I thought the entire first half of the episode was padded. At each commercial break, I found myself thinking about how much time they were taking to show not much at all, in terms of plot. And I guess I wasn't that interested in spending so much time with the old-timey melodrama.

I'm going with Dick Grayson's unified theory up there at 1:15AM until the show gives me reason to think otherwise.

Claire Littleton, it would be awesome if you changed your pic to the squirrel-skull baby. I'm worried that the show is done with the squirrel-skull baby, and your pic could keep it with us.

I read it as something like, his "appeal is becoming more selective."

"Josh Holloway is a really good actor, but he may be too subtle for anyone to notice …"

Tolly, I had the same question. I think the answer is that, at that time-mark in the show, it was time for Sawyer to get captured and brought to Widmore.

I got the guts … but the guts need fuel.

The differences in alt-world are many, and go back far in the timeline.

I'm the type of person who is OK with "Jacob has a thing for numbers." As long as the writers make some kind of reference, that's OK by me.

Alt-world
Jack and Locke seem to have better lives in the alt-world. Claire seems to be heading for a better life. Kate's alt-story was fairly ambiguous. Sayid's alt-story was mostly a negative one. He tried to leave his ass-kickin life behind, but was forced back into it. He didn't get the girl.

Not that Paul Walker carried the movie or anything, but "Joy Ride" is a motherfucking entertaining B movie.

The Bible is the real good news!

Re: Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist

No love for …
"I died about an hour ago."

Wait. I have to try to sketch this out.

Those mechanical sounds you hear are the sounds of the writers hedging their bets, back when they really didn't know how they were going to explain what the hell a smoke monster is.

I posted this comment somewhere up-thread, but here goes again … In the "previously on Lost" sequence, they specifically showed Locke getting denied for the walkabout. Showing that does not jibe with the notion that alt-2004 Locke had actually gone on the walkabout. Unless they are actively trying to annoy their…

"Also forgot Joanie Stubbs, Sawyer's baby mama."

You really are insufferable, LAA. "I answered those questions…" Really? You did? I shall go and search out your wisdom right away!

It's Hoodwink's type of reasoned commentary that keeps me coming back to teh comment threads of AV Club.