The Shape of Things to Come

Still pissed about the "cliffhanger" from "Meet Kevin Johnson". Now that it's confirmed (through the promos, anyway) that it was the boatpeople... that really would've made for a better cliffhanger (the reverse shot of Keamy). Whatever. Strike-related bygones.

Jack is not taking antibiotics. He's starting to take painkillers. His addiction is starting. I insist.

Um, why is Dr. Ray washing ashore on the Island?

HAHAHAH, Hurley's "We're all gonna die" soundbyte is over a game of Risk. "Australia's the key to the whole game." Tell me that isn't prescient.

Numbers alert: the password to the fence around the Barracks is 1623... inasmuch as it alerts people that the fence is off. Damn, things are really moving this episode.

IT'S A BEN EPISODE! WTF is that Dharma symbol on the Halliwax PARKA he's wearing in the SAHARA? When is this? We still haven't found out about those polar bear remains CS Lewis found in Tunisia. Weird seeing Ben so utter at someone else's mercy. Only HE'S SUPER SECRET AGENT ACTION HERO BEN.

Faraday: When is kind of a relative term.

I love that one of the first nameless people who got killed was wearing a red shirt. How the hell are they missing Sawyer (this must be Storm Trooper logic/rules).

Well, that bazooka shot seems to explain partially why Kate is raising Baby Aaron in her flashforward. I say seems to because I'm pretty sure major character deaths happen on screen in this series, so I'm 99% sure Claire is alive (for now).

Ben is in Tunisia. And he says he's been before, but it's been a while. Oh, Ben, must you make me ask if you're lying about everything!? No one actually buys that his name is Dean Moriarty, right...? Damn illiterate, unwashed masses. It's October 24, 2005. That's roughly 10 months ahead of "Island time". But Ben *asking* about the year... hm. Has he become unstuck in time, like Desmond in "The Constant"? Ben sees Sayid on a TV... he wants to bury his wife (Nadia?) in peace.

Hurley and Aaron are both Oceanic Six. They both get off the Island. Hurley's carrying Aaron around right now. Making a mental (and blogger) note of it. Follow that baby!

Yup, Claire's not dead. Yet.

HAHAH, they RING the DOORBELL.

Aw, it was Nadia. That's sad. Um... remind me. Late 2005 in Iraq... war still going on? How about the state of Tikrit? Because that's where Ben is. I know in the show, that's where Sayid was born. So, I guess we're seeing the beginning of the "Ben pwns Sayid" plotline. And they're killing Widmore's people (I guess that explains some stuff about "The Economist") OMG. I drive through La Brea and Santa Monica EVERY DAY. Please, show, give me an address for where Nadia was killed. I've got nothing better to do tomorrow at 8:42am as I head into work. Dammit. Thanks for nothing, show. Huh. I wonder if Widmore's people are going to start killing the off-Island connectors we've seen in the flashbacks?

This shit is too tense for 10pm (or, as I'm watching it... after midnight).

Damn, Ben is so fake-heartless it hurts with his "she means nothing to me" stalling.

Um. No. No they DID NOT kill Alex. But if they did, kudos for doing it from the Ben's POV shot. Man, how much do we want Smokezilla to kill Keamy dead right now?

Ben: "He (they?) changed the rules." Creepy! Is that the "mystery box" door?

Sayid flashfoward backstory! Blanks, filled in! Huzzah!

OMFG BEN JUST SUMMONED SMOKEZILLA. TO DO HIS BIDDING. Wow, I guess it really is a security system.

Ben cries over Alex's corpse. That's the first time we've really seen him vulnerable. I'm sad now. Damn, they actually killed Alex. Fuck, we're really not gonna get our Rousseau flashback.

Morse code is great and all, but it's not very entertaining television.

Sawyer: "Who the hell is Jacob?" Amen, brutha.

Hurley has a badass moment. Nice.

Ben Linus. Face to face. With Charles Widmore. The shape of things to come, indeed. Why can't Ben kill Charles? Nevermind... Ben is going to kill Penny. My heart just fucking dropped.

What the hell are these rules Ben is talking about, and how did Charles change them? Dammit, show.