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.