Tonight’s episode also had way too much going on for me to even attempt my usual format, so instead, I’ve decided to break my recap down into more general ideas so that I can discuss each one in a little more depth. Hopefully it’s not too difficult to follow along and will make it easier for commenters to address certain topics without having to go into too much detail. I apologize in advance if it does the complete opposite.

1. Jacob – He certainly wasn’t at the top of my list of questions I was eager to see answered, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed by the lack of explanation we received for Jacob. Apart from the fact that we know he has some kind of magical power (including Richard Alpert-like immortality and the ability heal), Jacob remains shrouded in mystery. Oh yeah, and now that Locke’s convinced Ben to kill him, we may never find out who he really is, where he’s from, and how he was able to leave the island so frequently throughout the last 30 years. Which brings me to…

2. Jacob’s Flashbacks – Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof have always had fun trying to connect each character to one another, so it was cool to see Jacob pop up throughout the Losties’ history. Even more important, however, was that he seemed to always do so during a crucial moment in their lives. Okay, so I’m not exactly sure what significance paying for a stolen New Kids on the Block lunchbox has for Kate, but the others all made perfect sense. The funeral of Sawyer’s parents; the death of Sayid’s true love; Sun and Jin’s wedding; and the list goes on and on. The most important of the bunch, however, is Locke’s crippling fall from the apartment building. Many people called in to question how someone could possibly survive such a fall around the time that original episode aired, and now we know the answer – Jacob revived him. Which brings me back to my first point: just who the hell is Jacob?

3. Rose, Bernard and Vincent – The writers have been promising all season that we’d eventually get to see what happened to the beloved secondary characters, and as it turns out, they’ve been time jumping with the rest of the survivors all this time. That was pretty much a given, but the fact that they were able to do so without anyone the wiser is pretty impressive. Apparently, they’ve not only decided to retire in a nice beach house since the “flaming arrows three years ago,” but they’ve also become hippies in the process. I could have done without the whole “All We Need Is Love” speech that Bernard delivered, but seeing as this is probably the last time we’ll ever see him or Rose again, it was an admirable send-off for a couple that could have easily been excised from the series after Season Three.

4. The Hydrogen Bomb – We all knew this was going to play a big role in tonight’s finale, and though it didn’t really change as much as some of us might have expected, it was still the most entertaining part of the episode. Everyone had a hand in the execution of getting the bomb from the tunnels to the Swan station – from Sayid’s removal of the plutonium core (thanks Faraday) to Juliet’s last gasp detonation of the bomb. Granted, Jack played the biggest role of all, but I shudder to think what he may have caused by doing so. In fact, Miles was the only person to even question the possibility that Jack could be the cause of the titular incident, and while I don’t think that’s true, he’s done much worse, directly affecting the (potential) deaths of Sayid (who was shot by Roger of all people) and Juliet. Of course, what if Jack’s plan really works and the explosion does negate the Oceanic 815 crash? If the Losties truly are connected and destined to come to the island, won’t it just happen some other way?

5. Jack vs. Sawyer – I’m not certain how many times these two guys have tussled (if anyone’s keeping count, I’d honestly like to know), but tonight’s brawl had to be one of the best. Between his fight with Sawyer and the blood from Sayid’s gunshot wound, Jack looked like he’d just walked out of a horror movie. The guy was drenched in blood, had just gotten his head smashed in by a rock and a tree branch, and yet he still was able to sharp shoot his way through the Dharma defenses at the Swan. Very impressive, Dr. Shephard, but that doesn’t make your death any less inevitable.

6. Juliet’s Death – Juliet, on the other hand, needs to survive, because if she doesn’t, the show will likely slip back into Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle mode, which as we all know, was one of the major reasons why the first half of Season Three sucked. It’s not likely that she will, however, after being getting caught in a chain and pulled into the hole by the electromagnet, but a guy can dream, can’t he? Juliet is easily one of the show’s best characters (you know, like Charlie and Faraday – oh shit), and it would be a shame to see her go, even if there only is one season left.

7. Locke’s Doppelganger – I saved the best for last, despite the fact that I still don’t exactly know how it happened or how it necessarily changes things. All I know is that when Locke was inside the four-toed statue speaking to Jacob, and then Ilyana opened that giant box on the outside to reveal Locke’s dead body to Richard and the rest of the Others, my jaw dropped to the ground like an old Looney Toons cartoon. There are now two John Lockes wandering around the island, and get this, they’re both legit. Jacob congratulated him on finding a loophole, but just what exactly is he talking about? If Locke never returned from the dead like we assumed, how did he get back to the island, and from what time period does he hail? The only possible explanation I can think of is that New Locke is actually the smoke monster in disguise, and that the smoke monster was also Jacob’s “friend” from the beginning when they saw the Black Rock approaching. It’s definitely a theory in progress, but it’s worth thinking about as you construct your own opinions about the episode.

Now begins the long wait to 2010. With the series coming to a close next year, it’ll be interesting to see just what kind of endgame the “Lost” writers have planned. The door is certainly open for a number of possibilities, so feel free to unload any theories (along with any thoughts, comments or complaints about the finale) below. Was tonight’s episode as big of a letdown for you as it was for me, or was it the perfect topper to a near-perfect season?

Along with Faraday, Miles has been one of my favorite characters since his arrival in Season Four, so it was nice to finally get some backstory other than the brief bits we saw in the episode featuring his first appearance. I believe Cuse and Lindelof intended to address Miles’ past at some point last year, but had to cut the story when the season was shortened by the strike. Whatever the reason, it actually worked for the better now that the Losties have travelled back in time. We always knew that his sixth sense was the reason he was recruited by Widmore, and some of us have even had the hunch that Marvin Candle (or Pierre Chang) was his father when it was suggested that he had previously visited the island, but I don’t think anyone realized that Miles knew as well.

As it turns out, he’s known ever since his third day as a member of the Dharma Initiative when he spotted his mother in the lunch line at the cafeteria. (At least he didn’t hit on her à la “Back to the Future.”). Heck, he even saw himself as a baby later on, which begs to ask the question: is Miles’ special ability a product of his time on the island or is it just sheer coincidence? I don’t think we’re going to find out the answer to that just yet, but one thing we do know is that Miles is adamant about not wanting to meet his father. He’s more or less forced to, though, when Horace gives him a special assignment to deliver a package (read: dead body) to Candle at the Swan station.

It’s there that we learn that Candle really is Miles’ father (“Dude, that guy’s a total douche.” “That douche is my dad.”), so leave it Hurley to try and help Candle make the connection while pretending to ask questions about his family nonchalantly. Candle didn’t bite, but he does seem to trust Miles more after their day together (which included a stop off at a mysterious location that happens to be the future site of the hatch, numbers and all), and he even requested his company on the way to pick up some scientists from the submarine. Of course, when Faraday walks off that very submarine seconds later, it’s hard to care about anything that happened in the 59 minutes prior to that. What has everyone’s favorite physicist been up to this whole time? Or perhaps more importantly, where? My money is on his being at Oxford doing his time travel thing, but if that’s the case, why wouldn’t he remember his past with Dharma before?

On an unrelated note, there were a couple of other interesting bits in tonight’s episode that are certainly worth mentioning. For starters, the Egyptian lesson on the blackboard that Jack was cleaning is probably worth mining for info. Bonus points to anyone who can post answers in the comment section below. The other item had to do with Miles’ drive-by kidnapping during the final flashback sequence, where he was warned by a group of guys to stay away from Widmore’s freighter. The interesting part of this exchange is that the leader of the group, Bram, is the same guy who has just taken control of the present day island with Ilana, the one person who didn’t appear phased during the second plane crash. Could Ben be planning a takeover? And if so, is it Locke he’s after, or Richard?

Ben’s ongoing feud with Charles Widmore has made for some great moments in the past, but it was nice to finally see how that feud came to fruition. Both men have always been viewed as villains, but based on the flashbacks from tonight, it’s clear that Widmore is the worst of the two. He didn’t seem to have any logical reason for wanting Rousseau and her baby dead other than the fact that they were outsiders, but Ben’s decision to stand up to Widmore and protect baby Alex showed a side of him that we always knew was there but rarely saw. Of course, that was before Ben became the monster he is today, but it was apparently enough to prove to Richard that he was worthy of taking over leadership after Widmore was booted off the island for breaking the rules.

One of those rules was having a child with an outsider, and as we all know, that child grew up to be Penny. What we didn’t know, however, was what had come of Penny now that Ben had left the island. Many seemed to believe that his brutal beating was a result of killing Penny on her boat (after all, he made that call to Jack from a dock), but as it turns out, that wasn’t it at all. Well, not exactly, anyway. It turns out Ben did intend on killing Penny (he even shot Desmond in the shoulder for trying to interfere), but the minute he saw Penny’s son, he decided against it. Of course, that didn’t stop Desmond from beating him to a pulp, but like I said before, it just goes to show that Ben isn’t nearly as bad of a guy as people once believed him to be.

In fact, now that he’s back on the island, Ben has thrown himself at the mercy of the powers that be to be judged for breaking the rules, and in order to do that, he has to make an appointment with the smoke monster. There are a few obstacles standing in his way – like Caesar, who believes Ben is being taken to the main island by Locke against his will – but he takes care of that situation rather swiftly when he blows Caesar away with a sawed-off shotgun. Surely that deducts a few karma points with old Smokey, no? Then again, maybe not, because even Locke is prepared to put the past behind him as long as he gets an apology.

Second maybe only to Sawyer and Hurley, the relationship between those two is one of the best things about the show. Not only are they formidable opponents, but their scenes together often result in quite a bit of comedy – like when Locke first addressed his rebirth (“Well Ben, I was hoping we could talk about the elephant in the room.” “I assume you’re referring to the fact that I killed you.”) or when Ben tried to summon the smoke monster (“It’s not a train, John. It doesn’t run on a schedule.”). That does bring up a good question about why the monster attacked the mercenaries so quickly, and yet failed to show itself to Ben, but my guess is that it wanted some privacy, because if Sun and Locke had also been present, there’s no way it could have assumed the form of Alex and scared the living shit out of him in quite the same way.

On a related note, the idea that the island is somehow tied to Egyptian mysticism seems to have been all but confirmed by the hieroglyphic on the wall depicting the smoke monster (not to mention the many other clues scattered throughout this season), but if that’s the case, then I think I’m more lost than I originally thought. It certainly makes sense for Richard Alpert’s character (he kind of reminds me of an Egyptian pharaoh, and it would at least explain the eyeliner), but I’m still having trouble with how that would exactly fit in with the rest of the story. I mean, what exactly does Egypt have to do with electromagnetism and an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?

Speaking of Clementine, it was also confirmed that the big secret Sawyer whispered into Kate’s ear before jumping off the helicopter was a simple request to take care of his daughter. Not exactly a surprise when you consider there wasn’t much else he could have asked, but it’s still nice to get that out of the way. In fact, while the reveal wasn’t much of a shock, Kate’s immediate honesty with Cassidy was. Didn’t she even think of the consequences that might have come with Cassidy blabbing her mouth about how the Oceanic Six’s story was all a lie? Apparently not, and it’s a good thing she didn’t, because if the two of them never became friends, Kate wouldn’t have made the unselfish decision to head back to the island and leave Aaron in the care of Claire’s mother.

It was a necessary story to tell, but it was pretty dull compared to the island portion of tonight’s episode. After Jin awakens to discover Young Ben has been shot by Sayid, he rushes him back to camp to get help. Horace thinks the Others are planning an attack, and while everyone begins preparing defenses, Juliet desperately tries to save Ben’s life. As expected, she goes to Jack for help, but he’s too busy acting like an asshole to care. Sure, the kid’s going to grow up to become a monster, but does that give him the right to decide whether or not he should die? If a criminal was brought into his ER, wouldn’t he be professionally (and morally) obligated to save his life?

Jack is really starting to get on my nerves these days, but that’s beyond the point, since he barely had a part to play in tonight’s episode. Without his help, however, Juliet is forced to think outside the box, and her best suggestion is bringing Ben over to the Others to receive the help he needs. Kate volunteers to take him on her own, but Sawyer eventually meets up with her along the way. When the finally run into Richard, he agrees to save Ben’s life, but only under the condition that they understand he will never be the same again. The comment had a pretty strong affect on Kate and Sawyer (since they know exactly what that means), but they really have no other choice.

Interestingly enough, as Richard left with Ben into the jungle, he was approached by a fellow Other warning him about Illy (?) and Charles finding out. I listened to the same conversation several times (thanks TiVo) to make sure I got that first name right, and I believe that he did say Illy (who I don’t believe we’ve met yet), but the more important name of that pair is Charles. Does that mean Charles Widmore is already in charge of the Others at this time? And if so, how old was he when Ben took over? Or perhaps a better question would be that if Richard Alpert is as omnipresent and powerful as he seems, what role does he play for the Others?

The episode ended with Ben waking up in the present to find Locke welcoming him “back to the land of the living,” but while that moment definitely set up what looks to be one hell of an episode next week, tonight’s best moment came when Hurley and Miles got into a debate over the rules of time travel. Miles tried to reassert Faraday’s theory that “whatever happened, happened” by explaining that once Ben turned the wheel, time no longer existed as a straight line for them. But when Hurley postulated how Ben wouldn’t know that Sayid had shot him as a child if his past followed a more linear line, Miles had nothing more to say than “Huh.” Yeah, that’s kind of how I feel right now, which is too bad, since it seemed like the writers were going to spell everything out for us right then and there. I guess that was too much to hope for, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it didn’t perk my interest in the show’s time travel subplot even more. Then again, that’s the life of a “Lost” fan.

It seems like forever since we’ve had a Sayid-centric story, so I was really excited to discover that tonight’s episode was all about everyone’s favorite Iraqi torture specialist. Unfortunately, for as many great lines as there were, it actually ended up being one of the flatter episodes of the season. That probably had something to do with the strange collection of flashbacks and flash forwards that accompanied the present day (or new present, anyway) storyline, because with the exception of Sayid’s introduction to Ilana – who doesn’t appear to be a federal marshal at all, but rather some sort of bounty hunter – we didn’t really learn anything new about the time between his rescue and return.

Even the action on the island was pretty dull. Well, not dull so much as just really thin. I mean, how many different times did we really need to see Sawyer trying to convince Sayid to cooperate with the Dharminians? And why didn’t Sayid want to take the easy way out by telling them that he was just trying to escape from the Others? I brought this up last week because it didn’t make any sense for Sayid to want to remain silent, and now it makes just as much sense after declining Sawyer’s offer to become one of them. If all he cared about was killing young Ben Linus, wouldn’t it have been easier to do so from within that circle of trust?

Apparently not, because Sayid didn’t budge one bit, and as a result, Horace took him to go see Oldham (William Sanderson of “Deadwood” fame) in order to get some answers. It was pretty obvious that Oldham was Dharma’s torture specialist the moment his name was brought up, but Sayid asked Sawyer who Oldham was nonetheless, to which Sawyer replied “He’s our you.” Now, if that didn’t send chills down your back, I don’t know what will, because that has to be one of the best episode titles in the history of the series; and even more so because of the way it was worked into the story. I would have liked to have found just what it was that Oldham stuck in Sayid’s mouth, though, because while it seemed to initially operate as a truth serum, the later effects made me think it was some kind of psychedelic drug instead. Whatever it was, it worked, but while it looked like Sayid would blow Sawyer’s cover by spilling the beans, the moment he mentioned he was from the past, Horace seemed unconvinced that the drug had worked.

After Dharma’s council votes to kill him, however, Sayid’s Christ-like sacrifice (which he seems to believe will atone for all his sins) is interrupted when he’s sprung from jail while everyone else is trying to deal with a flaming Dharma van that has randomly rolled into camp. (Even during times of stress, Sawyer’s wit is spot on: “Three years, no burning buses. You’re all back for one day…”). Curiously enough, it’s young Ben who’s responsible for saving Sayid, who does so under the condition that he can join him on his way back to the Others’ camp. I don’t know if that’s where Sayid plans to go (it seems to be his only option at this point), but he definitely doesn’t intend on bringing Ben with him. Granted, I didn’t expect Sayid to kill a child in cold blood, but then again, who’s to say Ben is really dead? Faraday has already stated that the past can’t be changed, so it’s probably more likely that Ben will be saved/revived by the Others and eventually made their leader. After all, Ben’s spinal condition had to be a result of something, so why not an old gunshot wound that he received as a kid?