316 SE5 EP6

We’re not going to Guam, are we?

Opening scene is episode one all over again—close up on Jack’s eye, swaying bamboo, Jack running through the jungle to please of help. The only thing that’s different is that Jack has a little scrap of paper in his hand “I wish….” it says. And this time he comes across Hurley and Kate in the lagoon, not the beach and Shannon screaming. “We’re back,” Jack tells Kate. Kate, still groggy, asks, “What happened?” Funny you should ask, because the producers have treated us to a first ever, wholly linear episode.

46 Hours Earlier
We pick up where we left off last episode, at the church with Eloise lighting candles. Still pissed off that they aren’t all there, she leads them down the cellar to the freaky lab. “Let’s ge started.” “What is this place?” Jack asks. “The Dharma Initiative called it the Lamp Post,” Ellie explains. “This is how they found the island.” “Did you know about this place?” Jack asks Ben. Ben sasy no. “Is he telling the truth?” Jack asks Ellie. “Probably not,” She answers.

School’s in and Ellie is the teacher. There is a large pocket of electro magnetic energy underneath this church. This EM energy connects to pockets of EM energy all over the world. A very clever fellow built the pendulum. The Dharmam Initiative knew about the island, they collected all sorts of evidence, but they could never find it. Then they figured out they needed to stop looking for where it was supposed to be, and start looking for where it will be. The island is always moving, that’s why you were never rescued. These calculations find windows to provide a route back to the island, but the windows don’t stay open. Yours closes in 36 hours.”

Des, meanwhile, has been listening to this gibberish quite long enough, thank you. “Ummm, hello?” Des wonders. “Are you all daft? You’re all going back to the island willingly?” In answer they all stare at Des. “Well I’m only here to deliver a message from your son, Daniel Faraday,” he says looking at Ellie. “He said they need YOUR help, not Sun’s, not Jack’s.” “But I AM helping, Desmond. The Island is not done with you.” Des freaks. “This woman cost me 4 years of my life. These people are not helping us, they are using us. We are just pawns in their game, brutha.” Then to Ellie, “The Island may not be done with me, but I’m done with the island.”

After Des’s departure, Ellie tells Jack and Sun that they must take Airlines Agira Airways, flight 316 because it is flying right through their window. Hey, I remember Agira Airways! That’s where the water bottles came from on the long boats. Ellie continues, “You all need to be on it. It must be that flight.” School is back in session. “You must do your best to create the same circumstances. This means bringing as many of the same people as you can with you.” “So that’s it?” Jack wonders. “We just get on that flight and we’re done with it?” “No, that’s not all, Jack,” Ellie says, staring at Jack with her dead black eyes. “Not for you.”

Ellie leads jack away, explaining that Ben and Sun heard what they needed to hear and this does not concern them. She hands Jack John Locke’s suicide note in an envelope addressed to Jack. “He hung himself.” Ellie tells Jack by way of explanation. “He is going to help you get back. John is going to be a proxy. A substitute.” A substitute for who?” Jack wants to know. “Jack,” scolds the school marm. “Who do you think?” Locke will be a substitute for Jack’s father in the coffin. “Get something that belonged to your father and give it to John.” Ellie demands.
Now it’s Jack’s turn to freak out. “The is ridiculous!” He exclaims. “Stop telling yourself how ridiculous it is and start asking yourself if you believe it’s going to work,” Ellie responds. “That’s why it’s called a leap of faith.”

TWe then join Jack and Ben on a nice little journey of symbolism, as Ben ponders a painting of Jesus and Thomas the Apostle, aka Doubting Thomas. “Thomas needed to touch Jesus’ wounds to be convinced,” Ben explains. Jack, who has apparently never been to Sunday school, asks if that convinced him. “We’re all convinced sooner or later, Jack.” Then Ben leaves, making the excuse to Jack “I made a promise to an old friend. I have to tie up a loose end.”

Is he going to kill Penny?

Jack is in a bar. His phone rings and he leaves to go to an old folks home, where his granddad Ray, lives. Seems ray has tried to take off again and the home needs Jack to calm the old guy down. “Where were you going to go, Ray?” asks Jack. “Some where better than here.” I found myself wishing that Jack would take the sweet old guy with him back to the island. Jack begins to unpack his grandad’s bag and finds a pair of his dad’s dress shoes. Knowing he needs something of his father’s, he asks his granddad if he can take the shoes. Jack then explains that he won’t be around to visit because he’s going away for a while. “Where are you going?” Ray asks him. “Some place better than here.”

Jack goes home after his visit to Grandad Ray, enters the apartment and starts looking through the cabinets. Pills? Booze? Pills? Booze? Booze! He begins to pour himself a drink, but hears someone enter his apartment. Instead of calling out, “Who’s there?” Jack begins to walk through the dark apartment and upon arriving in the bedroom, finds an utterly distraught Kate laying on his bed. “Are you still going to the island?” She asks. “Yes,” Jack answers. “Then I’m going with you.” Jack is confused. “Kate, what happened? Where’s Aaron?” “If you want me to go with you, you will never ask me that question again,” Kate says. “You will never ask me about Aaron again.” Kate is so messed up for the rest of this episode that she actually has me creeped out.

Jack and Kate have hot sex, but a very awkward morning after. Kate notices the shoes and comments on them. Jack tells her, “When I went to get my dad in Australia my mom wanted to have his funeral right away. He didn’t have any nice shoes, so I had these old white tennis shoes and I said, ‘Put these on him,’ because he wasn’t worth a new pair of shoes to me.” “Why hold on to them if they make you sad?” Kate asks. But she doesn’t stick around to hear the answer; she beats a hasty retreat and tells Jack she’ll meet him at the airport.

Ben calls Jack and tells him he’s been sidetracked. He’s covered in blood and calling from a pay phone at the marina, obviously upset. Has he killed Penny? Des? Little Charlie? “Pick up Locke’s body at Simon’s butcher shop. Ask for Jill.”

Jack shows up at the butcher shop where Jill gives him a moment alone with Locke’s body. Jack opens the coffin. For some strange reason, I found the whole sequence of Jack removing Locke’s shoes and replacing them with his father’s to be oddly touching. “Wherever you are John, you must be laughing your ass off that I’m even doing this. Because this is even crazier than you were.” Jack puts the suicide note back in the coffin. “I don’t need this. I’ve already heard everything you had to say. Rest in peace.”

Jack is at the airport, arranging for transport of Locke’s body. He is told it will have to be screened and that he will be the contact in Guam. As he is leaving the check in desk, a small guy offers, “My condolences, I’m sorry you lost your friend.” This guy IS somebody. We will see him again.

Kate and Sun show up at the airport, Jack is happy to see them, if a little surprised. Sun says if there is even a chance that Jin is alive, she’s going back.

We see Sayid being escorted by a female marshall—just like Kate in the original flight. BTW, that marshall IS somebody, too. We’ll see her again as well.

We see Hurley carrying Charlie’s guitar.

Hurley is at the gate and begins to freak out when the stewardess starts calling for standbys. Hurley says there are no standbys, all 78 seats are his, he bought them.. When Jack gets to the gate, he wonders to Hurley, “How did you get here?” “Dude, it only matters that I’m here.”

Ben shows up a little worse for wear just as the plane is about to take off. His face is beaten and his arm is in a sling. Hurley freaks when he sees Ben but Jack calms him down. The stewardess gives Jack the suicide note, which was recovered after their scan of the coffin. Jack just can’t get rid of this note. He settles on a seat in the back, across the aisle from Ben. “The other people on this plane, what’s going to happen to them?” Jack asks. “Who cares?” Ben replies.

N as the captain turns of the seatbelt sign, Jack moves up next to kate. “Sooo…pretty crazy, huh? How did they all get here?” Jack asks. “They bought a ticket.” Kate replies dryly. “You don’t think it means something, that we’re all together again?” jack asks. Kate rolls her eyes. “We’re on the same plane, Jack. We’re not together.”

And where is Des?

An announcement comes over the PA: “This is your pilot, Frank J. Lapidus.” Jack immediately tells the flight attendant he needs to speak to the pilot. Frank, all cleaned up, emerges from the cockpit, happy to see Jack. This is just a little gig he lined up. “Wait a second, is that Sayid? Hurley?” Frank realizes what’s happening. He’s not going to Guam

Jack, uncomfortable around Kate, goes and sits next to Ben (there’s a good measure of how uncomfortable it is to be around Kate; when you prefer Ben’s company to hers.) “How can you read?” Jack asks Ben. “My mother taught me,” Ben quips, but we know it’s a lie since Ben’s mom died in childbirth. “It beats what you’re doing,” Ben remarks “Waiting for something to happen.” Jack tells be that the suicide note is following him. “I feel like John needs me to read it.” “Why don’t you then?” Ben asks. “Are you afraid? Afraid that he blames you, that it’s your fault he killed himself?” Jack says it’s not his fault and Ben agrees and reiterates it, but neither one of them seems convinced. Ben leaves to give Jack privacy and Jack opens the note:

Jack, I wish you had believed. JL

The plane hits turbulence and then we hear the humming that indicates a flash is coming. The flash of light comes and we’re back at the beginning with Jack waking up in the jungle. Disoriented, Kate, Jack and Hurley try to get their bearings. Where are Sun and Sayid? Where is Ben? Island Jack is back and in charge. “We’ll spread out, search the jungle….” he cuts off hearing an unfamiliar sound. It’s the hippie bus—it arrives, but it’s brand new. And the guy in the brand new Dharma jumpsuit who’s driving it gets out with a rifle. Is it Roger Workman?

Dude. It’s Jin. They all went back in time.

New Questions
This episode sets up some new questions for us:
Who is the “very clever man” who built the pendulum room? Jacob? Christian Sheppard? Daniel Faraday? Charles Widmore?
Where oh WHERE is Desmond? (and Penny and Little Charlie)
What’s up with Ben? Does he have the best interests of the island at heart? Or is he the dark side of Locke’s light?
How did Hurley and Sayid get to the airport? Why is Sayid getting an escort, and did he plan it?
What are the circumstances surrounding Locke’s death (we find some of this out next week)