Lost "The Variable" Review

After last week's filler "special" episode which was basically a montage of rerun material edited together to give the occasional viewer or the regular "watcher" some clarification of the happenings of our Losties. Now I say "watcher" because there are two different Lost viewers: the "watchers" who look at the pretty pictures on the screen and the real Lost fans, the ones that get into the show and really understand it. So maybe this recap episode was good for the former, but for us die hard Lost scholars, it was just a waste of time. But with the 100th episode "The Variable", it was absolutely worth the wait.

First off, we finally get the Faraday episode we have been waiting for ever since the quirky quantum mechanics brainiac twitched his way into our hearts in season 4. I don't know about you but Desmond and Faraday are my two favorite characters with Sawyer at a close third. This episode explores the relationship with Eloise Hawking and her son Daniel clearing up how he got on the island and how he met Charles Widmore. Though, much like most people, I figured Widmore was his father.

Instead of going too much into this episode, I want to focus on the implications this new story has on this already phenomenol season. This season has focused more on the characters and what each individual has been doing, leaving the plot driven Lost of last season behind. Instead, we are left with more questions then ever as the explanations start coming but leave us scratching our heads in their complexity. My only gripe is that there was no overall story arc giving the season a driving force or uniting the character's journeys under one roof. Don't get me wrong, this season has been fantastic and I daresay that "The Variable" is the best yet. But now that Faraday believes they can change the past I can't help but feel strange.

If they in fact can change the past, preventing the plane from ever crashing, then where does it leave our Losties? Kate goes to jail, Jack buries his father, Sawyer is exiled from Australia, Sun and Jin's life is controlled by her father, Hurley is surrounded by bad luck, and Rose dies. Why would they ever want to go back to that? The show is about the redemption of characters who have no ties to the world and find a better life on the Island. I have a feeling that Faraday is wrong because why would he tell Charlotte what he knew he was going to say and why would Eloise send her son to be shot by her younger self? I believe things will continue to happen the way they always have and with the next episode entitled "The Incident" we will see the birth of the Hatch that we know.

But for now, my theory is being pulled in too many directions. I will leave on this note, if Faraday lives, which I think he will, he will find the bomb buried in the shadow of the statue. Score: A

For "The Variable" easter eggs, go here:

http://www.buddytv.com/slideshows/lost-easter-eggs-for-quotthe-variablequot-34807.aspx