Lost: Season 6, Episode 5 "Lighthouse" Review

 "Sometimes you can just hop in the back of someone's cab and tell them what they are supposed to do."

-Jacob

"Lighthouse" starts off in the flash-sideways world with Jack (Matthew Fox) running late to pick up his son, David (Dylan Minnette), from school.  David is very resistant to any attempt from Jack to connect with him.  Jack goes to visit his mother, Margo (Veronica Hamel), to help her find Christian's (John Terry) will and when they do, they learn someone named Claire Littleton (Emilie de Ravin) is named in it.

Jack returns home to find David missing.  He eventually manages to track David down to a piano performance.  He had no idea David still played.  After the performance, they have a heart-to-heart.  David kept Jack at a distance because he was scared of failing in front of him.  Jack tells David that he loves him and that no matter what he does, he can't fail to Jack.

On the Island, Jacob (Mark Pellegrino) tells Hurley (Jorge Garcia) that he and Jack need to go to a lighthouse to help someone get to the Island.  Jack agrees to go with in the hopes of finally talking to Jacob.  After leaving the Temple, Hurley and Jack run into Kate (Evangeline Lilly), who declines an invitation to go with as she is searching for Claire.  

They get to the lighthouse and find names of all the Candidates written on the different degree markers.  They move the mirrors of the lighthouse to Jack's name, which show his childhood home.  Jack realizes that Jacob has been watching him his entire life and when Jacob doesn't appear, Jack smashes the mirrors and goes off to stare at the ocean for awhile.

Jacob appears to Hurley and tells him that the person on the way to the Island will find another way and that Jack needed to see the mirror to learn how important he is and that he has a purpose that he needs to discover for himself.  He also tells Hurley that everyone at the Temple is in danger and that it's too late to save them.

Meanwhile, Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) and Justin (Dayo Ade) are taken to Claire's hut, where she has been living for three years.  She patches up Jin's leg before interrogating Justin for Aaron's (William Blanchette) location.  Jin tells her that Kate took Aaron, but Claire kills Justin anyway.  Jin backtracks and says he made up a lie to save Justin's life.  The Man in Black (Terry O'Quinn) joins them to Jin's shock.

What Works:

My favorite part of "Lighthouse" is the flash-sideways storyline, which is one of the best ones of the series.  The interactions between David and Jack really get to me on an emotional level and the heart-to-heart they have always manages to make me tear up a bit.  Both actors give incredible performances and it's great to see Jack as a father and not following in his own father's footsteps.  It's a beautiful moment.  Plus we get a few more connections.  The Claire one was pretty obvious, but I don't think anyone was expecting Jack to meet Dogan (Hiroyuki Sanada) in the flash-sideways.

On the same note, Jack has one of the best character arcs of the series and this is the episode that pushes him onto the homestretch.  I totally understand his meltdown at the lighthouse.  It's a big and important moment for the character.

This episode also gives us a good amount of Hurley interacting with Jacob, which is an underrated pair in the series.  We have our Island god and Hurley, the show's comic relief, working together and working together well.  The mix of their characteristics and dialogue is a lot fun and they give us some great moments.

Finally, I know the direction they take Claire this season is not very popular, but I'm a fan of it.  Claire has never had much to do on this show.  The most interesting moment with her character is when she was kidnapped.  They completely change her character to basically being the new Rousseau.  She even has a squirrel baby!  It is a little ridiculous?  Yes.  Do I mind?  No.  She brings a chaotic element to the episode and the season that I really enjoy.    

What Sucks:

While the Hurley/Jack storyline starts strong and ends strong, the middle isn't very interesting.  Their hike to the lighthouse is on the dull side and their pitstop at the caves doesn't really work for me.  I get how it ties in to the episode and the season as a whole, but it isn't super interesting and it has a bit too much fan-service.

Platinum Polar Bear:

The Platinum Polar Bear goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For "Lighthouse," this award goes to Jacob for getting Hurley and Jack where they needed to go.  This is Jacob's 1st time winning this award, which ties him for 20th place with Boone, Libby, Bernard, Alex, Richard, Tom, and Eloise.

Verdict:

"Lighthouse" is a solid episode thanks to the incredible flash-sideways, an excellent performance from Matthew Fox, and some fun stuff from Hurley, Jacob, and Claire.  Parts of the Hurley/Jack story were dull, but this episode has still got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good