WATCHING : Lost - The Substitute

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Wow...A very, very good episode.Not excellent, but very good.Let's start from the beginning.

First and foremost, Flash sideways and island timelines were both very interesting.

In the flash sideways we see that Locke has not only stayed together with Helen, they are also planning on getting married inviting Locke's father (obviously his disability has nothing to do with his father).He meets Hugo, as the owner of the box company where he used to work, he meets Rose as a job advisor (she has terminal cancer), and at the end, the ultimate shocker, he meets Ben (history teacher ) who is Locke's colleague at school.I'm not exactly sure how Ben's appearance in the flash sideways adds up and can be translated somehow in the island timeline, but they will figure it out somehow. Or not. Always a possibility.

Now to the juicy part. On the island we see Locke talking to Richard who is obviously scared to death of him about taking his side or something like that, when suddenly he sees a blonde boy with blood on his hands.When asked, Richard says he doesn't see anyone.Later on when Locke is with Sawyer in the jungle, he sees the boy again and he seems taken aback when Sawyer claims he can see him too.Locke runs after the boy. The boy tells him : "You know the rules, you can't kill him" . Who the hell is this boy????Some say he is young Jacob, some say he is a wonder child like Walt was.I would like to think he is Aaron.Granted,a bit far fetched,but wouldn't it be totally cool if he was? Of course we assume that by the "rules" and "can't kill him" he means that he can't kill Jacob.But hasn't he already? *scratches head* And why Sawyer can see the boy and Richard cannot?Well, maybe because Sawyer is a candidate!What's a candidate, I hear you ask.A candidate or a substitute is the person that will take Jacob's reins when he dies, leaves, disappears, who knows?, and will therefore continue to protect the island. Protect it from what? "Nothing, that's the joke.It's just a damned island", answers Smockey.Well, hold on there Mister!It's not just a damned island!We spent 6 whole years trying to figure out what the hell this "just a damn island" is all about and still we 've got nothing, and you're telling me that "Oops!There was nothing after all!" ???Noooo freaking way am I believing that. And it doesn't stop there.There are names written all over the walls of the cave.Sawyer spots Jack's, and Smockey shows him Hugo's, Sayid's Kwan's (it could be either Jin or Sun) and his own,Ford,as he scratches Locke's name out.Every name has a number written beside it.Of course , the six numbers are THE numbers.When asked what are the numbers for, Smokey replies "Jacob had a thing for numbers". Does that mean that it's all random?That Jack 's number and the others candidates' who survived and their names were not scratched out, just happen to be the ones that Desmond was pressing all these years and caused the Oceanic aeroplane to crash in the first place???Nahhh, not possible.I know that there is a chance that the writers will never explain the numbers.But I can't buy that they are random and was just something for Jacob to play with, because he just had a "thing" for numbers.

In the end, Smockey is trying to recruit Sawyer and talks  him into helping him  get out of the island and go home, wherever that is.Sawyer of course agreed, but I think he is playing him big time.He is a great con man, after all.The thing that bothers me is why does Smockey needs someone's help to get out of the island?What is it that holds him back, restrains him?

According to my theory, Smockey and Jacob are Abel and Cain.The skeletons that were found in the cave is Adam and Eve.In the cave they also found a bag which contained a white and a black stone.Anyways, Cain and Abel are somehow trapped on the island.Caine wants to use his dark powers on us, our world which he calls home and Abel is just trying to keep him from leaving and wreaking havoc on Earth. Ohhh, so epic!From last season's finale I thought that they were God and Devil or something quite like that, but Smockey told Sawyer that he too was a man once.Maybe it was just a figure of speech, or maybe he was trying to exploit Sawyer's sentimental side.

By the way, is it just me or the whole recruitment thing screams Lord Stephen King's " The Stand" ? Smockey is Randall and Jacob is Granny Abigail. The great question is : where is granny??? ARGHHHH!!I don't know!!!This whole thing is so mind wobbling!!!Instead of getting our numerous questions answered, they are adding more to the pile!!!!With only 14 episodes left, I'm sure it's gonna be quite a ride!