LOSTBLOG pregame

The season finale is here. "The Incident" begins at 8 p.m., preceded by yet another one of ABC's recap/clip shows, "Lost: A Journey in Time," at 7 p.m. I'll be watching the finale and posting a first reaction at its conclusion; a more detailed version will come after my second viewing, which I expect will be over around 12:30 a.m.

Some final things to think about before the fun starts:

• How did Faraday know that Jughead didn't go off in the original timeline? It's clear that a large number of people the DHARMA Initiative had evacuated the island anyway, so perhaps the only people who really know what happened at the Swan site are also the only people who know the bomb went off. Is it possible that Eloise, Chang and whoever else survives "the incident" didn't know the bomb was involved, or chose to omit that part of the story?

• The two people we've seen in Jacob's cabin -- Christian and Claire -- are both related to Jack. I can't believe this is merely a coincidence. (Jack. Jacob. Jack. Jacob. Hmmm ...)

• Speaking of Claire, isn't it time for her to show up again?

• Hurley brought a guitar case with him onboard Ajira 316, and we still haven't seen what's inside of it. We also don't know how he got out of prison. Will we learn these answers tonight? (And will one of those answers involve Charlie Pace?)

• What's in the box that Ilana and the "shadow of the statue" crew have with them?

• My official prediction for how the finale will end: It will appear to us (and to Richard, apparently, according to dialogue from last week) that Jack, Kate and Hurley have all died in the wake of "the incident." But they can't have a Season Six without Jack and Kate, can they?

See you later tonight.