Initial Thoughts: Ab Aeterno
NOT HELL!
When Richard first said this I was saying “NO! They promised this was NOT the answer!” And true to their word, they are not in hell.
1. Does Richard represent us, the viewer? He was ready to give up after thinking he was duped into devoting his life to a purpose. Now even I don’t devote my “life” to Lost but I have given a lot of hours to the show and would be very upset if I found out it all wasn’t happening for a reason. We are the disciples of the show, going out and spreading the word if you will. However, I don’t think that I could be a candidate to replace Darlton. I know that “Gitsie Girl” isn’t etched on that list. Perhaps your name is?
2. Clever eye opening but we’ve seen this one before.
3. Sun is the candidate. I want to believe that is true and the definitive answer but we’ve all watched this show long enough to know that she may “think” she’s the candidate but in reality it’s Jin, or them both, or their daughter!
4. Richard will know what to do next. Like Jacob said earlier, you can’t just give people answers. Richard has to figure out what to do next.
5. Best line of the night when Ben tells Jack, “If it’s any consolation, it’s not exactly Locke.”
6. Richard’s bible was turned to Luke 4;37 but looks like he was reading starting at passage 25. I’ll get a screenshot of this.
7. Richard’s priest in prison is like Claire’s psychic. They are both manipulating them. The priest won’t forgive Richard because he can sell him as a slave instead. When given the choice of the ship versus being hung of course he’s going to chose the ship. Both Richard and Claire were conned. I think they blindfolded Richard so he wouldn’t see that there wasn’t a noose prepared for him at all.
8. Mr Whitfield bought Richard. Very close to “Widmore.” And Magnus HANSO funded the voyage to the new land. Guess Hanso has known about this island a very, very long time.
9. In order for the ship to hit the statue the island must have been flooded. In fact, they hit the head of the statue and pushed the boat inland. Remember in the beginning of this season the island was flooded. Guess that means the island isn’t necessarily going to stay underwater for very long.
10. Looks like the crew members on the Black Rock contracted the same “sickness” that got Danielle’s crew and Sayid. The Captain kills the slaves just like Danielle was killing her crew.
11. Was that THE coolest scene when Smokey shows up at the boat the first time?
12. Richard was “judged” by Smokey. I guess Jacob isn’t the only one looking for a candidate.
13. Is that a moth that flies into the Black Rock when Richard is trying to free himself? Then it rains, giving him drinking water. Could that be a trick Jacob uses to check things out (shape shifting) just like Smokey (well, minus the killing part)? Plus I say moth because it reminds me of Locke’s moth story from Season One to Charlie.
14. Boars. Sawyer had a boar chasing him for awhile. But ew, they were eating the dead.
15. I think that Smokey “read” the vision of Isabella from Richard’s mind. Seems like Smokey can only take the shape of the dead bodies that aren’t buried. Why else would she be in the outfit he last saw her in? The MIB sure is a good liar though. He found what Richard “really” wanted and used that to get him on his side. Just like he promised Sayid that he would reunite him with Nadia even though she is dead too.
16. MIB touched Richard first. Jacob touches him later. Seems significant.
17. MIB tells Richard that he is a “friend.” Probably what he told Claire too since she says he’s her friend. MIB also tells Richard the same thing about not letting Jacob talk first. Makes you wonder if their voice has some type of “Matrix” power that messes with their mind and what they see and/or believe.
18. Familiar line, “It’s good to see you out of those chains.” Same thing MIB said to Richard when he saw him for the first time in Not-Locke’s body.
19. Jacob is a bad a*s this episode. He’s beating on Richard then “baptizes” him in the ocean. He is much more angry then we seem him in present time.
20. Jacob is like a vampire or I guess it would be the opposite since no one can come in his house without being invited.
21. Now we understand why Jacob wants to keep MIB on the island, to contain the darkness that would spread. Why does this darkness spread to some people on the island but not others? Or, will it eventually overtake them all since it’s our nature to sin? But Jacob boils it down to our choice. We have the choice to do the right thing. He shouldn’t have to force people to make the right choice. But I have to think there is more to it than just Jacob proving to MIB that people are good and will choose wisely.
22. And Jacob can bring people back to life as we saw when he resuscitated Locke after falling out of the window.
23. Hurley and Richard had a very “Ghost” moment. With the kooky sidekick telling the heartbroken lover the messages from beyond. But I was touched. It was a nice moment. Nestor Carbonell was spot on tonight with his acting. Bravo!
24. Oh and Hurley is a terrible liar. Isabella didn’t tell him that MIB can’t leave the island. I think Jacob told Hurley to say that.
25. And it’s a good thing Hurley speaks Spanish – so he could understand Isabella.
26. And where is Vincent?
March 24th, 2010 at 12:33 am
So, you DID notice the CGI butterfly that flitted into the brig of ths ship just as Alpert was trying to pry that nail loose. ??? Why do a CGI butterfly???
Only things I can come up with:
-some connection to all the butterflies that Ben had encased in glass in his house
-some kind of metaphor contrasting freedom with slavery?
-some hinting at the island as “chrysalis” where you are morphed into something beautiful after a time of preparation??
-or was it Smokey doing a little recon (or Jacob as you suggest)
I just saw no reason to ADD in a random butterfly UNLESS is has some symbolic connection.
I had forgotten about the moth story.
Someone enlighten . . .
March 24th, 2010 at 12:48 am
After closer viewing and after consdiering this being a shout out to the MOTH speech to Charlie a LONG time ago, maybe this WAS about how a moth has to struggle out of the cocoon and “can’t be helped” (JUST like Dogen said to Jack at the piano recital!!!!!) otherwise it won’t be stong enough to fly.
This HAS to be the conection. Right?
Meaning, we HAVE to be transformed and there is a time of challenge, risk, and stregthening that we must all face, etc. etc. I am too tired to make this really profound, but I DO think this is why we watched the moth fly in JUST AS Richard was struggling to FREE HIMSELF.
The PROBLEM . . . he let someone else free him prematurely.
Satan ALWAYS offers a shortcut.
By the way, LUKE 4 is ALSO the Temptation of Christ in the wilderness where Satan promises three things NOW that Jesus would gain EVENTUALLY . . . but Satan offers a counterfiet shortcut.
LOTS to say here but this has to be in a right direction even IF I lean a little heavily on the Christian connection. Must think on this more . . .
March 24th, 2010 at 1:09 am
Gitsie,
This post/theory is a MUST READ. I think this guy nailed it spot on and has the island figured out. Amazing.
http://www.atlargely.com/atlargely/2010/03/lost-axis-mundi.html#comment-6a00d8341c2cd253ef0120a96daf7d970b
What an episode tonight. I cannot wait to see the last half of the season play out.
March 24th, 2010 at 7:27 am
I rank this as one of the best episodes of the series so far! I have one question though… At the end of the show, when Jacob and the MIB were sitting next to each other, was that present time again or 1867? I was kinda confused right at that point.. Please help!
March 24th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Not to nit pick, but was this some kind of alternate time line where white slaves from the Canary Islands were being brought to the western hemisphere two years after the Civil War ended? Historical disconnects are a personal pet peeve.
Other than that, awesome episode! Did notice the butterfly and agree with SKID that it’s most likely a metaphor (good catch with the Charlie-Locke speech too).
Anyone have a guess as to why there were so many parallels between MIB’s attempt to convince Richard to kill Jacob and Dogan’s attempt to convince Sayid to kill not-Locke? They played out almost the exact same way, right down to the dagger. And does anyone remember if Ben used the dagger to kill Jacob?
March 24th, 2010 at 9:54 am
Ben used a dagger to kill Jacob, not sure if it was the same one though.. However, jacob spoke to Ben before Ben stabbed him, doesn’t that play against the rules of actulaly being able to kill Jacob??? Thats why i was confused at the end last night and unsure if that was past or present when they were sitting next to each other… Jacob technicially should be alive still
March 24th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
joey – with LOST you never know but since he had the jug of wine that he was drinking in 1867 with richard, i figured it was 1867 ..
nate – AWESOME article .. essentially what everyone is sort of thinking and gathering at this point but that writer really put it all to words nicely .. so after years of promising everyone it wasnt purgatory, it turns out that it is something very, very, very close to purgatory ..
March 24th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
I think this episode took on a HUGE biblical context last night. The Luke 4 verses plays into the idea. If you read the book of Job, it’s the story of God and the accuser (satan) having a wager with one another. God asks satan if he has seen how righteous Job is, satan claims that Job is only righteous due to his blessings, and if God would allow him, satan would take away all of Jobs blessing (a little at a time) and eventually Job would curse God. job goes thru the loss of everything, yet remains faithful to God. it seems to me EXACTLY what the MIB and Jacob are trying to do between each other and the island inhabitants. i was thinking all of this, and suddenly MIB asks Richard if he wants a job.
March 24th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
one more thing i have considered since the end of last season, and the intro to Jacob & MIB, is this like the biblical story of Jacob and Esaw?The patriarchs of the Jewish Nation, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Isaac had twin sons, Esaw and Jacob. birth right was all about birth order, Esaw was first, Jacob second, yet Jacob cohersed his brother (esaw) into giving him his birthright and tricked his father into blessing him. Jacob means “trickster”. Obviously Esaw hates Jacob, and Jacob is only redeemed by demanding a blessing from an angel and wrestling it from him. in which his hip is injured, his physical being is permanently changed, and he is transformed into Israel, no longer Jacob.
Is Jacob the good guy? is the MIB Esaw? is this eternal sibling rivalry played out with the losties as pawns?
March 25th, 2010 at 7:17 am
It was not Luke 4; it was Luke 14.
March 26th, 2010 at 9:48 am
http://melziesmonologue.blogspot.com/2010/03/lost-richards-story.html
I blogged my thoughts but the whole Jacob bad/MIB good is starting to come to make more sense to me!
March 27th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
something i was thinking about if someone could eplore a bit more for me. on the black rock someone else must have survived, and left the island. they mut have also taken the ships log book. how else would it have left the island in order for widmore to buy it at auction? also for the oceanic 815 lot to get back to the island they had to reinact the exact events. did widmore buy the log book and have to get the crews relatives onboard in order to find the island? just some more thoughts, i think we will still be asking questions for many more months still to come even after we see what is said to be the end……