"The Little Prince"

Great episode of LOST this week! So many developments. So many threads coming together. That's not to say that I need complete closure by the end of LOST but it's nice to see the story contracting and coming full circle.

STOP READING NOW TO AVOID SPOILERS!!!!!

Perhaps the biggest development this week was the surprise return of Jin rescued by Danielle Rousseau and her science expedition of sixteen years ago. And boy is Jin confused. Now I like Jin and think he has developed so much as a character since the first season, but his survival of the freighter explosion seems pretty ridiculous. But I suspend my disbelief a lot with LOST so why stop now? Who knows? There could be a reasonable explanation for his survival. It will indeed be interesting to see Rousseau's story now (or whatever part we'll get before the next flash). I have to hand it to the writers and producers of the show to creatively tell Danielle's story despite the fact that her character was killed last season.

Speaking of Jin, Sun was a little too helpful with Kate and Aaron. Of course Kate wouldn't necessarily suspect anything but it is obvious that Sun has an ulterior motive(s). Here's the thing...the story so far makes it seem like she is out to kill Ben. She's said as much to Charles Widmore, she has surveillance photos and now she has a gun. But Jack was also in every single one of those photos and she specifically asked Kate about Jack in "The Lie" right after she damned Kate with faint praise about doing anything to save Aaron. Even the preview of next week made it appear that Sun is out to get Ben, but I think that they are going to surprise a lot of people next week when Sun draws a bead on Jack, not Ben. I think that it is Jack who she blames for Jin's apparent death because of his unwillingness to return to the freighter to pick up Jin in "There's No Place Like Home" last season. You heard it here first!

Meanwhile on the Island, time keeps on slippin' for those left behind. Miles and then Juliette joined Charlotte in having nosebleeds and, from what Daniel theorized, the longer you've been "exposed" to the Island, the worse the flashes are for you. So that all but confirms that Miles was Pierre Chang's baby that we saw in "Because You Left." So is Sawyer going to be afflicted with nose bleeds next? Roxi says no. She thinks that this has to do with finding your Constant more than it has to do with exposure to the Island. As described by Faraday last season, each of these people need to choose a Constant, like Desmond has done with Penny and Daniel has done with Desmond. So who is Sawyer's Constant? Kate. He saw her this week when the Island flashed to the night that Boone died/Aaron was born/Locke regained faith in the Hatch. So will this keep Sawyer from suffering the same fate as Charlotte, Miles and Juliet? Only time will tell but I like Roxi's theory!

Speaking of Kate, I have to say that I was masterfully manipulated by her story so far this season. Before the season premiered, a clip from "Because You Left" was released revealing that someone had a court order to test Kate and Aaron's blood for maternity. Of course my initial thought was that it must be Ben trying to scare Kate into being willing to return to the Island. But I was swayed by events of "Because You Left" and "The Lie" into thinking that it was someone else. But it was Ben...of course! And by the way, Ben's lawyer is good. He's quite a manipulator himself. But I guess I should have expected no less from Ben's legal representation.

Back on the Island, the remaining survivors found the camp and all the food was gone but outrigger canoes were on the beach. An Ajira water bottle in one of the canoes made me curious. I've been waiting for the reference since an offical website popped up a few months ago. When I first heard about Ajira, I figured that it must be the airline that the Oceanic 6 will use to return to the Island. However thinking about it now, Juliet was quick to inform Sawyer that it is an airline from India. So does it have something to do with the Others? According to Lostpedia, Ajira is Hindi for "Island" and is Sankrit for many things including "The Body." So maybe this was always Ben Linus' plan to get Locke's "dead" body back to the Island with the Oceanic 6? What does all this amount too? My guess is that this was a flash from the future of the Island and that the outrigger canoes were used by the Oceanic 6 to get back to the Island from the runway on the Hyrda Station island. But who was shooting at the survivors on their way to the Orchid? That is something I don't have an answer for yet.

Speaking of the future, or the past for that matter, where are Rose, Bernard and Vincent? I hope they're okay!

Finally Sayid was stll being persued by someone else with a tranquilizer gun. So who's behind all these attacks? I want to think it was another one of Ben's ways to coerce someone into returning to the Island. But it could just as easliy be Charles Widmore and/or the unseen Economist from last season. Will these attacks stop now that Sayid is with his Oceanic 6 bretheren? And will Hurley be let out of lockup as easily as was claimed by Ben's lawyer? I'm looking forward to finding out that and more about Danielle Rousseau's story (hopefully) next week!