S04E03: 'The Economist'

It's pleasing to see that the flashforward plot device really showed its value in this episode, although events in the present on the island were contrastingly dull.

Sayid, undoubtedly one of the show's more interesting characters, was thankfully given some healthy screen time after falling into the shadows too much during the third season. The big reveal at the end involved the unveiling of Benjamin Linus as his boss, leading one to speculate as to whether the pair have already been collaborating in the present. If Ben can have a man on the 'rescue' boat, could he not have had one on the Oceanic flight? However, while the ending is a rather shocking twist, it also serves to increase the levels of frustration at watching the show and wanting to join the dots.

There's definitely too much meandering around on the island, mainly involving Locke and his band of rebels strolling along in the jungle in search of Jacob's portable hut. The decision by Hurley to trick Kate and Sayid into falling for Locke's trap also seemed quite out of character for the portly lottery winner. Mind you, there is one character who goes from strength to strength each week, bolstered by an incredibly consistent performance. Step forward Naomi, whose corpse is so lovingly portrayed by the unblinking Marsha Thomason. What must the poor actress be thinking about lying on the ground, open-eyed all day?

Overall, this was another episode of mixed fortunes that pushes the series a little bit closer to alienating the audience, while dragging them along with a cliffhanger that clearly won't be resolved for some time.


> Click here for our interview with Naveen Andrews, Lost's Sayid