# LOST 8.9 "Ab Aeterno"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 23, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504 "2010-03-23T17:47:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/1 "2010-03-23T17:47:16Z")
Mouseover spoiler space.
OK, gang. Tonight’s episode is going to be a big one. And by that I mean it’s going to run long. Six minutes over from what I hear, so record accordingly.
Episode Summary for tonight:
Richard must make a difficult decision.
* * *
**Thread Rules**
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**Some useful Café Society links are given below:**
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[The Official Lost Jargon Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=286221)
Official “Lost” Questions Thread[Season 1](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=284542), [Season 2](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=336040), [Season 3](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=390739)
**Here are some interesting external links:**
[The Tail Section](http://www.thetailsection.com/): Excellent site for still frame photos of key scenes, along with some good analysis. But… beware of spoilers!
[Sledgeweb’s Lost… Stuff](http://lost.cubit.net/): Pretty good site, but again beware of spoilers. I use it mainly for the Timeline section, which is an incredibly detailed breakdown of “how long since…?” for almost anything you can think of (pre- and post-plane crash).
[Door Map from Episode 2.17](http://www.thetailsection.com/uploaded_images/cleanwall-707484.jpg). A nicely cleaned up version of the diagram Locke saw while pinned under the lockdown doors. No spoilers.
[Lostpedia](http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Main_Page): The wikipedia of Lost information. Quite a comprehensive site, but beware of spoilers!
[ThEmIsFiTiShErE](http://themisfitishere.blogspot.com/): The Misfit offers his whacky commentary on “Lost”. Is he a nut-case or a clever insider? Careful, though, possible spoilers.
---
### Author:  [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/2 "2010-03-23T17:57:44Z")
What does the title mean?
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/3 "2010-03-23T18:05:23Z")
Looks like latin, yes? No? Aeterno sounds like “Eternal” to me which would certainly fit Richard’s storyline.
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/4 "2010-03-23T18:07:03Z")
Yep… Looks like Eternal is rooted in the Latin word “Aeturnus.” [Cite](http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/eternal).
I bet that whatever Jacob did to give Richard eternal life involved him saying those words.
---
### Author:  [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/5 "2010-03-23T18:38:49Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever been more pumped for an episode. I’ve read a few spoilers (not all), and it looks like we will be getting, at the very least:
1. Richard’s true age and how he came to meet Jacob on the Island.
2. The first appearance of the Man in Black in his original form since last year’s finale, with perhaps more info on his plans/motivation.
3. The story behind the Black Rock.
4. Some kind of explanation, or at least an analogy, regarding the true nature and purpose of the Island.
If all of that is true, this episode may be HUGE. I hope so, because even though I’ve been on the edge of my seat all season, the slow trickle of answers we’ve been getting (usually in the midst of raising more questions) has been increasingly frustrating. Last week’s episode especially, what with Kate and Sawyer both acting like morons and making almost no attempt to get any info out of either MIB or Widmore, despite ample opportunity. (Not to mention the sideways-flash Sawyer story that seemed mostly pointless.) Maybe this time Richard will get sick of the Losties general moping/aimlessness and finally TELL them something about what the hell’s going on.
And if not, we should at least find out where he gets his unlimited supply of eyeliner.
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### Author:  [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/6 "2010-03-23T19:22:11Z")
I’m gonna be out of the country for the next three weeks so I hope this episode will contain me for that amount. Knowing who the primary character is means this has got to be a huge episode. I can’t wait.
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### Author:  [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/7 "2010-03-23T19:44:45Z")
Wikipedia on Ab aeterno:
> [@Wikipedia](#):
>
> **“from the eternal”** Literally, “from the everlasting” or “from eternity”. Thus, “from time immemorial”, “since the beginning of time” or “from an infinitely remote time in the past”. In theology, often indicates something, such as the universe, that was created **outside of time**.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/8 "2010-03-23T20:08:13Z")
Something created “outside of time”? Nah, can’t apply to this show. 😃
This should be good. The writers, I’m sure, know they have some pretty high expectations to meet for this ep.
---
### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/9 "2010-03-23T20:50:58Z")
> [@Winston\_Bongo](#):
>
> And if not, we should at least find out where he gets his unlimited supply of eyeliner.
I read a funny interview w/ Cuse and Lindhoff about this. They said (paraphrasing) that when Nestor Carbonell came to work the first time they shot with him, they came up to him mid-shoot and said “Nestor… We really like what you’re doing w/ this character, but what’s with the eyeliner?”
His answer:
He’s not wearing any. That’s just how his eyes look.
---
### Author:  [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/10 "2010-03-23T21:06:21Z")
> [@HelloNinja](#):
>
> I read a funny interview w/ Cuse and Lindhoff about this. They said (paraphrasing) that when Nestor Carbonell came to work the first time they shot with him, they came up to him mid-shoot and said “Nestor… We really like what you’re doing w/ this character, but what’s with the eyeliner?”
>
> His answer:
>
> He’s not wearing any. That’s just how his eyes look.
Oh yeh? [Don’t be fooled!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkuq3_dcmo0)
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### Author:  [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/11 "2010-03-23T23:47:18Z")
As much as I want to see flashbacks with Richard, I ope we also get to see Richard in the alternate timeline.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/12 "2010-03-24T00:28:24Z")
> [@Sir\_Prize](#):
>
> As much as I want to see flashbacks with Richard, I ope we also get to see Richard in the alternate timeline.
I suppose he either died or got off the island like Ben and Ben’s Dad.
I suppose he would age and die, as well.
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### Author:  [@ProfessorX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ProfessorX)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/13 "2010-03-24T01:00:09Z")
Richard! So pumped…but am going to have to wait until tomorrow to watch this.
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### Author:  [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/14 "2010-03-24T01:05:27Z")
So they are in Hell. Is it that simple?
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### Author:  [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/15 "2010-03-24T01:06:44Z")
It better not be, or I am going to be massively pissed off.
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### Author:  [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/16 "2010-03-24T01:10:42Z")
no I think that was a little nod from the writers to fans who had postulated the island is Hell theory
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### Author:  [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/17 "2010-03-24T01:13:38Z")
You can’t travel to Hell in a submersible.
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### Author:  [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/18 "2010-03-24T01:19:18Z")
Worst. Priest. Ever. He shoulda been a protestant. They don’t give a fuck what their pastors say.
---
### Author:  [@JerseyMarine2092](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyMarine2092)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/19 "2010-03-24T01:21:11Z")
Just to call shot gun on this one: Hurley was talking to Richard’s Isabella.
---
### Author:  [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-8-9-ab-aeterno/533504/20 "2010-03-24T01:23:08Z")
Now, this is interesting. When we first saw Jacob and Not-Jacob, they were sitting on the island on a clear blue day, watching a ship come in, and many of us assumed that was the “Black Rock.” Well, clearly not, as the Black Rock shipwrecked in the middle of a raging storm.
Hm.
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