The Substitute

After last week's episode I was worried. Very worried that Season six was going to turn into my least favourite of them all. What Kate Does tried very hard to sour my taste for all things LOST. But, I have invested enough time to know that team Darlton would not disappoint us.

I think we will begin to see things starting to come together now. We now know, for example, that John Locke of the Side Time is not so different from his "Original Time" version. While things are different in many ways, some things remain the same.

SIDEWAYS

Locke lives with Helen in a nice house and they are planning to be married. Since this is 2004 it was gratifying and heart warming to think that they would have at least two years together before the brain aneurysm kills Helen. Some things just aren't going to change in either of the times and I believe this is one of them. Helen is tired of making wedding arrangements and suggests they run away to Vegas. Call her parents and his dad and just go.

John still works for the box company and had been sent to Sydney to attend a conference. But John had lied to both Helen and his boss and attempted to go on a Walkabout, only to be told he cannot. He is fired by Randy Nations (did he seem a little too happy to fire him?) and has to go home and explain to his soon to be wife that he is out of a job.

But John can't even leave his former place of work. He refused to park in the handicap parking and a large yellow Hummer was parked right next to his van, making it impossible for his chair lift to operate. It turns out the Hummer belongs to Hugo, who apologizes for parking so close. They introduce themselves and John explains that Randy just fired him. Hugo (notice he does not use his nickname) agrees that Randy isn't a very nice person and, feeling bad, gives John the phone number to the temp agency he owns.

At the temp agency, John is insisting on being placed in a construction job and when the girl refuses demands to talk to the manager. Now, I don't know about you but I was somewhat surprised to see Rose Nadler step in. She explains that there are just some things that certain people can't do and once they accept that limitation, life is so much better to live. We learn that she is dying from terminal cancer and there is nothing she can do about it.

John tries to phone Jack and chickens out. Fear has been a constant companion of John's in the Original time, and it would appear that it is with him in Sideways 2004 as well.

Perhaps John accepted his limitations, for we next see that he is a substitute PE/ Health Studies teacher at a Jr, High School. When he visits the teacher's lounge he meets Benjamin Linus (I was not expecting that) who introduces himself as the European History teacher. I can't wait for the writers' explanation on that one!

2007

Ben tells a weeping Ilana that Flocke killed her team then implies (that habitual liar) that it was also Flocke who killed Jacob and kicked him into the fire. Upon hearing that Jacob's body was burned, Ilana collects ashes from the pit. When Ben asks why Flocke took Richard into the jungle she vaguely tells him that he is "recruiting."

Outside the foot, the rest of the Others have left Sun and Frank behind with John's body and gone to the temple for safety. Ilana suggest they go there as well, explaining to Sun that, if Jin is alive, he would be there. Sun says they need to bury John first. Ben, Sun, Frank and Ilana take his body to the survivor's camp, dig a grave and, Ben says a few words, admitting to murdering John and voicing his extreme regret. Well, no kidding, Ben. If you knew then what you know now...... But I digress. Ben's confession surprised both Sun and Ilana. Interesting that nothing seems to phase Frank, who grumbles: "Weirdest funeral I've ever been to."

Frank gets some great one liners.

From the vantage point of Smokey, we travel through the jungle and into The Barracks, where Smokey pauses at a window (did you see his reflection too?) from which music is playing. It then moves through and stops over a machete. Smokey transforms into Locke, picks up the machete and walks farther into the jungle, stopping at a large tree with what looks to be a bag hanging from it. He cuts the vine and Richard Alpert tumbles out. Poor Richard doesn't look that great (although his eyes are still wonderfully accentuated) and he doesn't appear to have the answers anymore. If he ever did.

Flocke tells Richard that he wants him to go with him, but Richard refuses, despite being mocked by Flocke that he has followed someone without knowing why or what the outcome would be. Flocke becomes distracted when he sees a young boy standing in a clearing with bloody outstretched arms. Richard and Flocke part ways, and Flocke heads back to the Barracks, stopping to visit with a now very drunk, and nearly naked, Sawyer.

Okay, am I the only one who was a bit surprised that there was still electricity flowing to the Barracks after three years of no one taking care of things? I'm sure that an overload would have occurred pretty early in the abandonment. But, there was electricity and Sawyer had found himself a bottle of whiskey and was rocking out to the Stooges playing "Search and Destroy." Just a quick tidbit, a line in the song goes "Somebody better save my soul."

Sawyer knows it isn't Locke he is seeing or talking to and tells him to get out. But Flocke tells him that, if he goes with him, he will tell him the answer to the biggest question....why Sawyer is on the island. It would seem that Sawyer is deeply disillusioned and needs some answers, because he gets dressed and follows Flocke into the jungle. They both see the boy, and Flocke chases after him, tripping. The boy faces him and reminds him of the rules. You can't kill him, he says.

While Flocke is chasing the mystery boy, Richard emerges from the jungle and tries to convince Sawyer to go to the temple with him. Sawyer doesn't want to. Richard tells him that Flocke has lied to him and that all he wants is for everyone to die. Sawyer doesn't seem to care. Terrified, Richard runs when he hears Flocke coming. They question each other and agree that neither saw who or what they saw. Sawyer pulls a gun and asks what Flocke is, who responds that he is trapped, but he used to be a man.

At a cliff they climb down some pretty rickety ladders (and unlike my friends who immediately thought of Jacob's Ladder, I totally missed that). I would NEVER have attempted to climb down those ladders myself (petrified of heights), I was feeling a bit of vertigo just watching as Sawyer descended, then nearly had heart failure when the ladder broke. But, I think Flocke needs someone to physically take him off the island, and he saved Sawyer.

They reached a cave. Sitting in the mouth of the cave was a balanced scale. A black rock balancing against a white rock. Flocke takes the white rock and tosses it into the pounding surf below. So, now we know for certain who represented white and who represented black. I thought of the two small pebbles that Jack found with Adam and Eve in the first season.

Deeper into the cave, Flocke tells Sawyer that he was brought to the island by Jacob, even though Sawyer doesn't think he ever met him. He shows him the ceiling and walls of the cave, covered with names and numbers, most crossed out. Only six names remain that have not been crossed out.

4-Locke

8- Reyes

15- Ford

16- Jarrah

23- Shephard

42- Kwon

Each of the names represents someone who could be a candidate (where have we heard that word before?) and MIB shows Sawyer his name. James Ford is a candidate to take over the job of protecting the island, even though the island doesn't need protecting. It is just an island. there are three options for a candidate.

1 -Do nothing, see what happens. Hopefully not required to step up.

2 - Do Jacob's job and protect the island.

3 - Leave. Just leave, never look back. Flocke and Sawyer can to that together.

Sawyer doesn't really want that job. He's done with the island life.

DID YOU NOTICE?

When the smoke monster pauses at the barracks window, you can see the reflection of "Smokey"

When John's ramp breaks down it makes a clicking sound, just like the sound Smokey makes.

The colour swatches that Kate shows John are the same colour scheme that ABC uses in it's advertising for LOST.

Richard lied to Juliet to recruit her to the Others and claims that Flocke is lying to Sawyer to recruit him.

This is the first time we ever see Richard afraid.

John Locke was confined to a wheelchair whilst Flocke is confined to an island.

Hurley owns the same yellow hummer in both times.

Flocke tells Sawyer that the island doesn't need to be protected, which parallels Jack telling Locke the same thing in "There's No Place Like Home."

QUESTIONS

Why did Ilana gather Jacob's ashes? What significance do they have and could they help protect her? Them?

Why is Smokey stuck with John's form now? Why can't he just change into another person?

Even though she was touched, why isn't Kate's name on the wall?

In the Sideways time, Helen mentioned John's father. We can assume that they have a good relationship. If so, how did John become paralyzed?

How did Ben get off the island and become a European History teacher?

QUOTES:

I only have one that's notable.

Frank: Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to.

"Nuff said.

I think the MIB, although in a human form, needs someone alive to WILLINGLY remove him from the island. He can't just up and leave the way Jacob was able to, which leaves me to wonder what it was about him that made the Powers That Be confine him there in the first place.

I am worried for James. It's the last season and not one of our favourite LOSTIES is guaranteed to make it to the end of the season. I hate the thought that James would be gullible enough to fall for MIB's manipulations. Notice that MIB only goes after those who's psyches are beaten and fragile. John Locke was desperate to be anything than what he was. James is desperate to remove himself from the source of heartache and a deep excruciating pain.

What did you think? What did I miss?

Next week, it's the Lighthouse. If I am correct, Season Six is following the pattern of Season One and it should be a Jack centric episode.