Lost: There's No Place Like Home, Part 2

This recap is part 2 of 3 of the Lost season finale.

In the future:
The editors pulled an Alias on us by having the "previously on" segment merge into the start of the episode. Right after Jack told Kate that they "need to go back," Kate drove away. But then she came back to yell him out but good. Kate's all "we have to go back?" Until Jack tells here that Jeremy Bentham died, and now it's all... different? Basically, they fight - again - and Kate slaps Jack. She also drops the bombshell that they have been off the island for three years.

At Santa Rosa Mental Hospital, Hurley gets a visitor in the way of a kindly old grandma who is not too kind after taking her son from New York to California to visit a man in the psych ward. After finding out that Hurley isn't "dangerous," she allows her grandson to talk to Hurley: It's Walt. Walt is looking older by the minute. It's awkward small talk, made even more uncomfortable by the fact that none of the Oceanic Six have visited Walt since they returned home. But a Jeremy Bentham has. And Walt wants to know by the O6 are lying. Hurley tells him that it is to protect the ones who didn't come back. "Like my Dad," said Walt. "Yeah," answered Hurley.

The beach:
Faraday comes back to take another "load" of people to the freighter, just as soon as he gets more water. (I hope he's not going to the caves... that's a day's walk!) "Dan, thanks for helping us," beams Juliet, who looks absolutely hopeful, radiant and beautiful. If the Emmy's had a category for Most Radiant Actress, Elizabeth Mitchell would win for these scenes.

Miles is eating some of the peanuts from the beach pantry, prompting a severe scolding from Rose. After she leaves, Miles, Daniel and Charlotte have a chat. Daniel wants them all to be on the next boat, thinking that something "dire" is about to happen. (And he would know... how?) Miles wants to stay. Charlotte at first says that she'll leave, prompting Miles say say: "I'm surprise you want to leave," after she was so eager to get back to the island. Charlotte is the audience voice and asks: HUH? Miles coyly goes, "yeah, what do I mean?" Oh, writers. They know that the scene would confuse us, and they pretty much told us that, too. It's so meta, it's unbelievable.

Charlotte later changes her mind. "I'm going to stay, Daniel. At least for now." Daniel warns there may not be a later. "Nothings forever," she corrects. Charlotte is still looking for where she was born, and I guess she minus well look on the island. (Good! At least one character will explore this island...) Charlotte and Daniel say goodbye, with the romantic tension thick enough to cut. The raft gets loaded up. Juliet is not on, saying that she is going after everyone else gets off the island. Aw! Dan's not so sure there will be another boat load, but, he and the extras get on off to the boat, which is now clearly visible from the shoreline.

The jungle/chopper story:
Keamy, while taunting Ben, wonders upon Frank, who is still trying to get his handcuffs off. Keamy hears a noise, readies his gun when Kate wanders out. (Kate was last seen with Sayid, hostages of Halpert) Kate says she is being chased by "Ben's people," and then we hear the whispers. And then the electric darts appear again. And it's the original Others, attacking Keamy's crew. Kate and Ben run off. There's a chase, and then Sayid appears to engage Keamy in a fight. They punch, kick, and then Sayid gets a big plank and spanks Keamy, no joke. Keamy gets more angry and almost kills Sayid, but then Keamy gets two bullet holes and is killed. And who killed Keamy? Richard Alpert. Ben is shocked. Alpert cut a deal where if Kate and Sayid helped Ben get free, they would let those two leave the island without incident.

Kate, Sayid and Frank meet up with Sawyer, Jack and Hurley. Saywer looks at Dead Keamy and snarks, "He do something to tick you off, Freckles?" Heh. Sawyer helps Frank ("Kenny Rogers") saw off his handcuffs and they all go inside the helicopter and take off. Jack is happy, Kate's relieved, and everyone else is... happy, I'm sure. We don't dwell on their emotions.

We don't dwell for long because a stay bullet pierced the copter and they are losing fuel fast. And Frank can't find the boat. They need to throw off excess weight to help alleviate the chopper's woes. After throwing off all the cargo, Frank says that he still wishes the chopper was 200 lbs. lighter, prompting a very sad expression from Hurley. Sawyer leans over to whisper stuff to Kate. Kate is confused and asks him why he said all that. (We don't know what "that" was that he said.) "Just do it, Freckles," he commands. He goes over to the edge of the helicopter... and Sawyer jumps. He's fine, and starts swimming to shore. SAWYER JUMPED. To save Kate, and the others. ...Aw!

The Freighter:
There is enough C-4 present to blow up an airplane. Desmond has had six months of explosives training when he was in the service, and he knows enough to know that there is no way to dismantle the explosives. (Sydney Bristow would have, sir.) Because of the remote trigger, all the wires become trip wires, involving a hilarious scene where Des (and Jin) say "boom."

Michael and Sun briefly talk. Sun is very scared and lonely. But Michael, unlike the Michael on the island who would have loved to have hugged and comforted a scared Sun, resists the urge. He can say no to Sun. AND he has an idea to save the boat. There is one can of nitrogen. They can use that to temporarily freeze the battery, stalling the explosion. Later that hour, while keeping the battery frozen - and with the tank almost empty - a red light comes on, indicating that as soon as the battery is warm enough, they all die. Find out next episode if they live together or, well, in this case, die together!

The Orchid:
Jack and Sawyer find Hurley, then the Orchid station, then Locke. Maybe if they have such good luck they should try to find a way back home, huh? Sawyer and Hurley eat old crackers, and Hurley asks about Claire. Awkward. Jack and Locke have a battle of wills, the most engaged, philosophy-filled Science vs. Faith discussion on the show ever. Jack tells Locke to let them leave the island. Locke says that it is "destiny" that they stay on the island, and that such knowledge will eat Jack alive for the rest of his life. (Well, yeah, Locke. Now that you said it... Power of suggestion and all!) Locke tells Jack that they will have to lie about everything on the island. "It's the only way to protect it," Locke claims. "It's not an island. It's a place where miracles happen." "There's no such thing as miracles," Jack asserts, not knowing that Locke himself is a walking miracle. (Subtext!) Suddenly, Ben enters the scene. Ben helps Locke find the hidden passage inside to the Orchid and he and Locke go down the secret elevator, leaving Jack "forever." As it were.

The elevator goes really deep, deep down. The Orchid station, being DHARMA and all, has a very "hatch" feel to it. Locke is very impressed by the dump. But, Ben has to assure him that this room is "not the magic box." Ben has Locke watch a "informative video" on the station: another DHARMA orientation film. The Orchid is all about space and time. And it has time traveling bunnies. No joke. DHARMA was able to use this room to manipulate time and space.

Suddenly, the elevator goes back down, and this time is brought in Keamy. Who was not killed, because he was wearing body armor - which makes total sense and I kind of beat myself up for not even considering that possibility before. Keamy taunts Ben forever, saying that he can't kill him, because his magical arm device is a remote trigger for the C-4 on the Freighter. And if his heart rate goes to 0, the bombs go off. This is when Locke steps out and tries to be all diplomatic with the mad man. Keamy does not appreciate this, and especially does not appreciate it when Ben comes out of the shadows and stabs him repeatedly. Locke looks like he's just seen the hatch implode again. "You just killed everyone on that boat." Ben: "So?" Michael Emerson's delivery was pitch-perfect, I hope he wins an Emmy, if just for that scene.