"Life on Mars" pours salt in fans' wounds

It's been several days since ABC aired the last episode of its unsuccessful freshman series "Life on Mars." In spite of its low ratings, the drama managed to attract a vocal cult of fans, including yours truly.
So you might have been wondering why it's taken me so long to write about my thoughts on the show's final episode, which finally provided an answer as to how Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) ended up in 1973. Well, let me tell you why: I've been busy processing my rage.
I hated that final episode so much, it literally left me speechless. I mean hated it. Hated it to the point where just thinking about it made me seethe. Hated it in a way that I have hated no other episode of a TV show. Words do not exist to express my complete and total dissatisfaction with that episode.
If you're still with me, allow me to explain exactly what I didn't like.
For those who haven't seen the show, a brief summary. "Life on Mars" was a remake of a British series about Sam, a modern cop who, following a car accident, ends up being transported to 1973. He's still a cop, but one who must live in an outdated world, working for bulldog-ish Lt. Gene Hunt (a hilarious Harvey Keitel) and toiling alongside colleagues like mustachioed misogynist Ray Carling (Michael Imperioli, also great fun), sweet innocent Chris Skelton (Jonathan Murphy) and spunky, marginalized policewoman Annie Norris (Gretchen Mol).
He tries to figure out how he ended up in this strange world, and how he can return to his old life.
During his time in the 1970s, Sam ran into figures from his own past, including his mom and dad. In this last episode, Sam had to rescue a younger version of himself from his violent jerk of a father. He succeeds, then realizes that he doesn't actually want to leave 1973. He likes the guys at the precinct, loves Annie, and is getting used to this life.
Let me clarify that I had no problem with any of this stuff. I always enjoyed the stories about Sam confronting his past, particularly the scenes between him and his mom. I loved Sam admitting he had feelings for Annie; loved him hugging Gene once he realized he wanted to stay in 1973. This was all fine.
It's what happened after he hugged Gene that pissed me off royally.
At that moment, the screen broke down, and we saw a flash of scenes from Sam's 1973 life flash by in blur. Then, Sam woke up, IN 2033!!
It turned out that he, Annie, Ray and Chris were all astronauts traveling to Mars (!) and, during their trip, their minds were occupied by some sort of fantasy. Sam chose to watch himself as a cop in 2008 -- but the transmission malfunctioned and he "traveled" to 1973 in the dream/hallucination. Oh, and Gene Hunt was actually the name of their mission -- not a person. The Gene in Sam's "fantasy" was based on Sam's dad, Major Tom (also played by Keitel), which I guess explains all the David Bowie references in earlier episodes.
To repeat: the last 5 to 10 minutes of this show explained that EVERYTHING that came before it was basically untrue. It pretty much negated the entire series, which made me so mad I could spit. Why did I invest time in this show, if it was all going to be undone in the final moments?
The twist might have been OK had it been well-executed, but it felt so corny and tacked on. Most likely, the writers and producers rushed to come up with a finish once they learned the show wouldn't be renewed.
For the record, this is not how the original British version ended. I haven't seen it, but I have read what happened in that ending and it sounds a million times better (no, I won't spoil it here, but feel free to look it up). I understand the desire of those involved with the American version to come up with something different, but was this really the best they could do?
Though the American "Life on Mars" wasn't the best show on TV, it was solidly entertaining. I loved O'Mara's performance as the befuddled Sam, and really connected with a lot of the characters. But this was just so awful, it flushes all the warm feelings I had about this show right down the toilet.
Great. Now I'm all angry again.
Thanks a lot, "Life on Mars"!

ER: "And in the End"

Tonight, after 15 seasons, NBC's iconic drama "ER" finally concluded its run.
Admittedly, I've had a bit of a sketchy history with "ER." I was a senior in high school when it debuted and, like many people, became a fan almost immediately. It was so raw and exciting, the way it worked to capture the frantic energy of a real hospital emergency room.
That first season, I watched it every week with my mother. It was our little ritual. When I went to college, I didn't watch a lot of TV, and sort of lost touch with the show. I'd catch an episode here and there. I remember sitting in my dorm room, watching the episode where George Clooney's Dr. Ross pulled a kid out of a storm drain, and finding it super-suspenseful. I remember a few years later, watching the episode where Dr. Carter and Kelli Martin's poor character got stabbed. I watched that whole season that Sherry Stringfield's Dr. Lewis returned (in fact, I might be the only person who liked that season).
But, mostly, "ER" wasn't an appointment show for me. It was decent, but I never considered it "must watch" after the first season. My attention waned even more as the original cast members began to depart: Stringfield, Clooney, Julianna Marguiles, Anthony Edwards, Eriq LaSalle and, finally, Noah Wyle. The plots got increasingly soap opera-y (I didn't see this episode, but apparently a regular cast member was killed by a helicopter? Crazy!)
Eventually, I stopped watching the show even casually.
However, I've been checking back in with it this season, particularly given he return of veteran cast members. I missed Edwards' return, but watched most of the Wyle episodes, and part of the Marguiles/Clooney return. Throughout it all, I realized something: "ER" was no longer the exceptional, ground-breaking show it was in its first year but, as broadcast TV dramas went, it wasn't bad. It was still energetic, with reasonably engaging characters. It was no longer edgy, but it was solid TV.
So, I made it a point to watch tonight's two-hour finale, which I found a rather fitting conclusion to this veteran show. We saw a lot of the old characters again, including LaSalle's Dr. Benton (his second appearance this year), Stringfield's Dr. Lewis (I think this was her first appearance this year, but I honestly don't know), Alex Kingston's Dr. Corday (I know she was on earlier this year) and Laura Innes's Dr. Weaver (again, no idea if she was on earlier this year). All the characters got fitting send offs. I particularly liked the familiar, if slightly awkward, final conversation between ex-lovers Benton and Corday. They act exactly like a pair of old flames might.
My favorite return, though, was the least flashy: that of Mark Greene's daughter, Rachel, who resurfaced as a would-be medical student looking to follow in dad's footsteps. Her appearance allowed Mark, who died several seasons ago, to get a fitting sendoff, which was nice.
But the return of old favorites wasn't the only thing I liked. I also enjoyed the parallels between the last episode and the first, like the new doctor, played by Alexis Bledel, who served largely the same role that Carter did in the pilot: the earnest, hard-working young doc who gets a quick lesson in the dark side of the medical profession. Plus it's always good to see Bledel (especially since her character was a bit Rory Gilmore-ish).
Overall, it was a nice, appropriate conclusion. I might not have been a big "ER" fan but, in weird way, I'll miss it.

"Lost" recap: So Doc Brown WAS crazy!

This week on "Lost" we learned a bunch of important things about time travel. First, if Ben is alive in the future, then it's impossible for Sayid to kill him in the past. Because, somehow this is the way things always were. Sayid always shot Ben. The Six always came back. The future island people always joined Dharma, blah blah blah. That means that, despite what Hurley believes (and what Doc Brown so convincingly told us in "Back to the Future"), Sayid shooting Ben doesn't mean that the people Ben brought back to the island will slowly start to evaporate with the help of poor, 1980s-era special effects.
We learned these very important facts during a conversation between the two great scientific minds of our times, Hurley and Miles. As always, the "Lost" folks found a way to make a subplot that was almost entirely exposition entertaining and informative at the same time. Basically, Hurley served as the audience proxy, desperately trying to get a handle on what it all meant. Miles was a stand in for the show's writers, trying to explain, and generally making Hurley feel like a moron. Until, of course, Hurley asked the same question we've been asking since the first time Ben brought Sayid a sandwich: how come Ben didn't recognize Sayid when the two met again years later?
Miles can't answer that. Luckily, the writers did answer it in last night's episode. Due to Jack's sudden decision to get all Locke-like and let the island sort things out for itself (more on that later), Mini Ben is at death's door. With the island's only surgeon flaking out on her, Juliet decides to go to The Others for help. Kate and Sawyer end up taking Ben to Richard Alpert, who tells them that, if he helps, Ben won't remember anything. But he'll also lose his innocence.
Ah. So that's how Ben became Ben. And it's why he doesn't recognize Sayid later. Does this mean we won't see Sayid on the island again? Or does it just mean Ben won't see him? I'm thinking he did recognize Kate and Sawyer. Maybe that's why he held them hostage later. I also think he recognized Juliet, which is why he became all obsessed with her.
Sigh.
In spite of all this head-spinning mumbo jumbo, this week's episode was, like last week's, basically a return to the season one format of using flashbacks to explain a character's actions. This week, we learned how Kate ended up on the plane. While her scene with Claire's mom was touching, I wasn't really that surprised by Kate's actions. Most careful viewers have guessed all along that Aaron is with Claire's mom. I was a bit surprised that Kate has gone to look for Claire. Apparently, her guilt about taking someone else's child -- and leaving Claire behind -- has gotten the better of her.
Anyway, here are some more thoughts on episode 11 of season five, "Whatever Happened, Happened."
* Is it just me, or does Horace make a really unconvincing Tommy Lee Jones? When he started calling for a hard target search of every Dharma station, jungle tree and polar bear cage (I'm a paraphrasing, of course), I kind of just wanted to laugh. Maybe it's the long flowing hair. At any rate, despite the best efforts of the Dharma-ites, Sayid is long gone. We don't see him for the whole episode.
* Once again, "Lost" takes a character that we should hate -- Ben's dad -- and makes him sympathetic. Roger is genuinely nice to Kate, and shows real remorse about his treatment of Ben. When he realizes that Ben stole his keys and helped Sayid escape, he's genuinely heartbroken, and I felt really bad for Roger. I know, I'm a sucker.
* What's up with Jack's new direction? Though it has been foreshadowed over the past few weeks, we finally saw Jack dump his old savior complex for good. He refuses to save Ben, pointing out that, according to Miles, it's impossible for Ben to die. Kate points out that maybe Ben lives because Jack saves him. Jack isn't having it. The island has a way of working things out, he says. Oh, he and Locke are SOOO going to be BFFs if they meet up again!
* Another nice moment in the Jack transformation: Kate says she liked the old Jack better. Jack reminds her that that isn't really true. Nice.
* The Kate flashbacks mostly bored me, but I was intrigued by a few things. When Kate takes Aaron to see Sawyer's mark/old flame/baby mama, Kate's singing "Catch a Falling Star." We know that that's what Christian used to sing to Claire when she was little. It's one of the two musical cues in this episode, the other being good ol' Patsy Cline, who always pops up in the Kate flashbacks. This time, it's Patsy singing "She's Got You" -- a great song, but, personally, I prefer the Dean Martin cover, "He's Got You."
* The other thing that intrigued me (Ok, mostly it kind of made me laugh) was that the woman who finds Aaron in the supermarket is clearly supposed to look like Claire. And she does look like Claire -- if Claire had been assembled by Picasso. Seriously -- didn't her face look sort of crooked or something? Odd.
* Even though I don't like Kate, it was sad to see the parting between her and Aaron. Moms (even fake moms) leaving kids behind always gets me.
* Back to the island. Why did that one Other tell Richard that Ellie and Charles wouldn't like him helping Ben? Has someone else undergone this same treatment with disastrous results? What happened?
* Nice transition from Richard and Ben entering the Others' secret hideaway to grown-up Ben waking up in the future and seeing a very much alive Locke at his bedside. I always coo about the perfect work by Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn, but come on -- they deserve it. The expressions on their faces in this scene are perfect. Ben totally looks like he's going to crap himself. Fantastic.
* As an aside, I just switched from satellite to cable a week ago (didn't want to. Had to. Long story.) and we have this crappy new DVR that always cuts shows off in the previews. So I only saw a little bit of what's ahead next week. Arrrgh!

"Friday Night Lights" is back in the game

No. I will not do it.
I simply won't.
I refuse to follow the lead of every other TV writer/blogger who has written about the renewal of NBC's excellent, yet low-rated drama "Friday Night Lights." I absolutely won't make some sort of clever play on the series' motto "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts Can't Lose" in this piece. That would be cliched and hackneyed. I am above that.
However, I will say that I was absolutely thrilled when NBC and DirecTV announced this week that they'd be picking up "FNL" for not one, but two more seasons. Though I was a late comer to the series, I've loved it ever since I started watching it during the middle of season one. It's remarkable for a number of reasons. One, it's among the few shows to capture the way that real teenagers speak and act. Yes, there are unrealistic moments, like Landry committing murder in season two (nope, still not over that) and Street getting a job with a high-powered sports agency just by wanting it really badly. But there are moments that make up for all that, like the one this season when Tyra finally realized how bad Cowboy Cash was for her. It was dark and painful and scary -- just as it would be for a real teenager.
Two, the show portrays possibly the most realistic marriage on TV, between Coach Taylor (played flawlessly by Kyle Chandler) and "Mrs. Coach" Tami Taylor (an equally excellent Connie Britton). Yes, they fight. But, unlike most TV couples, they are genuinely loving and affectionate.
Three, "FNL" gives us possibly the most realistic teenage girl on TV right now in Julie Taylor (Aimee Teagarden, in yet another of the show's pitch perfect performances). She's sometimes a spoiled brat, but so are a lot of teenaged girls. Julie is constantly trying to find her place in the world, even if it means butting heads with her parents (the scenes among Britton, Chandler and Teagarden are among the show's best).
Four, Tim Riggins. Need I say more?
True, Riggins, Matt and a lot of the show's other main characters are set to graduate at the end of this season, which -- along with the show's poor ratings -- made a fourth season seem unlikely. Having already seen the third season in its entirety on DirecTV last year (it's currently airing on NBC), I can confirm that many characters' arcs seem to be coming to an end. But the season finale does set up some juicy story lines for potential new seasons.
So I'm looking forward to those two new seasons. After all, clear eyes, full hearts...oh damn.

"Lost" recap: You heartless bastards

Note: This post contains MAJOR spoilers about last night's episode of "Lost." If you didn't see it, please don't read this. If you fail to heed this warning, and get spoiled don't come crying to me about it.

It's an age-old question: What if you had a chance to go back in time and meet someone who was responsible for the deaths of millions of people (Adolf Hitler, say or Osama bin Laden) when he or she was only a child? Would you have the heart to murder this individual, possibly saving the lives of many? Or would you be halted in your mission by the fact that this person -- as vicious as he or she would grow up to be -- was still an innocent child? Could you really murder one child, even if you knew it could benefit humanity as a whole?
It's a fascinating problem, and one that was confronted head-on in last night's episode of "Lost." Sayid, still held prisoner by the Dharma folks, meets a 12-year-old Benjamin Linus, who befriends him, thinking Sayid is one of the "hostiles," whom he hopes will offer him salvation from his abusive dad.
Sayid, previously thinking his return to the island was pointless, realizes (or believes) that he's found his purpose: he must kill young Ben, before he becomes older Ben and is responsible for the deaths of many people.
When this possibility was raised in last week's episode, I thought it would be debated for a couple of weeks. I thought Sayid would weigh the pros and cons -- maybe discuss it with someone who would talk him out of it. I thought it might come down to a moment where Sayid had a chance to kill young Ben, and simply couldn't do it.
I thought wrong.
Last night's episode ended with Ben helping Sayid escape from Dharma jail (with the help of flaming bus -- clearly, the mad genius Ben we all know and love is already forming inside that tiny head) and the two of them running into the jungle. Jin finds them, signals for Sawyer, and you think -- that's it. Sayid's not going to do it. But no. He knocks out Jin and turns around and shoots Ben! A 12-year-old kid!
I couldn't believe it. "Lost" has done some crazy crap over the years, but this is the first time I was actually speechless. Seriously. When it happened, the only sound I was capable of was a long, strange noise that sounded like "GAHHHHH!" My husband, meanwhile, did manage a complete sentence "What the @$#*??!!" he gasped.
Not sure if Ben is dead, but if he is, I'm both awed and appalled. Killing a kid is a rough move, but, in doing it, "Lost" has shown itself to be truly raw and uncompromising.
Still, can Sayid really kill young Ben? Hasn't Faraday said repeatedly that there are rules to changing the past -- i.e. you can't do it unless you're an unshaven Scot with a romantic soul? So maybe Ben is alive -- and now thinks that he's invulnerable. Oof. Too much!
Anyway, here are some other thoughts on episode 10 of season five, "He's Our You."
* Before their fateful confrontation, there's a lot of care to draw parallels between Ben an Sayid. Both were raised by hard men who turned them into killers. Ben, it seems, embraced this transformation, but Sayid keeps trying to be someone else. As Ilana later tells Sayid, this is impossible. When you're good at what you do, she says, there's always someone who won't want you to change. Of course, for Sayid, that someone is Ben.
* The early scene with Sayid, his brother and the chicken is the first time we see Sayid as a child. And, of course, it showcases the two qualities we've come to associate most with Sayid: viciousness and bravery. Also, we see early signs of his compassion, as he steps in to protect his brother. A nice, quietly unsettling moment.
* The episode takes its title from Sawyer's line about Oldham, the torturer that "LaFleur," Horace, and the increasingly unhinged Radzinsky take Sayid to. Oldham, of course, was played by William Sanderson, one of the most versatile character actors working today. His roles include sleazy innkeeper E.B. Farnum in "Deadwood," the seemingly good-natured sheriff on "True Blood," and, of course, Larry, on "Newhart." Embarrassingly, despite his impressive filmography, every time I see Sanderson, all I can think is "Hi. I'm Larry. This my brother, Darryl. And this is my other brother, Darryl." Sigh. I know. I'm an idiot.
* By the way, the torture of Sayid by Oldham wasn't nearly as graphic as some of the things we've seen Sayid do over the years but, in a way, that whole psychotropic sugar cube was even creepier than Sayid's technique. And Sayid's drugged out ramblings were perfectly delivered by the ever-reliable Naveen Andrews.
* Loved the close call in that scene, by the way:
-"Ask Sawyer."
-"Who's Sawyer?"
- "Who cares?!"
I hope LaFleur buys Radzinsky a fruit basket for unintentionally saving his ass.
* Jack was convinced that coming to the island was a good thing, but I believe he's quickly learning that Sawyer and the others don't need his help. In fact, Juliet and Sawyer seem more annoyed by the Six's return than happy. I'm sure that feeling will only intensify when they learn what Sayid did.
* Hurley once again proves his odd knack for understanding the emotions of others, quickly and correctly figuring out that Sawyer and Juliet are a couple, and calmly assuming that everyone else has done the same.
* And can I just say that I love Chef Hurley? "Try the dipping sauces. They really bring out the ham." I do want to try the dipping sauces! I do!
* Also loved the gentle standoff between Juliet and Kate. Juliet tells Kate it's better that she found out about the Juliet-Sawyer thing from Hurley. Juliet says she didn't know how to tell Kate without sounding like she was telling her to stay away. The subtext? "Seriously, bitch -- stay away."
* Ok, we have to talk about the outfit Ben wears when he tells Sayid his assassination vacation is over. What was WITH that? Was he wearing a fedora? Who knew Ben even owned a pimp ensemble?
* So, now we know how Sayid ended up on the plane. The question is, was Ilana really working for Ben and didn't know it? And is it somehow important for HER to be on the island, too? And what about Kate and Hurley? Kate tells Sawyer that she knew why she came back to the island, then promptly shuts up.
D'oh!

Sunday night recap

So, last night was a big one in the world of TV: three HBO series concluded their seasons (or, in at least one case, possibly concluded for good) and a much-hyped death on "Desperate Housewives" finally took place (I think -- more on that later).
Below is a brief summary of my thoughts on last night's episodes of "Big Love," "Flight of the Conchords," "Eastbound and Down" and "Desperate Housewives." Don't read any further if you haven't seen the episodes.
* Big Love: The recently concluded third season of this absorbing drama about a polygamous family living in Utah was perhaps the show's best yet. There were a lot of amazing twists, such as Sarah's pregnancy and miscarriage, Kathy's death, and the Nicki's betrayal and banishment. Last night's finale wasn't quite as good as some of the episodes leading up to it, but it was still a solid offering. We learned that, not only did Nicki have a daughter from her previous marriage, but that abandoning that child might have been the root cause of a lot of her emotional problems. Chloe Sevigny has had a knockout season, but last night she delivered some of her best work, both when finally seeing her now-teenaged daughter, and when confessing her sin to Barb. It's hard to find the tenderness and decency in a character like Nicki, but Sevigny does it week after week. Give her an Emmy, now.
Also noteworthy was the death of Roman Grant. Yes, I know the show has faked us out with supposed character "deaths" before, but Roman looked pretty dead to me. While I'll miss Harry Dean Stanton's work, his character's death will surely set in motion a delicious power struggle at Juniper Creek. Also, Joey's decision to kill him illustrated the difference between him and Bill. Bill's biggest problem is that he makes things too complicated, attempting to juggle too many things at once: wives, business ventures, diabolical schemes. He, of course, set in motion an elaborate plan to bust Roman for Kathy's murder (it did seem to be successful, but just barely). Joey's approach to dealing with Roman was more direct: he simply killed the man. What will happen next? I don't know, but I'm dying to find out.
* Flight of the Conchords: While the songs in the second season of HBO's whimsical musical comedy weren't as good as those in the first season, the show was still consistently funny. Last night's finale was no exception. We finally got a closer look at the Mel-Doug marriage; Murray wrote a musical and Dave dressed as the statue of liberty. Oh, and we saw Bret and Jemaine tending sheep back home in their native land after being deported. It definitely felt like a series finale and, indeed, HBO hasn't yet renewed the show for a third season. But I hope it continues. It's one of the few really pleasurable shows on TV, and, if Bret and Jemaine were to depart my life, I'd sorely miss them. At the very least, could we get a spin-off about Doug and Murray's consulate co-worker Greg? It could be called "The Saddest Men in the World," and feature a harp-based theme song.
* Eastbound and Down: Let me say this: if nothing else, this broad, raunchy sitcom about Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) a disgraced former ballplayer had the good sense to revive the deliciously cheesy Kenny Rogers ballad "Love will Turn You Around," using it in not one, but two episodes. Still, I'm really conflicted about it. On the one hand, every single episode made me laugh out loud at least once. On the other, it had a tendency to go overboard too often. For instance, Kenny hitting his former rival in the face with a ball during a pitching contest was funny. The fact that the pitch knocked the guy's eye out, and that we saw his pulsing, disembodied eyeball on the ground? Not so funny. I also couldn't get my head around the fact that Kenny was hired to teach kids. He's so vulgar that, in real life, a mob of angry parents would have called for his head after one day. But, vulgarity aside, the show did one thing right: it made me like Kenny. Yes, he was an obnoxious jerk but he showed enough moments of genuine affection -- toward his family, his former girlfriend and even his goofy boss/romantic rival Principal Cutler -- that I bought him as a human being. The big reason behind Kenny's humanity is McBride, who has proven not just that he's funny, but also that he's a pretty good actor. He lets us see glimpses the wounded pride behind Kenny's bravado, never more so that in the final scene in last night's finale, as Kenny drove toward Tampa and a major league job that never existed, burning with shame.
Like "Conchords," "Eastbound" hasn't yet been picked up for another season, but I'd kind of like to see more of it, and of Kenny Powers.
* Desperate Housewives: Oh my God, Edie -- just die already!
Look, I love Nicolette Sheridan's sassy, smart and slutty "Housewives" character as much as anyone, but the wait for Edie's departure has been interminable. First, let me say that I find it RIDICULOUS that the show went so public about Sheridan's departure. So many publications have reported that Edie will die, the season has turned into a death march for the poor girl. And what was with the multiple deaths last night? First, she's strangled by Dave. Then she runs off and gets in an accident. THEN she's electrocuted...or so it seems, until we see her fingers wriggle. GRRR! Could we draw this out any more? At first, I thought the show was going to pull a fast one and kill Orson instead, which would have been great. But no. Sigh. This season started off so well, but this storyline (the whole Dave storyline, in fact) is making me nuts. Stop dragging us along! Just give Edie the graceful exit she deserves and be done with it.

Lost recap: "Oh...what?"

The words uttered by one Hugo Reyes during last night's episode of "Lost" kind of sum up the feelings of many fans about the show. It seems like just when we kinda know what's going on, BAM! The whole damn thing changes, and we're back in the 70s, wearing jumpsuits and being told that we're best suited for janitorial work.
Still, this week's episode was pretty awesome. We learned that Amy/Michelle's baby is named Ethan -- presumably the same survivor-infiltrating, Claire-napping Ethan we all know and love. There was a reunion of on-islanders and off-islanders. We got to see Jin go all bad cop on Sayid. Sun walloped Ben with an oar (which was so rule-some, I can't even begin to go into it. Sun is fierce!). And, of course, we were once again treated to the sight of a young Ben, bearing a sandwich for poor caged up Sayid. Clearly, with so much awesomeness floating around, this episode defies a straightforward recap. So, I'm just going to sum up some of the highlights of the ninth episode of season 9, "Namaste."
* We see a little more of the Ajira 316 incident, in which Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid traveled in time, while the rest of the poor souls aboard crashed (I'm heretofore referring to this incident as the flash-crash). Before things get hinky in the cockpit, there's an odd exchange between Lapidus and his co-pilot. Odd because Hurley is apparently the only member of the Oceanic 6 that the co-pilot recognizes. I know Hurley is instantly recognizable, but he seriously didn't recognize any of the others, even after noticing Hurley on the plane? Also, it's odd that he only recognized Hurley as a survivor, not as a lottery winner (as the convenience store woman did) or as the suspect in a recent string of homicides. I doubt this means anything. I just think it's odd.
* After the flash, as Lapidus attempts to land the plane, he sees a runway on the island. In her blog posting, Lost guru Nikki Stafford surmises that this is what Kate, Sawyer and the other prisoners are building while they're held hostage in season three. So, did the Others know the crash was coming? Odd.
* Just as everyone predicted, Sawyer-Kate-Hurley-Sayid traveled to 1977 Dharma-land, and Sun-Lapidus-Ben-Locke's body crashed in the present. Why? Why did they separate? And what is poor Jin going to do when he finds out what happened?
* The reunion between Sawyer and Jack, Kate, and Hurley was great, particularly Hurley lifting Sawyer off the ground and saying he misses Sawyer's nicknames. Also, Sawyer's explanation of where they are, along with Hurley's aforementioned reaction, were also pretty good.
* Interesting mindgames being played by Sawyer and Juliet when the three-of-six start registering as Dharma recruits. First, the mysterious Dr. Chang tells Jack that his aptitude test shows he's best suited for janitorial work. I'm guessing that was a set-up by Sawyer (however, if that really is what Jack is best suited for, it would explain a lot). In other manipulation news, Kate's name isn't on the sub manifest. Just when it looks like she's toast, Juliet pops up with a last-minute "rescue." Oh sure, Juliet. Like we don't know that you're the one who left Kate's name off the list in the first place, as a warning to Freckles not to mess with your man.
* The song playing when the recruits arrive is "Ride, Captain, Ride," a song my ex-boyfriend used to refer to as "Fly, Fatass, Fly." So now, every time I hear it, I have "Mallrats" flashbacks.
* How great would it have been if one of the foods served at the cookout presided over by "Mad Men's" Jimmy Barrett had been Utz potato chips? Alas, it was not.
* Sayid's discovery and capture by Jin was a pretty amazing moment, and showed Jin relying on the skills he learned as a mob enforcer. He goes from gentle Jin one moment to raging badass in the presence of Radzinsky. Good work by Daniel Dae Kim.
* I don't remember Radzinsky being mentioned before, but, apparently, he was in the hatch before Desmond arrived at the island. Again, I refer you to Nikki Stafford.
* The Muppet Show is playing on one of the screens in the Flame. I didn't notice at first, but my husband pointed it out. I took a closer look and there, sure enough, were Statler and Waldorf.
* Again, where is Faraday? When Jack asks Sawyer if Faraday is with them, Sawyer replies "Not anymore." !!!! Then where is he, Flower Boy?!
* Loved the exchange between Sawyer and Jack in Sawyer's house. Though I thought Sawyer was a little unfair (in those early days after the crash, Jack had little choice but to react. Also, no one else stepped up), it was insightful and in-character. The best part, though, is when Sawyer tells Jack it must be a relief to not be leader anymore and JACK AGREES! I'm not quite sure how to read that moment, but I think it's sincere. Look at all the damage that Jack has done to himself and others by always having to be in charge. Maybe he is grateful not be the one at the wheel anymore. Maybe he's actually happy to have no real responsibilities other than floor mopping and toilet scrubbing.
* I've already mentioned the naming of Ethan, one of the episode's two big gasp moments. The other was when we see the child bringing food to Sayid in Dharma jail. Of course, it was immediately obvious who the kid was, particularly since they didn't show you his face until the episode's last few moments (why would they do that if the kid's identity wasn't significant?). Still, it was a nice twist, particularly given Sayid's veiled look of horror when he realizes this is mini-Ben.
* Overall, a strong showing, if not quite as great as the Locke-focused and Sawyer-focused episodes. But still good, with lots of nice twists. Next week: Looks like all hell busts loose. Woo hoo!