"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" (Season 5, Episode 7)

Tonight's episode was a tour de force by Terry O'Quinn. Having the episode focus on Locke's journey off the island required the actor to cover a range of emotions from extreme pain to sorrow to ultimately a resignation of all hope. He is my favorite character.

Best Line

• "He's the man who killed me." Locke to Caesar after finding Ben among the injured passengers of Ajira Flight 316.
  

Did You Notice?

• Is Caesar just curious or does he know what he is looking for among the files?
• The Life magazine features an article on the hydrogen bomb. Also, when Caesar flips through the magazine, there is the photo of the Creature from the Black Lagoon carrying a young woman. The actress who played her in the movie also played Juliet's older neighbor lady during the Dharma book club scene in a previous episode.
• Among the documents that Caesar finds are the older Rousseau's map of the island, another map that belonged to Ben, and Daniel Faraday's diagram of the space/time anomaly.
  
• Caesar and Ilana were in the Hydra station where Kate and Sawyer had been held captive. This also means Ajira Flight 316 had crashed on the second island. Or did the plane land? When held captive, Kate and Sawyer were forced to move rocks which Juliet later said was the beginning of a runway. Did Jacob (Locke) anticipate the need for one?
  
• I liked the Jedi-like reveal of Locke as he lowered the Ajira Airlines blanket from his face.
  
• The two outrigger canoes are obviously the ones found earlier by Locke, Sawyer, and the others during one of their time jumps. Ilana said the third outrigger was taken by the pilot and "some woman". Sun? And is this who was shooting at Locke and his group?
• So Charles Widmore was the leader of the island before Ben exiled him.
• The London newspaper Widmore showed Locke was dated January 14, 2005. Since the Oceanic 6 have been back for three years, that makes it 2008 when this scene takes place.
• What could Widmore possibly mean about a war coming and that if Locke is not back on the island then the wrong side wins?
• Locke's fake passport indicates he is Canadian and is 60 years old.
• Jeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He was a political radical and is best known for his advocacy of utilitarianism. As requested in his will, his body was preserved and stored in a wooden cabinet, termed his "Auto-icon".
• The concept of Locke being special goes back to Season 1 when his mother sought him out at the hardware store where he was working and told him he was special. Walt was also referred to as this as well.
• I enjoyed seeing Locke and Walt together again.
• I'm thinking it's only a matter of time before Walt's dream of Locke wearing a suit on the beach and being surrounded by people who want to hurt him to come true.
• Interesting that Locke chose not to convince Walt to return to the island.
• Hurley's drawing was of the Sphinx, whose name's origin comes from "to hold tight". Or maybe strangle?
  
• Could the story of Helen's death by brain aneurysm have been fabricated to keep Locke on track?
• Is Abaddon really dead or is there more to this man than meets the eye?
  
• Is the final car that Locke crashes into the Mystery Car of Death? This is the vehicle that has repeatedly appeared in the show over the years (almost backing into Locke, running into Kate and her doctor friend, being crashed into by Hurley in his Camaro).
• I loved the scene in the hospital when Locke reveals he spoke with Jack's dad.
• Locke's extension cord/noose was purchased at Angels Hardware according to the name on the paper bag.
• Ben convincing Locke that he is important and not to kill himself makes Ben's savage attack even more brutal. Why did the mention of Eloise Hawking's name cause such a deadly reaction from Ben?
• Now we know how Ben came into possession of Jin's ring.

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

• Ilana points out that there were 3 outrigger canoes.
• The license plate of the pickup truck in Tunisia is 342 6346.
• Locke tells Widmore it has only been 4 days since he last spoke to Richard.
• Widmore says he protected the island for 3 decades.
• The passport shows "Jeremy Bentham's" birthdate as 15 Feb '48.
  
• Locke is told to press 2 3 on the phone to reach Widmore.
• It has been 2 years since Sayid was manipulated by Ben.
• Abaddon tells Locke he is 0-2 as he fails to convince anyone to return to the island.
• Abaddon points out there Locke has had 3 unsuccessful visits.
• Helen's tombstone shows the dates of June 30, 1957 - April 8, 2006.
  

Previews - Next week's episode, "LaFleur" looks like we may see a reunion between those who were left behind and those who have returned.

"316" (Season 5, Episode 6)

Tonight's episode ranks right up there as one of my favorites. It was classic Lost. There were answers to old questions. There were new questions. There were more new questions. It may have been the most satisfying, exciting, interesting hour so far this season.

Best Line

• "We're not going to Guam, are we?" Ajira pilot Frank Lapidus resigned to his fate.
  

Did You Notice?

• In keeping with some of the religious overtones of this episode, the title "316" could also refer to John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
• Yet one more opening that features an extreme close-up of someone's eye. Starting the episode as if we were back when Jack first woke up on the island back in the pilot episode was clever.
• As I correctly guessed back in December when the logo first appeared, the off-island Dharma station is the Lamppost. The reference to C.S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is far from coincidental since the lamppost was the object that the four children first encountered when entering the fantasical land of Narnia.
• Could the "clever fellow" to whom Ms. Hawking referred be her son, Daniel Faraday?
• I absolutely loved the fact that Desmond repeatedly crossed the map and each time never once had to avoid the swinging pendulum as if he was in perfect sync with it.
• I can't wait to see the unpredictable result Ms. Hawking warned of by going back to the island with less than everyone.
• So was Ben praying in the church or just practicing his use of the finger pyramid of evil contemplation?
• My co-worker Tony felt Ben's promise to an old friend and the loose end that needed tying up was referring to his threat to Widmore that Penny would pay for Alex's death. Tony's theory is that the bloodied Ben at the marina was the aftermath of him killing Penny and that this will be the reason for Desmond to return to the island - revenge for Penny's death.
• Did the magician's white rabbit signify that we were through the looking glass again?
  
• I'm usually very pleased with the casting of actors on the show, but are we really supposed to believe Ray is Jack's granddad and Christian's father? The actor who played Ray is 70. The actor who plays Jack's dad is 59, meaning Ray would have been 11 years old when his son was born. Matthew Fox who plays Jack is 43 so Christian would have been 16 when he became a dad. Talk about time traveling! If I believe the creators of Lost know what they're doing (and I do), then could Granddad Ray really be Jack grown old? Would this explain Ray's need to escape the boredom of the old folks home and seek adventure?
• Where is Aaron? Did Claire mysteriously return to claim her son? The last time she appeared to Kate she warned Kate not to take him back. Is Sun's mother taking care of him along with Ji Yeon? Sun did tell her daughter she had a new playmate for her. Or did Kate break down and give Aaron to Ben, which would explain her reluctance to discuss it.
• We now know why since Season 1 Jack's dad was wearing white tennis shoes with his burial suit.
• Prior to co-worker Tony's theory about Ben, I thought perhaps the wet and bloodied Ben had been in an altercation with Sayid, which resulted in his arrest by the female officer who boarded the plane with him. If Ben instead did kill Penny on her and Desmond's boat at the marina, are we supposed to believe that they sailed from Oxford, England, to Los Angeles, California?
• Was it me or did Locke have more beard stubble than when we first saw him in the coffin at the end of Season 4?
  
• The man who offered Jack his condolences in the ticket line is a new character, Caesar. The woman escorting Sayid is the other new character, Ilana. Let's hope we don't have another Nikki and Paolo on our hands.
  
• Hurley was reading a Spanish version of "Y: The Last Man". The story is about "the only man to survive the mysterious simultaneous death of every male mammal on Earth."
• I wonder if Charlie appeared to Hurley and told him about the flight? Is this also why Hurley had a guitar case with him? Was that Charlie's proxy?
• Did Ben represent Hurley arriving late for the flight? Or was he filling in for Locke as the injured man, his arm in a sling instead of being in a wheelchair?
• Was it coincidence that Frank Lapidus, originally to be Oceanic Flight 815's pilot, was the Ajira Flight 316's pilot?
  
• When Ben told Jack his mother taught him to read, you could presume this was Ben just being flippant since we know his mother died in childbirth or we could wonder if maybe the ghost of Ben's mother reappeared to him throughout his youth, continuing her parental responsibilities.
• Ben is reading Ulysses by James Joyce. The plot and theme center on life as a journey. The framework of the novel is based on Homer's The Odyssey.
• So this time instead of a plane crash, we get a time flash. What did happen to the plane and the other passengers?
  
• When last we saw Jin (as well as Sawyer, Juliet, and Miles), the time was pre-Orchid station and even pre-well being dug. The new condition of the VW bus and Jin's coveralls makes me think this is the 70's when the Dharma Initiative first came to the island. Did Locke's adjustment to the frozen donkey wheel strand Jin and the others in the past with the Others?
  

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

• The events at the Lamppost took place 46 hours earlier than the return to the island.
• The U.S. Army island photo had the date 9/23/54 and the reference Op 264.
• Ms. Hawking told Jack the "window" would only be open for 36 more hours.
  
• The Ajira flight was 316.
• Kate takes 2 sugars in her coffee.
• Jill the butcher needed 5 minutes to get the van ready for Jack to take Locke's body.
• The Ajira flight left from Gate 15.
• Jack was seated in Row 8.
  

Previews - The title of next week's episode, "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham", pretty much sums up what we can expect. We see Locke speaking with new character Ilana as well as Charles Widmore; yet another leg mishap resulting in Locke in a cast; and the return of what I think may be the Mystery Car of Death!

"This Place is Death" (Season 5, Episode 5)

Tonight's episode was a night of revelations and confirmations. Eloise Hawking is in fact Faraday's mother. Charlotte was on the island as a little girl. And the frozen donkey wheel looks to be at the center of all the time flashes.

Best Line

• "He's Korean. I'm from Encino." Miles to Sawyer after being asked to translate what Jin said on the presumption that all Asians understand each other.
  

Did You Notice?

• There was a small, red star near the neckline on the back of Jin's t-shirt.
  
• The blond Frenchman mentioned a submarine when mocking Jin and his comments about the ship and the helicopter. Not too far off.
  
• I guess we can add another book to the Lost library: A Farewell to Arms. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
  
• The temple where the smoke monster resides was covered with hieroglyphics similar to those where the frozen donkey wheel was and to the final symbols on the Swan station's countdown clock.
• Robert says the smoke monster is a security system for the temple. What is it guarding?
  
• The temple is where Ben told Richard Alpert to take his people after Ben shot Locke in Season 3.
• So the elder Rousseau was telling the truth when she said her team went mad. I guess the trip into the smoke monster's liar is not good for your mental health.
• Since Rousseau asked Jin about disappearing, I guess this means when anyone time jumps, the people remaining see them go and remember it.
  
• A boat at the marina had the name "Illusion" on its bow.
• Why was Charlotte adamant that Sun specifically not return to the island?
  
• Was Charlotte referring to Ben when, in her time-tripping state, she mentioned "marrying an American"?
• Charlotte also spoke of Geronimo Jackson, the band whose album Charlie and Hurley found in the hatch in Season 2. Could young Charlotte have been in that same Dharma station and listened to that exact record?
• Charlotte's life-long search for the island explains her joy in the Season 4 flashback at finding the polar bear skeleton with the Dharma collar in Tunisia.
• So at some point Faraday the "crazy man" travels back to young Charlotte's time on the island to warn her.
  
• Do you wonder if Locke regrets regaining the use of his legs since being on the island? The hatch door has crushed them. Ethan shot him in one leg. And now, he's got a bone protruding out of the other.
• If Jacob is a version of Locke (which I believe), could he be using a simulation of Christian Sheppard so as not to reveal himself? Is this also why Christian couldn't help Locke stand or reset the wheel?
• Christian informs Locke that "everyone" who left must return to the island. May not be so easy with Kate and Sayid refusing to have anything to do with this idea.
• The viewers all know that Christian is Jack's dad but obviously Locke has no clue.
  
• Did you get the impression that Ben didn't know that Eloise Hawking was Faraday's mother?
  

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

• The numbers 4,8,15,16,23,42 could be heard over the French team's receiver. Some folks on-line believe the voice to be that of Hurley.
• Rousseau said her team set sail on November 15.
  

Previews - On next week's "316", it looks like we may be in for some more revelations, this time about the island, as Eloise Hawking follows through on her declaration "Let's get started."

"The Little Prince" (Season 5, Episode 4)

Tonight's episode shares its title with a novel by Antoine de Saint Exupery, who was not only a French author but also an aviator. In July 1944, he flew out of an airbase to collect intelligence on German troop movements and was never seen again. He and his plane mysteriously disappeared. His story of "The Little Prince" concerns the title character, an alien boy stranded in the Sahara Desert who misses his life on his home asteroid. He also travels to six other asteroids and encounters one person on each one (The Oceanic 6?). It is also a story of love and loneliness, sadness and solitude.

Best Line

• "Hurray. Everything's back to normal." My favorite of Miles many sarcastic comments.
  

Did You Notice?

• So it was Kate's idea to raise Aaron as her son.
• Kate's statement to Jack, "I've always been with you", was very powerful.
  
• Is life like a box of chocolates when there's a gun hidden in the bottom?
• The last name of the female doctor who speaks to Jack is Ariza. I Googled the name and the most hits refer to Trevor Ariza, a small forward for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. Maybe the writers are fans?
• Are the tranquilizer gun-wielding assassins who keep attacking Sayid on Widmore's payroll?
  
• I loved the moments when the current characters on the island witnessed moments from the past - Locke and the light at the hatch, Sawyer seeing Kate deliver Aaron.
• I now have no doubt that Miles is the baby that Candle/Wickmund/Halliwax/Chang was holding in this season's opening. This would explain his susceptibility to the time travel illness. He's been on the island for more than just the past two weeks.
• The water bottle is from Ajira Airlines, whose website I mentioned in past entries. Is this perhaps how the Oceanic 6 get back to the island?
• Could the occupants of the other outrigger be the Oceanic 6? Or even Locke, Sawyer, and the rest having jumped from the future to this moment to try and stop themselves from corrupting the time line?
• As soon as I saw Claire's mother in the "previously on", I was certain she was lawyer Norton's client, trying to get custody of Ben. I was fooled.
• Was it coincidence that Locke and his group were in the midst of a downpour while a storm moved in on Jack and Kate in Los Angeles?
  
• The name on Ben's carpet cleaning van read Canton-Rainier, which is an anagram of reincarnation. Appropriate since this was the vehicle where Locke's body was originally kept before being put on ice at the butcher shop.
• The container amidst the beach wreckage read "BESIXDOUZE". Douze is French for the number 12. In other words, B612, which was also the name of the Little Prince's asteroid home.
  
• As soon as Locke saw the container with the French writing and they cut to the raft of people, I knew we were seeing Rousseau's team when they first got shipwrecked. I was not, however, expecting the floating body to be Jin! Anyone wondering how Jin could have survived the freighter's explosion, remember that the island will not let you die until it's ready to let you die.
• The inflatable raft that held Rousseau's team was the same octagonal shape as the Dharma logos.
  
• Rough translation of Rousseau's team's conversation on the raft:

"I have said we would follow (untranslatable) of those damned numbers."
"It's not my fault, Robert. Breman was to keep the sonar."
"But I did, Montand. I have (untranslatable)."
"The instruments have no function."
"A man at sea!"
"What? I thought that was all!"
"Correct! It is not us. Who is it?"

• The elder Rousseau had previously explained that her team went mad and she had to kill them. Could their madness be the result of the current time shifts?
  

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

• Kate said it would take more than 2 nights for her to get used to a normal bed.
  
• Kate suggested she tell everyone she was 6 months pregnant when she was arrested.
• Sawyer points out that Charlotte has been out of 10 minutes.
• Jack notes that Sawyer was unconscious for 42 hours and had the equivalent of 3 doses of horse tranquilizers in his system.
  
• Kate's home address is 42 Panorama Crest.
• Ben says to meet at Slip 23 at the marina.
• Miles says he's came to the island 2 weeks ago.
  
• Juliet says Claire gave birth 2 months ago.
• One of Rousseau's team on the beach has a device announcing "4, 8, 15, 16".
  

Previews - On next week's "This Place is Death", will Kate be convinced to return to the island? Will Sun shoot Ben? What is Locke doing descending into what looks like a well?