Another week, another very cool and dark episode of Lost.  Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of this episode is that it redeemed, be it ever so slightly, the miserable mess that was Tricia Tanka is Dead (or something close to that; I’m so annoyed with that episode I don’t even want to go look it up) by showing us that Roger Workman is really Ben’s father.  It was a creepy episode, with thankfully lots of Locke and Ben, and, of course, lots of awesome things.  Shall I name 5?

It’s Still Super Dark - Last week was a very dark episode, not just dark for Lost, but dark for prime time network TV in general.  Now, true, I don’t watch the approximately eight million television shows that deal with an elite group of crime fighting professionals that set out to stop a surprising number of serial killers, so I can’t say for sure that Lost is the darkest show on TV,

, this week’s episode started with a woman dying in childbirth, featured a father who told his son (the young, Harry Potter-ish Ben) that this was Ben’s fault, and went on to include a father killing his son, a foreboding cabin in the woods, the death of several people at once in a “purge,” and, finally, a mass grave.

ABC’s owned by Disney.  Just to remind you.  The fact that Disney’s allowing this kind of darkness, that’s pretty awesome.

Ben’s “Psycho” - No, I’m not saying that Benjamin Linus is psychotic; I’m saying that in Jacob’s cabin he was doing quite a reenactment of Anthony Perkins talking to his “mother” in the movie Psycho.  But this was something different and equally as spooky.  He was utterly convincing, I mean, he really seemed to believe somebody was there.  Is Ben crazy?  Well, that’s possible.  Somebody who’s been on that island for so long, never knew his mother, killed his father ... would you really be surprised if a guy like that snapped?  Is Ben lying?  Well, that’s possible too.  Ben’s been lying since we met him, strung up in one of Rousseau’s traps.  He could have easily staged this elaborate ruse of Jacob’s cabin in order to scare Locke or anybody else who questions Ben back into submission.  From the moment Ben brought Locke into that cabin until the poltergeist-like barrage that sent both of them running out, that was a supremely creepy scene.  In a word: awesome.

The Return of the Smoke Monster - “What do you mean?,” you might ask.  “I never saw the smoke monster.”  I beg to differ with you there.  Ben’s mom showing up and speaking to him from across the barrier, that to me had all the earmarks of a visit from Smokey him/her/itself.  It reminded me so much of Jack seeing his father, Ekko talking to his brother, etc., and those all seem to have been Smokey-related.  I’m still not clear on what the purpose of the creature is (other than to make the people on the island have heart-breaking moments with people who are long gone), but I love watching it work.  You’ve gotta admit, the smoke monster is pretty awesome.

New Questions - A couple of weeks ago I used “Definite Answers” as one of the five awesome things about an episode, but now I have to admit that sometimes I love getting new, interesting questions.  Ever sat with your coworkers and talked about Lost and everybody keeps firing questions like, “What is Jacob really?” and “Why did they mention a volcano?”  Have you noticed that people tend to be smiling when they say, “I don’t know.”  The questions, the very cool questions, are what keep us coming back to Lost.  They’ve given us a bunch of answers this year (in spite of people complaining, they really have), and it’s only fitting that they bring up new questions too.  I mean, honestly, what’s up with Richard?  How is he roughly the same age (but now with a haircut) and Ben’s thirty years older?  How cool was it to see him talk to young Ben?  And how awesome is it that we have new questions?

Guy, Ben Shot Locke - I mean, how jaw-dropping was that moment, really?  Ben has been threatened by Locke for a long time, but I never thought he’d go that far.  Michael Emerson is a fantastic actor, and last night I realized that he’s playing Ben like a predatory animal.  Cunning when he’s in control, and hissing and dangerous when he’s cornered.  To have Locke, one of the most iconic characters of the series, get gut shot and dropped into a mass grave as a cliffhanger ... I mean, how much more awesome can you get?

Bonus 6th Awesome Thing - Help Me - Why does Jacob need help?  Why is he asking Locke for help?  Why couldn’t Ben hear it?  What the hell is up with that brief half-second shot of Jacob in the chair?  Help Me = Awesome.

Just one more episode and then the finale.  Can’t wait!