(S05E09) "Dude, your English is awesome." - Hurley
We've had two weeks to stew on the events of "LaFleur" and maybe that's why I went into "Namaste" expecting so much more. That isn't to say that I was disappointed with the Oceanic Six/Left Behinders reunion. The simplest way to put it is that the nature of the narrative on Lost has forced the show to change so that these are the types of stories that are most organic to the plot now.
The flashbacks from the first few seasons are a distant memory at this point, and it's exciting because for a while now, we've been watching stuff that didn't already happen. Well ... technically it did since they're all in 1977 now, but you get what I mean. One thing is for certain - no matter how you slice it, three years is a long time.
That was really the whole point of this episode, wasn't it? How much things have changed? It works on a much higher level, too, because when Lost is finally over, "Namaste" will definitely be remembered as an episode that changed the tone of the show, as well.
So the gang is back together. How Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Co. pulled it off, no one really knows for sure at this point, but it's 1977 and they've thrown quite the monkey-wrench into Sawyer/LaFleur's comfy DHARMA lifestyle. The entire reunion had so many layers - shock, amazement, but most importantly, confusion. Confusion about how they got back, why they had to come back, and what to do now that they are back. We've reached a point that feels very inert - the next step isn't completely clear.
Sawyer has been thrown into the reluctant leader position (something he never wanted, but occasionally got saddled with, back in 2004) and it's important to remember that he had reconciled that DHARMA and Juliet was his life now. There was no reason to think that Locke's promise would pan out. Much of Sawyer's attitude throughout the hour had an "I'm doing this because I'm supposed to, not because I want to" air about it, and it all culminated at the very end with the pseudo passing of the torch from Jack to Sawyer.
Sawyer's comment about Jack not thinking and only ever reacting was dead on, and he certainly went out of his way to make sure Jack knew that James Ford's reign would be different. But Jack's no fool. He knows Sawyer has the upper hand now, and watching him take the orders for once will be interesting. The look on his face when he found out he would be a DHARMA workman instead of a doctor said it all.
Seeing DHARMA in its heyday is fun, but we've seen it all before via flashbacks, so it isn't 100% fresh. Little things stood out, like seeing Radzinsky building the model for the Swan or seeing the Flame working to its full potential. Having young Ben at the end, ever sympathetic to the Hostiles, bring Sayid a sandwich was a nice touch, too.
A few more thoughts:
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I thought the DHARMA folks ran a tighter ship. It seemed awfully easy for Sawyer and Juliet to sneak everyone in as new recruits.
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Was anyone else underwhelmed with Sun, Lapidus, and Ben? Even the run-in with Christian, showing them the 1977 DHARMA photo wasn't all that exciting. I don't see a bigger picture here, and it's looking more and more like the sole reason for them not making the 30-year jump was simply to delay the Sun/Jin reunion.
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The same can be said for Sayid. Why exactly was he thrown so far away from Jack, Kate, and Hurley? Ostensibly, it looked dramatic - Sayid is alive! - but it looks more like it was just a gimmick to separate him and set up his capture.
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I love the tension between Juliet and Kate. The second Sawyer told Juliet "they were back," there were a million things she could have been considering, but you could tell that her only thought was Kate and Sawyer's history.
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Speaking of Juliet, how about the look on her face when Amy told her they named the baby Ethan? More logical than shocking, I suppose.
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Phil's gonna be a problem. He didn't look pleased when Jack went to visit LaFleur late at night.
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We still got no explanation from Hurley or Sayid about how they got on the plane or even knew about it. Why did Hurley have a guitar? Why was Sayid being escorted by Ilana? I know the answers are coming, but I thought for sure we'd get something to nibble on in this ep. To some extent, I almost felt like the lack of info was intentional. Both Hurley and Sayid had very few lines period in this episode.
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Sun has a great poker face. I loved when she and Frank saw Smokey and she played it off like it was some furry, woodland creature. I had forgotten that Frank had never encountered Smokey.
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Anyone else notice that when Frank's co-pilot tried to send out a distress signal, all he heard was the numbers transmission? When did that get re-activated? I know Danielle's distress signal was turned off, but who from 2004-2007 would have reactivated the "4 8 15 16 23 42" broadcast?
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Why was DHARMAville so completely trashed? Even after Keamy's goons sacked the place, it didn't look that bad.
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I'd like some backstory on the DHARMA/Hostiles truce. What events led to it and why did both sides agree to it?
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What happened to Faraday? Sawyer said he was there, but no longer with them? Was he booted from DHARMA after trying to warn young Charlotte one too many times? Or did he try something funky down in the Orchid?
That's all I got. Here's the official description for next week's episode. Doesn't seem like Sayid "Iraqi MacGyver" Jarrah is going to be staying in his DHARMA jail cell too much longer.
"He's Our You" - Things begin to unravel when one of the survivors goes rogue and takes matters into their own hands -- risking the lives of everyone on the island -- on "Lost," WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on ABC.
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Reader Comments (Page 3 of 4)
3-19-2009 @ 12:03PM
Sancty said...
I think Sun, Ben & co are in 2007 and some strange stuff's gone down in the 3 years since... which we'll find out about... maybe Farraday found a way back to the present?
Here's my real question... how does Ethan (the son of Dharma's apparent leader) end up surviving the purge and heading to the hostiles with Ben?
Reply
3-19-2009 @ 12:03PM
Sho said...
"...how does Ethan (the son of Dharma's apparent leader) end up surviving the purge and heading to the hostiles with Ben?"
Maybe, he ends up being kidnapped. The Others have kidnapped children before (...or after technically).
3-19-2009 @ 12:04PM
anon said...
I HATE the way everyone will start laying into Jack now. Give the man a break-he only ever tried to help, and he did not appoint himself the leader, in fact he ran away if you remember, but it was Kate and Locke who told him that people were looking to him to take on the role. And Sawyer was slightly out of line with his 'thinking' comments. Can you imagine if Jack had sat in his tent on the beach just to 'think'? There was never time-he had to react because danger was being thrown at their camp from all directions-Smokey, Others, wild Boars, Locke regularly acting wierd. Jack was in charge of 47 people-of course some of them were going to die-they were stranded on a deserted island!! Sawyer is in charge of 4 people (Juliet, Jin, Faraday and Miles) within the comfort and confines of the protected Dharma compound, so I don't think he should lecture Jack. He looked out only for himself at the beginning while Jack was invested with everyone's safety from the word go. So everyone take a bit of time to think before you all go Jack-bashing. It's not that I hate Sawyer, I think both men are great, but everything should be seen in perspective.
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3-23-2009 @ 10:16AM
Ambivalentman said...
I see your point, but at the same time I think Sawyer is more referring to the way Jack handled the frieghter situation in which he just steamrolled into that situation without considering what anyone was saying to him regarding their reason for being on the Island. The best example of this came in the episode "Confirmed Dead" from season 4, in which Jack saw Daniel's gas mask in the exposed metal container and didn't bother to pursue answers about it, even after they managed to locate Miles and Frank in the jungle. Jack does indeed get a bad rap, but that is the lot of the tragic hero. He will ultimately be redeemed, of course, making a decision that will save everyone for good at the expense of his own life, but for now he will have to eat humble pie for his own hubris.
3-19-2009 @ 12:04PM
Tanya Buchanan said...
The Faraday/Charlotte storyline is very confusing. That little redhead girl they showed last episode cannot be Charlotte if they are in 1977. I remember distinctly that when Charlotte came to the island last season Ben knew who she was and said her name and date of birth and it was July 2, 1979. I remember because that is by birth date and it freaked me out. So I am really curious to see where they ae going with this.
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3-19-2009 @ 8:50PM
xnifex said...
from Lostpedia's article on Charlotte:
Although the aired episode stated 1979, the producers have admitted this was an error that should have been caught in editing; the error was caused by Rebecca Mader changing the date on the script to avoid being indicated older than her real life age at the time of filming. They stated Charlotte was born in 1970, and confirmed it was young Charlotte that Daniel saw in 1974.
3-19-2009 @ 12:04PM
T.B. said...
The Faraday/Charlotte storyline is very confusing. That littleredhead girl they showed last episode cannot be Charlotte if they arein 1977. I remember distinctly that when Charlotte came to the islandlast season Ben knew who she was and said her name and date of birthand it was July 2, 1979. I remember because that is by birth dateand it freaked me out. So I am really curious to see where they aegoing with this.
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3-19-2009 @ 12:04PM
Venus said...
The Faraday/Charlotte storyline is very confusing. That littleredheadgirl they showed last episode cannot be Charlotte if they are in 1977. I remember distinctly that when Charlotte came to the island last season, Ben knew who she was and said her name and date of birth and it was July 2, 1979. I remember because that is by birth date and it freaked me out. So I am really curious to see where they are going with this.
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3-19-2009 @ 12:05PM
j-dubs said...
Who's to say that we were ever on the island in 2004? Judging by the fact that Ethan was born in "1977", the 2004 version we saw of him would be about 27 years old ... and there's no way that dude was only 27. Just because the plane fell out of the sky in 2004 doesn't mean it landed in 2004.
As for Ben, Sun, Frank and Locke ... I think, based on the condition of Otherville, that they crashed some time in the future - after 2007 - when the village has been abandoned for several years and has just begun to decay. It looked like a long-deserted ruin at that point.
Also, if Sun and Frank left Ben unconscious on the beach, well away from the other new survivors, how does he end up back in the infirmary when John sees him?
I want to know where Faraday is more than anything else going on right now. We saw him working with Dharma under the greenhouse, but there was no real time frame given for that point other than Marvin's baby (Miles?) being born. Once we find out whether or not that baby has been born in "current" island time, we'll have a better understanding of exactly where Faraday is.
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3-19-2009 @ 12:06PM
Sho said...
“As for Ben, Sun, Frank and Locke ... I think, based on the condition of Otherville, that they crashed some time in the future - after 2007”
According to the screen shown towards the beginning of the episode, there’s a 30 year difference between the events seen with Sawyer, Jack, Kate, etc. and the events seen with Ben, Sun, Frank, etc. Since Sawyer mentions being in 1977, that would mean Sun and the rest that didn’t disappear are in 2007.
Remember when they left the island it was still 2004, so the Otherville that we’re seeing is three years after the events involving the assault by the freighter folk....a reasonable enough time I guess for things to have become rundown.
“Also, if Sun and Frank left Ben unconscious on the beach, well away from the other new survivors, how does he end up back in the infirmary when John sees him?”
In the same episode where Locke sees Ben in the infirmary, we see that the other crash survivors had found the extra boats/canoes that were left behind by Sun and Frank, so we can assume they found Ben unconscious alongside them.
3-20-2009 @ 2:09PM
romanminerva said...
I am most intrested in Fardays where abouts as well. I wonder if he is 'gone' like what happened to desmond etc.. But I am really responding to the baby comment. Miles can't be. He is on the island right now and there was a verbal refrence on last weeks that this is the same morning he got pulled out of bed. Miles would dissaper. But-- Sun???
3-19-2009 @ 12:05PM
Arnold said...
my theory on why Sun and Ben didnt get flashed backed to the seventies with the others. Perhaps the island wont allow them to because they run in to the possibility that they would run into them selves, and thus ruin the time paradox. We know that young ben is in dharmaville, maybe peirre change's baby is sun. Just a wild theory.
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3-19-2009 @ 12:06PM
Mike said...
I think the island didn't transport Frank and Ben to the past because they weren't 815ers... Sun wasn't transported because she is only half of what left the island... she needs her baby.
We also know that Locke and company are, relatively speaking, not far from 2007 because of a previous sequence on the island. When the time shifts are happening they find those outriggers and steal one with an Ajira bottle in it. They stole it from the 815 beach camp, which had been apparently abandoned for about 3 years. So, for those that didn't go to 1977 it's definitely 2007.
Also, nothing has been changed in the timeline. The Dharma initiative is still all killed off, everything still happens exactly as before. Nothing, in fact, can change until Desmond eventually changes it.
What will he change? Well, I think the most glaring omission has been what happened to the other 815ers like Rose and Bernard. Were they killed by the flaming arrows on the beach? What happened to all of them?
The O6's return to the island was for what purpose? Locke stopped the movement of the island by leaving it. What purpose does their return serve, other than to fulfill the timeline? My guess is that they're supposed to eventually save some of those that have fallen... how? Dunno. But they've set Desmond up to be able to alter the past, they've separated our two main groups by 30 years, and we know that's not where they'll leave it. So, at some point Desmond will alter the timeline, there will be a point to their return, and we will get our answers.... a filler episode? No... just not an answers episode as opposed to a questions episode... and thank god. The mysteries they've now creating are the meat to the rest of this season and probably the first quarter of next before we make the final push.
In fact, I'm quite amused by the douches calling this filler. How do you remotely know? You can't tell what's truly filler until you've seen it in context. Right now you don't know if it's filler, if it's topping, or if it's mystery meat... you don't know, but you think you do.
And for those that think they do, and think they could do better, feel free! I'd love to see shows on tv better than Lost. So, how about you get out of your mom's basements and start writing scripts instead of inane comments to a review about a great show that you insist on watching and trashing.
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3-19-2009 @ 12:45PM
Jussup said...
"In fact, I'm quite amused by the douches calling this filler. How do you remotely know? You can't tell what's truly filler until you've seen it in context. Right now you don't know if it's filler, if it's topping, or if it's mystery meat... you don't know, but you think you do.
And for those that think they do, and think they could do better, feel free! I'd love to see shows on tv better than Lost. So, how about you get out of your mom's basements and start writing scripts instead of inane comments to a review about a great show that you insist on watching and trashing."
I'm making you king of my island--your comment sums it up, you rock!
3-19-2009 @ 3:34PM
Echy said...
Sun get pregnant on the island. Juliet took sun to the Dharma station, did a sonogram, and concluded that the baby was Jin's which could only have happened on the island.
3-20-2009 @ 10:42AM
Tom said...
Mikey, Mikey, Mikey,
I thought you had some really great thoughts going here, with one exceptionally brilliant one, until Echy pointed out (correctly) that Sun wasn't pregnant during the original flight (unless you believe that was a lie at the time, and considering its emotional relevance, I doubt that). But kudos for your efforts...
...until you went on your "douchebag" rant, and you lost me. I wonder why it is that so many people like you can't handle people being critical, even negative, about a show? What difference does it make to you? Either agree and chime in or disagree and make a great counter argument. But you're kind of one of the regulars that goes on the attack against BLOGGERS as a response to criticisms of the show. That's just bush league! But hey, nobody's perfect--I've lost my temper on here before too (see BSG). How about this? Why don't you just let people have opinions, citiques, and a lively discourse, without calling people names? But, if that's what you want--bring it baby! Oh, and those last couple of paragraphs--they look vaguely familiar...
I agree with you and some others--I'm surprised so many people thought this was filler. I definitely did not think this was filler, I thought it was pretty taut. I especially enjoyed it for two reasons: (1) because we had to wait 2 weeks to get a payoff to a fairly emotional reunion, and (2) because it is a welcome relief to the disaster that Battlestar Galactica has turned into over at the SciFi Love Festival.
But let me address one of your points directly. You pointed out that, "Nothing, in fact, can change until Desmond eventually changes it." I would posit to you, what about free will? As I understood it, Desmond was "special" in the context of skipping through time, but I did not read into that that he would be the only one capable of changing events once the skipping has stopped. Now that part of the Gang is back in 1977, I believe they are CAPABLE of effecting a change (say, killing young Ben). Then their whole timeline would have changed (but they would not be aware of it, strictly). But then why would they? After all, they can't know the outcome of all their actions. So...it's a classic problem with time travel, but paradoxical nonetheless. So what do you have to say of freewill, Mike?
3-20-2009 @ 3:54PM
GigiKat said...
I love you Mike. This is the best comment I've read so far!
3-19-2009 @ 12:06PM
Scott said...
Did anyone else wonder where Locke was? Last we saw him, he was looking down at the unconscious, injured body of Ben, the man who had "killed" him. Next time we're there, there's no Locke, Ben's arm is fixed up, and he's walking around. I understand that they save stuff for flashbacks, but this seemed like a huge skip, considering we saw the plane land in this show, then we skipped over something from a previous show that MUST HAVE OCCURRED NEXT, to arrive at the awake and bandaged-up Ben. I don't understand why they're showing us "present-day" time on the island out of order--we're not in anyone's flashbacks or time jumps here.
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3-19-2009 @ 12:06PM
Mike said...
Scott, Scott, Scott... stop drinking before you watch.
The stuff with Locke happens that night after Lapidus and Sun leave... Ben is knocked out when Locke finds him... he was knocked out by Sun with an oar.
The stuff with Locke was actually after the stuff we saw in this episode... well, sort of... I mean, when Jack's Dad and Sun/Lapidus are talking Locke is probably doing what we saw him previously do.
In a show about time travel, that one wasn't too hard of a leap to make, chum.
3-20-2009 @ 10:41AM
Picviewer said...
Episodes are playing out in a non-linear timeline for now. Thats why this week we didn't see Locke since we saw him further along in the timestream 3(?) weeks ago now after Ben is found by the new Crashies and they inhabit some Darma station. Instead of just going point a to b to c we're jumping around the storylines instead of just focusing on one arc in a bunch then shifting to another.