Today’s Topic:  Follow the Leader

Mood Music:  Cult of Personality by Living Colour

Another week…..another outstanding episode…ok, ok…..I’ll admit, I wasn’t thrilled with “the Variable” last week…but let’s just say that this episode more than made up for it in my opinion…and to be honest…I’m so excited about the finale tonight that I can hardly bring myself to finish this recap.  Either way….here goes and I look forward to some discussion on this episode and a little speculation as to what you think’s going down tonight….so without furthur ado:  Season 5, Episode 15……Follow the Leader.

ON ISLAND

1977

Jack and Kate discuss their options while hiding behind bushes at the Hostiles’ camp. Suddenly, a gunshot is heard, and they watch Daniel collapse to the ground. As they are about to run away, they are surrounded by two men riding horses. One of them knocks out Jack with his rifle’s butt and the other one aims at Kate.

***I really love the way they’ve taken scenes that we’ve already seen and show them from other POVs this season….it is really interesting to note that maybe this is done as a plot device, or maybe they are actually using it to stress the idea that there are more than one way things can play out and just because something looks a certain way from one POV, it can be interpreted in an entirely different way from another

At the place Daniel was shot, Eloise skips through the pages of his journal. She reaches the first page, and is confused by the dedication in it, which she appears to recognize as her own handwriting. Charles Widmore and a man arrive, holding Jack and Kate captives. Richard explains the situation to Widmore. Eloise asks Jack and Kate if they’ve come with Daniel, to which Jack replies “Yes.” She orders that they be taken to her tent. Widmore inquires why the DHARMA Initiative would declare war on them, but Eloise tells him that the three intruders are not DHARMA people. After entering the tent, she assures Jack and Kate that she will believe whatever they say because she has just killed a man who claims to be her future son, the same man who told her to bury the bomb 23 years earlier before disappearing. Jack tells Ellie that by using the bomb, they can alter the future and undo what Ellie did to her future son.

***very interesting….is it just me or is anyone else sure that there’s no way you would recognize your own handwriting on a random journal?  I know that it’s not the first thing that would come to mind…put it that way….then again if the person you just shot claims to be your son…then that helps hasten things

At the Barracks, Radzinsky takes Sawyer and Juliet to the security office where he interrogates a bound Sawyer about the location of Kate. Juliet, also bound, sits off to the side watching. Sawyer is brutally beaten by Radzinsky against Horace’s wishes. Radzinsky says that he is in charge now. Juliet begs them to stop, and tells them that they aren’t out to hurt them, they have known them for three years, and that they are good people. Sawyer tells her not to talk and that whatever she says they won’t believe. Radzinsky, Horace, and Phil draw the conclusion that Sawyer is not going to talk no matter how much they beat him, but Phil claims that he has a way to make Sawyer talk. He then hits Juliet across the face, angering Sawyer.

***God Phil’s a prick

Meanwhile, Hurley, Miles and Jin escape the barracks, heading for the beach. Chang follows them and asks if they’re really from the future. Hurley denies it. To determine the truth, Chang quizzes Hurley with questions relevant to 1977. Hurley struggles with the answers, being unsure of his birth year, the current president of the U.S., or whether the Korean War had even occured. Flustered, Hurley finally admits that he’s from the future and Chang believes him. Chang then asks Miles if it is true that he is his father, and Miles reluctantly affirms that he is. Having confirmed his suspicions Chang reveals that he now believes what Daniel told him about needing to evacuate the entire Island.

At the Hostiles camp, Widmore and Richard are standing over Daniel’s body. Widmore asks Richard why Daniel looks so familiar to him. Before Richard can respond, Eloise emerges from the tent and orders Richard to untie Jack and Kate. Eloise gently covers Daniel’s body with a blanket and closes his eyes. She then announces to Widmore that she is taking Jack and Kate to the bomb. Widmore protests and they appear to argue. Jack asks Richard who that man is and Richard tells him it’s Charles Widmore. Richard implies that Eloise and Charles are romantically involved but that their relationship is complicated.

***looked like she had a hand on her stomach and Widmore was looking concerned (Daniel?)

Chang returns to the Barracks and sees Horace, Radzinsky and the other men interrogating Juliet and a bloody and bruised Sawyer. He tells Horace, Radzinsky and the others to stop the drilling at The Swan and orders them to evacuate the Island. Radzinsky angrily insists on continuing the drilling and when Chang appeals to Horace, Radzinsky claims that he is in charge now. Sawyer agrees with Chang and proposes a deal to Radzinsky: if he and Juliet can leave the Island on the submarine, he will tell Radzinsky everything he wants to know. As a result, he demands that Sawyer draws a map of the Hostiles’ location. Sawyer and Juliet are then taken away to the submarine.

Eloise, Kate, Jack, Richard, and Erik come to the creek. As they stop to attempt to swim under the tunnels, Kate tells Jack she’s going back. Erik threatens to shoot Kate if she tries to leave. There is a gunshot and Kate is shocked. She looks down and sees that she’s not hit. Erik goes down and Sayid comes out of cover. He points his gun at Eloise and Richard as they put up their hands. Sayid is told about changing the future, and he is convinced he has already done so by killing Ben, but Kate informs him that Ben is alive. Kate is allowed to leave the group and heads for the submarine.

***gotta admit that when Sayid popped out of the jungle it was pretty damn badace!

At the Barracks a message is heard over the loudspeakers that the sub will leave in 30 minutes. At the dock, people board the sub while Miles, Hurley, and Jin watch. They see Charlotte and her mom get out of a bus and head for the dock. Lara and baby Miles get out. Lara is arguing with Pierre. Pierre angrily tells them to leave. Adult Miles realizes that his father had to be harsh to his mother in order to save her life. Miles sees Juliet and Sawyer, still handcuffed, and brought in a jeep. Miles confused, hands binoculars to Hurley, who tells Miles that Sawyer probably has a plan.

***it has to be a crazy realization for Miles to see that the whole reason he hated his father for all those years…and refused to search for him….was wrong….he was looking out for Miles and his Mom…..man.

On the dock, Sawyer sarcastically quips that he’ll buy Microsoft and bet on the Cowboys in the 1978 Superbowl.

***finally somebody is making sense regarding time travel….make some damn money betting (Biff style)

He apologizes to Juliet and says that she was right three years ago, that they should have gotten on the submarine. Juliet tells Sawyer she was glad that she stayed behind. Once on the submarine, Juliet and Sawyer are handcuffed to a table in the ship’s gallery. Juliet asks Sawyer what they will do when they get to Ann Arbor. Sawyer replies that they aren’t going to Ann Arbor, and that they’ll be free in the “real world”. Juliet chuckles saying she doesn’t even know what that means anymore. They hold hands and say that they love each other. Just after this, Phil brings Kate to the submarine, where she is cuffed with Sawyer and Juliet. They give each other awkward looks as the submarine departs from the Island.

Richard, Jack, Eloise and Sayid swim down to the underground tunnels beneath the Barracks where the bomb is hidden. As they walk through the tunnels, Sayid whispers to Jack, “I’m sure it’s occurred to you that this woman’s motivation in helping us detonate the hydrogen bomb is only to annihilate the Dharma Initiative.” Jack responds that her motivation can be trusted because Eloise will be the one to tell them how to get back to the island 30 years from now, but Sayid is not convinced. They come to a room and Eloise uncovers the bomb. She looks at the other two and says “Now what?” while everyone looks confused.

***seriously….as Allen mentioned in the LOST Discussion page…..it’s not like you can just tap the damn thing with a hammer…for more in-depth analysis of the detonation of a nuclear bomb…see my link on the LOST Discussion page….there’s a lot more to it than just dropping it from a plane…put it that way (my guess…they don’t detonate it……one other thing, and I’m nitpicking…if that thing had been leaking radiation for 30 years…..I’m pretty sure that those folks would be dead upon entering those tunnels.)

2007

At the Others‘ camp, Richard is sitting at a table building a ship in a bottle on the beach, an Other named Vanessa informs Richard that “he’s here.” Locke arrives with a boar, followed by Ben and Sun. Richard questions that it’s been three years since he last saw him, and wonders where he’s been. Locke tells Richard that he has a new purpose, and needs Richard to come with him immediately. After Ben tells Sun that Richard has been around for “a very long time”, Sun interrupts Locke and Richard with the 1977 DHARMA Recruits picture, asking Richard if he recognizes the people in it. Richard replies he recognizes them because he “watched them all die”.

***speculation is that what he actually meant by this was that he saw them disappear (the island hopping shit)….I don’t think that’s what he meant at all but I’m sure we’ll find out tonight

Later in a private conversation with Sun, Locke implies he believes their time-traveling friends are not dead. Locke asks Richard if he still has the compass he gave him in 1954, Richard says he does. Locke asks Ben to join him and Richard on the journey. Ben wonders if Locke doesn’t trust him around his former people, but Locke informs him that he isn’t afraid of anything he can do anymore. Locke tells Sun to stay behind, and that he will be back in a few hours, and that she has his word that he will find a way for her and Jin to be reunited. Locke, Richard, and Ben then leave with the compass on into the jungle.

During the trip Richard asks Locke where he has been the past three years, Locke is surprised he doesn’t know. Locke tells him that they are going to the Beechcraft (where Locke flashed to during the Island’s time movements), and after that they must find Jacob. When they have almost arrived, Locke tells Richard that he must treat a man’s wound at the Beechcraft, and then tell him to bring everyone back to the Island, and to do this he has to die. Locke then tells Ben that the man is Locke himself.

***this had to be one of the greatest scenes this season….it shows a lot about what’s going on…answers questions like:  can the Losties see themselves in the past/future/etc…?  yes.  is the compass the same one that’s been passed around? yes.  how could Richard know where Locke was for that brief period of time to just show up in the middle of the jungle?  Locke told him.  Pretty cool.

While Richard tends to the time-traveling Locke, the other Locke tells Ben that he knows that Ben has never seen Jacob, which surprises Ben. Richard then tells Locke that he seems pretty convinced about what he made him do to his past-self, especially since he said to him that he was going to die, Locke tells Richard it was the right choice.

The three then return to camp, where Locke makes a speech to all the Others present he is going to see Jacob, and he would like them all to come with him. The Others are excited by this, with the exception of Richard who admits his worry to Ben, that Locke may be a problem in the future. Ben responds by telling Richard that’s why he tried to kill him. Sun questions Locke and is assured by him Jacob can help them bring Jin and the rest of their people back to the present, and that Richard has agreed to show them where they need to go.

The next morning, Locke and the Others leave to find Jacob. Ben then tells Locke of Richard’s thoughts, that seeing Jacob makes him uncomfortable, but then reaffirms his allegiance to Locke’s quest: to reunite with his friends who are in 1977. Locke lets Ben in on a secret; he’s not interested in reuniting with his friends in 1977 and reveals his true intentions are, much to Ben’s shock, to kill Jacob.

***dun-dun-dunnnn.  Another topic that aroused speculation…the thought is that maybe Locke was being metaphorical…that he’s not actually planning on killing Jacob, but just proving that he doesn’t exist…essentially killing him in the eyes of the Others….I’m pretty sure he exists and I’m pretty sure Locke’s plan ain’t coming to fruition once Jacob has his way with him.  Not to mention, Ben’s in for a rude awakening I think.

Tidbits and Questions

- where are Rose and Bernard?  Seriously.  They better show up tonight or I’m gonna…

- what’s up with the food drops?

- do you think Locke’s really gonna kill Jacob? 

- do you think they will detonate the bomb?

- my guess is that the incident doesn’t refer to the Swan catastrophe at all…but something on a much, much grander scale…like the eradication of the Hostiles in 1977….I think maybe Dharma actually succeeds in finding the hostiles and a large gunfight ensues…possibly at the Swan site…something happens that causes it to become unstable, leaving only Radzinky there to man the button.  or probably something totally different is going to happen….either way, I’m betting Chang loses his arm and the guy in the video with him was Miles….and the baby was also Miles

That’s it for today….Can’t wait for tonight!!!

I’ll talk at you all again later.

“a leader speaks, that leader dies”