LOST thoughts

I recently watched a video where Damon was getting interview by some retard who didn't understand the ending.  http://youtu.be/B5chCMRsEVo
That aside, it was great hearing Damon's views on it and he didn't say anything he hasn't said before, regardless it was still nice to hear.

My thoughts after watching the video:

The amazing thing about LOST is that we are STILL talking about it today. Sure, Seinfeld comes up every now and again along with other shows that have ended that may hold special places in our hearts, but here we are STILL talking about LOST.

It was such a great experience - watching it with friends, talking about it with friends, doing internet research trying to figure out the significance of a name, or book, or reference in the show and how it pertained to the overall story, being mad at the show, being happy with the show, the laughter, the tears, again just the overall experience is one that will never be replicated ever again.

The only show thus far that has ended that I can say was a fantastic journey was "The Shield". I also have a feeling that in the future, I will say the same about "Mad Men". LOST will always be #1.

S6: The End

4/16/2012

Tonight I watched the first 40 minutes of the last episode.  I figured that I could get two good workouts, shower and watch the remaining finale relaxed because I know I'm going to be a mess, at least I was the second time I watched it.  It really didn't hit home the first time I watched it with my friends at my LOST finale party almost a full two years ago, but I watched it a second time a day or two later and it really got me worked up, especially the end scene.

In the first 40 minutes, the episode started out great showing where every important character is on the island and where they are in their flash sideways while beautiful music played.  Juliet made her first appearance in the flash sideways which opened Sun and Jin's eyes during their baby's sonogram.  It was a really touching scene.  The only other attempt at a touching scene was Sayid and Shannon, but it really didn't do anything for me probably because the show has been mostly focusing on Sayid and Nadia.  Maybe if Shannon's character got some more development, maybe I would have felt different.  But it looks like there are going to be some key scenes at the hospital and the imminent party that is happening at the Widmore residence.  I look forward to those on my next workout.

On island, everyone meets up at the Source, save for Richard, Miles and Lapidus who are on Hydra island planning to escape the island via the plane.  Claire appears out of no where and decides she doesn't want to go with them.  But anyway, at the Source, the MIB plans to sink the island using Desmond and Jack plans on using Desmond to kill the MIB.  Both of them lower Desmond into the Source, which is very reminiscent of the Hatch scene.  Even the MIB comments on that fact and Jack and him have a few words.  I'm definitely looking forward to the events that are about to transpire between the MIB and Jack.

To be concluded...

4/17/2012

As it turns out, I watched 30 more minutes tonight and realized that there was enough time to get one more work out in so that's what I'm going to do.  There was a lot of cool stuff that happened in that half hour.

On island, Desmond removed a giant rock at the Source, and the light went out and steam came shooting out for the hole where the rock was.  All hell was breaking loose, but it turned out that one byproduct of Desmond's actions, besides the destruction of the island, was the mortality of the Smoke Monster.  An epic fight ensued between Jack and Locke/MIB.  The MIB mortally wounded Jack and before he could finish Jack off, Kate showed up and shot the MIB.  Jack kicked him off the cliff, finishing him off for good.  Things seemed better for a moment, but the island started shaking again.  Jack decided he need to go turn on whatever Desmond turned off.  Hurley and Ben went with him.  Kate and Jack had a heartfelt goodbye, then she and Sawyer headed to Hydra island via Desmond's boat.  She was determined and had Jack's support to get Claire off the island.  Lapidus, Richard, and Miles continued to work hard to get the plane fixed so they could get off the island once and for all.

Off island, in the flash sideways, we had greats things happening at two places, the concert and the hospital.  At the concert, Claire had her baby and in those ensuring moments, Kate, Claire and Charlie's eyes were opened.  At the hospital when Locke began to move his foot after surgery, his eyes opened too.  And last, but certainly not least, Sawyer and Juliet ran into each other and their eyes were opened as well.  Juliet repeated some of her dialogue from the first episode of this season which was great as it tied it all together nicely.

To be concluded...for real this time...

4/18/2012

And in the final half hour of LOST, the only person whose eyes have not been opened are Jack's.  On island, he made it back to the Source, saved Desmond and put the rock back into place which turned the light back on.  The island stopped rumbling.  Moments before, the plane took off with Claire, Kate, Miles, Sawyer, Richard and Lapidus.  As they flew overhead, Jack laid on his back in the bamboo field, saw the plane and smiled as Vincent laid next to him as his eyes closed for the last time.  Great moment and great final scene.  I loved that he didn't die alone.

In the flash sideways, it was revealed that the flash sideways world was pretty much a place the Losties created to meet so eventually they could all move on together.  So, in other words, it was purgatory.  When Kate touched Jack's face images flashed in his head, but he didn't accept it.  He wasn't ready to let go.  Later on when Jack touched his father's casket more images flashed and still he remained confused.  Thankfully, his father appeared to explain to him (and the audience) what was going on.  Jack came to grips that he was dead, hugged the rest of his friends in the church and then it was filled with light.

Overall, I really enjoyed the way the flash sideways were intertwined with the events on the island in the finale.  It was very well done.  The writers did a fantastic job with the finale and with the entire series.  There was some gold mixed with bronze and silver, but the series as a whole was very enjoyable on second watch.

Hats off to the people in charge of the music.  It was perfect.  Knowing when to use the powerful music that played during the emotional reuniting scenes, and then having it perfectly silent when Jack and his father spoke to each other was great and whomever's job it was to make those choices knew what they were doing.  It's hard to think of a scene that was poorly scored - I can't think of one.

I'm going to let the finale and the entire series settle and I plan on coming back to post one last blog entry on my entire experience.  In case that I don't, it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway - there are VERY few complete series that are worth the time and energy to watch once, let alone twice.  LOST is one of those series that I see myself revisiting at least 1 or 2 more times in my lifetime.  I loved "The Shield" and I tried starting that up again, and I found it difficult to continue with it.  Once I finally got over the hump of some the Season 3 episodes of LOST, the rest of it seemed like a fun down hill ride.  Until next time, I'll see ya in anotha life, brotha!

S6: What They Died For

In the penultimate episode, Jacob finally has a sit down with the remaining candidates:  Jack, Hurley and Sawyer.  Kate is there too and it's revealed that her name was crossed off by Jacob when she became a mother, but the job of becoming the protector of the island was hers if she wanted it.  Jack stepped up and became the new leader.  As Jacob's remaining ashes are burned in a fire, he will disappear for good.  ?Before the fire burns out for good, Jacob has told Jack what he needs to protect the Source for as long as he can.  If he could kill the Smoke Monster too that would be great.  Jacob really messed up and he's hoping his successor can fix the mistakes he made.

Locke/MIB/Smoke Monster is tying up loose ends.  He kills Zoe and Ben kills Widmore.  The MIB recruits Ben as he needs him to kill some more people for him.  Miles takes off into the jungle and the MIB in the form of the Smoke Monster rails right into Richard, sending him flying into the jungle.  No idea where Claire is currently.  Desmond is not in the well where the MIB last put him, but the MIB is not worried.  He's going to use Desmond to destroy the island.

In the flash sideways, things are getting exciting.  Locke goes to Jack and decides to have the surgery so he can let go.  Desmond turns himself in for running down Locke and in doing so gets transferred to a different prison with Sayid and Kate.  He works something out with Anna Lucia and Hurley, and they are set free.  Desmond puts his plan into place as Sayid goes with Hurley and Kate goes with Desmond.  Hurley's eyes appear to be open, but not anyone else's yet.

I enjoyed this episode as I forgot what happened to Widmore.  I liked that he sacrificed himself to save the island in the end, but he said he was three steps ahead of Ben.  It was a shame that he didn't survive.

I liked that Ben appears to be bad again, but I think he's just playing the MIB and buying his time until he figures out what to do.  He can't blow up the plane if he's dead, but at the same time, he likes the idea of being in charge of the island, which is what the MIB is promising him.  So I guess they are using each other.  I'm sure it's only a matter of time that if Ben does kill the people the MIB wants dead that the MIB will just kill Ben.

"The End" is 104 minutes so I haven't decided if I'm going to watch the whole episode next time I work out or split it up into two work outs.  I believe the episode aired in its entirety on the same day, but if I remember correctly I think there was a clear point where it can be split into two episodes.  I guess we'll see how I feel.  I'm sad that it's almost over.

S6: Across the Sea

Once upon a time a pregnant woman survived a ship wreck and washed onto the shore of a desert island.  On the island, she met this crazy woman who appeared nice as she helped her deliver her two sons.  After the sons are swaddled, the crazy woman took a rock and killed the once pregnant woman.  The crazy woman took the boys as her own and they called her Mother.  They did this for 13 years until one day, the dark haired son with no name saw his dead mother.  She opened his eyes to the truth and he decided to leave his brother Jacob and the woman he called Mother to live with the others who were ship wrecked on the island.  Thirty years later, Jacob became protector of the island, the MIB killed Mother, and Jacob ended up throwing his brother into the "source" of the island.  The Smoke Monster wass born or unleashed, not sure which, but Jacob found his dead brother's body at the mouth of the river and put it back in the cave with his dead Mother.  Jack, Kate and Locke's 1st season Adam and Eve has been identified.

I remember on first viewing with friends that this episode had some really great moments and it showed us so much that we wanted to see, yet in the end, we craved more.  After watching it a second time, I really wanted to know how Mother carried the MIB up the well after knocking him out, filled the well with dirt and killed everyone and burned the village.  My theory is that she also had the abilities that the Smoke Monster had, but that's something left unanswered and never confirmed in the show.

This episode did confirm that Jacob and the MIB appear to be playing a game where Jacob makes the rules.  Both of them can't directly hurt each other hence why the MIB had Ben kill his Jacob.

And last, but certainly not least, the creation of the Smoke Monster is finally revealed.  After six seasons we are introduced to a part of the island called the Source that we don't hear about until the end of show to explain something that we've been hearing about and dealing with since the first episode.  It boggles my mind, but somehow it works.  In the end, the Source, Smoke Monster, all that stuff was created or why it exists isn't going to matter -- what matters and has always matter is seeing how the characters that we have grown to love and care about deal with all that stuff.

S6: The Candidate

Things actually move pretty fast in this episode.  Turns out Widmore isn't mad at the Losties; he's trying to protect them.  He puts them in the cages and has the electric pylons surrounding them.  Moments later, Sayid takes out the power, and the Smoke Monster goes on a rampage.  Jack shows up and frees his friends and they head towards the plane.  Locke/MIB gets there first, finds a bomb and uses this as an opportunity to convince everyone to take the sub.  At the sub, Locke/MIB pulls the old switcheroo and gives Jack his bag with the bomb in it as everyone save for Locke/MIB and Claire end up in the sub.  Sayid surprisingly sacrifices himself allowing everyone to escape except for Sun and Jin.  We don't see Lapidus escape, but we'll find out what happens to him later.  On the beach the survivors weep for their friends, and Locke/MIB declares that he has unfinished business.  I think he's talking about Desmond.

Off island, Jack is primarily featured as he wants to fix Locke so he can walk again.  He interacts with Claire, Bernard, and Helen.  He learns that Claire and Bernard were also on the same flight, but he doesn't dwell or see the significance at the time.  He's pretty blinded on wanting to fix Locke who refuses Jack twice in this episode.

It's pretty clear that Jack was Locke/MIB's last recruit in the previous episode and he's also the most likely candidate in this episode as he is the only one who does NOT want to leave.  He makes a lot of assumptions on the sub that he appears to pull out of his ass, but he just so happens to be right so we'll see how this all pans out very shortly.  With the sub officially sunk, the only way off the island for everyone is the plane.

S6: The Last Recruit

Now that the everyone is back together again, save for Jin, it's time to do something, right?  Well, it appears not.

Locke/MIB chats with Jack and reveals that he took the form of his dead father to help him.  Jack and Claire get to chat, but I don't remember it being anything significant even after watching it only a few hours ago.  Unfortunately, these scenes don't hold a lot of water on second watch.

They get back to the camp, and Zoe shows up demanding Desmond then she demonstrates what they are capable of and orders an airstrike that I assume is coming from the sub.  NOW that Locke/MIB's hand is forced, he decides to put his plan into action.  Sawyer decides to put his own plan into action too.

In the end, Locke/MIB and Jack are together.  Sayid is around somewhere after supposedly killing Desmond in cold blood, but that wasn't shown, so Desmond was probably able to convince Sayid not to kill him.  The Losties and Lapidus take Desmond's boat to Hydra island, Sun and Jin are finally reunited in a brief but touching scene where Sun remembers how to speak English again, and Zoe, per Widmore says to Sawyer that the deal is off, and they are ordered to kneel in the sand as another airstrike is ordered on Locke/MIB and his people.  (Let's not forget that Ben, Miles and Richard should be popping up again soon, I don't remember but maybe that's why Widmore/Zoe is not happy.  Or maybe it's because Sawyer was supposed to bring Locke with him.)

In the flash sideways world, we see a little of everyone starting to cross paths.  Jack meets Claire for the first time and has to do to surgery where he recognizes Locke from the airport.  Sawyer questions Kate and later arrests Sayid.  Desmond is shown interacting with Claire to help push her in the right direction and Ilana gets a cameo.  Also, Sun wakes up after being shot and she and Jin talk.  There is a brief moment earlier when Sun is getting wheeled into the hospital and she freaks when she sees Locke being wheeled in also.  So a lot of good connections being made, which I enjoyed, but it only felt like chess pieces being put into place, just like on the island.  Just when you think something is going to happen to move the plot along, it appears to crawl more than run or even walk.

S6: Everybody Loves Hugo

As the season and the show is reaching its climax, it's time to move the plot forward.  This episode nudges the plot along with Desmond nudging Hugo in the flash sideways, and Locke nudging Desmond down a well on island.  Also, this is a bit of a stretch, but in the flash sideways, Desmond also "nudges" Locke with his car.

Hugo puts on his leadership pants on the island with a little influence from Michael.  Why Michael and not Jacob?  Probably to connect the Libby story line more and also to reveal that the voices on the island are trapped souls.  Unfortunately, since I've never been a huge Libby or Michael fan, these attempted connections to pull at the heart strings are lost on me.  The only part that I did like in the flash sideways was seeing Hugo start to remember being on the island when he kissed Libby.  Well that's not the only part I liked -- Desmond running down a wheel chair bound Locke was pretty surprising as well, at least it was the first time I watched this episode.

On island, because of Hugo's actions, he inadvertently splits up the "good guys" group.  Richard, Ben and Miles head to the barracks to get grenades and the like to carry on their mission of blowing up the Ajira plane.  Hugo, Jack, Sun and Lapidus head to Locke's camp.  So all the candidates, save for Jin, are in one place.  With them finally all coming together, this should make Locke/MIB happy and this should move the plot along.  Locke/MIB did say earlier in the episode to Sawyer that there is a difference between doing nothing and waiting.  Sawyer is as impatient as the audience is right now and hopefully some big things will be happening soon in the final episodes.  I don't recall how many episodes there are left, and I'm purposefully not looking so I can maximize my enjoyment of what is to come, as I've been doing through this entire rewatch.

S6: Happily Ever After

Now that "the package" aka Desmond  has been revealed, it's time for Mr. Widmore to bombard him with electromagnetism.  Why?  It's not revealed, but it's a test that if he passes will result in him being able to save the world from the MIB.

The by product of the test is that Desmond is shown to almost be transported to the flash sideways timeline.  There he has money, power, respected by Widmore, and appears to be happy.  But as fate would have it, Desmond meets Charlie and Daniel who talk about love.  Later on, Desmond meets Penny face to face and falls in love at first sight.

Then he "wakes up".  He's back in the present, but there's something different about him.  His eyes have been opened.  He was only unconscious for a few seconds, but now his mind can travel back and forth between reality and the flash sideways reality.

Desmond episodes have always been pretty great since he is someone that is outside the whole Oceanic 815 story, but very much tied to the island.  He's not a candidate.  He wasn't brought to the island.  He doesn't care who Jacob is or was.  He is a man, who wanted the approval of a father of a woman he loved who wouldn't give it to him.  In trying to prove himself, he ends up where he needs to be and ultimately ends up with Penny again and realizes that he doesn't need her father's approval to be happy.  So hopefully, in the end, Desmond does get to live happily ever after.

S6: The Package

The writers tricked me.  I thought that an episode featuring both Jin and Sun would lead towards their reunion, but it appears that I was wrong, which is a good thing because it's nice to be surprised when watching these episodes a second time.

In Locke camp, not much is going on there.  They are just hanging out and Zoe from Widmore's camp takes it upon herself to kidnap Jin.  At the beach camp, there isn't much going on there either.  They are waiting for Richard.  Meanwhile, Locke meets up with Sun and tries to recruit her but he fails.  So not only do these two soul mates not cross paths, they actually go farther apart in distance now that Jin is on Hydra island.

In the flash sideways, our happy couple is not married but fooling around behind Sun's father's back.  Mr. Paik is on to them, closes Sun's bank account and send Jin on an errand to deliver a watch and money to the Keamy, the hitman, not knowing that the money is payment for Keamy to kill Jin.  But having already seen Sayid's story, we know what happens to Keamy, and thankfully for Jin, Sayid hands him a box cutter before leaving.

So moving the plot forward, it's time for Widmore's group to use "the package" aka Desmond.  He has something important to do with the electromagnetic properties of the island that Zoe seems interested in since that's why she took Jin in the first place.  Thankfully, Richard comes back and he has a plan which is to destroy the plan so Locke/MIB can't leave.  And Sayid is on a covert operation on Hydra island for Locke/MIB.  So the chess pieces are being put in place and we'll see which ones move in the next episode.

S6: Ab Aeterno

Since we, the audience, have first met Richard we've always wondered who this guy was.  Later on when we realized that he doesn't appear to age we wondered even harder, if that's even possible.  Finally in the final season, all (rather, a lot) of our questions about Richard get answered.  What's great about the sad story of Richard is that we get to learn more about Jacob and the MIB as well.

Some great scenes include Jacob "baptizing" Richard in the ocean, seeing the statue again and how it was destroyed, finding out how the Black Rock first arrived on the island and pretty much every sit down scene with the MIB and Richard about Hell and the devil, then Jacob and Richard about evil and the cork, MIB and Richard again with the white rock and lastly with MIB and Jacob revisiting the bottle and the cork.

This episode was pretty much one giant Richard back-story which wasn't a bad thing.  There was nice bookend theme with Hurley being able to talk to Richard's dead wife who through Hurley helped Richard not return to the MIB and stay on the side of good.  I forget how Richard helps in the end, so I'm looking forward to seeing that again.

S6: Recon

Now that the beach crew has assembled, it's time for Locke's crew to do the same.  Locke returns from the Temple to meet up with Sawyer and Jin who appear to have been staying at Claire's home make of sticks.  They proceed to a clearing where they make camp and Locke sends Sawyer on a recon mission to Hydra island.  Sawyer finds that Widmore is setting up a stronghold against the Smoke Monster and works a deal with Sawyer to bring Locke/MIB over and trap him in exchange for safe passage off the island for him and his friends.  Sawyer later reveals to Kate that he plans to pit Widmore and Locke against each other, and steal Widmore's sub.  Good plan, Sawyer!  Hope the sub captain is around when you hijack it.

While island Sawyer is not making the smartest moves, neither is flash sideways Sawyer.  His sideways self is a cop rather than a criminal, but he's still has the same obsession with hunting down the man named Sawyer who caused the murder-suicide with his parents and he plans on killing Sawyer once he finds him.  He even gets a chance with Charlotte but blows it over his obsession.

While this episode was a little fun and a little insightful, overall I wasn't very entertained.  I didn't like the Zoe character, but it was cool to see that everyone else that came in on the Ajira flight was dead, probably killed by the Smoke Monster.

One scene of note was between Locke/MIB and Kate.  He was explaining that he had a crazy mother and he had some growing pains.  He was comparing his mother to Claire.  It was pretty interesting watching this scene knowing that he was actually telling the truth and not just messing with Kate in an attempt to possibly manipulate her like he has everyone else, but in the end that's what he's doing.  As he says earlier in the episode to Sawyer, it's either kill or be killed and he has no intention of dying, but to escape the island once and for all.

S6: Dr. Linus

This Ben centered episode takes us back to where it all began, the beach.  It's great that they always seem to return to that spot where they first set up camp when they crashed.  It's almost like going back home.  The best part of this episode was at the end when Jack and Hurley (and Richard) returned to the beach and hugged Sun and shook hands with Lapidus, Miles, and Ilana.

Another great scene was when flash sideways Ben gave up his chance of becoming the new principal just so his student Alex could get a glowing recommendation from the current principal.  I enjoyed the whole flash sideways as it had little nods and inside jokes/references calling "sideways" Ben a killer in a joking manner when in "real life" he was a killer.

I just remembered that the scene between Jack and Richard in the Black Rock was good, but definitely way more tense the first time I watched it.  The island didn't let Jack kill Richard or himself.

Also, the scene where Ben gets the jump on Ilana in the forest where he decides not to shoot her.  He asks to be let go and go to Locke because he's the only one that will have him.  In a moment of forgiveness, Ilana said that she'd have him too, and he makes the right choice and chooses good.  Really good scene.

So while this review may seem very scattered, this episode was full of really good scenes as I recalled them.  I really enjoyed it.

And here comes Widmore....

S6: Sundown

Flash sideways Sayid appears to be a good man.  He's paying the price for his years served in the Republic Guard by not being with Nadia and pushing her towards his brother who she has had three children with.  Unfortunately, his brother takes a loan from Martin Keamy and is now extorting him.  Sayid refuses to help his brother and listens to Nadia.  Keamy's men decide to come and pick Sayid up and force his hand.  Sayid easily dispatches his two henchmen and then doesn't stop himself from killing Keamy.  He then finds Jin in the freezer.  I'm sure that will lead us into Jin and Sun's story soon enough.

On island, Sayid's scale, the balance of good and evil inside of him, is leaning more towards the evil.  It isn't said in so many words, but there is something inside him that brought him back to life and it wasn't from the spring.  So is there part of the MIB/Locke inside of him?  It appears so, and he joins the MIB/Locke.  He kills the leader of the Temple and his side kick.  The Smoke Monster (MIB/Locke) kills everyone else who wouldn't leave the Temple.  Again, he gave them until sundown to leave before you acted.  It's hard not to like the MIB because he gives you a choice.  Unfortunately, if you choose the one he didn't want you to choose, you end up dead.  So he's a pretty bad guy and manipulates just as much as he claims Jacob did.

Suddenly during the slaughter at the Temple, Ilena shows up to save the candidates, but the only two that are there are Kate and Sayid.  Sayid appears to be beyond saving and Kate is still on her mission to take Claire home.   Unfortunately for Kate, Claire is with the MIB.

So to recap there are three groups.  We have the MIB/Locke, Claire, Sayid, Sawyer, Jin and Kate.  In another group we have Ilena, Lapidus, Miles, Ben, and Sun.  And lastly Jack and Hurley are elsewhere and will mostly join group 2 in the coming episodes.

The candidates are all spread out and I look forward to how they converge since it's unclear and I don't directly recall.  Jacob told Hurley in the Lighthouse episode that someone is coming.  Maybe that person will bring our friends back together.  It was great seeing Illena show up because I forgot about that scene.  And the best good news of all is that we finally bid the Temple adieu.

As I mentioned in a different blog post, it feels so weird to wonder about the Temple for so long and when it's finally revealed then to hate it so much.  I blame myself slightly since I built it up in my mind and there was so much mystery that surrounded it that I felt that there would be more answers there.  As it turns out, there were more answers in a cave and a lighthouse than there ever were at the Temple and that's the most disappointing.  I understand that you have to keep people in the dark so they can follow their own destiny and make their own decisions, good and bad, but sometimes there should be some give and take with the ones that are so knowledgeable.  Now, for all the Temple folk did (and didn't do), they lay dead in the water.  I hope that this isn't how I feel in the end after my re-watch and I'm still optimistic that I won't be.

S6: Lighthouse

In this Jack centered episode, we see in his flash sideways that he has a son with a now unidentified wife who he is divorced from and, for some unknown reason, he only sees his son once a month.  Because of this, they appear to be estranged.  Eventually, he works things out with his son and we learn that Jack's father told him that "he didn't have what it takes".  He uses this to bond with his son.

On island, Jacob must have knowledge of this quote as he uses it through Hurley to drive Jack to the lighthouse.  At the lighthouse, it is revealed how Jacob assigned the numbers to the candidates and that Jacob could see where they all lived off island.  A great line is said by Jacob -- "Sometimes you can just...hop in the back of someone's cab and tell them what they're supposed to do. Other times...you have to let them look out at the ocean for a while."  (I googled this quote so I had it exactly right.  Every blog up to this point, I've only used google for spelling purposes.  I mean for these blogs to come from memory and from the heart.)

This quote and this episode tug at the heart strings ever so slightly and overall it was a pretty good Jack episode.  After such a great Locke episode, it made sense for the writers to bring us an equally good episode for Jack.  They did a good job for the most part.  Thankfully this episode took Jack and Hurley (and the audience) away from the Temple as Jacob reveals, shit is about to go down there.  It can't come soon enough!

S6: The Substitute

Thankfully the Temple is not shown but only talked about in this episode.  There is some great stuff that happens in this episode and a huge question is answered - why is everyone on the island.

The answer - Jacob brought them there.  They are a candidate to take over protecting the island.  Protecting it from who?  From what?  More answers will come.

This episode treats us to flash sideways Locke who is going to marry Helen, loses his job, but gets a better one, and it's mentioned that his father will be coming to the wedding.  More importantly, he's happy, not miserable, and he doesn't need to walk, nor does Helen need him to walk, to be happy.  He's pretty much the exact opposite of the Locke we knew in the flashbacks.

On island, Locke/MIB reveals to Sawyer about the candidates and that he has three choices - do nothing and see what happens, become the protector, or leave the island.  He chooses three which seems to make Locke/MIB happy.

Everybody is happy!  I'm happy because this was a great episode.  It was cool seeing Hurley and Rose again just for a moment to help put Locke on his path.  Also Ben being a school teacher where Locke is substituting was a very nice touch.

S6: What Kate Does

What does Kate do?  Well on island, she revels that she came back to find Claire to hopefully bring her home and reunite her with Aaron.  Off island, she takes Claire to the hospital.  No baby yet, but he's doing fine.

And that's pretty much it.

Sawyer cries because he was going to propose to Juliet.  Jack does NOT get manipulated by the Temple Others who determine that Sayid has been consumed by a darkness, the same darkness that has manipulated his sister, Claire.  Claire, who we haven't seen on island for quite some time, suddenly emerges to save Jin from some Others.

Unfortunately, it's another lack luster episode in the final season of Lost.  I'm sad to say that I'm surprised that there have been two crappy episodes thus far, but it brings back memories of watching it with my friends and how frustrated we all were on first watch.

S6: LA X: Part 2

So what's going on at the Temple?  Why is it so safe?  So fortified?  There must be some important people there.  It turns out there really isn't.  These people seem more shady than any other group they have met thus far.  And now Sayid is a zombie?  It's funny when you have a certain image in your mind of a place, and then when you finally get to see it and it doesn't live up to the picture in your mind how disappointed you are.  But I guess the Temple is just like any other place on the island - it's not important at all.  Jacob's ankh, which also looked important, was just destroyed with no thought at all.

Elsewhere on the island, why is MIB/Locke stacking and organizing the dead bodies under the foot statue?  Then he knocks out Richard, saying that he looks good without chains, obviously foreshadowing to a past event we haven't seen.  So in other words, nothing on island is making sense and appears to just be setting up something more important to the plot.

Weaved into this episode were a cool moment between Locke and Jack at LAX.  Jack's father's body/coffin is missing.  Locke tells him that his body is lost, that they didn't lose his father.  Other than that, Kate escapes and is sharing a taxi with...da da da...Claire.  That was the biggest surprise for me since I forgot about that scene.  Hopefully we're done with LAX and we move on to quickly because this episode kind of sucked.

S6: LA X: Part 1

And thus begins Season 6.  What we have learned from this episode:  The bomb appears to have gone off and the Losties are no longer in 1977.  Somehow the bomb didn't kill them but moved them through time.  I don't think any of them know WHEN they are yet, but it's definitely after the time that Desmond blew up the Swan hatch.  Juliet dies in Sawyers arms, and he's pissed.  Ghost/Dead Jacob appears to Hurley and tell him to take Sayid to the Temple to save him.

Elsewhere on the island, it's confirmed that Jacob is definitely dead and Locke is actually the Smoke Monster who must also be the Man in Black (we won't find out how the MIB became the Smoke Monster until very close to the end of the season).  The Smoke Monster kills all of Jacob's followers who decide to attack him instead of leave when they were given the opportunity by the MIB/Locke.

But the big thing this season is the new story telling device, lovingly called  a Flash Sideways.  Flashbacks and Forwards are pretty much done.  The Flash Sideways appear to be showing us what WOULD have happened if the bomb actually worked - the island sinks and the plane lands safely in LAX.  But the title of the episode is LA (space) X, so it's not exactly a reality.  So far, there are some similarities but also differences.  As the season progresses, we will see what's the same, what's different and how our beloved cast will find their way to their destiny.

S5: The Incident: Part 2

And Season 5 ends with a bang or does it?  It's over and it felt like it just began yesterday.  What a great season!

In the greatest cock tease of television history, for the past couple of seasons, we've been hearing about this guy Jacob.  Who is he?  Where does he live?  How is he the leader?  So many questions!  Then when we finally get to see him, Ben kills him.  While that is happening, it's confirmed that Locke isn't really Locke.  So then who is he?  Jacob comments to fake Locke found his loop hole and the last person he said that to was the Man in Black.  Interesting.

Off island, Jacob is seen touching Jack and Locke and having a conversation with Hurley.  I believe that's all the flash backs their were.  The rest of the action was on island.

In 1977, Jack and Sawyer have a few words.  Eventually everyone decides to help Jack with the plan.  Shit hits the fan when the bomb doesn't go off when dropped down the hole where the drill is hitting the pocket.  All of sudden, a burst of electromagnetism kicks in, killing some and injuring others.  A chain wraps around Juliet, dragging her down the hole.  She wakes up and begins hitting the bomb with a rock and then we hear an explosion sound, a flash of white, and the episode ends.

Again, great episode and awesome end to the season.  There were a lot of questions answered and new ones introduced.  The writers did a great job tying everything together and making you think.  I'm a sucker for time travel, so I loved that element of the show a lot.  It was great having this season tie back to moments and characters of the past four seasons.  Now that I'm close to the end, my only hope is that I enjoy season 6 as much as I did season 5.  I remember being semi frustrated with it the first time, but I'm optimistic.

S5: The Incident: Part 1

I can't believe it!  It's the season finale already!  It now makes sense why the episode "Follow the Leader" felt like a set up episode because it was setting up the finale.

In Part 1, we finally, after all this time, meet Jacob.  We also meet the Man in Black.  And even though Jacob is only shown in the flesh on the island hundreds of years ago, he gets all the flashbacks off island.  We see him meet Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, and Sun & Jin.  I didn't notice it when I watched the episode the first time, but I read and specifically watched as he deliberately touched each one of them physically which makes sense in Season 6, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

In 1977, Jack and Sayid are on their way to the Swan.  Miles, Hurley and Jin save them in the nick of time because they are getting shot at by members of the Dharma Initiative.  Sayid was shot by Ben's dad and is bleeding very badly where Jack can't stop it.  Without warning, blocking the road are Juliet, Kate and Sawyer.

In 2007, the "good guys" visit the cabin and then proceed to burn it as someone other than Jacob has been using it.  Elsewhere, Locke and the Others are still on their way to see Jacob.  Locke tells Ben that he is going to kill Jacob and ask him, after all he's been though, "Why wouldn't you want to kill Jacob?"

As Part 1 plays through my head, visions of Part 2 begin to flood my memory and I need it to stop so I actually enjoy the episode tomorrow.

Seeing Rose, Bernard and Vincent was great.  It's funny that they managed to survived in the jungle for three years.  Hell, if the Hostiles (Others) can do it, then why not them, right?  Great episode.  Looking forward to Part 2 of the finale!

S5: Follow the Leader

Season 5 has taken us far.  It has brought those who left the island - back, it transported those left behind to 1977, and it has put Locke back where he's wanted to be - the leader of the Others.  But who else is leading?  And who is following who?  This episode shows us a few things.

It appears that Eloise is the leader of the Hostiles (the Others).  Horace was the leader of the Dharma Initiative and it seems that Radzinsky is taking over.  And in Faraday's death, Jack appears to be leading those that wish to follow on a plan that Faraday put in his head

Everyone has their mission.  Jack's mission is to destroy the energy at the Swan station, erasing the last three years.  The Dharma Initiative is evacuating all non essential personnel, and continuing, on schedule, to tap the energy at the Swan station.  Locke plans on killing Jacob.

So what's going to happen next?  Will Jack be successful in erasing the years he was on the island?  Is what Jack is doing what he's meant to do all along?  Is "the incident", mentioned in the Dharma Initiative training video, in the making?  And with Locke destroying Jacob, how will that effect events?

The best part of this episode, for me, is when Jack explained his plan to Eloise, she turns to Kate and asks if he's telling the truth, if Jack actually believes and knows what to do.  Kate coldly says, "He thinks he does."

One could argue that that one line could be the basis for the whole show.  People on and off the island do what they do because they think it's in the best interest of themselves, their friends, or the island itself.  And that's just human nature.  Ask Ben what's best for the island, and he'll tell you, it's killing off the Dharma Initiative or stopping those on the freighter, or killing Locke.  From each person's point of view, he/she believes they are doing the right thing.  Even when Sayid shoots young Ben, he believes he is doing the right thing even though he knows it's wrong.

I really enjoyed this episode.  It definitely opened a lot of doors and it will be great to see what happens when they walk through them.

S5: The Variable

Since Miles had his back story episode, Faraday was jealous so he got one too!  Haha!  But seriously, this episode shows us that those who once lived on the island will do anything to protect it.  Some go as far as sending their only son to the island knowing that they will be the one to shoot them someday.  Because of the flow of time, you can't prevent it.  It's inevitable.  Faraday is right thought -- whatever happened, happened.

Unfortunately, or inevitably, he gets this idea in his head that the people are the variables and that they can somehow change the past.  His idea is to use the hydrogen bomb to destroy the energy at the Swan station.  This will not only erase the Losties coming to the island and their plane will land safely at LAX that it should have, but that will mean that if they land, Faraday's team will never have to go to the island and Charlotte will never have to die.  He's blind to the fact that the variables, the people, really don't have free will.  It appears that they do, but they don't.   Something is going to happen, whether it be hydrogen bomb related or not, something has to happen to create the future that we know in 2007 and the past can not be changed no matter how hard they try.  Even if they try to escape their fate and maybe Jack decides to kill himself, his death will probably motivate someone us to take up the cause and future will still happen.  Somehow.

As for 1977, Eloise does her job and makes sure people end up where they are supposed to be.  Because of her pushing and pushing and pushing, Daniel will do anything to win her approval and so he goes to the island and the rest is history.  It's sad to see him go, but it made sense for the story and it had to happen.  His ideas will be carried and his wishes be taken care of regardless because they were meant to be.

I really enjoyed this episode the first time I saw it.  Again, as I've said before, there are certain episodes that aren't as great the second time, and while I did enjoy it a second time, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first time.  The end was so surprising the first time that it would be hard pressed to forget that Eloise killed her own son, but of course, didn't realize it was her son until after the fact.  But knowing that fact, she still pushed him to go to the island.  Pretty heavy stuff.

S5: Some Like It Hoth

This episode centers on the character of Miles.  It was an ok episode.  I don't care about Roger Linus and Kate was being stupid talking to him raising suspicion.  The best part was the end, but I'll get to that in a second.

One cool thing is that we learn that Pierre Chang is Miles's father and that Chang "left" his mother and son when Miles was just a baby.  What leads to him "leaving" will be shown soon enough and was hinted at in this episode...

It appears that someone has died when their filling in their tooth came out and went though their brain due to electromagnetism.  This isn't exactly confirmed, but after seeing The Orchid and The Swan being built and knowing the supernatural properties of both of those places, the writers don't say much more it.  At The Swan, it was great seeing the numbers being banged into the hatch door.

This title of the episode is a play on words where Hurley is rewriting Empire Strikes Back for George Lucas with some improvements.  Hurley relates the story to Pierre/Miles father/son relationship or lack their of, like Vader/Luke in Star Wars.  It was a very Hurley thing to do.

It was cool seeing Naomi recruiting Miles and later on, Gram trying to stop him from going to the island.  The scene also provided the connection of the specific amount of money that Miles wanted from Ben.

After all was said and done, the best part of the episode was Daniel Faraday finally making an appearance.  He was in Ann Arbor with the scientist and he has returned to the island.  He's obviously returned for a reason and that reason will drive the rest of Season 5.  So I look forward to that and what is happening in 2007 with Locke and Ben.

S5: Dead Is Dead

So Locke is walking around and everyone is dying to know how (haha bad pun).  I remember it drove me crazy the first time watching this season.  Does the island have the ability to bring people back to life?  We see Christian walking around and he was dead when he came to the island, but there's something mystical about him, about Locke too. Hmmmm. ;)

This episode centered on Ben and with most Ben episodes in the past, we get a lot of good info about the island's past.  We get his first meeting with a 20 something Widmore, then a 40 something, then maybe 50 something.  We see how Ben acquires Alex with a teenage Ethan.  The coolest part is we get to see how he summoned the Smoke Monster the first time and then even cooler, we get to see under the Temple where he is surrounded by the Smoke Monster replaying his memories.

Ben is seeking forgiveness for being responsible for his daughter's death.  He meets "Alex" below the Temple after the Smoke Monster leaves and she tells him to not kill Locke and to listen to him.

A cool scene off island is that we finally get to why Ben looks like crap when he gets on Ajira 316.  He goes to the marina to kill Penny. Desmond gets the jump on him while he's distracted, kicks his ass and throws him into the water.  It was good to see Desmond.  I hope to see more, but I'm not positive that we do.

This was a good episode and it was just what I was craving to see.  Let's keep it going, Season 5!

S5: Whatever Happened, Happened

Ben has been shot!  He's going to die!  Time and space are going to unravel!  At least that's what Hurley is thinking, and maybe the audience, but Miles explains (albeit poorly but we get the gist) that Ben must have been shot in the past and the Losties didn't know and experience it because even though it's their present it's Ben's past.  With Ben hanging by a thread, Kate takes action and Sawyer helps her because Juliet tells her to.  They give Ben to Richard Alpert who says that Ben won't remember and he will lose is innocence.  He then proceeds to take him to the Temple.

Two great scenes in this episode.  1)  Jack refusing to help dying Ben.  Kate tries to convince him saying that she doesn't like the new Jack, one that doesn't take action and she misses the old Jack.  He throws it right back into her face telling her that she didn't like the old Jack.  Boom, Kate!   In your face!  2)  Kate building up the courage to let Aaron go and give him to his grandmother, his rightful guardian.  Great scene and great music.

This is an example of an episode done right.  There were a few off island scenes with Kate and Sawyer's ex, which weren't cool, but added to the backstory of off island activity.  

The episode ended with Ben waking up in 2007 to Locke sitting by his bedside.  Hopefully the next episode might give us a little more on that situation, but I'm not sure.  So far we've seen full backstories for Jack, Locke, Sawyer, Sayid, Kate, and a little bit of Sun/Jin I think.  I'm hoping to see some Faraday soon as well.  I will fight the urge to look at the title of the next episode as this sense of wonder will be my work-out motivation for tomorrow!  My interest in Season 5 started to dip a little bit but thankfully this episode has turned that dip back upward.  I hope the next episode continues the trend.

S5: He's Our You

In this episode, we get to see more of what Sayid has been up to for the past three years off the island.  After working for Ben and killing everyone Ben told him to, they part ways and Sayid decides to do a sort of Habitat for Humanity type of business in South America.  Ben shows up to let him know that Locke is dead and Widmore has people watching Hurley at the mental institution.  So Ben, the puppet master, gets Sayid back in L.A. which connects the events that happened previously.  We also learn why he's in handcuffs and in custody on Ajira flight 316.  Seeing these connecting events was cool, just like in the Locke episode, but sad to say, it wasn't very enjoyable.  It was a lot of plot, needed plot for things to make sense and answer people's questions so it was good just in that aspect alone.

On island, nothing exciting happens.  Sayid is still prisoner.  Twelve year old Ben helps him escape after being tortured.  Someone from Dharma named Oldham did the torturing by making Sayid drop acid, I think?  Sayid spilled his guts and told the truth, but it sounded so ridiculous that no one believed him.  After escaping, Sayid runs into Jin, acquires a gun by force and shots young Ben and the episode ends.

Now when I first watched this episode, I think I gasped at Sayid's actions, but we know he can't die because he doesn't so it was a pretty big mind fuck, but at the same time after hearing and believeing what Daniel said in the past, whatever happened, happened and if Ben got shot, he must have gotten shot when he was young and didn't remember the traumatic experience.  Of course, this will all be semi explained later.

Reflecting on Sayid, I don't think he's a bad person.  None of the Losties are bad people, but they have done some bad things and they made some bad decisions.  At this point, I'm having trouble remember why Sayid was in Sydney in the first place.  I think he might have been undercover or something.  I also think he was on his way to L.A. to find Nadia because he was told that she was spotted there.  Unfortunately, he doesn't make it and then when he's finally reunited with her after being on the island for 100 days, she's murdered a few months later.  So life certainly sucks for him, but that didn't make him the way he is.  I don't know how he's able to do the things he does, maybe because it's in his nature like Ben said.  Maybe that's why they show that he's able to kill a chicken at such a young age when he brother couldn't do it.  Maybe some people are just born to kill even though they may not like that that is what they are good at.  Sayid has been very fun to watch and I don't remember where his story will go next this season, but I look forward to seeing where and hopefully there will be a little more heart attached to it.

S5: Namaste

James Sawyer aka LeFleur is a no bullshit, take charge kind of man.  Without Jack fighting him on every issue, he has lived happily with the Dharma Initiative for the past three years.  Now shit has hit the fan.  With quick thinking, Sawyer disguises Jack, Kate and Hurley as new recruits, Juliet amends the sub manifest, and with Sayid's life in danger as a supposed hostile, Sawyer moves him to the barracks where, for the time being, he is safe.  On island, but 30 years in the future, Sun and Lapidus head to the main island to look for Jin.  They hear the smoke monster and run into Christian at the old Dharma town.  He shows them a picture of Jack, Kate, and Hurley in the Dharma Initiative in 1977 and tells them they have a lot of work to do.

There are no off island flashes, unless you count the scene in the beginning showing Lapidus successfully landing the plane after the bright flash.  Most of the action took place between 1977 (the past) and 2007 (the present).

It was cool seeing Pierre Chang introduce himself to Jack.  In all the Dharma training videos viewed in 2004 when the Losties first crashed on the island, he went by the name Wick or Candle.

The best scene of the episode was between Jack and Sawyer.  After the dust had settled on the crazy day, Jack went to Saywer's house and gave him crap about reading a book and not having a plan.  Sawyer shoved the fact that he got a lot of people killed in the past and that his ability to sit down, read and help him think allowed him to solve all the problems of the day.  He really put Jack in place and Jack kind of just laughed it off and left semi defeated but relieved because, for the time, people weren't looking to him at the leader.

The Sayid and young Ben scene ended off the episode.  It wasn't anything special, but that scene and a lot of other scenes in this episode laid the ground work for more exciting and interesting future events.

S5: LaFleur

It's Sawyer's turn in the spotlight in the episode titled "LaFleur".  LaFleur means the flower and Sawyer used it sound Croatian to match with his story that he told Horace, leader of the Dharma Initiative.  Horace bought it and Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, Miles, and Daniel were allowed to stay two weeks and then leave on the sub from the island.  But as it appears, they don't leave, they join Dharma and three years later, Jin brings Sawyer some people that he found - Jack, Kate, and Hurley.

When Locke set things right with the donkey wheel, Sawyer and friends flashed one more time, but it felt different.  Their bodies could feel that the flashes had stopped and their headaches and nose bleeds were gone. They were in 1974.

While heading back to the beach, the group sees an altercation and they intervene.  In doing so, that sets forth the events of them eventually becoming part of the Dharma Initiative.  At one point, there was a really cool scene with Richard and Sawyer.  Sawyer aka LaFleur is the head of security and seems to be settled and integrated into his new life on the island in Dharma.  Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for us, things aren't going to stay normal for much longer.

The great part of this episode was Sawyer's speech to Horace about three years being long enough to get over someone.  Will his future actions match his words?  I really enjoyed the payoff of this episode with that scene and the reunion scene at the end.

S5: The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham

With episode "316" being focused on Jack, this episode's focus is on Locke.  We see that Locke ends up in Tunisia after moving the island just like Ben did.  This time, there appears to be cameras that alert Mr. Widmore of Locke's presence.  Mr. Widmore helps Locke by providing him with a fake identity, money, and Matthew Abaddon as his driver.  Locke visits Sayid, Hurley and Kate where he is unable to convince them to go back to the island.  He even stops to see how Walt is doing.  

After visiting his ex-girlfriend Helen's grave, Abaddon gets shot and Locke ends up in the hospital after getting in a car accident.  Fate or probability brings Locke face to face with Jack.  Unable to convince Jack, Locke decides to hang himself.  Ben comes to stop him and then kills him anyway and makes it look like a suicide.  And that was pretty much it.  It was interesting, but kind of dull.  It was cool getting some of the puzzles pieces to put the big picture together, but the overall picture seemed to get a little fuzzy with this episode, but that's the nature of Lost.

On island, we seem Locke alive and well, or so it seems.  Sun and Lapidus took off in a boat with the plane's manifest.  Lastly, we find that Ben is in the infirmary and Locke identifies him to Caesar as the man that killed him.  

Note:  Caesar and Ilana appear to know each other and Caesar almost appears to be in charge if that makes any sense, which it doesn't right now, but I believe it will make more sense very soon.

S5: 316

In a loving tribute to Season 1 Episode 1, we begin this episode where it all began -- Jack waking up in the bamboo forest on the island.  He runs out, not to burning wreckage this time, but to save Hurley who is drowning and yelling for help.  In fact, the plane, Ajira Flight 316, is no where to be seen, and after waking an unconscious Kate who was on the rocks near Hurley's location, they all confirm that none of them remember a crash.  They also don't know where Sayid, Sun or Ben are.  Without warning, a Dharma van pulls up, and an armed Jin sees his friends for the first time in 3 years.

So now we know that they made it back, but how?  Well it appears that the Dharma Initiative found the island using science and the Lamp Post station.  Eloise Hawking gives them the minimum necessary information they need, which is to recreate the original flight as best they can.  The episode shifts its focus to mainly Jack who meets with his granddad, gets shoes that belonged to his father, put those shoes on the deceased Locke and it's finally revealed why Christain has always been walking around in golf shoes since the very 2nd episode.  Eloise tells Jack to take a leap of faith as she gives him Locke's suicide note.  Surprisingly, Jack decides to do that.  Also surprisingly, all his friends appear on the flight (the backstories of the main characters and new characters will be revealed over time just like Jack's back story was in this episode.)

The best part of the episode is when Lapidus comes on the intercom as the captain of the flight.  Jack asks to speak to him.  He comes out of the cockpit to see all the other guys.  He exhales and says, "We're not going to Guam, are we?"  Hilarious.  Great episode all around.

Note:  Desmond finally meets up with Daniel's mom, delivers the message and peaces out.  To me, it was always a little anticlimactic, but I guess it was cool hearing Eloise tell him that the island isn't done with him since I can't remember how he gets back so that'll be a nice surprise.

S5: This Place Is Death

There's some really bad things happening on the island.  The flashes are closer together and it seems that everyone's nose is bleeding save for Daniel, Locke and Jin.  Locke eventually makes it down to the donkey wheel.  With the instructions of Christian Shepard, he fixes the dislodgement which will hopefully stop the flashes.  Unfortunately, Charlotte dies but not without revealing info about herself and a future interaction (past for her) with Daniel.

Also on island, we see more of young Danielle Rousseau and her team as Jin watches them die.  It's no wonder why Rousseau is so messed up.  Only a few short hours after coming ashore, she sees a smoke monster, her friends turn on her, and she sees Jin disappear and reappear twice before finally running away and the island flashing again to a different time period.

Off island, Sun confronts Ben and Sayid and Kate bounce out.  Ben takes Sun and Jack to the church where Eloise Hawking is and it's revealed that she is the one that will help them get back to the island to help their friends.  Sun, now knowing her husband is alive, wants to go back.  Desmond also finds his way to the church, so that was pretty cool.

It's funny as I review Season 5, I step back and notice that the events of the episodes can be described as "on island" and "off island".  It reminds of Season 1, when each episode centered around the events of one person and the audience would see how the character was ON and OFF island.  This technique allowed the writers to have two storylines going at once, and it was great how the writers weaved both of them together to tell an awesome story.  The same thing is happening in Season 5 thus far.  While the people on the island are trying to solve the problem of time traveling and avoid death, the people off the island are trying to get back.  It's great that even though they both have different goals in mind, their stories still weave together for a very enjoyable experience.

S5: The Little Prince

On island, the Losties flash to the birth of Aaron (and the death of Boone) which is the same night the light comes on in the Hatch.  Then they flash to some point in the future where their is a skiff with Ajira water bottles.  Then they jump to very bad storm, and make it to land and see supplies with French on it.  We are then shocked to see that Jin is alive and these French people save him.  The nice woman gives Jin water and introduces herself as Rousseau.  I feel like I'm missing a flash, but that may have been it.

Off island, Kate, Jack, Ben, and Sayid all meet up at the marina.  Jack had been helping Kate track a lawyer who is after Aaron.  It's revealed that Ben is the brains behind the lawyer.  Also at the marina, Sun is about to make an appearance (with Aaron in the backseat), but we don't see that part this time.  No Hurley, but Ben's lawyer will have him out of jail in no time.

I enjoyed this episode, especially the time jumping to the different time periods, but overall I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous five episodes.  A lot of answers are being revealed and the puzzle pieces are starting to connect.  Loving Season 5!

S5: Jughead

It's the year 1954.  A group of people living on an island kill 18 US Military troops who would not leave when given the choice.  The military's purpose was to do some H-bomb testing.  Unfortunately, the bomb was compromised.  A group of scientists happen upon this situation and tell the people to bury the bomb and everything will be fine.  Wait a minute?  Is this Lost?  Well it is, thankfully.  The group of people are the Others and the scientists are Daniel, Charlotte and Miles who time traveled to that year.  Elsewhere on the island, Locke, Sawyer and Juliet follow a young Charles Widmore back to the Others' camp.  During Locke and Richard Alpert's conversation, the sky flashes and they jump through time again.  Really great stuff happening on the island.  Very enjoyable to watch.

Off island, Desmond is on trying to find Daniel's mother.  He doesn't find her at Oxford, but clues take him to a comatose girl with a conscience that appears to be traveling through time, and eventually to Charles Widmore who tells him that Daniel's mother is in LA.  So I have a feeling that Desmond is going to be seeing his old friends very soon.  The off island stuff was cool, since it's always great to see Desmond, but the on island stuff was the great part of this episode.  Lot of great story, questions being answered, events that haven't happened being set up for the future and some really funny Sawyer lines.

S5: The Lie

I enjoyed this episode as it was revealed that Ben appears to be working with Eloise Hawking to get all those who left the island back on the island.  We've seen Eloise course correcting Desmond in a previous episode and it appears that is what she up to yet again, but there appears to be a specific time window since the island has moved or maybe is still moving.  Also, in the previous episode, Daniel Faraday sends Desmond to see his mother, but I don't believe the Eloise/Daniel - mother/son relationship has been revealed yet.  So Ben has 70 hours and he has some road bumps ahead, but things appear to be moving in the right direction.  Kate and Sun are hanging out together in LA, and currently so are Jack and Sayid.

 On island, there hasn't been a flash in a while, which is unfortunate for some of the random survivors of Oceanic 815 who are shot with flaming arrows from an unknown source.  With the survivors scattered, Sawyer and Juliet are captured by three military men.  Thankfully, Locke shows up and saves the day.  That was a great scene.  Two episodes in, Season 5 has not disappointed.

S5: Because You Left

I really enjoyed this episode.  I forgot how much of a cluster fuck Season 5 was and the premiere does not disappoint.  The episode jumps through time, giving small clues of "when" the Losties are.  So not only is the episode connecting to events in the past, but it's also connecting to events in the future, events that I have retained from my first watch, making this episode very enjoyable and not as frustrating as it was the first time, albeit a fun kind of frustrating that spawned ideas and conversations among my friends until the next episode aired.

A lot was establish that is important to remember so one can enjoy the rest of Season 5 and not be bad frustrated.  You can't change the past.  Whatever happened, happened.  If you try you will fail, because you did fail, if you had succeeded, you would have remembered because it would have happened.

We are told that bad things are going to start to happen and supposedly it's because Jack and his friends left, but at this time, I'm not seeing the connection.  Even if Jack didn't leave and Ben still moved the island, bad things would have happened regardless.  I'll have to keep an eye out if any bad things could have been avoided if Jack was there, but nothing comes to mind as of yet.  Hopefully something will stand out, but maybe it's as simple as if Jack stayed then maybe Locke would not have had to die to get him to come back, but if he hadn't, how would Jack eventually reach his destiny.  A topic for another time maybe.

It was great seeing Desmond being tapped in the end because I forgot how he gets back involved especially when he should be done with it all.  I enjoyed all the off island scenes that are going to eventually bring all the Oceanic 6 back together.  I'm very looking forward to the rest of the season thanks to the premiere.

S4: There's No Place Like Home: Part 3

The last episode of Season 4 doesn't waste anytime.  We jump right back into the action where the chopper barely makes it back to the freighter and moments later the freighter blows up.  Michael sees Christian before blowing up, and Jin misses a ride on the chopper and appears to blow up as well.  (Sun IS pissed!)  Then back on the island, Ben turns the frozen donkey wheel and the island disappears and the chopper crashes in the water with no where to land and no fuel.  As the Oceanic 6, Desmond and Lapidus float in the ocean in a life raft from the chopper, Penny's boat shows up to save them and they put into motion the story that was revealed in Part 1 of the finale.

There was some set up scenes for next season with Sayid taking Hurley from the mental institution, Kate being visited in a dream by Claire, Sun having a business conversation with Widmore, and in the last minutes, Ben and Jack chatting at the funeral home where Jeremy Bentham is revealed as Locke who is dead in the casket, a casket that was first seen in the Season 3 finale.

The episode went by really fast and the lack of flashbacks were great as it did not deter from the action.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief as the season ended.  They spent four seasons try and finally attempting to get off the island, and Ben has "some ideas" on how to get them back.  I look forward to the surprises Season 5 holds and scenes I may have not retained from the first time.

Of note:  The Desmond/Penny reunion was great.  I also enjoyed Jack's lack of faith in his ability to get his friends to want to go back.  Totally made sense for his character.  The Locke reveal the first time was pretty awesome but also sad to see that he had passed.  Thankfully thanks to flashbacks and other events that have yet to materialize, this isn't the last we've seen of Locke and I take solace in that fact.

S4: There's No Place Like Home: Part 2

Part 2 picked up right where Season 3 left off - we get to see Kate and Jack finish their "We have to go back" disagreement.  Also the identity of the man in the casket is given a name - Jeremy Bentham.  Even Walt pops up later on to visit Hurley in the mental institution and drops that name as well, informing Hurley that Jeremy visited him.  I think that was all the off island scenes which is good because all of things are happening on island.

Sayid had a badass fight against Keamy, and later on Jack and Locke get into it at the Orchid which reminds us that they are still at war with each other - man of science, man of faith remains truer than ever.  Keamy doesn't die in his fight against Sayid surprisingly since Richard Alpert puts two bullets in him, but his body armor protects him long enough to go back to the Orchid to confront Ben where Ben kills him dooming the people on the freighter due to Keamy's "dead man's trigger".  Ben shows no remorse in Keamy's death or the eventual death of all the people on the freighter in the final scene of this episode.

Elsewhere (befrore the episode ends), Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, and Sawyer free Lapidas who attempts to fly them back to the freighter where Jin, Sun, Aaron, Desmond, and Michael are -- the three men dealing with the bomb.  Due to an earlier fire fight, a bullet penetrates the gas tank and the chopper is in danger of not making it.  Sawyer whispers a message to Kate, kisses her and bails.

Miles and Charollete tell Farrady that they are going to stay on the island while Juliet is optimistic as ever as Faraday leaves to ferry more people off the island.  Little does Juliet know, and the audience at this point that Faraday isn't going to make it to the freighter.  The exciting conclusion to season 4 tomorrow!

S4: There's No Place Like Home: Part 1

The Ocean Six are finally confirmed and are welcomed home in a beautifully scored scene right at the beginning of the episode.  Now back home, Jack says goodbye to his father, learns that Claire his is half sister making Aaron his half nephew.  Kate and Aaron appear to be spending a lot of time with Jack and this must be all pre trial.  Sayid and Nadia are reunited for the first time in years, and they appear to be very happy.  Sun uses her settlement money but controlling interest in her father's company and confronts him with this information.  Hurley seems to try and adjust, but the numbers appear on his odometer and he freaks.  So things start out happy and from what the audience has learned earlier in the season, things take a turn for the worse with the Oceanic 6 and that will lead us brilliantly into Season 5 after two more parts of the finale.

If I remember correctly, this episode aired by itself originally while the the other two parts aired as a two hour season finale the following week.  I only mention that as this episode, like others in the past, put the pieces aka the people into place for the events that will unfold all the while the audience knows the outcome of who is saved, but it doesn't appear evident at this moment HOW when everyone is spread out in different areas - Jack and Sawyer are at the chopper heading to the Orchid, at the Orchid are Hurley, Locke, and Ben, Sayid and Kate have been captured by Richard Alpert and a large group of Others, others are at the beach getting ferried to the freighter, Jin, Sun, Michael and Desmond are on the freighter, and the solders from the freighter are at the Orchid.

This was a great episode.  The beginning was very moving and the secrets that were revealed made a lot of things make sense.  And with the pieces in place, it's shaping up for a very excellent finale.

S4: Cabin Fever

Seeing the title of the episode I remembered that Locke finds the cabin and speaks with Christian and Claire, but I forgot all the other awesomeness that was this episode - the birth of Locke, his mother rejecting him, his foster family, Richard Alpert's involvement coming back every so often to check on him, teenage Locke saying "Don't tell me what I can't do.", and lastly Locke in is wheelchair being told to go on a walkabout by Widmore's associate Abaddon. 

We were treated with a few moments on the island and freighter which were pretty awesome.  I like that Horace was building the cabin and was able to speak to Locke through his dream.  The one mind fuck was that the doctor on the freighter was found dead on the beach on island a full 8 or so hours (I would guess) before his throat was even slit.  Keamy's gun jamming was pretty cool showing that the island is still not done with Michael.

So Christian who claims to speak on Jacob's behalf tells Locke that he has to move the island to save it.  I remember that ending blowing my mind the first time watching the show.  I thought, "How the heck are they going to move an entire island?"  Damn.  I really love this episode on second watch.  Unfortunately being so amped up I looked ahead and the finale is separated into three parts so I'd excited to delve into those.

Awesome scene:  Ben's mini speech to John about destiny being a fickle bitch was the most honest Ben has ever been to Locke.  It was perfectly delivered/acted by Michael Emerson.

S4: Something Good Back Home

It's funny to see Kate, Jack, and Aaron living together like a happy family when it is in Kate and Jack's nature to do the exact opposite.  And from what we are presented in this episode, things are nice for a while, but then quickly go to shit when Jack and Kate fight over her actions that she did per Sawyer's request and the simple truth that she's not even related to Aaron.  And Jack, while calling Hurley crazy, has pills in his pocket that he is taking (soon to be abusing per the S3 finale) because he saw his father which is consistent with Hurley seeing Charlie.

On island, I don't yet understand why the writers decided to give Jack an appendix problem, but thankfully and expectedly the surgery is a success thanks to Juliet and Bernard.  Rose posed a good question asking why Jack got sick because in her eyes, and the audience, he shouldn't be.  Maybe the island is telling him that he shouldn't be leaving who knows but he's not supposed to die on island either, right?

Another connection to off island / on island activity, is the infamous Christian Shepard who is not only seen by Jack, but he is also seen by Claire holding her baby and then he and Claire take off into the woods leaving the baby behind which is definitely a head-scratcher to say the least.  I think we'll be seeing them again before the season ends.

S4: The Shape of Things to Come

The gravity of this episode really hit home during the infamous Ben and Charles bedroom scene before the episode ended.  "You changed the rules."  What rules?  What game are they playing?  Did Ben really take everything he has from Charles.  The questions will be answered in season 5, but the answers aren't important right now.  What is important is that this episode shapes future events even though all are not evident at this point.  While Widmore is on the continued hunt for the island, Ben's personal mission is to avenge the death of his "daughter" and kill Penny, Widmore's daughter, yet Ben's mission will change or get altered due to the fact of what he did to wind up in Tunisia at the beginning of the episode...I'm getting ahead of myself.

Important points:

- Ben appears to summon the smoke monster which I don't think ever getting full explained but I believe we'll visit the door again in a future episode.  

- It's finally confirmed by Faraday to Jack and the others on the beach that they are NOT there to rescue the survivors of Oceanic 815

- The group at the Barracks are split up.  Sawyer, Miles, Claire and baby Aaron head to the beach while Locke, Ben and Hurley search for Jacob's cabin

Again, while this episode was fantastic the first time I watched it, it just lost a little pizzazz on the second viewing.  The surprises and realizations were not as powerful as they were on second watch.  So far, I think I've found that episodes that drive the plot, on second viewing, less intriguing than episodes that delve into the characters and their connections with each other.  Thankfully, this episode and others like it continue to make me crave more and it's so great not having to wait weeks, months or even years to watch the next episode.

S4: Meet Kevin Johnson

Hey, remember that guy who used to yell "Walt" every 5 seconds?  Well Michael's back and he's working for Ben undercover on the freighter.  After learning this information, Sayid turns Michael in into the captain.

On island, Alex's boyfriend and her biological mother Rousseau and shot and killed from unseen attackers.  I think, even though this is the second time watching it, that it was obviously Keamy and his team doing the killing.

Overall, this episode felt like a setup episode for more exciting things to come.  I also felt that there were a lot of missed opportunities.  We got to see Miles, Lapidus, Naomi, Keamy, and Minkowski on the freighter, but no Charlotte or Faraday.  And Michael was seeing Libby due to his guilt.  Why no Ana Lucia?  Were the writers not able to get her?  Oh well.  I will give props to the Lost writers for finally killing off Karl and Rousseau.

S4: Ji Yeon

I remember the first time watching this episode that I was only slightly surprised about the trick that the writers pulled on us.  As Sun was having the baby, Jin was running around the city looking for a panda for a baby.  Turns out that he was instructed to buy a panda per Jin's boss (and Sun's father) Mr. Paik instruction and to deliver it to a client since it was meant as a token of a hopeful future business relationship.  At that point, Sun and Jin had only been married for two months, or two years, I forget what Jin said, but the message was cemented in his comment to the nurse that the audience was watching a flash forward with Sun and a flash back with Jin.

Besides the flash back and flash forwards, we were treated to some good scenes on the freighter.  One of them being that Sayid and Desmond finally meet the captain and the big one was seeing Michael or as he is known on the freighter - Kevin Johnson.

I had forgotten that Juliet intentionally told Jin and Sun's affair to keep Sun from going to Locke's camp since she doesn't trust Faraday, Charlotte or even Juliet at the moment.  Sun and Juliet worked out their trust issues, but would Sun and Jin work things out?  Jin took the blame for the person he had become working for her father.  They had a very touching scene that really moved me, when Jin, trying hard to learn English for Sun, asked her in English if the baby was his.  I'm sure that question had been playing on his mind ever since Juliet let the cat out of the bag.  The emotional scene was very well done and acted.  They are definitely everyone's favorite couple, well at least mine, which is not hard to say because the only other actual married couple on the island besides Sun and Jin are Rose and Bernard.  (It was good to see Bernard too because at some point he and Rose sneak off to live their own private life; I'm just trying to catch the moment they do if possible.)

In the end, I was very surprised how much I enjoyed this episode on second watch as it was one I was expecting not to enjoy.

S4: The Other Woman

Faraday and Charlotte somehow sneak off and head to a never mentioned before now Dharma station called the Tempest.  Their mission appears to be to render the gas inert so it can't be used to kill everyone on the island...again.  After some tension and drama, they accomplish their mission.

Juliet appears to be "the other woman".  The audience is treated to all on island flashbacks for her character from her first days on the island, to her relationship with Goodwin and his death (if I remember at the hands of Ana Lucia) and her negative interactions with Ben and Goodwin's wife.

While it was cool to see the flash backs, Juliet isn't a "main" character so I found myself wanting an episode featuring a more main character.  While a little bit of foresight, I understand that this was probably a good time for her to have her own episode since she is going to be more of a main character in episodes to come and for the rest of the show's run.

S4: The Constant

So what is happening to Desmond?  Is his flip-flopping back and forth between a certain date in the past and the present.  When he returns to the presents, he has no recollection of anyone.  His mind must still be in the past.  But then he's able to retain information from the present to take to the past and then from the past to the present.  It's semi explained that since he was exposed to radiation (the Hatch imploding) that when he left the island his mind starting transporting through time and if he didn't find a constant (something familiar in both the past and the present instances) then he would surely die.  

Well thankfully with this knowledge, he is able to go to the past and find Penny and tell her not to change her number so he can call her in the future.  When he calls her in the future, they have a heart warming scene, which I thought was definitely more moving the first time I watched it.  Then Desmond was fine and remembered he people he forgot in the present.  

The surprise at the end of the episode was in Farraday's notebook - "If anything goes wrong, Desmond is my constant."

Overall, this was a fantastic episode when I first watched it.  Unfortunately, a lot of the mystery had been taken away and it wasn't as emotionally moving the second time but the story was really well written and the bonus of seeing Mr. Widmore purchasing a book from the Black Rock was pretty cool as well.

S4: Eggtown

I don't know why this episode was called Eggtown.  Is it about Kate's eggs potentially becoming babies?  Is it about the eggs that Locke cooks for Ben?  I have no clue.  I'll probably look it up after I write my thoughts on the episode.

Regardless of the title meaning, this was a Kate episode and I'm beginning to see why a lot of viewers hated her.  She doesn't really pay for her crimes.  He toys with Sawyer and Jack.  And she admits to using Sawyer for her own personal gain to get answers about herself because that seems to be the only person she cares about.

The big reveal at the end of the episode?  She is claiming Aaron as her son.  So far I think they've only been on the island for two months, but the audience doesn't really know how long it took them to get off yet only that there were 8 survivors of the plane and 6 left alive hence the Oceanic 6.  Also since "the world" didn't see Kate when captured in Australia she could have been pregnant on the plane.  I don't remember if the show really delves into this, but as far as the world is concerned, Aaron is Kate's son.

The only appeal of this episode is the teasing of the identify of the baby - whether it could be Jack's or Sawyer's.  The only thing I can't remember at the moment is if Aaron is considered 1 of the 6 survivors.  I think so.  I think Sun will be revealed next and I think that's it.  We shall see.

Update:
From Lostpedia:  The title of this episode baffled many fans. Carlton Cuse explained: Really, we could spend a lot of time talking about the titles that don't make sense, but the title "Eggtown" referred to the fact that Locke fixed a couple of eggs for Ben at the beginning of the episode, and then there's also the episode had a lot to do with Kate's pregnancy, and pregnancy involves eggs, and so that was the other kind of, sort of metaphoric significance of the title "Eggtown". (Official Lost Audio Podcast transcript/February 28, 2008)

S4: The Economist

The linear story line on the island continues as Sayid makes a power play to get on the freighter.  He promises to get Charlotte back, which he does, but he trades Miles for her.  The episode ends with Lapidus taking him, Desmond and the late Naomi to the freighter.

Off island we get another flash forward and learn that Sayid is a member of the Oceanic 6 and that he's working for Ben to protect his friends.

Overall, I remember this episode being huge back when I first watched it because it was fun seeing a bad ass Sayid.  It was fun again but knowing the surprises wasn't fun so the episode fell a little flat for me this time.  I did enjoy the scene as Sayid watched Elsa die.  A part of him fell for her while he used her...poor Sayid continues to be love less in his life while trying to pay for his sins.

Oh and who's the Economist?  It's whomever Elsa works for when that person is in Berlin.  Could it be Mr. Widmore?

S4: Confirmed Dead

If you didn't believe Naomi when she told the others that the plane was found with zero survivors, this episode cements that statement by showing the news broadcast multiple times and sometimes in different languages.  This episode also introduces some new characters that are going to be around for quite a while - Daniel Farraday, Miles, Charlotte and Lapidus.  The audience gets brief glimpses of their lives pre-island and how either the crash or something island related touched their lives.  The coolest of the three that doesn't make much sense now, but will later, is the Dharma polar bear in the desert.

I liked Jack's line in the episode where he tells Kate to calm down and just play along.  With this episode and the last, it's almost like the writers telling us to just settle down, and just enjoy the ride.  Right now things are pretty linear as we go from episode to next which is going to change very soon.  As this season slow builds just as the first and second season did, I'm very much enjoying the ride.

S4: The Beginning of the End

After the bomb shell of the Season 3 finale, the Season 4 premiere attempts to continue that momentum, but ends up falling a little short.  Thankfully the momentum is my only small criticism.  The episode introduces the term "Oceanic 6" so immediately I start to think who the 6 can be.  Come to think of it, I already know three - Jack, Kate, and Hurley.  The other 3 will be revealed in time, but that's not the most important part.  What's important is that this episode is the beginning of the end.

So far in Seasons 1 - 3, the audiences has learned a little bit about the island and it's inhabitants, and we get a lot of background about the main characters and what drives them.  Seasons 4 - 6 will give the audiences even more about the island and give us answers that we never suspected.  And even more importantly, we will see what drives the main characters and to what lengths they will go to solve mysteries, problems and ultimately help themselves and each other.

In the premiere, Jack's focus right now is to save his friends with rescue.  Locke's focus is to save his friends from harm.  Hurley currently runs from his destiny, but remember, it's only the beginning of the end, and in time, he will accept his destiny and harmony will ensue.  The chess game has begun and the pieces are ready to be played out in the next three fantastic seasons.

S3: Through the Looking Glass: Part 2

Great end to a season that began very slowly.  We get our first flash forward and learn that Jack and Kate have made it off the island.  Who else has?  Who else hasn't?  What have they lied about?  Who does Kate have to get home to?  These are all questions I know the answer to, but I'm looking forward to the events of the next three seasons and this episode was a great set up for it.

Unfortunately Charlie dies, but he sacrifices himself to save Claire per Desmond's vision.  Desmond claims to have saw a flash of her and the baby getting on a helicopter.  That was a pretty intense scene and Mikhail finally dies after blowing himself up with a grenade to flood the Looking Glass.

It's the first season where there appears to be a happy ending.  Everyone at the beach is safe, Jack and company contact the freighter and the victory music plays.  Hope of rescue appears to be in their grasp.  Or is it?

Personal side note:  The first time I ever saw this episode was back when I lived with my father. I had only seen a handful of season 3 episodes before the finale and really didn't understand what the heck was going on with this show.  I had a feeling that we were seeing flash forwards, but I didn't understand the gravity of the scene until my friend Dan introduced me to the show and let me borrow the first three seasons to catch up.  Then he and I proceeded to watch the fourth season together.  So I'm really looking forwarding to seeing what I might have missed the first time because it was such a surreal experience watching it with a friend and discussing the mind blowing scenes as they happened.

S3: Through the Looking Glass: Part 1

In what appears to be a flashback, Jack is shown doing something things that are pretty atypical.  He's drinking, using drugs, he's got a full beard, and he just looks lost.  He is about to kill himself by jumping off a bridge, but chooses to save a wife and child from a car wreck, probably one he created by leaving his car parked on the street.  But these last few sentences are describing a very small part of this episode that becomes a much bigger part of Part 2 and the driving force of future episodes.  For now, I digress.

On island, the plan isn't going as expected.  Charlie has yet to turn off the jamming signal, Sayid, Bernard and Jin only set off two dynamite traps and then get caught, and Jack and everyone else haven't made it to the radio tower and it looks like Ben might even beat them there.  Then Locke is visited by Walt and he's told that he has a job to do.

It was really hard not to continue watching Part 2, but I'll save it for tomorrow so I have something to watch while I work out which is what I've been doing during every episode.  I can't wait for the "Rattle Snake in the Mailbox" scene!

S3: Greatest Hits

In classic Lost style, just when you start loving a character is when they become earmarked for death.  Desmond sees a flash that Charlie will have to die to save his friends.  Currently the Looking Glass Dharma station is blocking all signals off the island, save for one that the Other's use.  Speaking of the Other's, they are on their way to steal all the pregnant woman a day earlier than expected.  The plan is two fold - while Charlie swims down to the station to turn off the jamming signal, Jack marches all the Losties to the tower to turn of Rousseau's broadcast and attempt to contact the freighter that Naomi came from that is supposedly there to rescue them.  While that is happening, Sayid, Jin, and Bernard stay behind to shoot the dynamite by the tents to blow the Other's coming for the pregnant women.

This episode is a really good Charlie episode since, as an audience member, you begin to like him if you didn't.  He remembers the top 5 best moments of his life with meeting Claire as his number one item.  And I believe they kiss for the first time in this episode.  Thankfully, he's not dead yet, but he certainly runs into a few surprises when he reaches the Looking Glass.  This episode is a setup episode for the two part finale but it was written in such a way that it doesn't feel like it.

S3: The Man Behind the Curtain

If my memory serves me correctly, this is Ben's first flash back episode which shows us that the "man behind the curtain" was not born on the island, helped purge the island of the Dharma Initiative, and supposedly talks to Jacob in his cabin, but can't hear him.  Locke is along for the ride, and ends up getting shot at the end of the episode.

Back at the beach, more answers are revealed and everyone is on the same page concerning Naomi's existence and that the world thinking they are all dead, Sun's pregnancy, Juliet being a mole but Jack knowing about it before it was revealed and that Ben and the Others are coming to take the pregnant and potentially pregnant like Kate (but she's not).

This was a great episode!  This episode and the past couple have really taken the sour taste that is the 3rd season out of my mouth and put in a sweet flavor and by the looks of it, it's only going to get sweeter.

S3: The Brig

It's very evident the finale is soon approaching.  A lot of answers are being revealed and new plot lines are being explored.  The parachutist finally gets a name - Naomi - and she reveals that she is part of a rescue mission.  Her helicopter came from a freighter 80 miles off shore and she claims to be hired by Penelope Widmore.  She also reiterates that Oceanic 815 was found and all aboard were found dead.  Coincidentally, Locke's dad, aka the original Sawyer aka Anthony Cooper is talking about being dead and he's obviously in Hell...and Hell is where Sawyer (James Ford) sends him after he puts the pieces together - finally figuring out that Locke's dad is the Sawyer that slept with his mother and took his family's money.  Locke takes the body and returns to find the Others.

This episode is non stop action and plot that it is never boring.  Even Rousseau pops into the "Black Rock" for some dynamite and then leaves as quickly as she came setting up something that even I don't remember at this point.  It was revealed many episodes ago that she used the dynamite to blow up her old home just so the Others couldn't track her.  So overall, this was a great episode.

S3: D.O.C

What is the D.O.C (Date Of Conception) of Sun's baby?  With the help of Juliet, they discover that the baby is Jin's and was conceived on the island, so she has a 2 months to live since all women who get pregnant on the island have died in their second trimester.  Elsewhere on the island, Mikhail runs into Desmond and friends, and helps save the parachutist's life, who reveals to Hurley that Oceanic 815 WAS found with no survivors.

This episode was OK.  It felt like more of a set up episode for bigger events to happen especially when Juliet leaves a recorded message for Ben concerning Sun's baby to find at the Staff station and the cliff hanger ending concerning Oceanic 815.