In fact, I think this last episode, and Locke's interaction with Jack, strongly hint that, if they divide into two sides, Jack will be leading (in an army commander fashion) the "we need to get the hell out of here side," and Locke will lead (in a high-priest fashion) the "let's stay and worship the island" fashion.

Uh-uh. It will be good guys/bad guys ala "The Stand". Locke has exhibited no moral ambiguity, which is Hollywood for "not a bad guy."

Sean,

And I'll say again, the text of the show does not, I think, support this premise. I can't accept an afterlife, even a purgatory, where the dead need food, water, can get injured by boars, or give birth to a child. To me, that's really kind of a six-year-old vison of an afterlife: "Will I be able to still eat fried chicken (or insert other favorite food here) in Heaven?" "If I get my leg cut off in an accident, will I get it back in Heaven?" "Will I be able to keep my dog (or other beloved pet) in Heaven?"

I cannot speak to Dante's Purgatory but in Inferno, there were repeated punishments meted out against the inhabitants. The guests could walk through and observe what was happening to the others. IMO, what is happening to the people on the island doesn't lead me to believe one way or the other that they aren't in some kind of Limbo.

In Beetlejuice, we knew that the main characters were dead, and there was still some tension in the story. This is perhaps a bad example because the film is not good. But there you go. I could go into some other films where the participants were dead but there was tension: The Others, Sixth Sense

Locke has exhibited no moral ambiguity, which is Hollywood for "not a bad guy."

OTOH, Lost seems to be actually striving for non-Hollywood. It has many elements that we seldom see. Together in one show, at least

Locke has exhibited no moral ambiguity, which is Hollywood for "not a bad guy."

What about the Evil Look at the end of Kate's episode, as he looked jealously at Michael and Walt after having letting Michael take the credit for finding Vincent? I think he's lost either a son or a son figure, and he's found a replacement in Walt. And now that I think about it, Sun's becoming a mother figure to Walt. Which means Sun and Locke are gonna get it on.

Also, Locke went after the boar with no regard to Michael's injury.

Plus, he initiated the backgammon metaphor. He told Walt there were two sides, but he didn't say which side he was on.

He's also lied about having seen the monster.

There's a lot more than no moral ambiguity here, and I can very much see him deluding himself into believing he's on the right path when in reality, he's captain of the "bad" team.

le nubian, your righteous examples are good, but they barely held up for two hours. For 100? Never.

This is perhaps a bad example because the film is not good.

Hey!

Uh oh. Did I tick off a Beetlejuice fan?

In Beetlejuice, we knew that the main characters were dead, and there was still some tension in the story. This is perhaps a bad example because the film is not good.

I don't know about "not good," It was pretty much what it meant to be. A lightweight, "lets have fun withthe afterlife" kind of movie. It's not fantastic, but I'd still put it on the "good" side of the good/bad divide.

::Shrug::

P-C, I had a different interpretation of the look Locke gave Michael and Walt at the end of the episode where Walt is reunited with his dog.

Locke specifically put into motion the events so that Michael would look like a hero to Walt. I thought the foreboding music was to indicate that Locke enjoyed having some control over people and being the "go to" guy. This was a nice setup because it led into "Walkabout" which showed a different side to him.

Now I see Locke as more vulnerable and needing to prove himself. Given "Walkabout" I now take his look to Michael and Walt as his thoughtful reflection about his ability to walk around at all to find the dog. I think Michael and Walt's interactions were not really the focus of his attention.

FWIW, I was entertained by the movie, but I just don't think it's that good. No offense meant to fans.