‘Lost’: Finally, some answers
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Most weeks ‘Lost’ raises more questions than it answers. Tonight, we got more answers than questions. But not by much -- we still have plenty of questions. What made ‘Namaste’ a great episode was the manner in which it gave us the answers. Instead of having everything spelled out, we got our answers casually, dropped in throughout the episode. So casually, in fact, that those who complain that the show never answers anything could easily continue their gripes, because on ‘Lost,’ the answers come only to those willing to pay close attention.
Some of the questions answered:
The identity of Horace and Amy’s baby? It’s Ethan -- the Other who abducted Claire back in Season 1 and wound up getting killed by Charlie. Which means not all of the Dharmas got killed in the Purge. Makes you wonder who else survived to join the Others....
The ‘when’ of the Ajira plane landing and Locke, Sun, Frank and Ben? It’s now. Thirty years since 1977.
How did Ben wind up unconscious when Locke found him? Sun knocked him out.
Why did the Others ask Michael to bring back Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sawyer at the end of Season 2? And how did they know their names? Because Ben obviously remembers them from his youth. We saw young Ben encounter Sayid (though he thinks he’s an Other), he no doubt remembered the rest of the time travelers.
Who was Radzinsky? Kelvin’s suicidal partner in the Swan Station was previously known only to us by the bloody stain he left on the ceiling when he blew his brains out. But back in 1977, we learn Radzinsky was a high-strung radio operator who had a hand in designing the station that eventually drove him to suicide. Judging by the annoying few moments we had to spend with him in tonight’s episode, I’d say suicide was definitely an improvement for him.
But despite these holes in the story tied up for us, we’re still left with some questions and half-formed notions. (Did we expect anything less? It’s ‘Lost,’ people!)
Just what happened to Faraday? We saw him at the very beginning of this season as the Dharmas were about to uncover the frozen donkey wheel. And Sawyer informed Jack that Faraday wasn’t around anymore. So where did Faraday go? We’re guessing he’s somewhere else in time -- maybe he’s back in the present? Naaaaaah, too easy.
What’s the connection between Christian and the Smoke Monster? Just as Sun and Frank were approaching Dharmaville, Smokey made an unseen cameo and Christian appeared soon after. A coincidence? Hardly. Recall that Smokey has impersonated the dead before -- he appeared to Mr. Eko as his dead brother just before killing him back in Season 3. But that raises an intriguing possibility. If Christian is actually Smokey in disguise, then Christian in the cabin is Smokey, which means Jacob, the mysterious ‘man behind the curtain’ may, in fact, be the Smoke Monster.
And finally, for you HDTV users, what is the nature of the girl hiding in the shadows behind Sun near the end of her encounter with Christian? Go back and look closely -- just after Christian showed Sun the 1977 class photo of the Dharmas, we see a quick shot of Sun, and there, just over her left shoulder we see what looks like a girl, hiding in the shadows, move her head toward the camera. What do you think? Important clue or glaring production gaffe? My money’s on the former. Remember that just before this little incident, we were treated to a VERY blatant shot of the door to the cabin mysteriously blowing open on its own and the smoke/fog/mist swirling inside.
From the previews for next week, it looks like the harmony in Dharma Town won’t last too much longer, but will Jack and Sawyer learn to work together again? It certainly didn’t take them too long to slip back into their old antagonistic roles. But geez, I’ll bet Jack could encounter a resurrected John Locke and still treat him like he’s a crazy person. Sawyer appears to have mellowed, but Jack is as testy as ever. He’s got to work on that bad attitude.
Meanwhile, I don’t foresee any good future for poor Juliet. It’s only a matter of time before Sawyer goes back to that home wrecker, Kate. And once that happens, who knows how Juliet will take it? She used to be sinister, then she mellowed. I’m betting the sinister Juliet makes a comeback to do something really evil to Kate. And would she be in the wrong?
We already know a major death is coming soon to ‘Lost,’ so we’ll know very soon if it’s Juliet or Kate. Or ... someone else.
-- Patrick Kevin Day
