Well, we got our money's worth, as it were, in last night's episode. It was a long wait between the eighth and ninth shows this season, but it paid off well.
We are thrust into motion from the beginning, Bernard has found a body and screams for help, as the doctor from the boat washes up onto the beach at Jack's camp, slit throat and all. Daniel identifies the body as the doctor.
Shift quickly over to Locke's camp and we have a humorous repartee among Hurley, Locke, and Sawyer -- which at first we don't realize is humorous, because it goes like this, all in close up:
Hurley: We're all gonna die.
Sawyer: Calm down Chicken Little; the sky ain't falling just yet.
Hurley: This is just what he wants, to fight among ourselves. You're making a big mistake, dude.
Locke: It's his to make, Hugo. (turning to Sawyer) Let's get on with it.
Sawyer: Right. (pause) I'm attacking Siberia.
And as the camera pulls back we see that they're playing the board game Risk. A LOST comedic moment. A nice touch is that Hurley is holding Aaron, sort of taking the Charlie role for when Claire is not around.
The phone rings and Locke answers. He hears a computerized voice repeating "Code 14J." Which when they tell Ben, he goes into combat mode saying, "They're here."
We have a flash-forward storyline again, which, as has become standard, is closer to the "present" time than all the other flash forwards. This one is about Ben, who enters the Sahara Desert in Tunisia, employing what seems to have been another time-warping body transfer. After some neat 007 moves, Ben shows off his equestrian prowess as he rides off toward a town in Tunisia.
Ben arrives at a hotel where he is a preferred guest, Dean Moriarty (for all you Holmes folk) and asks the desk clerk what the date is, October 21st -- and he's not sure of the year, "2005?" "Yes sir, 2005."
We also meet up with Sayid, who is in Tunisia to bury his dead wife Nadia. Yes, it seems Sayid made it back to the States and married her after all. She was then killed by an employee of Charles Widmore. Why? Maybe we'll find out, maybe not. Ben seems a little surprised to see Sayid there, but it's Ben after all.
The reason it seems that Ben has come to Tunisia is to contact Widmore's associate (the one who killed Nadia) and have him take a message to Widmore. But Sayid gets revenge and kills Widmore's boy. Sayid tells Ben that he has no life anymore and asks, "Benjamin, who's next?" Ben says, "I'll be in touch," and, turning, grins as he walks away. That sly boots.
Meanwhile at the beach, Daniel says that the doctor was fine the last time he saw him. Jack asks when that was, to which Daniel replies, "When? When is kind of a relative thing." Good, more time-travel wassupness.
Charles Widmore's commando boys have Alex in tow and attack Locke's camp, unfortunately, Sawyer ran out of the house to find Claire just as the shooting begins. James does okay for himself, but for three other others, it was not to be. Almost comedically, Sawyer yells "Get back inside the house," and one person gets shot. Another comes out, "Get back inside," bang, dead. And a third, "Get inside," too late, dead.
Then Widmore's crew shoots a small missile at Claire's abode just as Sawyer was going to go in. Kaboom! LOST fans everywhere take a deep breath, "Oh, no, I guess this is where Claire gets it." But, no, Sawyer finds Claire a little banged up and brings her back to the Ben/Locke house.
The big stuff comes next. In a face off with Ben vs. the militia, Commando #1 puts Alex on her knees and tells Ben he will kill her unless Ben surrenders. Ben says that she is not his daughter, that he only took her away from a crazy woman and raised her, and that he is not coming out of the house. Unfortunately, as he speaks his last words, Alex is shot in the head. Ben is overcome and says that, "They changed the rules."
Ben runs into a room, and through several secret panels in the walls, until he get to a machine. He comes out some minutes later and says get ready to run. The house starts shaking and there out the window in the woods is . . . Smokey! Ben has called the smoke monster to the rescue! Hurrah. Cool. So, how does Ben control that thing anyhow? And what is it?
Okay, so Locke's group splits. Sawyer, Claire, Aaron, and Miles are off to Jack's camp. While Ben, Locke, and Hurley are off to find the cabin and Jacob -- according to Ben, Hurley can find the cabin.
In the final flash-forward sequence Ben is in London and gets into Charles Widmore's penthouse in the middle of the night. Widmore asks if Ben has come to kill him. "No, you know I can't do that." WHY NOT? Though Ben does say that he's going to kill Penelope, so that when she's dead, Widmore will know how it feels to lose a daughter.
Too many questions, but it was a tremendous effort -- one of the best to date. No progress on the people on the boat, but I guess Desmond isn't going to like Ben killing Penelope. Of course, Desmond might not be around by then. It's all relative, right?
Kenn
