It was the best of episodes, it was the worst of episodes. A tale of two LOSTs came to us tonight, and the chasm between fans who liked it and fans who didn’t will probably never be wider. Perhaps “Ab Aeterno” was a breathtaking, deep, and daring voyage into the heart of a man and, therein, the heart of the whole series. Or, perhaps it was merely an extended flashback for a secondary character that ended with absolutely no forward momentum on the island.
We choose the former. We loved this episode.
If only for tonight, we forgot about numbers and vaccines and time travel, and immersed ourselves in the story of Ricardus — the rich Spanish settings, the lingering moments of terror and despair aboard the Black Rock, the eternal chess game between the Man in Black and Jacob, and throughout, Nestor Carbonell’s fantastic performance. When Richard is visited by the form of Isabelle, we were enthralled. We couldn’t believe this eerie scene was part of the same show that started with a plane crash five years ago.
Before we even thought about where the pieces fit, “Ab Aeterno” reaffirmed our love of the picture being painted. In the end, will it be incomplete, fragmented, and confounding? We have no doubt. But six seasons in, “LOST” is still taking chances, posing big questions, and for that, we still think it’s the best show on television.
Nonetheless, the puzzle pieces demand some study.
No, the island is not hell, nor purgatory… yet it is the closest thing to it, in both the corporeal and metaphysical sense. Indeed, Alpert’s early declaration that they’re all dead is not entirely untrue. Souls come to the island to be tested, and have so far unanimously failed. Sounds like hell to us. We also learn that the island is a “cork” that keeps malevolence and evil contained, and that our survivors are pawns in an epic battle between darkness and its captor.
So: Before the Man In Black escapes, can the last of the candidates prove Jacob’s case? Can they demonstrate that people can choose the right path?
That seems to be “LOST” in a nutshell. The players and stories are simply human. Jack, Kate, Hurley, a Kwon… Their pasts don’t matter, yet obviously inform their future. But stakes are huge. Biblical, global, and universal. It seems impossible for “LOST” to satisfactorily resolve these grand themes in the next seven episodes, let alone a million other frayed threads. We’re afraid vindication may only come after re-watching the series from the beginning, after seeing everything through Season Six eyes.
Interestingly, we saw a distinct parallel between Richard’s failed attempt on Jacob’s life and Sayid’s failure to kill the Man in Black. The fact that both sides may be intent on murder certainly muddies the “good versus evil” waters. Also, even though we still don’t know what rules are in force (and thus what “loophole” Ben stepped through to finally stab Jacob), I was surprised by the suggestion that Alpert was the first to try. Coming to the island in the 1800s, his story already began much more recently than I’d assumed. Which means that the conflict has only recently turned ugly, maybe as Jacob’s candidates have started to run out.
On the questions checklist, meanwhile, we can cross out both “what destroyed the statue” and “how did the Black Rock end up in the jungle” with the same stroke. The physics seem a little iffy, but then again, there’s also a smoke monster on this show. Speaking of which, it’s now clear that said smoke monster “scans” people to find their motivations and weaknesses, if not also their usefulness. Conjuring dead wives, or daughters (Alex), or brothers (Yemi) is a useful power to get people to do things for you, and it’s a power that Jacob explicitly admits tonight that he lacks.
He can, however, grant immortality. And I’m curious why Alpert became Jacob’s ageless intermediary, when all who came before and after him were merely candidates to test. I’m guessing Alpert was a candidate himself, explaining why was he the only person on the Black Rock that the smoke monster didn’t kill. But did he end up extra special because he was the first to come at Jacob with a dagger, demonstrating to Jacob that he needed a helper?
And now, decades later, Richard is weak and tries to join the Man In Black. His dead wife, through Hurley, puts him back on track. Like Ben, he’s nearly led astray, but sticks with Jacob’s team. But also like Ben, I now wonder what else is left for him to do. I don’t know who’s going to be the last man standing against the Man In Black, but I’m pretty sure it’s not either of them.
We’re glad “LOST” took us on a ride into the past this week. But next week, we better rack up some serious mileage on the island.
Notes and Notions:
- Jen’s now fixated on Anthony Cooper. The man who appeared mysteriously on the island, and whom Ben prodded Locke to murder. With a knife. Quickly, before he had a chance to think. Was that whole scenario yet another “move” between Jacob and the Man in Black? And if so, who’s side did Anthony Cooper represent?
- Alpert’s backstory was almost flawless. But the ease with which the greedy doctor was killed was a bit silly. Coupled with Kelvin’s noggin knock at Desmond’s hands, it seems skulls on “LOST” are especially fragile.
- Now that we see even more significance and history to Alpert’s character, it’s hard not to think about some of the things he’s done in seasons past. The fact that he was merely a thug for Ben in “The Brig” seems ridiculous, as does his apparently pivotal role in “The Purge.” Was he acting in Jacob’s interests then? And how does that jive with his efforts to sustain a truce further back in 1977?
- Richard’s devotion to Isabella was well acted, but I couldn’t help but think it was an interesting choice to motivate him with his love for a spouse, rather than for a parent or especially a child. With all the generational issues explored on “LOST,” hanging things on a husband and wife bond seemed almost quaint.
- Some great, lighter moments: Richard’s almost girlish giggle when he’s asked what to do. Hurley telling Jack it’s not about him. And the look on the Man in Black’s face when Alpert hands him the white stone.
- The captain of the Black Rock was one Magnus Hanso. Presumably related to Alvar Hanso of the nearly forgotten Hanso Foundation, which funded the DHARMA Initiative. I wonder if this one mention of the Hanso name will be all we’ll see in the show from the Season 2 ARG? Or will the arrival of Charles Widmore open the door to a little more Hanso/DHARMA backstory?
- Lots of overtly Christian elements this week. God, the devil, a bible, a cross, sin, absolution and forgiveness, penitence… There was a lingering shot of Luke 4:24-29, in which Jesus asserts that prophets are often rejected in their own neighborhoods, and angers the people of Nazareth by telling them not to expect any special treatment even though he’s from their town. I’ll leave it to more qualified scholars to tease out how the passage applies to “LOST.” I’m also sure the nail Richard found on the Black Rock was symbolic, but don’t know how.
- At the end of Season 5, Jacob and the Man In Black see a ship sailing on calm seas in the middle of a bright, sunny day. Yet we now know the Black Rock arrived on a stormy night… delivered by a huge wave, no less. Presumably the first ship wasn’t the Black Rock, but one of many other vessels that Jacob has summoned.
What did you think? We’d love your feedback! Share your thoughts, theories, and reactions to “Ab Aeterno” via a comment below, e-mail us at lost@hawaiiup.com, or call the LOSTLine at (815) 310-0808.
Anyone speak spanish? What was Hurley saying to Isabella at the fire when Jack interrupted them?
I have to rewatch it and come back later. I am confused. Which is not surprising. Why does MIB always seem like the logical gentle one and if he is the devil, why does he take the time to return the cross to Richard?
So much to process.
And in addition to what does the “island have to do with The Rules”, what does this have to do with Dharma and time travel and Constants? We’re getting information, but the questions are still mounting.
I think we’re supposed to believe a tidal wave destroyed the statue and landed the Black Rock inland.
Since it was so calm when Jacob and the MIB first saw the ship off-shore last season, I’m not sure how that works.
For me a very good, but not great episode. I was let down from all of the hype.
It seems that Jacob is good and the MIB is evil, but that’s still all dependent on Jacob’s comments.
It was definitely a fun and well done episode, but did it really advance the story?
This episode was awesome! I love Richard anyway, and it was heartbreaking to see his backstory of his lost love! What was interesting was to see the interplay between MIB and Jacob again, and how MIB tried to manipulate Richard into killing Jacob. Also how MIB used the same words that Dogan used when trying to get Sayid to kill Flocke.
Jacob’s analogy about the cork in the wine bottle being like the island containing “evil” was very telling. Although I am not convinced that either Jacob or MIB is completely evil or good, it sure looks like MIB is more on the dark side. However, if someone were holding me prisoner on an island, I’m not sure that I would be a happy camper! I might kill a few folks, too! Still waiting to see how MIB became smokey. He obviously was already the smoke monster when Richard showed up on the island.
It seemed that smokey was able to scan Richard and learn what happened to him. It also seems that he was spared, maybe because he was repentant about killing the doctor? Awesome that Hugo was able to communicate with Isabella and have her interact with Richard. Could people like Isabella be the whispers? Regular folks can’t see them, but Hugo can if they reveal themselves? Not sure, but wondering.
Beautiful, awesome, eppy!
MiB returns the cross to Richard to win him over to his side – and it worked. MiB is manipulative. I’m still on Team Jacob.
When Richard is in the jail cell he is reading Luke Chapter 4 from the Bible. This chapter is about the temptation of Christ by the Devil. The devil comes to Christ and promises him things and lies to him. The devil tries to get Christ to bow down to him and follow him through these temptations. This is exactly what MIB did with Claire/Sayid and what Jacob apparently did with Dogen.
This was an amazing episode…awesome!
Recall the final ep of last season in the opening scene. We see a ship sailing during the daytime and the statue is erect. We all assumed it was the Black Rock, but after seeing how it crashed on the island now I’m doubting it was. Or…is the Black Rock acting as a vessel to transport candidates/souls to hell. It just reminds me of Greek mythology and Charon transporting souls across the river Styx.
JEN, Get out a new box of Kleenex. The Richard Alpert backstory will have you in tears for at least 20 minutes of tonight’s ep, Ab Aeterno.
I Loved this episode!!!
This episode was great, and will definitely require repeat viewings. I still need time to process.
I will say this – I don’t think Isabella actually said to stop MIB from leaving. We didn’t see her say it in Spanish, and Hurley looked like he didn’t want to really say that last part. I think Jacob knew that Richard was wavering and recruited Hurley to bring him back.
Hurley is saying, “Yes, I can help you but….I wouldn’t know how to find him…”
WOW!! I’ve always been intrigued by Richard and looked forward to this episode with as much excitement as last season’s “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”. The difference between that episode and this. I found this not to be a let-down.
The rules were brought up again, and that long ago, MIB was looking to kill Jacob and the explanation. And now it’s like Team Darlton are toying with us by actually framing Jacob as the devil for a time. Strange parallel because Mark Pellegrino actually plays Lucifer on Supernatural.
Anyway, look forward to hearing what Ryan and Jen have to say on their podcast for this show.
Amazing episode! Nestor’s acting was superb! There is so much to digest from tonight’s episode and I can’t wait to hear everyone’s theories! I feel like Hurley has now taken on the role as mediator for Jacob- the “job” that Jacob asked Richard to fill. Hurley is stepping in, leading people to make the “right” decision instead of Richard. What does this mean for Richard? If he is no longer a mediator for Jacob, will he be released from his “deal” of never dying?
For me, the MIB/Jacob story was the weakest element of this episode. LOST has never been about Good Guys in White Hats vs. Bad Guys in Black Hats. But if the essence of the Jacob/MIB story boils down to Heroic Cork Stopper Jacob protecting the world from MIB, I for one will feel very stupid for having wasted so much time trying to read more into it. LOST is the last place I expected to find the “Sealed Evil in a Can” cliche from the TV Tropes and Idioms website. Or in this case, MIB is Sealed Evil in a Bottle.
Also, as the sister of Barry from Wisconsin (he’s in Kenosha, I’m in Janesville), I can attest to the very spirited debate we had over “Re-Con”. He is totally wrong, take my word for it.
So based on the dynamic between MIB and Jacob, and knowing that one of the “6” is to replace Jacob, my guess is that in order to maintain the correct dynamic, it would have to be Jack. Jack and Locke’s relationship basically mirrors Jacob and MIB. They are both polite to each other, while not trusting and wanting to eliminate each other at the same time. P.S. Gotta be an emmy nom for Nestor, top notch skills.
Stacey I believe the New World can reflect on Central America, the Caribbean, or South America. But guys I researched on what Ricardo means and it says that it means the Brave Ruler. Could this be a hint to him as the Candidate. Plus Isabella comes from the feminine word of Elizabeth which comes from the Greek translation of Hebrew word Elisheva which means my God is an oath,”God’s promise,” “oath of God,” or “I am God´s daughter. Elisheva was also the wife of Aaron.
Answers! Holy freakin crap! I thought Richard’s story was very compelling and filled with a good chunk of answers. I think I would have freaked out a little if it wasn’t.
Here’s what I took away from the episode:
1 – Based on Jacob’s analogy with the wine bottle, it seems that the island is basically a prison, MIB is the prisoner, and Jacob is the guard. That seems to make sense based on what we have seen up until this point and I’m cool with it.
2 – I’m still wondering how a wooden ship plowed through a giant stone statue and landed intact in the jungle. Seriously? I’ll choose to suspend disbelief and be happy we got an answer.
3 – MIB’s real name must be significant. There have been a number of times that his name could have been stated, but was conspicuously left out.
Amazing episode, def. need to rewatch many times. I am thinking that it was def. The Black Rock MIB and Jacob saw out in the ocean. Adding yet another ship is just over thinking a simple solution. How many times has the weather changed instantly on the island and when trying to get to the island. It has never been easy to cross into the immediate area surrounding the island. Also if they wanted to ensure a quick clean-out of useless bodies what better way than to “dump” them on the island during a storm. I am pretty sure it wouldn’t be that hard for Jacob or MIB to conjure one up.
Also I think that the reason MIB used Hell as a place to tell Richard they were was because that is something Richard believed in enough to scare him into manipulating him to kill Jacob. He was just going off the ideas that Richard already had in his head- the other slave had already announced they were headed to hell and that the statue was the devil himself.
Amazing stuff. Can’t believe we are so close to the end. Thanks for such a great podcast!
“A New World.” This is what it’s all about. Though it has a legitimate historical basis, the phrase really deals with essential conflict at issue. Will Pandora’s box, the genie in the bottle, etc. be unleashed uponn the world?
Initially, this episode was a triumph of ambiguity. Jacob took Richard to task (literally) He who must not be named presented his side of the argument quite capably. MIB handed Richard the same sacrificial dagger that Dogen offered Sayid. But, at its conclusion, Ab Aeterno certainly did not illuminate every detail, but it probably gave us the biggest answer possible: we know that the darkness is evil quarantined.
Speaking of genies, Jacob only granted Richard’s third wish.
Did you notice as Richard came for Jacob, the surrounding hillsides were barren? It was as if an atomic blast had recently gone off…..
LOST has always been about perceived good versus perceived evil. Sure, we aren’t always given the full story to base our perceptions on but we have been given the viewpoint of the players involved (and the added benefit of seeing all the players viewpoints).
Whether it be fate/free will or god/devil or wine/cork it still falls into the fundamental battles we have seen – that being the perceived good against the perceived evil.
Just because we have been given a glimpse that perhaps the good/bad might not be what we thought it was doesn’t mean it doesn’t go with the essence of the show.
That said – even if we just take it as good trying to keep the wine in the bottle that still takes Jacob’s words on faith…. I still think he is a manipulative “person” so I don’t know if we should take that at complete face value.
I thought about an episode like this quite some time ago. It was later confirmed at Comic-Con that there would be a Richard Alpert back story and I’ve been waiting patiently ever since. After having seeing Ab Aeterno, I can honestly say that it’s the best episode of Lost I have ever seen. Even more amazing was the strength of Nestor Carbonell’s acting and the fact that he carried this significant episode all by himself (well, with a little help from Jacob, Smokey and Hurley). I haven’t even gotten into all the juicy details we got from this episode, but I’ll stop here and go look for my fallen jaw.
There is a limit to how much I can suspend belief. We are now here.
Very enjoyable episode, but I was disappointed in how little it told us. Everyone who watches this show on any sort of a regular basis would not consider Richard coming on the Black Rock as a big surprise, and aside from that, what did we learn? I suppose we have more evidence that Jacob really is the good guy (or, as the Man in Black continues to say, he’s just really persuasive – hmm).
Some thoughts –
– Apparently Richard could actually hear Isabella? I don’t get it. I mean, Hurley stopped translating and Richard was replying to her and all. That whole scene was a little weird, and I wish there was some reasoning behind why Hurley all of a sudden picked up his ability to see/speak to the dead.
– The actions of Smokey / Man in Black are really bizarre and contradictory. He’s supposed to be evil, yet he seems to kill “evil” people more often than good people. He also “judges” people – for what? Finally, the most confusing of all, is that he can be summoned by Ben?? Say what?! Now that we know more about him, this makes NO sense and seems like a complete lack of cohesion on behalf of the writers. MiB would never allow someone working for Jacob to summon him, nor does he seem controllable in the least bit either.
– I like the “big picture” story of Jacob and MiB unfolding, but it sure seems to render about 3+ years of this show as pointless. The Dharma Initiative especially seems like a contrivance now, just something shiny to keep our attention and keep the theories rolling, but ultimately pointless.
I continue to fear that LOST will ultimately cannibalize itself and as it comes to a conclusion, render much of what transpired on the show pointless. This makes me sad. Maybe the haters who’ve always said the writers made this show up as they went along weren’t too far off…
@ Sobaika : potentially, Isabella was telling Hurley on the beach to go find Richard and tell him to stop MIB.
Excellent backstory for Richard, still I miss calm, cool Richard. Though I now understand where crazed suicidal Richard came from. And if Jacob has not said anything more to Richard about what was going on, well shame on Jacob! Why would he not confide in his “representative”. Unless, he (Jacob) wanted to be as unintrusive (without his interference) as possible so that MIB could be proved wrong without his help or as little as possible.
I do have one question : does it really take that many centuries to find one human being that will effectively prove that humanity is not corruptable? I get that it only ends once – but is humanity that hard to defend?
I think the tidal wave that lifted the blackrock had more to do with knocking the statue down than the ship itself. Also we’ve only seen the ship from the back on island, so we don’t know what kind of damage was done to the front end.
I also love the varying methods of the two antagonists, equally capable. MIB gets to Richard first and positions him perfectly for the long con. Jacob sends blessed Hurley to turn Richard away from that stone throne beneath the signal tree.
I think the disparity between the scene in “The Incident” between MIB/Jacob and the arrival of the Black Rock has to do with the “mechanism” (story-wise, not technological) that keeps the island hidden. Remember, when Frank, Sayid and Desmond leave the island in S4, there’s a sudden change from day to night (or vice versa, can’t remember which) and when the h-bomb detonates, the same occurs. If there is a quasi-scientific explanation to the cloaking/coordinates/time lag issues (ie a wormhole anchored by the exotic matter under the Orchid) then what’s seen from the island might not be the same as what’s seen off of it. I had a problem with that detail at first, but thinking of it that way allows me to “mostly” reconcile it.
John Fisher and Nana: MIB is evil, as before he gives someone what they want(Richard wanting out of chains) he first makes them agree to do something for him. Every time that we see Jacob, he is forgiving someone for something that they have done to him and offering them assistance. “Come to my house” and we will eat.
I thought this was amazing… Random thoughts:
Jacob said the island is keeping hell from getting out to the world but he never said that MIB is evil. I am still trying to figure out their dynamic.
Did Richard’s wife really appear to him on the ship or ws MIB involved? Curious because he couldn’t see his wife later on.
I agree Hurley seemed wierd when saying Richard had to stop MIB.
Does anyone else put as much stock into Jacob saying “someone else will take me place”? MIB said it before, so again haven’t seen him being dishonest, but other than that was it just fan speculation? Can we expect one of our heroes to really replace him?
Anyone else thinking “oh my goodness don’t do it” when Richard was calling out to MIB? Even though I’m on the fence about who is good or bad this didn’t seem like a good idea….
If the Black Rock left Tenerife, could it have gotten to where the island was in 2004 so quickly? If not, does that mean the island moved since 1867? Probably not important though.
@ coolpiece – I can see it taking so long to find someone incorruptable when MIB kills so many and the ones remaining kill each other.
Did Jacob have anything to do with Dharma coming to the island? How did the original Others get there?
I don’t think this episode rendered earlier seasons worthless. It gives more weight to the whole “people corrupt” idea when we’ve seen some of the other people brought, some of the other people corrupted, and what everyone has gone through.
Is Richard really dead? If so, this would mean that everyone on the island is dead? Perhaps the island is an interim destination?
So Isabella shows up to Richard. She’s dead right? We know this. Yet Richard is able to able to see, hear, touch her before she runs off and gets “taken” away.
So this would mean that either Richard can see/hear dead people (like Hurley), or he is really dead himself. Otherwise, wouldn’t he be able to see Isabella later, when she appears to Hurley? Kinda confused about this one.
This episode seemed to answer a lot of questions and clear up some speculation.
There are those that think that MIB and Jacob are one and the same. I don’t think that’s plausible anymore. MIB is contradictory saying that Jacob is the devil but that he is the smoke monster that apparently took Isabella. I think MIB can create the illusions of people coming back from the dead for his own purposes. Jacob doesn’t seem to be able to do this and tells Richard that he can’t bring them back together.
Although it seems clear that this conflict between MIB and Jacob is the central theme, you have to ask what is Widmore’s place in this? Or Ben? Didn’t Jacob ever warn Ben about MIB and his guile? Also if Ben/Richard are on the side of good Jacob, how can they justify the slaughter of the Dharma Initiative?
All in all a very good episode. It seemed to have a very high answer/question ratio when compared to previous episodes.
@ Chris – I took the way they transitioned to Richard hearing Isabella was done to make thing simpler on viewers. It would have taken longer and been a little annoying for Hurley to have to repeat everything we saw her saying.
@Jesse – I think the part of the religious symbolism from tonight reflects the scientific knowledge of that period and perhaps Jacob explaining things in terms that Richard could understand. I certainly hope they follow through with some of the science as it compliments the religious side as they both are about the same thing.
Anyway, my theory is that the special electromagnetic properties of the island (as mentioned by Dr. Chandler and Faraday) is what makes it difficult to detect. I believe some of the science today suggests that light can bend around objects and such properties are possibly encapsulating the island. This is evidenced by Faraday’s remark of the light not being quite right and also represented by Richard working on the ship in the bottle. There is only one way into the bottle to build the ship, which would explain the exact heading needed to get to the island. If you don’t follow the exact heading, you can’t see the island to be able to get onto it.
And if the island is acting like the cork in the bottle, maybe all hell will break loose scientifically (geologic catastrophe) or religiously (Hell breaks loose). I think the end will present both sides of the same thing, like the show has done all along, the whole faith and science thing. The rules would be rules of physics (or quantum physics or theoretical physics or whatever kind of Faraday physics there are), but who made the rules? (rhetorical question).
I’m sure there are many holes in my theory, but it’s one of the connections and explanations that I see.
@Rus – Ben saw his mom, Jack saw his dad, (and Shannon saw Walt – but he wasn’t dead)… I can’t believe they are dead.
I thought the producers said that the island isn’t some kind of limbo (interim destination) or anything like that.
Aside from all the amazing dollops of mythology (which I’ll leave for the smarter people here to unsnarl) I loved the amount of emotionally true moments in this episode. Richard’s single-mindedness– his fixation on saving Isabella (in whatever way that meant) and his fervent, almost desperate belief that he was in Hell– allowed the story to answer so many questions in such a satisfying way.
The moment where Richard buries the crucifix was particularly touching to me; he asks for eternal life for the sole purpose of avoiding Hell– but of course, avoiding Hell also means losing any afterlife, and that means that he will never see Isabella again. Retrieving the cross, and offering himself to the MIB represented an embrace of damnation– something Isabella would not let him do. She, in fact, saves Richard from literally going to the dark side at the very last moment, and leaves me with a hope that maybe they will, at some point, be reunited.
And on another note; I’m not Catholic, but in my head I’m fan-wanking that Bad Priest Guy was like best friends with the Bad Doctor Guy, and just felt like vindictively putting Richard through the religious wringer. But that’s just me 😉
Did Richard die while in chains? When the MIB came to him in person he touched his shoulder for a long time, reminded me of the espisodes where we learned how Jacob touched the survivors as children. Sayid was dead and came back to life. Was Claire dead and brought back to life?
Still want to know why it’s so important for Claire to be the one to raise Aaron, and if that’s really true, or just what the psychic was told by Jacob. After all it was the psychic who brought Claire to the island, presumably on Jacob’s behalf.
Excellent episode! I loved the reveal/backstory as to why Richard thought they were all actually dead.
What Jacob said about free will makes sense on many levels, but why the experiment to prove to MIB that people can live free from sin? What happens is the MIB actually changes his mind? No threat of darkness escaping into the world?
“Jacob” stole my body…………..what is the story behind that one?!
holy freakin crap
and hoqw did Sawyer know in Recon that Zoe was lying? Was it instinct or was there an overt clue?
@ Chris in Durham NC: To your questions:
-Richard couldn’t hear Isabella, they just decided not to have Hurley repeat everything she said to make it more intimate and less redundant. He repeated the first phrase, but the rest was meant to be implied. It’s just a creative/editing decision for TV.
-MIB can kill “evil” people even if we assume he is evil himself. That’s not contradictory. Bad people kill each other all the time.
As to MIB “judging” people, I think he is judging them because he needs a special type of person to use to kill Jacob. And being summoned by Ben
can be explained by the fact that we realized that he was the one who was actually using Ben, not the other way around.
-I don’t see the Dharma Initiative as pointless. It’s the reason for a lot of things that have happened, including the reason for a lot of key characters being on the island.
Good & evil. Bien y el mal.
Like Star Wars, Star Trek & so many other stories, that seems to be where they are taking us now.
I waited for this episode with great expectations. I thought too much time was spent watching Richard suffer getting to & on the Black Rock. But I liked where it took us. Okay, I may have hyped the episode too much in my mind. But it was great to finally learn Richard’s back story. And set it up towards the ultimate conflict and the finale.
Is UnLocke the evil Emperor?
Mike from Buffalo … you mentioned in your posting (and I don’t disagree with you) … – I’m still wondering how a wooden ship plowed through a giant stone statue and landed intact in the jungle. Seriously? I’ll choose to suspend disbelief and be happy we got an answer. As Darlton said in a recent Podcast when someone e-mailed in a question on “Does the Island give women the ability to lactate?” … “Two words – Smoke Monster … suspend all belief.”
Love that Hurley! And boy is Jack self-cenmtered or what? He thinks whenever Hurley is talking to someone that it must be Jacob and it must be about him. Let’s wipe Jack out as a candidate. Sayid’s gone to the dark side. Sun or Jin – neither one is strong enough to keep the evil that lives on the island bottled up there. Sawyer doesn’t see any good on the island and just wants to get the hell out of Dodge. Maybe Hurley is the one after all these years.
Richard & Isabella: another great LOST love story like Penny & Desmond, Richard & Bernard, Sun & Jin, Sawyer & Juliette, perhaps even Faraday and Charlotte. And like our heros and heroines, another case of love being Lost and Found.
Of course, they didn’t discuss Richard’s eyeliner issue, now THAT was disappointing …
Jacob told Richard “…that wasn’t your wife” after their struggle.
Maybe MIB is behind some of the dead people appearing to the living.
A few people are questioning Jacob’s motives for the Purge. We have not been told that it was Jacob’s instructions- only Ben has stated this. We all know that Ben is a magnificent liar. Jacob said he does not want to interfere with the people he has chosen. He wants them to make the right choices on their own. Richard’s job is to “guide” them. My theory is that the Purge was Ben’s idea and Richard was instructed to perhaps give Ben advice but ultimately allow him to make his own decision. I do not believe that Jacob was behind the Purge, but I do believe that Jacob will forgive Ben for this if he was repentant.
So, maybe Christian Shepard has been Smokey all along. Just like he tried to dupe Richard into believing he was in hell; he almost duped Jack right off a cliff in ‘White Rabbit.’
Say it aint so…
Does anyone else notice the sound of chirping birds in both scenes where MIB and Richard meet? What does it sound like? LOL.
@ Jeremy – if you want to go with The Stand parallels I don’t think Claire will be the Trashcan man…
I think it will be Sayid. My crackpot theory (after listening to the podcast for last week and Jen being bummed that Naveen won’t have much to do): We all know redemption is hude in this show and Sayid seems to have lost his chance. I think that isn’t the case, that he will be asked to kill one of his friends and won’t be able to do it. That will be his redemption, and if The Stand comparison is true at that point in chosing not to kill a friend it will at least contribute to the demise of whoever proves to be “the bad guy”.
MiB’s name is Legion.
Loved the episode: we know the stakes now. Kudos to Jeremy; the Stand reference with Lloyd and the Walking Dude (notice how much Locke/Flock marches back and forth across the Island) was right on. M O O N that spells Hurley!
I’m certain the stories we’ve gotten from the MetaProtagonists are tilted to their side of the battle; but its time to take sides and a … Stand.
Is anyone else getting less than one second flashes of “color bars” (http://memoryframes.org/andreawolf/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/colorBars.jpg) evenry minute or so? I think its just my problem — my cable provider’s problem, that is — but with Lost it’s just plausible enough to be worth asking.
I could not look away from the screen the entire episode.
This episode blew my mind.
lol @ M O O N that spells Hurley… Had forgotten about Tom Cullen helping by following the directions of a dead guy.
@ Dave in AL : I like your explanations – I am not one that needs to have scientific answers but I can understand if some may wish to have a basis in reality.
On the subject of scientific explanations, I have pasted below part of an interview which was given in the early seasons of Lost, where the ABC network had pushed the writers of Lost to always have a plausible explanation for the genre elements of the show. The network felt it would be a safer bet if the writers could point to science based elements to explain the mysteries if the network felt that they were loosing the audience with the supernatural elements. The quote below is from the scribe David Fury who became disenchanted with the ‘restrictions’ the network was originally placing on the writers of Lost. He subsequently left Lost to go to 24 on Fox.
…”Writer David Fury, who helped develop the direction of the show and wrote pivotal episodes like “Walkabout†and “Numbers,†saw the show as a struggle to advance its genre ideals. “The network and the studio hate the supernatural elements of the show,†Fury says. “They won’t admit to that but that’s the thing that scared them the most and what they thought would alienate the audience the most. They don’t understand that that’s what’s intriguing to people. According to Fury, the network mandated rational explanations for every potential fantasy element of the show as a fallback position. “As the show became a success the network was even more protective of the notion that we don’t want to alienate anyone, and by the time we got to episode six where Sayid is torturing Sawyer, they were terrified of that-they just said people are going to be appalled by that and I went ‘but that’s really interesting.’â€
ps: obviously, the popularity of the show and its rabid fans (that would be us) must have changed the minds of networkd executives… yay us!!
@ Rus : MIB first came to Richard as Smokey – he scanned him (as we saw him do to Kate and Juliet) with flashes, and he then came back as Isabella. So, we know can deduce that Smokey “captures” peoples memories, images, thoughts and then can “materialize” as anyone or anything… Ben’s mother, Yemi, Christian, Kate’s horse, Dave, Alex etc.
Smokey can take their form and possibly interact with the people on the Island for whom these scanned representations belong to. Meaning, Alex can interact (touch or in this case push around) with Ben. Yemi can interact with Echo, Kate with her horse but Christian could not interact with Locke at the FDW.
must. re. watch.
Just a random point (because with this show, no matter what you say, there is ALWAYS one more random point to be made) regarding Richard hearing Isabella. I don’t think he heard her explicitly, but I think (/hope) that he could sense her and what she was trying to tell him. He seemed to know when she had ‘left’, and I kind of read it as their connection providing him with, not the physical or tactile evidence of her presence, but a spiritual awareness of her.
(It may be sappy, but darnit, the guy needs SOME comfort!)