The camera zooms in on an eye -- Jack's -- just like the pilot. He wakes in the jungle and hears a cry for help. It's Hurley! Jack dives into the waterfall-fed lake below to save him, and the guitar he's got with him because… he does. Jack and Hurley swim to an unconscious Kate on the shore and wake her. They're back on the island, and I'm back on the phone, trying to book a room at Santa Rosa.
Forty-six hours earlier, Jack, Sun, Desmond and Ben are with Mrs. Hawking in the Church. She leads them down the spiral staircase to her island-locating lab, which she refers to as the Lamppost, because we're not done with C.S. Lewis yet, babies. The Lamppost is located on an electromagnetic energy pocket (there are many) which the Dharma Initiative used to find the island. Mrs. Hawking, who amusingly allows that Ben is a big-ass liar, explains that the island is on another such pocket, but it's always moving through time -- so this lab was designed by a mystery man (Daniel?) to predict where it would be at a certain place in time. They've discovered a window back that will only be open for a short bit, and they must use it. Desmond says, "Are y' daft, then?" or something like it. He can't believe these people would be trying to get back to the island, warns Sun and Jack that "these people" are using them, then promptly leaves. I love you, you unique, precious, special snowflake, and I'm really glad you didn't get hit by that swinging Foucault's pendulum. time, please skirt its radius, m'kay? Mrs. Hawking hands Jack a binder full of flights and times and explains that flight 316 from L.A. to Guam will be their access to the window that lets them back onto the island, and they must be on it. What's more, they must have as many of the same people aboard and recreate the circumstances of Oceanic 815, as closely as possible, or the results of their efforts will be "unpredictable." She takes Jack, alone, to a back room and hands him a suicide note from Locke, but Jack won't read it, at least not then. She explains that John Locke's corpse is a proxy for Christian Shepherd's, and that Jack must give John something of Christian's. When he scoffs, she explains to him that this is a leap of faith he must take.
When Jack returns to the sanctuary, Sun is gone and Ben is praying (!!!) or pretending to. Ben tells Jack about the Apostle Thomas, and how although he's best known for doubting Christ's resurrection until he could put his hands in Christ's wounds, one of his more touching acts of faith happens earlier, when Jesus is planning to return to Judea (to raise Lazarus) despite the fact that his life is at risk, and Thomas says, "Let us also go that we might die with him." Ben then takes his leave from Jack, because he has to tie up some loose ends. Hmmm.
Jack's at a bar when he gets a call that his grandpa Ray has escaped from his nursing home again. And no wonder! Ray does not look like he needs a home. I'm just saying. Jack goes to see him at the home -- where he's on his last chance, and helps Ray unpack from his latest escape. In Ray's bag, Jack finds a pair of Christian Shepherd's wingtips. Jack asks Ray for them, and later explains that he might be leaving town. When Jack gets home to his own place, he finds an upset Kate lying on his bed. If Jack's going back to Craphole, she's going with him. He asks her where Aaron is and she makes him promise to never ask her about Aaron again. Then they make-out. Hey, I didn't write it (but it was kind of hot). In the morning, he tells her about the wingtips and the old white tennies in which he buried Christian, then his phone rings, and Kate takes her leave. Ben's calling from the Marina. He's all beat up (and so help me if he harmed one hair on Penny, baby Charlie, or Desmond's special snowflake heads, I'll beat him again -- myself) and needs Jack to retrieve Locke's body from Simon's Butcher Shop. Once there, Jack and Jill go up the hill, or actually, just to cold storage to get Locke. While there, Jack puts the wingtips on Locke, and slips the alleged suicide note back in Locke's pocket -- still unread.
Our various escape-aways make their way to Ajira airlines flight 316. Hurley buys up all the vacant seats on the flight (78 of them). Mirroring Kate's original trip to Craphole, Sayid seems to be in the custody of a police officer, or his girlfriend just likes it rough (hey, she looks a little like Ana-Lucia). Sun's there, too. She can't not take the opportunity to bring home Jin if he's really alive. And who is flying their plane but Frank Lapidus -- the pilot who was supposed to be flying Oceanic 815 -- who flew our escape-aways off the island in the freighter crew's helicopter. When Frank realizes who all he's got onboard, he cracks, "We're not going to Guam, are we?" Meanwhile, Ben's got his head buried in Ulysses. Jack can't understand how he can read, and says so, to which Ben replies (and notice how that ends in "lies"): "My mother taught me." Ha. He convinces Jack that it wasn't his fault that Locke killed himself (which he claims not to have known, but I totally think he's lying) and encourages Jack to read Locke's note. Locke wrote: "Jack, I wish you had believed me." Oh yeah, that'll make him feel better. Soon thereafter, the plane hits some turbulence which you just know is caused by an electromagnetic Hot Pocket or whatever, because there's a FLASH! And the thing we know, we're back where we started -- both the series and this episode -- with Jack waking up in the jungle, hearing cries for help. After he and Hurley wake Kate, they wonder where Sayid, Sun and Ben are. Soon, a shiny, new looking Dharma Initiative VW Bug van comes rolling toward the lake. The armed driver hops out and trains his weapon on Hurley, Kate, and Jack look at this man all wide-eyed -- first in fear, then amazement. It's JIN! (Still alive.) Dun!
Which character had the best backstory? Find out Come back Tuesday for the full detailed recap.