Lost: Dr. Linus

On last night's episode of Lost, Dr. Linus, I finally felt like we were starting to get some answers. I don't exactly know what the answers meant, but this was, in my opinion, the best episode so far in Season 6.

The episode starts with Dr. Ben Linus, the history teacher, explaining to his class what had happened on the island. The island of Elba, that is.

Napoleon Bonaparte had been exiled to Elba. He was given a small army of followers and everything he needed to live a comfortable life there. But he was frustrated because he had lost his power.

"He might as well have been dead," Linus explains before the bell rings and class is dismissed.

Hmmm... Sound like anyone we know?

BEN'S CHARACTER

We finally get to see into the inner character of Ben Linus. It felt strange to actually feel sorry for him, as he cared for his elderly father and then later when he said he would follow Locke because "he's the only one who will have me."

And then I actually got to cheer him on as once again, he gets to choose whether to save his beloved Alex or let her go down in flames. This time, in his parallel life, he makes the right choice and sacrifices his desire for power to help her get ahead.

Once again, we see a character in the alternate reality — if they had never been pulled to the island — living a life that isn't perfect, but in which he or she is free from the demons that haunt them in their other life.

How ironic that he donned a gas mask to kill his father on the island, but he is changing his father's oxygen tank to help him live in his other world.

Adding even more irony in the parallel universe, instead of trying to steal Ben's power and become the leader instead of him, John Locke is now raising his hand to become the first person to be his follower.

A CLUE TO THE MEANING OF THE SHOW

Twice during this episode, the characters seemed to drop a hint about the overall meaning of the show.

First, the aging Roger tells Ben that perhaps if they hadn't left the Dharma initiative, he might have had a better chance to become something special in life.

"Who knows what you would have become?" Roger says. A-hahahaha! Who knows? Yes! We DO know what he would become, and trust me, Roger, he's better off as a bored history teacher stuck in detention.

This was the first time the island had been mentioned in the alternate reality, and it was an amazing moment to hear that it really did exist for these characters even in their parallel world. They had visited, but had the power to leave and continue their lives as normal.

Later in the episode, Lapidus is explaining that he had been scheduled to be the pilot of flight 815. He missed the flight because his alarm clock didn't go off that morning.

"Imagine how different my life would be if that alarm would have gone off," Lapidus said.

Ben responds: "The island still got you in the end, didn't it?"

What does that mean? Does it mean that with or without the island the characters would still face the same struggles? Whether Ben allows Alex to be killed or chooses to give her a chance at college in the alternate reality, he still struggles with his own love for this girl who seems like a daughter to him, but really isn't. And he fights his own frustration that he wants to be a leader, but is powerless to take control.

THE GIFT OF JACOB

We also learn more about Richard. He says he was given a "gift" by Jacob. Just as Jack, Kate, Sawyer, the Kwons and Sayid were touched by Jacob, so was he.

"Jacob touched me and when Jacob touches you, it's considered a gift," Richard said. "It's not a gift at all... it's a curse."

Richard's gift, apparently, is not only eternal youth, but eternal life. He says he can't kill himself and tries to get Jack to do the job for him. But even as the two wait for the fuse to blow on a stick of dynamite, he isn't allowed to die.

We get more clues that Richard did come to the island on the strange ship, known as the black rock. I can't wait to find out what his role was on that ship. I wonder if he was touched before he came to the island or after his ship landed there. I'm guessing it was in his previous life.

Richard is angry because he had placed his trust in Jacob and, like Ben, he had devoted his life to serving him, but he was really never told why.

Richard reveals that he has spent his entire life — "longer than you can possibly imagine" — following Jacob because Jacob promised that he had a plan. Then, Jacob died.

"I just found out my entire life had no purpose," he said.

I'm guessing, however, that Jacob is going to make a comeback. And why do I have a feeling it will be three days after his death?!? The child that was taunting Fake Locke, said he "broke the rules" by killing "him" (which I assume means Jacob), so I think Jacob is going to break the rules by coming back to life. If he can grant eternal life to Richard, then I think he can give the same power to himself.

Or perhaps it's his spirit that goes on living and will take residence in the "winning" candidate who is chosen to take his place as protector/ruler of the island?

ILANA'S CONNECTION

Ilana also gives a hint at her connection to Jacob. She says Jacob was "the closest thing to a father that she ever had."

Does that mean that Ilana was on the island earlier? Does it mean that she also doesn't age? Or does it mean that Jacob was part of her life off-island? Whatever the case, perhaps she has some resentment toward Jacob for dying since she was willing to forgive Ben and take him in at the end of the show.

JACK A BELIEVER?

And finally we get to the part where Jack is suddenly buying into his own destiny. He is willing to play with dynamite to prove that he really is one of the chosen "candidates". If Jacob won't let Richard die, then surely he can't die either.

We learn there are "six" candidates left, and one will be chose to replace Jacob.

I'm betting the six candidates are the Oceanic Six. I think it's interesting there also are six significant numbers and the six names on the roof of the cave were given those numbers.

If you add the six numbers together, you get 108, which is significant in some way. So, somehow just as the numbers add up to 108, I'm guessing the six candidates are parts of the whole. But what does that mean?

WIDMORE IS BACK

And finally! We haven't heard anything from Charles Widmore, Penny or Desmond in so long, I was starting to fear the writers had forgotten them!

When the periscope on the submarine popped up, I thought for sure they were going to zero in on Ben and kill him right there. However, it sounds like they might be planning to do something even worse.

When the guy asks Widmore if they should continue with the plan despite the fact there were people on the beach, didn't it sound like they were going to blow up the island? Did Jacob's death somehow allow Charles Widmore to finally find the island on his radar?

What a great tease for next week!

OK... so what did I miss? Thoughts??






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