1. Kate Goes Back



What a great opening. We begin with the brilliant closing scene of last year's finale - except it is taken further. I love the way she reverses and gets out, that before we see the look on her face we might think she's changed her mind. That all is forgiven. Jack seems to hope so. Evangeline Lilly really sells this scene; the power behind her as she says 'Who do you think you are?' is jarring. Kate is so often so passive and ambiguous, but we know that when you get her going, boy do you get her going. Here we see some raw emotion coming from Kate and it's such a contrast from how we saw her in Something Nice Back Home. In that episode, even as we see her begin to fall apart, there isn't the fire and the anger that she shows here. Even in the Through the Looking Glass part of this scene she seems to feel pity for Jack. But by asking her to go back and by mentioning Aaron, he has awoken a beast. She's desperate to put it all behind her, to keep Aaron and to forget 'all of the horrible things that happened' but here's the kicker: this is a woman who has spent her entire adult life running in one way or another and trying to escape her past. It's getting harder and harder to do so and I think that terrifies her; that she can't disconnect from the things that she's felt and experienced in the past is becoming her biggest problem. Nothing should be standing in the way of her perfect picket fence life now, but still there's the specter of the Island looming over everything she - and the rest of the Oceanic Six - does.


2. Surley Reunion



First, I'd quite like to know why Sawyer calls Jack 'Sundance' at the start of this scene. I presume there's a reference that I'm missing either because I'm British or because I'm uninformed generally!

Second, nothing beats Sawyer and Hurley together to lighten the tension. One of the saddest things about the loss of Charlie at the end of last season was that the strongest friendship on the show would be no more. This season, we know that Hurley still gets to see his bestie on occasion, which may soften the blow a little, but we also see the bond between Hurley and Sawyer strengthen. What I like about this is that it plays as natural. It doesn't look like the writers said, 'crap, we need someone for Hurley to play off now Charlie's gone', because the friendship between them has been simmering for a long time. Hurley could always see past Sawyer's jibes and Sawyer felt the same affection for the big guy that the rest of us do. That is why this scene brought a grin to my face on first viewing - and still does.

I find Locke desperately looking around for the right plant to be quite amusing, although it is a far cry from the days when he was a mysterious jungleman.


3. Boom



I like this scene for the clever characterisation. The background of Desmond's 'six months explosive ordinance disposal - which as the saying goes is just enough time to learn how to blow yourself up' is great. It allows us to have confidence in his abilities, but not think him an expert. It keeps the character from looking stupid when he fails, whilst also giving him a skill. The rest of the scene is quite bland, really. Exposition hidden behind some cute repetition.


4. They Took Ben to the Chopper




This little piece was largely unimportant, I feel, apart from to ease us in to finding out where Ben had gone since we last saw him. It also sets up the next big Jack-Locke scene fairly well. I can see why it's there in terms of storytelling, but in many ways you can't help but think we might have been better served using the minutes on something else.


5. Kate is Being Chased




I liked this scene in that it changes direction swiftly and successfully a couple of times. First we wonder how Kate comes from being surrounded to being chased, then, as soon as she makes eye contact with Ben we know something's up. When the Others begin attacking we wonder what her role is and how they'll get away, then they do. Keamy is, as ever, one scary bastard.


6. Traditional Finale Badassery



Technically not another scene, but it deserves a category all of its own. I think TPTB responded well to criticisms and praise concerning Sayid last season: we moaned about the lack of him almost continuously, then his great Jack Bauer/Chuck Norris moment in the S3 finale became pretty much legendary. They've given us some solid Sayid all season, and for that I'm grateful.

This was an excellent fight in that it was pure entertainment. Two badasses going head to head like this will always be worth the price of admission. I did think it was a bit lame that Richard Alpert had to in essence rescue Sayid. But then, when Sayid kills someone, they are deader than dead. So he couldn't do it just then.


7. Walt Visits Hurley



You know, I've never been a Walt fan. I liked him well enough, but I was never extremely interested in him. When he was kidnapped it was like 'Oh no!' but I wasn't desperate for him to come back. When he and Michael left, I wasn't one of those people desperately demanding answers about him. And here's the 'but'. Because here, in this scene, I suddenly found myself captivated by Walt's story. The fact that he had gone all that way to see Hurley, that he had been hurt none of the O6 had gone to see him ... it's so different to anyone else's situation, and it's so not what a kid his age should be experiencing. It just made me wonder a lot about Walt's world, about his day to day life, how he's coping etc.


8. Crackers and Claire



More Hurley and Sawyer friendship: it's heartbreaking looking back on it knowing they'll be separated. Hurley's 'Leader Stuff' remark is interesting, because we'll see how things fall apart when Locke and Jack aren't hanging around doing endless 'Leader Stuff' anymore as the episode goes on. Apparently, the Island liked season two! The reminder of Claire being missing was nice because it was that ever important continuity being written for both the characters and plot. Sawyer feels responsible, she's Hurley's friend and we need to be reminded that she went missing.


9. You're Not Supposed to Leave



Another Jack-Locke standoff. It's been a while. I find it interesting that the writers can write what is essentially the same scene over and over again and still make it compelling. There's never movement in these scenes, no more information shared or character progression. It's just Jack and Locke spinning around in their fixed positions. Here, however, we do get some slight shift at the end. When Locke tells Jack 'if you [lie to them] half as well as you do to yourself, then they'll believe you'. Along with this is the mention of Jack attempting to shoot Locke earlier in the season and the fact that he actually puled the trigger; I like that neither the writers nor the characters have forgotten about that moment, because it seems like an important moment in Jack and Locke's shared history. Anyway, at this point it's not just Locke spouting crazy crap anymore; he's really got the measure of Jack and he's secure enough with his place on the island to stop trying and let it go. Jack can see it and it scares him.


10. I'm Pregnant



The first time I saw this scene I felt some shippy vibes between Michael and Sun. I was confused because I thought that plot was long dead (then again, they had an almost-kiss in the mobisodes, which also confused me). On repeat viewing, however, I like this moment because it's not exactly shippy, but it does hark back to that abandoned plot. It feels to me that the writers and characters are both acknowledging something that almost was, that could have been, before they were pulled in another direction. Sun is happy with the direction she went in, Michael, not so much.


11. Daniel Returns




First, I must mention that I adore the 'travelling' music on this show. It's always used on treks, journeys and what have you. I don't know why, but I just think it's perfect.

Here we have the queen of alternate motives facing someone with an alternate motive and being genuine. Poor Dan. Some people have mentioned feeling shippy vibes between these two but I'm not so sure. I think they certainly respect one another as scientists. Back in Something Nice Back Home Juliet said to Dan 'I thought you were a physicist' - I loved Elizabeth Mitchell's delivery of the line; for me it gave a sort of off-screen depth to their relationship. I felt that they had been talking and getting on and this continues here. I hope to see more of them next season in whatever kind of relationship. They're the two best additions to the show's cast bar Ben and I think they should be given much more screen time.


12. Shorty



Here we seem to be setting up Miles staying on the beach next season. It's actually pretty logical to give him scenes with Rose as we know she's a very religious/spiritual person and what with Miles's special skills, there could be a lot of room for plot there. I can't see any other reason for the scene. I mean it's pretty random to fly L. Scott Caldwell out to Hawaii just for that isn't it?


13. Get Back Here



All season I've been referring to Charlotte as a vampire. I've been beginning to warm to her in recent weeks and this just sealed the deal. I still find her slightly unsettling, but very intriguing. A friendly vampire, a Cullen, if you will. Anyway, the remark about getting back from Miles was infuriating as a viewer and such a simple effective way of bringing forward the character in our minds as we go into a nine month hiatus. My first thought was, perhaps naturally, 'Oh my god, Charlotte is Annie!' But then sense prevailed, because Ben surely would have had a hint of recognition when he'd met her. No, I'm firmly in the 'Charlotte is Annie and possibly Ben's daughter' camp. I wish my brain could take enough data to work out what was going on on the island when she was born etc. Is it pre or post purge, for example? Anyways, I've really taken to all four Freighties now. Here's hoping they all stick around for season five.


14. The Orchid Orientation



I liked the other version of the Orchid film better. This was slightly informative, I suppose, and played nicely against what Ben was doing. The Orientation films always feel like a bit of a cheat to me, but they do the job quickly and succinctly so I shouldn't complain really. Confirmation that the Orchid is a time machine, at last. Very exciting. I think 90% of people would do almost anything to get their hands on a time machine. I know I would.


15. I Didn't Kill That One



Please excuse me whilst I take a moment to squee! I love that Sawyer is calling Kate 'Freckles' again. It was just strange when he wasn't. Those two have so much chemistry that it sizzles across a whole bunch of people. I love that not only is Sawyer aware of Kate's dangerous side, but that he revels in it, he finds it attractive. Maybe that's a bad thing to some people, I don't know, what I do know was that I like my heroines more kickass bitch and less Madonna or Whore.

When Kate goes to check on Jack, Sawyer goes all Han Solo/Ron Weasley on us again. I am at the point where interactions between Jack and Kate like that, that go with that response from Sawyer are like the writers begging us to go 'Oh Sawyer you poor fool! You've got it all wrong!' at the screen.


16. The Chopper Leaves



This is a really interesting moment in that, for me at least, it provokes mixed feelings. On the one hand, you sort of get caught up in the happiness and excitement of them leaving - then there's the fact that we know Sawyer isn't off the island. The music teeters between these two perspectives, I feel. Some gorgeous shots of Kualoa Ranch top off the bittersweet feeling of the scene.


17. Keamy is Still Kicking



The beginning of this scene feels to me like some kind of slasher movie. That he appears, after we thought he was dead is chilling. I'm not sure it would have worked with any other character. Keamy/Kevin Durand has made a massive impression on the fandom in a very short space of time. He's scary - you love to hate him. The squelching sound he makes when he walks adds to the fear factor here. When Ben came out and stabbed him I was really shocked - both that the usually cool Ben would go that far, and the level of violence depicted. It was grim. Not surprised at all about the life insurance policy, but an excellent plot device.

Ben's 'so?' gives him the edge back on the scary scales. He makes me crazy in that my opinions on him swing back and forth mutiple times even in a single episode. The most successful character ambiguity I've ever seen. I love that the writers have managed to give him depth but not at the expense of the essence of his character: so many shows humanise their villains/ambiguous characters and then they lose everything we loved about them, (for more info, see: Noah Bennet of Heroes). Ben is a triumph of television in just about every way you can think of.


18. Nothing is Forever



I love Rebecca Mader's delivery of that line, 'nothing's forever'. It's seems so true of so many things in this episode as well as kind of giving us a glimpse of another side to Charlotte here. I don't exactly ship these two, but I don't not ship them either, if that makes any sense. This was a cute little scene. It lends credence to my previously mentioned Charlotte theory, too.

19. Juliet Isn't Leaving but Daniel is.



I don't quite get why Dan is so positive that this trip is definitely the last trip. Also, I think Juliet is smart enough and enough of an experienced liar to know that transparent Dan isn't coming back. I don't get why she doesn't call him on it.

I do think that, tragically, Juliet is never, ever, getting off the island. She is stuck there until she dies, which sadly with these writer's could be any time.


20. More Boom



The endless scenes about wires and freezing batteries bored me a bit, if I'm honest. I like that Jin got to be helpful instead of standing around in this one though. I mean it really seems like an inevitability that the bomb will go off, so these scenes didn't really carry much weight for me.


21. Spectacular, Spectacular



And here it is folks, the kiss that we've been speculating about since March. The Spectacular Kiss. Although we could pretty much work out the plot details from the promo, it certainly did not disappoint. It didn't disappoint me anyway. It's a big moment for my two favourite characters and for my OTP, so do excuse me if I begin to ramble here.

I love the execution of the kiss itself. I love that we're close in on the two of them, nothing intruding, just them kissing. I love the music - Skate always get these gorgeous swells in it when they have their moments; they have their own love theme, which I adore, but which isn't used here strangely. Unless it's a variation? Anyway, just a beautiful kiss. I'll admit it: I cried the first time I watched it. It's beautiful and heartbreaking and epic and everything Skate is.

For each character individually it was a big moment. Let's go with the more overt characterisation in the scene first: Sawyer's. Boy, he's come a long way, hasn't he? From the 'parasite' of the first episodes to this. I love that his decision to jump isn't really about him, but about everyone else on that helicopter. Everyone knows that for the most weight it should be Hurley who jumps, but Sawyer knows that Hurley wants off the island much more than he does, he knows Kate wants off for some inexplicable reason: he cares about everyone on that chopper (well, he at least likes Frank) and it's for them that he jumps. I like this even better than it being simply for Kate; it's not only because of romantic love that Sawyer is a changed man, but because of platonic love too. In this moment Kate is his Leia, Hurley his Chewy, Jack his Lando and ... uh well I guess that makes Sayid and Frank R2-D2 and C3PO. Maybe that analogy doesn't work as well as I thought! In any case, Sawyer's leaving with the possibility of death high and survival doesn't exactly involve a nice little house in the Others' Village anymore. One might think that now he's made this sacrifice, that he's high on the list for death. No way, no how. He's been separated from the woman he loves now, a reunion has to come about before that can happen. Hurley has to be able to thank him. He needs to meet Jack again; they're two sides of the same coin and it's one that's always spinning.

Meanwhile, this is a big moment for Kate's character too, in many ways. Someone else, someone who is not obligated towards her in any way, has sacrificed their chance at freedom and home for her, because they love her. This is what she needed from so many people throughout her life - most notably her mother - and never got. I think that this kind of sacrifice is a lot of the reason as to why she is forcing herself to live the life she does in the future: she's trying to make it because Sawyer didn't. People were lost so she and the others could get away and she needs to be grateful for that, to live her life as best she can, but as ever, the Island won't let go and neither will the memories.


21. Sayid Busts Hurley Out



Who is it that Sayid wants to hide Hurley from here? Widmore? Or something even darker? It's unclear. What's becoming clear is that each of the O6 feels threatened and boxed in. I like that Sayid comes for Hurley, though it makes me sad that they apparently haven't seen one another in a long time (presumably since Sayid started working for Ben and Hurley came to Santa Rosa). The fact that the two of them are so desperate not to go back, even with the current state of affairs, makes me wonder what 'Jeremy Bentham' told them had happened since they left.

Nice Mr. Eko reference too. I wonder who else hangs out with Hurley? Libby, perhaps?


22. We'll Go Back For Him



The look of guilt on Jack's face when Frank suggests someone else jumps. Ouch. Kate looks ... devastated but at the same time slightly unreadable. We could interpret her look towards Jack as guilty, accusing, or just pained. Oh the Katefaces. Anyway, I think she knows Jack is making an empty promise here, hell, I think Jack knows it. It's beginning to dawn on them that there's no going back. There's no point any of them going in the first place with all the people who are planning to go back to get other people. It's empty.


23. Keamy Dies



What I find most intriguing about this scene is that Locke cares about the fates of the other Losties despite their leaving the Island. He's generally very self-centred, so it was nice to see this. I didn't find Keamy's dying warning very eye opening, because we pretty much got that from the end of The Shape of Things to Come.


24. The Light Turns Red



It annoyed me that Michael didn't insist Jin go right then and there. It's difficult: each of those three have people to live for. But Jin should have left right then - his priority should have been getting Sun off the boat ASAP.


25. Did he Say 'Bomb'?



What a catch-22! Drown or explode! The tension here is finally upped with the bomb plot: we're probably thinking Michael, Jin and Desmond will be caught up somehow, but now maybe this lot will too, which begins to pose the questions of how they get away, etc. When they do land though, I love the way they work together. I don't know, I found it cute to see them all being a team without (much) argument.


26. Friendship Restored



This was really poignant and one of the main reasons we needed Michael back, I think. These two needed to do their think, to work together one last time. Like Hurley and Charlie, their friendship was always a strong part of the show for me, and their moment here was needed to put a lid on that story. However, it sealed Michael's fate once and for all. Not that we didn't suspect already.


27. Christian Appears



So I suppose that Christian is acting as an envoy of Jacob here, to let Michael know the job is done? It's interesting because Christian means nothing to Michael personally. It just aggravates me, because I do not get how they're going to explain it at all!


28. The Freighter Explodes



Some people have been saying the CGI wasn't very good, but I thought this scene was fine. There was one point in the entire episode where shitty CGI took me out of the moment, but we'll get to that later.

What I did wonder, is why no one but the Losties attempt to get on the helicopter. There's Desmond shouting 'bomb!' and none of these people are mobbing the thing when it lands? I didn't find that to be believable at all.


29. Sun's Grief



You know what I do find believeable? This. I've watched the episode twice through and I'm looking through refreshing my memory at certain points as I'm writing. Sun's reaction here has really got to me each time. The first two times I cried, and on this viewing it was still difficult to watch and gave me goosebumps. Yunjin Kim just knocks it out of the park, she just lets rip. What I really like about it, is that Jack quietens her with his announcement that 'he's gone', and you think he's sort of snapped her out of the blind desperation, then she just lets go again. It's horrible, but it's brilliant and honest. I've had problems with death and reactions to death as portrayed on this show (I mean, Harry Potter is better at it. Freaking Torchwood is better at it. Okay once it was.) but this might have redeemed it for me. I hope Yunjin submits this and not Ji Yeon for her Emmy submission tape. She deserves some recognition.


30. International Badass



There are a few things I love about this scene: it brings back happy memories, because I was on Yunjin and Michael's flight from Honolulu to Heathrow for filming. And no, I don't feel like dropping that yet :)

I love that they're actually filming in London. They do a great job of creating an atmosphere using Oahu alone, but it always takes me out of it when they try to recreate Britain because the niggly things get to me. It's no doubt the same for people living in other locations they recreate that are totally believable to the rest of us.

I love that Widmore apparently just had a business meeting in a bakery. Nice. At least it has a view!

Mostly, I love that Sun is taking the initiative here and being completely badass. Looks like she's out for revenge. It's difficult to know whether or not she's going to be a villain or antagonist of sorts when we can't know who to side with. There are reasons to be on team Linus, there are reasons to be on team Widmore. It's like choosing between David Cameron and Gordon Brown: they're both shady arseholes who will screw you over the first chance they get. May as well choose which colour you prefer! Anyway, suffice to say, they have me intrigued.


31. They Sure Have a Lot of Stools in the Orchid



Seriously, the amount of metal stuff Ben was managing to find made me Lol. I thought that putting the metal stuff in there and turning it on would be the thing that moved the island. *facepalm* Of course, of course, it's not that easy.


32. My Kind of Party



Juliet with rum, Sawyer shirtess and wet? That is really my kind of party!

Joking aside though, this scene really did a lot for me. It said so much with so little effort. The fact that Sawyer makes light of his swimming to shore, that he doesn't explain or ask for anything from Juliet for his heroics shows just how far he's come. It's a big deal to him, of course, but he doesn't need to shout about how many people he just saved. Subtle acting from Elizabeth here, and then the realistation that Juiet has come to a point now where all there is left to do is drink rum and wallow. There's no hope left. Sawyer's face when he sees that smoke is heartbreaking: Kate is gone, he didn't help her, he only saved himself.

33. Ben Leaves Locke




Another scene that's a mark of how far we've come. Ben and Locke are joined at the hip and it's sort of sad to see them separated. As soon as he put on that coat I knew he'd be en route to the Sahara desert. Great acting here, as usual. Great music too. The last line ('You'll find your way, John, you always do.') really gets me for some reason!

34. Welcome Home




So bittersweet. This is everything Locke has dreamed of, but it has come at such a price. And more than that, it seems like it's all going to go terribly terribly wrong. I'm looking forward to seeing how Locke deals with leadership without Ben, and whether any new characters emerge from this group (he can't just talk to Richard all of the time, surely?)


35. Frozen Donkey Wheel





I was like 'this is weird' until I saw the wheel. As I understand it, a lot of people thought this was lame. But I saw it and laughed, I couldn't believe it! Darlton are evil! They literally told us what the scene was. Good work guys! Ben was clearly devastated to be leaving the island, but judging by The Shape of Things to Come, he gets over it pretty fast. My theory? The last person to move the island was Widmore.


36. The Island Disappears



This scene was interesting in that I think it showed us that Daniel moved with the island: he was caught up in the light, like Juliet and Sawyer, rather than simply seeing it like those on the chopper. The pulse and then it's gone is absolutely crazy. Imagine seeing that. Clearly those who do just can't believe their eyes at first.


37. The Chopper Goes Down



The looks on all of their faces scream 'I could do without another crash, to be honest'. Everything they've gone through, all the people they've lost and at this point, it's all for nothing. They'll all die in the middle of the ocean. Of course we know they won't, but it's terrible all the same.


38. We're Alive






This was the one moment where I thought the CGI looked off. It just looked so green screened! The 'We're alive' was very well delivered by Matthew Fox though, the simple phrased was so layered. He looked sorta chubby though. I would have had to do a shot, were I playing Jackface.


39. Kate's Nightmare



I love how, even years after that kind of life is over for her, Kate is way too comfortable with a gun. Also, I was quite distracted by the boobs all over the place whilst she was running, so at least she was real and neglected to wear a bra for the scene. Claire's warning here was chilling and confusing. Is this Kate reassuring herself that she should have Aaron in L.A? Is it Claire actually appearing to her? The backwards talking in the call told her to come back or something similar. It's very conflicting. Seeing Kate apologise to Aaron was very moving; she really does love that little boy. It's such a far cry from the woman she was in her I Do FB.

40. Rescue Looms






First, this was tense, because it's really a repeat of the moment in the S1 finale when the Others come. That light shining on them, celebration, then devastation. But our Losties know better by now so it doesn't even get to celebration. Still, when Jack starts talking about lying I sort of space out because we already know the lies they tell and from Locke why they need to tell them - it's unnecessarily exposition at this point, I feel. Also, as soon as I heard Portuguese I was like 'PENNY!'


41. Spectacular Redux



I know some sectors of fandom will be saying that this was the spectacular kiss that Darlton were hyping, but all evidence points to the contrary. However, this was a fantastic moment. And again, I cried. As you may have noticed, I cry easily at TV, especially when it's a finale and I won't be seeing these guys for months. But yes, this is the moment that has been being built since two seasons ago when we met Penny. It was spectacular for fans of the show. I hold it on a level with the Skate kiss. But the fact is that it was Sawyer and Kate that the writers were hyping, without a word about Jack and Kate in episode ten (hardly a prime position). With Desmond and Penny reunited, Kate and Sawyer have now been handed the torch of the tragically separated couple.


42. One Week Later



As a Lost fan, seeing the words 'One Week Later' was a weird feeling. One week? That's practically a whole season! Of course, nothing remarkable must have happened on that boat, but I'm sure a myriad of fics will be born of that one missing week. Jack/Kate, Jack/Sayid, Sun/Kate, Jack/Sun and Sayid/Kate are all moderately popular ships that can be explored in that week. I don't know. It was just very odd. But then it was a means of filling in the gaps for us with the lies of the O6. The lengths they went to to protect their friends and the island is admirable. And that shirt looks damn hot on Sayid. Des going on about how he'll be okay as long as he has Penny worries me, given we know that Ben is after her in the future. I don't see things ending happily for those two anymore. I used to think they were the only shoe in, now I think it's strangely Sawyer and Kate who are in the happy ending slot (but only for now). I don't say that because they're my OTP: I ship based on chemistry and possibilities, not on who I think will end up together (see: Draco/Ginny, Luna/Dean and Kara/Sam). Though I think Skate is the 'winning' side of the triangle. I didn't think it was when I started shipping them.

Anyway, as they reach the island in this scene I find Kate looking out at the ocean, as well as her walking with Sayid and Sun to be beautiful. I probably say this because Kate, Sayid and Sun (along with Sawyer) are probably joint as my favourite characters. Well, I love them all in different ways. Yes, even Jack. It wouldn't be Lost without Jack. If there's one thing this episode taught me it's that the writers are better at hooking you, getting you invested in these characters, than you might think. I'm probably over invested, because I feel more for them than I should.

43. Ben and Jack Chat






Matthew Fox and Michael Emerson both play a blinder in this scene. ME is never really off his game, but MF? He's more believable as a drug addict here than I thought he was in Through the Looking Glass (although, again, a cracking performance). They both really sold it. So many questions. The fact that it has gone tits up since the O6 left makes me wonder what on earth has happened that's worse than everything that has happened so far. It makes me worry for the characters I care about who are back there. Sawyer and Juliet mainly. When Ben says that he can help Jack with Kate I think it must be in reference to him being able to manipulate her using Sawyer, Claire or both. But who knows what that crazy bastard has up his sleeve? One thing is for sure, he's not going to be helping the O6 and co out of the kindness of his heart.


44. Locke is in the Coffin



I was so shocked I screamed.  Everyone in my house would have wondered what on earth was going on had I not warned them I was watching the Lost finale and they should not disturb me under any circumstances.  Locke is the person I thought would never leave the island ever.  It really must be dire back there.  He looks odd though: not scarred and wrinkly enough.  Do dead people just look like that?  I've never seen one.  In any case, I don't think this is the end of John Locke.  Not even in a 'we've got to see how they get to this point' sort of a way.  There's no way Locke is remaining dead.  Maybe there was too John Lockes in the way that there was two Number 8 bunnies in the original Orchid video.  (Was it number 8?  I forget.)

I was convinced it was Desmond in the coffin because I'd heard a rumour that he was on the set when it was filmed.  Turns out it was true - so was Josh Holloway.  Fan sites would have exploded if that had leaked.  Anyway, it was Locke and looking back it made sense.  I only wonder where we go from here.  It's going to be a long wait wondering.

----

After spending the best part of this evening and yesterday evening writing this, I'm finishing without any kind of overall conclusion, but needless to say, I loved the episode.  I'm a little tipsy though, at this point, so I'm afraid I can't be more eloquent than that.  Please let me know where you agree or disagree with me, or tell me where your theories contradict with mine.  If you think this tl;dr way of reviewing is stupid, also let me know and I will go back to the short but sweet bullet points :)