LOST - NO MORE QUESTIONS ?

Spoiler. Spoiler. Blah I get tired of saying it.

Okay so LOST just ended and it was so awesome I had to write about it immediately. Prepare for a typical scattered post as I try to gather my thoughts.

1) THE NUMBERS

So the numbers actually DO have a purpose - sort of. Somehow these specific numbers connect to each of the people remaining from 815 - EXCEPT KATE OR CLAIRE. It's possible Claire was removed because she is dead/infected/sick/pick your word. That doesn't explain no listing for Kate - unless she was crossed out. Maybe she's not a "candidate" she's just a random girl. Or maybe she was already dead. Maybe Jacob visited all of the survivors pre-crash, but we only see those few. In trying to focus on the story while observing the room, I could of swore I saw Rutherford (for Shannon or Boone) inscribed, so Jacob could had listed everyone originally. Why wasn't Kate on the list? Is this technically Jacob's list? Can they not die (putting more emphasis on Sayid - although Locke is dead.)

HOW DO THE NUMBERS CONNECT TO THE SWAN - "THE NUMBERS"

My concern is maybe that Smoke Locke isn't being totally truthful. Why would Jacob come all the way down here when he had the Cabin/Statue? Maybe it's Smokey's list. Clearly the pendulum could of been for either of them. The concept of Jacob's ladder also could apply here.

Also though, we've been dealing with Jacob for so long we assume he's the good superpower. He's also white in the light vs black literary device (so we think.)

2) SMOKEY/NEMESIS

My gut tells me that he's still trying to get into the Temple. He needs someone to get past the ash so he can get in there and kill everyone. Right now thats Sawyer - a broken man desperate for answers. That's how they can get off the island "together." Sawyer helps Smokey, Smokey either kills him or lets him go, and Smokey is free to rule the island (or worse.) He's playing the part of the liberator by talking to Richard as if he's been enslaved by Jacob without any real knowledge for of what's going on. I'm sure Jacob told Richard whatever Richard needed to know.

BUT Smokey cheated. He technically killed Jacob by pushing him into the fire. There's a chance Jacob may not of died by being stabbed from Ben. That's where that boy comes in - who JUST HAS TO BE AARON. HAS TO BE. Because Smokey cheated, Jacob can rise again, or some other power (maybe one of the candidates - also remember Lapedis is a candidate too) can become the new Jacob to put Smokey back in his place. Maybe it's Aaron - providing him more of a purpose. It's interesting that Smokey has something he's scared of - and that he doesn't just transform to take him out. Maybe a power higher than Jacob/Smokey. Maybe Aaron is a reincarnation of Jacob, which was the purpose of allowing him to be born.

TO NOTE: Alpert couldn't see the kid. Sawyer could. Alpert probably isn't a candidate.

But does the Island need a new Jacob? Was Smokey lying in saying this Island didn't need anything? Is that what we see in the "sideways" time line - a world where the island doesn't 'exist' ? It's definitely possible, but I have my doubts about Smokey.

3) INTERESTING SIDEWAYS TIME LINE NOTES

-Hurley's doing great - different

-Rose still has cancer but she's loving life
-How can Rose and Hurley be on the same plane if Hurley is her boss? Wouldn't Hurley notice?

-LOCKE IS WITH HELEN - that's a huge change, but he's still depressed as ever.

-Locke as a teacher and him saying "John Locke - Substitute" is an interesting - but definitely serves as a metaphor - for being Smokey's Substitute - and potentially could have been Jacob's as a candidate. The writers are too smart.

-Also of note for Locke is that Helen mentioned his father attending the wedding. Meaning that they probably are on better terms than they were on the original time line. Meaning that Locke was paralyzed by other means.

-BEN AS A EUROPEAN HISTORY TEACHER - interesting. If he was Egyptian history I would have died. What does this sideways time line have to do with his rivalry with Widmore - if that even exists with everything else going on)

-SIDE NOTE FOR BEN --> By Ben being off the Island, that means that the Island had been underwater PRE-Dharma. Here's why: Ben in 1977 was last seen at the Temple, being healed from Sayid shooting him. So, were the bomb to go off, it would have killed him and everyone else. Ethan from last episode is fine because he would have been evacuated on the sub. Ben was not on the sub - as far as we know of course.

-Did anyone else think that the kid that Locke grabbed was going to be Walt? Obviously they can't capture Walt in 2004 form, but that would of made the sideways time lines that much more unbelievable.

I can't figure out if the sideways time line is to prove anything outside of how their lives would have been without the island - but why did some people have different pre-island experiences? Why is Hurley not cursed? Kate may be innocent for whatever she did? There's a lot of questions still left to be answered.

I think I read where Damon & Carlton are working towards proving that the lives of everyone on the island was going to be linked regardless of the events of the island - but was it because of the island?

4) Illana

She had to pick up those ashes for a reason. There must be some connection. Maybe they can reincarnate Jacob. Maybe it's to prove it to Dogen. I can't be sure, but there's definitely a connection. We still don't know how she knows about Jacob/Island/Temple or any of that.

PS REALLY CAN'T WAIT FOR JIN AND SUN TO GET BACK TOGETHER SO THAT CAN STOP BEING A STORYLINE.

Overall though this episode was the best of the season. I'm back on board the LOST train and will have a long 7 days until next week's episode.