They have to drag this bastard out for another season or two - might as well fuck w/ the audience.

The James Ford/Anthony Cooper scene was extremely intense. I was on the edge of my seat. What a terrific performance by Kevin Tighe and Josh Holloway. Cooper had the great shit eating grin and he really rubbed it in when he ripped the letter apart.

There were also 3 other big developments:

- Ben doesn't need the wheelchair anymore.
- Juliet told Jack something and he doesn't want to share it with Kate.
- Naomi said Penny sent her to look for Desmond (I have a feeling she's really working with the Others).

Tonight's episode was written by Damon and Carlton.

The 3 million viewers that bailed on this show after the fall mini-season are missing one heck of a season.

It's a shame there are only 3 episodes left. With the way the show is going, big things are going to happen in the season finale.
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I noticed that. Sounded a bit Creole this episode.

Great episode, best of the season, and maybe the best since season 1.

Things have really picked up the past 3 or 4 episodes after the season being a huge let down prior.

Cooper's incident in Tallahassee sounds remarkably like Juliette's husband's accident. I'm sure it was simply the doing of Ben and Richard. Rear-end someone and have your own paramedics come to his aid, drug him heavily like they did Juliet, and he wakes up where you want him to.

He thinks he's dead because he has no other explanation - he isn't used to being the mark of a con.

It's a power struggle.

Ben knew he wouldn't kill his father. He was upset that Locke is more "special" because of the crippled/walking thing while he was confined to the chair over the cancer. Ben is also worried that the others will follow Locke instead. That is why he tried to ruin him in front of the group. Notice the Mittelos guy gave Locke the info on Sawyer's relationship with his father that Ben didn't want him to have.

Thats a great point. They may have just took him from the hospital and flew him to the box. Funny how the box had mops and cleaning products everywhere. Looked like a maintenence closet to me. didnt he say the paramedic smiled at him.

Ben said "the magic box" was a metaphor

Ha. Doubt it. Ben probably sent that guy there to give the file to Locke just because.

Was I the only one who wanted Kate to jump up on Jack, take him down, and repeatly hit him in the head until he told whatever it was he was hiding with Juliet? That scene was such a tease.

But overall, I liked this episode.

Another spectacular episode. Sawyer realizing who was in front of him was a highlight of the series for me.

What's Rousseau gonna do with all that dynamite?

Sayid not recognizing the technology of the radio/phone suggests the alternate reality/future theory again.

We have not seen a bad finale so far. I don't think they'll disappoint.

Because the real Sawyer isn't the creators. He's what they call an unreliable narrator, giving the explanation that makes the most sense to him, with what little information he has. It makes much more sense to him that being in a car crash and waking up seeing his son who was reportedly killed in a plane crash means he's in hell, since he doesn't have the knowledge that would make a faked plane crash discovery and a kidnapping scheme seem likely.

Just because the writers wrote what he said doesn't mean what he said is true.

For several reasons:

1) She's in love with Jack.
2) She still trusts Jack (see reason 1)
3) She wanted to shock Jack with the revelation that nobody else trusts him anymore because she thought it would shake him enough that he would snap out of it and return to his old self. (see reason 1)

There's more to their relationship than we have seen so far. We still don't know what exactly happened the week Jack was alone with the Others, so we don't know if he is a mole as well. It could be that Jack is in on the pregnant women abduction because he believes that the Others, via Juliette, have the best shot at helping them.

It was pretty much explained by the Mittelos guy why Ben didn;t want him to kill his father.

Yeah, no kidding. I was so into this episode, I was shocked when Locke revealed Juliet was a mole. For a second, I went, 'she is?!'.

No off island flashbacks so this episode was crammed with really good stuff.
I think the thing Jack knows from Juliet is something about the island being hidden from the outside world.
It almost seems like Locke is going to replace Ben, he's already manipulating people.
I wonder what Ben meant by his apology. I was thinking he was telling the truth, and originally thought Locke was a "bad" one, and when he didn't kill his dad in front of everyone, it proved he was a good one, and Ben got it wrong.

What is Danielle going to do with dynamite? Try and get Alex back? That was the first we've seen her since she saw Alex at the sub pier. Did she follow the Others?

Dude hasnt gotten laid at all on the island. He just needs to take Juiellete out back and release some stress.

Did you miss last week when we saw her making that recording.

Locke revealed nothing we didn't already know.

Thank you for putting into words what I was thinking.

Not really, the eps normally take place every two days. A single day or a 3 day gap is pretty normal too.

That was a great episode. As I wrote over at my blog, I thought it was one of the best episodes the show has had. It connected some dots that were hanging out there from the first season (Locke's dad being Sawyer's Sawyer) posed some intriguing questions (Are Jack and Juliet working together and did they know about Naomi before anybody else did? Is Locke playing the Others or are the Others playing Locke?)

I thought both Locke and Sawyer had really strong episodes tonight and I love the dichotomy between Locke and Ben. Is Locke "healing" Ben? And if he is, why is Ben trying to distance himself from Locke? It makes sense that Ben wants to maintain his power by trying to knock down Locke, but not if Locke is the key to Ben recovering.

And the preview for next week looks even better.

wait ... did they bring Locke's dad to the island before or after Locke blew up the submarine ?

Before. Locke blew up the submarine, and then Ben brought him to see his dad.

Is it possible there are now three 'power' groups on the island?

The others, the tail folks, and this new power couple Jack/Juliette?

I just wish the creators kept mum about whether it's purgatory or hell. It would've kept the mystery up to a different level.

Good, but terribly predictable, episode.

did they even hint at why the others have moved away yet?