Two Times the Kate Magic-
In what was a bold and climactic move by writers, Kate manages to get herself double captured in this finale. Double captured! First by the Others, and then at the same time by Keamy's men. Ok, so the second was voluntary in order to free Ben. But it still counts in the roll-call of times Kate has been captured/set off a trap in this entire show (I'll have a formal count for you by next season).
Cavalry of Whispers -
It was brilliant. Within the first five minutes of the episode, the viewer and the Losties came completely full-circle as Keamy and his men hear whispers in the
jungle just before the surrounding ambush attacks. There was a time when this was very creepy and disturbing to the viewer. Now we (and the Losties) are on the other side of the figurative fence. And I don't know about you, but I started cheering the second I could hear the whispers. I knew it meant the cavalry was on its way! What a difference a few seasons make.Fight Club -
When Sayid tackled Keamy from the brush, I don't know that I've cheered louder. And then the fight that ensued was the stuff dreams are made of. The Iraqi ex-soldier who can kill a man with his ankles vs. one really pissed off and indestructible GI Joe. Great choreography. And another very symbolic blending of the Losties with the Others. That Sayid would fight for the Others' cause to his death speaks volumes about how much the tables have turned.
Jack, Meet the New Ben -
Meanwhile elsewhere in the jungle, other themes are coming full circle as Locke is demonstrating how much he has learned in the art of subtle manipulation from Ben. He's getting into Jack's mind.
"There's No Such Thing as Miracles" -
Jack, I thought you were only there to rescue Hurley and leave? But no. You stay and listen to Locke. You let him get in your head about how you're "not supposed to go home". And then you listen closely as he puts the worm in your ear that it will eat you from the inside out if you leave (the guilt, not the worm). And then he convinces you to pull off a massive public cover-up. Awesome.
"Couldn't Find the Anthuriums, Could You?" -
After the satisfying rumble in the jungle, and the game of mind twisting with Jack, it's time to get back down to business: The Orchid. Once we acknowledge Ben's lackluster botanical breadth of knowledge, it's time to take an elevator ride. And I started actually tingling. How did the Dharma Initiative discover and build this deeply underground hatch anyway? I'm guessing that's a pretty end-game question, unfortunately.
Where's the Popcorn? -
As soon as a tired and impatient Ben pulled out the orientation film I stood and cheered. Thank the lawdy! Yes, another film. I don't know how the writers
possibly justified writing this in, but I'm glad they did! Hellllo Nurse!"I'm Edgar Halowax" -
Interesting that Marvin Candle introduces himself as Edgar Halowax in the Orchid video. Which is his real name? I'm guessing Halowax, since that's what they embroidered on his Orchid parka (that Ben puts on). Why was Halowax/Candle (what, will his next name be Wickman?) spending enough time down in the Orchid's vault to need a personalized parka?
Not the Magic Box...-
...but it's pretty damn close. Technically the Orchid has a box. And I'd call it pretty magical. "The Vault" is defined as being exposed to "negatively charged exotic matter", and that "no inorganic energy must go into the chamber". Or metals. So it's like a big effed-up microwave. And Ben's got a big-ass fork to stick in it.
Avon Calling! -
Ugh, really? You're going to make the super-human bad guy show up again? Ok, let's get this over with. Keamy, come on down here, say the most offensive things you can, inform us of your plot device strapped to your arm (which, by the way is actually a metronome - awesome job, prop guys!). And just as you finish furthering the plot, Ben will jump out and kill you in a way that is visceral, but slowww, ya know, for the sake of the plot. Ok, great. Now that's taken care of, let's move on.
Last Ferry of the Night -
Daniel's high-tailing it off the Island with a few more 815ers, and begs his fellow Boaters to come with him. Miles serenely declines and convinces Bitchy not to go either. "I'm surprised you want to leave after all that time trying to get back here!" Okay, that may be the biggest "Whaaa?" moment of the night. Charlotte's still looking for her birthplace? On the Island? What the heck does this all mean? Well, at least that we'll be seeing a lot more of the Boaters next season. Drat!
Up, Up, and Away -
Not too far from Keamy's last stand, Hurley, Sawyer, Kate, Jack, Sayid, and Aaron are boarding the helicopter for the boat. Nice that they don't stop at the beach to try and load the most deserving people on it first, huh? There go our heroes, taking their shot while they can. I'm not saying I blame them.
Selfless -
Sawyer may be one of the few true heroes on this show (Jack and Kate certainly not among them). When the chopper desperately needs to lose a couple hundred more pounds to make it to the boat, Sawyer says goodbye to Kate and jumps. Now, maybe he could've asked Frank to lower the chopper a little first. But, nah. You know what? He's fine. Because he's Sawyer. And the Island still has plans for him.
Fuel -
Phew! They barely made it to that freighter that's about to explode with fuel spilling out behind them. But of course they made it. The Island still needed them to make it. Little did they know that they probably could've flown for hours on the Island's dime if it kept them on their path to help the Island.
Dyn-o-mite! -
Back on the boat, things aren't looking any better than last episode. The mountain of C-4 explosive is intricately wired with a remote trigger and no hope of disconnection. There's only one chance! Their conveniently handy tank of liquid nitrogen! Why was the boat stocked with liquid nitrogen? Big wart problems?
Keepin' It Cool -
Michael is doing his damndest to buy some time before the big bang. And at least Desmond's smart enough to get his arse out of there. What the blazing hell was Jin doing staying behind like that? He's going to be a papa? How was he helping? Oh, Jin.
The Second Toughest Scene In Lost's History -
Only Charlie's death has choked me up as much as Jin's death. Alex's death was plenty hard too, but at least it was fast. Not like watching Jin scream for his wife and beg for them to come back. That was haunting. That'll be hard to take on repeat viewings. But could Jin have maybe survived? Just maybe?
Your Service Has Ended -
It was poetic. "You can go now, Michael."
Frozen Donkey Wheel -
Unaware of the boat explosion off the coast of the Island, Ben is in Halowax's parka and climbing through the microwave's blast hole into a (more)
underground tunnel with ladder, arctic climate, and a big-ass frozen wheel. This wasn't the first time the tunnel had been used, so did they always have to blow open the back of the Vault? And then repair it each time?I'd Like to Spin the Wheel, Pat -
Ben manages to turn the wheel of doom, and begins the frightening process of moving the Island. The sky turns violet again, the humming begins, and then the Island is sucked into the ocean, presumably to turn up elsewhere undisturbed. Is this the first time we've seen the Island move? Is this also what happened when Desmond turned the failsafe key in the Swan Hatch? And is that how the Boaters were suddenly able to track down the Island? Because it moved to a more accessible spot?
Timewarp -
By turning the wheel, Ben is presumably time/space travels to the Sahara Desert in October, 2005 (from December 30, 2004 - the date that Ben turned the wheel).
Left Behind -
The Island left a few people behind - our Losties floating in their rescue raft after their helicopter plummets to the ocean. And another raft of people - Daniel's last batch of people heading for the boat. What happened to them? Maybe they got caught in the boat explosion. If not, where were they that Pen's boat didn't find them?
Rescue, At Last -
Penn's boat arrives just on time to pick up the rattled helicopter/airliner crash survivors. Anyone else notice the eerily similar of the appearance of Penn's boat to the Others' boat that snagged Walt from the raft in Season One?
Finally, a Happy Moment -
In a real downer of a finale, at least we could happily sigh for a brief moment. Penn and Des together again and never going to leave each other. Until...well, Desmond's one of the ones that has to go back. How will he ever leave Penn again?
Traveling Man -
Let's take a trip to the future, where Jeremy Bentham is a busy man. He's visiting Walt to reveal the Six's lies. Then he's visiting Jack, Kate, and presumably the other survivors. On the pro-Bentham team we have:
Sayid
Walt
Hurley
Ben
On the anti-Bentham team we have:
Sun
Kate
And then of course there's Jack, who can't decide who to trust, believe, or have faith in.
The Island's Calling -
Literally, the Island called Future Kate one night in its campaign to bring the Six back to the Island. Does the Island have to travel by phone? On the line all she heard was the whispers, only to find Claire standing over Aaron and issuing the warning not to bring him back. I don't know Claire, I think it's too late. He's already being raised by another. So why is the Island contradicting itself? If it wants all of the Six back, why is Claire saying this? Doesn't she work in service of the Island?
Bentham's Been Compromised -
Future Sayid makes a very important visit to Hurley in a scene that's sure to be underrated for its importance. He lets Hurley know that Bentham is dead - and not by suicide as alleged. And that means Hurley and the rest are in danger. He's already killed a man staking out Hurley's hospital. I'm thinking this dangerous pursuit is what will finally convince everyone to go back to the Island as it commands. In any event, still fascinating to hear that Hurley's seeing other Island spirits - including Mr. Eko who apparently likes to play chess. Poorly.
And the Man in the Coffin Is...-
Jeremy Bentham....who is...John Locke! Looking surprisingly dead for an actor on
a tv show, I must say. So Locke was prancing around the mainland trying to rally the troops and got himself killed. It was a sacrifice the Island demanded.They're All in Big, Big Trouble -
They've got more to worry about than just the average inept Widmore hitman, now. It seems that Sun still holds a grudge with Ben for the death of Jin. And she is on powerfully scorned woman. We'll have to watch and see how far she'll go to get her revenge, with the help of Papa Widmore. I wouldn't ever want to be on the wrong side of Sun.
BEST LINES OF THE EPISODE:
"I'm sorry I made your life so miserable." -Benjamin Linus saying goodbye to John Locke
"Checkmate, Mr. Eko." -Hurley to an invisible chess opponent
"If you mean the time traveling bunnies, then yes." -Benjamin Linus confirming the Island's oddities
THINGS YOU MIGHT'VE MISSED:
- If you play back whispers calling Future Kate on the phone backwards, they are saying "The Island needs you. You have to go back before it's too late."
- There was an ad during the last commercial break for Octagon Global Recruiting. This is an ad for a Dharma Initiative recruiting seminar to be held at...none other than ComicCon 2008 (man, I wish I could be there!).
- Penn's boat's name is "The Searcher"
- The producers' code name for the secret scene with Ben turning the frozen wheel was "Frozen Donkey Wheel".
- When the Six part from Penn's boat, Jack tells Des that he'll "see him in another life, brutha". (Ok, this time he left off the "brutha" part.) This parallels multiple instances where Des has said this to Jack.
- The producers filmed two alternate endings to the episode to prevent media leaks. Here is the video showing the other two endings:
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