Jacob's nemesis
From Lostpedia
S1 - S2 - S3 - MP - S4 - S5 - S6
[[:Category:{{{Images}}}|Images]]
Jacob's nemesis is a mysterious inhabitant of the Island who appears to be antagonistic to Jacob. His name, identity, motives, history and point of contention with Jacob are all unknown. He appears to have spent over a century looking to find a "loophole" to exploit which would allow him to kill Jacob. Finally in 2007, he seems to have succeeded in his goal by assuming the appearance of the deceased John Locke and convincing Benjamin Linus to carry out the deed.
His reappearance as Locke has allowed him to assume a position of authority within the Others. He also appears to dislike outsiders visiting the Island and alluded to Richard that something will need to be done about the other passengers from Ajira Flight 316.
Contents |
On the Island
1800s
Sometime during the 19th century, both Jacob and his nemesis were on the Island watching as a sailing ship (most likely the Black Rock) appeared on the horizon. The two met on the beach near the statue of Taweret and held a short conversation. Jacob's nemesis claimed Jacob brought the ship to the Island, stating this would only end in fighting, destruction and corruption as it always has, a view which Jacob disputes. Before walking away, Jacob's nemesis said to Jacob, "Do you have any idea how badly I want to kill you?" He promised to one day find a "loophole" which would allow him to do so. Jacob appeared unperturbed, promising in return, "When you do, I'll be right here." ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2")
2007
Reappearance as John Locke
Shortly after the emergency landing of Ajira Airways Flight 316, Jacob's nemesis appeared in Locke's form in the water near the survivor's beach camp on Hydra Island. He introduced himself as "John Locke", and when questioned, he appeared to have the memories of the real Locke and told Ilana that he remembered dying. The imposter later found Ben in the makeshift hospital set up in the Hydra station and informed Caesar that Ben was the man who had killed him. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"). The impostor Locke waited at Ben's bedside until Ben awoke, welcoming him back to "the land of the living". ("Whatever Happened, Happened")
Manipulation of Benjamin Linus
Truly surprised to find Locke alive, Ben stated that he expected Locke's resurrection upon his return to the Island. Secretly, however, Ben had already begun planning to murder Locke once again, beginning by manipulating the survivors of Ajira Flight 316 and casting suspicion upon Locke. After a confrontation in which Caesar was killed, Ben and the imposter both traveled to the main Island in one of the outriggers where they met Sun and Frank. Once there the imposter convinced Ben to summon the Monster from the secret room beneath his house which was unsuccessful. During this time, the imposter disappeared briefly into the jungle. Upon returning, the imposter stated that he knew where the Monster resided and led Ben and Sun to the Temple. Upon entering the complex of tunnels beneath the Temple, Ben accidentally fell through a weak section of floor into a lower chamber. The imposter left Ben briefly to get something to help get him back up. Meanwhile Ben was visited by a manifestation of his daughter produced by the Monster. "Alex" informed Ben that she knew of his plan to kill Locke again and demanded his firm dedication to follow Locke's leadership, or that she would "destroy" him. Shaken, Ben promised to do as he was told and the manifestation vanished. With the help of the returned imposter, Ben managed to leave the Temple - telling the faux-Locke that the monster had let him live. ("Dead Is Dead")
The Others
Leaving the Temple, the imposter took Ben and Sun to the Others' camp where they met with Richard Alpert. Richard greeted the imposter with awe, commenting that there was something different about him, which the imposter attributed to his newfound purpose. Leaving Sun behind temporarily, the imposter, Richard and Ben departed on an "errand" into the jungle. Arriving at the fallen Beechcraft, the false Locke gave Richard instructions in regards to the real time-shifting Locke who staggered, wounded out of the jungle moments later. The imposter's instructions were to help remove the bullet from Locke's leg and to tell him that he had to leave the Island and that he would die. This scene was the mirror of Locke's encounter with Richard in "Because You Left". After the time-shifting Locke moved on, the imposter demanded to be taken to Jacob, surprising Richard and Ben by inviting all of the Others to come with him. Afterwards, he announced, something will have to be done about the other Ajira passengers. As they set out along the beach, the imposter secretly told Ben that he intended to kill Jacob. ("Follow the Leader")
To the statue
Continuing on their trek to visit Jacob, Ben revealed to the imposter his encounter with "Alex" below the temple. The imposter seemed quite pleased and then revealed to Ben that it was his wish that Ben be the one to kill Jacob. Later, Richard inquired how Locke had come to be alive again which the imposter attributed to Jacob and claimed that he wished to thank Jacob personally for the intervention. At a final stop at the long abandoned beach camp, the imposter continued his discussion with Ben. Ben revealed that he, in fact, had never met Jacob as leader of the Others. The imposter pointed out that in spite of all of Ben's loyal service to Jacob and the Island, he had contracted cancer, his daughter was killed and he was ultimately banished. The imposter then posed the question, "Why wouldn't you want to kill Jacob?" as a final means of convincing him. Continuing onwards, the group finally arrived after dark at the foot of the destroyed statue of Taweret. Despite Richard's objections, the imposter insisted on seeing Jacob immediately and that Ben would accompany him inside.
Jacob's death
| “ |
ENEMY: Hello Jacob. | ” |
Entering through the hidden door in the base of the statue, the imposter told Ben that killing Jacob wouldn't be easy, but once accomplished "things would change." The two entered finding Jacob waiting for them. Jacob immediately recognized the imposter as his old nemesis, realizing that his nemesis had found his "loophole." The imposter stated, "You have no idea what I've gone through to get here." Jacob addressed Ben telling him that he had a choice: he could do as the imposter asked, or he could leave. An emotional Ben asked why Jacob had been ignoring him all these years and angered at Jacob's lack of engagement lost his temper and brutally stabbed Jacob twice in the chest. Falling to the floor and spitting blood, Jacob told his nemesis, "They're coming." Looking somewhat startled, the false Locke kicked Jacob into the fire pit at the center of the room, setting his body ablaze and apparently killing him. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2")
Ilana's group
It appears that Ilana, Bram and the three other members of her group (who also arrived on the Island aboard Ajira Flight 316) are aware of the existence of Jacob's nemesis and are seeking to aid Jacob against him in some way.
In "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2", Ilana and Bram show Frank the contents of the airline crate containing the body of the real John Locke. Frank is shocked and afterwards asks what they are doing with the body. Bram explains that they need to take the body to show it to someone "so they know who they're up against." When pressed for more details, Bram refers to Jacob's nemesis as "something a heck of a lot scarier than what's in this box." Later, Ilana shows Locke's body to Richard, Sun and the Others, with the implication that the Others have some idea who or what Jacob's nemesis is.
Trivia
- The shirts of Jacob and his nemesis are contrasted. Jacob wears a white shirt, while his nemesis wears a black shirt. (Black and white)
- In November 2009, executive producer Damon Lindelof stated that, regarding the scene in "Pilot, Part 2" where Locke explains to Walt the premise of backgammon using the concept of light and dark, he and fellow co-creator JJ Abrams had planned for those two sides to eventually be personified by two individuals (in reference to Jacob and his enemy). [1]
- The casting call described Jacob's nemesis as "Samuel. Any ethnicity, 40s-60s. A corporate raider looking to take over his next company. Powerful, devious and obtuse. He has a cunning intellect and a strong sense of danger. May lead to recurring. Looking for someone very interesting and very special for this role..."[1]
Fan nicknames
As this character was fairly prominent in Season 5 and has yet to be named, fans have created several nicknames for this character:
- "Esau" (עֵשָׂו) the brother of the Biblical Jacob.[2]
- "Flocke", a portmanteau word of the words "Fake" and "Locke".
- "Un-Locke", a name coined in reference to the character's similarities to a figure in the novel Perelandra, used subsequently in TV Guide.[3]
- "Samuel", often used as a reference to the character's initial casting call.
- "Man in Black" (MIB), name used by ABC.com in episode synopses and on the Internet Movie Database.
Cultural references
- ABC's recap of "The Incident, Parts 1 & 2"[4] refers to him as the Man in Black. In Stephen King's The Stand and Dark Tower series, "the man in black" is a featured antagonist, and uses the names Randall Flagg and Walter o'Dim.
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
|---|
|
- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Jacob's nemesis/Theories
Jacob's nemesis
- Who or what is he?
- What powers or abilities does he possess?
- How is it that he possesses foreknowledge of events to come?
- How was he able to take on Locke's appearance?
- How is it that he has Locke's memories?
History
- How long has he been on the island?
- What is the nature of his relationship with Jacob?
- What is their point of contention?
- Why does he need a loophole in order to kill Jacob?
- Are the Others aware of his existence?
Recent events
- What was he doing while Ben was summoning the Monster?
- Why did he want the Others to come with him to see Jacob?
- What are his plans for the other Ajira passengers?
- What does he have planned for the Others?
References
- ↑ http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/2009/02/episode-51617-season-finale-casting.html
- ↑ http://www.jayandjack.com/2009/05/18/lost-podcast-aac-ep-433-the-ee-saw/
- ↑ http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/2009/05/getting-lost-from-tv-guide.html
- ↑ http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=recap#t=162212&d=201648
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
