The Substitute

I enjoyed tonight's episode of Lost, even though the show is now dancing dangerously close to Star Trek V-like "what does God need with a starhip?" territory. At least, this appears to be what's going on with the Locke-ness Monster -- he's trapped on the Island, and needs someone else to consent to help him escape. Will Sawyer be that dupe? Probably not, in the long run... but tune in next week!

For this week, in the meanwhile, it was a real showcase for actor Terry O'Quinn. First, he tore into his new role as the incarnation of the Man in Black with relish. I especially loved the way he tossed digs in at Jacob's expense that were poking fun at the show itself... "He was really into numbers," for example.

It was also an interesting little twist for Sawyer that he could immediately tell Locke was not Locke, even though Ben -- and the audience -- were fooled for nearly half a season. Even after years living in the Dharma Initiative, he's still a con man at heart, and could see through the con. (And presumably, if his head clears enough, he'll see through the latest con, too.)

Sliding sideways, we got a neat story for the real Locke. He ended up with Helen in this world, but still wasn't ultimately happy until the events of this episode itself. And maybe still not, really... I liked the way this episode ended. If we were never to see this Locke again (but I wouldn't bet on that), you could take the conclusion of this episode either way -- maybe he'll now be happy with Helen, but maybe he won't be happy enough with himself for that to happen. Pepper in some fun appearances from Rose, Hurley, and Ben in this storyline, and the ongoing saga of "what if?" continued to entertain.

For fans of the Island mysteries, freeze frames of the cave wall should provide something to chew on while waiting for the next hour...