"...we're the good guys..."

So... Another week, and another Lost blog post... Season 4, episode 8, La Fleur, was a rather straight forward episode, but none the less it was another quite compelling one. 

First of all, we have an end to the time-flashes, leaving the Losties stranded in the seventies - the episode flits between 1974 and 1977 (another Star Wars reference...?). I was somewhat surprised by this, as I was sure that when time was stabilised they'd end up in the late 80s, shortly before The Purge, and circa when Danielle's lot arrvied on the island... 

Still, like I said, although straightforward, it was an epsiode that raised many interesting points and questions;

* - just before the last time-flash we get a glimpse, albeit from behind, of what appears to be the four-toed statue first seen at the end of Season 2. Based on this glimpse, and endlessly pored over screen grabs, many theories have been posited as to what the staue is of. Most have talked of Egyptian gods such as Anubis, Set et al (after all, this would tie in with all the hyroglyphics that are dotted all over the island), but there is one rather out there suggestion that the statue is of Juliet...

* - after being told they were not "Dharma material" after arriving at the DI in 1974, how did the Losties ingratiate themselves with the DI to the point that Sawyer managed to get himself made Head of Security? I would guess it started with the encounter with Richard, which probably meant that the truce that there had been was maintained. 

* - very interesting that the sonic fence around the DI camp doesn't keep Richard and the "Hostiles" out... It's been seen to be effective on people before, so what does that make Richard et al? Must mean the fence has been built for one specific purpose; keeping Smokey out. Which means he's nowt to do with the DI... 

* - despite that the women of the DI "always give birth on the mainland", Amy manages to give birth on the island, and there are no ill effects. She lives, the baby lives. Now, we know from earlier, or in temporal terms later, events that any woman that gets pregnant on the island dies. So, this problem must have occurred since 1977. Well, either that or Amy got up the duff at some point when she left the island for a short while. Also, is the pregnancy problem one that only came to light after the Purge... or is it tied in to the discovery of the Frozen Donkey Wheel...? And is Amy's baby going to grow up to be someone significant...?

* - oh, and of course, being in 1977 there's a number of people who should be on the island that we've not yet seen; notably Ben and Widmore. We're seeing young Ben in the next episode (don't whinge about that being a spoiler; it's not. It's not. It's obvious we're going to see him), and for a few more epsiodes. Widmore certainly should be on the island as well at this time, as he said that it was Ben who banished him from the island. He says to Locke that he was on the island for 30 years. He was there in 1954, but we don't know how long he'd been there then. Could the reason why, when Ben visited Widmore at his home last Season, Widmore referred to Ben as "boy" be that it was when Ben actually was a boy that he manipulated Widmore in to leaving the island...?

* - and where are Rose and Bernard? And the other red-shirts. I would assume that's who Jin's looking for when he's saying his grid searches haven't found anyone yet. Could they all survive on the island for three years? Could R&B et al have stumbled across Richard's lot...?

* - oh, and someone who shouldn't be on the island; Charlotte. She wasn't born until 1979, so unless young Charlotte was doing some time hopping, the red head Daniel saw wasn't her. Either that or he was seeing things. Wouldn't be the first time someone's seen someone that wasn't there in this show...

* - also, is it coincidence or fate that the 06 were off island for three years, and that Sawyer et al have now been with the DI for three years also? The only one that three years hasn't passed for is Locke... (and if you really want to be picky, Ben, but for him it's circa 2 1/2 years...).

* - okay, returning to Ben. Young Ben is around in 1977. Juliet is around in 1977. Ben in the 21st century is obsessed with Juliet (there are plenty of episodes which bear this out). Could the reason be because she had some sort of efffect on him in his formative years? Will she do something to save his life? Who can tell...?

But, yes, it's going to be very interesting to see what's going to occur in coming weeks. Will they stay in 1977? I doubt that very much. I reckon we'll see them figure out some way to shift themselves in time again. Locke, (adult) Ben and Frank are seperated from the rest of the cast (well, bar the noobs Cesar and Ilana) by over 30 years. That won't last long. Also, Desmond... he's not even on the island at the moment. I can't believe (bar the forthcoming "what happened after he stormed out of the Lamp Post" flashbacks) we've seen the last of him... 

...but we're going to have to wait. There's no episode next week. Grr! And there's another week long break after episode 13... Grr...