"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?