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.

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.

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.