SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, turn off The Muppet Show on your monitor and watch Lost.
We’re at the time of the Lost season when it tends to be given over to getting-there-from-here episodes. “Namaste” was certainly one of those, setting up the dynamics for the Lostaway Reunion Tour ’77 as it goes forward. The most satisfying, for those of us who tended to get, shall we say, rubbed the wrong way a bit by Jack, was seeing Sawyer assert his authority as alpha dog in trying to get the crew out of their predicament.
As leader before the Oceanic 6′s escape, “You pretty much just reacted. … You didn’t think,” Sawyer tells Doc. “I’m going to think. Because that’s how I saved your ass today.” Pretty harsh. And pretty true, no? I mean, to be fair, Jack did prove himself capable of strategizing and taking the time to contemplate a plan (as when he allied with Juliet in season 3). But it often backfired, and he would do it an a high-handed Doc-knows-what’s-best-for-you manner (see same example).
Jack, for his part, comes back to Sawyer that he did get the Six off the Island. Sawyer does not say—as Ben did in another context—”And how did that work out for everyone?” He doesn’t need to.
Meanwhile, we learned how ben joined the ranks of the injured Ajira passengers, as Sun proves herself a bigger badass with an oar than with a gun, and heads back to Otherton with Frank (who pulls a Sully bringing the flight down on the runway that Kate and Sawyer helped build. They meet Probably-the-Ghost-of-Christian, who tells them they’re thirty years away from where they need to be. He doesn’t suggest how to get there. Ghosts are difficult that way.
Meanwhile: Sayid in jail. Daniel—somewhere. Jack getting ready to scrub Dharma toilets. Pieces in place. I’m glad it’s only March. We’ve got 30 years to go. Can we get there in two months?
With that, the hail of bullets:
* The other bombshell, though ABC has prromoted the hell out of it already, was the return of Young Ben. Excellent piece of casting. It’s not just a matter of slapping wire-rimmed glasses on Sterling Beaumon; he’s also got down the pursed lips and Michael Emerson’s habit of nervous swallowing as Ben. I don’t know if I’d eat that sandwich.
* One other interesting bit about Sawyer: his line that his colleagues need to get to Jack et al., “before they screw up everything we got here.” Just how native has Sawyer gone?
* Fortunately, Sawyer is not too responsible to be funny now: “Well, I appreciate your input there, Quick Draw.”
* Odd that Christian proved to Sun that Jin is not in 1977 by showing her a picture of a recruits photo that he was not in.
* I continue to love how well the show depicts the hippies-out-of-time culture of Dharma, down to playing “Ride Captain Ride” at the recruits’ welcome party.
* You did notice The Muppet Show playing on the monitor bank, right? (Mrs. Tuned In had to point it out to me while I was typing notes.) I guess whatever time-space warp affects the Island doesn’t prevent it from getting live satellite broadcasts.
* So Radzinsky was busy designing the Swan station, where he would ultimately work (and paint the ceiling with his brains). I don’t believe we knew previous when it was built, but it contained a 1980 film by Pierre Chang / Marvin Candle, which referenced that its purpose had been changed after “the incident.” Are we going to be seeing The Incident this season?
*Baby Ethan! He’s so cute when he’s pre-murderous!
[Update: Oh, bonus question, which I forgot to add but was reminded of by Cultural Learnings: Why was Sun the only O6-er not Raptured back to 1977?]
