6.16 The End

Before We Start…

Before we delve into a summary of this, the final episode, I want to take a moment to talk about my journey with Lost. Like many of my readers, I too have been there from the start. Like many of the Lost characters, I also feel like I have been trapped on that island and in that universe for the same amount of time as they were. And it is a pleasant trapped feeling. For this, I must thank the creators and producers of Lost (principally, J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, and Damon Lindelof, although there many others involved), who have not only adhered strictly to their plot planning and structure, but have also carefully ensured that the look, feel and mood of the very first episode matches the same in the very last. What a joy it has been for viewers to see a creator’s vision for a long-running television series be allowed to carry through to its natural conclusion, without tampering by the networks or sudden interruption due to concern over ratings.

And so, finally, and a bit sadly, The End begins…

Summary and Spoilers

A series of quick juxtapositions show us the survivors both on the island and in LA, reminding us of the important connection. In LA, Kate watches as Christian Shephard’s coffin is delivered to Jack. Desmond intercepts this, signs for it, and asks that it be taken around the back. Kate wants to know what is going on. Desmond says he wants to ‘leave’, whatever that means, and promises to show her whatever that means.

On the island, Sawyer talks with the new Jack for the first time and asks for guidance. Jack shares the info that they need to get to the heart of the island and stop Smokey from putting it out – which will save all their lives. Sawyer believes that Desmond is the key. He goes on his own to fetch Desmond and will meet the others at the heart.

In LA, Hurley and Sayid pull into a hotel parking lot. Sayid, like Kate, has no idea what’s going on. Hurley says, "Stick with me and you’ll be very happy." He then pulls out a tranquilizer gun and heads for a hotel room where Charlie is drinking and drugging himself into a stupor. Hurley is there to convince Charlie to play the scheduled concert tonight, telling him that it is the most important thing he will ever do. When Charlie is not impressed, Hurley goes to plan B and shoots him with a dart. Hurley loads him in the car and off they go.

I find it ironic that the two people doing all the leading now, Hurley and Desmond, and probably the least likely leaders of the group.

On the island, Jack tries to explain why he took the job. It wasn’t for the dental plan; I don’t think you would need one if you are immortal, because your teeth probably don’t age either.

Sawyer thinks he is stealthily spying on Unlocke at the well, but Ben circles around and brings him in as a prisoner. This only lasts briefly; Sawyer quickly punches Ben and steals his gun, but before that he finds out that he is correct about Unlocke. He does need Desmond to destroy the island. Unlocke also tells Ben that he plans on sinking the island and sailing away, and he invites Ben to join him.

Desmond has escaped from the well and is being tended to by Rose, Bernard, and their dog Vincent. Rose feeds Desmond but tells him he must leave when he finishes, and she and Bernard have a rule not to get involved. But it is too late; Bernard has inadvertently led Unlocke and Ben to their camp. Unlocke makes it simple; either Desmond comes with him now, or he kills Rose and Bernard. Desmond agrees as long as Unlocke promises never to hurt them, which he does.

Unlocke, Ben and Desmond are heading for the heart. Ben’s concealed walkie lets off a little static and Unlocke almost realizes what it is, but he drops it. Ben tucks it a little further into his pocket and keeps walking. The source of the static is Miles, who has found Richard. Richard is stunned, but quickly recovers and gets back on task: to go to the other island and blow up the plane.

Back in LA, Miles sees Sayid the former prisoner passengering away and calls Sawyer to find out what is going on. Sawyer heads for Sun in the hospital to protect her from the escaped prisoner.

At the hospital, Jin looks after Sun. Sun’s baby doctor is Juliet. As Juliet does the ultrasound, Sun flashes back to the last time she did this – on the island – and suddenly she remembers all of it, as does Jin.

On the island, Sawyer rejoins the group, concerned about getting to Desmond first. Jack reminds him that they are all heading for the same place.

At the hospital, Jack and Locke speak before surgery. Locke asks about the missing coffin; Jack says it should be arriving soon. A bit later, Jack banters with Juliet, who just happens to be his ex-wife. Sawyer arrives, checking in on Sun.

Richard and Miles head for the other island. They retrieve Frank, floating in a life preserver. Frank is a handy pickup, because he has an idea even better than blowing up the plane: stealing the plane and taking it away. Either way, Unlocke won’t be able to use it. The explosives may cause a little problem for them, however.

There’s a gunfight coming at the OK Corral heart of the island, but first there is a little curtain raiser in an open field as Unlocke and Gang faces Jack’s Mob. Jack and Unlocke stand face to face and quietly speak about what will happen. Summary: Unlocke will try to destroy the island, and Jack will kill him. This is one of the best dramatic scenes in the entire Lost series. A little later, Jack tells Sawyer that Desmond is the surprise, a kind of secret weapon – although Jack doesn’t know how to use him yet. As they near the light, Unlocke says that only he, Jack and Desmond should continue on with the others staying back.

At the source, Desmond tries to convince Jack that none of this matters – that the alternative universe awaits them either way – a place where they can be with their loved ones and be happy. Jack does not go along with this. He puts great importance on the here and now. And so, tied together, they climb into the cave of the light.

Hurley and Sayid sit in the car at night, waiting for…something. Hurley kills time by building up Sayid’s deflated ego, telling him he thinks Sayid is a good person. Moments later, a fight starts in an alley. One man is beating up a brother and sister. Sayid jumps from the car and stops the assailant. He helps the woman to her feet – it is Shannon – and suddenly they both remember their island love and are reunited. Moments later, Boone stumbles up to the car, complaining a little about how many punches he has to take, and how difficult it was to get Shannon to come back from Australia. The guys both agree to let Sayid and Shannon enjoy their moment together.

Richard and gang land on Hydra and are met by bullets from Claire’s gun. She calms down when she finds out that they were not sent by Unlocke to kill her. Richard invites her to join them, but she refuses. This confrontation is heard via walkie by Kate and the others.

Unlocke and Jack lower Desmond slowly down a waterfall and discuss whether the real Locke was right or wrong about everything.

Backstage at the concert, Charlotte and Daniel are reunited. Kate, Claire, and Desmond are at the same table. Dr. Chang is the MC. On stage, Charlie makes eye contact with Claire. Suddenly, Claire feels pains and heads for the bathroom. The baby is coming; Claire heads backstage, and Kate helps her.

At the bottom of the waterfall, Desmond finds skeletons – and a circular pool. Without fear, he enters – and his body is rocked by electrical currents. He fights against them to remove a stone plug with the pool, draining it and extinguishing the light. The source of the plug begins to emit steam. Unlocke stops a second to gloat about Jack being wrong, then leaves. Jack tackles him and bloodies his lip, proving that Unlocke was also wrong – and is now mortal. A rock to Jack’s ear also proves his mortality. Their fight now will be to the death, but for now, Unlocke slips away.

Eloise Hawking visits Desmond’s table to remind him she said not to let this happen (by this, she means enabling the survivors to see the alternate reality). Desmond says he chose to ignore her.

Once again, Kate helps Claire to deliver her baby, and in that moment, they remember. That eyeliner wearing base player brings a blanket to Claire, and he and she are reunited – this one really touched me.

Back on the island, a full-blown catastrophic event is taking place, with rain and tremors. Jack jumps off and runs someplace – I assume he is pursuing Unlocke. Ben is trapped under an unmovable log. Miles says via walkie that they are taking off in an hour. Ben suggests they can make it in time if they take Unlocke’s boat.

Unlocke stands at the top of the cliff, ready to climb down the ladder to escape. Jack arrives, and they fight on the side of the cliff, threatened by the terrain and each other. As the cliff falls away near them, Unlocke stabs Jack in the side. Unlocke is about to deliver the fatal blow when Kate arrives and shoots him, saving Jack’s life. Unlocke says it is too late, but after Jack pushes him off the cliff, the sun shines on the island again. But as Sawyer and the others arrive, another tremor shakes the cliff face.

In LA, Jack has finished operating on Locke. He is wondering why his neck is bleeding, and why Locke woke up immediately after surgery. Locke has movement in his legs, and in that moment, he remembers everything that happened on the island. Jack could too, but he resists, and instead goes off to look for his son at the concert, even though Locke says they should go and that Jack has no son.

Sawyer checks in on Sun. He wants to protect her from Sayid and cannot understand why she and her husband just keep beaming at him as if they are sharing a private joke.

Frank scrambles to get the plane ready to fly. Jack realizes he must go back and try to turn on whatever Desmond turned off. Jack says goodbye to Sawyer and Kate and takes Hurley and Ben with him. Kate and Jack kiss deeply and profess their love, knowing that they may not ever see each other again. And how can Kate and Sawyer make it to the plane on time? They can jump off the cliff – and they do, too.

Sawyer and Jack meet at the hospital, and that moment almost gives Sawyer realization. A moment later, when Sawyer runs into Juliet. When she helps him out of his stuck candy bar dilemma, they both remember their island life and how it ended. They embrace, barely believing that they have been given a second chance.

At the concert, Jack meets Kate. Maybe it is the depth of their island relationship, or maybe it is the dress, but this finally breaks through and he cannot resist the memories. Kate asks him to come with

Hurley supports Jack as he moves slowly toward the cave. Jack says he must go alone. Hurley realizes that Jack is on a suicide mission. Jack asks Hurley to take his place. Hurley resists but accepts. And you have to wonder why Ben is there and why he wanted to come. Hurley drinks the water given to him by Jack and becomes the new Jacob. While Frank starts up the engines on Hydra, Jack is lowered into the hole. Jack helps Desmond to his feet, ties him up, and sends him home. Someone has to put that stone into the plug and die.

Sawyer and Kate reach Hydra. Sawyer turns and watches the other island disintegrating fast now. The sound of the plane engines revving means they must go. Kate convinces Claire to join them. They arrive at the plane just before Frank is ready to take off.

Jack lifts the heavy stone and places it into the hole, then crumples in pain.

Frank gets the plane airborne. With sudden serenity, they float above the turmoil.

As the light re-ignites and water pours into the pool, Jack laughs and cries with joy. Hurley and Ben pull the rope to retrieve Jack but find Desmond on the end of it.

Locke arrives at a church where Ben waits outside. Ben apologizes for what he did to John, and John forgives him. At Ben’s suggestion, Locke gets up out of his wheelchair and walks into the church.

Outside the cave, Hurley grieves for the lost Jack. Hurley is burdened by the scope and breadth of his new assignment, so asks Ben to help. Ben is honored and agrees.

At the church, Hurley thanks Ben for being a great number two. Jack and Kate arrive at the church, the church where Jack was going to have his father’s funeral. Kate goes in and tells Jack to go around back.

On the island, Jack awakens. He is still in pain, but the island is healed.

Jack walks into the church and sees his father’s coffin. When he touches the lid, he sees all the events of the island. When he opens the lid, the coffin is empty, but his father stands beside him. How can Jack’s dead father be in this place? Only one way – if everyone else is also dead. Did you wonder why those bodies were found at the bottom of the ocean? They did die, although not necessarily together. But in this place, Christian explains, they can all come together to remember and let go.

Inside the church, there is a joyous reunion between people who shared a special time together. Christian leaves, flooding the room with white light.

On the island, it ends as it began – with Jack collapsed amid a forest of bamboo. Vincent comes to say goodbye as Jack watches the plane leave the island, and his eyes slowly close.

Comments

I don’t fully understand all that, but whatever it was, it sure was beautiful.

Lost Quotes

"No one can tell you why you’re here, Kate – certainly not me."
- Desmond

"I got a bad feeling about this."
- Hurley’s reaction to Sawyer separating to go get Desmond

Unlocke: So it’s you.
Jack: Yeah, it’s me.
Unlocke: Jacob being who he is, I expected to be a little more surprised. You’re sort of the obvious choice, don’t you think?
Jack: He didn’t choose me. I volunteered.
Unlocke: I assume you’re here to stop me.
Jack: I can’t stop you. In fact, I, uh – I want to go with you.
Unlocke: I’m sorry Jack, I think you’re a little confused about what I came here to do.
Jack: No, I’m not. No, you’re going to the far side of the bamboo forest, to the place that I’ve sworn that I’ll protect. And then you think you’re gonna destroy the island.
Unlocke: I think?
Jack: That’s right. Because that’s not what’s gonna happen.
Unlocke: And what’s gonna happen, Jack?
Jack: I’m gonna kill you.
Unlocke: How do you plan to do that?
Jack: That’s a surprise.
Unlocke: Okay. Let’s get on with it.

Sawyer: What happened?
Kate: Locke’s dead. It’s over.
[a tremor shakes the cliff]
Sawyer: It sure don’t feel like it’s over.

Jin: We’ll see you there.
Sawyer: See me where?

Ben: Frank, how’s it going over there – what’s your timetable?
Frank: Don’t bother me!
Ben: Sounds like they’re making progress.

Kate: What now?
Sawyer: We jump.

Juliet: Kiss me James.
Sawyer: You got it, Blondie.

Kate: You can go in around back.
Jack: Wait – where are you going?
Kate: Inside – we’ll be waiting for you there – once you’re ready.
Jack: Ready for what?
Kate: To leave.

Jack: Where are we going?
Christian: Let’s go find out.

6.15 What They Died For

Summary and Spoilers

Yeah, what did they die for? Why couldn’t they all stay alive until the happy ending? Let’s find out.

On the beach, in the aftermath of the sub explosion, Jack stitches Kate’s bullet wound using no anesthetics. Kate grieves for Sun and Jin and together, they promise each other that they will kill Unlocke for his crime. Soon, they are joined by Hurley and Sawyer. Jack has taken over the leadership role again. His first stop is to fetch Desmond from the well.

Miles, Ben, and Richard are on a quest to get a stash of C4 that Ben stowed when he was leader of the Others. At the Others compound, Miles is spooked by the spirit of Ben’s daughter. Richard tells Ben that he buried her after Ben left.

Inside a locked safe in his secret room, Ben grabs all the C4 so they can blow the plane to ‘hell’. As they load it into a satchel, they hear a noise in the kitchen. They are joined by Zoe and Charles Whidmore. With Ben’s gun trained on him, Whidmore tells Zoe to go back to the dock and sink the outrigger.

Now listen carefully to this part and help me figure it out, because I suspect we are getting to the key points in resolving this ‘mystery’. Whidmore says (and I believe him) that after his freighter was destroyed, he was visited by Jacob. Jacob convinced him of the error of his ways. Whidmore has now returned to the island with a mission. But just as he is about to tell Ben what the mission is, Zoe radios to say that Locke is approaching. She is told to run quickly and return to them, so they can hide. The alternative to hiding, says Whidmore, is  dying.

As Jack and Sawyer head for Desmond, they discuss why Unlocke did not kill Desmond. Perhaps he was unable to because of one of those ‘rules’ that he seems to have. Sadly Sawyer muses that if that is true, if Unlocke cannot kill them, then Sawyer killed Jin, Sun, and Sayid by not trusting Jack about the bomb. Jack tells him that Unlocke killed them.

Hurley sees the ghost of Jacob as a young boy. The boy asks or demands ashes. Hurley does not know what he is talking about. The boy grabs the ashes and Hurley pursues him. He finds Jacob at a campfire. Jacob throws the ashes in the fire and tells Hurley that this is the last time he will see him. Jacob says they are "…very near the end".

Unlocke is coming and everyone has a different strategy. Whidmore and Zoe hide in the secret room. Ben just wants to stand there and deal with it. Richard goes out to meet Unlocke; his plan is to offer to join him and therefore buy some time for the Others. Why do I get the feeling that Richard is about to die (assuming Richard can be killed at all). Sure enough, the Unlocke who meets Richard is the smoke monster, and Richard is blasted off into the air. Unlocke then shows up as a man and asks Ben to kill some people. In return, Unlocke says when he leaves the island, Ben can have the island to himself. Ben agrees and then tells Unlocke where Whidmore is hiding.

As Unlocke approaches the hidden room, Ben is asked to wait outside, but he insists on watching. Unlocke slits Zoe’s throat without a second thought. He has a deal for Whidmore, however: he wants information, and, in exchange, he will not kill Penny after he leaves the island. All Whidmore has to do is tell Unlocke why he came to the island.

Whidmore says that he brought Desmond, a man resistant to electromagnetism, to the island to – and then whispers the reason to Unlocke so Ben cannot hear. Just after he finishes, Ben shoots Whidmore numerous times so that his daughter cannot be saved. But Unlocke says he already heard what he needed to know.

Jacob now visits Kate, Sawyer, and Jack. They all can see him, not just Hurley. Jacob explains that Sun, Jin, and Sayid died because their names were on the wall. Kate expresses her anger; Jacob asks them to sit down so he can explain why they were chosen, why they died, and how to protect the island, because when the fire burns down, one of them is going to start protecting it.

Jacob explains that he brought all of them here because he made a mistake a long time ago, everyone on the earth is in danger. Long ago, he created the monster that is Unlocke. Unlocke has been trying to kill him for ages. When he finally succeeded, that meant someone had to replace him. Sawyer complains that his life was fine until Jacob derailed him by bringing him to the island. Jacob contradicts him, saying that all of them were lost just as he was, and they need the island. Even Kate is eligible; her name was crossed off the list because she became a mother. Jacob says that they must protect the island’s light by killing Unlocke. Jack wonders if this is even possible.

Jack volunteers to take Jacob’s place; he is finally sure that this is why he is here. Jacob explains where the light is (past the bamboo). Jacob performs a ceremony, asking Jack to drink ‘consecrated’ water. Jack’s eyes reflect new knowledge and new power. "Now you’re like me," says Jacob.

Unlocke leads Ben to the well where he asked Sayid to kill Desmond. Desmond is gone, but Unlocke is still pleased. He plans to find Desmond and use him to destroy the island.

Alternatively:

Jack awakens in his room, wondering why he has a small bleeding wound on his neck. After some banter with his son about an upcoming concert, Claire wanders into the kitchen. A phone call from Oceanic Airlines informs Jack that his father’s coffin has been found and will be in LA by the end of the day. But the call is being made by Desmond, from inside his car.

This is one angry Desmond. He’s back at the school where he ran Locke over. When Ben sees him and blocks his car, Desmond moves Ben out of the way by punching him repeatedly in the face. Ben momentarily remembers the last time Desmond did that to him. Desmond does say that he is there not to kill Locke, but to help him let go.

Ben gets his wounds attended to in a medical ward. While there, he runs into Locke. Ben tells Locke that the man who ran him down came back and attacked him – until Ben ‘saw something’. Locke is about to call the police until Ben tells him that the man said he was trying to help Locke ‘let go’. Locke terminates the 911 call. Coincidentally, Desmond is at the police station, wanting to talk to someone. There, he confesses to Sawyer and Miles that he is the man who did the hit and run and who beat up Ben. He is placed in jail, where he shares a cell with Sayid. Kate is in a nearby cell. It is all coming together, although I have no idea what ‘it’ is.

Alex sees Ben’s bruises and offers him a ride home with her mother, Danielle. He also gets a dinner invitation. Danielle is very grateful for Ben’s mentoring of Alex, made all the more important because Alex’s own father died when she was two. Ben is brought to tears by her remarks.

Locke visits Jack at his office. Locke is exploring the strange coincidences involved in how many times their paths have crossed, and how the man who ran him down also said he was trying to help him let go – which is the same thing that Jack had said to him. Locke believes these things have happened because he was meant to have Jack fix his body.

Sawyer packs up the prisoners Sayid, Desmond, and Kate and sends them off to county prison. Kate tries to convince Sawyer to let her go, but he refuses. In the back of the van, Desmond says it is time to leave, but they must trust him. Kate and Sayid both think he is mad, but what they might as well try something. Desmond says he will set them free if they promise to do something for him after they are free. They both promise. Soon, the van stops, the back door opens, and Ana is there. She’s a corrupt cop who made a deal with Desmond – money for release. Soon, Hurley drives up and gives a fat envelope to Ana. Hurley takes Sayid with him; Desmond gives Kate a small dress, tells her they are going to a concert (Driveshaft?) and tells her to get in the Camaro. Remember Hurley’s Camaro? That’s the one.

Comments

The present and the alternative realities are closely intertwined now. Characters past and present are becoming aware of their ‘other’ existence.

Lost Quotes

Sawyer: The bomb on the sub – I killed them, didn’t I?
Jack: No. He killed them.

"You should get your friends. We’re very close to the end, Hugo."
- Jacob

"Did you say there were some other people to kill?"
- Ben, anxious to keep this spree going

"I didn’t pluck any of you out of a happy existence. You were all flawed. I chose you because you were like me. You were all alone. You were all looking for something that you couldn’t find out there. I chose you because you needed this place as much as it needed you."
- Jacob

"I thought that guy had a god complex before."
- Sawyer regarding Jack

"Now you’re like me."
- Jacob to Jack

Ben: Let me ask you something.
Unlocke: Shoot.
Ben: If you can turn yourself into smoke whenever you want, why do you bother walking?
Unlocke: I like the feel of my feet on the ground. Reminds me that…I was human.

Ben: What did Whidmore say to you?
Unlocke: He said Desmond was a failsafe – Jacob’s last resort in case god forbid I managed to kill all of his beloved candidates. One final way to make sure that I never leave this place.
Ben: Then why are you happy that he’s still alive?
Unlocke: Because I’m gonna find Desmond, and when I do, he’d gonna help me do the one thing that I could never do myself. I’m gonna destroy the island.

6.14 Across the Sea

Summary and Spoilers

On the floating debris of a crude raft, a lone, injured, and pregnant woman clings to life and eventually drifts onto a beach. Limping and bleeding, she makes her way inland and drinks from a clear stream. She is startled by a female resident of the island who offers her shelter and food. They eat and converse; the driftwood woman is identified as Claudia. The other woman, played by surprise big name Allison Janney, is not identified, but her garb and manner are somehow reminiscent of either Jacob or the Smoke Monster.

Claudia is very close to full term, and shortly, she gives birth, painfully and vocally, to a boy she calls Jacob. But there is more to come – another boy. The island woman now beats Claudia to death with a rock, sparing her any post-partum depression.

Tween years later, and Smokey finds a board game on the beach. He lures Jacob into playing, making him promise not to tell their mother, because she would take the game away. While Smokey hangs on the beach staring out over the ocean, perhaps dreaming of getting off this god-forsaken rock, Jacob is a bit of a momma’s boy (at least, he thinks this is his momma). He tells Allison about the game. Soon, mom is on the beach too, taking credit for planting the game for Smokey. Mom tells the tale that the island is everything – that the boys came from her and she came from her mother. She also tells Smokey that he is immortal. Mom is apparently some kind of witch, alien, or superhero; as well as making the boys immortal, she has also ‘made it’ so they can never hurt each other. When a tribe who also shares the island is seen in their territory, mom blindfolds them and brings them to a place where a subterranean tunnel emits pure light – sort of the source, the heartbeat of all life. Their mission is to guard this place and stop the light from going out – if it goes out here, it goes out everywhere.

Claudia appears to Smokey (and not Jacob), leading him across the island to show him where he came from. They arrive at a tribal village where her shipwrecked friends crashed and settled. Claudia claims to be Smokey’s mother. He doesn’t know what to believe, but he now has doubts – and he knows his ‘mother’ lied to him. It’s no wonder Unlocke wants to leave the island – he is not from there. The boys are split, with Smokey leaving to be with the tribe, while Jacob stays with his ‘mother’.

Flash forward to Jacob as a young man. He has stayed with his mother as he promised. She grows old now, and her time is not long. For afar, Jacob watches his brother amongst the people, and visits him from time to time to play that board game. Smokey claims that the people of the tribe are ‘bad’: greedy and selfish. But Smokey stays because it is part of his plan to leave the island. He has discovered the magnetic power of the island. Jacob, always the tattletale, tells mom immediately. She goes to see for herself and visits Smokey, deep in a cave, where he is tending a coal fire. Smokey is building a system for channeling the water and the pure light as a means of escape off the island. Smokey says he is special and he must leave. But this woman is also special; she uses her guile to knock Smokey unconscious.

Mom returns to Jacob and says it is time. She leads him to the place of the light that she first shows to him years ago and tells him he must guard it now, and never go down there. She makes Jacob promise to protect this place forever.

Smokey awakens on the ground again, his hole filled in and his escape thwarted. He sees smokes in the distance and runs toward it. His village has been razed; he people murdered.

Mother knows she is about to be murdered for what she did. Smokey stabs her in the back. As she is dyeing, she explains that did not let Smokey leave because she loves him. Just before she dies, she thanks him for killing her. Jacob arrives too late and attacks his brother. He knows he cannot kill Smokey, so instead he sends him into the light. Moments later, a monster emerges and passes by him in a rush of sound and smoke. Jacob finds Smokey’s lifeless human body and carries him back to his campfire. He lays his mother and his brother side by side in the cave.

A massive flash forward shows Jack and Kate finding these very remains in the cave (as seen very early on in Lost).

Comments

I’m not confused. That made perfect sense. Now I understand! It’s so simple; I’m not going to insult your intelligence by repeating it here.

Just kidding. I really want to know why and what and who. What is this island, who was this woman – alien, god, whatever. How did Smokey re-inhabit a living body? We may find out the answer to that one next week.

Lost Quotes

Smokey: I have to go
Mom: Why?
Smokey: Because I don’t belong here!

Jacob: What’s down there?
Mom: Life, death, rebirth – it’s the source, the heart of the island.

6.13 The Candidate

Summary and Spoilers

Jack awakens on Hydra Island, being watched over (or guarded) by Sayid.

Further inland, the whole gang (Hurley, Kate, Sun, Jin, Sawyer –are being locked in cages. Sawyer, who doesn’t want to get back in the cages unless he can be alone with Kate again, gets the drop on their diminutive guard, but gives up when Whidmore threatens to shoot Kate – apparently, she isn’t on the master list of prized castaways and is expendable. Whidmore assures Sawyer that they are being locked up for their own protection, because "…he’s coming." He pushes his minions to get the Smoke Monster fence up and running faster than the forecasted time of one hour.

Apparently, Jack was paddled (by Locke) to Hydra while unconscious. Locke, Sayid and Jack are on a rescue mission to free the others. Jack does not want to commit to rescuing his friends or especially leaving the island with Unlocke. To gain his trust (or at least his help), Unlocke uses the weird logic that he could easily kill Jack and everyone else, but instead he is asking for help. Yeah, I trust this thing.

Kate and Sawyer share an intimate cage. Sawyer tells Kate that at the cave where all their names were written, Kate’s name was there but crossed out. Sawyer is convinced that Whidmore would have killed Kate if pressed.

Sun and Jin share a cage and talk about their daughter, whom Jin has only seen in photographs graciously supplied by Whidmore. Sun returns Jin’s wedding ring to his finger. The reunion stops when the power dies and the fence does too. As Whidmore’s people scramble to regain power, the sound of the Smoke Monster echoes through the nearby jungle. Within seconds, lethal smoke invades the compound. A guard is smashed against the cage by smoke. While Kate stretches for the keys in his belt, Frank tries to kick open the door of his cage. Jack arrives, grabs the keys, and frees everyone. They leave in darkness but they are still marching in daylight, led to the plane by Jack, who says he will not be leaving the island. Rustling in the jungle causes multiple guns to be drawn, but when Sayid emerges, Jack calms everyone by stating that Sayid is with them and that he had turned off the generators. Sawyer takes a moment to thank Jack for coming back for them.

Unlocke strides purposefully toward the plane, even though two guards are firing on him at will. He breaks the neck of the first guard, and just for variety, shoots the second guard. For some reason, he also removes a wristwatch from the prone body of the second guard. Unlocke enters the plane and stalks through it, looking for and finding a booby trap probably designed to explode while the plane was in flight. While he is inside, the castaways arrive. Unlocke show and tells the bomb as a way of reinforcing that Whidmore wants them all dead, all at once. Would somebody please tell me now which of these guys is more evil?

Now Unlocke’s plan has merged with Sawyer hidden agenda – they will take the sub to leave the island. Unlocke says the sub is heavily guarded so everyone must help. Jack clacks his gun for effect and says he’ll help but he won’t leave. Unlocke says that’s just fine, but I don’t believe him, because he has claimed that everyone needs to leave or he can’t. Unlocke probably knows he can just knock Jack out and take him wherever he wants just like he did before. But Sawyer has another, even crazier plan. He asks Jack for one more little favor: to keep Unlocke from getting on the sub. Oh, just that one little thing, eh? Sawyer says just get him in the water, and he’ll take care of the rest.

Crouching in the underbrush, the Unlocke group prepares to take the sub. I’m wondering why Unlocke doesn’t just do it alone – he seems invincible. I also don’t get the strategy of sending the unarmed Sun in the first wave. She doesn’t even have any hand-to-hand combat skills that I am aware of. You can’t argue with success, however; this group of four quickly overpowers a guard and holds the captain at gunpoint demanding that he fire up the sub. Wave two now walks toward the sub. Unlocke again tries to convince Jack to come. Jack replies by pushing Unlocke off the dock. Shots ring out; a sniper shoots Kate. There is a fire fight between multiple Whidmore snipers and the castaways. Jack carries Kate and they flee into the sub. Unlocke climbs out of the water and uses a handgun to pick off the snipers. Sawyer tries to rescue Claire, but when Unlocke approaches, he closes the sub hatch and gives the order to dive. Claire is upset at missing her ride, but Unlocke, who moments ago acted like he wanted to get on the sub, tells her that she does not want to be on it.

The sub dives. Hurley has failed in his search for a first aid kit, but he has found the 4 sticks of explosives planted by Unlocke and set to go off in less than 4 minutes. Unfortunately, the sub is mid-dive and will not surface for at least 5 minutes. Jack is convinced that Unlocke cannot, or is not allowed to kill them, but that he planted the bomb to try to get them to kill each other. Jack is really sure that the bomb will not explode. Sawyer doesn’t buy this argument, and instead yanks one of the wires. The timer stops momentarily, then continues and speeds up. Sayid tells Jack the location of Desmond, who is still alive, and also tells Jack that he will need Desmond to defeat Unlocke. And why is Sayid saying this? Because he has chosen to save them by taking the bomb and martyring himself.

The explosion damages the sub. It is surfacing and sinking at the same time, it that makes any sense. Water floods in. Hurley is tasked to take Kate to safety while Jack attends to the others, especially Sun, who is trapped behind some heavy equipment. Their attempt fails and Sawyer is knocked out while trying. Sun is still trapped, but Jin says that Jack should leave and save Sawyer, while he attends to Sun.

Sun asks Jin to leave, again and again, but he refuses. As the sub tilts and descends, these two lovers die together.

Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley make it to the beach, grieving for those they have lost. Jack looks to the heavens and cries.

Back on the dock with Claire, Unlocke senses that the sub has sunk and that some of the people on board are still alive. He leaves, telling Claire that he is going to finish what he started.

Alternatively:

Post-surgery, John Locke awakens to see the face of his handsome surgeon, Jack Shepherd. While repairing Locke’s vehicle-related injuries, Jack takes a look at his spine and says he is a candidate for spinal surgery that would give life back to his legs. Surprisingly, Locke adamantly refuses this.

Jack talk to Locke’s former oral surgeon, Bernard. Bernard was also on flight 815, and sees what Jack is searching for. Bernard gives important information: that Locke was originally hurt in an accident that also involved a man called Anthony Cooper.

Jack finds Anthony Cooper and is about to talk to him, but Helen heads his off, asks him to leave, and says Locke is not interested in the spinal surgery. She won’t give Jack any reason for this. Helen takes Jack to see Anthony Cooper. Cooper is a catatonic old man in a wheelchair, staring off into space.

Jack checks on Locke, who is sleep-talking about pushing a button. He is distracted by the pregnant shape of Claire outside in the hall. Claire is looking for him, so they stop to talk. By the way, Claire certainly looks pregnant, but I think her fetus might suffer from ‘zero weight disorder’, because Claire is not walking as if she were carrying any extra weight –she is still bouncing around almost like she has some kind of inflatable prop under her shirt.

Claire shows Jack a box that their father left to her and asks if Jack knows anything about it. He does not. Their discussion reveals that Claire was also on flight 815. What the heck is going on here? Jack opens the music box – it plays "Catch a Falling Star" – but he cannot guess what it means. Jack asks Claire to come stay with him because they are family. Claire looks like she is about to say yes.

Locke is about to be discharged from the hospital. He is supposed to be met by Helen. As he heads down the hallway, Jin walks by, carrying flowers for Sun. Jack is there, too, asking again how Locke got hurt. Locke says it happened when he was piloting his private plane. He crashed it and turned his father into a vegetable. Jack tries and fails to convince Locke one more time to let him help.

Memorable Moments

Terry O’Quinn is probably my favorite Lost actor. From the start, he has been an intriguing, multifaceted character, and his acting skills have enabled him to be compassionate and ruthless as it is called for. Now, as Unlocke, he is pure evil, and yet he still manages to be compelling. His delivery of lines is often laden with subtle emotion. For example, listen to the way he delivers the line "Not all of them" as a reply to Claire’s line about all the sub passengers being dead. It is spoken with such detached disdain and yet with a kind of pure hatred. Wonderful!

Lost Quotes

[Whidmore locks everyone in cages]
Whidmore: You may not believe it, but I’m doing this for your own good.
Sawyer: You’re right. I don’t believe it.

Jack: Why should I trust you?
Unlocke: Because I could kill you Jack – right here, right now. And I could kill every single one of your friends. And there’s not a thing that you could do to stop me. But instead of killing you, I saved your life and now, I want to save them too. So will you help me?

Kate: [freed from cage] What are you doing here?
Jack: [gestures toward the sound of the Smoke Monster] I’m with him.

Unlocke: You sure you won’t reconsider, Jack?
Jack: Yeah, I’m sure.
Unlocke: Whoever told you you needed to stay had no idea what they were talking about.
Jack: John Locke told me I needed to stay.
[Jack pushes Unlock off the dock]

Claire: No! They’re leaving us!
Unlocke: No, trust me. You don’t want to be on that sub.

Unlocke: It sunk.
Claire: What, the submarine? But they were all on it, everyone! They’re all dead?
Unlocke: Not all of them. [puts his backpack on]
Claire: Where you going?
Unlocke: To finish what I started.

6.12 The Last Recruit

Summary and Spoilers

It’s all coming together in the alternative universe, and Desmond is the unlikely organizer. I never saw Desmond as the one who would be on a mission, assembling a select group of castaways and eliminating those who he does not favor. I also never saw Desmond as the type of guy who would run over Locke in a wheelchair, unless he thought that Locke was sleeping with Penny – and even then, I saw him as more of a belligerent husband/boyfriend. "Penny! Why’d ye doo eet?" "He said he liked my cat-in-the-hat smile, Des!" Anyway, Desmond did overrun Locke, and this week, hopefully we’ll find out why. But first, we’re going to find out what kind of reception Unlocke gives to Hurley and his mob.

Unlocke takes Jack away to ‘catch up’. In response to Jack’s questions, Unlocke admits that he assumed the bodies of various dead people, including Jack’s father Christian. Unlocke used the body to lead Jack to water. Jack can’t completely disassociate this ‘thing’ from the body it inhabits, but there are no similarities. Unlocke views Locke as a sucker who believed in the island. Unlocke simply wants to leave, and he cannot leave, for some reason, unless everyone leaves with him.

Claire arrives to end the meeting, renew her brotherly love with Jack, and warn him ominously that now he must go with Unlocke – there is no choice.

Meanwhile, Sawyer, Kate, Sun and Hurley are scheming to make their own private escape in the submarine. People like Sayid and Claire are not invited.

Zoe shows up in camp alone, demands the ‘something’ (Desmond) back that Unlocke took, and when it is not given, radios her home base and sends a demonstration of their firepower – an aerial bomb explodes a few feet away. She says they have until nightfall to return what they took. She leaves her walkie-talkie. Unlocke immediately crushes it and says, "Well, here we go."

Unlocke organizes Sawyer to get a boat and meet the group at the bluffs and from there to sail to the other island and get on the plane. While Unlocke goes off to plot something with Sayid, Sawyer organizes Kate to come with, then pulls Jack aside to tell him his alternative plan: to avoid Unlocke and the group at the rendezvous point, and instead to leave on Whidmore’s sub. He tells Jack to get Hurley, Sun, and Frank and meet at a different rendezvous point. Jack is conflicted about leaving Sayid and especially newly discovered sibling Claire, but Sawyer makes a point when he says Claire lost her ticket when she tried to kill Kate. Now this is getting exciting! It gets even more exciting when we see Unlocke order Sayid to kill Desmond.

Sayid goes to the well. Desmond sits at the bottom in a puddle of water. Sayid points the gun but first explains to Desmond what he was promised in return: the woman he loved and lost will be returned to him. Desmond is able to halt Sayid by asking what he will tell this woman when she asks how he got her back.

Sawyer and Kate reach the boat, and Sawyer tells about the ‘ditch Locke’ plan. Kate is not happy about Claire not being invited, especially since she promised Claire she would get her off the island.

Back at the main group, Unlocke is concerned that Sayid has not joined them as planned. He goes back to investigate. Jack takes the opportunity to grab Sun, Hurley and Frank and to split off to the real rendezvous point. Claire is excluded but she sees them leave, and the hatred in her eyes is palpable.

Unlocke finds Sayid and grills him on the shooting of Desmond. Sayid stares him down and says he did kill Desmond, and invites Unlocke to check. Unlocke backs down and they continue back toward the group, but there is a tiny smirk on Sayid’s face, as if live is returning there for the first time in a long time.

Jack’s group finds the boat. As they get ready to sail, Claire arrives with rifle pointing toward them. Kate talks her down and convinces her to join them, by telling Claire sincerely that the only reason she came to the island was to bring her back. Claire drops her gun and hops on board, but also warns that Unlocke is going to be very angry when he finds out they are gone. They sail away, but Jack tells Sawyer that it doesn’t feel right to leave the island. Sawyer tells Jack to side with them completely or to get off the boat. In response, Jack jumps over the side. Do we have a candidate here?

Jack swims back to the beach and is greeted by Unlocke and a small group of armed disciples. On the other island, Sawyer and gang are greeted by Zoe and her armed disciples, but they drop weapons when they recognize each other. There is a long awaited tearful reunion between Sun and Jin. But Zoe’s call to Whidmore brings the guns back up again, and Zoe says the deal is off.

Bombs explode around Unlocke and his people, stunning Jack. Unlocke carries Jack to safety, comforting him with the ominous, "Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay. You’re with me now."

Alternatively:

Locke, badly injured, is taken away in an ambulance; he is able to share the name Helen Norwood when asked who to notify. He shares this space with paramedics and Ben. Bullet-ridden Sun and bruised Locke arrive at the hospital on side by side stretchers; Sun gets very agitated when she sees him.

Sawyer captured and is now interrogating or flirting with Kate. He’s picked up on the weird coincidence that they were on the same flight and met up again, but he just uses it as a pickup line. This angle is thwarted when the observant Kate figures out that maybe Sawyer doesn’t want anybody to know that he went to Australia. They are interrupted when Miles shows security camera footage of Sayid leaving the Keamy crime scene.

Claire arrives at the adoption agency and runs into Desmond. He heads her off and suggests she come with him to see the lawyer with whom he has an appointment. It’s Ilana, and when she sees Claire, she says they have been looking for her.

Sayid, fresh from resolving the Keamy problem, arrives at Nadia’s house and packs quickly, telling her that he can never come back again. Before he can leave, he is arrested by Sawyer and Miles.

Jack and his son have arrived at the building as Claire and Desmond. They are here to hear Christian’s will read, which of course explains why Claire is there. A hospital emergency call intervenes; Jack asks that the will reading be postponed.

Sun awakens in the hospital with Jin waiting by her side, reassuring her that she and the baby are okay. In the hallway, Jack tells his son that he had no idea that he had a half-sister. Jack goes off to attend to his patient – and it is John Locke, the man whom he promised a free consultation. It is the ultimate coincidence – like someone is still pulling all the strings.

Comments

The stage has been set for the final episode of Lost, with at least two tremendous personal battles about to ensue. Sawyer is pitted against Whidmore, while Jack is left to defeat Unlocke. There’s little doubt in my mind that Unlocke, Whidmore, and Jacob are all basically evil – or at least, the three of them could disappear forever and the world would be a better place.

The wild cards in this are Desmond and Sayid. Desmond cannot be dead, and it is unclear whose side he is on. Likewise, Sayid also appears not to be dead, and he will make his own decision as to who to fight for. Both are tremendous assets.

Lost Quotes

Jack: You look just like him.
Unlocke: Does that bother you?
Jack: No, what bothers me is I don’t know any idea what the hell you are.
Unlocke: Sure you do.

Claire: Hey, what’s going on?
Hurley: People trying to kill us again.

Desmond: So what did he offer you? If you’re gonna shoot me in cold blood, brother, I think I have a right to know what you’re getting in exchange for it.
Sayid: He told me I could get something back I lost.
Desmond: And what did you lose?
Sayid: The woman I loved.
Desmond: And where is she now?
Sayid: Dead.
Desmond: And what makes you think Locke can bring her back?
Sayid: I died, and he brought me back.
Desmond: So what will you tell her?
Sayid: What do you mean?
Desmond: This woman, when she asks you what you did to be with her again? What will you tell her?

"We’re gonna ditch Locke. You, me, Jack Hurley, Sun, and that pilot, looks like he stepped off the set of a Burt Reynolds movie."
- Sawyer

Kate: I promised I would bring her [Claire] back.
Sawyer: That’s before she started drinking Locke’s Kool-aid.

Hurley: I think we should stick to Sawyer’s plan or he’ll be really pissed.
Jack: This is Sawyer’s plan.

6.11 Everybody Loves Hugo

Summary and Spoilers

In the alternative universe:

At a tribute dinner for Hurley with Dr. Mark Wickman as the M.C., we learn that Hugo has not only been wildly successful financially by expanding his chicken franchise, but that he is also heralded for his philanthropic exploits. His only weak area is with getting dates – but his mother has remedied that by setting up a blind one for him with a neighbor’s daughter. His date shows Rosalita shows up, but it isn’t Rosalita – it’s Libby, who saw her from across the room. Libby says she knows Hugo, that they are connected like soul-mates. She remembers him, but he doesn’t reciprocate. She is taken away by Dr. Brooks, who is minding her on her day out from the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute. Afterward, he soothes his frustration by eating a full bucket of Mr. Cluck by himself. Desmond walks into the fast food place and talks to Hurley, mentioning that he remembers him from flight 815. Desmond sits down and Hurley explains the source of his depression. When Hurley mentions that Libby said she knew him before, Desmond strongly suggests that Hurley go with his gut instinct that it is true and try to find out more.

Hurley visits Dr. Brooks and asks to see Libby. Brooks says it isn’t a good idea, but he changes his mind when Hurley offers him a 100 thousand dollar donation. Hurley meets Libby in the recreation area. Libby remembers the plane crash, the island, and Hurley. She hopes that Hurley will remember her, proving that she is not crazy. But he does not remember her. Hurley asks Libby out on a date, and she heartily accepts.
On their beach date, when Libby kisses Hurley, he begins to remember brief flashbacks of the island. They are observed from a distance by Desmond, who sees what is going on and looks satisfied with his meddling.
Desmond moves on to his next encounter. He finds the wheelchair-bound John Locke and unceremoniously drives him car right into him, severely injuring him.

On the island:

Hugo stops by Libby’s grave to speak to her. Ilana stops by on her way to the Black Rock to get dynamite. Then someone else stops by unexpectedly: Michael. His appearance is preceded by whispers, indicating that Michael is already dead. Gee, I miss Michael, and so does Jack, who shows up and cannot see him.

Ilana has four sticks of dynamite to use in blowing up the plane. But she drops the bag and blows herself up instead.

Sawyer and Kate are restless in the Unlocke camp. Unlocke is just whittling a stick, waiting for the stick to tell him what it will become. He is also waiting for everyone to come with him: Sun, Jack, Hurley. His waiting is interrupted by Sayid’s arrival. Sayid brings Desmond as his prisoner.

After Ilana’s sudden death, Richard sets out to get more dynamite. He’s for sticking to the plan. Hurley was questioning the plan earlier, but now seems suddenly confident that blowing up the plane is the correct choice. His steely gaze and even tone convinces Jack, too.

At the Black Rock, Richard’s crew is about to go in the boat, but Hurley snuck around and blew up the Black Rock – and all the dynamite. Richard is incensed, but Hurley says it is to protect everyone. Hurley explains to Miles that he did it because Michael told him to – and when dead people talk, he listens.

Richard now says that they will go to plan B: proceed to Dharma headquarters and get grenade and other explosive. Jack wants to talk about it first. Hurley is more forceful, saying that Jacob is there and that Jacob says they have to talk to Locke. Richard tries to get Hurley to prove that invisible Jacob is standing there, but Hurley says he doesn’t have to prove anything. The group splits; Miles and Ben go with Richard, and the others (Jack, Sun, and Frank) stick with Hurley. That’s ideal for Unlocke, as he soon will be reacquainted with those missing original crashers.

Unlocke unties Desmond and questions him about why he is on the island. Desmond tells all he knows. When Desmond says that the man he is talking to is John Locke, Unlocke asks Sayid to go, and walks with Desmond. A young boy stands a distance away in the woods, watching them. Unlocke angrily tells Desmond to ignore him. Unlocke brings Desmond to a deep old well.

Hurley’s shifty eyes were a telltale that Hurley did not talk to Jacob. He reveals this to Jack as the head through the dark woods toward a meeting with the Smoke Monster. Jack has thrown his support and trust behind Hurley, despite the deception. Privately, Sun and Frank aren’t so sure. Whispers mean that Michael has returned to explain that he and the other whisperers are stuck on the island because of what they did. Hurley asks if he can help; Michael just asks that he not get himself killed. Michael apologizes sincerely for killing Libby.

Hurley and gang come face to face with Unlocke. Unlocke’s face shows pleasure and confidence; Jack’s face shows fear and confusion.

Comments

I don’t know what kind of being Unlocke is, but the way he looked at Desmond as he talks about not being afraid makes him seem almost alien in regard to his understanding of human nature.

Memorable Moments

Unlock pushing Desmond into the well

Lost Quotes

"Ilana. There she was: hand-picked by Jacob; trained to come and protect you candidates. No sooner does she tell you who you are…then she blows up. The island was done with her. Makes me wonder what’s gonna happen when it’s done with us."
- Ben

"Dead people are more reliable to alive people."
- Hurley

"I don’t have to prove anything to you, Richard. You can either come with me…or you can keep trying to blow stuff up."
- Hurley

Unlocke: You’re out here, middle of the jungle, with me – not a person on earth even knows you’re here? Why aren’t you afraid?
Desmond: What is the point in being afraid?
[Unlocke pushes Desmond into the well]

6.10 Happily Ever After

Summary and Spoilers

Desmond has just been brought out of sedation by Whidmore’s versatile henchwoman Zoe (engineer, gunfighter, nurse). Whidmore tells him that he was shot by Ben Linus. Whidmore also tells him that Penny and his child are safe. Oh, and one more thing: Whidmore tells him that he is back on the island. At this, Desmond begins beating Whidmore with an IV stand. Desmond is restrained and brought, along with Jin, to the generator room, where, after at least one Whidmore henchman dies, a test will be performed to see if Desmond can survive a catastrophic electromagnetic event. Desmond is locked in a room with a chair and two huge magnets, and is blasted from the island to the alternative universe. At an LAX baggage carousel, he meets other member of flight 815 (Hugo and Claire). He is chauffeured to Whidmore’s office, where he and Charles have a healthy working relationship brimming with mutual respect. Charles even breaks out the 60 year old Scotch (the significance of this will not be lost on loyal viewers). Whidmore asks a favor of trustworthy Hume: babysit a junkie base guitarist whom his wife and son want for a charity event. That druggie is Charlie.

Desmond meets Charlie at the courthouse. Charlie immediately ignores him and walks through traffic to get to a bar. Although it appears that Desmond is a success and Charlie a failure, Charlie begins to whittle away at Desmond’s hollow, loveless façade. Charlie breaks through by steering the car into the ocean. Desmond escapes but not before Charlie triggers memories of what has happened before – of Charlie’s previous drowning with the message "Not Penny’s Boat" written on his hand. Subsequently, Desmond receives more flashbacks while undergoing an MRI. Now he remembers Penny and his son. He presses the panic button, leaves the MRI, and goes in search of Charlie. Turned down by the nurse at the desk, he sees and asks Jack, but before Jack can answer, Charlie goes sprinting by. Desmond takes off in pursuit, then catches and confronts him. Charlie suggests that he forget about the concert and instead try to find Penny. Whidmore isn’t as amenable to this strategy and shows little compassion to Desmond, even though he almost died. Whidmore tells Desmond to deliver the message of the missing base player directly to Mrs. Whidmore (who just happens to be the woman we used to know as Eloise Hawking). Mrs. Whidmore is surprisingly forgiving about Desmond’s inability to deliver Charlie, but her mood changes when she overhears Desmond trying to find out more about someone named ‘Penny’. Mrs. Whidmore pulls Desmond aside and tells him to accept his life and stop searching for other things. It’s obvious that she is aware of the alternative timeline. She tells Desmond he is not yet ready to know these things.

As Desmond is just about to drive away, Daniel Whidmore (formerly known as Daniel Faraday) pokes his head into the limo and says they need to talk. Daniel tells Desmond that although he is a musician, he recently started scribbling complicated formulas using quantum mechanics that even he does not understand. Daniel believes in another life that he lived as a physicist, and that perhaps Penny is part of Desmond in this other life. And Daniel also tells Desmond where and when to find Penny – who just happens to be his half-sister.

At a stadium just like the one where Desmond met Jack long ago, Desmond meets Penny and says hello. They shake hands…and Desmond reawakens on the island, calm and ready to fulfill his role for Whidmore. As he accompanies a small group of people to his next assignment, Sayid appears and knocks most of them out. He tells Desmond that they are dangerous. Desmond calmly agrees and also agrees to go with Sayid.

Desmond returns to the stadium and Penny, where he had passed out after shaking her hand. She’s sweaty and he just fainted, and she agrees to meet him for coffee. Back at the limo, Desmond asks driver George to get him the manifest/passenger list from flight 815, so he can "…show them something."

Lost Quotes

"That man is the only person I’m aware of in the world who has survived a catastrophic electromagnetic event. I need to know that he can do it again – or we all die."
- Whidmore to Jin

Desmond: I don’t know anything about this woman. I don’t know – I don’t where she’s – I don’t even know if she exists. She is…she’s an idea.
Daniel: No, Mr. Hume. She’s my half-sister. And I can tell exactly where and when you can find her.

Desmond: You told me you brought me here to the island to do something very important.
Whidmore: Yeah.
Desmond: When do we start?

6.9 The Package

Summary and Spoilers

A video feed clues us in that someone is observing Unlocke’s beach-dwelling gang. Unlocke comes over and talks to Jin about how all the uncrossed names must leave the island with him. Unlocke is now motivated to find Sun, since he doesn’t know which is them is a candidate. It’s also fair to say that Unlocke is trying to ensure that none of the potential candidates can fulfill their role (which would be to keep him bottled up on the island). Unlocke leaves soon after, telling Sayid that he has an errand to run. Sayid seems uninterested but is still left in charge until Unlocke returns. Sayid says he doesn’t feel anything. Unlocke thinks maybe that is for the best, because of what is coming. Jin sees this as an opportunity to escape and find Sun, but before he can head out, everyone is knocked out by tranquilizer darts shot by Whidmore’s invading army. Specifically, they have come for and take Jin.

In Ilana’s camp, Ilana says they will wait for Hurley to bring Richard back, because Richard knows what to do. Ben expresses doubt that Richard will return. Sun is getting severely frustrated with inaction and a lack of Jin. She keeps busy by tending her garden. Jack visits her there and speaks to her about her frustration. Jack tells her about the lighthouse and the mirror – this is his big exciting story and he takes every opportunity to tell people about it. Maybe he should scratch it into a tree or broadcast it in a loop using Danielle’s transmitter. Sun doesn’t let him finish, however, since she does not care about candidates or magic mirrors.

Jack leaves and Sun continues gardening until she cuts herself. Smelling blood, Unlocke arrives and tells Sun that Jin is in his camp across the island. Sun does not believe him, since she saw him kill the people at the temple. Unlocke uses the ‘those people were confused’ defense to explain why killed them. Sun runs away with Unlocke in pursuit, and then stops running when she smashes into a tree.

Later, Ben finds Sun and helps her up, and finds out that Unlocke was the cause of her accident.

Back at his camp, Unlocke discovers that everyone is unconscious, except for Jin, who is missing (and also unconscious). Unlocke shakes Sayid until he says they were attacked by unknown assailants.

Meanwhile, Jin is being held in a large cell whose metal walls are peppered with many small speakers. When he flicks a switch, a movie begins and music is blasted – identifying that he is in the Dharma indoctrination/brainwashing room. Susan Saint James, the bespectacled woman who almost tricked Sawyer, wants information on the pockets of energy discovered by Dharma. Jin insists that he first must speak with Charles Whidmore.

Unlocke gives Sayid a gun and suggests a zip lock bag to keep it from getting wet when they take the outrigger to the other island. Afterward, Claire and Unlocke have a very interesting discussion about whose name is on the wall and whose isn’t. Unlocke says that neither Claire nor Kate’s name is on the wall (although I thought Kate’s name was – was it crossed out?) but that he needs Claire (he doesn’t explain why). He also says he needs Kate and he does explain why: she can help to get three candidates – people he does need – onto the plane. He basically says that once Kate has fulfilled this purpose, Claire can dispose of her (well, he doesn’t say that per se, but Claire knows what he means). As Unlocke gets ready to go, Sawyer asks him why, and Unlocke explains that he must get Jin back.

Jack determines that Sun’s head bump has caused her to lose her ability to speak English, although she can still understand it. There’s little time to ponder this, because Richard (and Hurley) arrive back in camp. Richard tells everyone to pack their bags. His plan is to go to Hydra Island and destroy the plane before Unlocke can escape. An angry Sun tells him in Korean that she is not interested in destroying their only escape method.

Unlocke arrives on Hydra Island and is greeted by gunfire as he paces outside of the barrier. Whidmore himself arrives at the beach, and there is a brief tacit discussion: Unlocke wants Jin back, and Whidmore says he has no idea what Unlocke is talking about. Unlocke threatens (or promises) war.

Whidmore is unhappy that Jin was kidnapped and the war has begun. He gives Jin a camera that he found. Belonging to Sun, it contains digital photos of their daughter. Jin breaks down while viewing them. Whidmore promises to reunite Jin with his wife and daughter but explains that everyone they know and love will simply cease to be if Unlocke leaves the island. Whidmore brings Jin to see someone he calls ‘The Package’.

Alone on the beach, Sun is visited by Jack. He tests a theory that Sun can write in English – and she can. Jack brings Sun a lone tomato that he found in her garden. Sun explains why she did not go with Unlocke, even after Unlocke said he had Jin. Jack asks Sun to come with them; in exchange, he promises to help her find Jin and to get them both on the plane.

While Sawyer and Kate worry about the future, Unlocke returns alone. He has left Sayid on Hydra to infiltrate the sub and find out what Whidmore is hiding. As Sayid stealthily hides in the water, he watches as a drugged Desmond is manhandled by a couple of Whidmore’s personnel.

Sun and Jin’s alternative universe:

At the airport, Jin has his previously hidden and now discovered 25 thousand dollars in cash confiscated by customs officials. He can get it back if he fills out the required forms. Sun was unaware of the money and is somewhat perplexed to find out that Jin was delivering it, no questions asked, for her father. What kind of scared puppet did she marry – or is Jin simply a realist and a survivalist? They register at the hotel under separate names and get separate rooms. Now I am really starting to question this guy’s judgment – I would have opted for the one room – I’m quite sure of that.

Jin visits Sun to tell her he is going down to the restaurant to try to deliver the watch. Sun invites him in, not wishing to have a discussion in the hallway.

Sun tells him not to worry about it, as it is late, and then performs a very slow, above the belt strip-tease, where she basically unbuttons one button of her top at a time and then asks Jin if she should button it again. He keeps answering no until she gets to the fifth button, which he insists she re-button, just because he has this strange fifth button fetish. Just joking.

After love-making during the commercial break, and re-donning of underwear (as only people on TV seem to do), Sun tells Jin of her plan to run away, using a hidden account. Jin says that this is forbidden. Further negotiations are interrupted when Martin Keemy shows up at the door, looking for his watch, his cash, and Jin, who is hiding and discovered in the bathroom. Later, Keemy, his offsider Omar, and a translator determine that Sun wants to replace the confiscated money with her own if they are just allowed to go to the bank. The translator takes Sun to the bank, while Jin will be taken to the restaurant. Jin asks that Keemy promise not to tell Mr. Paik about his relationship with Sun. Keemy says he will keep the secret as long as he gets the money.

There’s bad news at the bank. Sun’s account was closed by her father. It’s a way to guarantee that Jin is killed, you would think.

At the restaurant, Jin is being held captive. Omar is sent to get Sayid, while Keemy enjoys explaining his role as a hit man sent to kill Jin as punishment for his affair with Sun. We’ve seen this scene from the other side, so we know things are not going to end well for Keemy and friends. Jin hears gunshots and soon meets Sayid. Sayid spares him and leaves him with a knife so that he can free himself. The translator and Sun returns; Jin gets the drop on him, and eventually kills him, but during the gunfight, Sun is hit by a stray bullet. As Jin carries her to get help, she gives him the news that she is pregnant.

Lost Quotes

Miles: Unless Alpert’s covered in bacon grease, I don’t think Hurley can track anything.
Frank: Hey! Don’t talk about bacon.

"…I’m three people short of getting off this island, and Kate can help me get these people on that plane. But, once she does…whatever happens, happens."
- Unlocke to Claire

Ben: What? For the fourth time, I was gathering mangoes, and she was already unconscious when I found her. What won’t you believe me?
Ilana: Because you’re speaking.

"A wise man once said that war was coming to this island. I think it just got here."
- Unlocke to Whidmore

6.08 Ab Aeterno

Summary and Spoilers

I must admit that I know little about Richard. Part of that is because Lost hasn’t told me much, or if it has, I’ve missed the signs. And although he has been there since the Others were discovered, and he’s always been in a position of power, he’s never really done much, and certainly he’s never done any bad things – unless showing up year after year wearing eye makeup is a bad thing. One thing I did notice: this guy does not age. In scenes from 30 years ago, he looks exactly the same as he does now. I am just amazed by the technical wizards behind Lost – how did they accomplish such a feat? CGI? More than one actor? Who knows…J
Anyhow…for those of you who haven’t bothered to look this up on the internet, ‘Ab Aeterno’, the title of this episode, means ‘From the Beginning of Time’ in non-pig Latin. And soon you’ll probably be sick of your Lost friends telling you this definition ad nauseum.
And now, after that segue way, the episode begins:
Jacob visits Ilana in a hospital. She is wrapped in bandages, but her full lips are poking out and serve as identification. Jacob asks her to protect six people who are ‘candidates’. Back in real time, Ilana, Jack and the others discuss what they should now do. Ilana was supposed to bring the candidates to the temple and then ask someone called ‘Ricardus’ what to do next. But Richard has no idea what to do. What he does know is that Jack is dead and everyone else is dead, and this is not an island – it is hell. Obviously, Richard has not been reading  what Damon Lindelof has been saying – Lindelof said the island is not an afterlife hell. But if Ricardus says it is, maybe it is.
Anyway, Richard says he is going to stop following Jacob and follow someone who might know something. Of course this means Unlocke. Richard goes to the campfire and grabs a handy Hollywood brand Nev-R-Stop Burning Log, and heads off into the jungle, in the middle of the night. You know, in the real world, when you grab one log out of a fire, it will burn for no longer than maybe a minute or two before it becomes smoldering coals (great for warmth but useless for scampering through a jungle at night.
Richard’s backstory:
Richard is bearded and riding a horse on the Canary Islands, circa 1867, Hey, I wonder if this horse also will not age, and if it will wear horse eye makeup. He enters a small cottage and attends to a very sick woman, Close to death, Isabella vows that they will always be together. Ricardo rides off to get a doctor. Twelve grueling mud and rain-soaked seconds later, his ride is finished. The doctor has the medicine but obviously does not care about saving any lives or having his dinner interrupted. He agrees to give life-saving medicine but then laughs when Ricardo does not have the money required. A struggle ensues; Ricardo accidentally pushes the doctor into a sharp lethal table, killing him. Ricardo grabs the medicine and leaves. He returns home but is too late. He is arrested immediately at his home by the local police, which certainly makes you wonder how the doctor’s servant got the message to the police so quickly. Email? Cell phone?
In jail, Richard makes his last confession to the local priest, but this is one tough padre. His confession is refused, and he is doomed to spend eternity in hell, should you believe in such things, which he obviously does. On his way to the gallows, he is purchased as a slave and soon is chained deep within a ship. After a long, horrible journey lasting twelve more horrific seconds, the ship approaches land – a land guarded by the statue that graces the shore of the Lost Island. Shipwrecked on the island, the officer who purchased Ricardo begins slaughtering the chained slaves, claiming that since there are more slaves than officers, letting them free would cause a mutiny. As he is about to stab Ricardo, the Smoke Monster arrives and carries the evil officer away. After digesting the officers, the Smoke Monster returns and goes face to face with Ricardo – and spares him. Time passes as Ricardo slowly tries to work his way free from his chains, battling weakness from lack of food and water. He hallucinates that Isabella is there – or maybe it is not a hallucination – maybe he and Isabella are both dead as she says. If she is alive, it doesn’t last – she is taken by the Smoke Monster.
More time passes, and now even Richard is getting bored with how this is being dragged out. He is finally discovered by a man who gives him water. This man is the original Unlocke, the original man who was with Jacob on the island. This man says that Ricardo’s wife is with ‘him’, meaning the other guy, which doesn’t make sense, because this guy is the Smoke Monster, as far as I know. Smokey frees Ricardo, but only after he promises to help him. And the way he wants him to help is to kill the devil and escape from what he calls hell.
Smokey sends Ricardo to the base of the statue to kill the devil, and gives him an ornate silver-handled dagger to finish the job. It’s confusing all right. Even Ricardo is confused. He saw the smoke take Isabella, but this guy, who freely admits to being the smoke, says that the other guy took and has Isabella. One thing about Smokey – whether he was in this form or in Unlocke form, he’s not shy about admitting that he can turn into smoke. I suppose it is pretty cool and is something that you would like to brag about if you could do it.
Jacob convinces Ricardo that he is not the devil, that he doesn’t have his wife, and that he is not dead. Using the analogy of red wine trapped in a bottle, Jacob explains that Smokey is evil and must be contained on the island. Although, it must be said, Jacob seems to think it is more important to convince Smokey that people are not corruptible sinners – and to that end, he has lured countless people to the island, and now they are all dead. So if Smokey is evil, this guy is, perhaps, just slightly less evil.
Jacob offers Ricardo a job – to be the intermediary between himself and the people he brings to the island. In return, Ricardo asks for his wife back (no can do), or to be absolved of his sins (nope, nada) or for an unlimited supply of black eyeliner (no, he didn’t ask for that) or to live forever. He says it as a joke, but Jacob can do that – and he does.
Ricardo accepts the offer and delivers a stone to Smokey from Jacob, perhaps as a sign that Jacob has won this battle. Smokey tells him that if he ever changes his mind and wants to switch sides (and see Isabella again), he can come and see him. Smokey gives Ricardo Isabella’s crucifix, which Ricardo promptly buries.
Back in the present:
It’s daylight. Richard digs up the crucifix that he buried all those years ago, and shouts "I changed my mind" to the heavens. Seconds later, nothing happens. Then about twelve seconds later, after some louder, more effective yelling, Hurley appears. Hurley has been speaking to Isabella. She wants to know why Ricardo buried her cross. In a touching scene, she tells Ricardo that he is not to blame for her death. Hurley also tells Richard that Isabella said one more thing: that he must stop Unlocke from leaving the island, because if he doesn’t, they will all go to hell.
Somewhere, on a hill far away, Unlocke casts his gaze over the island and seems to be aware that this conversation has taken place.
Back to the past:
Jacob and Smokey sit together to discuss their battle. Smokey wants to leave. Jacob vows never to let him leave while he is alive. Smokey promises to kill Jacob. Jacob says someone else will take his place.

Comments

So…now even someone as confused as myself can see the basic battle lines being drawn. Unlocke is trying to get off the island. He has surrounded himself with some powerful allies, including Sayid and Sawyer. Richard is the one who must get it together and muster a group to stop Unlocke. And now that we know that Smokey’s plan was always to kill Jacob and escape, the concept of the candidates makes more sense. Someone is needed to replace Jacob, and soon.

Lost Quotes

Richard: You want to know a secret, Jack? Something I’ve known a long, long time? You’re dead.
Hurley: You mean that figuratively, right?
Richard: No, I mean literally. We’re all dead. Every single one of us. And this, this – all this. It’s not what you think it is. We’re not on an island. We never were. We’re in hell.
Richard: Are you the devil?
Jacob: No.
Richard: Then who are you?
Jacob: My name is Jacob. I’m the one who brought your ship to this island.
Richard: You brought it here? Why?
Jacob: Think of this wine as what you keep calling ‘hell’. There’s many other names for it, too: malevolence, evil, darkness. And here it is, swirling around in the bottle, unable to get out, because if it did, it would spread. The cork is this island, and it’s the only thing keeping the darkness where it belongs. That man who sent you to kill me believes that everyone is corruptible because it’s in their very nature to sin. I bring people here to prove him wrong. And when they get here, their past doesn’t matter.
Ricardo: Before you brought my ship, there were others?
Jacob. Yes. Many.
Ricardo: What happened to them?
Jacob: They’re all dead.
"She said you have to stop the man in black – you have to stop him from leaving the island. Because if you don’t – we all go to hell."
- Hurley, relaying Isabella’s message to Richard

6.07 Recon

Summary and Spoilers

Sawyer burns himself on the kettle, cursing quietly so as not to wake up the sleeping Jin. Sawyer has thoughtfully let Jin sleep in to recover from his bear trap and Claire ordeal. As part of his new, sensitive persona, Sawyer actually has a full 45 second conversation with Jin without calling him by a new nickname like Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, or Sleeping Asian Dude. Now it is time to get up and panic, for those crunching approaching footsteps could mean that Claire and Unlocke are back. Sawyer tells Jin that he is ‘with Locke’ so he can get off this godforsaken rock, but gives his word that they will not leave the island until they find and take Sun with them. The crunches are generated by Unlocke, and Kate, and Sayid, and Claire. Kate breathes a breathy ‘hi’ at Sawyer and he replies with a throaty ‘hi yourself’. Get a tent, guys. Sawyer asks Kate about the whereabouts of Jack, Hurley, and Miles. Miles cannot be accounted for. Kate asks Sawyer if he is now with Unlocke. Sawyer says he isn’t with anybody.

Claire packs up her most cherished items like her scary knife and even scarier skull baby Unlocke says the Black Smoke killed the people at the temple; in the same smoky breath he promises to protect these people. Later, after Unlocke specifies that everyone should make camp for a couple of days, Sawyer gets impatient and wants off the island and now. Unlocke pulls him aside and explains that Unlocke and Smoke Monster are one and the same, which is why you never seem them in the same photo together, arm in arm. Unlocke brings Sawyer to a tiny outrigger and sends him on a mission to sail to Hydra Island, infiltrate the group there that would mean to harm Unlocke, and bring back information. Sawyer agrees because he believes it will bring him closer to getting on that plane and escaping this godforsaken rock.

Kate asks the now catatonic Sayid if he believes Unlocke. Sayid says he does, but his eyes are lifeless and his opinion isn’t of much value. Still, his weird state is enough of a distraction for Kate that Claire is able to jump her and push a knife toward her throat. Sayid just watches like it is TV, but Unlocke arrives in time to throw Claire away and tell her that what she is doing is ‘unappropriate’. Maybe it’s ‘inappropriate’, too?

Unlocke apologizes to Kate for telling Claire that the Others had her baby. Kate asks about Sawyer, so Unlocke brings her to the beach to talk to her about her problems and his. He says his mother was crazy and he had growing pains that created problems that he is still trying to work through.

As Kate walks back to the camp, Claire blocks her path to apologize for her earlier actions and to embrace Kate in a big hug. Anyone who did NOT think that Claire was going to pull a knife and plunge it into Kate’s back, raise your hand.

On Hydra Island, Sawyer visits old sites and reminisces about Kate and Juliet and the zoo where he was kept prisoner. He finds a tiny article of Juliet’s clothing and a huge Ajira Airways passenger liner. Following a trail of debris and shoes, he finds the stinking remains of the passengers, dead and clothed, arranged like logs on a campfire. A live one runs by and he tackles her. Her name is Zoe and she says she is the only remaining survivor. Zoe says someone or something killed all the other survivors while she was out gathering wood. Sawyer offers to take her to the other island. But she’s not who she says, and with a whistle, her armed accomplices emerge, capture Sawyer, and bring him inside the docked submarine. There, Whidmore meets with Sawyer alone. Whidmore claims that he didn’t send a freighter to kill everyone on the island and that he didn’t kill all those people in the pile just up the shore. Sawyer disagrees, but still proposes to tell Unlocke that the coast is clear, and then to deliver Unlocke to Whidmore, so Whidmore can kill him. In return, Sawyer demands that his people are left unharmed and are granted safe passage off the island. Whidmore agrees and they shake hands.

Back on non-Hydra, Sawyer stays loyal to Unlocke and tells him the whole story of what happened, including Sawyer’s lie to Whidmore about leading Unlocke into an unsuspecting trap. Sawyer alerts Smokie to the fact that Whidmore is setting up Smoke-stopping pylons.

Sawyer returns to camp to spend time with the somber Kate. His real plan is to let Unlock and Whidmore fight it out while he and Kate steal the sub and get off the island.

Sawyer’s Alternative Universe

Sawyer has just finished satisfying another beautiful rapacious young woman. He feigns being late for an appointment, grabs his case, and wads of cash spill out. But his date is not so easily conned by this ‘pigeon drop’. She pulls a gun on Sawyer. But she is soon disappointed to learn that her husband is the target, Sawyer is an undercover cop, and Miles is his partner in the van, dashing in with gun drawn to disarm the woman.

Back at the donut shop, Sawyer is calling every Anthony Cooper for some secret reason that he doesn’t want to share with Miles, even when Miles senses it and prompts him.

Later that evening, Sawyer walks into a restaurant/bar to meet the blind date set up by Miles. It is Charlotte, looking resplendent in red curls and a sequined dress. They trade stories about why they chose their careers in archeology and cop-eology. Charlotte is aroused by Sawyer’s cop/criminal personality, and soon they are in bed together. But maybe Charlotte’s easy seduction is manipulative. After sex, she digs through his clothes drawers, supposedly looking for a t-shirt, but dwelling for a long time on the photo and story about Sawyer’s sad childhood where he lost his parents. Sawyer catches her and kicks her out.

The next day, Miles confronts Sawyer, but it’s not about the way he kicked Charlotte out. It’s about Miles discovery that Sawyer covered up his recent trip to Australia. Miles suspects a motive for that trip that warrants it being covered up, and of course we know that the trip was all about revenge to the man who conned his parents. Miles drops Sawyer as a partner.

Back at home, Sawyer heats a TV dinner and watches Little House on the Prairie. The calming words of Michael Landon soothe Sawyer, and filled with remorse and perhaps a touch of lust as well, he shows up at Charlotte’s door with a sunflower and a six-pack. But Charlotte sends him away and tells him he blew it.

Sawyer confronts Miles, invites him into his car, and finally tells all, or almost all – he gives Miles the grisly scrapbook and details the events of Sawyer’s childhood. Sawyer tells all – including his plan to find the right Anthony Cooper and then to kill him. Before Miles can completely convince him to drop this plan, a car crashes into them, and the driver flees on foot. Sawyer and Miles pursue and Sawyer catches and de-hoods the crim – it’s Kate.

Lost Quotes

Zoe: Do you all have guns? I mean – whoever killed those people back there – they might come back.
Sawyer: We got plenty of guns.

Sawyer: What happened back at the temple? How’d you know to rescue everybody from that Smoke Thing?
Unlocke: I didn’t rescue them. I’m the Smoke Thing.

Gunman: Down on your knees!
Sawyer: Alright, alright, you got me. Take me to your leader.

Unlocke: A long time ago, before I…looked…like this, I had a mother, just like everyone. She was a very disturbed woman. And as a result of that…I had some growing pains…problems that I’m still trying to work my way through. Problems that….could have been avoided, had things been different.
Kate: Why are you telling me this?
Unlocke: Because now Aaron…has a crazy mother too.

"Son of a bitch!"
- Sawyer, on catching and de-hooding the criminal Kate

Kate: Even if we could get on that plane, who’s gonna fly it?
Sawyer: We ain’t taking the plane, freckles. We’re takin’ the sub.