Namaste

"Namaste" showed us what happened to the Ajira flight just before semi-crashing on the Hydra island. The episode updated viewers on the what happened to Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid in the past and Sun, Frank, Ben and the rest of 316's passengers in the present (?). Other than that, the episode didn't provide much. Details in this one were more of the one line variety, as the episode seemed to be setting up the rest of the season.

Time Travel Gives Me A Headache
As Jack said, I don't know where to begin. I've enjoyed the time travel this season, but it's getting more and more confusing now that the 815ers are stuck in 1977. The biggest mystery that's still out there about time travel is are they changing the past? Basically, were Sawyer, Miles, Juliette and now Jack, Kate and Hurley always a part of the DHARMA Initiative or has the past been rewritten? There's a lot that will hinge on this revelation.

From what we've seen on the show and what the producers have said before about the future being set in stone, I can't see that past being changed either. My guess is that they were always a part of DHARMA. Its weird to buy into this though because it seems like the 815ers would have come across some trace of themselves in 2004 then. (like the 1977 picture of the new recruits. Remember, Jack, Kate, Locke and others spent plenty of time in Othersville. They would have surely seen themselves in the photo.)

If they are changing the past, then what does that mean for the events that took place in 2004 and beyond. Or since 1974 for that matter. Will the purge still occur? Will Ben still become the leader of the Others? Questions, questions, questions.

Young Benjamin
It was fun to see young Ben once again, but his meeting with Sayid really cranked up the are they changing the past question. Think about it, Ben met Sayid in 1977. All their interactions on the island and off it now take on a whole new perspective. Did Ben remember meeting Sayid when Sayid tortured him in season 2's "One of Them?" Did Ben always know Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sawyer and Sayid? Was that why they were on his list (besides Sayid) and captured during the season 2 finale, "Live Together, Die Alone?"

If the past is now being changed, will Ben all of a sudden gain memory of meeting Sayid in 1977, ala Desmond remembering meeting Daniel outside the Swan three years after he left the island? If so, what are the implications of Ben remembering this?

New Otherton
Lastly on the time travel front, did you get a good look at the DHARMA Barracks when Frank and Sun visited them in, what we can assume is present, time. The building were in shambles and dusty and overgrown. The dock was pretty messed up and the buildings were in bad shape. This is presumably only three years since the 815ers occupied those barracks. Keamy and his crew did a number on them, but would they be in that bad of shape only three years later.

Are we to assume that Sun and Frank are further in the future or that maybe Sawyer and company changed the future. Were those barracks unoccupied longer than we think? Did the Others never move into them after DHARMA was purged? More to ponder as we continue season 5.

Sun and Frank meet up with Jack's dad, and he let's them know what happened to Hurley, Kate and Jack and where Jin is on the island. He shows them the photo of the 1977 new recruits to DHARMA and tells them they have a long journey ahead. How are they going to get to 1977 or are they going to have to bring them to the present? Will they have to turn the wheel again to get the island to start flashing through time once again? Without Faraday there to help them, as the time travel expert, will they be successful?

Returning Characters
We finally get to meet the famous Radzinsky in "Namaste." He's working at the Flame, and what's that he's working on...oh, it's just the model for the Swan Station. YES! Not only did Radzinsky provide one of the biggest pieces of Lost lore with the blast door map, but he helped design the station that ultimately led him to turn a shotgun on himself. Now, if he's one of the guys behind the Swan, then how much did he really know about the island and DHARMA when he recruited Kelvin? Seems like he's running around freely in 1977, so why was the blast door map so secretive? What happened that made him so paranoid while he was working the Swan. (Another blogger pointed out that Pierre Chang is wearing a Swan logo, but the Swan station wasn't built yet).

The Swan must be one of the more important stations on the island, as it looks like DHARMA is trying to keep its location a secret to the Hostiles/Others. This is one of the reasons why Radzinsky wants to off Sayid, when they stumble across him. There's just so much more to Radzinsky and this was only the tip of the iceberg. He's been a shady, yet important character for years on the show, but viewers are still left to wonder why he killed himself? Why he edited the Swan film? Why he created the blast door map? Where did Kelvin bury him?

Another character return in "Namaste," Ethan Rom, or is it Ethan Goodspeed? We learn that Horace and Amy's baby is named Ethan. This news surprises Juliette, but not so much the audience. It was actually a let down for me. Fans have been speculating for the past two weeks who the baby would be. Guesses have ranged from Desmond to Boone to Jacob to Ethan. While its cool to see the connection Ethan had on the island, will this reveal come into play anymore? Ethan was killed by Charlie and besides knowing that he was born on the island as part of DHARMA, is there anything more to his story? Maybe this explains his seemingly superhuman strength that he showed in season 1.

Sawyer's Leading His Way
We got a killer scene when Jack went to visit LaFleur (Is anyone else worried that the other sucurity guy is getting suspicious already?). Sawyer laid it out for Jack and showed him who's in charge now. Sawyer thinks before he acts and his leadership style/ability kills Jacks 7-days a week. Basically, Sawyer could have just looked Jack in the eyes and said, "Boom! Roasted." Actually, Sawyer's choice of job for Jack, Workman, was a pretty good roasted moment as well.

Other Tidbits
Another big question left, what happened to Faraday? When Jack asks if Faraday's there, Sawyer says not anymore. Does he mean physically or mentally? Daniel could have gone insane from what we've heard about him from Charlotte. Also, are there any other theories that he has about what they can/can't change or was Sawyer just talking about the "what happened happened" theory?

I guess the Others got that runway finished. Did Ben know that that's how he'd return to the island one day?

After the flight crashed, we see Ben walking around, taking off his arm sling like nothings wrong. But we soon learn how he ended up with the injured people, courtesy of one Sun paddle to the head.

I don't get how these people can buy into time travel so easily. If you show up somewhere you've been before and someone tells you it's 1977, I would have a lot more questions. They kind of just roll with it.

You can already feel the tension building with Sawyer/Jack and Kate/Juliette. It's weird to think about, but Sawyer has been with Juliette for three years. He only knew Kate for 108 days, yet we all feel that he'll screw it all up and try to get back with freckles.

Claire?

The DarkUFO Lost blog also found this interesting tidbit on the 1977 photo. Check out the missing person from when they took the picture to the actual photo Christian shows Sun. Is this just a prop mistake or could the missing guy be more important (unphotographable?...Jacob?).

Update: Another thing I noticed is that when they tell Sawyer and Jin about everyone else on the plane, they don't mention Ben. Jack says Sayid, Lapidis and Sun. I wonder if they're going to let Sawyer know that they brought Ben along?

Next on Lost: "He's Our You"

*Photos from GetLostPodcastMedia.com