A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 5-10

“Three years, no burning busses. You’re all back for one day!”

To be honest, I was a bit surprised we didn’t see more of Jack, Kate, and Hurley attempting to integrate into their new lives in the Dharma Initiative – or, ya’ know, coming to terms with the fact that they’ve TRAVELED THROUGH TIME – but that’s simply not the story they chose to tell this week. And that’s okay, as this episode was about filling the gaps on Sayid’s story.

Click the "Read More" link for the full column.

And while I felt this was a phenomenal episode, I’m not entirely certain that those missing pieces are any less empty, as I’m not completely clear as to why Sayid suddenly stopped trusting Ben. I thought for sure that we’d find out that Sayid discovered that Ben was simply using him, and that the people he was killing wasn’t for the sake of protecting those who were left behind at all (we, of course, know or at least suspect this. But Sayid is not privy to that information). But no, it more seemed like Sayid felt spurned because he ran out of people to kill and didn’t know what to do with the rest of his life.

And, again, Ben didn’t seem the least bit concerned about referring to Locke as “John Locke” and never once mentioned the name “Jeremy Bentham.”

Oh, and by the way, that bounty hunter claims she isn’t a prostitute, yet she’ll demand $120 for her company? Riiiiight. But who do you think she was REALLY working for (even if she’s unaware)? Ben? Widmore? Eloise? It was just too much of a coincidence that they were going to Guam on THAT flight.

Shifting gears to the past, the scene with the drugged out Sayid was a lot of fun (and that “he’s our you” line was great). We rarely see Sayid so…..expressive (and, honestly, borderline flamboyant). Sawyer’s worried and guarded facial expressions throughout were great. I also love how Sayid used the past tense when referring to all of the Dharma stations, yet nobody listening really picked up on it.

In my Revisited column, I wondered what might happen if Sayid and the rest of the Oceanic survivors embraced Ben. If they gave him the love and affection that he lacked from his father, might it prevent him from turning into the monster he’s destined to become? It really seemed like they were going to go in that direction, as Sayid repeatedly showed compassion towards young Ben and his abusive situation (did you catch how Sayid jumped to his aid when his dad grabbed him?)

But, in the end, Sayid committed an act that even I didn’t think he was capable of: He shot and killed a young, “innocent” boy in cold blood. One who was attempting to help him, no less. I have to be honest, while it was a pretty deplorable act – perhaps one that Sayid will never be able to redeem himself from – it was a genuine “holy crap!” moment. That was jaw hit floor type stuff.

Of course, the biggest question that must be asked is what happens to future Ben? Does he vanish? Does he die? Does he continue existing as if nothing happened? This is really the first instance in which something dramatic has happened to a character’s “past,” so it’s quite telling to see what the repercussions are.

I was a bit surprised, by the way, with how nonchalantly Sawyer reacted towards living with a young Ben. Perhaps we’ll see more in future flashback episodes, but I’m curious with how Sawyer interacted with the young Other leader. And how did he first react when he met him? I hope they revisit this story.

The brief scenes with the Oceanic Six were fun enough. I loved how Hurley slipped in that, “they’re living together…you know, like you guys were” line. A) it added to the absolute awkwardness to the scene – as if saying, “Hey, you’re upset about your ex moving in with some girl….as you sit across from your other ex, who you used to live with” – and B) it was a nice way of knocking Kate off her high horse of entitlement, as if telling her, “Yeah, he wasn’t the only one who moved on in three years.” Such a gentleman was Jack, though, to cut Hurley short before he continued obliviously assaulting her with hurtful news.

The main assignment for you guys as I prepare my Revisited column for next week is:

What in the blue hell do you think will happen to future Ben? Does he die? Does he continue living? Does he become stuck in time as the universe attempts to figure out how to mend this paradox of sorts?

Or, another idea: Will the island simply not allow young Ben to die, because he’s already alive in the future? Do you think next week will pick up where the scene left off, only with Ben essentially rising from the dead?

Also, if I’m not mistaken, Ben said that he met Richard four years ago. When they met, Richard was shaggy haired, dirty, and wearing ragged clothing. Yet when Sawyer and his crew arrived in 1974 (three years ago), Richard was well groomed (looking exactly as he did in the 1950’s). My question is simple: What happened to Richard during that brief period? Why did he look so torn and tattered, when every other time we’ve seen him (the 1950’s, 1974, 2004, sometime in the future when he saw Locke in the woods after getting shot by Ethan) he’s appeared to be clean and well kempt? It likely wasn’t for show, because he was rather shocked to see Ben (and, for that matter, it appears that they interacted semi-frequently with Dharma).

And finally, where does Sayid go from here? Do you think Sawyer could forgive him for jeopardizing his comfortable life? Do you think Jin will forgive him for the attack? Do you think everybody else can look past the fact that he murdered a young boy, even though we all know who that boy becomes? Essentially, can he ever rejoin the rest of the group?

As always, shoot me an e-mail or leave your thoughts on the blog!