Ab Aeterno

Oh, pour me a drink of Italian red wine, let me taste it and call back to mind; Once more to my thoughts, once more to my soul; This story as great if not greater than all.

Late last fall when I found out that we were getting a Richard Alpert episode this year I shouted “Finally!” because I knew it would be a good episode. When Richard let out that desperate, almost maniacal giggle I knew it was going to be a GREAT episode. Easily the best of the season so far and it will probably end up ranking with the top episodes of the series. The giggle comes after Ilana tells everyone that Richard should know what to do next. Jacob told her he would during her little flashback part. I don’t think we will ever get an Ilana episode but I still want to know what happened to her and why she was in the Russian hospital. At first I figured Jacob heals, her but does he? We never see him touch her like he did everybody else. In fact they go out of their way to show him wearing gloves when he sees Ilana. Maybe she had to heal on her own. Maybe we saw a few visits from Jacob during her flashback and she didn‘t heal real fast. Of course that would be a little selfish coming from someone she looked at as being like a father to her. Ilana gets very emotional when Jacob tells her that she has to do what she has been preparing for. They knew Jacob’s days were numbered. Anyway, back to Richard, this is an episode about Richard. Richard says he has no idea what to do next. He blurts out the fact he had tried to kill himself and Jack didn't tell the rest of the group about it. He says everything Jacob says is a lie. He tells them they are all dead and that they aren’t on an island but in hell. Richard says he is going to start listening to someone else and then leaves.



I know his “we are in hell” comment has confused some people. Anthony Cooper told Sawyer that they weren’t really on an island and it was a little too hot for heaven back in episode The Brig. This is a shout out to some of the fans who early on in the show said the survivors were actually all dead and that the island was hell. The theory became one that many fans believed so much so that Team Darlton (Carlton and Damon) came out and said the island was not hell and the survivors were not dead. Richard Alpert says the same thing here but again he is wrong or maybe he is speaking metaphorically. Or is he? When he first says to Jack “You’re dead.”, maybe he knows something we don't and Jack really is dead. Remember that tattoo on Jack’s arm? The one Achara gave him in Thailand that translates to “He who is among us (the living?) but is not one of us”. OK, let me come back in off of this limb and continue but before I do let me reinforce that they are not dead and they are not in hell.

Aging with time, like yesterday's wine

Jack asks Ilana about going after Richard and he asks who Richard was talking about when he said he was going to listen to someone else. “This should be interesting.”, Ben chimes in with. Jack gets the cliff notes version of Locke being alive but not really Locke. Jack hears Hurley speaking to someone in Spanish and Jack thinks it's Jacob. Hurley stands up for himself again (I like the new Hurley attitude lately) and tells Jack that it doesn’t concern him. Good for him and in a way he is letting Jack off the hook. Jack doesn’t have to do anything right now. Back around the campfire, Ben says that going after Richard is a waste of time and that Richard doesn’t age. Ben says that he first met Richard when he was 12 years old. This means Ben did forget he met Richard in the jungle years before when Ben first came to the island instead of years later after Sayid shot him and was taken to the temple.

I've rambled around this dirty old town singing for nickels and dimes.

Times getting' rough. I can't get enough to buy me a bottle of wine.

Richard is on a horse (but I bet he doesn’t smell like Old Spice) on the Canary Islands in 1867. His wife Isabella is very sick. He tells her he is going to go get her a doctor and takes all of the money they have with him. She gives him her crucifix and tells him to take that as well. She tells Richard to close his eyes and as she kisses him she says that they will always be together. Richard gets to the doctors house and the doctor turns out to be an a-hole. His comment about Richard dripping water on his floor really ticked me off as I wold imagine it was supposed to. But it didn’t anger Richard. The doctor tells him that the ride to Richards’ house is too far away. He says he has medicine that will make his wife better but it is very expensive. Richard doesn’t have enough money and the doctor throws the crucifix aside and says that it is worthless. Richard picks up the crucifix and begs the doctor for medicine swearing he will work off the debt. The two men scuffle and the doctor falls back and hits his head on the table and dies. Anybody else remember a similar scene playing out for another person on the island? Anyone? How about Desmond killing Kelvin? The looks on both of their faces were almost the same as if to say “Oh crap I didn’t mean to kill you, now I am so screwed!”. Richard takes the medicine (notice it’s white) and goes home but he is too late, Isabella is already dead. Richard cries over the body of his dead wife as the constable breaks down his door to arrest him.

The preacher will preach and the teacher will teach. The miner will dig in the mine. I ride the roads, trusting in God, huggin' my bottle of wine.

A priest (dressed in black) visits Richard (dressed in white) in Richards’ prison cell. Richard is reading an English language bible. It is open to Luke chapter 4 which is where we find the story of Jesus rejecting the devils temptations. The priest asks why he is reading an English bible to which Richard says he is trying to teach himself English. Richard and his wife were planning to go to the “new world” to start a life and a family together. Richard confesses his sins to the priest and asks for forgiveness. The priest says that God doesn’t forgive murder unless the sinner pays for his sins with penance. The priest says Richard doesn’t have time for penance because he is going to be hung in the morning. The priest leaves and takes the bible with him.



The next morning Richard is blindfolded and taken from his cell. A man named Whitfield (when I first heard his name my ears heard Widmore and I freaked for a second or two until the name digested and then I was like “Oh, OK, never mind”) checks Richard over and asks if he speaks English. Richard doesn’t answer and Whitfield says to take him away and bring him another one. Richard says he can speak English and says he has experience working in the fields. Whitfield gives the priest a small bag of money, I would assume it was money anyway, and says that Richard is now property of Magnus Hanso heading to the “new world“. Hmmm, the “new world” eh? America isn’t really all that “new” by 1867. Slavery in America was abolished in 1865 at the close of the Civil War so was he really going to America? A ship that leaves the Canary Islands heading to America wouldn’t be anywhere near where the island is when flight 815 crashes onto it. If the Black Rock was heading to Australia, however, the island would be in it’s path and it would also connect Richard with the flight 815 survivors. In 1867 Australia was having a large gold rush and part of it was still a British penal colony so it was still considered “new” to a lot of people. We do have an island that moves here people, so it is possible that at the time the island wasn’t where we know it was in 2004 and would have been somewhere in the Atlantic instead when the Black Rock crashes into it.

Little hotel, older than hell, cold as the dark in the mine. Light so dim, I had to grin, I got me a bottle of wine.

Richard is one of the prisoners on the Black Rock locked in chains below deck. A huge storm batters the ship as another prisoner says he can see an island. Then he says he sees the devil. We get a look at the statue again as the Black Rock smashes into it. The Black Rock (black) destroys the (white) statue . That had to be the biggest wave in history. Arzt, back in Exodus from season one said that a large tidal wave (supposedly this one was over 200 feet tall) could have swept the Black Rock into the jungle. Looks like he was right. Team Darlton stated in a pod cast that the ship we saw at the end of last season near the island when we first meet Jacob and the MIB was indeed the Black Rock right before the storm brought it to the island. The surviving prisoners wake up and we hear someone say that Captain Hanso is dead. The slaves cry for help and Whitfield comes below deck. He pulls his sword and begins killing the slaves. He explains that they are stranded in the jungle without fresh water and limited supplies. There are only five officers left alive and he tells Richard that if he was to let them go it would only be a matter of time before they came back and killed him. We hear the familiar noises that tells us that Smokey is nearby. The remaining crew are killed and blood drips onto Whitfield’s shoulder. Smokey comes through the wooden grate and takes Whitfield which was sort of like how he took the pilot of 815. Richard is then scanned by Smokey and left alive and very alone.

I can't help thinking about the time you were a wife of mine, you aimed to please me, made elderberry wine

What was the deal with the butterfly? Was that the MIB coming back to check on Richard? Was it Jacob? Am I reading too much into everything now? Richard is trying everything he can to get free of his chains but is just far enough away from the rain that he cannot get a drink. A boar shows up and nibbles on one of the dead prisoners then charges at Richard and knocks the nail from his hands. Was the boar the MIB? This time I’m betting it was. This puts Richard just about where the MIB needs him to be but not quite. What else does Richard need to send him over the edge? Isabella comes to Richard and tells him they are dead and in hell. She says he has to get away before the devil comes back. Richard says he has already seen the devil. Smokey returns and Richard tells Isabella to run. As she leave the Black Rock it sounds like Smokey gets her.




The MIB comes to visit Richard this time in human form. He touches Richard and it seems to revive him. Does he have a power in his touch like Jacob? He gives Richard some water to drink and tells him he is a friend. Richard asks if they are in hell and the MIB says he is. Richard says the MIB was not on the ship and MIB says he was there long before the ship came to the island. Richard says that the black smoke was after his wife. MIB is setting up the con so well Sawyer would have been impressed as he tells Richard “it probably means he has her”. Just a little question and I don’t want to blow your mind but what if he isn’t talking about Jacob? What if there is still another entity involved here that we don’t know about? The MIB says that he wants to be free also then he uses a set of keys he supposedly found on one of the officers. Richard promises he will do anything to help the MIB. Like before the MIB tells Richard it is good to see him “out of those chains”. He tells Richard the only way to escape hell is to kill the devil.




MIB tells Richard that he will find the statue if he heads due west and follow the beach. Inside the statue he will find the devil. He gives Richard a dagger (the same dagger Dogan gave Sayid) and gives him the same instructions that Dogan gave to Dark Sayid (there I used your reference, Cerpts!) about killing Flocke a few episodes ago. Richard asks how he is to kill the black smoke and the MIB comes right out and tells Richard that he is the black smoke. Two episodes in a row now the MIB has flat out told someone that he is the black smoke. Maybe that’s all that is really left of him, if so this form we see now isn’t his real form either. Maybe his real body is in a cave somewhere on the island with a black rock in his pocket lying along side of a female body that has a white rock in her pocket. Could Jacob and the MIB just be two halves of one complete entity? They are opposites; black and white; but are they cut from the same cloth or maybe I should say tapestry? MIB says that the devil betrayed him and took his humanity and took his body as well. Does this mean that Jacob is actually in the MIB’s real body? Now I’m getting confused but I think it's my own fault. Richard points out that murder is wrong and it is what brought him to the island. MIB gets a little pissy with Richard and says that they can talk about what is right or wrong all day long but if he ever wants to see his wife again he has to kill the devil.

Pain in my head, bugs in my bed, pants so old that they shine. Out on the street, I tell the people I meet to buy me a bottle of wine.

Richard gets to the beach and sees the destroyed statue. He sees the door in the foot of the statue as Jacob greets his with several punches to the face. Jacob sees the dagger and asks who gave it to Richard. Richard asks where his wife is and Jacob says he doesn’t know. Richard: “She’s dead.” Jacob: “Then why you asking me where she is?” You can’t argue with logic. Jacob asks if Richard met a man dressed in blac. Richard tells Jacob what the MIB said he had to do. Jacob says the woman he saw was not his wife (points to it being the MIB which is why he scanned Richard) and he also tells Richard that he is not dead and that they are not in hell. To prove it Jacob takes Richard out into the ocean and water boards him. Jacob dunks Richard into the water four times as Richard is “baptized” into Jacobs way of thinking. Finally, Richard says he wants to live. Jacob tells him to get up because they have to have a talk. My only question with this scene is why did Jacob fight back here but not when Ben tried to kill Jacob?

Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine, when you gonna let me get sober? Leave me alone and let me go home. Let me go home and start over.

Jacob tells Richard that no one can come into the statue unless he invites them in. So how exactly did Ben and Flocke get in? I don't remember them being invited in. Maybe Jacob was unable to fight back at this point for some reason. Richard asks if he is the devil and he introduces himself as Jacob. He says that he brought the ship to the island. Jacob shows Richard a bottle of wine and says that hell is the wine in the bottle. Swirling around trying to get out, it is more than hell, it is also evil and malevolence. It is always trying to get out Jacob says, but it can’t because if it did it would spread. The island is the cork in the bottle keeping the evil inside. (Now in the flash sideways we know the island is at the bottom of the ocean and I am assuming that if this is the case then it is probable that the evil was let out? If so then things in the ATL are what happens if the MIB was to get off of the island?) Jacob says that the MIB thinks all people are corruptible and that it is in their nature to sin. Jacob brings people to the island to prove him wrong which we sort of found out in The Incident. Jacob tells Richard that there have been others before him but they are all dead. Jacob doesn’t want to tell the people he brings to the island what is right and what is wrong because to do that would make it all pointless. He is obviously a believer in free will. The MIB, not so much, as Richard points out that if Jacob doesn’t he will. Did you see the light bulb go on over Jacob’s head? It was almost a “D’oh!” moment for Jacob wasn’t it? So he offers Richard a job as Jacob’s go between; a representative. Richard says that in return he wants his wife back. Jacob says he can’t do that. Absolve him of his sins so he doesn’t go to hell? Nope, can’t do that either. Live forever? Done! So now we know why Richard doesn’t age. If Jacob couldn’t bring Richards wife back why did he supposedly tell Dogan he could bring his son back? The MIB said he could bring Richard’s wife back so did Dogan really talk to the MIB and not Jacob?

Old red wine well past its prime gonna have to drink it with you some other time.

As soon as Richard gets back to the MIB’s little campsite he knows Richard made a deal with Jacob. Richard gives the MIB a white rock and says Jacob told him to give it to him. MIB says he understands because Jacob can be very convincing. Almost sounds like Jacob conned the MIB at one point somehow. We have got to get a flashback of these two soon! MIB tells Richard that if he ever changes his mind his offer still stands. MIB gives Richard the crucifix back and leaves. Richard buries the crucifix in the dirt near the cement bench. Richard seems to “kiss away” any chance to see his wife again as he says goodbye to her while he covers the crucifix with dirt.

When I reach the end of my workin' life I'll sit and say 'I wonder was it all worthwhile‘? Just got time for a little more wine.

Back in the current time, Richard is back in the same spot and digs up the crucifix. Yet something else on the island that didn’t stay buried. Remember Locke telling Paolo about things on the island not staying buried? Richard announces that he has changed his mind and asks if the offer still stands. Hurley shows up and Richard tells him to go away then wants to know why Hurley followed him. Hurley says Richard’s wife sent him. Hurley asks Richard why he buried his wife’s crucifix. That proves to Richard that Hurley is telling him the truth. Hurley says that Isabella is standing right next to Richard. This scene reminded me of a little movie from 1990 called Ghost. Who remembers is? In the movie Patrick Swayze is dead and Demi Moore is his widow. Whoopi Goldberg (who won an Oscar for best supporting actress) is a psychic that communicates messages between Patrick and Demi . If you’ve seen it, you might know what I mean if not I suggest you see it. Isabella talks as Hurley translates. I want to think that maybe Richard could actually hear her but if he couldn’t I know he felt that kiss. Isabella tells Richard that he has suffered enough then she says that they are already together. The way she tells Richard to close his eyes is the same way she told him the last time he saw her alive. Both times she made him close his eyes before she kissed him, as it turns out both times it was kind of a kiss goodbye. Isabella leaves and Hurley tells Richard she had one other thing to tell him. Richard puts the cross back around his neck and asks Hurley what he is to do. Hurley says that Richard has to stop the man in black from leaving the island. If he doesn’t then they all will go to hell. Unlocke, who I guess was coming to greet Richard and offer him the original deal is watching from a distance. Seems he could see that Richard has rededicated himself to Team Jacob and won’t be joining Team MIB after all.

Spill the wine and take that pearl

MIB sits on the island beneath a palm tree as Jacob walks up which is reminiscent of when the two met in The Incident. Jacob sees the rock he gave Richard to give to the MIB. What is the deal with the friggin‘ rocks already? The MIB tells Jacob not to gloat. Jacob says the MIB tried to kill him. MIB hopes Jacob doesn’t expect an apology. Jacob wants to know why and MIB says because he wants to leave. Jacob says that as long as he is alive the MIB isn’t going anywhere. MIB tells Jacob that is why he wants to kill Jacob. Jacob says that there will be someone to take his place if the MIB kills him. The MIB says that he will kill them as well. Jacob gives the MIB the bottle of wine and says it will help him pass the time. He says that he will see him around. MIB says “sooner than you think” and smashes the bottle of wine on a rock.



So what is Jacob’s deal? The only way the MIB can be free from the island is to kill Jacob. If Jacob is killed the evil will be unleashed and all hell breaks loose and the world is doomed. The only way for the MIB to kill Jacob is for someone else to do it. The only way for this to happen is there actually has to be people on the island. So why does Jacob keep bringing people to the island?!?! It would seem that his life isn’t as important as proving the MIB wrong.



Ab Aeterno is Latin for "from eternity". The phrase is used to mean "since the beginning" or "for long ages". In the Vulgate Bible (Catholic), the episodes title is found in Prov. 8:23 which reads "Ab aeterno ordita sum et ex antiquis antequam terra fieret." This translates in the NKJV, "I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth."



Socorro, where Alpert lives on the Canary Islands means the action or effect of providing help, or the thing used to help which Richard becomes when he accepts the job Jacob offers. Socorro is located on the island of Tenerife, where two planes crashed into each other in 1977. 1977 is an important year in the timeline of LOST and the island. The crash remains the deadliest airport disaster in aviation history. Also in the Canary Islands is the legendary St. Brendan Island which may or may not exist. If it does it is the 8th island to make up the Canary Islands.




I don’t want to throw a wet blanket over the fun but which was the real ghost of Isabella? Did we ever actually see her ghost? Is she the one on the Black Rock? Nah, I’m staying with that was the MIB. So was it really her at the end of the episode when Hurley is telling Richard what she is saying? Maybe, but what if it’s not. What if that is really Jacob? Could he take her form in order to tell Hurley what Richard needs to hear in order to keep him on Team Jacob?




This episode succeeded in doing many things. First and foremost it endeared Richard into my heart forever. This brought to mind The Constant when Desmond and Penny were reunited by a phone call for me. In this episode, Richard and Isabella are reunited through Hurley. In a way Jacob was able to give Richard his wife back. It is the power that Jacob gave to Hurley that allowed him to be the go between for Richard and Isabella. I found out that Richard was once a loving husband, a hard worker, and a good man. It told me that Nestor Carbonell needs to submit this episode for Emmy consideration. It also told me that flash backs are so much better (and easier to recap) than flash sideways. This episode was a nice change and it felt familiar in how we watched it as well as how I wrote this. I don’t think we will get many more like this and that sucks. Then again there are not many more episodes either way is there?

Recon

What better way to begin a Sawyer episode than with our resident “bad boy” uttering his most famous lines; “Son of a bitch”. He burns his fingers while getting Jin a cup of tea or at least I hope that was tea ’cause if it was just water, more than just the water in the temple is messed up. Jin is quick to point out that Locke isn’t Locke after Sawyer tells him that he has joined up with him. Sawyer tells him that he knows that but whoever Locke is has said that he can get them off of the island. Jin isn’t going anywhere, however, until he knows for sure if Sun is on the island or not. Sawyer promises that if Sun is there he will help Jin find her before they leave. As Unlocke returns with his group I noticed right away that Sayid and Claire look real odd. Sawyer and Kate greet each other and this reunion is a little “off” compared to what we saw at the end of last weeks episode.



“Jimmy” as the woman in bed calls him is late to meet whoever “that guy” is. The time is 8:42 and at first I thought we were seeing yet another patented Sawyer con. But this is the ATL where nothing is as it seems. The title is “Recon” so you couldn't blame me for seeing a con being pulled yet another time as a re-con. The woman calls James “dimples” and in the ATL James Ford gets a nickname instead of giving one. She tells him she knows a con when she sees one because she is married to a con man. She asks him how stupid does he think she is and he tells her that she is pretty stupid. He goes on to tell her that she is being set up by the cops. He says his magic word “La Fleur” which brings in the cavalry. In the lead is Miles who is James’ partner and we find out that in the ATL James Ford is a cop. Surprise!




Claire checks on her creepy ass baby thing as she packs some supplies. Kate comes in and asks Claire what it is and Claire says that the bone baby squirrel thing is all she had. Uh, sorry, it didn’t make me feel sorry for Claire if it was in fact supposed to. Unlocke calls his group in for a huddle. Cindy asks him what happened to the rest of the people at the temple. Unlocke tells them that the black smoke killed them. Watch Sayid’s face when Unlocke says this; Sayid knows that Unlocke is the black smoke. Claire holds hands with Kate as Unlocke tells them this which = weird. Unlocke tells Zach and Emma that he is going to take care of them. The group is soon on the move which gives Sawyer a chance to ask Kate about Jack and Hurley. She says that she passed them as she was headed back to the temple so they are OK but she is not sure what happened to Miles. Kate asks Sawyer why he is with Locke and he points out the he is not “with” anybody.




James is looking for Anthony Cooper. He lies to Miles about who Cooper is and then lies about his trip to Australia. Notice the cups of coffee Miles brings with him; one is white and the other is black. Miles tells his partner that he has a blind date with a friend of his. Actually he says the woman is a friend of his girlfriend. At first this slipped by me but then I thought about it and there are no coincidences in the ATL. So who is Miles’ girlfriend because we know her but we don’t know who she is yet. Two thoughts on this is that she is either Ana Lucia who we know is a cop in the MTL so maybe she is still a cop in the ATL and also Miles’ girlfriend. The other thought is that his girlfriend is Rachel, Juliette’s sister, and this is how James will end up sharing a cup of coffee with her in the future when Miles sets him up on a blind date with her. This is why theories are so much fun because we might never know who Miles’ girlfriend really is but we have it narrowed down now in our own minds. Back to the ATL: Miles says that the woman he has fixed Jim up with works with his father at the museum. So can we assume that Pierre Chang is alive and well off of the island in the ATL as well? Sure we can, it’s the ATL and it‘s just another fun theory. Miles continues to question Jim about what is going on with his life and tells him that he can tell him the truth about anything. Miles knows he is lying as it’s fairly obvious that James Ford is not as good of a liar as Sawyer is in the MTL. Miles asks James if he wants “to die alone”.




Unlocke announces that they will be making camp for a couple of days. Sawyer balks at the idea and asks about getting off of the island. Unlocke says that they should talk in private. The two go off and Unlocke tells Sawyer that he wishes he had not interrupted him. Sawyer asks him what really happened at the temple. Unlocke comes right out and tells Sawyer that he is the “smoke thing“. Unlocke says the others were trying to protect the island from him but all he wants to do is leave the island. He tells Sawyer that he is to go to Hydra island and do some recon. Oh, that’s where the title comes from, guess they got me on that one. Unlocke tells Sawyer that he isn’t concerned about Sawyer’s safety. Sawyer wants to know why. Unlocke tells him that he isn’t worried because Sawyer is the best liar he has ever met in his life. This is an odd statement because how does the MIB as John Locke know about Sawyer being a good liar? I’m starting to wonder if the MIB has had a sort of foothold inside of John Locke ever since the plane crashed. That would explain Locke being able to walk after the crash or knowing Sawyer is a good liar. It could also mean that there is a part of Locke’s psyche still buried inside that the MIB can access whenever he needs to in order to get information that Locke had. That would explain how he knew what Locke was thinking as Ben killed him. Anyway, Unlocke reminds Sawyer that they are going to get on the plane that is on Hydra island and they are going to leave and never look back which is what Sawyer needs to hear. Which is what Unlocke is good at saying; whatever someone needs to hear.




James meets his blind date who turns out to be Charlotte, who cleans up real well by the way! Charlotte is an archaeologist. The two share some small talk about Indiana Jones and Charlotte’s whip. She asks him why he became a cop and he tells her that he got to a point in his life where it was either criminal or cop and he chose cop. The two eventually end up back at his place and get to know each other even better. He offers her a drink … of water … no really he offers her water. She asks for a shirt and he directs her to the top drawer on the right. He goes off for the water and she looks for the shirt. On the bureau is Watership Down, A Wrinkle In Time, and Lancelot as well as an 80's boom box and some petroleum jelly. What is James really up to? OK, only the books are important here as all three we know Sawyer read on the island. In A Wrinkle In Time there is a scientist who is help captive on an alien world that is controlled by a large black cloud called “The Black Thing”. In the drawer Charlotte finds a photograph of a young James with his parents. There is also a folder with “Sawyer” written on it. James sees her with the folder and gets all pissy about it and throws her out.




Sawyer gets to Hydra island and we get a few minutes of nostalgia. We see the cages where he was with Kate. He finds the dress they made her wear is still there also. Turns out no matter how much he loved Juliette the last three years, he still has feelings for Kate. Remember what he told Horace about three years being long enough to get over somebody? Guess it’s not.




Kate asks Sayid if he thinks Locke can get them off of the island. He says yes. Then she asks if he is alright and he says he's not. Claire grabs Kate and goes all prison yard on Kate. She tries to stab Kate in the throat who begs Sayid for help which she doesn’t get. Sayid just sits idly by and watches. Unlocke comes to her aid as he pulls Claire off of her and tosses her aside. He tries to tell Claire why Kate had Aaron. Claire keeps freaking out. Unlocke gives her a fresh one right across the face. He tells Claire that her actions are completely inappropriate and says he will deal with her in a moment. He asks Kate if she is ok and you can’t blame Kate for freaking out here. She’s allowed to at this point. Unlocke goes back to Claire and I can’t help but feel that Unlocke treats Claire as if she is a little girl not a woman in her twenties. Maybe that's how you deal with the people with "the sickness".




Sawyer finds the Ajira plane and checks out the nearby camp. He sees marks in the sand where something has been drug through it. He follows the trail into the jungle where there is a pile of dead bodies. Apparently they stink pretty bad. He hears someone running and gives chase. He catches up to the person and he tackles a girl who says that she is “the only one left”.




Liam Pace is in the police station looking for his brother. James tells him that drugs isn’t his department. He says “Good morning sunshine” to Miles who tells James to come with him. Miles doesn’t seem happy. Inside the locker room Miles asks James if he has something to tell him. Miles wants to know why he was in Australia but told him he was in Palm Springs. Miles ran James’ credit card and he knows he took flight 815 back to LA two days ago. This is the first acknowledgement we have that the flight we saw in the ATL was indeed flight 815. James tells Miles that it is none of his business. Miles catches feelings and tells James that they are no longer partners. James is unable to accept what he sees in the mirror and punches it. This got the point across to me that even though in the ATL James Ford is not a criminal but a cop he can't accept himself as he is. In the ATL he never takes the name “Sawyer” and becomes a con man. In the MTL Sawyer always knew who and what he was and has always done what he does best and that is lie and con. Sawyer, unlike his ATL counterpart, doesn’t hate himself for lying and has always been ok with this. James Ford is not. I guess I should point out that one thing is blatantly missing in the ATL and that is the letter. Where is the letter that a 9 year old James Ford wrote to “Sawyer”? I’m starting to see what the ATL is all about now. We are seeing what would have happened if Jacob had not touched the candidates. Think about it, if Jacob doesn’t give little James Ford a pen then the letter to Sawyer can never be completed. Without that letter James doesn’t have anything to remind him of the con man that cause the deaths of his parents. So it is Jacob who put James Ford onto the path of becoming Sawyer in the first place.



Sawyer gives the woman named Zoey a drink from the canteen and she is a fountain of information. He tells her he is going to take her to the main island so she can be with his group. She says “thank God” but Sawyer is quick to tell her that God has nothing to do with it. I want to point out that in this episode we found out what happened to the rest of the passengers on flight 316 and this episode just happened to air for the first time on 3/16.




Unlocke apologizes to Kate and says he takes responsibility for what has happened because he told Claire the others took her baby. He says that he told Claire the lie because in order to get Claire to join him he needed her to hate the others. He said the hatred would “keep her going”. Kate remarks that he is very insightful for a dead man. Unlocke says that nobody is perfect which could mean he is a fan of “Some Like It Hot“ which is the last line spoken by Tony Curtis in the film (a thanks to Lostpedia for that one!). He tells Kate that she is included with the people he has sworn to protect. Kate asks him where Sawyer is and he says he will show her. He offers his hand in helping her to her feet and she refuses it. This acts as a way of telling him she is there but she is not with him even though she does go with him.




On Hydra island Sawyer asks Zoey if she thinks the plane could still fly. She asks more questions and Sawyer realizes she wasn’t really on the plane even though she got Guam right when he asks her where the plane was headed. The question about guns sets him over the edge and he pulls a gun on her. Like James Ford in the ATL, Zoey calls in her reinforcements. Sawyer asks her if her name is really Zoey and she asks him if his name is really Sawyer. Touché. Sawyer goes down onto his knees (which is right where we want him, am I right ladies?) and tells them to take him to their leader. Like all of us, Sawyer knows the pattern LOST has taken for the past five years.




Unlocke and Kate walk to the beach where tells her that he is not a “dead man” as she put it. He says that his mother was crazy and because of this he had some growing pains which caused him to have problems that he is still trying to work through. He says the problems could have been avoided if things have been different. He tells Kate that he is telling her all of this because now Aaron has a crazy mother too. Some people, myself included, give Unlocke some sympathy points after hearing his story. This helped humanize him a little even if he really isn’t human. Let’s look at this a little closer now. The way Unlocke told the story was similar to how Locke told Kate about his failed relationship with Helen back when he was trying to get her to come back to the island in The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham. He struggles to tell the story as he tells it very slowly and deliberately. It hurts to tell this story. Let’s go with the idea that the MIB is Jacob’s brother and in a Biblical turn (which would not be the first one for this show) he would then be Esau. I don’t think anybody is hearing this theory for the first time so let’s look at who their mother was. Rebekah was Jacob and Esau’s mother and in the Bible Rebekah loved Jacob and the boys father, Isaac favored Esau. Esau is cheated out of his inheritance by his mother and Jacob. Is this possibly why Esau thought of his mother as “insane”? Since this would cause animosity between the MIB and his mother perhaps this explains why women on the island were not able to have children. This could be a curse he put upon the island as a way to get retribution. How did he do it? Anybody remember a statue of Tawaret (an Egyptian fertility Goddess) that isn’t there anymore?




For the umpteenth time Sawyer is lead somewhere at gunpoint. He sees men setting up pylons like the ones at the barracks. Sawyer sees the sub and he almost begins to run towards it. He is very interested in seeing just who is inside of that sub.





James grabs a beer and pulls out a TV dinner and watches some “Little House on the Prairie” which a long time ago in the MTL Sawyer told Kate he was a fan. What Michael Landon tells his daughter James takes to heart about people who have died still being with us in our hearts. I couldn’t tell if ALT James was thinking about his parents here or if maybe some thoughts of Juliette were bleeding through. You know I’m still waiting for the scene where they get coffee together. He goes to see Charlotte and offers her a sunflower. This time the yellow flower doesn’t do the trick as it had in the past with Juliette. Charlotte tells him that he blew it and she closes the door in his face. He leaves the flower for her anyway.




Inside the sub Sawyer notices a locked door. Zoey tells him that what is in the room is none of his business. Sawyer is introduced to Charles Widmore. Sawyer tells him that he knows who Widmore is (despite the two of them having met on the island in the 50’s and then living on the island but in different camps for three years during the ‘70’s) because he is the person who sent the freighter to the island to kill everybody on it. Widmore comments that he is surprised by how little Sawyer really knows. He tells Sawyer that he didn’t kill the Ajira survivors but Sawyer doesn’t believe him in fact Widmore doesn’t expect him to. Widmore asks why Sawyer is on Hydra island. Sawyer tells Widmore the truth about Unlocke and makes a deal with him. The deal is he will deliver Unlocke to him in return for safety and safe passage off of the island for him and whoever he brings with him back to Hydra island. The Sawyer that actually cares about other people is back as he plans on keeping his friends safe as well as himself. Widmore asks Sawyer how does he know he can trust him and Sawyer answers “Same way I know I can trust you.”, which simply means they really can’t. The two shake on it and Widmore says they have a deal.




Claire apologizes to Kate and thanks her for taking care of Aaron. Kate and Claire hug it out as Kate reluctantly accepts Claire’s apology. Was it a forced apology by Unlocke? Probably.




Sawyer is greeted by Unlocke as he makes it back to the main island. Unlocke asks him what happened to the Ajira passengers and after Sawyer tells him they are all dead he says “that’s terrible” in a tone that made me not believe that he didn't kill them. I really don’t know what to believe with this guy or thing. Sawyer tells him that he saw Widmore and he came to the island on a sub. It seems Unlocke knows who Charles Widmore is. Sawyer tells him everything he saw including the pylons that Widmore’s gang were erecting. Unlocke asks him what he told Widmore. Sawyer tells Unlocke the truth again as he tells him about the deal he made with Widmore. Unlocke thanks Sawyer for his honesty and Sawyer tells him he did it because Unlocke is the person that can get them off of the island.




Miles meets James as the two talk in a car. James gives Miles the folder marked “Sawyer”. James tells Miles about his parents death. He goes on to tell his partner about why he was in Australia and who Anthony Cooper is. He tells Miles that when he finds Anthony Cooper he is going to kill him. Miles asks James why he didn’t tell him about this before which James answers that if he had Miles would have tried to stop him. The two seem to make amends just in time for a car to crash into them. A hooded figure jumps from the car a runs away. James gives chase in his car. Another cop car is also in pursuit as the person runs down an ally. James and Miles drive down a different ally allowing James to catch the person. The person turns out to be Kate. The first words said in the MTL by Sawyer are echoed here as the last words said by his ATL counterpart. “Son of a bitch”. So now that we know that Sawyer is a cop in the ATL why did he let Kate get away in LA X even after he had to have known she was a fugitive? He had to have seen the handcuffs, right?





Sawyer sits down next to Kate at the fire and he asks her what’s for dinner and she says rabbit. Hope it’s not one of the rabbits from Watership Down. Kate asks him why he is running errands for Locke. He tells Kate about Widmore being on the other island. Although the title may refer to Sawyer's recon mission over to Hydra island it could also indicate that Sawyer is once again forced to play the con game as he attempts to con both Widmore and Unlocke. Sawyer tells Kate that his plan is to let the two of them fight it out and while they are busy with each other they are getting off of the island. She says that they can’t fly the plane and he tells her that they aren’t going by plane they are going to leave on the sub.




Before we wrap this up, let’s talk about Widmore for a minute. He is there but still in the submarine and not actually on the island. Is it possible that he can’t set foot on the island? How about that locked room, what’s in there? Desmond could be in there. Eloise Hawkins knew that the flight to Guam was the one Jack and his group had to take to get back to the island. Zoey knew this too and she got this information from Widmore. So knowing from Eloise that the island wasn’t done with Desmond yet supports the fact that Desmond is on the sub what Widmore. Charles used Desmond to get back to the island but not on the island? Of course the other thought about the locked room doesn’t include Desmond at all but a whole lot of explosives which could be the case, this is still LOST after all.





You know what, there’s still something else that is isn’t sitting right with me. Last episode Unlocke told Ben that he could join up with him and his group over on Hydra island. Did he send Ben there knowing Widmore was going to be there? If this is the case then I am really worried for Sawyer. Dissect this one with me; Widmore and Unlocke could be on the same side. Neither Widmore nor Unlocke seemed that surprised to find out about the others presence. What if Widmore has been working for the MIB all along? We know he didn’t like the way Jacob was running things inside of the Others group. There’s a lot of time unaccounted for where the MIB could have gotten to Widmore and turned him to his side in the Jacob vs. MIB battle. If this is the case Sawyer just got conned himself and this all could come back and bite him in the ass soon. Real soon, in fact, since the conclusion of this episode means we are officially at the half way point of the final season.

Bird On A Wire

You heard it last week during the promo for this weeks episode. Bird On A Wire by Leonard Cohen is a great song and the fact that it is going to be used in a Sawyer episode (oops sorry, SPOILER ALERT, yeah next week is a Sawyer episode) makes it perfect for our favorite dimpled con man. Here is a nice video that was thrown together pretty quick by the folks over at Fanpop.com quick but good I might add. Please to enjoy.

Dr. Linus

Each week I find myself wanting to know less and less about each episode before it starts. So during the opening credits this week I saw the names Alan Dale and Jon Gries and I knew we would be seeing Charles Widmore and Roger Linus. We knew this was a Ben episode from the preview we got last week and we were told Ben was going to "face his demise". “What!?” was the general reaction of many viewers to hearing this. Was this going to be the week when Ben would finally be called upon to pay for all of the lies he has told, all of the lives he has ruined and ended? We found out that "facing" your demise and "succumbing" to it are two different things. Before we get to that though, we have other things to discuss, so let’s sort out Dr. Linus.



We start out with Ben catching up to the rest of his group. He almost gets shot by Frank for his troubles, I keep waiting for the day when I see a scene like this and the person actually gets shot. It might not happen on LOST but someday it might happen somewhere. Ben is as snide as always when he remarks to Ilana “I’m fine thank you.” after she asks about Sayid and not Ben's well being. Seeing as how the temple isn't plan A anymore they decide to go to the beach. It does seem like, as Miles pointed out last season, that plan B is always “let’s head back to the beach and set up there”. It always comes back to the beach camp. It’s where the viewers are most comfortable and where we have spent so much time these last six seasons.



Teacher Ben talks to his class about Napoleon but the story also mirrors Ben’s situation in the MTL. The principal tells Ben that he has to moderate after school detention and that history club will have to be postponed. Reynolds remarks that history club is not for the students but instead for Ben as a way to make him feel needed. Ben is sure to correct Principal Reynolds as he walks away that he is indeed “Dr. Linus”. Ben goes into the faculty lounge and Arzt is complaining about his ruined shirt. Is it too much for me to point out that here Arzt is brushing something off of his shirt and in the MTL it was Arzt that people had to brush off of their shirts? OK, that was gross, moving on. Ben and Arzt discuss what is important as a teacher. Ben says the students are the number one responsibility while Arzt says the pension is what he is in it for. Locke, the substitute, is sitting nearby and he remarks that Ben should be the principal since he seems to actually care about the school. It seems that Locke is willing to be Ben’s first follower, now all Ben has to do is decide to lead.



We see how far on-island Ben has slipped. Miles asks about what happened at the temple and then Ben stumbles over his answer to Ilana when she asks about Jacobs death. Ilana gives Miles the bag of ash for him to communicate with in order to find out the truth about Jacobs death. After Miles does his ghost whispering, he tells Ilana that Ben killed Jacob. Ben tries to say Miles is lying but he isn’t convincing here either. Miles says that he saw Ben standing over Jacobs dead body with a dagger dripping blood, just like Ben said he had seen Sayid in the temple standing over Dogans body. Ilana tells Ben that Jacob was the closest thing she ever had to a father. Miles is thick with the sarcasm when he mocks Ben with an over dramatic “Uh-Oh!”. I am so glad Miles has hung on for so long!



In the morning the group arrives at the beach camp. Ilana gives the group some orders but ignores Ben when he asks what she wants him to do. Ben continues to try and scramble by telling Ilana that psychics can’t be trusted. It would seem to be an exercise in futility as he tries to tell Ilana about Miles’ attempt to blackmail him out of 3.2 million dollars.



Ben warms up a TV dinner for his father. Roger Linus is old and sick but he is still alive. Ben tells his father he wants to keep him healthy which Roger points out it's a little too late for that. We see Ben giving his father the gas once again only this time it is life giving gas (oxygen) as opposed to the life taking gas that Ben used on his father during the purge. Roger says that he had wanted a better life for Ben. We find out that Ben and his father were on the island in the ATL and were in the DHARMA Initiative. His father asks out loud (for us to hear) what would have happened if they had remained on the island. We don’t know why they left but we do know that in the ATL the island did indeed exist for some period of time and for a while the D.I. was on it. The doorbell rings and here's Alex Rousseau. In the ATL Alex is one of Ben’s students and they seem to have a good teacher-student relationship. Alex asks Ben if he could tutor her for the AP test she has coming up. He agrees to meet her in the morning at the school library.



Sun tells Ilana that she needs to find her husband. Ilana says she is also supposed to find Jin so she can protect both of them as she is not sure which one is a “candidate”. Sun questions Ilana about what a “candidate" does. Ilana says that if she is the candidate she will know when the time is right what the job entails. Let me translate that a little for you and in regular non-LOST speak this means “we can’t tell the audience this week”. You can't blame TPTB for being secretive bastards. They are still trying to keep as many secrets as they can right up until the end of the show. Ilana says that there is only six candidates left. Let’s count real quick: Sawyer, Jack, and Hurley are three of them. Is Jin and Sun one or two? If they count as one then that’s four. Is Kate one of them? That’s five. Who are the six? Until I hear a better guess I say Kate, Sun, Jin, Jack, Sawyer, and Hurley are the six. I don’t think she is counting Sayid anymore. Anybody else have a guess?



Hurley is dreaming about cheese curds before Jack wakes him up. He tells Hurley that they can make it back to the temple by nightfall. Hurley tries to stall. Jack isn’t having it. Hurley tries to get Jack to go the wrong way but Jack knows Hurley is up to something. Richard shows up and says that they are both wrong and points them in the direction of the temple. Jack asks him where he came from and Richard tells him that he wouldn’t believe him if he told him. Jack says for Richard to try him and Richard says “not yet”. Richard is wrong of his assessment of Jack at this point because Jack is ready to believe just about anything. Richard says he is going to the temple and Hurley, who to my knowledge has never met Richard, asks Jack if he trust him. Jack says that at least Richard isn’t trying to stall. You can see the remark hurts Hurley a little. He is still one of the only characters that truly hates lying to his friends.



Ben is in Sawyer’s tent as he searches for anything useful. Ben waxes poetically about the crash of flight 815. Frank said he was supposed to be the pilot of the flight. He says that he overslept and missed the flight. He wonders aloud (just like Ben’s dad) what his life would have been like if he had been the pilot of flight 815. Ben points out that it doesn’t matter either way, the island still got him in the end. Ilana tells Ben to “Walk!” as she puts a rifle to his neck. She takes him to the graveyard that the survivors made for their dead. She shackles Ben to a tree and tells him he is to dig his own grave.



Ben and Alex are in the library where Ben is quizzing her. She gets emotional when she has trouble answering some questions. Ben tells her she is one of the smartest students he knows. She says she is trying to get into Yale and she needs a letter of recommendation to get in. Since her mother works two jobs just to make the rent she won't be able to pay her way in. Ben offers to write the letter of recommendation. Alex says that the letter has to come from someone who has gone to Yale and the only person she knows that fits this description is Principal Reynolds who she calls a pervert. Ben questions her about this and she says she overheard the school nurse and Reynolds doing it in the room next to the nurses’ office. She swears Ben to secrecy but Ben now has the ammo he needs to get Reynolds’ job.



Miles gives us some sarcasm with the line “Not exactly tearing it up in the digging department, are you?”. Have I told you how much I enjoy Miles? Ben turns down the food. He says he is not really hungry. Ben tries to bribe Miles into helping him escape. Miles says he doesn’t need Ben’s money now that he has found Nikki and Paolo who were buried with 8 million dollars worth of diamonds. Ben tells Miles that he is going to be killed for killing Jacob who didn’t even care if he was killed. Miles says that Jacob did care and that right up until the second the knife pierced his heart he hoped that he was wrong about Ben. Miles says “guess he wasn’t” as he gets a warning shot from Ilana to back off and she tells Ben to keep digging.



Cyborg? Vampire? Hurley covers all of the bases. Richard not aging is a side effect of Jacob’s gift. Richard tells Hurley and Jack that he knows Jacob is dead. They arrive at the Black Rock and Hurley asks Richard about going to the temple. He says he lied because everyone who was at the temple is dead. Jack asks about his friends and Richard says that maybe they got away since he didn’t see their bodies mixed in with the rest of the dead. Jack asks Hurley if he knew about this and Hurley said that Jacob had hinted at it. Richard tells Hurley that whatever Jacob says is a lie and they are not to believe him. Richard continues on toward the Black Rock and he says there is something he has to do. Jack asks him what and Richard says "Die".



Arzt is grading papers and Ben asks him if he is able to hack an email account. He specifically want the school nurses’ email checked out. Ben tells Arzt that he thinks Principal Reynolds and the nurse are knocking boots. Arzt says he will help Ben if he can have a good parking spot and some new lab equipment when Ben is principal. Ben says they have a deal. Arzt comments that underneath the sweater vest is a killer. ATL Ben is actually nothing like MTL Ben who is literally digging his grave deeper and deeper back on the island.



Richard is inside the Black Rock and he is touching some of the shackles hanging from the walls. Jack asks if Richard has been there before. Richard says he has but in all the time he has been on the island this is the first time he has come back. Does this confirm that the Black Rock is indeed how Richard arrived onto the island? Hurley tells Richard that the dynamite is unstable and tells Jack that it is time to go. Richard says that he can’t kill himself. This is another side effect of being touched by Jacob. Richard says that it isn’t a gift at all but rather a curse. He says that he wants to die but cannot kill himself. He wants Jack to light the fuse for him. Jack asks Richard why he wants to die now. Richard explains that his entire life was spent doing things for Jacob. Jacob kept telling him that there was a plan and that Richard was a part of this plan. Richard said that Jacob told him he would tell him all about the plan when the time was right. Unfortunately, Jacob died before he could tell Richard his part in the plan. Richard says that his life has no purpose and never did. Richard says that if he was to light the dynamite himself it wouldn’t work. Hurley asks Jack not to do it but Jack says that if Richard wants to die they can’t stop him. Jack lights the fuse and sits down next to Richard. “Now lets talk.”, he says to Richard who is shocked that Jack is going to hang around.



Jack tells Hurley that he has to talk to Richard. Hurley says Richard is crazy “and I know crazy” Hurley adds. Hurley leaves even though he doesn’t want to leave his friend. Jack assures Hurley he will be OK. He tells Richard that he doesn’t think either one of them are going to die. (Michael wasn’t able to kill himself either when he wanted to. Does this mean that he was touched by Jacob as well?) Jack goes on to tell Richard what he saw at the lighthouse. He says that Jacob got Hurley to take Jack there because he wanted Jack to see the mirrors and the wheel with all of the names on it. Jack tells Richard he has no idea why but he knows that the reason isn’t so he could sit there and blow up next to Richard. Richard asks “but what if you’re wrong”. Listen to how sure Jack is now when he says “I’m not.”. New Jack is in full effect! He no longer says “maybe“ or “what if“. He’s right and he knows he is, this Jack is finally sure of himself. He’s not sure what exactly he is there for but he is ready to do whatever he is supposed to do when he finds out what that is. After the fuse burns out before igniting the dynamite Jack laughs and asks Richard if he wants to try another stick. Richard says that Jack seems to have all of the answers so what is next. Jack says they are going back to where they started.



Ben is still digging as we hear Smokie approach. He quickly takes the form of John Locke and Unlocke tells Ben that he is just visiting. Ben explains why he is digging his own grave. He tells Unlocke about Ilana. Ben says that Unlocke is getting what he wants, Ben dead. Unlocke says that he doesn’t want Ben dead. He says he went back to the statue to look for Ben. He tells Ben that he has a group of people on the other island at the Hydra station and he wants Ben to meet them there. Unlocke tells Ben that after he and his group leave the island someone will have to be in charge and he can’t think of anyone better for the job than Ben. (Since Jacob needs a replacement does the MIB also need to have someone take his place as well? Will this turn out to be a never ending game?) Unlocke releases Ben’s shackles with a Jedi hand motion. He tells Ben that he has left a gun for Ben by a tree 200 yards away. Unlocke says that if Ben made a break for it now he could make it to the gun before Ilana and he would “have the drop on her” (this struck me as an odd statement for someone supposedly as ancient as the MIB but I guess he is up to date on his urban dictionary) but not to hesitate because she won’t. Unlocke leaves and tells Ben that he will see him soon. Ben makes a break for it and Ilana soon gives chase. So did Unlocke say all of this just so Ben would kill Ilana? This sounds similar to how Dogan told Sayid to kill Unlocke last week. Is Unlocke not able to kill Ilana and needs Ben or someone else to do it?



Ben goes to see the principal and shows him the emails he got from the school nurses’ account. He says the acts took place on school property and the board would not appreciate that. Ben tells Reynolds that he wants his job. He tells Reynolds that he is to resign and recommend that the school board replace him with Ben. The principal reads a letter from Alex. Reynolds tells Ben that he won’t write Alex’s letter if he goes through with the black mail. He adds that he will make sure she doesn’t get in with a promise to “torch” her. Once again Ben Linus is faced with a choice between Alex Rousseau and power. Here we have a situation similar to when Ben told Widmore that he was aware of the fact that Widmore was having an affair with someone off-island. When Widmore retaliates by threatening Alex, Ben called his bluff.



Ben picks up the rifle and points it at Ilana. After an emotional few seconds she asks Ben what he is waiting for. He says that he wants to explain. He says that he knows what Ilana is feeling. He tells her about Alex’s death and that it was his fault. He chose power and the island over Alex and he did it in the name of Jacob. He comments that he sacrificed everything and Jacob didn’t care. He says that he killed Jacob because he was afraid he was about to loose the only thing he cared about and that was his power. In reality, he says the thing that really mattered was already gone. He says he is sorry for killing Jacob and tells her that he doesn’t expect forgiveness because he can’t forgive himself. Ilana asks what he wants and he says he wants to leave and go be with Locke. She asks why he wants to be with him. In what I think is the most emotional scene I have seen Michael Emmerson perform in during the entire run of the show, he tells her that it is because Locke is the only one that will have him. She gives Ben the equivalent of forgiveness when she tells Ben that she will have him and then turns to leave. Although obviously shocked by this, Ben follows her and chooses team Jacob. He has officially turned his back on power. Best scene of the night! Ben is the first person shown to be able to resist the MIBs offer. Power is exactly what got Ben to this point in his life. In order to be accepted into Ilana's group he turns his back on power. Turns out he now has more in common with the rest of them than he did before. They have all been on the same side all along.




Ben is in the principals office and I thought we were going to see a “Dr. Benjamin Linus Principal” plaque put on the desk in place of the old one. Alex comes in to thank the principal for the letter of recommendation and it didn’t take too long for me to figure out that Ben chose Alex over power this time. Ben denies having anything to do with the letter when she asks him if he did. He tells Alex that the history club is back on. It looks like even though Ben did not get the principal to resign Ben does still have some power over him. Watch the principals face when Ben remarks that he got someone else to handle detention. Reynolds is intimidated by Dr. Linus now. Ben tells Alex he will see her at 4. In the hallway Ben tells Arzt that he didn’t finish their plan and he won’t be getting the principal’s job. He tells Arzt that he can have his parking spot. Ben watches Alex leave the principals office and smiles as he is perfectly at peace with choosing the girl over power. This episode was all about power. Getting it, loosing it, using it, abusing it, wanting it, or not wanting it. Napoleon lost it. Ben did too. In the ATL Ben wanted it, made a play for it and then decided it was too high of a cost to pay when he was faced with a choice between the power and Alex.



Ilana and Ben come back to the beach camp. Sun, Frank, and Miles are surprised to see them both return unharmed. Ben puts down the rifle and offers to help Sun who says he can help her with the tarp. For the second week in a row we get a slow motion musical montage moment and this time it is the type LOST loves to do. The Reunion On The Beach Slow Motion Musical Montage. This is different than the one we saw last week. It's happy. Frank tends to the fire, Miles apparently has the diamonds (that means he dug up Nikki and Paolo), and Ilana has time to allow her emotions to flow while she holds onto Jacob’s ashes. Hurley, Jack, and Richard make it back to the beach camp. Sun hugs Hurley and Jack. Jack is also happy to see Frank. Jack sees Ben and makes a point of looking at him. Ben is shown to be apart from the group. Richard is also. In fact the two men are on either side of the beach. Richard is dressed in dark tones while Ben is in light hues.



A submarine periscope emerges from the water and we see that whoever is in the submarine is watching the scene play out on the beach. A man inside the sub asks if they should stop. Sitting at a laptop is Charles Widmore who tells the man that they are to proceed as planned. Weather he knows it or not, it almost seems like Widmore has been working for the MIB. Remember back to when Widmore told Locke that there was a war coming and the wrong side would win if Locke wasn’t on the island. Was it the MIB that told Widmore about this? Did Widmore think it was Jacob? Of course there is also the fact that the MIB, in the form of Locke, told Richard to tell a time traveling version of John Locke that he had to die in order to get back to the island. Later when Locke told Widmore this Widmore said it wasn't true. So which side is Widmore on? Who's side does he think he is on? And how many sides are there?

Until we figure it all out I hope you get to sit at the cool kids table unlike Arzt and whenever you need to, remember you can always go back to the beach camp. It'll be waiting for you.