TVSquad

(S06E03) "It's the Others, dude. They caught us ... again." - Hurley

As 'What Kate Does' unfolded, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that everything we're witnessing in the "post-Jughead worked" 2004 time-line is going to end up being very important. Of course, that could have been due to the fact that in this past week's Official 'Lost' Audio Podcast, Cuse and Lindelof essentially laid it bare for us -- there is no alternate reality happening here. What's going on in LA in 2004 and what's going on in 2007 on the island are both very real.

The question to ask is what effect actions in one time-line will have on the events in the other. As far as 'Lost' mindf#%ks go, this one is a doozie, because it's forced us to reevaluate everything we remember about these characters, right back to the pilot episode.

(S06E01/S06E02) "We're back." - Kate

Did you hear that? That was the collective sound of TV fans across the country all brain-farting in unison. 'Lost' is back for its final season and I've gotta be honest -- I'm not really sure what to think about 'LA X.' In four or five months time, once the series has concluded, I'm positive I'll think differently about it. However, right now, 'LA X' was easily one of the most confusing hours of 'Lost' yet, and despite ABC's promos promising that "questions would be answered," all it gave us was a jumbo-jet (literally) chock full of new ones. Whatever ... I still loved every second of it.

Just like scores of real world colleges and universities across the country, Lost University is now back in session.

The fictional university meant to teach Lost fans on the "fringe" science and other elements of J.J. Abrams' show can begin classes anew as the series approaches its final season.

It's no joke and no mere marketing gimmick as the "university" brings in legitimate scientists, psychologists, language experts and other experts to discuss the themes and science of Lost.

The current course catalog includes: PHI 201: I'M RIGHT, YOU'RE WRONG: THE US VS. THEM MENTALITY -- "This course examines the complex relationship between Right vs. Wrong, Us vs. Them, and Good vs. Evil, and applies it to both Lost and the real world."

Every season ABC releases a poster for that season of Lost. And every season, dedicated fans try to figure out if there are any clues hidden in the poster (here's a bigger version).

Here's the poster for the final season, which starts in January. Looks pretty basic at first, just the logo and the entire cast (though please note some of those cast members!) at the top. But the letters of the show's titles look like they have symbols in them. Go crazy fans!

[via Pop Candy]

I was trying to figure out what show to spotlight for the second "Gone Too Soon" column. As a general rule, I want to give a show a few years off the air before I delve into it. That gives the creators and producers a chance to try and continue the story, if they're interested in doing so, and it gives the actors a chance to move on. Then I read the news that they're going to adapt The Time Traveler's Wife to television, and it hit me.

A man disappearing from his wife to travel through time, and struggling to fix his home life as he went along? That sounded awfully familiar, and to a lot of you, as well, if your comments are any indication. So even though Journeyman's finale aired less than two years ago, it's time we honored it for the great show it was ... a show, unfortunately, about two years ahead of its time.

Adults are always urging kids to "stay in school," but they don't usually say which school. What if there was a university dedicated to all things Lost?

ABC has launched a web site for Lost University, an online school that starts on September 22. There are two semesters (or one final season), and courses include "Introductory Physics of Time Travel," "I'm Lost, Therefore I Am," and "I'm Right, You're Wrong: The Us vs. Them Mentality." There's also a Smokey Patrol, a campus security service run by students, and a Drive Shaft cover band contest.

The university will be at Comic-Con this weekend too, dropping clues about what all this means.

[via PopWatch]

OK, so Juliet set off the bomb at the end of the Lost season finale. I guess we can assume that this means that Jack and Daniel's plan to blow up the Swan worked and that history (or the future) has been changed and Oceanic Flight 815 will arrive safely in Los Angeles. I mean, the only other thing that can happen is the island blows up and they all ... die? There's probably a third option, though I'm out of Advil right now and don't want to think of it. Maybe the bomb goes off and it wasn't as bad as they thought it would be?

But back to Juliet. It was announced earlier today that Elizabeth Mitchell will be a full-time cast member of the ABC remake of V, so this probably means that she'll be gone from the show, even if her character is alive or they have flashbacks or whatever. Unless the island hides a race of alien lizard people, she's gone from the show. Or is she? Michael Ausiello is reporting she'll be in a "handful" of episodes next season.

(S05E16/S05E17) "See you in Los Angeles." - Jack

I'm not really sure where to begin, but I think this is a pretty good starting point: holy crap. Just like every season finale before this one, Lost has once again left us all with our jaws on the floor and our brains on overdrive. This changes everything. The big question? How does it change everything? Is it January yet?

(S05E15) "I have a purpose now." - Locke

I can't believe how fast this season of Lost has gone by. There's probably a time-travel joke buried in that realization somewhere, but my head is still spinning from "Follow the Leader," so I'm not really in clever witticism mode. Honestly, I'm speechless. For the most part, this wasn't one of my favorite episodes of the season. But for me to be at a loss for words at one of Lost's sub-par installments - well that says something about the quality of this show. "Follow the Leader" was a lot of set up for next week's two hour finale and the events that have been set in motion (even though it seems they always happened) are mind-numbing.

I had a choice of five different sneak peek clips for tonight's Lost to choose from, but I didn't want to give away any spoilers or anything that might be considered a "wow" moment, so I picked this one. It features Dr. Chang, Hurley, Miles, and Jin talking about time travel. Hurley has always been the voice of the viewer, and it's great to see the show deal with the whole time thing in a humorous way.

Dear People Who Make Lost:

I like your show. It is a lot of fun. But sometimes it is confusing. Maybe someday you can tell the story in order.

Love,
A Lost Fan

How sweet would that be. I was watching the latest Faraday extravaganza and thinking about all the stories we've gotten through the years, the flash forwards and flashbacks and jumps through time. It's getting pretty hard to keep track of what happened before and after what.

(S05E14) "Well, I got some bad news for you Jack. You don't belong here at all. She was wrong." - Faraday

After listening to Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof ranting in last week's Lost audio podcast, I didn't expect "The Variable" to be this much of a game changer. Everything we thought we knew about the island, time travel, and course correcting - it all got turned upside down. I think it's safe to say that the 100th episode of Lost is going to be remembered for more than just its milestone significance.

(S05E13) "That douche is my dad." - Miles

I've been waiting for an episode like this. We've gotten close to nothing when it comes to backstory on the freighter folk and had it not been for the writer's strike, I'm guessing that "Some Like it Hoth" (or at least something Miles related) would have aired during season four. Last time we got any substantial info on Miles' orgins was "Confirmed Dead" and all that filled us in on was ghost whisperin' powers and his conscience - ripping people off doesn't come easy for him. We got a helluva lot more info this time around.

(S05E12) "Well... John, we don't even have a word for it. But I believe you call it 'the monster'" - Ben

Wow, I'm not quite sure where to begin. This wasn't one of the best episodes of Lost (for lack of a better term, it was safe), but I walked away from it feeling enlightened. It's not often that Lost leaves you with more answers than questions.

That being said, I still have a ton of f%#k&$g questions.

(S05E11) "Maybe there's something they can do." - Juliet

At the risk of sounding clichéd, I'm gonna say it anyway - all the pieces are coming together. While I didn't particularly care for any of tonight's flashbacks (personally, I've never really gotten into Kate at all), what happened on the island in 1977 was mesmerizing. It's looking more and more like the Oceanic 6 (plus Juliet, Miles, etc.) were directly responsible for, well ... everything.