"Lost," Episode 4, "Eggtown"

**Jack said on the stand that there were only eight survivors, and yet there's been persistent references in the flash-forwards to the miracle survival of "Oceanic 6." The six of them obviously become media celebs after their return, judging by the paparazzi mob that awaits Kate as she enters the courtroom and her lawyers comment that she has "one of the most recognizable faces in America" when arguing that she is not a flight risk.

**It's very clear that John Locke, for all his Col. Kurtz-ness, is not a born leader. He has trouble bearing the burden of responsibility for others. He second guesses himself and makes hasty, erratic decisions that he almost instantly regrets. He's a lone wolf, not a modern major-general. Nice work in this seg by Terry O'Quinn. When Locke told Kate that she was no longer welcome in the compound, he was so insufferable and sanctimonious, I wanted to hit him. "My name is John Locke and I'm responsible for the well-being of this island," he tells Miles, sounding very much like he wanted to say "...and I approve this message."

** Jack loves Kate. Jack doesn't love Kate. Jack lies about loving Kate to protect her -- this time in a federal courtroom in L.A. These two have got to break the vicious circle of indecisiveness. Get it on, already, or move on.

**Sawyer once again proves he has a few shreds of decency in him that Kate has a way of bringing out. He always, always comes through for her, most recently by distracting Locke by taking him to check on the hostage Miles so that Kate could bring Miles to Ben for his 60-second pitch -- which turns out to be a bid for extortion in exchange for Miles telling his employers that Ben is dead. (Not sure if I buy that as a genuine offer from Miles, but I loved Ben's response of "why $3.2 million? Why not 3.3? Or 3.4?")

And Sawyer respects Kate's insistence that they not go "all the way," even when she snuggles up to him for the night in lacy panties. Anybody else notice that she calls him "James" a lot in this seg? I've said it before, I'll say it again: Josh Holloway has grown tremendously as an actor.

"At least be woman enough to tel me you want to use me for something," Sawyer tells Kate, a pickup line if I ever heard one.

Now for some of the big questions raised by the seg. Let's focus on the really big questions, not the myriad head-scratchers dropped during the hour.

**What do the people on the boat want with Ben? Revenge for the Dharma-cide of 20-plus years ago?

** How did Kate get ahold of that great-looking house? A sub-prime foreclosure? Looks kinda like it's in Pasadena, with the foothills so prominent in the background. Suppose it could be the Hollywood hills or parts of the Valley.

**What the heck, or where the heck, is "Eggtown." The only overt reference to eggs that I caught was early on when Locke fixed the two fried eggs for Ben and informed him, "those are the last two eggs." I missed the title of the book with the rainbow-colored cover that Locke put on Ben's breakfast tray, darn it. (I blame the rain.Special thanks to reader Oh whatever for reporting that the book is "Valis," by the great Philip K. Dick) Seemed like Locke's line about "I just killed a chicken" had to have some significance too.

**Where'd the helicopter go? This may sound crazy but I've had my doubts about whether Naomi is not merely dead but really most sincerely dead (as the coroner in the county of the land of Oz would say).

**When oh when are we going to see Michael again? Harold Perrineau's name has been in the opening credits since the season started, but no hide nor hair of him yet.

I'd be remiss without noting that kudos are again due to the "Lost" makeup crew. You can just feel the sponginess of Ben's bruised and swollen face in the scenes where he's locked up in his old basement. In the scenes where Kate is plotting the Miles-Ben rendezvous, you can feel the sunburn on her shoulders, and the blotchy redness of her face only adds to the sense of urgency.