Lost Episode 4.2 "Confirmed Dead"

On this week's episode, the group of potential rescuers finally landed on the island, but that obviously didn't make things any easier for our favorite Losties, or not so favorite if we're talking about Kate. Did I mention I cant stand her?...well I cant. One of the things I've noticed and like about Lost this season is they're not afraid to shake up their structure. Giving the first episode to Hurley instead of Jack and now of course we knew there'd be flash forwards, but it's also great to see multiple flashbacks like in tonight's episode. The best episodes of Lost tend to be the ones that shake things up, which may be why I thought tonight's introduction to the freighter crew was even better than last week's premiere.

The episode got off to a fantastic start by showing us the wreckage of Flight 815. It's an image we would see again later, when the new character of Frank Lapidus saw the report asking for information about the crash. My biggest problem with that scene was the fact that a respectable newscast would never linger on a moldy underwater skeleton, but that distraction didn't take away from Frank's revelation that he was supposed to be piloting 815 that day.

Introducing us to four new characters provided a whole new series of names and places to connect to literature and history. We all know that a name is not just a name on Lost, given the overwhelming number of philosophers (John Locke, Rousseau, Desmond David Hume).Of course there’s physicist Daniel Faraday, namesake of Michael Faraday, a chemistry and physicist from the 19th century whose focus was on electromagnetism. That’s a little bit too on the nose, I think. Charlotte Staples Lewis is of course a close enough match to Clive Staples Lewis, better known as C.S. Lewis. In the first Easter Egg I talked about Lost’s obsession with religion, and I’m guessing naming a character after an author whose most famous work features a Jesus Christ allegory helps my cause. I suppose it’s slightly more mysterious than calling her Carroll Lewis.


There was also some pretty interesting character developments I'm sure most people will overlook. First, Sawyer was ready to kill Ben in front of Alex, until someone reminded him that killing someone's father in front of their child is just absurd. Clearly this hits home for Sawyer, as his father was murdered in front of him. Also, it seems as though Locke has become the new Ben, while Locke's crew seem to be on their way to becoming the new "others." Capturing a women who landed on the island for no seemingly good reason. Everyone blindly following Locke and not really knowing why. This was all very interesting to me.

Before I get into the questions that the episode left us with, let's take a look at the answers we received:
1) Yes, everyone on Flight 815 really was confirmed dead. Naomi said as much last season, but now we know for sure.
2) The people on the freighter have come to the island for Ben. We don't know why, or if that's really their only motive, but at least we know one reason they're there.
3) The writers are acknowledging the fact that Walt was taller when he appeared to John. This is a good thing. I know there were some people out there thinking that Malcolm David Kelley's growth spurt was a continuity gaffe, but now we can rule that out once and for all.

Speaking of continuity gaffes, Michael Ausiello over at TVGuide.com said that he spotted a major one. I have no idea what he's talking about, so perhaps one of you eagle-eyed people can fill me in. Another interesting turn that I didn't expect was the fact that Miles was a ghost whisperer. At first I thought he might be taking a page from Michael J. Fox's character in The Frighteners and faking his abilities, but it looks like he's the real deal. That should provide an interesting element to future episodes. Maybe he can sit down and have a chat with Jacob, assuming Jacob is a ghost at all.

Of course, the biggest twist in the episode, at least in my opinion, was Charlotte's discovery of a polar bear skeleton with a Hydra collar way out in the desert of Tunisia. WTF?


Now that I look back on the episode, Daniel Faraday remains the biggest mystery. Why was he an emotional wreck as he watched the footage of Flight 815 being discovered? What connection does he have to the plane and the castaways? It really was a night full of twists and revelations. The last thing to blindside us was the fact that Ben has a mole on the freighter, and therefore knows everything about those people. It could be anyone, but I think its Michael.

Bottom line: A great way of introducing the new characters, who, btw, are friggin fantastic additions to the cast. Spot on perfect dynamic casting on their part. Interesting character developments while at the same time moving the story along. It was great seeing what was happening off the island in other parts of the world and how the plane crash had an impact on everything. For once, everyone was asking all the right questions and the Losties weren't pulling any punches. When Juliet and Sayid came out of the woods with guns blaring, it's about time our losties took some names.

Questions:

Why was Faraday an emotional wreck?

What was the big continuity gaffe?

Did the freighter crew bring a gas mask expecting the sickness, or for another reason?

How did a polar bear skeleton end up in Tunisia, and how did its bones have time to fossilize?

Was Frank Lapidus really supposed to pilot 815?

Why did Abaddon choose that specific team of four?

do the freighter people want Ben?

Who is the mole that Ben has on the boat?

Did anyone give 1-888-548-0034 a call? I was tempted.

Was there any significance to Faraday saying that the light didn't scatter correctly in the jungle?

If it's not the body of Seth Norris in the plane wreckage, whose body is it?

How did someone manage to get an entire fake plane to crash in another part of the world, under the ocean, with fake bodies and all the works?

And the biggest question of the episode nobody seems to be asking is... If Ben lived on the island his entire life, how did Miles get a picture of him? Is this a plot hole, or do they also have a mole on the island? Has Ben traveled off the island? I dont recall.

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