Lost

There I am, on my couch, two friends and die-hard Lost fans next to me, watching last night's episode of Lost.  I can't say the episode is what I expected, but when that exact thought came to mind last night on the couch, I realized something: it's reached a point where I don't know how to react to Lost anymore.  We are so conditioned to be shocked and surprised by the actions on the island that this shock has been replaced by disbelief that Lost can keep shocking us.  Or, maybe that's just me.  That's not a negative rap either, it's actually beautiful.  I love coming into every Lost knowing that soon, I will be drop-kicked by the Unexpected, whatever that may be.  “The Shape of Things to Come” was the fastest-paced episode of Lost in a long while and, aside from a few minor reservations, it blew me away.

Ben, the Action Hero

Some people have a hard time suspending their disbelief, whether it's with movies or TV.  I pity these fools.  Being a Lost fan means you have to often forget about pesky issues like reality and logic.  Ben turning into an action hero on the Sahara Desert was not believable in the least, but it was awesome.  The same thing goes for conjuring the smoke monster.  It doesn't make sense, not if you look back on the series.  I guarantee you that in season one, when Smoky appeared, the writers did not know that Benjamin Linus would be the one controlling it.  It's cool, though – I like that Ben controls it.  Why not?

Sayid – Why?

It's pretty clear to me (especially after Ben's sly smile) that Sayid was tricked into working for Ben by Ben.  The more pressing question is why Sayid would immediately take Ben's word for the identity of his wife's killer.  Either we missed a scene where Ben showed Sayid undeniable evidence, or Sayid is simply blinded by rage.  I'm pleasantly surprised that Lost decided to explain Sayid: Contract Killer so soon after they introduced it. 

Widmore

I don't buy people's brand new “game” theory between Widmore and Ben.  The fact that Ben talks about Charles changing the rules a couple of times is a classic red herring – Ben doesn't say things so literally.  Widmore's obsession with finding the island remains a mystery, though learning his motivations would clear a lot of things up.  When Ben said that he was going to kill Penny, you just know that Desmond and Ben are going to have some sort of showdown in the future. 

Deaths

Big body count last night.  I always liked Alex as a character and am kind of pissed she's gone.  That being said, that whole scene with Ben watching Alex taken hostage and her life threatened was perfectly done.  We've seen that scene a million times in film and TV, but that's rarely the way it ends.  Ben bluffs, the bad guy calls the bluff.  Bang.  Rousseau may not be dead – for how long she's been a part of Lost, you'd think they'd give her a bigger send-off. 

Great episode, a ton of action and a spectacular return after a painful hiatus.  The rest of the season is going to be a lot of fun.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of ABC)