Get Ready: Flashes Before Your Eyes

We're back on the island in this latest episode of LOST, Flashes Before Your Eyes. We'll be podcasting this weekend, so send us your thoughts by posting them here, sending us an email, or leaving an audio comment on our automated voicemail at 206-666-2278.

Comments

[Steve]

Well, we were kinda back on the island anyway. That episode blew my mind. I look forward to hearing how you relate it to the Valenzetti Equation stuff from the Lost Experience.

[Courtney]

That was a great episode - kinda saw the charlie thing coming when charlie showed up in the flashback. My number one question is who was the woman at the ring store? She was super creepy!

[Richard Neale]

Great episode, as Steve says cant wait to hear your thoughts as i've completely fogotten all the Valenzetti stuff! Do you think it was a coincidence that Desmond bumped into Charlie and that could have changed his destiny kind of thing? Also, whats with the jewelrey lady, did anyone else think she was very similar to the opacle in the Matrix?

[Loren]

I thought every single moment of the episode was amazing! Every screenshot, every song choice, every line carries soooo much importance!

Previous commenters (on the last page) mentioned the line from "Wonderwall": 'cuz maybe, you're gonna be the one to save me' but after looking at all of the lyrics, the song ties in so nicely with the episode. "today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you. by now, you should've somehow realized what youve got to do" etc. Desmond's been 'thrown back' in time and should realize what he has to, or should do. I thought it was a little funny after Charlie sings his song and it starts to rain that he quickly closes his little cardboard sign up in his case, but leaves out his guitar to get all wet.

Penny threw out an interesting comment when Desmond was breaking up with her. She said "Don't rewrite history" perhaps suggesting that even though it may seem like a good idea for desmond to try to change things, it is, as the ring-lady said, just not a good/possible idea.

I cannot wait to delve into all the screenshots of the artwork from the episode. One of the paintings in Widmore's office looked as if it were painted in a very similar style as the hatch mural.

I also wanted to point out the continuing Wizard of Oz theme. When the guy got hit by a scaffolding (to continue the pattern of bizarre deaths as started with Juliet's ex last episode), his red shoes sticking out were just like the wicked witch of the east when she was hit by a house (house = a more completed scaffolding?).

Finally, who in the world is the ring-lady??? Is she part of Desmond's subconscience? Is she a Dharma plant? Is she an Other (not necessarily Dharma)? This was an amazing episode with so many things to think about and I cannot wait for the podcast or next week's episode!

Oh, and just in case anyone wants the links for "Stranger in a Strange Land:
US Preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdyUJLu2ggg
Canadian Preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=789ISVNPqfA

Stay Lost!

[SMKGirl]

I was so Lost during last night's episode, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. When Desmond "awoke" on the floor in the flat with red paint all over him, my first thought was that it was a sort of "Flash Forward" - that Desmond had been "re-inserted" in his life years down the road. And then, seeing his bad hair, I knew the scene was in the past.

It blew my mind though...and that's why I love Lost!

I didn't get a chance to post last week, but wanted to see if anyone noticed that Ben has one blue and one green eye. I noticed it when they did a closeup on his face when he woke up during the surgery. Now, I'm not sure if it was my tv (better not be as I just forked out major duckies for a huge HD flatscreen), but if what I saw is correct, I think I remember hearing once about superior races with multi-colored eyes.

[John]

Great episode.... definitely one of my favorites. Here's my theory based on what we learned last night:

I believe it was established in the Lost Experience that the numbers represent the Valenzetti equation which calculates "doomsday" and that the work on the island is to change these numerical certainties and therefore change or postpone doomsday. Well what if the time loop that was eluded to in last nights episode is intentional in order to give the work on the island more attempts to get it right and postpone the end of time? I hate to say it but it reminds me of daybreak, where the main character was reliving the same day over and over and continually trying to learn from his previous mistakes in order to get that one day right. The stakes in Lost are much higher, if they can't get it right dooms day comes. Charlie living may be the change that is needed, which is why the "Universe" is trying to self correct and kill him.

We've all been intrigued to find out how all of the Lost Characters are somehow connected. I think their connection is that they all play a role in somehow finally setting the correct sequence of events into action to change or postpone the end of time. Desmonds role was to push the button.

When they succeed, time will continue on outside of the time loop and they will be free of the island.

[Phil Beagley]

Awesome, awesome, awesome! One of, if not thee best episode of LOST ever. Lost is back, BABY! Very well done and keep it up. Can't wait to see how you guys dissect this one.

[Terri]

I thought last night's episode rocked. It was a VERY unique way to do a flashback, something that has never been tried before and it fit what we've seen of Desmond since the hatch implosion/explosion.

Not only did it reflect the issues of time/time travel that have been brought up recently, but it went back to the whole issue of Fate versus Free Will.

Desmond's frustration with thinking he'd done this before and the realization that he couldn't change a thing was palpable.

Did anyone else have their own flashback when Desmond jumped into the ocean after Claire? I flashedback to Jack and Boone jumping in after an unidentified woman drowning in one of the first episodes.

[Deviant]

I knew I should have waited for this comments section to open up. I posted this a few minutes ago.

Hey everyone, I never post (and I will now make up for it with an insanely long rant to get things off my chest), but I just had to post this week. THAT, my friends, was a god damn episode of Lost. That one brilliant episode almost makes up for the seven weeks of near garbage that we have made excuses for and tried to come up with grander theories for just to make tolerating those episodes a little less painful. Not only did we get off of that fucking Alcatraz island, but off of the entire setting as a whole. What a refreshing, enjoyable experience.

Overall, it may not have added that much to the 'current' story, but it was just entertaining television. I've been watching the show all season saying "it's gotta get better, I get the feeling they're building to something... they're building to something, right? We just need to get to know these stupid Others so that when they get back to our beloved Locke and Sayid who have been neglected for far too damn long, there will be a huge pay off, right?!" While this episode didn't get us any closer to much in the way of storyline development on the main island, it reminded me that Lost could be a captivating, exciting, engrossing 45 minutes of television. Oh Lost, how I missed ye.

Also, this was how I would like Lost to tell more of its stories. It's about time we got an episode that just beat us over the head with an idea and screamed "this is where we're going - this is what this is about!" An entire episode of crazy time-jumping, event re-living, course of events themed madness beats the everloving shit out of having to figure out the themes for yourself because one Other was holding a prop that referenced time while some guy who's had five minutes of screen time is shown a video that we the viewer need to listen to fucking backwards.

This episode TOLD A DAMN STORY, in an entertaining and intriguing fashion, no less.

It was a Desmond episode, the themes were all clear and addressed by the actual story being told, there was a tonne of little easter eggs, the "formality" of Lost was thrown out the window in favour of an extended flashback (of sorts) that wasn't almost completely irrelevant to what's going on on the island... What wasn't there to love about this episode?

I was hoping that episode 9 would see things really take off for the third season (because next week is "let's all go back to the island we finally freaking left to save Jack") and hopefully episode 9 will see the entire cast start to mingle and try to figure some new things out and get new things done. Now I just have to hope that next week can even hold a candle to Desmond's episode!

[my-2-cents]

Loved the Desmond flash-back / flash-sideways! This is why I watch LOST! Still, it reminds me of that cheesy old Christopher Reeves sci-fi chick flick called “Somewhere In Time” where he meets an old woman that gives him a watch and says to him "come back to me" not long before he wills himself to the past thru hypnosis and meets the same woman only younger and hotter. Could the old woman Desmond meets be an older version of someone we already know? Even crazier, the time travel element in that movie was inspired by Jack Finney’s novel “Time and Again” which has some uncanny story elements very similar to LOST: the Chris Reeves connection (Ben’s speech to Jack in “Glass Ballerina”), bizarre military experiments, time travel / loops, references to U.S. Presidents (Ben’s mention of Bush), giant statues laying in pieces, fertility concerns / ensuring the birth of an important figure, some similar character names, and a suspenseful and larger ominous plot that protagonists are not wise to right away. Could Juliet’s arrival on the island around 9/11 mean Ben Linus was using her expertise along with time travel technology to avert some disastrous chain of events leading to a Valenzetti-style World War III? Star Trek Voyager also had an episode like that titled “Time and Again” where a clairvoyant character helps save the good guys from a universal cataclysm involving time loops. Hey, it’s all on Wikipedia, dudes!

[sam]

all I have to say is DRUNK HURLEY!!!!
Ok, so I have more to say:
@richard
yeah, i thought that she was like the oracle. And now that I'm thinking about it, I really think that that was all a dream. In dreams, the thing is that you can't feel pain, and in situations where you would normally feel pain (physical, not emotional) you either wake up or it just doesn't affect you. When Desmond "woke up" in his flat, he said that he was fine and that he wasn't hurt. I would think that someone would be hurt after falling off of a high ladder while painting the cieling. Then, he woke up once he was hit in the head w/ the cricket bag! Now, i don't KNOW this stuff, but I's just speculating.

Stay LOST!
Sam from Oakland

[SMKGirl]

RE: my prior post (5th from top), I found on the web that Alexander the Great had two different colored eyes...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_(anatomy)#Different_colors_in_the_two_eyes

[Symbha]

Didn't Ziggy Stardust had 2 different colored eyes too?

[Deviant]

After being re-inspired to care about Lost after this episode, I wanted to get some idea of what to expect from here on. This is only a very minor spoiler, which you probably already know, so don't worry. Here's the characters that will get flashbacks, in order for the next six episodes:

- Jack.
- Hurley.
- Sayid.
- Claire.
- Locke.
- Nikki and Paulo.

Thaaat's right, Nikki and Paulo! Thoughts?

That list has only helped my re-emerging excitement about Lost. Looks like a lot of stories are going to be revisited. Next episode is the answer to Jack's tattoos, I can't wait for another Sayid episode, the answer to how Locke got into the wheelchair and more. I'm definately looking forward to Lost from now on, after truly feeling like watching it was a chore for the past seven episodes.

I wonder if I'm going to be the only one that is looking forward to that Nikki and Paulo episode, though. I think it could be like The Other 48 Days, only this time revealing things about the beach lostaways that we and the central cast weren't paying attention to. Could be really good stuff. Plus Damon and Carlton promise that we will care about Nikki and Paulo, so I'm curious as to what the deal is with them.

I just hope next week's episode doesn't suck...

[alex's slingshot]

i posted this on the previous entry comments but want to bring it up again since this is actually relevent to the post recent episode, not "Not in Portland"

actually i think they HAVE alluded to Desmond's flashes prior to S3... in fact the S2 premiere featured Desmond mysteriously alluding to Sarah's full recovery from her surgery when Jack thought he'd failed. Was that because he'd already met Jack on island and asked him about the girl (remember when Jack was chasing him through the woods when Des was running away from the hatch? it was another "Jack cries in the woods!" moment). So he subconsciously knew Sarah would be alright because Jack had already said he'd married her on the island. I really hope the writers/producers did that intentionally knowing this story would follow because it gives me more faith that there is a definite structure and purpose to the story LOST is telling.

[Daffs]

I'm also really looking forward to the Paulo/Nikki episode.
I think they have the potential to become the next big redemption story (characters who seem one-dimensional and then a flashback blows it all wide open)
And, yeah, heard it was going to be Other48Days-esque. Although only now do I see how that works- the events of the Big Four through the eyes of the little people?
Interesting.

Also, I think I'm the only person on the entire internet who isn't crazy about this episode.
It was good, maybe even great, yeah...
But something felt abt, I dunno, off (the acting, portrayal of England, the framing of what I admit was a fantastically innovative flashback)
A grower, perhaps.

[Michael Daul]

I really enjoyed the episode, but I think it opens up a really big can of worms thematically for the show; causality in the universe. Desmond's time travleing very much reminded me of Donnie Darko.

So why is the shop keeper unique in her omnipotence? That scene was fantastic. I don't understand why Desmond decided all of a sudden not to propose to Penney. I'm also still not sure why he can see the future. Did he travel forwards in time after the shot to the head via the cricket bat (and they just didn't show us)? The "flashes of memory" explanation just doesn't fit for me in terms of remembering a future on the island that he (Desmond) has not yet experienced.

I'm also very psyched about meeting the "other" others next week!

[Kathy aka Fangirl]

According to IMDB the woman in the ring store was Ms. Hawking. Loving the name games lately and the music references.

[Harley]

Loved the episode! My question is does anyone thing that the old lady could be Penelope, an older version? We already know that she's looking for Des, maybe she found him and figured out how it all worked...then made sure that he didn't ask for her hand in marriage so he'd go to the island? Just a thought!

[Kathy aka Fangirl]

I've been trying to work it out, but if Charlie was a mile away with them in the woods, how could he have drown trying to save Claire? He wouldn't have been around. He didn't know she was in the water until Desmond leaped in.

[rock]

Hey, i noticed something from watching the repeat of last weeks episode. Juliet was about to turn this dial on the screen where she caught Kate and Sawyer, then she sees Russous's(sp?) daughter and stops herself saying, "damn." It was like the switch would have taken them out or something.

[Lorne]

Kathy - I think Charlie might have arrived too late to save Claire anyways. But he still would have jumped in and tried to get to her, and drown.
And the writing wouldn't have been as dramatic if Desmond had said "I was trying to save both of you" :)

[I_Love_Sayid...&_Lostcasts]

WOW...amazing ep.

So does anyone know the logistics about magnetic fields bending time and space around an object? When there's an implosion, and the object seems to disappear like a black hole, we can then see the circular belt around the object where time and space are bending. If something existing on the object being imploded is blown outward instead of inward, wouldn't it shoot to the event horizon and exist within the hole's circular belt? If the hatch imploded, causing a black hole and all the people were blown out from the center, maybe Desmond made it to the event horizon and existed in the belt where time and space is bent around it. Because none can pass an event horizon, according to Steven Hawking, Desmond was bounced back to the center. Is it possible that when Desmond visited this place he existed in the present, the future and in the past at the same time? This might explain why he went back in time as his present self and not see his past self (no doppelganger.) We only saw his experience with the past in his flashback but maybe he also had a future experience he doesn't quite remember. Does this make any sense or am I missing it completely? Don't answer that. Help! Is there a physicist out there?!

@ Kathy aka Fangirl

that's right!! huh...production error?

[marnie]

So I loved the episode! It was really entertaining and really gets you thinking. I do have to admit that it was pretty reminiscent of "Somewhere in Time" (the christopher reeve movie that was referenced above)...it also had some "Final Destination" ideas in it too with the whole destiny thing. But I really don't think that the writers would just bite of of stories like that. It is got to turn out to be something else. Maybe a memories or a journey into Desmond's sub-conscious instead of actual time travel?

I do like the idea of Ms. Hawking being Penny as an old-woman but I don't think the writers would take that route.

I just want to have Damon and Carlton explain the whole thing to me!! How can Desmond see the future? Does that mean that he went farther into the future and we just weren't shown it? So much I don't understand...but we will find out more! :) STAY LOST!

[Loren]

@Kathy,
in the beginning of the episode, Desmond came to get Charlie and Hurley, taking them away from the beach. Perhaps this was his attempt to keep Charlie as far away from harm as possible.

@michael daul,
I can't get the Donnie Darko similarities out of my mind! In DD, Donnie experiences an alternate universe branching off of the 'original' universe. In the end, he has to decide which universe will actually occur. In one, he falls in love, makes a few bold statements, but the girl ends up dying. In the other, he never met the girl because he himself dies in the beginning. Perhaps Desmond will have to choose the 'right' universe at the end. Although, that could lead to a huge cop-out if Desmond just chooses a universe where the island adventures never happened. Lost would never do that to us, though, I'm pretty sure :)

Finally,
@Harley,
I aboslutely love the idea that Ms. Hawking is a future Penny. It might be too complicated even for Lost to make everything add up that way, but I personally love that kind of stuff.

[Scott]

Ms. Hawking reminded me of the oracle in the Matrix... except she told me shit. so great but so frustrating!

[Joop]

@ Kathy aka fangirl

That bothered me too.

Desmond said he wasn't saving Claire he was saving Charlie. He got to her way before anyone else & JUST saved her life.

He could have forseen Charlie trying to pull in her corpse, or he could have forseen a different instance of Claire drowning, like the soccer (football) match. Either way, he saved Claire's life.

Is Claire slated for death? or is the whole 'nature cleansing itself' only apply to heroin addicts.

Great comments on here. You guys said everything I came here to say.

Definite 'oracle' vibe from the old woman. I can't imagine her being connected to the Island, Dharma or the others, but w/ a name like Ms. Hawking, she probablly is *panora's box opening*. I hope she actually is Desmonds subconcious or just a full blown psychic.

Which reminds me of a joke:

A guy goes to a psychic who begins reading his palm.
she says 'I see you don't have a girl friend'.
the guy says 'that's true'
She looks closer & says 'my goodness, you must be very lonely'
The guy says 'well...that's true...you can tell all that from my love line?'
she says 'love line?...no...from all these calluses'

*awkward silence*

[Rob van den Berg]

This is it!. Absolutely a great episode. I think everybody is thursty for answers ... and we shure got some today! Can't wait for the episode where they bring in the anit-matter and atlernitive time/spaces and superposition. Go see "What the bleep do we know" everybody. Great stuff! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDIqNTDi96I

[John]

I can't help but notice the similarities between the lady in the jewelry store telling Desmond he can't buy the ring and the psychic in Clair's backstory telling her has to keep her baby. Its as if there are certain events that must occur to keep something very bad from happing.

[I_Love_Sayid...&_Lostcasts]

hahaha...
http://www.exitmundi.nl/blackholes_lab.htm

[Jur]

@ Daffs

No, you are not alone. For example, I enjoyed episode 7 (Mittelos, bus, 'Clockwork', boat) much more then this Donny Darko like episode.

[dsb in brooklyn]

Thank God!!! Lost is back to great. I realized that if I want to watch the vaguaries of good vs. evil people in dark shadowy places--24 fills the need and does it much better than the last strech of Lost has been doing it. It is interesting to ponder what might be different if the show had gone along with the original plan of Ben/Henry being around for only 3 episodes or so. Though I loved him as a character-- it seems like shifiting the weight of the show over to him is where and when the glimpses of "jumping the shark" were showing up.
All I know i sthat I am excited again, adn for the first time in a while, I am counting down to the next week!

[I_Love_Sayid...&_Lostcasts]

hahaha

http://golem.ph.utexas.edu/~distler/blog/archives/000408.html

Check out the line at the top "No Information on Lost Here"
I guess when you follow bizare leads when searching for clues on a tv show, you start bothering the crap out of people, lol.

[Cameron]

Does anyone remember seeing this posted on various spoiler sites (***** I am suggesting this is no longer a spoiler since we have seen the episode - but beware of reading further just in case *****)?
*
*
*
*
*
".. [Desmond] is also the subject of a flashback device employed 'in a way we never have before and never will again,' hints Lindelof. 'It'll either blow people's minds or chase them away for good.' "

Do people believe that Desmond literally travelled in time, or merely had a flashback incorrectly altered by his time on the island and/or the unreasonable amount of whisky that he had just consumed?

I think it MUST be the latter since we are never going to see this again. The writers are telling us "nothing changes the past like the future" i.e. what happens as you go through life affects how you see past experiences.

It looks to me like the writers are saying to us: don't trust that anything we have seen in anyone else's flashback took place exactly as they remember it. Some stuff did (e.g. Desmond and Penny really did pose for a photograph). but maybe not everything.

None of which explains his on-island precognitive abilities though ... but hey, that's what the podcast is for!

[Martin]

Did Desmond just flash back to the woods and was all of a sudden back in current time or did they just pick up and show him flashing back to the woods. When did her come back from the past? Did he just have to live it all again? I think I need to watch the episode again.

It reminded me very much of the Dark Tower which I know the producers are bigs fans of. Was the key Desmond's Tower? I don't want to give too much away here, but anyone else that has read the DT books get that feeling?

[frankmorris]

Has anyone seen screen caps of Desmond's life 'flashing before his eyes'? w/ all those rappid fire images there's got to be a few easter eggs.

[Jamie the philosopher]

wow what an episode, finally got me excited about lost again that only the Eko episode had this season.
everythings been said but just thought id highlight a link between david hume and free will, from wiki

Free will versus determinism
Just about everyone has noticed the apparent conflict between free will and determinism – if your actions were determined to happen billions of years ago, then how can they be up to you? But Hume noted another conflict, one that turned the problem of free will into a full-fledged dilemma: free will is incompatible with indeterminism. Imagine that your actions are not determined by what events came before. Then your actions are, it seems, completely random. Moreover, and most importantly for Hume, they are not determined by your character – your desires, your preferences, your values, etc. How can we hold someone responsible for an action that did not result from his character? How can we hold someone responsible for an action that randomly occurred? Free will seems to require determinism, because otherwise, the agent and the action wouldn't be connected in the way required of freely chosen actions. So now, nearly everyone believes in free will, free will seems inconsistent with determinism, and free will seems to require determinism. Hume's view is that human behavior, like everything else, is caused, and therefore holding people responsible for their actions should focus on rewarding them or punishing them in such a way that they will try to do what is morally desirable and will try to avoid doing what is morally reprehensible.

just thought that was quite interesting

[Mike in the Box]

the writers have never thrown a bone that big. They won't tell us that Charlie will die, then kill him. They will pull one over on us. Possibly Desmond dies trying to save Charlie. I do not think that Charlie will die though. That is too easy and too predictable and NOTHING about this show is easy or predictable.

[Yomada]

I dont undestand how what we saw was a Desmond FLASHBACK. My question is what happened the first time around, before he crashed on the island, did he see that lady and the jewelry store? I dont think so, and wouldnt Charlie remember him?

Maybe he relived all those years of his life.

!!!!!SOMEONE HELP!!!!!

[Yomada]

The first time around did Desmond and Penny really break up like that? Right after that picture, because he would have remembered that...

I wanna hear some theories, this was a pretty confusing episode. Maybe the old jewelry lady is like Hurleys imaginary friend. Its in his subconscious

[biolite]

Great episode! Hopefully Lost can keep episodes like this coming for the rest of the season :P

The flash back is interesting. Adding time travel to a show is a big step since it creates alot of questions (and headaches). I'm inclined to think that Desmond's "time-travel" was just a dream, he didn't actually travel in time. The old woman though, seemed like something more. Almost if someone (the island?) was speaking to him, explaining that he can't change the future.

We do know that Desmond is seeing flashes of the future, that we know for sure.

That being said I really like the idea that Mrs. Hawking is Penny back from the future, that would be really cool.

Is Charlie going to die? Seems that way...too bad it isn't Claire, she's far more annoying then Charlie...though if the Losties do find out that Charlie attacked Sun he's probably better off dead. Also, how did an uber-expensive bottle of whiskey get on the plane? That exact bottle too...what are the odds ;)

Biolite

[I_Love_Sayid...&_Lostcasts]

but it would explain everything...the visions, the hatch insident... it all seems to make sence in a way. how about this theory?
http://i-love-sayids-lost-blog.blogspot.com/

[jur]

Did anyone noticed the ads around the field during the matches Desmond was watching. I did see Apollo and Oceanic ads.(Look during the second match when one of the teams score a goal. see http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage.php?album=1250&pos=706 )

[hadley]

incredible episode!!
anyone else think they're setting desmond up to die? i mean they finished his story for the most part
and killing charlie would be too obvious. maybe if desmond dies saving charlie, or in his place, that will correct the universe and prevent charlie's death...
just an idea

[Brian]

Isn't it funny that everytime we say someone's story is finished, about 10 eps later, we get a whole new hook for their character. After cleaning up, Charlie looked finished until the heroin stash was found. After he beat that temptation, we all thought he was done again. Now we have a developing conflict with Desmond over Claire as well as a Charlie struggling against fate. Same thing happened with Sun and Jin. After they reconciled, we figured they were pretty much wrapped up. Then it turns out that Sun was running around on Jin and is pregnant. I'd be real careful about predicting deaths based on whose story is "finished" as some people seem to be doing.

[Symbha]

Charlie, or Jack, Charlie, or Jack... (or Claire!)

So, which is it gonna be, who's gonna die? Is the theme of the show that you can, or cannot change fate? The way I see it, either Desmond is going to fully buy into it, let Charlie die, and the twist we all think has to be there will be the manner of death. And then the question is what's with the Jack stuff?

Oooooorrrrrrr.......

Desmond decides FATE be damned, I'm gonna save this whiney Wonderwall singin bastard, all the time. In which case, it's a public execution for Jack. It's hard to tell.

And remember back, first time through the Undertow Just Took Me drowning sequence, it was Jack saving Boone, not Jack saving the drowning victim, who was never seen again. Not to mention, the universe corrected and finally got Boone by dropping an airplane on him.

And so... that brings me to Claire cause whether he intended it or not, Desmond saved her, so both Charlie and Claire are on borrowed time.

[mike]

hahah inconsistancy:

http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage.php?album=1250&pos=751

http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage.php?album=1250&pos=647

[Harley]

Okay this isn't a HUGE deal but it's kinda cool. In Mr. Widmore's office someone noted that the art on the wall looked alot like the art on the wall of the hatch. So I looked it up.
http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage.php?album=1250&pos=334
There it is, and it has NAMASTE written backwards on the top of it; and there's a polar bear in the pic. Just kinda interesting...

[Blake]

From the beginning of the episode, things seemed to be a little different. The early parts on the island just looked different to me, particularly the way they shot Desmond. They're definitely moving him up to 'Main Character' status, at least in the short term, and it was weird seeing Locke treated as something of an incidental in this episode.

One of the most obvious disadvantages of the bloated cast is that each episode seems to have to focus on one section of the island, which will instantly turn off a certain section of the viewership. I've been enjoying the second island storylines, but it's got frustrating extremely quickly and I seem to long for some back-to-basics beachfront action. Clearly, there hasn't been enough frantic running through the woods this season, either :D

[Kathy aka Fangirl]

This sucks: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070215/ap_en_tv/tv_lost_ratings;_ylt=ArATHb4z7042NvXsdx8z6xpxFb8C

I hope this just lets them pick their end date. Hopefully, the buzz of this episode being so good will kick up the ratings for next week.

No one has mentioned the scene about Locke and Sayid telling them that Ekko was dead. "What do you mean 'the island killed him'?" And John frustrated with the "well you know" answer. I thought that was great. Nice to see Locke getting back to his roots of "the island did it. let us look no further." I missed that blind, deaf and dumb faith he once had.

[rtteachr]

Last night was great!

My theory:

Desmond will make a time jump again. The stuff he is doing to save Charlie happens after his first jump, so he would not be reliving things from the hatch explosion on unless he jumps again. When he makes the next jump he tell Penny what is going on and that leads her to search for the island (finale of season 2).

The lady in the jewelry shop is an other. When she says all of "us" are going to day, she does not mean the world, she means the others. Without Desmnond the plane would not crash, no Jack to save Ben, and who kows what else.

Great epsiode. Nice to have the old LOST back!

[louis_marino]

I'm all for the way Lost references literature and other good tv/films but since when is ripping off the central concept of a crap teen horror film that has been drawn out into two sequals considered original television. (I just hope that Charlie's death is as creative as those the final destination films.) I never come away from an episode of lost feeling disappointed, but am I the only one who thought this was just a little bit rubbish? Not impressed by the Oracle either, or the way that Americans think that London is littered with red phoneboxes. Still, I'm sure next week's will restore my faith…

[mooze]

Did anybody else get the Final Destination vibe from this episode? First the scaffolding following on Mr. Redshoes (somehow I wonder if that's like the Red Shirts from Star Trek) and then all of the talk about how you can't stop death - if someone is meant to die, then death will find them?!

[Bob Vance]

Absolutely great episode. I was ready go to back to the main island with the big group of lostaways, yet I also didn't want to watch people walk through the woods for an hour. It was completely unpredictable. Had a bit of The Prisoner feel to it.

Sorry to say this, but maybe the falling ratings will force the producers to set an end date for May of next year, which would be perfect. I've been into a number of serialized TV shows - Twin Peaks, Buffy, X-Files, Alias, etc. - and all of those shows have experienced serious prolonged rough patches, sometimes (X-Files, Alias) for multiple seasons. Only Buffy ended with its integrity intact. Of course, these shows had more of a cult following, whereas Lost has many mainstream viewers. I've disliked or felt lukewarm about a few episodes, but Lost has managed to stay consistently good.

Hope it stays a little trippy.

[vargas]

Looks like a battle between predestination versus free will. Was Desmond manipulated into thinking that things were pre-determined or is life in the universe truly pre-determined? Personally I think free will reigns supreme and that that woman was playing a huge mind game with him.

[Pink]

Finally, back to the island (the original island, I mean)! Well, sort of. That episode was different than all the other ones. It was crazy. Anyway, I hope to learn more about the Others next week, and what happens to Jack. Meanwhile, can't wait for the podcast! P.S. Why Charlie? I hope it'll be a while before he dies. Also, it was interesting to see him in Desmond's flashback like that. That's never happened before.

[my-2-cents]

Anyone else notice the word "FUTURE" as the brand of red paint that spills in Desmond's flat? A bloody future for mankind until Desmond course-corrects toward his button-pushing destiny? Also, various shots of Widmore's office are mirror images of one another: notice Desmond looks directly to his right past the empty seat at the "namaste" painting, but when Widmore gets up for the whiskey, the painting is seemingly gone and Desmond is now instantly in the far-right seat. The very first view of the room - lasting only a split second - has the "namaste" artwork fixed on the wall to Desmond's left. Further, the placement of the lamp on Widmore's desk shifts from left-side to right and back to left throughout the scene. Hopefully this can be seen even w/o HDTV aspect ratio - these frames may get cut off slightly in the narrower viewing areas of standard tube sets. Or maybe that's just the Wild Turkey talking - all out of MacCutcheon, mates. Cheers!

[Symbha]

@my-2-cents,

I do not think those are continuity errors. I think they are intentional. At least the producers have claimed that this kind of stuff is always intentional.

I don't know what the heck it means though.... perhaps, this is the first time they loop has been deviated? (Otherwise the button would have to remain to be pushed?)

Maybe we'll find out next week...

[Drederick_Tatum]

Seems to me that Desmond realized at the end of his "dream/time warp" that he was indeed able to change things(bartender ducks).

I think Desmonds "gift" is being able to see possible futures(i.e. his friend talking to someone about multiple universes). Just a thought.

Grand Desmond Theory: Desmond = Anti-Valenzetti!

Think about it.

[Marya]

Greetings from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil!

Great episode, and like martin mentioned further above, TOTALLY reminded me of Stephen King's "The Dark Tower"!!!! Anyone else read the whole series?

I definetly think Desmond did time travel, and that starts making our heads twist and turn just like LOST usually does...I have missed that so much... So happy LOST is back.

Heard the last podcast today sitting on the sunny Ipanema beach!! Love you guys!!

Marya

[Lorne]

From the 39 podcast comments :

1+1? Maybe Desmond's power will get stronger until such time as he can change the equation?

Posted by: Lorne Pearl | October 30, 2006 at 10:12 PM
---------------
Yeah, I think I like the Grand Desmond theory as well :)

[LOSTnlovinit]

Has anyone seen the movie with Tom Cruise, "Minority Report?" I think this really fits with the Free Will and Determinism go together theory. The basis of the movie is that determinism is absolute and is used to prevent crimes before they happen. As it turns out, the "absoluteness" is based on probability and can in fact be changed with the right pieces of information (without these vital pieces, the events will take place exactly as seen in the vision). I know this is kind of vague, but I didn't want to ruin the movie for anyone who wants to watch it, even though I might have just given the ending away.

Also, I may be COMPLETELY out of my mind, but as I was watching the OH-SO-AWESOME episode, I noticed that I couldn't think of an "Other" who doesn't have blue eyes. Let me know if you guys can or catch someone that doesn't. I do think the old lady is an "other." I thought she might be a psychic who meant the whole world, but just something about the way she said made me think, "noooo, she's got to be a previous generation of others, or an other's grandma or something..."

Anyway, SO excited for the podcast and the rest of the season now that LOST IS BACK! I also can't wait for all the crazy analysis on the flashes and polar bear picture!

Stay LOST!

[Vaibhav]

Dudes,

I didn't get it...

what was it ? a flashback (as in the character's past?) or did Desmond go back in time and this was a flashback-in-current-time?

Who/What was the lady in the ring shop?

Whats "old fashioned" got to do with the dude with the red shoes? (and that was such a Matrix Rip-off... though I am not complaining on that!)

Can someone explain what the heck just happenned??

[chiwhistler]

@ Michael Daul & marnie...

Re: Desmond's seeing future flashes, he explained it v. briefly to Charlie during their last conversation, saying that after the past-flashes came, the flashes 'didn't stop' and he saw ones from the future too. No idea how this is supposed to fit into the bigger picture, but at least he acknowledged it!

[Deviant]

To me, Desmond seeing the future works perfectly and makes sense. After the hatch imploded, Desmond "re-lived" what we saw. Now, back on the island, he's having "flashes" of "memory" because he tapped into the overall story of his life.

Human beings aren't supposed to transcend time and space, you know. Desmond had an experience that exposed him to the way life works. He's been on a higher level of knowledge on how it's all supposed to go. While he didn't directly "live" the rest of his life, his mind is now a little fucked up and aware of it on some level.

[OPPinoy]

The Matrix meets Final Destination meets Back to the Future. Pretty crazy. I think the writers are creating a modern day greek mythology story, incorporating those godesses who use the thread of time and scissors, or something like that. That would help explain what the statue means. Maybe the island is the tip of what is left of what the greeks called Mount Olympus, after their gods were dethroned by the Titans. That's just my latest theory. Stay Lost.

[Wombat]

Great episode.
Though I couldn't help but notice the blooper on the Army recruitment poster.
The British Army would spell "Honor" as "Honour".
Not a biggie but pretty sloppy work by the Lost props department.

[rtteachr]

I totally see the Dark Tower connection, but it is too obvious. I don't think the story will go the route of the Dark Tower ending. Maybe Desmond gets it right.

Like the Dark Tower and The Talisman and other Stephen King stories that are interwoven Imaybe it is travelling between worlds and times.

[Lorne]

I had totally forgotten that Stephen King had used the Wizard of Oz as a direct connection in Wizard and Glass (I believe the city of Oz appears in the form of a huge castle).
And now Lost has also done a direct use of Oz imagery. Interesting...

[Loren]

Ok, I have a brief, not yet completely thought out theory:

What if the Dharma initiative is not actually finished? From an above comment, Desmond seems to have been hand picked by the Others/Dharma to push the button and 'save the world'. So he almost failed once and brought down the plane.
We used to talk a lot about how the individuals of flight 815 were brought to the island intentionally. however, once we saw that Desmond was responsible for the crash, we kind of steered away from that. Well, what if, since Dharma presumably has some grasp on time travel or something of the like, they somehow brought the Losties together and put them on that flight, knowing that Desmond would bring the plane down? So in this theory, Dharma is still working hard to change the digits of the Valenzetti Equation. They brought a new group of people who they somehow saw as being potential changers-of-the-digits. Just because one doesn't know he's changing the future doesn't mean he isn't, after all.
So, in this theory, the Others may or may not be part of the Dharma Initiative. They may truly believe the Dharma initiative failed (in which case, perhaps they have been 'picked' to change the digits as well). Or they may truly be a part of the Dharma Initiative (less likely, i think), trying to manipulate the Losties to help change the digits.
A few loose ends, I know, but maybe I'm on to something. We shall see.

Stay Lost

[Tahir]

Having just watched the episode again isn't the simplest explanation that Desmonds 'flashback' was merely a lucid dream ?
I've been reading lots about time travel and the like but I don't think thats the case.

[jur]

@ Loren

So if the Dharma people can travel in time they can travel back in time with a knowledge of the future. Then they possibly know how to change the digits of the Valenzetti Equation.
Or they know that this is impossible........

[Courtney]

I find the continuity "error" with the photo of Des and Penny to be interesting, and likey intentional. If we are meant to believe that Des really did re-live those moments, then the picture would be different. I think that seeing that picture is what helped him decide that maybe the creepy oracle-like lady was right, and that if he loved Penny, then he needed to take the path that would lead him to the island - Especially since Ms. Hawking said that pushing the button would be the greatest thing Des would ever do with his life. (He seems to be really caught up with being a great man, almost to the degree of Jack and his daddy issues!)

[Nash]

can of FUTU[RE] paint from Desmond's flash-lateral?:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=390834735&context=set-72157594536683086&size=o

has anyone heard of any paint company that starts with Futu?

[Lorne]

Can anyone get a screencap of the hat on the delivery guy at the front desk of Windmore industries? Thanks!

[John M]

Great episode for sure! When Desmond awoke on the floor in his flat with red paint all around his head it reminded me of both Jack and Locks “wake up” in the forest. But this time we saw the red paint around him and it seemed it was showing what could have been his demise. (Red paint = Blood)

I am just curious if you think there is some connection with all three “wake ups” especially as they all seem to have their bodies in similar positions???

Also on a biblical note:

Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, the brother of Esau, and the grandson of Abraham and Sarah. The stories about Jacob are in the book of Genesis and take place during the Ancestral Period. Jacob was known for trickery. He came out of the womb grasping his brother Esau's heal. Later he persuaded Esau to sell him his birthright and tricked Isaac into blessing him instead of Esau. Fearing his brother's anger he fled to live with his uncle Laban. On the way he had a dream in which he saw a ladder extending to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. Jacob married two sisters, Rachel and Leah, and also had two concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah. These four women bore him twelve sons. Jacob became wealthy while working for his uncle Laban. Eventually jealousy among Laban's sons forced Jacob to flee back to Canaan in spite of his fear of Esau. On the way he wrestled an angel all night. In the morning the angel changed Jacob's name to Israel and he became the father of the nation that bears his name. His sons gave their names to the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob eventually migrated to Egypt to be with his son Joseph, who had been sold there as a slave but later rose to prominence in Pharaoh's court. (Well to me this is all very interesting don’t forget that the name of the healer who could not help Rose was named Isaac)

http://demo.lutherproductions.com/bibletutor/level1/program/start/people/jacob.htm

Also there seems to be a real art theme here. Hatch wall, The new painting on the office wall and the one on Claire’s ex boyfriends wall…. Just another random thought.

Cheers and keep up the great work!

John M

[I_Love_Sayid...&_Lostcasts]

More on the black hole theory...

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20011756,00.html

[SMKGirl]

A PODCAST TOPIC REQUEST:
------------------------------------

PLEASE include some background on the Valenzetti Equation in your next podcast for those of us that didn't follow the Lost Experience. I feel like I'm missing a big chunk of knowledge necessary for me to process this last episode without following that.

It's episodes like this one that make your podcasts so valuable, so even though it's said a lot, it's never said enough....THANK YOU for doing what you do!

[Mke Brenner]

I might be going out on a limb here but...

what if desmond's whole "i'm reliving the past/future" whatever thing is the explanation of all the flashbacks. What if eeveryone relives their past on the island but only Desmond notices he is reliving it. what if the island is giving them a chance to start over by changing their past but everyone but Desmond doesn't notice it.
To far out there?

[Dave]

Guys, Excellent work each week. I would like to get your thoughts on Lost's recent ratings slip. Should we be concerned?

[I_Love_Sayid...&_Lostcasts]

even more on the black hole theory...

http://www.thetailsection.com/lost_news/news_flash_more_black_hole_con.php

[my-2-cents]

Lindelof answered a question about Desmond on ew.com recently by referring to LOST as one huge "Rube Goldberg device." I love that because a Rube Golberg machine is really anything that accomplishes a simple task in an overly complicated way; but it's usually some kind of fun mind game in literature or TV & movies. It can be a physical contraption too, like a complicated mouse trap; maybe the one we saw in the toy store with Locke (S1E19) foreshadowed this kind of story progression. Or maybe both grand opposing forces in LOST are supposed to race to spring a "trap" on one another. In a murder mystery story, a few vital clues surface at the end to expose the real murderer. Science fiction novels do something similar. Now that we’re presumably more than halfway through to the end of the series, the writers better start springing that mouse trap with all its parts pretty soon or there may be too much to wrap up in 2008-9 when the basket finally falls over the mouse. Are they getting too caught up in the gears & springs & chutes & ladders part of the story? Hmmm...Is Desmond the mouse? Is Locke the pinball running through the trap?
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20010504,00.html

[my-2-cents]

Lindelof answered a question about Desmond on ew.com recently by referring to LOST as one huge "Rube Goldberg device." I love that because a Rube Golberg machine is really anything that accomplishes a simple task in an overly complicated way; but it's usually some kind of fun mind game in literature or TV & movies. It can be a physical contraption too, like a complicated mouse trap; maybe the one we saw in the toy store with Locke (S1E19) foreshadowed this kind of story progression. Or maybe both grand opposing forces in LOST are supposed to race to spring a "trap" on one another. In a murder mystery story, a few vital clues surface at the end to expose the real murderer. Science fiction novels do something similar. Now that we’re presumably more than halfway through to the end of the series, the writers better start springing that mouse trap with all its parts pretty soon or there may be too much to wrap up in 2008 when the basket finally falls over the mouse. Are they getting too caught up in the gears & springs & chutes & ladders part of the story? Hmmm...Is Desmond the mouse? Is Locke the pinball running through the trap?
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20010504,00.html

[Lucidlife]

Anyone notice that both Charlie and Claire got haircuts?

[Loren]

Yeah, i dont really like claire's haircut.

[I_Love_Sayid...&_Lostcasts]

@ my-2-cents

That's a great point... and great connection between the Rube Goldberg device and Locke's mousetrap. When I read that article last week, I got the impression thy meant that in the end we'll walk away with something very basic... like a moral or something, like don't lie or kill each other. kind of like studying Sanskrit and the Veda's for one's whole like to come up with "good Karma -> good Dharma" or something like that.

[Experiment 626]

I read all the Dark Tower books (a series which, according to reports, J.J. Abrams is currently considering bringing to either the large or small screen). I think it's important as an inspiration or source for Desmond's situation not only because it fits, but also because the producers specifically mentioned it as an inspiration way back in season one. It certainly isn't THE answer, but it could wind up being very important.

SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO'VE NOT READ THE DARK TOWER ...

In King's novels, Roland Deschain is a "gunslinger" (a combination of what we'd recognize as a gunslinger and a knight of old -- maybe an alternate universe, wild west version of a Jedi) who goes on a very long quest to reach a Dark Tower. The tower is the nexus upon which the multiverse turns, and if it is destroyed, the multiverse goes with it. Roland had a horn he was to have blown when he reached the tower, but he lost it in a battle years earlier. The central mystery of the series is what lies at the top of the tower, and it is finding the answer to this mystery that drives Roland more than anything else -- he saves the tower (and thus reality) as much because he couldn't otherwise climb to the top of it as any sense of duty to anyone else. In the last book, King introduces the idea that it might be enough for Roland to simply see the tower for himself; it might not be necessary for him to climb it. Anyway, at long last, Roland finds the tower and defeats the enemy there. He enters the tower (briefly regretting he doesn't have the horn he was to sound) and closes the door behind him.

At that point, King enters as narrator. He urges the reader to close the book at this point and be satisfied with the conclusion already given. He mentions the idea that it's about the journey more than the destination, and says that if we continue to read, we might not like what comes next.

Presuming you continue to read despite the warning (and I can scarcely imagine anyone wouldn't continue), we see Roland in the tower. As he climbs, he encounters rooms which contain significant events, scenes and persons from the journey he has just completed. He finally reaches the top, and also reflects that he left his gun (an heirloom, as it were, from his father -- think of it along the lines of Excalibur) when a voice whispers that he will have it again. He opens the door at the top of the tower, and just has time to scream in anguish when he realizes that the door leads out to the desert at a time early in his quest (in fact, it is where the first scene of the first book begins). He realizes that he has done something wrong and is being forced to go through the entire quest again. After few moments, his memory of where he just was fades away, and he starts off again. But this time is different -- he now has the horn he'd previously lost -- a reward, perhaps, for personal growth the last time around. The last sentence of the last book is the same as the first sentence of the first book: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

So, is Desmond being forced to live through his stint on the island until he does something right that he hasn't done yet?

Thinking about Desmond's "abilities" again this morning, I realized that if you believe that he is in a time-loop, then he's right about Charlie. If the universe is determined to "course-correct," then Desmond can only save him so many times. The reason is that Desmond's apparent flashes of precognition are, in reality, only memories of previous times through the loop. At best, Charlie can be saved only from those fates he has already suffered in previous iterations, because that's the only way Desmond can "remember" them and try to stop them from happening. Therefore, if this is a time-loop, it is on its third iteration at least. Once, Charlie died from the lightning strike. The next time, he drowned trying to rescue Claire. So this is at least the third time through ...

SSB

[Dan]

has anyone noticed the song desmond hears in the bar is the same as the one which plays as he works-out in season 2 episode 1?

[frankmorris]

Yeah?

Maybe the Mama Cass guy was right.

[Cihan]

Too...much...info...to...digest. Next podcast has to be 60 minutes minimum, analyse away dudes.

Also: London doesnt look or sound like that.

Also: Wonderwall is one of my favourite songs ever, great to hear it on Lost.

[Bill Berggren - King of Poker]

Is Lost sending good messages to kids?

1) Michael turning back on his friends and killing them, to benefit himself, without looking at other safer options.

2) Sawyer, in last episode slaming head into bear cage button. I slight miss and the guy is dead if not already.

3) Kate, murdering her step-father for no real or legal reason.

4) Locke, et. al. dismissing Eko's death as oh well, island killed him no sadness or funeral.

[Arbernaut]

I skimmed through the comments, so I apologise if this theory has already been mooted, but my take on this is that Desmond *didn't* time travel; the island just made him think that he did.

We've already seen that through Smoky the island can download thoughts and memories and reconstruct them as apparently real people, like Eko's brother or Kate's horse. Therefore it's not too much of a stretch to believe that the island is capable of reusing Desmond's memories against him.

I think the island is trying to make him believe in fate; to do its bidding, and to believe he cannot change things. When Eko resisted the island's will he was killed. If Desmond continues to try and change things (such as Charlie's death) then *he* might be in danger of being killed by a vengeful island.

I think the old woman was the voice of the island trying to ensure that Desmond "course corrects" himself. I think the Deja Vu and the countdown sounds and recurring themes are Desmond's subconscious re-asserting itself to remind him how fake things are; or the island itself unintentionally giving itself away.

[trueblue]

Hey, didn't have time to read all the posts so sorry if someone has put this out there....

I have a general theory so here goes...

I think its safe to say LOST revolves around the theory of time. Does anyone think that maybe humans from the future, perhaps at the point the valenzetti equation predicts the end of mankind, have learnt how to play with time and are doing so in order to change the equations outcome, ie save the world. I think there a few potential examples of this:

1) juliette mentions her ex getting hit by a bus to creepy mittelos guy (are him and ethan from future?) and then it happens

2)maybe sending the oracle lady back to alter desmonds thoughts/ his path

3)sending back psychic to alter claries choices

I'm sure there are more but cant think of them atm!

I also think the sky going purple is a closing of the time loop which is why ben cant leave the island, maybe the island is the gap between our present and the future. This theory has many similarities to the 4400, where humans from the future tweak with the past to get the correct chain of events to save the world. On the podcast last week we heard the backwards recording from room 23 which went something like, "only fools are governed by time and space", a sublymonal message from the future humans?

Anyway, these are just my latest thought based on the time themed episodes of late. LOST is back! Great podcast by the way guys, i listen from over here in the uk everyweek.

[Raz Minder]

Re: Is Lost sending good messages to kids?

Seriously.

Well, most prime-time network TV doesn't send "good" messages to kids. Most prime-time network TV isn't even intended for kids.

I assume, by kids, that you mean those not in their teenage years - and those kids who are much younger than teens probably shouldn't be watching; but that's not the network or the show-runners responsibility, that is the parents'/legal guardians'area of concern.

And I'd like to give credit to the teens who do watch the show; and I highly doubt they internalize what they see on LOST and impart it into their daily lives - in other words, has anyone blown up their abusive step-fathers or tortured a southerner as a result of LOST yet. No.

The show is on at 10 pm now in most regions, which equals not for kids, you silly rabbit.

[Samuel L. Jackson]

I guess I have a theory and a question wrapped into 1. Remember at the end of season 2 we saw the hatch explode and then Penny was awoken with a call by someone in the Artic circle who said something like "We've got something". I don't have screen caps but I believe that might have been the physicist friend of Desmond's who he spoke to about time travel in the "Flashes Before Your Eyes" episode. I wonder if when Desomnd disappeared, the physicist friend spoke to Penny and they started to try to find Desmond in "unconventional" ways that dealt with time travel. Just a thought. If this is a repeat, sorry. Didn't look at all the comments too closely to see if this was a previous post.

Stay lost MUTHER%&#*^@S!!!

[vargas]

@Arbernaut

I like that theory but it seems to me that if the woman represented the island speaking to Desmond through his subconscious mind to course-correct himself and continue pushing the button wouldn't it have made better sense for this to be communicated to him before the swan bunker was destroyed? Before he took off and left the Losties to deal with the button pushing in the beginning of second season? There's no button to push, the electro-magnetic field around the island is either gone or cannot be controlled now.

[Chris in El Paso]

Anyone think about the fact that Ms. Hawking could be a reference to Stephen Hawking (sp?)

I kept reading the names both referenced, but not together.

Just my thought.

[joop]

@ Bill Berggren
Are you for real?
On top of the point that Raz made,

1) Michael turning back on his friends...

Liby was an accident & Ana Lucia...friend? He made some stupid moves but he was doing it for his son, not himself.

2) Sawyer, in last episode slaming head into bear cage button...

He should have slammed it at least 3 more times.

3) Kate, murdering her step-father for no legal reason.

WTF

4) Locke, et. al. dismissing Eko's death as oh well, island killed him no sadness or funeral.

Et. al's reaction to Ekos death (& funeral) in The Cost of Living was very moving & they didn't tell the others to save them any added grief.

[Amanda]

"'Lost is the tragedy of the season...it's too late to save it" from the article "Will 'LOST' Ratings Plunge Doom Series?"

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=251975&GT1=7703

[vargas]

The people used for comment in that article are a bunch of tools. As far as the show going off the air, they made it sound like this was something Cuse and Lindeloff were doing just now to avoid the X-Files mistake of staying on air too long. Those of us who are true fans of the show knew for quite some time now that the creators of the show originally had planned tell a story that lasted only a specific amount of seasons anyway.

I don't know what audience they wrote that article for or why they felt the need to drop trou and take a sh*t on what Cuse and Lindeloff created but like Matthew Fox said in Entertainment magazine they're just looking to trash the show for their own purposes and it has nothing to do with the show's continued popularity. I mean really, if they're using the Nielson ratings system (archaic beyond belief) it doesn't take into account people who choose not to watch live tv but wait for dvd sets to come out or download the shows from the internet or use their tivo or ON Demand to watch tv on their own time instead of being tied to the networks' schedules.

Whatever!