Countdown to the End of the World? A Traitor Among Them? Is all Hope 'Lost?'

I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but it was another riveting hour of Lost last night. So far, this season is better than last, and I honestly didn't think it was possible to top the first season of this show. Once again, time didn't really advance very much, but that doesn't mean a lot didn't happen. The writers are doing such a beautiful job of telling the story. This show feels more like a work of literature and less like a weekly television series. The characters are incredibly rich, and their fascinating storylines (both on and off the island) are equally as engaging. So, Locke went back to his fake father after his fake father played him to get his kidney? Interesting that he would just sit outside his gate for hours. Katey Segal's character was right, he had to move on in order to be happy. I suppose he's hoping for some sort of explanation, but this guy doesn't seem like the explanation type. He's a user and abuser, and Locke would be so much better off never looking back.

"The Others" are holding Jin, Michael, and Sawyer, but there's still no sign of Walt. We didn't get to see much of "The Others," but we did get reacquainted with a character from last season. When we last saw Ana-Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez), she was chatting it up with Jack at the airport before their flight took off. We learned that she would be sitting in the back of the plane. Now, we find out she survived the crash, but no one is sure how or why. In a twist, she turned out to be working with "The Others," and she stole Sawyer's gun. Why is she with them? How did she survive the crash, and are there other survivors from the back of the plane? If so, where are they? I didn't see the traitor twist coming, so I was quite caught off guard when she had "The Others" lift her out of the trap. Meanwhile, where's Walt??

And now we get to the hatch. It's my favorite storyline this season because the mystery behind the whole thing is just so interesting. So, Desmond crashed into the island while competing in a race three years ago, got pulled into the hatch as a safety measure by someone who was a part of the Dharma Initiative that started in 1970. We learned through an old film from 1980 that the station they're at is Site 3 or "Swan," which explains the logo on the food and Desmond and elsewhere. The Dharma Initiative involves zoological (including a polar bear in the film clip) and psychological testing, but their station deals with the electro-magnetic field. The film didn't say what would happen if the button doesn't get pushed, but it alluded to an earlier accident that turned into some sort of disaster. This set up a showdown between Jack and Locke. Jack didn't believe anything would happen if they just let the countdown run out, but Locke believed something terrible would, so what should they do? The film said two people run each site, so Locke input the code (the mysterious and omnipresent numbers) and encouraged Jack to push "execute." Jack didn't believe, but Locke wore him down and he pushed it. This set up a shift mentality where they'll each have to take a different shift to reset the countdown every 108 minutes, and Locke volunteered to take the first one. So, what happens if you don't push the button? Does the world come to an end like Desmond believed? Does something terrible happen? Or is Jack right, and this is all a huge psychological experiment to see if people will continue to push a button based on a leap of faith? Locke took one once, and now seems ready to continue to take them. What do you guys think? Would you push the button or see what happens? Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts. Also, if you would like some more insight into the island, there are two web sites associated with the fictional Dharma Institute that TV.com tracked down. They are here and here.

About Last Night... ABC started off the night right with a win for an extended version of According to Jim at 8 p.m., followed by an improved showing (and an earlier one) of NBC's E-Ring. The finale of So You Think You Can Dance on Fox landed in third. At 9, it was all Lost on ABC, followed by CBS's Criminal Minds, and Nanny 911 on Fox. NBC landed in fourth with The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. Veronica Mars narrowly lost fifth place to the series premiere of the WB's Related (but the Los Angeles - the #2 market in the country - UPN affiliate did not air UPN programming last night, opting instead for MLB). The final hour of the night went to CBS's CSI: NY, followed by Law & Order on NBC and Invasion on ABC. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Sydney and Renee team up to track a killer, Weiss struggles with whether he should take a promotion or not, and Jack enlists the help of a new agent tonight on Alias on ABC. On UPN's Everybody Hates Chris, Chris gets recruited for the basketball team because they believe he's a good player based on his race. Survivor stirs things up tonight on CBS when the two teams meet and then find out that they're being switched around.

@9 p.m. - Ephram works to build a new life back home while the others start to feel the consequences on the WB's Everwood. The CSIs investigate the mysterious death of a housewife in an interestingly titled episode called "Bite Me" on CBS.

@10 p.m. - The FBI Agents of Without A Trace search for a whiz-kid that they believe might be planning to bomb his school in a race against the clock tonight on CBS. Kristen Johnson joins the cast of ER on NBC as a super-strict nurse supervisor who comes in and shakes things up.


QUICK CUTS

*NBC is gearing up for its first ever live broadcast of The West Wing. The live hour will feature a debate between presidential candidates Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alada). The West Wing is the second NBC drama to attempt a live episode. Back in 1997, the network's medical drama ER presented an episode live as well. The live episode of The West Wing will air November 6th.

*Staying with NBC, the network is giving a mid-season commitment to a new Dick Wolf legal drama. The Law & Order uber-producer is the creator of Conviction, a drama set and filmed in New York. The show centers around a group of young assistant district attorneys confronted with tough, high profile cases. Unlike its procedural sisters, Conviction will be more character heavy. NBC ordered 13 episodes for the series, which will begin sometime this winter.

*And finally, Just Legal just isn't cutting it for the WB. TVGuide.com is reporting that their sources say the network is canceling the ratings-plagued series after three airings. The WB has not yet confirmed the cancellation. Stay tuned to Pass the Remote for the latest.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the usual jam-packed Friday edition chock-full of Alias, CSI, and Everwood! Plus all the latest television news and Primetime Pass!