Episode Recap - "Ab Aeterno"

The episode title "Ab Aeterno" is Latin for "From the beginning of time."

Man.. what an episode. It's been awhile since we've had a great one like this. The episode starts with Ilana telling everyone about when Jacob visited her in the hospital. He tells her to listen to Ricardus because he'll know what to do. Richard then reveals that he has NO idea what to do.. in fact, he's ready to kill himself, or betray Jacob. It's at this point that Richard tells us something that we've been waiting for..

"You're dead. We're all dead. Every single one of us. And this... all of this? It's not what you think it is. We're not on an island. We never were. We're in hell."

My first thought was, "Did he just say what I think he said? How sure is he? Are the writers playing with us again?" But given the amount of time we have left in the series, there's a good chance that this was a huge reveal. This could be a big part of the puzzle.

At this point, they flashback to Richard riding a horse in the 1860's. He's in the Canary islands and his wife is deathly ill. He ends up killing a doctor to get some life saving medicine for her... but it's too late. She dies before he can reach her.

Interestingly, Richard is given a similar choice later in the episode and tries to kill Jacob whom he thinks is el diablo. He thinks that if he does this, he'll be reunited with his wife.. he made the SAME decision. All you losties know that this is a repeating pattern in the series. People are given a chance to redeem themselves and sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I, for one, found it interesting that when Richard DIDN'T redeem himself, he was given the gift of eternal life by Jacob.. Other's who did redeem themselves, notibly Mr Echo, Boon, Locke, all died. So maybe this IS hell and Jacob IS the devil?

After Jacob subdues Richard and virtually "baptizes" him in the ocean water, we are treated to this bit of dialog, which I shall deem, "The Golden Minute" of the series thus far:

At a fire, Alpert sits wrapped in a blanket, warming himself. Jacob comes out of the statue with a bottle of wine. Alpert asks what's inside the statue, and Jacob says no one goes in unless he invites them. Alpert asks if Jacob is the devil, and Jacob says no. He explains who he is and that he brought Alpert's ship to the island. Jacob says to think of the wine as what he would call "hell." There are other words for it, too. Malevolence. Evil. Darkness. And it's there swirling around in the bottle unable to get out. Because if it did, it would spread. Now think of the cork as the island, and it's the only thing keeping hell where it belongs. The Man who sent Alpert to kill Jacob believes any person can be corrupted because it's their nature to sin. So Jacob brings people to the island to prove him wrong. When they get here, their past doesn't matter. The island washes away their sins, and they get a second chance. But the Man has killed everyone that's come. Alpert asks if Jacob brought them there, then why didn't he help them? Jacob says because he wants them to help themselves, to know the differences between right and wrong without him telling them. Alpert says if he doesn't step in, then the Man in Black will. Jacob nods, and then gets an idea. He looks at Alpert and asks if he wants a job. If Jacob doesn't want to step in, maybe Alpert can do it for him. He can be Jacob's representative, an intermediary between Jacob and the people he brings to the island. Alpert asks what he'll get in return -- he wants his wife back. Jacob says he can't do that. Alpert asks if he can absolve him of his sins so he doesn't go to hell, but Jacob can't do that either. Then Alpert says he never wants to die. He wants to live forever. Jacob reaches out and touches Alpert and says that he can do.

Later, with Hurley's help, Richard is finally reunited with his wife, after 150 years. She tells him to stop the Man in Black, or "We all go to Hell." Which is in line with what Jacob told him. Suddenly, Richard is the new hero of the series... I'm glad for it. He's struggled for over a century to serve Jacob. After having so many doubts about this long life of service, it would be great to see it all be worthwhile in the end.

So there you have it.. Thoughts??