Lost: The Final Season - Questions, WTF moments, and a Loose Cork

This week we flash back to 1867, where Richard has a mission on a horse. I wonder if he smells like Old Spice.

The Black Rock? Ricardos was a man who wanted nothing but a happy family life with the woman he loved. When he loses her and changes his entire life with an accident, he ends up as a prisoner on the Black Rock. The Black Rock lands on the island by way of a tsunami, causing the ship to crash into, and demolish the statue. Must've been a pretty strong wooden ship to take out ancient stone like that but whatever. Back when we first saw the Man in Black and Jacob sitting on the beach watching a ship come in, was it the Black Rock? It was daytime and sunny then with no signs of a storm. Is this sloppy writing or just a case of delayed time? Or is it a different ship entirely? One of the many people Jacob used to prove his point?

Why was Richard chosen? When the smoke/MIB was taking out all the survivors of the Black Rock, why did he leave Richard? Assuming those flashes were MIB scanning Richard, was there something worthy inside of him that he was able to see? Or was it merely seeing the memory of Isabella that proved to be an easy manipulation tool? What did Jacob see in Richard? The will to live? Assuming that not everyone who has come to the island was given a job, Richard must have really made an impression.

Jacob's goal? Ahh the ancient tale of good and evil. It's never ending. The devil representing temptation and proving to be a factor in the ultimate test still exists on the island. We learned that Jacob bringing people to the island is nothing new. MIB believes that all humans are destined to sin. It's in our nature. Jacob wants to prove him wrong. He's frustrated though and believes that people should help themselves and be able to know the difference between right and wrong without his help. He must have realized something in what Richard replied about MIB's temptations, so is that why he promoted Richard to his assistant? Why did he give Richard the gift of immortality? I was kinda hoping it was more than just payment. What does Jacob have the power to do?..

Richard's baptism? Despite the scene of Richard and Jacob wrestling in the ocean being incredibly distracting (;)), it was also very symbolic. Kind of like Sayid leaving the pool with his arms outstretched. The Man in White dipping Richard in and out of water was pretty telling. Is this a hint that Richard will once and for all be forgiven once he is reunited with Isabella? Then again, it could just be Jacob trying to snap Richard out of it but this is much more interesting.

What's stopping MIB from leaving? Jacob compares the island to a bottle of wine. The wine represents evil, and is trapped inside while the cork (the island) keeps it where it belongs. The Man in Black remarks that Jacob took his body and his humanity. Was he speaking literally? It also looks like he's on a leash when Jacob comes to visit him with the wine. What's stopping him from leaving? Who holds that power? Was the smashing of the wine bottle foreshadowing the release of evil? Will he be released when the island sinks?

Why did Jacob die? We've twice now seen someone else be manipulated into killing either Jacob or Flocke. Both times the person in question is told that if Jacob or Flocke speak, it will be too late to kill them. Ben and Jacob had quite the conversation in the big foot. "What about you?" Jacob clearly spoke to Ben before Ben was able to kill him. So why did he die? What are the rules?

This episode was clearly one of the best in the entire series. Nestor Carbonell did a magnificent job and I've already watched it twice. I love you Nestor. I had a little trouble coming up with questions this week because we finally got some major reveals. What did Isabella mean when she said that they would all go to hell if MIB left the island? Was she ever 'herself'?

Thanks to ONTD_LOST for the .gif!