Tonight on LOST: 'The Candidate'

This is ABC's official description of tonight's Lost episode, "The Candidate":

"Jack must decide whether or not to trust Locke after he is asked to follow through on a difficult task."

Here is how Brian interprets the promo on his excellent Lost...and Gone Forever blog:

Logic tells us that SmokeLocke is going to pick up right where he left off last week, heading to Hydra Island to reunite with his Candidates and to take on Widmore in “The Battle for the Island." Does Jack trust SmokeLocke? Of course not. Will he go along for the ride in an effort to try and understand SmokeLocke’s true intentions and figure out how to stop him? Most definitely. What is the “difficult task” that SmokeLocke tasks Jack with? The last time an episode description was worded like this, it was when SmokeLocke was convincing Ben to murder Jacob – could it be that this time it’s about Jack murdering Widmore? Maybe SmokeLocke promises to save all of his friends if he agrees to go along with him. Maybe he claims that the only way to save the Island is to go along with him. Either way, it’s going to be something that makes Jack question what his true purpose on the Island is, who he can trust, and what he should do. He’s going to be all alone in this decision, and it’s finally going to see if all that time spent staring out at the ocean paid off.

Time is getting very, very short for our favorite series. The Lost cast has wrapped shooting on Oahu; the producers have edited the two-hour finale, "The End," which will air on Sunday, May 23. We have heard that next week's episode, "Across the Sea," will be mythology-loaded and quite different from any episode of Lost that we have ever seen. And the series' penultimate episode that airs on May 18? Frankly, its title is so scary, so loaded, that I don't even want to mention it here.

Come back tonight and talk about "The Candidate" in the comments; I have a feeling there will be a lot to talk about. And don't forget, the ep runs a couple of minutes long, so be sure to set your recorders accordingly.

Tonight on LOST: 'Dr. Linus'

O bliss! O joy! It's time to party with the Artist Formerly Known as Henry Gale. Yes, it's a Ben-centric episode, and those are always extra good.

Tonight's episode of Lost is called "Dr. Linus." Here's the official ABC promo line: "Ben deals with the consequences of an uncovered lie."

The obvious follow-up to that is, "Which lie?" Because with Ben, you know, there are just so darn many lies he tells that we have totally lost track of them. Last we checked, he was up to about 167 fibs, untruths, whoppers and dodges, and that was just in Season 3.

We found out in "The Substitute" that alt-Ben is a teacher of European history at the same L.A.-area high school where alt-John Locke is teaching biology and coaching girls' gym. The only other thing we know about alt-Ben so far is that he is pretty darn snippy about maintaining the coffeemaker in the teachers' lounge. (Woe be unto him who fails to remove the old filter so Ben can make a fresh pot.)

Don't know about you, but we are praying that tonight he has a run-in with science teacher Leslie Arzt, so they can snipe at each other with lines like: "That's Doctor Arzt to you, Benjy!" and "Well, that's Doctor Linus to you, Leslie!" Of course, we have no actual evidence yet that Dr. Arzt even teaches at that school, but wouldn't that be a cool cameo?

On the Island's timeline, we know that Ben last week fled the Temple in terror, after realizing Sayid had gone over to Smokey's side and so had killed both Dogen and Lennon, who were floating lifeless in the Temple's healing pool. This week, we'll probably see more of Ben looking for Ilana and her little band of Jacobites, including Frank, Sun and Miles, who have escaped the Temple via the secret back door, and who presumably will be in the jungle, hiding from UnLocke and his tribe.

With the Temple breached, there are no longer any safe places on the Island that we know of. Will our Losties perhaps retreat to an abandoned Dharma station, there to await the arrival of whoever it is that Jacob predicted is coming to help them battle the Man in Black?

Recapping 6.04: 'The Substitute'

Watch with Kristin's "Lost Redux: Ummm...Did We Just Find Out What This Whole Show Is About?!"

And, if you like spoilers, she has an interesting tidbit here.

And what day after Lost, would be complete without Doc Jensen's insight?

Here's The Washington Post's dueling analysis. They have a 2 p.m. Wednesday chat (Central time). After that, there will be a transcript.

Also, there's already a clip from the next episode, The Lighthouse:

Prepping for tonight's episode

What do you need to know before you watch the fourth episode?

Here's help from Doc Jensen for tonight's Locke-centric episode.

I can't help but wonder if Locke's backstory will remain the same. Will he be born premature to a teenage mother? Will his father throw him out a window? Will he be the man of faith off the island?

If the bomb going off can make Sayid Iranian (if he really is) instead of Iraqi ... Shannon not get on the plane ... Jin and Sun not married ... and get rid of Hurley's bad luck ... What will it change for Locke?

The article is spoiler free.

But here's a peak at tonight's episode. It's less than a minute.

iTunes Releases "Lost Tracks" Based On Characters

I'll just post what TV Guide says. What do you think about their selection for each character? Do you have a better suggestion?

Lost fans, need another way to express your devotion to the show? Buy their music!

Check out our Lost Episode Recap of the final season's premiere: "LA X (Parts I and II)"

iTunes has launched six exclusive seven-track collections inspired by characters from the ABC drama (called "Lost Tracks"). Songs range from Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine" from Kate Austen's collection to Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get a Witness" from John Locke's selections. A playlist of "Dharma's Tracks" features head-trippers like Tina Turner's "Acid Queen" from The Who's Tommy, Three Dog Night's "Shambala" and "Dharma Lady" by Geronimo Jackson, a fictional musician in the show's mythology.

Check out all the playlists below:

Kate's Tracks:
"Cherry Bomb"— The Runaways
"Crazy" — Patsy Cline
"Jack of All Parades" — Elvis Costello
"(I Know) I'm Losing You" — Rod Stewart
"Another Nail in My Heart" — Squeeze
"Bad Medicine" — Bon Jovi (Watch the video)
"Somebody I Used to Know" — Squeeze

Sawyer's Tracks:
"Hair of the Dog" — Nazareth
"Bad Moon Rising" — John Fogerty
"You Got That Right" — Lynyrd Skynyrd (Watch the video)
"Farther Along" — Flying Burrito Brothers
"Walk Away" — The James Gang
"Strutter" — KISS
"Love Ain't for Keeping" — The Who

Locke's Tracks:
"Can I Get a Witness" — Marvin Gaye
"Listen to Me" — Buddy Holly
"Memphis, Tennessee" — Chuck Berry
"Lost Highway" — Hank Williams
"Mannish Boy" — Muddy Waters
"I'd Rather Go Blind" — Etta James
"I Put a Spell on You" — Nina Simone (Watch the video)

Hurley's Tracks:
"The Seed (2.0) " — The Roots
"C'mon and Love Me" — KISS
"Jesus" — Velvet Underground
"Call Me Names" — The Specials
"Goodbye Girl" — Squeeze
"Shangri-Las" — The Kinks
"Fresh Feeling" — Eels (Watch the video)

Charlie's Tracks:
"Gasoline Alley" — Rod Stewart
"Less Than Zero" — Elvis Costello
"I'm One" — The Who
"Going Underground" — The Jam
"Dirty Boots" — Sonic Youth (Watch the video)
"Lady Godiva's Operation" — Velvet Underground
"Empty Pages" — Traffic

Dharma's Tracks:
"Dharma Lady" — Geronimo Jackson
"Shambala" — Three Dog Night
"Hot Burrito #2" — Flying Burrito Brothers
"The Acid Queen" — The Who (Watch the video)
"The Pusher" — Steppenwolf
"Heaven Is in Your Mind" — Traffic
"Bell Bottom Blues" — Derek & the Dominos

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.

The 12th Day of Lost-Mas

Here's the 12th day of scoop from Watch With Kristin at E!Online:

Helena: [Re: Locke Serves Up a Jaw-Dropper] I'm so glad to hear there's something good in store for Terry O'Quinn. Will he be a big player this season?
Locke/Terry is more important than ever in season six (and, yes, will serve up a jaw-dropper) and as boss Carlton Cuse told the Hollywood Reporter: "Jack and Locke have always been at the center of the show, that dilemma of faith vs. reason, and the conflict between those two characters has been there since the beginning. It's very exciting to bring that relationship to its conclusion." Terry has never been more commanding (nor terrifyingly awesome) than this season. I smell Emmy!

Josh in Michigan: Any chance Maggie Grace's character, Shannon, will be back on Lost for the final season?
According to my sources (including Maggie's rep), Maggie still has not shot anything new yet for Lost, and is not expected at the season premiere party in Hawaii later this month. As you've probably heard by now, we will see Ian Somerhalder (Boone) again on the new season, and as I mentioned in the first day of Lost-mas, Maggie's absence will be explained by a change to Shannon's backstory. It's pretty surprising!

Lee: When you refer to a Lostie, do you also use that term for what we know to be Others?
In one instance during Lost-mas, I used the word Lostie for someone who was not on Oceanic Flight 815.

Francesca: Are most of your spoilers in Lost-mas about the beginning of the season or the season as a whole?
The beginning. This may or may not explain some of the confusion about seemingly conflicting scoop on other sites that some of you have asked about. I have been asked not to give scoop too far out so that hopefully you fans can still let the series unfold in a way that will surprise you. As many of you know, I try to tease without giving too much away, because I know many of you don't want to be truly spoiled. (On that note I apologize for the Lost-mas Sayid headline that concerned many of you, but I believe you'll understand when you see the episode.)

Alex: [Re: Where?s Desmond?] OMG! I hope they don't kill Desmond off. He's one of the consistently good characters on the show, plus his performances are very good.
Des rocks! So far I see no need to worry, but it's wise to pray for all the characters you love this season. It's the end, so anyone can go.

Kat: [Re: This Scoop Is a Matter of Life and Death] I bet Hurley tries to kill himself. We already know he has some depressive tendencies.
That's not who I'm talking about.

jk fan: [Re: Who Is the New Big Bad?] It's Shannon's brother (Ian Somerhalder).
Yes, and we'll find out he killed someone's wife. Oh wait, sorry...Wrong show!

Heidi: [Re: Arresting Development] I'm guessing Charlie for drugs, Sayid for murder/espionage, and maybe Sawyer for being a con artist.
One of your guesses is right.

Catching up with Entertainment Weekly's Doc Jensen

Doc Jensen is once again musing on the ins and outs of Lost.

Catch up with what he's been doing:

• How long has Locke actually been Fake Locke? And more. Like how JJ Abrams decided to leave Lost of MI:3 and how Lindelof and Cuse became the show runners. How Abrams "dated" Tom Cruise. And, of course, more theories.
• The island as Mouse Trap and other games.

LOST in Stephen King's 'Under the Dome'

Ben Linus would never approve, of course, but he's out of the book club anyway.

I've spent the last day engrossed in Stephen King's new bestseller, Under the Dome (Scribner, $35). On page 285, Big Steve pays tribute to our favorite series, which also happens to be his favorite series:

What did that Scottish guy say on Lost? "Don't mistake coincidence for fate"? Maybe that had been it. Maybe it had. But Lost had been a long time ago. The Scottish guy could have said Don't mistake fate for coincidence.

Actually, according to http://lostpedia.wikia.com/, it was Mr. Eko who advised Locke: "Do not mistake coincidence for fate," in the Season 2 episode "What Kate Did," and Locke later repeats the phrase to Desmond in Season 3's "The Cost of Living."

What did the author mean by "Lost had been a long time ago"? Well, Under the Dome is set in the near future -- sometime after the 2012 election, in which President Obama [who plays an offstage role in the Dome drama] was re-elected.

Season 6 preview clip is tantalizing

Today's WashPost 'Lost' Hour chat included a Season 6 preview video clip from ComicCon 2009 that I'd somehow missed seeing up till now.

Most of the 90-second snippet is a clip that faithful viewers will remember from the Season 1 finale: the various Losties busily boarding Oceanic 815, and then Jack catching Locke's glance. But this time, as Locke sees Jack, his mind zips through a quick montage of important images from Lost's previous seasons... right up to seeing himself in his coffin. Talk about flashes before your eyes!

The scene goes briefly to black. And then we see an airplane hurtling through a darkening sky in a doomed crash landing, bursting into flames as it smashes into the ground. But: It's a Plymouth Air jet, not an Oceanic one.

Is the post-Jughead universe course-correcting itself? Are the Losties' destinies being reset on an alternate timeline? Is that really John Locke, or is it Jacob's nemesis in Locke's body?

Well, we have six months to think about the possibilities. As well as about the fact that the producers are still using the reversed, black-on-white LOST logo that we saw for the first time at the end of the Season 5 finale. BTW, the ComicCon audience also got to see a farewell video to all the notable characters who have died on Lost. Interestingly, Juliet was not shown among them, nor was Claire -- although Daniel Faraday and Charlotte Lewis were.

PS: And for all those who have wondered what Libby's surname was? The RIP video called her Elizabeth "Libby" Smith.

New LOST Season 6 poster: What a lineup!

The Lost Season 6 poster showed up at ComicCon 2009 in San Diego last weekend, and Losties are pretty excited about it, because it shows a lot of original cast members, some of whom we haven't seen in a long time, and many whose characters are supposed to be dead. Check out DarkUFO for closeups and IDs of the actors in the lineup.

From left: Faraday, Boone, Miles, Michael, Ana Lucia, Charlotte, Shannon, Desmond, Eko, Kate, Jack, Sawyer, Locke, Ben, Sayid, Libby, Sun, Jin, Claire, Hurley, Juliet, Charlie, Frank, Richard, Bernard and Rose.

If you look closely, you can see that in the middle is John Locke -- or rather, the UnLocke -- with his back turned to the camera.