"Whatever Happened, Happened."

By the end of Episode 11, I realized I was mistaken in my recap from last week. When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong. Lost proves again and again that we, the viewers, are incorrect in our assumptions more often than correct. It's why we love the show--the unknowns, the surprises, the unbelivables, the brilliant acting, and the myriad of manners in which we attempt to suss out what the heck is going on here?

Last week I mused, "We now realize part of the reason why Ben is the way he is," in reference to Roger, Ben's no-count daddy. I retract that statement, with apologies to Roger, especially for stating, "He sucks and got what was coming to him in the purge." Dang, that was harsh of me.

The crux of 'Whatever Happened, Happened" is that we now know why Ben is the way he is. The irony of it is so delicious I can barely type these words without dancing around my living room. Ben essentially becomes the man we all love to hate...because of Jack. Jin. Sayid. Kate. Juliet. And Sawyer.

I could stop right there and say, "End of story," but what fun would that be? Especially when we get to see this woman again:
Jumping right into Kate's flashback here (because the opening scenes were boring--Jin rescues Ben Junior, Horace bores his people with a bunch of lame safety talk, and Kate meets Roger...yada-yada-yada...), I confess zero surprise at seeing our gal Cass on the other side of that door. In a manner of seconds the viewer learns (a) Kate's theme music is always provided by Patsy Cline, (b) the people in young Aaron's life are seriously in love with Perry Como's "Catch a Falling Star," and (c) what Saywer whispered to Kate before his heroic helicopter leap.

Cassidy then proves she has a clue, and also earns my respect by naming Kate's game before Kate herself even realizes the facade is falling. Witness:

*Cassidy instantly knows Kate is lying--about the money, about Aaron, and about Sawyer.

*She shamelessly calls Kate out, all but saying, "Girl, the jig is up." The Eagles sang it best, "You can't hide your lying eyes, and your smile is a thin disguise..." Now this should be Kate's theme song. Why has no one else been bold enough to wag a finger at Kate's numerous falsehoods? (With the exception of the U.S. Marshall, may he rest in peace.) Rock on, Cassidy.

Back in present time...er, present as in 1977 of course, the Head of Security springs into action, dutifully checking the Dharma perimeter monitors, dismissing Kate, and dispatching Miles to place Jack, Kate and Hurley on house arrest. What a man, what a leader...yes, our Sawyer has become a productive member of society. Granted, it's Dharma's society, but still.

Juliet commences with her attempts at saving Ben's life, and we are treated to yet another gory surgery, Lost-style. (Remember the days of the Marshall and his protruding shrapnel? Boone's almost-amputation? Jack's appendectomy?)

Look at all that blood! Panicking, Juliet tells Saywer she needs a surgeon to assist her in the OR, which is code for, "Go get Jack!" Upon Saywer's summonsing of his services, Jack intones, "Dude, I'm a janitor now, so unless it's a stopped-up toilet, don't be asking me to get my hands dirty." Jack's actual response,"Then he dies," is so Ben-like in its delivery, I almost expected Dr. Shephard to bellow a hearty, "Bwahahahaha!" Or at least go all bug-eyed.

We viewers are then treated to what I hereby procclaim to be the best scenes of Season 5 thus far. Oscar and Felix's time-travel bantering was my favorite part of last night's episode of The Odd Couple.

OK, so it was really Hurley and Miles but seriously...they were The Odd Couple. And Hurley was the audience's proxy, voicing his (and ours!) confusion at all this time travel stuff. Is it similar to Back to the Future? (Did we love Hurley checking his hand to determine if he's in the beginning stages of a slow fade? We did.) Is Daniel Faraday with Doc Brown and the Delorean? And when will we hear the strains of "Johnny B. Goode," or "Earth Angel?"

When Hurley attempts to understand Miles' explanation of time travel, lamenting, "That was confusing," know that the writers of Lost just gave the audience one big wink. The conversation between these two could be a verbatim recap of what Lost fans have debated for the past couple of years. Thank you, writers and producers of Lost, for acknowledging a very confused fanbase. This was sheer brilliance:

Miles (after Hurley has asked why Adult Ben didn't recognize Flight 815er Sayid as the man who shot him as a child): "Huh...hadn't thought of that."

Hurley (arms smugly crossed): "Huh!"

Exactly.

Meanwhile Kate morphs into a pensive do-gooder, gently giving Jack a smackdown for his refusal to help save Young Ben. (Uh, Hippocratic Oath, anyone?) Jack, who minutes earlier was channeling evil Big Ben, now embraces his inner John Locke, telling Kate he's been getting in the island's way.

Kate: "I don't like the new you."

Jack: "You didn't like the old me, Kate."

You know The Good Shephard wanted to give Kate two snaps and a head shake, then twirl on his heals and sashay out of the room, leaving her looking like this:

Kate 8.0, the upgraded model, continues in her random acts of selflessness, donating her blood for Wee Ben's survival. This means Ben has Kate's blood in his veins. OK, that's just creepy, y'all. We also learn, via her conversation with Roger, that Ben's daddy is really just a meanie pants when he's drunk. Roger really does care for his son. Kate also denies having any children. Whoops, her true colors are showing again. (Y'all knew I was gonna go there.)

I also want to point out the oblique comment Roger makes regarding "LeFleur": "Bastard doesn't ask any questions he doesn't know the answers to." It's said in passing (regarding Sawyer's inquiry into the whereabouts of Roger's set of janitor keys), but I'm staking claims we were meant to notice Roger's little appraisal of Sawyer. For the record. Plus, I enjoy any appraisal of Sawyer. Sigh.

Juliet, looking like the Angel of Mercy, with the little halo-effect braids atop her head, tells Kate that Ben is going to die. Oh, but The Others can help him! The other Others, that is. (Yeah, Juliet used to be an Other. Then she rallied with the Oceanic 815ers. Now she's a Dharma Gal. So this makes Richard and his people the other Others. Got that? Good.)

Embroiling themselves in more island subterfuge, Kate and Juliet agree to get Ben to the Others. Kate, proving that she is not only a hero, but also well aware of Juliet's relationship with Sawyer, regards Juliet and the life she's built in Dharmaville over the past three years. Had she allowed Juliet to sneak off with her and Pale Ben, Kate knows "Sawyer would kill me!" Wow...has Kate found a clue about reality in just the two days since her return to the island?

Flash forward to the scene in the grocery store, of Kate losing Aaron. Kudos to Evangeline Lily! She did an amazing job conveying the feeling of despair a mother experiences when her child seems to disappear in a manner of seconds. (You mothers will agree with me--we've all been there.)

The sole purpose of this scene was to set up Kate's reasoning for returning to the island. I won't rehash the conversation between Kate and Claire's mother, Carole, because I'm certain we all ascertained weeks ago that Aaron was handed over to his grandmother before Kate boarded the flight to "Guam." Kate's farewell to little Aaron was heartbreaking, and I found myself actually feeling remorse for Miss Austen, for the very first time. This must have been the day Kate 8.0 was uploaded. Cough-cough.

Back on the island, at the Zap-To-It fence, Kate witnesses Sawyer on his trusty steed (or VW van, whatever), presumably galloping to halt her from absconding with the wounded Ben. When he refers to her as "Freckles," my heart dropped. I'm not trying to make Lost into a version of Days of Our Lives (as my brother-in-law refers to all the "relationship stuff" on the show), but I am wholeheartedly against any loving feelings between these two. They've lost that loving feeling. It's gone. Whoa-oh-oh-ohhhh.

Juliet has convinced Sawyer it is wrong to let a kid die, even if that kid would eventually grow into the Ben we all know and love/hate, and this is why Sawyer is there to help. Sawyer tells Kate, "I'm doing it for her." Her=Juliet. Me=Happy! The look on Kate's face when she realizes Sawyer really does love Juliet is utterly priceless. I almost felt badly for her. Almost. But not quite.

Back in Dharmaville, Juliet goes gangbusters on an April Fresh Jack. When he first stepped from that shower I had a Dallas flashback: "Dude, if this becomes a Bobby Ewing/it was all a dream scenario, I will shoot my television!"
Alas, it's not Bobby Ewing. Merely a gratuitous, almost-naked scene of Matthew Fox, for which I say "thank you" to Lost's powers-that-be. Yep.

For the second time today Jack is on the other end of a verbal smackdown, this one delivered by Juliet. Furious at Jack for being unwilling to help with Ben's surgery, Juliet tells Dr. Shephard that they (the left behinders) didn't need saving, and that he "better figure out why" he came back to the island. Are we all in agreement that Jack has relinquished every ounce of the leadership status he once maintained with this group of people? Here's to hoping that having Kate and Juliet up in his face will convince our doctor to grow a pair and get with the program. While keeping out of Sawyer's way. Ahem.

Back to The Saving Of Ben, 1977 Edition: After a bit of light conversation ("Dangit, I ain't fit to be your boyfriend or Clementine's daddy, but hey--in the past 3 years I've grown up, Kate!"), some gamey-looking Hostiles capture Kate, Sawyer, and a fading fast Ben. The Head of Security has no fear, however..."Take us to Richard!" he commands.

Richard saunters from the jungle, effectively answering the question we've pondered since season 2...how/why did Ben change sides, from being with the Dharma Initiative to being one with Jacob? The answer? Oh, Kate and Sawyer handed Ben over to Richard, that's how. Easy-peasy, all wrapped up nicely, no? Of course not.

Before Sawyer gives Ben to Richard, He Of The Heavily-lined Eyes states the conditions of Ben's tranfser:

1. "If I take him, he's not ever gonna be the same again." Check.

2. "He'll forget this ever happened." Good. Check.

3. "His innocence will be gone." Um...wait, what?

4. "He will always be one of us." Gotcha. Check.

I waited for either Sawyer or Kate to ask what Richard meant by Ben's "innocence" being gone. Did Richard have plans to leave Ben in a community shower and just wait for him to drop the soap? Ew. Clearly, Kate and Sawyer were not concerned...they were all, "Take the kid--peace out, homeslice!" And in that moment, I believe both Kate and Sawyer realize the enormity of the situation.

Let me break down the enormity for you:

*Sayid shoots Kiddie Ben.

*Jin brings wounded Kiddie Ben to Juliet.

*Juliet attempts to save Kiddie Ben.

*Jack refuses to assist Juliet in her efforts to save Kiddie Ben.

*Kate sides with Juliet, goes off on Jack, shares her own blood with Kiddie Ben, and becomes an ambulance driver (VW van, whatever). (She's quite the heroine.)

*Sawyer trudges through the jungle carrying Kiddie Ben, eventually handing the child over to He of the Heavily-lined Eyes.

*The equation is as follows:

Sayid+Jin+Juliet+Jack+Kate+Sawyer=Why Kiddie Ben Becomes Benjamin Linus, The Man, The Myth, and The Legend. Way to go, Oceanic 815 survivors (and Juliet)...good job!

Dismissing a random Other's warning about Ellie and Charles (!), Richard takes Ben to The Temple. I don't think they were going for a prayer service, either.

Thirty years later, Adult Ben wakes up in the Hydra Station, John Locke sitting by his bedside.

"Hello, Ben. Welcome to the land of the living."

Are you kidding me? Fantastic ending! Ben is in shock while Locke is as calm, confident, and smug as we've ever seen him. Man, I love me some John Locke. Man, I love this show.

Questions for sussing:

*What happens in The Temple to change Ben into the man we all love to hate?

*Do you believe Kate really returned to the island to look for Claire, as she told Carole? Or is this just my wishful thinking?

*What will Sayid be doing when we next see him?

*Where in the heck-ola are Bernard and Rose?

Oh my...so much to discuss. And...GO!

"He's Our You."

Because I like to remain completely spoiler-free I never know the title of each new episode of Lost until after it has aired. My favorite line from last night's installment was Sawyer's description of Oldham to Sayid: "He's our you." When I woke this morning and went to Lostpedia (the encyclopedia of all things Lost, of course), I literally gasped upon learning the title of episode 10 of Season 5: He's Our You. Brilliant!

"He's Our You" opens with an adorably young Sayid breaking the neck of a chicken, as his older brother is clearly fearful of any harm coming to that animal. (No harm, no fowl! OK, bad pun...couldn't resist!) Immediately I thought of Season 2, and a young Eko in Nigeria, killing a man so that his younger brother, Yemi, would be spared that experience. Coincidence? Of course not! This is Lost. One of the Nigerian guerrillas tells Eko that he is a "natural born killer," and the same could be said of Sayid's destiny...all those early days of snapping chicken necks will hone him into the ninja he's meant to become. (Y'all remember in Season 3's finale, "Through the Looking Glass," Sayid broke that Other's neck using just his legs? Yeah. One of my favorite moments ever. He's so badass.)

We then see young Ben delivering a sandwich and some reading material to the imprisioned Sayid. Let me just pause right here and tout the casting of the kid portraying lil' Ben...it is spot on, I tell ya. He is amazing! The book Wee Ben passes to Sayid is A Separate Reality by Carlos Castaneda. I won't even attempt to break that one down for you, but feel free to click on the book title for Wikipedia's synopsis. And, as always, remember that nothing is happenstance on this show. Ben gave Sayid that particular book for a reason. Duh. (And the book lover in me again rejoices at all the literary references which circle the world of Lost. Truly fantastic.)

Next we find ourselves in Russia, where Sayid is doing what he does best...chasing people while brandishing a gun. Honestly, have you ever seen a better dressed hitman? Sayid...dude...with that sleek black ensemble and your hair so carefully blown-out, you are rocking the GQ style. When offing a Russian, why look like a thug when one can look like this:Sayid effortlessly pulls off the look of a classy assassin with the ease of a runway model. I dig him. After killing the Russian Sayid meets up with Ben, who informs Sayid that his work is done. It seems Sayid has managed to exterminate all of Charles Widmore's organization and Ben is all "Mission accomplished...we so rock!" And by "we," Ben clearly means Sayid, 'cause Ben's hands haven't been pulling triggers...no, Ben's hands are more of the strangling kind. (Cough-cough--John Locke--ahem.) Sayid has been a badass his entire life...torturing, killing for a living, and being a super Ninja is all he knows, which is painfully evident when he begs of Ben, "What do I do now?" The chipper Ben replies, rather smugly, "Go live your life." (And then I started singing T.I. and Rihanna's "Live Your Life." I'm sure Ben did, too...off-screen.)

Back in 1977 Horace tries to get all McGruff Crime Dog on Sayid. It doesn't work, because seriously...McGruff would be a more convincing interrogator than Hippie Horace.

Next we see that Juliet not only brings home the bacon, but she also fries it up in a pan. Oh yes, she is a W-O-M-A-N. In this brief, tender scene between Jules and James, we learn the crux of the entire episode..."It's over--this--us--playing house," laments Juliet. Yes, dear viewers, the Dharma Way of Island Living is coming to an end. I love that Saywer tries to convince her (and us!) otherwise: "So they're back, nothing's changed." Puh-lease.

Sawyer takes off to deal with Sayid, and we then hear my second favorite line of the evening:

Sawyer: How you doing?

Sayid: A 12 year old Ben Linus brought me a chicken salad sandwich. How do you think I'm doing?

Awesome.

Meanwhile, Kate, Hurley and Jack are feasting on waffles. While they're chowing down, let me praise Hurley for a minute. Firstly, please tell me the little chef hat & cutlery symbols on his Dharma patch completely rocks your world. Because it's totally rocking mine in a big way. It's the coolest Dharma station yet!Secondly, Hurley had some of the best lines in this episode...

Jack: He (Sawyer) told me to leave him alone and let him do his job..."

Hurley: (incredulously) You going to?

Just like the audience, Hugo has Jack's number.

Hurley then spills the beans about Sawyer and Juliet...you know, how they are not just roommates? The expression on Kate's face, upon hearing this revelation, was utterly priceless. As was Hurley's next line, "Who couldn't see that coming?" I'm taking this one as a gentle nod from the writers and producers of Lost, for those of us (Me! Me! Me!) who predicted Sawyer & Juliet's coupling during last season's finale. I knew it the second shirtless Sawyer swam up on the beach to find Juliet buzzing on some Dharma Initiative Rum. Good times for those two. And good call for Hurley...I so love him stating the obvious. I so love him, period.

Moving on...

Let's discuss Ben's dad. He sucks and got what was coming to him in the purge. The end. That's way harsh, I know, but we now realize part of the reason why Ben is the way he is. What is it with this show and father figures? So many of our island peeps--Sawyer, Locke, Jack, Ben, Sayid--have daddy issues.

And then we return to the time when Sayid was working for the greater good. One minute he's a finely skilled hitman for hire, the next, he's getting all Habitat-y in the Dominican Republic. Here's our Sayid laboring on the behalf of those less fortunate, selflessly devoting his time and talent in a situation where the only potential for bloodshed is an accidental hammer to the thumb, or getting knocked on the noggin by a 2"x4". Of course Sayid's reprieve is curtailed by the appearance of Ben, doomsdayer that he is. Ben spends the next few minutes reminding Sayid of his murderous traits, gently prodding him with statements such as, "You're capable of things most men aren't...it's in your nature...you're a killer!" Way to be encouraging, Ben! Using a potential threat to Hurley as bait (and casually tossing out the intel on Locke's murder), Ben once again manages to place Sayid under his thumb. And on the trigger.

Then we come to Oldham, Mr. He's Our You. I want to go on record here and now with the following opinion: Best. Casting. Ever. It's LARRY, from Newhart, y'all! Oh my head, this made me so happy. William Sanderson as Oldham! I kept waiting for him to say, "Hi, I'm Larry...this is my brother, Darryl, and this is my other brother, Darryl." Pure awesomeness. (He's currently on True Blood, too...if you're wondering where you've seen him.) This Oldham chap intrigues me. He listens to Billie Holiday, lives in a teepee, and knows a square full of sugar helps the medicine go down. Methinks he's probably hit the hookah a whole lot, too. I'm just sayin'.

Seeing Sayid chained to the tree was reminiscent of "Confidence Man," from Season 1, in which Sayid "tortures" Sawyer for withholding Shannon's asthma medicine. Yes, the tables have turned. And I have to admit that seeing Sayid tripping on that truth serum was far out, to use a term from the era in which they currently reside. Sayid breaks it down for the gang, as truthful as he can be. The gang then all but exclaims, "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Clearly, they don't believe Sayid...or his "you're all going to die" prediction. Silly gang.

We then learn that after storming off from the marina (leaving Jack, Kate, Sun, and Ben behind), Sayid gets his MacCutcheon on in a swanky bar. Desmond, we miss you. Please come back. And if you didn't see this coming:
...my friends, you need to bone up on your Lost sleuthing skills. Oh...and that's hot.

We have the brief scene between Juliet and Kate to discuss. Or not.

(Crickets chirping.)

The Dharma City Council holds a meeting to determine Sayid's fate. By the time the gavel pounds, it's unanimous: Sayid's cell has become death row! The more I learn about Amy, the more I fear her. Girl is shifty, to put it mildly. She's pretty hardcore standing there, cradling baby Ethan, waxing about the safety of all Dharma children...a regular Old Mother Hubbard. Wanting to stomp Sayid with her shoe.
After being a total follower with his affirmative vote, Saywer heads to Death Row and offers to free Sayid. But Sayid will have none of this, declaring to Sawyer, "I know exactly why I'm here." Alrighty then.

Sawyer then goes to see Kate...blah-blah-blah. Oh look! A flaming VW van! Did we love the speedy manner in which the Dharmaville Volunteer Fire Department sprang into action? We did. The show's writers made a serious effort for the audience to see just how tight-knit this community is...notice how Sawyer called a bunch of redshirts by name as the flames blazed? Like any of us cares if it's Erin or Steve or Sally Lou holding a hose. But Sawyer cares. Noted.

With the fire crisis keeping everyone else occupied, Ben Junior is on his mission to rescue Sayid. Sayid tells Ben he will take him (Ben) to "his people" (Richard and the hostiles). "That's why I'm here." Sayid explains to lil' Ben. And off they go tromping through the jungle, as these two are wont to do. Until Jin and his No Rosetta Stone Required English shows up and almost thwarts the plans.

What plans? Oh, that would be Sayid fulfilling his mission. You know, to prove what Ben has been telling him all along: "You were right about me. I am a killer!" BANG!

The anguish on his face just slayed me. Brilliant acting, Naveen Andrews. Kudos to you!

Now, if you think Ben is truly dead...well, I'll just remind you...George Strait has some oceanfront property in Arizona that he'd really like to sell. Let's not forget Jin is lying there, too...Sayid's dropping bodies like flies. His game is back on!
Oh Ben...we hardly knew ye...at this age, that is.

A couple of questions:

*During the Dharma City Council meeting, Radzinsky mentioned contacting "Ann Arbor." As in University of Michigan? As in the DeGroots, the founders of the Dharma Initiative? Are the DeGroots still in a positon of power in 1977?

*When Ben Junior visits Sayid's cell just before breaking him out, Ben says of his father, "I hated him." Hated. Past tense. What does this mean?????? Or am I making something out of nothing?

(Edited to add: I must have hearing problems, because everyone's telling me Ben Junior said, "I hate it here." BUT...just so you know...I've scoured the lost message boards and others heard the same as me. I'm not alone in my mistake, and I find comfort in that. Good times.)

And now, please let the sussing commence!