more coffee: didn't realize how much they'd started to seed Paolo and Nikki into season 3. It's retroactively annoying.

Is nobody else both massively excited and somewhat bored by the fact that our key 'players' - the 'candidates' - are THE NUMBERS?!

Too many loose ends here (although still a very good episode). Locke's accident being one of them. I was wondering whether it's something to do with Jacob not having visited him (and ergo the others) in this reality. If Jacob doesn't help Locke after his accident, perhaps Helen has to? On the other hand, being invited to the wedding, as someone pointed out above, may suggest that there was no throwing out of windows this reality.

Personally I loved the 'weird island' stuff. I love that we don't quite know how much 'Esau' is lying to get himself off the island, and how much he's right (e.g. about the island not needing protecting). I assume he's trying to get Sawyer to take his place and that's how he'll be able to get off the island. Sawyer's not going to be the new Jacob, but the new 'Esau'. Either way would be rather cool, given Sawyer's lack of interest in the island and its politics for much of the show.

Toast, 'cause I forgot something.

The Girl thinks chess is the wrong metaphor. Reason being that they are both playing with the same pieces. I may or may not agree. We might find that some of the 'players' have belonged to one side or another throughout. Or they might all have been used for different sides' purposes at different times.

now wishing i had learned backgammon.

backgammon is fun, but I kind of feel like the better metaphor should be reversi/othello.

I feel like having the "candidates" be the numbers is an ass grab. I'm biding my time, waiting to see how all this plays out, but I'm skeptical right now. The alternate universe stuff is interesting for me but it still feels a little self-indulgent on the writers parts.

Apparently it is IMPORTANT that Ben is a teacher in this timeline. (rolling my eyes).

am amusing myself by clicking all of Cindy's links for the theme song in her recaps.

scrambled eggs: ooh, I like the reversi idea!

Parity is one of the most important parts of the strategy. In short, the concept of parity is about getting the last move in every empty region in the end-game, and thereby increasing the number of stable discs.

The concept of parity led to a change in the perception of the game, as it led to distinct strategies for playing black and white. It forced black to play more aggressive moves and gave white the opportunity to stay calm and focus on keeping the parity. As a result the opening books and mid-game were focused on black being the "attacker" and white being the "defender".

For the endgame (the last 20 or so moves of the game) the strategies will typically change. Special techniques such as sweeping, gaining access, and the details of move-order can have a large impact on the outcome of the game. Actual counting of discs in the very final stages is often critical, and in human play an inaccurate choice for disk differential can be better than an accurate one in terms of the expected outcome.

backgammon is fun, but I kind of feel like the better metaphor should be reversi/othello.

Watching season 3's Left Behind where Hurley is training Sawyer to be a leader. I wonder if Hurley is destined to one day finally fully take that mantle upon himself. Or if he works best behind the scenes. Either as a Richard or even a Jacob. I'd love to see him continue on from Mile's "so...that's great", rather than get shunted back to behind the scenes in favor of Jack or Sawyer. But being Leo McGarry isn't small potatoes.

Did Hurley get a Jacob number?