5x05: This Place is Death (off-island)

Let it be said: “This Place is Death” is the greatest LOST episode of all-time. I’m going to organize my discussion by on-island and off-island events; I’ll start with on-island:

The first question of the episode was “How will Ben convince Sun that Jin is alive”. Of course, we wound up seeing that it was because, once again, Ben has absolutely no scruples. I think back to “Cabin Fever” when Locke told Ben, “I’m not you”. Once again, that is shown to be true. As crazy as Locke is, he means well, and couldn’t break his promise to Jin.

I jotted it down at the moment it happened, and I *think* I was right--the alliances within the Oceanic Six changed in a moment. Prior to Kate’s blowout and Ben’s admission that he wants to take them back, there were tentative pacts between pairs: Jack-Sayid, Sayid-Hurley, Jack-Kate, Jack-Ben, and Sun against everybody. Then in a moment, Sayid threatens to kill Ben and Jack, Kate is back to hating Jack and furious about his relationship with Aaron, and suddenly, there is a Jack-Sun-Ben possibility. The Jack-Sun bond is cemented when Jack tells Sun that he will kill Ben himself if he is lying after what he did to Kate. And when Ben forks over the ring, he’s conned Sun. Or at least I think. And since Sun and Jack are my two favorite characters, I’m glad to see them back on the same side.

Desmond shows up at the exact moment that the three do; convenient, but did I see a flicker of non-recognition on Ben’s face when Desmond deduced that he was there to see Faraday’s mom too? As if Ben didn’t know the connection? Probably not, but maybe.

Did Hawking ever see Desmond? Because I don’t think Desmond ever saw her or he surely would have been gobsmacked. “Let’s get started”--sounds ominous.