HAPPILY EVER AFTER

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

And now we know why Desmond is so special and unique. He’s the only person in the world to have survived a catastrophic electromagnetic event (and who is still alive because we all know that John Locke was in that room with Des when he turned that fail safe key). Let’s not forget that Mr. Eko and Charlie Pace were present in the “hatch” when it self imploded and stole all of Desmond’s clothes. But alas, THEY are all DEAD and now Chuckie has to resort to plan B (wanna bet he’d planned to use John Locke before dear Ben pulled out an orange extension cord on him and hanged him like a Christmas ornament?).

So this is what I know.

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

There, now you know as much as I do.

Have a good day and we’ll chat next week.

Okay, I’m joking. I’ll give it up and share my thoughts with you, but be warned that I’m still struggling with an infected tooth and have been “affected” by antibiotics and painkillers.

Happily Ever After points out a few home truths to us, even if we don’t really want to know them. First of all, there is no such thing as happily ever after and when we believe we have reached that point something, or someone (Charlie and Daniel) is going to come along to point out that although we seem to have it all, the grass is greener in our other lives. I actually pictured myself living on an island paradise with my LOST friends and our every need or want was taken care of. We were pampered and spoiled and never had a care. Our children loved and respected us and did as we asked them, and …… Who am I kidding? It’s human nature to want to accomplish utter happiness and contentment with our lives, yet once we obtain what we believe we want (and are the envy of limo drivers and CEO’s alike) we realize that it was just too easy. Did I forget to mention on ALL KNOWING BUTINSKI NAMED ELOISE?

We’ll get to her in a moment. First let’s deal with what happened on Hydra in 2007.

Poor Desmond awakens to find that he’s back on the island (sort of since he was never on Hydra) and under the qualified care of Zoe, the geophysicist? What do they teach these people in those universities? He’s pretty ticked when Chuckie tells him that he’s kidnapped him and brought him back to the island and the IV pole gave Des a helping hand in expressing his anger. The island, she isn’t finished with him yet. But we all KNEW (okay hoped) that Desmond would be back. I’m not sure we realized it would be under these terms. And wouldn’t you be just a little peeved (read totally pissed off) if you’d just woken up to find that you’d taken from the sterile safety of a hospital and had been drugged for three days straight, then forced to wake up? Yep, me too.

Things get off to a rip roaring start as Chuckie decides to reschedule the “little test” earlier than expected. Of course, Jin is there, in his normal state of confusion (they really need to make him look a bit more assertive) to see what happens when “normal” people get between the giant electromagnetic donuts. Zap! Interestingly, did you notice that when the tech pulled the switch to reset the breaker for that huge honkin’ generator he pulled it down? And did you notice that when he was told to shut it off (after that dude become a Krispy Kritter) he also pulled the switch down? Just thought I’d point that out to you. And how insensitive of Chuckie and his goons to bring poor Des to the zap shack before the BBQ remains of that guy could be removed? Did you see Desmond’s feet plant themselves on either side of the door frame? That kind of reminded me of the time I needed to give my border collie a bath and I picked her up to put her into the tub…..She did the exact same thing with ALL FOUR OF HER PAWS. She won that round, by the way.

Back on track, Linda.

So, the goons strap Desmond to a chair and the one guy thinks to ask: “Do you have any metal on? Keys? Chains? Coins?” To which Chuckie replies: “Of course he doesn’t, you idiot” and rolls his eyes. I am wondering where our esteemed Mr. Widmore found these guys! Oh, and I also wondered if the zipper in Desmond’s pants was metal. They lock him in and hide behind a cinder block wall (that’s comforting to see that they’re taking all those safety precautions), turn on the generator and watch from a distance as our beloved Scotsman gets an unhealthy dose of what apparently is electromagnetic energy and passes out.

I was kind of worried (hoping) he’d wake up without any clothes again.

Of course Desmond survives and comes to, completely calm and accepting of what he needs to do, much to Charles’ confusion. He follows Zoe back to the hospital, but never makes it as Sayid steps up, kills the two goons and sends Zoe running. In a move that totally confuses me, Desmond seems to happily follow Sayid away from Chuckie’s protection.

And this provides the segue into what I am now calling the “what if” time as we soar through the clouds backwards and out of an Oceanic Arrivals board (if you can find a still of the board, you’ll notice that all of Hurley’s numbers are on that board in various places). It’s Desmond, again in reflection (these are important, but we’ll get to that in a few), and he’s gazing in an apparent trance at the board. That is until Hurley swings by to let him know that his luggage is on carousel number 4.

Desmond helps Claire pull her bag from the carousel (what a gentleman) then offers her a ride, which is declined. I’m going to go off on a bit of a tangent here, but I promise to get back on track quickly.

Am I the only one who noticed the stains on Claire’s shirt? Go back and take a look at the scenes in the airport. I’ll wait here. You’ll see. Big orange stains on her bulbous belly. The least they could have done was give her a clean shirt for this scene. That one looked like she’d been wearing it and slopped mango juice down her front!

Back on track again.

As soon as I saw Fisher Stevens I waited, almost breathlessly, for a reference to a Ferris wheel, but to no avail as his somewhat subdued character just drove Des to the office. But I was glad to see George throughout the episode.

Did Chuckie’s happy greeting to Des surprise you? What about that great satisfied grin? Or that “fatherly” hug? Me neither. The big surprise came when he gave Des a sip of that 60 year old MacCutcheon’s Scotch and told him he was worth it! Yeah, the fact that Des had obtained the one thing he’d always wanted from Chuckie in the “original” time was foreboding. Sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for, because all things, good or bad, come with a price and the fact that Desmond didn’t have Penny in his life (yet) was oddly disturbing to me. Being Charles Widmore’s right hand man comes at a cost and poor Desmond was about to get an assignment that would change his life (and hopefully the lives of all the Lostaways) forever.

Have you noticed that some of the people who are dead in the original time seem to have a better grasp of things in the “what if” time? Think back to LA X for a moment, when Jack saved Charlie’s life, and the ungrateful wretch told him that he was supposed to die. This is important, because Charlie gets it. He knows that he’s not where he’s supposed to be. This isn’t the way his life is supposed to be. And, like Desmond in The Constant, he wants to get back to that place where he felt happiest and was loved by Claire (I’m assuming that the rapturously beautiful blond he spoke of was Claire). This is it. The converging of “original” and “what if” starts to become really evident right here.

Daniel too, has an awareness and he recognizes the same “feeling” in Desmond when he sees his mother (who still knows far more than any other (but not those Others) character in ANY time) attempt to dissuade Desmond (again) from finding Penny. I wasn’t surprised to find that Eloise is still manipulating lives despite being married to a magnate (or money magnet) and raising her son (and not killing him) in this time. Some things just can’t be changed, it would seem. Daniel, as in the original time, does not what his mother would expect and shares his feelings and beliefs with Des.

Des has heard from two separate people now of an emerging awareness that things are not as they are supposed to be and begins to question his own life (and happiness) as well. The name Penny strikes a chord with him. Buried deep in his consciousness is the knowledge that his other life was happier with “her” than having the approval from “the man”. When he meets Penny it is the “catalyst” moment that convinces Desmond that their lives are all wrong and tasks George with getting him a list of all the passengers on Oceanic 815.

“I just need to show them something”

HERE IS WHAT I THINK

We didn’t see it, but Charles has already told Desmond what he needs to do and it involves Smocke and a violent explosion of electromagnetic energy. I’m worried that the sacrifice Widmore spoke of is Desmond’s life. Okay, I admit it. I’m worried for every single one of our LOSTies and expect we’ll be losing almost all of them by the end of the season.

DID YOU NOTICE?

I’m not sure if it’s a continuity error, but in LA X, Desmond wore a wedding ring ( DarkUFO has a screen shot of it), but Des isn’t married in this episode and has yet to meet Penny.

Someone asks Desmond in each time if he’s wearing any metal or has any metal fillings. Once in the zap shack and just before he has an MRI. Also, someone shined a light in Desmond’s eyes in each time as well.

When Desmond walks into Widmore’s office you can see a scale with black objects on one side and white objects on the other side to the left and it is balanced mounted on the left wall. Then, when Charles is talking on the phone, you can see what looks to be the same painting on the wall to the right of his desk.

Eloise’s brooches are of starbursts and look like the mark that was given to Juliet. Incidentally, Eloise is wearing two brooches (one smaller than the other) slightly parallel to the other, but if the longer portion of each pin were to continue you would see the points meeting.

Desmond’s reflection is seen twice in this episode. Once in the Oceanic arrival schedule board and also in the glass door of the police station. Daniel’s reflection is seen in the limo window as well, although it is more of a silhouette.

When Desmond first meets Penny in the “what if” time, she is running the tour de stade. In the original time, Desmond met Jack while running the tour de stade and it was revealed that Penny had sought him out there.

There are a prolific amount of repeated phrases from other seasons. “What happened, happened” and “The island isn’t finished with you yet” for example.

A friend pointed out to me that Eloise’s hair must be Chuckie’s constant.

QUESTIONS:

Where are Penny and Charlie?

Why is it that Desmond can survive a massive and violent electromagnetic event?

Why didn’t the people on the boat rush to help Desmond when he brought Charlie up out of the submerged car?

What exactly is Desmond violating by looking for Penny?

Why did Sayid let Zoe go but killed the other two?

Is Jack’s hospital the only one in LA? Everyone seems to end up at St. Sebastian.

Since Desmond made contact with his constant (Penny) in the “what if” time, is this what makes him special in 2007?

Does that last question make sense?

QUOTES

Zoe: You’re not in a hospital, Mr. Hume. We had to move you…

Desmond: “ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRG”

Desmond (to Charles): “That’s 60 year old Scotch, Charles”

Charles: “Nothings too good for you”

Charlie (explaining about what happened on the plane): “I’m talking about spectacular consciousness altering love. So you know what that looks like?”

Desmond (to Charlie): There’s always a choice, brothah

Des: Why are you running?

Charlie: “Cause no one here can help me”

Charlie: “This doesn’t matter. None of this matters. All that matters is that we felt it”

Desmond (on the phone to Charles): “He’s a junkie that drove my car into the ocean. I’m fine, by the way, thanks for asking.

Daniel: “It’s like already loved her….and that’s when things got weird.”

Daniel: “What if this. All of this…..What if this wasn’t supposed to be our life? What if we had someother life and for some reason we changed things……I don’t want to set off a nuclear bomb, Mr. Hume. I think I already did.”

Desmond: “She’s an idea…”

Daniel: “No, Mr. Hume, she’s my half sister”

Ad the most interesting of them all?

Desmond: “I just need to show them something”

Oddly enough, next week's episode is called "Everybody Loves Hugo" Should be a good one.

THE PACKAGE

Shhhh, we're watching LOST~

I'm not sure about anyone else, but this had to be the most enjoyable episode to watch. Of course, it may have had something to do with the company I was keeping at the time. For the first time ever, I got to watch LOST with a fellow LOSTaholic!

I must explain, for those of you who don't know, that I have many beloved friends whom I have never met. We were brought together by our love and our obsessions with a simple TV show. First we met on the ABC LOST boards, then added each other on Facebook. It was wonderful to have a face and name to go with the screen personnas. We have found that despite sharing the LOST connection we also share so much more. Like many others around the world, we have created our own "cyber family and circle of friends" that has evolved into life long friendships. I'm not sure how to thank ABC, JJ Abrams and LOST for giving us all such a beautiful gift. Nor do I know how to explain how our "cyber family" has come to be. It just has and I am forever grateful.

This past week two "cyber" friends become "real life" friends. True and dear, my friend will be with me forever and although we are separated by distance (and an international boarder) we are close enough that we can visit on long weekends and school holidays. Oh! Before I forget, we've both managed to introduce LOST to our children and create second generation fans.

AND WE GOT TO WATCH LOST TOGETHER!

It was the most amazing and gratifying experience, and one I will treasure for the rest of my life.

SIDE TIME

Once again, we ALL know what transpired, so I'm just going to give you my thoughts on it.

Don't you think that both Keamy and Paik KNEW that it was illegal to carry that much cash into the country? Just a thought, but I'm pretty sure Paik slipped that cash in so that it would be taken away and Sun would be required to visit the bank to get some of HER "not-so-secret" money only to find that her father had emptied and closed the account. It was old lop-sided face Paik's way to tell her he was in control of her life. The fact that he was having Jin deliver the cash to Keamy, and that the money WAS intended as a fee for killing Jin, is both a sign of Paik's bent and twistedly vicious mind and ironic. Very much ironic. But even in the "slightly changed side time" Paik loses, Keamy gets his and, hopefully Jack can save Sun and the baby so Jin and Sun can start a new life in the US.

Now wouldn't that be a proverbial kick in the pants for Paik? Tee hee, I find myself liking that thought.

The fact that Jin and Sun are NOT married (as most of you predicted) at that time also leads me to believe that the "differences" between the original time and the side time go way back since they were for four years prior to boarding Oceanic 815. I'm just not sure how far back. Possibly to the time of The Incident? Did the explosion of the hydrogen bomb, coupled with the release of electromagnetic energy cause a sort of reboot for all our islanders? I'm still not sure, but it's making things pretty interesting.

Let's see what other differences there are:

Jack is divorced with a pre-teen son and is trying to maintain a relationship with him that does not resemble the relationship he had with his still dead father. Jacob touched Jack at the time of his first ever solo surgery on the girl. Kate is still wanted for killing her father and is still on the run. Jacob touched her when she was approximately 10 or 11 years old. James doesn't go by the name of Sayer, is a cop and is using his position to hunt down the man who caused his parents' deaths. He still plans to kill Anthony Cooper.

Miles is a cop as well, and has a girlfriend. I'm not sure if he has the "gift" of talking with the dead. His father works at a museum with Charlotte, so we know that he grew up with both parents now. There was no mention of Charlotte or Miles being born on the island, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Ben has a doctorate in European History and teaches at an LA high school alongside Dr. Leslie Arzt and the substitute teacher named John Locke, who lost his job at the box factory after using company funds to try to take a "walkabout" in Australia instead of attending conferences. Roger Linus was not killed by Ben in the purge and Alex Rousseau grew up in LA with her mother working three jobs just to make ends meet.

Are you still with me?

Helen is still alive. But her date of death is a few years away. Remember, this is 2004 in side time and she supposedly died in 2006.

Patchy has TWO eyes, well, HAD two eyes until Jin took aim, and works for Keamy. Still not doing "good" things, since Omar and Keamy are still sort of like "mercenaries for hire" and to what ever the highest bidder is willing to pay. As an aside, Patchy used to be somewhat good looking, don't you think? Claire arrives in LA to find that the people who were supposed to adopt her baby have split and didn't have the decency to call or write of their change of plans. Ethan is a doctor off island, but appears to be obsessed with NOT poking people with needles.

Sayid was still a torturer during the Gulf War, and is still consumed by guilt for his actions. His brother is married to the love of his life, and he is still stepping up and cleaning up Omer's (not Omar, Keamy's lackey) messes and killing people. Hurley still won the lottery and still owns many companies, some of which some of our Lostaways actually work for. He also believes he is the luckies guy in the world.

Who have I forgotten? Let me know.

Another thing that was pointed out to me by a friend is the use of reflections in the side times. Each character who is a candidate is seen looking in the mirror (or in Ben's case reflected in the door of the microwave), as if examining the events of their lives. I'm sure this is significant, but haven't decided yet how.

Original time, 2007

I have to tell you that I am finding this point in the island time a bit dark, yet completely absorbing. Our crash survivors are clearly divided, and on has been kidnapped by Widmore's people. Speaking of kidnapping, as soon as I saw that tranquilizing dart that hit Jin, I immediately thought of when the Other's ambushed Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sawyer at the end of Season Two. Almost the same method, don't you think?

Flocke, Smocke or MIB. What ever you call him, it was revealed that he NEEDS all the candidates together and with him in order to leave the island. He already has James and Kate, who's name apparently appeared on the cave wall but is no longer there, but has lost Jin and has to go try to get him back.

The little chat between Chuckie and Smocke was interesting. That Widmore had erected the pylons that keeps the Smoke Monster at bay is telling. He certainly knows a lot more than what's been revealed to us and than what he's told Smocke. And he certainly has no intention of allowing MIB to leave the island. Ironic that he's the one who sent John Locke on the quest to take the Oceanic 6 back to the island and provided MIB with the "means" of possibly escaping his paradise prison. Another interesting thought is that both he and Ben, despite being adversaries, may actually end up fighting on the same side in the end. Just a thought.

Wasn't it heart warming to watch Jin seeing pictures of his daughter for the first time? This is important as it gives him a motive to want to leave the island by any means possible. So that leaves us wondering what he would do if it's revealed that he is the one to take Jacob's place as guardian of the island (although I don't think that is the case).

Smocke tried to get Sun to cross over to his side, but she is one strong woman who relies heavily on her intuition. The only thing Sun wants is to reunite with her husband, return to Korea to their daughter and live life's roller coaster ever after. Her heart's desire notwithsatanding, she followed her intuition and ran from Smocke, falling and hitting her head in the process. The loss of her spoken English was the result, and this has already caused her frustration while trying to communicate with everyone else. Are you thinking that MIB took that ability away from her so that she would go searching for Jin, thus placing her into his camp?

Richard is back! And he is on a mission. It's almost like the knowledge that his beloved Isabella is by his side in spirit was a catalyst for him. He knows what needs to be done now. Stop the Man In Black from leaving the island by all means possible. First of all, destroy the plane, which appears to be the survivor's only way off the island. Not that Sun appreciates his efforts.

Jack helps Sun to understand why they must do what they must do and gives her Charlie's Sharpie Pen and a pad of paper to express her voice. I guess he couldn't find a pencil, because what if the Sharpie runs out of ink? And she could erase things and reuse the paper if it takes her a long time to get her "English" back. With a pen, that kind of can't happen.

According to Widmore, should MIB escape the island, everyone associated with it will cease to exist. I'm not sure if he means that they all die (because MIB will likely kill them once he doesn't need them) or if they just go poof as if they had never been born. But if that happens, what about the rest of humanity? What about the people the LOSTaways knew and loved in the outside world? Widmore has his own idea of how to stop MIB from leaving the island and I think it has something to do with those pockets of electromagnetism that Zoe was asking Jin about.

And he has an ace up his sleeve as well. I'm not sure why or how he did it, but he has Desmond (the package) back on the island. Like Paik, Widmore's actions could have serious consequences for his relationship with his daughter. I hope the side time Widmore isn't such a cruel SOB and allows his daughter to marry Desmond. He could be a great grandfather.

As an aside, do you think Widmore and Eloise Hawking are together? Penny and Daniel could have grown up together!

My friend pointed out something glaringly obvious. Each time Smocke tries to convince one of the candidates to "cross over" to his camp, he holds out his hand. He did it with Sayid. He did with James. He tried it with Kate, but she didn't take it. I can't recall if he did it with Jin. He tried it with Sun, and she didn't take it. When Claire was upset about her name not being on the wall, he held out his hand for her to take. There is meaning in this, but I can't quite find a way to figure it out yet.

Interestingly, when Jack was talking to Sun on the beach and had given her the pen and paper, he too held out his hand for her to touch. It can be interpreted as a comforting touch, but I get the feeling, as does my friend, that it is significant. Does Jack's touching Sun make her immune to Smocke's touch?

The battle lines are almost drawn and soon we will find ourselves observing the war that is coming. Who will win? Who will survive? Who will take Jacob's place and keep the cork in the bottle?

I have had a thought about the two times that is a sort of loose interpretation of the book title, "All That Rises Must Converge". I think that in each time line our characters will be brought together to the same place. Possibly at the hospital in the 2004 time, where Jack will be required to choose which patient to assist (maybe?). In 2007, they may meet on the Hydra (since the plane seems to be the destination for both camps). When both times are together, the survivors will find the power they need to do what ever it is that each needs to do.

In no way am I looking forward to the end of this series. I am very aware that characters whom I have invested six seasons in (and countless hours of intense thought and speculation), can be killed off at the drop of a banana leaf or coconut to the noggin. I have no idea, after all this time, who will choose to do what. I thought I knew, but now not so much. This season is all out chaos and there is no way to predict which way our beloved LOSTaways will turn.
DID YOU NOTICE?

Ilana finally changed her clothes.

This is the first time that all the cast who are full time credited cast members have appeared in the one episode. The last time we saw them all was in LA X.

The only living character who has bee a part of the main cast and has left the island and not returned is Walt.

The map Zoe showed Jin really didn't resemble any map of the island we have seen before.

Locke said "Whatever happens, happens".

Keamy said "Happily Ever After", which it the name of the next episode.

Widmore called Flocke evil and said must he be stopped, yet Ben and the other characters once referred to Widmore the same way.

Miles is annoyed that Hurley brought Richard back, while Ilana is happy he did.

Jin's room number was 842.

QUESTIONS:

Why does Widmore need to find the pockets of electromagnetic energy?

How did Widmore manage to kidnap Desmond?

Why does Smocke need all the candidates in order to leave the island?

Why can't Smocke swoosh across water?

If Dharma knew that Smokey couldn't travel over water, why didn't they just stay on Hydra and eliminate the threat of his possible attacks?

Where did all those people that Widmore brought to the island in the sub sleep? That's an awfully small sub. And where did he store all the equipment, in a tow along tube?

QUOTES:

LOCKE: Well Jin, I'm not sure. But what it does mean is that the only way we can leave the island is if all the names that haven't been crossed off go together.

SAYID: I don't feel anything.

LOCKE: Excuse me?

SAYID: Anger. Happiness. Pain. I don't feel it anymore.

LOCKE: Maybe that's best, Sayid. It'll help you get through what's coming.

MILES: Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I'm not sure Hurley can track anything...

FRANK: Hey, don't talk about bacon.

LOCKE: I promised you I would reunite you two... took me a little longer than I thought it would... but he's with my people, back at my camp across the island. I can take you to him right now.

SUN: I don't believe you. You killed those people at the temple...

LOCKE: Those people were confused. They were lied to. I didn't want to hurt them. Any one of them could have chosen to come with me. And I'm giving you that choice, Sun... right now. I would never make you do anything against your will. I'm asking you. Please. Come with me. Jin's waiting.

[Sun runs away]

ZOE: It's called Room 23. The Dharma Initiative was doing experiments on subliminal messaging in here. But... you know all about the Dharma Initiative... don't you, Mr. Kwon?

BEN: What? Oh, for the fourth time, I was gathering mangoes and she was already unconcious when I found her. Why won't you believe me?

ILANA: Because you're speaking.

MILES: This is your fault isn't it?

HURLEY: Sorta.

So, what did you think? Am I way off with some of my ideas?

Next week brings us Happily Ever After, and for some reason, I think it's a myth. I don't think, in the world of LOST, there is such a thing. We will have to see, yes?

RECON

And let this be the very first image I see in every episode henceforth!

Okay, I was going to do this long drawn out recap, but since we've all watched Recon at least three times (I'm on my 8th viewing), I'm just going to tell you what I think. Let's start with the side time, as always.

So, James is still bent on revenge against the man who caused his father to commit murder-suicide. Only in this time he is a cop and his partner, oddly enough, is Miles! And James is going out on blind dates with Charlotte, but assumes she's snooping when she opens the wrong drawer looking for a t-shirt. So far, the only difference in this man from the Sawyer we know is his chosen profession. He even still watches "Little House"

Eventually, like in the original time, he trusts Miles enough to confess his deep dark secret and his quest for revenge against the man who changed his life forever. In doing so, I think his need diminishes and he is able to move forward in his life.

When LOST first started, I viewed Sayer as a angst riddled teenager with a "rebel" complex and unable, or unwilling, to grow past that fifteen year old who opposed all symbols of authority. As LOST has progressed so has James' ability to move past his stunted past and grow into a man with a heart of gold, empathy and the ability to open himself to the love he deserves. I feared for him after he lost Juliet, but now know that he had to lose her to know that the love they had was something that transcended both times and both planes of existence.

And how interesting is it that Miles' father sets James up for a blind date?

At first I thought Recon meant a reconnaissance mission. You know, the kind where someone goes ahead and then reports back to the boss what obstacles lay ahead. Then I realized the secondary meaning. The first Sawyer centric episode we ever say was "Confidence Man", and since I'm still hoping that Season Six is mirroring Season One (or as close as you can get at this point), I remember just what Sawyer was really, really good at...conning people.

Sawyer started out on his own, leaving his friends behind at the temple and claiming that none of them were his friends. But I also knew that, after all is said and done, the James Ford of today would not abandon people like Miles and Jin and Kate. At some point, he will come back around and realize that they need him as much as he needs them, and we see this beginning to happen when he tells Kate his plan.

Right now we see three different camps. There's Smocke's group of people. I think they number about 23 or 24, and likely are the largest number wise. Many of them are with Smocke out of fear more than any sort of loyalty. Emma and Zach really have no choice since Cindy, duty bound I guess to keep them as safe as possible, made a decision for the three of them. We know that Smocke has lied to Claire about Aaron's where abouts and perhaps he did it to drive her crazy, I'm not sure.

Speaking of crazy, it is no coincidence that Smocke claims to have had a crazy mother, has taken the form of a man who also had a crazy mother and is now telling Kate that Aaron has a crazy mother. Not sure where Crazy Danielle comes in, but there's an awful lot of crazies on this island! I'm wondering how Claire will come out of this one or if it's already too late. Her brain cells have been bumping into each other for so long that they've caused irreparable damage. You could just see Kate thinking" "I am so NOT giving Aaron back to that nutzoid!"

Maybe even Sayid has gone crazy, since he sat there like a lump and watched Claire try to kill Kate. I am not liking him very much and have stopped feeling sorry for him. He has embraced his evil overlord a little too easily after fighting to find some good within for so very long. Disappointed, I am.

Sawyer's plan became pretty clear as he spoke to Chuckie in the sub. Or so I thought. He assumed that Widmore wants to kill Smocke because of the sonic fencing Widmore's men were erecting and Widmore was happy to let him think as much. And he may be right, but I'm not feeling it. And that Sawyer then went back to the main island and informed Smocke about his deal with Chuckie did not surprise me. Sawyer stated very clearly early in the episode that he was aligning himself with no one. The plan? Pit Smocke and Chuckie against each other and while they're busy, he takes off in the sub. Do you really think this plan is going to work smoothly? Me neither.
Have you ever hear the phrase, "The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing"?

This is where Jack and the others at the beach camp may come in. Since they have no idea of Widmore's presence as of yet, these seven people could be the deciding factor as to who wins the upcoming clash of the LOSTaway Titans. Think about this for a moment. We have Smocke and his terrified band of not-so-merry men, women and two children. He has yet to tell them what is happening (hmmm, shades of Jacob?). We have James planning to pit Smocke and Widmore against each other. I seriously doubt any of the people in either Smocke's or Widmore's camp are a "candidate."

So, who do we have left?

Sun

Hurley

Jack

As soon as the "candidate" realizes there's a certain job to do, I think his or her actions will end the war. The island will either self destruct or return to it's former existence. Or maybe it will do both (remember it WAS submerged in the side time). Of course, I could be wrong (as is usually the case).

DID YOU NOTICE?:

There was no "Previously On LOST" at the beginning of this episode.

Recon aired on 3/16, referencing Ajira 316, and it's the first time we see that plane since Namaste.

Sawyer is back to using nicknames. He called Kate "Freckles" and Widmore "Chief"

Ava, the woman he was in bed with in the side time, called him "Dimples"

The first words Sawyer speaks in the side time and the last words he speaks in the original time are "Son of a bitch"

The code for his back up that he was in danger was "LaFleur"

The three books on James' dresser in the side time were Watership Down, A Wrinkle In Time and Lancelot, all of which he has been seen reading on the island.

QUESTIONS:

What is inside the locked room on the sub?

Who, or what, killed the Ajira 316 survivors?

Why didn't Sayid help Kate?

Does Widmore really want to kill Smocke?

Why did cop-James allow fugitive-Kate to escape at the airport in LA X?

Who is Miles dating?

Who is in the picture taped to the inside of James' locker?

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ava: You're a cop?

James: Surprise.

Kate: So, you're with Locke now?

Sawyer: I ain't with anybody, Kate.

Sawyer: I'm sorry, I forgot my manners.

Smocke: I forgive you.

Sawyer: You got a whip?

Charlotte: Maybe

Kate: Sayid, are you alright?

Sayid: No

Sawyer: You didn't really send me over there to find passengers from that plane, did you?

Smocke: No.

Sawyer: Well in case you're interested, they're all dead.

Smocke: Well that's terrible. What happened?

Sawyer: I don't know.

Smocke: Well what do you know, James?

So there you have it. Do you think Sawyer's plan will work and he and Kate will be able to leave the island? What about Jack and his group? Where do they fit in to this scenario? With Ben in their camp we can pretty well be sure that Chuckie isn't going to be visiting anytime soon.

When do you think we'll see Chuckie in the side time? What do you think he's been up to?

Dr. Linus

WOW. That is all.Talk to you next week.

Okay, just joking. Dr. Linus was the first episode to feature a character in the side time other than the survivors of Oceanic 815. May I admit that the writers did NOT disappoint on any level? I'm sorry for the tardiness of this post as well. Life has been a bit hectic of late, but better late than never, right?

We've already seen Ben off the island in the side flashes, notably in The Substitute, and you gotta admit that you were just as intrigued as I was. Were you wondering if he was a power hungry megalomaniac? Were you wondering if he'd ever been to the island? If so, how and when did they leave? I'm sure we'll never get the answer to those questions. Onward, we go!

"What was truly devastating to him was the loss of power. Sure, they allowed him to keep the title of Emperor...... but without any power it was meaningless. He might as well have been dead" ~ Dr. Linus talking to his high school history class about another megalomaniac who went by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte. And all I could think about for about 10 minutes was poor beaten Ben on the island. Ben in side time may have a doctorate in European History, but he lives a sparse life employed as a teacher and supporting his father.

But things aren't good for Ben on the teaching front. He gets little respect from his superiors and is forced to drop his history club to "step up amidst cut backs" to supervise detention. Okay, how cool is it that Dr. Leslie Arzt is friends with Dr. Benjamin Linus in side time? Who in their left, right or drunken mind would have ever thought that could be a possibility? Nope, I didn't see that one coming. I was half expecting Arzt to befriend Locke, but I see he sat separate from the regular teachers. Yet, I found it ironic that John Locke indicated that he would follow Ben Linus as a principal.

ALEX!!!!! We got to see Alex again as one of Dr. Linus' star students who lives with her mother (who works four jobs to make ends meet). She loves history and wants to go to Yale. She needs help in the form of a very good reference letter and the only person who can give it to her is the Principal. But the principal is playing a game with the school nurse, so Ben uses the knowledge to blackmail him into "retiring".

I found the fact that Ben failed at his blackmail attempt very interesting. Again, it's all about power and though Ben wanted that power to improve the academic faculty and better provide for the students, he wasn't meant to be an administrator. Blame the island. Blame fate. Blame Alex for sending an e-mail to the principal requesting a letter of recommendation on her behalf.

I held my breath when Ben was forced to chose. Take down the principal or ensure Alex got her letter. I wondered how he would choose. I tell you, my ears were popping and my eyes were bulging until he chose Alex's future over his own desire for power. FINALLY! I thought.

Even in side time, Ben is gassing his father. Only this time he's providing life giving oxygen. One thing is perfectly clear in the side flash, Ben and Roger have a much more traditional father son relationship than even we could have imagined. We learn that they were indeed part of the Dharma Initiative in their pasts, and they left the island. What we don't know is why they left, but I'll hazard a guess that it was some sort of accident that had put his son in danger. I am assuming that since there was no mention of Emily, Ben's mother, that she still died on the day Ben was born (or possibly shortly after). The major difference here is that Ben's issues with his father were not evident.

In original time, Miles spills the beans and tells Ilana that it was not Smocke that killed Jacob, but Ben. Ben denies the deed, but the jig is up and there's much to be done. The rag tag group are heading back to the beach camp where the territory is familiar and the ocean is at their backs. Once there, Ilana creates an island version of the ankle monitor and ties Ben to a tree (how many times has Be been tied to a tree?), telling him to start digging his own grave. She's really ticked at him and Ben sees that he has no way out of this bind (literally and figuratively). Ever trying to escape paying the consequences of his actions, he even tried to bribe Miles with that 3.2 million buckaroos and, once again is foiled when Miles tells him about the diamonds buried with Team Razzle Dazzle (Nikki and Paolo for those of you who haven't heard me refer to them as such). Poor Ben. I actually felt sorry for him. And, to make matters even worse, the clicking starts and along comes Smocke to make him an offer he can't refuse. Or can he?

Here's the thing. Ben's been learning a few things upon his return to the island and I think he is a changed man. He knows a few things now that he didn't know before he left (and if you think of it, he left of his own volition so he was never really banished). Smocke comes along, uses his "magic" to free Ben from the tether and gives him an out. Ben makes a run for it but Ilana catches up to him and they have a face off, each pointing a gun at the other. But here's the kicker. When Ben explains what happened inside the Four Toed Foot and admits that he doesn't really want to go to Smocke's camp but feels it necessary because no one wants him, Ilana shocks us all and as much as forgives him! Wow, did not see that coming. Nope, not at all. And the fact that Ben decides to try his luck with the crew he is already with tells us that his aspirations of being a great leader are gone.

Elsewhere on the island, Jack and Hurley are trying to make their way back to the temple. Hurley is stalling as much as he possibly can, knowing what Jacob told him about the bad person and the temple. They can't figure out which way to turn when they meet Richard Alpert, in a rush to get as far away from the temple as he can. He's seen the carnage there and, without Jacob to guide him, is lost and without purpose. He says he'll take Jack and Hurley back to the temple, but instead leads them to the Black Rock. Interestingly, this is the first appearance of the "slave" ship since season three. Seems so long ago.

Anyway, Richard, without purpose and no longer the confident honey we all know and love, does what any lost soul does when faced with adversity. He's going to commit suicide by way of having someone kill him. Apparently, when Jacob touches you he takes away your ability to kill yourself. Gee, what a guy. Jack follows Richard into the ship, lights the stick of TNT and sits down facing Richard. At first I thought Jack was going to take the easy way out and be a casualty of Richard's suicide by murder, then I realized that Jack's new found faith, if not his purpose, was protecting him. He knew that he would not die. He was willing to take the risk and put his fate in the hands of the island to make his point. The look on Richard's face when the fuse went out just before reaching the TNT was one of incredulity and renewed faith.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I can see a Jack and Richard friendship through the ages. I'm not sure if they are peers, but each of them have something that compliments the other. Jack tells Richard they have to go back to where it all began. The beach. Imagine that, huh?

Right now we are seeing our people getting into place. Jack, Ilana, Hurley, Sun, Ben, and Richard are all on the beach.

Sawyer, Claire, Jin, Kate, Not-The-Same-Sayid, and Smocke out in the jungle.

We can definitely see the alignment of sides happening.

And then there's the new arrivals. As Jack, Hurley and Richard arrive at the survivor's camp we see another faction arrive as a submarine surfaces. I knew it would be Chuckie on board that Submarine. I had only one question. Was that the Galaga, or did Chuckie Widmore have another sub made?

DID YOU NOTICE?

Dr. Linus is the first episode to focus a side time on someone other than an 815 survivor.

The actor who plays Roger Linus has portrayed him as a young man (at Ben's birth) to an old man. The longest interval of any other character!

Ben just keeps gassing his father! In the Purge it was to kill him, but in the side time it was to keep him alive with oxygen.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ilana: Where's Jarrah?

Ben: I'm fine, that you.

Ilana: Where is he?

Ben: Considering that he just killed Dogen, I don't think he's going to be joining us.

Ilana: Are you sure?

Ben: He was standing over their dead bodies holding a bloody dagger, so yeah, I'm pretty sure.....

Ilana to Miles after he read Jacob's ashes: Are you sure?

Miles: Considering he was standing over his dead body with a bloody dagger in his hand, yeah, I'm pretty sure.

Hurley: Hmmm, cheese curds.....

BEN: I watched my daughter Alex die in front of me. And it was my fault. I had a chance to save her. But I chose the island over her. All in the name of Jacob. I sacrificed everything for him. And he didn't even care. Yeah I stabbed him, I was... so angry...confused...I was terrified that I was about to lose the only thing that had ever mattered to me - my power. But the thing that really mattered was already gone. I'm sorry that I killed Jacob. I am, and I do not expect you to forgive me because...I can never forgive myself.

ILANA: Where will you go?

BEN: To Locke.

ILANA: Why?

BEN: Because he's the only one who'll have me.

ILANA: I'll have you. [She leaves, he follows]

JACK: Wanna try another stick?

RICHARD: All right Jack. You seem to have all the answers. Now what?

JACK: We go back to where we started.

And, my all time favourite?

HURLEY: So did Dr Arzt. And I was wiping him out of my shirt two days later.

I included this because Sun's smile says it all!

QUESTIONS:

Why and when did Ben and Roger leave Dharma and the island?

Does Jacob's touch mean that no one can kill themselves?

How did Danielle and Alex end up living in LA? Does this mean that Alex wasn't born on the island?

How did Widmore find the island again? Did Eloise help him? Or does the island have two or three pre-determined locations that it keeps moving to?

So, what did you think of Dr. Linus? Did you enjoy seeing Ben ripped to pieces and then, upon forgiveness, being rebuilt into a decent man?

Did you enjoy seeing Dr. Arzt again? Was he still annoying?

All screen caps from Lostpedia and LostMedia.