Lost Review - since it's not on tonight...

Great episode - I'm really going to have withdrawal symptoms when this season is over... Let's start with the flash forwards...

First off, it's official - the Oceanic Six were all on the rescue plane and Aaron was one of them. Also, seems pretty clear that Jin isn't going to make it for one reason or another. Along with Jin, Sayid pretty much confirmed that none of the other passengers could possibly be alive. What does that say about Michael I wonder? Will he perish? Or go into hiding? And what about Walt? How can he be in NYC and dead at the same time? Hmmm...

What I found most poignant about the reunion scene was the complete lack of family for either Kate or Sayid. That's just plain sad. It was great to see Hurley's parents again and I'd all but forgotten that Jack had a mother (it's been so long since we've seen her!). Also, was this the first time we saw Sun's mom? I don't remember her at all...

The press interview was full of loaded questions that were neatly deflected. For being in shock, these guys did a great job. Who else wants to know the sum of the Oceanic settlement? It must be a whopper if it could allow Sun to buy controlling interest in her daddy's firm!

And finally - Jack got the Claire bomb dropped on him at his daddy's memorial. The look on his face was Oscar-worthy. It was as though he had either just been shot in the chest or just swallowed a bug. Awesome. I guess this is why he was freaky about seeing Aaron at Kate's trial. He knows! He knows and he feels guilty - for what? Guess we'll have to wait and see!

Moving onto Island Life...

I love the amount of "damn it" faces in this episode. Sawyer was like "damn it" when Jack went traipsing off into the jungle to track the helo. Sayid was all "damn it" when he heard that Jack and Kate went running off after the helicopter. Jack and Sawyer were both "damn it" when they realized that Hurley was heading straight towards danger at the orchid. Hurley was like "damn it. Wait, I don't care" when he found out the crackers were 15 years old. Too funny.

All of the scenes with Ben, Locke and Hurley were entertaining. Ben is obviously reasserting himself as the leader - bossing everyone this way and that. It makes me feel a little sad for Locke because he desperately wants to be the chosen one. Still, Locke's need for validation is really no excuse for blinding stupidity. He should really know by now that Ben has no intention of giving him all the secrets of the island. Ben will continue to play on Locke's heart strings, feeding him island tidbits little by little until, ultimately, Ben's goals are accomplished.

That being said... I believe I can safely say that I'm on team Ben for the time being. If the ultimate showdown is going to be between Widmore and Ben - I'm going for Ben (but I sincerely hope that Penny doesn't get hurt!) I just can't help but admire this fellow that is so all-or-nothing about his purpose.

And speaking of purpose... What is the purpose of all that C-4 in the comm room on the freighter? I've read a couple of rumors around the web that allude to the fact that Keamy's fancy little arm-band is actually some kind of bomb control mechanism that will ensure he gets safely back to the freighter. Good enough for me! Obviously, if it is a bomb, it can't go off while Sun and Aaron are on board - because they make it off. (I hope that Desmond makes it off too!)

As for the remaining members of the Oceanic Six... How do Kate and Sayid escape the clutches of the Others? How do Jack and Hurley wind up going to safety and not Sawyer and Locke? (Well, I can guess why Locke isn't rescued - he doesn't want to be) Will the island actually move? Does it move in space and time as Daniel's little notebook seems to imply? What about Daniel and Charlotte - are they stranded on the island or do they make it to safety? Finally, what about the rest of the crash victims? Do they die? Do they move with the island? I don't know about you, but I'm hoping for answers to all of these questions next week when Lost returns with a two-hour finale!