LOST in Translation: The Finale

Okay guys. I'm guilty.

I should have probably written my LOST recap the minute the finale ended, or at least the next day. Definitely not half a week later. But I think you can excuse my absence; I am still digesting.

I have truly spent time driving in the car, going to sleep, at work pondering what I really believe happened. I thought I knew, but then after talking to others, I'm no longer positive.

Here's what I am positive of: I was satisfied by the ending. I know many, many people were not. I walked into it expecting little to no new answers. I thought we might see the Man in Black get killed. I thought we might see the island get saved. I hoped I would see Juliet and Sawyer reunited. Done, done and done. But I have no idea what it all means.

So, settle in, because I couldn't pick just one theory. I'm going to put pen to paper...ahem...fingertips to keys, and work this out.

Initial Theory

So the show ended and here was what I thought: The island was real and the sideways world was, too. The Sideways world was the reality they created when they set off Jughead and, as Juliet said, "It worked." The sideways world imagined what their lives would be like if the plane hadn't crashed, but curiously, gave them slightly different pasts.

Now this is where it gets tricky. Christian was pretty explicit that the folks in the church were dead, but noted they didn't all die at the same moment. He also noted there is no "now, here." A lot of people took that to mean "There is no now, here in purgatory" or "There is no now, here in Heaven." Maybe it's where my head is at, but I thought, "There is no now, here, because time is fluid and does not exist." As my faithful readers will know, I thought one of the show's themes was that there is no past or present, that time is not fixed, but fluid.

In my initial theory, it didn't even for a moment cross my mind that the LOSTies all died in the initial crash. That just complicates things too much...not a single moment of the series would make sense if that were the case. That shot of the wreckage at the end meant nothing; it was added post-production by ABC. Frankly, that's what I assumed, so I was shocked when I heard fans theorizing those shots meant everyone died in the crash.

So let's say my first theory was correct (which seems super implausible since 99.9 percent of viewers agreed the sideways world was purgatory) — what was the point and what did it mean? Well I've posed the theory before that perhaps the show was about reincarnation, hence the heavy leaning on ideas of redemption, predestination, and bodies taking new forms or getting stuck.

Reincarnation is, by definition, the transmigration of the soul to a new body after the body dies (hmm...like a certain smoke monster). It returns to Earth in a new form. Maybe the LOSTies were reincarnated, or existing in L.A, in different forms and then their souls were awakened with remembrance of things past. So how would the LOSTies have been reincarnated? That's the part I can't work out. But it does fit well with the idea of the LOSTies remembering their past lives. And it certainly sounds nicer than purgatory!

What would be the point of the show, then? That relationships matter, above all else. That the desire to change matters more than actions. In this supernatural realm, the LOSTies were able to unite their souls on a journey; it seems to me the ones who didn't quite make it to the church (Walt, Michael, Ana Lucia, Mr. Eko, etc.) were people whose lives were not defined by the time they spent on the island. They didn't forge the long-lasting or life-changing relationships that the others did.

My theory doesn't work 100 percent (or even really 50 percent!). And also, no one brought it up and I don't think that's because I'm brilliant and no one else is. Which leads me to Theory 2.

Theory 2

My second theory evolved after reading some Internet theories and talking to Sean, which led me to think the Sideways World was a purgatory/in-between/afterlife type of place where, for whatever reason, nonexistent children were introduced and lessons were learned and through magic touching and mind-melding (wow, they really ripped from Spock on that one), the LOSTies were able to reconnect and move on toward the Big Pearly Gates.

The white light was a big old hint. And Christian was pretty explicit. But this one left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't like the idea that the Sideways world featured arbitrary new characters, better lives and in some cases, worse ones, different pasts, etc. and it was just a holding cell. I can't seem to wrap my brain around that concept, either.

Theory 3

I sat down to read the recap and theories of Entertainment Weekly's Doc Jensen last night, and if you haven't read it, it is so, SO worth it. Doc Jensen is not only a wonderful writer, but has a firm grasp of the mythology of LOST and is able to sift through the tangential information to the important stuff.

His theory, which I really, really think makes sense, goes basically like this: Jughead did not work. The Sideways world was not a simultaneous alternate universe, but a spiritual place where their souls went to live after death, kind of like the interpretation of heaven in "Our Town." The Sideways world, with its new characters and relationships, was a reflection of each character's yearning, which can explain why some of them had similar back stories but were on slightly new paths, treading a little closer to redemption.

For example, Jack craved a healthy father/son relationship, and so his unconscious or his soul invented a son with whom he could make amends. He craved a relationship with Claire, his sister, and he got that. He craved a healthy relationship with his ex, and he got that, too. The same goes for Hurley, who was the luckiest man in the world, a man who was able to use his money for good. Or even Miles, who had a close relationship with his father, and the same for Faraday.

The Sideways world was a kind of psychic connection, and when Christian said, "You created this place," it meant they took the ones with whom they shared the most on the journey with them. Is it literal? Could this all be a kind of dreamy near-death vision? Would it be the same for each character, or is this just Jack's group on the plane ride to an afterlife? I don't know, but it has made me think a little deeper about the afterlife, and that was probably the point.

I think Doc Jensen's theory is so beautiful and it's one I want to believe in. I'm still having a hard time with the mechanics of it, but it works better than any others I've read. That light at the end? It reminded him of the plane crash, with the back half of the plane being ripped off. But this time they were saved by the light.

Final Thoughts

For the haters, I say what I wrote last week: This was about the journey. The end was as close to great as I think it could have come. Was it perfect? No. Is anything? I know some people were looking for more answers, and I think many of them wanted the anomalies and scientific elements explained.

Since I noticed this summer while I was rewatching the show that the religious themes were more overt with every season, I had come to expect the show to explore the themes of faith, religion, science, belief in oneself and belief in others. And that's what it ends up being. Yes, I am satisfied.

Things I would have done differently: maybe not kill the Man in Black so hastily, with a simple gun shot. I felt like he never got a fair shake. Also, parts of the finale were SO corny, especially the Sayid/Shannon reunion. But that's just my opinion.

Tomorrow, I will post my very last LOST entry. I thought it would be fun to look back at some of my theories from my LOST entries and tally up my score as a LOST predictor. I'm pretty proud of some of the things I accurately guessed, but I don't know whether that says more about me or the writers.

Hawaiian Pork for LOST finale

We hosted a small get-together for the LOST finale the other night. It was quite thrown-together on my part; I just whipped up pre-mixed pina coladas, set out hummus and a fruit tray and called it a day. Thank god for Sean's coworker, Andi, who made the main portion of the meal.

Andi whipped together Kalua Pulled-Pork, a dish she's sampled in Hawaii, where LOST was filmed. She made one version with cabbage (the traditional way) and one without. Let me tell you, this pulled pork was delicious, flavorful, smoky and according to Andi, EASY.

I set the table with a quick island theme. The runner is from Target, the glasses from Anthropologie and the napkins were recent scores from Home Goods.

Here's the recipe, care of Andi. She says she learned the recipe from family friend Laurie Segawa. Traditionally, the dish is made by wrapping pork in palm leaves and cooking in an underground pit. Without palm leaves or a pit, Andi relied on her trusty Crock Pot.

Kalua Pulled Pork

Ingredients

• Boneless or bone-in pork shoulder. Use a cheaper cut of meat.
• Hawaiian salt (white or pink). Any coarse sea salt would work as well.
• Liquid smoke (found next to barbecue sauce at your grocery store).
• Sliced cabbage

Directions

1. Sprinkle pork shoulder with Hawaiian salt.
2. Douse pork with two tablespoons of liquid smoke.
3. Cook on low in Crock Pot for about 8 hours until pork pulls apart easily with two forks.
4. Heat the pulled pork and sliced cabbage in a dry pan on the stovetop until cabbage is wilted.
5. Serve over white rice or by itself.

LOST in Translation V.15

Watching LOST last night, I had a feeling I couldn't quite pinpoint. It would be unfair to call it disappointment, because it's nice to get answers and nice to have theories validated. It's more complex than that...it's the feeling of getting what you always wanted and realizing it's not what you wanted at all.

Insert cliche about the journey, not the end here.

But seriously. The fun of LOST has always been the mystery, and I'm wrestling with the knowledge I now have. But that doesn't mean we've got it all figured out. Far from it, in fact. I'm just saying I don't think there's any way the end could be as satisfying as the journey.

That said, here were my thoughts as my coworker and I hashed our feelings out today:

• Full circle: The episode opened with a shot of Jack waking up, a classic shot that has been repeated throughout the show and was the first shot of the series. That shot signified that things would be familiar and different. In no way is that more true than when Jack, after patiently listening to Jacob's explanation for himself, signed up to be The One. My first impression: That was WAY too easy. WAY too easy.
• Jacob: The whole scene of Jacob explaining himself felt like the writers were up against the wire, out of time, and decided to give the man of mystery a case of verbal diarrhea. He just spewed it all out there. His explanation of how he chose the LOSTies (you were alone, just like me) didn't make sense to me, since he met many of them when they were children. How did he know then who they would become? Is this a case for the idea of predestination? If so, why do some of them seem redeemed in the sideways world?
• Water into Wine? I thought the moment when Jacob blessed the "chalice" for Jack to drink from was corny beyond corny. For a moment I considered that he was putting on a performance, but we know from last week's flashback that he takes his mom's word as truth and believes in the power of the drink. Do you think Jack gulped down water or wine? And do you think it has real powers or a placebo effect? Jack certainly acted like the drink gave him super powers as he gulped it down.
• Off the List: So Kate was crossed off the list because she's a mother? Why is she still around then?
• BEN: Okay, enough of that jibber jabber. The real story of last night's episode was BEN, back in black, evil as ever. I'm a long-time lover of Ben's dark side, but when he shot Widmore and was all "you killed my daughter!," even I rolled my eyes. What happened to that newfound penitence? That disappeared pretty damn fast. But say what you will, Ben is the definition of a survivor. I'm wondering what his angle is at this point. He's killed Widmore and enacted his revenge. He's outlasted nearly everyone. What does he expect to get in exchange for helping the Man in Black? Surely his promise of a lonely island won't be kept; the MiB is a very adept liar.
• SIDEWAYS BEN: Was anyone else insanely uncomfortable during the exchange between Ben and Danielle? I was like, "ewwwwwww don't kiss," but it would actually be a great thing for Ben. He has always lacked a partner, and Sideways Alex has already been the daughter he dreamt of in island times. But we know Sideways Ben has seen flashes of his other life (the beating Desmond gave him on the docks) and how long will it be until the pieces come together? How will Ben respond when he has flashes of memory about the death of Alex?
• Come together: Desmond is herding the LOST cats to the benefit at Miles' dad's museum, it seems, but what will happen when they get there? How will Sawyer get there (a tip from Miles, perhaps?)? Is Desmond going to fire up a jet to the alternate world, bring an army to fight the MiB? What tricks are still left up this fail-safe's sleeve?

So what happens next, you guys? I have no idea how one would kill the Man in Black. Part of me wonders if the only way to kill him would be to destroy his origin: the Island's light. That would give the LOSTies another fine paradox: how to kill the man without destroying the one thing they pledged to protect?

If I'm wrong about that (which is highly possible), I'm still not sure how I'd like to see the show end. Do I want them to leave the island and return to their Island Lives at Home? Do I want to see their lives converge into one with the Sideways lives? That would defeat everyone's quantum physics theories.

I just don't know what to think. How about you?

LOST in Translation V.14

Let's get this right out of the way.

I was totally digging last night's episode.

I know a lot of you (A LOT OF YOU) hated it, and I can't blame you. Two years ago, my least favorite thing about LOST was the mystical element. I wanted scientific abnormalities. I wanted nefarious government, rich guy ne'er do well intrigue. I did NOT want to hear anything else about this bullshit Jacob guy that I was convinced Ben had invented. I did not want to see Smokey ever again.

But here we are. And at the end of the journey, I'm finding the revelations delicious. And I especially love being right.

Last summer, we were re-watching the first season and I started taking notes to track common themes (lame, I know) and I started noticing that backgammon seemed to be imbued with significance.

Don't know anything about backgammon? Yeah, me either. But I looked up the Wikipedia, which basically said backgammon is the oldest board game for two players in the world, and takes luck and strategy to win. A player wins when all his pieces are removed from the board. Players can also raise the stakes in the game.

Hm...that sounds a lot like a game played for a bajillion years by Smokey and Jacob, except they play with people. And perhaps to win the game against Jacob, Smokey has to remove all his pieces from the board (i.e. the LOSTies).

But that could be a lot of mumbo jumbo on my part. Another thing I loved about this episode was that it set Jacob and Smokey up as brothers, just like Jacob and Esau. At the beginning of this season, I mentioned on this blog that I thought it would be interesting if the MIB and Jacob turned out to have a similar story to those Biblical brothers, who were lifelong enemies. Welp, look who gets a cookie! That's right...ME!

The thing I'm struggling with is whether it's good to be right. Because as much as I'm glad I was able to accurately predict some elements of the episode, I don't know if that necessarily made it great storytelling. The whole backstory was a little too simple...when you give a bad guy an empathetic backstory, it becomes kind of boring...like showing us Anakin before he was Vader.

Anyways, let's hit the big notes:

• ADAM AND EVE: Well, I was right about the white and black stone being game pieces (not sure if it's backgammon or not). I was not right about the skeletons having to do with time travel. They are the boys' adoptive, murderous mother and what was once the Man in Black.
• The Man in Black has a corpse?! If Jacob killed the Man in Black, but we've seen him interact with Richard, then how was that possible? The only thing I can figure is that Smokey figured out how to take form, especially in bodies that could really haunt the people they came in contact with.
• The Man in Black is nameless: Did no one ever name that little boy? He was, truly, an afterthought, but from the moment of his birth, the adoptive mom (played by the glorious Allison Janney) seemed to recognize his potential and removed his own mother from the picture.
• Why is he special? Is it because he has the power to see dead people? Or because he has the power to lie?
• Wine = birthright: In the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob offers Esau stew in exchange for his birthright. I thought it was interesting that in the LOST world, the power of Island Protector passes through a gulp of wine.
• What is that light anyways? Okay, so the island has crazy magnetism and light coming from beneath. Will we ever get an explanation to this? I thought it was cool to see that the MIB had the idea to build the wheel, which we now know only moves the island. But his whole plan was really weird and I thought, "Why does he think this plan will work?"
• Why did the light turn him into Smokey? I don't have any theories, but the entire scene reminded me of the scene in Indiana Jones when the Ark of the Covenant explodes with light and you're NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK!!
• How did the Adoptive Mom get to island? She said it was an accident. How did she come to be the Keeper of the Light? I also wondered if she had the same abilities to sway people and infect their brains like the MIB. She seemed to know exactly what to say to both her boys.
• Smokey mentioned before that he had a crazy mother, and boy did he. But have you noted that her influence still dictates many of his actions? He still has no qualms about murder (like her) of men, because they are corrupt.

I think, of every line spoken on the whole damn show, Allison Janney spoke the most telling when she said, "Every question I answer will simply lead to another question. You should rest. Just be grateful you're alive."

Again, the show was back in the thick of the faith vs. science debate, and I really do believe that's what the show is about. At times, it seemed like it was about many different things, but at its core, it's always been about different world views. Is it better to question everything and search for answers, or better to have faith in a greater power and accept one's fate as it is? The show seems to have been a six-year-long pros and cons list for both, and I think most of us wrestle with the desire to just go with the flow or to seek for more.

One note about this week's episode: While it was super corny, I found myself disappointed to see that next week, we'll rejoin the castaways. Has anyone else come to hate most of them the way I have?

LOST in Translation V.13

You guys.

I kind of can't even talk about what happened on LOST.

That sound? Oh, that was my heart breaking.

First of all: Damn good episode. One of the things I liked best about this episode was that it just moved the plot right along in a tidy way. It didn't introduce any characters I don't care to know. It didn't show me some piece of Island architecture that just appeared. It didn't confuse me, which was good, because I was able to use my emotional reserves to stare aghast at the screen during the super tragic ending.

I'm going to say it, and I'm sure you're thinking it: Jin and Sun never got a fair shake on this show. It was all struggle for them. But I'm glad they were together, in love and speaking the same language.

I won't lie; there was a moment where I was like, "Jin! You have a baby to worry about!" And the whole scene smacked of "Titanic"...but when Hurley broke down, I was a goner, too. I was glad to know that, although not a tear was shed for Sayid 2.0, the Losties felt the same way I did about Jin and Sun.

Moving on, let's go over the big hits:

• How great was every single exchange between Jack and Locke in the Sideways world? That first scene, when Jack said, "I think you may be a candidate" and "I can fix you!" was so classic. Locke TOTALLY had that now-familiar flash of recognition.
• Jack seems to be slowly coming around to the same realization Desmond had reached about Oceanic 815 and the fact it might not be a coincidence that he keeps running into people from the flight. He doesn't seem to understand...yet.
• How crazy was it when Locke, in his sleep, mumbled about pushing the button and said "I wish you had believed me." Jack almost said the exact same thing to him later about the surgery.
• Fake Locke Revelations: Those magnetic electric fences sure didn't keep Smokey out, did they? And also, he can apparently kill anybody he chooses whenever he wants. So why doesn't he?
• TRULY REWARDING MOMENT: I loved when Jack hypothesized that Locke was not able to kill all of them. I agree, but why and how? Is Jacob always watching their backs, getting in the way in opportune moments? Is that why Widmore's people seem to have impeccable timing?
• RIP Sayid, Sorry about ditching you, Claire and Are you gone forever, Lapidus?

All of that was fine and good, but I forgot about my sorrows the moment BACKGAMMON was shown for next week's preview. As you may remember, I came up with a theory that backgammon, for whatever reason, was the most important thing ever in the canon of LOST. When Sean and I rewatched the first season last summer, I noticed Locke was always playing backgammon with people and it seemed to have way more significance than just a game. Walt, you may recall, was outstanding at stomping Locke's ass in backgammon. Is it time for his return?

Also, the mysterious white and black stones in the cave with Adam and Eve? I'm convinced they're backgammon pieces. I can't wait to find out what next week holds.

How about you guys? Are you devastated about Jin and Sun? Do you like the new, super confident, "I got this" Jack? Do you agree Claire is being treated like the last kid picked for kickball?

LOST in Translation V.12

DON'T READ THIS IS YOU ARE YEARS OR WEEKS OR MONTHS BEHIND ON LOST!!!

It's getting a little wild and a little strange on LOST these days. Yet again, I wasn't able to watch with full focus because of a little thing called work, but I think I can at least say it was nice to see the Sideways world converging with the Island world so much.

The castaways are getting thrown together in the Sideways world, facing issues that plagued them in the Island world head-on. And there seems to be a certain degree of recognition; how else to explain Sun's horror when she saw Locke at the hospital? And the easy repartee between Kate and Sawyer?

There were a lot of things about this episode that sucked, too. Desmond in the Sideways world seems to be acting like a Gabriel-type figure, shepherding people into each other's lives (he delivered Locke to Jack practically on a platter, did he not?) and for some reason, that makes me feel uneasy. It doesn't suit him; one of the most lovable things about Desmond is that he doth protest too much any time someone tries to pin a "destiny" on him. I'm curious how he got from point A (his conversation with Faraday) to point B (basically forcing Claire, the most trusting person ever, to go meet his lawyer).

I also didn't like the relative ease with which our castaways agreed to ditch Locke and the Island, steal a boat and head out. C'mon, really? After all this, they still just want to get back? That's ridiculous. They should just give up and take what the Island dishes them at this point.

I'm also tired of Zombie Sayid.

I'm also tired of Weirdo Claire.

Sigh. Can you sense my fatigue? I'm trying to keep the faith this will be tied up in a nice way.

There were some great redeeming moments to the episode, though. First and foremost, the revelation that the Man in Black WAS masquerading as people's lost loved ones. I raised my arms in victory because I called that forever ago. Except....wait a sec...I thought Michael told us last week that some of them are caught in the "in-between." Or was that Locke? ARGH. SO CONFUSED.

I also liked the little wink at longtime viewers when Jack arrived at the hospital to find out Locke's injury was the same as the problem he encountered in his first difficult spinal surgery, the one when he learned to count to five and calm down. But the moment when he saw Locke's face...he really jolted and I don't think that was just with recognition. I think he knew, in his gut, he HAS to save this man.

Which leads me to my new theory: is it feasible, remotely, that by saving Sideways Locke, Jack can somehow stop the Man in Black from wreaking whatever havoc he's planning? I don't really know how that would work, but it's something to ponder.

I also really appreciated seeing Jin and Sun reunited, but did not appreciate Zoe being a bitch. "The deal is off" my foot! Is Widmore convinced that by taking the time to talk to the MIB, the castaways are all lost causes? (ha...LOST causes.)

Which leads me to the scariest thing ever: the moment when Fake Locke appeared before bleary eyed Jack, freshly recovering from his latest blast survival (he's a pro by now), and said, "You're with me now." That sounded pretty definitive, didn't it? After all, as Claire said, Jack let him talk to him.

DONATE TO CAMP GLOW

On another note, I'd like to tell you how you can help transform the young women of Kazakhstan into independent leaders in their communities. My friend Corinne, who you may remember is in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan, is the coordinator of Camp Glow, an overnight camp dedicated to teaching college-aged women how to take charge.

Camp Glow still needs $1100 in fundraising and any amount you can share goes a long way. If you would like to donate, click here. To learn more about the program, watch this cute video Corinne made!

LOST in Translation V.11

I'm not even going to bother with my requisite spoiler warning. If you haven't watched it yet, I'm sorry, ya'll.

I wanna say something upfront: I love Hurley. I do. But I felt like, if anything, Tuesday's episode made me angry with the writers. SO many things in this episode seemed like the conclusion paragraph of a hastily written research paper: "In conclusion, that's why this happened and how people felt about it and it was a big deal."

I mean, could the revelation about the whispers have felt any more anticlimactic? Things I hated about that moment:

• It involved Michael, possibly my least favorite character on the show ever.
• It didn't really explain why the whispers always came right before Others popped up. Were they warnings?
• Can the other "in-betweens" see each other? Are they talking to each other? Is this like Thornton Wilder's "heaven" in "Our Town"?
• Why can Hurley see them now if he couldn't before? He's always been able to see dead people, so how come this was a magic moment? Did he not see dead people on the island before? What changed?

But anyways. Let's recap the big stuff, shall we?

• Wowza, there goes Ilana in classic Arzt fashion, circa season one. I'm really disappointed we didn't get more about her backstory. Was she as old as she looked? How was she recruited? That felt very unfinished. What I did like about it was Ben's theory: maybe when the Island is finished with people, it's really finished.
• Hurley = The New Locke? Hurley started acting kind of exactly like Locke at the end of season 2 when he started sabotaging any and all plans to get off the island. It's intriguing when we consider that we still aren't sure who's good and who's bad, Jacob or the MiB? Is Jacob sending the dead to have post-mortem chats with Hurley, or are they coming of their own accord? Who the freak knows.
• Blow Up the Plane vs. Don't Do It: I can't seem to give a crap about whether they blow up the plane or not. I feel like the Man in Black would have left the island a long time ago if all he needed was a plane.
• The Well: I liked the tidbit about the well, where Flocke told Desmond that the people who built it were trying to figure out why their compasses would spin. I did NOT like the part where he shoved Desmond in the well, but at least we know he lives on to next week.
• Desmond vs. Locke vs. Jack: WTF, Sideways Desmond? Why are you running over pseudo-happy Locke? Oy. But I liked that kind of delicious moment between Jack and Locke when they met again. It's hard to remember they hadn't seen each other since before Jack became a grizzly bear alcoholic who insisted Locke was right and THEY HAD TO GO BACK, KATE!!! But of course, this isn't Locke, and in a lot of ways, this isn't the same Jack. It's hard to think of them as the same old foes, since one of them, we know, is a little more powerful than mere mortals.

I'm still with them and I still trust this story will unfold as intended. I just thought this episode was super weak. Sure, it was nice to see Hurley finally get his mack on with Libby. But it didn't have the delicious peal-back-the-onion-layers that the Richard and Desmond episodes had. Sigh.

LOST in Translation V.10

LOST OMG OMG LOST OMG OMG LOST!!!

I'm not going to lie. I definitely have to watch last night's episode again because I was writing an article while it was on and couldn't properly pay attention (re: take notes like an obsessive crazy person).

But let's go over some big a-Ha! moments:

• It's no coincidence that Desmond is one of the only (if not the only) people who has been able to time-trip without dying or going completely insane. He clearly has abilities others simply do not possess.
• Is it a coincidence Desmond fell in love with Penny? It seems that their love was always part of the Island's plan. Or maybe not...Eloise certainly was trying to prevent it. For that matter, who is Penny's mother? Have we ever seen or heard of her?
• I LOVED the Sideways world for Desmond; I loved the similarities and winks at previous storylines (sharing scotch with Widmore; running at the stadium; jumping into the water at the docks where he beat the crap out of Ben).
• MOST IMPORTANTLY: We finally have acknowledgement that the Sideways brains are connected to the brains of the Island people. They aren't past lives, but simultaneous lives...and they're about to connect. I loved that Charlie (oh, my favorite!) was the first to acknowledge that he could feel it. I also loved that, as always, Eloise is trying to keep Desmond on his path and as always, it never works. And my heart swooned when I saw Faraday, another fave.

We're still left with some questions.

What the hell was that thing that blasted Desmond into the great unknown? It looked like a set for a Britney Spears video in the late '90s (and he frankly looks like he's dancing in that shot at the top of this post).

What's Desmond's actual role? How can he harness what he now knows to save the island? Is it possible all of the castaways could connect with their Sideways selves in Widmore's microwave?

What is Desmond going to do with Sayid and the rest of Flocke's flock?

And last but never ever least, where do we see this all going? My biggest fear is that it will crumble into anticlimactic mumbo-jumbo like the final book in the Twilight series. If it turns out Desmond can protect everyone with electromagnetic mind bubbles, I will be pissed!

LOST in Translation V.9

DISCLAIMER: I wrote this days ago, but Blogger was acting up and it never posted, despite repeated attempts. So here it is, many moons late!

Forgive me, I've been a bit busy this week and kept forgetting to recap LOST. That might be because that was such a very forgettable episode, was it not?

Seriously.

Here's the gist of what I walked away with from Tuesday's episode:

• No matter how deep their love might be, Jin and Sun's union has always and will always be shaky. When Keamy told Jin, "Some people just aren't meant to be together," I remembered how throughout their relationship, they've never existed without a barrier. At one point or another, Jin's poor standing, Sun's affair, Jin's inability to speak English, Sun's meddling father, time and space have all stood in the way of their love. The fact it happened all over again in the Sideways world was sad, but perhaps that's their fate.
• My boss mentioned something I'd forgotten: Jacob touched both Jin and Sun at their wedding. We know that Jacob's touch is no joke; Richard confirmed it.
• My friend Andi thinks it means their DAUGHTER is the Kwon candidate. Intriguing idea, especially when you consider she's one of the only surviving babies, if not the only baby, conceived on the island.
• The Package: is Desmond. Biggest anticlimax ever, but I was still delighted to see my favorite Brotha.
• Widmore vs. Flocke: Locke says war is coming. Finally!

I love Jin and Sun and again, this was not the Sideways tale I hoped for. But it moved the story along nicely, and confirmed my theory that the Sideways world shows us how fate works. The difference is what you do with it.

LOST in Translation V.8

LET'S TALK LOST, BUT DON'T READ THIS IF YOU AREN'T READY AND YOU LIVE AND DIE BY DVR!

WHEW. That's about all I can say after last night's BAM-IN-YO-FACE slam dunk of an episode. I felt at the end the same way I felt at the end of "The Constant": like things were making sense, and intrigued, yet confused. But most importantly, excited!

The LOST producers were really winking at us the whole night, with Richard announcing early on that they're all in Hell and Jacob calling his enemy the "Man in Black." I both like that and don't like it; I don't want the producers taking their cues from us! But quibbles aside, let's get on with it.

RICHARD BACKSTORY GREATNESS

That was such a rich backstory with really excellent storytelling, heartwrenching love and loss, questions of faith and more. It was like a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel or something, which is kind of the beauty of LOST. Because of the backstories and flash forwards, the producers have been able to explore almost every genre: the buddy cop show, the "Bourne Identity" show, the Spanish colonial romance.

I loved most how the backstory humanized this man who's always been stone-faced and passive, especially with his struggle with faith. He starts out a devout Catholic, is told he has no chance at forgiveness by a priest, believes he's landed in Hell, finds out he hasn't, but must now serve as a prophet, only to lose his faith more than 100 years into the gig. It was just very rich and complex and delicious.

Most delicious was his redemption toward the end of the episode, when Hurley found him at his most vulnerable, about to make a deal with the devil. He found his faith again.

EL DIABLO

Ah, the devil references were abundant in this episode. The priest told Ricardo in jail, "The devil awaits you in hell." As the boat of Captain Magnus tossed toward the island, a fellow prisoner shouted "El Diablo!" When Ricardo sees his beloved Isabella in the cargo hold, she tells him they're in Hell.

When he comes face-to-face with the would-be devil (an incredibly sexy Titus Welliver; don't tell me I'm the only one who has a thing for the bad guys!), he tells him, "The devil took my body." Literally, perhaps?

And of course, Jacob tells Ricardo the man he met is a darkness that needs to be kept in, like wine in a bottle.

So this brings us to the most important question: Is the MIB the "devil"?

The evidence is stacked against him. He...

• Wears black
• Is incredibly charming
• Kills people as a black pillar of smoke
• Possibly appears in the form of lost loved ones
• Makes offers that are hard to refuse

There was a moment when he was talking to Ricardo in the ship that even I was almost convinced he was in the right. The thought occurred to me: what if Jacob were the devil? What if Jacob took his body, he was forced to inhabit a dead body (as he has with Locke) and has no real body? But how? And why?

Jacob's endless messing with people (who just end up killing each other) and mind games don't make him look too good either...but the same could be said of the Judeo-Christian concept of God, could it not?

And what to make of his plan to kill Jacob, which had pretty much the exact instructions Dogen gave Sayid to kill the MIB? Was the MIB stealing Jacob's line or were Dogen's instructions possibly misguided?

In the end, I was pretty much swayed in Jacob's favor. He makes good sense, and he wears white and is blonde, and in our culture, that means he's probably the "good one." But how does he "bring" people to the Island? Is he God, quite unlike we imagined him? Is the Island the gate to Hell and he, the gatekeeper? Is Widmore the closest thing to a real chosen one, with his electro-charged gates that keep the smoke out?

THE BEST LINES

I'll finish by sharing some of the best lines, imbued with deeper meaning and possible hidden clues:

• "Verily, I say to unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." - Luke 4:24, where Richard's Bible lands open.
• "No one comes in unless I invite them in." - Jacob, talking about the statue. Seems like a lot of people have come in uninvited lately.
• "He believes it's in man's nature to sin. I bring people here to prove him wrong" and "I want them to know the difference between right and wrong. I have no desire to step in." - Jacob, right before he names Ricardo his "representative."
• "It wasn't your fault. It was my time. You've suffered enough. We are already together." - Isabella
• "You have to stop the Man in Black from leaving the Island. If you don't, we'll all go to hell." - Hurley

Lastly, what about Ilana? I get the impression she might be older than she looks, too, due to her intimate knowledge of the island. But what do I know?

LOST in Translation V.7

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOST IN LOST SPOILERS ON LOST DON'T READ IF YOU LIKE LOST TO STAY A SECRET!

Soooooo. This week was a killer, for a multitude of reasons that I will just breathlessly type here: night meetings all week, threat of layoffs, threat averted but sadness for those laid off, beer drinking with those laid off, celebrating birthdays, school board, dinner, Target.

The point is, I didn't recap LOST in a timely fashion, and for that, I apologize. Although with so many other people out there who do it so much better, I'm not sure you really need me around. But I like working out my LOST theories with ya'll.

This week's episode was a dud for me. I love Sawyer, and I was one of those people who was anxiously awaiting his Sideways world in hopes he'd be shacked up with Juliet somewhere.

Alas, no. He's a LAPD cop haunted by his parents murder/suicide and bent on hunting down the man who started the whole thing (who may or may not have a healthy relationship with Sideways Locke).

His partner is Miles, who sets him up on a date with Charlotte, who we find to be a bit nosy and quite unforgiving. What does that say about her?

This episode didn't really light my brain on fire, but here are some observations:

• Fake Locke tells Sawyer he's the smoke monster (c'mon Sawyer! how did you not know this?) and says he killed the Temple folks because it's "either kill or be killed." To which I wonder, what could kill him? Jacob? Jacob's ashes? Kryptonite?
• Sawyer's dialogue with Zoe on the Hydra island was hilariously similar to the recon mission Ben sent Ethan on when Oceanic went down. The difference? It seems like Sawyer's playing all sides by just telling everyone everything he knows. Interesting tactic.
• Who killed the people on the island? Was it definitely Widmore's folks?
• I loved when Locke explained to Kate that he gave Claire an enemy on purpose. Seemed like he had perspective on his own experience with Jacob.
• The MIB had a crazy mom? Crazy moms are quite the theme on this show...but he also seems to be playing Kate and Claire off each other. Not sure if Aaron is really his big priority.
• I loved the moment when Sawyer watched that clip from Little House on the Prairie, in which Pa explained people aren't really gone when they die. Another hint this is a reincarnation situation? Hmmmm.

So what do you think? Were there Big Truths Revealed and I just missed it? Did you think this episode was super lackluster? Are you peeing your pants in anticipation for next week's Richard-centric revelations episode?

LOST in Translation V.6

LOST SPOILERS LOST SPOILERS DON'T GET LOST ON LOST!!!!!

So LOST was really bopping us on the head with symbolism last night, huh?

But, to be fair, the show confirmed many suspicions and gave a few answers.

I should start by saying I LOVE Ben. I love Ben when he's evil and conniving and calculating and squinty. I'm not so in love with him when he's begging or desperate or crying, as he was last night, but I can give props where due for character development.

Let's start with some of last night's revelations:

1. The Island hasn't been underwater for very long.

In Sideways land, Ben's father (who seemed to be a very good father in this world) revealed he regretting leaving the Island. To which I say, "WHAT THE WHAT?" Apparently, the island has only been underwater for, minimum, 30 years and Roger might not even know it was underwater.

2. Richard DID come on the Black Rock.

Suspicions confirmed! When the Lockeness Monster told Richard it was good see him "out of those chains," it confirmed many's idea that he referred to the chains that held slaves on the 19th century ship. Intriguingly, the Black Rock was probably the ship cruising toward the island in the season finale last year, when we first met the Man in Black and Jacob.

Richard looks like he could be anything from Egyptian to Argentinian, but I'd like to imagine his ship was coming from Northern Africa. Tunisia has been a previous setting for off-Island action, from when Charlotte excavated a Dharma polar bear, and possibly when Locke landed back in the world.

3. Richard was touched by Jacob.

And doomed to live forever! So what's that about? It was an interesting allusion to the struggle people have to trust in God. Man has always struggled to find a purpose in life, and Richard was especially struggling with that when he said, "I devoted my life, longer than you can possibly imagine, in service of a man who told me everything that was happening happened for a reason."

BUT THEN Jacob (or coincidence...or something else) gave Richard reason to have faith, when the light on the dynamite fizzled before Richard and Jack could be blown to bits.

4. The candidates are indeed meant to protect the Island.

Ilana was almost laughably forthcoming when Sun pressed her for details about her potential "candidacy." Yes, there are candidates she has sworn to protect. Yes, they would be replacing Jacob as Protector of the Island. How many are there? Oh, six. Kinda like the Oceanic Six, perhaps? Who can say.

My question is: Why couldn't Jacob do it? Did he know the day would come that he could be killed by the MIB? By "Protect the Island" does he just mean he needs a prophet? Does the island need to be protected from Widmore, a man whose overwhelming desire for power got him booted off the island?

Now, let's move on to talk about Ben.

Like Locke and Jack before him, Ben's Sideways life showed a man with similar fatal flaws (need to feel needed, power-hungry, loneliness) who was able to find redemption by sacrificing his own power play to help a student.

But not any old student ... the girl who would be his daughter on the Island. I thought this was almost TOO much. I mean, he's already working with Arnzt and Locke. We had to throw Alex in the mix, too? Also...why would Rousseau be living in America? If she weren't on the island, wouldn't she be somewhere in France, baking croissants with her hubby?

But that's all beside the point. The point is, in that world he was able to do what he couldn't on the island: recognize what matters.

I thought the opening scene of Ben teaching the students about Napolean's exile to Elba (AN ISLAND) was a bit heavy handed, but I still enjoyed it. Especially when he said, "Exile wasn't his worst fate. What was truly devastating was his loss of power."

Other fun line: When Locke told Ben, "If the man in charge doesn't care about this place, maybe it's time for a change." Kinda like how the Man in Black decided it was time for a regime change? Oh the darkness that lies in the hearts of men...

What was most intriguing to me was that in the Island world, Ben also found redemption. And Jack seems to be more at peace, too. Could this be an intersection of worldviews?

What were your thoughts on this week's episode? How about the season so far? I know at least one of my friends isn't feeling this season; I think the Sideways storytelling seems either genius or disastrous, but I'm reserving judgment until the end.

LOST in Translation V.5

LOST SPOILERS LOST SPOILERS DON'T READ IF YOUR DVR IS FULL OF UNWATCHED LOST!

I had to watch this week's episode twice because I missed 2 CRUCIAL minutes while I was in the bathroom and was, for lack of a better word, lost. I took notes, and then left them in my office, so let's just wing it, shall we?

Theory 1: Sayid was never Jacob

How about that creepy grin that spread across Sayid's face after he murdered Dogen and Lennon? I thought that seemed like proof positive that Sayid was definitely NOT Jacob incarnate. But that wasn't the only reason.

In our previous knowledge of Sayid's lives, Sayid served as a torturer for the Iraqi Republican Guard before the crash. In the post-rescue 3 years, he became an assassin at the hands of Ben (and perhaps by extension, Jacob).

I thought it was intriguing that in the alternate reality (what I call Safe Landing Reality), Sayid still has his torturer past. But I thought it was even more telling that while Jack and Locke both seem to have more control over their feelings in Safe Landing Reality, Sayid somehow trips back down the path to murder. And his victim is none other than Keamy (who I find deliciously evil. I always root for the bad guys on this show!), another guy who was apparently born to be bad.

My point? What if redemption just wasn't an option for Sayid? What if, despite all his efforts to the contrary, he had the heart of a murderer? Could LOST be exploring the idea of predestination — i.e. some of the LOSTIES are capable of changing for the better and some are doomed from the start?

When Dogen explained to Sayid that he needed to stab the Lockeness Monster the moment he saw him, I wondered why he would trust Sayid with such a big task. Perhaps it was a fool's errand to get Sayid killed.

I think it was a way of proving Sayid's scale was indeed tipped toward darkness. Sean thinks I'm crazy, but I wondered if the stabbing move would have worked if Jack or Hurley (who Dogen first asked for) had been holding the knife. Perhaps it takes a heart that's more than 50 percent good to defeat the Man in Black.

What do Jacob and Donald Trump have in common?

The more I hear about whether people could be "candidates," the more I think Jacob was having his own personal "Apprentice"-style competition for the next Keeper of the Island. Perhaps he's testing all the candidates' mettle before making his real choice. Or maybe it's like an insurance policy; he knows someone's doing their duty on every corner of the island.

It seems like Dogen was playing that role in the Temple while Ben was simultaneously ruling the roost across the island. Dogen's story about his arrival at the island sounded a lot like Jacob's recruitment for the LOSTies. But how does Jacob find these people? And what causes them to get crossed off the list?

I also wonder about Ilana's role...is she a candidate or something beyond? She also has an unparalleled knowledge of the island and the Temple. I wonder if she, like Richard, is older than she looks. And remember when we first met her, in a hospital recovery ward? What put her there?

Faux Locke's Promise

So Locke convinced Claire, Sayid and possibly Sawyer that he could help them leave the island forever. And it seemed like a substantial amount of the Temple lackies decided to join up as well (tough choice, there: join or die!).

This just leaves me with a series of questions:

1. Why has the Man in Black been trapped?
2. Why couldn't he enter the temple until Claire had made her entrance?
3. How can he deliver on his promise?
4. If he just wants to leave, why does Jacob have his linen pants in a wad about protecting the island?
5. Did Kate join up? She seems to be following along. I felt like she heard something when the smoke monster flew over her that seemed to affect her. Maybe she's just curious to learn more, or to follow wherever Claire goes until she gets that mess cleaned up.

I'm sure I left out many, many interesting talking points. Please share your thoughts, ideas, etc.!

LOST in Translation V.4

LOST SPOILERS LOST SPOILERS DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HATE SPOILERS!!!!

Wowza. Last night's episode got so crazy, I pulled out my reporter's notebook and started scribbling such cryptic notes that by this morning, it looked like I was Jacob. There were so many crazy tidbits, but I think this episode really upped the ante with Sideways Jack.

Just like how last week showed us a Locke who could let things go and move on, this week's episode showed us a Jack who could think of someone other than himself FOR ONCE and recognize his demons and try to stop them. He was a father, a flawed father at that, and when he realized it, he was able to dig deep and forge a real connection with his son.

This will be all over the place, as it always is, and as always, I suggest you read Doc Jensen's much more cohesive and exhaustive recaps at Entertainment Weekly. But here are some thoughts:

* THE APPENDIX SCAR!!! Early in the episode, Jack raised his shirt and looked quizzically at the appendix scar as though it hadn't been there all his life. He asked mom where it came from and she said, "Don't you remember? You were 7..." And he had no recollection of the event. As we all know, his appendicitis kicked in on the island and he was patched up by Juliet. The fact he had no memory of the event but his mother did could have been completely innocent OR could suggest that somehow, in some way, Sideways Jack is reincarnated Island Jack and has somehow retained some elements of his previous existence. Yet somehow, his mother had a "don't you remember" answer for it; why?

*JACK'S A DAD: And his son's name is David! And he plays piano, just like Jack did. And we have no idea who his mom is, but boy didn't her house seem familiar? I thought it was Kate's post-Island house at first...am I wrong? By the way, King David (of the Bible) was a warrior, musician and poet who wrote the Book of Psalms. He was David as in David and Goliath.

* The Annotated Alice: Jack read the book to David as a child; other bloggers have noted he also read the book to baby Aaron when he and Kate were shacked up. The book is an exhaustive explanation of all the hidden symbols, wordplay and mathematical concepts in Lewis Carroll's books about Alice. We've had many, many references to "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" on LOST and I think it's pretty easy to take the book as a hint that this Jack is another incarnation of Jack.

It's also not hard to draw on the literal interpretation of "Through the Looking Glass" in the show. Island Jack looked into a mirror at the end of the episode and saw his own home reflected back and went batshit crazy.

* Jacob's message for Jack (as interpreted through Hurley): "You have what it takes." Jack's father always said quite the opposite, and as predicted, it got a rise out of Jack. This planted another seed in my mind that Island Christian is, in some way, Jacob. But then again, he could just as easily be the MIB. Ugh. Confusion.

* Claire as New Rousseau: So I think we're all agreed Claire is the New Rousseau. But to what degree? Rousseau was crazy, but she still could distinguish those who had the "sickness" from those who did not. I always figured she was crazy because a) she was tormented and her baby was stolen and b) she's French.

Claire, however, seems positively delusional crazy. Her interaction with Jin was sooooo similar to Rousseau's first encounter with Sayid, right down to the piles of explosives and shrine to missing baby. She talked about not being alone and introduced her friend, the MIB, who was all like, "Sup, it's me. Dun dun DUN." She also talked about being taken to the temple, branded (like Sayid was two weeks ago) and poked at.

There are so many things that don't add up about this.

1) Why does she not realize she left the camp and abandoned her baby? Is it because she is infected with "the sickness" which seems to be paranoia?

2) I don't frankly buy Claire becoming renegade Rousseau. Rousseau was always tough as nails, but Claire was always needing someone to help or rescue her.

I think she was enticed by the vision of Christian (as we know), who might have been an appearance of the Man in Black, and through his Smokey Magic, became completely confused about everything. Claire was always quick to grow angry and distrustful, and that seems to be exacerbated by the fact she's flat out CRAZY now.

One last note about Claire: She's in Christian's Sideways World will. What do we think about that?

* Hurley's Theories: How awesomely rewarding was it to hear Hurley say maybe Adam and Eve were the LOSTIES after some time travel gone bad? Is that a producer's wink at us or is he right?

* HOLY CRAP THE LIGHTHOUSE: So apparently there was this huge lighthouse right near the caves that no one discovered. OR as Hurley sagely said, "Guess we weren't looking for it." In other words, guess we weren't looking for answers about why we were here. We were looking for any way off this godforsaken place." Which can be further extrapolated to the questions all of us ask (or avoid) about "why we're here."

I thought it was fascinating they immediately cut to the conservatory, where Sideways Dogen told Jack, "It's hard to watch and be unable to help." Story of Jack's life, isn't it? But that's a gift fatherhood could give Jack: restraint.

Meanwhile, Jack went apeshit when he saw the dial/mirror combo that had the names of the LOSTIES, some crossed out, and at 23 degrees, his own name and his childhood home. He didn't like the idea Jacob had been watching, and totally ruined the whole thing. But Jacob seemed nonplussed when he told Hurley that, basically, some people can accept things on faith and some things need to learn lessons for themselves.

Again, story of Jack's life. Island Jack is again established as the Man of Science who needs proof. Strange since only a couple weeks ago, he seemed to be giving in to the mystical properties and unexplained elements of the island.

BIG FINISH

So what do we think all this means? I think this episode gave more support to my personal theory that the Sideways World is not just an alternative version of events, but events informed by the past memory of Island World. I think it's a form of reincarnation, perhaps not adhering to the Hindu ideas we're already familiar with. What do you guys think is going on?

LOST in Translation V.3

LOST SPOILERS LOST SPOILERS SPOILED LOST LOST SPOIL DISASTERS!!!!!

Remember that Locke from the first season? He was great....

Wow. It really took forever for me to recap this week's episode didn't it? Blame Evan Lysacek and Shaun White. It's their fault.

But it's also LOST's fault a little bit. I didn't really know what to say about this week's episode, except HOLY NUMBERS, BATMAN!

My by far favorite moment was the reveal of Jacob's crazy, scrawled cave list of surnames. Some were crossed out, but some were not and those names belonged to our remaining heroes. Some names were shown and some were not. What to make of that?

My first assumption is that the list is compiled of "candidates" for whatever office it is that Jacob wants to fill. I'm guessing that Jacob has been long-searching for a candidate to take over his job, but why? Did he anticipate death or does he just want a break?

One of the best theories I've seen is that Jacob has died many times before (but how?) and his ashes are the powder that repels the Smoke Monster.

The Sideways world showed Locke's paths crossing with more of the island's familiar faces — Rose and Ben — but also allowing himself to accept his fate of life in a chair. It was refreshing and nice to see him let himself be cared for by Helen.

MIB-Locke (who some genius on the Internets decided to call the Lockeness Monster) was quite frightening with Richard and quite debonaire with Sawyer. What to make of Richard? Could Richard be an angel of some sort? A disciple?

I liked Richard's Big Warning to Sawyer and Sawyer's relatively blase response. What to make of Sawyer?

I feel like I'm already pretty fuzzy on this episode, so I'm going to devote a few hours to reading Doc Jensen's recap.

What were your thoughts this week? What do you think is going on with Jacob's List and the possible origin of the "numbers"?

LOST in Translation V.2

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS TALKING LOST AND REVEALING SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!

Is it just me or was this week's episode a bit underwhelming after all of last week's whoppers? No matter, still plenty of mind candy in "What Kate Does."

Doc Jensen at Entertainment Weekly did an incredibly comprehensive job of recapping the season 2 episode, "What Kate Did," that walked us through her original crime — murdering her stepfather (or, as it turned out, birth father).

I hoped we'd catch a peek of that crime in the sideways storyline, but not so much. Instead we saw Kate's interaction and AGAIN, involvement with Claire during her pregnancy. Meanwhile, Sayid was back from the dead, or was he?

Here are some of my half-baked first reactions:

• Could the man inside Sayid not be Jacob, but be the Man in Black?
• Was the poisonous pill filled with the mysterious dark powder that repels the Smoke Monster?
• Can anyone remind me how so many of the former Ben followers ended up Dogan followers?
• Why is the Dharma Initiative/Others compound vacant now? If we're in present-day island land (present day being, what? 2007?), where should they be? My timelines are all confused.
• Where was Dogan/Lennon all this time? I seem to remember Richard being the main man for this group of Others, unless this is a group we've never encountered before that somehow absorbed Cindy and some other Others. Phew, confusing much?
• Why was Ethan Goodspeed working at an L.A. hospital? This opens up another level of intrigue for the sideways world. Is this a world in which the Island/Dharma/Others don't exist or are beyond ancient history? Is Ethan, in this world, a lifelong resident of the City of Angels?
• Did you see a flicker of recognition on Kate's face when Claire said her baby's name was Aaron? Kind of reminded me of that flicker on Jack's face when he saw Desmond.
• Unresolved question from last week: Michael and Walt were also MIA on the LA X flight. What gives?!

Here's my new crackpot theory that I'm still kind of working out in my head: what if the sideways world is not an alternative version of events or even a simultaneous other life happening at the same time as the island world? What if ... wait for it ... this is reincarnation. What if they have been reincarnated, back into their own bodies, given another chance and we're to see how their choices move them.

Kate is already back walking her path of one foot on the righteous, Ima-save-you side and one foot on the wild side. Could it be she will get another chance to finally make that choice? Marshall Mars still has a shot to bring her in ...will she admit she was, in fact, not innocent? Did she even commit the same crime in this version of events?

Shew. I'm going to go read Doc's entry now and I'm sure all my theories will be blown out of the water and my brain will hurt double time. But I wanted to share my initial reactions, unfiltered and pure! At some point soon, I'd like to share some of my more general LOST observances, not tied to any specific episode.

LOST in Translation V.1

My friends, is there anything better than watercooler television? I love that conversation the day after shocking television and I live for discussions of LOST. My coworkers at my last job and I would talk about all our crazy theories for the entire 8 hours of work the day after a new episode aired.

Now, I'm hoping to bring that conversation to a new forum, here on my blog. I understand my blog is not supposed to be about LOST. I also understand that other people have far more sophisticated blogs/Web sites that track all things LOST. But this is my blog, dammit, and I would love to converse with you guys about your LOST theories.

So for this year only, we're going to celebrate the brain attack that is LOST. Please share your theories in the comments and keep it nice; no berating other commenters! And if you want to read the best LOST blog in the history of the universe, make sure to stop by Doc Jensen's blog for Entertainment Weekly. He does the most amazing job of breaking down the hidden clues and sharing his theories, based on his encyclopedic memory. If you don't have an encyclopedic memory, Lostpedia is your friend. And without further ado ....

LOST SPOILERS!!! LOST SPOILERS!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU VALUE YOUR LOST EXPERIENCE!!!!

So, let's recap. We saw two possibilities: life if the plane hadn't crashed and life on the island if the bomb didn't work (or if it did, as Juliet says). Right off the bat, this raises a question.

1. Did we see an alternate reality or two realities, happening at the same time and we pick which one is real?

My theory: Not sure about this one. I have a feeling this is alternate simultaneous realities, kinda like the plot of the newest Star Trek movie. I've always felt that, for whatever reason, the island forces the Losties to face their demons (sometimes literally). That theory seemed to be proven when the safe landing reality started to lead our Losties down their original, not-so-great paths. Charlie overdosed and got arrested. John had the walkabout experience, but still can't walk. Jack's dad is STILL missing.

In the safe landing reality, people with the potential to change each other's lives are also introduced. Jack offers to try to repair Locke's spinal cord. Kate jumps in a cab with Claire (whose baby she once stole/raised).

It seems to me that if it continues, the safe landing reality could be course-correcting. Does that term sound familiar? That's because Desmond learned in season 3 that the future can be predicted and delayed, but not changed. This is a fancy sci-fi version of what most of us call "meant to be."

Speaking of Desmond, that leads me to my second question:

2. Where did Desmond go?

One minute Desmond was on the plane, sitting next to Jack. Jack goes to save Charlie and when he returns, Desmond is gone and Rose didn't notice where he went. We don't see him exit the plane or in the airport. What was he doing on the plane in the first place? THOUGHTS? I have no ideas.

3. Who the hell are those indigenous people?

I have a pretty hard time keeping track of the groups of people on the island. We've got the crash survivors (Beach people, Tail people), the Dharma group, the followers of Ben who came after Dharma, the Others (seemingly a mishmash of Dharma survivors, kidnapped plane crash survivors and maybe indigenous people), and who knows who else.

Jack and company were sent by Jacob (via Hurley who SEES DEAD PEOPLE) to the Smoke Monster lair to save Sayid. They ended up at a temple where I thought I spied jughead, the bomb, which means we might be back in the camp where Ellie and Widmore were ruling the roost.

I'm not sure I can handle more characters, but I do love the fella who was translating (he was great in "Me and You and Everyone We Know"). What do we think is in the restorative water? Why is the hourglass necessary?

I have a LOT more I could babble about, but I was saving the best, most intriguing for last: Jacob vs. His Enemy (who I call the Man in Black).

The appearance of Jacob and the Man in Black in last year's finale might have been one of the most intriguing LOST moments ever for me. I believe Jacob and the Man in Black signify Good vs. Evil, much in the way Christians interpret God vs. Satan.

As you may recall, in the finale the Man in Black asked Jacob why he constantly brings people to the island just to see them fight and kill. Jacob says any move is progress, which I think could be the argument for why God allows wars to occur.

For any of you behind on your Old Testament (don't feel bad, I had to google lots of this), here's some Biblical background for some names that might have inspired LOST characters:

• Jacob: Isaac's second-born son, twin brother of Esau. At the urging of his mother, tricked Esau into receiving his birthright blessing; Esau vowed to kill Jacob. Saw the ladder to Heaven and heard the voice of God. Wrestled an angel.
• Rachel: Jacob's long-barren wife. Died in childbirth with Benjamin. (Juliet's long-barren sister was named Rachel; Ben's mother died in childbirth and Ben fancied himself Jacob's favored one.)
• Ben: Jacob's son.

So, let's say the LOST tale somewhat parallels the Biblical one. I like the idea that Jacob and the Man in Black are brothers in some way (like Jacob and Esau) and that somehow Jacob received a birthright from some higher being, thus creating a centuries-old rivalry.

I have long held the theory that the smoke monster had the ability to manifest in the form of people's demons and as soon as the Man in Black appeared last year, I told Sean I thought he was the smoke monster. I was SO HAPPY to see that turned out to be true.

This leads to several questions:

4. Why couldn't the Man in Black kill Jacob himself?

If the smoke monster/Man in Black can manifest into other forms, why couldn't he devise a scheme to kill Jacob earlier? And is Jacob dead at all? I've already seen some theories that Jacob is now reincarnated in Sayid; that hadn't occurred to me, as I thought he was using Hurley simply to warn the Others about the smoke monster. Sometimes I miss some pretty obvious clues, which is why I like talking about it to all of ya'll.

5. Where is home?

The Man in Black said he wants to go home. Where is home? What's keeping him from there?

6. What power does the black powder have against the smoke monster?

The Others and that one dude sprinkled powder in a circle to keep the monster out. Does the powder serve the same purpose the Dharma electric fence served? How does it work?

7. Who, once and for all, is Richard Alpert?

I thought maybe he has the ability to travel through time (like Desmond) but has better control of it. Now, I'm not so sure. He seems to go back as long as Jacob and the Man in Black.

Okay, that's it for my crazy theories. Have it out in the comments!