LOST: Season 5 (with Spoilers)
 

I realize it's still almost 2 months away but ABC is ramping up promotion and I'm getting antsy.

Regarding spoilers in this thread, I think we can surely talk openly about seasons 1 through 4, but should use spoiler tags in the immediate aftermath of newly aired episodes. Naturally, as the season moves on we can talk more openly about earlier episodes.

To whet your appetite here's an official sneak peak from the next season featuring Kate and Aaron at home.



The lingering question I have from Season 4 is how many of the background Lost got killed in the boat explosion.

I`m really looking forward to learning more about the outside forces tied to the island.

This is the best show on TV and I can't wait for it to come back on. Season 4 was great (just as good as season 1 and 2, maybe even better) and had the best episode of the entire series (The Constant). The Heroes writers need to pay attention: THIS is how to write a sci-fi TV show.

Season 4 came out on Tuesday if anyone is interested in updating themselves on the series.

I really hope Jin didn't die. I can't wait for LOST to start!

My boss and a coworker are so totally hooked on Lost that the coworker is taking a trip to Hawaii to go on the "official Lost tour".
I started watching this show its first season but missed a few episodes, came back when the Dharma stuff started and just could not get past the lapses of logic(and the neat hair and makeup on the female survivors). They swear it got better after the first season, so I'm watching it now.

I've been watching season 2 on Fancast, which runs the full episodes, and I'm still having a hard time getting past these lapses, such as:

They've got a hatch loaded with food that they eat, it's not a limitless amount, but they toss the uneaten into the garbage. Hello? Stew? Soup? Taking the seeds and planting a veggie garden? They find stashed food but no one ever rations. And Hurley tosses his stolen stash all over the place instead of putting it back....

There's a now-abandoned lab the size of a high school, yet they all live under tarps on the beach. I'd be like, y'all get sand and sun, I'll be under a roof.

The hatch has a shower and a bathroom, but they pee and shit in the woods.


Locke gets pinned by a hatch door that at the very least should have cracked a femur, but gets up and walks.

A big red balloon is stuck in a tree and three people don't see it until one of them asks why they're not getting wet in the rain. Um, they would have seen that huge red silk as they approached-laws of perspective.

Locke takes an engagement ring out of its box and puts it into a napkin ina picnic basket then later on pulls that ring out of his pocket and it's back in its box.

For an "deserted" island, there sure are a lot of people on it.

Plots get answered, but this logic lapse thing is making me laugh.
Still watching, though....

Man, ngdawg, with all the puzzles they're setting up for you deliberately to worry about, you're worried about that stuff?

I mean, okay--you can watch it however you want to watch it. And you and lurkette are kindred spirits, by the way. But if there was EVER a show that rewarded suspension of disbelief, it's LOST.

Heh. It's a quirk. I do it at movies too and I can't knock people who get hooked on shows as I do too(I was a West Wingiac til its last season, got hooked on The L word and Sons of Anarchy this year, but I still nitpick! ). It's just taking me longer to wrap my head around this when there's so many glitches in their details.
Another one I thought about while watching into the wee hours-if Libby and Hurley were both in the same mental hospital, how come he didn't recognize her? I see people in passing and can recognize them weeks later elsewhere....

I have to assume that Locke put the ring back after Katey Sagal read the phony obit since I looked away for two minutes...

Another clip from the upcoming season:

A new "action packed" promo...

There's a perfectly good explanation for all of these things NG!

They do have a garden. Sun tends to it. There was actually a pretty important scene in the first season that takes place in the garden. Hurley is wasteful, heck their all wasteful. I'd imagine it'd be a hard habit to break, especially when there's an unlimited supply of fish and fruit on the island so you don't have to be too conservative. Also, You don't really know why he's throwing it away. Maybe it was spoiled :)

As for the Hatch and the Abandoned lab, you have to remember the Island is HUGE. These things are hours away from the plane wreckage. The best chance of rescue would be to stay with the wreckage. This is pretty much explained with half the camp moves to the cave and the other half stay on the beach. Also, There was speculation that they were safer on the beach. Really, I wouldn't want to make a 5 hour trek across the dangerous jungle just to take a crap on a toilet. Also, even though the show's been on for over 5 years, time hasn't passed so quickly for the survivors that's only been on the island for like 40 or so days. I'd imagine they would eventually move to the lab or the hatch if they were eventually deemed safe.

As far as miraculous healing, or people surviving otherwise deadly situations, Well that's just part of the island. Expect to see alot of that.

It could be possible to walk up on a large red balloon and not realize it. The thick foliage and if I'm not mistaken it was near dark. You're walking through a jungle keeping your eyes on the ground so you don't step on snake or bear trap. Looking up and getting rain in the eye wouldn't be my highest priority :)

And the Engagement ring thing, That's just tv/movie editing. It happens all the time.

Oh and obviously the island wasn't as deserted as they originally assumed.

Suspension of disbelief, NG! You can do it!

"Oh yeah, Libby says hi."

HA!

Awesomest show evar!

I would have liked to have seen a few more commercials.

This was great. The wait was worth it. From the opening I knew it was gonna be great, again.

i knew it would be her, only hurly can talk to the dead like it was nothing

Don't worry these lapses get me too.

Question: I tried Fancast, but all of the videos say unavailable. Is the site still up and running?

Wow!! One of the few shows that actually gets better as it goes along.

Ana Lucia popping up was an awesome scene... Hopefully that means we'll see more "departed" cast members pop up over the last 2 seasons.

One of the benefits of the island skipping around through time is that we could see both departed cast members in action but also groups from throughout the full history of the island: Dharma, Black Rock pirates, early Others... I suspect the barrage of flaming arrows came from the natives who built the three toed statue.

It was neat to see Desmond running the hatch again and I bet we'll see some other scenes from earlier episodes from different angles, a la Back To The Future 2.

The season is off to a great start!

Gah! How did I not know Lost was starting last night! I missed the first hour (did see Hurley talking to Ana. In fact, one of the first things I saw was "Libby says hi" and I almost shit myself. The double shock of the line and realizing I had missed most of the show.)

Anyone know where on can find the episode on the internet tubes? Hulu? ABC.com?

It's on ABC fer sure. I love LOST, it's my favorite show, but I really almost fell asleep last night.... it just seemed like a scramble to tie loose ends, rather than an ep. of LOST.

I hope we get to see Charlie again.

Yeah same here. The barrage of commercial breaks and the disjointed feel to the episode made me drift off a couple of times.

I got scared because my nose started bleeding during the episode.

I hope we get to see Charlie die again.

Fancast.com
got it on now. less commercials that way

I thought they were going to answer some questions! We got new ones instead, damnit!

Where did we see that older lady that Ben was talking to? It was in some shop in England, I think...

Good eye.

That was Ms. Hawking, the lady in the shop where Desmond went to buy the ring for Penny. She told him some stuff about his future and going to the island.

A lot of people don't seem too happy with the first two episodes, but I think they're pretty damn good. Sure, more questions were brought up than answered, but that's what I love about Lost, there's always some mystery. Right now, there's a fuckload of mystery.

Thanks, Will.

And thanks, Grancey. :)
Her name is Fionnula Flanagan.
I first noticed her in the tv series "How the West Was Won" from the 70's.
I was always attracted to redheaded Irish lasses. :thumbsup:

The decor and equipment in the basement of the church where Ms. Hawking (Stephen!) was working looked very "Dharma" to me. I wonder if it counts as a Station; one that is used for tracking the island.

Did you notice you had a headache and you couldn't remember your mother's maiden name?

Charles Widmore??? This just keeps getting better and better.

Damn it! Lost went like 2 minutes late and my DVR stopped! Now I have to download the whole thing just to hear John Locke finish talking. I can't stand it when networks do that!

That clinches it, I'm dling the rest of the season at 720p off mininova instead of watching it live.

Wow, last night's episode was way better than the season premiere. Charles Widmore WTF.

I think the young Other woman who escorted Faraday to the bombsite is in fact his mother, but more importantly, Mrs. Hawkins! That would explain Faraday's line about her looking familiar. I think when Desmond visits her, we'll see a family photo confirming it.

I wonder how many generations the Others go back on the Island? Their use of Latin tells me they could go back at least to the Black Rock. Perhaps they were the ones who displaced the three toed statue natives; assuming they aren't actually descended from them.

One more crackpot unfounded theory: Now that Time travel is in play, I think Jacob isn't a ghost or spirit, but a man who is "out of phase" with the time frame of the island. How or why, I have no idea.

Ok here is one of my theories. The hatch was built on top of the buried hbomb and the button pushing was something that had to be done in order to stop it from exploding.

That's what I was thinking, but is Faraday aware of it? Maybe when he said she looked familiar that was just his way of reaching out to her without cluing her in to who she is, or rather will become.
The statue was probably Apollo, which suggests that the Greeks were there earlier than the Others (the Others probably having been introduced after the beginning of the Roman Empire considering their use of Latin).
That's an interesting idea, but I thought we'd already established that was a human behavioral experiment. Or was that conclusion reached after the button wasn't pressed and nothing happened?

I've been thinking the same thing. My crackpot theory contribution is that Jacob is John Locke or, perhaps, Aaron.

Nothing happened? The hatch exploded/imploded and there was a giant light that went into the air.

Man, I really need to rewatch that.... :eek:

Somebody hold me. I think my brain exploded/imploded...

OK, I'm insulted.
They made Locke born in 1956 and he looks like that??? All the writers must be under 40 and think anyone born in the 50's is older than dirt.:mad:
So, Richard bounces around in time, explaining his lack of aging.
I'm right there with ya, Fremen....thank goodness I don't watch this on commercial tv- it goes faster online.

It's possible Locke looks a bit more aged because of the incredible stress in his life. Foster homes, being alone, dealing with a scamming father, falling 4 stories and being paralyzed... not to mention all the crap that happened after he got on the island.

Well the actor was born in 52 so he isn't to far off...

Plus, they really "younged" him up in his flash-backs, right up until the box company. Remember that wig he wore while dating Peg Bundy? If you were to put his scenes in chronological order, I think you'd see a significant jump in his apparent age right before coming to the Island.

I think the Neutron Bomb is still buried and unexploded somewhere. It was leaking radiation and wasn't there some kind of sickness on the island?

Besides, it's too handy a plot device to let go. Perhaps it will, you know... help the series end with a bang.

YAAAAHOOOOO!!!
Spoiler: The triumphant return of Jin!!!

Oh, I was SO damn happy about that. I guess he's been bobbing out there since the explosion, shifting through time on his makeshift raft?

Yup, and ran smack dab into a young Danielle Rousseau and her party. :thumbsup:

This time thing is really making my head spin. Bobbing to shore shortly after the explosion, running into Rousseau who is younger (16 yrs younger?) than when she met the original Lost ones, and all of this happening three years after they left? I think I need to draw a chart to keep up.

Now I'm racking my brain as to her interactions with Jin over the past couple of seasons.

I have to say though, I think Jin and Sun are fated to be pulled apart in the end, just like Romeo and Juliet; or perhaps more appropriately, like Bruce Willis and Madeline Stowe in 12 Monkeys. I think their end will ultimately be one of the stronger metaphors for Fate on the show and again and again we'll see circumstances pull them apart.

I felt a little cheated that they actually thought they were making a big reveal at the end when she said her name was Rousseau. I mean, seriously, is there anyone who watches the show that didn't instantly know it was her party as soon as they started speaking French? I kind of doubt it.

I think Jin and Sun's fate will depend largely on how Sun acts. Right now she's firmly opposed to the Island's wishes. I don't think Ben is a good guy, though he's by far my favorite character, but I do think that his primary goal is keeping the island safe. Sun's current quest to kill him and her tentative alliance with Whitmore puts her against that, which might not end up well. I will say that I'd much rather Jin and Sun have the "happy couple ending" than any of Sawyer, Kate and Jack.

Another interesting episode, to be sure. I wish I had the time and energy to filter through all the previous Rousseau episodes to see if they've been consistent with her having met Jin previously. I guess another question is just how long Jin is going to remain in that timeline. I guess he could poof pretty quickly.

+1. That was annoying.

Well that's the thing--when Des met Daniel, he didn't remember him when he met him again later... He didn't remember it until the time was in sync (from Daniel's perspective) with when Daniel forced himself into Des's time continuum. So presumably somewhere Rousseau just sat up and said, "Hey! That Korean 815 survivor guy! He was the dude we rescued when we were coming ashore!"

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm that guy.

Their clothes looked contemporary to me so I thought they were yet another group of interlopers, perhaps a French team looking for Rousseau. Weren't they the ones involved in the Canoe-by shooting of Sawyer's crew who's gear was on the beach at the Lost Camp in modern time?

When she mentioned her name, I actually confused her with the daughter and thought "OMG! The dead girl wasn't the real daughter!!"

I confess I was one that didn't catch it at first, either. I was semi-watching Lost while playing Lego Star Wars.
I paid attention when they zoomed in on Jin, then Rousseau started talking to him and mentioned her name.
It was another cool little Lost moment that keeps me interested in Lost, but they're few and far between, that's why my attention wanders to other things.

Aren't they supposed to be resolving things? How many episodes are there left?

That was...episode 4 of this season, so there are 12 left here and another 16 next season. 28 total. There's PLENTY more conflict and questions to come before you start seeing a lot of resolution. And, to add to that, they've certainly given us a lot of juicy answers. I think if you expect to understand everything at the end of Lost, you will be disappointed. I wouldn't count on all being clear.

They've said right out loud that they WON'T be resolving every single mystery. What would be the fun in that, really?

But this time bouncing business has already answered a lot of things!

Ok, thanks you two. I'm calm now, and I resolve not to let it get to me too much.


/stops gnashing

I don't think there are any spoilers here for a Season 5 thread, but if there are, please someone tell me how to insert spoiler tags if needed or insert them for me (I don't know how).

I haven't posted in this or any other Lost thread until now, but I am getting so fed up with the writers that I have to vent a little. This is really just a rant about my favorite show.

Like ngdawg, I got hung up on every little detail and picked the show to death for the first half dozen episodes or so. Then I realized (after reading online supposition's galore) mystery (pfft, not details) was going to be par-for-the-course and settled in for the ride.

I've been on that ride from episode one and I want off but I can't get off!

I loved the mystery and loose-ends for the first couple of season's, expecting that MOST would be tied up in the near future and then more would take their place. Now, here we are in the 5th season and there are STILL questions not answered from the first season.

The last season, without those answer's, they decided to throw flash-back/time-forward to the current island inhabitant's into the equation. It was entertaining and a good season nontheless, but just threw MORE questions into the mix.

Then we had the writer's strike which led to a huge lapse without Lost and they come back with the new season, having jumps in time from not only the "present" for those who left (future for those on the island), but we are also subject to select people who are on the "past" island jumping through time with the "flashes".

I still am enjoying the show but I find myself getting increasingly frustrated with the (ongoing) lack of answers to the ever growing questions, especially with the finite life of the show now known. If there still aren't answer's now in season five to season one question's (although they hinted at Smokies hidey hole and purpose tonight), then how the hell are they going to handle the last two years? Not forwarding the story, just explaining the past?

Grrr. Yes this is an adult tantrum. Please don't hate me, this has been building for five seasons. :cringe::crazy:

Danielle doesn't know who Jin is in the future because she had not yet met him in her past. By the time she meets him in her past, she is dead in the future.

The time paradox thing works both forwards and backwards.

Desmond wakes up suddenly three years after he is off the island and remembers something Faraday told him months before he left. The meeting hadn't happened yet when Faraday first meets Desmond when Faraday gets to the island.

It is like even though all the backwards and forwards is presently going on, in the big picture, time, or whatever you want to call it, (the collective consciousness?) is still moving forward.

Another great episode last night. BTW anyone notice how the lack of Hurley in the episodes makes the show better? I really hate his character. He adds nothing to the show.

BTW I didn't get that it was Rousseau on the raft either until she said her name.

I wonder, given their shared first names, if there's a connection between Daniel Faraday and Danielle Rousseau.

Eh, he doesn't look that old to me. He's got that ageless maturity that JL Pecard has in Star Trek TNG.

I love this show. My new favorite. I just started watching it a few months ago. And it's a lot better watching ~6 episodes or so a week rather than at best, 1 per week when its new. It's a lot easier to catch a lot more, plus its easier to sit back and enjoy the mystery when you know you can watch the next episode right away. I almost wish I could wait till the season was over before I watched it, alas my cohorts won't let me.

I admit that I didn't know it was Danielle Rousseau until the reveal. I wasn't really paying attention to the language they were speaking. I wonder if going down into the smoke monster cave had anything to do with Danielle's friends getting "sick?" To me it sounded like the guy yelling was awfully conscious when he was yelling he was OK and that the smoke monster was gone considering he just had his arm ripped off.

Terry O'quinn doesn't look that old.. I mean he's not even 4 years older than his character and as others have said, he's had a stressful life. Not to mention every on the island looks like crap. I'm sure he'll look better when he gets a shower and a healthy meal in him when he gets off the island.

Halfway through last night's episode, our power blew. I blame my idiot neighbor doing who know's what in his back yard, but I have no proof. Just finished watching the complete episode online. It keeps getting better.....

Weren't those hieroglyphs written outside the structure the smoke monster pulled the Frenchman into?
Were Egyptians the only peoples to use hieroglyphs?

And, boo to Las! Hurley brings much comic relief to a show that takes itself too seriously.
They need him. :)

I had a feeling he was never really dead anyway since the explosion was behind him. Plus Sun's intent on destroying Widmore and her own father because she blamed them. Soon as she took Hurley to the grave marker, the light went on.....
Now to find out what Sawyer whispered before he jumped into the water...
Yea, I'm still picking it apart as I watch it, but I do watch it, dammit...

I know this post was from a while ago... but my favorite part of the hatch's purpose was discovering that it was Desmond's procrastination that released the electromagnetic energy in dangerous - but not yet irreversible - levels and caused flight 815 to tear apart in midair. A much more satisfying explanation than the 'fate' answer they often give.

I'm not sure I'd say that following your so-called "partner" to catch him red-handed planning to ditch you with the button then accidentally killing him constitutes "procrastination".

Tomayto, tomahto. He was looking for something to distract him from button-pushing and found it. It's really an allegory for the damage that excessive Halo tournaments can do to your future - you might skip over that paragraph snippet in your physics book that tells you how an electromagnetic force of sufficient size can tear apart a plane in mid-flight if pilot/agent Eric Weiss changes course and BAM! Nose bleeds.

This season just keeps getting better. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what got Hurley, Kate and Sayid there (and the fate of Aaron, of course), but that was quite the enjoyable episode and I'm glad we're back on the island instead of still in LA. Because, let's be honest, the island is way cooler.

Though I will lament the probable lack of Desmond. Oh well.

I'm still not sure Desmond isn't on the plane. If he's not, he'll be on his boat. Something tells me Ben's current physical state has to do with the promise he made to Charles Widmore.

I don't think there's a guitar in Hurley's case. And I loved the shout out to Y:The Last Man. Nice going BKV!

Looking forward to next week and the story of Jeremy Benthem!:thumbsup:

Eh, I think the fate of Aaron is easy-he's with Claire's mother.

Certainly. Penny's dead. Des is coming for Ben. The island's not done with him.

That case re-enacts Charlie's guitar case on the original flight, I guess. Maybe its presence compensated for the missing baby? And... YES! Y: Il Ultimo Hombre!!! I recognized the cover art before I really read the title, but when I saw it, I paused the DVR and screamed right out loud.

The next question is, what time is it? Jinn came up in Dharma kit, truck, uniform, and weapon. So we're presumably pre-"hostile coup". Have we been so long since a flash that Jinn has integrated himself with Dharma? Will the flashing stop, now that the Six are back? (Well, five of them plus a guitar case and presumably the other passengers we met--"Sorry about your friend" guy and Sayid's federal marshal among those we'll see again, obviously)

I think the flashing stopped when John "fixed" the wheel-it being off its axis was causing the time flashes. The question is, at what point in time did it stop? Jinn smiles so he knows them.
I agree, something is going to involve those other two on the plane, but what about Frank Lapidus?

I wouldn't be totally shocked if Kate were pregnant, either, but we'll just have to see. I'm not at all convinced that Penny is dead at this point, though it's certainly a strong possibility for why Ben got all busted.

Here's a new photo of Ben and Whidmore together:
http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content..._star_trek.jpg

Wow.

Could that episode have been any better? I love how they're setting up their final season. I'd go into spoilers, but I have no idea how to hide it, so I'll just say... I'm sure Ben had a reason for doing what he did and I want to know what that reason is right now... dammit. :)

John Locke is the awesome. It'll be interesting to see how all this plays out.

---------- Post added at 10:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 AM ----------

Me too. My first thought on the book was, "Hey, isn't that 'One Small Step'?"

I think we are back pre-hostile coup. When Charles Widmore says theres a war coming and John needs to make sure the right side wins I'm sure he means, Locke kicks Bens ass, Dharma stays on the island, Widmore is never exiled. The question is... is he telling the truth? Who has the islands best interests at heart, Ben or Charles?

I'm putting my money on Ben. While Ben has been shown to be, without question, ruthless, cruel and manipulative, there has never been a shred of doubt in my mind that he's doing what he honestly believes is in the best interests of the island and, whatever else, I'm pretty sure we're supposed to be on the side of the island. Until this episode, the show has repeatedly and deliberately shown Charles to be in it for himself. The commandos, his treatment of Desmond and his daughter, etc. I don't have any faith in his pitch to Locke, because he's not comported himself in a way that makes him in any way reliable. And, if nothing else, I think Jacob-whoever or whatever he is-and Richard are the best clues we have as to what the island wants. Both of them seem to approve of Ben and his leadership. Richard didn't seem at all pleased with young Widmore, and we've never seen Charles with Jacob. Guess we'll have to see.

My only guess about Ben's killing of Locke is that he knew enough to know that for the six to get back, the plane needed to have conditions as close as possible to the original crash-which included a dead body and that a suicide wouldn't be close enough circumstances for the island. On the note of killing Locke, assuming he ever meant for him to stay dead, Ben is not doing so well. Island/Locke 2; Ben 0.

Ben only killed Locke when he told him Jinn's wishes. So Ben wants all of them to go back.

Btw, a portal from a tropical island to a fucking desert in Tunisia? Epic!

Hmmm, I correlated Locke's murder with the admission that Locke knew about David's mother. I'll rewatch tonight and see what's up. If you're right, that would make a lot of sense.

I've been trying to puzzle this out.... In what way exactly would THAT make sense? I don't get it at all!

We're talking about Daniel's mother, right? Eloise Hawking?

We don't really know anything about Ben's attitude toward Ms. Hawking. This is probably a mystery to be later revealed. But I agree, Hawking was the keyword that prompted Ben to kill Locke. Either that, or it was the information that Ben needed out of Locke before killing him as he had already planned.

I'm still not sold on either Ben OR Widmore being a good guy. I'm actually speculating that the intelligence that possesses the Island, Jacob, isn't good either. My prediction for the series' end will involve the flight 815 survivors putting a stop to a - as it's revealed - selfish and valueless war by destroying the Island. Perhaps with a handily buried H-bomb?

I posted those Star Trek characters' photo for a reason. I believe neither Widmore and Ben are "Good" or "Evil"; only that they are locked (ha!) in opposition. Their time is done and the Island stands alone, needing someone like Locke to do what's right.

For what it's worth, I believe Richard has his heart in the right place too. He just isn't Locke, who is special. Furthermore, now that he's been resurrected and is back on the Island, John has fully accepted his role and fate, whatever that is.

I can't wait to see John's next meeting with Ben.

A curiously flat episode this week. I have no idea why they would take up an hour of time, with such limited episodes left, to go into so much detail about what had happened with Sawyer, Juliette, Miles and Daniel. I feel like we could've seen this through some flashbacks, instead of dedicating and entire episode to it.

Maybe the question of "Will Sawyer and Kate get back together?" is much more intriguing to some other people than it is to me. I got bored of the Jack-Kate-Sawyer-(Juliette) stuff a long time ago. Next week should make it up.

I liked last night's episode. I thought it was very moving and had particularly good acting from Sawyer and Juliette (who I usually hate).

I agree with you about the Jack-Kate-Sawywer triangle but I thought it was a decent episode that offered a lot of story (three years in fact) in one hour. We got to know some of the Dharma players, saw their relationship with the Others (WTF with Paul's execution out in the valley? Damn, they really are ruthless - even with Richard at the helm), and even got a couple of hints about the ancient inhabitants of the island. They've also set up conflicting loyalties amongst the losties by having Sawyer and Co. embedded with Dharma for so long. Not too shabby.

I think it's always a bit of a let-down after we're given the answers to the mysteries that have buoyed the show so far. The mysterious Dharma foundation is a lot less mysterious once you get to know them. It's a reall catch-22 for the writers as we contantly howl for answers.

Back to the episode, the statue looked to me like Anubis, giving credence to the theory of an ancient Egyptian inhabitation. I'm betting that Ankh necklace is an artifact Paul found on the island rather and one he imported. I also wouldn't be surprised if their new baby boy will grow up to be someone we already know.

I still can't wait for Ben to wake up and see John smiling down at him.

--EDIT--

Oh yeah, one more thing: I think the actor who plays Richard Alpert could pass for Egyptian. How old is he really? oooOOOooo!

Wait! So could Ceasar from the new losties! That's more of a reach but that's the fun of this show.

I love how this show continually makes you rethink your alliegences to characters. First we had the Losties, and the "Others" were the enemy. Then, we weren't sure about the others and the Dharma folks seemed like the bad guys. Now, even the Dharma folks seem ok (Especially now that some of our losties are mixed in with the Dharma, it's like chocolate and peanut butter!)

I dug how the group last night was a little mix of everyone, we had Sawyer and Jin (OG Losties), Daniel and the other dude from the freighter and Julia (Post Dharma Other), mixing with the Dharma folks and living with them for three years. Funny how we saw what everyone but Daniel were doing at the initiative. Where could he be...

I'm not a big Sawyer fan, but I think the actor does an excellent job with the character and I liked seeing Sawyer and Julia together. Good episode that leaves me hungry for next week.

Hey! Jin lost his accent!

Did anybody recognize Horace? He has been on two previous episodes. In season 3's episode called The Man Behind the Curtain we see Horace pulling over in the car and helping Ben's parents right after Ben is born in the woods and right before his mother dies. Also, when Ben's father is hired by Dharma several years later it was his old buddy Horace (the leader of Dharma) who hired him. Horace is the reason Ben was brought to the island. I wonder how much further they will have to go to get to that point in time?

Well, for two things, he's warning Charlotte not to return to the island and he's working at the Orchid and looking on in astonishment as the Dharma Orientation guy is mentioning the time travel possibilities.

As much as I'd think I'd hate it on paper, I like how the time travel is blurring the distinctions between flashbacks and flash forwards. Which does Faraday at the Orchid - in that previous episode - count as?

Horace was the ghost in the woods, the architect of Jacob's cabin right? Where is Ben in the 1977/1974 timeline. Horace brought him there when he was an infant and since Ben is at least 50 now he had to be 20+ years old during the time that Sawyer and company spent at the DHARMA camp.

Are we to assume Amy's baby is a known, important character in the show? With a Date of birth sometime in 1977, Hurley is the only one that matches. That's a long shot given that he doesn't look that much like the woman(Amy) that gave birth in this episode..

Personally I liked this episode, I thought it was important to age Sawyer the same number of years as the oceanic six. It puts them all on even footing. If they hadn't done that Kate would have been away from Sawyer for 3 years but Sawyer would remember seeing Kate just days before. They just had to give him to get over her and find someone else before bringing them back together.

Liked the episode, but had to watch it online. I guess my cable company screwed it up, that channel was frozen until about 25 minutes into the episode. Anyone else get that?

I just hope the island doesn't turn out to be the Garden of Eden...

i really enjoyed this episode compared to last weeks, which i thought was extremely boring until ben hung locke. other than that, it was a worthless hour to me. this weeks was much more intriguing and had a lot of interesting twists and story lines.

Hurley might not be 32 and it's entirely possible Jack, Kate or Sawyer are.
Anyone else notice that Jack's mother is played by Veronica Hamil(Hill Street Blues) but hasn't been on very much? Don't pass on anything these guys might think up....

Ben came onto the island as a 'tween--probably 11 to 13. And there's no way the current Ben is 50. I think he's in his early to mid 40's. So that puts his arrival at the island as... imminent.

Of course, he's also already there, having left and come back on the new plane crash.

As we were watching this episode, the question came up: so those guys boarded a plane in 2008 (or something) and crashed into 1977? How'd that happen? I think the answer is simply: Because that's when the island is.

I'm pretty sure the plane wreckage and the rest of the passengers are still in present day, as shown by the scenes with John and Ceasar snooping around the abandonded Dharma office.

I think the island's time frame was in a hightened state of flux when the plane passed by, which can explain their split arrival.

Interesting. Cesar did say that Hurley disappeared from out of the plane mid-crash...

The question then becomes, why didn't Ben, John and (apparently) Sun, (who I think stole the canoe and with Pilot Guy in present day) jump to 1977 as well?

Perhaps the show's anti-paradox time travel rules here forbid any situation where present day and past/future day people could interact. If Tween Ben is already there in '77 (or due anyday) then the island blocked him. Perhaps this is why Charlotte had to die.

Personally, I like the idea that Ben first meets the Lost as a teen and has known and been waiting for their first arrival all this time.

Going farther afield here, then perhaps Sun is there too as a child. I wouldn't be surprised by a link between her wealthy family and Dharma.

As for John? Well, he's "special" and that's enough for me.

Well, and he bounced around through various timeframes, including the pre-Purge Dharma era. If your theory about not being able to interact with yourself is true (and if whatever's enforcing that is intelligent--Jacob/Christian?) then the only safe thing would be to bring him to present-day time when he hadn't been yet.