By Mike Frey and johnnysweeptheleg
Well, that was a little disappointing. We waited two weeks for “Namaste,” and the big reveal at the end of the episode was something we already knew — that the kid who brought Sayid his sandwich was young Benjamin Linus. Even if you didn’t read the ABC press release (or our episode preview), you likely recognized the actor, Sterling Beaumon, instantly from his earlier appearance in the episode “The Man Behind the Curtain.”
At least we finally know how to pronounce “Namaste.” And that Sayid apparently prefers his sandwiches sans mustard. More importantly, we know that the next few episodes should be better than this one, since it should be very entertaining to see how young Ben interacts with the Losties, and vice versa. Plus, we’re eager to find out the meaning of next week’s episode title, “He’s Our You.” Who says it, and to whom? But we’re getting ahead our ourselves.
johnnysweeptheleg’s Lost in a Moment:
Reunions are always bittersweet. It’s great to see the gang again. But everyone fights through the nothing-to-talk-about awkwardness. Nobody looks like they used to. And the conversation always comes to a halt when a group member asks about somebody, only to find out that individual has died.
Way to go, Debbie Downer, why’d you have to bring up John Locke?!
Not to be one-upped, Sawyer delivers Jack some news of his own. Good news is, disco hasn’t found its way to the island yet, as the only jumpsuits you’ll see people wearing are of the Dharma variety. Bad news is, everyone’s wearing the Dharma jumpsuits because they’re all part of the Dharma Initiative. The only way to sneak Jack and team in is by posing as new Dharma recruits who love to listen to Geronimo Jackson. Sorry, Jack, they aren’t ready for the Nirvana, yet. But their kids are gonna love it.
While Sawyer and an obviously disappointed Juliet work to get the new recruits smuggled in, Jin goes off on his own, in search of Sun. He begins with Radzinsky, who is the one person who would know if any planes landed on the island. Instead, Radzinsky is busy building a model of the Dharma Swan Center For Kids Who Can’t Read Good. Jin gets pissed at Radzinsky and says, “What is this, a center for ants? How can we be expected to teach Dharma children to learn how to read if they can’t even fit inside the building? The center has to be at least … three times bigger than this!”
Suddenly an alarm is tripped, notifying them that a hostile has crossed into their camp. Jin and Radzinsky scamper off to find Sayid. They take him back to the barracks, but Radzinsky wants to kill Sayid since he’s seen the plans for the Swan station. Lucky for Sayid, LaFleur arrives and demands that he gets to deal with the hostile his own way. This affords Sayid the opportunity for his twenty-fourth WTF look of the episode.
Now because Amy is enjoying her three months of Evil Spawn Maternity Leave from Dharma Work – that’s right, her son is Ethan, who will grow up to be an evil baby snatcher – Dr. Chang is forced to leave the lab and check in Jack at Dharma Orientation. Jack has traded his scalpel for a mop, and will wear a Workman jacket, cleaning up after Dharma children who make sick all over the floor at school. Or, as we called him in school, Marty the Janitor.
Kate isn’t having much better luck, as Juliet “introduces” herself. The two end up sharing telepathic Desperate Housewives thoughts back and forth, as you can literally see the two throwing each other around by their hair. Telepathic chick fights are so hot.
Later in the night, Jack visits the LaFleur house and is reunited with Juliet. For those who thought Sawyer went soft, think again. Jack and Sawyer pick back up where they left off in their pissing match three years ago. Sawyer lets Jack know that this time, he’s running the show. It’s Team LaFleur. And the days of Jack running the show are over. Funny thing is, Jack seems completely relieved by this, scaring Sawyer just a smidge.
We haven’t forgotten about the rest of the Ajira flight’s survivors. Still trapped in some year that isn’t 1977, Frank has followed Sun, who has followed Ben’s breadcrumbs into the jungle. Ben has decided the mainland is the place to be. But before he can hop the boat to get there, Sun blindsides him with an oar to the head. Bad, bad girl.
She and Frank go it alone to the mainland, where they approach the Dharma village by night. It’s obviously the village post-purge as it looks like the Town That Dreaded Sundown around there. That is, until a light comes on and a silhouette appears in a doorway. It isn’t Norman Bates, but instead, Christian. Could Christian come off any creepier? Seriously. The guy’s creep factor gets worse and worse every episode. If Christian was an ’80s WWF Wrestler, he’d have Radiohead’s “Creep” as his intro music. Christian lures Frank and Sun into his cabin and shows them a photograph of the “Class of ’77 Recruits,” revealing Hurley, Jack, Kate and crew. Sun and Frank have their work cut out for them.
Speaking of having his work cut out for him, Sayid. One can see why he wanted to just remain living off the land and doing the work of Jimmy Carter, because the second he set down the hammer, he has been shackled. And we’re not talking the metaphorical kind that keeps Sayid from writing poetry. We’re talking actual shackles. First on the plane, and now in the Dharma jail.
But Sayid does get his first visitor. A child brings him a mustard-free sandwich. That child? WAAAAAAALT! Just kidding. That was for old times sake. It’s a young Ben.
Not exactly the big surprise reveal we’ve come to know at the end of a Lost episode. But hey, can’t all of our brains use a bit of a rest, anyway? Even the Lost writers needed time to fill out their NCAA brackets.
Questions Answered
Is Amy and Horace’s baby someone we know? It appears to be Ethan Rom. Or, for you anagram fans out there, Other Man. The question is, how did he go from the former to the latter?
Is young Ben on the island yet? Yup. Apparently he’s earning some extra cash as a delivery boy at the Dharma deli
Where did Frank Lapidus and Sun go? They went to the main island, right after Sun dropped grown-up Ben with an oar to the back of the head. Now we know why Ben is laid up in makeshift infirmary set up by the Ajira 316 survivors.
Where is Sayid? In the custody of Dharma security chief James LaFleur.
New Questions To Be Asked
Assuming that baby Ethan is Ethan Rom, how does he end up with the Others?
Is Horace Goodspeed really Ethan’s father?
Why isn’t Daniel Faraday part of the Dharma Initiative, circa 1977?
Has young Ben already been in contact with Richard Alpert?
How will Sun get to 1977 to reunite with Jin?
Why was Radzinsky so concerned that Sayid might have seen the plans for the Swan?
Check back on Tuesday for a preview of next week’s episode, “He’s Our You.”
Photo credit: ABC/MARIO PEREZ
I was told that Namaste means “Yoga class is over.”
“How will Sun get to 1977 to reunite with Jin?”
Personally, I think they will each move into a Dharma LAKE HOUSE and trade letters with one another across two different time periods. It worked for Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.