Lost 6.15: Across the Sea

Tonight's Lost is supposed to be heavy into the mythology of the Island.

We'll see Jacob, Man In Black 1.0 (or at least in the first version we saw him as) and guest star Allison Janney (CJ on The West Wing). I'm not sure what role she'll be playing. But I wonder how she ties into the past of Jacob, MIB 1.0 and the Island.

There will be very little of the main cast in tonight's show. Originally, it was reported that none of the series regulars would be seen in tonight's episode. But apparently, that's not quite true.

Also, supposedly there is a flashback seen to something we saw in an earlier season that will show us that JJ, Carlton and Damon knew what they were doing all along.

Don't forget to come back here after the show to chat about what we see and what we think could be coming up.

The episode was written by Carlton and Damon and directed by Tucker Gates.

Can't wait? Here are two sneak peaks of tonight's show:

The odds on who is the next candidate ...

What are the odds on who will replace Jacob?

Doc Jensen at Entertainment Weekly made this lists of odds before the tragic deaths of Jin and Sun and the heroic death of Sayid. But it's still interesting to see what he thought about their possibilities as The Candidate, as well as our remaining Losties.

The entire article has more info. But here are the odds, as Doc Jensen sees them:

JACK
You got the sense from “Lighthouse” that Jacob really, really needs Jack to get over his bad self and dial into his Island destiny. The safe money is that said destiny is to spend eternity eating fish, spying on damned souls with magic mirrors, and plotting intricate redemption narratives for Island visitors.
ODDS: 3-1

BEN
It’s a fake-out! Jacob’s master plan all along has been to groom Ben as The Island’s new supreme being—but first, he’s had to break Ben of his pride and purge him of his sin, not to mention protect him from the Man In Black’s assassination plot. Bringing the castaways to The Island accomplishes both tasks. The most flattering theory of bad guy Ben is that knowingly or unknowingly he’s been producing challenges of character designed to prepare the castaways for their final conflict with Smokey. Actually, the total opposite is true. Jacob brought the castaways to The Island to test Ben’s character, intended to shape him into the kind of man worthy of Jacob’s loom-of-fate stool. Also, by deceiving Smokey into thinking Jack et. al. were his candidates, Jacob has been shielding Ben from Smokey — and co-opting Smokey into his plan to refine Ben’s soul.
ODDS: 5-1

SAWYER
Next to Ben, he’s the best yarn-spinner on The Island. He’s a precise judge of character. He’s also extremely well-read; judging from his library, he has a great grasp on universal themes like redemption and damnation, faith and reason. He also has great motivation to stay on The Island, as he killed a guy in Australia and should surely go to jail if he ever got back the civilization. Then again, maybe that sin makes him unqualified for Island divinity.
ODDS: 7-1

SUN
It’s about time The Island was ruled by a woman, don’t you think? She’s got a great name for a god. Also, Sun’s got the will and stamina for long-term redemption projects, as demonstrated by her unflagging search for Jin, who per my guestimations will be allowed to remain on The Island as her consort. They’ll get to bring Ji-Yeon over to The Island, too. I also think they can make the most of Island life. He fishes! She gardens! They know how to keep warm during cold evenings on the beach! Happily ever after on The Island will be like one long honeymoon for them.
ODDS: 9-1

HURLEY
Maybe the guy least interested in the job — which makes him the most dramatically interesting candidate for the job and therefore makes him an irresistible choice. Even though my Sun theory allows for Jin to stay, I suspect that the Jacob job is probably a solo act, and I think being alone would crush Hurley’s soul. The again, he’s got plenty of dead people for company. And really, who wouldn’t want to spend the rest of time hanging out with Ghost Michael?
ODDS: 12-1

SAYID
Zombie.
ODDS: 23-1

What did you think of 'The Package?'

Sun and Jin.

What do you think?

I'm reminding of what Jacob saying that it only ends once and everything else is just progress.

What progress do you think Lost is making toward resolving story lines before it all ends?

By the way, if you hadn't heard, the final episode will be called "The End."

Tonight on LOST: 'Ab Aeterno'

The title of tonight's episode of Lost, "Ab Aeterno," is Latin ("Gotta learn Latin! Language of the enlightened," as Juliet told Sawyer in Season 5), and it means, more or less, "since the beginning of time."

Maybe we'll get a slightly different translation of the phrase from the man of the hour. This is a Richard-centric ep, and Lost fans are very excited, because "Ab Aeterno" promises to be mythology-heavy and full of disclosures about the Island, the good ship Black Rock, and the mysterious Mr. Alpert himself.

ABC's official promo is, like all its promos this season, impossibly vague: "Richard Alpert faces a difficult decision." Lost fansites are rife with chatter about expecting some good old-fashioned flashbacks, maybe even featuring Jacob and the Man in Black, instead of a flash-sideways this week.

That flashback possibility seems quite likely, if only because this is Richard we're talking about, and he's got tons of history we don't know yet -- thanks to being apparently ageless, which he says is Jacob's double-edged "gift." Also, actor Nestor Carbonell, who plays Richard, has been hinting that this episode will carry lots of juicy reveals.

UPDATE: Be sure to set your DVR or VCR to run past the usual hour, because Lost's "Ab Aeterno" episode will run six minutes longer!

Brian's new theory of LOST

Over on the LOST...and Gone Forever blog, Brian has an interesting new theory of the Island, inspired by what he saw last week in "The Substitute." It involves what he's guessing to be the long and tangled history of Jacob and the Man in Black, aka Anti-Jacob.

"The best part of it all?" Brian writes. "I’m sure this entire theory will be thrown out the window by the end of next week’s episode."

True, but this is still a fun read. No spoilers, just theories -- and lots of 'em.

Doc Jensen's 'Lost: 10 Burning Questions'

Over on EW.com, Doc Jensen's got his list of 10 questions that must be answered in this final season of Lost, with some revealing commentary from show runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.

One biggie: "Who are Jacob and the Man in Black?" Well, that is "kind of the driving question of the whole season," says Carlton. He adds that it comes down not only to the conflict between the two adversaries, but to a huge metaphysical issue about "what is the fundamental nature of man. Is man good or is man evil?"

Doc Jensen's Final Theory of LOST

With less than three weeks to go before the Groundhog Day premiere of Lost's final season, EW.com's Jeff "Doc" Jensen has been a busy boy this week.

In a Q&A with GQ magazine, Doc reveals his Final Theory of Lost:

In an upcoming Doc Jensen column at EW.com, I'll explain all of this—my Final Theory of Lost—in more detail. But regardless of my crazy guestimations, consider that seasons and individual episodes of Lost are often built around these themes: Rescue missions; parent-child reconciliation; parents who will go to reckless lengths to save their kids. I suspect the End Game will be built around those themes, too.

And here's how he thinks it will all end:

I think the final scene of Lost will be a redux of the Jacob/Man In Black conversation on the beach scene from last season's finale—instead this time, it'll be John Locke in Jacob's place. As for his adversary, he'll be wearing a new identity—that of Benjamin Linus. It ends with this: Fake Ben: Do you know badly I want to kill you right now? And then Locke looks at him with a knowing glint—and they laugh.

SPOILERS: The 12 Days of Lost-Mas

(This will be updated to add the new spoilers for each day)

At E!Online, Watch with Kristin is celebrating the 12 Days of Lost-Mas.

She gives the following teases about the upcoming season:


Day 11: Six of these things are true:

1. Juliet survives the bomb.
2. Juliet does not survive the bomb.
3. Kate and Sawyer flirt.
4. Kate and Sawyer kiss.
5. Juliet and Sawyer kiss.
6. Jack and Sayid touch lips.
7. There is a scene with Sawyer in the season premiere that will make you cry buckets—assuming you aren't a robot—and (possibly?) make you Skaters happy.

Day 10: Three Losties will be apprehended by the authorities. Separately.

Day 9: These words will be uttered in the first six hours of the show:

1. "Am I alive?"
2. "It turned out she did not want out."
3. "I wanted you to be able to go home."
4. "I was killed by an *** ******."
5. "I was supposed to die."

(The first one is not a female, and is the same person as #5.)

Day 8: Miles, who hears dead people, will carry a message from a dead character. Who could it be?
Day 7: One of the following things is true regarding Ilana and her Ajira posse:

1. They were sent by Charles Widmore to kill Ben.
2. They were sent by the Man in Black (Jacob's nemesis) to find the island's time travel mechanism and destroy it.
3. They were sent to protect Jacob.
4. They were sent to revive John Locke.
5. Ilana is future Sayid in drag.

Day 6: The following statements are both true:

1. One Lostie we've known for a long time (a dark, handsome someone) will die within the first four hours in the first shocking death of the year.
2. Another Lostie we've known and loved since day one of season one will come thisclose to dying—at his own hands—but the good doctor will save him.

Who will die? Who will nearly take his own life?

Day 5: If season six is about Oceanic 815, will we see Desmond again since he wasn't on the plane?

1. According to sources, we will see Desmond again...
2. ...fairly early on in the season.
3. His first appearance will be with one of the Losties, and the scene/encounter is very surprising.
4. You guys are going to love it! (Honestly)

Day 4: Who is the new Big Bad?
He:

• Killed **h*.
• Killed ***o*.
• Is *** **o** *****e*.
• Wants to "g* ****."

Day 3: One of the following is true:

• Sayid dies.
• Sayid kills Jack.

Remember, when we last saw these Losties they were in 1977. Sayid had been shot and Jack was near the site of the bomb that supposedly went kablooey and reset time.

Day 2: One of these is true, the other is false:

• We find out John Locke is related to C*****s *id**re and J*** ***ph*** in a way you would never ever expect—yes, "related" as in by blood!

• Terry O'Quinn does something bat-poop insane involving a character we have known since the very first episode of Lost's first season, then says: "I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

Day One: Which of the following is true?

• Shannon's absence from the beginning of the new season will be explained by a significant change to Shannon and Boone's backstory.

• Sawyer will smooch someone who is either Kate or Juliet and it will happen within the first four hours of the new season.

And oh, what the hey, here's a bonus for today's Lost-mas offering only. I will go ahead and tell you that:

Both of the above are actually true. Merry Lost-Mas, everyone!

Will fans' 15 top LOST mysteries be solved?

EW.com's Doc Jensen just posted a list of the top "15 must-answer mysteries" that fans hope will be explained in the sixth and final season of Lost.

Some seem likely to be answered, such as No. 5, "What happened to Claire?" After all, Emilie de Ravin (right) is to be back as a series regular, so we should be seeing a lot of her, and presumably we'll find out what happened after Claire walked off into the jungle with Dear Old Dead Dad.

Only Locke has seen her since then, hanging with Christian inside Jacob's cabin. He was asked not to tell anyone he'd seen Claire, and he didn't tell. And now ReaLocke's really dead, it seems, not magically resurrected after all. (Although "Esau," aka Jacob's enemy, certainly seems to know everything that ReaLocke knew, plus a whole lot more.) So, once Claire reveals herself in Season 6, we should learn more of the mystery behind her vanishing. Maybe we'll find out whether she's actually alive or just among the Island's numerous walking dead. Miles (whose Island-bred talent lets him hear the dead) certainly didn't seem to think that Claire was entirely alive after apparently surviving a house explosion -- but then, after the Season 5 finale, we don't yet know what happened to Miles, either.

Other mysteries may never be completely explained, such as No. 14, "What's Libby's backstory?" For one, Doc says, the Lost producers have said that actress Cynthia Watros is unlikely return to the show. For another, the show runners are going to do extremely well if they can just unravel the major plot points in the 18 hours they have allotted to finish the Lost saga. Compared to the larger Island mythos, Libby's backstory is relatively small potatoes.

My theory is that Libby went into a depression after her husband David died, and that's when she went to the Santa Rosa mental hospital to recover. She remembered Hugo from Santa Rosa, but he doesn't remember her. After she was released, she met Desmond and gave him David's boat, the Elizabeth, to compete in the Widmore solo-sailing race. Three years later, she boarded Oceanic 815 and crashed on Craphole Island. She survives with Ana-Lucia, Bernard and the Tailies, then treks to the Losties' beach, where she makes friends with Hugo, hypnotizes Claire, and gets tragically shot by Michael in the Hatch. End of story. (Sorry, Libby.)

UPDATE: Doc Jensen's also presenting a short Lost-related course on "The Cult of 'Cult TV' " --with the option of a fun but tricky "Final Exam" on Season 5. Its 26 multiple-choice questions will determine if you've really been paying attention.

And there's more... ABC.com has begun signing up participants -- er, make that "students" -- for "LOST University", and Doc J explains what that's all about. He says:

Included among the many real-life academics on staff is actor Jeremy Davies (Daniel Faraday), who proved himself something of a science egghead the last time I interviewed him.

Lost U's mascot is, of course... a polar bear.

You may go to the http://lostuniversity.org/index.php site and sign up now to be notified by e-mail when "enrollment" beings in two months.

What did you think of the finale?

UPDATE: Here's Doc Jensen's review of the episode. It's definitely worth reading.

So, they're all dead? Or did they save themselves? So much to ponder and break down.


Did Jack's plan work?


Will next season mirror season one? Will the plane still crash? Or will they board Ajira and crash later in time?


There's no way they're done with the island. Or that it's done with them. Of that, I'm certain.


And so now that guy in the beginning of the show is Locke or in Locke's body? Or has Locke always been that guy?



Will the hiatus, as Michael Emerson (aka Ben) predicted, make you eat your soul?


What do you think is coming in Season Six? Claire will return. We've already learned that.


Discuss!

Doc Jensen previews the finale

Here's the last Doc Jensen preview of the season. Enjoy.

Since ''LaFleur,'' I have argued that season 5 has been modeled on season 2, and
I believe my theory has held. Season 2's finale, ''Live Together, Die Alone,''
hinged on a Big Picture binary question: Does the button really do anything: Yes
or no? The season 5 finale, ''The Incident,'' hinges on the resolution of a
similar, black-or-white issue: Can the past be changed: Yes or no?

He makes three predictions of the finale. Not spoilers. He's just speculating.

Why does Locke want to murder Jacob?

Why does Eloise Hawking know so much about the castaways' destiny? Is she stuck in a self-aware, open-ended time loop, or does she have flashes of the future à la Ben?

What is the significance of the Ajira storyline?

More season finale tidbits

Courtesy of Michael Ausellio at Entertainment Weekly, we get a little info about the season finale.

Not major spoilers. But something interesting.

Question: Do you have any snippet to share with us about Lost's season finale? --Megan
Ausiello: We will come to learn that the dude who may or may not be playing Jacob bore witness to pivotal events in the pre-island lives of Locke, Sayid, and Sawyer. Speaking of Lost, I wanna say a few words about Evangeline Lilly's performance in tonight's episode: Wow. (Okay, one word.)

Question: Will we ever find out what happened to Rose and Bernard on Lost? --Lucas
Ausiello: I'm hearing we will.

Recap Lost 5.05: This Place is Death

Here's what Doc Jensen at Entertainment Weekly had to say. He has some pretty intense observations about what it all means and time travel. It's very compelling but you might have to think a bit more than usual as your read.

And E!Online's Watch With Kristin.

Here's what TV Guide and The Washington Post had to say.

Is Jack's dad actually Jacob?

Line of the night, uttered by Christian Shepherd (aka possibly Jacob): "Since when did listening to him get you anywhere worth a damn?" (speaking of Ben)

Thoughts?

Poll results: Jacob is ...

Well, what is Jacob?

With voters able to select more than one choice ...

25 percent of you said Jacob was a figment and a live person.

No one voted that Jacob is connected to Ben or Charles Widmore, part of Dharma or an other.

Half you think Jacob is the answer to the questions in Lost.

And three-fourth of you say he is the man behind the curtain.

Use the comments section to explain your vote or cast a vote if you didn't the first time.

Poll: Which Character is Still Alive?

Only two of our five choices received votes.

You could choose from Jin, Claire, Jacob, Christian Shephard and Michael.

Jin received 60 percent of the votes and Claire got 40 percent.

Be sure to check out the next poll and comment here about who you think is alive or dead and why?