The Little Prince

Alright, now things are starting to warm up on Lost, in my opinion. Tonight's installment managed to find much more room amidst the time-hopping hijinks to make room for good character driven story and drama.

We had Sawyer in a more vulnerable state than we've seen him in quite some time, in the brief flash to Kate from season one.

We had Kate's panic at the thought of losing Aaron, and the realization that it was all a ploy by Ben -- presumably to coerce her to going on the run, to make her want to return to The Island?

We had Sun pursuing her quest for vengeance against Ben. It still perhaps isn't completely clear if she's mad enough to go through with killing him, but it does appear that her conversation with Widmore wasn't just talk. Sun has been in the shadow of her father before, but she's never really been the one out doing the bad things, so this is an interesting development for her character, in my book.

And then there was not-dead-after-all Jin. I suppose eventually we'll need an explanation for why he survived when it seems Michael didn't. Unless you simply buy that "The Island was done with Michael." (I know I was.) Or unless Michael also survived. (Dammit.) But with Jin back in the picture, we have a moment of reunion -- or loss all over again -- down the road between him and Sun, which promises more great dramatic material ahead.

The appearance of Young Rousseau and her team of French explorers was, it seemed, supposed to be the big reveal at the end of the episode, but I called it last week as something inevitable by season's end with time travel in the mix. If we ultimately get to see the moment where she either gives up her baby or it's taken from her, there again is the promise of more good drama, so I'm on board.

Basically, the story kept moving forward this week, but this time did it while stopping to give some dramatic heft to the proceedings. And I thought the episode was much, much better for it.