Without a doubt, the Lost episode the other night was one of the better ones I’ve seen. If you haven’t seen it yet, then don’t read any more, since there are a few spoilers.
Seeing Richard’s back story helped put some of the pieces together. Like most people on the island, Richard’s past isn’t all rosy — he lost his wife and accidentally killed a person. He’s been on the island now over 150 years, and obviously hasn’t aged at all. We’re led to believe that he is an immortal now due to Jacob’s touch.
I found it a bit odd how irritable the Jacob in the past was. It seemed like this was deliberate by the writers, most likely to contrast the Jacob in the future who seems to have all the answers. He reveals to Richard his ultimate motivation for bringing people to the Island – to prove to his enemy that malice and benevolence are not inherent in all people. While it seems a noble goal, I have to question bringing people to the island for the main purpose of dying in order to prove it. Look at how many people on the Black Rock were immediately slaughtered, and likewise the people on Oceanic 816 that died upon crashing. If Jacob’s a God, he’s not a very considerate one.
There were a few problems with the episode, and I’ll point them out here:
- When Jacob and the Man In Black are first introduced, we can see the Black Rock in the distance about to arrive on the Island. At this point though, it’s the middle of the day. When the Black Rock crashes, it’s in the middle of the storm during the night. So the times don’t quite match up. Also, if Jacob is the one who brought the Black Rock to the island, it seems a bit strange that he would crash it deliberately into his house (although we now have an explanation about why the top portion of the statue is missing)
- Richard walks up to Jacob and tries to kill him with the knife. Ultimately Richard reveals to Jacob that the Man In Black sent him to kill Jacob. Jump ahead to the future when Ben walks in with Fake Locke, and Jacob says to him “looks like you finally found your loophole” – given that the Man in Black has already tried to kill Jacob, that line doesn’t really make sense anymore, since Jacob knew what the Man in Black was planning. This is even more clear at the end of the last episode when the Man In Black reiterates his intention of killing Jacob and getting off the island
Other than that, I have to say that the episode was really great, mainly for the performance and backstory of Richard. You can really understand his anguish now, and what he’s had to endure on the Island for over a century. I thought the scene with Richard and Isabella near the end was really well done as well.
Did you see the episode — what did you think?
I saw and liked the episode. It was definately one of the more revealing ones this season. I’ve a feeling that we’re in for a major twist though and Jakob is not all we are led to believe he is. The smoke creature needed to “steal” Lockes body in order to execute his plan of escaping the island. Jakob was killed however it’s likely that he’s now taken over Saeed’s body. The weird thing is that he’s turned “evil” now which brings into question his true motives? Could it be that both Jakob and the man in black are fallen angels both trying to earn their ticket off the island? That would explain the desparation in getting “candidates” to the island any way possible?
It’s true, so far the Man in Black hasn’t seemed all that unreasonable or evil (other than when he killed those people in the Temple, but he warned them first). He actually seems to be the most honourable of the two. I’m not sure Saeed is Jacob — I mean, Jacob still communicates with Hurley because he’s dead. If Saeed was Jacob you would think he’s just walk over and talk to him instead.
I’ve another theory. They keep on flashing to the alternate universe. In it, some of the characters are good an seem to have got over their issues (sawyers a cop, Jack gets over his issues with his dad and is with Kate, Hurley is the luckiest man alive) while others are bad like Sayed and his killing the guys extorting his brother, not being with the woman he loves and Kate running from the law…Perhaps the choices they make on the island directly influence how their lives turn out in the alternate world? The island is the cork or the portal that supposedly stops evil from taking over the world. Perhaps the “candidates” are all potentially the portals to unleashing either good or bad into the rest of the world? Maybe they are the supreme beings last chance for humanity to either destroy or save themselves without him doing it directly?
On time: Remember, Ricardo left his house, rode half a day to the doctor, got there at night, killed him, and then rode home and it was still night when he got there. (:
Also: I didn’t like the scale of ship vs statue since it seemed so very vast a statue when we first saw it. And now you’re gonna tell me some waves and a boat can destroy it? Really?
This was an informational episode, but I was disappointed that my theory about Richard being Switzerland in the Jacob/Man In Black war is incorrect. I liked the idea that he was an advisor to both of them.
Overall I liked the episode but those things bothered me. I am still interested in what happens, too!
I have SO many theories! Come check out some of the crazier ones on the podcast I contribute to at http://deltaparkproject.com/lost (: