Lost Season 6: Episode 3: The Substitute

Wow, The Substitute, what a fine example of an hour of Lost. It will probably end up being one of the top ten episodes, if not the top five.

It quite simply was a Great episode, one of the best, answered a few mysteries, while creating even more, highly entertaining, GIVE JOSH HOLLOWAY AN EMMY ALREADY. This season and the end of last season he has been on top of everything, and has proven what a great actor he is, fleshing his character out so much.

But what most people are talking about is the Wall with the names and numbers on it corresponding to our losties and the numbers we have heard over and over again in the series going all the way back to season one and that very very first episode.

As Lostpedia says:
"When the Man in Black takes Sawyer to the Numbers Cave, he shows him names and numbers written all over the walls and ceiling. He explains that Jacob wrote these names and numbers -- that they represent people he brought to the island, as candidates to replace him. Each candidate's name is paired with a number. ("The Substitute")
When the names and numbers are first shown, most of the names are crossed out, but several are still left:
4 - Locke
8 - Reyes
15 - Ford
16 - Jarrah
23 - Shephard
42 - Kwon

The Man in Black claims that each candidate has three choices:
Stay until you're 'crossed out'.
Take over and become the new 'Jacob'.
Leave.

As he explains this, he crosses out the name and number of Locke"

I dont know yet why Kate wasnt all the wall, but we don't know yet, maybe she was, and she was crossed out for some reason or another i Don't know.

However several of the names could have multiple conotations.

23 Shephard could be Jack, Claire or Aaron, now it has been pointed out that the later two are not technically shephards, but they do come from that line. ex. I may have the last name of my father, but that is only one half of me, there is also my mothers maiden name which is my other half. Make sense?

However it has been pointed out that the Name Littelton was on the wall crossed out with number 313, so that could mean either Claire or Aaron.

Also I dont like that all the names could be male. does the leader have to be male? I hope not. although technically couldnt Shepard also mean Claire, or was Littelton on there as well?? Kwan could be Jin or Sun, but with the way their story lines have been going i would lean towards Jin.

I read something interesting online, MIB has a name, but not even the main actor who played him in the flash back scene knew what it was, I don't think even John Locke knows, its also a name that is important to the series.

The On Island time line was by far the stronger and more interesting with Sawyer and anti Locke going at it. I found it very funny that Sawyer knew right away that anti Locke wasnt the Real Locke. Comes to show that being a con man can be a good thing. Sawyer at this point was at his lowest, but yet he seems to rise above it all, He sees the strange boy which scares anti Locke, and whom Richard can not see....which by the way, I have never seen Richard this scared before, he was Terrefied.

As for the boy we can only postulate who he is, it could be a younger version of Jacob, Aaron or someone else entirely. But how about this: what if he is a manifestation of the island itself. Jacob and anti Locke are two sepreate entities neither we have found out is the actual island. They are mearly leaders on two oppossing sides and forces on the island. We have long postulated that there is something or someone that represents the island. and is the main force of power on it. they stand alone. and thus create the rules for the island, which is why he was chastising anti locke. Its only a theory for now.

Another theory: Ok a co worker of mine, Dave actually came up with this one, i dont know if it is out there yet, so i am giving full credit to him, but i know he doesnt listen to the show. What if the way it will end is that the losties will get to chose which reality they get to live in the "real" reality or the 'alternate reality" but someone has to stay behind on the island to control everything. This way the realitys are connected in some way, the balance is off kilter right now, we saw this through only one stone being on the scale now. This cant stay this way forever. I am adding to this that there will have to be two people to keep the balance, that is if MIB escapes or goes home or whatever he wants. Now my co worker thinks that the person to stay on the island will be Sawyer, and I completly agree with this, Sawyer is alone, he has no one to live for anymore off island, his life in the alt reality from what we saw doesnt seem to be that different if he is still a conman, he may want to stay on the island and be close to Juliet, however he did seem to want to leave the island in this episode, but as he pointed out, each time he has tried it hasnt worked out for him.

I posted this on the Black Rock podcast earlier this week and Robert Renfrow replied with something very intersting:

I really like this, for its symmetry and simplicity. I would say, however, that the island requires TWO volunteer guardians, not one. To me, ideally, it would be one male, the other female, one light, one dark, one of science, one of faith, etc., and finally, for it to be a truly happy ending, both would CHOOSE to Live Together, lest they Die Alone.

I replied:
I agree, with your idea, i would love for it to be one male and one female, but a little worried that the writers tend to like males in power positions alot more. plus Jacob and MIB are obviously male.

Finally Locke in the alternate reality. A broken man, but one who has Love. he also is engaged to Helen and seems to have a relationship with is father, this can be seen in the fact that he has a photo of the two of them on his desk at work, also he has invited his father to the wedding. Which brings up two questions: why is he in a wheel chair? and does he still have his kidney?

B/c if my father stole my kidney or threw me out a window i would not still be friends with him.

The title refers to first off the names on the wall substituting and taking over the positions of Jacob and Anti Locke, but it also refers to John Lockes' new job in the alt world, and it is one he is well suited for, and one which I absolutly love, however he comes into contact with Benjamin Linus who is a European History Teacher at the school. Which brings up another big question. How is he still alive???

When we last saw him in the 1970's time line he was getting healed by Richard, we next see him in the others camp and he has been changed. We never see him return to the barracks. If the bomb went off and sunk the island, he would have been on it. thus Ben would be dead in the alternate time line...but he isnt? why? Was he returned to the barracks and we didnt know about it during the incident? Were some of the others able to escape the sinking island? Did the Island sink right away.

So many questions so little time, with only a limited number of episodes left will they all get answered?