"The Economist" (Season 4, Episode 3)

How can an episode with such a mundane title as "The Economist" have such a jaw-dropping ending? Only on "Lost". Three years and over 70 episodes later and I am still able to be surprised and shocked by twists and turns in the story. Sayid is working for Ben? And he's killing people? Perhaps current members of the Dharma Initiative? In the past, Richard Alpert had Ben gas everyone in Othersville. Could this be the current phase of the native island people's plan? To wipe out the puppet masters who are off the island? And if so, why? Does Dharma do something bad in the future, either intentionally or not, that the island people are trying to prevent?

The Man Behind the Coffin

• With the revelation that Ben makes it off the island (and based on his extensive wardrobe, various passports, luggage, and diverse currencies, he does this a lot!), I now believe it is Ben who is in the coffin in last season's finale. I originally thought it was Michael, partly because of the inner city locale of the funeral home, the fact that he was neither "friend nor family" to Jack, and that no one else showed up. However, the last two could also apply to Ben and the neighborhood might have ended up being the West Coast location of Dr. Ben's chain of veterinary clinics (Berlin and L.A.?).
• Ben's ability to come and go from the island could also be why Jack was pushed to suicide with his death. Ben was Jack's last chance to get back and now that was gone.
• The unrecognized name in the obituary (seen in Jack's hand in last season's finale) could simply be another of Ben's aliases, such as Henry Gale or Dean Moriarty (more on this name below).
  

Best Line

• "Oh, awesome. The ship sent us another Sawyer." Hurley's observation of Miles when he uses the less-than-flattering nickname of Tubby.
  

Did You Notice?

• The opening scene is Sayid praying in the Islamic tradition.
  
• The inscription on Naomi's bracelet reads "N, I'll always be with you. R.C." Is it a lover? Could the "R" stand for Regina, the so-far-unseen woman on the freighter? Or Juliet's sister, Rachel Carlson?
  
• Sayid the "golfer" is at a course in the Seychelles, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. Near the "crash site" of Oceanic Flight 815, I wonder?
• The man Sayid kills on the golf course is named Avellino, which is the name of the patron saint against sudden death, ironically enough. It is also the name of a city in Italy and, on "The Sopranos", the crime family traced their origins to here.
• Sayid the "tourist" is trying to find Potsdamer Platz, once one of the busiest crossings in Europe and currently a tourist attraction in Berlin.
• The circle of volcanic (?) ash would indicate that was where Jacob's cabin once was, but where did it go?
• We clearly see the beginning of Hurley's regret of choosing to follow Locke over Jack.
• According to one website, a deleted scene prior to Sayid, Kate, and Miles entering Othersville showed the trio encountering the sonic fence. Miles the Ghostbuster seems to listen to something that no else hears (ghostly whispering?). Kate believes she can deactivate the fence having seen Juliet do it, but Miles simply walks through it with no repercussions.
• Hurley appears to have been tied up in Juliet's house.
• Jack's question of the Red Sox winning the World Series ties back to Season 3 when Ben held him captive in the Hydra Station and used this sporting news event to make a point.
• Faraday's island beacon clock read 2:45:03 whereas the payload timer read 3:16:22. The island exists 31 minutes in the past. That is if we assume it's the same day. Or the same week. Or the same month. Or even the same year.
• Very symbolic that Ben's decorating choices include many masks.
• The book Sayid notices on the trick bookcase is "The Holy Quron", the holy book of Muslims.
• One of the packs of currency in Ben's hidden room is from the Bank of England.
• The passport Sayid opens lists Ben's name as Dean Moriarty, the same name as a character from Jack Kerouac's novel, "On the Road". Moriarty is also Sherlock Holmes' nemesis.
• Kate watching under the bed as Sawyer enters the bedroom is reminiscent of his point of view when he hid under the bed as his father killed himself.
• Based on his desire to stay on the island, I can bet Sawyer will not willingly become one of the Oceanic 6.
• The Hotel Adlon where Elsa first agrees to meet with her boss is an actual hotel in Berlin, located across from the Brandenburg Gate.
• Is it me or is Sayid not meant to have a long love affair? He rescues Nadia from imminent execution only to have her disappear out of his life. He professes his love to Shannon only minutes before she is shot dead by Ana Lucia. And he has to kill his latest love after she shoots him.
• So whose else is on the list of Sayid's targets besides the Economist? Alvar Hanson? Or are they one and the same?
• Another symbolic moment when Sayid shatters Elsa's mirror (looking glass), essentially destroying his perceived image of her.
• Elsa seemed to be wearing a silver bracelet similar to Naomi's. A trademark of all Dharma operatives?
• Lapidus and Faraday didn't look like they were being completely upfront about whether or not they were familiar with Penelope Widmore.
• What did Charlotte mean when she said "I've got work to do"?
• I imagine the "same, exact bearing" that Faraday insisted the chopper take was probably the same one used previously by the sub and the boat on which Michael and Walt left the island.
• Why does Sayid need to kill Ben's targets to protect his friends?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• The chopper can carry 3 passengers in addition to Lapidus.
  
• Mr. Avellino suggests Sayid use a 5 iron on the golf course.
• Sayid is to meet Elsa at 8 for dinner.
• Sayid, Kate, and Miles plan on leaving for Othersville in 10 minutes.
• Regina counts down the final approach of the payload to the beacon at 15, 10, and 5 kilometers.
  

Previews - Next week's "Eggstown" focuses on Kate, apparently the next member of the Oceanic 6 as indicated by the mob of journalists swarming around her - no doubt because of her criminal record. It also looks like she and Sawyer rekindle their love in Othersville.

What About the Rest of the Season? - Now that the writers are back to work, it has been announced that an additional five episodes will air this season. Episode 7 will air on March 13 and then there will be a month break. The eighth episode (originally planned as a mini-finale) will herald the show's return on April 17 in its usual time slot of 9 p.m. EST and then the remaining five new episodes will air over the following weeks but an hour later at 10 p.m.