Q: Is it possible for any television episode to be better than a Locke-centric episode of Lost?
A: No, it is mathematically impossible. Locke-centric episodes of Lost are the limit toward which the curve of TV-quality goes asymptotic. Of course, this means that Locke-centric episodes of Lost cannot be as good as themselves; this seeming paradox is resolved by the fact that these episodes are just that fucking awesome.