Great Episode with lots of yummy answers...
Jack sews up Kate's gunshot wound mirroring how she sewed him up in the pilot episode. They both easily agree that FLocke has to die.
Miles, Ben, and Richard finally reappear at the barracks to get some C4. Miles: "I lived here 30 years ago, otherwise known as last week." 
In the secret room, next to the secreter room, we pick up some C4. Widmore and Zoe waltz in. Awkward. Jacob invited him back, hmmm. Flocke's coming. Miles runs. Wid and Zoe hide. Richard and Ben meet him head on. Doesn't work out so well for Richard. I hope he's not dead. Ben rats out Widmore, no problem.
Zoe is dispatched quickly. Widmore talks and Ben takes his revenge. Bye bye Widmore.
Kiddo Jacob steals the ashes from Hurley and we have a nice fireside chat with our demi-god.
Jacob brought them to the island to fix the smokey mistake. They were flawed like him. Needs someone to take his place. Kate can still have the job even though she became a mom. Jack steps up. No surprise there. I have a feeling he might not have the job for very long though. Seems too easy.
Jack drinks the water and now he's like Jacob. He can now find the light which is near the bamboo field where he woke up after he crashed.
Ben and Flocke head to the well. Desmond is gone. Flocke doesn't mind. Did him a favor. Who let him go? Mirrors the down the hatch from the end of season 1. I remember that was so cool and seems so long ago. Sniff.
What is up with this cut on Jack's neck. I have a feeling this is going to happen on the island in the finale. (another reason I don't think Jack will have the job long).
Gather round the Super Bran. Wait...Christian's been found but Des is faking him out, Why?
Oh crap, Des is going to run down poor Mr. Locke AGAIN. Ben butts in and gets the snot kicked out of him. Nice to see an old Ben beat down. FLASHES. Tells Mr. Locke, Des didn't want to hurt him just to get him to let go. Locke stops calling the police... and we see Des turn his smiling self in to Det. Ford. Who's next to him in the lock up? Sayid and Kate. Nice.
Alex insists on giving "Napolean" Ben a ride home and dinner! It's a sane Roussau! She insists on dinner even if she has to "kidnap him." HAH! Ben's a father figure to Alex. Sniff. Crazy scene. I liked it.
John comes to Jack's office to get the surgery! YAY YAY YAY! Fate or coincidence? I believe Mr. Eko said that line too. 
Off to county, Des lets Sayid and Kate in on the escape deal. Ya right.
Ana Lucia has no morals and they're set free with a monetary donation from Hurley. Kate and Des are off to the Concert and Hurley/Sayid?? Hurley seems to be fully aware now and everyone appears to be meeting up at the concert.
Up Next: The End. 2.5 hours of Lost greatness!
Jack saves John and says he's a "candidate" for a new spinal surgery. Fix him! Please Jack. I really want to see that, but John's not up for it. So Jack does some digging.
Dr. Bernard the dentist KNOWS something. He did some surgery on John after his first accident but won't tell. Gives Jack Anthony Cooper's name as a clue. Kids about flirting with his wife Rose on Oceanic 815. Crazy...
Anthony Cooper is... Wow.
Locke mumbles island stuff. Very cool. Locke got his pilot's license and was in a plane crash! Woah... feels guilty for hurting his father and won't "let go" as Jack advises. Still won't get the surgery. Jack: "I wish you'd believe me." John's suicide note to Jack. GREAT scene.
Somewhere in there Jack and Claire open the "Catch a falling Star" music box and talk some more about Oceanic 815. Come on Jack, put it together.
Our castaways are thrown in the old polar bear cages. 
Sun and Jin have a much better reunion scene than last episode. Argh, they're going to bite it aren't they? Smokey and Jack break them out.
Locke breaks some necks and grabs a watch, what? C4 is rigged to blow on Ajira. Hmm... Oh, let's take the Sub instead! Kate's shot, Locke goes in the drink, Claire's left again, and...
Crap. There's a bomb. That crafty smokey. Jack lets them know nothing's going to happen and I believe him, but Sawyer doesn't... and Sayid takes one for the team, but not without letting Jack know about well-dwelling Desmond. Sayid: "It's going to be you, Jack." Sun's trapped behind the sub debris... garh. Jin chooses her.
Ya, I totally bawled. Darn you, Michael Giacchino, with your emotional score! 
Then I bawled some more when the losties cried.
Up next: Across the Sea. Another mythology filled episode. Yeah!
Set up episode. Kind of blah for me.
Locke and Ben head to Jack's hospital. I think Locke had his island download. Sun recognizes him. Sun is ok, so is the baby.
Sawyer and Kate have a moment. Sawyer and Miles capture Sayid.
Desmond creeps me out but apparently not Claire and leads her to Ilana.
Ilana the lawyer introduces Claire to her brother Jack at the reading of his will. He's shocked but interrupted by..
Locke and his spine. I really hope he fixes him completely. SOMETHING good has to happen for poor Locke.
Zoe shows off Widmore's firepower. MIB's not impressed.
Des ekes out a little of the old Sayid. He didn't kill him.
Finally, Sun and Jin get their all too short moment. Who else thought the sonic fence was going to ruin everything? Guns up, guns down. Who cares? More of the same.
Claire followed the others when they broke off from Locke. None too happy about being left behind, again. Understandable. Kate steps up. Good for her.
Jack is still a man of faith and Sawyer just wants off the island. Jump Jack.
Jack stumbles into Locke's group, gets blown heavenward. He's apparently with Locke now. So was Jack the last recruit?
Up next: The Candidate
Hurley leaves a RED flower at Libby's grave on Boone Hill. Plan Blowup Ajira is still in effect. Whispers...Michael appears, the plan will kill lots of people, no good. Oh, and the whispers are people who can't move on and are stuck on the island. A big reveal but it felt kind of forced, like FINE fans, we'll give you an answer. Here you go.
Ilana explodes! Did not see that coming even though she was flinging the crusty dynamite all around. But you know we still need more dynamite...
So Hurley blows up the Black Rock. Wow. Nice. Team Hugo heads for Locke's camp. Oooo Locke and Jack... together again.
Sayid tied Desmond to a tree. Thinks Locke is Locke, or does he? Des seems very all-knowing and not afraid in the least. He also can see...
Kid-Jacob a little older than last time... Pesky kids. Locke leads him to a well and then something I totally saw coming...
Down the rabbit hole Alice. But MIB can't kill them so he's not dead just maybe hidden out of reach of Widmore in his RED shirt.
Hugo is up for Man of the Year. (This is Jorge's real dog, Nunu. Too cute).
Dr. Pierre Chang doled out the nifty dino decor. RED tie anyone. Mama Reyes set up a blind date at Spanish Johnny's and it's LIBBY! Well, not really but, she somehow knows him however is currently staying at...
Santa Rosa. Bummer for Hugo.
Hugo drowns his sorrow in a family size bucket of Mr. Cluck's chicken (RED RED RED). Desmond takes over the Jacob role and gives Hugo a little nudge and then picks up order 42 (one of the numbers).
After a little greasing of the Santa Rosa doctor with a 100 k donation, he gets in to see Libby.
RED beats black at Connect Four! He wants to know how she knows him. Plane crash... island. He still doesn't remember but commends her honesty for telling him about Bizzaro world. ;) A little awkwardness later and he has himself the picnic date they were always going to have before you know... Michael murdered her.
They kiss and BAM island memories for Hurley (in a REDdish tone). Woah. Des watches from afar satisfied.
Desmond is checking out a school, but really watching Locke.
And runs him over with his Car! Yikes, is this to get his island memories a-jogging? Too bad he couldn't fall in love like Hugo and Faraday. I'd choose that route.
A classic lying on the back scene (after the crash, in the Dharma Pit, after his fall....) RED blood... Ben is there to save the day. I have a feeling we're going to Jack Shephard's hospital. Hey! Sun and Jin should be there too. Maybe Claire's having her baby. It's a reunion of people we don't know!
So what is with all the RED... I thought we were a Black and White kind of show. Why didn't Hugo have a mirror moment like everyone else?
Up next: The Last Recruit (no character focus)
Next week: No new Lost. :( They will be repeating Ab Aeterno, Richard's episode.
Richard's Backstory!!! And it did not disappoint!
Richard apparently has no clue what's going on with Jacob and "the Candidates" and boy is he frustrated!
A long.... flashback to the island...
Wait, it's the Canary Islands and it's 1867! Richard's wife Isabella is sick and needs help.
He takes all his money and her cross to the doctor but he's too lazy to go out now. He has medicine but Richard doesn't have enough. He gets frustrated ( I see a theme) and accidentally kills the doctor ( much like Desmond accidentally killed his button pushing partner, Kelvin, by a push and whack on the head). He gets the medicine and flees.
Isabella, unfortunately, dies anyway. Richard gets arrested and asks for absolution. The priest however, say NO. What? What a jerk. He does get him sold to Magnus Hanso (Great grandfather of Alvar Hanso, founder of the Dharma Initiative). He ends up on the Black Rock and most spectacularly crashes through the Tarawet statue (Hello, only four toes) to land in the middle of the island.
Once shipwrecked, the officer kills the prisoners but Richard is saved when the Smoke Monster takes out the rest of the ship's crew (Loved how Mr. Whitefield was taken!). Lots of suffering, boar fighting, and then, I think, a visit from Smokey Isabella. Rough stuff, then Man In Black, lets him out. 
Convinces him the "Devil" took his wife. Very biblical in this episode. The Devil also betrayed him and took his body. Now, he must be killed with the Dogan knife!
Jacob fights back (unlike when Ben actually kills him) and Richard gets a fun baptism. Ok, not really fun per se. But, man, He Wants to LIVE.
The island is a CORK and the wine...??? Ya, that explains it all. Alright, I'll roll with it. Jacob uses his persuasive powers and gives Richard the job of intermediary. (Because, duh, if you don't tell people what to do MIB will! Was that really a surprise to Jacob?) He can't give him his wife back or grant him absolution but he can make him live forever! Some demi-god, can't even grant your wishes. Richard returns to MIB and gives him the inside joke white rock. MIB gives him the cross and tells him the deal still stands. 
Back in the present, Richard returns to where he buried the cross and wants to take MIB's deal. Uh oh... ah, Hurley appears and pulls a Whoopi in Ghost and lets Richard talk to Isabella. So sweet...
Jacob and MIB have another chat... Wine gets smashed. Hmmm....
Up next: The Package
30 sec Commercials for the Lost finale are selling for $900,000. Crazy...