I Got Plans For You

Now that we have an inkling of Jacob and Blackie's plans, watching certain Lost episodes gives you a very different perspective. In particular, those (and there are many) dealing with Locke's destiny, and, to a lesser extent, Ben's destiny.

We're still not sure where it'll ultimately go, but previously, it seemed Locke was meant to do great things. Now when I watch the same stories, I wonder if the whole thing isn't some horrible joke. That long path that led Locke and Ben to Jacob in the statue--was the whole thing about them being played for chumps?

The only evidence that there's more meant for Locke (and perhaps Ben), is that Jacob thought he was worth visiting, and touching. He even apologized for everything Locke would have to go through. Actually, there's some extra-Lost evidence--why would the producers turn one of their top characters into a shaggy dog story?