LOST: What They Died For

Hello boys and girls. Sorry for the delay on this recap/analysis. I was doing lazy people things and didn't get around to it. So, what I'm going to try to do for this, the penultimate episode of LOST, is give thoughts and theories without a full blow by blow of the entire episode. I'm just going to count on you to have seen it and remember things.

First of all, after seeing this week's offerings, I feel somewhat less angry at the previous episode. Jacob explaining that he indeed is the source of all their woes and further explaining his past (regardless of how in depth it was) somehow made the entire thing plausible to me.

We'll touch on the events of the Alternate Timeline first:

Interesting tidbits included:
1. Jack has that damn cut on his neck again. - He should either stop trying to shave in his sleep or realize that he had another life already. We still don't know who David's mystery mom is but I somehow doubt it's an awesome enough reveal to take up time in the finale.

2. "It's the day of the show y'all!" - it seems that all of our alternate timeline Losties will be heading to David's concert. Unless it's a special location, I may be lost on the importance of the event (unless it's also just serving as an excuse to get everyone in a single location without a sketchy alleyway meeting).

Wait, totally scratch that. It's a benefit for Pierre Chang's museum. Location makes sense now. 

3. ROUSSEAU! That's pretty much enough said. She looked old lady sexy.

The whole love connection vibe between her and Ben? Somewhat creepy but it eerily worked at the same time. Color me French and confused. Her not being dirty and confused forced me to make Babylon 5 comparisons. It's hard being a dork.

4. Desmond does good dirty work. - After Ben stops him from running all over Locke again, Desmond repays him by beating the ever loving crap out of him. So now Ben can be added to the list of Losties remembering their past lives. Why is it that Hurley's is the only non violent one? Everyone else needs to get shot or nearly drowned, but Hugo Reyes just needs a kiss from a mental patient.

We shall see if Sayid, Kate, Sawyer, Claire and Jack need painful reminders of their true calling or if maybe they all just need to make out.

Oh yeah, and Ana Lucia shows up to be a dirty cop as per usual. She seems to be one of the few alternate timeliners that doesn't really have it better off in this world. Where she realizes the wrong of her ways on island, this Ana Lucia is completely content to take bribe money and help three criminals escape.

The finale will be truly interesting to see if this alternate stuff actually works. It's seeming more and more likely that this timeline will "win out" in the end. I'm still not sure how I feel about all of the events of the show not really counting in the long run, but I may not have a choice. The writers promised that there wouldn't be a "everything's a dream" ending. I think that "this all happened in another parallel universe" may be too close for comfort. I digress though, I will love it all. I have for the past 6 years.

Now. On to the island.

1. Full Circle - In a mirror scene from the pilot, Jack is now sewing Kate up while they are sad about Jin and Sun dying. They finally mention that they had a bloody child waiting back in the real world. Sayid, apparently, gets no love for saving who he did. People just cry about the asians and they're orphan making decisions. (This is one of the many reasons I think the alternate timeline will "win". The show has killed people but I highly doubt they're going to actually leave Ji Yeon an orphan. We shall find out.)

2. I understand why he wanted to leave - Bratty Jacob showed back up and stole his ashes from Hurley. This makes possible the kumbaya moment at the fire later.

3. Speaking of which - Jacob decides to show himself to everyone for the first time ever. (It's a little late mate) He tells them that one of them is destined to take over as guardian of the island to both keep the Smoke Monster from leaving as well as protecting the light. The job just keeps getting more complicated. We find out that Kate was only not a candidate because she adopted Aaron. I think it's more likely that Jacob realizes she's irritating as sin and didn't want people to have to deal with her for eternity. I find mine more reasonable.

Jacob fesses up to all the crap he's stirred and the Losties go along for the ride. He also explains to them that he will not tell any of them to take the job, that he wants them to have what he never did: a choice. They ask the obvious "what if none of us wants it?" and he informs them that it would simply be very bad. Jack steps up as the next choice for protector and Jacob takes him to have a drink. It turns out that the wine is not what's magical, but the incantation. So stream water can make you immortal if you know enough Latin.

Jacob reveals the light (well he tells Jack about it) and informs him that it's right beside where Jack woke up in the Pilot episode. So the show could have been over if he had just looked to his right instead of the left over at Vincent.

4. Meanwhile back in Dharmaville - Ben, Richard and Miles determine they still REALLY want to blow Ajira sky high so they head to get some C4. They find that as well as Zoe and Widmore. They have an exchange (including Widmore having seen the error of his ways thanks to Jacob - further fueling Ben's hatred of him) and everyone kind of splits up as they realize Locke is heading their way.  Locke enters the camp in smoke form and sends Richard literally flying. Poor Richard, he's going to have to reapply the eyeliner.

Locke sits and has a talk with Ben and they make a deal: Ben can have the island when Locke leaves. This let's Ben's bitchy side give Widmore and Zoe to him.

5. Parting is such swe- *spew, gurgle gurgle* - Locke enters the secret room with Widmore. He tells Zoe not to speak to smokey. Locke doesn't really agree with this decision and cuts her throat since she's now "useless". Locke finds out from Widmore (at threatening Penny's life) that Desmond has been brought in as a failsafe since he has a resistance to electro-magnetism. Ben then decides that he wants to be bitchy again and shoots Widmore dead on the spot. *sigh* He can't make up his mind.


So now we find out that Desmond is no longer in the well. *cue dramatic theme*. Also, it seems that Smokey has a change of plans, instead of leaving the island he wants Desmond to blow it to smithereens for him. (Yet another reason that I think the Alt timeline is going to come out ahead. I doubt the nuke would have sunk the island. I think it's whatever Desmond is going to do.)

In the end.

The time for theories almost seems to be gone. There's just an episode left, to tweak a familiar LOST theme "what happens happens".  There won't be a "next season" to talk about. What They Died For was your standard putting pieces in place Lost lead in to the finale. It was informative, even more people died and most importantly it made me realize that this is almost over folks. The one show that has kept every cool dorky person thoroughly engross for the better part of the decade is coming to an end.

I'm usually all about spoilers, but I'm trying to leave the finale completely unknown to me. We have two and a half hours left people. I can't wait and yet I never want it to come.