The words 'Across The Sea' became extremely literal for PT, as he tackled jet-lag, LA Lost experiences, and even battling a powerful smoke monster just to get back home to London...

Ben Boyer: the legend from Sky1HD, and the man who filled in for me for TLI's analysis of 'Across The Sea' last week – thanks so much brother. Some of you may have spotted on the TLI Facebook wall, but for those that didn't, well, we at TLI were quite excited about the filming of this episode. It seemed prophetic that, when I looked at my diary and saw the dates that I would be in Los Angeles (more on that later), that it would spookily coincide with episode 15. Yes, folks: I would be Skype-ing in to Iain and Tom from across the sea, to analyze, 'Across The Sea'! Or at least, that was the plan. Sadly, technology as it is meant that we couldn't get software to play ball on the day of the record, so, missing my TLI family as I was, I was really disappointed to not be able to chat with them about the Jacob and MIB's history. But, like I said, Sir Ben, you rocked it – so much so that I hope I still have a job to come back to for episode 16 this week!

Lost ep15Next on the Lost Initiative: A Paul vs. Iain Wrestling Match?It was really interesting seeing Iain, Ben and GT's reactions to 'Across The Sea' on the final, unleashed TLI episode on the Sky1 site. Tom – I salute you for supporting the nuances of the story. Iain – I was really shocked you disliked it, and shall look forward to seeing you in a few days to discuss it / kick your ass. However, let's just discuss it, as you are a lot taller than me, and would probably make me cry. But what's great for this particular Blog, is that I get to throw down what I would've said on the show...

I absolutely loved this episode: the way that, the last line of 'The Candidate' was Flocke saying “I'm gonna finish what I started”, and then, 'Across The Sea' open with a shot of wreckage/debris floating on the waves... is it a carry-over from the submarine incident? No – it's a brilliant slice of Lost misdirection/surprise and we're suddenly eons back in the past, ready to discover – as Flocke prefaced – where he began.

Taking a brief pause from the crushing storyline so far, and giving context to Jacob and his brother's past was such an important thing to do at this stage in the show's final chapter. I was genuinely very shocked to discover how many fans didn't like it, and didn't seem to 'get' how important it was to do this episode. The most satisfying thing for me was having confirmation of something I've suspected all along: you can't pigeon-hole – like so many characters on this show – these two siblings into good/evil boxes. Jacob was revealed as jealous and flawed – he killed his brother and created the very thing that has caused him a world of trouble in Smokey – plus, my sympathies for MIB were not the musings of a crazy man: this guy had a very frustrating and inhibiting existence and only ever wanted to find out where he came from. Shades of grey are essential in crafting compelling characters in engrossing storylines, and for me, 'Across The Sea' not only excelled at this, but underlined these crucial themes that have been prevalent throughout the show since 815 crashed on the island.

To make up for my absence, I'll be doing another Blog this week – before we as a team check out 'What They Died For' – to explain in further detail what my LA trip was all about. (Click HERE to read Paul's report from L.A.!) Live performance by Lost scorer Michael Giacchino... chatting about the Lost Encyclopedia with AOL TV... hanging with the stars on the red carpet... all will be revealed...