Lost, Dead is Dead

I don't know where to begin, my head is spinning with smoke monsters and Ben with wigs. I loved this episode because I enjoy watching the interactions between Ben and Locke. I will forgive the cheesy swirling Alex at Ben's judgment and the fact there were many other thing Ben could have been judged for; I felt the Alex story didn't fit with why the island would be mad.

1. Michael Emerson deserves an award. It's nice to see a show where the characters can't be put into boxes of good or evil, saucy cop vs. straight cop - the characters here are complicated. When I watched Ben pushing Alex on the swing, I actually liked him - completely ignoring the fact that he stole her. I still think Ben has a good heart. Sure, he's wiped out many people, but there is good there.

2. The episode opens with a sexy version of Charles Widmore sporting Fabio hair. He confronts Richard about saving Ben, and Richard tells him that Jacob wanted it done. Charles accepts this and goes to Ben's tent and welcomes him to the family.

3. Ben explains (or lies) to John that the reason he killed him was to help him return to the island. John asks why he stopped him and Ben said it was because he had critical information that would leave with him, but once John told him..."Well, I just didn't have time to talk you back into hanging yourself...so I took a short cut." John shrugs and says, "I was hoping for an apology." I don't believe Ben's story. I think Ben wants Locke out of the way and was shocked when he was on the island alive. What critical information - Ms. Hawking? Ben knows who she is. I found it interesting when Ben told Sun, "The fact that John Locke is walking around this island scares the living hell out of me.

4. Is John Locke the smoke monster? It seems odd how he disappears when the monster appears. Maybe no one is the smoke monster because it's some Egyptian thing that I have to look up because I don't know what it means. Why is John nagging Ben about judgment time? I think Ben told him about his judgment and thought he would just blow it off, but then Locke kind of liked the idea, so he repeatedly reminds him that it's time.

5. Ben and Locke want to take one of the boats, but Caesar (aka Tony Montana) tries to stop him.."My friend...er, say hello to my little friend." Ben doesn't even wince and shoots him Scarface style on the beach and flings Locke the gun and claims that is his apology.

6. There were so many great lines between Ben and Locke, but I liked this one, Locke, "You just make friends everywhere you go." Ben, "Well I've found sometimes friends can be significantly more dangerous than enemies...John."

7. Charles Widmore. He seemed quite evil in this episode, especially when he told Ben to kill the baby and Ben responded, "It's not an it - this is a child." He asked Ben to kill Danielle, but he is surprised by the baby. I think Ben took the baby to protect it. He knew one of his comrades wouldn't be so kind. We learn how Charles leaves the island - by submarine. I thought Charles would have been forced to turn the wheel, but no, he was being banished for not following the rules. One of the rules he broke was having a daughter with an outsider. So, now we know Penelope is not Ms. Hawking's daughter. Why does Charles think the island is his? Love the line, "I'll be seeing you BOY."

8. I'm loving Frank now - he's cute isn't he? He is a milder version of Sawyer; a voice of reason..."As long as the dead guy says there's a reason, then I guess everything is going to be just peachy. Forget about our friends being 30 years ago, and the only ones here to help us are a murderer and a guy who can't seem to remember how he got out of a coffin."

9. Ben tries to call the smoke monster by pulling the plug on the bathtub, but he doesn't show up. Again, I will forgive the bad special effects (smokey drain plug) because the writing is good.

10. Locke is suddenly a man of knowledge and this ticks Ben off. He wants to know why he knows the secrets of the universe, and Locke tells him he just does.

11. Desmond and Penny. When I watched this scene, I held my breath. Then sh*t, he just shot Desmond...and sh*t Desmond is alive and beating Ben and throwing him in the water! I think Ben changed his mind about killing Penny when he saw her son. See, he's good! Oh, ignore all the shooting and intent, nice guy.

12. The Temple. Ben tells them it is 1/2 a mile from the wall, which was put there to keep people like them out. So, we still have to learn about the temple. It seemed Ben was surprised when he went to see the monster. I would have thought that since his innocence was lost there, they would have at least told him what the Egyptian symbols meant. Does anyone on the island know all of it's secrets? Is Jacob Tutankhamen?

13. The judgment. I thought it was a bit much, very Wizard of Oz. When Alex appeared I expected her to turn into a demon and bite Ben's cheek off. I was glad he survived, but I'm not sure Ben is going to enjoy his new role as servant to Locke.

14. What lies in the shadow of the statue? Oh my, that big crate, guns, Ilana and a bunch of sleepers waiting for "the time". Is this the war? Are these people hired by Widmore? Did Hurley even out the odds by buying all those seats, and preventing some people from getting on the plane? Do you think Caesar might have been a good guy, and Ben just killed the only person that would have helped him? What's in the crate?

15. Next week; Miles and Hurley are driving around with a corpse. Hurley wants Miles to admit he speaks to dead people. I bet the person dead is an Other and Miles is going to try and learn their secrets, which may be interesting.

16. I'm going to watch this episode again and add more later. I want to know what the image was above the smoke monster - if you know please share.  Don't forget to answer the 3 questions so you can enter the giveaway- you have until April 15th.

1. What is the incident?
2. Who will die?
3. Who will Sawyer be kissing at the season finale?

Comments

[Paper Dolls for Boys]

I'm buried under Passover preparations and yours is the ONLY blog I read this week, including my own. I LOVE your recaps.

I thought the smoke scene with Ben looked very "un-Lost" like. Like it veered into one of those bad Mummy movies but I will forgive Ben most things.

I missed Sawyer this episode, and Miles. I'm glad next week seems to be Miles heavy.

When Ben showed up on the boat I said to my husband, "Oh good, I hope he shoots Penny." He looked at me strangely and I tried to pull it off as a joke but I really did mean it. I don't like her. There love story = zzzzzzzzzzz for me. Bad, right?

1. The Incident will be the past and the present colliding at the Temple.

2. The sciency guy whose mother is Hawking will die. I vote for Jack though.

3. Sawyer will Kiss Kate and Juliet during the season finale. And maybe Rose.

I'll send you my address in anticipation of victory.

[Sarah Eliza @ devastateboredom]

I definitely connected more with Ben this episode... there were several moments where he seemed much more human, and knowing his grief/contrition over Alex, having her "image" call him a bastard stung a lot to me...

hahaha Jacob as Tut... :P But they almost seemed to be saying that the island is inhabited by Anubis this last episode, so who knows... my boyfriend and I have spent all day taking turns concocting Egypt-related interpretations for the last ten minutes of the show lol.

Oh, and as for the engraving in the cave (I think that's what you're asking about?) I posted a whole long paragraph about what the symbols could be insinuating, so maybe check it out when you have a chance? I'd like to know what you think! :)

[sarah]

i have a couple favorite moments:

when ben falls through the floor mid-sentence, i actually snorted in laughter. i love it when he is surprised. and you gotta give him props for beings such a resilient old dude after being such a wussy little kid.

young dashing charles whidmore was kinda like a less hunky antonio banderas, which is funny to me on so many levels. riding in on a horse, hair blowing in the wind? yagottabekiddinme.

also, when ben was starting down the first tunnel, where he flushed the floor, i was PRAYING he'd start saying "here smoky smoky... here... monster monster" like he was calling a puppy.

i don't read the lost fan sites so this may be left-field, but lets talk about ole eye-liner'ed richard alpert. so he is eternally late-30's hunky. his initials are RA. isn't that some sort of egyptian god? then the heiroglyphics downstairs? i wonder if there is some sort of connection.

since i watch the episodes online i have no idea what the scenes from next week are, and therefore can't answer your 3 questions with any level of certainty. but i'm thinking there has been lots of talk about this temple so maybe the "incident" involves that somehow. someone is going to die? hm... i would REALLY like it to be crazy password-asking ana lucia lookalike, but i doubt it will be her. maybe hippy-hair horace?

and sawyer totally kisses me. right after he calls me angel lips.

[Courtney]

oh my - I don't know and time is running out - hmmm.

1. Incident - something to do with the magnetic issue

2. Horace - not sure why - just a guess - didn't he appear many seasons ago with a bloody nose building a house somewhere in the woods - who was it that he appeared for? Locke? I can't remember - anyway - Horace is my vote.

3. Sawyer kissing Kate (please don't let it be because he is the person in question #2 - last kiss style.)

[Courtney]

ok - I want to change #2 - can I do that? Please change my vote to Daniel - if not that's okay.