I don't understand why the smoke monster killed the pilot in the first episode.

Who's Smokey killed? I can only remember Eko. Who was getting more in touch with the Island and therefore...Jacob? And he killed the people trying to get into Jacob's temple. Now that I think about it, I think that up until now, the actions of Smokey have appeared to be Jacob defending himself or protecting the Island, when in fact it's been the Man in Black taking out anyone who might help Jacob. Someone needs to do an analysis. Come on, Internet. Wait, Jeff Jensen probably has the answers...

The temptation will be to dismiss the sideways story as ''What if...?'' trivia, but we should trust that we're being shown this story for a reason, and so we should take the leap of investing in its reality.

WHEW. I mean, I trust Cuse and Lindelof by this point, but I was still worried. (That's a general idea taken from a Q&A that I'm not reading because I'm trying to know as little as possible about this season.)

I can't imagine anyone who stopped watching after season 1 or 2 coming back to the series with this episode and not thinking, ''Temples? Magic springs? Circles of ash that keep smokey demons at bay? What the hell happened to this show?!'' (Answer: It got even more awesomer! Now go away, drop-out, this party ain't for you.)

Hee! Oh, Jeff Jensen.

Darn, he did not analyze the Smokey reveal enough.

I don't understand why the smoke monster killed the pilot in the first episode.

Because it was hungry? Well, really, it's because they didn't know what it was at the time. But let's say that the Man in Black was mad that the pilot had brought more stupid people to the Island.

My speculation is that all of the dead characters on the island have always been animated by Jacob's nemesis. Included Dead Jacob. He had the castaways take Sayid to the temple, knowing that with Jacob's death that the healing waters would no longer work, and he has now taken over Sayid's body to complete overrun their defenses.

My speculation is that all of the dead characters on the island have always been animated by Jacob's nemesis. Included Dead Jacob. He had the castaways take Sayid to the temple, knowing that with Jacob's death that the healing waters would no longer work, and he has now taken over Sayid's body to complete overrun their defenses.

But real Jacob gave Hurley the guitar case with that letter before he even returned to the Island. And dead Jacob wasn't animated; he was a spirit. No one could see him but Hurley. Although I suppose we didn't get confirmation of that since he disappeared before Miles arrived.

P-C,

is it true no one could see him except Hurley? I thought Jin couldn't see him, but I didn't think that meant only Hurley could.

BTW, if the island went kablammo, there probably isn't a Penny, or a Faraday for that matter. I think all the Others are probably nonexistent as well.

there probably isn't a Penny

that is very sad making

is it true no one could see him except Hurley? I thought Jin couldn't see him, but I didn't think that meant only Hurley could.

Well, Jacob said it, so it must be true! Or it may not be true, I forget which.

Ooh. I loved that. It took us three hours to watch the two episodes, because we kept pausing to discuss. I thought I'd hate a reset - and I was desperately hoping my 'the bomb caused it all, in a timey-wimey-never-ending-loop-y way' theory was right. But since it wasn't, I like seeing the mythic scale of things nearly as much.

My speculation is that all of the dead characters on the island have always been animated by Jacob's nemesis.

Not even just on the island. I've been saying to The Girl for at least a season that Hurley's dead people are just The First aka Jacob. Could have been Jacob's Nemesis, instead, though I'm not sure it wasn't Jacob. We know he visited a lot of the 815ers at one time or another. At this point, it's hard to say who's good and who's bad. The island: nothing if not ambiguous. "We're the good guys."

Juliet said "It worked," via Miles. Does this cast doubt on the 'other reality' take on things? Are we seeing flash-forwards, for example? (There's also the question of how she knew it worked.)

To make me happy now, everyone needs to find their way back to the same situations as they were in on the island. Final Destination style. Charlie believing he's meant to die and Jack suggesting he can fix Locke both had a cheerful effect there.

(There's also the question of how she knew it worked.)

Current spec is that as she was dying, her consciousness was flashing between realities like Desmond's time-jumps, and her little "We should go for coffee sometime" was coming from AU Juliet.