Who Is Richard Alpert From Lost?
The story of Richard Alpert in "Ab Aeterno," certainly one of the most mysterious characters on the series, since he doesn't age and has been endlessly loyal to Jacob. (It's questions and mega answers, so spoilers ahead!)
Forget flash-sideways. This flashback-heavy story took us once again to Jacob visiting the injured Ilana in the hospital, before showing our survivor candidates Jack, Sun and Hurley discussing the candidate business around a campfire, while Illana explained that the guy who knew what to do next was indeed the disillusioned Richard Alpert. With Richard about to make a deal with the devil (or the Man in Black/Smokey/the Locke-ness Monster), we headed back in time to 1867 to find Ricardo (or Richard) in the Canary Islands desperately trying to save his sick wife, Isabella.
Ricardo accidentally kills the doctor, wifey dies, and Ricardo is sold into slavery aboard the Black Rock rather than be hanged. During a terrible storm the Black Rock smashes into the island statue, sending the ship to the middle of the island and answering a couple good questions right there. Smokey arrives to take care of the surviving crew, except for the chained-up Ricardo. Maybe Smokey likes Ricardo's eyeliner-looking eyes, or maybe somehow he senses Ricardo was brought to the island by Jacob, or even more likely he just figures he can use him. (And, yes, we know that the wonderful Nestor Carbonell, who plays Richard, doesn't really wear eyeliner; he just has unusually dark eyelashes on his lower lids.)
Despite that it's the Man in Black, the original one, played by Titus Welliver, frees Richard "out of those chains," only to send him off to kill Jacob with promises he'll see Isabella again. However, Jacob isn't so easily killed, and he explains that the island is like the cork of a bottle, keeping the evil in. Jacob offers Ricardo a deal ... he helps the people Jacob brings to the island, and Ricardo doesn't have to worry about dying.
Back to the present. Disillusioned Richard, still aching over the memory of his dead wife, is finally ready to make a deal with the Man in Black if he can see Isabella again. Then, surprise, surprise, ghost whisperer Hurley arrives just in time in the presence of dead Isabella to remind Ricardo that she's always been with him. Oh, and Hurley has one other message from her. Richard has to stop the Man in Black from leaving the island or they're all going to hell.
And for those who wonder what the frak "Ab Aeterno" means, it's Latin and, according to Wikipedia, means "from the eternal" or "from eternity," which more than fits Richard's story.
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Source-SyFy
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