Smile Politely

“You have what it takes…”

WHAT HAPPENED

“You don’t have what it takes,” a drunk Christian Shephard told promising young doctor Jack in Season 1. Trying and failing to teach his son a lesson about being a hero was one of many tough father/son scenes we’ve witnessed over the past five seasons. In Season 6 – Episode 5, “Lighthouse”, 2004-Jack tries hard to a better father than his father was to him. 2007-Jack treks through the forest to the island Lighthouse on a mission for Jacob, that begins when Hurley tells Jack “You have what it takes.”

Season 6 Episode 5 “Lighthouse” was a mirror opposite of sorts to Season 1 Episode 5 “White Rabbit,” where Jack chased (the ghost of) his father around the island.

Later in the episode, Jack told Hurley, ”I came back here because I was broken, and I was stupid enough to think this place could fix me.” When they arrive at the Lighthouse Jack asks, “How come we’ve never noticed this thing before?” Hurley’s response: ”I guess we weren’t looking for it.”

By the end of the episode, Jacob assures Hurley that Jack was not stupid to believe that the Island holds redemptive purpose for him. Did Jack finally work out his issues?

FACTS CONFIRMED

1. 2004 Jack has a son named David. LOST has always had a huge “father” theme and Christian/Jack may be sorted out in Jack/David.

2. Expanded list of Candidates, now from the Cave and the Lighthouse protractor. Thoughts?

3. Claire says that The Others at the Temple had stuck her with needles and branded her and shows Jin a nasty scar on her shoulder. Seems like she went through the same treatment they gave to Sayid, but she got away.

BURNING QUESTIONS

1. Who’s David Shephard’s mother? Odds-on favorite is Juliet.

2. Rousseau-like “Claimed” Claire (scary!) shows off her new moves to Jin, an unlucky Other and her new friend in Black. How does she know the Man in Black is not John Locke? Has she already been recruited?

3. Is being ‘claimed’ the same as being “infected”?

THEORIES TO DISCUSS

1. The Man In Black professes to be the straight-shooter of the two Island deities, and after this episode, we have no reason to doubt him; the revelation of the Lighthouse didn’t contradict anything MIB told and showed Sawyer last week in the cave.

Meanwhile, Jacob has resorted to lies, puzzles, and possibly supernatural coercion to get people to do what he wants them to do. And yet, we STILL find ourselves thinking that Jacob is the good guy and MIB is the bad guy in their feud. What do you think? (credit: Doc Jensen)

2. 10 Who Could be the next Jacob.

FAVORITES SCENES

1. Jack lets himself into his ex-wife’s house using the key hidden under a… ceramic rabbit. Ok, I love all of these Season 1/Season 6 connections. If you don’t like puzzles you probably hate LOST anyway, right?

2. When Jack arrived at his son’s audition, he followed the sign directing ”the candidates” to the auditorium.

3. Scary as hell goat’s head skull in Aaron’s old crib.

Post Away!

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