Well, this season of "Lost" has been just one fantastic trip after another. I really think a show like this, or any genre for that matter, has everything going for it when it actually knows when it's going to end, and how. This is a show that is telling one story (so to speak) and knowing exactly how and when it ends, gives the writers of the show a clear path to follow. We don't get bogged down in general answers to specific questions, *cough* "Heroes" *cough*, and through the great use of telling backstory in order to explain the characters actions, we don't have to sit through too many lines of exposition.
Last night's episode, "Dead is Dead," dealt with the group of people who went down with the plane, Ajira Airways flight 316, rather than those that seemed to phase out of the aircraft before it went down. Those that were beamed out ended up in 1977, and those that fell victim to gravity are in the show's "current" time of either late 2007 or early 2008. I've seen so many people arguing over what year they are actually in and to me, late 07 or early 08 are as close as we need to get. I could explain why I know this is accurate, but I don't think that's necessary.
Ben began the episode by explaining why he had "come back" to the Island. Apparently, he had "broken the rules" and had now returned to be judged. We've heard the phrase "broken the rules" before from Ben, when he confronted Charles Widmore after Ben had moved the island. You see, once the Island is moved, who or whatever turns the big wheel that makes it possible, is shot through space and time and lands smack in the Tunisian desert. That sucks. Charles Widmore had allowed the death of Ben's adopted (stolen) daughter, and when confronted about it we had assumed that was the rule that had been broken. We had also assumed that Widmore was banished from the island, mainly because he told Locke this, but we had taken it a step further by thinking that at some point, Widmore had spun the mystery wheel and ended up in a sand bath. It seemed likely because Widmore knew about the Tunisian "exit." That, however, wasn't the case.
We got some really cool flashback stuff from the Island's native people, lovingly called "The Others" by our main cast. In the last episode, we saw little Ben Linus brought to the Others by the very people who have been victimized by him later in his life. These would be the ones that were zapped out of flight 316 before it went down, and were sent to the fun lovin 70's. Now, we see Ben later in his life as a member of the Others out on a mission. He finds the French Woman, the last of her team of people that accidentally floated to the island, and her newborn baby. Ben scares the Hell out of her at gunpoint, and then takes the baby with him away. When Ben arrives back to his people, their Leader, Charles Widmore, takes offense to Ben's apparent failure of his mission. Widmore told Ben that he expected the French Woman to be dead, and when Ben questioned him about the child, Widmore coldly expected the same fate. Ben would not murder the child, and thus mutiny had been achieved.
In another scene from this time, we see Ben sending Widmore away from the island as we had known, but not by turning the wheel of destiny. He was shuttled away with a submarine that used to belong to the Dharma Initiative. At this "time" those guys are long dead and rotting in a pit. That sucks for them. It was here that Ben explained Widmore's banishment was because he "broke the rules." He claimed Widmore had done this by leaving the Island frequently, having a child with an "outsider," and I think something else, but I can't remember. This was very interesting because up until now, we have been led to believe that Ben has also left the Island many times, and so have other Others (that rolls of the tongue, doesn't it?) in order to follow Ben's orders.
Back to the Future (I have always wanted to start a sentence that way...) we find Ben and a surprisingly alive John Locke on their way to the Temple in order for Ben to be judged. John asks Ben who the judge is, and Ben replies, "You call it the Monster." The Monster in reference has been a huge pain in the ass for some of the initial plane crash survivors, and is responsible for the deaths of some of them. It's been visually just a huge cloud of black smoke, but it's also been known to rip healthy trees out of the ground, and kill pilots.
When they arrive at the Temple, another mysterious locale as of late, Ben's judgement takes place. Ben was conveniently separated from Locke via falling through a poorly patched hole in the floor. He then found himself somewhere it looked like he had never been. Certainly the audience has never seen it, and it was very interesting. It looked like a Pharoah's basement. Heiroglyphs on everything are furthering the point that the Island has some ancient Egyptian ties, and that point was hammered home by Ben arriving at what looked like an ancient air conditioning vent. On the wall above, was a carving of Anubis, (who I believe is the Statue from a couple episodes back) and what looked like a lightning bolt thing with a head on it confronting Anubis. I believe (as I probably should) that the bolt is supposed to be the Smoke Monster.
The Monster then came through the vent and began to swirl around Ben showing him scenes of his past with his "daughter" Alex, culminating in the moment Ben bluffed a Marine and she got whacked. Then the smoke dissipated and Ben turned to see his deceased daughter standing before him. Ben was able to apologize to her for letting her die, but that was not what "she" was there for. She was a manifstation of the Smoke Monster and she told Ben that she knew he was a liar, and that she knew of his future plans to kill John. Again. She strongly advised against that course of action and warned Ben to follow John's leadership.
That was a judgement? I guess if I'm going to nit pick anything with this episode, it would be that Ben's judgement wasn't really that at all. Not to me. It just didn't seem like a judgement. I suppose Ben's sentence is to be the follower he never was, but I was hoping for a little more time spent in the Temple, and maybe a little more of Ben getting smacked around a bit, either emotionally or physically. Lord knows the guy can take a beating. I still thought this episode was great and will be glued, as always, to the couch for the next one, and the next one, and the next one, and the next one........
Storms, you like number ratings, so I'm gonna give this one a 9/10.
_Lager_
PS- Once again, so I don't get a pile of subpoenas on my desk, the pic up top sure as Hell isn't mine, and was provided politely by Google.
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