Locke'd and Loaded: We Want You (plus numbers)

I’m not sure what would be scarier; John Locke the substitute teacher or the substituted version of Locke on the island. While the latter can turn into a smoke monster and smash your face in, the former does come equipped with knives. Both are united by their insistence people can’t “tell [them] what to do!”
I found Man in Locke’s (MiL) ranting at the Island child very revealing. MiL tries to present himself as the character with all the answers. He even mocks Locke 1.0, who willfully became a pawn of the island. In actuality, though, MiL appears to be something of a façade. Much like the fake persona he carries for season five, pretending to be Locke, MiL doesn’t seem to be everything he wants people to think he is. He is much less, but glosses over his frailties with self-confidence and a winning smile.
The biggest surprise for me in tonight’s episode was that Locke in the flashsideways is not the man of faith, who is described by Ben during a touching funeral. At the funeral for Locke 1.0, Ben says that “John Locke was a believer.” In the flashsideways Locke doesn’t believe in miracles, destiny or that he can ever walk again. We should have seen this coming based on how skeptical he was initially about Jack’s offer of a consult. What’s even more telling about the offer of the consult is the fact that Jack is so optimistic about Locke’s chances, suggesting that Jack is the man of faith in the flashsideways.
In fact, it appears that Locke has given up his I can do anything mantra after a conversation with Rose the Temp Placement Lady. Rose pushes Locke to recognize his limits, but at the same time contends that he should strive for his full potential. Locke appears to embrace this idea by the end of the episode when he accepts life as a substitute teacher (science nonetheless).
I found flashsideways Locke’s newfound contentedness to be rather assuring, and indicative of a trend in the flashsideways. Things seem to be working out better for Hurley and Claire too, and at the very least aren’t any worse for Kate.
I think my favorite thing about the flashsideways was that we finally got to see Locke without a shirt. I’ve always been bothered by his man boobs and it was nice to let those boys breathe free. Actually, I was surprised that the censors didn’t blur those b-cups when they were floating in the bathtub.
The second biggest surprise was the presence of Ben Linus, who is presumably a doctor in the flashsideways (based on episode 6’s title, Dr. Benjamin Linus). This version of Ben is whiny and neurotic, seemingly resigned to a menial life without the island offering him a chance at notoriety. This character is intriguing, but I doubt that I would be interested in watching him for an entire episode.
The final thing about the flashsideways was the lack of déjà vu moments. Locke didn’t appear to recognize Rose or Hurley.
On the island Ben and his new compatriots are heading for the Temple, after burying Locke 1.0. Before leaving, though, Llana snags some of Jacob’s ashes. I have no idea what that means and I won’t dwell on it for too long, since she’ll probably just use it for kitty litter at the temple.
The best part of the episode was Josh Holloway’s performance as Sawyer. Two weeks in a row now he has delivered stellar showings, and I hope the Emmy voters are taking note (Terry O’Quinn should probably get a nod too, as he scared my mom tonight).
With nothing left to lose Sawyer was in his WTF mode, as he opted to go with MiL in search of some answers. I don’t think he’s that curious about answers, especially since he wasn’t that impressed by resurrected Locke 2.0, but I do think he was intrigued by Locke’s new reckless abandon and air of self-confidence. As a rudderless ship, MiL represented a leader for the directionless Sawyer.
Anyway, I found Sawyer’s interactions with MiL to be on par with MiL’s rapport last season with Ben. This dynamic wasn’t as funny, although it did have its moments. The most compelling part about MiL and Sawyer is their shared desire to be their own men. (This aspect about MiL seems hypocritical, since he preaches the need for self-determination, but appears to be as manipulative as Jacob.)
During a pit stop on their journey Sawyer and MiL both have visitors that offer illumination to the viewer. MiL runs into an Island Kid (who looks like a young Jacob), who reminds him that “You know the rules. You can’t kill him.” This sounds like the problems that were plaguing the Man in Black (MiB) during the season 6 finale, when he lamented the fact he couldn’t kill Jacob. Now we’re inclined to believe that he found a loophole around the aforementioned rules, but I don’t think Jacob is dead (remember that ash I didn’t want to think about?). MiL isn’t happy with this pronouncement and rejects the idea that he is restrained by anything.
Sawyer runs into Richard Alpert, who was freed by MiL earlier in the episode when Richard opted not to join his team. In that instance MiL referred to Richard as a candidate, which is how he would characterize Sawyer and the other castaways later on. I think this reaffirms the popular idea that Richard did come over on the Black Rock, even though it seems to obvious.
Anyway, Richard tells Sawyer that MiL “wants everyone dead.” I found the back and forth very revealing based on Richard’s inability to provide substantial answers. I think Richard is finally in over his head, as issues above his pay grade are at stake. If he had a better understanding of what was going on I think he would have been more likely to provide Sawyer with less vague answers and could have gotten him to abandon MiL.
Eventually Sawyer and MiL arrive at the cave hideaway, which offers two big answers.
The first answer is the meaning of the numbers, which is that they really were random. To be fair, though, my conclusion is based on MiL asserting that “Jacob had a thing for numbers.” I think that means the numbers have no meaning in terms of their selection. I don’t think I care why Jacob chose the numbers, and I’m fine with the idea that they’re random, but I do want a few answers about the numbers. Specifically, why did that one guy here the numbers? That’s it. Just tell me that. Fine with the dartboard creation of the numbers, in that Jacob chose them randomly, but I do want to know why they keep popping up.
Speaking of the numbers we see that: The Kwons are 42; Jack is 23; Sayid is 16; Sawyer is 15; Hugo is 8; Locke is 4. Who are we missing? Um… Oh yeah, the most annoying character ever, Kate. What does that mean???
The other answer that I inferred came from the black and white stones. MiL throws the white stone into the ocean as part of an “inside joke.” (Oh yeah, and when I say answers, I just mean we’re closer to one) The whole scene just speaks to the good versus evil element of the island. It also is a nod to the black and white stones we found in season one with the skeletons of Adam and Eve. The “inside joke” is that there is no big meaning to the stones and the bodies, except that they signify to the length of this struggle and that it really is a struggle between light and dark (like backgammon. Har har).
So it appears that MiL has found his first ally in Sawyer, as they both are united in their desire to get off the island. Not sure what their alliance means, but I assume MiL is just using Sawyer for some reason. I believe this because I never believe anything I hear on Lost (unless it comes from Sayid or Richard). For that reason I listen to what MiL says, and just remember it for later. Did he used to be a man? I don’t know and I’m definitely not going to take his word for it. My approach will be like Jack, which is I’ll swallow the mysterious pill until people are straight with me. I’m just hoping it’s not a roofie, because if I start forgetting things this show will make even less sense.
The final thing isn’t something from this episode, but from the episode in season three called “Flashes Before Your Eyes.” Rewatched that episode today, and I was struck by the flashback s in that episode. Struck by them in the sense that they were so similar to the flashsideways scenes we’re having this season. Desmond is conscious of his time on the island, while he leads a life off the island and not of the same linear time progression. In both cases the shifted timeframes stem from incidents at the Swan station (the Hatch). In Desmond’s case the flashes were linked to his island experience, which leads me to believe (quite emphatically) that the flashsideways are tied in with normal progression of events. Aside from the example I cite, just think about it in terms of the flashbacks and flashforwards, as they have relevance to the current chain of events. It’s all tied together.
Random thoughts:
• How did Locke get paralyzed in his flashsideways?
• Who is the island kid that MiL sees? Could be a young Jacob by his looks.
• So Man in Locke is here to stay, if we believe Llana’s claim that he can’t change shape again. Speaking of Llana, how does she know so much? Also, is she hot? I can’t decide.