As any LOST fan should already know, online webisodes containing original LOST stories have been viewable every monday on abc.com for the last 8 weeks with the next webisode coming this monday. While we have all watched them once or many times, I have felt that the front page of this great site could use some more discussion on the episodes themselves. So today I start with "The Watch."

In this episode Christian Shephard and his son Jack Shephard discuss Jack's upcoming marriage to his fiancee, Sarah. Jack seems to be showing signs of doubt or cold feet and Christian seems to be here to either amplify or allay his fears. Christian shows Jack a watch his father gave him, and tells him the story of how his father gave him this watch after telling him he disapproved of Christian's choice in a wife, Jack's mother, and how because of this Christian never wore the watch. Jack asks his father if he is trying to tell him not to marry Sarah, when Christian reveals that he believes Sarah to be the perfect choice and then hands Jack the watch.  After Jack tries on the watch, Christian asks him to be a better father than Christian everwas to him.

As we can see these webisodes are clearly continuing themes and trends found within the show and this entry into the LOST megaverse seems to be a simple yet heart-warming tale of a father seeking redemption with his son. But how does this episode fit into the grand scheme of the megaverse? Well many of us have wondered what turned Jack's father from the mentally abusive father he was during Jack's childhood to the suddenly caring and helpful father he was in jack's adulthood. This webisode seems to indicate that as Jack grew up and became what his father thought of as a man, Christian became a better father. It seems he did not know how to relate to his son, how to show Jack what it means to be a good father. But with Jack's marriage, Christian seems to have found a way to redeem himself.

Despite all of this father and son allegory perhaps there is more to this websidoe than meets the eye. Now everybody prepare yourself for what I like to call, "The Lost Shephard's Craziest Theory You've Ever Heard"

Now before I continue, understand that I know what I am about to say is completely ridiculous... but bear with me.

Okay, now we know that Sun's father, Mr. Paik, gave Jin a watch to deliver to an associate in L.A. And we also know that Jin gave this watch to Michael as a sign of friendship...

See? Look at how friendly they are?

 and that Michael probably had this watch on him when he left the island. If Mr. Paik, as many suspect is somehow tied up in all of this Dharma, Hanso, Widmore hootinanny, then perhaps this watch is more than what it seems. Perhaps it is this watch which allows people to leave this island. Perhaps this watch is specially crafted to allow passengers to escape from the time-flux surrounding the island. But what does this have to do with the webisode we just watched? Well some of us crazy theorists believe that the Shephard family is intricately tied in with the mythology of this show. Perhaps Christian's father was an associate of Mr. Paik's. Maybe Mr. Paik, Alvar Hanso, Mr. Widmore, and Jack's Grandpa were involved in some giant conspiracy regarding the island. Maybe the watch Christian was given was in fact one of these special watches which allow transportation to and from the island. Maybe Christian has in fact given his son the ability to escape the island without even knowing it. Perhaps this is a clue as to why Christian was so hard on his son. Perhaps Christian was preparing Jack for his eventual fate...

Or maybe I'm crazy.

Until next time, this is The Lost Shephard.... signing off.

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