LOST REVIEW: Ep. 5.10 "He's Our You"

This will be pretty short compared to last week (for those ADD sufferers out there). Simply put: awesome.

I loved seeing a good old fashion Lost flashback to open this week's episode, and it totally fit that little Sayid would have no problem at all snapping that chicken's neck.

We also got to see how Sayid's soft spot for the ladies (his achilles heel -- or achilles something) got him in handcuffs onto Ajira 316. I think Alana (or whatever her name is) is really working for Ben, but she just doesn't know it.

I loved seeing drugged-up Sayid spill everything to "their him" -- including the fact that they gave him just the right amount of truth dope. His acting there was terrific.

The flaming Dharma van (and Sawyer's comment to Jack about being back for one day) -- awesome.

Kate and Hurley's reaction watching Jack take a back seat and just let Sawyer do his thing-- awesome.

Uncle Rico sure is mean to little Ben, isn't he? It makes you feel sorry for the kid. He just wants to be loved, is that so wrong?

And then in the end -- boom -- right in the chest. But we've seen this before, haven't we? Only last time, Ben was on the other side of the gun, and John Locke was the one getting shot. I expect that this will have the same effect.

Sayid did not "change" anything. He did what had already been done -- what HE had already done. I am dying to go back to season two, when Sayid first met (and tortured) Ben (aka "Henry Gale") in the Swan station. I doubt at the time that Michael Emerson was told "you already have met this character -- he shot you and left you for dead when you were a kid" -- but it is nice to think that all of the interaction that Ben has had with Sayid has been beased on the knowledge that he first met Sayid in a Dharma prison in 1977. It is all just so interesting and rich storytelling and allows you to enjoy previously viewed episodes with new intel and just adds layer and depth to an already incredible show.

So my guess is that this event -- the shooting -- will be another domino event that makes Ben into Ben. Of course his father's abuse is a big factor in that, and if there ever is the "Annie" storyline that I keep expecting, that will be a big one, too. But getting shot like this -- wow.

Here's how I hope it plays out: I hope that Richard will pick him up and bring him into the hostiles camp. Ben will meet Charles Widmore for the first time and he will go back to Dharma as if nothing had happened, and will be a Hostile spy (until he turns against the leader of the Hostiles as well).

At least that is the way I would like to see it. Another possibility is that Jack gets involved and has some life saving surgery for little Ben, which would keep Ben in Dharmaville and would be an interesting irony.

But either way, with Ben surviving the gunshot, it raises the question "why does the island want Ben alive?" Locke couldn't be killed. Michael (off island) couldn't be killed. Jack couldn't be allowed to jump to his suicide. So the island doesn't "off" you unless it is done with you. But is Ben really the island's protector, as he has claimed? Does the island really need to keep him alive for some important role he will play? Interesting questions.

Another question I have is who is behind Dharma. I used to think that Widmore was behind it, but Widmore is on the island right now leading the hostiles (he said he lead them for three generations -- so from the 50's, 60's, 70's -- then the purge, and then he gets tricked off the island by Ben). Radzinski made this ominous reference to the people in Michigan who run this Dharma thing making the final decision on Sayid. So who is it? How does Dharma tie in to the mythology of the island? It's coming more clearly intofocus, but still no clear answers there.

That does it for this week's review. I told you it would be short. A great episode. Can't wait for the hnext one.