LOST: It only ends once...

...Anything that happens before that is just progress. (Or so sayeth Jacob.)

And so it's finally Groundhog Day, aka "The Beginning of the End." Tonight at 7 Central, ABC will air "The Final Chapter," a recap hour -- followed at 8 by "LA X," the two-hour premiere of Lost's sixth and final season.

Check in here and join in our discussion after the show, and follow LostiesIsland on Twitter for more tidbits.

While you're waiting for tonight's magic hours to begin, read how the Washington Post's Jen Chaney and Liz Kelly contemplate the end of Lost days over on their "Lost Central" blog.

Think, too, about what "LA X" might mean. Sure, it's air-traffic code meaning Los Angeles International Airport, the destination of Oceanic 815.

But what of that space between the A and the X? It's no accident, that space.

If you asked Daniel Faraday what X means, he would say it represents an unknown variable. Perhaps that's what the X in this "LA X" stands for: the unknown. The X factor. The mystery.

For five years, Lost has been our favorite pop-culture conundrum. We've all loved being trapped on Mystery Island, even when it felt as if our heads might explode.

For five years, we've had questions. This year, it is promised, we'll get answers.

But we still have 18 hours of storytelling to go. And until those 18 hours are over, we're on board with what Jen and Liz say: It's about relishing the journey, instead of the destination.

RIP Daniel Faraday

Oh. My. God. They killed Faraday.

Discuss.

Doc Jensen previews 'The Variable'

Tonight's Lost episode, "The Variable," is touted as a sort of companion piece to last season's time-travel classic, "The Constant." But instead of focusing on Desmond and Penny, this ep focuses on Daniel Faraday, his backstory and the people closest to him.

Over on EW.com, Doc Jensen has some intriguing ideas about what we might expect from "The Variable," as well as more theories about Dr. Pierre Chang and son Miles, the building of the Swan hatch, Dharma founders Gerald and Karen DeGroot, and more.

And don't forget to watch the new "Totally Lost" video, in which (if you are quick with the pause button) you can glimpse this week's teasers from Lost's showrunners. Most intriguing among them: "The inscription will change everything."

PS: Don't forget! If you're recording Lost tonight, be sure to set your DVR or VCR to run well over the usual time, as a presidential speech scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT may cause ABC's prime-time programming to run late.