Previously... on Lost.

This year's finale faced a problem that any other television series would love to have. Is it possible to match the sky-high expectations created by last year's flash-forward gem?

Well, last Thursday's episode wasn't as good as a year ago, but it wasn't half bad either. I wasn't wild about starting off with Kate slamming on the brakes and extending last year's pivotal scene with Jack at the airport, but things picked up from there.

Damon, Carlton and crew should be commended for keeping everyone on board with the Oceanic Six storyline throughout the season. But it wouldn't be Lost if a few points weren't still bugging me.

The Orchid
This Dharma station, or "a place for silly experiments" as Ben likes to call it, was a major disappointment. Ben throws every piece of metal to blow up a time travel portal, and then crawls through a path to someplace cold that has a big wheel you can spin to move an island. An air of mystery is fine, but can someone please explain what that deep, deep station was all about? Maybe the guy with four toes can clue me in.

The Boats
The freighter was doomed, and it hurt to see Michael and Jin go down with the ship. I didn't think Jack would leave anyone behind, but apparently he felt those two were expendable.

After Sawyer's leap and the helicopter crash, I was surprised that it was Penny's boat that rescued the Oceanic Six plus Two. Secretly, I was hoping the Others boat was shining that search light with the same crew that took Walt at the end of Season 1. And speaking of Walt, it's obvious that someone has hit puberty since the show began. Wish we had more of him chatting with Hurley.

The Ladies
When did Juliet become such a wimp? She's turning into Kate, who is a complete wuss compared to how she started off. In Season 1, Kate and Sayid were probably the toughest survivors of Oceanic 815. Now Kate is a crying step mom whose dad taught her how to track footprints. Juliet was tough as nails and almost as devious as Ben, no one knew if they could trust her. Now she's practically emotionless on the beach as Sawyer pops up from a nonchalant swim following his leap out of a helicopter. Rose is showing more fight than Juliet and Kate these days.

And I know Sun is pissed off about losing Jin (although we haven't seen a body), but I'm not crazy about badass Sun taking on her dad and Widmore. It doesn't seem to ring true to her character. I'll let this slide for now since she did such a good job screaming in the helicopter after the freighter exploded.

Jack's Dad
Is Dr. Christian Shepard dead or alive? He popped up to tell Michael he could go now. He's hanging out with his daughter Claire in Jacob's cabin and chatting with Locke. He visited Jack in the hospital. Should he be walking around with a black robe and a scythe?

The Coffin
"Who's in the coffin?" was a big question after last year's finale, but so much time has passed and so much else has happened that seeing Locke in the coffin proved to be anti-climactic. It was a good moment, but seeing Jeremy Bentham's body didn't approach bearded Jack screaming at Kate that they have to go back to the island.

Lost always answers a few questions, poses many more, and constantly keeps you guessing. Can't wait until Season 5 as Jack and Ben gather the rest of the Six, and Locke's body, for a quick trip back to the island... if they can find it.