First of all, who is Richard’s plastic surgeon slash witchdoctor? Sign me UP. Guy looks amazing and is apparantly, at least 70 years old. Maybe he’s drinking from some kind of Otherville Fountain of Youth? You know, like that villain in the Huggabunch movie? I mean, I wouldn’t put it past him. The dude wears eyeliner. Just saying. PS for years following my viewing of the Huggabunch movie, I swore I could travel through my mirror. Lots of bruising ensued.

Oz references were ALL over Ben’s flashback episode. Specifically, Return to Oz. Have you seen that movie from the 80s with Almost Famous’s Fairuza Balk? It’s one of my FAVES. In the 80s, that’s what I was DOING. Renting Return to Oz weekly from Movie World on Bethelem Pike in Spring House, PA. I don’t know why my parents didn’t just buy it for me. It was either that movie or Maid to Order. I ser never rented one other movie for a period of 5 years.

Anyway. The dead bodies strewn all over the island after being killed by Ben’s “purge” was totes reminiscent of when Mombie/the Gnome King of Oz turned all the Oz’s citizens to stone and you see everyone in various stages of movement as statues all around the city. The fact that Ben chose to go by Henry Gale is SO Oz (Henry Gale was Dorothy’s uncle). Jacob = the Gnome King… he shows himself only to a select few, is running the show through the façade of another (in Oz the other is Mombie, in Otherville, it’s Ben).

What’s the deal with the return of the bunny in the bag? That was so very bizarre the first time that I plum can’t believe that ridiculosity made a repeat appearance. Are we to believe that Ben has a constant supply of white albinos he keeps around just for toting around the island in messanger bags? SO STRANGE.

The dad theme was also prevalent, specifically that so many characters actually BECAME their dads whom they despised:
Ben became a “workman” just like Roger
Kate became an evil doer just like Wayne, her biological father
Jack became a doctor just like his father

Also, Kelvin referred to the Others as “the hostiles” to Desmond… which is strange because it seems that all of the Dharma initiative on the island was killed off… or where they? Was Radzinsky safe in the Hatch at the time of the purge?

And what’s up with the fact that killing your dad grants you the ultimate respect in Otherville?