Lost Episode Recap – The Incident – Season 5 Finale!

SPOILER ALERT: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS KEY PLOT INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST EPISODE OF LOST. DO NOT READ IF YOU PLAN TO WATCH THE EPISODE!!!

After a fast-paced, time-hopping, Dharma-centric season, the fifth season of Lost concludes tonight with a two-hour finale. The survivors of Oceanic 815 have certainly come a long way from being stranded on a desert island. With major characters being picked off during pervious finales, the question remains: who will die tonight?

Will it be Sawyer? Kate? Locke (again)? As with any season finale of Lost, the answer is always surprising, stunning, and can always be reversed if needed.

Last week, Locke reclaimed his role as the new leader of the Others, which made both Richard Alpert and Ben Linus rather uneasy. Especially when it came to his demands: Locke wanted to go and visit Jacob; and he wanted to bring the rest of the Others along with he, Richard, and Ben.

But that wasn’t the most shocking thing: Locke also voiced his desire to kill Jacob!

Meanwhile, back in the 1970s, Jack, Sayid, Richard Alpert, and a young Eloise Hawking are making preparations to set-off a Hydrogen bomb that will, in theory, reverse everything that has happened thus far in time.

So, if they blow up the Island in the 70s, what happens to everyone in present day? And if they reverse everything that’s happened thus far, where will that leave the final season?

Onward to tonight’s episode: “The Incident.”

The ancient room underneath the giant four-toed statue of Anubis. A man works on a loom, paints hieroglyphics on the walls. Later, on the beach, as the man watches a ship sail past, we discover the man’s name is Jacob. Yes, THE Jacob!

A Young Kate attempts her first illegal act as she shoplifts a New Kids on the Block lunchbox from a local store. When stopped by the store owner, a friendly man offers to pay for the lunchbox. The man: Jacob!

Back in the 70s, Sawyer, Kate, and Juliet are on the sub, which is on its way back to the states. Kate tells Sawyer and Juliet about Jack’s plans to set-off a Hydrogen bomb and destroy the Island. Kate tries to convince them to help her stop Jack. Sawyer refuses.

Meanwhile, in the cavern with the Hydrogen bomb, Sayid looks through Faraday’s journal. He discovers that all they need is the plutonium core of the bomb in order to detonate it. They’ll have two hours to get to the Swan (according to Faraday’s notes) before the electromagnetic event at the site causes severe damage.

Over at the Swan, Professor Halliwax tries to convince the easily-pissed Razinsky to stop drilling into the pocket of electromagnetic energy. Razinsky refuses to stop.

Thirty years later, Locke, Richard Alpert, Ben, Sun, and the Others head to Jacob. Ben reveals to Sun that he’s actually never met Jacob before. Richard and Locke discuss Locke miraculous resurrection. Locke says that it’s the same reason Richard never ages. Richard tells him that Jacob made his lack of aging possible. Locke responds that Jacob made his return possible as well.

Lapidus remains in the custody of the mysterious group who crash landed with the other Ajira air passengers. They have a large crate with them. Lapidus awakens, wants to know who these people are and what they have in the crate. They decide to trust him; they show Lapidus what’s in the box. His only response: “Terrific.”

Do these folks work for Jacob? Dharma? Widmore?

A church. A Young Sawyer watches as the coffins that contain his dead parents are taken to the cemetery. As he sits alone, Jacob appears, hands him a pen. Sawyer uses the pen to start writing his letter to “Mr. Sawyer” the con-man who caused his father to lose all of his money and commit murder-suicide on he and his wife. (as you may recall, John Locke’s father was the con-man who swindles Sawyer’s (James Ford’s) dad. He later would kill “Mr. Sawyer” inside the Black Rock after Locke barricaded him in a room with the man.)

Inside the sub, Juliet decides they should go back and stop Jack. At gunpoint, they order the sub’s captain to surface.
Back in the cavern, Sayid dismantles the Hydrogen bomb, removes the core. Richard tells Jack about his encounter with John Locke twenty years before. Jack tells Richard: “If I were you, I wouldn’t give up on him.”

Present day. Locke and Ben chat. Ben tells Locke he’s willing to do whatever Locke wants him to do. Locke tells Ben that he want him to kill Jacob.

Los Angeles. Sayid and Nadia are all smiles as they walk down the street. As the cross through an intersection, Jacob stops Sayid to ask for directions. As Nadia stands in the intersection (why, I don’t know), she is hit by a car. Sayid runs to her aid, but the damage has been done. (this must be the “murder” referred to between Ben and Sayid when Ben recruits Sayid to kill for him.)

Thirty years later, inside the cavern. With the plutonium core packed and ready to go, Richard knocks a hole in a wall that leads to Dharmaville. As Eloise takes the lead, Richard knocks her out. He tells Jack and Sayid that he must protect their leader. Sayid and Jack are on their own. They enter the basement, go into one of the Dharma homes, and put on jumpsuits as a means of blending in. It doesn’t work. Roger Linus recognizes Sayid as the man who shot his son. Roger shoots Sayid in the gut. All hell breaks loose (and we learn that Jack is a really bad shot since he can’t even hit Roger at close range!). As Dharma security closes in, Hurley, Jin, and Miles arrive in a Dharma van and drive them to safety.

The open water. As the sub submerges once again, Kate, Sawyer, and Juliet paddle back to the Island on a raft. When they arrive on the shore, Vincent (Walt and Michael’s dog) runs out to greet them. But he’s not the only familiar face: Rose and Bernard show up too!

In the Dharma van, Jack does what he can to help Sayid. Jack orders Hurley to drive to the Swan.

Rose and Bernard’s campsite. It appears they have found and retro-fit Jacob’s cabin into their own personal domicile. When asked by Sawyer why they didn’t join them in Dharmaville, Rose responds that they are both retired. It is then that Bernard professes a series of poignant life-lessons about togetherness, love, and other sentiments. Kate, Sawyer, and Juliet ask when the Dharma barracks are in relation to Rose and Bernard’s camp. After some hemming and a hawing, they get their answer and go.

Lapidus and friends head toward Jacob’s cabin. We get a brief flashback of Elena (the chick who had Sayid in handcuffs on the Ajira flight) in a hospital burn ward. She is visited by Jacob who asks for her help. She agrees.

Inside the cabin, she finds nothing but a swatch of cloth with the Anubis statue embroidered on it. She shows her team. They torch the cabin.

Outside a building, Jacob reads the paper. We hear the shatter of glass. A man falls from a great height onto the ground below. Jacob goes to the man (who is John Locke), and touches him. John comes back to life.

Is Jacob Jesus? Think about it!

Locke and company come across the remains of the Oceanic survivor’s campsite. Locke has them all rest. Locke asks Ben about the time Ben took Locke to see Jacob. Ben confesses he’s never seen the man. He was embarrassed to say anything and was as surprised as Locke was when things started to move and fly around in the cabin on their own. Locke makes it clear that he wants Ben to kill Jacob out of revenge.

Sun finds Aaron’s cradle (which Locke made for Aaron on Claire’s birthday), and Charlie’s Drive Shaft ring.

We flashback to Jin and Sun’s wedding. At the reception, Jacob appears and wishes them well. Jin is impressed by how well the man speaks Korean.

Back in the 70s. Hurley stops the van on the road. When Jack inquires, he indicates why: Kate, Sawyer, and Juliet are in the middle of the road.

Present day. Locke and friends arrive at the foot (all that remains) of the Anubis statue. Richard tells Locke that this is where Jacob lives.

Back in the 70s, Sawyer asks for five minutes alone with Jack. They two head into the woods.

Flash to Jack in the middle of spinal surgery on his future wife. He makes a mistake. Christian helps him focus. Later, after Jack is unable to retrieve an Apollo bar from a vending machine, he confronts his father about humiliating him in front of everyone in the OR. As Christian heads off, Jacob appear and hand Jack his Apollo bar.

Back in the jungle, Jack and Sawyer have a heart-to-heart (Sawyer wants to stop Jack from setting off the bomb; Jack doesn’t care what he thinks), which results in both beating the crap out of one another. Juliet intercedes, stops them. Says Jack should set it off. She’s changed her mind.

We get a short glimpse of a young Juliet as her parents tell her and her sister that they are getting a divorce. It appears that Juliet grew up in the year 2009 from the look of the home and clothing.

In the jungle. Juliet tells Sawyer that she saw how Sawyer looked at Kate on the sub. That’s what changed her mind. If they can reset things, Juliet will have never met Sawyer, which means she’ll never have to lose him.

Over at the Swan, the drill digs into the top of the energy pocket. Jack looks at the events from the bushes. He’s met by Kate. They talk about Aaron, Claire, what it will mean if their plan works.

In L.A. Hurley is being released from L.A. County Jail, despite his pleas to stay. He grabs a taxi; Jacobs sits inside. He tells Hurley that he’s been waiting for him. Hurley tells Jacob that he’s cursed. Jacob begs to differ, tells Hurley about the Ajira flight. He exits the taxi, leaves a guitar case behind (Charlie’s guitar case!).

Near the outskirts of the Swan, Sayid takes a turn for the worse. Jack grabs the plutonium core, heads off to the Swan. Sayid tells him that he must drop the core onto the source of the electromagnetic energy. The core will detonate on impact. As Jack heads into the woods, he passes Sawyer. He tells Sawyer: “See you in Los Angeles.”

Back at the foot of Anubis in present day, Richard, Locke, and Ben head to see Jacob. Richard objects to Ben’s involvement. Locke disagrees. Richard opens a secret door, Locke and Ben enter. Locke asks Ben if he’s ready, hand him a large hunting knife.
Over in the 1970s, Miles wonders aloud whether the bomb is the incident that Faraday was talking about, not the release of energy. Just then, they see a Jeep with armed Dharma guards head toward the Swan.

At the Swan, Jack tries his best to sneak over to the drill site, but is seen. A gun battle ensues. The Dharma van, driven by Hurley speeds in, guns blazing like some Oceanic drive-by! Sawyer holds Phil (the jerk who slapped Juliet last week!) at gunpoint. He tells Jack to do his thing. Jack drops the core into the drill site. Nothing happens.

Suddenly, the powerful electromagnetic energy (the energy that brought down Flight 815, and causes the hatch the blow) releases. All things metal fly, drag, or rip toward the drill site. Razinsky’s Jeep gets sucked down the hole. Phil is impaled by metal rods. Sadly, Juliet gets tangled in chains and falls down the hole. Despite Sawyer’s attempt to save her, she falls into the blackness. Halliwax is rescued by Miles (his son).

Back at the beach in present day, Lapidus and his mysterious friends arrive with the crate. Elena asks for Richard. Asks what lies in the shadow of the statue. His response is correct (translated from Latin: “He who will save us all”). Her people open the crate, dump out its contents. Inside the crate is…

The body of JOHN LOCKE!!!!!

Meanwhile, a very alive John Locke and Ben enter the cavern and meet Jacob. Locke mentions something about a loophole; Ben senses that Locke and Jacob have met before. Ben asks Jacob why after 35 years of following his orders he’s never seen him. He asks point-blank: Why John and not him. Ben stabs Jacob multiple times. As he dies, Jacob spits blood and says “They’re coming” to Locke. Locke stands, kicks Jacob into the fire!

Back at the Swan. As Kate, Sawyer, and Jack try and collect themselves, we head into the drill site. Juliet comes to, the core next to her. She grabs a rock, begins to slam it against the core. After several repeated blows, the plutonium core goes off.

The screen goes white.

LOST.

Wow! An intense, heart-pounding, two hours that both excited me and saddened me at the same time. Now I can’t wait until the next season, but when it starts, the countdown to the series finale begins.

What does it mean if Locke is both dead AND alive? Does it mean anything if the Island was blown-up in the past? Was it Locke’s motive all along to take Jacob’s spot as the ruler of the Island? If things do reset, what becomes of Richard Alpert? The Others? The Dharma Initiative? So many questions. So many answers yet to be revealed and only a handful of eps left.

Thoughts? Comments? Theories?

See you in 2010. Namaste.

“Some Like It Hoth” (4/15/2009)

“Dead Is Dead” (04/08/2009)

“Whatever Happened, Happened” (4/01/2009)

“He’s Our You” (3/25/2009)

“Namaste” (3/18/2009)

“La Fleur” (3/04/2009)