LOST -- The Shape of Things to Come

It's been awhile, so I thought I'd write about last week's episode of Lost -- The Shape of Things to Come.

This episode was so pivotal that I ended up watching it twice this weekend -- once by myself and a second time with my friend Aubrea. The second time was followed by a lengthy conversation about the implications of what we learned from the events that took place.

So the episode began with Ben lying in the Sahara Desert, out of breath, confused, and injured . . . and wearing a Dharma parka. Obviously, Ben was transported to the desert from a cold climate . . . much like the polar bear skeletons that we saw Charlotte examine in the Tunisian desert. After Ben pulls out some sweet moves and fends off the Saharan policemen, he rides off into the sunset, ending up at a Tunisian hotel, checking in under the alias Dean Moriarty. Based on the expression of the attendant?s face, we know that "Dean" is an important person. Also, the possibility of time travel is introduced once again when Ben inquires about the current date . . . and year. As he is going up to his room, Ben notices that Sayid is on the television, commenting on the death of his wife. Next, Ben travels to Iraq to tell Sayid that his wife was murdered by a man named Ishmael. Most likely (at least I think so), Ben is taking advantage of Sayid's weak emotional state to serve his own needs -- killing off all of the men that he considers his enemies. Of course, Sayid falls for it, and willingly becomes Ben's henchman.

Back on the island, the Others' commune comes under attack by the men on the freighter, who are working for Charles Widmore. In this intense exchange, they reveal that they are holding Alex hostage. In an attempt to convince the men not to kill Alex, Ben reveals that she?s not actually his daughter and that he stole her from an insane woman when she was a baby. It seems as though Ben doesn't believe they will actually kill Alex, since after they do, he says that they "changed the rules." Though Alex apparently wasn't his daughter, it's clear that he did care for her. After her death, Ben escapes into a secret room in a secret room, comes out covered in soot, with the smoke monster on its way. Obviously, Ben has some connection with the monster, but it's unclear how much control he actually has over it. Though he calls it, he still seems a little nervous about its arrival, advising everyone to run for the treeline.

At the end of the episode, Ben breaks into Widmore's penthouse suite, accuses him of killing his daughter, and informs him that he plans to kill his daughter, Penelope. Also, in this same exchange Ben and Widmore make several interesting comments . . . Ben says he can?t kill Widmore and that he won't be able to find the island. Widmore tells Ben that he "knows what he is" and that everything that Ben has he stole from him.

Also, we find out that Jack has some kind of stomach issues. My guess is that this is what he was talking to Bernard about. Perhaps, since Bernard is also a doctor (a dentist), Jack will want him to help him out.

So here are some things that I'm pondering . . .

• How did Ben end up in the desert?
• Why didn't Ben know what year it was?
• How was Sayid's wife killed?
• Was Sayid's wife actually murdered by Ishmael?
• Will Ben eventually ask Sayid to kill Penny?
• What is the relationship between Ben and Charles Widmore?
• Why can't Ben kill Widmore?
• How did Ben steal from Widmore?
• Why won't Widmore be able to find the island?
• What's wrong with Jack?
• Why was Farraday lying about what the people on the freighter communicated to him in morse code?
• How did Bernard learn morse code?
• How much control does Ben have over the smoke monster?
• What are "the rules"?
• What was in the secret room in the secret room?

Here are some fun facts from Lostpedia:

• DHARMA logo seen on the breast of the parka worn by Ben has yet to be introduced in the series. It features concentric circles surrounding an unknown object. This parka also has the name "Halliwax" emblazoned on the left breast.
• Ben speaks Arabic and Turkish. He asks the Bedouin if they speak those languages in order to communicate with them.
• One of the Bedouin points out how Ben does not have a trail. The other replies, "Where did this [guy] come from? Down from the sky?"
• The television reporter that mentions Sayid, while Ben is in Tunisia, states : "One of the sons of Iraq, and despite the terrible causes for his return, Sayid Jarrah, one of the members of the Oceanic Six, returned to Baghdad after his wife had passed away. Sayid Jarrah and his wife are from the Tikrit area.".
• The pill bottle opened by Jack says "Amoxicillin", a common antibiotic.
• Ben's flashforward takes place in October 2005 - One year and one month after the crash of Oceanic Flight 815.
• The symbols on Ben's secret room door appear to be hieroglyphics that are Determinative Signs In Egyptian.
• The mercenaries are wearing Multicam, an advanced camouflage pattern developed by the United States Army and Crye Precision, an American company.
• The passport that Ben uses in Tunisia is Canadian, as can be seen on the front when he is opening the pasport at first ("Canada" is partially visible) and the fact that there are maple leafs imprinted on the document when it is open to his picture.
• Dean Moriarty is the name of the "hero" of Jack Kerouac's novel.
• Moriarty is also the surname of Professor James Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' best known antagonist and mathematical genius. In the story "The Final Problem", Moriarty pays a surprise visit to Holmes to confront him and both issue ultimatums to the other regarding their continued pursuit of each other in much the same way Ben visits Widmore and they issue threats about their respective searches.
• The man Sayid executes is named Ishmael, which was also the name of the narrator in Herman Melville's novel. (books)
• Ishmael is also a biblical name. He was Abraham's first son, who was born not of his wife, but of her servant, whom he had also married. Ishmael's half-brother was Isaac, who was the father of Jacob. The Arabic equivalent for Ishmael is Ismail/Isma'il (???????) which was not used in naming Ishmael Bakir.
• Exodus 2:3: "But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile." In the biblical text, Jochebed, mother of Moses (Aaron's brother), hid Moses in a basket to protect her son from the Pharoah's order to drown all of the Hebrew children. In "The Shape of Things To Come", Aaron is placed in a basket to be shielded from what we have been told is Widmore's order to kill everyone on the Island. Moses and Aaron follow Jacob in the Judeo-Christian prophetic line. (Exodus 2:3 - 23 (The Numbers))
• The Shape of Things to Come : The name of the episode is also the name of a book by H.G. Wells which is written in the form of a history book from the future. One of the novel's main settings is Iraq. (books) "Shape of Things" is also the name of a song by the 1960s British band, the Yardbirds, with lyrics that mention seeing "shapes" that makes one "despise," and "tomorrow" becoming a "soldier."
• The Time Traveller's Wife: Doctor Kendrick is the name of the main character's MD in the book. (books)
• Prelude in C Sharp Minor. Ben is playing this piece from Sergei Rachmaninoff on the piano, right before the phone call. Some British publications include the title The Burning of Moscow or The Day of Judgement. (music)
• Lawrence of Arabia: The shot of Ben entering the hotel and ringing the bell matches Lawrence's entrance after crossing the desert.
• Star Wars. The use of dark and light on Ben's face and Widmore's face during their confrontation in Widmore's bedroom is exactly the same effect used on Luke Skywalker's face in Return of the Jedi when he is confronting the Emperor.