Update

Since some of my co-workers have asked, I thought I would give everyone still checking in an update. Although I do have the Blu-ray box set of the series, I have not yet sat down and watched any of it. I think a part of me knows that once I do, Lost will truly be over. But trust me, I will be doing one final post once I have re-watched the epilogue, listened to the commentaries, and viewed all the extras. And then I will move on.

Season 6 and Complete Series on Sale Tomorrow

Season 6 as well as the Complete Series box set on DVD or Blu-ray goes on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, August 24. I pre-ordered the complete series on Blu-ray from Amazon and it has already shipped. Once I've had a chance to listen to the audio commentaries and re-watch the epilogue, I will be posting my final blog entry.

Lost Auction Results

(Before you ask, none of the winning bids were from me. I was content to simply purchase the over 300 page full color catalog that detailed what was up for auction.)

The two day event sold off all of the show's famed props, for a total of over $1.8 million. This exceeded early expectations.

The Lost auction ensured that the show's greatest materials would live on in the public domain. The biggest item of the weekend was the famed DHARMA van. At the Lost auction, a fan had to pay $47,500 to get the new island leader's old wheels. Other items went for slightly more modest prices.

The other Lost auction items that went for over $20,000 were Daniel Faraday's journal, the Lighthouse wheel, a DHARMA Jeep, and the Frozen Donkey Wheel. The journal that declares Desmond as Daniel's constant went for $27,500, as did Jacob's Lighthouse wheel - complete with the candidate spying mirrors that Jack broke. The Frozen Donkey Wheel and its time travel powers were bought for $25,000, while the DHARMA jeep got $20,000.

Several other items worth over $10,000 were bought in the Lost auction. Season 6 production art was sold for $16,000, and $10,000 was paid for the bloody shirt Jack wore in the final island moments. The Swan Station computer and hatch door got $16,000 each, while the pilot script yielded $15,000. Yet the script for the finale only got a $7,500 bid.

"Lost" Offical Show Auction

If you hadn't heard, this weekend, August 21 and 22, in California, there will be an auction of costumes and props from all six seasons of Lost. In this afternoon's mail, I received the over 300-page, full color catalog of items being auctioned. You can bid on everything from Oceanic 815 seats ($800 for a set of three) to Claire's squirrel baby ($500) to the donkey wheel itself ($800). All the details can be found at http://www.profilesinhistory.com/

New Epilogue from DVD

UPDATE: Apparently, Disney (who owns ABC) asked the site to remove the full epilogue and replace it with a 2-minute teaser clip.

If you can't wait for the DVD release due later this month and want to see the much anticipated new epilogue, then check it out here in its 11 minute and 30 second entirety. Prepare for some answers, surprises, and a familiar face or two:

http://jezebel.com/5606489/

Thanks to my co-worker Geoff for sending me the link.

Once I've had a chance to view it a couple of times, I'll post my take on it complete with "Did You Notice" moments.

Snapshots from Hawaii

No, I didn't spend my summer vacation on Oahu, but my co-workers Katherine and Brian had their honeymoon there and they were kind enough to let me post these pix from various locales where Lost was filmed.

First Look at New Scene

From Entertainment Weekly's website ew.com: The season 6 DVD, out Aug. 24, offers an original, 12-minute vignette called ''The New Man in Charge,'' a tantalizing look at what Hurley (Jorge Garcia) and Ben (Michael Emerson, left) do as the new Island overseers. ''Ben is going around to Dharma installations and closing some down,'' Emerson says. ''There are some good surprises.'' And yes, ''it does answer questions.''

Still Checking In?

If you are, then I have some news on the upcoming DVD. According to eonline.com: The unseen story of Hurley and Ben will be called "The New Man in Charge". The DVD extra will run exactly 11 minutes, 40 seconds long...just enough time to find out what went down between Jacob's reign and the end of our beloved Lost. Also, we'll get the scene on both the Season Six DVD and also the complete compilation (contrary to what was originally reported).

And if you're one of those viewers who was not satisfied with the finale, then maybe this animated short from the site "How It Should Have Ended" will cheer you up:

Details on the Lost Complete Collection DVD & Blu-Ray

Lost: The Complete Collection is an upcoming box set that will contain all 121 episodes of Lost. It will also contain over two hours of bonus footage exclusive to the complete collection. There will be 38 discs in the DVD set and 36 for Blu-ray. It is expected to be released, along with the Season 6 DVD, on August 24, 2010, in the US.

An epic box set for the ultimate Lost fan, Lost: The Complete Collection is a fantastic icon-clad, secret-laden, Blu-ray and DVD box set containing every episode, from all six seasons. Additionally, the elaborate release includes over 30 hours of bonus material (from every season), plus one full disc of bonus exclusive to the collection, containing a fascinating array of all-new behind-the-scenes featurettes; documentaries; and a series of unique tours of Oahu with many of the cast as they reflect anecdotes, experiences and emotions of working on the series and living on the island; and more.

The Complete Collection will contain all previous and new bonus material from Seasons 1-6, plus an exclusive disc containing two hours of bonus features. The exclusive content includes:

• A unique series of featurettes that takes viewers on very personal tours of Oahu where the series was created, with key cast and crew as they reflect.
• Exploring the global phenomenon that is Lost, bonus showcases events ranging from the series cast and crew at San Diego's famed Comic-Con convention to international voice recordings, local events and even fan parties, all of which helped make the show into a worldwide favorite.
• A closer look at some of the props with cast, writers and producers, exploring their significance, stories and emotional ties to the characters.
• Humorous yet emotional look at every character who died on the series.
• 16 hilarious Lost "Slapdowns" featurettes showcasing celebrity Lost fans who confront Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse to ask press questions about the final season, including the Muppets and cast members Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert), Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus), Rebecca Mader (Charlotte Lewis), and more.
• As previously reported, there will be at least one epilogue exclusive to the complete collection. It will be 12 to 14 minutes long and deal with Ben and Hurley's time protecting the Island.

Some of the extras included are:

• Egyptian style box with custom Lost island replica
• Dharma black penlight
• Special Edition collectible Senet game as seen in Season Six's "Across the Sea"
• Collectible Ankh
• Commemorative picture and exclusive episode guide

Lost Finale Re-Airing on Saturday

Just a reminder that the Lost finale, "The End", will be shown again on Saturday, May 29, from 8:00 p.m. to 10:05 p.m. ET with limited commercial interruptions. Following it will be Jimmy Kimmel's Aloha to Lost special.

More Lost News

Lost may be off the air, but the story isn't over yet.

Michael Emerson who played Ben tells G4's Attack of the Show that a special feature on the DVD collection for the entire series will show an epilogue of what happened to Ben and Hurley once they took over island-protector duties from Jack.

"For those people that want to pony up and buy the complete Lost series, there is a bonus feature, which is... you could call it an epilogue," Emerson said. "A lost scene. It's a lot. It's 12 or 14 minutes that opens a window onto that gap of unknown time between Hurley becoming number one and the end of the series. It's self-contained, although it's a rich period in the show's mythology that's never been explored, so who knows what will come of it."

Lost: The Complete Collection hits stores on August 24.

The Official Word on the Wreckage Shown During the Closing Credits

Here I am blogging for the fourth time in as many days. I thought once the finale aired my blog postings would decrease! Who am I kidding? I'll talk about Lost as long as people are still listening.

Apparently, a great number of viewers were perplexed by the closing credits and the scenes of airplane wreckage, which prompted this official response from an ABC rep:

"The images shown during the end credits of the Lost finale, which included shots of Oceanic 815 on a deserted beach, were not part of the episode but were a visual aid to allow the viewer to decompress before heading into the news." The statement was first acquired by the Los Angeles Times. The images were added by the network, not producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, to soften the transition to the news.

When I read this, I was wracking my brain to remember why we hadn't seen the wreckage of Oceanic 815 since Season 1. Then I found this on-line:

About three weeks after the crash, a sudden change in the tide prompted the survivors to move their camp further down the beach. Subsequently, the middle section fuselage wreckage had never been seen since outside flashbacks and then the images during the finale's closing credits.

Note:The real-life behind-the-scenes reason for this was that actual seasonal tides on the North shore of Oahu would have eventually flooded the shooting site for real, thereby submerging the fuselage set and causing an ecological disaster. Therefore, an in-story reason had to be found for the survivors moving their camp to a different location.

I hope this settles the issue. Until tomorrow?

More on "The End" and the Re-Airing of the Finale

First, the re-airing of the finale. For those of us in the Cleveland area who experienced the technical difficulties, ABC is allowing WEWS-TV to re-air the finale of the Lost finale prior to the network's replay of the show on Saturday. The finale will air in its entirety at 1:06 a.m. Thursday morning immediately following the Jimmy Kimmel show (Set those DVRs!). The network replay will still air Saturday with limited commercial interruption, followed by the Jimmy Kimmel Lost special that aired after the finale Sunday.

Secondly, following are more thoughts and info on the finale. If you haven't read my initial post from Monday, you may want to read that first.

• I forgot about what may have been my favorite moment of the Jimmy Kimmel special: Josh Holloway (Sawyer) checking in via satellite from Canada where he was supposedly on location filming "Snakes on a Plane 2: Electric Boogaloo".
• The best line not from the finale occurred on Regis and Kelly the next morning when Regis wondered if "The Lost" had ended yet and happy that his prediction "the real villain is the dinosaur" was accurate.
  
• The name embroidered on the jumpsuit of the Oceanic Airlines employee who unloaded Christian's casket was Bocklin. Arnold Bocklin was a Swiss symbolist painter. His pictures portray mythological, fantastical figures along classical architecture constructions (revealing often an obsession with death) creating a strange, fantasy world. Bocklin is best known for his five versions of Isle of the Dead. Appropriate name.
• A number of people asked for my thoughts on the wreckage shown during the closing credits. Some thought this was the Ajira flight indicating it didn't make if off the island while others felt the lack of people among the debris meant everyone had died in the initial crash of Oceanic 815. I don't think it was Ajira because Jack's smile at seeing it fly overhead meant he was successful. I also don't believe it was 815 because Christian told Jack that everything that happened was real. I felt it was more symbolic of what was left behind. That and there were no previews to show for next week!
• What happened to Walt is supposed to be addressed in the DVD. Also expected to be included is 20 minutes of answers to questions left unresolved by the finale.
• The actor who portrayed Mr. Eko was asked to make an appearance but apparently he wanted five times the salary he was offered and the producers declined.
• According to the "Across the Sea" script, the baby that became the Man in Black was named Samuel by his adopted mother. The name is Hebrew in origin meaning either "name of God" or "God has heard".
• Now on to the big one - the Sideways world. I believe everything we saw of the Sideways world from the first episode this season when we saw Oceanic 815 survive the turbulence to the final scene at the church occurred at different times in the minds of all the characters but at the moment of each one's death - whether it was before Jack died or long after. As Christian told Jack: There is no now here. However, as viewers, we saw it as a linear time frame with everyone having their moment of enlightenment in one convenient storyline. Whenever one of them died, this was the life each character wished they had lived. It was only upon realizing that the life they had led was worthy and no regrets should be had, did they move on. For the purpose of the show, the death that was focused on was Jack's. The vision of the island underwater is what he wished for so none of the island events would have happened. His son, David, allowed him to be a better father than his own was to him. Restoring the use of Locke's legs resolved his guilt at not believing Locke that they should never have left the island and had to go back. But none of this was real. Much like the movie "Jacob's Ladder", all of this occurred - appropriately enough - in the blink of an eye. The same way Juliet asked Sawyer to have coffee as she died. She was experiencing her life as the ex-Mrs. Jack, working at the hospital, and encountering James.

I'm sure they'll be more thoughts to come as I ponder the finale and re-watch it for a third time, but in HD at last!

"The End" (Season 6, Episodes 17 & 18) - Series Finale

With the series coming to a close, I anticipated having an emotional response but I didn't think it would be frustration. And I wasn't frustrated with the content but the fact that my HD channel was having technical issues throughout the 2 1/2 hour finale! I've read this morning on the local TV station's website that equipment problems caused the signal to break up. I'm guessing someone forget to push the button and some electromagnetism leaked out. Fortunately, the finale is being re-aired next Saturday. At about 30 minutes in, I also DVR-ed the non-HD version which was not impacted so I was able to re-watch that prior to blogging.

Before I get into the finale itself, I wanted to comment on what aired before and after it.

Commercials

• The Verizon Final Transmissions that aired during the commercial breaks of the two-hour recap were well done. I thought the way the comments and feelings toward Lost from fans were cleverly presented intercut with scenes from all six seasons where a character was reading something (a note, a computer screen, etc.). And way to go, Lisa M. (whoever you are) for getting Cleveland, OH, in there. To a lesser degree, I also enjoyed the few Target commercials that used aspects of the show to advertise a product (wild boar/barbecue sauce, Desmond's computer/keyboard, and the Smoke Monster/smoke detector).

Jimmy Kimmel's Aloha to Lost

• Entertaining hour. Cool set, taking a page out of the Survivor handbook by recreating the beach. If you watched closely, young Jacob popped up a couple of times in the background. The three "alternate endings" as I had suspected were comedy bits - a Survivor spoof where Sayid gets voted out in tribal council; the obligatory Sopranos send-up; and of course, a Lost take on one of the best finales of all time: Newhart only this time Bob woke up in bed with Kate while executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse shared a bed nearby.
• Matthew Fox backed up Jimmy's theory that Jack's island experience was real and actually happened, but the final season (and the Sideways world) was Jack's "test" to determine whether he would go toward the light or. . . not. "There's room for interpretation based on your spiritual beliefs," Matthew said. "I knew that the final image would be [Jack's] eye," Matthew told Kimmel. "And I knew that he would die."

The Finale
After watching the finale the first time, I was ready to type that I liked the episode but didn't necessarily get it. Having now watched it a second time, I think I do understand it and I like it more than I thought. The reunion scene in the church reminded me of Mitch Albom's The Five People You Met in Heaven. Only for Jack, it's more like The 23 People You Met on the Island. Some may argue that as interesting a concept as it was, it didn't seem to mesh with the first five seasons of the show, at least not in the sense of answering all of our questions. I know the producers said the questions that would be answered would be the ones important to the characters and not necessarily the viewers. In past seasons, the characters experienced flashbacks, flash-forwards, and flash-sideways. Tonight, we witnessed their lives flashing before their eyes, appropriate since it is said this is what happens when you die.

Best Lines (Did you really think there would be only one?)

• "Y'all head to your Heart of the Island and I'll get the magic leprechaun out of that well." Sawyer's plan. I'll miss lines like this now that the show is over.
  
• "I've got a bad feeling about this." Hurley summing up the situation. And as any good Star Wars fan can tell you, this line was said in every one of the six movies.
• "This would be so sweet if we weren't all about to die." Hurley to Jack and Kate.
• "We built this place in '75 and lived here a couple of years and then the sky lit up again, so God only knows when in the hell we are now." Rose telling it like it is to Desmond.
• "I was shot by a fat man." Charlie to Charlotte, referring to Hugo's taser attack.
• "It looks like you were wrong, too." Jack to UnLocke after actually hurting him.
  
• "I saved you a bullet." Kate doing her best Dirty Harry after shooting UnLocke, referring to the moment earlier in the episode when she randomly shot at him and he told her to save her bullets since they were not harming him.
  

Did You Notice? - 2004 Parallel Time Line. . .I mean Sideways World. . .I mean Limbo. . .I mean Afterlife. . .

• On Christian Shephard’s coffin, the airport code stickers indicated it passed through Hong Kong (HKG) and Guam International Airport(GUM), the intended destination of Ajira 316.
• The church is the same location as Ms. Hawking's Lamppost Station.
• There were numerous lines with deeper meanings once you know the outcome, such as Desmond's "No one can tell you why you're here."
  
• Kate's comment on the religious overtones to Christian Shephard's name is more resonant now that we've seen the meaning of the "parallel" time line.
• Charlie is staying at the Flightline Motel. This is the same motel Locke found his dad, Anthony Cooper, staying at in “Lockdown." It’s also where Kate stayed in “Born to Run."
• Hugo's comment to Sayid that "if you stick with me, you'll be happy you did" refers to Hugo reuniting Sayid with Shannon.
• I was right in thinking the "concert" would include Drive Shaft. (Since this is the last episode blog entry, I hope you'll indulge me as I point out my correct predictions throughout. As for my theories that never came to pass, let's move on.)
• James Ford wears glasses, something his island self had to do but with makeshift ones.
• James uses the nickname Enos for Miles. He also used this nickname for him in the original time line at the DHARMA Initiative when Saywer was head of security. Enos was Boss Hogg's deputy on TV's Dukes of Hazzard.
• The name of the concert/benefit is Fusion. Appropriate as the two time lines merge in this episode.
  
• Juliet's last name is Carlson, her maiden name. She apparently changed it back after divorcing her husband, Jack (correct prediction #2). This also suggests she never married Edmund Burke, whose last name she kept in the original time line.
• The Kwons suddenly being able to speak English after remembering the island time line was a nice touch.
• Most of Jack's lines to Locke prior to the surgery were laced with double meaning: "There's always the chance I could kill you", "I"ll see you on the other side", and "If I can fix you, Mister Locke, that's all the peace I need."
• Claire walked under a stuffed shark hanging in the museum while trying to find the restroom. No Dharma logo was visible.
• The conversation between Desmond and Eloise Widmore was very interesting. Why was she concerned that Desmond might take Daniel?
• I liked the knowing smirk Jin and Sun had upon seeing Ford as a detective.
  
• When James passes Jack in the parallel time line, he calls him “Doc" even though he is not wearing his scrubs. This is Sawyer’s favorite nickname for Jack on the island.
• At the vending machine in the hospital, James gets an Apollo Bar, a candy frequently seen on the show.
• Juliet suggests having coffee (going Dutch) to Ford. These were her last words on the island before she died after the bomb went off in the season premiere.
• Ben, although receiving forgiveness from Locke, feels he must stay and not move on. He apparently feels he has not yet redeemed himself.
• Locke being able to walk is symbolic of the belief that in heaven all your physical ailments will be cured.
• Hugo's comment to Ben that he was a good Number Two implies Ben did assist him on the island after tonight's events.
  
• The church is symbolic of all religions, as the room Jack visits contains icons from many different religions and the stained glass window features symbols from Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and Taoism.
• Jack's dad reasserts for the viewer that everyone and everything that occurred on the island is real. Just in case someone thought it was all a dream.
• Christian also confirms all the characters are dead but that's because everyone dies. . . some having died before Jack, some long after. And because there is "no now here", that makes sense.
• What I've been calling the parallel time line, Jack's dad explains is a place the characters have all made together so they could find one another. Does this mean it is each one's ideal life (with all the violence, I think not) or just a way to bring them together when it's time to pass on? Christian also says it allows them to remember and to let go. So are we to believe any or all of what we saw ever happened?
• In the final scene in the church when everyone is ready to move on from the afterlife, all of the characters are settled into romantic pairings except Boone and Locke, who together had a teacher-student relationship on the island. The other final pairings ready to move on are: Sayid and Shannon, Charlie and Claire, Sawyer and Juliet, Rose and Bernard, Jack and Kate, Hurley and Libby, Desmond and Penny, and Jin and Sun. And why these characters and not others (I thought Walt was supposed to make an appearance)? Were these the actors who could make the trip to Hawaii?
  
• I liked that Christian was wearing the white tennis shoes as he moved to the light.
• Are we to believe that the light that floods the church when Christian opens the doors is the same one from the island? The light that is in all of us?
  

Did You Notice? - 2007 Island Time Line

• As promised, seven minutes into the finale, Hurley makes the Star Wars reference that Jacob was "worse than Yoda" when providing answers.
• I was right when after seeing the exclusive scene last Thursday that Rose and Bernard rescued Desmond.
  
• Kate says “Nothing is irreversible” to Jack to assure him that he hasn’t screwed up everything in his life. This is the same thing Jack tells Locke in the parallel time line about his spinal condition.
• Correction: Sawyer punches Ben in the face at the well with his fist, not the rifle butt as I previously reported. Sorry I was so excited I couldn't remember all the details.
• A few weeks ago I joked that the staircase leading up to the Ajira plane looked like it was right out of Gilligan's Island. I guess I should have saved that joke for Rose and Bernard's bamboo hut complete with a front porch and patio furniture.
• I knew Ben was not siding with UnLocke as indicated by him keeping in contact with Miles via the walkie-talkie.
• As suspected, Richard is still alive.
  
• Richard's gray hair indicates he may now be aging. The result of Jacob's ashes finally being burned up? I liked Miles comment "Welcome to the club" referring to his own salt and pepper hair.
  
• The dead body Miles and Richard find floating in the water is that of the commander of the submarine seen in previous episodes.
• Lapidus is still alive! (Another check in the I Got That One Right column.)
• Of course, we knew Lapidus was being kept around to fly the Ajira plane.
  
• Sawyer refers to Jacob’s plan to bring back Desmond to be used as a weapon as a long con, referring to his own past as a con artist as well as the specific episode title, “The Long Con."
• Desmond tells Jack that he knows about the parallel time line. While characters in the parallel time line regain memories of the original one, this is the only instance where someone in the original time line has seen glimpses of the other, suggesting that Desmond’s time in the electromagnetism gave him a glimpse of the afterlife.
• Jack repeats the phrase "Whatever happened, happened" often during this final season regarding the importance of events in the original time line and the fact that they cannot be changed, which we now know is actually true.
• So can we consider Richard's promise to Claire that they can get "far, far away" from UnLocke as a Star Wars reference? As in "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. . ."
• I liked how the camera shot falling away from UnLocke and Jack at the top of the waterfall mimicked the shot as Locke and Jack peered down into the just-opened hatch in the Season 1 finale.
• We finally find out the identity of the Adam and Eve skeletons and now we have a few more in the Heart of the Island? Apparently, others took the water ride but didn't survive.
  
• So there actually is a cork like Jacob said! A big stone one, but a cork nonetheless.
• You could hear the same mechanical sounds the Smoke Monster makes when Desmond stepped into the water.
  
• The water draining, the bright light going out, and the red light coming were accompanied by what sounded like machinery.
• Ben continues his redemption by saving Hurley during the island's upheaval.
• Presumably, whatever Desmond did to the island prevented UnLocke from reverting to his smoky appearance. Otherwise, Jack should not have been able to inflict damage to him.
  
• The piercing of Jack's side by UnLocke was in the part of his body where Christ was speared while in agony on the crucifying cross.
• As I once again correctly guessed, the mark on Jack's neck in the parallel time line was a cut from UnLocke's knife.
• UnLocke's fall to the rocks which undoubtedly broke his bones coincided with Locke's successful surgery.
• I'm curious how Ben was able to get out from under the fallen tree?
  
• Jack's knife wound was also where his appendix had been removed. I have the same scar. From an appendectomy, not a knife fight.
  
• Jack says "Find me some thread and I can count to five" to Kate after UnLocke stabs him, referring to the scene in the series pilot when Jack had Kate sew him up with thread and told her about his secret to avoiding fear by counting to five.
• The debate of who Kate will choose is finally settled with the kiss and the "I love you's" exchanged by her and Jack.
  
• Yet another correct prediction: Jack sacrifices himself for the island and Hurley becomes the protector.
  
• To pass the torch of Island Protector, Jack performs the same ritual Jacob performed for him, making him drink some water and telling him “Now you’re like me." Jack does not however speak any Latin as Jacob did.
• Although the water in the stream is extremely muddy, what Jack captures in the bottle is very clear. Pure, you might say.
• The Heart of the Island took on a very Hell-ish appearance with the red light and billows of steam.
  
• Jack says "See you in another life, brother" to Desmond at the bottom of the cave, mirroring what Desmond told him when they first met. It has an additional meaning since the two meet again in the afterlife of the parallel time line.
• Similar to the Oceanic 6, the Ajira flight leaves the island with six people: Lapidus, Miles, Richard, Sawyer, Kate, and Claire.
• Ben's perception of Hurley as someone who "takes care of people" makes him the perfect candidate. It's also interesting that how Jacob ran things does not mean Hurley has to do the same.
• Jack is deposited on the rocks similar to how the Man in Black was after his journey into the Heart of the Island. The difference being that Jack survived. For a little while.
• As Jack moves through the jungle, he passes a sneaker tangled up in a tree. This was there in the pilot after the plane crash as well.
• The final scene of the series take place with Jack lying down in the middle of the bamboo on the island, the same place and set-up as the first scene of the series.
• I became the most emotional when Vincent laid down next to the dying Jack. So often as animal lovers, we have to make the difficult decision of putting our pets out of their misery (I've had to do it twice) and we often hold them or lie next to them as the end is near. It was very moving to see this reversal of the situation.
• The series ends with a close-up of Jack’s eye closing as he dies. The series opened with a close-up of Jack’s eye as it opened. This was the scene the producers had envisioned as the final image from early on in the series.
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• When Sawyer said he didn't know what was happening, Jack said that makes 2 of us.
• Richard asked Miles if he still had the C-4.
• Miles told Ford that Jarrah had "popped" 4 people.
• UnLocke told Jack and Desmond that it would just be the 3 of them going to the cave of light.
• Locke's surgery took place in OR 3.
  
• Desmond, Kate, Claire, and David were seated at table 23 at the benefit concert.
• Kate counted to 3 before telling Claire to push.
  
• Lapidus said it would take 5 hours, maybe 6 to get the Ajira plane up in the air.
• Jack joked with Kate about sewing him up and counting to 5 after his encounter with UnLocke.
• The Apollo candy bar is in G23 in the hospital vending machine.
  
• Hugo told Ben that he was a good Number 2.
  

Although this is my last blog entry recapping an episode, I'm sure it's not my last for this blog. I anticipate the discussion on this finale continuing through the week and maybe, once I watch it for a third time next weekend, I'll have more to say (if that's possible!). Plus, the sixth season is out on DVD and Blu-Ray in three months. Also out then is Lost: The Complete Collection.

People have asked me what TV show my next blog will showcase. I'm not sure any other show will ever inspire me the way Lost did or require my analyzing each and every detail. For now, I plan on just watching the new shows for what they are. But never say never!

I have found a website, blog2print.com, that allows me to convert the four years of postings from my blog into a hardcover book. That's my next project. It'll be fun to curl up with it and read through my thoughts once all is said and done.

Finally, I wanted to thank each and every one of you who visited my blog weekly to read what crazy thoughts were going through my head after a new episode aired. Many of you are my co-workers who were often my sounding board before I posted my recap while others I have never met. But for all of us, Lost made an impact. I know that the next time I step on a plane, I will wonder where - or when - I might end up. The sight of black smoke will now always have a malicious undertone to it. And I'll never be able to look at an animal-skulled fake baby the same way. Namaste! And I'll see you in another life, bruthas and sistas. Remember: We're not really leaving but moving on. Where to? Let's go find out.

"Lost Live" Event Recap

Last night, I attended the "Lost Live" event broadcast to theaters across the country. Before I give you the highlights and some tidbits revealed about this Sunday's finale, I wanted to personally thank my best friend Britt for sitting through the over one and a half hour show. As someone who "lost" interest during the Sawyer-and-Kate-in-polar-bear-cages run of episodes early in Season 3, Britt was a good sport last night. (Who's Nikki and Paulo? Who's Eloise Hawking? What's the Sideways world?) He more prefers the immediate gratification of 24 so he'll be going through his own withdrawal when that series comes to an end on Monday.

The event primarily featured a live interview with Lost producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, who were both very funny. Questions were also asked from e-mail submissions from fans as well as ones from the New York audience with most being answered but with some "You'll just have to watch on Sunday" responses. There were also surprise appearances by the actors who play Ben and Hurley. Three clips from past episodes were shown and discussed: Locke convincing Jack to push the button, Desmond finally reaching Penny by phone from the freighter, and Hurley and Miles discussing time travel. It was so cool to see these scenes on the big screen.

The event ended with an exclusive scene from Sunday's finale, which was the icing on my birthday cake. Following are some revelations that were provided and a summary of the scene.

• Damon said that there would be a Star Wars reference about 7 minutes into the finale. (For us Star Wars fans, that's a big deal!)
• Walt will make an appearance in the finale. Damon joked that Walt had to be shipped off the series the minute the actor was taller than him.
• When asked about the significance of Desmond's comment to Jack at the stadium to "lift it up" in Season 2, this question received the "you'll find out on Sunday" response. Makes me wonder if that was actually future Desmond giving Jack an instruction that will come into play when Jack faces down UnLocke. Will Jack need to physically lift something up? Maybe overturn the outrigger canoe and dump UnLocke in the water where he will become vulnerable? I'm still theorizing right 'til the bitter end.
• The producers explained that prior to the filming of the final scene, they asked the actors participating in it if they had any questions about what was happening and not one did. Jorge Garcia who plays Hurley also said that as a fan of the show he really had no questions of the producers once the final scene was filmed. In other words, he got the ending and understood what the writers wanted to convey. Damon had a big smile and gave a thumbs-up.
  
• Now for the exclusive scene - Damon prefaced it by saying it wasn't too spoilery so read on. My guess is if it's not the first scene of the finale, it's probably one of the earliest we'll see set on the island during Sunday's finale. It opens during the day with UnLocke alone by the well, coiling up the rope presumably used to rescue Desmond. We see hiding in the nearby bushes Sawyer, who before he can do anything is surprised by Ben with a rifle. Ben marches him at gunpoint to UnLocke. Sawyer peers into the well to see Desmond is not there. (So if Jack's group didn't get Desmond out, then who did?) Just as this past Tuesday's episode ended, UnLocke again says he's going to destroy the island at which point Sawyer wrestles the gun from Ben and rifle-butts him in his face and escapes. UnLocke tells Ben to let him go. Ben questions him that he's actually going to destroy the island and he wasn't just speaking metaphorically? UnLocke says he has a boat and Ben is more than welcome to join him as he watches this island sink! (Remember in the opening of this season's premiere that the island was underwater in the parallel time line of 2004. Is this event in 2007 going to finally merge the two time lines?) Before they head off, UnLocke notices something about the ground around the well. Upon closer examination, UnLocke says that it looks like there was a dog around here and the scene ends. I kid you not almost everyone in the entire theater as a whole all excitedly whispered "Vincent." My immediate thought was that Vincent, doing his best Lassie impersonation, pulled Timmy - I mean Desmond - out of the well. It wasn't until two hours later as I was getting ready for bed that I remembered when we last saw Vincent and with whom. He ran out of the jungle when the time-jumping survivors ended up at the beach camp and was immediately followed out by. . .Rose and Bernard! I think we've found Desmond's rescuers.

Well, that's all for now. Remember the original pilot airs tomorrow (Saturday) at 8 p.m. ET and then the big day on Sunday, starting with the recap at 7 p.m. ET and the finale at 9 p.m. ET.

"What They Died For" (Season 6, Episode 16)

When this episode ended, I wanted to do something I haven't done all season: I wanted to immediately re-watch it. I enjoyed it that much. Although I didn't watch it again last night but just now before typing up my blog entry, I was very satisfied by the show. Perhaps because this is the penultimate (a grand way of saying second-to-last) episode, there seemed to be a sense of everything coming together. The pieces of this amazing puzzle finally starting to fit into something recognizable. There were so many aspects that felt right.

Best Line

• "Don't be ridiculous. It's in my secret room behind the bookcase." Ben's response to Miles' comment that he keeps the explosives in his cookie jar.
  

Did You Notice? - 2004 Parallel Time Line

• Once again a close-up of an eye (Jack's) begins this episode.
• In his bathroom mirror, Jack notices the same cut on his neck that he discovered in the season premiere in the airline bathroom aboard Oceanic 815. I predict Island Jack will be held at knife point by UnLocke and this wound is somehow "bleeding" over into this universe.
• My money is still on Juliet being David's mother.
  
• So is the concert Jack and David's mother attending a recital that their son is in or something else? Maybe a performance by Driveshaft?
• What was the significance of Desmond's call to Jack about the airline finding his father's coffin? In the finale, will we see a meeting between Jack and Desmond?
• Desmond's attack against Ben triggers Ben's memory of Desmond beating him at the marina when Ben tried to kill Penny. Apparently either love (like Hurley and Libby) or violence (Locke's hit-and-run or Sun being shot) brings back the memories of the original time line. While filming this scene, the actor who plays Desmond accidentally punched the actor who plays Ben and left him with a black eye! That wasn't make-up.
  
• The school nurse who takes care of Ben after Desmond beats him up is named Ms. Kondracki. This is the same nurse who the principal had an affair with, as Ben learned in “Dr. Linus." The actress previously played a doctor in Season 5's "The Variable".
• Ben has a mirror moment in the nurse's office.
• I'm guessing the benefit concert at the museum that Miles, his dad, and Charlotte are attending will turn out to be the same one as Jack, his ex-wife, and David.
• Alex refers to Ben with his arm in a sling as "Napoleon". Ben was previously seen teaching his class about this historical figure.
• I loved Danielle's light-hearted remark that she would kidnap Ben to get him to come to dinner. In the original time line, Ben had essentially kidnapped Alex from Rousseau.
• I'm not sure why but I was so happy to see Danielle Rousseau looking so sane and well put together and leading a normal life.
  
• Jack tells Locke that he’s mistaking coincidence for fate when Locke explains why he wants the surgery. Mr. Eko accused Locke of the same thing when he brought Locke the missing piece of the Swan Orientation film and Locke repeated the phrase while talking to Desmond in Season 3.
• The conversation in the back of the police van between Desmond, Sayid, and Kate was another highlight for me.
• If ever there was going to be a bad cop on the take, I can't think of anyone better than Ana Lucia. When I saw Michelle Rodriguez's name in the opening credits, I was afraid she was going to turn out to be Jack's ex!
  
• Hurley drives up in his yellow Hummer, seen previously in both the parallel time line and the original time line. He also brings his Camaro for Desmond, the car he and his father restored in the original time line.
• It's obvious Hurley has all his memories of the original time line when he recognizes Ana Lucia.
• More attendees for "the concert": Desmond and Kate in her slinky black dress. Now if the Widmores are involved, we can expect Penny too.
  

Did You Notice? - 2007 Island Time Line

• Kate's makeshift surgery by Jack on the beach is reminiscent of her sewing him up in the Season 1 pilot after the crash. We've come full circle.
• When Kate leaned her head against Sawyer as they gazed at the sea, did you get the feeling she's made her choice?
• Was Miles' extreme reaction to New Otherton simply due to Alex being buried there or was it residue from the Dharma Purge? Richard, who had a hand in the killing of them along with Ben, was quick to attribute it to Alex.
• Miles had some good lines last night: "30 years ago or last week to you" and "the secret-er room".
  
• Based on Ben's comment “I thought I was summoning the Monster. . . little did I know he was summoning me” makes me believe the entity in the cabin that Ben took to be Jacob was actually the Monster.
• Another great scene was the conversation between Ben and Widmore. Makes you wonder whether Widmore was doing what he did for the good of mankind and not for his own needs after all.
  
• I wonder why Jacob first appeared as his younger self to Hurley but then as adult?
• We know now that the bag Hurley took from Ilana's belongings were Jacob's ashes.
• I'm thinking we haven't seen the last of Richard Alpert. Maybe he and Lapidus will charge in like the cavalry when most needed.
• Yet more great moments were Ben's and UnLocke's conversations. And I'm not completely sold that Ben is now UnLocke's right-hand man.
• I was surprised at the graphic nature of Zoe's death. Yikes!
  
• I thought for sure UnLocke was going to stab Widmore as he leaned in to whisper to him but Ben was too fast for him.
• Did Jacob's burning of his final ashes allow the others to see him?
• For anyone who wasn't sure if Jacob's brother hadn't transformed into the Smoke Monster last week, I think Jacob's comments settle that question.
• Another question answered is that the candidates were all chosen because they were "flawed" and "alone". Apparently, Jacob knew this would be the case even as early as their childhood in the cases of Kate and Sawyer. And do you think Jacob was the driver of the Mystery Car of Death that seemed to invade all the candidates' lives at some point?
• I know I was one of the people who voted in my survey that Jack would be the next protector of the island but at this point, I would not be surprised if he sacrifices himself to take out UnLocke. Would this mean another would need to step up? Maybe Hurley was premature in thinking he dodged the bullet.
  
• According to the close-captioning, Jacob was speaking Latin when he "blessed" the cup of water.
• Just what comes with Jacob's pronouncement to Jack that "Now you're like me"?
• I find it interesting that the Smoke Monster tells Ben he retains his Locke persona because he likes the feel of his feet on the ground at the same time parallel Locke has decided he wants Jack to fix him so he can walk again. Also, UnLocke's comment that he was human further confirms this was once Jacob's brother and not a separate evil entity.
• I presume Jack and friends rescued Desmond from the well.
• Widmore's description of Desmond as a "fail-safe" reminds me of the fail-safe key Desmond had at the Swan Station.
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Ben explains to Richard that he has more than enough explosives to destroy the plane 10 times over.
• The explosive Ben has is C-4.
• Widmore tells Ben that as usual, he is 3 steps ahead of him.
• Danielle says Alex's dad died when she was 2.
  

The Lost Weekend
For me, the series finale event begins tomorrow when I will be attending the live Lost broadcast at my local movie theater. On Friday night, I'll post any tidbits I learn. Saturday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET is an enhanced version of the original Season 1 pilot with the subtitles. Then, this is it, my fellow Lost and Founders. Sunday (or should we call it Lost-day?) is the two-hour series retrospective at 7 p.m. ET, the 2 1/2 hour finale at 9 p.m. ET, and Jimmy Kimmel's special at midnight. You'll be happy to know I am taking Monday off so I can re-watch the finale and type my last episode blog so you can read it as soon as possible. My prediction for the final scene that the creators claim to have envisioned since early in the season: All the characters once again boarding a plane. Their destination? Who knows?

"Across the Sea" (Season 6, Episode 15)

So was that Lost's idea of a very special Mother's Day episode? Some people I spoke with liked the show; others not so much. I find myself feeling the way I did after Richard Alpert's episode: I had been looking forward to answers prior to the show and somewhat let down afterwards. However, I was most satisfied in the final moments when the identities of the skeletons found in Season One, Episode 6 were revealed. A concrete answer to a long-simmering question. Congratulations to those of you who took my Adam and Eve survey and correctly chose "None of the above".

Best Line

• "Every question will lead to another question." Woman to Claudia. The writers of this episode are co-creators Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof and I got the feeling they put this line in so we the viewers would just let some things go already.
  

Did You Notice?

• The shipwreck is one of many themes that reoccur throughout the series. Pregnancy is another.
  
• The language initially being spoken by Claudia and the Woman was Latin. Latin fell out of popular use after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century and was largely out of common everyday use a few centuries later, suggesting that the events of this episode most likely took place long, long before Richard Alpert came to the Island. It was interesting that after Claudia took the drink (with an accompanying musical trill), the conversation continued in English. Liquid translator?
• Claudia was a common name in Roman times. There was a Vestal Virgin by that name, Nero's first wife and his infant daughter by his second wife had this name, as did Pontius Pilate's wife.
• The twins birth is a rarity on the island since Rousseau and Claire are the only other women to have successfully done so.
  
• Jacob and the Man in Black are twin brothers. Bad Twin was the book written by Gary Troup (one of the survivors on Oceanic 815). The author survived the crash, but was the first person to die on the island when he was sucked into the still-running jet engine, causing it to explode. A manuscript of Bad Twin was found and read by Hurley in Season 2.
• Baby Jacob is clothed in light swaddling while his brother is in dark. These identifying colors carry through the clothes worn by the boys and later their adult selves.
• Mother can be added to the list of crazy island women that includes Rousseau and Fake Baby Claire.
• We now know that the boy seen repeatedly in the jungle by UnLocke in past episodes is young Jacob.
• The game the Boy in Black finds on the beach is Senet, one of the oldest known board games. It is originally from ancient Egypt and because of the luck involved to win, it was often placed with people in their graves to help with the journey through the afterlife.
• We previously saw Jacob weaving in the base of the statue.
• Mother tells the Boy in Black he is "special". This has been said about Walt and Locke.
• The men hunting the boar seemed different from the shipwrecked villagers we see later. Are they the island's inhabitants?
• Mother tells Jacob and the Boy in Black about people by saying “They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same." This is the exact same thing the Man in Black tells Jacob in their scene at the start of the Season 5 finale, “The Incident."
• So Mother made it possible that Jacob and his brother could never hurt each other. Apparently, this didn't include Jacob beating his brother senseless and throwing his body into the Light. This also explains why the Man in Black needed Ben to kill Jacob.
  
• What is the Light? It's in everyone but we want more of it. Love? Goodness?
• Why is the Boy in Black able to see dead people but Jacob cannot? This would explain why UnLocke spotted his brother throughout the jungle in other episodes.
• The dagger carried by the Man in Black looks very much like the one Dogen gave Sayid to kill UnLocke.
• The wells are once again referenced. Previously, Locke went down into one to turn the donkey wheel and Desmond remains in one.
• Another answer revealed was the origin of the donkey wheel that both Ben and Locke used in past episodes.
  
• What was Mother's intent in attacking the Man in Black? Simply to knock him unconscious while she destroyed the well? And how was this woman able to do that and destroy the village and its inhabitants? Could it be she once went into the Light and is a smoke monster herself?
• Mother tells Jacob the Light is the "heart of the island" and is connected to life, death, and rebirth. So is it symbolic of love?
• The corked jug that Mother has is the same one Jacob had and the Man in Black smashed in an earlier episode.
• You almost come away from this episode with sympathy for the Man in Black. With the lies and manipulation by his "mother" and his brother's aggressive behavior, it's no wonder he's the way he is.
• The manner in which the Man in Black killed Mother with the dagger followed Dogen's directions of stabbing the person in the chest (albeit through her back) and not allowing the person to speak.
• Both young and adult Jacob certainly was the violent one of the twins.
  
• The Man in Black's transformation into the Smoke Monster confirms Mother's earlier statement to Jacob that going down into the cave of light is worse than dying. Again, was she speaking from experience?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• The Boy in Black told Mother there were 3 men hunting boar.
  

Previews
Next week's "What They Died For" is the last Tuesday episode before the finale. The previews included many of the mirror moments from the parallel time line.

"The Candidate" (Season 6, Episode 14)

R.I.P. Sayid
R.I.P. Sun
R.I.P. Jin
R.I.P. Lapidus?

The last episode before the finale is titled "What They Died For". I think we now know to whom the "They" refers. Those final fifteen minutes had to be some of the most intense, nerve-wracking, emotional moments this season. When Jin spoke to Sun in Korean, I lost it. When Hurley broke down on the beach, I lost it. And when Jack realized he could no longer save everyone and fix everything and he lost it, I did as well. I just have to keep telling myself only the Island versions are dead; the parallel time line versions are alive and well. That and this is only a TV show.

Best Line

• "There is no Sayid!" Jack to Hurley after Sayid's sacrifice on the sub.
  

Did You Notice? - 2004 Parallel Time Line

• This episode's title initially applies to Locke as a candidate for a new procedure to restore the use of his legs.
• Bernard the happy dentist seems almost aware of the more-than-coincidental happenings of the passengers of Flight 815.
• I wonder if James Ford the detective will find Anthony Cooper in the nursing home and if so, will his need for revenge be unfulfilled?
• Locke's sleep mumblings were "Push the button" from his days in the Swan Station and "I wish you had believed me" from his suicide note to Jack.
• Jack gets an Apollo candy bar from the hospital vending machine. He previously got one when Jacob encountered him and these were also in the hatch's pantry.
• “Catch a Falling Star” is the song played by the music box Christian left Claire. This is also the song he used to sing to her as a child and one Claire asked the baby’s adoptive parents to sing to her son.
• This week's mirror moment was shared between Claire and Jack in the music box lid like our last mirror moment was shared by Locke and Jack during the surgery.
• Locke seems to have a moment of recognition upon seeing Jin in the hospital corridor.
• You have to wonder if Locke hadn't crashed the plane with his dad on board, would Anthony have conned his son as he did in the original time line?
• Jack's comment to Locke of "what happened, happened" is a common one on the series.
• Jack's plea of "I wish you believed me" seems to trigger the memory of his suicide note for Locke before he leaves the hospital.
  

Did You Notice? - 2007 Island Time Line

• Sawyer's resistance to return to the cages goes back to his and Kate's imprisonment there by Ben.
• Was Widmore's confinement of the people in the cages and his comment that he was "doing this for your own good" an indication that his plan was to blow up only UnLocke on the plane?
• I don't believe UnLocke could kill them anytime he wanted to as this is "against the rules".
  
• Once again, UnLocke demonstrates his bullet-proof nature.
• I knew as soon as UnLocke swiped the watch from the dead man that it would be used for a timer on a bomb.
• So was the Professor from Gilligan's Island part of Widmore's team? Because I don't know anyone else who could have built such an elaborate staircase to the plane out of sticks than him. They bring guns, sonic fence pylons, but no ladder?
  
• Why did Sawyer suggest Jack throw UnLocke in the water to stop him? He had questioned UnLocke in a past episode why he didn't just turn into smoke to venture over to Hydra Island. Did Sawyer notice something on the kayak trip over that made him suspect UnLocke was somehow vulnerable to water? And did UnLocke seem somewhat shaken by his unplanned dip?
  
• I also knew when UnLocke handed Jack the backpack that he had switched it on him.
• Although Hurley could not find a first aid kit on the sub, there was one clearly behind Lapidus in the control room.
• Sawyer's inability to trust Jack goes back to Jack's last scheme of detonating the bomb that cost Juliet her life. It is no wonder he can't go along with doing nothing and hoping for the best.
• Sayid seems to confirm that Desmond is still alive in the well and that he did not kill him as he previously told UnLocke.
• Sayid's comment to Jack that "it's going to be you" is our second reference to the episode's title "The Candidate".
• Sayid appears to have had a change of heart since his encounter with Desmond, sacrificing himself for the others.
• I think the jury is still out on whether we've seen the last of Lapidus.
• Sun's insistence that Jin leave her is contrasted with her scene on the helicopter in the Season 4 finale where she was devastated at his apparent death in Widmore's freighter explosion.
• And did anyone else think Sun should have convinced Jin to go by mentioning that their daughter should have at least one living parent?
• Did UnLocke realize that they were not all dead because nothing changed with the submarine's sinking? What would have happened had they all been killed? Would he have been free of the Island?
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Jack tells Bernard that Locke had oral surgery about 3 years back.
• Sayid tells Jack that there are only the 3 of them (Sayid, Jack, and UnLocke) left after Widmore's attack on the beach.
  
• At the nursing home, housekeeping is asked to dial extension 23 over the P.A. system.
• UnLocke says there were 4 bricks of C-4 on the plane.
• Over the hospital P.A. system, a tech is asked to report to Trauma 3.
• The first time we see on the bomb's countdown watch timer is 3:54, then 3:45 after the commercial break.
• Lapidus says it will take 5 minutes before the sub surfaces.
  
• Jin tells Sawyer and Jack to try and left the locker pinning Sun on the count of 3.
  

Previews
From eonline.com: Next week's "Across the Sea" is unlike anything we've seen on Lost before. And though we've all been told that none of the series regulars appear in this the second-to the-last episode before the finale, that is actually not true. Spoiler Alert: You will see three of the main leads in a very surprising throwback moment that lets you know that the producers totally knew what they were doing as of Season One. Allison Janney (The West Wing) guest stars, along with two other actors you know, and a few others you don't. We'll learn much, much more about the history of the island and the evil and light within. Pay close attention to every line Allison's character says. Oh, and DVR it 'cause you'll need to watch it twice.

Finale News
Lost's goodbye has expanded yet again, this time by 30 minutes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series finale will now run two-and-a-half hours. The episode, scheduled to air Sunday, May 23, at 9 p.m. ET, will push the local news back a half-hour, followed by the previously announced post-finale special, Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost, at 12:05 a.m. ET. This adds to the two-hour retrospective scheduled to air immediately before the series finale, at 7 p.m. ET, and ABC's planned rebroadcast of the 2004 pilot on Saturday, May 22. Get ready to OD on Lost!

Doing Anything on Thursday, May 20?

Three days before the highly anticipated series finale of "Lost," fans of ABC's award-winning global television phenomenon can watch co-creators and executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof in a TimesTalks LIVE event in select theaters nationwide. Moderated by New York Times entertainment editor Lorne Manley, "Behind the Scenes of Lost", will cover the challenges faced by the creators to craft a series finale that would satisfy them as storytellers and the show's legions of fans. The event will include a teaser from the upcoming final episode and an interactive Q and A session with fans. Prior to the event, guests can submit their question for consideration at timestalks@nytimes.com.

The event will be broadcast live, in high definition to theaters from The Times Center in New York City in front of a sold-out audience on Thursday, May 20 at 8 pm Eastern / 7 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain (tape delayed) / 7 pm Pacific (tape delayed).

Get more info here: http://www.fathomevents.com/OriginalPrograms/event/TimesTalks_LOST.aspx

I will be attending the 8 pm show at Crocker Park in Westlake. I've already got my tickets through Fandango. My birthday is that night and I think it was so nice of the show's creators to give me this present!

"The Last Recruit" (Season 6, Episode 13)

This was one of those episodes that felt like so much happened, but upon review, not much did in the way of moving the story along. I'm sure it's laying the groundwork for what's to come in these final episodes. It was intriguing to see how many characters could cross paths in the alternate time line.

Best Line

• ". . .And that pilot who looks like he stepped off the set of a Burt Reynolds movie." Sawyer's description of Lapidus.
  

Did You Notice? - 2004 Parallel Time Line

• The name tag of the paramedic working on Locke in the rescue squad is Simon Holt. This is also the name of the author of a young reader horror novel, The Devouring. The plot tells of the Vours, black smoke-like beings that possess humans who can't conquer their fear. Sound familiar?
  
• The EMT who wheels Sun into the hospital is played by Todd Coolidge, who also played the paramedic who wheeled Desmond into the hospital after he was shot by Ben in the original time line in the episode “The Variable".
• I believe Sun's near-death experience from the gun shot allowed her to remember and recognize Locke (or UnLocke).
• I was reminded of Adam and Eve when Sawyer offered Kate the apple in the police station. Was this the writers' way of hinting that the Adam and Eve skeletons will turn out to be them? Sawyer and Kate weren't even one of the options in my last survey! If they had been, would they have received any votes unlike Sawyer and Juliet?
• Kate is adamant she is not a murderer. She has said this before (to Claire) in the alternate time line. I'll be curious to see what really happened to make her a wanted woman.
• Now we know why Sawyer, a police detective, didn't do anything when he encountered the hand-cuffed Kate in the airport elevator. He would have had to explain his trip to Australia. If you remember, he had told everyone he had gone to Palm Springs.
• Ilana’s law firm is Sweetzer and Verdansky (her last name). In “Happily Ever After," Penny made a date with Desmond at a coffee shop on the corner of Melrose and Sweetzer.
• We are once again teased with the identity of David's mother as Jack talks to her on his cell phone. I'm thinking she will be revealed when she comes to the hospital to pick up David. My money's still on Juliet.
• Jack's reaction to learning Claire is his father's daughter was similar to him learning this from Claire's mother at Christian's funeral when the Oceanic 6 returned to Los Angeles.
• When Jack see’s Locke’s x-ray, he notes that the dural sac is obliterated. In the series pilot, Jack told Kate a story of how he once accidentally ripped a patient’s dural sac to explain to her how to control her fear, a story that was explained in the season 5 finale.
• Our weekly mirror moment is back! It occurred when Jack, before beginning the surgery, looked down at the operating bed's mirror and saw first his face, then Locke's.
  

Did You Notice? - 2007 Island Time Line

• Another mystery solved: Jack's dad, Christian, on the island was really the Man in Black impersonating him. That is if you can believe UnLocke.
• The Man in Black was really bashing John Locke to Jack. Makes you wonder if he was laying it on too thick.
• I like that Sawyer knows the Star Wars jargon of "going over to the Dark Side" but never heard of Anakin (Darth Vader's alter ego for the uninitiated).
• Well, now we know what UnLocke's stick is for: smashing walkie-talkies. I got the sense when UnLocke looked at the device, he had no concept of the technology.
• Sawyer tells Jack that Sayid is a zombie, not the first time there has been a reference to these undead creatures.
• The sail boat is Desmond's. If you remember, it was given to him by Libby for his around-the-world race. This is why it is named Elizabeth.
• So do you believe Sayid followed through on UnLocke's request to kill Desmond? I don't. That Desmond is good at convincing.
• I didn't hear Zoe say into her walkie-talkie to turn off the sonic fence until I re-watched this episode, so I had a moment when I thought Jin and Sun's reunion might be short-lived as they ran to each other.
• "I love you" were Sun's first words since she lost the ability to speak English. I thought the moment was ruined though by Lapidius' unnecessary need to point out (to the viewers) that she'd found her voice. Yeah, we get it. The power of love.
• Why has Widmore changed his mind and reneged on his deal with Sawyer?
• If you watch closely, the first explosion that throws Jack in the air leaves UnLocke standing unscathed.
• I presume the title of "Last Recruit" refers to Jack now being with UnLocke.
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Sawyer describes Zoe to Hurley as Widmore's number 2.
• The adoption agency and Ilana's law firm are both on the 15th floor.
  
• Sawyer explains that for 3 years, the Dharma folk came and went from the island by sub.
• Jack tells David's mom that he will have him home by 5 o'clock.
  

Previews
You probably couldn't tell from the previews, but next week is a repeat (the only one of the season). It is the episode with Richard's back story. I believe they are doing this to allow the finale on Sunday, May 23, to fall during the important ratings sweeps period. I'll be blogging again in two weeks. See you then!

"Everybody Loves Hugo" (Season 6, Episode 12)

The title is a variation on Season 2's "Everybody Hates Hugo". And what an episode! Hurley is reunited with Libby. The Black Rock explodes. Ilana explodes. (Did we learn nothing from Dr. Arzt?) Not to mention Desmond unleashing his road rage on Locke.

Best Line

• "The island was done with her. Makes me wonder what's going to happen when it's done with us." Ben to Jack after Ilana's explosive departure.
  

Did You Notice? - 2004 Parallel Time Line

• Dr. Pierre Chang is the host of Hugo's benefit. We learned previously in James Ford's episode that Miles' dad worked at a museum. Amazingly, he looks the same age he did in the 1970s. Now how is this possible?
• Hugo mentions to his mom that he must attend an event for the Human Fund. This is a fictional charity created by George Costanza on Seinfeld.
• The waiter at Spanish Johnny's, the restaurant where Hugo and Libby met, was played by Jesse Smith, who played one of the random background extras who survived the plane crash in the first few seasons.
• How good was it to see Hugo's soul mate Libby back?
• Dr. Brooks was Hurley's doctor at Santa Rosa in the original time line.
• At Mr. Cluck’s there is a sign for new Outback Roasters with the tag line “It’s like a walkabout in your mouth," a reference to the walkabout trip Locke tried to take. The sign also featured Ayers Rock where Bernard brought Rose to see a faith healer.
• The order clerk at Mr. Cluck's is played by Samm Levine, who recently was featured in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds".
  
• Desmond "accidentally bumping" into Hugo obviously is the start of his task of reminding the Oceanic passengers of their other lives.
• The island photo in Dr. Brooks' office at Santa Rosa was in the original time line as well.
• One of the Santa Rosa patients is playing Connect Four, the same game Hurley played as well as Leonard Simms, the man from whom Hurley first heard of the Numbers. Connect Four has 42 possible positions in which to put the pieces.
• The chalkboard in the game room at Santa Rosa featured a chalk drawing of a desert island. This same picture was there when Hurley returned from the island and Matthew Abaddon came to visit him.
• Whereas Desmond had flashes of his other life from the MRI, Libby experienced the memories simply by seeing Hugo on TV.
• Libby's comment to Hugo about the picnic on the beach as being like "a date we've never had" references the picnic date on the island that never happened because Michael shot her.
• For Hugo, his kiss with Libby brought back the buried memories of the other time line. It is also interesting to note that I did not notice a "mirror moment" in this episode. Perhaps this scenes of self reflection are no more and the epiphany of another life will instead be the weekly occurrence.
• Dr. Linus questioning Desmond's reason for being parked in the school parking lot was priceless. "Are you sitting here in your car as school lets out for inappropriate reasons?" "No, brother. Just here to run over that man in the wheelchair." (I paraphrase.)
  
• So does Desmond remember his other self has a son named Charlie or did he just use that name because of his recent run-in with adult Charlie?
• The license plate on Desmond's car when he hits Locke (2FAN321) is a different one from what is on his car at the beach, watching Libby and Hugo (4PCI264). Either a continuity error or Desmond changed it so he couldn't be tracked down.
• I believe Desmond's hit-and-run was not malicious but his way of getting Locke reunited with Jack. Dr. Linus' comment was to call 9-1-1 so they could get Locke to the hospital. The school's in Los Angeles; Jack's hospital is there as well. As we saw Jack and UnLocke meet up on the island in the prior scene, I think this is what Desmond has planned in this time line. And who knows, Jin and Sun may be there too as she recovers from her gun shot wound.
  

Did You Notice? - 2007 Island Time Line

• Why hasn't Libby's ghost appeared to Hurley? Is it because most of his visitors, like Michael, have only yelled at him or told him what he should or should not be doing?
• Ilana says she has been training her whole life to protect the candidates.
• I noticed a couple of "God" references in this episode: Ilana says if that thing (UnLocke) gets off the island, "God help us" (right before she went boom!) and UnLocke calls the island a "God forsaken rock".
• UnLocke carving the stick reminded me of Mr. Eko's walking stick which Charlie called his "Jesus stick". Carved into it were various Bible scriptures (book, chapter, and sometimes verse), a small cross, and the Numbers. When asked by Claire what he was carving, Eko answered, "Things I need to remember." After Eko's death, Locke retrieved the stick. Locke intended to use the stick as a marker for Eko's grave. As he was pounding the stick into the ground, he noticed an inscription: "Lift up your eyes and look north John 3:05". Locke interprets "305" as a northward compass bearing, which leads them to the Flame station.
• The book Hurley finds among Ilana's belongings is a copy of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from the Underground, a novel whose themes echo the series, as it is about free will and about the fact that determinism or fate is not valid because people can sometimes do things without reason or purpose just to prove that they have free will.
• Hurley also picks up a pouch which he examines but we do not see what is inside. I first thought these were Jacob's ashes but upon re-watching the episode, you can hear the contents rattle. Some folks I spoke with thought these might be Nikki and Paulo's diamonds, but I wonder if they are white stones and a black stone like the Adam and Eve skeletons had in their possession. At some point was Ilana going to have people random draw a stone and whoever pulled the black one had to do an unpleasant task?
• Why was UnLocke so apparently upset by Desmond identifying him as John Locke? Did he believe Desmond knew the truth and was lying to him?
• Once again, UnLocke offers his hand to someone, but this time, Desmond does take it.
• Another appearance by the mysterious boy in the jungle. I'm still going with my theory that this is an older version of Aaron. And why the smile when he saw Desmond?
• Richard was obviously trying to get Hurley to say that the island is like a cork to prove Jacob was there.
• Another item off the Lost unanswered questions checklist: The whispers are those people stuck on the island who can't move on.
• Michael's apology of course was for shooting Libby immediately after shooting Ana Lucia and wounding himself when all three were in the hatch.
• The well is similar to the one outside of the Orchid Station that John Locke descended into to find the frozen donkey wheel that moved the Island.
• UnLocke's comment that something causes compass needles to spin afflicted Locke in Season 1 with his own compass.
• Poor Sun is still unable to get back together with Jin as she enters UnLocke's camp only to find Jin not there. He is still on Hydra Island.
  

The Numbers - 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 15 16 23 42 108

• Libby asks Hurley if he thinks 2 people can be connected.
• Ilana tells Richard she has 4 sticks of dynamite.
• Desmond's order number at Mr. Cluck's is 42.
• Desmond answers UnLocke that he spent 3 years in the hatch pushing a button.
• Hurley brings 6 different kinds of cheeses to his picnic with Libby.
• Desmond's license plate at the beach is 4PCI264 whereas it is 2FAN321 at Ben's school.
  

Previews
Scenes from next week's "The Last Recruit" were accompanied by the audio of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka singing the song from the most unsettling scene in that movie (and this is a movie with little, orange people and I'm not talking about Snookie from Jersey Shore but Oompa Loompas - co-worker Geoff knows what I'm talking about). The creepy lyrics which fit appropriately for the coming finale are:

"There's no earthly way of knowing/Which direction we are going.
Not a speck of light is showing/So the danger must be growing.
Are the fires of hell a-glowing?/Is the grisly reaper mowing?
Yes, the danger must be growing/And they're certainly not showing/Any signs that they are slowing! "

Speaking of creepy, check out this item that no Lost fan should be without: a bobble head Claire complete with squirrel skull baby. (Yes, it's actually for sale at www.entertainmentearth.com)














Upcoming
It was recently announced that the pre-show to the series finale has been extended to two hours, now starting at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, May 23. We can never get enough Lost!