Time to get back to the action on ‘Lost’

Really, "Lost" fans should thank the folks at ABC.  Season two was humming along — and then, just to free us up for holiday parties and the new year — they provided a six-week break.

After some egg nog to help us through castaway withdrawal, and some quality time spent pondering endless conspiracy theories as we sat through a long Christmas dinner, "Lost" returns with a new episode Wednesday night. (And a re-edited clip show beforehand, just to heal that Yuletide amnesia.)

Will Ana-Lucia stop kicking butt long enough to let us get to know the real her?  Will Sayid mend his broken heart after Shannon's death?  Will Kate and Jack's kiss in the woods lead anywhere? Will it be all hearts for Jin and Sun (and Rose and Bernard) now they've been reunited?

If all this sounds a bit soapish, maybe it's because the "Lost" posse wandered away from the show's mythology in recent episodes, instead focusing on backstories. And after introducing the whole gaggle of tail-enders, it was necessary to explain their 48 days worth of fun and games.

Since October, the best tidbit that fans obsessed with the Dharma Initiative have gotten was Mr. Eko revealing a missing clip from the Dharma orientation film hidden inside a Bible. What did it say? That misusing the computer in the Swan station could lead to "another incident."  And ... cut to Michael sitting at the keyboard, IM'ing with someone who claimed to be his son Walt.

Our tea leaves tell us that we may have to wait another week or two for the Dharma subplot to resurface in detail. But let's get caught up on the rest of the pieces on the board.

Needless to say, if you're spoilerphobic, stop reading right now.

Eko
The tail-enders' mystery man is the subject of this week's episode. We still don't know the whys of his 40 days of silence after flight 815 crashed. Plus, there's all that mysterious Gilgamesh and Josiah stuff from the last couple episodes, which we admit we didn't spend enough time parsing in between giftwrapping to fully comprehend.

ABC says Eko will be taking an interest in Charlie's Virgin Mary statue, one of many from the old Beechcraft plane that carried a Nigerian "priest" and an unholy amount of heroin.  Eko's curiosity about the plane inevitably will reignite theories about his Nigerian connection — and and further fuels the theory that Eko wasn't actually aboard 815. Executive producer Carlton Cruse recently told TV Guide that Eko has ties to the smaller plane.

But our favorite notion right now is a spoilerish tidbit that Eko is actually a Nigerian warlord.  The episode's official list of guest stars bolsters this theory (with such roles as "thug captain," "lead soldier" and "Nigerian woman") but also lists some other roles (including "young Eko" and a couple tough Moroccans) that hints there's even more to his backstory.

And of course the episode is titled, "The 23rd Psalm." Consider that the Lord's Prayer includes reference to "thy rod and thy staff," since show exec Damon Lindelof recently acknowledged that what's being carved in the EkoStick is Scripture. After the Josiah reference last time, Eko's role as a man of faith (and Locke's obvious counterpoint) seems even more concrete — though just what sort of faith is less clear.

Locke
Speaking of the Man of Faith himself, about time he did something besides size up Eko and serve as the Swan station's official projectionist, no?  True, after all that hatch stuff and his discovery of Desmond and Dharma, it was his turn for a backbench stint. But there's clearly something brewing between Locke and Eko.

Is "Lost's" island flock really big enough to be led by two spiritual guides? Doubtful.  Either the two men of faith are going to have to join forces or have a faith-based battle. 

It'd also be nice for Locke to make some progress in unraveling the Dharma mystery. Where'd his pal Desmond get to, anyway?

Speaking of which, where are the Others?  Haven't heard from them in a while. Just sayin'.

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