Next: “Ab Aeterno” (Episode 6-09)

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.

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404 Responses to Next: “Ab Aeterno” (Episode 6-09)

  1. Angela says:

    @Coolpeace, in regards to what you wrote about Christian… “could not interact with Locke at the FDW”.. Christian actually held Claire’s baby just before she dumped him for sawyer to find.. so I’d say he could, just didn’t want to interact.

    Great episode today, absolutely amazing!! Must watch again!!! Was great to see Titus Welliver again.

  2. Dave WR says:

    @Chris in Durham NC Smokie kills baddies and not the ‘good’ guys that is because to prove his point he needs to corrupt the innocent/good. If he got a serial killer to off Jacob that doesn’t prove anything.

    Also I loved Hurley before and now I love him even more. So far this season he has been the most level headed and kind of the entire cast.

    Now I loved this episode but I really REALLY hope that MIB isn’t The Devil/Randall Flagg and this is basically the Stand all over again and Claire will ride in on an HBomb like transcan man.

  3. Coolpeace says:

    @ Danielle from PA : As for the purge … I think you are right about it not being on Jacob’s orders that Ben executed the purge. I believe that Ben had been following MIB’s wishes, albeit quite mistakenly thinking it was Jacob.

    It is MIB’s wish that all persons on the Island die.

  4. Isaac says:

    Im gonna be honest….a little bit disappointing….it didnt have me jumping out of my seat….so Jacob cant bring dead people back to life but he can make people live forever just by touching them?…..i know jacob refers to the island as a cork to keep hell contained in a bottle….so what does that make the island? the gateway to hell? When richard says that theyre all dead and in hell, is that just a metaphor or is it actually true?….that would be retarded but seems like the word “hell” has some meaning…..i also think it would have been interesting to see what Richard’s role was in the alternate timeline….and where is Jacob and MIB in the alternate timeline? why only use a flashback for Richard’s episode? but the acting was awesome

  5. JonY says:

    I have to say that as much as I loved this episode I was hoping for at least some hint as to what “the rules” exactly mean, who/what put them in place, and what happens if you try to break them.

  6. @JonY good point – maybe Sayid IS Trashcan Man. I just figured that Claire is just as crazy as he was, and may inadvertently lead to the MiB’s demise under the guise of following orders. Sayid is tragic, but remember, he has made his choice in both the flash sideways and on the island. He’s chosen his destiny as a killer, and I think we all should begin to accept it — I do not think that he will be redeemed.

  7. Stephen in LA says:

    THE _ BEST _ SMOKEMONSTER _ SCENE _ *EVER* _ ON _ LOST
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    like

    by far

  8. Doug says:

    Just thinking back to the first flash sideways when we see the island at the bottom of the ocean. Does that mean the flash sideways is what happens when the cork is popped? Ouch – my head hurts!

  9. I LOVED this episode. It was muy bien! So Hurley says that if MIB is not stopped, they all go to hell. Jacob says when they are brought there, their past does not matter, it is wiped away. Jacob also says that he is proving to MIB that not everyone is corruptible and he does not intervene. That seems like they are being tested to see if they are worthy for something. Does this seem kind of like purgatory? I do not think that is what is going on, but it sort of seems like it.

  10. Coolpeace says:

    All right – one last thought before bed ….

    So, if the Island is the ‘cork’ keeping evil bottled … what does it mean that in the sideverse the Island is sunk ?? Did MIB get to leave?

    IF MIB is right when he told Richard that Jacob ‘stole’ his body – is that why he is smoke, and needs to ‘borrow’ other people’s bodies to be corporeal (in human form) ?

    I guess that was actual two thoughts 🙂

  11. Daniel in BC says:

    nice way of destroying the statue : D

  12. Bryan in Ohio says:

    @ Butch

    “There is a limit to how much I can suspend belief. We are now here.”

    Smoke monsters. Time travel. Alternate realities. Talking to dead people. A pool of water that brings people back from the dead….

    If anything I’d say tonight’s episode was one of the more grounded storylines.

  13. Rich in Cleveland says:

    I know I said it previously, but the way MIB approached Richard is precisely the way the dark man approached his recruits in “The Stand.” MIB closed his fist and what magically appeared, in exchange for a promise of service, was the talisman that represented what Richard valued above all else: the cross that was the symbol of life for Isabella. Cross/Ankh–we’ve seen this story before.

    For the want of a nail. Richard was coerced down his Dorian Gray path because the apparition of Isabelle moved that nail beyond his reach or else he would have been able to free himself.

  14. Bryan in Ohio says:

    One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about this show is the acting and tonight was the standard by which all acting on this show should be compared.

    Here’s a big kudos to Nestor Carbonell. Man that guy is good.

    Seriously who do you give an Emmy to? Carbonell? Holloway? Emerson?

  15. Lisa says:

    OMG, I think I have my Favorite Episode.

    I think I cried through nearly the whole thing, and I have to go back and re-watch it, because I am SURE I missed a ton.

    As soon as I saw Isabella in the ship, I was pretty sure that MiB was going to try to manipulate Richard. It was way too similar to the scene under the temple with Ben and Alex.

    The last scene, Jorge and Nestor ripped my heart out! I haven’t cried that hard at TV show in I don’t know how long. Fabulous scene!

  16. To add to my previous thoughts. If they are dead as Richard seems to believe, they are brought to the island with a clean slate and they are able to avoid corruption, could their reward be reincarnation (the flash sideways)?

  17. Isaac says:

    are we gonna see Richard in the alternate timeline? why didnt it happen on this episode?

    are we gonna see a Jacob/MIB-centric episode? will they appear in the alternate timeline?

    how does the alternate timeline tie into the present time?

  18. Matt from Kansas CIty says:

    Maybe I’m wrong, but didn’t the statue still exist in the 60’s when the Sawyer and company were stuck with Dharma?

  19. @Isaac I really think it would blow my mind to see Richard, Jacob or MIB in the other timeline.

  20. Mattfromnd says:

    Was it just me or did the brief scenes with Jacob and illana in the hospital seem really out of place?

  21. Russ from Texas says:

    Richard is THE candidate who will replace Jacob. That’s what my wife says, and she is always right.

  22. I had very high expectations for this episode and was totally disappointed. It felt like just another filler ep. Richard is not cool. He is only about 138 years old? I thought he’d be at least 350 years old.

    How can a small wooden ship destroy a stone statue and suffer no damage itself in the process??

    My full review is here:

    http://jasoncollin.org/2010/03/23/lost-6×09-ab-aeterno/

  23. WBH1981 says:

    Ab Aeterno is easily the best episode of the 6th and final season. Quick note regarding MIB: MIB is considered to be the devil however some bloggers have stated that it is possible that Jacob is evil instead. Let me just say that it is very possible that Cuse and Lindelof will pull a switcheroo on us all and make MiB good and Jacob bad, I don’t think they will. Mib is clearly deceptive and going along with the religious parrellels that have come full circle this season, I would say that MiB is easily relatable to the devil due to their similar characteristic of being the “father of lies”. Hopefully this will clear up some confused Lost fans regarding the uncertainty of MiB’s intentions.

  24. Lee says:

    Out-freaking-standing episode. The writing, the acting, the directing (particularly awesome).

    The only quibble would be that the Ilana/Jacob scenes didn’t transition well into the rest of the episode, but that’s a very minor quibble.

  25. Laura D. says:

    HFC! HFC!!!

    Well, that sure answered a whole group of questions! Got to go to bed now, but will be reading first thing in the morning to see what everyone thinks!

  26. Rich in Cleveland says:

    Why is the destruction of the statue such a stumbling block? From the Black Rock, you could see the lamdmark as the ship rode the crest of a wave toward the island. As it reached the shoreline, the ship seemed to rise up and meet the colossus around the shoulders in a great wave that toppled the statue and carried the Black Rock inland. Standard tsunami, right?

    Jacob may have brought them to the island, but upon arrival they are subject to the devil’s bargain.

  27. Satya says:

    I agree with Jason Collin. This episode did not live up to the high expectations. We have been waiting for Richard’s story for years, but we saw very little.
    Who are the others? What was the story behind Dharma Initiative?

    Also, we see that MIB to preparing to fight with Widmore. But Jacob is also against Widmore. Remember, Ilana and Bram asking Miles not to join Widmore’s team.

    Also, who are the men that Sayid killed for Ben?

    Hope the writers can answer all these questions in the remaining episodes. And these are not trivial questions, I think.

  28. Connie in Oregon says:

    Wonderful episode and I have enjoyed reading all the comments so far. Some thoughts:

    My most niggling thought is about the Island and Jacob’s explanation of its purpose. Evil already exists in the world in large and nasty quantities, so what is the Island really keeping out of the “real” world? Is it evil on a scale that will defeat all good in the world? Also, who put the “cork” in the bottle? Who placed Jacob in his position as guard? MIB may be a bad guy, but I am not sure he is the “evil” being kept at bay, he is an “entity” who believes mankind tends toward evil.

    Jacob seems to posses God-like powers, MIB can do some neat tricks, but has no real power to do anything.

    @David-MIB cannot leave the Island so he was not the priest. I think the priest was corrupt and looking for prisoners to sell to Hanso…what were they going to do with those men anyway? Did they ever say? I also liked your observation that you don’t need a cork if you can destroy the whole bottle. Perhaps that is what we see (the sunken Island) in the sideways flash…but if that is the case, did MIB escape or was he destroyed before he could get away.

    While Jacob brought the Black Rock to the Island, I think Richard was a total surprise to him. Until the crash of 815, I think Jacob was bringing generic “people” to the Island. 815 was the first time he arranged for specific individuals to be there.

    For those of you confused about Isabella’s appearance on the Black Rock, I’m pretty sure she was never there. Smokey needed recruits to help him with his plan. All the prisoners were dead and he had already dispatched the officers. Richard was the only one left. Smokey scanned him, learned his secrets, saw that Richard could be used, and then came back as Isabella to manipulate Richard.

    Gah! Still much to learn!

  29. Incredible episode… I have been looking forward to this story for a long time and it did not disappoint.

    My reactions have all been touched on above except for one: I found it interesting how many scenes in this episode echoed scenes from previous episodes. MIB’s almost word-for-word copy of Dogen’s instructions to Sayid, for example, or having someone walk in immediately after a murder, carrying blankets.

  30. Brad Thiessen says:

    That was the best hour of television I have ever seen.

  31. Eric in Sedona says:

    Are we clear now on who is good and who is evil? At least on who is evil. I’m willing to grant, Jacob doesn’t have to be considered good. He definitely hides things from people. He manipulates others into doing what he wants them to do and keeps secrets. However, we now have (unless he’s lying) what Jacob believes to be the true purpose of the island. To contain an evil that will spread like a virulent disease throughout the rest of the world. Maybe it was what Man in Black was all along. Maybe it was what he became when corrupted or just the role Man in Black chose to embody. The Island seems to give people certain roles. There’s the role of the Leader. Widmore was leader, then Ben was leader. (Maybe he still is leader, though he seems to have given it up.) False Locke appeared to be leader. There’s the Rousseau role. Believe It or not, Rousseau used to occupy the Rousseau role. (Fancy that.) Now Claire does. Claire is on a different side (or appears to be), but she behaves in a similar way. Regardless, Man in Black is what he is and does what he does. Maybe those are two different things (my preference and my suspicion; I guess he was the Black Smoke evaluating people in service of Jacob before he was in opposition). Maybe those are the same thing.

    Black Smoke is evil. He uses deception (being Isabel while being the one who seems to kill her again) and does so for selfish goals. On the other hand, Jacob believes that when he hides the truth (and he does, a lot) he does so to protect the world.

    That doesn’t make Jacob an angel. He could be like Winston Churchill during WW II. It’s commonly believed that Churchill allowed Coventry Cathedral and the neighborhood around it to be destroyed. The British had broken the secret German Code, discovered that the Germans were going to bomb Coventry, and decided to let the bombing occur without an evacuation because an evacuation would tip the Germans off that their unbreakable code has been broken. More would suffer from that revelation that would be saved. It was decided that it was better to let many innocents die than to let the Germans get an advantage that could lead to their victory. If there is a human being who can be considered an incarnation of evil. . . Well, lets say that Hitler was a candidate for that in the real world as much as Jack, Hurley, at least one of the Kwons, etc are Candidates to be Jacob’s successor in this fictional world. Just as Hitler’s opponents Churchill, FDR, and certainly Stalin, weren’t sinless, Jacob doesn’t have to be sinless for the Man in Black to be evil.

    (FDR signed the notorious executive order sending people of Japanese ancestry into concentration camps for the duration of the American involvement in the war. Anyone with the name “Ozawa” then on US territory would have an extendedly bad time, one that earned every apology the United States government would later give for such vile behavior. That is true as is the fact that the leader of the opposing alliance was worse.)

    The producers could still surprise us. But without such a surprise — and one made to be very convincing — we know who is evil. We just don’t know yet who is good.

    PS The story of Blechley Park and the bombing of Coventry is now disputed. These links show that it is now considered unlikely (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_cathedral, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Blitz). But the principle is the same. In any case, one can easily swap out the moral quandary of Coventry and replace it with the moral quandary of the [English] Channel Islands. The Channel Islands are British Crown Territories (actually the last remnants of the Duchy of Normandy controlled, nominally, by the heirs of William the Conqueror) off the coast of France. When the Nazis took over France, they seized control of the Channel Islands as well. When the time came for the Allies to invade Normandy, the Channel Islands were passed by. They weren’t liberated until the German surrender. The reason was that it would cost too many resources to try to liberate a few islands with so few people. Even though people suffered during the occupation. That is a real world equivalent to Jacob’s fictional situation. He may be wrong. I doubt it, but he may be. Maybe letting the Man in Black isn’t like letting a bottle full of evil out into the world. Maybe there are ways to protect everyone that don’t involve keeping things secret from so many or allowing innocent (if annoying) schoolteachers to blow themselves up with dynamite. But I believe Jacob is doing what he thinks is right towards a goal that he believes protects the world. And if that proves true, if one is to condemn him, one must condemn him while taking that fact into account.

    PPS Hurley the Spanish speaker speaking to Spanish Richard’s Spanish wife. That is incredibly fantastic. Either it’s a good idea recently envisioned or it was planned masterfully in advance. Either way: Wow!

  32. Eric in Sedona says:

    OK, having given a long philosophical post that relies repeatedly on WW II, I have to add this.

    We have an island. We have someone holding a bottle on a beach that is holding in a great evil. That evil is powerful, but the evil can be contained in a kind of bottle by a cork. Anyone who wants to write crossover fanfiction could do a hilariously good Lost/I Dream of Jeannie story. Creatures made of smoke (black or pink. Or with the sister, green, or with the Blue Djinn. . . well, blue). People keep being brought to the island. Why not an astronaut in the 1960s? Just had to mention that. . .

    . . .for the LOLs. 😉

  33. Eric in Sedona says:

    Full sentence : Maybe letting the Man in Black *escape* isn’t like letting a bottle full of evil out into the world.

  34. Pam says:

    So as I said last week, I think the “growing pains” that MIB mentioned in his conversation with Kate might be the reason he is on the island. He didn’t strike me as a sulky teenager. His constant references to being trapped on the island made me wonder if he was a prisoner there. Team Jacob had confirmed that the candidates were people who might replace Jacob but they had not confirmed MIB’s claim that Jacob’s job is to protect the island. I think MIB poses a danger to the outside world if he leaves the island. Jacob used the words “swirling” and “darkness” while explaining to Richard what has to be kept on the island. Given that MIB frequently appears as a swirling cloud of black smoke, I’m quite sure that he is what has to be kept on the island. Jacob has never said that the island needs to be protected. Ben and Locke have said it but we do not know where they got that idea.

  35. Arbitrary says:

    Not read all the comments yet, I only just finished the episode. Made me think that perhaps MiB has more of an affinity to the chars that want to die, or feel they deserve to die.. whereas Jacob’s team seem the ones fighting more for life. Haven’t thought it through, but it seemed that Richard wanted to change sides when he wanted to die.

    Will read all the far more sensible comments when I fully wake up!

  36. Ben Mc says:

    The Flash Sideways are the current lives of our Losties today because the MIB was killed before they were ever even born.

    Everything that’s happened over the last 5 seasons only happened in order for the Losties to go back in time and sink the island before anything ever happened to stop it all from happening, thereby causing the Flash Sideways to happen.

    So, don’t freak, what we’ve seen isn’t all Lost, as it all had to happen in order for it not to happen.

    Thud.

  37. greenberry says:

    @Connie ~~ I like your point (or question) about containing evil when plenty of it is off the island too…

    I am still pondering “free will” to do good or evil as it pertains to this show ~~ it seems like “growth” for each of our Losties is the point of LOST ~~ personal redemption in my mind is being FOUND ~~ connecting with a positive direction in one’s life and being “good” (kind, selfless, whole)

  38. Luke in California says:

    This is, by far, the best episode this season and one of my favorites of the show. Maybe it has to do with how highly anticipated it was, and with how much it paid off that anticipation.

    I have to say that Nestor Carbonel has, in this one episode, established himself as one of the best actors on LOST. His flashback was gut-wrenching, and absolutely compelling. To this point, the writers really haven’t given him much to work with, so I’m glad we finally got to see what he could do.

    The initial conversation between the Losties around the campfire was a little stilted–“Richard looked exactly the same then as now.” “Oh, you mean he doesn’t age. Well how’d he get that way, then?” But after the first five minutes none of that matters. Suddenly, the episode is giving us great writing and a rich story, and we are sucked in.

    As others have said, most of the “answers” we received in “Ab Aeterno” are more confirmations of what we already suspected, but that doesn’t make it less fulfilling. Two pieces of new information stand out, though:

    1) MIB tells Richard that Jacob stole his body, his humanity. While I believe MIB generally lies (or at least makes whatever promises necessary to get people to follow him), this rings true. At least it would be a silly thing to make up if it weren’t true. So the question is: did the Man In Black look like Jacob before? Or did he perhaps look like someone else, and Jacob confined him to the form of shape-shifting smoke? Obviously, we won’t know for a while, but it’s great to see them giving us some little mysteries to last us to the end of the show.

    2) I think the writers are trying to make clear the relationship between Jacob, MIB, and the Island. The illustration with the wine bottle is the case in point. MIB is a force (if you believe Jacob, an evil force) that must not be unleashed upon the world. The Island, in conjuction with Jacob, somehow contains him. It seems that now, FLocke just needs to kill Jacob’s potential replacements, and he’ll be sure no one can imprison him again.

    This episode was full of theological content. Examples: The Man In Black’s use of Richard’s own religious framework to manipulate him. His (presumably false) promises to Richard, if only he will follow him (a la the Devil). The discussion of determinism vs. free will and Jacob’s refusal to force people to do good (a la God). The appointment of Richard as an intermediary between Jacob and the people he calls (a la an Old Testament prophet, or a priest, or even Jesus if you want to stretch it a bit).

    I know I’m using a lot of superlatives, but I can’t help it. On our way home from the viewing party, I commented on how weird it was to have LOST giving us so much information when normally it tends to frustrate a bit. My wife, with tongue in cheek, replied, “Yeah, what is this feeling . . . satisfaction? That’s not supposed to happen with LOST!” But sometimes it does. And the result is fantastic.

  39. April says:

    When MIB said he took my body, my humanity, I at first thought Jacob went into MIB’s body just as MIB went into Locke’s body… but I rewatched it and I realize now how ridiculous a thought that was! I think he meant that he turned him into smoke (no body) and a monster (no humanity). Unfortunately the evil monster seems to be able to inhabit bodies… the MIB body, and now Locke’s body…. likely also Christian Shepherds and Alex’s body…etc

    Perhaps “the others” are all the people that Jacob brought to the island to show MIB that they can live together without corruption. It was interesting the way Jacob put it to Richard… something to the effect that he brought people to the island regardless of their background (a good yet flawed doctors, a con man with a good heart, a murderer with a good reason, a young unmarried pregnant woman etc). It seems that Jacob has been bringing people to the island by boat and plane for much longer than 1867. Perhaps the ship we first saw, when we first saw Jacob and MIB on the beach, was just another ship in a long line of ships, brought to the island by Jacob. Perhaps Dharma, on the other hand, was not brought by Jacob, but were scientists who found the island and as such, they had to be killed. Of course this means Jacob may be good, but not that “good”!

  40. Pam says:

    Bitter truth that wasn’t mentioned in the episode – the doctor was a liar. That medicine wouldn’t have cured Isabella. She had TB. There was nothing the doctor could do to cure her and he knew it. As @Connie pointed out there is already a lot of evil in the world.

  41. MrZ from Universe X says:

    This is a post about where the road from the island to Universe X will lead:

    In Universe X, with the island destroyed, the Man in Black has been allowed to escape into the world as we know it. Much like Pandora’s Box, the island has let evil loose into our own world.

    What we now need to look forward to is a Flash Sideways that reflects the perils and evil that will have spread throughout the new Universe. Up until now we have seen the LOST castaways living a life of pleasure in contrast to their Alternative Lives… but now with this information revealed, I expect to see the other side of Universe X’s exploits.

    Thoughts?

  42. Josh in Saskatoon says:

    This was a great episode. I found Richard’s story to be quite moving and Nestor Carbonell gave an excellent performance! I particularly enjoyed the metaphor of the island as a cork holding the darkness in a bottle, and the fact that so close to the end they’re still being very coy on the morality of the Jacob and the Man in Black.
    One thing that struck me was the comment that the Man in Black made about how Jacob stole his body. Does this suggest that the appearance we know as the Man in Black in merely a vessel like the current appearance of John Locke or simply that he stole his “humanity” (i.e., made him unable to die, like he later did to Richard)? If it is the former, then it also suggests that the black smoke is not his true form. I wonder if we will ever see the true, original form of the Man in Black.

  43. An eye opening (and opener) it has been a long time!
    Man Of Science is a bad guy… that got me upset and I thought they were going this way but eventually Man Of Faith is a bad guy also! hehe…
    The world is already corrupted by the opening of the Pandora Box… what would happened if the Island Box is opened?
    About the weather being dark instead of bright, if you watch the same show that I do, you know about the Weather on the show.
    What are Isabella and Ben’s mother? Dead off Island yet seen on the Island. That is the biggest mystery now. I think they are with Christian. And with Jacob?
    I looked in his eye… And what I saw is the Devil. lol
    Dogan pulled an MIB on MIB. Sayid/Richard same offer.
    Jacob can fight and can gets angry! First time we see that!
    And he is kind of rude not inviting Richard inside.
    I guess if they all speak Latin it is due to Richard being a Bible devote and if they work for the “good” everyone who comes to the Island should speak this language.
    Ok so… MIB is Pandora.
    Now the real twist with the bottle braking: the Island is destroyed/sinked in the sideways… Is Evil out there?

  44. DJMike68 says:

    I thought this was a great episode, but it started slow… dragged a little while Ricardo was chained up… then rose to the amazing conclusion of the scene with Hurley as translator for Isabella. Very strong acting and writing at that point. I also loved how as the camera panned behind Hurley, she was gone. I will still stand behind my statement before that Dr. Linus was the best episode this season.

    DJMike68

  45. Alex R. says:

    Hey Ryan & Jen. Great episode of LOST this week. I have a couple of questions.
    1) so does that mean that the ship we saw at the beginning of the season 5
    finale was not the Black Rock? since we now know that The Black Rock
    arrived during a storm and knocked down the 4 toed statue.
    2) Who ordered the Purge? Since Jacob does not interfere with the people he choses to bring to the island. The Purge seems to go against what Jacobs believes about humans, but Richard was part of the purge and Richard is a mediator between Jacob and the people on the island. Something is not right in that.
    3) so is the Island Hell or some other derivative of it that is keeping evil trapped there away from the rest of the world and Jacob is the gatekeeper? (Didn’t Russoe say something like that in the episode Solitary to Sayid, when she was telling him about the infection. That she had to kill her crew because she feared what would happen if “it” got back to the real world).

    Overall a one of my top 5 episodes of the series. can’t wait for your podcast. keep up the good work.

  46. sam says:

    This may have been posted so whatever…
    So if the island is a cork keeping evil at bay and Jacob is also essential to keeping evil at bay then this is all parallel to the hatch. Jacob is simply the man pushing the button waiting for his replacement. MIB is just the electromagnetic energy that if released would destroy the world.

  47. Miles says:

    What I wanna know is.. why did Radzinski start drawing that map… why draw it in secretive florescence on the blast door.. and then why and how did he come across the burial place of one Magnus Hanso?

  48. Now I realise why Richard reacted so strongly when he has tested young John Locke and he picked the Knive… Not a good sign at all indeed.
    Jacob grants “life” while MIB brings “dead/death”.
    I was about to say the same thing you did in your recap: It is purgatory!
    A place between “hell” and the world. A place where you are to be confronted with your sins and if you loose you die or are claimed.
    The writers said it was not that but if you look at what is happening it is TOTALLY that.
    @Alex: The Weather has changed from bright to storm… guess we never saw that on Lost! And since boats are “stuck” around the Island once they entered I guess it makes sence that the boat stayed there until it was night.
    The Purge was ordered by Widmore… we saw how he wanted to deal with Rousseau and her child. Guess saving the Island meant killing anyone that could be claimed before they were to him. (and since Dharma was not following the truce and going on Dark Territory and they built the Tempest to gas the Others… makes sense he killed them first)

  49. JonY says:

    I wonder…

    So if somehow our Losties (or someone else I suppose) was able to prove to MiB that they are not corruptable – what then? Does he say “my bad, I was wrong” and then go about his business?

    A post above made me wonder something else. We are kind of assuming that somehow the good guys win, cause the sinking of the island, and the flash sideways is their reward or some such. What if MiB wins, gets off the island, and that somehow results in the world we see in the flash sideways?

    I guess that goes back to wondering if there really is a “good guy”, and who that is.

  50. I forgot something (as usual): MIB has no form (his body was “taken” by Jacob), he is “smoke”… Names are what we apply to a form to allow us to recognise it. If MIB has no more form, it means that he has no more name!
    We might learn his name but it will be his “past”(both senses) name.
    Guess calling him Locke now just makes sense because now he is Locke.

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