LostEpisode 515Follow the LeaderWhat? Did I hear that correctly? Did Locke say that he was going to
kill Jacob? Kill
Jacob???? Oh my. That’s quite a turn-around for Mr. Locke. I didn’t see that one coming, and I’m quite sure that none of you did either. Oh boy.
This weeks episode was not really character centric, although you could say that Richard features heavily, but then again, so did Locke. We follow our Losties in 1977 where things are hotting up and in 2007, where Locke has stepped up to embrace his role as leader of the Others.
In 1977, Kate and Jack watch Daniel being killed before being rounded up by Charles Widmore and one of his side-kicks. They take Kate and Jack back to Otherville where Eloise is busy looking through Daniel’s journal. She sends Jack and Kate to her tent.
Jack admits to her that they are from the future and that he’s going to detonate the hydrogen bomb. Eloise agrees to help them and Richard tags along. En route, Kate decides she wants to leave but the Others are not so keen to let het just walk off. The 2 spare Others are killed by Sayid, and Kate leaves the group to go back to Dharmaville.
Richard, Jack, Eloise and Sayid swim through underground tunnels and emerge in a pool in one of the chambers in the temple. Housed there is the hydrogen bomb.
Meanwhile, Sawyer is being beaten up by Radzinsky who’s assumed responsibility from Horace. Sawyer refuses to tell them anything. Phil decides that the only way to make Sawyer talk is to hit Juliet.
Miles, Jin and Hurley are congregating in the jungle when they are confronted by Dr Chang who suddenly seems to believe that they are time-travelers and demands the truth from Hurley.
When Hurley is unable to lie convincingly, he admits that they are from the future and that Dr Chang ought to evacuate the island. Dr Chang goes to the security center where Sawyer is being held and insists that the island be evacuated. Radzinsky, who is now more than slightly out of control, refuses until Sawyer verifies the information and tells them that he will tell them anything if they put him and Juliet on the sub. Sawyer draws them a map to Otherville.
Sawyer and Juliet are taken into the sub (where all women and children are being evacuated to). Just before the sub leaves, a new prisoner is brought into the sub – Kate.
In 2007, Locke has now assumed total leadership of the Others and he instructs Richard and Ben to accompany him on a stroll into the jungle. He leads them to the aircraft that had been used by Eko’s drug running brother that crashed on the island. He instructs Richard to help a man who has been shot in the leg. It turns out to be Locke – a scene we saw in the season premiere.
Locke tells Ben that the island told him when and how to do this. When Richard gets back, they head back to Otherville. Once back, Locke calls Otherville’s first ratepayers meeting and tells them that he’s going to visit Jacob and he’s taking them all with him.
Richard expresses his reservations to Ben, who repeats it the following day to Locke as they are all trekking to visit Jacob. That’s when Locke tells Ben that he’s going to kill Jacob.
Like I said earlier - Oooh boy.
Our Key points are:
• Locke now wants to kill Jacob. Why?? Is the island telling him to? Or is this because he believes that he’s now lord and master of the island? I’m note sure I like this super confident Locke. Well, I’ve never really liked him before, but I had sympathy for the man. But this Locke – I don’t know about him. He’s far too cocky for my liking.
Why would the island want Jacob dead when it seems that Jacob has done the island’s bidding and has been the island’s voice (so to speak)? It’s possible that Locke could be the new Jacob, taking his place and will now be the island’s voice.
Can Jacob even be killed? And what if Locke is Jacob? Is he going to kill himself???
It’s quite clear that someone or something told Locke exactly when he would find himself during their jumping phase. Whatever Locke’s reason for wanting to kill Jacob is, I simply cannot wait to see how it all unfolds and if he can really kill Jacob.
• Will Richard and Ben stand by while Locke kills Jacob? We know that the Alex-monster told Ben to follow Locke’s lead completely or be killed, but somehow this docile, side-stepped Ben is not going to be all meek and quiet for long. I foresee him trying to do something. Anything.
Ben is someone who has done whatever the island has asked of him. Yes, I’m sure a lot of it has been self-serving as well, but I really do believe that what he’s done, he’s done on the island’s orders. And Ben is terrified of Jacob, of that I am sure. I don’t know if Ben will just stand by and let Jacob be killed. And if he doesn’t let Locke kill Jacob, will his position as leader of the Others will be restored?
• Which brings us to Richard. We learn that Richard has this job for a very long time. Richard seems disconcerted with Locke’s leadership and expresses his concerns to Ben. But will he actually do anything? Does his role of “advisor” allow him to make those kinds of decisions?
• Jack now seems to have taken on Locke’s role as man of faith. Jack feels that detonating the hydrogen bomb will right all the wrongs of the past three years. I’m not convinced of Jack’s motives for this. He’s determined to erase all of this from his past, even going so far as to tell Kate that most of the past three years was bad. Is this Jack’s way of trying to redeem himself?
• Kate, on the other hand, doesn’t want the past eradicated. She believes that whatever they went through has been worth it. And now she’s in the sub with Sawyer and Juliet. Poor Juliet; I really did feel her pain. The look on her face said it all. She’s still unsure of Sawyer’s feelings for Kate.
I am sure that something is going to happen on that sub. I can’t see them all sailing off into the sunset.
• Sayid is back!!!! I have missed that guy and it’s great to see him back. He’s clearly been living in the jungle and he clearly believed that he killed Ben. Sayid is now going to go along with Jack’s plan to blow up the island.
I have to wonder… the island has used them all and its manipulated them so that it gets what it wants from everyone… I can’t see it sitting by and letting itself get blown up. And when did I start talking about this island like it was a living entity?!?!?
• Dr Chang suddenly believes that Hurley and Jin and Miles are from the future. Why?? What made him change his mind? I felt a little sorry for the guy though. He really doesn’t seem like a bad sort. At least Miles now knows why his father had to send them away. I can only assume that he was killed which is why he never went looking for his family again.
• Radzinsky never seemed like a man who had a cool, level head, but I fear that he’s loosing it completely. He just seems so jumpy and unreasonable. Yes, I know, he has every reason to be that way.
This was quite a setup for the finale. There are so many story threads here…so many timelines… I, for one, can’t wait to see how this is all going to happen and what it’s all going to mean.
What we learnt this week:• Locke is going to kill Jacob.
• Jughead is being housed in the temple (or tunnels, as the Others call it)
• Dr Chang not only believes that the Losties are from the future, but tries to assist them too.
• Jack believes that detonating the bomb is the only way to right the wrongs of the past, and believes that this is his purpose.
• Kate joins Juliet and Sawyer on the sub.
New questions this week:• Why does Locke want to kill Jacob?
• Richard says that he saw the Losties die; is this true?
• Why does Dr Chang believe Hurley and co?
• Will they blow up the island?
Interesting Trivia (from this site)• Once again, the Compass that Richard gave Locke is a confusing paradox. Locke gave it to Richard in 1954, and more than 50 years later Richard gave it to Locke, who then traveled back in time, starting the cycle over again.
• “All right, let's get started."
This is what Eloise said when the group made it to the cave with the bomb. It's also the exact same line of dialogue she delivered when Jack and the others came to see her in the future before she told them how to get back to the Island
• Charles Widmore references Eloise being pregnant, presumably with Daniel. This would mean Daniel is, at most, 19 years old in 1996 when Desmond visited him as a professor at Oxford, though he was clearly much older.
• This is also the second time in which a character sees oneself due to time travel, the first being Miles seeing himself as a baby.
• When Jack, Kate, and Hurley got back to the island and were told by Sawyer that the only way to stay safe was to join Dharma, Hurley is worried they were going to be asked questions to which they didn't know the answer. For example, "Who is the President of the United States?" This is what Dr. Chang asked him in this episode.
Interesting Screencaps (from this site)
Hurley, Miles and Jin being confronted by Dr Chang
In the "tunnels"
Going to visit Jacob. Quite a beautiful picture, Lost does this quite well; if I am not mistaken, there was also a similar scene in the 2nd season.
The sub leaving. Lost's CGI is generally very good, but this scene was not done well at all.
Richard
Sun and Ben