Two episodes down… only four more to go. While I like the fact that we have an uninterrupted run of 16 new episodes coming in early February 2007, now that we have had a little nibble, I’m not sure I can wait the three months for the main course to arrive. All good things come to those who wait – right?!?!?

This week’s episode reacquainted us with Jin, Sun and Sayid and their off shore vigil for Jack’s return. It was another strong hour – not as potent as ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ – but still offered enough meat and opened enough questions – and even dangled a few answers – to keep me satisfied.

On with my thoughts.

1.   The weakest point to the episode was in the flashbacks. One of the recurring knocks against the flashbacks is that when they focus on the original characters they tend to tread ground already covered (give us ‘Other’ flashbacks, already!!!) The Jack flashbacks in ‘Cities‘ remedied that criticism by reflecting a different light on Jack’s psyche – and his troubled relationships – and were short and to the point. They did a fine job of illustrating the walls and obsessive desire within him – setting up the challenge that Juliet faced in breaking through and beating him down. For Sun, all we got was more of her Daddy issues and their effects on Jin. The flashbacks dragged a bit but they did offer one shocking scene – as Jin’s post-threat pit-stop ended in his car absorbing Jae’s crashing body. Did Jae jump out of shame or was he pushed? With Sun’s Daddy in the mix, the smart money is on the latter which can’t be good for Jin.

2.   One other flashback note – I’m not sure we got conclusive evidence that Sun’s baby is Jae’s and not Jin’s. They tease with the bedroom scene but we have no idea how long ago that happened. I’m staking my claim on the island working miracles on Jin’s ‘lost’ boys.

3.   I like the slight alteration to last season’s ‘trilogy-style’ premiere (where it took three episodes to bring us up to speed on the same hour of events shown from different perspectives). As we return to Sayid, Jin and Sun (adrift on Desmond’s sailboat), time has indeed passed and the group is growing worried that Jack, Sawyer and Kate have been captured. While we don’t get an exact temporal fix, I’d say it’s only been a day or two since Sayid nosed around that faux village – meaning poor Sawyer and Kate are merely at the start of their uncomfortable two week stint. The notion of time plays into the episode’s conclusion – which I’ll get to in a moment.

4.   When I saw the trailers depicting a rescue effort, I thought we were going to lose focus on Jack, Kate and Sawyer and thus, The Others. So it was a pleasant surprise that we spent the hour criss-crossing the island – getting updates on Kate and Sawyer’s internment as well as a revealing peek into Jack’s aquarium.

5.   We got some more hints into the nature of The Others’ inter-relationships. Ben’s quick quip that Juliet never made him soup – followed by Colleen’s arrival and a subsequent chill in the air – seems to indicate a fractured love triangle. My take: Juliet and Ben were an item, split, and Ben has since shacked up with Colleen. Colleen is instructed by Ben to locate Sayid and company and before she heads off, she goes to see the ‘chain gang’ boss Pickett who she greets as ‘Daddy’.

6.   “We are not your enemy. But if you shoot me, that is exactly what we will become.” Colleen’s warning to Sun prior to getting capped is bound to have ripple effects – given the relationships hinted at in the episode. If I’m right, several of the more menacing Others are going to have a good reason to get their gun on.

7.   So Sawyer kissed Kate. I thought it was a nice little poetic sequence – a little rage against the machine on Sawyer’s part – his own little Cool Hand Luke moment (although I’m not sure Paul Newman ever laid a smooch on George Kennedy. Strother Martin maybe – never would have worked out though, what with their failure to communicate and all.) Anyway, it also allowed him to gauge the defenses surrounding him. Last week Sawyer earned himself a fish biscuit, this week he tested the security system – it’s only a matter of time before the con man works his mojo.

8.   I need to figure out how to work “You taste like Fish Biscuit” into casual conversation.

9.   Of course, Ben’s watching every move on his surveillance network (that bank of retro monitors hit me with a major Matrix vibe). Is Ben the Architect?

10.   I thought the closing scenes rewarded our patience with Jin’s flashbacks by dropping some choice bits of intel. First, Ben’s full name is Benjamin Linus. I Googled the name and didn’t get anything relevant but I’m sure some kindly Lostralian will get a hit on the importance of being Linus.

11.   Ben drops the revelation that he has lived on the island his entire life. So was he born here or created here? How ‘bout this - what if the Dharma initiative was working on creating a perfect batch of humanity, a stable of genetically created ‘good guys’. In last season’s finale, Ben answered Michael’s inquiry into who they were with “We’re the good guys, Michael.” With that job complete – the Others are now drafting authentic ‘good people’ with whom to mate and change the face of humanity on the world. That might explain their obsession with weeding the good from the bad. Also – I noticed that there weren’t any children in The Others’ suburbia. I’m not sure what that means though.

12.   I found the closing sequence, where Ben brings Jack up to speed on the events that have transpired in the real world, to be the most potent. Ben tells Jack that in the 69 days since their plane crashed, George W. Bush was re-elected, Christopher Reeve had passed away and The Boston Red Sox won the World Series.

13.   That last part gave me goose-bumps and almost coaxed tears of joy. There was a famous bit late in the first season where we learned Christian Shepherd’s motto was “That’s why the Red Sox will never win the World Series” – as if to imply that some things are inevitable - destiny unavoidable – a defeatist view shared by his son. The line aired six months after the actual miracle happened and some people pointed out the anachronism in the line. I took it as smart, head’s up writing. In the time since Flight 815 had crashed, Jack would have no idea that they had indeed won – thus his character was resigned to his fate – while the audience was tipped an ironic wink that anything is possible. Jack’s reaction during the Red Sox revelation (as Henry cued up that final pitch and toss from Foulke to Mientkiewicz) was heart-breaking. In ten brief seconds, Jack goes from mocking doubt to true believer. Not only does he get a taste of the real world, he’s been shown that miracles can happen and his true beliefs are shaken. A good piece of acting on Matthew Fox’s part – and a truly spine-tingling moment. No matter how many times I see that call, I get chills and its inclusion here was genius.

14.   Oh one last thing, Ben offers Jack the chance to go home if he cooperates with them. My theory - they want Jack to become one of them. I’ll go one further. At some point this season, I think we return to suburbia and the ‘Book Club’ and see Jack seated alongside his fellow ‘Others.’

As host, maybe he’ll offer up Faithful.