As an episode unto itself, last night’s “Follow The Leader” wasn’t anything particularly special. There was a lot of parts being moved into place, a lot of setting up for big events soon to come. You know, your usual pre-finale sort of business. That is not to say that I did not thoroughly enjoy myself. I absolutely did. The penultimate show of this penultimate season of the ultimate television show of our time provided several noteworthy moments, as three storylines began to converge, building up to something that none of us are likely to see coming.
Bombs Away
Picking up almost precisely where we left off last week, Jack tasked himself with fulfilling the dearly departed Daniel Faraday’s quest to detonate the Jughead and alter the very history that the castaways have experienced. The good doctor was so sure of this course of action that began throwing around words like “destiny” and “purpose” to the extent that he began to remind Kate of one John Locke. Jack has slowly been creeping across the Lost spectrum of thought towards Locke’s side, and tonight was the most prime example of it. Big ups to Matthew Fox for slowly building this transition and leaving us with a new, more confident and more faith-based Jack Shephard, as opposed to some goofy Jack Shephard doing an impersonation of John Locke, which a lesser actor might have gone for.
Jack and Kate were captured by Eloise and Widmore, the former of which decided these people could help her to undo the mistake of killing her son Daniel. Those three and Richard struck out to find the Jughead, currently residing underneath DHARMA territory. Before they got there though, Kate decided she had had enough of this nonsense and was considerably sick of Jack’s new found take on life. This was such an interesting dynamic that was brought to our attention. After everything that Jack and Kate have been through, what are we to make of the fact that Jack wouldn’t mind if it all just never happened but Kate thinks enough of it to try and stop him? (See this perfectly-delivered exchange between the two of them: “It wasn’t all misery”, “Enough of it was”).
Anyhow, the Hostiles didn’t take kindly to her intentions of storming off and would have been shot right where she stood. Luckily, Sayid stormed back onto the scene to save the day, in accordance with Lostend of season tradition. Kate went on her way, and Sayid joined up with Jack, Richard and Eloise for a lively swim into the underbelly of the island. The quartet eventually did find the Jughead, and what they will do next is anyone’s guess.
You don’t gotta go home, but you can’t stay here…
Meanwhile, the exodus was in full effect back in DHARMA headquarters. Sawyer and Juliet were being questioned as to the whereabouts of their wayward friends, with minimal success. Sawyer withstood a particularly vicious beating from Radzinsky, and even Juliet took a shot to the face from the formerly captured Phil. Did anyone else find that WAY out of line? I’m willing to bet Phil is going to get a big time come-uppance for that little stunt. Anyway, Sawyer brokered a deal that involved he and Juliet shipping off on the sub with the island’s women and children to make a nice home in 1977. I enjoyed their banter about investing in Microsoft and making lucrative sports bets to carve out a little niche for themselves. There’s something sort of charming about two people who are in the wrong time just sort of rolling with it and being happy just the same. That was until Kate sauntered her rebellious ass onto the sub. It ended up pulling away from the dock, but I just can’t think that the finale will go down without these main characters on the island, is a sub U-turn in out future?
Also, this patch of the story gave us the funniest scene of the night where Hurley’s poor math and social studies skills blew their time travelling cover right out of the water. While it was funny, and I understand Hurley is a little dimwitted, does he really not know that there was such a thing as the Korean War? Really? Well, anyway, it certainly was hilarious. And Dr. Chang found out that Miles was in fact his son, and thus it became that much more imperative that he get his wife and the infant Miles off the island.
Take me to your Locke
Thirty years in the future, we were treated to easily the most interesting story of the night, where a rejuvenated Locke fully embraced his role as leader of the Others. He, Sun and Ben met up with Richard, who gave Sun some pretty ominous news regarding her husband and his friends fate in the past. Richard dropped the bomb that he did recognize them because he watched them all die. Locke promised Sun that he would do whatever he could to get the band back together again, but first he Richard and Ben had an errand to run.
The errand was a heady journey into the jungle, led by Locke, to set the past Locke on the proper path. Earlier this season, we saw Richard consult Locke after he had been shot in the leg by Ethan. It was at this moment that he informed John that in order to bring everyone back, he had to die. We now know that Locke himself was the orchestrator of this grand scheme. Wrap your head around that one for a bit.
This excursion also gave us a rather brilliant exchange between Locke and Ben. Locke explained that he knew what to do because the Island told him what to do. Ben copped that the Island never spoke to him and that puts the entire character of Ben Linus into a new perspective. It’s becoming clearer and clearer that Ben’s leadership of the Others was not the island’s intention, we know he cast Widmore out under tricky circumstances and that he wasn’t supposed to be the one to turn the wheel. It makes sense then that Locke would be resurrected after Ben tried to kill him, since that event was never supposed to take place. It begs the question: What exactly is Ben Linus, and how the hell does he fit into the great Lost puzzle?
When they got back, Locke addressed his new followers and said he was going to shake things up a bit. There would be no more secrecy regarding the whereabouts and identity of Jacob. There would be more accountability for the man they were taking orders from. All this seemed to upset Richard, who reluctantly agreed to lead Locke and the rest of the Others to the as-yet-unseen cabin dweller.
And the, for the second year in a row, John Locke delivered the big time, game-changing line of the pre-finale episode. In last year’s “Cabin Fever”. we got to hear him say, “He said we have to move the island.” And this year, when Ben asked John why they were really going to see Jacob, Locke casually responded: “So I can kill him.”
Really, where can you start with that one? How can he kill a guy who appears to be nothing more than a spectral ghost? WHY does he want to kill him? If the look on Ben’s face is any indication, it would appear he is as confused as we are.
As usual, I will welcome any theories, likes/dislikes in the comments or via my email link at the top of the page. I can’t believe there’s just one week left of this brilliant season. Until next week, friends.
