Recap: 316 *UPDATED*

That was another "Where do I begin?" episode. If seasons 1–4 were nothing but question upon new question, then season 5 is the season of answers. As per usual, I will try and recall all I can at 11:46 p.m.

Back to the Beginning
Opening scene with Jack waking up in the jungle was great. So similar to the very first scene of the entire series. Admit it, we were all waiting for him to run to the shore and discover the plane wreckage once again. This reminds me, I'm definitely waiting for an "oh, duh!" moment where we discover that one of the scenes from the past actually contained an instance of a character from the future.

Hawking Brings It
Eloise Hawking is a fountain of information! It was interesting to learn of the various magnetic power sources, and that the island was the one "they" wanted to be near. Also, how it's always moving through time (even in scenes before we all suspected time travel) and has small windows through which to enter. This (like many other things) points to the idea that all these incredible coincidences and connections were actually carefully woven together with the aid of time travel. I wonder now if Penelope had some contact with her… is that how Pen was able to find the island's location with her team in Antarctica?

The Amazing Disappearing Littletons
Where is Aaron? I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Much like his biological mum, young Aaron is now M.I.A. What did Kate do with him? Did she listen to dream Claire and ensure he stayed off the island? If so, did she give him up? Perhaps in a fit of guilt she spilled the beans to Claire's mom, and delivered Aaron to his rightful grandmother.

316
I'm not sure where the episode gets it title, but they used Biblical illustration rather liberally. Perhaps 316 was indeed a tie to John 3:16 and the idea of self-sacrifice to save others. I won't get my hopes too high for a secular show, but I do love the integration. Ben's mysterious Catholic practices followed by a exposition of Thomas was interesting to say the least. Hopefully they don't blur the lines of the real belief in Jesus Christ with a generic, mushy, Disneyland sort of "believe". I do appreciate the telling of Bible stories on prime time television. It appears they're placing the symbolism of Jesus on John Locke and of Thomas, his famously doubting disciple, on Jack. Next week's episode, "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" should disclose more on the topic. To further their symbolism of Locke, when you look at his life, he certainly does evoke extraordinary sympathy for having endured much undeserved suffering.
*UPDATE* Nate just tipped me off that it was flight 316 Ajira Airways that got them back to the island. I totally missed that (I didn't see it on the lostpedia page either).

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Natalee theorized that all of the Oceanic 6 were perhaps playing the parts of each other and other, now unavailable passengers. Hurley + Guitar = Charlie, Sayid + Handcuffed to a Marshall = Kate, Kate + Queasy Morning Sickness = Prego Claire, Ben + Broken Body = John Locke, etc. I can see some of it, though I find it really hard to understand. Who are they fooling with these stand-ins? Time? Natalee also furthered, what if the ghosts we've seen want to steal their bodies!? With all the joking Darlton has made about a Zombie season, wouldn't it be just like them to actually have deposited some truth in all those jokes?

No Crash on the Last Splash
How did they get to the island? Some of them had clear memories of Oceanic 815 going down, but it looks like Ajira left no recollection of the crash. Just a flash and bam, they're on the island. What gives?!

The Letter
I LOVE the writers. Darlton actually wrote this episode and I want to give them a round of applause, for a specific reason: That Jack read the letter before the end of the episode. It was tearing me up inside whenever Jack deemed the letter an unecessary read. We could all only imagine what imperitive information Locke would've implanted in it. How could he not read it? When it showed up after he tried to seal it up with Locke, I was flipping. Ok, so maybe it didn't contain some amazing instructions from the future, but at least he read it. Most shows would've dragged the unopened letter on for seasons, possibly ending with it finally being opened to reveal directions that would've changed everything, had it been opened when intended. Sidenote: The letter also furthers the Jesus/Thomas symbolism.

Advice for Kate
Hey, don't get me wrong, I love Kate, but please, keep it in your pants. Seriously. Can we pick one and stick with him? We're all losing respect.

Groovy
So it looks like the 1970's could be our final destination for season 5. We know that's where the Oceanic 6 landed, thanks to Jin VW bus drive-by. This furthers the idea that this particular flash is an extended stay, which we knew when we saw Faraday infiltrating the Dharma initiative's mining crew, and when Charlotte said that he found her as a child to warn her. Jin was grooving to who I can only imagine was the fictitious Geronimo Jackson (mentioned multiple times throughout the series) who must have a greater importance than we knew.

OK, more tomorrow. I exhausted!