I know what you were thinking, Lost fans. You were sitting there, with your remote control, your beverage, your bowl of popcorn, and you were thinking, "Bai Ling better be nowhere near this flash forward." Luckily, your fears didn't come true, but while "Something Nice Back Home" was miles better than "Stranger in a Strange Land," it seemed to move at a snail's pace in comparison to last week's rocket ship of an episode. That's not necessarily a bad thing: whereas last week sought to cram in as much mythology as possible, this episode sought to fill in the narrative gaps between Island time and post-Island time. Different agendas, different pacing, different results.

How such a different tact fared depending on your perspective of Jack, or rather, your perspective on Jack/Kate, the slightly more stubbled/drug addicted version of Ross to the much more confused/more prone to wearing shorts 24/7 version of Rachel. (Honestly, Future Kate doesn't own pants! Did no one else find this weird besides me?) Island action and future action were not so much built on guessing the outcome of the events (we know Jack will survive the surgery, we know Jack/Kate have a future falling out), but rather constructed around how those particular events shape future actions/interactions. And, most important of all, the notion that there are higher powers guiding everything ran rampant throughout the episode.

Looking at Jack's appendicitis: what's really important here was not the tension surrounding Jack's fate, but the reason why Jack got sick at this particular moment. Rose doesn't get much screen time, but bless her heart when she does, because she gets to be a voice of reason. Who else would assign a particular significance to the timing of Jack's illness but her, a recipient of the Island's healing powers?

And looking into the future: what's really important isn't so much that Jack's engagement to Kate failed. From the moment we saw Kate in the shower, we knew this relationship was doomed to end up just outside LAX. What's important is that the same forces we saw back in Season 1's "Raised By Another" are still in play. I don't know about you, but I plan on rewatching that episode, which might turn into one of the key overall episodes in the show's history when all is said and done. In both past and present, there are forces at work literally shaping the lives of those on the Island as well as off.

It's worth it to think about the narrative structure of the show as a key to understanding these "forces" I keep mentioned. We have a show in Lost that consistently dares us to define a singular "now." It used to be easy: everything on the Island is "now" and all flashbacks were previous to those events. But now, with the introduction of flash forwards and Faraday's assertion that time itself on the Island is relative, what we watch week in and week out are events stretches out literally over decades that could only happen in one particular way because that's the only way in which they DID happen. As such, the show's narrative structure calls into focus the unyielding, unrelenting forces at work here.

Now, defining these forces is naturally difficult. Some could call it "fate," others "destiny," others "the Island." Characters on the show have carried on this debate as well as the viewing audience, but I'm less interested in defining it precisely than to state what I innately feel to be true: that there is not one general force at work, but multiple forces constantly accounting for, if not downright countering, the other. It's yin and yang, it's black and white, it's matter and anti-matter, it's Linus and Widmore, and it's many more things. But whatever it is, it's not singular, given all that we've seen; even though we've seen events inexorably play out in one particular manner, that's not the only way in which things could have happened.

Here's something to chew on: we know the Oceanic 6. We know who gets on, and who gets off. Think of events on the island in Season 4 as one long played-out drama performed by marionettes pulled by unseen puppet masters to get those particular six off the Island. As such, it's worthwhile to think of Jack's sickness not as a way to get Jack off the Island, but Jin in a position to understand Faraday's crush on Charlotte coupled with Charlotte's knowledge of Korean. THESE are the facts that lead to Jin getting off the Island, and this would NOT have happened had Jack gotten sick. Think about the ridiculousness of Claire surviving a bazooka attack on her bungalow. Her survival can be better understood as a way to go wherever notChristian wants her to go.

And when I say notChristian, I don't merely mean that all we saw was a vision of Christian Shephard. That, friends, for what it's worth, was NOT the real vision of Christian Shephard. Have we ever seen a vision of him in anything other than crisp suit and white tennis shoes? These dueling images of Christian (on the Island, in Jack's private clinic) only highlight the multiple forces at work on our Lostaways. And somehow, at the center of a lot of this tension, is Turnip Head himself, Aaron.

I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!"
-An excerpt from the last freakin' book in the world you should read a toddler unless you plan on messin' him up good for life, "Alice in Wonderland"

A few months ago, I trotted out my "Sins of the Father" Theory of Lost, which states, in a nutshell, that the actions you see in the show are a response to the baby boomer generation failing miserably to save the world and leaving their children too messed up to save it themselves. (It's a fun read, full of joy and merriment.) It's interesting to watch Jack's reaction to Charlie's message, because you can't really tell if he's terrified that the Island is talking to him, or terrified that he might turn out to be as awful a father as his own. But in that the two visions of Christian both concern Aaron in way or another, clearly Shephard Senior's own failings as a father have manifested itself into one of the competing forces working upon our protagonists. So who, or what, in the world is he? And how the heck did he get out of Jacob's cabin? A great puzzle indeed.

In terms of this unsettled, unfinished energy, enter one Miles, a character I feel was introduced more or less for the sole reason of acting as interpreter between the whispers and the Lostaways. Lost actually filmed a scene for "The Constant" in which Miles listened to the whispers outside the sonic fence, but that scene was cut for running time. Here, tonight, we finally got onscreen confirmation that Miles can indeed understand the whispers. Which begs the question, naturally: what the blippin' heck ARE the whispers? I think the key lies in a bit of dialogue back in "The Beginning of the End":

HURLEY: I may be in a mental hospital, but I know you're dead and I'm not having an imaginary conversation with you.

CHARLIE: I am dead. But I'm also here.

Taking Desmond's "snow globe" analogy from Season 2 and abusing it for my own petty personal reasons, think of the Island as a place where one can die but stick around, if not corporeally than metaphysically. They are cognizant of their surroundings, understand their limitations, but perhaps, just perhaps, have been freed from linear existence and are they themselves either another force at work or in the employ of one of those forces. And that's the way things have worked for decades, maybe centuries, maybe longer. But something's about to seriously change, which is why, possibly for the first time, spirits/forces once merely contained to the Island can now permeate the real world.

(Meanwhile, a short requiem for Danielle Rousseau, the French Mad hatter of the Island's denizens. May your whispers be crazy, and may your back story still be fleshed out when all is said and done.)

Not that you have to be dead to extend your influence in the real world. In true Kate fashion, she agrees to marry Jack and then mysteriously starts doing favors for Sawyer behind Jack's back. If she were a superhero, she'd be Ms. WishyWasher, and every criminal she went after would get away due to her indecision about which item from her utility belt to use. Either Kate's mad because Jack went to Jared to buy the ring, or there's a debt/favor to be paid surrounding Sawyer's reason for staying on the Island.

What Kate's doing for Sawyer is one thing yet to be revealed, along with another semi-whopper: how Jack discovers that Claire is his half-sister, making Aaron his half-nephew...third cousin...bridge partner twice removed...something, but related all same. That's some pretty key information right there, and all the more mysterious because we're back to a "Claire's missing" storyline, which makes me almost nostalgic for other Season 1 items such as "Shannon whining about everything," "WAAAAAAAAAAAAALT!" and "Locke actually being a badass as opposed to nervous confused wimp."

Odds on Claire being found before the Oceanic 6 leave? Approximately 1 in 4,815,162,342. She and Aaron are emerging as central to the mythology of the show, and for some reason, someone or something wants these two separated. Why? Beats me. Other than forming the world's least intimidating iteration of Voltron ever, I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to keep these two apart. But obviously, these two are vital in some way, shape or form down the line.

Let's look at the crucial scene from "Raised" that are potentially key to understanding what's about to go down.

MALKIN: I can tell you, this is important.

CLAIRE: Okay.

MALKIN: It is crucial that you, yourself, raise this child.

CLAIRE: You mean with Thomas? Is he..

MALKIN: The father of this child will play no part in its life, nor yours.

CLAIRE: So what exactly are you saying?

MALKIN: This child parented by anyone else, anyone other than you --- danger surrounds this baby. . .

CLAIRE: Danger?

MALKIN: Your nature, your spirit, your goodness, must be an influence in the development of this child.

CLAIRE: If Thomas and I don't get back together I'm putting this baby up for adoption. I just wanted to find out what would give the baby the happiest life.

MALKIN: There is no happy life -- not for this child, not without you.

CLAIRE: I don't. . .

MALKIN: It can't be another. You mustn't allow another to raise your baby.

This is much more than "Jack's a drunk and Kate never wears pants" in terms of a warning. As the only child born on the Island in...God knows how long, maybe EVER, Aaron himself might be the vessel than unleashes whatever spirit(s) on the Island has long been contained by the "snow globe" surrounding it. This would explain the dire warnings by the psychic, the visitations by spirits in the future, and most important, Aaron' enormous freakin' head. No kid with a head that big isn't completely evil.

But seriously, as a way to tie everything up here: the psychic's vision, while true, wasn't written in stone. Obviously, Aaron DOES get raised by another: two in fact, and things aren't looking exactly up for anyone involved in that household of pain and pills (or beyond for that matter. The psychic simply tapped into at least two visions of things to come, two variations depending upon variables yet to be enacted. Futures that can be molded, and once formed, nearly impossible to unmake. And if this psychic could see all those future permutations, then others can as well. Those are the people truly guiding the actions of Lost, and it's up to the Oceanic 6 to find out who these people are, what they want, and what they can do to make things right again.

Easy, right? Exactly.

What did you make of Jack's future relationship with Kate? What's Kate doing for Sawyer behind Jack's back? Why do you think Jack got sick on the Island when he did? And what do you make of the sudden centrality of Claire/Aaron after being on the narrative sideline so long?

Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude.

Comments

I also thought that this episode did not do much to the other part of the story-line ... but we did get to see Jack propose to Kate ... that he was living with her and Aaron ... we saw his father more than once, and we are now sure that Danielle and Carl are pretty much dead ... and found out that Charlotte speaks korean and that Jin made her promise to get Sun off the island ... and Sawyer made a choice and Jack saved Kate, but we do not know what happened there for Jack to say what he said ... oh and Juliet told Kate that he kissed her to find out if he was not in love with someone else ... did I miss anything else???

Next week's preview looks interesting enough though ...can't wait!

Erwin | May 1, 2008 9:59:23 PM | #

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Isn't it strange how you write a post about the initial lostaways not playing a central role in the overall story of Lost, and here we have a nearly purely lostaway centric episode?

I thought of a couple of things during this ep:

First, was it a coincidence that a SMOKE detector is what lead Jack to see his father? Maybe Ben isn't the only one who needs a Darka. As far as Kate's mission, I'm thinking she's doing something for Sawyer's daughter. We know he left money for her and Kate knows her mother, so maybe they are all related.

When Jack went to see Hurley, he was told that he wasn't supposed to be raising Aaron. But, the message said nothing about Kate. First, the psychic said only Claire could raise the baby. Then he said she had to get on 815 to meet the adoptive parents. Maybe the psychic knew she would meet Kate, who would be the only other person capable of raising Aaron (now in LA). And, could Aaron have a little bit of Walt in him? There has to be a reason Miles would want to hold him.

Oh, and what's up with Danielle really being dead?

A-Rob | May 1, 2008 10:03:57 PM | #

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Things that intrigued me:
We learn that Sawyer chose to stay behind and asked Kate to do him a favor before she left. My guess is that she was talking to Cassidy on the phone. I think Sawyer wanted her to reconnect with Cassidy and Clementine.

Jack tells Kate he "saved" her. From the island? Or was he referring to her trial?

I noticed both times that Jack saw his dad, the same lady interrupted him. Could she be connected with Abaddon?

I believe Miles was more interested in Aaron than Claire. I think he senses something special about him.

It seems that Christian (or whomever he represents) wants to seperate Claire from Aaron, but does he also want Jack to end up raising him too? Maybe Kate ended up with him to protect him from Jack.

Shari | May 1, 2008 10:08:16 PM | #

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I would give this episode a 7 out 10. It was better than 'Eggtown' but definitely not as good as 'The Constant' or 'Shape of Things to Come'.

It seems to me, we (in someways) learned that Jin and Sawyer are alive and still on the Island in the future. Sawyer choses to stay for one reason or another, and Jin makes a deal with Charlotte to ensure Sun makes it off the Island.

As far as the favor Kate is doing for Sawyer. It's my guess that it has something to do with Cassidy and their daughter Clementine.

Due to her relation to Christian, it does feel that Claire is taking a more central role in the war of the Island. I'm willing to bet we'll see Claire in Jacob's cabin once we see it again.

It would seem by what Jack said to Kate ("You're not even related to him") that he knows Claire is his half-sister at this point.

I tend to believe that the Island is punishing Jack for trying to leave. This is why he is hurt, because he 'still has work to do'.

Shaggysteve | May 1, 2008 10:10:07 PM | #

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A-Rob
Get out of my head! LOL

Shari | May 1, 2008 10:12:16 PM | #

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Shari, looks like you're my constant.

A-Rob | May 1, 2008 10:15:57 PM | #

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Good call A-rob, I didn't think about the SMOKE detector. I didn't like this episode as much as last week, but still a very good episode. Glad to see Rose back and Miles wearing the hood made me think about Charlie overlooking Claire. Thought the Smoke Monster would do more damage to the guys, but can't wait to see next weeks episode.
Did anyone else think that someone else did Kate's voice in the shower. When I heard the voice it didn't even sound like her.

Jason | May 1, 2008 10:20:51 PM | #

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I'm not so sure that the important of Aaron is completely related to the island. In "Raised by Another" it was explained that the reason Claire was on the plane was because the psychic tricked her into it, so that then she would have to raise Aaron. If the psychic wouldn't have done that, he wouldn't have been born on the island, and so I don't feel the "danger" surrounding Aaron stems from the fact that he was born on the island.

Billiam | May 1, 2008 10:21:49 PM | #

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Alex was born on the island.

Trisha Carlson | May 1, 2008 10:32:14 PM | #

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So Danielle says, yes. But 1) Alex never left the Island, and 2) something about Danielle's back story still doesn't sit quite right. As mentioned above, I hope we still get her back story in some way, shape, or form, when all is said and done.

Ryan | May 1, 2008 10:35:38 PM | #

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So because I'm a huge dork for Lost and for baseball, I read the article in the newspaper Jack is reading about the Yankees/Red Sox game (image at lostpedia: http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Image:Yankees_Red_Sox_article.jpg)

Anyway, it mentions Robinson Cano hit 2 homeruns against Curt Schilling, so I looked it up, and last August 30th, Cano hit 2 HRs against Schilling. So unless the writers just picked a random Red Sox game story to use as a prop, the setting for the flash-forwards tonight is right around the end of August/beginning of September, 2007. Interesting to note that would place last season's finale at some point in the (audience's) future, as the finale was aired in May, 2007.

Normally I'd assume I'm reading too much into a prop, but this is Lost we're talking about, so you never know. Maybe someone much smarter than me can figure out what all this means in the time travel context. Also, one final note, under the Red Sox game description is a boxscore for an Astros/Angels game, and the Astros and Angels did NOT play on August 30 last year, the last time they played each other was last June 20.

Chris | May 1, 2008 10:46:37 PM | #

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I'm still watching the episode (TiVo ftw), but for those of you wondering, this week's flash forward takes place in late August/early September, 2007.

I know this because according to Wikipedia, I can see that the Yankees won a 3-game sweep of the Red Sox, ending in a 5-0 score on Game 3, on August 30th, 2007. The paper Jack was reading was from the day after, August 31.

Other Sean | May 1, 2008 11:21:47 PM | #

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Damn, someone beat me to it. Oh well.

Other Sean | May 1, 2008 11:22:37 PM | #

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I like Kate without Pants

bom | May 1, 2008 11:52:51 PM | #

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I was a little disappointed on you Ryan. Since you started discussing things about parallelism of season 1 events and tonight events, I find it funny how you get to recognize Shannon and not expound the Rebecca Mader - Jin scene.

Upon seeing the scene, I immediately thought Michael - Sun scene when Michael learns that Sun can speak English.

I agree with one of the posters above. I was about ready to pass out when I saw a Charlie looking figure (WITH A HOODIE!!!) over looking Claire. Too bad it was freaking Miles.

Best Lines of the Night:
Miles: Are you his brother or something?
Sawyer: Piss Off. I am the man who's boots will be in your face.

I laughed so hard.

What's up with all mighty Sawyer? I am not liking the whole Jesus Christ Sawyer.

The current Sawyer makes me realize the vision someone (Charlie?) had dressed as the Virgin Mary... LOL. (Ryan, which episode was this and who was Claire with as the Virgin Mary)

James | May 1, 2008 11:53:45 PM | #

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I paused and played the preview for next week and I juiced out 3 very interesting things.

THESE CAN BE A LITTLE SPOILERISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) Claire gets back to the beach right before the rescue. She was sitting on the sands with Aaron and Sun

2) Sayid (and possibly Desmond) manages to get back to the island from the boat. I saw Sayid on the beach with Juliet. No Desmond in sight.

3) The guy that was talking to Locke who said he was dead for 12 years. Turns out he had blood dripping from his nose. Reminded me right away on how that boat dude died because he didnt have a constant.

James | May 1, 2008 11:58:28 PM | #

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Okay, I just finished the episode and read this blog entry, so I'm ready to give my thoughts.

- The Claire Thing

Malkin, as a psychic saw the connection between mother and child, and ya know what? I think one Miles Straum also does. He sure was gazing at Claire a bit intently before Sawyer called him off, dontcha think?

As for Claire going off into the jungle with notChristian, well, I have a feeling that her fate is inexorably tied in with Jack's. Whatever the big event is, one or two seasons in the future, that is Jack's Moment of Destiny, Claire is going to be a part of it.

Also, Malkin and the "powers" are telling Jack that he can't raise Aaron, that Kate shouldn't be raising him, that the only person who can is Claire. After Aaron finds out the truth from Jack's drunken outburst, the stage is set for Aaron to go along with the Oceanic 6 when they inevitably return to the Island, because the only person who can be his guardian is Claire, who is still there.

- Sawyer's Favor

Just going out on a limb here, but I bet Sawyer asks Kate to do something for his daughter.

- Christian Shephard

This guy and his myriad appearances is still one of the greatest mysteries of Lost, but here's the theory I'm leaning towards; when he's in the suit and tennis shoes, he's Good Christian. Sending Vincent to wake Jack; appearing to him on the Island; talking to him in the future; appearing inside Jacob's cabin - these are all manifestation of Christian's spirit, or the benevolent entity using him as a guise. But the version we saw tonight holding Aaron, I have a feeling this is Bad Christian. This is a wicked manifestation, or the evil entity (or Smokey?) leading Claire away as part of its sinister grand plan. After all, this Christian literally seperates Claire and Aaron which, as is becoming more apparent, is the wrong thing to do.

Other Sean | May 2, 2008 12:53:23 AM | #

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@ James

1) I just rewatched the trailer for next week. The footage of Sun, Claire and Aaron is from the Beginning of the End. Its from the scene where Rose hands Sun a bottle of water, before they start talking about how Bernard and Charlie are heroes.

2) The clip of Sayid and Juliette on the beach might also be old, too. People are packing bags and Juliette's appearance looks far dirtier than tonight's episode, like when she first came to the beach camp.

3) That guy talking to Locke is an apparition of Horace. He was there when Ben's mom died giving birth to him, and later got Ben's dad a job in the Dharma Initiative. Horace died in the Purge, which I think is why the blood was coming out of his nose.

This also means we have an official year of the Purge now - 1992.

Other Sean | May 2, 2008 1:04:52 AM | #

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You mean Horace Goodspeed the mathematician? Notable because once everyone was killed in the purge, Ben L. stopped and closed the dead Horace's eyes.

Henry 8 | May 2, 2008 2:07:51 AM | #

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I give this episode a 5 out of 10...I'm just so over the Jack/Kate/Sawyer thing...I wish Michael would have killed those 3.

Hi guys! I finally got consent from the internal review board to do my Thesis project on Lost. I've been in a holding pattern for months while they decided it was okay.

Can you guys help me out with my project? I've attached a short survey that it would be really helpful to have 50 or so people complete. Also i am looking for people who are involved in solving the technical puzzles that lost presents for a specific portion of my thesis...if you or anyone you know has participated in The Lost Experience, the interactive puzzles, or getting into the extremely technical side of things, I would love to hear from you. Please send your response to damitio@hawaii.edu

Thank you.

Chris Damitio
This survey will take between 5 and 20 minutes to complete depending on the depth of your answers and scope of your activities. Approximately 50 people will participate in this survey. There is little or no risk involved in this research project. You may refuse to answer any question and may abandon the survey at any point. By completing and returning this survey you are expressing your consent for Chris Damitio to use the information you provide for scholarly publication or presentation.

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This is an online survey designed by Chris Damitio, an anthropology student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to explore how fans of the television program Lost use real world friendships, online forums, and other websites to keep themselves involved in the show during season breaks and events such as the 2007-2008 writers. The sole purpose of this survey is to inform academic research on television fandom and online communities and the results will only be used for scholarly publication or presentation. Any quotations or information obtained via this survey will be reported anonymously, with no attribution to specific individuals- any identifying information will be held solely by Chris Damitio and his advisor.
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chrisdamitio | May 2, 2008 2:15:25 AM | #

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Well, I'm not reading through all the comments... so don't know if anyone mentioned this...

But Ryan, I think you're wrong about this Flash Forward taking place before Jack and Kate are at the airport at the end of season 3. In that flash forward Jack is working at the same hospital he was working at before the crash. In this flash forward he's working at a completely different place, it looks like a private practice. And saying that Jack and Kate have a falling out and the engagement is off is crazy talk. They show a scene where they're having a fight and he walks away. It's not like this is the end of the series, we don't know if the engagement is off or not.

Obviously it LOOKS like they're not going to stay together, but if this show has taught us anything, it's that looks mean nothing on this show. I looked at it more as a way of Jack being able to go back to Hurley and telling him that his life isn't "a little too perfect" as Hurley put it. I see this as being the moment when the three of them start to realize what they have to do, and that they have to work together to get the rest of the people off the island... or to save the island.

Just my two cents, but the fact that Jack is working in a private clinic... to me it's pretty clear that this Flash forward is after bearded Jack and Kate at the airport.

Jason | May 2, 2008 4:03:01 AM | #

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I didn't think I cared, but I really prefer Jack with Juliet. The fact that she was able to say those things, knowing Jack was awake, made that scene that much better.

As much as this show has been setting up this Linus vs. Widmore broad picture, the protagonist in this is still Jack, and this episode was necessary to build some depth into some hanging issues. I don't know if Jack was indicating that he knew he was related to Aaron, but rather that Kate wasn't.

Somehow, you get the feeling that the endgame for Jack, in the last scene, might not necessarily be bad, but it isn't going to be a dream. My own guess is that a Sheperd was supposed to be chosen, namely, Jack. But with Jack defying the island, it decided to switch to plan B. The problem is, why not take Aaron?

One gets the feeling that the backstory of Sawyer might have to be looked at a bit more. We know he survives, we know he's gonna protect Claire. What is exactly drawing him to that?

Tony | May 2, 2008 4:15:36 AM | #

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To Jason ... Last night's flash forward does not take place after bearded Jack and Kate converse at the airport where he tells her that they have to go back to the island...

At least not based on the fact that Jack is working in a private clinic.
He still works at St. Sebastian Hospital (you can see this clearly from the building's signage in the lobby).
Hospital Doctors (especially the specialities like neurosurgery) often have external doctor's office's where they do initial consults with patients and they are usually quite fancy). They spend a lot of time at the hospital, though, to do rounds and perform surgeries.

Last nights flash forward is a way to piece together what happens after Kate and Jack leave the island to their complete falling out, eventually leading to the Kate and Jack airport exchange. This was also confirmed by the showrunners at EW that they were going to piece in the story telling of how Jack got to the events at the airport and last nights ep was it.

RLL | May 2, 2008 4:38:13 AM | #

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WONDERFUL episode.

I can't wait to see how jack SAVES Kate. I don't think he's referring to the trial, because he says it in the context of getting off the Island (a biting "I saved you, not Sawyer:). I also want to know WHAT Sawyer told Kate to do that she felt she needed to keep it from Jack. Could be tying up loose ends with past... who knows.

As far as Aaron being raised by another, I'm not sure how literally we can take that season 1 episode, but if so, then he's sure in trouble. But it seems to me that Kate is IN LOVE with this kid. Jack on the other hand is phychologically breaking down, due in part to Aaron.

If he believe as this stage that aaron is his nephew, that his half sister is lost on an Island/dead, that his father is dead, then I think that the only person he's related to represents a mistake by his father, and a guilt complex for not saving his mother. IT'S TOO HARD TO HANDLE for Jack. That's his breaking down point, and the point where his father steps in to turn the key in his slow breakdown. Just a shame to see it break apart him and Kate. They were stellar this epi.

alison | May 2, 2008 4:43:13 AM | #

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The FLASH FORWARD took place BEFORE the flashforward from last season's finale.

AS you can see, this is the ep where Jack FIRST starts taking pills. Drinking. It's setting up his dowfall. AND, there's even reference to him growing a stubble (Kate bought him a razor!). If you'll remember, Jack has a MAJOR beard when he met kate at LAX.

The producers have stated that teh flashforwards in these eps are working their way upwards to meet us so that we get WHY Jack wanted to jump off the bridge.

alison2 | May 2, 2008 4:46:36 AM | #

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my favorite part of the episode was Showing Miles in a hoodie staring at Claire as if he was trying to take over Charlie's role. Very Ominous and awesome.

neaux | May 2, 2008 4:51:53 AM | #

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I enjoyed last night's episode more than Last week's. I like the character rich stories, and last night was a feast. I like Ben, and Widmore is interesting, but they are not Lost. Last week's episode was mostly about them, which made the episode "okay" for me.

Last night had a lot of information, and it moved at just the right speed. Whether people like the romances or not, we do know that Jack and Kate were moving towards (or away) from something together, and these stories have to be told. Otherwise, they become plot threads that are never addressed.

I know Jack has to fall apart, per the season 3 finale, and I know it has to do with guilt, the lies, the drugs and booze, and the island haunting him, and it is really sad to watch. However, Matthew Fox just nails those scenes. I can understand why Damon and Carlton always tend to give these types of stories to him.

Very good episode.

Patricia | May 2, 2008 5:20:27 AM | #

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I just rewatched the ep in high def online to be sure, but it is clear that future-Jack has no appendix scar! What can this mean???

anthony7p | May 2, 2008 5:34:33 AM | #

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The Hoodie-Miles scene was great- so ominous.

Did anyone else think that Kate was talking to Sawyer's baby-mama? I always thought his newfound devotion to Claire and Aaron was sort of displaced emotion- like he can't be there for his child, so he is going to hep this girl and hers. If that is true, that he would ask Kate to check in on Clementine and her mum once she got off island (maybe make sure they were taken care of) would make total sense.

And poor Danielle! Thanks for letting us know she is really dead in the most gruesome way possible.

Beth | May 2, 2008 5:45:55 AM | #

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What was super creepy about Karl/Danielle: they looked to be literally incorporated into the Island...maybe they were buried, but does that seem like Keamy's style? Doesn't to me. That gives more credence to the Island absorping those who die on it. Just...yikes.

Ryan | May 2, 2008 6:13:47 AM | #

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OK, who can follow me here? I loved the Dickensian forshadowing by Hurley! Is Christian the ghost of Christmas past, present, or future? I don't know about you guys/gals, but Jacks character is still annoying me. Could the guy BE (please intone with Chandler-esque sarcasm) any more fragile from a phyche standpoint???? Seriously dude, let's check 'em off here: Hot fiancee, check. Cute kid, check. Successful career, check. Now granted, he's been through a lot, but you'd think, in the flash-forwards, his character would have developed a little more...er...character. As to why he attempts suicide? Who knows? He might have spilled some Red Bull on the Corinthian Leather(tm) in his car. Time to man-up, Jack-o and start discovering a little testicular fortitude. You had a future wife and nephew to take care of. Given your past, a couple apparations of your dead papa shouldn't necessarily send you over the edge.

Brian of the North | May 2, 2008 6:17:28 AM | #

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mispelled psyche, oops

Brian of the North | May 2, 2008 6:19:22 AM | #

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I was wondering about the appendix scar too, but forgot to go back and look. A thought....

Small coffin....Aaron? Why and how, I don't know, but when Hurley gave Jack the message, that popped in my head.

Ron | May 2, 2008 6:33:38 AM | #

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I believe I figured it out... Everyone is in PURGATORY. That would make for the only unique ending for such a great-great show. The only reason I let this out of the bottle is so writers will make LOST even better!

Jason | May 2, 2008 6:38:47 AM | #

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i still want to know about Jack's tats. did anybody else think they looked different?

mri | May 2, 2008 6:58:40 AM | #

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I think the Thai translation of Jack's tats is "He needs cheese to go along with his whine."

Brian of the North | May 2, 2008 7:11:32 AM | #

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or syrup to go with his waffles?

mri | May 2, 2008 7:15:17 AM | #

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I can haz daddi isshues?

Ryan | May 2, 2008 7:19:03 AM | #

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i can haz daddi tishues fr mah daddi ishues?

mri | May 2, 2008 7:20:15 AM | #

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Biggest shock of the night: Keemy & crew emerging from the jungle relatively unscathed. C'mon Smokey, you're supposed to smoke 'em if ya got 'em!

Brian of the North | May 2, 2008 7:31:26 AM | #

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Hey it looks like Ryan rolled himself outta bed, but he's slurring a little!

Brian of the North | May 2, 2008 7:48:35 AM | #

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I was watching for a scar in Jack's shower scene also, knowing he was going to have the surgery. It could just be that Juliette is a fantastic surgeon, or maybe some cosmetic surgery was done later, or the continuity people screwed up. I don't think it's meant tobe a clue to an alternate future.

As for Purgatory—this was one of the earliest theories about Lost back in season one. Especially after the writers suggested The Third Policeman as reading material.

I agree that we can now consider Sawyer and Jin as alive but still on the island.

And Danielle, I now think, was actually part of Dharma — a group of scientists who come to do research and get sick (poisoned) and die. This might explain why her radio broadcast equipment is so modern (and runs on the island power grid).

William Robinson | May 2, 2008 7:49:46 AM | #

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BEST EPISODE YET!!!!

This reminded me of classic season 1 episodes of LOST and renewed my faith in LOST. The last few episodes of LSOT have not been great and this episode was AMAZING!!!

I love Jack/Kate together they are the reason I love LOST...and I'm happy we got an entire episode for them.

AMAZING!

Kara | May 2, 2008 7:52:57 AM | #

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Awesome in a very subtle way.
I loved the interaction between Jack and Kate this episode. That first scene out fo the shower when Kate wraps her legs around Jack without pants made my Husband go absolutely nuts!!!! Someone on the Zap2It forums always used to talk about Kate's triangles and that's all I could think about during that scene. OK, back to THIS forum.

I was thinking the same thing as everyone else here is apparently thinking about Sawyer; that he asked Kate to contact his daughter and to make sure they were ok and had the money he took from the mother.

Christian Shepard........three apprearances in one episode, he sure gets around for a dead guy. Way to haunt both of your already screwed up children. Why did Miles just let Claire walk off into the woods with "she called him Dad"?????? Sawyer should have kicked his smart a$$. BTW very cool with Miles hearing/sensing stuff throughout the episode. I was very upset that Danielle is really dead and whoever said that the island seemed to be absorbing them was right on. I said to my Husband, "Why are they just buried there like that?" Keamy et al wouldn't have taken the time to clean up after himself so, that's the only explanation that makes any sense.

Jason, that's funny about Purgatory except that Hurley is convinced that they're all already dead. Charlie is still making visits to Hurley in the mental hospital and predicts Christian's appearance to Jack. That warning from Charlie to Jack about Aaron was way more ominous than hooded Miles watching over Claire and Aaron. Though, that WAS spooky.
Horace Goodspeed, dead 12 years.......yep 1992 sounds about right for the purge. Whoever said that his nose was bleeding remembers that scene where Ben closes his eyes as he sat dead on the bench in New Otherton immediately following the Purge. Wonder what good old Horace has to do with all of this? He was talking to Locke, I believe,not to Ben. To me, it looked like he was trying to say that Locke had met him on the island before. Call me crazy and I WILL be re-watching every minute again tonight including the preview for next week.

Chris | May 2, 2008 7:56:35 AM | #

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I picked up on there being no appendix scar on future-Jack right away (they didn't show him waking up and walking around half-naked for no reason) - I feel certain that somehow ties into the island's healing powers as pointed out by Rose.

I want more Jin! (yum)

Julie | May 2, 2008 8:02:35 AM | #

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Loved Miles hearing --and understanding-- the Whispers. Interesting that Sawyer and Claire didn't hear them, altho they tromped right over the bodies. (I think...?) Does everyone hear Whispers at some point, or are they like the "apparitions" that appear only to some people at certain times?

And did Miles actually SEE nonChristian, or just hear Claire say "Dad?" and walk off into the jungle?

djc | May 2, 2008 8:03:49 AM | #

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We've never seen a Miles POV, but I'm fairly sure he can sense, not see, the spirits. (See "Confirmed Dead"---he knows the kid's spirit is in there, he just doesn't know where.)

I'd be interested to see if he can not merely hear these spirits, but get corporeally possessed by a powerful one. Sorta like in Ghostbusters when Sigourney Weaver's character turns into Zuul.

One thing I hadn't thought of until all the comments here: the shot at the end of the ep has the same POV and creepiness as Miles looking down at Claire earlier in the episode. And the blacks were reall, really pumped up, to the point of it being unnnatural. Hmmm...

Ryan | May 2, 2008 8:10:04 AM | #

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Oh and I forgot -- I like the thought of the Island 'absorbing' Danielle (RIP) and Karl, but I also had one other thought on why Keamy and Crew might have buried them. They where making a point to poor Alex, to break her, subdue her, whatever. I don't think Keamy & Crew give a pancake about respecting the dead, etc., and I don't think they care whether or not someone else discovered the bodies so it would be out of (what we know of his/their) character for them to do something like that. ...unless it had a greater purpose.

djc | May 2, 2008 8:10:43 AM | #

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Totally possible, although I still dig the "Swamp of Sadness" possibility, if for no other reason that I really hope Artex shows up on the Island.

Ryan | May 2, 2008 8:14:52 AM | #

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It's good to see Miles finally using his abilities. He just seemed under-utilized for awhile there.

Not sure what to think of the Red Sox issue. I just don't believe it's that far in the future.

Good call on the smoke detector before notChristian's appearance. Reminds of the scene in 'Beginning of the End' when Hurley is in the police interrogation room. Before he sees Charlie in the 2-way mirror it says NO SMOKI on the wall. Maybe they are trying to tell us notChristian is related to the Smoke Monster but Charlie isn't.

Shaggysteve | May 2, 2008 8:25:21 AM | #

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Going back to all the Malkin stuff, here's another thought to consider: I always thought that Malkin misunderstood his own reading. Maybe he -- and we -- always thought that he was telling Claire that Aaron couldn't be raised by another, but perhaps what it really mean was he can't be raised by an Other. Hmm.

Jeff | May 2, 2008 8:45:31 AM | #

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I equate Malkin with Professor Trelawny from the "Harry Potter" series: someone that infrequently has real visions, but occasionally taps into something insanely important. While he did tell Eko he was a fraud, I think he told the absolute truth to Claire at first, then was paid off by someone later to change his mind.

Ryan | May 2, 2008 8:48:43 AM | #

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Perhaps Christian.

Shaggysteve | May 2, 2008 8:57:26 AM | #

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Stupidest line EVER: "Engagements aren't supposed to be stressful." Obviously written by someone who has never planned a wedding (aka men).

Lisa S. | May 2, 2008 9:02:43 AM | #

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I'm starting to accept that every little detail in this show's existence is important. On that note, I'm still waiting for Paulo and his girlfriend (can't remember her name) to make an appearance and become more significant to the show.

Jack reading that bizarre passage from Alice in Wonderland, I think, is meant to tell the audience that these people are still finding themselves and don't know who they are. That clearly is not a very astute observation. On that same line, though, I think that the beginning of last week's episode, when Locke, Sawyer, and Hurley were playing Risk, was meant to do the same thing. Hurley said something like "Don't let him have Australia, Australia's the key to the whole game."

Perhaps in Lost, Australia is the key to the whole thing, somehow.

Tim | May 2, 2008 9:06:18 AM | #

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It feels as if someone/thing "needs" an infant or child in order to affect the ultimate outcome of whatever is going on. Is it the Island? Ben? Jacob?

They steal Danielle's (RIP) baby; Ben's obsession with a woman being able to carry a pregnancy to term; they take the children from the crash survivors; Walt.

I wonder if we won't see Claire making the decision to get Aaron off the Island to protect him, even if she can't go with him. Perhaps the O6 eventually realize that Aaron must go back to the Island/Claire in order for things to be 'fixed' or to go right.

And interesting point, someone, on Claire, Jack, Aaron all being related to Christian and what does THAT ultimately mean, esp to their importance in the whole scheme???

As to the timeline ... maybe it does make sense that it is 2007. Aaron would be just under 3 years old which is about the age of the child in last night's episode. It is after Kate's trial which presumably took some time to schedule and then 'dismiss' post-rescue. So ... I dunno.

What is it with the children in this place? Btw, maybe the "rule" that was broken last week was the killing of a minor/child, not that she was Ben's (adopted/stolen) daughter. Perhaps Karl had passed out of childhood into manhood and the rule no longer protected him. (Again, a loose reminder of another old Star Trek episode about a planet where the children were special/protected; once they went through puberty they died....)

And I don't get Charlotte's role with the Science Team that was sent to the Island. It hasn't been totally revealed what her purpose is. Faraday and the Pilot seem to want to help the Lostaways; Miles wants to save his own bacon and realizes that the Lostaways are probably his best chance at survival; but Charlotte ... she's given no indication where she stands.

djc | May 2, 2008 9:12:09 AM | #

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DID ANYONE ELSE NOTICE THAT JACK TRIPPED OVER A STAR TREK TOY IN THE KITCHEN? WHEN DOES JJ ABRAMS STAR TREK MOVIE COME OUT?

AMY | May 2, 2008 9:24:25 AM | #

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Charlotte is an anthropologist, but you're right she hasn't shown her purpose yet. My guess, is that she is more connected with Dharma than anyone else. In 'Confirmed Dead' she did seem to know that collar was going to be on the polar bear. She probably knows more about the Island than she is leading on. Also, what if Widmore sent her there to be his mole? Maybe she is gathering info for him somehow. There has to be more to her.

Shaggysteve | May 2, 2008 9:29:17 AM | #

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Burying Karl and Danielle is exactly what a good solider would do - they had not shown themselves to anybody on the island at that point and leaving dead people around for others to stumble on isn't being "silent" - they had to bury or hide them.

Ryan - nice catch on the final shot. But the question is who or what (or what part of "who" or what part of "what") is watching?

And while we focus on the war between Ben and Windmore, perhaps they too are just pawns - pawns of Jacob/Smokey/Island - the true parties at war.

CD | May 2, 2008 9:42:36 AM | #

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So, back to the purge. if it happened 12 years ago that means that Alex was stolen from Danielle 4 years prior to the purge.

Question #1 How did Ben get away with that and why?

My thought is that Ben's Annie and his baby both died in childbirth of before childbirth and he somehow concealed the fact that his baby died by, conveniently, abducting another child. Maybe he told all the Dharma folks that his child lived and only Annie died. This could be why folks thought Ben was "special", because his child lived (or so they believed).

Question #2:

Where was Danielle during those 4 years between Alex's abduction and the Purge?

Dharma was ALL OVER that island at the time and constantly under fire by "The Hostiles". How could Danielle Rousseau not have known that there were people other than her crew alive and well on the island? IMO, The Dharma Initiative would have been pretty hard to miss back in the day. Was Danielle brainwashed like they tried to do to Karl? Who's child is Karl, anyway? Where did he come from; another castaway, an Dharma employee, a Hostile or perhaps someone else from Danielle's crew was also pregnant?

Next episode looks to be filled with exciting stuff that we've all been waiting to see. YAY!!! (clapping hands like a giddy toddler)

Chris | May 2, 2008 9:54:55 AM | #

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Maybe the others elaborate funeral send off is a way to avoid the island absorbing people. I wonder what the effect of the lostaways deeper graves will have on body assimilation or does the island just assimilate people on the list.

harry | May 2, 2008 9:57:02 AM | #

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Chris-

The time since the Purge doesn't really make sense. Based on what we have seen, you would think the kidnapping of Alex happened after the Purge. Then you have Danielle's distress call, which had been running for 16 years as well. Lately, I've begun to think that the Purge and Danielle's arrival on the Island happened around the same time. 16 years it would seem, not 12. However, time is a 'relative' thing on the Island.

Shaggysteve | May 2, 2008 10:10:16 AM | #

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Maybe Malkin was really saying, "It can't be an Other. You mustn't allow an Other to raise your baby." Could there be a final showdown between Kate and Juliet over who keeps Aaron after Claire's untimely demise?

Peter | May 2, 2008 10:13:06 AM | #

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My thoughts may be a little out there for some but here they are: When we flash forward and Jack is in bed does he have a scar? Who says that Kate is doing a favor for Sawyer? Could it be for Locke? I think all these "people" are clones, imperfect copies of the originals. Walt is on the island and in New York? Locke can walk again? Rose isn't sick? "The six" left the island because they are the real thing and they need to protect the "lives" of those who can't go with them. Who knows but its fun to guess!

Jason | May 2, 2008 10:14:32 AM | #

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Kate actually mentioned Sawyer by name when she tried to explain to Jack.

Chris | May 2, 2008 10:22:47 AM | #

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ryan-

glad you mentioned the oddities around the ending shot of Sawyer. i'd put money on "the watcher" being Claire to make sure Aaron was found. i also kind of like the thought that she didn't make it through the bazooka-fire and that somehow apparitions ar a little more solid on the Island.

mri | May 2, 2008 10:41:15 AM | #

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Continuity problem: Matthew Fox has gone from masculine hairy to shaved/waxed twink. Lay off the razor and wax - there's nothing wrong with a little body hair. Matt!

Christine | May 2, 2008 10:51:14 AM | #

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I don't think too much should be read into the 'missing' appendectomy scar. I'm pretty sure the scar would be pretty low on the torso, probably covered by Jack's towel in that scene. And if several years had passed since the surgery, the scar could have faded considerably. Also, with the island's 'curative powers', perhaps scars don't develop in the first place.

Siansonea | May 2, 2008 11:02:02 AM | #

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2 things have struck me while reading these comments:

1) Aaron not being raised by an "other". What if by other Malkin means a non-blood related person? If so, it would be really interesting to see Jack and Kate fight because of the baby if and when Jack realizes he SHOULD be the one that needs to take care of the baby ALONE.

2) What if: the Oceanic Six are all dead. What if this is their post earth life? What if this is their purgatory? I believe Hurley is telling the truth. The writers have dismissed the notions that the island is the purgatory and that they are all dead. They haven't touched on the status of the Oceanic Six though. If so, I wouldn't be surprised if Shannon and Boone pops up next season on a flash forward.

James | May 2, 2008 11:22:41 AM | #

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Who the heck are Ross and Rachel ? Are they red-shirts that I missed somehow ?

jake | May 2, 2008 11:31:09 AM | #

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lol.

Ross and Rachel are reference to Friends.

Rachel = Jennifer Aniston
Ross = David Schwimmer.

James | May 2, 2008 11:37:10 AM | #

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Wasn't that the Millenium Falcon? That would be a star WARS toy, not Star Trek.

I'm sad to find out that Danielle is dead, I was convinced they were just faking us out. Overall this is a great show, but they consistently kill off good characters in such disappointing ways.

I definitely agree that Kate is going to see Cassidy and her kid, she even knew Cassidy before the island.

milo | May 2, 2008 11:41:22 AM | #

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i like Kate with no panties,too

WHOLETRUTHY | May 2, 2008 11:41:22 AM | #

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Can someone explain to me from where in last night episode we assume that Jack knows that he is kid's uncle? From him screaming at Kate that she is not related to him? or I missed something?

Alex | May 2, 2008 11:43:58 AM | #

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Some thoughts after reading all the comments.

1) The Bay-bee. The talk of the island needing a baby to fulfill its mission reminds me of Ghostbusters and Veego v. Sigourney Weever.

2) The Appendix Scar. Going along with the Rose theory of Jack getting sick in the first place. Maybe getting those specific 6 people off the island, but not everyone (or something else), redeemed him in the eyes of the island. His scar/wound heeled faster much like Locke' gunshot wound.

3) NotChristian. Maybe he was dressed differently because this is the first time we see him appearing to someone (besides the cabin) in a non-Jack related vision. The suit/sneakers is how Jack remembers him. Suit to work, sneakers in surgery. However Claire remembers him as a disheveled drunk, so this is how he appears to her.

Morgan | May 2, 2008 11:44:51 AM | #

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I really enjoyed this one. It was nice to have Christian being Claire's father finally confirmed, and there were some creepy moments (Hurley's eyes in the mental hospital. The discovery of Rousseau and Carl's bodies. The preview for next week), which the show is so good with. My roommates have just finished season 3, and were annoyed with the first flash forward b/c they think it made things to final/wrapped up, but if there's anything this season has showed us it's that once the Oceanic 6 leave the island, they're still not done with the island. This show freaking rocks!

Cat | May 2, 2008 11:47:42 AM | #

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Siansonea-
Having no appendix myself for the past 10 years, I can tell you there would still be a scar, and it would have been visible. I think we were supposed to pick up on that, with Jack's low-slung-towel walk through the house. He could very well have been dressed and on his way to work.

Morgan | May 2, 2008 11:49:12 AM | #

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Jack DOES have a scar in the future, it just isn't very obvious. You can see it in screencaps.

http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/2008/05/episode-4x10-jacks-scar.html

milo | May 2, 2008 11:51:55 AM | #

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Thanks for the cap milo!

Morgan | May 2, 2008 12:13:31 PM | #

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It's definitely there, just faint (as it would be almost 3 years later). Also in those screencaps is the god-like POV of Sawyer & Aaron. As mentioned earlier, very interesting.

Shaggysteve | May 2, 2008 12:14:40 PM | #

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Um, could you stop making fun of the child actor's head size? He's just a kid.

Don't be a Meanie | May 2, 2008 1:12:18 PM | #

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just wanted to mention... i think someone mentioned the shot of milo watching claire as very reminiscent of charlie... dead on the money!! i thought the same thing, too.

i think that was completely intentional and foreshadowing claire's story to come. she saw charlie when the house blew up, and now she's seeing chrisitian and he's holding aaron (creepy).

i also think that miles knows something is up and thats why he wanted to hold the baby.

mel-c | May 2, 2008 1:14:19 PM | #

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to the next week's trailer poster...

i thought the guy who said he'd been dead in next week's trailer looked an aweful lot like Ben's dad.

mel-c | May 2, 2008 1:23:21 PM | #

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If the island can heal Ben's spinal surgery in a few days and Locke is still alive after getting shot, I pretty sure it can heal an appendectomy scar... Even if it caused the appendicitis in the first place.

A-Rob | May 2, 2008 1:49:59 PM | #

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The guy in the trailer who said he's been dead for 12 years is Horace Goodspeed; the man who greeted Ben and his Dad as they arrived on the Island. Ben also went out of his way to walk over and close his eyes after he died in the purge.
I believe he was also present at Ben's birth when his mother died. He stopped to help Ben's Dad.

Chris | May 2, 2008 1:52:22 PM | #

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Whether Miles thinks Claire is dead or not, he certainly does seem to have some sense as it relates to her and Aaron.

And the reason he is probably the most important of the freighters. Frank is there for the losties, Charlotte can reveal the mythological aspects of the island and Dan can explain the science of it.

But Miles? Miles can communicate with it. Dr. Dolittle for the island so to speak.

CD | May 2, 2008 1:53:42 PM | #

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Average episode, with a lot of WTF moments (that Miles/Charlie scene was incredible). I think that Matthew Fox is an excellent actor, but Jack's character is just awful. Maybe Locke as turned into a little island b****, but at least I have faith he will go back to his former, season 1, self.

Jack is just so stupid and, stubborn, self-absorbed and such a control freak, that he would withstand incredible pain just to watch his own surgery! Not to mention Kate, who is so undecided about what she wants that she accepted to marry Jack and about 2 days later went to do a favour for sawyer.

On another note, its good to finally see someone in show achknowledging Faraday's and Charlote's love. And I think that Rose made that comment about Jack's sickness because she, just as us, never really saw anyone getting sick in the island. I think she suspects someone poisoned him or something. And that smoke alarm beeping when Christian appeared to Jack is genius. Maybe the spirits aren't the only thing that can leave the island in the future. Maybe a certain smoke monster can do it too...

| May 2, 2008 2:08:49 PM | #

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OOps, forgot to put my name on the above post.

sin laden | May 2, 2008 2:11:22 PM | #

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For me, this was the most frustrating episode of Lost yet. Just when I thought I had figured out some things, it all went in the crapper.

In my mind, I saw Sawyer and Co. running into Lapidus in the jungle and together they all head back to the beach - just as they get there, Claire collapses.

Kate, the leader now that Jack has fallen ill, makes the decision that Jack and Claire (both near death) and Sun (who will die if she stays) must get to the freighter immediately for medical attention before the doctor there is killed (damn time shifts make my head hurt). Good thing they now have access to the helicopter and pilot by running into Lapidus.

This would have now put 5 of the Oceanic 6 on the freighter and would have explained the extra 2 dead castaways that Jack mentioned at Kate's trial - Claire, who dies on the freighter, and presumeably Charlie, who would have to be explained since Penny spoke to him.

This also made sense to me as a way to get Jack off the island. Everything we have seen of Jack's character shows that he wouldn't leave the island if anyone was to be left behind. If he was unconscious and near death due to his appendix, then the decison to leave would be out of his hands and would explain the guilt/downward spiral we see Jack take in the future.

Then the episode started....and everything I thought would happen went out the window:

Claire doesn't die, but instead wanders out into the jungle with Dead Dad. Who is he? Where is Claire? Why would she leave her baby?

Lapidus doesn't go with Sawyer to the beach, but with Keamey and his men. How do the O6 get off the island without Lapidus??

Future Jack's fight with Kate leads you to believe that leaving the island was a conscious choice Jack made with Kate while Sawyer chooses to stay. Why would Jack leave the island and leave anyone behind?? Does this mean people like Rose, Jin and Bernard are goners before the O6 leave???

Like I said in the beginning, FRUSTRATING!!!! Just when I thought I was figuring it out, I now have more questions.

Grover Monster | May 2, 2008 2:42:28 PM | #

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Sorry if someone has mentioned it yet, i haven't read ll of the comments. But was it me or was there a Whooshing sound during the flash forward...i thought the whoosh meant a flashBACK. i could have just been dramatic music but i swear it's a whoosh.

Rajaat | May 2, 2008 2:43:12 PM | #

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Jack would never just leave the other survivors behind. If the writers attempt that type of storytelling, it will be so OOC for Jack. Even in last night's episode he told everyone that he was going to get them off the island because he promised he would, and this is with a raging fever and an appendix about to rupture. They better come up with a plausible reason why Claire, Bernard and Rose and the rest get left behind. We know Sawyer stays, and I'm assuming that Locke stays too.

As for Matthew's lack of chest hair, it was shaved for the new Speed Racer movie, and I'm guessing it didn't grow back in time.

Lastly, with regard to why can't Jack just be happy in the future with Kate, Aaron and his doctor practice, it's because he's living a complete lie, and he he can't do it. Hurley is miserable. So is Sayid. I don't think it's commendable to simply write off people you fought and survived with just so you can play house with Kate and Aaron. I think it shows tremendous empathy on Jack's part that he CAN'T just go on with his life and live this big lie. It also doesn't help that the island is haunting him. Seeing his dead father walking around isn't something that he can easily ignore.

Patricia | May 2, 2008 3:31:20 PM | #

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Anyone think that Juliet is still working for Ben? I wonder the same thing Rose was wondering? Why did Jack get sick, when the island seems to heal everyone else? My suggestion is that back when Jack was in captivity in the Hydra station, Juliet/Ben implanted him with a device - perhaps similar to the kind that Ben claimed he implanted in Sawyer to manipulate him(the scene with the Rabbit shook to death, followed by Ben and Sawyer going on that walk...). Wasn't there also some suggestion or at least theories that Ethan had put an implant into Claire when she was captured and taken to the medical station? Im my opinion it was just too convenient that Juliet had that much experience with taking out an appendix, and also that she insisted that Kate leave, and that Jack be knocked out. The implant caused him to get sick, either because it was triggered by something/someone, or maybe it was on a timer. Juliet could easily have assisted Ethan (who was the Others' surgeon) on many of these implantations, which is why she new exactly how to take it out. The only problem is that she would still have to conceal it from Bernard, who appears to have been in the tent the entire time.

k-dog | May 2, 2008 3:52:09 PM | #

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I liked that they moved the story forward and we got some (a lot?) of answers, but I guess I just don't like Jack and Kate b/c I've found the eps that are Jack and/or Kate centric to be the most boring this year (and really since about the 1/2 way point of year 1).

Rishi | May 2, 2008 3:59:19 PM | #

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Have been reading this blog for months and find it interesting - todays blog made me actually put a few things together.
If - Ben has the ability to jump on and off the island and thru time AND Jack (or any of the 6) can figure out how to do this as well...
Then - Jack (and others) can go back in time and to the islnd and make sure that the right people get off the island ( ie. Claire and her baby ). I wrote this without reading any comments - I'm going to go back and read them now.

Victor | May 2, 2008 3:59:37 PM | #

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and people say that prison break is preposterous

dave | May 2, 2008 4:29:23 PM | #

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I believe the Wooshing sound is when we go back in time. They were used originally when going from the Island into a flashback. Now they are being used after the flash-forward going back to the Island.

Shaggysteve | May 2, 2008 4:38:40 PM | #

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dave, Prison Break IS preposterous. Lost is also preposterous, but with style. Having Emilie De Ravin as Claire doesn't hurt, either. :P

Dark Disciple | May 2, 2008 4:50:33 PM | #

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I couldn't get past the idea that Jack would get sick at all on the island. It goes against everything that the island is about. But k-dog had an interesting theory about a possible "implant" put in him by the Others. And that might explain why Juliette was cleaning an area two inches above Jack's appendix when she was shaving him. She might have known what was causing the reaction and was trying to secretly get it out during the appendectomy....

Ryan | May 2, 2008 5:12:56 PM | #

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A-Rob, GREAT catch about the smoke detector/jack's father (possible) cxn. interesting.

i guess Rousseau being alive was just wishful thinking. yeah, RIP. and i'm with you Ryan, i still hope we get more about her back story.

at least we get a good reason to believe that Jin is still alive!

it makes sense that Sawyer would ask Kate to do something for his kid.

speaking of Sawyer, why would he take what Miles said at face value? Claire is missing and why not suspect Miles did something. and even us viewers--we saw Claire see notChristian, but we don't know what happened after that, maybe Miles was more involved about her disappearance (and aaron being found where he was) than he let on (because no one has mentioned that). just saying.

love Miles character by the way.

i understand some people feeling like why not Jack can just chill? but then Jack wouldn't be Jack. and btw, i don't think he has a problem with aaron and/or guilt issues about Claire. i don't think that is what is preventing him from being ok. but i think he has a problem about HIS choice to leave the island. and the fact that now something is NOT QUITE RIGHT. and he is having trouble living with THAT.

and yeah Jack didn't want to leave anyone but maybe it came down to the fact that (most of) the people who stayed CHOSE to stay. and he had to let them choose to stay if they wanted to, right? except Jin and Claire, maybe they couldn't get off the island for another reason.

and Jack's appendix problem, i don't think it was anything that was done to him by any other person (like some posters here have mentioned someone poisoning him or an implant?). but maybe it was just the island's "mysterious ways." like Locke's and Rose's spontaneous healings. and not anything that anyONE did.

and if we didn't already know Jack was a control freak, we saw a lot more of this side, e.g., the appendix surgery, his relentless questioning and suspicion of Kate's whereabouts.

and is it just me or is there something creepy about Aaron? (no meanness here, i don't mean anything to do with the child actor, but it's about how the show is portraying him). maybe Jack is sensing some creepiness about Aaron (but not in a guilt way but just a general creepiness way).

it is possible that Jack may have learned about his relationship to Claire after arriving back to the 'real world." it seems probable that there was a lot of info around about the oceanic passengers (of which he would have heard upon arriving back).

good point about engagements, Lisa S.!

finally, yeah we can try to figure things out, but the best part of this show is not being able to figure things out and how it keeps surprising us! and like others here have pointed out, about halfway thru the show i too "felt" the slower pace of this episode, but then i made a point to drop my expectations and just let it unfold, and it really was great. (the zen of tv viewing 101)

DL | May 2, 2008 5:33:54 PM | #

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oh Ryan i just read your last post, but maybe "everything the island is about" isn't just the healing way. maybe maybe it can go both ways (depending on what IT's trying to do). and maybe some of the sudden deaths we have seen were also the island's workings (and not just the healings). the island giveth and the island can also taketh away.....

although, that is an interesting point you make about Juliette cleaning an area two inches above Jack's appendix.

DL | May 2, 2008 5:41:46 PM | #

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OK, I read that the guy says he is been dead for 12 years on here ... but I could swear I heard him say that he "has been dead for 18 years" ... so confusing!

Erwin | May 2, 2008 6:04:19 PM | #

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Just listened to it again just be sure. He (Horace Goodspeed) definitely says '12 years'.

Shaggysteve | May 2, 2008 6:25:12 PM | #

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thanks Shaggy ;)

Erwin | May 2, 2008 6:33:38 PM | #

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if juliet took something out of jack, wouldn't rose's husband have seen it? he was assisting her. hard to camouflage taking out an implant.

KR | May 2, 2008 8:51:52 PM | #

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KR-

Agreed. However, it is possible she turned something off. But most likely it is the Island punishing Jack for something though.

Shaggysteve | May 2, 2008 9:21:21 PM | #

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* SPOILER WARNING *

I know we want this area to stay spoiler-free, but I just came across a sneak peek of next week's episode during a Darlton interview by Jimmy Kimmel. When interviewed they seem to remain pretty silent about details, but the sneak peek is quite a doozy. The link is below if anyone is interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX6GUJvc7ZQ

Shaggysteve | May 3, 2008 12:36:38 PM | #

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Although a slower episode it seemed like a more classic Lost than we have seen in a while, it was nice to see Rose and focus on the original cast more than the new comers (not that I don't love Juliet and Ben).

Ryan | May 3, 2008 9:03:13 PM | #

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Don't usually post...maybe I'm too late to catch any discussion this week - but here goes. I watched 5 episodes this weekend to get caught up, and I can't help but think that the reason Ben thought Alex would be fine is the same reason that Michael can't die and Jack can't die, etc...Ben believed that Alex had work left to do. When he muttered, "He changed the rules." perhaps, the "he" being referred to isn't Widmore but Jacob...or the island...or whomever Ben believes is making the rules. It might have been interesting to see if Ben could have killed Widmore, but then, perhaps, Widmore is Ben's constant. We've all believed that Rousseau and her daughter were central to the endgame of the island. I've always assumed that Ben took Alex and raised her by order of Jacob; therefore, when he stated that the rules were changed, he could very well have meant that the endgame and everyone's "work" had changed. Just a thought.

romana118 | May 5, 2008 11:54:12 AM | #

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romana118-

Join us over on the LOST blog (link below). We talk about LOST all week.

http://blog.zap2it.com/lost

Shaggysteve | May 6, 2008 2:50:25 PM | #

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