S6E4 - The Lighthouse

You know, as long as I’ve been recapping, I don’t think I’ve ever done one in honor of the numbers themselves. This season, and in this episode especially, we’re learning a little bit more about the numbers and what they might mean.

4 – Locke
Okay, so Locke doesn’t show up until the very end and it’s actually Fake Locke on top of that, but whoa did it clarify some things for me. First off, Claire is in fact a bit off her rocker. Too bad. I was really hoping the others were wrong and she’d just “gone all Rousseau” after three years of living on her own, but alas, she’s a full-fledged citizen of Crazy Town, population 3. That includes Claire, her “dad”, and her “friend”. I once thought that the Man In Black/Smoke Monster might have posed as her dad to trick her into joining the others or whatever. Now, I’m not so sure. She seemed to refer to them as two distinct people. And also, I remember now that last year, Christian appeared to Sun in one of the wrecked Dharma shacks. That was at the same time that (who we know now as) Fake Locke was kicking it with Ben. We also know based on Ilana’s comment about Jacob’s enemy that he is “stuck” now that he’s assumed Locke’s image, so that seems to indicate Fake Locke and Ghost Christian are not one and the same.

8 – Reyes
Of course this goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. Any Hurley-heavy episode (no pun or offense intended) is hilarious, and this one did not disappoint. First, his excuse for roaming around the temple was great. “You know, I’m a fan of temples, history, Indiana Jones stuff.” Then he accuses Jacob of making him “lie to a samurai.” His attempt to get Jack to come with him was also quite amusing. “Act cool, wait ten seconds, then follow me.” Not to mention him walking through the jungle, trying to discreetly read his arm the entire trip. One thing I found interesting was his insistence that Kate couldn’t come. “She’s not invited,” he said. I wonder if he said that just because Jacob only mentioned bringing Jack along, or if Jacob specifically said they’d meet, but she couldn’t come with them. Again, that brings up the question of why didn’t Kate make the candidate list? Surely there’s a reason besides the fact the writers only had six numbers to choose from. Afterwards was another hilarious Hurley comment, “Sorry for wrecking your game with Kate.” Fast forward to the end after Jack smashes the lighthouse mirrors and Jacob confesses to Hurley that he had to get them as far away from the temple as he could because “someone bad” is coming to the temple. Ooooooooh!

15 – Ford
No Sawyer in this episode, but I do kind of wonder where he is. Last time we saw him he was hanging with Fake Locke so what gives? Is he waiting just outside of Claire’s makeshift hut? Or did Fake Locke leave him in that cave, claiming he had to run a quick errand, then went all smokey and traveled halfway across the island at the speed of evil? Whatever, just curious.

16 – Jarrah
Sayid was in this episode, but only briefly when he wondered allowed to Jack why everyone was watching him. Jack kind of puts it out there that they think he’s infected, though he fails to mention it’s an “evil” infection. Needless to say, now that we know a bit more of what’s happened to Claire, I’m a little worried for our favorite ex-torture specialist.

23 – Shephard
So, in the alternate timeline, Jack’s a dad! Again, you’ve gotta wonder how an island blowing up when you weren’t even in your tweens yet (I’ll spare you the time-travel math lesson) could alter your life so much that you wind up fathering a child. This is similar to Locke’s alternate life where he’s still with Helen and presumably has an okay relationship with his dad. Will these altered courses in life be explained? It seems too complicated to show flashbacks of their flashsideways, but surely we’ll get something, even if it’s just Eloise Hawking drawing something on a chalkboard. I also wonder if Jack’s baby momma is Sarah, his ex-wife from the reality we know. They seemed to purposefully leave that a mystery and maybe it’s no big secret, but still curious. Wouldn’t it be crazy if it was Ana Lucia or Libby something? Anyway, he actually seems to be a decent father who just wants to be a part of his son’s life. Definitely not overbearing like his own father was when he was young. A touching alternative life which so far seems to be going pretty well compared to reality “A”. The two significant things from his what-if were the discovery of his half-sister Claire, which could potentially put them in contact on a future flashsideways, and the chance meeting with none other than Dogen (the temple leader dude).

42 – Kwon
Man is Jin over his head. I was hopeful about Claire at first. She helped him out of the trap and was clearly distrustful of the others, can’t blame her there. He passes out and wakes up in her shanty where he discovers she’s been rocking pieced-together animal remains in an old cradle. If that doesn’t poor about a gallon of ick juice on what was otherwise a potentially friendly reunion, I don’t know what would. He wisely lays back down when she returns with the other named Justin who tries to convince Jin that they both need to escape. Jin doesn’t trust him and again, can’t blame him, but you can tell he’s already doubting the sanity of his old friend. Claire obviously thinks the others took her baby and even though Jin tells “the truth”, she still winds up giving Justin the axe, literally. Of course then Jin backpedals and says he was lying to try to save the man’s life and that yes, the others do in fact have Aaron and he would take her to the temple where they are keeping him. I didn’t quite get why he lied about lying. Did he think she’d kill him too if she knew the truth? Maybe. And especially after she said point blank that she’d kill Kate if that were true. Of course I would have pointed out to Claire that she was the one who up and abandoned Aaron so someone had to take care of him… but maybe after three years of wilderness survival with no one but two kind-of-dead people to keep her company and not to mention after she just sharpened her axe and murdered someone in cold blood… maybe that’s not the best time to remind her of that.

108 – ?
The final big reveal is in the lighthouse, itself. Jacob says it needs to be oriented to 108 degrees in order to help someone find the island. And once we get there, we see that there are names associated with every degree. My first question would be, does that mean there was at some point 360 potential candidates? And the immediate second question, who is 108? Of course, it could have all been an elaborate ruse to show Jack that he and his friends were being observed for a long time. Jacob indicated as much. But there is obviously a person (or persons?) associated with that number. Two interesting notes. First off, 108 is all of the candidate numbers added together. Also, it is the exact minute-intervals that Desmond had to push the button while in the hatch. So, my two theories are that either all candidates from the alternate reality need to find the island (thus 108 would represent them all)… or that 108 represents Desmond, who surely we have not seen the last of. If anything, he would want to find the island (Ben, specifically) to avenge the attempted murder of his baby momma. Busted mirrors or not, if I were Jack or Hurley, the first thing I would have done once I realized people’s names were etched on the degree markers would be to see who was written next to 108. Come on people, you’re killing me…

Thoughts? Theories?

S6E3 - The Substitute

As you know, I try to keep my recap themes fresh from week to week and season to season, with one exception.

So, it is with great enthusiasm and sadness (enthusiadness?) that I present the last ever set of...


***LOST VALENTINES***


From: Randy Nations
Card: Cartoon teddy bear in a business suit wearing a very unconvincing toupee.
Outside: “I’ve just got one thing to say to you this Valentines Day.”
Inside: “You’re FIRED!” [on the bottom is a logo for The Apprentice – Tropical Island Edition.]
To: John Locke

So we discover that Locke was in fact lying about going on the walkabout, so that has not changed in the alternate timeline. But it looks like at least one major thing did… Helen! More on that later.

From: Fake Locke
Card: Just a folded up piece of notebook paper.
Outside: “Sorry I killed your boyfriend, but you could do SO much better.”
Inside: “Want to go out sometime? Check box: YES or NO.”
To: Richard

So, Fake Locke (as I will call him in this episode) tries to convince Richard to come with him, perhaps even join forces. Richard asks why he chose to look like Locke and Fake Locke says it gave him access to Jacob since Locke was a candidate. Richard doesn’t seem to know what that means. Fake Locke feigns surprise and tells him that if they were “together” he would have treated him with respect. At any rate, his attempt to kindle a bromance falls on its face when Richard refuses to come along. If you recall, in one of the final episodes from last season, Ilana and her team knocked out Frank the pilot and she was overheard wondering if Frank was a candidate. Of course we didn’t know what that meant at the time, and only have a vague idea now. My question, though, is how does Ilana know about that whole business, while Richard doesn’t? After all, they both “work” for Jacob. Anyway, seems like Richard doesn’t know as much about what’s going on as I thought he did. Good gravy, does ANYONE?

From: Ilana
Card: White card with colorful flowers.
Outside: “What we had was special.”
Inside: “I’ll miss you.” [Handwritten beneath – “Couldn’t afford an urn… hope you don’t mind a drawstring bag! XOXO”]
To: Jacob

Okay, so a sad Valentines card, there. I thought her decision to save the ashes was interesting only because ashes seem to have some significance. It’s what everyone uses to keep the smoke monster at bay. I’m sure we’ll see that resurface. Anyway, for the time being looks like Ilana, Ben, Sun, and Frank are off to the Temple.

From: Fake Locke
Card: A picture of two half-gone wine glasses and a mess of discarded clothes.
Outside: “I’ve got all the answers, baby.”
Inside: “Now put on your pants and come with me.”
To: James Ford

Sawyer’s reaction to dead Locke was pretty humorous. You can tell he’s really close to hitting rock bottom. Unfortunately that puts him in a prime place to be manipulated. Richard pops out of the woods just long enough to warn Sawyer about Fake Locke, but Sawyer wants answers. Don’t we all…

From: Hugo Reyes, CEO
Card: Cartoon teddy bear working in a cubicle.
Outside: “Office romances are never a good idea.”
Inside: [Teddy bear sadly packing up personal effects.] “Good thing you don’t work for my company anymore.”
To: John Locke

So, Hurley hooks Locke up with the number to his temp agency. I heart Hurley. And it turns out that the supervisor of that company is someone else I heart.

From: Rose
Card: A hand-painted watercolor scene depicting the beach at sunset.
Outside: “A Valentines Day Haiku”
Inside: “I see your wheelchair. / I’ve got terminal cancer. / That’s called, perspective.”
To: John Locke

Rose rocks. You just gotta love her no nonsense view on life.

From: Ghost Boy
Card: Picture of jungle with no one there, but you can spin a little wheel on the outside edge to reveal a creepy little boy.
Outside: “Just popping in to wish you a Happy Valentines Day!”
Inside: [Handwritten inside] “P.S. You can’t kill him.”
To: Fake Locke

Well THAT was weird. Was that Jacob, perhaps? I also wonder if it was significant that Richard couldn’t see the boy, but Sawyer could. I’m assuming the boy meant that Fake Locke couldn’t kill Sawyer. It actually doesn’t seem like he wants to, though, especially after his efforts to save his life on the ladder. Of course who knows what it will require for Fake Locke and Sawyer to “leave” together so he made need him alive at least for now. That whole business is unsettling. Also, Fake Locke suggests that he once was a man until he became “trapped” on the island. All interesting history that we’ll surely learn more about as the season plows on.

From: Benjamin Linus
Card: Picture of a gravestone with a bouquet of roses nearby.
Outside: “You were a believer, a man of faith. And a much better man than I will ever be.”
Inside: “Sorry I murdered you.”
To: John Locke

Awkward… well, as far as eulogies go. It was, however, one of those rare moments that I think Ben was actually telling the truth.

From: Helen
Card: Pink construction paper with red and white cutout hearts.
Outside: “All this time, I wasn’t waiting on a miracle.”
Inside: “I was waiting on you.”
To: John Locke

Well, that was a sweet sentiment. But this brings up what I had mentioned earlier; Helen is with Locke in this timeline. I believe in the reality we know, she ditched him quite some time ago after it was evident he was overly-obsessed with his father. In the alternate reality, she is not only still around, she went so far as to suggest they should just invite her parents and his dad to attend their wedding. Locke didn’t even seem to flinch at the idea, making me think his relationship with good ol’ pops is WAY different in this reality. Don’t see how bombing the island could fix THAT mess, but maybe we’ll see. And while we’re on it, there’s one bigger discrepancy that I really can’t explain…

From: Benjamin Linus
Card: Red apple with green cartoon worm popping out of a hole.
Outside: “An apple for teacher on Valentines Day?”
Inside: [Worm crawling up the side of a white teacup.] “Or how about just a cup of Earl Gray?”
To: John Locke

Okay, so I’m a little confused on how Ben can be alive and well in the alternate timeline. As far as we know, Ben never escaped from the island during the Dharma evacuation. We have seen clips from his life after he was healed at the temple and it seems he split his time between running with the others and pretending to still side with the Dharma folks. So, to me that means that he had to be on the island when the bomb went off and as we know, in the alternate timeline, the island is at the bottom of the ocean. Am I wrong here? Shouldn’t alternate-Ben be dead? Of course who knows, maybe the bomb detonation didn’t sink the island right away. Maybe it just caused a giganto hole that slowly filled with water from the bottom up like some cartoon catastrophe, giving the inhabitants time to escape. I don’t know, seems like a stretch. Hopefully the writers didn’t miss such a big plot hole. On the upside, it is cool to see Ben’s what-if life.

From: Jacob
Card: 50 generic cards depicting various Disney characters, bought in bulk at Costco.
Outside: “You’re the only one for me.”
Inside: “Whoever you might be.”
To: Everybody

Looks like Jacob is willing to give a Valentines to whoever will take one, not to mention his post as guardian of the island as well. Apparently one aspect of Jacob’s incessant list-making is to find his “replacement.” (Sidebar, is there some official mental condition ascribed to people hung up on making lists or is it just lumped under obsessive compulsive disorder?) Anyway, there were a lot of potential folks to begin with, but apparently only six remaining candidates. Oh, scratch that. Five. Sorry, Locke. One interesting thing is either Jin or Sun isn’t on the list. Nor is Kate or Claire. Also, the numbers make a surprising appearance, but I wonder how much of that is for us to say, “Ooooh, the numbers…” as opposed to them having an actual meaning.

Fake Locke suggests that everything Jacob has ever done has been in order to draw people (these “candidates”) to the island. Seeing that series of interactions again edited back-to-back like that did kind of suggest an eerie sense of manipulation. I want to say that Fake Locke is the “bad guy,” but wouldn’t put it past the show to have some crazy twist where Jacob is the evil one in the end.

So, any ideas of what’s going on? This episode seemed to lend itself to plenty o’ theory swapping.

4 - Locke
8 - Reyes
15 - Ford
16 - Jarrah
23 - Shephard
42 - Kwon

S6E2 - What Kate Does

Let’s get right to it. We are only a few days removed from Super Bowl XLIV and the (dare I say) underdog victory of the Saints over the Colts so I shall recap in stereotypical football commentator style.

COIN TOSS
REF: “Heads is the LOSTies. Tails is The Others. And the toss is—oops. Looks like it landed in that bubbling spring of murky water in the center of the temple that perhaps infected Sayid with Evil. Anyone want to go in and fetch it… anyone…?”
BOB: “The LOSTies barely squeaked into this game and are clearly looking like the underdogs. Apparently, the opposing team took them hostage just before the National Anthem and dragged them to the field at gunpoint. This team of survivors also has to account for a serious injury of one of their star wide receivers, Sayid Jarrah.”
BILL: “Serious injury, Bob? The man was shot and later confirmed as dead.”
BOB: “True, a testament to his fighting spirit. And it appears to have really unsettled The Others. Looks like we’re going to have quite a game on our hands this evening.”
BILL: “I think it unsettled everyone, Bob.”


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KICK OFF
BOB: “LOSTies win first pick after a round of rock/paper/scissors. They choose to receive, but it looks like they’re down two players early on. Jarrah has been tackled by The Others and it appears that James Ford has walked off the playing field.”
BILL: “And the losses keep coming, Bob. Kate Austen from Special Teams says she can track Ford and linebacker Jin Kwon volunteers to leave as well.”
BOB: “I have to say this is a devastating blow to the LOSTies this early on. Is there even a team left?”
BILL: “Well, let’s see, we’ve still got star quarterback and 5-time MVP Jack Shepherd. The well-loved defensive tackle Hurley “Hugo” Reyes and second string Miles Straume. Can this motley crew hold their team together? Stay tuned.”


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(verse 1)
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FIRST QUARTER
BOB: “And we’re back. Jarrah appears to be still in the game, but The Others are really putting the pressure on his recent injury.”
BILL: “Recent death, Bob.”
BOB: “Right, right. Looks like they are applying some type of torturing devices. Ouch! Is that in even legal?”
BILL: “Seems ironic given Jarrah’s past.”
REF: “Penalty. Offense. Application of torture. Five yard penalty.”
BOB: “No, the refs did not approve of that torturing move at all, but The Others are still within field goal range.”
BILL: “Looks like they’re going for it, Bob. LOSTies – 0. Others – 3.”


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SECOND QUARTER
BOB: “And we’re back in the second quarter with Kate Austen on the offensive.”
BILL: “Yes, she’s under heavy cover by two members of The Others defensive team, but she manages a fake that leaves them both incapacitated.”
BOB: “What’s with these traps on the playing field, Bill?”
BILL: “Well, Bob. I’m inclined to agree it’s a remnant of Rousseau’s heyday, but The Others seem to have their own theories.”
BOB: “Intriguing. More on that later, I assume. Looks like Kate and Jin’s escape scored them a touchdown, but Jin seems to have his own agenda.”
BILL: “Right, you are Bob. Loss of the extra point. LOSTies – 6. Others – 3.”


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HALF TIME SHOW
“The Who” – Performing Who Are You? in the Temple courtyard.
[all lyrics are the same as original with the exception of the chorus, which has been altered as follows:]

Whoooo are you smoke monster guy?
Who, who, who, who?
Whoooo are you smoke monster guy?
Who, who, who, who?

[many of The Others tap their feet and wave torches overhead, while their leader looks on in mild disapproval.]


THIRD QUARTER
BOB: “Well, Bill. The third quarter is off to a great start. Looks like Austen has successfully tracked Ford back to his once-home with last season’s all-star Juliet Burke.”
BILL: “Yes and what a shame her departure was, Bob. We can only hope to see more of her in the alternate timeline.”
BOB: “Alternate what?”
BILL: [looking exasperated] “Nevermind.”
BOB: “Well, a touching exchange between the two, but Austen just doesn’t seem to be able to convince Ford of joining forces.”
BILL: “Yes, a clear setback for the LOSTies here in the second half. Back at the temple now where quarterback Jack Shepherd goes for a long pass that’s intercepted by Asian wide receiver, Dogen.”
BOB: “What a turn around. We don’t know much about this Dogen character except that he also appears to be team captain of The Others.”
BILL: “Well, at least this group of them.”
BOB: “True. I wonder how this faction of The Others relates to kicker Richard Alpert under direction of the recently-deceased Special Teams coach Jacob?”
BILL: “No clue, Bob.”
BOB: “Oh, looks like another flag on the play.”
REF: “Penalty. Offense. Use of poison. LOSTies, automatic first down.”
BILL: “Whoa, poisoning the ball? That just seems low.”
BOB: “Not much time on the clock, Bill. LOSTies go for a field goal at the end of the third. LOSTies – 9. Others – 3.”


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FOURTH QUARTER
BOB: “The LOSTies advanced their lead at the end of the third, but it’s still anybody’s game.”
BILL: “That’s right, Bob. Only time for one final play from both sides here at the end.”
BOB: “Looks like it’s all going to come down to a face off between Jin Kwon and the two tight ends from The Others he’d managed to shake off earlier.”
BILL: “Whoa, gun on the field and The Others score a touchdown, tying up this game.”
BOB: “And what’s that? Did that guy from The Others say something about Jin potentially being ‘one of them?’ I think we’re going to need a big explanation on that one, Bill.”
BILL: “In due time, Bob… in due time.”
BOB: “The Others go for the extra point by shooting Kwon at point blank range and—OH! Unbelievable, Claire Littleton rushes from the sidelines and kills both members of the opposing team leaving it a tied game here at the end. LOSTies – 9. Others – 9.”


OVERTIME
So. Who wins in overtime? That’s anybody’s guess. To me, the two biggest questions came right there at the end. What did that “other” mean when he hesitated in killing Jin, saying he might be “one of them?”

Maybe there’s yet another Jacob list in circulation that details who needs to be protected and who is dispensable. Perhaps it even has something to do with the alternate timeline and what happens to them there, but it’s all too vague at this point to start any theories. The other interesting question is what really happened to Claire? The assumption was she joined The Others at the end of season 4, but then again we only saw her with Christian. And, as we know, the smoke monster (anti-Jacob) can take on the form of dead people, so maybe it was smokie tricking her all along. It will be interesting to see what her story is and if she has indeed gone over to “the dark side.” And of course, the side question here is what are the implications for Sayid?

Good stuff. Comments?

S6E1 - LA X

Before I get into the recap, let me start by addressing last year's big cliff hanger. Of course I am referring to the birth of my second child, which turned out to be... a girl! For those of you way into statistics, that brings the Hay household boy/girl ratio to a lopsided 1:3.

Though I was contemplating a labor and delivery themed recap in honor of my eight-month-old that missed last year's finale by only a few days, I would be remiss to ignore the very special day that is February 2nd...

GROUNDHOG DAY!

So, let us review this episode in terms of who did and did not "see their shadow" and what exactly that entails.

For starters, $5 to myself for coining the term "flashsideways" which is what I will heretofore refer to the final season's presumably permanent mode of storytelling. Can't wait to see if everyone's "alternate" life winds up as crappy as I anticipate.

First up, Desmond. I think he must have seen his shadow because later on in the episode he's nowhere to be found. That was the most intriguing whaaa? of the intro. At first I thought that wasn't possible, but then I realized Desmond got stranded on the island just like the Oceanic survivors did, so if the island "sunk to the bottom of the ocean" after the bomb detonated then he'd have a different life just like everyone else. That new life obviously lead him to board flight 815 at some point. I'm interested to see how that happened and I bet we'll find out soon enough.

Next is Jack who also saw his shadow because his life just kind of sucked no matter what reality he was in. On island, he thought the bomb attempt had failed and soon enough takes on the blame for Juliet's death. In his flashsideways, the airport lost his father's body. Rough. Question though, didn't he find his father's coffin in season 1? If so, that would insinuate that it had, indeed, been loaded on the plane. Of course his father's body wasn't in that coffin so who knows.

And before we get too far away from Jack's guilt, let's go ahead and talk about Juliet. I'm guessing death is about as bad of a groundhog omen you can get. Double rough. I was really thinking she'd make it. I mean, you don't almost kill someone off just to say, hey she's alive, and then really kill her. Right? But alas, they did. Unless... "It worked." What if her spirit on the island was aware that they successfully created an alternate timeline (because once you die, you totally get to know rad things like that). That's what her enigmatic message to Miles could have meant. Prediction: The LOSTies will somehow figure out the alternate reality exists and Sawyer will try to bring her back/over/across/sideways/whatever.

Let's move on to Hurley who clearly did not see his shadow. On the island, he lead the way in saving Sayid (more on that later) and in his flashsideways he still thinks he's the luckiest guy on earth. Lots of good Hurley quotes this episode. The best was when Jacob said he died an hour prior. "Dude, that sucks." Interesting that Sawyer made note of Hurley's lottery winnings. In his flashsideways, Sawyer's still the conman that crashed on the island so is not above trying to grift money from strangers.

And with that, let's talk Sawyer. The reviews here are mixed. On island, I think he totally saw his shadow because he went to a pretty dark place after Juliet's death. However, in his flashsideways, things are looking up (at least for now). He's a free man, though I suspect him killing that guy in Sydney (remember that?) whom he thought was the "original" Sawyer will eventually catch up with him.

Boone. I think it's safe to say he did not see his shadow. I doubt they'll follow him for the whole season, but living and pursuing a weird relationship with your stepsister beats dying from severe blood loss due to a broken leg any day. I especially liked his comment that if the plane crashed, he'd stick with Locke. You did, actually. And it got you killed.

And speaking of Locke, he's another mixed bag scenario. On island he's dead, his likeness stolen by Anti-Jacob or "Smokie" or whatever you want to call the dark force on the island. Big time shadow there. In his flashsideways he's still in a wheelchair (little shadow), but he's still alive (no shadow). Let's see, so that's one big shadow and a half mixed with a glimmer of hope. Sounds pretty bleak even in groundhog terminology. I wonder where his "alternate" life will take him? Very interesting how he's now potentially tied to Jack. Spinal surgery, anyone? Actually, it's interesting how they ALL seem to be tied together even if the crash had not occurred.

For instance, Jack and Charlie. Charlie did not get to see his shadow in his alternate reality, though from his comment to Jack, he was hoping to. I don't recall him being suicidal, but it doesn't surprise me after the confrontation with his brother which he had just come from. I wonder if they'll explore his alternate storyline any further this season. Though it would be interesting, I think it's enough to say that on the island he died a hero and if not for the crash he would have just been a doomed druggie.

Another potential alternate intertwine is Kate and Claire. Though we've only seen the beginning, I bet there's plenty more to show after Kate hijacks the cab Claire was in. I think Kate definitely saw her shadow both on and "off" the island. In her flashsideways she's still a wanted criminal so pretty crappy for now. Things aren't looking too good on the island either as she was kidnapped by the others and almost killed just before a last minute save from (presumably) yet another of Jacob's famous "lists." Remember that from the earlier seasons? Ben and the others were always consumed by Jacob's mysterious lists of names. Now things are getting (dare I say) a tad bit clearer. Jacob obviously has a foreknowledge of these people as was evidenced by last year's season finale when he popped up throughout their childhood and adult lives.

As for Claire, it's too soon to tell one way or the other. We haven't seen her on the island yet (though I suspect she's either hanging out at the temple or was somehow duped by Anti-Jacob). And in the flashsideways, we're just seeing the beginning of her what-if story, though I'm very curious to see what happens when she realizes there's no one in LA waiting to take her baby. If you recall, it was insinuated that the psychic made up the story about the adoption in order to ensure she'd be on the plane and thus raise the child on her own as he said she must.

Other people with a rude awakening when they arrived in LA were Jin and Sun. Especially Jin who surely wanted to duck back into his groundhog hidey-hole when the customs agent found his stash of money. Granted Jin was on shady "business" for Sun's father, but if you recall he actually hoped to start a new life in the US unbeknownst to his wife. That was what the cash was for and of course his constant reprimands to Sun about keeping buttoned-up and close to him was because of the man that approached him before the plane took off in Sydney who said point blank that Sun's father knew of Jin's "plan" and had people that would be watching him. I think that was revealed in season 2 or late season 1. Anyway, more on that what-if story line coming soon I'm sure.

Sayid was dangerously close to seeing his shadow on the island, but was revived at the last minute. I'm a little nervous about all that. Remember after Sayid shot little Ben and Richard warned that after being healed in the temple he would never be the same? Presumably it "turned" Ben into an other (whatever the heck that means these days). Now, ironically, Sayid is saved in the same manner. Does that mean he'll start sipping the other's Kool-Aid sometime soon?

And of course this leads me to Ben who caught a glimpse of his shadow, but didn't flinch, like the true bug-eyed groundhog that he is. He knows he was duped by Anti-Jacob, but he seems to still be trying to figure out what it all means. As we all are, Ben... as we all are. I don't know if we'll ever get to see him in a flashsideways since he was on the island as a lad at the time the bomb would have detonated so presumably his alternate life is being a corpse at the bottom of the ocean.

* * *

I think that covers it. I'm really digging this last season's mode of story telling and surely it will stick around for the remainder of the season. They've just shown the tip of the what-if icebergs and I'm ready to see what lies beneath. I stick with my original theory that we'll see how some (if not all) of their lives are worse off had they not crashed. So far, I'm thoroughly enjoying how some are already closely tied together even in their what-if lives.

Flashsideways Predictions:

• Jack performs an unsuccessful surgery on Locke and sprials into a drunken downslide.
• Locke commits suicide again* after the failed surgery (though I hope they redeem his character at least in reality "B" because he did kind of chump-out in reality "A").
• Sawyer tries to con Hurley out of money and winds up in jail for the death of that dude he shot in Sydney.
• Hurley winds up broke and crazy again.
• Jin is arrested while Sun files for divorce and returns home in shame.
• Kate and Claire team up, Thelma and Louise style (minus the double suicide ending).
• Sayid finds Nadia, marries her, and opens a mom & pop ice cream parlor. (Hey, it can't be ALL doom and gloom had the plane not crashed... right?)

But enough about me, what about you?

*NOTE: This would be especially fitting as it would be the third time that we learn of Locke's death.