Another book with Lost resonance is Replay by Ken Grimwood, where a man must live his life over and over, and does so differently each time (hat tip on this one to Jeff Jensen). Weirdly enough, the man on the cover looks a little like Ben.

I think differently about Jack. I see him as historically overburdened with conscience to the point of becoming a miserable control freak and messianic fixer. I believe his journey is from proud “man of science” to being simply human, accepting his and others’ flaws and limitations with humility. This will make him a free man, having a balance of reason (science) and faith.

I think Jack’s journey is the journey from “man of science” to “man of conscience.”

I’m currently reading the novel Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer (basis of the ABC show, but very different). There is an involved discussion of Minkowski’s (remember the character so named on Widmore’s boat, the first time-traveling character we met?) blocked time, Niven’s Law, alternate timelins, and Shrodinger’s Cat (with its interpretations), which would resonate with any Lost fan and helped me to understand the various time theories.

What a hoot to see Ethan. In Alta 2004, I think we can presume that Amy and baby Ethan, like many other Dharma-ites, left the Island before the Incident and never returned. What a wink to his kidnapping of Claire to The Staff.

Erin, this is only the first day of Sawyer’s traumatic loss of Juliet and he’s had to lose her twice! His repeated statement, “We had a life here” is heartbreaking. I think he’s in a dark place of grief, anger, and bitterness, but it’s understandable and not the same darkness as the Sickness. Sayid has been building up his tragic darkness for a long, long time.

Claire as “infected” was a huge surprise. I think we must assume that something happened at the New Otherton house explosion. The Rousseau angle is intriguing.

Hurley has always been my favorite character. If Locke was faith and Jack was science, Hurley has always been the heart of the group, and has been the most emotionally insightful. And he’s hilarious.

I find it difficult to connect the temple Others with Ben. If Sayid has been building a “darkness,” Ben has been a most amoral killer. I’m certain that those he had Sayid murder had nothing to do with the castaways’ safety. Which makes me wonder what really happens to people baptized in the Temple Spa.

Ah, the fun of Lost.

So good to see the old Jack returning, but with a needed dash of humility. His swallowing of the pill truly was an awesome moment, a heroic compromise between Man of Science and Man of Faith.

Very worried about Sawyer; he’s in a really dark place now. But like you, I think he’ll come out of it eventually. But it’ll be a slow process. Loved seeing Ethan in LA. Curious what further role he’ll have to play, if any. I’d like to think the sideways story offers him a new lease on life.

The Hurley line was great, as was his huge bear hug when Sayid came back to life – hug first, ask nervous questions later. Very Hurleyish. But my favorite line was when Jack comes into Dogen’s chamber and he’s sitting there twirling the baseball around, and Jack asks, “What’s that?” and he replies, “It’s a baseball.” I love it because half the people watching were probably thinking the same question; I know I was. And I think the writers wanted to poke fun at our ardor for examining tiny details and remind us that “Sometimes a baseball really is just a baseball.”