"The Package" (Season 6, Episode 10)

You may be surprised to learn that I actually liked this Jin and Sun episode. Although not one of great revelations, nonetheless it had some nifty moments and unexpected developments, not the least of which was the reappearance of Desmond.

Best Line

• "Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I'm not sure Hurley can track anything." Miles doubting Ilana's confidence in Hurley finding Richard.
  

Did You Notice? - 2004 Parallel Time Line

• Apparently in this time line, Sun never had to learn English to escape her marriage from Jin because she had instead fallen in love with him. Presumably, this Sun also never had an affair with her English tutor.
• I'm sure the male viewers all appreciated the variation on the "button up your blouse" theme. That was to balance out all the previous shirtless Sawyer scenes.
  
• Mirror Moment of the Week: Sun fixes her hair in the hotel room mirror before answering the door. She quite clearly experienced a moment of disorientation. Interesting that this scene followed the scene of her island self being knocked unconscious and losing the ability to speak English.
• Martin Keamy is creepy once again, especially with his "Godzilla movie" comment, "Arab" remark to Omar, and clearly explaining (albeit in English) how he was going to kill Jin right to his face.
  
• If you remember, Mikhail on the island was the eye patch-wearing Other who blew up the underwater Dharma station that killed Charlie. It is obviously predestined that he should lose his right eye, here from Jin's gunshot to the face.
• Mikhail is referred to by Keamy as "Danny's friend". Is this the alternate version of Danny Pickett, the Other who was killed on the beach by Juliet in Season 3? Or could Danny be referring to Daniel Faraday, who we have yet to see in this time line?
• Keamy's comment of living "happily ever after" foreshadows the title of next week's episode.
• After talking to a few people, apparently I wasn't the only one who thought Keamy made a reference to the island when he was confining Jin to the chair in the freezer. What he said was "I'm strapping you in just in case you figure out what's about to happen to you." At least that's what the close-captioning said. But it sure sounded like he said "what's about to happen to the island." It must just be Keamy's natural oiliness oozing through.
  
• There was a sort-of mirror moment when Jin was in the freezer and the metal of the open door reflected his image.
• I wonder if Jin will take wounded Sun to Jack's hospital?
  

Did You Notice? - 2007 Island Time Line

• The night vision surveillance of the beach camp abruptly ended when they zoomed in on UnLocke.
• Sayid has almost become zombie-like in his "I don't feel anything" condition.
• The tranquilizer dart scene is reminiscent of Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley being knocked out by the Others in the Season 2 finale.
• Miles always seems to be playing games. We've seen him playing Solitaire and Tic Tac Toe at the temple and cards with Lapidus in this episode.
• UnLocke offered his hand to Sun as he had with Kate in an earlier episode, but she too avoided his touch.
• Is Sun's inability to speak English really a medical condition or did UnLocke purposely do this to her when she was unconscious?
• Room 23 where Jin was brought by Zoe is the same room in which Alex's boyfriend Karl had been captive in Season 3.
• The subliminal messages in the Room 23 experiment included "Think about your life", "We are the causes of our own suffering", and "Everything changes". Among the images were a wood-burning stove, a drafting compass, a statue of Buddha, and the moon.
• I was a little confused by why Jin's name would be on a grid map denoting pockets of electromagnetism. In the 70's, he was a security guard for Dharma. Would he have signed maps? Or did someone forge his name. Maybe Daniel Faraday who we did see at the underground drilling site in the 70's?
• UnLocke told Claire her name was not on the cave wall. However, the name Littleton was there with the number 313. Unless of course, the name refers to Aaron.
• UnLocke's comment to Claire about Kate "Whatever happens, happens" is a present tense version of Faraday's statement about changing the time line in Season 5.
• The sonic pylons were strategically arranged to prevent UnLocke from getting to the Ajira plane.
• UnLocke's comment about a wise man saying that a war was coming to the island refers to Widmore's statement when he visited the real Locke in Season 5. Once again, the Man in Black is able to access Locke's memories.
• I really liked the scene with Sun's emotional tirade in Korean while everyone stood around with no idea what she was saying.
• Zoe is a geophysicist, a scientist who studies the physical characteristics of the Earth.
• I presume the Shar Pei dog in the photos of Ji-Yeon on Sun's camera is Bpo Bpo, the same dog Jin gave Sun back in Season 1.
  
• What did Widmore mean when he told Jin that everyone "will simply cease to be" if the Man in Black is able to leave the island? The destruction of mankind? As many people asked me, so is Widmore the good guy? I'm not sure it's that black and white (no pun intended). Of course, is anyone who they seem on this show?
• As opposed to her reaction to UnLocke, Sun readily accepts Jack's outstretched hand.
• Jack really has become a different person since the lighthouse. Will he be the next protector of the island? His last name is Shephard.
• Now we know who was locked in the sub: Desmond. But why? And why did he need to be so heavily drugged? What is his significance to this, and maybe the other, time line?
  

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

• The hotel clerk told Sun her room was on the 8th floor.
• Jin insisted on 2 hotel rooms.
• Jin's room was number 842.
• UnLocke told Claire he was 3 people shy of getting off the island.
• Sawyer started to tell Kate they could be screwed 6 ways from Sunday.
  

Previews
Next week's "Happily Ever After" features Desmond in a "deeply emotional episode that will make you smile" and "involves some surprising old friends coming back into the mix in the alternate time line and someone seeing the truth", according to eonline. I have also read that it turns out Desmond is very special and we'll soon see why he had to be brought to the island.

And does the title refer to him and Penny or a reunion of Jin and Sun? This is also the episode in which we should learn the new four-letter word with no A and an E which characterizes the series. Still sticking with TEST. Although it'll probably be something silly like GLUE or SHOE or DEER. Yes, I'm still dissatisfied with CORK.

Then in two weeks, on April 13, "Everybody Loves Hugo" features two "spirited" appearances by characters from Hurley's life on the island.

Take My First Poll!

To the right is my blog's first poll. Since I seem to be one of the few people who didn't think "Ab Aeterno" (Richard' episode) was one of the best, I'd like my readers to voice their opinion. The poll will be open until next Friday, April 2.

"Ab Aeterno" (Season 6, Episode 9)

"From eternity." "Since the beginning." "For long ages." These are all what the title of tonight's show essentially translates from Latin. Now, I may be in the minority here, but I was somewhat underwhelmed by this episode. It could be that I bought into the hype (most provided by myself in this very blog!). Or as my co-worker Scott thought, the story was so straightforward, there wasn't much for me to have to point out. And subtitles on Lost always interfere with my ability to focus on all the little details. As long-time readers of this blog know I didn't typically like the early Jin and Sun episodes for this same reason. My expectations for Richard's back story was to start with his Black Rock origins but to then move through time, stopping at various points (meeting young Ben, the Dharma purge) until the present. I wasn't necessarily crazy about the telenovelas approach. I was also hoping for a more literal four-letter word for the island, revealing what it is, and not the more metaphorical "cork".

Best Line

• "Oh, this should be interesting." Ben comment at the camp fire right before Jack is told about UnLocke.
  

Did You Notice?

• This was the first episode this season to not feature flash-sideways to the 2004 time line, but only flashbacks.
• The close-up of Ilana's eye opening is classic Lost imagery.
• Richard's rant that they're all dead and in Hell was said to throw us off. I'm not buying in to that theory. Early on, the producers stated they weren't dead and it wasn't all a dream.
• Ricardo's home island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands would, in March 1977, be the sight of the deadliest plane crash in aviation history. Two Boeing 747s collided on the runway, resulting in 583 fatalities.
• Did anyone else for a second think the Spanish priest was Cheech Marin, the actor who plays Hurley's dad?
• In prison, the Bible opens to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4, verse 37. In this chapter, Jesus has returned from his time in the desert, where he thwarted the temptation of the Devil. As verse 37 approaches, a man with a "spirit of unclean devil" challenges Jesus, who then summons the devil out of the man, much to the amazement of those present.
• The captain of the Black Rock (although we don't see him) is mentioned by Whitfield to be Magnus Hanso. This is the great-grandfather of Alvar Hanso, founder of the Dharma Initiative. Magnus is apparently killed when the ship crashes on the island as one of the officers on deck is overheard to say he is dead when Ricardo and the other slaves are below.
• Since the Black Rock destroys the four-toed statue in the late 1800's, when the Oceanic survivors were jumping through time and momentarily saw the statue intact, this obviously was at a time prior to this.
• In last season's finale, we saw Jacob and the Man in Black on the beach watching a sailing ship on calm waters under a blue sky. It was presumed to be the Black Rock. However, last night's events show a tumultuous sea with waves strong enough to lift the ship to the head of the statue and strong enough to smash through it. If Jacob is responsible for bringing people to the island, could he be behind the storm? Whereas the Man in Black has the ability to shape shift and turn into smoke perhaps Jacob's powers relate to water, including the healing pool and controlling the rain? What better way to disperse smoke than with water.
• We have previously seen the Smoke Monster "flash" when reading a person (Eko, Juliet). Is this how he knows about Isabella and is able to take her form to convince Ricardo they are dead and in Hell?
• Was the butterfly that flew into the ship's hold significant? Was it symbolic of the Butterfly Effect, which states that a small change can cause major differences over a long term? Also, immediately after, it began raining with which Ricardo tried to quench his thirst. Was this Jacob's doing?
• In Season 1, wild boars were also a problem scavenging the remains in the wreckage of Flight 815.
• The touch by the Man in Black seemed to bring Ricardo back to consciousness. Jacob did something similar to Locke when his father pushed him out the window.
• The Man in Black's comment to Ricardo, "It's good to see you out of those chains", is what UnLocke said when he first saw Richard at the statue in 2007.
• The dagger and instructions the Man in Black gave to Ricardo are the same as what Dogen gave to Sayid.
• Jacob's forceful way with Ricardo in the water to prove he wasn't dead made me think it was almost like a baptism. Plus, it was similar to what was done to Sayid at the temple.
• Jacob seemed surprised by Ricardo's comment that if Jacob doesn't step in to shape the outcome, then it's only logical that the Man in Black will. It was if he had never considered that. Is this why Jacob then involved himself in the lives of the Oceanic candidates?
• So Jacob cannot bring back the dead or absolve someone of their sins, but he can, with a touch, grant everlasting life.
  
• Jacob's gift of the white rock ties back (forward?) to the white rock on the scale in Jacob's cave that UnLocke tossed into the ocean.
• In what I like to call the "Ghost Whisperer" scene near the end, did you notice Hurley did not translate everything Isabella said but Richard seemed to hear her and even responded to her?
  
• So if the wine represents Hell, malevolence, evil, and darkness, and the cork is the island, what is the bottle itself? I think this is important since the Man in Black smashed the bottle, proving the wine can be removed without using the cork. Is the bottle mankind's resolve? Its spirit?

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

• Jacob told Ilena in the hospital that there are 6 people he needs her to protect.
• Ricardo's Bible opens to Chapter 4 of the Gospel of Luke.
• Whitfield explains to Ricardo that there are only 5 officers left after they are shipwrecked.
  

Previews
Next week, this episode will not be are-run at 8 p.m. Of course it's the one episode that we would want to have enhanced. Damn you, Dancing with the Stars! At 9 p.m. ET, "The Package" airs featuring Jin and Sun. In their flash-sideways, we learn something about their relationship. Did you notice that the Customs agent in the premiere referred to Sun by her maiden name? Hint, hint. I believe we will also learn from UnLocke what is needed for them to leave the island. And possibly in connection to that, it will be revealed that a female character is "expendable". Is this why we saw what appeared to be an unconscious Sun in the jungle in the previews? And does this mean the Kwon who is the candidate is in fact Jin?

Upcoming
Ready for another hint of what's to come?A new four-letter word will be revealed in two weeks which is very important. This word has no A's, one E, and as of Episode 11, it will be clear that this four-letter word is what this series is ultimately all about. It's also the word that just might end up connecting the two time lines of this season. My guess: TEST. Mankind being tested by Jacob and the Man in Black to prove our worthiness.

The fifteenth episode, airing May 11 (which I think means one week without a new episode) will focus on Jacob and the Man in Black and we should expect it to be different than the pattern of this season's other episodes.

"Recon" (Season 6, Episode 8)

The title of tonight's episode at face value seems to refer to the reconnaissance UnLocke has Sawyer do on Hydra Island, but as a pun ("re-con"), it could play on the various cons that occur throughout the episode: Jim Ford's sting operation, Zoe's fabricated story, and UnLocke's attempts to ingratiate himself to Kate. Nobody's actions can really be trusted in this episode.

Best Line

• "Well, nobody's perfect." UnLocke to Kate after she referred to him as a dead man.
  

Did You Notice? - 2004 Parallel Time Line

• Bedding a woman for his con was previously done by Sawyer in "Confidence Man" (Jessica) and "The Long Con" (Cassidy).
  
• The woman in bed with Jim Ford is Ava and she is played by Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, who you may know as Gretchen from the TV series Prison Break.
• I like how Ava uses the nickname "Dimples" to refer to Jim. How do you like it, Jimmy?
  
• Is Ava's con man husband someone important? Someone we've seen before?
• Jim's magic word "LaFleur" is of course the alias Sawyer used with the Dharma Initiative.
• Obviously, Jim and Miles are destined to be in law enforcement as their island counterparts held security jobs with Dharma.
• Anthony Cooper (aka the real Sawyer) is Locke's father. So since Locke and he are on good terms (he's invited to Locke and Helen's wedding), are we to presume he changed his ways at some point? And does this mean Jim may be an unexpected guest at the upcoming nuptials?
• Miles' comment about his dad working at the museum indicates Dr. Pierre Chang also left the island before it submerged.
• Will we eventually see who Miles' girlfriend is? Naomi from the freighter maybe?
• If Charlotte is going on blind dates, does this mean she and Faraday are still unrequited lovers?
• We previously saw Charlotte on an archaeological dig in Tunisia when she discovered the polar bear skeleton with the Dharma collar.
• In this time line, Jim Ford chose cop over criminal, although how clean of one is up for discussion. After all, he let Kate flee airport security when he clearly saw she was handcuffed.
• The three books on Jim's dresser (which Sawyer had all read on the island) are:

1. Watership Down by Richard Adams and is often seen as a social commentary using a group of rabbits as the main characters, and chronicling their search for a new place to live after they narrowly escape the poisoning and excavation of their warren by men.
2. A Wrinkle in Time, a children's fantasy novel, written by Madeleine L'Engle, about two children, accompanied by a friend, who search through space and time for their father. It involves an evil that is expanding through the universe and multiple dimensions, culminating in a happy ending.
3. Lancelot by Walker Percy is about Lancelot Lamar, a lawyer, who, when he discovers that he is not the father of his youngest daughter, kills his wife by blowing up their house (shades of Kate). He ends up being confined in a mental institution (shades of Hurley), where he then dwells on the memories of his frightful past. There is a surrealistic element, where reality blends with delirium.

• The man looking for help at the police desk is Liam, Charlie's brother and fellow member of the band, Drive Shaft.
• Mirror Moment of the Week: Jim shatters his reflection in the locker room mirror.
  
• Sawyer had previously told Kate in Season 3 that when he was sick as a child, he watched Little House on the Prairie.
• Charles Ingalls' speech from the rerun is appropriate not only to Jim Ford's obsession with Sawyer but to the theme of Lost itself: "You can spend your whole life worrying about what's going to happen. People aren't really gone when they die, because they live in memories. Memories that sustain us until we see them again."
• Sawyer had given a sunflower to Juliet last season but with better results than what happened with Charlotte.
• "Son of a bitch" is the last line spoken in this time line (when Jim Ford catches fugitive Kate) and it is also the first spoken line of this episode in the island time line (when Sawyer burns his hand on Claire's coffee pot).
  

Did You Notice? - 2007 Island Time Line

• Now we learned where Sawyer and Jin were during the temple attack: Claire's cozy (or is that crazy?) abode.
• I loved the look on Kate's face when she saw Claire's button-eyed, animal skulled substitute for Aaron. "It's all I had." Yikes.
  
• Random thought: Could children Zack and Emma, tail section survivors, end up being the Adam and Eve skeletons?
• The Hydra Station was of course where Sawyer and Kate were kept caged in Season 3 and it is the dress that Ben made Kate wear that Sawyer finds.
• I'm not sure who's the craziest right now: Sayid or Claire?
• Who did kill the Ajira passengers? UnLocke? Widmore's people? And were these folks just traveling to Guam or, like Ilana and Caesar, were they all Jacob's people on the plane with a purpose?
  
• Zoe means "life" in Greek. She is played by Sheila Kelly, who appeared in the 80's TV series L.A. Law and in real life is married to actor Richard Schiff from The West Wing.
• Kate made a point to avoid physical contact with UnLocke and didn't take his hand when he offered it.
• Zoe's whistle to her associates echoed Jim Ford's "magic word" moment to bring in reinforcements at the start of the episode.
  
• Zoe's chubby-faced associate who held Sawyer at gun point is played by Frederick Koehler, who as a child was Allie's son Chip on the 80's TV series Kate & Allie.
• Was there any truth to UnLocke's comments about his crazy mother and his "growing pains" (what's with all the old TV series references?) or was he channeling the real Locke's memories? Locke's mother spent time in the Santa Rosa Hospital (where Hurley was) for schizophrenia and he was in foster homes. Was this UnLocke's way to get sympathy and even cause Kate to be suspicious of Claire, who UnLocke probably also suggested she make nice with Kate.
• The last time Sawyer saw a sub was in 1977 when he and Juliet were trying to leave the island and start a new life.
• What is behind the locked cabin door on the sub? Or should I say who?
• Interesting how Sawyer's reference to the "bodies in the ditch" to Widmore evokes the image of the Dharma members who Ben gassed during the Purge.
• Kate's comment to Sawyer on them having rabbit for dinner is one more bunny reference in the series.
• I presume Sawyer's taking of the sub will include taking the sub captain as well. Because in addition to not being able to fly a plane, I'm pretty sure submarine piloting is not one of his skills.
  

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

• The motel alarm clock reads 8:42.
• Miles says Sawyer flew back 2 days ago.
• Zoe tells Sawyer she spent 2 days dragging the bodies of the Ajira passengers out of the sun.
• Sawyer's apartment number is 245.
• Charlotte points out that Sawyer kicked her out at 3 o'clock.
• Sawyer comments on Zoe's 6 armed com padres.
  

Previews
Next week, 8 p.m. ET: enhanced version, then at 9 p.m. ET: the one we've been waiting for:"Ab Aeterno" in which we will learn Richard's back story and find out what the island is. As Richard says in the previews, "All this? It's not what you think it is." (My latest guess based on the clue of a four-letter word with an "o" is "book".) This episode which is scheduled in a 1 hour and 5 minute time slot will also mark the halfway point of the final season.

Some upcoming spoilers from eonline:

• Someone we have not yet met will have an important message for Hurley next week.
• UnLocke is going to tell Jin how he plans to get off the island and apparently it's pretty juicy.
• There is a "package" up ahead that might be the most butterfly-inducing reveal so far this season. (Faraday coming out of the locked room on the sub?)
  

"Dr. Linus" (Season 6, Episode 7)

Last week, Ben told Sayid there was still time, but Sayid answered "Not for me." Both island Sayid and Sideways Sayid could not change their destiny of being a merciless killer. This week, though we saw that there was still time for Ben.

Best Line

• "I'll have you." A very forgiving Ilana to Ben after he bares his soul and confesses his belief that only UnLocke will have him. I felt this was a very powerful moment.
  

Did You Notice? - 2004 Parallel Time Line

• I loved Dr. Linus' lesson on Elba where Napoleon was exiled: "And it was on this island that everything changed, that everything became clear." How fitting.
• Principal Donald Lawrence Reynolds was played by William Atherton, who you may remember as the obnoxious reporter in "Die Hard" and "Die Hard 2".
  
• Maybe if Leslie Arzt knew his island self was blown up by defective dynamite, he might not complain so much about out-dated lab equipment.
• Substitute teacher Locke's comments about Dr. Linus becoming the man in charge and that it was time for a change foreshadowed UnLocke's similar statements later in the show when he told Ben he could be in charge of the island.
• The weekly moment of reflection occurred when Dr. Linus was looking at himself in the microwave's glass door.
• The kindly, gentler Dr. Linus replaces the oxygen tank for his ailing father whereas the island Ben used gas to kill him.
  
• Think about the impact on the island of Roger Linus taking his son off the island. Ben never met Richard Alpert, never gassed the Dharma folks, and never banished Charles Widmore from the island. Did Widmore stay in charge? Did he leave in this time line before the island became submerged?
• The sailing ship in the history book is very similar to the Black Rock.
• I wonder what two jobs Alex's mother, Danielle Rousseau, has?
• The school nurse's name is Kim Kondracki. Nothing important about that other than it seemed like it could be an anagram.
• When Arzt told Dr. Linus he was a real killer, Ben seemed to have a moment of deja vu as if maybe he remembered that his island self was.
• Dr. Linus telling Principal Reynolds to resign due to his indiscretions with the school nurse mirrored Ben forcing Widmore off the island due to him breaking the rules by having a family off the island, specifically a daughter with an outsider.

Did You Notice? - 2007 Island Time Line

• Revealed in the enhanced version of last week's show, the novel Dogen was reading when Sayid confronted him was Deep River by Shusako Endo. Published in 1993, it tells the story of five Japanese people who gather on the banks of the river Ganges (which the author calls the deep river) to tell their stories of suffering & searching.
• Ilana scrounging for and collecting equipment to "build a shelter" was a cover for her true intentions of creating shackles for Ben. Her handiwork as well as her past use of Latin with Richard makes me wonder if she shares a history with him, perhaps going back to the days of the Black Rock.
• Hurley waking up in the grass made me think of the Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" when he comes to in the field of enchanted poppies.
• Lots of tidbits and teases in Richard's comments for the viewers anxiously awaiting his flashback. For instance, when he appeared in the jungle and Jack asked where he had come from, Richard replied "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." And when Jack responded, "Try me", Richard put him off with "Not yet."
• The books Ben found in Sawyer's tent were Justice and Truth in Action by former British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli and The Chosen by Chaim Potok, published in 1967 which tells the story of two boys, their fathers, their friendship, and the chaotic times in which they live. As for Booty Babes, I think the title speaks for itself.
• I loved that Miles commented on the much maligned Nikki and Paulo, who he obviously got their story from the pair's buried bodies since he never met them. And are we to assume Miles did some digging since he was inspecting one of the buried diamonds at the end?
• How revealing that Jacob did in fact care for Ben based on Miles comments. However, when Ben is explaining himself to Ilana, he still thinks Jacob didn't care.
  
• Hurley was funny trying to figure out Richard's seeming immortality: Time traveler, cyborg, or vampire?
• There appeared to be some scratch marks in the post aboard the Black Rock. Maybe to mark the passage of time? Perhaps we'll find out in two weeks.
• So those touched by Jacob receive the gift of not being able to kill themselves, although others can. This might explain why Michael could run his car full speed into a wall and survive or not be able to shoot himself in the head. That is presuming Jacob touched Michael.
  
• The dynamite test pretty much confirms Jack has made the switch from a man of science to a man of faith.
• I loved the recurring theme of the characters on the beach settling in and being reunited with others while composer Michael Giacchino's stirring score plays. It's no wonder he just won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for Pixar's "Up".
• When Ben exiled Widmore from the island, he was sent away via the submarine. Now, he returns via a submarine, obviously having found the way back to the island. Passing the beach camp, Widmore is presumably heading for the submarine dock.
  

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

• Dr. Linus tells his class that they will discuss chapters 5 and 6 for tomorrow.
• Principal Reynolds points out that there are only 5 students in the history club.
• Alex says her mother has 2 jobs.
  
• 3.2 million dollars was the amount of Ben's bribe to Miles.
• Miles comments on the 8 million dollars in diamonds buried with Nikki and Paulo.
  
• Dr. Linus has e-mails between Principal Reynolds and the school nurse from a 3 month period.
• Dr. Linus tells Alex he will see her at 4.
  

Previews
Next week, 8 p.m. ET: enhanced version, then at 9 p.m. ET: new episode "Recon". And then in two weeks, the one we've been waiting for: "Ab Aeterno" which is Latin for "from the beginning of time" in which we will learn Richard's back story and find out what the island is. This episode will also mark the halfway point of the final season. Upcoming: The producers recently said that Claire's son Aaron is "important" and "definitely figures into the end of the show." They also said we "will see Walt in some form again".

"Sundown" (Season 6, Episode 6)

Wow! From the amazing opening fight between Dogen and Sayid to the intense final 10 minutes in the temple, this season is bringing it.

Best Line

• "Now why'd you go and do that?" UnLocke to Sayid after being stabbed in the heart.
  

Did You Notice? - 2004 Parallel Time Line

• The cab driver in the opening, although not seen, sounded to me like Miles. Is he not listening to stiffs in the parallel time line, but actually a working stiff?
• The theme of reflection continued in this episode with Sayid's face in the glass window of Nadia's front door.
• Sayid's brother, Omer, was first seen last season in a flashback as a young boy. In the scene, he was unable to kill a chicken for his father and young Sayid had to do it.
• Dr. Jack is seen walking in the hospital corridor when Sayid and Nadia rush in.
• The license plate number on Nadia's mini-van is 2SAQ321, the same as on Jack's jeep. I'm guessing this is a production error and that the show only has so many California license plates in Hawaii where the show is filmed.
• Omar the thug who forces Sayid into the SUV was one of the freighter mercenaries on the island last season.
• The restaurant kitchen where Sayid is taken is the same one where Naomi recruited Miles to go on the freighter with her.
• Martin Keamy, who was the lead freighter mercenary and killed Ben's daughter, was even more creepy in this time line with his ice blue eyes and unusually white teeth.
• How did Jin get from the airport customs office to the kitchen storage locker? Was the money in his suitcase intended for Keamy or his boss (Charles Widmore maybe?) and it was confiscated so Keamy beat him and tied him up?
  

Did You Notice? - 2007 Island Time Line

• Dogen refers to man's scale of good and evil not unlike the actual scale that was in Jacob's cave. Co-worker Dean pointed out to me that when he said good, Dogen gestured with his bare hand and when he said evil, he used his black-gloved hand.
• Now we know the significance of the baseball.
• With UnLocke and Claire at the temple, where are Sawyer and Jin? I wouldn't be surprised if UnLocke sent Sawyer on to the frozen donkey wheel. Both Ben and Locke used this to leave the island in the past so perhaps UnLocke will do so as well.
• Dogen referred to UnLocke as "an angry man" who was "trapped" but now that Jacob is gone, he is "free". He also described him as "evil incarnate". Ah, yeah.
• Dogen's dagger appeared to be made of silver. In folklore, weapons of silver are often used to kill supernatural creatures, such as silver bullets for werewolves.
• When UnLocke pulled the dagger from his chest, it was clean with no blood.
• The song Claire is singing in the hole is "Catch a Falling Star". We first heard mention of this song in the series when she asked the prospective adoptive parents if they were promise to sing this to her baby because her father (Christian) sang it to her. It was also heard later as the song the mobile played in the Dharma nursery and again when Kate sang it to Aaron after they returned from the island.
• Dogen's 12-year old son was first seen last week in the parallel time line at the music conservatory auditions.
• Dogen's car accident is the latest in this recurring theme: Michael's hit and run, Kate's as she tried to escape from the hospital, Claire and her mother's to name a few.
• Jacob's request of Dogen to guard the temple in exchange for saving his son made me think of the biblical story of God testing Abraham by asking him to kill his son Isaac. Isaac coincidentally would become the father of Jacob and Esau - perhaps the Man in Black's real name?
• Sayid drowned in the temple pool and came back to life. Could the same happen with Dogen? However, I'm pretty sure we've seen the last of Lennon with the slit throat.
• The hieroglyph tile on the temple hallway wall that Ilana pushes to open the secret passage is a Shen ring. The Shen ring is an ancient Egyptian symbol of eternity and protection. In ancient Egypt, the Shen ring also represented dual concepts of time: the cyclic line of periodicity and lineal time.
• The use of Claire's lullaby over the scenes of the smoke monster's destruction at the temple was especially haunting.
• What was going through UnLocke's head when he saw Kate join his group?
  

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

• Miles told Sayid he was dead for 2 hours.
• Sayid told Nadia that the kids went to bed 2 hours ago.
  

Previews
As usual, this episode will be rerun next week as the enhanced version at 8 p.m. ET. Next week's new episode is titled "Dr. Linus". It sounds as if we'll see what Ben Linus, European history teacher, is up to while island Ben appears to be at the island cemetery digging up someone (Locke?). Next week is the first of the final 10 episodes that lead up to the two-hour finale on Sunday, May 23.

In three weeks, we can expect to see Richard Alpert's back story. We'll learn why Richard doesn't age and that it is due to a request (I'm guessing from Jacob). It is also in this episode that Jacob reveals to Richard (and the viewers) what the island is. Last week, I told you the first clue was that it is a four letter word with no E or A. Now I've learned it does have an O. So much for the island being a SHIP! My co-worker Judy is adamant the answer will be VOID, which among the word's many definitions, can refer to a place between parallel worlds.

In other upcoming episodes, we will see the return of Faraday's love, Charlotte. She is returning "in a very big way" and she will be "very close to a male lead". Could she be the mother of Jack's son David and not Juliet? She also has piercing blue eyes. (Juliet makes more sense to me based on Jack and Juliet's lives on the island.) We will also find out if Desmond really was on the plane in the season premiere. And, although we won't see Desmond for a while, when we do, Penny will be at his side.

And last but by no means least, episode 15 (third from the final one) is set in a time and place that you have never seen on a network series before. And if that isn't enough to get you thinking, none of the series regulars are in the episode! I'm thinking distant past, maybe Biblical times, with it being Jacob and the Man in Black's back story.

Some "Spoilers" from Lost Producers

At Sunday night's annual William Paley television festival, there was a panel discussion of Lost and producers/writers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof responded to questions. (Although vague, some may consider these spoilers.)

The answer is “yes” to the following: Will Richard and Ilana exchange some words soon? Do some of the characters’ last names have significance, particularly Jack’s? Is Jack married to someone we’ve met before? Was Jacob telling the truth when he said someone was coming to the island? Will we learn more about Hurley and Libby’s connection? Will we see Vincent and Charlie again? Will we learn if Desmond was really on the plane?

The answer is “no” to the following: Will we get a conclusion to the story of Ben’s love, Annie? Will there be a DVD release of the show in chronological order?

The answer is “maybe” to the following: Will the jungle bird that seemingly called out Hurley's name be explained? Will we see Walt again?

The answer is “no comment” to the following: Will we learn why women can’t have babies on the island?

Radio silence: After being bombarded with questions about the show for six years, Cuse said they do not plan on commenting on the series finale after it airs.

Final spoiler from Lindelof: The word he would use to describe the final three hours of the series is “water.”