I am – Hercules!!


Questions linger from "The Man Behind The Curtain," scripted by Elizabeth Sarnoff ("Deadwood") and Drew Goddard ("Buffy The Vampire Slayer"). It aired two weeks ago and manifested one of the most compelling hours of television I've ever seen.

* “You do remember birthdays, don’t you, Richard?” asks Ben. Why does he ask this?

* Why did The Others go to the trouble of bringing Locke’s dad to the island? What did they get out of Locke killing his own father?

* Why does Ben keep lying about being born on the island? Why is it important that the other Others believe he was born there?

* Is it significant that Ben met Dharma mathematician Horace Goodspeed and Dharma teacher Olivia minutes after Ben was born?

* When Locke begins beating Mikhail into unconsciousness, Ben calls for Tom and Richard to intervene, but neither lifts a finger. Why? And what made Locke think he could beat Mikhail without repercussions?

* “I hear you’re going to go see Jacob. You’re going to need this,” says Alex as she hands Locke a pistol. Why does she give it to him? And why does Alex give Ben such a mean look when she wishes Ben a happy birthday? Does she know Ben wasn’t born there?

* Why did the hostiles keep attacking the Dharma camp? Why have the 815ers been spared similar attacks?

* Do the hostiles let Ben live because he could see his dead mother? What does this mean for Jack, who could see his dead father?

* Locke and Ben cross a strange line of sand (or something) on their way to see Jacob. What is that about?

* If Richard Alpert is truly a “native” of the island, why does he speak American English? Where did he get those cool hippie clothes?

* Why has Richard not aged a day in 30 years?

* How long has it been since the purge? And why do the Dharma groceries keep parachuting in?

* Why can Locke hear Jacob asking for help when Ben can’t?

* Why does Jacob ask for help?

* Who or what is Jacob?

Beyond the questions, I love that the old Locke is back, the Locke that introduced himself with a knife. The backgammon Locke.

And I love that there’s a supercool secret underwater 007-type base guarded by fabulous, gun-toting babes.

But I think the minute Young Ben Linus met hippie Richard Alpert in the woods, this series cemented its status as one of the 10 greatest TV shows of all time.

Remember the finale starts an hour early:

9 p.m. Wednesday. ABC.

Before “Knocked Up,” Seth Rogan, Jay Baruchel, Jason Segal and writer-director Judd Apatow collaborated on an entire season of the hilarious “Undeclared’!!

Bonus Features Include: Deleted Scenes, Commentaries, Bloopers and Mini-Docs: “The World of the Others," “Lost Flashbacks,” “Lost in One Day,” “Lost on Location,” and “The Lost Book Club”!!