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.

'Let's not start the name calling...'

So, unless you've been living under a rock for the past five years and have no idea why you have come across this blog when you were really looking for tips about how to find your way when Completely Freaking Lost, you will be over the moon with the fact Lost is back (baby!!). We at Completely Freaking Lost have promised to be a lot more organised this time around, with week by week updates regarding the episodes.

So here's the first, at least from me. As my colleague has mentioned we have split the Season opener by realities. Now a lot happened on the island last week, far too much for me too talk about in one meagre post, so I've decided to focus on ONE subject. In fact I've decided to focus on three individual sentences, all three of which was said by the same character. Cerberus.

'Who in Hell is this Cerberus?!' I hear you cry. For those of you who don't know, and shame on you, Cerberus is the name given to the black smoke by the two Dharma agents stationed in the Swan - these two agents drew a map onto one of the walls, on which they had pointed out four 'Cerberus vents'. At Comic Con 2007, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof confirmed that Cerberus was the name Dharma used for the black smoke. I, for one, don't think that the name should not be taken lightly given its placement in Greek mythology. I'll talk more about that a bit later, but first lets talk about the first thing 'Ole Smokey said that set the bells in my head ringing.


1. 'I'm not a what, I'm a who...'

After beating the pulp out of the armed men who stormed Jacobs quarters, we were given the revelation, somewhat predictably, that the 'John Locke' that had returned to the island last season was in fact not 'John Locke' at all. It was Cerberus masquerading as John Locke in order to fulfill some, as yet unknown, goal. Ben Linus asked him what he was and the first of my sentences up for analysis was the reply given. This is a massive answer for us. All throughout Lost we have thought as the monster as the name would suggest. A monster. Not as a person, either mythical or otherwise, but as an entity that could not be defined as human. This, to me, begs a very simple question: is Cerberus a regular person or a figure from religion/mythology? The answer you come up with in turn begs further questions. If Cerberus is indeed just a regular human being then how the Sam-Hell did he end up being able to do the things he does? Is it down to the amount of time spent on the island? Perhaps a failed experiment by some society we're yet to encounter? The possibilities are endless.

If Cerberus is a person or figure from a Religious background or Countries Mythology then, again, we're posed with a lot of options. Like I said earlier the name Cerberus should not be taken lightly, Cerberus was the Greek equivalent to the guardian of the Underworld, and we all know how Lost fans love to make connections to the constant Heaven/Hell/Purgatory hints being thrown at us. Sometimes it seems like J.J Abrams is spinning us a yarn to distract us from the truth, others it seems like 'The Island is Purgatory' is a very believable answer to the big question.

As an addition to this section, I noticed that every time Cerberus was asked for his name he would be interrupted before he could answer. This also seems highly significant and the name he uses for himself will give us massive insight in to who and what he is.

OK, lets move on. This next one has literally been running laps around my head all week long.

2. 'Hello Richard, it's nice to see you out of those chains...'

This simple line was loaded with secrets and the build up to it was just as interesting. Richard notices the flare that 'The Others' had set off and then saw Locke walking towards him, a man he knew to be dead. He instantly knew what he was facing and he looked terrified. Which is unlike Richard Alpert. Considering we have never seen Richard scared, threatened, threatening or injured you have to ask why he looked so terrified. I think that Locke/Cerberus' comment to Richard, in my opinion, means one of two things.

1. Richard was a Prisoner aboard the Black Rock.
For a long time now people have speculated that Richard Alpert landed on the island aboard the ship marooned there, The Black Rock, and that further than just being on the Black Rock he was actually the Captain. But this comment could mean he wasn't the captain at all, but that he was a prisoner in the ship and was set free by Cerberus or Jacob. This theory is given weight by the fact that during the season five finale we see Jacob and another man sat on the beach staring out at the Black Rock at sea. I think the other man on the beach with Jacob was Cerberus and that when the ship crashed onto the Island the two of them searched the ship and found Richard locked up in the brig.

2. Richard was no longer immortal due to Jacobs death
This theory ties in with something else, the Rejuvenation Pool that the Others have in the temple. It was obviously linked to Jacob somehow and because Ben had a hissy fit and killed him the Rejuvenation Pool is now broken. I think we can cite the spring as the source of Richards eternal youth and now, without it, Richard is weak and vulnerable. Perhaps Richard's 'immortality' granted him the strength to take on Cerberus and now he has lost that strength. He is free of the 'chains' of immortality, free of his dependence on the spring to be forever young and strong.

Again the possible theories and they're ramifications on events are endless. As with everything in Lost. One thing I know for sure is that Nestor Carbonell, the actor playing Richard, is set to feature in 16 of the 18 episodes of this season. So we can assume we'll get a swift answer to what Cerberus meant by his comment.

And finally, the last thing Cerberus said that I think is interesting.


3. 'I'm disappointed, in all of you.'
I have no idea what he meant by this. But I think its worth noting. For me it throws up questions about whether or not Cerberus could well be the good guy in all of this and is disappointed that everyone is opposing him. Perhaps he is disappointed that no-one has helped him in any way and that they have forced into a situation he doesn't want to play out. Perhaps it was a massive red herring and I'll be eating my words next week, given that I have chosen to ignore the whole 'I want to go home' malarkey that everyone else has gone mad over.

As with all Lost season openers, and indeed all Lost episodes, last week posed plenty of questions and gave us lots of answers. I'm literally counting the minutes until I get to watch 'What Kate Did' and do this all again so until next time, Namaste and Good luck.

John Locke: Version 2.0

Ladies, gentlemen and other Lost Fanatics. My purpose here today is rather simple. You see we amongst the writers of this fair blog are divided into two camps. Those who think Jack Shepard is really Jacob. And those of us that believe the dome-headed messiah himself, John Locke, is the man in the Cabin.

I am from the latter group and I seek to add you to my ranks. I assume the other group will try and sway you with their viewpoint and I have a preemptive strike up my sleeve for I already know a lot of the arguments they will use to disprove my theories and fully intend on addressing them. Lets begin shall we...

John Locke has come a long way since he crashed on the Island. When we first saw his life story we learned he was a disabled man working in a factory owned by a Millionaire, he made a decision to go on a Walkabout holiday and was laughed at for doing so and then *bam* he gets on a plane, crashes on some sand and can WALK. Since then we've seen him evolve into many things, first and fore mostly a man of faith. But not of God, but of the Island. He prioritises the Island above all things, even is own life. He proved that by agreeing to go back to the real world to recruit the Oceanic Six. And its this fact, almost alone, that is strong evidence of his eventual transformation into Jacob. Other points include a video on Youtube, a recent episode and a certain amount of belief in our transformation as Lost Viewers.

We first saw Jacob in an episode in Season 3, in fact Season 3 heralded Jacobs introduction and we were given a brief glimpse of him. Now some computer whizz slowed down the footage of Jacob and cleared up the image. And posted it on Youtube HERE. The video speaks for itself so I need not bore you with facts and figures relating to it. You can make up your own damn minds as to what you think of it.
Since Jacobs appearance he has been shrouded in mystery and very rarely mentioned or referenced. Which means the Lost viewers aren't wanting us to think about him, they do that a lot. Think about the four toed statue from Season 2 they 'reminded' us about last week!! Now a lot of skeptics are saying that John is too obvious a choice, that we shouldn't be lead to believe the massive arrows being pointed at him because the Lost writers do it all the time and Lost is never obvious. But the question I ask is this, is it that it IS too obvious or is it that we as viewers are getting better at noticing clues and picking up on where Lost-related things are headed..?

Join me tomorrow for an analysis of 'The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham' and what it did to further prove my theories.

Dan.

Baby Goodspeed

Once upon a time, I had a theory about Jacob, one of Lost's greatest enigmas.

Okay, so it was yesterday...

This week's episode, 'LaFleur', reintroduced Horace Goodspeed; the man who built Jacob's Cabin. He was caught on DHARMA's security cameras blowing up trees with dynamite, and being generally a bit rowdy. Sawyer, now DHARMA's security chief on the Island in 1977, was roused to sort him out and stop him killing himself.

As it turns out, Horace's wife gives birth to a beautiful baby boy the very next day, whilst Horace is passed out on the couch. The boy, as yet, is unnamed.

I theorised that this boy was in fact Jacob. The link to his father is obvious, and it would make sense that he inhabited it (when Locke came across the apparition of Horace in season 4, Horace told him that he was building the cabin for him and his missus. The child is not mentioned, but bear in mind this apparition is 12 years dead, post-purge. Ben Linus and several of the DHARMA workers defected to The Others, so why not this boy?

Horace also tells Locke that "if you find me, you'll find Jacob". Horace MUST know who Jacob is, knowing that Jacob is in his cabin, leading me to believe that he was once affiliated with the good folks of DHARMA.

However, I just remembered that Locke drops Jacob's name to Richard Alpert all the way back in 1954, which seems to grant him a private audience with Mr. Immortal. If Richard knew him back then, 23 years before this child was born...hrm. And I felt so clever...

______

Of the other theories, this one is my favorite: the child is Caesar, the odd one out on board Flight 316. As we know, the child was born by caesarean, and characters are never named without some kind of meaning behind them. Remember also that he searches on of Hydra Station's offices and conceals a shotgun in his bag, indicating he perhaps knows about the island's dangers. 

Doesn't seem like the right ethnicity, however...

The character has just been introduced in the 'present' (along with the new US Marshall Ilana) anyway, so it ties in nicely.