Jin wakes up in Room 23, Zoe wants his help with Dharma maps

Jin wakes up to find himself in the infamous Room 23 (where Karl was being brainwashed in season 3). He flips a switch on the wall which kills the lights and activates the video featuring "We are the cause of our own suffering" and other trippy images and phrases.

When he turns it off, he turns to find Zoe has entered the room. She tells him that Room 23 is where the Dharma Initiative performed subliminal message experiments. Jin tries to leave, but Zoe shocks him with a taser.

Once Jin is sitting on the floor, unable to properly move, Zoe pulls out an old Dharma Initiative map that identified pockets of electromagnetism on the island. She says she believes the maps are signed with the name Jin Soo-Kwon. Instead of confirming or denying it, Jin demands to see Charles Widmore. Zoe says that Widmore wants to see him too.

So what exactly is Charles Widmore planning? What is Zoe, a geophysicist, planning for use the pockets of electromagnetism on the island for?

Locke returns to camp to find everyone unconscious

Locke returns to his camp to find everyone unconscious. He looks panicked as he walks through the bodies strewn about. He finds Sayid, wakes him up and asked what happened. Sayid said they were attacked and he does not know by who. Locke is really panicked now and asks where Jin is.

I think this is the first time we've really seen smoke monster Locke appear scared. With Jin missing, is his grand plan unraveling?

Sun runs away from Locke & hits head, loses ability to speak English

At her garden, Sun cuts her hand and is then startled by Locke. He tells her that he found Jin like he promised and has him back at his camp. She mentions that he killed everyone at the temple, which he once again defends by saying he gave them a choice to leave and they were confused. Suddenly, Sun makes a break for it and Locke chases her through the jungle until she hits her head on a tree branch and is knocked out.

Later, Ben finds Sun unconscious under the tree and asks her what happened. Sun can only speak Korean, but does manage to tell him that Locke did this to her.

It's very interesting to see Sun choose not to trust Locke over being reunited with Jin, considering that's is her only real goal. Her distrust of Locke is so deep, that she refuses his offer. This seems to possibly indicate another white rock for Jacob's scale since she chose to give into Locke's temptation.

Jin and Sun are secret lovers in flash sideways

In the sideways, Jin comes to Sun's room at the hotel to tell her he's going to take the watch to the restaurant. Both Jin and sun seem paranoid that someone might see them, so she invites him inside.

Once they're inside, Jin says that she is just there for a shopping trip. In the opposite of the buttoning of the sweater scene, Sun unbutton's her top button, then unbuttons the rest one by one until her sweater is off. Jin and Sun kiss and it cuts away.

The question we may never get about the flash sideways stories is what exactly changed in the past to make things turn out the way they did here. Since Sun and Jin's relationship is a secret and they're not married, it's likely that she never had an affair with Jae Lee.

Sun is angry about waiting around, goes to her garden

At the beach camp, Ilana is passing the time by cleaning her gun as Ben tries to convince her that Richard does not have the answer to their problems. Ilana says that Hurley will bring him back and they should wait. Sun gets frustrated by the conversation and storms off after jamming a knife into the table.

Sun goes to her garden which we haven't seen since the season 3 episode "D.O.C." Jack follows her out there and mentions that it seems like she first planted the garden a hundred years ago. Jack then proceeds to tell her about the lighthouse and mentions the Richard and the candidates and Sun doesn't care about any of it. Jack tells her that they're on the island for a reason, but again, Sun isn't having any of it.

It's interesting to continue to see Jack as the man of faith, trying to convince Sun that they are destined for something bigger than themselves. It certainly seems like he's taken the full leap at this point, but that was apparent during the dynamite scene of "Dr. Linus."

Widmore's team knocks out the camp, takes Jin + Sayid can't feel anything

Locke tells Sayid that he's leaving the camp to run and errand and he wants a Sayid to keep an eye on things. Sayid reveals that he can't feel anger, happiness, pain or anything else anymore. Locke says it's probably for the best considering what's coming. What exactly is coming?

Once Locke leaves, Jin sees his opportunity to make a break for it to try to find Sun. Sawyer tries to stop him, but during their conversation, the camp is suddenly attacked by tranquilizer darts which knocks out everyone. Widmore's team appears and looks through the people. Zoe and Seamus find Jin, who is the who they are looking for and they take him.

Sun & Jin not married in sideways, customs confiscates Jin's money

At LAX, Jin is released from customs, but they confiscate the $25,000 until Jin fills out the necessary paperwork. As he and Sun leave customs, Jin tells her that he missed a meeting at the restaurant and reveals that he doesn't know what the money is for. Much like the original timeline, Jin says he just does what her father tells her to do.

Once they reach the hotel, Sun gives the clerk a printout with her reservation, which is on the 8th floor (one of the numbers). Jin objects, saying there should be two rooms because he and Sun are not married. The clerk pulls up a room for Kwon which is room 842 (8 and 42 are two of the numbers).

So this is possibly the most shocking flash-sideways difference thus far. Jin and Sun are not married, but are traveling together to Los Angeles. Quite intriguing. More to come.

Widmore's team spies on Locke's camp + Locke talks to Jin

At Locke's camp, we see night vision images from Widmore's team observing Kate, Sawyer, Claire and Locke. We see that Sawyer managed to find some cocoa, presumably Dharma cocoa.

After the night vision shots, Locke approaches Jin and we learn that Sawyer told Jin about the candidates names in the cave. Locke says that he needs all of the remaining candidates together in order to leave the island and that he'll take care of bringing Sun back.

Claire can be seen eavesdropping on Locke and Jin's conversation, wondering how she fits into Locke's plan.

So does Locke really need the candidates to leave with him, or does he plan to kill them? He told Jacob in "Ab Aeterno" that he would kill anyone who might take Jacob's place.

Man in black is given wine by Jacob, smashes the bottle

In one last flashback, we see the man in black sitting on a hill overlooking the valley. Jacob approaches and sees the man passing the white stone from hand to hand. Jacob points it out and the man tells him not to gloat. The stone signifies Richard's choosing Jacob's side.

Jacob then rhetorically asks if he tried to kill him and the man says that he just wants to leave and asks Jacob to let him in a begging tone. Jacob says that as long as he's alive, the man isn't going to leave and adds that even if he manages to kill him, someone else would just take his place. The man says that he would kill the replacements too.

Jacob pulls out the bottle of wine he shared with Richard earlier and gives to the man to help him pass the time. Once Jacob says "I'll see you around" and then leaves. The man says "sooner than you think" and smashes the bottle on the log.

So, if the island is the cork, what does breaking the glass mean? It also seems, at least by Jacob's tone, that this is the first time the man in black has tried to kill Jacob. If people have come and gone (meaning died) many times before, why has the man waited until now to try to get rid of Jacob?

Hurley helps Richard make his peace with Isabella, says they must stop the man in black

Back in the present, Richard makes his way back to the ruins where he digs up Isabella's gold cross. He looks up and starts yelling that he was wrong and that he changed his mind. He's opening that the man in black (Locke in this time) will hear him.

He turns around to find Hurley instead who tells him that Isabella sent him and she wants to know why he buried her cross. Hurley says that she is standing right next to Richard and that he'll tell Richard what she says. She wants him to close his eyes, just like she told him to do when she was dying.

She tells Richard that it is not his fault that she died and it was just her time. She says that he has suffered enough and when he says that he misses her, she says that they are already together. Isabella then disappears.

Hurley then tells Richard that she said one more thing. She said that they have to stop the man in black from leaving the island or "We all go to hell." We then see an extra-wide shot where we can see Locke looking over the valley where the are.

Again the question is, what havoc will be unleashed if Locke (the man in black) successfully leaves the island?

Richard gives the man in black a white stone, buries Isabella's gold cross

Richard returns to the ruins where the man in black is waiting. The man immediately knows that Richard didn't kill Jacob and then Richard gives him a white stone from Jacob. The stone is like the one the man in black (Locke) threw into the ocean in "The Substitute."

The man in black tells Richard that if he ever changes his mind, the deal he offered to give him Isabella back will still stand. He then gives Richard Isabella's gold cross which he says he found in the Black Rock. When Richard looks back up, the man in black has disappeared.

Richard goes over to an old stone bench and digs a small hole in front of it and buries the gold cross.

Jacob explains that the island is a cork to contain evil, gives Richard eternal life

Richard sits outside the statue wrapped in a blanket as Jacob approaches carrying a bottle of wine. Richard asks what is inside the statue and Jacob only says that no one comes in unless he invites them in. Jacob tells Richard that he is not the devil and reveals that he brought the Black Rock to the island.

Jacob then tells Richard to think of the wine in the bottle as hell or malevolence, evil or darkness. He says that if the evil got out, it would spread and that the cork in the bottle is the island, which keeps the evil where it belongs.

He continues explaining that the man in black believes that everyone is corruptible because it is in their nature to sin. Jacob says he brings people here to the island prove him wrong, because on the island, their past doesn't matter.

He said that before Richard, there were many other people who all died. Jacob says that he didn't help the people because he wanted them to help themselves and to make the decision between right and wrong for themselves. When Richard points out that if Jacob doesn't step in, the man in black will, this intrigues Jacob, who then offers Richard a job as his intermediary. Richard would be the the one to interact with the people Jacob brings to the island.

Richard asks what he'll get in return for doing the job. He first asks for Isabella back and Jacob says he can't do that. Then Richard asks for his sins to be absolved so he won't go to hell, but Jacob says the can't do that either. Finally, Richard says that he never wants to die, he wants to live forever. Jacob says he can do that, and touches Richard on the shoulder.

So this scene was possibly the biggest mythological reveal to date. We get an explanation of the island's possible purpose from someone who would actually know. The question is, what happens when the cork is not in the bottle and the evil escapes? What consequences would there be? And how does the island act as said cork? What force is it that keeps the evil on the island?

We also see the moment where Richard became the ageless go-between we've come to know. It's surprising that he asked to live forever rather than Jacob giving him the gift on his own.

Jacob kicks Richard's ass, dunks him in the ocean

Richard makes his way to the beach and sees the what remains of the Taweret statue. There is just the foot left as we've seen in the present, and there are broken pieces in the water and on land right around  the foot. Richard takes out the dagger and approaches the statute. He sees the entrance open, but is suddenly punched by Jacob.

Jacob beats him down and takes the dagger. He asks Richard who gave him the dagger, and Richard asks where Isabella is. When Richard reveals that Isabella is dead, Jacob asks if he met a man dressed in black. Richard confirms that he did and says that he told him that Jacob was the devil and that he needed to kill him to see Isabella again. Jacob tells Richard that it wasn't really Isabella and that he is not dead and the island is not hell.

Jacob grabs Richard and forces him under the water numerous times, repeatedly asking if he still thinks he's dead. Richard finally says that Jacob should stop because he wants to live. Jacob then stops and says that they need to talk.

So Jacob's line of questioning here seems to insinuate that this may be the first time the man in black has tried to kill him. We also see Jacob hostile and angry for the first time. It's a long way from his mellow, somewhat zen persona we've seen in the later years of his life.

Man in black gives RIchard the dagger, wants him to kill 'the devil' (Jacob)

The man in black gives Richard some roasted boar which he quickly gobbles up. He tells Richard that once he's done eating, he should head west and once he reaches the ocean, he'll be able to see the statue that broke into pieces when the Black Rock smashed through it. He says that is where he'll find the devil (Jacob).

The man in black hands Richard a dagger which appears to be the same one Dogen gave Sayid. He then tells him to kill Jacob before he has a chance to speak because he's very persuasive. These are essentially the same instructions Dogen gave Sayid about killing Locke (the man in black).

The man in black tells Richard that he is the black smoke, but that Jacob took Isabella and he couldn't stop him. He tells him that Jacob took his body and his humanity and rebuts all of Richard's objections by asking him if he ever wants to see Isabella again. Richard takes the dagger and the man in black leaves.

So most of what the man in black says seems like lies to get people to do what he wants and that certainly seems to be the case here. He brings up Isabella over and over again. Much like when Ben lied though, I'd imagine there are bits of truth sprinkled throughout the lies.

The man in black releases Richard from his chains

As Richard lies passed out on the floor of the Black Rock, the man in black enters the ship (he is in the form we saw him in "The Incident" talking to Jacob). He touches Richard on the shoulder, which causes him to wake up shocked.

The man in black gives Richard some water and Richard asks him he is in hell. The man in black says that they are in hell and that he's been on the island long before the Black Rock crashed there.

Richard asks about his wife and the man in black says that "he" must have her, implying Jacob. He says that he'll help Richard and set him free from the chains as long as he agrees to do anything he asks. Richard agrees to the deal.

After releasing him from the chains, the man in black says "It's good to see you out of those chains," the same thing he said to Richard as Locke in "LA X." Then he says that if they are going to escape from hell (the island), they'll have to kill the devil (Jacob).

So how long before the Black Rock crashed did the man in black become trapped on the island and is this his original human form? It seems that even in the 1800s, he was still a master manipulator.

Isabella appears to Richard on the Black Rock, smoke monster 'grabs' her + the boar

Chained inside the Black Rock, Richard struggles to loosen a floorboard. It starts raining and he struggles to reach some water to drink, but can't reach it. Later he manages to remove the nail from the floorboard and begins to chip away at the wall where the chains are attached.

Later, Richard wakes up to the sound of a boar nibbling away at one of the bodies. As the board charges at him, he drops the nail just out of reach.

Richard passes out again, and is later awoken by the sound of Isabella's voice. She comes over to him and tells him that hey are both dead and in hell. She says she is there to save him from the devil. Suddenly, they hear the sounds of the smoke monster. Richard tells her to run away and when she heads up to the deck, she lets out a blood curdling scream. Richard calls for her, weeps and falls to his knees.

So here's the big question. Was Isabella the smoke monster? It would seem so because she is dead, but can the smoke monster be her but also appear to be above the ship, essentially in two places at the same time?

The smoke monster kills Whitfield & other officers but spares Richard

The Black Rock is sitting in the jungle during the day. Richard and Ignacio wake up and hear the officers above. One says that Captain Hanso is dead. They call up to the deck for help and Jonas Whitfield comes down.

Instead of helping them, Whitfield kills three of the surviving slaves, including Ignacio. He says that only five officers have survived and they have limited supplies and fresh water. As he's about to kill Richard, Whitfield says that if he doesn't kill him, it'll only be a matter of time before Richard kills him.

Suddenly, we hear the familiar sound of the smoke monster, who ravages the officers on deck. In burst through the ship and grabs Whitfield before slowly sliding back into the ship. It creeps up to Richard and does it's little flashing snapshots, much like it did to Juliet in the season 3 episode "Left Behind." When Richard opens his eyes, he finds that the smoke monster has silently disappeared.

So why at this point does the smoke monster kill everyone but Richard, but in the future, it seems to let a lot more people live? Is it because Jacob's plan and the rules involved have yet to completely evolve, or was Richard specially selected by Jacob for a purpose?