WARNING: The following post contains a) spoilers for last night's episode of Lost, b) a tribute to a fallen character, and c) an animated .gif of Jeremy Davies. So, if you haven't seen "The Variable" yet, then you really need to stay off the internet and, like, hit up that DVR or something. Pronto.
So, last night's Lost! With only two weeks until the season finale, "The Variable" finally, finally provided the sort of suspense, goals, and ticking clock plot device that had been missing from the Dharma-era segments this year. Sawyer and Juliet in custody! Six hours until "the incident"! And a weird plan to prevent the crash of Oceanic 815 that obviously won't succeed and is kind of questionable anyway (who cares about saving an alternate universe cast, and why would characters so determined to return to the island want that plan to succeed?) but at least gives Jack a motivation for just about the first time all season.
Just by putting those puzzle pieces in place, "The Variable" was valuable, but on top of that, it was a well-constructed, emotional episode to boot. I'll confess my biases: I love Jeremy Davies, so I was already inclined to like this episode, but the addition of an emotional backstory and the only-Lost-could-get-away-with-this revelation of secret parents and secret half-siblings? "The Variable" could hardly have been better made for me (and that's without even acknowledging how the episode hit my secret sweet spot for ridiculous wigs).
And while we're singing praises (and forestalling the tribute to our poor, fallen Faraday), thank goodness the writers have finally given Eloise Hawking more to do than simply mask the more outlandish time travel rules with her plummy British accent.
Anyway: Faraday. While it's sad to imagine Lost without the spastic, puppyish tics of Jeremy Davies, I'm actually fine with a little bit of cast pruning at this point. We're now down to twelve regular cast members (the lowest amount the show's ever had), and as we approach the 17-episode final season, all of those characters are going to need satisfying payoffs. Still, I will miss his skinny tie and lank hair tremendously. Grieve with me through this animated .gif, won't you? (Provided thanks to the still-mourning commenters at ONTD.)