lost . . . the end

I like the ad that ran before the finale with the running boar for barbecue sauce . . .

So here we are back on LOST Island, for the final time, The End. It's sad and wonderful and I'm going to miss wondering what will happen next to this group of people, and I'm crying more than teary-eyed Jack ever did, but here we go. Answers are coming.

Island Desmond has caught a glimpse of the Sideways world, the only Lostie in the Island world who has (except perhaps Juliette). This is why he can be so calm in the face of Smokey. He thinks he has seen a better world. He isn't afraid to die. He's the embodiment of an enlightened soul. Sideways Desmond has the whole story. He wants to gather all the Losties and go "home."  It is significant that Sideways Jack can attempt to "fix" Locke, but he can't keep his appointments to pick up Christian's coffin or get to his son's concert. He is in a fog, unable to awaken his Sideways self, no matter how often that cut on his neck bleeds. Christian's coffin finally reaching its final destination mirrors Locke's coffin returning to the Island.

Sideways Hurley, who remembers everything and has joined Desmond in the job of shepherd, is beyond happy to see Charlie. But that doesn't stop him from knock-out-darting the bratty rock star and kidnapping him to make sure he gets to the concert.

Juliette, Jack's ex (big duh) gives Sun a sonogram which jolts Jin and Sun back to the future, complete with English speech mastery. Everyone's awakening is a happy thing, even the ones who have died on the Island. It also seems that people who are still alive on the Island (Desmond, Hurley, Kate) are good at awakening and guiding their friends who died in another life, brotha.

On the Island, Jack wants to "Shephard" the remaining Losties to the golden heart of the Island, to kill Smokey. Sawyer sets off on his own to find Desmond. Hurley rightly says, "I've got a bad feeling about this." These Losties still haven't learned that it's no good when the tribe splits up? Sonofabitch!




Kate tries to reach Jack, who is now all about his purpose, tries to convince him there's more to his future than just the Island, "Nothing is irreversible." Hurley brushes past them, "This would be so sweet if we weren't about to die." On the Island Jack and Hurley know why they're there. Kate is still finding her way.

Sawyer spies on Smokey, is caught by Ben, but quickly turns the tables on his captor. For a moment I thought Sawyer was going to tell them he was the new Jacob. Guess he's done conning. Elsewhere in the jungle there is . . . Vincent! Rose! Bernard! Taking care of Desmond, until Smokey shows up. This is a total shout-out to the fans, who have been whining "Where's Vincent?" forever. And seeing how Rose and Bernard are faring is a nice way to tie up their story as well. Any second now we're going to hear someone yell, "WAAALLLTTT!!!" Just kidding. I really hope not.

Richard gets his first gray hair. Jacob's final disappearance from the Island must have released him from his "gift." He and Miles are derailed from their plan to blow up the Ajira plane by . . . Lapidus! "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a pilot." They run across Claire, who still seems a bit bonkers, and doesn't want to go home with Miles & Co. For a moment I was afraid that newly mortal Richard would get blown away, but Claire isn't that crazy. So glad that "Chesty" made it. And can fly whoever is left off this rock.

Jack and Smokey have a killer exchange about Jack being the new Jacob. Smokey, disappointed,  "You're sort of the obvious choice." Jack, "I want to go with you [to the heart of the Island]." Smokey, "Why?" Jack, "Because you think you're going to destroy the Island I've sworn to protect. But I'm going to kill you." Smokey, "How are you going to do that?" Jack, "It's a surprise." Jack, do you know how much I LOVE you right now?

Hurley, full of love and faith, as always, "Jack, I believe in you, dude." Jack and Desmond set off with Locke towards the Island's heart. Desmond tries to convince Jack, "This doesn't matter, you know." He tries to show Jack a glimpse of the other world, much like his counterpart is doing to the Losties Sideways. Island Desmond may not have the whole picture. But Jack is past all that, past his own future. He has his purpose and he knows the cost. "What happened, happened."

When they reach the golden grotto and lower Desmond down a waterfall shaft on a rope, Smokey tries to bring back memories of Locke, Desmond and the Hatch with Jack, who doesn't let him blow smoke. Jack can see Smokey clearly and isn't fooled by the face of Locke that he wears. Can Smokey not go all smoke anymore? He seems pretty contained. But Smokey is right, it is an apt comparison. The pair stare over a waterfall, much like they stared down into the mysterious Hatch. But there is no air of mystery this time, just foreboding.

Desmond sees the eye of the Island and it's beautiful. And hurts like hell. His nose bleeds, he pulls out the "cork," and it all goes dark. And then red. Jack and Smokey hear his screams. "Looks like you were wrong, Jack." Jack follows him out of the cave and wallops Smokey until he . . .  bleeds. "Looks like you were wrong, too." Smokey can be killed. He's mortal again.

Sideways, everything is progressing. Hurley, the love doctor, tells Sayid not to let others tell him who he is as they drive up to an alley, where Sayid finds Shannon, love, and reawakening. Boone is already enlightened. All is going according to plan, but what exactly is the plan?

Juliette, Claire and David arrive at the concert. Charlotte tries to rouse Charlie and has a moment with Daniel (one of clarity?) Desmond seats Claire and Kate at the same table. Pierre Chang (not the puppet) introduces the musical act. Charlie sees Claire from onstage, who looks up and starts to have birth pangs. Kate, you better help her birth that bay-bay!

Kate is amazing with Claire again and they both flash to the Island. Charlie brings a blanket and Claire's touch brings him to his Island senses. Their lives may be a bit better Sideways, but they've been in a fog. Desmond checks in to see that all is as it should be. "Do you understand?" Kate, "I know."




Back on the Island Ben saves Hurley from a falling tree but gets pinned beneath it himself. The Island is covered in a downpour as Lapidus, Richard and Miles continue to get the plane flight-worthy and Kate, Sawyer and Hurley try to free Ben, who tells them that Smokey has a boat. Jack, meanwhile, is hell-bent on killing Smokey, who he now knows is mortal, and chases him to Jacob's cave with the numbers. I'm worried that Jack will not make it out of this. Smokey stabs Jack. "I want you to know that you did it all for nothing." Kate arrives and shoots Smokey, "I saved you a bullet." Smokey tells her, "You're too late." Jack kicks him over the side of the cliff. Adieu, Smoke Monster.

Kate, "Locke's dead. It's over." The Island is still shaking and rumbling. Sawyer, "Sure don't feel like it's over." Ben tosses the walkie talkie to Sawyer. Jack and Sawyer shake hands, finally make amends. Kate and Jack kiss goodbye. Ben, "If the Island's going down, I'm going down with it," and Hurley, "I'm with you, dude," go with Jack to try and re-cork the Island. Sawyer and Kate take a leap of faith off the side of a cliff into the sea.




In the hospital, Locke is awake, tells Jack, "It worked." Is he talking about the end of Smokey? "I can feel my legs." He flashes back to the Island. "Did you see that? We need to go." Jack has a momentary flash, but blocks it, says he needs to go see his son. "You don't have a son, Jack. I hope that somebody does for you what you just did for me." Locke is on the path.

Detective Sawyer sees Sun and Jin in the hospital. Jin is amused that he is a "cop" and overjoyed to see him, "We'll see you there." "See me where?" Sawyer sees Jack in the hospital, but also runs into Juliette. A minor power outage and a candy bar gives them their flash of recognition, complete with Juliette falling down the shaft. "We should get coffee sometime." Fans everywhere sigh with satisfaction.

The good doctor has arrived late to the concert. Who is going to shake Jack out of his Island denial rut? Kate, of course. Kate walks up to him, "It's over [the concert]." She admits to stealing his pen on the plane.  He still has no flash. "I've missed you so much, Jack." Jack, per usual, is such a hard-head, tries to block what's happening. "If you come with me, you will understand."




Jack is so going to die on the Island. He touches Hurley. "Hurley, I believe in you." Jack transfers Island protectorship while Ben looks on in awe, jealousy? But Ben gives Jack an Oceanic 815 water bottle to perform the ritual. Awesome. dude. Hurley takes a sip, "Is that it?" Jack smiles, "Now you're like me."

Jack crawls down into the cave to find Desmond, who thinks it didn't work, "You were right, Jack." Jack laughs, "There's a first time for everything." He tells Desmond/Odysseus to go home, find Penny. "What about you, Jack?" "I'll see you in another life, brother."

Kate and Sawyer find Clare while chunks of the Island fall into the sea. Sawyer, economic with his phrases as always, "That ain't good." Lapidus is trying to take off, until he sees them running towards them on the runway. "We've got some late arrivals." Miles is happily sarcastic to see Sawyer, "Way to wait until the last second." Frank gets them in the air. Sawyer looks a little airsick.

Jack manages to get the giant stone cork back in the eye of the Island, which seems to stop all the crazy earthquakeyness. Water flows again and the light comes back. Ben and Hurley pull up on the rope, rescuing Desmond, thinking it will be Jack. Hurley, full of grace, asks Ben to help him take care of the Island.

Jack is done, but seems happy, down in the water, down in the light. Neither he nor Desmond became smoke monsters when confronted with the Island's source. Desmond because of his special magnetic properties and Jack because his purpose was true, full of love.




Sideways, outside a church,  Hurley tells Ben, "You were a great number two." Ben smiles and answers, "And you were a great number one, Hugo." But he doesn't go in with Hurley, who doesn't prod him. Kate and Jack drive up. "This is where you're going to have your father's funeral."

Jack goes in the back entrance of the church. He touches the casket and his Island life is revealed.  The casket is empty, but Christian is there. Jack, "You died. How are you here right now?" Christian, "How are you here?" Jack, "I died too." He starts to cry, as do I and I suspect everyone else who's watching. "It's OK son." Jack doesn't quite understand. (You're not alone Jack.) He doesn't believe that Kate died. So why is everyone out there, in the church? What is this place? Christian is full of love and answers for his son. "This is a place you all made together so that you could find one another. The most important part of your life is the time you spent with these people. I was here before you, you are here before some of them."

Sideways is a place beyond time, heaven's waiting room. Jack can be in the room with Kate even though he died long before she did or will. The Sideways world was a house of mirrors, a "better" world of their own creation, without the Island, Jacob or their real, pre-Island lives. It's a way station, where the Losties could always find one another before they were ready to cross over. But after they died  and went Sideways, they couldn't or wouldn't remember their time on Earth, on the Island. Desmond, the constant, woke them up to their lives, to their love for one another. Jack embraces his father (closure!) and then enters the church to embrace his friends. Everyone is there, except Ben, who isn't ready to cross over, who believes he must stay in purgatory.

Island Jack wakes up downstream, in a similar spot to where Jacob found his brother. He is no longer the protector. He heads back to the bamboo grove, where his Island adventure began. Thank goodness for Vincent, who approaches and snuggles up to Jack so he doesn't have to die alone . . . Sniff. Jacks stares up at the sky and watches the plane, carrying his friends home, to safety, fly overhead. Perfect symmetry, as his eye closes.

So where does that leave the adventure that was LOST? What did they die for? Major themes—the Island as source of life, religion, faith needing to be protected—these people were thrown into life and death struggles to accomplish that. Science versus faith. Choice versus destiny. The possibility of redemption—for all of the Losties—but shown most completely through the character of Jack. There were many other underlying themes in this rich and complicated tale—parenting issues, the fact that they were all killers, the power of love across time and space. Rich and varied storytelling.

There are also, of course, some unanswered questions—if new Jacob Hurley and new Richard Ben stayed to protect the Island, who took over after them? Did they select candidates, like Jacob did, or I suspect, let someone freely choose the job? Let whatever happen happen? I'm sure Hurley was a better protector than Jacob. The Island is undoubtedly safe, constant, not underwater. It just seemed underwater to the Sideways Losties because it was buried in their subconscious and had to be awakened. The Island is still important, the most important thing that they have ever done together, besides love one another. It was the catalyst, even more than Jacob, to discover their love for each other.

My kid was sick with  a tummy ache most of the evening, so I felt like I was missing some of the details and will have to watch the finale again. As well, I'm sure, the entire series. But I suspect that LOST won't be crystal clear on second viewing. Like most good art, good novels, LOST is something to contemplate, to interpret. Not everyone will agree on what it all means.

To paraphrase Kate, I'm going to miss you so much, Jack. And all the rest . . .

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lost love

After watching the pilot last night I was reminded about how great it was and how many clues to the course of the series were planted: black & white, the smoke monster (which sounded just like 815 breaking apart), levels of trust and communication issues with the Losties.

Some of my favorite LOST moments are in the pilot, and got me thinking about great moments throughout the series:

• Charlie's ominous question after they hear Rousseau's transmission, "Guys, where are we?"
• Mr. Eko face to face with the smoke monster.

• Desmond and Penny, on the phone, declaring their eternal love for one another.
• Ben, still posing as Henry Gale in the Hatch, manipulating Jack and Locke while asking for milk. "I guess it's a good thing I'm not one of them, huh? You guys got any milk?"
• Sawyer, cracking wise and wonderful.
• Hurley & Co. driving the Dharma van on the road to Shambala.
• Desmond in the hatch waking up, exercising, self-injecting, to the hits of the 70s.
• Jack and Desmond on the stadium bleachers.
• Jacob and the MIB on the beach, when we first see them.
• Locke, when he learns he can't go on his walkabout. "Don't tell me what I can't do!"
• Sayid, by the magic pool, looking eerily at Ben and saying that it is too late for him.
• Richard communicating with his dead wife with Hurley's help.

There are so many more, but these are a good start and a reason to watch the whole damn thing again.

So Dharma radio silence until the finale has been watched and digested. I'll probably have to check out the Jimmy Kimmel special on the web later this week. The internets are abuzz with LOST-related end-of-an-era activity. Here are some fun links, but mostly tonight I'll be glued to the set, with a box of Kleenex close-by, just in case.

• Finale drinking game, via Flavorpill
• Michael Emerson being creepy with ordinary phrases, via Buzzfeed
• Auditions & kittehs, via Pajiba

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lost . . . across the sea

The Island is older than Jacob and his no-name Smokey Brother, older than dirt. Apparently Mother is looking for candidates to be the new Island protector, and she's willing to kill to secure some pure, untainted souls—the twin baby boys—twins . . . Jacob and . . . what's yer name again? I knew that crazy Mother was going to kill the poor new mother. Some shades of Rousseau here . . .




Many years later, TeenSmoke, who everyone seems to only refer to as Brother, finds a game of Senet washed up on the shore. Delighted, he begins to play a game with Jacob, "How do you know how?" "I just know." "Show me how." "Promise not to tell Mother." Typical teenagers, right? Typical teenagers who have never seen anyone except their spooky old Mother. Do they even realize they are lacking in cute girls?

Back at the cave, Mother weaves a tapestry, Jacob helps. "Do you love me Jacob? Then tell me what happened." She knows what's going on, a la Smokey in the present timeline, but wants to hear things from the boys of their own free will. In Jacob/Esau, Osiris/Set fashion, Mother is definitely favoring Brother over Jacob, "Jacob doesn't know how to lie. He's not like you. You're special." But Brother, although flattered, has his eyes trained across the sea. He's not as bound to the Island as his twin.

Mother is alarmed when the boys finally run across some "Others," also Island inhabitants. "They're not like us. We are here for a reason. They come, fight, corrupt—it always ends the same." Sound familiar? Jacob, of course, has used these same turns of phrase, but Mother also talks A LOT like John Locke used to talk. Is it what's in the Island water? Fanaticism? She takes the boys to see the Island's heart, its source. She has seen the [golden] light, much like Locke did when he saw the hatch [at the time not realizing Desmond was just flipping a light switch.] Mother is convinced the Island must be protected. Is this something she actually knows, has been taught, or is the light of idolatry what motivates her actions, what has made her crazy? Is the light good, or evil, or just energy, power?




"I've made it so you can never hurt each other, This is the reason we're here [golden grotto]. If the light goes out here, it goes out everywhere." Well, maybe Jacob and his Brother (is that his name, Brother? Or should we call him brutha?) can't exactly hurt each other, but the Island can hurt them. The smoke monster, we will learn, is part of that pretty golden light.

"It's against the rules." Brother talks to dead people (uh oh Hurley!) He sees his real mother's ghost and she tells him that their people come from the village, and originally from across the sea. Not everyone can speak to the dead on the Island, apparently. Jacob couldn't. But Ben could. Jack probably can, because I think he did see his father Christian, not Smokey. Claire may have seen both her father and Smokey pretending to be him—we may never know for sure.

Brother tries to get Jacob to leave the Island and their lying "Mother," but Jacob wants to stay. Mother tells Brother he'll never be able to leave the Island, and that the people in the village are bad. Brother takes off, never to return. Jacob tells her that he will stay with her, "For a while." But he ends up staying a long time, long enough to grow into the actor we have known as Jacob through most of the series, long enough to learn how to weave a tapestry like a pro. But possibly not long enough to build a statue of Tawaret. Guess that was done by another set of shipwrecked souls . . .




Grown-up Jacob visits Brother in the village, they play Senet again. Brother has come to hate the village people, even though he chose to live with them. He is building the donkey wheel. Brother shouldn't sneer about the villagers, as they must have some crazy cool science, introducing him to fields of magnetic energy and time travel and all.

Mother doesn't even waste time trying to pump Jacob for intel, but heads off for a confrontation with Brother. She wants to know what he's discovered, how he's found a way off of the Island. At first I thought she was jealous and wanted off of the Island herself, but she takes her Island protector role seriously. Throughout their brief interview Brother is making "the" knife. Creepy Dogen-reminiscent implications, but she goes with what she knows and bops him on the head instead. She doesn't kill him—is she still holding out some hope that he might stay and change his mind? But no, she goes ahead with her "spare," and decides to initiate Jacob as the island protector. Once again she takes him to the golden grotto, "Life, death, rebirth, the source, heart of the Island. Promise you will never go down there—it would be much worse than dying." Jacob doesn't want to go down there, much less the job as protector, but she forces the wine ritual upon him. "You don't really have a choice—take the cup and drink. (Tree of knowledge?) Now you and I are the same." Temporarily, it seems, there can be more than one protector (unlike the Highlander.)

Meanwhile Brother wakes up in the middle of a burning village, bodies strewn about, his magnetic well filled in with dirt. Is Mother also a smoke monster or did she summon it? I doubt she could run around killing and pillaging all by herself. Or maybe she could . . . Brother grabs his knife, charges up to the cave and dispatches a grateful Mother, much like Ben will do to Jacob, who knows exactly how many years later. Jacob walks in on the death scene, freaks out, and drags, hurls, his twin into the stream (Styx?), the chaos that is the golden grotto. He was listening closely to the "much worse than dying" part of her warning speech, apparently. And it's pretty terrible. His brother is killed by the smoke monster (Cerberus?) and hurled out into a tree. How much of his brother's soul or essence is taken up by the smoke monster? Smokey does seem to absorb some of the personality of the bodies it tends to take over. But the answer to its existence seems to be utter chaos, with a possible malevolent intent, if so directed. By the way, the Egyptian god Set, Osiris's brother, is the god of chaos, just sayin'.




Once again going back to magnetic Desmond, maybe when he flipped on that light down in the Hatch he and Locke were symbolically tuning into the greater force of the Island. There might be a quite different result if Desmond were to take a trip down the golden grotto's Stygian river, which may be exactly why Widmore brought him back to the Island. Except Widmore wants to harness the power, something Mother wouldn't have approved of, and the power of Desmond may nullify it . . . I'm going round in circles. I still think Desmond's greatest power is L-O-V-E.

Jacob lovingly inters his Mother and Brother, and for the few viewers who haven't been paying attention, a Season One snippet confirms that Adam and Eve are not Rose and Bernard. Sorry, theorists. For all of the fan boys and girls out there that have been wanting answers, this episode was chock-full, but I suspect that they might still be disappointed that the answers aren't . . . something else. That's the problem with over-analyzing every phrase and scene and entertaining great expectations. You're bound to be disappointed. LOST is great storytelling. It may not always take you where you want to go, but it takes you along for quite a ride. There's not much left, just a few hours to view, but there will be plenty left to ponder and argue about, I'm sure. Like Jacob's tapestry, there are bound to be some threads left dangling.

should i stay or should i go?

This is the first episode of LOST this season where we see everyone, all of Jacob's candidates, on the Island and Sideways since the pilot, LA X.





Jack's ping-ponging—it kinda sucks when you're a follower, doesn't it Jack? He's listening to Smokey, talking to Hurley, Kate and Claire, but ultimately decides to go with Sawyer's plan to join Widmore & Co. by boat.

"Nice job, Doc."

And then there's Claire.

"Claire's nuts" I LOVE YOU SAWYER!!! "You, me, Jack, Hurley, Sun, and that pilot who looks like he stepped off the set of a Burt Reynolds movie."

At first I thought this might be a set-up for when they were in the canoe and were shot at in an earlier season, but it's the Elizabeth, Libby's boat, which she gave to Desmond to sail around the world. Desmond is still helping . . .

Kate gets Claire on the boat with the power of love, telling her what she needs to hear, that she, Kate, never should have raised Aaron—it should have been Claire. Sawyer and Kate are sticking together, it seems, on the Island and Sideways.

Claire: "He finds out we're gone, he's gonna be mad."

I hate to admit that I'm loving Jack these days, but I really am. I don't think I've liked him this much since 815 went down. He is open, willing to listen to others, but more importantly, willing to listen to himself. Sawyer tells him to take a (flying) leap of faith (in the ocean.) And he does, but not before apologizing to Sawyer for Juliet's death. Jack hasn't reached Desmond's level of calm, purpose and acceptance, but he's on his way.  Hurley's going to be pissed at Sawyer making Jack take a dive, but sums up the Widmore crew quite nicely, "People trying to kill us again."

Jack: "Doesn't feel right. The Island isn't done with us yet." 

Jack and Sawyer are always at loggerheads. Jack wants to stay, Sawyer wants to leave—sound like any(two)body(s) we know who favor monochromatic wardrobes? At the moment Jack and Sawyer are both painted in shades of gray.





As far as Smokey is concerned, Jack is The Last Recruit of the episode title. Is he also the only recruit in Smokey's eyes?

Claire to Jack: "You joined him the minute you let him talk to you."

Not sure I buy that, but I can see why she does. Smokey "admits" to Jack that he was impersonating his dead father, White Rabbit Cristian. Smokey's such a lying liar from liarville it's hard to listen to anything he says. Actions, like temple massacres for instance, still speak louder than words.





And super hero strength carrying Jack to safety aside, Smokey seems to be losing his touch. He's  unable to communicate with the silent, scribbling Sun. He also seems unable to tell what really happened between Desmond and Zombie Sayid.

Smokey can't read a zombie's mind . . .

"So what did he offer ya?" 

Desmond hit Sayid where it counts, even for a zombie. He asked him if he can tell his true love what he did (blow away Desmond, or didn't he?) to bring her back. Is Sayid still savable? is Claire? They both seemed to take some positive leaps of faith tonight, leaps away from Smokey's tendrils. Sideways, Miles has a recording of Jabroni Sayid on the security cam, a killer no matter what world he is in. Saying a quick farewell to Nadia before he tried to escape the police, Sayid falls (trips) literally for one of the oldest tricks in the book—a string (hose) pulled across a space. Sawyer: "You're under arrest."

Sideways Locke is with Ben, on the way to the hospital and Dr. Jack Shephard. Where coincidentally, Sun and Jin are as well. Sun is terrified (in subtitles) at the sight of Locke, "It's him!" But the couple gets good news Sideways (Sun and the baby are O.K.) and on the Island they get their long overdue reunion, although Jin's promise to never leave Sun again sounded ominous to me, even before Widmore's goons appeared.

"My name is John"

I have been wondering lately when exactly Smokey took over Locke. He told Jack that it happened when Jack brought Locke's dead body to the Island. He also said some very unkind, even if they were somewhat true, things about our favorite fan of all things Island, John Locke. But was Locke just a Smokey chump? Was he so easily duped and led? Or did he actually see Jacob that night in the cabin? Was he the ultimate candidate for a time? is he The Candidate that will be featured in the next episode?

It's tempting to surmise that when Locke was able to get up and walk after the plane crash it was because of Smokey, not Jacob, or the healing powers of the Island. But that idea doesn't jibe with his travels off Island courtesy of the donkey wheel. I guess I think that Locke was always Locke, but was being influenced by Smokey, much like Ben was. The bigger question is: Is Smokey now being influenced by Locke? With all of the candidates having flashes of their parallel lives, maybe Locke can flash into Smokey. Maybe that's what Desmond is enabling. Smokey hasn't gone all smokey in quite a while. Maybe he can't anymore. Maybe that's why he had to pick up Jack and carry him, chase Sun on foot, push Desmond down a well, rather than go on a smokey rampage . . .





Sideways, Jacob stand-in Desmond is with Claire; he's guiding her towards floor 15 where lawyer Ilana (!) has arranged a meeting with half-brother Jack and half-sister Claire. And of course Jack gets interrupted, mid emotional family reunion, getting the call to operate on Locke. Which brings us back to . . . the beginning? The end? Almost? We get a week off, so that's plenty more time to debate and come up with some more crackpot theories . . .

i figured it out . . . well, not exactly . . .

LOST is such a wacky show that it gets into your brain and you get "flashes" that make you think may have solved it all. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, this week, alchemy suddenly seemed key to me. Jacob said that the Island is a "cork," after all . . .

Could Jacob and Smokey be two parts of the same entity? Is that who those two boys are running around the Island? Lostpedia confirms "they" are played by one actor, but one is blonde, one brunet . . .

In alchemy, The Androgyne is a symbol of alchemical balance, Male & Female; Black & White. Remind you of a certain set of scales, anyone?





Additional random thoughts:

Island:
Michael told Hurley that he was one of the "whisperers," and was bound to the Island because of what he had done (murder.) The whisperers may truly be the Others, for real this time. There are so many of the Losties who have done bad things—does this mean that we will soon be seeing once again Ana Lucia, Rousseau, and dare I hope, Mr. Eko? Sawyer and Kate, etc. better not bite it on the Island, or a job opening as whisperer looms large in their future . . .

Desmond and Smokey at the well:
Desmond: "You read my mind." That is Smokey's forte, and I think he knew as soon as Desmond said he was John Locke that Desmond was lying and on Team Widmore. But Desmond had Smokey sussed, too. And Smokey wasn't reading Desmond as easily later: "Why aren't you afraid?" Even though Desmond was wearing a red shirt in that scene, I am confident he will make it through until the last episode. He might still be the ultimate sacrifice, however. Misleading promo editing aside, I actually fear that Zombie Sayid may bite the big one Tuesday. We'll see.

Sideways:
Desmond knows he has a son named Charlie. I don't think there are "two" Desmonds, just like there aren't "two" Eloises. Desmond knows what's what, and can trip through time, Sideways and Island-ways.

"Whoosh" transitions:
In every episode this season we have heard the sound of a plane when making a transition from the Island to the Sideways world. That is, every episode except the Locke-centered one. In that episode the scene transitions were the sounds of the smoke monster. I have been convinced for a while that Sideways is Smokey's dream come true, and it is what will happen if he escapes the Island, if "evil is on the loose." And more than just that, but I believe that his form of "escape" is to live as John Locke, happily ever after, with Helen. I think the makers of LOST leave us breadcrumbs from time to time and the Smokey "whoosh"sound effects, since they have never been repeated, seem like a huge clue to me . . .

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• Lost Recap: Hugo, Boss (nymag.com)

whole lotta love

Everybody Loves Hugo. What's not to love where Hugo's concerned? The real Pierre Chang (not the puppet) introduces Man of the Year Hurley. His mom is still harping, complaining that he can't get a girlfriend. What's a multi-bajillionaire supposed to do? She sets him up on a date where he is stood up (is the luckiest man on earth's luck about to run out?)

Hell no, here comes . . . Libby. It's love at first sight, even with her weirder than usual déjà vu story. The fact that she is physically pulled away from his table and loaded into a van destined for a mental hospital depresses our usually happy-go-very-lucky Hurley and drives him straight towards the waiting arms of a bucket of chicken, where he meets . . . Desmond, who chats him up and talks about the power of love while waiting for his order in Mr. Clucks. He shakes Hurley's hand, a la Jacob. Is the touch of Jacob love? Desmond now seems to know exactly what's going on—Sideways and on the Island. Take that, Eloise (and Smokey)! But the handshake is just that—a handshake, although it does send Hurley to the mental hospital, checkbook in hand, to bribe his way in to talk to Libby again.

Libby and Hurley have crazy sweet chemistry.  They finally get to have their picnic ("Like a date we never had"). This time, this life, Hurley remembered the blanket (and six different kinds of cheeses.) So far Hurley is the only one Sideways who appears to be blocked from glimpses of his alternate Island life. He doesn't get a Through the Looking-glass reflective moment. It doesn't seem as if he can speak to the dead Sideways, either. That is . . . until their mind-altering, flashing-before-their-eyes kiss. Desmond looks on—guardian angel, spirit guide, constant?




On the Island, Team Good Guys is still all about blowing up the plane. The moment Ilana said she was going to the Black Rock I knew she was going to go the way of Arzt, but still, it was a shock when it happened. Ben: "The Island was 'done' with Ilana." I always felt she was a red shirt, but still, RIP Ilana. We might still see her again. It's LOST, you know.

Michael appears to Hurley, not too differently from the way Smokey travels, but still . . . different. Hurley figures out that Michael is one of the "whisperers." They can't move on because of bad things that they have done. Can a cork be purgatory? I still think it's all a bit more than that . . . Michael is no longer looking for "WALLTT!!!" He wants to help his friends not die, and insists that blowing up the plane will do just that. Does that mean that Lapidus will be saved from red shirt status by virtue of his piloting ability? Hope so. Hurley believes Michael and blows up the Black Rock to protect everyone. "Dead people are more reliable than live people."




Poor Richard. He just got his mojo back and now this. The Losties split up again. Jack believes in Hurley. Jack what are you doing to me? I'm starting to love ya, dude, and it's freakin' me out. Richard, Ben and Miles set off to blow up the plane. I watched them go and was thinking, "dead, dead, dead," but upon reflection I hope that I'm wrong. Maybe they will become the left flank that comes in at the end of the battle when all looks lost and help our castaways when they need it most. That's my theory  at the moment. Hurley, Jack, Lapidus, and a still notepad-scrawling Sun are off to talk to "Locke."

At Camp Smokey Sawyer and Kate are getting sick of waiting . . . for what? Smokey says the candidates are on their way. Kate is sure that will never happen. Zombie Sayid shows up, and like a cat, wants to show Smokey the mouse he has caught for him—Desmond—tied up to a tree. Smokey pats his zombie pet on the head and sends him away, untying Desmond, who says "he has nowhere to run to." Desmond on Island seems clear with what's happening, has happened and is going to happen. Is he beyond time itself? Smokey takes Desmond to a well, one of the pockets of magnetic Island energy, apparently. On the way he and Desmond see another young boy. This time Smokey is less freaked out than he was by the blond boy he saw with Sawyer. I suspect that this kid is Smokey, as a boy. Maybe when you are so close to the power source time gets all wonky? Smokey probes and banters and then shoves Desmond into the well, a true GASP moment. But it looks like this isn't the end of my beloved Des yet. I'm still not sure he won't have to make the ultimate sacrifice before this all plays out, however.




Sideways, Desmond has some moves of his own. He waits outside the school where the substitute John Locke is teaching. Desmond believes (as I have wondered) that Smokey has substituted himself for John Locke to live out a Sideways existence off-Island. Desmond hits the gas and plows down Sideways Locke. Was Desmond trying to kill him and destroy Smokey, or is this his way to give Sideways Locke his moment of clarity? Will he now see the Island world? Not quite as nice a way to wake up from the dream as Hurley had . . .

On the Island, everybody follows Hugo, even when he has no idea where he's headed. I believe in you, dude. The good guys arrive at Locke's camp. Sun is visibly upset to see that all the Losties seem to be there, except for of course, Jin. But the big reveal moment is Jack finally setting eyes on Smokey. Is he gobsmacked to see  the body of John Locke apparently alive again? Or does he look at him and see the smoke monster? We shall see . . .

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