The First Four Episode Titles of the Season!

They've spaced out the announcement of these, but with the fourth title just revealed yesterday, I figure it's a good time to catch up.

It's really only three episode titles. The first is a two-parter. But without further ado:

6.01: LA X (Part 1)

6.02: LA X (Part 2)

6.03: What Kate Does

6.04: The Substitute

Notes:

The space between "LA" and "X" isn't a typo, although obviously it's also referencing the LAX airport -- where the Lost castaways were supposed to arrive had their plane not crashed. But what's the double meaning? "LA Ten"?

Or: X as a variable. Because, of course, "The Variable" was the episode last season in which Daniel Faraday laid out his entire plan to change the course of history, explaining that the humans were the "variables" in his theory because they had free will to make choices.

As for "What Kate Does," it's recalling Season 2's "What Kate Did" and is another in Lost's tradition of cyclical titles -- see also "One of Them" and "One of Us," as well as "The Constant" and "The Variable." But what does she do, exactly? It's wide open. We don't even know if we're talking about alternate-future Kate or in-the-'70s Kate or flashback Kate or what.

"The Substitute," according to Michael Ausiello, is "rumored to be Locke-centric." I think just because it's not tough to make the connection between the word "substitute" and whatever's going on with Locke and his nameless impostor. "The substitute" could refer to Impostor Locke substituting in for the real Locke, or it could even refer to Ben or Richard leading the Others despite Locke's previous-presumed destiny to do so.

But here's the question about a Locke-centric episode: will the "real" Locke actually, you know, be in it? My guess: the episode alternates between the alternate timeline -- with the "real" Locke having landed safely at LAX -- and the "true" timeline, with Impostor Locke on the island.

(It's worth remembering, as a side note, that Impostor Locke isn't inhabiting Locke's body. Locke's body was untouched in the cargo hold of the plane. Impostor Locke is appearing as Locke, but hasn't replaced him.)

One final observation that Ausiello picked up on: it seems like Season 6 is following the pattern of Season 1: a two-hour opening, followed by a Kate episode, followed by a Locke episode. That seems like the kind of thing the writers would do on purpose, with all the theory talk about how Lost is doubling back on itself and will include characters from Season 1. If so, it'll be interesting to see how far they take it. The fifth episode was Jack, the sixth was Sun, and the seventh...Charlie.

TAGS: Episode Titles, Impostor Locke, Kate, La X, Locke, Season 6, Season 6 Premiere, The Substitute, What Kate Does
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