Lost's finale

Unlike 24's, this season finale was very good. I really enjoy Lost and I totally disagree with what some fans are saying that it has lost its mojo. I think it's as good and cool as ever, and since an end date for the show has now been set, things are really looking up from here on.

*** SPOILERS ALERT!! ***

The finale gave us new mysteries:

• Who's the man in the coffin?
• Walt is back. Is he really there? Is Locke imagining him? What's the deal with him?
• If that's NOT PEGGY'S BOAT, then whose is it? Who is out there?
• Since scraggy-bearded Jack was clearly set in the future, what's with his reference to going to get his father to see who's drunker?? Was he so high he didn't remember his father is dead or is he still alive? But Jack was in Sydney to take his coffin home, so he's got to be dead.
  
• Juliette kisses Jack (to Kate's dismay and disappointment -- hey girl, you had your chance and blew it, you've got only yourself to blame...) Has she really betrayed Ben and the Others or is she just looking out for herself, sucking up to the leader to use him as a shield?
• Kate refers to a guy who won't be happy if he finds out where she is. Is she referring to Sawyer? Do they hook up after they leave the island?
• What happens to the Others when the castaways are rescued off the island?
  

... and some revelations:

• Jack and Kate do make it off the island, eventually, and at least Kate seems happy.
• The castaways aren't dreaming, aren't in limbo, or anything like that. They are really marooned on an island nobody seems to be able to find.

There were also a couple things that made my critical eye look up to the sky:

• Why does Charlie stupidly lock himself inside the chamber when he realizes that the Russian guy is about to blow it up? Why not step outside and then lock it? Unless the door couldn't be locked from the outside...
• ... or, more importantly, how could the Russian dude still be alive?! Man, the guy's indestructible! (My guess is that, since Desmond told Charlie that he saw Claire and Aaron get on a helicopter only if he dies, he feels like he needs to die for them to be rescued. And so he makes the ultimate sacrifice. Let's see if Desmond tells Claire the truth... Man is she gonna hate him!!)
  
• How did Penelope contact the Looking Glass station the very second its jamming apparatus is turned off? Is she spending her days next to the video phone?
• Jack's antics in the hospital were a little over the top. I think that even the woman he rescued from sure death in the car would have said "Thank you, but no thank you" to his insistence to operate on her while clearly totally drugged up.
• Bernard sure didn't think too much before giving his friends' position away as soon as a problem arose. I mean, his wife is there too, and if the Others find them, after what you just did to them, they're surely going to kill them, unless they are needed for something creepier...
• How on earth is Locke still alive? How has he not bled to death? Ok, I get it, he's special and the island has exceptional healing powers, but still, c'mon.
• And what's the deal with Walt? He seems to show up every time there's a dead end in the storyline to re-jump start it. He's like a get out of jail free card. Whatever.
• Damn, Hurley's van is quiet! His entrance goes totally unnoticed until it's way too late for the bad guys to react.
• As soon as Ben asks Jack for his radio back I thought, "Don't do it, he's gonna tell his men to do something unless you do what he asks, and you'll be screwed," and sure enough... How come Jack didn't see that coming?
  

I'm sure I'm forgetting something important here (I can't wait to see what happens to Ben and his pals when the rescue team arrives) but that's the gist, and it was a really good season finale.

Now we'll have to wait till February 2008 for the next set of mysteries, questions, and answers...

I can't wait.