Lost

After six years of bewilderment about what it all meant, U.S. television viewers learned the secrets of Jacob and the island on "Lost." The finale's happy ending was made possible by a "sideways reality" that pulled everything together in the last five months of the show. Many viewers unable to go beyond the superficial are angry that they've been had, because large parts of the story don't make sense to them. But the story does make sense: Everything was devised by Jacob to rid the island of the "black smoke" and to allow life to return to normal. In the context of today and tomorrow's Czech elections, the "sideways reality" is where we find the new, small parties whose recycled politicians are looking for fulfillment. The "black smoke" they're trying to slay are Paroubek and a few other creatures, and they're doing it because Jacob-like figures in politics and business want life to change so that it can remain the same. Unfortunately, it won't have a Hollywood ending for voters. Still lost? Wait a few weeks, and you'll understand.