LOST: Across the Sea

LOST made sure to pull out all the stops and leave no body unturned in last night's flashback, 'Across the Sea.' The story behind Jacob and the Man in Black was revealed, and it seems they have quite the complicated history.

The story began in the past, when a pregnant Claudia washes ashore and is befriended by a mysterious woman. The woman claims that she is alone and that she too arrived "by accident." Eventually, she delivers Claudia's twin sons, the first named Jacob and the second remained nameless. When Claudia asked to see her second son, the woman killed her with a rock.

Biblical Connection: It's not just the names that are similar, so is the story. The biblical story of Jacob and Esau mirrored last night's story of Jacob and the Man in Black. In Genesis, God told Rebekah that two nations are within her and the older will serve the younger. As the boys grew older, Esau became a skilled hunter and Jacob was quieter, preferring to stay close to home. Last night's episode mirrored this story, as Jacob liked staying close to home to be with Mother while the Man in Black wanted to hunt and leave the island. 

Light and Dark: The pivotal part of the story comes from the imagery and symbolism behind the babies' outfits: light and dark. Just like in all other appearances from Jacob and the Man in Black's, the colors symbolize both their clothing and their spirit. Jacob is good while the Man in Black is bad. The show's imagery furthers this point: Jacob uses white stones and Man in Black uses dark stones in the game.

The Golden Cave: The reason that Jacob and the candidates are on the island is to protect this cave. Mother introduced the twins to the cave, after telling them that she has made it so they can never hurt each other. She then tells them that the cave is the reason they are on the island but they must never enter the cave. Apparently, a little bit of the same light that is in the cave is inside every man, but people always want more. Mother said that while other people can't take the cave's light, they might try and if the light goes out in the cave, it goes out everywhere. Mother protected the cave but before she died, she passed the job onto Jacob. The symbolic passing was through the bottle of wine Jacob showed Richard in Ab Aeterno.

Smoke Monster: The mystery of how the Man in Black became the smoke monster was finally solved. Although the answer was anything but scientific, the transformation occurred when Jacob pushed his brother into the golden cave. Mad at his brother for killing Mother, Jacob knew that the only way to bypass Mother's "you can't hurt each other" spell was to push the Man in Black into the cave. Moments after being sucked into the source, the Smoke Monster bursts from the cave and disappears into the jungle. Now we must wait to see why smokey can inhabit dead bodies.

The Boy: Remember the young boy that Locke-Monster keeps seeing in the jungle? Well, mystery solved: it's young Jacob. Perhaps he is reminding his brother that he cannot kill him, or the candidates. Thoughts?

Adam and Eve: The mystery from season one was finally solved, as we now know who the island's Adam and Eve are. If you flashback to the beginning of the series, you will remember that Jack and Kate found skeletons in a cave, which Locke then dubbed "our very own Adam and Eve." Well, mystery solved: Adam and Eve = Man in Black and Mother.