Polar bears. Black smoke. French women. The Dharma Initiative. Claire's baby. Long-lost Walt. Jack and Kate. Sawyer and Kate. Henry Gale. 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. The hatch. The Others.
Feeling "Lost?" Join the other 15 million viewers who have eagerly and meticulously followed the weekly ups and downs of Oceanic Flight 815 over the last two years. This week marks the premiere of the Emmy-winning hit show's third season -- a premiere that will (we hope) answer some of last season's most burning questions and (undoubtedly) present a number of brand-spanking new mysteries, both frustrating and endlessly intriguing.
Even the most devoted "Lost" fan could use a slight refresher on the status of our beloved castaways since they left us last May. Here is a brief, unofficial and moderately helpful summary that should get you up to speed, character-by-character, before tomorrow night's bedazzling premiere.
Jack (Matthew Fox): The resident doctor and "hero" of the show, who was flying the corpse of his alcoholic father back to the United States, was led into Michael's trap to rescue Walt and is now in the custody of the Others.
Kate (Evangeline Lilly): The bad girl (turned good?) with a mysterious past, who had been flying back to the United States in the custody of a U.S. marshal, was also led into Michael's trap and is now in the Others' hands.
Sawyer (Josh Holloway): The proud antihero and hoarder of necessary supplies had been deported from Australia. He too ended up in the clutches of the Others after falling for Michael's trap.
Sayid (Naveen Andrews): The former Iraqi Republican Guardsman was returning from work for the CIA in Australia. Now he effectively uses his military skills to survive on the island. Sayid was last seen scouting out the Others' abandoned camp on the north side of the island.
Locke (Terry O'Quinn): The once paralyzed-box company supervisor crashed on the island and found he could walk again, prompting an undying faith in the island and the hatch. Since the near explosion of the hatch, we have yet to see what has become of Locke.
Hurley (Jorge Garcia): The unlucky lottery winner was investigating his special relationship to his winning lotto (and hatch!) numbers in Australia and became the good-natured, friendly neighbor on the island. Hurley was sent back by the Others to prevent the passage of any more castaways to the north part of the island.
Jin and Sun (Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim): The troubled Korean couple -- Jin was controlling and lied about work; Sun learned English behind Jin's back. The two were last seen exploring the Others' abandoned camp with Sayid.
Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje): Eko is the only surviving "tailie" with a dark and troubled past in Nigeria as a con man and priest, whose travel details are still unknown. He was last seen, like Locke, enveloped in the electromagnetic blast.
Claire (Emilie de Ravin): En route to Los Angeles to give her baby up for adoption, this Aussie was kidnapped and treated by the Others, later escaped, and gave birth to baby Aaron. Claire was last seen safely back at camp, sharing a kiss with...
Charlie (Dominic Monaghan): The recovering heroin addict and rock star burnout was returning from Australia after begging his brother to reunite their band Drive Shaft. Clean and hopefully free of ominous dreams about Aaron, Charlie was back at camp with Claire during the season finale.
Michael and Walt (Harold Perrineau, Malcolm David Kelley): Returning from an awkward father-son reunion in Australia where his mother had passed away, Walt was kidnapped by the Others. Desperate, Michael killed some "tailies" and led Jack, Kate and Sawyer into the Others' trap in exchange for a boat and the return of his son. They were last seen leaving the island.
A number of burning questions will be the topic of this premiere and of the third season itself: Why do the Others want Jack, Kate and Sawyer? What happened to Claire while she was in their custody? Are Michael and Walt successful in their escape? What will the electromagnetic explosion do to the island's inhabitants? Who exactly are the Others? Look for interesting storylines concerning Henry Gale and Desmond (who turned the fail-safe key at the hatch) as well.
"Lost" kicks off its third season tomorrow, Oct. 4, at 9 p.m. on ABC.
Missed out on the first and/or second seasons? Watch them both on DVD and then catch up with the third season on iTunes, where each week's episode will be made available for download every Thursday for $1.99. It's true -- There's nothing better to do on a Wednesday night than to get "Lost."
