Counting Down To Lost's Return: 8 To Go

Potential Spoiler ahead, for those who haven't seen Season Two of Lost yet, but plan to. If that's you, then consider just skipping this one for now!

One of the delights of the seconds season was the introduction of "Henry Gale", who actually turned out to actually be Ben Linus, an "Other" (ostensibly their leader). Since that revelation, I've been referring to him as "Benry", for obvious reasons. Anyway, Benry represents another characteristic I love about the show: the addition of new characters who mix up or show off the established dynamics just through their added presence. Benry's capture and imprisonment were high suspense for the viewer, as we didn't really know what his story was until the castaways did. But it also highlighted the differences between Sayid and Jack, for example, as well as reminding us of the individual strengths within each man. The former Iraqi interrogator - who, by the way, in Season One, we discovered was initially put into that line of work by the US Army! - is firmly convinced that "Henry Gale" is lying, which is eventually proven right, but not before we wonder if maybe his judgment's been impaired by what happened to Shannon. And Jack once again shows his compassionate side, as he rebels against the brutal tactics being employed to question their captive.

The jury's still out on whether any of Season Three's new additions, including the lovely Juliet, will fulfill the same sort of role. But with 16 new episodes just 8 little days away from starting, I'm sure we'll soon have our answer!