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.

The ODI Analyze Everybody Loves Hugo

Hi Losties!

In this podcast we discuss key moments and of course provide you with our thoughts about Michael and Libby returning, Michael bringing the whispers along with an "answer" to what they are, Desmond and Locke exchanging shocking moments with one another, Ilana going Arzt on us and so much more!

This podcast is a slightly extended podcast because we really take time to chat about the "whispers", and Anil from The ODI rants about why he did not like the way the whispers were answered.

Hope you all enjoy!

ODI LOSTcast 64 - Episode 6x12 Everybody Loves Hugo Recap

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Everybody Loves Hugo

Let's talk about LOST.     Everybody Loves Hugo.

"In a world full of conflict and strife...there is but one fact we all can agree upon...Everybody Loves Hugo. Born to humble surroundings, Hugo Reyes has always been a beacon of light for all who cross his path. Now Hugo's lifelong love affair with chicken led him to acquire and then expand the Mr. Cluck's chain into a worldwide phenomenon.  The exponential growth of Hugo's success was startling.  But financial success wasn't the end... it was the beginning. Hugo and giving became synonymous.  Parks, playgrounds, hospitals, the Mr. Clucks house for children. The philanthropy was unparalleled.   Which brings us to this evening and the opening of the Hugo Reyes Paleontology wing at the Golden State Natural History Museum. A lasting beacon of culture that bears the name of one of our cities greatest benefactors...Ladies and Gentlemen...our man of the year...Hugo Reyes."
When he stands to the applause of the room his mom looks unimpressed.

The "Flashes of snapshots" from Hugo's life is displayed during the speech.{A farm, as an infant/mom, baby, grand re-opening, w/box of chicken, Mr. Cluck's in Paris,Mt Fuji, Egypt, shaking hands with people at a Construction site/hardhats, w/NuNu, kids and chicken suit guy at a zoo w/elephant, ribbon cutting, experimental farm,etc.}

{Note: When Cheng says hospitals the image of Hugo in front of BOX2 is shown}
The master of ceremonies is Pierre Cheng/Candle/Wickman/Halliwax.

While leaving the event Hugo tells his mom about another event in his honor next Saturday night; The Human Fund. {The trophy is an opaque piece of glass in the cutout shape of a T-Rex.} "Can you make it?"    Apparently Hugo receives many trophies.
Unimpressed and bored Mom remarks that everybody loves Oo-go, "You know who doesn't? Women."
She feels Hugo needs a woman in his life especially on who has not "nursed" him. While Hugo feels he's too busy to meet someone his mom feels the real reason is that he scared. Hugo says he's not scared. This pleases mom as she reveals he has a date tomorrow with grandpa Tito's neighbor's daughter Rosalita; she agreed to lunch with him. When Hugo asks what she's like, angry mom replies, "Willing to meet you! You're going! She's gonna love you. And if she doesn't...we will find someone who does."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Hurley changes the dead flower to a bright new fresh one at Libby's grave marker at Boone Hill.

Hurley kneels down and talks to Libby. "A lot of crazy stuff's been happening. I kinda wish I could talk you about it in person. A lot of people come and talk to me when they've...you know...gone. It'd be nice if you did too."
Ilana walks over asking Hugo if he's ready to go. "Once I'm back we're leaving."   She says she's going to the Black Rock because they need dynamite to destroy the plane. Hugo asks if she's sure that's the right move. Ilana isn't sure, but it's the only move they have.
Hurley-"Well, you're the expert."  {Some expert, huh?}
Ilana asks whose grave it is.
Sad Hurley shares her name was Libby and was in the tail section of the plane. They were gonna have their first date, like a picnic and then she was murdered. Ilana is sorry.
Hurley-"Yeah. Me too."
Ilana walks away. Once alone Hurley hears whispers.
Michael appears and informs Hurley he's there to stop Hurley from getting everyone killed. Hurley stays quiet while holding his dead flower.
Michael-"You gonna say something?"
Hurley-"And why should I trust you? You murdered Libby and Ana Lucia."
Michael-"That doesn't right matter now. What matters is you going across that Island to blow up that plane. People are gonna die.  A lot of people and it's gonna be your fault. {What?!} Because people are listening to you now, Hurley!"
In the distance Jack calls "Hurley".    Jack wonders who Hurley's talking to.
Hurley-"No one."
Jack-"Come on. We're leaving."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Hugo is down to his last homemade tortilla chip in the basket. The waiter offers him more and starts to remove the other place setting but Hugo has him leave it because he's meeting someone and she's running late.
Waiter-"Right. Chips are on the way."
Hugo looks over the Spanish Johnny's menu.

Libby appears at his table. "Hugo."
Hugo looks over the top of the menu and sees this woman. He wasn't expecting someone like her; someone so pretty. He invites her to sit.
Hugo-"You don't look like a Rosalita."
She informs him her name isn't Rosalita, it's Libby.
Hugo-"So, you're not my blind date?"
Nope, she just saw him from across the room. She apprehensively mentions if she tells him how she knows his name he'll think she's crazy.
Hugo-"No I won't."
Libby reaches across the table and takes hold of both his hands. "Hugo. Do you believe that two people can be connected...Like soul mates?"
Hugo-"I guess."
Libby is getting teary eyed, "You don't remember me, do you?"
Hugo-"Should I?"
Dr. Brooks walks over and asks Elizabeth what she's doing. "Are you bothering this man?"
Libby claims Hugo to be an old friend. Dr. Brooks apologizes, explaining she wandered off.
Hugo-"Wandered off from where?"
Nearing tears, Libby tells Hugo that everything she said she meant.  They look in each other's eyes for a moment.
Dr. Brooks-"Forgive us."   He literally pulls Libby away.  Hugo is left surprised and confused.

Hugo walks outside to watch Libby get into the white van.  They wave at each other.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Ilana returns to the beach telling everyone they have to make it to the outriggers and across the channel to Hydra Island before nightfall. She tells Richard she retrieved four sticks of {totally shitty ruined sweaty leaking} dynamite; enough to destroy the cockpit and all the instruments. "That plane'll never fly."
Hurley doesn't think the whole unstable dynamite thing is a good idea. Ilana wants him to trust her because she's been training her whole life for this.
Hurley-"To blow stuff up?"
Ilana-"To protect you."
Hurley-"Yeah, but, how's blowing up the plane protecting us?"
Ilana starts piling water bottles into the dynamite bag, "With that plane gone, that thing wont be able to  leave the Island."
Hurley-"Yeah, well, neither will we. And then we'll be stuck here with it and then it'll be angry at us.
Ilana-"Jacob said Richard will know what to do.  And Richard said to blow up the plane, correct?"
Richard - "Yes."
Hurley- "Well, Jacob never said anything about it to me. I mean what if Richard's wrong?"
Richard is just watching Hurley.
Ilana-"Hugo, I'm looking out for your best interest...all of you!  Nothing is more important than this. That thing is evil. And god help us if it ever leaves this Island...Because if it eve..."
Upon jamming her last water bottle into her bag, Ilana is blown to bits!

Locke is whittling a very long stick with his big knife.  Sawyer asks him if it's going to be a spear.
Locke-"I'm not sure what it's gonna be yet, James. When the time is right, it'll tell me."
Sawyer-"You talk to wood now?"
Locke wonders if there's something Kate and Sawyer want him to do.
Frustrated Sawyer wants Locke to do "anything!"  He feels the bastards on the other Island grabbed Jin and they're just sitting around twiddling their damn thumbs doing nothing about it.
As he continues to whittle, Locke shares, "There's a difference between doing nothing and waiting."
Kate asks what they're waiting for.
Locke waves his knife-"You were only able to come back to this Island because you all did it together.  If we're gonna get on that plane and leave it has to happen the same way. We're waiting for your friends to get here, Kate.  Hugo, Sun, Jack.  That's the only way we're ever getting off this... god forsaken rock."
Kate-"Well I don't see that happening."
Locke-"Well let's just hope you're wrong."
Sayid saunters into camp and Sawyer asks him where he's been.  Sayid needs to speak to Locke in private; the two men walk into the jungle.  Sawyer suspiciously watches them
Locke wonders if everything went alright; did Widmore see Sayid.    Sayid mentions Widmore's people saw him.
Locke-"And you let them live?"
Sayid-"I didn't see the point of killing them when I had what I came for."
Locke-"So you found what they were hiding in the submarine?"
Sayid most certainly did. He led Locke to the reveal of peaceful Desmond tied to a tree.

Hurley walks over to Ilana's belongings.  Picks up a red covered book and the small sack of "ash"{Or diamonds}, which he takes.

Richard dumps a bag full of crap out and tells Ben they have to go get more dynamite or else "she" died for nothing.  Quiet Frank just watches.
Jack-"Maybe she died to show us to stay the hell away from dynamite."
That's a risk Richard is willing to take.  Jack tells Richard that he promised Sun that he'd get her off that Island and Richard wishes he didn't promise her that.
Richard-"If it makes you feel any better you can blame it on me."
Hurley thinks Richard is right and feels it's the only choice they've got, "Trust me, Jack."
Jack says okay, and motivated Richard suggests, "Let's get moving."
Although Hurley looks unsure.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
A clerk at the counter at Mr. Cluck's chicken is calling out for number 38.
Hugo walks up to clerk {Jayden} and orders a family size bucket of chicken.
While Hugo sits a eats a woman is calling out the number 41.
Hugo looks around, as if "feeling" like he's being watched and does indeed see a man looking at him. It's sunglass wearing Desmond. He walks over as asks Hugo if he's seen him before.
With a fist full of chicken leg, Hugo reveals he owns the place and the guy might have seen his commercial; he asks Des if he wants a Cluckateer key chain.
Desmond seems confused, "No. It's not that."
After a few seconds of recall he asks Hugo, "Were you on Oceanic flight 815...a week ago from Sydney?"
Yeah, what a coincidence! Desmond automatically takes a seat while he asks Hugo if he minds he join him while he waits for his order. "OOh...That is a lot of chicken!"
Hugo-"I eat when I'm depressed."
Desmond smiles-"So what's her name?"
Hugo-"I met a girl on a blind date the other night."   {Night?! It was lunch...in the day!}
Desmond-"And it didn't go how you hoped."
Hugo is excited and shares that she's totally awesome except for one thing..."She's crazy."
Desmond-"Well all women are a little bit crazy, brotha."
Hugo-"No! This one actually lives in the looney bin. I mean I saw the van. She's full on nuts. I mean she started sane...but then she told me we already knew each other. And that...I'd remember!"
Desmond wonders if Hugo believed her and he says yeah, he kinda did.  Desmond whispers to Hugo to go with his gut and try to find out where she thought she knew him from before he gives up on her. Hugo is lost in thought. The clerk calls out "42. Order 42."  That's Desmond's order number!
Desmond-"It was nice bumping into ya."
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Locke kneels down to talk to calm tied to the tree Desmond. He apologizes that Sayid tied him up but he was afraid Desmond would run before they had a chance to talk. Des doesn't blame him and explained he has nowhere to run to.  Locke feels that best argument against captivity that he ever heard, he doesn't know what is. He cuts Des free and asks him a couple of questions.
Locke-"Why did Charles bring you back to the Island?"
Desmond-"Considering I was kidnapped...you'll have to ask him."
Sayid confirms they had him under armed guard.
Desmond-"They threw me into a wood shack and blasted me with a massive amount of electromagnetism."
Locke wonders how he can be sure what he blasted him with.
Desmond-"Experience."
Locke-"Do you know who I am?"
Des replies matter of fact, "Of course...You're John Locke."
Locke instructs dead pan Sayid to head back to camp because he and Desmond need to take a walk. Sayid mechanically heads into the jungle. Locke holds out his right hand to Desmond to take, "Something I'd like to show you." {Who is showing who what?} Desmond takes his hand and Locke helps lift him up.

On their trek through the jungle stunned Ben remarks to the gang about Ilana and Jacob, "Kinda makes ya think, Ilana being handpicked by Jacob, trained to come and protect "you candidates", no sooner does she tell them who they are, then she blows up. "The Island was done with her. Makes me wonder what's gonna happen when it's done with us."
No cross wearing Richard has led them to the Black Rock. He wants to be the only one handling the dynamite so he's going in alone. It's at that moment he and the rest realize Hugo isn't with the group. {How does Hurley manage to vanish from the group undetected over the years?}
"RUN! GO! GO! GO! GO!" It's Hugo running from the Black Rock! It is blown to bits! {Only the ship, nothing else}
Richard is pissed, "Why the hell did you do that?"
Hugo-"I'm protecting us."
Richard-"What the hell were you thinking?! What are we supposed to do now?!"
Jack tells him to calm down.
Richard-"We're dead. We're all dead!"
Hugo sits alone. Miles tells him a warning might have been nice. Hugo did indeed say "run". He reveals to Miles that Michael told him to do that. Of course Miles doesn't know Michael so Hugo explains. "Michael. He's one of the people who come back and yell at me after they die. He told me I have to stop everyone from blowing up the plane, so...no dynamite...no more blowin up."
Miles-"That happen a lot? Dead people yelling at you?"
Hugo-"Happens enough."  {He thinks he gets yelled at?!!  WTF?}
Miles-"And you just...listen to whatever they say?"
Hugo-"Dead people are more reliable than alive people."   {And why would that be?! Think about it.}
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Large photo of a tropical island.
Hugo {wearing a gray zip-up hoodie)sits in Dr. Brook's office wanting to see Libby.

Dr. Brooks doesn't think that's a good idea as she's not well.
Hugo-"Clearly she's well enough for like a fajita field trip."
Brooks feels that's his mistake; he mis-judged her condition.
Nervous Hugo-"Her condition."
Brooks-"She has issues with reality."   He doesn't think it "probably" would be a good idea for Hugo to see her right now, it'll only confuse her.
Hugo-"You said 'probably' which means you might make an exception?"
Brooks-"Perhaps for family."
Hugo-"Or a generous donor. The rec room looked pretty narly on my way in. What do you think 100K might buy?"   Hugo writes a check.

A patient releases the black and red chips from the Connect Four grid.  Visitor Hugo sits in the rec room waiting for Libby. The room is filled with child like artwork, cutouts, paint, alphabets W-7U,games, images of the Island, old dude playing a hand-held video game etc.

Excited Libby enters and wonders if Hugo remembers. He does not.
She's disappointed, "Then why are you here?"
Hugo-"Where is it you think you know me from?"
Libby's not sure, "I know it won't make sense."
Hugo-"Try me."
Libby-"A few days ago I was watching TV and one of your commercials came on... and the moment that I saw you it was like I was hit over the head all these  memories came washing back... of my life..only it was... another life."
Hugo-"What kind of memories?"
Libby-"There was a plane crash and uh, I was on an island."
Hugo-"And I was there?"
Libby-"I think so. We knew each other. We... liked each other.  And then when I got here it was almost like I'd been here before and for some reason, Hugo,  I have a memory of you being here too."
Hugo-"Um, this is the first time I've ever been in a mental hospital."
Libby-"Yeah, I know. But I can't get you out of my brain and that's why the other night when I saw you  I had to talk to you. Because if.. you remembered me..."
Hugo -"I wish I could, Libby, but I can't. I'm sorry."
Libby cries-"It's ok. It's ok.  I'm crazy."
Hugo-"Yeah, probably, but we all got something, right?  I mean it takes a lot of guts go up to a total stranger  and tell them you know them from some bizarro alternate universe. I'm scared just saying hi to a girl."
Libby-"You're doin fine."
Hugo-"Hey, can you ever like... get out of here? Umm, day pass or...?"
Libby-"Yeah. I'm here voluntarily."
Hugo-"Whoa. Would you like to do something?"
Libby-"You mean a date?"
Hugo-"Yeah."
Libby would love that.
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
"Remind me Desmond, how long were you down in that hatch pushing that button?", asks Locke.
 Desmond-"Three years."
Locke notes here he is back for more, "If I didn't know better I'd say this Island has it in for you."
Desmond-"Do you know better? There's nothing special about me, brotha. This Island has it in for all of us."
Locke-"Yes it does."    He sees a familiar young boy{brown hair} over Desmond's shoulder.
Desmond can see him too, "Who's that?"
Locke-"Just ignore him."
Desmond-"Do you know that boy?"
Locke-"I said ignore him!"    Desmond looks back at the boy, the boy smiles and runs away.

Back at the burning Black Rock motivated Richard decides he and Ben going back to the Dharma barracks because Ben thinks there is still grenades and explosives there.  Jack feels they should talk about this.  Richard feels there's no time to talk, but if Jack knows what they need to do , if he knows how to stop that thing from leaving the Island without blowing that plane up then they need to hear it.
Hugo declares they need to go and talk to Locke.
Richard-"Are you trying to get us killed?!"
It's not Hugo's idea, it's "his".    Hugo  points into the jungle at nothingness, claiming Jacob  to be there.    Richard calls Hugo on this and wants him to prove Jacob is standing there by asking Jacob "What the Island is".
Richard feels if Jacob is really standing there he'd know that he had told him what the Island is.
Hugo walks over and stands next to Richard stating he doesn't have to prove anything to him, "You can either come with me or you can keep trying to  blow stuff up. Your call, dude."
Richard looks Hugo in the eyes and announces Hugo's lying.
Richard-"Jacob isn't telling us what to do because Jacob never tells us what to do.  I'm gonna make this simple, if that thing leaves the Island that's it... it's over."   {Yes, it will be game over.}
Miles-"What's over?"
Richard-"Everything!  I'm destroying that plane and I could use all the help I can get.  Who's coming with me?"
Ben is going.  Miles tells Hugo he saw "that thing" in action and it doesn't want to talk, so he's going with Richard too.    Jack apologizes and feels if Jacob says we go talk to Locke, then they go talk to Locke. He's going with Hugo.
Richard-"Don't get in our way."   He and his tiny group heads out.
Jack-"Alright, Hurley...let's go talk to Locke."     Hurley looks troubled.

Hurley leads his group through the dark jungle.   Sun writes a note to Frank asking if they made a mistake.
Frank-"Probably."

Nervous Hurley asks Jack what he thinks they should say to Locke when they get there. "I mean...How do you break the ice with the smoke monster?"
Jack tells him not to worry about it because something tells him Locke will do most of the talking.  Hurley's scared he could just kill them all.   Jack seems nonchalant about it.   Hurley turns around to Jack and confesses he didn't see Jacob back there. He just said it because he wanted everyone to listen to him.
Jack-"I know."
Hurley wonders why Jack went with him.    Jack explains that ever since he got Juliet killed all he's wanted was to fix it, but he can't ever fix it.  "You have no idea how hard it is for me to sit back and listen to other people tell  me what I should do. I think that maybe that's the point.  Maybe...I'm supposed to let go."  {Yes, Jack. That is your lesson.}
Hurley remarks, unless his letting go gets them killed.   Going to see Locke was Hurley's idea, not Jacob's and  Jack is trusting Hurley.
Hurley feels it's a good thing he does, "'Cause I have no idea where I'm going."
They all hear whispers!
Hurley says it's cool because "I think I know what these things are."
He has the group wait there as he walks into the jungle alone.  He calls out for Michael "Hey you around?" and Michael walks out.   {It's a good thing Michael walked out and not some other gone folk.}
Hurley-"You're stuck on the Island, aren't you?"
Michael-"'Cause of what I did."
Hurley-"And... there are others out here... like you, aren't there. That's what the whispers are?"
Michael-"Yeah. We're the ones who can't move on."    {Can't.}
Hurley-"Do you know where Locke is?"     Michael points to a torch illuminated area down  in the valley.

Hurley asks Michael if there's anything he can do to help him.
Michael-"Don't get yourself killed."    He also asks if Hurley ever does see Libby again "Tell her I'm very sorry."  {Tell her yourself!!!}    Hurley smiles will be sure and do that. 
{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
Hugo lays out a blue blanket on the beach for his picnic with Libby.  He brought six different kinds of cheeses.   Libby sits staring out at the ocean.   Hugo wonders if something's wrong.
Libby-"No. Not wrong...just...off."
She hasn't been "here" before but being there with Hugo is familiar to her, "Like a date we never had."  She realizes she sounds completely insane.  They both question each other about why they want to be with one another.
Hugo-"Come on, look at me."
Libby looks him in the eyes and tells him she wants to be with him because she likes him.  Hugo feels she likes him because she's delusional.   Libby just kisses him.  Hugo gets "Flash images" of he and Libby on the Island".   He opens his eyes and Libby asks what's wrong.  Hugo shares he thinks he's remembering stuff.   With this recall it may mean Libby isn't crazy.   Desmond has been sitting nearby in his car watching the two on the beach.

Locke has led Desmond to a  very old well.  Locke reads Desmond's mind in wondering how deep it is.  Locke tosses a lit torch into it and it sounds like it lands in water.    Locke teaches him that the people who dug the well did it completely by hand.  "God knows how long it took em."
Desmond-"It seems like a lot of  work just to get some water."
Locke-"Oh they weren't looking for water, they were looking for answers.  A long time ago places like the one we're standing at now made compass needles spin.  And the people holding the compasses needed to know why...so they dug."
Desmond-"Did they find what they were looking for?"
Locke-"No, they didn't.  The reason I wanted you to see this, Desmond,  is because Charles Widmore is not interested in answers, he's only interested in power.  And he brought you back to this island  so that you can help him find what he's looking for.    After all, this isn't the only well."
Desmond-"And that's the reason you wanted me to see this."
Locke is curious, "Why aren't you afraid?"
Desmond-"Excuse me?"
Locke-"You're out here... middle of the jungle...with me... not a person on earth even knows you're here.  Why aren't you afraid?"
Desmond-"What is the point of being afraid?"
Locke looks deep in Desmond's eyes, smiles and pushes him into the well.

Locke arrives back at his camp and informs Sayid that they don't have to worry about their "friend" anymore.
Curious Sawyer asks Locke where he's been.  Locke shares he went for a walk.   Sawyer feels now that Locke's stretched his legs...Sawyer's distracted by the arrival of Hurley.
Hurley-"I don't know who you are , dude or what you want..."
He appeals to Locke that even though both sides have weapons he wants Locke's word no one will get hurt or killed.  He gives his word that they're not going to do anything and he wants Locke's word to the same. So Locke hands his knife to him and gives his word.  Hurley tells the guys they can come out.   Out walk Frank, Sun {She doesn't automatically asks for Jin!}  and Jack.   Jack and Kate share a smile.   His gaze is broken when Locke says "Hello Jack."    Jack looks confused and concerned, Locke smiles.

{Air plane engine/sounds-rumble}
At school Locke is making his way across the parking lot in his wheelchair.   Desmond is sitting in his car and spots Locke.   Educator Ben knocks on Desmond's window to inquire if he's waiting for someone in particular.  Ben notes Desmond has been parked at the school watching the kids.
Desmond doesn't have a kid who goes there and adds the lie of just moving to the neighborhood and is looking for a school for his son "Charlie".   Desmond keeps his eyes on struggling Locke.
Ben-"Well, as a teacher here I can vouch for it completely. It's a wonderful school."
Desmond finds this info great to hear and obviously ends the chat with Ben.  Ben still looks suspicious.   Locke is still wheeling his way up the little hill.  Des starts the car and speeds up intentionally hitting Locke.
Ben runs over to him, tells someone to call 911.
"Mr. Locke! Oh my god!  Don't, don't move.  We're gonna get you to the hospital. Mr. Locke...Mr. Locke... Can you hear me?!"
Watch when Locke starts to come around.

Everybody Loves Hugo is a GREAT episode!!

Why did Desmond hit Locke with the car?  Is it so Locke has to connect with Jack...or because Locke pushed him into the well?
Why did Locke push Desmond into the well?  Was it payback for hitting him with the car?
Which of these intentional events came first?  Hmmmm  It is possible things are not separate at all.

Child-like artwork, cutouts, play, toys, games, imagination, make believe and yes...even deep pain.
I can't help but sometimes "feel" like we are seeing our grown up Losties behave like children at the same time.
The unblemished innocence of a young child, the ability to feel safe, to have their minds open to nothing but wishes, dreams, imagination, fantasy, exploration and possibility.  All of this is what every child embodies until the ugly hand of society gets a hold of them.    When a "catastrophic" experience happens to a child it leaves them feeling alone, abandoned, and hopeless, with their strength shattered and dreams crushed.
With all this mention of children this season I can't help but wonder about Waaaaaaaalt.

The "Island" does indeed seem to be the place you go to find  yourself, to rediscover the person you left behind and need to connect with again, to learn to love, forgive and accept things so that you can move forward.
People who are unable or can't "move on" are stuck. Exactly! Aren't they all stuck on the "Island" looking for answers?
This episode is riddled with mental health issues and the connection of Libby, Michael and Hurley.  Add to this Michael's revelation about the whispers belonging to some that are "stuck" in this "Island" adventure/experience/game because they're the ones who can't move on.  Locke is "stuck" too.  They have not learned what they are there to learn, hence they are still there.
Maybe there are even ones that "can't"... simply because they "can't".   Michael never said they were dead and/or spirits/souls lost in between worlds.  The reveal was left with enough ambiguity to go in the direction of either a religious "purgatory" (Of course then this would mean this "Island" purgatory would enable the dead to die over and over and over again) or something completely simple.
Can't it be that they are "stuck" in the damn adventure?!   Possibly on another level/plane or outside of the experience with access to enter while the Losties are in an altered state?
Nowhere did Michael or Hurley say how their journey is happening or what the "Island" is!!  A contrived bloody snow globe where things are imagined and faked?  If so, how would it be purgatory?
Take a look at Michael's monitors from the episode Meet Kevin Johnson.
(Click the pic)

Voices/whispers in their heads: 

Schizophrenia: A severe emotional disorder of psychotic depth characteristically marked by a retreat from reality with delusion formation, hallucinations, emotional disharmony, and regressive behavior.   

Personality Disorder: severe personality disorder that develops in early childhood; characterized by a lack of control of anger, intense and frequent mood changes, impulsive acts, disturbed interpersonal relationships, and life-threatening behaviors.

Or the more common reason among the rest of us, we may hear whispers/voices is when you are in a half awake-half, {semi conscious} sleep state.

Things to Note...Questions to ask...
* Now we have "wells" to look down into instead of "hatches".
* I don't see Isabella's cross hanging around Richard's neck.
* Hurley lies/manipulates to get the people to do what he wanted.
* Real. Not real.  "Island" and off "Island" events blur together.
* So...where's Christian?
* Menu. Connected. Power. Channel.
* Marker. Chip. Move.
* Crazy. Insane. Santa Rosa. {Rosalita} Mental Hospital. The Looney Bin. Full on nuts. Depressed. Delusional. Issues with reality.
* Identity. 
* Memory. Mind. Head.  Brain.
* Believe.
* Desmond is #42 at Mr. Cluck's
* Game. Connect Four.
* Well. How many times was the word "well" said or shown in this episode?!
* Wrong. Not wrong-off.
* Wood Shack. Jacob's cabin. Mr. Cluck's chicken shack.
* What is with quiet observing Frank the pilot?
* When they blew up "the bomb" did that change things for the "stuck" people on the"island" too.  Shouldn't have?   Michael was told he can go by Christian.
* Desmond, Sawyer and Locke have seen the young boy.
* In Live Together Die Alone, Locke asked Desmond "How long did you say you were you down in the hatch?" Desmond replies-"3 years."
* Why would Hurley think the dead are more reliable than the living?  Maybe because the living can disappoint and hurt you.
* Jack mentions something to Ana Lucia about women being crazy.
* Why does Libby and Hugo say they met each other the other "night" when they met at lunch in the day?!!!!
* I don't recall mirrors for Hugo here.
* Hugo's commercial talks about sleeping under the stars and dreaming.
* Longing for family
* Is Locke still trying to bring the "family" back together.

Vocabulary and Research...
* The Human Fund is a nod to the show Seinfeld.  The Human Fund was a made up charity by George.  He created it in an effort to con his fellow workers, giving them the illusion he donated money for a gift/donation in their name.  Every aspect of  this was bullshit.
* Bump: The removal of passengers from an overbooked airline flight
- A dosage of some illegal substance (slang, most often in reference to cocaine)
- Bump (Internet), raising a thread's profile by returning it to the top of the list of active threads OR an abbreviation for "Bring up my post"
- Bump mapping, a computer graphics technique
* Записки из подполья: 1864 novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Translated to Notes from the Underground or Letters from the Underworld.
* Well: "Well-to-wheel", or Life cycle assessment.
- WELL: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, normally shortened to The WELL, is one of the oldest virtual communities in continuous operation.
- A potential well is the region surrounding a local minimum of potential energy. Energy captured in a potential well is unable to convert to another type of energy (kinetic energy in the case of a gravitational potential well) because it is captured in the local minimum of a potential well. Therefore, a body may not proceed to the global minimum of potential energy, as it would naturally tend to due to entropy.
Well of Knowledge-In Norse mythology, Mímisbrunnr (Old Norse "Mímir's well")is a well associated with the being Mímir, located beneath the world tree Yggdrasil.
* Nurse:  In other languages, the word for nurse comes from the same etymology as the word infirmary, such as in French (infirmier), or Italian (infermiere).
* "Spanish Johnny's"   Bruce Springsteen's -Incident on 57th street.
* 57th Street in NYC: This stretch of 57th Street is home to  hotels such as Le Parker Meridien and well known restaurants such as the Russian Tea Room, and the offices of several magazines including The Economist and Newsweek. The corner of 57th Street and 7th Avenue is home to the city-owned performance venue Carnegie Hall.
300 East 57th Street is a Manhattan apartment building on East 57th Street designed by Emery Roth and erected in 1947.  The building is the last known New York address for J. D. Salinger before he moved to a life of seclusion in the New Hampshire woods.




So...What is the "Island"?! Are events happening in the "head/mind/consciousness"?    Is it combined with one hell of a LARP?! What kinds of things are happening in their brain/mind?
Either way things are connected. Who knows...this may lead us all back to a building in New York City.


Just throw a penny in the well and make a wish to find your true north.

Love to all who are "LOST"™

PS: Check out:
Dave
Numbers

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? Good! 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. It will get very exciting as we progress into the story.