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If the last scene is all that mattered, then this episode was superb. Unfortunately, it is impossible to ignore the fact that the first 55 minutes of the episode was largely uneventful. Still, that ending was a real game changer.

If I have one complaint about “Lost” over the last few years, it’s that it ignores too many characters for long stretches. A huge, sprawling cast pretty much insures that not everyone will get the screen time they either want or deserve. Sayid is one of those characters I’d like to see get more screen time.

The problem is, it was anticlimactic. It really didn’t matter how he got hooked up with the bounty hunter. We already knew that’s what she was, and seeing it materialize, well after the fact, simply produced no impact. She was a bounty hunter. She seduced Sayid and tricked him. So what? The goal was to get him back to the island. That has already happened, so much of what we saw were pointless flashbacks.

Of course these flashbacks helped illustrate why Sayid so fiercely hates Ben. But again, we already know and understand this, so the flashbacks really didn’t serve much of a purpose there either. While I was glad to see what led him to being handcuffed on the plane to the gorgeous bounty hunter Ilana, played by Zuleikah Robinson, it really just didn’t matter.

If you look at “Lost” as a giant jigsaw puzzle, then this episode filled in some blanks without really clearing up the bigger picture. While it wasn’t a bad episode, I never liked the whole “Others” camp all that much. Now it looks like that’s what we’ll be getting to see.

Of course, everything I just wrote applies to the first 55 minutes of the episode. The ending was a major development that changes just about everything.

What Worked

The ending. So Sayid shoots an adolescent Ben. This reminded me of a scene from the 1983 movie, “The Dead Zone”, in which Johnny Smith asks concentration camp survivor Sam Weizak if he could go back in time, would he kill Adolf Hitler? Weizak of course says yes. It is a philosophical dilemma. Armed with future knowledge, would a normal, caring person willingly kill someone if it would save the lives of others?
Since Sayid is a professional killer, the ending is not as surprising as it could have been. And we aren’t even sure if Ben is even dead yet. Still, shooting a young, unarmed boy in the chest, even if it is Ben Linus, was quite shocking and unsettling. This violates the principles that Faraday expressed - this has already happened, so it can’t be changed. I’m very curious to see how this plays out.

What Didn’t Work

I am not enjoying seeing Jack, Kate, and the gang assimilating into the Dharma camp. I never really cared for the whole Others/Dharma storyline, and I really hope this story arc doesn’t last too long. Staying stateside didn’t last long, so here’s hoping that life in Dharmaville will be a short stay as well.

I’ve loved the direction the writers were taking with Sawyer until recently. One thing I always liked about Sawyer was his independent streak. Now he is a wimpy follower. Bring back the old Sawyer already.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

"Lost" stars Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O’Quinn, Josh Holloway, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Michael Emerson. “He’s Our You” was written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. It was directed by Greg Yaitanes.