That Wine Looked Delicious, Among Other Things...

This episode was incredible for three reasons:
1. It answered three BIG questions, making it the winner this season.
a. Who is Richard and where did he come from?
b. Why is the Island so important to protect?
c. Who is Smokey (granted we still don’t know where exactly he comes from or what to
call him)?

There were other answers here and there, but these actually moved us forward. We actually felt like this was the final season, as Arrow said.

2. There was no LAX. I don’t mind LAX THAT much, but it disrupts the story line and progress sometimes. This was like watching a movie, and I haven’t really had that feeling with Lost since the series premiere.

3. We got to look at Nester Carbonell for an hour, and be impressed by his amazing acting. Nester, you gorgeous, talented, sexy man.

There are other reasons why I was completely blown away, but those are my top three. I won’t say it was my favorite episode of the series, but it ranks in the top five. It definitely made up for last week’s episode (which I made my peace with, guys). It really made me hurt for the character of Richard, knowing what he had to live with all this time. Your Job comparison is spot-on, Arrow (and I watched that same special, therefore I too am a nerd). It shouldn’t be a surprise that more biblical allegories have come into play, but I still enjoy them. What is interesting is that the writers are insisting that this is not going to have a biblical conclusion, but they keeping building up to it that way.

Jacob is not evil, no. But he is, at the end of the day, only human. While he may possess strengths that the next candidate must possess as well, every man has his weaknesses. So while I do not see Jacob as wholly evil, nor have I ever, I don’t see him as being 100% good either. He is flawed, but probably less flawed than the rest of us. I do not think, however, that they are all dead. How can dead people die? Know what I’m sayin’? I think that would be such a cop out ending, similar to it all being a dream (Dallas) or all taking placing in a snow globe owned by an autistic child (St. Elsewhere)—which I think I mentioned Dallas in a previous post and how angry and hurt I would be if it ended remotely in that way. I was watching this with two friends and they got really angry when Richard started yelling that they are all in Hell, since that idea (or at least Purgatory) was thrown out the window in Season One. We aren’t going to let them get away with a technicality are we? HELL NO! Anyway, I don’t think the island itself is Hell, I just think I big part of Hell has been contained there. I hope that's the case and that they didn't just lie to us, though I could see why they would.

I originally saw the bottle as the Island, the wine as Smokey and the cork as Jacob. The Island is what has Smokey contained, or caged; Jacob is just making sure he stays there, or making sure he doesn’t spill out to stain everything. That’s how I saw it, though the other interpretation makes sense as well, especially since Smokey broke it at the very end. I think he wanted to destroy that island as much as he wanted to destroy Jacob, so it could work both ways. I also think I will be out voted on my interpretation.

However! This brings to question the island having being destroyed in 1977. Wouldn't that mean that Smokey would have escaped? Wouldn't that mean in LAX Hell is on Earth? Methinks Smokey cannot simply be drowned or blown up, unless he wasn't given the chance to say something before it happened . . . What if (going biblical again) Smokey is the anti-Christ? What if he actually is in the LAX as a man of power and we just haven't seen him yet? !?!?!?!?!

I predict that we will get an episode on Jacob, Smokey and Widmore this season as well. It seems as though everyone is only getting one last character-centric episode until we reach the end, and I think that they will grant us the opportunity to learn more about these three and how they came to be who they are; just like Ricardo. I asked the “Who do you think will die?” question a while back (is this thing on?), but I never really answered my own question, so I will answer Swan's. I think either Kate or Claire will bite the bullet, probably not both. I get the feeling Ilana may die, as well as perhaps Lapidus. Sayid might as well be dead. Richard may die once he completes his task, which seems impossible to do, but you never know. Then he could be with Isabella again! Sun and Jin will live. Jack will live. Sawyer . . . I haven’t decided. Same thing goes for Miles. Hurley is going to live, if not for the sake of the plot then for the sake of the writers’ lives. Imagine how angry the entire Lost watching community would be if they killed Hurley. Widmore will die. Ben is also someone I am undecided on. I want him to live, but my wants are rarely satisfied when it comes to this show.

I had an eerie thought for the ending right after this episode. What if no one becomes Jacob? What if the ending is Smokey getting off the island and we are left with the possibility that Hell is on Earth now, never to have it resolved otherwise? Not likely, but what a scary ending to it all.

-Pearl

P.S.
I think it should be cleared up once and for all that Nester Carbonell does not wear eyeliner. He explained in the Season Five commentary that they actually have to put make-up on him to hide the fact that his eyes are darker than portrayed on television. And that he was made fun of as a child for looking like he wears eyeliner. Poor poor poor, Nester. It's not easy being amazingly attractive, is it?