Lost Season 5, Episode 6: 316

Lost

Season 5, Episode 6: "316"

Grade: A-

So everyone is back on the island. I did not expect this to happen this soon although I did expect it to happen within the next few episodes. Opening the episode as a parellel to the first scene of Season 1 Episode was a treat. Jack wakes up in the woods and has to help someone in this case Hurley. He does an awesomely absurd dive off of the cliff into the water. Hurley, Kate and Jack are together on the island again. We do not know where Sayid and Sun are. But as we know from the next episode we know where Locke, Ben, Caesar and Ilena are. It is extremely clever how the show has kept the flashback and flashforward status in its own way without actually doing what it did at earlier points in the show. In this episode we see that Jack and Kate and Hurley are back on the island and than the episode goes back and shows how they got there.

Mrs. Hawking's explanation about cetain things came off as a little bit absurd. I understand and can actually get behind most of what was said but the way she described it felt a bit hammy and campy. I like campy but Lost is not a campy show so it stood out a bit to me.

Things we Found Out:

1. The island is not done with Desmond. What does this mean? Did Ben kill Penny at the docks? Becuase it sure looked like he did or at least he tried to. This is one of many things that the episode kept from us so that they could go back to them later. This is the one of the genius aspects of Lost. The way they give us information.

2. A new station off the island called The Lamp Post. It was created over a pocket of electromagnetic energy which connects to the other pockets around the world one of which is on the island. The pendulum tells where the island will be in the future.

3. John committed suicide and wrote a suicide note to Jack. It says "I wish you had believed me". Oh boy did I feel that one. The note held a creepy overtone to it that just contains so much stuff involving Jack and Locke's relationship.

4. Locke's body acts as a substitute for Christian's father. Jeez. I still do not really get this idea of recreating the plane crash as closely as possible but for some reason it feels right and in spirit I understand it.

5. Frank Lapidus is piloting the flight. Its so nice to see Frank back. But...he needs a beard.

6. I am assuming about 3 years have passed since Jin, Sawyer, Juliet, Miles and Daniel have been working for Dharma and Jin is in a Dharma suit, with the van and a gun recognizing Jack Kate and Hurley. What a sick way to end the episode.

7. Ben went back to the island with them.

Ok so here are some questions that stick out.

1. Did Ben kill Penny? I sincerely hope not. I love Penny so much and if he killed her I will be sincerely pissed off. His scene at the phone booth was creepy as hell. The reason I am scared that he succeeded in this is that it would somehow give Desmond some reason for the island to not be done with him. Maybe he will try to kill Ben because he killed Penny and this will lead him back onto the island.

2. What made Kate decide to go to the island? And where is Aaron? And why did she ask Jack never to ask about that? And why did she have sex with him as if she were on a mission?

3. Why did Hurley decide to go back to the island?

4. Why did Sayid decide to go back to the island and what is the deal with Ilena?

5. Why was Caesar on the plane and who is he?

6. What was the deal with the scene between Jack and his grandfather? They spend a lot of time on it in a way that fit very awkwardly with the usual pacing of Lost and it makes me wonder if the scene will hold greater significance in the future.

Some thoughts and observations:

This was a great episode that gave us some new information, moved the story forward in extreme ways and also gave us some new fascinating questions that are just as intriguing as some of the big ones we have but are questions that are likely to all be answered in the next 10 episodes. I love the idea of the suicide note. I also love the idea of the Losties being stuck in the 70's and the potential it presents to give us some backstory on things we have all been theorizing about for years. It lends a surreal quality to everything. I think the things I am most fascinated about are what happened to Aaron and what happened with Ben? I loved the scene with Ben and Jack on the plane as it this episode provided me with a big reminder that Ben is fucking evil. First he apparently kills someone or something and then when Jack asks what about the other people on the plane and what will happen to them, Ben says "Who cares?". Ben you constantly remind me why you are my favorite character on the show.

-I also love the throwbacks to Season 1 in the ways that the Oceanic 6 tried to recreate the original plane crash. Sitting in the same seats, Sayid subbing as Kate the first time as prisoner, Hurley having Charlie's guitar (or a guitar, not sure which) and reading a Spanish comic (Y:The Last Man). Ben being late just like Hurley was late last time. Locke replacing Jack's dad, etc.

-How adorable was it that Hurley bought the remainding seats so that nobody else's lives would be in danger?

- There are a lot of religious overtones to Lost at times particularly with Locke sort of being like a Christ figure in the next episode and the idea of Jack, Kate and Hurley experiencing a sort of baptism in the pond with their return to the island much like Charlotte's scene when she returns to the island.

- Reading up on some stuff that happened in the episode I found that Jack says "Was it my fault?" asking about Locke's death. Ben responds "No, Jack, it wasn't your fault." Knowing what happens in the next episode - fucked up.

So yeah, this was another incredible episode really following along with Season 4 in that each episode is extremely important in some way and there is no longer any and I mean ANY time being wasted on this show. Every episode is insane.

Favorite Scene: Ben and Jack on the plane

Favorite Line of the Entire Season:

Jack: "How can you read?"

Ben: "My mother taught me"

Get it, its funny because thats not what Jack meant with the question but its also ironic because Ben's mother died giving birth to him. Genius.