Lost finale

Its going to be a while until Lost is back on the air, but at least they went out with a bang last week! The final episode of season 3 was definitely worth the wait and it did a great job of both answering a few questions and asking some more. It also made a few show changing moves that I really liked. Let me hit on a few of the highlights and the questions surrounding them:

1) The call to Naomi's boat - Who was Naomi? Near the end of the episode, we learned that Penny didn't have a boat in the area, so does this mean that Ben was actually telling the truth? In my opinion, he was trying to protect the island from something and I bet next season's plot focuses on the crash survivors and Others dealing with this new threat.

2) John Locke, Jacob and the island - I know this also overlaps with questions from previous episodes, but I still have a huge need for answers. What is the story with Jacob? Is he real? You could see him in one shot from the cabin (during a previous episode) but I'm still not sure what to think. One theory is that Jacob is some future or alternate version of Locke. I'm not sold on that idea, but I do think that we will learn a lot more next season. In addition, my guess is that the power struggle between Locke, Ben and Jack will also play a big part in the events of season 4 as everyone takes sides based on their beliefs and desires to leave the island.

3) THE BIG ONE! - The flash-forward! - At the end of the episode, we learn that Jack's storyline during the episode was actually set in the future (not the past as these always were), and it was a GREAT twist. Maybe some people saw it coming, but I didn't. Of course, this new idea opens up lots of questions and a lot of potential. Who else survives to escape the island? We now know that there are at least three: Jack, Kate and the mysterious person in the casket. Also, will flash-forwards always be used from now on? Are we done learning about the island inhabitant's pasts? I actually hope so. Don't get me wrong, I liked the back stories, but I think the idea of seeing into the future (if handled well) will make things really interesting as the show approaches its end. The idea of learning more about post island life definitely intrigues me.

Overall, the finale proved that my faith in the show was not misguided. Some viewers had lost interest after a slightly slow start to this season, but I love the show and would never stop watching. This finale was excellent and I can't wait until January to see and learn more!