"I just killed a chicken."

No, I'm not making dinner the old fashioned way. That was a line from Craphole Island's resident Colonel Kurtz, John Locke. As always, if you haven't watched last night's hour of Lost: SPOILERS AHOY!

So Lost couldn't possibly sustain the breakneck pace established over the first three eps of the new season, could it? I mean, that was one classic hour after another, and we were bound to have a letdown, right? Last night's offering, "Eggtown" (what does that mean, anyway? Reference to the chickens? Breakfast? Pregnancies?) wasn't a groaner, like Jack's tattoo story, or completely boring, like Kate and Sawyer spend 6 episodes eating fish biscuits. But although I find Evangeline Lilly cute and competent, and Kate's story mildly intriguing, she's not at the top of my list of favorite island dwellers (that group would include Locke, Sawyer, Hurley, Desmond, Juliet, Ben and even newbies Faraday and Miles. And hell, even Jack, as long as he's drunk and bitter Jack, not sanctimonious and know it all assplug Jack). So last night was a bit of a downshift, especially compared to the previous three, but I still enjoyed the hell out of it. (It probably helps that comparatively, just before "Eggtown" I watched Monday's Sarah Connor Chronicles, which was stupefyingly incoherent).

First, we have some "Whodats?" A few familiar faces showed up in "Eggtown." First, there was Kate's lawyer, played by Shawn Doyle, best known as Bill Henrickson's sad sack brother Joey on Big Love. Kate's mother was played again by Beth Broderick, who was Aunt Zelda on Sabrina the Teenage Witch (god help me that I know that). The prosecutor in Kate's case was Susan Gibney, whom I recognized as Dr. Leah Brahms on Star Trek: The Next Generation. (It was also rumored that she was up for the roles of both Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager). Finally, there was also the voice of Zoe Bell, (stuntwoman and featured player in Tarantino's Death Proof) who played Regina, the unseen woman on the freighter who answered Charlotte's call when Minkowski wasn't available, and declared "I thought the helicopter was with you!"

Other questions and observations from "Eggtown:"

• Hurley got the line of the night: "You just totally Scooby-Doo'd me, didn't ya."
• "You are not using my son." DunDUNdun. I know there was a suspicion that Kate was pregnant, but I actually forgot about that. But can we assume that her "child" was the person referenced in last season's finale: "HE will be wondering where I am?" Or is it someone else? DunDUNdun!
• Those cool satellite phones? Not real at all.
• So "everyone" thinks the Marshal died in the crash. And not shot by Sawyer and euthanized by Jack.
• "Only eight of us survived the crash." So we know the Oceanic 6 are among the eight, but according to their cover story, who are the other two? And how is it purported that they met their end? Injuries sustained in the crash, or something more nefarious?
• And speaking of the Oceanic 6, we know this includes Jack, Kate, Sayid and Hurley. Does Kate's "son" count as a fifth? And if so, is the sixth the person in the coffin that no one came to see except Jack?
  
• Okay, I keep putting "son" and "child" in quotes, so instead of leaving the big honking reveal for the end, we'll just get right to it. In many ways, that was the awesome and redeeming plot point for the ep in my book. For much of the hour, we were teased by the appearance of Kate's "son." Kate had her "child rearing" moment with Claire at the laundry line, Sawyer and Kate discussed their sexual shenanigans and the possible repercussions, Joey Henrickson wanted her "son" to appear in court: all leading up to our final shot of Kate at home with the youngun. Maybe you, like me, saw the shock of blonde hair and instantly thought Sawyer's boys can swim. And of course, when the tyke called Kate "mommy" and then Kate called him "Aaron," my jaw hit the floor. Well played, Lost. Well played. (And the blonde hair made even more sense! Though I have a strange stirring for "Goth Claire" in the piercing and tattoo parlor, but hair dye shouldn't really transfer into the womb years later).
• "No, not anymore."
• How fucking sad is it for me that I thought Sawyer and Hurley's night of Xanadu, a good book and a big box of Dharma red wine sounds like a splendid time? Of course, I couldn't really suffer through Xanadu, ELO aside, without a big ass box of red wine.
• What is Miles up to? And why $3.2 million? And once again, Ken Leung's line readings are priceless: "it's extortion, if you wanna get technical."
• Why doesn't Jack want to see Aaron? Does he know that the kid is actually his nephew? Does it remind him of something unpleasant? With Claire? He couldn't wind up killing his own sister, could he? Or even worse, banging her? But with Jack and his god complex, it's probably that he couldn't save her, and doesn't want to be reminded.
• Locke's idea of "quiet time" with Miles is amusing.
  
• What was with Farady his card game with Charlotte? Is she testing his memory? Is he seriously fucked up, so much so that he can't remember three cards?

Overall, I would give this one an A- in general, and a solid B compared to the first thee eps which have all been A+. But next week we're back with Desmond, and probably hopping through time! Wheeeee!