Tonight on LOST: 'Recon'

It's been a long, long three weeks since "the Substitute," the episode where we last saw Sawyer, but tonight the drought ends.

Previously on Lost, a bitter, angry, grieving James Ford was signing up with Smokey in the cave where all the candidates' names and numbers were scrawled. James himself, you'll remember, was No. 15. UnLocke asked him if he was ready to "get the hell off this Island," and James' response was: "Hell, yes." Thereby making himself Recruit No. 1 in the Man in Black's army.

The official ABC promo line for "Recon" is: "Locke tasks Sawyer with a mission." What kind of a mission? A reconnaissance mission to Camp Jacob, would be our guess.

But "recon" can have more than one meaning. And since we're talking about our favorite con man here, it's entirely possible that Sawyer will recognize just what kind of con man UnLocke is and what kind of evil he represents.

In that case, we're betting Sawyer will become a double agent, just the way his beloved Juliet did when she joined the Losties and pretended to be Ben's mole for the Others.

Meanwhile, we're also going to see what James' life is like in Sideways World. I'm going to go waaay out on a limb here and guess that we're going to see the biggest change yet. That in the parallel reality, maybe James Ford never became Sawyer the con man at all.

In "The Substitute," we found out that alt-Locke and his father, Anthony Cooper, were on good terms -- presumably meaning that alt-Cooper was not the conscienceless criminal who stole his son's kidney and then pushed Locke out an eighth-floor window, leaving him paralyzed. Locke was still in a wheelchair, yes, but apparently Cooper had no connection to whatever accident befell him.

So if Cooper's not the bad guy of that scenario...maybe he wasn't the man who ruined the Fords' lives, either. Maybe young James grew up without the horrible, psyche-scarring loss of his parents and the ambition to become a con man named Sawyer.

The James Ford we saw on Oceanic 815 in "LA X" seemed like a pretty relaxed guy, not like a murderer on the run. It'll be interesting to see what he's like tonight, for sure.

Fox's performance as Jack: 'Like Job with vodka'

Here's one last review of the season premier from Ken Tucker at Entertainment Weekly. Unlike Doc Jensen, he doesn't delve into the mythology.

He's looking at the acting, especially Matthew Fox as Jack and Terry O'Quinn and Locke (err...and as Fake Locke.)

Do you agree or disagree with his observations?

LOST's "Last Supper"

The latest publicity photo promoting Lost has a lineup of the regular Season 6 cast in a pose reminiscent of Da Vinci's "Last Supper." Perhaps significantly, John Locke -- or Fake Locke -- is in the center, the cynosure of all eyes.



From left; Ilana, Richard Alpert, Claire Littleton, Sayid Jarrah, Kate Austen, James "Sawyer" Ford, John Locke [presumably Fake Locke], Jack Shephard, Jin-Soo Kwon, Ben Linus, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, Sun-Hwa Kwon, Miles Straume, and Frank Lapidus.

What should we expect in the final season?

So, what exactly will happen in the season premiere?

It's hard to say where it will start and where it will go from there.

But, Watch with Kristin at E!Online, has a few tidbits about what kinds of things we will learn this season. (This is spoiler free. Just let's us know that we will get answers ... It just doesn't tell us what they are.) She says:

1. There Are Answers. Finally, now that we are down to the very last season, Team Darlton is able to give the fans what they've been waiting five season for: answers! Who is the smoke monster? What is the Island? Why are they all there? It's all down to the wire now, and I can tell you that in the first two hours alone of Lost's sixth season, there are more "answers" to the show's huge mysteries than there were in all of last season. Even if you've fallen out of this series, you will want to tune in to the end to see what it's all about. And for you fans who've followed all along, you will not be let down.
2. Terry O'Quinn Is Front and Center. Remember a few seasons back when Terry complained that John Locke's storyline was small, meek and misguided? Well, if only he could have seen then what is ahead for him in the final season: a stronger, more intense and more commanding storyline than Terry has ever had on this series. T.O.Q. just plain rocks, and the twists he will take this season will make you scream out loud.
3. It's Like a High School Reunion Without Having to Worry Whether You Look Fat. As you are well aware by now, nearly all of the Losties we've loved and lost (Dominic Monaghan, Ian Somerhalder, Rebecca Mader, just to name a few) will be back in some capacity for season six. It is a pretty awesome welcome-home party, with new connections you might not have guessed.

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!

Claire's Season 6 return: Is she alive, or un-dead?

We all knew that Emilie De Ravin is supposed to return as Claire in Season 6 of LOST. But EW's Michael Ausiello offers some intriguing theories, courtesy of Doc Jensen.

No real spoilers here, just lots of speculation on Doc's part. He says:

"Any scenario that brings Claire back to Lost must address the mysterious
circumstances of her disappearance at the end of season 4, in which many of us
were led to believe that she was as dead -- or rather, undead -- as the Ghost
Christian that's been haunting The Island since season 1. So here's one thought:
Juliet changed time in the season finale by detonating Jughead, and season 6
will tell the story of the new timeline, one in which Claire is alive. Another
thought: In light of the revelation that John Locke was actually a supernatural
impostor for half of season 5, perhaps in season 6, we'll get a storyline in
which Claire just emerges out of the jungle, with no memory of what happened to
her -- just like season 1 -- and we and the castaways will be left to wonder: Is
this the real Claire or another impostor infiltrating them a la Locke? Heck,
maybe that's going to be the major idea of next season: Who's really alive and
who's really (un)dead? It really will be the fabled zombie season of
Lost!"

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!

How well did Lost 'Follow the Leader?'

What did you think of 'Follow the Leader?'

Post your observations, theories and rank speculation in comments.

What did you think of 'Dead is Dead?'

What did you think of the episode?

Ben and Locke, well really Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson, have great chemistry.

The question continues, can the Losties stuck in the 70s change what will happen in the future. What do you think?

Where are Bernard and Rose?

What happened to Rose and Bernard when Ben and then Locke turned the frozen donkey wheel?

Are they alive? Are they dead?

Did they end up in another time?

Are they the Adam and Eve the Losties find early in the series?

Are they living in Dharmaville unseen to us so far?

Post your rank speculation in comments!

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.

SPOILER: Someone is getting offed before the season ends

UPDATE: Look at the bottom of this post to for a list of five names. One of the five will die. Don't read if you don't want to know.

A "major character" is dying on Lost, reports Kristin at E!Online.

She says this a a real death like Shannon or Charlie. Not like Locke's death and resurrection.

It's not Kate.

Apparently the actor/actress who's character is dying didn't find out until last week.

Any thoughts on who it might be and why?

According to Spoilerfix.com the character who bites the dust is one of these five: Ben, Sawyer, Daniel, Jin, Miles

What did you think of 'The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham?'

Ben killed Locke! Locke's alive?!?!?!?

What changed for Ben that he went from talking Locke down to strangling him? Was it Jin being alive or the mention of Mrs. Hawking?

WAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLT!

Well, we're now seven episodes into the season.

What did you think of tonight's episode and the season so far?

A little preshow reading

Doc Jensen has once again given us a little reading before we see tonight's epsiode.

He calls it The Keys to Locke.

Jeremy Bentham was a 18th century English ethicist and founding father of legal positivism, which stands in opposition to natural law, which was promoted by...17th century English philosopher John Locke, one of the founding fathers of the so-called Age of Reason. Locke was a deist (i.e., a creator God) who believed that man had certain intrinsic, unalienable rights; his philosophy was capable of integrating science and faith. Bentham said: BWA-HAHAAH! He thought natural law was ''nonsense on stilts.'' Bentham is a very post-God thinker: He believed the only rights a man had were the rights society gave him.
DOC JENSEN ANALYSIS: The castaway formerly known as Locke has chosen a namesake that literally mocks his previous namesake. Last week, Man of Science Jack switched teams: He became a Man of Faith. Is John Locke/Jeremy Bentham about to do a worldview flip-flop himself?

There's video, teases and corrections to last week's column.

Be sure to check out EW's Lost Untangled videos on the first page. They recap last
week's show and talk about the season so far.

Let Sawyer nickname you

So, are you a Freckles? A Mamacita? Mr. Clean? Or Lardo?

Those are actually taken by Kate, Claire, Locke and Hurley, repectively.

But you can get your own Sawyer nickname by answering a couple of questions.

Can't remember what Sawyer has called everyone over the last four seasons? Here's a list.

Use the comments section to tell everyone what nickname Sawyer gives you.

Alternate Endings to Season 4 finale

Locke may have been in the coffin at the end of season four. But the creaters filmed the ending with two others inside the coffin.

The first alternate ending:


The second alternate ending:


Did they make the right decison by putting Locke in the coffin?