I think I may still be crying from last night! I know that I am biased to this show but I challenge any show out there to come up with a better and more satisfying ending than what we just saw on Lost.  After six years of building and building you would have to wonder just how brilliant and involved the writers would have to be to come up with just the “right” ending, and they managed to do it.

Do we still have questions, YES!  But I’m OK with that.  I really started getting it in my head that I didn’t want them to answer everything.  I like my ideas and my theories and sure, they could have addressed a few of the bigger issues but I really am OK going out like we have.

NOTE: I don’t have a copy of the epi last night so I don’t have screen caps yet.

1.  Yes, I watched Jimmy Kimmel live and he addressed two items that I thought about as well.  One, why weren’t Michael and Walt in the church?  The first thought is that Walt isn’t dead yet so he can’t be there.  As for Michael, is he not headed to the same white light they are?  Harold Perrineau said it is because Michael is “trapped” on the island, like he told Hurley earlier this season.  I like that better than what I thought.  The other idea he presented is that the show was Jack’s redemption song, if you will and I like that too.

2.  However, I was laying there last night and still crying… and thinking that there were many of them that found redemption on the island.  Yes, Jack was our main character and the show really focused on his redemption especially this season but I like to think that the reason they can all meet in the church is that they all found their redemption.

3.  I also like the idea that in many religions that there is the theory that you are reincarnated, if you will, until you get “it right” and at that point you can go on to heaven.  I don’t think that everyone in that church died at the same time but that they were all kind of wandering around waiting on each other to come before they could all go.  I think the message there is of hope.

3.  So I guess Jack and Jacob had a little more talking off camera.  Sounded like Jack knew that he was only the temporary carrier of the torch.

4.  I was thrilled that Richard didn’t die so easily at the hands of Smokey.  I loved that by releasing the light Richard was set free and started showing a gray hair.  I just wonder after being on an island for hundreds of years what on earth could he possibly do back on land?  Imagine the culture shock!

5.  And I also never would have guessed Claire and Kate BOTH raising Aaron.  Nice touch.

6.  When Jack was down in the cave I kept expecting him to come roaring out as a plume of WHITE smoke.  Especially when he woke up in a very similar position as MIB after he was thrown in the cave.  His death, if I may, was beautiful and poetic.  And when Vincent came over and laid down beside him it was all over for me.  I couldn’t actually fully see the ending because I had a good “ugly” cry going on.

7.  So Des got a look at “the other side” when Widmore had him in the cabin with the electromagnetic energy and that is why he did whatever they needed him to do.  He knew that on “the other side” he would end up with Penny and his friends and he knew that everything that happened on the island didn’t matter.  I like when he is about to go into the cave how he tries telling Jack but Jack seems to still be holding on to one little bit of his science minded side.

8.  I love that this episode opens basically telling us the end.  The coffin is not for Christian at all.

9.  So David was what?  Just a wish of Jack’s?  That in an of itself is totally heartbreaking.

10.  I can’t believe that the big Jesus statue with it’s arms open didn’t clue me in to what was really going on.   Then there was Kate asking why she was “here” and Des telling her that no one could tell her why she was there.  And him telling her that he just wanted to leave.

11.  I was totally expecting Eko to show up and preside over Jack’s funeral.  That was disappointing actually.

12.  Them all being dead in the side time line explains why they could see the flashes of the island (life flashing before their eyes) but the island folks couldn’t see to the side.

13.  Miles and Sawyer both got off the island.  I guess those two really could become cops back home.

14.  I love that Hurley is the real care taker of the island and that Ben agrees to help him.  I bet Hurley could come up with some crazy rules for that island.  Did the writers know this way back when?  I remember Hurley coming out of the forest in a robe looking very angelic back in one of Charlie’s weird dreams.  I worry about Ben though because we have seen that he’s got a very, very bad side.  I would hope by Hurley telling him he was a “good number 2″ that means that Ben was good to him on the island.

15.  I guess Desmond’s flash of seeing Claire get off of the island in a helicopter was wrong.

16.  The smile on Hurley’s face when he first sees Charlie is priceless.  Sweet.  I loved when Sayid asks him “what was that” he says “that was Charlie.”  LOL’d

17.  And Vincent!  Hooray!  I’m so glad, even though it’s silly, that we got to see the fate of that dog.  I guess we can assume that Rose and Bernard do live happily ever after too now the Hurley is running the show on the island.  They are the new Others, only they don’t get involved.

18.  Des is the only one that crossed to the other side and came back.

19.  Since this seemed to be Jack centered redemption, then the show ending on the 23rd makes even more sense.

20.  Cracked me up when Flocke asked Jack how he planned to kill him and he told him it was a surprise.  Sounded like something Sawyer would have said.

21.  Dan and Charlotte aren’t “ready” yet and thus no flashback and they are not in the church.  Plus, they weren’t really a huge part of the Losties lives so I can see why they wouldn’t be there.  Plus it was nice that they left Dan behind to be with his mother.  As mothers we can understand why she would want him to stay with her.

22.  I loved the look on Charlie’s face when he sees Claire.

23.  MIB cracks Jack a good one upside the head with a rock.  Like mother like son!

24.  The Jack and Locke fist fight was a long time coming and it did not disappoint.  Especially the part where Jack pushes him off of the edge of the cliff.

25.  Did I mention yet that it’s a good thing Des got them all dressed up since they are all going to their funeral (s)?

26.  There has been a lot of speculation about the rain.  I think that the rain is brought on by the light or the island.  What it means is still to be discussed but after Des uncorked the light it started raining.

27.  I’ve rethought (already) why Ben didn’t go inside the church.  His real love is Alex.  Alex is probably not ready yet to cross over.  Ben logically wants to wait for her.  Christian says everyone wants someone to cross with and it makes sense that Ben would want to cross with her.

28.  Duct tape.  I think that they have a new use they could show in their ads.

29.  Did you guys have the Lost-related Target commercials?  I really loved that someone on-staff is obviously a Lost fan and they would make special commercials just for us.  I will do more shopping there just for that.  I already do shop there but I may think of them first for other things now too.  I couldn’t TiVo through them so at least they were entertaining.

30.  Fitting for MIB to die the way the Locke should have.  Locke was thrown from the window and landed just like MIB did on the edge.  I’m also glad they let him go before the end because I didn’t want the end to be a scene of them fighting.  This gave time to really build to a meaningful conclusion to the show.

31.  After Hurley drank the water (which was filthy, btw) he looked like he kept waiting on something to happen.  Can Hurley give Ben everlasting life like Jacob did for Richard?

32.  I was holding my breathe until the plane made it up in the air.  This show is so unpredictable I wasn’t sure if they would really make it or not.  But I’m glad they did.  And I’m glad that I can make up what happens from there for myself.  And if you’ve ever seen Stephen King’s The Langoliers you were probably wondering what they would face once up in the air too.

33.  So the plug in the cave is like one big button to press?

34.  Jack wakes up in the same pool area that we’ve seen many times.  Kate and Sawyer took a swim there and Kate, Jack and Hurley woke up there after being transported off of the Ajira flight.  It must be close to The Source and would explain why it’s special.

35.  I will post some screen shots of the office Jack enters at the church.  Appears to be religious symbols from every religion you can think of.  Bravo Producers.

36.  Jack and his daddy issue = RESOLVED!  And wow was it moving.

The End.

click to enlarge

OK so wow, more deaths.  I didn’t expect that Widmore would be killed off so easily.  I expected many more explosions and action from him and his group!

1.  Anyone else thinking that Jack drinking the water and taking over was just way too easy for this show?  I’m not buying it.  On one hand I think that Hurley is a good candidate because of his innocence.  On the other, Sawyer is a good pick because he’s a good guy at heart.  Either way, I’m not believing that Jack is going to stay and protect the light.

2.  Jack seeing another cut.  I’m wondering how the new time line is now literally “bleeding” through.

3.  How cute seeing Claire with Jack and David.  This new time line is just so happy that it cannot last.  It’s like when someone is telling you a joke and you keep wondering when they are going to get to the punch line.  We know something is coming up at that concert but who knows what its about!

4.  I haven’t commented a lot on the obvious things that we’ve seen before that have come up again (Jack now sewing up Kate, the phrase about mistaking coincidence with fate, and you know others) but I’m wondering if there is a subtle hint there.  A hint that things are coming full circle now and perhaps will continue to circle through Lost time.  Like holding two mirrors up to each other and the reflection goes on to infinity.  So will the events, sayings, relationships and so on in this Lost universe.  Perhaps in our own lives the same thing happens if you are paying attention?

5.  Maybe Kate won’t raise Aaron.  Maybe Kate will go back for Ji Yeon.  Wouldn’t that be a fun twist?

6.  Did you text your message to ABC?  I had to use my daughter’s phone because she’s with Verizon.  I asked them to use Gitsie Girl if they used mine so here’s hoping!

7.  Sawyer should know where at least one of the wells is located.  He helped lower Locke into the well when they were time traveling.

8.  I wonder if Ben didn’t stop Des if he was going to hit him again or just drive away.  And is Ben constantly being beat up or what?  I want to feel sorry for him but boy, I just don’t.

9.  I loved having Miles back.  We needed some comic relief.

10.  I’d really love to know what Alex “said” to Miles.

11.  Ben now has all that dynamite in his backpack.  Something is going to blow.  We’ve seen an ongoing theme that everyone has good and evil in them so the question is, who or what is Ben going to end up blowing up with all of that C4?

12.  Ben checking himself out in the mirror in the nurse’s office.  Guess he’s starting to really “see” isn’t he?  So much faith starting to show up in these people!

13.  Why does Des need Locke to “let go?”  Perhaps he needs Locke to die so that when Flocke is killed it doesn’t cross over or something along those lines happening between the two timelines.  I still think that Locke is going to be key in stopping Flocke.

14.  How convenient for Des that Sayid and Kate are in cells with one another.

15.  Sawyer’s guilt just might lead him to agree to protect the island as well.  It’s a powerful motivator.

16.  Here’s an answer – Jacob can appear as himself as a kid.  Guess it explains why he was following and taunting Flocke.

17.  Good thing they showed us all that equipment in Widmore’s canoe by the dock.  The Losties are going to need that to fight Flocke and we needed to know it’s there so when they get it we know where they got it.  Make sense?

18.  Smokey didn’t kill Richard.  Richard will be back in some form as I cannot accept that quick moment was his end.  He’s been far too important to this show.

19.  Why would Ben want the island now?  Alex and all of his people are gone so what is left there for him?  I can see why he would rat out Widmore, he wants him dead.  But there is good in everyone as we saw in the new timeline.  I’m till holding out hope that Ben will help the Losties out of love for the island since he has nothing else left.

20.  How weird seeing Danielle in a dress!  And I for one like the idea of Danielle and Ben hooking up.  After their rocky relationship on the island I like the idea that Ben can legitimately be part of Alex’s life in the new timeline.

21.  I really don’t think that Flocke knows what is off the island.  He’s never been “across the sea” so outside of what people have told him he really doesn’t know.

22.  Yeah, Widmore may have told Flocke some but I have a real feeling that he didn’t tell Flocke everything.  After all, Flocke didn’t even know why he was there so how would he know if Widmore told him everything?

23.  Apparently Jacob can reveal himself when he wants to so all those years he chose not to show himself to Ben.

24.  I still think at this point Sun and Jin did die for nothing but, until I see the last 2 1/2 hours on Sunday nothing is hopeless.  There may be meaning there yet!

25.  Here comes Locke, Mr Man of Faith in the new timeline.  Reminds me of Season One where Locke was so full of faith and Jack was so full of …. science.  That certainly turned around so I guess it can in the new timeline.

26.  Jacob is the anchor that hold Flocke there.  The rules state that Flocke and Jacob can’t kill each other and apparently Flocke can’t kill the candidates.  Now that Jack has been “baptized” by Jacob is he invincible like Flocke (can’t be killed by bullets)?  And how on earth will they kill Flocke unless Des being the fail safe will “turn the key” so to speak once again.

27.  Hurley saying “I’m glad it’s not me” in reference to taking over the island makes me think even more he could take on the position.  Jack taking over is just so simple and obvious.  Unless the island is somehow destroyed by the new timeline and it ends up that none of them have to take over.  That they can all live in the new timeline happily and not so lonely.

28.  Des is pretty creepy around the Losties in the new timeline.

29.  Somewhere along the line Des convinced Hurley and then some that whatever they are doing in the new timeline is vitally important.  I love Des and Hurley working together.  He’s shown him “whatever” to the point he even recognizes Ana Lucia!  And Hurley and Sayid back together too.

30.  OK, first Flocke tells Ben that if he helps him he’ll leave and turn the island over to him.  Now he says he’s going to use Des to destroy the island.  Will this be what turns Ben around and has him end up killing Flocke to protect the island?  Ben only ha s the island left.  His people are gone and Alex is gone.  The island is the only thing that he really cares about that is still around and now Flocke wants to blow it up.

31.  And where is Vincent?  I know that we won’t get all the answers and really I’m OK with that.  But I really want to know where that damn dog is.

NOT HELL!

When Richard first said this I was saying “NO! They promised this was NOT the answer!”  And true to their word, they are not in hell.

1.  Does Richard represent us, the viewer?  He was ready to give up after thinking he was duped into devoting his life to a purpose.  Now even I don’t devote my “life” to Lost but I have given a lot of hours to the show and would be very upset if I found out it all wasn’t happening for a reason.  We are the disciples of the show, going out and spreading the word if you will.  However, I don’t think that I could be a candidate to replace Darlton.  I know that “Gitsie Girl” isn’t etched on that list.  Perhaps your name is?

2.  Clever eye opening but we’ve seen this one before.

3.  Sun is the candidate.  I want to believe that is true and the definitive  answer but we’ve all watched this show long enough to know that she may “think” she’s the candidate but in reality it’s Jin, or them both, or their daughter!

4.  Richard will know what to do next.  Like Jacob said earlier, you can’t just give people answers.  Richard has to figure out what to do next.

5.  Best line of the night when Ben tells Jack, “If it’s any consolation, it’s not exactly Locke.”

6.  Richard’s bible was turned to Luke 4;37 but looks like he was reading starting at passage 25.  I’ll get a screenshot of this.

7.  Richard’s priest in prison is like Claire’s psychic.  They are both manipulating them.  The priest won’t forgive Richard because he can sell him as a slave instead.  When given the choice of the ship versus being hung of course he’s going to chose the ship.  Both Richard and Claire were conned.  I think they blindfolded Richard so he wouldn’t see that there wasn’t a noose prepared for him at all.

8.  Mr Whitfield bought Richard.  Very close to “Widmore.”  And Magnus HANSO funded the voyage to the new land.  Guess Hanso has known about this island a very, very long time.

9.  In order for the ship to hit the statue the island must have been flooded.  In fact, they hit the head of the statue and pushed the boat inland.  Remember in the beginning of this season the island was flooded.  Guess that means the island isn’t necessarily going to stay underwater for very long.

10.  Looks like the crew members on the Black Rock contracted the same “sickness” that got Danielle’s crew and Sayid.  The Captain kills the slaves just like Danielle was killing her crew.

11.  Was that THE coolest scene when Smokey shows up at the boat the first time?

12.  Richard was “judged” by Smokey.  I guess Jacob isn’t the only one looking for a candidate.

13.  Is that a moth that flies into the Black Rock when Richard is trying to free himself?  Then it rains, giving him drinking water.  Could that be a trick Jacob uses to check things out (shape shifting) just like Smokey (well, minus the killing part)?  Plus I say moth because it reminds me of Locke’s moth story from Season One to Charlie.

14.  Boars.  Sawyer had a boar chasing him for awhile.  But ew, they were eating the dead.

15.  I think that Smokey “read” the vision of Isabella from Richard’s mind.  Seems like Smokey can only take the shape of the dead bodies that aren’t buried.  Why else would she be in the outfit he last saw her in?  The MIB sure is a good liar though.  He found what Richard “really” wanted and used that to get him on his side.  Just like he promised Sayid that he would reunite him with Nadia even though she is dead too.

16.  MIB touched Richard first.  Jacob touches him later.  Seems significant.

17.  MIB tells Richard that he is a “friend.”  Probably what he told Claire too since she says he’s her friend. MIB also tells Richard the same thing about not letting Jacob talk first.  Makes you wonder if their voice has some type of “Matrix” power that messes with their mind and what they see and/or believe.

18. Familiar line, “It’s good to see you out of those chains.”  Same thing MIB said to Richard when he saw him for the first time in Not-Locke’s body.

19.  Jacob is a bad a*s this episode.  He’s beating on Richard then “baptizes” him in the ocean.  He is much more angry then we seem him in present time.

20.  Jacob is like a vampire or I guess it would be the opposite since no one can come in his house without being invited.

21.  Now we understand why Jacob wants to keep MIB on the island, to contain the darkness that would spread.  Why does this darkness spread to some people on the island but not others?  Or, will it eventually overtake them all since it’s our nature to sin?  But Jacob boils it down to our choice.  We have the choice to do the right thing.  He shouldn’t have to force people to make the right choice.  But I have to think there is more to it than just Jacob proving to MIB that people are good and will choose wisely.

22.  And Jacob can bring people back to life as we saw when he resuscitated Locke after falling out of the window.

23.  Hurley and Richard had a very “Ghost” moment.  With the kooky sidekick telling the heartbroken lover the messages from beyond.  But I was touched.  It was a nice moment.  Nestor Carbonell was spot on tonight with his acting.  Bravo!

24.  Oh and Hurley is a terrible liar.  Isabella didn’t tell him that MIB can’t leave the island.  I think Jacob told Hurley to say that.

25.  And it’s a good thing Hurley speaks Spanish – so he could understand Isabella.

26.  And where is Vincent?

NUMBERS!

I never would have guessed that the numbers correspond to each of those on Jacob’s list.  I didn’t even expect an answer to the number question.  But I for one am more then satisfied with this answer.  And to all the naysayers that thought they made this show up as they went along, this is proof positive that the answers were there from the start.  Too many connections to the numbers not to have been a plan.  Darlton rules!

1.  What I want to know is how Locke became paralyzed in the new time line.  If his dad didn’t push him then what happened?  Was he “meant” to be paralyzed?  Is this is cross to bear in life?

2.  Ironically the sprinklers come on.  The water seems to be associated with trouble in this show.

3. Helen says that she wants to take her parents and his dad to their wedding.  Locke’s dad?  Can’t wait to see that dynamic.  His dad is the original Sawyer.  I can’t believe that his dad is not a con man in any time line.

4.  I also LOVED that we got to see from Smokey’s point of view.  I thought that was a terrific camera shot.  But, I want to know what is up with all of the noises Smokey makes.  The cricket sound, the growling and the mechanical ticking.  Plus remember when Smokey looked like he was taking pictures of Juliet and Kate?

5.  Not-Locke says that people seldom get a second chance.  Is that what this is about?  The island has given them a second chance?  We can see that their lives back home were pretty crappy in the non-crash time line.  Redemption?

6.  Randy is back.  Wow, that guy is a huge douche (like Hurley said).

7.  Hey, maybe we’ll find out where the nickname “Hurley” came from.  Or why Libby was obsessed with him.

8.  I’m glad we’re getting a Richard episode.  I want to know what Jacob did use Richard for.

9.  I’m also curious to see who the little boy that Not-Locke is chasing.  I don’t think we have enough back story yet to know who it is.  My guess is that it’s someone from long ago.  Obviously quite important to Not-Locke since he’s chasing him around like the White Rabbit.

10.  How very interesting that Sawyer could see the little boy but Richard couldn’t.

11.  Ilana has more connection to Jacob then we know yet.  She wasn’t crying over her team mates.  And collecting the ash will surely come in handy later.  She also knows a whole lot about this island.  I’m sure she’s spent some time here before.

12.  OK, I really think that Sawyer had part of the bomb at his kitchen sink.  I’ll screen cap it later.

13.  Saywer had “the best” lines this episode.  I hate what they did to his character (killing Juliet) but I love that they have brought back the slick con man from Season One.  We know there is a good guy down in there now so it’s hard not to like him.  Also, I will gamble and say that there is no way Sawyer will leave this island without at least Kate.  We know there is a good part of Sawyer down there.  No way he’ll leave.  Remember that Sawyer is a professional con man.  He could very well be playing a con on Not-Locke right now.

14.  So remember that Hurley owned a box factory in our original time line that blew up.  He made a lot of money off of it.  Guess Locke may have dodged a bullet getting fired from there.

15.  Hm, and Hurley introduces himself in the new time line as “Hugo Reyes.”  Maybe he is the only one whose life really was better without the crash.  But…. without the crash this new time line would not have happened.

16.  The little boy tells Not-Locke that according to the rules he can’t kill Jacob.  Not-Locke supposedly found a loop hole.  But did he?  Or, is the boy telling Not-Locke that he can’t kill Saywer?  He only says “you can’t kill HIM.”  So the little boy may very well be Jacob.

17.  Ben had said before that Widmore wanted to kill everyone on the island.  That if the freighter got there that they would kill everyone on the island.  Now Richard tells Sawyer that Not-Locke is going to kill everyone.  Coincidence?

18.  It’s pretty cool that Rose is working for Hurley.  She’s still the calm voice of reason.  And she still has her cancer.  Guess she’s about the same in both time lines.

19.  There is the possibility that Not-Locke is trapped much like Juliet felt trapped on the island.

20.  Ilana says that Not-Locke cannot change his face again, “he’s stuck this way.”  Guess burying Locke’s body was a good idea since he won’t be coming back then.

21.  This burial reminded me of the ones in the past.  No one had anything to say.  I was very shocked that Ben admitted to murdering him.  Right now Ben has to be so lost.  He’s not the leader, he doesn’t have Jacob to follow and his “family” is dead.

22.  The irony of the title of this episode.  Locke is the substitute in two ways.  Not-Locke and the substitute teacher.  Looks like this teaching job Rose found him will prove to be very meaningful in his new time line life.  And meeting Ben!  Wow, Ben was grouchy too!  Maybe because he’s teaching European history.

23.  Locke’s life has to be somewhat different back home.  He’s still engaged to Helen and she didn’t leave him.  He must have done some things right.  but, was interested that he lied to Jack about going on the walkabout. But he’s not as much of a man of faith, more like a good faker.

24.  Did you notice that Helen’s shirt said “Peace and Karma?”

25.  Now that Locke and Sawyer are down the ladders how on earth are they getting back up?  Not-Locke had to save Sawyer for now.  He must need him alive…. for now.  Maybe has something to do with his name on that cave wall?

26.  Three choices – do nothing, stay and “protect” the island, or leave.

27.  What answers is Sawyer looking for?  Does he even know?

28.  4- Locke, 8- Reyes , 15-Ford , 16-Jarrah, 23- Shephard, 42-Kwon (he didn’t know if it was Sun or Jin).

29.  Where was Kate on the list?  What do the numbers signify?  Why are the candidates to the be the leader?  What makes them qualified?  And what about Vincent?

30.  In the preview for next week I heard Ben’s voice stating that “someone is coming.”  I’m thinking that Desmond is coming.  He’s coming back.  He’s special, as Daniel pointed out.

32.  I’m expecting Walt to show up at the school where Locke is teaching.

You must watch this YouTube video.  This guy is amazing with his “Lost” software how he explains the two parallel time lines exist.  Then there is this “deleted scene” from Season Five where Faraday also explains the split in time.

So, we can see how the island is underwater in the “new” 2004 airplane scene.  How?  In 1977 Juliet detonated the bomb.  The whole thing was gone and sunk the island (no, I don’t know how but come on, Locke turns into smoke so it’s possible here).  Butterfly affect comes into play.  Widmore has no reason to want to get back to the island (it’s underwater and everyone there is dead).  Desmond never sets sail on his around the world trip and lands on the island.  Ben and the Others back on the island never travel back and forth doing who knows what back on land.  Juliet never goes to the island.  Leonard would have never been chanting the numbers in the asylum for Hurley to use (yes, I know Hurley still won the lottery so it goes along with the theory that what must happen will happen).

In Season One people’s paths were crossing and it was fun to spot them but in Season Six their crossing paths now has a whole new significance.

If we believe the time line of Vaughn (the first video I linked) then the the two (or more) time lines will never cross.  But if we listen to Faraday he doesn’t say they will cross either but he does reiterate that whatever happened, happened.  On a side note, he says that he spent the 3 years back home recreating his all of his work back in Ann Arbor (if you recall that is where the DeGroots  founded the Dharma Initiative) so in this alternative time line they have access to all of Faraday’s work.  I can’t imagine what they might do with it in this alternative time line.

And let’s agree that Not-Locke was correct when he called their lives “pathetic” back home.  As we can see from this first episode, they are no better off with the plane not crashing.  Kate was better the original way because she didn’t have to go to prison and could stop running.

1.  Remember right after Faraday talks to Desmond about finding his mother Desmond wakes up with Penny and suddenly “remembers” the conversation?  When we first see Jack on the new plane he looks for a minute like he’s disoriented. I wonder if something similar happened to Jack in that we see him only moments in time after Juliet detonates the bomb.  Hopefully you understand what I meant here.  Not that she changed Jack’s present but it’s happening on two different plains of time simultaneously.

2.  I don’t know if they were serious, but Darlton were recently on Jimmy Kimmel and indicated that the fact that the stewardess only gave Jack one drink instead of two was significant.  But they joke a lot.  Time will be the judge.

3.  Darlton also told Kimmel that Rose being the confident flier while Jack was frightened has significance.  I think it’s cute that Rose tells Bernard she missed him while he was in the bathroom.  Or is there more to this as well.

4.  How is it that Jack doesn’t remember cutting himself?  And I love the scene here of Jack looking at himself in the mirror.  Symbolic of the time lines.

5.  If my theory is right then Jack would have never met Desmond in the stadium because Des would not have been preparing for his big sailing trip.  Ever had dejavu?  Jack is having it right here. Makes me wonder what my dejavu means.  Hm…

6.  Underwater shots.  Here you go!  Dharma security, Dharma houses, the swing set and even the Dharma shark!

7.  One thing has stayed the same, opening the scene with an eye.  But I have a hard time believing Kate could get her hands on false eyelashes.  Maybe she took them out of Claire’s bag.  Remember how Claire always had makeup on?

8.  If Artz is asking Hurley to site lines from his Clucky commercial, then these teasers this summer really meant something; Clucky Commercial, Kate on America’s Most Wanted.

9. I still want to know how the Dharma van traveled with them through time.

10.  Shouldn’t Rose and Bernard be in the current time with Jack and everyone?  And are we going to see Vincent again soon?

11.  Michael Emerson must be as excited at Terry O’Quinn for this season.  Ben is now tied with Not-Locke and way far away from being any kind of leader.  So his role and Not-Locke’s roll are going to reverse.  I can’t wait to see how these two guys embrace these characters.  You can see already the desperation in Ben’s face.  But he always has a plan, right?  Maybe Ben will be the one that saves them all.  That would be ironic.

12.  On a side note, are we going to find out anything about the “real” Henry Gale?

13.  Here’s the shot of Not-Locke sitting in the old rocking chair.  Looks like the chair from the cabin.

14.  Wow, Not-Locke can repel bullets too.

15.  Ash ring repels Smokey.  This makes me wonder who exactly was in the cabin.  We saw in the pilot episode (Season One) that the trees were being parted and the sounds of Smokey.  But I also thought for awhile that Jacob had Smokey trapped in the cabin.  Now I think that it really was Jacob in the cabin as it was surrounded by Ash.  I think it was Locke who ended up breaking that ring and that is when Jacob retreated to the foot.

16.  Locke had to die so that Smokey could take over his body.  But there is more to Locke then just a vessel.  Smokey also took over Eko’s brother, Christian and Ana Lucia so if that’s is all he needed then he could have killed Jacob before.  He needed a true believer, like Locke.  I wonder if Jacob also had Locke in mind for his own use?  Remember how Richard came to him as boy with his “test” that Locke failed?  They came to him again in high school.

17.  I think we are going to hear the Juliet- coffee line again with Sawyer.  I’ve said previously that I think she’s “mind” traveling between the time lines and that is how she knows the plan worked.  Elizabeth Mitchell did say that she has more then one scene in Season Six.  How the survivors will come to believe it is the next question.  Maybe Juliet will somehow retain her memory from the island in the new time line.  Maybe that is how Mrs. Hawkings knew to tell Desmond that he “had” to go to the island – she remembered or “mind traveled.”

18.  Yeah Charlie!  I really hope they bring him back more for this season.  Charlie and Hurley were good friends so I can hope.

19.  Looks like it’s still 2004 according to Sayid’s passport.

20.  Guess we might find out why this watch was so vitally important to Jin.  But all the money they find in his luggage makes me think that perhaps Jin was the one thinking of leaving Sun in this alternative world.

21.  I don’t think that we discuss enough what a great job Josh Holloway does with his role as Sawyer either.  We know what a great looking buy he is and to come onscreen with matted hair and all covered in dirt and blood, well he still looks good.  But I think he’s really brought something extra to Sawyer last season and so far this season.  I can’t wait to see how much he does this season too with the grief that Sawyer is going to be carrying.

22.  I’m thinking that although the island is underwater in the new time line, someone (whether it be Jacob or Not-Locke) needed that body and that is where Christian is.  I’m sure he’ll be popping up this season.

23.  Nice of Kate to walk away with the torch right as Jin and Jack are going around the huge, gaping hole.  But then she hears the whispers.  I know that it appears that it’s the new Others but I’m not 100% sure of this.  I could believe that they are talking in the cavern and the whispers echo, but it doesn’t explain how they traveled out in the jungle when the survivors heard them back in Season One.  I’m hoping there is a little more clarity coming.  Maybe all of the new Others at the Temple are dead or something like what Richard is?  Afterall, they do have a ragtag group of people – ranging from a hippie to a Japanese Samurai dude.

24. More red flowers!

25.  Here is the description of the new guy “Lennon” when they were looking to cast him.  “According to the casting breakdown, Lennon is the scruffy, edgy and charismatic spokesperson and translator for the president of a foreign corporation who is far more powerful than it seems from his position.”  Is the samurai guy president of a company back home?  Did they change their minds about his role?

26.  Jack didn’t care to know what the “risks” of putting Sayid in the water were because he’s not 100% a man of faith yet.  Jack just thinks Sayid is all but dead anyway.

27.  Non-Locke says he wants the one thing that Locke didn’t – to go home.  Why does that have to mean off of the island?  I think that the reason that the Temple Others got so upset knowing Jacob was dead was because the Temple is his “home.”  And I would guess that he can do very bad things from “home” especially considering that they have the magic water at the Temple.

28.  Jack tells Locke that nothing is irreversible.  What if Locke does go to Jack and have his back fixed?  Could Locke being fixed in this time line explain and carry over to another time line?  Could it explain how Locke suddenly has the ability to walk once he’s on the island?  I’m sure there is a subtle meaning to the line also but thought maybe there was a literal meaning as well.

29.  Here’s a shot of Jack’s card, in case it means something later.

30.  Right after Not-Locke knocks out Richard he says “I’m very disappointed in all of you.”  Huh, why?  the he slings Richard over his shoulder like an old boar.  Maybe he’s going to hold him ransom to get inside the Temple?

31.  I originally thought that Sayid was taken over by Jacob.  But when asked, Darlton would only say that “something” is inhabiting Sayid.  What are the possibilities?  We may not know yet.  After all, who could have ever dreamed that there would be a freighter appear or that only 6 would get home then come back.  But I would still prefer that it’s Jacob.

Faraday said that they could not change fate.  Charlie is supposed to die.  Mrs Hawkins explained course correction.  Their destiny called from the island.  Their destiny will still have it’s way.  Kate will keep running.  Sawyer keeps conning.  But Not-Locke put it best when he said to Ben that the survivors don’t even realize how pitiful their lives are back home.  Guess we are seeing that.  Will like to see how this destiny fixes itself.

I think we are dealing with two time lines running parallel to each other.  Jack did change history but I think that the two time lines are going to intersect at some point.  Thus proving Faraday’s theory that you cannot change your destiny.

1.  You could see right away that the plane ride was different.  The stewardess only handed Jack one bottle of vodka and in the original she handed him two.  Boone was without Shannon.  Claire must have changed her mind about adopting Aaron.  Charlie didn’t run past Jack to the bathroom. The cops didn’t take Kate, they took Charlie.  (and btw, YEAH CHARLIE!!!).  But these things would not have been different because Jack / Juliet set the bomb off.  And the island was underwater which Jack could not have changed with the bomb.

2.  Desmond.  Where are thou Desmond?  What was that all about? But omg he looked good!

3.  I need to screen cap but I swear that was a Dharma shark.  Graphics were pretty bad though.  And the foot was there so history wasn’t completely changed.

4.  Kate’s eye opens.  And she’s in a tree.  Cool!

5.  So at first I was pretty upset that they just didn’t leave Juliet where we last saw her.  Then I remembered an interview with Elizabeth Mitchell where she stated she came back as Juliet because her role was pivotal to the season.  She tells Miles that “it worked.”  Of course no one will think to question him further on this but this is a huge clue to what is going on with the alter-universe of their lives that we are seeing.  She also talks to Sawyer about going for coffee, dutch.  Was she traveling to the other time line?  Is she in some state like Faraday had Eloise (the rat)?  Traveling back and forth in her mind?

6.  So back on the plane Hurley tells Sawyer that “nothing bad” ever happens to him.  Back with the original Hurley only bad things happened.  He thought he was cursed!

7.  Like Ben, I also want to know why Jacob didn’t fight back?  Unless he knows that like the survivors back on the plane, you cannot change your destiny so he gives in to it.  Plus, can he possibly take over Sayid’s body?  Is that why he wanted Sayid at the temple so badly?  Is Sayid now Jacob?  Oooo, Locke versus Sayid?  Show down!

8.  I wasn’t sure if it was on purpose, but I remember in the Pilot Boone really wants to get a pen to help save Rose.  When Jack is trying to save Charlie on the plane he asks for a pen.  I found it amusing.

9.  So with Rose back home is she now going to die of cancer?

10.  Why did the Dharma van travel forward in time but nothing else tangible did?

11.  Wow, Jack is really going to be screwed up in his head with all these people dying on his watch.  We’ll have angry Sawyer, depressed Jack and not-Locke.  What a trio!

12.  Now we know why Locke was the only one old Smokey didn’t kill.  He looked inside and what Smokey saw was what he wanted.  He needed to keep Locke alive to take over his body.

13.  Did you notice Not-Locke sitting in the old rocking chair?  Just like the old rocking chair in the cabin.

14.  So where did Desmond disappear to on the plane?

15.  Sayid told us not to mistake coincidence for fate.  It’s no coincidence that Christian Shepherd’s body isn’t on that plane.

16.  Remember last season when Hurley told Sayid that he was going to have a time that he needed help and that he wouldn’t help him?  Guess he changed his mind because twice Hurley literally saved his life.

17.  And was Hurley hilarious tonight or what?

18.  Kate heard the whispers in the temple.  Then we see the Others in the temple.  Not sure I know what the significance of the whispers in the jungle were if it’s just these people.  I’m hoping there is more explanation to come.

19.  I’m worried about Hurley running around in that red shirt.  There was a problem in the past with people wearing red and then dying.

20.  I like how they “baptized” Sayid in the temple.  I think the Japanese guy knew exactly what they were doing in the water.  He knew that Sayid wasn’t going to die.  And we know from the past that bodies left out and not buried seem to be resurrected.

21.  Another question – who is this Japanese dude?  Will be interested to hear his story.

22.  Locke broke the circle of ash around Jacob’s shack last season.  Guess he must have let Not-Locke in at that moment.  I will have to come back o the significance of the ash.  Also, the guy in the temple was OK until he stepped out of the ash.

23.  Claire either was on the plane or lives in LA.  She was in the cab with Kate.

24.  Jack also had a pivitol line to Locke, “nothing’s irreversable.”  Interesting.

25.  Why didn’t Richard want them to shoot Locke?    Looks like Richard knows Not-Locke from way back.  I’m thinking Black Rock history?

26.  Is Terry O’Quinn the best actor ever?  He really gets to exercise his acting chops this season!  I love it!

27.  Where is Vincent?

28.  The bullet hit Non-Locke but seemed to bend (didn’t go straight through him).  What exactly is this guy?

29.  My hope is that this is the last of the Saywer and Kate love affair (with his grief over Juliet).

30.  On a limb here – MAYBE the plane didn’t crash because the circumstances weren’t right.  Last season they had to recreate the flight as close to the original in order to crash on the island again.  If Jack’s dad’s body wasn’t on the plane then maybe they couldn’t crash?

I have to go back and watch again.  Come back in a few days for more thoughts and screencaps!  Welcome back, looks like we’ve hit the ground running.

Wow. Now *THAT* is how you do a season finale.

So bittersweet.  Two hours of amazing tv but now the season is over for another 9 months.

1.  Why the big fancy metal box to carry around Locke’s dead body?  Whatever / Whoever has taken over Locke apparently doesn’t need the corpse to take his form.  Unless there is a twin out there of Locke.  I hate that it’s not Locke though.  I thought this guy had finally found his mojo but turns out he’s the man in black.

2.  I can’t help to think again to Stephen King and the bad guy he has running around (Randal Flagg, Walter, whatever you want to call him).  I’m thinking it’s the same “bad guy” concept that has a hold of Locke’s body and I also think it’s the same guy from the opening scene that wants to kill Jacob.

3.  We are back to our black and white theme.  Very first scene, Jacob has on white, the other guy has on black.

4.  I really want to stew on my thoughts of that opening scene.  If you’ve seen the 80’s movie “Clash of the Titans” then you’ll remember the scenes where the “gods” were moving the people around.  It almost reminds me of the opening scene.  It’s like Jacob brings people to the island out of some “power” he has.  I think maybe he is hoping that on one of the boats / planes that crashes someone will kill him and end the seemingly endless loop of events.  According to the man in black, they come, they fight but it always ends the same.

5.  Jacob seems like such a kind man.  He goes to each one of our Losties at an important moment of their life and is so gentle.  Except with Locke he actually brings him back to life after he falls out of the tree.  But, Jacob goes to each of the survivors which surely means there is a larger purpose for them.  And when they crash on the island Jacob makes the list of who he wants from the survivors.

6.  Jacob must want Sawyer to finish the letter.  He gives him a pen.

7.  Should Jack really be carrying the inner part of the bomb around on his back?

8.  I think that Richard is suspicious of the *new* Locke.  He keeps staring at him (or so Locke keeps pointing out) and even says he’s different.  But Jack tells Richard that he shouldn’t give up on Locke so I think that Richard might be second guessing his suspicions.

9.  So Eloise is their leader.  Richard says so when he makes Jack and Sayid go ahead of him through the Dharma houses.

10.  I’m not clear on what Frank might be a “candidate” for according to Ilana.  Guess we’ll have to wait until next year to see.  Maybe a new *body* for Jacob to inhabit?

11.   Hurley is a rock star in that van.  How many times can he be a hero driving that thing into dangerous situations.

12.  I love Rose and Bernard.  I truly hope that they leave those two exactly where they are.  Give someone some happiness people!!!

13.  “It’s always something with you people.”  I agree with Rose.  They can’t just sit still and live a calm life, they are always shooting at someone.  But I guess it would make for one boring show if they didn’t.

14.  Ilana has her face wrapped and all we see is her eye.  We haven’t had an eye opening for awhile.  When Jacob comes to her in the hospital she obviously knows him.  What must he ask for her help with?  I’m thinking it’s to stop the man in black from whatever evil he’s spreading.  Maybe she is one of the good guys.

15.  AND, if Jacob wasn’t the one in the cabin then there are some people on the island who have been talking to the evil / black spirit on the island.  And, Claire was in the cabin so she is somehow involved with him.

16.  Book that Jacob is reading, Flannery O’Conner “Everything That Rises Must Converge.”

17.   The first time that Ben took Locke to the cabin the man in the black shirt is the one who asked Locke to help him.  I don’t think that Jacob was there at all.  And I think Richard knew that.

18.  I was sad when Sun found Charlie’s ring in the baby cradle.  Made me miss Charlie for one and for another I missed the old, more simple days of the show.  Charlie gave his life so that Claire and Aaron can leave the island and I still think that we will see that happen.

19.  Maybe Jacob going to all the important events was like Dan going to Charlotte as a little girl.  He’s trying to subtly influence their behavior and thus change the course of events and therefore breaking the loop.

20.  I think it’s cute that Jacob is the little old lady who lived in a shoe.

21.  I thought that it was going to be Jacob that actually put the woman back together during Jack’s surgery.  Such a poignant moment in his life that I’m glad Jacob didn’t heal her.  But, we can see that both Jack and Jacob like Apollo bars.  I’m not clear yet on what his role was in that scene.

22.  Sawyer is 100% right, a man does what he does because he wants something.  But, I don’t think that Jack is trying to change the future because of Kate alone.  I think it’s all of his regrets collectively that he wants to change.

23.  The Jack and Sawyer fist fight was five seasons coming.  I think they needed to have it out once and for all.

24.  Juliette learned early about being in love but not being with that person that you love.  The scene with her as a little girl was a wee bit cheesy though.

25.  Jacob wanted Hurley to have Charlie’s guitar.  But I love that out of everyone, he only straight talks Hurley.  And he also reassures Hurley that he’s not crazy but rather that he’s blessed because he has the ability to talk to his dead friends.

26.  Sayid will live.  Killing of Juliet (as I thought she would be) was the sacrifice for the season.  They can’t also take him away from us.  They just can’t!

27.  I don’t think that the man in Locke has the capability of killing Jacob.  Having Ben do it is the loop hole he had been looking for.  But I’m also not convinced that Jacob didn’t want to die.  He doesn’t do anything to make Ben feel better about not seeing him all those years.

28.  Notice the black and white shadows on Locke and Jacob’s faces in Jacob’s foot/house?  Ben doesn’t have the shadows but the two of them do.  Will have to screen cap.

29.  Yeah Miles!  Finally pointing out what we’ve been thinking.  That the Losties are actually causing the event that they think they are preventing.

30.  So the scene at the Swan construction site was crazy intense, once the bomb actually went off that is.  Like when Locke first let the numbers run out and all the metal started coming.  Miles saving his dad.  And of course the Juliet in the tunnel scene.  OMG, heart wrenching!  I was very teary eyed in that scene.  You can also believe that Locke is not going to take losing her well.  If he was bad before then he’s going to be totally off the charts now.  I can see him blaming Kate and Jack for her death since he seems to think that they had a very happy life until they came back.

31.  Yes, Juliet waking up at the bottom of the tunnel was unrealistic but if the island wasn’t done with her then it makes sense that she lived in order to set the bomb off.

32.  Anyone able to translate what Richard says lies in the shadow of the statue?

34.  I really hate that it’s not *our* Locke running around the island.

35.  Jacob says “They’re Coming.”  I think that he means the O6.  They *were* meant to come back and I think it’s to stop the dark man that has taken over Locke.  That is their purpose.

36.  Elizabeth Mitchell has to be beyond pleased with the way they wrote her character off of the show.  Sure, it sucks that she’s gone but if you are going to go, THAT is the way to do it!

37.  I also was moved with the flash that Lost’s final season is next year.  What!  Can it be true?  I knew that was coming as well but it’s going to be such a bittersweet season.

I liked tonight’s episode but to me it felt like a device to just get us from point A to point B.  Not a lot really happened, but it got us on track for big things to come.  No big surprise that Ben came to Sayid (well, to Sayid it was a surprise) but I’m sure there are really big things to come in that story line.

1.  Why didn’t Sun flash with the other Losties?  I suspect Ben had something to do with that but not sure how he did it yet.

2.  Having Sun in the future and Jin in the past is the perfect way to set them up to do whatever it takes to reunite.  We’ve seen the kinds of things that Jin did when he worked for Sun’s father so it doesn’t seem above him to do bad things when needed.  I’m assuming that Ben and Co. set it up that way because they will need Sun and Jin’s help to reunite all of the Losties.  Like players in a chess game.

3. We can see Sawyer start losing control when Jin takes off to look for Sun and the plane crash.  He seems to have done a good job regaining control of his life as part of the DI, now these 3 show up and start shaking the foundation.

4.  Back a few seasons ago I thought it was going to be Locke’s group versus Jack’s group.  Now I’m wondering if it’s going to end up being Sawyer versus Jack.  Sawyer considers DI his people now and I don’t think he’ll leave easily knowing about the purge.

5.  Interesting to see Radzinksy building the hatch.  Will need to get a screen cap of that.   I’m also very curious how he ends up *trapped* in the hatch.  I’m guessing his fate along with the “quarantine” signs on the hatch doors go along with the *incident* which probably involves the Losties and how they return to current time.

6.  Ben had no intention of going back to the big island.  He totally set up Sun.

7.   Ha!  Jack was tapping on his watch.  They said way back in Season One that watches didn’t work on the island so I wondered why everyone was wearing them.

8.  Jack was looking pretty fine in that tight blue shirt.

9.  And why was Frank still wearing his tie?  He’s just been through a horrific plane crash and he still wears a tie?  What’s up with these people?

10.  Speaking of ties…. will be very interested to see where Daniel has taken off to.  I’m sure they will need him in order to reunite with the present Losties.

11. Jack is a janitor.  Cute that Sawyer set that job up for him.

12.  Locke hasn’t shown up yet on the beach.  It must take some time to wake up the dead.
13. If Sun and Frank are in current time then why is Otherville in such bad shape?  When they left they had still been living there and everything was in good order. However, I remember the first time we saw Otherville and it appeared to be in the the middle of a large crater surrounded by jungle.  *This* Otherville may be something like Jacob’s cabin that appears and disappears.

14.  Sounded like Old Smokey in the trees before Sun and Frank hit the barracks, too.
15.  Why did Radzinsky care so much that a hostile saw the plans for the hatch and where they were building it?

16.  The Whispers are back! And was that not the creepiest image of Christian when he first appeared in the door?

17.   Wow, Sawyer really gives it to Jack straight about how Jack just reacted rather than thinking.  It seemed pretty mean but I can’t say that Sawyer was wrong.  Now, we just have to hope that Jack doesn’t go and mess up whatever Sawyer has planned.

18.  A friend of mine asked a good question – how is it that a newbie on the island gets to bring a prisoner a sandwich?  Ben could not have been there before because Sawyer would have known.  And I want to know how Juliet didn’t notice Ben’s name on the list from the sub.

19. Vincent, where is he??  And Rose and Bernard- do we assume they are dead?

Thanks everyone for your excellent comments.  I’m writing my initial thoughts around 11:00 at night which is late for me since I have to get up early for work the next day (no, sadly my work does not revolve around Lost).  So thanks again to everyone for your thoughts, comments, and additions to my blog every week, especially the initial late night thoughts.

1.  We know from past dialog that there is going to be an “incident” that changes things on the island (like fertility presumably).  I originally thought that Jughead was going to start to leak, but I’m now wondering if the Losties have to do some crazy donkey wheel turning event to propel themselves back into the present time.  My guess is that it’s before the big DI purge as by leaving that will give the Losties a whole new sense of guilt for not staying to help.  I’m also guessing that Daniel is going to have to convince them that they can’t change the past and therefore the Losties cannot interfere with the purge.  I can see this being especially hard for Sawyer as he is their head of security and from the looks of things he really cares about these people (like begging Juliet to help Amy deliver the baby).

2.  I think that the O6 had to come back because each has a specific role that they will play and they must be there for the course of events to happen.  Course correction.  Do we know what that is yet?  I don’t think so.  In an interview awhile back Darlton said we wouldn’t find out until late Season 5 into Season 6 why they had to come back.  In the meantime, I’ll sit back and enjoy watching Sawyer’s evolution (go home Kate!  He’s doing great!)

3.  It must have been very strange for whoever found the rope just sticking out of the ground.  Could this have possibly been what lead someone to dig the well, find the cavern and eventually to digging the Orchid Station?
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4.  The giant statue is holding a giant Ankh.  Coincidence?  It’s the same symbol that was on Paul’s necklace
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5.  I’ll tell you why I think the turning of the donkey wheel caused the statue to crash.  After the flash Miles says that “that one was more like an earthquake.”  Unless anyone has a better explanation, I’m thinking that an earthquake would be a reasonable explanation for a statue going down.

6.   For any doubters, the spelling for this episode is “LaFleur.”  I’ve heard some chatter about this and maybe there are alternatives, but for us this is the correct spelling.
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7.  I’m curious how they buried the bodies of the hostiles so quickly.  They don’t have shovels.  The logistics of it doesn’t make sense.

8.  I think Mr Friendly may have been trying to call a truce with the Losties back in Season Two where they meet up with Locke and company out in the woods.  Mr Friendly says that it’s their island and they allow them to stay there (I remember thinking at the time that they should just let them go home then…).  Part of the problem with that truce is that the Losties refused to stay put and were always traipsing around the island.

9. OK so the “Internest” says that the mothers always give birth on the mainland.  The possibilities are that there have been problems giving birth or that these peace loving hippies have enough common sense to get their people proper health care.  Either way, it’s a good thing for Amy that Juliet was there.

10.  I wonder if who the baby is even matters.  But, if it does then I think it would have to be one of the male characters in his 30’s.  That would be Jack, Sawyer, Ben or Desmond.  It’s not Ben because we were witness to his birth.  My guess would be either Jack or more likely Desmond since we know he is “special.”  Plus, we really know nothing about Desmond’s parents.

11.  I can also see why Richard would specifically recruit Juliet back to the island as she may be the last person who delivered a baby on the island.

12.  Look how cute Sawyer looks when he’s all happy and stuff.  Yes!  I like this version!
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13.  OK, so Sawyer does say that they were looking for the Black Rock, not on it.  But has Horace really not heard of the boat?  He seems to know later on when he brings back the dynamite.

14.  How can the little girl Daniel sees be Charlotte?  They are in 1974 and it was said earlier on that she was born in 1979.  The only reason I can think of is that in her mother’s effort to cover their tracks and change her identity post-island was to also change her DOB so that no one would know that it was her.
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15.  I’m thinking that Sawyer’s revelations to Richard about who he was and talking about Locke is what turns Richard around and has him send for Locke (remember the “science camp” that they tried to recruit “high school Locke” to go to?).  If Locke “failed” the test when he was a young boy Richard may have been doubting that Locke was special.  Then along comes Sawyer and restores his faith in Locke.
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16. Looks like things have also changed for Juliet.  When we first met her she was burning muffins that she tried to make for the book club.  Now she’s making Sawyer a big meal.
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17.  Didn’t Patchy say that he was one of the last remaining DI?  He even still wore the jumper.  We haven’t seen him yet.  Will be curious if they bring him into the story.

18.   I wonder where Jin called Sawyer from?  He only had a walkie and no cell phones.
19.  I’m thinking that Sawyer will have to say that Jack and co. are his long lost ship mates.   Hurely might be hard to explain as he kind of sticks out.  And where the heck are Rose and Bernard… and Vincent!

Watching the episode back, I wonder how much of the “life” we saw of Jeremy Bentham.  There has to be more we haven’t seen yet.  Maybe Locke in whatever form he’s in now, travels back to the mainland because I can’t believe that the chinsy little visits he paid the O6 (well, four at least) were enough to get them back to the island.  Especially seeing how distraught Jack was with the obituary.  And wanting to jump off of the bridge after seeing Locke just for that brief moment in the hospital?

1.My money is on Widmore, that he sent Cesar to the island on the plane.  The guys works his way around that office very purposeful and finds the maps of the island.  He also seems to find the gun easily so I don’t think it’s a far stretch to assume he has specific orders of his purpose there.
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2.  Here are some screenshots of the Life Magazine Cesar leafs through, but I’m not convinced it’s not just a red herring.           Click to enlarge

3.Frank is pretty amazing that he could land the plane on the island without crashing.  It’s not like the put lights on the runway or anything.
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4.  I wonder if Locke noticed that he wasn’t wearing his own shoes?
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5.It’s odd to me that Locke doesn’t have any marks on his neck.  One would think he’d have bruising after being strangled with an extension cord.
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6.  Under the category of “don’t ask unless your prepared for the answer” is Ilana asking Locke to guess why he was dressed so nice.  And gotta love him for being honest.

7.   Not that it matters to the story line, but keeping with the theme is the shot of Locke’s eyes when he wakes up after turning the donkey wheel.
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8. I still think the scene of the Tunisian’s taking Locke from the desert, to the hospital and treating him resembles birth.  I can imagine that a baby must feel a similar fear.

9.  Here is a shot of the Tunisian license plate:
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10.  So Widmore says he was the leader of the Others until Ben has him exiled.  At what point would Ben have done this?  If it was before the purge then it would have been during the Dharma days and Widmore would have been very young.  Or it would have been after the purge which means that Widmore was not part of DI.  Or, he was part of DI and helped to orchestrate the purge and after that time is when Ben had him exiled.  I’m sure that there is a woman involved here too.  We have seen how possessive Ben is over women.

11.  Someone on the island must be reporting back to Widmore.  How else would he know that Ben tried to kill Locke?

12.  I also want to know why the island needs Locke to be the leader.  Widmore says that it has needed him for awhile.  So does this mean that Widmore doesn’t even want to go there?  If he was the leader before Ben had him exiled, then he’s saying he no longer wants to lead but to have Locke go back and do the job?  This isn’t adding up yet for me.

13.  I was expecting so much more from the Locke and Walt reunion.  Agreed, Walt isn’t surprised to see Locke.  They seemed to have such a bond on the island.  Now he just chats for 30 seconds and then takes off.  I have my fingers crossed that this relationship will transpire to much more back on the island.  Walt is special just like Locke so I would hope that the writers will give some sort of ending to Walt’s story.  I’d love to see Walt and Locke living like father and son.  They are both orphans.  And Walt didn’t even ask what ever happened to Vincent!  I would ask.  This was just a very fulfilling scene.
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14.  If Mr. Creepy Eyes helps people get to where they need to go, then where was he trying to help Hurley get to when he wanted to send him to his own private room?  Would they have sent him back to the island at that point?  I don’t think he approached the rest of the six so what makes Hurley special?

15.  If Helen died of a brain aneurysm, could it be the same kind of “aneurysm” that killed Charlotte or is it just a coincidence?  Out of all the ways she could have died, it had to be something suspiciously close to the after affects of time travel.  I would like to hope that Helen is actually alive, but somehow I suspect she is dead because it moves Locke even more back to the island, that he has absolutely nothing left back at home.
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16.  So maybe I can see why Jack was so upset if he really thinks that Locke killed himself.  Jack seems to transfer his own feelings of inferiority and loneliness onto Locke when he sees him in the hospital.  Jack tells Locke that he’s nothing special, that he’s nothing more than a lonely old man.  Jack probably thinks that he somehow lead Locke to kill himself.  Then he starts to wonder if Locke is right, that maybe he should go back to the island.  Jack was special in his own way on the island, too.  And, Jack promised not to leave anyone behind so I can see how the guilt starts to really sink in with Jack.

17.  Now I wonder if Ben had something to do with Christian’s death also.  Christian did hire Ana Lucia to be his body guard when he went to Australia.  Perhaps he had been told that he would have to die in order to go back to the island.

18.   I was trying to get a screen shot of the white board in Locke’s hospital room but in reading it, I happened to notice in the bottom of the screen that Locke’s foot looks like it only has four toes!  I know that the smallest piggy is hiding there, but what a funny coincidence to the mysterious four toed statue on the island.
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19.  Haha, I’m watching the next scene and here are the four toes again.  I think it’s just funny more than meaningful.
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20.  So I think that Ben was the doubting Thomas, not Jack.  Ben started to doubt that Locke had to die to save the island until he starts talking about Eloise then he knows that it’s true and that is why he changes his mind about Locke’s death and kills him.
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21.  Is it possible that the moment when Locke turned the donkey wheel, that was the exact moment that the plane was directly over the island?  That could be the flash that brought them back to the island.  That would also explain how Kate and the others end up back in time with the Losties on the island (except for Sun – but we have to have a big set up for when she reunites with Jin so her story can’t be easy).  Maybe this is also how it’s possible for Locke to still be alive.  His dead body didn’t come back to life in as much as his spirit or whatever from the donkey wheel body transfers to the corpse on the plane.  I know it’s a weak theory but I’m sure it could be *fleshed* out and work since it all happened at that exact moment.