And We're Back!

So sorry for the extended absence, but we're back!  Let's recap what we learned with Season 6, Episode 9 (Ab Aeterno).

5. The Black Rock – A British trading ship that is shipwrecked in the Dark Territory of the island, we’re not sure how a giant ship ended up on the middle of the island. According to the first mate’s journal in Season 4, Episode 5 (The Constant) the ship left England in 1845 and sailed towards modern-day Thailand. The journal was found with pirate artifacts on an island off the coast of Madagascar and was owned by the Hanso family (think Dharma Initiative financing) until it was auctioned off to Charles Widmore in 1996. Who was on the boat? What brought the Black Rock to the island? How did the journal get to Madagascar? So many questions, hopefully enough time to answer them all!

Well, the Black Rock brought Richard to the island. It crashed into the Four Toed Statue during a nasty storm and landed in the jungle.  Apparently, Jacob brought the ship to the island.

6. Man In Black (Jacob’s Nemisis) – Since Walt and Locke played backgammon in the pilot episode; fans have known that black and white hold symbolic significance in the world of LOST. So when Jacob’s nemisis shows up on the beach wearing black while Jacob is wearing white, we knew that the scene was significant. But who, exactly is the man in black, why does he want to kill Jacob? How did he get to the island? Is he really bad, as his black shirt leads us to believe? How does he have the ability to become ‘Flocke’? Also, is there a biblical connection to the story of Jacob and Esau, in which two brothers fight for ‘birthright’ to rule over their father’s wealth and authority? Seems awful likely to this humble fan.

Well, still no name.  But we do know he's been Smokey for a very long time.  I'm still out on if he's good or evil.  Any thoughts?

7. Richard Alpert – If you have a pulse and are a fan of LOST, you’ve got to be wondering what the heck is going on with Richard Alpert (and I’m not talking about his guyliner)! He claims that Jacob gave him the ability to never age (can I get that in a bottle?), but we’re still not sure why. What brought Richard to the island? Why did Jacob select him to be his ‘advisor’? Does he have a relationship with Jacob’s nemesis? How old is this guy? One of my burning Richard-related questions comes from Season 3, Episode 20 (The Man Behind the Curtain). Richard meets young-Ben in the jungle, and this is the only time Richard’s appearance is different. His hair is long, his clothes are disheveled – what’s up with this? Why isn’t he clean cut Richard we’ve seen ever since? Weird. Let’s hope for some Alpert back story in Season 6.

We've finally had our Alpert back story!  He lived on the Canary Islands in 1867.  He was brought to the island as a slave on the Black Rock.  He was kept alive and freed from his chains by the Man in Black, but made a deal with Jacob that he would help him intervene with the people who come to the island.  In return for this Jacob touches Richard, granting his wish that he never dies.  Now Richard's sick of Jacob and ready to join Flocke's forces.

11. What does it mean when Jacob touches you? - In Season 5, Episode 16 (The Incident), we see Jacob touch eight of our favorite Losties (Sawyer, Kate, Jack, Locke, Sayid, Hurley, Sun, and Jin) sometime during their life. He touches Sawyer, Kate, Jack, Locke, Sun and Jin before they travel to the island on 815 and touches Sayid and Hurley after they were rescued as part of the Oceanic Six. He also visits Illana in a Russian hospital and while we think he touched her, he was wearing gloves. When he touches John Locke after Locke falls eight stories, it appears that Jacob brings him back to life. What does this all mean? Will it have implications for the characters he touched in the future?

He grants your wish?

Tonight's episode is the tenth (I can't believe we're on 10 already!) in the season.  The episode is called (highlight for answer) The Package and the description reads, "While Sun and Jin continue to search for each other, the Locke monster faces his enemy." Mikhail (PATCHY!), Widmore, and Keamy make appearences.  Could tonight be the long awaited reunion between Sun and Jin?  Will we learn which Kwon is the candidate?  Does the title refer to the watch Jin was bringing from Korea on behalf of Mr. Pak? We'll have to wait and see!

So what will we learn tonight?  Here's my wish list:

6. Man In Black (Jacob’s Nemisis) – Since Walt and Locke played backgammon in the pilot episode; fans have known that black and white hold symbolic significance in the world of LOST. So when Jacob’s nemisis shows up on the beach wearing black while Jacob is wearing white, we knew that the scene was significant. But who, exactly is the man in black, why does he want to kill Jacob? How did he get to the island? Is he really bad, as his black shirt leads us to believe? How does he have the ability to become ‘Flocke’? Also, is there a biblical connection to the story of Jacob and Esau, in which two brothers fight for ‘birthright’ to rule over their father’s wealth and authority? Seems awful likely to this humble fan.




18. Why can’t Ben kill Widmore? – In Season 4, Episode 9 (The Shape of Things to Come), Ben travels off the island Ben visits Widmore in his bedroom in the middle of the night. Widmore asks Ben if he’s come to kill him and Ben replies “we both know I can’t do that.” Why would this be? What is the relationship between these two characters and how will it end? Is one man good and the other man bad? Does the Widmore/Ben relationship shadow the Jacob/Man in Black relationship? I’m sure we’ll learn more about this relationship in Season 6.

21. Pregnancy Issues - Juliet Burke is brought to the island as a fertility specialist in Season 3, Episode 7 (Not in Portland) to help the Others with their child-birthing issues. It appears that the island reduces a woman’s reproductive capabilities, but enhances male sperm count. Women who conceive on the island die before their third trimester, but women who conceive off the island appear to be able to give birth on the island without complication (Claire, Danielle). We’re not sure though, that the pregnancy issues occurred before 1977, as Amy gives birth to a healthy Ethan and we’re pretty sure she conceived on the island. So why are there pregnancy issues when the island seemingly ‘cures’ other ailments (Locke’s paralysis, Rose’s cancer)? What causes the problem? Is it ‘the incident’? Is the pregnancy issue related to the Dharma vaccine and illness?

24. Why do Jack, Hurley, Kate and Sayid flash to 1977, but Sun stays in the present during the 316 crash? – When the Oceanic Six ride on Ajira 316, the plane begins to shake and it is evident that the plane is about to crash on our favorite mysterious island. During the crash, a white flash takes place and Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid disappear. We later learn that they have been transported to 1977 and meet up with Sawyer and the other Losties that have teamed up with the Dharma Initiative. So why is Sun the only member of the Oceanic Six to crash in 2007 with the rest of the Ajira passengers and John Locke’s corpse? I’d like nothing more than to see Sun and Jin reunited – Season 5 was enough time apart! Please, please, please bring them back together in Season 6.

34. Why isn’t the island done with Desmond yet? – My favorite Scotsman, Desmond has a unique gift that makes him a central character in the story of the island. We know that Desmond spent time as a monk, in the Royal Scottish Regiment, and as a set designer for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but he’s one of the only main character’s whose childhood is still a mystery to loyal viewers. Are there clues to Desmond’s special powers hidden in his childhood? In Season 5, Episode 6 (316) Eloise Hawking tells Desmond that the island isn’t done with him yet. So what does the island have in store for Desmond and will it take him away from Penny again (I’m just not sure I can bare that pain again!).