Commentary

Whether or not we're ready, Lost is ending: four episodes to go this season and the final seventeen chapters next season. All of the players are in place. Mainland life has been soundly rejected and life on the island is all that matters.

It's confirmed: "Dead is Dead." Locke was, but now he is not. Ben Linus is scared of what that means, but Locke is not. It is truly a new chapter in the history of the island. Our spring cleaning project might just be at its most difficult point. We might be tempted to look away and just let things be. But we saw what happened to Jack Shephard in LA when he tried to not think about the island. Matthew Fox said, ''I've always believed part of what was destroying him was his lack of physical proximity to the Island.'' So let's put ourselves in the thick of it and pack up our cleaning box marked "Island." We are asking the three main questions that have to be answered in order for the story of Lost to resolve: Who are the powers vying for the island? What role will the island play in the struggle? And what will the struggle mean for our Protagonists. My first two articles attempted to sort out the Protagonists, alive, dead or otherwise. Locke got his own treatment as the new man. Now we have to ask what is the island?

I'm sure that none of you will argue with me when I say that Lost has one of the largest and most diverse groups of fans out there today. And regardless of which Lost sites you visit regularly, or even if you visit them all equally, one fact remains clear, all of us, all of us who watch Lost and love this show form an interconnected community. Despite our differing opinions on almost everything, we are still a family, though obviously a very big family. This fact makes it even more painful to discover that another fan has been steeling from his fellow Lost bloggers, and not only gaining popularity from it, but actually profiting from it.

Spring Cleaning continues here at SWLS. We're still trying to pack up our "Protagonists" box. I need a whole box just for Locke. He's always been his own unique man, and he's always been dealing with boxes physical or metaphysical, so I think he'd be happy with his own. The fact of the matter is that no category correctly holds Locke. We talked about seven groups of people in the story of Lost. Locke has never been fully a part of any of them, and it appears that even in death he is an anomaly. I contend that not only does he not fit into any of the groups of people but he actually supersedes them all. He is the New Man, greater than the ones before him.

It's time for some spring cleaning. I have all this information, all this conjecturing and theorizing about Lost crammed into my head. I have a serious need to open the door, let the dust mites go scattering, and lay all this stuff out on the floor and organize it!

There are several huge questions that for the narrative have to be addressed in order for the story to resolve. Who are the powers vying for the island? How will the island relate to the struggle? What will the struggle mean for our protagonists? We'll call these three questions our three cleaning boxes. I've heard it said that the best way to sort clutter is to have three boxes marked Throw, Move, Give. It must be very smart to use that system - I wouldn't know! But I can mark our Lost spring cleaning boxes Power, Island and Protagonists. Knowing how us Lost-phytes love to parce words I better clear up what I mean by each of these.

"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" showed a some very interesting conversations between Charles Widmore and John Locke. Widmore tells John that "The island needs you John. It has for a long time. John finally asks a key question, "What makes you think that I'm so special?" He gets the very cryptic reply "Because you are". But why is he special. Why is Locke the special chosen leader? What characteristics has John shown during his life to make these powerful people believe he is so special?

If you haven't already read AstroJones' article titled "A Response to Jugdish: Time is a Two-by-Four...", I suggest you do....it talks about the two major types of Time Travel depicted in Sci-Fi shows & movies. Also if you ever plan to build a time machine and go back in time to kill Hitler, his article will prepare you for some of the possible problems you may face.

I really enjoyed his article, and wrote a lengthy response about my in-depth thoughts about Time Travel which I've had over the years. Surprisingly it fits in well with what's been happening on Lost. Even more surprising, some people not only understood my ramblings, but enjoyed it. So here I attempt to touch up my initial ramblings on AstroJones' article for the front page.

We get to take a break from all of the time travel talk with another guest writer, Hurley Rocks Dudes. He explains why exactly Hurley Rocks Dude! Any SWLS user is invited to submit articles to any of the mods. Enjoy!

Hey everybody! I just thought I would share some thoughts with you all and thanks to Jugdish for the opportunity. I thought for a while what I was going to write about, and now I have figured it out. Why not write an article on my favorite character? Obviously that would be Hurley, or Hugo Reyes. Hurley is the most likeable character on LOST for a few reasons. He always provides us with a good laugh, like throwing a hot pocket at Ben, or building a golf course, and even driving the DHARMA van. One of the funniest Hurley moments was when he, Locke, and Ben were visiting Jacob. Hurley and Ben are waiting outside, Hurley opens a candy bar, Ben looks at him, and Hurley thinks for a moment, then tears the candy bar in two, and gives Ben the bigger piece.

Yesterday, Jugdish posted an interesting article briefly conveying his perspective on the expanded use and incorporation of time travel as a major thematic element in the early episodes of LOST's fifth season. Jugdish writes, "I am a little different than most of our regular members here at SWLS. I am not a science fiction fan. I do not watch any sci fi shows. Lost tricked me by drawing me in with a great story filled with fantastic actors playing interesting roles." Judish's reaction to the sci-fi element of time travel in LOST is not uncommon, and certainly worthy of discussion. However, I think a much larger question looms in the shadows of such conversations. Jugdish reaches the conclusion that time travel in LOST might be okay - as long as it is limited to and obeys certain rules (as outlined by Ms. Hawking and Faraday) and thus preventing any cliched paradoxical "what if I shoot my grandfather" situations. True enough, maybe time travel will work out if it stays between the lines, but what about the broader rules that govern LOST as a show? The question isn't just whether or not the rules of time travel in LOST are grounded enough, but whether the rules of LOST itself are still solid enough to keep the show firmly anchored (and keep us watching)?

Recently the Washington Post had an article stating that Lost is the subject of a stimulating online discussion among its fans and that Ben Sledge's Lost.cubit.net is one of its notable gathering places - which we of course knew already! Critics have noted this cyber conversation about Lost since the show's inception back in 2004. The reasons for the public's fascination run the gamut from the show's host of beguiling characters, cinematic production and brainteaser plotlines.

I contend that Lost is a modern myth, and the function of myth is to tell society what it is concerned with and how to do deal with it. I won't suggest that we know the full treatment the writers are going to give these issues, but I say with certainty that they are dealing with them effectively. The way that Lost handles three main human concerns is why the story has become such an integral part of our imaginations and interest. The concerns hinge on our experiences with time, sex and death.