"They Changed the Rules": The Shape of Things to Come on "Lost"

I've been not-so patiently waiting for the return of Lost to the airwaves and I have to say that last night's episode--which brought with it death, revelations, and more mysteries--more than made up for the torturous wait.

Last night's episode of Lost ("The Shape of Things to Come") was a tantalizing mind-game of a puzzle, focusing on the engimatic character of Benjamin Linus, who--in a nifty bit of narrative legerdemain--is actually becoming more and more sympathetic to me (unlike, that is, my former favorite character Locke, who seems to be becoming more and more unhinged with every episode). Once again, we are offered morsels in the form of small answers to the very large questions posed by this maddeningly brilliant series but the further questions they raise are just as tasty as before: just "what" is Benjamin Linus? What are the "rules" established between him and archenemy Charles Widmore in their ongoing war? How did Ben summon the monster? Let's discuss.

Ben. That opening shot of an anorak-clad Ben waking up in the middle of the Sahara was absolutely gorgeous and shocking. While Ben later claims to Sayid that he took Desmond's boat (The Elizabeth) on the correct bearing and then got a plane from Fiji, we know he's lying. He was just as confused as we were to see that he was in the middle of the desert. The anorak, to me anyway, suggests that he didn't know where in the world he was going to end up or in what climate (or time, to be honest); it indicates that theories that Ben has a way off the island--by moving in space or time (to 2005) or, well, space/time--are accurate.

As for the anorak itself, it had a Dharma station logo on the upper right of the coat (one we've never seen before, a symbol within a spiral, that I believe refers to The Orchid) and the name Hallifax on the upper left. Hallifax is of course a reference to Edgar Hallifax, a.k.a. Marvin Candle, our friendly Dharma station orientation guide/research scientist/possible one-armed man. I'm not entirely sure why Ben's arm was cut and bleeding when he's found by some armed horsemen but Ben proves he's not playing around when he whips out a blackjack and then takes down the two men without breaking a sweat. Niiiice.

Loved that Ben's pseudonym in Tunisia (there's the Tunisian connection again, site of the polar bear finding) was Dean Moriarty, which has two connotations. First is the proper name itself which is that of the hero of Kerouac's book "On the Road" (which, come to think of it, is just what Ben is at the moment); second is of course Moriarty himself, the dogged archenemy of Sherlock Holmes. So which is it: hero or villain? That's what makes this storyline so damn fascinating is that I'm really starting to question week to week just what makes Ben tick. And the answer may be far more complex and less black and white than we've originally believed.

Death. I thought for sure that Claire was going to die in this episode, especially since Hurley had Aaron with him and Claire was in the cabin that exploded... and yet Sawyer managed to find her buried under some rubble and dazed but alive. (Loved that she called him Charlie for a second.) I thought for sure she was a goner (which would explain how Kate ended up in the future with Aaron) but I never for a moment thought that the producers would kill off Alex in such a heartbreaking fashion. After being taken hostage by Keamy's men (and triggering the 14J warning code when she turned off the sonic fence), she was forced to hear her adoptive father Ben call her a pawn and "admit" that she was not really his daughter... seconds before Keamy blew her brains out. Ben was SHOCKED that his distancing himself from Alex didn't produce the desired effect and he seemed genuinely confused that Keamy didn't let her go. But why would Keamy have not killed her, especially if she wasn't his daughter and therefore didn't invalidate the "rules"? Color me confused.

Sayid. While the episode's flashforwards belong squarely to Ben, I was glad to see that they also advanced one of the more complex storylines introduced this year as they explored just how Sayid ended up in Ben's employ. When we see Sayid, we're just as shocked as Ben to catch a glimpse of him on the news as he returns to Iraq for his wife's funeral. Ben, in the guise of a press photographer, tracks him to Iraq and learns that (A) Sayid did manage to finally track down his lost love Nadia in Los Angeles and married her and (B) she was murdered by a man who works for Charles Widmore who then followed Sayid to Iraq. I'm not entirely sure what was gained by removing Nadia from the playing field (or if the murder of the relatives of Oceanic Six will prove to be an ongoing plot point) but it definitely propelled Sayid to become Ben's assassin as he finds himself on a course of vengeance.

Charles Widmore. I absolutely loved the scene in which Ben confronted Charles Widmore in his London bedroom. After sneaking into a luxe apartment building (and nearly having to take out the doorman), Ben accesses the penthouse lair of his arch-nemesis. But instead of killing Widmore, he wakes him from his slumber, noting that Charles now sleeps with a bottle of whiskey (MacCutcheon, of course). Their conversation had me on the edge of my seat: Ben alleges that Keamy killing Alex changed the "rules" and that, in recompense, he'll kill Charles' daughter Penelope. (A situation that poses a problem as she is Desmond's constant.) I found it interesting that Charles believed Penelope sufficiently hidden (like Ben has concealed the island) as to prove this impossible and that Charles doesn't view Ben as a victim in this equation. He knows just "what" Ben is and where he came from and alleges that Ben took something from him (the island) years ago and he intends to get it back. The war has just escalated.

(Sidebar: As for Widmore's Australian accent in this scene, I'm not sure if that was an intentional change from his typical English accent or more the fact that actor Alan Dale's English accent wasn't, er, quite up to par. I found it extremely uneven as he seemed to slip into an Aussie or Yank accent even when he was meant to be English, surprising considering the Australian-born Dale does a flawless American accent.)

Ray. I was intriged when Ray, the ship's creepy doctor washes up on shore with his throat slit. Just how did he get there and why was he killed? The answer to the first part is easy (thrown overboard), the second slightly less easy (captain killed him) and then there's the revelation that the doctor is just fine aboard the Kahana, a fact that Faraday is eager to cover up. (Fortunately for us, Bernard understands Morse code.) We know that time runs differently on the ship than on the island, which means that while Ray is dead on the island, he's still alive on the boat when the Morse code conversation occurs. Which means, he hasn't been killed YET. But that's likely to change the next time we catch up with the freighter.

Smokey. I loved seeing Smokey in all his glory. Seemingly summoned by Ben from the mystery room concealed within the OTHER secret room in the bunker, Smokey takes on an even more menacing, malevolent form as he sweeps across the barracks, killing everything in its path and crackling with electricity. Ben clearly lied to Locke about not knowing what the monster was and, behind that hieroglyphics-covered wall lies the secret to the monster. Just what was down there? A Cerebus vent as indicated on the map in the Swan? Or something else? And why was Ben so filthy and covered in soot when he emerged? Hmmm.

Hurley. I had a feeling that while Ben and Locke might let Claire, Aaron, Sawyer, and Miles go back to the beach, there was no way in hell they were letting Hurley go with them. After all, he's the last one to have seen Jacob's cabin and the only way they are going to be able to locate it again. Hurley sadly accepted his fate, more willing to see everyone put their guns down than to try to escape his fate. Just why Hurley has become the keeper of the secret is intriguing to me (and what it means) as is the fact that Locke and Ben, so clearly favorite disciples of Jacob, cannot seem to find that ash-surrounded cabin. Just what they'll find there or what Jacob will tell them to do will have to wait for another day...

Jack. Poor Jack is swallowing antibiotics with abandon, claiming that he has a stomach flu, but it's clearly more serious than he's letting on. Moments like this totally remind me--in the best possible way--of Season One. Will Jack survive? Yes. Will his appendix rupture? No. While we know that Jack has to live (he does get off the island, after all), it's bound to be a tense situation as possibly Juliet is the only person who has the surgical skills to save Jack. Who will step up to lead them with Jack incapacitated? My guess: Kate.

Lost Literary Allusions of the Week. Besides for the aforementioned allusions to Sherlock Holmes and "On the Road," there were a few other literary references this week. The man Ben claims murdered Nadia (who is then shot down by Sayid) was named Ishmael, the narrator in Herman Melville's Moby Dick; it's also a Biblical name referring to the son of Abraham (and Hagar) whose half-brother was Isaac, the father of Jacob. (Hmmm.) The episode's title, "The Shape of Things to Come," is a reference to an H.G. Wells novel which recounts a history of the world, told from the future.

Next week on Lost ("Something Nice Back Home"), Kate and Juliet must work together to save Jack when his health is compromised; Sawyer, Claire, Miles, and Aaron head back to the beach but discover they are not out of the woods when they encounter Keamy along the way.