(S05E06) "We're not going to Guam, are we?" - Lapidus

Whether you've been prepared for it or not, Lost is becoming a very different show. I'm not bringing that up as a negative. I'm not bringing it up as a positive either. This is just the natural progression of what has become the most densely written sci-fi drama ever. Eventually, we were going to reach a point that just seemed utterly ridiculous even by Lost's standards.

Let me put it this way - for as far-fetched a show as Lost is (that isn't a bad thing), I've never really felt like I had to suspend my disbelief to buy into it. With this episode, I did.

The episode focused on the Oceanic Six and how they had to return to the island. It opened with Jack, Kate, and Hurley back on the island, but we'll get back to that. Let's go back to Eloise and her church first. It picked up where we left off last week and it quickly became clear why the entire O6 weren't required - Eloise merely had instructions, and it fell flat for me almost immediately.

She brought them to the very first off-island DHARMA station we've seen (I'm sure there's more) - the Lamp Post - in the basement of the church. Inside was quite impressive. Computers, gadgets, maps, and a giant pendulum drawing chalk lines on a map on the floor. She explained that the Lamp Post was built on top of an electromagnetic pocket. There were many like it around the world, but the station was built to find only one - the island. Right away, it lost me. Very much a chicken or the egg scenario. How would they have known to even look for the island to begin with? And who figured out all the equations? Could it have been Daniel somehow?

The real kicker was when she told them that all they had to do was get on Ajira Airways Flight 316 and that's it. According to the calculations, it would fly right over the island within the given window, and they'd make it back. It sounds ridiculous (even for this show), and I think Cuse, Lindelof, and Co. even realized it and then wrote in Hawking's "leap of faith" crack. That's the last time I complain, though - I'm taking the leap.

After that, it was all about getting to the airport. However, Jack had one more task from Eloise. She claimed that for it to work, their flight must resemble Oceanic Flight 815 as closely as possible and that's why Locke hung himself - to be a proxy for Christian Shepard. All Jack needed to do was dress Locke up in something of his late father's. What ensued bugged me a little. Was there any real point to Jack seeing his grandpa Ray? Wouldn't it have been much quicker to have Jack just dig some of his father's shoes out of a box in the back of his closet? The only purpose it served was to add an air of happenstance and destiny to the situation, and I'm not sure that justified it.

Eventually, everyone made it to the airport, but it instantly created a boatload of questions. Obviously Jack, Sun, and Ben had all the info because they heard it firsthand. Jack told Kate, so she knew. But then Hurley and Sayid also arrived. How did they know? My guess? Hawking somehow paid them a visit and convinced them. We have no idea how Hurley got out of jail, and all he said was "all that matters is that I'm here." But he had a guitar and in the spirit of re-enacting 815, I'd almost guarantee that Hurley shelled out some megabucks for a guitar that had been played by the late Charlie Pace. Same goes for Sayid. He did something to ensure that he was being escorted by Ilana, the Federal Marshal, on the plane. Just as Kate was on 815. How else would they have known to do these things?

Since Hurley bought up all the remaining first class seats, the only people in the front of the plane were the attendants, Jack, Kate, Sun, Ben, Hurley, Sayid, Ilana the marshal, and Caesar (the guy who spoke to Jack in the ticket line). Coach class was full, but if the plane splits like 815, the front end survivors will be together again. Except there was no crash. Once they were near the island, a time flash occurred and just like that, Jack, Kate, and Hurley were back ... in the 1970s. (No clue where/when Ben, Sayid, and Sun are.) Jin, driving the DHARMA VW bus, rolled up, clad in a beige jumpsuit, and aimed a shotgun at them.

Final thoughts/questions on "316" --

• Assuming that Jin and everyone else left behind have had the time to assimilate themselves into the DHARMA initiative, I think we can assume that Locke's exit stopped the island from jumping. In the 70s obviously. Does that mean they've been working for DHARMA for about three years now?
• How disappointing was Desmond's rant? I was really hoping for a bit more when he finally confronted Ms. Hawking. At least he brought up the four years lost because of her. But if he's so important, he'll be back - especially if the island isn't done with him.
• Going back to the season two finale, can we assume that since they were able to detect an "electromagnetic anomaly," that Henrik and Mathias had similar equipment to the gizmos found in the Lamp Post? And if so, how did Penny get this equipment for them to use?
• Who beat the crap out of Ben? And what favor for what friend did he need to take care of? Perhaps he was the one who got Hurley out of jail and in turn had to endure the wrath of Sayid? Even if that's the case, how did he convince them to be on the plane?
• What did Kate do to Aaron? Where is he and what made her change her mind so suddenly? This could be out there, but ... Aaron, out of the womb, isn't essential to "re-creating 815." But a baby in the womb is. Could this be why Kate threw herself at Jack? Presumably they had sex and even though there would be nothing going on in Kate's stomach yet, if we're taking a leap of faith ... then the island knows. Again, who would have instructed her to do this?
• Same goes for Lapidus. No way him flying that plane is coincidence. That being said, he was clueless. So who set him up to make sure he had that flight, that day? The bad news? If Ajira 316 is going to mirror Oceanic 815, then Frank is now in Seth Norris' shoes and we know what happened to Seth.
• John's suicide note was pretty great, huh? He always knows exactly what to say to make Jack shrivel with guilt. "I wish you had believed me."
• How funny was it when Eloise called Ben out and said he was probably lying? Priceless.

Alrighty, I had some more questions, but I'm brain farting now. Here's the official release for next week's episode. For those that have listened to this week's Lost audio podcast, Cuse and Lindelof said that either "316" or next week's episode could have aired first because they were written in tandem. So I expect them to tie in together heavily. Make sure your DVR's are set properly, because it runs an extra six minutes.

"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" - Locke's fateful mission off the island as Jeremy Bentham is revealed, on "Lost," WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (9:00-10:06 p.m., ET) on ABC.