LOST: Deciphering The Incident

I'm going to warn you beforehand. This is going to officially be my longest post. I wasn't going to continue my evaluations/sharing of internet wisdom any longer but dearest Emily told me I should do otherwise. So, let's get started

Hey, you like my homemade shirt?

The episode starts out with one of the most discussed yet never seen properties of Lost weaving a rug. Jacob then heads out and cooks himself some fish on a rock. We are lead to believe that the time period is somewhere in the 1800s. Could that be the Black Rock floating around out on the horizon? Hells yeah it could be.

We also finally get a good hard look at the statue in this brilliant opening scene. It appears (against everyone's predictions I might add) that it's definitely not Anubis but seems to be Sobek, a crocodile god. Before you go off and say WTF? crocodiles? Let's learn more: in mythology Sobek was linked to power, protection and fertility. That's right, he enables proper baby making.

Soon Jacob is joined by a mystery man. The internet has been abuzz calling him Esau (the Biblical Jacob's brother's name). I'm quite hesitant to believe that Lost would go so overtly Christian in their mythology, but we're going to use it for this review's sake.

Esau has a seat beside Jacob and begins the most important conversation in the history of Lost. In it, we find out that Jacob is the one that allows the island to be found by humans. He brings them there and Esau is terribly pissed about it. Esau says that they only bring destruction and carnage and that it always ends the same. Jacob tells him that it will only end once, everything leading to that is progress.

So, do you guys remember waay back in season one when Locke gives his speech about archaeologists finding backgammon sets in Mesopotamia and how it's the oldest game in the world? Well, it seems that our duo here fits the bill of the game quite handily. Jacob, dressed in white and Esau being the dark menacing figure struggling in an everlasting game.

Before leaving Jacob to finish his meal, Esau cooly asks if he realizes how much he wants to kill Jacob. He then warns that he will find a loophole and it will mean the end of the light.

It seems, from this, that their are rules to their interactions. Otherwise, what would be preventing Jacob from being filleted right there on that rock alongside his fish? It only seems like yesterday we were asking about the rules that Widmore and Ben lived by. That was a sandbox, now the big boys are playing.


Everyone Needs A Helping Hand

Throughout the episode we are shown key moments in our 815 and 316ers lives. In each, Jacob interacts with the passengers. What's the significance of this?

Our first visit is with Kate trying to shoplift the New Kids on the Block lunchbox that serves as the time capsule of hers and Tom's. (you know, back in season one...the toy plane that lead to her entire life of crime, well aside from blowing up her dad) She is caught and the cops are about to be called when Jacob steps in and pays for it. Kate promises never to steal again (lying bitch) and Jacob taps her on the nose.

Then we see young James Ford at his parent's funeral writing his iconic letter to one Mr. Sawyer. His pen runs out of ink and Jacob steps in and offers a replacement, giving his condolences to the child as well. When he hands over the pen, he lingers a bit and touches his hand.

Later, Jacob is sitting on a bench reading when Locke's body comes flying out of the building behind him. He cooly stands up and heads over to the battered Locke. He squeezes his shoulder and John awakes with a gasp. Jacob tells him he is very sorry that this had to happen to him and leaves.

We see Jack in yet another tie to the first season as he rips the dural sack of the 16 year old patient. He never mentioned in his retelling to Kate that it was good old Christian that gave him the idea to count to five and let the fear in. Jack fails at getting a candy bar and confronts his dad over putting him in a "time out". Afterwards Jacob shows up offering the candy bar and tells him the machine just "needed a push" while his finger lingers on Jacks.

Apparently Sun had two different wedding dresses? We see another flashback to their wedding and this time Jacob is a guest offering his congratulations in perfect Korean while patting them on the shoulders.

That's the entire list of the people we see him interacting with before the original fateful flight of Oceanic 815. Now, does this mean that they were the only ones who were intended to be there? We're not sure.

Moving forward, after the Oceanic 6 return to the real world Jacob comes to Sayid and Nadia as a lost tourist in Los Angeles. He asks Sayid for directions while Nadia proceeds to be plowed down by a hit and run SUV.

We also see him visit Ilana in a hospital and they both apparently speak Russian as well. Ilana is in terrible shape, her face completely bandaged. They seem to know one another and Jacob tells her that he needs her help. She is the only one that he doesn't touch.

The most interesting interaction was definitely that with Hurley. In this encounter, Jacob has no pretense and tells Hurley that he was waiting on him and that he certainly knows about the island. He asks what if Hurley isn't cursed, perhaps he is blessed. He also reassures him that he is absolutely not crazy. He tells him about the Ajira flight and that he can go back, but it's up to him.

So, what good did this do? We see that Jacob has interacted with each one of our passengers that are still alive and he seemingly hand picked (pun intended) them to be on either one of the planes. He also seems quite keen on free will as well.

Way Back Through Time And Through Space

The incident felt just like season two all over again right? Flying metallic objects, weird noises, white flashes of light. Ah, good times. A lot happened that I wasn't a fan of here so I'm going to hit on the highlights.

We finally get to see Rose and Bernard! They didn't die during any of the time jumping, in fact they went off and set up their on sweet little resort. Rose had one of the best lines of the night with "there's always something with you people". I want to be like them, happy and care free.
Was it just me, or was there something ominous about Bernard's offer of tea to Juliet?

In short, Jack has taken up Daniel's "reset everything" quest. One important thing that happens is that Richard tells him that Locke visited and told him that he would be their leader later. Richard says that during his visits to the mainland during Locke's childhood that he didn't seem very special at all. Sayid and Jack take the core of the bomb and traipse off to Dharmaville, only for Sayid to be shot in the gut and Hurley to come to the rescue in the Dharma van again. Juliet goes all broken heart badass and they get off the sub and are now planning on stopping/helping them. Whatever they choose in that five second interval.

How delightfully irritating was the return of that goddamned love quadrangle? Juliet loves Sawyer, Sawyer loves Kate, Kate loves Jack, Jack loves Kate. NO ONE CARES. There, I hope they all die instead of ending up with one another.

We see how Chang loses his hand. That, to me, presents several odd ideas. Since he still lost his hand, there are still things that happened before that are still happening. So, does Jack believe that this bomb will only affect their future? It confuses me and my brain hurts.

They toss the bomb in, it doesn't explode. Things start going all "I was wrong for not pushing the button" again and Juliet is sucked down into the ground by chains wrapped around her.

She, however, doesn't take a literal dirt nap. She awakens, badly injured and beats the shit out of the bomb with a rock until she altered the end credits with them being white and not black. Good going Juliet.


What DOES Lie In The Shadow Of The Statue?


Here's where the good story advancement happened. Where to start? How about Ilana, Bram and co? We see them arriving on one of the northern shores, crate and Lapidus in tow. Bram asks why they brought the furry pilot and suggests that he could be a candidate. Hmm...I wonder what for?

They end up visiting Horace's old haunt the cabin. It looks as though it's been through some rough times, even the kick ass dog painting is on the floor. Before they get there though, the notice that the circle of ash has been broken. I shall get into my theory about this later. Once inside, Ilana says that Jacob hasn't been there in a very long time. She also points out that someone else has been using it. They decide to end that by torching the whole thing.

With Locke's trek we see him tell Ben that he wants him to do the actual Jacob murdering bit. When asked why, Locke asks him why wouldn't he want Jacob dead. He mentions having to sacrifice his daughter and then being banished from the island, all in the name of a being he never met.

Richard grows even more hesistant as their journey continues. He genuinely seems worried about Locke's new plan about talking with him. He also is baffled by Locke coming back from the dead, an argument that Locke counters with asking him why he doesn't age. We find out he's that way because of Jacob.

Richard shows the way inside the statue to John and he and Ben start to enter. Richard tells him that only he alone can enter and is shot down once again and both walk into the base of the statue.

It's now that our two Ajira crews reassemble. Ilana asks for Richard and then goes on with her favorite bit of trivia "what lies in the shadow of the statue". We finally find out, in Latin no less, that it's "He who will protect/save us all". She seems satisfied by this answer and they open the crate to reveal Locke's dead body.

Woah.

We then go back into the statue and Ben finally meets Jacob. The J man definitely seems to know what's going on and says "I guess you found your loophole". Ben then starts asking questions about why he never was allowed to see Jacob, why he did what he did and what about him. Jacob responds with a scrutinizing "What about you?". Ben then proceeds to stab him repeatedly in the chest. In his dying breath, Jacob informs them that "they're coming". Locke then kicks his body into the fire.


Who Is That Mysterious Man?

We're about to get theoretical on your ass now. It seems that Locke has been dead all along. As we found out earlier in the season "dead is dead". I've read theories about clones, a Locke double. I don't buy it. I think it's as simple as this. Esau = Smokey.

We've seen him take on the forms of dead people plenty before. Yemi and Alex, as prime examples. So why couldn't he become the beloved John Locke, the leader of the others, to regain and audience with Jacob?

I've been reading for seasons now that Smokey's prerogative doesn't seem quite the same as Jacob's. It also helps explain why the monster keeps attacking. He hates people. He absolutely doesn't want them there. He feels they are vile and full of destruction. When Eko refused to repent, he ended his life.

It seems perfectly logical for Ben to be interacting with Smokey, since Jacob is nowhere to be seen. He heads over to Esau for a "judgment" (alone, while "Locke" is in another part of the temple no less) and what should the monster tell him? It says he must obey everything that Locke tells him.

This lends a new, even creepier vibe to the Christian Shepherd that's been waltzing about the island living in Jacob's cabin. He was quite honest though, when Locke asked him back in Season 4 if he was Jacob he tells him "No, but I can speak on his behalf". It's also quite scary to contemplate what that means is happening to Claire if she's in the possession of Esau.

This also means that Richard has been duped into buying into betraying Jacob by following E-Lockes' instructions to tell the old Locke that he must die in order to "save them". Esau needed Locke to be gone so he could become John to go take care of Jacob.

This episode has reduced the once fear-inducing mastermind of the others to nothing more than a pawn in the great game of the island. This, sadly, also seems to imply that Locke was indeed never special in his life. He was used, up until his last breath, and afterwards for that matter by a force of evil.

So What Happens Now?

That's one helluva questions ladies and gentlemen. You know that my feelings about this season were rather skeptical. In my opinion, it's still the weakest, but with some of the strongest most important information we've ever received. It's been a rough ride, but The Incident was a welcomed reward for sticking with it through the season.

Is the old, beloved Locke gone forever? That's what the implications are. I certainly don't hope so though.

Will the 1977 crew get back to their own time?

Will 815's path be reset and the crash never happen?

What exactly was so "special" about Desmond, seeing as how he hasn't been a major player in this season since the 3rd episode?

We shall find out, in approximately 8 months. It's going to be one wait.

What do you guys think?