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.

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.

Follow The Leader (or are you still with me?)

Okay, so earlier I posted my recap of Follow The Leader. It was such a great episode that I felt, in order to do it justice, I needed two posts.

Follow The Leader was about taking charge. Radzinsky took control of Dharma. Eloise took control of her future son's fate. Jack took control of his own fate. Locke is taking steps to ensure his control of the Others.

I have a few questions.

1. Is Locke really supposed to be the leader of the Others, or, through a series of crazy time loops, did he set himself up as the leader? It's a sort of what came first, the chicken or the egg dilemma. For four seasons John has been told that he is special, that his destiny is not as a regional collections officer at some box company. In light of last night's episode where we see the scene of John and Richard at the Beechcraft from a different perspective and learn that John was watching the exchange between himself and Richard's. So, I wonder; would Richard have assisted John at the smuggler's plane if John hadn't taken him there. Would he have told John that he had to die? And did the island tell John to tell Richard to tell flashing John this in the first place?


2. Is Eloise already pregnant with Daniel in 1977? I've searched for Daniel's date of birth but can't seem to find anything stating the date he was born.
   
3. Is Richard as attuned to the needs and wants of the island as we've been lead to believe? Would the island not have told him about Ben's return, especially after judgement day beneath the temple? And didn't they hear the plane crash? I know it didn't break up in mid air, but didn't it make a great big noise hitting the trees? Richard didn't know that Ben was back and he didn't know where John had gone. Did they even bother to look for him after he flashed away?
   
4. Did anyone notice how freaked out Ben and Richard were by the new Locke? Its almost like they have been running the biggest scam on island, like selling candy to school children out of their back packs, and the new principal is about to catch them.
   
5. When is Sun going to realize the John has no intention of even attempting to reunite her with Jin? He keeps giving her platitudes, words that are meant to keep her calm but really don't promise anything. She needs to get ruthless again.
   
6. How does Jack know for certain that his reason is to detonate Jug Head and possibly stop the plane from crashing, thus reversing everything that has happened in the last three years? Yes, I see him making decisions and having faith that they are the right ones! He reminds me of someone standing in line at the convenience store buying everything on the counter just because it's there. They never really planned on buying the Tic Tacs in the special anniversary packaging. I understand why he wants to explode the bomb, I just don't see how it is going to work. Wouldn't the fates of EVERYONE on board that plane need to not be connected to the island? John Locke? Mr. Eko? Daniel? Charlotte? Doesn't he realize that some of the survivors don't want to erase the past?
   
7. What's with Sawyer and Juliet making a deal and leaving their friends behind? What happened to loyalty? What happened to looking after each other?
   
8. What's in Hurley's guitar case? Seriously, it's not a guitar. At least, it better not be. I have a feeling that it carries something that is going to help them return to 2007. Either that or it's the largest collection of Twinkies on the planet. I've never had one of those things and I hear that they'll survive a nuclear explosion and still be edible.
   
9. Where has Sayid been hiding out?
   
10. Did Hurley pack a can opener when he stole the food?

Here's what I'm thinking.

I think that, despite detonating the hydrogen bomb, the accident at the Swan site will still occur. Radzinsky is intent on drilling and even the threat of cataclysmic failure isn't about to stop him. Jack will not be able to stop the incident at the Swan station. I don't know anything about the explosive power of a hydrogen bomb but I'm pretty sure it's mighty destructive. I wonder if it will be strong enough to neutralize the energy that is released when Radzinky begins to drill into the ground. Somehow I doubt it. The universe will make sure it happens and no matter how frequently one goes back in time and changes what has been done leading up to the major event, it will still happen. The outcome will be the same with minor changes along the way.

Quotables!

Ben - His name is Richard Alpert. He's a kind of.....advisor. And he has had the job for a very very long time.

Ben - What John, don't you trust me here with my former people? Afraid I'll stage a coup?

John - I'm not afraid of anything you can do anymore, Ben.

Ben - Well, in that case, I'd love to come along!

Sawyer - Son of a bitch! *after Phil hits Juliet*

Radzinsky - Who the hell is Hugo Reyes?

Phil - He's the fat guy.

Ben - Your timing was impeccable, John. How did you know when to be here?

John - The island told me. Didn't it ever tell you things?

Ben - Uhm, no.

This week I have two favorite quotes.

Richard - Well, you seemed pretty convinced, especially when I said you were gonna die. I;m certainly glad that didn't have to happen.

John - Actually, Richard, it did. *stunned look from Richard*

And

Richard - I'm starting to think that John Locke is gonna be trouble.

Ben - Why do you think I tried to kill him?

I have few thoughts about Jacob. Who he is, where he came from and can he be killed, but that will need to wait until tomorrow. Until then...

Arcticroses

Follow The Leader (Or How Jack Got His Groove Back)

Well, that was interesting. Okay, it was awesome! It was widely rumoured that Follow The Leader was a Richard centric episode and I know a lot of people were eagerly anticipating learning about his backstory. I, too, am a bit disappointed that we didn't learn anything new about Richard. Or did we? I'll get back to that later. First, let's get to what went on, shall we? Follow The Leader didn't have any flashbacks or flashforwards, it just travelled along two parallel lines. One in 1977 and the other in 2007. This episode was about what it means to be in the position to lead and what happens when the masses disagree with you (paging Horace Goodpeed). Also, it's about what happens when one decides to take charge of one's own destiny, grab the proverbial bull by the horns, so to speak.

1977

We pick up where The Variable left off. Daniel has just been shot and killed by his mother, and I am ready to crucify Eloise at the stake for murdering her son. Kate and Jack are about to flee when Charles Widmore comes upon them and captures them, taking them into the Others' camp. We see Eloise flip through Daniel's journal and an odd look crosses her face. Sort of like recognition, maybe? She realizes that Jack and Kate are not Dharma and tells Charles to put them into her tent, where she tells Jack and Kate about her encounter in 1954 with a young man who told her he was from the future and then disappeared before her eyes. She adds that she just shot and killed that same man and that he told her he was her son. With her frame of mind opening wider and wider to understand what just happened, she was ready to believe Jack when he told her that they can undo what just happened. They just need to get to the hydrogen bomb. Oh, is that all? Just follow the simple instructions in the journal and voila, all will be undone! But, Eloise is willing. We don't know it yet, but I'm sure she is pregnant at that time. Eloise decides to take Jack and Kate to the hydrogen bomb. Ooops, one problem. They buried it underground, but Dharma sort of built their town right on top of it!

Jack has found his purpose, and boy oh boy it's a doozie! Kate doesn't understand why Jack would want to erase all that has happened over the past three years. She's convinced that what ever happened happened and nothing is going to change it. When she tries to leave Jack to find the others, Eric the Other aims his rifle at her and is about to shoot her when he himself is shot. Sayid pops up out of the bushes and aims his gun at Richard and Eloise, who readily surrender. As an aside, did anyone else notice that just before she put her hands up she dropped something into her bag? I wonder what it was.

Jack explains to Sayid what the plan for the bomb is, much to Kate's displeasure. She has everything to lose if Daniel's plan works and Oceanic 815 doesn't crash, but lands safely in LA instead. Remember, she was a fugitive on her way home to be prosecuted for a couple of murders. Sayid, on the other hand, has a whole new life to gain if Jack succeeds. He was on his way to LA where he knew his beloved Nadia lived. As a plus, neither Ben nor Charles would be a threat to Nadia's life in the future. Can you imagine how tempting it would be for Sayid if there were even an inkling of a chance that he could have a long life with Nadia.

Richard and Eloise lead them into a pond and through a long underwater tunnel to where they secured Jughead. Of course, no one really knew what to do from there and dear Eloise is going to have to learn to understand her son's journal really quick.

Meanwile, back in Dharma village of the damned Sawyer and Juliet are about to feel the deranged aggressiveness of Radzinsky, and pimple faced Phil (at least it looks like a pimple just beneath his right nostril) looks on in glee. He's gonna get payback, I'm sure. Horace tries to be the leader but ole Stu has staged a coupe of his own and taken charge. Peace loving Horace hasn't got the stomach for what happens next. When Sawyer refuses to talk, Phil takes it out on Juliet.

Of course, while Sawyer is on the receiving end of Stu's fist, Hurley is raiding the Dharma kitchen for food, then sneaks away. He is followed by Dr. Chang, who needs to know the truth. In one of the best scenes of the episode, certainly the funniest, Peirre quizzes Hurley. He was doing pretty good until he couldn't remember who the President of the US was in 1977. Miles and Pierre had a quick bonding moment and then they went their separate ways. Miles, Jin and hurley to the beach, Pierre to evacuate the island.

Dr. Chang rushes to find Horace, and stumbles upon the beat fest, demanding that the island be evacuated now. If they keep drilling at the Swan and even of cataclysmic proportions is going to happen. Radzinsky says it's the drilling will go as planned and tells Pierre that he is in charge now. Sawyer makes a deal. "Well tell you everything you want, just put us on the sub." Or something like that. But not before Radzinsky demands a map to the Hostiles, which Sawyer provides. Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm thinking that map is the same as the one Daniel has in the future. Dharma is evacuating the island of all non-essential personnel. Miles, Jin and Hurley watch from the bushes and are surprised to see their friends being led to the sub. When Hurley asks what the plan is to rescue them, Miles tells him there isn't one. Besides, there are thirty guys with guns against two (Hurley doesn't have one).

Sawyer and Juliet board the Galaga. He tells her that they'll be okay. In the real world these guys have no authority. They'll buy Microsoft and bet on the Dallas Cowboys in 1978 and be rich. On the sub they affirm their love for each other. So sweet. Just as the sub is about to be closed a pompous and smug Phil arrives with Kate. She too, is being deported. He took great joy in telling them that she was caught coming into town!

When last we see the Galaga it is diving below the surface heading to parts unknown.

2007

In 2007, we see Richard with the ultimate hobby. Building ships in bottles takes diligence, excellent eyesight and more patience than I could ever muster, not to mention a steady hand. And didn't that ship look like a model of the Black Rock? It did to me. Anyway, he is told that He is back and Richard leaves his tent. He is met by John Locke, boar on his shoulders. John brought dinner, which is an effective way of winning people over.

Richard notices something is different about John and tells him so. John has a purpose, a new reason for being on the island. Something tells me that this new John's purpose may not be a good thing. But, hey, he brought dinner, right? John had brought Sun and Ben as well, and when Ben explains that Richard is an advisor, and has been one for ever and ever amen, Sun approaches him to ask about their 1977 friends. I have to say, I was not believing him when he said that he watched them all die. I called out, NOOOOOOOO and my dogs gave me that "you are disturbing me" look! John assured her that he would find a way to reunite her with Jin. If what Richard said was true, then it will only be in death that Sun sees Jin again.

Locke takes Richard and Ben on an errand. They must move quickly as there isn't much time. I honestly did not expect that that errand was to the Beechcraft where Richard took the bullet out of his leg. I should have seen it though. The signs were there. The Ajira water bottle on the beach, the flashing survivors being shot at. Out of the bushes stumbles flashing Locke and Richard attends to him, telling him that he must get the others to come back and that he'll have to die to do so.

While Richard is busy with flashing Locke, John and Ben have an interesting conversation that made me giggle. But I stopped giggling when John practically accused Ben of never seeing Jacob, and by the look on Ben's face, John's assumption is correct. There's something odd about that, but I can't seem to pin point exactly where my doubt originates. Anyway, we hear a POP and see Richard kneeling over nothing. Richard tells John that flashing John appeared to be convinced of what he had to do, then added that he was glad that John didn't have to die in the end. I loved the look on Richard's face when John told him that he did have to die.

Back at the beach camp John wonders if there are more Others and learns there are more at the Temple. He tells them that for far too long they have been blindly following orders from some unseen omnipotentate and that has to stop. If someone is giving orders, then John, for one, wants to know exactly who is giving them. His people agree and Richard and Ben acquiesce to take them to Jacob. Early in the morning the Others depart on their pilgrimage to find Jacob. Ben tries to distract him by telling him that Richard has some concerns about his leadership. When that doesn't work, he tries to remind him that he promised to reunite Sun with Jin, but to no avail. John doesn't care about reuniting his people. He's going to kill Jacob!

BOMBSHELL!

I'll post more tomorrow after I have watched the episode for the fourth time. We are having some rather severe weather right now that keeps knocking out power. I'm okay on the laptop, but my Internet connection is dicey right now.

Let me know what you think. As always,

I love excellent conversation.

Arcticroses.