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Just a few quick thoughts on the series finale of “Lost”: the producers and writers alluded to the ending, in plain sight, in seasons past.

All we had to do to get a clue was read the book or google it.

Here’s two of the best examples.

I mentioned this in a post on this very blog way back, a day after the season six premiere. It had to do with the book Jacob was reading on the beach at the finale of season five. The book was Flannery O’Connor’s short story collection “Everything That Rises Must Converge.”

The title of that work was taken from French philosopher Pierre Teilhard De Chardin’s work the “Omega Point.” Chardin writes:

“Remain true to yourself, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness and greater love! At the summit you will find yourselves united with all those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything that rises must converge.”

Hence, that great, emotional payoff when all our favorite castaways were reunited in the church.

And here’s a reference that may allude to Jack’s personal story arc: Way back in season one, Sawyer was seen reading the classic “Watership Down.” The novel had a 20-page epilogue describing the fates of all the major (rabbit) characters.

Hazel, the tale’s hero, gets special mention. According to the book, Hazel was dozing one “chilly, blustery morning in March” many years after the climax of the story was resolved. Hazel has grown old and was enjoying the company of his friends and enjoying the freedom they earned and the world they created.

That’s when he is visited by El-Ahrairah—basically the rabbits’ god, who tells Hazel to follow him to a place of comfort and peace. Hazel worries about the ones he is about to leave behind.

To which El-Ahrairah says, “They’ll be all right. And thousands like them. If you come with me, I’ll show you what I mean.”

So Hazel departs Watership Down with El-ahrairah, slipping away, “running easily down through the wood, where the first primroses were beginning to bloom.”

Kind of sounds like Rose’s advice to Jack in the season six premiere.

“It’s OK,” Rose says to a startled Jack after the “sideways” Oceanic 815 hits turbulence and Jack grips his armrest, “you can let go now.”

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You know it’s going to be a good meeting when it kicks off (hahaha) with a giant Rice Krispie treat molded to look like a four-toed foot.

We met to dissect the “Lost” finale over lunch today. Many of us have picked apart the episodes via e-mail for years now, so it was nice to hash it out in person. The verdict? Mostly favorable with a fair amount of confusion, which is fitting for this show.

I liked it, and the more I think it over, the more I like it. Would I have enjoyed getting more answers? Of course – like, why couldn’t women carry babies to term on the island (electromagnetism?), what really was Widmore’s point, did the Smoke Monster originate with the MIB or pre-date him, and were there other reasons to bring Locke’s body back to the island or was that an elaborate MIB plan? And that’s just the beginning of the loose ends.

But I think an episode that methodically went through and answered each of these questions wouldn’t have been satisfying in the end. Damon and Carlton have said all along that the show is about the characters, and they rewarded viewers with a chance to see their favorite characters reunited and redeemed. We didn’t really need a Q&A with Pierre Chang or a long monologue from Smokey about how this all came to be. They were also faithful to their “rule:” what happened, happened. It wasn’t all a dream. They weren’t all dead. OK, they’re all dead now, but they lived their lives on the island and some lived a long time (liked the exchange between Hurley and Ben about them being a good No. 1 and No. 2, respectively).

My fear from the start of Season 6 was that somehow the Sideways timeline would override Island Time and invalidate everything that happened there. So I’m happy with purgatory. Faraday told Desmond during the flash-sideways that the sideways life wasn’t meant to be. The Losties knew something was up – they exchanged a lot of weird looks in the mirror, got mysterious wounds and finally, had glimpses of their island lives. They had to understand and embrace where they came from before they could move on into the light (which I’m guessing is the same light that Jack protected). It took Jack a little longer to come around than the others – typical Jack—but when he did, we were rewarded with a really nice reunion in Eloise’s Church of Multiple Religions.

Some comments from our meeting – the Juliet-Sawyer vending machine chemistry was really sweet. Shannon was a nice surprise, but how could Sayid wind up with her when everything seemed to point to Nadia as his One True Love (possible explanation: Shannon was the one on-island who orchestrated Sayid’s redemption). Is Michael’s soul trapped on the island in the whispers? Where the heck is Walt, besides the actor being too old to play the young boy any more (maybe he is not dead yet or maybe he did not play as much of a role in Jack’s transformation). Ben’s decision to sit outside of the church and stay in purgatory a bit longer is also interesting – he did have a lot to atone for, after all.

Some thought the island plot was a little unsatisfactory (except for Jack’s superpunch). I wondered about the weather – it cleared up immediately once MIB was dead, which I’m sure is deliberate but I don’t know if I understand why. The whole put-a-cork-in-it resolution is a little hokey but hey, it gave us the chance for a beautiful visual tie-in to the Season 1 finale where Locke and Jack peer into the hatch. This is a show that rewards its faithful (or should I say rabid) viewers with recurring themes and lines.

And the end? Seeing Jack lie down in the jungle with Vincent cuddled up next to him? It was a great reminder that he wasn’t left alone as we watched his eye close.

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Warning: some of this might be considered spoilerish, but it came from Damon and Carlton, and they only let slip what they want you to know. I posted earlier this week that the only thing that disappointed me in the last episode was the hurried explanation Widmore gave of his motives. Yeah, I was a bad guy, but then Jacob talked to me and now I see the way it really is, and oh, by the way, let me whisper something in your ear.

And then he was gone.

Seemed a little brusque for this mysterious, powerful figure we’ve been following since Season 2. But it turns out there might be more to his story.

I went to the excellent TimesTalk interview with Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof last night, broadcast live from New York into movie theaters nationally (and apparently Canada). Besides the awesome nerd fashion show of Dharma gear and two surprise guests, we also got a compelling discussion about the series. I didn’t expect to get any actual information, but they were so funny (especially Damon) and they even dropped some interesting points to think about. Including my favorite – pay attention to what they SHOW you, because that happened. But question the source when a character tells you what happened.

Widmore has been untrustworthy in the past. Think about that, when you think about the story he gave to the Smoke Monster.

Another point they made repeatedly: live together, die alone. “Lost” is all about the ensemble. Locke said in a season 2 clip they showed last night that he needed Jack’s faith, because he can’t do it alone. None of them are as effective on their own as they are together. Which gets me thinking about Jack as Jacob’s replacement. It doesn’t fit with this theme to have the series end with Jackie alone on the island, weaving or growing his beard back. Does that mean Hurley will decide to stay as the new Richard (is Richard actually dead? I don’t know)? Will Kate want to set up house? What’s Sawyer want to go back to the real world for anyway?

A couple other nuggets: Eloise Hawking’s role hasn’t ended yet. The MIB plans to sink the island (hmm, where have we seen this before). You may see Walt. You may even see Vincent. And think back to a conversation Desmond and Jack had when they first meet in the stadium (off island), where Desmond tells Jack he has to “lift it up,” and then says he’s saying Jack should elevate his ankle. This apparently has a bigger meaning.

The only thing that disappointed me was that they said people always ask about Aaron, but he has no real significance here. That whole thing with the psychic where Claire was told he couldn’t be raised by another? Not really important. The psychic was discredited in a later episode.

Also for you Star Wars fans, they threw in another reference for you. Happy Sunday.

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We start “What They Died For” with Lost’s favorite image – a close-up of Jack’s eye. This time when they pan out, we see Jack waking up in his flash-sideways home. As he checks out an island-inspired neck wound in the mirror, a chipper David appears, offering breakfast. Jack joins his son over “Super Bran” (ick) and they discuss David’s upcoming concert. “Mom” is going to be there and David hopes Jack won’t be all weird.

Before anyone can mention “Mom’s” name (of course), a very pregnant Claire rolls up to the table. Jack asks sis how she’s doing but is interrupted by a phone call. It’s Oceanic Airlines and they found his cargo/dad. Except when the phone clicks off, we see it’s really that wily Desmond on the other line.

Des is up to all sorts of tricks in the Sideways World. He’s lurking around Locke’s school, and poor Locke has just arrived back at school after what seems to be a really quick recovery from being HIT BY A CAR. We think Des might try to nail him again, but who comes to the rescue but Dr. Ben. He says he’s not going to let this weirdo hurt Mr. Locke. Des says he’s not here to hurt him – he’s here to help him let go. He then proceeds to help Ben let go by beating him to a pulp, during which Ben starts to flash to another beating on the island. He is understandably weirded out.

Ben goes to the school nurse to get patched up, when Locke comes by. Ben tells him about Desmond but tells him not to call the cops because Desmond might be right.

Turns out Locke didn’t need to call LAPD, because Des is already there, turning himself in to Sawyer (of course). (Sawyer and Miles first have a conversation about going to a concert at his dad’s museum – hmm, could this be David’s concert).

Desmond is pleased to be in the cell, cozied up with Sayid and Kate. Kate tries to flirt her way out of her cell, but Sawyer says he’s a cop and can’t.

Instead of going to the police, Locke rolls into Jack’s office and details the “coincidences” that keep bringing them together. Jack doesn’t think it’s fate, but he’s happy to hear that Locke has reconsidered and is willing to go through with back surgery. Locke’s epiphany is because of the phrase that he needs to “let go,” something Jack has also told him.

Ben, meanwhile, is looking pretty rough at school. Alex spots him and can’t believe someone would beat on him – he’s the “nicest guy.” She offers him a ride home, and guess who pulls up to the curb? It’s a nicely cleaned up Rousseau. I did a little happy dance to see her because I thought she had parted from the show for good. Rousseau invites Ben to dinner, even if she has to “kidnap” him (ick). They make goo-goo eyes at each other as they clean up later (double ick), and Ben gets verklempt when Rousseau says he’s like a father to Alex.

Back at the station, Sawyer tells the jailed Losties they are being transferred. Sayid is not happy about riding with Des, who is all sunshine and roses. As the van rolls on, Des says, “I think it’s time to leave.” Sayid and Kate are seriously rolling their eyes, but Des says the driver knows where to stop and Sayid and Kate are invited but must trust Des when he tells them what to do next. Sayid and Kate are clearly thinking CRAZY PERSON but say sure, whatever, we’ll follow along.

So aren’t they surprised when the van does stop at the docks, and cop Ana Lucia opens the door to let them out. She wants to know where the man with the money is. Cue Hurley rolling up to the docks in his yellow Hummer. He gives her $125,000 and a big grin, “You didn’t tell me Ana Lucia was going to be here.” She gives him the side eye and he says oh yeah, they haven’t met yet.
Desmond sends Sayid with Hurley and he takes Kate. He tosses her a cocktail dress. They’re going to a concert. What a coincidence – aren’t Miles, Sawyer and Jack supposed to be there as well? And Jack’s mystery ex, who has got to be Juliet, right?

Things are no less weird on the island. Jack is sewing up Kate and digging out bullets. Kate is rambling about Jin and Sun and their daughter. “We have to kill him,” she tells Jack. A life vest washes up on shore, and Sawyer, Hurley and Kate have a moment as they watch it, before Jack says it’s time to get going. Desmond is in the well (does this sound like the plot of Lassie? Speaking of, where the heck is Vincent?) and if Desmond is that important to Locke, then the Losties obviously need him. Or something like that.

Miles, Ben and Richard also are walking through the woods to get the explosives that Ben hid in New Otherton (which is now Decrepit Otherton). They want to blow up the Ajira plane and prevent the MIB from leaving. Miles gets weird as they enter the village (he points out to Ben that he lived there 30 years before Ben, which was, like, last week – I do love Miles) because he is hearing “ghostly sounds,” at least according to my closed-captioning. Richard confesses that he buried Alex there. Ben does not take advantage of this opportunity to ask Miles what the heck Alex is saying. SIGH.

They head into Ben’s old house, behind the bookcase, into a secret room – “It’s where I was told I could summon the monster” but the monster was summoning him. He unlocks the safe and takes the explosives, enough to blow the plane to pieces, he says. There’s a rustle in the kitchen. It’s Zoe! And Widmore! Widmore’s all “Hello, Benjamin.” Ben whips out his gun. Widmore is unfazed and sends Zoe to the dock to take everything and sink the outrigger. Widmore rains on Ben’s little explosive parade, saying that he is a step ahead of their group and already rigged the plane with explosives.

Ben wants to know how Chas made it back to the island. Widmore is casual. Jacob invited him. Turns out Widmore erred by sending mercenaries on his freighter. Jacob visited him, told him he shouldn’t have done that, “convinced me of the error of my ways” and invited him back. ???

Before Ben or anyone else can ask what in the world he is talking about, Zoe radios back that UnLocke is arriving. Chas says they need to hide if they don’t want to die.

Richard, though, offers to talk to him, and Ben doesn’t want to hide. Richard says maybe if he can get UnLocke to leave with him, the rest of them will have a chance. He steps outside and is instantly zapped by the hand of the smoke monster. UnLocke emerges soon afterward to chat with Ben on his porch. UnLocke says Ben is just who he was looking for. Could he kill some people for him, please and thank you?

Ben asks why he would do that? UnLocke says so he can have the island all to himself. He asks whose outrigger he saw, and Ben sells out Widmore and tells UnLocke exactly where he is hiding.

Ben tags along after UnLocke, who tells Ben he doesn’t need to see what’s going to unfold. But bloodthirsty Ben is just fine with it. Zoe starts to talk but Widmore tells her to shut up. So UnLocke kills her. She’s pointless if she can’t tell him anything. UnLocke promises not to kill Penny if Widmore tells him why he came back. Widmore says he came back with Desmond as a “last resort” because of his reaction to electromagnetism. Widmore refuses to say more with Ben there, but in a nice junior high school girl moment, he whispers it to UnLocke. BANG. Ben shoots Widmore. “He doesn’t get to save his daughter.”

UnLocke doesn’t care. He heard what he needed. Ben says fine. Who else does he need him to kill?

I really had hoped for more from Widmore’s story.

Ben trots along aside UnLocke and asks the burning question, why does Locke walk anywhere when he can smokify himself and get there faster. UnLocke says he likes to feel the ground, because it reminds him that he was human.

They arrive at the well where poor Desmond was deposited, but there’s now a rope leading out of it and no Desmond. UnLocke says it’s no biggie. He says Widmore whispered that Desmond was a fail-safe in case UnLocke killed everyone else so he couldn’t leave the island. Now, UnLocke says, they need to find Desmond so he’ll help him Destroy the Island.

But back to the Jack group. Sawyer is realizing that he was manipulated into basically blowing up the sub, but Jack is charitable and tells him it’s not his fault. The men march on, leaving Hurley and an ailing Kate stumbling behind. Hurley gets distracted by the mystery boy, who we now know is Baby Jacob. Baby Jake demands his ashes from Hurley (the ones that Hurley got from Ilana) and takes them and flees into the woods. Hurley chases him and finds Grown Jacob tending a campfire. Jacob has thrown the ashes into the fire and when the fire burns out, Jacob will be gone forever.

So the Losties gather for some Stories By Jacob Around the Campfire. Hurley is in awe that the others can actually see Dead Jacob. Kate confirms that he’s the one who wrote their names on the wall and says she wants to make sure her friends didn’t die for nothing. Jacob is all, gather around and I’ll tell you a story, and promises to share everything they need to know about protecting the island.

He says he made a mistake by bringing everyone there. And now because he did that, everyone they care about might die. They know him as the monster – Jacob made him that way, and now he wants to kill him. And the island needs a protector, hence the candidates.

But to be fair, Jacob says, they weren’t exactly living it up in the Real World. “You were all flawed,” he says. “You were all alone. You were all looking for something you couldn’t find out there.”

Kate is hurt. Why was her name crossed off? Because she’s a mother now, Jacob says. But hey, if she wants the job …

Jack: What job? Jacob: There’s this light on the island and you need to make sure it never goes out. Jack: Should we kill him? Can we? Jacob: He’s going to try to kill you. Kate: What if no one wants the job? Jacob: Then things end badly. Jack: I’ll do it.

OoooooK. Jack says it’s why he’s there and what he’s supposed to do. Jacob is pleased and whisks Jack away for a nip of some water that he has chanted over in Latin. Sawyer is watching and groaning about this making Jack’s god complex even worse. Hurley says he’s just glad it’s not him.

Jacob tells Jack he can find the light beyond the bamboo field where he landed after the 815 crash. Jack says there’s nothing out there, but Jacob says he would be wrong. Jacob hands him the cup and Jack asks how long he has to do this job. Jacob says as long as he can. Jack drinks.

“Now you’re like me,” Jacob says.

I have a lot of thoughts and questions about this that I will need to post at another point. For right now, my main question is, what was with that creepy lady doing the voiceover for the season finale?

 

 

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Remember the “Bad Twin,” the manuscript Sawyer finds and reads on the island? It’s a title from seasons past that suddenly seems more important.

I don’t know why it never occurred to me that Jacob and MIB were brothers, let alone twins, but it fits with Lost’s duality – black and white, science and faith, fate and free will. Good and evil, too, although I’m not as convinced as I once was that MIB is straight-up evil.

“Across the Sea” brought us Jacob and MIB’s back story and kinda explained some stuff and kinda not (that explanation of what MIB wanted to do with the donkey wheel made no sense to me). We needed this episode, but I sympathize with the people who didn’t like it and wanted more action and more Losties. We still have so much more to find out (Widmore’s role, why the island hates babies, what is up with the sideways timeline, etc. etc. etc.) and I’m a little afraid we’re going to get some really quick explanations as they try to cram it all in that won’t satisfy our curiosity.

But. Still some good stuff here. The episode starts with a hugely pregnant lady, later called Claudia, washing up on the island’s shore. Lostpedia.com puts it between 450 BC and 900 AD. Claudia meets Allison Janney, who is looking way more rugged than her “West Wing” days, and Allison helps treat her wounds but refuses to give her much info.

Claudia goes into labor and Allison plays midwife. The first baby is born – Jacob. But there’s another baby coming, and it’s also a boy, and his name is? We have no idea. Claudia only picked one name. One is swaddled in white and one in black and when Claudia asks to see Baby in Black, Allison brains her with a rock.

Years pass. Boy in Black finds an Egyptian game washed up on the beach. He and Jacob play a few rounds, but BIB tells Jacob not to tell mom or she’ll confiscate it. But later when “mom” (Allison Janney) asks Jacob what he was up to, she pulls it out of him. She tells BIB that Jacob doesn’t know how to lie – unlike BIB. BIB wants to know where the game came from. Fake Mom says from her, because there is nowhere or no one else. She tells BIB she came from her mother, who is dead.

BIB says “What’s dead?” (rolls eyes) and Fake Mom says it’s something he won’t have to worry about.

(More interesting to me is that we see that young Jacob is the same kid who Fake Locke has been seeing in the woods.)

The twins chase a boar into the woods but screech to a halt when they come across three strangers, all painted up. They rush back to mama, who tells them the men don’t belong on the island, unlike them, who are there for a reason. The boys want to know what reason and although Fake Mom doesn’t want to tell them, she eventually blindfolds them and leads them into the jungle.

She explains that the men are dangerous, that they fight and corrupt, but she has made it so Jacob and BIB can never hurt each other. Then she shows them the reason they’re on the island – this warm, bright light emanating from a cave.

Her explanation: everyone has a little light in them but people want more. And you have to protect the light, because if it goes out here, it goes out everywhere.

My explanation: the light is what makes the island special – its electromagnetism or energy that allows it to move through time, cure cancer and other goodies. But because it’s so powerful, the power can corrupt, so you have to protect it so it won’t be used for evil.

Later on, Claudia appears to BIB and leads him to what would have been her camp if Allison Janney hadn’t stolen her babies. She tells BIB the inhabitants had been on her ship and that she’s their real mother. BIB packs up his stuff and tries to get Jacob to leave. But when he tells his brother, Fake Mom is not their mom, Jacob goes ballistic. Fake Mom separates them – BIB yells that he is leaving and Fake Mom killed his mother. Jacob refuses to go. Fake Mom says that BIB can never leave the island. BIB says oh yeah? Watch me.

Jacob and “mom” have a chat, and she confesses that she did kill Claudia. She wanted to take the twins to the bad people and Fake Mom wanted Jacob to stay good. Jacob wants to know why she loves BIB more than him. Fake Mom doesn’t deny it but says she loves them in different ways.

Seems to me that Fake Mom saw the boys’ birth as her chance to get released from island-protecting duties and raise them as candidates.

More time passes. A grown Jacob and MIB are playing their board game (how nice that they have kept in touch). MIB is still harping on how he’s leaving … soon. He throws a knife and it turns mid-air to slam against a rock. Seems there are several areas on-island where metal behaves strangely, and MIB and his peeps are exploring them. MIB thinks this is his way off the island.

Fake Mom visits MIB and I don’t even know how to explain this scene. They’re in the spot that we’ll see as the Frozen Donkey Wheel much, much later, but it’s not frozen yet. MIB says he can’t find the cave o’ light that Fake Mom showed him but he and his boys have found other stuff and they are going to reach the light another way. Then he has a long explanation involving the wheel, holes and water that will allow him to leave the island. Fake Mom says goodbye and she’s sorry, and then smacks his head hard against the rocks.

Returning to Jacob, Fake Mom makes him promise to protect the cave but never to go into it because it would be a fate worse than death. She does some voodoo over a bottle of wine and urges Jacob to drink. “It has to be you, Jacob,” she says. Jacob doesn’t want to, but she talks him into it so he will now be the island’s protector. She says now they’re the same.

MIB meanwhile opens his eyes and looks around, confused. The entrance to his donkey wheel is bricked over and his village is burning. Everyone is dead. We know he wants revenge. Fake Mom sends Jacob out for firewood, and when she returns to her camp, her loom is ruined. MIB stabs her to death. She says thanks.

But while Mama might be relieved to FINALLY die (we have no idea how long she has been protecting the island), Jacob is livid when he returns. He beats MIB, drags him to the cave, tries to drown him, throwing his body into the stream and into the light. There’s a tremor and a pillar of smoke shoots out. Hello, Smokey.

Jacob finds his brother’s body downstream and carries him back to camp, where he buries him with his mother and the black and white stones that Jack and Kate will find later on “Adam and Eve.”

So we see how Smokey got trapped on the island, and we have a possible explanation for the Dharma purge in Ben’s day. Did Jacob direct Ben and Richard to gas the Dharma folks because they were getting close to exploiting the island’s light?

 

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We need your questions.

Those nagging, burning questions in your brains or blogs that have still gone unanswered through six seasons of “Lost.”

We’re putting together a list of questions, which will run in The Tampa Tribune on May 23, the day of the finale, that we feel must be answered so we can walk away a bit more satisfied and feel a little less separation anxiety once this now-legendary series is over.

Questions like, “What’s the deal with Walt?”

“What exactly was the Dharma Initiative trying to harness on the Island and what would they have used it for?”

“So Kate’s not a candidate? Then why is she alive? Whyyyyyy?!”

We know you’ve got questions. We want to include them with ours. So drop ‘em in the comments section below or feel free to email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Namaste!

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We need your questions.

Those nagging, burning questions in your brains or blogs that have still gone unanswered through six seasons of “Lost.”

We’re putting together a list of questions, which will run in The Tampa Tribune on May 23, the day of the finale, that we feel must be answered so we can walk away a bit more satisfied and feel a little less separation anxiety once this now-legendary series is over.

Questions like, “What’s the deal with Walt?”

“What exactly was the Dharma Initiative trying to harness on the Island and what would they have used it for?”

“So Kate’s not a candidate? Then why is she alive? Whyyyyyy?!”

We know you’ve got questions. We want to include them with ours. So drop ‘em in the comments section below or feel free to email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Namaste!

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In this episode called “The Candidate,” we say hello to the start of an epic tug of war between sides and goodbye to some beloved characters.
The episode begins with a flash sideways of Locke waking up in the hospital with Jack at his bedside. Jack explains that Locke is going to be fine and could be a “candidate” for spinal surgery, with Jack explaining he could fix him, but Locke declines.
Meanwhile, we see Widmore’s people put Sawyer, Kate and the gang in the same cages where Sawyer and Kate spent a good amount of time back in Season 3.
Flash sideways, Jack goes to see Locke’s dentist, which is Bernard, to get more info on why Locke doesn’t want the surgery. Bernard and Jack realize they were both on Oceanic 815 and Bernard sends Jack to see Locke’s father.
Back on the island, Smocke explains to Jack and Sayid that they must rescue Sawyer and crew from the cages so they all can get off the island. Jack explains he has no plans to leave the island and questions why he should trust Smocke. Smocke explains that he could have already killed Jack and all his friends. Smocke makes his way to cages in the form of the smoke monster and kills the guard. Jack is able to get the key and gets the Sawyer and company out, explaining he’s with Smocke.
Flash sideways, Jack goes to see Locke’s father and discovers he’s in a wheel chair.
Back on the island, Smocke kills the people guarding the Ajira plane and takes a watch off one of the dead guards. Smocke realized the plane is wired with dynamite and explains to Sawyer and gang that Widmore was trying to kill all of them by showing them the dynamite now in his backpack. They decide to use the sub instead, but Sawyer wanted Jack to stay behind because he doesn’t trust Smocke.
Flash sideways, Claire comes to visit Jack and shows him a music box left for Claire by their father. Jack has no idea why his father left the box, but the two share a moment looking into the mirror.
Back on the island, Sawyer and crew commandeered the sub while Jack pushes Smocke into the water. In the chaos, Kate gets shot and Jack carries her into the sub. Sawyer decides to leave without Claire who is still on the dock. Claire is upset that she is left behind but Smocke tells her that she doesn’t what to be on the sub because he has switched backpacks with Jack and there is now a bomb on the sub.
The crew panics when they see the dynamite rigged with a watch counting down the minutes until their destruction. Jack isn’t worried because he realizes Smocke can’t kill them so as long as they leave the bomb alone, they won’t die. But Sawyer doesn’t trust Jack and pulls out the wires, speeding up the bomb time. Sayid grabs the bomb and runs to an end of the sub to let it explode but first tells Jack that Desmond is still in the well and that Jack will need him because he’s “the one.” After the explosion, water rushes into the sub. Hurley takes wounded Kate to the surface and Jack takes an unconscious Sawyer to the surface. But Sun is pinned in and can’t get free. Jin decides to stay behind with Sun, keeping his promise to never leave her. We see them drown together grasping hands until their bodies float apart.
Flash sideways, Locke tells Jack that both he and his father were paralyzed in another plane crash, but Locke was the one at the controls. The guilt is what keeps Locke from getting the surgery but Jack tells Locke he needs to let go of that guilt just as he needs to do with his own father’s death. As Locke leaves the hospital Jack utters “I wish you believed me,” sparking a brief recognition in Locke because those are the same words he once told Jack.
Back on the island, Hurley, Sawyer, Jack and Kate make it back to the beach. Smocke realizes they aren’t dead and promises to finish what he started.

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In “The Last Recruit,” we get away from episodes centered on one character and instead finally see an intersection of the flash sideways storylines.
The episode opens with Hurley, Jack and the gang meeting up with Smocke and his crew. Smocke has a talk with Jack and reveals that he was the one parading around the island as Jack’s father Christian. He claims he did it to help lead Jack to water and help him get off the island.
Flash sideways, we see both Locke and Sun being wheeled into the hospital and Sun briefly recognizes Locke.
Back on the island, Claire and Jack discuss their sibling relationship and their smokey father. Claire explains that she is with Smocke because he’s the only one who hasn’t abandoned her. She explains that Jack also is with him now because he let Smocke talk to him.
Flash sideways, we see Sawyer question Kate after he arrested her and he admits that he finds it strange that they would meet up again. He then gets pulled on to the case involving Sayid’s shootout of Keamy.
Back on the island, Widmore’s glass-wearing #2 shows up to Smocke’s camp and tells Smocke he better return Desmond or they’ll blow them up.
Flash sideways, Desmond “bumps into” Claire and helps her get an attorney for her adoption which turns out to be Ilana who just happens to be looking for Claire.
Back on the island, the Smocke group decides to go to the Ajira plane together. But Sawyer has another plan. While he and Kate are on their way to the boat, they’ll tell Jack to round up Hurley, Sun, Lapidus and bring meet them at the docks. Sawyer makes it clear that Claire and Sayid aren’t welcome on the adventure because they are crazy. Meanwhile, Smocke sends Sayid to kill Desmond who he pushed into the well. Sayid reluctantly agrees because Smocke has promised to bring back Nadia.
Flash sideways, Sayid tells Nadia he took care of Keamy and has to leave. Just then Miles shows up to make an arrest and Sayid bolts out the back door. But Sawyer is waiting in the backyard and captures him.
Back on the island, everyone shows up to the boat. Unfortunately, that includes Claire who isn’t happy she was left behind. Kate promises to take her along and bring her back to Aaron, so Claire puts down the gun and agrees to come.
Sayid tells Smocke he killed Desmond.
Flash sideways, Jack and his son show up for the reading of his father’s will to find Claire in Ilana’s office. He is shocked to learn she is his half-sister. Just then, he gets a call to come back to the hospital for an emergency because he is apparently LA’s only surgeon and always on call.
Back on the boat, Jack questions whether leaving the island is the right thing to do. This angers Sawyer and he tells Jack he must decide what side he is on. Jack believes he was brought back for a reason and chooses the island and jumps off the boat.
Flash sideways, we find out Sun and her baby will be fine and Jack shows up to perform surgery on Locke who recognizes.
Back on the island, Jack swims to the beach where Locke is waiting for him. Sawyer’s crew finally arrives to Widmore’s camp but is greeted with guns instead of open arms. We finally get to see Sun and Jin reunite just after the fence was turned off thankfully. The deal is off with Sawyer but Widmore makes good on one promise and bombs Smocke’s people, knocking Jack unconscious. Smocke carries Jack to safety and utters “you’re with me now.”

 

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So much to love about last night’s episode, “Everybody Loves Hugo” (a nice counter to the Season 2 “Everybody Hates Hugo”). We got to see two dearly departed Losties, the flash-sideways connection to the island grew, there were at least two moments that made you jump and most importantly – we got an answer to a mystery since Season 1.

The episode starts with a little film about Hurley’s life, highlighting his philanthropic background as the museum (where Charlotte and Chang work) honors him as Man of the Year.  Hurley leaves with his mom, admiring his T-Rex trophy, when Mama Reyes brings him back to reality – he needs a girlfriend. He says he needs to go to a Human Fund event (hello, George Constanza!). Mama says he’s going on a blind date.

The next day, Hurley is waiting for his date, Rosalita, at a Mexican joint when guess who calls his name – Libby, looking decidedly undead but a little spacey. She asks him if he believes people can be connected, like soulmates, but is disappointed that Hurley doesn’t remember her. Dr. Brooks whisks her away into a van to the mental hospital. Poor Hurley.

He holds a big pity party for himself over a bucket-o-chicken at Mr. Cluck’s, when Desmond happens to walk in. Desmond is a little beat up but extremely chummy, so we can only assume he has gotten the 815 manifest he asked for. He tells Hurley he recognizes him from the plane and then settles in for a chat. Hurley opens up about how Libby seemed to like him but she is cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Des says no, go with your gut brotha and find out more before you give up on her.

Hurley heads to the Santa Rosa facility and asks to see Libby. Dr. Brooks is not into the idea because Libby already has reality issues, but he feels better about it once Hurley drops $100K in his lap to fix the crappy rec room. We get a nice shot of the room when Hurley meets her – complete w/ Connect Four and the chalkboard. Libby is all hopeful that he remembered something, but he hasn’t. But it’s cool, he wants to go out with her anyway. Awww!

Libby says she saw Hurley on TV and these memories of her life – “only it was another life” – washed over her. She describes the plane crash, the island and even feeling like she had been to Santa Rosa before … with Hurley.

They have their date, a picnic on a crowded beach, and Libby is weirded out. It’s like a date they never had, she says. They kiss and shazam! Hurley is flooded with flashbacks, like Desmond was last week. He tells her he thinks he remembers stuff.

Desmond is watching from a car and drives away.

On the island, the Losties are at a crossroad. Do they blow up the Ajira plane to stop Smokey from leaving and taking over the world (or something like that) or do they find a less explosive solution? Ilana tromps off to the Black Rock to load up on dynamite when Micheal (!!) appears to tell Hurley he has to stop this before everyone gets killed. People listen to Hurley now, and if he doesn’t stop them and they die, it’s Hurley’s fault.

Hurley brings this up to Ilana, saying dynamite is unstable. Ilana is insistent, though, that this is the way, because Jacob said listen to Richard and Richard says blow it up. And then – BOOM.

So that’s it for Ilana. But there’s no time for mourning. The Losties continue to bicker about what to do. Richard is all for more dynamite (so Ilana won’t have died in vain. Yeah, right). Ben is philosophical. Ilana was handpicked by Jacob to protect candidates. Now she is in pieces. He guesses the island is done with her, which makes him wonder what happens when the island is done with them. The group goes to the Black Rock, but where is Hurley?

We find out when he comes tearing out of the abandoned ship, which then explodes. Richard is so mad. Hurley says he was protecting them. He confesses that Michael told him to, which intrigues Miles. Hurley says he listens to dead people because they are more reliable than the living.

Hurley tries to talk the group into going to see Locke and talking to him. Richard wants no part of it. Hurley claims it’s Jacob’s idea. Richard challenges him – if he’s talking to Jacob, then what does Jacob say the island is? Because Richard knows. And just when we think we might hear something interesting, Hurley says he doesn’t have to prove anything to Richard. Richard calls him out and asks everyone to come with him to get more stuff to blow up the plane. Ben and Miles side with Richard. Jack, Sun and Frank go with Hurley.

Privately, Hurley confides to Jack he didn’t really see Jacob (shocker). Jack knows but trusts Hurley and in a very Zen moment, he says that ever since he got Juliet killed, all he’s wanted to do is fix stuff. But maybe he’s supposed to sit back and listen to others for once.

And then here’s the highlight for me. There are whispers in the woods, and Hurley (our hero) says he thinks he knows what the whispers are. He walks off and there’s Michael. Michael is stuck on the island because of what he did. The whispers are “the ones who can’t move on.”  An answer!! Hurley asks where Locke is, and Michael shows him and asks if Hurley ever talks to Libby to tell her he is very sorry.

Back in Lockeville, Sayid returns and pulls Smokey aside. He reveals Desmond, tied to a tree. Desmond says “I have nowhere to run to, brotha,” so unLocke releases him. He tells unLocke he needs to ask Widmore if he wants to know why he was kidnapped, but he got blasted with a bunch of electromagnetism. UnLocke says, “Do you know who I am?” Des, looking all spacey, says, “You’re John Locke.”

UnLocke dismisses Sayid and goes for a little walk with Des. UnLocke says the island has it in for him. Desmond corrects him – the island has it in for all of them. Just then, the grubby ghost boy pops up in the woods. I had been thinking it was Aaron, now I’m thinking young Jacob. Whatever, it rattles unLocke who tells Des to ignore him and move along.

They wind up at a really deep, really old well. Back in the day, people dug deep for answers at spots where compass needles went wonky. But they didn’t find any, unLocke says. He tells Des that Widmore is interested in POWER not ANSWERS. Then he asks why Des isn’t afraid – no one knows where he is. Des says, “what’s the point of being afraid,” which unLocke answers by pushing him DOWN THE WELL.

A little bit later, there’s a rustle in the woods, and it’s Hurley and Co., here to see the Smoke Monster. Everyone just kind of stares at each other.

Flash back (or sideways, really) and LAX Desmond is parked in a car, watching school dismiss. The Real Locke, in his wheelchair, is wheeling away from school. Ben raps on Desmond’s window, asking what exactly he is doing there. It does look kind of creepy. Des says his son Charlie (who remember, he doesn’t have in this timeline) might go there. Then he speeds off and whack! Runs Locke right over.

Ben rushes to Locke’s side. He’s still alive. Barely.

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This episode finally clues us into what Desmond has been doing since we last saw him and some possible answers to these flash sideways scenes.
We start the episode by seeing Desmond wake up after being brought back to the island by Widmore. Desmond was at the hospital when he was shot by Ben. Widmore tries to explain that the island isn’t done with Desmond, but Desmond isn’t too happy with that explanation and beats Widmore with his IV pole.
Desmond is taken to a makeshift room built around an electromagnetic machine for some type of “test.” But Desmond isn’t too confident when he arrives since the previous occupant was burnt to a crisp when the machine was turned on by accident. Widmore continues to put Desmond in the box, explaining that Desmond is the only person yet to survive a catastrophic electromagnetic event.
The machine goes on and sends Desmond to his flash sideways where he is picking up his Oceanic luggage next to Claire. He meets his driver at the airport who is George, his time-traveling pal from the freighter.
We find out that Desmond works for Widmore and his mission on this business trip is to gather a wandering member of the band Driveshaft so that they can perform at a party with Widmore’s son. Of course, we all know that the drug-addicted band member has to be Charlie who has bigger thoughts on his mind.
Charlie explains that when he was choking on his bag on heroin in that Oceanic bathroom, he saw images of the woman that he loves. (The description sounds like Claire). He decided to show Desmond what he’s talking about by driving their car into the marina (possibly the same one that Desmond and Penny were parked at before his beating?). The accident sends the duo into familiar territory, struggling underwater. As Desmond once again tries to save Charlie’s life, he sees an image of Charlie’s hand with “Not Penny’s boat” written on it.
We next see Desmond in the hospital where doctors give him an MRI. During the test, Desmond gets more flashes of his life with Penny. Charlie tells Desmond he has no plans to play for the Widmores which means Desmond has to tell Mrs. Widmore the bad news. Of course, that turns out to be Eloise who doesn’t seem to mind the cancellation, but doesn’t like it when Desmond starts poking his nose into the guest list to find Penny. She explains that Desmond “isn’t ready yet.”
But Desmond does get help from Widmore’s rocker son, Daniel Farraday. Though, Farraday is now Daniel Widmore and a musician not a scientist. Daniel shows Desmond his famous journal with equations for an atomic bomb and explains what we already know – perhaps they changed their life paths. He then tells Desmond where he can find Penny, who happens to be his half sister.
He finds Penny at the same stadium where Desmond first met Jack. When he extends his hand to greet his love, we flash back to the island box. The experience on the island was only a few seconds but enough to convince Desmond that he must help Widmore. But on his way to his mission, Desmond runs into a gun-toting Sayid and Desmond agrees to go with him.
We go back to the flash sideways with Penny where Desmond awakes from passing out and the two agree to go for coffee. The final scene shows Desmond asking driver George to get the manifest for the plane. Perhaps, Desmond will begin his mission to gather our famous passengers and get them back on their correct path? But he should hurry; we only have five episodes left.

 

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So after half a bunch of Sideways flashes where I was beginning to question the worth of these possible destinies for our favorite characters, we finally get, in last night’s episode “Happily Ever After,” the season’s game-changer.

We get an inkling on how the two timelines are intertwined. We get an idea of who pulled the strings to create those relatively happy endings in the Sideways universe and why Sideways Time must end. 

And, with great rejoicing throughout the land, we find out that Desmond Hume is the key to all the universes of “Lost.”

The producers actually told us this way back in Season 2, when my man Desmond went under The Hatch and literally TURNED A KEY to trigger an electromagnetic discharge that, in ensuing seasons, gave him the ability to survive shifts in the space-time continuum.

He is immune to the brain-damaging effects of time travel because the love of his life, Penny Widmore, is his constant in all universes and realities. In “Happily Ever After,” Desmond realizes that no matter what, he will always be with Penny (this echoes the sentiments in Richard Alpert’s episode “Ab Aeterno,” in which Richard’s wife Isabella tells him that she is always with him).

Once Desmond realizes this, he has no fear and decides to act so that all is right with the universe again. He sees the Sideways world for what it is: a fabrication of lives that someone else or some other greater power (my vote is the Man in Black, partnered with Eloise Hawking-Widmore—but more on this later) thought would give closure and peace to the Losties.

Desmond realizes everybody has a choice. Everybody has free will. Yeah, there may be one true love for us in all possible universes, but how we find them and how we get there should be OUR choice, not influenced by the machinations of Island demigods or mad scientists.

So, regardless of the show’s dense mythology, red herrings, dead-end character arcs (Nikki and Paolo; Ana Lucia; Mr. Eko), and slow-burn mysteries, we as viewers also have a constant.

It’s Desmond.

He’s the heart of the show, the key that makes all the sci-fi/metaphysical stuff palpable. And, at heart, what the entire show is apparently about and spoken of outright by Daniel Farady-Widmore and Charlie Pace, is . . . love. The kind of love that spans space and time. The kind of love that doesn’t make us feel lost and gives us purpose.

Yeah, I can dig that.

Desmond knows what his purpose is in both timelines; for all appearances, he’s the catalyst that will send the end-game into motion.

OK, now on to the theory floating out there in the blogosphere that I prescribe to: the Sideways universe exists because the Man in Black escaped the island. MIB punched his ticket to freedom when, back in 1977, Juliet fell down the Swan hole and introduced a rock to the tip of an atomic bomb.

The resulting blast sunk the Island; MIB escaped, like a genie from a bottle (yeah, why is he black smoke anyway, right? And why does he always promise people he’ll grant them whatever they wish?); his escape caused the creation of Sideways time.

Remember when Charles Widmore said that if MIB escapes, everything that the Losties ever knew would simply cease to exist? In Sideways time, Jin isn’t married to Sun and Sun’s daddy wants him dead. And it looks like the Kwons’ kid may not survive in that universe either.

In Sideways time, Daniel Faraday-Widmore is a musician—his first love—not a brilliant quantum physicist. If he was a scientist, that career path would have led him to the love of HIS life, red-headed, blue-eyed Charlotte. Instead, he just catches a glimpse of her in a museum in Sideways time and she and him move on.

And in Sideways time, Desmond lives a solitary, yet globe-trotting life under the auspices of Charles Widmore, his nemesis in Island time. Yet in Sideways time, he doesn’t have Penny and he doesn’t have a child with her. Eloise Hawking Widmore even encourages Desmond in “Happily Ever After” NOT to meet or even ask questions about Penny, perhaps to keep Sideways time intact.

Because when he finds out the truth, the Sideways timeline begins to unravel.

But I and other bloggers agree that the MIB didn’t work alone. His accomplice could be Eloise Hawking, Daniel’s mother, a brilliant scientist in her own right and the one character, other than Desmond and Daniel, who has caught glimpses of the future and alternate timelines. Did Eloise strike a deal with the MIB to manipulate Jughead’s detonation and the destruction of the Island? And did she do it to break the cycle of her son dying in Island Time?

And now some random thoughts:

1) Next week’s episode is gonna be Hurley-centric, and if it’s following the love theme of the show, we’ll get to see Libby again. Finally.

2) Coffee houses in “Lost” seem to be a nexus for all universes. In the Season 6 opener, didn’t Juliet tell Sawyer they’re meeting for coffee? Didn’t Desmond meet Libby in a coffee house where Libby gives him her boat so he could set sail around the world? And Desmond and Penny’s first date in Sideways time will be in a coffee shop.

3) Speaking of Desmond and Penny meeting in Sideways time: that stadium also has to be some weird, important “Lost” nexus. It’s the stadium where, in Island time, Desmond trained to prepare for his circumnavigation of the globe and where he met Jack for the first time. Back in Sideways-ville, we get the first meeting of Desmond and his constant. And I have to say, Henry Ian Cusick SMASHED that scene. Man, I love Desmond and Penny stories.

4) I kind of feel sorry for Ben and Locke. Because in the Sideways world, they have the people they care about: Ben-Alex and Locke-Helen. If Desmond rips out the fabric of Sideways time, then Ben and Locke lose out on the people they love. Then again, I also feel sorry for Sideways Sayid. He gets nada out of Nadia in both timelines. Then AGAIN, the people Ben, Locke and Sayid love are always with them, considering the logic of the show, right?

5) More and more, the Island seems to be a place where world mythology converges. Maybe the Island is SO old it’s the place where most myths originated. Thinks about it: the four-toed statue is Tawaret, the Egyptian goddess of fertility. The MIB is black smoke, like a genie—or a djinn in Persian myths—who needs to escape from his bottle.

6) “Not Penny’s Boat.” Awesome. One of the most iconic of the show’s images makes a grand comeback. Got chills.

7) Desmond is destined to push buttons in every timeline. That was his job in The Hatch. And then he hit the panic button during the CAT scan. Funny stuff. 

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Anyone else notice that #Desmond was a trending topic on Twitter immediately after last night’s episode?

Lost fans around the newsroom are declaring the Desmond-centric “Happily Ever After” the best episode this season. I’m putting it right behind the Richard Alpert episode a couple weeks ago. But I do love Desmond.

“Brotha” is one of our favorite words around my house. My hubby and I regularly have conversations such as, “Did you make the kids’ lunch, brotha?” Don’t even pretend like we’re the only ones.

A friend sent this hilarious “Brotha Compilation” video on YouTube to me today.

Was last night’s episode your favorite?

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We finally got to see Sun and Jin so happy together last night on “The Package,” but only in a flash-sideways, as “Lost” continued to keep them separate on the island (did enjoy Sun’s Korean rant!).

The war between Team Smokey and Team Everyone Else continued to approach. Slowly. I’m ready for some actual warring instead of the characters continuing to talk about it. But we did learn some interesting things:

Jin and Sun weren’t married in the flash-sideways, and Sun wanted to run away with him, not run away from him.

Sun seemed to get pregnant just fine off the island.

UnLocke needs all the candidates to join him to leave the island.

Claire and Kate are not written as candidates on the cave wall.

Zoe and Widmore want Jin’s help to pinpoint electromagnetism on the island.

Widmore claims if Smokey escapes the island, Jin and Sun’s reunion would be short-lived because bad stuff is going to go down.

Desmond’s bad luck with his father in law continues.

If you get hit on the head, you might wake up only able to speak Korean.

Here’s a recap:

Flash-Sideways: Sun and Jin get released from the airport, $25,000 poorer thanks to customs. They check into their hotel, separately, because they’re not married. But that doesn’t mean they stay in their separate rooms (wink wink).

Sun tells Jin they should elope, and she has the money to do it in a secret account. A knock at the door disturbs them. Jin hides. It’s Keamy. He barges in, saying she has something for him. Keamy tries to shake down Jin for the $25K. Sun tries to save the day by offering up her money, and Keamy, being a reasonable gangster, says he’ll take Jin to the restaurant (um, not for drinks) while Sun and Mikhail (Patchy!!) head to the bank.

But at the bank, things go bad when Sun learns that her account has been closed … by her dad. Mr. Paik obviously is not amused that his daughter is fooling around with one of his employees.

At the restaurant, Keamy binds and gags Jin and returns to the kitchen, where Sayid (hey, we’ve seen this before) shows up and wreaks havoc. Jin, meanwhile, escapes about the same time Patchy and Sun arrive at the restaurant. There’s a struggle, Jin shoots Patchy IN THE EYE (which I totally missed the first time) but, uh oh, Sun gets shot in the process. As she’s bleeding, she tells Jin ... she’s preggers.

On the island, there’s unrest at Smokey’s Camp and over at Ilana’s, as everyone is trying to figure out what to do next. Ilana wants to hang out til Richard comes back. Sun is fed up and stomps away, basically telling Jack where he can stick his Wheel of Fate, because she doesn’t care about destiny or candidates.

UnLocke appears to Sun, trying to convince her to come with him because “Jin is waiting.” Sun does the smartest thing anyone’s done in a while on “Lost” – she bolts. UnLocke chases her down. Next thing we see, Sun is passed out with a head wound and an inability to speak English. She says, “Locke.”

Ilana is thrilled to see Richard return, and Richard is a new man. He’s all fired up and wants to go to the Hydra and destroy the plane so Smokey can’t use it. Sun hits the roof and says (in Korean) that she came to the island to save Jin, not save the world. She’s not destroying the only thing that can get them off the island.

After she calms down that night, Jack brings her a notepad, hoping she can at least write in English. She can (although she wastes a ton of paper, considering they don’t exactly have a Staples nearby).  Jack holds up a tomato as a metaphor for thriving amid chaos or something, and Sun softens. She says/writes she trusts Jack, and Jack promises to reunite her with Jin and get them off the island.

Things are a mess at Camp Smokey, which has been ambushed by Widmore’s people. They kidnap Jin and leave everyone else tranquilized. UnLocke is ticked and says he’s taking a boat to the Hydra – he has to have all the candidates before he can leave. Sawyer asks why unLocke can’t smokeify himself and fly over to the other island. Smokey is not amused.

UnLocke and Sayid head to the Hydra. We see unLocke on the beach, but he can’t go very far because Widmore’s people have put up their special fence. Widmore comes out and stands on one side. He denies they took Jin. UnLocke says this means war.

Widmore, though, is actually steaming. He’s mad at Zoe, a geophysicist, for kidnapping Jin too early. Jin has been locked in the creepy Dharma room that was conducting subliminal message experiments on poor Carl back in the day. Zoe wanted him to ID electromagnetic spots on the island. Jin just wants to talk to Widmore.

Widmore meets with Jin and softens him up by sharing Sun’s camera with cute kid photos galore. He tries to bond with Jin over their mutual daughters. But he says any Sun-Jin reunion would be shortlived if Smokey gets off the island and they have to prevent that from happening.

How, you ask? The package. And it’s not a “what,” Widmore says. It’s a who.

There’s a commercial and several other scenes before we FINALLY see the package, and it’s Widmore’s favorite son-in-law, looking pretty rough. Desmond is getting thrown around the dock of the sub, and as he falls, he makes eye contact with Sayid, who has been spying on the group from the water. Then Desmond is carted away.

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Submitted by co-worker Christy:

Is this a ploy to get us hyped for the last 7 episodes?

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