TVSquad

(S04E02) Watching "Confirmed Dead" was like watching my dream episode of Lost. People asked direct questions for once, some of which were answered within the hour! This episode was all about the Freighties--their lives back on the mainland, their connections to Oceanic 815, and, to borrow a phrase, their "primary objective."

Gallery: Lost: Confirmed Dead

Flashback: The Freighties

Daniel Faraday
Naomi wasn't lying about the plane wreckage being discovered. We got to see it firsthand. The crew of the Christiane I found an Oceanic plane in the Sunda Trench, off the coast of Bali. Back in Essex, Massachusetts, Daniel Faraday cried and shook as he watched a news report about the discovery. A woman (she was wearing a wedding ring, so she could be his wife) asked him why he was so upset, and Daniel had no idea. I'm not sure which is more disturbing: the fact that someone might have staged the 815 wreckage, or that Daniel was so freaked out about the news footage. Moments before landing on the island, the Freighties' helicopter was out of control, and Miles threw a terrified Daniel out of the chopper.

Miles Straume
Apparently Miles was the go-to guy for ghostbusting in the Inglewood, California area. Like Daniel and the other Freighties, he took an interest in the Oceanic 815 story. Miles stayed in the car to hear the rest of a radio broadcast about 815 before going to his next house call. An elderly woman named Mrs. Gardner hired him to cleanse her home of her murdered grandson's spirit. After doubling his fee because of the cause of death, Miles and his completely bogus device went to work in the grandson's room. His gear was fake, but his supernatural gifts were legit. Miles has the ability to communicate with the dead, but he does so for a profit. The grandson's ghost led him to a paper bag filled with cash, which Miles pocketed. After forcing himself to say that the spirit was "at peace," he returned part of his fee to Mrs. Gardner. A selfish con man with a heart? That sounds familiar.

Charlotte Lewis
Charlotte's back story began in Medenine, Tunisia. The anthropologist was also fascinated by 815 news; she couldn't stop reading newspaper articles about the discovery. A very different discovery brought Charlotte to a dig out in the desert. Another group found the skeleton of a polar bear. After bribing a man to let her check out the remains, she found the bear's leather collar. The prominently-displayed DHARMA Hydra Station logo put a cryptic smile on her face.

Frank Lapidus
Before he flew the Freighties' helicopter, Frank was working for a tour company on Eleuthera in the Bahamas. A phone call to the NTSB Oceanic hotline revealed that Frank had a personal interest in the 815 discovery. He was positive that the body found in the cockpit of the wreckage was not Seth Norris (who we all saw get killed by the monster). Seth Norris always wore his wedding ring, and the body in the Sunda Trench didn't have one. Frank knew about Norris because he was supposed to be the pilot on Oceanic 815. We know Frank's Oceanic connection, but what about the rest of the Freighties? Why were they so affected by the 815 story? Perhaps we'll learn more in future episodes.

Naomi Dorrit and Matthew Abaddon
Is Matthew Abaddon the Ben Linus of the Freighties? He organized the Freighties' trip to the island, and Naomi was the designated team leader. She was less than impressed with her soon-to-be colleagues, whom she called a headcase, a ghostbuster, and anthropologist, and a drunk. Abaddon told her that the team members were selected for a reason, but didn't elaborate. Naomi's other major concern was the possibility of finding 815 survivors. Matthew angrily insisted that there were no survivors. Her job was to get in, get out, and make sure that no one got killed. I guess she dropped the ball on that last one.

Team Jack

Jack and Kate's first encounter with the Freighties wasn't very informative. Daniel "Mumbles" Faraday did everything he could to avoid giving the survivors a straight answer. He used Naomi's old satellite phone to contact Minkowski, who quickly asked to be taken off the speaker. Faraday told Jack and Kate about the Freighties' GPS transponders, but was not forthcoming about their biohazard equipment or the gun that he had. Before he could evade Jack's question about their mission, the phone picked up Miles' signal.

The trio found Miles on a rocky part of the island. He pretended to be unconscious until Jack got close, then he pulled a gun on him. Kate tried to grab Daniel's gun during the chaos, but got caught in the act. Remember when Naomi asked George to tell her sister she loved her? That was Freightie code; Naomi totally tipped them off about the survivors. Miles was convinced that the 815ers killed Naomi and demanded to see her body.

While Miles did his ghost whispering, Faraday was busying himself with more important matters, like how the light on the island didn't scatter properly. Thrilled to have another man on which to use her feminine wiles, Kate attempted to convince Daniel to put down his gun. Jack calmly told Kate to let things play out, which should have been enough of a signal. Miles was in for an unpleasant surprise. He ordered Jack and Kate to help them find Charlotte, but was ambushed by Sayid and Juliet instead.

Juliet and Sayid were worried when their leader didn't return to the beach, and turned up in the jungle just in time. Naturally, Kate was jealous that she wasn't in on the plan. Way to see the big picture, Kate. Meanwhile, Sayid put his interrogation skills to use. Miles was smart enough to lie about his profession, but Daniel willingly told Sayid that he was a physicist. A socially awkward physicist? I didn't know they existed. Funniest moment of the night goes to Miles, who feigned astonishment when Sayid asked him why he wasn't surprised to see 815 survivors. Suddenly, the phone picked up Charlotte's signal running toward them. It was really Vincent; Locke had put Charlotte's tracking device around the dog's neck.

Finally, the group caught up with Frank the helicopter pilot, still processing his run-in with the DHARMA cow. He told Miles that he successfully landed the chopper, which was welcome news for the 815ers. After yet another tense conversation, Miles got the satellite phone from Jack. I thought it was strange--and suspicious--that Regina (was that Zoe Bell?) answered and told Miles that Minkowski was unavailable. Why can Miles only talk to Minkowski? As Juliet was patching up Frank's head wound, he asked for her name. He instantly knew that Juliet was not an Oceanic 815 survivor. Suddenly, Juliet had all of the Freighties' attention. Miles charged over to Juliet and asked her where "he" was. They came to the island for one person: Benjamin Linus.

Team Locke

Locke decided to take a little detour on the way to the Barracks. The itinerary included at stop at Jacob's cabin, which confused Hurley. He thought the cabin was back in the other direction. I'm worried about Hurley's safety now. Both Ben and Locke gave Hurley the crazy eye after he said that. Locke explained to Sawyer that he's taking orders from Walt now. At least he looked like Walt--only taller. Sawyer's response: "Taller? What, like a giant?" When Walt saved John's life back in last season's finale, he told him to stop Naomi and the Freighties from coming to the island. Sawyer's equally funny response: "You didn't ask any follow-up questions?" Locke explained that Ben had just shot him, so he was a bit disoriented. Luckily, John's traumatic past worked in his favor. The bullet passed through his body; he'd be dead if his father hadn't stolen his kidney all those years ago.

If Ben kills anyone this season, please let it be Karl. Karl foolishly tried to intimidate Ben with a gun when he tried to speak to Alex. Talk about sending a boy to do a man's job. Ben looked almost bored when he was messing with him. He got a more challenging target when Sawyer stepped in to subdue Karl. He told James that he'd never compare to Jack in the real world, and tried to make him jealous of Kate's alliance with Jack. Fed up with Ben's manipulation, Sawyer asked Locke why they were keeping him alive. Locke admitted that he needed Ben's knowledge of the island, and that apart from his mouth he wasn't dangerous. Say what? Sawyer knew better: he said that Ben probably had a plan to get rid of Team Locke, and that a double-cross was inevitable.

The group found Charlotte after she freed herself from her parachute and fell into a pond. It took her a long time to catch on to the 815ers' cold reaction to being rescued. Locke finally spelled things out for her: the Freighties' "rescue efforts" were unwelcome. Charlotte became angry when the survivors prevented her from following Frank's flare. She insisted on leaving, but Ben had other ideas. He stole Karl's gun and shot her in the chest. Someone just lost their gun privileges. I thought it was pretty hard core of the writers to give a character an flashback and kill her off in the same episode, but it was not to be. Charlotte was wearing a bulletproof vest.

This didn't stop Sawyer from wanting to kill Ben on the spot. Locke was ready to kill him too but wanted to question Ben first. He asked him straight out: "What is the monster?" If anyone knows the answer to this, it's Ben, but he was willing to take that secret his grave. He turned things around on everyone, though, when he recited Charlotte's name, profession, and personal history. He told Locke that he knows the Freighties' identities for two reasons: they came here for him, and he has a man on their boat. Well played, Mr. Linus.

I liked this episode even more than the season premiere. There were so many big revelations, and I loved watching Ben gain the upper hand--again. Jeff Fahey has already won me over--Frank is my favorite Freightie so far. Kudos to the writers for being brave enough to introduce new characters after the whole Nikki and Paulo thing. I'm already eager to learn more about the island's newest batch of villains.

Other questions/points of interest:

• The Christiane I and the Sunda Trench were both mentioned on the Find 815 website.
• The name Rick Lapidus appears in the Exposé script.
• "Eleuthera" is Greek for "free."
• Taller Ghost Walt is my next fantasy team name.
• In Daniel's flashback, why didn't they show the woman's face? It's odd that they would cast the character and not show her face. Will we learn her identity at some point?
• Sawyer might have competition for the job of island nickname-giver. Miles called Daniel Faraday "Genius" when he tossed him out of the helicopter, and called Jack "Handsome" when he pulled a gun on him.
• Why did Naomi have a photo of Desmond while Miles had one of Ben? What does Desmond have to do with their mission?
• I could kiss Locke for asking Ben about the monster.
• My favorite evasive comment from Daniel Faraday: "I'm not in charge of packing."
• TV Guide's Ausiello thought the episode was brought down by two things: Claire's lack of grief over Charlie and Jack's failure to follow up with Faraday about why the Freighties were there (they were interrupted by the phone call). Are these fair criticisms?
• Another Lost-Star Wars connection: the Tatooine scenes from Episode IV: A New Hope were filmed in the Tunisian desert.

Next week--another member of the Oceanic Six is revealed. In the meantime, feel free to check out AOL's Lost coverage.