After the tour de force of mind blowing brain taffy that was "Confirmed Dead," how can Lost possibly follow up? With "The Economist." Economist is episode 3 of Lost Season 4 and it has the unenviable duty of following Drew Goddard ("Cloverfield") and Brian K. Vaughan's ("Y The Last Man") quintessential 'setup' episode. "The Economist," therefore, must rock our chestnuts into the fire in order to dash the naysayers predictable ranting that while, yes, "Confirmed Dead" did open some interesting possibilities, it is the nature of Lost to fail in following up. Does it? I have the answer for you straight ahead. Beware... spoilers stalk the dark territory.
"The Economist" is a Sayid centric episode. While it would be denying you a unique pleasure to say whether or not it is a flash back or a flash forward, I think it is safe to assume ABC has already blown that surprise by telling you at the end of "Confirmed Dead" that the episode would reveal one more of the Oceanic Six. But trust me, whether or not it takes place in the past or the future really doesn't matter. Those with zero appreciation for a good set up will no doubt call Sayid's flash largely a 'filler'. Trust me, it's not and we'll get together next week to discuss exactly why. What I will warn you of now, is be prepared for one of the biggest WTF moments in the history of Lost.
The on-island portion of the story continues to shift gears from "getting to know the new guys" to establishing some real story legs. Since we know that they are looking for Ben, one requirement to avoid the fore-mentioned foils in the internet press would be to provide a little more background on why they may want the former leader of the others. The episode does just that, with a bullet.
The central thrust of the episode is one camp having what the other needs. They now have a helicopter that can presumably carry them to a freighter that has contact with the outside world. They know the freighter people are not there to rescue them, and camp Locke is holding at least one of them prisoner. The freighter folk that are free, particularly the ever aggressive Miles, aren't doing anything for anyone while one of them is held captive. So the setup is Sayid, Kate, and Miles infiltrating camp Locke in an effort to free her. With Sayid's military genetics and Miles short fuse can it go off without blood shed?
For those of you who follow the romantic aspects of the show, there is the question of Kate now coming within proximity of Sawyer, and how will that effect her sense of loyalty to camp Jack.
For those of you who came here looking for juicy spoiler, this is your paragraph. One of the most compelling features of season 4 is its linear structure. All of the new mysteries are serviced to various degrees in every episode, and that includes the matter of Benjamin Linus. During his initial sweep of the barracks, Sayid finds a hidden room in Ben's bungalow. To go any further would be to deprive you of the best parts of this scene, but suffice to say the secrets hidden in that room indicate a life far removed from the island.
"The Economist" continues on the Lost Season 4 take-no-prisoners story telling trajectory as both a new chapter in a free flowing chunk of the mythology and a tantalizing expansion on the new mysteries set in motion by episode 2, "Confirmed Dead." It's the consistency of this 'Daisy Chaining' approach that makes Lost's fourth season such a reinvigorating one for the shows stall-weary audience.
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Source: UGO
