Lost 5.6: 316

Oh my dear Losties! The first five episodes of this season have been great. They’ve tied up some theories we’ve all wondered about. They’ve answered some questions. They’ve sent us on some trajectories that made us actually (ok, possibly) see where this show is headed. But last night. OH, LAST NIGHT! I felt like last night was actually the season premiere. Last night we see our Losties get BACK ON THE ISLAND.

In fact, we begin with JACK’S EYE. (I can tell there will be lots of ALL CAPS today. Just bear with me. I could barely sleep last night I was so excited—or was that because my 4 month old woke up 3 times? Anywhoo.) Jack wakes up in the jungle. In a suit. And oh! I just knew we were seeing a flashback to Season 1. I had even heard rumors that the first scene of Season 1 was actually a flashback/forward to present day. Alas, I was wrong. (However, that would have been great!)

Jack hears Hurley calling for help. He runs into the jungle and finds Hurley and a guitar case drowning in a lagoon. After they realize they can stand, they see Kate unconscious on the edge of the water. They wake her up (how un-doctor-ly did that seem?) and she says, “Are we…?” Jack’s response, “Yeah…we’re back.”

Then the black screen o’lost and the text: FOURTY SIX HOURS EARLIER

This is where I almost threw something at the screen. The flashFORWARDS were easier to deal with than this “XX years/days/hours earlier”  thing we’ve been getting. Well, are you ready? Let’s recap the last 46 hours! And I want to apologize in advance for getting into some minutia of conversation, etc. Every scene was just chock-full of Lostie-goodness!

We pick up right where we left off last week. Sun, Jack, Ben and Desmond are talking to the eerie Mrs. Hawking. She leads them downstairs (and in typical Lost fashion, no one utters a word of a question) and through a DHARMA door and into a HATCH. Well, it wasn’t a hatch. But it looked like the hatch. This station was called “The Lamp Post”. According to Mrs. Hawking, this station is where the Dharma Initiative found The Island.

She explained how it all worked but it honestly didn’t make much sense. Basically, there was a certain Dharma-ite who theorized they couldn’t find where The Island currently was but they COULD find where The Island was ABOUT to be. This mystery theorist created formulas and this giant pendulum to correctly discover The Island’s whereabouts.

She hands Jack a notebook with flight times and explains that they only have 36 hours to get into this little window of opportunity. And they’ll need to be on Ajira Airlines 316 to Guam to do it. (AJIRA!! Yay! I was right! And now I’m almost certain Locke/Sawyer/Juliet were firing at The Oceanic Six on the outriggers.)

Desmond is incredulous. He can’t believe anyone would willingly go back to The Island. He yells at Mrs. Hawking for stealing four years of his life by leading him to The Island originally. He delivers the message from Daniel and then storms out of the room. No one seems to upset at his departure. (Strange. They didn’t seem to be surprised he was there in the first place.)

Mrs. Hawking then privately gives Jack a letter from Locke—his suicide note. Jack didn’t know Locke had committed suicide. She explains that they are going to have to “recreate” the details of their first crash. So, as many of them as possible need to be on that plane—especially Locke in the casket…wait for it…to mirror Christian Shepherd’s arrival on The Island. In fact, Mrs. Hawking tells Jack that Locke needs to have something of Christian’s with him in the casket. Jack is equally shocked, scared, dumbfounded and grossed out. He doesn’t want to do it. (But we know he will.)

Jack then leaves Mrs. Hawking and runs into a (praying?) Ben upstairs at the church. Ben motions to a painting, Caravaggio: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas and delivers a beautiful story about the Apostle Thomas. Thomas is long remembered as the Doubting Disciple. He didn’t believe Jesus had come back to life until he put his finger in Jesus’ wounds. But he was not remembered for his previous statement before Jesus’ death, “Let us also go, that we may die with you.” (Dripping with meaning!)

He then tells Jack he’ll pick up Locke’s body and meet him at the airport. Nice transition.

And here’s where the story got weird for me. Jack leaves the church and is seen drinking it up at a bar. He gets a phone call…from a retirement home. Apparently someone has tried to escape and they need Jack. (Whaaaa? Are they introducing a new character to us?!)

Uh, yes they are. Jack’s grandfather, Ray. Jack helps Ray unpack his suitcase and discovers a pair of Christian’s shoes at the bottom. Aha! Jack takes them home and while pouring himself another drink discovers KATE lying on his bed.

Kate looks drunk or beat up or exhausted—maybe all three. Jack is only slightly shocked to see her there but finally says, “Where’s Aaron?” She replies, “If you want me to go back to The Island don’t you EVER EVER ask me about Aaron again.” And this, my dear lostie friends, is when I knew we’d be seeing this same 46 hours over and over again from each of the Oceanic Six’s perspective. *sigh *

Oh, yeah, then Jack and Kate kiss. Blech.

The next morning they’re uncomfortably having coffee and orange juice. They discuss Christian’s shoes. And then when the phone rings, Kate escapes to the airport while Jack answers it.

And who is it? Oh, just Ben sounding as if he got beat up. And when we see him—well, that’s exactly what happened. He looks like he got in a fight with Smokey. (Maybe he did!) He asks Jack to pick up Locke’s body because he’s been well…detained.

Jack isn’t excited about this new errand, but he does it. When he is alone with Locke’s body (at the butcher shop run by Other-ton-wannabe, Jill), he puts Christian’s shoes on Locke. And delivers the best line of the night, “Wherever you are, right now, Locke, I bet you’re laughing you’re a** off!”

Soon, Jack is at the airport checking in Locke and himself at Ajira airlines. The man in line behind him offers him condolences for the death of his friend. And just then, Jack sees Kate. And soon, Sun. Then suddenly, Sayid appears handcuffed and led by, what’s this? A US MARSHALL? Finally, Jack finds Hurley who has bought up every available seat on the plane so no one else can board. (Sweet Hurley, doesn’t want anyone else to crash on The Island!)

They all board the plane (including the man who offered Jack condolences) and just then Ben arrives. Hurley is ticked and says, “No one told me he was coming!” And Ben says, “Who told you to be here, Hugo?” (Who indeed? I thought Ben’s attorney was getting Hurley out of prison. I thought the whole point was to get the 06 on the plane. Why didn’t Ben tell Hurley to be on this flight?)

They finally get all settled in and Jack starts making the rounds. He sits next to Kate and says, “Don’t you think this means something? Sayid? Hurley? All on the same flight? We’re all together again.” Kate replies, “Just because we’re on the same plane doesn’t mean we’re together.” (HMMM….didn’t feel that way last night, did it, Kate?!)

Soon the pilot makes an announcement and introduces himself as Frank Lapidus. Now was anyone really surprised by this?! Jack asks the stewardess to tell Frank he’s on board. When Frank leaves the cockpit to see Jack, he also sees the rest of the Oceanic Six. He delivers the second best line of the night, “We’re not going to Guam are we?”

Jack heads back to his seat and talks to Ben instead. Ben is reading while Jack is fretting. Jack says, “How can you read?” Ben then delivers the third best line of the night, “My mother taught me.” (Wait a minute…Ben says his mother taught him to read. His mother died in childbirth..!) They discuss Locke’s suicide note and Jack finally decides to read it. And in un-Lost-fashion, they actually show us the letter. It says, “Jack—I wish you had believed. JL”

And that is when it gets good—the plane begins to lurch. Hurley tells everyone to buckle their seatbelts and there is a flash of light—-and now, back to our first scene—Jack in the jungle.

We go through the whole first scene until Kate sits up. It continues as they begin to discuss what happened—did they crash? Where is everyone else? And just then a new looking Dharma van (possibly Hurley’s?) approaches. A Dharma-jumpsuit-clad man gets out with gun raised. Everyone is wide-eyed as they recognize JIN.

THE END

My Big Theory
They would not have made it back to The Island unless Jack had believed in The Island. After reading Locke’s letter, that set the Island-ness into motion. His act of faith did it. There is some weird thing—a triangle if you will between Locke/Jack/Christian.

Christian, the father figure. Jack and Locke the opposotie sons. Locke gives his life for The ISland and the Losties. It all ties in nicely with antoher “316” from the Bible…possibly one of the most famous 316’s…John 3;16, “For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son. Whoever believes in Him will not die but have everlasting life.”

The Christian references here are almost overwhelming…Christian Shepherd=Jesus, the Shepherd=Christ, Locke loved The Island and gave himself up, Locke believes in the Island and is asking Jack to do the same and of course the most intruiging part is the EVERLASTING life. Will Locke recieve it? Will Jack? Is this what Richard has?

Questions & Stuff To Talk About
1.   The Lamp post. At first I thought this was a reference to the church. You know, being a light to the world and all that. Then as hubby and I were discussing it, he said, “It was a Narnia reference!” Of course! The Pevensie children enter Narnia through the wardrobe and see the Lamp post. This is the entrance and exit to the land of Narnia. This station is the entrance and exit to The Island. Also, if you’re a Narnia fan, you’ll know the Pevensies couldn’t get into Narnia when they wanted. Aslan called them in. Sometimes the door was open, sometimes it wasn’t. Very similar to Mrs. Hawking’s description.

2. Who is the mysterious Dharma Initivive genius who disoverd the formulas and pendulum and location of The Island? Someone we know? Faraday perhaps? Dr. Chang?

3.    Mrs. Hawking seems strangley LESS strange. When we saw her talking to Ben in the previous episodes, I felt like Ben was afraid of her. And the whole world would collapse if he didn’t get the 06 back to The Island. In this episode, she felt like a friendly teacher who was giving the answers to a test. I don’t understand the whole Mrs. Hawking/Desmond relationship either. Does she not want him back on The Island, too?

4. Ben is back as his role of the all-knowing-Island-boy. The whole Thomas conversation was just brilliant. Jack has long been the doubter. But now he has the chance to be a believer. I felt like Ben was giving Jack the opportunity to be known as the believer. Possibly taking Locke’s place?!

5. OK, the shoes for Locke thing was just weird.

6. Who was the man at the airport offering his condolences to Jack? He was the only non-Oceanic Six in first class. What’s his connection to The Island, I wonder?

7. WHERE IS WALT?

8. Who beat up Ben?

Conclusion
Holy-stinkin’-lostie-cow. I loved last night’s episode. I was wide-eyed the entire time. There was so many underlying clues and secrets and innuendos. It felt like first season with more unanswered questions! But I kinda liked it that way. I cannot wait to see how these 46 hours have treated the rest of our Oceanic Six. So, what say you? What did you pick up on? I want to talk abou this!!!

(don’t forget to visit me at ohamanda.com or follow me on twitter @oohamanda!)