Each season, the penultimate episode is usually given the sad assignment of being the doormat for the season finale. And, like those that have come before, “Follow The Leader” had its share of trekking and shuffling and exposition, as the various chess pieces are moved into place for the final showdown. But as these “setup episodes” go, we really liked this one. Great character moments, solid conflicts, noticeably vibrant cinematography (about which we only periodically rave), and brisk pacing. We’re satisfied, and properly pumped up for next week.
True, we had not one, but two “recycled” moments last night. The first? They replayed the “Ellie Shoots Faraday” scene from Jack and Kate’s perspective. And to be honest, I briefly feared that the writers would pull a “magical moving bullet hole” trick, a la Ben. Instead, they went out of their way to show us that Faraday is truly dead… right down to the “hand over the eyes to close them” cliche that’s everywhere in movies and TV. But the second re-run moment was unexpected: Locke brings Ben and Richard to meet Flashing Locke at the drug plane. It was awesome to watch, but prompted the night’s biggest headache as we tried to plot out where and when Richard and Locke were, and when they knew what. Frankly, I wonder if they just wrote in the scene to solve the “infinite compass” question. Either way, though, it was fun to watch.
I loved Michael Emerson’s Ben this week, exasperated and snarky. His scenes with Locke were fun, yet significant, throwing the two “leaders” into sharp relief. I also liked the brief moments of chemistry between Ben and Alpert, both familiar and awkward. The scene where Hurley is outed as a time traveler was, of course, hilarious… especially since he’s stumped when asked who the president is in 1977. He asked that very question to Sawyer in “Namaste,” but Sawyer groused, “It’s not a damned game show.” But that same scene carried unexpected warmth, as well, when Miles admits to Dr. Chang that he’s his son… and Dr. Chang accepts it.
As far as chemistry goes, I was loving the interplay between Sawyer and Juliet. From the violent interrogation to their conversation on the dock (where Juliet says she’s still glad Sawyer talked her into staying, and he hatches a plan to get rich via Microsoft), it’s great how the show’s most out-of-the-blue coupling remains one of its most strong and mature.
Until, of course, Kate drops in, and is handcuffed next to Juliet, the two of them conveniently across from Sawyer. That moment was so cheap and forced, I actually thought I heard a cartoony needle-scratching-off-a-record sound effect in the back ground. And here I thought we’d at least make it out of Season 5 without returning to Season 1 romantic melodrama.
And I was just starting to warm up to Kate again, too. She’s assertive, skeptical, perceptive… a lot of the things she’s often not allowed to be for the sake of a twist. She’s the first (followed by Sayid) to point out that the last three years of their lives is not something to be discarded lightly. I liked her look of exasperation when Jack admits to being with Faraday, and her answer to Ellie when she asks whether Jack knows what he’s talking about: “He thinks he does.” She stands up to, and parts ways with, Jack, soon after delivering one of her best lines in recent memory: “Since when did shooting kids and blowing up hydrogen bombs become okay?” Evangeline Lilly’s acting was solid, not screechy, her glassy eyes tonight taking me back to Kate’s strong Season 1 moments. Alas, she then marches off… right back into a soap opera.
I’m certain that the fake-out, when Kate briefly thinks she’d been shot, is simultaneously a low- and high-point for those who aren’t a fan of her character.
And Locke. Something’s up with Locke. If Locke’s even Locke. Richard immediately notices something’s different about him, and I don’t think it’s because he has a “purpose” now. He’s confident and resolute, but he’s something else… and when he dismisses out of hand Sun’s hopes of reunification with Jin, I got a cold chill. And he wants to kill the allmighty Jacob, if he’s allmighty at all. Is doing so in service of a grand plan that Locke is executing? Perhaps. Or is it simply the folly of a man who thinks he’s ascended to a level higher than he has? There’s a dark side to the new-and-improved Locke. And while I said earlier that I didn’t think I could take one more rise-and-fall cycle for his long-tortured character, I feel as if another reckoning is coming for him.
Jen observed: Kate is turning into Jack, skeptical and assertive. Jack is turning into Locke, a blind believer. And Locke is turning into Ben, all-knowing but perhaps overconfident. My contribution? Sun is turning into Michael. Her one-dimensional “have you seen my husband” path of the last several episodes are becoming this season’s “Wa-a-a-a-a-alt!”
Finally, does Jack detonate Jughead? I’m still of the opinion that he doesn’t, or that whatever happens, it isn’t what you’d typically expect of a blast from a 40,000-pound hydrogen bomb. Indeed, tonight we learn that Jughead is actually parked right underneath Othersville. You know, the cozy cottages and grassy fields that still exist, intact, in 2007?
Notes and Notions:
- “LOST” has good hair days, and bad hair days. It also has good special effects days, and bad special effects days. I have to say, the dramatic departure of the Galaga falls into the latter category. It was pretty weak, which I guess has to be expected given a weekly show and budget. It would’ve been better for us just to assume its departure based on the activity inside… but I guess they had to show the submarine under way else we draw the conclusion that it doesn’t move at all.
- The casting for Younger Eloise is great. (As was the casting for Young Eloise in “Jughead.”) Alice Evans is absolutely believable as the precursor to stoic Mrs. Hawking. Her character’s struggle to process what Faraday said was great. And her motivations for helping Jack seem deliciously unclear. Does she really want to undo the death of a son she never knew? Or is the prospect of just blasting the Dharma Initiative to smithereens just too tempting?
- In 2007, Alpert makes brief mention of another group of Others/Hostiiles at The Temple. Meanwhile, we know on Alcatraz (a.k.a. Hydra Island), Ilana and friends are up to something as well. I think both of these largely unexplored parties will play a key part in the season finale.
- Sayid is back. He seemed to take the fact that Ben survived surprisingly well. I mean, he of anyone, now, should have a strong opinion as to whether what they’re doing (and what they’re about to do) is really changing anything at all.
- So, Jack is seizing his moment. But Jen wonders, as do I, when his epiphany took place. He seemed to more roll into his current mission than blast off from a specific spark of inspiration or realization. I was expecting considerably more fireworks to celebrate the instant he decided to act.
- Radzinkski is a vile man. And apparently can stage a coup just by telling Horace he’s in charge. At least we seem to know how his story ends, as a stain on the roof of his precious Swan. Given what Phil did to Juliet, I don’t suspect he’s long for this world, either.
What did you think? Please comment below, e-mail us at lost@hawaiiup.com, or leave a message on the LostLine at (808) 356-0127.
I was wondering something and would very much like some input. When Jacob asked Locke to “Help me”, could this actually have been a future Locke? Sort of like it was actually the future Locke who sent Richard to take the bullet out of his leg when he was time travelling.
cat: Thanks for the invite. I have already told my husband that we HAVE to go to Oahu within the next year to do the Lost tour and perhaps catch a glimpse of some of the players. It will be our last chance to do so! Unfortunately, he doesn’t share my passion for the Lostiverse and thinks we are all pretty ridiculous…I should start calling him Frogurt or start looking for some logs for him to carry…hmm.
Rich: Love the Jack/Jacob idea… I was thinking exactly the same before I read your post for 1 big reason that nobody seems to talk about:
Richard told Sun that he saw everyone die!!!!
I think he saw them “disappear” during the “incident” but I think they “woosh” away in time/space/dimention/whatever becoming “Jacob”. And I was thinking, did anyone ever mentioned Jacob before 1977?
But I know that this can’t be right due to something I read on IGN… To bad!
I can save the Comicon video:
Faraday died so he can’t make the video? Welll… Yami died but could speak to Eko. Christian died but can hold a lantern and do some rockingchair…
So I think the video is canon. Faraday/smoke monster went visit and told everything he knew about 2004 to Chang and then knowing he could not change the “present/past” decided to change the future. We even see the beginning of Chang yelling to his wife!
Star wars analogies:
If Miles had acknowledge the fact that he was Pierre Chang’s son when Faraday said so, Faraday would still be alive! Just like the “loosing his hand” for Luke… and like Hurley had predicted (and he also predicted he would be asked the name of the president! He asked that question to Sawyer!).
All those dead people rooming the Island… just like Ben/Yoda telling everyone what they should do next!
Whoa. John wants to kill Jacob?? Is Locke even sure that Alpert is leading him to Jacob? There’s a chance that Alpert and Ben conspired to mislead John to thinking that he is going to see Jacob but will kill him instead.
Also, it appears that the getting the Oceanic 6 back in the island is the island’s idea afterall (conveyed via John Locke). Locke mentioned on the scene where Alpert is taking the bullet off of John’s thigh that he is getting information from the island.
I am hoping that that the final “cliff-hanger” scene won’t be too intense as it will be a torture waiting for LOST’s final season.
@Yann, Jacob was mentioned by Locke to RA in 1954 to prove he was the future leader, and RA seemed to think that the mention of Jacob was enough proof to make young Widmore put down his gun so he could talk to Locke.
I was thinking about when Sun & Lapidus see Christian at the barracks and how no one saw the previously-dead Locke until after this point. I think whatever energy or life source that was using Christian’s body to communicate with the living is now in Locke’s dead body. I think Christian’s body was used for Sun and Lapidus because they did not know him. Then Locke’s previously dead body showed up in the water mysteriously and is used because that is the body recognized by the “Others” as their leader and because Ben, Sun, and Lapidus know Locke.
Locke’s body referred to the time-traveling Locke in the third person, making me think he does not see the living Locke as himself. Further, RA was unsure of the new Locke and noted that there was something different about him. I have never seen RA worried about anything before so the way he was looking at new Locke makes me think he knows it’s not the same person, too.
This might tie in to why the Others disposed of dead bodies in different ways, like the floating pyre, requesting Paul’s body, recovering the bodies of the dead others, etc. Perhaps the threat of a spirit or energy manifesting itself in the body of a human is a particular threat, especially if they do not know that the person is dead. Work hazard of being an Other, I guess.
Why would the Other’s interpret Faradays bomb-neutralizing advice as putting it in an open-air tunnel? One Other had chemical burns in 1954 and Goodwin did in 2004, obviously that was not the same as burying it in cement and sealing it with lead…?
I don’t understand why Faraday and now Jack think the sacrifice of the people currently on the island is worth the price to avoid their plane from crashing in 2004? What kind of twisted logic is that? And why would any Others be for it, doesn’t Eloise realize that she will not be having a son at all versus killing him 30 years later since they would not likely survive the explosion?
I thought the Dr. Chang/Hurley exchange was the best comedic scene of the entire series thus far.
If enough of us want to go to Hawaii for the finale maybe we can overtake the cheap motel where it’s Miles childhood home? Safety in numbers?
Paulo: I wonder if it is even POSSIBLE to kill reanimated Locke!
@christy: blowing up the H bomb in 1977 wont be sacrificing anyone because if they do it and are successful flight 815 will have never crashed and therefore Jack and co. will have never gone back in time to blow up the bomb. Detonating the H-bomb will “remove” them from that time loop and things will go on/ will have gone on just as they would have had the plane never crashed. At least that is what Faraday (and now Jack) think.
Forgot most recent random theory: All the time travel skipping was course-correcting.
1954 – Faraday gives directions on putting the bomb somewhere safe. Also, Locke establishes his future self as the leader of the Others.
1990’s or early 2000’s – Locke tells Ethan he is the leader of the Other’s after Benjamin Linus prior to getting shot. (this may also have been why Ben was the leader, he may never have been intended as the leader except Locke tells Ethan that he is – self-fulfilling prophecy)
Post 2007 crash #1 – Locke gets guidance from dead Locke via Richard Alpert that he will have to die to return with the O6.
Post 2007 crash #2 – Steal boat from Aljira people and cause an armed conflict (no known reason yet, but perhaps a play to get the upperhand for dead Locke since they may be there to go to war with him and his people, one canoe lost, maybe one person dead)
Ancient 4-toed Statue times – to leave Charlotte’s dead body to “Lie in the shadow of the statue” – now she will always be a part of the island.
1988 #1 – not sure, maybe to make Rousseau paraniod and crazy, more likely to give up Alex
1988 #2 – ditto ??
1974 – Get the O4 to the time when they can have unfettered access to the DI and to try to prevent (or cause) the incident.
Perhaps the time skipping was meant to ensure that Locke would be the leader at one time since he then was able to have a tradition of telling Others he would be their leader, like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I’m not sure if I got the dates in the right order, and I probably missed some.
I must say it was a very smart move from the writers to get Sawyer and Juliet together. Now we don’t want Kate to ruin it. But also, we kind of don’t want Kate to be with Jack, cause he would willingly erase their whole relationship (heartless bastard). I felt like it was a huge reference to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – a film I recommend to every can-the-past/future-be-changed idea fan.
With just a few seconds of screentime Sayid’s character was redeemed in my mind. Awesome comeback!
@bertran, I realize that Jack thinks he will undo the 815 crash, but the unintended consequence will be the death of the remaining people that are not time travelers that currently inhabit the island, like the DI, Others, etc.
There will be no Faraday to love Charlotte who leaves the island because Eloise will likely die when she is pregnant with him. I don’t think they expect blowing up the bomb to change the pre-1977 events.
Unless I am missing something else?
One more thing – I agree that the future WILL be changed one way or another –
R.A. told Sun that he saw the 1977 losties die. But we still have one season ahead oh us. They won’t just kill half the cast.
@christy: I think the “safety key” of the Swan was the atomic bomb… Faraday said that the 2 energies should compensate. Leading to no domages at all instead of lots of dead people, a hatch to control the energy discharge, a plane crash and a Desmon.
But I guess when the choice was brought to Razinski and Chang they thought the atomic bomb was too risky and so they build the hatch and keep the atomic bomb for safety mesure if the hatch happened to be inoperative.
Connie:
This is LOST we are talking about. ANYTHING is possible!
if it works it would create a paradox that would be unexplainable and unable to take hold… like the whole killing Hitler bit. If you build a time machine, go back in time, kill baby Hitler, then no one ever hears of the dictator Hitler. So if you build the machine who would you be going back in time to kill? nobody. Because you never even heard of Hitler. But if you don’t he’ll be fine and become a dictator… and you’d try to kill him as a baby.
If Jack undoes everything and changes the history of the island then who undid everything and changed the history of the island? It cannot happen unless the changes are subtle and lead him to the same place… like the Loche bit.
He tells R. Alpert what to do with the compass and the bullet in the leg. That resulted in subtle changes in what could have been but no drastic alterations that stopped what was going to happen anyway.
I hope Miles runs into Faradays’ body, so he can get some last minute information, while he still can.
Seeing Daniels body makes me so sad, though!
“The Compass: what’s up with the compass? It has no origin except in a circular self-referential way.”
This is driving me nuts. It does seem as though the compass has no origin.
@Yann- Actually, Locke mentioned Jacob when they traveled to the 1950s, and Richard seemed to know who he was talking about.
I really feel like when Daniel said “fill the crack in this bomb, encase it in concrete and bury it underground” he did NOT mean, “fill the crack and build a temple around it.”
As to Jack being Jacob, due to casting information that might be a rumor (but has reportedly been confirmed by several sources) convinces me otherwise. I personally feel like this ‘Kill Jacob’ plan is the worst idea ever and Locke is practically a cult leader, but that’s just me. Perhaps by ‘help me’ he did mean ‘kill me’. One idea I’ve had is that perhaps killing Jacob will ‘free’ Claire from his control, and cause Christian to stop appearing.
Radzinsky is on a serious power trip. Personally I hope Whatever Happened, Happened so he definitely ends up as the brain stain in the Swan! No one beats Dawyer toa pulp and gets away with it! Well, except for Sayid, Jack, Pickett… everyone…
The sub moment was priceless. It’s so cute with Sawyer and Juliet together and finally escaping that island, and then Kate. Ruins. Everything. She just climbs in and everything is awkward and ruined. I really was kind of shocked when it seemed like she was shot (in the same style shot as Daniel) but I thought that was a great fake-out by the writers.
Sayid to the rescue! I thought the man he shot was going to be important- maybe someone we knew (maybe Tom) but I guess he was just there to die.
They had better not blow up that bomb. Everyone would die, and I feel like killing everyone is not an acceptable solution to their problems. Would out ’70s Losties die right there, as it’s their present? Or would their minds be transported back to the plane? And still, most of the people on that plane had serious issues.
Richard is not as all-knowing as we thought… But still incredibly attractive and old. I agree that the ship in a bottle is either a reference to the Black Rock or the ‘snowglobe.’
I thought this was an excellent episode jam-packed with setup and reveals! I was surprised there were no flashbacks of any kind, and I’m really anticipating next week. I have loads more thoughts, but I think this post is long enough already!
I suppose Richard has always had the compass. Its his. He gives to Locke twice. Locke only has it once.
Hrm. Im gonna do my homework with that. Pretty mind puzzling!
@Laura and @ Knives,
I think in Locke’s lifeline, he has the compass first.
Locke first gives the compass to Richard from Flashing Locke’s 2004 self to RA’s 1950’s self. RA keeps it (shows it to Little Locke in 1960’s) until Dead-Locke asks for it in 2007, and they go on the drug plane “errand”, where Locke gives it to RA to give to Flashing 2004 Locke. Then the cycle repeats.
Clear as mud? Yeah, me too!
Dang it, I tried going a whole 24 hours without a nosebleed.
Thanks my fellow Texan, Christy. 😛
Huge question: We know baby Miles, Charlotte, and other non-essential personnel of the DI make it back to the mainland. Then we see Sawyer & Kate returning to the island. I know the Galaga was really booking (cool shot), but how could it make the journey there and back in 4 hours? Thta’s no ordinary undersea travel.
@Katie
My brain’s braided like a twizzler!! They should give that line to Hurley someday.
@Kaysea & CuedblU
Has Sawyer changed? Did he just revert to survival first mode and seemingly abandon his friends? Hurley’s faith in him at that moment was particularly ironic. When Sawyer said “good riddance,” you could read the insincerity in his eyes. He put a brave face over the old vulnerability about being banished from this place that allowed to overcome his demons and perhaps make himself into the person he always wanted to be.
@ Bertran
Oops. Would it make sense if I’d said the statue-worshippers? Twizzlered.
@ cat
Great episode, but not better than “Greatest Hits,” the emotional farewell to Charlie Pace.
@Christy in TX
Love the idea of taking over the Oahu dive.
@Knives
Please do find out about the compass. I don’t have the full history straight in my head.
Knives – great point re: Miles and Faraday, I never even thought about his reading Faraday’s last thoughts.
Firstly, please no spoilers of even the smallest nature. I am one of those fans who reads and watches nothing before an episode so please don’t assume that everyone is familiar with any revelations from the advertisement for next week’s episode.
This was a wonderful episode of Lost. In the last half of this season, I’ve found the story amazing but also a bit disjointed and structurely unsound. I think the creators knew where characters had to be for the season finale so they would get them there (e.g. Jack and Kate at the DI) but then have nothing for them to do until we got near the end. So, a bit like a stop start game of chess, each episode would see some characters move forward in story, some not move and some not seen at all (e.g. Locke was missing for a few eps and Desmond has been missing most of the season). I can’t really call it a criticism though. I think the creators have made a story that’s now too big for this episodic format. I think if they set out to make a twelve-hour movie of Season 5, rather than episodes, you would probably put the story together differently and it wouldn’t feel so disjointed. Maybe this is the season more than any other where it is best watched in one sitting on DVD.
Regardless, this episode I think was so strong because all that disjointed manoeuvring is finally paying off. We had three fast paced, interesting and coherent storylines that built to a wonderful conclusion. Classic Lost. The last few episodes have brought the character horses to their story stalls, as it were (using a horse racing metaphor here), and this episode opened the gates and they started to run. Okay, may have pushed the metaphor too far but you get the idea. The story couldn’t run to the Incident until the characters were in place.
Here’s my theory on Jacob. Jacob is God-like, which might make him a God, of God or simply have God-like powers. I’m reluctant to use the word God because it has religous connotations so some people might think I mean the Christian God. I don’t. Think of it more like the concept in material form, a supernatural being with power over life and death (which, for example, is interpreted and named as God by many religions). One of his powers then is death. It is Jacob, like God I suppose, that makes us die; that ensures that we do not live forever. The island is Jacob’s tool in wielding this power (remember, this place is death), and the dead, of course, resent Jacob for doing this to them and they are beginning to resist. Firstly Christian (dead of course) imprisons Jacob in his cabin and begins to take over. Then he orchestrates Locke to turn the wheel, die off island and return dead. The returning Locke can thus kill Jacob and the dead can then live again. Yes, this may make Lost a show about zombies in season 6 (which many people have been dreading) but it would set the scene for any upcoming war between the living and the dead. So who’s good and bad in this scenario? I can’t say. Perhaps humans need not die at all and Jacob is the evil monster who makes our lives painfully short. Or perhaps Locke is the unnatural evil being and Jacob is the force of good. Maybe it’s a matter of interpretation.
In an episode with many fine scenes (Hurley and Chang was outstanding), I loved the moment when Richard had no idea what happened to Locke after he disappeared. And Locke in response is smug omniscience. In that moment I sensed an expanding of our timescale in regards to the island. Eloise and Richard might have had foreknowledge of many of the events we’ve seen over 30 years during season 5 but that’s all they know and, in terms of island history, it’s a fleeting moment. To me it felt like a neat indication (along with Eloise’s comment last week about not knowing what will happen next) that we’re about to open up our island history in the next season, which seems like a necessary step considering that we’ve got a 19th Century pirate ship and an ancient statue to explain.
I’m very much in the ‘whatever happened, happened’ camp so I don’t spend any time thinking about alternate futures nor do I think that somehow the show will end up negating the original 815 crash. And although I think I’ve got my head around pretty much all this time travel stuff, I just can’t explain the compass. It’s on a perpetual loop so exactly how old is the compass? Infinite? How can anything be infinitely old? If ‘whatever happened, happened’, then the first time the compass stays in Richard’s possession between 1954 and 2007 is the only time it stayed in its possession. It doesn’t happen more than once. Yet if you calculate it’s age, it is infinitely old. Richard, for example, says that the compass is rusted now, presumably after having it for 50 years. But he gives that rusted compass to Locke to give to himself, which means it was rusted when Richard got it in 1954. Does it then get rustier? How could that be?Does the island somehow make the compass new again when Locke travels back to 1954. See, my head is starting to hurt.
Finally, I agree that Richard only thinks the Losties will die because whatever happens with the Incident makes them disappear, which looks like they died. No doubt most if not all of them will end up back in 2007 (except maybe Juliet, who I think will die because it will make good drama) but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them end up further in the past, possibly around Black Rock or the statue period. I think this will happen because if we are to learn about those periods in time and there are to be flashbacks about them, then it makes sense to have characters we know there rather than having to introduce a whole lot of new characters in the show’s final season. If this is the case, then perhaps Jack does go back and become Jacob. Jack is crucial to this show and I think ultimately the show will end up centring around him. Whatever leadership role Locke has now is only temporary until the true leader Jack emerges.
Sorry, I know this was long but if I’m going to write something, I may as well get it all out.
As usual here is my list of questions
Building a model-ship-in-a-bottle on a beach Really
Like if RA was in his office. Maybe he was…
Then why would the Others move from the DI baraks where they have lived for a dozen years to go into a tent camp on a beach ?
We see Ben alone on the beach, when he probably knows each Other personnally. Why not get reacquainted?
Seems that resurected Locke has found some insight rom the Island
Could he be Jacob himself?
Still Jacob exists in 1954 and the cabin is built in the 70’s by Horace
Why not simply burn it? That would make a nice bush fire for the «Moses» followers
Now how the hell was this sealed leeking H-bomb moved into this Egyptian cave ?
Dan did say bury it not get it underground in some cave
We now know that this «massive pocket of energy» is not the H-Bomb. Because where the bomb is the DI is not drilling Is it just an EM source ?
I cannot believe that an active H-Bomb coud lay next to this energy for 23 years without problem
Where was Sayid all this time? (since shooting Ben)
What made Chang change his mind ?
Why wont Sawyier tell the real story to the DI folx?
Is the DI out of thruth serum ?
I guess they didnt find time to slap question Kate…
I really liked the idea of investing in MS …
After reading Ryan and Jens blog, I have to ask…
Didn’t we all get a suspicious (is he good, is he bad) feeling of Locke when he was in season 1?
I feel that it isnt him acting foul or malicious, but more of assertive, concentrated, and focused regarding his current motive.
Nevertheless I recognize that ‘killing’ Jacob sounds pretty sour, or so we’re lead to believe. Who knows maybe the ‘help me’ was on the same tone of euthanasia…
Great point Mirepoix, they could have used Oldham on Sawyer or Juliet, I wonder why they chose not to… Hrm… I guess their just racist towards Sayid!
NOT FAIR!
Wow – lots of great stuff this week in the recap and comments, but the biggest thing I got out of it is PARTY FOR SEASON/SHOW FINALE IN 2010!!!
Been looking for a reason to return to HI and I’m coming from NY. We are sooo there!!!! =)
This episode was Grade-A Lostastic. Finally an episode without 10 minutes of interesting and 30min of sometimes mind-numbing exposition and spoon-fed answers!
We got to see:
1. Lost at its best; The right mix of answers, character development and enough WTH?! moments to keep me interested and excited to see what comes next. Ben totally shell-shocked, Richard re-siding with Ben in fear of John and the “Is Richard actually an evil force and the island wants him gone” vibe.
2. Sawyer was right that a ‘Tiger don’t change it’s stripes” and he quickly reverted into old Sawyer leaving everyone else behind to get blown up to save himself. =)
3. The best and most interesting version of John Locke since Season 1 when we all cared about “what is up with this guy?!”. I love how the show is forcing me into going back and forth between “Is this bad John? Bizzaro world John? Is it even really John?” Either way I love the ‘aint takin’ no guff’ Locke for better or worse.
But I have to agree with Ryan and Jenn… enough with Kate seriously. I have no qualms with Evie as an actress but her character has been the unwilling target of every stupid decision/moment that wasn’t taken up by Locke! Please stop with love-octagons no one cares anymore and we are just fine with Sawyer and Juliet together and Jack and Kate the divorced lovers.
kate is stupid. “since when is killing kids and blowing up hydrogen bombs okay?” – since it will save so many people. if the kid is ben – it’s totally worth it – he’s a murdering scumbag. i think it’s highly ironic that kate is basically the one who created him to be that way.
i hope juliet doesn’t die. she and desmond are my favorite characters, even though i’m not sure she can be trusted. i was so disappointed that she went with sawyer. of course, what were her other choices – phil or radzinsky? also, i think that eloise divorces (or whatever) charles widmore b/c he has a child with someone else – hello, penny! i’m so ready to have some answers. where is claire? what is in hurley’s case? what is in ilana’s case – and why?
also, i think jack blowing up the bomb is “the incident”. i mean, if whatever happened, happened – then he blew up the bomb already. i would think it would create quite an incident. but, i’ve decided that i’m not really smart enough/deep enough to watch this show.
when i wrote earlier – i was disappointed that juliet would “go with” sawyer, i meant in the romantic relationship sense. i mean, to me, she is so much better suited for jack. and kate and sawyer are two peas in a pod. what is with these peeps that they can’t make up their minds who they love? it’s pretty clear that juliet is set on being with sawyer – but kate is just back and forth – just like she always has been. i think jack has given up on both of the women. and it does seem like sawyer loves juliet, but he’s stuck in a bad sitch with the two of them on that sub. yikes! why is it that sawyer is the one that both of these women want, and jack just gets their leftovers? it must be the bad boy thing. geez! women are such idiots.
Well I can agree with that, for the most part. Most girls are idiots. lol
Well, to defend my gender she is uncommonly wishy-washy. Who else misses when all she did was go up to Jack and say, “I’m coming with you!” get turned down, then follow 10 minutes later? Who misses when our biggest problems were the Others?
And I totally agree that the scene with the sub looked like… a video game or something.
Plus, for all we know, that bomb is in the case.
I bet Locke assumes the the role of Jacob, who never existed in the first place.
Locke saw himself for a breif second when he looked into Jacob’s cabin a few seasons ago.
In front of our eyes, Locke is becoming Jacob
what a great episode
John from NC, i’m with you with the” Holy Freaking Crap” lol
“I WATCHED THEM ALL DIE”. That line just made me scream and it’s driving me crazy. They are all going to die so that the masterplan is done isn’t it? It would be crapy but i think its true. Hope i’m wrong though.
An interesting thing I noticed is that John says to Ben when they are waiting for R.A in the jungle: “THE ISLAND TELLS ME THINGS”. I believe now that JACOB IS BAD, and the Island Spirit (smokey maybe?) is actually good. I don’t know i may have a permanent nosebleed from this episodee
Since Ryan talked about Locke’s dark side in the blog and DaveWR brought up questioning Richard in his comment, I wanted to post my own musings on the two of them:
I really wasn’t impressed with the last episode that centered around Ben and John. I liked it but it wasn’t a favorite. Everything that we got from this episode with Ben, John and Richard, though, was wonderful. More than other characters, I keep wanting to label John and Richard in particular as either “good” or “bad.” Like all the characters, I know it is likely they aren’t complete good or completely bad/evil but it is looking like John Locke is at once using Richard to point himself in the right direction in his timeline-past as well as to get to Jacob while at the same time Locke is perhaps about to destroy Richard’s life as he knows it by killing Jacob. I’m still on the fence as to whether I believe he wants to literally or metaphorically kill Jacob but either way, I’d be pretty surprised if Richard likes the idea of John killing Jacob. So, similar to wondering if Jack or Kate is the right one about the hydrogen bomb, I have to wonder if John is right to want to destroy Richard’s life by killing Jacob, thus meaning that Richard’s relationship with Jacob is harmful to the Island or our Losties or the greater good or whatever … thus making John good and Richard bad? Or is Richard, along with Jacob, doing what is necessary for the Island, the Losties, the greater good, whatever … thus making Richard good and John bad? There were times in this show when I felt that John had turned pretty dark but also times when I thought we might be seeing more of a hint that Richard may not be working for the best interests of his people and the Island like I’ve always thought. I mean, we’ve known all along that the DI views him and his people as Hostiles, which doesn’t necessarily condemn them in my eyes but you have to wonder where Dharma came up with the term? And we also know that Richard took part in exterminating Dharma so there’s a dark side there too, as well as him giving Locke the information necessary to get Sawyer to kill Anthony Cooper. So even though I’ve always had some evidence that Richard may not be a beneficent adviser, I still have always viewed him that way and would still be surprised and maybe even disappointed if it turns out that he’s not “one of the good guys.” … Or it could be none of the above, which is very possible, especially if John is now finally able to help Jacob, as he asked in their first “meeting.” If that is the case, it’s possible that Richard has been doing everything he can for the greater good by following Jacob’s orders (assuming Jacob is good) but it has to be Locke to actually help him, making both Richard and Locke good. Man, I love Lost.
DaveWR, I do agree that this episode put Richard Alpert’s goodness into question but I disagree that Sawyer left the island, knowing that he was leaving his friends behind to get blown up. When Chang came in to talk about an evacuation, Sawyer had no idea about Jack’s plans to detonate the bomb, nor did Chang, nor did Miles, Hurley, Jin, or anyone other than those with Jack and the Others. You could argue that he should know there’s a chance that Hurley, Jin and Miles might be in trouble but he didn’t know they might be in mortal danger.
I also fail to see how Kate’s decision to go back to Dharmaville is somehow evidence that she’s the one dragging out these love connections we have going on. I think her reasoning was pretty sound when she said “since when is killing kids and blowing up hydrogen bombs ok?” Not only does she not want to be a part of what she views to be wrong, she’s hoping that others will help her stop Jack from following through with his plan. The writers are dragging this romantic mess out but it’s not like Kate as a character is thinking to herself, “well, now I need to leave Jack again so I can go ruin Sawyer and Juliet’s happy-ending.” I know she’s gone back and forth between them before because she’s confused about how she feels about them and that is very annoying … but I don’t think that’s what she is doing now.
Sorry, that much was longer than I intended.
What if the compass, a mere hand-held instrument that originates from nowhere, is the spark that causes the big bang of an entire errant timeline to emerge? Kind of like the film “Somewhere in Time” in reverse.
One flaw of the episode that didn’t fully occur to me until I read Ryan’s comments was the doubt expressed about Hawking’s motives for the use of Jughead. An H-bomb would entirely obliterate everything or would work its crazy negation magic on the exotic matter. There can be no thought of using it as a limited weapon against the DI because its destructive power makes this idea preposterous. You would blow up the island you’ve been commanded to defend and yourselves as well as any perceived enemy.
Where was Jack’s epiphany? I’ve been so thankful he finally woke up from his fatalistic lethargy that I didn’t stop to consider if his motives made sense. In a 24 episode season, we could have gone back to flashes of the pain over Sarah and Jack about to jump from the bridge, but maybe these have to remain implied to squeeze everything in. Just judging from the scene with Kate, I’m assuming that erasing the timeline is more of a selfish way to avoid suffering and that saving anyone who has been lost along the way is more of an afterthought.
Great comment on Sun turning into Michael “where’s my husband” LOL.
I really am addicted to LOST, I may have to start going to clinics!
I was watching the season premier of Season 3, A Tale of Two Cities again.
I had only seen it once at that was when it premiered.
At any rate, it was Jack centric, and the flashbacks in the episode are about him going through his divorce with Sarah.
And in it, he wants to know the name of the man that she left him for. He begs her to tell him, and she never does.
In the episode Christian was going to A.A meetings and became sober for 55 days or so. Jack becoming enraged starts delusionally believing that Sarah cheated on Jack with Christian. Preposterous, I know.
Obviously Christian wasn’t having an affair with Sarah, but because of this outburst, Christian had slipped into alcoholism and relapsed. This was Jack’s fault…
Towards the end of the episode Jack begs to know that guys name once more to Sarah, to which she replies it doesn’t matter who he is, it matters who you’re not. Ouch, burn.
Bottom line is, when I saw this, I couldn’t help but think that it was significant. We see his face (this onminous man) but it was kind of blurry, and hard to make out. I think this could be Jacob. What if Jacob was responsible for not only Jacks life, but Christians, and all of our other Losties’ fate? What if Jacob…really is a person. A person that isn’t Jack, or Locke, or Richard, or the smoke monster, or somebody we already know. Or even Vincent. What if it’s a person whom we’ve potentially seen behind the curtain without realizing it? What if he’s this force that is responsible for our Losties destiny? What if he has been behind the picture?
Damn, I love lost, I’m gonna re watch every episode before the Season 5 Finale, The Incident.
God speed.
Answer me one simple question…
Where the heck are Rose and Bernard?
Jack didn’t decide to act because he has become the old John Locke. He doesn’t know what he’s doing, he’s just waiting for some “sign” to guide him, and Faraday was that sign. Now that Faraday pushed Jack forward, he’s babbling on about nonsense with not a clue of what he’s talking about much like John Locke of old. John Locke on the other hand has almost become the new Jack. Bold, strong, quick to make decisions, and not afraid of what other people think or do or care about him.
@Rich in Cleveland – I think the beginning of Jack’s faith was when Locke told him that he met his dad on the island. Jack said he didn’t believe him, but that was when he booked a flight in hopes of crashing on the island. Ben tells Locke this and when Locke sees he’s inspired faith in Jack, he also starts to get faith again, but Ben kills him because he sees he doesn’t have the time to “talk him into killing” himself again. Although the O6 story has been drawn out and broken into such small bits it makes sense that after Jack sees Locke in the hospital we see the scene in Jack’s home with all the maps/charts strewn about in an apparent attempt to find a flight route over the island. Because soon after this is when he tells Kate they have to go back, and his downward spiral continues to gain velocity. Then, with the death of Locke, he gets a dose of sobriety and gets back on course with his faith – propelled by his conversation with Ben. That’s the best I can figure, anyway.
@Knives – are you watching the whole season or the whole SERIES before the finale? Come up for air, man! Perhaps you can read the episode synopsis page on lostpedia and select a few episodes that might have some forgotten nuggets of insight. Well, if you find a 12 step program here in TX for Lost, let me know, I will need to be next in line.
I’m sure everybody has thought of this (and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone has already said this in the commentary, I just don’t have the time to run through them all…), but, who’d also predict that we’ll see a 60+ year old Kate, Sawyer, and Juliet in present day 2007? That’s what it seems to be leaning towards, and amoungst three people, they will be able to come up and remember important events of what to follow and whatnot.
I loved the Hurley and the Presidents scene. Me and history don’t mix, so if I was being questioned by Dr. Chang or sent on the Submarine with Sawyer, I’d be screwed just because I don’t have a particular interest in history. Sure I’ll know who wins the new elections, I just wouldn’t know what to put my money down on gaming events. The only advantage I’d get is getting rich off of making movie scripts (ala Hurley) and investing on some technology deals (DVDs as Miles put it).
-M
Uhhh, did anyone notice: when Locke got shot in the leg he was CLIMBING up to the Beechcraft, it was 2007. In fact he saw it crash right? I don’t recall a flash in between him seeing it and him arriving at the site. I thought that plane fell down from the cliff in 2004? But clearly RA removes the bullet from Locke in 2007. Is this proof that something did happen, and that the past was changed, and 815 really did not crash? The 2007 island just does not seem right. I think things there are not as they should be, and I wonder if the Ilana gang is there for that reason, or are there to try to set things right some how?
So someone did manage to change the past. Or someone will manage to change the past.. or something.
Just one question…When will the 1977 Losties remember that the pilot said the plane was 1,000 miles off course? If it never crashed on the island, they would not land in the USA.
Pete, there was a flash from Locke climbing towards the plane to getting the bullet removed. Remember, Ethan shot Locke in the leg, making him fall from his ascent. Then Ethan was about to kill him and there was a flash, it was dark and Ethan was gone. So Locke seeing the crash and climbing to the plane was prior to the 815 crash. Richard taking the bullet from his leg was 2007.
@Pete,
There was a flash between when Locke saw the plane crash and when he had Richard remove the bullet. Ethan shot him in the leg and thought he was lying when Locke told him that Ben made him their new leader, and was probably about to kill him when time flashed to the 2007 plane scene. Then Locke hobbled over to the post-Boone-using-the-radio plane scene when RA arrived and removed the bullet and gave Locke the compass.
I’m on the fence between whether I’m hopeful things can change or not. I keep looking for signs of change, too.
Remember what Ben says when Desmond turns the failsafe? When asked what that flash was he says, “That was the end of the world.”
I think they built the swan station with the bomb as the fail-safe. My guess is they blow up the bomb a lot and every time it changes history.
Welcome Pete to Team Change vs. WHH.
@Christy
I totally agree that Locke’s mention of Christian was the turning point for Jack and probably one of the most pivotal points of the entire season. That’s the moment that sets everything in motion for the return to the island. But after he arrives, Jack seems to adopt a very passive approach until something very recently wakes him up and spurs him to take action. We don’t really get to see what changed his mind and I’m just trying to explain it. I went with avoiding the broken heart/destructive despair route based on his conversation with Kate (over the altruistic “save them all” explanation.) To sum up, when he returned to the island, Jack felt a renewed sense of purpose. What convinced him exactly that detonating Jughead would be the fulfillment of that purpose?
Change is possible.