He's Our You...

As soon as this episode opened I recognized the similarities between Sayid's childhood and Eko's. Both made sacrifices in the names of their brothers and both men have paid an immense price for their brotherly love. Ultimately, though, I don't believe Sayid was a born killer as inferred by the opening flashback scenes of He's Our You.

And now we have proof of Ben's Machiavellian machinations (yes, yes big words but I couldn't think of anything smaller). Never in the history of LOST have I been more convinced that Ben is pure evil, and by the looks of his abusive father, Ben was destined to be a natural born murderer-by-proxy. The scene in Russia when Ben tells Sayid that he is free, his mission is accomplished, then berates him for asking who's next me into a tail spin. I am also convinced that both Elsa and Illana were working unknowingly for Ben. I find it difficult to believe that Sayid could freely roam the world if authorities knew it was he who had coldblooded murdered Mr. Avellino in the Seychelles, let alone build houses for a charity. I think Ben was the Economist to Elsa and claimed to be an Avellino family member when he hired Illana to bring Sayid to Guam. Think about it, people. The only other person who knew for sure who killed Mr. Avellino is Ben, indeed, it was he who ordered the assassination.

I hate to say it, but I expected more from Oldham, the Dharma version of a professional torturer, than "truth serum on a sugar cube" and shackles to a tree. Chills ran down my spine when LaFleur's response to Sayid's query basically alluded to Oldham being a torturer. I was looking for bamboo shoots and hot oil and electric cattle prods! However, considering the "Peace and Love" philosophies of Dharma, it was the worst he could do, I guess. In my view, Oldham, is no more a contemporary of Sayid's than a poodle dipped in chocolate.



I'm convinced that Inman kills Radzinsky just to shut him up in the future. That man is so annoying! Dharma big wigs probably quarantined him to the Swan in order to find some peace and quiet from his constant paranoia!



I was disappointed that Horace didn't react to Sayid's warnings of pending Dharma doom, but I think he may have tucked that little tidbit away for later consumption. If Horace is truly the On Island Dharma leader he must be aware of the time travel properties of the Orchid and possibly he may even know who LaFleur and his people really are. I just not buying Horace as a leader. He's a mathematician for Jacob's sake!

How could Kate not have realized that Sawyer and Juliet were living together? She's been off island for three years and went on with her life and was engaged to Jack, so why couldn't she see that Sawyer went on with his life? Personally I can take the love stories or leave them, but this quadrangle is getting tiresome and I truly hope that Sawyer realizes that what he has with Juliet is the real thing and doesn't blow it. When she first appeared on the LOST scene I didn't like, nor trust Juliet's character. Yet, as the story is unfolding I am growing to not only like her, but hope good things for her.



Speaking of which, I'm sure I am not the only one who believes that Sawyer had no intention of leaving Dharmaville of his own volition. He'd built a respectable life of comfort there where people trusted him. These people were his friends and colleagues. He has lived among them longer than the three months he had spent as a survivor of Oceanic 815. I'm sure he is resenting the unexpected arrival of Jack and company.



This was a Sayid centric episode, and we learn how Ben used his despair and need to avenge Nadia's murder and created a killing machine. We see how Sayid spent three years believing he was protecting his fellow Oceanic 6's and those left behind on the island, only to realize that Ben has been leading him on with load of **ll**it so thick that the residual odor with last a lifetime. It must have taken every iota of strength Sayid had not to wrap his fingers around Ben's neck and squeeze the life out of him at the pier.



I have a theory about Nadia's death. Ben did it. Okay, I'm sure you're thinking I'm an idiot for stating the obvious, but it's Ben's motivations that interest me. Nadia was an obstacle that Ben could not overcome. Sayid would not leave his wife, specially one he had spent years searching for, to return to an island that represented even more loss and heartache. I know what I'd choose. Ben did the only thing he thought he could. He had Nadia killed and gave Sayid a job to do until the island was ready for their return.

Even knowing Sayid's self loathing, and his intense hatred from Ben, even the young version, I did not expect him to turn Jin's gun onto Ben. It was such a shock that I had one of those "oh-no-he-didn't" moments and gasped so loud that my Border Collie was in my face so fast that it took me a few minutes to catch my breath!

Is young Ben going to survive? I believe so. The instant Sayid shot Ben and the boy fell to the road, things would have changed. I'm not subscribing to the What's Happened Happened philosophy spouted by Faraday, either. If young Ben dies, all that he has done in the future becomes null and disappears into non-existence. It's really very simple to grasp just so long as you ignore the complicated mambo-jumbo and accept certain itty bitty details as canon.

The flaming runaway Dharma van and resulting fire left the building looking rather like the one we saw when Sun and Frank entered Dharmaville and met Christian, doesn't it?

Namaste - The Recap

I can say categorically that I totally enjoyed watching Namaste, despite having to wait until thursday morning and watching it online at CTV.CA. I was visiting with family in Medicine Hat, Alberta and, shockingly, they do not watch LOST. So, when visiting, one must sacrifice.

Many have called Namaste a "transition" episode. It doesn't really answer any questions, nor does it pose new ones, but it moves the characters along in the plotline to a point where they need to be in order for the next episode to increase the pace once again. I like these episodes and the writers seem to have an uncanny ability to place them just so that the audience can catch their breath, grasp a few tidbits, and then we're off and flashing (or running) again at full speed.

Am I the only one who thought it was way too cool that we got to experience the Ajira crash ans watch as Frank ever-so-calmly put that tin can down on the make shift runway? As soon as I heard "Is that a runway?" I just knew that they were not in 1977 and that Ben, despite his evilness, had had previous knowledge that it would be needed. He had better thank Sawyer and Kate for the not so smooth landing.

Also, if an actor is offered a job as a co-pilot on LOST, know now that you should wear a red shirt under the pilot's uniform. Death upon impact is certain. And how lucky that our favorite pilot was relatively unscathed once the aircraft stopped its impersonation of Old Smokey by knocking down trees near the beach?

Sun is a changed woman and I burst out laughing when she whacked Ben on the back of the head with the oar. Then, she used one of Ben's catch phrases, "I lied." The lady is learning from a master, it would appear. I just hope Jin likes the new Sun. Creepy moment when Sun and Frank entered "Otherville" and encountered Christian. I'm positive that was our friendly black smoke monster peeking in the door as Christian was telling Sun and Frank when Jin was.

Now to 1977. I have a general idea of how that flash occurred which brought Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid to thirty years earlier. Jack had asked Sawyer if Faraday was there and the reply was, "Not anymore." This got me wondering where, when and what had happened to my beloved tie dependent dude. What if he had something to do with bringing the Ajira Losties into the past? I haven't worked it all out yet, but it's only common sense to me that Daniel had a hand, foot, tie and back pack in it. I could be wrong, too. We'll have to wait and see.

Sawyer is adept at being the boss. I always knew he was a thinker as opposed one who reacts to a situation, like Jack did in the past, or present, er future....whenever. It was Sawyer's ability to think fast that has kept his group alive since landing in the middle of the Dharma and Hostile dispute. Sawyer may not be my favorite character, but he deserves kudos for stepping up and taking responsibility, not just for himself and his people, but for the safety of Dharma as well. And he will take the responsibility for Jack, Kate, Hurley and ultimately Sayid as well. I enjoyed his little dig at Jack by making him a Workman as based on his aptitude tests, if only for a moment.

Something tells me that Horace will not be pleased that he has been deceived and we are soon going to learn about either the incident or events that may lead up to it. Could it be a Lostie that causes it? At the Swan, maybe? I am thinking so.

So, the Losties are now Dharma recruits and trying to fit in until .... What exactly are they awaiting? Locke's return? Are they waiting for Ben to grow up and "purge" them all? Or is their presence in 1977 going to alter things so that it never occurs? Remembering that Faraday muttered "What happened, happened," I'm thinking that nothing the Losties do will change the future.

A Few things....

• Sterling Beaumon has more talent in his little finger than most seasoned actors do. He gave me tingles up my spine as he spoke to Sayid!
• Horace's hair is too long and in serious need of moisturizer. Also, he needs to clean himself up a bit. The competition for mates is limited on the island, but at least make an effort.
• I loved the look on Juliet's face when Amy told her she was holding Ethan as a baby! I could see her thinking, eeeewwww.
• If Ethan was born in 1997, and died in 2004 (when Charlie killed him) he would have been 27 years old. I'm not sure, but isn't that a bit young to be an experienced surgeon? Can someone let me know how long it takes to become a doctor and then a surgeon?
• Why didn't someone remove Sayid's handcuffs once he was inside the cell? He must be horribly uncomfortable. It looked to me that he seemed a bit disappointed about the lack of mustard on his sandwich. I can't recall, did Ben introduce himself?
• I think the unflashed Ajira passengers, and plane, landed on the island well after 2007, like perhaps in 2009? My theory is probably wrong, but the dilapidated state of the barracks, the Hydra and the dock lead me to lean this way.

So, that's it for my Namaste recap. I could be right about a few things or I could be blowing it out my ear, for all I know. Disagree or agree? Please feel free to comment. Just keep it clean for the family to see. Next up is "He's Our You"

It's getting more and more interesting.

Arcticroses.

LaFleur: The Re-Mix

I was going to write a new recap for LaFleur after the pop-up version tonight, but there's likely a baby on the way and apparently I'm the official photographer of this illustrious occasion. Any minute now, I'm told, I'll be getting the call to rush off, thus I will miss LaFleur's pop-up tidbits until I can sit down in front of the PVR and press play.
Next week is Spring Break in our school district and I've promised to take my mother to visit her pet dinosaurs in Drumheller, Alberta. My daughter has some interest in this trip as well, since she's recently changed her career choice from volcanology to paleontology. What ever, it had an ology for an ending and I'm sure she will change her mind at least a hundred times before she graduates from high school in six years.
Anyway, I'll have to rely on CTV for an online version next week as I'm not sure where I'll be come Wednesday evening. I just know I'll be seeking relaxation, though I'm not sure how driving my blue Jeep for hours on end in the middle of Alberta's badlands will be anything near relaxing. I'll be sure to take some pictures with my awesome new camera of the amazingly beautiful landscape.
Namaste

LaFleur Drives a Blue Jeep!

LaFleur happens to rank among one of my all time favorite episodes of LOST. Not because we may have had a glimpse of the four -toed foot in it's entirety, and that has generated a whole landslide of debate in itself, but because LaFleur drives a Powder Blue Jeep.

Notice, if you will, the rest of the Dharma minions get to drive VW-like micro-buses, complete with 8-track tape decks. Same Dharma blue colour, but there's something about a Jeep that's ruggedly sexy. It says, I can go anywhere, do anything I please, and I'm cool. I drive a blue Jeep, that's how I know.

But my blue Jeep isn't powder blue. That's just not cool. Maybe way back in the mid-seventies it was, but not any longer. I'm not even sure that Powder Blue was cool back then. I was way too young to care about cool car colours. Besides, until last September I drove a purple car, so who am I to judge the powder blue thing?

The fact that Sawyer drives a different type of vehicle speaks volumes about how he and his crew have insinuated themselves into the Dharma camp. Just moments earlier (three years in their time) Horace Goodspeed was booting them off the island on the next available submarine to Tahiti. Speaking of submarines, perhaps Dharma should do something about the regularity of the sub service in their area, you know, to increase ridership? Anyway, Sawyer, as LaFleur, meanders outside and has a little chat with the ever ageless Richard Alpert and next thing we know, Sawyer's running security for the organization and bossing Radzinsky around. Remember who Radzinsky is, don't you? He was the guy who blew his head off in the Swan? I get the feeling we're going to see more of him and, hopefully, we'll find out what made him blow his top off.

By-the-way, I loved the shout-out to the audience with the eye-liner line. It's nice to know that the writers are paying as much attention to us as we are to them. Yes, yes, I am well aware that Nestor Carbonell does NOT wear eye liner and those are his natural lashes, but come on! Why is it that men are always born with the beautiful lashes that most women would kill for? Psst, mine are invisible! My cross to bear for being a natural born red head. Sigh.

It was nice to see Jin has survived and integrated into Dharma society. After working for old man Paik and doing the dirty work, he must have happily absorbed the almost peaceful atmosphere of island life. Does he miss Sun? Has he found someone to love? Is he friends with Miles yet? Perhaps they share a cottage on the edge of Otherville, living like bachelors.

I'm not terribly fond of Miles.....yet. There's still something, and I can't seem to pinpoint it, that bothers me about him. And it has nothing to do with how he cheated the grieving mother the very first time we met him, either. Not even the fact that he was willing to betray his employer, Charles Widmore, and spare Ben in exchange for 3.2 millions dollars. If anyone else has the same problem, let me know.

We didn't see much of Daniel Faraday this time around. Just in the beginning of the episode and again when he spotted the presumably very young Charlotte. Charlotte, like any woman, has been hiding her real age. Shame on her! According to Ben, she was born in 1979, but we see her as a child of approximately 3 years of age in 1974!

Next week is a repeat of this week's episode, but I can't wait until the 17th. Namaste will show us when and where Sun, Frank and Ben are. We will also see how Jack, Hurley and Kate are introduced to Dharma and what their appointed tasks will be.

So far, season five is as intriguing as season one, when it all started. If you're like me, Wednesday nights don't come fast enough, and then they pass us by way too fast. As I learn about this blogging, I'm sure my pages will become more sophisticated and grow more interesting.

Until next week.