Initial Reaction to "Lighthouse"

I think this season is getting better and better as it moves forward. The writers, producers, directors, and actors had all said, before this season started, that it felt a lot like Season One. Well, now we know why. This season is directly paralleling Season One, by episode-centricity, by scenery, and even by line. It's been really great to have that overall feel of Season One back. It reminds me so much of why I love this show. So, let's get on with why I loved this episode, and some (few) things that I have issues with.

From Lostpedia

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

Questions:

• Why does Jack forget when his appendix was taken out?
• Why is Hurley the only one who can see Jacob?
• Who is coming to the island?
• What music was David listening to?
• What does Claire think happened when they all left?
• Did David have a close relationship with Christian?
• What did Christian leave to Claire in his will?
• Why did Christian and the Man in Black tell Claire that the others took Aaron?
• Who are Adam and Eve?
• Who is David's mother?
• How and when did Dogen get off the island?
• Who built the lighthouse? When was it built?
• What's the mirror about? Why can you see things in it? How?
• Why is Kate #51? Is she important?
• Who is Wallace? Is he/she coming to the island?
• What is their significance? Why are they #108?
• Why did Jacob tell Hurley and Jack to set the mirror to 108?
• Why did Jacob want Jack to see what was in the mirror?
• What does Jack have to do? Is Jack going to become the new Jacob?
• Why did Jacob have to get Jack and Hurley as far away from The Temple as he possibly could?
• Who's going to The Temple?
• What about Sayid and Miles?
• How does Claire know that the Man in Black is not John Locke?
• Why are the Man in Black and Claire friends? Is Claire a recruit?
• What the hell is the Man in Black's damn name already?

From Lostpedia

Notes:

• Those photographs are really badly Photoshopped.
• Great, we get to see Jack's shaved chest again. Sarcasm.
• Jack can't remember when he got his appendix taken out. His mom tells him he had it removed when he was seven.
• Jack has a son! His name is David.
• The two timelines seem to be melding somewhat.
• "Does anyone have a pen!" I was waiting for that, Hurley.
• The framed photograph of the baseball stadium in David's room looks like it may be Dodgers Stadium.
• David has Lewis Carroll's The Annotated Alice in Wonderland.
• Jack is like the best dad ever. Sarcasm.
• I hate when people say "just ignore it/them." Jacob died, Jack!
• I also hate when they have a scene without telling who the person is, trying to make it all mysterious-like, even thought we know who the person is that they're talking about!
• "Indiana Jones stuff." Hurley
• "I'm a candidate and I can do what I want." Hurley
• "Who told you that?" Dogen "Doesn't matter. Why don't you go back to the courtyard?" Hurley
• Hurley totally PWNED Dogen.
• "What did he say?" Hurley "You don't want to know." Jacob
• "Trying to get Jack to do something is like impossible." Hurley
• "I just lied to a Samurai." Hurley
• I love the music when Hurley talks to Jack. It's Hurley's "I'm up to something" music.
• "Be cool, man. Act natural." Hurley
• Where'd Jack get the fruit? Hurley was just looking for the foodcourt! Share, jerkass!
• "He's kind of dead. He turns up whenever he wants, like Obi Wan Kenobi." Hurley
• Claire's squirrely skull baby=creeeeeeeeeeepy!
• Claire seems to have raided The Staff station. She has medical instruments, baby books and Aaron's crib from when she was captured by the others and staying in the Nursery.
• Claire is badass now! I wouldn't mess with her.
• "If there's one thing that'll kill you around her, it's infection." Claire
• Yeah, great job staying out of plain sight and risking being captured by the others there, Kate.
• "Jack, I almost shot you." Kate
• Yeah, so why didn't you shoot him, Kate?
• Kate, Jack and Hurley=awwwwwwkwaaaaaard!
• "She's kind not invited." Hurley
• Really? Like a needle in a damned haystack, Margo? Why don't you try looking for the envelope marked "WILL" that's sticking out on the shelf?
• You're surprised that David is scared of you? Why wouldn't he be terrified of you, Jack? You're freaking crazy and emotional.
• Jack and Margo's conversation about Claire Littleton must've been awkward.
• Claire says that first her father told her, and then her friend. Why? Why would they tell Claire that the others took Aaron?
• "I'd make a terrible dad." Jack
• Uhhh... I thought Shannon never found her inhaler. They tortured Sawyer for nothing.
• It was awesome seeing the caves again.
• "Wait a sec... What if we time traveled again? To, like dinosaur times, and then we died, and we got buried here? What if these skeletons are us?" Hurley
• Good job being the voice of the audience, Hurley. 
• Jack directly references the sister-episode to this one, White Rabbit, on several occasions. He talks to Hurley about how he found the water, by chasing the ghost of his father, who led him there. Jack also says that he smashed his father's coffin because he wasn't in it.
• Surprise, Jack. Your kid ran away.
• If you did something to upset him?! Jack, you're not exactly father of the year.
• Jack finds the key to David's mother's house underneath a rabbit.
• I feel that David's mother will be (if we ever find out) someone important. Perhaps, Sarah, Juliet or Ana Lucia. Doubtfully Kate, because obviously she's on the run.
• Yeah, Jack. Maybe David would trust you if you stopped listening to his messages.
• "This is cool, dude. Very old school. You know, you and me, trekking through the jungle, on your way to do something we don't quite understand. Good times." Hurley
• "How is it that we've never seen it before?" Jack "I guess we weren't looking for it." Hurley
• The others branded Claire just like they did Sayid.
• Hey, Jin, it's probably not a great idea to tell the crazy lady that someone "took" her son.
• Axe to the gut, yeah that's a great way to die.
• "Doesn't say anything on your arm about the door being jammed?" Jack
• David plays music by Chopin.
• Jack, again, becoming father of the year.
• "Your son has a gift." Dogen
• "I guess they used the mirror because electricity hadn't been invented yet." Hurley
• I saw the church where Sawyer's parents' wake was, and where Sawyer met Jacob, in the mirror.
• Kate Austen is #51 in the lighthouse.
• Angry Jack! Why did they have to give away Jack smashing the mirror in the damn promo?
• Wallace is #108 and his/her name is crossed out.
• Why do you have to get all emotional and mess everything up all the time,  Jack? Jeez... need anger management much?
  
• How many times is Jack going to almost cry in this episode? 
• "He said that I didn't have what it takes." Jack
• Get over your issues already, Jack.
• "Thanks for the seven years of bad luck, by the way." Hurley
• "I have ink on my forehead? That's all you have to say? Jack broke your lighthouse, dude! Mission unaccomplished!" Hurley
• Uh-oh.. Kate better not find Claire! She's gonna kill her! Kate better run! 
• "John Locke" is Claire's "friend".
• Oops, that's not John.
• The name of the "Man in Black" has to be important, or else they wouldn't be holding out on it for this long. It's either the name of someone we know, or an important name from history, philosophy, or literature.
• We finally have confirmation that Christian Shephard is on the side of the Man in Black.
• Jacob's theme is heard several times throughout this episode. I love it. Really well done.
• The actor who plays Jack's kid looks so familiar. Too lazy to look it up. 
• Great casting, again, though. Jack's son, David, looks exactly like him.
• That Old Spice commercial they keep playing is awesome.
• Also, Anna from V apparently is a fan of LOST as well. That makes her even hotter.

Overall, I loved this episode. It's probably the best Jack-centric episode since Through the Looking Glass, and paralleled White Rabbit (the first Jack-centric episode of the series) really well. It's really interesting how these new "flash sideways" have found a way to refresh the overall story-telling and the stories of the characters. Because, to be honest, I was tired of Jack's story after the first two episodes that focused on him. After a while, you get tired of seeing Jack get angry and cry and breathe deep through his nose. Sorry, Jack, but I just don't find you that interesting. And I still don't, but despite that, I loved this episode anyway. Maybe because Jack actually did something unexpected in it. He changed. He actually grew and learned from a situation. He broke the mold which molded him. It's about time, Jack.