SPOILER ALERT – Lost Season 6 “The End”

I apologize for the delay in posting this and the preceding two postings, but I haven’t been feeling well. The following was written on the night of the Lost finale (May 23, 2010) and in the days subsequent to it.

These are thoughts I’m having after the final episode of Lost, "The End," was over. See this blog posting for the thoughts I had during the episode, and this one for the thoughts I had during the retrospective before the final episode, “The Final Journey.”

Confirmed, Disconfirmed, and Non-Existent Predictions

Woohoo!!!!! I was finally proven right!!!!! When all hope was lost, I clung to some hope anyway, and I was right! I go girl! I am awesome, and you are more awesome for reading my blog and my correct predictions!!!!!!

Yes, Hurley finally became the new Jacob, or, more accurately, the new New Jacob! Jack, the first New Jacob, ordained Hurley as the new New Jacob before Jack sacrificed himself for the Island, his friends, and the world by fulfilling his life’s purpose of re-kindling the Light. While I didn’t predict that Jack would be an intermediary Jacob, I did have Jack as my back-up prediction, and I did recognize that both Jack and Hurley possessed the most Jacobliness, experienced the most personal growth, and seemed to have the most favor in Jacob’s eyes. In addition to the Hurley-is-the-new-Jacob portion of my prediction, I had also predicted that the Flash-Sideways was a creation of Hurley where he and his friends could live the happy fulfilling lives they were meant to live. I was almost correct, since Christian Shephard explains that the Flash-Sideways is an afterlife created by all of the Lost people in it such that they would be able to find each other. Personally, I believe that Hurley probably guided their efforts to create that afterlife, and since he was the new New Jacob, it is certainly possible.

I was completely and utterly wrong about what I insisted on calling the New Reality. It isn’t reality at all, which is why I will now give in and call it the Flash-Sideways like the rest of the world. The possibility that it wasn’t real, that it was an afterlife, never crossed my mind. As I’ve mentioned before, I would have felt that the island being Hell or an afterlife would be a huge cop-out, and that is why I refused to believe such a thing; perhaps that is also why it never crossed my mind that the Flash-Sideways might be an afterlife. Except that wasn’t a cop-out at all. It would have been so nice if it were real, and I think my hope that it was real was too strong to allow me to see any other possibilities. Also, I’m probably just not the world’s best Lost predictor, although you have to admit, I’m not too shabby.

I was right about there being a big Jack v. Fake Locke argument about Fate v. Coincidence, except in the more specific form of Everything Matters v. Nothing Matters. Obviously the argument was reversed, in that Jack has learned from Real John Locke (and from his experiences and ruminations and so forth) to be on the side of fate, and everything mattering, while Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster/Man in Black was on the side of coincidence and nothing mattering. It’s possible that Fake Locke was only saying the things he said to screw with Jack, since he knew that could have been Jack’s weakness, if Jack wasn’t so strong and hot. I suppose his hotness probably has nothing to do with it though.

Plot

The short version of my analysis of what happened is pretty much what they told us happened. The island was real life, the New Reality/Flash-Sideways was not real, and was some kind of Heaven-like afterlife, or maybe a pre-Heaven thing, since they were all planning to move on when they were ready. Matthew Fox explained on Jimmy Kimmel’s Aloha to Lost that there is a religion where they believe that when you die, you don’t move on until you remember your death, how you died, and everyone involved. It seems our characters had to remember their life on the island in order to be ready to move on. Perhaps they also needed to accept certain things about themselves, and to let go. For example, Ben probably needed to work through and let go of his sins before he would be ready. It’s interesting that the Island was their true life, sine so many people, including myself at one point, thought the Island could be the afterlife, or even Hell.

The most important part of their lives was on the island, as Dead Christian Shephard explained to his dead son Jack, and so they somehow made sure they would be able to find each other there in the afterlife. They are all dead, but as Christian implied, they did not all die young, and we can assume that many of them lived long lives. I would imagine that Hurley and Ben probably lived the longest, since Hurley is the new Jacob and he appointed Ben as his Richard (i.e. as his guide, his number 2).

The man who plays Michael (Harold Perrineau) explained on Jimmy Kimmel that Michael will remain on the island, perhaps forever. I imagine that is because of evil things he did. Of course Ben did a lot more things that were horribly evil, yet he is in the pleasant afterlife and allowed to move on when he is ready (presumably), though it is taking a longer time for him to get there than the less evil people. I imagine Ben is not destined to be a ghost on the island because he redeemed himself – he turned good via his emotional breakthrough, and while he strayed briefly for the sake of survival, he came back to the side of Good, ultimately becoming the second in command, the advisor, the Richard to the good and pure Hurley.

I think Eloise Widmore/Hawking might have been ready to move on, but I don’t believe Charles Widmore or their son, Daniel Widmore/Faraday, were ready. I imagine this is why Eloise did not want Desmond to take her son with him; she wanted to keep her family together, because they belong together, just as our other characters belong together.


We now have confirmation of whether Charles Widmore is good or evil. Similar to Ben, he was evil, often for the sake of the Island and Jacob, but turned good, with the help of Jacob. Widmore had said that Jacob had visited him and convinced him to change his evil ways. I wasn’t sure I believed him at the time, but I do now. It makes sense, since he seemed to know things that Jacob would have told him, as did Eloise Hawking, whom Jacob probably also visited. There is now unquestionable evidence that Widmore is Good; he was in the same place as the rest of our Good characters, and was not left to be a ghost on the Island, as evil people are. Similar to Ben, he and perhaps Eloise were not ready to move on, perhaps because they still had to work through all the evil things they did before turning Good.


I have one problem with Lost (right now, maybe I’ll think of more later). Why didn’t Desmond or Jack turn into Smoke Monsters? Previous Jacob Lady told Jacob that if he ever went into the Light, he would suffer a fate worse than death, and when Jacob threw Man in Black into the Light, he turned into the Smoke Monster, demonstrating what Previous Jacob Lady meant. I understand why Desmond didn’t turn to smoke, since he is not immortal or divine, and therefore, it is not unreasonable to assume that different rules might apply. I suppose Jack didn’t turn to smoke because he was turning the Light back on and was therefore not going toward it, but was rather going away from it. I guess I cleared that smoke up for myself. Hahahahahaha! I made a pun!

The Island is under water in the Flash-Sideways, but they are in some kind of afterlife. This could mean that it’s so far into the future that the Island has sunken some time after Hurley’s time as Jacob. This is possible, since Christian Shephard explained that time does not exist there. Alternatively, and this is the way I’m leaning, since this afterlife is a better version of their lives, as the producers said in “The Final Journey” and I suggested early in the season, in this life, the Island and Jacob are not exerting their effects on our characters. It wasn’t the Island that made their time on the island the greatest time of their lives, it was the people, and that is why they created that Heaven such that they could find each other again.


Purgatory

Jimmy Kimmel and some people on Myface (Facebook) have concluded that the Island was some kind of Purgatory. I personally don’t believe this, and there is evidence against it. In the Flash-Sideways, when each character peacefully and happily realized they were dead and accepted it with tremendous peace, they had memories of the Island – their lives flashed before their eyes. Why would such a critical moment come with memories of time spent in Purgatory rather than memories from the greatest part of a person’s life, particularly when this is all happening in a fictional drama show on the TV? Of course, the Island is bizarre, and crazy, supernatural things happen there, but this is fiction, and it was presented in a way that allowed for very comfortable suspended disbelief, at least in my opinion.

The Flash-Sideways might be some kind of purgatory, as a friend (and probably others) have suggested. I don’t believe it is Purgatory in what I understand to be the traditional sense. It was not a place of suffering, or a quasi-Hell, or soul purification, but it might be a place where people work out their issues – some sins, some just issues – and eventually accept and let go of whatever is necessary. For John Locke, he needed to let go of the sense that he needed to punish himself, and he needed to accept his disability so he could be freed from both. Jack needed to accept his father’s death and thereby let go of his father. Additionally, Jack also had to accept his father’s life, in that he had to accept the kind of person and father Christian Shephard was; that is why Jack has a son in the Flash-Sideways. Sayid needed to let go of the sense that he was evil, and needed to accept that he is good. Ben still needs to work through his many sins, since, like Sayid, he is also good, and he proved that in his life, just as Sayid proved he was still good when he (Sayid) sacrificed himself to save his friends. These are but a few examples; for each character, there was something to be accepted, something to work through, something to let go of; perhaps someday I will discuss more of them (but don't hold your breath). Once they were able to let go, when they were ready, they could leave; they could move on, perhaps to Heaven, perhaps to another part of Heaven, perhaps towards Nirvana. Regardless of what you believe, they moved on to something greater.

The Death of Jack

A friend suggested that Jack might have been the last to die, since he was the last to have his memories re-ignited. That got me thinking, when he died after climbing out of the Light, an eternity could have passed since Jack as the previous New Jacob might have become immortal or quasi-immortal. Since Rose and Bernard’s doggie was with him as he died, did Fake John Locke give our kind couple and their dog immortality when he promised Desmond they would never be hurt? If so, that’s nice of him, and provides further evidence that despite his intensely evil ways, Fake Locke/The Smoke Monster/Man in Black did have some glimmer of Good left in him Whether or not they were given quasi-immortality, Rose and Bernard did die eventually, since they were in the Flash-Sideways.

I think there is evidence that Jack died soon after Hurley’s Jacobification. As Jack lay dying, he saw the plane overhead flying away; this was probably the plane carrying his friends, and so Jack knew that they made it off the island. It is possible, however, that it was another plane, far in the future, since Ben pointed out to Hurley that Jacob’s rules of no one coming or going from the Island could be changed.

Jack died knowing that his death had purpose; he knew that the Island was saved and would be safe from the now dead Smoke Monster, and he knew that his friends had escaped the island. Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster’s attempt to make Jack believe that he would die for nothing failed epically (I can’t believe I just said that hahahahaha…Epic fail).

I believe Jack took the longest to accept that he is dead because it took the longest for him to let go and have the emotional experience that would bring on the memories. As Locke had told him, Jack had to let go of his father, to accept his father’s death, and to accept his father for everything that he was and wasn’t. That was why Jack was a father in the Flash-Sideways, so he could experience what his father might have gone through – so that he might understand his father better. Jack never got closure for his father’s death; I don’t believe he ever did in his life, and he didn’t get a chance to have a funeral for him until the lost coffin was found and delivered in the Flash-Sideways. In his life, Jack was, in fact, plagued by his father appearing to be alive after he died via The Smoke Monster’s use of his corpse. In the Flash-Sideways, Jack finally had a chance to gain the closure he needed, and so when he touched the coffin, the memories from his life were finally ignited. He once again saw his father appearing to be alive, and his father could explain all that was happening. Jack was finally able to let go.

The Death of the Smoke Monster and the Life of Richard

It was interesting to see that the Light might have been holding Fake John Locke on the Island, and it was almost certainly the force that kept him indestructible. Only after the Light was extinguished could Kate’s Jack-saving bullet affect him, and only then could Jack kill the Smoke Monster. Therefore, I imagine the Light was also the mechanism by which Jacob’s gift of immortality worked on Richard; when it was extinguished, Richard began to age, and with the prospect of dying someday, he could finally enjoy the life he had left.

Conclusion (Because I’m not creative enough to come up with a better title for this concluding section)

I really did love this episode. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It truly was satisfying, and, despite the many tears that flowed and despite the deathly ending, it was a happy ending. As a friend pointed out (yes, this friend is the one I keep mentioning in this posting), this episode provided much-needed closure, both for the characters, and for the show. They were all dead, but many of them probably led long lives. They might not have experienced all the happy things they should have in their lives, but they got to experience those things in an afterlife. They were all together, as they were supposed to be – as they were destined to be. Jacob selected them because they were alone like he was, but, thanks to Jacob, they weren’t alone anymore.

SPOILER ALERT – Lost Season 6: Thoughts During “The End”

The following are thoughts I had during the final episode of Lost, written in sort of a Twitter-like (Twittery?) way. See this blog posting for post-show analysis, and this one for pre-show thoughts during the retrospective, “The Final Journey.”


I think I’ve forgiven Sawyer – I don’t seem to hate him anymore for killing Sun, Jin, Sayid, and Lapidus. I’m wondering if Kate will end up with him or Jack in the New Reality/Flash-Sideways, and I think I would be happy either way.

I’m so stubborn that even though Jack has already become the new Jacob, I still feel like Hurley is very Jacobian. His mannerisms, his New Reality and old reality confidence mixed with his natural sympathy and morals, and his genuine desire to help people, particularly his friends from his old life, all seems so very Jacob-like. It really hit me when he told Charlie he was sorry before he shot him with a tranquilizer gun. It was so nice to see the genuine happiness in Hurley’s face when he saw Charlie for the first time in the New Reality; as the producers said in the retrospective and as I began to guess previously, Hurley (and also Desmond) seems to have full access to all the memories from the reality we are familiar with.

When I wondered who helped Desmond out of the well, I never would have thought it was Rose and Bernard. To be honest, I forgot about them again, which I think is what they would want. Unfortunately, the very evil Fake John Locke used threats of murdering them to get Desmond to go with him and do his bidding. Interestingly, Fake Locke claims to have promised to never hurt them. If he will sink the island, that would inevitably hurt them. As always, he is lying.

Speaking of sinking the island, the end became obvious when Fake Locke said he would destroy the island by sinking it, since the producers said the island no longer exerts its effects since it’s under water in the New Reality/Flash-Sideways. Or maybe that was all just to throw us off.

As I expected, Richard is not dead, and was only knocked out. I had been thinking (but I don’t think I wrote this) that perhaps Jacob’s gift of immortality died with him (Jacob); however, clearly it did not.

BEST MEMORY OF A PAST LIFE EVER!!!!!! Jin and Sun. Everything is ok now. They remembered everything when Juliet (!) was their baby ultrasound doctor; they remembered the island, each other, when Sun thought Jin was dead, their English, their best reunion ever, and dying together. Omg, greatest moment on Lost ever! Now it’s all ok. Their deaths in the reality we’re familiar with made this moment better than it could have been. I can therefore fully forgive Sawyer now.

Holy crap! Lapidus is alive!!! And he wants to fly Richard and Miles off the island! But the plane is already full of explosives that Widmore installed! Oh no! But wait, didn’t Richard and Miles know that too?

That’s strange, Richard has a gray hair, though he’s not supposed to age, and he was happy about this, explaining that he just realized he wants to live. Is it because he’s now going to age and die like a non-immortal, and my suspicion that Jacob’s gift died with him was accurate?

It’s kind of funny that Jack in the New Reality is trying to improve Real Locke’s life and half joked that he could kill him, while in the reality we’re familiar with, he is trying to kill Fake Locke.

I knew it!!!!! Juliet is Jack’s baby-mama (and ex-wife), just as I predicted!!!!!!

Hurley in the New Reality is sounding more and more Jacob-like, saying things like he’s not allowed to tell Sayid something because there are rules and he should trust him, and that Sayid is a good person. Even in the reality we’re familiar with, he told Jack he believes in him when they separated when Jack went with Desmond and Fake Locke toward the Light. Maybe Hurley is secretly the new Jacob somehow. It was cute how Fake Locke said that Jack being the new Jacob is the obvious choice hahahaha, it sure is.

Wow, Sayid’s destiny was Shannon – I thought it was Nadia. I guess that’s what I get for missing giant chunks of seasons.

This episode is ripping my heart to pieces, jumping from one reality to the other, happy fate finding and love finding times to crazy world ending apocalyptic times.

What does Desmond mean when he says they’re going to leave once everyone knows about their previous life and their fate? And why isn’t he taking Daniel Widmore/Faraday with him? Are they going back to the island? The one that’s underwater in this reality? Or are they going to another island? Why would they leave if they can have their destinies in the real world? Apparently, Eloise Hawking/Widmore knows of the previous life and island, and that was why she didn’t want Desmond to start looking for Penny. It wasn’t about her jealousy of her husband’s other child, as I suggested before.

I guess if they didn’t jump between the heart wrenching and the heart warming, we wouldn’t be able to handle it – it would be too overwhelming. It was nice that they had Gene Wilder gently singing about imagination in the Willy Wonka song in the commercial directly after one of the heart wrenching moments, as if to calm us down and remind us that this is fiction – it’s pure imagination.

Ben isn’t evil; he was just trying to survive. He went right back to helping his new friends when he became separated from Fake Locke. And now he, along with the kingly Hurley, wants to help Jack rekindle the Light that Desmond was told to turn off. Ben said if the island is going down he’s going down with it, but I think it’s more than that. I think he wants to help his new friends, for the sake of the good of humanity, and for the sake of the good in his soul.

Hurley will be the new Jacob! I mean the new Jack! Because Jack is going to sacrifice himself as Desmond did to rekindle the Light that Desmond was told to turn off! And before he does, he is going to make Hurley the new New Jacob, i.e. the new Jack! Jacob said Jack would protect the Island for as long as he could – that didn’t have to mean an eternity! I totally wrote all that before Jack just said “it needs to be you, Hugo.”!!!! I was right all along!!!! That was why Jacob said, “I’m not going to choose, Hugo.” I thought he was just taunting me, since without punctuation that becomes “I’m not going to choose Huge,” but he wasn’t taunting me. Jacob didn’t choose Hurley because Jack would choose Hurley!

Desmond’s alive! Woohoo!

Omg, I love Hurley, and I love Ben, and I love that Ben told Hurley what I’ve sort of been saying all along – that Hurley will do what he does best: take care of people. In return, Hurley gave Ben what he (Ben) always wanted: recognition of his importance and usefulness. Hurley asked Ben to help him, and Ben was honored, and this is how it was supposed to be, and I love Lost.

Omg, I don’t think I ever cried so much because of the TV. They’re all dead. All of them. They want to leave because it’s not the real world at all; it’s Heaven, or some kind of afterlife. Christian Shephard explained to Jack that they created this so they could find each other because their time together was the most important part of their lives. That’s why the show began with Jack’s eye opening on the island and ended with his eye closing on the island. Jack’s life, and all of their lives, happened on that island. That’s why their lives were all better in the New Reality, because it wasn’t reality at all, and that’s why the producers called that portion of the plot the “Flash-Sideways” and why I was very wrong to call it the “New Reality.” I was right, though, sort of, when I said the New Reality/Flash-Sideways is what Hurley as the new Jacob wove as their new improved lives. Except it was all of them, perhaps led by Hurley, perhaps not. It was comforting to hear that some of them died before Jack and some long after, and that there is no “now,” because we can therefore assume that most of them lived long lives. Now I understand why Ben was working things out before going into the church; he wasn’t ready to move on. I assume this is because he did a lot of evil things in his life, and he needed to work through that, the way he seemed rather distraught for what he did to Locke. His apology to Locke and Locke’s forgiveness really meant so much, not just to Locke and Ben, but to us.

I had a feeling the show would end with Jack’s eye closing, because the producers were hinting at it, when they said on talk shows that they knew what image the series would end on from the beginning

Lost is brilliant. The producers are brilliant. I apologize to the producers for all the mean things I said about them. They’re not evil at all. They’re brilliant. I love Lost. Best show ever. Best episode ever. I kind of hate it though; I wanted the New Reality to be the realest reality, not the fakest. But I can’t deny it, it was amazing.

SPOILER ALERT – Lost Season 6 “What They Died For”

My Disproved Theory


Well, it looks like “What They Died For” disproved my big Lost prediction. Hurley is not the new Jacob, Jack is. However, in my defense, Jack was my second choice and/or guess, as I explicitly stated despite my certainty that it would be Hurley. I've also spoken of Jack in ways suggestive of his potential Jacob-ness. For example, I’ve spoken less explicitly of how Jack and Hurley both grew to form more well-rounded characters, and about how both Jack and Hurley have leader-like and kingly names. I was correct in that I did state that Sawyer would not be the new Jacob. He once again demonstrated his lack of Jacob-ness when he solipsisticly accused Jacob of ruining his life, with no mention of his friends’ lives. Of course, it’s possible that Sawyer simply doesn’t feel he should speak for other people, but I doubt that those were his thoughts. Clearly, I’m still angry with Sawyer for letting Fake John Locke’s little plan to kill the candidates happen, and thereby killing the Kwons, Sayid, and Lapidus. By the way, the aftermath of that scenario also demonstrates the Jacobliness of Jack and not-so-Jacobliness of Sawyer; Jack reassured Sawyer that he was not at fault for killing their friends, however, Sawyer had no problem in the beginning of this season putting all the blame for Juliet’s death on Jack and wanting to kill him for it.

Getting back to my disproved theory, in my defense, I believe that if no one else had accepted the job of Protector of the Light, Hurley would have, for all the reasons that I thought he would be the next Jacob, and also because he seemed rather relieved when Jack accepted the job. I would have thought Kate would have taken the job if she didn’t have Aaron to care for, for she is also inherently Good and has strong morals. I wouldn’t have thought of her motherhood as a non-Jacobly attribute before Jacob explained that her motherhood was the reason that he crossed her name off the list Beyond Hurley and Jack, I really couldn’t decide who the next best choice in Jacobs would be between Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, and the Kwons (before the latter three died in “The Candidate”). By the way, I was also wrong regarding Kate’s crossed off name, in that I thought perhaps Fake John Locke, rather than Jacob, did it; but as I just said, Jacob did do it.

Despite my disproved prediction, I believe Jack will make a good Jacob, and I think it will be good for him as well. As Jacob stated, the candidates needed the Island as much as the Island needed them, and that is very much the case for Jack. Being the new Jacob will give Jack the purpose he needs, the purpose he couldn’t find in the real world. Jack will be a good Jacob, because he genuinely cares about people, he has strong morals, he is a natural leader, and he has quite a brain. He has learned to let go of his stubbornness, and has supplemented his scientific beliefs with the ability to have faith. He is flexible, and is no longer weighed down with stubbornness like certain Sawyers. Speaking of Sawyer, Jack is forgiving and empathetic. Jack Shephard, the man of science who had to learn to have faith, became a divine entity similar to G-d. He was in search of purpose, and he attained the greatest purpose – a purpose that, in the end, he chose.

The Smoke Monster: Pure Evil or Misunderstood Monster

I previously wondered how the evil Smoke Monster could be the being that inhabited Christian Shephard’s corpse, since he seemed to be helpful. However, as I discussed in a previous blog posting, nothing is purely evil, and so, perhaps there is some Good, even in The Smoke Monster. Alternatively, Fake Christian Shephard could have also been using the people he was helping for his own purposes. Either way, it is clear that he helped Real John Locke with the Wheel at least partially because he built that Wheel, and perhaps also because he does not want people to be trapped there as he is.

There seems to be some confusion regarding The Smoke Monster’s desires and intentions. Jacob has believed from early on that Man in Black and The Smoke Monster want the Light in the greedy ways that Jacob must protect it from. However, it seems like Man in Black/The Smoke Monster aren’t very interested in the Light per se. Man in Black used it to build the Wheel in hopes of leaving the Island that held him captive since he was born. All he’s ever wanted, since he was a young boy staring into the ocean, was to leave the Island. Now, not only does he want to leave the Island, but he also wants to destroy it, which is understandable; of course he would want to destroy the place that imprisoned him for so long. While, like most monsters, The Smoke Monster is misunderstood, he is also evil – let’s not forget that. Even as Man in Black, when he was Good, he had no problem using people as a means to an end, and he continues to do that now with the added evil-ness of having no problem killing anyone who is not useful to him or who stands in his way. The Smoke Monster/Man in Black truly fits well with the pseudonym of the body he is inhabiting (i.e. Jeremy Bentham).

Destiny Directed by Desmond

I was wrong about Desmond in the New Reality/Flash-Sideways. He was not seeking vengeance on Real New Reality John Locke for what Fake John Locke did in the reality we’re familiar with as I previously suggested. While beating the crap out of New Reality Ben, he explains that he is trying to help Locke "let go." In other words, Desmond was simply continuing his mission to help his fellow Oceanic 815-ers find their fate, albeit in a very violent way.

Desmond’s crazy wheelchair-hitting and Ben-beating activities were part of his plans in that after committing these terrible helpful crimes, he turned himself in to the Sawyer and Miles containing LAPD where he was incarcerated with Kate and Sayid, whom he set free and sent on their way to their destinies with the help of Ana Lucia and Hurley. Desmond and Hurley have teamed up to help their friends from another life. It seems as though they have both had more memories of that life, since Hurley recognized Ana Lucia, whom he had not met before in the New Reality.

Desmond's crazy actions and instructions to “Let go” got New Reality John Locke to do just that, and allow Jack to try to fix him so that he might walk again. Of course, Locke and Jack had their standard Fate v. Coincidence argument before Locke stated his fate-driven desire.

A Little Epiphany

I just realized that all the Jack v. Real Locke arguments were foreshadowing the final fight that will likely ensue in the Finale; since Jack is the new Jacob, Jacob v. Smoke Monster has become Jack v. Fake John Locke.

A Bit of Confusion

I wonder who helped Desmond escape from the well. It’s unlikely (though possible) that Sayid did it, since he told Jack he was still in the well before he sacrificed himself. It’s also not likely (though possible) that it was Jack, Hurley, Kate, and/or Sawyer, because (unless I missed something) I don’t believe they found the well yet, and Desmond is not present for the Jacob-ification of Jack. It’s very unlikely (though possible) that it was Fake John Locke or Ben since both seemed surprised that Desmond wasn’t there. Perhaps it was Widmore, Zoe, or one of his other workers.

The Kwons’ Purpose

I think it’s clear that the penultimate episode of Lost is called “What They Died For” because we now see what the purpose is of the deaths of Jin and Sun (as well as the other characters who died) – that is, the purpose according to the Island. Their deaths further fueled the remaining candidates’ intentions of killing Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster by adding pure vengeance to their motivations. Perhaps that was Sun’s and Jin’s purpose from the beginning, and perhaps that was also why they were separated for so long. Their separation made it clear to each of them that they could not live without the other, which was the reason they died together.

I had previously wondered (thought I don’t believe I wrote about it) if Jin was the Kwon candidate since he landed in the 1970s with the other candidates while Sun landed in present time. However, I partially believed before and now I more strongly believe that “Kwon” represented both Kwons as a unified whole since they are soul mates. I believe they were separated not because of lack of specialness of either, but because they needed to know that he is the yin to her yang, and that their individual specialness was augmented in their union.

Vengeance

Vengeance seems to play a rather large role in Lost. As I discussed above, The Smoke Monster killed Jacob as revenge for Jacob turning him into The Smoke Monster, and as I discussed previously Jacob and his family were all involved in vengeance. The vengeance the remaining characters are seeking against Fake John Locke is only one example of vengeance in “What They Died For.” Ben seems to be seeking vengeance against Widmore. I don’t believe he is helping Fake John Locke for the power that he promises; I believe he is doing it to finally seek vengeance on Widmore for killing his daughter. And vengeance he surely sought; Ben did not lead Fake John Locke to Widmore so that Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster could kill him. Rather, Ben killed Widmore himself after Fake John Locke got the information he needed from Widmore. I thought it was rather funny in an ironic way that Widmore, the man who named Real John Locke after Jeremy Bentham, a utilitarian philosopher who believed only useful things are good, was killed after he finished serving his purpose as far as the very Benthamian Fake John Locke was concerned. Additionally, as Fake John Locke killed Zoe, he explained that Widmore caused her death by rendering her useless to Fake John Locke when he told her not to tell Fake John Locke anything.

Ben’s Intentions

In addition to his vengeance seeking, Ben has returned to his creepy, evil ways. Michael Emerson explained on The View that it is survival; Ben would surely be killed by Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster if he didn’t cooperate. After all, it looks like Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster might have killed the immortal Richard, which doesn’t make sense, since Richard can never die, so perhaps he is still alive.

Since I still believe there is Good in Ben’s soul, I can’t help but think that perhaps he is simply pretending to be going along with Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster. The only person he has killed for him thus far was Widmore, and he’s been wanting to do that since Widmore caused the death of Alex. Furthermore, I really don’t think Ben was truly interested in the power Fake Locke promised him. If he was, I imagine that must have changed when Fake John Locke told him he could have the island all to himself, but then proceeded to state that he wants to destroy the island.

It’s clear that Ben was destined to be beaten by Desmond, and to be Alex’s father or father figure, since both things happened in the New Reality/Flash-Sideways. Perhaps Ben and Danielle will get married and Ben will once again, adopt Alex. It was cute how Alex jocularly said she and her mother would kidnap Ben if he didn’t accept their invitation; apparently, some form of kidnapping was also in Ben’s destiny.

Jacob’s Views

I was correct in my explanation of why Jacob is such a huge fan of free will. He confirmed that he feels people should have a choice because he didn’t have a choice when the role of Protector of the Light was thrust upon him. Jacob also confirmed the correctness of my explanation for why Man in Black/The Smoke Monster was so eager to kill Jacob; Jacob explained that Man in Black has wanted to kill him ever since Jacob threw him into the Light and turned him into The Smoke Monster.

It’s interesting to think about the differences between Jacob and his adoptive mother whom I’ve been calling Previous Jacob Lady, aside from the distinction of free will (if Previous Jacob Lady believes in free will, she is not overly concerned with its importance as Jacob is). It’s clear that the differences between Jacob and Previous Jacob Lady stem from their differing worldviews. Jacob believes people are ultimately good, while Previous Jacob Lady believes people are destructive. Thus, in this regard, Jacob v. Previous Jacob Lady = Jacob v. Man in Black. Previous Jacob Lady chose, as her replacement, people born on the Island and raised by her, to ensure their purity and loyalty. Jacob, however, selected as his potential replacement unattached, unhappy, deeply flawed people living in the world with no purpose, so that he could give them purpose and make their lives better. Jacob’s selections have already lived across the sea – they already know what lies beyond the oceans; they have already been there and done that. Previous Jacob Lady’s potential replacements knew not of what, if anything, existed across the sea, and the curiosity of one (Man in Black) has plagued him with the unyielding need to venture off the Island. Previous Jacob Lady preferred to keep her replacements educated in only what she felt was necessary to protect the Light, while Jacob understood that such a restricted education and such restricted lives result in restricted people who might feel trapped and thereby cannot protect the Light. Jacob is a better Jacob than Previous Jacob Lady was; perhaps Jack will be an even better Jacob, for he will have learned from Jacob’s mistakes as Jacob learned from his mother’s mistakes.

SPOILER ALERT – Lost Season 6 “Everybody Loves Hugo”

Old (Ongoing) Predictions and Mea Culpas


Well, it seems “Everybody Loves Hugo,” this week’s episode of Lost, teaches us not to jump to conclusions. Firstly, it seems I was wrong to jump to the conclusion that I was correct in my prediction that Hurley will be the new Jacob based on the preview for this episode. I might still be right, and this episode seems to be leading towards that, however, it did not confirm my prediction as I expected it to. So, mea culpa, my dear blog readers. As for the other lesson in not jumping to conclusions, I’ll get to that soon enough.

Part of my theory might be very flawed. I whole-heartedly believe that I am going to be shown to be correct in that Hurley will be the new Jacob; however, I think I might be wrong regarding the other half of my theory. I don’t think it’s likely that the new reality/flash-sideways is the result of Hurley’s Jacobian take-over. If the new reality resulted from the detonation of the hydrogen bomb and represents the resetting of everything that would or would not have happened if the Swan were never built, then there is a good chance that Jacob would not have died. Ben would not have grown up to kill Jacob, obviously, since we know that he did live on the island as a young ‘un but left as a young ‘un as well in the new reality. Therefore, assuming that the new reality did indeed result from the bomb, then Jacob is probably still alive in the new reality, rendering a replacement (by Hurley or anyone else) unnecessary. Jacob’s last living words of “They’re coming” suggests that the bomb detonation would salvage Jacob and/or the island, so it’s reasonable to assume that such a detonation could mean Jacob’s survival in the new reality. Of course, it’s possible that it was Jacob’s destiny to die, or that Man in Black found another way to have Jacob murdered, in which case it could potentially be possible for Hurley or someone else to be the new Jacob in the new reality. I believe this possibility might be reliant on the bomb not being the cause of the new reality. Clearly, it is very unlikely that Hurley is the new Jacob in the new reality, but I stand by my prediction that he will become the new Jacob in the reality we are familiar with.

Considering the implausibility of the new-reality half of my prediction, I think I just wanted Hurley to be the cause of all the nice things happening in the new reality. If my whole theory could be true, it would have given us a nice sense of closure; it would have meant that the reality we are familiar with and the new reality would come together. Fortunately, since some of the new reality people are having memories of the reality we are familiar with, perhaps the merging of realities could be happening after all.

New Predictions and Theories

Who is that kid in the jungle? Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster seems to fear him, and, in “The Substitute,” the little boy seems to feel that Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster/Man in Black has broken some rule. I’m guessing that the rule that was broken was the loophole by which Man in Black had Jacob murdered. Perhaps the little boy in the jungle is G-d, or a divine force superior to both Man in Black and Jacob. Perhaps this highest and most powerful being takes the form of a child because who but a child possesses more innocence and less Evil? Alternatively, perhaps the little boy is Jacob reincarnated; I don’t think he appeared (to us anyway) until after Jacob’s death, and I don’t think we ever saw the little boy and Jacob (or his ghost) together. However, I think my first theory is probably more likely.

I have a new theory to go along with my other theories. I correctly predicted (assuming that Jacob wasn’t lying to Richard) that the island is where Evil is detained and kept from roaming throughout the world. Since Evil lives on the island, and since in this episode, we learned that Michael and other dead people are stuck on the island and can’t “move on” because of bad things they’ve done (such as killing Libby), I can’t help but wonder if the island is some form of Hell after all. I previously argued that if the island turns out to be Hell, then Lost will be a tremendously unsettling show, but perhaps it is not the traditional concept of Hell, but rather a place on Earth where Evil itself along with the souls of dead people who have committed evil acts in their lives are held captive, and kept from moving on. Live people can live in this place too, because I refuse to believe that all our characters are dead. If the island is Hell, then Jacob, or whoever takes his place, is the guardian of Hell, and, if I’m not mistaken (and I definitely could be) the guardian of Hell is Satan. Therefore, if my theory is correct, then Jacob and whoever takes is place is the Devil. However, I am still leaning toward my previous theory that Jacob and his predecessor is G-d or a divine entity similar to G-d. Interestingly, Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster/Man in Black/Evil Incarnate refers to G-d colloquially; he said, “G-d knows” at least once. I don’t remember Jacob ever referring to G-d, or the Devil for that matter. (Note: Just because I don’t remember doesn’t mean it didn’t happen; my memory is very much imperfect.) Of course, as Richard said, Jacob doesn’t tell people what to do (although Jacob has told Hurley what to do on at least two occasions), and I don’t believe he tells them what to believe either, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t define anyone as G-d or the Devil. Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster/Man in Black, however, likes to tell people what they want to hear to manipulate them, so his references to G-d and the Devil mean nothing, it would seem.

This Week’s Episode

It was nice to see Hurley’s story in the new reality/flash-sideways. It was comforting and happy-making to see him finally have his date with his Destiny, his love, Libby. By the way, Hurley and Libby can be added to the list o’ people in the new reality who have memories of the reality we are familiar with. I heart Hurley. It was also nice to see him in the reality we are familiar with gaining confidence as the leader he is destined to be in the form of the new Jacob (I say, stubbornly holding onto my as-yet-unconfirmed theory). It’s also nice to see the role reversal of Jack trusting Hurley.

If you’re wondering about Hugo Reyes’ name meaning, other than his last name meaning “kings,” Hugo means heart, mind, or spirit. Clearly, this fits perfectly with Hurley; he has a connection with spirits in that people come to him after they die, and, despite thinking he was/is crazy, he is of sound mind, and he has a huge heart.

Desmond in the new reality seems to have taken the job of helping his fellow Oceanic 815-ers fulfill their Destiny. It’s cute that Desmond and Destiny both start with Des, as if they were trying to give us this clue from the beginning. He helped Hurley and Libby find each other, and then…well, and then what he did is what I was referring to above about jumping to conclusions.

In the new reality, Desmond might have killed Real New Reality John Locke. He probably did this because he probably had a memory from the reality we are familiar with where what he believed was Real John Locke threw him (Desmond) down a deep well and probably killed the latter (I say “probably” because he might not be dead, particularly if the Island isn’t through with him, since it probably still needs him). However, Desmond is wrong – that was not the evil act of Real John Locke – Real John Locke would never do such a terrible thing. Obviously (to us), it was Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster, but Desmond Hume didn’t know that. Ah, remember I mentioned in a previous blog posting that Hume, the philosopher for whom Desmond was named, believed human knowledge is restricted to what we perceive – just like Philosopher John Locke. It seems Desmond Hume’s Destiny turned out to be Hume-like –he didn’t know that the John Locke who threw him down a well wasn’t what he perceived, and so he sought vengeance on the wrong Locke. Desmond Hume acted on his perceptual knowledge, for he didn’t know the evil that lurked beyond his perception.

I think we can all agree that Ben was destined to protect the children. He clearly serves that role in the new reality, watching out for Alex and his student’s in “Dr. Linus,” and noticing and questioning Creepy Desmond in this episode. He showed his proclivity for protecting the young ’uns in the reality we are familiar with as well, when he took Alex as his own daughter rather than killing her and her mother as he was instructed to. It’s nice to see him fulfilling such a nice destiny in the new reality.

SPOILER ALERT – Lost Season 6 “Ab Aeterno”

WARNING: This blog posting contains mildly explicit language. Viewer discretion is advised.

OMG! OMG! OMG! I was right! “I am smart! I am smart! S-m-r-t! I mean s-m-A-r-t!”

I quote the great Homer Simpson because I was pretty much right about something huge! It’s rare that I display smartness, so I must gloat on these rare occasions.

Are you dying to know what I was right about? Well, if you read my blog and have seen this week’s episode of Lost, “Ab Aeterno,” where so many Lost questions were answered, then you would surely know.

As I postulated in a previous blog posting, Jacob’s job is to contain Evil on the Island in order to keep Evil from overtaking the Earth. This is why Man-in-Black (I gave up on calling him Guy-in-Black)/The Smoke Monster/Fake John Locke feels trapped and wants to escape; he is Evil, and he wants to escape so he and his evilness may roam free through the world, and as Isabella tells Hurley, all the world will be in Hell. Please note that I referred to this as “The Darkness” in that blog posting, as Jacob called it “The Darkness” in this episode. How awesome am I? How awesome are you for reading my blog? Very, on both counts. Very indeed.

I will provide more brilliant insights and predictions in the present blog posting. I am not conceited.

Some Background

First and foremost, if you don’t speak Latin or if you haven’t yet googled, “Ab Aeterno” (the episode’s title) means “From Eternity.” Obviously, it’s a reference to Richard’s immortality, as well as a reference to the Jacob v. Man in Black feud.

This episode answered questions Lost fans have been wondering about for an eternity, particularly questions about the oh-so-mysterious Richard Alpert. In April of 2009, I wrote an email to my Lost-pushing sister about Richard Alpert. You’ll see that I was quite insightful, and quite wrong in one respect, though I brilliantly and insightfully corrected myself. I’m so flippin’ smart.

I read Wikipedia's thing on Richard Alpert (the Lost character). It explains, "he plays a role in the group's hierarchy that has been compared to that of the Panchen Lama in Buddhism by the series' producers.” Clicking on that word reveals that that role is the second highest in Buddhism, just under Dalai Lama. This makes sense, since it seems that someone else is always the leader, like Ben, Charles Widmore, and it seems John Locke is supposed to be next. The first link says that Jacob is the leader of the Others, so maybe that's who Richard is really second to. Maybe Jacob is G-d (I just thought of that now). Jacob means “supplanter,” and Biblical Jacob was the one who fought G-d, and was then given the name Israel by G-d, which means "one who has been strong against G-d."

Getting back to Richard Alpert, the article mentions the person he was named after of the same name. The real Richard Alpert was a spiritual guy in the 1960s and 70s who had some association with a Hindu spiritual leader.

Wow, I’m smarter than I realized. I had forgotten about Biblical Jacob’s interactions with G-d because I was so focused on the Biblical Jacob v. Esau thing. Perhaps my earlier suggestion that Man in Black/The Smoke Monster was a divine leader before Jacob usurped him might in fact be accurate. The question is, then, is it a battle between Good and Evil, or is it a battle between two divine entities who simply have differing worldviews and differing views of human nature.

Evil from Within Lost

This episode was exhausting to watch, largely because of all the crazy drama and Lostiness, but also because I was rather distraught to discover that the producers of Lost blatantly lied to us. They very clearly stated on Jimmy Kimmel Live that Fake John Locke is not the Man in Black, but he is the Smoke Monster. “Ab Aeterno” clearly shows us what I believed whole-heartedly to be true before those evil producers lied to me – that The Man in Black is indeed The Smoke Monster, and since Fake John Locke is also The Smoke Monster, it follows that Fake John Locke is The Man in Black. Why did you lie to us, Lost Producers, why?! Maybe there will be a twist and they will have not been lying all along. Perhaps Man in Black is lying and is not The Smoke Monster. After all, he is an evil bastard, he would lie. Continue reading for more evidence that Fake John Locke is not Man in Black/The Smoke Monster in the section below entitled “Man in Black.”

Identifying Jacob

Jacob is good. I’m maintaining a tiny little bit of doubt just in case they’re still screwing with us, but I think it’s pretty clear at this point. Jacob might be G-d, or he might be some alternate form of G-d – a divine power. It seems like Jacob doesn’t view the words “Hell” or “Devil” as defining Evil, so perhaps he doesn’t view G-d as defining Good. It seems like Jacob views things in terms of Good and Evil in a broader sense that probably encapsulates the Good- and Evil-related beliefs of all the world’s cultures, rather than being restricted to the Christian view of things. I surmised all this from Jacob’s reference to “what [Richard/Ricardo] call[s] Hell.” Additionally, Dogen had also referred to Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster/Man in Black as “evil incarnate” rather than calling him the Devil, so it seems that Jacob and his followers probably do not subscribe to any particular religious belief. Man in Black/The Smoke Monster blatantly claimed that Jacob is the Devil, although he did leave that to Richard’s assumptions regarding The Smoke Monster. He also blatantly told Richard he is dead and in Hell. Man in Black’s blatant Devil and Hell-centric claims further demonstrates Man in Black’s willingness to tell people exactly what they want to hear in order to get what he wants.

Jacob’s purpose has become clear. He or whoever holds his position exists to contain and detain Evil on the Island, to protect the Island from Evil, and therefore, to protect the world from Evil. Logically, then, Jacob is the Protector, not just of the Island as I suggested previously, but of the Universe. Jacob is G-d or some other form of Divinity representing Good, defined by some religions as G-d. Jacob represents Free Will; he believes people can and should make their own choices, and he believes he should not make those choices for people, even if people choose Evil. Jacob believes and hopes that people will ultimately choose Good over Evil. Jacob guides people, he helps them, he leads them, but he does not choose for them. Jacob hires Richard to guide people towards Good rather than Evil in ways that might be more direct than Jacob is willing to do himself. Jacob does not want to interfere with people’s choices.

Perhaps what Jacob intends and what Jacob does do not align perfectly. He does not intend to interfere with people’s decisions, yet it’s possible that he might have had profound effects on our special character’s lives, possibly in the new reality (flash-sideways) and without a doubt in the reality we are familiar with. Jacob brings people to the Island, and he touches people, providing them with special gifts; these things interfere in their decisions. These things might even force them to make particular decisions.

In my first Lost-related blog posting, I suggested that Jacob and Man in Black might both be evil forces, playing a game with people’s lives just for the sake of playing a game. Jacob provided evidence for this when he explained that he brings people to the Island to prove that people can choose Good over Evil. This is a subtle admission that he is playing with and interfering with people’s lives just to prove a point to a Man in Black, or to prove the point to himself. Jacob brings people to the Island where Evil lives to see if they will fall to Evil temptation. That seems rather evil of Jacob, though his intentions might be Good, and though he might otherwise be Good. Even Divine Good can be flawed.

In light of Jacob’s reason for bringing people to the Island, it’s interesting to think about and see how our special characters as well as our less special characters have faired in the face of Evil temptations. Most of our characters (such as Jack, Hurley, Sun, Jin, and Lapidus) have remained on the side of Good. Some characters have fallen to follow Evil (Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster/Man in Black), either by choice (Claire and Sayid, sort of), by accident (Kate), or in a possibly hopeless and/or misguided attempt to con the Devil himself (Sawyer). Ben, a man who’s lived much of his life committing evil acts in the name of Good, came close to turning fully to Evil for power and acceptance, but Good (via Ilana) accepted him. One character almost fell to Evil from desperation and a sense of lost purpose (Richard), but was drawn back by the inherently Good Hurley.

While there is a plethora of evidence that Jacob is G-d or some other form of Divine Goodness, there is at least one piece of evidence that he might not be G-d. When Jacob and Ricardo/Richard were making their deal, Jacob informed Ricardo/Richard that he could not grant him absolution for his sins. If I understand the monotheistic religions’ views correctly, G-d is capable of providing absolution, either directly, such as in Judaism and possibly Islam (I don’t know very much about the latter), where one will never know if G-d has granted forgiveness, or indirectly, such as in Christianity, where a Priest can speak on behalf of G-d and grant forgiveness. I don’t know much about Buddhism, Hinduism, or other religions, but it seems they all have similar concepts of a Divine entity granting forgiveness. Therefore, if Jacob could not grant absolution for Richard’s sins, does that indicate that he is not divine? Perhaps, or perhaps it simply indicates that Jacob did not believe Richard was deserving of absolution, perhaps due to the nature of his murderous sin, or perhaps because Richard, who insisted the murder he committed was an accident, did not take full responsibility for his actions, and perhaps lacked sufficient remorse. Perhaps this is also why Richard is not a candidate. The six remaining candidates have also sinned I’m sure, but even Sayid, who arguably has sinned the most, took full responsibility for all the torturing he’s done, and clearly has tremendous remorse for it. Perhaps Jacob, as a Divine entity, feels that repentance is more than asking for absolution.

Worst Episode Ever, or Not

In the beginning of the episode, when Richard said they are dead and in Hell, and then again when Man in Black said the same thing to Ricardo/Richard, I was very tempted to write my blog in three words: “Worst episode ever.” Fortunately, Jacob saved me from having to make such a proclamation, proving to Richard that he (Richard) is alive (unless that was an evil illusion, so sneakily evil that only the Devil could pull it off). It would be tremendously unsatisfying if it turned out that the island was Hell and everyone was dead all along. Sure, it would be an interesting view of Hell, and in that sense, it would be far from unsatisfying. Um, so, I guess “unsatisfying” wasn’t the right word. Unsettling – it would be tremendously unsettling. It would also, for some reason, bring to mind the Robin Williams movie that I like a lot, What Dreams May Come. Anyway, since I’m going to assume they’re not in Hell, this was a great episode.

Mea Culpa (Latin for “My Bad”)

While I was right about some things, other people were wrong about some other things, and I propagated these falsehoods in a previous blog posting. Richard did not come to the island from England on his way to Australia, he came to the Island from the Canary Islands on his way to America, but it is true that he was a convict. We learn in this episode that he had been sold into slavery to avoid being hanged for murdering a man in hopes of saving his wife. If I’m remembering correctly, it was also suggested that the Others’ ancestors came to the island with Richard, but it looks like they came later somehow. Perhaps they came from England and perhaps they were also convicts. Who knows.

Evil Possibilities

I wondered previously if Richard had sold his soul to Jacob to obtain his gift of immortality and not aging. It appears that he did not sell his soul, though he did agree to do something for Jacob in return for it. One could argue that that is a form of soul selling; after all, he gets to live forever without aging, but it looks like he must live on the island for eternity as Jacob’s liaison. However, this deal was in no way obscured – it was clearly laid out, and Jacob’s proposition that Richard be his liaison initiated it, rather than Richard’s desires for immortality. It was a friendly exchange, where Jacob was providing payment in the form of a gift in return for Richard’s service. Furthermore, Richard’s new job involved helping people to choose good over evil, an inherently non-evil endeavor. A Devil’s advocate might suggest however that perhaps Jacob sneakily led Richard into a trap; that Richard did sell his soul to Jacob without even knowing it. Yes, I know, this is very unlikely, and as I said, that is only what a Devil’s advocate would say. Puns are fun.

While I don’t want them to be in Hell, there is some evidence that they are. Isabella (Ricardo/Richard’s wife) was on the island with Richard before The Smoke Monster killed her or consumed her soul or did whatever it is he does to people. If she is not dead and in Hell, how did she get onto the island? Perhaps the priest snuck her onto the Black Rock.

Man in Black

Man in Black and Fake John Locke both complain about Jacob trapping him and holding him captive on the island, and both mention having been a regular person before. Fake John Locke gave us insight into the life he led as a regular person when he told Kate in “Recon” that he had a crazy mother. As I’ve suggested before, perhaps Man in Black/Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster isn’t evil; perhaps he was wrongly captured and detained. Of course the evidence for his evilness ha been illuminated rather thoroughly, what with all the killing and so forth, but perhaps he didn’t start out being evil – perhaps he was driven to evil by being held captive for so long. Alternatively, maybe, like Lucifer, he fell from grace and became evil via his own choosing. If that is the case, it is rather interesting that he believes people are destined to choose evil, the very thing Jacob has been trying so hard to disprove.

I find it strange that Richard didn’t recognize Fake John Locke as Man in Black. Fake John Locke speaks and acts very much like Man in Black, with very similar intonational patterns and mannerisms. I wonder if Richard’s lack of recognition might in fact be evidence against Fake John Locke being Man in Black. Maybe those Lost producers aren’t evil liars after all.

This episode delineated more similarities between Jacob and Man in Black/The Smoke Monster/Fake John Locke. Man in Black told Richard to kill Jacob in the same way that Dogen told Sayid to kill Fake John Locke. When Sayid did as he was told, Fake John Locke was unaffected and definitely not (re-)killed. Was this a result of Sayid’s new infection? Are Jacob and Man in Black different kinds of beings? Does this provide another piece of evidence that Fake John Locke/The Smoke Monster is not Man in Black after all? Perhaps if Fake John Locke really was the Man in Black, perhaps Sayid’s murdering of him would have been successful.

Both Sayid and Richard were told to kill Fake John Locke and Jacob before the respective entity spoke, for if he spoke, it would be too late. I imagine this not speaking clause might result from both of their abilities to talk people into and out of things, perhaps in a manipulative, Devilish way. This suggests that both Fake John Locke and whoever he represents, as well as Jacob might be evil – or it suggests that Dogen and Man in Black perceive Fake John Locke and Jacob respectively as Evil.

My Brilliant Prediction

I believe that Hurley will be the candidate to take over the role of Jacob. As I mentioned before, his last name, Reyes, means Kings, suggesting that he is destined to be King of the Universe. I have also discussed his genuine kindness, and other Good qualities. He genuinely wants to help his fellow man, and would do no harm. Speaking of doing no harm, I believe that if Hurley is not going to be the new Jacob, then Jack will be (he’s a doctor, so he took that do-no-harm oath, hence my segue). Jack Shephard, a born leader, is also genuinely kind and also has lots of Good qualities (well, all the candidates do), and Jacob made a point to protect Jack and Hurley in “Lighthouse.”

Anyhoo, getting back to Hurley, I further believe that he has already taken over the role of Jacob in the new reality/flash sideways. Everyone’s lives have improved in that new reality, and I can’t help but think Hurley has more to do with that then simply hiring a bunch of his friends in another reality. Perhaps Hurley is re-writing their lives so that they can be improved, as he attempted to rewrite Star Wars, so that it might be improved, when he was transported to the 1970s. Perhaps they were foreshadowing his Jacobian take-over.

It’s possible that I’m wrong, of course, and one piece of evidence for my potential wrongness is Hurley’s presence, presumably as a mortal, in the new reality. It could be that whoever takes the Jacob role wouldn’t have a mortal life anymore, but then again, perhaps he or she can. Perhaps, in a Christ-like way (let’s pretend we’re all Christian for a second), the new Jacob could exist both as a divine being on the island as well as a mortal being in LA. If, however, this is not the case, and if I am correct in my prediction that the new reality/flash-sideways is the result of the new Jacob, then the new Jacob must be someone who we have not seen in the new reality. However, I believe we have seen all the six non-crossed-off candidates in the new reality. Therefore, my assumption that the new Jacob can exist, whether mortal or not, off the island is very likely accurate. Of course we know that Jacob could leave the island; I wonder if he still existed on the island when he left, or if he simply sojourned off the island. Anyway, my point is, I don’t believe that Hurley’s presence in the new reality is evidence against my prediction that he is the new Jacob, and that the new reality is what Hurley as the new Jacob has woven.

We shall wait and see if more of my predictions end up being correct. It’s fun to be right about stuff, but it should be noted that it’s easier to be right when one suggests every possibility one can think of, thereby increasing the chances of accuracy for at least one of those possibilities. See, I told you I’m not conceited.

Evolving Perceptions of Lady Gaga

My hatred of Lady Gaga (whose real name is Stefani Germanotta) was immediate, from the moment she entered my consciousness. She is just a wannabe Christina Aguilera (whom I love, and whose talent is unquestionable; if there was ever any doubt regarding Christina’s talent, her impromptu a cappella performance of “Beautiful” on Saturday Night Live very clearly elucidates her talent), I thought, as I’m sure many people did. So, as I mention in my previous blog posting, I hated Lady Gaga for what I thought was: an obvious lack of originality. I thought she was a derivative and therefore fake pop singer who, beyond her lack, of originality, appeared to lack talent. Another Paris Hilton-like pop quasi-singer, manufactured to sound decent.

I was informed at some point that according to Perez Hilton, Lady Gaga is, in fact, original. Apparently, he provides evidence that Lady Gaga’s fashion precedes Christina’s, so, assuming he is correct (which I do), Lady Gaga is original and therefore is not fake. Yet I continued to hate her, despite the elimination of my perception of her as a wannabe Christina.

Her music itself didn’t anger me quite so much; I kind of like “Just Dance,” though I couldn’t listen to the whole song since it just got annoying. I did (and continue to) like “Poker Face,” but I hated (and continue to hate) “LoveGame.” I also continued to hate her.

My hatred began to change when I saw the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where Lady Gaga performed “Paparazzi.” Until then, I hadn’t heard the song at all; I occasionally reside under a rock where I somehow manage to (usually inadvertently) avoid any exposure to new music or celebrity and newsly goings on. As I watched the very dramatic performance, I found myself…enjoying it…a lot. This came as quite a shock to me. The song was fantastic. More notably, it became clear that she actually does sing, and her voice is kind of good and unique in that its distinctiveness makes the Lady-Gaga-ness unmistakably recognizable. In addition to her singing talent, I noticed she plays the piano as well. I had seen her perform “Poker Face” on American Idol where it was evident that she actually sings and also plays the piano, but somehow her talent didn’t strike me then; my hatred at the time was too strong because I hadn’t yet learned of her originality and so I still thought she was a wannabe Christina at the time. But at the VMAs, the song and her talent struck me, and I began to realize that she is not only original in her fashions, but she seems to have some real talent too. My hatred was dissolving, and I was beginning to like her.

My hatred further dissolved as I watched her further demonstrate her talent on SNL, where in her second performance of a medley of her songs, she appeared to improvise on the piano and with the singing. I was impressed. I didn’t see the whole episode at the time, so I had missed her talent-displaying performance of "Paparazzi" as well as her rather funny appearance in this funny sketch. Apparently she has comedic talent as well as musical talent.

Then, a few weeks ago, I heard somewhere (probably on MTV or VH1) that Lady Gaga had spoken and performed at a Human Rights Campaign dinner, and then participated in the National Equality March on the mall in Washington DC, and that she had stated that it was the most important thing she has ever done in her career. Upon hearing this, very much to my surprise, I thought to myself “I love Lady Gaga, she is awesome.” I am a huge fan of equality and of not discriminating, and also of GLBT people and their rights, so it truly warmed my heart to hear that Lady Gaga shares my love for the gays. My perception of Lady Gaga was fully transformed. My initial hate-filled perceptions were based on misconceptions. She is a talented performer, and a kind-hearted person.

Since antipathy had turned to admiration and fanliness (if it hasn’t become obvious, I like to make up words), I became interested in how far her talent goes. Apparently, before releasing her own album (for which she wrote most of the music and lyrics), she had been writing songs for other singers. More interestingly, her talent seems to be quite a natural one; she learned to play the piano by ear when she was four years old, and has been writing music since she was 13. She is vastly more talented than I had thought, and is the antithesis of the Paris-Hilton-esque quasi-singer that I thought she was.

Since I now love her, I find that I like her music more than I had. However, I still hate “LoveGame,” both the song and the video, but that could just be because I’m not much of a fan of pornography.

UPDATE December 24, 2009
Since writing this blog posting, my love for Lady Gaga has grown. Since then, I've seen her in a few interviews on the TV, where she appears to be a genuinely kind and sweet human being who loves her fans and always remains true to herself. Additionally, "Bad Romance" in particular and The Fame Monster as a whole are fantastically good. Shockingly, "LoveGame" has grown on me, and now I kind of like the song, though I continue to not like the video.

I heart Lady Gaga.

UPDATE February 1, 2010
As if I didn’t already love Lady Gaga enough, she just keeps making me love her more. She kindly donated proceeds from a concert and from merchandise to Haiti earthquake relief efforts. I know a lot of celebrities do things like that, and I love every one of them.

Lady Gaga’s sweet, genuine kindness pours from her in interviews, including Oprah’s interview, where Gaga said about her fans, “I want them to free themselves, and I want them to be proud of who they are. I want them to celebrate all the things they don't like about themselves the way that I did, and to be truly happy from the inside.” She said something similar to that (somewhere, possibly also on Oprah) about the meaning behind “Bad Romance.” She explained that the song is about loving someone for everything he or she is, for all the good, all the bad, and all the things the person doesn’t like about him or herself. She spoke as though these are the things she wants, and, therefore, she read my mind…I think that might just be what every human wants, and she captures that perfectly.

If you missed her amazing performance with Elton John at the 52nd Grammy Awards last night, you should watch it right now – it’s fantastic. I was very happy to learn that she won two Grammys last night (during the un-televised portion) for “Poker Face” and The Fame. I love her so much.

I think a big part of what makes me love Lady Gaga is that she seems to have always felt like a freak and an outsider, and she makes such an effort to keep other people from feeling that way, or from feeling bad about being a freak or an outsider. I imagine most people (myself definitely included) have felt like freaks and like outsiders in some way, and Lady Gaga makes us realize we’re not alone. She is a wonderful human being.

UPDATE: May 23, 2011
The TV, or more specifically, the Fuse, has explained that what I called pornographic in the LoveGame video was an homage to Michael Jackson's "Bad" video.  I guess that makes it less gross, but still...ew.  In Gaga's defense, I think it's gross in the "Bad" video too.  I suppose I'm just too prudish.