"This Place is Death"

This week's episode of LOST was good and there were some story advancements, but it seemed more like the whole episode was a big setup for future episodes.

STOP READING NOW TO AVOID SPOILERS!!!!!

So Jin is back and he got to meet Rousseau and her team back in 1988. It was interesting to finally see a bit of Danielle Rousseau's back-story from Jin's perspective, but it left me a little unsatisfied. I'm hoping that we are not done with Rousseau's story because the part that I'm most interested in is not why she went crazy, but rather how Ben ended up with Alex! I guess it was somewhat fulfilling to see how Montand lost his arm after all these years of me not wondering, but I would have preferred a flash showing the Others stealing an infant Alex from Rousseau.

One intriguing thing about the events that Jin witnessed was the building that the Smoke Monster retreated under. It appeared to be a temple and was even referred to as such by Robert before Rousseau shot him. So is this The Temple also referenced by Ben in his directions to Richard Alpert at the end of Season 3 and also to Alex, Karl and Rousseau in Season 4? I kind of think it is, except that the map that Ben gave to Alex showed a Dharma logo marking the location. The building and the hieroglyphics look far older than the Dharma Initiative. Of course, Dharma could have requisitioned it for their own purposes not unlike the "exotic matter" that they apparently harnessed in The Orchid. If this is in fact Temple and the Smoke Monster is a security system, what could The Temple hold? Perhaps it is where reincarnation happens explaining why Robert et al came back to Rousseau's camp, but were "changed." Could this also explain Eko's brother Yemi or Christian Shepard walking around? And could this be how Locke is brought back from the dead after his body is return to the Island?

It was nice to see Jin reunited with Sawyer and company but also sad to see him so concerned with Sun and Ji Yoen's safety that he made Locke promise to tell them that he was dead. Of course back in the real world, Ben used Jin's ring to convince Sun that he was still alive and perhaps entice her back to the Island. Sun asks Ben why Locke never gave her the ring when they met and Ben claims that he probably didn't have the chance to. I think that is total BS. I have a feeling that Ben killed Locke when he learned that Locke was back in the real world. I don't think that Locke would have broken his promise to Jin. I think that Ben is still jealous of Locke for being a chosen by the Island. So why would Ben kill Locke? Because like Sayid said, "the only side Ben is on is his own." Ben wants to be the ruler of the Island.

My favorite part of this episode was the scene between an injured Locke and undead Christian Shepard. It helped me confirm (for now) that Ben is not a good guy. If Christian really does speak for Jacob/The Island/whatever, he all but told Locke that Ben is not a good person. Christian reminded Locke that he was the one who was told to move the Island, not Ben. Roxi thinks that Ben did it so that he could be the chosen one, i.e. steal the Island from Locke. Christian even says that nothing good has come to Locke for listening to Ben. So for all the "help" that Ben is giving to get the Oceanic 6 back to the Island, he is being completely selfish. Does this happen to everyone that leads the Others? Is this why Charles Widmore was expelled from the Island at some point in the past? Is this why Ben was trying desperately to confuse and distract Locke from what we really should have been doing since Season 3? It sure looks that way to me right now.

How about Christian telling Locke to "say hello to my son." When will Locke find out who his guide through the Island really is? I'm betting on the final episode of Season 6.

Sadly we lost one of our main players but not before an interesting reveal. It turns out that Charlotte has been keeping a little secret. She remembers growing up on the Island and remembers leaving... and she just remembered who told her she could never come back: Daniel Faraday! Then she died. So Daniel's appearance at the construction of The Orchid might not be an isolated event. Apparently, he was around at other times in the Island's past as well. But how is that possible now that Locke has apparently fixed the frozen donkey wheel and stopped the Island from flashing through time? There must be another way for people to time-travel on the Island, besides The Orchid because, as was mined from the in Room 23 video, "Only fools are enslaved by time and space."

I was a little surprised that Desmond was not more shocked by seeing Eloise Hawking at the church in LA. I thought he would have lost it altogether when he realized she was the same woman who told him not to get engaged to Penny back in Season 3. And Ben was only able to convince Jack and Sun to return to the Island? What about the "God help us all" reaction from Ms. Hawking when Ben asked what would happen if he couldn't get all of the Oceanic 6 together? No Hurley, Kate, Aaron or Sayid? I doubt it but they really shouldn't drag out the off-Island story much longer because it honestly just isn't as good as what's happening on the Island.