First off, let me say that last night's "Previously on LOST" clip montage was one of the best they've done. <---- you know you're a geek when...

Wow! Did season 2 even happen? Season 1 was brilliant. Season 2 was excellent, but there were some things missing from a lot of the episodes. Season 3 is shaping up to be just as good as season 1, if not more so. I am really impressed with the direction the show is going, and can't wait to see what's in store.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, so goes Locke/Desmond/Eko, so goes the show. Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and the rest of the Losties are great, but I live for Locke and Eko's episodes. They're always steeped in strong island mythology, which is the main reason why I watch the show.

If there's one thing season 2 lacked, it was a strong and mystical Locke. Season 1 really set up Locke to be this seemingly all knowing and all seeing character. The whole Hatch storyline seemed to put leg shackles on Mr. Locke. By keeping him in that Hatch all day, you basically deprived Locke of his purpose.

But now with the Hatch being blown, and with Kate, Sawyer, and Jack being held captive, Locke is out to make right everything that he's messed up. And if we thought he believed in the power of the island before, he's out full bore in season 3. He seems to have finally (re)found his calling.

That speech he gave at the end was pretty brilliant. Not only do we have the old Locke back, we have a new devoted Locke. Can we doubt that Locke is the Losties' greatest hope at survival?

The airport scene was brilliant. It's hard to pull off a good "trippy sequence," yet I thought that the LOST writers and directors managed to film one of the best I've seen. It was very creative. I loved seeing Jack, Sawyer, and Kate get "wanded" by Benry. Good stuff.

There were a lot of great moments in last night's episode. I'm not sure where they're going with this, but I really dig that Desmond has some new found psychic capabilities. We know that he can see into the future, but how far can he look? Are his psychic powers limited to looking into the future, or does he also have telekinetic or mind reading powers? Can't wait to find out.

I love it when Hurley and Charlie are on screen together. They are truly the R2D2 and C3PO of the show. Which coincidentally, is another great aspect of LOST in general. Anytime you see Locke and Charlie do anything together, I always have the feeling that we're seeing what it'd be like if R2 were to ever go along with Yoda or Ben Kenobi on one of their missions. Charlie/R2 seem so inconsequential when they're with Locke/Jedi, that it's really interesting that they even let them tag along in the first place.

It's great to have Hurley back. If there's one thing Hurley brings to the show, it's his sarcastic reading into the more absurd aspects of the show, ie. him asking Desmond if surviving the Hatch explosion is going to turn Desmond into "the Incredible Hulk." I love that as great as the show is, there's a certain amount of cynicism that has to exist or else the show would take itself way too seriously.

I also LOVE that season 3 is exploring new locales on the island. I love the whole mythology of the island, and love it when they move away from "the caves," "the beach," or "the hatch." So far this season, we've seen the island from a boat, we've seen where the Others live, and now a Polar Bear cave.

It also seems like they've ramped up the character archetypes. Each of the actors on the show seems to have really stepped into their roles, thanks in some large part to the writing so far. It's been really strong. I hope they're all able to keep it up.

So yeah, I have to say that last night's episode is one of my favorites of the series. I can't wait to see what's in store. If the "next time on LOST" is any indication, apparently, we're in for a helluva lot.