The LOST Recruits

The thing about my bittersweet countdown is the closer we get to the end, the more I have to say. Yet I'm counting down, meaning my self-imposed structure of "Lost" blogging is backfiring somewhat. I guess I had hoped I would get questions answered, thus have less to say. But that's not how it's working. We have gotten some questions answered [like, yes, the Man in Black/Smoke Monster did indeed inhabit Christian Shepherd's body], but the answers always make me thing about things, thus making me want to say more.

I should stop here to warn you: If you've not watch last night's episode, "The Last Recruit," stop reading my babbling now. Unless you don't care about plot talk.

And, so, with only four episodes [rather five hours ...] left, I'll confess, I am packing each point with many related observations and thoughts. It's not cheating. It's just making the most out of my formatting ...

1. Fake Locke said because Jacob chose them [Jack, Kate, Sawyer, et. al.] they were trapped on the island until Jacob died. Hmmm ... OK. Then later Jack goes into a sentimental moment about how John Locke believe in the island and its power. Despite being in Locke's dead body, Smokey doesn't buy it: "John Locke wasn't a believer; he was a sucker."

2. Off the island, Locke sure has some traumatic injuries that don't kill him. [His dad pushed him from a building window and Desmond plowed him down with a car. The first incident put him in a wheelchair. Will the second one, and Jack's surgery, take him back out of the wheelchair?]

3. Speaking of Jack operating on Locke [which I saw coming, but it still was a nice intersection!], I love how these characters lives are intertwining in the flash-sideways world. Sun even seemed to recognize Locke as they both were being wheeled into the ER. And then there's Desmond, who was really freaking me out. Apparently he was spooking Claire too. Then Ilana shows up as an attorney, who has been looking for Claire because she was mentioned in Christian Shepherd's will. Speaking of the Shepherds, Claire and Jack sibling moments both on and off the island were great. [I especially loved Claire's matter-of-fact explanation to her brother about being with Fake Locke now: "You decided the moment you let him talk to you. Just like the rest of us."] The other flash-sideways intersection moment I loved was Sawyer arresting Sayid. What a move, tripping him as he ran out the back door! And Sawyer told Kate, the fugitive, "It's like someone is trying to put us together." Seems like it!

4. Oh, Sun. You finally found Jin. And after his embrace -- which I thought was going to come amidst a shock from the electric fence, despite Zoe's request to turn it off -- your language issue was corrected. You know, after her encounter with Fake Locke that left her only speaking Chinese, I'm wondering if recognizing Locke's body off the island in the flash-sideways had anything to do with her being able to speak English again on the island.

5. Poor Kate has watched both men she loves jump from a moving vehicle that was supposedly their initial transportation away from the island. First Sawyer jumps out of the helicopter to lighten the weight. Now Jack goes overboard because he has doubts. Speaking of Kate, I realized her name is a lot like my daughter's name. Katherine Anne. Catherine Anna.

What moments did you love? Are you -- like me -- thinking Sayid didn't really kill Desmond? Where do you see all this going? Surely it's going to all come together ... somehow ... somewhere ... right?