Lost — And then there was one

It was nice to get some answers in a simple, straightforward way (I kept waiting for someone/thing to interrupt), but after all the herkity-jerkity of the last few years, it felt kinda anticlimactic for the obvious candidate — Jack — to take the job. I was rooting for Hurley to get it, so I smiled when he said, “I’m glad it’s not me.”

Ben shooting Widmore caught me by surprise, but he (indirectly) killed Alex, so, yeah, good job Ben.

And it looks like we’ll see everyone at the party — I hope Daniel and Red hook up! And what better setting for a finale?

BTW — I love the sideways-time Miles and Sawyer buddy-cop scenes. I would SO watch that show if they made it a spin-off! (Maybe I should start a Facebook fan page for it.)

I don’t think Ben has sided with the MIB. He chose to survive, plain and simple. And even if Ben turned bad, The MIB promised Ben the Island mid-episode only to reveal by the end that he’s planning on destroying it. So Ben really has no incentive to work with the MIB other than Ben doesn’t want to die. At least, that’s how I see it.

I’m still crossing my fingers for Lapidus to turn up like a bad penny. I don’t think Richard died, he just got smoke-checked into the jungle.

As for Jack being The Replacement, I thought that was fine. They could have had a long moment of silence and reluctant sideways glances as everyone mulled over the responsibilities involved with replacing Jacob, but Jack has been almost expecting this for a while now, he’s got a huge habit of trying to fix EVERYTHING, and he will always feel responsible for everything, so the fact that he straight up said he’ll do it felt fine to me.

Oh! And I choked up seeing Danielle alive and well and giving bruised-up Dr. Linus the looky-loo. That was probably my favorite surprise of the evening.

Also, for the first time this whole season I was completely glued to the screen for every scene in the sideways timeline. Hurley recognizing Ana Lucia was a trip!

I was also pretty sure Jack would die by the end of the episode. Oh well.

“I was also pretty sure Jack would die by the end of the episode.”

Did you know that Jack was originally going to die at the end of the *first* episode? The monster killing the charismatic doctor was going to be the OMFG screeching-violins cliffhanger. Darlton changed his mind and killed the pilot of the plane instead.

Jack’s “I’ll do it” acceptance of becoming Jacob’s replacement seemed far too convenient and after Hurley’s “I’m glad it’s not me” line, I’m also convinced that when everything’s said and done, Hurley will turn out to be the real replacement. Jack will most likely die in some attempt at last-minute shock value.

Yeah, sideways Hurley is really aware of everything that’s happened in the real timeline. I still think the smoke monster will be pulled into the sideways timeline from the normal timeline, but in the normal timeline, the island is underwater. Bye-bye smoke monster.

I agree with Karl that it just makes sense for Jack to be the replacement. He wants to fix everything, he’s the one willing to sacrifice and bear that burden. It’s who he is. This also opens up the romance for Sawyer and Kate, now that Jack is seemingly out of the picture.

“I don’t think Richard died, he just got smoke-checked into the jungle.”

I agree. I don’t think Richard can be killed, can he?
Especially directly by the Smoke Monster, at least I think that’s the rule. (unless that rule has been broken.)

“Who else thought Ana Lucia would be jack’s ex-wife when they saw Michelle Rodriguez’s name in the credits? I guess that mystery will be resolved with everyone ending up at this benefit concert. Presumably Juliet is the obvious choice, but this is LOST, who knows who it could end up being.”

It’s worth noting, of course, that Julie Bowen and the rest of the cast of Modern Family (also an ABC show) filmed two episodes in Hawaii that just aired the previous two weeks. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see her show up in the finale.

I enjoyed the way last night’s episode involved almost everyone. The pacing was top notch as well.

So many things can happen in the final episode. I’m truly looking forward to it.

* Juliet does seem to be the most likely choice as Jack’s Flash Sideways ex-wife, although I wouldn’t be surprised if, for a real shocker, they had her show up as Neve Campbell, Matthew Fox’s former PARTY OF FIVE co-star.

* Ben is one tricky little guy. I love watching as he unfold his own secret plans on everyone, good or bad.

* Like everyone else, I hope we haven’t seen the last of Lapidus and Richard.

* Flash Sideways Desmond is a blast. Looking forward to see how they tie all of this in.

* Jack–In one way, it makes sense that he takes Jacob’s place. Perhaps this IS what he should be doing and with his new Jacob powers he’ll be able to grant Kate immortality and they will stay on the island together after Sawyer leads whoever is left off the island after Locke is defeated. If Lapidus is still alive, then he can fly the still intact plane and fly everyone off.

* Jack: How long do I have to do this?”

Jacob: “For as long as you can.”

Hmmm…that might not be as long as we think. Hurley may get the job after all.

We’ll see. Needless to say It’s been a great six years of TV for me. I have no regrets or complaints.

Beau Smith
The Flying Fist Ranch

I’m fine with Jack being The New Jacob. It’s too late for too many big swerves, and with all of the giant clues to Jack’s destiny going back to the beginning, to flip it over to Hurley at this point would be crappy, crappy writing. Hurley doesn’t deserve to be stuck there either. If he can shake off his bad luck, he’s got a decent life waiting for him with his family back home. Unlike the other characters, he hadn’t actually done anything wrong (that I recall), he just had bad luck.

I’m still a little uneasy about the bigger things, like The Light and what is the Sideways timeline anyway, but character-wise it was a great episode. There were some excellent moments from Ben, Locke, Desmond, Hurley, Miles, and Ben. Did I mention Ben?

I loved the scene in the back of the police van. I totally expected there to be some hocus-pocus that would make the driver lose consciousness and drive off a pier or something, but instead it was all Desmond’s Plan. He’s got a plan!!!! He’s totally a demented Mr. Rourke and Hurley is Tattoo.

The more I think about Jack taking over the mantle of the island’s protector, the more I think it’s going to be extremely short-lived. He seems like the obvious candidate, and therein lies the nagging feeling. After all, when was the last time this show did the obvious?

Here’s what I think might happen: Flocke has kept Claire alive for a reason. I believe that reason is to use her as his proxy to kill the new “guardian”, since the rules prevent him from doing so himself. He deliberately kept her off the sub, and has conditioned her to feel everyone else but him have abandoned her. So it won’t be too difficult for Flocke to talk her into killing Jack, the guy who’s her family yet still “abandoned” her.

With Jack dead, someone else will have to step forward, and my money’s on Hurley, if only because of the “I’m just glad it wasn’t me” comment from last night, which seemed awfully convenient, in a prescient kind of way.

Great setup for what I hope will be a respectable and satisfying ending to the series.

Like everyone else, I have some theories as to how things will play out. For example…

1- Based on Sideways Jack’s neck bleeding a bit more (it was bleeding a little in this season’s first episode and now a bit more in last night’s show), coupled with what Flocke did to Widmore’s sidekick last night… I can’t help but feel the same will happen to Jack when he confronts Flocke.

2- I think the island and Sideways storylines will reach their climaxes simultaneously with Desmond doing something causing the island to sink (therefore stopping Flocke from leaving), and Jack “saving” Locke in the Sideways storyline. I imagine something will also happen at the Widmore dinner / concert around this time as well.

If I have one complaint about this season, it would be there wasn’t a Widmore-centric episode.

Something my wife and I said at almost the same time when Jack took the job was that, at the last second, Sawyer’s going to push Jack out of the way or step in front of a bullet or something, saving the island but sacrificing himself… AGAIN for Jack and Kate, allowing them to get off the island or at least survive together.

I’m still betting that happens.

Hmmm, Hurley’s line that he was “glad it’s not him” makes me think that maybe he should be the one chosen to take over the Island, or at least take over the Richard Alpert role of go between.

However, Hurley might not have the stomach to interfere in other people’s lives as Jacob has clearly done. Plus Jack as Jacob might be more willing to do it himself as oppose to have someone do it for him.

Ultimately we don’t know where this is all going. The Island could very well blow up at the end thus negating the need for a protector.

One other thought was that maybe the Island won’t be destroyed and that maybe what needs to happen is the “Jacob” and “MIB” roles need to become one person again. My theory from last week’s episode was that Mother was both “Jacob” and “Smoke” (how else could she wipe out that camp and cover up that hole?). Maybe her mistake was splitting her responsibilities and that it should only come to one person.

I think there will be one last turning of the wheel under the Orchid station. Either Desmond or Jack will do it, I’m not sure, but the result will be that the island will transport into the sideways universe and wind up at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, effectively becoming a “cork” on the original universe that serves no other function than to hold Smokey in captivity. Juliet tells Sawyer, “It worked,” everybody remembers, and it’s a great concert.

Until Claire has her baby and we all realize there are twins (Aaron and a boy with no name)!

My only gripe is that the true identity of the individual trapped in the cabin may not be revealed.

What a great show. I’m really going to miss it.

Is Jack really The Replacement? I don’t think so. Jacob gave him pond water, when he always carried a wine bottle (that metaphorically represents the island). So, for me, the real replacement is Ben.

Wesley,

I think your #2 statement has a lot going for it. You could be on to something there.

Like you, I also would’ve enjoyed a Widmore episode. I really found his character of high interest in his way of thinking.

It’s gonna be a fun ride and I’m sorry to see it end.

Great cast and guest stars through out the series. I hope all of these people get put to use on other films and projects.

Beau Smith
The Flying Fist Ranch

@ Jim Kingman – that makes the most sense of any theory I’ve heard for the last show.

Although I’m not sure what you mean by truly identify the individual trapped in the cabin?

Desmond as desperate last measure, due to unusually high tolerance to magnetic fields…

Wanna bet Flocke thinks pushing Desmond into the light will blow up the island, but instead it triggers a donkey wheel like move, sinking the island and putting the characters into the sidewaysverse?

Hurley is DEFINITELY being set up to be some kind of Special Person — he’s already special what with his dead talking ability and in the sidewaysverse he is the most aware aside from Desmond.

I thought last night was a good episode but again suffered from some flast direction — who would have thought that Mario Van Peebles day-glo episode would be a visual highlight of the season! Jack Bender cannot return soon enough on Sunday.

I am intrigued as to Miles’ continued survival. Is it so

a) there is one superfluous character left to shockingly kill in a brutal, lightning fast manner or

b) he has some special plot purpose before he is shockingly killed in a brutal lightning fast manner. It’s notable that out of all the non core characters Miles and Claire survived the longest.

This is gonna be SOOOMMMMEEE concert. I am voting for Juliet as the ex wife.

“Did you know that Jack was originally going to die at the end of the *first* episode? The monster killing the charismatic doctor was going to be the OMFG screeching-violins cliffhanger. Darlton changed his mind and killed the pilot of the plane instead.”

@Todd: another interesting piece of trivia for you. Matthew Fox was not the original choice for Jack. It was going to be…Michael Keaton! No kidding, Batman as Jack!

The reason he didn’t take the part was because, as you noted, it was later decided that Jack was going to live on past the first episode. Keaton was interested in being a special guest star, but not interested in doing a weekly series.

@Beau: I think Richard is still alive. He needs a proper send-off. Lapidus, I’m not too sure about. I hope I’m wrong, he’s turned out to be a great character.

Lance Roger Axt
AudioComics, LLC

“@Beau: I think Richard is still alive. He needs a proper send-off. Lapidus, I’m not too sure about. I hope I’m wrong, he’s turned out to be a great character.”

I also think Richard is still alive and agree that it ain’t looking so good for Frank right now.

Richard and Frank are two of my personal favorite characters on the show because they show a lot without having to say a lot. Both are actors that I’d love to see in their own series when this is done. Jeff Fahey had a wonderful series called THE MARSHAL that I really enjoyed.

Just as an add-on, Michael Emerson/Ben Linus is just an amazing actor as is Terry O’Quinn. I think, and hope, LOST will give both of these actors a new stage to shine on and people will be open-minded enough not to typecast them for other roles.

I’ve said enough. Thanks.

Beau Smith
The Flying Fist Ranch

I’d love to see two new series,
one any type of drama starring O’Quinn & Emerson, they work so well together
and
a buddy cop show with Sawyer & Miles.

To Pook D: I’ve often wondered if that was really Jacob in the cabin. I guess it had to be, it wouldn’t make sense if it was Smokey, but why the ash around it? To keep Jacob in or Smokey out? And how was the cabin able to move? And sometime during season four, I believe, Hurley stumbled upon the cabin, looked in, saw someone in the chair, and then someone else’s eye from inside looked out at Hurley. Who was that? And wasn’t Jack’s father, who we now know was Smokey, in the cabin with Claire during one episode? What happened to Jacob?

I’ve got a cabin hang-up. I’ll get over it.

General internet speculation is that Jacob was NEVER in the cabin — it was MIB all along, helping explain why the Others were such shits.

Beau,

If anyone on LOST could be called “a Beau Smith character,” it would have to be Lepidus, with his 70s wise-cracking and chest hair galore.

He’d certainly be at home in Wynona Earp or any of your other stuff.

Mark,

That’s the nicest thing anyone in comics has ever said to me.

I take that as a high compliment and thank you.

Your amgio,

Beau Smith
The Flying Fist Ranch

Wait,I know how this ends –

Everyone wakes up in London, only to get knocked out again by sleeping gas.

~

Coat

Finally got around to watching this episode, and I feel bad for invoking the dreaded “Midichlorian” word last week, when as Heidi summed up neatly, it was clunky acting/directing sapping the drama that was the issue, not over-explanation. Anyway, really looking forward to the finale.

something i read elsewhere:

Is the Frozen Donkey Wheel frozen because of something happening to the Light on the island?

Ben ain’t on the dark side. He’s still got Miles on the walkie-talkie, right? And since the Big Four didn’t get Desmond, I don’t think it’s difficult to figure out who got him and who told him to do it…

So: what DID they die for? If meant to give the reason why Jin, Sun, and Sayid had to be killed off with the sub… I don’t think this episode explained it. Unless it was to reduce the Candidates’ number to the Final Four so Jack could step up and ask for the job, the deaths of those 3 were completely random— why NOT Kate, then? (Is it really just a case of “minorities in a sub”?)

Other thoughts on the episode:

—Alt-Desmond as uber-Neo in the MATRIX-y LAXverse: BRAVO! Seeing him deliver that beatdown of Ben, and then executing that prison escape plan with Alt-Ana Lucia[ yay, Tailies in the sideverse, yo!], sweeeeet.

—Bye-bye secondary cast members: Richard, Widmore and fake-Liz Lemon sacrificed in the plot endgame. With question mark on Richard; and where’s Miles?

—Ben shooting Widmore: huh? Please tell me it’s not yet ANOTHER Final Season character turnaround. So why couldn’t Ben shoot Widmore in the bedroom seasons ago? Did “the Rules” change… or is it just one more Linde(x)Cuse plot development setup for the Finale?

—Been thinking about this: I think the kudos Michael Emmerson gets in his portrayal of Ben is in spite of the sometimes-ridiculous demands of the LOST storylines
that the writers wrote for him: tortured innocent revealed to be a Machiavellian leader of the Others expanded to tragic Father-issues victim and now made to be an opportunistic turncoat? Sure. Because Emmerson SELLS it.

—Jacob’s fireside chat with the Final Four: Okay, so the Candidates have had sad, unfulfilled and empty lives that Jacob can use for his own ends… but what of the OTHER passengers on Oceanic Flight 815? Were their lives equally ‘worthless’ that their fate was to be in a airplane that was meant to crash on the Island— and then be killed off by flaming arrows, freighter mercenaries, Smoke Monster, etc since they weren’t the special Sweet Six that Jacob touched? 6 favored passengers out of the 200-or-so aboard Flight 815: man, that Jacob sure IS a bastard!

—Jack stepping up to ask for the Job:
Jack’s job to replace Jacob? Nice affirmation of fan theories that Jack WAS Jacob… good thing his name wasn’t “Hoke Bronster”? And considering the character was meant to die in the pilot episode, I’m not too sure that his role of being the Island’s protector is secure…

—Then again: Linde(x)Cuse repeatedly stated at the beginning of the show’s run that there’d be NO “supernatural” elements in the series— that everything could be rationally/scientifically explained— but we know how that turned out. Along with Mr. Eko being set up as (un)Locke’s counter and opposite— before the actor threw a wrench in those plans.

Looking forward to Sun’s Finale! And to that “enhanced” pilot episode to air before it: it’ll be interesting to rewatch that, knowing all that have happened since then. Like: the Others were “Good Guys”?? And seeing plotlines that have been dropped since then. So WHAT was “special” about Waaaaaalt!? And what about the Children kidnapped by the Others: won’t SOMEBODY think of the Children??

Can’t wait to see how Linde(x)Cuse wraps up this “Soap Opera for the COMIC-CON crowd”— and can’t wait to see how THAT crowd reacts to it… and how I will. ;)

“General internet speculation is that Jacob was NEVER in the cabin — it was MIB all along, helping explain why the Others were such shits.”

Yeah and when Hugo backed off in terror at seeing the eye he “broke” the circle of ash that encircled the cabin. (Ala “The Sandman” issue #1.)

If Jack gets to make a new rule the first one will be: Kate and Sawyer can’t shag! (got that one from someone else online!)

If Jack dies then Hugo gets the job and Jack becomes his mentor (ala Obi Wan in “STAR WARS”)

Kate gives birth to twins!! Named Jack and James!

Yeah, but if Smokey was trapped in the cabin, how was he able to manifest himself as the smoke monster from at least the day Oceanic 15 crashed on the island up to Hurley’s accidentally releasing him? How was he able to ‘become’ Jack’s father, Mr. Eko’s brother, Kate’s horse, etc., etc. if the ash around the cabin held him captive? What was the point of containing him when he wasn’t really contained?

It seems to make more sense that Jacob was trapped in the cabin by Smokey. However, while I can see Jacob being held captive sometime after the incident (1977), maybe even after the purge (1992), how was he able to visit Sun, Jin and Jack on the mainland while trapped in the cabin? Or was the person in the cabin, the one who freaked out Hurley, masquerading as Jacob? That’s one possible explanation, but who was he?

Drives me nuts, I tell ya.

“I’ve often wondered if that was really Jacob in the cabin. I guess it had to be, it wouldn’t make sense if it was Smokey, but why the ash around it? To keep Jacob in or Smokey out? And how was the cabin able to move? And sometime during season four, I believe, Hurley stumbled upon the cabin, looked in, saw someone in the chair, and then someone else’s eye from inside looked out at Hurley. Who was that? And wasn’t Jack’s father, who we now know was Smokey, in the cabin with Claire during one episode? What happened to Jacob?”

____

“We’d sincerely love to answer all your Lost filled questions, but obviously we’re simply unable to give out all the answers because we just don’t have enough time to cover them all in the final episodes of Lost. But never fear, because we HAVE all the answers, we KNOW why, how, when, and where everything happened. It’s just unfortunate we won’t be able to ACTUALLY explain a majority of them even though we’ve known the show was to end for three years now. Thank you for your interest.”

– Sincerely Cruse and Lindelof (on any current Lost article you’ll be able to find online, pertaining to this final season ;)

My thought for excluding Kate was that once you become a mother, you have attachments that are more important than the island. He felt loners were best suitable.

The only being that’s been held back by those ashes is Smokey. I don’t think the ashes were ever shown to be holding Jacob back. I think there might be two smoke monsters, UnLocke and his mother. I think it was Smokey’s mom trapped in the cabin. We’ll see what happens on Sunday. The cabin has had some prominence in the series, it’d be a shame for them to not really explain it.

One other thing, am I the only one not really following along with what the ‘rules’ are? Someone at work told me the bomb wouldn’t have exploded as Jack said, but once Sawyer touched it, then it could explode. That if nobody touched the bomb, it couldn’t explode because of the rules with which Smokey could kill the main characters. Too many rules that really haven’t been spelled out. I was less confused with the time travel episodes, myself.

It was brought to my attention that Jacob wasn’t necessarily trapped in the cabin, and used it as a means to communicate with the Others and possible Candidates. The ash kept the Smoke Monster out. When Hurley ‘broke’ the ash, Smokey was able to enter as he pleased, and was there as Jack’s father with Claire when Locke entered a second time. So just like that, my cabin fever broke. Bring on the finale!

It’s fine to say not everything will be explained, but I think most viewers need to know answers to a few questions- where are the kids, was Walt really so important, what’s the deal with invisible polar bears, etc. I’ve said for a long time there just might be riots when the show ends because so many people will be dissatisfied. Remember that almost no one started watching Lost thinking it was a sci fi show, it was advertised as a fictional Survivor/Gilligan’s Island. I know quite a few people who dropped it when it turned to time travel and just got too far out for their tastes. Their loss, in my opinion.

It’s funny for me to have an 8 year old who has started watching the show this season and caught up quickly with the show. His theory is that they kill Smokie, Locke’s spirit which is still on the island enters the Smoke Monster’s fake Locke body and John becomes the protector of the island just as he wanted to be all along. Not bad, but reading the theories here about the island witching timelines and being underwater, trapping Smokie make sense. I’ve always thought the timelines would switch and the flash sideways would become THE timelines, since most of your beloved survivors seem to be happier there.

There are a lot of loose strands, certainly more than can be reasonable explained, but as Beau said it’s been a GREAT show and a fun ride and I’m pretty much fine just seeing how it plays out.