No Place Like Home Part 1 (part three)

How many times do I have to tell you, John? I always have a plan. - Benjamin Linus





You can almost hear the writers in Ben's voice letting the audience know that something big is coming. There was definitely a Star Wars vibe as Ben almost heroically walked into the greenhouse to create the distraction needed for Locke to get into the lower levels of the Orchid. Then again, maybe Ben is just plain evil. Maybe he's leading Locke to destruction by bringing him to the Orchid just like the evil magician Professor Hinkle led Frosty the Snowman to his death by trapping him inside a greenhouse, melting him down so he can steal back his enchanted hat. Or maybe his motives are more self-destructive. Maybe Ben wants out of the crummy Island life that was always meant for Locke so he's manipulating Locke toward changing history and negating his own timeline with the Orchid's much-speculated time machine. Once at the greenhouse, Ben examines the situation as if weighing all possible options. Perhaps he even somehow knows the results of those options. When the timing seems right, Ben offers to be a diversion so that Locke can access the underground Orchid station. He even literally passes Locke the baton or whatever the little black stick thing is. He walks straight up to Keamy and is summarily knocked right the hell out. Ben wanted to be unconscious so he could commune with the island and find out what to do next. Kooky I know, but there’s actually some evidence of this. Last week I went over examples of how the island’s most instructional visions and revelations seem to happen during unconsciousness. I believe the island made Jack sick just so it could communicate with him. We should also remember back to just before Ben was going under the knife, and Jack was about to put him under. Ben almost seemed to look forward to it. The weird way he said "See you on the other siiiiide..." - it seemed like he knew something the others did not, or was going someplace he needed to go.





It was pretty interesting to see Christian's funeral. Jack capped off an episode of telling lies to himself and others by saying he loved his father and missed him. Seriously? So much for honestly processing and exorcising the daddy demons on the Island. Jack’s choice of words were actually very interesting. He says "I loved you dad" instead of "I love you". It seems more accurate that way, as Jack wasn’t too fond of the man his father had become at the end of his life. When he says "I miss you" Jack’s referring to the pre-vodka Christian Shephard. That’s the father he does miss. It turned out the funeral was really nothing more than a vehicle to bring Claire’s mom and Jack together. Here Jack finds out the shocking truth Claire is his sister! We knew this long ago, so all we really had to do was watch his reaction. And react he did. Either Matthew Fox completely overacted this scene or Jack was perilously close to passing out from the revelation. His reaction seemed natural at first, but then it seemed to get a little odd. What was going through Jack's mind at that moment? How about I'm guilt-racked over leaving so many people behind. Some of them intentionally. And now I learn one of them was my sister? I am scum! I triple-loathe myself now!





We saw Jin and Sun reach the freighter and have a tense reunion with Michael. We learned that Keamy rigged the boat with explosives; most likely that gizmo he taped to his arm last week will set it off should his pulse stop pulsing. Life insurance rocks. Richard Alpert and the Others popped out of the woodwork like the cavalry-cum-Robin Hood and his Merry Men! No season of LOST would be complete without a nice little rifle circle ambush by the one, the only, the original Others! Richard emerges from the jungle, apparently on Ben’s orders, hands raised non-threateningly. There is an air of tension. There is unnecessarily heavy eye makeup. We’re meant to think the Others are up to their old tricks again, but in reality they’re here to protect Kate and Sayid. Maybe they’re taking them someplace safe. Or maybe they’re all joining forces to purge the island of the testosterone-fueled freighter jocks. Maybe there's a Misfits concert over at the Temple!





Daniel decides it’s time to see what happens when members of the freighter crew stop being mysterious and start being REAL. His offer to ferry people back and forth the 80 mile round trip to the S.S. Soon-to-be-Vaporized seemed genuine enough. He raises his hand in Charlotte’s concerned direction as a way of telling her he’s now choosing peoples lives over any type of protocol. Perhaps this influences her to keep the promise she made to Jin, when inevitable craziness goes down in the finale. With this season almost over, and with everything we know about the future lives of the Oceanic Six, it’s important to point out the common thread that runs through each of their lives: the island wants them back.





Each of the Oceanic Six step off the rescue plane to a Tabula Rasa. The island is a horrible memory, but they try to wipe the slate clean. Almost immediately, for every one of them, it’s puppy dogs and ice cream. Hurley’s welcomed back to a happy family. Sayid is reunited with and marries the love of his life. Kate gets away with murder, rocks a beautiful house, and goes about being a new mother to Aaron. Sun’s got a powerful new company and is about to bring Jin’s baby into the world. And with Jack’s career back on track, and no third party competition, he finally gets his hands on Kate’s ass. Life starts off pretty good for everyone, at least until the island gets re-situated.

Slowly, one by one, the island pulls them back. It starts with Hurley and the visions of Charlie driving him to eventually disbelieve the very fabric of flash forward reality itself. Hugo was really the only one who tried to stay a purist, too. We saw him try to denounce his lottery winnings, content to drive his shitty old car and throw down a bucket of Mr. Cluck’s. He knew his newer enmities were tainted by the numbers, and Hurley wanted no part of them. Yet it matters not. He ended up in Santa Rosa anyway, haunted by the island.





Hurley’s visions are what end up corrupting Jack’s perfect world. With the seed of doubt planted, the island uses images of Christian Shephard as a crowbar to pry the rest of Jack open. Alcohol and drugs abound; as Jack spirals down he brings Kate with him. On the other side of the world, Sayid’s own utopia is destroyed. Everything that started out so well on Hawaii ends up worse than it ever was. Since last season’s finale, my theory on getting back to the island has been that the O6 have to do it all together or it will not work. Jack and Hurley are now ready. Kate still might take some convincing. I’m pretty sure Sayid’s willing to do whatever it takes, which leaves us only with Sun. And Sun, I think, has been ready to go back to the island all along. I think her owning her father’s company will play a big part in the O6 finding and getting back to the island wherever the hell Locke parks it next.

One other question now haunts me at the end of this episodes three part post: Why the hell is there not one photo of Sawyer? I must be slipping! See you in a week after the final finale.