'Light vs. Dark' in 'Lost': Locke's Beechcraft dream

Today, we'll be looking at a pretty crucial moment in the history of "Lost." In a variety of ways, it's the moment in which the show subtly introduced the War of the Island. To me, it's hard to assign the actions in this show to one entity. In fact, my inability to do so for so long gave me massive headaches. Events which followed seemed similarly schizophrenic, as people mistakenly looked to "The Island" as the source, not the playground, for the variety of events engendered by its two ageless nemeses.

Let's look at what's potentially the first on-air battle between Jacob and The Man in Black, as a vision sends Locke directly into harm's way. I'm keeping the normal structure for the "Light vs. Dark" entries for the sake of consistency, but you'll see I have a hard time making a strong case for either party acting alone.

The Episode: "Deus ex Machina"

The Sequence:  Locke has a dream in which he and Boone see a Beechcraft crashing into the jungle. After Locke's mother points the way towards the crash, a bloody Boone repeats, "Theresa falls up the stairs, Theresa falls down the stairs," and generally creeps me out. As the two pursue Locke's fever dream, Locke starts to lose the use of his legs. Essentially re-crippled by the time the two reach the actual plane, he sends Boone up to investigate. Initially angry over the payload of heroin inside, Boone gets excited when he hears activity on the plane's radio. However, his weight causes the plane to tip over, fall from the trees and deliver mortal wounds to his body.

The Case for Jacob: Boone could be to Nadia as Locke was to Sayid; that is to say, a necessary sacrifice in order to fill the endgame. That's how Locke refers to Boone's death in subsequent episodes: a "sacrifice that the Island demanded." But at the risk of repeating myself, it's unclear the Island is in and of itself sentient. You could say that Jacob was trying to break Locke's will to get into the hatch by eliminating his partner. But why go through all this trouble just to break the spirit of his potential acolyte?

The Case for The Man in Black: Providing half-true information that leads to disastrous consequences? Locke's dream has The Man in Black's muddy footprints all over it. And while crippling Locke in order to break his spirit seems Man in Black-esque, wouldn't he rather eliminate the man outright via death-by-Beechcraft? Maybe Jacob's touch prevents people from ever dying on the Island, making Boone an impromptu Option #2. But if John can't die on the Island, wouldn't The Man in Black want him in the hatch, holed up behind concrete?

The Zap2it Opinion: A combination makes much more sense, as the two major Island players play chess with poor John Locke. The Man in Black wants to kill Locke, so he sends the vision of the plane, Locke's mother, and insider info on Boone that convinces him that the Island has given him marching orders. Jacob can't dissuade Locke from changing course, but he can remove the healing power of the Island. Jacob doesn't spare Boone, because Boone is a pawn in the chess game. In the end, this round goes to The Man in Black, because Locke still prays at the altar of the hatch at episode's end, unaware of anything on the Island except its metallic exterior.

What do YOU think?


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