JUMPIER THAN USUAL

(PHOTOS FROM LOST-MEDIA.COM)
For months I've been entering assorted "Lost" names and phrases onto an online anagram site and coming up with nothing. Then, along comes "Hoffs-Drawlar" -- the funeral home Jack goes to after seeing the death notice in the newspaper -- and I FINALLY find something I can sink my teeth into: rearranged, the letters spell FLASH FORWARD.

Yes, we had our first "flash forward" in a finale that had so much going on it was difficult to keep track. This was either a fair, good or great episode. I haven't made up my mind yet. My head is still whizzing around like the romaine lettuce in Martha Stewart's salad spinner.

But "Looking Glass" was certainly packed with plenty of action and intrigue....a couple of dramatic deaths...and more violence than "The View."

And, oh yes: An ending that may have given you goosebumps if you didn't see it coming. (Actually, I have to say: When I first saw Jack with the beard, I thought he looked 10 years older, and did suspect we were going forward rather than back. In his previous flashbacks he has always looked so much younger than he does on the island.)

Of pivotal importance, going into Season Four: Penny Widmore made contact with the Looking Glass station, although we're not sure what that means; Jack made contact with the boat, although we're not sure what that means; and we know that at least Jack and Kate will eventually make it off the island, although -- ugh -- we're not sure what that means, either.

So, what DO we know?

The deaths, as near as I can recall: Seven nameless Others in the tent massacre; Mikhail (Maybe. Does ANYTHING kill this guy?); Bonnie,

Greta, Ryan, Tom ("Mr. Friendly"); and, of course, Charlie. And then there was Naomi (fate unknown) who was whacked with a knife by Locke.

As for who was in the casket: We might suspect Ben. Or, perhaps even Locke. We have no way of knowing, though, so don't drive yourself nuts trying to figure that one out.

The themes: Numerous. As its title suggested, "Through the Looking Glass" challenged our perceptions about time and space -- along with the notion that, to borrow from another "Lost" reference, "There's no place like home."

In the course of tying together so many characters and plot threads, the writers were also telling us how tightly the characters' lives -- and all of our lives, for that matter -- are interwoven.

The scene early on, when Jack preps himself to jump off the bridge (before being "saved" by his need/compulsion to help) was reiminsicent of "It's a Wonderful Life."

In the film, George Bailey -- convinced he has hurt everyone around him -- contemplates suicide and is given a unique (heavenly) opportunity to realize how his life has touched so many others, and how different THEIR lives would be had he never existed.

Like George Bailey, Jack MAY be feeling that his actions (ie: making that fateful satellite phone call) eventually altered and wrecked the lives of his fellow castaways. (Although, we don't really know what happened between the phone call and his return to L.A.)

And, finally, this was an episode (like so many before it) about accepting one's destiny. Charlie didn't have to lock himself in that room to save Desmond. They were underwater, anyway. He could have run out of the room, closed the door behind him, and then both of them could have jumped back into the water, the same way they entered the station.

Charlie's death -- moving, nicely filmed and a bit overdue plotwise (after all of those premonitions) -- had to do with him finally accepting his fate. He took on the Looking Glass mission convinced he was going to die...and, this time, he didn't want Desmond to stop it.

Similarly, post-rescue, Jack is also pursuing a strange destiny. Like Danielle's endlessly-looping S.O.S., he spends his weekends flying across the globe, back and forth, over and over again.

As Ben predicted, Jack's life was better on the island than off it. He was "lost" before he boarded Flight 815, and now he's lost all over again.

ODDEST MOMENTS: Mikhail saying to Greta and Bonnie, "I thought you were on assignment in Canada." (Ben sends people to Canada?) Juliet telling Sawyer that they were building a landing strip. Danielle & Co. entering the radio tower (after 16 years) and finding the equipment in perfect working order -- and, oh yes, the lamp is still on! (What brand of bulbs does she use?) And what about Penny in the monitor? The signal unjams and there she is? Does she just stand there, yelling into a microphone 24 hours a day?

BEST MOMENTS: Charlie's death scene. Jack's tense showdown with Ben -- and his painful decision to sacrifice Jin, Bernard and Sayid for the good of everyone else. Danielle bitch-slapping Ben. Bonnie -- or was it Greta? -- slapping Charlie (while he was singing you-know-what) and telling him to SHUT UP! Hurley hurtling through camp in the VW bus. And Sawyer, after Hurley's bold rescue, kicking back with a beer.

WORST MOMENTS: Jack's druggy scenes were a bit heavy-handed -- and a little too cliche-ish: from his stumbling through the drugstore, to the headbanger's music blasting over the car radio and that dreary sinkful of dirty dishes. (Yeah! He's a mess! We get it!!!)

I also could have done without Sawyer killing Tom, who seemed on the verge of switching sides. Plus, Tom did spare Sayid, Jin and Bernard -- who, strangely, didn't speak up for him. And then there was (pregnant) Sarah, rushing to Jack in the hospital, but then saying it wouldn't be "appropriate" to drive him home.

MUSICAL MOMENT: Seeing how much the bearded/drunken Jack looked like Brian Wilson it probably made sense that a Beach Boys song would figure into the plot.

Composed and produced by Wilson (with lyrics by Mike Love) "Good Vibrations" (the Looking Glass code) hit number one in 1966. Wilson hoped to follow the song's success with "SMiLE" but couldn't. Like Jack, Wilson simply couldn't cope. He became paranoid, hopelessly depressed, drank, took drugs and, yeah, hid behind a big, bushy beard.

NOTABLE NAME: The person who answered the satellite phone told Jack his name was Minkowski. From Wikipedia: "Hermann Minkowski (1864-1909) was a Lithuanian-born German mathematician who developed the geometry of numbers and who used geometrical methods to solve difficult problems in number theory, mathematical physics, and the theory of relativity."

The real Minkowski's best-known public address, made in 1908 (three years after Einstein published his "Theory of Relativity") began as follows: "The views of space and time which I wish to lay before you have sprung from the soil of experimental physics, and therein lies their strength. They are radical. Henceforth space by itself, and time by itself, are doomed to fade away into mere shadows, and only a kind of union of the two will preserve an independent reality."

Gotcha, Hermann.

Other notes:

JACK: We can probably attribute his "Get my father down here" in the hospital to his drugged-up state. (Or can we?) But giving the walkie-talkie back to Ben seemed kind of dumb and not very believable.

BEN: When he's bad, he's good. But, when he's desperate, he's brilliant. Lying out of both sides of his mouth, he tells the Looking Glass gals to jam all of the signals; tells the rest of the people that the station is flooded; tells Richard to take everyone to the temple (what temple?), and then mysteriously says, "This island is under assault by forces stronger than anything it's had to deal with in many, many years." (And how many, many years is it going to be before we find out what that means?) It was interesting, though, when he told Alex he didn't want her with Karl because he was afraid she would get pregnant. That never even occurred to me, before.

NAOMI: Is she dead? And, if she isn't working for Penny then is she working for Penny's father? Whoever the folks are on the boat, they will apparently play a crucial role in what happens next.
Ideas, anyone?

KATE: Is she pregnant? Does she wind up with Sawyer? At the end, when she says "he" is waiting for, the implication is that Jack knows who "he" is.

MIKHAIL: His relationship with Ben has never seemed terribly solid. Was he part of the original Dharma group? And, when he said he was following orders before killing Greta and Bonnie -- whose orders was he referring to?

JULIET: Well, we can pretty much assume she's on our side now. But don't let her get too close, or you'll get hit by a bus.

DESMOND: He woke up in the boat, found a note in his pocket and didn't read it? Will he ever give it to Claire? Probably. Sawyer's note survived worse.

LOCKE: It was great to see Walt again. Is he playing for the Lakers now? We had no information on how Locke got out of that pit, except for Walt's coaxing. Like Ben, Locke knows that leaving the island is not a good idea. We're not sure why he tossed a knife at Naomi when he had a gun. (Unless he doesn't want her to die.) But, we're more interested in Walt's telling him that he had to survive, because he has "work to do."

So, aside from the mystery of the boat, our other major Season Four plotline will be about Locke assuming whatever new role the island has in store for him -- protecting it, keeping the castaways from leaving, and realizing his connection to the island's "spirits" -- from Walt (who we assume is still alive) to Jacob, who seems to be trapped (by Ben) in some nether-state and wants Locke to help him.

OK, that's it. It's 4 a.m. and I need another day to mull this over. What made this episode work is also, to some extent, what dragged it down. There is simply too much going on. And I'm guessing that if you didn't like "Through the Looking Glass," you probably won't be back for Season Four.

Let's discuss it...

Comments

[JA]

Ive been up most of the night thinking about Lost... Ive come up with nothing! Nothing good anyways. I do have a few notes regarding "shakier than usual;"

1. You say that Tom was switching sides. I didnt get that impression at all. He said to his compadre that, "we should have shot them in the head instead of shooting 3 bullets into the sand." He wanted to go against Bens orders,(of shooting into the sand- the orders given without our knowledge), because he felt ben was losing his mind. The only person that saved Jin, Sayid, and Bernard was Hurley.

2. Naomi. Im not convinced that she wasn't working for Penny. when they first found Naomi she said she didnt know who she was working for. True, it seems that Penny would have known they had a boat out there but maybe not?

3. Mikhail killing Bonnie and Greta, I thought that was clear that he was following Bens orders when he killed them - seeing that Ben told him to kill them both moments before. Am I wrong?

Like you, I have a lot stirring in my head... some out-there theories, a little sadness on the idea of having the show turn off the island towards civilization (maybe that is the whold "secret" of the island - the beauty of it being untouched by the world (the world being the bad guys))? I guess we all have to tune in for season four for some, I stress the word SOME, answers.

[Chris]

Ok...I've been thinking also, and have not come up with any answers, and I hate that.
What did we find out for sure:
1. Some people make it off the island. Right?
2. Ben was wrong when he told Jack that everyone on the island would be dead if he made that call. Obviously Jack and Kate made it back. So did whoever died. My bet is it's Locke.
3. Charlie Died.

What I didn't like:
1. Sawyer killing Tom. Sawyer killed the Shrimp man, and hated himself for it. He killed Anthony Copper because he had to.
I don't know why he just shot Tom like that.
2. Mikhail taking a spear gun to the chest and living AGAIN. This guy must be part cat and is using up his 9 lives.
3. Penny being on the screen. Just seemed too obvious. I would have rather had the guys in the listening post.

Now what I liked:
1. Charlie Died...Finally. I liked how he realized he needed to do it.
2. The Flash Foward angle. I didn't see it coming until I noticed that Jack called Kate on a Razr, and those didn't come out until 2006.

My questions are this:
1. Is Christian Shepard alive? We have never seen his dead body.
2. Does Ben know the Gig is up? He seem very resigned to tell Alex that Danielle was her mother.
3. Did Mikhail survive? Probably.
4. Who does Kate have to get back to?
5. Who died and no one went to the viewing?

I am going to rewatch this and I'll post more later.

[Edward]

In the last scene, Jack made reference to an airline pass to anywhere that “they gave to us”. At first I thought this was Oceanic Air as compensation for the crash, but then he also said something about not be able to hide the truth anymore, or live a lie anymore (or something to that effect). Someone or some organization must have given them rewards in return for silence. Kate seems equally miserable in the future, but financially well-off. Whoever was in the casket, she seemed to hold in contempt. I think it was Locke, whom she may have blamed for not stopping Jack.

I agree that Tom was not about to switch sides – He wanted to kill Sayid, Jin & Bernard but followed Ben’s instructions to shoot in the sand. Why Ben would suddenly turn merciful is (another) mystery.

A revolver left in the tropical element for at least a decade would not function, even if fully loaded. If Locke had fired it that would be another mystery that would need to be explained

I also slapped my head and said “Duh” when Ben revealed his reason for keeping Karl away from Alex. It seems so obvious now!

For me, a few plot points seemed awkward and poorly done:
1. Bonnie and Greta were in the radio room with the door shut, yet heard Charlie talking to Desmond in conversational tones, yet when Charlie was yelling to Desmond about Penny’s transmission, with the door open, Desmond could not hear him at all.
2. Mikhail reminds me of the guy from the “Halloween” movies. I sincerely hope that the writers have a reason/explanation as to why he is indestructible.
3. Locke trudges up a hill into a clearing, no one sees him, he stabs a young woman to death and the only reaction is a gasp from the crowed and “John – What are you doing”?
4. Bill – I agree that the playing of Jack as drug addict/alcoholic was overdone. The entire drug store scene was unnecessary.

On the plus side:

1. I LOVED Hurley’s rescue in the VW minibus! It was also nice poetic justice that the bus had belonged to Roger Linus.
2. Charlie’s resolve and eventual death were very touching. There has not been a death with as much emotional impact since Boone.
3. I was glad that new characters introduced last week were dispensed this week. Nothing against them, personally, but I think we definitely need fewer characters to focus on, especially with fewer episodes next season.
4. I laughed out loud when Ben, a bloody pulp, nods to Rousseau and says “Alex, this is your mother”. Michael Emerson should get an Emmy for his delivery of that one line!

Over-all, an OK episode. The flash-forward was intriguing, but left me on a downer. I will be back next season, but I think that many will not. As LOST season finales go, this was the least compelling. Season two finale was by far the best.

[Bill Ervolino]

FROM BILL: I may have missed the exchange with Tom, but I guess that this season, he has seemed to me to be a reasonable guy. I also assumed the "Gold Pass" was an airline thing. But, I believe Oceanic is owned by Hanso anyway. I'm not sure we should read too much into certain things that were said, though. A lot of these new things (like the coffin) are completely new, so there's no way we can look back on something we've already seen and figure it out.
Chris, we did see Christians body at the morgue, although that doesnt mean much and his body was never actually found, even though his coffin -- not to be confused with the one we saw last night -- turned up on the island.

[Barry]

Nobody has floated this theory yet ... I believe the person in the casket was Sawyer. Jack says to Kate, "I went there because I thought I'd see you". Also, the mortician said that Jack was the only one to show up and when he asked Jack, "friend or family?" Jack said neither. The fact that nobody showed up makes sense ... Sawyer had no family and nobody on the island really liked him except Kate. And, I think Jack feels he caused Sawyer's death by getting him off the island. So, he feels guilty and hence, thinks of killing himself after reading the notice in the paper. At the end, when Kate says "he'll be wondering where I am", I think that's in there to make us think she's talking about Sawyer. But I doubt that's the case.

All I know for sure is that I am still definitely .... LOST!

[Chris]

Barry,
Totally diasagree about it being Sawyer. Locke fits the same description, plus I think in hindsight Jack feels Locke was right about not leaving the island.
Bill,
Do you have what episode that is from? I never remember "seeing" a body, just Jack going there to pick it up.

[Dianna]

I definitely do not think that James was inside the casket. As horrible as he might be, I don't think Kate would NOT go. As cold as he might be, I think there would still be a place in her heart for him.

I think this finale was just as good as it was mind-boggling. I love the concept of the flash-forwards, I loved Michael Emerson's performance, as usual. Juliet was also great.

A lot of snappy one-liners in this episode. I approve!

Hurley wins the MVP award for his van smashing. Just amazing.

So...Jack and Kate AREN'T together. Then who is she with? I'm tempted to say James, but for some reason, I don't think that's it. But one thing that bothered me, why ain't she in jail!?

What bothers me most about the episode though, is that we don't know whose funeral. *sigh* This darned show..

[JA]

Barry, I agree with you and was thinking the same thing. I thought that the casket was most likely Sawyer and heres another reason why... The funeral parlor was in a rough side of town. I can't imagine who else, but Sawyer, would end up living in a bad neighborhood. Is that really a stretch, or what?

Regarding the Locke-in-the-casket theory... we were led to believe that you could decide if you wanted to leave the island or not, if that is the case then Locke definately stayed on the Island. Also, when Jack and Locke were having thier showdown and Jack made the call Locke walked away into the jungle... he is not in the U.S.

As far as Kate goes, maybe she is under house arrest when she meets up with Jack - maybe "he" is another US marshall? I know, another stretch right? I agree with Dianna, this darn show...

[Sofreakinlost]

What about the fact that in the future Kate is no longer a fugitive? Huh? And how did she get a nice car?
For some reason, that bugs me more than anything!

[Edward]

Lostpedia has an enlarged screencap of the obit that Jack read on the plane. It is folded, so it is not wholly legible, but it references a suicide by hanging of a man from New York found in a loft apartment in LA. The first name starts with an “A” and the last name ends “ntham”.

Of course it could be an alias. I think it may also be a character not even introduced yet.

What is everyone’s theory for story construction next season? Background details in last night’s flash-forward seem to indicate it was 2007. I think next season will be in the present and flashbacks will be to the island from December 2004 till now.

[Anonymous]

Disagree about Sawyer in the casket ... why would Jack cry about him? My gut feeling is it is Ben: no family, no friends, and Jack wanted to kill him so bad, so it would be a lost opportunity and emotional closure ... wanting to jump off the bridge was recognition that life on the island truly was paradise compared to the real word, and that Ben was right in that regard.

[Jen]

Before reading the comment about the enlarged obit...I strongly felt it was Juliet in the casket. After all, no one from the island would show up, if they could; she betrayed "the others" and our "815ers" didn't really trust her. Also, when Jack asked Kate about the funeral, she replied to the effect of "Why would I go?" She pretty much hated Juliet, especially after seeing her kiss Jack!

[JA]

Sofreakinlost - how do you know that future Kate is no longer a fugitive? Unless I missed something, she still could be a fugitive - maybe that is why she had to meet Jack in a secluded area and not in public.

[Flynner]

Well, based on the size of the casket, we can safely assume it wasn't Hurley in there...

I'm starting to suspect that Locke is a figure like Neo in "The Matrix." He's a "chosen one" who will learn to harness the island's powers. Since I doubt Locke will ever willingly leave the island, don't think its him in the casket.

I agree w/ anonymous a few posts up -- is it was Juliet's funeral? Despite Jack saying he loved Kate, he obviously has a thing for Juliet, which could explain his strong reaction. Kate obviously despises her, which could explain her response. And Juliet pretty much left all family behind, except her sister, who may or may not have been cured of cancer. Could explain why nobody was there.

All in all, thought LOST made a nice recovery this season and looking forward to the next one. Much thanks to Bill and all the posters -- look forward to reading this blog on Thursdays as much as I look forward to watching the show!

[Kenny]

ok, We ASSUME Charlie took his fate in his own hands and drowned after entering the password - but we see him floating towards the window where he easily could have swam out of. and Pacthy was holding the grenade when it went off, So was he blown to bits?? Patchy is to the Others what John Locke is to the Losties (you cant kill him, the spear to a chest can kill a whale, unless he has a Patch.

If you have a high def tv set, You can sort of make out the Death Notice, It reads A New york Man was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment, Micheal was from NY traveling to get Walt and return to LA TO STAY WITH SOMEONE.

But you can make out part of the name, It started with a J, So it could be JOHN LOCKE / JAMES FORD (AKA Sawyer) OR MAYBE EVEN JACOB. I HOPE IM WRONG ABOUT THIS, but ive been pretty accurate ober the past season. And after the vision of Walt, I believe Micheal and Walt will resurface in season 4, but Im just a viewer, no ties to anyone who writes the friggin show, So im just guessing with the rest of you

[Bill Ervolino]

FROM BILL: Guys as always I am impressed by the comments this week and the great observations all of you are making. In my rush to get all of this together in a couple of hours I sometimes miss things or misinterpret them. Or, I neglect to write them down because I assume I wont forget them and then, the next day, I'm wondering what happened.
Jacks trip to the morgue occurred in White Rabbit, for those who were curious.
As for who's in the casket, anything is possible, even with the clipping blow-up.
I dont think we can necessarily say its one person or the other based on what we already know, because so much can happen before the rescue. It could be a character we havent met yet. It could be Sawyer, or anyone. If Jack has changed so much since his return, the same could have happened to any of them.
Anyway as for the season as a whole, I think -- and I may make a separate post about this -- that my favorite season was 2, then 1, then 3. All of them had high and low points but I think that the hatch took the show into an entirely new and very original peak. I also believe (unfortunately) that the more thats going on the more difficult it is to create graceful scripts. This doesnt mean I'm losing interest in the show. Far from it! But I have always tried to view the show from the standpoint of a writer, and when I think about whats ahead for the storyline, I know this is going to be a very complicated thing to pull off without angering a good number of fans. And all of this spoiler junk doesnt help either. I cant imagine why anyone would want to watch a show like this when they know everything thats going to happen.
At any rate, I'm going to do at least one more big post before this site is retired for the summer, so please check back in the next few days.

[Alan F]

Hey, I got a great LOST story to tell. I am walking into a Manhattan food market today and who is walking out the door but Michael Emerson (the actor who plays Ben). WOW! I blurt out "Hey Ben" as he walks towards me. Then I said to him how amazing the show last night was and he says "yeah, what a wild ending". I complimented him on his performance this year, and he was very gracious and friendly. And Ed, yes, I suggested to him that he should win an EMMY for his performance this season, and he was really humble and acted like it would never happen. BTW, he looked exactly as he does on the small screen, but even younger than I thought. And his hair sticks up just like on the show! I wish I had asked him more about the show though.
And I also saw the actor who played EKO last year in NYC right after he was killed off. He is BIG!!
I am predicting that the next 3 seasons will now be in the future, with flashbacks to what happened at the island (the rescue, etc). I think it would be a stretch to continue most characters' flashbacks as we know most of their back stories already.
Why did FUTURE Jack not wind up with Juliet? Does something bad happen to her after leaving the island (causing Jack's ruination)?
I feel watching Jack wind up like this might be tough to watch long term. Maybe there will be a change Jack makes at some point, either in the past or the future?

[Barry Smith]

I was thinking it was Locke's obituary, but now it seems obvious (maybe) that it was Juliet, as Jen posted. Jack is so broken up upon seeing the death notice on the plane, it would have to be about a woman he loved, and he now blames himself for her death. Jen, as you said, why would Kate want to go to the funeral?

Bill, that's amazing that you found an anagram for the funeral home's name which is "flash forward".

I'm completely lost, now. The story may continue now with flash forwards, and the present catching up to the future...that would be interesting.

But I am lost, so I'll just point out some little things:

--The Dharma logo on the Looking Glass Station is a rabbit. Cute.

--When Bonnie and Greta are arguing in the radio room, they're framed in the porthole window of the door, as Charlie looks on. This lasted just a few seconds, but seemed like an homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey, when the astronauts Frank and Dave are arguing behind a closed door and Hal the computer nixes the ploy by reading their lips through the window.

--When Penny first came on the monitor, her image was full of static and her voice was garbled, and it reminded me of Dorothy imprisoned in the witch's castle and Auntie Em trying to talk to her on the big crystal ball. That may sound odd, but this entire series is so much like the Wizard of Oz: People in a faraway place trying to get home, just as Dorothy was, with those who try to hurt them (Ben is the wicked witch) and those who try to help them. There certainly are lots of parallels.

I'll be back for more next season.

[Alan F]

Thanks Bill for this article, I enjoyed reading it AFTER each LOST show.
My final question for this season to all:

How come we (as the viewer) never saw Desmond's premonition of Charlie's death (drowning). We saw all the other ones (which Desmond ultimately prevented in each case). Is it possible that Des "tricked the deck" and never had this premonition? And if he did, why did he not see Charlie talking to Penny in it?
Thanks again, have a great summer, see you again in Feb 08, I guess.

[Bill Ervolino]

FROM BILL: I also caught the Wizard of Oz similiarity and wrote it this morning for my Monday Lost & Found column in the Record.
Back to the coffin, though, I think that Jack was so broken up about leaving the island that ANYONE connected with it would make him respond that way. He is so needy for whatever it was that he left there. I just wish Fox gave Jack a bit more range. He has a few stock things he does over and over again, like when hes touched or trying not to cry and his whole upper body seems to hiccup. To me his whole character is about doing that, staring into space and yelling at people. Onthe other hand it is kind of interesting to have a main character who most fans of the show wouldnt want to have dinner with. The real tragedy of Jack is that as he sees himself (through his fathers eyes) he is never good enough, and so he sways from insecure shlub to self-righteous dictator. He overcompensates for everything, as a doctor, a runner, a person. And he constantly stands up to Locke and Ben, the two father figures on the show who challenge him and know more than he does. Certainly Ben has done plenty to earn the beating he got last night but I think some of that rage was also Jack vs. Christian, since his father crippled him in a way. Locke on the other hand feels a need to provide for others because he needed a father to nurture and care for him. He fathered boone, charlie, claire and was like a perfect dad to them, but Jack resents having a figure like that in his life.

[Michelle]

Like everyone else my head is still spinning - even after watching it again.

Here's the link to the newspaper clipping.
http://lostpedia.com/images/d/d4/Newspaperclipping2.jpg
It clearly states it was a man - from NY found in a loft. The name looks like Jo.....antham. I think that some those rescued were givin aliases to cover up the cover-up of the crash. This would explain why Kate is not in jail and why Jack is so upset over the death of someone whose name we don't recognize. Those who didn't change their names - like Jack - would have to lie about where they've been.

The one thing that stuck in my head was Danielle telling Alex she made the recording 3 days before she was born. From what I remember the recording says "it killed them it killed them all". If she was referring to her team, then she would have to give birth alone. I was wondering if she was referring to Ben killing all the Dharma people. I hope we get more info on her next season, because she knows a lot more than she's let on.

I'll be back next season. Can't wait to read your new blog Bill.

[Patall]

I think the dead person in the coffin was Ben. Jack consistently fought with Ben on the island and even committed to kill him (though that was when he thought Ben had ordered the murders of Jin, Bernard and Sayid). However, I suspect he has come to realize that Ben was right all along about the need to protect island (after all, Jack wants to return to it), which is clearly a magical kind of place. So, despite his antipathy for Ben, Jack also sees him as a kind of spiritual fellow traveler. He can’t warm to him, but he recognizes why Ben became who he was. Problems with this theory. The obit doesn’t mention Ben’s past. Surely, Ben’s spectacular adventures on the island would have captured the public’s imagination and made headlines around the world? Also, the obit refers to a person who name begins with J. However, as somebody else speculated, the losties who made it back to civilization may have struck a bargain with their rescuers, exchanging a promise of silence for a lift home. So Ben’s past would have been unknown to police. Also, it’s possible that the rescuers kept some of the losties as hostages on the island to use as leverage in ensuring the silence of those who left. Jack’s unhappiness back in the world could have a number of causes. Surely, on some level, he misses the adventure. He probably also misses being a leader and always looked up to. But I suspect he is also suffering grief at having made a decision that cost others dearly. Perhaps he was forced to decide who left and who stayed behind, similar to his decision to not return for Jin, Bernard and Sayid during the walk from the beach to the transmission tower. That would be painful to live with. Perhaps, also, he made a critical decision of life/death or stay/go import affecting others that he now perceives as having been cowardly, thus making it doubly painful to live with. Anyway, great episode. I’m definitely looking forward to the next season.

[Lauren]

Chris posted and said that Kate seemed equally miserable as Jack, but I dont think thats true. Jack told her that they were not supposed to leave, but Kate said that was not true. She seems happy to me. She's glad that she got off the island. Now, ideas:
1. Might it have been Juliet in the coffin? Jack would cry over her, and Kate wouldn't go to the funeral. The only thing is, the guy at the funeral parlour asks Jack if he's a friend or a relative, and Jack says neiter. I would have thought he said friend.
2. Jack's father has to be alive. Besides Jack saying that if his father was more drunk than he was then he could be fired, Jack's father wrote a prescription for Jack. The lady at the desk said to Jack that he couldnt write a prescription for himself, and Jack said that Dr. Christian Sheppard had written the prescription, and he was Dr. Jack Sheppard. However, maybe Jack really had written it and he just said his dad had, because when the pharmacist tried to call his father's office, Jack walked out. Then again, maybe he just didn't want to talk to his dad.
3. I think Mikkhail cant die, but none of the Others know that, not even Ben. Remember when Mikkhail went through that alarm system and started frothing at the mouth? Well, when Ben saw him after that had happened he said to him something along the lines of, "didnt you go through that alarm system?" and Mikkhail said "It was not turned to a high setting." Which is a lie, because it was on a high setting, and we watched him die.
4. The past must have been changed. Or else Kate would be in jail and Jack's dad would be dead. Plus, Jack said that he's sick of lying, so maybe their silence was bought with the Golden passes that Jack says they were given.
5. Did anyone happen to notice this? The couple sitting behind Jack on the plane in the future really looked like Sun and Jin. Or no, not Sun, but Jin and another Asian woman. I'm not sure about anything, though because you really only see the top of his head.
6. In Jack's apartment, there are maps all over the place, with an oceanic sticker and a bottle of alcohol. He desperately wants to get back to the island.
7. When Jack is in the pharmacy, one of the men on line behind him says that he recognises him, and that he'sthe hero. Jack says "I'm not a hero." I think Jack thought the man was talking about him being a hero for getting everyone off the island. Jack definitely does not think he's a hero for doing that, because he wishes he was still on the island.
8. When Sawyer and Juliet are standing outside the camp watching, Sawyer is saying how the Others only have 3 guys and 4 guns left, and then Juliet says that she and Sawyer are unarmed. Sawyer says, "we'll wait until night" and Juliet says that that won't change the fact that they're unarmed. Then she says that if Sawyer wants to kill himself by attacking them, fine, but before he goes...and then she gets cut off because they hear something. What was she about to say?
9. When Sawyer shoots Tom, he says to him, "That's for taking the kid off the raft." I'm assuming he means Walt, and I'm assuming he means in the Season Finale of Season One (I think that's when it was). Sawyer, Jin, Michael and Walt had built a raft and were going to use it to get off the island and get everyone rescued. They see a boat and the boat sees them, but the people on the boat are Others. They say they will let Jin, Sawyer and Michael go if they get to keep Walt. They all refuse, but the Others get Walt anyway. The man who took Walt had a big beard and didn't look anything like Tom, but when Claire, Kate and Rosseau went to the station where Claire had been taken in Season One, they found stage paint and fake beards. Which means it was Tom that took Walt, correct?

Okay, I think that's all for now.

[Barry Smith]

Lauren, Yes, it was Tom on the boat who took Walt off the raft, as Sawyer said when he shot him. I agree with just about everything you posted. The idea that Mikhail can't die is interesting. If true, then he'll be back, because if he an't die, then he can survive a hand grenade. But he can be mutilated, I mean, he's missing an eye, so I'm not sure what heppens to him after the grenade goes off.

I think that different people have different special powers or abilities, given to them by the island, but based on something in each person's own, unique makeup. I think this will be revealed in flashbacks of Patchy, Richard, Ben, etc.

Bill, I can't wait to see tomorrow's Record.

[Lauren]

Thanks for replying, Barry. Also, I have two more things to say, one is another idea that i have and another is a reply to something you said. The reply: You are completely correct (in my mind) with what you said about how averyone on the island has a different "ability." I didn't realize this before, but Richard has a power, too. He can't get older. In that episode a few weeks ago about Ben, he met Richard in the jungle. I figured they tried to make Richard look younger but they couldn't, but really I think he just can't age. Also, Jacob could really be a person, and his ability can be invisibility. I have no idea about Ben's ability, but since he was not born on the island, maybe he does not have one.
Now the other idea: In
"Greatest Hits" Charlie saved some lady in an alley from a robber, and the lady called him a hero. This woman is Nadia, that girl that Sayid was in love with and carried around a picture of. I took a picture of Nadia from a different episode and the picture of the woman from "Greatest Hits" and they are definitely the same woman. Here's the pictures together. http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u255/like_ohemgeee/nadia-womaninalley.jpg They look a little different because in one she's wet and pale and in another she's dry and tan, but They have the same nose, plus they both have a little birth make on their cheek, in the same place. Just copy and paste the address, because I can't make a link. Maybe everyone else but me has already figured out that it is the same woman, but whatever. (=

So, that's all for now, but I'll probably think of other things later, so I'll keep checking back.