Is there any idea of why Ben thought there was a "rule" that would give him assurance that his daughter wouldn't be killed? He said CB changed the rules.

My first thought is that Ben and Charles Widmore play(ed) by "gentlemen's rules" in their warfare. Obviously their history goes back much farther than we thought. In classic warfare, there were perceived "rules" of honorable conduct. One such rule probably is that family, especially children, are non-combatants and wouldn't be killed; killing "innocents" is far from honorable.

I'm even more intrigued by Ben's comment to Widmore that he "can't" kill him. That can't be a moral imperative--Ben tends to set his own "rules" of what's justifiable--so perhaps the Island also has a hand in setting "rules" of what can or can't be done. For example, Michael can't commit suicide because the Island won't "let" him do so. With so much emphasis on the word "rules" in tonight's episode, we'll likely find out more about the "game" of warfare between Ben and Charles. It doesn't seem a coincidence that Hurley, Locke, and Sawyer were playing a similar type of game in the opening scenes; Ben just plays for keeps.

What is it with Kates Aaron? is it Clares baby?

I have been thinking about the idea that Ben and CW are in some kind of chess-like [or Risk-like] game. But it seems CW would have a more powerful position in that he sits at home and orchestrates, while Ben has to be a part of the "game." It also seems that CW is the one who made the rules [Ben can't kill him, emphasis on "can't" because if that were just a rule, why would Ben keep it after CW killed his daughter?] and that Ben has been given a lot of "game pieces" over which he has control, like the "monster." Do you think CW is a god-like figure and the island is his creation? If that is the case, why can't he now find it? One questions begets another.......and so it goes. Thanks for your thoughts on the game and its rules.

To Libby:

Kate's Aaron is Claire's Aaron. I worry about Claire; either she stays on the island for a reason we don't yet know, or she dies there--I don't think there would be any other way to separate her from her baby. Claire is a wonderful character, but unless the writers come up with something new for her to do or a new role for her among the castaways, she (sadly, like Rousseau and Alex) has outlived her usefulness. Claire gave birth to Aaron and gave Charlie a reason to sacrifice himself in hopes of saving her and Aaron, primarily, although he also wanted to save all his friends. Unless she has a new role, there's no real reason to keep her around.

There's been lots of speculation lately, because of an interview Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse gave a few weeks back, that what happens to Claire is going to have important repercussions for years to come. That could involve her death or her decision to stay behind because, for some reason not yet revealed, she can't raise Aaron well herself.

Aaron looked to be at least a year old (although by switching babies all the time for filming, it's hard to tell by size alone) in the Kate flashforward. A lot can happen in the time he's two months old (in current island time) until he's a year old to make him think that Kate, not Claire, is his mommy.

To Darcey:

I like the way you're thinking about Ben and CW's roles. Ben makes himself be part of any game--he took the "initiative," for lack of a better word, to get rid of the Dharma Initiative, including his father, so he could become the Others' leader. I think Ben would want to be more active, even if he didn't have to be. He's a hands-on kind of leader/player.

I still think CW and Ben aren't the whole picture, that something else controls even them. I give the Island a lot of power--for whatever reason, it is magical/supernatural in some amazing ways, and it may inhibit actions. "Rule" in this case might be like a "law of nature" that always works a certain way. We know that some Island "rules" or "laws" don't seem to fit our understanding of our world--like the issue of who is healed fast and who needs help. Ben's tumor needed surgical intervention; pregnant women die. But Locke and Rose, who seem more in tune with the Island and faith in general, find healing--Locke more than once and with remarkable speed.

I don't think CW is a god-like being (no matter how much he may think he is). If that were true, I think he would've simply done away with Desmond, who has an annoying tendency to keep returning in Penny's life.

I'm more interested in how Jacob plays into all this. I've always wondered if Jacob isn't one of our castaways--such as Locke or Jack--caught in a time/space anomaly. Ben said in this episode that Jacob can explain Smoky; he seems to be an important "player" in the Island's future.

Follow-up to Darcey:

I just saw found this in today's Lost podcast with Darlton:

Why can't Ben kill Widmore?

There are rules in place that are governed by a 'larger force'. Distinction made between force and forces (plural). Jacob?


Yay! So maybe Jacob is controlling the "game" even more than we thought. CW and Ben don't make up the rules, but they apparently have to play by them. The Code mentioned in this episode (14J) is also something that Ben and CW understand and is a reflection of the "rule" in play.

Ben loves mind games so much, but he HAS to win. I know that on some level he loved Alex more than he loved anyone ever in his life, but I still think (call my cynical) that he was also very upset that someone changed the game on him, making him lose the upper hand. Ben is a master at playing "chicken," but he doesn't really expect anyone to call his bluff.

I want to know how the men who Ben got the smoke monster to attack got onto the island.  Obviously they were on the boat, so did they come back over on the helicopter?  If so, then the helicopter is back there on the island again for the 6 to use to get off the island.  

To Kathy:

I think it was the pilot (Lapidis) who told Keamy that they needed to get to the helicopter, which was his way to cover that Sawyer and company were hiding nearby and get Keamy and his "troops" to get out of the area. So the helicopter must be on the island.

Of course, the freighter folk also may have used a boat to get more people on the island, but they obviously didn't come near Jack's camp, and they would've had to follow coordinates carefully so they didn't end up like Minkowski. The helicopter would be a better bet for getting people to the island, not only because it's faster, but because the pilot had coordinates that had worked before.

Probably we won't see the Six leave the island until the finale, but the getaway vehicle is in place.

Ok, continuing with the "game" theory. Maybe it wasn't CW who changed/broke the rules. Maybe it was the "larger force," [Jacob?] who changed them. That would explain why Ben can't change the rules to kill CW. Neither Ben nor CW can change them, only "it." However, since "it" changed the child-protection rule and allowed CW's people to kill Alex [altho she wasn't a blood relative, so the rule must have had a broader scope], now Penny is fair game. Notice that CW didn't protest that Ben couldn't do that.
CW may be restricted from harming Desmond by "it." Desmond obviously figured into the greater purpose. [I guess they all do in some way.]
It's interesting that Ben considers himself "one of the good guys." His choice of terms makes one think of the old west and the guys with the white hats vs. the guys with the black hats.
Very good observation on the character of Ben and that the shock registering on his face when Alex was killed could have more significance than her death alone [altho that was a factor because of the grief he referred to]. He does display a monumental ego. He is somewhat of a purist, so the breaking of a rule would greatly upset him. If Ben thought Alex could not be harmed, why did he send her to the temple area to be safe? Initially, I thot he knew her mother and b/f would be killed, and that he'd have her all to himself once again.......but he seemed genuinely suprised that she was the one who opened the fence.
On Claire: I thot perhaps only so many would fit on the chopper, so Claire surrendered her space for Aaron, but didn't Charlie envision Claire and Aaron being rescued? If so, Claire would have to die after leaving the island, maybe on the freighter?
I'm new to your blog, and enjoying it so much. Have you set forth a theory as to who is in the coffin? Noting that the funeral director asked Jack if he were a relative [or friend], I assume the person has to be white.

Wow--lots of good stuff in your post!

Just a few additional comments (and you bring up some really good questions):

Jacob may not even be able to change the rules. I think an even higher power is at play here, what I've been calling "the Island." After all, Jacob's message to Locke was "help me." If Jacob is all-powerful, he probably wouldn't ask for help, and if he needed to convince Locke to listen to him, he wouldn't have had to resort to asking for help--he could've appealed to him in another way. Like Ben, Charles Widmore is great at bluffing and getting his way. I don't know that anything Ben could tell him would break his composure. It took a lot for Ben to break down; I'm assuming the same for Widmore.

As I've watched more episodes, I'm coming to the scary realization that Ben may be telling the truth about one thing--he IS one of the good guys. And that frightens me more than Smoky.

About Claire: If Desmond's prophesy is right, she has to get off the island. Of course, Desmond also thought that Penny would be the parachutist, but Naomi landed instead. As more "course corrections" take place, details may change--such as Claire technically getting into the helicopter but not leaving the island or surviving to be rescued.

I'm glad that you're enjoying my MySpace blog (under the name "lynnettewriter"). I've just posted another blog on Sunday. I hope that other blog readers will come here to discuss Lost.

I rewatched the last episode. Ben definitely says to CW that CW changed the rules. I read at another site a post that said there is a picture of the Black Rock on the wall near CW's bed. I did see a photo of a ship, but is there a close up shot that reveals it to be the Black Rock?
One other thot: Ben asks CW when he started keeping a bottle of scotch by his bed. That seems to indicate that Ben has been there before or knows CW's habits pretty well.
Do you have any ideas why Ben was wearing a parka that said Halliwax on it? Or, for that matter, why the guy in the instruction videos used three names all related to candles?
I wasn't able to get into your MySpace blog under the name "lynnettewriter" Am I spelling it correctly? When I said I was enjoying your blog, I meant this one [the heading calls this a blog]. I'd love to read your other one, too.

Hi, Darcey,

Glad you're enjoying THIS blog--sorry I was confused! I'm having a great time talking to you here.

If you want to see my MySpace blogs, here's another link:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=126912339

and this one should take you to my profile page, where there's a list of blogs:

http://www.myspace.com/lynnettewriter

I blog on other topics, but you'll find a recent blog with comments about "The Shape of Things to Come."

I still think that CW isn't the one running the game--at least not completely. It doesn't surprise me about the Black Rock photo--although I haven't been able to find a close-up--because he bought the Black Rock journal at auction. CW must've been looking for the island for quite some time; if it's his obsession, he probably knows every vessel lost in the area where he believes the island is located.

My question is whether CW has a semi-permanent residence at the hotel, or whether he takes the Black Rock with him. How obsessive is he?

Ben is a great researcher. He has files on everyone. So it's not surprising that he knows CW's habits well. If Ben can get into CW's room without too much trouble, he probably knows everything going on in that room, too. It's part of the fun of playing the game.

Halliwax, along with Candle and Wickmund, are the narrator's names in the Dharma orientation videos (as you indicated in your post). No idea--and haven't heard why "candle" names were chosen--about the name choice. I'm a LotR fan, too--so what came to me was "a light in dark places," certainly something that the idealistic (or should we say naive?) originators of the Dharma Initiative might believe was part of their mission (which could easily be co-opted by less idealistic entrepreneurs).

Thanks for the link to your MySpace blog. I was able to find it with the link and enjoyed reading it. Loved your photography as well.
I thought you might like to read these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Moriarty
http://blog.oregonlive.com/idiotbox/2008/02/lost_in_translation_episode_3.html

Thanks! "On the Road" is a very cool analogy for Ben, not only for the road trip and Beat connections (which the latter, in a way, brings us back to the Dharma Initiative's "vibe" as a '60s' offshoot of Beat culture), but for the double connotation of "Moriarty." Dean is the direct connection, but you've also got to love the detective-London-nemesis associations of Holmes' Moriarty. Good stuff.

Think back to Ben's comment about VALIS (Philip K. Dick)--a book he'd already read, and one that Locke thought interesting to give him to re-read. This too is a book about a search for meaning, particularly spiritual enlightenment. It's not surprising that Ben would've kept it on the shelf.

So many of Lost's book references, whether through characters or titles, have characters who are innovative seekers for their times--they reflect as well as influence a generation and make people think about their own lives and the connections they have with others. Hmmm. Kind of like Lost does.

I'm a huge Holmes fan, so I find the Moriarty idea fascinating. Again, I have difficulty placing Ben as a good guy like Holmes. However, Holmes had his own sense of justice, which didn't always agree with the law.....and he had his dark side. I can't see Ben doing drugs, tho, but none of the analogies have been that precise. With other literary character names being used, such as Ishmael, I sometimes think we are being sent on some rabbit trails.......but as you say, innovative seekers for their times.
Have you discussed the idea that Widmore could be Magnus? I read that idea on another blog. With the time jumping, or time portals or whatever, I suppose that's viable.
Another interesting point I read was a reminder that Claire's psychic in Australia told her a nice American couple would rear her baby.........kate/jack?
I've read a lot of comments that theorize this is a biblical battle: angel vs. demon, a time in purgatory, etc. But since Hindi was spoken in the videos and Dharma is a Hindu code of religion and morals, isn't it more likely that any possible spiritual reference would be Hindu?

To Darcey:  What if Ben is the bad guy--at least in Charles Widmore's eyes? Ben could be an interesting nemesis. As you noted, pick any one character and a literary namesake or allusion, and you can gain insights into that possible pairing. Whether a character is a hero or a villain often depends on a character's (or a viewer's or reader's) point of view.

I hadn't thought of the psychic telling Claire that an American couple awaited her baby. That's intriguing--I believe Richard Malkin had some true psychic ability, even if he mostly plied his "trade" as a fraud. His daughter certainly did, so I don't doubt that she got that ability from someone in the family. Mostly I was concerned with the idea that no one but Claire should raise her baby or something bad would happen. It looks like that little prophesy is coming to pass, too.

I don't think Lost promotes any one particular religion, but it definitely is a classic struggle of good vs. evil. The problem on Lost is Which is which?! Because the characters are culturally, and spiritually, diverse, the series incorporates references to a number of religions. "Dharma" was a carefully chosen acronym, but to me it's more ironic that the religious concept was subverted by Others (as well as outside others) for political and economic gain.

If you like the idea that Lost is often Biblical, then think of the comparison between Ben Linus and Jacob and the Old Testament's father Benjamin and youngest son Benjamin. You can make some effective parallels with those namesakes, too.

What's great about Lost is its richness of detail. You can quite literally read a lot into any clue or allusion.

I've been pondering some things from this week's episode. Some people have speculated that Claire was dead from the time of the explosion or died [she mentioned a headache] when she saw Christian [or is he Jacob since they wore the same clothes?]. That speculation reminded me of an old Twilight Zone episode called The Hitchhiker that gave me a few nightmares as a kid. In it, a woman is killed in a car accident and doesn't realize she is dead until she has several encounters with a hitchhiker. Meanwhile, others can see her and interact with her. Eventually, she realizes she is dead and goes with the hitchhiker, who is evidently the angel of death. Since Claire said Charlie's name when Sawyer revived her, perhaps she was dead by not accepting of it? And what if that is the case of all the "survivors" of the plane crash? And until they have that understanding, are the being used as pawns in Ben's and Widmore's game?
Since we find out Sawyer chose to stay on the island, I'm assuming he wants to continue looking for Claire and won't leave w/o her.
Meanwhile, we see Jack and Kate making a stab at happiness, but Jack just cannot be happy having broken his promise, reiterated before his surgery, that he will get them all off the island..........and that didn't happen, so he has to go back?
Also, the smoke alarm beeping just before Jack sees Christian.......is that linked to the smoke monster? Can Jacob take many forms including all the dead people and other visions people have had on the island? And could his plea for help be to be released from his role on the island? Maybe he's waiting to move onto to some next life also?
Your thoughts?

I don't think Claire is dead . . . yet. She needed a new role if her character was going to remain viable--she's done about all she can with Aaron and Charlie. Apparently her new role involves Jacob, and he definitely seems to have a connection with Christian Shephard. As long as Claire has a purpose on the island, I think she'll stay alive. I've always thought she was likely to die rather than have a happy off-island life, though. Call me cynical.

Everyone who sees dead people in this episode--Claire, Jack, Hurley--has a good excuse to be hallucinating. Claire has a head injury, Jack is on drugs/alcohol, Hurley is in a mental institution. Lost does a good job of providing two possible explanations--one logical, one supernatural--for all these sightings. Personally I like to believe they're real and the dead are "undead" until they fulfill their purpose. Christian Shephard certainly seems to have a lot to make up for from his life!

I don't doubt that Smoky can take many forms, but I don't think he's off the island (with the smoke detector). However, I don't think Jack would've paid attention if his dad had just showed up in his office; Jack needed to stop what he was doing and become curious and observant before he would "see" his dad. The smoke detector provided that distraction from the job and focus on Jack's surroundings.

When Eko saw Yemi on the island, I do think that was Smoky in another form. I've often wondered what can "give" messages to the castaways--such as Dave showing up on the island for Hurley or Charlie having such a strange dream. Maybe Smoky--or his keeper--can provide some pretty strong mental projections.

I think a great series ending would be Jack returning to the island and being forever "lost" from the rest of the world--the link beween the island and the outside world is broken. He might only be "found" once he's on the island and completed doing all he can do to save his friends.

BTW, I remember that old episode, too. I liked it, but it was creepy enough that I remember it years later.

I recently read a theory that says that in the opening of the first episode, Jack is actually returning to the island and that he has Ben's black baton with him......and that when he turns around, it switches to when he first crashed. Is the baton a weapon or a transporting device, or both? Any thoughts?

I think we're going to see more time travel in future episodes (like we may see Ben putting on the parka on the island, and we know that he showed up in the Sahara wearing it), AND I always figured Jack would have to stay on the island (it just seems like a Lost kind of ending to the series). So by putting those two ideas together, I wouldn't be surprised if that theory carries some weight.

I've also been wondering if Locke will teleport from the island. If he's in the coffin, I'd think he'd have to be brought back to the island--I can't imagine TPTB would kill off such a major character. I've always wondered if Jacob is Locke in another dimension--or a past or future version trying to help the island. Time loops like that seem ever more likely to be part of Lost's story line.

If you saw the last webisode before Season 4 started (the one in which Christian Shephard tells Vincent to go wake Jack, after the crash, because he has work to do), how do you interpret that? Is Jack reliving a timeline? Is that what Locke always meant when he said that they were destined to be on the island?

There are so many good time theories floating around right now. I doubt if any one--mine or anyone else's--is completely right, but a part of the theories is probably closer than we can realize right now.

Three questions need to be answered in the Season 4 finale:

1. Who is in the coffin?

All the clues early on pointed to Michael (a man from New York, etc.), but that would be too easy an answer. (I don't doubt that Michael will die, but he first needs to find redemption for the murders he committed on the island.) I've heard that several actors were filmed inside the coffin to avoid any spoilers leaking out before the finale. What if the person in the coffin is Locke? What kind of ramifications would that have on the story?

2. Can the island be moved?

I doubt if we'll get a complete answer to this one, but the episode's code name "frozen donkey wheel" must allude to the mechanism that can move the island in time and space.

3. How do the Oceanic 6 finally make it off the island and onto that cargo plane?

Undoubtedly the answer to this question will take up most of the finale, but, even so, we probably won't know everything about the Oceanic 6's need to lie about their island lives. Just what kind of deal did they have to make for that lifetime golden pass?


If the Season 4 finale is true to Lost form, then by 11 p.m. we should have a new way of looking at the story, both what we've already seen and what will be forthcoming in January 2009. Each year the finale takes us back a step to look at the bigger picture. (First we thought of the story as an island survival story; then we met more people on the island and found the Hatch, which led us to the Others and their convoluted backstory, which led us to contact with the outside world--including Penny and the freighter folk, which led us to the island's invasion and an ongoing battle for supremacy over it.) I wouldn't be surprised if the story splits in two during what Damon Lindelof calls "the ultimate break-up story," so that in Season 5 we follow the exploits of the Oceanic 6 in "our" time and find out what happened to the island in the "past."

Have a happy finale, and join me afterward to discuss what's been revealed.

First, let me say "thank you," Dr. Porter, for your wonderful input, which has had my "little grey cells" going and going and going.
For some reason my computer will not play the webisodes, but using your recap, I think it's clear that Jack's destiny is to be on the island, whether he is in a loop or actually leaving and returning progressively in time.
I'm leaning toward thinking it's Locke in the coffin. I can't imagine Jack shedding tears and about to kill himself over Michael's death, but if he entrusted those left behind to Locke and now Locke is dead........that could provoke the guilt Jack seems to be exhibiting. Also, Kate didn't want to go to the funeral and Sun didn't show up, and they would have no tears for Locke. [Wonder who the other man responsible for Jin's death is: Locke? Widmore? Ben?] Like you, I can't imagine Locke being permanently out of the picture and I'm considering that there is really no one in the coffin and that's it's a means of getting Jack et al back to the island [or at least Jack]. Given the power of the Island, Locke could easily transport and appear dead and transport back, and that could explain why the producers said the obit isn't too important. If Jack goes back with the help of Ben's black baton, he will need to somehow receive the baton and know how it works...........or is it like Dorothy's ruby slippers and she has them but is unaware of their power?
If it is "necessary" for Jack to return to the Island, perhaps he holds some key to the ability of the Island to be moved?? That could be why Christian said Jack has work to do.
As you see, I have more questions than answers. I hope the program doesn't become so complex that viewers can't keep up. We've been teased and titalated, so hopefully the producers will come through..........I think they will.

Well, we called it about Locke in the coffin. But my question still remains: What ramifications will his death have for the story?

Here's a tidbit that might indicate Locke's role on the island post-Jack: His new name is Jeremy Bentham. Bentham was another philosopher (just like Locke), but one of his ideas was very different from Locke's. Whereas Locke was a proponent of natural rights, Bentham opposed them. So is Bentham the antithesis of Locke?

We must have a new game to play. Octagon Global is recruiting us. Check out octagonglobalrecruiting.com. Is this the promised sequel to The Lost Experience?

Some highlights for me in this episode:

Charlotte returning "home"--to the island

Desmond's and Penny's reunion--an ending to their <i>Odyssey</i>

A Walt cameo

A "best of Sawyer" series of scenes: a great kiss with Kate (although I found the Des/Penny kiss more emotional), a buddy scene with Hurley, a wet and shirtless walk from the surf, the granting of several new nicknames, and the nobility we suspected as he sacrifices his place on the helicopter

A prophetic dream

The dead popping up in unexpected places

Michael's redemption--or at least willingness to sacrifice himself to save all his friends, including Jin (Lovely line in benediction: "You can go now" just before the bomb explodes)

I have many more new questions, too, but overall I'm satisfied with the Season 4 finale. For me, seeing the island move doesn't have to be a shark-jumping moment--but I wonder if it also moves <i>Lost</i> into the realm of SF. I know that some viewers will think this move takes the series too far into the unbelievable, but I'm glad we got to see the island disappear instead of wondering until January 2009 if that could happen. I'll post more soon, but I'm interested in your impressions of this episode.

I loved the finale. All my questions were answered [tho new ones emerged]. It was very satisfying. I enjoyed every second of it and watched it twice.
I wonder if Locke is really dead. He could be since he will, no doubt, be a major part of the next two seasons anyway as they show what happened to the island after the O6 left, and the series could end with Locke dead and Jack's going back......but I'm not so sure he's actually dead. The real Bentham had his body preserved. With the possible SF influence and people turning up all the time who are "dead," one never knows for sure with LOST! Also, if the bunnies and the candle boys were clones, could this be a Locke clone? And if it's the real JL, when he came back, was he crippled again?
I am wondering why Kate was apologizing to Aaron? I also thot she was a bit rough on Jack. But I think since Bentham's visit, she knew it was inevitable that she has to go back and is venting at Jack.
I so enjoyed the scenes with Ben and JL in the Orchid station. Just when I was starting to like Ben, he shows his weaker-vengeful side at the expense of those on the freighter. But his island-moving scene and comment to Jacob shows his commitment to the island. Was he sincere when he indicated JL would be better as the Others leader than he has been? Is he accepting that he was a stand in until JL came along? And if that's true, would JL give it all up to leave the island to get the O6 back? Was JL's tenure so short and if so, who will replace him? Jack just doesn't seem to be in the same league as JL and Ben.......maybe Walt is next? Then Aaron?
If the island has been moved before, who moved it at the peril of never returning? Could it have been moved and come up under the Black Rock, since it's in the middle of the island? Was it once close to Africa since Yemi's plane crashed there?
Is Christian associated with the island from the past, or is his body just being used by Jacob?
Who is the second man [besides her father] that Sun holds responsible for Jin's death: Ben? Widmore? Jack thinks it's him, but I don't think so......she is using Widmore for some purpose. Is it to get at Ben or is she setting Widmore up?
And who is Charlotte, really?
Will Lapidus have to come back to the island, since he was the intended pilot of flight 815?
I think Michael was killed......was Jin? I think an ending where everyone is somehow alive would be too much of a "happily ever after ending" that wouldn't fit this kind of drama.
Looking forward to more posts from you..............D.

Wow--lots of good questions!

Michael is definitely dead, but Jin's "death" is more ambiguous. I don't see how he could survive 1) the blast and 2) floating in the ocean without being close either to Penny's boat or to the Zodiac OR being on the island when it disappeared. So I'm worried about Jin (who's going to be mighty pruny when we next see him ;>  ).

What is Widmore once "moved" the island and then can't get back?

I think that Christian's body is just being used for the island's purpose. I'm working on a theory about dead people, but I'm not willing to share quite yet.

What if Charlotte is Annie's daughter (Ben's friend on the island)? I wonder if her parents sent her off island before the purge.

I have a feeling Frank's role is over, but Locke will come back from the dead. Perhaps the island not only rejuvenates and heals but reanimates? (And if so--here's my personal gripe--why couldn't it save Charlie? Not that I'm still bitter about his death....).

I think Sun blames Jack for Jin's loss. If he'd gone back to the freighter before it blew or even hovered over the sinking wreckage, Sun would've been a lot more forgiving.

With Emilie de Ravin's contract "on hold" until Season 6, I doubt we'll learn much more about Claire until late in the story. I still think that Aaron has a pivotal role in the story--probably on the island. With Walt's growth spurt (although it was very nice to see him turn into such a respectful, sincere young man), he probably won't be around in the story again. I think we said a fond farewell to him in the finale (although other characters may talk about him again, much as they talk about Charlie or Eko).

So those are a few thoughts. I've been enjoying the blog here at WFTS, and I'll continue to blog either here or at my MySpace site. Lost is so good--and so good about giving us plenty to discuss!