The Beginning of Act III

As we reach the end of Season 4, we enter the final third of the entire Lost series, or Act III as I'll call it.

Now, think back to the "Dalai Lama" test Ben was given as a young boy. One of the objects placed on the table was The Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley (Wikipedia him for more info...it's quite entertaining!). Crowley was in Cairo when he "received" the book from Aiwass, a messenger for the Egyptian god Horus. This book is divided into three chapters. So as we hit Act III, let's look at Chapter 3. Each line begins with its designated verse number. It starts:

1. Abrahadabra; the reward of Ra Hoor Khut.
2. There is division hither homeward; there is a word not known. Spelling is defunct; all is not aught. Beware! Hold! Raise the spell of Ra-Hoor-Khuit!
3. Now let it be first understood that I am a god of War and of Vengeance. I shall deal hardly with them.
4. Choose ye an island!
5. Fortify it!
6. Dung it about with enginery of war!
7. I will give you a war-engine.
8. With it ye shall smite the peoples; and none shall stand before you.
9. Lurk! Withdraw! Upon them! this is the Law of the Battle of Conquest: thus shall my worship be about my secret house.
10. Get the stele of revealing itself; set it in thy secret temple -- and that temple is already aright disposed -- & it shall be your Kiblah for ever. It shall not fade, but miraculous colour shall come back to it day after day. Close it in locked glass for a proof to the world.

I can't help but see things stand out.

First, what if Aiwass is like Christian Shepherd and Horus is like Jacob. One is the messenger for the other.

There is division hither homeward; there is a word not known.

I definitely feel we will see some conflict about people choosing to stay or go home, while others may have no choice. But there will be division about going home or not.

Now let it be first understood that I am a god of War and of Vengeance. I shall deal hardly with them.

Jacob? Vengeance has certainly been a recurring them on the island.

Choose ye an island! Fortify it!

Duh!

I will give you a war-engine. With it ye shall smite the peoples; and none shall stand before you.

Smokey?

Lurk! Withdraw! Upon them! this is the Law of the Battle of Conquest: thus shall my worship be about my secret house.

If anything, the Others "lurk". Secret house? Jacob's house?

Get the stele of revealing itself; set it in thy secret temple -- and that temple is already aright disposed -- & it shall be your Kiblah for ever. It shall not fade, but miraculous colour shall come back to it day after day. Close it in locked glass for a proof to the world.

The Others went to a secret temple. But could the temple be the island itself? And locked glass...they are entering the Orchid station, which is a greenhouse.

For the complete text, check it out here. Warning: you may be cursed for doing so.

When the Nightmares Started

Last week, Ben asked Widmore, "When did you start sleeping with a bottle of scotch next to your bed?"

His response: "When the nightmares started."

I think the "nightmares" Widmore spoke of is the same type of visions that haunt Jack, Hurley and others throughout Lost. And I think Ben knows they happen, which is why he asked the question. Ben must know that they are a sort of side effect of having contact with the island.

Perhaps everyone has these visions, but some are worse than others. Some of the castaways may be experiencing them and not even realize it. It's only the traumatic ones, like Jack seeing his dead father, that garner attention. Then flip that with Hurley, who seems to have embraced his visions of Charlie after first fearing them.

Clearly Jack fears his father and always has. I think the visions of dad will continue to haunt him until he embraces his father and comes to a reconciliation with him. Remember, Lost started off focusing on people's past, and many of the castaways have rectified their previous actions. Jack still has never done that. He never embraced his father. We only got a first glimpse of that last night when he talked about his father being a good storyteller. Yet, Jack ultimately divulged into pills and booze, just like Widmore last week.

Jack's haunting past is effecting his present, exemplified in his insecurities. He has loved Kate for so long and he finally has her, which we already know he will lose her. Jack's redemption is likely going to be saved for the series finale, so we will have two more seasons of a self-tormented, whiny Jack. Thank goodness there are more characters to enjoy.

Ultimately, Jack's desire to return to the island, as shown in the first flashforward at the end of last season, may be the same as Widmore's desire to find the island:

To make the nightmares stop.

A Taste of Things to Come

Ah, we got great look last week of the ongoing war between Ben and Charles Widmore. It seems that these two are locked in a battle, possibly good versus evil. But first, I want to reference a previous blog post of mine on March 2:

"On another note, Penny's dad bought a book once owned by a Hanso that was an artifact of the Black Rock. I think he may end up being the ultimate villain to this whole series. I think he may be the economist Sayid was trying to get to in the future. I think that's his freighter out there, which is why they know not to answer Penny's calls. He has had connection with Dharma in the past and now he wants Ben because he led the purge. He wants the secrets of the island for his own personal gain. Maybe even to be immortal. Maybe he's been to the island and now he's trying to get back. Maybe he was on the Black Rock when it set sail."

Now I bring this back up because there is a big theory circulating that Widmore is actually Magnus Hanso, the captain of the Black Rock and the ancestor of those that started the Hanso Foundation. I debated this idea in my head for awhile and concluded that they are not the same person. However, I do think Widmore does have a connection to the ship, with one of two possibilities.

1) He was the owner of the company that the Black Rock sailed for, which is partially how he accumulated his wealth. He may have even been searching for the island then, with this being his first freighter.

While this is a possibility, I favor my second idea, which is also why I don't believe Hanso and Widmore are the same person.

2) He was a member of the crew of the Black Rock, sailing under the command of Hanso. And I quite possibly think Widmore was the second in command of the Black Rock.

Think back to the auction scene in Desmond's flashback where Widmore purchased the journal of the first mate of the Black Rock. I think Widmore was buying what used to be his. The journal was auctioned by Tovard Hanso. So it wouldn't make sense that Widmore would have to buy something from the Hansos if he was a Hanso himself. There was a painting of ship next to Widmore's bed that I believe is of the Black Rock.

There may have been a history between Hanso and Widmore. Widmore may have led a mutiny against Hanso to take control of the island. I think there may have been a battle between the Hansos and Widmores for control of the island over the years. Then Ben stepped in and disrupted that battle and entered the war. Now I think Ben represents good and Widmore represents evil. Think back to the pilot episode where Locke and Walt play backgammon and Locke talks about what the colors represent. And yes, Ben does do some seemingly evil things. However, I'm reminded of the fortune cookie saying I keep in my wallet: "For a good cause, wrong doing may be virtuous."

Finally, Widmore seems to care greatly about Penelope. But I've yet to see any display of emotion or connection to the Hansos, which brings me to my final point.

Penny won't be killed. Ben won't be the one to go after and kill her. He will send his lackey Sayid. While Sayid may find some revenge in killing her, he ultimately won't because he will see her as innocent and does not want to hurt his friend Desmond. So it will probably come to a dramatic scene with Sayid pointing the gun and ultimately unable to pull the trigger. He will tell Penelope to go into hiding and tell Ben that she is dead. Ben will have the satisfaction of his revenge, though it never will have taken place.