My Reactions to LOST Season Four, Episode Thirteen: There’s No Place Like Home – Part Two – Season Finale

NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR *takes a deep breath* RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGG! John Locke is dead! The moment I’ve been dreading since the moment in the first season when John began to question the purpose of the hatch has arrived. Forget Jin, we already knew that was coming, this took me by surprise, and I am deeply depressed. Or perhaps I’m just in denial, I didn’t believe it when John “died” in season three, and I don’t want to believe it now. However, we actually saw the dead and embalmed body, so as much as I don’t want to believe it, I know it has to be true. Only two things give me comfort, one, assuming the next season will show events on the Island shortly after it disappeared, there will still be an opportunity for closure in Locke’s story. Two, since he finally learned all the secrets of the Island (presumably) and since he got to lead a group of people who believed in the Island as much as he did, I know that he must have died happy. If I could compose music, I’d write “Requiem for Locke” in this sad time. Let’s all take a moment of silence right now to commemorate one of the coolest fictional characters ever created.

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As tragic as this shocking death is, there is of course much more that happened in the season finale, so I’ll move on, as always, in no real order whatsoever. The actual moving of the Island scene seemed very much to echo the scene where Desmond turned the key at the end of season two. Both Ben and Desmond knew they were making a sacrifice (okay, so Des thought he was going to die, but still, neither man looked forward to the outcome), but they knew it was going to happen for the greater good. Both scenes took place in a mysterious chamber underground. And of course, the most obvious, the sky turned purple in both instances. As Locke always used to say, “everything happens for a reason,” and if the fact that these scenes were very similar is just a coincidence, then I’ll eat a backgammon set. When Desmond turned the key, the Island showed up on radar or GPS (or something) just long enough for Penny to know what general vicinity to look in. This time around, the Island has moved … somewhere. So the first incident allowed the Island to be found, the second allowed it to be hidden, two sides of the same coin, yet another common theme throughout LOST. Where did the Island go? Did it move through space? Time? Both? If it really was a temporal nexus, as I’ve been guessing most of this season, how does the movement of a nexus affect the space-time continuum? So many questions have once again been brought up, but with so many things that have been answered this season, I have faith that the creators will tell us everything we need to know in the final two seasons, even if they do leave a few pieces lying about for us to fit in on our own. Also, as a side note, it was good to finally see a redeeming action on Ben’s part as he sacrificed his life on the Island to save the Island and its inhabitants.

As for Jin’s death, while it was very sad, I can’t say I wasn’t expecting it. Ever since the episode that showed that Sun lived alone with Ji-Yeon, I harbored a small hope that Jin might somehow still be alive (since we had not seen how he had died), but this episode pretty much confirmed otherwise. The only possibility I can see is that when Christian appeared with Michael and said “you’re done now,” he (and/or Jacob) somehow transferred Michael and the other passengers off the freighter, but I highly doubt it. With the exception of Locke in season three, and the creepy Mikhail who seems to be immortal, there have been no miraculous “resurrections,” and I really don’t expect any more.

Finally, we get the promise that the six need to return to the Island to set things right. One thing confuses me here. Last we saw of Claire, she was with Christian in Jacob’s cabin, and therefore seems to side with Jacob. But in Kate’s dream Claire told her, “Don’t you dare take him back!” referring, presumably, to Aaron and the Island. So if Ben wants the Six to return to benefit the Island, but Claire doesn’t want the return to happen, something doesn’t add up here. Either Claire has abandoned Jacob and her father for some unknown reason, or Ben, perhaps enraged for having to leave the Island, is no longer working in best interest of the Island. Personally, I don’t care who is right, now that Locke is dead, the only thing I want to see have happened by the end of this series is the guaranteed safety of the Island, as that is what Locke would have wanted. (Oh, and Jack is still an idiot for not listening to Locke.) So I side with the Island and with Jacob, and as far as I’m concerned Charles Widmore can burn.

Well, seeing as how this is the season finale, my weekly reaction posts are now over. To replace this column, I’ve started a new column last week entitled “Casual Saturdays.” (Click here to read last week’s entry.) In it, I will actually using this blog as, well, a blog, and comment on whatever I feel like for that week. Originally, I had different plans for tomorrow’s post, but I will bump them to next week. Now you can check back tomorrow for a special commemorative post, remembering the life, works, and pure awesomeness that was Locke. John, here’s to you.

This is LOTRKing signing off of LOST reactions.

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