To all those haters complaining about “Lost� lately: Are you back on the bandwagon NOW?

Are ya, are ya, are ya? ‘Cause I’ve got to say, I think “Lost� has got its mojo back, baby – yeah!

True, last night’s comeback episode was all about Juliet. We know we’ve been ODing on the Others.

But the talented “Lizzie Mitchell”:http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/bios?pn=cast&name=Elizabeth%20%20Mitchell did a rockin’ job with her showcase last night, when we learned that Juliet been trapped on Others Island against her will, too.

For 3 years, 2 months and 28 days, to be exact. Not that she’s counting or anything.

(SPOILER ALERT: STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN�T WATCHED YET…)

So we knew Juliet was a fertility doctor. But what we didn’t know is that she’s a fertility doctor who seems to have discovered the secret of life after successfully impregnating a male rat (and her cancer-ridden sister). Problem is: Her sleezy ex-husband/boss blackmails her into sharing credit for her work with him – or he’ll turn her in for violating medical ethics.

Hmm, then along comes the Hanso Foundation. Oh, sorry, I mean Mittlelos Bioscience – a research lab that’s trying to recruit Juliet to work in its Portland facility. Except, as we find out later – after a bus conveniently runs over her ex—the facility isn’t exactly in Portland…

(OMG: Anyone else freak when “Ethan”:http://tviv.org/Lost/Ethan_Rom passed Juliet for the first time in that hallway?!?)

Then, in addition to the Juliet drama, we had the Kate/Sawyer prison break.

Up pops Alex, a.k.a. Slingshot Girl, to save the day. She’s got a boat so they can get back to the main island, but she won’t give it to them unless they help her save her boyfriend, “Karl”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Others_(Lost)#Karl.

Sigh. There’s always a catch with these Others.

In case you don’t remember, Karl was the kid who escaped from the cage next to Sawyer – and got dragged away for punishment—in the season premiere.

Well, we found out where ol’ Karl was taken. Apparently there’s a place where bad Others are sent to be reprogrammed—“Clockwork Orange”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clockwork_Orange_%28film%29 -style. Karl’s strapped to a chair, forced to listen to super-loud techno music and watch a brainwashing video, which AGAIN mentions that pesky “Jacob”:http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1566980,00.html, who may or may not be the Others’ actual leader.

(And that room looked an awful lot like some raves I went to back in the ‘90s, but that’s another story…)

Pretty crazy stuff. And just to backtrack for a second, how awesome was Sawyer’s “Star Wars� reference when Alex pretended she’d captured Kate and Sawyer to slip past the guard?

“Don’t get mad at me because you were dumb enough to fall for the ol’ “Wookie”:http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/chewbacca/ prisoner gag,â€? he says.

Kate/Sawyer/Alex/Karl get to the boat, when all of a sudden, Pickett shows up with a gun. These guys can’t catch a break.

Oh wait, they can. POW! Juliet shoots Pickett and sets Kate, Sawyer and Karl free. True, Ben told Juliet to help them escape so Jack will finish the surgery and save his life – but who saw that coming? I sure didn’t.

I thought she’d sweet-talk her way past Pickett, send him on some wild goose chase, and then let our Losties go. How’s she getting out of this one? Does she really think Ben will keep his word and let her go home after killing one of their own?

Not a chance.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Ben is Alex’s father. That’s why Juliet makes her stay behind. Wha, wha, what??? I thought she was “French Woman’s”:http://lost.about.com/od/secondarycharacters/p/frenchwoman.htm daughter. Is Ben her husband? Or just Alex’s adoptive dad?

My brain hurts.

Bottom line: Was I a tad bit confused? Sure. Did more questions pop up than answers? Absolutely.

But unlike the episode before the series’ three-month break, I didn’t feel annoyed or irritated with the show’s progress. Instead, I had renewed hope that everything’s going to be explained in the end.

So if you didn’t think that episode was awesome, there is no pleasing you. Begone. Go watch Gary Sinise scowl through “CSI: NY.�

And for those fans anxious to hook up with the original Losties again, the show’s back to the beach next week. Here’s what to look forward to in the upcoming two episodes:

• Next week: A Desmond flashback.

We get more info on his lady love, “Penny Widmore”:http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Penelope_Widmore, who we know from last season’s finale, is all too aware of the island. Charlie and Hurley try to figure out why Desmond—who’s been seeing premonitions since the hatch imploded—is acting so weird.

• Feb. 21: We learn how – and where – Jack got those hot tattoos. Don’t know the why yet, but the where is Thailand. Bai Ling guest stars. Plus, Kate, Sawyer and Karl get away from Others Island. And keep your eyes peeled: Stewardess Cindy, one of the “Tailies”:http://www.casualsmirk.com/cindy, makes an appearance.