I like that the story of MIB shows us exactly what I hoped, that he’s not a “BAD” guy. I was super relieved with the description of “antagonist” because I feel that much more illustrates what he is. He was always an analytical, manipulative person who pursued truth and enlightenment and escape. He never raised a hand to Jacob. Jacob was a whiny mama’s boy prone to bursts of tattling and violence when faced with the truth. I get why whitey is the “good” guy, but it’s so silly to say it. There really is no black and white. These guys are gray. Are you really the “good” guy when you are forced to take a job of ambiguous necessity and are allowed to make whatever rules you want, and in the process you disobey your mother and kill your brother? I’m not saying blackie’s the good guy either. I just don’t like good and bad to describe them.

If we assume mom’s right, someone needs to protect the light (?), then J’s the clear “protagonist.” But as I learned on that paper I only got a C+ on, there are vast differences between the hero, the protagonist, the “good guy,” etc. Actually, he isn’t even that. OUR guys are the protagonists. Which makes MIB the antagonist, the rival, the opponent. Not necessarily the bad guy. WIDMORE on the other hand, may be the real bad guy. The one who wants the LIGHT for himself is the guy I’d label the bad guy.

Namelessness: I am of two opinions here, or maybe just one with a caveat. It doesn’t bother me that MIB has no name yet. I feel like the writers have been clear that all names are important. Names categorize you on a shallow AND deep level. As soon as they name MIB, he becomes a solid thing we have a solid opinion about. What he is is written in stone. They need him to be as fluid as smoke. But I do understand that BECAUSE this show has always been about the importance of names, it can feel frustrating to have two such important characters as mom and MIB nameless. It makes them “legends and myths” but not PEOPLE. And we are used to seeing fully realized characters on this show. That aside, personally, I am totally fine if he never has a name.

“Protecting” the Light: It seems counterintuitive to be allowed to kill mothers and steal babies for the purpose of “protecting” the source of life. Now, at the same time, just because it’s all yellow glowy doesn’t mean it’s a “good” force. The source of life, death, and rebirth is not necessarily good or bad, it just is. WE assign feelings about it. To some, death is a mercy and is good (mom, for instance, who set her two children up hoping one would eventually kill her, I think). And it clearly would corrupt those who had access to it. It’s way too simplistic to say it is good or bad. Does it need protecting though? I don’t know how she got in charge of protecting it, how many were before her, and how did they start. Who was the first person to decide it needed protecting and how did they have the power to do so?

Clearly Jacob was made immortal-ish by becoming the guardian, just as mom was. So there are SOME actual powers involved, which implies protection is needed. Was the drink part of that? She said he was now like her after he drank it. Was mom lying about them not being able to hurt each other (Jacob did beat the crap out of MIB) or kill each other (technically Jacob did kill his brother)? Did mom kill MIB first but he pulled a Sayid? And did that influence why he became the smoke monster instead of some other detached soul thingie? I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to yet feel about whether the Light needs protecting with so much lying going on. I think in a practical sense, someone who won’t be corrupted by it should guard it. Did mom go in and experienced the “fate worse than death” and become a Smoke Monster herself (although it doesn’t explain why she had a body after she was killed, although we don’t know what happens to a set-in-stone smokey…maybe MIB would now die and there would be TWO Locke bodies on the Island). But it would explain how Mom accomplished a whole lot of destruction and filling in the well. It could also answer why she was so thrilled to get two guardians, one to relieve her of her duties and one to LITERALLY relieve her and become the opposing force. If she was both, she would understand the need for two to carry the burden, rather than one. IDK, she didn’t necessarily say anything like that, so I’ll shut up.

The sunken Island in the Flash Sideways: Does this indicate someone stole/killed the Light in this world and the Island sunk? With the “cork” metaphor, we can’t help but think maybe it’s holding the Light in and it wants to escape? Again, the Light is not necessarily good or bad, even though we automatically want to associate it with good. It DID produce the smoke monster, so…I mean, what’s smokey going to do when he escapes? Is he really more dangerous than this Light, whatever millions of things it could represent? I feel like the Light would be far more dangerous in the world than a guy who just wants to “go home” for the past 2000 years. Although, maybe as the smoke monster, he has no choice? And does it matter if the Light is ACTIVELY trying to escape or not?

The rules: MIB kid tells Jacob someday he can have a game HE makes the rules to. Then Jacob as a kid tells grown up MIB “tsk tsk, you know the rules. you can’t kill them.” MIB may have been the original game-player, but Jacob makes THESE rules because he’s the protector. Like the mom made up her own rules. The rules are made up. By Jacob. So it’s going to be real hard for MIB, despite his abilities, to win. Also, is this more evidence that the island really doesn’t need a protector? It’s technically been doing without one for a little while now. In addition, the knife used to kill mom I assume is the same knife Richard tried to use to kill Jacob and the same knife Dogen got Sayid to use on Locke. I HAD thought the “don’t let him talk” rule was really because both men are so persuasive, but now, with the mom being stabbed before saying a word…idk. And jacob was yapping the whole time before he died AND wasn’t killed with that particular knife. so…?

Free will: Jacob wasn’t given a real choice. Free will didn’t apply to him. Which may be why he was so eager to just let people do what they do. BUT in many circumstances he has given CHOICES although not free will exactly. Dogen was given the choice to let his son stay as is, or never see his son again and come to the Island to serve Jacob. What choice was Ilana given. This is complicated, really. You have the free will to choose whichever thing, but when your options are limited, is there really a choice? Not going to get into this.

Quick thoughts:
-When Locke was shown the Eye of the Island, he saw a beautiful light. This is currently blowing my mind.
-MIB loves technology; I like how the cabin visit we get a freaking-out entity when Locke uses a flashlight.
-The light in the cave, the light Des was exposed to, look pretty similar. I assume we now know where he will need to go?
-The statue and game. The game was egyptian, but we didn’t see the statue, despite mom implying others have been there before. The Others were what, roman i guess? if so, wouldn’t all the egyptian stuff already be there?
-Interesting that they said we’d understand “John Locke’s” motives. I do think MIB’s name is likely John. And I love connecting this back to when Locke’s mother says “John! His name is John!” after she has the baby.
-MIB sees dead people, excellent, he IS special. Yet Sawyer and Desmond also saw Jacob as a kid, which I definitely think is dead jacob rather than time-traveling bunnies, so idk…
-MIB is consistently referred to as the special one of the two. awesome.

I feel bad for the dudes writing and producing this show. Fans whine constantly about the answers they REQUIRE NOW! Then they write it and film it and try, they really do, it sounds like it will be good, but sometimes not so much. They know they HAVE to answer certain questions, but when they do, how do you really do it successfully? It’s hard. We aren’t easy to please and you guys opened a whole freakin lot of wormcans, so…

Ug, this isn’t ready to post, super shallow, but whatever.

That said, I’m hoping the flashing back to Kate/Jack/Locke discovering the Adam and Eve bodies MEANT something and wasn’t just blatant spelling out of things for people. We really are smart enough to get it. although, yeah, granted, the constant idiotic whining coming from a whole lot of fans who can’t even retain that Locke’s not wearing a shirt, he’s SMOKE…I don’t necessarily blame them for spending an episode talking down.

Sun/Jin. First their reunion was ruined by the bizarre idea to have them meet at the sonic fence. We are trained to freak out when anyone goes near that fence. The distraction of picturing them hitting each other and collapsing in ear-bleeding seizures kind of ruined the moment. But more annoying, her voice came back why? As if they couldn’t just speak in Korean to each other like the old days. They even had them speaking English in private. And had Frank add a cheeso line, why? All that said, I was moved by their deaths. Jin just wasn’t going to do it anymore and who could blame him? They’d been separated for 3 years. Dying together was better than living alone. I get it. How do you be the guy that leaves his wife to die after all this? OH, because of your daughter! Wait! I was totally into the moment…then, disruption. I KNOW that Ji Yeon exists and they should have mentioned her. I know the father should save himself to find the daughter. I KNOW these things are true, but I wanted to ignore them for just 10 more seconds, let the sad death music play and watch our tragic couple float away together, then blast it during commercials. But I didn’t get to. Not that I disagreed with the Cold Commentator.

IMO the writers were, disappointingly, perfectly consistent in this scene. They have never dealt with Ji Yeon in any logical, loving way. I am not a mother, but still I never bought that Sun would give up her daughter to find her husband on the promise of Ben and a ring. Even if it was pretty positive he was alive (it wasn’t anywhere near that) I would have given some pictures to Ben and said, “My child is all I have left and the most important thing in the world to me. I will never abandon her, just like her father never would have abandoned me. If you see him in Guam, give him these and help him escape. See ya.” In addition, I never bought that Jin would be GLAD that his wife would abandon Ji Yeon to find him. Wouldn’t you be kind of like, “Wait, this was nice and all, but you LEFT her? Because BEN said I might be alive?? What? Are you crazy? I did everything I could to get you off this godforsaken place and then you just abandon our child and come back?” I do feel it is plausible that Sun had issues with the Jin/Island situation that caused her to never bond with Ji Yeon properly, but isn’t just as likely that she would have bonded with her even more because of the loss of Jin and the experience of the Island? And if no one’s going to bother to explain it either way, then I really am disappointed. This will probably always be a big plot hole to me. I hate that it ruined an otherwise moving and appropriate ending for these two characters. I hope there is something that redeems it.

Kate. Thank god somebody shot her. Too bad she didn’t drown. They made sure to point out her uselessness, which probably implies some sort of usefulness that poor sun and Jin didn’t get the privilege of getting.

Frank. Well, damn. That’s it? Welp, can’t wait to see the swift pointless clobbering of Miles next!

Sawyer. Why’d you go and try to kill everyone? Didn’t you see that if someone ELSE chooses to do it, Locke isn’t the perpetrator, you are? “Get it in the water. I’ll take care of the rest.” I am going to assume we didn’t see the end of that plan yet. Because otherwise, nothing happened.
ETA: If the whole point was, “Get him wet because he gums up and can’t turn into smoke” then wow, how anticlimactic, and to paraphrase a line from the Hangover, this guy’s a gremlin, all the instructions and shit.

Other mysterious phrases of the day: “Because it’s going to be you.” “Desmond–you’ll need him.” “To finish what I started.” “Candidate.”

And since I’m criticizing so much, I don’t think it made much sense for Jack to say to Locke, “I wish you believed me.” Locke not wanting to be fixed doesn’t much have anything to do with whether he believes Jack, even if it might have a little to do with it. I get it was a throwback, but Locke’s real problem if this is real life is more likely survivor’s guilt; he feels unworthy of being fixed. In fact, possible bad writing/character development alert. When we met him off the plane, it was implied that he had sort of tried to “get fixed” a few times but was now “accepting himself.” So am I to believe that pre-Australia he had wanted to be healed (implying a sense of worthiness) despite putting his father in a vegetative state? I’m confused. Is he now accepting of himself or feeling a new-found sense of guilt? Am I supposed to feel like he’s better or worse? Should I root for him to be fixed or not? I have no idea. Maybe I’m just in a bad mood.

I did love the Oceanic connections coming together for Jack in particular. Bernard. The Claire/Jack in the mirror of the “Catch a Falling Star” music box. Jack all throughout, actually. He’s mostly figured it out. Locke’s smile as he holds Claire back from the sub. And the fact that Anthony Cooper is a drooling vegetable is exactly the appropriate punishment for him, despite the fact that in this life Locke and he liked each other and were close. Of course, it remains to be seen if he is Sawyer’s same Cooper… It’s also appropriate that Locke is the one who paralyzes himself.

I’m sure I have much more to say. Maybe back later, maybe not! Smell ya later!

OK, two factions: Blow up the plane or talk to Locke? Richard, Ben, and Miles should have gotten the hint that if the Island blew up Ilana, then maybe the Island doesn’t want the plane blown up. I mean, it waited to blow her up until she was in view of everyone. But still, who knows what “the Island” wants or means? Ben still seems to believe in it in his old normal way, though. Since Richard knows what it is, his solution seems the most logical. Certainly more logical than trying to “talk” to MIB!

Michael tells Hurley that people will die if you pursue this blowing up the plane thing. What are Michael’s motives? In fact, what are ANY of the ‘ghosts’ motives? Do they have opinions and can they oppose each other? Could some of them be on the side of light or dark? Or selfish or helpful? Can they be trusted just because they are dead? Hurley sort of thinks so. And we’ve pretty much been taught to trust the poor kid. If he trusts Michael, even though I have no idea his plan so far, then I think we are to trust him. What could Hurley be wanting to talk to Locke about? I mean, what are you going to say that could possibly change the smoke monster’s mind? Or to make a deal with him? What the?

Back to the dead people. Are any of their motivations tied to why they are trapped on the Island? Are they trapped? MIB seems to think of the place as a prison for himself, which implies no free will as to why he is here (although most likely, he once had the free will to CHOOSE to be trapped there), BUT everything else always hinges so much on free will, so I keep thinking these spirits sort of choose to be here. I keep going back to that idea of Hell in Sandman, where people are punishing themselves with their own guilt. They choose to wallow in their own misery, punish themselves for what they’ve done, not move on. Michael did it in real life, why would he not do the same in death? And just the way Michael responded made me think he stays because he personally can’t make himself leave. And maybe even Libby’s “voluntary” incarceration at the mental hospital was a hint at that type of prison.

Speaking of the dead, why is Jacob not around? I am guessing because of his MO. He doesn’t get involved. But why did he get involved long enough to send Sayid to the Temple and Jack to the Lighthouse? Why help there and nowhere else?

What is Locke making? A stick that hadn’t told him what it was yet. Was the stick the metaphor for writing this show?

OK, back to getting on the plane together. Locke/MIB uses the example that they needed to get back on the same way they got here. So more of that parallels thing, although it is a bit more confusing as to what they’d be recreating, other than I guess the same ones that left before would have to leave again (Jack, Hurley, Frank, Sun, Kate, Desmond, Sayid). That seems odd I guess, and Sawyer and Jin would not be included, which would be interesting, but anyway, this is confusing and I think actually what I’m getting at is simple: He just needs all the candidates OFF the Island. All the living people at ALL in fact. Whoever won’t go, dies. Because no living people can be left on the Island.

Another thought about Desmond being descended from Jacob. Jacob’s favorite son Joseph was tossed down a hole by his brothers. Tenuous, sure.

I am totally mind-blown about Locke/MIB. MIB tells the story of having a crazy mother. That’s Locke’s story. Did Desmond know the TRUTH, that this really IS John Locke, but what the hell does that mean?? Darlton even says the writers have always called him Locke. I think Desmond hits Locke because he knows MIB and Locke are the same in T2. He was trying to kill that body. He enjoys it too.

Staring at computer screen must be done. Headache again. Bleh.

Whispers
OK, so…they are the voices of dead people trapped on the Island. And yet I still feel the need to talk about it. The voices don’t necessarily include all the people who died on the Island, and it doesn’t appear that the person actually had to be ON the Island when they died. Michael was not, nor was Isabella. Also, Ben’s mother has appeared to him and then we have Christian. Has Christian always been Christian? I don’t really have to know; I’m so giddy at this answer in any case! I really want to go back and review the whispers transcripts, but man, my head is killing me. (How does this work with Walt’s appearances, I wonder?)

Now, pan out…the Island IS purgatory of some sort for some people. What does that mean? Michael seemed to confirm that Libby is not stuck on the Island by asking Hurley to tell her he’s sorry. BUT we have seen her appear to Michael before he died, right? As did Christian. We also know the whispers can talk to each other; the transcripts are of conversations a lot of the time. Doesn’t really matter. The point is WHY are some people trapped on the Island, even if they didn’t die there? And how many? And are they able to intermingle, when and why? etc.

Now, also, why do the whispers appear close to when the Others would appear? (also, I think this confirms that Harper Stanhope was dead, who appeared to Juliet) Ben even told Danielle if she hears whispers to run, thereby totally establishing that the whispers are related to the Others. Wild theories might include: they stick near groups of people, hoping to take over a sexy new body if one dies; the afterlife is super boring and they need something to gossip about; they really want to warn the living of the danger of the Others; or maybe they are only amplified near living people. Maybe they are everywhere, but something about being around a living person strengthens their signals.

Crap, I’ve started to think about the Desmond stuff…*sigh* There’s just TOO MUCH.

OK, taking a shot:
Timeline 2 Desmond took a week to get the manifest and start forming a plan and tracking other 815ers down. 1. why is he so sure that it’s people on Flight 815 that are connected? 2. Is he going for ALL of them, or just the key ones? How does he know?

The biggest possibility is that after Widmore pops him in the oven, BOTH of his selves remember BOTH timelines? If so, it explains how, even with the contradictory evidence that Daniel, Charlotte, Penny, etc. were not on the plane, that it’s the 815ers that need the little Jacobesque pushes. We know nothing about Desmond’s parents, still. Is he descended from Jacob? And does that help explain why MIB doesn’t kill him outright or really even know who he is? He definitely seemed confused by his presence or purpose. He just seems to understand he’s a danger.

Whacking Locke in T2. OK, there’s no way you plow someone over with your car hoping they will live, so either he knew he couldn’t die or he really did want to kill him. It’s possible he needed Locke to be severely hurt so Jack could heal his spinal cord. (Which might be why, in T1, he can walk after the crash.) But wait. During the Ben episode, Locke was wearing gray, like MIB and tried to get Ben to be the principal. And I said this at the time, but now it might be more of a what if: What if T2 Locke IS MIB? What if MIB escapes to a new timeline, T2, and shares a consciousness with Locke there. This would explain the need to destroy T2. It really is a construct formed falsely for the purpose of an escape for MIB, and each of the remaining candidates in it still live. MIB said everyone needed to be together to get off the Island, just like they needed to be together to get back on it. But maybe once off, they have to stay apart (even though they all end up in the same city constantly bouncing off each other). Am I going anywhere? Maybe it’s as simple as Des wanted to kill the body MIB would possess to prevent his long con from working in the first place. ?

What benefits would Desmond gain, or what agenda is he forwarding, by reuniting 815ers and Island people to trigger their memories? Again, if T2 him now has all the knowledge from T1, then it makes sense. He did say to Ben that he had a son named Charlie, so that implied new awareness of what T1 contained. If he knew that by destroying T2 he could have his son and wife back, even though it meant the suffering he went through, he would likely do it. So, to connect, Desmond’s motives make sense if we assume he has become fully aware of T1. And moreso make sense if there are evil repercussions to the fact that this a false reality created by MIB. He needs everyone to wake up from their nice alien forehead shot or pill so they can re-exist T1. What the hell did I just say?

If MIB IS Locke in T2, and he has a good relationship with his father, then it’s fantastic that he still ended up paralyzed. What does he remember as Locke? Does he have to sacrifice any sort of memory to attain escape? Interestingly, at least twice during this episode someone called MIB “John Locke.” Now, we’ve also been told “that’s NOT John Locke” by Sawyer and Claire. So Des could just be attempting to confound MIB, who apparently has no knowledge about Desmond, making Des unmanipulatable for now.

The Kid
I will have to look it up later when not so headachy, but seriously looked like the same kid but this time he was all darker and sneery. So was it intended to be the same kid? I say yes, except this time (since I’m super sure it’s Kid Jacob) he’s all “bladow! Meet my secret weapon, Smokey. Good luck with this guy!”

Ilana
Well, don’t toss dynamite around like you’re Arzt. WTH? They didn’t even try on this death because we don’t even care. Haha BUT her death led to two things: 1. Ben says “The Island was done with her.” And Widmore says to Des “The Island isn’t done with you yet.” The island still has a mind of its own, which we do not understand and have no real context for. Jacob and MIB do not appear to be the Island. And the Island appears to have its own agenda. Or is the lack of seeing Jacob lately evidence of his acting as the Island? True? Not true? IDK. 2. In addition, Hurley picks up Ilana’s small bag. I noted in the episode where Sawyer throws the ring in the water and when Hurley and Jack find the skeletons in the caves again, that the bag was GREEN. Sawyer’s was not, so it could not be the bag. And here we have a green bag. I think Jacob’s ashes are in there. But I think eventually the black/white rocks will be. Or both are in there. Hurley, being the one who smelt it, dealt it. He carries the ashes now (Maybe he will trap Smokey in a tiny ash ring. Why not?) but somehow the black/white rocks will end up in it and with their dead owners.

Desmond being number 42 at Mr. Cluck’s. “That’s my number” he says. WTH? Why do this to us? Kwon is 42 on the cave and in the lighthouse. That’s been one of the big mysteries: which Kwon? So, why throw this in, man? Wait. Desmond has been called the Wild Card. He can be any number he wants. Can he be a candidate even though he isn’t one? He can take the place of Sun/Jin so they never have to part again.

Speaking of numbers, a very good further explanation for their significance in T1 would be that T1 actually came in a loop that would have allowed Hurley to know about them from the candidate list BEFORE hearing them in T1′s nuthatch. Then it could be acceptable bleedover.

I have said nothing clever yet, all obvious thoughts. I am drugged up and sleepy now big time, so going to nap…

Penny’s last name in T2: Milton. Daniel’s still the son of Charles and Ellie but they are the family Widmore (and Dan still has an American accent). It’s implied Daniel is older than Penny in T1, so even though this is a totally unnecessary thing to answer, I’m curious as to how Penny got made in T2 but C/E still are together?

But back to “Milton.” Psh. Paradise Lost? Paradise Regained? (Whoa, just realized we got Luke 4 in Ab Aeterno, and now a Paradise Regained ref? Both about the temptation of Christ! And yes, I totally just thought of that! And since I have never really had a great understanding of it, I looked up the Temptation of Christ and saw a similar story was told about Horus being tempted by Set. Horus resisted but was blinded in one eye. When I am not so tired, I may look up more about this.) And Angstrom for the rabbit? Updike? Maybe time to think about this stuff later. Probably not.

Ellie’s brooches, had to notice them since her ouroboros from T1. So two parallel stars with long rays, right? Two timelines? Two big ol’ explosions creating two timelines that radiate both backward and forward? Thought again of the Dark Tower series in which all timelines radiate from a central hub. Did we get confirmation that the bomb DID blow and that it is what created T2? How is it that T2ers can feel the existence of T1? It’s not just like it’s parallel, it’s like it already happened, THEN T2 happened from the beginning. For example, the T2 experience we got last night was in September of 2004. In T1, Daniel Faraday didn’t even get to the Island until the end of 2004. So the timelines are not exactly parallel, since he would be remembering being at home with brain disease crying over…whoa. He was crying because the plane was found with all passengers dead and he didn’t know why he was so sad. His Timeline was leaking way back in T1! *boosh* Anyway, point is that he was last night remembering stuff that hadn’t yet happened in T1. So T2 DOES happen AFTER T1, even though it is in the “past.” I said it. Now, I dare you to comprehend it! Which reminds me: The MRI guy says “Try not to push the button, we’ll have to start all over again if you do” or something like that. :O

Charlie’s talk about Claire (which, yes, I barely heard or saw because I was….mango….an avocado….*redacted*) was super sweet; same for Daniel’s talk about Charlotte. Wow. How fascinating to see someone you’ve never met, and experience, not something so simple as love at first sight, but something so much more complex: an old, embedded, already-existing love. It is, of course, swoony that love is what is triggering T2ers to realize things are all mangoed. Some people are getting little nudges, but Ellie seems to know everything again! How is that? Is it magic (she’s the true leader) or science (she lived thru the bomb)?

The best thing ever is Daniel as a musician. WAIT. He totally could have set up the Looking Glass! Yay!

Why did Widmore put Des in the electroshed? To see if he could survive it and/or to see if timejumps occurred. He seemed oblivious to timejumping, so likely just to see if he’d survive.
Why does he need him to survive electromagnetic surprises? For the same reason he grabbed Jin to help him look for the electromagnetic hotspots.
Why does he need the electromagnetic hotspots and what would Des need to do with them? Well, we have no idea if Widmore wants Smokey dead, trapped, functional, or what; we are even making a bit of a leap to assume his ultimate goal has to do with Smokey much at all. It has to, but in what capacity? Whatever he needs Des to do, he needs him to survive the electromagnetism long enough to do it. I honestly have no real theory as to what this is yet. Kind of not thinking about it on purpose, actually.

I don’t know if Widmore understands Des is a quantum leaper. He did not seem to have Ellie’s knowledge in T2, and he seemed to genuinely not understand why Des was cool with not even questioning the plan. Yet Widmore did say “cease to be,” implying an understanding of timeline mangoery. And Widmore surely would have access to Daniel’s book, which would explain some of that. So maybe his plan involves Des time traveling rather than defeating or subduing Smokey somehow.

A thought about Smokey and water. We don’t know why or what happens if he tries, but we do know he can’t cross water as Smokey. So would sinking the Island trap him ultimately or would it be impossible for him to be sunk with the Island?

The electroshed’s chair evoked the chair in the cabin, which leads to thinking about the cabin again, and what IF… what if Smokey DID capture Jacob in the cabin since he couldn’t kill him? What if the ash was different than the smokey ash. What if it was trapping Jacob in? Oh…Why did Ilana think Jacob would be at the cabin unless Jacob told her he would be? How did he get off the Island to tell her that if he was trapped in the cabin? Well, it made sense for a minute…

So back to Daniel, who this time doesn’t want to blow a bomb. But I wasn’t listening. What did he want to do? I forgot, but I do remember he said that a huge release of energy could cause this. Would Smokey leaving (imagine the bottle breaking or the cork popping) be a huge release of energy that could cause something like a T2? It explains the explanation (?) that everyone you love will cease to be. *shrug*

Also, my children will be named Daniel and Juliet. They probably won’t be physicists, musicians, or doctors, though. They’re much more likely to have holey brains and low self-esteem when it comes to love. Whatever.

I gotta go to sleep, people. Also, I gotta actually watch this episode.

In addition, this is a good way to get us some real Sawyer/Juliet love. Sure, they could meet and it be cool in the alt world, especially now that he’s a cop, it’s actually PLAUSIBLE. And I would be happy with it, but it sure would be cool if there’s this zipper timeline (yeah, I just made that up) where they are what they are T2 but they are WHO they are T1. And then ZIP! And it totally puts this weird perspective on certain relationships in your life where you just instantly know there’s some inexplicable connection with this person and you can’t resist the destiny. It’s not destiny, it’s bleedover. Can you imagine sideways timelines really happened and they are remerging sometimes….

Desmond’s consciousness jumping could illustrate the merged timeline idea, and in fact our Losties’ similar experience with electromagnetism and time travel may have actually weakened the membranes between their own realities, which is what could explain bleedover from the timelines.

More about Desmond: I was trying to think of what we know about his parental issues, and it occurs to me: we know almost nothing about him. Something happened to his father and he was left to drop out of school and take care of his brothers? I think? Hm. Is that relevant to why he’s special and I’ve just been inundated by demigods lately, so there’s that. Also, it occurs to me that Desmond was only recently shot and in the hospital, what, just a couple of weeks ago, since it happened the day Ajira left?

He needs all six to get off the Island. Again, he already eliminated Locke by having him killed and taking his visage. Unless he somehow COUNTS as Locke. So this makes me think that he means he needs to ELIMINATE all the candidates. I should not have said “kill” earlier. BUT again, why wouldn’t Sayid be eliminated at this point? If Claire and Kate are, Sayid surely should be. Locke is clearly upset at losing Jin, and he chases after Sun, so he really thinks he needs them both. They could easily count as 2 separate people, but man they are just throwing this 6 and 3 around like we’re supposed to really get it. Well, the 3 are Jack, Hurley, and Sun, I guess. But 6 is Sawyer, Jin, Sayid? I know, I keep harping on this!

I’m going to go back to the Oceanic 6 here. Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun, and Aaron. Shephard, Austen, Reyes, Jarrah, Kwon, and Littleton. All names that were at least at one time, candidates. How do we trust what has been marked out on the caves or the lighthouse? And with only last names, they leave it vague enough to make sure we know that, in particular, any Kwon or Littleton might apply. In fact, Aaron’s last name was Littleton AND Austen. MIB tells Claire that “no” her name is not listed but says Kate’s isn’t “anymore.” In addition, could a name be marked out then rewritten? I don’t know where I’m going with that.

I maintain that Kate is not one of the magic numbers so she is no longer a candidate. But of course, the Valenzetti equation represented people and one needed to be changed to save the world, so…can a former candidate be reinstated? Supposedly her name was marked out in the cave. But that is MIB’s. In the lighthouse she wasn’t, but I think it’s likely that she was eliminated AFTER Jacob was no longer able to mark out names. OR they really wanted us to think about it. I think it would be a gyp for Kate to end up mattering too much, but getting to somehow accomplish reuniting Claire and Aaron would be a decent ending for her.

Is this really what I’m going to do all day? NO!

OK, wasn’t there more I was going to say??

Oh, this episode made me go back to that Season 6 theory that the two limetimes (timelines in dunrk speak. Argh! Alcohol really fucks up the language center of the prain! Aphasia!) The two timelines bleeding into each other theory.

NOTE: Sun has weird unnecessary plot aphasia during a time when we should be seeing only relevant things happen, and we even have Miles awkwardly inserting “we’re supposed to buy that” in there. So I certainly hope that NO we’re not supposed to buy it. What’s up then? Possible bleedober. Dammit. Beleedover. Dammit. Bleedover. Hahahahaha

Anyway. Other “proofs”
Jin is now fertile in the off-Island timeline.
Jin and Sun both getting whacked heads.
Sayid now acting so much more without emotion in the sideways world.
Mikhail still fights Jin and gets shot in the eye, but that could just be some of that universe correction thing. Like certain things are really meant to be in various universes. Or it really could be we just saw sort of how he loses his eye. Perhaps he just gets in infection in T1, but it’s bleedover from his final experience in T2.

SO I have no idea how to make it work, but if the timelines MERGE somehow, converge, splurge, then regurge into one supertimeline where things are actually as they REALLY should have been…I don’t know. *pop*

Also wanted to discuss whether Locke is proving to be any sort of leader. Sawyer’s not even on his side, Sayid was only in it for Nadia, so now that his soul is dead, how long will he care? And Kate’s not on his side, and Claire, well, he’s only holding her on the promise of killing Kate. Widmore’s group stalks them then tranqs everyone and just walks in and wait…WHY didn’t they just kill everyone?? Wouldn’t that plenty prevent Locke from escaping?

And I just want to say Battle of the Balds so bad and it’s not even clever!

I’m glad they are bringing Ji Yeon into this.
And the deader sayid gets the hotter he gets.

So purple! Everyone! All purple and blue and red!

Mirror stuff: Sun checked herself out to answer her hotel door. Jin was reflected in the freezer door, but I don’t know if he cared. Should I read more into that? Or, since Sun is not Kwon in the sideways, is she not Kwon in the candidate list?

I am not losing faith in the writers, nor am I uninterested in the sideways stories, but it definitely has become difficult to understand what they mean to our characters, so I don’t know where to place them in my head. Sun and Jin certainly aren’t better off in the sideways story by the end, with her pregnant and dying from a gunshot wound and neither of them speaking English, or with any money to escape her mobster father, but they aren’t doing so hot on Island either. That’s a bummer.

But I like that on Island Jin and Sun finally can’t take it anymore. There is no way I would have sat around and waited for fate to bring us together if I had waited 3 years and gone through all the crap either of them went through. I would have trekked all over that place long before now. I realize a larger game is afoot, but I only realize it from watching the show. I would not have been able to sit still and do nothing for the days and days that perfectly patient Sun and Jin have. After 3 years of living infinitely far from you, being on the same Island in the same time feels like the heat of your breath on my neck. I’m going to find you and make that real.

OK, Locke says he needs all of the candidates to leave the island. Does he really need all the candidates DEAD to leave the island? No Jacob and no one to replace him means a free Smokey? Still, why are only these people candidates? And why can’t anyone else become one? And why can’t a former one become one again? Again, what eliminated Claire and Kate and when? And is Sayid still one as well, despite the death of his soul, apparently? (Claire vs. Kate: Locke wants a showdown. Huh.)

Richard’s plan: blow up Ajira. Jacob told Ilana Richard would know what to do next. How does he know this exactly? WHAT does he know exactly? I had thought that Richard’s wife’s appearance was really her, or I wanted to believe it, even though I really can’t think of a good explanation as to why she was there. Although if only Hurley could see her, that implies it really was her. And Locke’s look at that gorgeous tree Richard was under seemed to imply he knew he was too late. I want to create a theory if it WAS Locke, but I’m pretty convinced it wasn’t. The idea is that Locke knew what was about to happen and appeared to Hurley in time to communicate with Richard. Now Richard wants to head to Hydra Island, which is right where Locke would want them, since it’s likely Widmore will kill them as well, probably even blow up the plane with them on it to prevent it from leaving. Hence, all the candidates die and MIB is free. (Although, Smokey said he can’t fly over the water still, so that implies he DOES need a vehicle to get off the Island.)

Maybe this is where Sun “getting” aphasia is relevant. If she can’t speak to convince everyone to NOT do this plan, then it could matter. Well, I should give Mr. Long Con more credit. Not only does this isolate her but in the long run, some important thing about this plane could be totally screwed by the fact that she can’t speak English, so really it’s stupid to speculate too much yet. I also keep wanting to say “The Island” took something away for a point, but is that even possible to say? It seems MIB likely did it, and if not him, then what other power is there? MIB does keep having confidence that the island heals quickly, he tells Jin to let it get some AIR (hm, back to the water/air/fire/earth thing…and Miles says sarcastically but weirdly that fire will solve everything…). Also, you gotta wonder why Locke didn’t just take her with him when she smacked herself, but I guess he even subscribes to the free will thing or needs her in the camp she’s in…?

The tomato and the notepad: Having Jack be the one to joke about stubbornness and taking time to think before acting (take longer to get your point across) was just right. Is the point to have hope and patience? Dude, this girl knows nothing BUT! I am so frustrated for her right now. And the “guess nobody told it it’s supposed to be dead” is interesting. She is not listening to the destiny talk, but maybe Jack knows what happened to her was related to it…thoughts not fully formed… ADDED: maybe it means though Keamy says they aren’t meant to be, Sun and Jin will fight for their relationship anyway and will end up together.

Also, I was thinking about the Cave again, which is clearly MIB’s. Are the people who are candidates for Jacob ALSO candidates for Smokey? And still, does it matter that kate’s not in one and is in the other? And still I’m confused again by the appearances of possible Smokey characters off Island. Unless those really were the dead people? Will think later…

War is coming to the island, I think it just got here. Ah, the vague. Was Smokey referring to himself or Widmore, and it appears Widmore doesn’t know nearly as much as he probably should about Smokey, although he knows Locke IS Smokey and knows the pylons stop him. But what else does Widmore know or care about? Can he still have his Island whether Smokey leaves or not? What does he care? Widmore is focused on finding the electromagnetic hotspots Jin mapped. I would have assumed it was just Zoe (who I wish was a much less annoying actress) who was interested, but since Widmore put her, a geophysicist in charge, then it appears to be his primary interest as well. Is this for a great killing smokey purpose or for a more Widmorey purpose? Maybe Widmore really does want to be the next protector of the Island, be it in the form of Jacob or Smokey. Or maybe he just wants eternal life and will choose to take the place of the genie, I mean Smokey. Well, I guess I should not be acting like Widmore’s actions must be selfish OR not selfish. He could just know that for the Island to continue being what he wants from it, Smokey must stay.

Of course, loved Jin getting to see Sun and Ji Yeon photos. Yay! I like that Widmore words the extermination of everyone as “cease to be.” It has a much more “never existed” feel to it, like timeline-wiping powers.

Stupid Zoe. Why did she say Jin was Jacob? Why did she go totally out of her way to grab him way before it was time? Was that lame?

Desmond. Very interested to see what Widmore knows about Desmond’s importance. It was implied that the Package was Desmond, but why does Widmore think Jin needs to see him? WTH is the plan here? We know “the rules” don’t apply to Desmond and we know that “the Island isn’t done” with him yet (although quickly after saying that, Ellie seemed unconvinced of it). If the rules don’t apply to him, then why would it matter what the Island wants? Des might be able to do whatever he wants outside of it. Also, does his blowing the hatch and becoming outside the rules have anything to do with why Widmore is looking for energy pockets?

Added, RANDOM:
MIB, assuming he was Christian before, KEPT Claire on the Island while Aaron was taken off it. And Desmond had said he SAW Claire escape on the helicopter. I originally thought that was just to get Charlie to do what he should, but what if instead MIB prevented it for some reason?

I am still so confused about who the six are. All six, and willingly…

Widmore was after Ben when he sent dudes to the Island. If Widmore could get people to the Island, why couldn’t he himself come back? He has NOW. And he wanted Ben alive. What did he actually want him for? did he know he’d be used to kill Jacob?

Desmond’s flashes…was he flashing to sideways worlds? Or did he create the sideways worlds? There was always this little idea that Mikhail kept coming back because it was different Mikhails from different dimensions and times. This was thought of because of the Orchid video outtakes in which Bunny #15 starts appearing all over the place… could be an alt-Des. What the hell can he do that Widmore wants from him??

How creeeeeepy was Sayid just floating there blankly staring at Desmond??? *adore* And why does Sayid feel nothing but Claire does?

MIB stuff: He’s a myth with a crazy mom. And Arabs were pointed out specifically here. And you know where they also used to believe in genies? TENERIFE.

OK, back to this: Jacob said everyone prior to Richard had died. So was Richard alone on the Island and until when? Richard was the first “Other”? Things seemed pretty solid by the 1950s, and we know the British were there before the Americans, but other than that, I am curious how the first people to next be brought there survived. And is this verification that there never really was a “Jacob”? Richard was the man with all the plans? Or did Richard occasionally seek Jacob’s guidance? Since Jacob wants no involvement, why would he help Richard any? In a way this seems like cheating, but in a way this seems like a way of just changing the game up a little bit to see what happens if people have a leader to guide them.

So speaking of changing the rules, I’m guessing MIB really wasn’t involved much either before this set of dudes. Surely Jacob didn’t just bring a bunch of people there to get killed by MIB, so how did this game work before the Black Rock?
Also, is this when Jacob decided he better start the list of candidates? He does say that someone will just replace him, but he also doesn’t seem to have had much of a real plan for anything up to the point that MIB finally says I want to kill you and will find a loophole and Richard says MIB will get them all if you don’t get involved. I’m suuuuper curious how the Others knew to build a runway though. That was not a coincidence. It now makes less sense that Richard conveyed a message from MIB thinking it was Jacob.

MIB: Jacob took my body, my humanity. Mom thought maybe it was literal, and MIB used to look like Jacob. I think MIB simulates his own looks, but probably blames Jacob for his own folly that caused him to be in the position he’s in. Probably he released the previous person in his position and feels Jacob tricked him into taking the place of that person. I realize I have said some of this stuff already…bleh.

Escaping: Maybe the reasons MIB finally has gotten fed up is because prior to the Black Rock there was no realistic way for him to escape, but with the advent of larger and tougher boats and later planes, there are actual ways he could formulate a real escape. Jacob finally realizes he has to modernize to keep up with MIB at this point.

Something random that has become confusing and is probably irrelevant: Christian appeared to Locke in the well. WHEN was Locke in the well? When he turned the wheel wouldn’t the island have moved at that point? (not just people jumping thru time). And wouldn’t that mean that in the 1880s or whenever, the island traveled (and always had)? AND how was MIB there as Christian? It didn’t appear that the others could move thru time, and MIB and Jacob appeared to be in only their own present….*kablooey*

Locke and Kate: OK, so…Locke wants Kate to reconsider her idea of getting Claire back to the real world to reunite with Aaron? I know this will all become clear soon, but the whole speech about having her hate keeping her going, where exactly is he going with all this? In addition, Locke is very fatherly… just a cloud thought…

Also, why was Isabella’s spirit on the Island at all?

Ug, no real thinking. I can tell I’m just wanting to enjoy the ride more than explore at this point…

Added:
OH! The knife…is it the same one or is there one for each of them? And what the hell is that about? Do we get a knife backstory ever or do we just accept it as 2 or 1 vorpals?
OH! Richard asked for three things and only got one. Why can’t Jacob give him his wife back or absolve him of sin? We thought he might have power over life, but he doesn’t have her body, so maybe it’s that simple. And sort of, he already absolved Richard of his sin since he said the past doesn’t matter, but at the same time, he’s either saying it’s impossible to do because I’m not in charge of the absolving, or there’s no reason to ask for it because it doesn’t exist and won’t matter anyway.