Episode 5.9: "Namaste"

Ok, sorry about the delay in posting my thoughts on this great episode, but here goes:


ROUGH LANDING: This episode surprisingly started with Flight 316 still in the air. The time flash occurs, snatching away some of the Oceanic Six, and leaving Frank and his ill-fated pilot partner to land the plane. And they do, on the runway built by order of Jacob back in Season 3. So, Jacob knew they were coming.

CAESAR AND ILANA: Do they know each other before the crash? Kinda looked like no. If this was Season 2 of Lost, we'd already be stalling time with Caesar and Ilana Flashbacks instead of moving ahead at a insanely rapid pace.

HURLEY'S REAL LIFE GIRLFRIEND: ...is playing a crash survivor of Flight 316 on the beach during Frank's speech. I'm not sure which one she is, though. I just read that on Lostpedia.


RADZINSKY: Ok, so Jin rushes off to the flame station to ask Radzinsky if he saw a plane. Before this time the only thing we had seen from Radzinsky was a bloodstain on the ceiling in the Hatch. He was the former partner for Kelvin Inman in the Swan Station that committed suicide by shooting himself. Desmond later replaced him on button pushing duties (as seen in Desmond's flashbacks from Season 2.) Now we see Radzinsky at an earlier point in his life, and he's building a model of the Swan station that he will later live in. Radzinsky is also the guy who drew the Blast Door Map that Locke found in Season 2. The producers have joked that there could be a spin-off show called "Radzinsky's Travels" that shows Radzinsky exploring the island and making his map. I think that would be great, and they should do it. If not as a TV show, than at least as a comic book limited series. (And then one for Rousseau too, to show her 16 years on the island.) Radzinsky is also responsible for editing out parts of the Swan Orientation Film, according to Kelvin Inman in the episode "Live Together, Die Alone." On an interesting side note, I found a great theory based on one of Kelvin Inman's comments. Apparently he once described the Swan Station as a dam. The theory says that the Swan Station was originally built to function that way, as an electromagnetic dam; a way to harness the natural power of the island and use it to generate unlimited, endlessly renewable energy. And then that function went haywire with "The Incident". I like this theory. It would explain why everyone wants to get to the island. Because if you could create a huge new energy source like that, it would be like creating a new oil, and would make you super rich. Check the theory out here.


THE BABY IS...ETHAN. So a couple people guessed right in our poll. I guess this means baby Ethan will somehow switch sides to the Others camp before the Purge? Maybe the Others steal him? Or Ben befriends him as he grows up and spares him? I like how Juliet quickly put him back down, because Ethan is creepy. Side note on Ethan... did you know he lost his wife and baby during childbirth? He tears up a little telling Jack about it in this LOST: Missing Pieces episode.

WHERE DID FARADAY GO? Sawyer said he's not there anymore. Did he take the sub? Did he find a way to time travel?


PIERRE CHANG IN THE FLESH: Jack finally meets the guy from the Orientation films. And the guy who is also possibly Miles' Dad. Maybe Pierre is why Miles stayed behind on the island instead of taking the sub to Tahiti. Perhaps he grew up not really knowing his dad, because his Dad died in the purge. And so when Miles goes back in time and sees him, he stays because he wants to get to know his dad. It's the only reason I can think of for Miles to stick around. Anyway, Pierre tells Jack how great LaFleur is, and Jack should be impressed by Sawyer's new show of responsibility, but isn't, for some reason. I hope he and Kate get eaten by Polar Bears. They've turned into the League of Super Jerks.

JULIET'S STILL GOT IT: Kate is almost outed as a fraud because she's not on the list like everyone else... The list that Juliet forged. Hmm. Jack made it on there, but no Kate? Suspicious. Juliet comes in at the last minute but I have to think this is a warning from her to Kate. I think Juliet's learned a few mental games from Ben here or there and is putting them into use to send Kate a message. Too bad Kate's dumb. She's already hanging out on her porch waiting for someone, anyone, to be depressed enough to smooch her. Maybe Juliet will send her a smoke-monster-gram. One of those houses has a secret smoke monster controlling chamber, right?


SPEAKING OF THE SMOKE MONSTER: So, Sun and Frank end up in The Barracks in present time. (After Sun awesomely smacks Ben over the head after using him. She's learned a few tricks from Ben as well.) The Barracks are in a state of chaos and disrepair. The last time we saw the Barracks in this timeline, the smoke monster was tearing through them trying to kill Keamy and the Freighter folks. So it looks like he hung around a bit afterward. Christian appears, in one of the creepiest Lost moments since Jacob's cabin. However, once he appears he's all chatty and helpful, plot-wise. At this point I'm thinking Christian is NOT a good guy. On the Lost Season 4 DVD special features, producer/writer Damon Lindelof says that it might be the case when people come back from the dead on Lost, that Pet Semetary rules apply: "Sometimes Dead is Better". Insinuating, I think, that the folks coming back aren't really themselves, but an evil version of themselves. Time will tell. It certainly looks like the island just did a really long con to get all the Losties back. Because there's not really anything for them to do now that they're back. Christian P. Smokemonster tells Sun her husband is in the past, and that she's got a long journey ahead of her. Not sure what that means.
But, here's an intersting tidbit from that scene:


THERE'S SOMEONE BEHIND SUN IN THE ROOM: Is this an Easter Egg? Who could it be? Is it Claire? Is it Harper Stanhope? Or is it a new character that dresses just like a production assistant? I think we may have to chalk this one up to a gaff, because I doubt they would hide a scary new character in the back with an Old Navy T-shirt on, or whatever that is. Although, it would have been really cool if they had hidden Claire back there.


EVERYBODY'S DHARMA NOW: Everyone's got new positions. Jack's a janitor and Hurley's a chef (click to enlarge the image to see a new chef hat Dharma logo). In the background during their photo-taking scene, you can hear Geronimo Jackson playing on the radio, with their song entitled (somewhat cornily) "Dharma Lady". The song is actually a free download this week on Itunes. Just go to the Itunes store and type in Dharma Lady or Geronimo Jackson and it will come up. Is that Horace singing? Maybe. Are the lyrics awful? Yes.


BEN THE KID: So, Ben IS on the island as a creepy preteen. Interesting. I'm thinking he's already met Richard at this point and is in the process of being trained or recruited by the Others. They've probably been going on and on about how special he is. So, back in the Season 4 episode entitled "The Other Woman", the Others' therapist Harper said to Juliet that Ben is smitten with Juliet because she looks just like "her." And we've never been told who the "her" in question meant. I've always thought it referred to Ben's mother, since Ben's mom also had blond hair, but now that young Ben and Juliet are in the same time zone, it could also have been Juliet herself. Maybe adolescent Ben was in love with Juliet from afar? Does Juliet use a pseudonym like Jim LaFleur? I can't remember. Anyway, it will be interesting to find out what Sayid does now that he knows young Ben is around. Poor Sayid. He must be super confused.


JACK VS. SAWYER: Ok, so then Jack stupidly comes to visit Sawyer right off, arousing suspicion from goofy Dharma guy Phil on the way. I can't believe how rude Jack is to Sawyer. Sawyer saved everyone this episode and has been helping to protect the Dharma folks like a real leader, not to mention handling a tense situation with Sayid as well. Jack should give him some credit. Especially since Sawyer's right, everyone got killed under Jack's leadership. I think Jack was hoping he'd show up on the island and everyone would throw him a "praise the leader" parade. Instead, he got shipped back to the 70s and given a job as a janitor. Isn't that always the way? Sawyer shows Loser Jack out. Then, we see Kate standing on the porch with a "What, you don't like Freckles?" shirt on, looking kind of pathetic.

"WHAT HAPPENS NOW?" asks Jack. And it's a good question. We seemed to have hit a wall storyline-wise. I'm guessing new situations will soon develop, but for all intents and purposes we're missing the motivation story-wise. It used to be "to get off the island", and then for a season it was "to get back on the island". I guess now it's "to get in the same time zone" but honestly everyone would kind of be okay if they didn't, except Sun and Jin. So, we really need to be reminded what's at stake and why we should care about the vague war that's coming up. It seems wrong for the writers to solely rely on our desire to learn more information about the island as the main thing driving the story. Although, it's obviously working, because I'm still watching and loving it.

PREVIEW FOR NEXT EPISODE (MILD SPOILERS):
First shot is of Sayid tied to a tree and Horace and some other guy I can't make out are talking to him. Sayid tells them "You're all going to die, you know." Then we see Kate and Juliet working together as Mechanics. Cut to Kate telling Sawyer: "I don't know why everyone else came back, I just know why I came back." I guess implying Sawyer himself. Juliet looks out a window, sadly. Hurley tries to explain to Kate the concept of not being a skanky home wrecker. Juliet tells Kate "I want you to stay away." Jin and Sayid fight outside at night, next to the Dharma van. Sawyer tells Sayid he's on his own... the punches him? Next, the barracks and the Dharma van are on fire, and everyone's running around freaked out. Then, Sayid says in patented Sayid-voice: "Now I know exactly why I'm here." He fires a gun.

There are eight episodes left this season. The next one is called "He's our you." That sounds familiar to me, I think maybe it's a line from one of the other episodes. Anybody remember?

Also, you folks who read these posts should comment, or I feel like I'm in a vacuum and am less likely to post more things. A freakish nerd vacuum.