Next: “The Lighthouse”

This 108th episode of “LOST” took us back to the first few hours of this incredible show. We still don’t know whether “LOST” will succeed in answering enough questions and resolving enough loose ends. But the feel of the show, the growing sense of coming full circle after half a decade of storytelling, is fantastic. The spirit of “White Rabbit,” episode five from season one, was all over “The Lighthouse.” Jen thoroughly loved it. I enjoyed it. To me, some of the exposition and dialogue was a bit flat, and the ever clever fan-inspired commentary of Hurley was a bit too clever. But perhaps such things are unavoidable given the immense amount of explaining “LOST” will have to do in the limited time left. They need to spell it out for us, and they need to acknowledge how ridiculous some of it all sounds.

While on-island Jack is once again reaching a breaking point, off-island Jack is perhaps conquering his demons (his mom praises him for turning down a drink), acknowledging his daddy issues, and making amends with his son. His son! David plays piano like Jack, suffers under an overbearing father like Jack… and “has a gift,” perhaps also like Jack. But the big mystery now is, who is David’s mom? Whose house did Jack visit (and enter thanks to a key hidden under a white rabbit)? And why did she, frankly, miss David’s recital? David’s blue eyes made Jen think of Juliet immediately. Could we see her moving on, later this season, asking Sawyer out for coffee?

Jack’s inexplicable confusion over his appendectomy scar was intriguing. His appendix was removed by Juliet on the island, which could be one reason he doesn’t remember it in the LA X timeline. But his mother does. And seeing Dogen as a fellow parent was a nice touch. He perhaps is not as mysterious, special, or even immortal as we might have thought, if a twist in time leads him to being a dad in Los Angeles.

Mirrors and reflections continue to play a big part in this final season, perhaps never moreso than in “The Lighthouse.” There were literal mirrors, of course, but our requisite book reference is again “Alice in Wonderland.”

On the island, we find the lighouse, a major island landmark that nobody noticed because nobody was looking for it. Inside, another list of names, most of them crossed out, save for our dear survivors. Is it a different list than the one Unlocke showed Sawyer in the cave? Part of me thinks they’re the same list, and the cave scrawlings represent the efforts of Unlocke/Man In Black to track Jacob’s candidates. On the other hand, we see some names we didn’t see in the cave, most notably, “Austen.”

The lighthouse and its various degrees suggest that it was where Jacob “watched” his candidates, and perhaps guided them to the island. But rather than investigate further, angry Jack smashes the mirrors. At first it seemed ridiculous to me, how once again a major potential source for answers is conveniently destroyed. But in the narrative of Jack’s life, it makes sense.

In “White Rabbit,” Christian Shephard tells young Jack: “Don’t choose, Jack, don’t decide. You don’t want to be a hero, you don’t try and save everyone, because when you fail, you just don’t have what it takes.” We’ve seen Jack try to be the hero, and everything fell apart once he got off the island. We then saw Jack return to try and wait for his purpose to reveal itself, only to end up executing a plan that was apparently a catastrophic failure. Now, he finds a list of names that suggests that he’s part of a larger plan or game, and is also probably one of the last players still standing. That’d probably be enough to make anyone snap.

Of course, we’re still not convinced “Shephard” means him. Jacob’s first line to Sawyer after his name was pointed out on the cave wall was, “He’s not the only one.” And even though the mirror showed Jack’s childhood home, that house also belonged to Christian. Heck, we don’t know if the image of the house was from Jack’s past, or from the “LA X” timeline. A pity he had to smash the mirrors to bits.

And Claire. Creepy Claire. Jen said she was even scarier than Rousseau. And now the parallels are numerous. Claire, like Rosseau, has spent years living in the wilderness, setting traps, surviving, living in conflict with and hiding from The Others. And she’s also obsessed with finding her missing child. But it’s interesting that there’s a lot of old Claire in there, despite whatever sickness or darkness may have consumed her.

She says her father and “her friend” told her The Others have Aaron. Whether or not on-island Christian Shephard and Unlocke were one and the same (I wonder what form Unlocke took prior to the arrival of Ajira 316), I’m curious why they’d want her to believe her son was still on the island. Are they trying to encourage her to go to The Temple, or discouraging her? They’ve fed her paranoia and mistrust for three years, but to what end?

After what she did to Justin, we believe her when she says she’d kill Kate if Kate raised Aaron. But the whole conversation revives questions about how important Aaron actually is to the island, and also, why it matters who raises him. If Kate is truly motivated solely by reuniting Claire with Aaron, and Claire remains obsessed with finding her son, it looks like the kid will be key at the end of Season 6. Jin went out of his way to remind Claire how old Aaron is, which only made me think about the clearly older blonde boy that’s now haunting Unlocke. Taller Ghost Aaron indeed.

  • This episode is at least the second time Hurley is given a message from an apparently departed spirit that is so important, he has to write it down. Charlie made Hurley write down his message for Jack in “Something Nice Back Home.”
  • Jack’s son’s name is David. We’ve noted the role of Davids throughout “LOST.” Libby says her late husband’s name was David. Hurley’s dad was named David, as was Charlotte’s father. And Hurley’s imaginary friend was Dave.
  • David is listening to music, but says it’s something Jack wouldn’t know. Easiest guess? Driveshaft. But if Driveshaft is a “one hit wonder” from a band led by a “bloody rock god,” why wouldn’t Jack know them? Since David is also a classical music buff, I’d like to think that in the “LA X” timeline, “Driveshaft” is a moody, artsy, acoustic indie band or something.
  • What funeral was Margot and Jack talking about? Presumably Christian’s, meaning they eventually proceeded without his body. I’m wondering how much time has now elapsed since Oceanic 815 landed.
  • Speaking of classical music, David’s choice of Chopin is the same as Daniel Faraday’s in “The Variable.”
  • In addition to “White Rabbit,” this episode ties well to “Something Nice Back Home” from Season 4. It’s the episode where his appendix comes out, where his domestic bliss with Kate crumbles, and where he reads from “Alice” to Aaron.
  • Shannon’s inhaler? Didn’t see that coming. The whole skit with Jorge Garcia at Comic-Con last year was apparently part of the master plan.
  • Hurley fires off so many pop-culture inspired lines, I don’t know where to begin. He lied to a samurai. He described Jacob as being like Obi-Wan Kenobi. And he tells Dogen he’s a fan of “Indiana Jones.” But I’ll take any of those lines over the groan-worthy chat with Jack over Kate.
  • Locations: David’s school, “St. Mary’s Academy,” is St. Louis School in Kaimuki. The “Williams Conservatory” recital hall is Central Middle School near downtown Honolulu. David’s mother’s house is a private residence on Malama Place in Manoa. Watch for updates on my Lost Locations website.

What did you think?. We’d love your thoughts, theories, and feedback below. You can also e-mail us at lost@hawaiiup.com or call the LOSTLine at (815) 310-0808.

This entry was posted in Notes. Bookmark the permalink.

313 Responses to Next: “The Lighthouse”

  1. NuckinFuts says:

    Hey Ryan & Jen & You All Everybody… the podcast was great as usual.

    I took some time researching some Stephen King literature and thought I would share a few things about some of his works before tonights episode for those who care:

    “It” ( Which I read around 7th grade )

    In the novel “It” there was an ‘evil’ presence that had been around for all time that could shapshift into many various forms and many times depending on the observer would appear as something from their deepest fears or past. “It” ( MIB / Smokey) often took the form of “Pennywise” the clown. “It” apparently originated in a void containing and surrounding the universe, a place referred to in the novel as the “Macroverse” (a concept similarto the later established Todash Darkness of The Dark Tower series).

    Its natural enemy is “The Turtle” ( Jacob? ), another ancient Macroverse dweller resembling a God-like deity, who, eons ago, created our universe and possibly others. The Turtle shows up again in King’s series The Dark Tower. The book suggests that It, along with the Turtle, are themselves creations of a separate, omnipotent creator referred to as “the Other” ( The Child We Saw? ).

    The Turtle and It are eternal enemies and It arrived in our world in a massive, cataclysmic event similar to an asteroid impact, in the place that would, in time, become Derry, Maine….so….sorry…not in Portland…but the island maybe?

    Its power is apparently quite vast; It offers money, power, and supernatural lifespans if they ( the people in the story ) spare It.

    Through the novel, some events are described through Its point of view, through which It describes itself as the “superior” being, with the Turtle as someone “close to his superiority” and humans as mere “toys.”

    Also of note perhaps: “It” opens w/ a boy being lured to a street drain and dying when his arm is ripped off. ( Montaud? ).

    There is a scene where an Indian “smoke-hole” ritual is performed to receive spiritual guidance from whatever forces stand against It. ( Like Locke performs )

    ———–

    Now that this is getting longer than I thought I will just say a few more things about King. Man, he has done it all! If you check wiki you will find other books w/ many possible tie-ins. The thing buried underground in “The Tommyknockers” similar to ‘The Hatch’; A character named “Jack Sawyer” in “The Talisman” and the fact taht people have ‘Twinners’, or parallel individuals, in our world; King uses a fictional top secret gov’t. agency in many books called “The Shop” which seems a lot like “DHARMA”; and on and on the list goes on….I also think it’s neat that throughout King’s books there are many connections between characters in one story and another. They may have been neighbors or shared time together briefly between one story and another.

    Cool. Enough – – I hope tonight is great!

  2. Rich in Cleveland says:

    Great post, NF.

    Referring to Yann’s earlier post, I feel “The Stand” is the literary work that has the most relevance to Lost. Unless, you feel as Adam that it’s only warmed over sci-fi. “He’s coming, the dark man is coming.”

    Finally, the condition of those brought back and subsequently to claimed by darkness strongly resembles what happens when beings are brought back to life in “Pet Semetary.” The scene in which Anthony Cooper savagely bites Locke instantly brought this to mind. The appearance of those brought back may be the same, but the consciousness has turned monstrous.

  3. Jesse says:

    First 10 seconds of the episode review:

    L O L Photoshop.

  4. Jacques says:

    LOL HOLY FRIGGEN CRAP 5 mins in?? Picking who up at school? Better not spoiler bu HOLY FRIGGEN CRAP!!

  5. Jacques says:

    @Jesse

    Bad Photoshop too lmao…More like Nooboshop lol

  6. EricFromOhio says:

    “I just lied to a samuari.” GREAT line.

  7. Hooligan X says:

    The inhaler!

  8. EricFromOhio says:

    Can we say, “Tower of Babel”….references continue.

  9. EricFromOhio says:

    Jack – “what does he want from me/us?” “He’s been watching me /us since I was little”

    Again, Biblically, (like Hurley does) he wants us to love, serve and obey his commands. Sounds exactly like what Hurley has been doing and is therefore able to hear/see Jacob/God/Jesus.

  10. WTF! says:

    HOLY FREAKING CRAP!!!

  11. Dave in AL says:

    HOLY FREAKIN’ CRAP!

  12. Birger says:

    Great episode, though not as mindblowing as last week’s.

    The parallels between Season 1 and Season 6 are really starting to become clear now. All of the corresponding episodes have had the same “centric-ness” (if you count both the Pilot and LA X as multicentric) but the general themes and situations are aligned too. Like for tonight’s episode: “White Rabbit” is where we first discover the caves and see Adam and Eve and, after an absence of several seasons, we finally see them both again “Lighthouse”. It really seems like the flashsideways are where we finally find the characters’ redemption. Kate, previously set entirely on running away, learns to stick with someone through her experiences with Claire. Locke finally comes to terms with his disability. Jack learns to deal with his own daddy-issues through his relationship with his son.
    These parallels beg the question of how long they can keep this up though. Next week could certainly be Sun-centric and, assuming Charlie gets an episode, most of the first half of S1 centric-ness would work pretty well (Sun, Charlie, Sawyer, Sayid, Claire, in that order). However, Hurley’s episode would be nowhere to be found and we also have to keep in mind Richard or even Jacob/Smocke-centric episodes.

    It would appear that Claire talking about “her friend” (Man in Locke) and “her father” (Christian) as separate people would indicate that Christian was never a manifestation of Smokey. However, I think it’s more likely Man in Locke was simply using both personas to interact with Claire and convince her that the Others have Aaron (two people are more persuasive than one).

    Other thoughts:
    – The fact that Hurley points out the popular theory that Adam and Eve are main characters having time-travelled can either be a giant red-herring by the producers or a not-so-subtle acknowledgement that fan theories about Adam and Eve have been right all along. Either way, we’ll hopefully find out soon!
    – Claire’s Fake-Baby-Skull-Thing = Polar Bear Skull? (certainly look similar, though one’d have to wait for screencaps to confirm: http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/data/media/2/bear-skull_960.jpg)
    – Hurley seems to confirm that Kate isn’t important to Jacob after all. I guess it’s because she didn’t follow Jacob’s instructions to “Be Good, Katie” (blowing up your dad isn’t really good).
    – Nice touch: Key to Sarah’s house hidden under a white rabbit
    – Jack’s final scene with “David” and with the mirrors in the lighthouse was amazing acting by Matthew Fox. So many Emmy-worthy performances this Season – loving it!

  13. EricFromOhio says:

    Show just finished.

    Jack to David in LA: “I have always loved you and I will always love you. You can never do wrong in my eyes, because you’re my (child)son.”

    Sounds like Jesus’ words to us.

    I say again, whether or not the producers ever officially state the obvious or not, the entire show is not about just good vs. eveil, but rather the struggle over our souls between God and the devil.

  14. Steven Hunter says:

    Holy Freakin’ Crap!

    What a great episode, and next week’s promises to be even better. And I agree with Eric — Hurley’s “I just lied to a samurai” line was hilarious.

  15. The pieces are falling in place…
    Be patient.

  16. Sobaika says:

    Good episode. But gotta say, Jack SOOO doesn’t have what it takes. He freaks out one too many times.

  17. Dave Margosian says:

    Wow, I thought for sure Jacob was sending Hugo off to send the numbers via a radio transmission. My bad!

  18. Dave Margosian says:

    …And is Jack a vampire? Why doesn’t he like mirrors? lol

  19. John Fischer says:

    OK, I know I’ll probably be in the minority, but that episode left me totally flat. What did it really accomplish? What dd we learn? Not much, I think. I can’t find anything in that episode that advanced the story. If any of you can, I’d love to hear it.

  20. Tucker Conley says:

    Sobaika, you have to look at the situation through Jack’s eyes. He’s frusterated, because he went all the out to the lighthouse to see Jacob and hes not there, his name is written down and he has no idea why. I’d freak out as well.

  21. Jesse says:

    Ok, this felt like the Kate episode…
    not me liking it wise, I liked it alot…
    but it felt like another build up episode.
    I HATE THOSE…
    it’s like… we’re right about to get to something good then…
    SORRY, NEXT WEEK..TEE HEE 🙂

  22. Jesse says:

    Oh and all this episode left me wondering was “who is the name at 108”..
    though I have to assume it’s Desmond

  23. Larry Ford says:

    I didn’t like seeing Claire like that. I liked the old Claire. But the whole Jacob and the lighthouse thing was quite awesome 🙂 Now, I’m going to be wondering about fakeLocke and Claire now all week.

  24. Dave says:

    Light house, as in the opposite of a dark cave?

    One thought though… No teenage kid, even one living in LA, would have identified as a Red Sox fan (in 2004, no less) and worn a Yankees hat like David Shepard did.

  25. BJ Cagle says:

    This is the first episode that actually scared me – I may have nightmares! UnLocke plus scary Claire is truly terrifying…..poor Jin.

  26. Lisa in OK says:

    So how did Claire know that Flocke is Smokie/MIB? Can she see through the disguise the way Hurley can see the dead? Or is it because she has been touched and warped by this person/creature?
    I think the sickness is being touched/wanted by Smokie to join his army and it’s how he twist things in the mind of the person he wants so that they can be controlled but under the guise of having freewill. Why else would Claire have forgotten that she GAVE Aaron to Kate before she went off into the woods to join up with Christian?

    To many questions and not enough answers.

  27. johntindale says:

    the writers love to pull in scifi/ historical/ religious references and the thing I wonder about is the lighthouse/ looking glass concept. Its not a way for ships to see the island, but it is clearly a way for Jacob to “visit?” the outside world “thru the looking glass”

    I’m not super excited about the parallel universe, but I definitely like the crazy Claire theme, failing the test like Saayid, and the sense of a coming conflict between the followers of the dark one, and the followers of the light one.

    I think it will come out that the white side is not “all good” and that the dark is not “all bad” we will need to see the island return to a balance more like yin/ yang. We already know that Jacob and black t-shirt have been “friends” in the past.

  28. Dave Rambo says:

    Why is Jack always on the verge of crying?!?! LOL Good episode. Very illuminating. pun intended! So close to proving me right or wrong about Kate being candidate 108. I need justification!!!!!!!!

  29. Dave Margosian says:

    Hey, BJ, me, too! Eek! We can call her Sclairey!

  30. Dave says:

    Also, did we just never hear about Jack’s kid in the original timeline? It seems to be the first thing in the “flash sideways” that would have had to have been different ~15 years earlier! (Anthony Cooper being invited to Locke’s wedding is more plausible since the universe has a way of course correcting and all.)

  31. Mallory says:

    Ok two things.

    Jacks wife, isss juliet.

    aaand jacks purpose on the island. is to get his son, david to come to the island.

    the shepard on the list is david. not jack.
    david is a musician. music sooths cerberus.
    cerberus is the smoke monster.

  32. Pamela says:

    #108 says “Wallace”. Couldn’t tell if it was scratched out? Not sure who Wallace is though. It looked like when they were close to 108, an asian looking building appeared in the mirror. My husband said it looked like the Temple.

  33. Tucker Conley says:

    1. We found out that somebody is coming to the island
    2. We found in the 2004 timeline, jack has a son
    3. Confirmation that Claire was taken by the sickness

  34. D in the D says:

    #108 was Wallace crossed off, freezed the other times they showed the wheel. #51 is Austen, and is uncrossed!

  35. Pamela says:

    Oh, and Kate was #51, and she was not crossed out.

  36. brermike says:

    I thought this was a great episode, and an excellent companion piece to White Rabbit. I loved Hurley and Jack’s scenes as they treked to the Lighthouse. Definite season one vibe again to the whole episode. I also enjoyed the sideways storyline, even though I was spoiled about David. Excellent writing and acting.

    Looks like Claire recognizes Man in Black, instead of Locke. I wonder if that is part of the infection? Great scenes with her and Jin, though I hope Sun gets more screen time this season.

    I wonder who is 108 at the Lighthouse? Desmond perhaps??

    I’m already expecting all the filler posts, but this really was a great episode. I think too many just watch for answers now (the ABC promos are partly to blame), but are missing out on all the things that made Lost great to begin with. Good characters, good storyline, and intriguing mysteries.

    Can’t wait for next week!

  37. Kathy D says:

    Have to agree with Steven H – Hurley’s line was the best. I LMAO. Jack and Hurley go to the lighthouse only to find names and numbers again with an added twist. As I see it Jacob is ‘recruiting’ Hurley and Jack and who knows who else. LIGHThouse, white, the good guys. Flocke, going to a dark cave, ‘recruiting’ Sawyer and one other that will be revealed.

    I wonder is the sides have been reveled via the Lost Supper pic. The right side of the pic is light and sunny, the left side is coverd with trees and dark. The players seem to be falling into place.

    Great episode

  38. colossus says:

    For your consideration:
    Of the 7 wonders of the world, two have been referenced.
    1) Colossus
    2) Lighthouse of Alexandria

    5 to go, unless we’ve had clues about the others?
    Gardens of Babylon
    Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
    Temple of Artemis
    Pyramids of Giza
    Statue of Zeus at Olympia

  39. Anthony Cavallo says:

    Was the scar on the wrong side?

  40. Stan says:

    Claire knows MIL is not Locke and calls him her “friend”, but she calls Christian her “father”. Are the writers hinting that Christian is not MIL or is MIL playing games w/ Claire?

  41. Sobaika says:

    Loved the samurai line, and Claire’s “the one thing that’ll kill you out here is an infection.”

  42. John Fischer says:

    It seems Austen is listed as #51 on the wheel and it is not crossed out!

  43. Niki says:

    Tucker, what specifically is the confirmation that Claire has been taken by the sickness. Isn’t it more that we know Christian isn’t good/telling the truth, since he told Claire the Others had Aaron?

  44. Montreal LAFLEUR says:

    Hey, Jen & Ryan,
    So the 2004/LA X timeline is not just the result of the bomb blowing up. With Ben appearing last week and Jack having a son this week, it appears that what we are seeing is a whole other timeline, with our characters lives being changed since long before the bomb.
    I mean, if it was just the bomb, their lives would have been the same until they flew over the island and didn’t crash.
    Anyway, I’m not even sure I am making sense.

  45. Jack is traveling the arch and he has to make this trip. Right now, he’s admittedly broken, but I have faith the Season 1 Jack, the knight in armor, who will jump into a fiery crash to save people is still in there deep inside. We have all gone through times where things aren’t just working out and we feel jinxed. He’s stuck in that place right now. It’s the old saying that tough times never last, but tough people do. Jack does have what it takes. Don’t be fooled by the sensitive side, because Jack is a tough one and when he gets his second wind, he’s going to knock someone out like John Wayne in the Quiet Man.

  46. Niki says:

    John,
    What wheel are you talking about, and why would the other Losties have “significant” numbers but not Kate?

  47. John Fischer says:

    I totally missed this, but the NUMBERS are the degrees on the lighthouse mirror that you have to turn to in order to view the CANDIDATES in their alternate lives.

  48. HeyKir in NYC says:

    I couldn’t see whose name was at 108 degrees? Anyone have a screencap yet?

  49. EricFromOhio says:

    @Brat : Jack is struggling right now, as all of us do at times, questioning what “our maker” wants from us or why we “are” where we are in our lives. “Is there a plan for me”….”has there always been a plan for me”…has “he” been there watching over me the entire time and “allowed” certain things to take place in my life even if they caused pain and if so why?

    Jack is struggling with these questions, as Jacob continues to watch over him and is giving him the time he needs to realize what the plan is for him. Jacob knows that the path he hopes that Jack will take will be the one that follows him, but he cannot force that upon Jack. It is a choice that Jack(all of us) need to make on our own. He wants us to “obey his commands” and follow Him(capitalized intentionally).

    I love this show.

  50. chrisdoran70 says:

    108 was Wallace and the name was crossed out.

    and a possible shout out was 109 – Friendly

Comments are closed.