Some notes on the identity of the unknown man on the beach.
In the final episode of the second-to-final season, two new characters were introduced. Of these two, Jacob was already mentioned many times earlier. Even though his eventual full appearance came late in the show, audience was prepared to meet him and waited for that to happen. The way he was added to the storyline was handled masterfully, and it added to the anticipation of the final season.
This does not seem to apply to his unnamed acquaintance on the beach. There had been no earlier indication whatsoever about his existence. At the same time, he suddenly seemed to be central to all that was going on on the island, possibly even the main antagonist of the story. Such a surprise introduction of a major actor in the play when 80% of the events are already through, would be a very lame story-telling device. In fact, regarding the overall high quality of LOST scripting, it feels impossible to accept. Noteworthy is also how Jacob's name is mentioned in their discussion, but his acquaintance's name is deliberately left unsaid. Giving this a good though, the unnamed person on the beach may actually be someone already well established in the story, even though his face was or seemed different during his brief appearance in the mid-19th century. It is possible that as he had no real interaction with his surroundings, he was not really present there at all, but existed ! only as a vision, taking a form of someone else.
Common assumption is that this acquaintance of Jacob is his sworn enemy. This is based on his single sentence that he wants to kill Jacob. However, Jacob does not seem to be much moved by that, nor does his acquaintance feel otherwise angry or hostile. They seem to be in good speaking terms. When his acquaintance says he is going to find a loophole, sooner or later, Jacob replies, "Well, when you do, I'll be right here." Is he bragging and undermining the other man, or just stating a fact? It is possible that Jacob needs to die (whatever that means), he knows and accepts it and he is waiting for his acquaintance to find a loophole to fulfil the purpose he needs to carry out.
At the end of the season finale, Jacob was killed. He did nothing to stop it, seemed even eager to have it done. Again there was no hostility in his words, nor in the words of Locke who was supposedly (copied and possessed by) the same person earlier on the beach. It seemed to be in Jacob's interest to die (again, whatever that means). Looking at the scene, both men seemed to play Ben and agreeing on what was happening.
Drawing attention in the season finale is also the seemingly complicated plotting around Locke. It feels awkward and strange that Locke needed to leave island, die, and then be brought back so that the unnamed person on the beach could create a copy of him and possess it, somehow linking that to killing Jacob. Why John Locke? Was there no other option? And why all these complicated moves that do not seem to make sense?
When the final season unfolds, it hopefully answers these questions in a fulfilling way. In the meantime, the twists in the story seem to become a step or two more understandable, even though far from completely, if we assume that the man on the beach and John Locke are the same person; that there is no unexpected new character in the story; that the John Locke convincing Ben to kill Jacob is the real John Locke as much as the lifeless body in the casket, and that the dead John Locke needed to die to make room for the other one, possibly from a time that is far in the future or even further in the past.
In the final episode of the second-to-final season, two new characters were introduced. Of these two, Jacob was already mentioned many times earlier. Even though his eventual full appearance came late in the show, audience was prepared to meet him and waited for that to happen. The way he was added to the storyline was handled masterfully, and it added to the anticipation of the final season.
This does not seem to apply to his unnamed acquaintance on the beach. There had been no earlier indication whatsoever about his existence. At the same time, he suddenly seemed to be central to all that was going on on the island, possibly even the main antagonist of the story. Such a surprise introduction of a major actor in the play when 80% of the events are already through, would be a very lame story-telling device. In fact, regarding the overall high quality of LOST scripting, it feels impossible to accept. Noteworthy is also how Jacob's name is mentioned in their discussion, but his acquaintance's name is deliberately left unsaid. Giving this a good though, the unnamed person on the beach may actually be someone already well established in the story, even though his face was or seemed different during his brief appearance in the mid-19th century. It is possible that as he had no real interaction with his surroundings, he was not really present there at all, but existed ! only as a vision, taking a form of someone else.
Common assumption is that this acquaintance of Jacob is his sworn enemy. This is based on his single sentence that he wants to kill Jacob. However, Jacob does not seem to be much moved by that, nor does his acquaintance feel otherwise angry or hostile. They seem to be in good speaking terms. When his acquaintance says he is going to find a loophole, sooner or later, Jacob replies, "Well, when you do, I'll be right here." Is he bragging and undermining the other man, or just stating a fact? It is possible that Jacob needs to die (whatever that means), he knows and accepts it and he is waiting for his acquaintance to find a loophole to fulfil the purpose he needs to carry out.
At the end of the season finale, Jacob was killed. He did nothing to stop it, seemed even eager to have it done. Again there was no hostility in his words, nor in the words of Locke who was supposedly (copied and possessed by) the same person earlier on the beach. It seemed to be in Jacob's interest to die (again, whatever that means). Looking at the scene, both men seemed to play Ben and agreeing on what was happening.
Drawing attention in the season finale is also the seemingly complicated plotting around Locke. It feels awkward and strange that Locke needed to leave island, die, and then be brought back so that the unnamed person on the beach could create a copy of him and possess it, somehow linking that to killing Jacob. Why John Locke? Was there no other option? And why all these complicated moves that do not seem to make sense?
When the final season unfolds, it hopefully answers these questions in a fulfilling way. In the meantime, the twists in the story seem to become a step or two more understandable, even though far from completely, if we assume that the man on the beach and John Locke are the same person; that there is no unexpected new character in the story; that the John Locke convincing Ben to kill Jacob is the real John Locke as much as the lifeless body in the casket, and that the dead John Locke needed to die to make room for the other one, possibly from a time that is far in the future or even further in the past.
