"He's Our You" (Season 5, Episode 10)

First off, I'm typing as fast as I can because Blogger has a scheduled outage at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time tonight. I won't be able to re-watch the episode and blog, but for the first time ever, I really don't see the need to since I was really underwhelmed by this episode with the hard to understand title (at least when Sawyer said it) "He's Our You". (I'm reminded of the sheep in the movie "Babe" who chanted "Baa-Ram-Ewe".) Although the hour went fast, I was once again not overly thrilled with what went on. Even the shooting of young Ben at the end seemed telegraphed ahead of time since the previews last week. Since we're in the second-to-the-last season, I guess I'm expecting each episode to both wow and enlighten us and - dare I say it - provide some answers. So far, it's been off and on.

Best Line

• "Three years - no burning buses. Y'all are back one day. . ." Sawyer to Jack during the chaos of the bus attack.
  

Did You Notice?

• The book young Ben gave to Sayid was Carlos Castaneda's "A Separate Reality" with the subtitle "Further Conversations with don Juan". In what the author says is non-fiction, Castaneda resumes his apprenticeship, determined to go deeper still into the world of Don Juan, a sorcerer and shaman, to learn to see beyond the surface realities of life. He continues his dialogue with don Juan, intuitive, wise, demanding, and fierce in his struggle to see and know beyond the vision of ordinary men; and himself, a man of courage and intelligence who submits himself to don Juan's teaching, to enter into another world as a participant rather than an observer.
• So Hurley got a job in the Dharma Initiative cafeteria. Are we to assume that Juliet arranged for his position, figuring the big guy should be around food? Writers, you couldn't have been a little more creative?
• The song Oldham was listening to was "I Can't Give You Anything But Love".
• Oldham was played by William Sanderson, who was also Larry of the Larry, Darryl, and my other brother Darryl trio on the sitcom Newhart.
• I liked that Sayid's honest answers given under the control of the truth serum were met with skepticism and disbelief due to their outlandish nature.
  
• The "Ann Arbor" comment by Radzinsky refers to the Dharma Headquarters in that Michigan city.
• Is it really coincidence that Ilana had Sayid on the same flight that would take the other Oceanic 6 back to the island or were these the machinations of Ben or Ms. Hawking?
  
• Sayid's comment to Ilana about Ben being "a monster responsible for nothing short of genocide" could easily be used to describe Adolf Hitler, who is often the subject of the classic time travel query: If you could go back in time and kill Hitler, would you do it? In fact, this was even referenced in this season's premiere episode by the mining foreman in the excavation under the Orchid Station, to which Dr. Pierre Change responded with "Don't be absurd."
  

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

• Young Ben said he ran away 4 years ago and first encountered Richard Alpert.
• Sawyer tells Phil to get everyone to Building 15 during the burning bus incident.
  

Previews - Next week's "Whatever Happened, Happened" is a reference to the quote from Faraday (where's he been?) about time travel impacting established events. Does this mean adult Ben will still be alive and well (other than the beat down he got from Sun) in 2007? I'm guessing Jack will need to step up and once again be expected to save Ben. Or will he? Like Sayid, will Jack take this opportunity to try and change the future by letting young Ben die? The episode in two weeks is titled "Dead is Dead" if that gives us any insight.

"Namaste" (Season 5, Episode 9)

Wow, did that hour go fast and I loved every minute of it! Maybe because last week was a rerun, but I really enjoyed last night's episode. The highlights for me included the nerve-wracking landing of Ajira Flight 316 (even though we knew the outcome more or less, it was still a thrilling opening); the Dharma disorientation of Jack, Kate, and Hurley into the '70s; the creepiness of Sun's encounter with Christian (full moon, creaky door); and the awkward reunions of Sawyer, Kate, Jack, and Juliet.

On a side note from the "LaFleur" episode, some on-line sites are theorizing that the four-toed statue is not Anubis, god of death, but Taweret, the goddess of fertility, which is interesting for an island where births are not usually successful. Also, the reason we may not have seen the statue from the front is that the goddess is visibly pregnant.

Best Lines (Because of last week's rerun, I am picking three favorites from this week's show.)

• "Uh. . .what?" Hurley after learning they had returned to the island in 1977.
• "How'd that work out for everyone?" Ben to Lapidus regarding the boat full of commandos that were supposed to take down Ben.
• "I lied." Sun succinctly explaining to Lapidus, who thought she trusted Ben, after her paddle-ing of Ben.
  

Did You Notice?

• Apparently, the supposed runway that Juliet told Sawyer in Season 3 that he and Kate were building was in fact just that.
• When the runway appears, you can hear the transmission of the Numbers over the cockpit radio.
  
• When Caesar checks on Ilana after the crash, she says "Jarrah", Sayid's last name.
• Of the Oceanic 6 on Ajira Flight 316, why was Sun the only one not transported back to 1977? Why did she remain on the plane? Does it have anything to do with the fact that she got pregnant on the island and successfully gave birth? Or is it because Jin did not want her to return and the island picked up on this?
• When the "Thirty Years Earlier" came on the screen in the beginning, my immediate thought was what happened way back then?! I quickly realized we were going back to 1977 to see Sawyer and the reunited survivors. Seeing it written out though really put it into perspective how far apart in time both groups are from each other.
• Since the creators of "Lost" are such big fans of "Star Wars", is it coincidence that our characters are in 1977, the year the movie premiered?
• For those of you who may not have realized it, the high-strung balding and bearded Radzinsky would later become Kelvin Inman's partner in the Swan station prior to Desmond arriving. Here, he would create the glow-in-the-dark blast door map that Locke saw when trapped and would eventually commit suicide by putting a shotgun in his mouth, leaving an unsightly blood stain on the hatch's ceiling.
• The geodesic dome model that Radzinsky was building would be seen in the Swan orientation film.
• I was reminded of Jack's "Live together" speech in the pilot episode when Lapidus was speaking to the passengers on the beach.
  
• We now know the identify of Horace and Amy's baby: it's Ethan Rom! Could this mean that Amelia, the older woman in Juliet's book club in Season 3, is an older version of his mother and Amy is just a nickname? This might explain why Amelia chides Ethan for taking so long to fix Juliet's plumbing when Amelia first arrives for the book club and Ethan is half under the house.
• "The Muppet Show" is playing on one of the Flame Station's monitors. The series premiered in 1976. You can also see a commercial with Speedy Alka Seltzer.
  
• Was Sawyer's comment that Faraday's not here anymore a reference not to his physical being but to his sanity? In this season's premiere, we did see Faraday in the mine during this time period.
• During the Dharma recruit event, the 1975 song "Ride Captain Ride" by the group Blues Image was playing (thanks, Eric M!). The lyrics include "Ride, captain ride, upon your mystery ship, Be amazed, at the friends, you have here on your trip. Ride, captain ride, upon your mystery ship, On your way, to a world, that others might have missed." So fitting!
  
• Namaste is an Indian salutation which means "I bow to you."
  
• Did Juliet arrange for Jack to be a janitor? And was her last minute save of Kate planned?
• I find it interesting that Sawyer and Jin are both now in positions of authority when originally they were overlooked due to attitude and the language barrier, respectively.
  
• Prior to Christian's appearance, whispers could be heard.
• When Christian showed Sun the group photo from 1977, who else thought of the final scene in the movie "The Shining" when Jack Nicholson's character was visible in a New Year's picture from the Overlook Hotel's past?
• There seemed to be black smoke lingering outside the processing center door where Christian and Sun were. Right after, there is blond woman behind Sun when Christian tells her she has "a bit of a journey" ahead of her. Is this Claire?
• Of course, I think we all realized this was young Ben visiting Sayid. The question is did Sayid know who he was? After all, no one told Sayid what year it was.
  

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

• The Numbers "4. . .8. . .15. . .16" could be heard on the Ajira airplane cockpit radio.
• Amy noted that there were 2 recruits that dropped out.
• Sawyer tells Jack they have 10 minutes to make intake and that the next batch of recruits would be in 6 months.
• The alarm was tripped in Grid 325.
• Ben knew of 3 outrigger canoes on the beach.
  

Previews - Next week's "He's Our You" features Ben's dad, more of young Ben, and - are you ready for this? - young Sayid! We can also expect a break in new episodes in late April when a clip show airs instead. This is no doubt to push the finale into the ratings important month of May. Also, rumor has it that by the end of the season there will be two deaths: one a major character who is much-loved by the viewers and another "major-ish" character. Could this be Desmond and Penny? Is this why Ben was wet and bloody at the marina?

"LaFleur" (Season 5, Episode 8)

I must be going through Locke withdrawal after the last two episodes, but tonight's "LaFleur" didn't really impress me. Maybe because it didn't offer up any revelations or because it seemed like a very special Valentine Day's episode (other than Amy and Paul's picnic gone horribly wrong).

Best Line

• "The beach? What? You didn't get enough flaming arrows shot at you?" Miles responding to Sawyer's suggestion as to where they should go.
  

Did You Notice?

• One would assume that the four-toed foot relic seen by Sayid, Sun, and Jin in the Season 2 finale was once the giant statue seen in this episode. Although only shown from the back, many details (the pointy ears, the skirt) bear a striking resemblance to Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead.
• Why in the scenes of Locke turning the frozen donkey wheel was there no sign of Christian?
  
• The song on the reel-to-reel is "Candida" by Tony Orlando and Dawn, which was released in 1970.
• Rosie's T-shirt had the band name Geronimo Jackson written across it in a stars and stripes pattern.
• The Dharma security jumpsuits had a logo with a star in the center, not unlike a sheriff's badge.
  
• Is it coincidence that Goodspeed's first name Horace sounds like the Egyptian god of the sky, Horus?
  
• Do you suppose Horace got the dynamite from the slave ship, the Black Rock? Sawyer did make mention of the vessel as part of his cover story three years earlier.
• Why did Sawyer have his" last name" on his Dharma jumpsuit when traditionally it's the first name that's stitched there.
• Fans of "24" should have recognized Amy as the same actress who played CTU's Michelle Dressler and wife of Tony Almeida.
• Was Faraday's mumblings of "I'm not gonna tell her" referring to him telling the young Charlotte to leave the island?
• The Dharma motor pool had a logo with a wrench in the center as seen on the water tank as Sawyer goes to get Juliet.
  
• If things proceed as we've seen, Amy's baby is the first (and last) baby to be born on the island until Aaron is born. Or has Juliet's successful delivery changed the future of births on the island? Since this is the 70's, Amy's baby son would now be in his 30's. Could he be someone we've met already? Sawyer? Is this why he was suffering nose bleeds?
• I thought it was heartbreaking when Faraday saw his recently lost love Charlotte's younger self. Was this so overwhelming for him that he broke down and that's why he wasn't seen again in this episode three-years-later segments?
• So the sonic fence has no effect on Richard Alpert and the island's natives?
• I loved Sawyer's remark to Horace about talking to his buddy with the eyeliner. Another Egyptian reference: Kohl was used as an eyeliner to ward off evil spirits.
  
• Amy's husband Paul's necklace was an ankh, the Egyptian hieroglyphic for eternal life. This along with the four-toed statue and the hieroglyphics seen in both the countdown clock in the Swan hatch and on the temple walls all seem to imply an Egyptian connection.
• For possibly the first time on the show, Sawyer is reading a book with no cover, making it impossible for us to identify it. Significant? You can't judge a book by its cover?
• What happened to Horace's wife, Olivia, the island school teacher who taught young Ben? And speaking of young Ben, his character is scheduled to appear in four episodes this season.
  

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

• The events in this episode occurred over a 3 year period.
  
• Phil was only gone for 10 minutes when Jerry and Rosie had their "hootenanny".
• Jerry states that it's 3 in the morning when Phil suggests waking up LaFleur.
  
• Amy's baby was 2 weeks early.
• Juliet pointed out that she had lived in the Dharma town for over 3 years.
• Horace stated that the sub would return in 2 weeks.
  

Previews - "Namaste", which appears to follow up with Ben and Sun but also has Sayid showing up in the 70's, will be the next new episode in two weeks. Why the rerun next week? I have no idea. I had thought that the late start in January and the shortened season meant we would have consecutive weeks of new episodes with no reruns. Oh, well. See you in two!