"Through the Looking Glass" (Season 3, Episode 22)

After starting the week with some underwhelming season finales (24 - ugh, Heroes - eh), I was thrilled with the Season 3 finale of "Lost". It was the most jam-packed two hours of action, excitement, emotion, and anticipation. A fitting end to an incredible year. And if the final scene is any indication of what next year has in store for us (flash-forwards instead of flashbacks for all the characters?), I can't wait. The show that re-invented the one-hour drama has re-invented itself.

Best Lines

• "I am a dentist. I am not Rambo." At Rose's request, Bernard keeping things in perspective.
• "It's Charlie. Tell him I said hi!" An upbeat captive Charlie shouting to Bonnie on the phone with Ben.
• "If you say 'Live together, die alone' to me, I'm gonna punch you in your face." Rose to Jack in anticipation of him repeating his oft-spoken mantra.

Did You Notice?

• So whose death in the future upset Jack so much? What do we know? It was never revealed whether it was a man or a woman. Jack considered himself neither a friend or family to the deceased. Kate was surprised Jack thought she would go to the funeral. My initial thought was that it was Ben and that Jack felt he was his last, best hope of getting him back to the island. Or perhaps it was Juliet? Or could it have been Locke? Only time will tell.
• Yet another car accident to add to the list.
• Jack's ex-wife Sarah was pregnant.
• Ben told Richard to take his people to "the temple".
• Dr. Hamill, the new chief of surgery, referred to Jack as "a hero twice over." Our first hint that this may be Jack after the island.
• I was quite surprised at Juliet kissing Jack.
• What was up with all of Ben's talk about everything he did, he "did for the island"? And that the island was "under assault by forces stronger than it's had to deal with in many, many years"?
• I loved Sawyer and Juliet's conversation of alien runways and who's screwing Jack.
• Ben's map had an area marked "Pascal Flats". Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher.
• What a surprise to see Walt (or at least an incarnation of him).
• So Jack loves Kate. And still does even after the rescue.
• Another subtle hint as to the scene's final twist can be found in the name of the funeral home that Jack visits. Hoffs/Drawlar is an anagram for "flash forward".
• According to Ben, Naomi is not who she claims and works for the bad guys. And Penny doesn't know who they are either. Yet, it would seem they do end up rescuing the survivors. Unless next season holds some surprises as to what eventually happens between the rescue and their return to the real world.
• It was great to see Hurley drive to the rescue. And in Ben's dad's VW bus no less!
• Penelope's appearances (when not in flashback) seem to be limited to brief moments in the season finales.
• Is there any significance to the fact that a musician programmed the code for the jamming equipment?
• I loved the moment when Rousseau finally met her daughter Alex. I also loved when she elbowed Ben in the face.
• Rousseau's message translates from French as "It is outside and Brennan took the keys. Please help us. I will try to go to the Black Rock. It killed them. It killed them all. They died. They are all dead. Help us."
• What did Locke mean when he told Jack "You're not supposed to do this"? Did he have some vision of the future where Jack reacted differently?
• So who is the "he" in future Kate's life? Could it be Sawyer?

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 15 16 23 42 (108)

• Future Kate's phone number was 310-555-0148.
• The survivors expected 3 explosions but there were only 2.
• Jack was driving around at 2 in the morning.
• Only 3 people (Ben, Bonnie, and Greta) knew the jamming equipment code.
• The Others caught 3 of the survivors (Sayid, Jin, and Bernard).
• The mother from the car accident had surgery scheduled for 6 a.m.
• The accident victim's son was 8 years old.
• The accident was covered by Action 8 News on the hospital television.
• The accident occurred on the 6th Street Bridge.
• Ben wanted 5 minutes of Jack's time.
• Kate saw only 2 sets of tracks (Ben's and Alex's).
• The jamming equipment code was 545877554376113.
• After the attack on the beach, the Others were left with 3 guys and 4 guns.
• Dr. Hamill left 3 messages on Jack's voice mail.
• When Dr. Hamill was talking with Jack, the accident victim had woke up 2 hours ago in recovery.
• Rousseau had recorded the S.O.S. message 3 days before Alex was born.

Death Toll

• Seven Others (including Diane and Ivan) in the beach attack
• Greta, one of the lovely ladies of Looking Glass station
• Bonnie, the other lovely lady of Looking Glass station
• Sayid, Jin, and Bern- oh, wait, they're still alive!
• Ryan the Other thanks to Hurley's driving
• The unnamed Other whose neck Sayid broke with his legs of death.
• Tom aka Mr. Friendly who paid for his first season kidnapping of Walt
• Naomi stabbed in the back - literally - by Locke
• Charlie - famous then failed musician, recovering drug addict, a hero in the end

And now begins the long, numbers-free, colors-less, nine-month wait. See you back here in February 2008 (or maybe before as information on the new season becomes available). Until then, have a good summer, a nice autumn, a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a good Ground Hog's Day. Namaste!

"Greatest Hits" (Season 3, Episode 21)

Well, Season 3 is almost over. As unsteady as the first six episodes seemed, "Lost" has redeemed itself again and again through the remaining two-thirds of shows. In my opinion, this may have been the best season yet with one exceptional episode after another.

Best Line - "They know, Karl, but thanks." A sarcastic Juliet to Karl after he tries to expose her.

Did You Notice?

• Is there some significance to the fact that the slave ship where the dynamite was found is "The Black Rock" and the tents are being marked with white rocks? If you remember back to Season 1, when the survivors find the cave with the male and female skeletons in it, there is also a sack with black and white rocks. And Claire's nightmare from that year featured Locke with one black eye and one white eye. Hmm.
• We finally learn of the existence of the long-rumored underwater location: the Looking Glass station. The Dharma logo features a white rabbit as seen on Sayid's blueprints (where did he gets these?) and atop the station itself. Appropriate since the name is a reference to Lewis Carroll's stories "Alice in Wonderland" and "Alice through the Looking Glass".
• It was nice to see Rose and Bernard finally. I hope they both survive the coming attack. Was it me or did Rose have something else in mind when she said to Bernard "Let's get you into somethin' dark" before going into battle?
• Was Alex butchering Ben's pet bunny? And did this have something to do with the fact that she is questioning whether Ben is really her father?
• Ironic that Liam thought Charlie would be the one married with a family and he would be dead by thirty when in fact it may end up being the other way around.
• You might think the flashback of Charlie singing Oasis' "Wonderwall" ("You're gonna be the one to save me") was the same moment from a few shows ago when Desmond ran into him. However, Charlie had a different shirt on and there was no hand-written sign. Alternate time line?
• Did you recognize the mugging victim that Charlie saved? It was Nadia, Sayid's lost love, last seen getting a house inspection from Locke. Was it important that she be the one to tell Charlie he was a hero?
• Who are the two women at the Looking Glass station? More of the locals? Dharma Initiative initiates? And does Ben really believe the station is flooded or was this just another one of his lies?

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 15 16 23 42 (108)

• Charlie claims he can hold his breath for 4 minutes.
• Ben returns to his camp 6 hours earlier from the episode's current time.
• Juliet marks 3 tents.
• Liam asks Charlie if the girls in his bed are the "birds from row 2".
• Charlie was 8 years old the last time he was in a fight.
• Nadia said 3 people walked by the alley and did nothing as she was being mugged.
• There were 3 shooters needed in anticipation of the ambush.
• Charlie listed his 5 best moments.

Red & Blue & Green

• Shirts worn by Hurley and Charlie (in his Covent Garden flashback).
• Shirts worn by Jack, Desmond, Claire, Sun, and Richard Albert.
• Van used by Drive Shaft.
• Shirts worn by Sawyer, Bernard, and Ben.
• Swim trunks worn by young Charlie.
• Bottle of liquor that Charlie picks up in his hotel room.

Previews - This is it. "Through the Looking Glass" is the two-hour finale and it looks explosive - literally. But the trap against the Others must not go smoothly as one scene showed Bernard, Sayid, and Jin bound and at gunpoint. Also, Charlie's new friends in the underwater station have him tied up and Desmond trying to rescue him. There's also the declaration that this is the finale where "Everything Will Change!" Then when it does, we'll have nine months to contemplate it.

"The Man Behind the Curtain" (Season 3, Episode 20)

Oh. My. God. After 65 episodes, this show can still knock my socks off. Forget The Numbers (3 teams to extract Sun, 4 o'clock on Ben's watch) and The Colors (red convertible, blue bow on Ben's birthday present), this blog entry is all about Jacob. If you blinked, you missed his moment of visibility. If you did see him, then you saw what appeared to be a shaggy-haired, bearded . . . Locke! Don't believe me? Go back to your DVR and freeze frame the instant after Ben is thrown against the cabin wall. I think we are definitely dealing with parallel universe/space-time continuum/Back to the Future territory here. If Jacob is Locke, perhaps this is why John could not see him(self). Is this why the Others are so in awe of Locke? Is this why Ben told him that "Jacob feels the same way about technology as you do"? Locke was the first to look the smoke monster in the "face" and survive. He's always been in tune with the island's rhythms from when it's going to rain to sensing its significance. I predict the final scene of the finale will be a close-up of Jacob and we will clearly see it is a version of Locke. That would have me tuning back in nine months when Season 4 starts in February 2008.

Best Line - "So when do we leave?" Locke to Ben after pummeling Mikhail.

Did You Notice?

• This was a great opening. A heavily wooded area. A woman in jeopardy as she gives birth. Someone running while ominous music plays. How could this be anywhere but the island? Not even close.
• Ben was born outside of Portland, the same city where Juliet thought she was being taken when recruited by Dr. Richard Albert.
• Ben serves the same whiskey as Penny's father and Locke's dad.
• The casting of young Ben was spot on.
• "Namaste" is a conventional Hindu greeting and how Dr. Marvin Candle (who makes yet another appearance again using only his right hand) ended the orientation film that Locke and Jack watched in the hatch.
• What kind of a name is Horace Goodspeed?
• Annie offered Ben an Apollo candy bar.
• Well now we know the origin of Roger "Work Man" and the cause of his death.
• Ben's dad makes Alec Baldwin look like Father of the Year.
• Did Alex think Locke would need the gun against Jacob or her "father"?
• Ben's infatuation with bunnies goes back to his childhood. At least this time, he wasn't shaking the heck out of it as he did in front of Sawyer.
• Just who are these natives/hostiles/original inhabitants of the island?
• The appearance of Ben's dead mother is not unlike Jack's dad showing up after he died.
• Young Ben and Annie were on the same swing set that Sayid was handcuffed to when he was captured.
• The whispering voices were heard when young Ben saw the vision of his mother, then again when he was in the jungle after turning off the sonic fence.
• What was the material that encircled Jacob's cabin that Locke examined? Was it ash from the island's volcano? Residue from the smoke monster? Something to keep Jacob from leaving the cabin?
• Was that the same Richard Albert who found young Ben in the jungle as is currently on the island? If so, he hasn't aged much. Is this why Ben asked him "You do remember birthdays"? Are the island natives not human? Possibly a race whose life span is much longer than ours? Was this why Richard told young Ben to be patient? Could they possibly only have four toes on each foot like the statue from the Season 2 finale?
• Ben appeared to hear and speak with Jacob, but why was the whisper "Help me" not heard by him but by Locke?
• I wonder what happened to Ben's childhood friend Annie? Was she one of the bodies?
• Will Locke's gunshot wound heal like the bite from his dad? Or is one of the five predicted casualties due by the season finale?

Previews - "Greatest Hits" is the penultimate episode of the season. Will Charlie die? Too predictable. I'm guessing either Sawyer, who has come to terms with his real Sawyer issue, or Desmond, who will no longer be able to warn Charlie of when he will die. Then, in two weeks, it's the rumble in the jungle with the two-hour finale, "Through the Looking Glass". It airs an hour earlier at 9:00 p.m. EST. It will be preceded at 8:00 p.m. by "Lost: The Answers", a recap show.

The End is Near?

It's official. As reported in USA Today and other entertainment news outlets, ABC announced today that "Lost" will end in 2010. The show will air three more seasons, shortened to 16 episodes each, running rerun-free between February and May of each year.

"The Brig" (Season 3, Episode 19)

Locke's dad is the real Sawyer. One more mystery solved. That with Jack and Claire being half-siblings makes a total of, what, two answers we've been given? As good as these episodes have been, they can keep me guessing.

Best Line - "Okay, Tarzan, so now that you're back from your 'blow up everything that could get us off the island' tour, how 'bout you tell me why you joined up with the damn enemy." Sawyer when Locke appears out of the jungle.

Did You Notice?

• Cindy the Oceanic flight attendant was talking to Locke at the Others camp.
• The parachutist's name is Naomi Dorrit.
• How accurate could cameras on little robots be when it came to identifying the passengers of a plane crash in a miles deep trench?
• Locke's dad referred to Ben as "Bug-Eye", the same nickname Sawyer used about him in an earlier episode this season.
• So is the sacrificial pillar that Locke's dad was tied to from the same civilization that built the four-toed statue in last season's finale? Ben did tell Locke that they were going to "an old place".
• Why does Rousseau need dynamite? What is the crazy French scientist up to now?
• Locke's bite wound from his dad healed very quickly. The island at work.
• Locke's dad was rear-ended in his car. Yet another car accident-related incident. Also, it took place in Tallahassee, where Sawyer was in prison.
• I have a feeling that the paramedic that smiled at Locke's dad may have been Ethan (a pro at creepy smiles) and that maybe we'll see this in an upcoming episode.
• Locke's dad thinks they're in Hell. Much like Hurley's episode where he questioned his sanity because of his imaginary friend Dave, I think this is the producers way of letting the viewers know this is not the case.
• Sawyer strangling Locke's dad with the chain was very similar to what Princess Leia did to Jabba the Hutt in "Return of the Jedi". Both events took place on a boat: a slave ship and Jabba's sail barge.
• What do Jack and Juliet know that he doesn't want to tell Kate yet? Are they planning a way to get everyone off the island but don't want to reveal it too soon?

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 15 16 23 42 (108)

• Locke's flashbacks were subtitled 8 days ago, 3 days ago, and 2 days ago.
• Kate said her tent was 5 tents away from Sawyer's.
• Desmond reminded Charlie that Juliet had his friends in cages 2 weeks ago.
• Oceanic Flight 815 was found in a 4 miles deep trench.
• Naomi said it was 3 days ago when they saw land.
• Sawyer gave Locke 3 seconds to open the door to the brig.
• Locke warned Sawyer that the Others were planning a raid on the beach in 3 days.

Red, Blue, and Green

• Folder which contained the dossier on James Ford/Sawyer.
• Shirt worn by Jack. He wore red last week.
• Washcloth used by Desmond on Naomi.
• Shirt worn by Dr. Richard Albert.
• Fruits Charlie put together for Naomi.

Crazy Theory of the Moment - The Others have travelled from the future to repopulate a decimated Earth. This is why they need women who can have babies. Naomi is also from the future based on her hi-tech phone that Sayid hadn't seen before. There is also the question of the type of vehicle she was in. Not a helicopter, but a flying car? Naomi was hired not by Penelope Widmore but the grown daughter of Penelope and Desmond. This is who we saw in the Season 2 finale. The picture next to her bed was of her parents. And since Desmond and Penny never married, she is called Ms. Widmore and it was her dying mother's wish for her daughter to find Desmond, her father. Due to a tear in the space-time continuum, one version of Flight 815 crashed, killing everyone, and another version ended up on the island.

Previews - Next week's "The Man Behind the Curtain" (nice Wizard of Oz reference) gives us insight into Ben's life from his birth to current day. Ben is also expected to reveal Jacob to Locke. (Wild thought: Could Jacob be a computer?) We saw glimpses of a "Namaste! Dharma Initiative" sign, a ghostly woman, a reference to Roger the Workman (the VW minivan skeleton whose true identity may surprise you), a trio of VW minivans, and a long haired Richard Albert (eye liner guy). Then, in two weeks, "Greatest Hits" promises a resolution to the will-Charlie-die storyline and a return of two long-absent favorites: Rose and Bernard. And, finally, in three weeks, the two-hour finale featuring a Jack flashback and a showdown between the survivors and the Others. This is it, folks!