Events on the Island in The End

The End was a complicated episode. It lasted two and a half hours and covered events both on the Island and in the "waiting room" of the dead. My last post covered the latter, but haven't discussed the former.

Thanks to Christian Shephard, we know that what happened on the Island actually happened - it was all real, no purgatory or waiting room or anything like that.

Ben

In What They Died For, it appeared that Ben had turned to the dark side, willing to kill anyone to regain control of the Island. Or he just wanted to kill Widmore. Whichever, I left the episode a little sick to my stomach when thinking of Ben. Would he ever find redemption?

And he did, apparently, as we saw that he made it to the sideways world (unlike Michael), and could have entered the church if he wished. So, what redeemed him? Shoving Hurley out of the way of a falling tree? Chosing to remain on the self-destructing Island? Acting as a witness to the passing of the power ritual from Jack to Hurley? Agreeing to become Hurley's number two (a role we learned he was great at)? Or something else entirely?

Whatever it was, I'm happy that Ben did reach the sideways world, and I'm glad that he remained on the Island. I really like the thought of him remaining on the Island, working with Hugo, and living the life he had always desired.

Claire

In this episode, Claire was hopeless. She had been abandoned by the survivors again and abandoned by her "friend", notLocke. She apparently figured out that notLocke did not have her best interests at heart. And she realized what was evident to all who observed her - she's bat shit crazy. How could she raise the son who won't even recognize her?

But Kate was able to convince Claire to leave the Island with her. As we saw the Ajira plane leave, we knew that Claire finally left the Island after three long, painful years. I really enjoyed the thought of Claire and Kate maintaining their friendship and raising Aaron together.

Desmond

We learned that Desmond knew less about his purpose on the Island than he thought. He believed that all he had to do was unplug the light, and everyone would appear in the sideways world, much happier. We can only assume that his exposure to electromagnetism showed him the sideways world, which he apparently misinterpreted as many of us did - another reality in which the plane never crashed. He was devastated to find out he was wrong, though we know that it was his actions that let notLocke be vulnerable to Kate's bullets.

We don't know what happened to Desmond after Hurley and Ben brought him back out of the light. From Hugo's conversation with Ben, we can only assume that Desmond did leave the Island and reunited with his wife and child. That also makes me happy.

Frank

I assumed that Frank was a dead man, but others had more faith than I, and surely enough, Frank survived. And it's a good thing, too, since he's a pilot and there was a plane to fly off the Island. We can only assume that Frank successfully flew the plane to safety, allowing its passengers to return to some semblance of a normal life.

Hurley

If this season has been about anything, it's been about Hurley gaining confidence in himself, all while remaining true to the Hugo we know and love. He takes care of people, and always tries to do what he thinks is right. Of all the survivors, he is the least selfish. Once notLocke was disposed of, he was the most logical candidate for guardian of the Island. And from what Ben says in the sideways world, Hugo did a great job. How I wish we could have had more than that brief glimpse of Hurley's guardianship.

I have to wonder if the Island extended Hugo's life just as it did Jacob's and Richard's. What rules did Hugo change? Did he allow other people to come to the Island? Did he ever travel off Island, as Ben and Widmore did when they led the Others? What happened to the Others, anyway? Did Hugo take care of them or send them off the Island? Who succeeded him once his guardianship was over? We'll never know the answers to those questions, but they are certainly enjoyable to ponder.

Jack

So, Jack finally became the hero we all predicted that he could be. And unlike Jacob, he freely chose to take on the role of guardian. And, as guardian, Jack accomplished a few things. First, he delayed notLocke long enough for Kate to find and shoot notLocke. Second, he transferred the guardianship of the Island to the imminently qualified Hurley. Lastly, he plugged the hole in the cave, allowing the light to return to the Island.

Did Jack know that he would sacrifice his life when he took over from Jacob? If he did, I suspect he would have willingly taken the role on anyway, knowing his martyr complex. But I don't want my last sentence to imply that Jack's sacrifice was less than it was. Indeed, he was fully committed to his actions in a way we haven't seen since the first season. Of all the characters, Jack met the promise that we first observed. And just as he opened the show, literally, he closed the show, with Vincent as silent witness. But before he died, he had proof that his sacrifice was not in vain - the Ajira plane with the remaining survivors flew over him. Good bye Jack. It was great knowing you.

Kate

As readers of this blog know, I've had issues with Kate almost since the beginning. But in this episode, her single-mindedness didn't bother me this time. The subject of her single-mindedness, of course, was Claire. Oh, and making notLocke pay for the deaths of her friends. And she was successful on both fronts. She convinced Claire to leave the Island, but most importantly, she kept trying to shoot notLocke, mortally wounding him the second time around. The look on notLocke's face was priceless.

Kate was the only one of the Oceanic Six to leave the Island a second time. Jack, Sun, and Sayid were dead, Hurley became the guardian of the Island, and Aaron never returned. I hope she returned to the wonderful life she built for herself while raising Aaron. However, she may have violated the conditions of her probation, which required her to remain in state. It would be awful if she had to return to prison!

Miles

Miles had two primary roles in this episode. His attempts to communicate with Ben resulted in Sawyer and Kate connecting with the Ajira flight. He also helped glue the plane together.

I'm so happy that Miles survived and made it off the Island. I don't know why he didn't go to the church in the sideways world, but I hope that, like Daniel, he'll be able to go at some point in the future. I really liked that his time in the sideways world was connected to Sawyer. Did the two remain friends after leaving the Island?

notLocke

College courses will be designed around the nature of notLocke. Who was he and what happened when he was thrown into the light? What name was he given at birth? Why was he evil?

But I can't go into that today. Instead, I will only comment that I was happy he died when he did. I hate the evil characters who never die bit. In this case, Desmond had pulled the plug on the light of the Island, so, as the Island was vulnerable, so were Jack, the guardian of the Island, and notLocke, the prisoner. They fought, drawing blood, and it seemed notLocke won when he struck a mortal blow on Jack. But there was Kate, bearing a gun and willing to use it, and that cost notLocke his life. His death did not stop the disintegration of the Island, but Jack took care of that.

the Nadlers

Rose and Bernard rescued Desmond from the well, and for their efforts were threatened with death by notLocke. But they survived, and we know that they remained on the Island, assuming that they weren't injured or killed during the time the Island was self-destructing. I like imagining that Vincent remains with them. I wonder if there was interaction between the Nadlers and Hurley and Ben, or if Hurley decided to leave the Nadlers alone in the world they created. I prefer the former, just because I think Hurley's so cool.

Richard

Richard survived his encounter with notLocke. At first, I thought it was because Desmond hadn't pulled the plug yet, but it turns out that Richard's hair started turning grey before the plug was pulled. How could his hair turn grey if he remained immortal? I'm not sure.

That Richard was on the plane and successfully made it off the Island thrilled me. But it also worries me. What will he do? Will he age in no time flat, turning to ashes before the eyes of the survivors? I hope not, since he realized that he wanted to live.

And why wasn't Richard in the sideways world?

Sawyer

One of the best parts of this episode (one of many for me) was that James "Sawyer" Ford finally left the Island after three very long years. You could argue that Claire changed far more than Sawyer did, since she was made crazy by notLocke. But I'm hoping that's temporary. Otherwise, I will argue that Sawyer changed the most on the Island. When Sawyer landed on the Island, he was a selfish con artist who separated himself from the crowd. Three years later, he was an integral part of the group, taking on leadership roles, finding a mature love, and receiving respect from the other survivors. I guess it is no surprise that in the sideways world he became a cop instead of a con man.

I wish we could see what James' life off the Island was like. I doubt he and Kate became a couple - she made it clear that she loved Jack. But I must believe that they remained in contact, and I hope that James and Miles remained friends as well - after all, their sideways lives were quite intertwined.

Vincent

Vincent has always had an important role on the show, even if rarely credited. He helped wake Jack up after the crash, and he bore silent witness to Jack's death in the end. We always knew that Vincent would not be killed during the run of the show, but I sure do wish he could have been allowed into the sideways world.

Coda

At some point this year, I'm sure I'll post on what Lost has meant to me throughout its run. Like Star Trek and the Buffyverse shows, this is a show that will not leave my mind or my life. But that's for another day.

The End

As some of y'all may know, I gave birth about a week and a half before the series finale of Lost aired. I thought I had a deal with the babies (I had twins) - I asked them to wait until after we moved (April 25), after my baby shower (May 8), and after the series finale of Lost (May 23). I guess I should be happy that I got two out of three of my wishes. Fortunately, Nicole and Brian were willing to provide analyses of the episodes that aired after the twins were born. I haven't had much time to write, but I have seen all the episodes, and I wanted to share what I thought of the end of Lost.

Lost has been about spirituality, fate and destiny, science and reason, redemption, and family. It is these themes and how the characters deal with them that kept me entranced through the run of the series. Jack and John Locke's debate about faith and reason. Sayid's search for redemption. Everyone's issue with one parent or another (or both). I loved the relationships that developed - John Locke and Walt, Kate and Claire, Jin and Bernard, and most recently, James Ford and Miles. These, among other things, were my favorite part of the show. And the finale was all about these themes and especially the characters. That means I thoroughly enjoyed the finale.

That said, I enjoyed the mysteries introduced by the series as well. Why did Claire need to raise Aaron? What was Libby doing at Santa Rosa? Why did pregnant women die? What did the Others want with the children? What was so special about Walt? Why did the Others destroy the DHARMA Initiative? How does Eloise know as much as she does? Where did the Mother (Allison Janney) come from? How could Jacob leave the Island? What were the rules that governed the battle between Ben and Widmore and Jacob and the Man in Black?

There are many more mysteries; I just can't think of them all. And frankly, the fact that none of the listed mysteries were answered has upset a lot of people. I'm okay with the lack of answers. It became clear as the season progressed that many mysteries would go unsolved. Those mysteries that were addressed were actually rather lame. Remember the Temple? Remember the voices? The series as a whole would have been much improved had the above mysteries and more been resolved. The series raised them, then left us hanging. But because the characters and themes are so well explored, I still found myself happy and satisfied.

If you had asked me when I was a girl what my idea of heaven was, it would have included all the people (and pets) I had loved while alive. Apparently, the characters of Lost feel the same way. Somehow, they created a type of Purgatory or Limbo, perhaps, a waiting room, where they awaited their compatriots. Various issues were worked through: Jack and John Locke worked through some father issues, Hurley had good luck instead of bad, and Ben chose to sacrifice his ambition for someone else. Some issues remain unresolved: Kate was a fugitive, Claire planned to have her child adopted, Charlie was an addict, and Sayid was not married to Nadia. And some people are just plain missing, especially Michael and Walt.

How much control did our characters have in creating their sideways life? I suspect little, considering their amnesia, with the exception of Eloise. Eloise was able to raise her son the way she had probably wanted to, letting Daniel become a musician and supporting his musical endeavors. From her conversation with Desmond, it sounds like another party, perhaps Eloise, determined what life each person would have.

We also don't know "when" the sideways world started for our characters. Did their new lives start at birth? Or did they start when Oceanic 815 took off, with all memories being "implanted"? Did each enter the sideways world when he or she died? Or did they all enter when the last living survivor (presumably Hurley and/or Ben) died? Was Michael missing from the sideways world because he became a ghost or voice on the Island? And why would Ana Lucia be allowed in the sideways world but not Michael? Will Ana Lucia, Daniel, Charlotte, and Miles be able to join our characters in heaven or whatever place they went to? Why is Ben waiting - does he feel he needs more redemption? Or does he want to explore a possible relationship with Danielle Rousseau?

In The End, we discovered that Charlie's remembrance of the Island wasn't complete until he touched Claire. Libby also had memories of her time on the Island, but they were so vague that she ended up doubting her own sanity. Unlike Charlie, Desmond had a full remembrance, presumably caused by Widmore's experiment on Des. But even he required a flight manifest to find the other passengers. Hurley was the next to remember, and apparently developed a full memory by the time he helped break out Desmond, Kate, and Sayid (he recognized Ana Lucia).

But not all near death experiences led to total recall (I just had to say that). Although he clearly remembered his past while unconscious, John Locke didn't consciously remember until he moves his feet after his surgery. Likewise, Sun didn't remember until Juliet showed her the ultrasound images of her baby. Sayid and Shannon remember when they touch each other (Boone was somehow already in the club, but we don't know how), as do Sawyer and Juliet. Charlie seems to have his fog cleared when he touches Claire. Claire and Kate remember during Aaron's birth (will he be a baby for his entire time in the "other place"?).

As always, Jack is the last to come to terms with his newly found memories. He experiences flashes when John Locke asks Jack if he remembers, but he denies them. He still resists after Kate's kiss brings on more flashes of memory. It is only when he is at the church, talking with his father, that he believes.

What a joyful reunion we saw, as well! These people with their differences, conflicts, and misunderstandings, were happy to see each other again, and hugs and handshakes were shared all around. The expressions on their face were ecstatic, especially John Locke's (Terry O'Quinn has one of the best smiles). Everything is resolved, everyone knows what was sacrificed. And the sacrifice was worth it.

I wasn't expecting this angle. I had no idea what the sideways timeline was, and it never occurred to me that the characters were actually dead. I loved what the sideways timeline turned out to be.

I've not even touched upon the original timeline, which I also enjoyed. I hope to address it in another, later post.

First Post on The End

You will likely see a number of posts over the next couple weeks from Carol, Brian, and me. There's just no putting this finale into one post. And the three of us have very differing opinions! So, we thought it be interesting to have a running stream of our takes over a period of time. I'm kicking things off...

So many people seem to be confused about what happened on LOST. I don't understand why. I don't think there was any confusion about what happened. The Island timeline was real. They all lived and died as they did - "whatever happened, happened." Much, much later, possibly at the end of time, when they all had died, they reconnected in an afterlife - the Sideways timeline. We saw how most of them died - the people who died on the island (e.g. Jack, Locke, Sayid, Charlie, Libby, Kwons, etc). They had to wait for the death of the rest to reconnect in the Sideways timeline. There are others that we don't know how they eventually die (e.g. Kate, Sawyer, Claire, Miles, Lupidus, Alpert, Hurley, and Ben), but they presumable live out their lives and die at some later time. So profoundly sad... everyone who lived to make it off the island (so few!) had to live out their lives without their loved ones. And Ji Yeon without her parents. I guess Rose, Bernard, and Ben were the only winners in life. Rose and Bernard got to live our their lives together on the island. Ben got to have his island (as #2, but still).

The Island was NOT purgatory... they were NOT dead the whole time. The producer debunked that theory years ago. And there's nothing in the final episode that even suggests they were dead the whole time. They were just dead in the Sideways timeline, which was their afterlife.

Christian and Jack tell us this is what happened. Jack realized "I died too" after he finally sees all of his Island memories --- which would include his death in the bamboo forest. Then, Christian tells him "everything that has ever happened to you is real." He goes on to explain that "everyone dies sometime, kiddo. Some of them before you [e.g. Locke and Sayid], some long after you [e.g. Hugo, Kate, and Sawyer]." He then explains that the Sideways timeline is a timeless place ("there is no now here") that our characters made together so that they could find one another after their deaths. Christian confirms that they WERE alive on the Island when he says "the most important part of your *life* was the time that you spent with these people."

One thing that intially really confused me in finding out that the Sideways timeline was a much-later afterlife: hadn't Juliet told us that the nuke worked (as interpreted by Miles in hearing her dying thoughts)? Her dying thought was "it worked," which lead me (and many others) to believe that sideways world was a parallel universe in which our heros had succeeded in resetting future events. But, no... they played a joke on us! When she said "it worked," she wasn't talking about the nuke. She was just talking about unplugging the stupid candy machine. I can't believe I was so fully duped by an off-handed remark about a vending machine!

Hugo "ruled" on the island for a long time, I'm guessing. Our clue to that is Ben and Hugo's brief conversation outside the church: H: "You were a good number 2." B: "You were a great number 1, Hugo." You sensed a relationship there, and that they worked together on the Island a long time. Maybe thousands of years, like Jacob. What I am left most confused about is the image of the sunk island that we were shown at the beginning of this season. Does the sunk island mean someone finally defeated the Protector of the Island (Hugo), put out the light, and destroyed the island? I'm thinking yes. Although it could be hundreds, thousands, or millions of years after our story. Perhaps it was when this finally happened, and the last Protector, Hugo, was defeated and killed, and the Island light put out, that the world ended and they joined each other in the Sideways timeline.

I'm still left with a lot of questions about outstanding mysteries throughout the course of the show. But, overall, I'm satisfied with the ending. But feeling very, very sad that what happened happened and that the Sideways timeline was not a way to redeem and bring back to life our beloved characters. I am so sad that they were only able to reconvene in death.

I Was Right About Something!

Juliet was Jack's ex-wife in the sideways, soul-searching world. Cool.

What They Died For

Happy Finale Week, friends! Of course this episode was going to be a set-up for the finale. How could it be anything else? They definitely have a lot of wrapping up to do in 2.5 hours on Sunday, though. For this penultimate episode, your faithful substitute-bloggers have decided to have a little point-counterpoint discussion on some of the mysteries of this episode and, of course, the big set-ups (in both sideways world and island world) for the finale. Enjoy, and comment away!

SIDEWAYS LAND (2004)

Jack

Nicole: I didn’t see as much of Jack putting together the pieces of the crazy “coincidences” of all of the 815ers as I would have liked. One point I did like because it supports a season-long theory of mine was Jack looking in the mirror and seeing an inexplicable neck wound. I think there have been many clues to the sideways characters being connected to Island characters by having cross-over things happen, such as Juliet “going out Dutch for coffee” as she was dying on the island, Jack’s mystery appendix scar, and Sun’s loss of English. Speaking of Juliet: I have a prediction that she is Sideways-Jack’s baby mama. I guess we will find out at the concert.

Brian: I’d love to see Juliet emerge as Jack’s ex. The problem is that Jack’s son looks to me like the product of a marriage between Jack and – brace yourselves – Kate.

Nicole: I have to disagree with that one. Otherwise, when Jack asked David if his mom would be there, his answer would have been “no, she’s incarcerated at the moment.” The pretty house in the suburbs that David lives in does not seem compatible with Kate’s fugitive lifestyle.

Locke

Nicole: I found it interesting that sideways-Locke immediately went to faith/fate when he heard from Ben what Desmond said about trying to help Locke let go. I probably would have gone with the more logical conspiracy theory --- that a crazed surgeon wanted so desperately to do his experimental surgery conspired with Desmond to bring him his surgical candidate. I would have thought that Jack might have been more suspicious of fate’s hand here, with all of the strange 815 connections he had recently discovered.

Brian: I’m not inclined to defend Jack as I’m usually put off by his smugness and martyr complex, but I’ll point out that he’s got so much going on right now that he may not be very attuned to the full extent of what’s happening with 815. His father died, the body disappeared, he met a sister he never knew he had, and he’s patching up a strained relationship with his kid. I’ll give Jack a break on this one.

Desmond

Brian: Claire and Sayid took a lot of heat for the crazy looks in their eyes when they were running around the Temple of Doom. I’m not picking up a similar reaction to Desmond. Is everyone just fully convinced that his motives are pure? Taking a cue from Creepy Charlie, he’s taking some extreme measures (running down Locke, giving Ben a beatdown, probably lying to Jack about Christian Shephard’s body) to jog the island memories with his seatmates.

Nicole: It seems to me that Desmond becomes more enlightened and knowing every episode. I suspect he remembers the Island timeline in full now. Oh, and why is Desmond pretending they found Christian's body? Where is that going to go?

Ben

Nicole: Ben getting beat up made him look much more like the Ben we know and… uh… love? I wonder if Desmond beat up Ben to make him “see” the other timeline, or is was he transferring his anger at Island-Ben onto Sideways-Ben? Something I did NOT see coming was Sideways-Ben and Sideways-Rousseau as a potential romance. I guess he is destined to be Alex’s father.

Brian: Sideways Rousseau was looking sooo good, especially in contrast to Island Rousseau. Granted the makeup and wardrobe options for her on the island were limited, but, still. Wow. Yeah, romance was definitely in the air. Rousseau essentially gave Ben a standing invitation for dinner. When Ben’s eyes started to well up with tears as Rousseau explained how he was the closest thing Alex had to a father, I bet he was thinking about his own father. And also how sacrificing his own ambitions for Alex’s college aspirations was the right thing to do and paying off in ways he hadn’t expected.

The Set-Up

Nicole: We know Desmond is trying to get everyone in the same place. What's he going to do to make them all “see” once they're there? Set off a bomb so they have a near-death experience like Desmond and Charlie? Are all of our characters going to wind up at the benefit concert? We can see how Hurley, Sayid, Kate, Jack (and probably Claire with him), Charlotte, and Miles are going to get there. Des has probably already lined Charlie up to be there. My guess is Faraday will be there is some musical capacity. What about the rest? Locke, Ben, Sawyer, Ana Lucia, Rose, Bernard, Juliet… I must be missing others! I predict Juliet being there as David’s mother, and I think a simple call from Miles reporting that the fugitives are there will probably get Sawyer there.

Brian: I like your theory about the benefit concert. Don’t forget about the Kwons (not sure how they’re going to get there) and the Widmores. My guess is that we’ve seen the last of Ana Lucia. I just hope Driveshaft’s set is brief. I’m still sick of You All Everybody.

ON THE ISLAND (2007)

Ben

Brian: About all that we need to know about Ben’s island state of mind is when he Smoke Monster whether they get to kill more people.

Nicole: Wow, he is the ultimate flip-flopper. That guy always leaves us guessing whether he's a good guy or a bad guy (if we even knew which side was good or bad). From the second we met him. I guess it's a sign of a great character that I'm mad that someone didn't off him three seasons ago. OK, I don’t really wish that; the show would not be nearly as good without him.

The Rules

Nicole: Is notLocke allowed to kill Richard under the rules? What about Ben and Widmore? Aren’t they not allowed to kill each other? What changed? Or did Ben fail in his attempt to kill Widmore?

Brian: I’m completely confused about Widmore’s role on the island. And I have a feeling that hearing what Widmore whispered into MIB’s ear isn’t going to clear things up much.

The Candidates

Brian: Sawyer passed on a great opportunity to be Top Dog. He made a sound decision by shelving his competitiveness with Jack in favor of the best interests of, well, the fate of the world.

Nicole: The saddest moment of the show was when Sawyer realized the Kwons death was his doing.

Brian: What was nice is that it also prompted one of the episode’s best developments – Jack and Sawyer shared a great moment when Jack tried to assure him that their death wasn’t his fault. They seemed to extinguish an alpha male rivalry in a way that Jacob and MIB never could.

Nicole: Is the show moving away from fate and destiny? The candidates were given a choice to become protector of the place that seems to be all about fate. But, it's starting to seem a lot more and more about choices - Jacob chose them to come to the island rather than them being fated to it.

The Protector

Nicole: I’m sure I’m not the only one that was sure that Jack was going to be “The One.” Sayid told him that it had to be him. But what’s going to happen for Jack now? There was definitely some crazy facial expressions after he drank Jacob’s anointed water. Is Jack now enlightened/all-knowing?

Brian: I imagined Jack thinking, Umm, this tastes like nasty river water but I’m going to make some goofy facial expressions and pretend that it’s giving me SUPER POWERS!

The Set-Up

Nicole: A war with Smokey is brewing. Our heroes have to figure out how to kill him. I can’t wait! But I’m still at a loss with Desmond’s special role on the Island. His is the last resort, a fail-safe. I don't really get it.

Brian: What happened to the well? The last time we saw Des, he was sitting at the bottom of it. When Smokey returned to it, water ran through it. But like many other questions we’ve had about the meaning of the smallest details, it could just be a continuity error. Maybe Desmond is really going to shine in L.A. Maybe that’s how he can most affect what happens on the Island. He and Jack somehow attack Evil from two sides, which seems to give them a fair shot.

Nicole: Presumable this war is all about THE LIGHT. notLocke/Smokey wants to get back to THE LIGHT. What will happen to Smokey if he gets to the cave? It now seems that only the protector can find the cave. If the protector and all his replacements are dead, does the cave become visible and accessible to all? I still am at a loss as to why Smokey thinks THE LIGHT is his ticket off the island.

Fearless Prediction I'll Probably Live to Regret

I'm betting (hoping?) that when we meet David's mom, Jack's ex-wife in the sideways timeline, it's gonna be Juliet.

Who's with me on this one?

And my apologies to Nicole and Brian, who are now driving this blog. I just had to post this random thought.

Mommy Issues

Hello, everyone. This is Brian, checking into the lineup as the other pinch hitter for Carol, your loyal Lost blogger. I've been a reader and commenter since Carol began the blog. Like many of you, Carol has always pushed me to a deeper and fuller understanding of Lost. I hope it won't be long before she's able to weigh in with her thoughts on the final season. Until then, congratulations to Carol and her family on the new additions. And thanks to my co-blogger, Nicole, for her great work last week with this post.

Now, let's get to it:

Many Lost bloggers noted how Across the Sea was a polarizing episode. You can find three of my favorites here and here. Did it work for you? I think that's going to largely depend on whether you're a fan of deep background Lost mythology or whether you'd prefer to spend the final 4.5 hours of the show with your favorite characters. I'm guessing most viewers (myself included) fall into the latter category. If so, we just lost a critical hour.

I think this would have been a great, mind-blowing episode for earlier in the season or even last season. The same goes for the Richard Alpert episode, which I thought was better acted and better written. Still, LindCuse prepared us for this by showcasing Jacob and MIB in the season five finale. In the opening scene of last season's finale, Man in Black stared into the ocean and said, "They come, they fight, they destroy, they corrupt. It always ends the same."

Obviously MIB wasn't completely dismissive of C.J. Cregg if he was still willing to quote her verbatim.

I thought Allison Janney did some nice work as Jacob and MIB's homicidal, adoptive mother. When she told Boy in Black that she planted the game, I didn't believe her for a second. If she hadn't lied, she would have been forced into acknowledging that life existed beyond their corner of the island. She would have been forced to admit that there was a motorcycle gang slaughtering boars in the jungle.

The killing of Claudia was about as abrupt as Ben's killing of Locke. Is it just a coincidence that this episode aired two days after Mother's Day? Speaking of Ben, can we get some more Ben before this thing ends on Sunday? Ben's about as sweet as Rose and Bernard at this point.

What is certain about this episode is that the glowing cave will be always be a touchstone for the show. I found myself wondering whether Lost jumped the shark. It had something of a Lucky Charms feel to it. I was fully prepared for a leprechaun to jump out. Instead, Jacob eventually gave us Smokey. With all of the bodies on Smokey's rap sheet, I think that Jacob shares some responsibility. That said, Jacob seemed to realize his mistake when he said goodbye to MIB as he buried him; he didn't say goodbye to C.J. Cregg.

Maybe this is more obvious than I think it is, but my modest prediction is that Faraday's somehow mixed up in what MIB kept referring to as the very smart men with ideas of how to harness the island's energy.

One thing I'd like to challenge from Nicole's post is the theory that MIB and Janney's character were named Adam and Eve. Just because Locke said so doesn't make it so. I think this is going to be a loose end that remains loose. "Every answer leads to more questions."

Please add your two cents to the comments. Did you like the glowing cave? What is it? A very retro kind of spa treatment? Does the warm, glowing light = life = the fate of humankind? We were getting some heavy religious imagery ("Take this cup. Drink." I thought I was in church for a second). Or is it something else entirely?

Where would you like to go in the final 3.5 hours?