Lost 'LaFleur' – Episode 8

In a word: wow. At first I thought 'LaFleur' was just going to be another of those gap-filling, essential yet not fascinating, episodes but not so.

Locke's axis jump-start may have rid Juliet and co of their headaches and nose bleeds but any more 'Three Years Later' or 'Three Years Earlier's' and they would relay them onto us. As per Enda's thought headaches post to our comment box (below) last week.

Geeks-ville
We've The Others, The Hostiles, The islanders, The Extras and now The Left Behinders, led by Sawyer. I never thought I'd see the day where Sawyer was unashamedly wearing glasses, tucking his hair behind his ear all geeky-like and playing house. Suburbia obviously suits him and, even more surprisingly, Juliet and himself look like a good couple. We should have known that as soon as he tried to convince his pal, dodgy-haired, Horace that three years was plenty of time to get over a lost love, cue freckles. Despite the cutesy moment when Sawyer came face to face with Kate for the first time in three years, Juliet and he should stick together leaving Jack and Kate to grow up and get it (back) on. Wasn't sure about Juliet at the start, she had a touch of the Ben about her but seeing her cry with joy at the birth of Amy's baby boy was a turning point.

Season 5
Something that Abrams writers have been doing a lot of this season is speaking our mind. We had Fionnuala Flanagan asking us to take a leap of faith and Sawyer highlighting any obvious absurdities/ observations ("It'll be on the 'Coconut Telegraph' by breakfast) and this week it was Miles turn. He may be slow off the mark (many posters registered that in some of our previous blogs – to add your comment, see below) but he shared our frustration of the to-ing and fro-ing between the Orchid and the beach.

Richard
Finally someone else, other than 'Lost' fans in sitting rooms across the world, has noticed Richard's make-up. It had to be Sawyer: "Your Buddy Out There with the Eyeliner!" Classic. A little quick thinking and a lot of great one-liners and Sawyer restored peace for the Dharma Initiative once again but for how long? How is it that Richard always looks the same? One week he seems to know everything and the next, nothing. Although we know he's a big player as he was the one who recruited Juliet back on the mainland amongst other previous incarnations.

Polar Bears
Here's a theory that a friend has about the polar bears; the Dharma Initiative brought them to the island (why?), over time they escaped and bred, only to be seen years later by the plane crash victims. Well? Still doesn't explain Smokey.

Hammered-time
It's 'Lost' so anything is possible but Horace's post-argument antics weren't exactly the norm. The booze swilling part, maybe, but the dynamite-firing addendum? Not really. Also judging by that dodgy wig, Horace is obviously going to return at some stage in a different guise – any ideas?

Wherefore art thou Ben?
Where is Ben in this week's time line, leading Richard and co? Or perhaps the more appropriate question is: when is Ben? We know from previous episodes that he spent part, if not all, of his childhood on the island as we've seen young Ben and his girlfriend, Annie. His alias, actor Michael Emerson, has hinted that we'll see them both again. Could it be that young Ben met Sawyer and co as a child?

Extras
Wee Charlotte was very cute, tad Casper-esque but cute nonetheless. Daniel is vowing not to tell her but of course he will. Why did Amy have to hand over her Paul to the Hostiles, couldn't they have just visited his body and observed as he was buried? Perhaps then she wouldn't still be grieving for him and Horace's liver would be spared. What and when was that God or Pharaoh statue from?

Next week
Episode 9 is 'Namaste' which translated means the light in me honours the light in you. Confused? Me too. Now that the Oceanic 3 (no doubt Sayid and Sun will turn up very soon, probably next week) are reunited with The Left Behinders, where to next? How will Sawyer lie his way around his friends' reappearance three years after his 'boat crashed'? What does Locke have in store for them all? Are the Subs still coming to the island and will they do their deed and head home? Mick wrote in an interesting comment last week about whether Sawyer and co will meet Caesar and co?

Taragh Loughrey-Grant

P.s. Jacko, think you were spot on about Ben's reasons for preventing Locke's suicide attempt but then I read GB's, which was great reading and an interesting angle too. (See last week's comments at the end of last week's blog here) S, you got your Sawyer/ Kate reunion, with more next week – what did you think? Lisa, Jim A and Kevin think Walt is just as NB as Locke in 'Lost', tell us more and thoughts on Hurley too. Alex Weir made a great point about a future scene involving Jack and Walt…time will tell.

Darren, terrified by your Ben beat-up theory because it looks very likely. Tony Falloni (great name) I'm with you on the whole Good V's Evil, Charles and Ben are equally unlikely heroes. After KMcD and Found's posts – are we agreed that Ray the farmer and Jack's Ray are different peops? Will the latter return though? Anna, spot on re Locke the philosopher, think we touched on that back in Season 1 but no harm to remember all of these ref's.

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There will be no 'Lost' episode this Sunday 15 March and the programme will return on Sunday 22 March on RTÉ Two at 9pm.