S6E15 - What They Died For

This episode answers the question, "What they died for." The "they" meaning not just Jin and Sun, or even Sayid, but anyone who was "called" to the island. Based on the title, and the fact that this episode is only one off from what will hopefully be a fond farewell to the series... an obituary seems only appropriate.

Name: John Locke (aka Jeremy Bentham)
Born: 1956 - teenage mother and con artist father
Died: 2007 - suicide (upon first inspection)
Lifetime Achievements: hunting boar, pushing a button, pushing a wheel that got stuck, blowing up a submarine (once as himself and again as a smoke monster)

Of course the John we know and love (or at least respected for about four seasons until he became whiny and so easily lead astray by Ben) is long gone, but alt-John is still around. After alt-Ben got the alt-crap beat out of hit by alt-Desmond, he too had a vision of his island self.

Okay, I get the rule if your island self dies you can "see" or even if you come into close contact with someone who "wasn't meant to be" like Hurley/Libby, then you "see." I can even handle a near-death experience being the gimmick to make you "see" but now all it takes is just getting knocked around? Alt-lame. Come on. The next thing you know Desmond will just run around stepping on people's toes.

Anyway, from the looks of things, alt-Ben's got a potential alt-love connection with alt-Rousseau who will be sure to not put in as many alt-onions in his alt-dinner next time... if you know what I'm alt-saying. Good for them. Anyway, point being that he tells alt-Locke what alt-Desmond said about letting go and alt-Locke takes it as a sign to finally agree to let alt-Jack help him.

By the way, remind me not to send my daughters to the school where alt-Ben and alt-Locke teach. Worst security ever...

Name: Charles Widmore
Born: 1937
Died: 2007 - shot three times in the gut
Lifetime Achievements: leading a group of people with no clear purpose, building a vast-yet-vague business enterprise, finding an unfindable island (twice)

You know what I totally didn't get about this episode? Ben's sudden switch of allegiance. At first he just seemed resigned to his fate. He was all, "Okay, Widmore beat me to the punch on the C4 idea, which didn't work anyway and hey listen, here he comes to kill us." So he walks outside and calmly sits as if accepting his fate. But then when Flocke doesn't want to kill him, but in fact wants Ben to kill some folks FOR him, Ben just goes along with it? What? So is he just glad he's not dead so going along with whatever is asked of him? I don't get it and that's a total 180 from the "redemption" that he apparently had when deciding to side with Ilana and the candidates way back when. I hope he's just going along as a con.

Anyway, he kills Widmore--who was in the process of whispering sweet nothings in Flocke's ear in exchange for his daughter's life--claiming he "doesn't get to save his daughter." Geez, bitter much? Long story short, what happened to Ben's statement about not being able to kill Widmore because it was against the rules back in season 4? I mean, that's why he threatened to kill Penny in the first place, because he blamed Widmore for Alex's death and couldn't kill him so went after his own daughter instead. I have a feeling that won't be explained and that irks me. The whole who can kill who thing and why irks me.

The big reveal in the end is Widmore's admission that Desmond was a fail safe in case all the candidates died; somehow related to his immunity to high doses of electromagnetism. While dangerous to Flocke in some way, this also apparently equates to being able to destroy the island so it looks like the island timeline's main showdown will be Jack and Flocke both hunting for Desmond.

Name: Zoe ?
Born: 1970ish
Died: 2007 - throat slit by smoke monster in corporeal form
Lifetime Achievements: masters degree in geophysics, successfully kidnapped a Korean

While Zoe is definitely dead, you know who I'm not so sure about? Richard. What do you think? Looks like he kind of just got tossed really hard into the jungle. Oh, and you know who I totally left out of the recap before last whose fate I'm also unsure of...?

Name: Frank Lapidus
Born: 1960ish
Died: ? - possibly drowned after submarine explosion
Lifetime Achievements: binge drinking, sobering up, semi-successfully landing an airplane after partial loss to engine power

I'm assuming he's dead. I mean, he was blown backwards by the submarine bulkhead just before the water came in so I think he joined Jin and Sun in their fate. Speaking of which...

Name: Jin Kwon
Born: 1974 - son of a fisherman and hooker with a heart of gold (minus the gold)
Died: 2004 - supposed freighter explosion AND 2007 - drowned out of sheer stubbornness (or extreme devotion)
Lifetime Achievements: built a raft, drowned voluntarily

Name: Sun Kwon
Born: 1980 - daughter of a Korean mobster for all intents and purposes
Died: 2007 - drowned in a submarine with her husband
Lifetime Achievements: hostile corporate takeover of family business, abandoning only child to pursue hopeless mission

Don't get me wrong, that scene was tragic, but being a parent... I would have spent at least some of my last few moments giving my spouse the third degree for basically choosing to orphan our child. Tough call and everything, but come on dude. Anyway, while we're tallying up submarine fatalities, I might as well include...

Name: Sayid Jarrah
Born: 1967
Died: 2007 - ran with a timebomb as opposed to throwing it very very far away
Lifetime Achievements: blue ribbon in torture school, fell for a shallow white girl, became kind of evil, sacrificed himself in order to protect his friends

This brings me back to the alternate timeline where Desmond voluntarily turns himself in. At first, I thought it was a ruse to get close to Sawyer, but then we see his cellmates Kate and Sayid. He stages a prison break with the help of Hurley and a paid off Ana Lucia and splits up into teams, presumably in a final push to get all the LOSTies back together.

It definitely seems like there's some concert going on that will draw a number of them. Apparently it is a benefit for Pierre Chang's (Miles' dad) museum opening. Jack's son will be playing piano, so there's Jack. Maybe Claire will come along (with her comically-far-too-easy-to-maneuver-pregnancy-suit, I mean seriously Emilie de Ravin... have you actually seen a pregnant woman before portraying one on TV?). As you recall, alt-Daniel is a musician so he could be in attendance as well, thus also roping in Eloise and Widmore. Desmond already bought an outfit for Kate, saying they were going, and I'm assuming Hurley and Sayid will be in charge of rounding up any stragglers like Jin, Sun, Locke, maybe Ben. I also have a theory about Juliet, but I don't want to ruin any surprises. Anyway, it will be interesting how they all get together which apparently is what part of Sunday's finale will reveal.

Name: Jacob
Born: ??? - classical Roman era
Died: 2007 - stabbed by a disillusioned ex-employee
Lifetime Achievements: Guiness Book record holder for most consecutive days of wearing white, creating an evil smoke monster

We already knew the "reason" for the candidates as replacement guardians of the light from last week's episode. And yes, Jack is the chosen one... or the volunteer at least. But I guess two other biggish questions from this season got it's answer in Jacob's fireside chat. Question: How were the candidates chosen? Answer: Jacob just looked for lonely people whose lives sucked. Question: Why was Kate scratched off the list. Answer: Because she became a surrogate mother therefore not quite so lonely or sucky, but it was just a piece of chalk in a cave and if she still wanted the job she could have had it.

The only problem I have with this is Jin and Sun. Granted their marriage was on the skids before they came to the island, but surely after Sun escaped and had Ji Yeon she should have been crossed off. But of course in that case maybe the Kwon in question was Jin just because he presumably could never leave to be with her again so was just the lonely woe-is-me type Jacob was looking for? I dunno. Whatever, though, they're definitely crossed off now.

***

That's it. I wanted to say more... maybe include some notable obituaries of characters from the past such as Charlie, Rousseau, or Juliet. But alas, I find my creative energies dwindling as the finale draws closer. Perhaps it is for the best.

The Questions and Answers revealed in Jacob's final moments will serve as my inspiration for the finale's recap, but I need your help. This show is--if nothing--a Pandora's box of mysteries. Many questions have been raised, though it seems the answer ratio has been lacking. I suppose the finale will fill some of these gaps, but I'm not so optimistic as to think it will answer everything.

So, in an ambitious effort to potentially divert catastrophe, I will attempt to answer all of your questions. Whether big or small; something that's been itching you since season one or a story hole you need plugged from last night's episode; anything from "Why was Libby in the mental institution?" to "What did the incident have to do with babies and their mothers dying in the third trimester?"; doesn't matter, just shoot me an e-mail and I'll include it and the answer (or at least a plausible one) in my last recap.

Bold claim? Yes. But by golly I'm going to salvage this sinking ship. I just hope that it won't require as much bailing out as I anticipate.