What Kate Did, and Where Claire's Been

Holy mother of Aaron, she's back.

Numerous signs in last week's episode pointed to a full-blown reappearance from Miss. Littleton, but whether it was because I was so caught up in the magnitude of 'wtf' that I neglected to pick up on them, or whether the powers that be had not yet deigned to confirm that these were indeed signs, I'm not sure.

Initially, it all followed on fairly routineley from last week. As I said in my last article, Kate jumping in the same cab was a precursor to her continued future involvement with Claire, and more importantly, with Aaron – as fate deems she must. So even when Kate ditches Claire at the side of the road, we should already have known that Kate would be back, cuddly orca and all. Throughout the rest of the Alt-verse portion of this episode, we see the beginnigs of a bond forming between the two women something akin to what they shared on the island, and by the end of the episode, Kate has Claire's credit card: a woman of Kate's talents should have no trouble tracking Claire down again with the information that such a thing provides. And she will, I promise.

What really made me slap my hands on the table in front of me and send me into a paddy of gobsmacked shock (because this is, after all, what I do on a regular basis) was the final ten minutes of this episode. The previous thirty minutes had danced around the testing of the resurrected Sayid, and whether Dogen's intentions towards him were noble. Of course, they were, but not in the way you might immediately think.

It's pretty clear already that the infection – the infection, of which Danielle Rosseau was so scared, the infection that she claimed had changed Robert, Brennan and Lacombe after their encounter with the smoke monster – will be a major plot device this season. It's worrying enough for Danielle to kill her lover, and for Dogen to attempt to poison Sayid, and with the revalation that Claire was also infected, we just know some more people are going to be taken by it.

And in the final scene, with Jin at the mercy of Aldo (shut up Justin!), came her reappearance-proper, all eyes of thunder and full of wrath.

Claire has been one of Lost's biggest unanswered mysteries for me, but now things are sort of falling into place. Her disappearance has thus far gone unexplained: all we know is that she wondered off into the jungle following an apparition of her father, Christian. By know we're well aware of the ability that Jacob's nemesis posseses – to appear in the form of dead people. He appeared to Mr. Eko in the form of his brother Yemi, to Benjamin Linus as Alex Rosseau, his adoptive daughter, and most recently as John Locke. Each of these appearances has been closely followed by the appearance of 'ole Smokey in all it's – or should I say say his – vengeful glory. We can say with almost certain authority that Cerberus and Jacob's nemesis are one and the same.

Although the appearance of Christian has never been linked directly to the smoke monster on-screen, there are still strong reasons to think that this apparition is also Cerberus in disguise, not least of all the personal connection: Yemi to Eko, Alex to Ben, and Christian to Claire? Now that we know Claire has also been infected by the smoke monster, we can begin to make some assumptions about the company she has kept since she disappeared.

Remember her shock appearance in Jacob's cabin upon Locke's visit there? Christian, who was also present, gave Locke some seemingly benevolent instructions, and we assumed that his assertation that he was speaking for Jacob was the truth. It was, in fact, more likely that this was Cerberus in disguise once more. The ring of ash that surrounded Jacob's refuge, which we now know is a protective measure against the smoke monster, and which had been in tact on previous visits, was now incomplete, most likely disturbed by Hurley. Moreover, we briefly hear Jacob's voice, pleading with Locke to “help me”. I think Jacob was in trouble here, but something prevented his nemesis from harming him at this time – the law Cerberus eventually found a loophole in, in all liklihood.

I believe this all has something to do with Aaron. The family connection is there, but what else? I love me some theories, and one of my favourites regarding the importance of Aaron (because he is important, trust me) is that he is crucial to the balance of power between Jacob and the Man in Black. With Jacob now dead, it's clear that something has changed, but what?

The reason that Aaron is special, as the theory goes, is that he has something to do with safeguarding Jacob. Some believe that Jacob, or his spirit, is able to live on through those born on the island, or even that he can be completely resurrected through them. Aaron was born on the island, and as such is a very rare case, due to that fatal malady that affects women who fall pregnant on the island. Before Aaron arrived, he had the possibility of Ethan Rom, and if my guess is correct, there were many others before Ethan.

If this is true, then Cerberus most definitely does not want him on the island. And if the Christian connection is to be believed, then he has tried his damndest to get the little chap off the island for good.

Just before the Kahana exploded, Christian appeared (heralded by whispers, which as we know is a trait of the smoke monster) once again, this time to Michael, just before the bomb was about to go off, and told him he could leave. This was slightly mysterious as far as Michael is concerned, but in relation to our cause, his calm and composure could be interpreted as pleasure in a job well done. Aaron, safely aboard the helicopter and destined for a return to civilisation, was as good as gone.

These two events coincide nicely. The turbulence of the island moving through time surely prevented Cerberus from acting, but once the body of John Locke came back to the island and the jumping stopped, it was his big moment.

Remember how John was meant to bring everybody back to the island? How it was imperative that he did so? This was reiterate when Jack and Ben took over the mantle, and they thought they were so clever, even remembering to bring John's coffin.

Well they failed. Spectacularly, because Ben's a dumb ass. Because who did they forget?

Aaron.

No Aaron, no resurrection vessel for Jacob, no obstacles for Cerberus. Bye-bye Jacob, hello trouble.