"Jughead"

If you are a Desmond fan (love me some Scottish brotha!) you must have enjoyed last night's episode. And rightly so! Just as Season three's "Flashes Before Your Eyes," and season four's "The Constant," last night's "Jughead" has proven to be extremely pivotal. It's become a given equation: Desmond-centric+anything to do with time travel=TAKE NOTICE! But that could be said about every Lost episode, of course...still, I think the Desmond-centric episodes are some of the best each year, and I love that his came early in the season.

Just as I love this:
The minute Dr. Foreign procclaimed, "It's a boy!" I said to my mother, "It's CHARLIE! They named him after Charlie!" And by Charlie, I certainly don't mean the child was bequeathed that moniker to honor his maternal grandfather. How much do I love Desmond even more now that he's paid homage to our late, great, one-hit wonder?

Admit it. You are now singing "You all Everybody." I truly hope the powers-that-be release Drive Shaft's greatest hit(s) one day. I will totally buy it. And while we're at it, some Geronimo Jackson would be lovely, too. (Season 2...the hatch? Locke's high school locker? Hurley's surprise party last season? Remember?)

Early in the episode Juliet reveals yet another of her many talents: Latin, which she learned in "Others 101." How classic is that? Our girl Juliet has some of the best lines. Remember last season's quip to Jack? "It's very stressful being an Other." No doubt!

While Juliet is engaging Gun Boys in an ancient tongue, I kept telling my mother (who could have cared less, I might add), "Those dudes are from waaaaay back...seriously, they have to be from the 50's or something...look at their hair!" It never crossed my mind that Head Gun Boy would end up being the Big Kahuna. I just wanted to know how far back in time they'd flashed this go around.
Meanwhile Locke's all gangbusters in his quest to reach Richard Alpert, he of the heavily-eyelined eyes. Juliet clears up a long-standing mystery when she tells Locke, "He's always been here." That's ageless Richard she speaks of, naturally. I need to know more about him.
One reveal from this episode that I found fascinating was Locke's instruction to Richard, "If you don't believe me, come and visit me." We now know John sent Richard to visit him at his birth, as a young boy, and while in high school. This is altogether thrilling...and confusing. All this back and forth between John Locke and Richard Alpert makes my head spin. I love it.

And then we come to Theresa, and Desmond's attempt to glean information from her. This is all I'm gonna say about Theresa:
Season 1. Boone. In Locke's vision, before Boone meets his Maker at the hands of Yemi's aerodynamic drug cartel. Ring any bells?

"Theresa falls up the stairs, Theresa falls down the stairs."

Is this the same Theresa?

If so, I will continually bow down to the greatness that is executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. Mysteries are becoming unraveled, things are starting to fall into place, and I still don't understand much of it. I won't even go into the whole "Daniel's time experiments have ruined Theresa's life/Widmore is paying for her care" scenario. 'Cause literally, all I can ponder is "Theresa falls up the stairs..." And Boone's bloody face.

(Yes, Boone tells Locke that Theresa was his babysitter. Yes, the above Theresa is bedridden and in a comatose state. I realize these could very well be two different Theresas. But come on, y'all...this is Lost! I may be wrong, but this show has proven time and time again that names are not just casually thrown out for no reason.)

And just because I love him:

Hi, honey!

Near the end of the episode I kept focusing on Rifle-Toting Ellie. Since she was in Daniel's face the entire hour, I know she's a Very Important Person and not just background filler. Is she Penny's mother, possibly Charles' island love? Or is Ellie short for Eloise, as in Mrs. Hawking? (The producers confirmed, in the informative repeat of "The Lie," that Hawking's first name is Eloise.) As in possibly Daniel's mother? Is she both Penny's mother...and Daniel's? Another secret sibling matchup? Jack and Claire, anyone? Oh, the deliciousness of it all just slays me.
Finally, whose mouth dropped open when it was revealed that head gun boy was none other than our very own Charles Widmore? I squealed like an eight year old! I also squealed when Richard confirmed to Locke that he was in the year 1954. This revelation opens a new can of worms and I won't pretend to have knowlege of the ramifications of Charles' presence on the island fifty years ago. Oh, the questions...how did he find himself there? How long was he there? Why did he leave? Has he always been completely angry and insufferable? How did he become so doggone wealthy? Again, it makes my head spin.

I loved this episode. Completely. Some mysteries were answered, and in Lost's grand tradition, new mysteries surfaced. Also, please don't kill me when I mention this, but I enjoyed not seeing the Oceanic 6 for an entire episode. The crux of the story is island-based, and I appreciate that a whole episode was devoted to the events taking place there. I know Jack and company "Have to go back...we have go baaaaaaack!" but honestly, the action is on the island. Plus, Sawyer and Juliet are on the island, and those two happen to be my favorites. I'm just sayin'.

Let's commence with the discussion please, including the nuggets I didn't mention. What do you think of Charlottte's chances for survival? How awkward-but-adorable was Daniel's profession of love for her? Did the bomb get buried? What will happen to Des, Penny, and Charlie when they attempt to return to the island? How old is Richard actually? And when will Sawyer and Juliet hook up? I'm so over Kate it isn't even funny.

Again, as always...I love this show. Why the rest of the world doesn't laud and applaud it is beyond me. People are strange, as Jim Morrison famously sang. And stupid, too.