I'd say that "Fire+Water" fits 2x12 perfectly, with its major themes of baptism and salvation. The title probably comes from Matthew 3:11-13, where St. John is baptizing along the river Jordan, and foreshadows the Messiah:

Jack probably knows very well that after a reset, Kate is going to jail, Rose is going to die of cancer, and that Charlie for instance is likely headed for an OD. But he wouldn't be a surgeon if he didn't believe in doing what he *can* right at the moment. He could do a 12 hour surgery on somebody, restore their…

Perhaps in another life, Locke could have filled the Richard role, because he seems a lot better off advising people instead of trying to lead them.

I don't know if you watch The Leftovers, but comparative religion scholar Reza Aslan wrote some articles about the show a few years ago, paying particular attention to characters who had shamanic roles. About the shaman in general he says:

"Xanadu:" Like the song "Shambala," I think this one foreshadows what kind of protector Hurley will be, based on the movie itself: cheery, up-beat, follow-your-dreams, magical. “Xanadu” as a song points to hope, “Open your eyes and see / What we have made is real / We call it Xanadu.” In that sense I don't see…

Oh, "Eggtown," probably one of my favorite Season 4 eps. I'll try to be somewhat organized here.

We know Hurley was rooting for the two of them, so if he saw it, then most everyone did.

In Season 1, while Jack has his moments of stress from the crash and trying to lead, he is the one person that is a rock for Kate.

Taking Desmond out for a pint or three at the local pub would be fun. My guess is that he's quite the raconteur.

If Kate had first encountered Sawyer in the aftermath of the crash, Sawyer probably would have either come across as a pervert, or simply would have told her to "beat it"…

Oh, you mean after I marry Hugo and have at least twelve of his curly-haired babies? ;-)

Do you think part of the reason that Hurley wasn't shot at is because the cops knew that they were being filmed?

I see the "hierarchy" at this point in time as consisting of Jack, Kate, and then Rousseau, at least until Sayid, Sawyer, and Jin rejoin the main group.

Sounds like fun; I should look into that.

Found it!

Locke says he saw "a very bright light"? I'm inclined to take that at face value…

I've always thought the Others were rather cultish as well, following a man that they've never met, while searching for the special someone to show them why they're on the Island.

Oh, this is very good. It goes a long way to answering a long-standing question of mine, why Locke? If Locke and Smokey really are similar in temperament & experience, maybe that makes the "incarnation" work better.

I would have had no problem with a resolution to the Rachel story, but since Juliet didn't get off the Island, it wouldn't have made logistical sense to resolve that.

You could say that there's a little bit of "Hurley" in everyone on that beach…