Official ABC 4.13 There's No Place Like Home (Parts 2 & 3) Discussion Thread

[Labyrinth]

Great reviews by all.

What shocked me most was finding Locke in the coffin?! I was NOT expecting that - especially after they had just set him up as leader of the Others. Poor Locke. And the fact no-one except Jack turned up to his funeral and grieved for him - how ironic. The one person Locke was really at odds with, both at opposite ends of the spectrum (Man of Science, Man of faith), Jack seemed genuinely upset at his death. It's not surprising after all they went through. And even more skin tingling when we remember what Locke said to him at the Orchid; that deep down Jack knew they have been bought to the island for a reason. I'm guessing Jack's deterioration in the ff is his realisation of this and coupled with Locke's death - how much guilt can a guy take?

I know Locke will continue to play a major role in Lost despite his apparent death, but it did upset me. How could they kill him off? I'm just hoping its as Roco said, perhaps the island will resurrect him and maybe his death will give him more power (I'm thinking Christain).

What confused me was WHY Claire didn't want Aaron on the island? I thought she was on team Christian who is all about the island? And I thought Ben was on the same team - so why insist they all go back? WHY doesn't Claire want Aaron to go back? It seems to be conflict of intersts, no?

I know every-ones already applauded Des and Penny scene, but yes, they have the most credible love story out of the lot. So satisfying to see them reunited, but sad inrealising we prob won't see much of Des next season because of it. The only reason to keep them would be for the Widmore plot line - will Ben find and kill Penny? Not if Des is around! Hope neither of them get killed but it could be a possibility for their future story.

Sad also to see Jin and Michael go . It seems pretty likely both are dead. And yes I completely agree with Roco, Michael's tragedy seems to be pretty under rated. I have done a U turn on Michael, I mean I absolutely hated what he did to Ana Lucia and Libby, but given the context of the situation and his absolute regret and grieve for his actions not to mention his death have absolved him of this crime. I think even more tragic is Walt losing a father he only just begun to bond with. It's tragic.

Sun was extremely convincing, her grieve/hysteria was very compelling. Again, tragic. Does she mean that the capture of BEN is the 'common interest' that her and Widmore share? Does she want to enact revenge for the death of Jin? Seems she is more of her father than I thought...

I have plenty of other thoughts, about Ben, the Others etc etc but its getting late and most have been discussed.

[D-Roc]

Originally Posted by Labyrinth

What confused me was WHY Claire didn't want Aaron on the island? I thought she was on team Christian who is all about the island? And I thought Ben was on the same team - so why insist they all go back? WHY doesn't Claire want Aaron to go back? It seems to be conflict of intersts, no?

I think it's because both 'Claire' and 'Christian' (whether it's actually them or the island is open to debate) believe that Aaron is better off away from the island. Christian said as much when he met Locke in the Cabin (4.11), and Michael's "work" consisted soley (or mainly) of ensuring that Aaron got away from the island safely. Christian (or the island) only allowed him to die - "you can go now Michael" - once Aaron was off the freighter and had escaped the explosion. I think this was what the island/Christian kept Michael alive for, seeing as he was the one who delayed the bomb going off just long enough for Aaron to make it to safety.

We also have the knowledge that some very bad things happen on the island once the O6 leave..so perhaps this is why Claire wants Aaron as far away as possible.

Oh and we also had Charlies dream which told him to "save the baby" (Fire + Water), which further suggests the importance of keeping Aaron 'safe'. Perhaps Aaron is the next chosen one and so he needs to be kept safe until the island is 'ready'?

The only reason to keep them would be for the Widmore plot line - will Ben find and kill Penny? Not if Des is around! Hope neither of them get killed but it could be a possibility for their future story.

Ah, that's a good point. So perhaps they will still be involved, just not centrally?

[Lauren [is Lost]]

Ok so i have recovered from watching the episode and i have also watched it again....so here goes my review.

Well, to start, what an absolutely fantastic episode. Season finales are always amazing, so i was expecting something great, and i was not disappointed! It included everything it should have, answered some important questions, and basically just kicked butt

Firstly, i loved the Desmond/Jin/Michael combo - thought they were brilliant and very brave! I love Desmond anyway...Jin i thought was great (and it made me laugh when he said "Boom", lol). And Michael...i thought he definately redeemed himself. I dont think Michael really understood Christian's "You can go now, Michael", but he obviously meant 'You can die now'. Bit of a hero now, eh?
Jin's death didnt affect me majorly, but it was sad to see him go. Mainly because of the fact that he died to save everyone else...and because of Sun's reaction when she realised what had happened. That was a great piece of acting i thought - when she was screaming for Jin i really felt her grief & devastation. It was awful RIP Jin! Although to be honest, i think Jin probably is dead, but knowing Lost i wouldn't be surprised if he wasnt! He was sort of on the edge of the boat....he might have managed to get into the water and survived. Like i said, probably not....but you never know.

I thought Ben's 'plan' was pretty cool - so Alpert 'kidnapped' Kate & Sayid in order to help free Ben. Also i thought it said a lot when Ben fell down while they were running and Kate went back to help him up - shows how things have changed! Sayid was a brave man to take on Keamy, but kudos to him for winning...well, with Alpert's help

I was very surprised to see Walt! My hasn't he grown!! I wasn't even sure it was MDK at first! Although on second viewing i realised that Hurley basically just told Walt that Michael was still on the island - yet he knows that Michael blew himself up on the boat. Ahh...poor Walt.

I LOVED all the scenes in the Orchid - Locke & Ben were a great combo - and the stuff with Jack was brilliant as well, i thought. Locke made me laugh though - "I think you should reconsider, Jack, i'd like you to stay". LOL. AS IF Jack was ever gonna do that!! Honestly Locke...you should know better by now.
It was really interesting to see inside the station and watch the orientation film (even though we have seen loads of them now!) - and great to get confirmation of the time travel business. The whole scene where Ben blew open the vault, climbed down to the wheel and 'moved the island' was phenomenal - one of the best ever scenes in Lost, i think - it was just brilliant to watch. Wonder what exactly Ben meant by "I hope you're happy, Jacob". But anyway, it was so fascinating watching the whole thing and seeing exactly what Ben did - how on earth do the writers think up these things?! Fantastic stuff...i applaud you!! Also this might sound dumb but i couldn't believe the island actually just physically disappeared - it was incredible! Jack's face was a picture - and he did make me laugh when he still refused to believe that Locke had actually moved the island even after that - lol.

I think Keamy succeeded himself in the terror stakes in this episode - i mean, i always thought he was a really scary guy, but in this episode - mainly in the Orchid scenes - i really found him utterly terrifying!! I am very glad he is dead - despite what happened on the boat as a result!

On to that...i think this is final proof that Ben DOES kill innocent people. No excuses - no one can deny that know. And i KNOW he killed Keamy purely because he killed Alex - i understand his grief and how he must be feeling towards Keamy - but the way he responded to John's "You've just killed everyone on that boat" showed a lot about Ben i think. He just went "So?" and showed absolutely no remorse or care about what he'd just done. Very rash, Linus...no points for that, i'm afraid.

I think Daniel definately knew what was going to happen to the island when he was on the beach with Jules - he knew he wasn't coming back. Quite interesting about Charlotte as well, possibly being a dharma baby. I wonder what is going to happen about the island in the next series? So it's moved with the others, John, Juliette, Sawyer and Charlotte on it - is that it? What happened to Daniel & the randoms in the boat?
Also i think something to note is the fact that Juliet and Sawyer don't actually know whether the O6 are still alive, after seeing the boat explode. I guess they probably wont find out for another few years (normal time!!) either...which is pretty awful, considering how much Sawyer cares for Kate.

Speaking of Sawyer - O M G!!! I cannot believe he jumped off that chopper like that. I know he did it purely for Kate, which was so so sweet and utterly selfless of him, for once. How this guy has changed since season 1! I was SO proud of him when he did that, and very moved that he would sacrifice his own rescue to save everyone else. It was so so brave!

I want to know why moving the island means you can't go back there? And why/how it sent Ben into the desert? It obviously sent him into the future too, as he arrived in the desert and Sayid was already burying Nadia. Hmm. I also want to know what Locke meant when he said to Jack that 'bad things' happened on the island after the 6 left. That's obviously a set up point for season 5.

Also it was interesting to see Claire again - and interesting to know that even though Kate is playing mum to Aaron and Claire obviously wants him, she still wants Aaron to stay off-island with Kate. Hmm...

I absolutely loved the Des & Penny scenes!! I cannot tell you how happy i was that they finally found each other. Probably the best love story in Lost...and it was just so sweet - they'd been searching for each other for years and they were finally reunited. Such a lovely scene, and it made my eyes well up! <33 aww. I was made up for them!

So all in all - an absolutely fantastic episode - one of the very best. 10/10! And a great ending to a great series. I am really sad that Lost is over for another year - i don't know HOW i am going to wait until 2009 - that's SUCH a long time! I will miss it lots. But all i can say now is - ROLL ON SEASON 5!!

[KatesFate]

We Have To Go Back? Part 1

This episode of Lost took a long time for me to digest. The combination of a two hour episode and all of the information given to us was overwhelming in the most wonderful of ways. I loved this finale. It had many great and sometimes funny moments. However, I will start at the beginning.

Kate tells Jack off. I know that this forum is lacking love for Kate, but I thought she was terrific in this scene. I love the fact the she told Jack off. I really can't blame her for not wanting to go back at all. However, I am sure that Claire's nightly visits will have Kate begging to go back. By the way, if you're keeping track, and I guess I am, several of the Oceanic 6 have now stated the phrase "We Have To Back" in various ways. Jack telling Kate they have to go back. Kate questioning Jack's we have to go back. Sun screaming we have to go back for Jin and Hurley informing Jack that they had to go back. The only two who haven't said it yet are Sayid and Aaron. Keeping with the Wizard of Oz theme. Wouldn't it be something if they all said "We have to go back" 3 times in a row and were suddenly on the island?

The Arrangement

Just as Keamy is about to pistol whip Lapidus, who is still handcuffed to the helicopter, Kate comes running out of the jungle. I didn't see Keamy and gangs take down scene going this way at all. When Kate says, I'm being chased by his people while pointing to Ben, I was instantly thrilled. Yes!! We get to see the Others take down Keamy. But we all know thats not what happened. The Others used Kate and Sayid to do most of their dirty work instead, which gave us the perfect opportunity to see Sayid and Keamy in a death match. This match up has been discussed on this forum in the past and I believe I stated in a post that Sayid could kill Keamy in a fight. I was happy to see that I wasn't too far off. Sayid held his own just like I knew he would. Although way to go Richard for saving the day. Next time go for the head though. It was interesting that they had made an arrangement with Kate and Sayid in order to rescure Ben. Why couldn't they have just attacked Team Keamy on their own? What purpose did it serve them to use Kate and Sayid?

I think that Ben's final words to Kate and Sayid in this scene had a double meaning. Kate looks at Ben unbelievingly, and asks "And we can leave? Thats it?" Ben replies simply, "Thats It". However, I got the feeling there should have been a but in there. As in "But thats it". In other words, you can leave the island, but the island will never leave you.

He's Back

It was fantastic to see Walt again. I wonder why Locke really went to visit Walt. Does Walt have to go back too? I get the feeling the Locke shared an awful lot of island intelligence with young Walt. Perhaps grooming him to be the next island caretaker. I rather like that idea. Walt would have known immediately upon seeing the press conference with the Oceanic 6 that they were lying, he was on the island with them for goodness sake. So Locke must have had a different purpose for his visit.

When Walt asked Hurley why they were lying, Hurley answered Walt and followed it up with the saddest look I have ever seen in my life. Jorge plays this role well. Hurley has a little more depth now and if you look in his eyes, you can see just how scared he is. The institution scenes with Hurley are some of my favorites.

I will finish this review tomorrow because I am so tired I am practically sleeping at my computer. Before I start to snore, I think the next scene with Jack/Locke/Ben at The Orchid had one of the funniest lines of the night:

Ben to Locke - Couldn't find the anthuriums could you?
Locke in reply - I didn't know what they looked like.

I almost fell out of my chair laughing. I'll be back tomorrow!!

[D-Roc]

good reviews guys, very enjoyables reads and some interesting points raised, which i'd like to come back to later on.

[JB Sawyer]

Amazing. Spectacular. Stupendous. Thrilling. Awesome. Absolutely bloody brilliant. Use whatever adjective you want to describe this seasons finale episode, it goes down in history in Lost as being a truly epic 1 hour and 23 minutes of television. When Lost first captured our hearts and minds it was because of episodes like this. We’ve had finals like Live Together Die Alone and Through The Looking Glass, finals which many, including myself, will say never really lived up to Exodus. There’s No Place Like Home did. And more. There were many who cited that the flash-forwards simply wouldn’t work, claiming that the original of season 3 finale fame was merely used as a shock tactic. After all Lost was based on flashbacks. Many said flash-forwards had caused a distinct change in Lost, a change not necessarily for the better. They were wrong. There’s No Place Like Home gave the flash-forwards a fitting and utterly breathtaking conclusion. All season long we had been teased with the fact that 6 people, plus one Benjamin Linus, got off the Island. The television show that we had fallen in love with was based upon a group of survivors crash landing on a mysterious Island. So now to know that some of these people did indeed return to the real world, gave people a somewhat frightening glimpse at the end of a television series that nobody wants to end. As soon as the last of the Oceanic 6 were revealed, many instantly thought to themselves that the end of Series 6 was merely going to be their respective rescues. After all, the fitting end to a show about people trying to get rescued would be them getting rescued. And so for There’s No Place Like Home to show the events directly surrounding the Oceanic 6’s escape and rescue seemed a little premature, for lack of a better description. We now know everything there is to know about the survivors – from the plummet of Flight 815 to the escape from the Island for the lucky 6. Season 4 indeed has been extremely focused on the events after the 6 found rescue, a concept which seemed destined to be stretched to the shows very end. But did it seem rushed? Not a chance. Everything was impeccably timed, a ladder being slowly climbed to reach the summit that was There’s No Place Like Home. And it was a summit that the Lost writers could very happily place their respective flag on top of. They’ve been rightly criticised for shockers like SOS, Exposé and Stranger In A Strange Land, but it was this finale that finally cemented their undoubted abilities to write an epic and fabulously entertaining program. Whilst There’s No Place Like Home is undoubtedly a brilliant overall conclusion and episode/s, there are individual aspects of this amazing two hours of television that need to be developed further than just a mere couple of sentences. For anything about this episode, a couple of sentences just wouldn’t be good enough.

Ben. I’ll never agree with some of Ben’s actions. I’ll always condemn Ben for holding Juliet against her will and emotionally blackmailing her. I’ll condemn him for the senseless brainwashing of Karl. I’ll particularly condemn him for the capturing of young children, even if Jacob willed it. But this episode showed something that Ben so sadly needed: emotion. For so long Ben has been seen as a cold, calculated manipulator, able to detach himself from any emotion easier than Locke detaching himself from reality. But this episode showed that Ben is a real man, a real human being. For no moment of time am I excusing the aforementioned actions, but I will offer understanding over the murder of Lucifer Keamy. Many will cite the “So?” as being cold and malicious. But Ben had no reason to care about the boat. The only thing Ben had to care about was ripped from his hands by a murderer who proceeded to taunt him about said murder. As I’ve said repeatedly over the Execution of Anthony Cooper, man can’t separate his emotions from his actions. And to see Ben finally show those emotions – the exact same emotions that Sawyer showed deep in that brig – was beautiful. I only hope that those that showed understanding towards Sawyer will show the same towards Ben, and those that condemned Sawyer for committing the deed should surely do the same for Ben. Even though I believe it’s wrong to condemn Ben, I dislike hypocrisy and hope those that condemn one condemn the other. I will offer immense pride and sorrow for Benjamin Linus upon seeing him turn that wheel. Benjamin Linus loved that Island. He loved Jacob. Yet Jacob stabbed Ben in the back-literally. And so to see Ben sacrifice his place on the Island to save it, to see him look up at the heavens or merely the earth above him and tell Jacob that he “hopes he’s happy”, was bone-chilling. I always used to say that I don’t like Ben but think he’s one of the best characters on Lost. I now think he’s one of the best characters on Lost and I like him.

Sun & Jin – To those who said Jin wasn’t dead I think we can finally put the nail in the coffin of that theory. But when that boat exploded I don’t think there was anybody sat in front of their screens, be they computer or television, that didn’t have chills running throughout their bodies or tears welling in their eyes. I don’t believe personally that Jin’s death surpasses Charlie’s on the emotional stakes, but it was bloody emotional. And that was mainly due to the absolutely fantastic Yunjin Kim. Emilie De Ravin should take note. This is how you portray grief. This is real emotion. This is what happens when the one you love is ripped from you, their hands literally pulled from your own. Sun never got the chance to hold Jin, to tell him she loved him. Jin will never get the chance to hold Ji Yeon, to hold and kiss his daughter. And any bit of emotion that went through your body while watching that scene you can thank Yunjin for. That is how you mourn, that is how you react when your loved one is taken from you. Not the one episode trickle from Claire, but real emotion that comes screaming out of you. If I wore a hat I would gladly take it off to Yunjin. In keeping suit with this finale, it was purely amazing. Last episode, There’s No Place Like Home Part 1; we found that Sun blamed two people for Jin’s loss. Her father was one of them. The second may very well be Benjamin Linus, as we know that Locke has been visiting the Oceanic 6 and therefore will have told Sun what caused the C4 to explode – Ben’s murder of Keamy. This will obviously lead to Sun siding with Widmore in her quest to get revenge on Ben for causing the explosion that killed her husband. Yet the more deserving man to be labelled as Jin’s murderer would be one Jack Shepherd.

Jack – A.K.A Arrogant Prat Number 1. Where is the man that we saw in the Pilot? A man of integrity, a man that would be willing to help anyone around him, this was a Jack that most of us could warm to. And then it all slowly started to go down hill. Some of us lost faith in the doctor long ago, but those that didn’t must surely have after There’s No Place Like Home. If There’s No Place Like Home was a summit for the writers, then it must surely have been the deepest depth for Jack. The arrogance of this man must surely only be surpassed by John Locke. The idiocy is probably tied between Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Locke. However for his treatment of others within this episode Jack was truly sickening. The way he treated Sun upon her losing the man she loves was not only appalling and sickening, but was completely vile. To just bluntly tell her “He’s gone” was disgusting. Sayid attempted to comfort her, an obviously futile thing to attempt in such a situation but he made the attempt. Jack simply told her that the man she loved and cherished, the father of her yet to be born baby was simply dead. Locke has sickened me on many occasions over Lost’s tenure, but I honestly can’t pick out a situation where someone has sickened me as much as Jack in this very moment. As Hurley said a long time ago, for a doctor his beside manner sucks. It doesn’t just suck; it’s completely non-existent. However bad this was, it was only made worse by his action mere moments before, and the actions that killed Jin Soo-Kwon. Kate, very rarely the bastion of decency, wanted to go down into the cabin to get Jin. If she had done so, Frank would have held the chopper that moment longer, urged most likely by Sayid and, yes, Jack. However Jack puts his sickening affection for Kate ahead of Jin. He pulls Kate away from going after Jin, stating that he “won’t leave without her”. But you’ll feel fine leaving Jin won’t you Jack. Sun is right to blame Jack for Jin’s death. If he hadn’t been so infatuated with Kate, Jin would still be alive and may actually be holding Ji Yeon.

Des & Penny – From one relationship that will never get the chance to grow older, to one that has finally got its second chance. We’ve had Skate. We’ve had Jate. We’ve had Chaire. We’ve had Jacket (as much as I don’t want to be reminded). Yet through all of these nauseating love storylines there has only ever been one that truly matters. One that encapsulates both hearts and minds. That relationship between Desmond Hume and Penelope Widmore. Penny has devoted the past years to trying to find Desmond. He has devoted his to trying to get back to her. It was the one relationship that everyone wanted to succeed. Mass kudos have to go to both Henry Ian Cusick and Sonya Walger for making this relationship as beautiful as it is, as when they finally got to embrace each other I’m sure many people’s eyes welled up again. I’m not ashamed to admit that upon first watch mine did. I’m also sure that for a brief moment many people believed that it wasn’t going to happen. When Desmond was found face down in that water, and Jack started hammering away on his chest, more than one mind must have instantly had flashbacks to All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues back in Season 1 and Charlie’s hanging. Whilst this wasn’t as strung-out as that particular scene was, I’m pretty sure someone must have thought that we’d lost Dessy. But for the grace of God, sorry Darlton, we finally had the Des and Penny reunion. And it was everything any of us could have hoped for. It was intrinsically beautiful. The only downside is now it doesn’t look all that likely that Des will be in the following seasons, haven found his purpose for living. As he said to Jack, he has everything he needs now, which could point to a distinct lack of Desmond in the forthcoming two seasons. One other person who we definitely won’t be seeing less of unfortunately, despite his apparent death is one Jeremy Bentham.

Locke – A.K.A Arrogant Prat Number 2. The king of the prats. You’d think that seeing his bald head in that casket would have had me doing cartwheels in celebration. And for a moment it did. But then it dawned on me; from now on it’s going to be nothing but how Locke ended up in there. And that’s way too much arrogance than I can stand. Sometimes I do feel that I’m the only one that can see it. He’s so up his own backside it’s unbelievable. And worst off he tries rubbing his backside on everyone else. So what if Jack doesn’t want to believe John? Let him get on with his ways. OK it was pretty smart to tell him he’d need to lie, and yes you can occasional be right, but please don’t be so arrogant as to push your beliefs onto anyone who disagrees with you. He did it with Jack and unbelievably he did it with Ben. Did anyone laugh with disbelief when Locke asked Ben if he did know he shouldn’t put metallic objects in the Vault? Locke, you need to realise that Ben knows infinitely more than you do. You were really stupid enough to think that when you asked Ben if he knew he shouldn’t put metallic objects in there that Ben would go “Oh yeah”, and then take them all out. This somewhat insignificant interaction for me underlines what John Locke is about – pure arrogance. He reeks of it. Judging by the tone of Sayid’s voice, he’s not buying into the theory that Locke committed suicide; and I usually tend to believe Sayid. If someone did murder him then I will personally seek them out to give them a hug, medal and a piece of cake. However I personally believe that when Locke left the Island, which he obviously did to see the O6, then his life slowly ebbed away. This is also why Ben and Jack need to take Locke back with them. And because of this, I feel it’s guaranteed that Locke will unfortunately be a part of Lost right to the end.

But I shan’t focus on that. Instead I shall focus only on the brilliance and majesty that was There’s No Place Like Home. From Yunjin’s heartbreaking performance, to the heart-warming reunion of Des and Penny, to the heart-wrenching turning of the wheel by Ben, There’s No Place Like Home was simply majestic. That’s not only to add what will become of the Islanders (Jules, Sawyer etc), the boaties (Daniel plus redshirts) and the Island itself. This was simply everything I could possibly ask from a Lost finale, and I believe you’d be hard pushed to find a better two hours of television. Since you can really rate one half without the other I’d give Parts 2 and 3, 9’s respectively, but since this was really one big episode:

Overall Rating - There’s No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3 - 10

[Spinky]

JB, What an excellent review. Obviously I'd have to agree to disagree with the Locke stuff, but overall, a great piece of writing mate. It almost made me as emotional as watching the damn finale.

Great stuff!

[JB Sawyer]

Thanks SP

(By the way, Ben needs representing in The Game For edicated Fans II )

[KatesFate]

My Review - Part 2

Now that I am more awake I can finish writing this properly. Its tough to write when you are half asleep.

Let Bygones be bygones and anthuriums be anthuriums

"Lie to them Jack. If you do it half as well as you lie to yourself, they'll believe you". Well, I guess Locke told him. Try as I may, I just cannot understand Jack's stubborness and lack of willingness to at least listen to another opinion. The Lack of communication on this island between the Losties is astounding. Why couldn't Locke just come right out and tell Jack what he was planning on doing instead of beating around the bush (or in this case anthuriums). I realize this has to be done every now and then to keep the story line going, but sometimes it makes the characters appear as if they are unintelligent or lacking a logic gene. Why can't Jack just come right out and ask Locke why he needs to stay on the island? Jack is so obstinate sometimes I just want to slap him. Lucky Kate. If these people had better communication skills, they could get alot more accomplished. I loved the scenes with Locke and Ben inside of the Orchid. Ben had me rolling with the patronizing way in which he treated Locke. He reminded me of myself with my kids. John asked if the Orchid was the magic box and I couldn't help but giggle when Ben just shook his head and rolled his eyes as if Locke was in the back seat of a car and had just asked for the thousandth time "Are we there yet?". I laughed even harder when Ben eventually put Locke in front of the television to "watch a video" so that he could get some things done because Locke was asking too many questions. That was classic! Locke went from being treated like a child by Ben to being the leader of The Others in a matter of 10 minutes. Hard to believe, but it got even funnier when Locke began watching the video and realized that Ben was doing exactly what the video said not to do. Locke just stared at him as if afraid to ask why for fear of being told "Go ask your father!".

The video showed Candlewax explaining how the Vault works. I loved how the Vault looked just like a big Easter egg, especially when it opened up. Did anyone else think that? When Keamy entered the Orchid, I had to blink to make sure it was him. Who did he think he was Mikhail? I don't know why it never dawned on my that he would be wearing a vest. I was shocked that Ben reacted the way he did considering he is usually pretty level headed. Although, having children myself, I can understand his reaction. Its pretty much a crime of passion. I found myself screaming at Locke to slip the device off of Keamys arm and put it on his own. It would be worth the try at least. I have come to like Ben alot, but I could not believe his statement in regards to killing the people on the freighter. Yes, Keamy deserved to die, but Ben could have at least shown a little remorse for his actions. At least mutter a what have I done phrase.

The Beach Events

I loved the scene with Juliet and Sawyer. The way that Sawyer came out of the water while she sat on the beach drinking, mirrored the scene between she and Goodwin when she came out of the water. And drunk Juliet was very believable and slightly funny, even under the circumstances. I almost forgot. (yah right) How incredibly gorgeous is Sawyer in this scene? Thank you Darlton! Even if the finale would have sucked, I would have given it a 10 just for this scene alone. Be still my heart.

The scene with Miles and Charlotte was very cool imo. I am really starting to like Miles and I can't wait to see more of his character in season 5. This scene also pretty much confirmed that Charlotte was born or has been to the island before, just as a lot of people theorized, but why did she leave the island and are her parents still on the island? I hope this is not the last we see of Lapidus aka Kenny Rogers. He has a very likeable character. I can totally see he and Sawyer sitting around a fire drinking some beers and telling fish stories. He will most likely stay on the Searcher with Penny and Desmond and continue to look for the island imo. Des and Penny may have found each other, but that doesn't mean they won't continue to search for the island. At least I hope it works out this way. As far as Faraday goes, I cant figure out what his fate will be next season. Is he still floating on the open ocean with six redshirts or was he within close enough range to the island to move with it? They wouldn't just leave him on the raft to die! Either Pennys boat finds them also, which I doubt or the raft moved with the island.

Lets Go For A Ride

As it turns out, Michaels job was to keep the Oceanic 6 alive. His idea bought them just enough time to fuel up and get the heck out of dodge just seconds before the freighter exploded. Michael redeemed himself and I dont think his character gets enough credit. It was great to see that he was at least sent off in style by Christian. But what the hell was the video camera for? It wouldn't survive the explosion anyway. Or would it? Harold Perrineau did a fantastic job this season. I for one will miss him.

Sayid rescuing Hurley was interesting, although I wonder what Sayid meant by someplace safe. How awesome was it that Hugo was playing chess with Mr. Eko? I thought it was strange that when Hurley said this, Sayid didn't even bat an eyelash. As if he too was seeing ghosts.

What a harrowing ride on the chopper for the rest of the gang. I was scared to death when Sawyer began to whisper in Kates ear. I just kept thinking, oh my god hes going to jump and hes going to die. Nooooo!!! Then, he kissed her and what happened next? He did jump!! He freakin jumped. I thought well, his job is done too. He saved the O6. But then suddenly he emerged from the water and all was well in my world again. Yah. Meanwhile the chopper gets to the freighter and they learn about the bomb. In a hurry to get back off of the freighter, they leave Jin running the length of the freighter calling for them to come back while Sun screams to go back for him from the helicopter and then the freighter explodes and Sun loses her mind, and rightfully so. This was a great performance by Yunjin.

The island disappearing right in front of everyone in the helicopter was mesmerizing. You are flying along one minute staring at a huge island when out of nowhere the sky turns purple and the island disappears. Right before their eyes, just bam, gone. Yet Jack refuses to believe that the island moved. Excuse me while I slap Jack again. Eventually the chopper crashes and the 06, Des, and Lapidus, float along until eventually they see a boat, which from afar, looked just like the boat the Others used to kidnap Walt in Season 1. Nice touch I thought. Turns out its Pennys boat and we get to witness the beautiful reunion of Penny and Desmond. I knew they would find each other, I just never knew it would be this soon. I didn't think that the scene had as much emotion as the scene from the Constant on the telephone, but it was touching nonetheless.

Wow

When Ben more or less passed the torch to Locke and climbed into the icy hole, I found myself not wanting Ben to do whatever he was going to do. Ben cannot leave the island. I cannot imagine it without him. It definitly won't be the same. With or without Locke. The idea that the frozen donkey wheel was really a frozen donkey wheel was brilliant.