If Jacob’s job is to stop MIB from leaving the island, are the flash sideways a look into “what if” MIB is uncorked and unleashed upon the world?  So far everything seems pretty good for the Losties in the sideways world, but we could be building up to the craziness that ensues now that Smokey is out and about.

1.  Eye opening.  I’m curious to find out why Jacob has been like a “father figure” to Ilana.  It’s not asking the writers to answer a question as much as I’d like and explanation.  Jacob has treated her special but she wasn’t’ a candidate so how does he know about her and how did he find out about her?  Is she “special” in the way Walt is special?
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2.  I loved this moment with Richard when Ilana asks him what they are supposed to do next.  We’ve all had that moment when you are really frustrated and you can’t believe what is being asked.  The little laugh was so spot on to how much a “wtf” moment he was having with that question.
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3.  I also loved this moment.  Every one of the people at the campfire is at a cross road.  They can choose their own destiny at this moment.  In the past seasons we would expect Jack to stand up and make an inspirational speech about “living together or dying alone” but with his new found faith this is no longer Jack’s role and he’s just as lost as the rest.  They think they know their destiny but not sure how to get there or exactly what it looks like.  Then Richard, the one who is supposed to lead them, leaves and indicates he’s giving in to the dark side.  The brilliance of this moment really speaks to me and I can’t wait to see how they pick up from the moment next week and where they will take our characters.
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4. Ben says that he first met Richard at the age of 12.  However, Ben met Richard long before that when he was a little boy.  Ben had begged Richard to take him away so that he could escape his father.  Apparently the baptism at the Temple erased all of that memory.

5.  Richard is reading Luke.  The page states “4: 37″ but starts with 24.  I found it curious that he was reading the English bible but guess it saved his butt because the priest then knew he could speak English.

31And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;
32and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority.
33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,
34″Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are–the Holy One of God!”
35But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm.
36And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.”
37And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district.

6.  Ironic that Whitfield says he is going to take Richard to the “New World.”  I know the literal meaning, I just found the wording ironic.
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7.  Magnus Hanso is the great grandfather of Alvar Hanso.

8.   We’ve seen over and over the dichotomy of black vs white.  Richard’s ship is called the “BLACK Rock.”  Can we assume that there was or will be a “WHITE Rock?”  Was flight 815 the symbolic White Rock?  Also, just for the record, in the Lost Podcast  of March 24 Damon and Carlton “implied” that the ship in “The Incident, Part 1″ and in this episode are the same ship.

9.  Remember when Locke used his wacky paste on Boone because he wanted him to have a “vision quest?”  In that vision Boone saw Smokey kill Shannon.  But the catch was Boone was tied up to a tree and really had to WANT to get free and to save her.  Locke told him that it was the only true way for Boone to be free  much in the same way Richard (like the moth) needed to free himself from the ship.  He will forever be indebted to MIB for unchaining him as he promised to do anything that he asked.

10.  Another eye opening right after Richard had been judged.  This one kind of reminds me of the eye we saw a long time ago pop up on Jacob’s cabin.
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11.  The blue butterfly.  On one hand representing freedom much as in the story Locke told in Season One.  On the other hand, my theory is that Jacob takes the shape of animals much like MIB and the smoke.  He appears to Richard as the butterfly then the boar.  He comes to Kate as the horse and to Sawyer as a boar.  He doesn’t convince them of anything, since we know that is against his “code” if you will.  But he gently guides or leads them.  Which makes me think that Jacob could also be in Vincent.
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12.  Jacob tries to help Richard without directly influencing him.  He makes it rain but the water is just out of his reach.  He also has the “boar” leave a nail but again, just out of his reach.  Richard was supposed to really want it and free himself.  But instead of his will he makes a deal with the devil.

13.  MIB touches Richard first.  Maybe there is no difference in which one touches you first, maybe MIB and Jacob have the same ability.  Jacob also touched Locke because he wanted him to live.  Jacob wanted his body back on the island.  Jacob let himself be killed, why?  Maybe like Desmond he wants to be free of his duties to save the world.  Jacob, like Desmond, was waiting on someone to have the answer to his riddle so he could find his replacement and leave.  Both had a huge responsibility so when are we going to see Jacob turn the iconic fail safe key?

14. MIB tells Richard that the only way to escape is to “kill the devil” meaning Jacob.  But, Jacob was killed by Ben so why can’t he just leave now?

15.  What about Rose and Bernard?  They have not been corrupted by the island.  Jacob says everyone he brings is corrupted and they all eventually die.  Rose and Bernard were not as they are living someone off by themselves out of the game.  Doesn’t this end the question?

16.  When the Black Rock first lands Smokey comes to the ship and does some serious killing.  Remember in the first episode when the Losties are sitting on the beach and they hear Smokey off in the distance?  Did Jacob protect them with an ash ring?  Why else wouldn’t Smokey have just come on up to the beach and did some damage?

17.  Jacob wants everyone to make their own choice of right and wrong.  Maybe he’s also waiting for the same thing from MIB.

18.  Did Jacob have a predecessor?  Guess we’ll find out in episode 15!  Maybe he also once was a candidate.

19.  There must be “rules” with Jacob and MIB.  After Richard agrees to stay with Jacob he meets back up with MIB in the jungle.  At that point MIB could have totally “smoked” and killed Richard in anger.  Why didn’t he?
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20.  I’m still not buying that Isabella is on the island.  But then again, there are many, many things on this show that could be not believed (hello, smoke monster?).  It shouldn’t matter if she died there because no one is inhabiting her body.  Hurley is just talking to a dead person.  On one hand I want to believe because it’s a very nice wrap up of the love story but on the other hand it could be Jacob manipulating Richard in to coming back to his side.  OK, so maybe I changed my mind in that I “want” it to have been her.
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21.  I guess Isabella restores Richard’s faith.  Symbolized by when he puts the necklace back on.

22.  I really prefer clean cut Richard over wild eyed dirty Richard.
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23.  Was Dogan the “cork” that kept MIB out of the Temple?  And why did it even matter if he got there?

24.  Remember the mysterious voice in the cabin saying “help me” to Locke?  Was Jacob gone from the cabin by then and was that MIB talking to Locke?  Why was Jacob even in the cabin if he has the statue to live in?  Who was it that went crazy throwing things around the cabin when Ben and Locke were there?  Why can’t people come in unless they are invited?  How did Ilana’s crew get inside the statue when Jacob didn’t invite them?  How did Ben and MIB get in there?  How did Ben kill Jacob when he had already spoken to him?

25.  Was everyone on the island that was brought there headed for death anyway?  Like flight 815 was going to crash anyway and the Black Rock would have crashed killing everyone?  Maybe it’s OK to bring these people and play with them like pawns because if they hadn’t been brought there they would just be corpses laying on the bottom of the ocean.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at 6:02 pm and is filed under General Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.