Lost: The Eternal Follower

When I saw that the title for the latest episode of "Lost" was "Follow the Leader", I guessed the hour would focus on Jack - as he began to assert himself having finally (allegedly) discovered his past-Island destiny - or the increasingly cocksure Locke - as he re-established himself as the leader of the Others in the present - and it did.

Much to my surprise, the person I find myself thinking about as I plop down to write this recap - other than the Hurley and his hilarious lack of knowledge about U.S. history when Dr. Chang grilled him about being from the future (the cut to Jin after Hurley claimed there was no Korean was GENIUS) - is Richard Alpert.

I was struck by several things about Richard that, for the first time, had nothing to do with Nestor Carbonell’s naturally guyliner-y eyes. Other than him obviously being the one constant presence in the 1977 and 2007 timelines, I thought it was curious how Richard seems almost OBLIGATED (by the Island?!) to follow whoever’s in charge at any given time. Sure, we always suspected this was the case (and I always found it odd, given that Richard seemed to know more about the Island than anyone) but last night we got an extended look at this circumstance as Richard dubiously followed Eloise Hawking and John Locke into the (metaphorical and literal) jungle.

Then again, maybe Richard only knows the stuff that other people have told him. All this time we’ve kind of assumed that Richard’s wisdom was due to his (in the words of Ben) "very, VERY" long stint on the Island and the sort of abstract communion with the piece of landmass that Locke is always blabbing about. (For example, he instantly noticed there was something "different" about Locke.) However, last night we saw that the reason he was able to find and aide Locke in the jungle (and let him know that he needed to die) was because that’s precisely what Locke told him to do. (Just as earlier in the year, we saw the reason Richard tested a young Locke was because Locke told him to.)

With this season’s time travel theme, there have been several scenes that have been revisited in a "Back to the Future: Part 2"-esque fashion. I was surprised that this may have been my favorite, since it seemed like a relatively minor moment to relive. I liked the contrast between the panicky, wounded Locke and the know-it-all in the present. I liked Richard and Ben’s variations on "huh" facial expressions (Ben to Locke: "Where did you go?!") when everything Locke predicted came to pass.

You may have noticed from the tone of my writing that I’m not exactly loving Locke’s newfound "confidence." I’m not hating on the perpetually tormented "Man of Faith" for finally finding his mojo (though having him stroll up to the Others carrying a dead boar was TOO much). On the contrary, I’m worried that Locke kicking so much ass right now is setting him up for a major fall in the season finale.

To me, it’s not even a question of IF he’s going to get taken down in the immediate future - I’m wondering WHO it’s going to be. Will it be Richard, who worried aloud about Locke becoming "trouble" and seemed ready to orchestrate a coup similar to the time he helped Locke ascend to power in the first place? Will it be Ben, who was bound by the Smoke Monster to obey Locke, but can’t help but give off an "I’m setting you up" vibe whenever he’s on screen? Will it be Sun after she finds out Locke was lying about the visit to Jacob’s cabin being about rescuing her husband and the rest of the castaways? Maybe, it’ll it be Jacob, who may not take too kindly being "killed" or to a bunch of uninvited guests showing up at his cabin door.

Most importantly, will any of these things even have a chance of taking place if Jack successfully detonates Jughead and negates everything we’ve seen so far?

Jack, you see, decided to take up Faraday’s cause and detonate Jughead to wipe out the past few years of misery for him and his friends. First, he had to get Eloise - who remembered the now-dead/vanishing Faraday from her teenage years and was eager to erase a reality in which she killed her own son - to show them where Jughead was. (It's buried underneath the Dharma village.) She believed their story about being from the future (like Dr. Chang, she was actually relatively open to the idea) and agreed to help the, which put her at odds with co-leader Charles Widmore.

The problem was that Kate wasn’t exactly down with the plan. Besides not being in a hurry to blow up an island full of people (the same way she wasn’t eager to let a little boy die when Young Ben was shot) Kate seemed personally offended by the idea that Jack couldn’t wait to undo the last three years of their life - or, as Jack would say, the last three years of their "misery." What was left unsaid was the fact that Kate isn’t in a hurry to undo the last three years because a big fat prison sentence is waiting for her if Oceanic 815 lands safely in Los Angeles.

For that reason, it makes perfect sense that Sayid would step in and take Kate’s place as Jack’s ally. Sayid was on his way to meet love of his life Nadia in L.A. when flight 815 crashed, so he’d definitely be down for Jack’s plan. Did I mention Sayid’s back (and sans jungle-unfriendly purple shirt)? He gunned down a trigger-happy Other that was about to shoot Kate when she was abandoning Jack. I forgot to mention that another reason for Kate objecting to Jack’s plan is the fact that it’s INSANE!! (Double exclamation point.)

Before she left, Kate vocalized what many of us have seen for a while - Jack is the new Locke. Of course, a quick peek at "Lost" history reveals that, in the season 2 finale, Locke decided to tamper with his own end-of-the-world scenario and allow 108 minutes to expire without pushing the button. Ultimately, he was bailed out by Desmond and the fail safe key, but I’m curious to see who or what (or if) will be there to help Jack if it turns out that detonating Jughead isn’t a great idea. By that same token, I can totally see the show letting Jack detonate the bomb, because that would lead to one hell of a cliffhanger leading into the summer before the final season. The fact that I have NO idea what’s going to happen next week has me giddy.

A few more quick thoughts about all the action at the Dharma dock. Dr. Chang sending his wife and baby Miles away played out precisely the way most of us predicted - he did it to protect them. The moment was a bit rushed because of all that was happening, but it was still well played by Ken Leung. Since the previews for next week show Sawyer and Juliet back in the jungle, you have to think that Hurley was right about Sawyer never abandoning them and always having a plan. (Also, witness him making a point of asking Juliet if she has his back.)

Speaking of the doomed couple, I liked the quick moment with Sawyer bidding good riddance to the Island, the place that seemingly made his dream life come true before cruelly and quickly taking it away. I even allowed myself to believe he and Juliet would be happy once they got back to the United States. That is before Kate showed up and Juliet shit a brick. (What’s the female equivalent of a cockblock?)

Overall, this was another very good episode in its own right, but an EXCELLENT set up for the season finale given the various conflicts heading into the year’s last episode. To me, the situation in the sub is just as potentially explosive as Jack detonating an H-bomb or Locke’s trip to Jacob’s cabin.

So what’d you think of this episode? Will Locke kill Jacob and is there even a "Jacob" to kill? (I think Locke’s intent is to perform a mercy kill, given that the only peep we’ve heard out of Jacob was a desperate, creaky "Help. Me.") There’s no way that Phil survives the season finale, right? (Hitting a defenseless woman = despicable and it feels like they’re setting us up for an applause moment when Phil gets it.) Could Radzinsky be any more annoying? How DID the Others get Jughead into the tunnels? Who (other than me) isn’t afraid to admit that they didn’t immediately know who the president was in 1977? Finally, what’s the ONE thing you want to see in the season finale? (Desmond!!)