Is anyone else just totally in shock after that?  After last week's ho-hum (but still good) episode, they throw this at your head, and it hits with full force like a brick.  I'm still trying to make sense of it all.

But I'll start here.  Time travel, anchors, dead rats, night turning into day, dogs and cats living together.....  I've got some strange ideas about the things this episode tells us, so bear with me.

Ouch. My head hurts. Still.

But what an amazing ride it was, no?  I'd have to say this was a "tipping point" for the show.  Perhaps the first real answers as to what is going on with Desmond, and perhaps with everyone, well, sort of anyway.

There's no good way to separate the plots for this episode, since its all the same story this time, or that time, or whatever time!  So I thought I'd try something different.  See if you can follow along.

I'll be honest, there were so many little details in this episode, that I know for a fact I missed a lot of them, some of them probably key.  I'm going to have to go back and do a lot of freeze-framing to get them all!

Now, I've been trying to keep myself spoiler-free this season, so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about at all.  Wouldn't be the first time.

But I happened to catch a glimpse of the promo stills for "The Constant," tonights episode, which involve Minkowski strapped down to a bed, looking rather not well.

The real Minkowski, Hermann, was not only responsible for developing the concept of a four-dimensional "spacetime", which Einstein's work on Special Relativity was based....  But he also previous to that worked a lot with "quadratic forms" and number theory.  Numbers.  Multi-variate equations.  Hmmm.

Might our fictional Minkowski have some deep dark insight into the "LOST Numbers" and the "Valenzetti Equations" which were introduced in the alternate reality stuff?  Maybe its insights are driving him mad, which could explain his current condition?

Or maybe he's suffering the same fate as the real Minkowski, who died suddenly from appendicitis. 

Just another random thought.   Maybe we'll find out tonight.

On the topic of random thoughts.  Do you suppose its a thinly veiled reference to the gravitational constant?  aka G for you astrophysicists out there.  Maybe the constant's not quite so constant near the island?  It's got to mean something. 

Well, maybe not if they're continuing the "Eggtown" trend of episode titles. 

Ayup, time again for EW's resident LOST nut to signal up...  all I gotta say is, "I CAN'T WAIT NOW!!!"

DOC JENSEN: Last season, you touted the Desmond-centric episode ''Flashes Before Your Eyes'' by saying that it ''uses the flashback device in a way you've never seen before — and will never see again.'' Does tonight's Desmond-centric outing, ''The Constant,'' uphold that pledge?

DAMON LINDELOF: '''The Constant' upholds that pledge, unpledges it, then repledges it. Also, there's a really cool auction in it.''

Lots of great goodies in this one.  Including a non-explanation of the time delay which doesn't seem to affect radio waves (but does rockets,) and a total rundown of the time-travelling madness we've seen before.  This time, though, the rabbit hole might go a little bit deeper.

Fate and Destiny vs. Free Will, Wormholes, Demons.  Argh! My head hurts now!

Link:''Lost'': Checking the time | Doc Jensen | TV | Entertainment Weekly | 1

OK, so I see this article on BuddyTV about (oooh!) "Secrets and Lies."  OK, but something got the ol' noggin a-churnin....

...There must have been someone who left behind proof that they survived on the island for a period of time.

My guess is that it might be Sun (Yunjin Kim).  Based on absolutely nothing, I'm going to theorize that Sun could eventually give birth to her baby and die in childbirth due to the island's crazy vendetta against new mothers....

Now, lets assume that Jin is the last of the Oceanic Six (If you count Aaron), could we be in for a battle royale of the ex-assassin types?  Between the out-for-revenge against Ben and his ilk Jin, and Sayid, now peon and hired-gun of the Benster?  I can see it now, a Mission Impossible style shootout in bullet time!

Er, yeah, I hope not.  It'd be just too easy and indulgent, wouldn't it.  But its something to think about anyway.

BuddyTV's got a rather interesting little piece about C&D slipping some teasers for the end of season 4, as well as from 5 and 6.

While it's unknown just how much of seasons 5 and 6 is already planned, Damon Lindelof confirms that the general ideas are already set in place. "Season 4 is about who gets off the island and the fact that they need to get back," he points out. "Season 5 is about why they need to get back, and season 6 is about what happens when they get back."

Here's a little bit on the rest of this season:

"There will be very significant mysteries answered in the seventh
episode," Cuse teases. "The eighth episode is non-traditional and the
start of something new."

"Non-traditional?" WTF is that supposed to mean? Exactly what is traditional when it comes to LOST? I mean, seriously.

Link: 'Lost' Execs Tease Seasons 5 and 6

Technorati Tags: LOST, Cuse, Lindelof, Interviews, future, season 4, season 5, season 6, rumors

Yawn.  Where was I? Oh, yeah, Eggtown.  Well, we find out who another of the Oceanic Six is.  I think.  A couple more juicy bits that might play out down the road, and a bit of light reading....

Well, um, uh.  Yawn.  Sorry guys, but I wasn't too blown away by this one.  Good? Yes, but just in a "not bad" kind of way.  Really there were only a couple of noteworthy moments, including the revelation of one more of the Oceanic Six.  I think.  Read on for the whole shebang.

If you've not seen the episode yet, or read the recap... well, there are plenty of spoilers to be found here, a lot of which are just pretty mind blowing.  You've been warned!

In the immortal words of Hurley, "DUDE!"  That was one of the more powerful episodes of LOST I've seen in a long time.  "The Economist" takes a look at Sayid's life in the future this time, and his relationship to "The Economist,"  a woman he....  well, you'll just have to read the whole thing to find out.

There were a few other interesting things going on on the island as well, including a bit of physics fun we'll touch on in the analysis post!  But we should be able to get through most of the island events pretty simply, as there was basically a single island plot this time.