sammi says

Here are my final thoughts on the series finale of "Lost."

What happened on the island happened. Oceanic 815 crashed on September 22, 2004. Some survivors stayed on the island, some left and some even came back. Jacob, the smoke monster, the Dharma Initiative and the time travel were all real. Jack died on the island, Hurley and Ben stayed to protect it and the others flew away on Ajira 316. That much I can say with certainty.

The alternate reality or flash sideways world is where things start to get tricky. I really do believe that the creators wanted to leave this up to our own interpretation. I believe Christian Shepard explains it all. He tells Jack that he and all the others in the church are very real. Alive, not so much...Real, yes.



We were assuming that the sideways timeline was taking place in September 2004 after Oceanic 815 landed safely. Yet, Christian explains that there is no now. They are in a world that transcends time. Once Jack realizes that he's dead Christian explains that these people all died at different times, some before Jack, some long after Jack. Life went on for the remaining survivors after Jack died on the island. When Hurley greets Ben outside the church he says, "You were a great number two." Ben tells Hurley he was a great leader. This leads me to believe that Hurley and Ben stayed on the island for some time and share a history together after Jack's death. When Kate kisses Jack and is trying to make him realize what is going on, she tells him how much she missed him. She misses him because she had to live the rest of her life without him after she left the island.

Now onto the plot in the sideways world leading up to the church scene. Why were they all back in that time? Why were the meeting up with each other. If they all died at different times how come they look the same age? Christian tells Jack that the time they spent on the island was the most important time in their lives. These were the people that mattered most. So in death, they still needed each other to let go and move on.

All these people were brought back to this time in their lives because it dealt with the ultimate "what ifs." What if Oceanic 815 had never crashed? What if Ben was never brought to the island as a child? What if Alex grew up with her mother? What if Sawyer became a cop instead of a con-man? What if Desmond had not met Penny? In the alternate reality the characters were still dealing with the choices they made and similar situations that led them to the island in the first place...like Jack dealing with the death of his father.

Which brings me to this point...Jack's son was not real. After Locke wakes up from surgery, wiggles his toes and has his 'awakening' he even tells Jack, "You don't have a son." Jack and his son's relationship represents the relationship Jack had with his father. Which is ultimately the most important relationship Jack had in his whole life. Jack worked things out with David, which gave him a better understanding of what went wrong between he and Christian. Jack needed to do that to be able to move on to his afterlife. Christian had to wait for Jack, too.

The entire series has been about the big questions...Life, death, fate, destiny...So it's not surprising to me that the end of the show took a more spiritual route than some maybe were hoping for. When you think about it, how else could they have ended the show and wrapped up the alternate timeline? I'm under the suspicion that people would never be truly satisfied. Say that the alternate reality really was real- so what happens when Kate, Sawyer, Claire and the gang land the Ajira plane back in LA? The two timelines can't both exist. I agree with the popular opinion that it would have been a real let-down if the sideways world turned out to be a dream or just a fantasy.

I am very satisfied with the ending. I think it was great way to make it ok that all of our favorite characters had died, knowing that somehow, someway they did get their happy ending. Many of us pray and hope that we will see our own loved ones when we die and that we will all go on to a better place, so why can't it be the same for TV characters? I loved that we were able to see some of our old favorites again before the show ended for good. The reunions between Sawyer and Juliet and Claire and Charlie had me crying my eyes out. "Lost" has always been about the characters and I think it was fitting that it ended with the typical music and panning shot of everyone reuniting...Something we've seen at the end of several "Lost" episodes.

So why were some people missing? Ben told Hurley he simply isn't ready. I like to imagine that he is going to make things right with Alex and Danielle Rousseau. I loved that Ben apologized to Locke for killing him. Desmond mentioned in the previous episode that Ana Lucia wasn't ready either. Eloise Hawking kept telling Desmond it wasn't time. She was worried that Desmond was going to take her son, Daniel Farraday with them. Eloise hadn't let go yet of the fact that she killed her own son, so they stay put...same with Charlotte and Miles. We learned earlier this season that Michael is roaming the island as a lost soul, which brings us to Walt. Walt was on the island for a much shorter time than everyone else...maybe it wasn't the most important time in his life like it was for the others. Or maybe he wasn't dead yet, which I'm assuming is the case with Ji-Yeon (Sun and Jin's daughter) and Charlie (Desmond and Penny's son).

As for the the action on the island- I thought it was amazing. I knew Lapidus was going to turn up sooner or later. I wrote in my last recap that he was going to eventually wash up on shore to serve his final purpose, to fly the plane off the island. Remember that Lapidus was supposed to be the original pilot of Oceanic 815. Claire finally gets to be reunited with Aaron and will learn how to be a mother from Kate. I could not have asked for a better ending for these people.



Having Jack and the Man in Black peering down into the cave felt so poignant and of course reminded us of when they were looking into the hatch in the season one finale. The dialouge between Jack and the Man in Black was perfect...Jack telling him that John Locke had been right all along and how it was a disgrace for the Man in Black to be taking his form. Desmond finally played his part. He removed the stone, extinguishing the light making it possible for the Man in Black to die. It was fitting that Kate got to be the one to kill the Man in Black to avenge Sun and Jin's deaths. Hurley was destined to become the protector of the island. He was the only one that is completely pure of heart and deserving of the job.



Jack sobbing and laughing as he put the rock back into its place in the cave was such an emotional scene. And let me tell you, when Jack laid down in the bamboo field and Vincent stayed with him, I lost it. I'm losing it right now just typing about it. It really was the perfect ending. It was genius to put Jack right back where he started and to end on his eye closing. Jack had finally fulfilled his destiny.

Everyone's saying they still have questions. I feel like all of my questions have been answered. I mean, maybe not the ones about the physics of time travel, the space time continuum, and what happens after you die- but who can answer those anyway? As for the shot of the Oceanic wreckage over the credits, I think it is nothing more than a red herring and I'm pretty much disregarding it all together (see update below).

I will miss "Lost" like crazy. It was one hell of TV show that told a really great story. Most of all, I'm going to miss the characters. Thanks to the creators, crew, actors and everyone who made "Lost" possible...You took us on a great ride that we won't soon forget.

Goodbye, "Lost." I'll see ya in another life, brother.


UPDATED 5/25/10: I just read a great theory on Doc Arzt on what the images of the Oceanic wreckage over the final credits of "Lost" could possibly mean. They say that it's similar to the Black Rock, the Dharma stations, the temple and the four-toed statue...The wreckage is what our characters have left behind. Life goes on and when the next group of castaways or explorers are brought to the island the Oceanic wreckage could be just one of the oddities or mysteries they could discover.

For some reason these images lead a lot of people to believe that the crash survivors were dead the whole time which is just simply not true. Yes, for half of seventeen episodes in the last season they were dead, but not the whole series! I don't think the flash sideways timeline was a cop-out. In every other season there were flashbacks and flash forwards. How could they have done flash forwards when most of the cast dies over the course of the final season? It definitely would have taken away a lot of the suspense and shock surrounding the deaths of Jack, Sun, Jin and Sayid. It just simply wouldn't have worked for the show. I also think we would have felt cheated if there wasn't any kind of alternate timeline. We would have been worn out if this season only took place on the island.

SECOND UPDATE: Fifteen minutes after I posted my previous update I found out that ABC has released a statement saying the the final images over the credits were added by ABC not the producers of the show and were only put there to soften the transition between the ending and the following program. So that solves it once and for all. Here's the link to the statement.

(Pictures from lost-media.com and lostpedia.com)

There's been a a bit of backlash against "Lost" following last week's episode, "Across the Sea." The episode featured none of the series regulars, took place a couple hundred years ago and starred Allison Janney. What the heck? Right?

I've always been eternally optimistic about "Lost" Even a bad episode of "Lost" is still infinitely more enjoyable to me than half of the TV shows out there. But I don't even think the episode was bad. Do I think it should have been the third to last episode of the entire series? No! This episode answered a ton of our "Lost" questions. Origins of Jacob and the Man in Black on the island. Check. Purpose of the island protector. Check. Birth of the smoke monster. Check. Adam and Eve. Check. You get the point.

I think that this episode would have gone over a lot better if it had aired earlier in the season, or even three or four episodes ago. It threw off the whole rhythm of action they set up in the previous episode. I mean Sun, Jin and Sayid? Gone so fast? Is Lapidus dead? He kind of fell off my radar with all the madness in the submarine, but I wouldn't doubt if he washes up on shore next Tuesday. In a "Lost" discussion my boss brought up a great point...Why would they have him tag along for the last two seasons if he wasn't going to serve some greater purpose or at least go out with a bang? He got hit with a door and disappeared.

I'm still in disbelief that there are only two episodes left and I've given up on guessing what's going to happen. I'm sure it has something to do with them all staying on the island (well, those who survive) so that they can have their happy lives in the alternate reality/flash sideways world. I'm still wondering where the heck is Desmond? I'm hoping the first piece of business they take care of next episode is getting Desmond out of that well so he can finish saving the world!

Here's an idea. Let's take the most popular and highest rated shows on television and write an article about how bad they are and insult all their viewer's intelligence in the process.

(see "The Most Overrated Shows on Television")

Thanks, TV.com for telling me that my shows suck. The article lists "Lost," "The Office," "Weeds," "American Idol," "NCIS," "Glee," "Mad Men," and "30 Rock" as the most overrated shows on television. Hit me where it hurts, why don't ya! "Lost," "The Office," and "Weeds" are three of my all time favorite shows. "Glee" is still too new to call it an all time favorite, but right now it's pretty high up there on my list. "30 Rock" isn't a favorite but I have definitely enjoyed it on the occasions that I've caught an episode.

I'm having a real problem with this article mostly because it's written by so called television lovers. As a television lover myself, I can find value in all TV shows even if I think they are pieces of crap. People like TV for different reasons. Some watch for information, some for entertainment, some watch out of boredom and some watch for escape. I respect all TV viewers. As a TV critic it's one thing to review a show and say that you don't like it...but to say that everyone else who does is wrong makes me angry. TV.com could write an article on the TV shows they think no longer work or were never good in the first place, but don't call them overrated insinuating that the viewers are wrong for watching. These are some of the highest rated shows on television, so did they really think it was a good idea to alienate a large portion of their readers?

I don't watch "American Idol," "NCIS," or "Mad Men." In fact, I would go as far to say that I hate "American Idol," and "NCIS." My dad watches "NCIS" reruns like it's his job and on occasion I've had to suffer through watching it during dinner. So even though I can't stand it, I can respect that my dad likes the show...it's clearly not targeting my demographic. "American Idol," is the show that will never die. The show is so popular because people like the familiarity. They know it's going to be on every six months or so and it's just for fun. No complicated story lines, no major drama (my definition of drama is Walt almost getting his head chopped off for wronging drug dealers on "Breaking Bad" not wondering if folk-singer, Crystal, is going home this week) and if you miss a week, you're not completely lost.

No one is being forced to watch television shows they don't like. So all you watchers of the good, bad and "overrated" TV shows, keep tuning in as long as you're still entertained. If you don't like a show, don't watch but don't hate on everyone else that loves it.

"I'll see you in another life, brother." Desmond's signature catch phrase since his first appearance on "Lost" has never been more true. (Refresh your memory here)

All my wishes came true (see the end of my last "Lost" recap) and this week's episode of "Lost," "Happily Ever After," was Desmond-centric and really shed light on the whole flash-sideways/alternate reality situation. We learned last week that the flash sideways world is in fact a reality in which the Man in Black has left the island and evil has spread. Widmore brought Desmond back to the island because he is the only person who can withstand huge amounts of electromagnetic energy (remember when the hatch blew up?). Clearly, somehow Desmond is a key to keeping the Man in Black on the island and it will involve the island's huge amount of electromagnetism. Widmore's people test Desmond's immunity to the energy which sends him into the flash sideways world--a world in which he not only works for Charles Widmore, but is his right-hand man. Oh, and he doesn't even know Penny.

Widmore gives Desmond the task of collecting Charlie from the police station and delivering him to his son's concert. Charlie is less than thrilled to see Desmond. Charlie explains that when he was choking on his bag of heroin on the airplane he had a vision of the love of his life. Desmond doesn't understand because it's stressed several times in the episode that Desmond has no family, no connections, nothing tying him down. In an attempt to kill himself or to show Desmond what he means, Charlie grabs the steering wheel sending their car into the water. Desmond escapes but Charlie is passively drowning. But of course, in true "Lost" fashion, that super sad music starts playing, Charlie puts his hand to the glass and Desmond flashes. He sees Charlie's hand go to the glass and written on it is, "Not Penny's Boat." (Watch Charlie's original death here) Desmond does what he couldn't do the first time around and saves Charlie's life. At the hospital Desmond is inside a MRI machine (hello, radiation!) and flashes again and sees his life with Penny.

Needless to say, he freaks out, but loses Charlie in the process. So it's up to Desmond to inform Mrs. Widmore that due to Charlie's absence, Drive Shaft will not be performing at the concert. Mrs. Widmore, is of course the all-knowing, Eloise Hawking. She takes Desmond's news extremely well....until Desmond overhears the name "Penny" on a guest list and starts asking questions. Mrs. Hawking quickly changes tones and demands that Desmond "let it go" and continue living his life as planned. Eloise is definitely aware of the alternate reality. Desmond returns to his limousine (the chauffeur is none other than George Minkowski, the communications officer from the freighter who died from the lack of a constant) feeling defeated until he is stopped by none other than Daniel Faraday-Widmore. Daniel overheard the exchange and tells Desmond he had a similar situation after seeing a woman named Charlotte for the first time. He went home that night and spontaneiously wrote a physics equation in his notebook, despite his lack of scientifically knowledge. He tells Desmond that it's an equation for an atomic bomb that would reset time. Desmond asks if he's going to detonate a bomb, Daniel's reply, "I think I already did." Daniel tells Desmond that Penny is his sister and how he can find her.

Desmond finds Penny at the stadium (where he initially met Jack 3 years before the crash of Oceanic 815). He shakes her hand and flashes back to the island where he has survived the electromagnetic radiation. He is no longer hesitant. He tells Widmore he'll do whatever he needs. But before any of that can happen, Sayid "rescues" Desmond from the bad guys. Desmond willingly goes with him. Back in the flash sideways world, Desmond and Penny set up a coffee date. Desmond asks Minkowski for the flight manifest and says he's going to show them something.

Time and time again Desmond-centric episodes have always been my favorite. I love the tie-ins and parallels with previous episodes. I was screaming when Charlie put his hand to the glass. This episode really proves that this series' focus is not about time-travel, science fiction, or even the ultimate battle of good vs. evil, when you boil it down, it is a character based show and is based on love. Think about the power couples- Desmond and Penny, Charlie and Claire, Sun and Jin, Daniel and Charlotte, and even Rose and Bernard....these relationships have transcended time and space and still mean something even in the flash sideways world where some of these people haven't even met each other yet. I can't believe there are only 5 episodes left. I'm going to be so sad when the show is over. I have no idea what's in store for the next episode but I'm sure we can expect to see what Widmore has in store for the Man in Black, or vice versa for that matter.

I can't believe it's almost over. There are only eight episodes left until "Lost" is gone forever. In an unprecedented move, this week's episode of "Lost" featured none of the main characters and mostly took place in the 1860's. Pretty risky, right? Well, that risk paid off. We finally know what the island is! We found out the island's secrets through the story of our favorite, eyeliner wearing, ageless Other, Richard Alpert, played by the fabulous actor Nestor Carbonell. Let's recap.

It's 1867 on the Canary Islands and Richard Alpert is desperately trying to save his dying wife's life. In his attempts he accidentally kills the doctor, his wife dies and he is sent to prison. A day before his hanging he is sold as a slave to Magnus Hanso (great-grandfather of Alvar Hanso, of the Hanso foundation the financial backer of the Dharma Initiative) because he speaks English. He is chained to the walls of the Black Rock slave ship which during a treacherous storm knocks over the famous four toed statue and winds up in the middle of the island. The Man in Black/Smoke Monster kills the remaining crew members but passes over Richard. After days of being chained up he thinks he sees the ghost of his wife. She tells him they are both dead and that they are in hell. She leaves the ship and is "killed" by the smoke monster.

The Man in Black finally appears to Richard and frees him of the chains. He instructs Richard to go to the statue and kill "the devil" if he wants to see his wife again. Jacob tells Richard that he is not the devil, he's not in hell and certainly isn't dead. Still apprehensive, Jacob attempts to drown (or baptize?) Richard who screams, "I want to live!" convincing him he is not dead. Jacob explains to Richard that he brought the Black Rock to the island. He brings candidates to the island so that he can prove to the Man in Black that despite people's pasts the are inherently good, not evil. He explains using a bottle of wine that the wine represents, "hell" or "evil" and that the island is the cork keeping it from spreading to the rest of the world. Jacob asks Richard to be his representative to the candidates, as he does not want to intervene or persuade the people to do good. Richard agrees and in return Jacob grants him eternal life.

Jacob and the Man in Black meet and the Man in Black asks Jacob to be set free from the island. Jacob says that as long he is alive, that will not happen. The Man in Black says he will kill Jacob and anyone else he chooses to replace him. Jacob gives the Man in Black the bottle of wine who smashes it. In the present day, Richard is furious and believes his entire life has been a lie. He tells the group (Jack, Hurley, Sun, Miles, Illana, Frank, and Ben) that they are all dead and in hell. He says that he has given up listening to Jacob and is going to follow someone else. Ben informs the group that Richard has been on the island a very long time and has not aged. Richard begins his trek through the jungle to find the Man in Black but is being followed by Hurley. Hurley reveals that he has been speaking with the ghost of Richard's dead wife. They stand next to each other and have a final moment together with Hurley as the translator. She tells Richard that he must stop the Man in Black from leaving the island or they will all go to hell. Locke (Man in Black) is in the distance watching the interaction and does not seem pleased.



Everyone has been complaining that there have been no answers, but I think there's been some pretty big reveals this season.
• The island acts as a cork keeping evil from seeping into the rest of the world. (Could the flash sideways taking place this season be telling what the world would be like if the island didn't exist?)
• Jacob has brought people to island to prove that despite their pasts people are inherently good. So far all the candidates have died except #8- Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, #15- James "Sawyer" Ford, #16- Sayid Jarrah, #23- Jack Shepard, and #42- Sun or Jin Kwon.
• Which brings me to the point of the numbers, one of the most puzzling parts of the series. We learned earlier in this season that they represent the candidates who all have met Jacob at some point in their lives and that they are in fact on the island for a reason.
• We learned definitively that the Smoke Monster is an incarnation of the Man in Black and also that he takes on the forms of dead people on the island such as Christian Shepard (posing as a representative of Jacob who convinced John Locke to die), Alex Linus (who convinces Ben to follow the orders of Locke/Man in Black), and John Locke (who instructs Ben to kill Jacob).
• We now know how the statue came to be broken, where the Black Rock came from and why Richard Alpert never ages. Although, I'm still curious about the eyeliner.

I loved this episode and am so happy Richard Alpert finally had his day. Nestor Carbonell has waited around patiently for three and half seasons and it's finally paid off. I wonder if he knew back in 2007 (after his first appearance in the episode "Not in Portland") that he would turn out to be one of the key players in the show. Speaking of key players, where in the hell is Desmond? Is he ever going to be seen again? He's listed as a series regular this season but hasn't been seen since his tiny part in the first episode. I'm having Des withdrawals. Hopefully with last episode's appearance by Charles Widmore we'll be seeing more of his son-in-law, Desmond.

Last night's episode of "Lost," "Sundown," was another doozy. I will admit that this episode didn't necessarily reveal a lot, but the last ten minutes were phenomenal.

On the island, Sayid confronts Dogen (Asian Other) and wants to know why he wants him dead. They get into an insane fight and right as Dogen is about to off Sayid a baseball drops to the floors and Dogen suddenly stops. Out in the jungle, Locke (Man in Black) sends Claire into the temple to do his dirty work. She goes in and tells Dogen that he wants to speak with him outside of the temple. Of course Dogen knows better to so he proposes to Sayid that he go out into the jungle and kill what he considers, "evil incarnate," someone who will appear to Sayid as someone he knows that is dead. For some reason Sayid agrees, leaves the temple and sees Locke and stabs him in the chest. Absolutely nothing happens and Locke seems pretty pissed off. Locke has a super fiesty 'tude and tells Sayid that Dogen knew he would fail at killing him and sent him out there in hopes that Locke would kill Sayid. Locke knows better and promises Sayid anything he wants, including his dead wife, Nadia, in exchange for Sayid to go back into the temple and deliver a message.



Sayid goes back to the temple and tells the Other's that Jacob is dead and that everyone needs to leave the temple if they don't want to die at sundown. Chaos ensues. Kate returns to the temple after leaving Sawyer several episodes earlier. Miles fills her in that the Australian chick is back. Claire, who has been put into some sort of restraining hole at the temple is singing a creepy rendition of "Catch a Falling Star," the song she wished to sing to Aaron before he was born. Kate meets her and Claire seems genuinely happy to see her, that is until Kate let's her know that she took Aaron off the island and raised him and that she came back to rescue her. Claire, in a super creepy tone tells Kate that she's not the one that needs rescuing. She says "he's coming."

Sun, Illana, Lapidus and Ben arrive at the temple and meet up with Miles. Miles informs Sun that Jin is still alive but they have to get the hell out of there. Sayid stays behind and confronts Dogen. Dogen gives his sob story about how he nearly killed his son because he was drunk driving him home from baseball practice. Jacob came to him and promised he would save his sons life if he came to the island and promised never to see him again. Sayid takes little pity and drowns Dogen. All hell breaks loose and Smokey (aka Locke, aka Man in Black) is killing people left and right. Ben finds Sayid standing in the pool of water and sees something different in him. He runs away looking truly terrified. Sun, Illana, Lapidus, Ben and Miles escape through the secret exit. Kate goes after Claire. Claire suggests she jump into the hole, which she does just before Smokey passes overhead.



Claire, Sayid and Kate walk outside the temple among all the wreckage. An even creepier sounding "Catch a Falling Star," is playing, it's definitely very eerie. Claire and Sayid come face to face with Locke and Others who are waiting for them. Over their shoulders Locke see's Kate.

In the alternate reality, what most people are calling a flash sideways (similar to previous season's flashbacks and flashforwards), Sayid arrives at Nadia's house (his dead ex-wife for those keeping track). Turns out she's married to Sayid's brother, Omar and has two kids with him. Omar has made some bad business deals and people are after him. He gets mugged and put into the hospital. Nadia confronts Sayid why he pushed her towards his brother if he loves her so much. He says it's because he wasn't worthy of her he's been trying to wash his hands clean of the horrible things he's done. Either way the bad guys kidnap Sayid. Turns out Keamy (that bad guy from the freighter) is the head bad guy. Sayid knocks one of them out, gets a gun and kills them all. He hears muffled noises and who's tied up in a meat locker? None other than Jin Kwon.

My thoughts- So is Kate joining the Man in Black and is going to the dark side? Could it have something to do with the fact that she was not one of Jacob's remaining candidates? I'm really curious to see more confrontation between Claire and Kate. Also, Dogen told Sayid that this "evil incarnate" takes the shape of someone who has died, now I know Hurley has talked to dead people before, but when he thinks he is talking to the ghost of Jacob, is he really talking to the Man in Black??? And also when he has seen the ghosts of Charlie, Libby and Ana Lucia, was that the Man in Black, too? Or was it Jacob manifesting himself in their bodies? It's all very confusing.

I work on Tuesday nights so I've fallen a little behind on my "Lost" recaps. But wow, a lot has happened in the last three episodes. I still can't believe that there are only ten episodes left and "Lost" will be finished forever. I've read a lot of complaints that people think the episodes aren't moving fast enough and that not enough has been revealed...I completely disagree....shall we recap?



"The Substitute" which aired February 16 was the first episode to reveal one of "Lost's" great secrets. Locke (Man in Black) takes Sawyer to a creepy cave promising to tell him why they are all on this island. He shows him writing on the walls and ceiling. It reads, 4-Locke, 8-Reyes, 15-Ford, 16-Jarrah, 23-Shepard, and 42-Kwon. Locke explains that Jacob has appeared to all of them earlier in their lives and that the choices they made that lead them to the island weren't their choices after all.

They are all Jacob's candidates to take over as protector of the island. Sawyer is obviously super confused and asks Locke what he's supposed to do. Locke says they're are three choices. 1. Do nothing and possibly get crossed of the list (meaning death) 2. Accept the job and become the new Jacob (even though Locke says the island really doesn’t need protecting) 3. Get off this island and never look back. Locke asks Sawyer if he's ready to go home. Sawyer's response, "hell yes."

Oh, and I almost forgot...Sun, Lapidus, Illana and Ben bury the body of the real John Locke. Benjamin Linus delivers an amazing eulogy, "John Locke was a believer. He was a man of faith. He was a much better man than I will ever be and I’m very sorry I murdered him.”

Meanwhile, off the island, John is still with Helen (played by Katey Sagal), which makes me super happy. He's still living a pretty miserable, handicapped life, but at least he has Helen! Locke gets fired from his job but runs into the new owner of the cardboard company, Hugo Reyes, who tells John to go to his temp agency and he'll hook him up with a job. John's employment consultant- Rose. Rose reveals that she still has terminal cancer. She finds John a job as a substitute teacher in a middle school. John walks into the teachers lounge and meets a whiney fellow teacher, none other than Benjamin Linus. Dun dun dun!

My thoughts- So we finally have some meaning to the numbers, thank god. But I'm wondering, after all the other numbers (candidates) have been gradually crossed out, why have 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 been stand out numbers the entire time? Hurley first heard the numbers from Leonard, a fellow mental patient at Santa Rosa. Leonard heard the numbers with Sam Toomey on a repeat transmission when they were naval officers in the 80's. The numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 were the serial numbers engraved on the door to the Swan station as it was being built by the Dharma Initiative in the 70's. So I'm still unsure how or who knew those numbers would be important 30 years before the gang came to the island. Oh, and Kate? Not a candidate? That's pretty shocking. Off the island, I'm wondering why Rose still has cancer. Everyone else's paths seem to have changed, but not hers...I wonder if she's still with Bernard.

The next episode, "The Lighthouse," which aired on February 23 reveals more in the alternate reality than it does on the island, in my opinion. Jack is still reeling after his father's coffin has been lost by Oceanic Airlines. After viewing his father's will with his mother, they see that Claire Littleton is listed. Neither have any idea who she is or her relationship to Christian Shepard. Oh and did I mention that Jack has a brooding, moody teenage son!?! What the heck? The kid, David, acts just like Jack and their relationship is very similar to Jack and Christian's relationship. Turns out little David is a piano prodigy, one of Jack's favorite pastimes.

On the island, Jacob appears to Hurley and gives him detailed instructions (which Hurley writes on his arm, love it!). Hurley takes Jack out into the jungle and reminisces saying it’s old school, and cool, hiking through the jungle on their way to do something they really don’t understand. Good times. Hurley asks why Jack came back. “I came back here because I was broken and I was stupid enough to think this place could fix me.” They finally reach their destination, the lighthouse. At the top Jack is following Hurley's instructions turning a giant wheel to specific coordinates which are moving a set of mirrors reflecting sunlight. Jack sees his own name next to the number 23. He turns the dial and sees a reflection of his childhood home in the mirror. Jack puts two and two together and realizes that Jacob has been watching and brought him here for a reason. Jack is pissed and smashes the mirrors. Jacob appears to Hurley who asks why he wanted Jack to see that, Jacob says he wanted Jack to see how powerful he is....and he succeeded.


If you're curious about all the other names on the dial and who they are click here.

Oh and Jin is hanging with Claire in her humble abode in the jungle. She has a crib with an improvised baby made of animal bones and fur, a box full of dynamite, along with other troubling things. She interrogates one of the Other's she shot about where Aaron is. As she's about to kill the Other, Jin spills the beans and reveals that Kate took Aaron off the island. Claire kills the Other anyway. Jin recants his story and Claire is relieved because if she did, Claire would have to kill her.

My thoughts- Who the hell is the mother of Jack's son?! If you remember, last time we saw Jack's ex-wife Sarah, was last seen picking Jack up from the emergency room when he tried to jump off the bridge. She was very pregnant. Could Sarah and Jack have stayed married and had David? And if Sarah isn't David's mother, I'm awfully curious who is...

Wow, that was a lot to handle....now off to recap last night's Sayid-centric episode, "Sundown."

“What Kate Does,” the third episode in the final season of “Lost,” definitely was not as shocking as the first two episodes but I still think it packed a punch. I am loving all the intentional similarities and parallel situations that are happening on and off the island that resemble previous seasons of “Lost.” In my recap I’ll try to refresh your memory if you haven’t seen each episode as many times as I have thanks to reruns on the Sy-fy network. Be sure to click on all the links for more clarification and maybe some humor! (It's easier to right click on links and choose, "open in new window" so you don't have to keep leaving and coming back.)

On the island, Sayid wakes from the dead. Everyone’s stunned reactions reminded of “The Lion King,” (Simba! He’s Alive!). The Asian Other and Other With Glasses take Sayid, strap him to a table and torture him. Sayid doesn’t understand why. Other With Glasses says they are testing him and he passed.

Meanwhile, another Other runs in and tries to start trouble with the gang (Kate, Jack, Hurley, Jin, Miles, etc…) and holy crap...Is that Mac from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia?” I had to rewind a few times, but then I remembered Mac (Rob McElhenney) was definitely on “Lost” and played a guard who Kate knocks out in order to save Karl from brainwashing. Either way, Sawyer breaks up the little scuffle with a gun, obviously, and demands to be let out of the Temple. Kate and Jin volunteer to go with Aldo (Mac) to bring him back. Kate clearly just wants to go wherever Sawyer goes and I assume Jin volunteers because he wants to find Sun. Out in the jungle all of my suspicions are confirmed. Much to Aldo and that other Other’s dismay Kate knocks them out and she and Jin go off on their own.

Back at the Temple Jack tries to confront Asian Other and Other with Glasses. They want Jack to give Sayid a pill to stop the infection. Jack is skeptical and starts asking questions. After Jack tries to take the pill himself and Asian Other heimlich’s it out of him, it is revealed the pill is poison. The Other’s want to kill Sayid because he has been claimed. Finally, Hurley asks the question that all of us nerds have been wondering for a long, long time…”You’re not a zombie, right?” Unfortunately, Sayid’s answer is no. What an interesting turn of events that could have been.

Kate eventually tracks Saywer to the Dharma Barracks and finds Sawyer in he and Juliet’s old house. Kate follows him to the dock and explains she came back to the island to find Claire and says she’s sorry about Juliet. Sawyer says it’s his fault because he kept her from leaving on a submarine three years earlier. He tells Kate, “Some of us are just meant to be alone,” and then in a totally “Titanic” (you will not regret clicking that link!) moment throws a wedding ring he was going to give Juliet into the ocean.

At the Temple, Asian Other tells Jack, that there is a darkness growing inside Sayid and once it reaches his heart everything about him will be gone. Jack asks, “How can you be sure about that?” Asian Other’s response, “Because it happened to your sister.” DUN DUN DUN. (If you don't remember, Claire is Jack's sister. They share the same father, Christian Shepard.)

Flash to Jin in the jungle, Aldo (Mac) and the other Other catch up to him and are about to kill him when all of sudden Aldo gets shot several times. In a classic Jin moment, he looks up and sees some sort of jungle creature with frizzy blonde hair wielding a rifle and says, “Claire?” Apparently she’s been in the jungle, Rousseau style this whole time. I guess more on that next episode.

In the alternative reality in Los Angeles, Kate is still in the car-jacked taxi with Claire. Arzt has dropped his luggage in the middle of the street which holds them back from speeding off. This gives Kate a chance to look out the window and make some weird eye contact with Jack, who at this point is a stranger to her. The cab driver flees. Kate takes the wheel and finally Claire grows a pair and escapes from the taxi. And Aha! We see that Claire is still pregnant. Kate goes to a mechanic to get her handcuffs removes and sees in Claire’s luggage that she’s pregnant. Kate feels guilty and finds Claire sitting on the side of the road. She gives her bags back. Claire explains that the couple adopting her baby was supposed to pick her up at the airport but they must have forgotten. In some strange turn of events Claire decides to trust the gun wielding Kate, and Kate drives her to the couple’s home.

At the door, the weepy woman tells Claire that her husband has left her and even though she wants a baby she can’t do it on her own. The exact reason Claire gave for giving up her baby in the first place. But of course the drama doesn’t end there, Claire spontaneously goes into labor on the front porch. Kate takes Claire to the ER and stays by her side. Guess who Claire’s doctor is….Ethan! Of course. Ethan explains she can have the baby now or he can try to stop the labor and they can try again in a few weeks. He says, “I don’t want to stick you with needles if I don’t have to.” Which is exactly what he was doing on the island; giving her injections in the middle of the night and eventually kidnapping her and taking her to the medical station. Creepy!

And for one more bit of suspense, the machine’s start going crazy and Claire screams out asking if Aaron’s ok. Ethan responds, “I have a feeling Aaron is going to be a handful.” Clearly this is in reference to the speculation that Aaron is a very important part to the “Lost” story. Claire asks Kate why she’s running from the law, Kate says, “Would you believe me if I said I was innocent?” Claire does. Kate tells Claire she should keep Aaron.

In this episode we learned…
Other’s believe Sayid needs to die because of his infection.
Sawyer is still super down about Juliet’s death.
Kate and Claire still have a connection even in the alternate reality.
Claire is still alive on the island.

My thoughts, theories and questions…
In regards to this whole Sayid being infected issue- could this have anything to do with the sickness Rousseau claimed her entire team was infected with leading her to kill all of them?

Kate starts crying when Sawyer leaves her on the dock. Is she sad because she feels bad for Sawyer? I kind of got the feeling she was feeling like things were never going to happen between them.

We last saw Claire acting pretty strange in Jacob's cabin with Christian Shepard. Where has she been this whole time and why did she go off with him the first place? There's definitely a lot of questions about her whereabouts and if she is even the same Claire.

I love that Kate is still going to be involved with the birth of Aaron. If you remember, Kate birthed Aaron on the island. Also, could Kate be innocent in the alternate reality? I thought it was poignant that the episode was titled, “What Kate Does,” and showed Kate being a good person whereas the season two episode, “What Kate Did,” tells the story of how Kate killed her father.

While this episode wasn’t the greatest in terms of answering our many questions I think it’s a good setup in terms of things to come.

The bomb has detonated on the island. We flash to see Oceanic flight 815 still in the air. Jack and Rose chat through the turbulence. The turbulence ends and the plane does not crash. But who decides to take a seat next to Jack? DESMOND! Whaaaaaaat? He was looking super sexy, but he was never on 815, so what’s really going on here? Meanwhile, back on the island Kate wakes up in a tree. Jack, Sawyer, Jin, Hurley and Miles are all close by, disoriented from the explosion. Clearly this is some sort of alternate reality. It’s hard to say whether or not what’s happening on the plane is reality or if being on the island is real, or if it’s both real, so I’m just going to go ahead and take the plane/LA story line as it’s own. Feel free to skim over this insanely long recap but be sure to read what we learned in this episode, my theories/questions and the death tracker

On the island...
Kate, Sawyer and Jack realize that they are at the site of the hatch. Sawyer is pissed. He kicks Jack right in the face sending him tumbling into the hole. Sawyer blames Jack for Juliet’s death and is even angrier that his plan to reset time did not work. But through some crazy miracle Kate hears a feeble voice calling for help. It’s of course Juliet, who somehow survived detonating a hydrogen bomb. The gang starts digging up the metal to save her. Back at the Dharma van Sayid is still suffering from a gunshot wound and near death. Jin and Miles run to help save Juliet. Hurley starts seeing dead people again and comes face to face with Jacob (who was stabbed and thrown into a fire at the end of season 5). Jacob sends Hurley on a mission to save Sayid telling him to take him to the Temple.

Back at Jacob’s foot-statue-home, Ben and Locke (the Man in Black is possessing John Locke’s body) are still inside hovering over the fire. Ben looks terribly confused and frightened. Outside of the foot, Richard makes sure that Ben comes face to face with Locke’s dead body on the beach. He goes back into the foot and bring the Ajira “In the shadow of the statue” folks with him. They of course go nuts and start firing at Locke. Locke disappears and we hear that familiar noise of the smoke monster. Smokey takes out all the Ajira folks but the Ajira ogre surrounds himself with a circle of white ash which apparently Smokey can’t get through….it takes all of 5 seconds for Smokey to knock him out of the circle and kill him. Smokey disappears, Locke returns….clearly the Man in Black is also the smoke monster. Ben looks like he’s going to pee he pants, Locke’s response? “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

At the hatch, Sawyer finds Juliet under the metal. They share some words and a kiss and Juliet dies in his arms but not before mentioning she had something really important to tell him. Jack, Hurley, Kate and Jin take Sayid to the Temple. Sawyer and Miles hang back to bury Juliet. Sawyer forces Miles to find out Juliet’s last thought, which is, “It worked.” At the Temple the gang is captured by the Others and brought into the Temple. What was up with the Others back in the their crazy tribal clothes? The Others who lived at the barracks dressed in modern clothing. Either way, they are about to shoot the group but Hurley once again saves the day and turns over the guitar case that Jacob gave him back in LA. Inside the case is a wooden ankh, inside it is a note. The Others ask the group their names. I’m assuming their names are all on the list. Jacob’s lists were referenced in the early seasons. The Others tell them they must save Sayid or else really bad stuff will happen. So they put Sayid into a pool of some questionable spring water and flip an hourglass. Sayid starts thrashing about but eventually drowns. Jack performs never ending CPR despite Kate begging him to stop, reminiscent of his fight to save Charlie’s life after he was hanged by Ethan. It doesn’t work. Cindy, a tailie and the flight attendant from the original Flight 815 who was captured by the Others is alive and well as are the two children who were also taken. The Others want to know where Jacob is and Hurley tells them he’s dead. The Others start going crazy, manning their posts, spreading ash and shooting a flare into the air. The gang starts to panic, wondering what’s going on, the Other’s say it “isn’t to keep you in, it’s to keep him out.”

Inside the foot, Locke (Man in Black) and Ben have a heart to heart. He reveals that the real Locke’s last thought before Ben murdered him was, “I don’t understand.” He says Locke was wise; he was the only one who didn’t want to leave the island, the only one who realized how pitiful the life he left behind really was. But the Man in Black wants the one thing John Locke didn’t….he wants to go home. They return to the beach and Richard sees the flare. He realizes who Locke (Man in Black) really is. Locke says it’s nice to see Richard out of his chains, leading us to believe Richard came over on the Black Rock, the slave ship shipwrecked on the island. Locke (Man in Black) knocks Richard out and throws him over his shoulder. At the Temple we see one last glimpse of the gang and holy shit, Sayid’s alive.

On the plane….
While all hell is breaking loose on the island we keep seeing glimpses of Oceanic flight 815. Kate is still a prisoner. Sayid is looking at a picture of his long, lost love, Nadya. Sawyer talks to Hurley who claims, “he is the luckiest guy alive.” Hurley is hassled by Arzt! Sun and Jin are together, Jin acts as oppressive as always. Boone is sitting next to John Locke. Boone says he left Shannon in Australia. John says he did in fact go on his walkabout. Boone says if “this thing goes down, I’m sticking with you.” So bittersweet considering that happened during the first crash and his friendship with Locke caused Boone his life. Flight attendant, Cindy, calls for a doctor because someone’s passed out in the bathroom. CHAAAAALIEE!!! Charlie’s unconscious with a bag of heroin down his throat which sends Jack looking for a pen…..like in the pilot episode where Jack sends Boone on a frenzied search for a pen. Jack saves Charlie but Charlie claims he “was supposed to die.”

Captain Norris (aka Greg Grunberg, the pilot who was Smokey’s first kill) makes the announcement the plane is about to land. Kate escapes from the air marshall and has a little encounter with Sawyer in the airport elevator. In her desperate attempt to flee she jumps in the cab line ahead of Frogurt who is not having it. The air marshall is on her tail so Kate hops in a cab with none other than her good pal Claire Littleton. Jack finds out that his father’s coffin was never put on the plane. Locke, who is still wheelchair bound (despite telling Boone he did his walkabout) is missing his bag of knives. Jack asks John about his condition and says he’s interested because he’s a spinal surgeon. John says he can’t be fixed. Jack says, “Nothing is irreversible.” Quite the role reversal of faith verse science, eh?

In this episode we learned…
Man in Black is the smoke monster.
Man in Black is in fact inhabiting John Locke’s body, despite the fact his actual dead body is on the beach.
White ash, like the ash surrounding Jacob’s cabin, repels Smokey.
Jacob is dead. The Others are very afraid of the Man in Black.
According to Juliet’s last thought, detonating the bomb worked.
Sawyer is not going to take Juliet’s death lying down.
Everyone minus Shannon and plus Desmond are on Oceanic Flight 815 in some sort of alternate reality.

My theories and questions…
So as we suspected last season, the Man in Black is able to possess or take on the appearance of dead people on the island. That’s how we’ve seen Christian Shepard (Jack’s dad) walking around and giving advice saying he was acting on Jacob’s behalf. Especially important consider Christian told Locke before spinning the donkey wheel he was “going to have to die” if he wanted to set things right in season 5. Did the Man in Black want Locke’s body? I believe the Man in Black also possessed Alex’s body (Ben Linus’s daughter) when she told Ben to do whatever John said. I don’t think Sayid is really all of a sudden magically alive, I think it’s the Man in Black.

I can’t even take a stab at how the whole alternate reality, 815 landing situation is going to play out.

I thought Juliet being alive for a final goodbye was pretty cheesy. I understand they had to bring her back to refresh everyone's memories how in love she and Sawyer were to justify his anger this season, but I could have done without it.

I loved the chat between John and Jack at the airport. It was interesting to hear Jack sound so positive and John say he couldn't be fixed. It was great hearing the old John Locke, not the evil one. I squealed when I saw his giant orange peel smile.

I'm really looking forward to finding out Richard's backstory. Why doesn't he age? Is he a leader or a follower? Why does he wear eyeliner?

Death Tracker
I came up with a little rundown of people who are dead, who we thought were dead and people who were dead but aren’t anymore at the end of season 6, episode 1.

John Locke- definitely murdered by Benjamin Linus in season 5, although the Man in Black is using his body.
Juliet- presumed dead at the end of season 5 after detonating a hydrogen bomb, actually alive, but only for ten minutes or so...long enough to say goodbye to Sawyer but eventually kicked the bucket.
Sayid- wounded at the end of season 5, still wounded, then drowned and declared dead, yet comes to at the end of the episode.
Charlie- drowned in the hydra station in season 3, in alternate reality almost died choking on a bag of heroin, resuscitated by Jack.
Boone- crushed by beachcomber and died in season 1, alive on flight 815 in alternate reality.
Leslie Arzt- high school science teacher who blew himself up with dynamite in season 1, alive and well on flight 815 in alternate reality.
Frogurt- yogurt storeowner, shot and killed with flaming arrow by Widmore’s group in season 5, alive and in LA in alternate reality.
Seth Norris- pilot of Oceanic 815, first victim of the smoke monster in season 1, alive and safely lands the plane in alternate reality.

Thoughts? Theories? I loved the episode. I’m so glad it’s back and I feel like we’re finally going to be rewarded for all our hard work trying to figure out this madness!

"Lost" is back on TV for it's sixth and final season on February 2. I cannot tell you how excited I am. So excited that I rewatched all of season five to get ready. I also watched this hilarious 8 minute and 15 second (815, get it?) official ABC recap of the first five seasons.



I think it's funny when you boil "Lost" down to its simplest form. Like when Hurley tells his mom what really happened on the island. Here are some of the great lines from the recap.

"Sawyer gets sick. Kate is worried. Jack gets jealous. Kate freaks out. Jack consoles her. They kiss. Kate freaks out again. Jack is confused."
"Sun is pregnant but Jin is sterile. What's up with that?"
"Michael iChats with Walt."
"The survivors see a boat. It's Desmond. He's drunk."
"Hurley finds Desmond running naked in the jungle. The hatch blew his clothes off and now he can see the future."
"Kate and Sawyer think they're going to die so they have sex."
"They see Jack playing football with Mr Friendly. Mr. Friendly throws like a girl."
"Patchy blows up the station and Charlie drowns. Very sad."
"Sayid and Desmond head to the freighter, Des has side effects. He calls Penny and all is well. Gotta love Des."
"The island starts flashing through time. That's right. Time travel."
"They also find Jin. He's alive. Yay."
"Locke is a broken man an wants to hang himself. Ben helps out."
"The screen goes to white instead of black. Cool."

So what's to come in season 6? According the "Lost" creators the entire original cast of survivors (minus Shannon played by Maggie Grace) will be back in some capacity or another. From what spoilers I've read it seems that by Juliet detonating the bomb, Oceanic flight 815 will land safely in Los Angeles.....or something like that. Who really knows how it will all play out. I trust the creators and writers will do what's best for the story. But don't get me wrong...there are a few things that would really piss me off. Ok, really just one thing- if for some reason Desmond and Penny don't end up together happily I will be super upset. Desmond has had a big part in the show since season 3, but I get the feeling his story isn't going to be told in the final season. He's not in the promo pictures. Honestly, I'd rather him not be a main feature of the season 6 if it means that nothing bad will happen to him.

If you haven't been watching, what the heck is wrong with you? I can guarantee when it's over and you hear everyone talking about how shocking the finale is and how great the show was, you'll be mad you weren't on the "Lost" bandwagon. Maybe you've watched a few seasons off and on and got a little lost (pun intended) when time travel started to get involved, or you've never seen an episode. Here's what I want you to do...buy "Lost" seasons 1-5 or go to www.abc.com and watch every single episode of "Lost" for free. Unless you're a freak like me you probably won't be caught up by February 2. But you can catch up before the sixth season's over.

20 days until "Lost" premiers on ABC, Tuesday, February 2.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like last night's Emmy Awards were a well-produced, fast paced award show. It could have to do with the fact that I watched it 3 hours after it aired and was able to speed through the commercials or it could have to do with the fact that Neil Patrick Harris kicked butt as host. There weren't any awkward skits or montages. Everything they put together had a purpose and moved the show right a long.

Here are my thoughts that I jotted down throughout the show.

I love Kristin Chenoweth! She won Best Supporting Actress for a Comedy Series for "Pushing Daisies," and man did she lose it on stage. She could barely hold it together. I found out today that she actually had to be treated by a medic last night for a terrible migraine.

Jack McBrayer and Rainn Wilson were robbed for Best Supporting Actor. I feel like Jon Cryer has won before. I would have really have loved to hear a Jack McBrayer acceptance speech.

Justin Timberlake looked like a big nerd in glasses. They were way too wide for his face. I think it's funny that they moved the award he was nominated for to the main show (instead of the Creative Arts Emmy's that took place last week) so that he could appear, and he didn't even win.


I'm so, so happy for Toni Collette and her win for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for "United States of Tara." If you've seen the show you know how amazingly talented she is being able to pull off the characters she plays. She looked beautiful, the dress was a perfect color for her hair and skin.

Blake Lively and Leighton Meester from "Gossip Girl," presented an award together and they both looked pretty bad. Blake was showing waaaayyy too much boob. It was embarrassing. Leighton Meester looked very pale in white. Not a great look. Her dress kind of looked like Bjork's swan dress.

Why did the guys in Best Actor in a Comedy Series get clips played of them when the ladies nominated for Best Leading Actress were only shown sitting in the audience?? And again, I feel like Alec Baldwin was kind of the obvious winner, I wished Steve Carrell had won.

Time after time winners kept thanking "The Academy" it's the Emmy's, not the Oscars!

I'm over the Kanye jokes.

Yay for Jessica Lange. I wanted her or Drew Barrymore to win for their amazing performances in "Grey Gardens." It really was a great movie. Also, interesting to notice that Drew's Emmy date is her ex-boyfriend, Justin Long, aka the Mac Guy. Which reminds me to give a shout out to the PC Guy, John Hodgman, who gave what they called color commentary while the winners walked to stage. I thought he was pretty funny and it was a nice modern touch to the show.

I was absolutely torn between Aaron Paul in "Breaking Bad" and Michael Emerson from "Lost" for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. "Breaking Bad" is without a doubt the most intense television show I've ever watched and Aaron Paul is so good it's scary. But of course my heart lies with "Lost."

Seriously, Sarah McLachlan? Does she do anything else but sing utterly depressing songs? I felt her singing "I Will Remember You" was cheesy and overdone and uncalled for. They couldn't have had the live band come up with anything nice to play?

Bryan Cranston for the win! Best Actor in a Drama Series, that is...I could not be more thrilled! His portrayal of the dying-father-turned-drug-dealer, Walter White is the most emotionally moving acting I have ever seen. This show is so outrageous and intense and I recommend you go watch it right now.

I kind of hoped for an upset for Best Comedy Series. I believe that "30 Rock" is deserving but it would have been nice to hear from "Weeds," "The Office," or even "Family Guy" (which I don't think is deserving, but certainly would have been interesting).

Again, I would have loved an upset for Best Drama Series. I tried to get into "Mad Men," but was utterly bored and never made it through the first episode. I would have loved to have seen "Lost," win of course or "Breaking Bad." "Lost" only has one year left to win!

Go here for the complete list of winners and here for the red carpet fashions.