I’m a big fan of the flash-forwards, too, and I hadn’t thought I was going to be. I love that they’ve struck a balance with it, where all of Hurley’s story was told in flash-forward, but all the newcomers’ stories were told in flashbacks. And that they found a way to do it where it’s not overly confusing which is which. It was just a really clever way of taking what felt like they’d written themselves into a corner, and then throwing everything wide open again.

The thing I like about Lost is it’s complex enough that I never seem to guess anything until the point that they’re handing it to me anyway. I try not to read the message boards anymore, but I do like the watercooler chats about it with friends.

And I love, love, love the flash-forwards. They had gone past the flashbacks being interesting, since we knew so much about the characters’ histories. But flash-forward off the island, with the added mystery of something pulling them back is great. I’m wondering if they get off the island by the end of this season and hook up to the ff timeline, then next season is all about going back?

Steve: They already did their episode “apologizing” for Nikki and Paolo, and it turned out pretty awesome, so I trust them not to keep making the same mistakes. (They’ll just start making new ones). I think I’m at an advantage here because I’ve never seen “The Wire” and have no interest in seeing it at all, even though I keep hearing over and over again how brilliant it is. The only bit of casting that’s thrown me was seeing Nestor Carbonell because I keep thinking he’s going to start talking in that stupid accent from “Suddenly Susan.”

Larry: I read speculation on a message board about who was in the coffin, and even though the person was just guessing, it makes so much sense that it feels like I read a spoiler. Now it seems so obvious I can’t imagine it not being that person.

So I’m committed to not thinking too hard about the answers to all the questions. (But I obviously don’t want to stop anybody from coming on here and speculating about it!) It’s a lot more fun when I just turn the brain not off, but down to around 50%, and just let myself be surprised by whatever they decide to show.

fyi, I heard Nestor Carbonell was offered a larger part this season and turned it down to be on Cane. I’m hoping/assuming that they’ll still find ways to squeeze him in doing whatever they need to do to explain ‘wtf’ about his eternally youthful glow.

My guess for the Oceanic 6: Jack, Hurley, Kate, Sawyer (he’s the “him” Kate referred to that’ll be wondering where she is), Locke (he’s in the coffin, committed suicide because he’s back in a wheelchair), and then either Sun or Jin, or Bernard or Rose. I think they will show us one character from one of the married couples, so then we’ll be dying to know what happened to their spouse, why they’d leave without them, etc.

I’m assuming the people on the boat are Dharma initiative, and Ben thinks they’re coming to kill everyone cuz that’s what he did to them. I have no idea why there’s a flight 815 on the ocean floor and another one in the jungle.