The 'Lost' Hour

Has "Lost" got you a mite confused and ready to hurl at the next mention of smoke monsters? Or do you have the fate of the Oceanic 6 and the Jack-Kate-Sawyer-Juliet love square all figured out? Who got Scooby Dooed this week? Are you a new viewer, adrift on an unfamiliar isle or an old hand ready to bare knuckle some quantum physics? In either case, we're here for you and armed with more mediocre puns and pop culture references than a hunky con man than you can shake a stick at and ready to explain exactly what it is that Cheech Marin and Bai Ling have to do with any of the above.

Post.com "Lost" bloggers Liz Kelly and Jen Chaney will attempt to get to the bottom of these matters every Friday. Liz and Jen, both obsessive "Lost" fans, have been writing their weekly dueling analysis of the show since 2006.

A transcript follows

When not debating the merits of Sawyer's hotness, Liz Kelly writes the Celebritology blog and Jen Chaney acts as movies editrix and DVD columnist for washingtonpost.com.

For episode analysis, discussion transcripts and more, visit washingtonpost.com'sLost Central.

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Jen Chaney: Hello, "Lost"-ophiles. Plenty of questions today, so I think we'll get right to it. Liz will be along shortly. I think she paused for a quick snack of 15-year-old Dharma soda crackers. Now that's good eatin'!

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Silver Spring, Md.: I'm 93 percent sure that Desmond is next to die. The writers foreshadowed it last week when he said "I've been on that island for 3 years, I'm not going back."

Those explosives are gonna take out my two favorites: Jin and Desmond. Woe is me...

Jen Chaney: I am still holding out hope. I think Des goes eventually. Just hope he hangs in for one more season.

I do know that Sonya Walger, Penny Widmore, gues stars in the finale. So Desmond will likely figure prominently in some way.

Jen Chaney: That would be guesT stars. Pesky spelling.

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Time travel and smoke monsters don't bother me, but . . .: I never thought about this until this episode -- but where is Oceanic getting all this settlement money?! Most airlines these days are close to bankruptcy. But now Sun can buy a controlling interest in her father's company? Can you see US Air or United having that kind of money?

Jen Chaney: An interesting question. Let's think about this: Oceanic Airlines is probably not really covering all these settlements. It's clear that the cover-up is something more complicated that is being orchestrated by Widmore and, perhaps, additional interested parties. Even if it's just Widmore, that dude has some serious cash. So I think he could afford to buy everyone off.

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Jack: So I have a theory as to why Jack is so guilt-ridden/depressed.

It's somehow up to Jack to decide who gets off the island (maybe via the helicopter which is now an available mode of transportation). I think Jack makes a deal with the devil, the devil being Richard Alpert who wants everyone off the island except for the "chosen" likes of Ben and Locke.

For Jack, every choice is somehow terrible: Sun over Jin, Hurley over Bernard/Rose duo, Sayid over Desmond, Kate over Juliet (because he lurves Kate) and then he picks Sawyer over himself (for Kate's sake) but Sawyer decides to stay, thus setting up all that crazy jealous anger two weeks ago when Kate was running Sawyer's errands.

Anyway, each choice costs Jack a piece of his soul and slowly drives him to drink and self medicate. He just couldn't push it our of his mind. And I bet the person who tried to warn Jack against this course of action was the ghost of his dear old dad. Which is why is it doubly horrible that Christian is haunting Jack off the island.

Now what I'd love to know is who are the other two "survivors" in addition to the Oceanic 6 and why did they tell that lie?

Jen Chaney: So what you're saying is that Jack has to play his own, twisted version of "Lost" Madness?

That's an intriguing theory. I agree that he somehow plays a key role in the decision-making process. Whether it breaks down to Hurley goes and Rose stays, I don't know. But he was clearly acting as the leader of the pack last night, and it certainly would explain the nature of his guilt.

Re: The other two survivors. Is your question why they even needed to say there were two others? That's a great question. Clearly that whole story is poppycock, but I wonder: Why not just say, these six floated over to this random island and that's it? Seems like it was necessary to demonstrate their heroism, perhaps? That they tried to save two more people but couldn't?

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Capitol Hill: I voted for Desmond in Lost Madness, but I never thought I was obsessed. But yesterday when Des was so close to the dynamite, I yelled out "If they kill Desmond off now, I'm never watching Lost again." They can't kill him, he needs his Penny!

Jen Chaney: You people love your Desmond. I encourage you to watch that Brotha-fest video on YouTube. We linked to it in the blog this morning.

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BINGO!:

It's the return of the Numbers.

And the return of Cheech.

Jen Chaney: I missed the numbers. Seriously, they are like another character in the show to me.

The only way that Cheech's presence could have been improved? If Sawyer's dad had turned out to be Chong. Alas, we already this to not be the case.

Liz Kelly: Right -- maybe that'll be the show's big finale -- that the entire "Lost" experience was a pot-induced dream of Tommy Chong's.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi! So glad I found a local LOST community that is obsessed as I am. A few episodes back, Michael's mom and Walt's grandmother said that Michael had been gone for six months, right? And that was back when Michael was in The Real World, before the Freighter. Last night, Susan from Oceanic really made it sound like Our Friends had only been gone a little over 3 months - 108 days. Theories?

Liz Kelly: Hmmm, well, I'm a little fuzzy on the math. Again, wishing I had a handy dandy timeline, but perhaps Michael's mom was including the time Michael was in Australia before the crash?

Jen Chaney: Yeah, I need to double check that she said six months. I think you're right.

I also paused when Sun verified with Michael that he had gone to New York and come back. She seemed confused by that, but she doesn't realize that the island is operating on its timeline.

Liz, at some point in our copious free time, we need to map this out.

Liz Kelly: Yes. I think the hiatus between the end of this season and the beginning of the next will afford us that time.

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washingtonpost.com: Desmond - The "Brotha" Compilation (youtube.com)

Liz Kelly: Ahhh, thank you Producer Paul.

Jen Chaney: Yes, thank you muchly. (I was too lazy to go back and find the link.)

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Timeli, NE: Lostpedia has an extremely exhaustive one. I haven't checked it lately though, since things started to warp and double-back on us.

Liz Kelly: This is great, though a little hard to find things in a hurry if you're not sure of the general day of occurrence.

Jen Chaney: I have to look at this more closely post-chat. Thanks for sending along.

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Feed the baby!: I admit I'm obsessed with Aaron the orphan because I'm a new mom. But I'm getting so distracted by the fact that poor Aaron hasn't eaten in hours/days! Am I the only one bothered by this? And how could Kate pass off that HUGE baby as only being 5 weeks old. And why lie about that?

Jen Chaney: I understand the obsession. As a new-ish mom, I know I watch those things with a different eye than I used to.

He does not look five-weeks old. But if the way time has passed off-island is not the same as on and five weeks are all that have elapsed, they kinda have to say that, right? And just hope people either a. think the kid is freakishly large or b. have no understanding of human biology.

The eating issue, well, that remains a mystery. I also found it interesting that Kate, who was afraid of the baby just a few episodes back, scooped him up so readily from Sawyer. I almost thought Kate was having some flashes or deja vus or something during the episode because a couple of times, she was off by herself, looking introspective.

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nerd alert: Michelle Forbes is also known to sci fi nerds as Ensign Ro from Star Trek.

So many guest stars last night, it's like it was an episode of Love Boat.

Speaking of which, who was that lion-faced woman pretending to be Veronica Hamel? That's not the sultry Joyce Davenport I remember from "Hill Street Blues."

Liz Kelly: I also understand from our editor that Michelle Forbes is also a soap opera veteran. The girl clearly gets around.

Jen Chaney: Indeed.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Add me to the brothas. I was so hoping Doc Jensen was right that the whole series is about Desmond's Odyssey to be reunited with Penny.

Even if he "dies," I would point out that the only charcters who truly leave us are the ones who get on the bad side of the producers. Everybody else keeps popping up, much to our delight.

Jen Chaney: Or the ones who have DUIs.

No, it's true. Even if he died, I suspect our brotha would be back.

Liz Kelly: By the way, Sonya Walger is listed in the finale's press release. So, for better or worse, expect to see some Penny.

Jen Chaney: Yeah, I mentioned this prior to your arrival, Liz. I think we all look forward to seeing Penny.

Liz Kelly: That's what I get for being late. Sorry folks!

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Re: The other two survivors: Maybe they have some bodies?

Possibly Jin's and whoever's in the coffin?

Jen Chaney: Ah, good point. I still think, based on the obit, that the person in the coffin died post-island. But you never know.

Liz Kelly: Ya, I'm with Jen on this one. I think the person in that coffin died stateside.

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North Canton, Ohio: Did you think Jack's reaction to the news of Claire being his sister was surprisingly mild? He barely reacted!

Jen Chaney: Is this going to be another argument about Matthew Fox's acting skills?

I actually thought his response was appropriate. When she said that Claire was his sister, his head sort of knocked back as though he had been struck. But he also seemed to have trouble wrapping his mind around the whole thing, which seemed appropriate to me.

Liz Kelly: I'm totally with Jen on this one -- I thought Jack's response was dead on. He had no idea how to process the information -- he froze. I think it was pretty realistic. I know I've been in a few situations where the full force of some new information doesn't hit me for minutes, hours, days or sometimes even weeks.

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Boulder, Colo.: I'm sure airlines have insurance for those pesky little things like crashes to pay out/off the victims...

Jen Chaney: I am sure they do. But probably not as much money as these settlements may have cost.

Liz Kelly: Yes, I was a little surprised to learn that Oceanic's settlement to Sun was enough scratch to buy a controlling interest in dad's company. I mean, it isn't as if the guy owns Men's Wearhouse. The guy is like the Donald Trump of Korea.

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Mitchellville, Md.: It looks like the Sayid and Kate will be joining forces with Richard and the remaining "Others." I love how the show continues to mix up the groups. There is no longer a clear distinction between all the various factions. We also all know that Ben still has more tricks up his sleeve. Watching him "play" Locke is one of the best parts of the show.

Liz Kelly: Though if Kate and Sayid do join forces with Alpert & co., it can't be for long since we know both Kate and Sayid are members of the Oceanic Six.

When Alpert and his crew emerged from the jungle, it really reminded me of earlier seasons when we saw the Others using the same kinds of guerrilla warfare on the Losties.

Jen Chaney: Yes, exactly, Liz. Them being surrounded was very much like the Other surrounding Jack and Kate back in season one or two.

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Washington, D.C.: To me, in the previews for the finale, it seemed like the heli was too heavy for everyone to make it to the freighter (or wherever it ends up) and Sawyer was originally one of the people getting off but he jumped to lighten the load and save the rest of the Oceanic 6.

washingtonpost.com: That's what I thought too.

Liz Kelly: Okay, this just gave me chills. I am a huge nerd.

Jen Chaney: I have to look at that again. Sawyer has been set up to be the big hero this season, hasn't he? And that would really bug Jack, and possibly explain his anger with Kate when he finds out she is helping Sawyer in that recent flash-forward.

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Dallas: Wow, I can't believe nobody at the press conference called Kate on how huge Aaron is for supposedly being only five weeks old! What was he supposed to be, 12 pounds at birth?! And are we supposed to believe that skinny little Kate gave birth a month ago to this gigantic baby? (She doesn't exactly resemble a Nursing Mama Snack Bar, if you know what I mean.) Kate's part of the O6 cover story would be the easiest to blow up. All it would take is a visit to her OB-GYN, or some covert DNA testing, to prove Kate never gave birth to Aaron. But I guess no one in the Lostiverse media is curious enough to seriously question her heroics. Even when she later goes on trial!

Jen Chaney: I had the same thought about the baby, Dallas. He is a big 'ol five-week-old, that's for sure. (And the nursing issue ... didn't think about that, but kudos for your, um, observational skills.)

Her story is definitely easy to blow-up and seems like it easily would. In fact, didn't one of the reporters ask about her time as fugitive and get silenced by the Oceanic spokeswoman? Not sure how that ruse could stay in place for so long, a very good question.

Liz Kelly: I think the reporter Jen just mentioned, the one who started quizzing Kate about the timeline of the birth, was heading there -- or at least trying to speak for us, the viewers, who have already voiced those exact same skeptical thoughts.

Wearing my other hat this reminds me of course of similar concerns voiced about Suri Cruise when we finally saw pix of her. She seemed, many thought, much older than the timeline allowed.

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Elsie, DC: If Desmond dies it will put a serious dent in my belief that Adam and Eve are Des and Penny. We saw the black and white stones in their apartment, so I'd like to know if anyone has thoughts about how they wound up with the skeletons? Further, Darlton said LOST is ultimately the love story of Des & Penny. Could they kill him off with two seasons to go? I can't believe it. I won't!

Liz Kelly: Well, they could I suppose is LindeCuse (that's right, I defy you're "Darlton") are willing to take Desmond's character to some kind of supernatural afterlife status. Which would make for one heck of a long-distance relationship with Penny.

I guess it would be a sort of edgy update of " The Ghost and Mrs. Muir."

Jen Chaney: Anything is possible. I don't want to believe it either, though, so I feel your pain.

(I also refuse to say Darlton. LindeCuse has such a nicer ring.)

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Lost Deaths: I too am sad that more and more characters are getting killed off, but I hold out hope that in the end they will turn back time and the plane won't crash and Desmond will have married Penny in an earlier time. I want a happy ending. Any chance this could happen?

Jen Chaney: Of course there is a chance. I completely believe that the dead aren't really dead on "Lost" because of all the funky time travel issues.

And I firmly believe the show won't end on a down note.

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Down with Papa Paik: Liz!

I'm surprised you didn't like Sun's standing up to her father.

I've always seen the passengers on the Island are serving in some sort of purgatory (not really Purgatory, since we know that that's not what this is all about.)where they have to come to terms with thier past lives and think about how to change it.

So I saw Sun's revelation as a definitive shift in her taking a stand for her life, which she had not done before the Island.

If you look at the other castaways, it looks like Jack, Hurley, and Sayid haven't changed dramatically or are still fixated on the Island while Kate and Sun seem to be making active moves to take control of their lives (and presumably move on). (Note: Jack, Hurley and Sayid both have odd connections to the Island still -- Jack/Hurley hallucinations and Sayid's work with Ben).

Can I just say also that I loved the closing music of the episode?

Speaking of BSG/LOST connections, someone sent me this link: http://galacticasitrep.blogspot.com/2008/05/this-is-awesome.html

Liz Kelly: I'm fine with the general idea of Sun buying some of her own destiny, in a sense, by scarfing up stock in Paik. But something about the execution and the defiant monologue just rang a little hollow for me. As I said in the analysis, it just felt soapy to me -- heavy on the melodrama and grandstanding, light on substance. I think there would probably have been a better way to work this revelation in... maybe even into a future show when we find out because Sun has used her new-found power to make her first move against her father, and possibly Widmore.

Jen Chaney: I agree that it was sort of out of the blue. Last night's episode was not a flashback that focused on one character. So it felt like they were covering a lot of ground without the usual development that might precede, say, a move like Sun's or the sudden appearance of Nadia.

At the same time, I enjoyed seeing her stand up for herself. And the implication that she might have a stake in Widmore, if Paik is still working with him in some way.

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DC: Of course we love us some serious Des....he is the least flawed character on the Island. He is, and seemingly always has been a stand up "good" human being! And he's easy on the eyes!!

Jen Chaney: True. I would argue that Desmond has some flaws: He dumped Penny for no good reason, he ditched his fiance pre-Penny, and for a time at least, he seemed to have a serious drinking problem.

But his heart is clearly good, and I think that's why we like him. I also think Cusick brings a lot of warmth to the character and people respond to that, too.

Liz Kelly: Agreed -- and none of us are completely flawless. As Jen points out, Des has had his missteps, too. But, as you point out, he is a good guy and he does seem -- at least among the islanders -- to be a bit further evolved. Maybe it's because he started learning about his island fate long before they did, so he's just had more time for it to affect him.

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More Michelle Forbes: To me, she will always be the producer (or whatever) in "Swimming With Sharks." Wish I could find a "Lost" connection there. Kevin Spacey kind of reminds me of Ben, and his character was brutally calculating, but he lost his temper a lot more than Ben.

Liz Kelly: Right -- that was a great movie. Maybe Kevin Spacey can turn up as some kind of soulless Oceanic Airlines exec.

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The Dead aren't really Dead...: But Christian is really dead right? I mean, he didn't die on the island....he died back on the mainland. So we don't have to worry about him right? Dead-dead or "dead"-dead?

Liz Kelly: I think we talked a little about the undead last week. Yes, Christian is really dead -- in that he died in Australia. But the island -- or Jacob -- seems to have some dominion over the dead and an ability to use them to communicate with the living. I think that's why we've seen Christian turning up here and there. What makes sense to me is that he'd be used to "haunt" Jack and Claire, but why Locke -- why is Christian Shepard the man Locke sees in the cabin?

Jen Chaney: Right, Christian's spirit lives even though he is technically dead.

But why he communicates with Locke ... hmmm. Great question. Theories? Please share.

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Anonymous: So, is there somewhere that list all the questions that are suppose to be answered before the end of this season (what is the smoke monster, how Jin dies, etc). Preferably questions that were confirmed by the producers/show promo department.

Thanks.

Jen Chaney: Great. Another assignment for me and Liz.

Liz Kelly: Actually, Jen, Doc Jensen may have beat us to the punch -- he published a gallery of 17 enduring island mysteries today over at EW.

Jen Chaney: That Doc. He's so quick on the draw.

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Washington, D.C.: So the Oceanic spokeswoman said they were on the island 108 days. Wasn't 108 the countdown number in the hatch? The details in my mind are fuzzy, so I could be way off. I need to go back and watch all the seasons over again...

Jen Chaney: Absolutely right, another numbers-related detail from last night's show that I enjoyed. Thanks for pointing that out.

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M. Forbes:

She also played Gabriel Byrne's wife in HBO's recent psychologist drama, "In Treatment."

Liz Kelly: Okay, I'm starting to think this woman has cloned herself.

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Love that Des, brotha: He "dumped" Pen because Mrs. Dawkins told him he had to, to save the world.

Sun's dad's lips FREAK ME OUT. Collagen job gone bad?

Jen Chaney: Right, but betraying the love of your life could be seen as a flaw. Don't get me wrong, I love Des as much as the rest of you. I am just saying that some of his flaws and his desire to overcome them are what make him such a human and relatable character.

Maybe we should do a single round of "Lost" Lips Madness: Paik vs. Jack's mom. I'm already frightened just thinking about it.

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jack/claire: I thought Jack's reaction was spot-on (although I'm not a huge MF fan) -- he can't let on he even KNEW Claire -- the most he could say is maybe "Oh, an Australian girl stood behind me in the check-in line -- maybe that was your daughter?" which would be very lame. And he certainly couldn't let on that he just realized ginormo baby is his nephew -- he can't let grieving grandma have any hint that the baby (which is just the right age to be Claire's!) might be Claire's. Talk about guilt, guilt, guilt.

Jen Chaney: Good points all. He had to play that scene with an emotional reaction the audience scene but one subtle enough not to raise a red flag to Claire's mom.

Very hard to do, I think Fox did just fine. But I usually tend to think that because I loved him on "Party of Five." It all comes back to the Salingers.

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Anonymous: So, you aren't going to address how everyone seems to be ok with the fact that Kate had to be 6 months pregnant when captured and arrested by the FBI (or whatever the government agency is). I mean no one knew that she wasn't pregnant prior to getting on the plane. Security cameras at the airport, who's the baby daddy, something...

Jen Chaney: Well, you're right, clearly that doesn't make sense. She wasn't pregnant and it would be easy enough to verify that, as was said earlier. Plus, think a smart reporter could easily start digging there to find the truth. How the "Lost" writers will address that, I don't know.

Liz Kelly: But I'm betting they will. There's just too much of a fan outcry as being asked to suspend disbelief over this one. They'll figure out a way to make it all work.

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Reston, Va.: This has been bugging me since forever. Why is baby Aaron never wearing clothes while on the island? For a tropical island (lots of bugs), you would think Claire will cut up and put a t-shirt on the baby. And does that baby really look like he is only 5-months old (referring to Kate saying the baby is 5 months old)

Liz Kelly: Maybe he has some kind of special island mojo -- something in-born that repels noseeums and keeps him from getting a sunburn.

And Kate said the baby was five weeks old.

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Pine Valley: I loved Sun's soap opera scene with Daddy Paik. It was campier than any scene with Alexis. But on a re-watch this morning on ABC.com -- the whole episode was a homage to soap opera cliches. I mean, come on, Claire's comatose mother came back from the brink of death to travel across the globe so she can tell Jack that Claire is his sister at his father's memorial service?! The cartoonish island birthday party theme? Nadia's convenient back door arrival? The constant hopping from reveal to reveal? I'm just hoping that LindeCuse were paying homage to some soap opera motifs they way some soap operas are paying homage to "Lost." Please please please don't let "Lost" lose its edge!

Jen Chaney: This reminds me of the way that "Twin Peaks" would riff on soap opera themes, then show that faux soap, "Invitation to Love," in the background of some scenes.

I am not sure it was an intentional homage, really. It was a lot of jumping and revealing. But again, remember, there were supposed to be more episodes this season, but they were curtailed because of the strike. So in these last three hours, a cram-it-all-in factor could be at work.

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Brooklyn, N.Y.: Did you catch what Sun's dad was discussing before she walked in? Was it just about the corporate takeover? Or was it that someone had stolen a lot of money out of his accounts? I wasn't clear, but it seemed relevant.

Liz Kelly: I think it was about the corporate takeover. Something about someone using five different banks -- which to me sounds like a plausible way for someone to quickly buy up a bunch of Paik Industries stock without raising any red flags. Until, of course, the flags do go up.

Jen Chaney: Yeah, I thought he was reacting to the takeover, which we immediately realize was orchestrated by Sun. And the fact that the first thing he asks when she walks in is about her pregnancy -- and assumes that little Sun wouldn't understand his business dealings -- made it that much more satisfying (and yes, soap opera-ish) when she revealed that she was the one responsible.

Suck on that, Dad!

Liz Kelly: Ya, suck on that with your freakish lips!

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Not the Coffin, the Other 2: I think the poster above was referring to the other 2 "survivors" besides the Oceanic 6. Someone wondered earlier why even mention that there were once 8 people alive? If they had a couple of bodies with them, they couldn't pretend that only 6 survived.

Also -- I really thought that Claire would have been one of the two that they were claiming to have died after the crash, so as to justify Aaron.

Speaking of Aaron...it's TV-land. Newborns in movies look like 6 month olds.

washingtonpost.com: Claiming Aaron was hers was probably the only (or at least, easiest) way for Kate to keep him.

Liz Kelly: Righto, and would possibly inspire some sympathy for Kate, who at the moment of return to the mainland must face those pesky murder charges.

Jen Chaney: Yes, it is the easiest way for one of the Six to hold onto Aaron.

And it's true that maybe things play out in a way where two other bodies have to be accounted for. We shall see in two weeks.

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Fredericksburg, Va.: Steve

I am about ready to throw my TV through the window. First, how many commercials can they cram into a one hour show. The show just drags along then right before it goes off they give you a big gotcha to get you to come back next week. Where is Clare? Is Joseph some kind of angel? What's up with the black smoke? This show can't possibly run for more then five years. The named it right, LOST... Because I am really LOST...

Liz Kelly: I'm with you on the commercials -- ABC was way heavy on the ads last night. I think between 10:25 and 10:45 we only got about 8 real minutes of show. As for the rest, well, isn't that why we watch?

Jen Chaney: They always overdo it on the commercials. That's why they invented the DVR.

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Michelle Forbes: was also the coroner on "Homicide: Life on the Street" and if there's one thing the island might need real soon...

Jen Chaney: OK, clearly she has appeared on every TV show ever made. Including, oddly, "South Park."

(Okay, I made that up...)

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Buddhist, CA:108 is also a significant number in Tibetan Buddhism. Not to beat a dead horse - I am the one obsessing on the many Dharma refrences.

Jen Chaney: Duly noted, Buddhist.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Lost ladies! I love the chat. I have a question about the explosives on the freighter. Wasn't Michael supposed to blow up the freighter in order to save the island? I remember him getting that fake-out bomb in the suitcase delivered to him on the freighter. When he hit the key to detonate it, a flag popped up saying "not yet" or something like that. But are we to believe that the explosives were put there by Michael to complete his mission from Ben? Or is Keamy responsible?

Liz Kelly: I'm thinking these explosives were courtesy Keamy and might explain that blank armband device we saw on him last week -- it's the detonator.

Jen Chaney: Yes, I am going with Keamy. But I still say his black armband lets him listen to satellite radio. He loves the all '80s New Wave station.

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15th and L: I'm not sure what to think of the 06 story - do you think the Losties were briefed as to what exactly to say by Ben or Widmore or someone like that? Or do you think the Losties devised the story ahead of time so they wouldn't have to bring up all the weird stuff happening on the island?

Jen Chaney: It seemed like someone had briefed them. Michelle Forbes knew that whole story cold. So it seemed like someone asked them to more or less memorize it, especially based on Jack's instructions. "If you don't know the answer, just don't say anything. They'll think you're in shock."

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Arlington, Va.: I'll always defend Desmond, but the situation with Mrs. Dawkins telling him had to dump Penny occurred during the alternate playing-out of events that had already happened, right? In other words, he'd dumped Penny at one point for his own reasons, and Mrs. Dawkins was telling him he had to do it again.

And I have to say, I started laughing at Jack's reaction to learning Claire was his sister -- it seemed like Matthew Fox just blinked A LOT, very quickly.

Liz Kelly: I thought it was perfect. He didn't know how to deal with what he'd just heard. If anything, I think he could've been more incredulous. Like "what, no way, I don't believe you, how dare you desecrate my dad's funeral with these lies," etc.'

Jen Chaney: Leave Foxy alone, dang it!

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Philadelphia: Claire's mom showing up at the funeral seemed weird and random, but I have a theory. Maybe Claire's mom was a ghost (in the same way that Charlie appears to Hurley). Jack needed the info and Claire's mom was on the verge of death when we last saw her. Any thoughts on that gem?!

Liz Kelly: Well I suppose anything's possible, but I'm betting Claire's mom was alive.

Jen Chaney: Yeah, I think she was alive. I need to revisit that episode in season three -- you know, the one where Claire seemed suddenly goth -- to refresh my memory as to what happened to her mom post-crash. I thought, as you say, that she was comatose or something, in very bad shape of some sort. But she could have recovered.

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Baltimore: I just want to say, the best line of the episode was "Jesus Christ is not a weapon".

Jen Chaney: It was a good line. As was Ben's line about the soda crackers. And the crack from the reporter who said they all look "healthy" for having been on an island for 108 days. And Hurley's response, "Are you looking at me, dude?"

Liz Kelly: Yes, lots of good lines last night. Expect more in the finale, written by Lindecuse themselves.

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Kate's "Pregnancy": Widmore faked an 815 crash complete with bodies. He can probably handle some airport security footage and faked doctor exams.

Jen Chaney: He'll put his name on all the fake medical papers, too, just like the ones Tom showed Michael.

Liz Kelly: Ha.

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Arlington, Va.: I'm not sure if this has been brought to attention before or not but....What's with the "glitches" when Locke is on the screen? I've never seen any freeze frames online as to what they are, and they seem to happen too fast for my DVR.

Jen Chaney: I don't see glitches. Liz, do you?

Liz Kelly: No, can't say I do. Arlington, maybe your picture was compromised in some way by last night's approaching storm? Not that our local cable provider ever has any signal trouble.

Jen Chaney: Or maybe your cable provider is actually ... JACOB.

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N. Canton, OH: Someone proposed that the mirror flashing could be morse code. Has anyone tried to figure out what it said, if so?

Liz Kelly: Good question. It was obviously some kind of code... haven't seen any attempts at deciphering it, tho.

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Reston, Va.: Weird thing about the time variation(s)...when we first discovered it, as payload launched from the ship took much longer than expected to reach the island, indicating that the island is behind in time. When the doctors body washes up before he is killed, that indicates that the island is ahead in time...hmmm.

Jen Chaney: Oh man, now my head is hurting.

Didn't the drops come before Desmond turned the key? Is it possible he turned things inside out?

Liz Kelly: Now my head is hurting. Why are we talking about the drops?

The questioner is referring to the payload launched from the freighter earlier this season to test Faraday's theories about island time, right?

Jen Chaney: Oh, that payload. Sorry, I flashed back to when they used to get the food drops. Duh.

Okay, then, I have no idea. I quote Homer Simpson: "I don't know ... Internet?"

It's a good answer for everything.

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Canton, Ohio: What did Faraday's journal say about the Orchid? Do you think he drove the boat just so he could check in with his constant, Desmond, on the freighter? What does Faraday know?

washingtonpost.com: And why didn't he try to get Charlotte in the first group?

Jen Chaney: Yeah, Charlotte is getting the short end here. I also noticed Daniel sort of nod at Desmond, as if he was making that connection with his Constant. That's a good observation.

Faraday may have more knowledge because he seems to be much more knowledgeable about time travel. Maybe Widmore or Abaddon or whoever knows that and entrusts him with more information.

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camis, CA: Charlie... Clarie... and Des? All good ones.

Maybe they don't "die" but transcend into a higher consciousness. Or maybe they're being punished for having accents.

Jen Chaney: That means Charlotte is next.

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Alexandria, Va.: Did Claire know her dad? Did she at least know his name? I mention that because all the time on the island, I would think a conversation like this should have occurred. Claire says, "Hey. You're a doctor in LA. My dad is a Dr. in LA -- in fact, you have the same last name, Shepherd. Did you ever run into Dr. Christian Shepherd?" -- Furthermore, Jack is usually a nickname, although it could be his given name. Do we know what Jack's real, formal first name is?

Liz Kelly: Right, another one of the show's little inconsistencies. A little blip in the matrix, if you will. We just have to assume, right, that Claire may have had some kind of foggy notion of who her dad was, but perhaps not a name or more exact details.

Jen Chaney: I think his first name is Jack. We have never heard otherwise.

It's a good question. Occasionally, the connections have been made -- remember Sawyer realizing that he had drinks with Jack's dad? Maybe Claire was too distracted by new motherhood?

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Liz Kelly: Okay, obviously we could go on all afternoon, but we'd better wrap this up. We will, however, be back next Friday even though we've got no show Thursday night. We'll use the time to handicap the upcoming week's finale. See you all then!

Jen Chaney: Thanks for all the questions. See you next week. Or, if you flash-forward, in a few minutes.

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