LOST - 6x01/02 “LA X Parts I & II” - Episode Review
The Sloop John L
Plot summary: The survivors of the Jughead explosion make their way to The Other’s secret stronghold in order to save one of their own; Ben bears witness to the fallout of his decision to kill Jacob; in an alternative time line, Oceanic 815 lands safely at LAX, giving new choices to its passengers.
“Is destiny a matter of chance or choice?”
-- Text from a Season 6 advertising insert
I like to think it’s both, and I think after watching the final season premiere of LOST ever (*sob*), that its creators feel the same way too. They’ve been making the rounds, pushing hard the whole fate versus free will angle, which got a particular emphasis at the conclusion of the recap special that aired right before the premiere -- “But before one surrenders to the hand of destiny, one might consider the power of the human spirit“, not so subtlely played over the images of Juliet setting off Jughead.
So, did Jack’s plan work?
Yes. And no.
The “new” narrative device, heavily hinted at with all the gag videos the LOST team presented at Comic Con last summer, is indeed an alternative universe where Flight 815 never crashed, a “flashsideways” if you will. The first four minutes which leaked online last week confirmed it, but as “LA X” progressed, we could see it moving beyond a exact recreation of the pilot’s shots/dialogue, but into a new slightly different ‘verse where Shannon stayed in Australia with her sugar daddy, Hurley was now “the luckiest guy in the world,” the Tailies were nowhere to be seen, and, oh yeah, the Island was completely submerged underwater with only the Dharma sharks to keep it company. Welcome to Season Six.
Last night I watched the final four episodes of Season 2 and the first two of Season 3 of DAMAGES in a giant marathon (plays better that way), and I realized that alone amongst the serials now airing, LOST and DAMAGES are the ones most concerned with narrative gamesmanship. LOST has the advantage of utilizing theme into its structure, whereas DAMAGES uses its non-linear approach more as a gimmick, a slight of hand to mask other deficiencies. Not that LOST has it’s own deficiencies (it surely does), but in its ambition and execution, LOST is second to none.
I say this all now because clearly there’s a tie in to be had here --- what does the alternative reality (technically a past at this point) have to do with the Island based stories? At this point in the season it’s far too early to tell, but I assume it will be to reflect that in some way, things won’t stray too far from how events played out before. It also begs the question whether or not the characters, any of them, are aware of the differences. Jack’s examination of his cut in the airplane lavatory seemed to hint at it, as did Charlie’s proclamation “You shouldn’t have done that, I was supposed to die”.
One is also forced to reset all the character development back to pre-season one, which means the return of selfish con-man Sawyer (who may have met his next mark in Hurley), or chauvinistic Jin and cowed Sun, in their first real scenes together in at least two seasons (Frogurt, however, remained a jerk). Regardless, the flashsideways intrigued me for now (it also may explain how many of the past seasons' guest stars are going to be making their curtain calls this year), but at this early point in the game they didn’t move me that much either.
Fortunately, the events in the main universe - Island-prime, if you will - developed in new and fascinating ways this week, especially after the lumpy first hour. Juliet died (again) in a protracted scene that, IMO, weakened her “death” in “The Incident”, but it was important to note that her dialogue, much like Charlotte’s death scene-seemed to confirm that indeed “it worked”, that she was living and dying simultaneously in two realities (“We can get coffee some time”). It also seemed to confirm that the lack of Jacob’s special touch did indeed doom her. Ah well, at least we’ll see you on V, Elizabeth.
Ghost Jacob (as opposed to whatever he was before) showed up in a nice use of continuity with Hurley storyline, and pointed our gang in the direction of the Aztec/Mayan-esque Temple, and it was a pleasant surprise to see us get there so soon (I wasn’t expecting to go there until the back half of the season), and to have confirmation that they do indeed have a fountain of healing/resurrection tub on the premises. It was also nice to see Hurley in a leadership position of sorts (good to shake up the status quo every once in while, plus the sight of Jorge with a gun was suitably comic), and the reveal of the ankh was a genuine surprise (I almost thought it was the one Tarawet was once holding).
With Juliet dead earlier in the episode, I never once feared for Sayid, even when he seemed to die as well, and his rejuvenation (or was it Jacob’s???) was unsurprising to say the least. Once again, there’s a lot of groundwork being laid on an old foundation here, that the people touched by Jacob are much more important in the grand game between Jacob and his nemesis, and to that end, yes, “LA X” was simply the opening plot moves in the final chess game, and nothing else.
That being said, it was that grand game that led to the best material (plot and acting wise) of this evening. Not only did it reveal that the Man In Black is indeed the Smoke Monster (as hinted in “Dead Is Dead”), and that the ring of ash first seen in “The Man Behind The Curtain” is a low-tech MiB sonar fence, but that we got to see more of his master plan, which in essence, seems like a simple one: Get home (and where is that, perchance?). And best of all, we got to see Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson rock hardcore it as they always do.
O’Quinn in particular channeled his STEPFATHER days to make Faux-Locke indelibly, incredibly terrifying, and it was to his credit that I completely bought him as the Nemesis, without any thought of the character before - his “I don’t understand” recollection was masterfully written and portrayed. Compare that scene in which Faux-Locke explains himself to a suitably devastated Ben to any of "LA X"'s alt-universe Original Locke appearances (the jaunty conversations with his first, doomed acolyte Boone, his gentle support of Jack’s loss), where we got to see for the first time in a very, very long time, the Season One Locke we all fell in love with, and once again bow to the acting god that is O’Quinn.
And that, in a nutshell, is why I think the alt universe is being employed this year. As we near the end of the show at large, we think about the beginning, and how it could have/ should have / would have played out. Regardless of how the master game ends between Jacob and his Nemesis, or the 815ers and their ultimate destinies, or what is answered plot-wise or not, LOST’s concern with free will vs. destiny (much like BSG in its final episode) sets it apart from all the rest, as it attempts to prove that nothing indeed, is irreversible.
15 episodes to go ‘till checkmate. White or black, which side will prevail?
Other Notes:
• That was Hiroyuki Sanada (Ujio the swordmaster in THE LAST SAMURAI and Captain Kaneda in SUNSHINE) as the leader of the Others at the Temple. I knew he looked familiar.
• No more “woosh” between narrative transitions. That was intentional.
• The underwater shots give more credence to the theory that perhaps the Island is Atlantis
• So Kate got blown up into a tree by Jughead? What was up with that?
• Nice reveal of Claire. Wasn’t sure she was going to be in this week’s show ‘til she was. I also didn’t see Elizabeth Mitchell’s name in the opening credits either, so that was kind of a surprise.
• “Nice to see you out of those chains.” I have the feeling that Alpert was on the Black Rock as a prisoner after its slaves escaped and revolted.
• Buh bye Bram, hello Motan!
• Where is Desmond going in the alt-verse? Did he finish his race already?
• Hurley was in Australia setting up more Mr Clucks franchises. He still won the lottery, but did he use the numbers? Could he have?
• There’s a distinct irony in Sayid being saved the same way li’l Ben was back in ’77.
• Great line:
Ben - “You’re the monster”
Locke - “No need to start calling names”
Episode Grade: B
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Addendum: Mystery (kind of) solved: The Possession of John Locke
Ok, bear with me a second. After watching LA X, with it’s all important reveal that Jacob’s Nemesis/Faux-Locke and Smokey are one in the same, I got to wondering exactly how, in the first place, the real John Locke came to be possessed by the Nemesis (let’s call him Esau for now) - for now, I will avoid speculation on the why. I started back tracking to try and figure out how Esau implemented his plan over several seasons, and I think I may have nailed it down.
Seasons 1-2 (and before)
Hundreds of years ago, right before the arrival of the The Black Rock, Esau hates Jacob, and wants to kill him. Since apparently he can’t do it himself, he needs a “loophole” to do it. (“The Incident”)
John Locke is chosen by Jacob to come to the Island after his near-tragic murder at the hands of Anthony Cooper (“The Incident”), after being tracked since birth by Richard Alpert (“Cabin Fever”) by Locke’s own suggestion (“Jughead”). Once at the Island, Locke’s paralysis is healed, and he loves life on the island. In “Walkabout” Locke has his first face to face encounter with The Smoke Monster, and survives.
“I looked in the eyes of this Island and what I saw… was … beautiful”
Assume that while Locke was looking at Esau, Esau was looking at him, and potentially knew that Jacob had picked him to come to the Island, and that he was special.
Smokey also tries to drag Locke underground (for reasons unknown, but maybe to possess him) in “Exodus, Part II” but fails. At this point Esau probably has his own designs on Locke.
Now here’s where Esau’s actual plan is set in motion (not so coincidentally around the same point the end point of the series was negotiated).
SEASON 3
“The Man Behind The Curtain”
Ben and Locke visit “Jacob’s” cabin for the first time after Locke first learns of Jacob’s existence from Ben. This entity they visit is in fact NOT JACOB, BUT ESAU MASQUERADING AS JACOB.
Fact 1: Ben has never met the real Jacob, and he is pretending to talk to the “Jacob” in the Cabin during this scene (“Follow The Leader”).
Fact 2: Jacob lives in the foot of Tarwet, not in the cabin (“The Incident”)
Fact 3: Jacob’s bodyguards, Ilana and Bram discover the broken pile of ash, and claim that Jacob has not been at the cabin in a long time, and that SOMEONE ELSE was using it.
Locke and Ben step over the pile of ash, which is now revealed to keeps the monster from attacking, but can reasonably be used to KEEP SOMETHING IN as well. That line was BROKEN at some point (“The Incident”) allowing this part of Esau to escape (my theory is that while Smokey has free range of the Island, an integral part of Esau is kept captive in the ash, which is at this point in the Cabin). But for now he’s confined there, and needs someone special to help him fully escape and carry out his plan.
As we all know, now “Jacob” tells Locke to “Help Me”, which Locke sure does. After all, why wouldn’t he? A jealous Ben shoots Locke and leaves him for dead.
“Through The Looking Glass”
When “Taller Ghost Walt” implores Locke not to kill himself, that’s Easu. He needs Locke alive, not dead.
SEASON 4
“Cabin Fever”
Locke is visited in a dream by “Horace Goodspeed” (Esau) and given a location to the cabin, which he couldn’t find earlier in the season because it moves for some unrevealed reason.
Now remember that Keamy and company are coming to wipe them for for good, and Locke needs a plan, and is trusting that “Jacob” will tell him what to do. One could go further back, looking at how Locke was driven to this point of need, but I’ll skip it for now.
Locke finds in the cabin (which is still surrounded by ash), and inside, Christian (Esau) and Maybe-Dead Claire, who was lured in there by the vision of her father and used as further bait for Locke, given their past relationship (various S2 eps, “The Shape Of Things To Come”/”Something Nice Back Homeand). Esau gives Locke orders to “move the Island”. Now since saving the Island / saving Jacob are one and the same to Locke, he’s unwittingly getting marching orders to save Esau by the man himself. And since saving the Island means moving it, Easu will get Locke off Island via The Frozen Donkey Wheel (as is required for whatever reason). One might also assume that Esau is aware of the rivalry between Ben and Locke, and of Ben’s current standing amongst the Others, and perhaps wants / needs Ben to kill Locke in the end.
SEASON 5
“Because You Left” / “Follow The Leader”
Ben moves the Island (perhaps a flaw in the plan), the time jumping starts, and Easu’s plan enters its next phase. During one of the jumps, Locke is in effect given the same orders again by Esau (via Richard via THE ALREADY POSSESSED LOCKE), “to get your people back” a.k,a., moving the Wheel. Locke informed at this point he will have to die. (I think the voluntary sacrifice is an essential component of the possession- the anointed one has to willing give up his body to Esau (or “The Island”, in Locke’s words) to take complete control of it. Being dead or a scanned memory doesn’t cut it, hence Esau could have taken someone else)
“This Place Is Death”
Locke finds the well that leads down to the Wheel, and falls down it, breaking his leg. Down there, “Christian” (Esau) tells him he must get everyone back, he must find Elosie Hawking, and this his death will be a “sacrifice”. Locke agrees and turns the wheel, jumping off Island.
“The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”
Off Island, Locke is killed at the hands of Ben Linus, seemingly fulfilling Esau’s need to be a “willing” sacrifice. That he wasn’t expecting it was moot, it was that he already had accepted to die was the important part.
“316”
Elosie Hawking informs the Oceanic 6 they must return to the Island through specific and similar conditions in which they arrived (rules that apply to corpses as well). Jack uses Locke’s body as proxy for Christian’s. Her return theories are correct and the O6 and Locke’s body successfully return to the Island (albeit in different time periods). Esau takes possession of Locke at some point during the return, (“Life of Jeremy Betham”), replicating his body and memories, but leaving the original corpse behind.
“Dead Is Dead”
Upon waking up after his return, Ben is informed by Faux Locke he “broke the rules” and must be judged by the monster. They travel to the Temple, and go under it, where Ben falls into a lower antechamber. Faux-Locke goes to get “help” and then disappears like Clark Kent does every time Superman shows up. Easu turns into the monster/Alex, and informs Ben he must follow “Locke’s” “every word”. Once again, Easu is basically telling some one to follow his own instructions, by way of an immediate, undetected proxy (sometimes the monster, sometimes “Jacob” or some other manifestation). Easu has found a new pawn to play with and it’s Ben.
Note also that Ben sees an engraving of the wall of a lightining-esque form (the smoke monster) opposing an Egypitian based god). This implies the Jacob-Easu feud goes back much further than the Island.
“Follow The Leader”
Faux-Locke informs Ben that he plans on killing Ben, although in actuality, he may have no intention of doing it himself. He is also guided to the exact right time / place to which he will reiterate to Original Locke the need to leave and return to the Island (aka. Bring the O6 back)
“The Incident”
Faux Locke is “surprised” to hear what the monster told Ben to do, and informs Ben that it is his duty to kill Jacob instead. They reach the foot of Tarwet, and he and Ben go inside to meet the real Jacob. Faux Locke reveals himself to Ben and Jacob, and his mind games on Ben pay off as Ben stabs Jacob of his own free will. Faux Locke kicks Jacob’s corpse into the fire pit, which then disappears.
This phase of Easu’s plan is now complete, and his initial goal is complete.
Further Queries:
• Does the Jacob-selected 815ers figure into his plan?
• Why is the ash not present when Hurley sees the cabin?
• Are they Esau and Smoke different, yet the same, entities at times?
• How did Esau escape the ash circle?
Plot summary: The survivors of the Jughead explosion make their way to The Other’s secret stronghold in order to save one of their own; Ben bears witness to the fallout of his decision to kill Jacob; in an alternative time line, Oceanic 815 lands safely at LAX, giving new choices to its passengers.
“Is destiny a matter of chance or choice?”
-- Text from a Season 6 advertising insert
I like to think it’s both, and I think after watching the final season premiere of LOST ever (*sob*), that its creators feel the same way too. They’ve been making the rounds, pushing hard the whole fate versus free will angle, which got a particular emphasis at the conclusion of the recap special that aired right before the premiere -- “But before one surrenders to the hand of destiny, one might consider the power of the human spirit“, not so subtlely played over the images of Juliet setting off Jughead.
So, did Jack’s plan work?
Yes. And no.
The “new” narrative device, heavily hinted at with all the gag videos the LOST team presented at Comic Con last summer, is indeed an alternative universe where Flight 815 never crashed, a “flashsideways” if you will. The first four minutes which leaked online last week confirmed it, but as “LA X” progressed, we could see it moving beyond a exact recreation of the pilot’s shots/dialogue, but into a new slightly different ‘verse where Shannon stayed in Australia with her sugar daddy, Hurley was now “the luckiest guy in the world,” the Tailies were nowhere to be seen, and, oh yeah, the Island was completely submerged underwater with only the Dharma sharks to keep it company. Welcome to Season Six.
Last night I watched the final four episodes of Season 2 and the first two of Season 3 of DAMAGES in a giant marathon (plays better that way), and I realized that alone amongst the serials now airing, LOST and DAMAGES are the ones most concerned with narrative gamesmanship. LOST has the advantage of utilizing theme into its structure, whereas DAMAGES uses its non-linear approach more as a gimmick, a slight of hand to mask other deficiencies. Not that LOST has it’s own deficiencies (it surely does), but in its ambition and execution, LOST is second to none.
I say this all now because clearly there’s a tie in to be had here --- what does the alternative reality (technically a past at this point) have to do with the Island based stories? At this point in the season it’s far too early to tell, but I assume it will be to reflect that in some way, things won’t stray too far from how events played out before. It also begs the question whether or not the characters, any of them, are aware of the differences. Jack’s examination of his cut in the airplane lavatory seemed to hint at it, as did Charlie’s proclamation “You shouldn’t have done that, I was supposed to die”.
One is also forced to reset all the character development back to pre-season one, which means the return of selfish con-man Sawyer (who may have met his next mark in Hurley), or chauvinistic Jin and cowed Sun, in their first real scenes together in at least two seasons (Frogurt, however, remained a jerk). Regardless, the flashsideways intrigued me for now (it also may explain how many of the past seasons' guest stars are going to be making their curtain calls this year), but at this early point in the game they didn’t move me that much either.
Fortunately, the events in the main universe - Island-prime, if you will - developed in new and fascinating ways this week, especially after the lumpy first hour. Juliet died (again) in a protracted scene that, IMO, weakened her “death” in “The Incident”, but it was important to note that her dialogue, much like Charlotte’s death scene-seemed to confirm that indeed “it worked”, that she was living and dying simultaneously in two realities (“We can get coffee some time”). It also seemed to confirm that the lack of Jacob’s special touch did indeed doom her. Ah well, at least we’ll see you on V, Elizabeth.
Ghost Jacob (as opposed to whatever he was before) showed up in a nice use of continuity with Hurley storyline, and pointed our gang in the direction of the Aztec/Mayan-esque Temple, and it was a pleasant surprise to see us get there so soon (I wasn’t expecting to go there until the back half of the season), and to have confirmation that they do indeed have a fountain of healing/resurrection tub on the premises. It was also nice to see Hurley in a leadership position of sorts (good to shake up the status quo every once in while, plus the sight of Jorge with a gun was suitably comic), and the reveal of the ankh was a genuine surprise (I almost thought it was the one Tarawet was once holding).
With Juliet dead earlier in the episode, I never once feared for Sayid, even when he seemed to die as well, and his rejuvenation (or was it Jacob’s???) was unsurprising to say the least. Once again, there’s a lot of groundwork being laid on an old foundation here, that the people touched by Jacob are much more important in the grand game between Jacob and his nemesis, and to that end, yes, “LA X” was simply the opening plot moves in the final chess game, and nothing else.
That being said, it was that grand game that led to the best material (plot and acting wise) of this evening. Not only did it reveal that the Man In Black is indeed the Smoke Monster (as hinted in “Dead Is Dead”), and that the ring of ash first seen in “The Man Behind The Curtain” is a low-tech MiB sonar fence, but that we got to see more of his master plan, which in essence, seems like a simple one: Get home (and where is that, perchance?). And best of all, we got to see Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson rock hardcore it as they always do.
O’Quinn in particular channeled his STEPFATHER days to make Faux-Locke indelibly, incredibly terrifying, and it was to his credit that I completely bought him as the Nemesis, without any thought of the character before - his “I don’t understand” recollection was masterfully written and portrayed. Compare that scene in which Faux-Locke explains himself to a suitably devastated Ben to any of "LA X"'s alt-universe Original Locke appearances (the jaunty conversations with his first, doomed acolyte Boone, his gentle support of Jack’s loss), where we got to see for the first time in a very, very long time, the Season One Locke we all fell in love with, and once again bow to the acting god that is O’Quinn.
And that, in a nutshell, is why I think the alt universe is being employed this year. As we near the end of the show at large, we think about the beginning, and how it could have/ should have / would have played out. Regardless of how the master game ends between Jacob and his Nemesis, or the 815ers and their ultimate destinies, or what is answered plot-wise or not, LOST’s concern with free will vs. destiny (much like BSG in its final episode) sets it apart from all the rest, as it attempts to prove that nothing indeed, is irreversible.
15 episodes to go ‘till checkmate. White or black, which side will prevail?
Other Notes:
• That was Hiroyuki Sanada (Ujio the swordmaster in THE LAST SAMURAI and Captain Kaneda in SUNSHINE) as the leader of the Others at the Temple. I knew he looked familiar.
• No more “woosh” between narrative transitions. That was intentional.
• The underwater shots give more credence to the theory that perhaps the Island is Atlantis
• So Kate got blown up into a tree by Jughead? What was up with that?
• Nice reveal of Claire. Wasn’t sure she was going to be in this week’s show ‘til she was. I also didn’t see Elizabeth Mitchell’s name in the opening credits either, so that was kind of a surprise.
• “Nice to see you out of those chains.” I have the feeling that Alpert was on the Black Rock as a prisoner after its slaves escaped and revolted.
• Buh bye Bram, hello Motan!
• Where is Desmond going in the alt-verse? Did he finish his race already?
• Hurley was in Australia setting up more Mr Clucks franchises. He still won the lottery, but did he use the numbers? Could he have?
• There’s a distinct irony in Sayid being saved the same way li’l Ben was back in ’77.
• Great line:
Ben - “You’re the monster”
Locke - “No need to start calling names”
Episode Grade: B
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Addendum: Mystery (kind of) solved: The Possession of John Locke
Ok, bear with me a second. After watching LA X, with it’s all important reveal that Jacob’s Nemesis/Faux-Locke and Smokey are one in the same, I got to wondering exactly how, in the first place, the real John Locke came to be possessed by the Nemesis (let’s call him Esau for now) - for now, I will avoid speculation on the why. I started back tracking to try and figure out how Esau implemented his plan over several seasons, and I think I may have nailed it down.
Seasons 1-2 (and before)
Hundreds of years ago, right before the arrival of the The Black Rock, Esau hates Jacob, and wants to kill him. Since apparently he can’t do it himself, he needs a “loophole” to do it. (“The Incident”)
John Locke is chosen by Jacob to come to the Island after his near-tragic murder at the hands of Anthony Cooper (“The Incident”), after being tracked since birth by Richard Alpert (“Cabin Fever”) by Locke’s own suggestion (“Jughead”). Once at the Island, Locke’s paralysis is healed, and he loves life on the island. In “Walkabout” Locke has his first face to face encounter with The Smoke Monster, and survives.
“I looked in the eyes of this Island and what I saw… was … beautiful”
Assume that while Locke was looking at Esau, Esau was looking at him, and potentially knew that Jacob had picked him to come to the Island, and that he was special.
Smokey also tries to drag Locke underground (for reasons unknown, but maybe to possess him) in “Exodus, Part II” but fails. At this point Esau probably has his own designs on Locke.
Now here’s where Esau’s actual plan is set in motion (not so coincidentally around the same point the end point of the series was negotiated).
SEASON 3
“The Man Behind The Curtain”
Ben and Locke visit “Jacob’s” cabin for the first time after Locke first learns of Jacob’s existence from Ben. This entity they visit is in fact NOT JACOB, BUT ESAU MASQUERADING AS JACOB.
Fact 1: Ben has never met the real Jacob, and he is pretending to talk to the “Jacob” in the Cabin during this scene (“Follow The Leader”).
Fact 2: Jacob lives in the foot of Tarwet, not in the cabin (“The Incident”)
Fact 3: Jacob’s bodyguards, Ilana and Bram discover the broken pile of ash, and claim that Jacob has not been at the cabin in a long time, and that SOMEONE ELSE was using it.
Locke and Ben step over the pile of ash, which is now revealed to keeps the monster from attacking, but can reasonably be used to KEEP SOMETHING IN as well. That line was BROKEN at some point (“The Incident”) allowing this part of Esau to escape (my theory is that while Smokey has free range of the Island, an integral part of Esau is kept captive in the ash, which is at this point in the Cabin). But for now he’s confined there, and needs someone special to help him fully escape and carry out his plan.
As we all know, now “Jacob” tells Locke to “Help Me”, which Locke sure does. After all, why wouldn’t he? A jealous Ben shoots Locke and leaves him for dead.
“Through The Looking Glass”
When “Taller Ghost Walt” implores Locke not to kill himself, that’s Easu. He needs Locke alive, not dead.
SEASON 4
“Cabin Fever”
Locke is visited in a dream by “Horace Goodspeed” (Esau) and given a location to the cabin, which he couldn’t find earlier in the season because it moves for some unrevealed reason.
Now remember that Keamy and company are coming to wipe them for for good, and Locke needs a plan, and is trusting that “Jacob” will tell him what to do. One could go further back, looking at how Locke was driven to this point of need, but I’ll skip it for now.
Locke finds in the cabin (which is still surrounded by ash), and inside, Christian (Esau) and Maybe-Dead Claire, who was lured in there by the vision of her father and used as further bait for Locke, given their past relationship (various S2 eps, “The Shape Of Things To Come”/”Something Nice Back Homeand). Esau gives Locke orders to “move the Island”. Now since saving the Island / saving Jacob are one and the same to Locke, he’s unwittingly getting marching orders to save Esau by the man himself. And since saving the Island means moving it, Easu will get Locke off Island via The Frozen Donkey Wheel (as is required for whatever reason). One might also assume that Esau is aware of the rivalry between Ben and Locke, and of Ben’s current standing amongst the Others, and perhaps wants / needs Ben to kill Locke in the end.
SEASON 5
“Because You Left” / “Follow The Leader”
Ben moves the Island (perhaps a flaw in the plan), the time jumping starts, and Easu’s plan enters its next phase. During one of the jumps, Locke is in effect given the same orders again by Esau (via Richard via THE ALREADY POSSESSED LOCKE), “to get your people back” a.k,a., moving the Wheel. Locke informed at this point he will have to die. (I think the voluntary sacrifice is an essential component of the possession- the anointed one has to willing give up his body to Esau (or “The Island”, in Locke’s words) to take complete control of it. Being dead or a scanned memory doesn’t cut it, hence Esau could have taken someone else)
“This Place Is Death”
Locke finds the well that leads down to the Wheel, and falls down it, breaking his leg. Down there, “Christian” (Esau) tells him he must get everyone back, he must find Elosie Hawking, and this his death will be a “sacrifice”. Locke agrees and turns the wheel, jumping off Island.
“The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”
Off Island, Locke is killed at the hands of Ben Linus, seemingly fulfilling Esau’s need to be a “willing” sacrifice. That he wasn’t expecting it was moot, it was that he already had accepted to die was the important part.
“316”
Elosie Hawking informs the Oceanic 6 they must return to the Island through specific and similar conditions in which they arrived (rules that apply to corpses as well). Jack uses Locke’s body as proxy for Christian’s. Her return theories are correct and the O6 and Locke’s body successfully return to the Island (albeit in different time periods). Esau takes possession of Locke at some point during the return, (“Life of Jeremy Betham”), replicating his body and memories, but leaving the original corpse behind.
“Dead Is Dead”
Upon waking up after his return, Ben is informed by Faux Locke he “broke the rules” and must be judged by the monster. They travel to the Temple, and go under it, where Ben falls into a lower antechamber. Faux-Locke goes to get “help” and then disappears like Clark Kent does every time Superman shows up. Easu turns into the monster/Alex, and informs Ben he must follow “Locke’s” “every word”. Once again, Easu is basically telling some one to follow his own instructions, by way of an immediate, undetected proxy (sometimes the monster, sometimes “Jacob” or some other manifestation). Easu has found a new pawn to play with and it’s Ben.
Note also that Ben sees an engraving of the wall of a lightining-esque form (the smoke monster) opposing an Egypitian based god). This implies the Jacob-Easu feud goes back much further than the Island.
“Follow The Leader”
Faux-Locke informs Ben that he plans on killing Ben, although in actuality, he may have no intention of doing it himself. He is also guided to the exact right time / place to which he will reiterate to Original Locke the need to leave and return to the Island (aka. Bring the O6 back)
“The Incident”
Faux Locke is “surprised” to hear what the monster told Ben to do, and informs Ben that it is his duty to kill Jacob instead. They reach the foot of Tarwet, and he and Ben go inside to meet the real Jacob. Faux Locke reveals himself to Ben and Jacob, and his mind games on Ben pay off as Ben stabs Jacob of his own free will. Faux Locke kicks Jacob’s corpse into the fire pit, which then disappears.
This phase of Easu’s plan is now complete, and his initial goal is complete.
Further Queries:
• Does the Jacob-selected 815ers figure into his plan?
• Why is the ash not present when Hurley sees the cabin?
• Are they Esau and Smoke different, yet the same, entities at times?
• How did Esau escape the ash circle?