While I enjoyed the opening sideways “tease,” where we learned that Sawyer is actually a cop in the alternate reality (where he’s now using his classic ploy as a different type of trap), I was a bit spoiled after reading an off-hand comment made by actor Josh Holloway. But I did love the appearance of Miles as Sawyer’s partner.

Speaking of Miles, his casual reference to his father is potentially significant. Last week we did learn that the Dharma Initiative was in existence, as was the island until at least the 1970’s. So, much like Ethan, Ben and his dad, what are the circumstances that surrounded Miles and Dr. Chang leaving the island? Presuming they were on there in the first place.

Actually, I suppose that same question could apply to Charlotte as well. Was she ever on the island? And does her work relationship with Dr. Chang relate to the island in any way (“Hey, didn’t your parents used to live across the barracks from me?”)

I don’t have a whole lot to say about the Sawyer/Charlotte escapades (other than the fact that I loved that Sawyer brought a 6 pack of beer with him when he went to apologize), except that I do have to sorta confess that I was hoping he’d get set up with Juliet. I still expect that to happen, but I suppose they may be holding off on that.

One final thought: I’m curious, but how did Sawyer discover that his “Sawyer” is Anthony Cooper? In the world we’re familiar with, he only came to this realization after meeting the man himself. How’d he find it out in the sideways universe? For that matter, this was a pretty big revelation. In the Locke episode, we’ll led to believe he has a healthy relationship with his father (which includes hunting trips and wedding invitations). Is this the same man that conned Sawyer’s parents?

Oh, and the subtle Charlie reference was nice.

Over on the island, the Locke Ness Monster sent Sawyer over to Hydra Island (I kinda love that that’s now its name even within the show’s universe), where the conman met a little lady who tried to manipulate him with some of her own lies. Naïve little girl. I am interested in this little game Sawyer is playing, though. He’s basically playing both sides against each other, hoping to slip through the cracks in the midst of the chaos. What’s intriguing, though, is that this isn’t entirely the long con that many assumed it was. It doesn’t seem that Sawyer is fishing for information. He genuinely does seem obsessed with getting off of the island. And until Kate and his friends arrived, it really doesn’t appear that he was looking to bring anybody else with him. But if Survivor has taught me anything, it’s that simply telling everybody what they want to hear will eventually bite you in the ass.

Yeah, this is probably the Jack/Kate fan in me talking, but I really could have done without Sawyer longingly reminiscing about his cage sex with Kate. In addition to me not wanting this relationship to happen, I think it cheapens Sawyer’s devastation over losing Juliet. I know most people don’t want to see Sawyer acting all mopey and Emo for 18 episodes, but in terms of the show’s storyline, didn’t Juliet die, like, yesterday? A little soon to be thinking about reigniting a romance with an old flame, don’t you think?

I was fascinated by the story Locke told Kate, mostly because of the duality of it. We know full well that the real Locke had a mentally disturbed mother, so when he began pouring his heart out, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was referring to the history of his visage in order to manipulate Kate. But as he continued, you got the sense that he was actually providing us with some potentially critical information about the history between Jacob and the Man in Black. And perhaps most interestingly of all, there was something compassionate and remorseful about his tone – as if he genuinely wished circumstances were different. I’m now really buying into this theory that Jacob and the Man in Black are brothers.

And man, what a visual seeing him slap Claire after her outburst on Kate. I’m thinking that there might be something to this idea that the Locke Ness Monster can’t lie now, because of the dagger Sayid stabbed him with. There were a couple of occasions that he seemed to rub his wound as he reluctantly told the truth about a situation. And he seemed oddly even more honest than he had in the past. And there did seem to be a certain resistance, as well. And in regards to Claire, how sincere do you think that hug was?

Alright, it’s been a pretty exhausting week (how is it just Tuesday), so I’m cutting things off at this point.

Anyway, anybody else REALLY looking forward to next week’s Richard episode? This is the one episode where I’ll say that they shouldn’t pull any punches. Go balls out!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.

And how about the undead ghosts? Walt appeared to Locke (granted, on the island) and Claire appeared to Kate (and strangely, this was the ONLY ghost that warned somebody NOT to return to the island). Considering we’re now learning that the Smoke Monster can’t leave the island – who were these people? Discuss…

Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the feedback I’ve received following this episode. These comments come from my blog. Kyle offered this:

Also, as far as Richard goes, did you catch the apparent confirmation that he was on the Black Rock? That was the assumption, but he seemingly confirmed it with his comment about how “in all his time here, he’d never come back here”.

I did catch this comment, and it made me realize something. While the first several episodes of this season hasn’t necessarily given us some mind boggling answers – nor do I think it should have – it has confirmed quite a lot of what we already suspected. And I think it’s a bit unfair that fans don’t recognize this. Yeah, we may have all suspected that Fake Locke, the Smoke Monster, and the Man in Black are all one in the same, but I think receiving this confirmation counts as an “answer” to a question. The same goes for Richard being on the Black Rock. And him achieving his agelessness after being touched by Jacob. As well as the idea that one cannot commit suicide after being touched by Jacob. And getting the deets on Jacob’s list, for that matter.

Like I said in a previous column, if the writers confirm certain ideas that have, at this point, pretty much been confirmed, these unsatisfied fans say “yeah, well we already knew that.” Yet if everything isn’t spelled out, these same fans will say, “They never solidly answered this question.” It’s a really unfair lose/lose situation, actually. DaBooty added this:

With the whole dynamite thing…do we think that Jack and the gang are immortal now also? Unlike Richard, the Losties have aged. Jacob touched Kate and Sawyer when they were kids and they obviously grew up. I think that when Jacob touches you, you can’t die until your purpose is fulfilled. Richard thought he lost his purpose but he didnt. However, I am not really sure why Richard can’t age but everyone else can. Unless its that you only age up until a certain point like 42 (Richard could be 42).

This is an EXCELLENT observation that I had completely overlooked. Kate and Sawyer, in particular, were touched as children (well that sounded wrong), yet they grew up to be adults. So obviously the agelessness – and, perhaps, the suicide barrier – is a bit more complex than a simple brush of the hand. I suspect we’ll find this out in the Richard flashback episode (which will, I believe, totally kick ass).

The on island stuff was interesting but I am becoming increasingly annoyed by the lack of questions being asked by Sun, Miles and Lapidus to Illana. Clearly Illana knows stuff! Don’t they want to know stuff too?!?!? Just a few questions about Jacob or even who the heck she is would have been nice by now.

This will likely go down as the greatest flaw on this series. Characters never seem to ask the obvious questions, and they give up entirely too easily when they’re given answers like “I can’t tell you” or “does it matter?” or some variation thereof.

Now let’s look at some of the comments from the episode review on the Entertainment Weekly website. This first comment refers to Ben’s dilemma at the conclusion of the episode:

He came to the outskirts of the Beach camp, then stopped and considered his options. Stay and serve in this humble little patch of heaven, or join Devil Locke and coldly play for a shot at living the ”Vida La Vida” once again. You always have a choice. This time, Ben made the right one — fulfilling, perhaps, Jacob’s dying thought hope that Ben had the capacity for change. Has Ben the flip-flop artist truly embraced redemption? If so, would his redemption have been possible without Jacob’s death? If so, did Jacob know that when he offered his chest for Ben to puncture? And so we debate like theologians.

There’s something very Christ-like about this theory – that Jacob had to die in order to salvage Ben’s soul. And I really dig it. It just adds some depth to that scene. It actually reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: Everything works out in the end. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end. In other words, Ben had to hit rock bottom in order to rise to his greatest height. Here’s another religious allusion:

In my recap of ”Sundown” last week, I proposed that the Island portion of Lost 6.0 will take place over three full days, using the Biblical template of Christ’s long Easter weekend trip to hell and back. The first six hours of the season took us through the dark night of Good Friday, which means that ”Dr. Linus” brought us to Saturday morning. On Saturday, as Jesus assayed the Harrowing in the underworld, his disciples on Earth were presumably freaking out, feeling a little bit like Sally Brown, I’m sure. The Island story in ”Dr. Linus” focused on three disciples of Jacob who processed their grief and despair and anger over his death in different ways. Richard wanted to die. Ilana wanted vengeance. Ben, as usual, just wanted to survive, by any means necessary. All three were on the precipice of making dark, damning choices to resolve their agita. Instead, they each chose something different, and found themselves stumbling into something totally unexpected: hope.

And, finally, just a fun little observation:

Ben became the first person this season to turn down a FrankenLocke bargain.

Sure, blame it on a long con or an infection, but while people like Sawyer, Sayid, Claire, and arguably even Kate have fallen for the Locke Ness Monster’s spell, evil, diabolical Ben took the high, yet rockier, road. The EW.com comments section offered these observations:

I don’t care you takes over for Jacob or who wins between Jacob and MIB. Maybe once the writers decide to tell us why this stuff is happening I’ll care. It is strange that this has become the central concept of the show yet we have no sense of the importance of it. Simply question that needs to be explained is why does it matter if someone replaces Jacob?

This was actually one of the first times I’ve read a comment about a fan complaining about not getting answers and actually thought, “Hey, this person has a point.” Granted, we’re less than ten episodes into this season, but they are expecting us to become emotionally invested in this story arc. We are supposed to care about which sides the characters choose. But are they playing this a bit too ambiguous? They’ve given us VERY little to work on here. Like this poster has noted, we don’t even really know who the good or bad guy is in this scenario. It might help to shed a bit of light on the matter. Another poster offers his perspective on how the Locke Ness Monster is a lying liar who lies a lot:

I am now 100% convinced that Flocke is the evil one. He told Ben that Ben could be the next protector of the island after Flocke leaves, because someone has to stick around to protect it. But when Flocke was recruiting Sawyer, he told Sawyer that the island was just an island, and that it didn’t need any protecting. So Flocke is contradicting himself and proving that we cannot trust anything he says, and that information or “answers” we get from him cannot be believed. Thoughts?

And finally, an observation on Jack and his sudden ability to believe:

Jack has shown a proven ability to believe (putting his father’s shoes on Locke, convincing the Oceanic 6 to get back on the plane) when he believes there is cause. Honestly, to me, it’s one of the reasons his character is believable. Faith is flexible, people waver, experiences shape them and reinforce their faith. After the lighthouse, he believes.

I personally didn’t have any problems with Jack’s sudden leap of faith, only because it was somewhat consistent with his epiphany when he arrived on the island (keep in mind, only a couple days ago he was singing Locke’s praises, telling Richard not to give up on him). This didn’t seem like too much of a stretch for me. Actually, I was a bit disappointed he had been veering back towards his skeptical ways.

Anyway, that’s it for tonight. Check out my next review following the new episode. Enjoy!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.

So I have a small confession to make. I was originally going to include this review in the following episode’s recap, meaning that I would only write a brief blurb about what happened in this episode. But after watching this, I came to realize that there isn’t going to be another new episode of Smallville in quite some time (by the way, CONGRATS! to all involved with the show for getting a well-deserved tenth season. Who woulda guessed it?), meaning that this column was going to be more substantial than I anticipated (although I’m sure there’s more than one of you out there who are wishing that my reviews were just a bit shorter). Well, let’s see how this goes.

Is it me, or did it feel like we missed a few crucial scenes between Chloe and Oliver. One second they’re suggestively flirting with each other, the next they’ve got assumed booty calls. Considering the notches in Oliver’s headboard, and the fact that Chloe’s husband died just a few months ago, I was hoping for something a little deeper with these two. Right now, it just seems like they’re using each other because they’re lonely. Up until that point, it felt like they were drawn to each other because they understood one another. One of those scenarios is shallow and empty. The other has the potential for a substantial bond. I’m disappointed that they were heading towards the latter but took a an abrupt turn towards the former.

What I did enjoy, though, was their differing views regarding Chloe’s “insurance policy.” It was actually rather nice seeing Oliver take the supportive, loyal approach (especially after his portrayal at the beginning of the season). He seemed discouraged that she had such little faith in Clark, and he disagreed with her decision to keep him in the dark. As I’ve said in the past, I hope Chloe’s dark, untrusting turn leads somewhere (and it does seem to have a direction). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Her “greater good” justifications for her surveillance and lies and half-truths really does make her sound like a Luthor. And I hope that observation doesn’t go unnoticed by the characters (who tend to relent when she defends her questionable actions).

One thing that does irk me, however, is that they seem very inconsistent about Lois’ status at the Planet. I mean, we’re to believe she can regularly be featured on the front page — above the fold — yet she’s still in the basement of the Daily Planet? Sharing a desk with a newbie? Meanwhile, she’s sought after by a bunch of nuts because of her incredible skills? It just seems a little….faulty. And do reputable companies really put employees in the basement?

Who remembers that episode of South Park that parodied the movie 300? Remember when they used unnecessarily complex camera panning and needless slow motion effects in the midst of mundane actions, like Mrs. Garrison making a pot of coffee? I felt that way during Zod’s infiltration of the Daily Planet. Aside from that silliness, I thought everything revolving Zod was marvelous. To those of you who think that his “turn” and deception with Clark was a bit abrupt, I must confess I think it was wise. Truth be told, by the end of the episode I legitimately liked Zod. And unlike Lex, who had several years to develop his evil persona, the idea of Zod and Clark becoming enemies became a bit unsettling. So nibbing it in the bud and making Zod ambiguous from the essential get-go was perhaps for the best.

But, again, the Zod stuff was great. I loved how Zod’s life experience afforded him the skills to find the Kryptonian much quicker and far easier than Clark. While Clark was hopping from place to place and resorting to threats to get information, Zod made one stop and used his charm and, ironically, his understanding of human behavior in order to find what he was looking for. And he came off as truly heroic as well. He took the time to rescue Lois — a human — even though he could have just saved the Kryptonian. And when things went awry, he warned Lois to find safety.

My ONLY problem with the episode was that same old pet peeve: Having characters other than Clark fly. This annoys me for two main reasons: 1) The visual of seeing other characters fly takes away from the impact of eventually seeing Clark fly (which should be a significant event), and 2) it emasculates Clark. Sure, he’s got super speed, strength, and all these other abilities, but he can’t seem to learn to fly. Meanwhile, we’ve seen Kara, Lex (as Zod), Zod, and even the Legion take flight. There’s just something a little backwards about these three “kids” idolizing Clark, as they fly away and he runs after them.

Plus, it irks me that they clearly have the technology to make characters fly, and they’re willing to spend the money on it (Kara basically spent a full season flying), yet they refuse to let Clark hit the skies because of some now irrelevant testament they created a decade ago. He’s essentially Superman now, and everybody likes it. Why restrict him from his coolest power?

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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Ben and Sayid: from Ben’s perspective, the last time he saw Sayid was on Ajira 316, right? When Sayid told Ilana Ben was evil, because Ben had recently manipulated Sayid into becoming an assasin, no? I’m not sure what other “familiarity” we should expect. Ben doesn’t know Sayid shot him as a kid, he just knows Sayid pretty well and knows Sayid hates him. But he doesn’t know Sayid has now fully embraced his dark half…and when he sees that he has, he his rightfully scared.

I should clarify that my disappointment comes from a viewer’s perspective. From a character standpoint, perhaps it wouldn’t have been “natural” for them to act like anything was out of the ordinary (they are on a crazy island, after all), as they saw each other on a flight not too long ago. But from a viewer’s standpoint, we’ve learned so much more about their history and relationship. And from that point of view, I was hoping for something a bit more. Just a minor quibble – it was an awesome episode.

As was this, of course. You know how last week I noted that Locke episodes usually rock while Kate episodes can be a dud? Well, count Ben-centric (Bentric?) episodes as ones that are pretty much guaranteed homers (if nothing else, they enlighten us with new ways of how much Ben tends to lie). In a lot of ways, this was the most revealing flash sideways yet. The big reveal, of course, was that the island was in existence up until the early 70’s (at least), and that Ben and his father spent a bit of time there. But what made them leave? I assume it wasn’t Ben getting shot or the island getting attacked, which happened in the familiar reality, since their outlook was pretty nostalgic as they wondered if their lives would be better had they never left. Of course, when his dad mentioned the island he might’ve been talking about Manhattan or something. So who knows?

Much like the past episodes we’ve seen, certain characters seem to be intimately tied to each other. Even with the island no longer a factor (presumably), these people are still meant to come together. With Ben, seemingly, no matter what he’s destined to surround himself with people like Locke and Alex. And, much like we saw with Sayid last week, no matter how different the circumstances and variables, certain character traits are inevitable. Ben has a seemingly healthy relationship with his (unhealthy) father, and he lives in everyday society. Yet once the opportunity presents itself, he resorts to lies, manipulation, and threats in order to attain power.

And like his island counterpart alluded to later in the episode, when his proverbial moment of truth came, he had to decide between the power and a girl he cares deeply for. On the island, he chose the power (or, perhaps more accurately, he called the wrong person’s bluff). In the sideways world, I’m glad to see that he selflessly sacrificed his rise up the ladder. Speaking of which, though, part of me wishes we learned more about the relationship between Ben and Alex. What drew them to each other? Did he just recognize her as a special person? In this universe, what made him care for her so deeply?

And can I just bring up the fact that this show just LOVES to use Artz as an extra. I’m beginning to think they regret killing him off. He’s like the Flight 815 version of Ethan.

Naturally, the island hijinx more than held its own in this episode as well. If nothing else, this episode was all about Ben’s redemption. And much like how I was pleased to see Ben choose Alex over his promotion, I was also happy to see Ben stick around with Ilana and the Losties instead of going the “easy,” presumably evil route of rejoining the Locke Ness Monster. I truly do believe this was a turning point for the Ben character. We can now appreciate why he did some of the terrible things he did, and he’s shown remorse for many of those deeds. That doesn’t necessarily make him a good person, but he is a lot easier to forgive and understand. I really enjoyed his final confrontation with Ilana in the jungle. And I know it’s merely a taxi cab receipt printing, but the sound of the Smoke Monster approaching is still one of my favorite sound effects in all of television.

And just think, for the past few weeks I’ve been worried that Widmore will end up being inconsequential in the grand scheme of this story. And who pops up at the end of the episode? Ol’ Charlie Boy himself! Could he be the person Jacob was referring to? Where will he fall in the epic end battle? Sweet!

While it was the “B” story, I actually loved the stuff with Jack, Hurley, and Alpert. For the most part, Alpert has been pretty detached from these particular characters (obviously, he’s mostly been surrounded by Ben, Locke, and Sawyer), so it seemed fresh seeing this threesome together. And for that matter, it was great seeing the return of “Man of Faith” Jack. It was such a surreal change seeing him talk about hope and destiny at the beginning of last season. Yet, by season’s end, and especially since the beginning of this season, it seemed like we were seeing the old, stubborn Jack. However, Jack lighting a stick of dynamite and sitting there, waiting to see if it blows up, so incredibly confident that it won’t because he’s meant for something bigger – all in the name of a man he never even met – was powerful and utterly exhilarating. Hell, even Hurley hustled (well…) out of dodge. And at the end of the scene, he jolted Alpert back into his role as the faithful follower. And his “should we try another stick?” line was fantastic.

And of course, we got some answers! Not only did we learn why Alpert hasn’t aged, but we discovered that he’s essentially immortal. The only way he can die if it’s by the hands of somebody else. And it all happened because Jacob touched him (like he did many of the other characters). If nothing else, this may explain why Jack was seemingly unable to jump off that bridge (and why Locke’s attempted hanging wouldn’t have succeeded). Interesting idea, though: Did he ever lay his hands on Michael? If you recall, he wasn’t able to commit suicide. And he only died when Christian “released” him.

Oh, and considering how genuinely touching seeing Sun reunite with Hurley was, I really can’t wait to see her and Jin together again.

That’s it for this week. I await your comments!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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I actually thought that the last two weeks were pretty solid episodes that appear to be driving the main storyline for the bulk of the season. Now, we have the potential for a serious threat to the US, instead of the indirect threat of the nuclear rods. However, I do agree that too many of the villains from this season have been disposable. Furthermore, the current crop isn’t really all that interesting.

At least they’ve ditched the main part of the Dana subplot, although I expect the aftermath to continue for at least a few more episodes. However< I agree that this is one of the worst subplots in 24 history–perhaps not quite as dire as Kim vs. the Mountain Lion, but one that rests on a pretty flimsy premise–that CTU, even after they had been infiltrated by mole after mole, would still not catch someone working there under an assumed name. You would think their vetting process would have improved over time.

Last week’s episode was an overall improvement, which is why I didn’t want to sound TOO negative, but it was still nowhere near what we have come to expect from 24 – which, in the past, has shown extended periods of precision and brilliance. I would disagree, though, that Hastings proved to be a solid CTU head. The thing is, he DIDN’T eventually do the right thing. Sure, he argued about using Renee as a scapegoat, and he echoed his disapproval later on, but when push came to shove, he was willing to allow it to happen. In fact, the only reason he eased up was so that he could use it as leverage to utilize Jack’s services.

That said, I actually don’t mind that President Taylor’s arc has taken a back seat this season. As many have argued (although I haven’t necessarily agreed), the political portion of the story isn’t necessarily, well, a necessity. Why force it then?

But speaking of forcing things, the Dana thing is absolutely inexcusable. But more on that later.

Anyway, good news!! This is going to be an overall positive column! Truth be told, this may very well have been the best episode of the season. Or, at least, since its downturn. For whatever reason, keeping things geographically isolated and in close proximity really helped focus the story and the episode as a whole. And unlike prior episodes where there was constant shooting and explosions and carnage, the action packed moment was steadily built up throughout the entire hour. I really enjoyed this episode.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence, but for the first time in a long time, it actually felt like the focus was on Jack. And he really hit a home run. He was compassionate when he had to be (particularly with Marcos’ mother), but when he had to turn up the volume, man he really turned it up to the max. His performance when he told Marcos he was going to take his mother to the blast zone was positively chilling. It was actually quite remarkable. And, oddly, Jack didn’t come off as a monster either.

It actually also made me realize that, for the first time ever on this show, we’re actually bringing the focus to the foreign government. And although it was a bit shaky at times, it’s actually really beginning to work. This is going to sound very exocentric, but after seven years it’s a bit easier to watch another person’s government ridden with moles and saboteurs. And while I suspected that this double fake out was coming, I was pleased to see how well Hassan’s daughter handled the news that her lover is actually a turncoat. I’ve joked about it in the past, but this show has a bit of a history of having spurned women just lose it and kill those who have wronged them. It was nice seeing her acting calm and collected. Oh, and that guy deserves to get caught. I know I might have to hand in my Man Card for saying this, but when you’re trying to get freedom and you want to turn against your leader, you shouldn’t really stop for an hour to sleep with your girlfriend. Priorities!

If there’s one thing I was disappointed with, it was the kinda/sorta attempt to deal with and resolve the fact that Dana and Cole disappeared for a number of hours without any explanation whatsoever. Okay, I guess I can excuse Cole, because he at least attempted to give an explanation and wasn’t gone nearly as long. But Dana? She gave a half reason to her subordinate and was gone for numerous hours, completely out of contact with everybody. And yet they’re continuing this story? An arc that can’t possibly end well? I mean, this storyline has literally been the kiss of death for this character in every sense of the word. Which, at this point, may be a good thing.

Oh, and yet another villain died. At least this one had a little emotion to it, though.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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Now, before getting to last week’s phenomenal episode, I thought I’d revisit (hey! That’s the title of the column!) the possibility of Christian – and not Jack – being a candidate for Jacob. Consider this: When Jack was staring at the lighthouse mirrors and saw quick images of scenic views that were not supposed to be there, what did he see? The locations that appeared were Jin and Sun’s wedding, and Sawyer’s parents’ funeral. What’s significant about these places? Well, from what we learned last year, these were the moments when those respective characters met Jacob.

Consequently, I think a fair argument could be made that the mirrors represent when each candidate met Jacob. Yet when Jack put the dial to his name, the image in the mirror wasn’t the hospital where he had met the mysterious island entity. No, instead he saw his childhood home. Perhaps where Jacob and Christian met long ago?

Just something to ponder. Okay, let’s kick off this column by taking a look at the comments on my blog. DaBooty had this to say:

I am surprised you didn’t touch on this, but do you think that the Locke Ness Monster speaking to Sayid is what caused him to turn? He seemed completely normal up until that point.

Dogen explicitly told Sayid to ram the knife into his chest before he can say anything, so does that mean the Locke Ness Monster speaking is what triggered Sayid? I subscribe to this theory. Also, they did not show the Locke Ness Monster telling Sayid to kill Dogen and Lennon, but we now know that the LNM couldn’t get into the temple without Dogen being killed, so is this something that Sayid instinctively knew to do, or did they just not show LNM telling Sayid?

As the expression goes, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I’ve read this theory at quite a few different places (it was echoed by Jennifer in the comments section of last week’s column, as well) – that the Locke Ness Monster physically speaking somehow prevented him from being killed. While I don’t doubt that the writers wanted us to consider this possibility, honestly I think it’s more likely that Dogen was banking on Smokey killing Sayid after he made his attack. But he also knew that the Locke Ness Monster’s attempts at manipulating and tempting Sayid could lead to their destruction (which, it should be noted, it did). As such, Dogen needed Sayid to attack “Locke” before he had an opportunity to speak. Because, once he did, he knew it would mean the end of the Others and the Temple. Basically, the only thing that didn’t work was that the Locke Ness Monster didn’t kill him.

Now that the battle lines are drawn, where does Kate stand? She seemed to be a reluctant tag along. And speaking of indifferent reactions, she didn’t seem to make any kind of big deal about seeing Locke alive.

I disagree somewhat about Kate not making a big deal about seeing Locke alive. Granted, we only saw about ten seconds, but she most certainly had a shocked look on her face. It was certainly better than what we saw from Sayid and Miles. Speaking of which, Kyle offered this…

Yeah, the reactions kind of sucked this episode. The only decent one was Sun finding out about Jin (but where was he anyway?).

By the way, really hope Ben doesn’t die next week. Ben’s awesome. I want Ben to win Lost.

I, too, am curious about the unusual absence of Jin and Sawyer, both of whom we last saw with Claire and the Locke Ness Monster, respectively. Methinks we’ll see both of them shortly. And for what it’s worth, I don’t see Ben dying next week. But I’m not sure I see him “winning” either. It’s actually pretty remarkable how, in the grand scheme of things (so far, anyway), characters like Ben and Widmore – who we all thought would be the “end game” battle – have become relatively insignificant in the conclusion of the story. Over in the comments section of last week’s column, Funback Joe said this in defense of the strange reactions:

Sayid and Miles’ bland reaction to Claire, explained:

Bada bing bada boom

I think that’s oversimplifying things, and this whole argument that Sayid wasn’t himself is a convenient excuse being used, in my opinion. Sure, he ended up doing some monstrous and selfish things that he probably wouldn’t have done under normal circumstances, but his behavior, overall, was pretty typical and normal up until that point. He expressed anger, confusion, and shock numerous times since his death and resurrection. For that matter, his interactions with everybody were pretty consistent with the way he’s always acted. Michael L. elaborates a bit more on the Miles matter:

In regards to Miles & Sayid’s reactions to Claire, I don’t think Miles ever really knew Claire, as he was with Locke’s group for only a few days before the mercenaries came, and much of it was while Miles was in lock-down.

While technically true, Miles’ behavior around Claire the day she vanished gives me every reason to believe that he should have had SOME reaction to her suddenly reappearing. Yes, it’s been three years, and since then he’s gone through a whole lot of crazy crap, but even so, him merely referring to her as that cute chick seems a bit TOO understated. There was definitely something up with her – whether she “died” or was “infected” – and Miles recognized that. So I expected something a little more out of him.

And for that matter, keep in mind that the people on the freighter had only met each other for the first time just a couple days before they arrived on the island. And if I remember correctly, once they reached the island, Miles and Frank were kept apart nearly the entire time. Yet Miles certainly reacted to randomly seeing Frank on the island again.

The TV Obsessed seems to agree, and adds a few comments of his own:

I totally agree with the part about Sayid and Miles seemingly ignoring Claire. They should have been going crazy. For all they know, she’s dead.

Was anyone expecting Sayid to kill both Dogen and Lennon? That totally caught me by surprise, because I thought Dogen would play a big role. I’ll be disappointed if this is the last we see of Hiroyuki Sanada.

I’ve actually grown to really enjoy the flash sideways (more on the significance of them later), but I will confess that I did not expect Sayid to kill Dogen and Lennon. Perhaps in hindsight I should have, because they effectively tied up everything about his character. They gave him an epic fight scene, they provided his backstory, and they explained his role in the show’s mythos. But it was a HUGE shock to me. And I agree, I hope we see more of the actor and character.

So what is the significance of the flash sideways? The review over at the Entertainment Weekly website offered this:

It’s hard not to hear Fake Locke’s enticements and not wonder if what he’s offering the castaways is a psychic ticket to Sidewaysville, that if they do what he asks he’ll transfer their minds/souls into the bodies of their parallel world doppelgangers.

The more I think about it, the more I enjoy this theory. This sideways universe is the bargaining chip he will be using to gain followers, like a world where where Nadia is still alive. But like a good episode of the Twlight Zone, there’s a twist. Sure, Nadia is alive, but she’s married to Sayid’s brother. One of those “be careful what you wish for” deals. Another observation from the column:

The part about coming to you ”as someone who has died” was interesting: it all but confirms that any manifestation of the dead on the Island has been an expression of Smokey, although I’m holding out hope that Christian Shephard might be an exception. Dogen’s final instruction was interesting, too. ”If you allow him to speak, it is already too late.” Theory: the only way to master the god of endings is to deny him any kind of beginning.

Ah, it’s good to see I’m not the only person hopelessly, um, hoping that Christian ends up being a little bit more than just another manifestation of the Smoke Monster. But this point brings up an interesting “lose/lose” situation that the writers have found themselves in. Many people have argued that we haven’t gotten any answers yet. Yet this is a perfect example of how they are providing some answers. However, most people counter this point by arguing “yeah, but we already pretty much knew that.” No, we didn’t know that. We strongly suspected it, but this scene confirmed it.

It may not seem like a big deal that people aren’t crediting the show with providing us with these insignificant “answers,” but there are just as many fans out there that say, “I know we’re never going to get answers to those little things.” So basically, when they confirm these “little” ideas, they’re not real answers – they’re only telling us something we already knew. Yet if they don’t spell it out for you, they’re leaving the viewers with unanswered questions. There’s just no winning with some of these fans.

Moving on, the author over at EW.com pondered whether or not Dogen’s knife actually served or purpose (or was it merely to eff over Sayid?) Here’s the idea he proposed:

It’s going to make Fake Locke tell the truth. I think that’s why he couldn’t hide that look of shiftiness right before he promised the world to Sayid.

Not sure I agree with this, but it’s a clever possibility. Here are a couple of miscellaneous notes from the comments section of the EW.com review:

After viewing screenshots, I’m pretty sure Keamy was wearing Jin’s watch.

Geez, that watch really gets around, huh?

Here is what I was wondering. When Flocke asked Sayid what he wanted most in the world, Sayid said what I want died in my arms. What if Flocke pulls the old switcheroo and gives him Shannon instead. She also died in his arms. Just wondering. You know how those smoke monsters operate. You can’t trust a one of them.

I can just imagine Smokey bringing Shannon back and Sayid saying “Oh….right….her….”

Anyway, that’s it for me tonight. Hopefully I’ll be back on Tuesday for the new episode. If not, I guess I’ll have to wait for the episode to get posted on Hulu.com. Which is BS.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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I don’t quite know what it is about this season of 24 – perhaps it’s the writers or the lack of characters to truly care about – but there’s just no sense of urgency or suspense. I sometimes have to remind myself what the exact threat is that they’re trying to protect. And even when I do remember (and I really only do because of the funny way the Russians say “nuclear”), I don’t even come close to really caring. The villains don’t last long enough for me to hate them, and aside from Jack and MAYBE Renee, I could really care less if any of the “good guys” survive. In fact, there are more than a few that I actively want to die. And the only thing preventing me from hoping that it’s an exceptionally painful death is the fact that I want it to happen so quickly.

And thus, the revolving door of villains continues for yet another week, as Farrah was killed off next. And this actually made me wonder: What purpose did the Russians serve? The only real reason for Vlad and his crew was to crack them down on Sergei and his team. And, ultimately, Sergei didn’t really serve any function. At the VERY least Vlad’s story arc showed how completely insane Renee is, which in turn gave Jack a reason to return to CTU, but honestly, if Sergei was completely removed from the story, would anything have been different? And the utter ridiculousness of this is that they killed off all of the antagonists that we had the slightest bit of a connection with – the man who raped and abused the heroine, the man who was forced to kill his son, the man who turned against his father to avenge his brother, and the brother who betrayed his presidential brother – for a band of people I couldn’t possibly tell you the faintest thing about.

Not to mention how inconsistent the writing and character motivations are. One second we’re supposed to believe that this situation is insignificant enough for Dana to have a little burglary side project, for Arlo to flirt and coerce her, and for Dana and Cole to disappear for hours on end. But then the crisis is urgent enough for Hastings to apparently not even notice or care that his head of operations and technical analysis (or whatever her title is), respectively, have gone MIA. For that matter, did anybody else absolutely cringe when watching the preview for next week, after seeing that this Dana story is going to CONTINUE! You have GOT to be kidding me!

Of course, it’s not my intention to sound so negative, as this is hardly the worst show on television (Grey’s Anatomy is still on, right?), so let me say a few positive things as well. Even though the kid did look like an awkward, chubby Kirk Cameron, I did enjoy the portion with the terrorist with the bomb strapped on and the rookie CTU field agent. I also enjoy seeing Jack as the soft-spoken, caring mentor. And it was also nice to see Hastings acting as something other than inept. I’m sorry to say, that might be it.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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Well, over on my blog long-time reader and frequent contributor Kyle correctly pointed out that this is not exactly how the scene played out. Christian told them to wait in the cabin for somebody who would help them. A little later Ben arrived, who brought their attention to the Locke Ness Monster.

So, basically, we’re no closer to cracking this mystery than we were a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway, I keep intending to write this every week, but I always forget, but I absolutely love the new remix of the classic “swoosh” sound that segues the cuts between each reality (flashback/forward in the past, flash sideways now). There’s an extra bounce or two to it, almost as if to symbolizes how completely deranged the line between these two realities have become.

So typically speaking, Kate episodes are viewed as duds, Locke episodes are lauded as spectacular, and Sayid-centric episodes can be hit or miss. According to most fans, anyway. While I don’t dislike Sayid, I’ve never actually been a huge fan of his character. It seems like every finale I’m suggesting he dies. But I must say, I found this episode exhilarating. There were no less than three times that I expected to see the “LOST” title appear as it does at the end of each episode, only to discover that there was still 20 minutes left. And it just kept getting better and better.

First and foremost, was I the only one who was devastated by Dogen’s death? I had really started to enjoy his character once he began regularly speaking English. I was especially fond of the unspoken, mutual respect between him and Jack. Despite all of the misleading truths, blatant lies, and arguable manipulations, at the end of the episode these two could just sit down together and understand what the other was going through. It made both of them more likeable. And after all the Losties have gone through, it was a bit surreal seeing Jack cozying up to a high-ranking Other. This actually reminded me of a point I wanted to make in my Revisited column, which is that certain characters seem to be intimately tied together no matter what the universe. In both the Island world and the Sideways reality, pairs like Claire and Kate, Jack and Dogen, and Ben and Locke are brought together.

As a final note on Dogen: I found the tragic story behind the baseball genuinely touching. And I was further moved by the information he had not given us. Quite simply, that his actions essentially led to his son’s death, but that he was given a great gift and his son’s life was saved. In return, he promised never to take another life. Hence why he attempted to get Jack and later the Locke Ness Monster to kill Sayid, and why he halted from doing the deed himself when he saw the baseball drop. That was my interpretation, anyway.

But man, did Sayid look twisted once his intentions became clear. I honestly thought we were going to see a new understanding between Dogen and Sayid, where the former would come to realize that the latter was right, that there was goodness inside of him. But instead he drowned him, quite suddenly. Then he coldly and coolly stepped out of the water – the very pool he was “resurrected” and he told Lennon, in a rather inhumane tone, he was aware of his actions and the dangers that would consequently occur. Then he turned around and slashed Lennon’s throat.

From there, we heard the familiar sounds of the Smoke Monster – before we knew he was a billow of dark smoke – similar to what we heard in the pilot episode. And then we saw one of the most kick ass massacres this series has ever shown us. And I really wasn’t sure who would survive. And the understated reunion between those who remained on the Ajira flight and those that traveled back to the 70’s was wonderful. I do have to wonder, though: In the midst of all of this, where were Jin and Sawyer? Weren’t they with Claire and the Locke Ness Monster, respectively?

A final note on Island Sayid: how awesome was that fight scene between Dogen and Sayid? That was easily the best battle we’ve seen on this show, even surpassing the great Sayid/Keamy skirmish of Season 4. And hey! Keamy showed up in the flash sideways as well. Except he wasn’t going to reclaim his throne, as he basically talked tough, made some eggs, and got shot.

Okay, so my thoughts on the flash sideways aren’t going to be quite as verbose, but I actually really did enjoy it. Much like the other sideways realities we’ve seen thus far, the basic gist of each person’s lives is the same, but only with an interesting and unexpected twist. With Sayid, he’s still in love with Nadia, but she’s married to his brother. And much like his island counterpart, sideways Sayid was being pressured by somebody else into reverting to his violent ways. And in both scenarios, he submitted to their will. He DID kill the loan sharks, he did try to kill the Locke Ness Monster, and he did allow said monster into the Temple so that he could kill everybody else. And don’t think I forgot about Jin’s cameo appearance in Sayid’s story (or Jack’s!), I just don’t have any theories quite yet. What do you think?

That’s not to say the episode was flawless. Was I the only one a bit disappointed by Sayid and Miles’ reaction to seeing Claire? I frequently defend certain instances of indifference by bringing up the insane things they’ve experienced. But after not seeing Claire for three years – and not even knowing if she’s alive or dead, and being fully aware that she abandoned her son under very peculiar circumstances – I expected something a bit more spectacular. I mean, this is somebody they’re supposed to care about.

There was one other interaction I was a bit unsatisfied with, and that was the one between Sayid and Ben. This was the first time these two characters came together since we discovered that Sayid shot a young Ben back in 1977. Sure, we were led to believe that “whatever happened, happened” and that Ben (rather conveniently) had the occurrence wiped from his memory – but neither of those theories had really been tested yet. Would there be a sense of familiarity? Were new memories uploaded?

Of course, keeping the interaction so brief and urgent was possibly/likely a deliberate move on the part of the writers, in which case I anxiously await to see what’s going to happen next.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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Basically, when I watch an episode of Lost, there are a few things I factor in when I determine how much I enjoyed it. Most importantly, was it entertaining? I mean, they can answer all the questions in the world, but if it’s not in an interesting manner, does it really matter? Which brings me to my next criteria: Does it answer any questions? I’m not naïve (or unfair) enough to think that they’re going to give us these massively significant answers in an episode that isn’t a premiere or finale, so – to me – I can find satisfaction in simply learning what Jacob’s list refers to. And last – and this is where last week’s episode comes into play – how significant is the episode in the grand scheme of things?

So at face value a lot may not have happened this past episode, but I have a big feeling that certain actions that were taken in this episode will play a big part in future episodes. There’s Jack’s quest, Hurley’s servitude to Jacob, Jin taking Claire to the Temple, Claire’s “friendship” with Locke, and so on and so forth.

Okay, there ya’ go. That’s my methodology. Shall we move onto the thoughts and theories of last week’s episode?

As many people have noted, Kate was on the lighthouse dial, next to the number 51. A lot of people are making a big deal out of the fact that she wasn’t on the cave wall, but I’m not sure that’s necessarily true. There were LOADS of names on the wall that the Locke Ness Monster didn’t mention, for one reason or another. I believe Kate was one of those unmentioned people. I’m intrigued by why she wasn’t named, though.

And for those of you wondering, the name next to 108 – which, if you recall, is the sum of The Numbers – was “Wallace.” As far as I can tell, we’ve never met this person before. Perhaps he’s the person heading to the island?

Now let’s discuss some of the comments left on my blog. The following comes from long-time contributor Kyle:

As for Christian, it’s also possible Smokey switched forms on her, ala him appearing to Ben as Alex and Locke right after the other. You may very well be right, but I’m not sure.

I just find it hard to believe that Christian is going to be written off in such an inconsequential way after playing a relatively significant role over the past five years. If Christian is the Smoke Monster, who we now know can only appear as Locke, that would imply that we’ve seen the last of Christian. I just don’t see him going out with such a whimper. Kyle adds:

Rewatching Season 5, and Christian specifically told Sun (according to her) that if she wants to see Jin again, she has to wait for John Locke. Who goes on to claim he has some ideas about finding Jin.

Seems like an odd thing for someone with Jacob to say, considering who Locke is at this point. Who knows, of course, but it’s something to think about.

I do not believe that Christian is Jacob, but I’m just not entirely convinced that he’s the Smoke Monster either. I’ll be discussing this aforementioned scene a little later, as well. Finally, Kyle brings up this point about Claire:

As far as Claire and time traveling goes, I’m not sure if it was the Temple or something else. Not everyone on the Island time jumped, I don’t think…or were all of the Others in the Temple at that point? I thought someone was out, but perhaps not.

I think Kyle is right about the Others not being in the Temple during the time traveling. I had initially assumed that they were, since they spent pretty much all of the prior season hiding out there. But I now remember that Locke met up with them in the jungle, where he began time traveling but they did not. This brings me back to a question I had been asking since the beginning of last season, which I hope we get an answer to, and that’s what determines who time travels and who doesn’t? The Oceanic survivors did, but those survivors that ended up with the Others (like Cindy) did not. Then on the Ajira flight, Jack, Kate, and Hurley did travel while Sun, Frank, and Ben did not. And Claire? Well, that remains a mystery at the moment.

Also on my blog, DaBooty offered this (I’m going to respond to each point individually):

I was surprised that Jin didn’t explain the whole “Kate was raising Aaron” thing a little bit more. Like hey remember when the Dharma barracks blew up and then you disappeared and left Aaron alone in the jungle? Well we weren’t going to let Aaron just lay there and die so we SAVED HIM! Then again, maybe talking rationally to Claire wouldn’t have worked.

While it did seem a little odd that Jin didn’t try to explain the scenario a bit more rationally, I think he recognized that Claire wasn’t quite right, and that for his own protection – not to mention Kate’s – he’d be better off lying, taking her to the Temple, and hoping that they have some way of “curing” her.

I loved this episode, mainly because of Hurley and Jack’s interactions. It did feel very old school except Jack is not quite the same. I guess because he is still “broken”.

I still think Jack is the candidate and not Christian. That is why Jacob needed to get him and Hurley out of the temple. Jacob seems to be putting all his eggs in one basket with Jack and Hurley (or 2 baskets i guess) by separating them from the rest.

Yes, but for all we know, Jacob needs Jack as a means to getting to Christian. In fact, I could totally imagine Jack believing the hype and thinking that he’s something special, only for it to all come crashing down when he discovers that his father is actually the special one.

I love how the writers answer the question of “how have we not seen this giant lighthouse that isn’t too far from where we lived for a while” with “i guess we weren’t looking for it”. Maybe it wasn’t there before? Who knows. i wish Jack was a little more intrigued by this magic mirror instead of instantly angry and smashed it. It would have been nice if he stopped on some of the other names so we could take a peek.

I agree, his reaction was a bit annoyingly impulsive and arguably selfish, but I guess that’s the reaction Jacob was expecting and perhaps hoping for.

So now we know that the numbers are degrees, but i still want to know what they have to do with the hatch.

I’m not quite sure we do “know” that the Numbers are degrees. In my view, this is just another example of the Numbers popping up. I don’t think we quite know what the Numbers are yet, though.

Looking in the mirror in the ATL is clearly important, and Jack definitley remembers or feels something. Remember, he got his appendix out on the island, which is why his attention was drawn to it.

Yes, but I find it curious that only Jack seems to be aware of the fact that something just isn’t right. And for that matter, the only other character who appeared to experience déjà vu was Kate….when she saw Jack.

Alright, now let’s take a look at the always enjoyable review at EW.com. The first idea actually coincides with the appendix issue above:

Consider this: If we assume that Jack is about as old as Sawyer, then that means it’s very likely that Sideways Jack had his school collapse/appendix episode the very same year that a certain group of time traveling castaways were blowing up Jughead on the Island. What if Young Jack’s collapse was caused by Castaway Jack’s mind/soul getting blown into him? What if Young Jack’s appendicitis was reflexive a psychosomatic response to the appendix-free Castaway Jack’s sudden psychic migration into his mind? What if Castaway Jack’s mind/soul has lain dormant within Sideways Jack ever since, but now is starting to stir and take hold?

Eh, not sure I see this coming to fruition, but it’s a fun little observation. But one thing about Jack that did seem curious was the fact that his son’s mother – presumably his ex-wife – went specially unmentioned. No mention of her name. No photos of her at her home. Was it the same ex-wife he had in the “regular” universe, or was it somebody different? The reviewer proposes this possibility:

Who’s David’s Mom? Who’s the female participant in the creation of this inexplicably conceived Sideways child? Who’s this phantom woman that Sideways Jack was once with and now isn’t? Wouldn’t if be totally ironic and fitting if she was the Sideways iteration of Lost’s resident fertility doc/Jack dumpette, better known to us as Juliet? And you wanna know why she wasn’t home last night? That’s right, kids: Going dutch on coffee with new boyfriend Sawyer.

One problem with this: David’s mother was “out of town” not “out on a date.” That’s not to say I don’t see this being true. I’m just not sure why they’d hold off on this revelation. Why not show a photo of her in her home, and later on we find out she’s dating Sawyer? But as a few people noted, do we really need to see Jack and Sawyer competing over the same girl in yet another reality? Shifting gears to the island world:

Along the way, Jack tried to pick up some baggage: Kate. But Hurley said No, that Jack had to come to Jacob alone. It made sense: Kate is now part of the painful past that Jack has to learn to let go of, part and parcel of the Something (Allegedly) Nice Back Home dream/nightmare that he has to grieve and detach from.

I don’t have much to add to this idea other than the fact that I dig it. Jack has always had issues with letting go of the past – a character “flaw” that seems to be true in both universes (this must also make us wonder: What ended his marriage in the alternative reality?) I was further intrigued by Hurley’s resolve to make sure Jack takes this journey by himself. This Jacob-guided-Hurley is no pushover.

The Lighthouse doesn’t cast light outward. It casts light inward, and reveals the state of your heart. For Jack Shephard, his heart is still locked up in his childhood home, his father’s house, his past, and he won’t be free and realized until he leaves all of it behind.

Possible. Although I still prefer my theory, that Jack’s childhood home is more an allusion to the senior Shephard. Here’s another interesting observation:

The episode was filled with conversations about truth telling. It began with Jack and Dogen praising each other for their mutual honesty. Claire demanded total honesty from Justin the Other as well as Jin, who told the truth about Aaron, then lied about telling the truth to save his life. The episode ended with Hurley scolding Jacob for not playing straight with him. Interesting: the Lockeness Monster professes to be the straight-shooter of the two Island deities, and after this episode, we have no reason to doubt him; the revelation of the Lighthouse didn’t contradict anything UnLocke told and showed Sawyer last week in the cave. Meanwhile, Jacob has resorted to lies, puzzles, and possibly supernatural coercion to get people to do what he wants them to do. And yet, I STILL find myself thinking that Jacob is the good guy and Lockeness is the bad guy in their feud. What do you think?

Somebody in the EW.com comments section responded to this idea far more eloquently than I would have:

MIB gives people the “truth” to shape their choices. Jacob allows people to discover the truth to make their own choices………..alternately known as free will……….

This is indeed an excellent point. Sure, Smokey tells people the truth – at least, we assume he does – but he’s doing so with the intention of manipulating them so that they can do his bidding. He convinced Alpert to tell Locke to kill himself. He influenced Ben to kill Jacob. He managed to get all of the Others to confront Jacob – something they had never done (that being said, he’s also not completely honest – he lied to Claire about the Others having Aaron). While Jacob appears to mislead people, it seems evident that he’s leaving the decisions up to his followers. Like he said to Ben in the statue, he has a choice and he doesn’t have to do this.

tonight’s episode almost guaranteed my theory that Jacks story arc is leading towards him not being the new Jacob but to ending “the game” breaking the endless stalemate (tic-tac-toe). he has struggle since season one to breaking the cycle from turning into his dad now that was mirrored with him breaking the cycle with his sideways son

I’m not entirely positive I see Jack and Sawyer becoming the new Jacob and Man in Black, if only because I don’t foresee them ending the series with Sawyer in such an obviously villainous role. However, that’s not to say the series will ultimately end with two characters (perhaps familiar ones, like Locke and Christian) taking over those roles, essentially saying that this cycle will continue on and on. As another commenter said in response to this remark:

Good observation. I think you are right. Did you notice Hurley and Miles playing tic tac toe and tying every time?

Oh, and that scene with Christian, Frank, and Sun? Consider this observation:

Not only does Christian talk to Sun and Lupidos, doesn’t he point out John Locke outside. Doesn’t JL give one of those signature smile/nods? I don’t think MIB can be two places at once.

That may be the biggest bit of proof that Locke and Christian are not both incarnations of the Smoke Monster. For that matter, if you recall that Christian seemed more or less unaware of the fact that Locke needed to die in order to bring the Oceanic Six back to the island. And we now know that Smokey – as Locke – came up with the plan to begin with.

That’s it for this week. I’ll be back Tuesday night with my next review!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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Truth be told, this week’s episode of 24 was a vast improvement over the past few weeks. I actually got the sense that this was the token “turning point” episode in which many of the characters who have been portrayed as antagonists begin to show a lighter side in comparison to far more villainous and perhaps dangerous individuals. That happened a few times here, actually. Hastings was clearly uncomfortable when the President’s Chief of Staff pressured him into laying the blame on Renee. He argued with him, and again defended her with the lawyer. Yes, he ultimately relented arguably blackmailed Jack, but this was certainly the first time we saw him in a semi-noble role.

Farhad Hassan, while certainly still a bad guy, proved to be the lesser of two evils as well. When he realized that the people he’s working with may put his country in danger, he turned against them and aligned himself with the very U.S. government organization that his brother was just working with.

And finally, Kevin the stereotypical scumbag (drinking and/while driving? Check. Going to a strip club? Check. Having group sex with promiscuous women in a van down the river? Check!) showed his caring side as well. First by agreeing to leave Dana alone, and then by warning her in his final moments, thus saving her life.

A lot of people had grander predictions for this Dana story, believing that the big reveal would be that these guys were involved in the terrorist plot. I think my far bleaker view is all but confirmed: This was merely a mechanism – and a weak one, at that – in order to remove her (and later Cole) from her job, thus creating an added obstacle for CTU to overcome.

The major problem with this story arc is, well, that there are so many problems with it. The storyline was utterly ridiculous to start with, but there are just too many twists and turns that force you to absolutely suspend any sense of disbelief you may have had. And the problem with a show like 24 is that once you open your eyes and say that one thing is ridiculous, the temptation to judge every other potentially unrealistic matter multiples to the nth degree. And I can’t help but ask myself, “Why would they risk opening that can of worms for these characters? Over this storyline?”

Think back to past years where CTU staff weren’t even allowed to make phone calls to their families in the midst of a nuclear crisis. Now we’re to believe that Dana can just disappear for hours on end, with nobody seemingly too concerned about her whereabouts, other than a passing question about where she is (and while I’m in super critical mode, is it me or have we seen, like, entirely too many examples of CTU using tracking devices in order to find somebody? In the past two episodes we’ve seen CTU find Jack, Cole find Dana, and CTU find Farah using this same method. I understand it’s the most basic and likely way to accomplish this, but it’s overkill)? And yet, in her absence, they decide that the best way to utilize Chloe is to have her debriefing people? How is that in any way even her job?

Sigh. And based on next week’s preview, this story arc isn’t even over yet. Honestly, how many hours has she been gone?

But, again, I thought this week was a big improvement. Renee is back to being a sympathetic victim instead of a crazy, twisted, scorned woman. In fact, her meeting with the lawyer was the first time in quite some time that I was watching this show and getting exceptionally annoyed – but for the right reasons! I actually cheered a little bit when Jack stormed into the room and grabbed that woman by the throat. Somebody’s doing something right when you can root for Jack physically threatening a woman. And while I accused Jack’s recent bad assery as being cartoonish, I totally bought and loved him telling an armed guard (who’s aiming a gun right at him) that he better put his gun down or he’s going to get hurt. That felt right. And even though I’ve found this whole Dana story arc atrocious, and the Renee frame up made me mad, I do appreciate the fact that the writers came up with a logical, sensible reason for Jack to get back into the thick of things. Oh, and can any other character on TV make putting on a satchel look bad ass????

I will say, though, that this revolving door of villains may backfire on them. In less than 10 episodes the big bad went from Farah to Sergei to Vlad back to Sergei to Josef back to Farah and now to this new group of people. And absolutely none of them elicit that same fear and unsettling feeling as Nina Myers or Tony Almeida. Hitch your horse to a wagon already!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.

Speaking of my Revisited column, earlier this week I reiterated an idea proposed by the reviewer at EW.com, that “Shephard” actually refers to Christian, and not Jack. I think this is a distinct possibility, which I daresay solidified a bit with this past episode. When Jack turned the dial to the “Shephard” dash, in the mirror he saw a vision of his childhood home, which he admitted he hadn’t lived in since he was a youngster. While it’s entirely possible the Shephard family moved, I think it’s more likely that this was Christian Shephard’s house up until the day he died. So it wasn’t so much Jack’s childhood house as it was Christian’s home.

Another idea that has been tossed around is if Christian and the Smoke Monster are one in the same. This has been the assumption for quite some time. However, as I noted in my Revisited column, Christian seems significantly less adversarial than the Locke Ness Monster. Could we have received a hint this week? Claire noted that she’s been with her father AND with a friend. We learned that the Locke Ness Monster is that friend. And it’s also apparent that Claire recognizes that this person ISN’T John Locke (so she would likely understand that Smokey as Christian = Smokey as Locke, if that were the case).

Honestly, so much time and attention has been devoted to Christian Shephard that I’d be surprised if it turned out he was merely a manifestation of the Smoke Monster. After all, if that were the case, would they really call an 11th hour audible and say, “Okay, let’s just have him appear as Locke now”? There’s just something deeper about his character to have him written off so nonchalantly.

My current line of thinking? I’m intrigued by this idea that Christian is a candidate. In fact, I’m starting to tempt the idea that Christian is the next incarnation of Christian, and that his various appearances in other people’s flashbacks (Claire, Sawyer, Ana Lucia, in addition to Jack, of course) is the equivalent of Jacob appearing in people’s lives and touching them.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the stuff with Hurley and Jack. Hurley acted quite humorously as the voice of the audience, bringing up the fact the island’s Adam and Eve were pretty much all but forgotten, and how the concept of a couple of characters voyaging out into the jungle for Lord knows what reason is really “old school.” He also made all the right theories (the skeletons could be one of them, through time travel), made the right observations (the inhaler belonging to Shannon), and asked the right questions (like why Jacob essentially arranged for Jack to react to the situation in this way). And I thought their conversation about Kate was, well, just really authentic. These two have grown to be close friends, and it makes perfect sense that they’d open up to each other about this sort of thing. If the show lacks anything, it’s this sort of typical humanity. Just all around great stuff here.

Oh, and Kate saying, “Jack, I almost shot you!” so casually was strangely adorable.

So what do we have going in the Sideways World? Well, one difference is that Jack’s mother is apparently so inept that she can’t find her late husband’s will as it sits on a bookshelf in an envelope labeled “Last Will and Testament.” And the existence of the island is ultimately irrelevant when it comes to determining whether or not Christian Shephard bags an Australian chick. But other than that, Jack apparently has a son. And while in the reality we’re all familiar with, self-reflection is not exactly Jack’s strong suit, in this universe he seems to make a conscious effort to not make the same mistakes his father made. He wants to have a close, healthy relationship with his son, and he reaches out to him in order to make that happen. And when he realizes that his behavior might be the issue, he attempts to change accordingly.

One of my favorite scenes of the episode was when he left a message for his son when he was trying to find him. I was so worried we were going to see that Jack with a short fuse, yelling about how he’s worried sick. Instead, we saw Jack acting calmly and compassionately, apologizing for what he may or may not have done. What made the scene even more powerful was that it was such a stark contrast to the way he would react in the lighthouse.

And for those of you keeping score: Yes, there was another “look at your reflection” Flash Sideways scene. It’s interesting, though, that Jack has had two instances where he’s noticed a physical imperfection that has thrown him off guard.

And then there’s that little whackabee Claire. So on the one hand, she remembers Jin and Aaron (and Kate), but on the other, she doesn’t seem to recall abandoning Aaron to live in Jacob’s cabin. I do find it interesting that she was held at the Temple, though. This could explain how she survived all that time traveling fun (if you recall, the Temple was apparently immune from time traveling). So is the obvious thought the right one? That Claire is the “terrible thing” coming to the Temple? Intriguingly, all of the central characters have left the Temple for one reason or another, except for Miles and Sayid. Ya’ know, the guy who’s ALSO infected with the darkness? Hmmmm….

Nothing really jumped out at me as “assignment” worthy, but if you have any thoughts, feel free to send them my way for our next Revisited column. The last couple of weeks have brought me some great feedback, so keep up the good work!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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As I noted above, I fully expected this to be your clichéd Valentine’s Day episode, chock full of love spells and powers of influence. And for at least the first half of the episode, they seemed pretty committed to that path (and I will admit to only paying partial attention during this portion). You had Lois acting like a doting Stepford wife, Chloe as the devoted protector, and Emil as the brilliant scientist turned slacker. By the way, I’m guessing that Lois’ housewife look is a reference to some early incarnation of the comic book Lois Lane? Any validity to that guess?

But then when Zod was introduced into the episode, everything shifted dramatically. We learned, to my surprise, that he didn’t kill Jor-El. In fact, he had nothing to do with his death at all (he mistakenly thought Tess was responsible). And while Clark wasn’t willing to murder somebody to avenge his father’s death, Zod did make him realize that he has to make some difficult decisions in order to achieve the greater good. And Clark was willing to take that step when he destroyed the tower in a rather cool effect.

For that matter, I actually enjoyed Clark’s scene with Tess as well. If you remember, I was pretty critical of Tess’ character when she was first introduced (for the record, I still find it disturbing that she lives in Lex’s house), saying that she lacked all of the complexities that made Lex so great. Well I’m certainly eating my words now. I still don’t quite know what to make of her character, although she’s beginning to remind me of Lionel near the end of his tenure on the series. She’s on the side of Clark – or so it seems – but she’s still willing to do unsavory things in order to achieve what she perceives as the “greater good.” She’s also not entirely willing to play nice with all of Clark’s little friends. And I am very, very intrigued by this whole Suicide Squad thing.

I’m actually going to cut things off at this point. Since the incredible two part Absolute Justice special, Smallville has been on the backburner for a couple of weeks. I have a feeling the show is about to pick up some steam again. Catch you next week!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.

Now, before we get to last week’s episode, there is an important matter we have to discuss. Quite simply, we really can’t avoid this topic any longer….it’s something we have to deal with in order to continue on with this season. And that matter is – what are we going to call the Smoke Monster in Locke clothing? The most frequent nicknames are as follows: Smocke (a combination of “Smokey” and “Locke), Un-Locke (clever in a cutesy way), and The Locke Ness Monster (my personal favorite). So unless anybody has any better suggestions, I’m going to go with my preference. So from here on out, I’ll refer to Fake Locke as “The Locke Ness Monster.” There ya’ go.

Also, in last week’s original review I noted that while I did recognize that the numbers next to each Losties’ name was one of THE Numbers, I didn’t quite catch whose name was attached to which number. I now have that information:

Locke: 4; [Hurley] Reyes: 8; [James ''Sawyer''] Ford: 15; [Sayid] Jarrah: 16; [Jack] Shephard: 23; [Jin or Sun?] Kwon: 42

I know my Revisited column typically attempts to unravel theories, but I’m going to open this particular topic up for discussion throughout the season. Any idea what these numbers mean? However, there is one tidbit that’s fun to consider. If you remember way back when, one of the Others mentioned that Jack wasn’t on Jacob’s list. Yet we clearly saw “Shephard” on the cave wall. Over on his Twitter page, the very talented author of the EW.com Lost reviews offered this idea:

So maybe “Shephard” doesn’t refer to Jack. Maybe it refers to…. Christian?

After all, there definitely seems to be several similarities between Jacob and Christian. Both have a proclivity for popping up in the lives of the Losties before they ended up on the island. Sometimes in very significant ways. And Christian has appeared on the island more than any other dead person. Plus he shacked up in Jacob’s cabin and he’s responsible for that whole island moving thing. There could be something to this.

Before I get to some more observations and comments I picked up from my e-mails and other reviews, I thought I would discuss a fun idea that didn’t quite occur to me after I initially viewed last week’s episode. For the first five seasons of Lost, we’ve been acting on this theory that the island saved these characters from an overall unhappy existence. Kate was a fugitive guilty of murdering her father. Sawyer was a conman, without a family and fueled by vengeance. Locke was paralyzed, stuck in a body that could never fulfill his greatest desires. Jack was obsessed with fixing things and controlling every situation he encountered. Sun and Jin were in a deteriorating marriage. Yet, the island allowed them to escape from these lives, and after their “rebirth” on the island, they were eventually able to overcome these insecurities. So the island saved the, right?

Not so simple.

One of the neat parts of the Flash Sideways is not that it shows what would have happened if they never crashed, but instead it shows what would have happened if the island essentially never existed. “The Substitute” revealed to us, should we choose to believe the Locke Ness Monster, that Jacob had essentially arranged for these characters to end up on the island. Well, if that’s true, we learned that if these interventions were never made, the characters (so far) would have lived a far happier and better adjusted life than what they ended up having. Before this season, one could have argued that there was something noble and altruistic about Jacob and the island. That’s a little harder to swallow now.

This idea was echoed in some of the comments left on the EW.com episode review. One person noted:

Enough of this faith nonsense. Locke was finally happy because he had transcended the need for faith.

I think this is a fair point. In a lot of ways, Locke’s blind faith is a crutch that he completely relies on. Not to sound like Monk or Spider-Man, but it was a curse just as much as it was a gift. Much like Jack, who once refused to acknowledge the supernatural – even as they were happening in front of his eyes – because of his inability to accept anything that could not be explained by science, Locke was hindered by his absolute faith in, well, faith. Hell, he was willing to commit suicide because a bunch of people, most of whom he had never even met before, told him that he had to die.

Perhaps what Locke really needs is to not be a man of faith or a man of science. He just needs to be a man – one who isn’t defined by his beliefs. Here was a somewhat related remark:

Surprised by Locke’s glee in the sprinkler? If we follow the similarities to the original timeline, that to me just echoed locke sitting on the beach smiling peacefully as the rain came down on his face.

That’s a fun point, but you also have to acknowledge that the sentiment between their smiling is quite different. In the former, Locke was able to find humor in an unlucky situation. In the latter, he felt a sense of peace and belonging in an otherwise unsettling situation. Visually they were quite similar (and I’d like to give the writers the benefit of the doubt here and assume that was purposeful), but thematically there are some disparities.

Okay, so let’s take a look at some of the theories that popped up in the recent EW.com episode review. The first is a rather throwaway observation, but one I still enjoyed:

For the third straight episode, the episode’s lead character was given a conspicuous moment in the bathroom, looking long and hard in the mirror.

So I guess “looking at your reflection” is the new “eye close up” token effect on Lost, huh? And while I suppose this can also be considered a throwaway observation, as the information was revealed in the passing, but I have a feeling this may prove to be a lot more significant:

We were told nothing about how this Locke and Helen met. But we were told they have an October wedding date, and given that it’s late September in the Sideways world, I’m predicting that their Big Day will serve as a key moment for the entire Sideways arc — perhaps the time and place when all the disparate story lines will converge.

I actually quite like this idea. We’re starting to see the characters come together in different ways, so I can totally buy the idea that somehow, some way, they all end up at Locke’s wedding. Could this also coincide with when the castaways all reunite on the island? Speaking of the Locke nuptials…..

We know from season 1 that Boone Carlyle’s mother, Sabrina Carlyle, owned a massively successful wedding business, and that Boone served as the company’s chief operating officer. Methinks the Carlyle family biz will play a role in solving Helen’s catering crisis….

Ha. Neat!

There were a few miscellaneous observations that I thought I’d touch upon, such as the identity of the boy that appeared throughout the episode. I initially figured it was a young version of Jacob, and that perhaps only “candidates” could see him (hence why Richard didn’t). The EW.com article proposed this idea, however:

The boy functions as a referee in the Jacob-Man In Black skirmish. He got that honor because the boy represents the first person the Man In Black ever killed.

Now that I think about it, I actually quite like the possibility that this boy is the Man in Black’s first kill. Besides which, visually, the adult Jacob that we were just introduced to would be a more compelling casting choice, in my opinion. Speaking of casting decisions, this comes courtesy of the comments section of the EW.com review:

The woman at the temp agency who asked Locke what kind of animal he would be was the actress who played the phony spiritual reader in Tricia Tenaka Is Dead.

Building this idea of rules and referees, there’s this observation from Mees and Only Mees, who left a comment on my original review:

I think it’s interesting how there are “rules” that Jacob and MIB know about, yet thre were also rules that Ben and Penny’s father knew about. Where is Penny’s father anyway?

It’s funny that you mention that, because during last week’s episode, one idea that popped into my mind (rather randomly) was: I really hope that Widmore doesn’t end up as a passing thought in the grand scheme of things. His role was made so much more significant last season. I really hope he plays a crucial role this year as well.

And on the topic of the candidates, this comes from david, who also commented on my original review page:

There seens to be a balance…black and white. jacob and MIB.
Since Jacob is looking for a replacement, does that mean that MIB will have a replacement as well? maybe Sawyer is his replacement??
Ilana seems to know what is going on and who Smokey was and about the temple etc. im pretty sure she would know the rule about the MIB not being able to kill Jacob directly. so does that mean she knows Ben was lying when he said he MIB killed Jacob?

I think a fair argument could be made that Locke was the Man in Black’s replacement. I mean, he essentially took over his body and mind (memories, anyway). Perhaps this “replacement” idea isn’t necessarily physical (after all, Locke’s actual body has been buried) but a spiritual and visual thing, instead. And I’m not sure if Ilana knows that Ben was lying, but I’m sure she has her suspicions.

And this excellent point comes from the comments section as well:

If Ben is alive in the sideways world, then there is an issue with the bomb destroying the island in 1977. Ben would have been killed when the island sank. He was at the temple at the time of the explosion and could not have been on the submarine.

Ah, very interesting point. In last week’s Revisited column I was corrected that Ethan was likely on the submarine. But, based on what we saw last season, Ben was still in the Temple with the Others when the Incident occurred. So how did Ben survive and get off the island? Apparently there’s a Richard Flash Sideways episode coming up this season (on a side note, it’s a bit disappointing that this guy never got a FLASHBACK!) and I have a feeling we might get the answer to that question then. And now, let’s end things with a final thought from the EW.com review:

Because I believe as heartbroken and furious as Sawyer may be… he ain’t betraying the castaways to this monster.

While I do agree with the popular theory that Sawyer is essentially “using” the Locke Ness Monster in order to gain important information, let us not forget that just one season ago he was more than willing to leave everybody he cares about (including former flame Kate and best friend Hurley), knowing full well that they were being left in a life threatening situation.

Oh, one final idea I’d like to briefly bring up: Do you believe the Locke Ness Monster when he claims that the cave belonged to Jacob? There was definitely something a bit “gates of hell” about that cave. This leads me to believe that the Man in Black actually lived there. This could make sense thematically, with the supposedly “evil” Man in Black finding residence in the dark, dreaded cave surrounded by sharp rocks, while the allegedly “good” Jacob lives out in the open in paradise. Of course there’s also the biblical “Jacob’s Ladder,” which is a ladder to heaven. So who knows?

Anyway, next week’s review is going to be a little late. Tuesday night I’m going to see my alma mater, Rutgers, face off against my dad’s alma mater, Seton Hall, in some college basketball fun. But I’ll try to have it posted late Tuesday night, depending on how late I get home. Go Scarlet Knights!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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That is all I will say about this particular story arc. It’s for the best, trust me.

This was an improvement over last week’s episode, as they shifted the focus back to Jack. And while it was a bit silly that Jack (who was just stabbed in the gut) managed to survive repeated shocks against his bare, perspired skin, while a single shock – with his feet, no less – managed to knock out his fully clothed torturer, overall I think the scenes worked. Truth be told, at this point in the series, we really needed to see Jack in his element.

Come to think of it, have we even seen Jack in bad ass mode yet this season? And when he attacked that guy and took his cell phone so that his location could be tracked….where in the blue hell did he come flying from? What, is Jack Spider-Man now?

So this is going to sound incredibly sexist, and for that I apologize, but there’s just something about the way President Taylor asks Jack to handle something…. it almost sounds like he’s saving her ass. Or that he’s doing something that she’s incapable of doing. It’s not even that she’s a woman – on the contrary, I think the show has done a fine job of portraying her as a strong, intelligent, competent individual. It’s just her tone and manner of speaking, when she says stuff like, “make the deal Jack” or whatever it is she said, it almost sounds helpless. I just can’t imagine David Palmer delivering that line in the same way.

One thing that has struck me about this season, more than any other in recent memory, is the liberties that they’re taking with the “real time” aspect of their storytelling method. Sure, certain liberties must obviously be taken. I mean, waiting 45 minutes so that the characters can get across town is hardly thrilling television, but thus far they’ve taken a lot of liberties this season. For example, Jack was put in that truck from the sewer in the final seconds of last week’s episode. This episode essentially kicks off with him being taken to the restaurant with a hood over his face. Sorry, but unless the restaurant was about three blocks down from Vlad’s garage, I find that timeline a bit hard to swallow, even if I suspend my disbelief.

I have to say, this season is becoming eerily similar to season six, and that’s never a good thing. That being said, I do hope that the series doesn’t end with this season. Sure, it’s still a bit early to judge and there’s still plenty of time to pick things up, but I’d hate to see such an impactful, thrilling and successful series go out on such a sour note.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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I have to say, I didn’t expect to be so touched by seeing Locke, in the Sideways universe, so legitimately happy while living a normal existence. Sure, he “found” himself and a purpose on the island, but there was something sweet about him living happily, with his bride-to-be, as part of a loving family. And there was something nice about him seeing the humor in unfortunate situations, like falling off your van, onto the front lawn, just as the sprinklers go off. He doesn’t seem tortured by his condition, he seems at peace with it.

I also found it interesting that, in the original timeline, John Locke can’t catch a break. Both of his parents used him, his father essentially stole his kidney, used him again, and then tried to kill him. He lost his true love. Nothing worked out. Yet in this reality, he catches break after break after break. You can’t keep this guy down!

And, assuming that their Sideways lives are fairly representative of the Losties’ pre-crash lives, we learned another connection: Rose used to work for one of Hurley’s companies (even though he had bad luck and seemed pretty out-of-the-loop, Hurley still owned a number of businesses)! Perhaps not surprisingly, Locke also came in contact with other familiar characters – in fact, far more than Kate (and presumably Claire). He met and had extended interactions with Jack, Hurley, Rose, and Ben. Did anybody half expect (how do you half expect something?) to see Walt at the high/middle school?

I am curious, though, if we’re going to see Locke eventually take Jack up on his offer. Perhaps during a Jack Flash Sideways?

How surreal was it seeing “Locke” – visually, anyway – promising people that if they follow him, he’ll tell them everything they want to know? After the amount of times we’ve seen him fall for that line, it was interesting seeing him deliver it. And, of course, I LOVED Fake Locke yelling that classic line, but with anger instead of desperation, “Don’t tell me what I can’t do.”

It’s also fun and unusual seeing Richard and Ben at the mercy of people who know more than them.

Speaking of Richard, I find it curious that he didn’t see the child, but that Sawyer did. What’s the significance? But I have to wonder, why didn’t Locke go all Smokey when he was chasing the kid? And what’s the current guess – that this kid is a younger version of Jacob?

It was nice that Sun told everybody that they need to bury Locke’s body. It was a nice reminder to the audience that despite all they’ve seen and experienced, they’re still human beings that are affected by the loss of one of their comrades. And although it was obviously ironic, it was also strangely sweet seeing Ben carrying Locke’s body to the gravesite, digging his hole, and then performing his eulogy. These two have a twisted relationship, for sure, but I did find Ben’s speech quite genuine.

Part of me thinks that Ben realizes what his insecurities brought him to do – murdering Locke and Jacob – and that he’s no closer to having what he wants, or knowing what he wants to know. For the first time, I really do think he has regrets. Of course, he’s still not above lying, though.

The scenes between Sawyer and Fake Locke were interesting (except for Sawyer in dirty boxers. That was….unsettling). I do have to wonder, though: After that ladder fell apart, how on earth are they going to get back to the top of the mountain?

So it seems that Jacob has everybody’s name written on the walls of the cave, with a number next to each person’s name. I didn’t catch all of the corresponding numbers, does somebody want to help me out with that? And I also find it interesting that Fake Locke made it a point to reveal each person’s name, but we never saw Kate’s.

Some questions to ponder for my Revisited column:

What is the significance of the numbers next to each person’s name?

Is there a reason why we didn’t see Kate’s name?

Of the remaining names, do you foresee anybody taking over for Jacob?

And in your “chicken or the egg” question: What came first, Jacob’s list or the names on the wall?

In the Sideways reality, it appears that Locke’s father never betrayed him. So how did Locke become paralyzed? And what impact did the lack of island have on Locke’s father?

And, perhaps most interestingly, why isn’t Fake Locke able to transform into anybody else now?

As always, you can comment below, visit my blog, or send me an e-mail! I look forward to your responses!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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As they took off, Kate looked out the window and saw Jack talking on his cell phone, and it looked to me like she had a moment of déjà vu akin to Jack’s experiences last week. Now, there was another moment in the episode in which Kate looked at Jack and something like a rush of recognition filled her eyes. It was the tender moment in the Temple, when Jack grabbed her gently by the elbow and pulled her close and wished her well and a safe journey in her pursuit of Sawyer. I submit that when Kate saw Jack at the airport, she established a psycho-spiritual circuit with her doppelganger self on he Island, and specifically the moment between Jack and Kate in Temple.

Essentially, a powerful emotion transmitted from one consciousness/reality to another. I might take that idea one step further and say that Kate’s guardianship of Claire in the Sideways world acted as her renewed motivation to find her on the island. I can buy into this theory. The only problem is, one reality is in 2004, the other in 2007.

So anyway, many, many readers brought to my attention that Ethan was likely evacuated from the island with the rest of the women and children, once rumors of the Incident started spreading. I did recall this happening when I originally wrote the column, but I didn’t remember if Ethan was one of the escapees. But, to me, that sounds like the most logical answer. So thank you Andy, Max, Kate, and, ahem, DaBooty1 for bringing that to my attention. Actually Kate Astin – whose name is remarkably close to the heroine of this past week’s episode – added that Miles and Charlotte were also obviously on the sub, so it makes sense that Ethan was as well. And hence, he remained a Goodspeed instead of becoming a Rom.

Our friend Andy, who was a regular contributor to the Revisited columns last year, also had this to say:

Overall, I thought it was a pretty weak episode, as Kate-centric episodes often are. I don’t find her character very compelling, and I don’t care if she ends up with ANYONE in the love quadrangle. The best bits of the episode, I thought, didn’t involve Kate… e.g. anything in the Temple, Sawyer’s sadness, Claire the BAMF.

Anyway, I’m glad they got the Kate episode out of the way early. Hopefully next week’s will focus on those characters who were left out of this episode, as I find them a lot more interesting!

You know it’s funny: I was worried the premiere would get mixed reviews and the feedback ended up being overwhelmingly positive. I didn’t really think much of how well received this episode would be, but then after I read a few articles, I remembered that it’s a Kate episode.

I’ve found since last season that most people are indifferent about who Kate ends up with. They either stopped caring, like Andy states above, or they feel like the series has “outgrown” that particular story (which is alluded to in the EW.com review). Those are fair points, but for better or worse, Kate’s character is still very much centered on whether she’ll end up with Jack or Sawyer. Just consider the recent edition of TV Guide, in which Lost was featured on the cover. The big questions were asked, like if Locke is really dead….and who Kate will choose. And, quite honestly, if the series ties up WITHOUT tying up this loose end, I feel like most people, including many of those who don’t care, will feel a little unsatisfied. I know I would.

TV Obsessed had this to offer:

The return of the “sickness” and talk of infection turned my theory on its head, but this is my new theory. MiB is the one who revived Sayid (he may not be able to enter the temple, but he can do things from afar), and that process infected Sayid. MiB infects Sayid to make him a follower, and Sayid becoming crazy and killing people would fit. Sayid is Judas in the Last Supper poster, because as an infected person, he will follow MiB, but there will be a part of humanity in him that in the end betrays MiB.

There is most certainly something diabolical going on with Sayid’s revival, and I think that can certainly be tied to Mr. Smokey. Plus, there’s still the belief that Christian is a manifestation of the Smoke Monster. And he’s been interacting with Claire. Who, as we came to learn, was also infected. This is certainly a possibility. Over on my blog, Christopher left this comment:

I still believe that the alternate events we’re seeing, the “flash-sideways” as some call it, are the epilogue to the story of Lost. The idea is that the series of events on the island will cause a changing of the reality we know, causing a new series of events. This would be the ‘happily ever after’ section in the final part of the film or book, though not everyone’s final chapter is ends happily.

I do think we’re in for a twist when it comes to the flash sideways, I’m just not sure what it is. I’m going to wait and see how these flash sideways play out before making a determination on this particular theory, because I have to wonder if people will accept an ending that sees these characters essentially never developing the relationships we have grown followed so closely for the past six years. Of course, we may learn from this season’s unique method of storytelling that they DO in fact end up having those relationships, just in Los Angeles instead of Crazy Ass Island.

Now let’s close things out with one last observation from the EW.com review:

I keep waiting for SOMEONE to ask the Ghost-Hustler for his Talks With Dead People perspective on Sayid. Given his wary-spooked eyeballing, I get the sense he’s got something to say, if only someone would ask him.

At this point, everybody on the show is aware that Miles can talk to dead people, right? At the very least Hurley is. So why aren’t they utilizing this opportunity? I guess one could argue that in the excitement and intensity of the moment, it just hasn’t come up (as in, it could happen in the forthcoming episodes). I hope they at least acknowledge Miles’ ability as it regards to Sayid’s situation.

Okay, that’s it for Revisited. Thanks to all of those who sent me e-mails and comments. I’ll be back Tuesday night with my review of the new episode. See you then!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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For the most part, I feel like this episode was designed as one giant “wink, wink” to the audience, having fun with all of the comic book references. But was I the only one a bit taken aback by all of the overt Star Wars references? Isn’t Star Wars a part of the 20th Century Fox family, while Smallville is produced by Warner Bros? Is there an affiliation here that I’m missing? It seemed really odd.

Regular readers probably know that I hate when characters other than Clark fly, because it (a) only serves to minimize Clark, and (b) it takes away the impact of the visual of when Clark DOES finally learn to fly. Plus it just reminds me that the technology does exist, and the show is willing to use it, so what’s holding you back? This instance was no exception. And Chloe’s behavior seemed a bit….off as well. I mean, she totally alluded to the fact that she was planning on bedding Warrior Angel the very night she met him for the first time (“this isn’t what I thought you meant by going upstairs”). I realize she’s lonely and damaged, but this seemed rather uncharacteristic.

Of course, the episode wasn’t completely “filler,” as the final scene did a great deal to advance the Oliver/Chloe relationship. Honestly, I hope these two do find each other. They have absolutely been the darkest aspect of this season (which is funny, since the season was hyped as “Clark’s darkest hour” – he’s like a ray of sunshine compared to these two), and I’m hoping that a romance between them will bring a little life back into their characters. These two have exhibited such little humanity this season that this whole “fighting evil” thing seems more like something to do than a way to help others. And this relationship also doesn’t seem obligatory, they’ve been hinting at it since Oliver’s Chloe-sponsored Saw adventure.

This episode also got me thinking about whether they’re going to have Clark don the black “Blur” outfit for the entire season – or even series – or if they’ll have him revert to a red/blue version later on. I’m hopeful for the latter, since that’s more in line with Superman and his overall perspective (he’s not a dark figure, like Batman). But can they come up with a bad ass version of his outfit if he’s wearing blue and red? Like, would that trench coat work in red? It’s tough to say.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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And I don’t think I’m exaggerating there. The pacing was great, the right characters were used (and for the right amount of the time, for that matter), they brought up many of the observations I had noted in my prior columns, and best of all, the episode didn’t seem obligatory: it really felt like it set the characters and stories in motion for the rest of the season.

Sure, the episode seemed a little Watchmen-esque, but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. And to tell you the truth, I don’t really know enough about the Justice Society OR the Watchmen to determine who’s lifting from whom. But I enjoyed the episode, so in the end isn’t that what matters?

Honestly, I’m not even sure where to start. Okay, how about with the glaring differences between the Justice Society and the future Justice League – and this is one observation that I hadn’t consciously taken note of. Basically, the Justice Society is a family. And this goes beyond their emotional ties, this includes the mundane things like eating dinner together. Truthfully, I hadn’t even realized how much Clark and Chloe, and to a lesser extent Clark and Oliver, had degraded on an emotional level. If you watch earlier seasons of Smallville, you’ll see that Clark and Chloe had a legitimate friendship, where they shared feelings and gave advice, and it just so happened that every now and then they’d fight crime. Now, the only time any of these characters interact – excluding Lois and Clark – it’s centered on whatever threat they’re currently facing. It’s really rather jarring if you think about it. And because of that, I legitimately smiled when Oliver came by simply to go out for a meal together. It seemed real. And, again, it made the episode feel like it’s about something more than merely whipping out some cool new costumes.

And, make no mistake, the costumes kicked ass. Hawkman’s outfit was particularly awesome. Like, high budget movie level awesome. And the actor who portrayed him did a wonderful job, hitting the right combination of attitude, compassion, wisdom, and general bad assery. Dr. Fate, who I’m not all that familiar with, looked pretty damn cool. And how incredibly awesome was it seeing, ever so briefly, Martian Manhunter in his alien form? And Green Arrow actually decided to wear his hood and shades for a scene or two!!! Although, I must say, his decision to not wear it was a mistake in that rooftop scene with Hawkman.

I recently voiced my concern that Chloe’s morally questionable behavior wasn’t necessarily going anywhere. This episode soothed those fears quite well. Clark and Oliver had voiced their concerns over the past few episodes, but it was nice seeing peripheral characters like Martian Manhunter and Star Girl take note of her behavior as well. It was actually very refreshing seeing these characters bring up the lack of humanity in her work, instead of marveling at her amazing (and borderline preposterous, all things considered) technological gadgets. I do hope that this episode is a turning point for her character, because I noted in a recent review, between her quips and techno-babble, she barely even sounds human anymore.

And finally, I really appreciated the fact that this episode offered a new perspective on Clark Kent and his specialness. In the past, it was always assumed that he took the leadership position because of the simple fact that he’s the most powerful – by a rather significant margin. But Absolute Justice showed us what makes Clark truly special, and what actually sets him apart from the rest, is his motivation for doing what he does. While everybody else is out there for vengeance or exhilaration – or both, in Oliver’s case – Clark’s out there saving people because he truly, genuinely wants to help those in need. And because of that, he really is a cut above the rest.

Oh, and I didn’t forget about the introduction of the Suicide Squad or Amanda Waller. I’m actually pretty eager to see how this plays out, and, again, I don’t really know much about the Squad to begin with. Although I loved the revelation that Tess is an agent with them. That was pretty neat. As was the sly little allusion to Lex being alive. So….can you tell that I liked the episode?

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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And if 24 has taught us one thing, it’s that spurned women will go crazy and kill asshole men. How many times have we seen this scene play out over the years? And while I have complimented the fact that Jack has been on the backburner a bit as the last few episodes have focused more on Renee, I think the show is beginning to suffer for that reason. Unfortunately, I get the feeling that we haven’t progressed at all over the past few episodes. Yes, patience is a necessary virtue, but it just feels like we’ve made little leeway over the past two or three episodes.

Along with that, Renee has become such a dark character that it’s really hurt transformed the tone of the entire series. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy that she’s a changed person (for reasons I’ve noted in prior columns), and Jack is hardly Mr. Friendly, but at the very least he’s a character that the audience can truly get behind. Beneath all of his issues is a truly heroic, selfless person. Renee hasn’t achieved that sort of relationship with the audience yet, so it doesn’t quite work when the entire series focuses squarely on her twisted psyche.

This is beginning to sound very repetitive, I’m sure, but I continue to express how dreadful I find this Dana Walsh story. I can excuse the ridiculousness that she managed to get hired despite her sordid past — after all, this is an organization that habitually hires terrorists — but I just cannot wrap my head around the fact that she needs to handle this situation in the midst of a national crisis. It’s not as if Dana or this guy are aware of the fact that they’re on a television show in which everything needs to be resolved within the day, so I don’t really understand why either of them can’t simply say, “lets revisit this tomorrow.” In the context of the show, they haven’t really explained why this “payback” has to happen right now, at like 10:00 at night. And really, I think it was a gigantic mistake not developing Dana into a likeable character before saddling her with such a ridiculous story arc (like they did with Michelle in season two, I believe).

And on top of these two guys being such obligatory obstacles, they’re also terribly cliched. I mean, honestly — what can we possibly do to hammer the point home that they’re low lives? Oh, let’s have them drinking while driving! For that matter, is this season of 24, like, sponsored by hard alcohol?

I have to say, this was one of the weakest episodes in quite some time.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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As was that line, Miles. As was that line.

I have to admit something. To tell you the truth, Jack and everybody kinda did deserve to get their asses kicked at the beginning of the episode. After all they’ve seen and all they’ve been through – first during their 108 days on the island, then during the three years off of the island, and finally during the TIME TRAVELING that occurred when they returned to the island – are they really STILL at the point that they’re demanding answers to questions? I’m not going to pretend to be even close to understanding what they’ve been through – and I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be for them to go through so many unbelievable things and for them to get so few answers (a lot of what the audience has learned has not been shared with the characters), but it just feels like they’ve outgrown the phase of making threats and demands. And to be fair, the Others should acknowledge that the Losties aren’t exactly some flash in the pan stranger who’s just flying through (Henry Gale!) I think these guys have earned their stripes, and deserve some solid answers.

I’m a rather outspoken Jack-Kate shipper, but honestly, how can anybody watch tonight’s episode and possibly argue that Sawyer and Kate should end up together? Sawyer is a man so immensely in love with Juliet that for him to end up with Kate so shortly after her death would seem like a betrayal of that relationship. That being said, I thought the scenes between Kate and Sawyer were magnificent. Kate’s acknowledgement of her role in Juliet’s death (which I discussed in my Revisited column) showed a self awareness that is sometimes lacking in the Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle. Sawyer’s heart wrenching response, that it’s his fault because he convinced her to stay on the island all those years ago, was utterly powerful. These two did a phenomenal job.

I also really enjoyed yet another fake out, where we’re led to believe that Kate’s motivations are her (possible) feelings for Sawyer, only for us to later learn that she’s truly determined to reunite her adoptive son with his biological mother. And for that matter, I really enjoyed the Kate/Claire story in the flash sideways, as well. It showed that these two characters are eternally linked. Or, at the very least, that Kate and Aaron will always have a bond. Kate was there for his birth on the island and later raises him as her own, and he assists his mother during a difficult time – at great personal risk – in the flash sideways. This tied in nicely with that constant theme of destiny. And hey! Doyle the Puppeteer was the cowardly cab driver!

I initially felt like Ethan as the doctor was some great casting, as it showed what some of these Others could have been had they not been brought to the island. Yet, upon closer thought, it created a bit of a contradiction. In the flash sideways, the island is underwater. But the barracks are built, which means that the Dharma Initiative had come to the island, which leads me to believe that the hydrogen explosion of 1977 was responsible for the sinking island. However, as we know, Ethan was on the island in 1977. Theories?

Of course, I don’t want to completely overlook the Jack and Kate stuff. Sure, they only shared two or three scenes together, but you couldn’t have missed their longing gazes. I also liked the way Jin called her out on her crap.

Oh, and did anybody else think that the test Sayid had to go through was to make sure he’s actually alive, and not some ghostly incarnation of Smokey D? Although, it seems, there might be a connection between “dark” Claire and Christian after all. And perhaps Claire did “die” in that barracks attack, as many of us (including me) have theorized.

And is anybody else thrilled that Dogen evidently won’t be speaking in another language – sans subtitles – for the entire season? Thank goodness for small favors!

Anyway, that’s it for me this week. I think I’ll be posting my Revisited column Sunday night, so be sure to send me your thoughts. You can e-mail me, visit my blog, or simply sound off below! I got some great feedback last week, so keep up the great interaction!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
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