The Lost Diary

Welcome back to another edition of The "Lost" Diary.

I judge people based on the TV shows they watch. For example: I met a girl at a bar last night. Extremely attractive, at one point she became infinitely more attractive when she told me she loved "The Wire" and couldn't wait to get home to watch "Lost." Had those two shows been replaced by "Law & Order" and some reality show on VH1, I probably wouldn't have liked her as much as I did. TVGuide.com should start a personals section -- I'd be all over it.

For all you "Lost" Diary newbies, here's how it goes: I gather with a group of friends watching "Lost," writing what happens on the show as it happens, and throwing in my two cents along the way. I am watching this Wednesday morning because of the above-mentioned social engagement and my kitchen flooding, which was awesome. Let's roll …

9:00 -- Watching the "Previously on 'Lost'" makes me realize: I REALLY WANT TO SEE CHRISTIAN TONIGHT.

9:01 -- Jack doesn't remember having his appendix out. Odd, right?

9:02 -- Jack has a son that inherited his hair. That's even odder.

9:03 -- "I could eat." -- Hurley. Not odd.

9:04 -- When Jacob told Hurley that "someone is coming to the island," every hair on my arms stood up. Liking where this is going.

9:07 -- Jack and his son don't seem to have a good relationship. Is "who is the mother of Jack's son?" gonna be the big reveal?

9:09 -- Claire seems totally normal except for the fact she doesn't bathe and is now Rousseau 2.0.

9:11 -- "I'm a big fan of temples and history and Indiana Jones stuff." -- Hurley  

9:12 -- I have come to the conclusion that every scene not involving Hurley and Jacob is going to suck tonight. I hope I am wrong.

9:13 -- "He's dead, turns up wherever he wants … like Obi-Wan Kenobi." -- Hurley

9:18 -- So Claire is crazy, and she thinks The Others have her kid.

9:19 -- "I'm not by myself." -- Claire. Christian, perhaps?

9:20 -- "Jack (laughing), I almost shot you." -- Kate. Oh, so hysterical.

9:23 -- A lot of boring talk between Jack and his mom leading up to the Claire revelation. Again, more Jacob, please!

9:24 -- So Claire is nuts, but she's only kinda nuts cause she thinks The Others have her kid. Sound familiar? Rousseau 2.0, for sure.

9:25 -- So Christian is still on the island poking around, but who is Claire's "friend"? Jacob?

9:26 -- If a crazy woman asks you if you are still her friend, you always say YES. Jin is no fool.  

9:30 -- Jack and Hurley found Shannon's inhaler and the caves.

9:31 -- "What if these skeletons are us?" -- Hurley

9:32 -- "Because he wasn't in it." -- Jack

9:33 -- Jack's son has gone MIA. When a guy says "Whatever I did, I'm sorry" -- that's usually reserved for a woman.

9:34 -- "Very old school. You and me, trekking through the jungle to do something we don't understand. Very old school." -- Hurley

9:35 -- "I was broken. And I was stupid enough to the think this place could fix me." -- Jack

9:36 -- Jack is amazed they've never seen the lighthouse before -- AND SO AM I.

9:37 -- "Kate took Aaron." -- Jin

9:38 -- Despite all the evidence, Claire still hacked that guy in the stomach with an ax. So, yeah … she's nuts.

9:42 -- I've always wanted to kick open a jammed door.

9:43 -- So Jack's kid can really play the piano -- do we know of anyone he may have inherited that from?   

9:44 -- "I don't know." -- Jack to Dogen. That had to hurt.

9:45 -- I paused the TV as Hurley made the mirrors move around, and there are names crossed out at each degree. "Linus" is one of them, and it appears "Wallace" is at 108 -- but that's crossed out too.

9:46 -- Jack found his name on the wheel and is turning the lighthouse to that number.

9:47 -- "It's the house a grew up in … He's been watching us the whole time." -- Jack

9:48 -- If you want answers, try not breaking the magic mirrors. Just saying.

9:53 -- Scene where stereotypical father/son issues get resolved.

9:57 -- "I had to get you and Jack as far away from that temple as I could … because someone is coming there. Someone bad." -- Jacob

9:58 -- Now Jin has decided the correct course of action is to lie to a crazy person. I do not agree.

9:59 -- "Am I interrupting?" -- Not Locke. This must be the bad man headed to the temple.

10:00 -- "That's not John, this is my friend." -- Claire

People complain about "Lost" all the time, but there is really only one time where "Lost" really annoys me -- when you know nothing in the middle really matters and they are just setting you up for the last 10 minutes.

Those last 10 minutes are cool, but parts in the middle really blow.

So the question becomes, is the end worth the middle? In this case, I vote … maybe a little.

(By the way, this same theory works when judging women in the crazy/hot debate. You can deal with a crazy woman so long as she's hot … but at some point the crazy outweighs the hot. See: Jolie, Angelina)

I give this episode a C-. I am willing to accept that this episode is a bridge to another episode, but on it's own I found it more frustrating that anything. But I loved the Hurley/Jacob stuff, so that kinda saved it.

Posted by Daniel at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (594)

Welcome back to another edition of The "Lost" Diary.

You know that bar game where you have to stare at two pictures and touch the screen whenever you spot a difference? I think that's what this season of "Lost" is like. One minute you're yelling "Hey, Desmond isn't supposed to be on the plane" and the next week you're screaming "Claire's sonogram says October but it's supposed to be September!" What will we spot this week?

For all you "Lost" Diary newbies, here's how it goes: I gather with a group of friends watching "Lost," writing what happens on the show as it happens, and throwing in my two cents along the way. I swore to myself I was going to watch "Lost" a different place each week, but every other place is far and Ari lives five blocks away. So here we are. Let's roll.

9:00 -- I avoided promos and commercials all week, so the fact the "Previously on 'Lost'" section is Not Locke heavy has me very excited.

9:01 -- Don't tell John Locke he can't get out of a van! Ok, maybe he can't, but still -- just don't tell him.

9:02 -- My jaw could not have dropped any further when I saw Helen. Is it possible alternate John Locke is … *gasp* … happy?

9:03 -- "And your dad …" -- Helen. Ok, now this is getting weird.

9:04 -- "Maybe it's destiny." -- Helen. Not gonna lie, we're four minutes in and it's getting a little dusty already. Locke-themed episodes never disappoint. (*knocking on wood)

9:05 -- Smokie Cam is making me a little nauseous.  

9:06 -- "Alright, Richard. Time to talk." -- Not Locke

9:08 -- I love when even two-bit characters from three seasons ago show up again. How fast did the agent for "Randy" agree to do a cameo?

9:09 -- So apparently Locke "stole" his trip to Australia from his company. Not sure how he ever thought he'd get away with that one.

9:10 -- Richard just asked Not Locke what he meant when he said Locke was "a candidate." Is that the first time Richard asked someone else a question? Usually he's the man with all the answers.

9:11 -- "Come with me and I promise I'll tell you everything." Not Locke to Richard. That feels more like a Ben circa season four line. And who was the little Children of the Corn kid supposed to be?

9:12 -- Ben has had his testicles in Not Locke's purse so far this season, so watching him lie to Ilana is a step in the right direction toward getting them back.

9:13 -- If you could turn into a pillar of black smoke and fly around everywhere, would you ever walk?

9:18 -- "Here's to being dead." -- Sawyer

9:19 -- "What if I told you I was the person who could answer the most important question in the world?" -- Not Locke. Is someone finally going to tell us why Libby was in the mental institution?

9:22 -- Hurley and Locke just had their little meeting and … damnit it's getting dusty in here again!

9:23 -- I want to get the inevitable Jin/Sun reunion out of the way soon. We all know it's coming, it's going to be great … let's just do it already.

9:24 -- Now Not Locke is chasing the Children of the Corn through the woods. Again, why wouldn't you just turn into smoke and chase the kid down? Not Locke is totally underutilizing the whole Black Smoke Monster thing.

9:25 -- "Don't tell me what I can't do." -- Not Locke. Never gets old.

9:26 -- "Don't tell me what I can't do!" -- Not Locke. See? Never gets old. Oh, I am working under the assumption the Children of the Corn kid is Young Jacob till I am proven wrong.

9:29 -- Richard's warning was pretty concise, well-argued, and all around convincing -- but Sawyer is sticking with Not Locke because it makes for better television.

9:30 -- Locke wants to speak with the temp lady's "supervisor." Has to be someone we know, right? Juliet? Libby?

9:31 -- ROSE!!!!!!

9:31 -- OH NO!!! Rose still has cancer!!! There is no God!!!!

9:32 -- "A little after my time." -- Not Locke. There's a phrase you never hear.

9:33 -- As I am basking in the greatness of Terry O'Quinn, I can't help but think that odds are we will finish this episode, the third of the season, and only seen Desmond for like a minute. That better get corrected next week.

9:38 -- Sun, Ilana, Ben and Lawnmower Man are burying Locke. Ben is about to give his last words. Should be good …

9:39 -- "He was a much better man than I'll ever be … and I'm very sorry I murdered him." -- Ben. I just told Ari that when I die, he has to give that eulogy word for word.

9:40 -- Locke tries to call Jack, but gets cold feet.

9:43 -- Locke is explaining to Helen about getting denied on his walkabout.

9:44 -- "There are miracles, John. And the only thing I was waiting for … was you." -- Helen

9:45 -- Not Locke starts climbing down the ladder and Sawyer follows shortly behind. Man you never would have gotten me to do that.

9:46 -- After a rejected scene from the movie "Cliffhanger," Sawyer and Not Locke make their way to some kind of cave.

9:47 -- "Inside joke." -- Not Locke. Throwing the light stone into the river, leaving the dark one behind.

9:48 -- So everyone's names are scratched into the ceiling? Interesting.

9:53 -- Locke as a high school science teacher -- I buy it.

9:54 -- I know that voice …

9:55 -- "Ben Linus, European History." -- Ben

9:56 -- Jacob's list?

9:57 -- "Jacob had a thing for numbers." -- Not Locke. And not just any numbers …

9:59 -- "Are you ready to go home?" -- Not Locke

10:00 -- "Hell yes." -- Sawyer, who is now Team Not Locke

One of my favorite things about "Lost" is that the show is "good" in different ways to different people. Depending on a lot of different factors -- who the flashbacks focus on, how many answers are given, whether or not Kate is soaking wet -- can influence your opinion of the show.

There have been plenty of times I have given an episode a high grade and been called crazy (or vice versa). Even though we all love the show, we all see different things in it and get our enjoyment different ways.

That being said, I woke up this morning (or rather was woken up by a text message. Thanks, Steven -- it's becoming a weekly tradition) and found myself texting, IMing and calling people to find out whether or not I was crazy.

"Last night's episode was awesome, right?"

I take my grades of "Lost" very seriously -- like a high school substitute science teacher. So, that all being said … I give tonight's episode an A-.

I think if you love "Lost" when it's giving you a non-mythology story, you loved Locke's off-island scenes. If you love "Lost" to try and figure out WTF is going on, you loved Not Locke's scenes. To me, it was the perfect combination of everything I love about "Lost."

Doesn't hurt that I love Locke.

I am going to throw out a question here that I am not sure the answer of. Well, I am like 90% sure the answer is "no" -- but I am keeping drifting more and more towards "maybe" as I think about it. Here goes"

Are we sure -- like 100%, lock it down, no doubt about it sure -- the Man in Black/Smokie/Not Locke is really the bad guy here? Just asking.

Posted by Daniel at 08:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (618)

Welcome back to another edition of The "Lost" Diary.

During football season, I often joke that there are only six days in the week -- since Sundays are essentially reserved entirely for football. "Lost" season is kind of the same way -- it's the only day I really care about and if anyone tries to make plans with me on the night "Lost" is on, I just sort of laugh. "Sorry. Can't. 'Lost' is on."

For all you "Lost" Diary newbies, here's how it goes: I gather with a group of friends watching "Lost," writing what happens on the show as it happens, and throwing in my two cents along the way. I caught whatever was going around the office, so I decided to quarantine myself tonight and watch alone. Sucks.

Let's roll ...

9:00 -- We're starting off this week in Other Other Land, with Lennon telling Mr. Miyagi that Sayid is still alive. I just Googled "Mr. Miyagi" to check the spelling -- did you know his first name was Kesuke? I bet you didn't.

 

9:01 -- Kate is stunned that Sayid was dead ... but now is fine. Why is she surprised? Has she not been watching the show the last six years?

9:02 -- Back in AlternateRealityVille, Kate is trying to flee LAX with Claire and the guy who played the Puppetmaster on "Heroes." Yes, I still watch "Heroes." No, I don't know why. Remember when people compared "Heroes" to "Lost"? How'd that turn out?

9:03 -- After the guy cabdriver runs out of the car, Kate kicks Claire to the curb -- but for some reason Claire doesn't want to leave her luggage behind.

9:04 -- The only thing in the history of "Lost" that has seemed more out of place than the part in Jack's hair was Nicki and Paulo. I can't take anything he says seriously.

9:05 -- Sawyer wants to leave Other Other Land, but Mr. Miyagi wants him to stay -- and apparently he wants him to stay so bad, he's willing to ask in English.

9:09 -- Whoa, it's Mac from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" again.

9:10 -- "I can be very convincing when I want to be." -- Kate. It's called "being hot."

9:11 -- Having a gun and being hot allows Kate to talk the mechanic into helping her out of her handcuffs.

9:12 -- Kate seems to have grabbed Claire's bag by mistake.

9:13 -- Mr. Miyagi has Sayid tied up and is blowing dirt on him. What are the odds he's performing some kind of "Do you have the soul of Jacob inside you?" test?

9:14 -- Sayid passed Mr. Miyagi's test. Is that a good thing?

9:15 -- Or not.

9:20 -- Kate goes to meet Claire and now they're about to embark on some sort of girl bonding road trip to Brentwood. Is riding the bus in Los Angeles so bad, Claire would rather hitch a ride from a fugitive who held her at gunpoint?

9:21 -- "I'm sorry, is this a press conference?" -- Mac

9:22 -- Kate just outsmarted Mac and his friend. I have a very low opinion of anyone who gets outsmarted by Kate.

9:23 -- Jack tells two guards to step aside. Add that to list of things I'd like to say one day and mean it.

9:24 -- Whenever Mr. Miyagi speaks English, it's like when SIlent Bob speaks in the Kevin Smith movies.

9:25 -- Mr. Miyagi is obviously Jewish -- he just laid the mother of all guilt trips on Jack. My grandmother would be proud. I expect Jack will give Sayid the pill ... and call Mr. Miyagi once a week, not just on holidays.

9:29 -- "No, I am not a zombie." -- Sayid

9:31 -- "Who do you care about, Kate?" -- Jin. Great question.

9:32 -- Thelma and Louise are on their way to Brentwood.

9:34 -- Of all the breakups in the world, being dumped by the people who were going to adopt your child has to be among the most painful and awkward.

9:35 -- Kate has tracked Sawyer back to his house in Dharmaville.

9:41 -- Kate rushes Claire to the hospital where her physician is ... Ethan. More alternate reality ramifications from the bomb, I presume?

9:42 -- Ethan is able to comfort Claire -- which is easy for the characters on the show, but everyone watching knows he is Mr. Creepy Von Freaksmeout, so that entire scene was waaaay scarier for the viewers.

9:43 -- Kate wants Sawyer to help her find Claire. This week is all about Kate and Claire and how they are bonded.

9:45 -- Shhhh, Sawyer is trying to cry.

9:46 -- Shhhh, now Kate is trying to cry.

9:47 -- Mr. Miyagi tells Jack his name is Dogen and he was brought to the island, just like everyone else.

9:48 -- "Poison." -- Dogen

9:53 -- Claire lies to the cops to help Kate. Girl power!

9:54 -- Now Claire is giving Kate her credit card. This is all just so weird.

9:55 -- Sawyer stares. Kate stares.

9:56 -- Dogen thinks Sayid is possessed.

9:57 -- "Because it happened to your sister." -- Dogen

9:58 -- Odds Jin finds Claire?

9:59 -- RIP Mac.

10:00 -- "Claire?" -- Jin. Oh man, she does not look good.

I have several different tests I use to judge an episode of "Lost." Let's use the "How would you recap the episode to someone who missed it?" test:

Claire's back and Sayid might be possessed.

That's it. Did I miss anything important?

I really don't have much to add here. Not much happened. Not much to analyze. Not much to break down. I give this episode a D -- and I think I am being kind there.

When you factor in how few episodes we have left, an episode like this makes for a huge disappointment.

-- Side note: I was going to an LDQA this week, but only got like 5 questions. So let's just scratch that for this season. 

-- Hit me up on Twitter if you want: @nyquil32. Yes, I love cold medicine.

Posted by Daniel at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (422)

Posted by Daniel at 05:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (60)

Welcome back to another edition of The "Lost" Diary.

I love making lists -- Top 10 This, 20 Favorite That -- and I am often asked to rank to my favorite television shows of all-time. And every time I do, I leave "Lost" off entirely. See, I can't possibly judge "Lost" until it's over. The final season will dictate how I view the entire series forever. If the final season blows, I will feel like I wasted six years of my life. If it delivers, I will feel completely vindicated. So for me, tonight's episode is the beginning of how I will remember "Lost" the rest of my life.

For all you "Lost" Diary newbies, here's how it goes: I gather with a group of friends watching "Lost," writing what happens on the show as it happens, and throwing in my two cents along the way. I plan on watching the final season of "Lost" with as many new people as possible this season, but tonight I am going old school -- just me and Ari.

Let's roll ...

9:00 -- I just watched an hour-long show that was essentially a "Previously on 'Lost'" -- do I need more?

9:01 -- Jack is back on Oceanic Flight 815 as we are, essentially, re-living the crash again (stewardess and all).

9:02 -- Will the plane crash this time?

9:03 -- "Looks like we made it." -- Barry Manilow, I mean Jack.

9:04 -- Am I wrong to think the plane still might crash? And what's the deal with the cut on Jack's neck? Where'd that come from?

9:05 -- That's weird -- Desmond is on the plane. Desmond wasn't on Oceanic 815. Why is Desmond on the plane?

9:06 -- Cue the creepy Tim Burton music as the camera whips around to show us the four-toed statue ... underwater.

9:10 -- Kate's eyes open only to find her hanging from a tree, ears ringing. Do not adjust the volume on your television.

9:11 -- Kate wanders around the jungle till she finds Miles. How many times do people on "Lost" wake up with no clue where they are? Once a week?

9:12 -- "We're back." So Jack is off the island, but Kate isn't. Interesting.

9:13 -- Ok, Jack really is on the island. Was the first scene just a dream? Damn you, clever "Lost" writers!!!

9:14 -- Jack was wrong about everything, it would appear, and Sawyer is not happy since Juliet was blown up by the bomb. Or was she?

9:15 -- Jack is back on the plane again. If you were wondering the first time I suffered a "Lost"-induced migraine in 2010, the correct answer was 9:15.

9:16 -- Back on the plane, Sawyer hears that Hurley is a lottery winner and he made that "I'm a con man and I am about to do con man things" face.

9:17 -- "I am the luckiest guy alive." -- Hurley. Of course he is -- no hatch, no numbers, no bad luck. But then ... how did he come up with the numbers to win the lottery in the first place. Second "Lost" induced migraine coming ... now.

9:18 -- Juliet is crying for help and now Jack and company are digging through rubble.

9:19 -- Sayid doesn't look good. Someone's in the woods -- my money is on Boone.

9:20 -- Nope, it's Jacob.

9:22 -- Back on Oceanic 815, Sun and Jin are chatting it up. Remember -- this is pre-plane crash Jin, so he's kind of an a-hole.

9:23 -- "If this plane goes down in the ocean way out here, I think our chances of survival are exactly zero." -- Boone.

9:24 -- Boone is on the plane, but Shannon isn't. Is that supposed to be right? And Locke went on his walkabout -- only he never crashed on the island, so he should still be in a wheelchair. Headache #3.

9:25 -- "If this thing goes down, I'm sticking with you." -- Boone.

9:26 -- Ben seems a little broken up about killing Jacob. Remorse? From Ben? Doesn't feel right.

9:27 -- Seeing Locke's body in the casket makes Ben make the same face I have been making for the last 20 minutes. Seeing as Locke is inside the temple AND in a casket, from now on I will be referring to Locke as Not-Locke, since it clearly isn't him and is instead the guy from the beach last season.

9:31 -- The search for Juliet continues.

9:32 -- "Your friend Jin won't be able to see me ... Because I died an hour ago." -- Jacob. Well duh.

9:33 -- So Hurley has to take Sayid to the temple and bring the guitar case with him. When Hurley asked Jacob "Who are you?" for a split second I thought he was going to say "Batman."

9:34 -- I'm going to say it -- I hope Juliet dies. If a giant bomb goes off, someone should die. Even on "Lost."

9:35 -- Since the plane didn't crash, Charlie got to do his beloved heroin ... and promptly OD'd.

9:39 -- Here I am, rooting for Charlie to die again. Just like old times.

9:40 -- "Yeah, you're alive." -- Jack to Charlie.

9:41 -- Sawyer and Juliet get the dramatic reunion music usually reserved for Desmond and Penny.

9:44 -- Jack says there is "nothing I can do for him (Sayid)" which gives Hurley the green light for Operation Temple.

9:47 -- The Not-Locke version of the Smoke Monster
kicks ass.

9:48 -- "I'm sorry you had to see me like that." -- Not-Locke

9:52 -- "I have to tell you something, it's really important ..." -- Juliet. Fantastic timing.

9:53 -- RIP Juliet.

9:54 -- "You did this." -- Sawyer. Was he talking to me? Cause I only wrote I wanted Juliet dead, I didn't actually kill her.

9:55 -- "I was supposed to die." -- Charlie. Yes, yes you were.

9:56 -- Did Jack imagine Desmond?

9:56 -- As we begin our final descent into Los Angeles, I am reminded of all the people we could have seen on the plane -- Shannon, Michael, Walt, Ana Lucia, Mr. Eko, and Libby. If they all were shown, the GUEST STARRING credits at the beginning of the show would have lasted 15 minutes.

9:57 -- Soft music, slow motion montage ...

9:59 -- And Locke's wheelchair. Guess he lied about the walkabout.

10:04 -- "It's not a guitar, man." -- Hurley. Um, what?

10:05 -- "Jack Shephard, please go to the nearest courtesy desk." What are the odds his dad's coffin has gone missing.

10:06 -- "We're not exactly sure where it is." -- Oceanic guy.

10:07 -- Operation Temple encountered a brief obstacle (giant wall), but seems to be moving along well.

10:09 -- WHISPER WHISPER WHISPER and now Kate's gone.

10:10 -- WHISPER WHISPER WHISPER and now everyone is captured.

10:11 -- "Guess we found the temple." -- Hurley

10:15 -- Kate needs to go to the bathroom, no doubt to plot her escape. Poorly.

10:16 -- Kate escapes.

10:18 -- Sawyer is burying Juliet. Guess she really is dead. I feel kinda guilty.

10:19 -- Sawyer wants Miles to tell him what Juliet was trying to tell him before she died.

10:20 -- "It worked." -- Miles. Ok, so is it possible everyone is on the island ... AND off the island? Headache #4.

10:21 -- "They were on the first plane." -- Stewardess. She's had more lines tonight than in the previous five seasons combined.

10:22 -- "Jacob sent us!" -- Hurley

10:25 -- "Hey, excuse me. I carried that case across the ocean and, like, through time. I want to know what that paper says." -- Hurley.

10:29 -- So what are the odds Sun bolts now that she's in Los Angeles? That was her original plan, right?

10:30 -- "No english." -- Sun

10:31 -- The Temple's hot tub seems to be broken and isn't healing people properly.

10:34 -- RIP Sayid? That can't be right.

10:35 -- No, seriously -- that can't be right. Not Sayid. I don't even remember how he got shot in the first place.

10:40 -- Kate continues her escape. I always find myself rooting against her. Which isn't saying much -- she always gets captured.

10:42 -- Claire? I completely forgot about her.

10:43 -- Creepy Asian Guy totally speaks English.

10:44 -- "Cause he's dead. What, you guys didn't know?" -- Hurley

10:46 -- "Let's not resort to name calling." -- Not-Locke.

10:47 -- Hearing Not-Locke talk about Locke is kinda like hearing someone deliver their own eulogy.

10:48 -- "I want to go home." -- Not-Locke

10:51 -- "Goodbye, dude. If you ever want to talk, I'm around." -- Hurley to Sayid.

10:52 -- Seeing Locke and Jack together brings back Season 2 memories.

10:53 -- "They didn't lose your father, they just lost his body." -- Locke

10:54 -- "Nothing's irreversible." -- Jack

10:56 -- "I'm seeing it, but I'm still not believing it." -- Lawnmower Man.

10:57 -- "It's good to see you out of those chains." -- Not-Locke. Apparently Richard and Not-Locke have a long history.

10:59 -- Back at the temple, everyone is bummed out about Juliet and Sayid dying. Tough afternoon for the Losties.

11:00 -- "What happened?" -- Sayid

Season 1 of "Lost" has always been a bit of a conundrum to me. On one hand, it's the consensus best season (not sure if I agree, but I think it's a fair choice). On the other hand, if someone told you they were about to start watching "Lost" and they wanted to skip one season and still be able to figure out what's going on, they could skip Season 1, right?

I mean -- no Others, no hatches, no Jacob, no Ben, no Richard, no Desmond, no time travel. In a weird way, it's like it's own separate show.

But it's taken us all the way until Season 6, but we're back to a Season 1 type of story -- the What If Oceanic 815 Didn't Crash universe. It's just a bunch of characters, that we have grown to love, living normal lives (a la the flashbacks from Seasons 1 and 2). If you loved Season 1, you are no doubt loving this half of "Lost" -- the Flashsideways, as I believe they are being called.

So let's focus on the 815 universe, because I don't think I am ready to tackle what's going on on the island. Desmond is on the plane, they lost Christian (and Locke's knives), Charlie tried to swallow heroin rather than flush it, Sun hates Jin, Claire isn't going to give birth to her baby in a jungle and Hurley has good luck (think that's all the differences, off the top of my head, for now).

I've always said certain episodes get graded differently than others, season premieres being one of them. I give this episode a B+. It didn't knock me over with crazy revelations, but it set up Season 6 in an amazing way -- which, considering how high the stakes are, is pretty damn impressive.

Two quick things:

-- I am finally on Twitter. I still think it's stupid, but it's kinda fun sometimes. @nyquil32

-- I'm going to try and bring back the LDQA. Email me your questions at questions@thelostdiary.com. Reminder: don't feel like your questions have to be just about "Lost." Have fun with it.

-- Just read this article. I think it helps understand last night and where they are going this season w/o spoiling anything. Recommended reading.

Posted by Daniel at 06:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (632)