Watch Ep 313's Secret Clue on Video

Episode 313 - "The Man From Tallahasee" Secret Clue

Welcome back to the Lost Secret Clue, where we dig deeper to find the clues and secrets you might've missed to fuel your theories! This week's episode, The Man From Tallahassee', presented us with a staggering stash of new clues, great mysteries and fantastic answers – all in all, one ridiculously satisfying episode. For the last few weeks, Locke has seemed like a man possessed, and tonight his actions pushed him over the edge, possibly damaging the Losties hope of escape forever. Or did he?

While Kate and Sayid were almost instantly captured by the Others while trying to liberate Jack, Locke had managed to sneak off to take matters into his own hands. His true motive for coming on the rescue mission was revealed – he had no intention of saving Jack, rather to save himself. We learnt that Locke believes his relationship with the island to be based upon personal sacrifice, and his willing submission to the island's will is what restored his legs. As we've long suspected, Locke feels that if he were to leave the island, he'd returned to his crippled state, a fate worse than death in his eyes. By blowing up the sub, which Ben claimed was the only method of leaving the island, Locke believes he has ensured that he'll never have to face that possibility.

In Locke's flashback, we finally witnessed the moment we've been waiting for since the fourth episode of season one – how Locke ended up in the wheelchair. No one could've possibly predicted it was a back-braking fall from the eighth story of Daddy’s apartment, care of Anthony Cooper/Adam Seward himself. Ben's alternate theory of why Locke wants to remain on the island – it is the one place his father can never get to him. That is, of course, until Ben begins describing "a very large box" that manifests the wants, needs and wishes of those on the island, and Locke's strong connection with the island has led to it spitting out Cooper in the flesh. It was interesting to note that Cooper was referred to as "The Man From Tallahassee" – Sawyer claims to have been there, Kate was planning on making it her first stop after killing her father and it also happens to be home to the world's largest electromagnet...

Locke's relationship with the island also led to a conversation containing several interesting tid-bits of information. Ben confirmed that the magnetic anomaly had knocked out the underwater sonar, meaning the submarine had no way of being guided back to the island – once it left, it would never be able to come back. He goes on to say that, having been born on the island, he doesn’t want to leave, but the submarine helps "maintain the illusion" that his people may come and go as they please in order for them to stay committed. He also mentions that the Others receive their electricity from two giant hamsters running in wheels underground – but we're prepared to accept he was being sarcastic, despite the painting of a woman holding a hamster in his living room...

No longer needing to uphold the façade he had when imprisoned by Locke in the Swan, Ben asked several questions regarding the nature of Locke's instant recovery from his paralysis. Locke turns the argument around, instead questioning Ben as to why he is now sick and confined to a wheelchair. Locke refers to Ben as a "Pharisee", believing in something yet not putting it into practice. He feels that the Others have become lazy, arrogant and self-righteous, and the island is now punishing them by not coming to their rescue. By taking over the comforts and luxuries left behind by the Dharma Initiative, the Others have become the very thing they may have initially been fighting against, causing the island to become increasingly unhappy with their hypocritical use of electricity and guns. When Ben asks where Locke gets the authority to tell him, a permanent resident, about the mysterious properties of the island, Locke coldly and factually answers – "Because you're in the wheelchair and I'm not."

For his part, Ben shows that, while he may have lost his connection with the island, his information about the Losties has never been more spot on. Just as he had asked for a cure for his cancer and two days later, one fell out of the sky, Ben claims Locke made his dream come true. He couldn't stop Jack and Juliet leaving the island for fear of looking weak, but also couldn’t break his word. By destroying the sub, Locke effectively solved Ben's problem – or did he? While taking Locke to the sub, Alex implored Locke to not blow it up as it was exactly what Ben wanted and that he was being manipulated again. Upon closer examination, Locke may have actually listened to her advice. While walking down the wharf and climbing into the sub, Locke was completely dry, yet when he is captured leaving the wharf, he is soaked through. Could it be that Locke, with the rest of the survivors rescue in mind, actually moved the sub out into the ocean, swam back and instead blew up the wharf so as to secretly steal the sub?