>: 65 D.O.C.

Figured that Jack was in the garden talking to Sun representing Juliet. Guess he’s not completely in her thrall. Yet. Nice shades of Charlie sneaking up on her, at first.

Great bit with Hurley and the flare-gun. I swear the writers aren't coming up with these ideas, they’re what have been buried, nestled down in there all along.

I found the flashbacks to be very well-acted (particularly Jin’s dad) but they didn’t lend as much insight into present events as I’d like this late in the season.

This was the first I heard that the reason Claire lived was because Aaron was conceived off-island. I thought it was because of creepy Ethan and the vaccine.

Mikhail! That is one quick-healing island! Him showing up almost certainly (hopefully) points to us getting some solid answers before the end of the season about the recuperative effects of the island we’ve known about almost since Day 1. I mean, he was dead. One wonders, how’s Ms. Klugh? Or all the other dead castaways? Thought Jin was going to buy it when he chased Mikhail into the jungle. Anyone can go at any time, faithful. It's about to happen.

They always get so cinematic with Sun, that long rotational pan of her sitting on the beach. Nothing can top Damien Rice on Hurley’s Discman in 1.17, though. Why DO you sing Hallelujah?

I loved that shot of the ragged ping-pong table net in the campfire light as Juliet was sneaking up. They really are trying hard.

I wish the subtitles would have had a different denomination besides “dollars”. Unless Sun’s pop threw down 100K in American green, doesn’t quite make sense, and they know we’re not that stupid. It's called a won, not a dollar. But maybe that would have sent the masses reeling.

So great to venture down into the Lynch-strobe goodness that is the Staff. Particularly enjoyed the shot of Sun looking down the hall into the operating room, the exact same shot that Alex gave Claire in her 2.15 flashback (coolest thing about that shot being we had just met “Henry Gale” the previous episode and there he was in the operating room, those rodent eyes, prepping to cut Aaron out). Yeah, a disquieting empty room.

Boydamn, Kate opened the wrong locker back then, didn’t she? Of course it was very interesting to see that Tom’s beard needed spirit gum but we already had a hunch and wouldn’t it have been much more interesting if she’d have just opened the top locker on the right and found the secret compartment?

“On this island, the wounds are a bit different. Maybe a day and a half.” from Mikhail, serious acknowledgement, this is an answer we’re getting before June, folks. (which will, of course, lead to three more questions)

Can’t believe Desmond let Mikhail go. The way the undertones of that moment rang, with the bell, adding Charlie into the trio, some ominous stuff right there.

Nice of Juliet to provide the jacked-up 5x sperm-count stat. Cool island. Putting the scanner on Sun’s belly, though, Juliet shouldn’t be allowed to get away with phrases like “Moment of truth”. No, never.

And what’s with the Kwons quoting that Doors adverb all over the place? Madly.

Messed up news about the ol D.O.C, on top of the new stat, 90 days on-island (that puts us at 12/20/04, folks at home). Child conceived almost 8 weeks ago. 53 days. Putting sexytime at Day 37. This does not in any way gibe, I’m sorry to report. It seemed pretty apparent from the way Jin was standing outside of his tent in, I think 2.9, that that was the first time he and Sun had gotten down on-island, when Hurley saw him. Day 37 puts the alleged incident square in-between Jin finding out that Sun spoke English in 1.17 and when the raft sailed a week later in 1.23. I’m positive nothing happened in that range. We’ll call the machines in the Staff fallible and sail on.

Kind of figured the next Kwon flashback would favor Jin, as 3.2 favored Sun, but she rules the roost again. She certainly tears it up. But hey, how about the guy from LA who’s been selling the Korean dialect all this time?

We knew her explanation was fishy, glad we got to see Juliet make the recording to Ben. Couple of interesting bits in there, she’ll have Austin’s sample soon and she hates Ben. So, that’s settled. A spy, but in our camp, in every possible way.

And killer ending, the girl and Hurley. I don’t, for four seconds, think that this is actually a SIXTH SENSE type of thing, they're all dead people, more likely the Hanso Foundation/Mittelos Corp staged a crash with 324 corpses, but it’s a great macabre way to leave our noodles spooling for another 167 hours.

Not to keep on about it, but seems as though the title of this episode should have been the parachute-girl’s Italian translation of “I’m dying” or even Good News, but so it goes.

And, best I could find, looks like what she said to Mikhail when he obviously lied to Hurley and translated as "Thank you" was "I am not alone." And she does have a tattoo, four squares on her right shoulder linked by a line.

>: 64 THE FLASH

(THIS EPISODE WAS INCORRECTLY TITLED)

Well, it should go without saying that I’m sold any time you start off with a quartet trundling through the woods, random conversation drifting to the outcome of a Superman/Flash race (because honestly, faithful, that’s always been such a galling thing to me, if the contest was being all-powerful and taking care of the entire beauteous sphere, or servicing Lois, or negating Lex, no question, but running fast? Around the world? Isn’t that the damn redsuit* job description?), so I’m immediately thinking Charlie’s doomed, not like I haven’t known for the last ten episodes, but still, I mean I was thinking it, and then that arrow in the neck, just heart-stopping. Such a hardcore move to take him out before the titles. But, no. The flash of everything before his eyes. I love Desmond.

Seriously, though, a tripwire? The first thing I thought when Charlie stepped down was Duck and jump to the right. Which would have done him fine. Survival skills not learned.

What a facking good trick though, dropping us in post medias res, actually killing Charlie with Giacchino power, the score, re-quoting Superman (guess it would have been too much for the score to drop J. Williams, but don’t for a minute believe that that wasn’t done and discarded) and giving us the architecture for this episode in a montage. And people tell me this isn’t the best show.

Then in D.’s montage when you think it’s Charlie’s feet dangling from the trees back from when Ethan hung him as a background while he’s talking to Hurley, it’s really the pilot’s, the unPenny.

Great bit in Desmond’s first flashback to have the monk drop “one of us” followed by maybe Desmond’s first “brother”.

Written by Jeff Pinkner & Brian K. Vaughan. I have been waiting to read that last name for the last ten weeks. There is no chance that this will be bad. I will just have to attempt to forget Yorick & Mitchell. Pumped for the cliffhanger.

Desmond dropping his jigsaw puzzle simile was gorgeous, because there actually were count em 4 LOST jigsaws parachuted into the great unwashed last year and there were cryptographic spoiler clues on the back of them, which were really hard to obtain, because they used James’s TURN OF THE SCREW as the unlock key, back from Desmond or Inman hiding the Orientation tape from Jack and Locke, but it blows my mind that Vaughan was a fan like me at the time, watching all of that madness, and then got to tongue-in-cheek reference it in a way that almost certainly blasted through 84% of the Americans watching (bless their hearts), but the whole thing about these, surprise, difficult LOST puzzles to solve was that there were no pictures of the completed puzzle, as in Desmond's quote, which I guess BKV is using to imply that Lindelof et al really are flying by the seat of their pants, still no idea of the endpoint. Hoo-hah. (a stance I completely deny)

“A little afternoon delight…” sums it up.

Got to love Charlie rocking the DI sheet music. And Desmond’s willingness to sacrifice him.

See, all of this would be less horrifying if I wasn’t channeling it day-of. Immediate example: Charlie and Jin walking up the beach whistling the Bridge over the River Kwai melody I was serenading my bride with it not eight hours earlier, for no reason in the world at all, except I felt it from the air, the episode landing.

So awkward to experience Kate hitting on Jack, now. And she thinks she’s so great, sexy spoon-clean, and he takes it right on over to Juliet. Terrible. Great response, though.

(Ford 3, Shephard 0)

Jin’s kabuki show might be the very coolest thing about this one, though. Into Hurley bringing up the chupucabra.

“-that maybe she spent the last three years looking for me.” into the sound of helicopter blades. Nice touch. And, ah-hah-ha, can’t believe that this show would put a red dot in the night sky now, because I had two red dots up there all last month in fiction, and it really is the proof, again, it’s all connected.

“You two arguing over who’s you’re favorite Other?” right behind the shot of Sawyer and Doc silhouettes going at it in ping-pong. Yah, B-plots! Unbeatable.

And the Portugese translation, IDRIL-22? Heller breaks more boundaries and the literary references keep a’coming. Also of significance, the guys in that Arctic station at the end of Season 2 were speaking Portugese. Like we didn't already know that Penny sent this chick. Just saying.

“If the flashes don’t happen exactly as I saw them, the picture changes.”

And Finoula Flanagan, the lady who wouldn't sell Desmond an engagement ring back in 3.8 (and who was excellent in the Amenabar classic THE OTHERS) is in a picture with the monk who fired Desmond). Are all of these people plants, nudging the future castaways toward the island years ahead of time? And that crucifix up on the monk's wall is identical to the one hanging in Yemi's church. Surely just a re-used prop. OR IS IT ALVAR HANSO UP ON THAT CROSS?

Superlative initial chemistry between Des and Pen. I would love it if the whole point of all this was their star-crossed nonsense. It’ll be much more complicated than that, though, yes.

And the face behind the helmet is of South American descent! Nonsensical and madness! Did Desmond change the picture by letting Charlie live? They'd already found the Portugese Heller with the picture to ID Desmond, which wouldn't have been necessary if it was Pen herself. And yet, he did see her in the jungle in that very first flash before the titles.

I need another shot of this immediately! Like every other issue of LOST and Y. Only 5 more left. A lot of ground to cover before we're left twisting in the wind for another few months.


_________
*and aren’t Flashes sacrificed every Crisis? And is this also a reference to Star Trek ensign redshirts, as Boone made in 1.11, calling his own doomed status nine episodes before he wished us goodnight and good luck? This bears consideration. Episode should have been called The Flash, last D. ep was FLASHES BEFORE YOUR EYES, and with all the Allen vs. Kent talk and that whole, well, flash, just can’t believe Vaughan let it slide, I mean, Heller? 22? No. What we experienced. Was a Flash.

(Catch-23 would, of course, have been acceptable)

>: 63 ONE OF US

Crazy to have another Juliet flashback, didn't see that coming. Was so pumped to see her still on the mainland, to make the trip to the island with her. And there's Ethan again! And Dr. Halpert, gah, frustrating reminder that he's on-island with Locke and Ben. And Cooper?

And what looked like such a great dynamic for an episode, Jack and Kate and Sayid and Juliet walking back, gets cut short because we're running out of season. I sure would like Sayid to make her answer his questions.

Herarat Aviation, the small group that supposedly flies Juliet to the island, is an anagram of Earhart. Amelia lives. And of course, we don't see the arrival at all, Juliet's in the sub already docked. Ethan does so damn well, pretty much acting like the wacky neighbor in a sitcom in every appearance since his death.

Jack's return was acted out so well by Sawyer, just what he did with his face, and Giacchino never lets us down with his strings.

Enjoyed Hurley's interaction with Juliet.

Ben gave Juliet some bogus forms to convince her that her sister still had cancer. Belonging to a 187-lb man. That will sure keep you from getting pregnant.

Great scene by the fire, don't think we've had so much group interaction all season, Jack and Sawyer and Kate and Sayid, etc. Certainly worried about Claire, wondering if Charlie's ill fate was maybe transmitted.

And, wow, taking us back through the whole Claire abduction from Season 1. Is any of that true? It's so hard to differentiate where the lies begin with these people. Everything she said makes perfect sense, but then we know that Claire's not suffering from withdrawal, but from implant activation.

And Juliet was banging Goodwin on 9/21/04? Is that why he gets the undercover excitement the following day? Jealous Ben? So the day the plane crashed was on her third anniversary on the island. Odd. Wow, Carl can develop x-rays. Ben having cancer is a pretty big question, given the island's demonstrated abilities. Juliet's acting in Ben's kitchen was pretty excellent, these two really add some depth to the cast. She certainly shut Sayid and Sawyer down with her words, mentioned Bosrah (?) or something about Sayid's past that didn't ring a bell.

And then we get to go back through the Downtown season premiere, huge follow-up back at the Flame with Mikhail. Wild having them walk off with 815 still trailing in the sky. Great seeing the newsfeeds on the search for the plane, even if they were probably a bit premature.

Man, Jack is so trusting. Bad bad situation. This episode gave us almost no on-island Juliet time, not what I expected. We saw her once six months after her arrival and then jumped to the day before the crash, leaving 32 months unaccounted for, so we still haven't really seen her training, what turned her into what she is today, someone who can whup Kate. And right at the end of this episode, when I was just thinking "Wow, she really isn't a mole," they go ahead and flip the whole thing around, she is deep deep cover. "See you in a week" is an ominous thing for Ben to say. Along with "We've activated the implant within Claire." What is between those two, the way they stare at each other?

And that mark, on the tree at Ethan's old drop-point. Looks just like the brand they gave Juliet to punish her. Hey, where's that creepy mannish sheriff, anyway?

Can't wait to see what happens next. And, hey, 42nd post.

>: 62 LEFT BEHIND

Interesting title, those silly Rapture books, the week before Easter.

What a hardcore damn opening. In slo-mo, still outofcontrol fast. Juliet’s training is clearly highlighted here. Such a freaking plant by Ben, etc.

And the big Cassidy fakeout! Figured it had to be a Sawyer flashback. Kate rocks the Cowboy Up cap, an expression Sawyer’s used twice before in the series, deriving from the Luke Perry flick 8 Seconds. Dylan McKay abides.

How cool to have Kate messing with the backgammon right before Locke comes into the rec room, which also has a box of MouseTrap in it, his two favorite games. Shoots us right back to 1.2 and 1.19, lots of old school references in this episode and we haven’t even hit the titles yet. Is this the first time that Locke knows what he’s doing and isn’t just trusting to blind faith, is he really laying an elaborate mousetrap for the Hostiles? Don’t you bet on it, Ruth.

(It is testament to how great this show is that they can arbitrarily* murder my favorite character with a deaf ear to how the story should be served and just castrate my #2 and original favorite and even with these missteps, I continue to be annihilated by what takes place week after week at longitude 4.815 latitude 162.342)

O man, and now Locke is the latest big dangling mystery, those bastards. What is with the Cooper-nanite? So great to hear Locke just adopt the party lingo, “good person” and all. He dropped the “Lemme out”, certainly deliberately echoing Ana’s call to, ah, Eko in 2.3. Walk away, sumbitch. We’ll see you in a few weeks. Damn it.

And Sawyer’s back to Watership Down! The first book he ever read, none-too-subtle implication that he’s read every book on the island. Too bad Desmond’s O’Brien madness imploded in the Swan. Great book, everybody. The Third Policeman. I will always maintain that James Ford on a B-plot cannot be topped.

And 7 nobody Hostiles to effect the Leaving Behind. Using a canister from a real-world company, looks like, ALS Technologies. Wow, is this the first on-island brand name that Alvar Hanso’s had nothing to do with? The humanity!

Kate killed her stepfather because he was a “bad guy”. Huh.

They handcuff her to Juliet? Could there be ANY reason for that other than facking SET-UP? I hope Miz Capulet shows her hand sooner than later, because this is too apparent, m’friends.

(I don’t watch THE UNIT. Even seeing David Palmer hawking insurance on a commercial really really hurts. Wayne sucks. Hah, apply that to this week of 24 and LOST)

I got called this week on not referring to the Koreans as the Kwons. As usual, if Hurley doesn’t speak my words, Sawyer does.

“You’re worse than a girl” into what follows is pretty awesome.

Every not-wasted motion, every eyeblink. Juliet is such a badass well-honed snake, and the sole Others/Hostile flashback we have is that she was a civilian 3 years ago, so all of her training is since then. Snake, snake in the camp.

I think Kate might win Best Line with “Welcome to the wonderful world of not knowing what’s going on.” which I just could not let slide by the first time without hollering “Been two and a half years!”

(hey, 8-sided tile in the bathroom above the toilet in the motel room’s while Cassidy makes Kate tell her what the hell’s going on. Dharma! Reminds of that too-cool-in-hindsight shot of Michael in 1.14 discovering the drawings that Walt never got in his wife’s Sydney house with the same octagon configuration above him, thirteen episodes before Marvin Candle’s first appearance)

Ah, rain. Does anyone believe that’s still natural?

“Ben has a thing for mindgames.” #2 line. And Catfight! Hardcore part II

Great to have the girls aping Boone/Shannon hiding in the tree enclave juxtaposed with classic Friday the 13th slasher POV. And then one and two flashes. Knew there would have to be three and four, and then it retreats! What does it mean? This does hearken back to the original monster reveal in 2.10 when it showed Eko nine or ten relevant scenes from his life in about two seconds, but the flashes certainly weren’t as pronounced. I’d say this was new material. Maybe the first time ol Cerberus read a Hostile? If we believe a fourth of what she says? Time will tell.

Sawyer’s weakest excuse of all time “I don’t like blankets” probably bumps the Ben line for #2.

Okay and see that’s it right there, Juliet is lying and fucking with Kate about not knowing Cerberus and says pull my other shoulder out of its socket if you don’t believe me and then in a few minutes, she’s known all along. O, these lying liar Other Hostiles arrgh island____as always, the mind deteriorates to the Rev. Gaye . . . What is going ON?

Fourth time it’s been dislocated, then she pulls a Riggs. Elizabeth Mitchell really is a stellar addition, the whole Broke his heart speech. Plus you can barely tell that over the top of her face it’s JULIET acting too, not pure and sincere in emotional response in a way that Kate is, or was this time.

Fun times, while sniping boar with Desmond, Lindelof can’t resist having Sawyer reference the title of the Boone/hallucination episode 1.13, Hearts & Minds. So many layers.

It strikes me that choosing Kate’s mom’s name Diane has something to do with Twin Peaks, but I honestly hope not. Because she and Norm’s Vera can never be topped as best off-screen characters of all time. And Kate’s mom is clearly an idiot.

“I know why his father died.” Juliet, you are so interesting to me. Are you lying, even now? Great retort to Kate about Shephard lore. But is he dead? Christian? Hey, it’s Easter, right now.

And such a great regression to the original themes. Run or the monster (Unknown) will get you. Except my boy, my beast, makes a wonderful appearance for us this episode, all but confirms that he is the Cerberus I’ve been calling him since 2.17 with his three barking dogs’ heads snapping at muddy Juliet. The numbers we see her key in to deactivate the electromagnetic field are of course 1623. (just give me a few seconds and I could do it, too!)

Either there’s infinite vertical with that field or Cerberus is less clever than a cloud of nanites ought to be.

Sawyer as defacto leader. Clearly. Dharma A-1 and paprika! It is better when Lindelof writes. Hurley cons Sawyer. And a quick no-dialogue musical montage! For a second. I honestly forgot to look for those. What a joy. Cue the tremolo picked mandolins.

And see, Kate, she knows exactly where Sayid will be, in the backyard! Do not trust this one.

Wow, you can see Jack just formulating the new game plan right away, with Kate in his hall. He asks, as tactfully as he can about Facking Capulet, then decides he’s the leader, still, as always. And no GrindHouse Iraqi will step to his will. Fox really does so much acting, the acceptance of the shithand Kate has drawn for him, here in his two minutes. As always, island faithful, it bears rewatching. Something in the eye-blinking.

Why o why didn’t Lindelof think that Cassidy should have told Kate Sawyer’s name? That, to me, would’ve explained a whole chunk of questionable attracted to/repelled by 1st season shenanigans in the sweetest little retcon I’ve yet to encounter. I guess he just didn’t find it believable enough that she wouldn’t have brought it up before now, but I disagree. Great tease, though.

And Juliet’s now provisionally One of Us. Snake in the grass, boys and girl. Walk on home.

_________________
*because Adewale wanted out, jumped ship, first to vote himself off the island, but the saga noticeably suffered, his exit felt, at the time, dictated, and I could tell, didn't ring true, finding out that it was his call not the writers’ did not please me, because I don’t want this world bleeding into my island. Ever. The Saga is true and it is only we who are the liars.

>: 61 EXPOSE

No time for a previously. Nikki running. And burying. Straight into the flashback. Not a stripper, but certainly acting. Lando! The Star Wars shirt that Lindelof wore to his first meeting with Abrams is a widely reported indicator of initial compatibility, so what a great feeling for them both. Wish Billy Dee could have stuck around. Looks like they were shooting the season 4 finale for Expose right there, based on Hurley’s later comment, as that’s clearly the big Cobra reveal, which all but guarantees that we can expect the Big Bad Guy reveal in about 28 episodes at the end of season 4 here. Unless they’re just fucking with us. Lots of meta-dialogue this episode. Wink and wink. From the get-go, the director telling Nikki that she doesn’t have to stay dead, they can bring her back next season.

Sawyer’s “Who the hell is Nikki?” line is funny, but forced, as he delivered it two episodes ago. On the rewatch, knowing he’s lying, it’s cool to watch Holloway say it then flick his eyes up at Hurley, to see how he’s taking it.

Paolo’s the Wolfgang Puck of Brazil. That’s funny, because apparently Rodrigo Santoro has been going around telling everyone, including one would assume the writers, that he’s the Tom Cruise of Brazil. Xerxes! Spartaaaa!

Man, this episode has to be rewatched to be believed, just from the get-go how they lay it out for you. Paolo in the closet about to light up a smoke, the same nicotine addiction Brett that will get him killed, and Nikki says “we poisoned him, let’s not poison ourselves.”

Those Russian dolls would’ve been a lot less disturbing to me if I hadn’t had like three layered waking up within waking up dreams early Wednesday morning.

Paolo lies. Here lies Paolo.

Howie created Strike Team: Alpha and Dr. Kincaid, Esq. as well. Sounds like the Aaron Spelling template to me. Won’t Zuckerman always be a Charlotte’s Web allusion? For ever and ever?

Nice to see Boone and Shannon, and all the dead people, again. Nudge and wink your friend at the impossibly ironic dialogue ensuing. Once this got going, Artz showing up and so forth, I figured Nikki was due for a catfight with Ana-Lucia in half an hour, but that is the true test because they sure as hell did not want M Rodriguez back in Oahu, no.

Paolo’s bag is an Expose Season 4 bag. Second Easter egg about it being season 4. I know, what else could it have been, but I didn’t get it until Hurley’s line.

“Promise me we’ll never end up like them.”
Get it?

Awesome, and straight into the pilot, Shannon screaming. I loved this. They can pretty much have me any time they thread back through all that’s come before and keep adding details and context for later developments. So cool the way they interlaced first-five-minutes-of-the-series I’m so intimate with into the contemporary milieu (ha, been waiting years to drop that one into a conversation), I remember Locke sending the girl away before the dude went into the turbine, have to go look at that, surely not Kiele Sanchez. Someday. Boone asking for the pi(e)n was priceless, I about bruised my knee.

And after that nonsense(again), we begin to understand that this is CSI:108 and that we’re not going to find out one thing about Cooper or whatever that is, tied up there. “There a forensics hatch I don’t know about?” might win Best Line.

Ethan and Nikki with their masks were really interesting for ten seconds before the episode 5 climax came raging into the frame. So great to see Fox deliver the classic speech from a different angle (slightly). I remembered the words, and helped him.

(ah, episode 5. Where are you, Brother Christian?Where are you?Brother Inman?)

Loved Sawyer and Hurley debating the singular/plural context of Eko’s last words, I do that all the time.

Hah, they came across the plane first. Paolo shoots down Nikki’s analogous sentiment in a way Boone obviously couldn’t to Locke. (go up there). Bit unbelievable that they’d not only just open up the ol Pearl but walk away, not wondering what’s down there. 13 episodes!!!! (Hey, what really is going on with this island research facility and its subterranean network? I’d love to know that answer, someday)

Charlie says “virus”! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You people have no idea. One day, you’ll see. Hear. Oh yes.

“The Cobra’s this big bad guy. His identity’s been shrouded in mystery for four seasons.”
Most important line of the evening, lovelies.

Artz’s line about his mother sounded just like drunk Paul Mann to me. Followed by “The pigs are walking!” and the return to the lagoon. Only one bereft of a soul could not love this episode.

32 Days Ago. So we were 48 in. Guess that’s how the stars realigned, it was so weird, such a good trick, Paolo trying to bury the doll and then Locke striding out of the jungle just like always to drop a parable or some other such perfect sixty-second advice. Made me sad. This is the Locke that I loved. Who had such potential. Guess this is technically early 2nd season, Locke’s probably on his first ever break from pushing the button, so he’s still got all of his first season mojo. Jimmy Kimmel made a real good point, highlighting his line “Things don’t stay buried on this island” to Nikki when she came on his show Thursday night. In hindsight and all.

And Paolo in the Pearl, with Ben & Juliet, so great. I remember him taking a dump in 3.5 as being so out of place, cool that this was the plan. Never doubt, island faithful! This exchange completely flew by me the first time while he was in the head:

Ben: Who left this open?
Juliet: Tom was down here a couple of days ago.
Ben: Help me (have him?) cover it up with the plane.
Very interesting to hear them talk about things pre-Rousseau’s net.

Can’t believe Charlie told Sun.

I could have sat on the mystery of Mikhail the Eyepatch Man for another season, as well. Too cool in my head to crystallize this soon.

12 Hours Ago. I bought it. Him loving her. And hiding the diamonds to keep her interest. Great bite-sized tragic love story. Doomed by fate, crossed by stars.

Can’t believe Sawyer made the Who the hell? joke a third time. Lazy writing.
Got to love Sun slapping him, though.

“And…I really loved Expose.”

Nice touch, Sawyer finally calling them by their names while sprinkling eight million dollars on them.

As well as redoing Nikki stumbling upon the ping-pong rematch POV into the dirt to match what happened eight hours later.

And it was macabre! Wrong! I was so happy for Stephen King, his toes squirming in his easy chair up in Maine. Yes, twins, you can point to and bitch about holes. The Medusa Spider as arachne ex machina. What about Nikki opening her eyes first when Paolo should have five minutes beforehand, as he was bitten first? I don’t care. I enjoyed the hell out of this.

While I’m directly addressing Kimbleys: yes, Chris, great catch. Last week, when Locke was getting down on my Marie Callendar meatloaf right before Kevin Talbot made the last mistake of his charmed life by knocking on his motel room door, the dialogue of the show Locke was grazing in front of went something like
“Here’s what we know, Crystal, the vallidium(?) coal deposits were stolen last night around 2AM.”
“Autumn, that means . . . the Cobra!”
(shots fired, sounds of general mayhem ensuing)

So, nice connection there. Locke must have been watching one of the very earliest episodes of Expose, first season for sure.
Very satisfying done-in-one, while of course leaving us ravenous for a follow-up to last week’s cliffhanger.

Easter eggs: Sawyer reading Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie. I still haven’t started The Fountainhead. Still.
The slate on the Expose finalewhen Lando plugged Nikki said that Stephen Williams was the director of the episode. Diehards will recognize his name as the guy who directs any 24 episode when they REALLY turn the screws on somebody, I’m talking about torture, and he’s probably directed the second most episodes of LOST, behind Jack Bender.

Disappointment: This was the 3.14 pi episode, so I was just sure we’d get some Valenzetti numbers clarification. Come on! It can’t be a coincidence that the difference twixt 23 and 42 is 19, can it? (Cue EkoQuote)

Disclaimer: This rewatch’review was begun by accident at exactly 1:08 after concluding the entire hellacious run of PREACHER (Cheers Todd, Danny, Robert, and Todd), and Jack Daniels and Lone Star and it should go without saying the Reverend Jesse Custer were my co-pilots. Amen.