"Lighthouse" was the first episode of LOST's sixth season that posed more questions than answers. I'm totally cool with that (it is a mystery show, after all), but some of the facts not revealed felt like they could have been, and even felt deliberately left unanswered. Case in point: who is number 108? That's who Jacob wanted Hurley to turn the lighthouse mirrors to, before Jack decided to destroy them. I mean, even if Jack was in his own emotional state, don't you think Hurley would have at least taken a look at the giant wheel of names to find out who Jacob wanted to bring to the Island?
Make no mistake, despite the lack of reveals in this episode, it was still very solid. We saw a bit more of what was afflicting Claire, and we also took a glimpse at Jack's reset timeline, in which he had a son (probably with Sarah). The son, David, was afraid of Jack for the same reason that Jack was afraid of Christian: he didn't want his father to see him fail. It was one of the most moving off-Island storylines ever, definitely on par with first season flashbacks.
There were also little fun easter eggs thrown in through the "flash-sideways" (that term still leaves a bad taste in my mouth) that made them worthwhile, mythologically. Jack found a scar that he didn't remember on his abdomen, where his appendix had been removed. His mother claimed it had been removed when he was a child, but you can tell that some major deja vu is going on. Does he remember Juliet taking out his appendix? Maybe not. But he knows something is going on.
There's also the little hidden bit that I thought was really clever: on the welcome board leading to David's audition, the performers are mentioned as "candidates." Probably no big significance, but it's interesting to show how the universes are bleeding over. That's not to mention Dogen and his little boy, who are, for some reason, living in Los Angeles.
The on-Island storyline wasn't as meaty in character-development, or really plot development. The best part of the episode for me was Hurley and Jack rediscovering the skeletons of Adam and Eve in the caves. We remember, Damon and Carlton are telling us. Just trust us.
But the Island landmark that Hurley and Jack were travelling to wasn't the caves, but a lighthouse that's somehow managed to stay out of the survivors' view. "I guess we just weren't looking," Hurley notes.
Inside the lighthouse are three mirrors, and when turned to an angle corresponding to one candidate (we now know that there must be 360 candidates), the mirror shows an image from the character's pasts. On one image (presumaby #42, Kwon), we saw an Asian-style structure, while on Jack's we saw his childhood home. This of course leads us to believe that the lighthouse doesn't actually beckon to ships on the sea, but to the people in their pasts. This is making how Jacob was able to lure the survivors to the Island that much more apparent.
But before they could find out who 108 was (I think it's Desmond, since the Island "isn't done" with him yet) and why they needed to come to the Island, Jack broke the mirrors in a fit of rage because Jacob's spirit wouldn't show up. In fact, Jacob only showed up way too late, expressing nonchalance about his broken mirror and stating that this exercise was just to make Jack realize how important he was. He then states that the mission had a secondary objective: to get Jack and Hurley away from the Temple, because someone bad was coming. Who would that be? None other than Claire and the Man in Black.
Speaking of Claire, she's rather nice to Jin, and she remembers who he is. However, she's more Rousseau-like than ever, still whining about where her "bay-bee" is (if you don't listen to the Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack, you're missing out on a great impression of Claire). She thinks the Others in the Temple took Aaron, and interrogates Justin, the kind-of-nice Other who survived the shooting that killed Aldo.
Jin tries to save Justin's life by telling Claire that Kate took Aaron, but she kills Justin anyway, with an axe to the stomach. We got a pretty grisly closeup of the entry wound as it was created. Jin promptly retracted his story about Kate, whom Claire stated she would have killed, had the story been true. Oh, Jin, why don't you know more? All you'd have to do is tell Claire that Aaron is with her mother, and everything would have been okay. But no, Jin's always a step behind everyone else (not by his own fault, though).
And then, guess who shows up to be Claire's friend? The Man in Black, who ends the episode for the second time in a row on an eerie note. This confirms that MIB is the Christian imposter, quite honestly. There was a moment there when I thought Claire would reveal MIB's real name, but unfortunately, she didn't. What is that guy's name? Esau? Cerberus? Samuel? Jimbo?
All in all, the episode was a solid one for both character development and mythology, though it didn't pack quite the punch that last week's "The Substitute" did, which is disappointing for a Damon- and Carlton-penned episode. But it left me wanting more (in a good way), so I'll give it an A.
great review!! the scene at the lighthouse is already up on youtube… maybe you can list some nameshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIyUDIgzzfI
The video isn't hi-res enough. I'll post another post in the news section as soon as some higher-res screencaps come out (tonight or tomorrow).
The name at 108 is shown to be "Wallace" so it probably isn't Desmond
I knew it! Marcellus is coming to the Island with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch!
well, i thought it has a pretty good quality after the upload progress… however ;)ok, can't wait for it!
Check out the news section of the site. Gallery posted.
The episode wasn’t the strongest and could have been much better, but Jack’s depth saved the episode from being like the Kate episode two episodes ago. The journey the lighthouse was largely inconsequential, so I was disappointed in that. Claire’s reappearance was simply terrific and the appearance of her “friend” was also great.Could the part about flash-sideways Jack’s appendix scar be a clue to what’s going on? Juliet cut out Jack’s appendix on the island, so there has to be a connection or else it’s a major coincidence, and there are none on Lost.Review of the episode on my blog:http://th3tvobsessed.blogspot.com/2010/02/revie…..
I knew it! Marcellus is coming to the Island with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch!
I knew it! Marcellus is coming to the Island with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch!
Jack has some type of psychosis that is haunting him and his understanding of reality. The alternate reality is possibly his actual reality and his conscious is trying to resolve this, the show title is a reference to him being lost and him needing to find his way ergo the episode arc of the lighthouse a metaphor for him to find his way and btw claire is his sister.
Jacob never intended to bring anybody else to the Island. 108 is Wallace and it is a red herring.It's even crossed out already. It doesn't matter. Jacob had two goals – 1. To create a situation where Jack sees his name and recognizes his importance and 2. To get Hurley and Jack out of the Temple. That's it. There was never any intent to actually succeed in lining up the compass to 108. It was just a ploy on Jacob's part and it worked. He lied to Hurley to achieve a specific result in the same way that Hurley had to lie to Jack. He says as much to Hurley while they watch Jack stare at the sea. I'm just tired of folks harping on the 108 thing. It isn't important and nobody is coming. Jacob knew this. It's all part of his plan – just like Jack's appendix. People wondered why Jack got appendicitis on magical healing Island – because Jacob wanted him to. Part of the plan. Jacob needed Jack to get that scar so that Jack-X could see it and have deja vu and head down a path we can't see yet. Part of the plan.
[...] TV Overmind [...]
I think you're exactly right.
I don't think that the MIB was impersonating Christian… Claire specifically separates her father from her "friend" when talking to Jin. Plus, Jack notes, once again, that he found Christian's coffin without his father's body inside. Perhaps Christian is something entirely different.
Love this week's episode just cuz I love how crazy-ass Claire is! ;-PThere's another good recap here for anyone interestedhttp://bit.ly/9igDJk