Jack meets Claire with Ilana's help, David is with him

In the sideways, Jack and his son David arrive at the same building Claire and Desmond were at earlier. Jack is talking to his ex-wife, who has yet to be revealed, and tells her that he'll bring David around 5, but David shakes his head and Jack pushes it to 7. Jack is there to hear his father's will read and David is there to support him, so clearly, their relationship has been repaired.

They arrive at Sweetzer and Verdansky's offices where they are greeted by Ilana who says she has a surprise for them and asks if he believes in fate. She leads them to a conference room where Claire is sitting at the conference table.

Ilana introduces Claire to Jack and David and Jack says to Ilana "you found her." Ilana tells him that she found them. Jack tells Claire that she is in his father's will and Claire informs him that Christian is her father too.

Jack is stunned for a moment, then has to step away to take a call from the hospital. He tells the person that he's talking to that he is 20 minutes from the hospital and to go ahead and prep the patient. Jack apologizes to Claire and Ilana and says that they'll have to reschedule.

Desmond pushes Claire towards Ilana, who has been looking for Claire

In the flash sideways, Claire arrives at an office building where she as an appointment with the Western Pacific Adoption Agency. Desmond walks to the counter and approaches her. Claire seems suspicious of him, but she tells him that she ended up at the hospital, but he was right about her being pregnant with a boy.

Desmond follows her up the escalator, asking her about her going to the adoption agency alone without any legal representation. They reach the elevator and are both going to the fifteenth floor (we see one of the numbers again). He pushes her about the lawyer until she agrees to go with him to visit his friend, who is a lawyer.

They walk into the office with the names Sweetzer and Verdansky on the door. The receptionist tells him to have a seat, but Ilana quickly emerges from an office and gives Desmond a hug. Ilana's last name is Verdansky and she speaks with an American accent in this timeline.

When Desmond introduces Claire, Ilana knows who she is and says that she's been looking for her. Claire looks shocked and concerned, but agrees to go talk with Ilana.

So once again, we see Desmond pushing Oceanic 815 passengers towards people that bring them closer to the original timeline. We'll see where Claire's meeting with Ilana leads in a later post.

Ilana is blown up by Black Rock dynamite

Ilana returns from the Black Rock with four sticks of dynamite in her bag which she says is enough to destroy the cockpit and all of the instruments. When Hurley questions the plan, Ilana gets into a bit of tizzy, saying that they have to trust her because she's been training her entire life to protect the candidates.

Ilana begins to recklessly put water bottles into the same bag as the dynamite. Richard agrees that this is what they need to do, but when Hurley says that Jacob never told him that they should blow up the plane, Ilana has a bit of old Ben freak out where she says that everything she's doing is for the best interest of the candidates. Suddenly, she drops her bag to ground, and in a giant explosion, Ilana is no more.

Hurley sees this as Michael's prediction of people dying because of him coming true.

Ilana being suddenly killed was a hell of a way to say goodbye to a series regular. We never learned much about her, but I'd guess that we'll be seeing her again and at least getting a little more info on her relationship with Jacob.

Hurley receives a stern warning from Michael at Libby's grave

Hurley visits Libby's grave, exchanging the dead flower for a new one. He talks to her out loud, telling her that a lot people come to talk to him after he died, but she never has and he wishes she would.

Ilana approaches him to say that they are leaving to go to the Black Rock to get dynamite to blow up the Ajira plane. He questions the plan, and Ilana is unsure too, but says it's their only option. She then asks about the grave and Hurley tells her about their date that never was.

Moments after Ilana leaves, Hurley hears the whispers and suddenly Michael appears. Clearly, this the last person Hurley would want to see, especially at Libby's grave. Michael says he's there to stop Hurley from getting everyone killed since people are listening to him now. Hurley asks him why he should trust him, considering that he murdered Ana Lucia and Libby. Michael says that if they move forward with their plan to blow up the plane, people are going to die.

Jack appears which causes Michael to disappear.

Hurley brings Richard back to camp, Sun doesn't like Richard's plan

Sun returns to camp and Jack examines. He believes she may have aphasia which affects the language center of the brain. Ilana then smiles when she see Richard and Hurley return to the camp.

Richard tells everyone to pack up because they need to go to Hydra island and destroy the Ajira plane so Locke can't leave the island. Sun fervently objects to the plan of destroying the plane since she wants to leave the island with Jin, but no one can understand he impassioned rant since it's in Korean. She angrily storms off.

So is the loss of the English language really being caused by aphasia, or is it possible, as some have theorized, that Sun may have partially slipped into a time where she didn't speak English (like the sideways timeline)?

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."

Richard tells everyone the island is hell, Hurley talks to Isabella

Around a campfire on the beach, there is a discussion about how Sun, Hurley and Jack are each candidates for Jacob's job. Ilana says that Richard knows what to do next, but he just laughs. Richard says that he doesn't know what to do and that everything Jacob ever said was a lie.

Richard then tells everyone that they're all dead and that the island is hell. He says that he's going to start listening to someone other than Jacob and takes a torch into the jungle.

Sun then informs Jack that Richard is going to join Locke. This is the first time that Jack hears that "Locke" is "alive" on the island, though Ben tells him that it's not really Locke.

Jack then sees Ben speaking to an invisible person in Spanish that we later learn in Richard's late wife Isabella. Translated, we can hear him say "Why? I don't know. Yes, I can help you, but... I don't know how to find him." Jack comes over thinking Hurley is talking to Jacob, but Hurley informs him that his conversation has nothing to do with Jack.

Then Frank is the probably about the last person to learn that Richard doesn't age and he sets up the flashback saying "And how the hell do you think that happened?"

Ilana gets her instructions from Jacob, is healed

In the opening scene of "Ab Aeterno," we see the continuation of Ilana and Jacob's scene in the hospital from the season five finale, "The Incident."Jacob asks her to protect six people who are the remaining candidates. He says that this is what she's been preparing for.

After it cuts away, we come back and Ilana's face is almost fully healed and she's sitting on the hospital bed next to Jacob. She asks what she should do after she takes the candidates to the temple. He tells her to ask Richardus (Richard).

So how much time passes between when Jacob showed up at Ilana's bedside and when she was healed towards the end? Jacob most likely healed her, but it's not confirmed.

Charles Widmore returns to the island in a submarine

Just off the island, we see a distant point-of-view shot of the beach camp reunion. Out of the water, a periscope appears. We then see to the point-of-view of the periscope which pans across the beach camp.

Inside the submarine, a man looking through the periscope says that there are people on the beach and asks if they should stop. We see none other than Charles Widmore tell him to proceed as planned.

So what exactly is Charles Widmore doing back at the island and which side in the coming war will he join?

Jack, Hurley & Richard join the beach camp + Miles gets diamonds

Ben rejoins the beach camp to the surprise of the others. He offers to help Sun fix her shelter as Frank keeps a fire going and Miles looks at a diamond (so I guess he dug up Nikki & Paulo). Ilana sits on her own, crying and holding the back of Jacob's ashes.

Then we see an old school beach reunion where Hurley, Jack and Richard come to beach camp. There's a cheerful reunion between Sun, Jack, Hurley, Miles and Frank. Richard is just there since he doesn't really know anyone there that well. Jack meets Ilana and then looks behind everyone to see a slouching, defeated Ben.

It's a great scene and a bit of a peaceful moment before the likely conflict and turmoil that's likely coming.

Ben explains why he killed Jacob, Ilana will 'have' him

As Ben runs from Ilana in the jungle, he finds the rifle that Locke told him would be leaning on a tree. In what could be Michael Emerson's best performance to date (though there are so many amazing ones), Ben tell's Ilana why he killed Jacob and about his choosing the island over Alex, leading to her death.

He asks her to let her go and join Locke and when she asks why, he says "Because he's the only one who'll have me." Ilana says "I'll have you," signaling some inkling forgiveness of Ben's murder of Jacob. He then follows her back towards the beach camp.

Locke sets Ben free, wants him to go to Hydra

As Ben gets his own grave dug chest deep, he hears the sounds of the smoke monster approaching. Locke appears behind him, out of Ilana's line of sight.

Ben tells Locke what he's doing and that Locke will get what he wants when Ilana kills him. Locke says that he doesn't want Ben dead and that he went back to the four-toed statue to get him. Locke tells Ben that he is gathering a group of people to leave the island for good, but he wants Ben to be in charge of the island when he leaves (a very different story than when he told Sawyer that no one needed to protect the island).

Locke casually waves his hand which releases the restraint around Ben's ankle. He tells Ben to come to the Hydra island which is where he and his group will be. He says that there's a rifle leaning against a tree 200 yards in the jungle and to get the jump on Ilana and not to hesitate, because she won't.

Ben makes eye contact with Ilana, then makes a break for it.

So how much of what Locke said is the truth? Does he hope that Ben will kill Ilana? Does he really want Ben to be in charge of the island? It seems that Locke is telling each person he's manipulating exactly what they want to hear, in Ben's case, it's that someone thinks that he's of value and capable of bigger things.

Ilana makes Ben dig his own grave, tells Sun she could be a candidate

Back at the beach camp, Ilana is gathering bits of wreckage to later tether Ben to a tree. While doing that, she reveals to Sun that either she or Jin or both of them are candidates to take over Jacob's job and it is Ilana's job to protect them.

We then see Ben, going through Sawyer's old stash. He picks up a copy of Booty Babes magazine and the book Justice In Truth In Action by Benjamin Disraeli. There is also the book The Chosen by Chaim Potok in the stash too (a little nod to the candidates being chosen).

Ben pulls out an Oceanic water bottle and says to Frank that he remembers the plane crash like it was yesterday. Frank then reveals to Ben that he was supposed to fly the plane and the reason he didn't was because he overslept. Ben notes that the island got Frank in the end anyway.

Ilana then points her gun at Ben and forces him to the graveyard. She tethers him to a tree with the items she'd been gathering and tells him to dig his own grave.

Miles hears Jacob's last thoughts, reveals Ben killed him

As Ilana, Miles, Frank, Sun and Ben are making their way to the beach camp, Ilana questions Ben's honesty about whether the smoke monster really killed Jacob. She knows about Miles' ability and asks him tell her what happened to Jacob using the pouch of ashes she took from the four-toed statue.

Miles rats Ben out, revealing that Ben actually killed Jacob and was standing over him holding a bloody dagger. Ben tries to deny he did it and Ilana reveals to them that Jacob was the closest thing she ever had to a father. The group then continues towards the beach.

So what exactly is Ilana's relationship with Jacob? How did they meet and how long ago was that?

The smoke monster ravages the temple, Ilana helps some escape

It's sundown at the temple and the signature sounds of the smoke monster start to rumble the jungle outside the temple where two others with guns are standing guard. It uproots a tree and then makes it's way inside where everyone is in panic mode.

Smokey ravages the the temple, killing the others and causing damage. Kate and Miles make a break for it but split up. Kate goes to Claire and Miles heads deeper into the temple.

Miles holds up in a room until Ilana, Frank, Ben and Sun force their way in. Ben goes to find Sayid while the rest look for the secret exit.

Kate goes to Claire at the hole and begs her to come with her, but Claire says they'll be much safer there.  The smoke bursts into the room and flies over the hole as Kate hangs on to the ladder. It doesn't even bother them.

Ben finds Sayid by the spring, holding the bloody dagger he used to kill Lennon. He asks Sayid to come with him because there's still time and Sayid replies "Not for me" and flashes an evil smile. Ben, who is clearly creeped out, slow backs away and makes his way back towards Ilana and the rest.

Sun finds out from Miles that Jin was alive and recently left the temple. Ilana finds the same hieroglyphic that Hurley used to leave the temple and they escape seconds before the smoke monster barrels through the hall.

Locke's body is buried at the island graveyard by Ben, Ilana, Frank & Sun

Back with the statue gang, Ilana and Ben are carrying Locke's body across the island towards the graveyard where other 815 survivors are buried. Ilana tells Ben that the smoke monster is nowstuck in the form of John Lock and can no longer change.

Once they reach the graveyard, Ben and Frank dig the grave and all four of them lower Locke's body into it. Ben gives a brief eulogy, saying that Locke was a better man than he'll ever be and he's sorry that he killed him. The sadness in his voice and on his face is very honest. This also gives Frank an opening for a great one liner "Weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to."

So why is the smoke monster now stuck in the form of Locke? Did Jacob's death affect his abilities?

Ilana takes ashes where Jacob burned + Ben lies about killing him

At the four-toed statue, Ilana is sitting inside crying when Ben enters. She asks him what happened to Bram and the rest of her team. Ben tells her that Locke turned into a pillar of black smoke and killed them, but he lies and tells her that Locke killed Jacob too. When he tells Ilana that Jacob was kicked into the fire, she goes to the pit and scoops out a handful of ashes and puts them in a small pouch, much like the one Bram had. When Ben asks why Locke carried Richard into the jungle, Ilana says that he's recruiting.

So what exactly is Ilana's connection to Jacob? She not only seems concerned, but emotionally devastated by his death.