Day after "Lost" ramblings

I love "Lost" You love "Lost." Let's dive right into the weekly tradition of paying too much attention to things like Naomi's bracelet inscription ("N, I'll always be with you, R.G.") or Locke's tray of delicious iced tea.

Last week, a reader asked what the chalkboard drawing behind Hurley was during the sitdown with Matthew Abaddon in the Season Four premiere. It's an island palm tree, a boat on some waves, and a shining sun. There's also a shark in the upper right corner who may or may not be trying to eat the sun. (No, I don't interpret this to mean Pregnant Sun will be subjected to a shark attack during a water birth. Or do I?)

First things first: The enhanced "pop-up video" style repeat ABC is showing before each new episode is actually kinda cool. Sure, they don't reveal a whole lot of "new" information that isn't readily available on the 'Net. But I did learn that during Daniel Faraday's crying fit last week, the woman who asks if he's OK is his caretaker, not his wife. That would seem to indicate some type of "issue" if we're to believe that he's having mental -- perhaps deja vu related -- problems post-island, which of course, is my assumption. Then again, I spontaneously began to cry last week when I watched a disgustingly sad TV promo of "The Hottie and the Nottie."

This week's episode had a much different feel than the first two. The pace was slower and more secretive during Sayid's flash-forward (it reminded me of how plodding latter season flashbacks were) but when the second half hit, man, was it information overload! That cold-blooded golf course shooting of Mr. Avellino was pretty sweet, too.

In a refreshing move, the show is making a concerted effort to address (but not answer) some common sense questions floating out there. Locke did it with the "What's the monster?" query to Ben last week. Sayid pointed out that Miles wasn't the least bit surprised Oceanic survivors had been picking berries on the island all this time. Last night's Sawyer-Kate scene followed a similar string of logic with Mr. Ford asking Fugitive Freckles what she's so eager to get back to upon rescue. Ben needled Jack in a similar manner during the Season Three finale, but ol' Purple Face, while he had a point, was just twisting a dagger in the good Doc. Sawyer actually broached the subject with deep concern, and perhaps most important, a sense of optimism that a Little House on the Island might not be so bad for two rebels without a cause. The strong connection (next week, it looks like they get sweaty ... again) between both also leads me to believe Mr. Andy Behrendt's theory that the "he" Kate is referring to in last season's dramatic airport scene is indeed Sawyer Jr.

My biggest gripe since the Freighter Four touched down on the island: Where's the urgency from Jack, Kate and the like? Why are the beach folk just hanging around and waiting for salvation to come to them? Desmond was the only one who showed any forceful signs of wanting answers and jumping on the chopper. You'd think they might demand that the new intruders submit to their time constraints and plight, especially since Sayid has a gun and they all already know the island terrain. C'mon, Losties! You've been there 100 days! Show some passion for going home! I mean, Jack missed the Red Sox winning the Series, for chrissakes!

Also in the minor gripe department: Why did it take forever for anyone to traverse the gigantic island and find ANYTHING remotely interesting, yet it only takes Sayid and Co. like, three minutes to find the barracks again? Does the dude have Dharma MapQuest?

Faraday's experiment was a chilling, revealing scene. It's tough to interpret after only one viewing, but clearly there's a space-time lull, that at least according to the payload arrival, isn't tremendously drastic (31 minutes, 18 seconds to be exact). It exists, though, and the space-time issue has been teased for a long while without any concrete proof that island life moves at a different speed. But as Faraday noted while watching the way light reflected in the jungle, there's something crazy going on, and he'll obviously be the key in analyzing such heady scientific data. I keep thinking of "The Truman Show" bubble as I write this, but I don't want to.

The secret Ben bookshelf really kicked some doors down, didn't it? We know Ben is getting off the island frequently (how, who knows?) and has an impressive passport and Banana Republic shirt collection. It was pretty obvious, at least to me, that he was going to be the doc to fix up Sayid in the final scene with the caged animals. Why a dimly lit vet's office for cover? In Berlin? Again, who freakin' knows? I do know that when Oceanic Six member Sayid was revealed to be a post-island assassin, my "Ben is going to die" theory also got capped. But at least during the episode I had a hunch Sayid would turn to Ben for help with the bullet. That still doesn't explain "the list" (maybe Ben is like Nixon, except he actually murders his enemies, doesn't just break into hotels or tap phones), Ben's ominous reminder to Sayid about the last time he "followed (his) heart instead of (his) gun," and the importance of the pager-using Economist being hunted. Man, just when you think you have some clarity on a show's potential direction ...

Elsa shooting Sayid was an unexpected touch. Same with Hurley's double-cross, which I totally fell for, but think is a sign that he and Locke will continue to have tension -- all leading to Hugo's apology to Jack back home. Naveen Andrews did a great job of tapping into Sayid's emotional side during Elsa's good-bye, though. The man has seen a lot of death as both torturer, island dweller and now assassin, but refuses to treat anyone as just another body. Well, except maybe the dude whose neck he snapped with that breakdancing move on the beach.

More big questions: Is Elsa wearing the same bracelet as Naomi? Why is Faraday supposed to hang up the phone if Minkowski answers? Why is the helicopter able to take off without difficulty even though it had so many instrument problems when landing? Does Sayid's newly revealed alliance with Ben make him a more likely candidate to be the "man in the coffin?"

Line of the night: "The day I trust Ben is the day I've sold my soul." So says the man working for Mr. Linus in the future.

Quip of the night: Sawyer's Gizmo nickname for Ben was his best yet. Absolutely hysterical.

Finally, Jacob's mystery cabin takes on special significance in a third straight episode, this time by NOT showing up. Does it have something to do with night hours, or is it just that one must be "summoned" to see, which means too many eyes is a no-no for the invisible shapeshifter. Ben's line to Locke that he's "looking to be told" what to do next was another great smart-alec jab. I know some national TV critics believe Locke's crew should have killed Ben by now, but even if that's the more realistic route, I tend to disagree. The guy is far too all-knowing to dispose of, even if he's a threat to kill everyone else first. Plus, Ben has been on fire this season. I'd miss his witty commentary.

That's all I got. You?

-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com