"Ab Aeterno"

Greetings Losties!

"The cork is this island, and it's the only thing keeping the darkness where it belongs."

"I never want to die. I want to live forever."
"Now that, I can do..."

NOTE: Ab Aeterno is Latin for "from eternity". The phrase is used to mean "since the beginning" or "for long ages."

Wowie, wow, WOW! Now that's what you call an episode worthy of being in Lost's final season. Screw the flashsideways nonsense and give me an old school linear flashback ANY day! Last night, we got a bit more insight into the Lost essential question: What IS this island?!?

Last night, we actually got (gasp!) an answer! Granted it kind of sounded like they stole the idea from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it was concrete and an answers - so I'm taking it! Just in case you haven't watched the episode yet -- SPOILER ALERT! Btw, if you haven't watched, what the heck are you doing reading my blog, in the first place?!? Show, first. Read blog, second! Durrrr....

So, we learned that the island is actually the cork that holds all the bad/evil stuff (or a big giant monster made of balck smoke) in Hell, where it belongs. Jacob brings people to the island for the purpose of offering them a chance at redemption - no one has the limitations they thought they had. The Man in Black (seen as himself last night - whoo! Not that I don't love Terry O'Quinn, because I seriously do, but it's nice to see Titus Welliver get into the game a little), will be referred to as MIB (not Flocke - Flocke is when we see him in Locke's old body), and he wants to get off the island - which will have VERY unpleasant consequences (we'll all go to Hell - no fair!).

"That man who sent you to kill me believes that everyone is corruptable because it's in their very nature to sin. I bring people here to prove him wrong. And when they get here, their past doesn't matter..."

The way we got this information was via the (finally!) telling of Richard (or shall we call him Ricardos) Alpert's story. And WOW! This guy has been through a LOT! This season seriously was starting to feel draggy and needed a kick in the pants - fortunately for us, this episode came and kicked up everything to the next level. It was heavily steeped in the character of Richard Alpert, allowing Nestor Carbonell to really shine, and also ripe with Island mythology.

In last night's episode, "Ab Aeterno," we viewers got a lot of information (sort of). We learned of why/how Richard (then Ricardos) came to the island as a slave on The Blackrock (his wife, Isabella was REALLY sick, she gave him her gold cross necklace, and he killed the doctor getting her medicine - which didn't work, because she was already dead), how they crashed (right into the statue!), how he was spared by the Smoke monster after being nearly murdered by the ship's officer (in a scene that was HARD to watch, as Whitfield ran his sword through the bellies of most of the remaining shackled slaves - ugh!), how he was freed by the MIB, how the MIB commisioned him to kill Jacob (using the exact same word choice as Dogan did with Sayid, what's the connection there???), and how Smokey became Isabella for a moment - who appeared to Ricardos, told him they were in Hell, and then got mysteriously killed by Smokey. Right after she "died," MIB promises to help Ricardos find his (totally dead) wife. We see how Richard tried to kill Jacob, failed, and then became Jacob's advisor buddy and got given a gift (a gift that he, himself, requested) -- to live forever. MIB gave him back Isabella's cross and promised him that if he ever changes his mind, to come join MIB. Ricardos buries the cross and dedicates himself to Jacob.

In the beginning of the episode (the small part of it that's set in the "present"), Jack, Hurley, Lapidus, Ilana, and Sun are sitting around a campfire getting schooled in the concept of candidates. From his sad, dark space outside the campfire, Richard tries to tell them all that they're dead and they're in Hell -- which is funny because when his ship was approaching the island, one of the slaves kept screaming "El Diablo! El Diablo!" (The Devil! The Devil!). But later, through Jacob's explanation to Ricardos, it's explained that this island isn't Hell, but merely the cork keeping all the evil in Hell away from the rest of the world.

When we cut back to the present, Richard has dug up the buried cross, begging Flocke to take him back, and then is communicating with his dead wife via Hurley. Isabella tells Richard that he's better not let Flocke leave the island, or they're all going to hell. Oh, and Jacob and MIB have another "I want to kill you..." conversation, although this one involves wine.

So, yeah. Overall it was a pretty awesome episode. But, is it only in comparison with some of the other pseudo-crappy episodes we've watched this season? Seriously, I LOVE Lost -- last season had my mind whirling each week. But something about the first half of this sixth season has left me wanting more. I want the excitement of time travel (Season 5), the uncovering of big questions - and then receiving answers, and I want the same show I've been watching for five previous seasons -- don't throw in these random flash-sideways bits as a gimick to hype things up. I swear, if these things don't pay off, I'm going to be PISSED. I'll bet they will pay off, it's got to be something fabulous that has me eating my words and running back to rewatch all the previous episodes in the season which I'm currently bashing.

I mean, my main problem is that with only 9 episodes left, or even 18 at the start of the season, how are they going to allow there to be any filler? Especially when there are totally going to be unanswered questions! I mean, couldn't we have used a little of that Kate & Claire/Thelma & Louise bullshit time to have addressed some of the issues that we actually care about?!? They keep giving us these little kernals of truth and it's not satisfying my hunger for some hardcore, HUGE, hard-hitting ANSWERS.

As much as I loved last night (and I did - it was totally entertaining!), when I stop and break it down there are very little BRAND-NEW specific things that I learned last night, that I didn't already know. Let me break it down into two lists, because you guys know how much I love my lists (I blame Jacob).

WHAT WE KNOW:

• We already know MIB = Smokey = Flocke.
• We already knew that the island was important.
• We already knew that Richard Alpert was in chains on The Black Rock.
• We already knew that Richard Alpert doesn't age.
• We already knew that the MIB and Jacob are locked into a conflict where they cannot kill one another.
• We already knew that the Kwons, Sawyer, Hurley, Sayid, and Jack are candidates.
• We already knew that Ilana is supposed to protect the candidates.
• We already knew that Hurley can speak to dead people.
• We already knew that Hurley (HUGO REYES) spoke Spanish. (I totally thought he was talking to Cheech, his Dad).

WHAT WE LEARNED:

• Richard speaks Spanish.
• Richard had a wife, her name was Isabella. She got sick and died.
• Isabella's illness led to Richard's enslavement.
• Richard sought redemption, was denied, but ended up on the island.
• Richard was "chosen" by Smokey/MIB, after which MIB undid his shackles and sent him off to kill Jacob.
• Richard tried, but failed badly at killing Jacob.
• Don't mess with Jacob! He'll drown a mutha fucka!
• The island is the cork in the wine bottle of life. Cork must keep the evil entrapped, or we're all fucked.
• Jacob brings people to the island to see if, when offered redemption and free will, they will make the right choices.
• Jacob gave Ilana a ton of "In Case of Emergency" instructions -- the list ending with "Ask Richard, he knows what to do..."
• The Black Rock crashing inland is what broke the four-toed statue.
• Hanso died in the shipwreck - so he was never alive while on the island.
• It's looking like the MIB doesn't (or didn't) even need a body to be able to shapeshift into loved ones (a la Isabella) - because her body never was on the island, right?

Well, based on what I just wrote we clearly DID learn a lot. But still... I want more! Instead of my "Big List of Questions" -- here's the list of things I still want answered... dammit!

TARA'S LIST OF THINGS I WANT ANSWERED!

• Why does the MIB want to leave the island so badly?
• What game are these two playing?
• Is Jacob really dead?
• Who did the lighthouse belong to?
• Why were they playing tug-o-war over Richard Alpert's loyalty?
• Why can Jacob make you live forever, but can't let you talk to the dead?
• If Hurley can talk to dead people, does that make him more MIB-like than Jacob-like?
• Was I the only one surprised to see Jacob throw down? I mean he's always seemed like such a nice guy...
• What was the significance of them both using the same verbiage to communicate the "If you let him speak first, you've already lost"?
• Is Richard unable to be possessed? Did he resist the infection by not using the knife?
• If Jacob got stabbed by that knife, would it not kill him? The same way it didn't kill Flocke when Sayid tried things?
• Did Jughead ever actually detonate?
• What the heck is with these multiple timelines?!?
• Who's the real candidate that's going to take over for Jacob?
• What does it mean that Jacob stole the MIB's humanity and his body?
• Why does MIB want to leave the island so badly? It seems fabulous!
• Can the knife kill both Jacob and the Man in Black? Or neither?
• What's the significance of the person who holds/stores the knife that MIB/Jacob use?
• Do Sun, Jin, Jack, Hurley, Sawyer, and Kate all have eternal life because Jacob touched them?
• What does the white rock that Jacob gives to the Man in black through Richard mean?
• How does Illana meet Jacob? What's their actual relationship?
• Why does Jacob tell Ilana that Richard Alpert knows what to do? Is this all part of the "free will" thing?
• How can Richard stop the MIB from leaving the island?
• Why did Jacob defend himself against Richard in 1867, but not against Ben in 2007? What's changed?
• Are we ever going to find out why The Others were so obsessed with Walt?
• What the heck is Charles Widmore doing back on the island?
• Do you think Desmond's locked inside the submarine? Or Aaron?
• Will Sun and Jin ever reunite?
• Why couldn't they get Mr. Eko to come back? They got everyone else...!
• Am I the only one who'd prefer a linear storyline at this point?

There's a lot to think about, and only 9 episodes left! Let's hope for more episodes like this to close out the series!

Namaste!

"I wanted them to help themselves. To know the difference between right and wrong without me having to tell them. It's all meaningless if I have to force them to do anything. Why should I have to step in?"