From what I can gather around the Web, the general consensus on “The Shape of Things to Come” can be summed up in two words: “holy” and “crap.” And I agree wholeheartedly. This was definitely a wild episode — from Ben’s trek through time and space to an amped-up appearance by the Smoke Monster to Alex’s somewhat shocking death. I have no idea where Lost is going next at this point, and I’m loving it.
Did Ben kill Nadia? That’s not how I interpreted his smirk after recruiting Sayid in the future. No, I suspect Sayid saw exactly what Ben wanted him to see and reacted exactly as Ben wanted him to react (i.e. joining Ben in his quest against Charles Widmore). That seems more like Ben’s style.
Does Ben control the Smoke Monster? Again, I’m not so sure. He may have unleashed it, but I didn’t get the impression he could necessarily control it. After all, Ben seemed a little scared of Smokey himself as it ripped through the camp.
I think I’ll cut my opening thoughts a little short this week and jump straight to the scoring. Let’s roll!
Ben:
Dressing in layers is one thing, but a fur-lined parka in the Tunisian desert seems a little like overkill: -1
Tossed his cookies, has a nasty cut on his arm: -2
Of course, I’m overlooking the fact that Ben apparently teleported halfway around the world: +8
Disarmed one Bedouin, shot the other, then knocked out the first one with the rifle butt. Okay, that’s pretty badass: +5
Oh, and he apparently speaks Arabic and Turkish, too: +1
Did I mention he can play piano?: +1
Or that he has a shotgun in his piano bench?: +1
Bestowed nickname on himself (”Dean Moriarty”): +1
Doesn’t know the year: -1
Of course, that more or less confirms that Ben is traveling through frickin’ time: +10
Spotted by Sayid while taking photos: -1
Knows everything there is to know about Widmore’s mercenary, Keamy: +1
Let Alex die (after saying some pretty nasty stuff about how he didn’t care about her): -20
Has a secret room inside his other secret room. How cool is that?: +2
Recruited Sayid in the future: +3
Called in the Smoke Monster. Or let it in. I’m not really sure: +7
Confronted Widmore in the future, promised to avenge Alex: +3
Net gain/loss: +18
Current score: 145 |
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Daniel:
Used some chicken wire and duct tape to get a signal out of the sat phone. He’s a regular MacGruber (“Making life-saving inventions out of household materials!”): +4
Knows Morse code: +1
Used his knowledge of Morse code for deception. Hey, that’s a violation of the Telegrapher’s Oath! Is nothing sacred?: -2
Net gain/loss: +3
Current score: 141 |
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Claire:
Claire done got blowed up: -100
Wait, no…she’s still alive: +103
Net gain/loss: +3
Current score: 101 |
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Locke:
Looks like it’s splitsville for Team Locke: -3
Net gain/loss: -3
Current score: 122 |
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Sawyer:
Bestowed nickname on Hurley (”Chicken Little”): +1
Launched a successful attack on Siberia: +1
Bestowed nickname on Rousseau (”Frenchy”): +1
Check out Action Hero Sawyer! Running around, shooting at people, dodging gunfire, using a picnic table for cover, narrowly avoiding exploding buildings. Not bad: +5
Ended up with a nasty bloodstain on his shirt. Fortunately, it came from some random Lostie and nobody we actually cared about: -1
Led the anti-Locke rebellion in the jungle. It’s about time somebody wised up: +2
Net gain/loss: +9
Current score: 127 |
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Miles:
Freed by Widmore’s mercenaries: +2
Rang the doorbell at Ben’s cabin. That what I call good manners: +1
Net gain/loss: +1
Current score: NA |
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Vincent:
Found Doc Ray’s corpse (of course, Bernard tried to take all the credit): +3
Net gain/loss: +3
Current score: 109 |
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Sayid:
Reunited with Nadia, married his one true love: +27
Until she was murdered, that is: -30
Spotted Ben taking photographs from the rooftop in Tikrit. Sayid is so awesome, he could probably smell what brand of camera Ben was using: +2
Wait, is Sayid…crying? That can’t be right, can it?: -1
Killed Widmore’s assassin, avenged Nadia’s death: +6
Something about Ben’s self-satisfied smirk tells me that Sayid should look for a new boss: -2
Net gain/loss: +2
Current score: 131 |
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Desmond:
“What do ye mean Ben is gonna try to kill my girlfriend in the future to get revenge on her father who had some guy on his boat kill the kid Ben stole from some crazy French lady who shipwrecked years ago on the mysterious Island in the middle of nowhere, brotha?”: -1
Net gain/loss: -1
Current score: 115 |
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Bernard:
Knows Morse code, used knowledge to expose Daniel’s lies: +3
Net gain/loss: +3
Current score: 105 |
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Jack:
Good news, Jack! A job just opened up for a physician on the H.M.S. Penny’s Father’s Boat: +1
Suffering from a mysterious stomach bug: -1
Got tough with Daniel after he lied about the transmission: +3
Uh-oh…appendicitis. I’ll totally give Jack 50 points if he operates on himself next week. How cool would that be?: -5
Net gain/loss: -2
Current score: 107 |
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Hurley:
Get the baby away from the window, Hurley: -1
Hurley! Seriously, get the baby away from the window: -1
Dammit, Hurley, stop waving the baby around in front of the window: -1
Ignored Ben’s orders, let Claire and Sawyer into the cabin anyway: +2
Ended up stuck with Team Locke during the jungle mutiny: -1
Net gain/loss: -2
Current score: 113 |
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Alex:
Taken hostage by Widmore’s mercenaries: -4
Tripped the failsafe while deactivating the sonic fence, initiated Code 14J: +3
Executed by Keamy, presumably dead: -100
Net gain/loss: -101
Current score: NA |
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After nine pulse-pounding weeks of Lost-vivor, here are your updated standings:
- Ben (145) (+18)
- Daniel (141) (+3)
- Sayid (131) (+2)
- Sawyer (127) (+9)
- Locke (122) (-3)
- Frank (116)
- Desmond (115) (-1)
- Hurley (113) (-2)
- Juliet (109)
- Vincent (109) (+3)
- Sun (108)
- Jack (107) (-2)
- Bernard (105) (+3)
- Jin (104)
- Kate (102)
- Claire (101) (+3)
- Charlotte (100)
- Rose (97)
- Miles (94) (+3)
- Michael (79)
Wow! After a crazy week, Ben catapults from third into first place. Sawyer also posted big gains this week, moving up a few notches in the rankings. Beyond that, there were not other major shakeups this week (unless you count Vincent officially eclipsing Jack in the rankings).
That’s it for this week’s slightly-delayed installment of Lost-vivor. As always, feel free to comment, complain, or offer your predictions below. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time.
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