The Candidate

Let's talk about LOST!   The Candidate.

Dr. Jack Shephard wakes up Mr. Locke from his surgery.   Locke's eyes slowly open to blurry vision and then clarity.
Jack-"Mr. Locke, can you hear me? {Jack smiles} Welcome back."
Locke, who is on oxygen, realizes he knows him. Jack replays them being on the same flight from Sydney and how Locke lost his knives.  He explains to Locke that he was rundown by a car and just came out of surgery {Dural sac ruptured) but he thinks he got everything back where it belongs.  Jack uses his penlight to look at Locke's pupils and also reveals that while was operating he got a look at the initial injury to his spine and put him in a wheelchair.  Jack was hoping Locke could tell him how that happened because he feels he's a candidate for a new surgical procedure they're developing and if it works it could restore feeling to his legs, in fact he may even walk again. Jack seems pleased.
Jack-"If you'll give me a shot, Mr. Locke, I think that, that I can fix you."
Locke thinks about it for a few seconds and declines the offer. This response stuns the good doctor and he goes on to explain that there's minimal risk and the benefit...Locke cuts him off, "I said no." {He smiles.}
Helen barges into the room relieved to see John. This is the first time they let her see him. Indeed they are relieved to see each other. Very happy Helen thanks Dr. Shephard for saving him. {She kisses Jack on the cheek and hugs him tight} Locke smiles at this.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Jack opens his eyes/wakes up. He is in the outrigger.

Kneeling Sayid {working on a gun} welcomes him to Hydra Island. Jack is a bit confused.
Sayid-"At least you didn't have to paddle."

Over at the cages the Widmore team is setting up the pylons. Seamus and goons lead James, Frank, Hugo, Claire, Kate, Sun and Jin. Seamus demands James get in the cage but James there's no way he's going back in there, so he grabs dough boys rifle and a shot rings out a few feet away indicating Widmore's arrival. Widmore threatens Kate's life if James doesn't drop the gun. James feels Widmore isn't going to kill them because he's throwing them in the cages.
Widmore-"I have a list of names. Ford. You're on it. As are Reyes and the Kwon's. Kate Austen she's not.  It doesn't matter to me if she lives or dies."
Nervous Kate doesn't want James to listen to Widmore. James relinquishes the gun to Seamus and in return Seamus hits James with the rifle and throws him in the cage.
Widmore tells James, "You may not believe it but I'm doing this for your own good."
James-"You're right. I don't believe it."
Widmore asks one of his goons if the fence is "live" yet. He's told it will be in about an hour. Widmore doesn't have an hour and tells them to work faster.   Seamus looks nervous.
Widmore-"He's coming."

Bernard is crafting/working/drilling on a set of fake teeth.  He is so into his grinding away at the mold/impression that he doesn't hear Jack say "Hello" a few times.   Jack heard the drill, walked in and asks if the man knows where he can find Dr. Nadler.   Bernard removes his glasses and mask. {He doesn't have his doctor name on his white Dr. shirt.}
Bernard-"Well, you can find him right here. And if you're not a patient, you can call me Bernard."
Jack introduces himself as a surgeon at St. Sebastian and is hoping to get a look at one of Bernard's patient files.
Jack-"His name's John Locke. And our records said that you had done some emergency oral surgery on him about three years back."
Bernard-"And what are you looking for exactly?"
Jack-"I wanna know how he was hurt."
Bernard asks Jack why he's so interested in Mr. Locke. {He has a peace about him while waiting for Jack to answer.}
Jack explains he met Locke a week ago on the same flight back from Australia.
Bernard-"Oceanic 815.  I sat across the aisle from you. Memory serves you were flirting with my wife Rose when I was in the bathroom. It's pretty weird, huh?"
Jack is curiously stunned, "Yeah."
Bernard-"Maybe you're on to something here. Now I can't break patient confidentiality and tell you something I shouldn't. But I can tell you that when I treated Mr. Locke there was another man in the same accident with him." {Bernard writes something on a notepad.}

Jack-"Like that was three years ago, you just remember that?"
Bernard-"Of  course I do, Jack."
He hands Jack the paper and wishes him good luck, "I hope you find what you're looking for."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Disoriented and confused Jack is still sitting in the outrigger asks Sayid what happened. Sayid informs him Widmore's people fired a mortar attack on them. "Locke saved you."
Sayid shares some water with Jack from his canteen. The rest of Sayid's group who weren't killed scattered into the jungle, "It's just the three of us now."
Jack-"Why did he bring me here?"
Locke appears and tells Jack it's because Jack's friends got themselves captured and now they're going to have to rescue them.
Jack-"Rescue them from what?"
Locke explains Widmore has them in a cage about a half a mile inland.   Jack tries to ask a question but Locke cuts him off, "You know I would ask him, except I don't think he's gonna give me a straight answer. But I can't imagine that his intentions are good. If we move right now we can break your people out run for the plane and be off this island before Widmore knows what hit him."
Locke arms up Jack and readies him for the mission.
Jack-"They're not my people. And I'm not leaving the Island."
Locke-"Well, Jack, I'm hoping you still change your mind about that. But your friends do want to leave, and since they just ran away from me, on my own boat, I'm gonna need your help convincing them they can trust me."
Jack-"Why should I trust you?"
Locke looks right in his eyes and reveals, "Because I can kill you, Jack. Right here, right now. And I can kill every single one of your friends and there's not a thing that you can do to stop me. But instead of killing you I saved your life, and now I wanna save them too. So will you help me?"
Jack contemplates while looking over at smirking Sayid and back at Locke.

James and Kate pace in the cage. James asks her, "Feel like we're running in circles back in these cages? 'Cept last time the gun was to my head." {And yes you fucking are!}
Kate insists he wouldn't have killed me.   James comes clean about the cave he told her about, the one where all the names were written.  "Your name was there too...but it was crossed out. He doesn't need you, Kate."
Jin and Sun chat about the baby who is with Sun's mother. Jin tells her about Widmore's people finding her camera on the plane and he showed Jin the pictures.  Jin thinks their daughter is so beautiful. Sun presents Jin with his wedding ring and places it on his finger.
The power is cut to the Hydra cage area where the lights and pylons were energized.  Seamus and goons find somebody cut the power and Seamus instructs a team to the generator now.  The monster sounds, breeze is heard.
Hurley-"And we're dead."
Smokey arrives and in its classic mechanical tic tack, clinking manor, takes out Seamus and the goons, all the while the Lostie's watch from the cages. Smokey even knocks over one of the travel sized pylons.
Kate struggles through the bars to reach the keys that are conveniently hanging out of Seamus' pocket. Hurley tells her to hurry because he feels, "When that thing's done with them he's coming for us."
Anxious Frank isn't waiting so he kicks at the door to his cage.
Kate still can't reach, but it doesn't matter because Jack shows up to help them all out.
Kate asks Jack what he's doing here.
Jack-"I'm with him." {Nodding in the direction of the mechanical smoke sounds}

Frank is leading the group to the plane; which is about a 1/4 mile just over the ridge. Kate seems a little excited as she asks Jack, "So you're coming with us now..."
Jack lets her know he's taking them to the plane but he's not getting on it, "I'm sorry Kate, I'm not meant to go."
Kate looks sad. James thanks the Doc for coming back for them. Everyone readies with their weapons when they hear something approaching. It's just Sayid.
Jack lets them know it's okay, "Sayid's with us. He's the one who turned off the generators."
James feels the more the merrier. They need to go because Locke's waiting.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
The woman at the desk is asking Jack if he's a relative of Mr. Cooper and what  the nature of his visit is. This is the SUN PALMS NURSING HOME.  Helen happens by with a tulip plant.  He confesses to her that he's there to see Anthony Cooper about the accident he was in with Mr. Locke. Jack asks if she knows him. This makes Helen curious and worried. She pulls him to the side and asks him to please go.   Jack tries to explain he's there to help "him".    John told Helen about the operation and he doesn't want it and  Jack wonders why.   Helen wants him to leave this alone, "You saved his life. Why can't that be enough?"
Jack replies with a bit of desperation in his voice,"Because it's not."
Helen leads Jack into a cafeteria with patients, while Housekeeping is being paged to call 23.
Jack seems surprised when Helen wheels over a catatonic Anthony Cooper; John's father. {He just stares and drools.}

{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Locke marches strongly over to the grounded Ajira plane.  The guards fire at Locke but their bullets have no effect on him.  He breaks the neck of one and shoots the other.  He takes the digital watch from one of the dead men and heads up the "Gilligan's Island" made steps into the plane.

On board he follows a set of Red, White and Black wires that connect to something.
Frank is happy when he arrives with the group to the plane and wonders what it will take to get this baby to fly.   James is first to see a dead guy.  Sayid examines the first body and determined his neck's been broken.  Locke walks out of the plane and admits he broke it. "If it's any consolation, Widmore knew that I would kill these men."  He goes on to explain they were only guarding the plane for show. If Charles had really wanted to keep Locke from actually getting on board he wouldn't have moved his little fences.
Hugo is puzzled, "Woah... wait, now he wants us to leave the Island?"
Locke-"No, Hugo. He wants to get us all in the same place at the same time... a nice confined space we have no hope of getting out of... and then he wants to kill us."
Apparently kill them with {He presents 4 bricks of C-4 from the backpack}.
Locke-"I found them in one of the overhead compartments, wired to the electrical system of the plane. If we would've turned it on... boom."
Jin-"So what now?"
Locke-"We can't be sure he didn't put more explosives on the plane. It's not safe. If we're gonna leave the Island, I think we have to take the submarine."
That's what James has been saying all along. Concerned Hugo states that "He's not supposed to leave the Island. I mean, Alpert said..."
James-"Screw Alpert. He ain't here. {says to Locke}That's twice you've saved our asses. Guess I was wrong about you."
Locke smiles and thanks him. "That submarine is gonna be heavily defended. We're gonna need everyone."
Jack will help him but he's not going with him. Locke feels that's fair enough.

Claire runs over to Locke and tries to apologize. Locke tells her its alright and he understands why she went with them.
Sawyer very quietly tells Jack,"Hey doc, listen up... you don't wanna leave this Island, that's your own damn business. But I'm gonna ask you for one last favor. I don't trust that thing one bit, so here's what I need you to do... once we get to the dock you make sure it doesn't get on the sub."
Jack-"How am I supposed to do that? You saw what it did back there."
Sawyer-"Just get it in the water I'll take care of the rest."

Over the PA we hear "CT test to Trauma 3. CT test to Trauma 3."
Jack is literally standing over Locke.
Jack-"Mr. Locke, are you awake?"
Locke  is sleeping but speaks, "Push the button."
Jack looks confused, "Mr. Locke, can you hear me?
Locke, still sleeping says, "I wish you had believed me."
In the distance Jack hears Claire's voice. She's in the hallway.  Jack leaves sleeping Locke and walks over to Claire.
Claire was just looking for Jack; the lawyer told her he worked there.

In a little break room Jack buys an Apollo bar from a vending machine.  He offers it to Claire but she declines.   Jack apologizes for having to run out of the will reading the other day, as he had an emergency.  Claire doesn't mind and notes this is as awkward for her as it is for him.  She tells Jack, "Never even met this man."   She has a white box.
Claire-"Anyway, the, uh, lawyer gave me this. She said, uh, there’d be more stuff to come, but that my father especially wanted me to have this."
She presents a pretty wooden box from the white cardboard box that is roughly the size and shape of a shoe box. {Box within a Box!} "Do you know why or what it's supposed to mean?"
Jack doesn't have any idea, "But, then…I, I didn't know about you either."
Claire asks how their father died.
Jack-"He was found in an alley outside a bar in Sydney. He drank himself to death. I flew down to bring his body back…but then, uh… the airline lost it."
Claire:-"I just flew in from Sydney a few days ago."    Yeah, last Wednesday; Oceanic flight 815, they're both puzzled.  Jack takes a look at the wooden music box that plays "Catch a Falling Star".

Jack-"I’m sorry. I...I wish I knew why he wanted you to have this."
Claire-Yeah, me, too. {puts it back into the white box} Well, um. It was nice seeing you again. Thanks for trying to help."
Jack- Where are you staying?
Claire-Uh, just down the road…a motel."
Jack-Why don't you come stay with me?"
Claire- "Stay with you? I mean, we're…we're strangers."
Jack- "No, we're not strangers. We're...we're family."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Locke and his little armed group are staking out the sub. Locke puts the backpack down. {I only see one backpack}
James feels just ‘cause there ain’t any goons on the dock, doesn’t mean they ain’t on the sub so he calls the play. "We’re goin’ in hard. Got it? Lapidus, Hugo, Jin, Sun, you’re with me. The rest of you wait 30 seconds, head down the dock behind us. {to Jack and Locke} You think you two can get our backs?"
Jack-"Absolutely."
James-"All right. Let’s go home."
He heads down into the sub hatch and the rest follow. 
Over the intercom in the sub we hear "After engine room, power the bilges. After engine room, power the bilges, please."
James and Frank burst into a room demanding to know where the captain is.  They are led to the captain where Frank knocks out the guy who led them there.
Threatening James tells "Hoss" to get ready to fire this thing up.  Frank will guard the captain while James retrieves the rest of the group.
Locke hands Jack one of two backpacks and they head toward the sub.  Locke asks Jack if he's sure he won’t reconsider.   Jack is sure.
Locke-"Whoever told you, you needed to stay had no idea what they were talking about."
Jack-"John Locke told me I needed to stay."
Jack pushes Locke into the water.
Kate-"What happened?"
A shot is fired and Kate is hit in her left shoulder!  This makes Jack snap! He automatically flips into angry commando mode! {Just like at Dharmaville before the "Hydrogen bomb incident"}
There's a shootout.  Jack fires a rifle, then a handgun!
Sayid covers Jack while he carries Kate down into the sub.   Sayid calls out for Claire {who shoots a man out of a tree}
Sawyer hears the shootout.

Locke climbs out of the water onto the dock with his backpack and he is pissed off!  He's got some constitution!  He fires back at Widmore's men just like Jack did!   Claire is surprised.
Inside the sub Jack tells James Widmore’s people shot Kate and he tells Hurley  he needs a first aid kit.  James heads up top to get Claire who is still involved in the shootout.
James-"Claire!"
Locke turns and calls out, "James!" {turns and shoots an approaching bad guy} He seems concerned as he runs toward James.   James gives Locke the ol evil eye, abandons Locke and Claire on the dock, closing the hatch on them.
Inside the sub James yells out to Lapidus, "If you can hear me…DIVE! DIVE!"
Lapidus tells the Captain, "Let’s go!"    The sub starts moving out.

Claire sees the sub leaving, drops her gun and runs after the sub telling them to wait.  Locke stops her.
Down in the sub shocked Jack asks James what he's doing.
James-"What we came here to do…leaving."

Locke tells upset Claire it’s alright.
Claire-"No! They’re leaving us."
Locke-"No, trust me. You don’t want to be on that sub." {He mischievously grins a bit like the Cheshire cat and watches the sub move out.}

Inside the descending sub, bleeding Kate is upset Claire is still up there and has been left behind.
James is concerned about Kate, "Is she gonna be okay?"
Hurley can't find the first aid kit. This troubles Jack. {Yet it is right next to Frank's head! Is that kit written in black?}
Jack has Jin get his pack so he can get a shirt out of it to use for pressure.  Jack tells Kate to relax, everything will be OK. He thinks the bullet went straight through.  Jack reaches into the backpack and reveals a bomb with a digital watch for the timer, counting down; 3:54
Hurley-"Dude, where did that come from?"
Jack-"Locke…We did exactly what he wanted."
As the sub continues its descent Jack says they have to get to the surface.    Jin radios Frank to tell him to take them up.
Frank yells, "We're diving!"
Sayid has the bomb while Jack tends to Kate.
Hurley-"Dude, how'd that get on the sub?" {Are you fucking kidding me?! He just heard from Jack he said "Locke"}
Jack-"Locke put it in my pack!" 
Jin wonders why he would do that when he wanted to go with them.
James-"Damn right he did, that's why I shut his ass out!"
Jack-"He wanted you to shut him out!"
He asks Sayid how that thing works, "Can we shut it off?"
Sayid explains it's Jury rigged to the battery which detonates the explosives. It's at least five minutes until they're up, according to Frank.
James-"We ain’t got five minutes. What’s it gonna be Sayid?"
Sayid-"These wires...they’re leads from the watch. If we disconnect them from the battery, technically speaking, the bomb should be inert."
But you need to pull them out simultaneously and he's not sure...James moves him aside.
2:46 on timer.   Jack tells James to wait and not pull the wires out because he feels nothing is going to happen.
James feels if he doesn't pull the wires that Locke's gonna blow them to kingdom come.
Jack-"No, he’s not! Locke can’t kill us....This is what he wanted. {2:27} This is what he’s been waiting for.  Everything that he has done has been to get us here.  He wanted to get us all in the same place, at the same time, a nice, enclosed space where we had no hopes of getting out of."
Jin doesn't understand.
Jack-"Locke said that he can’t leave the Island without us. I think that he can’t leave the Island unless we’re all dead. He told me that he could kill anyone of us whenever he wanted. So, what if he hasn’t because he’s…he’s not allowed to. What if he’s trying to get us to kill each other?"
James-"Stay out of my way, doc."   {1:54}
Jack-"Now if he wanted that thing to blow up, why would he put a timer in it?  Why not just throw it inside?"
James doesn't care and Jack still feels nothing is going to happen.  But James feels it's not Jack's decision to make.
Jack insists "He can't kill us!"
James isn't going to stand there and do nothing.  Jack looks James in the eye wanting James to trust him that they're gonna be okay.  {1:35}
James-"Sorry, doc, I don’t."
James pulls all the wires from the timer and it pauses at 1:31 and then countdown runs faster.
Sayid needs for Jack to listen carefully. "There’s a well on the main island, half mile south from the camp we just left.   Desmond’s inside it.  Locke wants him dead, which means you’re going to need him. Do you understand me?"  {Technically they just left Hydra Island. lol}
Jack-"Why are you telling me this?
Sayid-"Because it’s going to be you, Jack."
Sayid grabs the bomb, runs down the hall and into another compartment and the bomb explodes!  The alarms sound.
The sub starts filling up with water.   Lapidus checks out what happened and is knocked down with a door that bursts off its hinges.
Sun is pinned against the wall with what looks like a metal box with wires poking out of it.   Jin tries to free her!  Sawyer tries to help him.  Jack instructs Hurley to get Kate out of there while he takes care of everyone else.   He gives Hurley an oxygen tank.
Hurley-"I have to go after Sayid?"
Jack-"There is no Sayid!…Listen to me. Take this tank and buddy-breathe and swim out where the blast hole is, okay? Hurley, you can do this, okay?'
Hurley listens.   Jack joins in trying to free Sun while the sub is sinking.
James-"Push!"
Jin-"One three."   1...2...3!    They remove the giant metal box but Sun is still trapped and James gets knocked out by a large piece that fell on his head.  Jack pulls him from the water.  The sub creaks and moans.
Jin works hard to free Sun but she wants him to go save himself.   Jin won't leave her at all, "I’m going to get you out of here."  He tells Jack to save unconscious James out of there and he'll get Sun free.
Jack gives Jin an oxygen tank because he feels he can get James out of there without it. {WTF?!}
Jin-"No, you can’t Jack….Just go!"
Jack knows he's "leaving them" and swims with Sawyer out through the blast hole up from the depths.
Jin tries to catch his breath while trying to free his wife and she begs him to go.
Jin holds her face," I won’t leave you....I’m gonna get you out of here."
Sun still begs him to go.
Jin says something in Korean and knows they're doomed, "I won’t leave you. I will never leave you again…{in English} I love you, Sun."  They kiss and hold each other.
Sun is crying, "I love you." {And add to that the heart wrenching music that has me crying like a damn baby!}

An orderly is pushing Locke down the hospital hall and wonders if someone is meeting him.  Locke confirms his fiancée, Helen. "She’s, um…{he sees Jin with white roses and does a double take at him. You see Jin get let into the room behind Locke}…probably stuck in traffic….Hey, I’ll take it from here. I’m pretty good at this."
The orderly wishes him the best of luck and Locke thanks him.
Jack is happy he caught Locke, "I hadn’t have a chance to say goodbye yet."
Locke-"Well, goodbye…and thanks again, Dr. Shepherd." {Shake hands.}
Jack confesses he went to see his father. Locke is shocked.
Jack-"When you didn’t want the surgery, I felt like I had to understand why…and, uh, I thought that if I could find out why you’re in this chair, that maybe…"
Locke-"I was in a plane crash. I had my, my private pilot’s license for a week, and, uh, I begged my father to be my first official passenger. He was terrified of flying.  But, I looked him right in the eye...I told him that he could trust me.  And we barely got off the ground. I still don’t re...I don’t remember what I did wrong, but it was my fault. It was my fault. This man, who I loved more than anything, will never walk, or talk or…"
Jack-"You know, the first time you and I met, uh, back at the at the airport…you told me that my father was gone...and, uh, it hurt to hear that, but I knew you were right. Your father’s gone, too, Mr. Locke."
Locke-"Uh, no, no, he’s not.
Jack-"Yes, he he is, and you can punish yourself as much as you want and that’s never gonna bring him back…What happened, happened…and…you can let it go."
Locke-"What makes you think letting go is so easy?
Jack-"It’s not. In fact, I don’t really know how to do it myself. And, that’s why I was hoping that…maybe you could go first."
Locke laughs through his tears, "Goodbye, Dr. Shephard." 
Jack calls out to him, "I can help you, John…I wished you believed me."
Locke stops, seeming to let that register and then wheels off.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Jack pulls James to the beach and is relieved when James breathes.
Kate-"Jack…I couldn’t find you. I couldn‘t find you."   They hug.
Hurley asks if James is okay and Jack tells him he got hit pretty hard, but he’s breathing.
Kate-"What about Jin and Sun."
Jack shakes his head indicating they didn't make it.
Kate and Hurley cry hard from this loss.
Jack walks away from them and stands at the water's edge and cries.

Locke is standing on the dock looking out to the water, he tells Claire, "It sunk." {He sounds a bit sad}
Claire-"What, the submarine? They…they were all on it, everyone…What? They’re…they’re all dead?"
Locke- "Not all of them."   Now he seems angry; he takes his backpack and rifle.
Claire-"Wait. Wh, where are you going?"
Locke-"To finish what I started."   This man on a mission walks away.




The Candidate is a GREAT episode!!!
What is going on in Locke's head and what is he seeing in his sleeping mind?
Locke is punishing himself from guilt and holding on to all that pain. He feels he obligated to stay paralyzed not only physically but emotionally.
I was very sad to see a few of our Lostie's move on but I expected it and expect even more loss.  In the off "Island" info of last week the Kwon's found what they were looking for and Sayid did too with his closure with Nadia, so he sacrificed himself in the game/journey.  In my opinion it's when those types of things happen, i.e. they find what they're looking for (love, closure, healing, forgiveness, letting go, over addiction, enlightenment, etc.) or in other instances a person is getting to close to unseating the leader or they aren't needed in the game/on the "Island"  any longer they are removed from the playing field and move on.   If one still doesn't find what they have lost then it seems you have to start all over from the beginning.


Things to Note...Questions to ask...
* Locke is indeed emotionally "paralyzed"
* Family. Relative.
* Same accident.
* Wires. CT scan. Head. Dreams. Subconscious.
* Mental and physical disabilities.
* Lapidus isn't on Widmore's list.
* Hurley can't find the first aid kit yet it is in the control room right next to Frank.
* We learned earlier this season that unconscious people can't hold their breath yet we see they are led to the surface from some very deep water.
* It was Sawyer's free will decision to call the shots on the sub mission and to pull the wires on the bomb. {Even if Locke knew he would do that.}
* Sawyer was wrong about getting that thing/Locke in the water.
* Alcoholics-Desmond, Christian, Jack.
* Locke doesn't seem threatened by the pylons and being in the water isn't a factor with anything.
* Does Locke have a thing for blowing up submarines?  He took C-4 from the Flame Station.
* There's always a way to go "further down below".    "The depths."
* In the "Pilot episode, part 1"  Jack admits to Kate to taking flying lessons but it wasn't for him.
* Could part or the entire adventure be part of a world of make believe, subconscious and/or altered state.

Willy Wonka:
Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three
Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination.
Take a look, and you'll see into your imagination
We'll begin, with a spin, traveling in, the world of my creation.
What we'll see, will defy explanation
If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it. Wanta change the world? There's nothing to it.
There is no life I know, to compare with pure imagination
Living there, you'll be free... if you truly wish to be.

Vocabulary and Research...
* Dental impression: Accurate representation of a person's dentition and other areas of the mouth. From an imprint of a person's teeth and gums in wax or plaster, a dental impression forms a "negative" of those teeth and gums, which can then be used to make a cast or model. This may be used for the fabrication of dentures, crowns or other prostheses. Common materials used for dental impressions are sodium alginate, polyether and silicones - both condensation-cured silicones and addition-cured silicones, such as polyvinyl siloxane.
- A crown is a type of dental restoration which completely caps or encircles a tooth or dental implant and is typically bonded to the tooth using a dental cement.
* Tulips: is a poem by American poet Sylvia Plath about her experiences in a mental hospital. The poem was written in 1961 and included in the collection Ariel published in 1965.
- TULIP: Calvinism is a theological system and an approach to the Christian life. Calvinist theology is sometimes identified with the five points of Calvinism, also called the doctrines of grace.
- Tulip: is an information visualization framework dedicated to the analysis and visualization of relational data.



I don't know how else I can illustrate to you the metaphors and subliminal information that is displayed within the story. We are still shown the Castaways' journey to "this place" is necessary to heal their emotional and psychological  pain.   The "Island" adventure's challenges blur with "outside world" issues and events in an effort to reach some sort of resolve.

Not everything we see is totally black and white, nor are people and things always what we think they are.  The goal, besides one person being the victor of the "Island" journey and game, is for "balance" not only on the "Island" but within each "person".

One thing we can bank on is the game element.   Jacob and MIB is each other's adversary. Both of their aim is to prevent the other from achieving their goal.
Locke neatly sets it all up for us in Deux Ex Machina when describing a game he played with his brother.  It's wonderful when he explains the concept and goal of the game Mouse Trap that directly connects to what we've seen on the island.
Yes, of course the concept of chess is being played out, incidentally after all these years I really need to see who the Queen is in all of this.
I find it important to go back to the first game reference we were shown, Backgammon.
In the game of Backgammon the pieces are known as checkers, stones, men, counters, pawns, or chips.  It's interesting that the objective is to remove (bear off) all of one's own checkers from the board before one's opponent can do the same. 

Even though I always question if things are real or not, and give many examples and use descriptive analogy, it still is important to mention that until we know what the "Island" actually is, we're in the dark.  Ultimately it may be that the "Island" will represent different things to all of us.

Jack does see himself in Locke. This episode is one that I'll use as an example of an instance when Jack and John seem to be talking at themselves and not necessarily to each other.
Exploring the psychology of seeing the yin and yang of particular beings, i.e. Jacob and the MIB and also Jack and Locke, is part of the LOST story.  They do indeed at times have that intense opposition while maintaining such closeness. 

Locke is doing whatever he needs to do to win the game and to go home/leave.  I can totally see Locke doing some terrible maneuvers in this battle, but is there a chance at all that he is doing it to free as many of them as possible and in turn freeing himself?   Or is it all just evil, to kill for the sake of killing?
Is the greater good to end the game, to leave, or just replace the two main players?   Jacob feels it only ends once and I guess that will be when we see who will be the last one standing.

Locke and Jack know that letting go isn't easy.  Locke is ready to go home/leave- as a matter of fact Dr. Shepherd gives him permission to let go as he himself cannot "let go" just yet.    At this point Jack feels his destiny is the "Island" just as Locke once did. 
It's going to be Jack.
Will Jack learn to let go over the next few hours or will he be the one destined to stay bound to the "Island" to relive his misery over again...or worse?

Love to all who are "LOST"™

It's VERY important to revisit:
The Man from Tallahassee  {Locke and his issues with depression and Anthony Cooper. Plus he blows up the sub.}

Orientation 

There's no place like HOME.

Through the Looking Glass    {Sayid tells Jack he's willing to sacrifice himself}

Born to Run  {We see the MRI Magnetic Resonance Imagining sign}

Maternity Leave  {Sun mentions that a mother should never leave her child}

Some Like it Hoth

This image rang a bell with me when I saw the bandage on  Locke's head and visited Dentist Bernard.

Disclaimer: I never claim to know everything about the show and my thoughts by no means make me right! The things I share here are my views and/or opinions. I don't claim to catch every single detail either! You all know I hate spoilers! And I stand clear of reading certain sites as to not take me off my own course of research. The one thing I don't need to do here is rehash all of the obvious clues from an episode; we all know what they are. Understood? Let the fun begin! I'll only note things that I know come up as clues later, but need to be noted when they first show up and things I find that will be of importance.

The Last Recruit

Let's talk about LOST!      The Last Recruit.

Feels like old times.
Locke is pleased to see Jack and suggests they "catch up".    Jack asks Hurley's permission to talk to Locke alone, after all this was Hurley's idea.
Hurley only replies with three simple, important and telling words..."It's all you."
Jack and John have a little pow wow that is quite casual.  Of course this is the first time Jack is seeing Locke since he put the black shoes on him at the butcher shop, he states, "You look just like him."  This doesn't bother Jack, but what does bother him is that he "doesn't have any idea what the hell you are."
Locke simply answers matter of fact, "Sure you do."
Curious armed Jack inquires, "Why John Locke?"
Locke-"Because he was stupid enough to believe that he'd been brought here for a reason. Because he pursued that belief until it got him killed. And because you were kind enough to bring his body back here in a nice wooden box."    {So Eloise Hawking knew John Locke's "dead" body had to be brought back to the Island so it could be "used".   Maybe Eloise is the constant.}
Jack-"He had to be dead before you could look like him."
Locke-"That's right."
Jack kind of just nods his head in an "Okay, I'll take that answer for now" sort of gesture.  Jack also asks "Who else have you looked like?"
Locke knows there is an underlying question Jack needs to confront. Jack shares on the third day they were there he saw..."I chased my father through the jungle, my...my dead father. {Watch how Locke looks at Jack} Was that you?"
Locke-"Yes. That was me."
This bothers Jack and he asks why.
Locke shares Jack needed to find water. {Jack nods} This may be hard for you to believe, Jack, but all I've ever been interested in...is helping you."
Jack-"Helping me to do what?"
Locke-"Leave. But because Jacob chose you, you were trapped on this Island, before you even got here. Now Jacob's dead.... we don't have to be trapped anymore we can get on an airplane and fly away anytime we want to."
Jack wonders why if they can just fly away whenever they want "Why are you still here?"
Locke-"Because it has to be all of us."      Locke can see Jack "thinking".
Jack-"John Locke was the only one of us that ever believed in this place. He did everything he could to keep us from leaving this place."
Locke-"John Locke was not a believer, Jack. He was a sucker."   {Kelvin used this type of phrase in Live Together, Die Alone part 2.}

{I call fucking shenanigans on Locke being a sucker!   The John Locke we saw arrive on the "Island" and could "walk" was indeed the only man who believed they were brought there for a reason, a purpose.  He was the one who felt his destiny was connected to the "Island".    I feel Locke "is" Locke.  We're seeing bits about Locke in the "sideways" and the reason we must be IS because we're seeing Locke.   You have to go back to season 1 and just look at this side of Locke that is present there and throughout...It's the same man we see now.   Now, is it always "this Locke"?   I have noted throughout my notes over the years that I have felt at times we've seen  two Locke's: One that is sure footed and "in the know", even nurturing, and another who bumbles to find his way.
In White Rabbit John Locke told the beach camp he knew where to find water.   He also saves Jack from his tumble over the cliff and chats with him about being an ordinary man and about Jack chasing his "White Rabbit".    Also important to note is Jack mentions after Joanna's death "We’ve been here 6 days..." {Christian was first seen in Walkabout but I think even that was supposed to be day 4 or 5}
I'll never ignore the fact that Locke looked into the eye of the Island and what he saw was beautiful.  That episode showed us Jack having to go to Australia and bring back his father. Another important point in White Rabbit is that episode does not always have a "Flash Whoosh".  The "on Island" and "off Island" events literally BLUR TOGETHER!
Again I'll mention that Jack, John and the gang are and were "trapped" there...even before they got there.  Events must be occurring in a bloody snow globe; a confined environment."}
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Locke is riding in the ambulance with Ben along for the ride. The EMT's are evaluating: his dropping BP, possible internal bleeding, any signs of neurological damage, no response in lower reflexes.
Ben answers that's because he's paraplegic and a substitute teacher at his school. He knows this man but doesn't know his first name; reveals he uses a wheelchair, "Where is it?"
The EMT claims the smashed wheelchair, "That thing, probably saved his life."
Ben saw the man that did this; the hit and run driver, "He was at our school".
EMT Simon Holt tells Ben he can talk to the cops when they get to the hospital and asks if he knows anyone they can they contact for him. {Simon checks Locke's pupils by using his pen light.}
Like Ben said, he barely knows him. {Uh, but you just said you know him.} 
Locke manages to tell them to contact Helen Norwood. "I was gonna marry her."
Ben claims, "Well, you're still gonna marry her cause he's gonna be okay, Mr. Locke."
Locke-"My name is John."

Blunt force trauma victim late 40's, needs a CT Scan.
One gunshot wound, wound, female, entry wound upper right quadrant, 500cc, external blood loss. They understand she's pregnant.
Side by side in this perfectly orchestrated dance,  Locke and Sun are being wheeled into the ER.
Sun is amazed and seems to recognize the man riding next to her. "It's him!"
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}

Locke walks with Jack through the dark jungle until he dramatically stops and waits.
Jack asks, "What is it?"
Locke tells whoever can't be seen to come out. It's armed Claire.
Locke asks her, "Are you following us Claire."   Just watch how these two work it.
Indeed she is following him because Jack's her brother.   Locke excuses himself as it looks like "you two have a lot of catching up to do", and leaves them to it.
Jack-"Claire, I'm so sorry I...."
But Claire cuts him off asking Jack, "Did he tell you? That he was the one pretending to be or father."  She seems amused and goes on to say how she gave up hope on Jack ever coming back but now that he's here, it's good to see him. Jack feels it's good to see her too.
Claire never had much in the way of family so it really means a lot that he's going with them.  Actually Jack hasn't decided he going with her/them.
Claire smiles and states, "Yeah ya have. You decided the moment you let him talk to you. Just like the rest of us. So you know, whether you like it or not...You're with him now."    {Claire seems to physically touch Jack.}
{What is with Claire?   Is she in on Locke's game plan?}

Now it's daylight!
Sawyer is whispering to Hugo about the sub that Widmore has; they'll use it to get off this rock.   Kate is filling Sun in on the plan because Sawyer thought it was good to avoid huddles.  Hurley asks about Sayid.
Sawyer informs him Sayid ain't invited because he went over to the dark side.
Confident Hugo feels, "Yeah, but you can always bring people back from the dark side."   He means Anakin.  {Sawyer doesn't know who Anakin is and this just blows my mind.  Sawyer never knows who anyone is!}
Anyway, he wants Hurley to keep his mouth shut.  Happy Claire walks over to the guys.  Hurley tells her she looks great.  They hug.  Sawyer sees that Locke has returned with Jack.
Locke looks at his group and smiles, "It's so nice to have everyone back together again."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}

Jim offers Kate an apple while she is cuffed at his desk. {My first thought...an Adam and Eve hint laced within this episode.  Maybe Kate and Sawyer are just bad apples.}
They are both wearing Black jackets and the office is filled with file boxes and a hanging trench coat.

Jim asks LaShade to give them a minute.  {As in Expose}  He reads over her file of charges which cocky Kate denies.  
Kate-"Is there something you wanted?"
Yeah, Jim wants to know if she remembers him from the airport; same flight from Sydney.  Kate remembers.
Jim-"Well, don't you think it's weird? You and me being on the same flight having that little meet up in the elevator? And a week later...boom, of all the cars in Los Angeles you smash into mine. Almost like someone's trying to put us together."
Kate wonders if he's hitting on her. That would never work because he's a cop and she's a murderer.  Kate insists she's  not a murderer.
Jim-"Well, I'm still a cop."
Kate asks why didn't he arrest her in LA  X, the elevator, he saw she was handcuffed.  Jim  playfully tells her he didn't see any cuffs, he only saw a pretty lady who needed the door held open.   Kate thinks he let her go because he went to Australia and he didn't want anyone else to know, "Should I tell that to the Fed's when they get here?" {Now, why the fuck would she say something like that?!}  Jim likes her.
Miles tells Jim he's got a live one.
Jim tells Kate-"Sorry, Duty calls."    Kate puts on her gray baseball cap.
Miles informs Jim they caught a multiple homicide at a restaurant. Victims were a lowlife named Keamy and three goons on his payroll. A Korean female GSW at the scene  and her boyfriend witnessed it; he doesn't speak English. An ATM video surveillance camera caught a Jabonie fleeing the scene. It's Sayid.
Jim tells him to put a name to that face...That's our bad guy.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}

Sayid sits contemplating a Mango.  Jack sits alone in thought looking at Sayid.  Kate walks over to Jack and mentions "He's different now."   Jack guesses they're all different now.  Jack shares that Locke wants to leave and they all have to go together.  {Locke walks with his big stick.}  Jack's not sure if he believes him yet.
All of a sudden guns are cocked because  Zoe, Widmore's number 2 strolls into camp asking for the man in charge.   Locke happily steps forward asks what he can do for her.
Zoe-"You took something from us and we want it back."   {I felt like she was a little kid on a damn playground wanting her ball back!}
Locke is sorry but he doesn't know what she's talking about. 
Locke allows Zoe to radio her peeps. She's inquiring if they've got a fix on her position {Roger that}; show them what we're capable of.
They send a missile over and Locke doesn't even flinch!  Zoe warns Locke he has until nightfall to return what he took or next time "We won't miss".    She tosses the walki talki to Locke and instructs him to call her when he's ready for them to "pick him up".
Locke drops the walki talki on the ground an smashes it with his big stick.
Locke-"Well...Here we go."
{I'm totally sick of seeing Zoe, a geophysicist  in charge of military messaging and maneuvers. She must have the bigger set of balls than the rest of the men in Widmore's employ.}

Pregnant Claire walks up to the counter; to go to the Western Pacific Adoption Agency and signs in  to head up to the 15th floor.   Desmond Hume appears! He reminds her they met at the airport baggage claim.   Nosey Des signs in, looks at the list to verify Claire's name and destination. Claire shares she had a bit of a scare and ended up in the hospital, but all's good now. She also tells Desmond he was right, "It's a boy".
He has a nose for those thing. {Like a dog! Hey! WTF is Vincent?!} 

They ride the escalator together to the second floor where they get on an elevator.
Desmond "notices" she's going to the adoption agency alone and feels she should have some legal representation. He's not a lawyer but it just so happens he's on his way to see one.
Des-"You know adoption contracts are complicated. And you should be careful because you could find yourself in a situation that's irreversible"
Claire doesn't have money for a lawyer. 
In the elevator-
Coincidentally Sexy Desmond is going to see this excellent attorney who happens to owe him a favor.  He promises it won't cost Claire a cent.
Claire abandons her appointment with the adoption agency to go with pushy Desmond and to meet his attorney friend who coincidently is also on the 15th floor.  Miss Ilana Verdansky is "coincidentally" Desmond's friend who owes him a favor, as well as coincidentally the lawyer who represents Christian Shephard with the reading and execution of his will.  Mind you, Desmond and Ilana hug and kiss hello. {Note white orchid}

Ilana appears stunned as she, without an accent, confirms this is Claire Littleton from Australia.  Claire doesn't know her but it's quite a coincidence.  "We've been looking for you."
Desmond's mission seems to be accomplished.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}

Locke has his flock gather around. Hurley tells Claire that "People are trying to kill us again".
Locke reveals that all of this is happening a bit sooner than he expected "But these people have forced our hand. Claiming we stole something from them. Trying to provoke us into a confrontation...Well, that's what they want, that's what they'll get.  Gather your things, we're going to the other Island and we're getting on that plane."
He needs James' help. He gives him a primitive map instructing him to go and get the boat that's a few hours away, and meet back at the other side of  these bluffs. They'll all sail over to the other Island, together.  James wonders why they're not all going together now.  Locke feels the bigger the group, the slower it moves.

James takes Freckles along for the boat mission as she's knows enough about sailing.  Locke is pleased.
Jack has been observing.   Locke has a private chat with Sayid and James asks Jack for a hand.
James tells Jack to listen up 'cause he's only gonna say this once..."We're not going to that rendezvous point to pick up Locke.  I got a deal with Widmore."    He instructs Jack to double back, hoof it to the old doc and grab Hugo, Sun and Lapidus.
He's not to bring Sayid because he's a zombie and Claire's nuts; she gave up her ticket when she tried to kill Kate and James' not gonna let that happen again.
James-"That's Hugo, Sun and the pilot, only them, understand?"
He also tells Jack he'll have to figure out a way to get away from Locke.   Jack watches Kate leave with James.
Locke needs Sayid to go out to where he's got Desmond. {The place where he didn't see Locke bring him.}   Locke isn't going to give him back, he's having Sayid kill him.   Locke holds "Sayid's desire"  deal over his head.  "What you asked me for....Then go do what I said."

Armed with a handgun, Sayid looks down into well at Desmond.
Desmond speaks first, "What did he offer ya?"    Des feels he has a right to know.
Sayid-"He told me I could get something back that I lost."  Explaining he lost the woman he loved; she's dead.
Des-"And what makes you think Locke can bring her back?"
Sayid-"I died and he brought me back."  {WTF?? Locke brought him back!? How? When??}
Desmond  seems sincere and asks Sayid what will he tell this woman; what he did to be with her.
{Hmmm...you can be with "dead people".}

{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Sayid enters, packs and informs Nadia that everything will be okay for her now.  He took care of it. He's leaving and he won't be able to come back.
Sayid tells Nadia to stall the LAPD at the door.   Before opening the door Nadia asks to see some identification. While Detective Miles enters the front door Sawyer snags Sayid at the back door by using a garden hose to trip him.   Jim arrests bad guy Sayid Jarrah.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}

Ready to get wet pirate Sawyer and Kate will swim over to the boat Desmond used to get to the "Island" that  he was gifted from Libby, which belonged to her dead husband "David". 
Sawyer reveals they're not seeing through the terrible idea of going back for Locke.  They're going to ditch Locke and Claire.  He tells Kate the Claire she came back for is gone.   Kate is upset because she promised she would bring her back.   Sawyer feels that was before Claire started drinking Locke's Kool aide; she's dangerous and she shouldn't want her around Aaron.  They walk into the water.

Locke leads his group.
Claire reveals to Jack she's been with Locke ever since he left.  Jack asks if she trusts him and yes she does. It's because he's the only one who didn't abandon her.
Locke falls back to ask Sun if she's seen Sayid. He was supposed to catch up with them about a half a mile back.    Locke thinks Sun is giving him the silent treatment when she doesn't reply.   Sun writes on her notepad "You did this to me!"
Locke-"I'm sorry Sun, but I didn't do anything to you."
Locke will catch up with the group at the beach. He's going to make sure nobody got left behind.

Claire observes Sawyer's off shoot group separate from Locke's group and she looks pissed. {Apparently they abandoned her again.}

Armed Sayid walks through the jungle alone and constantly looking up.
Locke asks Sayid {Black shirt} where he's been and what took him so long.
Sayid-"I just shot an unarmed man, I needed a moment." {OK, is he talking about shooting unarmed Keamy?}
Locke-"Did you kill him, Sayid?"
Sayid smirks-"Of course I did. Go and check if you'd like."
Locke looks in his eyes and decides to move on, they've got a boat to catch.  {Does Locke really buy that a trained solider and torturer did not fulfill his mission to eliminate the man in the well or doesn't it not even matter? Did Desmond talk Sayid into making a choice?}

Jack looks at the simple map. Frank the pilot hopes Jack knows where he's going because that smoke thing runs a lot faster than they do.  {Runs?! Like people run.}
Jack-"Sawyer said there'd be a doc around here somewhere."   {You're a Doc.}
Hugo sees them.
Sawyer hurries everyone on board.   Frank wonders if they're sailing home on this.
Sawyer informs them it won't work, not without a bearing. "For three years the only way Dharma folk ever got on or off this Island was by sub, and that's what we're doing."     He tells the Doc he did a nice job.
Uh oh, armed Claire shows up, "Where are you going?"
Kate tries to reason with Claire about leaving the Island, going with them and that thing not being Locke. "Whoever he is...He's not one of us."    {Is "he" Jack?!}
Kate-"Claire. Come with us. I can get you back to Aaron." This goes against Sawyer's plan but Kate tells him to shut up. "She's coming or I'm not! Come with us Claire."
Claire feels John promised her...
Kate cuts her off, "I'm promising you. I was there when he was born. And I never should have raised him. It should have been you. I came back to get you so you can be with him again. It's the only reason I came back to the Island, Claire. So please come with us. Let's go home."
Both girls are teary eyed and Sawyer wants them on the boat before Locke gets there.
Kate takes the rifle from Claire. Claire shares that when he finds out that we're gone, he's gonna be mad.

Jack and "David" arrive at the same building that Desmond, Claire and Ilana are in.   {Come on! How much is David an extension of Jack!?!}
David's mom calls and Jack will have him home as soon as he can, maybe 5:00.  David gives the ol "No" signal.    Jack tells the mother that they'll grab a bite to eat so it'll be more like 7.  That's cool with all; Jack will drop him off.  {Jack signs in but David doesn't; unless Jack signed in for him.}
Jack tells David that hearing grandfather's will being read isn't the most fun and it'll be over soon. "I promise. And it's... It's okay to be sad."
David is sad for Jack. Jack seems to like David's compassion.
The two Shephard's arrive at Ilana office, where she informs them they're set up in the conference room, and guess what...She's got a surprise for them, "Do you believe in fate?"   Both men give each other the "What's up"/who knows look.  Ilana presents Claire Littleton to them. Watch Claire when they enter.   Ilana reveals they didn't find her,  "She found us."
Jack-"You were in my father's will. Do you mind if I ask you how you knew him?"
Claire-"He was my father too."

Jack lets that register in his brain for a few seconds. The service calls the Doc about an emergency at the hospital.  Although Jack mentions this isn't a good time, he tells the service to "prep him", he's 20 minutes away. They'll have to reschedule the will reading.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Jack sits alone on the boat looking out at the ocean.

Frank, who is a little late to the party, asks Sawyer what his game plan is.
Captain Sawyer reveals the plan to "Chesty", is to land on Hydra Island, get them nice and cuddly with Widmore, get a chance to jump on that sub. Then he's gonna put a gun in someone's face and make em take them home.
Frank saw some canned food down in the galley, anyone else starving.
Sawyer has Freckles take the wheel a minute while he goes over to chat with the Doc. Kate warns him to be nice.
Sawyer didn't think Jack would show up, "Taking orders ain't your strong suit. Nice to see you finally came around."
Leaving the Island doesn't feel right to Jack. It's because he remembers how he felt the last time he left, "Like a part of me was missing."
Sawyer informs the Doc they have pills for that.
Jack feels they were brought there because they're supposed to do something. "And if Locke, if that...that thing wants us to leave...maybe it's afraid of what happens if we stay."
Angry Sawyer demands Jack get off his damn boat, "You got a decision to make and you make it now. Either you're with us, you keep that damn crazy talk to yourself or you're going in the water."
Jack-"James, this is a mistake. And I know there's a part of you that feels that. The Island is not done with us yet."
Sawyer is done with this Island and gives Jack permission to take a "Leap of Faith".  Jack apologizes for getting Juliet killed and he jumps overboard; backpack and all.
Sawyer tells upset Kate that Jack changed his mind and of course Kate wants to go back for him. Unfortunately Sawyer is done going back.

Shot of monitors for Station 1.  Sleeping Sun wakes up and looks over at sleeping Jin. She wakes him.
Jin informs her she was shot but that she and the baby is fine. "It's over, and we're all going to be okay." Sun cries.
The camera literally pans from the Kwon love birds, backs out the door into the hallway to oncoming Jack and David as Jack makes his way into surgery.
David inquires about Jack not knowing that all these years his dad had another kid. David can't believe grandfather never mentioned it.
Jack reveals "He kept a lot of things to himself."
David-"Is that where you get it from?"
Jack laughs in amusement, "Yeah. Probably."
He asks David, "You gonna be OK hanging while I do this."
David will be and he also wishes his dad "Good luck."

Jack checks out the MRI/Scan/X-rays and sees the obliterated Dural Sac. The kicker is the patient has a pre-existing spinal condition. This is why the medical team called Jack in...because they're in over their heads.
Confident Jack "got this".
Inside the OR Jack looks down at the sleeping patient, sees his own reflection, then sees the patient's reflection....
The Other Doctor asks "What is it?"

Jack realizes, "I think I know this guy".    He looks confused but recognizes the man in the mirror. {It's important to note we get Jack's reflection first and then Locke's reflection. I'll say the words again...Jack recognizes the man in the mirror. Perhaps Jack finally sees himself.}
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Exhausted Jack arrives back on the beach and is met by Locke. "Nice day for a swim."
Jack confirms that Sawyer took Locke's boat.

Sawyer's wet group arrives at Hydra Island and is greeted by geophysicist Zoe and Widmore's men. It's alright she knows him. When Zoe asks who else is with him {like she doesn't know}, he says "Nobody. If you're wondering where Locke is, he's still back on the main Island."
She has the fence turned off and radios that Ford showed up on a boat with five of his friends.

Jin and Sun are reunited!! Yay!!
They speak English! Sun never stopped looking for him. The Castaways seem happy with their reunion, all except for Sawyer, who uneasy.
Frank- "Looks like someone got their voice back."

Jin promises they'll never be apart again.
Zoe orders the group to their knees. Orders come in from Widmore that the deal is off.  The Widmore army has a site-line on Locke and they fire when ready.
Hearing in the incoming missiles, Jack orders everyone to get down.  Everyone runs except for Locke who stands his ground.
Jack's hearing is muffled and ringing.
Super Locke carries Jack. {Like when he carried Boone in Deus Ex Machina}
While missiles fly overhead Locke tells disoriented Jack it's going to be OK, "You're with me now."

The Last Recruit is a GREAT episode!
Nothing is irreversible and “Nothing is permanent.”
"You can always bring people back from the dark side."    But whom are we bringing back from the dark side?
Is this all about Jack and his journey alone?  There are a few times we get a hint to Jack and "It's all you".
Is it about Locke's journey?  Jack and John again seem as if they are two halves of a whole in some aspects.
Is it about Christian, Hurley or Walt for that matter?

Apparently..."The revolution has begun, man. Lay low, when the time is right, we fly". - Dave
The battle to put this game to a possible end is here!

I get a lot of shit about my thoughts on the game element, the living breathing chess game, using video game analogy to descriptively explain some similarities, and things happening in the head/mind/consciousness.   I've been very clear about not being sure which events are happening in the head/mind/consciousness but nonetheless something is happening in the head, but whose head? Is it one person or all of them?
Mental Health is another area I've kept close at hand.  Is it one person with potential schizophrenia or a couple of the castaways?   If we are dealing with schizophrenia, split/multiple personality/dissociative identity disorder, is part of the therapy to eliminate the negative parts of your past and yourself? Again, enlightenment is paramount.
Many of the issues we see can be linked back to Locke's story and his issues; Mental health, depression, schizophrenia, adoption, abandonment, disability, etc. 

At this point Locke is responsible for bringing parts of the family back together.  Who is the "family"?  He just reunited Jack and Claire and allowed Sun and Jin to be reunited.

Who is in whose body and/or masquerading as another?    The damn switching of dark and light sides and the constant breakdown of teams can be so confusing at times. 

On to the body of Christian: Where is Christian's body?  Christian's body is missing from the casket on the "Island" that was already inside the caves.   Yet Locke's "dead" body was returned to the "Island" as a proxy for Christian {Eloise was involved in this mission} and it is assumed MIB supposedly "mimicked" Locke's physical, mental and emotional being; while Locke's actual body was in the Ajira crate. 
Why would MIB need Locke's body, that was supposedly "off Island"?   Why didn't MIB use "Dead" Danielle, Karl, or anyone else' "on Island" body?  The excuse of  Locke being a "sucker" doesn't cut it.

We're kept in the loop about Christian over the years with the infamous "Flashes".
An important episode is Collision.
I must say I'm having some concern regarding MIB/Locke as Christian,  or at least being Christian every time.  On the other hand we have gotten connections to Locke, Smokey and Christian before, like in Dead is Dead.  Is Locke, Locke, and the MIB two different things?  Are MIB and "Jacob" independent of each other, two brothers or one in the same?   Is there more than one "smoke thing"?  Is it something they all have access to?

If MIB was Christian on the freighter then why not let Michael pull off his redemption mission and hitch a ride back to the "outside world"?    Plus why tell Michael he can go now and they both just end up back on the Island anyway.   Was that really Christian, "Jacob" or the "Island"?
If MIB was Christian, let's be reminded we see "Dead Christian" off "Island".   Now, if on "Island" and off "Island" events are not separate places that will work, but then we also have to bring "Jacob" into the smoky mix.

Who assumed the physical identity of Yemi while Locke was down in the pearl hatch. Who assumed the physical identity of  Ben's mother Emily, Harper, Isabella and Dave?   How do we know Michael's current image wasn't mimicked by Smokey.  We don't.

 Who is the image of the young boy/boys who is seen around present day Locke?   The blond and brunette young boy/boys were seen by Sawyer and Richard, the horse was actually seen by Kate and Sawyer and the spiders were seen by Nikki and Paulo.
If Walt isn't dead then where was his "on Island" images and backwards talking images coming from?   Not from a "smoke thing".
Can "Smokey" assume the image of the living as well?   All through my notes it is documented that there were times I felt our "living" castaways weren't always "them".   Can they take turns as the "smoke thing"?

Things to note...Questions to ask...
* Part {Parts} of a person.
* When are the sideways from? How is the sideways experience really happening?
* Hospital
* Head//Brain/mind/consciousness. Eyes/Pupils. Ears. Listen. Hear.
* Chest. Spine. Back.
* Remember.
* Kool Aid is a kids drink.
* Mental health. Crazy.
* School. Learn. Teach. Pupil.
* Games. Game plan. Deal.
* Dark. Light. Gray.  Red. 
* Monitor. Scan.
* Family.
* Desmond may know about both "On Island" and "Off Island" events.
* What is real and what is not? 
* Predominant color- Gray and Purple
* David's mother? Juliet, Sarah, Gabriella, Karen?
* In the beginning we were told the "Smoke Monster/Black Smoke" is a security system. Is it not?
* Frank, Desmond, Hurley/Hugo, Ben, Ana Lucia, Cindy all wear/worn airline uniforms of some sort.
* Choice.   Free will.
* Locke talks to Jack first.  Desmond talks to Sayid first. 
* The days Jack mentions when seeing his father are wrong.  Is Jack baiting him on it to see if the facts differ or is it outright a detail that is wrong?
* We spent last week's episode with Hurley lying and deciding to go talk to Locke and Jack being on board with that.
* Is Sayid really the bad guy?  What about Claire or Desmond?
* Vincent. Vincent. Vincent.
* Locke is helping Jack leave.

* If whatever happened, happened and you can't re-write history then why would Ilana not have an accent?  I'll have to ask Ilana how to get rid of an accent.  Apparently in this whole "sideways drunkenness"  I need to question the existence of "Jacob" and/or Jacob's presence in these people's lives.   Are we seeing a life without "Jacob" or the "Island" influence?

* WHO is the Last Recruit???????

Vocabulary and Research...
* Humanity-the quality of being benevolent
- The human condition, the totality of experience of existing as a human
-The humanities, academic disciplines which study the human condition using analytic, critical, or speculative methods
* Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities (known as alter egos or alters), each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment.



Locke looking "just like him" doesn't bother Jack, but what does bother him is that he doesn't have any idea what the hell "you" are.   Locke simply answers matter of fact, "Sure you do."
What does this mean? Is John and Jack looking at reflections of themselves?  Are they two halves of a whole? Is Jack really looking at his father/Christian?   Deep down inside Jack may know what this "Island" experience is all about.
Is Jack aware that Locke is an alien?
Fuck it...since there's no such things as monsters bring on the hybrid alien already!

And finally I must revisit the most important piece of this MIB/Christian puzzle piece... Missing Pieces episode, So it Begins.  Here we see Christian call over Vincent in an effort to have the dog go into the bamboo forest and wake up his son.   But as I noted when we first got this clip, if you look closely you can see a very brief moment of black smoke flutter by.

I believe it's still safe to say...People and things are not what you think.

Love to all who are "LOST"™


Disclaimer: I never claim to know everything about the show and my thoughts by no means make me right! The things I share here are my views and/or opinions. I don't claim to catch every single detail either! You all know I hate spoilers! And I stand clear of reading certain sites as to not take me off my own course of research. The one thing I don't need to do here is rehash all of the obvious clues from an episode; we all know what they are. Understood? Let the fun begin! I'll only note things that I know come up as clues later, but need to be noted when they first show up and things I find that will be of importance.