode, you can't say we didn't try our darndest to bring you on board. But seriously, we have a story to tell. And we've spent enough time laying the groundwork for you. Accept it and climb on board, or just sit on that dock and shut up. Who knows, maybe you can get on the sub that's returning in a month. But we're not going to lose sleep over it."

Okay, so that was an angsty paraphrase of what I think the writers were saying. But yeah, I do think this episode was intended to cement the idea that "whatever happened, happened." That doesn't mean they won't break that rule later—somehow. But I'm pretty sure it means we're supposed to accept it until they suggest otherwise.

And I'm down with that. After all, this episode gave us plenty of other elements to consider. So let's recap.

Season 5—Episode 11: “Whatever Happened, Happened"

First of all, let me say that I was thrilled to see a snarky Miles snagging a bit of the spotlight. I've been waiting all season for more of his smart mouth, and having him fill in as the resident physics professor (in lieu of the still absent Dr. Faraday) while Hurley barraged him with questions...absolutely perfect!

I hope Miles and Hurley become the Sawyer and Hurley of last season—playing horseshoes and RISK—and making me laugh. A lot. (And the duo was playing dominoes, and Miles did call Hurley "Tubby.")

Miles wasn't the only character who emerged in "Whatever Happened, Happened." We also saw more of Cassidy (Kate's friend/fellow con-woman and Sawyer's baby's momma). But sadly, I didn't buy her role. Not completely. It was like the writers were trying to use her to help us understand all of Kate's decisions. But her telling Kate what Kate needed, and her telling Kate how Kate felt when Sawyer did this or that...bah! Phooey! If I never see her again, I won't be upset. But I guess she filled in some holes. So that was good.

More importantly, we learned more about Ben's history with the Hostiles. In fact, let's talk about that right now. Kate and Sawyer took dying boy Ben to the Hostiles because Juliet thought they could save him (Hmmm, did her belief have anything to do with Ben curing her sister's cancer?). This mission resulted in Ben being carried off by Richard Alpert. But before this, we witnessed the most intriguing (no, intriguing isn't sufficient; let's try "spell-binding." Too much? Okay, we'll stick with intriguing...) exchange of the night, if not of the whole season:

Richard: Is that Benjamin Linus?
Sawyer: You two know each other?
Richard to Kate: And who might you be?
Sawyer: She’s with me.
Richard: Why are you here?
Kate: Because we need you to save his life. Can you?
Richard: If I take him, he’ll never be the same again.
Kate: What does that mean?
Richard: It means he’ll forget this ever happened, and his innocence will be gone. [Pause] It means he will always be one of us.
Richard: Do you still want us to take him?
Kate: Yes.

Wow! So Richard saved Ben's life? But whatever he did, and wherever he took him...Ben will never remember it? But his innocence will be gone? He'll always be one of them? Fascinating.

Only slightly less fascinating to me was what this scene revealed about Richard's character. It sure is hard to see him as diabolical when he's telling them clearly: "If you really want this, these will be the consequences. But it's up to you."

He sure wasn't trying to deceive them. Once again, I'm wondering if Richard isn't a decent guy...but I'm still prepared to have that notion shattered in the near or distant future.

Oh, and then there was the conversation immediately after that, when one of the Hostiles (Erik) tried to discourage Richard:

Erik: You shouldn’t do this without checking with Ellie…If Charles finds out…
Richard: I don’t answer to either of them…

That's great stuff! Ellie is obviously the Ellie we saw earlier this year (and most likely, Eloise Hawking) and "Charles" is Mr. Widmore. So if the two of them are mentioned together like that, could it be that they're romantically involved (about to give birth to their "love child," right Todd?). Or maybe they're just co-leaders? Either way, Richard says plainly that he doesn't answer to them. (And did you detect a tone of contempt when he said it? I think it was definitely there. But why? Because Charles or Ellie act like he answers to them? Or because this Hostile Guy made the mistake of thinking Richard answers to them?)

Now, I have to at least mention Kate's backstory. Although I admit I sort of want to skip over it because it wasn't nearly as interesting as I expected. So let's see how I can sum this up quickly:

She and Cassidy are friends. Grocery store. Milk. No. Juice boxes. Aisle 5. Thank you. Aaron gone. Kate runs. Desperate. Aaron found. Scene only included to make Kate doubt her mothering skills, or trick us into thinking Aaron was kidnapped...either way, in retrospect, it's a weak scene. Then, leaves Aaron with Grandma Littleton. Says it will be until she returns. Told him "Bye, my baby." Cried. Claimed to be coming back to find Claire. I don't believe her. Not sure she plans to come back either.

There, that wasn't so bad. Now, let's do Jack the same way:

He refused to save Ben, which was baffling and awesome. He's just chilling out, accepting "whatever happened, happened." But he's still a leader and a man with integrity—one who will always have his friend's back. We caught a glimpse of that when he overheard Horace talking about Sayid setting the van on fire to escape. Jack was quick to speak up and question Horace, asking "How was he supposed to do that when he was locked up?" So our Jack is still there, he's just trying to figure out why the island wanted him to come back...oh yeah, and he does seem to buy into the idea that the island wants things now. He's just not sure yet what the island wants with him.

More interesting than Kate's flashbacks: Her determination to save Ben. Juliet was also trying, but Juliet has a history of trying to save the lives of children. But Kate...why? Because she was thinking of Aaron? According to Cassidy, Kate needed Aaron to help her deal with the loss of Sawyer. So who will she need to help her deal with the loss of Aaron? Doesn't seem to be Jack...or Sawyer...or Sayid...or Hurley...but she and Roger Linus were getting along quite well. Now, I'm not suggesting anything romantic there, but you know, Kate does have a history with a lot of guys. In the flashbacks we've seen, she's kissed Tom (he was married), Jason (she was robbing a bank with him, and she shot him moments later), and Kevin (the man she married and then left 6 months later) Not to mention Jack and Sawyer (and a little bit of flirting with Sayid in Season 1)...so, I'm just saying. Kate might be likable and all, but she uses men. Yeah, I said it. Oh yeah, and we've seen her kiss Aaron too. So chalk up another one for her.

Well, this recap is deviating, and after writing and thinking about Ben and Richard hiking to the Temple, I'm a little bored with the rest of the details. But there's a million notable quotes. So they pretty much tell the rest of the story anyway. So, this recap is officially complete. And that means it can't be changed. Ever. By anyone. What I wrote, I wrote. We might not like what I wrote; we might think it's terrible, anti-climactic, or just plain boring. But hey, you know, whatever happened...

P.S. I'm just really glad LOST chose "Whatever happened, happened" instead of "It is what it is," because I hate that phrase. There, I just had to get that off my chest.

New Character Developments:

—Jack won’t help Ben, but Kate does.

—Jack refers to what “the island wants,” which I think is probably the first time he’s verbally acknowledged that the island might have an agenda of its own (and the ability to act on it)

—Jack’s conversion to “believer” is complete—apparently

—Roger and Kate bond a little bit. Interesting.

—Last episode we saw a child-beating Roger, and this episode he was a concerned and self-loathing father who blamed his son's difficulties on his own failures—and I'm willing to buy it so far (for the most part) but this guy needs to become a little more consistent, methinks.

—Miles fills in as the new Physicist Faraday—explaining time travel realities to Hurley.

—Cassidy and Kate establish a friendship. Cassidy is like a sage, imparting wisdom about who Kate is and what she needs and blah blah...I found this a little unbelievable. Only slightly more unbelievable than:

—Kate can't always keep a secret. She shared the truth about the other survivors with not one but two people: Cassidy and Mrs. Littleton.

—Sawyer and Juliet seem really committed to one another—even if Sawyer went traipsing through the woods with Kate while Juliet barged in on Jack in the shower.

Summary:

So is Ben not evil? Or if he is evil, does this mean it’s not his fault? Richard and the Temple stripped him of his innocence, made him forever “one of them.” But no, it wasn’t Richard and the Temple, was it? It was Sawyer. And even more than him, it was Kate who spoke up.

So they made Ben into the man he becomes. Interesting…

And I think we got a hint of that when we heard Ben tell Kate to tell his dad that he’s sorry he took his dad’s keys. Future Ben, stripped of innocence, never seemed to show remorse. So maybe it’s whatever happened (, happened) to him in the Temple that prompted him to participate in the Purge, not his hatred for his father. I think we still have a lot to learn about what it means to "always be one of them."

Notable Quotes:

1) Roger: That’s my kid. That’s my KID!

2) Horace: We’re pretty sure he used this fire as a diversion to escape…
Jack: He was locked up. How could he start the fire?
Horace: Um, who are you?

3) Kate: He jumped out of the helicopter…
Cassidy: What a coward.
Kate: He was trying to do the right thing.
Cassidy: No, he was trying to get away from you.

4) Jack: You’re telling us we’re all under house arrest?
Miles: No, you’re all free to leave whenever you want. I’ll just shoot you in the leg.
(Note: This made me laugh really hard. Probably harder than appropriate, actually.)

5) Jack: Whose idea was that?
Miles: Who do you think?
Kate: He’s just doing his job, Jack. (Note: Kate defending Sawyer.)

6) Hurley cites Back to the Future as he holds his hand up to see if it starts disappearing.
Miles: You’re an idiot.
Hurley: Am I?
Miles: It doesn’t work like that. You can’t change anything…things are happening as they always happened…we just haven’t experienced that yet.
Hurley: Uh, that’s really confusing.


7) Sawyer: If you don’t come with me, then that kid’s going to die.
Jack: Then he dies.

8) Kate: What are you doing?
Jack: Making some sandwiches…
Kate: He’s just a boy, Jack. You can’t let him die.
Jack: You heard Miles…he’ll be fine.

9) Jack: I’ve already saved Benjamin Linus once, and I did it for you, Kate. I don’t need to do it again.

10) Jack: When we were here before, I spent all my time trying to fix things. But did you ever think that maybe the island wants to fix things by itself? And maybe I was just getting in the way.
Kate: You know, I don’t like the new you. I liked the old you who wouldn’t just sit around and wait for things to happen.
Jack: You didn’t like the old me, Kate. (This was a great line.)

12) Juliet: I needed you.
Jack: Excuse me?
Juliet: That kid was bleeding out, and you’re a surgeon. I needed you.
Jack: That kid’s Ben.
Juliet: Not yet. (Note: At first, did anyone else think that her "I needed you" referred to Jack leaving her on the island? I did...)

13) Jack: I came back here because I was trying to save you guys.
Juliet: We didn’t need saving…you came back here for you…at least do me the courtesy of telling me why.
Jack: I came back because I was supposed to.
Juliet: Supposed to do what?
Jack: I don’t know yet.
Juliet: You better figure it out.

14) Kate: She had an interesting theory about why you jumped off the chopper…she said you were worried about what would happen if you didn’t.
Sawyer: You and me wouldn’t have ever worked out, Kate. I wasn’t any more fit to be your boyfriend than I was to be that kid’s father. (Note: Is this an admission that Kate is right?)

15) Erik: You’re in violation of the truce. You’re over the line.
Sawyer: We know. This kid’s been shot, and that’s both our problem. So if you want to avoid a war, you’re going to take us to Richard Alpert. And you’re going to do it now.

16) Kate: He’s your grandson. And your daughter, Claire, is alive.

17)Kate: I know you got to stop me, but I can’t just let that kid die.
Sawyer: Damn it, Freckles, I’m not here to stop you. I’m here to help you.

18) Sawyer, quoting Juliet: She said no matter what he’s going to grow up to be, it’s wrong to let a kid die. That’s why I’m doing this. I’m doing it for her.

19) Juliet: James told me that Jack wouldn’t help, but he didn’t tell me why.
Kate: If I understood why Jack does the stuff he does, I wouldn’t be sitting here. (Note: huh?)

20) Roger: You got kids?
Kate [pauses]: No.

21) Roger talking about Ben’s mother: I tried to do what I thought she’d want me to do… (Note: Hmmm, like...come to the island?)…but I guess the boy just needs his mother.

22) Hurley: Let me get this straight…all this already happened?
Miles: Yes.
Hurley: This conversation we’re having right now, already happened?
Miles: Yeah.
Hurley: Then what am I going to say next?

23) Hurley: If all this already happened to me, then why don’t I remember any of it?
Miles: Once Ben turned that wheel, time isn’t a straight line for us anymore.

24) Miles: We can die. We all can.
Hurley: But you said Ben can’t die.
Miles: Ben can’t die, because this is his past. But this is our present!
Hurley: Well, then how ‘bout this. When we first came to the island, when we captured Ben and Sayid tortured him, why wouldn’t he remember getting shot by that same guy when he was a kid?
Miles [pause]: Huh, I haven’t thought of that.
Hurley [looks all proud]: Huh.

25) Kate: He can’t die, right?
Juliet: He is going to die. He’s in a medical situation that’s not resolvable.
Juliet…Maybe there’s something they can do.
Kate: They?
Juliet: The others.

26) Mrs. Littleton: Where are you going?
Kate: I’m going back to find your daughter.

27) Locke: Hello, Ben. Welcome back to the land of the living.


Questions:

1) The ongoing question: Where is Desmond? Penny? Little Charlie Hume?

2) The newer ongoing question: Where is Daniel Faraday?

3) The newest question I expect to be an ongoing one: Where is Sayid?

4) Juliet mentioned that the doctor was over in The Looking Glass until Friday…why would the doctor be in the underwater station (where Charlie died)? What does a doctor do down there? And is there any chance we might know this doctor?

5) This question doesn’t really necessitate a response, but did you notice when Kate was singing “Catch a Falling Star” to Aaron? I thought that was a special moment because I remembered this sequence from “Raised by Another,” when Claire was about to give Aaron up for adoption:

LAWYER: Now, I'll need you to sign and date here, where indicated.
[Shot of Claire starting to sign.]
CLAIRE: Do you know "Catch a Falling Star"? It's a song, like a lullaby.
EILEEN: "Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket."
CLAIRE: My dad used to sing that to me when I was little. Do you think you could sing it to the baby once in a while?
EILEEN: Of course.

So I guess the question is, did you catch that? Or, um, did you think it was special?

Okay, next question:

6) Any thoughts on the Temple? If that is, in fact, where Richard was taking him…

7) Did Kate really come back to find Claire? Or did she just say this because she was talking to Claire's mum?

8) Does Kate really think Claire's alive? (If not, it was pretty cold to tell Mrs. Littleton that Claire is still alive.) If she thinks this...why? Why would a living Claire abandon Aaron? How does that make any sense in Kate's head? Unless she knows something we don't...unless someone we didn't see approached her and said Claire is still living...Ben, maybe?

9)How does Miles know so much about time travel? Any chance Daniel, wherever he went, let him peek at that notebook of his?

10) Whatever Richard did to save Ben's life (and make him irrevocably "one of them")...any chance something similar happened to Christian? Maybe even Claire?

11) Did anyone else want to see them test the "Whatever Happened" theory by doing nothing for little, dying Ben? If they truly believe that they needn't do anything because they can't change the past, then why try?

12) Was anyone else confused by Miles begging Hurley to shoot him? If the point he was making was that they could all die because this is their present in a past time period, then getting shot could have killed him...and I think Miles' self-preservation would be more important to him than proving his point. Don't you? Did I miss something there?

13) When Hurley asks Miles why Ben (when he was Henry Gale) didn't recognize Sayid as the man who shot him 30 years ago, Miles says, "I don't know...I hadn't thought about that." My initial reaction was, "I bet Ben did remember..." But now I'm not so sure. Because, after all, Richard says that if he took the kid, Ben would "forget this ever happened." So what does that mean? Forget what saved him? Forget who carried him there? Forget who shot him? Do you think Ben recognized Sayid after the Oceanic 815 crash? Or do you think he lost that portion of his memory?

—Thanks for reading

Happy April Fools' Day to me...

Ah, April Fool's Day...

Even when I'm the victim, I can still appreciate a well-executed prank (sometimes). But that doesn't mean I won't get even (always).

Today my co-workers decided to sell my car on craigslist—using the pictures they took of it sitting in the parking lot. And in the 40 minutes after they posted it, I got four calls.

Here's what their post looked like:



And this is what it says...

My name is Charlie Tyler, and I just found out that my job is transferring me to London, so I need to sell my car by mid-April. It's a Mitsubishi Eclipse with only 25,000 miles on it, and I hate to give it up, but I can't legally drive it in the UK.

It's a manual transmission, 2-door coupe, bright blue, with tinted windows and a CD player. Exterior is in great condition. Interior is in great condition too, with some small scuff marks on some of the door handles. Also, it's got a few decals on it--I love Smurfs and Clay Aiken, so I've got some stickers and magnets of both. If you want them, they're yours to keep, or I can take them off for you (and I'll use goo-gone, so the stickers won't be a problem). I've also gotten a leopard-print seat cover and matching steering wheel cover (not pictured)--I can throw those in too for an extra $20 if you're interested.

Anyway, price is $3500 OBO. See pictures for details. Call me at 513-255-2159 for more information and so we can talk more about it. Call today!

And now I just got my fifth call...

And one of my co-workers even went so far as to set up an email account as Charlie Tyler so they could send me a taunting email.

Well done, my fellow co-workers...but I hope you're prepared to sleep with one eye open.

On my list:
Sarah
Ryan
Mary
Rachel J
Cory

Maybes:
Tim
Drew

I'll be patient, but I won't forget.