Welcome back to this week’s edition of DADDY ISSUES!

... In which we attempt to make some sense and semblance of the prior week’s episode of Lost, everyone’s favorite program packed plentifully with patriarchal pandemonium!

 To warn you all, I fucking hated this episode. I thought it was schlock at least on the level of this season’s Kate episode, if not much, much worse. First off … flash-sideways-Jack’s got a son! Finally, a real son of his own ... too bad he sucks at being a dad. Aw shucks! There’s one thing we do know for sure: He can’t keep a marriage for shit. Surprise, surprise. I wonder if he’ll end up redeeming himself somehow by the end of the episode?!

It’s interesting to note that flash-sideways-Jack's appendix was taken out when he was seven or eight, while regular-timeline Jack’s appendix was taken out by Juliet, on-island.

One interesting theory, courtesy of EW's Jeff Jensen [7], is that 8-year-old Jack's appendicitis might’ve occurred when Jughead exploded on the Island and Jack's castaway memory “uploaded” itself (potentially laying dormant until now) with (in?) young Jack's mind. So is there some kind of phantom memory going on here? I think the jury’s still out, though Jack’s confusion over his various scars confuses me more than it does him.

Speaking of Juliet (either the surgery or Jughead, tasteful or otherwise), could she be Jack's ex-wife in the flash-sideways? Jack and David’s relationship echoes that of Michael and Walt, strained and devoid of proper communication. Isn’t DADDY ISSUES fun? In fact, this whole “candidate” business casts a patriarchal light over Jacob’s role on the Island, watching his pawns (kind of how drunk Christian treats young Jack) and “candidates” quite intimately from a distance.

My favorite part of the episode was Claire as the new Rousseau. I loved the incredibly creepy crib with faux baby made of scavenged animal parts. Was it a little too obviously parallel to Rousseau’s storyline? Yes, probably, but that’s the point … I think. But if Claire’s infected, was Rousseau? Or, was her crew the opposite (i.e. Jacob version) of “infected.”

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE REALLY EXITING TEMPLE…

Things are still super boring: Jack and Samurai epically chop it up, Miles and Hurley play tic-tac-toe in the dirt just to reinforce how mundane their existence is, then Jacob shows up, intermittently debating and guiding Hurley (and Jack) to .... the lighthouse. I'm sorry, but the nerdy meta-ness (mostly espoused by Hurley) is getting a little heavy-handed (the Obi Wan reference, and the time-travel theory nod in Jack and Hurley's discussion of the Adam and Eve skeletons).

On their way, Jack and Hurley bump into Kate, who declines Jack's invitation to the lighthouse, opting instead to search for Claire. This makes interesting food for thought, particularly considering the episode's penultimate comment by Claire about killing Kate if she had Aaron. (Ed. DO IT!!!!! —  Julie) Claire does seem pretty handy with a weapon, as well as demented. Are furbabies technically considered a fetish?

INTRODUCING…THE LIGHTHOUSE! 

Jack has control issues, stemming from his daddy/childhood home, which leads him to destroy the awesome compass-number-candidate mirror when he realizes Jacob's been watching him (and the rest of his candidate buddies) with it. Wah-wah-wah…

RANT TIME - I hate Jack episodes because they're archetypical Lost. Even though this scene gave us the awesome lighthouse set and mirror set piece, as well as the further interconnection of the numbers to the characters and the big question/mythology/architecture — the one Blocke weakly "explained" to Sawyer with the cave and subsequent candidate story — I see this episode as a lot of Jack-fulfilling-daddy-issues-fluffy-filler, particularly the flash sideways cameo of Samurai Man at Jack's son David's piano recital.

IMPORTANT QUESTION

What would Jack and Hurley have seen if they had actually listened to Jacob and turned the mirror to 108 degrees? Is that one of the candidate’s numbers, or something different? And are the numbers on the compass the same as those in the cave? Not having the answer to that one is just poor investigatory work.

In Conclusion

A MASSIVE SHOWDOWN SEEMS TO BE FORMING

Obviously we’ve been apprised of this for almost the entire show, but particularly since the last season finale, in which we observed Jacob and his adversary (Smokey/Blocke) discuss their conflict. As Blocke has “recruited” Claire, Sawyer and maybe soon Sayid, Jacob will “recruit” Jack, Hurley and more. Considering Kate’s not a candidate, it’ll be interesting to see where she goes (particularly when Claire gets to the Temple and doesn’t find Aaron). (Ed. And kills her! — Julie) Will the castaways struggle for Aaron, boy wonder? Who fucking knows? Fuck Jack episodes, fuck Kate episodes, and keep up the mythology. ’Til next week…