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''LEADERSHIP STUFF''

While the liberation of Benjamin Linus was under way, Jack and Locke met in the ruins of the old Dharma greenhouse to discuss ''leadership stuff,'' as Hurley put it. Once again — for the final time — the man of science and the man of faith had one of their super-heated philosophical smackdowns about design and chance, mysticism and science. The battle was specifically about the whole notion of miracles and whether such things were possible or credible. And wouldn't you know, it just so happens that season 4's author-philosopher in residence, C.S. Lewis, wrote a book called Miracles that tackled the empirical debate that Jack and Locke embody. I'll let you investigate that one at your leisure.

Spooky how Locke was able to see the dark road that lay ahead for Jack. He told his rival that he was going to have to lie about the existence of the Island and the remaining castaways, and he knew that doing so would eat away at Doc Integrity. I also thought this was painfully catty: ''If you do it [lie to the world] half as well as you lie to yourself, they'll believe you.'' Rrrowww! Frankly, it's that kind of insight — and button pushing — you usually get from Ben. Guess the Other is starting to rub off on John. The Jack-Locke standoff climaxed with their eyeballs blazing at each other. ''You're crazy!'' ''No, you're crazy!'' But I got the sense that something like doubt was beginning to creep into Jack's position.

One last observation: I have often made the mistake of articulating the ideological conflict between these two in ways that suggest Jack and Locke are exemplars of their respective stances. That's wrong. Rather, I think Lost has used each to dramatize the limitations of adhering dogmatically to either worldview. Jack is a humanist who believes solely and foolishly in his own agency, while Locke submits himself to an external, exotic agency he doesn't even understand. I love how Matthew Fox and Terry O'Quinn don't play the heady ideas but rather the desperate, murky psychology underneath them. Jack stubbornly refuses to believe in anything but himself, while Locke has a hard-on for the purpose and power his exalted Island status has brought him. For Locke, the moment at hand held the promise of rectifying an entire lifetime of being kicked in the nuts by that ''fickle bitch,'' destiny. ''Just wait until you see what I'm about to do,'' he declared. Be very afraid.

WALT. WOW.

Damn, did that kid get big or what? There have been rumors that actor Malcolm David Kelly's real-life growth spurt has impacted the show's ability to use him, and now we can see why: There's no way he can play the Walt we knew when he left the Island. He can only make sense in the far-future flash-forward scenes, now the show's present, which happens to be our present: spring 2008. Chaperoned by his no-nonsense grandma, Walt paid a visit to Hurley in the mental hospital. ''I was waiting for one of you to come visit me, but nobody did,'' he said, sounding almost hurt, if not downright neglected, and I couldn't help wondering if some winky meta-resonance was intended in light of so much ''Where's Walt?'' wondering this season. The moment was brief: more cryptic Bentham name-dropping, more justifying the lie of the Oceanic 6 cover story. But it made me wonder if this scene was a setup for Walt's joining next season's Island search party. And we still need an explanation for the kid's spectral appearance in last year's finale. So hopefully not the last we've seen of Big Walt. PS: This is where you guys tell me about all the drawings on the wall I'm not talking about, like the ladybug painting, which, yes, I know, has been a recurring motif this season, but it's already 2 a.m. and I'm only this far into this freakin' thing. Another time, I swear!

NEXT: What did Miles mean?


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