Revealed at last

EPISODE TITLE: “The Incident”
WRITTEN BY: Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse

WOW.  Where the hell do I begin with this review.  Every year it’s the same problem with a Lost season finale, there are some questions answered but a whole heap more raised, and the end of the episode leaves fans screaming at the TV wanting just one minute more.  I found myself yelling at the TV on more than one occasion, specifically when Jack was holding the bomb over the hole, when Illana showed Lapidus what was in the box but not the audience, and the final flash to white after Juliet smashed the rock against the bomb.

I’m glad that Jacob was finally revealed, however I thought he would be because of comments Michael Emerson made in an interview, but it was still something which had been brewing for years now.  The opening scene between Jacob and the man in black was great, and it brought back memories of the backgammon game between Walt and Locke, the black and white stones which were found on Adam and Eve in the first season, and the discussion between Ben and Widmore at the end of season four where they hinted that they couldn’t kill each other.

One of the aspects of this season which I have enjoyed so much was the development of Locke into a bonafide leader, someone who commanded respect and didn’t just seek it.  He had transformed from a man who was constantly making poor decisions and seemed out of his element into a man who knew everything and feared nothing.  It’s because of this that I’m just a little disappointed to know that the Locke who’s walking around the island now is not the real Locke, but is in fact the man in black.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for the introduction of a character who’s sure to be a central player during the sixth and final season, but in reality this means that Locke really is dead and that if/when he comes back he’ll most likely be the same insecure person he always was.

I personally found that the segments involving Jack and the 1977 gang fell pretty flat, with the only significant parts being the great confrontation between Sawyer and Jack where I honestly thought one of them was going to die, either by the others hand or by Juliet or Kate, and the scene where Sawyer loses Juliet.  That scene between Sawyer and Juliet was especially moving and I honestly didn’t expect it to be, because I haven’t really bought them as a couple for the whole season.  I guess it just goes to show the acting chops of Josh Holloway and Elizabeth Mitchell.

Illana and her crew are another aspect of this season which I haven’t been interested in, and whilst they haven’t felt completely tacked on like Nikki and Paulo, they also haven’t been seemless introductions like Miles, Farraday, Charlotte and Lapidus were.  Just like Jacob and the man in black, they’re almost certainly going to be major parts of the final season, but until then I’m not too interested in their story.

So what happens next?  Did the bomb reset everything or did it actually cause the problem?  Is Jacob dead?  Is Sayid dead?  Is Juliet dead?  Who’s the good guy, Ben or Widmore, Jacob or the man in black?  I have the utmost confidence that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse will answer these questions and many more, it’s just painful that I’m going to have to wait until January 2010 for them to start doing so.

FINAL GRADE:   A-    (I had to knock off a little because I just wasn’t interested in the Jack gang)