If you’re a regular reader of my Lost “reviews” then you’ll know that before Season 5 started I was reviewing Season 1 episodes and sharing thoughts about what we’ve learnt since the episodes. I was hoping to have written reviews about season 2 before season 5 started but I didn’t seem to have the time.

So, what I plan to do before Season 6 starts is to write reviews for Seasons 2 and 3. I’ve already written reviews for 4 and 5 so once I’ve written reviews for Seasons 2 and 3 I will have written reviews for every episode.

So, here’s my little plan to have the reviews written in time - whether or not I stick to it is a different thing ;)

July - Season 2 Episodes 1 - 10
August - Season 2 Episodes 11 - 20
September - Season 2 Episodes 21 - 23, Season 3 Episodes 1 - 8
October - Season 3 Episodes 9 - 19
November - Season 3 Episodes 20 - 22

Wish me luck! :)

First things first… say hello to Jacob!

Finally, we get to meet the mystery man who was introduced to us way back in season 3 in “The Man Behind The Curtain”. Although, that particular scene in the cabin just doesn’t add up with what we know now after The Incident. In TMBTC, Ben takes Locke to the cabin and has a conversation with what seems to be an empty chair. Ben tries to convince Locke that Jacob is in the chair, and while doing so all hell breaks lose. Ben is pushed back, and we see for a split second someone actually sitting in the chair. Then Locke hears someone say “Help Me”. It’s important to note that Ben doesn’t hear this (well, that’s what we’re led to believe).

Anyhow - from this scene I thought, and I don’t think I’m the only one, that Ben had somehow trapped Jacob in the cabin and that he needed Lockes help to escape. There was black ash surrounding the cabin which Ben told Locke not to touch, and from this we gathered that this was some sort of barrier that kept Jacob from escaping.

Also, from other episodes featuring the cabin, we’re led to believe that it somehow moves. Remember when Locke was trying to find it again? Remember when Hurley saw it in one place and then another? More about this later.

So, back to Jacob. After we’re led to believe that Jacob has been locked away in this cabin, this episode totally contradicts that. We see Jacob as a free man, he fishes, he does tapestry, he leaves the island whenever he likes… oh, and he, like Richard, doesn’t age. And he lives in a pineapple under the sea the foot of the famous four-toed statue.

So, who was in the cabin? I have a thought… but first, let’s take a look at the first scene of this episode.

So, what we can gather from this is that Jacob has the ability to bring people to the island. We see during the episode that Jacob meets with some of the Flight 815ers and he makes it a point to touch each of them. Is this how he is capable of bringing people to the island? Did he go out into the real world and touch some of the people on that ship?

Speaking of that ship, is it the Black Rock? Given that we were introduced to the Black Rock in Season One and has been a mystery ever since, it seems reasonable that this could be the writers way of showing us how the Black Rock ended up on the island. How it ended up in the middle of the jungle though, is still a mystery. Anyhow, if this is the Black Rock, is this where Richard Alpert comes from?

It seems Jacob brings people to the island for a reason. From this conversation it seems he is trying to prove his “nemesis” wrong, and that people don’t just come and fight, destroy and corrupt. But why? Why would Jacob need to do this?

It appears that Jacob and his “nemesis” can’t kill each other. How that reflects on Ben and Widmores situation is beyond me so I won’t even try to go into that ;)

However, why would Jacobs “nemesis” want to kill him? What’s so important for Jacob to try and prove him wrong, and for his “nemesis” to want to kill him? How long have they been on the island and how long has this conflict been going on?

Let’s get back to the cabin

Ok, so this leads me back to who was in the cabin when Ben and Locke went there. I’m having trouble believing that it was Jacob, so I’m going to say it was his “nemesis”.

We know there is a conflict between them, so perhaps Jacob trapped his “nemesis” in the cabin a long time ago so that he couldn’t find the “loophole”. He asks Locke for help and eventually he does (although he’s unaware because he is… dead). Someone along the way made an opening in the ash that surrounds the cabin, and his “nemesis” escaped. He escaped and was able to use Lockes body. This must also mean that he used Christians body…

Wait… what?

This is where this whole thing gets a little OTT for me (yes, I know it’s Lost… but still). The Smoke Monster is supposodly responsible for using Christians body (and Yemi’s, Alex’s, and Walt’s) so with this information are we meant to believe that the man that was talking to Jacob at the beginning of the episode is also Smokey? That Jacob’s “nemesis” is Smokey?

I have a problem with that because if Jacob is to have a “nemesis”, I’d want it to be someone who is similar to him. Smokey to me should be an entity all on it’s own.

That being said, if Jacob’s “nemesis” was anything like him he wouldn’t need to use bodies of dead people (and alive… Waaaalt?) to walk around. It just seems too much to me.

Let’s go back to Christian

We’ve seen Christian appear on the island since the first season, and with each season his role seems to grow and be more important. Assuming that Jacob’s “nemesis” used Christians body then his interactions with Locke makes sense. His first meeting with Locke was in the cabin where he told him he has to move the island. This sets in motion his plan to be rid of Jacob. Let’s not forget that when the island was time-jumping, Richard took care of Lockes gun shot wound and told him that to bring the O6 back to the island he had to die. Richard told him this because “present day Locke” told him, who as we now know, is really Jacobs “nemesis”.

What about Christians other roles? In Season One he appeared to Jack and after Jack followed him it led him to his coffin (which was empty). It also led him to the caves where they found a water supply and where half of them took up camp. From this it appears that Christian is helping them survive.

In Season Four he led Claire a-stray and left baby Aaron at the foot of a tree. What were his reasons behind this? Did he know that Aaron would be taken away from the island and so did it to help him?

Also in Season Four he appeared just before the Freighter blew up and told Michael he could go. What was the point in him doing that? If Jacob has the ability to bring people to the island, then perhaps his “nemesis” has the same ability? With that ability, perhaps they can also determine who “can go”?

What if Jacob brings good people to the island and his “nemesis” brings the bad? Who knows… but I’m getting lost in my thoughts and getting away from the episode in hand.

The Cabin… again

So, if the cabin supposedly moves, how did Ilana and co. find it straight away? Actually, how did they find it full stop? It appears that the “What Lies in the Shadow of the Statue” crew have been here before. Bram notices the ash surrounding the cabin had been broken. Ilana went in the cabin to inspect and when she comes out she declares that “he” is not there and that he hasn’t been for some time. A picture of the Statue was left as a clue to “his” whereabouts and that’s exactly where they went. Not before burning the cabin though.

So, where they really looking for Jacob there? Perhaps Jacob did live there once, a long time ago. But why would they be worried about the ash being broken? If Jacob did live there why would there be ash surrounding it to prevent him from leaving? This makes me wonder that perhaps the ash wasn’t there to stop him from leaving, but to stop anyone entering. If Jacobs “nemesis” is the Smoke Monster perhaps it can’t get past the ash, therefore unable to get to Jacob.

But someone was in the cabin when Ben and Locke went there… so whoever broke the ash circle must’ve done it after this. So who was it? If Jacobs “nemesis” took control of Christian then perhaps he was able to break it. But if he did, why wait until he had Christians body? Surely there are other bodies lieing around on that island that he could’ve used (Yemi for example).

This is making me go round in circles, but you can see my reasons for questioning this… yes? ;)

One last thing… why did they burn the cabin?

Let’s get back to Jacob

So, as I said earlier, in this episode we see Jacob meet with some of the Flight 815ers. Some of them he met pre-815, and some pre-316. What’s interesting is he made it a point to touch each of them. I asked earlier if this could be a way of bringing them to the island, but what if it goes deeper than that.

Let’s take a look at who he visited: Kate, Sawyer, Jin & Sun, Sayid, and Jack. All but Sun are stuck in the 70s. Could his touch protect them from The Incident? Could it be his touch that brings them back to 2007 when The Incident happens.

Notice how we were given a Juliet flashback without the presence of Jacob? I feel this was done for a reason. Jacob didn’t touch her therefore she won’t survive The Incident (well… given her present situation I doubt it’d go any other way). But did Jacob avoid touching her because he knew she’d be a sacrifice?

Or, given that we weren’t given a Miles flashback, perhaps Jacob only touched the people from Flight 815? Thinking about it, Flight 815 crashed on the island, but Juliet and Miles both chose to go to the island. Although, given the fact that Jacob touched Hurley and Sayid after Flight 815 it stands to reason that his touching them wasn’t solely the reason for Flight 815 to crash. In fact, I’m going to go with Jacob touched them to protect them from The Incident and to bring them back to 2007 when need be.

Ben

Locke told Ben he had to kill Jacob. Locke reminded Ben of his pain when Alex died, and the fact that he got a tumor, and that Jacob didn’t do anything to help. This seems to set off something in Ben, and at the end of the episode he confronts Jacob. Jacob lets him know that he has a choice: to do what Locke says, or to leave. When Ben questions why Jacob has always ignored him even though he’s given everything to do what Jacob wants, Jacob doesn’t seem to care. This only makes Ben take that final move and stab him.

But what about Ben? When he was young he was approached by Richard and told him he didn’t want to stay with his dad. Richard promised him he could join them but the time wasn’t right… he had to be patient. When he was 12, Sayid shot him and Richard took him to the temple to be healed.

If Jacob didn’t really care about Ben why would Richard approach him in the first place, and then years later proceed to heal him? If truth be told, Jacob probably cares more about Ben than anyone.

But let’s take a look at Locke. Richard was more than willing to let Locke see Jacob but this is because Locke has influenced his own destiny. He turns up at The Others camp in 1954 declaring that he is their leader and that Jacob sent him. He then disappears leaving Richard confused. Over the years Richard visits him but sees nothing special about him. In 1977, Jack tells Richard not to give up on him. Jack, now blinded by his own destiny, has planted a false seed in Richards mind. It gives him confidence that Locke is supposed to be their leader.

But, if Locke hadn’t gone back to 1954, and Jack to 1977, Richard wouldn’t know about Locke.

This is the difference between Ben and Locke. Jacob chose Ben but didn’t choose Locke.

So why did Jacob touch Locke?

Now, I have a theory with regards to this and it’s based upon what I said earlier. If Jacob touched the rest of the Flight 815ers so that they would arrive back to 2007 at the time of The Incident, perhaps he touched Locke so that he would come back to life when this happened?

I know that Jacob appeared to touch Locke to bring him back to life after his fall, and he probably did, but there must be some other reason for him to do so.

Maybe Jacob knows what is going to happen and has told Richard. With this information he believes the Locke that has arrived back is the back-to-life Locke Jacob told him about and therefore sees no reason to keep him away from him?

But if Jacob knew…

If Jacob knew what was going to happen then he knew the Locke that will arrive with Ben will be his “nemesis”, and he knew that Ben would “kill” him.

So what does this all mean?

Quite frankly, I don’t know. But I think “The War” that Charles Widmore told Locke about is on its way (how did Widmore know about this war?)…

They’re coming? Ilana and Bram, Richard and The Others, Flight815ers? All possibilities and all playing for the same team: Jacob. So what about Jacobs “nemesis”? The only person who is following his word is Ben, but that may end as soon as Ben realises he has been manipulated. I bet the grand manipulator didn’t see this coming…

Jacobs Nemesis

Let’s take a quick look at the dialogue at the beginning of the episode again:

Jacob told his “nemesis” that he’d be right there when he finds the loophole. As we see Jacob and his “nemesis” are near the statue. Why does Jacobs “nemesis” need Richard to show him where Jacob is if Jacob told him he’d be right there? Right in that very spot? It doesn’t make much sense to me. It also appears that “nemesis” is shocked that Jacob would be there. But why? Perhaps he remembers what he told him all those years ago and is shocked that somehow Jacob knew he’d be there when the loophole was found?

Back to Locke

Ok, so Ilana and co. bring the body of John Locke to Richard. As Sun asks, if this is Locke, who is in there with Jacob? Well, we all know that it must be Jacobs “nemesis”, but if he doesn’t actually use the persons body, where is Christians body? Jack found his fathers coffin empty and at the time we were led to believe that he’d come back to life and walked out of his coffin, but this appears to not be the case, so where is his body? It couldn’t have gone that far from his coffin…

Another thing about Locke is, has Jacobs “nemesis” been Locke this whole time since 316 crashed? I remember Locke standing in the sea eating fruit enjoying the fact that he was alive again, this Locke felt like the real Locke. I was going to suggest that perhaps the real Locke was killed near the barracks when he went walkabout and then reappeared when Ben summoned the Smoke Monster, but then I remembered Ilana and co. found his body on Hydra Island. So was he killed before he and Ben left Hydra, or has it really been Jacobs “nemesis” this whole time?

Will the real John Locke come back to life to fight his “nemesis?”

Rose and Bernard

Finally we get to see what has happened Rose and Bernard. It seems they have set up home on the beach and have been living in bliss for the past 3 years. Why haven’t The Others or Dharma happened upon them before? It seems they have tins of Dharma food, where have they been getting this from? And their cabin… is that the same as Jacobs cabin?

If there’s something strange in the neighbourhood, who you gonna call?

Miles Straum perhaps? Miles seems to be the only one questioning whether Jack is about to cause the thing they’re trying to prevent. And good on him. Did this stop them from doing it though? Nope. However, whether or not The Incident was caused by the H-Bomb remains to be seen…

Bye bye Juliet

After 3 blissful years of living with Sawyer the return of the Flight 815ers causes havoc in her life. They’ve caused conflicts amongst their people and one in particular has caused a rift between her and her loved one. Juliet made the heartbreaking decision to help Jack change the past so that she wouldn’t have to go through losing Sawyer. Unfortunately, her decision has a devastating effect. She gets pulled into the hole and falls all the way to the bottom.

Now, one would assume that falling all that way would be instant death. But Juliet managed to survive. Not only that, but she landed in short distance of the H-Bomb. Enough for her to throw a rock at it to detonate it. It seems it was her “destiny” to sacrifice herself for her friends.

Did the bomb actually go off or was the bright light we saw at the end a time-flash? Perhaps just at this moment they flashed back to 2007? Even so, would Juliet survive? I don’t think so.

If the bomb did go off and this wasn’t part of The Incident, have they really changed their fates? If so, what will become of next season?

I’m on the “Whatever Happened, Happened” bandwaggon and think that the H-Bomb, whether it went off or not, was always going to be thrown down that hole by Jack. This was The Incident and we saw it happen exactly the way it always had.

Desmond

Oh Desmond, Desmond… where for art thou’ Desmond? I really hope that we haven’t seen the last of him. In The Variable we see Desmond alive and well after being shot by Ben and declaring to Penny that he would never leave her. We also find out that Eloise Hawking has no idea what is going to happen next (or does she?). However, baby Charlie was left in the care of one of the nurses while Penny saw Desmond alone. And daddy Widmore was outside asking Eloise about Desmond. Could baby Charlie be kidnapped and used as bait for Desmond to go back to the island? Will Charles be accompanying him to fight in “The War”?

Please don’t let this be the last of Desmond… ;)

Conclusion

What. An. Episode. With only one more season left of this great show I can’t help but feel excited and sad all at the same time. Next season should see “The War” between Jacob and his “nemesis”, the reunion of the Flight 815ers with Sun and Frank, and hopefully answer some more questions we’ve been wondering about since Season One…

So let’s begin…

The Richard / Locke encounter

In Because You Left, during the time jumps, we see an injured Locke get help from Richard. Richard doesn’t have much time to explain what is happening to Locke, but the conversation ends like so:

During this scene we were left thinking that Richard Alpert was a great know-it-all who knew a whole lot more about the situation than anyone. Only now, in Follow The Leader, do we learn that it was Locke himself who told Richard to tell Past-Locke what to do.

This leaves the age-old question, and one which I’ve touched on in previous posts, which came first? And was Locke really supposed to leave the island to bring back the Oceanic Six?

In The Variable, Daniel seems to think that Jack and co. don’t belong there - that it isn’t their destiny. So could Locke have got it all wrong?

Alot of people don’t seem to think that this scenario is a Paradox, but I can’t see any other way of explaining it. Richard in 2007 tells a time-jumping Locke that he needs to leave the island and bring back the O6, but he only tells time-jumping Locke this because present Locke told him to. Richard didn’t have a clue! So where did this scenario begin?

The Compass

It also leaves the compass in Limbo. I remember after Because You Left writing about the compass and where it possibly could have come from, but now it seems to have dissapeared. Think about it: Locke receives the compass from Richard in 2007 - Locke flashes to 1954 and gives it to Richard. Richard keeps it until 2007 to give back to Locke - and now poof! The compass no longer exsists! Neither Richard or Locke have this compass after Richard gives it to past Locke in 2007.

So if this compass no longer exsists, and it’s origins could never really be explained, did it really ever exsist at all?

Do our Losties die?

Was Richard telling the truth here? Or was he referring to The Purge in which alot of the Dharma folk perished? Perhaps he thought they were still part of the DI.

Also, Richard would remember meeting Kate. Not meeting her in 1977, meeting her in 2004. He helped her and Sayid infiltrate Keamy and his cronies. We know Richard has some knowledge of time travel on the island, he knows because Locke appeared to him in 1954 and his first meeting with Sawyer in 1974, so when he meets Kate in 2004 it’s safe to assume he knew that this was the same woman he met in 1977.

When he bargained with Kate and Sayid to leave the island did he know that they’d end up back there? Or did he think he could change the past?

Changing Destiny

At the end of The Variable we saw a young Eloise shoot Daniel. In this episode we see that he does in fact die, and now Eloise wants answers.

Me thinks that Jack is very very wrong about what he plans to do. First of all, if the bomb is successful then everyone on the island will die. Eloise, who appears to be pregnant, will die taking Daniel with her (assuming Daniel is who she is pregnant with). So Jacks statement of “He doesn’t have to be dead” is false, because he would never even be born if the bomb goes off.

If he is partly successful then this could be what causes The Incident. Forget what Daniel thinks is the cause, the fact that they’re planning on doing this at this point in time must play a part in The Incident. We’ve seen Dr Chang and the DI alive and well way after The Incident so why not use the H-Bomb after The Incident? It will still have the same effect. No, there’s no such thing as coincidence on this show and I believe whatever Jack and co. do with the H-Bomb will enevitably cause The Incident.

So, if this happens, is this a paradox? Well, I can’t think of any other way to describe it. The only reason Jack is there is because Desmond failed to push that button and cause Flight 815 to crash, but that button was only placed there as a result of The Incident, which if it turns out to be true, Jack played a part in causing The Incident. So how is this possible?

Unless, of course, Jack has nothing to do with The Incident and the H-Bomb will be a flat out failure. But come on - Darlton wouldn’t have built up to this for nothing…

Eloise and Desmond

Young Eloise seems to be going along with Jacks plan as if she thinks that by doing so can change what she just did to her son. However, as we’ve seen in recent episodes, a much older Eloise is of the opinion that you can’t change the past and that people have a set Destiny. This is why she nurtured Daniel to be the scientist we all know and love, and why she pursuaded him to go to the island knowing full well that her young self will shoot him. I think she does this because her attempts at changing the past with Jack in 1977 didn’t work, and as the years went on she realised that events Daniel had written about in his book were always going to happen.

But what about her encounter with Desmond in Flashes Before Your Eyes? She tells Desmond that he needs to go the island and keep pushing that button. Was there something deep down inside of her that hoped Desmond wouldn’t fail to push the button that causes Flight 815? Afterall, it was Desmonds failure of pushing the button that causes Flight 815 to crash and to eventually lead Daniel back to the island in 1977 because Jack and co. have returned. If Flight 815 hadn’t crashed, there is a chance that Daniel and the freighter folk would still make it the island when they did, but because there’d be no Flight 815ers, Daniel probably would’ve stayed in Ann Arbor indefinately.

Or, perhaps the island didn’t flash at all. If Locke wasn’t there to tell Ben to move the island then Ben wouldn’t have done so… or would he?

Nevertheless, if Eloise believes that telling Desmond he must push that button might stop Flight 815 from crashing, then perhaps Daniel was right when he told Jack that he’s not supposed to be there. Perhaps Flight 815 was never meant to crash at all.

John and Jacob

Whatever Lockes reasons are for wanting to kill Jacob, the revelation certainly seems to have shocked Ben. Why would Locke want to kill Jacob? Did the island tell him like it seems to be telling him alot of things lately? Or perhaps, when Jacob said “Help Me” to Locke, this is what he meant. He wanted to be put out of his misery for however many years Ben and Richard have kept him captive.

And the big question is: Is it still possible that Jacob could be someone we already know? I sure hope we find out soon!

So where does this leave us with the Finale?

The Finale is sure set to be a big one! But how will it play out? In 1977, we have Sawyer, Juliet and Kate on the sub on its way back to the “real world”. Hurley, Miles, and Jin are in their own little group and persumably making their way back to the beach. Jack and Sayid are with Eloise and Richard. In 2007, Ilana & co. on Hydra island seem to have declared a war on anyone who doesn’t know what lies in the shadow of the statue, and Locke and his people are on their way to meet Jacob.

I have no idea how it will all play out but I’m willing to be it will be one hell of a Finale!

Which came first…?

So, in 1977 Eloise shoots an old Daniel Faraday who comes into their camp armed with a gun. Seems like a reasonable thing to do given that he seems threatening. As he lays dying he tells Eloise that he is her son and she sent him there knowing full well that she’d shoot him.

Eloise seems shocked but seems to believe him. So, as Daniel grows up she nurtures him into becoming the scientist he was “destined” to become. In 2004 she pursuades him that going to the island would be best for him, so off he goes and… well the rest is history.

But, if Eloise hadn’t pursuaded Daniel to go to the island, infact if she hadn’t nurtured him into being a scientist, he would never have been there in 1977. He was only there because his mother had pursuaded him to be there because she’d met him in the 70s. If Eloise hadn’t pursuaded Daniel to go to the island, would he have ended up there anyway?

Changing Destiny

Eloise knew that sending Daniel to the island would end with his death, and that she’d be the one responsible, yet she sent him anyway. If I was his mother I would’ve tried to prevent this from happening. But given Eloise’s view on what would happen if anything were to change, then I guess she was doing what she thought was best. But if she had tried to change things, would she have succeeded. Can you change your destiny?

So, after spending 3 years researching Daniel has gone from “Whatever Happened, Happened” to “We can change destiny”. However, given the fact that Daniel got shot by his own mother without having a chance to speak to her about the H-Bomb, could the events we see be “Whatever Happened, Happened”. Daniel arriving back on the island and causing chaos, he thinks he’s changing events, but this is what always happened. These are the events that lead up to The Incident, and could actually be the cause of The Incident.

They may be successful in their use of the H-Bomb and this is infact what causes The Incident to happen. If only Daniel knew…

Daniels Book

Ok, when I first saw the book it looked nice and new, but after thinking about it I can’t help but wonder if the book she gave Daniel was his book. Perhaps she gives it to him so he can build upon what’s already there. I hate the idea of time loops, but what if the events we see have happened so many times and this book is gaining more and more information each time? Perhaps the scene we saw was the first time? But if this is so, why would it be blank? The book would still have research in it when found in the 70s.

What if, the book will be used to try and fix things and get out of the loop, and to change their destiny?

Right on Time…

Daniel was waiting for Dr Chang to arrive at The Orchid, and when he arrived he said “Right on Time”. This may not seem very strange if you think that this is a daily routine for Dr Chang, but if you remember in the first episode of the season, Dr Chang was called to The Orchid in an emergency. So how would Daniel know he was “right on time”? He seemed to be looking at his book when he said this so could this be written in his book? Again, it leans toward the fact that Daniels book could be the thing to change things.

Daniel may be dead, but I don’t think it’s the last we see of him.

So, this must be the first time Miles discovered he can talk (or at least listen) to the dead. How long has he had this ability before realising it? Can he have actual conversations with the dead or is he just able to hear their thoughts?

Daddy Issues

In this episode we learn that Miles’ father (Dr Chang - Surprise surprise) abandonded him and his mother when he was just a baby. Did he abandon them because of Miles’ ability? Or was he unaware of “gift” that Miles posseses? Given that Miles was just a baby when this happened it’s safe to assume that he was unaware.

But, is Dr Chang really dead? If he was still around when The Purge happened then it’s likely that he is, but how would Miles’ mother know that? I’m assuming once she and Miles left the island they no longer had contact with anyone on it. So did she lie about this, and if so, for what purpose?

So will Dr Chang find out that old Miles is his son? Will this be part of the reason for sending him and his wife away from the island? It seems like a reasonable explaination if Dr Chang finds out things that are going to happen to the island from the future inhabitants. We know he finds out some things from the Comic Con 08 video, so it’s likely he knows that if baby Miles stays on the island he could die in “The Incident” or “The Purge”.

Which leaves the question, why didn’t Dr Chang leave with them?

Miles’ ability to communicate without a body

Miles continues to “speak” to Mr. Grays son and tells him that his son knew he loved him. Later on, Miles visits him again and tells him he lied. Given this revelation, in Confirmed Dead, did Miles really communicate with Mrs Gardners grandson? He used what can only be described as a Ghost Busters machine, so had he found a way to communicate with the dead if their spirits are still around using this machine? This event can’t be long before he heads off to the island, so why didn’t he use this machine to communicate with Mr Grays son?

Let us Begin!…

Danielle

So we see a young Ben, accompanied by a young Ethan, take Alex away from Danielle. We learn that Bens mission was to kill Danielle but Ben didn’t know she had a baby. When Ben sees the baby he has a change of heart and decides not to kill Danielle, but takes baby Alex with him. This may answer the age-old question of “How did Alex get taken by The Others”, but opens up so many other questions.

The big question being: Why doesn’t Danielle remember Ben?

Danielle sees Bens face when he takes Alex away from her so 16 years later when she traps Ben in a net, why doesn’t she remember him as the guy who stole Alex? She merely refers to him as “one of them”. I know 16 years is a long time and she may have gone a little crazy, but I don’t think I’d forget the face of the man who stole my baby.

This leads us to another question like, did Ben and Danielle orchestrate the net trap deliberately. Perhaps Ben “Benipulated” Danielle into helping him in exchange of seeing Alex?

The Whispers

Another thing that popped up this scene were the whispers. Ben told Danielle that if she heard whispers to run the other way. Is this a confirmation then that the whispers are cause by The Others and not our time travelling Losties and/or ghosts and/or any other weird and wonderful thing? The whispers are The Others. Yes or no?

Ethan

We saw a young Ethan with Ben when he stole baby Alex away from Danielle. Ethan was born in 1977 so he would’ve been 11 years old when he was helping Ben. How and why did Ethan come to be a part of The Hostiles?

Widmore and Jacob

Widmore walks away when Ben confronts him about killing Alex. Why does Widmore see fit to kill a baby? And is killing the baby and Danielle really what Jacob wants? From this conversation we assume at this point that Widmore can communicate with Jacob, but Ben can’t. When/how did Widmore start communicating with Jacob and when did Ben become able to communicate with him.

We know that Jacob is somehow trapped in his cabin, did Ben trap him there? Did he somehow hide Jacob away from Widmore so that they could no longer communicate. Was this also how Widmore was exiled from the island? Because Ben had hidden Jacob away from anyone and lied to everyone about what Jacob really wants?

Widmores Banishement

Firstly, there is something way off with the dates of when Charles Widmore was exiled. The Purge happened in 1992 and we see in this episode Ben pushing a child Alex on the swings in New Otherton, so this would be after The Purge. So we can assume Charles Widmore was exiled in or after 1992.

The thing that is off about this is in 2004 Miles states that Widmore has been looking for the island for 20 years. This would mean that Widmore has been off the island since 1984. This is 8 years before The Purge, and 4 years before Ben stole Alex. This date simply cannot be true.

Unless of course, when you’re banished from the island you end up in a different time. We know that by turning the Donkey Wheel you end up in a different time. We’ve seen this happen to both Ben and Locke and they both end up sometime in the future.

Ben mentions that Widmore has been to and fro from the island for a while, so why when he is banished is he unable to find it again? Is it because he has ended up in a different time and the island is no longer where he thought it was?

The other thing that is confusing about Widmore leaving by sub, is that in The Life of Jeremy Bentham he tells Locke that the cameras were placed in Tunisia because he knew that that is the exit from the island. This led us to believe that he also moved the island via the Donkey Wheel, but as we see in this episode he left by sub. Did he manage to somehow get back to the island after he was exiled and then turn the Donkey Wheel? That would explain both why he knew where the exit point was in Tunisia, and how he’d been off island for 20 years instead of 12.

Did Ben kill Penny?

No. But he did shoot Desmond! I actually shouted at my TV when Ben shot Desmond - Nooooo!! - but luckily Desmond wasn’t killed and was able to kick Bens ass.

Ben didn’t kill Penny and I’m not sure whether he would’ve gone through with it. When Ben saw little Charlie Ben hesitated. He obviously didn’t realise Des&Pen had had a child together and I think seeing him made him remember his little Alex. Before we got to see whether Ben changed his mind though, Desmond arrived and kicked his ass. Good on ya Desmond! Now when are you going back to the island?

Smokey and Ben

So Ben wanted to visit the main island so that he could be judged for leaving the island and coming back again. Oh wait, no it was because he was responsible for Alex’s death.

We see Smokey smoulder Ben and show him parts of his life, focusing on his life with Alex. This was similar to Eko’s experience when he was faced with the Smoke Monster. When Smokey had finished showing Ben some of his past, it disappeared and, persumabley, reformed as Alex.

So Smokey can not only show you parts of your past, it can also read your mind? Is that why it is “good” at judging people and deciding who’s good and who’s bad?

We’ve seen Smokey appear as Yemi before killing Eko. Did Smokey kill Eko because he saw his past or because he could read his mind?

Christian and Locke

As we’ve seen Smokey take on the form of Yemi, and now Alex, I’ve always assumed that Christian was a form of Smokey too. But now that we’ve seen Locke come back to life it’s hard to decipher whether or not Christian is a form of Smokey or someone who has come back to life. As Christian and Locke both arrived on the island under the same circumstances, we have to assume that they’re both the same. They’ve both either come back to life from the dead, or they’re both forms of Smokey. I don’t believe that they’re 2 different entities.

That being said, why does Christian seem to appear out of nowhere? If he is a form of Smokey, then this must be the same for Locke? Right…?

Either way, I’m looking forward to more scenes with Christian to see just exactly who or what he is.

Anyway, it was nice to see Lost tie up a question that was only raised a few episodes earlier - just what did Kate do with Aaron?

What Kate Did - Part 2

Nope, Aaron wasn’t taken away by Widmore or Ben or any other evil person - Kate merely handed him over to his grandmother. After theories about something sinister had happened to Aaron I was a little dissapointed at first, but later I realised it was a nice way to end the Kate/Aaron story.

So, is that the real reason behind Kates sudden “enthusiasm” about going back to the island. Or has she simply returned to reunite with Sawyer? This isn’t a soap opera so I’m going to go with Kate was telling the truth and wants to find Claire and bring her back to be Aaron’s mum. We can’t ignore the fact that for 3 years Kate was playing mum to Aaron and that she does have motherly feelings for him. I’m sure she wants what is best for him and that is to be with his birth mum. Although she might try a shot at Sawyer along the way. This is Kate afterall.

Whatever Happened, Happened

This was quite possibly one of the funniest scenes ever, which is why I felt the need to copy and paste the whole thing! I absolutely love this and feel that the Lost writers put it in there to pay homeage to all the Lost theorists out there and their different Time Travel theories. I’ve seen the episode 3 times now and still chuckle at this scene :)

So, um, Whatever Happened, Happened?

Originally, after Juliet realised she needed a real surgeon to help save Bens life, Sawyer asked Jack for help. Jack being his stubborn self refuses. Infact, he feels the island will “fix things” and so ignores the situation and goes about making a chicken sandwich (more on this later).

I think Jack refused to help Ben because he thinks that by not saving him it will change the future. Little does he realise that by not saving him only causes Whatever Happened to Happen.

Kate, with the aid of Sawyer, take little Ben to see Richard who says that if he saves him he’ll never be the same again, and that “he’ll always be one of us”.

So, everything we’ve seen up to now with the Losties in the past (I want to call them Pasties but that just makes me hungry) is what always happened. No matter what Jack or Sayid thinks will change the past, only causes whatever happened to happen.

I’m of the opinion that you cannot change the past - BUT - I feel that with the direction the show is going the next season will be about changing the past. I don’t know how, but I think it will…

Anyway, let’s get back to Richard and Ben. Richard states that Ben won’t remember what happened to him. Does this mean that he will have no recollection of any of his life up til that point? Or will he just not remember being shot by Sayid? If this is the case it answers Hurleys question earlier about why older Ben didn’t remember Sayid when he was being tortured.

We’ve seen Ben act in the Purge and he was obviously still a part of Dharma when this happened. So, even if he has no recollection of Sayid, he will still remember Kate, Sawyer, Juliet etc. as they will still be there when he gets back.

The Temple

Richard takes little Ben into the Temple. We don’t see what he does, but we’re to assume that this is where Ben will be saved, and where his innocence will be gone. In 1988 Rousseau’s team go into the temple to save Montard after the smoke monster dragged him there. Is the thing that is going to happen to Ben the same thing that happens to Rousseau’s team? Do they lose their innocence?

It seems Rousseau noticed a change in them so just how will this change effect young Ben?

Jack has Faith?

Ever since arriving back on the island Jack seems to have changed personalities. He has become a man of Faith.

Locke always had a feeling that Jack knew he was supposed to be on the island. He always told Jack that it was their destiny to be there. Jack refused to believe any of that and after 100 days on the island, and 3 years off, when he arrived back it seems Locke was right. But has Jacks new faith come too late? I don’t think so - if whatever happened, happened than Jack is right on course.

But what about Locke? All this time he seemed to have a knowledge of some sort of what Jack was supposed to do. Could he be special like Walt, Ms. Hawking, Christian? We’ve seen him come back to life on the island so I think Locke definately falls into the Special Category. But just how special is John Locke?

Nevertheless, as the episode evolved it became clear that the Dharma folk had a “torturer” type person who was their version of Sayid. However, I don’t think Oldham could kick ass the way Sayid does. He had to have help restraining Sayid - it doesn’t say much about their “Sayid” now does it?

Anyway, let’s get on with the show! I’ll leave the best for last ;)

Ilana - Bounty Hunter

Who’d have guessed it? Around the Lost-o-phere theories pop up all over the place about tiny little things, but I don’t think I ever saw one questioning who Ilana really is. I think everyone just assumed she was a police officer and that was that. So, when they showed Ilana to be a Bounty Hunter I was genuinely surprised.

Ilana claims to be working on behalf of the man Sayid shot on the golf course. I’m inclined to think that Ben is behind that. I think Ilana is unaware of Ben, or his motives, but I do think Ben is claiming to be family of the man that Sayid shot. Who else would have known Sayid shot him? Unless it’s Widmore. But why would Widmore intervene?

Sayid and Ben

So Sayid shot a young Ben - who saw that coming? Does this mean Ben is dead? I hope not.

If young Ben now dies then everything that has happened in the future will not happen. Ben won’t become leader of the Others and so the Purge will probably never happen. Oceanic Flight 815 may crash on the island but Bens influence on their outcome will no longer be there. Everything we’ve seen up to now will no longer matter and everything will change. This would make a great film (a la Butterfly Effect) but for a TV show in its 5th Season with only 1 to go, it would be unwise.

Ok, so what if there’s multiple time lines? If this was Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles then I’d say go for it, but it’s not. They’re two completely different shows and to introduce multiple timelines at this point would again, be unwise. And also damn confusing.

The only conlusion is Ben lives long and prospers (ahem) - and Whatever happened, happened.

Who saves the day?

Well, it must be Juliet. I touched on Harpers statement to Juliet about how she “looks just like her”. Well, what if she just looks like the woman who saved Bens life as a youngster? That would give Ben reason enough to be infatuated and obsessed, no?

What’s left for Sayid?

I like Sayid, he’s always been a favourite character of mine but I can’t help but wonder now what’s left for him? He was last seen running into the jungle after shooting a 12-year-old boy, on an island that doesn’t want to let him go. He can’t stay with Dharma (for obvious reasons) and the Hostiles might not want to take him because he’s shot their future leader. So where will he go now?

Conclusion

I know this is a short review - I just can’t seem to think of anything else worthy of writing about. Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was a great episode, but it just didn’t leave my brain exploding with questions :)

I am looking forward to the next episode - the episode title alone makes me excited! Until next week, Namaste!

Let us begin!

Where on Earth is Daniel?

So, what has happened to Daniel? In Because You Left we saw Daniel working in the Orchid station with Pierre Chang present. Was this before 1977 or after?

If we’re to believe that the video shown at Comic Con ‘08 was infact filmed by Daniel Faraday, Pierre Chang would be a little concerned when we saw him speaking with Jack… wouldn’t he? Pierre Chang had obviously been given information about the future at this point, but when we saw him speaking with Jack he showed no signs of knowing about this.

I’m not saying he didn’t seem to know Jack, because I don’t think Daniel would’ve told him about Jack et all. What I mean is, if he is someone who knows about the future and has recorded a video to try and warn someone about it, he wouldn’t have been as calm and collected as he was when he was with Jack.

This leads me to believe that the video was filmed after 1977 and that Daniel Faraday will appear again at some point. Perhaps Daniel has found a way of travelling to other points in time? Maybe the Orchid isn’t the only way to cause time travel?

I also think that perhaps Daniel becomes Jacob. I wrote a theory before the start of Season 5, Daniel Faraday and When He’s Gone, which concludes that Daniel could be Jacob. He could find a way to travel through time but somehow become disconnected from time. We don’t know where he is at the moment so I am more convinced now that he is Jacob, and until we see otherwise I’m sticking to it :)

And the baby is…

Ahhh… so Ethan Rom was born on the island and his parents are Horace Goodspeed and Amy… Rom? I’m not sure if Horace and Amy are married but why wouldn’t Ethan be called Ethan Goodspeed? If he’s taken his mothers surname then perhaps he didn’t get on well with his father?

When The Purge happens Ethan must’ve joined forces with Ben and helped kill off the DI, along with his father. What about his mother? Did she die in The Purge?

And just how old is Ethan? If he was born in 1977, he would have been 27 years old in 2004 when he “first” met the survivors of Flight 815. I guess it’s not that hard to believe.

Sun’s Journey

Ok, first of all, if there have always been photo’s of new recruits at the Barracks wouldn’t any of our Losties and/or Juliet seen it? I’m willing to bypass the fact that maybe when Locke and co. were living there they didn’t go into that building and didn’t see the photo.

But what about Juliet? When she was at Otherville she would have possibly seen the photo. Fair enough, at the time she hadn’t met Jack and co. but what about when she did? Would she have recognised Jack, Kate and Hurley from the photograph? Or, if she did see the photo, did she just not recognise them? Afterall, you may not remember a random persons face from a photo if you later meet them in real life.

Perhaps she did just forget. But I have a feeling Juliet knows alot more about the situation than anyone, except for Ben, and she’s just hiding it.

Secondly, back to the point. Christian told Sun and Frank that they have a bit of a journey ahead of them. Does this mean that they will eventually meet up with everyone in 1977? Perhaps there comes a time when everyone meets up in a completely different year?

Another question is, why didn’t Sun flash with the others?

I have a theory to answer that question, and it goes something like this:

There is always one outcome but multiple ways to reach that outcome. I am going to write this theory with two ways of getting the same outcome in mind.

The first way is John Locke left the island and managed to convince the Oceanic Six (except Sun as per her husbands wishes) to go back to the island with him. This works, but when the plane gets close to the island, Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid flash to 1977 and Locke crashes on the plane in 2007.

The second way is John Locke left the island and tries to convince to O6 (except Sun) to come back. He fails, and while trying to take his life, Ben convinces him he can still do it. Ben then kills Locke and tries to convince the O6 (including Sun) to come back to the island. He has a hard time, but manages to convince Jack and Sun. Course correction seeks out Hurley, Kate and Sayid and places them on the plane. When the plane gets close to the island, Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid flash to 1977 (where they’re supposed to be), and Locke crashes on the plane in 2007 (where he is supposed to be). Locke comes back to life because he was never supposed to die. Sun doesn’t flash to 1977 because she was never supposed to be in 1977.

Young Ben and Sayid

We knew it was enevitable that Ben would interact with our Losties in the 70s, but it was great to see him interacting with Sayid. I have a feeling that young Ben will help Sayid free and become a part of the “Hostiles”. Will Sayid tell Ben that he’s from the future. We know older Ben knows alot about what will happen, and although we’re to believe this information comes from Jacob, perhaps it comes from Sayid?

I’m looking forward to seeing Ben interact with our other Losties.

Charlotte?

So, their last jump through time caused Charlottes body to dissapear. Does this mean that if you die in a certain time you don’t time jump like your alive companions? Or, did something change? Did Daniel decide not to tell young Charlotte that she’d die if she returned, therefore changing her fate? If this were true, however, Daniel and co. wouldn’t remember her.

I’ve got a theory that Charlotte could still be alive. She didn’t arrive in the 70s with Daniel and co. so wherever they were before that, perhaps someone stumbled upon her body and revived her? For all Daniel knows she is dead, but what if she isn’t? What if she is somewhere in the past, or the future? Only time will tell! (Sorry… ;) ).

Changing the past?

When walking back to the beach Sawyer and co. stumble upon a conflict with members of Dharma and the Hostiles. Sawyer intervenes and rescues Amy.

If whatever happened, happened then back in 1974 Sawyer had always intervened and rescued Amy. It was his destiny. After this encounter Sawyer and co. became members of the Dharma Initiative and waited there for 3 years until the return of the Oceanic Six. This had always happened.

I think this is the main reason why it was so important for the return of the Oceanic Six. A war is coming between Dharma and The Hostiles and the Oceanic Six were a part of that war. They always were. If they didn’t return it would change the past. That’s why Ms. Hawking said “God help us all” if they O6 didn’t return when they needed to. Catastrophic events would happen if they weren’t a part of this war that had already happened.

Amy’s Baby

3 years after Sawyer rescued Amy, she gave birth to a baby boy (Horace is the father). Speculation about who that baby boy could be has emerged throughout the Lost-o-phere, bringing up ideas that it could be Jack, Desmond, Sawyer etc. etc. I’m not on board with those ideas, but I do think it could be someone we’ve met before.

Amy’s baby was born in 1977. In 2004 that would make the boy 27 years old. This to me rules out Jack, Desmond and Sawyer. The only person who I can think of who was around 27 years old was Charlie. But that doesn’t make any sense to me.

Given the time travelling abilities of the island there’s no reason to say that the boy could’ve travelled back in time and grew up in a different era. This would mean his age is irrelevant. But I’m against that idea because isn’t Lost confusing enough as it is?

I think we’ll all be surprised when it’s revealed who the baby is, but I can’t think of anyone who it definately could be.

Speaking of Babies

Juliet was brought to the island in 2001 to try and cure their pregnancy issues. Women on the island would always die during pregnancy and it was up to Juliet to try and fix the problem. Back in 1977, Amy successfully had a baby. Not only that, it was Juliet who delivered the baby.

Any signifance with it being Juliet? I think so.

Let’s take a look at “The Other Woman”:

Who does Juliet look like? I think Juliet looks like Juliet. A young Ben in the 70s had an infatuation with an older woman, who just happened to be called Juliet. 20 or so years later he recruits a woman called Juliet who just happens to look like the Juliet he had been infatuated with back in the 70s. Not too much of a stretch is it?

The fact that Juliet in the 70s succesfully delivered a baby could also have influenced Ben in his decision making. Perhaps, even, Ben knew that this was the same Juliet?

But what about the pregnancy issues?

We know that in 1977 and probably prior to that, pregnancy issues hadn’t arisen. So when did the pregnancy issues start and why did they start? Did they happen when the O6 returned? Could they have done something to damage the space-time-continuum, therefore resulting in unsuccessful pregnancies?

The Purge

On December 19th 1992, Ben and The Hostiles killed off Dharma during what was called The Purge. As it is 1977 where we are now this isn’t going to happen for another 15 years, but if Sawyer and co. are still there at that time do they die in The Purge? We haven’t seen an older version of Sawyer and co. with Ben and The Others, so I’m assuming they have been long gone.

Did they manage to get back to their real time before The Purge happened? As it is 15 years away I’m thinking it’s something we’re not going to see through the eyes of our Losties - unless of course, time travel intervenes.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.