LOST Season Five Episode:9 Namaste
Here we are again, Lost fans! But this time it's the beginning of the end. In some ways I'm relieved. I've had a burning desire since episode 1 Season 1 to know just what the smoke monster really is and why were these people chosen to crash on this island. But on the other hand, I'm not looking forward to having to find something else to fill the hour long void that will be left after LOST finally goes off the air for good. I've seen the trailers for Harper's Island, and I have to say that I'm intrigued, though after some research I will have to say that I'm a little disappointed that it's only a new series and not some interactive who-dun-it.
I would like to take a moment to give my little disclaimer. I am a fan LOST, but not a fan, if you know what I'm trying to say. I enjoy watching a well-written show and having an engaging conversation the morning after, but taking notes and comparing the significance of every detail is just not my style. If that's what you're after, there are many great LOST sites dedicated to doing just that, breaking down each show minute but minute and analyzing everything. It won't hurt my feelings any if you skip the rest of my article to find something a bit more to your taste. I appreciate you reading this far.
For those of you who hung around to read the rest of my LOST article, you might be interested in a great little website that gives a few hints about upcoming episodes, if you're into that kind of thing. I've made it my weekly stop for three seasons now. www.spoilerfix.com. Not only does it give you the inside scoop on upcoming LOST episodes, but a number of other shows as well. What I like about taking a sneak peak is that I get a good idea of what the overall show is about, so I can try and concentrate on the little details that I might have missed otherwise. But spoilers aren't for everyone and I won't hold it against you if you don't visit the site.
Anyway, enough digression and let's get on with taking a look at the new episode.
Episode 9 opens in the airplane taking our favorite castaways back to the Island. The co-pilot recognizes Hurley as one of the Oceanic 6. The scene is very reminiscent of the original plane crash that got everyone there in the first place. I think that this was intentional; that the writers wanted the story to come full circle so that we can move forward uniformly toward the end.
The plane runs into a bit of turbulence, which we are already expecting and the bright light moves the plane into the plane of the Island. Dj vu sets in as the plane begins to hurtle toward the island, threatening to crash. Frank Lapidus crash lands the plane on what looks to be a sand airstrip that we've never seen before.
We know from watching earlier episodes this season that somehow Sun and Ben are separated from Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid, so when it is revealed to Frank, I'm not really surprised, nor am I sure why it matters, but it might have some significance later, other than just to prolong the Jin/Sun reunion we are so ready to see.
We flashback thirty years and see a brief but semi-emotional reunion between Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid and the 1970's version of Sawyer, standing there so dapper in his Dharma jumpsuit. The hug between Kate and Sawyer feels real and I'm remiss to say we haven't resolved the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle yet. Which, suffice to say, means that the Sawyer-Jack-Sawyer thing probably isn't resolved yet, either. Sawyer learns that Locke has passed away, though Jack is reluctant to tell him how. Hurley asks the all-important question about why Sawyer and Jin are wearing Dharma jumpsuits. This is where Jack and company learns that they are now occupying space in 1977 and not 2004. It's obvious that they have a lot of catching up to do. It's intriguing to me that no one is incredibly excited to see Jin, since he was thought to be dead.
Everyone previously involved quickly find out that Jack and company is back. It seems to be incredibly important to Sawyer that they are brought into the Dharma fold as new recruits so that they are not seen as Others.
We flash back to Sun, Lapidus and Ben. The beach looks very similar to Season 1, where everyone is looking lost and confused. Ben lets Sun in on the fact that they are not on the main island, which is why things aren't looking quite so familiar to anyone, including us. This is probably significant in that we were under the impression that there was just one island, but there may be many.
There is a short scene between Juliet and Amy where we learn that Amy's baby's name is Ethan. I am assuming from this that the baby grows up to be Ethan Rom from Season One.
When Sawyer returns to the castaways on the island, we see that he's driving the VM bus that Hurley worked on in earlier episodes. I think that this just gives more credence to all open stories coming around again to end at this point. It is important for us to understand that we have come full circle and that every story will continue from this point forward. If it's no longer being addressed in the current episodes, it will probably not be resolved in this or the next and final season.
Sayid gets himself caught, and is treated by Jin and Sawyer as a hostile. We assume that this is for his protection, but I'm not sure that Sawyer's intentions are purely altruistic.
We do find out that Faraday is missing. It wasn't expressly said, but the implication is that he is no longer on the island. I think that it's safe to say that he is not dead, but that he made it off the island somehow. I find it ironic that he disappears after the time-warping thing stops, but I definitely think he is a pivotal character and is not gone entirely.
Has anyone noticed Jin's exceptional English skills in this episode?
As Sun and Ben make their way to the beach, we see that Ben's arm is healed, though we are still in the dark as to what happened to him to begin with. A god friend of mine seems to think he may have tangled with Penny, but what actually happened remains to be seen. Lapidus finds them and attempts to stop Sun from leaving with him. Frank allows us a little more insight into the freighter's mission. He indicates that they were all out there to get "him", meaning Ben. This will probably tie into what Charles Widmore's role is in this scheme, but for now, we just have to speculate.
Sun obviously agrees with Frank and whacks Ben in the head with an oar. Way to go, Sun! But that leaves them to try and get to the main island alone.
It was probably just a slight jest at humor and nothing more significant when Pierre Chang gives Jack his Dharma jumpsuit saying that his aptitude tests showed him as only being fit to perform janitorial duties, but I thought it might be noteworthy. I smiled at it, anyway.
And there is no way anyone missed the tension between Kate and Juliet when Juliet added Kate's name to the "list". Their battles are only beginning, once again alluding to the fact that the love triangles are still very much unresolved.
Frank and Sun try to take the outrigger to the main island. They hear something in he trees and see them shake violently. Sun presses on much to Frank's chagrin. They hear voices and a light comes in the Dharma building at the end of the dock. Christian Shepard comes out and introduces himself as Christian, but we were all covering our mouths with our hands, whispering, Jacob. Christian/Jacob shows Sun a picture of the Dharma initiative from 1977 that has Hurley, Kate, Jack, Sawyer and Jin. He tells her she has a long journey in front of her. I'm really not sure what to make of this yet, but it was definitely a defining moment in that "Jacob" has reached out to someone other than Locke.
The stage has been set for a showdown between Jack and Sawyer and Kate and Juliet. Jack finds out that Juliet and Sawyer are living together, which adds to the tension between Jack and Sawyer. It is obvious after a moment that there has been a power shift from Jack to Sawyer and from Kate to Juliet.
The cliffhanger next week shows a kid going in to see Sayid; to bring him a sandwich. It's a young Ben. Sayid recognizes him and the fade to black
The nice thing about this episode is that it accomplishes exactly what it set out to do, bring the series to the beginning of the end and set the stage for the impending struggles. I can't wait to see how it plays out. Please leave comments so that I can get new perspectives on the possible outcome to LOST.