My main interest is what happens to the group on the raft. We can't let them get away at this point because they have too much built up. Walt especially has some pretty interesting powers that are just starting to build. The thing is, if they just send them back too easily it'll be cheap and a complete cop-out. This is going to be a tricky thing to deal with.

So far, the most interesting character is John Lock. First, he seems to have answers to most of our questions. He is the one " who has seen in the eye of the island". Basically, he knows what the "security system" is, and apparently, what he saw was beautiful. Also, if you remember well, at the end of one episode ( when Boon died ), a light came out of the hatch, and John lock was right there. What happened after? And how can we explain his mysterious dream about the plane, boon bleeding etc... Cant wait to see the final episode!

Has anyone looked at these numbers in a coding or Gematria type context? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gematria). I'm waiting for the raft to see land and come aground on the other side of the Island, though the "next week" clip showed something on the radar. Arzt is a doctor (scientific type PhD, I'd guess) and a high school teacher? Seems an odd combo to me. Has anyone seen or tried constructing a map of the Island? There seem to be some tried and true paths from the Original Beach to various places, mostly found by Locke, but I also remember Charlie finding stuff that had been thrown free of the crash. If there's going to be a "tail section survivors group" then it would be in something of a predictable pattern. My favorite part of the show is that I simply have no idea going into the season finale.

I've been reading that the guys in the raft encounter something that will "shock everyone" as someone associated with the show said. I predict it's an old ghost ship like the Black Rock.

Emily, I had my doubts. But fortunately for me, I acquire each episode the day after, and I went back and watched that sequence again. There's a lot of background noise, intentional I think, that masks the dialogue somewhat. Either interpretation is possible, but mine makes it all a little more interesting.

Is there a better cast on television? Great show.

Rico, when Boone and Locke found the plane and Boone made contact with someone and tells them they they're the survivors of Flight 815, I think the guy said "There were no survivors of Flight 815". But you might be right, I'd have to go back and watch it again...

I wonder what was on Hurley's note? He made a point of telling the hobbit not to read it. Possibly just to typically lighten the mood with a Hurley scene, or perhaps it was something to do with the numbers?

Ok, here's my two cents: The flashbacks for the various characters were not clear explanations of anything; they were just meant to give viewers a "key" as to each character's personality or character traits. -Walt: the kid really did not want to get on that plane. Did he make it crash with his heebie-jeebie powers? -Jack: the girl was placed in the back of the plane. The back of the plane split off the main fuselage during the crash, in mid-air. Will we see Michelle Rodriguez (Ana Lucia) again? Methinks yes, alive and well with the others from the back of the plane (side note: in the episode where Boone and Locke find the plane, Boone manages to make contact and explains he is a survivor of Oceanic flight 815; the person on the other end of the radio says "No, we're the survivors of flight 815) -Sawyer: His name is James Ford. That's big. -Kate: We learn the timeline of her events. First, she does something to her mother/father(?), then Tom gets killed, then the Marshall gets the plane, then she does the whole bank robbery thing. -Shannon: This bitch is sick. She will do whatever she wants, whether or not it's harmful to other people, without batting an eyelash. That's going to come into play later, I think. Maybe she turns and goes nuts, who knows. -Jin and Sun: This scene really shows gave more heft to the scene in the previous episode where she makes the decision not to leave him. Theories about the island. Man, who the hell knows at this point. Were the polar bears on the ship? A security system for what? Why didn't Danielle and Hurley see the numbers on the hatch? (That was killing me.) I almost cried at like four different points during this episode. The Sawyer and Jack scene was poingnat, the scene where Walt gives Shannon the dog, Jin finally breaking down and apologizing to his wife, completely and whole-heartedly, and the aforementioned dog swimming out to the raft. All in all, this was one of the most well-crafted, perfectly paced television episodes I've ever seen. I'm crapping my pants waiting for next week.

Mike! Brilliant connection, why hasn't it been called out before? MᲱuez' novel is full of flashbacks, dreams, seemingly impossible physical happenings. The Black Rock clearly ties the two together. As you suggest, not a one-to-one connection, but perhaps part of the source material for Lost. Now to re-read it. On another point the Jin/Sun goodbye scene was one of the most beautiful and delicate moments I've ever viewed on television. It was breath-taking. And the best part is how well the writing and acting has lead up to this moment. So much exposition on their distance and his coldness and pride laid the perfect groundwork for this one seemingly small instant. I could love the show for that scene alone.