[caption id="attachment_81" align="alignnone" width="235" caption="What a poster. I want to marry it."]
[/caption]So, I'm finally putting all of the recaps for this season (that were not here yesterday which are episodes 1-8 and 10) RIGHT HERE! I figured I'd just cut right to the chase. You can find these recaps buried within the wcuquad.com website (or really by simply searching my name) but it makes more sense to just put everything into the official Quad LOST blog. I flirted with the idea of putting everything I've ever written about in this single entry but since season five is ending on Wednesday night I'll just limit this to the season five episodes that do not appear in Jacob's Cabin. Rest assured, my 750,000 followers, I will post archived LOST thoughts which dates, quite honestly, back to season two and the episode 'Two For The Road.' But all of that is for another day. For now, SEASON FIVE! And I will be back with another entry before Wednesday's season finale. And let's just say: if you like countdowns with odd numbers, it'll be the entry for you. One other thing: you'll notice my evolution as a blowhard as you go through these recaps. One final thing: recaps of episode 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 can easily be found in this very blog. TO THE RECAPS!
SEASON FIVE!
EPISODES ONE AND TWO ('Because You Left'/'The Lie')
Yes, indeedy! LOST is back! I have to re-watch both episodes before I can fully digest everything in those episodes. Both episodes kicked ass. Here are some thoughts before the rankings:
--It's safe to say 'The Lie' was Hurley's episode. That scene with his mother kicked ass. We got the hilarious account of everything that happened on the Island (hilarious because it sounds ridiculous) and then Mrs. Reyes believed what her son told her. I was not disappointed by the crazy adventures Sayid and Hurley found themselves in. I'm excited to re-watch this one.
--The soldiers at the end have to be Widmore's men, right? British accents, uniforms. I read some theories about WWII era but eh. I think it's Widmore's guys and that the Island is probably over 20 years in the past from the present of those on the Island. I think we found out for sure who those soldiers are very, very soon.
--I thought briefly Locke and Sawyer and the rest were separated in time on the Island but there's no way that is the case. They were just on different parts of the Island. The time stuff isn't that insane.
--Speaking of the time stuff, absolutely anything goes. I highly doubt the future can be altered by the past because of Daniel's line 'whatever happened happened' because that's basically Cuse and Lindelof telling the viewers that what you've seen already means something. But it doesn't mean the characters won't try to change things. HMMMM.
--There's a string of interviews with Lindelof and Cuse on ew.com in which they say that the premiere is not the best expression of what they're going to be doing with time. the premiere really expanded on the rules we got from desmond's season 3 episode 'flashes before your eyes' and his season four episode 'the constant'. but everything is not clear. to quote doc jenson who quoted the exchange between hurley and his mother 'i dont quite understand it but i believe you.' i understand the basic rules of what they're doing with time. the Island narrative and the Oceanic 6 narrative are going to lead to the same place at some point. yeah. i trust in lindelof and cuse completely. they've brought me four seasons of great storytelling and i love what i've seen. i simply need more of the story they're telling. there's going to be that 'holy smokes!' episode. you know it and i know it. but yeah...daniel faraday is going to have a JABOY season. i know it.
--Here are my favorite scenes from the two episodes: Richard and Locke after Locke's been shot by Ethan, Hurley and his mother, Ben and Ms. Hawking (Daniel's mother, right?), Daniel and Desmond at the Swan, Desmond waking up on the boat and ready to go to Oxford, Sawyer's emotional outburst about everyone he cares about dying, Miles bringing the boar.
--In no way do I trust Sun. She is a shady woman.
--Loved Frogurt last night. Doc Jensen wrote a great paragraph about the character in his recap. Frogurt's a guy who has only appeared in a webisode. Prior to that, his name was mentioned. I really liked what Doc wrote at the end: Season Five (and the show now really) is for the die-hards, the ones who never stopped watching, never quit on it. Basically, it is for ME. BAM! I LOVE THIS EFFING SHOW!
I think I'm going to dive into the rankings. i'll write more about these two next week when I write about the third episode of the season.
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS
SEASON FIVE
Me and STEVE ranked last night after the premiere event ended. We decided to remove Claire and Jin. I expect both to return to the rankings at some point in time. I really do. Lindelof and Cuse will have to return to Claire's story soon (but maybe not this season). But yeah, Claire and Jin have been removed for the time being. It's the nature of the rankings beast. We added Richard Alpert. There have been some changes since the season four finale in each our rankings. Jack has fallen out of my top 5 for the first time since the series began. So, yes: there is a new number one for my rankings. And Frank is so low because it is the nature of the rankings beast. He still kicks ass but it's the nature of the rankings beast. HERE WE GO!
SEASON FIVE RANKINGS
AFTER EPISODES 1 AND 2
RANKED: 1/22/08
CHRIS
1. Desmond
2. Sawyer
3. Locke
4. Sayid
5. Ben
6. Jack
7. Daniel
8. Hurley
9. Richard
10. Juliet
11. Miles
12. Charlotte
13. Kate
14. Frank
15. Sun
STEVE
1. Ben
2. Sawyer
3. Locke
4. Sayid
5. Desmond
6. Jack
7. Sun
8. Frank
9. Richard
10. Charlotte
11. Juliet
12. Miles
13. Kate
14. Daniel
15. Hurley
EPISODE 3 ('Jughead')
Absolutely loved 'Jughead'. What a great episode. Here are my favorite moments:
--Locke telling Richard to see him as a child if he does not believe him about time-travel. It relates back to Season Four's 'Cabin Fever'. It gave me goosebumps and I exclaimed that LOST is the greatest show ever. LOST is so good. so good.
--Young Charles Widmore and the discovery that he was once an Other. Badass!
--Desmond and Penny naming their child Charlie. I know it ain't for Penny's dad. It is for the man himself, Charlie Pace, who gave his life so that his friends could contact the freighter. Perhaps I will watch Greatest Hits tonight. Hm.
--I hope cute blonde Other Ellie returns at some point. She was amazing. Of course she might be either Charlotte's mother or Ms. Hawking. That tricky time travel business.
--Interesting info revealed about Danny boy Faraday. I think he's a good guy at heart but as STEVE said 'he's shady.'
--Loved Juliet last night. She cracked me up.
--Still missing Claire. But I'm content with her not being around. I like looking at Emilie de Ravin. She's very pretty.
--I did not mind the no Oceanic 6. And might I add something about 'The Lie,' Michael Emerson is absolutely brilliant in his scene with Hurley, when Ben is trying to get Hurley to come back to the Island. If I was Hurley, I would've followed him. He was just that damn persuasive, sincere, genuine. I can't describe it. Emerson is a genius. His tone when describing what going back to the Island will do for Hurley was sensational. What the hell am I gonna do with myself when this show ends?
--Either the bomb comes into play at the end of the season or the bomb was responsible for the Swan's existence. Either way it's important. Everything in LOST is important.
--I woke up a few days ago with the LOST podcast playing. I did not switch to that on the iPod. It just happened and it was awesome. Lindelof and Cuse are great together. I model my podcast after how they do theirs. The more you know.
--The Others were so different in the 50s. Amazing what a changer in leadership. Back then, they are battling the military. In the new millenium, Ben's got them doing fertility stuff. Richard tells Locke in season three's 'The Brig' that Ben's been wasting everyone's time with that stuff. Season Three is great. A lot of things were set in motion that year. But yeah, theory: Ben might've been so into the fertility stuff because, perhaps, Annie died in childbirth. Maybe after that happened, he stole Alex. The reason he was so into it has not yet been explained. I like my theory.
--I don't have much to say about Desmond's story thus far. So yeah.
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS
AFTER EPISODE 3
RANKED: 1/29/09
Not too exciting this week. Not too much movement. Me and STEVE decided to add Charles Widmore to the rankings. We are back to 16 characters as was the case four some time in Season Four before the deaths of Rousseau, Alex, and Karl. Without further ado:
CHRIS
1. Desmond
2. Locke
3. Sawyer
4. Sayid
5. Ben
6. Jack
7. Daniel
8. Hurley
9. Juliet
10. Richard
11. Miles
12. Charlotte
13. Kate
14. Frank
15. Widmore
16. Sun
STEVE
1. Ben
2. Sawyer
3. Locke
4. Sayid
5. Desmond
6. Jack
7. Richard
8. Sun
9. Frank
10. Charlotte
11. Miles
12. Juliet
13. Kate
14. Widmore
15. Daniel
16. Hurley
EPISODE 4 ('The Little Prince')
the fourth episode of season five has now aired. it, of course, was enjoyable. so here are some thoughts about it:
--as soon as i saw the french stuff, i knew we were going to see rousseau's crew. and i loved how we heard the name of montand. montand, as you remember, loses his arm. lindelof and cuse have been joking about montand and his arm since they began doing the podcast in season two.
--the man himself, jin, is alive!
--i'm starting to really despise the dumbass theories people think up. i'm glad miles and juliet have experienced nosebleeds as well because it eliminates one of the dumbest theories i've read, and i've already read a ton of dumbass theories. i won't write it here because it's not worth it. but, trust me, dumb theories.
--must rant: yes, when sawyer saw kate it was a nice moment. but is no one, at all, wondering what happened to claire? she just walked off into the jungle, left her baby in a tree, and hasn't been seen by anyone since except for locke in jacob's cabin. yeah, christian told locke that he wasn't to tell anyone that he saw claire, that claire is where she needs to be, but sawyer was with claire when she left, and all he's focused on is kate? and juliet can't wonder about claire since it was the birth of aaron? and where's rose and bernard?!?
--with that said, i liked the 20 seconds of claire even though i can watch that whenever i want since i have that episode on dvd.
--i loved the locke/sawyer scene discussing when they were. locke banging on the hatch is one of the greatest moments in the show's history. i love the exchange between locke and sawyer when sawyer wondered why locke wouldn't tell himself to do things differently and locke said 'i needed that pain.' john locke is awesome. and i enjoy any time the show mentions season one. it truly is a brilliant season.
--i'm on board with the oceanic 6 now. hopefully, sun doesn't mess everything up.
--i'd be a true so and so if i ignored the japanese water bottle they found, along with the canoe. i'm just going to wait for the show to explain that. there is a website for that company. a fictitious website. the LOST crew does that. it was the second time i saw the logo for the company. moving on...
--juliet has been awesome this season. i loved how badass she was on the canoe. and she's able to settle everything down. yay for juliet indeed.
--that's about it. as always, i'm looking forward to next week's episode.
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS
There are now 17 characters. Me and STEVE added Jin. We did not add Rousseau back in because STEVE made the point that she'll be gone once the next flash happens. A lot more action in the rankings this week than last. I have a new number one. STEVE has a new number one. Here they are:
AFTER EPISODE 4
RANKED: 2/4/09
CHRIS
1. Locke
2. Desmond
3. Sawyer
4. Sayid
5. Jin
6. Ben
7. Jack
8. Juliet
9. Hurley
10. Daniel
11. Miles
12. Richard
13. Kate
14. Charlotte
15. Frank
16. Widmore
17. Sun
STEVE
1. Sawyer
2. Ben
3. Locke
4. Sayid
5. Desmond
6. Jin
7. Richard
8. Jack
9. Frank
10. Miles
11. Juliet
12. Kate
13. Sun
14. Charlotte
15. Widmore
16. Daniel
17. Hurley
EPISODE 5 ('This Place Is Death')
i know i am not the only one who has noted the title of the fifth episode of the fifth season of LOST. yes, it is 'this place is death.' Charlotte tells Jin that the Island is a place of death and to not bring her back. Jin thinks that she is referring to Sun and maybe she is. But what I'm thinking is she remembered what Daniel said to her mother when Charlotte was just a girl and leaving the Island. Don't bring her back because your daughter is going to die. But once we saw Locke in the coffin at last season, STEVE remarked that he bets Locke is resurrected once he is back to Island. We saw the Island as a place of death last night with Smokey, what happened to Rousseau and her crew, Charlotte's death, etc. But I think Locke has begun to fix that. He set the wheel in place it seems. Perhaps the time jumps will stop but I doubt it. Before the end of the season and the series though, I think we will see the Island as a place of life. I wanted to write a whole bunch about fertility myths in relation to where the show is right now with Locke and compare him to the Fisher King but...maybe next week. Google Fisher King. Here some other thoughts about the episode:
-I am not made of stone. I began liking Sun again last night. I felt like that scene, when she was on the phone with Ji Yeon, was bittersweet because Sun might not see her daughter for a very long time if she returns to the Island.
-Ben is an ambivalent dude. I loved him flipping out in the van.
-Ms. Hawking is, of course, Daniel's mother. I definitely want a Daniel backstory. And I loved Desmond's face when he saw Ms. Hawking again.
-Just because I'm a fanboy of this show, I really dug seeing Danielle's music box again. One of my favorite episodes of the series is 'Solitary' when we first meet Rousseau. It is a Sayid episode. That episode just rocked my world. It was the first episode when I had what I like to term as the 'LOST moment' in which I get extremely excited, get goosebumps, and go crazy about what just happened. In 'Solitary' we learn about the whispers, the Sickness, and then there's the scene when Sayid is walking back to camp and hears the whispers. So. Awesome. One of the best scenes of the series is when Sayid fixes Rousseau's music box. Mira Furlan plays that scene so well, and five seasons later, we are giving context for the music box because we saw that she had a husband whom she had to kill. Bravo, LOST! You always amaze.
-Those flashes are looking quite brutal now.
-Terry O'Quinn is a great actor. The scene with Locke and Christian was fantastic. Christian telling Locke that he was the one who had to move the Island originally. But I especially was moved by the reaction Locke had when Christian confirmed that Locke would have to die. It was absolutely brilliant.
That's about it for this episode. I'll probably have more thoughts when I re-watch it but next week will be all about the latest episode and not this one.
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS!
Some movement in the rankings. As always, a character who dies remains in the rankings until the following week so this will be Charlotte's last week in the rankings. STEVE shocked me with how far Jack fell on his list. See where Jack is on STEVE's.
AFTER EPISODE 5
RANKED: 2/11/09
CHRIS
1. Locke
2. Desmond
3. Sawyer
4. Jin
5. Sayid
6. Ben
7. Jack
8. Juliet
9. Hurley
10. Daniel
11. Miles
12. Richard
13. Kate
14. Charlotte
15. Sun
16. Frank
17. Widmore
STEVE
1. Sawyer
2. Ben
3. Locke
4. Sayid
5. Desmond
6. Jin
7. Richard
8. Frank
9. Juliet
10. Jack
11. Miles
12. Sun
13. Kate
14. Widmore
15. Daniel
16. Charlotte
17. Hurley
EPISODE 6 ('316')
I love LOST. I absolutely loved last night's episode. It's the second best episode of the season thus far (Jughead is the best still). They got back to the Island. THEY GOT BACK TO THE ISLAND! And I couldn't be happier. Jack waking up in the jungle, just like in the pilot except he didn't have to deal with burning wreckage or a whole bunch of survivors. He simply had to dive into a lagoon to help Hurley, and make sure Kate wasn't dead. A lot of stuff went down last night, folks. And I am totally stoked for next week's episode about the life and death of Jeremy Bentham. Without further ado, here's my thoughts on '316':
-Well, I was wrong about what the episode title meant. I mean, one could consider it a bearing of some kind because they did take plane Ajira Airline 316 in order to be over a window that would get them back to the Island. And I think we now know that the canoe for Ajira did not bring back the Oceanic 6. So, then, who came in the canoe?
-Either Ben got his ass kicked by Desmond or Sayid. I'm leaning towards Desmond because, for Ben, killing Penny was a loose end and Widmore is an old friend. But then again, Sayid and Ben worked together and maybe Ben wanted to make things right. But I'm leaning towards the former.
-Ms. Hawking revealed that the Island is constantly moving. And I loved how she reacted to Desmond flipping out. She knows that fate and destiny have her back.
-It'd make sense that Charlie appeared to Hurley, which is why Hurley decided to go back to the Island. He had a guitar with him. Could've been Charlies. As for Kate, maybe a Claire appearance? Everything might be answered next week though.
-Dude who offered his condolences to Jack will be back. I think, and STEVE agrees, that he's one of Widmore's.
-Me and STEVE came to the conclusion that the Island is stuck in time now. The show is where it was when season five opened. We got Jin working for Dharma, Daniel is somewhere around the construction of the Orchid, but who knows what Sawyer, Juliet, and Miles are up to. I'm excited. It's going to be great.
-Interesting book choice for the show last night. Ben was reading 'Ulysses' by the great James Joyce. Whenever a book is mentioned, it is important. Ulysses is about a single day in Dublin. It follows three characters: Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom, and Molly Bloom. It's one of the most difficult books to read but it's absolutely worth it.
-Frank looks to be back. I loved his line 'we're not going to Guam, are we.' Not even a question. He is awesome.
-My favorite scene of the episode is when Jack is putting his father's shoes on Locke's body, and talking to him. The Jack/Locke conflict is terrific.
-Second favorite scene: Ben telling Jack the story of the doubting Thomas in the church. Locke is definitely going to resurrect.
-Jack's grandfather is going to be back at some point. I sometimes point out the obvious.
-Loved Ms. Hawking telling Jack that 'it's a leap of faith.' Yep, you heard it before. Locke told Jack that in the season 2 episode, "Orientation.' Locke is talking about pushing the button in that scene.
I think that's it for the thoughts. I now dive into the world of reading about last night's episode.
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS!
Charlotte is no longer in the rankings. There's been some movement in both lists so check it out.
AFTER EPISODE 6
RANKED: 2/19/09
CHRIS
1. Locke
2. Desmond
3. Sawyer
4. Jin
5. Sayid
6. Jack
7. Ben
8. Juliet
9. Hurley
10. Daniel
11. Richard
12. Miles
13. Frank
14. Sun
15. Kate
16. Widmore
STEVE
1. Sawyer
2. Ben
3. Desmond
4. Frank
5. Sawyer
6. Locke
7. Jin
8. Richard
9. Juliet
10. Jack
11. Miles
12. Sun
13. Widmore
14. Kate
15. Daniel
16. Hurley
EPISODE 7 ('The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham')
LOST did it once again. Knocked it out of the ballpark. This episode was all about John Locke, and we saw him return to everything he felt he was off of the Island. He felt he couldn't do anything right. He was literally a broken man because of his broken leg. He was forced back into the wheelchair. And he really had lost Helen forever. The end of the John Locke/Helen story reminds me of a Joyce short story entitled 'A Painful Case.' Locke, off of the Island, reminds me of the main character, Mr. Duffy, because he is lonely. Here is a passage from the story:
"He had neither companions nor friends, church nor creed. He lived his spiritual life without any communion with others, visiting his relatives at Christmas and escorting them to the cemetery when they died. He performed these two social duties for old dignity's sake but conceded nothing further to the conventions which regulate the civic life. He allowed himself to think that in certain circumstances he would rob his hank but, as these circumstances never arose, his life rolled out evenly -- an adventureless tale."
And, like Locke, Mr. Duffy reflects upon the truth, when he finds out his former love Mrs. Sinico died, actually loved him. Locke even tells Abbadon, at the cemetary, that 'she actually loved me.' Another interesting thing with the story and LOST is that Mr. Duffy finds out about Mrs. Sinico's death via the paper, just as Jack finds out about Locke's death in the season three finale. I think the story is worth noting because of last week's inclusion of Joyce's Ulysses. Moving onto some thoughts about the episode:
--Cesar and Ilana (or Elana) are the newest characters. Did you see that plane? Not even damaged at all. Lapidus did a pretty good job of landing it. But yeah, the new castaways are on the Alcatraz Island, where Sawyer, Kate, and Jack were for the first batch of episodes in season three. And Lapidus, and Sun I presume, took off in the middle of the night.
--Locke was in his element again on the Island. And yep, he was resurrected.
--Widmore and Ben. Can't trust either of them. Ben's manipulated everybody and Widmore sent a team to kill everybody on the Island. Of the two, Widmore is more trustworthy I suppose.
--Walt had a vision of Locke on the Island, surrounded by people wanting to hurt him. Sounds like our new Ajira friends. And those canoes that were just there are the Others' canoes. Remember, they are on the Alcatraz island.
--Kate has turned into a true bitch.
--The Island still does not want Ben back. He didn't disappear with the Oceanic Six.
--Abbadon was awesome. It's a shame he was killed. But the stuff between him and Locke rocked.
--What a scene between Locke and Ben.
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS
Ranked: 2/26/09
STEVE has some major movement in his rankings. Ben pays the price for murdering his JABOY Daniels aka Abbadon. Some small changes in mine but nothing too exciting. Here they are:
AFTER EPISODE 7
RANKED: 2/26/09
CHRIS
1. Locke
2. Desmond
3. Sawyer
4. Jin
5. Sayid
6. Jack
7. Ben
8. Juliet
9. Hurley
10. Daniel
11. Frank
12. Miles
13. Richard
14. Sun
15. Widmore
16. Kate
STEVE
1. Sawyer
2. Desmond
3. Sayid
4. Jack
5. Locke
6. Jin
7. Juliet
8. Frank
9. Richard
10. Ben
11. Miles
12. Sun
13. Widmore
14. Kate
15. Daniel
16. Hurley
EPISODE 8 ('LaFleur')
The first Sawyer episode in over two years! There was no flashback of course but this was all Sawyer. And it was a pretty good episode to boot. I want to use the words 'game changer.' I won't yet but I'm thinking the overall being in 1977 is going to be an absolute game-changer. I may or may not go into detail about what I mean by that. And should that happen...who knows what is in store for the sixth and final season of the series. One more thing: my early feeling is that the season will culminate in the Purge, or lackthereof. There truly is nothing like LOST on television and there never will be again. Here are some thoughts, as always:
--'Whatever happened, happened," says a broken Faraday after being asked whether or not the gang can interact with the people. Since they are now spinning again, they can. But maybe things can be changed. To a take a page from Doc Jensen's recap, I think the show might be setting up for the Dharma fate to be altered but then again...I don't know. Whatever happened, happened.
--Loved the return of Horace Goodspeed. I did enjoy watching Goodspeed blow shit up.
--I really dug the moment when Juliet succeeds in delivering the baby. That's a trademark LOST moment. Very season 1. Very triumphant too.
--I wonder if Locke and the Ajira gang are in a different time period. We saw in a past episode that the canoes were at the camp. There's alot of story left to be told. I'll just sit back and see what happens with the Ajira group.
--I would still like Claire to be around. I feel like she would've fit in nicely with the Dharma group.
--Great scene between Richard and Sawyer. Sawyer being there in '77 has to be a game-changer for Richard somewhat.
That's it for 'LaFleur.'
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS
Not much movement in the rankings this week. STEVE has a new number one.
AFTER EPISODE 8
RANKED: 3/5/09
CHRIS
1. Locke
2. Desmond
3. Sawyer
4. Jin
5. Sayid
6. Jack
7. Juliet
8. Hurley
9. Ben
10. Daniel
11. Miles
12. Richard
13. Frank
14. Sun
15. Widmore
16. Kate
STEVE
1. Desmond
2. Sayid
3. Sawyer
4. Jack
5. Locke
6. Jin
7. Juliet
8. Richard
9. Ben
10. Miles
11. Frank
12. Sun
13. Widmore
14. Kate
15. Daniel
16. Hurley
EPISODE 10 ('He's Our You')
Benjamin Linus and Sayid Jarrah met in episode 2.14, which translates to episode fourteen of season two. And that is really important now. Doc Jensen of Entertainment Weekly has noted the similarities between season two of the show and the current season five, and I'd be a fool not to give a nod to Doc in this because the opening of the episode immediately reminded me of the span of episodes when Ben (then known as Henry Gale) is a prisoner of the Losties, and Sayid becomes the torturer again. Except, in 'He's Our You," Sayid is the prisoner, and Ben is the kind boy who is bringing him sandwiches. And believe you me, readers, I'm about to delve into the origins of the Ben/Sayid relationship because after the episode ended, the entire relationship between Ben and Sayid took over my mind. But this episode was/is not just about that relationship. And I'll elaborate on that right now.
The overarching theme of Sayid has always been his past as a torturer, and he's always been battling that part of him. He is ashamed that such a brutal side of him can exist. After torturing Sawyer in the first season's episode 'Confidence Man,' Sayid leaves the camp because he is ashamed of what he's done. He tells Kate: 'What I did today I swore to neverdo again." But the Island is not like any place in the world. It is place where, literally, John Locke can kill his daddy issues. The Island will put Sayid into situations like the one with Sawyer. And that is paraphrased from the mouths of Lindelof and Cuse. In Sayid's second episode of season one, he ends up being the reason his friend kills himself.
And then episode fourteen of season two happens. It is titled 'One Of Them." Rousseau captured Ben in her net, and brought him to the Losties. Ben claims he is Henry Gale, from Minnesota, and that he crashed his hot air balloon on the Island. Sayid doesn't believe the story one bit. He introduces himself to Ben as as a torturer. And torture Ben he does. And this is how Ben and Sayid's relationship begins. The relationship has always been about violence and manipulation. Sayid says it himself in 'He's Our Hero.' Ben, by lying about who he was, manipulated Sayid into torture just as he manipulated him into killing all of those men, and manipulated him to go to Los Angeles because Sayid believed Hurley was in danger. And Ben could very well be the man behind the death of Nadia, and probably is.
But Sayid is always trying to change, as he tells Alana in the bar. But when he is handcuffed to the tree, and he's given the juice of truth (as I like to call it) he describes himself as a bad man. He also describes himself as a killer before he shoots 12 year old Ben in the chest.
But, you know, Sayid is not a bad man. Sayid, in a way, reminds me of Mr. Eko. Eko tells 'Yemi' (the smoke monster) that he did not ask for the life he was given, but was given it nonetheless, and did the best he could with what he was given. There's a bit of nature vs. nurture in this episode. Little Sayid kills the chicken for, I think is his brother, so that the father will love his son. That scene is very much like the scene when the Nigerian gang want little Yemi to kill the old man but Eko kills the man for Yemi, and is brought into the gang. Folks, re-watch 'The 23rd Psalm.' It is terrific. And I'm sure Jensen will bring this parallel up in his recap but I wrote it first! Sayid is a good but troubled man. One of my favorite characters.
And to say the least, Sayid is a complex character. Kitsis and Horowitz did a terrific job with the episode. The scenes between Ben and Sayid post-Island were great especially the scene when Ben told Sayid that John Locke was dead. It emphasized that manipulation, and you know it just hit me, that he had to have done the same thing to Nadia.
And then Sayid is being held in prison by Dharma, and he meets little Benny Linus. Ben begins asking about Richard, whether or not Sayid is a hostile, and suggesting that Ben can free Sayid so that Sayid can bring Ben to the Hostiles. I don't really have to write it because everybody knows this but I'll write it anyway: Ben is responsible for some bad, bad stuff and Sayid believed he was brought to 1977 to kill Benjamin Linus.
However, I wrote this last week: as Faraday says: whatever happened, happened. No one was able to tell Sayid that. Also, Ms. Hawking said it herself to Desmond: the universe course corrects itself. Ben can't die, people. Ben CANNOT die. Jin is going to wake up, he will bring Ben to the Barracks which is future New Otherton, and Jack will save Ben's life for the second time. And I'm going to write a new paragraph about the ending alone before I dive into other thoughts about the episode.
I'll keep repeating myself: I am not made of stone. I love this show so much. LOST has the ability to get to me in an emotional sense. The final scene of the episode quite affected me, readers. A lot of it had to do with Ben as a 12 year old. We all know what Ben becomes but it is 1977 and Ben is just a kid who is in desperate need of a mother, and stuck with an abusive father who hates him. I was watching 'The Man Behind The Curtain" on Sunday night so Ben's backstory was fresh in my mind. There was a real sense of sadness in that final scene. Naveen Andrews knocked it out of the park. Sayid's reaction after shooting 12 year old Ben was brilliant. I can't really explain with clarity why the final scene affected me as much as it did but it did. This episode was extremely well-done. As always, here are some other thoughts:
--Horace Goodspeed is awesome. He's a good leader. I don't know why I thought this but I did. When he brought in that tool, I thought he'd torture Sayid but he simply cut the cuffs off of Sayid. Again, I'm a fool for thinking Horace would do something like that but, you know, it happens.
--Oldham's not as brutal as Sawyer made him out to be. Also, Oldham's got some good musical taste (Billie Holliday). Not a bad dude that Oldman.
--Jack played the Kate finding out about Sawyer/Juliet pretty well considering he and Kate had sex literally a few days ago. I enjoyed how Hurley told Kate the news.
--Loved the line from Sawyer about a burning Dharma van happening for the first time after Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid returned.
--Speaking of awesome lines, 'A 12 year old Ben Linus just gave me a sandwich. How do you think I feel?' is so AWESOME. Sayid's great.
--I'm not that into the love quadangle to be honest. I was never into the Jack/Kate/Sawyer thing when it began in season one. I like the other relationships on the show like Desmond and Penny. I was a fan of Charlie and Claire. Bernard and Rose are fantastic together. Never got into Hurley/Libby or Sayid/Shannon either.
--Annie better show up before season five ends.
--I wonder why Kate chose to return to the Island. I, of course, hope it has something to do with Claire. I miss Claire. But I dare say we might learn why next week. Hm.
--Once again: whatever happened, happened.
--No Miles this episode. I wonder if we'll ever get more of Miles' story. I'm sure we will.
--I'm ready for Desmond's return, and I'm waiting patiently to catch up with Daniel Faraday.
--Radzinsky needs to settle down.
--I also am eager to see Locke again on Alcatrez Island. The show has alot of ground to cover still before the season concludes May 13.
--That's about it for 'He's Our You.' Very jazzed for next week's episode. The season's really progressing well.
Before the rankings, here's your chance to win a slightly outdated but entirely free CD. Here's the question:
Electromagnetism has played a big role in the show. The Swan's existed because of the unique electromagnetic properties on the Island. After The Incident, numbers were put into a computer every 108 minutes to defuse energy that built up. Desmond thinks he crashed Oceanic 815 because he was late getting back to Hatch (it was after he accidentally killed Kelvin). So, yes, electromagnetism has been a big part of the series. So, the trivia question is:
In what episode was electromagnetism introduced, or rather, foreshadowed? Here's a hint: In the same episode, Charlie tells Jack that Locke is the one person he trusts to save everybody on the Island.
The first one to e-mail quadEntertainment@wcupa.edu with the correct answer will win a copy of 2-Pac's album 'Pac's Life.' Only WCU students are eligible. The prize can be picked up on Tuesdays between 2-4 pm or on Sundays between 10-3.
TO THE RANKINGS!
THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS
Nothing too exciting this week. STEVE has a new number one. I only made one change to my rankings.
AFTER EPISODE 10
RANKED: 3/26/09
CHRIS
1. Locke
2. Desmond
3. Sayid
4. Jack
5. Sawyer
6. Jin
7. Juliet
8. Ben
9. Hurley
10. Daniel
11. Frank
12. Sun
13. Miles
14. Richard
15. Kate
16. Widmore
STEVE
1. Sayid
2. Desmond
3. Locke
4. Jack
5. Sawyer
6. Jin
7. Juliet
8. Richard
9. Ben
10. Frank
11. Miles
12. Sun
13. Kate
14. Widmore
15. Daniel
16. Hurley
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