Lost: "Dr. Linus."
Here's a condensed version of my reactions to this episode: Hee! Oh, SNAP. What? No really, what?! WHAT?! Noooooooo! Hrm, predictable. Ooooh, UNpredictable! Hooray!
Now here's the longer, out of order version:
So nice to see Miles having something important to do again. Not that he didn't make a fun little exposition machine, but I prefer him getting more than 5 seconds of facetime per episode. Plus if we're not going to get any Sawyer, then we need somebody to be a hilarious asshole. Miles fills that role nicely, which is, I suspect, why he and Sawyer got along so well back in the 70s.
I was worried for a second that Miles might cover for Ben to try and blackmail him again, but what do you know? Nikki and Paulo finally came in handy! Or at least their diamonds did. Thanks for that, Nikki and Paulo.
Though I don't know if I entirely bought Ben pathetically trying to con Ilana. The Ben I know would own his actions and work on out-maneuvering her. But maybe the point they're making is that Ben has lost more than his Jacob-given power, but also his sense of self. (And that's one to grow on, kids!)
This ep had one of the more interesting Sideways stories, mainly because we never really got to see who Ben was outside of Jacob. I'd say "without the Island," but it's clear that he and his father were there at some point. I wonder why they left - maybe they were evacuated? Maybe in this timeline Sayid never shot Ben? And they seem to get along pretty well. Does that mean Ben's mother didn't die in childbirth, or that Roger found some way to deal with that without drinking or blaming his son? It was interesting to see Sideways Ben give up his own advancement for Alex - NOT his daughter in this reality - when Island Ben did just the opposite. Another hint that the Sideways folk retain some subconscious memory of what happened on the Island, maybe? Has he learned from his past mistakes?
I also really thought Ben was conning Ilana in that big climactic scene between the two of them. I figured he'd wait for her to leave and shoot her in the back, or gain her pity to leave and join up with Darth Mocke and crush her. Instead he seemed to sincerely accept her forgiveness and take steps toward redeeming himself. Maybe that's a long con, but it felt real.
One final note on Ben: if someone tells you to dig your own grave so they can shoot you? SAY NO. Because what are they going to do? Shoot you? Exactly. Fuck them.
Onto the B-plot, which was arguably a lot more interesting.
OMG WTF RICHARD. Don't believe Jacob? I want to die? What? I'm left wondering if Richard believes that Darth Mocke was pretending to be Jacob and wanted to warn Hurley off of him, or if he's just that crestfallen that he believes Jacob conned him all along. I am also curious if maybe the chains Richard fondled so lovingly were once his own. Darth Mocke did mention Richard in chains...
And OMG WTF JACK! Talk about a leap of faith, huh? I was actually just a tiny bit impressed with Jack. Although maybe he just figures that since he survived an H-bomb the dynamite could suck it. Still, that's progress for Jack. It's a baby step. But it's progress. He's still On Notice, though. I felt for poor Hurley. Poor Hurley was all, "You don't understand, Jack! I AM WEARING A RED SHIRT FOR FUCK'S SAKE."
Buuuuuuuuuut here's a question: Richard said he was made immortal by Jacob's touch. Does that mean our (confirmed, suck it Kate!) six candidates won't age or die? And if so, does that kick in after a certain age? Because Jacob touched Kate and Sawyer when they were kids and they've obviously grown up since then. Well... Sawyer has, anyway. (Suck it, Kate.)
And if all of that is true, then it would seem to suggest that Jacob's power extends even beyond Jacob himself. So that's weird.
Oh and hey! Submarine! Widmore! They kind of spoiled it by putting Alan Dale in the credits, but I originally assumed he'd be the principal at Ben's Sideways School. (Speaking of which, did anyone actually ever miss Arzt and his whining? Not me. Leave him blown up please.) But instead, Widmore has found the Island! Is he "Wallace," maybe? And if so, which side is he on? AND, if Ben doesn't take Darth Mocke's offer to replace him, then who will? (Please not Sawyer. I know Jack is supposed to be the Hero of the Piece, but Sawyer's better at it.)
I did like that they ended on a nice old-fashioned "reunion on the beach" montage. Very reminiscent of the simpler times back in season 2. (God, season 2 seems simple now.)
Now here's the longer, out of order version:
So nice to see Miles having something important to do again. Not that he didn't make a fun little exposition machine, but I prefer him getting more than 5 seconds of facetime per episode. Plus if we're not going to get any Sawyer, then we need somebody to be a hilarious asshole. Miles fills that role nicely, which is, I suspect, why he and Sawyer got along so well back in the 70s.
I was worried for a second that Miles might cover for Ben to try and blackmail him again, but what do you know? Nikki and Paulo finally came in handy! Or at least their diamonds did. Thanks for that, Nikki and Paulo.
Though I don't know if I entirely bought Ben pathetically trying to con Ilana. The Ben I know would own his actions and work on out-maneuvering her. But maybe the point they're making is that Ben has lost more than his Jacob-given power, but also his sense of self. (And that's one to grow on, kids!)
This ep had one of the more interesting Sideways stories, mainly because we never really got to see who Ben was outside of Jacob. I'd say "without the Island," but it's clear that he and his father were there at some point. I wonder why they left - maybe they were evacuated? Maybe in this timeline Sayid never shot Ben? And they seem to get along pretty well. Does that mean Ben's mother didn't die in childbirth, or that Roger found some way to deal with that without drinking or blaming his son? It was interesting to see Sideways Ben give up his own advancement for Alex - NOT his daughter in this reality - when Island Ben did just the opposite. Another hint that the Sideways folk retain some subconscious memory of what happened on the Island, maybe? Has he learned from his past mistakes?
I also really thought Ben was conning Ilana in that big climactic scene between the two of them. I figured he'd wait for her to leave and shoot her in the back, or gain her pity to leave and join up with Darth Mocke and crush her. Instead he seemed to sincerely accept her forgiveness and take steps toward redeeming himself. Maybe that's a long con, but it felt real.
One final note on Ben: if someone tells you to dig your own grave so they can shoot you? SAY NO. Because what are they going to do? Shoot you? Exactly. Fuck them.
Onto the B-plot, which was arguably a lot more interesting.
OMG WTF RICHARD. Don't believe Jacob? I want to die? What? I'm left wondering if Richard believes that Darth Mocke was pretending to be Jacob and wanted to warn Hurley off of him, or if he's just that crestfallen that he believes Jacob conned him all along. I am also curious if maybe the chains Richard fondled so lovingly were once his own. Darth Mocke did mention Richard in chains...
And OMG WTF JACK! Talk about a leap of faith, huh? I was actually just a tiny bit impressed with Jack. Although maybe he just figures that since he survived an H-bomb the dynamite could suck it. Still, that's progress for Jack. It's a baby step. But it's progress. He's still On Notice, though. I felt for poor Hurley. Poor Hurley was all, "You don't understand, Jack! I AM WEARING A RED SHIRT FOR FUCK'S SAKE."
Buuuuuuuuuut here's a question: Richard said he was made immortal by Jacob's touch. Does that mean our (confirmed, suck it Kate!) six candidates won't age or die? And if so, does that kick in after a certain age? Because Jacob touched Kate and Sawyer when they were kids and they've obviously grown up since then. Well... Sawyer has, anyway. (Suck it, Kate.)
And if all of that is true, then it would seem to suggest that Jacob's power extends even beyond Jacob himself. So that's weird.
Oh and hey! Submarine! Widmore! They kind of spoiled it by putting Alan Dale in the credits, but I originally assumed he'd be the principal at Ben's Sideways School. (Speaking of which, did anyone actually ever miss Arzt and his whining? Not me. Leave him blown up please.) But instead, Widmore has found the Island! Is he "Wallace," maybe? And if so, which side is he on? AND, if Ben doesn't take Darth Mocke's offer to replace him, then who will? (Please not Sawyer. I know Jack is supposed to be the Hero of the Piece, but Sawyer's better at it.)
I did like that they ended on a nice old-fashioned "reunion on the beach" montage. Very reminiscent of the simpler times back in season 2. (God, season 2 seems simple now.)