Was this the beginning of the end for John Locke? Even though he'd get shot and apparently killed the following episode, "The Brig" really was part 1 of a two-parter. Across the two Locke finally let go of the all-consuming anger toward his father and thus left his past before The Island behind him. John Locke is a new man. And you know what that means:
Purgatory Rule -- everytime a character resolves his pre-crash issues he or she gets whacked. Usually this is within that character's respective episode, but I think we can treat "The Brig" and "Man Behind The Curtain" as one whole.
Actually, we got a two-for-one in this episode with Sawyer resolving his own father issues. But while the original Sawyer is dead, the scars te left on his namesake are still evident. Somehow this is not a rebirth for James Ford... there's more yet to resolve as his puking and misery afterwards attests to. What does Sawyer become now that the object of his vengeance has been destroyed? Does he move on to resolve the damage he himself left behind, starting with his daughter Clementine?
Resolving both these issues within the same episode points to the spirtual brotherhood Sawyer and Locke share. Really this was the only way Locke could get past his anger, knowing that someone else shared his pain, perhaps even felt it worse than he did. Live Together, Die Alone...
This was a masterpiece of an episode, with everything from the writing, to the directing to the acting, editing and lighting clicking together to create a thrilling and even moving hour. One of the best episodes ever.
*The Master Manipulator: Nearly everything Ben said to Locke was a lie, intended to manipulate him into a humilating situation. Locke posed the greatest threat to Ben's hold on the Others. Ben would do everything he could to keep it, even if it meant kidnapping Cooper from Florida and putting John in a position to kill him, which Ben knew would never happen. Meanwhile, he created false expectations among the Others and looked stronger for it when Locke failed to live up to them.
*"A little hot for Heaven": So it's not purgratory... IT'S HELL! Cooper's little "theory" added an extra special kick to all the other ones out there that the Island was purgatory. Instead of thinking about it in literal terms though I think this episode shifted a lot of fans' minds toward thinking about it metaphorically.
Bits & Pieces:
*Naomi Dorrit: A reference to the Charles Dickens novel, Little Dorrit. According to Lostpedia the book "is a work of satire on the shortcomings of the government and society of the period."
*"An Old Pace": The ancient-looking column Anthony Cooper gets tied-up to seems to be from the same civilization that built the Four-Toed statue. Who were these people and where did they go? Were they the ancestors of the Hostiles?
*Why is Cindy there? Me'thinks there's a flashback in Cindy's future. There's definitely a lot more to learn about how she went from Taillie to Other.
Locke's healing transferrable? So how did Ben heal so quickly once John was with him? Does Locke's "specialness" extend beyond himself? If so how has that been affecting the Losties all this time? Did Ben actually try to keep Locke with him primarily to heal himself?
*Free Will: Ben brings up free will again as a major component of the Others' beliefs. He even says one needs a "full commitment" to it to be a true citizen of the Island. Problem with that is we see so little of it in practice. Every decision Ben claims could be made by free will (going all the way back to earlier this season with Kate falling for Sawyer because of the conditions of their captivity) has been manipulated by him.
*Everyone Loves Sayid: This run of episodes strongly casts Sayid as the Wise Man of the Losties. Everyone trusts him, everyone believes him, and everyone looks to him to solve their problems. And... these are all reasons why I think we may be seeing the last of him. A guy like that can not be allowed to survive on this particular Island.
*Interesting that Sayid has never seen anything as sophistocated as Naomi's satellite phone. Is this another hint that time on the Island and time in the outside world are operating differently? Perhaps in the outside world it is actually 2007 (or maybe 2010 when the show ends).
*Significance of Sawyer walking barefoot? Maybe it's nothing, but you'd think Sawyer would at least have gone back to his tent and grabbed some foot gear. I think this was a subtle way to hint Sawyer was going on a spritual journey of sorts.
*The faked crash: I think it's safe to assume Ben had a crash faked so the search for Oceanic 815 would end. The Hostiles and Ben are definitely being backed by someone or something and I think it has nothing to do with the Hanso Foundation. Maybe Mitellos Bioscience is not a front for DHARMA but really a new entrant into the show's mythology.
*Guest Starring: Rousseau: Hilarious little cameo by everyone's favorite Frenchwoman with an eastern European accent. I think running into Locke and grabbing the dynamite is going to come up again during her long promised flashback, now looking likely for Season 4.
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