Review: Lost (Season 4, Episode 4)

Well, it took me a while to find some time to write this week's review, but better late than never, right?

Over the weekend I've read a few mixed reviews on the fourth episode of the fourth season of Lost. Many of the critics still use the old adage "A bad episode of Lost is still better than a good episode of anything else..." when they say they weren't as wowed by this episode as in week's past. Many of the more negative reviews I've read centered around the fact that it was a Kate-centric episode, and although every one loves Evangeline Lilly, the Kate episodes aren't their favorite. I really did like this episode, although I did see the "twist" coming, but lets recap it a bit first.

On the Island, Kate was still with Locke's camp, bunking up with Claire and Aaron, and later catching a snuggle with Sawyer. Kate and Sawyer talked a lot about the possibility of Kate being preggers, although she denied that she was. When the two were getting along in this episode, it was when Sawyer used his old con man ways on Locke, to buy some time for Kate to arrange a meeting between Ben and Miles.

I did like the scene between Miles and Ben, although I wish more would have been said. The whole "I know who you are!" dynamic between the two of them is interesting, but I'd like to know soon just who Miles is ultimately working for, and why he's willing to give it up for exactly 3.2 million dollars (not 3.4 like Ben even suggested). My favorite part there was the look on Ben's face when he first saw Kate and Miles walk through the door. I'm planning on watching the season one DVD of Lost pretty soon, but isn't hard to imagine when Lost was without the Ben / Henry Gale character?

Anyways, the whole incident pisses Locke off a great deal, and his payback is sticking a live grenade in Miles mouth to keep him quiet. I do agree with Zap2it's review when they suggest that the Locke clan is slowly turning into the Others. Locking people up, having weird methods to get what they want, and even living quite comfortably in the barracks once occupied from our friends on the other side of the Island.

Elsewhere, the helicopter seems to be missing (for now), but I'm increasingly beginning to agree with the suspicions there is some sort of time lapse between the real world and what happens on the Island. It would help explain why future Jack is unable to figure out what has happened. Also, there was a brief scene where Charlotte and Faraday seemed to be testing out some sort of ESP experiment, which I'm sure there will be pay off for later.

Back in the flashforwards, Kate is on trial for the crimes she has committed in her life before Oceanic Flight 815. Jack pops up in another flashforward, this time as a character witness in her trial. We already know she's not going to prison, as we've seen her in flash forwards that happen later than this one, but Jack's testimony was the best part of the episode in my opinion.

For some reason, they are telling the world that eight of them survived the crash, and two of them died on the way to the beach. Six of them were then rescued. But as you and I know, there were a lot of people that survived that crash, a lot of them we have come to know and love, and still plenty more of them that are extras. What happens to all them? How do just six people survive? And more importantly, what happens to Claire?

I ask this because that's the big twist of the episode, is that Kate is now playing mommy to Aaron, Claire's baby, and Aaron doesn't know the difference. I'd say the kid has to be about three years old in this episode, and clearly Kate is attached to him like a mother (or a crazy person). There was the fortune teller who once told Claire not to let anyone else raise her baby, but that's what seems to have happened. Aaron is one of the Oceanic Six, which now means we know all of them but one. For some reason, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Claire, but I sort of want to guess it's either Sun or Jin.

So clearly, as we've learned this season, something terrible in italics happened when they around the time of their rescue, and there is no way they can tell the world about it. Each week it seems like whatever happened seems worse than it was the week before. Some of the characters, Jack especially, can't seem to live with what happened and now feel it's time they do something about it.

I love this show, but I almost don't want to know what happened, but that's part of the game. It's like when someone has bad news for you, and you don't want to hear it, but you just have to. You have to know. And waiting to find out that bad news kills you. That's what this is doing. I'm nervous for the characters that they did something so regrettable it's impossible for them to live with. That's why this is such a great show, because I actually do feel that connection and that pain to the characters.

And Holy Shit!!!! Kate is raising Aaron!!!