If it happened, it happened. End of story...right?

Yipee!! Happy Lost Day and April Fool’s Day!

And a very, very happy birthday to my Dad. I love you!

Tonight: Whatever Happened, Happened
I don’t know about you guys, but I have been thinking about this phrase for the last few weeks, ever since it was uttered by a dazed Faraday in the middle of the jungle (sidenote: where is that guy?? And Des?? I miss them both!). While I like to think understand the full implications of the statement, it is quite possible that tonight will put my explanation to shame. Actually, given that tonight’s episode is written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, I’d say it is highly, highly likely my explanation will be put to shame!

Nevertheless, I shall charge ahead!

Simply put, “whatever happened, happened” means that you cannot create a paradox of time. In other words, Sayid can't go back in time and shoot Ben unless that has always happened. Sayid can't add new events to the past. Whatever happened, happened.

Here’s another good example. In March of 2001, Charlie and I went to see the Destiny’s Child Survivor World Tour at the Pershing Auditorium. Now, if Charlie and I went back in time to March 2001, we would have to go to the concert again. We couldn’t, say, go play Capture the Flag at Antelope Park instead. Charlie and I cannot undo the fact that we went to that concert. Whatever happened, happened. Get it?

Okay. So are you saying that Sayid really did shoot Ben?
Well, if you are on board with this theory as I am, then yes. Sayid shooting Ben happened in the actual timeline of Ben’s life. Somehow, Ben survived the shooting, became the leader of the Hostiles/Others, screwed with the Oceanic 815 survivors, turned the Donkey Wheel, killed Locke, came back to the island on Ajria 316, and was slapped upside the head by Sun and her canoe paddle. (whew!) From that moment on, we don’t know what is going on with Ben. However, Faraday’s theory says that regardless of what happens in 1977, all of these events will eventually happen.

So Ben isn’t dead?
No, I don’t think Ben is dead. There are really two ways the writers can explain how he survives…and I’m super excited to find out what method they use.

Option 1: Paging Dr. Jack Shepherd! Paging Dr. Juliet Burke!
This scenario involves a lame, medically-improbable “Grey’s Anatomy”-like explanation for Ben’s survival from one of our resident physicians. For example, Jack might say, “It was touch and go there for a bit, but I was able to remove the bullet entirely and stop the bleeding. He’s going to be fine.”

Option 2: Paging mystical island powers! 
This scenario still involves Dr. Shepherd and/or Dr. Burke, but they realize something is happening that, medically, shouldn’t be happening. For example, Jack might say, “The bullet is lodged in his heart, but it is still beating!! Amazing!” (Sidenote: This would be a nod to the island not letting someone die before they have ‘finished their work.’)

My prediction is that Jack and Juliet are going to end up in scenario 1, saving the life of someone who will eventually screw up their lives. And it will be ironic. And whatever happened will actually…happen. (Ah, brain hurts. Brain hurts.)

Guest Stars Tonight!
Oh boy, kids. Fasten your seat belts. Tonight, we’re going to see: Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert, Kim Dickens as Cassidy, Doug Hutchison as Horace Goodspeed, Susan Duerden as Carol Littleton, Sterling Beaumon as young Ben, Patrick Fischler as Phil, Jon Gries as Roger Linus, William Blanchett as Aaron, Sebastian Siegel as Erik, Candace Scholz as Debra, Susan King as sweet young woman, Miko Franconi as grocery worker, Scott Moura as manager and Olivia Vickery as Clementine.

No way…Susan King as sweet young women!?!?! YES! (pause) Ha. I jest.

Any episode with Richard Alpert is money in my book. I wonder ‘where’ he will be: 1977 or 2008. The more I think about it, we don’t know what happened with the Others from 2005 to 2008…so an 2008 Alpert cameo might be a good thing. Can I also add that we are freaking WAY overdue for some 2008 storyline progress? Locke seemed so important earlier in this season, but we’ve now gone three episodes without seeing him. I think it is about time for 2008 Locke to reunite with Alpert and figure out where they go from…there. Or whatever. However, Alpert in 1977 could mean that he was there Ben when was shot/resurrected, which could be a reason that Ben was on the fast-track to Otherly leadership. So in either year, it is a good thing. And it will rock. Yay.

Let the record show that I’ll take a side of young Ben and Roger any day, too. Plus, I’m definitely up for some more sentimental Carol Littleton moments (Clarie’s Mom). Come to think of it, the inclusion of Aaron and Carol on the guest star list makes me wonder if those theories about Kate dropping Aaron off with Grandma Carol are actually going to come true. I don’t have an opinion one way or the other…the fact that Kate decided to abandon Aaron, no matter how selfless/good her intentions were, makes me shake my head. Remember, kids: Maggie says “Don’t abandon babies.”

But what I am really excited about is Cassidy and Clementine!!!

Wait…why are you excited?? Who is Cassidy? And who is Clementine???
For those who don’t remember, shame on you. Cassidy was a recently divorced woman who Sawyer hooked up with, then taught how to con before long…conning her (ew, that sounds really dirty). Sawyer took all of her money and left her...even though he seemed to actually like her and feel guilty about it. 

Later on, she meets Kate in a few flashbacks and eventually, Cassidy meets Sawyer in jail to tell him that he had a daughter named Clementine Phillips. So do you remember the secret thing that Sawyer whispered into Kate's ear before jumping off the helicopter in last season’s finale? The popular theory is that he told her about Cassidy and Clementine, and asked Kate to either (1) “take care of them”, (2) “tell them he was a hero”, or (3) “give them some money.” Based on their inclusion in what seems to be a Kate-centric flashback outing, it looks like Kate kept her word...and this was probably the person Kate was talking to on the phone when Jack got all paranoid in “Something Nice Back Home.”

Okay…so while a Clementine/Cassidy appearance might not be as exciting as I originally thought, I’m up for a few answers in this area of the plot. Plus, we all know I love cute kids, so I can’t wait to see how adorable Clementine is…

TiVo says…
Kate goes to extreme measures to save Ben's life when Jack refuses to help. Meanwhile, Kate begins to tell the truth about the lie in order to protect Aaron.

Oh. Okay. Well, crap.
So I guess I should have read this before writing the stuff before about options 1 and 2 for Ben. I guess Jack throws that whole Hippocratic Oath thing out the window and refuses to help bullet-ridden Ben. Hmm. Interesting. And ironic! I mean, in 2004, Jack hated Ben, yet saved his life by performing spinal surgery. But in 2008, after Jack has been working with Ben to get the whole gang back to the island (seemingly on good terms), he is presented with a situation to save Ben’s life and refuses. So…what’s up with that?

Well, whatever it means, it forces Kate to go to “extreme measures” to save Ben's life. Hmm. This is also ironic since, less than a week ago, she was so hopping mad at Ben…slapping Jack for talking about his funeral and walking away from Ben/Jack’s proposal to return to the Island at the marina. So what’s Kate’s deal? Why does she care all of the sudden? I’m not sure what they mean by “extreme measures” either. If we’re talking about medical options on the island, things are a little limited these days, right? I mean, they couldn’t deliver baby Ethan just a few days ago…so a bullet wound might really throw any Dharma ER interns for a loop. I read on another blog that maybe Kate asking Juliet to help is considered the extreme measure…to which I say ‘lame lame lame.’ That is a stretch. If that is how they explain it, I’ll be disappointed. Kate going to the Others for help could be extreme…too extreme, actually. Plus, who would their doctor be? And how would Kate know about her/him? All very strange. No idea how that will play out.

The second half of the description is clearly about the flashback portion of the episode, where Kate begins to tell the truth about “The Lie” in order to protect Goober Aaron. So who does she tell the “truth” to? I’d like to put $5 on Carol Littleton and $50 on Cassidy. Any takers?

Maggie is super excited about tonight.
Overall, I’m definitely excited about tonight’s little episode. As Charlie and I have noted numerous times before, any episode written by Cuse and Lindelof means there is a high probability that we will receive some serious mythology or big picture revelations. YESSSSS.

What do you think? Is Ben dead? Who has Aaron? Where in time is Richard? And did you, also, go see Destiny’s Child’s 2001 Survivor tour?

Namaste,
Maggie

Worlds Are Colliding!

No, not in the George Costanza "If Relationship George walks through this door, he will kill Independent George. A George divided against itself cannot stand!" way.

Rather, I work (fun fact alert!) at an ad agency as a copywriter and (obvious fact alert!) I love LOST. So a shout out to Dharma Blog reader Justin S. as well as Abduzeedo for these crazy awesome Dharma Initiative print ads (click to enlarge).

A Note on "Spoilers"

Hey Dharma Blog,
I would like to point out how great it is that we've got some good debate raging in the comments section. This is always the point in the season where LOST has set up a lot of pins without knocking too many down. Brace yourselves for a few more weeks of that, before the show enters the home stretch and starts setting up for the finale. Until then, let your crazy little minds wander.

We have had a few instances of "spoiler alerts" in the comments section lately. So you know, here's our (Maggie and I's) position on spoilers: we don't read 'em, nor do we really support them, but we're not going to tell you what you can and can't post on here. This is America!

How to Alert To the Possibility of Spoilers
BUT. If you must read ahead, as it were, please properly alert those of us who prefer to watch the show unfold with characters, dialogue, moving pictures, action, colors and emotion rather than reading it on a web site. El_kin put on a "spoiler alert" clinic last week when he posted the following:

"Stop with the theories, check the next link if you want to know what is actually going to happen!
----------------------
SPOILER ALERT!

This is a screen capture of a yet to be aired episode, so you are warned: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsqidOTzU0_Z5gtr13dOyjwmmabAfis9fHAPSZdQNCodZwzI90FLcnLNQ93makBq61w_hx4sqsYNszdnyMiUlofA5qXvc39gCCtYQhxTzWme88n_H_h-MJoYsavd_7FfFN69HU708v_XB/s1600-h/ben.jpg

Source: DARK UFO Spoilers
---------------"


This is the proper way to denote spoilers. Thank you, el_kin. This way, if you want to read it, you know it's there. If you don't want to read it, you can skip it without learning anything.

Disguising Your URL
One note on URL's. If you're spoiler URL is:
www.RuiningTheEndingofLost.com/ben_is_an_alien_married_to_kate

Please go to tinyurl and change it to a more cryptic URL. It will convert it to look more like this:
http://tinyurl.com/yo6cjd

Note: That tinyurl link will take you to a really cool video that shows the entire Oceanic 815 crash, pieced together and synchronized. You'll like it. (NO spoiler, I promise).


To Recap
1. You may post spoilers.
2. But you must mark them as such. Or your post will be deleted and your first-born will be fed to the smoke monster.
3. If your URL gives away the story, change it using tinyurl

And finally. I won't judge you if you read spoilers. I will judge if you like Sheryl Crow, because every time you listen to a Sheryl Crow song, the terrorists win.

But my take is this: the creators and writers of this show have spun a fantastic story for us. It's a lot of fun to watch, in large part because of all the "Holy shit!" moments. Personally, I'd rather experience those moments in the manner that the writers intended them, rather than reading about them a few weeks beforehand. I think the minds behind this show have earned that.

Again, please continue to comment away. We love reading the theories, the comments, the "did you notice..." moments... all of it! Thanks for making the Dharma Blog part of your LOST routine. We hope you continue to do so until Maggie and I submit to Island madness and are rendered incapable of writing about the show due to time-travel-nose-bleed-itis.

Thanks!
Charlie

Ben Replaces Ben

It looks like my recap needs to be supplemented with a little theory today... with so many thoughts and debates raging in the comment section. After reading through them, processing them, and combining them with the thoughts of one of my favorite LOST bloggers (DarkUFO’s Vozzek 69), I have the following brief theory to posit.

First, I’m going to presuppose a new rule: if you travel back in time, you can not interact with your past self. That would create a paradox. Maybe John Locke knew this when he refused to go encounter his hatch-door-pounding self earlier this season.

So with that rule in mind, here's my theory.

Vozzek69 believes that Ben wanted Sayid to go back to 1977 and shoot him. Ben somehow knows that the Island has stopped in 1977 (Ms. Hawking told him?), and that his 13-year-old self is back there, living out his life. So Ben recruits Sayid to shoot a bunch of guys, to tap into that “killer instinct” and remind Sayid, time and time again, that he is and will always be a killer. Then he abandons him, disappoints him, and makes Sayid hate him. Then he recruits Sayid back to California with the “your friends are in danger” threat. He's purposely toying with Sayid and creating in him a hatred for Ben. A very necessary hatred.

He needs Sayid to get on that flight and go back to 1977. Why? So Sayid can kill 13-year-old Ben. That way, 40-year-old Ben (who arrived via Ajira 316) could reenter the timeline without triggering that paradox I mentioned earlier.

Why? It might have to do with The Incident. The Incident (according to Lostpedia) was an electromagnetic anomaly that apparently caused a catastrophic event that resulted in the DHARMA Initiative establishing the Swan station's protocol. The Incident was first mentioned by Dr. Marvin Candle in the Swan Orientation film. ("Orientation"). “The Incident” is also the rumored title of this season’s finale.

Raise your hand if you see where this is leading...

When 40-year-old Ben reenters the timeline, he can do whatever he needs to do to fit his master plan. Whether that means avoiding The Incident, changing The Incident, or changing the circumstances around The Incident. Or maybe he needs to go back to right some other, non-Incident-related wrong. But to do this he needs his 13-year-old self out of the picture to avoid the paradox, hence his manipulation of Sayid.

So now Ben, unconscious on the Alcatraz Island, can go to the main Island and reenter the timeline. This maybe – MAYBE – also explains why Sun and Frank didn’t get beamed out. If they’re on the Island as children, they can’t just walk back into 1977 and interact with their past selves. It’s plausible – Sun’s father is the uber-connected Mr. Paik and Frank obviously has some special abilities and knowledge of electro-magnetic storms.

Even if this theory doesn’t explain Sun and Frank, it might very well explain what happened with Ben during He's Our You: he goaded Sayid into traveling to 1977 to kill 13-year-old Ben, so that 40-year-old Ben could reenter the timeline at 1977 and fix whatever he needs to fix in order to carry out his master plan, whatever the hell that is.

Killer Instinct

Okay go ahead. Try to change the things you hate the most about yourself. You can do it!

Unless you were on that whole Oceanic 815 thing. In that case, don’t bother. Because try as you might to escape your demons (by running to the Dominican Republic to do good deeds, by denouncing your homicidal ways, by promising never to trust anyone again, etc.), the Island will always find them, and bring them back to you for a face-to-face meeting.

Don’t believe me? Ask Mr. Sayid Jarrah. Because last night's whirlwind of "He's Our You" offering was so chock-full with mythology-shaking events, self-referential nuance and musical and literary references, I'm gonna go with a scene-by-scene recap, just to make sure we catch everything...

11 Secret Herbs and Spices Short of a Bucket
How long has Sayid been a cold, quiet killer? Quite a while, according to the opening scene. In it, young Sayid offs a clucker as a substitute act of manhood for his weak older brother. This scene served mainly to set up the rest of Sayid’s assassin storyline, but I thought it marked another interesting parallel: Eko. As in Mr. Eko. As a child, Eko killed an unarmed, innocent village elder so his brother Yemi wouldn’t have to. Thus, Eko becomes the killer and Yemi becomes the priest. I wonder if there’s some tie-in here, an implication that murderous anti-heroes like Eko and Sayid were never supposed to become what they did, but that by intervening in fate, they were forced into a lifestyle they hated.


Sayidwich
Once again, Sayid is served a sandwich by the young, wannabe Hostile Ben Linus. And once again, a tome from the Dharma Book Club made a brief appearance. This week’s selection: A Separate Reality by Carlos Castaneda, who was a self-proclaimed shaman (communicator with the spirit world) in South America. In A Separate Reality, Castaneda and his controversial tutor, Don Juan Matus, get wasted on some plant extract (Hello, John Locke’s secret recipe!) in an attempt to, "perceive energy directly as it flows through the universe.”

So good was this book, that young Ben read it twice. Why? Because, unable to intrinsically feel a communion with the Island due to his mere, unimportant mortality, Ben tries to learn it in a book. And like Linus, Castaneda’s teachings and claims were beloved by his devotees, and questioned as madness by his dissenters. Methinks I’ve got a new book to read.

But aside from chicken salad sandwiches and tales of South American Shamanism, Ben asks Sayid about his hostile leader, Richard, and inquires as to whether Sayid is there to recover him. It is here that Sayid sees his opening – his “purpose” as he later describes it – and that steely cold look in his eye is foreboding, to be sure.

Another One Bites the Dust
Next up, another tubby middle eastern man falls victim to the unholy alliance between Sayid and Ben. This is technically a “flashback,” when compared to the Young-Ben-and-Sayid-in-prison scenes. Of course, those prison scenes occur in 1977 while this one occurs in 2005ish. Confused? Don’t be.

Here’s what I think the point of the Sayid and Ben Linus Murder Club flashbacks were all about: foreshadowing a role reversal. In 2005, Ben Linus manipulated Sayid by getting him to murder his enemies with the threat that his friends were in danger. Three years later, Sayid (and Jack, Kate, et al.) travel back in time to 1977, where Sayid meets the younger version of his puppet-master nemesis. But this time, Sayid wants to be the one pulling the strings. The contrasting scenes – where the two men traded off holding all the cards in different eras – were a nice new twist on the old flashback technique. It wasn’t the most exciting storytelling ever (“Oh wow, Sayid killed another guy and Ben’s a dick in a stupid hat. Never saw that coming.”) but I liked the juxtaposition of power plays between the two.

I’ll Bring Home the Turkey if You Bring Home the Bacon
Back to Jim LaFleur and his bacon-burning significant Other, Juliet, playing house in Dharmaville. Apart from the ever-dramatic love rhombus of Juliet, Sawyer, Jack and Kate, there’s a nice point in here made regarding Sayid: what if he tells? Juliet knows that if the Dharma Initiative gets the truth out of Sayid, they’ll find out about LaFleur, herself, Miles and Jin; and the jig will be up. It’s interesting how settled and content the four Left-Behinders have become in their new roles. And interesting how all they wanted when Locke left was for the Oceanic Six to come back. Careful what you wish for.

Before the LaFleur’s can prognosticate about Sayid’s loose tongue, Horace pays a visit. And because Horace is incapable of bearing good news, we learn about the ominous Oldham, the “psychopath” who Horace believes can get the truth out of Sayid. LaFleur’s face said it all, here. Oldham is bad news (and as we learn later, crazy news). Sawyer storms down to the Dharma jail to warn Sayid. But we see quickly during this contentious meeting that Sayid plans to do things his own way, no matter the cost. Oh how history doth repeat itself on this Island.

Hurley is Funny
“They’re together. Like they live together, you know, not as roommates. You know, ‘together,’ like you guys were? I thought it was kinda obvious. I mean, who couldn’t see that coming?”
That’s really all that needs to be said about this scene. Brilliant.


Awkward Family Moment
Welcome back, Uncle Rico! Napoleon Dynamite’s bastard uncle and Ben Linus’ bastard father made a return appearance last night, taunting Sayid with threats of Oldham’s depravity. When young Ben enters with (yet another!) sandwich for Sayid, Roger the Workman goes ballistic, slamming Ben into the prison bars. While child abuse is always sick and disturbing, it was interesting watching Ben (albeit 13-year-old-Ben) squirm. He still hadn’t learned how to emit that façade of toughness.

At this point, I’d like to credit Dharma Blog viewer and Dharma Blog Lost Party regular (he’s devoted) Jeff H. with the joke of the night. After Roger threw the tray of food at the wall, Jeff noted, “Now he’s gonna have to clean that up.” Nice.

Baby Come Back to Me
In the Dominican Republic, we see Ben visiting Sayid with much the same purpose that Locke did: to get Sayid to come back. Of course, Locke shot Sayid straight while Ben manipulated him and dangled the “your friends are in danger” carrot. But what else is new? Nothing ground-breaking here, but we get a little further glimpse of how Sayid got roped back into Ben Linus’ Wild Ride. And while it’s easier to cheer for John Locke than Ben Linus, you have to admit: Ben’s much more persuasive. “You’re a killer, Sayid.” That scathing quote would stick with Sayid, it turns out.

He’s Their Him
Finally, we meet the titular He from last night’s episode when the Dharma gang drags Sayid out into the jungle for his long-awaited encounter with Mr. Oldham (Fun note, Charlie and Liam's band, Drive Shaft, got their start at a bar on Oldham St. in Manchester!). Dude. They were not kidding about what a sick bastard this guy was. I half expected him to tell Sayid that, “It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again,” or maybe to refer to Hurley as, “a great big fat person.” This guy oozed creepiness in a way that makes Ben Linus look like a big, cuddly teddy bear.Second multimedia sidenote. In addition to the book Sayid received in jail, he was privy to Oldham’s choice of music upon arriving: an Ink Spots song called “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love (Baby).” which includes the line, "Dream a while, scheme a while; You're sure to find happiness and I guess; All those things you've always pined for…” Indeed, Sayid’s about to dream a while.

So we learned this fun fact: The Dharma Initiative has truth serum! And it is administered by Mr. Oldham, whose sideways, disheveled countenance and low, drawly, subdued speech pattern perfectly accompany his persona. The truth serum works on Sayid, who spills the beans about his entire story, including the stuff that hasn’t happened yet. Luckily for Sayid, it sounds as crazy to Oldham and Horace as I do when I try to describe this show to the uninitiated. “I’m from the future, and you’re all gonna die!” Yeah sure, whack job. The Dharma folk weren’t buying it, and that bought Sayid a little time.

Women: Can’t Trust ‘em and They Make You Buy ‘em Expensive Scotch
We then cut to the bar, where Sayid is downing the hard stuff like a Shepherd man on a bender. And what’s he drinking? MacCutcheon Scotch, the very same scotch that Charles Widmore uses to explain to Desmond that he’ll never be a great man. And the same scotch that Charlie, Hurley and Desmond get sloppy on before Desmond reveals his precognitive secrets to Charlie on the beach. Must be some good stuff. Especially for $120/glass.

And who should join Sayid at the bar, but his eventual captor Ilana. We know her from the Ajira 316 flight, and here we see how she seduced Sayid. Turns out, she’s a bounty hunter working for the man who Sayid killed in that amazing golf course scene last season. Or so she says. I still think she’s got a more important boss (read: Ben, Hawking or Widmore). She pulls the old “Let’s get naked and – just kidding I’m an assassin” maneuver, and delivers Sayid to Ajira 316, where the appearance of the rest of the Oceanic Six + Ben gives Sayid an even bigger knot in his stomach.

Grease Monkeys
I hate going to the mechanic. I always feel like I’m getting ripped off. But show me the Jiffy Lube where Kate and Juliet are working side by side, and they can replace all the made-up parts they want. I’ll pay whatever they ask. Jackpot.

The Democratic Process
Much like the Others held a trial for Juliet, we see their rivals, the Dharma Initiative, holding a trial for Sayid. After some back and forth about the dangers of their captor, Amy chimes in with a Helen Lovejoy, "Won’t somebody please think of the children,” moment, and the vote is “unanimously” cast to take out Sayid.

I thought this scene was a cool reflection on cultural misunderstandings. The whole thing mirrored Juliet’s Trial by Others, where paranoia carried the day and the culprit was sentenced harshly. Despite Dharma’s seemingly benevolent and just societal norms (“Yes, we are (civilized). We have a rule of law,” said Horace), they’re just as susceptible to the same fearful, paranoid savagery as their barbaric, “Hostile” enemies.


I Found My Special Purpose
Yes, that section heading is a quote from The Jerk. You’re welcome.

But seriously, the more I think about (and watch) the final unfolding of “He’s Our You,” the more I like it. Sayid calmly tells Sawyer to quit interfering and let him carry out his purpose. Soon, we see that his purpose involved using an unmanned, flaming Dharma Van used to create a distraction.

Let’s cut to the good stuff here. Sayid and Ben cut each other a deal. Ben would help free Sayid, if Sayid would take Ben back to the Hostiles. Ben could hold up his end of this deal. But Sayid never intended to.

Freed from the Dharma prison, Sayid and Ben begin their escape back to Hostile territory. But when Jin intervenes, Sayid realizes that the time is now for his master plan. He knocks Jin out to prevent any interference. And then, in the heart-wrenchingly reluctant murder to end all heart-wrenchingly reluctant murders, Sayid pulls the trigger on Benjamin Linus, after telling him, “You were right about me. I am a killer.”


What it All Means
This one is big. The implications here are pretty huge. And I think we’re all probably asking ourselves the same question: if, in 2007, Sayid went back to 1977 and killed 13-year-old Ben Linus, what happens to the Ben who is existing in 2007?

And make no mistake: I think Ben’s dead. I don’t think the writers would drop that bombshell on us and make us wait a week, only to say, “Oh man, just kidding! It’s a puncture wound! Close one, though, right?!” That would anger the masses.

A few thoughts are thumb-wrestling in my suddenly incapable brain.

1. Whatever happened, happened. The Faraday mantra. If we’re to believe this, then either Ben isn’t dead (again, this is unlikely) or the things that Ben does that significantly contribute to the events from 1977-2007 are going to need to be accomplished by someone else. Somebody else will have to Purge Dharma. Someone else will lead the Hostiles to prosperity. Someone else will build the Swan Station. Someone else will bring in a fertility doctor. In this instance, the universe is course-correcting for Ben’s death to ensure that all the necessary things happen to create the future that Fate wants.

OR

2. This changes everything. This is the anti-Faraday mantra. Ben Linus is dead, and the things he does and says and effects from 1977-2007 will cease to exist and transpire. If this is the case, is there an alternate future created by a world in which those actions don’t happen? For instance, if Ben carved his name on a tree in 1980, is there an alternate future now where that tree remains un-carved, because Ben is murdered in 1977? And if so, is that alternate future where Frank and Sun are?

OR

3. Could fate somehow resurrect Ben Linus so that he may do what he needs to do? I think it could – either as a living, breathing person, or... as a ghost. Could this, in some way, explain Christian and Claire? This is my grand theory of the night (forgive me, it’s late and I’m out of MacCutcheon’s Scotch).

If people are killed before they’re supposed to die (“supposed to” according to fate), they are allowed to continue to exist in an in-between state. While in that state, they are required to fulfill and complete the “milestones” of fate’s master plan that they were assigned. So in this example, Christian died in that bender before he did what fate required of him: to get Jack to the Island, to get Michael to redeem himself, to get Locke to turn the wheel, etc. So until Christian completes these assignments, he’s held captive in a not-quite-living-or-dead state.

This would seem to support some very long-held LOST theories about death. Boone, Shannon, Eko and many others only died once they had battled and made peace with their demons. Michael, Jack and (arguably) Locke were not allowed to kill themselves until they went back and dealt with theirs. But maybe, if the Island can’t prevent someone from physically dying (a freak heart attack in Christian’s case, a vicious muder in Young Ben’s), they require those people to continue their existence in a paranormal state, guiding others along fate’s preferred course.


Crazy, I know. Please feel free to pick it apart in the comments, and offer your own two cents. It's late, so I’m not going to pretend to grasp every subtlety and solve every mystery right now. But I’d love to know what you think about my “Ghosts Doing Fate’s Bidding” theory, the “Whatever Happened, Happened” mantra or the “Oh Shit, Sayid Screwed Up Everything,” idea.

Oh, and if it helps… the next two episodes are titled, “Whatever Happened, Happened” and “Dead is Dead.” So have fun with that one.

Namaste.
Charlie

I'm My Me! And other confusing pronouns.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Time to take the Dharma Preview Bus out for a spin. We’re in for a ride this week since I’m having a hard time coming to terms with the amount of pronouns in this week’s episode title: He’s Our You. Then again, this is Lost…and with all the dichotomies that have been thrown at us this season, it actually might make sense.

What's that, Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla? You found a kangaroo???  (First reader to identify this non-Lost-but-still-awesome character in the comments wins a (no) PRIZE!!!)  And…go!

Tonight: He’s Our You
The avid Lost-watcher in me assumes that the title of this week’s episode is either (1) an actual phrase spoken in the episode, or (2) a phrase that can explain the scenario of the episode. After spending the last few days thinking about it, and talking to some trusted Lost advisors, I’ve come to the conclusion that it must be one faction on the island talking to another faction on the island, attempting to draw comparisons between the two groups. Confused? Okay, think of it this way. By showing the similarities between two people in the different (likely opposing) factions, one could say “he’s our you”.

Confused? I think it will make sense once we start putting names in place of the pronouns.

Let’s start with “our”.
I’ll start by trying to make some sense of what ‘groups’ we could be talking about with the word “our.” We have a lot of factions on this island…all of which have limited/disjointed understanding of each other (hence, it would make sense to draw a similarity like this to find a commonality). Okay, so the groups we know about:

• The Dharma Initiative: I’ll start with Dharma because they are currently the “host family” for our time traveling survivors and Sawyer-Juliet-Miles. They probably are getting a lot of questions (Sawyer, at least) from the 1977 survivors about what is going on…perhaps this is an introduction/answer given to one of them. I also think it makes the most sense for a Dharma-ite to say this phrase because of the central role they have played in the last couple episodes. Which Dharma-ite? Hard to say. I think Horace and Sawyer would both be safe bets.

• The Others: Another group we know very little about. Perhaps Richard is going to introduce us to their ‘real’ leader (Jacob? Christian?) and use this phrases to parallel who ‘he’ is as compared to another leader on the island (Dharma or otherwise).

• 1977 Survivors: Jack, Kate, and Hurley have begun their assimilation into the Dharma society. Sayid is in Dharma Jail. They have no idea what is going on. I don’t think this phrase is said by one of them.

• 2008 Survivors: Sun and Frank just finished up a spooky conversation with Christian Shepherd at the Dharma Processing Station along the waterfront. Who would they even say this to? And who would they be talking about? Honestly, if they run into another ghost-who-can-hold-a-flashlight, I won’t know what to do. I don’t think Sun or Frank says this phrase.

• Arija 316 Survivors: Okay, so I’m realizing I don’t know many Arija 316 names other than Ilana (who was Sayid’s plane escort) and Cesar (who was nice to Jack at the airport). Without more information about the character backstories/characteristics, it doesn’t make sense to have one of them say this phrase.

Maggie’s Official Guess: “OUR” refers to Dharma.

And now the “he” and the “you”.
Okay, I put these two together for a reason. Here’s the deal: because the statement compares the two, we can assume that they are similar characters in some form. Physical appearance? No, probably not. But ideologies? Maybe. Past experience? Probably. Mannerisms? Check. Tactics? Yep. I’m thinking of qualities that make “him” “him”.

Come again?

Okay, faithful Dharma Blog reader Micah (holla!) helped me come up with this list of possibilities for the “he” and “you”. What comparisons can you draw between the characters? I’ll give you the list…and would really love to hear your theories in the comments section.

• Sawyer/Jim LaFleur
• Sayid Jarrah
• Ben Linus
• Jack Shepherd
• Richard Alpert
• Pierre Chang
• Horace Goodspeed
• [Stuart] Radzinsky
• John Locke
• Christian Shepherd
• Jacob No-Last-Name
• A character we have not met yet

Here are some real and crazy guesses:

“HE's (Radzinsky) OUR (Dharma's) YOU (Sayid).” -A Dharma member

“HE's (someone) OUR (Dharma’s) YOU (Jack).” -A Dharma member

“HE's (someone) OUR (Other’s) YOU (Locke).” -Richard

“HE's (Horace) OUR (Other’s) YOU (Locke).” -Richard

“HE's (Sawyer) OUR (Dharma’s) YOU (Jack).” -Juliet (??)

“HE's (Jacob) OUR (Other’s) YOU (Christian).” -No clue…

“HE's (Sayid) OUR (Dharma’s) YOU (Ben).” -No clue…

And finally, a really crazy one…

“HE's (Ben) OUR (Dharma’s) YOU (Ben).” [Meaning it is literal. Dharma has a (young) Ben; they are trying to explain it to (old) Ben. …No way, right…??)

Maggie’s Official Guess: This looks to be a Sayid episode (guest star listed as “young Sayid” leads me to this conclusion). With Sayid’s current position on the island (a survivor who Dharma thinks is an Other, our survivors know is one of them, and the Others have no idea who he is…do you follow me?), there seems to be a high probability that someone will try to explain him using this phrase. I’m putting my money on Sayid being either the ‘he’ or the ‘you’.

Guest Stars Tonight
ABC is listing both new and old faces (Welcome back, Roger Linus!) for tonight’s show, including: Doug Hutchison as Horace Goodspeed, Zuleikha Robinson as Ilana, Reiko Aylesworth as Amy, Sterling Beaumon as young Ben, Patrick Fischler as Phil, Eric Lange as Radzinsky, Jon Gries as Roger Linus, William Sanderson as Oldham, Sayed Bedreya as Iraqi father, Xavier Raabe-Manupule as 12-year-old Iraqi boy, Dmitri Boudrine as Ivan, Michael Hardy as Floyd, Joe Toro as bartender, Achilles Gacis as guy in car and Anthony Keyvan as young Sayid.

Looks like we might be getting a flashback, folks. (Sidenote: I hope they play that cool transitional flashback noise!) Now, I feel like I can be honest with you all. When I first heard that tonight’s episode was going to be Sayid-centric and probably flashbackerific, I was kind of disappointed. I mean, there’s so much going on right now between the two island iterations (1977 and 2008)…not to mention, where the heck is Desmond? What is Widmore doing? How does Mrs. Hawking factor in? What does the Ethan-is-Horace-and-Amy's-baby reveal mean for this show?...the last thing I need is a flashback to Sayid's youth to provide predictable parallels to his current predicament on the island. That would be so season 1 of this show, don’t you think?

But the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became. I mean, it is clear that some major falling out took place between Sayid and Ben during the 2005-2008 time period that we have not been privy to…and also, it would be awesome to find out why he was in hand cuffs on Arija 815. Okay, so maybe a Sayid flashback wouldn’t be so bad. I would like to respectfully withdraw my initial reaction to this episode, thank you very much.

TiVo says…
“Things begin to unravel when one of the survivors goes rogue and takes matters into their own hands -- risking the lives of everyone on the island.”

‘One of the survivors goes rogue’ almost certainly means Sayid, don’t you think? Also, the word ‘rogue’ really fits Sayid’s past life…if anyone knows how to go rogue, it is the time traveling former Iraqi intelligence officer and torturer, right? I suppose the other options would be Jack (maybe he just can take playing second fiddle to Sawyer?) or Daniel Faraday (he is probably still losing his mind…wherever he is…).

So let’s assume that, somehow, Sayid breaks out of his Dharma prison (have you seen the fires on the previews??) after finding out who young –and-creepy Ben is. Let’s assume he is so full of rage (recall they had this major falling out at some point) that he decides to try and kill Ben. Okay…here’s my question: he wouldn't succeed, right? Because we’ve seen that Ben lives until at least 2008. And whatever happened, happened, right? I mean, only Faraday or Desmond can change the past because they are the special ones, right? And my Mom wonders why I can’t sleep at night! Ha!

Even though I’m still confused about how this could work, my official guess is that Sayid is going rogue tonight. He will decide to take matters into his own hands (Lord knows he’s done it before…) and carry out whatever “mission” he feels brought him back to the Island in 1977 (in the previews, he says “I now know why I was brought back to this island”), even if he ultimately will not (cannot?) succeed.

How now?
What do you think will happen tonight? Who is the roguest (new word!) cast member? Who’s your me? Who’s our you? Am I your you? Are you my we?

Hahahaha. Pronouns can be fun!

Namaste,
Maggie

P.S.:  IMDB says that guest star William Sanderson (cast as Oldham) is an excellent, prolific, and versatile character actor. And other bloggers are saying "It is about TIME Sanderson got a role on this show." This can only mean good things.

P.P.S.:  Charlie, you're my you.

A Bumpy Landing

"Namaste, and welcome to the Dharma Initiative. Now go grab your jumpsuit and nametag, watch this video, and get to work. Oh, and in case nobody mentioned it to you, you’ve gone back in time 30 years and the people that you crash-landed with on that plane three years ago are here, and in charge. So just shut your mouth and do what your told. Now, can I get you a sandwich?"

Last night we learned just how rough the transition from Ajira 316 crash victim to second iteration Island castaway is going to be for the Oceanic Six. Some got sucked out of the plane and into a time vortex. Some crashed on a runway and had to lie their way back to the main Island. And some (well, Hurley) are just confused as hell. Let’s get into it.

2008(ish)
316 Answers
LOST went in and finished sketching out the Ajira 316 arc last night. We saw a steely, confident Frank Lapidus dismiss his copilot’s ramblings and take control of his ill-fated flight to land it on the runway. Yes, the same runway Kate and Sawyer helped build four years ago. Raise your hand if you think Ben’s got a little more knowledge of future/past events than he lets on, and he had that runway built so Ajira 316 would have somewhere nice to land? You can’t see me right now, but my hand’s raised.

After a quick stint as de facto castaway leader, Frank is convinced by Sun – who knocks Ben out cold with an outrigger paddle –to move on to more important matters. We’ll get to those matters a little later.

Choosing Sides
The big question: why did some people get sucked out of the plane in the time travel white light, while others simply crashed to earth? Jack, Kate, Sayid and Hurley warped into 1977. But Locke, Ben, Sun and Frank landed square in 2008(ish).

Here’s one idea. We’re seeing history begin to repeat (or precede) itself on this show. Things that happened in Seasons 1 and 2 (or 2004, Island time) are happening again in Season 5 (or 1977/2008). One of the major themes of those early seasons was the idea of “good” and “bad” people. On one of their first nights, the Others came and snatched half the tailies, claiming them as “good people.” Maybe what we saw last night was the Island doing the same thing: claiming those who were worthy. Hard to know who’s good and bad between the 1977ers or the 2008ers, but I would guess that where you land in time is not an arbitrary decision made by fate.

So what’s the common bond between Ben, Locke, Sun and Frank? What about Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid? Maybe it has to do with belief. Our 1977ers were our most vehement non-believers in their 2005-2008, off-Island lives. But our 2008ers (especially Locke) were fairly willing believers, or at the very least, were willing to go along with things. Is the Island rewarding the faithful? And if so, why did the Others have to do that manually when Oceanic 815 crashed? Wouldn’t the Island have separated good from bad for them? Or did something happen between 2004 and 2008 (hint: the not-supposed-to-happen Oceanic Six departure) to rob the Island of its powers of divination?

Side note: surely you noticed that we went from nighttime to daytime when Ajira 316 hit the bright light time warp, right? So are Ceasar, Ilana, et al, really in 2008?

Time Travel Purgatory
Before we get to the happenings of 1977, we need to discuss that little adventure that Sun and Frank had. While looking for Jin, they happened upon what seemed to be a sort of alternate universe. What the hell was that all about?
On the main Island, Sun and Frank find New Otherton deserted and in shambles. It’s obviously been a while since the Dharma Initiative has been around. But if the condition of the Dharma signage is any indication, it’s not 2008. And it’s not 1977. So when are they?

Well, when uber-usher to the underworld Christian Shepherd shows up, logic flees the scene faster than me from a surprise Sheryl Crow concert. Christian informs Sun and Frank that Jin is with their friends…in 1977. Sun is understandably baffled, to which Christian not-so-reassuringly delivers the line of the night: “I’m sorry, but you have a bit of a journey ahead of you.”

It would seem that Frank and Sun are existing off the grid right now. For one thing, they’re talking to Christian Shepherd. So all bets are off. But when are they? Where is everyone? And what does this “journey” entail? Once again, LOST has set up a whole series of mysteries to be delved into in the next several weeks.

But Sun needs to get back to 1977. Because that’s where Jin is. And, that’s where shit is seriously going down.

1977
Re-u-nited and it feeeeeeels…so…freaking weird.
We picked up the Sawyer-Jack/Kate/Hurley reunion last night, with Sawyer issuing obligatory greetings to his ex-lover, ex-nemesis and ex-punching bag. But being the new thinking man (and ever the con man) that he is, Sawyer quickly strings together a lie in order to integrate his old friends into his new life. He’ll pass them off as Dharma recruits. But first, everyone’s got some ‘splainin to do.

First, Jack informs Sawyer that the entire Oceanic Six has returned. Sawyer sees Jack revelation and raises him a mind-melter: “We came back, and so did you. It’s 1977.” And Hurley, echoing the sentiments of LOST fans around the world, replies with, “Uhh, what?”

In fact, Hurley had a few lines that might as well have been spoken by the audience (“Nama-huh?”), most notably that whole time-travel-altering-the-future bit. Hurley asks Sawyer if he’ll prevent the Purge. Sawyer, half-heartedly subscribing to Faraday’s theory, says nope. And when Jack excitedly asks, “Faraday’s here?” Sawyer replies, “Not any more.”

So where’s Faraday? We know he stayed long enough to head down into the mines (as seen in this season’s premiere), but where did he go after that? Did he leave on the submarine to avoid haunting his dear Charlotte’s future?

The bottom line: the Oceanic Six is back. But the place to which they’ve returned doesn’t much resemble the one they left.

“The Other Side”
In continuing its self-reincarnation, LOST set Jack up last night to relive an experience of one of the show’s oft-forgotten characters. Based on his “aptitude test” scores, Jack is relegated to janitorial work. His incredulous reaction was strikingly familiar to that of Roger Linus, Ben’s deadbeat dad who was also branded a mere “Workman.” History repeating itself! Beautiful, eh?

I could dwell on that, but I’m going to veer off that road for a second. There was this throwaway line uttered by Orientation Film Star Pierre Chang in that scene with Jack. Unable to find Jack’s file, Chang notes, “Of course it isn’t here, could they be any more disorganized on the other side?” His use of the phrase, “the other side,” points to something that I’ve been beginning to suspect for some time: The Dharma Initiative ain’t one big happy family. Pierre had to be pulled from his “lab” (time-travel mineshaft) to go check in the new recruits, and he seemed annoyed by the menial task. It makes me think that, while the Shiny, Happy People Dharma Initiative preached free love and communal living (complete with Orientation parties!), there’s a dark side to the, ahem, force.

That side belongs to Pierre Chang and his devious, time-altering, mind-bending, world-changing experimentation. B.F. Skinner experiments and button pushing be damned, Pierre’s got bigger fish to fry. And that reminds me of the Ben vs. Locke battle. Ben (playing the role of 1970s Dharma Initiative) seems interested in the Island’s superficial qualities (think to when Richard told Locke that they need a new leader to remind them of their true purpose). But Locke (representing the Pierre Chang mentality) knows there’s something more to the place. History repeats itself…again! You don’t have to buy that one, but I dare you to defy me on the “rift” that we got a glimpse of last night.

Okay, indulge me on more instance of déjà vu iterations/history repeating itself moments: did anyone else see the assignment plastered on Hurley’s size XXXL jumpsuit? "Chef." Hasn’t he unwillingly been put in charge of the food supply before? Thought so.

The Other Woman
How about Juliet last night? Maggie thinks she looks like a Who from Who-Ville, but I think she’s a mega-babe. And last night, she continued her awesomeness. First off, she let the viewers in on the tidbit that Amy and Horace Goodspeed’s baby is, in fact, Ethan! Oh good. That creepy bastard is back. In baby form.

Juliet then saves Kate’s ass with some last minute paperwork, swooping in to fend off the ever-suspicious Dharma lackey, Phil. Juliet gives Kate a look that basically says, “Sorry I took your man, but I just saved you from being Smokey Chow, so hopefully this makes us even. We cool?”

Stop Looking at Me, Swan Station
After the North Shore reunion, Jin heads to The Arrow (Mikhail’s future stomping grounds) to see if Radzinsky knows anything about a plane crash. No dice. But for the audience, a treat: we saw Radzinsky constructing a model and some schematics of the Swan Station.

If you don’t remember Radzinsky, he was the Swan Station partner of Kelvin Inman, who was Desmond’s Swan Station mentor. Radzinsky drew the blast door map and then went crazy and shot himself. But last night, we saw Radzinsky as the Swan Station’s apparent mastermind. So how does he go from architect to social experiment slave?

Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he tricked Kelvin into believing the same story that Kelvin got Desmond to buy: that the Island was diseased, quarantined and dangerous, and that pushing the button every 108 minutes was essential to the safety of the world. Either way, mark it as another example of LOST doubling back on its own plotlines.

Mr. 14J
While the search for the plane comes up empty, Jin and Radzinsky do stumble upon an intruder alert, as Sayid stumbles into the picture. Jin brings in Sawyer to fight off
Radzinsky’s vigilantism and keep Sayid alive. The tradeoff: now Sayid’s a prisoner of the Dharma Initiative.

But the good thing about being a Dharma Initiative prisoner is that you always get sandwiches. Jack did in Season 3. And Sayid did last night. And a nice young man brought him that sandwich. And that nice young man was OH ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?

Yes, the much-anticipated meeting between our heroes and a young Benjamin Linus finally happened last night. Ben probed Sayid for information about the Hostiles, presumably angling to learn more about the people he so badly wanted to call family. But Sayid wasn’t giving up much, and when Ben introduced himself, a menacing calm washed over Sayid’s face. Based on the previews for next week, it looks like Sayid gets pretty angry. Will he go rogue and kill young Ben Linus before he has the chance to grow up and ruin everyone’s life?


The LaFleur Philosophy
But for all the time-travel loop repetitions, character introductions (Radzinsky! Ethan!) and déjà vu of last night, the most compelling lesson came from the meeting between Sawyer and Jack.

Despite exchanging bro-mantic glances at the beach reunion, the Con Man and the Surgeon soon went back to their old contentions ways. It was a battle of contrasting leadership styles.

Jack starts it (doesn’t he always?) by calling out Sawyer’s ambition, faulting him for reading a book instead of taking action to help Sayid. Sawyer’s reaction was sheer brilliance:

Sawyer: That’s how I like to run things: I think. I’m sure that doesn’t mean much to you, cuz back when you were calling the shots, you pretty much just reacted. See, you didn’t think, Jack. And as I recall, a lot of people ended up dead.

Jack: I got us off the Island

Sawyer: But here you are, right back where you started. So I’m gonna go back to reading my book, and I’m gonna think. Cuz that’s how I saved your ass today, and that’s how I’m gonna save Sayid’s tomorrow.

Soundly defeated, Jack tucks his tail between his legs. And then Sawyer lands a subtle, parting blow that is jam-packed with meaning: “Now ain’t that a relief?”

If you’ve read my reviews regularly, then something must be wrong with you. But you then know that I have purported on several occasions that this season is becoming more and more about how knowing the future changes how you act in the past. I thought the Sawyer/Jack interaction last night was a perfect example of that paradox.

Ever since the crash of Oceanic 815, Jack has struggled with the onus of leadership being thrust upon him. Last night, Sawyer handed Jack’s leadership style to him on a platter. He calmly, intelligently broke down Jack’s entire modus operandi. And when he finished, he asked Jack if that leadership lesson was “a relief.” Jack knows he screwed things up in the past. And now he’s in the way-back past of 1977, with an opportunity to right his previous wrongs. But last night, Sawyer basically told Jack that if he wanted to atone for the mistakes of his past, he was going to have to change his tune.

It’s been said that, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” By that definition, Jack’s insane if he thinks he can storm back onto the Island and arm-wrestle fate with an iron fist. The world, according to the newly enlightened Sawyer, is a thinking man’s game. Brute force, sheer will and unwavering strength can only get you so far. If you’re not going to learn from the mistakes of your past, you’re doomed to repeat them.

Earlier in the episode, Sawyer mockingly noted Faraday’s time travel “rules.” But Sawyer wasn’t dismissing Faraday, he was just taking him with a grain of salt. What Sawyer has learned in his three years as Jim LaFleur, is this: Daniel's right that you can't change what happens in the future. But you can change how you deal with what happens, by learning from the mistakes of your past.

Not a bad lesson, Mr. LaFleur.

Namaste indeed!
Charlie

Namaste!

I hope you all survived last week’s hiatus without any lasting repercussions and/or nose bleeds. I don’t know about you, but I found myself watching the American Idol results show last Wednesday night…which (in the words of Dharma Blog reader Noah) is like “trading in a five course meal for a bag of Skittles.” Yes, that is what it felt like: a bag of Skittles. I hate Skittles.

But not to fear! Lost is back tonight and diving in right where we left off…which, as you’ll recall, was at a Sawyer reunion with Jack, Kate and Hurley. Namaste, friends!

Tonight: Namaste!
I’m pretty sure I had never heard the word “namaste” before I started watching Lost. However, I now use the word nearly everyday in some form. Walking into my cubicle land in the morning? “Namaste, Brad!” After buying my morning cup of coffee from the barista at Bruegger’s? “Namaste, Jill!” Seeing Charlie in the Que Place parking garage after work? “Namaste, Dear Constant!” It is actually a greeting/salutation in India. Literally, namaste means “I bow to you.”

A misleadingly (a new word I've created) optimistic Dharma Welcome sign

It appears that the members of the Dharma Initiative turned the word into their catch phrase (think “Aloha” in Hawaii). It means “hello”, “goodbye”, “Go Big Red”, or any number of other commonly used phrases. We were first introduced to it by our old pal Pierre Chang on the Orientation videos, but also heard it used (mockingly) by Kelvin Inman (to Desmond) inside the Swan Hatch. All of this to say, the title of tonight’s episode actually makes a lot of sense. As we saw last week, Sawyer, Juliet, Jin and Miles (maybe Faraday, too) have become Dharma Initiative members during the past three years on the Island.

The TiVo says…
ABC is hyping tonight’s episode, “Namaste,” as follows: “When some old friends drop in unannounced, Sawyer is forced to further perpetuate his lie in order to protect them.” Well, this likely means Jack, Kate, and Hurley.

I think there are two ways that Sawyer/“Jim LaFleur” can explain the sudden arrival of these strangers on the island. First, he could claim they are the long-lost “crew” that he has been searching for over the past three years, who he suddenly found. Or, he could simply sneak them into barracks/Dharma camp.

Even though I’m leaning towards the first explanation, it would require a lot of explaining. For example, how did they survive on the island unnoticed for so long? Why they are so clean-cut looking? Why are they wearing modern clothes and singing Kelly Clarkson songs? So, although his lie might have worked in the first few days or weeks after Sawyer et. al. met up with Dharma in 1974, I just don’t think it will work in 1977.

On the other hand, assuming that the submarine is still coming and going to the island every week or so, bringing people to and from the Island, it might be easy for Sawyer to sneak the names of Jack, Kate, and Hurley onto the manifest of expected arrivals and sneak them into the group of crazy NKOTB (…that’s New Kids on the Block…) arriving to the island after a long trip on a submarine. (Plus, it just adds to the incredible irony that more and more of our original 815 survivors are becoming Dharma! I LOVE LOST!)

So, I’m going to propose that the title “Namaste” not only refers to a welcome of Jack, Kate, and Hurley to the Island in 1977…but also as a welcome/reintroduction for the viewers to the heydays of the Dharma Initiative! SWEET.

Guest Starring Tonight!
Following the trend of season 5 so far, we’ve got quite the guest star list tonight:

John Terry as Christian Shephard, Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Francois Chau as Dr. Marvin Candle, Said Taghmaoui as Caesar, Zuleikha Robinson as Ilana, Reiko Aylesworth as Amy, Sterling Beaumon as young Ben, Patrick Fischler as Phil, Molly McGivern as Rosie, Eric Lange as Radzinsky, Dan Gauthier as co-pilot and Sven Lindstrom as photographer.

This confirms a few things. First of all, we’ll have both 2008 and 1977 island action tonight. One will focus on the 316-ers (Ilana, Caesar, etc.) and one will focus on the survivor-Dharma-ites (+ Marvin, Amy, etc.). I’m guessing the Frank Lapidus appearance will confirm that he is with Sun (I think) in the stolen outrigger (that canoe from a few episodes back that ‘disappeared in the night’, according the Ilana).

But let’s just cut to the chase here. The HUGE elephant in the room/bigger guest star news is the mention of both Young Ben (and yes, Dan, I also think he is creepy as all heck).

Young and Creepy Ben

Are we going to see the scene of Young Ben and Roger arriving on the Island, again…but this time, from the perspective of our survivor-Dharma-ites??? Would they recognize him? I don't think they would, but they could totally see his name on some sub attendance list!! AHH! I know that I’m supposed to believe that “whatever happened, happened,” (R.I.P. Charlie Pace)…but I can imagine someone like Sayid (he does have mad assassin skillz) flipping out and attacking Young Ben…couldn't you? If nothing else, I’m planning on a few dropped jaws between the survivor-Dharma-ites and Creepy Young Ben. This scene, if it happens, will be freaking incredible. This nerdy little creepy kid that will eventually manipulate and attempt to ruin all their lives…oh, and kill a whole lot of people, too. Yes, yes, and yes.

Radzinsky? Who the heck is that?
Finally, we’ve got a mention of Radzinsky. If you’re like me, the name maybe rings a bell…but you can’t quite place a face? Well, that’s because we’ve never met Radzinsky; we’ve only heard about him. In fact, Lostpedia has Radzinsky’s picture as a blood stain on the Swan Hatch ceiling right now.

Radzinsky's Blood Stain (gross...)

So, courtesy of Lostpedia, here’s a quick Radzinsky refresher: Radzinsky was Kelvin Inman’s partner inside the Swan before Desmond crashed on the Island. Kelvin told Desmond that Radzinsky was the originator of the blast door map (the glow-in-the-dark one that Locke found during the episode Lockedown), which he worked on with the aid of his photographic memory. He discovered how to fake a lockdown incident, which made it possible to work on the map more deliberately. Radzinsky is also responsible for having edited the Swan Orientation film. Kelvin explained to Desmond that, while he was asleep, Radzinsky committed suicide by putting a shotgun in his mouth and firing it, causing a blood stain on the ceiling. Because of the protocol, Kelvin had to bury him within 108 minutes.

Okay, I think it will be sad to meet poor Radzinsky since we already know how it all turns out for him…quite poorly, I might add. He will be a prisoner inside the Swan Hatch; he’ll eventually go crazy; he’ll eventually kill himself. But, for the sake of mythology, his existence on the island in 1977 does raise a number of quite intriguing questions (thanks to blog reader Brian for fleshing out some of these questions):

(1) Since Kelvin seems to have learned much of what he knows from Radzinsky, did Radzinsky teach him to keep up the “quarantine” hoax? Or did Radzinsky actually think that something happened on the Island to cause the conditions to change (read: like the Purge)? In the previews that have aired on ABC, he is walking around in 1977 with the other Dharma without any concern for his health.

(2) What happened to turn Radzinsky into a rebel (which many reason he must be, based on the clues/secrets written on the Blast Door Map)? What would be the point of sharing all the secrets if all of Dharma died in the Purge, but Radzinsky survived thanks to being stuck inside the Swan Hatch? Was he simply recording everything he knew on the Blast Door Map so that someone in the future could pick up the work of Dharma on the island? If so, why make that information so hard to find?

Radzinsky's Blast Door Map

(3) Given that Radzinsky lives on the island before the Swan Hatch was built (and the Orientation Video made), he should know all the details surrounding the Incident and the reason for entering the 108 Numbers. As we saw when Locke didn't enter the Numbers, it actually IS bad news. So, why would he eventually edit the Orientation Video? Isn’t all the information contained within be pretty important?

(4) Did Radzinsky voluntarily enter the Swan Hatch, thinking he would be relieved of duty in a short period…but then the Purge happened, stranding him all alone in the Swan Hatch (with the weight of the world on his shoulders) to keep entering the Numbers? And was Kelvin with him from the start, or did he come along later?

In case you can’t tell, I’m pretty darn excited about Radzinsky’s debut!!

I know I’m leaving out a lot…
There’s a freaking lot going on right now within the Lost storyline. Will we see Ben tonight? Not sure. What about Sayid? Not sure. Richard? Locke? Who knows! At this point, though, I think the writers will be smarter than that: no need to bring every storyline into every episode. We wouldn’t get anywhere if they did that! So, I’m going to guess tonight is a breather from the Ben/Widmore war. Maybe…

Come back tomorrow!
We hope to see you back here bright and early tomorrow morning for an exciting review by your Constant and mine, Charlie!

In the meantime…

NAMASTE!
-Maggie