Lost 5.15: Follow The Leader

I’m a day late on my recap. I know you’ve been anxiously waiting by the computer for it. Let’s just blame it on computer error and frugal living (aka we don’t have cable right now). But big thank yous to our illustrious Disney Blog editor, John Frost who is letting me post and gush a little tardy.  I’ve been writing the post in my head all day because it was such a delicious episode! It was an obvious lead up to the finale because every single character was in it! This is my FAVE. I love when we see everyone. (OK, no Desmond. But basically EVERYONE.)

There were no flashbacks or forwards…it was just present day. Well, present day 1977 and present day 2007. Only in LOST can you have two present days!

So, let’s start with 1977. (Have I mentioned this was my birth year? And another fyi, my birthday is the same as this episode 5.15…which also happens to be a mere 5 days away…)

Jack & Kate
The first scene is with one of my favorite devices…we get to see Faraday’s death (oh, he’s dead, folks!) from Jack and Kate’s perspective. Jack is easily slipping into Locke’s old Man of Faith role—he tries to convince Kate that THIS is why they are there–to save Faraday. But just then BOOM. Dan dies. Widmore shows up and Kate & Jack are captives.

Eloise looks through Daniel’s journal where she had written (will write?) the inscription to Daniel and suddenly asks that Kate & Jack be put in her tent.

While they are in the tent, Jack and Kate have a lover’s spat. Jack believes he can continue Faraday’s idea by making everything go away—essentially erasing the past 3 years. Kate is shocked that he would do this because although there have been some horrible things (like smoke monsters, murders, random deaths, beatings, hunger, etc.) some good has come out of it—namely their relationship. Jack is like the worst boyfriend ever and basically says, “Well, I don’t think that outweighs the other miseries.” NICE.

Eloise finally enters and demands to know what Faraday was trying to do. She promises she will believe him because she remembers Faraday appearing and reappearing in 1954. Jack tells her they are indeed time travelers and they have to get to the bomb. And unbelievably she agrees.

They untie Jack & Kate’s bonds while Eloise and Widmore argue about this adventure. I’m pretty sure Widmore put his hand on Eloise’s stomach like a protective father might do to his unborn child (aka Daniel). Maybe I was reading into it. Anyway, they set off with a random Other and when they are just about to dive into the stream to an underwater tunnel, Kate loses it.

She says, “I can’t follow you anymore, Jack!” (HA!) Jack is visibly upset…and so is Eloise. Random Other picks up his gun and BOOM! Lost tricks us becuase I SO thought Kate was dead. (And I’m sorry to say I was kind of happy about it…) But when we get back from the commercial we see that the gunshot was actually from SAYID’s gun and into Random Other.

As Eloise and Richard are examining Random Other. Jack, Sayid and Kate discuss their predicament. Jack tells Sayid they are going to change time. Sayid says, “I already have. I killed Ben.” But good ole Kate says, “No. You didn’t I saved him.” To which Sayid responds, “Why would you do that?” Kate eventually tells Jack that he sounds just like Locke and is just as crazy. And finally she leaves. (FINALLY.)

Eloise, Richard, Jack and Sayid all jump into the stream and come out in the Temple. It looked to me to be the exact same place Ben had his judgement. If not it was pretty darn close. They are led to the bomb where Eloise unceremoniously rips off the tarp and displays JUGHEAD for everyone to see.

Sayid is slightly concerned that Eloise is not trustworthy. However, Jack claims she is because she is the one that told them to come back thirty years earlier…or three years ago…or was that 3 days ago? Anyway, it didn’t make sense when he said it either.

Meanwhile back at the Dharma Compound…

Sawyer & Juliet and Miles, Jin & Hurley
Our two lovebirds (oh yes they are!) are being beaten and interrogated by a freakazoid Radzinsky, mellow Horace and the really ticked of Phil. Sawyer is absolultey refusing to tell them Kate’s whereabouts…his reasoning is that they’ll never believe him anyway, so why get more people hurt? But when Phil backhands Juliet, his tongue loosens.

Meanwhile, Hurley is snagging a dozen Dharma issued canned foods from the kitchen. He nonchallantly heads for the hills to meet Miles and Jin. And who follows him? Dr. Chang. Apparently he’s been thinking about Faraday’s ravings. He point blank asks them if they are from the future. Hurley denies it until Chang interrogates him. (This was hilarious!)

Chang realizes Miles is his son and asks him what they should do. Miles explains that Faraday has always been correct. So, Chang rushes away to evacuate the Island. He stumbles upon the interrogation of Sawyer and when Sawyer hears what Chang says, he concurs.

Sawyer says he’ll tell them everything if they will put Juliet and himself on the sub with the rest of the evacuees (all the children & women). They agree and Sawyer draws them a map.

Soon Miles, Hurley & Jin are watching Dr. Chang demand that his family (MILES) leave the Island. *sniff* Then they see Juliet and Sawyer handcuffed and led to the sub. Sawyer is joking that they’ll buy Microsoft and bet on football games. When they get in the sub they continue their conversation and end it with I LOVE YOU. And not two seconds later, who is shoved down the submarine’s hole? KATE. And Juliet’s face was priceless…and painful.

Now we come to the exestential portion of the show. Or as Doc Jensen put it, “the Locke & Ben Comedy Hour”

It’s present day 2007 and we see Locke lugging a disgusting looking dead boar on his back. He throws it down on the beach right in front of Sexy Eyes himself, Richard Alpert. Richard is suprised to see him. He says, “I haven’t seen you in three years.” Then he says, “There’s something different about you.” And Locke tells him he has a “new purpose”.

There’s also a few mini scenes of Sun trying to get info about Jin from Richard but they were all forced and really akward in my opinion. The only thing that came out of these mini-scenes is that Ben tells us that Richard is an “advisor” to The Others and that he’s had this job for a long, long time. So, let’s move on…

Locke asks Ben and Richard to come with him into the jungle. They head right for the famed yellow drug plane. To which Ben wide eyed says, “WHAT PLANE?”

Now, let me give this scene to you bakcwards—remember when Locke gets shot in the leg while The Island is skipping? And Richard pops out of the jungle to fix it? And he tells Locke he has to die? We all…ok, I thought this was because Richard was some kind of time-travel know it all. When in fact, it was 2007 resurrected Locke telling Richard to tell uninformed pre-dead Locke what to do. Richard was as suprised as Locke to be at the plane together!

If this wasn’t interesting enough, Ben is SHOCKED the entire time. Now, you know I don’t trust Ben as far as I can throw him but I genuinely think he was shocked. He even asks Locke, “How did you know? Your timing was impeccable.” And Locke absolultey nails him when he says, “The Island told me. It never spoke to you, Ben?” He also tells Ben he knows that Ben has never seen Jacob. Ben just goggles at him. *snicker*

Locke then asks Richard to take him to Jacob. Ben, our former golden boy, says, “That’s not how it works, John.” Richard is even a little wary. However, John is adamant. They go back to the beach and Locke tells all The Others that he wants them to join him in meeting Jacob. After all, if they are taking orders from someone, he wants to know who!

Richard then mutters to Ben, “John Locke may be a problem.” To which Ben responds, “Why do you think I tried to kill him?”

As they trek off to Jacob’s shack, Ben tries his hand at manipulation again and tells Locke that Richard is worried about his decision to see Jacob. Locke could care less and delivers a surprise: he’s going to meet Jacob so he can KILL HIM.

THE END

Things to Talk About
1. Sawyer/Juliet/Kate. Ahem. Sawyer HEARTS Juliet. Lost is teasing us with this triangle. There is no way on God’s green earth that he will leave the magnificent Juliet for the broken Kate. And I dare The Island to take Juliet. I DARE YOU! However, I so thought that Sawyer was going to put Juliet on that sub and head off into the jungle alone. Of course, I know they will go back to The Island somehow…but not sure how that will be accomplished. Maybe The Island won’t let them leave?

2. Jughead. Why does this seem like a good idea? I still don’t understand why detonating a bomb will fix the electromagnetic blah blah blah sci-fi-trekkie stuff. And how exactly do they plan on doing this without dying? Or do they think it won’t matter because it will change time so drastically they’ll wake up in the real present day unharmed? Seriously, weigh in on this because it makes no sense to me.

3. Richard.

a. I was so happy to see lots of Richard in this episode. But I was a little let down that he’s so…human. So, yeah, he’s lived a long time and he’s got great eyes. What are his special powers? What does he do as an advisor? Why is he afraid of Jacob?

b. Richard tells Sun that he saw our 1977 Losties all die. What is up with that?

4. Locke. How stinkin’ awesome was he? Every single pithy line he uttered was a zinger right between Ben’s buggy eyes. *happy sigh* I could have watched him all day. From Richard’s comments and even stuff Locke himself said, I’m wondering if Locke is the “chosen one” due to his resurrection. I’m thinking maybe he’s here to FINALLY save The Island…or protect it, or whatever it needs. Locke’s resurrection has brought him some kind of power that Widmore and Ben never had.

5. Ben. Hee, hee! Snort! Chortle! Snicker! Guffaw! I love seeing a confounded Ben. Oh, happy day.

6. Miles & Chang. How sweet! Miles finally got to understand why his father sent them away—and that it was out of love, not hate. HOWEVER. It also shows us AGAIN that even when you try to do something that changes time, you in fact make things how they were the first time! If Miles had not agreed with Faraday’s theory of the “incident”, Chang would have never sent Miles and his mom away and Miles would have never hated his dad. Of course, Miles would probably be dead but…

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Where is our season finale going? I really and truly do not have a great theory. Lost is so unpredictable that the next two hours could cover a time span of five minutes, or it could show us the next four years. I’m…well…lost. What say you, Losties?

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