courtneystodden: What They Died For

Showing posts with label What They Died For. Show all posts

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Lost Fantasy League: Unofficial Results!

Wow, Lost fans! The series finale of Lost broke all the records! "The End" amassed a stunning 5,470 points. It was a two and a half hour long episode but there for the first time ever there were more points scored in a one episode than there are contestants in the Lost Fantasy League! What's more impressive is how many characters were involved and how drastically the leader board has changed. Be sure to read all the important point rulings!

It's been a long and wild ride but I am glad to say that the scores have been finalized. We are going to leave the results unofficial for a few days. Feel free to look through all the point tallies and rulings. If you see something that is wrong and might have an impact on which contestants make the Top 3, please let us know! Either leave a comment or shoot me an email. I'm pretty satisfied with the scores but we're going to let you have a peek at the work to see if I got it all right. For now, though, here are our current winners:

1st Place: nomecopies (PerdidosporLOSTClub) 7,270 points
Roster: Kate, Sun, Desmond, Claire, Rose, Cindy, Charlie

2nd Place: pipan (DarkUFO) 7,260 points
Roster: Jack, Sun, Desmond, Claire, Rose, Cindy, Charlie

3rd Place: TimeRip Texans (DarkUFO) 7,255 points
Roster: Jack, Sayid, Desmond, Claire, Bernard, Smokey, Charlie

Once again, feel free to double check my work. I want to make sure that everything finishes up fair and square.

Please note: All past important point rulings are considered final. The only episodes you need to concern yourself with are "What They Died For" and "The End." Also, do not waste your time or mine by arguing against a ruling that you do not like. I am only concerned with point rulings that can be proven to be incorrect based on information already presented on the show. Conjecture and opinion do not matter; just the facts.

In a few of days, I will post any final point adjustments, a quick look back at three years of the Lost Fantasy League and, of course, our final winners.

Lost Fantasy Team Lookup Table | LFL on Facebook | G-Man on Twitter | Email G-Man

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The DarkUFO Season 6 Awards - Day 1 Winners Announced

Here are the results of the Day 1 Votes.

Congrats to the Winners

Best Episode
The End - 56.8%
Ab Aeterno - 20.5%
Happily Ever After - 7.6%
My Choice - The End

Best Flashback/Flashforward(s)
Ab Aeterno - 43.9%
The End - 24%
Happily Ever After - 12.7%
My Choice - Ab Aeterno

Worst Flashback/Flashforward(s)
What Kate Does - 65.8%
Recon - 11.5%
Across The Sea - 5.6%
My Choice - What Kate Does

Best Title
Ab Aeterno - 27%
What They Died For - 18%
The End - 14%
My Choice - The End

Worst Episode
What Kate Does - 65.4%
Recon - 13.4%
Across the Sea - 7.7%
My Choice - What Kate Does

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Prediction League - Final Table

Update: 17:30 If there are no updates/errors in the next 48 hrs or so, we will award the winners then.

Here is the latest Predication League update following the Series Finale.

NOTE: It's 5am here so I'm bound to have missed something or made a mistake. Please let me know in the comments. Once I've double checked I'll announce the final winners etc.

There are likely to be some little bugs so please let us know in the comments. Also, if we missed anything please let us know in the comments.

Here are the updated results of the Prediction League.

http://www.dawgsled.com

Find LOST with Carmel: What They Died For

Saturday, May 22, 2010

ODI LOSTcast 70 - Episode 6x16 What They Died For Recap

Hey All,
So tomorrow is the BIG day!!

Well over the next day or so hopefully you will have some time to listen to this new podcast for Episode 6x16 What They Died For. There were several scenes both off and on island that we discussed in detail.

I really hope you enjoy the podcast and have a great finale weekend!!

NOTE: DK Publishing is sponsoring the Finale Recap podcast and we will be giving away a prize package to one lucky winner that includes a Complete Season 1-6 DVD Box Set and a LOST Encyclopedia!! More details to follow.

Also, this podcast was posted on iTunes late last night but for those that can't get it there, here is a link to an audio player and download link:

http://the-odi.blogspot.com/2010/05/odi-lostcast-70-episode-6x16-what-they.html

The Lost Initiative - Episode 6.16 - What They Died For

Thanks to Aidan for the heads up.

Source: Sky1

Friday, May 21, 2010

Did You Say There Were More People to Kill? "What They Died For" - Recap by Robz888

With a title as presumptuous as "What They Died For", I was worried that this episode would disappoint fans if it was lacking in answers.

Luckily, the episode seemed to put most of the pieces in place for the series finale, while making us feel a little more comfortable, if not clear, about the whole Jacob succession thing. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and judging from the polls, so did many of you.

So, is everyone ready for the end? I know I'm not. It feels like only yesterday when I emailed Dark on a whim and asked to write recaps. Now, after Sunday, I'll be writing my last one. And even harder to believe, there will be no new Lost, ever! DarkUFO is certain to become the biggest support group on the Internet.

Before I get to my recap, permit me a little self-promotion. If you've enjoyed my recaps and/or writing style, please consider friending me on Facebook. No, I'm not desperately seeking friends, but I do write plenty of articles, all of which I publish to my Facebook page. I'll be writing for a magazine starting in mid-June, so I will stay busy writing even after Lost ends.

Okay, so, let's examine the ATL (alternate timeline), Ben's group, and then catch up with Jack.

DESMOND'S RAMPAGE CONTINUES

"What They Died For" begins like so many other episodes, notably "Pilot": with Jack waking up. He discovers that his mysterious neck wound from "LA X" is bleeding. Rather than signaling that the ATL is taking place after the on-island action, as some have theorized, I think the persistence of this mysterious wound is merely meant to show that one Jack is absorbing the physical pain of the other Jack (who just survived the submarine sinking). If we are to believe Flocke in "The Last Recruit" when he told Sun that he didn't take away her ability to speak, then this process was almost certainly happening in reverse in "The Package" when ATL Sun's inability to speak English was transferred to on-island Sun.

Anyway, Jack heads to breakfast, where his relationship with his son, David, seems pretty solid. Jack even has plans to attend David's concert. In the ATL, this concert is the ultimate event where everyone is going to reunite. It's certain to be the same concert that Eloise is throwing, and also the same event that Miles mentions later this episode. David and Jack are joined by Claire, who makes her only appearance of the hour. It was nice to see her and Jack finally getting to be half-brother and sister. I did keep wondering where Claire was in the on-island reality, though, since we don't see her and she isn't with Flocke.

A word on David's mother: at this point, I can't see her being anyone other than Juliet. Juliet hasn't shown up in the ATL yet, so this seems like a good way for that to happen.

Jack learns that Oceanic Airlines found his father, but we the viewers learn that it's Desmond feeding him this information, and it's likely untrue (if it is true, this only means that Desmond found the body, not Oceanic). Somehow, this will fit in with Desmond's plan, Operation Let Go, and hopefully trigger Jack's other memories (and in time to make it to the ultimate concert, I assume).

But Desmond's crazy ATL antics hardly end there. He returns to the scene of the crime at the high school, and it looks as if he's fully prepared to run Locke down again. Interestingly enough, Ben intervenes, putting his own body in the way. This is something that on-island Ben would never do, not even after his supposed redemption with Ilana in "Dr. Linus" (said redemption seeming a little premature after the on-island events of last night). But ATL Ben truly represents everything Ben could have been, the good person that Ben might have become, had destiny not interfered.

Desmond is perfectly happy, though, to take this opportunity to beat some other memories into Ben, which of course causes Ben to have flashes to the dock scene in the flashback of "Dead Is Dead". Desmond knew that a beating would have this exact effect on Ben; he knows it, because he must have already remembered that event by now. (If Hurley knows enough of the on-island reality to instantly identify Ana-Lucia, Desmond certainly has enough of his memories back to recall Ben's attack on Penny).

Desmond eventually turns himself in to Detective Sawyer and is locked up with Sayid and Kate. I wonder if Kate and Sayid have had any other memory interferences concerning each other, since they've been spending some time locked up together? En route to county lockup, Desmond offers them their freedom, but it comes with a price: they have to promise to do something for him (attend a concert, probably). They agree, half-jokingly, and are busted out by Ana-Lucia, who's taking bribes from Hurley. Hurley, for his part, seems to know everything, even asking if Ana-Lucia is coming with them, too (meaning he must know everything about Desmond's plans and the other reality). This makes sense, since Desmond courted Hurley's favor in "Everybody Loves Hugo" through much less violent or creepy means than those by which he has pursued the others.

Sayid goes with Hurley, and Kate with Desmond. Desmond instructs her to wear a dress, much like Tom did in "A Tale of Two Cities". Kate and Desmond have a concert date.

BEN + DANIELLE = TRUE LOVE?

Ben is clearly affected by his flashes to the island. He may even be disturbed. It at least appears that way when he looks at himself in the mirror (looking in a mirror obviously being an act that has forced our characters to confront competing memories of themselves so far this season). Wouldn't ATL Ben Linus, who loves kids and is a genuinely nice guy, be horrified at the things his on-island self has done? Perhaps triggering his memories will cause a change in behavior for on-island Ben, preventing him from doing Flocke's bidding any longer.

As Ben is being treated by the school nurse (the one the principal was sleeping with, I think), John comes in and questions him about the attack. Ben says that Desmond was trying to get John to let go. Desmond probably means this in the sense that he wants John to let go of everything that prevents him from seeing the life he was supposed to have in a reality where he was broken until he finally found a place that made him special, or that celebrated his specialness. But John takes this in a different light - as confirmation that he is special in this very reality, and that he has to let go of his guilt at having taken away his father's ability to walk (something his father took from him in the original reality).

John goes to see Jack, where they have what might be their last (or one of their last) conversations about destiny. Jack and John discussing this topic has made for great Lost moments the many times that it's happened over the last six years, starting in "White Rabbit", where John suggests to Jack that the island might be special, and they may have been brought there for a reason. In the ATL, John has been persuaded to have the surgery, not by science or reason, but by faith and destiny. He knows that fate is telling him to have the surgery, and will in fact pummel him until he submits to it. Jack isn't necessarily buying this, even uttering Eko's famous line, "Don't mistake coincidence for fate." But as John points out, how different are these two concepts, when they both lead the characters to do the same things?

My only wonder, though, is how John could possibly have the surgery before the concert, which is taking place that same night (even in a world where the passage of time has been especially loopy, even by Lost standards - John, Jack and Ben go through several days after the Oceanic flight, but for Sayid, Jin and Sun, only one or two days seem to have passed). I'm fairly certain we won't see anything in the ATL post-concert, so maybe Jack won't get around to fixing John, after all. Or maybe "fixing him" won't involve fixing John's ATL self, but instead Jack will fix the destructive, evil force running around in John's form on the island.

Meanwhile, Ben's injuries lead to him being offered a ride home (and then dinner) by his favorite student, Alex Rousseau. I was truly shocked when he actually was able to meet the original Rousseau, Danielle herself (!) Since I only started blogging for Lost this season, none of my readers would necessarily know this, but Danielle was one of my favorite characters, and I was absolutely furious with her sudden exit in season four. I didn't expect to actually see her again, and though she didn't have a major role (there was a lot going on in this episode, after all), I really enjoyed her contribution.

There's clearly a hint of a possible romance between Danielle and Ben, which kind of actually makes sense ("even if we have to kidnap you", ha!). They both love Alex, in both timelines. On the island, they even seemed to have established a sort of begrudging respect (or at least acknowledgment of each others' importance to Alex) before Danielle was killed. In the ATL, Danielle makes clear to Ben how much he means to Alex, and in a very touching scene, this brings him to tears. I'm not sure if the time-space fabric of the ATL is going to endure whatever Desmond is about to do to it, but if it does, I would expect Danielle and Ben to get together. This (and John's scheduled surgery) makes me think that the ATL won't just fade out of existence after all, despite being a reality that was never supposed to happen.

RICHARD DIES YOUNG

On the island, we finally check in with Ben, Miles and Richard, who've apparently been taking quite a long time to reach the Barracks. Their "blow up the Ajira plane" plan is a little melodramatic for us, since we're two episodes ahead of the Ajira plane mattering.

Courtesy of Miles and Richard, Ben gets a reminder of Alex's death. This reminder is very important, I think, in explaining Ben's motivations for the following scene.

They run into Zoe and Charles Widmore at Ben's house. Widmore explains that Jacob invited him to come back to the island, which Ben immediately dismisses as impossible. Ben wants to believe that since Jacob never spoke to him, he wouldn't have spoken to any other former Others leader. But Charles reveals that Jacob did indeed come to see him after the freighter explosion and showed him "the error of my ways". Charles even explains that he already rigged the Ajira plane to blow, which torpedoes the theories that Flocke did that himself. It's interesting that it was Widmore who did this after all, since this action pretty much played right into Flocke's hands. But Widmore brags about it, telling Ben that he's always a step ahead of him.

Unfortunately for him, nobody is a step head of Benjamin Linus. Widmore's arrogance, coupled with the memory of Alex's death fresh in his mind (also coupled, possibly, with ALT-Ben's closeness to Alex merging with this Ben as his other memories come back), causes Ben to lapse into one of his old habits - kill by trickery.

I can't decide whether Ben knew Richard was going to get run down by the Smoke Monster. Richard is one of Ben's only true friends, so it seems not, but Ben didn't appear quite as shook up as I would have liked. Then again, Ben can be pretty cold, and he may have just been faking in order to gain Flocke's trust.

Speaking of Richard, dead or not dead? When Frank met an ambiguous fate in "The Candidate", I sided with him still being alive. Since he hasn't shown up since then, I'm guessing I was wrong. It seems to me even less likely that Richard is still alive, though. I know he's a more important character, but his story has basically been completely resolved since "Ab Aeterno". Also, I don't think someone could survive that blow. Does Richard's agelessness also make him immortal? We know he can't kill himself (like the candidates), and the Man in Black has obviously left him alive for 150 years. But maybe Richard just hadn't been worth killing yet. Maybe MIB thought, until recently, that he would still be able to use Richard. And thinking back on it, he certainly did use Richard - in "Follow the Leader" and "The Incident". My girlfriend also had the idea that perhaps Richard was immortal until he shouted that he had changed his mind at the end of "Ab Aeterno", stripping himself of his safety. In any case, I side with Richard being dead, and I'm mostly OKAY with that. He's had a good, long life, and has contributed plenty. Still hoping Frank makes it, though.

Also, Miles escapes with a walkie, and Ben has the other one. This is going to have to matter at some point, unless it was just there to show us how completely Ben tricked Charles. Anyway, I'm glad Miles survived again, and I'll be interested to see what role he plays in the finale.

HE DOESN'T GET TO SAVE HIS ZOE

I loved the look on Ben's face as Flocke sat down next to him. Ben is terrified of him, but he knows that if he plays his cards right, not only will he survive, but he'll also get to finally kill Widmore. Flocke calmly tells Ben that there some people he needs to kill, knowing that Ben has no choice but to say yes. He even plays the "you get to be leader of the island when I leave" card again. Ben probably isn't convinced by this, and I don't really think Flocke actually believes that Ben buys the act. But both of them know that if Ben doesn't play along, he'll end up like Richard.

Speaking of Ben's face, it is definitely, definitely bruised as he enters the house. I would say that this is proof that the flash-sideways universe is manifesting itself physically in the on-island universe (Ben was just beaten up by Desmond, remember), if I hadn't also read a report saying that Michael Emerson accidentally got punched in real life during the shooting of that scene.

Flocke kills Zoe almost immediately, even calling her "pointless". Was that enough for all you Zoe haters? Are you satisfied, now?

Before Flocke kills Charles, he needs answers. This time resorting to one of Ben's tactics, he threatens to kill Penny once he leaves the island unless Charles spills everything. I wasn't convinced that this would actually motivate Charles to tell him anything (can't he simply keep Flocke from leaving by not telling him about Desmond's purpose?), but whatever. Right after he tells Flocke, Ben cuts the confession short by murdering Charles. So much for those pesky rules that prevented them from killing each other. "He doesn't get to save his daughter," Ben says.

Widmore has been a consistent enough nemesis to Ben that I can buy Ben wanting to kill him regardless of whatever else he might be feeling toward serving Flocke. I'll be surprised, though, if Ben has any intention of helping Flocke kill the candidates, or destroy the island, as he swears to do later.

A NEW JACOB IS CHRISTENED

Though we only spent a few scenes with Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sawyer, they were rewarding scenes. In justa few lines of dialogue, Jack and Sawyer forgive each other, and Kate and Jack grow closer (Jack sews up Kate, mirroring Kate's medical assistance to Jack in "Pilot").

In no time at all, young Jacob appears to Hurley, takes back the ashes Ilana had kept, and lures the candidates to a conference with adult Jacob. I don't expect to ever learn why Jacob had been appearing as a kid, but perhaps it's because his ashes weren't in his possession. Part of his 'essence' was missing, reducing him to a child-like state. Who knows?

As the ashes burn in the fire and Jacob's remaining time ticks away, he explains much: He shouldn't have pushed the MIB into the Source - this act of creating the Smoke Monster was a horrid mistake on his part. For a long time, he's known that MIB would find a way to kill him, so he's enlisted people who were "like him" to eventually take his place. Sawyer quips that Jacob had no right to pull them out of their lives, but Jacob says that none of their lives were fulfilled. "You needed this place just as much as it needed you." When it comes down to it, the island is a special and magical place. It may be the cork preventing malevolence from seeping into the world, but it's also a place of renewal where groups of people - from the Dharma Initiative to the Others to the Oceanic 815 survivors - have found a way of life that suits them and gives them meaning.

My favorite moment of the hour, though, was Jacob telling Kate that her name being crossed off didn't really matter. "The job is yours if you want it," he says. We've been obsessing over "The Rules" for three seasons, and in two quick lines, Jacob dismisses their importance entirely. In light of this, I don't think Mother actually did devise some way to stop her boys from hurting each other, and I don't think there were ever rules to stop Ben and Widmore from killing each other or each others' daughters. These "rules" were made up by whomever was in charge at the time to trick people into obeying. In the end, it comes down to free will after all. The candidates have a choice. But this choice has been influenced by their destinies, by the magic allure of the island itself, perhaps, and thus only one candidate steps forward to become the new Jacob: Jack.

Consider Jack's transformation from someone who didn't believe in destiny or the specialness of the island into the one person who is most sure that it's his destiny to protect this important place. And Jacob is happy to have him. They go through the ritual of succession, and Jack vows to protect the island as long as he can.

A WORD ON REMEMBERING OTHER LIVES

By the way, it just recently clicked for me that this whole business of the characters undergoing emotional or traumatic events in the ATL and then remembering their on-island lives is similar to something that happens in the popular science fiction novel series, Dune. I'm going to spoil one small aspect of the science of Dune, so stop reading if you don't want to know.

In Dune, characters can be "resurrected" by regrowing them from the original person's cells. Eventually in the series, scientists figure out how to restore the person's original memories in the clone body. They do this by putting the clone in an extremely traumatic situation, such as a violent or sexual one, and then the memories come flooding back. This is very similar to the way that Desmond has gone about restoring the on-island memories (running down Locke, beating up Ben, Charlie trying to drown Desmond, etc.).

Just thought I'd mention it. If you've read the later books of the series, you'll know what I mean.

THE END IS COMING

As always, thank you for reading. Please join me in the next few days for my final recap, and happy finale to all of you.

Lost, I'm going to miss you, but I don't have to say goodbye just yet.

- Robby "Robz888"

UK Viewers - What did you think of Episode 6.16 - What They Died For?

Discuss, Comment and Vote in the Poll in the sidebar.

US Episode Poll, Comments and Reactions

Also check out our recaps of What They Died For
Robz888
Vozzek
Sean Furfaro

Other "What They Died For" Related Items
Spoiler Accuracy Thread
US Ratings News
Jorge Garcia Podcast
Lost Untangled
Prediction League Update
Lost Slapdown

MISC
What They Died For - New Mysteries
What They Died For - Episode Screencaps
What They Died For - Related Polls
Episode League Table

You can also discuss it further in our Official Episode Discussion here.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The Spoilered Perspective Podcast: What They Died For

here's the link for people to download or listen to the "The LOST Spoilered Perspective," covering "What They Died For," hosted by BookhouseBoy and Thirty-Fiver of the SpoilerTV Forums. We were also joined by VERY SPECIAL guest, The ODI ! The Spoilered Perspective recaps the latest episode including all of the information that people who read spoilers knew about the episode ahead of time (but without any actual spoilers for unaired episodes):http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/77072 Fans can also read the text version of the Spoilered Perspective (6x16) here: http://www.spoilertv.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=19093

The podcast is also available at ITunes:

Episode 12, covering the FINALE has not been scheduled yet, but we anticipate that it will be on either Monday, May 24th (the strongest likelihood, possibly at 8PM EST) or Tuesday, May 25th. Keep watching http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/77072 for the podcast to be scheduled.

Things I Noticed - "What They Died For" by Vozzek69

THINGS I NOTICED - WHAT THEY DIED FOR

If there's one thing to be said for the writers of LOST, it's that they learn from their mistakes. In past seasons, the pre-finale episodes contained an over-abundance of setup. There were a lot of stories to be wrapped up, a lot of characters to touch on, and a whole lot of traipsing through the beautiful jungles of the island.

Not here though. Not this time.

Maybe it's because they've been putting the pieces together for a while now, but What They Died For was a fantastic non-transitional episode of LOST. With a huge monster of a series finale looming just ahead of us, our gameboard is all set to go. The last pieces are in place, and that's left are the final moves that need to be made. Things I Noticed:

Claire's Here Now? Good Thing They Picked Up the Family-Sized Box of Super Bran

The timelines are merging for our characters. Realities are coming together. In our opening scene, the wound on Jack's neck is getting bigger and redder and much more prominent. What's even scarier, is that it now exists in the off-island universe... and not just in the mirror.

During LA X, I theorized that Jack's mark existed solely in the other timeline. We saw it reflected back in the mirror of Flight 815's bathroom, but we never saw it directly. "Whatever happened to cause the wound on Jack's neck, perhaps it only happened in the one 'true' universe. It's possible the mirror is reflecting back something that happens to Jack later on, or maybe even at the end of the show."

It now looks a lot like this might happen. As Jack chows down on the gigantic spread David put out for breakfast, we see there's a definite horizontal cut on his throat. After seeing what happened to Zoe this episode, this might be really bad news for Jack. It could easily be an omen of bad (island) things to come.

After dropping mention of the upcoming concert, the writers once again tease us with the last big LAX reveal they have left: David's birth mother. At this point, the identity of this woman is almost a running joke. It would be both funny and anticlimactic if it turned out to be Sarah, but I'm rooting along with the fan who wrote me in hoping that it's Nikki. After a half season of Zoe, it would actually be good to see Nikki again.

There's Perfect Harmony - In the Rising and the Falling of the Sea

In a parallel that reaches all the way back to the pilot episode, Jack is now the one stitching Kate up. Although the wound might be different the thread is still black. Sawyer watches zombie-like as a bunch of (very red) life vests wash up on the beach. The emptiness of these vests reflect not only the loss of Sun, Jin, and Sayid, but of the many friends and loved ones our characters have lost over the past six seasons.

Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley stand there looking out over the ocean - finally together, finally united and with a common goal: the destruction of John Locke. For me, this was an awesome image. It took a lot of struggle and a lot of death to get all of their interests aligned, but for once in a long while it seems that everyone is finally on the same page.

Even cooler than that, these characters finally stop blaming each other - and themselves. On their walk through the jungle, we can see the deep conflict going on behind Sawyer's eyes. He faults himself for getting their friends killed, knowing inwardly that Jack was probably right about the bomb. This is where - despite being raked over the coals for the death of Juliet - Jack lets his friend completely off the hook. "He killed them", Jack tells Sawyer in reference to Locke. Jack already knows the guilt associated with being responsible for the deaths of others, and it's noble of him to try and spare Sawyer that same type of pain.

I'm Gonna Pound You Into The Next World, Brotha!

Desmond's on a mission this episode: first he prank-calls Jack, then he sets himself up to burn another set of treadmarks into Locke's back. When Ben shows up again Desmond almost kills two birds with one stone, beating the snot of of Dr. Linus in front of what seems to be a pretty resilient student body. A violent madman stalks the parking lot twice in one week, but somehow school still goes on? I wonder if they get off for snow days.

At any rate, Desmond is serving up way more than the FDA-daily recommended allowance of reality. As we later find out, he's also got plenty to go around. I'm not sure he intended to cause Ben's flash here, but he did it anyway; Ben suddenly remembers getting beaten up by Desmond back on the docks. It seems to me that although Desmond is helping things along, unknown forces are still at work trying to get these characters to remember each other. Not sure if that's an island thing or a Jacob thing.

"You want to know who I am?" - This is another often-repeated phrase within LOST, and this time it's Desmond who drops these words like the hammer of his fist on Ben's face. In the overall big picture, I've always thought this dialogue had a much deeper meaning. Now it looks almost like a metaphor for dual-identity; the characters we see in the alternate timeline aren't exactly the characters we see on the island. Not yet, anyway.

Desmond's beating puts Ben in the nurse's office rather than the police station, where he reflects upon his experience in a full-length mirror. His left arm is back in a sling, just like last time. Locke conveniently shows up so the two of them can bounce cross-timeline clues off one another, and this one last coincidence is the straw that breaks the camel's back for Locke. Time to see Jack again.

'Secreter Room'? C'mon, You Just Can't Beat That

"I lived in these houses 30 years before you did... otherwise known as last week." If anyone is wondering why the writers are still keeping Miles around, you're out of your mind. He's the one voice of reason we can count on when everyone else is accepting the most ridiculous of circumstances, and besides that, he's also funny as shit.

I thought it was cool that Richard had taken the time to bury Alex. It seemed he'd done it out of respect for Ben rather than out of necessity. As colleagues - if not friends - for so many years, it seemed something vital and necessary to the Ben/Richard relationship.

For a long time we've also wondered why burying or burning people seemed so important throughout the history of the island, as if the smoke monster couldn't take the form of those who were buried and gone. This leaves the question: did the monster appear as Alex during Dead is Dead before or after she was buried by Richard? Hard to say, but at this point it's probably not all that important.

This is very likely the last time we'll see the barracks, too. It's pretty far removed from the first time we saw it - an immaculately-groomed community where people watered their lawns. Now the swingsets are broken and the landscaping has gone all to hell. These images of desolation are shadowy echoes of what once was: people used to live and thrive here. Our island was once lushly populated with people, monsters, and mysteries. Now, in stark contrast, there are only a few souls left. The writers are slamming these images home for a reason: to let us know the end is near.

"That's where I was told I could summon the monster. That's before I realized it that was the one summoning me." Pretty cryptic, even for Ben. We'll probably never know who told Ben how to call the smoke monster, but it might've actually been the MIB himself. After Dead is Dead, Ben was smart enough to realize this little mud-toilet was put into place as a mechanism to keep tabs on him. Moving the Others to the barracks and behind the safety of the sonic fence defied the very rules of the island. The monster, constantly passing judgement, could count on Ben to call it in the case of intruders or interlopers. Maybe it even needed to be invited, in order to show up.

If You Need Miles, He'll be Running Through The Jungle. Again.

Okay, so it finally looks like Widmore's going to give us some answers. By breaking into Ben's house in broad daylight he allows their story to come full circle, mirroring Ben's midnight intrusion during The Shape of Things To Come. He brings Zoe with him presumably so she can get killed, because it's not like she's doing much of anything else. The real story here is why Charles came back to the island.

Ben seems genuinely surprised to see his old nemesis, thinking he'd banished him from the island for good. Widmore happily informs him that he was invited back by Jacob, and this may be why he was able to find the island again. They have a little pissing contest, mostly over who's the better chess player and who gets to blow up the Ajira plane first. Widmore sends Zoe out to pick up some more of the high-tech equipment that seems to have been working out so well for them lately, and that's when Flocke shows up.

Once again, I believe the dark man underestimates one of LOST's biggest characters. Here, after unceremoniously launching Richard into the jungle, he offers Ben the one thing he believes he wants more than anything else: dominion over the island. "When I'm gone you can have it all to yourself" - Locke's offer is pretty straightforward and very simple. So is Ben's answer: "Alright."

Here's where Ben betrays Widmore, and not out of his lust for power OR service to the man in black. His hatred for Charles stems back to the belief his enemy was directly responsible for the death of his daughter, Alex. Ben sells Widmore to Flocke out of pure spiteful revenge, wanting to both see and hear Widmore's screams as the monster tears him to pieces. And when it appears this might not happen? Ben takes matters directly into his own hands.

As for Zoe's death, well, I'm sure it was widely embraced. The problems with her character were similar to the problems stemming from Nikki and Paulo: she was introduced abruptly and in a very "know-it-all" type of way. She was combative and secretive, insistent and annoying. You don't get island-cred by acting like you're hot shit, or by trying to convince everyone that you're somehow important. You get it the same way Miles, Faraday, and Lapidus got it: by jumping onto the roller coaster and taking the ride along with us.

Widmore's storyline has been weak so far, and I was really expecting it to strengthen up. Instead, this once-great character is reduced to hiding like a coward in a closet. Less than one minute after being found, he's willing to sell out his whole operation on the off chance that the MIB will allow his daughter to live. The guy spends his whole life trying to get back to the island... just so he can whisper the darkest secrets of his master plan right into Flocke's ear?

And what about the end of the world? "If he gets off the island, everyone you know and love will cease to exist!" It's like all that stuff just flew right out the window the second Penny was mentioned. Ben shooting Widmore to prevent him from saving his daughter was a pretty cool scene, and I loved the line he delivers immediately afterward. But Charles Widmore? Unless there's an underlying storyline we don't know about, he went out like a total chump. His only apparent purpose - both times so far - was to get Desmond to the island.

Ever the scheming opportunist, Ben ensures his longevity by asking the monster "Did you say there were some other people to kill?" With Widmore gone and his plan revealed, Ben knows that the dark man has very little need for allies at this point. There are still some candidates Flocke can't touch directly, however, and I like to think that Ben somehow knows this. Maybe he's playing up to the monster to keep himself alive.

Ben's a character that's already seen some level of redemption. If Illana accomplished nothing else, bringing Ben back from the brink of the dark side seemed to be kind of important. I'm pretty sure he's playing the monster here, and that he'll betray it in the end. Ben's good at really playing people, and it would be great to watch him play the man in black into a very bad situation.

And no matter what, I hope that Richard is still alive! After all the trouble Hugo went through during Ab Aeterno to bring him back, I'd like to think he has some sort of ultimate purpose. It's "He who would save us all", not "He who gets his throat collapsed and flung into the jungle". Hopefully.

Oh But We Insist! Even if We Have to Kidnap You!

In the alternate timeline, Ben's place in Alex's life parallels a good many aspects of the on-island world. The one thing always missing on the island however, was a sense of family. Here, twisted and genius writing puts Ben at the very same dinner table with the woman who's child he once snatched away.

In stark contrast to her mentally-wrecked counterpart, LAX_Danielle is a well-adjusted mom who's happy to host her daughter's favorite teacher and father figure, Dr. Linus. The irony here is overwhelming. Ben is genuinely touched by the love felt for him in this household - the same household he once so violently broke apart. If and when his on-island memories come crashing home, I can see him feeling even more emotionally connected to both of these people.

You also have to remember this: Ben took Alex away to save both her and her mother's lives from Charles Widmore. After seeing his own beginnings on the island, we learned that Ben was never given the choice, or chance, for a normal life. Despite all the crazy things he's done, I find myself rooting for Ben to have a happy ending. If he ended up with both Danielle and Alex, it would fitting and cool.

There Should be a Jack / Locke Scene in Every Episode

Although the parallels are coming so fast we're getting a little numb to them by now, one thing that never gets old is watching Jack and Locke interact with each other. Here, once again in the LAX timeline, they're put together to speak about faith, hope and destiny.

It took a lot of violence and long hours in the makeup chair, but Locke is finally coming around. His mind is open to the possibility that he's being brought back to Jack, again and again, for a very specific reason. Jack tells Locke not to mistake coincidence for fate. These are Mr. Eko's words, and in my opinion, one of the best lines of the show.

I got chills when Locke said "I think I'm ready to get out of this chair." If and when this happens, it's going to bring his story full circle. Locke's paralysis was an integral part of the show's origins. If he were to finally get up and walk away on his own two feet, it would signify the end of a very long and awesome journey for both him, and for us.

C'mon Let's Face It - Your Lives All Sucked To Begin With

I've never waited six years for the answer to a question, much less one from a TV show. Yet here's the dream-scene we've all been waiting for: Jacob sitting calmly down with our characters, pushing all of the bullshit aside, and giving us solid answers to the most fundamental questions in all of LOST.

Everyone was brought to the island for a reason, and that reason was to help Jacob undo a two-thousand year old mistake. No one questions him. No one disbelieves him. There's still anger and resentment however, especially in light of all the surrounding death and destruction our heroes have been forced to endure. Sawyer even demands to know why they should help Jacob in the first place, and this is an excellent question. As we've been taught, a huge part of LOST's overall lore involves people cleaning up their own mess. Why should Jacob be any different?

We also get the answer to another long-standing mystery: why each of these characters all come from the same miserable background. Turns out Jacob plucked them from their shitty circumstances and placed them here not only because the island needed them, but because they needed the island. Hey, what can you say? The guy's all heart. He even crossed off Kate's name when she became a mother, telling her: "It's just a line of chalk in a cave, Kate. The job's yours if you want it."

This line seemed tremendously important to me. Beyond all of these apparent rules and regulations, it turns out the only thing that really matters is choice, or free will. Jacob never had it. Ben never had it either. And although it looks like all of our characters were brought here without really choosing this path, Jacob won't select any single one of them to take his place. The person who takes the job has to want to do it of their own accord. And if no one does? Well, it's still kinda obscure, but apparently everyone is screwed.

This will go down as a legendary scene, culminating in Jack volunteering with "I'll do it". On every level, Jack's made peace with the fact that this is his destiny. All his life he's done nothing but make sacrifices to help people. He's given up on a lot of things: happiness, his marriage, even a life of his own, all to help everyone else get fixed. Here, he's got the opportunity to save not only his remaining friends, but to possibly spare the entire world from destruction. For a self-sacrificing maniac like Jack? It's the mother of all possible job offers.

Before the last of his ash is consumed in the fire Jacob, symbolically passes the torch to Jack - just as his mother did to him. He also tells Jack where the heart of the island is. Turns out it's on the other side of the bamboo field, right near where Jack fell from the sky. This is a big clue for many reasons. For starters, it seems to indicate that Jack was the chosen one all along. He was the one who fell closest to the heart of the island, and the one most suited to be its next guardian.

More importantly, don't forget we saw someone else in that bamboo field: Christian Shephard. In the mobisode that takes place before Jack even opens his eye in the pilot, Christian tells Vincent: "Go wake up my son. He has work to do." As far as I'm concerned, this solidifies the idea that every iteration of Christian Shephard was NOT the man in black. In this case, it's a pretty good guess we were looking at Jacob here.

In what could possibly be Jack's last moments as a mortal man, Jacob washes his hands of the island. He asks for a cup, fills it, and chants the same ceremonial bullshit his mother did. What words does he use? Nonsense words, of course. Jacob could be reciting a complete list of the stuff he plans to do once he gets off this rock - it makes no difference, really. The only thing that matters is that Jack believes in this ceremony. It's faith and belief that will allow him to guard the island. These are also the same things Jack will need to do battle with the man in black, and ultimately defeat him.

It Sure Ain't the Bon Jovi Concert

Of all the incredible scenes this week, my favorite one was the prison break. Desmond's knowing smile while turning himself in at the police station could've easily been taken for mild insanity. By the time Ana Lucia opened the doors and set everyone free however, I had a big shit-eating grin of my own. Desmond didn't just 'know' anymore... he knew.

The Hugo and Desmond we see here are fully-aware, fully-informed, full-fledged versions of their island counterparts. The casual way they address each other and Hurley's immediate recognition of Ana Lucia paints a vivid portrait of just how much these characters are in the know. Desmond's assertion of "She's not ready yet" also gives us hope that eventually, all of our heroes will make the same transformation as them.

As many of us have speculated for weeks now, these people now exist in the LAX timeline with full knowledge of their island lives. They've become aware of both universes. This is awesome news, because if the majority of LOST's ending takes place in the LAX timeline, at least we'll get back all of the characters we've known and loved for so long. The show can end with the original characters being thrust into a different setting, without really losing anything. It can also allow additional closure and endings for even those characters who've died. In short, this IS the other side.

I also loved the music in this scene. It was playful, cool, and it gave an accelerated sense of a rapidly progressing storyline. Somewhere along the line, Desmond came up with a plan. And judging from the fact that everyone's all headed to what's probably Widmore and Hawking's concert, I'll bet Daniel Faraday is involved in that plan too.

You Can Have The Island. . . Right After I Destroy It

Alongside the mystery of who let Desmond out of the well (my vote is for Sayid or Miles), we have to ask ourselves this: isn't telling Ben he plans to destroy the island in direct conflict with Flocke's promise to leave it for him?

If you're not sure exactly how Desmond acts as a failsafe for the island, neither am I. Maybe it has something to do with the cases of electromagnetic crap Zoe and Widmore brought with them in their canoe. Maybe he's supercharged with some of the island's inner glow. Whatever it is, we have to remember that the writers went out of their way to show us how immune Desmond was to gigantic magnetic fields. Not sure I want to see the island go out in a blast of energy, or even see the island go out at all.

Whew. We're almost done. It's crazy to think that in less than a week, I'll know exactly how LOST ends.

I want to wish everyone a happy series finale! See you on that other side...

Vozz

Episode 6.16 - What They Died For - Jorge Garcia Podcast

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Check out Jorge's Blog below for a couple of Notes about the Podcast

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Episode 6.16 - What They Died For - Rating News

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Instant Dharma: More Deaths, Flashes, a Prison Break, the New Jacob & More (VIDEO)

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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Sean's Random Thoughts - Lost Recap - What They Died For

Here is Sean Furfaro's recap of tonight's episode.

"I want you to have the one thing that I was never given. A choice."
"What if none of us chooses it?"
"Then this ends very badly."

An interesting choice of words because one thing that Lost is definitely not doing is 'ending badly.' This episode packed a half-season's worth of fantastic moments into one hour, and it didn't feel rushed at all. That may be the most impressive thing of all. So much to to talk about...so let's find out "What They Died For."

Previously on Lost, we got reminded full-on of the emotional impact of the 3 deaths in "The Candidate" 2 weeks ago. I mentioned in my recap last week that I liked the decision of making us sit with those deaths for 2 full weeks before continuing the story, and with this 'Previously' segment, we were taken right back to that emotional meltdown of an episode.

This episode started off in the Flash Sideways (FS) World with Jack sporting a new cut on his neck, echoing back to one of the opening scenes in "L.A. X", as he examined the scratch on his neck in the airplane bathroom. He had a look on his face that he was perhaps suspicious of the 'coincidence', but nothing concrete.

As Jack sat down for breakfast with David over a bowl of Family Size Super Bran, David talked about his upcoming concert that night. We learned that his mom was also going to be there, making me think that we're finally going to find out who it is! Alas, it was just a tease. They were soon joined by Auntie Claire, who made no mention of going to the concert with her newfound family...but that was probably only due to the fact that Jack got a call from an 'Oceanic Airlines' (wink wink, nudge nudge), that might as well have said, "We found your Dad, brutha!" Yes...Desmond is back in the FS, playing his version of chess with our FS Losties.

On the Island, we saw the aftermath of Kate's gunshot wound as Jack sewed her up on the beach, giving us Mirror Image #1: Jack sews up Kate's wound on the beach, just as Kate sewed up Jack's wound in the Pilot episode. Right down to the placement of them on the beach, this scene was virtually the same, with the two roles mirrored. I expected Jack to give the 'Count to 5 when you're scared' speech again. (Get used to the Mirror Images, there's a lot of them in this one.)

But NOW we're going to talk about Ji-Yeon? I know it was just a way of acknowledging it since, as poignant as Sun and Jin's death scene was, they didn't really come across as Parents of the Year not mentioning their daughter. But then puffy-eyed Kate went from weepy to angry in a split second as she made it clear she wanted revenge for their deaths.

Kate: "We have to kill him, Jack."
Jack: "I know."

Back in the FS World, Desmond is sitting in his car watching John Locke, mirroring the exact same scene that we saw when Scotland's Worst Driver ran down our favourite wheelchair-bound substitute teacher. I didn't think for a second that we were going to see him run down Locke again, even after he started the car when John wheeled out into the road.

But in swooped Dr. Benjamin Linus to save the day, and seriously...how wrong does that sound? He even said "I won't let you hurt Mr. Locke again!" As he confronted Desmond, he got a swift punch in the face, which was pretty awesome. As I pointed out a while back that it had been a while since we saw Sayid snapping some sucker's neck, it's been even longer since we saw Ben get the snot beaten out of him.

As Desmond pounded on him on the ground, I was just about to chalk it up to another Mirror Image, but the show did it for me, as Ben flashed back to the dock after shooting Desmond and the fight they had (both of which ended with Ben's arm in a sling). Now Ben has joined the ranks of the 'aware'...or at least the 'near-aware'...as he flashed between the two realities.

I had wondered how long it was going to be before we saw the adventures of Ben, Richard, and Miles, and we were re-introduced to this trio on a sarcasm-filled walk back to the Dharma Barracks. As they arrived, Miles was apparently hearing/feeling something, and Ben, in his best 'teacher' voice (a nice touch coming right out of the FS scene) said, "Is there something you want to share with us Miles?"

We were then reminded that this was the spot that Alex was killed, and we learned that after Ben left, Richard buried her there. So obviously, Miles was hearing something from Alex, and I wish they would have expanded on that instead of just giving us a reminder of the daughter war between Widmore and Ben for a key scene later in the episode. It reminded me of how powerful a scene it was when Keamy killed Alex. (And for those of you that are Kevin Durand fans, make sure to see him as Little John in the new Robin Hood movie.)

Inside the house, and inside Ben's secret room (more answers!), we learned that the crazy drain contraption we saw last season in "Dead is Dead", was indeed how the Smoke Monster was summoned. Or as Ben put it, "“That’s where I was told that I could summon the monster. That’s before I realized that it was the one summoning me.” That was a great line, but not as good as the following exchange between Richard and Ben:

Ben: "Are we looking to cripple the plane or blow it to hell?"
Richard: "Blow it to hell."
Ben: "Then we'd better take it all."

Is this a redundant mission now, to blow up the plane, or is the plane still in the plan for Flocke?

After emerging from the secret room, they ran into Zoe in the kitchen (what was she doing, looking for a snack?), and I screamed "Kill her!" along with 98% of other Lost viewers.

She did not get shot, and we then saw the inevitable face-to-face meeting between Charles Widmore and Ben Linus. The last time we saw these two face-to-face, Ben was standing at the end of Charles' bed in "The Shape Of Things To Come." This has been a long time coming.

As Charles started asking questions, and Richard sang like a canary on their plans, did you see Ben's face? That was pretty entertaining. Then we got the story we had all been wondering about Widmore. Jacob had indeed visited him after the Freighter blew up, and summoned him to the Island. I'm sure that some of you were convinced at this point that if Jacob went to Widmore, and as he declared that he had seen "the error of my ways", then he must be good...as many commenters have suggested. I wasn't fooled for a second, and as I've said all along, remember that this is the man who ordered Ben to kill Alex when she was a baby...there's no way they would ever expect us to accept him as a 'good' character. Never.

Back to the FS World, where we see Ben and Locke together at the school. As Ben explains to Locke that he "saw something", he also tells him that Desmond told him he needed to help Locke "Let go", which is what Jack told him at the hospital. John calls the LAPD, which leads us to a transitional scene at the police station as we see Miles getting ready to go to a concert with his father. Presumably, this would be the same concert where David is performing. Is it father & son night at the recital hall? (Pierre & Miles, Jack & David, maybe Dogen and little Dogen?)

At the station, we see Desmond ask to see Sawyer (I'm not calling him Ford in the FS World), and then confess the hit-and-run on John Locke, and the beatdown on Dr. Linus. As he is taken to his holding cell, we see him walk in and flash that Desmond smile at someone in the cell.

It's the Black Tank Top of Death...Sayid, and as he looks downward on him, I'm calling this Mirror Image #2: Desmond looks down on Sayid with an opportunity to save him, just as Sayid looked down into the well at Desmond with an opportunity to save him a couple of episodes back. Oh yeah, Kate's in the next cell, too.

Walking through the jungle back on the Island (Kate recovered remarkably quickly from her gunshot wound, didn't she?), Sawyer realized the full effect of his actions on the sub.

Sawyer: "The bomb on the sub? You said he couldnt kill us."
Jack: "I've been wrong before."
Sawyer: "I killed them, didn't I?"
Jack: " No. He killed them."

As much as Sawyer constantly gives Jack hell for everything he does, the good doctor still bails him out in this conversation. He knows full well that he wasn't wrong, but he still tries to make Sawyer believe that it wasn't his fault. He knows the guilt of having death on your hands (Juliet, Michael), and he doesn't want it for Sawyer.

Out of nowhere, Hurley sees Young Jacob, who brazenly insists on the ashes that Hurley has in his pocket...the ashes that Ilana took from the foot of the statue where Jacob burned...the ashes of Jacob. When Hurley is reluctant to hand them over, Young Jacob snatches them away and runs...and Hurley gives chase. Did anyone think Hurley could catch him?

As Hurley came across Jacob among a bunch of red flowers, I felt a queasy feeling in my stomach. I neglected to mention the red flowers in last week's recap at the mouth of the cave when the Smoke Monster was 'born', and relay it back to the other instance of the red flowers in the show (Eko's meeting with Yemi), all of which had preceded the appearance of the Smoke Monster.

So after seeing them in this scene, I said out loud "No!", because I honestly thought I was about to see the death of Hurley. And with my mind being where it was at the time, I did not believe that Jacob was actually him...I was sure it was the MIB trying to set up the Losties to get all in one place again. Even the explanation of the burning of the ashes signifying the 'end of Jacob' made sense...

But I was wrong.

As we learned later, it was indeed Jacob, but why the red flowers? Was it just a fear-inducing moment for die-hard Losties like me? Did any of you think the same thing? And why did he appear as young Jacob to Hurley? As an unfamiliar face, instead of just as himself?

Flocke disembarks from the dock and sees Widmore's outrigger loaded with cases still. Remember that back in the barracks, Widmore instructed Zoe to get their stuff out of the outrigger and then sink it, signifying that he knows the end of the story plays out here, and he no longer needs the outrigger to travel between Islands.

Miles decides that he doesn't want to stick around and hide, or stick around and face Flocke, so he decided to just...run away? If Miles ends up dying as he's off hiding in the jungle, or we never hear from him again, I'm going to be pretty pissed. It's bad enough that we have to assume Frank is dead, but now Miles is gone? Why did we develop these characters just to have them go out with a whimper. At least Ilana blew up!

While Widmore and Zoe hide in the secret room, Richard and Ben decide to meet Flocke head on. As they head outside, I'm calling this Mirror Image #3: as Richard and Locke survey the scene of an empty Dharma Barracks, it mirrored when Ben returned after the Purge, and he and Richard slowly surveyed the same scene (minus all the dead bodies of course).

Tika-tika-tika...here comes the Smoke Monster. And there goes Richard. I'm not going to call this one a Mirror Image, but I have to point out that Flocke sure does enjoy nailing Richard right in the throat.

Then Ben sits on the front porch, and I am going to label this Mirror Image #4: as he emerged from the Barracks house and waited for Flocke/Locke to appear, it mirrored the same scene in "Dead is Dead", when he did the same with Sun, declaring "what's about to come out of that jungle is something I can't control."

Then we hear Seductive Flocke's sales pitch to Ben, which essentially was "Kill everyone for me, and you can have the Island." Ben then gives up Widmore in a flash, telling Flocke where he was inside. Remember that whole "Charles killed my daughter" thing? Payback's a bitch, and it's on it's way to the secret room.

OK, I'm just going to be honest and say that I didn't really groove off of Ben's new attachment to Danielle in an intended 'love interest' kind of way. Just too weird. I do, understand, however that we had to see this scene to remind us of Ben's fatherly instincts with Alex (in both worlds) to set up what we were about to see coming up.

What did we really learn, other than they were having Coq Au Vin for dinner, and that Ben looked like Napoleon? (Essay Topic: discuss Ben and Napoleon and the concept of "The Island" as an exile) Not much, but this whole section had some pretty good lines in it:

"Why would someone want to hurt you, you’re like the nicest guy ever."
"After everything you've done for my daughter, a ride is the least we can do."
"We insist. Even if we have to kidnap you."
"You're the closest thing to a father that she's ever had."

The last line made Ben cry, just as he did after the death of Alex on the Island. How many of you figured out that this was going to be the episode where Ben got his revenge? Hands up, please.

Cut to the FS World, where we see Ben and Flocke enter the house, and prominent in the camera shot is a picture of Alex as a young girl. As Flocke goes to enter the secret room, Ben declares "I want to see it." And when Flocke opened the door and flicked on the light, Charles and Widmore were standing there helplessly. They looked rather pathetic. And the smug "Sorry, Charles" from Ben couldn't have helped.

Then, all of my unhappiness over Zoe not being killed earlier in the episode was forgiven as Flocke unsheathed his dagger and slit Zoe's throat in one swift motion. This vicious death was, in my opinion, a nod to all the fans that hated her almost as much as Nikki and Paolo...and on their behalf, I say 'thank you.' Flocke explained to Charles, "You told her not to talk to me and that made her pointless." I actually laughed out loud at that line.

Then, the bribe came, as Flocke promised not to kill Penny if Charles would spill everything to him. And as Charles gave up every piece of information except for one, Flocke motioned him closer so that he could whisper it in his ear. In an incredibly tense approach, Charles began to whisper the final point in an effort to protect Penny, and then...BANG!

"He doesn't get to save his daughter."

Brutal. Vicious. Cold-Blooded Murder. And we all loved it, didn't we? Try to tell me again that Charles Widmore is good.

Ben is back.

The main piece of information that Charles gave up was Desmond's purpose, "because of his unique resistance to electro-magnetism." He then indicated that Desmond was there "as a measure of last resort", which was how the Fail Safe Key was referred to in the Hatch. You can see the recognition in Flocke's eyes when he hears it, as Locke would have known about it. So, while Desmond turned the Fail Safe Key in the Hatch, he now IS the Fail Safe Key.

In the FS World, Locke visited Jack again, and we saw a conversation with the two of them that made it clear that Locke was ready to now become the Man of Faith once again. As he sat there with Jack, Locke gave us Mirror Image #5: as Locke said to Jack, "Maybe this is happening for a reason", it mirrored Locke's legendary line from "Exodus: Part 1", when he said ""Each one of us was brought here for a reason." Coincidence vs. Fate once again.

The Final 4 (Jack, Sawyer, Hurley, and Kate), came to a clearing where they found Jacob, who they could now see...and the answers came flowing fast and furious in the coming scenes.

"Come and sit down and I'll tell you what they died for", Jacob told them, "I'll tell you why I chose them, and why I chose you. And then I'll tell you everything you need to know about protecting this Island because by the time that fire burns out, one of you is going to have to start doing it."

Jacob explained what happened with MIB, and how he was responsible for creating "The Smoke Monster". He went on to say that they were all chosen because they were flawed, and alone in the real world, and that they needed the Island as much as the Island needed them. He also explained that the crossed-out names on the wall were 'just a line of chalk in a cave", and that Kate was still an eligible candidate, but he had excluded her since she became a mother. Does this confirm that Jin was the Kwon on the wall? Sun was a mother, and even though Jin was technically a father, he was alone on the Island having never met Ji-Yeon.

He explained the Cave of Light, and how it had to be protected, and then we got what summed it up absolutely perfectly, which is why I chose it as the opening for this Recap:

"I want you to have the one thing that I was never given. A choice."
"What if none of us chooses it?"
"Then this ends very badly."

Then Jack made the choice we all knew he would, he confidently volunteered to be the Island protector, and Jacob took him to the water, chanted as his mother did 2000 years ago, and gave him directions to the Cave. Now he would be able to find it near the bamboo field where he originally landed on the Island. I thought it was pretty significant that we watched Jacob wash his hands, cleansing himself of the Island and his responsibility to protect it.

Last week, there was a lot of talk that "Across the Sea" should have been placed earlier in the season, but after seeing tonight's episode, it was clear that it needed to be third from last, and right before this episode. We needed to see the cave, the ceremony between Mother and Jacob ("now you're like me"), and the creation of the Smoke Monster to fully understand what happened tonight. It was perfectly placed.

Sawyer: "And I thought that guy had a God complex before" (OK, that was pretty funny.)

It's getting late, and I'm on the verge of rambling again, so I'll try to sum up the great Armored Car Escape (which was awesome!) as quickly as I can, in bullet points:
- I thought Kate and Sawyer talking through the jail cell 'cage' was going to trigger a 'Flash' to the Dharma bear cages.
- I loved Desmond's calm demeanor laying the plan out.
- I wish I wouldn't have seen Michelle Rodriguez's name in the opening credits, or the Ana Lucia reveal would have been pretty good, but I am happy that she wasn't revealed as David's mom, which would have been pretty disappointing.
- Hurley driving up in the Hummer looked like it was straight out of CSI Miami.
- "You didn't tell me Ana Lucia was going to be here." Hurley knows everything! This is great!

I will, however point out Mirror Image #6: when Desmond gave Kate the dress, it mirrored the scene on Hydra Island when Ben gave Kate the dress. And as Desmond declared "We...are going to a concert", it became apparent that this is the location (not John and Helen's wedding as so many people predicted) where everyone and everything will come together in the FS World.

Ben: "If you can turn yourself into smoke whenever you want, why do you bother walking?"
Flocke: "I like the feel of my feet on the ground. It reminds me that I was human."

As Locke and Ben look down into the well where Desmond was supposed to be, we see Mirror Image #7: an almost identical camera shot of the Season 1 finale when the Hatch door was blown open and they were looking inside. Interesting to think that in theory, Desmond was down below in each scenario.

Flocke didn't seem surprised that Sayid didn't kill Desmond, but what was with that rope? Who put it there to help him out? It wasn't Sayid...he told Jack that Desmond was still in the well. Was it someone else? Maybe Frank? What's your theory?

And the last thing we learn before the Finale Event on Sunday night, is that Flocke intends to use Desmond to destroy the Island. Damn...Sunday is going to be awesome.

Body Count: Zoe, Charles Widmore, presumably Jacob when the fire goes out, Richard?

I thought this was an incredible episode. Let's be honest, though, they could pretty much parade flying donkeys on the screen and I would probably rave about it, but this was a fantastic hour of what is turning out to be my favourite season of the show.

A quick note regarding last week’s recap for “Across The Sea”. One of the things about writing my Lost recap immediately after the show ends, is that I haven’t fully been able to wrap my head around what I just saw. Sure, I could wait until the next day, but I like to make my mark with immediate reactions. If that puts me off the mark sometimes…well, I’m ok with that. Last week for instance, once I read the Comments section, my eyes were opened a lot to some options I hadn’t really considered. Sometimes you guys are just one step ahead of me.

Again, thanks for reading, for commenting, and for those of you clicking through and exploring my blog (http://sfurfaro.blogspot.com/) as well. You can also add me on Facebook, where new blog posts get posted there as soon as they go up.

As far as the Season Finale is concerned, I will be writing a full recap, and it will be going up in the hours after the finale airs. I have committed to stay up and write it immediately after the episode, as I have done all season. I realize that this means a late night/early morning, but I will have it up soon after “The End.” And since Monday is a holiday…I can simply sleep all day.

I look forward to your Comments.