The Lost Diary

It was a good episode but it felt wrong knowing they will get off the island.

Thought it was an excellent episode. 11 out of 10 in my book. A few important questions:

1) Who's in the casket? I say Ben.
2) Who's Kate going back to? I say Sawyer and their child.
3) Who answers Naomi's phone? NO IDEA.

Looking forward to Season 4, and to all of Daniel's recaps of Seasons 1 and 2 this summer.

Whitney, you'll finally be able to watch Season 1!!!!

Predict:

Ben is in the casket, Jack's hope for return dashed;
Locke is on the island leading the others and the resistance to Widmore Corp;

Hoffs/Drawlar (funeral parlor) is an anagram of FLASH FORWARD.

I think it's Benry or Tom (Mr. Friendly) in the casket.

Ben is always right.

Mr. Otis- I couldn't have said it better. 100% same predicition

I don't know if it was Henry in the casket. I saw a screen caption of the obituary and it shows a man named something that starts with J from New York hung himself from a beam in his loft. Henry is from Portland.

Jack was rocking those aviator shades, but that grizzly adams look was just wrong. he looks hotter on the island.

Not sure how I felt about this episode. Mostly I liked it, but felt a little let down after the big build up. Plus, I can only think of 4 charachters who died - at least semi-main ones anyway.

Here's my off-the-wall prediction: I think that the space-time thing is still in play and somehow, someway, it is actually JACK in the casket. How else would Jack's dad still be alive?

I know, probably not, but how cool would that be??

Jack did look like shit. I laughed out loud at work when I read that.
I'm so mad because nothing was basically answered.
I love Bernard & Rose. WTF is up with Jin... crack shot my ass.

I don't mean to kill your dream Daniel but Charlie could still make it.

Question...
Who the hell are the 5 people that were suppose to die? I thought it was going to be 5 significant people or characters we know on the show and not the damn "Others".

Was this a big turning point for LOST? Will it now start moving backwards with flash fowards like it has done with the flashbacks thus far. You have to admit, we have learned everything we wanted to know from Flashbacks....Maybe they will start having Flashfoward and working their way back to the day the get off the island..and the real story and the flash fowards will collide for the series finale? Just a thought....

Daniel,
Great episode...and I have to agree with both you and Rich that it's probable that it is Henry Gale in the casket. While the Losties hate him now, he DOES really know what's right for everybody, and they don't realize it until they are off the island.

I know that Charlie was supposed to die in order for Desmond's vision to come true, but do you think he's really dead this time? I kept thinking that someone would break in there and save him, but who knows, until next season! He did really redeem himself and actually acted like somewhat of a badass--maybe he went out on top?

Thanks, Rich..you bet I will!

Jenz - ooooo, Jack starts with J! Is he from New Jersey? I can't remember.

I think the people on Naomi's boat have something to do with Penny's dad and his corporation. I think they are there to make sure Desmond doesn't make it back home to Penny. Maybe Naomi didn't know the actual plan, or maybe she was a test to see if someone could actually make it to the island, and now that they know it's possible the other people on the boat will come to the island. Just my thoughts....great episode, can't wait till next year to see what happens next.

It's not Tom in the casket...don't you recall him getting his heart blown to bits by Sawyer?

I'm curious as to how far in the future this is. Will Claire's baby be old enough to play some part in the story? I think so. I've heard that the writers are going to go back to the relevance of the psychic's predictions for Claire and her child.

Charlie had a glorious death. The only reason I'm glad to see him dead, however, is because we won't have to hear Daniel whine about how much he hates him anymore.

If I were writing this column, I'd have been whining about how much I hate Jack. He's such a prick. I've always held out hope for his death, actually. Charlie didn't do nearly as much harm nor was he nearly as annoying as Jack with his complete lack of spiritual awareness and base cowardice.

"Rockbottom Jack" was a good way to describe that man with the beard, cause boy-oh-boy did he look different. Pill-popping fool finally realized he'd fucked up.

Why would it be Mr. Friendly in the casket? I think it's Sawyer. Just because everyone else thinks it's Ben. Maybe it's just a potential future, not a for-sure future. Jack's like Jimmy Stewart and he's experiencing a vision of what life would be like if he got off the island. This will convince him next season to stay on the island. Ben is not always right, because he shot Locke, and that was so wrong!

This show is such a mindfuck. I love it! I'm not a big Charlie fan but with the music and him keeping Desmond out, dude that was just sad.

Hugo is my hero. That should be on a t-shirt.

I'd see Henry in the casket. Although I think the idea of Jack being the one in there is a good idea. Lost-likely.

Walt! Was that his ghost?

I feel season four as being a bit of a turning point in the show. The flash forward was a good idea. I'm kind of hoping they do that more.

Now I'm off to finish season one and get started on season two!

Wow, last night's episode was amazing!!! I too think that it's Henry Gale in the casket. Boy was Jack broken up about that. And who did he call and leave a voicemail for? Kate? Does anyone have a still of that part where Jack sees the newspaper clipping on the plane? What's with the Golden ticket thingy, "hey we'd like to congratulate you for surviving an airplane crash so here is a lifetime ticket for Oceanic Airlines" right......

Pardon my stream of consciousness.

It was totally Henry's funeral. It makes sense that Jack would be neither friend nor family, Kate would be appalled at Jack's suggestion that she might attend, and Henry's cancer would return off the island.

Oh dear. Does that mean that in alternate future-verse Rose dies, too? o.O

Will Rousseau leave the island now that she has Alex? Is it just me, or was their reunion a little anticlimactic? Alex hardly reacted at all. Do you think Alex loves Henry? I wonder if there will ever be a time when she has to decide whether save him. Would she?

You must be right about Charlie choosing to carry out Desmond's vision to the T, because not only could he have swam out the porthole, the larger room would have filled up slowly enough that both Des and Charlie could've gone out the same way they got in. Of course, Mikhail is still out there somewhere.

Richard doesn't age and Mikhail doesn't die. Hmm...

I'm just slow, I guess. I never suspected that the flashbacks were actually flash forwards until the end. I was very confused about the timing, but even when Kate got out of the car I just thought, "Wow. They've hidden their history very well!"

If Henry went back to the Others at this point, with all the explaining he's got to do, would they revolt against him? Things are not looking good for Mr. Gale.

I literally danced when Hurley drove down to the beach. I was getting so ticked at everyone for being mean to him.

I was sorry that Charlie died. At least he had the presence of mind to get that last message to Desmond. He didn't do much, but I liked him.

I was perplexed about Jack's dad, too. Either Jack is further off the bend than I'd like to believe, or his dad is alive in the future. He said, "Bring my father down here." Not much ambiguity there. We know that he had to have gone to Australia and been in the crash, though, because he and Kate get those free flights.

Speaking of Kate - why would she not still be a fugitive in the future? Would the government really pardon her murder just because she survived a plane crash? And, when she told Sawyer that the Others were wondering if she was pregnant and he said, "Let's hope you're not" or whatever he said - that screamed foreshadowing to me. What do you think? Is she knocked up? Is that why (we suspect) she's with Sawyer in the future?

Casket inhabitant:

Locke - Taken off the island against his will and has no desire to live? No one would likely attend his funeral and he was not family or friend to Jack.
Sawyer or Ben- Both are likely to not have viewing attendees, not family or "friend" to Jack. Would fit with Kate's obvious bitterness towards the person (Why would I go?)

I agree that Ben is in the casket. Who else could it be that Kate could careless about?? I can't think of anyone.

Possibly Juliet dies on the island if Jack is not with her in the future, or she sees his love for Kate and can't stand it and leaves him.

And what's with Jack refering to his father?? Is he not dead??

"I've heard that the writers are going to go back to the relevance of the psychic's predictions for Claire and her child."

I've been thinking about this since I started watching season one. There was a reason we were told evil would surround Aaron if Claire weren't around. Maybe Claire will kill herself because of Charlie. I'd like to see what happens with this storyline though. I hope they go back to it.

Casket candidates:
1) Juliet--Jack cares, but she will have done so much allegiance-switching and double-crossing that no one else will. Plus Ben will have arranged to have her sister and nephew (?) killed as payback before she is freed. Cause of death: suicide, or--if Ben is still on the Island--murder?

2) Locke--if he ever leaves the Island, it's probably against his will, and he may have become paralyzed again. He may have alienated so many people by becoming fanatically connected to staying, and interfering with rescue, that no one showed for the funeral. We already know he has no family, and that he rather be dead than be paralyzed again. He and Jack once had a fatherly bond, which explains the impact of his death. Cause: suicide, for sure.

3) Michael--Did anyone else notice that the funeral home was in a predominantly black neighborhood, with a black funeral director? I'm thinking we're going to see Michael back on the Island again soon. But maybe Walt is already dead (the actor having grown too tall to continue playing the part!), and the embittered Michael makes enemies of all his fellow Losties. Only Jack understands his pain--failed son understands failed father?--and thus is the only one who grieves. Cause? Again, maybe suicide...which is why Jack was thinking of tossing himself off a bridge.

4) I say definitely NOT Ben. He's not leaving the Island alive. No way, no how. He'll die there, and it will be a humdinger.

Boy, if the flashbacks weren't enough to keep us speculating like crazy, these flash forwards are going to keep our heads spinning! Even if this was a one-time thing, we'll now always have to ponder two questions when Lost goes off-Island: not just "Where are we?" but "When are we?"

To paraphrase John Locke "we're gonna have to watch that one again!"
Awesome, jumping out of chair delicious.

Did you notice that Jin only had a handgun while Sayid and Bernard had rifles?

Kate could be with Ben. She seems a little afraid of whomever she has to get home to.

At the very beginning when Jack was on the plane did anyone see Sun and Jin sitting behind him?

Kate --- I thought the same thing when Kate got out of the car at the end. I thought wow - they actually knew each other before the crash. I was so not expecting a "flash-forward" that it took a minute for it to sink in what was actually happening.

Also this site has some interesting screencaps from last night. Some of the newspaper article, but it's hard to make out what it says....

http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/

That's probably just an Asian couple. Jack says he takes long overseas flights hoping the plane will crash. From LA, there would be a lot of Asian destinations.

One more thing...

Daniel, you were wondering who else got off the island besides Jack and Kate...did you notice in the plane scene at the beginning of the episode that Jin and Sun were sitting behind Jack on the plane? I guess that means Sun doesn't die because of her pregnancy.

Where to begin?

My money is on Ben being in the casket... to draw on the previous post by Kate, he also would know no one in the "real" world.

I think Sawyer is the one Kate goes home too...

If they begin Season 4 in the future and finish the island story in flash backs, I'm going to be upset.

I literally stood up and clapped when Hurley showed up in the van - I felt so bad for him when Sawyer said he couldn't go to the beach with them!

Why wasn't the code the numbers?

Did Mikhail blow himself to pieces or did he survive a grenade explosion too?

I can't believe Bernard blabbed. He sold out Karl too.

Overall I give the episode a B+. I can't give it an A because Locke wasn't in it enough. And also because they showed Mikhail without his eye patch. Gross.

Funeral Name: Hoffs and Drawlar

Anagram: flash forward

Outstanding episode. As far as Locke being in this episode for such a brief amount of time, I'll take quality over quantity anyday. Besides, he has work to do...

Interesting that Jack seemingly becomes obsessed with returning to the island, becuase...

In the casket, gotta be Benry, since he is clearly neither friend nor family (and yet a vital link back to the island for Jack). It would make sense, as the rest of the Others likely would not be going with Jack et al back to civilization.

Charlie closed the door because he knew that Desmond HAS to get back to the losties to tell them about Naomi and the "Not Penny's Boat" development (and Des will no doubt be dissapointed in Locke's actions...)

Ben wasn't really in any condition to demand that he stay on the island - so not likely. Also, when he returned to the mainland he would be nobody and could assume a name and a place ... thus the info on the Obit. Kate wouldn't react that way to any of the other losties and Jack is upset b/c the connection to the island is lost (he thinks - remember that he didn't look in the casket). Perhaps Ben found a way back and faked his death to throw Jack off his scent?

I'm a Lost watcher from the beginning, a reader of your diary for most of this season, and a first time commenter.

Emotionally exhausting episode! I also got the feeling at the begining that those were really flash-forwards and not flashbacks. Jack soooo does not look good in a full beard. Some other thoughts:

1) Hurley coming to the rescue was great, but I was terrified the Others were going to shoot him and kill him in the process. So glad they didn't. I lerve me some Hurley.
2) The second reference Jack made to his dad was something on the order of "You get the other Dr. Shepard up here and if I'm drunker than HE is... So is his father not really dead?
3) I got the impression that they were trying to make a point that the funeral home was in a seedy area of town. Locke was pretty much of a rooming-house loser before coming to the island. Could it be Locke it the casket?
4) Kate saying "Why would I go to the funeral?" It has to be someone she hates/has no use for.
5) Near the end Jack said something to Kate on the order of not wanting to lie/keep something secret anymore. I can't remember the exact words. I got the feeling that something really horrible happened that none of them can/will talk about.
6) I have a weird notion that Season 4 will start with them back at home trying to re- adjust and the flashbacks will be to the island and their "rescue".
7) I am going to positively die of withdrawal before Lost starts up in January again!!!!

Love your Lost Diary, Daniel. So glad you are going to revisit Season 1 over the hiatus. I just may have to buy the DVD and rewatch along with you :)

Why did Charlie lock himself inside the room? Why did he not climb out the window?

He already turned off the switch. He already got the "Not Penny's ship" message. What is the purpose for him to die, then? To fulfill the vision is not enough, for me.

Of course, there's still time to save him. Sorry, Daniel.

This episode rocked. I was on my feet when Hurley ran over Brian. YES!!! Definitely a 10 out of 10 for me.

I was so ready for the "I love you" from Jack to NOT be for Kate, that when he said it to her, I teared up. They belong together. Flash-forward be damned.

Personally, I think Sawyer is in the box. Is it possible that their time on the island undid some of their past mistakes (for instance, it seems like Christian Shepherd is alive), and so Kate is indeed married to the cop?

No, I'm pretty sure it was Jin...he has pretty distinctive features

This is my first ever comment, but I have to say that I absolutely love your commentary, Daniel. I too, like everyone else, watch an episode and think to myself what you will say. I can't believe you didn't comment on Rose's fabulous line to Jack. "If you tell me live together, die alone, I'll punch you in the face, Jack." That was so great!

I have to say that I think I have mixed emotions about knowing for certain that they get off the island. Still trying to process that one. But Lost has done what is does best, and that's answer questions and give us more questions.

Can't wait to read the Q&A on Monday. Keep up the great work!!

Daniel,
Excellent write up (as usual) and to be honest, it is almost as great as reading all the comments afterwards. Everyone always has some really insightful comment that I hadn't caught on or made me think twice. I am going to have to watch it again...and then again. I can't believe it is over for the season. They did a serious screw with us when they decided to do a flash forward. It will certainly make next season interesting.
Charlie did die a bit of a "heroes" death, but I am glad to see him go.
I do wonder if Ben is in the casket but I have to agree with the post from up above. Ben doesn't seem like the type to leave the island. He is crazy enough to wack himself just to be sure he isn't taken off.
I am dying to know who was in the paper and who in the casket. This finale did its job, I was hooked and am still hooked and would give my right arm to know some answers. And yet, I never want this show to end...does anyone else feel torn like that?
Daniel, thank God you are going to do Season One. I would be lost without my Lost...pardon the pun.
Tristan

Oooh I didn't even think about it being Jack in the coffin. Now that would be an interesting twist.
Now I'm going to have to rewatch the old episodes this summer along with Daniel to find out if they ever tell us where Jack is from originally!

I loved it when Rose told Jack "if this is another live together, die alone speech, I'm going to punch you in the face." LOL

So many questions, and plenty of time to stew over them. Why was Jack such a wreck in the future? He told Kate he was tired of lying, that he made a mistake...lied about what? And who was Kate referring to when she said "he's going to be wondering where I am." Sawyer? But, at first I thought it was Saywer in the casket because when Jack tried to call Kate the first time, he said something like, I just read about it, I'm sorry -- and then cut off there and hung up. Why would Kate care if Ben died? But, at the end, she said, Why would I go to his funeral? So many questions!!!!!

There were two instances, at the beginning and at the funeral parlor, where you got a glimpse of the newspaper clipping, but I could not make out anything :( I went frame by frame, but my eyes are bad anyway...maybe someone else can go frame by frame and make it out?

I don't know how I'm going to go eight months til the new season!!! I'll definitely still be looking here on Thursdays, will be fun to go over old stomping ground ;)

Daniel, love the diary, thanks for doing what you do.

I thought the finale was excellent, certainly kept you guessing all the way through.

I still can't figure out why Jack kept referring to his father. What if the man Jack thinks is his dad, really isn't his father? What if LOCKE is his father?

So many unanswered questions... I can't wait for the next season! I look forward to "reliving" season one with you!

2 things:

1) re: Robin's comment at 3:38 above (Did you notice that Jin only had a handgun while Sayid and Bernard had rifles?)..... You watched the whole show and THAT's what the comments you bring to the table????? GEEZZZZZZZZ

2) hey Whitney, you claim to be such a fan, yet you say it was Jin and Sun behind Jack on the plane? It SOOOO wasn't. Maybe if you had watched Season 1 you would know this.

Rich DeBerg

I should have taken today off from work, I can't get anything done, I'm tired cause I was too pumped to go to bed right away and I can't get off this website - so I have done a damn thing yet...geez

Okay, I want to know why Kate is no longer a fugitive in the flash forward...cause as they said in ‘The Answers’ show...”once a fugitive, always a fugitive”, so something is amiss with that.

Another thing that sparked my curiosity …going back to the original Oceanic 815 website (which is no longer able to be viewed) it mentioned that all flights were cancelled since the crash, and if I’m not mistaken (it’s been awhile since I saw that site) I thought the airline went out of business, so my question becomes…how was Jack flying with a “golden pass” on Oceanic? Can we take any information from that old website as legit?

So – I thought about the accident people being Claire and Aaron, but if the woman and boy that Jack saved “in the future” are them…then that makes the flash forward 8 years in the future (they say that’s how old the boy Jack rescued was), but Jack’s ex-wife didn’t seem as though she aged 8 years?? Also – I thought it was ironic that Jack asked for forgiveness before almost jumping…I didn’t think he was spiritual about those things.

OHH and Daniel “Mikhail sans eye patch” – my thoughts exactly at that moment!!

Wow. I did not hear the spoilers about the flash forward, but very early on I knew it was. I knew he was calling Kate but thought it was Sawyer dead.

Somehow, Jack's dad is alive again. He said, to the new Chief of Surgery, "Go find my Dad, if I'm drunker than him, you can fire me."

Can't blame Jack for not trusting Ben, it's what Ben gets for lying all the time. i mean, really, he trying to get Jack to go along with him and uses the stick instead of the carrot. Get me the phone or your friends die? FU Ben! You deserved your a$$ beating. He should have treated Jack like an equal, everyone knows Doctor's don't like being treated like peons.

Was so cool when Hurley saved the day! Go Hurly. Though he should have been shot probably since VW's have the engine in the back and it's just a sheet of metal between Hurley and the bullets.

It bothered me when Sawyer shot Mr. Friendly until he said what he said. For taking Walt, Sawyer getting shot then, blowing up the boat.

Charlie elevated his game! He played it perfect and he called Mikhail Cyclops!!! LMFAO! Poor Desmond, so close to Penny and yet so far. How was it she was trying to call the Looking Glass at all, let alone right at that second?

Walt was probably just a vision, but who knows? Was Jacob trying to motivate Locke?

Who was in the coffin? Coffin looked small, like it was for a child or someone who lost their legs. You figure not a child, because someone would show up for a child's funeral. If, as someone said, the person hung themselves, it was Locke. He loses his legs and ends up back in a wheelchair and gets taken off the island. He goes crazy and kills himself, plus his first name starts with a J and if he died, no one would show up for the funeral.

They did answer a few questions that came up in the first season. They do get off the island. They are not dead.

Have to watch it again over the weekend.

Look forward to the Season 1 recap, I bet seeing things now will make more sense, especially the background things.

Still so many questions

And yes, "24" and "Heroes" finales were weak and disappointing. Sylar should have died, even if the sword did not hit anything vital, he should have bled to death. Grrr, next season should be better.

Contents of the casket: My initial impression was Sawyer (who is estranged from Kate - hence her hostillity). Henry makes sense as well, however Vermonter makes an excellent point that the funeral home is in a predominately black neighborhood (doesn't exactly explain why no one would show up for Walt/Michael).

Next season working backwards is an interesting idea- hard to imagine that being interesting for more than a couple of episodes (everyone goes back and is miserable?!?!?) My guess is in short order, Jack is offered the ability to go back choose path number 2.

Someone posted a screen shot here
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1227940&page=28

Let me start off by saying, you're awesome. When I watch Lost, I'm always thinking what your thoughts will be on certain things. Anyway, can you please start a Heroes blog?

my bad - I got on that old website (Oceanic-air.com) and yeah ....it says this
---Michael Orteig, President of Oceanic Airlines, released this statement: "After 25 years of service, we are forced to close our doors. Due to financial difficulties in the wake of the Flight 815 tragedy...---
then there's that hidden message behind it
So is the website full of it? Thoughts?

First of all, Daniel, I am sorry that your blog has turned into a way for some people to personally attack others, so this will be the last time I comment on any of Rich's cheap remarks.

Rich, I think I speak for Robin, myself and everyone else who enjoys this post by saying that you are totally missing the point of this blog--it is a FORUM where people TALK and SHARE their IDEAS. Your comments (gold star for being the #1 poster, by the way!) were not all that intellectual either--you basically said what everyone else was already thinking--things that weren't too hard to figure out. But, as you noticed, nobody called you out on it.

Let people say what they want to say and stop trying to claim your prize as "The Lost Diary's #1 Fan."

Hey all, anyone else notice that the funeral home's name is an anagram for "Flash Forward"?

I don't even know where to start. I spent most of this episode gasping for air like a fish out of water.

The flashfoward was a pleasant surprise. I've got major freaking questions about Jack's dad because to me it seemed like Jack was referring to him as alive. Especially when the other surgeon doctor wanted to talk to him in his office and Jack said something about call my father and if I'm drunker than he is you can fire me. Can dead men be drunk?

RIP Charlie. Great death scene though.

Hurley! I was giddy when I saw that VW come flying out of the jungle (how many times in life can that be said?). Hurley's threats on the walkie, loved it. Walt! Older Walt! No Michael but oh well I'd prefer Walt. Wonder if Walt or the image of Walt hung around to check on Vincent?

I can't wait for S4. I want it now.

Wow, what a send-off! I was very sad to see Charlie go. Who's going to be Claire's surrogate babydaddy? So sad.

My other complaint: the flash-forward. I didn't realize it until now, but I didn't want the Losties to get off the island. If they're rescued, what does it matter if everyone has this creepy six-degrees of separation thing going on? And how can they possibly go back to their old lives? Maybe that's why Jack was cracking up, and I did NOT want to see Jack lose it like that. Pull yourself together, brutha!

Anyway, I think it was Locke in the casket. He's from California, and he is certainly not a friend of Jack's.

So many questions...I can't wait until Season 4! Thanks for a great blog, Daniel.

I don't think it was really Walt. I think it was just an apparition. Perhaps by Smokey, or Jacob or maybe even Richard.

Last nights episode was so amazing. I loved it. I wonder if next season will be all in the future? Maybe season four will be all flash-forwards to show us that they really weren't supposed to leave the island? That would be an interesting way to do things.

As for Henry Gale, I never know when to trust him. He's so manipulative. But I love him for it.

Naomi isn't from penny's boat? WTF? Then how did she have that picture of Penny and Desmond? I know you don't know the answer; it is more of a rhetorical question.

I can't believe that there won't be any episodes until FEBRUARY. Not to geek out on you, but that's a gestational period. You realize, I could get pregnant, have a baby and have that baby be a few days old and the new season would just be starting. That is a really long time. Oy. This is going to be hard.

I will be interested in what you will have to say about the first season. That should be fun.

Daniel, thank you so much for your posts and your humor. It has been then best part of LOST next to the show.

You're the best ever.
Bea

I'm going to just throw this out there. Let me know if it is ridiculous.
It has been the assumption that the Others want to test Kate for pregnancy because she and Sawyer have been sleeping together. Do you think it is plausible that Kate may have been impregnated by Ben/Henry Gale?
After her breakfast with Ben in the first episode this season, she was considerably roughed up when brought to the cage after she’d been prettied up to join him.
There was never any flashback to what happened to her after Ben/Henry Gale said it was going to be an unpleasant 2 weeks and there have been several mentions by Ben/Henry Gale that they needed to bring women to the island to impregnate.
Also, on the finale when Jack came back to the group after beating up Ben/Henry Gale, she asks “Why didn’t you just kill him?” Could it be that Ben/Henry Gale left the island with the group (everyone at the tower) and he is the man she is referring to in the last scene, who may notice she is gone?

What about the introduction of the idea that Jack is gay?! Henry Gale to Jack..."you moved onto another relationship... with a MAN." And Juliet to Sawyer after he asked her if she slept with Jack yet and her response was, "No, did you?" I was blindsided by that one. Am I the only one?

EXCELLENT post and great ideas, Nicole! Very intriguing possibility!

You see Whitney, now THAT's a good post with good ideas (as compared to your posts, which are the equivalent of verbal diarrhea).

Actually, I know I at least saw Sun sitting behind him. That's what made me think it was a flashback. . .some kind of weird alternate-version of the 815 flight (obviously not the case).

I thought this finale was pretty fulfilling, even though it left a lot of questions still up in the air.

I'm guessing you tried playing the part with the newspaper frame by frame to see who died... any results? The coffin seemed pretty small... either a girl or a child? Juliet? A small give-away that it was a flash-forward, Jack was using a Razor phone and when they crashed, they weren't out yet.

Just a thought... It is all about time travel and the mental institution is the connection between them all. discuss.

Two things - heard it speculated on the radio that woman injured in the car crash is Juliet's sister (someone recognized the kid?). The kid would be about the right age (assuming the flash forward was now).

One of the screen shots I looked at seemed to identify the person in the casket as being from New York. Although he could easily lie about it - Henry was born in Portland. Wasn't Michael from New York?

For the last time people, that is NOT Sun behind Jack on the plane. (However, on second viewing, it could be Jin).

What is Sawyer's real name. Doesn't it start with J? I think he was the one in the coffin.

Just a coincidence I'm sure but I believe it was Daniel's Mom that recognized Naomi as the "chick from Vegas"...the Chief of Surgery guy is on the show Las Vegas as well...random.

I think the person in the casket is not a key player yet. Maybe someone from the ship or one of the others. If it is a Lostie I think Locke is a good guess since he pissed all the Losties off.

Someone above said they did not count 5 dead...... 3 key others Charlie and Naomi. But I think the real death too last night was 15.

I wanted Rose to punch Jack That would of been great!!

(However, on second viewing, it could be Jin).
LMAO I wont judge you Rich but I will laugh AT you

My predictions/revelations are:

- Jack referred to his Dad in the flash forward because he is constantly doped up and hallucinating on Oxycontin, and he obviously has a hard time dealing with reality.
- I think Kate and Sawyer get together in the future....she has his baby.
- Locke was the one in the coffin, that's why Jack wanted to jump off the bridge. If they never left the Island Locke would be supreme leader and never die.
- Walt was a manifestation of the black smoke/Jacob..."You have work to do".
- The woman from the car crash was the woman that Sawyer screwed over, and got pregnant...."Unidentified 40 year old woman and her 8 year-old son".
- The next three seasons....are they going to take place off of the island, après rescue??? That would suck.

That's my two cents.

I think the person in the casket is Vincent, Walt's dog. I have heard several theories that he is the supreme leader of the island, and we will all learn this in the end.

I definitely like the idea that the car crash victims were Sawyer's ex and his illegitimate child. Why do I want to remember that the child was a girl? Does anyone specifically remember the sex of the child?

If the new "chief of surgery" is the same guy who was Locke's orderly (or was it his physical therapist?) at the time of his initial paralysis, then this flash-forward really has to be some sort of nightmare fantasy for Jack. There is no career trajectory from orderly (or PT) to chief of surgery.

And this means all the alive-or-dead speculation about Jack's dad is moot. Dr. C. Shepherd is certainly alive in the sense that he's haunting Jack's brain, as any messed up dad always will.

Perhaps then this FAUX flash forward represents a turning point: Jack reconsidering whether or not he really wants to be rescued. Which means Ben and Locke maybe have gotten inside of his head too.

OMG Laura, I was thinking the exact same thing!!!! I am a total dog nut, and have always wanted to say that Vincent would be the key to the show, but was afraid that Rich would make fun of me if I said that. I'm SOOO glad someone else thinks the same thing!!!

Kelly, are you Kelly (formerly known as freckles)? If so, why are you not blogging on tmz anymore? I miss one week and everybody goes away!

Rich, I don't know what your deal is, but you are being awfully hypocritical. Last week you accused me of being rude and a mental midget for making fun of you. This week you turned a comment from Whitney (that wasn't even directed at you) into an insult and compared her postings to verbal diarrhea. On top of that you bashed someone for posting a comment. Which is insane! Making fun of someone because you don't feel their comment is worthwhile?
You truly take the cake on this one. I personally hope that you either stop being so rude to the people that you claimed as your "Lost Family" or find a different blog that you can dispense your negativity on.

Great blog Daniel! I've loved it from the very start :)

I've read all the comments so far, but forgive me if someone else posts this question while I'm busy typing it out myself ...

If Jack's flash-forward is indeed correct, and the losties make it off the island, how will the powers-at-be explain the previous revelation (from Naomi and Locke's dad) that wreckage from Flight 815 was located under water, and video of the bodies underwater in the plane were seen?

I too will follow along with your Season 1 recaps :) Thanks for all that you do! You rock!

i loved the goodbye with sun and jin

at one point when jin started sputtering in english i jumped up and yelled..

I UNDERSTAND KOREAN!!

guess i was a bit fired up..

Jenz....maybe the "J" was for Sawyer's real name "James".....I don't remember where he was from though...

Mahealani -love that point about Naomi's & Lokce's dad statement about wreckage of the flight, totally forgot, duh!! There's no way that flash forward could be real, cause how would anyone explain that major mess up (finding the wreckage & bodies)??

I believe that Juliett is in the casket...seh gets off the island and her sister has died, something like that. And Kate can't stand Juliett, but then again Igo with the Henry theory too...Or maybe it is a character we have yet to be introduced to. And I am such a blonde that I still didn't get the whole flash forward thing until I read these comments. I thought Kate and Jack knew each other before the crash. Yeah, I get it now. I just got confused with the whole Jack's dad being alive thing. This episode really did have me feeling like I hadn't breathed in 30 minutes. Excellent. You gotta admit that it was a great way for Charlie to go.

All I could say is "WTF" when I saw Walt over Locke's grave. My guess is that he is dead and what we're seeing is the embodiment of his memory (like when Kate saw the horse or Jack saw his father). RIP, Walt.

I've always loved Juliet, so I was glad to see her redeem herself. I think she's essentially a good person who is so desperate to get off the island that she will do anything.

Mikhail and Alpert must be immortal. Are they the only ones????

I don't think the flash-forward seen in this ep will actually come to fruition. The whole episode with Desmond, how he realizes that there is a set path that has to be followed (to save others, even if it means sacrificing your own happiness ala giving up a second chance with Penny)... something will happen before the show's finale and the unhappy future we see in Jack's flash-forward won't be. Locke said he's not supposed "to do this" so there should be a moment where they can do it again. Like how Desmond saw that he HAD to embark upon the journey he ended up taking ...
(Well I hope anyhow!)

For me the game changer was this - I no longer want them to get off the island. I will now be rooting for them to stay (as I believe many fans will too).

Back to work now. :(

I agree w/u gals about Rich DeBerg..don't wreak this site w/yr negativity! No ones comments or ideas can be wrong or dumb, or anything else but ideas to share!! I for one am so glad to have found this site a while back, and have learned so much from everyone's questions and ideas, and have had fun reading every week. I have not been afraid to ask "stupid" ?s, and have them politely answered, I hope that does not change! Daniel, you started a great blog, brutha...I hope it can stay that way!!!!!

Best line of the night, line that is still making me smile-"I'm a dentist not Rambo." Typing that made me giggle.

For the poster above, Sawyer has a daughter, Clemintine.

It is pretty petty when someone has to pretend they are someone else on these blogs to make themselves appear better than that person. I don't know what you trying to do, Rich DeBerg, but you need a break. You take this stuff way too seriously. I'll comment when I want to comment, and I don't need your help to make you look like an idiot--you do a great job of that already.

If you look at the screenshot posted by Jenz above, you can see that it says "Man found..." so I don't think it's Juliet in the casket. And I am not sure where people are getting the idea that it could be Jack in there. My guess is Henry, but only because of what Jack said about not being friend or family.

I thought the episode was great. And although it may knock me down a peg or two on your ladder, Daniel, I will miss Charlie. I enjoyed everything he did last night. I shudder to think of what Claire and Hurley's reactions are going to be when they find out he didn't make it. Poor Hurley. After he saved the day!!!! He has to find out his best bud bit it.

The flash forward thing about made my husband throw something at the tv. He is not a fan of knowing some of them get off the island. He says it ruins the mystery for him. I disagreed with him and told him there was stilly PLENTY of mysteries left to uncover. He still maintains it would lose its magic. I DO hope that if they truly are changing the format of the show that they stay grounded on the island and show flashforwards, instead of showing the future and having 'how they got off the island' be the flashbacks as some have suggested.

What else? Oh, I agree that Walt wasn't really Walt, but I did wonder why they made the decision to have his hair like that. It obviously looked like it had grown out which would indicate that he is still somewhere on the island, cuz I am guessing he'd cut it after he got home. Either that, or he just chose to wear it long for the coolness factor. Either way, too bad the boy couldn't get some of Richard's anti-aging eyeliner. He could have appeared not to age and looked as Locke remembered him.
Ah well, it's going to be a long time until Feb. Look forward to your recaps of Season One Daniel!

I just looked at the lost easter egg website and it shows a screencap of the obituary article and it looks like it says

"The body of Jo____ _antham of New York was ____ shortly after 4 a.m. in the ___ of Grand Avenue."

I can't think of anyone on the show with the last name ending with "antham". The first letter was blurry but it looked like an "L".

-- As for Charlie's death, a few people asked me, "Why did he close the door? Why didn't he swim out the window?" Because Desmond told him he had to die for everyone to be saved. He wanted Desmond's vision to come true, down to every last detail.
-Daniel

i think he closed the door so the water wouldn't get into the main part of the station, which wouldn't have been too good for desmond, since he knew that mihkail was about to blow him up

and i think he didn't go out the window because he couldn't with one-eye right there.

or something like this.

sorry to see you go, ol' charlie boy.

A few thoughts: At first I thought that it had to be Ben in the casket...but then I realized that I cannot imagine him being anywhere but the island! He would never leave it alive (willingly), and I can't really picture him living in normal society...so I'm siding with those who say it's Locke. Although I also liked the idea that maybe it's someone that we don't even know about yet!

As I was watching, I made a comment that I would not be satisfied with this finale if Michael and Walt (or at least a MENTION of them) weren't in it. I screamed when I saw Walt, and even though it wasn't really what I was looking for, that was enough for me. That's the storyline that frustrates me the most on the show, though...I need ANSWERS about those two!!!

I LOVE that the funeral home was an anagram...that's the sort of thing that makes Lost so clever! I did have a little inkling of it being a flash forward, but I wasn't sure because that's awfully definitive for Lost- giving us a real answer that they get off the island.

Also, how intriguing that Jack's dad may be alive in the future...I wonder if he and Claire find out about their relation if their dad's still around...

One last thing: Daniel, the Lost people should really have you on the payroll, because when I read that you were going to do Lost Diaries for the earlier seasons, my first thought was that I'm gonna need to go out and buy the dvds right away to rewatch along with your Diary!

This is what the secret message says on the oceanic-air.com website, if you highlight it you can read it:
I survived a horrific plane crash and am stranded on an island somewhere Northeast of Australia and Southwest of Hawaii. In the event that I am never found, please forward word of my fate to my parents.

Sawyers child with his Ex was a girl. She went to visit him in jail and showed him a picture but I don't recall what her name is.

Daniel~ Thanks so much for the great commentary. I look forward to reading every week!

"Everyone ALIVE on the island will die" ~Henry, speaking to Jack before the fight.

Why did he throw the word ALIVE in there. You can only die if you are alive, duh. Do people come back? Jack's dad? I'm so obsessed.

Did anyone else think that the woman in the car crash and the child, were Juliet's sister and nephew? I instantly thought this!! Someone tell me I am not crazy!

Would the age (8) of the kid make sense? Juliet left when her sis was early pregnant.

I totally thought that was her! Am I wrong??

Was NOT Sun and Jin on the plane.

I think it is Locke in the casket.

Does anyone else need a drink during/after the show? I get so worked up that I have trouble sleeping!!

I love reading everyone's comments, you guys do a great job.

EW.com has an interview Domonic Monaghan and it seems pretty clear that Charlie is dead.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20040051,00.html

Robin, I totally agree with you that it's Sawyer in the coffin and Kate's going home to Ben. Maybe there's something Ben is holding over their heads to keep Kate with him and making Jack freak out.

When I read the posts here I keep getting the feeling that people think Ben is Alex's biological father. Ben is not Alex's biological father. Alex was taken just like the kids from the plane. I wonder if her boyfriend Karl was taken and from who ro where.

OMG I just thought about the whole Kate and Ben thing, If Kate is Annie then her going home to Ben works. Plus she seemed almost afraid of the "HE" at home knowing where she was.

Rich - what is your problem? Seriously!

For the record, I thought it looked like it could be Sun and Jin on the plane at the beginning, too. Is that really so wrong? I'm quite sure that's what the writers/producers wanted us to think.

Another site is listing the name in the newspaper article as "Jeremy Bentham". I guess this will be a character introduced next season or something, maybe someone from the boat. According to Wiki that is also the name of an english philosopher.

I'm not sure about the annie=kate thing, but per my earlier post I do think it is possible that Kate is pregnant by Ben.

I did read an interesting theory on another blog that if Kate is pregnant, the child may have been conceived on the other island and this may explain why she could live and give birth. The first time she had sex with Sawyer was on the other island and if Ben did rape her that would have given two chances to become impregnated on the other island.