Lost Redux: "Surprise!" You Won't Believe How Good It's Getting

ABC/Mario Perez

Dear Universe,

Thank you for tonight's Lost in which some of the show's finest all-time players were given ample screen time: Josh Holloway, Josh Holloway's dimples and Josh Holloway's abs. And, oh yeah, those other surprise return guest stars were pretty fantastic, too!

Dear Fans,

I have some cool scoop to share (my conch shell batphone just rang!) about how giddy-good this show is getting, so hop on in here...

"Surprise!" Detective James Ford is a good guy! In the Flash Sideways world, Josh Holloway is an LAPD cop who is working to take down con men just like that other guy Josh Holloway plays: Sawyer. And while, yes, "Jim" was hunting down Anthony Cooper in Australia in the hopes of killing him, he certainly seems to be walking on the straight and narrow, and looking for love. (Rebecca Mader, I hate you.) Have you noticed how all the Losties with questionable morals seem markedly less evil in the Flash Sideways world?

"This Is Completely Inappropriate!" How great was the scene in which Claire tries to slit Kate's throat while Sayid sits idly by (Sayid is now fully "claimed"), followed by Fake Locke slapping a woman (Claire) and then declaring her actions inappropriate. That's some bananas TV! Clearly the Smoke Monster, who has some serious mommy issues (a distinct departure from all the daddy issues we've seen on this show), won't be letting Feral Claire reunite with her son anytime soon, regardless of whether she makes it off the Island. And I'm guessing she won't.

Easter Egg: In case you missed it, that was Charlie's brother (Neil Hopkins) in the police station bailing him out. Also, in every single one of the Flash Sideways stories so far, the principal character looks at his reflection in some sort of mirror. Tonight, James smashed that mirror in the locker room. Oh, and did anyone happen to notice that the girl who crashed into Jim's car looked a whole lot like Kate Austen? Hee. That was awesome sauce.

Tonight's Best Line: "That's what life is all about. Laughing and loving each other. And knowing that people aren't really gone when they die." Thanks, Michael Landon! That line from Little House on the Prairie is pretty awesome foreshadowing of what's to come...

Why You'll Love the Episodes Up Ahead: After hearing about what's to come, I cannot tell you how excited I am about the final episodes. Things are getting emotional. In a good way. You might cry watching episode 11 (unless you're dead inside). And everything we've seen so far is starting to feel like a warm-up. Get ready!

What the Island Is: For a couple weeks now, I've been teasing that a four-letter word will be used to describe the Island. It has an O and no A's or E's. Your final clue is this: You'll learn that word next week! Episode number nine is Richard Alpert's (Nestor Carbonell) backstory and it is not to be missed.

What Else You Need to Know (Spoilers Ahead!):

• Someone we have not yet met will have an important message for Hurley next week.
• Fake Locke is going to tell Jin how he plans to get off the Island, and it's pretty juicy!
• There is a "package" up ahead that might be the most butterfly-inducing reveal so far this season.

In case you missed it, here's my sit-down with Rebecca Mader (Charlotte), who looked stunning tonight, did she not?

What did you think of tonight's episode? Comment away, and be sure to include your wrath over my obnoxious opening line to this story...Guilty as charged.

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Guess the Losties' final fate in our Life or Death? photo gallery!