Eloise Hawking, you are one creepy bitch

I was fully impressed by last night's episode of LOST. I thought it was well done and very entertaining, without being too "WTF just happened?" I did NOT, however, need to see Locke's broken tibia protruding through his skin. That gave me a severe case of the "ewies," so much so that I couldn't enjoy the last few minutes of Locke being on screen. Other than that, I thought it was an excellent episode.

Favorite parts: (1) When Jin and Sawyer reunite. It warmed my cold, cold heart for just a moment. (2) When Locke asks Christian Shepard to help him up off the floor because, oh I don't know, HIS BONE IS STICKING OUT OF HIS LEG, and Christian is all, "Nope, sorry." (3) The horrified look on the French people's faces when Montand's arm rips off in their hands. (4) Anytime Sayid is on screen.

Questions answered: What Charlotte's connection is to the island (she grew up there and left as a young child); what happened to Christian Shepard (he's chillin undergrownd, gardin are holez); who that creepy church basement-dwelling lady was (Eloise Hawking, Daniel Faraday's mother); how Locke gets off the island, sort of. We can't be too presumptuous and assume that just because Locke turned the donkey wheel (hehe) that he'll leave the same way Ben did. But I'm still sticking to my prediction that that's how it happens.

Questions I still want answered: WHERE IS CLAIRE?! What happens to Locke once he leaves the island? Where (and when) in Los Angeles does he "land"? (Maybe this is explained in a previous flash-forward and I'm not remembering it.) Ben mentions that he went to see Locke before he died, so how does Locke die? The newspaper article Jack read says he fell (or threw himself) off of a building. Is that true? Do his injuries from the fall into the well carry over into "real life" and he dies from the fall?

New questions: WTF is up with the smoke monster? What is it and what is its purpose? Why did Robert seem to brush it off as nothing more than a security device that protects the temple after he went down into its hole? What sort of creepy things did it do to him while he was down there? Why/how does it "change" people who encounter it? Did it change Locke after he messed with it in the beginning of the series? Why did Christian make such a big deal out of Ben being the one to move the island and not Locke? Why was it so important that Locke did so? And why then did Christian brush it off all, "Meh, it's just good you're here now"? Jack's dad, you make no sense.

Assumptions: Miles is going to step up his game and show us his real purpose for being on the island, and what his connection to it is. (I still think he's Pierre Chang's son.) Charlotte really is dead (for now), and it's her death that prompts Faraday to start messing with all this time travel nonsense. Jin and Sun will reunite, if only for a short time. I'm still not sure which side Juliet is playing for, but I want to say she's inherently good. Part of me thinks she wants Ben to believe that she's still on his side so she can destroy him.

That was exhausting. Time for some more coffee.