SEASON 4 FINALE - There's No Place Like Home

Wow. What a finale! That was such a great way to end season four! Normally, by the fourth season of any show, it starts going downhill, but LOST is on a constant upward path. The only bad thing is that we now have to wait until January (yes.... you read that right) until season 5 starts. It's gonna be a LONG 7 months. I'm getting ahead of myself though... let's focus on the terrific finale from season four.

The Oceanic Nine
In previous entries, I know I've questioned the identities of the original "Oceanic Eight"... forgetting to take into consideration that Aaron was not counted in the aforementioned eight survivors of the crash. And for any of you that watched the re-airing of the first hour of the finale prior to the 2-hour conclusion, you may have noticed a little snippet of additional footage that revealed the identities of those that "survived the crash but died later". During the Oceanic Airlines press conference, Jack mentioned that Boone, Libby, and Charlie were the only other survivors, but that they all died prior to finding rescue.

Jeremy Bentham
The finale began at the same moment where season 3's finale left off (such a great way to start!). Kate was the first to utter the name "Jeremy Bentham". It's the name of the man in the coffin. But who is Jeremy Bentham? According to Wikipedia, Jeremy Bentham is was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He was also a political radical, and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law. He's best known for his advocacy of utilitarianism, for the concept of animal rights. ...but something tells me that this isn't exactly who they're talking about. Instead, we later find out that the man they are referencing is actually Locke. Yes, Locke was in the coffin. But why use the name Jeremy Bentham? What is the significance? I wonder if Jeremy Bentham (the philosopher) was connected in any way to John Locke (the philosopher). Perhaps there are clues there?

Believing Locke
Throughout the entire series, Locke always tells Jack to do something (i.e. Stay on the island), to which Jack refuses, only to go back and do exactly what Locke asked him to do in the first place. It's just like when Locke wanted Jack to push the button on the computer.... or even go into the hatch in the first place. So it's no surprise that Jack now believes Locke when he told Jack that he needed to go back to the island. Jack even mentioned to Kate that believing Locke (and going back to the island) is the only way to protect her and Aaron. Kate's dream would beg to differ.

Kate's Dream
She "woke up" to a ringing telephone. When she answered it, a mysterious voice said (backwards, of course) "You need to go back to the island now before it's too late." She then heard something coming from Aaron's room. And when she went in to check on him, she saw CLAIRE sitting with Aaron. Claire turned to Kate and told her that she is NOT to take Aaron back to the island EVER. It appears, then, that there are two forces here at play (again, the black vs. white theme). One force wants Aaron back on the island, while the other does not. And based on the cabin sequence from a few weeks ago, I'd say that Jacob / Christian / Claire do NOT want Aaron on the island. But it appears that the Others / Locke DO want him there. And while I know I've mentioned a theory about a prophecy before, I'm starting to believe that there are more elements at play here. While it was believed that Locke is "the chosen one", I'm thinking that a child will also play part in this prophecy. And maybe that's why the Others were kidnapping children??? And maybe now they believe that Aaron is the child prophet?

Timeline Confirmation
Just a quick note that they did confirm in the finale that the flash-forward storyline takes place about 3 years after the rescue. So, if Oceanic Flight 815 crashed in September 2004, they were rescued in January 2005, the "casket" scene takes place early 2008. This makes me wonder how they're gonna handle next season.... keeping in mind that we missed 3 years of island time. Am I the only one that wants to see how Locke handles being a "leader"? We did get a little insight into that at the end of the episode, but we'll get to that later.

The Love Triangle
When the series started, it seemed obvious that Jack and Kate would end up together at the end of the series. Half-way through season one, we were introduced to the idea of Kate and Sawyer. And in the second season, the Sawyer-Kate part of the love triangle was a little stronger. And finally in season 3, they...... you know..... a couple times. And in these flash-forwards, we saw Kate with Jack, living together, and even engaged. But I can't help but believe that she'll end up with Sawyer at the end of the series. Perhaps they can have some sort of crime-duo spin-off, like some sort of 21st century Bonnie and Clyde.

Taller Non-Ghost Walt
Hurley got an unexpected visit from Walt at the mental hospital. I was excited to see him back on this show (granted, he's MUCH older than he was during the early episodes). This future timeline, though, is giving us the ability to have Walt back on the show. Does this mean that he could be back as a series regular in seasons to come? It only seems logical, since he played such an important role during the first two seasons. They spent a lot of time explaining how he is "special"..... too much time, in fact, to just drop it. I think we can definitely expect to see Walt more often in season 5. (Too bad I can't say the same about Michael.)

The Truth
We've been led to believe that the Oceanic 6 have not told anyone the truth about the plane crash and the island... but I can't help but think that while they were on Penny's boat trying to come up with a story, Penny had to find out the truth. And by re-watching the first hour of the finale, you'll notice Nadia (Sayid's girlfriend) has a strange expression when Hurley's dad makes a joke about being stranded on an island. It makes me wonder if Nadia knows the real story. And if that's the case, is that why she was killed? So who else knows?

Death Toll
While it was pretty clear that Michael and Keamy died in the finale, there are a few "survivors" that are in question. Jin was not on the part of the boat that exploded, so it's still possible that he's alive. Claire's fate has not yet been determined, and what is up with Daniel Faraday and the other people on his little boat? Maybe they picked up Jin in the water, or maybe they "moved" along with the island.

Staying Behind
I can't help but wonder why Miles wanted to stay back on the island. Is it just because he knew that the boat was going to explode, and figured that he'd be okay on the island. And while Faraday was convinced that they MUST leave, Charlotte also decided to stay. Her exact quote was, "Would it make any sense if I told you I was still looking for where I was born?". wait.... WHAT? Was Charlotte born on the island?! Is that how she recognized that DHARMA logo on the polar bear collar found in Tunisia? There is a lot of debate in the online communities about whether or not Charlotte is actually Annie (Ben's childhood friend). While I don't believe that's the case, it's always possible.

Moving the Island
After destroying the time-travel chamber, Ben made his way to a secret room where he had to turn a frozen donkey wheel in order to move the island. He also said that moving the island would prevent him from ever being able to return. Let me first say that I don't believe that Ben can't return to the island. I mean, can we really trust anything that Ben says 100%? But I wonder how Ben learned how to move the island? Here's my thought.... At one point, Widmore was on the island, and he is actually the one who moved it, thus removing him from the island, and he has been determined to find the island again since.

Frequent Mover
I have a feeling that this finale's "island-moving" sequence wasn't the first time since the show started that we saw the island move. I think that when Desmond turned the fail safe key at the end of season 2, the island moved then as well. If you go back to when Michael and Walt sailed off in the boat (leaving Jack & Co. in custody of the Others), Ben told Michael to follow a bearing of 325 exactly, and he'd find rescue. Then Desmond turned the fail safe key and the sky turned purple. And now, Faraday insists that they must follow an exact bearing of 305. Then, Ben moved the island again.... so I would guess that in future episodes, we'll see this bearing change again.

...But Who Built It?
I want to know who is responsible for building that donkey wheel? Is that something that was on the island a LONG time ago, and the DHARMA Initiative built around it, studying its abilities, and trying to learn how to control it? Or was it actually built by the DHARMA Initiative?

Four Words
How great was Michael's final seconds of his life when Christian Shephard appears and tells him "You can go now." So this manifestation of Christian is the soul of the island and is responsible for not letting Michael die prior to this? What does that mean in terms of Jacob? Is Jacob a spirit that has taken over the body of Christian Shephard in order to reach out to the people on the island? If so, is this why the island wants Locke's body brought back?

Connection Confirmed!
Well, they've officially confirmed a solid connection between the Widmore Corporation and Paik Industries (Sun's dad's business). In a confrontation with Widmore himself, Sun offered to join forces with him, noting that they have common interests. "As you know, we're not the only ones who left the island," she says, reminding Widmore that Ben is no longer on the island. Now, there are a couple ways to take this. One... She could totally be working for Ben and playing Widmore; or Two, she could actually be looking to get back to the island, and she knows that Widmore is her best option. So why would Sun be looking to get back on the island? I have a feeling that I might know. If Locke is visiting all of the Oceanic 6, trying to convince them to come back, perhaps in his visit to Sun, he mentioned to her that Jin is still alive, and is living on the island still. Talk about a reason to go back!

The Islanders' Perspective
From the island, all they could see was that the helicopter was going to the freighter, after which point the freighter exploded. So, does that mean that everyone on the island (with the exception of Locke) believes that the Oceanic 6 are all dead? My wife seems to believe that Juliet and Sawyer are gonna hook up in future episodes, and while I couldn't see that happening at the time, it would actually make sense if they believed that Jack and Kate were dead. Regardless of what happens or doesn't happen between Sawyer and Juliet, it'll be a nice twist on things next season if no one knows that the Oceanic 6 made it back.

Ben's Last Words
Right before the island moves, Ben looks up and say, "I hope you're happy now, Jacob," as if to suggest that this is all Jacob's fault. And if I remember correctly, I think that this is the first time we see Ben talking to Jacob while he's alone... thus confirming that Ben really had some strong connections with him. I know I've posted this question before, but I really want to know what Ben did to piss Jacob off bad enough where Jacob would let Ben get a tumor.

Not Really Lying
I know that Oceanic 6 lied about what happened to them, but technically, they didn't really lie as much as we had originally thought. Their helicopter crashed in the water. 8 people survived the crash. They found a raft and made their way to an island where they were finally rescued.

A Happy Ending = A Dangerous Beginning
Well, everyone... it finally happened. Penny and Desmond were reunited at last! And while I really really really really wish that I could call this a happy ending, I tend to think that we are just getting into some rough waters with these two. Ben told Jack that the island requires that EVERYONE come back...... does that include Desmond? And remember that Ben is now on a mission to kill Penny. I have a feeling, though, that in the end, Penny will be able to escape Ben's death warrant, and will make it to the island with Desmond. And at the end of the series, they will be revealed to be the original "Adam and Eve", discovered in the caves back in season one.

The Coffin
I was so pumped for this season's finale, knowing that we were finally going to find out who was in the coffin. My final guess before the episode aired was that it was going to be Ben. But when Ben showed up at the funeral parlor behind Jack.... wow..... I didn't know what was going to happen. But as their conversation unfolded, it became pretty evident that Locke was the one in the casket. Of course, when they swung the camera around, it revealed a very dead-looking John Locke (aka Jeremy Bentham). But what does this mean? Why did the island let Locke die, but wouldn't let Jack die? Wait.... could JACK be the chosen one? In one of his visits to Jack, Locke revealed that since he left the island, some very bad things happened, which he says is Jack's fault because he left. The island seems VERY determined to get Jack back, but not by himself.... it demands that EVERYONE return. But why everyone? Does everyone have that important of a role in the island's existence?

Is Locke Dead?
I don't want to see LOST without Locke..... plain and simple. (NOTE: I didn't say that I WON'T watch it.) And I don't think that they'll ever have this show exist without him. I think this is how we might expect this to play out over the remaining two seasons. Next season, we'll see the 3 years that Locke spent trying to get the Oceanic 6 back, as well as seeing his reign as leader of the Others, and all the "bad things" that happened after Jack left. The final season will then have Locke's body back on the island, and he will then be Jacob's "representative", just like Christian Shephard has been.

END OF SEASON 4
Okay, well this is officially the end of season 4, and I really appreciate all the positive feedback I've been getting this season. I've even had the pleasure of meeting a couple readers that I didn't already know. In order to keep LOST a hot-topic over the next 7 months, though, I'll need something to blog about over the summer (and fall, for that matter). I'm thinking it might be cool if I could get you (the readers) to send me suggestions on things you want me to discuss (i.e. the numbers, or the Others). And I can focus an entire entry on that one subject. So if there's anything you want me to write about, or if you have any other ideas how I can keep this blog up over the next 7 months, I'd love to hear it. You can either email me, or leave me a comment below.

Until next time!

-drew.