Ep 15. Follow the Leader

The episode "Follow the Leader" is the fifteenth episode of season five of the television show Lost. This episode is a continuation of the previous episode, "The Incident, Parts 1 and 2," and it picks up immediately after the detonation of the hydrogen bomb in 1977.

The episode primarily focuses on the group of survivors who were living in the 1970s with the Dharma Initiative. After the bomb goes off, they come to the realization that they may have changed the course of history and prevented the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. However, they are unsure of what their actions have actually done to their lives and the lives of everyone else on the island.

The episode starts with Jack, Sawyer, and Kate being held captive by the Others. While being held, they run into Juliet, who had been left behind when the Others took the rest of the group. Juliet informs them that they have to stop the Man in Black (who is now in John Locke's body) from leaving the island, or else the world will be in danger.

Meanwhile, back in 1977, the Dharma Initiative is in chaos after the explosion of the hydrogen bomb. Jack, Kate, and Sawyer head to the Dharma compound to try and figure out what has happened, but they are stopped by Horace, who is suspicious of their intentions. Jack convinces Horace to let him in, and they discover that the Swan station has not been built yet, meaning that they have indeed changed the timeline.

Sawyer and Juliet use this knowledge to try and change the future by blowing up the hydrogen bomb once again, hoping to reset the timeline and prevent the crash of Flight 815. However, they are stopped by Miles, who reveals that there is no way to change the past, and that their actions will not change what has already been done.

In the present day, Jack, Kate, and Sawyer set out to find the Man in Black and stop him from leaving the island. They are joined by Hurley, who has become the new protector of the island after Jacob's death. They find the Man in Black, but he has already convinced Ben to help him leave the island.

In the end, Jack realizes that he must take over as the new protector of the island and stop the Man in Black himself. The episode ends with Jack and Kate in tears as they say goodbye to one another, not knowing if they will ever see each other again.

Overall, "Follow the Leader" is an intense and emotional episode that sets up the final stretch of the series. It explores the consequences of changing the past, as well as the characters' desperation to prevent the crash of Flight 815. It also sets up the ultimate showdown between Jack and the Man in Black, which will determine the fate of the island and the world at large.