The Incident, Part 2

Picking up where Kat left off...

The second half hour of the show delved us deeper into the Jacob backstory, followed our favorite threesome as they escaped from the sub and their collision course with Jack and his entourage as they head towards Jughead. Plus, we get a little more insight into Locke and Ben, while the mystery surrounding Ilana and her crew's mission on the island deepens. So much sussing, let's get going!

Jacob
In this segment, we see Jacob visiting more of the island’s visitors. First, it is Ilana. As she lays in a Russian hospital bed, covered from nose to toes in bandages, Jacob comes in and asks for her help. Although we don't know her or her motivation, it is evident that she won't refuse his request.

The next time we see him, Jacob is sitting on a city bench reading Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge.” Yet another example of Lost’s brilliance. This subtly placed book is about human weakness and morality, certainly a topic that has been addressed quite frequently in the Lost world. We hear a shattering of glass and a body falls to the ground. Jacob casually gets up and walks over to a bloody and still John Locke. He looks at him for a moment before touching his shoulder. Locke draws a breath and looks at him with bewildered eyes as Jacob says, “Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright,” and then he walks off.

Finally, Jacob visits Sun and Jin at their wedding. As the newlyweds receive well-wishers, Jacob steps up to them. He touches their arms as he tells them that their love is a special thing and should never be taken for granted.

Jacob visits each of them as they are at some turning point, we saw it with Sawyer, Sayid and Kate and now, when Locke and Ilana lie at death's door, Jacob comes along to bring them hope and a renewed vigor for life. With Sun and Jin, he is reinforcing their commitment to each other, the same one that will have them leaving Korea together with the hopes of starting a new life together in Los Angeles. For each, Jacob has gently nudged them in the direction of the island.

The Good Guys?
Ilana and her team trudge through the jungle carrying “the box” while Lapidus and Bram talk. You just gotta love Lapidus and his straightforwardness. When Bram tells him they’re the good guys, Lapidus says, “In my experience, the people who go out of their way to tell you they’re the good guys. They’re the bad guys.” Ain't it the truth, Lappy, ain't it the truth.

As those words are still hanging in the air, they come up on the burnt shell of Jacob’s cabin. Bram points out that an ash line circling the cabin has been broken. (Methinks the ash line might be some sort of protective circle? But whether it protects those within from those outside or the reverse is up for debate.) Ilana goes in and looks around. In the ruined interior, she passes over a mostly unharmed picture of a dog (Anyone have any ideas about that one?) and then spies the piece of tapestry stuck into the wall with a knife. She brings it out and shows it to Bram. The fabric has a picture of Sobek, the Eqyptian god of creation, the very same god that is featured in the giant statue.

After telling them that someone else has been using the cabin (Esau perhaps?? Posing as various dead people? Christian...Claire...) Ilana orders the men to torch the cabin and they set off back into the jungle.

The Leader
En route to the statue, Locke leads the group through the camp once inhabited by the 816 survivors, where he suggests they take a break. Ben and Locke sit down for a tete a tete and Ben asks why Locke wants him to kill Jacob. Locke says that after all he has been through: the cancer, losing his daughter and being exiled; the bigger question is why he wouldn’t want to kill Jacob.

In the last few episodes, we have certainly seen a different side of Ben, less sure of himself. I miss the old sneaky, conniving bad-ass Ben of yore.

The Escapees
Sawyer, Juliet and Kate row towards the island as the submarine sinks into the water behind them. As they pull the boat up onto the shore, a giant rainbow hovering over their shoulders, Vincent comes running out of the jungle. Sawyer ruffles his fur and we hear a very distinctive voice.

“Oh, hell no....Bernard! They found us.”

Out walks Rose and a shaggy Bernard, looking very Charleton Heston Moses with the beard and the staff. Bernard and Rose take them back to their little slice of heaven retirement cottage, and while the threesome try to talk them into helping them on their quest to stop Jack, the couple go about their normal activities. "You traveled back 30 years in time and you’re still trying to shoot each other?” Rose says.

As he turns them down, Bernard doles out some of his wisdom: “So we die, we just care about being together, that’s all that matters.” To which Sawyer looks at Kate. Why, oh, why did he look at Kate? Juliet, of course, sees this. Breaks. My. Heart. Bernard points them on their way and they head off for the Dharma camp. As they turn to leave, Bernard offers Juliet a cup of tea, which she declines as she touches her stomach. (Does he recognize her heartbreak?) I swear I thought she was pregnant then! Still kind of do.

I was so happy to see Miss Rose and Bernard again. Their absence has been one of those question marks hanging over the show for me. Did they travel back in time with the rest of the gang? If so, or not, what time were they in? Were they the skeletons in the cave?

The Heroes
Hurley careens through the forest in the intrepid blue VW bus while Jack and Jin work to save the injured Sayid. As they bump along, Hurley and Miles attack them with a barrage of questions. Suddenly, Hurley brings the van to a screeching halt.

Sawyer, Juliet and Kate stand blocking their path, guns drawn.

Yep, it's on.

Stay tuned for the next installment of The Incident, to be posted soon by Shannon.