sheryden | LOST--Jughead (Spoilers)

NOTE: My quotes might be a little off, because the car dealership next door has an alarm going off, and I can't think straight.

Desmond, Penny, and Charlie: Okay, first of all, I guess that explain the whole "Penny giving birth clips" we saw last week. Their son is adorable, but I question the fact that they named him Charlie after all they've been through with Widmore. I mean, Penny doesn't speak highly of her dad, so why give her son a name that would remind her of him? (And yes, I know they named him after Charlie Charlie, but it's still the same name.) In any case, it was good to see some focus on Des and Penny. I love them together but am expecting something horrible to happen to tear them apart. I like the little bit where Des was telling Charlie Scotland and England.

Des and Daniel: The little Desmond/Daniel shipper in me liked seeing Desmond find out little bits about Daniel's past, even if those bits were problematic. Obviously, Des isn't going to let this go, and it's going to turn out badly for him. But all of that aside, I think the Des/Daniel dynamic is quite attractive.

Daniel and Charlotte: Now that we're learning a little more about Daniel, he's becoming a dynamic character and everyone associated with him is way more interesting. Granted, Charlotte isn't my favorite character. But I do feel something for her now, and that's an improvement from last season. It would be a shame if they knocked her off before we really got to see substantial interaction between her and Daniel. As for Daniel and his somewhat sketchy past... There was a hint of regret in his voice as he was walking to the bomb, so I still think he's ultimately a good guy, even if he did make a horrible mistake somewhere along the way.

Daniel and Sawyer: Daniel, you Little Black Dress. How much did I love Sawyer's declaration to Juliet and John that Daniel was "the guy who's really going to save us" and that he's going to "save the little geek." Yes, in Sawyer's world, that's affection. :D I really do look forward to seeing more of their interaction. They're different enough to make things interesting, and as Daniel's backstory comes out, his past mistakes are sure to make the dynamic even more complex.

Sawyer and Juliet: I'm liking this dynamic, too. I didn't care much for Juliet last season, but you know what? Take her away from Jack the Emo Doctor, and she's suddenly pretty damn interesting. She's definitely more compatible with characters like Sawyer, Daniel, and Locke than she ever was with Jack and Kate.

Miles: His abilities are intriguing, and I'm looking forward to more backstory here. And of course the whole "is he Marvin Candle's son" speculation also adds to his appeal. My friend Rob swears he's a bad guy--of course, he also thinks Sawyer is a bad guy--but I'm not so sure. I think he's an opportunist, to be sure. But at the same time, I think he's just as baffled by the goings-on here as everyone else.

Charles Widmore: I think most people I talked to who had seen the episode suspected that the young gun-happy Other was Charles Widmore. Still, knowing it for sure opens the door for some tantalizing speculation. It's nice to see that Widmore still cares enough about Penny to try and warn Desmond away from the "game" he and Ben are playing.

Richard: He's getting more and more interesting. I'm still guessing that he came to the island on the Black Rock. Maybe not, but I've suspected that for a while. We didn't really get much new information about him from Juliet, but her reaction while she was telling Sawyer about him was telling. I'm kind of interested as to who the "leader" was in the 50s. It didn't seem like Widmore, given the way Richard responded to him, as well as his general behavior--too hot-headed and...green. Perhaps the island goes without leaders for periods of time.

The Others: I liked the little bit about Latin being a required language. Interesting... Also, I can kind of feel for the Others, given the fact that the military trespassed on their property and brought a big-ass bomb into their backyard. I'd like to watch the episode again and see what other little tidbits were there that I missed.

Locke: When Locke refused to shoot Widmore, I SO knew it was because he recognized the kid as one of his people. He's really taking his responsibilities as the leader of the Others seriously.