* A lot of LOST commentators made special note of the tic-tac-toe game that Miles and Hurley were playing, and I'm kicking myself for not noticing myself. As they point out, tic-tac-toe is a game that is almost always played to a draw with rational and intelligent players. The only way the game ends is if someone makes a mistake.
And as such, it seems to be a great metaphor for the battle between Jacob and Black Robe. Black Robe sees an endless cycle; Jacob says that it only needs to end once. But who made the fatal error? Jacob by his carelessness or his lack of pity for Ben or the like, or Black Robe by opening up a loophole in the first place?
* I pondered how Jin could have known that Kate took Aaron, without remembering that Kate and company were back in Dharma times for several days and he likely would have been told then.
* A scene I really want to see in 2004X: Benjamin Linus, teacher of European history, discussing with his class one or more of the many madmen of European history (Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and I'm only addressing one war there), asking the question of how seemingly normal men could be capable of genocide and other unspeakable evils
* Claire said her father and her friend told her that the Others had Aaron. Ryan from Zap2It pioneered the notion of "Cabin Christian" as an agent for Black Robe, and it seems he was spot on. But is Christian just another manifestation of Black Robe, one lost to him now that he's trapped in Locke's body. Or is he something else entirely? How did Claire become comfortable with the notion of her friend Black Robe occupying Locke's body, while at the same time being completely sure that it was not really Locke?
* There has been speculation on the identity of the person coming to the Island (and whether there is one at all, since it certainly seems as if Jacob had an ulterior motive in sending Jack and Hurley to the lighthouse). Desmond, with his "miraculous and special" nature, seems like a good choice. Perhaps it could even be the 2004X version of Desmond.
Desmond-spec has been fueled by the fact that the name corresponding to 108 degrees on the dial was "Wallace", which conjures up William and thus, of course, Scotland. Also noteworthy from the dial: (51) Austen.
* In season one, the first two episodes (Pilot, pts. 1 and 2) had multiple people's flashbacks. The thrid episode (Tabula Rasa) was a Kate flashback; the fourth (Walkabout) a Locke flashback; the fifth (White Rabbit) a Jack flashback.
In season five, the first two episodes (LA X, pts. 1 and 2) were multi-flashes; the third (What Kate Does) was a Kate episode; the fourth (The Substitute) a Locke; the fifth (Lighthouse) a Jack. Perfect order correspondence. And if you've seen the title for tonight's episode, you might join me in thinking this will continue for another week.
After that, it would be tough, as 1x7 was a Charlie episode; while he may still be alive in 2004X, he's not getting his own episode. But they could just skip dead people and go Sawyer-Sayid-Claire-Jack-Kate. I'm sure it has to stop before that; if anyone gets multiple centric episodes this season, it won't be until much further down the line.
