Countdown to "Lost": Webisode wrap-up, part 2

Episode 7: Named "Arzt and Crafts," seemingly for the hell of it, this is probably the funniest of the webisodes, if the least informative. Fan-favorite Arzt (they love him to pieces) is in a tizzy because Jack wants to move everyone to the caves -- where "bugs will lay eggs in our mouths while we sleep!" Hurley and Michael don't seem to share his concerns, however, and after a distant roar from the island's monster makes a cameo, Arzt beats a hasty retreat with a simple, "See you at the caves." Island secrets: None really, save for Sun and Jin sorting laundry in the beginning and watching an unseen Boone and Shannon on the beach. "I think they are lovers," Jin tells his wife. If you only knew, Jin...

Episode 8: "Buried Secrets" goes a long way in building on the unexplored chemistry between Sun and Michael. Sun has sneaked into the jungle, and is hurriedly digging a hole in order to bury her California driver's license so Jin never finds it. In tears, she is interrupted by Michael, who, after hearing out her plans to leave her husband, attempts to console her ... the naughty way. Their smoochies are also interrupted, this time by Vincent. Damn dogs, anyway -- such mood killers. Island secrets: Nada.

Episode 9: "Tropical Depression." Arzt is back, this time on the hunt to capture a Medusa spider (you know, the ones that later paralyze Nikki and Paulo). Michael, in the final stages of building the raft, approaches him and inquires about wind conditions. Arzt says he has no idea, and admits to lying about the coming monsoon season in order to speed the raft's departure. In a fit of despair, he tells Michael why he was in Australia: To meet a woman he met on the Internet, who left him with the bill at a fancy restaurant. (Poor sap. I can really see why he'd go to pieces over that.) Island secrets: Again, sadly lacking. But a nice wrap-up for the Arzt character.

Episode 10: "Jack, Meet Ethan. Ethan? Jack." Shortly after the crash, Jack is foraging through luggage in search of medical supplies. Ethan, decked out in a UW-Wisconsin sweatshirt, drops a suitcase full of pills at his feet and introduces himself. He thanks Jack for thinking about long-term needs, including the possibility of Claire giving birth on the island. Jack jokes about finding in Ethan an assistant, and Ethan freezes up. Relunctantly, he tells Jack that his wife and baby died during childbirth. Island secrets: Is he telling the truth, or is this more Other chicanery? My money, knowing the experiments Ben and Juliet had been conducting, is on Ethan's tale being true. He likely had a wife on the island, and she died in labor. This adds a nice dimension to one of "Lost"'s first (and best) villains.

Wow, I'm getting kinda lengthy with these. How about I save the last three for tomorrow. Remember, you can head over to ABC.com and watch them for yourself, and you really should if you're a fan. They're not only well-produced, but offer great periphery to this great show.

-- Adam Reinhard, lifeisfunnybutnothahafunny@gmail.com