"Lost" Thread-part 3

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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#201 Postby Brent » Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:57 pm

lurker_from_nc wrote:
Brent wrote:
lurker_from_nc wrote:The showrunners of Lost (Carlton Cruse and Damon Lindelof) can go to back to work on Monday per WGA, with the rest of the writers showing up on Wednesday. There are high hopes that the settling of the strike is just in time to complete the final 8 episodes of Season 4.


That's got me wondering... what happens to Lost when Grey's returns? For sure Grey's will return to the slot with Betty at 8, so where does Lost go? It's going to have to move AGAIN.


How are Lost's ratings?


They are really good but not as high as Grey's. It's gotten about 15 million, Grey's averages about 20 million.

I think what will probably happen is Grey's will return in April, and the remaining Lost episodes will be held til next season(and it will be longer than 16 episodes like the original plan was).
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#202 Postby JonathanBelles » Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:01 pm

Grey's Anatomy replacing Lost? I like both shows, but I like Lost better. They better not make us wait longer on more episodes.
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#203 Postby wx247 » Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:59 am

This *limited* season of LOST has me hooked again. I was really bored with much of season 3, but not any more. The last couple of season 3 episodes and the start of season 4 have been moving along in typical LOST fashion. I think the Oceanic Six reference helps to make things more interesting, too. Great idea! I will be anxiously watching again this week.
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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#204 Postby lurkey » Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:34 am

Strikewatch Exclusive! TV Bosses Reveal What's Next for Our Favorite Shows

LOST

Executive Producer Damon Lindelof Says: "Indeed it would appear that we are in the endgame of the strike. Personally, I couldn't be more psyched to be part of this union. Like any negotiation, some parts suck and some parts surpassed my wildest expectations for what we could accomplish, but most of all I'm left with a feeling of pride.

"As for Lost (pending the actual lifting of the strike, which we vote for on Tuesday), a game plan should begin to manifest by the end of the week. All I can say is that Carlton and I and the rest of the writers have every intention of making sure you guys get more episodes this season beyond the eight already completed. How many and how they will be aired is a conversation we'll be having with our bosses, but as soon as we've got a plan, we'll tell the fans first."

What We're Hearing: Lost's actors are on stand by, and the show is expected to produce more episodes this season. Fingers crossed! The bigger question is who'll keep the golden Thursday at 9 p.m. time slot once those Seattle Grace docs also return...How 'bout we put Sawyer and McDreamy in a cage and let 'em duke it out? ('Cause we know who'd win...) http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristi...8-16696cec775d
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#205 Postby Brent » Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:53 am

fact789 wrote:Grey's Anatomy replacing Lost? I like both shows, but I like Lost better. They better not make us wait longer on more episodes.


The problem is Lost replaced Grey's only because of the strike(no strike and it would have aired elsewhere). Grey's will be back on Thursday at 9 in Mid-April I'm almost certain. ABC won't pass up making more episodes of it's strongest show.
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#206 Postby Tireman4 » Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:48 am

I just call Lost..Crazy Island and try not to analyze it. If I do, I will not ever be the same.
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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#207 Postby lurkey » Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:16 pm

Stage set for Cuse
By Nellie Andreeva

Feb 12, 2008

He was a fixture on the picket lines and at strike rallies, often with his bike in tow.

Then on Saturday night, "Lost" executive producer/co-showrunner Carlton Cuse was onstage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles as a member of the team briefing fellow writers on the tentative agreement struck with the producers. That is the same stage where 2 1/2 years ago, Cuse stood up to accept a best series Emmy as a member of the producing team of the hit drama "Lost."

"It was incredible," Cuse said of his experience Saturday night. "It was so gratifying to see that at the end of the strike, we were still united as a guild despite all the talk that writers are hellbent ideologues who can't understand a complex deal."

What is even more incredible is that unity was preserved by the very issue that divided the writers and studios and led to the strike -- new media -- through sites like UnitedHollywood.com.


"The Internet became a tool for a really complex communication with the writers," Cuse said. "Because of that level of communication, writers understood the details in the negotiations, felt very participatory, and that level of involvement and understanding was key to maintaining the unity of the guild."

Cuse said he's happy with the outcome of the strike and can't wait to go back to his day job on "Lost."

"We're going to have to hit the ground running, go from zero to 100 mph in a matter of days to make as many episodes as possible," he said.

The goal for Cuse and co-showrunner Damon Lindelof is to produce five more episodes this season, a tall order given the time constraints and the scope of storytelling and production on "Lost." Even with five additional hours, Cuse and Lindelof will be three episodes short of the premapped fourth season.

"We will have to condense some stories," Cuse said.


Latest news » Save Print Email Reprints Stage set for Cuse
By Nellie Andreeva

Feb 12, 2008


He was a fixture on the picket lines and at strike rallies, often with his bike in tow.

Then on Saturday night, "Lost" executive producer/co-showrunner Carlton Cuse was onstage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles as a member of the team briefing fellow writers on the tentative agreement struck with the producers. That is the same stage where 2 1/2 years ago, Cuse stood up to accept a best series Emmy as a member of the producing team of the hit drama "Lost."

"It was incredible," Cuse said of his experience Saturday night. "It was so gratifying to see that at the end of the strike, we were still united as a guild despite all the talk that writers are hellbent ideologues who can't understand a complex deal."

What is even more incredible is that unity was preserved by the very issue that divided the writers and studios and led to the strike -- new media -- through sites like UnitedHollywood.com.


"The Internet became a tool for a really complex communication with the writers," Cuse said. "Because of that level of communication, writers understood the details in the negotiations, felt very participatory, and that level of involvement and understanding was key to maintaining the unity of the guild."

Cuse said he's happy with the outcome of the strike and can't wait to go back to his day job on "Lost."

"We're going to have to hit the ground running, go from zero to 100 mph in a matter of days to make as many episodes as possible," he said.

The goal for Cuse and co-showrunner Damon Lindelof is to produce five more episodes this season, a tall order given the time constraints and the scope of storytelling and production on "Lost." Even with five additional hours, Cuse and Lindelof will be three episodes short of the premapped fourth season.

"We will have to condense some stories," Cuse said.
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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#208 Postby Brent » Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:46 pm

From the Ausiello Report, WOW, this would be a POWERHOUSE lineup.

"The writers' strike may end up being the best thing that ever happened to Lost.

ABC is said to be finalizing a post-strike spring schedule that not only hands Lost its best available time slot, but promises to further strengthen the network's stronghold on Thursday night.

According to multiple sources, ABC plans on airing this season's final five* Lost episodes on Thursdays at 10 pm/ET beginning in late April, where it will follow all-new episodes of Grey's freakin' Anatomy! Throw in fresh installments of Ugly Betty at 8 pm and you've got yourself the most formidable one-two-three punch since the early days of CBS' Survivor/CSI/Without a Trace smashup. Creatively speaking, I'd go so far as to say this rivals NBC's storied Must-See-TV juggernaut back in the '90s.

And I haven't even gotten to the best part.

The best part is that I'm hearing that ABC is strongly considering keeping this dream lineup intact this fall... and beyond.

I don't know about you, but this almost makes up for ABC's mishandling of [insert any number of show titles here].

* This just in: I'm now hearing that Lost's final arc may consist of six episodes, not five. No, Team Darlton isn't making an extra episode this season. Rather, the final installment of the current run (aka Episode 8) will likely be held to kick off the final batch of five. According to my spies, Episode 7 makes for a better, more logical, break."
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#209 Postby JonathanBelles » Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:42 pm

awesome line up!!
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#210 Postby Tstormwatcher » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:36 pm

That lineup sucks. I am in bed by 10:00. I hate having to record it and hope that my DVR doesn't screwup. :grrr:

By the way, who does everyone think is going to get off the island tomorrow? ABC has been advertising that one of the Oceanic six is going to be rescued tomorrow.
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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#211 Postby Miss Mary » Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:53 am

From TV Guide (contains spoilers!)

Shows we are watching tonight.....

http://www.tvguide.com/tv-hotlist#Survivor:Micronesia—Fansvs.Favorites

Lost
9 pm/ET ABC New
A polar-bear skeleton in Tunisia! With its own Dharma badge! That's a development certain to please Lost fans as much as it seemed to please newcomer Charlotte (Rebecca Mader) last week. Maybe we'll learn more about her and fellow island interlopers Miles, Daniel and Frank tonight. (Four more backstories! And one's a ghostbuster!) The survivors in Tribe Jack believe that Charlotte holds the key to... something, but first they'll have to find her. — Paul Droesch

________________

http://www.tvguide.com/news/080214-01

Lost's Jorge Garcia Discusses the Joy of (Oceanic) Six
by Matt Webb Mitovich

Interview with Jorge Garcia [Hurley]

In Lost's Season 3 finale, we learned that both Jack and Kate make it off the island (and that one of them grew a horrific beard). Then, in this season's premiere, Hurley was found to be alive and (kinda) well in the future, himself also a member of the "Oceanic Six." TVGuide.com spoke with Jorge Garcia about his good fortune to be among Lost's living.
TVGuide.com: After the season premiere, in every forum available to me, I was saying that you did your best Lost work in that episode.
Jorge Garcia: Oh, right on! Thank you very much.

TVGuide.com: Were you glad that the premiere really addressed Charlie's death, which naturally would have a drastic impact on the original castaways?
Garcia: I was. I'm glad it happened. Last season, you didn't get to see Hurley grieve for Libby until well into the season, in the episode "Trisha Tanaka Is Dead." The rest of the time you saw no aftermath. So this was good, because it was addressed immediately, and that drove the rest of the episode.

TVGuide.com: What was your reaction when you found out that you would be the third member of the Oceanic Six? Were you like, "Time to put in a pool at the house"?
Garcia: [Laughs] No.... But it was pretty exciting. There are so many more possibilities now, seeing where you are in your character's life if you make it off the island. But it feels like a lot of pressure when it's your episode coming out of the gate. You feel rusty, and that makes you nervous.

TVGuide.com: What is Hurley trying to "escape" from in the future, by getting recommitted?
Garcia: I think it's the presence of whatever he's haunted by, something that manifests itself in Charlie coming to visit him.

TVGuide.com: What are we to make of the fact that Hurley's pal there also saw Charlie? Does that make it harder to write off Charlie as a mere figment of Hurley's imagination?
Garcia: I think it does. What exactly the real-world explanation is, I don't know. It's somewhere in when Charlie says, "I am dead, but I am here as well." Somehow both are true.

TVGuide.com: As Naveen [Andrews, who plays Sayid] pointed out to me, the Oceanic Six might just be the people who "officially" get off the island — there might still be people back on the island at this point. Is that your take, too?
Garcia: Yeah, that's the interpretation I got. As for why we all have to go back, why we need to go back, that has to do with the people who are left behind. Why were they left behind? What exactly happened?

TVGuide.com: Apparently Hurley "defects" from Locke's camp at some point...?
Garcia: Right, because then he says [to Future Jack], "I never should have [gone with Locke]." It's kind of like The Nine. You feel like something happened that was not on the up-and-up, and the person who feels the guilt for it is Hurley, because he has always fought for the betterment of the group.

TVGuide.com: In this week's episode, we learn the identity of another Oceanic Sixer. By the end of this season's first eight episodes, will we know all of them?
Garcia: I think so.... But I don't think I know all six yet. I don't know if they got to 'em all by the time we stopped production.

TVGuide.com: What are you hearing as far as the post-strike production schedule?
Garcia: I haven't heard anything. I don't think they'll look at the situation until the strike has stopped. Then they can assess where we are in the timeline, and if it's worth going on to do more. At one point I heard the point of no return was mid-February, but I also heard the end of January. [Now that the WGA strike has ended, read the Ausiello Report for the latest on Lost's plans.]

TVGuide.com: Is there any cast member who's far away from Hawaii now who might be hard to track down?
Garcia: Well, we all got paid our guarantees for doing Lost, so we're committed to the show. They had an option to let us go or pay us our guarantee, and they opted to pay us.

TVGuide.com: The eighth episode in the pre-strike batch, does it have a decent cliff-hanger?
Garcia: That last scene in all the episodes is pretty strong, with a lot of "Dun-dun-duhhh" quality to it. There's a pretty big moment at the end of Episode 8 that will have people talking. I'm just telling everyone to tape Eli Stone just in case Lost cuts off early on the TiVo!
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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#212 Postby sunny » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:41 pm

Just when I thought I was making some sense of things Mary they threw us another curve ball last week!!
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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#213 Postby lurkey » Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:06 pm

*bump*

Tonight --- member #4 of the Oceanic 6
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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#214 Postby JonathanBelles » Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:07 pm

sayid !!!!! I could have guessed that, but I thought he would have stopped killing people.
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#215 Postby Tstormwatcher » Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:11 pm

Was shocked to see that Sayid is killing for Ben, but not surprised to see that he was one of the Oceanic 6. Good episode.
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#216 Postby Miss Mary » Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:57 am

LOL @ sunny.....

I was disappointed in Sayid too (flash forward). Didn't expect the girl to just turn on him like that either. Can I just say it - like Sawyer, I wish they could all remain on the island. Sigh....

What did you all think of Ben's secret closet? He had a lot of passports in that drawer. My daughter remembers that it's been stated in a flash back he wasn't always on the island. Is that true? Did Ben secretly leave the island but come back a lot (before the Oceanic 815 flight went down)?

All I know is you cannot trust Ben. I don't trust Locke either. I hate to say it, but right now Sayid seems to have the best instincts!
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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#217 Postby Miss Mary » Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:04 am

Okay Lost fans, here's the TV Guide review, I was right about Ben being able to leave the island. That slimeball! He is just one creepy, lying, little man. I don't care who he is taking orders from, he would never be my boss. I'll say it again, I would just swim out to sea and drown. What else would have you to live for at this point? Civilization as they knew it to be is gone forever, but they don't know that yet. God - I love this show!

____________

http://community.tvguide.com/blog/Lost/800062566

From TV Guide:

Lost
by Trish Wethman

Episode Recap: The Economist
Happy Valentine’s Day, Lost fans! Instead of chocolates or flowers, our gift tonight was the revelation that Sayid is one of the Oceanic Six. No big surprise there—the guy is nothing if not a survivalist. And even his post-island career choice ("headhunter," a.k.a hired assassin) was not all that shocking since his dubious personal code of morality is well-covered territory. But the revelation that his future boss is none other than Benjamin Linus? Well, that was quite something. I found it especially interesting since earlier in the episode he declared that the day he trusts Ben is the “the day I would have sold my soul.” What has happened to change Sayid’s mind? Or did he?

Another episode, another pile of questions to sort through. I don’t know about all of you, but I actually had a tough time keeping up with all the action tonight. I am so glad that ABC is running the "enhanced version" of the previous week's episode right before the new one. For example, tonight we learned that the unseen woman with Daniel in last week's episode was his "caretaker." Not sure what that means, but it provided a new angle to the Faraday character. In any event, it appears that Elsa, the woman that Sayid killed, and Naomi both work for the same corporation or were in some way connected. They were both wearing the same silver bracelet. Sayid noticed the engraving inside Naomi’s which read “N, I’ll always be with you, RG.” He took the bracelet off her wrist and carried it with him. It is possible that Elsa was actually wearing Naomi’s bracelet. Either way, the bracelet provided a connection. But what about the guy on the golf course from Sayid's first flash-forward. Why was he on "the list?"

While Sayid and Kate trekked back to the Other’s campground to try and extricate Charlotte, Jack spent some quality time with Daniel and Frank. When Jack made the comment about being on the island for 100 days, I anxiously waited for a reaction from Frank that didn’t come, but then Daniel’s experiment with the payload from the ship seemed to provide additional evidence that time is out of whack on the island. (There was time difference of 31 minutes from when the rocket was launched to when it arrived at the beacon.)

Meanwhile, Locke, unable to locate Jacob's cabin, set a trap for Sayid and Kate, using Hurley as bait. Although Kate and Sayid were ambushed by their friends, Sayid did manage to locate a secret room that Ben was using to hide suits, luggage and, most importantly, passports and cash. As we suspected from the photograph last week, it seems that Ben is able to leave the island when he chooses. But for what purpose?

Juliet went back to the beach to retrieve Desmond in hopes of getting more answers about the rescue team, but Frank and Daniel claimed not to know anything about Penny Widmore. (The look they exchanged seemed to indicate that wasn’t necessarily the case.) In the end, Sayid and Desmond accompanied Frank off the island with Naomi’s body. But why were Charlotte and Daniel so willing to stay behind? And what are the occupants of the helicopter going to encounter on the boat?

Jumping ahead in time once again, we learn that Sayid's victims are all on a list provided by Ben. Who is Sayid trying to protect? The other Oceanic Six-ers? The folks back on the island? Is Ben actually one of the good guys?

A few other things I enjoyed tonight:
—Future Sayid. Despite his career choice, he cleans up very nicely, with the straight hair and the tuxedo.
—When Frank asks if Sayid was a diplomat and Jack responds very matter-of-factly that he was actually a torturer.
—Sawyer wanting to “play house” with Kate on the Others’ compound. It was a moment of vulnerability that was unexpected.
— Hurley’s comment, “The ship sent us another Sawyer,” after Miles referred to him as Tubby.

This show just keeps getting better and better each week. Each time I think I have a handle on where we are going, they throw a curveball our way. What are you all thinking? Did anyone catch the name on Ben's fake passport? Who is the RG from Naomi's bracelet? Make sure to share your thoughts, theories and comments.
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Re:

#218 Postby sunny » Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:38 am

Miss Mary wrote:LOL @ sunny.....

I was disappointed in Sayid too (flash forward). Didn't expect the girl to just turn on him like that either. Can I just say it - like Sawyer, I wish they could all remain on the island. Sigh....

What did you all think of Ben's secret closet? He had a lot of passports in that drawer. My daughter remembers that it's been stated in a flash back he wasn't always on the island. Is that true? Did Ben secretly leave the island but come back a lot (before the Oceanic 815 flight went down)?

All I know is you cannot trust Ben. I don't trust Locke either. I hate to say it, but right now Sayid seems to have the best instincts!


Talk about a shock! But like everything else with LOST - is all as it would seem? I dunno - Sayid I just don't see turning like that! But Hurley, boy did he play that well lol!
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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#219 Postby lurkey » Fri Feb 15, 2008 3:22 pm

QUICK TAKE FOR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2008 (FAST AFFILIATE LIVE + SAME DAY RATINGS)Released by ABC
[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quick Take for Thursday, February 14, 2008 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Tops Valentine's Day Thursday in Adults 18-49, Winning the Evening for the Third Week in a Row During the 2008 February Sweep

ABC's "Lost" is Thursday's No. 1 TV Show for the Third Consecutive Week

"Lost" Jumps from its Lead-in to Beat its Nearest Competition During The 9 O'clock Hour by 2.6 Million Viewers and by 54% in Adults 18-49

"Eli Stone" is No. 1 with Adults 18-49 in the 10pm Hour for the Third Straight Week

Thursday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC won Valentine's Day Thursday in Adults 18-49 (3.5/10), leading the evening for the third week in a row during the 2008 February Sweep. The Network also delivered the No. 1 position on the evening in Adults 18-34 (2.9/9), Adults 25-54 (4.1/10-tie) and all key men demographics.

ABC's "Lost" qualified as Thursday's No. 1 TV program for the third consecutive week in Total Viewers and across each of the key adult demographics (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54).

"Lost" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Surging from its lead-in (the previous week's episode), ABC's "Lost" moved ABC into a dominant first place at 9:00 p.m., beating its closest competition in the time period by 2.6 million viewers (13.6 million vs. 11.0 million - CBS) and by 54% in Adults 18-49 (5.7/15 vs. 3.7/10 NBC).


"Eli Stone" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Ranking No. 1 in its time period for the third straight week among Adults 18-49, ABC's freshman "Eli Stone" defeated NBC's freshman "Lipstick Jungle" during the 10 o'clock hour in Total Viewers (7.8 million vs. 6.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.5/7).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating trends based on the Live + Same Day data stream may be somewhat distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has nearly doubled from nearly 13% at the same point in 2006, up to more than 22% currently. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.
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Re: "Lost" Thread-part 3

#220 Postby southerngale » Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:15 pm

Thanks for the articles, Miss Mary.

Hello, sunny!!

From Doc Jensen...a long, but good read.

''Lost'': St. Valentine's Day Massacre
In another devastating flash-forward, Sayid, who has become an assassin working for Ben, kills a woman he loves; on the Island, Kate goes back to Sawyer

By Jeff Jensen

Lost is not kind to lovers, especially on Valentine's Day. For the second straight year, our beloved crypto-drama has aired an episode on February 14. And for the second straight year, Cupid was kicked in the nuts. Last year, in the trippy time-travel tale ''Flashes Before Your Eyes,'' Desmond toggled back to his breakup with Penelope, just to break up with her all over again. Last night, in ''The Economist,'' Flash-Forward Sayid fell for a woman he shouldn't have, and ultimately broke her heart — with two bullets to the chest. (To be fair, the femme fatale shot him first.) These things happen when you play secret-agent assassin for Germany's most morally ambiguous veterinarian — Benjamin Linus. Yes, you read that right. In his off-Island future as a member of the Oceanic 6, the former Iraqi torturer smokes European fat cats for über-Other Ben, who in his off-Island future has a croaky, low phone voice (All the better to delay the last-scene reveal of my true identity, my dear!), runs a pet hospital in Berlin, and manages a global conspiracy on the side. The Man With 1000 Passports has a whole list of bad people he wants dead, ''people [who] don't deserve our sympathies,'' as he told Sayid. Note to Ben's customers: Pay that doggy-grooming bill on time!

The episode's title, ''The Economist,'' was a reference to the job allegedly held by Sayid's current target, a powerful mystery man whose name went conspicuously unmentioned. It also suggested a key for reading the story. This was an episode about ''bosses'' and ''senior management'' and the minions who toil for them; about trade negotiations and merger proposals; about recession fears and hostile-takeover threats. It was a snapshot look at the information economy that shapes everything on Lost, one where secrets and inside information are valuable currencies, with hostages and guns running close behind. It was also an episode about the internal corruption that occurs when romantic idealists are forced to become cutthroat businessmen. (Literally.) As Daniel Plainview says in his other famous line from There Will Be Blood, ''I feel a competition in me.'' In his own damned way, I bet Sayid can relate.

Who's The Boss? Or where's the boss? That's what Locke was asking as he led his tribe of freighter fraidy cats to where Jacob's cabin should have been, only to discover that his house of sprits had disappeared from its circle of ash/salt/kitty litter. Abandoned by his Island god, Locke looked, yes, lost, and banged-up Ben was quick to jump all over that: ''He's looking for someone to tell him what to do next,'' the devilish Other told Locke's disgruntled flock. With Hurley showing signs of instigating a shareholder rebellion over the Charlotte-hostage issue, CEO Locke squelched the dissidence and shored up his office by playing the fear card, brow-beating Hurley with some tough talk about the cost of compromise. Did Flash-Forward Hurley's regret over choosing Locke over Jack begin here?

The Negotiating Committee Meanwhile, in Happy Helicopter Valley, the Jack Pack negotiated the terms of rescue with freighter fellas Daniel Faraday (twitchy physicist), Frank Lapidus (bushy-faced pilot), and Miles Straum (angry young ghost whisperer), who, of course, may not be there to rescue them at all. The shifty trio made it clear they weren't flying anywhere without C.S. Lewis (Charlotte edition), so Sayid stepped up and said he'd hike to the Dharma barracks and negotiate her release. Jack wanted to come, but given how the good doctor tried to shoot Locke in the face the last time they squared off, Sayid thought he should stay behind, lest the deal-making devolve into one of those protracted bargaining battles marked by phlegmatic rhetoric, heavy-handed tactics, and unreasonable demands over digital downloads.

Control Freak Jack got a proxy at the table, however, by sending Kate with Sayid and Miles. He felt her presence would give Sayid more leverage, as Locke wouldn't dare attempt any underhanded knife-in-back stuff, not with moony Sawyer there to play bodyguard. Yeah, you could say it was a contrived way to set up the possibility of more sex scenes between the old Hydra humpers. Still, it felt like classic Jack emotional dunderheadedness. You could tell Kate wasn't thrilled with Jack treating her like a pawn on a chessboard, and my hunch is that what we really saw in the moment was the beginning of her dawning realization that as much as she may dig Jack's cheese, he's got a lot more getting over himself to do before they can have a flash-forward future together, much less swap valentines and spit.

Acquisitions... Arriving at the Dharma barracks — or, more recently, New Otherton — Sayid, Miles, and Kate found Hurley tied up in the closet, allegedly left behind by Locke. It was a trap, one that exploited Sayid's soft spot for his friends and loved ones, a fatal flaw that makes both him and Hurley the most easily manipulated of the castaways. I thought Sayid should have seen through this ruse, and his failure to do so continued a dubious tradition of super-soldier Sayid not living up to his Republican Guard pedigree. (No wonder we beat those guys in three days.) Maybe I'm selling him short. Sayid was probably content to let Locke play and win his little mousetrap games, just as long as he sealed the deal he had come to make. I think he knew he would: His package was much too appealing. He offered Locke a hostage swap — Miles for Charlotte — plus himself. Sayid had come around to Locke's belief that the freighter people are nothing but bad news. His master plan, he told Locke, was to infiltrate the freighter and gather intel — corporate espionage. Locke was sold.

…and Mergers Meanwhile, as upper management haggled in the billiard room, Kate and Sawyer caucused in Ben's bedroom. The shaggy rogue explained that he has no intention of leaving the Island because there was nothing but a prison sentence waiting for him back in the real world, and since Kate was looking at the same fate, hey, why not stay with him? Kate was dubious: ''How long, Sawyer? How long do you think we can play house?'' Saywer was bold: ''Why don't we find out?'' I was impressed with the former con man's risky emotional frankness. I was also intrigued by the fact that this scene took place in Ben's bedroom, with all those tribal masks all over the place. Hmmmm…honesty and masks — hey, that sounds like a possible allusion to another work by Charlotte's namesake, C.S. Lewis: Till We Have Faces is a retelling of the mythical Cupid and Psyche love story, told from the point of view of Psyche's jealous sister. In the book, Lewis argues that you can't commune with the divine or experience supernatural possibilities until you drop your corrupt false self — your mask — and get your moral character in order. (Yo, Locke: Now you know why you keep losing your mystical connection to the Island. You're just not good enough.) Anyhoo, Sawyer's you-complete-me pitch may have swayed Kate, because she didn't return to Happy Helicopter Valley with Sayid and Charlotte. The ''I blew it'' look that passed across Jack's face when Sayid told him the news was pretty priceless; it reminded me of House of Meetings, Martin Amis' novel about brothers in love with the same woman, who go from being stuck in a Soviet gulag to struggling to return to ordinary life — very Oceanic 6. But I'm probably digressing.

Petty Cash Drawer I'm betting that the scene you'll be talking about the most on the message boards — besides the Ben flash-forward reveal — is the nifty moment when Sayid discovered Ben's secret stash of passports, foreign currency, and suits. Clearly, Ben does a lot of traveling for work. (Remember, the Others do have that off-Island company, Mittelos Biosciences; presumably, Ben is the boss.) Long ago, I wondered if the Others had an airstrip on the Island, so I wouldn't be surprised to discover Ben has a corporate jet, too — plus a hangar full of old Oceanic airplane parts. You know, leftovers from the false evidence that the Others planted in the Sunda Trench. (Just a theory.) Now, if you're going to go all crazy on me and claim that the multiple passports and husky-voiced Flash-Forward Ben are evidence that there multiple Bens in the world thanks to alternate universe/wormhole theory, I'm in! (FYI: The name on the Ben passport Sayid examined looked to be Dean Moriarty — a character from Jack Kerouac's On the Road. Moriarty is also the name of Sherlock Holmes' nemesis. Just so you know.)

Deficit Spending Another scene I bet you'll be going nutty over was the one where Daniel Faraday did his rocket experiment, which concluded with his admittedly ''beyond weird'' discovery of an apparent 31-minute time differential between freighter reality and Island reality, where time seems to pass more slowly. What does this mean? I don't know — but I immediately went to barnesandnoble.com and purchased Stephen Hawking's Brief History of Time so you guys can borrow it, read it, and then summarize it for me while I eat grapes and watch Big Brother. Seriously, I'm crunching theories, but it takes time for me to do quantum physics. It takes me mere seconds, however, to do some cheap biblical analysis! Did you see the numbers on Daniel's clocks? One said 3:16, while the other said 2:45. As it happens, Daniel 2:45 is the culmination of the story in which exiled Daniel earned an exalted place in King Nebuchadnezzar's court by interpreting a dream concerning the future of Babylon and how ''the fourth kingdom will be a divided kingdom.'' Hey — that sounds like the fourth season of Lost! Meanwhile, Daniel 3:16 is part of the famous story of how Daniel's friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown in the fiery furnace but were saved by God. How might that apply to Lost? Well, thematically, the story deals with three men who refused to abandon their spiritual beliefs and bow down before a false idol — a story that stands in stark contrast to Sayid's flash-forward arc.

The Sell-Out In the opening scenes of ''The Economist,'' we were given two quick, quiet moments that re-established two very important things about Sayid. First, we saw him praying. Sayid, if you recall, is a spiritual man, a Muslim. Second, we saw him tenderly shut dead Naomi's eyes and examine her bracelet, inscribed with ''N., I'll be with you always, R.C.'' Sayid, recall, is a romantic (see: Nadia; Shannon), and I bet that his desire that Naomi be sent home for a proper burial appealed to his religious convictions and sentimentality. Yet in his flash-forward future, Sayid ain't exactly living according to those ideals. In fact, like James Bond, his license-to-kill existence makes a mockery of the sanctity of life and love. Sayid remains sufficiently decent in the future that when it was finally time to move against the Economist, he came clean with Elsa, as he had genuinely fallen for her. But then she pulled a Casino Royale on him: It turned out she was an undercover lover, too, seducing him in hopes of smoking out Ben's identity. Elsa was Sayid's mirror twin, and to make sure we got it, Sayid smashed a mirror reflection of his Lady From Shanghai doppelgänger before popping some caps into her.

After Sayid stumbled into Ben's safe house/vet office for some first aid, his boss mocked him for his weakness. Then Ben dropped this intriguing tidbit: ''Need I remind you what happened the last time you thought with your heart instead of your gun.'' Sayid's response was even more mysterious: ''You used that girl to recruit me into killing for you.'' But Ben the master manipulator hit him where it hurts the most: the bottom line. ''Do you want to protect your friends or not?'' Sayid looked like a man over a barrel. What did he say about Ben earlier in the episode? ''The day I start trusting him is the day I sell my soul.''

Welcome to Hell, Sayid. Now get that game face on — there's work to be done.

That's what I got. How about you? Do you have a theory about the identity of the Economist? Who is the ''R.C.'' on Naomi's bracelet? (Regina the freighter chick?) Who are these names on Ben's assassination list? Scribble away!

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