Last night's Lost made two-plus seasons of Harold Perrineau screaming Waaaaaalt!!!!, where's my son?! and more Waaaaaaalt!!!! all worth it.
So what to make of the revealing, yet more question-producing half-season finale?
Let's start with what we learned.
We learned The Others frequent "the mainland." And that Tom, aka, Mr. Friendly, aka, Cammi's Husband from Sideways (naked guy who chases Thomas Haden Church and smashes up Paul Giamatti's Saab) is one of The Others allowed such a privilege.
We also learn that Tom likes to indulge -- nice hotels, nice alcoholic beverages, nice man candy. Whoa! Didn't see that last one coming, did we? M.C. Gainey plays a lot of characters in movies you've probably seen, but suave homosexual wasn't one I ever thought I'd see him cast as -- big or small screen.
Lesson 1: Some special Others can go to the mainland and when they do -- watch out NYC!
We also learn that Michael can't keep a secret. In between screaming Waaaaaaalt!!!!! and asking "where's my son?!" he apparently decided to pass the time on the boat ride from the island to the mainland by playing UNO and telling Walt he killed Libby and Anna Maria. Now Walt won't talk to dad, which makes dad think to himself, "I've made a huge mistake."
So now Walt is on a redemption mission. We've seen this before with Jin most recently and Charley in the past. Is there any doubt this will end with Michael dying? Why else would we know Walt is in good hands with mama Michael? Maybe Walt can go live with Hurley ... they both like comic books.
Lesson 2: The guilt Michael possesses for saving Walt will end up leading to his death. That's why he's on the freighter, right? "I'm here to die," he tells Sayid and Desmond.
We also learn The Island won't let Michael die. He can't run an old Pontiac into a wall. He can't shoot himself. He can't explode himself. He can't star in The Matrix 4: Cruise Control.
I don't think it's that Michael can't die. I think it's that The Island is watching the big guy. They were there watching him run into a wall, and hence got him proper medical care. They were there at the pawn ship, ensuring the gun he'd buy would jam. They were there giving him a bomb that wouldn't blow up Murtaugh's toilet. While this seems improbable, it seems more likely that he can't die because The Others are watching him closely than it does some mystical element from The Island has inhabited his body and given him the ability to defy death. Has he sold his soul? You bet. But soulless people should still be able to die, right? Plus, if there's anything The Island represents it's death (mothers, children, drug dealers, crashing planes, George Minkowski ... the list goes on) not life. Who can Life lay claim to? Well, we have Aaron and maybe Desmond.
Lesson 3: Michael is stuck somewhere between Groundhog Day and The Crow (help me that analogy, please)
We also learn that the war is now Ben + Castaways vs. Widmore's crew. Or do we? I believe it's Claire who says something along the lines of: "So he's now one of us" upon hearing what Miles' crew was sent here to do (kill everyone). But then we learn about The Sanctuary, where Ben wants his daughter, future son-in-law and Rousseau to head to. It's where everybody's hanging out. Convenient he keeps a detailed map in his pocket, huh? Only thing missing from it was the location of Curly's gold. So is Ben with The Others or the Castaways?
I say once an Original Other, always an Original Other. You can't take the O out of the Other. Remember, Ben is a man who gets his way more often than not. Sure, he tells Michael that when Ben goes to war, he no kill women, children or cute Labrador puppies. He only kill bad guy. Ah. That explains gassing a whole community. That explains sacrificing mother after mother in this fertility farm go wrong. That explains setting up his daughter as bait to kill Rousseau and her boyfriend. Oh, I went there.
Ben done did it. He has this problem with women you see. Probably goes back to his raised-by-drunk-janitor-dad-and-blamed-for-mom's-death days. But he killed to get Julia and he'd surely kill to get his daughter back under his, and only his, watchful care. That's assuming she is his daughter. Fill me in, but when did Ben actually do the horizontal mambo with Rousseau?
Lesson 4: Ben is a complicated fella we won't understand for a while
There's more to this episode, lots more. Do you think the captain knows Kevin Johnson is really Michael? Why is Desmond so quiet? Is Ben's daughter dead? Kurt Vonnegut reference? What about Widmore's intentions with the island? Who's not graverobbing in Thailand these days? Why didn't they just blow up the ship, why the "not yet" message?
Thoughts?