A lot of stuff happens in "What They Died For", and it certainly moves the stories forward, and it was nice to see Mira Furlan (Danielle) back and more charming than ever, but in the long run I think this episode is destined to be remembered as a solid set-up for the finale (much like "Cabin Fever" or "Follow The Leader"), rather than as a landmark episode that can stand on its own (like "Greatest Hits"). The problem with introducing such complex mythology as "Lost" has done throughout the years is that it often leads the writers to tight spots, so they re-write "the rules" to allow them to get out of those spots: (spoilers follow) it was stated in "The Shape of Things to Come" that Ben cannot kill Widmore - here he does it with no problems; Hurley had the special gift to be able to see and hear Jacob - here Jack, Kate and Sawyer can do all that, too; and so on. Also, when we last saw Hurley in the alternate timeline, he just barely got a glimpse of the original timeline after kissing Libby, and now he's a full-on partner to Desmond in their mission to....I'm not sure, make them all conscious of the other universe? Speaking of Desmond, he is probably the best part of this episode, as Henry Ian Cusick embraces his new, more twisted role with a smirk and gives us a fresh take on the character. Of course the most iconic part of the episode is the encounter between Jacob and the four remaining candidates, completing Jack's transformation into a "man of faith", as he accepts an assignment that he knows virtually nothing about, solely on the word of the person who, let's not forget, is indirectly responsible for countless deaths, including those of his closest friends. "I didn't pluck any of you out of a happy existence", is Jacob's excuse for messing with their lives. I guess he never thought, or cared, that some people prefer being unhappy to being dead. Anyway, "Lost" really needs a spectacular finale now, because season 6 has only had one classic episode so far, and that's "Ab Aeterno". *** out of 4.
Review of What They Died For
