(S06E08) Mr. Ford was back at the center of 'Lost' for this week's installment. The flash-sideways started us off in familiar territory before veering sharply into the unexpected. Pieces and characters are starting to come together a little more in the beta-verse, with lots of interesting potential.

Back in the alpha-verse, we spent the entire episode with MiB-Locke and his motley crew of temple survivors. That meant Kate got to spend some quality time with Claire and the new and subdued Sayid. All in all, it was one of the most uncomfortable scenes I've ever seen on the show. Imagine being surrounded by familiar faces and yet none of them are who they are; it was like some horrible mirror universe sequence.

Sawyer wasn't there for Kate's awkward moment, because he was off on some secret mission for MiB-Locke. A mission that raised even more questions, while setting the stage for what will likely be the ultimate conflict for the season.

(S06E04) The numbers! The numbers!

Lindelof and Cuse have been teasing us for a while now that they might not reveal the significance of the numbers. Without doing so directly, I think they gave us something huge connected to them tonight. Finally, after a lackluster episode last week we're getting some information we can sink our teeth into. Locke-centric episodes always seem to be good for that.

The character connections in the flash-sideways reality were really coming at us hard and heavy tonight, with appearances by several favorites as we discovered how John's life could have been. It would appear that some things have definitely gone better for our paralyzed friend, while in some other respects he's the same sad sack John Locke we came to know and love over the past five seasons.

There's some cryptic graffiti on the walls of 'Lost' (Tue., 9PM ET on ABC), courtesy of everyone's favorite mystery date, Jacob. And Sawyer is very interested in one name that non-John Locke shows him – his own. "Why would he write my name on this wall? I've never even met the guy," says Sawyer.

Non-Locke replies, "Oh no, I'm sure you did meet Jacob. Probably when you were young, when you were miserable and vulnerable. He came to you, he manipulated you, pushing you to the island. He thought he was the protector of this place, and you, James, have been nominated to take over that job."

We're guessing Sawyer would rather be cuddling with his sweet Juliet.

Watch the video after the jump.

Awww ... that is so sad! Sawyer was planning on asking Juliet to marry him on 'Lost' (Tues., 9PM ET on ABC). He had the ring and everything.

As he tells Kate about it, the mournful feeling in our hearts is as much for Kate as Sawyer. She's never had that "one true love" feeling that Sawyer had for Juliet. But perhaps reuniting Claire with Aaron will help soften the blow for her.

Watch the video after the jump.

(S06E03) "It's the Others, dude. They caught us ... again." - Hurley

As 'What Kate Does' unfolded, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that everything we're witnessing in the "post-Jughead worked" 2004 time-line is going to end up being very important. Of course, that could have been due to the fact that in this past week's Official 'Lost' Audio Podcast, Cuse and Lindelof essentially laid it bare for us -- there is no alternate reality happening here. What's going on in LA in 2004 and what's going on in 2007 on the island are both very real.

The question to ask is what effect actions in one time-line will have on the events in the other. As far as 'Lost' mindf#%ks go, this one is a doozie, because it's forced us to reevaluate everything we remember about these characters, right back to the pilot episode.

The other night while watching the season premiere of 'Lost,' I was thinking about people who have never seen the show. What if they watched this episode? Would they have any idea of what's going on? Would they like it? Would their heads explode?

This video below answers the question a bit. Several Newsweek staff members got together to watch scenes from important moments on the show and tried to figure out what it all means. Some of the comments range from goofy ("Why would that guy make the engine blow up?") to the typical line you hear from a non-fan ("It's heaven!").

(S06E01/S06E02) "We're back." - Kate

Did you hear that? That was the collective sound of TV fans across the country all brain-farting in unison. 'Lost' is back for its final season and I've gotta be honest -- I'm not really sure what to think about 'LA X.' In four or five months time, once the series has concluded, I'm positive I'll think differently about it. However, right now, 'LA X' was easily one of the most confusing hours of 'Lost' yet, and despite ABC's promos promising that "questions would be answered," all it gave us was a jumbo-jet (literally) chock full of new ones. Whatever ... I still loved every second of it.

Skaters, get ready -- this might just be the most adorable, silliest, most sexually-charged interview Josh Holloway and Evangeline Lilly have ever done together.

In preparation for tonight's big 'Lost' final season premiere (Tues., Feb. 2, 9PM ET on ABC), I got the hilarious stars to dish about finally getting answers. "There've been so many questions that are answered," Evangeline admits, "but I'm still standing back and waiting to figure out how this is all gonna wrap up."

Josh is just as much in the dark -- "We're in the trenches, girl! -- but he does talk about one big thing that's happened: "All I know is, first episode I hit Evie with a pipe." And, yes, Evangeline's got the scar to prove it.

Watch our full video interview to hear more about the last season of 'Lost,' the stars' fondest memories, tension in the love quadrangle and their hot, steamy idea for the series finale.

There's something reassuring about knowing that the end is near. Not the end of life, but the end of a long trip or the last pages of a book. Television viewers are no different.

The very idea that the upcoming return of 'Lost' -- it premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. (ET) -- will be the beginning of the end, the build up to the grande finale is both a joyful and bittersweet experience.

To make sure it's more of the former and less of the latter, here's a few keys that will ensure you will savor the return of 'Lost' so that it will be good to the last drop.

(S05E16/S05E17) "See you in Los Angeles." - Jack

I'm not really sure where to begin, but I think this is a pretty good starting point: holy crap. Just like every season finale before this one, Lost has once again left us all with our jaws on the floor and our brains on overdrive. This changes everything. The big question? How does it change everything? Is it January yet?

(S05E15) "I have a purpose now." - Locke

I can't believe how fast this season of Lost has gone by. There's probably a time-travel joke buried in that realization somewhere, but my head is still spinning from "Follow the Leader," so I'm not really in clever witticism mode. Honestly, I'm speechless. For the most part, this wasn't one of my favorite episodes of the season. But for me to be at a loss for words at one of Lost's sub-par installments - well that says something about the quality of this show. "Follow the Leader" was a lot of set up for next week's two hour finale and the events that have been set in motion (even though it seems they always happened) are mind-numbing.

I love stuff like this. The Fine Brothers have created another clever Lost parody, Star Trek: The Lost Generation. It's a celebration of Lost and the new Star Trek film. The crew of the Enterprise somehow gets stuck on the Lost island and not only have to deal with Jack and Sawyer and Locke but also different versions (different doll versions) of themselves. There's an appearance by a few other time-travelling pop culture figures too.

(S05E14) "Well, I got some bad news for you Jack. You don't belong here at all. She was wrong." - Faraday

After listening to Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof ranting in last week's Lost audio podcast, I didn't expect "The Variable" to be this much of a game changer. Everything we thought we knew about the island, time travel, and course correcting - it all got turned upside down. I think it's safe to say that the 100th episode of Lost is going to be remembered for more than just its milestone significance.

Tonight is the 100th episode of Lost, and it's one that revolves around Daniel Faraday. We haven't seen much of him in the past several episodes, except for his appearance at the end of the last episode when he emerged out of the sub and met Miles. I have a feeling something big is going to happen tonight, and judging from this clip I think I'm right.

OK, maybe "annoying" is too harsh, as I can see people being into recap shows if they're done well. Then again, if you're a big fan of Lost, then you've already seen this stuff and you're really aching for a new episode.

So did you enjoy last night's recap episode, or was it just an irritation to you? Do you welcome weeks where there's either a repeat or a recap so you can take your mind off of the show for a bit? Take the poll after the jump and leave your thoughts in the comments below.