The Answers was very good and gave us lots of answers. Who would of thought? The producers actually have a good screen presence as well as a great gift for storytelling. I really like these guys.

They said some very interesting and definitive things, while at the same time leaving the door open a crack for all kinds of possibilities. For instance, the castaways are not in purgatory and they are not dead. They are alive somewhere in the space time continuum. So, we know that they're alive, but it leaves open to interpretation where and when they are. Personally I don't think that time travel or parallel universes come into play here.

Think about this: As I sit here typing this I'm somewhere in the space time continuum. My somewhere just happens to be Boston, Ma. at 7:30am on Friday the 18th of May in the year 2007.

Also, once again the producers emphasized (as they did in the retrospective before Not in Portland) that first and foremost this show is a drama about people who have lost their way in life and have a chance to start over, to redeem themselves. They also said that all of the characters have the potential to be heroes but that true heroes are born out of moments, and the question is: Will they man up when their moment comes?

Some other things we learned:

Desmond not entering the numbers is the definitive reason why the plane crashed.

The Others didn’t know the plane was going to crash on the island.

The magic box is a metaphor. The island itself is the magic box.

They inferred that Smokey scans thoughts and the island produces images from them.

Desmond sacrificed himself to save his new friends by turning the key and in doing so he prevented a global catastrophe. What is the true meaning of “sacrificed himself”?

Ben feels (felt, for now) threatened by Locke.

They implied that Juliet has thrown in her lot with Jack. Does this mean she’s left the Dark Side for good?

The castaway’s linked pasts brought them together. I’ve said before that I think all of the connections between the Losties is the main reason why they are there. Their lives and their various dilemmas and miseries are deeply intertwined and I think that fate or God has put them in this place, at this time, to do something spectacular that will save the world and rid it of some great evil, and also allow them to atone for their previous sins.

One other thing before I sign off, and this doesn’t come from The Answers. After seeing the Looking Glass hatch and its rabbit and rabbit hole logo, I can’t help but think that it may be some kind of portal to the island. First off, it’s Ginormus! A lot of work must have gone into it. Why? Then there’s the logo and name. We all know the story of Alice, I don’t need to expound here. Also, although it obviously needs a sub bay for supplies and service, that sub didn’t look like it had much range. Even if it did, traveling by sub from Portland to the island would be risky at best. I’m pretty sure the Pacific Fleet would notice it sooner rather than later. We know people arrive by sub but the only person we’ve seen make the trip gets knocked out at an “airport” and awakens on the sub, which is already docked at the island. Sounds fishy to me!