5x16 "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2" review

My hand is still shaking as I type these words. Not because I was playing a drinking game based on the number of times Phil annoyed me, but because the last moments of the finale were so intense -- leading Lost to have the only fade-to-white that it has ever had. It was one of the most shocking moments of Lost. Not only had a five-year constant suddenly become a variable, but we had been left with the biggest cliffhanger yet on the show -- even bigger than season three's amazing season ender.

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this episode, I just thought I'd point out the funniest part of the episode to me: the death of Eyebrows (rarely known as Phil). He had been a thorn in the Losties' side for far too long, and it was great to see him get speared through the chest with a magnetically-driven pole. Farewell, Clippy/Eyebrows/Phil. We knew you too well.

And that's not the half of this wonderful episode, which was two full hours worth of action, emotion, and Jacob, Jacob, Jacob. I was quite surprised to see Jacob's heavy role in the lives of the survivors, but pleasantly so. I'm interested to discover the importance of these events, some of which left me wondering why exactly Jacob was even there (i.e. Locke's fall -- Why did Jacob need to be there?).

And then we have the elusive Jacob's enemy, a new character and perhaps the big villain of the show from here on out, who just happens to be masquerading as our favorite bald hunter. The character is ruthless and interesting, and could perhaps be the show's only clear-cut antagonist (along with Keamy, of course). We didn't even get the name of this baddie, but I'm sure we can all come up with some great nicknames to call him (much like the nickname Fenry, Flocke comes to mind). But that makes me wonder -- is this new enemy the smoke monster incarnate? He possesses the monster's ability to animate (or copy) dead people. Was he manipulating Christian's body? Was he using Yemi as a puppet for Eko? Has he been there all along, and we just didn't know it was him? This seems to make more sense, considering the black and white garb of Jacob and his enemy. Maybe Jacob is the bright light that Locke saw in season one?

Speaking of dead people, who else was sad to see Sayid get shot? Of course, Roger did have some vindication, but in that moment I really wanted Jack to shoot Roger (even though I knew it wasn't going to happen. Because we already saw Roger die in the DHARMA bus! Whatever happened, happened, right?

Wrong! Juliet made that perfectly clear in the final moments of the episode, in one of the most amazing scenes ever played on television. Juliet, having been sucked down the shaft and grievously (probably mortally) wounded, slammed a rock into Jughead's core and set it off, leaving the screen to fade to white ominously.

What happened? Will probably be the most debated question over the break. Will the Losties reset themselves, and land in LA? If so, how can the show go on for another year? How can the show follow up such a wonderful ending? The questions are numerous, but I think one thing is for certain: we'll see Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Juliet, Miles, Hurley, Jin, and Sayid all next year.

Other things I liked about the episode: the reveal of the statue in its full prime (though we still did not get to see its front). The statue is of Taweret, the Egyptian goddess of fertility. And living under her is...Jacob. Therefore, the answer to the question "What lies in the shadow of the statue," is Jacob, or, as Richard put it in Latin, "He who will protect us."

Also great: We finally saw why Pierre Chang had a prosthetic arm -- it was crushed in the Incident. Miles' cry of "Dad!" was also great, showing that Miles is finally getting his father figure, even if it is thirty years too late.

We also seemed to get the answer to whom Ilana and Bram work for: Jacob. Jacob visited Ilana after a horrible accident which left her severely bandaged in a hospital, and recruited her to work for him. The question that's left now is, how did she know him before? She said she was happy to see him...was he her lover? Ancestor? What?

I know that I've left quite a lot out of this review, but we've got a long break ahead of us to discuss every little detail. So stick with the Lostpedia blog through the hiatus for the latest deconstructions and examinations of "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2."