Lost Season 6: The Lighthouse (Episode 5)

So, I’m having a LOST revelation. More like a coming-to-terms. I had hoped our flash-sideways were untrue. I was hoping for love and contentment and redemption ON The Island. I see that is not going to happen. I think The Island is broken. It’s puppet masters may be everlasting but they certainly are not omnipotent. The interesting connections between characters we had in previous seasons’ flashbacks always made us feel that “destiny” was at work. That they were all “meant” to be on The Island. But what if we’ve got it backwards? What if this “GOOD” LA flash-sideways is the REAL way it was supposed to be? And what if Jacob and his Nemesis messed it up? So, everything we’ve loved about The Island connections and character development were really just the working out of “destiny” trying to fix what Jacob, et al did with their pettiness? Maybe the good I saw on The Island (which therefore made me NOT want them to get off The Island) was really just a glimpse of the GOOD that was SUPPOSED to be? Did that make sense? Probably not. The point is, I’m trying to like the flash-sideways. I’m trying to see that GOOD has happened to our beloved characters OUTSIDE of The Island and the horribleness of their pre-Island lives was really BECAUSE OF The Island. Is that crazy talk? I know, I know, let’s just get to the recap, right?

Jack. LA. Present Day.

Jack is still waiting around for his dad’s body to be found by the airlines. (See? Christian’s body being lost? Parallel to The Island!) His mom is hounding him to help her find Christian’s will and help her get everything in order. Jack says he’ll help but he’s late for something…what could it be? OH, YEAH. TO PICK UP HIS TEENAGE SON FROM SCHOOL.

Who saw THAT coming? Jack, the one with the MOST Father issues has his very own son! But it looks like he’s doing just as good of a job as Christian did with him. Jack’s son, David (as in King? As in the most famous king of all times? as in the King of the Island Jack?) is a typical get-out-of-my-face-stop-pretending-we-have-a-father-son-bond kid. Jack is obviously upset (and possibly confused) by this attitude. David talks about how they only see each other once a month, so apparently Jack is divorced from David’s mom. WHO IS HIS MOM?! Is it Sarah? Someone else we know?

Jack takes a break from hanging out with his son to help his mom, Margo look for Christian’s will. Of course, they have a conversation about Jack’s own father-son problems. Jack says he was terrified of his father as a child. Margo suggests that David may be terrified of him as well. This thought has never occured to Jack. In fact, it seems that Jack thinks their problems are because of David’s attitude.

Suddenly Margo finds the will. Which, as I knew it would, mentions CLAIRE LITTLETON. Neither Margo nor Jack seem to have heard Claire’s name before!

When Jack returns home, David is missing. After several hours, Jack goes to his ex-wife’s home to see if David is there. He uses the hidden key (under a white rabbit) and looks through David’s room. It’s full of instruments, hand written music and even a picture of Jack and David together. As he’s looking, he listens to the messages on the phone. One is to David from the Williams Conservatory which confirms his audition at 7pm that night. The other is from Jack when he was in Australia. Jack is visibly upset at this disconnect from his son.

Jack races to the Conservatory to find David. Jack walks in and David playing his audition piece. He is brilliant and Jack is transfixed. It seems he doesn’t know his son could play. In fact, a Japanese man approaches (DOGEN! DOGEN! DOGEN!) and they talk about the pressure these kids are under. He tells Jack that David has a gift. (WEIRD. WEIRD. WEIRD.)

Outside the Conservatory Jack approaches David. They have a conversation that all fathers should have with their sons–he tells David that nothing could stop Jack from loving him. He explains that his father made him feel like a failure and told him he didn’t have what it takes–but David should never feel that way. Jack tells him he loves him unconditionally.

And all is right in LA.

(Do you see now what I meant in the first paragraph? Maybe they are trying to wrap up the whole horribleness of the past by showing us what should have happened SANS the evilness of The Island.)

Jack & Hurley. The Island.

Miles and Hurley are playing tic-tac-toe with Island foliage (of course). Suddenly Hurley goes back into the temple to search for food (of course). He sees Jacob playing in the water at the spring. Jacob explains someone is trying to get to The Island and Hurley needs to lead them there. And oh yeah, he should go get some paper, because he might want to write down the instructions.

Soon, we see Hurley reading instructions off his arm while wandering through the bowels of the temple. And who interrupts? Dogen. Dogen asks what he is doing there. Hurley takes his cues from only-visible-to-Hurley Jacob and says, “I’m a candidate. I can do what I want.” Dogen is ticked by this but leaves Hurley alone.

Jacob reminds Hurley that Jack must be with him while he does his special job. Hurley convinces Jack by saying the secret phrase (given to him by Jacob, of course): “you have what it takes”. (see LA flash-sideways!!!) Soon, they are in the jungle and on an “old-school” mission to save The Island. Or something. They’re not really sure what they are doing.

On their way they run into Kate. Who almost shoots Jack. They exchange loving glances and smiles but end up separating because KATE MUST FIND CLAIRE. (Yeah, because even if Claire hadn’t turned Rosseau, the first thing she’s going to say is YOU LEFT A THREE YEAR OLD WITH A WOMAN HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW?!)

They finally arrive at their destination—a lighthouse. When they get to the top to turn it on (because the instructions on Hurley’s arm tells them to do so), Jack catches a glimpse of soemthing in the reflection of the light’s mirrors. He sees buildings–scenes from around the world. Then he notices names written on the numerical degrees of the lighthouse’s dial…the same names and numbers that were written on the cave. The names of his friends. HIS NAME.

Jack makes Hurley turn the dial to SHEPHERD, #23. When it is in place, Shepherd sees his house. The house he lived in as a little boy. Jack is enraged. He realizes Jacob has been spying on him his entire life. He picks up a telescope and smashes the mirrors.

Jacob finally appears to speak to Hurley. Jack is sitting on a rock overlooking the ocean. Hurley is ticked at Jacob because his plan didn’t work—Jack destroyed the lighthouse and the people he was supposed to be bringing to The Island won’t be able to find it. Jacob seems unperturbed which makes Hurley even more upset. Finally it clicks for Hurley–Jacob wanted Jack to destroy the lighthouse. He wanted Jack to realize he was CHOSEN and meant to be on this Island. Jacob explains that some people will come back to The Island when asked (like Hurley) others need to discover the importance (or purpose or something) on their own. Jacob also explains they had to get away from The Temple because someone bad was about to get there. Hurley wants to warn them but Jacob tells him it’s too late.

Jin & Claire. The Island.

Jin is still in the bear trap. OW. Claire carries him back to her tent which is assorted freakiness–lots of crazy weapons and a crib with an animal skull inside. *shiver* Jin passes out and when he wakes up Claire is hefting Dumb&Dumber #2 (Justin) into the tent. Apparently he was only pretending to be dead. She demands that he gives her “baby” back. She explains to Jin that The Others electrocuted her and branded her. She gets so violent that Jin finally jumps in and says, “They don’t have your baby! Kate took Aaron! Kate is raising Aaron! He’s 3 years old!!”

Claire does not believe him. Or maybe she does. Regardless, it makes her crazy and she axes Justin. CREEPY. Jin realizes that she is indeed insane. So he tells her that he lied to save Justin’s life. Jin says he saw Aaron at the temple and can get them back to rescue him. Claire is relieved and says, “If Kate had Aaron, I’d kill her.”

Just then, unLocke pokes his head in the tent. Jin is absolutely shocked and says, “John?” Claire says with a giggle, “That’s not John. That’s My Friend.” Oh. My.

Things I Forgot To Mention
1. David is reading Alice in Wonderland. Jack says he used to read this to him as a boy.
2. Jack and Hurley have the why-did-you-come-back conversation. Jack says he came back because he was broken. And he was stupid enough to think The Island could fix him. (So, is he a man of faith? Or no?)
3. While Jack and Hurley are hiking through the jungle they come to the caves and see the Adam and Eve skeletons. The writers poke fun at us by having Hurley say, “I wonder, since we time traveled, if these skeletons are us?”

Stuff To Talk About

1. The Butterfly Effect. You know what this is right? We’re all so interconnected that if a butterfly flaps its wings in New York City, it can cause a monsoon in Japan. The bomb was the butterfly. And the monsoon? Our flash-sideways. So, now Jack has a son? Dogen has a son? They both play the piano? And are good fathers?? So, when Juliet blew up The Island *sob* she really DID IT. She fixed it. The horribleness of The Island for EVERYONE changed. Not just the Losties. She also saved any and all Others that Jacob drew to The Island. (Here’s a wikipedia article on the Butterfy Effect if you’d like a REAL explanation.)

2. Jacob. He is feeling very Jacob-y, isn’t he? Always telling people to do things without giving them reasons. He’s asking people to discover their purpose and their connection to The Island. Even though he’s dead and the rules with his nemesis have been broken, he’s still up to his old tricks. I’m kinda leaning toward Jacob being BAD and unLocke being REALLY BAD with NO good guys–just poor manipulated Island dwellers.

3. Candidates. I really think Jacob and unLocke are just crazy puppet-masters. I think they are immature gods who are playing games on The Island. The purpose and greater good and all that stuff is in their tiny heads—it’s just for their Island games. It has nothing to do with the rest of the world. The Oceanic 6 (and whoever else) that are chosen as candidates are just chesspieces. They killed Locke (the most obvious choice to be the new protector of the Island) just so Smokey could have his body. So, why would any of this rot about The Island be true? They will continue to kill off our beloved Losties until it’s time to start the game over. Horrible.

Conclusion.

I think I kinda said it earlier. I think The Island is broken. I told you before I think Jacob and unLocke are like the two alien kids playing marbles with our galaxy in Men in Black. I’m pretty sure everything that’s happened on The Island is the equivalent of a mythological hissy fit. I am pretty set on my theory that Destiny (capital D) was trying to make GOOD come out of an evil situation (ie. the last 5 seasons). Now we are getting to see Destiny’s original plan in the flash-sideways. Does that seem cheesy? What did you think of last night’s episode? Please leave a comment below and I’ll try to keep the conversation going by responding in the comments!

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