'Lost' has thrown a sheep at you

I talk about the Zap2It's Guide to Lost Facebook group group a lot here on the blog. Why? Because it's a great way to continue the discussions we have here, plus offers a forum for lots of Lost topics that simply can't be covered here. There are discussion groups, opportunities to post links, The BTRWRTH Gallery, and most importantly, over two hundred members of the loyal Zap2It readership.

OK, ladies and gents, it's feedback time. I need your help. I'm not usually one to ask for help. I mean, I'm a proud man. More often than not, I am in fact too proud to beg. Just how I am. But even I recognize a time and a place in which I must reach out to my fellow Lost fans and seek guidance.

Here's my plea to Darlton: in Season 5, give me at least one Juliet-centric episode, and make sure it rocks as hard as this one. Seriously, "The Other Woman" was a major downer after the stellar episodes featuring Dr. Burke in Season 3, with this surpassing the admittedly awesome "Not in Portland." More than a little of the We Have to Go Back campaign has felt like actual work: but these last eps of Season 3 are pure pleasure to recap. Strap in, kids: this is Lost at its finest.

Here's something rare: a Kate-centric ep that's a must watch! I know, I'm as shocked as you are. No toy planes to be found anywhere, I promise. Moreover, we get a major monster download, with the creature doing two things we've never seen it do before. Throw in a great Sawyer/Hurley B-plot and you have the start of a great final run of episodes to close out Season 3 of Lost.

There's nothing I love more than catching sight of new Lost footage. It's just the bestest, y'all. Even when we're forced to watch said footage through an excruciating video featuring the sonic assault of The Fray. Good gravy. I didn't like the song that accompanies this footage the first time I heard it, and now that I've spent the better part of 3 hours poring over it, I'm pretty much ready to kick a kitten. I'm lost and insecure...just kill me! Just kill me!

In the years and decades to come, how will Kiele Sanchez and Rodrigo Santoro be treated at Lost-Cons? Heck, will they even bother to show up? Tough to say, although time heals most wounds. Needless to say, were there a Lost convention today, with each Lost actor at an individual table, not many would be lining up to get the autographs of Nikki and Paulo. (They'd be fighting for Shortest Line Duty with Michelle Rodriguez, I fear.) But hey, I'm not here to posit the crowd psychology at a fictional geek-fest: I'm here to talk about the life and death of two of Lost's most infamous characters.

I know, I know...you're just DYING to read my take on "Exposé." For those of you expecting a "Stranger in a Strange Land" takedown, however, take note: I use and abuse the episode, but not with the same intensity I did before. I only have about one of those in me per year; it's kinda like pushing the button, only at a more infrequent rate. But don't worry, Lost fans: it's coming tomorrow, and the Less than Dynamic Duo will get theirs yet. Today, I want to talk about two other items in the Lost world that have absolutely nothing to do with Nikki and Paulo.

The two Locke/Ben-centric episodes of Season 3 (this and "The Man Behind the Curtain") are my two favorite episodes of the year not named "Through the Looking Glass." The show simply struck gold with this combination of characters and actors, and when it's just the two of them onscreen, every scene just sizzles. Sure, we'd see plenty of scenes involving the two of them inside the Swan, but starting with this episode, the tension between these two characters went to the next level. As did Lost itself.

With Season 4 putting Claire back into central importance, episodes such as this provide Lost fans with an opportunity to see what important clues the show might have buried about her part in the shape of things to come. Between the identity of her father and the mysterious circumstances surrounding her car accident, there's a lot to chew on. While her on-Island actions are more than a bit lacking, the flashbacks take on potentially new significance. Let's get into it!

OK, as promised, here's the second half of this week's "Letters from the Flame." It's only question, but it's a rather long answer, but the question necessitated such a response. And let's be honest: it's not like it's a chore for me to drop a few thousand words about Lost on a weeknight. It's kinda sorta what I do. I know my mother would prefer "surgery" to be the thing I do, but life's full of disappointments, sadly.