LOSTBLOG -- "LaFleur"

Reasons why this week's episode of "Lost" put a big, stupid smile on my face:

• It was the first true Sawyer episode since Season 3's "Every Man For Himself."

• We saw the four-toed statue for the first time since Season 2 -- and we saw way more than just its foot. Naturally, we only got a fleeting glimpse from behind it, but I'll take it. I think the statue resembled Anubis from behind ... and lo and behold, Paul, our new dead DHARMA friend, was wearing an Ankh around his neck. Hmmm ...

• Reiko Aylesworth is always a welcome presence on my television screen, from her days as Michelle Dessler on "24," to her stint on "ER" as John Stamos's spiritual girlfriend, to even her appearance in the box office dud "Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem." And here she gets to play Horace Goodspeed's wife. But is she his first, or second? Samantha Mathis played Olivia, a woman we presume was Horace's wife, in Season 3's "The Man Behind the Curtain."

• The idea of Sawyer going by the name "Jim LaFleur" makes me laugh for some reason, as do his new glasses.

• Juliet works for DHARMA as ... a mechanic? I like it. I like it even more that she finally gets to deliver a baby on the island after failing so many times in Season 3. Her moment with Sawyer -- sorry, I mean Jim -- after delivery was wonderfully tender, the kind of moment we haven't seen on this show in a long time.

• Sawyer totally freaked out Richard. I like how he's losing a bit of his mystique this season. It's almost as if Richard is just another castaway like our friends; he just found himself in a position of power much earlier in his tenure.

• In 1977, Jin can finally speak English fluently! This development must make Daniel Dae Kim, who had to learn Korean for his role on "Lost," very happy.

• Faraday has already spotted Charlotte as a little girl, only hours after she died in his arms.

• Seeing Sawyer and Juliet in love just seems so ... right. This will make the Skaters mad, but I think I like this pairing much better than Sawyer and Kate.

• Hugo got to take another ride in a DHARMA van!

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Reason why this week's new episode of "Lost" made me scowl:

• We have to wait two weeks for the next episode!

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Questions for all of us to ponder:

• What role, if any, will the Losties play in The Purge?

• Will Horace and Amy's newborn be named ... Jacob?

• Is the island really in 1977, or does it operate on an independent timeline? If the Oceanic Six can come back to the island from 2007 and end up in the DHARMA era, then I must assume the latter.

• If babies can be born on the island in 1977, what happened after that? Is the infertility tied to The Purge, to Jughead, or to something we haven't seen yet?

• Will Kate finally tell Jack what Sawyer said to her in the helicopter?

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Best scene: Jim LaFleur has a little chat with Richard Alpert.

Best line: Nothing really stands out this week. It wasn't a week of zingers or of big, revelatory statements; just simple, wonderful storytelling.

Best performance: Well, it must be Josh Holloway, who totally hits it out of the park in his first "centric" episode in a while. The aforementioned scene with Elizabeth Mitchell just after the delivery was subtly touching.