(S06E12) You can certainly tell that we've turned the corner on this final season of 'Lost.' Suddenly, the alpha-verse and beta-verse seem to be on a collision course with one another, and I'm very intentionally using that expression. With Desmond on the loose in both universes now, things have gotten a lot more interesting, even if I'm still not 100% clear what either of his motivations are.

As expected, the beta-verse Hurley is every bit the financial success with Mr. Cluck's that the alpha-verse Hurley could never quite manage. What was alpha-Hurley's deep-rooted desire, if I'm going to continue that theory, that the beta-verse fulfilled? He said many times that he didn't want the millions he won in the lottery, but I think it was his never-ending plague of bad luck that he really wanted to get rid of. Trying to shed his winnings was just a means to his desired end.

(S06E10) Knowing this was a Desmond-centric episode, I expected us to take a major step forward in understanding the beta-verse, perhaps even experiencing it in a whole new way. Ever since the explosion at the hatch, Desmond seems to experience everything a little differently, and he's always there with his finger on the truth, even if he has no idea what that truth was.

Parallels between alpha- and beta- were running rampant throughout this episode. Fisher Stevens even returned in the beta-verse, to serve as Desmond's guide as he did once before, when Desmond was trapped in time. We got beta-appearances by Charlie, Daniel Faraday, Charles Widmore and even Eloise Hawking. Every encounter was a further step toward confusion and understanding.