"I'm on this island because my plane crashed. Because my raft blew up. Because the helicopter I was on was riding one too heavy." - Sawyer
For centuries philosophers and theologians have struggled with the concept of a universe in which both God and free will exists. If one is to believe that God is all knowing, omnipotent, the Alpha and the Omega then how could any of our choices be our own? Do we have any control of our destinies if God has already written how everything will play out?
Fundamentally, this has been the overriding theme of LOST since the beginning. Do our characters have free will or has everything been pre-determined? Science versus Faith. Free Will versus Destiny.
What's interesting is outside the discussion of what's happening ON the show, many of us have been having a similar conversation about the writing of the show itself. It's the one question that probably gets asked more than any other in relation to this show, 'Are they making it up as they go along?' Have the writers always had a plan, a destiny for these characters, or did it organically grow as the show progressed. The best answer is probably a mix of the two and that speaks to where the narrative itself is ultimately leading to in a way.
It is my core belief that our characters do have a destiny, but they get to CHOOSE what that destiny is.
"Life is a chessboard of nights and days. Where God, using men as his pawns, plays. Hither and thither moves, and checkmates, and slays. And one by one, he places them back in the box. For each pawn has its fate. As does each player. As does God."
The above quote comes from a commercial leading up to the final season (it's awesome and can be seen here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuISMUoJNw8 )
For years and years we heard talk of this mysterious leader of the Island. A man by the name of Jacob. People would throw his name around and around and it wielded great power. But we never saw the man. We didn't know if he even existed.
Then finally in the Season 5 Finale, 'The Incident' Jacob was finally revealed. Through his discussion with The Man In Black we gathered that he's been bringing people to the Island for a very long time. The Man In Black, having grown frustrated with Jacob's actions, makes a vow to find a loophole so that he could kill him.
Throughout the episode, we are shown flashbacks of Jacob interacting with specific passengers of Oceanic 815 both before and after the initial crash; all at key moments in their lives:
1) He gets Kate out of a jam when she is caught stealing (possibly her first criminal activity).
2) He gives Sawyer a pen to finish his 'Dear Mr. Sawyer' revenge letter.
3) He gives Jack a candy bar after Jack's 'Count To Five' surgery scare (which we found out also featured his Father... of course).
4) He congratulates Sun and Jin at their wedding and tells them never to take their love for granted.
5) He revives John after he is pushed out of the window by his father.
6) He asks Sayid for directions, right before Nadia is hit by a car.
7) He tells Hurley how to get back to the island.
We found out in this episode that all of these characters are 'Candidates' (well except for Kate, but we'll get to that in a bit). Candidates for what? Well, to take over the role of protector of the island of course. And who was the first on the list of these Candidates? Poor, poor John Locke who gets his name crossed off the Cave Wall by the Monster.
"What do you want?" "What I've always wanted. For you to come with me."
I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's rewind to the start of the episode. The Monster makes his way across the island (Smokey-Cam rocks by the way) and stops when he reaches Sawyer's home in DHARMAville. He's blasting Iggy and The Stooges and a very specific, very relevant song in relation to his character. After lingering for a moment (and it was awesome to see it's reflection in the window) it retreats into the jungle. It takes the form of John Locke again, picks up a big fucking knife, and cuts Richard down from a bag he is trapped inside.
Their conversation is obvious set-up for a Richard flashback later this season, but a lot of key things are actually revealed. For one, Richard and The Monster/Man In Black have a history. It seems that at some point in the past, probably not too long after Richard came to the island, he tried to recruit him (same was he does in this episode). He asks Richard to come with him, off the island it's assumed.
But Richard is too damn confused to even answer that. And here's where it gets really interesting. It turns out Richard doesn't know what the fuck is going on.
This is one thing I love about the show. Every time we are introduced to a new character in a leadership position, or with a history on the island, we think, 'Finally! A character who knows what's going on and can give us some real answer.'
We thought that with Ben, but it turns out he's the second biggest pawn on the island next to John Locke. We thought that with Rousseau, but it turns out she was just living in the woods for 16 years. Widemore and Eloise may know a bit more, but they certainly don't have all the answers.
And now we come to Richard. The ageless man who has been on the island longer than anyone else. Certainly he knows everything that's going on, right?
Wrong. He had no idea about Jacob's list of Candidates. Flocke says it best, 'Oh, Richard. You mean, you've been doing everything he told you all this time and he never said why?'
So what does Richard know? Well, he clearly knows the Monster is a bad mother-fucker. And he refuses to give into his tricks. This is probably a smart move. This man, this thing, is the devil.
And I really mean that. Not that he's the literal Devil. But I think The Monster is a kind of Lucifer figure. In literary tradition, Lucifer was God's most beautiful and favorite angel. But his hubris got the better of him.
In Milton's Paradise Lost Satan is not a purely evil being. He grew weary of God and his rule and decided to rebel. And as punishment he was cast down into Hell. I would not be surprised to see The Man In Black's rebellion against Jacob in a flashback this season. And am nearly convinced that part of his punishment was being confined and constricted to the form of the Smoke Monster. He tells Sawyer later in the episode that he was once a man. Did Jacob have something to do with his transformation? Could Richard have aided Jacob in doing so?
The pieces are falling into place, but we can't put them together quite yet.
It's also important to remember this: Lucifer is a tempest. He tells half-truths (never lies) to accomplish his goals. The scary thing is, I believe almost everything Flocke says in this episode (well, except when he says that it's, 'just an island.')
In Book III of Paradise Lost God observes Satan's journey into the Garden of Eden. He foretells (as he knows everything that will happen) that Satan will bring about the fall of man, the loss of innocence. However, and this is important, he states that the Fall will come as a result of man's FREE WILL. Again, we find a balance of pre-destiny and free will. And in the end, I think this balance is what will ultimately vindicate Jacob, despite Flocke's insistence that he is the master manipulator and puller of strings.
At the end of the scene, Richard rejects Flocke's offer stating, "I'm not going anywhere with you." This is not the first time we've heard this line on the show. In fact, it's been used twice. Once by Walt. And once by Hurley. And both times they were talking to their fathers.
Now, I'm not saying that I believe that The Man in Black was Richard's father, but I think it would be great to find out he was a kind of father figure to him when he first came to the island (before discovering what his real plans were). Again, I'm very excited to see how they flesh out their backstory.
Then that blonde haired boy appears and I gotta say, mad props to LOST's make-up department. They really made Walt look like a little white boy. Very impressive.
Seriously though, the kid has blood on his hands (could this be a reflection of guilt that Flocke is feeling for having Jacob killed). Richard turns, but does not see the boy. Did he disappear before he turned or is Richard just incapable of seeing the boy?
"I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-Bomb. I am the world's forgotten boy. "
Illana tells Ben, "He's recruiting," during their scene inside the Statue. We still don't know much about Illana, but she seems to have a fair understanding of what is going on. She knows to take the ask to protect herself from The Monster. She knows that he is trying to recruit people for his cause. She knows that he is now stuck alternating between Smoke Monster form and John Locke and cannot shape-shift into anything else.
She also knew of Jin and probably knows a lot about all our characters. So who exactly is Illana and how does she know so much about the island, possibly even more than Richard.
So, The Monster is recruiting and his first stop? To Sawyer of course. The man is broken, angry and probably in the worse state of mind in his life. He makes for an easy target for manipulation.
The above quote is from the Iggy and The Stooges song, 'Search and Destroy,' and it seems like it could have been written for Sawyer in this very moment. He survived the detonation of a nuclear bomb, but lost his love. Now he's just wallowing in his pity and filth. Loved his reaction to seeing Flocke. 'I thought you were dead.'
See, Sawyer does not give a fuck about anything anymore. He doesn't care that Locke is dead, but also standing in his living room. He doesn't care about time travelling or anything else. It's not that he's not willing to wrap his head around such trippy notions, it's that he just could not care less. It's of no concern to him.
It's actually a perfect pairing from a writer's point of view. Stick a character with all the answers of the show with the one character who has always cared the least about the mythology on the island.
Sawyer quickly susses out that this man is not John Locke. His reason? 'Locke was scared. Even when he was pretending he wasn't. But you? You're not scared.'
Flocke tries to appeal tp him by promising to answer the biggest question on the show: why are these people on the island? Sawyer laughs in his face. He KNOWS why he is on the island. Cause of a plane crash. A raft explosion. A helicopter jump.
But he's wrong. That is HOW he is on the island. That is not why he is there. And Flocke promises that if he follows him, then he will prove it.
"You know the rules. You can't kill him."
So they go off into the jungle and White Walt appears again. Only this time, Flocke is not the only one who can see him. Sawyer can see him as well. Is it possible he can see him because he's a Candidate?
Flocke runs off into the jungle (and really, wouldn't it have been easier to just go all Smokey to catch up to the little sonofabitch?). He trips and falls and the kid approaches him. The kid tells him, 'You know the rules. You can't kill him.'
We've heard about 'rules' many times on this show. When Keamy the mercenary killed Alex, Ben muttered that Widemore, 'Changed the rules.' He couldn't kill Widemore as retibution because that was not allowed. The Others seem to operate on a certain base of rules in what they can and cannot do. The Man in Black needed a loophole to kill Jacob because he could not do it himself.
And now, we have another rule. The Man in Black cannot kill a Candidate.
Is this just one giant game being played between Jacob and The Man In Black? Jacob brings people to the island, hoping they will change themselves for the better, but the Man in Black can recruit them to his side once they are there? Could being 'claimed' (like Claire and Sayid have) tie into this? We do not have enough information to put this fully in context, but it's always fun to speculate.
Most interesting about the end of this scene is Flocke screams, "Don't tell me what I can't do!' which is Locke's trademark. Was this just a wink to fans or is it possible that Locke's spirit is still buried deep down inside?
A frightened Richard comes out of the jungle to get Sawyer the hell away from Flocke. Heck, he's more than frightened, he's god damn petrified. What's really cool is that this is Richard's first interaction with Sawyer in 30 years for him, but it's only been days since Sawyer saw Richard back in 1977.
Sawyer tells Richard he's staying with Locke, wanting to get some answers for why he is on the island. Richard informs Sawyer that Flocke won't tell him anything and that he wants to kill Sawyer and everyone else on the island. And that he won't stop.
Flocke returns before we can hear anymore, but it's important to note just how truly scared Richard is of Flocke. And how adamant he is in his belief that he will kill everybody. Up until this point we have just been told that The Monster wants to go home. Is it possible that the only way he can do this will result in the death of everybody on the island?
"It's about these two guys, George and Lennie. Lennie's kinda slow... causin' George problems... so George walks him into the woods and tells him to look out yonder and picture the pretty little house they're gonna live in some day. Then he shoots Lennie in the back of the head."
The last time Steinbeck's, Of Mice and Men was referenced on the show was Season 3's, 'Every Man For Himself.' In that episode the Others con Sawyer into thinking that they put a pace-maker in his chest, rigged to explode his heart if he gets too excited acts out of line. Ben tells him that if he tries to tell Kate or escapse, they will put one in her as well.
At the end of the episode, Ben takes Sawyer on a hike up a hill to show him something very important:
SAWYER: What's up there?
BEN: Something I want you to see.
SAWYER: That little place you always wanted, George?
Sawyer asks if Ben took him up there to kill him (as George did Lennie), but Ben reveals that they never actually put a pacemaker inside of him. He then shows him that escape is futile because they are not actually on their island, but a smaller one just north. That even if Sawyer escapes his cage. he will have no where to run to.
They stand at a cliff (just as Locke and Sawyer do in 'The Substitute') and share the following:
SAWYER: You did all this just to- just to keep me in a damn cage?
BEN: We did all this because the only way to gain a con man's respect is to con him. And you're pretty good, Sawyer. We're a lot better. Funny thing is, us telling you about the pacemaker wasn't what kept you in line. It was when I threatened her. You work so hard to make her think you don't care, that you don't need her, but, "A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. It don't make no difference who the guy is, long as he's with you. I tell you, I tell you a guy gets too lonely and he gets sick."
Relating this back to the present, that is exactly Sawyer's state of mind right now. Juliet is gone and now he feels he has nothing left to live for. At the time Ben was referencing his relationship with Kate, but that quote now takes on a whole new meaning for Sawyer. He is the world's forgotten boy.
And apparently, so is The Monster. After Sawyer pulls a gun on him, he explains that he was once a man, but he's been trapped for so long that he's forgotten what freedom feels like. He has felt pain, anger, fear and most importantly, betrayal (just as Lucifer felt betrayed by God). He also says he knows what it is like to lose someone you love.
It's weird after all these years to be finding out about a character behind the Monster. For years we thought it was just a sentient, supernatural being. But to find out it was once just a man raises so many questions and implications. When did he become trapped on the island? And why has he been making the decisions he's been making the past few years?
We know the reasons behind his interactions with Locke. He was looking for a candidate to manipulate to give him close access to Jacob. But what about when Ben summoned him to attack the mercenaries? Was he under control and a set of rules at that point? Did he not have total freedom to all his actions until he took on the form of Locke?
"Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to."
Have to mention Locke's funeral because Michael Emerson and Jeff Fahey were so damn good in this scene. Ben's eulogy was heart-breaking and hilarious at the same time. For the first time, I felt real honesty when Ben spoke of Locke being a believer, and a better man than he will ever be. It may not seem like much, but this could be the first step towards redemption for Ben... if that is even possible after everything he's done.
Of course, it's flipped a second later and becomes hilarious when Ben admits to killing Locke. Lapidus' aside, "Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to," is one of the funniest lines in the show's history and he delivers it perfectly. Fucking love Frank Lapidus.
"He came to you, he manipulated you, pulled your strings like you were a puppet. And as a result, choices you thought were made, were never really choices at all."
This is going to be a dense section. Just putting that out there as a warning. This scene in the cave was packed with so many clues, so many easter eggs, so full of end-game implications.
Flocke and Sawyer enter the cave to find a scale with a white and black stone balancing each other out. Flocke takes the white rock and tosses it into the ocean. 'Inside joke,' he says.
Again, the black and white. Locke explained backgammon to Walt in Season One's, 'Pilot,' was a game of two opposing sides: one is light, one is dark. A few episodes later in, 'House of the Rising Sun,' Jack and Co. find two skeletons in the caves, Adam and Eve. In a pocket of one of the skeletons is a bag containing a small black stone and a small white stone.
Flocke tossing the white stone into the ocean is his final declaration of victory over Jacob.
Then comes the biggest reveal of the episode, and of the season, thus far. Flocke leads Sawyer further into the cave and the walls are covered in chalk.
Probably close to a hundred names. Each with a number in front of them. Most of them crossed out.
"That's why you're here. That, James, is why you're all here."
Flocke explains that Jacob wrote all the names. The only names remaining not crossed out?
Locke
Reyes
Jarrah
Ford
Shephard
Kwon
And their accompanying Numbers?
4
8
15
16
23
42
Many online have posted hi-def screen captures of this scene and it's incredible to find what names have been crossed out as a Candidate: Charlie, Claire, Faraday, Charlotte, Juliet, Shannon, Miles and Linus (either Ben or his Father) to start. Goodspeed (either Horace or Amy or Ethan). Lacombe and Brennan (two of Rousseau's crew from her science expedition). Mattingly and Jones (two of the soldiers from the US Army in 1954).
Were all of these people candidates? Did Jacob have interactions with them off the island as well?
And why is Kate absent from the cave wall? Not only is she not one of the core Numbers, but she is not even written on the wall? She had a very specific interaction with Jacob as a child. We know she's important. So why did Jacob not include her?
Jacob's selection of numbers for the remaining candidates can not be a coincidence. Locke (4) is crossed out by Flocke, but with him included they make up the infamous Numbers: 4 8 15 16 23 42.
Perhaps now would be a good time to take a refresher course on The Numbers for those that do not remember:
- Hurley first heard the Numbers repeated over and over again by a fellow patient, Lenny, in the mental institution. Lenny was a US Naval officer, stationed in the South Pacific in 1988 (around the same time The Numbers brought Rousseau and her team to the island). The Numbers drove him insane.
- Hurley played the lottery with the Numbers and becomes cursed. Lenny tells Hurley, 'You've opened the box!' Hurley feels responsible for many of the bad things that happen on the island and blames the curse of the Numbers on it.
- The Swan Station hatch door had the Number engraved on it. And when the button was created to keep the electro-magnetic energy at bay, the Numbers had to be entered every 108 minutes. Failure to do so would result in another Incident and possibly the end of the world.
What many people don't know, since it was revealed outside the show, is The DHARMA Initiative's relationship with the Numbers. In between Seasons 2 and 3 of LOST there was an interactive game which ultimately led to some answers about The Numbers.
Here's a basic explanation according to Damon Lindelof, "Here's the story with numbers. The Hanso Foundation that started the Dharma Initiative hired this guy Valenzetti to basically work on this equation to determine what was the probability of the world ending in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Valenzetti basically deduced that it was 100 percent within the next 27 years, so the Hanso Foundation started the Dharma Initiative in an effort to try to change the variables in the equation so that mankind wouldn't wipe it itself out."
In other words , The Numbers are core values in an equation that predict when the world would end. Through their experiments on the island, DHARMA attempted to change the variable in the equation to give humanity a chance at survival.
So how does this relate to the fact that The Numbers have popped up on the remainig candidates (minus Locke)? Well, here's my theory. Jacob knew about the power of the Numbers. His work on the island was not just to find a replacement as it's protector, but to bring people there to change.
Jacob believes that people have choice, that they can create positive change in their lives. Perhaps by assigning the Numbers to these candidates, he could once and for all break the curse. Further, if these people do not take on the role as island protectors, if the Monster wins... the world could possibly end.
Again, a lot going on here in terms of mythology. The bigger pieces of information dropped in this scene is the revelation that Jacob had been bringing people to the island to find a candidate to replace him.
And according to Flocke, a Candidate has 3 choices:
1) Do nothing and risk being crossed off (which most probably means death).
2) Take the job. Become the new Jacob.
3) Leave the island.
He says option number two is the most ridiculous. Incredibly he says, 'That's the joke. There is nothing to protect it from. It's just a damn island.'
We knwo that can't possibly be true. No other island moves through time and space and has a frozen donkey wheel beneath it's surface. So does Flocke actually believe this or is he lying to get James on his side.
Side note, this is actually a really awesome parallel to a conversation Jack and Locke had right before Ben moved the island:
LOCKE: If you have to go, then you have to lie about everything...everything that happened since we got to the island it's the only way to protect it.
JACK: It's an island, John. No one needs to protect it.
LOCKE: It's not an island. It's a place where miracles happen.
But finally, we are given the real conflict for this season and we know what the stakes are. Jacob has been looking for a replacement to take over his role as protector of the island and The Monster wants to thwart this plan in order to leave.
I think in the end, it will be more than one Candidate that saves the island. If anything this season, we have been given constant reminders that these characters are inter-connected; that their fates are locked into one another. I think Flocke will try to find ways to split up our characters, but in the end, they need to come together to defeat him.
But that all really depends if we think he deserves to be defeated. After all, Jacob came off in a pretty bad light in this episode. And Flocke seems to be the truthful, honest and good one. He feels Jacob have wasted all their lives.
That he manipulated Sawyer and everyone else. Choices they made, were never their choices to begin with. And all this was done to push them to the island.
Pretty much, that their lives would have been better had Jacob and the island never interfered... and looking at the flash-sideways in the episode, actually lends some credence to this.
"There are miracles, John. And the only thing I was ever waiting for was you."
Yes, in the flash-sideways timeline John is still in the wheelchair. Yes, he still was not allowed on his walkabout. Yes, he still get angry and frustrated over what he can and cannot do.
But he has Helen, someone who truly loves him. He can laugh off unfortunate situations, like the sprinklers turning on after face planting onto his front lawn from his van. Somehow, he has a good relationship with his father in this reality (I guess he wasn't pushed out the window). Could this also mean that Cooper didn't con Sawyer's parents, thus preventing their murder-suicide?
What I'm getting at is this: yes, some things are fated in both timelines. Locke will always end up in the wheelchair. Kate will always end up in handcuffs. Hurley will always play the lottery. Jack will always need to bury his father. Sayid will always look for Nadia.
But in this reality, there are these subtle changes that suggest that maybe the Monster is right. Perhaps, they all would have been better off and had better lives had the island was sunken beneath the ocean.
John may not be the man he always fantasized of being, the one able to go on walkabouts in the outback and conquering nature, but he can find comfort in being a substitute teacher. I think what the show is suggesting is that miracles do happen every day, but they don't need to be as big as surviving a plane crash. They could be as simple as a lotto winner helping out a down on his luck guy who just got fired.
Again in the flash-sideways timeline we have a scene with a character in front of a mirror. Locke sits in front of one as he calls Jack's office for a consult. He never looks at himself (perhaps because his other self is dead) and in the end, hangs up on the phone before setting up an appointment.
Earlier in the episode, he goes to Hurley's temp agency to find a job. There he runs into Rose (of course he does) who tries to help him find a job. Unrealistically he wants to work construction (DON'T TELL HIM WHAT HE CAN'T DO) and Rose asks him to be realistic. He asks her what she knows about 'realistic.' Rose goes onto explain, 'I have cancer. Terminal cancer. When the doctors first told me, I had a hard time accepting it. But eventually... I got past the denial part. And I got back to living whatever life I've got left. So, how about we find you a job you can do?'
But Locke can't accept that yet. He tells Helen he was fired for missing his conference and attempting to go on his walkabout. He shows her the box of knives:
"My walkabout. An adventure in the outback. Man against nature. But they wouldn't let me go. And I sat there yelling at them. Shouting at them that they couldn't tell me what I can't do. But they were right. I'm sick of imagining of what my life could be out of this chair, Helen. What it would be like to walk down the isle with you because its not gonna happen. So if you need me to see more doctors, have more consults, if you need me to get out of this chair, I don't blame you. But I don't want you to spend your life waiting for a miracle because there is no such thing."
The Locke of this timeline is not a man of faith. He is like the old Jack who doesn't believe in miracles. And it's hard to blame him, given his condition. But then Helen gives him the faith he needs. And this, finally, is enough to allow John to move forward with his life. He does not have to dream of a better life, but can accept the one that he has.
And this leads to one of the funniest scenes of the episode. BENJAMIN LINUS, EUROPEAN HISTORY. Awesome. I would sign up to watch a spin-off show about Ben and John working in a school together in a second. In fact, I like this scene so much, I'm gonna post it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iKeuDcjWTM
Look at how happy John is at the end of that clip. I've always felt that Locke struggled for two reasons: first, because he was trying to find his destiny. Second, because he was always looking for a family and a place to belong. And these two often came in conflict with one another in the original timeline. In this reality, he has found love and a school to call home.
Just look how happy he is.
And once more, our characters are still interacting in this seperate reality. Ben and Locke's fates are still intertwined. Also, this starts to raise some bigger questions about this timeline. I was under the impression that the island sunk when the bomb went off in 1977. But if that's the case, Ben (and Ethan who we saw last week) never would have made it off the island. They would have still been on it when it sunk.
So when did the island sink in this reality and how did it sink? When did Ben get off the island... hell, have things changed so much that Ben never went to the island in the first place?
At the end of the episode, Flocke asks Sawyer to join him in leaving the island. Sawyer answers, 'Hell Yes,' thus setting the stage for the rest of the season.
CRACKPOT THEORY OF THE WEEK: Sawyer is pulling a long con on Flocke. He is not actually going to help him, but is gathering enough information on him to find a way to defeat him. That would really give James a complete arc, as we would be reminded of his con-man past while re-enforcing that he has grown and changed into a good, selfless person.
But man if I can't help but agree with so much of what Flocke said after watching the latest flash-sideways. I'm still completely on Team Jacob (and if my sister reads this, no, I am not talking about THAT Team Jacob. Stupid werewolf) because I believe that Jacob always left people with a choice. Yes, he interfered and pushed, but it was always that person's choice of what they do and who they are.
Still, Flocke makes a great case.
God damn the Devil.
For centuries philosophers and theologians have struggled with the concept of a universe in which both God and free will exists. If one is to believe that God is all knowing, omnipotent, the Alpha and the Omega then how could any of our choices be our own? Do we have any control of our destinies if God has already written how everything will play out?
Fundamentally, this has been the overriding theme of LOST since the beginning. Do our characters have free will or has everything been pre-determined? Science versus Faith. Free Will versus Destiny.
What's interesting is outside the discussion of what's happening ON the show, many of us have been having a similar conversation about the writing of the show itself. It's the one question that probably gets asked more than any other in relation to this show, 'Are they making it up as they go along?' Have the writers always had a plan, a destiny for these characters, or did it organically grow as the show progressed. The best answer is probably a mix of the two and that speaks to where the narrative itself is ultimately leading to in a way.
It is my core belief that our characters do have a destiny, but they get to CHOOSE what that destiny is.
"Life is a chessboard of nights and days. Where God, using men as his pawns, plays. Hither and thither moves, and checkmates, and slays. And one by one, he places them back in the box. For each pawn has its fate. As does each player. As does God."
The above quote comes from a commercial leading up to the final season (it's awesome and can be seen here, http://www.youtube.com/wat
For years and years we heard talk of this mysterious leader of the Island. A man by the name of Jacob. People would throw his name around and around and it wielded great power. But we never saw the man. We didn't know if he even existed.
Then finally in the Season 5 Finale, 'The Incident' Jacob was finally revealed. Through his discussion with The Man In Black we gathered that he's been bringing people to the Island for a very long time. The Man In Black, having grown frustrated with Jacob's actions, makes a vow to find a loophole so that he could kill him.
Throughout the episode, we are shown flashbacks of Jacob interacting with specific passengers of Oceanic 815 both before and after the initial crash; all at key moments in their lives:
1) He gets Kate out of a jam when she is caught stealing (possibly her first criminal activity).
2) He gives Sawyer a pen to finish his 'Dear Mr. Sawyer' revenge letter.
3) He gives Jack a candy bar after Jack's 'Count To Five' surgery scare (which we found out also featured his Father... of course).
4) He congratulates Sun and Jin at their wedding and tells them never to take their love for granted.
5) He revives John after he is pushed out of the window by his father.
6) He asks Sayid for directions, right before Nadia is hit by a car.
7) He tells Hurley how to get back to the island.
We found out in this episode that all of these characters are 'Candidates' (well except for Kate, but we'll get to that in a bit). Candidates for what? Well, to take over the role of protector of the island of course. And who was the first on the list of these Candidates? Poor, poor John Locke who gets his name crossed off the Cave Wall by the Monster.
"What do you want?" "What I've always wanted. For you to come with me."
I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's rewind to the start of the episode. The Monster makes his way across the island (Smokey-Cam rocks by the way) and stops when he reaches Sawyer's home in DHARMAville. He's blasting Iggy and The Stooges and a very specific, very relevant song in relation to his character. After lingering for a moment (and it was awesome to see it's reflection in the window) it retreats into the jungle. It takes the form of John Locke again, picks up a big fucking knife, and cuts Richard down from a bag he is trapped inside.
Their conversation is obvious set-up for a Richard flashback later this season, but a lot of key things are actually revealed. For one, Richard and The Monster/Man In Black have a history. It seems that at some point in the past, probably not too long after Richard came to the island, he tried to recruit him (same was he does in this episode). He asks Richard to come with him, off the island it's assumed.
But Richard is too damn confused to even answer that. And here's where it gets really interesting. It turns out Richard doesn't know what the fuck is going on.
This is one thing I love about the show. Every time we are introduced to a new character in a leadership position, or with a history on the island, we think, 'Finally! A character who knows what's going on and can give us some real answer.'
We thought that with Ben, but it turns out he's the second biggest pawn on the island next to John Locke. We thought that with Rousseau, but it turns out she was just living in the woods for 16 years. Widemore and Eloise may know a bit more, but they certainly don't have all the answers.
And now we come to Richard. The ageless man who has been on the island longer than anyone else. Certainly he knows everything that's going on, right?
Wrong. He had no idea about Jacob's list of Candidates. Flocke says it best, 'Oh, Richard. You mean, you've been doing everything he told you all this time and he never said why?'
So what does Richard know? Well, he clearly knows the Monster is a bad mother-fucker. And he refuses to give into his tricks. This is probably a smart move. This man, this thing, is the devil.
And I really mean that. Not that he's the literal Devil. But I think The Monster is a kind of Lucifer figure. In literary tradition, Lucifer was God's most beautiful and favorite angel. But his hubris got the better of him.
In Milton's Paradise Lost Satan is not a purely evil being. He grew weary of God and his rule and decided to rebel. And as punishment he was cast down into Hell. I would not be surprised to see The Man In Black's rebellion against Jacob in a flashback this season. And am nearly convinced that part of his punishment was being confined and constricted to the form of the Smoke Monster. He tells Sawyer later in the episode that he was once a man. Did Jacob have something to do with his transformation? Could Richard have aided Jacob in doing so?
The pieces are falling into place, but we can't put them together quite yet.
It's also important to remember this: Lucifer is a tempest. He tells half-truths (never lies) to accomplish his goals. The scary thing is, I believe almost everything Flocke says in this episode (well, except when he says that it's, 'just an island.')
In Book III of Paradise Lost God observes Satan's journey into the Garden of Eden. He foretells (as he knows everything that will happen) that Satan will bring about the fall of man, the loss of innocence. However, and this is important, he states that the Fall will come as a result of man's FREE WILL. Again, we find a balance of pre-destiny and free will. And in the end, I think this balance is what will ultimately vindicate Jacob, despite Flocke's insistence that he is the master manipulator and puller of strings.
At the end of the scene, Richard rejects Flocke's offer stating, "I'm not going anywhere with you." This is not the first time we've heard this line on the show. In fact, it's been used twice. Once by Walt. And once by Hurley. And both times they were talking to their fathers.
Now, I'm not saying that I believe that The Man in Black was Richard's father, but I think it would be great to find out he was a kind of father figure to him when he first came to the island (before discovering what his real plans were). Again, I'm very excited to see how they flesh out their backstory.
Then that blonde haired boy appears and I gotta say, mad props to LOST's make-up department. They really made Walt look like a little white boy. Very impressive.
Seriously though, the kid has blood on his hands (could this be a reflection of guilt that Flocke is feeling for having Jacob killed). Richard turns, but does not see the boy. Did he disappear before he turned or is Richard just incapable of seeing the boy?
"I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-Bomb. I am the world's forgotten boy. "
Illana tells Ben, "He's recruiting," during their scene inside the Statue. We still don't know much about Illana, but she seems to have a fair understanding of what is going on. She knows to take the ask to protect herself from The Monster. She knows that he is trying to recruit people for his cause. She knows that he is now stuck alternating between Smoke Monster form and John Locke and cannot shape-shift into anything else.
She also knew of Jin and probably knows a lot about all our characters. So who exactly is Illana and how does she know so much about the island, possibly even more than Richard.
So, The Monster is recruiting and his first stop? To Sawyer of course. The man is broken, angry and probably in the worse state of mind in his life. He makes for an easy target for manipulation.
The above quote is from the Iggy and The Stooges song, 'Search and Destroy,' and it seems like it could have been written for Sawyer in this very moment. He survived the detonation of a nuclear bomb, but lost his love. Now he's just wallowing in his pity and filth. Loved his reaction to seeing Flocke. 'I thought you were dead.'
See, Sawyer does not give a fuck about anything anymore. He doesn't care that Locke is dead, but also standing in his living room. He doesn't care about time travelling or anything else. It's not that he's not willing to wrap his head around such trippy notions, it's that he just could not care less. It's of no concern to him.
It's actually a perfect pairing from a writer's point of view. Stick a character with all the answers of the show with the one character who has always cared the least about the mythology on the island.
Sawyer quickly susses out that this man is not John Locke. His reason? 'Locke was scared. Even when he was pretending he wasn't. But you? You're not scared.'
Flocke tries to appeal tp him by promising to answer the biggest question on the show: why are these people on the island? Sawyer laughs in his face. He KNOWS why he is on the island. Cause of a plane crash. A raft explosion. A helicopter jump.
But he's wrong. That is HOW he is on the island. That is not why he is there. And Flocke promises that if he follows him, then he will prove it.
"You know the rules. You can't kill him."
So they go off into the jungle and White Walt appears again. Only this time, Flocke is not the only one who can see him. Sawyer can see him as well. Is it possible he can see him because he's a Candidate?
Flocke runs off into the jungle (and really, wouldn't it have been easier to just go all Smokey to catch up to the little sonofabitch?). He trips and falls and the kid approaches him. The kid tells him, 'You know the rules. You can't kill him.'
We've heard about 'rules' many times on this show. When Keamy the mercenary killed Alex, Ben muttered that Widemore, 'Changed the rules.' He couldn't kill Widemore as retibution because that was not allowed. The Others seem to operate on a certain base of rules in what they can and cannot do. The Man in Black needed a loophole to kill Jacob because he could not do it himself.
And now, we have another rule. The Man in Black cannot kill a Candidate.
Is this just one giant game being played between Jacob and The Man In Black? Jacob brings people to the island, hoping they will change themselves for the better, but the Man in Black can recruit them to his side once they are there? Could being 'claimed' (like Claire and Sayid have) tie into this? We do not have enough information to put this fully in context, but it's always fun to speculate.
Most interesting about the end of this scene is Flocke screams, "Don't tell me what I can't do!' which is Locke's trademark. Was this just a wink to fans or is it possible that Locke's spirit is still buried deep down inside?
A frightened Richard comes out of the jungle to get Sawyer the hell away from Flocke. Heck, he's more than frightened, he's god damn petrified. What's really cool is that this is Richard's first interaction with Sawyer in 30 years for him, but it's only been days since Sawyer saw Richard back in 1977.
Sawyer tells Richard he's staying with Locke, wanting to get some answers for why he is on the island. Richard informs Sawyer that Flocke won't tell him anything and that he wants to kill Sawyer and everyone else on the island. And that he won't stop.
Flocke returns before we can hear anymore, but it's important to note just how truly scared Richard is of Flocke. And how adamant he is in his belief that he will kill everybody. Up until this point we have just been told that The Monster wants to go home. Is it possible that the only way he can do this will result in the death of everybody on the island?
"It's about these two guys, George and Lennie. Lennie's kinda slow... causin' George problems... so George walks him into the woods and tells him to look out yonder and picture the pretty little house they're gonna live in some day. Then he shoots Lennie in the back of the head."
The last time Steinbeck's, Of Mice and Men was referenced on the show was Season 3's, 'Every Man For Himself.' In that episode the Others con Sawyer into thinking that they put a pace-maker in his chest, rigged to explode his heart if he gets too excited acts out of line. Ben tells him that if he tries to tell Kate or escapse, they will put one in her as well.
At the end of the episode, Ben takes Sawyer on a hike up a hill to show him something very important:
SAWYER: What's up there?
BEN: Something I want you to see.
SAWYER: That little place you always wanted, George?
Sawyer asks if Ben took him up there to kill him (as George did Lennie), but Ben reveals that they never actually put a pacemaker inside of him. He then shows him that escape is futile because they are not actually on their island, but a smaller one just north. That even if Sawyer escapes his cage. he will have no where to run to.
They stand at a cliff (just as Locke and Sawyer do in 'The Substitute') and share the following:
SAWYER: You did all this just to- just to keep me in a damn cage?
BEN: We did all this because the only way to gain a con man's respect is to con him. And you're pretty good, Sawyer. We're a lot better. Funny thing is, us telling you about the pacemaker wasn't what kept you in line. It was when I threatened her. You work so hard to make her think you don't care, that you don't need her, but, "A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. It don't make no difference who the guy is, long as he's with you. I tell you, I tell you a guy gets too lonely and he gets sick."
Relating this back to the present, that is exactly Sawyer's state of mind right now. Juliet is gone and now he feels he has nothing left to live for. At the time Ben was referencing his relationship with Kate, but that quote now takes on a whole new meaning for Sawyer. He is the world's forgotten boy.
And apparently, so is The Monster. After Sawyer pulls a gun on him, he explains that he was once a man, but he's been trapped for so long that he's forgotten what freedom feels like. He has felt pain, anger, fear and most importantly, betrayal (just as Lucifer felt betrayed by God). He also says he knows what it is like to lose someone you love.
It's weird after all these years to be finding out about a character behind the Monster. For years we thought it was just a sentient, supernatural being. But to find out it was once just a man raises so many questions and implications. When did he become trapped on the island? And why has he been making the decisions he's been making the past few years?
We know the reasons behind his interactions with Locke. He was looking for a candidate to manipulate to give him close access to Jacob. But what about when Ben summoned him to attack the mercenaries? Was he under control and a set of rules at that point? Did he not have total freedom to all his actions until he took on the form of Locke?
"Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to."
Have to mention Locke's funeral because Michael Emerson and Jeff Fahey were so damn good in this scene. Ben's eulogy was heart-breaking and hilarious at the same time. For the first time, I felt real honesty when Ben spoke of Locke being a believer, and a better man than he will ever be. It may not seem like much, but this could be the first step towards redemption for Ben... if that is even possible after everything he's done.
Of course, it's flipped a second later and becomes hilarious when Ben admits to killing Locke. Lapidus' aside, "Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to," is one of the funniest lines in the show's history and he delivers it perfectly. Fucking love Frank Lapidus.
"He came to you, he manipulated you, pulled your strings like you were a puppet. And as a result, choices you thought were made, were never really choices at all."
This is going to be a dense section. Just putting that out there as a warning. This scene in the cave was packed with so many clues, so many easter eggs, so full of end-game implications.
Flocke and Sawyer enter the cave to find a scale with a white and black stone balancing each other out. Flocke takes the white rock and tosses it into the ocean. 'Inside joke,' he says.
Again, the black and white. Locke explained backgammon to Walt in Season One's, 'Pilot,' was a game of two opposing sides: one is light, one is dark. A few episodes later in, 'House of the Rising Sun,' Jack and Co. find two skeletons in the caves, Adam and Eve. In a pocket of one of the skeletons is a bag containing a small black stone and a small white stone.
Flocke tossing the white stone into the ocean is his final declaration of victory over Jacob.
Then comes the biggest reveal of the episode, and of the season, thus far. Flocke leads Sawyer further into the cave and the walls are covered in chalk.
Probably close to a hundred names. Each with a number in front of them. Most of them crossed out.
"That's why you're here. That, James, is why you're all here."
Flocke explains that Jacob wrote all the names. The only names remaining not crossed out?
Locke
Reyes
Jarrah
Ford
Shephard
Kwon
And their accompanying Numbers?
4
8
15
16
23
42
Many online have posted hi-def screen captures of this scene and it's incredible to find what names have been crossed out as a Candidate: Charlie, Claire, Faraday, Charlotte, Juliet, Shannon, Miles and Linus (either Ben or his Father) to start. Goodspeed (either Horace or Amy or Ethan). Lacombe and Brennan (two of Rousseau's crew from her science expedition). Mattingly and Jones (two of the soldiers from the US Army in 1954).
Were all of these people candidates? Did Jacob have interactions with them off the island as well?
And why is Kate absent from the cave wall? Not only is she not one of the core Numbers, but she is not even written on the wall? She had a very specific interaction with Jacob as a child. We know she's important. So why did Jacob not include her?
Jacob's selection of numbers for the remaining candidates can not be a coincidence. Locke (4) is crossed out by Flocke, but with him included they make up the infamous Numbers: 4 8 15 16 23 42.
Perhaps now would be a good time to take a refresher course on The Numbers for those that do not remember:
- Hurley first heard the Numbers repeated over and over again by a fellow patient, Lenny, in the mental institution. Lenny was a US Naval officer, stationed in the South Pacific in 1988 (around the same time The Numbers brought Rousseau and her team to the island). The Numbers drove him insane.
- Hurley played the lottery with the Numbers and becomes cursed. Lenny tells Hurley, 'You've opened the box!' Hurley feels responsible for many of the bad things that happen on the island and blames the curse of the Numbers on it.
- The Swan Station hatch door had the Number engraved on it. And when the button was created to keep the electro-magnetic energy at bay, the Numbers had to be entered every 108 minutes. Failure to do so would result in another Incident and possibly the end of the world.
What many people don't know, since it was revealed outside the show, is The DHARMA Initiative's relationship with the Numbers. In between Seasons 2 and 3 of LOST there was an interactive game which ultimately led to some answers about The Numbers.
Here's a basic explanation according to Damon Lindelof, "Here's the story with numbers. The Hanso Foundation that started the Dharma Initiative hired this guy Valenzetti to basically work on this equation to determine what was the probability of the world ending in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Valenzetti basically deduced that it was 100 percent within the next 27 years, so the Hanso Foundation started the Dharma Initiative in an effort to try to change the variables in the equation so that mankind wouldn't wipe it itself out."
In other words , The Numbers are core values in an equation that predict when the world would end. Through their experiments on the island, DHARMA attempted to change the variable in the equation to give humanity a chance at survival.
So how does this relate to the fact that The Numbers have popped up on the remainig candidates (minus Locke)? Well, here's my theory. Jacob knew about the power of the Numbers. His work on the island was not just to find a replacement as it's protector, but to bring people there to change.
Jacob believes that people have choice, that they can create positive change in their lives. Perhaps by assigning the Numbers to these candidates, he could once and for all break the curse. Further, if these people do not take on the role as island protectors, if the Monster wins... the world could possibly end.
Again, a lot going on here in terms of mythology. The bigger pieces of information dropped in this scene is the revelation that Jacob had been bringing people to the island to find a candidate to replace him.
And according to Flocke, a Candidate has 3 choices:
1) Do nothing and risk being crossed off (which most probably means death).
2) Take the job. Become the new Jacob.
3) Leave the island.
He says option number two is the most ridiculous. Incredibly he says, 'That's the joke. There is nothing to protect it from. It's just a damn island.'
We knwo that can't possibly be true. No other island moves through time and space and has a frozen donkey wheel beneath it's surface. So does Flocke actually believe this or is he lying to get James on his side.
Side note, this is actually a really awesome parallel to a conversation Jack and Locke had right before Ben moved the island:
LOCKE: If you have to go, then you have to lie about everything...everything that happened since we got to the island it's the only way to protect it.
JACK: It's an island, John. No one needs to protect it.
LOCKE: It's not an island. It's a place where miracles happen.
But finally, we are given the real conflict for this season and we know what the stakes are. Jacob has been looking for a replacement to take over his role as protector of the island and The Monster wants to thwart this plan in order to leave.
I think in the end, it will be more than one Candidate that saves the island. If anything this season, we have been given constant reminders that these characters are inter-connected; that their fates are locked into one another. I think Flocke will try to find ways to split up our characters, but in the end, they need to come together to defeat him.
But that all really depends if we think he deserves to be defeated. After all, Jacob came off in a pretty bad light in this episode. And Flocke seems to be the truthful, honest and good one. He feels Jacob have wasted all their lives.
That he manipulated Sawyer and everyone else. Choices they made, were never their choices to begin with. And all this was done to push them to the island.
Pretty much, that their lives would have been better had Jacob and the island never interfered... and looking at the flash-sideways in the episode, actually lends some credence to this.
"There are miracles, John. And the only thing I was ever waiting for was you."
Yes, in the flash-sideways timeline John is still in the wheelchair. Yes, he still was not allowed on his walkabout. Yes, he still get angry and frustrated over what he can and cannot do.
But he has Helen, someone who truly loves him. He can laugh off unfortunate situations, like the sprinklers turning on after face planting onto his front lawn from his van. Somehow, he has a good relationship with his father in this reality (I guess he wasn't pushed out the window). Could this also mean that Cooper didn't con Sawyer's parents, thus preventing their murder-suicide?
What I'm getting at is this: yes, some things are fated in both timelines. Locke will always end up in the wheelchair. Kate will always end up in handcuffs. Hurley will always play the lottery. Jack will always need to bury his father. Sayid will always look for Nadia.
But in this reality, there are these subtle changes that suggest that maybe the Monster is right. Perhaps, they all would have been better off and had better lives had the island was sunken beneath the ocean.
John may not be the man he always fantasized of being, the one able to go on walkabouts in the outback and conquering nature, but he can find comfort in being a substitute teacher. I think what the show is suggesting is that miracles do happen every day, but they don't need to be as big as surviving a plane crash. They could be as simple as a lotto winner helping out a down on his luck guy who just got fired.
Again in the flash-sideways timeline we have a scene with a character in front of a mirror. Locke sits in front of one as he calls Jack's office for a consult. He never looks at himself (perhaps because his other self is dead) and in the end, hangs up on the phone before setting up an appointment.
Earlier in the episode, he goes to Hurley's temp agency to find a job. There he runs into Rose (of course he does) who tries to help him find a job. Unrealistically he wants to work construction (DON'T TELL HIM WHAT HE CAN'T DO) and Rose asks him to be realistic. He asks her what she knows about 'realistic.' Rose goes onto explain, 'I have cancer. Terminal cancer. When the doctors first told me, I had a hard time accepting it. But eventually... I got past the denial part. And I got back to living whatever life I've got left. So, how about we find you a job you can do?'
But Locke can't accept that yet. He tells Helen he was fired for missing his conference and attempting to go on his walkabout. He shows her the box of knives:
"My walkabout. An adventure in the outback. Man against nature. But they wouldn't let me go. And I sat there yelling at them. Shouting at them that they couldn't tell me what I can't do. But they were right. I'm sick of imagining of what my life could be out of this chair, Helen. What it would be like to walk down the isle with you because its not gonna happen. So if you need me to see more doctors, have more consults, if you need me to get out of this chair, I don't blame you. But I don't want you to spend your life waiting for a miracle because there is no such thing."
The Locke of this timeline is not a man of faith. He is like the old Jack who doesn't believe in miracles. And it's hard to blame him, given his condition. But then Helen gives him the faith he needs. And this, finally, is enough to allow John to move forward with his life. He does not have to dream of a better life, but can accept the one that he has.
And this leads to one of the funniest scenes of the episode. BENJAMIN LINUS, EUROPEAN HISTORY. Awesome. I would sign up to watch a spin-off show about Ben and John working in a school together in a second. In fact, I like this scene so much, I'm gonna post it:
http://www.youtube.com/wat
Look at how happy John is at the end of that clip. I've always felt that Locke struggled for two reasons: first, because he was trying to find his destiny. Second, because he was always looking for a family and a place to belong. And these two often came in conflict with one another in the original timeline. In this reality, he has found love and a school to call home.
Just look how happy he is.
And once more, our characters are still interacting in this seperate reality. Ben and Locke's fates are still intertwined. Also, this starts to raise some bigger questions about this timeline. I was under the impression that the island sunk when the bomb went off in 1977. But if that's the case, Ben (and Ethan who we saw last week) never would have made it off the island. They would have still been on it when it sunk.
So when did the island sink in this reality and how did it sink? When did Ben get off the island... hell, have things changed so much that Ben never went to the island in the first place?
At the end of the episode, Flocke asks Sawyer to join him in leaving the island. Sawyer answers, 'Hell Yes,' thus setting the stage for the rest of the season.
CRACKPOT THEORY OF THE WEEK: Sawyer is pulling a long con on Flocke. He is not actually going to help him, but is gathering enough information on him to find a way to defeat him. That would really give James a complete arc, as we would be reminded of his con-man past while re-enforcing that he has grown and changed into a good, selfless person.
But man if I can't help but agree with so much of what Flocke said after watching the latest flash-sideways. I'm still completely on Team Jacob (and if my sister reads this, no, I am not talking about THAT Team Jacob. Stupid werewolf) because I believe that Jacob always left people with a choice. Yes, he interfered and pushed, but it was always that person's choice of what they do and who they are.
Still, Flocke makes a great case.
God damn the Devil.
No comments:
Post a Comment