Lost episode recap – “Lighthouse” S6E5 airdate 02/23/10)

Alterna-2004: Jack comes home from work to a fairly impersonal apartment. As he’s washing up, he notices a scar on his belly that makes him pause a little. The phone rings: it’s his mom, distraught about his father’s missing body. He sees the time and has to hang up on his mom, promising to stop by later. He dashes out the door, late to pick up … his son David from school. David is pouty about having to wait, btw. Also, Alterna-Jack still has that awesome truck I loved from a season or so ago.

Island. Dogan finds Jack staring out over the pool near the Temple. He asks Jack if Kate, Sawyer and Jin are coming back and Jack admits that no, probably not. Dogan appreciates his honesty. Meanwhile, Hurley is hungry so he goes into the Temple looking for food. He asks some guy inside by the healing pool if he knows where the kitchen is; the guy does, but more importantly, he tells Hurley that he should get a pen, as he’ll need to write some things down. It’s Jacob, you see, either not quite dead or dead in that special way where Hurley can talk to him. “Someone is coming to the Island. I need you to help him find it,” says Jacob, very seriously.

Alterna-2004. David gets right down to his homework when they get back to Jack’s apartment, ignoring his dad when Jack tries to talk to him. David’s like: Look we see each other once a month – let’s just get through it. Then Jack gets another call from his overwrought mom, asking him to come by right now. David rolls his eyes and goes back to ignoring his dad. Jack’s feelings are a bit hurt.

Island. Sayid asks Jack why all the Others are staring at him. Jack says just ignore them. But Sayid presses the issue, wanting to know what Jack is hiding from him. So Jack says that the Others wanted Jack to give Sayid a poison pill, to kill him and whatever it is inside him. He goes on to say that the Others told him that what’s happened to Sayid has happened to someone else. “Who?” asks Sayid.

Cut to Rambo-Claire, forging through the jungle to Jin, whose ankle is a friggin’ mess from the bear trap. She kicks at the two Others, attempting to confirm that they’re dead, and then springs the trap, freeing him. “How long have you been out here?” he asks. “Since you left,” she replies, “how long ago was that?” Then she tells him that they’ve got to get out of here – can he walk? He says yes, and then passes out most unhelpfully.

Back at the temple, Hurley is wandering around, looking at the hieroglyphics on the stone walls. He’s about to press one when Dogan catches him and crankily tells him to go back outside. Then Jacob appears and tells Hurley what to say: “I’m a candidate and I can do what I want.” This freaks Dogan out some, and he walks away, mumbling to himself. Jacob wants to know why Hurley hasn’t brought Jack with him, as instructed. Hurley objects that Jack isn’t going to want to come with him on this snipe hunt … but the next scene has Hurley telling Jack that there’s a secret tunnel out into the jungle and Jack has to come with him, ‘cuz Jacob said so. Jack doesn’t want to go. So Hurley plays his ace (as instructed by Jacob): Jack, you have what it takes. This phrase gets Jack’s attention for some reason and he demands to know where Jacob is. Hurley: well, he’s dead, dude, but he’ll be where we’re going. With an exasperated eye roll, Jack stands and says let’s go.

When Jin comes to, Claire ahs managed to get him to her camp which looks remarkably Rousseau-esque. There are sticks of dynamite all over, and also a creepy cradle with a dressed-up animal skeleton inside it. Claire comes into the tent, dragging with her Justin the Other who was just pretending to be dead. She plans to beat out of Justin just where the Others have taken her son, but first she needs to clean up Jin’s AWFUL looking leg wound. “If there’s one thing out here that’ll kill ya,” she says to him, “it’s infection.” She says she’ll be right back but Jin interrupts, “Claire, have you been out here alone all this time?” I’m not alone, she says chirpily. Jin and Justin look at each other like this chick is totally CRAZY. Justin says they have to get out of here right now because if they don’t, Claire will kill them both – and it doesn’t matter that Jin used to know her.

As Hurley and Jack traipse through the woods, they come across Kate who nearly shoots them accidentally, having a nervous trigger finger and all. She tells the boys that she’s not going back to the Temple as she’s determined to find Claire. Jack tells her that the Others told him that something is wrong with Claire but Kate insists on sticking to her own quest, and they part ways.

Alterna-2004. Jack and his mom ransack Christian’s office, looking for his will. His mom asks if he wants a drink and Alterna-Jack politely turns her down. His mom asks how David is doing since he was so upset at the funeral they held for Christian. Jack hadn’t really noticed that his son was upset since they don’t really communicate with each other. His mom’s all, he’s your son and you should talk to him. They find the will and his mom pages through it. “Jack, did you father ever mention a Claire Littleton?” Nope, not in this reality!

Island. As Claire putters around out by her campfire, sterilizing things and sharpening her axe, Justin urges Jin to untie him. But they run out of time and she comes back in, ready to stitch Jin’s leg up. She apologizes for catching him in her trap, but she’s had to defend herself from the Others. Jin asks what she’s going to do with them next and she says she’s going to get Justin to tell her where Aaron is. Juston protests that his people don’t have Aaron but she is adamant, saying that both her father and her “friend” told her the Others have him. Jin: “Who’s your friend?” She deflects the question, asking instead if Jin is still her friend. Of course, says the poor man, tears and sweat running down his face from the trauma of being stitched up with no anesthesia. Good, she says, giving him a sweet smile. When she’s done with the needle and thread, she picks up an axe and looks at Justin: now it’s your turn.

During their wanderings, Jack and Hurley come upon the skeletal Adam and Eve in the caves by the stream, from way back in S1. The remains of Christian’s coffin are also in there with them. Jack gets all misty for a moment over the coffin. But just a moment.

Alterna-2004. Jack has brought home pizza for dinner but when he goes to check on David, the boy has scarpered. Some time later, Jack calls David’s cell yet again, apologizing for whatever he did. He drives over to David’s mother’s house – she’s supposed to be out of town (who do you think she is?) – and when there’s no answer, he lets himself in with the hide-a-key. But David is not there and sad Jack wanders around his bedroom, looking at things. He plays the answering machine – there’s a message from a music conservatory confirming an appointment; there’s also a message from Jack, calling his son from Australia in the aftermath of Christian’s death – and he gets teary again.

Island. Hurley is getting nostalgic: this is old school, him and Jack traipsing through the jungle on their way to do something they don’t understand - “good times.” He asks Jack why he agreed to come back to the Island. Jack answers by asking him why he did. Hurley tells him that Jacob shared a cab with him and told him to – now, c’mon, what’s your reason, Jack? Jack gets all teary AGAIN: I came back here because I was broken, and I was stupid enough to think this place could fix it. Hurley: Dude, I’m sorry. Finally, they emerge from the jungle at a tall stone lighthouse on a cliff overlooking the ocean. How have we never seen this before? wonders Jack. Hurley, in all his wisdom: “Guess we weren’t lookin’ for it.”

Back at Claire’s camp, Claire is freaking out, saying that the Others took her to the Temple, stuck her with needles, branded her (she shows Jin the mark), and they won’t tell her where her son is. Justin can’t say anything that she’ll listen to and she picks up her axe, aiming for his neck. Jin finally gets her attention, shouting her that Kate took Aaron off the Island and he’s okay, he’s fine, and he’s three years old now. Justin says yes, that’s true, and if you untie me, I promise to leave and not tell anyone I ever saw you. Claire takes a step back, tears in her eyes, and then swings the axe, burying it in poor Justin’s gut. Ouch. She staggers out of the tent while Jin just stares after her in shock.

Hurley and Jack are supposed to climb up the Lighthouse and get the light going. Jack kicks the door in: “After you.”

Alterna-2004. Jack has made his way to the conservatory just in time to hear David’s recital/audition. He’s an incredible pianist. Jack starts crying again. This episode should be subtitled that: “Jack cries again.” Another auditioning kid’s father is Alterna-Dogan, who tells Jack that David has a gift. Jack is discomfited to admit that he doesn’t even know how long David has been playing.

Lighthouse. The boys have made it to the top and Hurley starts setting the mirror mechanism Tell me when it gets to 108 degrees.” There are names and numbers written on the gear wheel: Jack sees that his name has the number 23 on it. He grabs the gearing from Hurley and turns it to 23 degrees: Jack’s childhood home back on the mainland appears reflected mirror. Jack connects the dots very quickly: Jacob has been watching them all their lives. That’s kind of icky. He starts to freak out and demands to know where Jacob is, why he’s been watching them: “What does he want from me?” Hurley tries to explain that it doesn’t work like that; he doesn’t have any answers, but Jack Has Had Enough. He picks up a piece of driftwood and bashes the shit out of the Lighthouse’s mirrors, shattering them into itty-bitty bits. Hurley is horrified and speechless.

Alterna-2004. Jack catches up to David after the recital. The boy is surprised and shocked to see his dad. David admits that the reason he didn’t tell Jack about the recital was because he didn’t want his father to see him fail – apparently Jack was pretty intense about his son’s piano playing earlier. Jack shares a moment from his own scary dad past, how Christian always used to tell him that he “didn’t have what it takes.” He starts crying again (what – is this Party of Five?) and tells David that no matter what, he is proud of him and he only wants to be part of his life. David gets a little misty himself. Then they go back home to bond over cold pizza.

Island. Jack and Hurley are gazing out over the ocean – separately, because Hurley wisely doesn’t want to be too close to Jack right now - when Jacob pops up to ask how everything went. Hurley freaks out that he was unable to complete Jacob’s quest until he sees that Jacob totally doesn’t care. Hurley connects the dots quickly: Jacob wanted Jack to see what he saw in that mirror. Yup, says Jacob, Jack has to figure out for himself why he’s here. Plus he had to get Jack and Hurley as far from the Temple as possible because someone bad is headed there. Hurley yelps that they have to go warn them but Jacob says no, sorry, it’s too late.

At Claire’s camp, she offers Jin some water and asks where it was that Kate was raising Aaron. Jin’s like, um, I was lying to save that guy’s life, but you were right, the Others have your baby. He tells her that he knows how to get into the Temple and can take her there. Claire smiles, pleased, and says that she’s glad that he was lying. Because if Kate really was raising Aaron, she’d kill her. Jin: gulp. (Did Jin only tell her that because he figured she’d wig out on Kate, or does he want her to go terminate the Others?)

There are footsteps outside and a familiar voice saying, “Am I interrupting?” It’s Not-Locke, and he steps into the tent with a faint smile. Jin is incredulous: “John?” Claire almost giggles: “This isn’t John – this is my friend.” Then both she and Not-Locke grin at poor Jin and it’s super-super-creepy.

Okay, this wasn't bad for a Jack-centric episode (stop crying, you big puss!).  They are continuing to tie up, or at least mention, loose ends like Adam and Eve, as well as making connections between the "real" reality and the alternate one, and we're definitely moving forward.  One question, though: when will we see darling Desmond again?

Previously on Lost / next time on Lost