Locke saves Jack after the beach is bombed by Widmore's people

Jack is exhausted as he makes it to the beach after swimming from The Elizabeth. After he falls to his knees on the beach, he looks up to see Locke standing in front of him with about 8 others. Locke says "Sawyer took my boat, didn't he?" and Jack says yes.

Later, after the other group is captured a Zoe gives the order to fire on Locke, Jack hears the bombs mortars about to fall and screams "get down!"An explosion throw Jack and some of the others across the beach. Locke doesn't even budge at first. Look at the seventh photo below where he is calmly standing in the far left side of the screen as the explosions go off.

Jack is in a daze as he lays on the beach when Locke comes over to him, picks him up and carries him a short distance off the beach. He asks Jack if he's alright as explosions continue on the beach. Jack is on the verge of losing consciousness and doesn't respond. Locke says "Don't worry. It's gonna be okay. You're with me now."

Here's the question. Widmore knows that Locke is the smoke monster since he put up his own sonic fence, so did he actually think the bombs would have any effect on him? Why would he even bother bombing the beach unless it was just for show or he was trying destroy something else? Either way, it leaves Jack with Locke who will be in a difficult position once he wakes up.

Jin & Sun are finally reunited, Zoe takes the group prisoner at gunpoint

Sawyer and his group swim to Hydra Island after leaving The Elizabeth a short distance from the beach. Once they reach the beach, they are immediately ambushed by Zoe and three other armed guys. They stand down after they realize that it's just them and Locke is still on the main island.

Suddenly, Jin slow emerges from behind some trees and he and Sun see each other for the first time in over 3 year. They run to each other and embrace in a emotional reunion we've been waiting over two and a half seasons for. They exchange "I love yous" and Jin tells Sun that they'll never be apart again.

Zoe then gets word from Charles Widmore and turns the guns on the group again, telling them to get on their knees. We Sawyer says "we had a deal," Zoe says that the deal is off. She says into the walkie talkie that if they have a sightline on Locke, then fire when ready. The result of that order will be in the next post.

Jack goes into surgery & discovers Locke is his patient

Jack and David arrive at St. Sebastian Hospital and as they're walking through the hall, David asks if Jack really had no idea he had a half sister, Claire. Jack says that he didn't know and that Christian kept a lot of things to himself. David asks Jack if that's where he got that trait from and he says probably. David agrees to wait for Jack until he's done with the surgery and then wishes his dad good luck.

As Jack scrubs up, a female surgeon tells him that the patient was hit by a car and had a pre-existing spinal condition before the incident with Desmond's car. Jack looks at the screen and says that the dural sac is obliterated. The female surgeon says that is the reason why they called Jack, because they were in over their heads. Jack confidently says "Yeah, I got this."

Inside the operating room, Jack moves over to the patient and prepares to make the first incision. Jack looks down at a mirror attached to an operating table and sees the reflection of John Locke and looks a bit stunned. He says "I think I know this guy."

This is the moment we've been waiting for in the sideways when Locke and Jack's paths cross again. The result of this crossing is for the next episodes' posts.

Jin tells Sun that she & the baby are okay at St. Sebastian Hospital

Sun wakes up in a room at Saint Sebastian Hospital and finds Jin asleep in a chair next to the bed holding her hand. She wakes him up and he tells her that she was shot and that she and the baby are okay. They both smile at each other.

Jack decides not to leave the island, jumps off the boat

As The Elizabeth is sailing towards Hydra Island, Jack sits alone at the bow while every one else is in the stern. Frank approaches Sawyer who is at the wheel at asks what the plan is. Sawyer says they're going to get "cuddly" with Widmore until they get on the sub and then point a gun in someone's face until they agree to take them home. Frank says that he likes that plan, then goes with Sun, Hurley and Claire down to the galley to find some food.

Sawyer then goes to talk to Jack, giving Kate control of the boat. Jack tells Sawyer that it doesn't feel right leaving the island because he remembers how it felt the first time he left, like a part of him was missing. He says that if that thing pretending to be Locke wants them to leave so badly, maybe it is afraid of what would happen if they stayed.

Sawyer then orders Jack to get off of his boat. He says that he can either keep the crazy talk to himself or go in the water. Jack says that the island is not done with them and a part of Sawyer knows that leaving is a mistake. Sawyer says that he's done with the island and if Jack wants to take a leap of faith, then get off of the boat.

Jack apologizes for getting Juliet killed, then looks back at Kate and jumps into the water. Kate screams for Jack and Sawyer tells her that Jack changed his mind. Kate wants to go back for him, but Sawyer says they are done going back.

So it's interesting to see Jack's transition to being completely a man of faith. He now seems to have complete faith in the island and Jacob's plan, but it's still unknown what exactly that plan is.

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.

Jack leads his group to The Elizabeth, Claire follows, Kate convinces her to come

As Locke is leading his group across the island, Jack asks Claire how how long she's been with Locke and why she trusts him. She says that he's the only one who didn't abandon her. It still doesn't really make sense that she blames everyone else, but not Locke who lured her away by appearing as Christian.

Locke falls back in the line and asks Sun if she's seen Sayid. Sun can't speak English and writes to him on her pad "You did this to me!" Locke says that he didn't do anything to her and moves on. He tells them to keep going and he's going to make sure no one got left behind.

Jack sees his moment and pulls Hurley, Sun and Frank aside and they make a break for it. Claire sees them leave and looks fairly pissed about it.

As Jack and the rest arrive at The Elizabeth, they board and Frank asks if they're sailing home on the boat. Sawyer says that they can't leave without a bearing. He says that Dharma used a sub to get to and from the island, so that's what they're going to use.

Then, Hurley sees Claire emerge from the jungle pointing a gun at them. Kate steps out and tells Claire that they're leaving the island. Claire asks why they are not waiting for Locke and Kate says that the man is not Locke and he's not one of them. She asks Claire to come with them so she can be with Aaron again. As Sawyer objects, Kate says that either Claire comes with them or she is staying behind too.

Claire is uncertain, but Kate tells her that she was there when Aaron was born and that she shouldn't have raised him. She tells Claire that she came back to the island to bring Claire home. Claire gives Kate her gun and joins them, but she tells Kate when Locke finds out, "he's gonna be mad."

Sawyer and Kate find Desond's old boat, The Elizabeth

Sawyer and Kate emerge from the jungle to find Demond's old boat that originally brought him to the island named The Elizabeth (it was the boat that Libby gave to Desmond). Once they emerge, Sawyer finally tells Kate that they're going to pick up Jack, Hurley, Sun and Frank, not Locke and the others.

Kate asks why he didn't mention Claire, Sawyer says that she's dangerous now and poses the question "you really want her around Aaron?" They then both start swimming out towards the boat.

Sayid is arrested by Sawyer, Miles distracts Nadia

In the sideways, Sayid returns to Nadia's home and quickly begins to pack his suitcase. He doesn't tell Nadia what he has done, but only that her family will be okay now, but he has to leave and never come back.

The doorbell rings, and it's Miles. Nadia stalls as Sayid slips to the back of the house. Miles enters and sees Sayid's abandoned suitcase on the coffee table.

As Sayid attempts to slip out of the back door, Sawyer trips him with a garden hose and makes the arrest.

Desmond makes a good argument for Sayid not to kill him at the well

Sayid arrive at the well and points his gun at Desmond. Desmond calmly asks Sayid what he's getting in return for killing him. Sayid tells him that Locke promised him that he can get the woman he loves (Nadia) back who is dead. When Desmond why he thinks Locke can bring her back to life, Sayid tells says that Locke brought him back to life (referring to his resurrection while laying next to the spring in the temple).

Desmond poses a question to Sayid. He asks what he will tell Nadia that he did in order to get her back. This seems to cut through Sayid's zombie-like state, but we don't see what happens next.

Sawyer puts plan in motion as Locke with Jack + Locke tells Sayid to kill Desmond

At Locke's camp, Locke tells everyone to get ready to go to Hydra Island to they can take the plane off of the island. He tells everyone that Widmore's people are trying to provoke them into a confrontation and that's what they are going to get.

He then gives Sawyer a map to Desmond's old boat and tells him to bring it around to some bluffs to meet up with the rest of the group so they can all go to Hydra Island together. Sawyer asks Kate to go with him.

Sawyer then goes to Jack and tells him that he has a deal with Widmore. He wants Jack to get Sun, Hurley and Frank and meet him at an old dock so they can go to over to Hyrda Island. Jack asks about Sayid and Claire, and Sawyer says that Sayid is a zombie and Claire is nuts and he's not going to let her try to kill Kate again.

Finally, Locke has walked away from the camp with Sayid, where he asks him to go kill Desmond if he still wants to have Nadia back.

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.

Zoe demands Desmond back, drops a bomb + Sawyer plans escape

At Locke's camp, Sawyer is planning to escape from Locke and is telling Hurley about Widmore's submarine. At the same time, Kate is telling Sun. Sawyer says they are leaving Sayid, because he's gone to the dark side. Hurley says you can always bring people back from the Dark side, and references Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars movies.

Claire walks over to Hurley with a big smile and gives him a hug. Locke and Jack then return to camp and Locke remarks that it is nice to have everyone back together again.

Later, Jack and Kate sit down and Kate tells him that Sayid is different now. Jack tells her that she is not sure whether he believes that Locke just wants to leave the island and they need everyone together to do it.

Suddenly Zoe walks into camp and asks to talk to the man in charge. Locke emerges from his tent and Zoe demands that he give Desmond back, but Locke pretends that he doesn't know what she's talking about.

Zoe pulls out a walkie talkie and says into it "show them what we're capable of." The whistle of a missile or rocket can be heard and then an explosion happens behind Locke, just outside the camp. She tells Locke that he has until nightfall to return Desmond or the next bomb won't miss. She hands him the walkie talkie so he can tell her when Desmond is ready to be picked up.

As Zoe leaves the camp, Locke drops the walkie on the group and smashes it with the big stick he was carving in "Everybody Loves Hugo." He pauses and says "Well, here we go."

It would seem that Locke sees Zoe's threat and display as a sign that the war has begun, so there's likely a lot of death coming to the island soon.

Kate figures out why Sawyer didn't bust her at LAX + Miles & Sawyer have to find Sayid

In the flash sideways, Sawyer sits down with Kate at the police station after offering her an apple. He looks at her file which says she is wanted for arson, assault on a federal officer and murder in the first degree. He remarks that she doesn't seem like a murderer. She says that she's not.

When he asks if she remembers him from the airport, he says that he thinks it's strange that of all the cars she could have run into, that it happened to be his. He wonders if someone is trying to bring them together.

Kate then calls him out, saying that she thinks that the reason he didn't arrest her at LAX was because he didn't want anyone to know he had been in Australia. This makes Sawyer uneasy for a moment, but then he says "Oh, I like you."

Sawyer is called away by Miles about a homicide case. Miles shows him a surveillance tape of Sayid and says that he was seen fleeing a restaurant where Keamy and three other goons were shot. Saywer says about Sayid "There's our bad guy," which is essentially what Sayid has become on the island.

Jack & Claire meet as family, Claire says he's already joined Locke

As Locke and Jack are making their way back through the jungle, Locke stops and tells Claire to come out because she's been following them. Claire says she was there because Jack is her brother and Locke leaves them to catch up.

Claire asks Jack if he knows that Locke was the one pretending to be Christian, and Jack says yes. Claire says that she never had much family, so she's glad that Jack decided to come with them, meaning Locke's group. Jack says that he's not decided to leave yet, but Claire says that he has. She says that Jack joined Locke whenever he let him talk to him, just like her and the others.

So what is the deal with letting Locke/smokey talk to someone? Does it have real meaning, or is he just very convincing? Richard seemed to break that rule and something tells me Jack will be next.

Sun is frightened of Locke when they arrive at St. Sebastian's

In the flash sideways Locke is in an ambulance with a paramedic and Ben being rushed to the hospital. Ben tells the paramedic that Locke is a paraplegic, but he doesn't know anything else about him. Ben says that he saw the man who hit Locke and the paramedic says that he can talk to the police at the hospital.

Ben says he doesn't know who to contact for Locke, when Locke weakly says the name Helen Norwood. He also says that he was going to marry her. Ben tells Locke that he'll still marry her because he's going to be okay.

Once they arrive at the hospital, an ambulance carrying Sun and Jin arrives too. Sun and Locke are wheeled in right next to each other when Sun looks over and sees Locke. Sun freaks out, repeating "It's him!"

So it seems that Sun has had a vision of the original timeline, since she recognizes Locke and is afraid of him. It's all seems to be coming together now.

Fake Locke tells Jack that he was Christian on the island

At Locke's Camp, we return to the stare-down between Locke and the group Hurley led there. Locke tells Jack that he was hoping he would come and says that have some catching up to do. Jack asks Hurley if it's okay that he talks to Locke alone, since it was Hurley's plan to come there. Hurley says to go and Jack follows Locke into the jungle.

Once Jack and Locke stop to talk, Jack says that he looks just like Locke, but he has no idea what he actually is. Locke says that Jack does know, prompting Jack to ask why he looks like John Locke. Locke says he took the form because Locke was stupid enough to believe he was brought to the island for a reason, which led to his death, and then Jack was nice enough to bring his body back in a box. Jack asks if Locke had to be dead before he could look like him, and Locke says yes.

Jack asks who else he has looked like and Locke tells him to ask what he really wants to know. Jack says that on the third day he was on the island, he saw his father, and asks if that was him (fake Locke). Locke says that he was Christian and he took that form to lead Jack to water and that all he's ever done is to help him leave the island because Jacob trapped them there, but now they can leave. Locke says to leave though, they have to all go together.

Jack says that real Locke was the only person who believed in the island and did everything to keep them from leaving. Fake Locke says that Locke was not a believer, but just a sucker.

So how much of what Locke says is true? I certainly believe he was Christian, but he is likely lying his motives. This is certainly not the last big conversation Jack and Locke will have.