I bow to your powers of observation and your obvious knowledge of things literary and the immense research you obviously do every week to come up with some sort of way to put all these disconnected events into some sort of order that will eventually coalesce into a logical explanation for this wretched, confusing, make-it-up-as you-go show.

This last episode has left me Lost right along with the unfortunate castaways. I can no longer follow any more twists and turns and what tries to pass for a plot.

At any rate, congratulations on your efforts. However, I'm off the island for good. Found my own helicopter by traveling through time to 3 days before the flight, when I lost my ticket to Sawyer in a game of craps behind a sleazy bar in Hawaii.

I think my recollection is correct that Desmond does not know Michael - didn't Michael leave the island before the Losties hooked up with Des? So in fact only Sayid has to pretend he doesn't know Michael.

My major clue was the fact that there was only one more Oceanix Six-er to be revealed. I know there are theories that Aaron is not considered to be one of the "Six". However, during promos for the Aaron episode, the accouncer said "another of the 'Oceanic Six' will be revealed." So, Aaron IS one of the Six (which leaves only one more yet to be revealed). Since I knew Sun's scenes were a flashforward, I knew Jin must have been flashbacks. The personality clues along the way were just nails in the coffin.

Talma63 -
You should get to know my buddy Barnum!

"...to put all these disconnected events into some sort of order that will eventually coalesce into a logical explanation for this wretched, confusing, make-it-up-as you-go show," sounds EXACTLY like something he would say!

I did a wonderful audio interview with him that you'd probably enjoy...

anukexpat -
I don't recall a direct scene between the two men, but seeing as how Michael shot A.L. and Libby in Desmond's hatch, I am pretty sure Des has met him...

anukexpat -
Now that I think about it, it is entirely possible that they haven't met. Desmond did to his little "Snowglobe" island lap...

Excellent recap! I can totally forgive the lateness of it. Your research and sidenotes were wonderful.

I thought for sure handsome Dr. Bae might be there to be future husband to Sun... why else would (how conveniently) her regular doc be gone? But your explanation made perfect sense.

If Des and Mike have met, it was off screen, and very short. It doesn't matter anyway, Desmond only has his 1996 memories.

The flashforward seemed pretty lame until the final sequence which I thought was fantastic. Some people thought it was a cheap stunt, which I don't understand.

Even though it was the worst kept secret in Lost history, the Michael reveal was still neat and nicely done.

Gault really intrigues me, I must know more! Could he be the R.G. on Naomi's bracelet?

Oh, I'd also like the point out that the grave is apparently a dual plot, as it apparently has Sun's birthdate on it too. However, according to it she is 24 during her time on the island which seems *way* too young for her.

Anyway, I'm sooo excited for today's episode! I've been waiting over a year!

Hey Merick!
Could Naomi's bracelet read "RC" (The screen cap from that ep doesn't show it really well, but I watched the thing at least six times to be certain) not "RG".

Could it be...Regina?

Absolutely stellar recap, Greybishop - reading your posts is like rewatching the episodes with a brilliant, culturally savvy friend - it adds a depth to the show that most of us could otherwise only scratch at!

That said, I thought the episode was great, despite my general Sun misgivings. I am *certain* Jin is still alive, possibly on the island, possibly elsewhere; Sun and Jin (in fact, all of the Oceanic 6) - will be reunited with the island folks by the series finale - mark my word.

Grey, just wanted to tell you I'm reading Slaughterhouse 5" and I'm loving it! Thanks. "Atlas Shrugged" is next.

GB, I loved your recap, was only disappointed that you didn't include your thoughts on whether or not you think Jin is still alive... I agree with temporal anomaly (#9) that Jin is still alive and Sun and Hurley are simply keeping up appearances.

Also, I must be truly slow, because I didn't realize Jin's segments were flashbacks until a good minute or two after the show ended. When they showed him delivering the panda my thought was "ughhh off-island Jin turned back into an douchebag who missed his kid's birth and/or Sun's father is forcing him to work for him again..." I was also convinced Abaddon & Co. were after Sun's baby and that the doctor and the person who stole Jin's cab were plants...shows what I know. I thought this reveal more than made up for the fact that everyone had figured out the man on the boat was Michael weeks ago.

As for Desmond, I don't think he ever met Michael...my friend's theory on Kevin Johnson is that it's actually Walt, who aged considerably because of the time anomaly...?

Finally, Merick (#7), I thought that once Desmond made contact with Penny he remembered where he was, etc... but I could be off, as I usually am :)

Sorry for the long post.

I figured out the flash forward/flash back thing the minute Jin pulled out his cell phone.

I do have to say this was the first episode of Lost that brought me to tears at the end. Well done writers, well done =)

temporal anomoly -
I think I'm blushing.
Thank you.

Clair -
Ain't Slaughterhouse 5 great? It's like playing twister with your brain. I have to admit, I have not read Atlas Shrugged. Officer Barbrady on South Park said it sucked, so there you go. Google to the rescue on that one!

msu11y28 -
I'm one of those who doesn't think Jin made it. I base this on the fact that LOST often sets us up with "well, that's obvious" moments that we all debate and decide that the obvious is TOO obvious, only to have the payoff be...the obvious.

I point out as an example the MASSIVE online debate about "who's Ben's man on the boat" which lead to "Maybe Ben's man and the LOSTies 'friend' aren't the same person" debates, all of which is now moot, since Michael is the guy.

The same thing happened with the "Is Kate one of the Oceanic Six" debate which suggested that (I fell into this camp) she might have snuck back to the real world without being one of the Six, since she was wanted for murder. Alas, that possibly interesting plot twist was shot down in favour of the dead obvious "Kate is one of the Oceanic Six".

I figure the "Jin's alive somewhere" idea is trumped by the all too obvious "Jin's dead and buried".

Greybishop -
Great recap. I always love reading what you've found. You do some of the most intense google-ing on this show and each week I learn something new and interesting about not only Lost, but great books to read, etc. Thank you for that.

The dialog between Jin and Sun, where he brings her dinner & he forgives her ... I heard her say "I love you, I thought I lost you." I heard Jin say "I love you." I don't think he said, "You'll never lose me." I was wondering if he'd say it, so I was listening for it. Regardless, that was the clue that I picked up that led me to believe that Jin was FB while Sun was FF and that Jin's time was limited.

I agree 100% with you that Hurley's "good" comment was a very "wtf does that mean in that particular tone" moment.

Awesome recap ... and the caption were as hilarious as ever.

cbc-cca -
"I don't think he said, "You'll never lose me.""

Well, I don't know if he actually said it...my Korean skills aren't what they used to be since M*A*S*H went off the air...but it's DEFINITELY in the subtitles.

Merick-A quick note about your observation of Sun's age. I have a Korean friend and she always has to do some figuring when asked about her "Western" age. Eastern Asians begin calculating one's age before a person is even born. I'm not quite sure what the formula is, and I think it varies by countries, but I'd imagine you could look it up if you really wanted to. At any rate, this would add a couple years to Sun's age (granted, though, not many).

Greybishop-Although I wish I could get treated with your recaps sooner, they are always well worth the wait (in fact, I've come to appreciate having a refresher right before I watch a new episode). In my opinion, there are only two Lost recaps worth anything, and yours is one of them! I always appreciate your sidenotes and observations.
I'm with you on Regina being the special someone to Naomi. And I agree that Jin is probably trully dead. I don't doubt he perrished nobly and with merit. But, it would just be way too "neat" to have that storyline end so fairy tale like. This IS "Lost" we're talking about.
Oh, and coincidently, I began reading Atlas Shrugged (a bday gift from last year that I was inspired to dust off). I'm eager so see if I get an "aha!" moment in relation to Lost.
OK-enough from me today!!!

I thought Hurley asked, "is your husband coming?" Did anyone else hear that or am I crazy?

Great recap.

Looks like tonight's episode is all about Michael...

Question about who the Oceanic Six are. Definitely Hurley, Jack, Sun, probably Kate (although I like the theory that she snuck back on her own), but I think that's all we know for certain. Would Aaron really count? He was a fetus when the plane crashed so he was born on the island. Claire was a survivor, but would he be considered a "survivor"? And if he is the fifth, Jin is not the sixth. As greybishop noted, his "death date" is listed as the day of the crash. Obviously he survived, but for Reasons Yet To Be Revealed, all the Oceanic Six are lying about the number of crash survivors. I think Claire might be the sixth, but something happens to her after getting off the island and Kate takes Aaron (i.e. Jack's half-nephew.) Thoughts?

There are a few options for who the RG on the bracelet could be. Regina, Captain Gault, and even Dr Ray.

And speaking of helicopters, is it possible that the freighter had 2 of them? Didn't Naomi's crash into the ocean when she parachuted onto the island?

And I'm pretty sure we are supposed to think that Desmond is back to his good old 2004 self.

I also don't think Michael and Desmond have ever met. I'm sure Desmond has heard about what Michael did and what all happened, but they have never met.

I agree with Officer Barbrady.

Also, as for Desmond and Michael ever meeting, Desmond returned during AL and Libby's funeral and before Michael lead the Jack Co. out to b ambushed by the Others. I don't recall a scene where they met, but Desmond may have at least seen Michael.

(Hey, GB!)

Thanks to cbc-cca, trister and rao611 for the kind words.

bmatheson -
If you paste:

/shows/images/lost/Picture%201-53.jpg

after TVGasm DOT com you will see a good shot of the bracelet, clearly showing a "C", not a "G".

It's the screen cap from the "Love and Rockets" recap.

As for the copter, there seem to be two pads and if I recall, Naomi's ride went sploosh-boom...

Des is back to his 2004 self, since he clearly recognized Sayid (said his name) after the phone call to Penny. I'm pretty sure no one said Sayid's name from the time Des had his first "attack" to the time he "returned", so I'm pretty darned sure he's 2004 Desmond.

The Michael/Desmond thing is probably not that important in the long run, but you're probably right that they never actually met.

MasKarla-

Sayid is one of the Oceanic 6. He mentioned that when he was golfing earlier this season.

I don't know GB, I think you may be in the minority on the bracelet. I remember seeing RG each time I watched that scene, and everywhere else I've read seems to think it's RG. I agree the screenshot you sent me looks like RC but I think there are clearer shots of the bracelet during that scene and the G comes across a little better. I suppose in the long and short run it doesn't really matter, hopefully we will be shown the mystery person in a future episode.

I agree that Jin is not the baby's father. Sun told Juliet that her morning sickness is over. Usually that doesn't happen until 12 weeks into the pregnancy. Juliet told Sun she was 8 weeks along.

I made another long post, but it said that it was pending the author's approval or something. I assume because I posted a modified URL. It really looks like R.G. to me, anyway.

The whole intials thing:

I really don't know if its a C or a G, but I thought I'd add some confusion to the mix. Below are 3 websites (which I'm sure I'm not supposed to be posting-but I throw caution to the wind!!).

The first is a screenshot (from an awesome and very accomodating site-they had the whole third season finale spoiler posted like a week before it aired...which I stupidly read, which ended up tragically ruining the actual episode for me, because we all know the whole flash-forward mindfuck thing just isn't the same when you know it's going to happen....but I digress). To me it is very ambiguous as to which letter it is, but you might be able to find or ask for some clarification.
losteastereggs.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-02-22T14%3A45%3A00Z&max-results=15

The second is at lostpedia where they reference it as a "G". Hmmm....
lostpedia.com/wiki/Naomi

The third is the website that I referenced in my earlier post as being the only equal to GB for Lost recaps-Jeff Jensen at EW. He says its a C, and he's pretty good authority because as far as I can tell, he's got an inside man or two in manner of Damon Lindelof, JJ Abrams, and Carlton Cruse.
ew.com/ew/article/0,,20178348_3,00.html

Hope this helps/sparks more debate!!!!

Also, because I know you all are so interested in my earler posting (wink wink) in which I mentioned I'm reading "Atlas Shrugged", just thought I'd mention that I came across a very interesting dialogue in Chapter VI-The Non-Commercial (in my paperback, its page 147). A party goer was talking about the central character in the book, John Gault. Gault is a millionaire who was sailing his yacht when he happened into the worst of storms which led him to "The Isles of the Blessed." It was a place that sunk itself to "escape the reach of man." An island of which only the spirits of heroes could go, entering without dying. But the island's location was secret-many men perrished trying to find that island. But this John Gault found it at the bottom of the ocean; he took and crew and they willingly sank their ship to get there.

Obviously, I perked up when I got to this part. But there is a major difference between this ancedote in the story and Lost: the island is Atlantis, which we all know to have exsisted in the Atlantic Ocean.
(And because I just KNOW everyone cares, I lived in the Azores islands (spelled Acores to the natives), which some believe to either be the remains of Atlantis or a porthole to it. And let me tell you, those islands have way more beauty and personality than Hawaii- which we all know is where Lost is filmed-so you can imagine how wonderful the Azores are)

So anyway, an interesting tidbit I was excited about and I thought I'd share with you.
Ta Ta for now!!

Kristy:

Dang! I forgot about Sayid. Thank you. It looks like we know all six for certain and Aaron is one of them. Booooo! I was hoping for Sawyer.

Doc Jensen must've either changed his mind or forgot what he had written previously, because in the recap for Ji Yeon he writes:

"Why did Regina kill herself? Because she was inconsolable over the death of her lover — the late, Locke-knifed Brit Naomi. Remember the inscription on her bracelet? ''N, I'll always be with you, R.G.'' Yep: I'm thinking Regina is ''R.G.''"

ew.com/ew/article/0,,20184253_3,00.html

It's definitely a G in the high res image on Lostpedia.

I think it's Regina. After all, Lost is really coming out of the closet now.

grrrrrrrrrrr..

i understand that this is the last lost til sometime the end of april???!!!!!!!!

'Regina is reading "Survivors of the Challenger"...' Actually, the book is "The Survivors of the Chancellor".

(I was suspicious that it sounded a bit like Arthur Conan Doyle's Professor Challenger, so I checked.) -- Someone even has a blog listing all the books seen on Lost: tinyurl.com/2oesz9
Otherwise, I'm pretty sure Jin is dead in the flash forward. Though the date on the grave is faked, her grief, with only Hurley to see, is real.

AlanHk -
You're right, I made a typo there. I thought at first that it was "Challenger" but my google corrected me. Unfortunately, it did not correct my recap...

I shall fix that.
Good eye!

Hi - just wondering is the recap of the last episode ever going to be posted?

And I agree that LOST is really moving along this season. After each episode I feel like we are closer to the end and its sad.
But I predicted this summer that LOST can only last two more seasons. And I read it will be over after 48 episodes or so. That was counting from the beginning of this season.
All I know is that the ending better top the Sopranos (which won't be too hard to do). This is the only other show I have been crazy for. =(

Anyways... just wondering when the last episode recap will appear.

Thanks
Maria

MariaIsabel -

Apologies for my lateness to you and everyone else looking for the recap.

I am working on it.

Honest.