Wednesday’s “Lost” episode veered deeper into supernatural territory as Locke (and viewers) got their first glimpse of Jacob … or, more correctly, didn’t.
After forcing Ben to take him to see Jacob, the supposed Man behind the man behind the curtain, Locke was taken through the forest, into the night, across a mysterious boundary of volcanic ash, and then to the door of a small, crude wooden shack worthy of the label “haunted house.”
Ben then lead Locke into a sparse, shadowy room in which a plain table and an empty rocking chair were located in the middle. Then, in one of the creepiest and unsettling scenes shown on television, Ben approached the rocking chair and began to address it–or, rather, Jacob–with a mixture of fear and reverence as Locke looked on with increasing feelings of bewilderment, dismay, and rage. Feeling duped, Locke accused Ben of tricking him into believing Jacob actually existed; Ben pointed out Locke’s limited scope in being unable to see a man in the rocking chair.
The flourish and fanfare that Locke expected upon meeting Jacob seemed to dissipate until Locke turned angrily towards the door to leave. That’s when a low, pitiful moan was heard: “Help me.”
Turning around, Locke turned on his flashlight and the room began to shake violently, the camera panning back-and-forth between Locke, darkness, Ben, a mysterious eye, the empty rocking chair, and (to very quick, close observers) the outline of a man sitting in the rocking chair. Locke and Ben barely escaped, but Locke still remained unconvinced of Jacob’s existence–instead, accusing Ben of staging a magic trick.
For now, it’s difficult to say whether Jacob is real. Poltergeist? Invisible Man? An elaborate hoax? Or a man mysteriously held captive by Ben? Despite being a man of faith, does Locke still lack enough faith to see Jacob? Or, does Locke lack enough blind faith to take Jacob as he is? Or does Locke have just enough faith to be able to hear Jacob? Whether Jacob is real remains to be seen, but for now we root for the man of faith to survive Ben’s treachery and find his own way back to Jacob.
Until next time…
posted June 28, 2007 at 1:01 pm
I think that Jacob it the black smoke because the black smoke seems to be analyzing people. In season 1 the black smoke tried to pull John into a hole. In season 2 the black smoke confronts Mr. Eco, we get to see inside the black smoke and inside it we see a series of white flashes. If you go though that scene in slow motion you see pictures of Eco’s past. Again in season 3 the black smoke confronted Juliet and Kate but this time the flashes were bigger, I think this is because the black smoke is now analyzing two people. So it would appear that the black smoke is seeing who is good and who is bad. Ben said that Jacob tells him what to do so by analyzing people Jacob would know who Ben should take.
posted August 13, 2007 at 1:28 am
I think Jacob is one of two characters.
Alvo Hanso~being kept captive by Ben.
Or~
The mysterious, never aging Richard Alpert~
who never had a flashback
Who had no reason to give leadership up to Ben
Who is around whenever Jacob is mentioned
Who was able to leave, & return, to the Island
Who doesn’t age.
Did he come 300 years ago, on the Black Rock ship?
In older times, many Royals had impersonators, & mingled with the crowds, dressed as ordinary people.
Is Richard, as Jacob, doing this?
posted December 30, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I think Jacob is jacks dad. When jack is doing surgary Danny says Sheapard wasnt on jacobs list, this is beacuse of the trouble they have had between them. Also when Karl is being brainwashed it says ‘God loves you as he loved jacob’ and eko when he is burning the plain his brother was in says’ the lor is my Shepard’…Christains (jacks dads) last name!
posted December 30, 2007 at 2:50 pm
sorry spelt Eko wrong lol
posted February 24, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I have no idea…..just have to wait and see