IT TAKES A VILLAGE

By BILL ERVOLINO

Do the words wowie-kazowie ring a bell?

“Lost” returned like gangbusters on Thursday night with a dazzling siege on the barracks, two notable deaths, and, just when you thought all the stops had been pulled out, the return of the smoke monster.

All we needed to make this a perfect episode was Desmond, but he was always in our thoughts -- especially in that final two minutes.

“The Shape of Things to Come” -- like “The Economist” -- gave us a glimpse into the series’ super-spy future. But as both episodes showed us, if “Lost” is going to get all James Bond on us, it had better do it with style, strong writing, and solid acting.

This was a Ben-centric episode. But the sight of Jack in the opening scene -- ooh yeah, I forgot all about him -- served to remind us that, like it or not, the NEW star of this show is played by Michael Emerson, not Matthew Fox.

Nowadays, even when Ben barely shows up in an episode, his presence is inescapable. And, in his flash-forward, this was underscored when he used the alias of Moriarty -- the arch-nemesis of Sherlock Holmes.

Although Moriarty appeared (or was merely mentioned) in only a handful of the Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, he always seemed to be lurking around every corner -- a super-foe who, in additional to being a globe-trotting mathematical genius, appeared incapable of being killed.

The name was later appropriated by Jack Kerouac for a character in his classic “On the Road.” Kerouac’s real-life friend Neal Cassady became “Dean Moriarty” in the book -- and that is the same name Ben uses when he is on the road.

(If you’ve never read the book, give it a shot. I re-read it a few months ago and was blown away.)

Anyway, let’s get down to business:

PLOT: Keamy and a group of other mercenaries from the Kahana eventually make it onto the island, take Alex hostage, and use her to get to Ben. They storm the Barracks with some serious firepower, and murder Alex, before they are assailed by the smoke monster, which Ben apparently controls. After that noisy confrontation, James decides to head back to the beach with Miles, Claire and Aaron; while -- at Ben’s insistence -- he, Locke and Hurley set out for a pow-wow with Jacob.

FLASH: In 2005, we see Ben pop up (inexplicably) in the Sahara before heading for Tunisia and, eventually, Iraq, where Sayid has returned for Nadia’s funeral. When their paths cross, Sayid tells Ben that he married Nadia, and that she was killed in Los Angeles. Ben, who appears to be trailing her killer, finally confronts him with a “message” for Charles Widmore. But before that message can be delivered, Sayid shoots the man. In the end, Ben makes his way into one of Widmore’s residences, with revenge on his lips. In a nutshell: you killed my daughter, so I’m going to kill yours.

MYSTERIES: Ben’s abrupt arrival, somewhere in the Sahara desert, suggested that he was teleported there. He is wearing a Dharma jumpsuit with the name Halliwax on it. (If you’ve seen The Orchid Video, you know that this is another alias of Marvin Candle. If you haven’t see the vid, you can watch it HERE.

In the opening sequence, Bernard finds a body on the beach which

Dan Faraday identifies as the doctor who was aboard the Kahana. His throat is slashed and there is some other wound on his cheek. Dan sends a Morse code message to the boat and lies about the response he receives. So, what happened to the doctor? And what fresh lunacy is happening on the freighter?

It appears as if the man who Ben suggests killed Nadia works for Widmore. But, does he really, or was this merely a ploy to get Sayid on his side?

On two occasions -- first, when the siege begins on the Barracks, and later during the confrontation with Widmore -- Ben says that “the rules” have been changed. We’re not sure what he’s talking about, but we’re going to assume that no one else does, either.

BEN AND CHARLES: From the looks -- and sounds -- of their confrontation, Ben and Widmore are longtime foes. And, yet, each seems confident that he will not be killed by the other. (Ben has no qualms about going to the window of his house when Keamy steps forward with Alex; and Charles’s notable response to Ben’s invasion of his bedroom is to pour himself a glass of that pricey scotch of his.)

NUMBERS: When Alex deactivates the fence, she also acitvates a warning using the code 1622. The warning call that goes to Ben’s house is Code 14J -- which is the same code used by the U.S. Army for a manual early warning alert. (Also, of possible note: In May of 1622, the English ship Tryall, which left Plymouth for Batavia was shipwrecked; Two months earlier, the Jamestown Massacre occurred; and there was also a “time change,” as the Gregorian calendar declared Jan. 1 the first day of the year, replacing March 25. This might well all be coincidence, although each event does have some relevance to this episode.)

JACOB: Apparently, talking to Jacob becomes more complicated every few weeks. Locke can see him, but can’t find the cabin by himself; while Hurley is capable of finding the cabin, although we’re not sure what else he can do -- yet.

Jacob appears to be the island’s long-dead patriarch, whose soul is trapped in the cabin by a bit of old-fashioned voodoo. In a previous Jacob sighting, though, it was Christian Shephard, another long-dead patriarch, who was sitting in his chair.

All of this led to one of the evening’s more implausible moments, when Miles decides to go with James and Claire instead of heading for the cabin. The only reason for this is that Miles will probably be the one who explains Jacob to us, and the writers don’t want that to happen too soon.

ON THE BEACH: Jack’s illness, which appears to be his appendix, is another convenient device for something -- although at the moment we’re not sure what it is. Since we still don’t know how the Oceanic Six will make it off the island, we have to wonder if Jack’s illness will somehow play a part.

Who does and doesn’t get off the island has been known to us for months, now. What we don’t know is WHY these six leave, whether or not Ben is also taken away, and the purpose for their being taken home. (Ben tells Sayid that he used Desmond’s boat to escape, but he’s lied before. What else does he have in that downstairs Batcave of his?) We also don’t know if Desmond will also leave. Since he wasn’t on the plane, he -- and the alias-using Michael -- may also go home this season without being considered part of the Six. Ditto for Juliet.

SOME OTHER lingering questions: What was the point of Faraday lying about the Morse code message? Will he, Charlotte, Miles and Lapidus remain on the island, or leave with the O-6 rescuers? What will happen to Jin?

What connection -- if any -- exists between Widmore and Dharma? Would such a connection explain why Widmore insists the island is his?

Where are the remaining Others and what role will they play in the events that send some castaways home while so many remain?

Despite a few bits of predictable dialogue, this was my favorite hour of television in a long, long time.

I loved the attack. I enjoyed the flash-forward. I expected -- but loved -- the I’m Gonna Kill Your Daughter business at the end.

Aw, I loved the whole damned thing.

Comments

[Ed]

I loved it as well; the hour flew by so much was happenning. The smoke monster attack gave me chills.

I can understand why Miles would head to the beach rather than stay with the Jocob team. He seemed genuinely shaken by what was going on; like the small time criminal that suddenly realizes he is in way over his head with the mob. He wants to get away from Ben and back to his "friends" from the freighter.

I thought it was interesting that Ben "appeared" in the Sahara dressed in a parka. I think he didn't arrive in the place he intended. That's also why he asked the hotel clerk about the date and year. He seemed reassured by her response, so apparently he was in the time he intended but not the space.

I have to say that Locke disappointed me though. He seemed bewildered and blindly following Ben's lead. Doesn't he ever learn?

[Jenny]

I think we actually do know what Ben was talking about when he said "the rules have changed." That's classic spy code from the days of the Cold War - you do not ever, ever go after the other guy's family.

Widmore's mercenaries took Alex, so at that moment not only did the rules change, but the course of this entire story did too. For a long time, Ben has coexisted with Widmore, each after each other, but within a certain understanding of how things are going to go. Ben lived by it.

Now, it's completely different - Ben's very reason for being has changed from protecting the island at all costs to avenging his daughter, at all costs.

[Juliet]

It certainly does seem as though Ben and Widmore are playing some elaborate "game"...

- I've always thought that Widmore was a funder [or co-funder with Hanso, and maybe Paik?]for Dharma. If he thinks the island is "his", then he may mean financially, since he has a lot of time and money invested...but what's the value? What does Widmore know? Is the island to him a treasure trove of minerals and electromagnetism? A scientic research place? A treasure from the BlackRock? Or, does he know about the longevity on the island and healing properties. All is still speculation, as usual...

- Ok, so Bernard is full of surprises...He knows Morse Code. [Good that someone did] Jack asked to speak to Bernard after Danielle left with Kate to modify the Sat phone...[about what?] And where is Rose?

- So, if Jack has appendicitis, I guess Juliet will fix him?

- We still don't know whether Desmond leaves the island vacinity....How does Sayid [one of the O6] get reunited with Kate, Jack, Aaron, Hurley and Sun?
HOW DO THEY ACTUALLY LEAVE THE ISLAND? Something tells me it's not the freighter that means rescue...

- Ben obviously was surprised that Keamy killed Alex. The states are high with Widmore and threatening Penny was a good move on Ben's part. Of course fans love Des and Penny, so they won't like it if Ben kills her...

- Agree about Miles, that he looks overwelmed. He probably didn't expect to have someone capture him, and now there's maybe a lot more violence than he expected? Compared to the mercenaries, like Keamy, Miles is pretty mild-mannered. And with all those dead ppl on the island, I would like that Mile's head is spinning, with spirits trying to contact him!

[Juliet]

I have been reading that ppl think Widmore was a BR survivor who left the island, or is related to Hanso.

If Widmore is not related to Hanso, he may have become a partner of Hanso...

If an ancient civilization lived on the island, the question would be whether or not it was still inhabited at the time of the BlackRock shipwreck...

Is Jacob of the ancients, OR of the BlackRock?

Did the ancients build the four-toed statue? The temple?

If you presume that Magnus Hanso [translated to Hanso the great, not necessarily his first name?] shipwrecked there, and that survivors lived on the island, eventually determining the longevity factor, with some leaving [the first mate, with the BR journal?]...

If Hanso was a wealthy guy, who had the resources to come and go from the island eventually having a family [Alvar] who became acquainted with, or was related to Widmore...who helped to fund Dharma....who bought the journal and sought the island after it disappeared from the radar after the purge Ben caused along with Richard/hostiles- who were long-lived survivors of BR?

interesting...

[Barry Smith]

I agree, I liked this episode a lot. There was lots of action and tension, in the flash forward, too. Did you notice Ben smiling as he walked away from Sayid after Sayid killed the guy who killed Nadia? I think that smile tells us that what Ben wanted all along was to recruit Sayid. And the way it worked out was pretty neat, Sayid didn't need to be recruited, he volunteered gladly.

I agree with Ed that Ben appearing in the Sahara dressed for someplace cold was weird. And I missed the name Halliwax on the Parka, good eye, Bill. Also, Jenny's point about "the rules have changed" and the Cold War seems to be right on the money. But when Ben confronts Widmore, he tells Widmore something like "You know I can't kill you", and that is intriguing. I wonder what that means?

This has nothing to do with this ep, but I have a theory. In ep 4.02,'Confirmed Dead', Frank says he was supposed to be the pilot on Oceanic 815 on that fateful day, 9/22/04. Suppose the Oceanic pilot who replaced Frank was also in the employ of Widmore, with instructions to fly the plane off course into the vicinity where it was thought the Island might be, in an attempt to confirm its location. Then the plane breaks apart because Des and Kelvin are out fighting, so nobody pushes the button on time. And many people on the plane survive the crash with the Island's help, including the pilot. But then he is killed by Smokey...I was thinking one of Widmore's people, maybe a spy among the Others, made sure the pilot was killed to make sure the pilot could never 'spill the beans'. Or maybe Ben had Smokey kill the pilot, because he knew the pilot was working for Widmore. I'm just saying that maybe the pilot's death was more than a random thing.
Any thoughts on this speculation are appreciated.

[Mike]

Really enjoyed the episode.

Nice catches, Barry. Also saw that smirk as Ben walked away, and since it appears that Ben can control the smoke monster (or at least release it), it has to be assumed that its appearance is never accidental.

* Claire surviving an RPG to her house is straight out of an A-TEAM episode
* Interrogator Sayid buys into smirky Ben's story pretty quickly, eh?

Considering how often Ben gets beat up on the show, was interesting to see him get all Indiana Jones on the two guys in the Sahara. And the moment where Ben's manipulations finally fail (with Keamy) was just pricesless.

Point to wonder about: if Ben does kill Penelope, then Desmond loses his constant -- what then happens with his "sickness?" And if something happens to Des in trying to save Penelope, then Dan loses his constant. It sets up an interesting web...

[Juliet]

I agree with Barry, that the pilot's death may not have been random...

Widmore seems to be in too deep in all of this, for anything to be a coincidence.

[Bill Ervolino]

FROM BILL: Yes, as I wrote in my post, I think Ben showed up at Nadia's funeral for the express purpose of recruiting Sayid. We can speculate on the pilot, but I don't think its something we can figure out until they tell us. I'm still wondering about Penny. If the freighter is her father's (and it seems to be), then Penny had to: A. Find about it. (since Widmore doesn't seem to be the type to tell his daughter his top-secret business); and B. Somehow make a connection between the island, Flight 815 and Desmond who, as far as she knows, was in a race and got lost at sea. I suppose its possible that Penny has a spy of her own keeping tabs on what her father is doing. But, if that's the case, and she is working against her father, I would think that Ben would see her more as a potential ally and not someone to kill. And since the shows central love story (at least so far) is Desmond and Penny, I don't even want to think about those two not being reunited at some point.

[Juliet]

I totally concur that Ben baited Sayid by showing him the pic of the assassin...although we only had Ben's word that that guy killed Nadia.
What was he doing in Iraq watching Nadia's funeral? Stalking Sayid? He had opportunity to kill Sayid...
Of course Ben knew Sayid was watching the guy, and smiled when Sayid asked who's next...

[Michelle]

I agree that this episode was great. I can't wait to find out just what the connection is between Ben and Widmore. How does Ben know what Charles keeps at his bedside? And why can't Ben kill him?

There were quite a few "game" references this episode. The guys playing Risk at the beginning, Alex being a pawn and changing "the rules".

There have also been many references to The Wizard of Oz in the past and I thought that Claire's legs sticking out from under her house was a nice one.

My thought on Jack and his appendix is that it may be used as a reason to get him on the freighter. They may have medicine there that can treat him and they are also down a doctor. Maybe they'll need another one.

It's possible that the pilot was working for Widmore. I've read that some people think Libby was working for Widmore. We'll have to wait and see.

[Juliet]

I just read some very interesting stuff on another blog... That Widmore might be Ben's constant, or vice versa... That Widmore used to be on the island...
That maybe Ben can't kill Widmore for the same reason that Michael can't die in NY City, or that Jack cannot die in Los Angeles. [They can only die on the island, after their work is done?] Very interesting!
The mentions during this episode of:
- Siberia [During the game of Risk, but also that Ben looked like he was time traveling from a cold place, wearing a parka, breathing out cold air]
- Australia is the key [spoken by Hurley in Risk, but also mentioned in a podcast by Damon/Carlton- that there are places in the world that are special, such as Ayers Rock in Aussie. Maybe Siberia is another "portal"? and how about Tunisia?]
- Changing the Rules [suggesting that the Ben/Widmore issue is a "game", and that the winner "gets" the island??]
- The mention of pawn [Ben calls Alex a pawn, and in chess, pawns are sacrificed to save the queen/king] Who else are pawns? Red Shirts probably are...

[Juliet]

Also-

IF the island dictates who can live and who dies, who obtains material wealth, and who the island removes wealth or loved ones from- then we can surmise that:

1. Ben got a tumor because he was "fighting against" the island's wishes.

2. Alex died because Ben was never meant to have a daughter, and Ben stole Alex.

3. Ben used Jack to remove the tumor, but Jack wasn't on the "list", so the island makes Jack sick?

[Jeff]

I'm getting really mad that every time I post something, it flags me.

Anyway, one of the things I tried to post before was that I thought it was hilarious that the red shirts were actually wearing red shirts right before they got shot. Sweet Star Trek reference

[pando20rules]

I think Ben was so upset about Alex's death because she was Ben's constant..... isn't it known that she was Russo's daughter and that "the others" stole the daughter from her????? It makes perfect sense to me at least..... remember, Ben does say that Alex wasn't his daughter when he was pleading for her to be saved.....

[pando20rules]

first time poster in the Lost blog FYI, I imagine some of you can tell by my name that I usually frequent TG's Devils blog....

[Chris]

I have a question. Who says your constatnt has to stay alive? I look at a constant as a cure. A one shot deal once you get sick. Everyone is assuming that you need your constant alive. Faraday never said that, all he wrote was Desmond was his constant, because he knew Des would be there in the future.
Pando, welcome to the board. My thought is Ben has everyone believing that she was his daughter. With the notion she was conceived AND Born on the Island, keeping with Ben's lies.

We shall see more tonight.

[pando20rules]

Wasn't alex born to rousseau and then abducted by the others? How could alex then have ben as a father? Unless you are saying ben and rousseau got together?

[Chris]

My theory is Ben had a prgnant wife. She died in childbirth. Alex, as an infant, was presented as his baby.

[pando20rules]

The wierd part though is when they reunited, Rousseau at one ponit I believe said to Alex, "Listen to your father," and was referring to Ben, so maybe I'm way off too...

[Bill]

FROM BILL: Guys, on the subject of parentage, Ben is the only parent that Alex has ever known. Whether he is her biological father, adopted father, or merely the man who cared for her since the time she was an infant, he IS her father, and she is his daughter. I realize this gives the writers some leeway to play around with the backstory if and when they tell it. But, under the circumstances (and as the uncle of an adopted child), I can't imagine Ben and Alex not thinking of each other as parent and child.

[Juliet]

Agreed.
I am an adopted child, and my adoptive parents and family refer to me as their child.

Rousseau gave birth to Alex [and apparently named her].
Ben stole Alex and we've known this all along, ever since Sayid met Danielle for the first time.

Of course Ben would be crushed that Alex was killed.

I agree that Ben's friend Annie probably died in pregnancy [not childbirth, since they die in second trimester], and in Ben's grief, he stole Alex, to have a family.