Lost – Dead is Dead

It was a great week in the world of Lost, but at the same time, we get a scene that just does not work for me.  Lately we have been getting a lot more answers than we have in the early seasons, but I still have questions.  Pieces of a puzzle that we have already seen the finish product of, are shown to the us as well pieces that will end up being the final puzzle are hinted at as well.

There is so much going on this week that I really do not even know what to talk about.  On that note, I do note even know where to start so lets just dig into it.  What I do know though, is that we wrap up some of Ben’s antics that we assumed, but could not be certain about.

This week we learn a bit more about the relationship that Ben had with Alex and how he came to get her from Rousseau.  It was nothing all that special, he went and just took her from Rousseau.  Does this fall in line with why the Others took people from the camp in beginning of the show?  I do not think that part of it was answered real well, this is just a confirmation.  It also shows the relationship between Ben and Charles though, and how Ben even at this point is taking a larger roll.  Charles wanted Danielle and Alex killed, but Ben then turned it back to Charles and told him to do it.  A quick but noteworthy exchange takes place on if it was Charles or the island that wanted them dead.  Then we have Ethan, he is obviously helping Ben, but the question of why is still not answered.  Do Charles and Richard know about Ethan yet or no? 

Now things that we know are that Ben kicks Charles off the island for leaving so much and fathering Penny, it seems that is the same relationship that Locke and Ben now have.  The island seems to only want the pure of island heart to be leaders.  Is Locke really alive though?  Ben makes mention of the dead staying dead.  Or is Locke just another body double for the smoke monster like Christian is?  I mean he is the one that knows where the monster is after Ben fails at summoning it via the pool of water.  I like how the smoke monster, as Alex, knew Ben was going to try and kill John again.  Damn this thing knows a lot about everything going on, both on the island and off.

Now onto the scene where the smoke monster judges Ben…it was horrible.  Let me get it out of the way that it does explain a bit about why Eko was killed.  He was judged and found guilty.  If this was a book all of what happened would have been in Ben’s head I hope, but after the swirling mists surround Ben he see pictures on the smoke that show him times of his life that he should repent on.  It was a bit cheesy, I think the visuals ruined what should have been a wonderful moment.  I mean I know I have to suspend some belief, but cheesy is not what Lost is about.

Back in the present, what the heck is going on with the passengers of the  Ajira Airways Flight 316, it is like they jumped off the deep end.   They seemed like they had been to the temple and gone crazy already, but we know that they havent.  Well we can assume that at least.  So what is going on with them.  Ilana seems to have taken over and she asks Lapidus “What lies in the shadow of the statue?”  and when he does not know she knocks him out.  That should be interesting next week.  Was that a phrase because they think their are body doubles going on?

Other quick thoughts:

- Damn why did Caesar have to die, it seemed he was going to play a larger role, he also seemed to be quick to jump to Ben’s defense

- Why does Lapidus go back to the Flight 316 survivors?  Does he feel responsible as captain?  I mean he knows the island and what happens to people, why doesn’t he stay with the people that have an idea of what is going on?  He talks about finding a radio?  He knows better than that, a radio is not going to be any help.  It was like they just wanted him out of the Ben story line which they probably did.

-  Again I think the whole line that Ben says about dead is dead will be its own mystery.  Also Ben does not remember Sayid shooting him but he remembers about his father, so he only had his short term memory wiped?  If so why does he not remember Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, Hurley, Miles, Jack, and Kate?  Did it go that far back into his memory?  Seems Juliet and Sawyer had been there a while already and in the present Ben seems surprised when he sees the photo, but this is Ben we are talking about maybe he just pulled it off.

- What happened to Faraday again?  Also does Ben have a special relationship with Hawking that Charles did not have?

- Are the Flight 316 survivors working for Charles and the key phrase some special code to see who Charles had hired?  Interesting theory.

- Why doesn’t Rousseau kill Ben the first time she sees him, does she really think that her baby is better off because if she hurts Ben Alex will die?  I do not know I would have been hunting that dude down.