The second episodes of seasons of Lost are often hugely disappointing. After the jaw-dropping-ness of seeing they've crashed on the island/someone lives in the hatch/they've been captured in cages/they're going to be rescued the story must quickly address the lesser plotlines of the show and tell us what the B-Team are up to. So in the past we have had to endure such excitement as two men stranded on a raft, more about Kate being a fugitive and finding out that Sun once dropped an ornament. This time around though the 'B' team is full of 'A' characters, except they're in the less-fun future/present day. Story-line wise they're invincible, and so make it less thrilling viewing. I'm pretty sure no-ones about to die on the island either, but their predicament seems more dire and therefore, sadly, more awesome. Let's hope this way of thinking doesn't overflow into 'real life' and I end up going base jumping.
To summarise the off-island action, Hurley ends up taking the blame for Sayid's murderous actions under the instruction of Ben. He's confessed to the cops now and so we're going to have to endure a whole episode of plot-diversion where they break him out or there's a big trial. They'll dismiss his conspiracy theories as the mutterings of a madman, stealing whole chunks of dialogue from Terminator 2. "You're the one living in a fucking dream, Widmore!" Sayid nearly dies, but clearly won't. He's got the doctor with the worst track record in successful surgery looking after him, and this time he's coming off drugs'n'booze.
Ben's been visiting mysterious folk, carting Locke's body around in the boot. They stop off at a butcher just so that for a moment viewers think he's going to have ole Jeremey Bentham turned into chops. Perhaps if the island will cure Locke of dying anyway, being in pieces isn't much more of a challenge. It does mean it'll be easier carrying him around though, as the whole Oceanic Six could share the load. Plus, if they ate him it'd be a great way of smuggling him through customs. Ben ends his discussion with the Ladybutcher by pointing out again that "This is really fucking important as if we fail we're all dead", unnecessarily reminding the viewer that whilst not-fun or interesting, the off-island plot is the most important one. I'm getting tired of his speeches frankly. He tries to imbue the end of every scene with huge gravitas and grave significance, but ends up over-egging that particular plot-pudding. He also fetches a mysterious package from the airvent in his hotel room, which I'm only mentioning for it's reminiscence to a scene from a popular film of last year and the picture I got to mock-up: No Country for Old Ben.
On-island the remaining survivors get significantly reduced in numbers as they're attacked by various unknown groups. Neil Frogurt, mentioned in previous episodes and seen once pre-season five here, does a brilliant impression of Artz from season one and gets killed just one episode into his Lost career. He too dies whilst being annoying and shouting at a cast regular, a crime that must be considered on a par with getting caught drink driving by the shows producers. Other 'redshirt's die too, and run into trees burning. Sadly, the show stopped bothering with funerals way back in season two, and so the scene serves only to cull this fast-paced fifth season of it's unnecessary baggage. It's kind of like when people start to leave a workplace with increasing regularity. At first they get a card, a gift, a dinner and drinks, but by the time half the staff have fucked off people haven't got the energy to make a fuss. I'd wager they'll be an official "We're the only ones left" in a couple of episodes once Rose and Bernard finally die.
Their assailants weapon choice suggests our survivors could be being attacked by the earliest inhabitants of the island, and that they've slipped back into the very-past. are these the 'Hostiles', much referred to but never really seen? Well, no. Or at least we're not in Black Rock-era past just yet. The appearance of some Dharma-esque uniformed chaps in the woods suggests this isn't the early 1900s. They appear to have bad British accents, an affliction the show normally inflicts on off-islanders. Taking into consideration last week's posting about new character accent/skin colour judgements, many assume this chap to be a young Charles Widmore. He did claim it was his island after all, which suggested he'd been there before Ben ever had. Is he one of DHARMA's founders, or The Others/Hostiles? His jacket says 'Jones', but could be standard issue attire for someone who gets recruited and wants to remain unknown. Anyway, we barely have time to contemplate this because Locke turns up with a knife, again. Like Ben with his speeches, this is getting tired. His routine at the moment is to spend four or five episodes having a 'walkabout', then rock up in the middle of a crisis to kill someone. Perhaps it's the writer's get-out clause for difficult plot strands or awkward situations.
Another character who's being judged by their accent is the old lady who turns up at the end of the episode. She's using some exciting science tool that draws lines just to prove she's a scientist, and then walks upstairs to greet a familiar face, Benry Gale. Keen readers will instantly recognise her as Mrs Hawkings, the 'ring lady' from Desmond's first time-travelling episode. But this is Lost, and so every facet of her being is a clue as to her connection to characters or events in the show. She's a scientist, and in England.
**Puts on investigating hat**
Scientist.
Woman.
English.
Old.
Mothers are old.
She's someone's mother who's a scientist.
She's someone's mother who's a scientist that lives near(-ish) London.
Daniels Mother is the woman Desmond is looking for.
Case. Closed.
C+ Lost. Must try harder.
