Weeellll, what an odd episode "Confirmed Dead" turned out to be!  Not one, but five (six?) flashbacks, all related to our new characters, the team from the freighter.  There's plenty to talk about in the analysis thread (coming a bit later) but here's the recap!

I guess the only good way to do it this time, is to just run it down like it played out, since all the different flashbacks intertwined with the story on the island... not so easy to break out the different stories this time.

Well, what a mind blower! Let's just get down to it, shall we?  There's really not a lot to cover actually, but what there is has some big implications for the future.  Both on and off the island!

Deep Inhale Heavy Exhale Ah, it's good to be seeing new LOST episodes again, isn't it? And last night's season four premiere, "The Beginning of the End" was no exception.  A lot of strange and wonderful things happened, but overall I don't think this one packed the same punch that the "barracks" or (especially the) "hatch" premieres had.  Although you have to admit the opening scene sure got your attention!!

As is the usual drill, plenty of spoilers abound.

..you should know about LOST, from Doc Jensen.  Called a "cheat sheet", but just yer average recap of important points.  Well, some of them anyway.  What Hurley's dad's Camaro, and Ana Lucia's partner "Big Mike" have to do with things is anybody's guess.  Maybe the Doc knows something we don't?

And the third page he talks about how LOST helped him get through his wife's cancer...  glad to hear she's pulling through OK!

Link: ''Lost'': Preseason cheat sheet | Lost | Doc Jensen | TV | Entertainment Weekly | 1

Well, LOST finally returns after a lengthy hiatus.  "The Beginning of the End," foretold by Ben as he was tied to a tree trying to convince Jack not to call the freighter.  Of course from the brief preview we already know that the freighter crew's intentions are not altogether good.  In fact it might seem quite the opposite.

If you watched the "enhanced" repeat of the season three finale, "Through the Looking Glass" last night, I'm interested what you all thought of the 'popup' information that they added.  Personally I thought it was distracting.  However there was some information that I didn't know (or forgot!) such as the connection between the doctor at Jack's old hospital (in the flash-forward) and Bernard, having the same last name and all.  For someone just coming into LOST, or the casual viewer who's forgotten all the details, it was probably useful.

Curious that they kept bringing up in the popups the entire "mirror opposite" concept due to the title.  I don't really see Carroll's "Looking Glass" that way, and I don't believe he (or Alice) did either.  Moreso as an entirely different world on the other side of the glass.  Further, I still say that the surface of the pool inside the Looking Glass station serves as (or merely represents) that portal, and that things happening inside might be different on one side vs. the other (Charlie? Desmond?)

One thing that I caught this time that I didn't (or didn't pay attention to last time) was Jack's answer to the funeral parlor's question, "Friend or Family?"... which was "neither."  So does that totally rule out Christian being in the box?  Maybe.  I think there's way to much that has to transpire to even hazard an informed guess.

As always I'll post up a recap and analysis of tonight's show.  CAN'T WAIT!!!!one1!

Technorati Tags: LOST, the beginning of the end, premiere, season four, looking glass, finale

DO NOT click the link below if you want to be totally in the dark....

... OK, still here?

*drool*

Hurley flash forwards, boat people, Sayid flash forwards (which means that he, and Hurley don't die! ROCK!), something about British military (Desmond!), faces of LOST's past, more job security for the Korean element, and.. well... more ghosts and faces from LOST past....

I AM MORE PSYCHED NOW THAN EVER!!!

*ahem*

Just read it.

Link: 'Lost' Spoilers for Season 4

Technorati Tags: LOST, episodes, spoilers, season four

Psyched would hardly describe what I am at the moment! Let's get this mini-season (again!) underway!  Hopefully this strike will end and we'll get the whole planned shebang!

The article talks a bit about that, and has bits from the cast about the upcoming season, from Yunjin Kim, Mitchell, et. al.

There's still some speculation as to whether Walt was a vision or not, which seems odd given that they confirm Michael will be returning.  Is it really Walt or not!?

Can't wait for the replay of "Looking Glass", the "catchup" special and the big hoohah on Thursday (boy that's going to mess up my DVR schedule vs. CSI!)

Other questions hover: Who will leave the island, and who will stay? What will become of the pregnant Sun on an island where expectant mothers die? How will the romantic possibilities play out? Of course, Lost's big questions — what and where is the island, and why are these people there? — remain. (ABC will repeat the two-hour finale Wednesday at 9 ET/PT and air a series recap Thursday at 8.)

Here's hoping it has all the WTF?! value that previous season premieres have offered...  Really, I hope so.

Link:New season of 'Lost' is beginning of the adventure's end - USATODAY.com

Technorati Tags: LOST, beginning of the end, season four premiere, abc

The beloved and wacky Doc Jensen returns to his LOST analyzing ways with a three-parter over on EW.com.

Lots of buzz about the alternate reality/web thing.  Eh, not going to go there.  Didn't care for it the first time around, not too interested this time.  The first time introduced way too much information that was basically irrelevant to the show, although it wasn't very clear at the time.  Will this time be different?  Who knows, I'm not going to follow it.

But! I do have to (well mostly) agree with his list of things we should learn about...

DOC JENSEN'S FIVE FAVORITE NOT-NECESSARILY-MAJOR UNRESOLVED LOST MYSTERIES THAT I HOPE MIGHT GET LESS UNRESOLVED OVER THE COURSE OF SEASON 4, BUT IF THEY DON'T, THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, THEY'RE RELATIVELY MINOR UNRESOLVED MYSTERIES

I'm just saying, it would be neat to learn more about:

1. The four-toed statue
2. The whispers
3. The pile of unclaimed Pearl Station diaries
4. Desmond's inability to escape The Island after the castaways relieved him of button-pushing duty
5. Why Mr. Friendly (may he rest in fake-bearded peace) told Kate, ''You're not my type.''

I thought #4 had already been dealt with?  That the Pearl (or something) was making leaving the island an impossibility...  and as for #5, well, I thought the rumor was he wasn't on that side of the fence, if you take my meaning....

He goes on to explore possible connections between this web-marketing-viral-thingie and the show.  Which I hope does not happen, just because it would make the show ultimately confusing for those who just aren't interested in who hacked Oceanic Air's website... like yours truly!

Link: ''Lost'': Doc Jensen returns! | Lost | Doc Jensen | TV | Entertainment Weekly | 1

EW.com has a lengthy interview with Fox up on their site.  Here's a sample....

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How soon into season 4 do we learn who was in the casket?

MATTHEW FOX: It hasn't been revealed yet. I'm pretty sure I know who it is, but I'm not 100 percent sure. I remember saying to Damon, ''I can play that scene without knowing.'' But I wanted to know. And I got an answer. I'm not sure that the answer that I got will end up being who's in the casket.

This season supposedly deals with time travel and other supernatural elements. Is that accurate, and, if so, are you happy with this direction?

Yes and yes. Really fascinating stuff. Last year, we find out Jack and Kate are off the island. How the f--- did that happen? And why does he want to go back? In answering those questions, you have to start addressing the bigger, epic scope of the show. In doing that, you're going to get into questions about the show that the audience is just dying to start finding out. What is this island? Where is this island? When is this island?

Yeah, some stuff like that.  Just get over there and read it already! Let's get stoked again!

Link: ''Lost'': Dr. Jack spills secrets | Lost | Cover Story | TV | Entertainment Weekly | 1

Technorati Tags: LOST, matthew fox, jack shepard, cast, characters, interviews

So, just for fun, I figured I'd go back and watch "White Rabbit" from season one, just to see if there were any meaningful connections other than the names of the episodes.  Both names relate to Carroll's works, and more directly, relate to "The Looking Glass" station (with its rabbit insignia) which we discovered to be lying under the water some distance out to sea.

What I found was pretty amazing.  Of course hindsight is always 20-20, and maybe its just a question of reading way too much between the lines....  But here it goes anyway.