Here Lost comes, and there Lost goes. A season of destiny, time travel, and beige jumpsuits has come to a bitter-sweet end. Bitter because it means Lost is over, sweet because that's what Lost season finales tend to be! This beast was two hours, so let's get to it.
Play...
0:03 - Lost's cryptic opening scenes might be my favorite things on television. They progress so slowly and smoothly, like a great magic trick, even when the fans are chomping at the bit for things to get moving. Here we get a man spinning thread and weaving a tapestry, then retrieving a fish from a trap and eating it on the beach. Could be anyone, at any time. Then we see the ship, sailing along the horizon; the Black Rock? Another man joins him and we see a familiar mountain in the background. This is our island, and the man is Jacob. A million theories about him just went up in smoke, but it doesn't matter when the mystery seems so much greater than the theories. What is he weaving? Who is the other man? Why does he want to kill Jacob? Why can't he? The first thing that struck me about this scene (other than the fact that the statue has a crocodile's face) was the mystery man's warning to Jacob that bringing the boat to the island would bring death and destruction, just like Locke said the freighter would when Jack wanted it to come.
0:07 - Long ago Jacob saved Kate as a child from being busted for stealing a lunch-box. Thanks buddy, without you she may never have turned to a life of crime, been caught by a federal marshal, or crashed on the island to become one of the most irritating characters in television history...okay, I'm calming down. He also gave her a playful tap on the nose (it's important).
0:11 - I love how the "trekking across the island" theme music has suddenly returned in the past two episodes as Locke leads the Others to meet Jacob. While I'm talking about that I guess I should mention what else just happened. Sawyer, Juliet, and Kate are all on the sub together, and typical annoying Kate is shocked, SHOCKED that Sawyer doesn't want to overthrow the sub crew to try and return to the island to stop Jack just because she wants to. I've read a lot of opinions over te past week about the Kate-Sawyer interactions in this episode and I think they're completely overlooking something. Sawyer wanted to stay on the island originally because he was somebody on the island, and Kate was part of that feeling for him. When he got zapped back to 1977 everything upgraded for him. He was THE MAN amongst the Dharma Initiative on the island. When Horace, the official leader, almost has his marriage fall apart he has enough respect for Sawyer to confide in him and ask his advice. He has a stable, happy relationship with Juliet, who is not annoying. Earlier in the season, it seemed obvious that Kate and Sawyer's romantic chemistry would ruin Sawyer's idyllic life. Instead it's Kate's sudden, inexplicable devotion to saving Ben that leads to the end of LaFleur, and Sawyer and Juliet on the sub having to start all over. So to me it's not that much of a shock that he doesn't want to go back, things are as over for him back there as they were off-island when we first met him.
0:21 - Jacob visits Sawyer as a kid, handing him a pen to finish his letter to the real Sawyer. Jacobs fingers graze Sawyer's as he exchanges the pen (trust me).
0:23 - I just figured out why Kate freaking out about the nuke annoys me so much. First of all, it's Kate, officially alone as my least favorite character now that Michael is dead. In order for me to support her I have to believe that Daniel Faraday, one of the most interesting and sympathetic characters on the show and a genius, is completely wrong that destroying the energy pocket prior to the "incident" will rewrite history allowing them to safely land at LAX. Alternatively, what if she KNOWS the plan will work, and is merely trying to scare people into helping her prevent a rewrite? Since flight 815 landing successfully means she's going to jail, as originally planned. What if she's selling out everyone else, ESPECIALLY the dead people, just to keep her freedom? Man I hate Kate! Anyway, she got Juliet on her side, which got Sawyer on her side. Why Juliet? Well, if Jack's bomb works it only affects the people who arrived on 815. They land in Los Angeles, but she'll still be stuck on the island, attempting to avoid the romantic advances of Ben. If she stays on that sub she still risks losing everyone, and being condemned to the island, so she has to try to stop it. In "Follow the Leader" Jack mentioned about how enough of their experience was bad to justify an attempt to reboot. Most of the good that happened to Juliet came from that plane crash, so why wouldn't she want to make sure it doesn't get erased from history?
0:30 - Jacob stops Sayid to ask for directions, causing Nadia to be killed in the hit and run that eventually lead to Sayid working for Ben. But at least he touched Sayid on the shoulder while showing him the map (3 for 3).
0:32 - I want to talk about Richard Alpert for a second, since he just chickened out of helping Jack and Sayid deliver the bomb. I've always liked him as a character just because of the simple mystery of a man who doesn't age. This season though we've gotten to know him better, and it's become clear that he's not the man with all the answers that he seemed to be. Normally that would be annoying, but I think it's added so much drama to the events of this season. He has spent a good about of it shocked and exacerbated. As he says to Locke earlier in the episode, he's seen a lot of things on the island that he can't describe, but still events like realizing Sawyer is from the future in 1974, or realizing Locke has come back from the dead are capable of shaking him to his core. This is a guy who has seen it all, but he has never seen anything like this season.
0:43 - Sawyer, Juliet, and Kate run into Rose and Bernard only to find they've been hiding in the jungle in an attempt to get some peace and quiet. People have complained about the scene being a bit heavy handed, but it was worth it just to rose respond to Kate's whining about the bomb with, "it's always something with you people."
0:48 - It's amazing how Lost can have interesting scenes about totally mysterious people and places, while not having to rely on revelations all the time. For instance, Ilana and company arriving at Jacob's Cabin. We still don't know what's in the box, we don't know if Bram is being honest when he refers to them as "the good guys," we don't know the deal with the ash, why the break in it is important, and we don't learn anything about the cabin. Still, I could watch this scene repeatedly, knowing I won't learn anything new, and I'll still be intrigued and entertained.
0:52 - Locke's dad pushes him out of an 8th story window, and there's Jacob. A touch to Locke's shoulder, and he gasps to life (4 for 4).
0:56 - I have to say, Locke made a pretty convincing case for why Ben would want to kill Jacob himself (the cancer, his daughter being killed, his banishment). Here's the only problem. Christian SPECIFICALLY corrected Locke that HE was the one told to turn the donkey wheel, HE was the one meant to move the island, so HE was the one who was supposed to be banished, not Ben. It's been a week, I've watched this episode...4 times I think? That's the first time it's dawned on me.
0:58 - Jacob at Jin and Sun's wedding, speaking excellent Korean, and touching them both on the shoulder while giving his blessing (6 for 6).
0:59 - Why would Hurley stop the Dharma van with Sayid bleeding inside and the "incident" ready to happen in mere minutes? Sawyer with a rife, flanked by Kate and Juliet in the middle of the road. Yep, that'll do it.
Pause.
Okay, I get the feeling my wrap-up is going to be HUGE so let's split it up. End of Part 1.
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