The Lost Recap – Episode 608: “Ab Aeterno”

Here’s what you need to know from this week’s episode of Lost, “Ab Aeterno.”

1. Wait. We’re Where?

According to Richard Alpert, the Island is actually Hell. This, of course, surprises all within earshot of this little revelation, and also is the catalyst needed to launch the episode into Richard’s backstory.

From the start of the series there have been people who have theorized that the Island is Hell, or purgatory, or some variation on this idea. You could argue for purgatory considering that they are all stuck there in limbo until they finally get to go to either Heaven or Hell by “dying.” Of course, is Richard’s explanation following his bemused giggle (which would be a fun ringtone) true?

2. The Life and Times of Ricardus (aka Richard Alpert)

An excellent story about how Richard went from being a poor married man in the Canary Islands to being Jacob’s adviser on the Island. We get to see Richard’s wife, Isabella, how he became a slave, how he ended up on the Island via the Black Rock, his encounters with the Smoke Monster, the Man in Black and Jacob, and how he was granted his wish of eternal life.

Normally, I’d explain in more detail, but I recommend you watch the episode because it’s one of the best this season, and I think should place Nestor Carbonell who plays Richard in the running for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor.

I do hope that they explore more of his backstory in the future, especially his ties with the Others, Ben, and what instructions he was given by Jacob after Flight 815 crashed in the Island.

3. A Final Goodbye

Richard hurries off to an undisclosed area of the Island where he unearths his wife’s necklace that he buried centuries before. When he turns around, Hurley is there with a message from Richard’s wife. After a very emotional and tender moment, she vanishes.

I thought for sure that this was Richard’s final episode. I thought that Hurley had been sent by Isabella and then Jacob to “release” Richard from his eternal life. That is, after all, what he was begging to have reversed. But alas, he was given a mission: to destroy the Man in Black (who happened to be watching the proceedings from afar).

——————————————————————————————————————————-

A very informative, entertaining, and satisfying episode, “Ab Aeterno” delivered a lot of great emotional moments and some powerful acting from Nestor Carbonell who finally got the spotlight he deserved.

I also really like the actor who plays the Man in Black (Titus Welliver, who also is currently on the CBS series, The Good Wife), and I hope that we get to see more of him on Lost in the future.

It’s also interesting to note that during the flashes that Sawyer and company went through on the Island they saw the complete statue. However, the Black Rock smashed the statue during the storm that shipwrecked it on the Island. So, this means that during that brief flash, the gang was on the Island prior to even Richard.

What did you think of tonight’s episode? Want to see more of Richard’s backstory? Comments? Theories? Let us know!

See you next week for episode 609: “The Package.”

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.