A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-16

“And I thought this guy had a God complex before….”

I’m sure many people agree with you, Mr. Ford.

So here we are, the penultimate episode of Lost. Hard to believe that in one week’s time, this crazy, mindful….mind altering series will be a thing of the past. Since we have less time than usual between episodes, I request that everybody submit their comments by Friday, so that I can work on Revisited over the weekend, before the big finale on Sunday.

And by the way, have you all been following my ranking of the top ten all time episodes of Lost? We’re down to the top five! Your comments and feedback are encouraged, although I suspect some of you may be waiting to see the complete list before sounding off. Click here to follow the list – I’m updating it every day, with #1 being revealed on the day of the big event.

So for those of you keeping score, Sunday will comprise of the #1 all time episode of Lost, a two hour retrospective of the series, a two and a half hour finale, and the cast on Jimmy Kimmel. Am I even going to have the opportunity to leave my house that day?

Oh, right, back to the episode…

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We things off with sideways Jack opening his eye in typical Lost fashion. To be honest, I kinda thought this is how they would begin the final episode, to REALLY bring the series full circle. But nonetheless, much like the season premiere, Jack looked in the mirror and saw a nick on his neck. Except now it’s looking particularly gnarly. I mean, really. That cut was about an inch away from looking like Zoe.

Is this increased severity significant? Does it signify that the sideways world is falling apart? I have to admit, following the Locke Ness Monster’s discussion with Widmore, I can’t tell if Widmore hopes that Desmond can convince these people to abandon or embrace their sideways lives. In terms of this plan, is the end game the island world or the sideways world? I had assumed the former, but now may be leaning towards the latter.

And honestly, I’m not completely sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, we’ve invested so much in the lives of these characters that it feels somewhat cheap for them to just hit the proverbial reset button. On the other hand, these people do seem much happier and better adjusted in the sideways world. Hurley isn’t cursed. Instead of being some diabolical fiend obsessed with power, Ben is a relatively selfless man who has a caring, healthy relationship with his island daughter (and potentially a romance with her mother). Jack has faced the demons of his father/son relationship, and now enjoys a really fulfilling relationship with his son. Kate isn’t guilty of a crime. Sawyer isn’t a criminal. Miles grew up with a father. Locke is with Helen. Jin, Sun, Boone, Locke, Daniel, Charlotte, and countless others are still alive. Things aren’t perfect, but they’re nice. And I wonder if it’ll come off as cruel depriving them of this life. As a viewer, I struggle with the decision if a happy, fake life is more fulfilling than an imperfect one that we have committed six years to.

Speaking of Widmore, he and his right hand lady met a rather abrupt and arguably anticlimactic end. Nonetheless, it was rather fitting. Ben might have seen the light (no, not THAT light), but he still doesn’t like Widmore, and he still hasn’t forgiven him for his role in Alex’s death. And that’s why I sorta appreciated the fact that he let Widmore spill his beans, and then shot him, coldly saying, “He doesn’t get to save his daughter.”

Side note, but did you believe him when he said he was visited by Jacob? And do you think Ben is actually working with Smokey, or do you think he’s trying to get information with the intent on sacrificing himself later on? Oh, and is Richard dead? I certainly hope not! But I’m glad Ben asked the question most everybody has been wondering: If he can turn to smoke any time, why does he bother walking? Oh, and he confirmed that he can indeed summon the monster.

And while we’re on the topic of Ben, he’s totally the type of person who would say, “It’s doctor, actually.” This seems as good a segue as any to discuss the sideways world. It seems that Desmond is putting his efforts into overdrive now, doesn’t it? Although I suppose it helped that Kate, Sayid, Sawyer, and Miles were all in one place. I was initially intrigued by the fact that Desmond ignited island memories to Ben, since he wasn’t an actual Flight 815 survivor, but then I remembered that Daniel had visions too. So maybe it didn’t mean anything.

And is it me, or did Hurley seem ESPECIALLY enlightened? We still haven’t completely gathered how aware Desmond is of the island world. Yet Hurley seemed to completely recollect his island life, to the extent that he was speaking to Ana Lucia as if they were old friends.

So, as most of us suspected, Jack took over Jacob’s responsibility of protecting the island. I was really pleased with how this entire set of scenes played out. It was completely fulfilling for all of these characters – the candidates – to come face to face with the man who hand selected them. And they established a reason why Jacob wouldn’t be roaming around the island forever as a ghost (although I couldn’t help but wonder if they could just continue to add wood to the fire, to prolong Jacob disappearing forever). My question now is, did Jack inherit all of the island knowledge when the power transferred from Jacob to him? If so, will he do a solid and just fill his buddies in? Or is being vague and cryptic a requirement when it comes to these island deities?

One curious thought, though. Jacob claimed that he didn’t pull these characters from happy little existences, which is true. However the sideways world is, presumably, what the world would have been like if there was no island. And, one must assume, if there was no Jacob to “interfere” in their lives. And as you can see, these characters seem a lot happier and emotionally healthier. So did merely existing set their lives on a more unfortunate course? Maybe Sawyer wasn’t too off the mark.

That being said, I did enjoy the way Jacob set out the options. He didn’t force the job upon anybody, instead opting to give them the choice. And I also enjoyed his rather simplistic explanation behind Kate’s name being crossed out. One quibble: I kinda wish at least one of the characters had tried to talk Jack out of taking the job. I mean, this is supposed to be somebody you like, and he is kinda sacrificing his life to protect an island. Oh, another nitpicking matter. When Kate mentioned Sun and Jin’s name on the wall, did anyone else wish he’d just say, “Actually, Jin’s was” or vice versa, just to get that minor answer out of the way (not that it matters)?

So this Sunday is the finale, and to be perfectly honest I haven’t a clue what to expect. As in, I can’t even speculate for the conclusion of this column. So I’m going to leave it up to you readers to leave me some great feedback, as you always do, and I’ll post my Revisited column over the weekend.

Until then, keep up with my list of the 10 best Lost episodes of all time!