"Lost" is a rare television program, because it doesn’t end with the credits.

Sure, you can have a discussion about “House,” “Two and a Half Men” or “American Gladiators,” but not the same kind of discussion. Most shows are so episodic, so confined to their one single time slot, that next week doesn’t matter nearly as much.

“Lost” really isn’t like that. You need the next episode if you want to know anything. You need to think outside the show if you want any kind of resolution at all. You spend an hour actually watching the show, then three more hours each week speculating what happens next.

I mean, what is that smoke monster? What is the other monster lurking in the jungle? How did the others — Ben Linus's — plant an entire downed plane, corpses and all, in the ocean?

Theories abound: I have a friend who swore for the longest time that the “S” in the opening title quivered just the tiniest bit, and that this — somehow — held the key to some mystery in the show.

So here’s the point of this blog: To speculate together, to understand more about the show, to finally “get” it.

My name is on the image at the top of this blog, sure, but think of me more as a moderator, not an author. I’ll throw out questions, and you can answer them. I’ll speculate, and you can disagree.

Just post a comment by hitting the “Comment” link at the bottom of every post.

So, here comes the cheesy invite: “Let’s get Lost together.”

— Cody Switzer

The commercials for tonight’s episode promise that another member of “The Oceanic Six” will be revealed.

We already know three of the members, but who are the other three?

Here’s my Oceanic Six roster:

1. Jack — We know he’s off the island, and spends most of his time back in civilization cultivating an addiction and growing himself a beard that would make Jeremiah Johnson jealous.

2. Kate — In the last episode of season three, she meets Jack at the end of an airport runway. Then leaves to go back to “him.” Who is that him?

3. Hurley — As we saw in the first episode of this season, he’s in a mental hospital and seeing the ghost of Charlie.

4. John Locke — My guess is that Locke is captured by the folks on the boat after he resists leaving the island, and is forced back to civilization. What could be a greater punishment than forcing him to leave the only place he has a purpose? Locke, I think, is also the unnamed man in the casket at the end of season three.

5. Sawyer — Is too important a character to kill off, so he has to make it off the island. He’s also the obvious “him” that Kate goes back to, then again, maybe that’s too obvious.

6. Claire (and the baby) — How will she ever find out Jack is her half-brother if she doesn’t make it back to the real world? I also don’t think the writers can just leave the baby in the jungle.

What are your thoughts? Who is on your Oceanic Six roster. Post a comment below.

-- C.S.

I will be blogging live tonight during commercial breaks, please comment on the posts and weigh in with your thoughts about the show.

Be sure to check in after the show for closing thoughts and conversation.

In the meantime, we're looking for answers. Jess posted this on the comments board earlier:

Is Charlie really dead? Your thoughts?

My answer: Maybe. Kind of. Has anyone ever really died yet? I mean, how often does old Boone show up?

What do you think? Post your opinion by clicking on the tiny "Comment" link below.

-- CS

I'm watching the enhanced repeat version from last week, and an important detail popped up at the bottom of the screen.

Daniel Faraday, the physicist who was the first of the boat-folks we meet, shares his last name with another physicist: Michael Faraday.

The real-life Faraday was an expert in electromagnets, apparently.

So Faraday is obviously there to figure out the deal with the purple glow and the electromagnetic event that knocked out communications, crushed the first hatch and gave Desmond his ability to see the future.

Miles, the ghost buster, well, looks like he's there for Jacob.

What do you think? Post a comment.

If you want an enriched -- and slightly absurdly detailed -- understanding of last week's episode while you're watching the repeat, read the wiki entry the people at Lostpedia.com put together here.

I'm not going to support reading this, because I just did, and it almost explained too much.

It's shaping up to be a good episode -- not quite as earth shattering as the last two episodes -- but still fairly substantial.

Here’s what I’m expecting for the next hour:

-- A new member of “The Oceanic Six”

-- A survivor of Flight 815 makes it onto the ship

-- Miles makes some effort to rescue Charlotte from John Locke

-- More clues about who the people on the boat are

-- A better name for "the people on the boat"

-- Ben Linus gets punched in the face at least five times

-- The episode will end with a reason to watch “Eli Stone,” namely, a Lost extra feature

What are you expecting? Post a comment.

-- CS

(Here's a bonus: Call the number that was on the television report of the crash of Flight 815 in last week's episode. Does it add anything? No. Is it cool? Yes. 1-888-548-0034)

So, Andrew K., who posted earlier today, was right – Sayid is one of The Oceanic Six.

And, apparently, he’s become a golfing assassin.

I didn’t quite catch the man’s name he shot. Any idea who that was?

This is the first time in any of the flash forwards we’ve seen someone afraid of the Oceanic Six. Why the fear?

What do you think? Post a comment.

-- CS

It looks like Jacob is hiding.

The question: What is he hiding from?

Has Locke fallen out of what little favor he may have had? Has the new group on the island driven him underground (possibly literally)? What will Locke do without the guidance of “the island”?

Sayid’s life post-island is another big question mark.

Who is his employer?

Post your thoughts.

-- CS

That was an intense segment.

Locke leaves Hurley – which is likely how he gets off of the island, because he gets back with Jack and company.

Sayid is apparently using that woman to get to her boss. Now, who’s her boss. DHARMA brass? Oceanic executives? Ben’s people on the mainland?

Or, because Naomi just died, does he fill her position as hired gun for those people on the boat (who still don’t have a better name).

Faraday and Miles both gave away subtle clues that they really don’t know what they are dealing with at all.

“These people had daycare?” Miles said.

It’s becoming more apparent they’re new recruits, and on a strictly need-to-know basis. They don’t appear as insidious as they once did; now they seem a bit more bumbling.

What are you thoughts? Post a comment.

-- CS

So, Faraday’s pay load shows up a minute late. If he really is an expert in electromagnetism expert, but he’s looking at how things move through space and time, it looks like there must be a connection between the two.

That would explain Desmond’s ability to see the future, sparked by the big electromagnetic event.

That also explains why no one can find the island – it’s in a fold of existence.

We also find out Ben Linus is some kind of international man of mystery. Did you see those passports?

Locke gets the upper hand on Sayid, Miles and Kate. Where does it go from here?

Et tu, Hugo.

Post a comment below.

-- CS

Remember that time Boone had his leg amputated with a remotely-sharp baggage compartment?

Or when Mr. Eko was mauled by the polar bear?

Yeah, that wasn’t really anything.

Sayid just played out the most brutal Lost moment in four whole seasons. I mean, wow.

How did Sayid get into the spy game? Who is his employer? Who was her employer? Who is on this list?

Any ideas?

-- CS

Spoiler alert: If you haven’t watched the episode, avert your eyes or you’ll hate yourself. To start reading my posts on this show from the beginning of the episode, click here.

There are moments in movies and television where you are waiting for that cut away to reveal the big twist. You sit on the edge of your seat – or stand, if you are me – and you think, for a moment, they’ll leave you hanging until the next episode.

Then comes that single shot and an audible gasp.

This show ended on one of those moments.

Sayid working for Ben opens up a whole new line of questions and leads us in a completely new direction.

Assuming Sayid wouldn’t choose to work for Ben – and I’m guessing, because of some things Ben said, he didn’t – what is his motivation? Is Ben holding some of the other passengers of Flight 815? Are they alive, hidden somewhere on the island?

It appears so. Matthew Abaddon – who is developing into the anti-Ben – did ask Hurley if “they” were still alive.

Here’s one thing we can assume for sure: When, at the conclusion of season three, Kate says she had to get back to “him,” that “him” is almost, without a doubt Ben Linus. (Then who's in the coffin?)

How deep does Ben's power run? How many other members of The Oceanic Six are in his pocket?

Post your thoughts.

-- CS

Headline courtesy of Andrew K.

Thursday's episode produced question after question that have yet to be answered, but here's the one that I'm focusing on most today:

How, exactly, do the Oceanic Six get off the island?

Now, we've seen Ben off the island treating Sayid's wounds. Would the people on the boat, who are there for Ben -- we can assume to kill him -- bring him back to civilization? I don't think so.

We also know that Hurley didn't recognize Abaddon in the first episode of this season, which means he may not have left with the people on the boat. Abaddon also insisted to Naomi that "there were no survivors" of Oceanic Flight 815. I don't think he particularly wants anyone to leave the island.

So here's my theory: Ben takes the Oceanic Six off of the island.

We already saw that Ben has a room full of money and passports, and we know he has a contact on the boat (a friend of a friend has an interesting theory about who, but I'll let her post it here.) What's stopping him from hiding all of the survivors and then leaving the island somehow, taking the Oceanic Six with him?

Well, other than transportation.

This would make sense if Abaddon doesn't know where the other passengers are ("Are they still alive?") and gives Ben an automatic measure of power over the Six -- kind of a friendly hostage situation.

What do you think? Post a comment below.

Also, the Lostpedians have posted their collective thoughts on last night's episode. Read it here.

Brock posted an interesting question after another poster pointed out that Daniel Faraday shares his last name with an important and famous physicist. Here's Brock's comment:

This isn't the first time we have had someone on this island share a name with a famous person. John Locke is the name of a philosopher who studied the "tabula rasa" theory, that we are all born has blank slates for the world to write upon. We have no innate ability or intelligence, we must learn EVERYTHING for ourselves. This too could be a connection to the theories and ideas presented on the island. Are there any other names that people have noticed to be connected?

I know quite a few connections, but first, what have you noticed? What importance do names play on the island?

Let's talk about this. Post your thoughts below by clicking the "Comments" link.

-- C.S.

It's Wednesday, which means it's time to start thinking about Thursday's episode, titled "Eggtown."

Here's ABC's preview:

Kate's need to get information out of the hostage may jeopardize her standing with Locke -- as well as with Sawyer.

That's about all the Lostpedian's have posted, too.

So what's going to happen, and what, exactly, is "Eggtown?" Will we find an answer to any of the big questions from last week? Post your thoughts below.

I was two for seven in last week's pre-show predictions -- and that's not bad, considering all of the craziness packed into that one hour of television.

Let's see if I can do any better this week. Here are my best guesses:

- Sawyer is revealed as the fifth member of the Oceanic Six.

- Kate gets medieval on Miles, who is now a prisoner in Locke's camp.

- Daniel Faraday gives us another hint about the characteristics of the island during another experiment.

- Something is going to go terribly awry as Sayid and Desmond fly to the ship.

- Ben is struck five times. (This didn't happen last week, so he's due. I might have to go back through and see exactly how many times he's punched in the face.)

- We will find out who the people on the boat are.

- The show ends with another ominous shot of Ben in a position of power on the mainland.

What are you predictions? Post a comment below.

Just a reminder: I'll be blogging live during commercial breaks.Log in to "Get Lost" just before tonight's show and refresh for my reactions to each segment. Post a comment and get some feedback at the end of the program.

A new question struck me while I was watching the annotated repeat of "The Economist" just now.

The question: Why is there a circle of ash surrounding the site of Jacob's cabin?

If you watch enough ghost and witch movies you'll draw an instant connection between a line of ash -- in some cases chalk or salt -- and protection. In those movies, the circle or powder keeps evil spirits out.

So what is Jacob trying to keep out? Is the smoke monster a threat to him? As the DHARMA Initiative had their sonic fence, Jacob, who hates technology, likely has his ring of ash.

Of course, there is another way to look at the circle of protection: Someone is trying to keep Jacob in. Is this how Ben gets his orders, by imprisoning him? And does the fact that Hurley saw the cabin elsewhere in the island mean that Jacob is free?

Any thoughts? Post a comment.

Well, Kate has a son. First thought -- it's not her son, it's Aaron. Second thoughts, it's Ben's son. Remember when he made her eat with him on the beach at the beginning of last season?

These first two segments are also proof that all the money in the world can't always get a great defense attorney. In our flash forward we see Kate facing charges she killed her step father, among other charges.

She'll beat the charges, I'm sure.

We also see an increasingly frustrated Locke (was the blood on his hands really a chicken's? Or was it Ben's?)

Also, if you noticed Daniel Faraday's half-grimace when Jack talked about the people on the boat rescuing the survivors of Flight 815, you'll know where this is heading.

Second reaction -- Kate's son is Aaron. If the, "you should try it sometime," line from Claire isn't a moment of foreshadowing, I don't know what is.

Then again, I'm always wrong.

We also see Jack and Kate's strained post-island relationship and get some idea of the story they've been telling the media -- which is, by the way, all over the tale of the Oceanic Six. If the Six are telling people that eight of them survived the crash, there must be two other people who made it back to the mainland, if only for their funeral rites.

My guess for the next flash forward: Sawyer takes the stand.

... because they're actually bullet proof, if you believe the old commercials. I mean, security is important when you have your apparent nemesis locked up in his own basement.

The questions in this section come almost entirely from Ben and Miles's conversation. Who is Ben and what can he do? Who is the "he" that Miles works for? Why does Miles only need $3.2 million?

We also know that Kate obviously ignores Miles's advice to just stay on the island, but why? What makes her leave the island?

Also, this could be the beginning of the end for Kate and Sawyer. Kate's relationship with Sawyer and Jack has always been a big element of the show, but now it's actually driving the plot forward. Just where does Sawyer's loyalty lie right now?

Any thoughts? Post a comment.

You knew it wasn't going to be as easy as getting in a helicopter and flying to the boat off shore. The helicopter is missing -- maybe, just maybe we'll get an explanation this episode. Who knows, it might be fine and just stuck in some wrinkle in existence.

Other interesting parts of this segment:

- Kate's confrontation with her mother. Kate looks like the bad guy here. This episode won't end without finding out about her son, though.

- The son may be Sawyer's, after all.

- Daniel Faraday's memory is somehow impaired. When we were first introduced to him we see his caretaker, and we see just how bad it is with the card game. Is this the effects of an experiment gone wrong?

Maybe the others were right all along: Kate isn't a good person.

Through the entire episode she gets progressively worse, even to the point of being creepy. She betrays Locke, uses Hurley, and apparently uses Sawyer, too. Then we see her in court, refusing to talk to her mother and telling her that she doesn't want her son to meet her.

Then she kind of gives a worn-down-looking Jack the cold shoulder.

Oh, and don't forget she stole a baby.

All this while we find out the Oceanic Six's story is that Kate saved them all, that she was the big hero.

This episode didn't have a big plot push or a lot of unanswered questions, instead it sets us up for what comes next. We change our opinion of Kate now so that we have some idea -- or at least think we have some idea -- what she'll do as the conflict with the people on the boat heats up.

My gut reaction is her next move isn't a noble one.

What's your gut reaction to this episode? Post a comment.

A few days and a few conversations after my gut reaction, I may have a different feeling about Kate's role in the show.

I think that it is possibly that she took the baby from Clair because Clair asked her to take him -- but the question remains why Kate continues to refer to Aaron as her son.

The story the Oceanic Six tell when they return to the mainland -- the one where there are eight survivors and Kate plays an island-bound Florence Nightingale -- includes Clair surviving the crash and giving birth. Then, in the story, she dies. In reality, she is hiding at the same "temple" Ben told Richard to lead the "Others" to.

Clair had to be one survivor who didn't make it back because I think most of the public would know that Kate wasn't pregnant when she got on the plane -- that has to be in her arrest record. So Clair had to, in the story, survive the plane crash and give birth before she is killed, either in the story or in reality.

Aaron has to count as one of the Oceanic Six.

But who do you think the other non-Oceanic Six survivor is? Post a comment.

Be sure to read over the insanely-detailed contributions of the Lospedians in their group-edited entry about "Eggtown" here.

If you ever doubt the devotion of the Lostpedians, well, just read this:

The flash forward takes place between November 3, 2006, and November 1, 2007, because Aaron was born on November 2, 2004. The credits credit him as a 2-year-old boy. It can also be assumed it took place before Jack goes crazy and grows a beard, so really between November 4, 2006, and about March 2007, taking into consideration the time it took Jack to grow the beard.

Wow.

Thursday's episode is titled "The Constant."

Here's what ABC.com has to say:

Sayid and Desmond hit a bit of turbulence on the way to the freighter, which causes Desmond to experience some unexpected side effects.

Ah, yes, of course something went wrong. That doesn't tell us much, though, because we could draw that conclusion from last week's preview, which included a lot of shaky shots inside a helicopter, with images of Desmond and Sayid being tossed about.

Let's take a minute to dissect the scientific title of the episode, though. According to Dictionary.com, a "constant" is defined as:

7. something that does not or cannot change or vary.

8. Physics. a number expressing a property, quantity, or relation that remains unchanged under specified conditions.

9. Mathematics. a quantity assumed to be unchanged throughout a given discussion.

Well, those are the nouns, at least. The adjectives aren't much different.

So, what remains unchanged?

Post a comment below.

The latest string of episodes have all featured one thing -- the addition of one member of the Oceanic Six (if you count Aaron, and the Lospedians certainly don't.) I feel as if tonight would be another opportunity to reveal the fifth member of that group.

Then again, I could be wrong.

Here's my best bets for tonight:

-- Miles comes dangerously close to letting go of the grenade Locke put in his mouth, rendering him faceless.

-- Ben is punched in the face at least five times (I have struck out on this the last two weeks. Ben is really due for a beating.)

-- Desmond's flash forwards become more intense, showing us a peak into his future or the future of the island.

-- The flash forward is to Desmond -- who is a member of the Six.

-- An appearance of "Ghost Charlie."

-- Kate and Sawyer have another falling out.

-- The episode ends with a big twist. Sayid and Desmond land on the ship, only to see someone they really don't expect -- like, for instance, Michael and Walt.

Wouldn't that be crazy?

Just a reminder: I'll be blogging live tonight during commercial breaks. Log on to "Get Lost" just before tonight's show and refresh for my reactions to each segment. Post a comment and get some feedback at the end of the program.

A solid three minutes into the program I am already wrong on one of my predictions -- Desmond isn't flashing forward.

He's flashing... present?

He's alternating between the past and the present, confusing the two, and he's somehow lost memory of the island and Sayid. He is somewhere between the Scotch army and the helicopter.

What kind of side effect is this?

Time has gone crazy on the island.

Faraday hints to Jack and Juliet that their perception of the time that's passed since Sayid and Desmond has left the island is considerably longer than how much time has actually passed. It's a confusing thought, and one that will likely not be fully explained this episode.

We have yet to determine if Desmond if flashing forward from the past or backward from the present -- or both. He's somewhere in between now.

We do know that their is some wild-eyed guy tied to a cot who may be experiencing the same thing.

As for the people on the boat, well, old Kimby (is that his name?) and Omar are staying tight lipped.

Is old Cuckoo's Nest on the cot going through the same thing Desmond is going through? Is it an effect of the island in general, or does it only affect people who have been through a big electromagnetic event, like Desmond?

What do you think?

You're right, Faraday, this is insanity.

As if the polar bears, smoke monsters, disappearing cabins and strange groups of natives weren't enough, now we have to deal with the time-space continuum.

This segment ended with Faraday telling Desmond to find him in the past. Yes, in the past. Will 1996 Faraday be able to help him? Does Faraday know now that he has already met Desmond and knows all about this condition? Will this alter the time line?

While the whole time element is baffling, we are getting small hints as to who the people on the boat are -- other than fans of old, wrinkled clothing. The doctor appears to be at odds with Frank -- a newer recruit -- meaning that he is likely a full-fledged member of the initiative that operates the boat.

Is it DHARMA?

This is a big episode.

Really big.

Bigger than the Oceanic Six.

We now know the general idea of how Desmond detached himself -- well, his consciousness -- from the time line. We should have recognized the light that shined on Eloise as the same light that filled the sky when the first hatch imploded when Desmond turned the fail safe key.

We also know that Penny is trying to get in contact with the boat, but they refuse to answer the call. There is also a deepening rift between the people on the boat -- who, like Naomi, seem pretty militant -- and the scientist that accompanied her on the helicopter.

Why is there that tension? Why won't they answer Penny's calls?

As Desmond struggles to find Penny -- his "constant," or his anchor in the past and present -- we see a big part of the puzzle.

Penny's father is bidding on a book from the Black Rock, the old tall ship parked in the middle of the jungle on the island. The book, a journal from the first mate, was owned by Hanso, of the Hanso Foundation, which was associated with the DHARMA Initiative.

I'm sure the other men bidding on the book are somehow important, as well.

So, did Penny's father buy the book and find the location of the island? Did he send Desmond there on purpose when Desmond was on his yacht race? Do the people on this boat work for Penny's father, too?

So, maybe it's not another piece of the puzzle, but a new gap for a puzzle piece.

Desmond may be a bigger part of the battle for the island than we expected.

Generally, these "Gut Reactions" are supposed to wrap up the episode I just watched and extract the main theme.

I don't think that's possible this week.

At its core the episode is about the relationship between Desmond and Penny, with the entire love story winding through the episode. This theme culminates, of course, with the quick cuts between the two while they are professing their love and promising they will meet again.

But that's not what really matters here.

We have a whole boat load of new questions and then some.

We have electromagnetism, time line flaws, non-linear consciousness, Flight 815-boat conflict, boat-boat conflict, Black Rock references, Hanso Foundation references, hints that Penny's father is more insidious that we thought and confirmation that Penny knows, somehow, about the island.

Oh, and the first appearance of the numbers in quite a few episodes.

That's a big, fat punch to the gut.

This will take some time to think over.

In the meantime -- post a comment below.

Also, check back tomorrow morning for "Lost Productivity" -- a Friday morning discussion about tonight's episode with regular poster Andrew Kochirka, written over AOL Instant Messenger while we sit at our cubicles.