THE END ~ PART TWO

ALL THAT RISES MUST CONVERGE

Okay, so let me explain what I think the side flash world was.

It was a holding place for the souls of our LOSTIES.

The side world became noticeable to us after Juliet beat the ka boom out of Jug Head and imploded the Swan for the first, or was it the second time? Either way, she was halfway between the island and the side time when she whispered to James that it had worked. She felt the deep peace of knowing that they would be together again.

We then see Jack gazing out the plane window and watch as he visits the washroom and sees the blood spot on his neck. We didn’t know then what we know now, and in retrospect the spot on his neck wasn’t some mysterious clue, but a remnant of the struggle he went through just before he died.

Although we saw snippets of ALL of our LOSTIES in the side world, it was basically about Jack. He took the longest to come to terms with the end.

Christian: This is a place you all made together so you could find on another. The most important part of your life was the time you spent with these people. That's why all of you are here. No one does it alone, Jack. You needed all of them and they needed you.

Jack: For what?

Christian: To remember and to let go.

The side world was created by the LOSTIES to find each other and move forward together. They had all been through so much together that it seems fitting that they would move on together. It has always been about being together, and in each season as the group was divided many times over, they always found their way back to the group. Again, it’s that bond they shared and it’s strength was so that it would transcend death and take them into the next world.

As we saw, Desmond was the first one awakened by that awesome scene when Charlie helped him drive the car into the marina. I still get chills when I think of Charlie holding up his hand to the window. But the confirmation for Desmond came in the MRI machine which, if you think about it is a blast of electromagnetic energy, right?

Soon he’s a mission to bring his friends together. First it’s Hurley and Libby. It took only a kiss on the beach (thankfully Hugo didn’t forget the blankets this time), and the memories of a whole other life came flashing back.

We didn’t see it, but I’m sure Des visited Libby, Boone, Rose, Bernard (I’m assuming that Rose and Bernard survived the great island margarita shake and spent their days in retired bliss) and at some point recruited Hurley’s help.

Sun and Jin remembered when Juliet showed them their baby girl on the ultra sound machine. It was a beautiful montage of their lives together and apart and the quick flash of their baby girl and how, when they were ready to leave Jin said “See you there” to Sawyer. So funny.

I really loved the way Sawyer called Jack “Doc” in the hospital then did a double take when he realized he had just spoken to some dude in s suit. There was nothing to identify Jack as a doctor.

The tears were in check up until Sawyer pulled the plug on the vending machine and Juliet handed him the Apollo bar. Maybe Jacob’s touch helped them all to find each other again? Maybe he touched more than Jack, Kate, Sun, Jin, Locke, Hurley and Sayid? Who knows.

Hurley shooting Charlie with a tranquilizer gun and plopping him into the back of his hummer like a sack of taters! OH I laughed so hard when Sayid questioned him and Hurley says, “Oh, that’s just Charlie” as if Sayid should remember him!

Speaking of Sayid, I truly enjoyed how he was made to rush to Shannon’s aid and as he helped her up we could see the love that they shared. It was then that I realized that his heart only ever belonged to Shannon and that their coming together, to me at least, was as epic as Desmond and Penny’s phone call on Christmas Eve.

Hurley and Ben are there. They’ve spent a lot of time together, but Ben isn’t quite ready to move on. He has other’s who need awakening, perhaps?

And then Jack arrived at the church and saw his father’s casket, and he began to remember that time in his life and those people who were the most important to him. Then Dad shows up and asks the quintessential question. “Why are YOU here?”, which makes Jack realize he is dead too.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNND this is where I totally lost it as we cut back and forth between the island and here. More and more I bought into the concept that “happier ever after” didn’t have to mean that everyone was still alive. To watch Jack’s death as his other side self experiences his epiphany was mind boggling and such a beautiful tribute to Jack and his friends and that which is LOST.

They were all dead and because these people meant so much to each other they wanted to be together to move on to the next stage of their spiritual existence.

LOST has always been a journey of spiritual awakening, of community, of survival, of redemption…. It has never espoused specific religions and seems to dare its viewers to interpret it as they will. And that’s how is needs to be. To each of us LOST has meant many different things.

But the most beautiful thing LOST has meant to me is the circle of lifelong friends I have acquired and the community we have created. We were brought together by a common love for all things LOST. We are all so different and yet we are the same. It doesn’t matter how far away you are, my friends, you are in my heart every second of every day. Just as our survivors became a family, we too have become a family.

THE END ~ PART ONE

And so it ends in the bamboo field where it began, Jack on his back as the life oozes out of him and Vincent by his side. The Ajira Airlines jet flies over head(presumably to safety), he smiles and closes his eye. Pass me a tissue because the only other time I have ever cried while watching the end of a TV show is when M*A*S*H ended way back when I was a fresh faced(albeit VERY young) teen and had relatively skinny thighs and a rose coloured glasses.

As we go on, we remember
All the times we had together
And as our lives change, from whatever
We will still be, friends forever

There is a certain bond to be had when you survive a plane crash on a mysterious and dangerous island, fight side by side to stay alive, battle supposed hostile indigenous peoples, and throw in an angry column of black smoke bent on total world destruction and I can easily see why one would want to join that exclusive club. It’s not like the benefits to living on an island that no one can seem to find outweighed the disadvantages. I’d draw a T-chart for you, but I’m too lazy.

LOST broke ALL the rules.

First of all, the Pilot was the most expensive speculative pilot EVER shot for network TV. Not that I noticed as I was trying to figure out how the heck all those people fell 30,000 feet and actually managed to SURVIVE, only to be felled by a flaming arrow, falling out of tree (yes Boone, I thought you were hardier than that) or whatever happened to Scott/Steve. Next, it took us to places we never expected. Locke was paralysed?!?!?!? Yeah, who saw that coming? And let’s not forget the tropical polar bears.

As an aside, how DID the polar bear get his Hydra collar off?

Anyway, my point is this: For many reasons LOST captured the imaginations of millions of people from around the world and brought us together every week to see what was happening next and if we’d find out what that great column of black smoke really was. I never, EVER once considered that it could be WHO! The fact that Cuse and Lindelof negotiated a specific end date meant that we had a deadline. We KNEW that our favourite show wasn’t going to just disappear like the island at the turning of the frozen donkey wheel.

Here’s what I believe.

I believe that the island was real and this was the iconic scale that kept the balance between good and evil. It held the source of life, death and of rebirth. She was a difficult mistress and demanded many sacrifices of her inhabitants. But she was also vulnerable and needed to be protected from those who didn’t understand the power and from those who sought to exploit that power. “Mother” wasn’t the first protector and we can safely assume that Hurley wasn’t the last. Jacob needed a successor who could do what the rules prevented him from doing. He needed someone who could kill MIB, the monster that he had created. By the way, I think the “rule” about Jacob and MIB not being able to kill each other was a “Mother” thing, and despite her death, because THEY believed it, it remained that way for all eternity.

Jacob and MIB have been sending volleys of hostility back and forth over centuries. Jacob would bring people to the island and MIB would corrupt them. Until Richard arrived and explained to Jacob that people can’t do what you expect of them if they don’t know what it is they’re supposed to do. And that’s when both Jacob and MIB stepped up their campaigns. MIB to kill his brother and escape the island and Jacob to find suitable candidates for his eventual replacement.

This is where it gets confusing for me. Dharma, I think, was brought to the island by Jacob. MIB knew that there may be candidates among them (we’ve see some names on the lighthouse compass wheel) and, via a corrupted Ben, orchestrated the Purge. Ben was, after all, the leader of the Others and who were they to question his actions, right? Later the Others were trying to kill the candidates who survived the crash. All this was through MIB’s manipulations. By appearing in the darkened cabin, and refusing to allow anything that provided light, MIB was calling the shots. Of course Ben NEVER saw Jacob because he was being used and manipulated by MIB. The circle of ash around the cabin wasn’t to keep Jacob safe, but keep Jacob OUT!

Jacob wanted to give his candidates something he was never afforded. He wanted, no, he NEEDED to give them the freedom to choose to take the job. I’m not sure if Jacob KNEW that Jack would volunteer, at least not immediately, and over time he may have been able to foresee an agreeable outcome, but I don’t think Jacob ever really knew exactly how it would all play out. But he wasn’t going to force anyone who didn’t want it to take the position. Really, would you take a job that offered little pay, eternal life, extreme isolation, oh, and the knowledge that your life would likely ended by a vengeful monster?

I believe that with Jacob’s death, and the transfer of responsibility, MIB became vulnerable to the frailties of the human form. Whether Jack knew that would happen or not doesn’t matter. Jack believed that his fight to save the island and kill MIB was for the good and that he had something Jacob didn’t. He had the ability to sacrifice his own life if necessary to kill Smocke.

I believe Oceanic 815 crashed onto the island and that the ensuing struggle to survive, to leave, return and protect the island was all very real. The trip back in time and setting off Jughead was real. The pain and sorrow as each of our beloved characters died. Boone. Shannon. Libby. Charlie. The shocks of their deaths still resonate in my world.

In the end, Jack was able to do what he’s only ever wanted to do. He got Kate, Sawyer and Claire off the island. And he even managed to give Hurley a most amazing gift!

In the end, didn’t MIB get what he wanted? With his death came blessed release and he was able to leave, or at least his spirit did. I wonder if MIB and Jacob met in a sideways life at a church, hugged and cried and were able to move on as well. Somehow I’d like to think they were going in the same direction (I just don’t know if it were North or South, if you get my drift).

Desmond was the first to be awakened on ALL levels of consciousness and it was his job to act as the catalyst for everyone else. He knew when the time was right, and thanks to Chuckie Widmore (I’m so going to miss calling him that) he was better able to understand and accept what he needed to do.

As the season progressed, I was beginning to wonder about the “reality” of the sideways world. As each person became awakened to their memories, I was expecting some sort of mystical fade away to the island (too much Star Trek?) where they would be equipped to succeed in what ever task they were required to complete.

I also thought that the two “realities” would converge. They did, in a way. Just not how I expected it to, but this is LOST and when have I ever been right?

I believe that Ajira 316 landed safely at the first runway it found and oh the tale its passengers told!

I believe that Kate and Claire were reunited with Aaron and they all lived long, nearly happy lives. They did not forget those who were left behind and maybe Hurley and Ben came to visit every once in a while?

Maybe Sawyer found a better way to live his life until he could be reunited with his love. Maybe he and Miles formed an off island partnership and created LaFleur Security, specializing in keeping remote locations safe.

Maybe Frank went back to Eleuthera and opened a bar built to look like the temple and he has Richard mixing drinks and serving up age old advice to the love lorn.

I don’t know. But I’d like to think that the writers left these stories untold so that the fans could speculate for years.

Tomorrow (hopefully) you will get Part Two ~ The Sideways World.

Questions, Quotes, and Did You Notice will be separate posts as well.

All images generously provided by DarkUFO and LOSTMedia.

Before we watch tonight......

I'd like to make a prediction.

As you know, I work VERY hard to remain spoiler free. This week has been very difficult as practically everyone wants to reveal what's going to happen in What They Died For and the finale. While I respect some people feel the need to know what is going to happen (thus be prepared for any shocks or surprises), I am the polar opposite. Since LOST is less six days away from the big ending, many sites aren't hiding the spoilers any longer. It's a no holds barred situation out there and I've found my LOST surfing seriously curtailed in an attempt to stay "out of the loop"

This does not mean that I don't sit and think about what's about to happen. In fact, I spend more time than I should trying to figure out what we will see next. So, in the spirit of looking like a total brainless twit, I am going to predict what happens tonight.

Are you ready?

Oh! Before I get to my prediction, look what arrived at my house today in preparation for Sunday!

You can see how sad I am becoming.

Okay, tonight someone is going to have some explaining to do and I think that Jacob will appear to Hurley and spill all about why the candidates were chosen and what is going to need to be done to stop Smocke. Jack was right, by the way. the only way Smocke can leave the island is if all the candidates are dead. Then, and only then, will Smocke have the ability to depart.

Speaking of Smocke, I think he's going to be going on a rampage in the next little while and I think he's going to start with Widmore. Chuckie boy, I think, will be a sacrifice the island demands.

Where are Ben, Richard and Miles? Yeah, I think they have great big bulls eyes on their backs too. I'm just wondering, since Jacob made Richard immortal, can he die? What about Miles? I fear he will not make it out of Ben's basement.

Ahhh, Ben. How I love thee, let me count the ways....

Er, can someone help me out here?

Just joking. I love Ben and all the machinations (for SJ) he gets up to. Since season two I have been anticipating his next move. But, most of all, do you know what I love about Ben?

His sense of self preservation. He's changed sides as many times as Jacob and MIB have played Senet throughout their youth. Keep an eye on Ben, because I think he'll be hopping the fence to the other side again before this is all over.

I made a great big pan of fudge for tonight (sigh) and have my truck load of Kleenex ready.

Let me know if I forgot anything.

Dr. Linus

WOW. That is all.Talk to you next week.

Okay, just joking. Dr. Linus was the first episode to feature a character in the side time other than the survivors of Oceanic 815. May I admit that the writers did NOT disappoint on any level? I'm sorry for the tardiness of this post as well. Life has been a bit hectic of late, but better late than never, right?

We've already seen Ben off the island in the side flashes, notably in The Substitute, and you gotta admit that you were just as intrigued as I was. Were you wondering if he was a power hungry megalomaniac? Were you wondering if he'd ever been to the island? If so, how and when did they leave? I'm sure we'll never get the answer to those questions. Onward, we go!

"What was truly devastating to him was the loss of power. Sure, they allowed him to keep the title of Emperor...... but without any power it was meaningless. He might as well have been dead" ~ Dr. Linus talking to his high school history class about another megalomaniac who went by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte. And all I could think about for about 10 minutes was poor beaten Ben on the island. Ben in side time may have a doctorate in European History, but he lives a sparse life employed as a teacher and supporting his father.

But things aren't good for Ben on the teaching front. He gets little respect from his superiors and is forced to drop his history club to "step up amidst cut backs" to supervise detention. Okay, how cool is it that Dr. Leslie Arzt is friends with Dr. Benjamin Linus in side time? Who in their left, right or drunken mind would have ever thought that could be a possibility? Nope, I didn't see that one coming. I was half expecting Arzt to befriend Locke, but I see he sat separate from the regular teachers. Yet, I found it ironic that John Locke indicated that he would follow Ben Linus as a principal.

ALEX!!!!! We got to see Alex again as one of Dr. Linus' star students who lives with her mother (who works four jobs to make ends meet). She loves history and wants to go to Yale. She needs help in the form of a very good reference letter and the only person who can give it to her is the Principal. But the principal is playing a game with the school nurse, so Ben uses the knowledge to blackmail him into "retiring".

I found the fact that Ben failed at his blackmail attempt very interesting. Again, it's all about power and though Ben wanted that power to improve the academic faculty and better provide for the students, he wasn't meant to be an administrator. Blame the island. Blame fate. Blame Alex for sending an e-mail to the principal requesting a letter of recommendation on her behalf.

I held my breath when Ben was forced to chose. Take down the principal or ensure Alex got her letter. I wondered how he would choose. I tell you, my ears were popping and my eyes were bulging until he chose Alex's future over his own desire for power. FINALLY! I thought.

Even in side time, Ben is gassing his father. Only this time he's providing life giving oxygen. One thing is perfectly clear in the side flash, Ben and Roger have a much more traditional father son relationship than even we could have imagined. We learn that they were indeed part of the Dharma Initiative in their pasts, and they left the island. What we don't know is why they left, but I'll hazard a guess that it was some sort of accident that had put his son in danger. I am assuming that since there was no mention of Emily, Ben's mother, that she still died on the day Ben was born (or possibly shortly after). The major difference here is that Ben's issues with his father were not evident.

In original time, Miles spills the beans and tells Ilana that it was not Smocke that killed Jacob, but Ben. Ben denies the deed, but the jig is up and there's much to be done. The rag tag group are heading back to the beach camp where the territory is familiar and the ocean is at their backs. Once there, Ilana creates an island version of the ankle monitor and ties Ben to a tree (how many times has Be been tied to a tree?), telling him to start digging his own grave. She's really ticked at him and Ben sees that he has no way out of this bind (literally and figuratively). Ever trying to escape paying the consequences of his actions, he even tried to bribe Miles with that 3.2 million buckaroos and, once again is foiled when Miles tells him about the diamonds buried with Team Razzle Dazzle (Nikki and Paolo for those of you who haven't heard me refer to them as such). Poor Ben. I actually felt sorry for him. And, to make matters even worse, the clicking starts and along comes Smocke to make him an offer he can't refuse. Or can he?

Here's the thing. Ben's been learning a few things upon his return to the island and I think he is a changed man. He knows a few things now that he didn't know before he left (and if you think of it, he left of his own volition so he was never really banished). Smocke comes along, uses his "magic" to free Ben from the tether and gives him an out. Ben makes a run for it but Ilana catches up to him and they have a face off, each pointing a gun at the other. But here's the kicker. When Ben explains what happened inside the Four Toed Foot and admits that he doesn't really want to go to Smocke's camp but feels it necessary because no one wants him, Ilana shocks us all and as much as forgives him! Wow, did not see that coming. Nope, not at all. And the fact that Ben decides to try his luck with the crew he is already with tells us that his aspirations of being a great leader are gone.

Elsewhere on the island, Jack and Hurley are trying to make their way back to the temple. Hurley is stalling as much as he possibly can, knowing what Jacob told him about the bad person and the temple. They can't figure out which way to turn when they meet Richard Alpert, in a rush to get as far away from the temple as he can. He's seen the carnage there and, without Jacob to guide him, is lost and without purpose. He says he'll take Jack and Hurley back to the temple, but instead leads them to the Black Rock. Interestingly, this is the first appearance of the "slave" ship since season three. Seems so long ago.

Anyway, Richard, without purpose and no longer the confident honey we all know and love, does what any lost soul does when faced with adversity. He's going to commit suicide by way of having someone kill him. Apparently, when Jacob touches you he takes away your ability to kill yourself. Gee, what a guy. Jack follows Richard into the ship, lights the stick of TNT and sits down facing Richard. At first I thought Jack was going to take the easy way out and be a casualty of Richard's suicide by murder, then I realized that Jack's new found faith, if not his purpose, was protecting him. He knew that he would not die. He was willing to take the risk and put his fate in the hands of the island to make his point. The look on Richard's face when the fuse went out just before reaching the TNT was one of incredulity and renewed faith.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I can see a Jack and Richard friendship through the ages. I'm not sure if they are peers, but each of them have something that compliments the other. Jack tells Richard they have to go back to where it all began. The beach. Imagine that, huh?

Right now we are seeing our people getting into place. Jack, Ilana, Hurley, Sun, Ben, and Richard are all on the beach.

Sawyer, Claire, Jin, Kate, Not-The-Same-Sayid, and Smocke out in the jungle.

We can definitely see the alignment of sides happening.

And then there's the new arrivals. As Jack, Hurley and Richard arrive at the survivor's camp we see another faction arrive as a submarine surfaces. I knew it would be Chuckie on board that Submarine. I had only one question. Was that the Galaga, or did Chuckie Widmore have another sub made?

DID YOU NOTICE?

Dr. Linus is the first episode to focus a side time on someone other than an 815 survivor.

The actor who plays Roger Linus has portrayed him as a young man (at Ben's birth) to an old man. The longest interval of any other character!

Ben just keeps gassing his father! In the Purge it was to kill him, but in the side time it was to keep him alive with oxygen.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ilana: Where's Jarrah?

Ben: I'm fine, that you.

Ilana: Where is he?

Ben: Considering that he just killed Dogen, I don't think he's going to be joining us.

Ilana: Are you sure?

Ben: He was standing over their dead bodies holding a bloody dagger, so yeah, I'm pretty sure.....

Ilana to Miles after he read Jacob's ashes: Are you sure?

Miles: Considering he was standing over his dead body with a bloody dagger in his hand, yeah, I'm pretty sure.

Hurley: Hmmm, cheese curds.....

BEN: I watched my daughter Alex die in front of me. And it was my fault. I had a chance to save her. But I chose the island over her. All in the name of Jacob. I sacrificed everything for him. And he didn't even care. Yeah I stabbed him, I was... so angry...confused...I was terrified that I was about to lose the only thing that had ever mattered to me - my power. But the thing that really mattered was already gone. I'm sorry that I killed Jacob. I am, and I do not expect you to forgive me because...I can never forgive myself.

ILANA: Where will you go?

BEN: To Locke.

ILANA: Why?

BEN: Because he's the only one who'll have me.

ILANA: I'll have you. [She leaves, he follows]

JACK: Wanna try another stick?

RICHARD: All right Jack. You seem to have all the answers. Now what?

JACK: We go back to where we started.

And, my all time favourite?

HURLEY: So did Dr Arzt. And I was wiping him out of my shirt two days later.

I included this because Sun's smile says it all!

QUESTIONS:

Why and when did Ben and Roger leave Dharma and the island?

Does Jacob's touch mean that no one can kill themselves?

How did Danielle and Alex end up living in LA? Does this mean that Alex wasn't born on the island?

How did Widmore find the island again? Did Eloise help him? Or does the island have two or three pre-determined locations that it keeps moving to?

So, what did you think of Dr. Linus? Did you enjoy seeing Ben ripped to pieces and then, upon forgiveness, being rebuilt into a decent man?

Did you enjoy seeing Dr. Arzt again? Was he still annoying?

All screen caps from Lostpedia and LostMedia.

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.

About The Loophole

This entire loophole mystery has begun to consume me. I have tried to figure out exactly what the loophole was and why it would enable Anti-Jacob to kill what is obviously the yin to his yang. I really don't think Jacob is gone as in Dead is Dead. He isn't human and neither is his nemesis.

There is a great deal of speculation on various blogs, web sites and message boards about the loophole. Mostly they state that the loophole was Anti-Jacob finding a human body in which to kill Jacob. I admit that I was leaning the same way as that thought. But then, as I was crawling around on my hands and knees cleaning the floor of my pool (and we won't go into the pool saga right now) my mind, as it is want to do, wandered to Lost and its many twists and turns and finally the inevitable loophole.

The general consensus is that Anti-Jacob needed a human body that had recently died in order to take corporeal form. Only the corporeal form could kill Jacob. I can only imagine that it would be the same if Jacob wanted to kill his nemesis as well. I was thinking that the body needed to be recently dead because the "essence of the soul" may not have yet departed it's earthly host, thus Anti-Jacob would be able to take on the characteristic traits and memories of that person.

But as I patched the holes in the bottom of the pool I replayed the scenes featuring Fake Locke and Ben from the Incident in my mind. One thing that has been niggling at my brain is how Locke repeatedly stated events that occurred in the past. It was as if he were trying to convince Ben and Sun, the two people there who truly knew a great deal about the real John Locke, of whom he was. He also claimed that the island was telling him things, yet he had to have Richard show him where Jacob lived. Not to mention the fact that, throughout the episode, he was slowly bringing Ben's resentment toward Jacob to the point of eruption. To be honest, I was disappointed that Ben didn't explode like Krakatoa. But that's not important right now.

What is important is that, while I was inhaling fumes from the vinyl bond, I had an epiphany of sorts. Anti-Jacob didn't really need a human form in order to kill Jacob. He needed the leader of the Others to kill Jacob as only the true leader could. Now, before you order the psychiatric assessment for me, hear me out.

We now know that John Locke has been used and manipulated almost from the point of his birth. I suspect that even his premature birth was an event initiated by the forces at play. Someone has spent a great deal of time handing John one proverbial beat down after another, and yet his spirit has prevailed. A severely battered and beaten spirit, but there was just enough to keep him from hanging himself in a hotel in Sydney before the flight home.

And then, in the blink of an eye, it all changed. Oceanic 815 broke apart in mid air and crashed onto an island that should never have been there. When John regained consciousness, he realized his legs worked for the first time in years. I can't even imagine what went through his mind other than "Holy cow! I can walk! It's a miracle" The island had given him a gift almost as valuable as life itself and John Locke was willing to return the favour any way he could, even kill for it.

It must have been like giving candy to a young child, for Anti-Jacob as he played upon John's desire to be a leader and created the entire mythology of his fate. Every season we have watched John espouse his faith in the island as we watched the story of Lost unfold. He believed he was destined to be a great man and a great leader, and the island appeared to reinforce that belief.

Okay, if you've hung in there, I'm going to give you the icing on the cake I just baked. John was never destined to lead the Others. Yes, that's the icing. The prophecy of his leadership was created by Anti-Jacob during the time flashes, specifically the one when Richard was sent to remove the bullet from John's leg, to start the road to ruin for both John and Jacob.

Would you like the pretty gum paste flowers and fondant frills that decorate the cake now?

Sure you would, since you're probably thinking that I've gone and inhaled way too much of the vinyl bond glue stuff. Don't worry, I haven't. I hardly slept a wink last night thinking this through.

Flowers. Yes. I think that Jacob could only be killed by one of his own people, namely the leader. It's one of the rules that are totally unknown to us. Speculation on my part, but it makes sense to me. Since John Locke wasn't the true leader of the Others his corporeal being could not effectively kill Jacob. This is where the fondant fills come in, folks.

I realize that when I stated that Ben should never have been the leader of the Others, I was wrong. Yes, W R-O-N-G! I allowed my belief that Ben was evil to cloud my judgement. Ben really was supposed to be the leader of the Others until the new leader arrived. And I'm sure the new leader did arrive on Oceanic 815, but I'll talk about who I think the real new leader may be another time because I think this is important.

When Sayid shot young Ben and Kate took him to the Hostiles to be miraculously healed, he was reborn. The same skinny kid who suffered the resentment and misdirected anger of his abusive father. The same kid who wanted nothing more than to be loved and appreciated. But different. I think that from the moment he was healed he was subconsciously given his purpose on the island. As he grew and lived his double life until finally becoming entirely a Hostile, he worked toward one goal. He literally woke up and knew what he had to do. Jacob's been spinning his threads for a very long time and the tapestry he has been weaving tells the tale.

Anti-Jacob took over John's body as he had planned for many years to do. He took pains to ensure the one person who seemed to know him better than anyone else, did not suspect. He made sure to evoke memories of past conversations and events. He made sure to point out all of Ben's shortcomings and his tragic losses. He made sure to plant the seed of doubt in Ben's mind and watered it regularly to ensure that the anger grew. And when it was harvest time, Anti-Jacob gave it one last shot of fertilizer that resulted in a furious explosion as Ben thrust the knife into Jacob.

The loophole Anti-Jacob searched eons for was Ben. He just used John's deep seated need to be more important than he truly was as a vehicle of destruction. He drove Ben to the point of no return and presented him with the weapon with which to eliminate his counterpart.

So there you have it. Cut the cake, take it apart and enjoy nibbling. Let me know what you're thinking. I'm working on a few thoughts and ideas, but have had to take time to deal with other things. Like the previously mentioned pool.

It's been a battle this year to get it ready for summer and now I'm in need of a new liner, so I'm still in the middle of costing out that lovely unexpected bite in the financial bottom.

My Enemy's Enemy Is My Friend?

It's an ancient proverb which means that because two parties have a common enemy, they are friends. Often described as an Arabic proverb, there is also an identical Chinese proverb which may be an extension of another Chinese proverb that says, "It is good to strike the serpent's head with your enemy's hand." A historical example of this policy occurred when the Greeks were attacked by the Persians at Thermopylae; the Greek city-states put aside their differences and fought the common enemy.

Could this be the case for Ben? Will he choose to align himself with Fake John because he now views Jacob and his own people as his enemies.

It is conceivable. We saw John remind Ben of practically every failure he suffered as a leader of the Others. He reminded him of all that he apparently was forced to sacrifice in his service to Jacob. And for what? Absolutely nothing. Not even a "good luck in your future endeavours" when John arrived to take over as leader. No gold watch. No shares in the company's stock. No "happy retirement" party.

But serving Jacob is not like working for the company for 35 years, putting in your time and looking forward to drawing from your retirement fund. But, like the faithful who go to church every week and drop all they can into the collection box, all they can hope for at the end is forgiveness for their sins and entry to the place they call heaven.

But did Jacob ever promise Ben a reward? Sure, he made Richard ageless, but we have yet to learn the circumstances of that event. I hope we get to see this next season. If there are any other Others with special qualities, please let me know. And I don't mean Ethan and his super strength.

I was wondering if it really was Jacob who saved young Ben's life back in 1977. I've decided that he did, but only because he knew Ben's fate was not to die then and there, Ben wasn't finished just yet.

Was Ben ever destined to become leader of the Others? I don't think so. I think Ben, like his father, believed he was more than what others assessed him to be. Remember when we saw the flashback of Ben and his father arriving on the island? Remember how angry Roger Linus was to find that he'd been assigned janitorial duties according to his aptitude tests? And we see a grown up Ben also working as a workman, which I'm sure it more than what he aspired to be.

I have a little theory on how Ben became leader of the Others. I could be no where near the ball park on this one, but it's all I can come up with right now.

Other than the promise of a great relief from the restrictive society that Ben finds himself living in, the Hostiles promise an escape from the apparent anger and hatred of his father. Life with Roger Linus had been illustrated as dark, depressing and a serious blow to the kid's self esteem. I don't blame young Ben for wanting to escape such a miserable existence and the promise that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence is too tempting for young Ben to resist. Above all else, Ben believed, like his father, that he was greater than the sum of his parts.

But here's the kicker. Ben was only ever considered to be a member of the flock. Nothing more. Nothing less. He was expected to do what he was asked and not to take the initiative. His reward was acceptance within a society that accepted him for whatever he was. The realization that his position within the Hostiles was equal to his position with Dharma must have been one hell of a shock. So, he manipulated and contrived and insinuated himself into a higher position, eventually taking control in a bloodless coup. He exiled the island's true leader and took what he thought was his rightful place at the top of the pyramid.

Then along came cancer. Whether Jacob could have allowed it to occur, I really can't say either way at this point. Then came Oceanic 815 and a whole host of problems. Remember that Richard and the Hostiles were told in 1954 that a man named John Locke was going to arrive via a plane crash and he would be their leader.

It would have been a long awaited and anticipated arrival of the messiah. Talked about often and how a great leader would come. The current, or interim leader, Ben, must have felt inferior and not very appreciated. He had never seen nor spoken to Jacob, didn't have a communion with the island and really, his instructions arrived by messenger Richard.

Ben did all that he could to sabotage John Locke and maintain his tenuous leadership position. He lied to him and lead him into situations of great danger. On several occasions he tried to kill him or have him killed and ultimately managed to strangle him to death. He manipulated the Oceanic 6, the survivors of the crash who were rescued, into returning to the island, insisting they take the body of John Locke with them.

I believe Ben was taking the body of John Locke back to the island as proof that the Others were without a leader and attempt to reclaim the job. There didn't seem to be any other candidates in the wings. Ben's shock and utter frustration must have been disheartening, to say the least. Only this time, Ben doesn't have a back up plan. He never counted on John Locke's resurrection.

He was used as he had used John. He was manipulated as he had done to John. All, it would appear, by John Locke himself. And yet, despite his loathing of John Locke and all that he seemed to be taking away from him, Ben made a choice. Only time will tell if it was the right one for him to make.

Using a common enemy as the basis for an allegiance is dubious, likely because there are probably very few other areas for mutual agreement. Remove the common enemy and the friends are apt turn on each other.

The Incident - Initial Thoughts

Wow. That had to be one of the most amazing episodes ever, and definitely the best finale since season 1. I'm going to give you a few of my thoughts, get some sleep and return tomorrow. I am exhausted.

Notice the correlation between Jacob and his island mate and Ben and Charles Widmore. Also notice that one wears white and one wears black (the stones they found)

Each time Jacob visited our survivors, he made sure that he touched them. I have an theory on that, but it will wait until tomorrow)

Now we know how Chang lost his arm.

We now know that it was Jacob who brought Hurley back to the island.

When we got the flashback of Juliet I waited for Jacob to appear, but he didn't. This is significant.

Ben never met Jacob.

Richard was right. John Locke is TROUBLE! And it isn't even the real John Locke. I'm blaming Ben.

The fake John Locke is the guy from the beginning of the episode. Think banned from paradise, returns to island to get revenge and uses Ben, because neither Jacob nor his buddy can kill the other. Ben-Widmore

Good think Vincent is okay. Rose and Bernard really rockin' the good life. And Bernard's beard was trippin'. Gotta love these two (adam and eve?).

Did you notice that at the end of the show the background was white and the word LOST was black? This has got to be significant.

Phil is a jerk.

Radzinsky is the craziest scientist I've ever seen. He's not gonna be happy when he realizes he's wasted the last six years of his life.

My brain is goo and I have a migrain coming on. I'm going to get some sleep then get back to this.

Can Jacob Be Killed?

The last thing we hear is John Locke telling Ben that he is going to kill Jacob.



Here's my thought on this.



Jacob, like Richard Alpert, is very very old. They may even have arrived onto the island at the same time. Possibly on the Black Rock, maybe even earlier.
I think Jacob is good and that he may have been the original leader of the Others, but Richard staged a coup and chose a "puppet" leader, ruling the Others via proxy as the Advisor.

The ash circle around Jacob's cabin is not to keep people OUT but to keep Jacob IN.

I have suspected this since the first time his name was mentioned and when Ben said only he or Richard have ever seen him. When Locke heard Jacob's cry for help Ben knew he had to act and shot John, leaving him to die in the Dharma Death Pit. But the island healed him because it needs John.

Richard and Ben have been perpetrating an elaborate hoax, ala King John, by locking away the true leader and ruling in his stead, following his own agenda but claiming it is decreed by the real king. Richard and Ben have realized that John Locke will be their downfall, which is why Ben keeps trying to kill him. Ben did not know that the island would revive John and imbue him with such confidence, purpose and knowledge.

I believe the only reason Ben boarded the Ajira 316 flight was to return to the island and resume his leadership of the Others. Seeing the new and improved John Locke is causing both Richard and Ben to fear. How is it that Richard was not aware of John's return to the island? And Ben admitted that the island never told him anything and came perilously close to admitting to never seeing Jacob.

John Locke in NOT going to kill Jacob but is going to kill the myth of Jacob. He is going to pull back the curtain and reveal the deceit and lies that Richard and Ben have been telling to everyone for so many years. They have been using Jacob's name as an instrument of fear to keep their people in line.