The Substitute

Favorite Moments
I really, really liked this episode so just the fact of having an episode to get excited about was my favorite moment, but there were a few others that were particularly enjoyable.

Sawyer is back!!! Not sappy, crying James, but drunk, angry, sarcastic Sawyer. Yeah! And he called Smokey-Locke on the carpet instantly to boot.

Helen! Yeah!

Richard dropping out of the tree, and Richard being all frantic and scared when he meets up with Sawyer. Very funny.

Hurley as the smooth businessman.

"I guess I better put some pants on."

"This is the weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to." I love Lapidus.

WTF Moments
Only one: WTF was on Sawyer's underpants? Eewwww!

In my feeble opinion...
Smokey-Locke is not recruiting people to fight, he is recruiting his replacement. He cannot leave until he finds someone to take his place. Thus, he is conning the con-man into being his replacement.

Sawyer is conning Smokey-Locke and just letting him think he is going to join him.

Of course, these theories will probably be blown out of the water next week or in the near future.

This means something...maybe
Smokey-Locke does not drink the whisky.

Random Thoughts
Alterna-timeline Locke's dad did not push him out of the window.

In this timeline, Locke has no faith and does not believe in miracles or destiny while Jack had faith that "nothing is irreversible."

In our parallel universe...
The airlines would have delivered Christian's body to Locke.

Waxing Philosophical
I am rewatching Season 2 as I walk on my treadmill (thus it is taking me a long time). In a commentary by Darlton, they mention that every time we see the smoke monster, we get a little bit more information about it. For instance, the first time we just heard it, then we saw it, then we saw flashes in it, etc.. Now, in this last season, we have seen things from its perspective. Seems we have come full circle as far as the smoke monster is concerned. Kind of cool, but makes me kind of sad that we really are coming to the end of the series.