One of Them

A good episode. One of the stronger this season. Jen definitely thinks it was a good notch above both “Fire + Water” and “The Long Con.” I think it fits well, and now together the sense of direction this season is more clear.After the brief drought in mythological elements, it was great to have a focus on the “Others,” and the Jack-Locke showdown over the armory combination was incredible. What happens when the counter hits zero? Well, Jen felt pretty cheated to find that, essentially, Jack was right — nothing happened. Something sure as heck was about to happen, and it sure sounded big… but it looks like that’s one promised “answer” that we’re going to have to wait for. I don’t think fans are going to stand for a third fake out, though. I’m just saying.

Speaking of “answers,” though, at least we got one stubborn question solved — Hurley’s weight. In fact, while “One of Them” had great dramatic moments, it still had us laughing out loud thanks to the Sawyer/Hurley “frog hunt” subplot. But in a growing series of surprising twists, we certainly didn’t expect Sawyer’s last act. He seemed on the verge of feeling sympathy for Hurley’s turtle story, and fought it the only way he knew how. Or, maybe he just wanted to ensure he wasn’t about to end up with a friend again.

The flashback was pretty good, too. We see where Sayid made the much-touted promise to himself… a promise he’s now broken twice. A surprising amount of CGI, though. Not bad for primetime TV.

I’m definitely intrigued at how quickly our survivors are fragmenting. Instead of factions, we’re seeing lots of rogues. Charlie was ostracized. Sawyer made everyone his enemy. The rift between Locke and Jack grows. It’s still unclear how well the Tailies are integrating. And now, it seems Sayid is forging his own path as well.

Notes and links:

• Is the captured “Other” really an “Other”? Jen says no, pointing to Locke’s remark about everything being relative — to Danielle, everyone is an “Other.” I vote yes, based mostly on the look on the man’s face after Jack pulls Sayid back. Oh, and there’s his name, Henry Gale… Dorothy’s uncle in The Wizard of Oz.
• Another flashback crossover, with Kate’s dad — carrying a photo of Young Kate (courtesy gumpy5) — and Sayid.
• Sawyer is not an animal lover, obviously. But his pursuit of the frog clearly mirrored his obsession with the boar in Season 1… except that he let the boar live.
• How about those hieroglyphs (via Sledgeweb)? This post at TheFuselage.com claims the translation is “cause to die.” Or, the causitive form of the verb, “to die.” Maybe simply, “You’re dead.”
• Finally, the numbers reappear. The film Sayid watched came from “REEL 23108-42” (gumpy5 again).
• Jen was thrilled to see Clancy Brown (a.k.a. “Mr. Krabs”).

Next week, another rerun. But the March 1 looks like another good dose of “Lost” mythology.