So I was listening to this week's podcast, and Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (the producers) alluded to the idea that the blast doors coming down do have something to do with the food drop. They also seemed to confirm that The Others have a computer somewhere and it was them - or Walt - they wouldn't say - who were IMing Michael.

One interesting thing...there is an official leak site which reveals the title of episodes coming down the pike and which character's episode it is. Now, waaayy back, at the beginning of the season, for the episode "The Other 48 Days" they didn't reveal anything, they simply said "classified", probably because it didn't focus on any of our original lostaways and they didn't want to spoil it. So a few weeks ago, the leak site had the titles of some upcoming episodes and one of them says "?" so people figured that it was similar to The Other 48 Days, like they don't want anyone to know. But NOW, if you look at the blast door map, the center circle has a a big ? on it. So people are wondering if perhaps it actually has something to do with THAT.

Now as far as Henry is concerned, (or whatever the heck his name is) Man, is he ever GOOD at lying, playing with Locke's head, and playing the victim! What an interesting character. I still don't know what to think of what he told Locke about NOT typing in the numbers. Was he trying to scare him or was he really sincere? Perhaps he too wants to see what's blacklighted on the hatch door... He looked very convincing when Sayid threatened to shoot him.

Best moment: when Hurley goes balistic and attacks Sawyer

It had a wee bit too much of A Beautiful Mind thing going on. It was a little predictable, I knew when he starting saying "Dude" a lot that he was part of Hurley's imagination. But I enjoyed watching Evan Handler playing that role, he was great. And more importantly, it shows that Hurley is really messed up. When he started to say it was all in his mind and none of it was real, I paused the Tivo and turned to my husband and said, "That's it! That's the end of the show!" You know the writers must have been having a little fun at our expense.

Clairabelle, I think you mean Henry talking about God not seeing the island....it makes me wonder if the group he's with is all about science and doesn't adhere to religion. There is a "faith vs. science" theme thru the show.

I thought the whole thing about Henry claiming nothing happened with the buttons to be mighty interesting. I thought it was brilliant that the writers had it come from him, because now we don't know whether he is lying or not.

I KNEW it about Libby, I just KNEW she was a fellow patient! The two questions are, is she aware that she knows Hurley? She seemed pretty catatonic at the hospital, but that doesn't mean she doesn't recognize him. And what was she in there for?

The clip for next week does show Jack going out and yelling for Walt? and to trade Henry...I 'll see if anything comes of that to move the plot along...

Pat

And I thought Dave was great. The line about using Kinko's or photoshop to doctor photos and "did you think the Death Star really blew up?" Ha.

I also loved the line from Dave during the Connect Four game, "Pretty sneaky Leonard."

My random thoughts on the three eps:

RE: Sun's expression after she and Jin are reconciled and she tells him about the baby -- My take was she doesn't want children at all (perhaps because of her own childhood and evil father?) and that might have been the reason she had that expression on her face. She didn't want a baby earlier because she planned to leave Jin, but she may not want a baby at all even though their relationship has improved. Heck, if I found out I was expecting on a desert island with no chance of an epidural in sight, I might be making faces, too. I have nothing to back this up, but I think the child IS Jin's and the island is working its magic. Finally, why would there be a pregnancy test on board the airplane?? That's not airline issue, I'm sure. Who else among them thinks/thought she was pregnant?

The food drop raises interesting questions: Is it only intended for the presumed two members of the hatch staff or is it for the Others, too? Are there multiple, competing groups of Others, all Dharma staff? Do they all get food drops? And if the survivors actually think this through, will they be posting people to watch for the next drop and signal the plane?

I know I'm asking an obvious question, but I can't figure out WHY the Dharma people/Others would want all these randomly stranded people on their island and mucking about in their super-secret business. So far the island has collected the crew of the Black Rock, the Nigerian drug running plane and crew, Rousseau's ship, the real Henry Gale's balloon, and the Oceanic group. That's a lot of cast-aways, wanted or not, for one island.

Two references have now been made to "Him", the Big Guy in charge of the Others. The Beard guy mentioned "Him" to Ethan in the Claire episode and Henry Gale lets slip "He'll be so angry/he'll kill me" (paraphrasing, something along those lines) to Sayid. Maybe the head Dharma guy in the film has gone native on the island and is running the whole screwy arrangement?

I'd heard the Libby-as-another-patient theories a while ago, so it was interesting to have that confirmed in Hurley's flashback. So is she really the clinical psychologist she claims to be (one who just had a conveniently-timed breakdown) or is she completely unstable and lying about her background? She must have recovered at some point, otherwise how did she get to be in Australia and then on the plane? And how is she keeping her hair blonde after 40-something days? She was a brunette when she was hospitalized.

Libby's appearance was exceptionally done up in this episode -- we saw her with Ana Lucia and the Tailies and she's certainly good looking in a healthy, outdoorsy kind of way, but not the made-up beauty Hurley and the camera saw in the last episode (OT, she looks like she had her lips plumped up, which I found distracting).

I was so sure we'd find out what crippled Locke in the Lockdown episode, too. I was expecting a shoot-out with the bad guys, or the evil dad's taxi to run him down -- something! Or perhaps his paralysis is psychosomatic?

In an earlier post someone (Carla?) wondered if everyone on the island has killed someone. Here's my tally: Sawyer, Kate, Hurley (though unintentionally), Sayid, Locke (indirectly if you count Boone), Ana Lucia, and Mr. Eko. Jack could even fall into this category if you count the patients he's lost. That's a lot of murderers on one plane!

The glow in the dark map has me stumped, too. Perhaps the blast doors were down for longer periods of time at some point in the hatch's past? That would give someone plenty of time to play with paint. Or maybe Locke was just hallucinating from the pain in his legs?

Finally, bravo to Jack for beating Sawyer playing cards. That was well done.

End of ramblings!

The idea is that the blast doors coming down is timed with the food drop. I think that the doors were intended to confine one person in the computer room, not in the living quarters, because remember, watching the hatch is a two-person job, and one person should stay by the computer while the other retrieves the food outside. One idea is that the doors come down during the drop to prevent the magnetic rays from emitting and forcing the plane to crash. But it still does not explain the blacklight.

In case any of you have been too lazy (I don't blame you because it's heavy-duty) I will share with you what I've gleaned about the map, and various speculations.

1) There are 4 stations. They are all drawn in solid lines. They are the Swan (our hatch), the Staff (the clinic), the Arrow (the one the Tailies found) and the Flame (which we have not heard or seen anything about yet.) There is a note near the Swan station that reads something about "group's recreational area."

2) There are 3 other hatches. They are drawn in dotted lines, which has led to speculation that the map drawer was questioning their existence. Plus they do not have names. They are called C2?, C3? and C4? Again, the question marks could be because the drawer wasn't 100% sure about them. Also, C2 is crossed out, which could mean that the drawer confirmed that it didn't exist, or perhaps it was abandoned or destroyed.

3) There are rectangle boxes near each of the dotted line hatches. They are marked with CII, CIII, CIV. Could be they are affiliated with their corresponding hatch? What are they? Could they each be some kind of observation tower or deck?

4) There is lots of scribble all over...lots of scientific jargon, numbers and formulas, dates of the past and key words like:

electo-magnetism
incident
heavy water (which is used in nuclear testing)
revised
DIHG (believed to be Dharma Initiative Hanso Group)

5) There is a notation like, "re-territorialization of ursus polaris using gene therapy and climate change." Confirmed translation: "the re-conditioning of polar bears by messing with their genes and surroundings." So not only have they been experimenting with the polar bears but it would imply that the bear was definitely there before Walt, thus he could not have conjured it up. And if they do gene therapy, it could have something to do with wanting babies.

6) There are references to "the Cerebus station" and "Cerebus activity." Since Cerebus was the three- headed dog who guarded the gates of Hell, could Cerebus refer to the smoke monster/security system?

7) On one corner it says "known resting place of Magnus Hanso/Black Rock." Who is Magnus? Does it refer to Alvar? In old Scottish Magnus means "the great" so it could mean "Hanso the Great." Or is it a relative of Alvar Hanso's?

8) It seems like the English and Latin were written by two different people. The Latin phrases include (translated): "I think therefore I am depressed", "here there be dragons" (which cartographers used in ancient days to refer to unexplored territory), and "it is a bad idea which has no real solution" (which could refer to the The Idea itself, or the opinion that any idea with no real solution is a bad one.)

9) Near the Flame hatch there is a notation like "Cerebus system deactivated temporarily due to AH/MDG incident of 1985" Also there is a notation near C2 that refers again to the "AH/MDG incident." AH is probably Alvar Hanso, but who is MDG? Could be DeGroot, but their names were Gerald and Karen. And is this the same incident mentioned in the Orientation film?

Here's one theory going around, and I gotta say, I like it:

Magnus Hanso was an ancestor of Alvar Hanso's who lived long ago. He was a wealthy explorer type who dealt in the slave trade. Using the Black Rock (remember, that was a slave ship) he found this island and discovered it had special properties. But something happened to him, maybe died or went missing. Jump centuries to his descendent Alvar Hanso, who becomes wealthy thru his warfare dealings (didn't they say he dealt in warfare or something, can't recall.) He knows about the family lore. He goes to the island, and he wants to harness its special properties or electo-magnetism or whatever. He wants to plant a team on the island to research it, study it, test it, etc. He goes to the brilliant but hippy-dippy Dharma people, who are seeking a way to experiment with sociological, scientific and environmental alternatives. Alvar uses his money and plants them on the island. But at some point in time (1985?) there is a falling out between Hanso and DeGroot about the direction of the project. And now, there are two groups on the island battling it out.

I love this theory because it would explain so much! The only thing it doesn't explain is why out Lostaways are there, because it's almost as if they were hand-picked for this.

Of course this is only one a gazillion ideas floating around out there. What I *can* tell you is, on this week's podcast Damon and Carlton said they have heard lots of analysis about the map and possible backstories cobbled together from map hints, and all they said was, "Some of it's right, and some of it's wrong."

Chris, excellent maps!

As for his other declarations: "He's nobody!" and "He'll kill me!" IMHO he is referring to two different men. As far as we can tell the HE in "He's nobody" refers to Zeke, because they refer to "the man with the beard." But I don't think Zeke is the one he is afraid of. My opinion? Either:

a) Henry is with one group and Zeke is with the other. Which would explain why Henry is afraid of the leader of his group and why he thinks that Zeke is nobody important.

b) He and Zeke are part of the same group, and the leader (Hanso? DeGroot? someone else?) is at the helm but
Zeke might be the middleman and has an attitude problem.

That was an interesting episode as far as it seems to confirm that the Island heals...? Rose's anger with Bernard seemed out of order until she explained at the end that she didn't want to leave this Island because she felt it had cured her - and she as much as hinted that to Locke because she saw him at the airport in his wheelchair.
And the healer did mention magentism...which does tie in with the magnetism they found in the hatch.

Now that Henry-still can't figure out his part in all this -but whoah-that grin on his face when Anna Lucia was talking to him through the door...something is coming! He is obviously very patient.

And..the preview with Michele saying that the Others have no weapons-what!? What about the guns they took from Jack when they rescued Kate-does this really mean that there are two separate groups...?

Pat

It also helps that this past weekend, we rented some of the DVDs from the first year and I was amazed at how many shows I hadn't seen. Commercial free! We have a big new high def TV and sometimes it's like being on vacation in Hawaii. So I'm enjoying the scenery as well.

Good enough reasons to continue watching. :-)

Pat

The ep on the whole was nothing mindblowing but I enjoyed it. It was great seeing more about Rose & Bernard, and of course the Kate and Jack stuff was juicy!
The thing about Rose is - you have to wonder if she is imagining it. With no medical technology who can say what is going on inside her. BUT I think what they're trying to show is, it is something def about this island bc with Locke with have evidence that he is healed. I think it's something about the magnetism, which they gave hints about with the healer.
I loved how ultimately having his wife live was more important to Bernard then getting off the island. I think they're trying to show that they really love each other.
Jack and Kate - hmmm hmmm! Yeah, that net scene was good.
I loved how everyone had somebody and Sawyer ends up with the dog!
I thought it was interesting - and kind of weird - that Jack took the "line being crossed" as an actual, literal, geographical line. Not a psychological line.
I didn't think it was going to be Michael but when I realized it was him and not Walt I was not surprised. They're not stupid, they have two people, and they're not gonna give up the kid.
Henry is totally creepy. The fact that he knew about Walt shows he def knows something. One of the theories going around for a while now is that Henry is "HIM" - and he is pulling a Kaiser Soze on them. (Usual Suspects reference here)
I loved the Dharmalars - their version of Mallowmars!
Aha! I knew it was a church! I think it's interesting that Charlie is taking an interest in that. Bc inside, he is a fairly religious guy.
Something else people have noticed the past few weeks is a repeat of dialogue. When Helen says to Cooper (Locke's dad) "Are you him?" that's the same thing Desmond asked Jack. Also, when Locke approached AL he said, "You run like the devil is chasing you." Which is the same thing Desmond said to Jack on the stadium stands. And I noticed last night when AL said something about "Pushing your button" to Locke, I just thought that was sooo appropos, bc Henry is pushing Locke's buttons big time. There's a lot of button-pushing references. The song they used in last week's ep was a 60s song called "Pushing Too Hard."

Pat

It was a recap type episode tonight (at least here). Nothing really new just a review.

That actress really sounds like she has an attitude problem. I wouldn't be surprised if it weren't her first time or last time in jail.

Pat

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. And, I didn't even know they were planning on killing off anyone. Was is normal knowledge to everyone else that someone was gong to be killed? Last night I read that the producers killed off those two characters because of their DUI's; not sure how true that is but sounds good. I was beginning to like the Libby story line.

At least something happened last night! Sort of saw something coming with Michael...couldn't believe they wouldn't at least be a little leary of him.

Did I hear correctly?? Ana Lucia AND Libby dead??
Oh God, I really missed out.
Can someone pulleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze recap the episode?

Sorry you missed it. Hopefully, they'll play it again soon. I can't remember everything to recap myself, so here's a link that may help.

Anna Lucia 'seduces'(all the way!) Sawyer for his gun! She goes back to the hatch to shoot Henry because he tried to kill her but she couldn't shoot him.

Flashbacks show Jack's Dad picking up AL in the bar at the airport where she was working as a security guard, he asks her to go to Australia with him. One night she drives him to a house in the middle of the night where he stops at a house bangs on the door and yells at a blonde woman telling her I want to see my son-at least that is what I thought I heard-didn't get a good enough look at the woman to recognize her-Jack's wife-maybe-don't know.

AL calls her Mom in LA and apologies and says she is flying home.

Locke talks to Henry and asks why he was coming to their camp and Henry says he is coming for Locke because Locke is one of the good ones.

Micheal talks to AL and she tells him she wanted to shoot Henry but couldn't-he tells her if she gives him the gun -he will kill Henry. She hands over the gun and he shoots her & Libby, turns the gun on himself & shoots himself in the arm/shoulder area.

These were the major points in the show although I probably missed some things-the only other scene that was 'intersting' was when Jack's Dad was getting out of the car that AL was driving, he opens the door slamming into Sawyer who is walking by....

Pat

Ana's mother tells her that she knows it was HER who killed that guy...and if Ana admits it she could help her. But Ana acts unregretful and turns in her badge.

Next thing you see she's working at LAX as a security guard. After her shift, in the airport bar, she meets Christian Shepherd (Jack's dad) who says, "Nice to see you again, you wanded me earlier." They hash a bit of their pain to each other and after learning she's an ex-cop, on a whim he invites her to Australia to be "his bodyguard." It seems clear they are brought together by their common goal to "escape from something."

While in Australia, at 4 AM, a drunk Christian - with Ana in tow - bangs on the door of a house. A young blond woman answers and he yells, "She's my daughter and I have a right to see her!" He starts to get rough, which of course does not fly with Ana, and she runs up to the steps and pulls him off the blond.

Next thing they're driving (she's driving really) and it's dawn, and she pulls over and says, "Let's leave Sydney. Let's get outta here." She is clearly trying sway him to change. But he doesn't want to, he has gone to Australia to drink himself to death (he reminds me of the guy Nick Cage portrayed in Leaving Las Vegas.) He says, "NO! Let's go into that bar over there and drink our troubles away." She firmly says NO. He's like, Well suit yourself and he goes to get out of the car, hitting Sawyer with the car door, who is walking by. We know that Sawyer and Christian are going to meet in that bar.

In the airport, Ana is on line and overhears Jack cry to the clerk about his father's body. She calls her mother and cries to her that she is ready to come home. She tells her she's taking Oceanic flight 815. The last thing is her mother says, "I'll pick you up when the plane lands."

Now my thoughts --

Michael is being either brainwashed or manipulated. After watching his behavior, I think the latter. I think they pulled the old, "You do this for us, we'll give you your son." I think he would have killed whoever was guarding Henry just to get to him. I don't think he WANTS to do this, he was shaking and he said "I'm sorry." I think he feels like he has no choice. As for Libby...a kneejerk reaction? Or getting rid of another Henry obstacle?

You notice how every time a character gets past their demons they die? First Boone, then Shannon. Now Ana. The minute she said, "I don't want to do this anymore" - BOOM.

Christian Shepherd and Ana make up fake names for each other when they first meet. He dubs her "Sarah." That's the name of Jack's wife. Now, back when Sarah confessed to Jack that she was having an affair with someone, many people speculated that it was Jack's father (and there is a line where Christian tells Jack, "You don't want to cross the line" and Jack says, "Well you should know Dad!")
So the questions is, why name Ana Sarah? Wishful thinking? Long lost love? Or a coincidence?

The woman at the door - at first I thought he had an affair with her and the daughter in question was young, like an infant or toddler. But the woman looked young and she didn't seem to have an intimate relationship with him - so perhaps she was the relative of...well, she looks an awful lot like Claire. Maybe he's Claire's father? Claire's boyfriend mentioned that she has "daddy abandonment issues."

BTW - Two for the Road - Ana and Christian on the road? Drinks? Two people dead? Ah, so many meanings!

I love how Sawyer was like, Kate's not in my head anymore so why don't you two go off and be together or whatever...ah, the triangle is back!

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Entertainment/story?id=1922268

So what's your feeling about Michael's behavior? My daughter told me she thinks M shot himself so Henry would be blamed for the murders and his wound. Your thoughts?

And what u said, moongirl, about people getting killed off like seconds after they 'gave up' really hits home for me. There's gotta be some connection here, but I keep thinking about Eko's encounter with the 'smoke detectors'. We're missing something, I'm sure...

I was part of the morning interview with MRodriguez. She said she knew for 'awhile' that she was to be killed off, and that her stint in jail made her realize 'I was not a kid anymore, I couldn't just do what I wanted, I had to become --finally-- a responsible adult'. Hmmm, dunno about that.

I mean they don't even tell the original characters in advance when they are going to be killed off so why would they give her all that information? So she could let it slip in a drunken stuper? I just don't buy it.

I think she's due in L.A. to see if her recent arrest violated her probation...sounds like she could get another 18 months. I think the producers just didn't want to have to deal with her, wrote her out, and may have even paid her off to sound like it was an amicable decision.

It also sounded like he was describing the barefoot, pirate-pants Others who snatched the children of the Tailies, not the hatch-dwelling, make-up wearing Others who took Walt. Again, are they two separate camps? Do the dirty Others do the bidding of the sophisticated Others? And if the dirty Others are the crew of the Black Rock, there wouldn't be women among them, would there?

After watching it again, I don't think Libby is dead. There has to be a reason they showed her in the hospital with Hurley, I can't believe her story line is over yet.

As for Michelle/Ana Lucia ... I think they probably paid her well (or might help her with her LA probation problem?) to leave on a cheerful note. I don't believe they planned to kill her off just yet. I'd read somewhere else that her story arc was going to be a long one, and the producers were frustrated by her attitude and felt they were stuck with her.

Can't wait for next week's episode!

The producers DID defend Michelle with the whole "we have a long story-line planned for her" but then again I'm not sure I believed that! I think she has to make it look good, now, like what's she gonna say? "No, of course they killed me off because no one on the set likes me and I'm an unprofessional pain in the ars to work with."

I think Libby is dead. Or will die slowly next week and say goodbye to Hurley. They show him next week holding her hand, but is it her corpse? Or is it "hold on, you'll pull thru, you'll make it" and "BTW, Hurley, I knew you from the hospital" and then kerplunk. If there's any water to the theory that characters get past their demons before they die, then Libby has to fess up. But it's an EKO-centric episode!

Altho.............SPOILERS ahead!!!!

We're going to learn more about Libby later!

I say no more...unless you guys want spoilers. By show of hands.

Pat

I'm just wondering if you were aware of the murders in advance. Was the news floating around the message boards and stuff in advance, or was it a big shock to you too? I was shocked that I hadn't heard any rumors about it, but I don't really read any message boards.

Ok, spoilers for all those who want them. Whew! Where to begin?

First let me preface - DO NOT HOLD ME TO THESE! I am not saying this is 100% accurate! This is based on a variety of posters who claim to know things, particularly a poster who lives on the island and claims to have often seen the callsheets for scenes (and this poster has been reliable in the past) as well as released casting notes and IMDB. Of course I don't know all the details but here's what it looks like:

The next episode is called "?" That's all, just ? It seems to refer to the ? that is in the middle of the map. I believe it is Eko-centric. The description says: Eko enlists Locke to help find a secret location he believes houses answers to the island's mysteries. Meanwhile, Jack and the other survivors struggle to cope with the horrific situation in the hatch.

Other spoilers: Richard Malkin is in this episode. If you remember, he is Claire's psychic! What he is doing in an Eko-centric episode is beyond me. We are also supposedly going to meet a new character, Charlotte, a young girl who has had an near-death experience, and her last name is - you guessed it - Malkin. She's the psychic's daughter! Whether she is on the island or not is unclear.

After that is "THREE MINUTES". It is Michael-centric. Description: A determined Michael convinces Jack and several castaways to help him rescue Walt from "The Others." Meanwhile, Charlie struggles with Eko's decision to discontinue building the church. (wow!)

Other spoilers: Walt returns! Zeke returns! And there's an appearance of Rousseau's daughter Alex. Also there seems to be some brew-haha with Charlie and Eko and dynamite.

After that is the finale, called "LIVE TOGETHER, DIE ALONE". Description: After discovering something odd just offshore, Jack and Sayid come up with a plan to confront The Others and hopefully get Walt back. Meanwhile, Eko and Locke come to blows as Locke makes a potentially cataclysmic decision regarding the "button" and the hatch.

And it is - you ready????????? DESMOND-centric! Much of the episode is about Desmond and how he came to the island and got into the hatch situation. We are going to meet Kelvin! There is also an appearance by Dr. Marvin Candle (to refresh your memory, he's the guy from the Orientation film)

Another major finale spoiler: we are supposed to meet rich British steel tycoon Cameron Widmore and his daughter Penny! Now, if you remember Widmore Labs was the name on the smokestacks, the pregnancy test and Henry's balloon.

And finally, we have not seen the last of Libby. In the finale, supposedly Desmond is seen getting released from jail, and then he meets Libby in a diner and she buys him a coffee, then she asks him for "the $42,000" and then sells him her boat.

I thought it was interesting that Eko has now taken what was originally Locke's role. Having the dreams, the faith, the seeking out stuff. Also I thought it was interesting that their adventure paralleled Locke's and Boone's adventure. I also felt that Locke's commment about Boone being a sacrifice for the island was kind of sarcastic, like "I can't believe I ever fell for that stuff."

The whole thing with Libby was very sad. I felt horrible for Hurley. I was really hoping Libby was gonna get out the fact that Mike did it.

Some people feel that Mike is being rather cold, but I disagree. I felt that Mike was concerned about Libby spilling the beans, but I DID feel that he has remorse, esp
about Ana. I think he is quite aware of what he did, I don't feel that he is cold about it. Especially when Hurley was talking about the date, I could feel that Mike felt bad inside. I think he feels bad all around but like he is being forced and has little choice. I still beleive he isn't being brainwashed, I think they are "forcing" him by bargaining with him for
Walt. I think they promised Walt to him. Next week we saw that he said, "I don't even think my boy's alive."

The spoilers are coming true! The whole thing with Malkin - wow! I think at first they want you to think that he is a fraud so that you will look at Claire's situation differently, but then at the end, when
the daughter finds Eko, I think you are supposed to rethink all that again. My opinion is that the daughter was telling the truth - otherwise how would she know about Eko's dead brother? - and that the psychic was just handing him a story - which means that the psychic is
accurate. Plus if he were a liar, he went thru an awful lot of trouble to get Claire on that plane...hounding her for months, giving her $$.

The Pearl hatch - wow! So the whole thing was like BF Skinner experiment (one of many theories floating for months.) But here's the thing - isn't the mission in the Pearl hatch an experiment too? Wouldn't anyone assigned to that hatch be essentially participating in an experiment too? Wouldn't that person think that their mission was
just as important and do as they are told? And why only for 3 weeks, when the Swan hatch people have to stay their for 3 years? And what was with the FERRY they can take back? And where do the reports go?

I kinda side with Locke. I mean maybe the purpose of finding the Pearl was to learn that the whole thing is a crock. But bc his brother told him in the dream that "the work being done here is important" he believes that there is a reason for the button. I think that's kind of
ludicrous thinking, but then, this is Eko.

Where did Fenry go? I think we will be seeing him again!!

The episode reinforced the theme of faith - getting it (Eko - God), loosing it (John - the Island), being betrayed by it (everyone - friendship with Michael).

I'm old enough that B.F. Skinner's Walden's Pond was on the list of books my college wanted us to read before we showed up Freshman year. I rejected his concepts then (I've always been repulsed by most concepts of utopia.) and get the feel that it isn't so highly regarded these days. Does anyone know? I've always thought the island was something of a Skinner box, so it made sense that it was abandoned as his ideas became superseded. Except that now we know it hasn't been abandoned because we saw the food drop. Now I think it is a sort of Sim Island.

We did see a camera in The Pearl, but not the video feed from it. Where would that go? Same place as the tube?

Some of the shots of Eko were stunning. The close-up of him talking to the girl almost took my breath away it was so beautifully composed. I just want to gaze at the man.

The only hatch still in operation seemed to be the Swan, and that feed was still working. Plus the idea that the other hatches were destroyed or abandoned gels well with the various incidents alluded to on the map.

Chris, you said that the food drop is evidence that the experiment was NOT abandoned. But that's not necessarily true. *IF* the experiment was halted, people involved - like Kelvin perhaps - may not have been aware of this and have simply kept going, doing what they were told. And what about the food-drop people? Or machine? They, or it, may not be aware that the experiemtnt was halted and they - or it - just keeps on dropping the food as scheduled. I don't think the food drop indicates anything definitive - yet - because we don't know why it is being dropped or who is doing the dropping. We don't have all the pieces of that puzzle yet so I am hesitant to make any decisions about that yet.

Clearly whoever drew that map was aware that SOMETHING was in the middle. That they knew they were part of experiment? Don't know.

BTW, Fenry was NOT a typo - that's what everyone's calling him now - it's short for "Fake Henry." Love it!

To sum up, I didn't get the impression that there was taping going on...but that doesn't mean there wasn't. There WAS a player there. Love the old Beta tapes! And I loved how the lid of the player was gone - man, that always used to happen! Nice touch.

Does anyone have any impressions about the psychic? Is here real or what? That freaked me out because I have been waiting for more of his involvement since season one.

The writers said this was the most appropriately titled episode EVER. It has so many meanings.

Yes, who put the question mark there?

??????????????????

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously Candle/Wickman are actually both played by the same actor. If the participants of the Swan and Pearl stations (as well as other ones) are supposedly unaware of eachother, then why not have the same guy pose as two different characters? Candle may be the same guy in the 'experimental' stations who appears as a Dr./Scientist to explain their critical job in the hatch. The guy who instructs the participants of the Pearl Station wouldn't need to appear as so. Makes sense. But why the cover-up?

Also, if the Pearl station is set up to watch the other hatches, then what's with the medical hatch? What's it's purpose? What were the people in THERE supposed to be doing? And are Pearl viewers supposed to be watching THOSE people?

I'm curious about 1 thing. Usually when the castaways 'saw' someone from their past lives off the island, it usually meant something essentially bad or life-changing was going to happen. When Eko dreamt of his brother, it was a GOOD thing, right? I just kept thinking in the back of my mind 'this is too good to be true', this is too ominous, too forboding of something, well, evil to come...
Hmmm, just re-reading myself(I remember the horse apparition was a 'good-feeling' experience)

I hate middle of the night ideas ...

I don't think Libby is a twin, even with the dark hair they call her "Libby" in the hospital. But I do think there is more to her story and we will find out more later. I believe she will also be in other characters' flashbacks next season as well.

I also thought initially that the Pearl video system tapped into ALL the hatches, but some people are arguing that the Pearl participants are only set up to watch the Swan hatch. They argue that a) there is a Swan logo on the computer (I haven't seen it but I understand there is a screencap somewhere, have to find it for you) and b) Candle/Wickman alludes to participating in a singular experiment, and also he states that the task is to watch A hatch, not multiples. This is a theory of course, held by some people, but not confirmed.

Some other ideas I've run across are that this hatch is not the real ? from the map Locke saw and that the people in this hatch were also part of some experiment. Also a lot of speculation going on about where the map Locke placed in the air duct system went.

Yes, I also have wondered, I mean, wouldn't the people in the Pearl hatch ALSO be part of an experiment? Wouldn't it stand to reason that they, too, are part of a Skinner box-thing? If they are being asked to do a task, aren't they also being forced to do something? How do we know THEY weren't monitored?

According to some of the other Lost boards, the 'Bad Twin' thing might apply to Candle/Wickham. As always when I start sifting through other Lost sites, my brain starts to hurt! I like the discussion here, much better.

When Locke put his map into the pneumatic tube system, all I could think of was Pippin making a loud noise in Moria and waking up all the orcs -- what might wake up and notice the Lost survivors now?

Tomorrow's ep "Three Minutes" is a Michael episode. I believe it is a flashback episode similar to Claire's, where we see his experience during the time he was taken. From what I understand we will learn why Michael did what he did.

So I was listening to the podcasts and the writers confirmed that a) there was a still-smoking cigarette in the Pearl hatch, b) you should be on the lookout for the printout that Locke pulled from the computer, it will be seen again, and c) Desmond will be in the finale. I also read in this week's Entertainment Weekly (great article btw) that they are considering making Desmond a permanent character next season.

Also on the Geekcast (that's the geeky fans who turn out a podcast every week, I call them my geeky boys, they do the lurking on the boards so you don't have to, and they're VERY geeky!) they discussed several ideas floating around:

a) that the question mark was not a question mark, it was a circle (which DH caught right away) which would therefore

b) possibly make the Pearl not the "question mark" in the middle of the map, but someplace else

c) they analyzed the image of the Pearl, which has historical connotations of ultimate wealth being sacrificed for entrance to heaven...also in Asian culture you have the north, south, east and west, representing all the elements of oneself, and the center is called The Pearl and the idea is that you want to find balance in the center, funny that is in the center(like the map)...also when Bernard forgot Rose's birthday he was looking for a pearl (remember that? funny little forshadowing)

When will Kate mention that she found those shabby costumes? Didn't she already tell Jack?

Why those 4 do you think? We know at least two of them are definately not "good."

moongirl, oh, moongirl...why those four? I'm sure you have some idea....

The question is: Why did the Others change their priorities?

Case in point: When Jack and company went after Michael, they were standing right in front of Mr. Friendly. They even had Kate tied up. He had them where he wanted them. But then he let them all go.

Now all of a sudden, they want these people -- all the same people who were standing in front of them before! And if what Fenry said is true, they wanted Locke, too, who was also in that circle. So, what? 13 days ago they let them go but now they want them? What is up with that?

Simple.
He wanted them to think he had the upper hand. It wasn't until this weeks episode that we saw that they were not outnumbered..remember, right before Jack and crew got there, the leader of the Others said.."set up the torches". Now we see that the # of torches are nothing more than a ruse. Never forget that fear of the unknown is a very powerful thing and very hard to deal with...the Others were counting on that fear.

Silly

Ellen is a fan of the show and twisted his arm for details on the plot. All he revealed was that we will find out next week why the plane crashed. He said nobody else would die on that particular show, but made it sound like someone would be critically injured, not ruling out the possibility that they could die from their injuries in a future episode.

They were showing DVDs in my doctor's waiting room, and I saw the end of "The Mummy Returns" -- the actor who plays Eko was in it! Then "The Fast and the Furious" came on and there was the actress who plays Ana Lucia! I asked the receptionist if they only played movies with actors who are now in "Lost" and she said it was just random. Weird!

Hmmm...I don't necessarily agree with Silly's reasoning. While I do think Mr. Friendly wanted to appear to have the upper hand, I think if they wanted to take the Lostaways they could have and would have. They took the Tailies right out from under their noses, I don't think snatching people is a big deal for them. And they had Kate tied up, they could have just taken her away. Having Jack & Co. in front of them would have been easy for them. Perhaps they wanted to take them on their own terms, or maybe something happened in the 13 days between the confrontation and now that made them suddenly want them. Or maybe, knowing that they had Michael hidden away at the time, they were planning on using that as a bargaining chip later on when they really needed the advantage.

I also thought it was interesting that Mr. Friendly says, "Bring her out Alex!" but Alex is NOT the one who brings Kate out.

I liked that they tried to show how "different" from the Others Alex is, that she is caring and conscious of what is going on, that she asked about Claire. But poor Michael looked so thrown and dumbfounded, like "Um, what the..? how the heck do you know Claire?"

I don't hate Michael. I think he has made some poor choices in his life. Sounds like some of the other characters we know, huh?

I cannot describe how excited I am for this week's finale - it looks creepy good! My opinion? Desmond is on the boat.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's show. Hopefully, a lot will be resolved.

Also, I was listening to my trusty podcasts this week and people are speculating why these four people...the only thing that they all seem to have in common in that they all have had visions (not dreams, like Charlie and Locke) but VISIONS. Kate saw the horse, Sawyer saw it as well, Jack saw his father and Hurley saw Dave. This is obviously a bit of a stretch but no one can figure out what the connection is and it seems like fans are grasping at straws to figure it out. Also, maybe these people are leaders? But then what of Hurley? Does he maintain the morale of the group?

I will say this - I do believe that the Others are involved in this from way before the crash, and my reason for this is James Ford. No one besides Locke - and possibly Hurley who had the manifest - knew Sawyer's real name. How did they know?

I also bet there is a Michael flashback out there we have yet to see, where Walt suddenly appears in New York or something.

I think it would be kinda crazy if the whole reason for the plane crash was to get a hold of Walt. At the same time, I think these people were chosen for a reason. And on the podcast, Damon and Carlton allude to the psychic possibly getting paid to put Claire on the plane. BTW, speaking of which - do you realize Claire's psychic is the same actor who played the Russian president on this season's 24???? Boy, he's good! To be able to go from a Aussie accent to a Russian accent and not be noticed.

Also, another thing people are discussing is the new hatch. This is the doorway that the two guards were guarding. People are referring to it as "the window" or "the door" but no one knows what it is. There doesn't seem to be a reference to it on the map. Here is a screencap for your pleasure:

http://lost.cubit.net/pics/2x22/newDharmaLogo.jpg

What I can tell you all is this. The guy who runs the geeky podcast I listen to every week said that he was emailed a MAJOR SPOILER from a fairly reliable source. The spoiler was on Wikipedia, then taken off, then put back up. Why/how it was on Wikipedia of all places is anyone's guess. He went on there and read it - he said it's TWO HUGE PAGES WORTH of spoilers for the finale and he said it is so incredibly big, so major, so cataclysmic, he didn't even want to say anymore about it. Except that - if the spoiler is true - reading it ruined it for him, he said that he will probably not enjoy the finale as much because he read it. Now there was a recent Entertainment Weekly article about Lost (which was fabulous, BTW, a must-read for fans) and in it Dominic Monaghan alludes to the Island and the Butterfly Effect. All geeky podcast guy would say was that after reading this spoiler, "I knew what that meant." He posted the link on their site for anyone daring enough. He made sure to put a big warning in front of it:

"Warning! The following link offers supposed spoilers to the Season 2 finale of Lost. Seriously, this link below supposedly contains basically EVERYTHING about the season finale. Do not click on this if you want to even remotely enjoy the finale. If it's true, then this link has already ruined my finale experience. Only click here if you are a glutton for punishment."

(I refrain from providing the link as I myself do not wish to go near it with a 10-foot pole)

Whew! Only 4 hours and 32 minutes!

I am so frustrated because I can't get onto the Fuselage site right now. "The server is too busy..."

If I was Hurley, I would have asked Sawyer for his gun and shot Michael.

Will Sayid and Danielle find and rescue our lost trio?
Will Eko survive and ever tell Locke why he was so certain they had to keep pushing the button?
Did the piece of metal stamped "Quarantine" (which had been lying to the side of the opening, not in a place where moderate explosive air pressure whould have moved it) landing in the middle of the beach some distance from the hatch mean that the entire hatch blew up?
The heading given Michael suggests that the others could leave at any time?
Is all this because Daddy didn't give Penny all those letters from Desmond and she has set him up in an elaborate prison in which others have become entrapped?
The air tube dumping all those capsules of notebooks into an un monitored field - does that mean Eko is right and that The Pearl was the experiment?
And on, and on, and on. Too many questions.

Still trying to figure out if I loved it or hated it.

I was glad to see Michael sail off into the sunset. But I wonder if he is going to make it because it appeared that he was getting these black scabby things on his hands and then his face, and I wondered if he might be infected.
This could be wishful thinking. Henry made some cryptic remarks to him, though.

One of the reasons I was happy with the show was that many of my favourite characters are still alive. Sayid. Henry (great character and acting and am glad he'll be a regular next season). And my fingers are crossed for Eko, Locke and Desmond.

I found out about Taylor winning on AIdol (Soul Patrol!)
So may I be a pain and ask can someone oh-please-oh-please give me a recap of Lost's finale? I feel sooooooooooo alone...
Sincerely,
Pi**ed off up North

I think if you go to the abc site you can download the episode. Here is a recap:

I just seem to have lost interest in the series because of repeats, rehashes etc. and just feel that it didn't keep up the pace of the earlier shows.

As the show ended I just (figurativly) shrugged to myself and thought - oh well.....but I know I must be in the minority.

(BTW- I had similar feeling about the 24 season finale).

Pat

I felt a little cheated too.
SPOILERS... I mean, didn't we already suspect there were magnetic problems with the island and that may have caused everyone to land there? Granted, it was nice to see that pushing the botton really did matter (at least I think) but there were still more questions and connections brought up than things resolved.

Just once, I'd like to see more answers than questions. On top of that, I thought the episode itself dragged a little too. I do like the new characters and the fact that Charlie and Claire made up. I was almost hoping Locke would die (strange though considering I wouldn't have gotten over it if it had happened last season). I am beginning to think there may be something to the "viewers" being part of the experiment. There is no way everything (from book titles to manufacturer's names) that has been brought up, can be explained. It's like a waste of storytelling, time, and energy. I think the joke may be on us. Or, maybe them, if enough people get fed up with being yanked around with.

Mystery, sci-fi, danger, romance, humor, cute guys and pretty girls -- what's not to love?

thanks carla for the Wikiupdate; much appreciated. That said, I have many questions!
1. What was the reaction to Michael's confession that he killed AL and Libby? What was his justification?
2. All these things magnetic make me think of Bermuda triangle. Another dimension? That would explain why the escapees keep returning to the island.
3. What's with the giant foot? Was there any explanation?Shades of Greek Gods, y'all! Wasn't there an Outer Limits or Twilight Zone episode about something similar... Gods watching mere mortals from above...
4. Who plays Penelope (just to put a face to a name)
5. Did Walt say anything significant/revealing?

Michael said he was told that the killing Ana Lucia, setting "Henry" free and bringing them the lostaways on the list was the only way the others would let him see his son again.

2. The electromagnetic force is a major factor, as you say and everything starts to go haywire if they don't press the button in time to control it. At least this is how it appears, but it's Lost so who really knows?

3. No explanation of the statue foot, but I think Sayid pointed out that it had only four toes. I'm sure it's supposed to be from the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders, of which I read only the feet remain after an ancient earthquake.

4. Sonya Walger plays Penelope "Penny" Widmore, Desmond's old flame. Check out the story of Ulysses (Odysseus) who had a wife named Penelope, her dad hated him, he went out on a quest, she didn't know if he was dead or alive, he accidentally killed a guy he was with, etc.

5. Walt didn't say anything significant, just hugged his dad and seemed really happy to see him.

I have been digging and podcast listening. Dug up many things you guys talked about. After listening to the final podcast with Lindelof and Cuse, here's what they had to say:

- they confirmed that for those brief moments when Desmond turned the key, the island was visible. They said the only other time it was visible was Sept 22, 2004. Does that mean that all other times it's invisible?

- they confirmed that Kelvin Inman and Joe Inman (Sayid's CIA agent) are indeed the same man. They explained that back when they introduced his character in Iraq, they named him Joe because they didn't want to blow the whistle that he was Kelvin.

- They said for the next season, they will explore the following:

- what exactly Desmond did when he turned the key, and what all that "Ina Goda Davida" light and sound was

- who the Others are, why they took Jack, Kate and Sawyer, where is this "home" they speak of

- as a result, Fenry is going to be a prominent character

- more romantic relationships (and they seem to allude to the Jack, Kate and Sawyer triangle)

- more character flashbacks - including how Locke lost his legs (that must mean he didn't die), Jack's tatoos, and Kate's brief marriage

- I had read somewhere that they were considering making Desmond a permanent character, and they kind of alluded to Desmond not dying, so it may be safe to assume that he's alive

- they're supposed to introduce 3 new characters -- 2 women who are in leadership roles, and a Latin hunky guy

- explore more mythology of the island, ie. who was there long before these people, as clearly the island has been inhabited for much longer than this, and they kind of confirmed that the statue was built by some other people or civilization that was there long ago (and they did not worship Homer Simpson)

- and lastly, and most happily, there will be NO REPEATS next season - NONE, ZIPPO, NADA RERUNS! Hooray! They will be giving us a taste with 6 episodes beginning in late September and then they are going off the air and ABC is running a new show called Daybreak with Taye Diggs. Then Lost returns in February with 17 (!) that's right, SEVENTEEN NEW, STRAIGHT-THRU EPISODES TILL THE END.

As for my thoughts on the finale, some questions:

Let's assume that Desmond brought the plane down - and we don't even know if that is in fact what did it. Why these people? It still doesn't explain if - and why - they were chosen? Or was it coincidence?

What did Fenry mean when he said they got more than they bargained for with Walt? Is that good or bad? How can they just let him go like that after they made such a big deal about getting him?

Will it really be that easy for Michael to sail away? What about the compass on the boat? If Desmond messed with the magnetism on the island then how does that affect the boat's compass?

What was with the look between Jack and Kate at the end? Whatever it was, Sawyer looked either confused or not too pleased.

So we know that Rodzinski started the map, and Kelvin added to it. That would explain the two different handwritings.

We also know that Desmond killed Kelvin, Kelvin did not die from the sickness.

What was up with the Quarantine? Did Kelvin know that it was not real?

All the huts at the Others' village were fake. The Dharma door - when Sayid opened it - was fake, there was nothing in it, it was shallow rock. What was that about?

What was with all the tubes being in the middle of nowhere? And was the Pearl station really the one that was the experiment?

Why was Charlie acting all weird at the end?

I had heard somewhere that Libby's husband David was David WIDMORE. Which would lend nicely to the theory that she was planted there or hired by Widmore to give Desmond her boat, thus ensuring he got out of Penny's life.

What was up with Penny Widmore and the Portugese scientists? Did she hire them to find the island?

I got the impression that Penny may be the driving force behind some or all of this island/dharma stuff, because the scientists reported directly to her that the "experiment has failed", or something close to that.

Is Desmond part of the "experiment"? If so, has Penny just been playing him to get his unwitting participation?

I interpreted Sawyer's look at the end as displeased rather than curious, but then he's usually displeased.

What was with the big green bird, and did it really speak Hurley's name?

What happened to all of the people that the others took? They must be somewhere else or dead...maybe at the "home" that was mentioned?

How much fuel is in the boat that the others gave to Michael? I don't think they'll get away. Fenry, as you call him, was so adamant when he was captured, that they would "never' give Walt up...he has shown that he is not above lying - he lied a streak when he was captured.

It will really be interesting to learn why so unlikely a leader as Fenry is the leader of the others (if he really is) and what skills he brings to the table.

The others made no mention at all of the one that Kate shot. I found that interesting. Time for that later, I guess.

On the whole, I think more questions were raised than answered.

I thought Penny was trying to find Desmond's location, not that she was part of a conspiracy to keep him on the island. It would seem more likely that her dad could be the culprit there. By now Penny may already know about the experiment, which would explain the Brazilians' communication.

How are we supposed to go for that long next winter without Lost?

I believe Penny was trying to find the island or Desmond. Clearly she is still in love with him if she has their picture on her nightstand.

I still don't think Fenry is HIM. I think he is upper, upper middle management, maybe second in command. He clearly is over Zeke/Tom (another Tom, btw!) I think he may report to HIM.

The story with the Hurley-bird is: several months ago, on one of the official podcasts, Lindelof and Cuse were answering fan questions. One of the questions was, "Why don't we ever see any birds on the island?" They joked that there is a bird - a bird they made up, called the Hurley-bird, and they've imagined it to scream Hurley's name, and they did a little imitation of what it would sound like (it's hilarious) So this was a little in-joke for all those who know the story. My husband and I were watching it and we looked at eachother and said, "I cannot believe they just put that in there."

I also liked the nod to the viewers with Sawyer's explanation, "I think they're aliens."

Also, for those not in the know, Lindelof and Cuse had the storyline of Our Mutual Friend as a nod to the writer John Irving. Irving has said that he is saving that book for last before he dies.

DICKENS, CHALLAH AND THAT MYSTERIOUS ISLAND

By Kate Aurthur

On last night's "Lost," which closed the island mystery's second season on ABC, a crucial plot development hinged on a copy of the Charles Dickens novel "Our Mutual Friend." (Readers who do not wish to know the particulars of the finale should stop here.)

In a flashback Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), the character "Lost" viewers know as the man who lived down the hatch, tells a prison guard that he carries around "Our Mutual Friend" because he means for it to be the last book he reads before dying. Later, on the island, when Desmond thinks that death is near, he finds a letter inside the book from the love of his life, Penny. Her letter inspires him to go on an apparent suicide mission to save the island and, the episode implied, possibly the world.

During a visit to New York City last week, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, the executive producers who run "Lost," said they got the idea of the deathbed reading of "Our Mutual Friend" from an interview with the writer John Irving in which he said he was saving it for last. But besides paying tribute to Mr. Irving, they were eager to refer to Dickens for their own narrative purposes.

"He was writing chapter by chapter for newspapers," Mr. Cuse said. "We often think: 'How much did Dickens know when he was writing his stories? How much of it was planned out, and how much was flying by the seat of his pants because he had to get another chapter in?' " He paused, then said with a laugh, "We can respect what he went through."

More remarkable than the size of "Lost's" audience, which averages 15.3 million viewers, is its devotion. The show has inspired endless Internet chatter and solicits participation by viewers, who play its popular multiplatorm game, the Lost Experience. When Mr. Cuse and Mr. Lindelof began the writing process for this year's closing episode, they knew that a large number of fervent fans were bitterly disappointed in the Season 1 finale. The big twist in that episode was the kidnapping of 10-year-old Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) by the island's sinister inhabitants, known as the Others, who lived there before the plane crash that began the show. The writers had worked hard to keep Walt's abduction a secret from Internet spoiler sites, nicknaming the scene "the bagel" so as not to let its contents casually slip. (This year's shocker was dubbed "the challah.")

That genuinely surprising turn did not end the Season 1 finale however. Instead, in its final moments, the mystical Locke (Terry O'Quinn) and the practical Jack (Matthew Fox) stared down into a mysterious hatch Locke had found earlier in the season and had been trying to open. But fans were annoyed: what could possibly be down the hatch that would be worth a four-month wait?

When that finale was broadcast, Mr. Lindelof was in Hawaii about to be married. "We felt everybody was satisfied and psyched," he said. "It never occurred to us that the backlash was going to begin."

Mr. Cuse said: "There started to be Internet chatter. We take that feedback to heart. By the time August rolled around, the spin on it was everybody's frustrated that we didn't go into the hatch."

The Season 2 premiere tried to remedy that frustration immediately. In the hatch was Desmond, who had been stranded on the island three years earlier. There were also plentiful provisions, retro furniture and, most important, a button that needed to be pushed every 108 minutes to dispel a powerful electromagnetic charge that could lead to catastrophic consequences.

When talking about the construction of "Lost," Mr. Lindelof and Mr. Cuse often refer to the Harry Potter books. They want each season, like each book in J. K. Rowling's series, to pose questions and answer them while at the same time maintaining a larger mystery that holds the audience. "This season's story was about the hatch," Mr. Cuse said. "We were very conscious of trying to make the end of the season more satisfying than last year. We wanted to answer a lot of questions."

Last night's episode solved two significant "Lost" puzzles, which turned out to be related. What would happen when the button wasn't pushed? (There was a huge explosion, and if Desmond had not activated a backup system, Mr. Cuse said, "It might have led to, ultimately, sucking everything on earth into itself.") And what crashed the castaways' plane? (It was a casualty of the only other instance when the button was not pushed on time.)

Because they don't know how long the show will run, Mr. Lindelof and Mr. Cuse have to pace its revelations. "If you answer too many questions, the audience doesn't have anything to care about on the show anymore," Mr. Cuse said. "We had to end the show with a powerful mystery that suggested what the show was going to be about next year and would leave the audience curious about where we're going."

Ratings suffered as the season progressed. In response to complaints from both viewers and the show's creators, next season ABC will run the show in two uninterrupted segments, without reruns that stop its flow. But its biggest problem was the return of Fox's "American Idol" in January at the same time on Wednesday nights. Before then, original episodes of "Lost" delivered 21.5 million viewers; after, they brought in 16.5 million (and repeats fared poorly all season).

As for next season, the scene that Mr. Lindelof and Mr. Cuse called "the challah" offered a preview. In the final minutes of last night's episode, the action on the island has ended, but in a coda that took place in unfamiliar settings, Penny, Desmond's wealthy, long-lost girlfriend, was told, "I think we found it." The implication viewers were left with was that the explosion on the island finally made it visible, at least temporarily, to someone desperately looking for it.

Will a rescue effort be a part of Season 3? Mr. Lindelof and Mr. Cuse would not say but allowed that if this season was about the hatch, next season will be about the Others, as led by the oblique Henry Gale (played by Michael Emerson, who will join the regular cast). Mr. Cuse listed what viewers will learn about the Others by this time next year: "Who are these people? How many of them are there? What is their history? What are they trying to accomplish?"

Beyond serving as a teaser, the finale's last minutes were incredibly important to the larger story, Mr. Lindelof said, particularly since this was the first time in 49 hours of the show that "Lost" went off the island in the present, rather than in a flashback. "It's time to actually blow up several theories of the show," he said. "People who believe that they're in purgatory or that they're subjects of an experiment are going to start reassessing those theories based on the fact that we are literally showing you the outside world."