ABC/MARIO PEREZFire pretty. Torture tree bad.
Lost went back to the bamboo grove tonight for more gen-u-ine Iraqi torture. As before, it was totally effed up, and yet kinda funny and sexy, which speaks volumes about the mess we've all gotten ourselves into here.
Also, Dharma vans were lit up by persons unknown, but the prime suspects are Sméagol Little Ben and the Hostiles. Whodunit? We're going to have to wait to find out, but until that mystery is solved, jump in and join us for a talk about the state of Sayid's psyche, Sawyer's love life and the convergence of coincidence and fate...
"A 12-year-old Ben Linus brought me a chicken-salad sandwich. How do you think I'm doing?" —Sayid Jarrah
What We Learned
Chicken-Salad Sadness: This ground has been tread before, but in case it wasn't clear: Sayid Jarrah would be happier as a sociopath. He could then kill and torture (or, in broader terms, do what "needs to be done" for the so-called "greater good") without conscience or guilt. As it stands, Sayid's become the fist of the state that administers the beatings and provides the occasional bullet to the head. (If this were medieval times, the other villagers would confer upon him a last name worthy of his reputation, like Sayid Dangerous.)
Still, sadly, Sayid is not a sociopath, not really. As he puts it: "I'm not what you think I am. I don't like killing." So when he shoots a kid—even if it is baby Ben—it's got to make a pretty deep dent in his soul. And yet, because he's Sayid, he takes the karmic hit, because he believes it's both duty and his perverse penance for past misdeeds.
Basically, just in case we had forgotten all the ways the war for the Island has brutalized good men and women, tonight's episode was our painful reminder, and there were two victims: First and foremost baby Ben, of course, but also Sayid. Sigh.
P.S. Radzinsky needs to shut his freaking piehole already! Jeez. More annoying than Frogurt...
Magical: OK, which was more awesome: Hurley's explanation to his mother about what happened during the first four seasons of Lost, or Sayid's truth serum-induced explanation to the Dharmites about coming to the Island on a plane from the future?
Mark One Up in Locke's Column: Uh, so about that long-running conflict between coincidence and fate? Fate just got a couple points out of the Ilana-Sayid situation, because Sayid never intended to be on Ajira flight 316! Like Frank, who just happened to be the pilot of a plane that was flying over the Island, Sayid fell into the hands of a bounty hunter who threw him on a plane destined for Guam that just happened to have all the other 815ers and Frank onboard. It may well be that Ben and Mrs. Hawking actually had a hand in this development, but for the time being...eerie!
Coconut Telegraphing the Future: So many romantic Easter Eggs in this ep:
- Juliet talking to Sawyer about "playing house," which is exactly how Kate disparagingly described the possibility of a relationship with Sawyer last season.
- Juliet's despondent question to Sawyer, "This is over, isn't it?" She could have been talking about the Dharma jig being up, but come on. That was about Suliet, right?
- Hurley's declaration about Sawyer and Juju being together: "I thought it was kind of obvious. I mean, who couldn't see that coming?" (Ana-Lucia, for one, totally called it: 'She's hot. You're hot…plane crash...nice beach...it's what people do.' ")
The Low Point: Who's our common enemy again? Can we strike a blow against them soon, please? Season five is half wonderful and satisfying, and half sickeningly discombobulated and unhappy. Everyone's in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. Does Dramamine make a pill for time-travel sickness?
Missing-Character Watch: Where is Desmond?!! This is the fourth episode in a row without our friend Mr. Hume. For that matter, does anyone else miss Claire? And last but not least, to parrot the question from many of your emails, where/when are Rose, Bernard and Vincent the dog?
What's to Come
Here's what we can tell you about your favorite Lost lovers' chances of hooking up again this season:
- Juliet & Sawyer: Going strong. Season five is Lost's bizarroverse season, and Lost will devote a lot of screen time to the left-field pairing of Suliet through the end of the year.
- Juliet & Jack: Sorry, Jacketeers, but at least in season five, these two are going nowhere fast.
- Sawyer & Kate: Over the next batch of eps, Sawyer and Kate get under each other's skin but probably don't actually get into each other's pants. (That's OK, Skaters—there's always fanfic.)
- Jack & Kate: The series' original couple always has each other's backs. But do they make the beast with two backs again this season? Doubtful.
- Jin & Sun: Jun don't reunite until closer to the finale, but that wedding we told you about? Word on the street is that it's a flashback to the Kwon nuptials. Yay!
We might be in shouting distance of the writers on Thursday night, so if you email your burning Lost Q's to tvdiva@eonline.com (or post them below), we'll try to get you some answers.
Now, what did you think of "He's Our You"? Post in the comments!