There really is no other show on network television like Lost. What other primetime program would air a show where 95% of its dialogue requires subtitles? I can't think of one.
Last night we learned all about Richard Alpert. The once mysterious, eye-lined, never-aging dude that has been with us since season 3 (or maybe late season 2?). And that's all we did. And that is awesome.
Well, it's not all we did. We learned a lot about The Island and Jacob and Smokey, as well. And Sun had some more lines.
Here's what we learned about Richard....
Back in 1876, Richard Alpert was a simple farmer living somewhere in Spain. Yep, Spain, not Egypt as some people have thought. He was married to a woman with a striking resemblance to Salma Hayek (way to go,
Richard). Her name was Isabella. Isabella was very sick. Richard raced via horseback to the doctor. The doctor was a real prick and would not give up the medicine Isabella needed for the amount of money Richard had. In desperation, Richard struggled with the doc to get the medicine. He accidentally pushed the doc who hit his head on the table and died. Richard fled. But when he returned home with the medicine, it was too late. Isabella was dead.
Richard was sent to jail for killing the doctor. He was sentenced to death. He is visited by a priest and we learn that Richard and his wife were learning English so they could travel to the new world. He begs the Father for forgiveness for his sin, but the priest refuses. Instead, the priest sells him to a slave ship owner, one Magnus Hanso. Owner of the Black Rock.
Richard is chained in the hull of the ship with the rest of the slaves. They encounter a severe storm at sea. As they are being tossed around in the waves, one of his slave friends sees land. An Island with a very large statue guarding it. He assumes it is a statue of the devil and that they are going to hell. This has been Richard's fear. He does not want to go to hell. He is terrified of it. But since he could not get forgiveness for killing the priest, he assumes that is where he will end up.
The ship crashes into the statue and lands inland. Most of the crew dies in the crash. Magnus Hanso makes his way down to the slaves and begins to stab them. He claims that if he lets them go, they will just kill him. As he makes his way down the line, he approaches Richard. As Richard begs for his life, they hear that familiar mechanical clicking followed by screams. It's Smokey. Smokey kills the crew and Mr. Hanso before he can kill Richard. Smokey then makes his way down to Richard. But he doesn't kill him. He just clicks and flashes at him - judges him. Then he leaves.
Richard is left at the bottom of the ship chained to the wall for days. He tries to get free, but eventually wears
himself out. At one point, he sees his dead wife and then hears Smokey approach. He tells her to flee and save herself. But as she runs out of the ship, you hear her scream and assume Smokey gets her. As Richard lie there dying, a man approaches him and hands him water. Is it Jacob arriving at Richard's most darkest hour? Nope. It's the Man In Black - or Smokey. He convinces Richard that they are in hell and that the devil has taken his wife. He unshackles him and takes him back to his camp.
The Man In Black explains to Richard that if he ever wants to see his wife again, he will have to kill the devil with a knife. Stab him before he has a chance to speak. This confuses Richard. How can he stab black smoke? But the Man In Black is honest. He admits to being the smoke, but that he is not evil. He says the devil lives in a statue on the beach. The same statue that the Black Rock ship destroyed when it crashed. Richard agrees to do his bidding.
As he approaches what's left of the statue (just the foot), he is punched. He tries to stab the man, but he is knocked down again. The man is Jacob. He demands to know what Richard is doing. Richard tells him what the Man In Black said. He says he believes he is in hell and just wants to be with his wife. Jacob grabs Richard and drags him out to sea where he pretends to try to drown him until Richard begs for his life, proving he does not truly believe he is in hell.
Back on the beach, Jacob tells Richard that the Man In Black is a bad man. He explains that he brought the Black Rock ship to The Island. He brings a lot of people to The Island. His goal is to prove to Smokey that people are good. Smokey believes everyone has hatred and the urge to sin in them. Jacob just wants to prove him wrong. Unfortunately, people don't cooperate and they just end up dying. He tells Richard that he can't tell them what to do. They have to find the goodness themselves. He also tells Richard that The Island is the only thing that can contain Smokey, and Jacob is the lock. He uses a bottle of wine as a metaphor. The bottle is The Island, the wine is Smokey. The wine is free to move around within the bottle. But if left uncorked, it can escape. If Jacob were to die, Smokey could leave The Island and grow larger and more evil. He says he needs to find candidates that can take his place were anything to happen to him. Though Richard is not a candidate, he thinks he can help him out. He asks Richard to be his voice in helping people find the goodness in themselves. Richard can ask for anything in return. First, he wants his wife back. Jacob can't do that. Second, he wants forgiveness for his sins. Jacob can't do that either. Third, he says he never wants to die so he doesn't have to go to hell. Jacob can do that.
Richard makes his way back to the Man In Black. He tells him he is siding with Jacob and hands him a gift from Jacob. It is a white rock. Smokey tells Richard if he ever changes his mind, to come find him. Then he disappears.
Later we see the Man In Black hanging out an a bluff. Jacob joins him. Jacob gives him a hard time for trying to kill him. Smokey says he just wants to leave The Island. Jacob says he can't let him do that. Smokey says that's why he has to kill him and that someday he will. Jacob says he will have a replacement. Smokey says he will kill that person, too. Jacob hands him a bottle of wine and leaves. Smokey smashes the wine.
And that is the story of how Richard came to be on The Island.
On Island - Present Day
There were a few other things that happened this episode.
Back on the beach our gang is hanging out discussing all they know. It is a strange group. Jack, Sun, Ben, Hurley, The Pilot, NotFBIChick, Miles, and Richard. Everyone seems as stunned as I am about how little Jack knows. Actually, I'm not stunned. Jack just doesn't pay attention. The all start to harass Richard about what Jacob says he knows. But Richard swears he has no idea what to do next and runs off. Do we believe him?
Jack sees Hurley talking to someone/no one. He believes he's talking to Jacob, but Hurley says it's not of his business and walks away.
At the end of the episode, Richard is hanging out at Smokey's old camp. He has changed his mind and wants to join his side. Hurley approaches him. He says he's been talking to Isabella. Richard doesn't believe him. But then in Spanish, he starts to tell him everything she is saying. He says she is standing right next to him. It's one of those super heartbreaking scenes right out of Ghost. Isabella, through Hurley, says Richard must stay with Jacob or else everyone will go to hell. The camera then pans up to UnLocke/Smokey watching it all.
Last night we learned all about Richard Alpert. The once mysterious, eye-lined, never-aging dude that has been with us since season 3 (or maybe late season 2?). And that's all we did. And that is awesome.
Well, it's not all we did. We learned a lot about The Island and Jacob and Smokey, as well. And Sun had some more lines.
Here's what we learned about Richard....
Back in 1876, Richard Alpert was a simple farmer living somewhere in Spain. Yep, Spain, not Egypt as some people have thought. He was married to a woman with a striking resemblance to Salma Hayek (way to go,
Richard). Her name was Isabella. Isabella was very sick. Richard raced via horseback to the doctor. The doctor was a real prick and would not give up the medicine Isabella needed for the amount of money Richard had. In desperation, Richard struggled with the doc to get the medicine. He accidentally pushed the doc who hit his head on the table and died. Richard fled. But when he returned home with the medicine, it was too late. Isabella was dead.Richard was sent to jail for killing the doctor. He was sentenced to death. He is visited by a priest and we learn that Richard and his wife were learning English so they could travel to the new world. He begs the Father for forgiveness for his sin, but the priest refuses. Instead, the priest sells him to a slave ship owner, one Magnus Hanso. Owner of the Black Rock.
Richard is chained in the hull of the ship with the rest of the slaves. They encounter a severe storm at sea. As they are being tossed around in the waves, one of his slave friends sees land. An Island with a very large statue guarding it. He assumes it is a statue of the devil and that they are going to hell. This has been Richard's fear. He does not want to go to hell. He is terrified of it. But since he could not get forgiveness for killing the priest, he assumes that is where he will end up.
The ship crashes into the statue and lands inland. Most of the crew dies in the crash. Magnus Hanso makes his way down to the slaves and begins to stab them. He claims that if he lets them go, they will just kill him. As he makes his way down the line, he approaches Richard. As Richard begs for his life, they hear that familiar mechanical clicking followed by screams. It's Smokey. Smokey kills the crew and Mr. Hanso before he can kill Richard. Smokey then makes his way down to Richard. But he doesn't kill him. He just clicks and flashes at him - judges him. Then he leaves.Richard is left at the bottom of the ship chained to the wall for days. He tries to get free, but eventually wears
himself out. At one point, he sees his dead wife and then hears Smokey approach. He tells her to flee and save herself. But as she runs out of the ship, you hear her scream and assume Smokey gets her. As Richard lie there dying, a man approaches him and hands him water. Is it Jacob arriving at Richard's most darkest hour? Nope. It's the Man In Black - or Smokey. He convinces Richard that they are in hell and that the devil has taken his wife. He unshackles him and takes him back to his camp.
The Man In Black explains to Richard that if he ever wants to see his wife again, he will have to kill the devil with a knife. Stab him before he has a chance to speak. This confuses Richard. How can he stab black smoke? But the Man In Black is honest. He admits to being the smoke, but that he is not evil. He says the devil lives in a statue on the beach. The same statue that the Black Rock ship destroyed when it crashed. Richard agrees to do his bidding.As he approaches what's left of the statue (just the foot), he is punched. He tries to stab the man, but he is knocked down again. The man is Jacob. He demands to know what Richard is doing. Richard tells him what the Man In Black said. He says he believes he is in hell and just wants to be with his wife. Jacob grabs Richard and drags him out to sea where he pretends to try to drown him until Richard begs for his life, proving he does not truly believe he is in hell.
Back on the beach, Jacob tells Richard that the Man In Black is a bad man. He explains that he brought the Black Rock ship to The Island. He brings a lot of people to The Island. His goal is to prove to Smokey that people are good. Smokey believes everyone has hatred and the urge to sin in them. Jacob just wants to prove him wrong. Unfortunately, people don't cooperate and they just end up dying. He tells Richard that he can't tell them what to do. They have to find the goodness themselves. He also tells Richard that The Island is the only thing that can contain Smokey, and Jacob is the lock. He uses a bottle of wine as a metaphor. The bottle is The Island, the wine is Smokey. The wine is free to move around within the bottle. But if left uncorked, it can escape. If Jacob were to die, Smokey could leave The Island and grow larger and more evil. He says he needs to find candidates that can take his place were anything to happen to him. Though Richard is not a candidate, he thinks he can help him out. He asks Richard to be his voice in helping people find the goodness in themselves. Richard can ask for anything in return. First, he wants his wife back. Jacob can't do that. Second, he wants forgiveness for his sins. Jacob can't do that either. Third, he says he never wants to die so he doesn't have to go to hell. Jacob can do that.Richard makes his way back to the Man In Black. He tells him he is siding with Jacob and hands him a gift from Jacob. It is a white rock. Smokey tells Richard if he ever changes his mind, to come find him. Then he disappears.
Later we see the Man In Black hanging out an a bluff. Jacob joins him. Jacob gives him a hard time for trying to kill him. Smokey says he just wants to leave The Island. Jacob says he can't let him do that. Smokey says that's why he has to kill him and that someday he will. Jacob says he will have a replacement. Smokey says he will kill that person, too. Jacob hands him a bottle of wine and leaves. Smokey smashes the wine.
And that is the story of how Richard came to be on The Island.
On Island - Present Day
There were a few other things that happened this episode.
Back on the beach our gang is hanging out discussing all they know. It is a strange group. Jack, Sun, Ben, Hurley, The Pilot, NotFBIChick, Miles, and Richard. Everyone seems as stunned as I am about how little Jack knows. Actually, I'm not stunned. Jack just doesn't pay attention. The all start to harass Richard about what Jacob says he knows. But Richard swears he has no idea what to do next and runs off. Do we believe him?
Jack sees Hurley talking to someone/no one. He believes he's talking to Jacob, but Hurley says it's not of his business and walks away.
At the end of the episode, Richard is hanging out at Smokey's old camp. He has changed his mind and wants to join his side. Hurley approaches him. He says he's been talking to Isabella. Richard doesn't believe him. But then in Spanish, he starts to tell him everything she is saying. He says she is standing right next to him. It's one of those super heartbreaking scenes right out of Ghost. Isabella, through Hurley, says Richard must stay with Jacob or else everyone will go to hell. The camera then pans up to UnLocke/Smokey watching it all.
The End.
This was a much bigger episode than it appears. We learned so much. Let's take a look at all the solved mysteries that happened tonight.
1. Richard's agelessness. He was given this gift by Jacob in return for being his right hand man.
2. Richard's origin. He came from Spain in 1876 aboard the Black Rock.
3. How the Black Rock got to The Island. It was tossed by waves.
4. How the statue was broken. The Black Rock crashed into it.
5. Jacob's purpose. To keep Smokey contained to The Island and to find candidates to replace himself if he were to die.
We also learned a little more about the Jacob/Smokey relationship. There was one line that I found especially intriguing. First of all, they both have a deal with honesty, but they go about it very differently. Smokey is never anything but straightforward. Yes, he said Jacob is the devil, but in his eyes, he probably is. He freely admitted to Richard that he was the Black Smoke. Jacob, on the other hand, wants everyone to be honest, but he is very cryptic in how he speaks. He seems to genuinely be the good guy, but there is always something about him I find a little wary.
The part I found intriguing was when Smokey said something about Jacob taking his body when he was a boy. Did Jacob really inhabit the real/original Smokey's body at some point? How did that happen? What's that all about? I don't believe that this Man In Black is the original face of our Smoke Monster. I'm sure it's just some other John Locke time who's spirit he has taken over. So what about Jacob? Is that really what Jacob looks like? Is Jacob maybe not a human either? Hmmmm....
It looks like they can both only be killed one way. Being stabbed by an outside party and before either of them speak. EXCEPT, Jacob was killed by Ben and Jacob had been talking the whole time. So what gives? Is it just that they are both very persuasive, as both Smokey said about Jacob and Dokken said about Smokey, and that given the chance they can usually convince their predators to leave them alone?
We did learn that The Island is the only vessel that can contain Smokey. We've heard Smokey say that The Island is nothing. It's just an island. But it can't be denied it does have some magic to it. The healing qualities. The fact that it has something like Smokey living on it. How it disappears and flips through time by turning a frozen donkey wheel. I would be willing to believe The Island is just one of those strange places in the world where weird things happen...like the Bermuda Triangle. But then they had to throw time travel in last year and now I want to know what causes that.
Then there's also the general question of Why? Why/What is Smokey? Why is he on The Island? Where did he come from? What is Jacob? Why is he designated guardian? Why? Why? Why?
Why?
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