This past episode, "Ab Aeterno," gave more answers to the overall secrets of Lost than any other season or episode has done before. This episode's story centered around Richard's character and how he came to be on the island. *Spoilers ahead*
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Episode Summary
The episode started with Jack, Hurley, Lepidus, Miles, and Sun, sitting around a camp fire as Alanah explained to them that Richard was supposed to tell them what to do next. Richard just laughed and exclaimed to the group, "This place isn't what you think it is?" He then went on to make the world's collective jaws drop as he explained that the losties and himself were all dead and the island they are all on is really hell (Island not actually hell and losties not actually dead). Richard then went on to state that everything Jacob had told him was wrong and then went off into the jungle to find Locke.
The episode continues as Richard's flashback showed him as the same age in 1867. After a struggle with a doctor from whom he was trying to get medicine for his sick wife Isabella, Richard acidentally kills him. On his way to being hung for the murder, Richard is sold into slavery and taken aboard The Black Rock. The ship crashes on the island and the black smoke kills everyone, but then comes to Richard as the man in black and frees him from the chains."Nice to see you out of those chains" he once again tells Richard. The man in black then spins a tale for Richard where he tell him that they are in hell and the only way for them to leave is to kill the devil, which he tells richard is the man living in the statue(Jacob). Richard then goes to find the devil and kill him so he can be with Isabella as the man in black suggests. After a quick scuffle, Jacob sits Richard down and lays everything out for him and in the clearest explanation of what is going on with Lost and the island, Jacob tells Richard to imagine the small amount of wine at the bottom of the bottle is hell or evil and then tells him to imagine that the cork on top is the island, it is the only thing from allowing evil to escape the bottle and spread.
The Biggest Revelations from the Episode
- Jacob and the Island are guardians of sorts that prevent The Black Cloud, The Devil, Evil Incarnate, whatever you would like to call him, from escaping the Island and regining down hell on earth in his wake.
- Jacob brings people to the Island because The Black Cloud thinks that everyone, at their core, is corruptable and evil. The island is a sort of clean slate where everyone is tested in their own way as to who they really are. As Real Locke told Walt in season one as he held up a white and black piece of the backgammon game; their are two sides to everyone, one light one dark. Very cool to see that they knew where they were going all along with this show and we are now getting the big picture.
- Richard was a slave on the Black Rock and was given the gift of never dying by Jacob, as a reward for taking the job as his intermediary.
- One of the 6 candidates left have to take over Jacob's job and make sure the devil does not leave the island. As Jacob told the man in black, "As long as I'm alive you can not leave the island." To that the man in black replied, "Why do you think I want to kill you so bad." Then Jacob explains that it does not matter because he would just be replaced by someone else.
Things Left to Answer
- What are the whisphers? I think they are going to be explained as the loved ones of the people on the island. As isabella appeared in the end of the episode and Hurley translated to Richard what she was saying, although it seemed like when Richard closed his eyes he could hear or feel her there as we continued to hear her talk but Hurley was no longer translating.
- Who is the man in black? As he exlpained, his body was taken from him and he is trying to leave the island, but who or what was he before that happend? Will we fully see a lucifer character that gets cast out of heaven and banished to the island to be guarded over by an archangel of sorts, that being Jacob?
- Who will be the new Jacob? I think it obviously has to be Jack as this would be the purpose he feels he has in coming back to theisland.
One Final Detail About This Episode That May Get Overlooked
Lost is so good at not only the amount of detail they put into each episode, but the amount of accuarate detail they use. I always say that Lost has to to have a history professor, physics professor, and theology professor on staff to keep all of these details that accurate and tonights episode was no different. After Jacob talks to Richard and Richard goes back to the man in black, he hands him a small white stone and tells him Jacon wanted him to have this. Now this is something that most people probably will not grasp, but its very cool if you do. In the bible, God says that when you get to heaven you are given a white stone on which your new name is written. So the significance is basically Jacob telling the man in black that Richard is my guy not yours, and it's why Jacob calls him Ricardus instead of Richard, its becuase Ricardus is the new name he has been given. I thought that was a very cool detail, maybe you appreciate it maybe not, but I thought I elaborate on the significance.
So how do you feel about these new revelations and what they will mean for the remainder of the show. Do you like or dislike the direction that Lost is taking?
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