Initial Reaction to "Across the Sea"

Well... That was confusing. For the first half of this episode, I wasn't even sure that I was watching the right show. It felt a little hokey to me. It was like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland meets Lord of the Flies. I was not expecting to get the answers that we got, nor was I expecting to get them in the way that we did. I'm still very confused, and I think that I'm going to have to watch this episode about ten times to understand it even a little, because in LOST, every answer raises about ten new questions. But, to be fair, that's what I've always liked about this show. The thought process is exponential. I've never even come close to expecting every question to be answered. In fact, I don't even want them to. I want to think about this forever, however, I don't want to be frustrated. I want to know what's across the damn sea... Somewhere, waiting for me... Alright, look, I know that's not the song, but as soon as I found out this episode's title, before it even aired, I started singing that to myself. Let's talk about "Across the Sea" and how I now feel bad for the nameless "Man in Black" even though he just killed all my damn friends...

From Lostpedia

Here are some of my thoughts, questions, and theories on "Across the Sea" (Some of which were written while viewing the episode.):

Questions:

• What year is all of this happening in?
• Where did Claudia come from? Who was on her ship? 
• Where did "Mother" come from? How did she come to the island?
• Why did "Mother" kill Claudia?
• How does MIB know so much?
• Why is MIB so special? What makes him special?
• How does "Mother" know everything? Where did she get her power from?
• How did "Mother" make it so that they could never hurt eachother?
• Why are these other people so bad?
• How long has "Mother" protected the island and the light?
• How did "Mother" find the light? How did she hide it?
• Why can MIB see his mother, but Jacob can't?
• Is Man in Black and Jacob's father with the other people on the island?
• Where is MIB's home? Where does he belong?
• How did MIB know about the frozen donkey wheel? 
• How did he know it would get him off the island?
• Who finished the building of the donkey wheel?
• Was "Mother" the Smoke Monster?
• How does the wine prevent you from aging?
• Did John Locke see the light?

From Lostpedia

Notes:

• That chick is uber pregnant. Also, hot. I'm just saying.
• I'm sorry, but I don't know Latin, and even I now that's about as terrible as you can be at speaking it. Seriously, lady? No accent whatsoever? Come on, Allison Janney. I know this was merely a guest spot, but you have to do better than that.
• Look, I know it's kind of ridiculous, but I don't know why everyone's so upset about it. They've suddenly switched to English many times before. What I don't understand is why they're speaking American English when it didn't even exist at this time.
• Before we start talking about the crazy lady. I will be referring to her as "Crazy Lady" or "Mother Dearest" or just simply "Mother" since we didn't get an official name for her. More on that later.
• "Where are the rest of your people?" Claudia "There's only me." Crazy Lady "How did you get here?" Claudia "The same way you got here. By accident." Crazy Lady "How long have.." Claudia "Every question I answer will simply lead to another question." Crazy Lady
• That was a message straight from Darlton. Very funny, guys.
• Claudia goes into labor in the caves, and "Crazy Lady" delivers the baby, but uber pregnant lady's belly is still big (That freaked/grossed me out.), and what do you know, another baby pops out. My question is, who the hell didn't know who they were going to turn out to be?
• "His name is Jacob." Claudia
• Ohh.. One baby is light; One is dark. I knew they were going to be twins.
• "It's another boy." Crazy Lady "I only picked one name." Claudia
• REALLY, Claudia? Why don't you just think of another name like right now? Pick a name. Any name!
• Oh, COME ON. The name! PLEASE! This is getting freaking ridiculous. Just give us the damn name, Darlton! Alright, listen. As frustrating as that is, it doesn't really matter. I'm officially letting it go.
• "I'm sorry." Crazy Lady
• Why the hell does she apologize before she kills? Seriously. Psychopath.
• Being stuck with your crazy mother on a deserted island really sucks. Especially when you're a teenager. God. All I could think about is how the hell did those kids get some alone time. You have no room to go to so you can look at some pornographic hieroglyphs or anything. Damn. That must've sucked.
• "It's a game. You play it." MIB "How do you know how?" Jacob "I just know." MIB 
• Jacob is kind of slow.
• "Do you love me, Jacob?" Mother "Yes." Jacob "Then tell me what happened." Mother 
• How does she know everything? She's so creepy.
• "Mother" tells MIB that she left the game for him, but she's really just covering up for there being other people across the sea somewhere, which is where the game probably came from in the first place.
• "Jacob told you what I found." MIB "Of course he did. Jacob doesn't know how to lie. He's not like you." Mother "Why? What am I like?" MIB "You're...special." Mother "Can I keep the game?" MIB "Of course you can. That's why I left it for you." Mother "It came from you?" MIB "Of course it did. Where else would it come form?" Mother "From somewhere else. Across the sea." MIB "There is nowhere else. The island is all there is." Mother "Then where did we come from?" MIb "You and your brother came from me, and I came from my mother." Mother "Where is she?" MIB "She's dead." Mother "What's dead?" MIB "Something you'll never have to worry about." Mother
• Great. The "sex talk" with your mother. That must be wonderful.
• What a liar. Her damn kids don't even know what dead means.
• The hunting in the jungle was very Lord of the Flies. Also, there being "others" and them hiding in the bushes reminded me of when Jin and Mr. Eko hid from the others in ...And Found.
• MIB tells Jacob to hide and be quit and Jacob can't shut the hell up! God, Jacob. 
• "They're not like us. They don't belong here. We are here for a reason." Mother "What reason?" MIB "It's not time yet." Mother
• "Did you know about the people?" MIB "Yes." Mother "Why didn't you tells us about them?" MIB "Because they're dangerous, and I didn't want to frighten you." Mother "What makes them dangerous?" Jacob "The same thing that makes all men dangerous. They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. And it always ends the same." Mother "They come? Come from where?" MIB "Another part of the island. You're never to go looking for them. If they found you, they would hurt you." Mother "Why would they hurt us?" Jacob "Because they're people, Jacob, and that's what people do." Mother "But we're people. Does that mean that we could hurt eachother?" MIB "I've made it so that you can never hut eachother." Mother
• "Mother" repeats the same thing that "Man in Black" says to Jacob in The Incident, Parts 1 & 2, which is "They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same." This suggests that MIB has the same view of the world as his mother did.
• "What is this place?" Jacob "This is the reason we're here." Mother
• "Mother" tells them that it's the warmest, brightest light they've ever seen or felt, that they must make sure that no one ever finds it. She tells them that a little bit of this light is inside every man, but they always want more, and if they try, they can put it out. She says that if the light goes out there, then it goes out everywhere. She says she's protected this place, but that she can't protect it forever, but that one of them will be the next to do so.
• I have to admit, I thought this scene was so incredibly cheesy and hokey the first time I saw it, but it has grown on me a lot after watching it again.
• Also, I think the "light" on the island is probably the reason why people have always been drawn there. Basically, people have been drawn to the island since even before Jacob started bringing them there.
• "You can't do that, Jacob." MIB "Why not?" Jacob "Because it's against the rules." MIB "You made the rules." Jacob "I found it. One day, you can make up your own game, and everyone else will have to follow your rules." MIB
• Very funny, again, Darlton. Apparently Jacob did just that.
• MIB is way more clever than Jacob will ever be. Jacob wishes he was half as awesome as his brother.
• "Why can't Jacob see you?" MIB "Because I'm dead." Claudia
• "They came here 13 years ago. The day before you were born. Their ship was wrecked in a storm." Claudia "Ship? What's that?" MIB "It's a way for people to get from one place to another. It's how we came across the sea." Claudia "There's nothing across the sea." MIB "There are many things across the sea. You came form across the sea, too." Claudia
• MIB obviously loves and tries to protect his brother, and to thank him for it, Jacob is a whiny little tattle-tale. Then he beats the snot out of MIB and MIB just sits there and takes it when he could probably crush him. 
• Hey, Mother? I thought they couldn't hurt eachother?
• "I know now. There is another place across the sea. It's where I'm from. And I'm gonna go there. I'm gonna go home." MIB
• "Whatever you have been told, you will never be able to leave this island." Mother "That's not true. And one day, I can prove it." MIB
• "If I had let her live, she would've taken you back to her people, and those people are bad, Jacob. Very bad. I couldn't let you become one of them. I needed you to stay good." Mother
• I don't think this woman should be pointing fingers at who the bad people are. She's evil incarnate. Seriously.
• "Am I good, mother?" Jacob "Yes. Of course you are." Mother "Then why do you love him more than me?" Jacob "I love you in different ways. Will you stay with me, Jacob? Please?" Mother "Yes. For a while." Jacob
• Uhh.. Maybe she doesn't love you as much because you're a whiny mama's boy that's too dumb to think for himself there, Jacob. When someone says they love you different, that means that they don't love you as much, Jacob. Get a clue, dude. She's just using you because she doesn't want to be alone.
• Also, she loved "Boy in Black" more because he was special and she was grooming him to take over. She only switched to focusing on Jacob when he was the only one left to choose from to do the damn job.
• So, that's where Jacob gets the tapestry weaving from. Again. Mama's Boy.
• There's something very endearing about MIB. I'm just saying.
• They still hangout together and play the game all these years later. 
• "Why do you watch us, Jacob?" MIB "I don't know. I watch because I want to know if Mother's right." Jacob "Right about what?" MIB "About them." Jacob "Oh, you mean my people. You want to know if they're bad. That woman may be insane, but she's most definitely right about that." MIB "I don't know. Doesn't seem so bad to me." Jacob "That's easy for you to say, looking down from above. Trust me. I've lived among them for 30 years. They're greedy, manipulative, untrustworthy, and selfish." MIB "Then why were you with them?" Jacob "They're a means to an end." MIB "What end?" Jacob "I'm leaving, Jacob. I found a way off the island." MIB "No. That's impossible. There is no way off the island." Jacob
• Jacob is so clueless. He just doesn't see the big picture.
• MIB throws the same dagger that he gave to Richard to kill Jacob with, and that Dogen gave to Sayid to kill MIB with. Pretty cool. 
• "There are very smart men among us. Men who are curious about how things work. Together, we have discovered places all over this island where metal behaves strangely. When we find one of these sites, we dig. And this time, we found something. Come with me, Jacob. Please. What are you going to do when she dies?" MIB "She's never going to die." Jacob "Jacob, everything dies." MIB "Well, I don't want to leave this island. It's my home." Jacob "Well, it's not mine." MIB
• "Where metal behaves strangely." That's awesome. They didn't even know what electromagnetism was! How stupid of them! 
• Watching your mother shave her legs is at the top of the list of creepy-gross-things in this episode. Seriously. That's great, Jacob. You need to get out of the damn house, dude.
• "I've spent 30 years searching for that place you brought me as a child. That waterfall, with that beautiful light. I have walked this island form end to end, not once coming close to finding it. But then, I began to think, what if underneath the island, what if I could get to it from some place else? Figuring out how to reach it took a very long time." MIB
• "They have some very interesting ideas what to do with it." MIB
• "It's a wheel. I'm going to make an opening. One much bigger than this one. And then I'm going to attach that wheel to a system we're building. A system that channels the water and the light. And then, I'm going to turn it. And when I do, I'll finally be able to leave this place." MIB "How do you know all of this? How do you know it will work?" Mother "I'm special, mother." MIB "Please don't do this. Don't go." Mother "I have to go." MIB "Why?" Mother "Because I don't belong here." MIB
• That's where the frozen donkey wheel, the electromagnetism, and the bright light came from, which later became The Orchid station, built by the DHARMA Initiative.
• "I'm so sorry." Mother
• Dammit, why the hell does she always apologize? If you're so sorry, don't do it, Crazy Lady.
• I knew she was going to try to kill him. Seriously. Evil.
• "You are going to protect it now." Mother "What's down there?" Jacob "Life. Death. Rebirth. It's the source. The heart of the island. Just promise me. No matter what you do, you won't ever go down there." Mother "Would I die?" Jacob "It would be rose than dying, Jacob. Much worse." Mother
• This reminds me of John Locke. When he saw the "Smoke Monster" in Walkabout, and what he later described as a "A beautiful, bright, white light." to Mr. Eko in The Cost of Living. He also told Jack that "I've looked into the eye of this island, and what I saw, was beautiful." in White Rabbit. So, the question is, did John Locke see the light?
• "Mother" gives Jacob the same wine that he gave Richard. Apparently it's magic wine because it allows you to stop aging. They should sell that stuff.
• "You accept the responsibility that you will protect this place for as long as you can. And then, you'll have to find your replacement." Mother "I don't want to protect this place." Jacob "Someone has to." Mother "I don't care." Jacob "My time is over. I has to be you, Jacob." Mother "No it doesn't. You wanted it to be him! But, now I'm all you have." Jaocb "It was always supposed to be you, Jacob. I see that now. And one day, You'll see it too. But, until then, you don't really have a choice." Mother
• Ugh. Just shut up and do your damn job, Jacob! You're so whiny.
• Also, this is probably why Jacob made it a point to give people a "choice," although it never really was much of a choice, in my opinion.
• "Now, you and I are the same." Mother
• Really, Mother? Because it sure as hell seems like you and "Man in Black" are more alike than you and Jacob ever were. You're both Smoke Monsters. You both believe that people are inherently bad. 
• "Mother" definitely had to be a Smoke Monster. How the hell else could she have covered that well up so quickly and killed all those people?
• MIB makes the evilest face after his mommy ruins his plan.
• "Mother" knew she was going to die.
• MIB didn't allow her to speak before he stabbed her in the chest.
• She says "Thank you." when he kills her because she is finally free from protecting the island. God knows how long she did it for.
• Jacob is such a whiny little bitch. He throws a hissy-fit and throws his brother into the light well even though his mother just told him to never go in there. What the hell did he expect to happen?
• I loved the shot of MIB going into the light.
• The Smoke Monster comes out of the light. Was he in there all along or did that actually create the Smoke Monster? Did MIB turn into Smokey or did Smokey claim MIB's body? I'm so confused right now.
• Jacob recovers MIB's body and lays it to rest with his mother's in the cave. They are the Adam and Even we've all been wondering about since House of the Rising Sun.
• So, we finally find out who Adam and Eve were. Some people are not happy with this. I am. I always thought that Rose and Bernard being Adam and Eve was way too easy. I also thought that Jack and Kate being Adam and Eve was way too lame. I seriously would have rolled my eyes at that one. I like that Adam and Eve go back to the beginning of everything.
• Also, at first, I thought this was way too obvious and over-done. After a second viewing, and letting it all soak in for a while, I realized that I actually really like this. Sure, the clip-show form Season One was a little cheesy, but it was also really cool to see Jack, Kate and Locke from way back when. They look so young there. Also, I really like that John Locke was there, considering he's the one who actually becomes the Smoke Monster. I find that very interesting. It makes me wonder how much they did know from the beginning.
• Also, a note on Jack: You're an idiot. What do you know about clothing deteriorating? I don't trust anything Jack says. Sure, you can say that the writers actually wrote that, and that proves that they didn't know everything from the beginning, but really, I've never trusted a thing Jack says. I'm fine with it as long as the answer is that Jack is an idiot.
• "Goodbye, brother." Jacob
• So, basically the "Man in Black" vs. The Almighty Jacob is nothing more than a jealous game/sibling rivalry/grudge match? Seriously?
• Also, Jacob and "Man in Black" seriously have major mommy issues. Who said this show was about daddy issues? "Mother Dearest" blows them all out of the water for Worst Parent Ever. She makes Christian Shephard look like Bill Cosby.
• I don't know what everyone's complaining about with the child actors. I thought they did a great job.
• My first thought while viewing this episode was "Ummm... What?! Am I seriously watching LOST right now?"
• Jacob is not the only protector of the island. "Mother" was probably the Smoke Monster to begin with. You need two sides, a yin and yang, if you will, to protect the island. As Danielle Rousseau said, the Smoke Monster is a "security system. Jacob and MIB are both the protectors of the island. "Two players. Two sides. One is light; One is dark."
• As much as I may have seemed annoyed all season that we haven't gotten the name of MIB, I don't really care. I get it. He didn't have a name. This episode made it abundantly clear. I'm letting it go.
• I found it rather curious that both "Mother" and "Man in Black" don't have names. Not sure if that means anything.
• I actually feel bad for MIB right now. I can empathize with him and see why he's been trying to kill Jacob and leave the island all this time. Dude just wants to go home. You can't blame him for that.
• Also, it's just like Darlton to make us absolutely HATE "Man in Black" last week and have us feel terribly bad for him this week, after he just murdered all of our friends.
• I'm more confused now than ever. There are only two episodes left and I still have no frakking clue where this is going, but unlike most people, I actually liked the episode despite that.
• More questions. Always more questions.

Alright, I'm giving you fair warning. I'm going to sound a little preachy here. Everyone needs to calm down about this episode. Sure, it wasn't EVERYTHING I'd hoped it would be, but LOST never is everything that I expect it to be because there's no way that you can predict most of the things that have happened on this show. This episode was a story. It was Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse telling us a little story about the island. The "Man in Black" does not have a name. YOU NEED TO LET IT GO. I'm starting to feel like people think they're in a relationship with LOST, and instead of letting it hurt them, they're getting defensive and putting up their guard before it even has the chance to. I went into this season with an open mind. I've spent 6 years of my life devoted to this show, obsessing about it, and even losing sleep at times. So much so that I had to start a blog about it just to keep myself sane. I'm not going to ruin the show for myself. Look, I'm not the most positive person in the world. In fact, I'm pretty cynical for the most part. I made a choice to go into this season with an open heart and mind and to TRUST the writers to deliver the story THEY WANTED to do. I have loved every single minute of this journey. For just a television show, it has taught me a lot about myself. Perhaps it has even taught me to have a little more of a positive outlook on life. I haven't agreed with every single thing they've done on the show. If you look back at my blog posts, you'll see my criticisms. BUT. I'm not going to put my guard up so high, and criticize every little thing, to the point where there is no option other than to hate the ending of this show. I'm allowing them to tell me their story and I will save my judgments for when it all is said and done. Everyone has the right to voice their own opinion and that's fine. But, to do it to a point where they have no choice other than to hate everything about what's happening right now, when we've all invested so much.. I say why do that. I'm going to enjoy this for now. When it's over, I will have a little perspective and take a look at the big picture. There's no need to overreact right now. If you don't like it in the end, that's fine. But for right now, don't waste the time that there is left obsessing to the point where you're keeping yourself from having fun with it. I'm enjoying myself. You should too.

With that all being said... At first, I wasn't sure that I liked this episode at all. But, after it was over, and after having let it sit for a while, plus a second viewing, I think that I like it a lot more now. What I like most about these types of origin-story episodes are that you can just sit back and be told a story about the island for a while. The characters that we've known and loved for years are gone. You're not all that invested in the ones you're watching, because you have no emotional attachments to them, so you can just allow the story to take you wherever it may go. However, I am not sure that I am happy or satisfied with everywhere the story went in this one. But, as I said before, and many times over, I am here for the journey, so I am going to hold my judgment until this is all over, which is soon. The penultimate is next, and after that, there's only five days left until THE END...