Follow The Leader - Episode 15

My Weekly Review – Follow The Leader (Episode 15)

I have two words for tonights episode, absolutely incredible! It was obvious that this episode was meant to set up the final two episodes of the season, but I am okay with that. These sort of set up episodes are often my favorite kind. They are the type of episodes that keep me at the edge of my seat and leave me wanting more.

The episode toggled back and forth between 1977 and 2007. With that in mind, my review will be split up between the two time periods to make it easier on myself.

1977

Take Me To Your Bomb

Follow The Leader started right where The Variable left off. Daniel has just been shot by Eloise, and Kate and Jack are in the jungle watching in disbelief. They decide to run and as they do, Widmore rides up on his horse and captures the two of them, beating Jack up a little in the process.

Widmore approaches the camp with Jack and Kate in tow and asks, “What happened?” when he sees Faraday lying on the ground dead. Richard replies, “This man walked into camp and put a gun to my head and Eloise, (hesitates briefly) reacted.”

This was an interesting choice of words to me. It is thought by some that Jack reacts before thinking as well. I wonder if Eloise “reacting” to this situation, is what led to her being banned from or leaving the island. Ben told Widmore that he was being banished from the island for having a child with an outsider. Eloise is the woman he had the child with and she use to lead the others. Based on this information, I believe she was banished from the island and perhaps it was for “reacting” one too many times.

Eloise has Kate and Jack taken to her tent and while they wait to be interrogated, they discuss the pros and cons of finishing the job that Faraday set out to do.

Jack – Everyone we lost since we got here, they’d all be alive.

Kate – And what about us? We just go on living our life because we never met?

Jack – All the misery that we’ve been through, would just wipe it clean. Never happen.

Kate – (angrily) It was not all misery.

Jack – Enough of it was.

Well, it would appear as if anything good Jack ever had with Kate could never outweigh all of the bad things that have happened to him. Jack saying this clearly shocked Kate. Although I like Kate, I can’t help but wonder if she doesn’t support Jack’s decision because it would mean she would end up in jail for killing Wayne. She can’t go back to LA now either, because she has violated her probation and Aaron is now with grandma anyway. It would make sense that she opposes Jack’s views.

Eloise enters the tent and demands answers to her questions. Join the club lady. She questions Jack about Faraday and his plans to detonate the hydrogen bomb, which she read in Faraday’s journal. She has also noticed the inscription inside of the journal that is in her handwriting, but she does not remember writing it.

Eloise – How is this my handwriting if I don’t remember writing it?

Jack – Because you haven’t written it yet. I know this is hard to understand, but what you just did, it was an accident. And I think there is a way for you to take it all back.

Eloise – (to Kate) Does he know what he’s talking about?

Kate – He thinks he does.

That answer seems to suffice Eloise because she instantly decides to help them detonate the bomb and finish what Faraday set out to do so that she can stop herself from killing him in the future. Kate is not happy about any of this, but goes along with Jack anyway.

Back at the DI barracks, Sawyer and Juliet are in the custody of Radzinsky, Phil and Horace. Sawyer and Juliet are each tied to a chair and Radzinsky is trying to beat answers out of Sawyer. Beat all you want Radz, Sawyer has endured much more and by far more experienced hands than yours without talking.

Having seen the video of Kate and Sawyer taking Ben into hostile territory, Radzinsky wants to know where she is and Sawyer refuses to tell so Radzinsky continues to beat him. Horace tries to stop him and Radzinsky takes him out of command. What? What gives him the right to appoint himself the leader? Is there not some chain of command that they have to follow? Why can’t Horace just throw him out of the room? As I said in my review for He’s Our You, and my feelings are still the same, I liked him better when he was still a stain.

Phil Makes The Biggest Mistake Of His Life

Radzinsky threatens to kill Sawyer if he doesn’t talk and Juliet, unable to hold back any longer begs Stuart to please stop. Sawyer, who is lying on the floor covered in blood and still tied to the chair says to Juliet..”Juliet, don’t. Whatever you tell em, they ain’t gonna believe you. It’s only gonna get more people hurt. Even though the 06 came back and destroyed their happy life, Sawyer still cares about them and is willing to endure torture to keep them safe. Of course, one could argue that he is just keeping Kate safe, but I wouldn’t be one of them.

Horace decides to its time to try and exert his authority and says, “Beating him is pointless okay. He’s not gonna talk. At this point, that rotten Phil steps in and claims that he knows how to make Sawyer talk. With that, he turns suddenly and sucker punches Juliet right in the mouth. OMG! I wanted to kill him right then and there. How dare he? I thought Sawyer might explode out of his ropes when he roared at Phil, “You son of a *****! You’re dead man. I’m gonna kill you. You are a walking dead man Phil. I hope Sawyer gets to meet up with you again. You are going to rue the day!

Pop Quiz Hotshot

While Sawyer contemplates ways to kill Phil, we see Hugo, guitar case in hand, running through the DI barracks towards the jungle. Go Hurley go! But wait, Hurley is not alone, he is being followed by Pierre Chang. Hurley meets up with Jin and Miles at the edge of the jungle and Pierre follows. Pierre questions Hurley about their being from the future and the conversation went like this…

Chang – Your friend Faraday says that you’re from the future. I need to know if he was telling the truth.

Hurley – Dude that’s ridiculous.

Chang – What year were you born? What year?

Hurley – Uh, 1931

Chang – You’re 46?

Hurley – Yah. Yes I am.

Chang – So you fought in the Korean war?

Hurley – Theres no such thing.

Chang – Who is the president of the United States?

Hurley – Alright dude. I’m from the future. Sorry. .

Hurley is so freakin funny. He tries so hard and then he is just so nonchalant about it after being busted. Sorry. Miles ends up telling his dad what Faraday knew and what he planned to do. The issues that Miles had with his dad were created by himself. He was the reason that his father sent him away as a baby. That was a nice twist within this story.

Miles is able to convince Chang who heads out to find Horace. Chang interrupts Sawyer’s beating to tell them all that they must evacuate the island immediately. Radzinsky, of course, says no and Sawyer decides to talk. He tells them that Pierre is right and if they put him and Jules on the sub, he will tell them everything. Radzinsky demands he draw a map to the hostiles camp and what is done is done. I know some people would like to argue that Sawyer once again only thought about himself, but I disagree. Sawyer wanted nothing more than to protect everyone or he wouldn’t have gone through what he just went through. Sawyer changed his mind when Phil punched Juliet. I believe he made a choice between Juliet and everyone else and he chose Juliet. You can’t fault the guy for that.

The Foundation On Which Dharma Was Built

Meanwhile, Kate, Jack, Alpert and Eloise arrive at a fresh water pond and Eloise tells them they must swim under it to get to the tunnels where the bomb is buried. It is at this point that Kate makes her decision to go back. She is still not convinced that Jack knows what he is talking about and she is afraid he is going to kill them all. As she begins to walk away, the others draw their guns and threaten to shoot if she leaves. She continues to walk away and a shot is fired. Kate’s eyes open wide and she looks down at her chest. Psyche! Sorry all you Kate haters, but Kate has not been shot. Sayid suddenly appears from the bushes looking all proud of himself. He has shot the other who had their gun aimed at Kate. I honestly believed for that moment that they had killed Kate. I was speechless.

After listening to Jack talk about destiny, Kate leaves telling Jack, “I’m going back to find the rest of our people because if I can’t stop you, maybe they can.” Knowing she could be killed by the DI if she got caught, Jack didn’t put up much of a fight about her staying. He really is behaving a lot like Locke.

Jack, Sayid, Eloise and Alpert swim into the pond and through an underwater tunnel which leads into the tunnels of what I believe is The Temple. I loved the way the water entrance looked from inside of the tunnel. The hydrogen bomb is massive in size and weight and Jack questions how they are going to move it and Alpert tells him the same way they got it in. Well thanks Richard, that was helpful. Seriously though, just how will they move that bomb to where it needs to be and where will they move it to?

Twos Company, Threes A Crowd

Sawyer and Juliet are being loaded into the sub as Miles, Hurley and Jin watch through binoculars from the jungle. Hurley says, “Don’t worry, its gonna be okay. Sawyer always has a plan right?” No Hurley. Not this time. I don’t think that they noticed that S&J were handcuffed while getting on the sub either. I hope those three are going to be okay.

Sawyer and Juliet are handcuffed to a table in the sub but not within reaching distance. Juliet tells Sawyer and she loves him and he says he loves her right back. They are so awesome together. There is something so real about their relationship. Their joy is marred however, when one more person is being forced off of the island and loaded into the sub. Kate is brought in and handcuffed to the table right in front of Sawyer. Sawyer sits looking dumbfounded and Juliet looks like she would love nothing more than to kill Kate at that moment. Kate just says hey, like she is totally oblivious. The writers are going to keep teasing us with these couples until the very end, but that’s okay. These scenes where Kate keeps getting in the middle of them are meant to pique our curiosity and I find them funny.

Now that we have the events in 1977 covered, lets head off to 2007.

2007

The Return Of Locke

Thirty years later we see Richard sitting on the beach building a ship in a bottle against a beautiful backdrop which makes the ship appear to be sailing. The ship resembles The Black Rock, but I don’t think it means anything. I just wanted to mention the scene because it reminded me of a portrait. It was a beautiful scene. His ship building is interrupted by the return of John Locke who walks into camp carrying a boar and announcing that dinner is served. He sure does know how to make an entrance.

Locke immediately takes charge and tells Alpert that they have an errand to run and it must be done immediately. Richard stares at Locke as if he can’t quite understand him.

Locke – What’s wrong?

Richard – There’s something different about you.

Locke – I have a purpose now.

Yah! I was ecstatic when Locke said this. No longer is he waiting to be told what to do. He knows exactly what to do and is going to waste no time in doing it. As they speak, Richard notices Ben and Jin on the beach and wants to know what he is doing there and Locke responds, “He helped me get back.” When I heard this, a thought struck me that maybe Ben’s purpose on the island this entire time was not to lead the others but to actually kill John in that hotel room so that he could get back to the island. Although Locke was always the chosen one, Ben had a big connection to him and the island needed him just as much as it needed Locke.

While Richard and Locke speak, Sun questions Ben as to whom the man Locke is talking to is.Sun – Who’s that man he’s talking to?Ben – His name is Richard Alpert. He’s a kind of advisor and he has had that job for a very, very long time. The fact that we were told Richard is an advisor really doesn’t tell us much, because I think most people kind of already assumed this. What interests me is the fact that both Juliet and Ben have now stated that Richard has been on the island for a very, very long time. This just reaffirms my beliefs that Richard is from the time of the Statue and the building of The Temple and tunnels. Richard is some sort of an Egyptian god or something. He appears to be the only one of his kind left on the island though.

Ben sits on the beach while Richard and Locke prepare to leave and John invites him to join them.

Locke – Ben, I’d appreciate it if you’d join us.

Ben – What John, don’t you trust me here with my former people? Afraid I’ll stage a coup?

Locke – I’m not afraid of anything you can do anymore Ben.

Ben – In that case, I’d love to come

John – (smiling) Good.

Ben’s statement about staging a coup was my favorite line of the episode. The sarcasm and tone of his voice made me laugh out loud. I also love that Locke seems to have no real need for Ben anymore.

Tell Me What To Do One More Time

The three of them head out leaving Sun behind with the promise that if there is a way to bring Jin and their people back, he will find it. While trekking through the jungle, Locke tells Richard that he wants to go and see Jacob when he is finished with his errand, but it is clear that Richard doesn’t like the idea. Locke, having a purpose now informs Richard that he is the leader and Richard will take him to Jacob. Well alrighty then Locke. You got it! Locke stops suddenly and points to the beechcraft where numerous past scenes have taken place, most importantly the scene in which Locke is flashing through time and Alpert informs him that he will have to die.

We watch this scene unfold in front of us again and learn that it was Locke himself who sent Alpert to help him during that time. He sent Alpert to tell himself that he was going to have to die. Trippy stuff man!So had Locke not gone back to the island, Locke would have never gotten the compass that Richard just gave him back. Just how many times has this compass been exchanged back and forth between them now? If anyone has the gumption to figure it out, please let me know. Ben stands there in apparent amazement at the scene unfolding before him.

Ben – Your timing was impeccable John. How did you know when to be here?

Locke – The island told me. Didn’t the island ever tell you things?

Ben – No John and clearly it hasn’t told you where Jacob is or you wouldn’t need Richard to show you! (So there! Na-na, na-na, boo-boo!) Hahahahha!

Locke – You’ve never seen him.

Ben- What?

Locke – Jacob. You’ve never seen him.

Again, I loved this scene simply for the way that Ben made his statement about Jacob. He was such a baby about it. I love Ben.

Locke’s Purpose

After having set his path straight, Locke heads back to camp and tells Alpert that he would like to see Jacob immediately and wants to call a meeting with all of the others in regards to the whereabouts and existence of Jacob. Locke stands before all of the others and announces that he is going to see Jacob to find out who this man is that is telling them all what to do and that he would like all of them to join him in his quest. They all seem more than willing to follow Locke in his pursuit.

As the others, led by Locke trek across the beach, Alpert expresses his worries about Locke causing trouble to Ben. Richard and Ben do not like this idea at all. Ben decides to talk to Locke about Richards concerns in regards to seeing Jacob. Ben tells Locke that he is there to follow him now..

Ben – I’m here to follow you now. So if you need Jacob to help you reunite your people, then I’ll do….

Locke – (interrupting) I’m not interested in reuniting my people.

Ben – (looking shocked) What do you mean? You told Sun…

Locke – I know what I told her but that’s not why we’re going to Jacob.

Ben – Then why are we going to Jacob?

Locke – So I can kill him

Say what? This is huge. I had always thought Locke would save Jacob, not kill him. But why, why would Locke need to kill Jacob? One idea might be that Locke is not Locke (which I believe to be the case), and that he wants to kill Jacob in order to take control of the others and the island. Locke is Smokey and he has found a way out and wants the island all to himself. Keep in mind this is not my set theory, just speculation.

My other thought is that killing Jacob is the way to save Jacob. Depending on how you look at it, Locke’s being killed and resurrected saved him, I don’t know why Locke would want to kill Jacob, but I am hoping this means that we will get to see Jacob again next week in the season finale.

I am also wondering how Ilana and Bram are going to fit into this equation. Will they stop Locke from killing Jacob or help him? I can’t wait until next week. Though sadly, it will be our final Lost season cliffhanger ever.

Random Thoughts

I do not want Jack to change things and I don’t think he will. Otherwise the show would end when he detonates the hydrogen bomb and I don’t think it will take 18 more episodes to get that bomb to blow.

I hate Phil, I hate Phil, I hate Phil, I hate Phil, I hate Phil, I hate Phil, I hate Phil.

Will we get to see Rose, Bernard, Claire or Vincent in the finale?

Best Lines

Sayid – If this works, you might just save us all and if it doesn’t, at least you’ve put us out of our misery.

Jack – This is our destiny.Jack – Well maybe I was wrong.

Richard – I’m starting to think John Locke is going to be trouble.