LT353: Dr. Linus - First Impressions

THERE'S A LADY WHO'S SURE

Ilana stepped front and center this week. While always a strong personality, it was moments with Sun and Ben that cemented her place as leader. She probably has the most faith of anyone. She's one of those glass half-full people who thinks everything that glitters is gold.

I enjoyed her revelations of being touched by Jacob and looking up to him as a father. And in the end her faith won the day as she not only forgave Ben's selfish act of murder, but also seemed to truly forget. A rare quality for sure.

But tell me...did the thought cross your mind that the moment Ben accepted her offer that Smokey was going to appear and swallow him up?


'CAUSE YOU KNOW SOMETIMES WORDS HAVE TWO MEANINGS

The writers were playing the double meaning to the hilt...a little too much in my mind. They would leave the alternative reality with Arzt commenting that Ben was quite the killer. Then flip back to the island to Mr. Killer himself.

But it was the play on meanings that made this episode enjoyable. The moral debate of blackmail a professor or save the educational dreams of a student was interesting.


AND MY SPIRIT IS CRYING FOR LEAVING

As the show flip-flopped between the alternative timeline and the island events, Ben was flip-flopping as well. He was thinking, "Should I stay or should I go?"

When offered the job of island Caretaker he clearly accepted the tempting offer. However, this island is about redemption and while helping Sun with the tarp is a small gesture it seems as if Ben is on the road to recovery. And just in time with that sinister submarine coming in fast.


IN MY THOUGHTS I HAVE SEEN RINGS OF SMOKE THROUGH THE TREES...

...and the voices of those who stand looking.

Man, is LOST just a retelling of Stairway to Heaven? We still need some answers to the Whispers. Who exactly is standing around and watching? Is this some assembly of Olympian gods watching the mortals struggle with free will?


AND A NEW DAY WILL DAWN FOR THOSE WHO STAND LONG

This episode was about renewed faith. The band of beach bums reunited not only with lost friends (Jack, Sun and Richard) but with their core values. Ben was the centerpiece, but every character on that beach was beginning to entertain hope and to solidify which side of the fence they were going to stand on.

I enjoyed Frank's revelation of over-sleeping as to why he missed piloting Oceanic Flight 815. However, the writers should be cautioned not to just throw out willy-nilly explanations. Hopefully they will weave the answers into the entire show's storyline. For example, having shown Frank as a heavy sleeper prior to this explanation would have been nice...and shown the answers were thought out and not simply manufactured on the fly.


IF THERE'S A BUSTLE IN YOUR HEDGEROW, DON'T BE ALARMED NOW

Pretend you are Ben. Shackled. And the wind and noise of Smokey appears. That noise is the jungle is John and yet only Ben heard and saw him - or so it seems.

Locke is as devilish as they come. It was clever to to suggest he went back to the statue to look for Ben. It was wily to offer Ben the job. It was deceiving to suggest his salvation would be found on the Hydra Island.

In the end, Ben was very alarmed at that prospect but only because someone accepted him. Had Ilana not extended that fig leaf, Ben would be paddling to his damnation.


YES, THERE ARE TWO PATHS YOU CAN GO BY...

...but there's still time to change the road you're on.

That's not the most evangelical Bible message we've ever heard, but the show is suggesting that one can change their path, their destiny.

However, the transformation has been nothing short of miraculous for Jack. Here he was sitting next to a stick of dynamite knowing (ok, believing) his life was protected. But wasn't it just a few island hours ago he was smashing the very mirror he offered as proof of Jacob's purpose to Richard?

And that is my main criticsm of this season and this episode. About a third of the Temple folks flip sides on a dime. Jack goes from ticked off Jacob is voyeur and then the next minute he seems to be some kind of disciple.

Even Richard seems to be flapping in the wind. And while some might point out this show offered the most answers to date, I could argue not one was a surprise. The writers had best take care or we could be changing the road we are on!


TO BE A ROCK AND NOT TO ROLL

The message was clear: hold your ground. Stick to your guns. Don't waver. And one day you will have that stairway to heaven.

As we enter the final stanzas of this composition I'm hoping the characters begin to heed this advice and make some commitments. Or will they be tempted to compromise and become just a bit tainted with manuevers like getting out of monitoring detention?


GRADES

C+

It improved from last week. But the real knocks are:

* The answers revealed were already known (think Widmore returning)
* We know the good versus evil theme and we know the good guys always win
* There was feeling of filler like a long guitar solo between versus two and three

So this episode gets an average. The + is for the points listed above and the fact I really, really like Led Zeppelin. Let's just hope the show doesn't come crashing down like the Hindenburg.


Enjoy,
KC