LOST: Lighthouse--SPOILERS

OK, you know the drill. It's now about 10:25 p.m. Eastern, which means that if you don't live on my side of the U.S., you probably haven't watched LOST yet. Major spoilers for imagery and an incredibly beautiful scene that shouldn't be spoiled. SO--if you don't want to be spoiled and haven't seen this episode--don't read the blog yet. But I hope you'll come back later if you're leaving now. I'd like to know your reaction to the Lighthouse.


Women's figure skating is promised soon, so this blog will be brief, but I simply have to comment on one of the most lovely images in all of LOSTdom:

the place where Jacob meets each candidate briefly becomes reflected in the mirrors of the lighthouse.

Byodo-In Temple, one of my favorite places on Oahu, flashes by when Hurley adjusts the mechanism past 42 degrees. At 15, the steeple of the church where "Sawyer" says goodbye to his parents is reflected. And at 23, Jack's name prominently scratched into the metal (the only name not crossed out in the entries listed in the late teens and early twenties), Jack sees his childhood home reflected in the glass.

At the top of the lighthouse, Jack realizes that he, along with 107 other candidates (the magic 108 total again), has been chosen by Jacob. Jack chooses to believe in "destiny"--that he's been manipulated his whole life by Jacob. He doesn't think he's ever had free will. Hurley, on the other hand, very openly does what Jacob asks, but he makes the choice to do so. He believes in his free will but simply chooses to do what Jacob asks. Jacob know what works with each of his candidates.

Other images resonate from the past: Alice in Wonderland, a rabbit on the doorstep, a hidden house key, the number 23 highlighted on the door to Jack's son's house--all reflections of Jack's flashback episodes. Each symbol reflects the Jack who first lands on the island, the Jack of the alternate timeline, Jack the boy reflected in his son David, Jack the father reflected in his son's eyes.

Not surprisingly, Jack questions his appendectomy scar when he looks at his mirror image--he doesn't remember how he got the scar. (We remember Juliet's impromptu beach surgery, but Jack hears a different explanation.) Jack may not remember how he got all his scars, but we do.

What is real, what is imagined, what is a reflection of who we think we are--this episode beautifully illustrates so many questions that reflect our experience watching LOST as much as questions about the human experience.

Perhaps that's why I love Hurley so much in this episode. He asks Jacob all the questions I would be too afraid to ask. He expects the truth from Jacob and doesn't flinch from it. He is the most honest character of the series, which is why he makes such a good lighthouse--a beacon of truth, a light against the darkness.

In this episode, Hurley is Jack's lighthouse. He shows him the way and forces Jack to look at himself--to face some difficult truths. Hurley sees life differently from anyone else in the series. He's both an Everyperson and a uniquely spiritual guide, and both sides to his nature are reflected in the imagery and dialogue of the Lighthouse.