LOST at Comic-Con!

Thanks to reader/commenter, T., who sent us this link regarding the Lost preview/panel at Comic-Con, this past weekend in San Diego.  I would have cut my right arm off to have been there for it.  No lie.

Also, Ain't It Cool has all 4 videos  from the Comic-Con panel, as well as two teaser/spoiler videos.  Click here if you're a super fan/nerd. Like me.  Ahem.

Enjoy!

Who Wants To Own a Piece of The Island?

ABC has announced when the series ends, they will be auctioning off "Lost" props, costumes and set pieces to the highest bidders.

A few of the reported items up for grabs: Hurley's winning lottery ticket, Locke's hunting knife, Kate's toy plane and Charlie's guitar.

(Hmmmm... I wonder if they'll be auctioning off a shirtless Desmond...)

What item would you like to see up for bidding? What iconic prop would you like to win?

*UPDATE: Lots of pics of the auction items can be found here!

*UPDATE #2: Looks like I can get my can of Dharma beer! HA!

The Incident, Part 3

My apologies for not having this up sooner... but, such is life.

If you need to recap the, uh... recap: Part 1 & Part 2

2007

In this installment of the finale recap, there is only one encounter during 2007, so I'll start with that. Locke, Richard and the rest of the Others finally reach the four-toed statue (or rather, what's left of it)

Richard reveals to Locke that Jacob lives beneath the statue... Locke sure does look surprised by this news. Hmmmm...

Flashbacks

First up is Jack's dura sac surgery... the one he told Kate about in the pilot episode. Christian is observing the operation, but when Jack can't calm down, he threatens to take over.

After the surgery, Jack takes his anger out on a poor, unsuspecting candy machine. Christian comes to tell Jack the surgery was a success, but Jack confronts his father regarding Christian's putting him in a "time-out in front of my team" and accuses Christian of not believing in him. It's then that Jack has a very brief encounter with Jacob... but they touch fingers, nonetheless.

The other flashback pertains to Juliet... her parents are telling her and her sister of their decision to divorce.

Kat points out that while this is supposed to take place sometime in the 1970s, nothing... the hair, the clothes, the furniture... looks very 70s-ish...

Juliet's mother tells her, "Just because two people love each other, doesn't always mean they're supposed to be together". And we also should note that this is the only flashback that does not involve Jacob.

1977

The events from 1977 left off with Sawyer, Juliet and Kate standing in the road, blocking the VW van.

When Jack busts out of the van, Sawyer tells him they need to talk... Sawyer needs "5 minutes to say what I gotta say". Jack agrees to listen, and follows Sawyer into the jungle.

Sawyer tells Jack the story of how his parents died... and that this just happened last year. Sawyer could have taken the sub to the mainland and stopped his dad... but explains to Jack the reason he didn't is because "what's done is done". Jack counters that it doesn't have to be that way. Sawyer wants to know what did Jack "screw up so bad the first time around" that he is now willing to blow up a nuclear bomb in order to have a second chance. Jack confesses he wants Kate back but it's too late for him to "just go get her". Jack tells Sawyer his 5 minutes are up and goes to leave... but then, the rumble in the jungle ensues!

Y'all, this smack down has been five years in the making...

Juliet breaks up the fight (if you can call it that... "fight" usually refers to 2 or more persons, but Jack was clearly getting his butt whooped). She tells Sawyer that she has changed her mind, and that Jack is right in setting off the bomb. Sawyer demands to know why Juliet has changed her mind...

Juliet's answer is that maybe they were never supposed to be together and tearfully tells Sawyer, "If I never meet you, then I never have to lose you."

I'm sure Lula will wax poetic on the brilliant acting of Josh Holloway and Elizabeth Mitchell in the next portion of the finale recap... and she would do these two more justice than I ever could... but let me just say it was at this point of the finale where my tears started flowing...

Whilst Juliet is telling Sawyer about her change of mind, Kate and Jack have their own heart-to-heart.

In regards to setting off the bomb, Jack tells Kate, "nothing in my life has ever felt so right" and that he needs to know Kate believes that.

Jack: "Are you with me?"

Kate: "Yes."

Jack: "Then let's go."

Let's go, indeed...

Funniest Ever.

Please watch.  Please Love...

Are you kidding me?

Gandalf?

Joker

Captain Jack

Harry Potter

and

EDWARD????

All on the island.  Together.  As it should be.  Amen.

Brilliant.  Hilarious.  Genius.  

The Incident, Part 2

Picking up where Kat left off...

The second half hour of the show delved us deeper into the Jacob backstory, followed our favorite threesome as they escaped from the sub and their collision course with Jack and his entourage as they head towards Jughead. Plus, we get a little more insight into Locke and Ben, while the mystery surrounding Ilana and her crew's mission on the island deepens. So much sussing, let's get going!

Jacob
In this segment, we see Jacob visiting more of the island’s visitors. First, it is Ilana. As she lays in a Russian hospital bed, covered from nose to toes in bandages, Jacob comes in and asks for her help. Although we don't know her or her motivation, it is evident that she won't refuse his request.

The next time we see him, Jacob is sitting on a city bench reading Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge.” Yet another example of Lost’s brilliance. This subtly placed book is about human weakness and morality, certainly a topic that has been addressed quite frequently in the Lost world. We hear a shattering of glass and a body falls to the ground. Jacob casually gets up and walks over to a bloody and still John Locke. He looks at him for a moment before touching his shoulder. Locke draws a breath and looks at him with bewildered eyes as Jacob says, “Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright,” and then he walks off.

Finally, Jacob visits Sun and Jin at their wedding. As the newlyweds receive well-wishers, Jacob steps up to them. He touches their arms as he tells them that their love is a special thing and should never be taken for granted.

Jacob visits each of them as they are at some turning point, we saw it with Sawyer, Sayid and Kate and now, when Locke and Ilana lie at death's door, Jacob comes along to bring them hope and a renewed vigor for life. With Sun and Jin, he is reinforcing their commitment to each other, the same one that will have them leaving Korea together with the hopes of starting a new life together in Los Angeles. For each, Jacob has gently nudged them in the direction of the island.

The Good Guys?
Ilana and her team trudge through the jungle carrying “the box” while Lapidus and Bram talk. You just gotta love Lapidus and his straightforwardness. When Bram tells him they’re the good guys, Lapidus says, “In my experience, the people who go out of their way to tell you they’re the good guys. They’re the bad guys.” Ain't it the truth, Lappy, ain't it the truth.

As those words are still hanging in the air, they come up on the burnt shell of Jacob’s cabin. Bram points out that an ash line circling the cabin has been broken. (Methinks the ash line might be some sort of protective circle? But whether it protects those within from those outside or the reverse is up for debate.) Ilana goes in and looks around. In the ruined interior, she passes over a mostly unharmed picture of a dog (Anyone have any ideas about that one?) and then spies the piece of tapestry stuck into the wall with a knife. She brings it out and shows it to Bram. The fabric has a picture of Sobek, the Eqyptian god of creation, the very same god that is featured in the giant statue.

After telling them that someone else has been using the cabin (Esau perhaps?? Posing as various dead people? Christian...Claire...) Ilana orders the men to torch the cabin and they set off back into the jungle.

The Leader
En route to the statue, Locke leads the group through the camp once inhabited by the 816 survivors, where he suggests they take a break. Ben and Locke sit down for a tete a tete and Ben asks why Locke wants him to kill Jacob. Locke says that after all he has been through: the cancer, losing his daughter and being exiled; the bigger question is why he wouldn’t want to kill Jacob.

In the last few episodes, we have certainly seen a different side of Ben, less sure of himself. I miss the old sneaky, conniving bad-ass Ben of yore.

The Escapees
Sawyer, Juliet and Kate row towards the island as the submarine sinks into the water behind them. As they pull the boat up onto the shore, a giant rainbow hovering over their shoulders, Vincent comes running out of the jungle. Sawyer ruffles his fur and we hear a very distinctive voice.

“Oh, hell no....Bernard! They found us.”

Out walks Rose and a shaggy Bernard, looking very Charleton Heston Moses with the beard and the staff. Bernard and Rose take them back to their little slice of heaven retirement cottage, and while the threesome try to talk them into helping them on their quest to stop Jack, the couple go about their normal activities. "You traveled back 30 years in time and you’re still trying to shoot each other?” Rose says.

As he turns them down, Bernard doles out some of his wisdom: “So we die, we just care about being together, that’s all that matters.” To which Sawyer looks at Kate. Why, oh, why did he look at Kate? Juliet, of course, sees this. Breaks. My. Heart. Bernard points them on their way and they head off for the Dharma camp. As they turn to leave, Bernard offers Juliet a cup of tea, which she declines as she touches her stomach. (Does he recognize her heartbreak?) I swear I thought she was pregnant then! Still kind of do.

I was so happy to see Miss Rose and Bernard again. Their absence has been one of those question marks hanging over the show for me. Did they travel back in time with the rest of the gang? If so, or not, what time were they in? Were they the skeletons in the cave?

The Heroes
Hurley careens through the forest in the intrepid blue VW bus while Jack and Jin work to save the injured Sayid. As they bump along, Hurley and Miles attack them with a barrage of questions. Suddenly, Hurley brings the van to a screeching halt.

Sawyer, Juliet and Kate stand blocking their path, guns drawn.

Yep, it's on.

Stay tuned for the next installment of The Incident, to be posted soon by Shannon.

The Incident, Part I

I have been watching LOST from the beginning. I could never get my husband to watch. But, I do watch it with my mom. Who is constantly lost. Thank goodness for the dvr so that we can pause it. And I can attempt to explain what is going on. Remind her (and myself) that we have seen a certain character before. Or tell her about some wild theory that I read on Lostpedia.

I hear so many people "complain" that the show is too confusing. That they shouldn't have to watch a show that requires them to do research about what they have seen. That you shouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to follow a tv show.

Well. For me. That is what I LOVE about this show. It's smart. It makes me think. It gets all my conspiracy juices flowing. And really, my benchmark for a good book is one that sends me to the computer to look stuff up. Why shouldn't a tv show challenge us as well?

Now, when Lula had the thought for this blog...I loved that I was included. But a little brain surgery took over my life. And it's rare that I come up with something interesting and original. I do have my moments though. And I am hoping that you'll bear with me while I re-cap the first 30 minutes of "The Incident" and intersperse it with a wild hair...and maybe a few bunny trails.

So when the episode opens...and we see the clay jars, the hemp sandals, the spinning wheel, and the loom. Did you just know it was Jacob we were seeing? I just knew it had to be him. And as I was watching. Especially as he works the thread up the loom. And then later in the show when he talks about creating the tapestry. It so reminded me of the Greek myth about the fates. That one is in charge of spinning the thread of life. Another in charge of measuring out the length. And the final in charge of cutting the thread. Is it relevant? Who knows.

Next we see Jacob getting a fish from his trap and cooking it on hot stones. And as he sits down to enjoy his meal, we see a clipper ship in the ocean - and what can only be the Black rock.(Hey...anyone notice that Juliet hits the bomb at the end with a black rock? Relevant? Who knows. Bunny trail number one.) Soon Jacob is joined by another man. And the symbolism screams from the tv screen. Jabob in his white shirt (but...he does have black pants on) and this guy...who I'll call Esau...in his black shirt. Jacob with his blond hair. Esau with his black hair. Light and dark. Plain as day. But. Really. Even by the end of the episode...I am not convinced of who are "the good guys."

Esau wants to know how the ship found the island...and then he realizes that Jacob has brought them here. And Esau is disgusted. "They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt." And that comment is the one that makes me doubt that Esau is bad. He wants peace and tranquility. Not the nonsense that people bring with them in their luggage and their psyche. And then Jacob says "it only ends once...anything before that is progress."

I have been pondering that quote for a while. I really didn't know what he meant. And I am still not sure. Does he mean that everything is progress towards the end? That "the end" is the goal?

Finally Esau tells Jacob that he really wants to kill him. And that he cannot wait to find the loophole. And then we get our second glance at the full statue. Which I think is the Egyptian goddess Tawaret - the goddess of fertility.

Our next scene is between Kate and her friend Tom - with Tom holding that toy airplane (I don't recall the significance of it. Do ya'll? I remember that it was in a safety deposit box in one episode. I think.). They are contemplating a life of crime. All I am sure due to the influence of the New Kids on the Block. "Katy" is caught by the store owner who says that he is going to call the cops and her parents. But who should appear to rescue Kate but Jacob, who offers to pay for the lunch box. While making Katy promise to never steal again...while at the same time, playfully touching her nose.

In another flashback, we are shown Sawyer at his parents' funeral. After the guests and coffins have departed for the cemetary, Sawyer is still there. Composing his letter to Mr. Sawyer. Jacob appears on the scene and offers him a pen. And touches his hand as he hands him the pen. Then Sawyer's uncle appears and asks James to move on. Not to finish the letter. Because "what's done is done." So...why do you think Jacob visits Kate and Sawyer in their youth...and everyone else when they are adults?

And the last flashback of the first half hour is Sayid's. Sayid and Nadia want to plan an anniversary...but Nadia really just wants to find her sunglasses. They are at a cross walk, and Jacob stops Sayid to ask for directions. Nadia finds her sunglassesand is struck by a car - and the driver speeds away. (Did you gasp outloud when she was hit??!) So. Here is my question for you. When Jacob stops Sayid...is he killing Nadia or saving Sayid?

Then we shift to the sub. Where Kate informs Sawyer that they have to get out of there. I just can't imagine having the cajones to think one could escape from a sub. Anyway...Kate explains about the bomb. Sawyer declines. Juliet proves she has cajones and knocks the sedative dude out so that she can swipe the key to unlock all of their handcuffs. They all proceed to the captainand ask politely if he'll surface so that they can go back to the island and save the world. Who else sees the foreshadowing of Juliet wearing a red shirt?

Did I mention that this is a choppy episode? I am trying to group like things together...

We are shown a scene of Radzinsky rushing to the Swan. And yelling at Pierre Chang for stopping the drill. Chang tries to explain that the heat was too much. That there is an insurrection going on. And that they are too close to the pocket of energy. So Radzinsky counters with some analogy about Edison and being in the dark...and then says "I came to this island to change the world..." So...how does electro magnetism change the world?

The is also the arc about the Others making their pilgrimage to meet Jacob. Richard Alpert wants to talk to Locke about how he is alive. Especially since Ben strangled Locke. Because "dead is dead." Right? But Locke counters that it's not so unusual in comparison of Richard never aging. Richard says that he is that way because of Jacob. And then he makes the leap that John Locke must be alive because of Jacob, too. And Locke says it must be so...and that he needs to thank Jacob. Locke also tells Richard that they must "deal" with the survivors from the Ajira flight.

The look that Richard gives Locke is priceless. And in this episode...Richard seems so much like a normal person (that doesn't age). He doesn't seem to have any clue as to what is going on on the island.

Then Locke approaches Ben. He knows that Ben told Richard about killing Locke. And Locke wants to know why Ben didn't tell Richard that Locke wants Jacob dead. Ben says that he will do whatever Locke says. Because his dead daughter told him to do whatever John says. Locke just beams at this good news. And then tells Ben that actually he is the one that must kill Jacob.

Okay...so far this half hour we have three character flash backs. How Kate, Sawyer, and Juliet get off the sub. The introduction of Jacob and Esau. The trek of the others to meet Jacob. Radzinsky at the Swan. And then we have a brief scene of Illana and the other "what lies in the shadow..." people. They need a cool nick name. We see them paddling their big silver crate and a knocked out Lapidus. And why did they bring Lapidus? Because "he might be a candidate." And as Frank says...ummm...a candidate for what?

And there is yet one more story being told in this first 30 minutes. Minus commercials. And that is of Jack and Sayid trying to prep the bomb - based on the specific instructions from Faraday's notebook. While Sayid is wearing his super gloves, Richard decides to have a little chat with Jack. And he wants to know if Jack knows John Locke. Richard went to meet John (just like John asked him too) - but he didn't find anything special about him. Jack tells Richard "don't give up on him."

Which now begs the question...which came first...the chicken or the egg? Look at the loop of the compass that Locke and Richard pass back and forth. Who had it first? Does Richard follow Jack's advice and that is how Locke gets to be leader?

After Sayid loads the bomb into the nuclear back pack, they all head through the tunnels to find the way out. Richard plows a hole in the wall of what is a Dharmaville basement. (Does this eventually become Ben's house...and the passage he uses to call Smokey?) And then he knocks Eloise on the head so that she doesn't place herself in danger.

As Jack and Sayid ease themselves through the house, they notice all the craziness going on outside. Including intercom messages of "if you come in contact with a hostiles, you are authorized to use deadly force..." So, they decide to escape by "hiding in plain sight." But...as they are walking away, Sayid is recognized by Ben's papa...(Hey...did Ben ever get returned to Dharmaville?) and promptly shoots him in the stomach. And the whole place errupts into gunfire. Did anyone else hear the Lone Ranger music as Hurley and company drive up in the blue VW to rescue them? I thought it might have just been me.

And that ends the first half hour. Oh my. That was A LOT of happenings. But...what I keep going back to is that opening sequence. I have watched that part over and over again. I have several theories that I am pondering. The main one being that Esau IS the smoke monster. But I think I'll leave that for another post. And for after the sussing of the entire episode. We have 10 gut wrenching months to ponder!

STILL Processing...

We will post about the season finale... it's just that the finale was so HUGE, we weren't sure how to (or who would) take on the daunting task of recapping it.  

  

So we're going to break it down into four posts... with Kat, Cara, Lula and myself each tackling one. 

Up first will be Kat... she will be giving us her take on the first 30 minutes of "The Incident".  Her post should (hopefully) be up no later than Friday! 

Thanks for your patience, Sussers!

Processing...

Did last night's final season finale leave you breathless? Emotionally drained? More confused than ever? Devastated that we have yet another looooong wait before the start of the beginning of the end for Lost?

Yeah, us too.

In the words of The Carpenters, that great superduo of the seventies, "It's gonna take some time, this time..." The recap will be posted soon, but bear with us as we sort and suss out all that took place in last night's 2-hour finale.

I leave you with this...
...the closing image in the last two seconds of the show. It wasn't possible deaths, the shedding of tears, or the headache caused by two hours of pure head-spinning drama that kept me tossing and turning last night. No, it wasn't one hundered and twenty minutes of Lost cliffhangers...it was this:

For five years we have seen our show open with its well-known, ominous theme, and the title written in white against a black background.

My friends, it seems that beginning is no more. The background is white...the title is in black. It's been reversed. Flipped. Changed.

Yes, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. I caught it. I get ya. Everything has been reversed. Flipped. Changed.

Here. We. Go.

"Follow the Leader"

Where to begin?

Seriously. I don't know where to begin talking about last night's episode. Other than to say it was AWESOME! Uhhh... if you haven't figured it out by now, "awesome" is one of my favorite words.

Well, let's start with Locke. First, I have to point out something that was shown in the "Previously... on Lost" portion before the episode's start. One of the clips shown was of Ben (speaking to Sun) saying about Locke: "Dead is dead... you don't get to come back from that."

So what is up with Locke? Don't get me wrong... I do prefer the confident, purpose-driven Locke we see now over the depressed, lost (no pun intended) Locke we saw just a few episodes ago, in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham". But even Richard says "there's something different about you", when Locke shows up at the Others' camp.

I wonder if Locke has really been brought back to life. Am I the only one thinking this?

The scene with Locke, Ben and Richard arriving at the beech craft... to see LOCKE walk out of the jungle... I still don't get how Locke knew to go there. And knew to bring Richard with him, and what to tell Richard to say. I know Locke said the island told him to go there... but I still don't get it.

Moving on...

Back at the beach, Locke addresses "his people", saying for years they've taken orders from Jacob without knowing his identity or whereabouts... but it's high time they get some answers, and he invites the Others to come with him to see Jacob. Richard and Ben aren't too thrilled with this idea, however...

Richard: "I'm starting to think John Locke is going to be trouble."

Ben: "Why do you think I tried to kill him?"

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, how I love Ben...

Speaking of Ben...

When the Others are marching to see Jacob, Locke reveals to Ben the biggest shock of the night...

Locke doesn't care about reuniting with his friends who are back in 1977... he tells Ben he's going to see Jacob... "so I can kill him."

Do we love the look on Ben's face after he hears this?

Yes. Yes, we do.

Now for what happened in 1977... things are beginning to unravel for our friends who are stuck in the past.

Jack and Kate witness Daniel being shot... then are captured by none other than Charles Widmore.

Meanwhile, back at the barracks, Sawyer and Juliet are handcuffed and interrogated by Radzinsky (who I now refer to as "Radzinsky the Tool"... seriously, what is this guy's problem? And him referring to Kate as Sawyer's "girlfriend" was so not cool. Not cool at all.)

Radzinsky the Tool's fist meets Sawyer's face each time Sawyer refuses to tell the truth about Kate and where they came from.

Do we hate seeing Sawyer's face bruised and bloody?

Yes. Yes, we do.

As if watching Sawyer getting beaten wasn't bad enough... Phil says he has a way to make "LaFleur" talk:

Oh, no he di'int!

Hurley, Miles and Jin are on the run, trying to make it to the beach... when they are discovered by Chang....

Remember back in "Namaste", when Hurley asks, "What if they ask me something I don't know? Like, 'who's the president?'"... and Sawyer tells Hurley to relax, "this ain't a game show"! Turns out, it was the president question that got 'em busted!

Awesome.

Know what else was awesome?

The return of Sayid!

Know what wasn't awesome?

Kate... interrupting a very sweet moment between Sawyer and Juliet! Why, Lost producers, why?! UGH! These two had just professed their love for each other... and Kate has to come in and ruin the moment. I, for one, hope that the season finale puts and end to the Jack/Kate/Sawyer/Juliet love rectangle. At this point, I don't really care if Jack and Kate end up together... but Sawyer belongs with Juliet.

OK, here are things I'm pondering after this episode...

If Locke's purpose is to kill Jacob, and not to bring his friends back from 1977... then why does he keep placating Sun, giving her hope of reuniting with Jin?


What was with all the threats of death in this episode? Radzinsky threatening Sawyer with death if he doesn't talk... Sawyer telling Phil he's a dead man for punching Juliet... Kate telling Jack if he's wrong about the bomb, the whole island dies... Locke on his way to kill Jacob..

And Richard telling Sun that he recognizes Hurley, Kate and Jack from the 1977 "new recruits" photo, because he "watched them all die"? Forgive me, but I'm starting to think this is going to happen to all of the present day folks who time-travelled back to 1977... minus those who have already died, of course (R.I.P., Charlotte and Daniel...)

Here's why:

In the last episode, Daniel said to Jack, "this is our present". I think Danny Boy had much more info to divulge... unfortunately, he was shot dead by his dear old mum before he could spill the deets.

So, Jack wants to detonate the h-bomb in hopes to undo all the misery of the past. But he won't be changing his past... he'll be changing his future.

The 2007 version of Jack has travelled back in time to 1977 BUT this doesn't mean the 1977 version of Jack doesn't exist. Case in point: Miles. Baby Miles and 30-year-old Miles are both presently living on the island. So while Jack 2007 is on the island... somewhere in the world there is also Jack 1977. It is this Jack, the one in 1977, who will board Oceanic 815 in 2004. So if Jack 2007 does succeed in detonating Jughead, this doesn't change his past... it changes the future of his 1977 self. So what happens to the 2007 version of Jack?

Have I lost everyone?

Let's discuss!

The Variable

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that we all had big expectations from the 100th episode. As usual, Lost did not let us down. There was action, a little comedy, lots o’ mystery, tragedy and some mighty powerful revelations.

In “The Variables,” we follow three story lines: Penny and Desmond, Daniel's life before the island and the island in 1977, all of which center around the story of Daniel Farraday. Daniel initially showed up on the island with questionable intent, but he has become a pivotal character in the Lost universe. I, for one, have long had a soft spot for Danny boy, from his tragic love for Charlotte to his all too familiar habit of writing in and referring to his journal.

One of last episode’s big cliffhangers was Scottish hottie Desmond’s fate after being shot by Benjamin “I’m going to kill your daughter but I'm a softie for kids” Linus. The show opens with Desmond being rushed into the hospital on a gurney while Penny and baby Charlie run alongside. The tears, they are aflowin’.

Later, as Penny sits in the waiting room, Eloise Hawking comes walking into the room. When this lady comes a calling, you know there’s going to be trouble. She tells Penny that it may be her son’s fault that Desmond was shot. Benjamin Linus is your son!? Penny exclaims. (I said the same thing in my head!) Oh heavens no, says Eloise, my son is Daniel Farraday. Cue the scary music.













Back on the island, circa 1977, we watch as Dharma folk emerge from the submarine. Who should poke out his head asking for a little help but our own Daniel Farraday. “Long time, no see” he says to a stunned Miles. Miles asks why he’s back and Daniel shows him the new recruit picture featuring the beloved Hurley, Kate and Jack. "Make haste! Take me to Jack!" Daniel exclaims.

Daniel bursts in on Jack, but first we are treated to a quick shot of Mr. Fox’s impeccable pecs. Mmmm. Why did you come back, Jack?! Yo mama. My mama what? Yo mama tole me to. Well, I’ve got news for you, you don’t belong here.













Now we flash forward, erm, backward to little Daniel playing a piano. Young(er) Eloise walks in and asks him if he knows what destiny means. No, I’m just a kid. Sheesh. Well, if one has a special gift, then it must be nurtured, she explains. She asks him how many beats on the metronome since he began playing. 864, he replies. (4 and 8? Hmm.) Math is your gift and it is my job to keep you on task, she tells him, and that means you’ll have to give up the piano. I can do both, I can make time, he says. If only you could.

Back on the island, Jack pays a visit to the Sawyer/Juliet abode while Miles and Farraday “run an errand” but Jack nearly gets the door shut in his face by Sawyer before Juliet steps in. I think we all know who wears the Dharma coveralls in that relationship. Sawyer explains that wormy security guy Phil has a tape of Sawyer and Kate taking Ben to the hostiles. Where’s Phil, Jack asks. Sawyer leads him to the closet where we find Phil, bound and gagged on the floor, looking a little less than pleased with his accommodations.













Meanwhile, Miles and Farraday sit in a Jeep outside the Orchid. When Dr. Chang drives up, Daniel follows him into the construction site. We hear Dr. Chang say “If you drill even one centimeter further, you risk releasing that energy. If that happened, then God help us all.”

Daniel puts on a hard hat and sneaks in to the tunnel where he sees a man being carried out on a stretcher. Would that be the fellow with the extremely unfortunate dental work? A worker says to Daniel “Did you hear that? Time travel. How stupid does that guy think we are?”

Daniel introduces himself and tries to convince Dr. Chang that he needs to evacuate the island because they are about to be rocked by an explosion with 30,000 times the power of what they’ve seen underground. When Dr. Chang is not convinced, Daniel resorts to telling him the truth: I’m from the future. Hey, it worked for Marty McFly. Sadly, Doc Chang is not as easily convinced as Doc Brown.













Daniel follows him out. To prove himself, he asks Chang to look at his equations, some of which won’t be discovered for 20 years. Miles sees what’s going down and comes over to say that Daniel had too many drugs on the sub. Daniel then drops the bomb: Miles is your son. I was secretly hoping that Miles would say it was true and we would have a tearful father-son moment, but Miles denies it. Dr. Chang hops into the robin egg VW van and puttputts off. Miles asks Daniel what he is doing and the response is typical Farraday/Hawking mysteriousness “You’ll see.”













We now visit Daniel at his graduation, where he throws about his long wavy locks and canoodles with the doomed Theresa. Eloise walks up and invites him (and only him) to lunch. Once seated at the Indian restaurant (Love me some Tandoori Chicken!), Daniel complains about the way she treated his girlfriend. She tells him he needs to be focusing on work, he doesn’t have time for relationships. The women in his life will only be terribly hurt. Is she trying to spare her son some of the pain of losing Theresa in the lab accident? As the discussion becomes more heated, he reveals that he has just received a 1.5 million pound grant from Charles Widmore. Before she leaves, she says she only came to congratulate him and gives him a gift. It’s the journal we see him looking in so often. The inscription says, “No matter what, remember that I will always love you.”

We return to Daniel’s living room. He’s clearly a shell of the man he used to be (or will become again on the island). He’s watching television news footage of the flight 815 airplane on the ocean floor. There’s a knock at the door and Charles Widmore enters the room. Daniel says he has a condition that affects his memory and he doesn’t recognize him. When Charles tells him his name, Daniel recognizes it from the research grant. As Charles sits down, he moves a Wired magazine with the subtitle “The Impossible Gets Real.” To which I say, INDEED.

Charles says he has come to offer him a new opportunity, but Daniel is distracted by the images of the plane crash. Then Charles comes clean: it’s a fake and I did it. He wants to send Daniel to the island, saying it will further his research and show him things he never dreamed of. More importantly, it will heal him. Charles says he wants to do this because Daniel is a man of tremendous gifts and it would be a shame to let them go to waste. Daniel remarks that he sounds like his mother. Charles says it is because they are old friends. Little did we know how good of friends they used to be, though.













Back in Sawyer’s cabin, Daniel is doing his best to convince Sawyer to show him where the hostiles are so he can find his mom. Jack is on board but Sawyer resists and Juliet seems to be on his side until he calls Kate Freckles. Nobody likes to hear their main squeeze call his old flame their pet name and Juliet is no exception. She turns to Kate and volunteers the code to the fence. With the code in hand, Jack, Kate and Daniel head off into the forest to find Eloise while the rest of the group plan to go back to the beach. As they are leaving, Sawyer grabs a tearful Juliet’s hand and says “Time to go.” So much in just three words. It is the end of their life together on the island and the beginning of an uncertain future that may or may not have the two of them together.

On their way, Daniel sees young Charlotte on a swing. As he approaches, she tells him she’s not allowed to have chocolate before dinner. Ah, the deliciousness of Lost, those were Charlotte’s dying words. He tells her that Dr. Chang will be coming and she and her mommy have to leave. He says “You cannot be here. You have to leave. I tried to avoid telling you this. I didn’t think I could change things, but maybe I can.”













Jack, Kate and Daniel encounter the very cranky and badly coiffed Stuart and some Dharma lackeys as they are getting guns from the Motor Pool. A firefight ensues, old west style, and Daniel is shot in the neck. Jack does the old "fuel canister explosion as diversion" so they can escape. As they drive off, Stuart yells out "Sound the alarm."

Back in his living room, Daniel stumbles in his attempt to play the piano. Eloise walks in and says she heard that he had been offered a job and that it is very important that he accept this opportunity. Now, we had some inclination that Daniel was a momma’s boy, but when he says he’ll do it only after she says it will make her proud, we know for sure.

Jack, Kate and Daniel drive up to the sound barrier and Kate disarms it as Jack treats Daniel’s neck wound. It's just a flesh wound. (Said with British accent.) Daniel says “I guess I’m lucky” Jack asks what luck had to do with it? He thought Daniel said whatever happened, happened? But Daniel squashes that, telling him that this is their present, any one of us can die. That right there is what we call foreshadowing.













As they collect water in a stream, we finally learn the reason Desmond had to punch in those numbers all those years. In four hours, the Dharma guys will drill into a massive pocket of energy and the result will be catastrophic. They will contain the energy in the Swan, otherwise known as “the hatch.” Decades later, when Desmond fails to press the button, it causes the plane to crash and thus the entire chain of events that led to them all being there now.

Here we finally get to the crux of the issue. All along Daniel thought that you can’t change the past. But he spent so much time focusing on the constants that he forgot the variable: PEOPLE. People can change their destiny. He thinks they can destroy the energy under the island by detonating a hydrogen bomb.

We return to the hospital, where Eloise is telling Penny that she’s not sure if Desmond will be okay, that it is the first time in a long time that she didn’t know what was going to happen. A nurse comes out and says that Desmond is in a recovery room and is asking for her. When she goes in, he says “I promised you, Penny, I’d never leave you again.” Now that is love, my friends.













As Eloise walks out of the hospital, Charles Widmore steps out of the shadows. Eloise tells him that Desmond is fine and he should go see his daugher. He says he can't go in because he sacrificed his relationship with her. Eloise cuts him off to say, “don’t talk about sacrifice, I had to send my son back to the island knowing full well that…” Whaaaat?? Charles says, “He’s my son, too.” She slaps him and gets into the cab. Well, hello. Now we know why Charles has been so interested in him all these years.

Daniel walks into the Other camp, guns ablazing, asking for Eloise. Richard plays it cool and says she isn’t there. Daniel asks about the bomb, but still Richard holds out. Daniel begins the time honored tradition of counting to three.

At the count of two, a shot rings out and blood shows up on Daniel’s chest.

Behind him we see Eloise with a rifle in her hands. As she rushes up, Daniel says, “You knew, you always knew, and yet you sent me here anyway.” She asks who he is. I’m your son, he says, and then he goes still.













Wow.

Best Lines of the Show

Miles: (When Jack looks to him to explain Farraday’s presence.) Don’t look at me, I just carried his luggage.

Sawyer: (To Daniel) Welcome to the meeting, twitchy.

Hurley: You guys were in 1954, like Fonzie times?

Jack: Insane? We disappeared off a plane in midair and ended up in 1977, I’m getting kind of used to insane.


Let's Get Sussing!

1. Had Eloise just returned from the island where she killed Daniel when she asks him about destiny?
   
2. Is the name of the salvage boat, the Christianne One, significant?
3. Why doesn't Daniel have either Eloise's or Charles' last name?
4. Has Eloise traveled through time? Is that how she knows everything?
   
5. Why is Daniel so troubled by the plane crash on the television?
6. Is Daniel really dead?