Ab Aeterno: "From the beginning of time."

I am still reeling this morning from last night's Lost! I have not yet wrapped my brain around everything that transpired in this episode. I am glad I am off today, so I have time to rewatch it and try to figure things out a little bit more. From the beginning of the show, we (the fans) have been told the island is not Hell, Purgatory, or anything of the like. However, after last night, we are all questioning that I'm sure. So....here is my take on the fantastic Richard-centric episode, Ab Aeterno.

Richard's story begins in 1867 when we discover that his wife is very sick. Richard is determined to do anything he can to save her. He tells her he is going to get her help, and then she gives him her necklace. I love the love stories on this show. They are so real and pure, which is a true testament to the actors, I think.

Richard goes to find the doctor and gives him all the money he has as well as Isabelle's necklace. The doctor says that is not enough and tells him that the necklace is worthless. In Richard's anger, he pushes the doctor who falls and hits his head on the table, thus killing him. He takes the medicine and runs away.

Unfortunately, Richard is too late when he returns with the medicine and Isabelle has already died. In his grief, he is arrested for the doctor's murder and imprisoned.

In the prison, Richard is visited by a priest. Upon asking the priest to absolve him of his sins, the priest tells Richard he cannot do this as Richard must atone for his sins and he does not have time to do this as he is to be hanged the next day. Is this priest for real?? There were so many reasons I disagreed with the priest, and I was crying out to Richard...telling him that, yes, he could be absolved and forgiven, but my heart was breaking for him as the priest told him that the Devil awaited him in Hell.

Luckily (?), the next day, Richard is instead sold to a slave trader (working for Magnus Hanso) and boards The Black Rock. After being at sea for a while, there is a storm/hurricane/tsumani (take your pick) which leads to The Black Rock crashing into the Tawaret statue on the island! Awesome!!!

After the shipwreck, Richard is found alive with the other slaves in the hull of the ship. The captain comes in and kills everyone because he thinks they will eventually kill him.

Just when the captain is about to kill Richard, we hear a very familiar noise. Smokey shows up and kills everybody on the ship, and then he approaches Richard. He "assesses" Richard, and determines not to kill him. Instead (here is my theory), he read Richard's thoughts and discovered what has just happened to Isabelle, learned what he was told about Hell, and so Smokey decides to use this to his advantage.


I think Smokey then took the form of Isabelle to try to manipulate Richard into helping him try to kill Jacob. Some people are questioning how Isabelle could be trying to help Richard out of the chains, when Smokey noises were being heard from above. However, we have been shown in past episodes that Smokey can "divide" himself. Therefore, I still feel that Isabelle was in fact a manifestation of MIB. Shortly after Isabelle is "taken" by Smokey, MIB shows up and frees Richard from his chains. As a condition, however, MIB tells Richard he must do something for him....he must kill the Devil. He tells Richard that he is in Hell and that the Devil lives at the statue that his ship crashed into. He gives Richard the Dogen knife and tells him again, "Do not let him talk to you." Richard heads off to kill El Diablo.


Of course, El Diablo, is in fact Jacob. Jacob tells Richard that no, he is not dead and he is not in Hell. He tells Richard that the island is a cork that is keeping the evil contained. He tells Richard that he has been bringing people to the island to try to prove to MIB that people have an inherent nature to choose to be good. Then, he recruits Richard to be his liason to the people he brings to the island. He asks Richard what he would like in return for his service, to which Richard asks to have his wife back. "I can't do that." He then asks to be absolved of his sins. "I can't do that." Then he wants to live forever. "That I can do." Jacob then touches Richard's shoulder.


Back in the current time line, Richard goes looking for the spot where he buried Isabelle's necklace many, many years ago. Hurley follows him and when he catches up to him, he tells him that Isabelle told him to go after him. Richard and Hurley share a Patrick Swayze Ghost moment with Hurley telling Richard what Isabelle is saying (I'm just glad they didn't kiss like Whoopie and Demi did in the movie...UGH!!). She tells him he is not responsible for what happened to her, etc., and then she tells him he must not follow MIB. This seems to be enough to convice Richard to remain on Team Jacob...even though he had been calling out to MIB, saying he had changed his mind. Hurley must have arrived just in time as the screen then cuts to..............

DUN.....DUN....DUN.....sinister!!!

Finally, we see Jacob and MIB (wish we could find out his real name) back on the island. MIB tells Jacob that he will eventually kill him, so that MIB can be released to which Jacob says that someone will just replace him. MIB then tells Jacob that he will just kill the next person too. That doesn't sound too good for our candidates. Then Jacob gives MIB the bottle of wine to pass the time. MIB then smashes the bottle on the rocks.

Soooo.....the question we are all having is...are they truly in Hell? Have they been dead all along? I do not believe they are. I believe this was just MIB's manipulation of Richard's religious beliefs and playing on his guilt and shame of killing a man, as well as his grief from losing his wife. I do believe that MIB could be some form of the Devil, or at the very least some form of evil or Hell, so I believe Jacob or the island is keeping him/it contained so it will not be unleashed on the rest of the world. If the island is destroyed, then it would seem feasible that he would then be set free (just like him breaking the bottle of wine on the rocks). Therefore, I can see why Smokey would want a hydrogen bomb to be brought to the island, and I can see why he would want the island to sink to the bottom of the sea. I am sure there are many other aspects of these new revelations that could be discussed, but I will leave my thoughts here. Great episode as I knew it would be. :)

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I don't want to leave anyone without some kind of spoiler, so here is the latest from Watch with Kristin as posted on DarkUFO's site. Once again, I have to thank DarkUFO for the pics that I post. If you have not visited his site, you can find it at http://darkufo.blogspot.com/

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More Four-Play: Just what you wanted (no?) a new four letter word that will be revealed in two weeks which is very important. If you want to play along, here goes: This word has no A's, one E, and as of episode 11 it will be clear that this four-letter word is what this series is ultimately all about. It's also the word that just might end up connecting the two worlds (the island and the Flash-Sideways Los Angeles) we've been seeing all season long.

Scoop on next week's episode:

- There's a reveal about Jin and Sun that will shock you. They are *o* *a*****!
- We'll see Daniel Dae Kim shirtless. (You're welcome, Josh Holloway, who lobbied for that. And you're welcome, world.)
- Fake Locke reveals why they need to leave the island.
- We learn that a female Lostie is "expendable."
- There will be a "package."