And the "See you in Los Angeles" line was GREAT.
Nothing Can Save Me...
Sayid, close to death - close to unconsciousness... it's only then that he realizes he can never be saved. It doesn't really matter what Jack does, the sum of Sayid's past sins is just too great. Even if he makes it, he can never atone.
The Incident
It was everything it needed to be, and it completely exceeded my expectations. The incident was a total clusterfuck for Dharma, for the 815'ers, and for the sanity of LOST fans everywhere who have to endure a *very* long eight or nine months of not knowing exactly what happened. But they did it up right! They made it awesome.
Did whatever happened happen again? Or did things change? There's no definitive answer here. Until we see what happens in the opening scene of next season, you could easily make arguments for both sides. Jack and company definitely accomplished Dan's goal: to detonate the bomb as close to the magnetic pocket as possible. But was that a big enough boulder to make changes in the great river of time?
Personally, I think so. Although Miles made a good argument that perhaps the 815'ers showing up with the bomb is what actually *causes* the incident, it's pretty obvious that there was going to be an "incident" no matter what. Nobody was going to stop Radzinsky from drilling - apparently not even Chang physically shutting the drill off. They were going to break through to that pocket - gunfight or not. Everything metal got sucked into that hole, jeeps and everything, and that was going to happen even if Jack's crew was drinking tea back at the swing set.
Chang lost his arm, just like we knew he would. Radzinski lived. Phil got what was coming to him. Bad stuff went down. But it was only after all of this had already happened that we saw Juliet set off the nuke by banging it with a rock. THIS could be the thing that changes everything... including the LOST logo, which for 100+ episodes has always been white on black, but is suddenly reversed to black on white. Hmmm.
Now of course you could argue that the nuke itself was always part of the original incident. Maybe this is why so much cement is poured on top of the Swan site. Maybe this is why the area gets quarantined, and everyone stationed there gets fancy yellow suits. Maybe this is why Desmond needs to inject himself with serum every time he wakes up to Mama Cass. All decent arguments.
However (and I'm definitely not an expert), I'm thinking the detonation of an atomic warhead would cause the following big problems:
1) Everyone would be thoroughly and completely dead.
2) The whole area would be a molten mess.
3) Radiation at the site would be deadly for a really long time.
To me, if that bomb went off things are looking pretty grim for Radzinsky, Chang, and the future of half the island. I can't see a way around that. I'm guessing that the whole plan to change things might've finally worked... something happened to create ripples way too big for even course correction to overcome. But again, that's me.
No matter what happened here, it leaves us with tremendous questions regarding our main characters. What the hell happens next?
I think we can safely rule out everyone being dead. As great as Ben, Richard, Locke and Sun might be, they can't carry the show. And while the possibility of them all landing safely in LAX sounds plausible, I don't know how it could fit into the storyline with a whole season left to go.
Could they wake up on the beach just after the crash, at the beginning of the show... but retaining all their current memories? I love this idea. But I also don't think this type of result is doable from a production standpoint. It would require Boone, Shannon, Charlie, Michael, and a very young Walt. Can't see this happening.
The most likely possibility is that our main characters wake up on the island in 2007. Maybe the release of magnetic energy flashes them back to current time a split second before they're evaporated. If so, who goes? Just the people from 815? Wouldn't Juliet go too? Rose, Bernard, Vincent? Big questions.
Finally, let's consider this scenario: the bomb never went off. The flash we saw was just like all the other flashes, spinning everyone through time. Maybe the drill broke into the pocket just before Juliet could detonate the nuke (in which case maybe she's still alive). This would be a pretty big lie to carry on for eight or nine months, but I could totally see them doing it.
He Who Will Protect Us All
Halfway through the episode I was pretty sure I knew what was in the box... and it was exactly what I thought it was. The major death this episode was John Locke, a man who died the same way he lived - completely bamboozled by someone he trusted.
But was Locke really nothing special, as Richie Ricardus would have us believe? Or do remnants of Locke's consciousness still remain within the form currently being inhabited by the dark man/smoke monster? If so, they didn't get there on the ride back on Ajira. Locke was dead as a doornail by then, and so was his mind.
Although he's dead, I'm pretty sure we're going to see lots of Locke next season. Knowing he's someone else - and only someone else - would put a pretty negative spin on his character for a lot of people. This is why I think there's a lot of John Locke still left inside that person in the now green shirt. And maybe it even got put there by Jacob. Just speculation here, but Jacob did touch each and every one of the characters he visited... but he touched Locke in an extra special way. Maybe he took something from him when he did that - and that's all I've got to say on this subject before someone gets all Search for Spock on me.
Jacob... Disrespecting Benjamin Linus for 35 Years And Counting
The final scene of the present-day storyline was every bit the incredible confrontation it needed to be. Jacob recognized immediately who had come for him. He looked saddened, not scared - expressing a form of pity instead of fear. His arch nemesis goes on to tell describe the incredible amounts of trouble he had to go through to arrive at this moment, and Jacob looks stoic as his adversary savors what finally looks to be victory.
It was surprising to me how fast Ben's role in everything was reduced to nothing more than a tool needed to commit murder. Sure, it's the murder of a demi-god... but I still thought Ben would've seen something like this coming. Instead, he didn't. The dark man used Ben as his very own dagger, finally using his long-sought after loophole to plunge Ben's knife deep into Jacob's heart. And Jacob just stood there and took it.
We've finally seen the entirety of Ben's character - from his beginnings as an innocent kid to the calculating, quick-thinking liar who ruled the island as an adult for so many years. In the end however, his emotions are reduced quickly back to that of a needy child, one looking only for some type parental recognition. Jacob never acknowledged Ben... whether he refused to do this or simply couldn't we really can't say. What we do know is the complete absence of Jacob caused a void in Ben's life, one that got filled with hatred and vengeance once Alex was killed. These fires were further stoked by his banishment after thankless years of obedient service.
At the exact moment Ben stands before Jacob, all he wants is that recognition. All he needs is a little attention from the person he so faithfully and blindly served for so many years. But Jacob offered him none. And as Ben closed on him, Jacob offered no resistance. There were probably a hundred things he could've said to ease Ben's 35 years of pain, maybe even explain some things to him. Instead, Jacob actually egged Ben on by answering his servant's query with his own sardonic version of the same question: "What ABOUT you?"
This triggers kill-crazy Ben, the same unstoppable force we saw in Keamy's last moments of life. Jacob knew this. He knew those words would elicit Ben's killing response, and he stood there and took each blow of Ben's knife without trying to stop it or fight him off. The smoke monster couldn't kill Jacob directly, but instead provided Ben with a weapon, a motive, and a confrontation with his enemy. This was his loophole. Ben kills Jacob by choice, but I also believe that Jacob chooses to die here.
In short, I think Jacob has a plan. That plan has something to do with Illana and the shadow-statue people. It might also have something to do with Illana's mention of Frank possibly being a 'candidate'. While I'm not exactly sure how he'll survive, I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the last of Jacob. I can't help but keep thinking about the ending to the movie Legend. Darkness needs light, light needs darkness. One cannot exist without the other - it's both poetic and cool.
Guys, Gals... it's been real. This season was my favorite one. The story's circle is closing, and I love where the writers are going with it. I've enjoyed all these weeks writing this stuff, reading your own thoughts and ideas, and talking about LOST with everyone. I know I've promised this before, but I'll try really hard to be around in the off-season. This is our last hiatus. It's going to be the longest, and possibly the worst, but we'll stick it out together.
As always, here's wishing everyone an ass-kicking summer!
-Vozz