Lost: What They Died For

Posted by: David A. Robertson  •  May 19, 2010 @ 9:28pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

I've been browsing the web, reading reviews and recaps and panels about Lost and this past episode, which was probably one of my favourites. Everybody's spending so much time guessing at what's going to happen on Sunday; who is going to die, who is going to survive, what will happen in the sideways reality, etc, etc, ad infinitum. In all this, in some way, I think what we should be concentrating on is being, pardon the pun, Lost. More and more, I'm seeing that it's the journey, and I'm not worrying about what happens on Sunday. Rather, not worried about guessing what happens on Sunday. From what I've seen this year, and I think they've done a great job (and yes I know there is a vocal crowd who is not pleased with this year),I can be confident that the end is going to be satisfying and pretty amazing. I would expect nothing less from what has proven to be the best television show I have ever watched.

So, instead of guessing at much, if anything, I'm just going to recap some of the notable things from this past episode. Honestly, I mostly just savoured it, and when Jack finally took the job from Jacob I cheered. Everything this season pointed to him being the new Jacob. I would say, in fact, that everything in the series has led to this. Jack was the leader of the crew when they crashed almost from the beginning. It's just that he has gone from being a man of reason and science to a man of faith. And that growth has been really remarkable to watch. Fox has been incredible this season in particular, and if it weren't for Terry O'Quinn, I'd say that he'd win the Emmy. But good 'ol Flocke/Locke has been pretty damn incredible too.

This episode began with Jack and that wound on his neck coming back. Now, I think it was the first episode this season that Jack saw the stitches from an appendectomy and didn't remember when he actually had an appendectomy. Of course, he had one on the island and it seems that injuries, among other things, carry over through both realities (i.e. Ben's injuries for one). But where does the wound come from? I can't remember if Jack was injured in the neck on the island. I'm not that Lost guy who has everything that has ever happened in Lost catalogued. Like in basketball, I'm a feel player.

The sideways Flash involved this continued mission by Desmond, who calls Jack to tell him Christian's body has been located right after Jack sees the neck wound. Throughout the episode, Desmond contacts with Jack, Ben (who he beats up and tells that he is trying to help Locke "let go"), Sayid, Kate, Sawyer and Miles (at the police station where he turns himself in for hitting Locke with his car), and, finally Hurley. We also see Michelle Rodriguez, who is bribed to spring Desmond, Sayid and Kate from a police van on the way to County. There by the ocean, Hurley comes along in a Hummer and takes Sayid somewhere while Desmond gives Kate a dress and takes her. Kate and Sayid both promised Desmond to complete a task in order to earn their freedom. What is that task? Ben meets Rousseau and, in a hilarious moment, is told that if he doesn't go for dinner with she and Alex they will kidnap him. After dinner, Rousseau tells Ben that he is like the only father she ever had. Ben cries and I have to think that he knows that she died in the other reality. Finally, as Ben tells Locke that Desmond said he had to "let go", Locke sees Jack and says that he wants the operation.

So, the important things here, to me, are:

1. It seems that when somebody in this reality is "awakened" by a stimulus, they gradually become aware of their other existence. Hurley, for example, seemed entirely aware of who Michelle Rodriguez was. I think this awakening is gradual. But Desmond and Hurley both seem acutely aware of what's going on.
2. Everybody who needs to be will somehow be at the museum for David's concert. This includes Jack, Ben, Sayid, Hurley, Kate, Desmond, Sawyer, Miles, etc. Who else will be there? Walt? Penny? Jin and Sun even though they died on the island? Sayid did, too, you know. It'll be fun to see.
3. Will Locke getting the use of his legs back have a significant impact on the Locke on the island that is not actually Locke? The relationship between Locke and Jack is, as always, dynamic. Once again, Locke talks about fate to Jack. Jack isn't harsh about it, as he usually was with Locke in the past. He says, as it has been said before, that coincidence can be mistaken for fate. Of course, vice versa is totally true here.

On the island reality we got to see Ben and Richard again. FINALLY!!! It seemed like forever. In this segment, they and Miles end up at the Others camp where they run into Widmore and that scientist woman. She is sent off and sees Locke coming to the dock. She runs back and Widmore hides with her in Ben's closet while Miles runs into the woods with a Walkie Talkie (which Ben has Widmore give away in a funny exchange: "Give me the Walkie Talkies" "Why?" "Because I asked"). Richard and Ben go to meet Locke and Richard is promptly killed (I think) by Smokey. Ben goes to sit on a chair and something shifts with him. Locke comes to sit beside Ben, and Ben tells Locke immediately where Widmore is. Ben follows Locke, and they find Widmore and that woman, who is quickly killed by a vicious slice to the throat (she was inconsequential anyway). Then, Widmore rolls over once Locke threatens to kill his daughter. Widmore tells Locke that Desmond is his failsafe. When he won't tell Locke his exact purpose because Ben is there, Ben seems to leave. As Widmore leans over to whisper into Locke's ear, he is shot several times by Ben (missed the killer Ben!!!). "He doesn't get to save his daughter," is instantly one of my fave lines in the series. So, they set off to find Desmond but it turns out Desmond was rescued. There is a rope to the bottom of the well, where Desmond is not. Now, Ben, who has promised to kill more people if he gets to rule the island, is told by Locke that Locke is going to blow up the island (that's the end of the episode by the way, so I've gone a bit backwards here). But I guess I wanted to start here because I really don't think Ben is going to be evil again. I think he is playing Locke, biding his time until he can kill Locke. I really do. Because Ben wants the island and I think he knows Locke won't give it to him. And, of course, once he heard Locke is going to blow it up... he knows he REALLY won't get it.

Sidenote: I read a blog today where the blogger thinks the island at the beginning of the sideways flash, where it was under the water, was the blown up island from the end of the entire series... this is total crap. The island was blown up by the H bomb at the end of the last season. In the PAST. That caused the sideways flash (Juliet: "it worked"). If the island is blown up at the end, then Locke wins. And he's not going to.

ANYWAY. The other part of this episode is the best part (although it was all AWESOME), where Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sawyer go to find Desmond but get sidetracked. Hurley sees young Jacob, who asks for his ashes (from when Ben killed him). When Hurley gives them over, young Jacob bolts. Hurley follows Jacob and finds him by a fire, now the older Jacob.The others come to the campfire at this time and Jacob says hi to them all. Hurley says that Jacob is telling them hi, but they can see him! Jacob says that the ashes are in the fire and when the fires goes out, he will be gone. Jacob promises to tell them everything. The takeaway here is that they died so that the light could be protected. And the candidates were all flawed and alone, like Jacob. Jacob tells them that one of them needs to take his place. We find out that Kate was crossed out because she became a mother (Aaron... or is she pregnant????), but that it was just a chalk line and she could take Jacob's place. Jacob says that he wants them to have a choice like he never had. But it's not really a choice because if nobody takes Jacob's job it will essentially end the existence of the world (or something). In the end, of course, Jack steps up and says that he will, that it is the reason why he is there. Jacob asks, when Jack says this, if it was a question or a statement. Jack responds that it was a statement. Jacob takes Jack away and performs a similar ritual as Jacob's mother did with him. He takes a cup from Jack and fills it with water after speaking something in another language. He then offers Jack the drink and, once Jack drinks, states that they are now the same. Jack is now the new Jacob and the protector of the island. And he is now able to see the cave to the light. Neat that he woke up in a field right near the light, too, when he came back to the island.

A few neat moments here:

1. When Jack goes off with Jacob, Sawyer says: "and I thought he had a God complex before", but is shushed by Kate. Surprisingly, Sawyer concedes. But not in an annoyed way. Sawyer concedes in such a way that he knows Jack should be the new Jacob. And Jack and Sawyer had a nice moment at the beginning of this episode where Jack assures Sawyer that he didn't kill Sayid and Jin and Sun.
2. This is just a little moment that I noticed. And maybe it was significant only in that it was so well acted. When Jacob asks if Jack has a cup, Jack says that he does. He fishes for it in his backpack, and begins to tell a story as to why he has one... but stops... and it's really a moment where it seems like he realizes that he isn't going to be human anymore, in a way... and how he stops the little story and his face suddenly recognizes the weight of what he is doing... was just nicely done.

So that's it, and we only have the end to go. I'll end with this: Lost has been so good that we expected so much this season, and they were all unrealistic, these expectations. What we may have wanted from this season was never going to happen. We wanted answers to everything. The truth is, Lost was always about the characters: their flaws, their back stories, their motivations, their pain, their joy. It was always about them and their journey. Now, that journey is almost over. Keep in mind, too, that while Lost will end for us, it's not going to end in this pretend world. Their story continues, and I like that. I like that I can imagine what happens beyond this end that is coming. And I have loved this season because it has revealed everything it has needed to and nothing more. I cannot wait until Sunday.

Tags: Jack, Locke, Sawyer, Kate, Widmore, Alex, Ben, Desmond, Hurley, Lost

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David A. Robertson is an award-winning Indigenous author and public speaker from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Robertson is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation. He has published over 25 books across a variety of genres.

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