Good and Lost *UPDATED*

I told you it was Michael!  I told you it was Michael!

Sorry, just had to get that out of the way.

So, there were lots of questions on tonight's episode, and (surprise!) no answers.

Obviously, Michael is on the boat.  So where is Walt?  Still a prisoner on the island?  (Remember the scene a couple of episodes in which Ben indicated there was a child imprisoned that was causing the birds to fly into the building?)

I guess it's safe to guess that Michael is Ben's spy.  But why?  What is Ben doing to people to bend all these people to his will?

And what about the captain?  Michael says not to trust him, but if Michael is working for Ben, we can't trust what Michael says, right?  (Hang on, I need to go get an Advil.)

GOOD FOR SUN for giving ol' Juliet a whack.  Just when I was starting to trust Juliet, she goes manipulative again.  I don't think we can trust her.  I know, supposedly she was doing it for Sun's protection, but that just doesn't add up to me.  I don't think doctor/patient obligation is so strong that you'd step in to potentially ruin a marriage.

The whole is-Jin-dead-or-not thing is very confusing.  I wonder if that was even Sun's hospital where he visited (remember, they said it was a boy).  That doesn't make a lick of sense.  I wonder if he's suffering the same kind of memory loss that Desmond suffered last week.

Let's re-cap the Oceanic Six:

1. Kate
2. Jack
3. Hurley
4. Baby Aaron
5. Sun (I'm guessing her baby counts along with her?)
6. Sayid

But we know that more people than this got off the island.  Additionally, there is

1. Desmond (assuming he actually makes it off the boat)
2. Jin
3. Ben
4. Whoever Jack visited in the casket (I'm starting to wonder if it's father, "re-dying" back off the island.)
5. Michael

The teaser told us that someone is dying next week.  Who do you think it is?  I have a terrible hunch it's going to be Claire.  Can you imagine her letting anything other than her own death separating her from baby Aaron?  If I'm right, we'd better stock up on the Kleenex before next week.

UPDATED TO ADD: Here are a couple of interesting sneak peeks for next week.

Just for fun, here's a poll to see which character everyone loves the most. I accidentally left off Sun, and the poll won't let me go back and re-edit, so if she's your favorite, just vote Jin.

If you're posting about Lost at your blog this week, leave your link below (please link directly to your post, not to the front page of your blog):

Comments

[Jill]

No, I think Jin was a flashback and Sun was a flashforward. That was my take. I think he was in the coffin. Anyone else?

[Jamie]

Yeah, I'm first to comment! I just finished watching and was also confused about the Jin thing. Hubby was laughing at me as to why I didn't understand - I had to rewind for it to make sense. I believe when they showed him bringing the panda to the hospital, it was a flash-back. Remember, as he was leaving the hospital, he said he had only been married for two months. I think the writers were trying to confuse us by showing the flash-forward (of Sun having the baby) and the flash-back (Jin delivering the panda) so we would think Jin was rushing to the hospital to see Sun when he obviously had died beforehand. I am curious as to how he died though. Maybe he dies so that Sun can make it home.

[Rocks In My Dryer]

Good thoughts, Jill, about Jin actually being a flash back.

But I don't think he was the one in the coffin. Remember how conflicted Jack was in the funeral home. Why would Jack feel conflicted about Jin?

[Jamie]

Oh, shoot, someone posted faster than me and beat me! I also thought maybe he was in the coffin. But why was Jack the only one who went to the viewing? Where was Sun? She surely would have been there.

[Ruthie]

My 14-yr. old son thinks that the Jin scenes were from the past (pre-island time)-- because he said he'd only been married 2 months. If he had gotten off the island (and was present/alive in the time of Sun's birth scenes), wouldn't he have to be part of the Oceanic 6? Because that would make 7.... if you count Aaron, and don't you have to?

If he WAS there during current time, I sure wonder how he died. If he didn't make it off the island, then how is she visiting his grave?

I don't have a clue about the whole Michael thing. Please pass that Advil.

[Shauna]

[ahem] I said Michael was on the boat over a month ago! ;)

I like Juliet. Potentially wreck a marriage OR potentially save a woman and child's life? I think she's the next to die because Claire is too obvious.

I'm sure that Jin's was a flashback to when he worked for Sun's father. Sun's was a flash forwrd. But I don't think he's dead--he's still on the island. The date of the death on Jin's headstone (see http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/2008/03/jins-tombstone-and-date-of-death-9-22.html) is 9/22/04, so he was presumed dead in the crash.

I think that the person in the coffin is one of the new people, like Daniel.

[Shauna]

Sorry about that link. Try this.

[Olive]

Yeah, Jin's story was a flashback. A) he was talking on behalf of Mr. Paik, Sun's dad and it wasn't Sun in the room. B) he said he'd only been married two months.

I also think he's still alive. I think they allowed some people to get off the island, but only the people they have something on. Meaning, Kate can get off the island b/c since she's a fugitive, they can make things worse for her if she doesn't cooperate. They let Aaron go, but won't let Claire. They let Sun go, but Jin has to stay on the island so they know she won't say/do anything, etc.

What I want to know is about is tombstone. It said March 20, 1980, some other date 1974, and September 22, 2004 (when the plane crashed. Now, I assume that the 1974 date is his birthday, but what the heck is the 1980 date?

My theory about the coffin is Ben. I thik that's why Jack went and was so worked up and why he went over the edge afterwards. Also I think that's why Kate siad "why would I go?" I think Jack knows/thinks w/ Ben dead there's no way to get back to the island and he was their only way back.

[Shauna]

I just assumed that 1980 was Sun's birthdate, and it's a joint stone.

[Olive]

Shauna, that makes total sense. I wondered if there was a random custom in Korean culture and that date meant somethign else, Sun's birthdate make perfect sense. Thanks!

[Barbara H. @ Stray Thoughts]

When Jack testified on Kate's behalf, he said there were two others, besides the Oceanic Six, who at first survived but then died. I am wondering if they count Jin as one of those.

I was confused at first, too, about the flash forwards, thinking Jin had left Sun and married someone else. But it makes more sense that his scenes were flashbacks. He looked younger; he was still easily angry and threatening; he was working for Sun's father. (When I thought it was a flash forward I thought maybe her father wouldn't let him see her, until he said he was working for Mr. Paik and that he had only been married two months).

The captain said Ben was behind the "fake" Oceanic plane in the ocean that was "discovered" -- but it could just as easily be Widmore who was behind that, I think.

In your list of who got off the island, Desmond and Ben weren't on the plane so wouldn't be part of the "Oceanic Six." Come to think of it -- do we know Desmond gets off? His scenes a couple of weeks ago were flashbacks -- I don't remember if we ever saw him in a future scene. Jin's death date is lifted as the same date the plane crashed, so if he's buried there, he didn't come back alive. Michael's alive and is off the island and on the freighter, but we don't know if he makes it back to the US. I think maybe he did before he got on the freighter, but we don't know if he comes back when the others do.

And I wonder what's up with the girl who jumped over the side and why everyone let her? Her "cabin fever" seems different from what Desmond and the communication guy had. And whose blood was on the wall in the room the dr. took Sayid and Desmond to? That is definitely the strangest crew.

[Wendylicious]

My question is, why is Jack leading in the polls as people's favorite? He's my LEAST favorite character. He's wimpy and freaks out at the drop of a hat.

Sayid, now there's a real man. He rocks!

[Carrie K.]

I'm not sure that Aaron would count as one of the Oceanic 6 - he would not be on the original flight manifest, since he was still in utero at the time of the crash.

Didn't Desmond "see" Claire get on the helicopter? Have any of his visions been wrong?

If Jin wasn't dead, but was on the island - would Sun visit a tombstone to "talk" to him?

Like you said - more questions, not a lot of answers.

[Kim N]

Shauna, I like your theory about Ben being the one in the coffin that Jack visited. I had been thinking maybe it was Claire, but I think your theory makes sense.

I also wondered if maybe on the trip off the island Jin somehow got caught in the past...if not I think he is probably still on the island since the date of his death was the date of the crash.

Wendy...great point about Desmond seeing Claire get on the helicopter. I think that Jack probably has something to do with her death and it happens after they leave the island, but before they get to the U.S.

[Snowbird]

I thought the Jin/Sun thing was a flashforward until the whole thing with Jin giving the Panda to the ambassador from his father in law. The nurse or doctor (I forget which) even said Sun was one of the Oceanic Six. I still thought JIn would be heading to see Sun after he delivered the Panda (although it didn't seem right for him to deliver the Panda first) but then he said he had only been married 2 months. Flashback!! (at least the Jin part--the Sun part was flashforward.) Sooo, if Jin died on the island, why did Hurley and Sun go to his grave in Korea? Also, wasn't Hurley in a mental institution last time we saw him or am I remembering wrong? How did he get out to come to Sun's? And why weren't the others (Kate, Jack, Sayid) invited or why didn't they come? Hurley asked if anyone else was coming and she said no. He said "good". Hmmmm.

I wondered what the girl who was reading the book upside down and who jumped off the boat had to do with the story. More of the same problem Des has? Why did the captain seem familiar to me? And it appeared that Desmond and Sayid wondered the same thing (why he seemed familiar to them not why he seemed familiar to me.LOL) Maybe I'm reading more into it than needs be though. But with the show, you never know.

I think Claire is the one who dies too. Come to think of it, she sure got over Charley in a hurry. It hasn't been that many days since he died and no word about him. I would have thought she might grieve a little longer.

[fullheartandhands mama]

It's too early for me to have real thoughts. But, I had to say that I thought of your post when it turned out to be Michael.

When could Ben have gotten to Michael? Did I miss something?

Okay, because no one else seems to care, I must share with someone that my closest friend's husband's cousin (did you follow that) is the guy who plays Daniel. It really isn't that impressive unless you share my fondness of this fabulous show. Okay, I'll stop.

[Llama Momma]

I also think that the whole Jin thing was a flash back to his "bad guy" days. I hate that the writers manipulated us this way!! And now, after reading these comments, I'm wondering if he's dead, or back on the island. Hmmmm.

He could be the one to die next week "protecting" his wife and child.

As always, thank you for your insight! After watching the show last night, I turned to my husband to talk, and he just said, "These writers are so manipulative. It doesn't mean anything, they're just messing with us."

So he wasn't any help at all in figuring this episode out. :-)

[gretchen from lifenut]

I just want to note that Sun's baby was ridiculously cute. I kept gushing about her last night.

Otherwise, I agree with those who think Jin is actually still alive on the island and Sun has to go through life pretending to be a widow. His date of death is listed as the same date as the Oceanic crash.

[Jen]

* All of the flash forwards are always jumbled time wise, so it's quite possible that this is BEFORE Hurley goes a little crazy and is committed.

* The cashier in the store where Jin buys the panda says that it's the year of the dragon, which began February 5, 2000. So it's definitely a flashback. (It was mean of the writers, IMHO).

* I'm guessing the grave is a memorial to Jin and he is assumed to be one of the dead from the island. It seems that in order to have gotten off the island, the survivors need to lie about it, so he may or may not be there still, possibly alive. Sun just said she missed him, but she didn't say anything about his death.

* How cute was that baby??

* I really don't like Jack... quite refreshing to have a Jack-less episode.

* The boat's captain was WAY different than I expected. There are plenty of people bigger than he is... why is he such a formidable presence?

[angela]

I also think Jin was having a flashback - his cell phone was even an older model it appeared?!

I was also in the camp that thought it was going to be Michael on the boat, but have read somewhere that Michael may not remember the Losties. Something about time changing when they left the island,and he and Walt being other people, maybe not even knowing their other selves were ever on the island... of course Ben has his hand in all of it and this is getting deep, I know. But Michael didn't really look as if he knew Sayid last night? And he had a different name - something Johnson, though he may have just given them a fake name just as well. Just wondering if anyone else noticed it, not that we were given much time. That same theory put Michael in the coffin in the future...

I am not sure yet if I believe it all, but it is interesting! What I believe about this show always changes, but that is why I love it!!!!

And Regina jumping ship with chains was crazy - what was that all about? The crew is strange - the Captain seemed to point out that is is Ben behind the cover up of oceanic 815 too...

As for Jin being dead, I don't really think so, but will you pass Advil this way when you're done?

[lisa writes...]

Everyone already said what I was going to say...so ditto!

Jin's scene was a flashback and I think either he died on the island or is still on the island yet all contact is either forbidden or impossible. Remember the hint of a cover up? Jack lying on the stand and Kate saying he's told that story so many times it sounds almost like he believes it? And Hurley asking Jack if "he's told"? Or maybe Jack asked Hurley...there's some sort of cover up and perhaps that contributes to Sun's grief as well as her going to see his "tomb"...or maybe she needed to go to the cemetary to keep up appearances that she believes he perished in the crash...

Also, in last night's episode Jin told Sun he would do "whatever it takes" to protect her and the baby...so who knows what measures he was forced to take, perhaps death?

Oh yeah, and I don't think Aaron counts in the six either, since he wasn't on the passenger list. There's one more we've yet to discover!

[lisa writes...]

Oh, one more theory, I think it's Sayid in the casket. I think it will be someone that they were once friends with, hence Jack's sense of obligation and his question of whether Kate would have gone, yet at some point they were betrayed, perhaps by Sayid working as an assasin for Ben? Hmmm...

[Erica ( A Yankee In Jawja )]

Wow, is the room spinning???

I don't watch Lost, so I'm not going to pretend I know what's going on...

All I can say is: Huh?!

[Jackie]

I am loving this season. I watch each episode waiting for more. If you want to cheat a little, I found this blog: http://www.hawaiiweblog.com. It is a local Hawaiian blogger who has some inside info as they watch the cast/crew film. I hate surprises, so I have to cheat a little.

[Jeni]

I agree that Jin was in a flashback, and Sun was in a flashforward. It was fairly confusing, but with this show, that's just par for the course.

And did anyone else get all teary-eyed at Jin & Sun's conversation toward the end of the episode, when he brought her dinner??