Writers strike be damned, we at least got SOME satisfaction in the shortened Lost season.
We start at the point where Season 2 ended, in which a disheveled, down-and-out Jack screams at Kate they have to go back to the island, as she drives off. She stops the car suddenly and backs up, storming out of the car. “Go back? GO BACK?” Kate proceeds to read Jack the riot act for skipping out on her and Aaron. She’s spent three years forgetting all the bad stuff that happened since they left and how dare him to ask her to go back. All because the guy in the coffin, who has sent Jack into a tailspin, someone named “Jeremy Bentham,” told Jack he had to go back. Kate says “Jeremy” came to see her, too, and she thought he was crazy. But Jack believed him.
Back on the island, Sawyer and Jack heading to the Orchid. They run into Hurley…and then Locke. Awkward moment between Jack and Locke. Meanwhile, Ben, Keamy and his men get back to the helicopter when Kate comes running up. She says she is being chased by “his people,” pointing to Ben. Of course, it’s not true. It’s a trap for Keamy, who quickly realizes the ruse and starts firing into the jungle. But those Others are a wily bunch and outmaneuver the mercenaries. Kate and Ben make a run for it–but Keamy gives chase–until Sayid tackles him, and these two very trained soldiers go at it. But Keamy gets the better of Sayid–until Richard shoots Keamy in the back. Nicely played, everyone. The deal is Sayid and Kate would help the Others free Ben, if they would be allowed to get off the island. Ben agrees and says the helicopter is theirs to have. Goodbye.
On the boat, Desmond explains how the explosives rigged to the radio is set to be detonated remotely–and it’s very elaborate. Any attempts to disarm and boom! Michael’s idea is to freeze the battery so they can possibly disable it. Meanwhile, Daniel comes back on the zodiac to transport the second load of Losties. He wants to make sure Miles and Charlotte are on it as well because he knows what’s going to happen to the island. Miles says he’s going to stay where he is, but Charlotte looks like she wants to go. Miles is surprised after it took her all this time to get back to the island. “Get back?” Charlotte plays dumb but Miles just smiles. Charlotte decides she’s going to stay after all. She tells Daniel she is still looking for where she was born. Hmmm.
Flash forward: Walt visits Hurley in the mental hospital. It’s quite a shock to Hurley–to us all, actually. Walt’s a man now! He wonders why none of them came to see him after they came back, but someone did: Jeremy Bentham. That guy again? “Why are you all lying?,” Walt asks. “We are lying to protect all of those who didn’t leave,” Hurley answers. “Like my dad?” “Yeah, like your dad.”
Back in the jungle, Locke and Jack have it out again at the Orchid. Locke says the knowledge Jack has about the island is going to eat him alive if he leaves. “It’s not just an island. It’s a place where miracles happen. And if you can’t believe that, just see what I’m about to do.” Jack of course thinks he is crazy and just wants off this rock.
Suddenly, Ben shows up: “Am I interrupting?” He tells Jack everyone else is headed towards the helicopter, and that he and Locke have work to do. One last thing Locke tells Jack: Lie to about the island. It’s the only way to protect those still on it. “If you can do it half as good as you do it to yourself, they’ll believe you.”
Then Ben and Locke descend on an elevator into another underground hatch. Locke starts asking a bunch of questions, and Ben just tells him to watch a video with the Dharma Initiative guy, who explains how in this hatch, there were experiments with both space and time in something called “The Vault.” “Did he just say what I think he did?,” Locke asks. “If you mean time-traveling bunnies, then yes,” Ben answers. The Dharma narrator warns metallic objects shouldn’t be put in the vault. Meanwhile, Ben is busy putting lots of metallic objects in the vault.
Suddenly, they hear the elevator coming down–it’s Keamy. He had on body armor, so the bullet didn’t get near him. But as he walks into the darken hatch, knowing Ben and Locke are hiding, he explains he is wearing a heart monitor device that is rigged to the explosives on the freighter. If Keamy’s heartbeat stops, i.e., if he’s killed, the boat explodes. He starts goading Ben about watching his daughter die, and Ben finally attacks, stabbing Keamy several times. Locke is flabbergasted. “You’ve just killed all those people on the boat!” “So?,” Ben calmly replies. Ben is one cold son of a bitch. Then he goes ahead and destroys the vault.
On the helicopter, Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and Sayid are heading to the freighter. Frank notices they are losing fuel from a hole in the gas tank–and the boat is no where in sight. They try throwing stuff out to lessen the load but it’s not helping. Sawyer looks over at Kate and leans in to tell her something. Probably whatever it is he asks her to do for him when she gets back. Then he gives her one hell of a kiss and jumps out of the helicopter to swim back to the island. Ah, so that’s how he doesn’t make it.
Flash forward: Hurley is in his room, playing chess, and Sayid comes in. He tells Hurley “Jeremy Bentham” has died. Hurley asks, “Why do you call him Bentham, his name is…,” but Sayid cuts him off. “Don’t say it. We are being watched.” “Dude, I’ve been having regular conversations with dead people. Last thing I need now is paranoia,” Hurley quips. Sayid shoots back, “I’ve just killed a man who has been perched outside this facility for a week. I’m finding paranoia is keeping me alive.” Hurley leaves with Sayid, to go somewhere safe, but not before he makes a chess move: “Checkmate, Mr. Eko,” Hurley says. Right. The dead people.
On the boat, Michael, Jin and Desmond are still trying to figure out how to diffuse the bomb with they see it has been activated. The battery is still frozen and therefore keeping things intact, but there isn’t much liquid nitrogen left to freeze the battery. Now, it’s a mad dash to get everyone off the boat before it blows. The helicopter makes it back to patch the fuel holes but then is loaded up again to get off the boat, including Desmond and Sun. She’s frantic to find Jin, but he runs up on the deck a minute too late. Michael is down below, when the freezing juice runs out. Suddenly, Jack’s dad Christian appears. “You can go now, Michael.” Boom! The boat blows up. Meanwhile, Sun is freaking out on the copter, trying to get them to turn around to look for Jin. It ain’t happening.
Flash forward: Sun approaches Whidmore in London. He tries to play coy, like he doesn’t know who she is, but he knows. She gives him her card and basically says she’ll help him find the island. And now we know why: She’s mad at Jack for not going back.
On the beach, Sawyer swims onto shore, where Juliet is sitting drinking from a bottle of rum. She looks distraught and he follows her gaze out to sea. In the distance is a plume of smoke. “Is that our boat?,” Sawyer asks. “It was,” she replies.
At the Orchid hatch, Ben grabs a parka–aha! The same parka we see him in when he lands in the Sahara desert later–and tells John he is going somewhere cold, and he can’t come along. Locke is going to become the new leader of the island. As Locke leaves, Ben climbs through a hole in back of the destroyed vault. He makes his way through a tunnel and finds a hole that’s covered with ice. He breaks through and climbs down into a frozen chamber. There is a giant wheel there, and Ben works hard to turn it. “I hope you’re happy Jacob.” He gets it to move, thus creating a hum similar to the one we heard when the first hatch imploded after Desmond turned the key. Then a flash, and the island disappears!
The helicopter is heading towards the island when they see it disappear. But because there is no more fuel, they crash into the water: the eight of them, including the Oceanic Six, Des and pilot Frank. Sayid was able to throw out a raft before they crashed, and they all get on it. Later that night, they see a boat in the distance. They start waving for it, and the boat spots them, turning towards them. Before it gets there, Jack quickly tells everyone that they are going to have to lie–about everything. If they don’t, those left on the island could be in danger if Whidmore has his way again. As the boat pulls up, guess who’s it is? Penny! Ah, touching reunion between Des and Penny.
Jack and the other five have to go and rejoin life, pretending to be the only six survivors. It’s the only way to keep those behind safe. Desmond is, of course, going to stay with Penny and Frank is going to disappear. “Don’t let them find you, ” Jack tells Desmond. “See you in another life, brother.”
Flash forward: Kate has a bad dream about Claire, who is in Aaron’s room. She tells Kate, “Don’t you dare bring him back!” Meanwhile, Jack goes back to the funeral home where whoever, “Jeremy Bentham,” is in the coffin. Suddenly, there’s Ben. “He told you I was off the island.” Yes, Jack confirms that he did. “Jeremy” also told Jack that once they left the island, a lot of bad things happened–and that it is all Jack’s fault for leaving. Ben has some ideas about how to return to the island–but for it to work, they ALL have to go back. Even the guy in the coffin, who turns out to be none other than John Locke.
Holy cow. So they get off the island, are finally rescued and now it’s a quest to get back there? Now, we have to find out what really bad things happened on the island after they left. What happens to Juliet and Sawyer? What happens to Charlotte and Miles? Desmond and Penny? And Daniel on the zodiac boat?
Like I said. Holy cow.
