LOST recap 6.5 - "The Lighthouse"

 Our "Lost" junkie Luci Chavez reports on this week's episode:

I'm late on this one. So should I warn you not to read it unless you've seen the episode? Yeah. SPOILER ALERT.

Great episode including real information about how long the "candidates" have been "candidates for island presidency." I appreciate real information. But I appreciate Dr. Feelgood episodes even more.

In Los Angeles in the "What if the plane didn't crash" alternate reality (WITPDCAR)..., well, HELLO, Foxy. Shirtless. Six pack. Appendectomy scar. (That's like the unholy trinity right there.) Juliet did that surgery. Don't you remember when Kate nearly fainted in the tent and you wanted to do the surgery on yourself? Remember when you used to be that badass? Come on, big guy. You can do it!

Jack is on the phone with his mother (Veronica Hamel of HIll Street Blues fame) wondering when he got his appendix out. Long time ago. Your dad wasn't allowed to do the surgery. Don't you remember? Actually Mom is pushing Jack around. Where's your dad's body? Don't you know anything? Blah, blah, blah. Lay off, woman. Do you have any idea how screwed up your boy's life is? Jack begs off because he has to go fetch someone ...

Holy paternity suit, Batman, Jack has a son in WITPDCAR! The kid doesn't look too happy to be around Jack. David, the son, and Jack, the dad, seem to have the same relationship Jack and Christian had - tense en route to combative.

On the island, at the temple, Dogan wants to know what's up with Sawyer, Kate and Jin. Jack admits they're not coming back. Hurley and Miles are playing island tic tac toe before Hurley goes looking for the kitchen for lunch. He runs into Jacob the Apparition. Jacob, of course, explains that he's there because "I need you." He tells Hurley to write down some instructions. "What kinds of things?" "Someone is coming to the island and I need you to help them find it." (I hate how they manipulate Hurley. He's not dumb. He's basic. (Thanks, Diane Court.) Ten bucks says JTA's using Hurley to get to someone else.

Back in WITPDCAR, Jack and David are having an incredibly awkward conversation about cable, the Red Sox, and a book, "Annotated Alice." Jack smiles and tells David he used to read Alice in Wonderland to him and the kid promptly leaves the room. Jack tries again. David's not listening. He has his iPod on. "Who are you listening to?" "You haven't heard of them." "Hey kid, I'm just trying to talk to you." "Why? I only see you once a month. Can't we just get through it." The phone rings again and it's Grandma insisting Jack come over to look for Christian's will.

On the island, Jack and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) chat. Sayid's feeling conspicuous. People are staring. They think I'm infected. What are you hiding from me? Well, there was this little matter of the pill being poisoned. I was supposed to kill you. Whatever is going on with you supposedly happened to Claire. Mon dieu.

In the jungle, Claire (Emilie de Ravin) gets Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) out of the bear trip after shooting two other Others. One died, the other is tied up in her little island crib. Jin finds out Claire's been living out in the wild (wild is the operative word - look at that hair, yikes ) for three years.

At the temple, Hurley's trying to read his own writing (in ink on his arm) as he follows the hieroglyphs on the temple walls. Dogan catches him. "Uh, just looking. I'm a fan of temples ... and history ... and Indiana Jones stuff." Dogan tries to play the heavy. Get back to the courtyard. Jacob appears to spur Hurley on. "I"m a candidate and I can do what I want." "Who told you that?" "It doesn't matter. Why don't you go back to the courtyard?"

Jacob's more worried that Hurley hasn't brought Jack along as instructed. "It's impossible." "You have to bring Jack." "Hey dude, I just lied to a samurai. How do I get Jack to come along?" Hurley finds Jack outside eating a mango and sidles up to him, whispering. "Be cool, man. Act natural." (Lord have mercy! Hurley's trying to execute the Jedi mind trick on Jack!) "Keep your voice down. Wait 10 seconds then follow me. There's a secret tunnel that leads to the jungle." (You found a secret tunnel? Good question, Jack. "Jacob told me. He said you and me have to go. He said you have what it takes."

Sweet mother of God, Foxy has a new tattoo. At least I think it's new. Wait, Dr. Cry Now Smile Later is getting pissed off! What did Jacob say? "He said you'd know what it means." Where the heck is Jacob? "He's kinda dead. He just turns up whenever he wants to like Obi Wan Kenobi."  Jack is definitely hacked off.

In the jungle, Jin wakes up and sees a crib. Oh no, that's no fake baby; that, my hot Korean friend, is a skull. Ewww. Claire drags the black guy back into Claire's hovel then she roughs him up a little. She wants to know where the other Other is hiding her son. Jin's wondering if he should tell what he knows. Claire tends to Jin and they chat. "You've been here all the time by yourself?" he asks. "No, not by myself."

Hurley and Jack are walking to wherever and spot a backpack. Hey, Kate. Kate nearly shoots Jack. They kinda thinks it's funny that she almost shot him. I don't. They exchange info. Sawyer's left. Jin was headed for the temple. Kate's trying to find Claire to take her back to Aaron. Jack tells Kate that the temple people think something is wrong with Claire. They head in different directions. "I hope you find what you're looking for," Kate tells Jack, giving him a post-Juliet smooch, I still want you but I probably can't have you, look.

In Los Angeles in the WITPDCAR, Jack's mom is looking for the will and helping herself to a little drink. She praises Jack for abstaining. They talk about how David is doing. Mom teases Jack about being a poor communicator, just like Christian, and about how Jack and David were a lot alike as boys. Both were afraid of their fathers. Jack is confused. Mom finds the will and reads it. "Did your father ever mention a Claire Littleton?"

(So if their lives are  all intertwined whether the plane crashes or not, does that mean they're all destined for the island eventually? Do both realities end or reemerge at the island 14 episodes from now?)

On the island, bad-wig Claire is sharpening an axe as the black dude tries to reason with her. Jin wants to know how Claire survived the island. She's looking for Aaron but Jin doesn't understand how she knows Aaron is alive. "First, my father then my friend told me." Friend? "Yes, friend. You're still my friend aren't you Jin?" Yes, of course. Cue the extra loud, twisting metal music. Oy!

Jack and Hugo are still walking. "Sorry dude. You know for what happened. Wrecking your game with Kate." Jack admits he and Kate are through. (NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!) "I thought you guys would get married and have a bunch of kids." Jack doesn't think he's cut out for any of it. "I think you'd make a great dad."

Jack says no way then finds an inhaler in the dirt. Shannon!!! They've reached the caves where they used to live back in season 1. Jack comes clean about how he found the caves chasing his dead dad around the island. Yep, there's Christian's coffin all smashed to bits where Jack left it. "Why'd you smash it?" "Because he wasn't in it."

Back in L.A. in the WITPDCAR, Jack brings home a pizza but can't find David. David's stuff is gone. Jack starts freaking out. He's calling the kid over and over. "If I did something to upset you, I'm sorry." Jack drives to the kid's mom's house. (The mom has to be the girl Jack saved and married, right? Does it even matter? What if baby mama is someone different like, gasp, Juliet? Doh!)

Jack goes into baby mama's house and starts looking around David's room. There's a guitar and a keyboard and sheets of music for things like Chopin. There are pictures of the two of them together. Jack then checks the messages on David's answering machine and finds out the kid has an audition at a music conservatory that very night. The next message breaks my heart all over again. It's Jack calling David from Sidney. "Something happened. I just needed to hear your voice. I love you." Jack's crying. I'm crying. You're killing me, brotha.

On the island, Hurley's remembering. "This is very old school. You know, you and me, trekking through the jungle on our way to do something we don't quite understand. Good times." (You stole my line, Hugo.) Hurley wants to know why Jack came back. Hurley says he came back because Jacob told him to. Jack laughs. Jack says, "I came back because I was broken. I was stupid enough to think this place could fix me." (You're not stupid, Jack! You're losing your faith because it's kinda hard to come to terms with Hurley the Leader. I get it.)

In the jungle, Claire is still shoving on the black dude with the axe. He claims the other Others never had Aaron. Claire gets mad. "They branded me. They stuck me with needles." Jin finally tells her that Aaron is safe. Kate took him off the island. Aaron is OK. He's 3. Claire starts crying. Yep, right before she puts the axe through the black dude's gut. Jin's face says it all: Ruh roh.

At the lighthouse, Hurley's trying to open the door but Jack does the butch thing and kicks the door open.

In L.A. in the WITPDCAR, Jack shows up at David's audition to find David playing the bejeezus out of the piano. Of course, he's crying! You had to ask? Then Dogan shows up and he talks to Jack about putting too much pressure on their kids, how it's hard to watch them. "Your  son has a gift. How long has he been playing?" Jack, the absentee father, has no idea.

At the lighthouse, Jack demands to know where Jacob is. Hurley lies. Hurley starts pulling the rope to set the dial at 108. Jack is standing in front of these mirrors on top of the dial and starts seeing images flash in the mirrors while the dial moves. He notices that names are written next to the numbers. Shephard is at 23. Jack sees his childhood home in the mirror when the dial passes 23. "That's the house I grew up in. I haven't lived there since I was a kid."

(FYI - The Chavez name is on the dial. Yes, folks, I am a candidate.)

It all comes to Foxy then. "He's been watching us the whole time. Where the *$%& is Jacob, Hurley? You said he'd be here." Hurley was "just kind of assuming." "Why was he watching me?!?" Jack's losing it. "What does he want from me?!?" Jack grabs something and starts whacking away at the mirrors and the dial. Satisfied that this thing used to track him since he was little, Jack walks away.

In L.A. in the WITPDCAR, Jack waits for David to come outside and tells him he did great. The kid is hard on himself for missing a couple of notes but Jack said it sounded perfect. Then talks about the kid running out. "You scared the hell out of me." David says he thought he could get back before Jack returned from Grandma's house. He didn't want Jack there because Jack always makes such a big deal out of things. David didn't want Jack to see him fail. The look of regret on Jack's face. Too, too much.

Confession time. "When I was your age, my father never wanted to see me fail. He'd tell me I didn't have what it takes. I spent my whole life carrying that. I don't want you to ever feel that way." (There's your hero complex.) "I will always love you no matter what you do. You can never fail in my eyes. I just want to be a part of your life." Way to fix it, Jack. David and Jack look happy and relieved and I'm thinking part of the hole in Jack's corazon is closing.

Outside the lighthouse, Jack is looking out at the water. Jacob appears to Hurley. "Jack broke your lighthouse, dude. You're screwed. Why don't you care? Wait you wanted Jack to see. WTH?!" Jacob said that was the only way to lead Jack to understand he is on the island to do something. (Kill someone? Take control of the island? Heal someone? Have a Field of Dreams father-son moment with Christian?) "He can't be told." Hurley says OK but next time tell me what's going on. "I'm not big on secret plans." Jacob says someone dangerous is coming to the temple so Hugo had to get Jack out of there. Too late.

In the jungle, Claire wants to know why Jin thinks Kate was raising Aaron. "Uh, I was lying. Uh, yeah, to save my life." Nice save, Kwon. "But you were right; the others have your baby. Aaron's at the temple. You need me to get to Aaron." (Claire's the scary whatever that's supposed to come to the temple?) Claire's glad Jin was lying because, "if you said Kate was raising Aaron, I'd have to kill here." Someone comes into the island crib. Oh hey, Black Locke, what's up? John? "That's not, John. This is my friend." Run, Jin. RUUUUUUNNNNNN!!!!!!