Lost Reviews and News

Key Points from "Further Instructions"

Season 3, Episode 3 Episode Air Date: 10/18/06
Point 1
	We'll begin by answering the big questions: Question 1: Are Locke, Eko and Desmond alive? Answer: Yes. Quite. Question 2: Is the hatch destroyed? Answer: If by "destroyed" you mean "imploded into a giant crater and completely void of use" then yes, the hatch is definitely destroyed. Question 3: Is a bloodthirsty polar bear holding a former Nigerian drug lord captive in its Den of Polar Bear Evil? Answer: Let's not get ahead of ourselves, mmkay? With that out of the way, we can move on to this week's events. "Further Instructions" is a Locke episode, which means we're in for another round of tragic backstory coupled with island mischief. For much of this series, Locke has been the go-to guy for island mysticism and Obi-Wan-like wisdom, but season two was tough on our bald hero. His faith in the island was rocked to the core when he and Eko unearthed the Pearl monitoring station. Over on the personal side, Locke's once-close relationship with Charlie was left in tatters when Locke mistakenly thought Charlie had fallen off the heroin wagon. And, just to add a little paprika to Locke's Plate of Angst, Locke's final moment of season two was filled with massive doses of fright and guilt because it was Locke who destroyed the countdown computer and set in motion the eventual destruction of the hatch (and, potentially, the destruction of himself, Desmond, Eko, Charlie and the southern hemisphere). Yeah. Tough times. But those days are over! In this episode, Locke reclaims his title as BMOI. So let's see how it happens ... The episode opens with an eyeball (anyone else tired of this eyeball thing?). It's Locke's eyeball and, thankfully, it's open and still attached to his head. At this exact moment, it is now more than 24 hours after the hatch imploded, yet Locke is just gaining consciousness. He lifts his bald head off the jungle floor and scans the area. He hears rustling to his left and cranes to see who -- or what -- is running by. It's Desmond! Desmond is alive! And ... he's naked! No joke. It's less than 30 seconds into the episode and we watch as a nude Scot zips by. We'll return to Desmond in a bit, but for the time being, all you need to know is that Desmond is alive and he and his boys are running free. Locke tries to call out to Naked Des, but nothing comes out. His voice is kaput -- not kaput in a laryngitis, "croaking-out-words" kinda way. Rather, Locke can't make any sound. Desmond runs out of frame (thankfully, his bits and pieces are covered by strategically placed foliage) and Locke turns back to the task at hand: hauling his ass up. He slides his legs under his torso and slowly lifts his frame. He stretches and seems pleased, which makes sense since he's got a history of spontaneous paraplegia and it's always nice to see that his legs are in working order. As Locke stretches, an odd noise emerges above. woosh woOOSH WOOSH WOO0OSH Locke looks up. He raises his arms in defense! CRACK! Eko's Jesus Stick bounces off Locke's forearms and lands nearby. Locke picks up the well-traveled club and momentarily ponders where its owner might be. Alas, Eko is nowhere in sight, so Locke heads back to the beach camp. Locke emerges from the woods, bloody, stiff and mute. His appearance draws the attention of Claire and Charlie, who are sitting nearby tending to baby Aaron. Claire is rightfully shocked to see Locke, but Charlie has no reaction (he does, however, have an unfortunate new mullet). This placid-rocker routine seems to be par for the course for Charlie; he had the same dazed/uninterested expression when he first returned to the beach camp following the hatch implosion, and you'll recall that in the final moments of "Live Together, Die Alone" Charlie was far more interested in getting his groove on with Claire than figuring out what happened to the hatch and the men trapped inside it. Granted, grooving with Claire is a worthy pursuit, but you'd think there'd be just a titch of hatch curiosity on Chuckie's part. Anyway, Claire and Charlie watch as Locke marches to his tent and starts ripping down poles and tarps. His movements are fluid and he doesn't appear angry, but his actions cause Claire to hint/ask/demand that Charlie find out what Locke is up to. Charlie's face remains blank, but inside he begins to wonder if this whole "Claire Thing" was a huge mistake. Sometime later, Charlie finds Locke feverishly assembling an unidentified structure within the open frame of Our Lady of the Blessed Stick (the in-development church Eko and Charlie were/are building). Charlie sidles up to Locke and starts in with his "you don't call, you don't write" routine, which is the exact line he used on Eko at the end of season two (like Eko, Charlie needs a new shtick .. har har). Locke uses hand gestures to tell Charlie he can't speak and Charlie, being the snarky bastard he is, enjoys Locke's frustration. He asks Locke if Eko and Desmond are off "building structures and being mute as well." Locke resists the urge to gut Charlie like a seabass. Instead, he tries to communicate with Charlie by picking up sand and gesturing with his hands. Charlie correctly interprets that Locke wants to communicate with someone, but who does he need to talk to? Locke spins and points toward the trees. "Trees!" Charlie exclaims. "Yes, I've heard they're wonderful conversationalists." Locke takes a menacing step toward the smartass. Charlie backs down. Locke tries again. He makes wide gestures and then curls his knife through the sand. Unwittingly, Locke and Charlie have entered into the least enjoyable game of charades in world history. "Sky!" Charlie guesses. "Church!" "Very small rocks! ... A duck!" "Island!" BING! Locke points and nods. Charlie figured it out: Locke needs to speak with the island. And how, pray tell, is he going to do that? This is when we learn the nature of Locke's haphazard construction project. He and Charlie go back to the beach camp and Locke uses a notepad and a Sharpie (procured from the local Staples, of course) to tell Charlie the makeshift structure is actually a mini sweat lodge. Locke also tells/asks Charlie to stand guard outside the lodge while he communes with the island. Oddly, Charlie agrees. I need to pause a moment because I'm completely confused by Charlie. Who is this guy? Throughout the second half of season two, Charlie wanted nothing more than to feed Locke to a Dharma shark, yet here he is, helping Locke with his sweaty spirit journey. Hell, in this episode Charlie even tells Locke he hates him, but his hate clearly doesn't run too deep. Am I missing something here? Is Charlie's emotional vacillation a writing error? Is this an intentional character quirk? Has Locke wooed Charlie with a Jedi mind trick? Help me. I want to understand. Moving on ... "Twin Peaks" fans are going to love this next part. So Locke works his Lockian voodoo on Charlie and gets him to stand guard outside the sweat lodge while Locke communes with the island. Locke takes off his shirt and sits in front of a roaring fire. He scoops his fingers into a bowl and digs out a big pile of tar-like goo. He slaps the goo in his mouth and swallows it down. As the goo goes through the digestive motions, Locke sits back and stares at the fire. Mr. Mojo Risin' ... Risin' ... Riiiisin' ... A hand suddenly appears on Locke's shoulder. His eyes bulge as he turns and sees ... Boone! Shannon's Boone! Dead Boone! It's at this point we realize Locke is in the early stages of a full-blown hallucination. The sweat and the goo and the fire have combined to form a wacky island "vision," and it just so happens that Boone is going to be Locke's guide during the hallucinatory process. Boone looks good for a dead guy. He's grown his hair and he's filled out (the afterworld is teeming with personal trainers). Locke tries to croak out an apology to Boone, which is appropriate since the last time these two were together Boone was crushed by the innards of a Beechcraft drug plane and Locke played a key role in Boone being in that plane. Locke's heartfelt apology is hampered by his inability to speak, but Boone is dead and everyone knows dead folks are fluent in "Mute Language" so Boone hears and, in a sarcastic way, accepts Locke's apology. "Ohhh, you're sorry," Boone says. "That's okay. I was a sacrifice the island demanded. Besides, Shannon showed up a few weeks ago and we've been humpin' like bunnies ever since." Locke tries to continue the conversation with silent words (i.e. he flaps his lips, hoping Boone can understand), but Boone has no time for this bonding nonsense. He tells Locke that his ability to speak will come back "when you have something to say." In the interim, Boone says he's returned to help Locke find his way and "bring the family back together." It's at this point the hallucination really kicks into gear. Locke moves to get up, but his legs are once again useless. Boone points toward the corner of the sweat lodge and Locke's face fills with dread as he spots his old wheelchair. "You're gonna need that," Boone says. Light fills the screen and freaky noise spins through the sweat lodge. Suddenly, the light adjusts and we see that Locke and Boone are now in the Oceanic check-in area of the Sydney airport. It's the same location we've seen many times before: high ceilings, clean white displays, and lots of familiar faces going through the check-in process. Boone wheels Locke across the floor and tells him "someone in this airport is in serious danger, and you're the only one who can save them." Locke, desperate, points to a group of nearby people. The shot cuts to Charlie, Claire and Aaron. Charlie happily plays with Aaron as Claire looks on. "Not them," Boone says. "They'll be fine ... for a while." Locke turns and sees Jin, Sun and Said standing in line at the Oceanic check-in counter. Jin and Sun are in the midst of a spat, but Sayid cuts it short by pointing out that they're holding up the line. Locke aims his finger at the three castaways, wondering if they're the ones who are in trouble. "I think Sayid's got it," Boone says, referring to Sayid's ability to successfully guide Sun and Jin back to the beach camp. Locke shifts his gaze and sees Hurley behind the check-in counter. He's wearing an Oceanic blazer and standing in front of an old monochrome computer (it's the hatch computer). Hurley types in the code -- 4 8 15 16 23 42 -- and in the background we hear the countdown clock go through its flip-flip-flip reset. "Not Hurley," Boone says. Boone turns the wheelchair and Locke watches as Desmond strides down a set of stairs. Des is doing well for himself -- he's dressed as a pilot and he's got a stewardess on each arm. "Forget it," Boone says. "He's helping himself." Boone guides Locke toward the security checkpoint and Locke sees Kate and Sawyer standing in line. Kate is well dressed and wearing make-up (gotta give her credit, she cleans up nice). She smiles at Sawyer as he talks to her. Locke then sees Jack. He's sullen and sour (big surprise). A security guard moves his metal-detector wand over Jack, and the countdown clock alarm begins to sound (note: it's the supermarket checkout alarm, not the "oh-my-god-you're-gonna-miss-it" alarm). Locke looks at the security guard -- It's Ben (Henry Gale)! Locke gestures wildly, trying to warn Jack that he's getting the wand from a duplicitous Other! "There's nothing you can do for them," Boone says. "Not yet. First you have to clean up your own mess." In a flash, Boone suddenly appears at the top of a long set of stairs. He summons Locke to the top. Locke takes an escalator, and as he reaches the top step, he sees that his palm is covered in blood. He looks across the floor and sees Eko's Jesus stick. It, too, is caked in blood. Locke looks up and sees Boone, tattered and streaked with blood. "You don't have much time, John." SNAP! The hallucination ends! Locke blinks and sees he's returned to the sweat lodge. He moves to get up, but as he does a snarling image of a polar bear jumps toward him! Locke hurls himself from the sweat lodge and lands outside at Charlie's feet. Locke realizes the hallucination is over. He moves to a pile of nearby clothes and plucks his knife off the top. As Locke gazes at the blade, Charlie apprehensively asks Locke what he's doing. "I'm going to save Mr. Eko," Locke rasps. Locke gears up and heads out and Charlie decides to tag along (again, why?). Locke tells Charlie that Eko has been captured by a polar bear, and so it's their job to track the polar bear and save Eko before he lands on the polar bear's grill. Sidenote: It's a credit to the "Lost" crew that this polar bear business didn't degenerate into complete nonsense. As I'm writing this I can see how it could come across as a jump-the-shark moment, but within the context of the episode I didn't have any problem with a polar bear taking a large, powerful man hostage. But maybe that's just me ... Back to the action ... As Locke tracks the bear, he comes across Eko's discarded cross and a fresh pool of blood. Locke's Spidey Sense picks up oncoming dread, so Locke tells Charlie to go back to Claire. Charlie -- the moron -- says he'd prefer to stay. Obi-Locke pierces Charlie with his eyes. "You don't want to go with me, Charlie," Locke says. "Bad things happen to people who hang around with me." CUE BACKSTORY SWOOSH! Locke's backstory is undoubtedly the most tragic. It's also the only primary backstory that continues to contain a major question: how did Locke become paralyzed from the waist down? Don't get excited. We still don't know. This episode's backstory follows Locke in his post-Helen, post-Daddy period. He's cast off the bounds of society and found refuge at an agrarian compound. It's a place where shiny happy people pick fruit and till the soil and trade bootleg Phish tapes. As the backstory opens, Locke is driving an old blue pickup truck down a rural road. He spots a hitchhiker on the side of the road and pulls over. The hitcher is a young man named Eddie. He's carrying a single duffle bag and wearing a ratty Geronimo Jackson t-shirt (Connection alert! Locke and a number of other castaways enjoyed Geronimo Jackson's unique musical stylings while relaxing in the hatch). Locke takes to Eddie immediately, and when Eddie tells him that his mom is dead and his dad is a drunk, Locke turns down-right paternal toward the kid because Locke has daddy issues, too. Moments after Eddie hops into Locke's truck, Locke is pulled over by a cop. The cop asks Locke and Eddie to step from the vehicle, and both comply. Locke is calm because he's got nothing to hide. Eddie seems jittery. The cop glances at the bed of the truck and asks Locke what he's hauling. "Groceries and guns," Locke says with a grin. The cop peels back a tarp and sees Locke wasn't kidding -- a selection of rifles and handguns is spread across the bedliner. Locke points toward a red notebook and tells the cop that all of the required gun paperwork is contained in the folder. The cop flips through the book. Seeing that he can't arrest Locke on weapons charges, he tries to ruffle his feathers for picking up a hitchhiker -- but Eddie steps in. He says Locke is his uncle and Eddie was simply waiting on the side of the road in a desolate location until his "uncle" came to pick him up. Locke looks at Eddie, but he doesn't say a word. The cop buys the story and lets the pair go. The rest of the backstory deals with the burgeoning relationship between Locke and Eddie. We see that Eddie is Locke's first Padawan. Like Boone during season one, Eddie follows Locke around the compound and relies on him for guidance. And, just as he did with Boone, Locke relishes the opportunity to pass his knowledge on to a "son." As the episode progresses, it becomes clear that illegal things are afoot at the commune. Eddie has noticed that one particular greenhouse seems to always be off-limits, and when he asks anyone about it, the friendly folk go out of their way to change the subject ("uh ... how 'bout an organic burrito!). After six weeks of poking and prodding, he finally tells Locke that he wants to know what's going on in the greenhouse. Eddie has watched as bag upon bag of fertilizer is loaded into the greenhouse, and he thinks he has a pretty good idea what's going on. "I want in on whatever it is you're gonna blow up," he tells Locke. Locke is momentarily confused, but the confusion quickly turns into hearty laughter. Locke takes a bite from a peach and tells Eddie he'll see about getting him access to the greenhouse. Sometime later, Locke is walking through the compound and he sees frantic activity around the greenhouse. He goes in and finds the commune's husband-wife leaders (Mike and Jan) packing papers and stuffing cash into duffle bags. As the camera swings around, it reveals hundreds of marijuana plants. The commune is ground-zero of Doobieville and, judging by Mike and Jan's hurried movements, it appears that a police raid is imminent. Locke asks what's going on and Jan slaps a folder into Locke's chest. "You screwed up, John," Mike says. Locke cracks the folder and gets some unfortunate news: Eddie is a cop, and he's been gathering evidence for the last six weeks. This is just about the worst thing that could happen to Locke. In one fell swoop, he's been betrayed by his Padawan and he's losing his surrogate family. He's stuck in a mental pickle; he's desperate to stop yet another family from disintegrating. He tells Mike and Jan that Eddie hasn't seen the pot in the greenhouse, so there's still time to fix the situation. "Let me fix this," Locke says. Locke can be a convincing guy, so Mike and Jan give him a shot at redemption. Later that day, he and Eddie head into the woods on a hunting expedition. As they walk deep into the forest, Locke stops and spins. Eddie turns his back and points his gun toward a far clump of foliage. He thinks Locke has spotted prey. Eddie's right. Locke raises his rifle and aims at Eddie. The young cop turns and stares in surprise. At first, Eddie tries to maintain the ruse, but Locke grows angry and Eddie realizes the jig is up. Locke keeps the rifle aimed at Eddie's chest. Locke asks Eddie if he was intentionally singled out and Eddie confirms Locke's suspicion. The cops chose Locke because he was a relatively new member of the compound, he didn't have a criminal record and -- this is the kicker -- his psych profile suggested he'd be open to "coercion." If you look carefully, you can see a fault-line open in Locke's soul. Eddie starts to back away and Locke digs the rifle into his shoulder, aiming harder. Eddie knows Locke won't shoot him. "You're a good man," Eddie says as he slowly backs and turns, "you're a farmer." This is not what Locke wants to hear. He fancies himself a hunter. Locke's eyes well with tears as he grips the rifle tighter. Eddie walks out of frame ... Locke holds his finger over the trigger. Tears fall from his eyes. Locke doesn't fire. "Goddamit. Why didn't anyone tell me I was a friggin' farmer?" And with that, the backstory ends. We now return to island events ... Despite Locke's warning, Charlie chooses to continue on Locke's polar bear expedition. The two trudge into the deep dark Shire and Locke soon uncovers a gored boar with a small tuft of white bear hair lying nearby. Locke labels this an "active kill." You don't know how right you are, John. A deep growl roars nearby. Locke and Charlie run like the devil, darting through heavy foliage as a polar bear rumbles after them. The duo takes cover in a dense thicket of tall trees. For a moment, all is quiet, but the branches around the thicket start to sway as a massive creature approaches. Locke slings his hunting knife toward the attacker! "UGH!" That didn't sound like a bear ... Locke and Charlie clear away the branches ... and that's when they see ... A knife buried into the side of Hurley's canteen! Hurley looks at Charlie and Locke. "Duuude" The big man is back! It's been a long trip for Hurley. When last we saw our intrepid lotto winner, he had just been released by the Others and given instructions to warn the Oceanic survivors that they must never, ever, trespass on the Others' side of the island. When Hurley runs into Locke's knife, it's been nearly two days since his release. After settling down from the accidental knife attack, Hurley joins Locke and Charlie on their Eko adventure. As they walk, Hurley fills them in on the latest events: Jack, Kate and Sawyer were captured ... the Others don't want anyone touching their stuff ... and, oh yeah, Henry Gale is the Others' leader. That last bit stops Locke in his tracks. He stares at Hurley as he digests the Gale nugget. Hurley asks Locke what they should do and Locke tells Hurley to continue back to camp and pass along the Others' warning. With that, Hurley parts ways with Locke and Charlie (we'll have more on Hurley in a moment). Locke and Charlie sally forth and as they walk, Charlie tells Locke that one of his favorite pastimes was getting loaded on smack and then watching nature shows on the BBC. During one such event, a drug-addled Charlie learned that polar bears are quite clever; they are "the Einsteins of the bear community," he tells Locke. Thanks Charlie. Very helpful. Locke and Charlie's expedition ends when they come upon a cave. This, Locke determines, is the polar bear's hangout. Locke covers his face and arms in mud and takes a can of hairspray out of his bag. Charlie, like the rest of us, is confused by the sudden introduction of Aqua Net. Charlie stammers. "Uh, John, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but ..." "It's not for me," Locke grins. Locke fires up a torch and moves into the polar bear cave. Farmer my ass! As Locke goes deeper into the cave, the terrain becomes rocky and uneven. He takes slow tentative steps ... CLUNK Locke's foot hits a metal object. He stoops and picks up ... a Tonka dumptruck? What the? Have the noticeably absent island children been served up as bear sacrifices? Or, in a more interesting twist, has Locke just discovered the lost ruins of the Doozer civilization? Alas, these questions remain unanswered. Locke quietly returns the dumptruck and continues his journey. Moving deeper into the cave (how deep is this thing?) Locke begins to see polar bear detritus: bones ... skulls ... more bones ... a 6'2" Nigerian man covered in blood ... a femur ... a tibia ... WHOA WHOA WHOA! That's Eko! Locke rushes toward Eko. The light from Locke's torch causes Eko to stir. He sees Locke and sputters his name. "John ..." But before Eko can finish that thought, a massive roar rings through the cave and Eko is violently yanked behind a large rock. Locke pounces and grabs Eko's arms. Looking up, he sees the polar bear grabbing Eko's legs. In one swift motion, Locke snares the aerosol hairspray can and aims it at the torch. A massive fireball singes the bear! The bear whimpers away. Locke grabs Eko under the arm and struggles toward the cave entrance. Outside the cave, Charlie positions himself under Eko's other arm and he and John begin the long trek back to camp. The pair make slow progress (Eko is a big dude), but Locke's fireball appears to have kept the bear at bay for the time being so there's little threat of a bear attack. The group opts to rest by a stream. Charlie scampers off to get water while Locke sits next to the unconscious Eko. Because Locke is a man and men seem to have an innate inability to hold honest conversations with conscious counterparts, Locke chooses this moment to apologize to the very unconscious Eko. Locke's apology is heartfelt -- he's sorry for losing his faith and he's sorry for locking Eko out of the hatch (thereby instigating the hatch implosion). Locke believes that had he allowed Eko to continue pushing the button, Locke could have protected Jack, Kate and Sawyer. "You can still protect them," Eko says, gaining consciousness. "You can still save them. You will find them ... after all, you are a hunter, John." Charlie emerges from the trees carrying a bottle of water. Locke shifts his gaze away from Eko and grabs the bottle, but when he turns back, Eko's eyes are closed. He's unconscious. Locke, confused, pours a small stream of water near Eko's mouth. It dribbles down the creases of Eko's lips. He doesn't swallow. Eko was unconscious the entire time ... Locke freezes, unsure of what just happened. Fortunately, Charlie is there to snap him to attention: He suggests that they might want to get Eko back to camp so they can, you know, tend to those sucking chest wounds. Locke agrees. He and Charlie reposition themselves under Eko and continue the journey.
Point 2
	Hurley's run-in with Locke and Charlie was only a brief part of Hurley's plotline. Something far more interesting happens to Hurley after he breaks off from Locke and Charlie. On his way back to the beach camp, Hurley stumbles upon Desmond. Des is still naked and, being such, he's concerned about marching back into the beach camp with his grapes dangling free. He asks Hurley for clothes, but Hurley is slow to respond -- he's too confused/distracted by Desmond's nakedness. Desmond explains that he woke up in the jungle without his clothes -- the hatch implosion seems to have blown off his Dharma jumpsuit and his Dharma scivvies. Hurley begins to ask follow-up questions, but Desmond grows perturbed. He uncups his barely hidden goods and walks toward Hurley, asking him if he'd really like to the discuss the intricacies of hatch implosions at this particular moment. Hurley jumps back and reaches into his bag. He pulls out a ratty tye-dye t-shirt and tosses it to Des. With the tye-dye properly covering his Lil' Highlander, Des and Hurley walk back to the beach camp. Along the way, Desmond tells Hurley about the hatch's final moments. Hurley connects the dots -- Desmond's activation of the hatch fail-safe caused the massive tremor and the purple sky witnessed at the end of "Live Together, Die Alone." It also caused the hatch to implode, which is something Hurley deems odd because if the hatch imploded and Desmond was in the hatch, shouldn't Desmond have imploded too? Hurley stops and looks at Desmond. "You're not gonna turn into the Hulk or something?" Hurley asks, not realizing he's on the right track. Desmond scoffs and the two continue their walk. Hurley, suddenly overwhelmed by all that's happened, tells Desmond that Jack, Kate and Sawyer all saw the same purple sky seconds before they had bags strapped over their heads by the Others. Hurley is clearly upset. Desmond tries to soothe his nerves. "Don't worry," Desmond says. "Locke's gonna go after them. He said so in his speech." Hurley's confused. I'm confused, too. What speech is that, Desmond? Desmond looks at the ground. He shakes his head. "Right ... right of course," he says. He walks off. Hurley looks after him, confused. What the hell was that all about? Moments later, Desmond and Hurley successfully make their way back to the beach camp. The two part ways -- Desmond heads to the shoreline to relax and toss rocks while Hurley returns to his tent. Sometime later, Locke and Charlie show up with Eko in tow. Their reappearance draws a crowd -- including two "new" characters, Nikki and Paulo (more on them in a second). Locke and Charlie settle Eko into a tent. Nikki, who at this point has been on-screen for five seconds but has already annoyed me, says they need to find Jack. And that's when Hurley informs the assembled group that Jack, Kate and Sawyer have been taken by the Others. The group starts to panic, but Locke spins and calmly tells them that it is his job to find the missing castaways. "I don't know how yet, but I will," Locke says, his voice growing stronger. As he speaks, Hurley looks toward the shoreline and sees Desmond tossing rocks into the surf. "We're going to find them, all of them, and then then we're going to bring them home," Locke says. This is it! This is the speech Desmond mentioned! As Locke shifts into leader mode -- instructing people to get bandages and water -- Charlie moves next to Hurley. "Not a bad speech," Charlie says, impressed with Locke's carpe diem approach. "Whoa," Hurley says. "I just got hit with ... deja vu." Hurley stares at Desmond. Desmond continues throwing rocks into the waves. And then it ends!

Point 3
	We'll close with a few observations and questions: When Hurley meets up with Charlie and Locke, he learns from Charlie that Eko is in the clutches of a "bear." Charlie doesn't mention that it's a polar bear, but Hurley's reaction seems to go beyond the mere surprise of hearing that a bear has taken a human captive. Could it be that Hurley is making the connection between the polar bear in his old comic book (the one Walt read in season one) and the "bear" on the island? Speaking of bears ... Charlie is surprised to hear that a second polar bear is on the island, which proves, yet again, that the castaways have major communication issues. You'll recall that Michael and Locke saved Walt from a polar bear in "Special." Now, you'd think that a bear attack would be a worthy conversation topic, but judging from Charlie's reaction to the polar bear revelation in this episode, he seems unaware of Walt's run-in. This is just the latest in a long line of "topics that should be discussed between characters, but aren't." In the closing scenes, we're been led to believe that Desmond can see the future. If true, this opens up huge questions: How far into the future can he see? Are the things Desmond sees predestined, or can he and others change the future? Will he unite with Hiro and Peter in time to save New York from destruction? (Crap, wrong show). We were introduced to two sorta-kinda new characters this week: Nikki (Kiele Sanchez) and Paulo (Rodrigo Santoro). I say "sorta-kinda" because these characters have technically been on the island the entire time -- they're two of those random people we often see in the background, but in season three they're being elevated to the main cast. The actors themselves are new, but Nikki and Paulo have suffered through the same trials and tribulations as the major characters. That's it for now. Be sure to drop by our "Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture.
Next Episode:
"Every Man for Himself" -- Kate and Sawyer's escape attempt brings out the worst in the Others. Meanwhile, Jack whips out his mad doctor skillz when an Other goes down. Airs: Wednesday, October 25, 9 p.m., ABC.
Review by Mac Slocum. All photos and episode descriptions © ABC Inc.

Posted by Mac on October 19, 2006 12:48 PM | Email This

Thanks again for another great review.

→ 1. Posted by: Jo at October 19, 2006 12:51 PM

Great work as usual, thanks! I was really taken back by the Locke speach in the future angle. And how did Desmond and Ecko get out of the hatch alive?

Chris

→ 2. Posted by: Chris Meisenzahl at October 19, 2006 12:54 PM

Awesome review as always.

One note - I'm pretty sure that Locke didn't go up stairs in the airport; he went up an escalator, and that's why we don't see him crawl.

→ 3. Posted by: Dan at October 19, 2006 1:04 PM

WOW â€“ last nightâ€™s ep was IMHO the strongest so far.
Sorry Mac but I have to repost that theory I found on the other blog â€“ it just seems so relevant to what we saw last night.

Since early last season, Iâ€™ve speculated that the island exists in some sort of limbo, LOST from the world, lying alongside what I referred to as â€˜parallel timelinesâ€™. Weâ€™ve all seen theories involving multiple timelines, complete with screenshots of different furnishings of Desmondâ€™s hatch. Not gonna rehash that here.
Iâ€™m betting that the Others have access to TIME itself. They seem to have the ability to see the future. Although for them, itâ€™s not the futureâ€¦ the island exists in multiple time periods simultaneously, so the past/present/future are all one big wellspring of knowledge from which they can draw. (By the way, I think this is where the whispers are coming from)
This is why they know everything about all the main characters. Did they know this instantly? No. They needed lists. They needed names. Once they had names, they could look this information up, much like we use the internet today. They could see who was â€˜goodâ€™ (whatever their definition of that is) and determine who they cared about and why.
This is why when Jack asks â€œIs she happy?â€ Juliet can answer â€œYes, very happyâ€. Perhaps Juliet can see the rest of what happens(ed) to Sarah. Maybe she went on to marry that guy and have six kids and live to be a hundred. Juliet knows this. Everythingâ€™s documented, from Jackâ€™s life to his fatherâ€™s death. Sheâ€™s got access to the past, the present, and the future. In her own words: â€œWe can get anything we wantâ€. If you think there's a rational, uber-conspiracy, CIA Jack Bauer way for this to happen, you're deluding yourself.
And when Ben says â€œYour plane crashed on September 22nd, 2004â€ â€“ why would he mention the year? If you and I were having a conversation about what happened a month or two ago, we wouldnâ€™t need to. Itâ€™s assumed we mean the current year. By specifically stating 2004 Ben is making a point.
I think the Others â€˜contactâ€™ with the outside world is one-sided. They can see what happened or whatâ€™s happening or even whatâ€™s going to happenâ€¦ but thatâ€™s all. When Jack asks Ben â€œWhy wouldnâ€™t you leave?â€ he seems to perk up a bit and smirks: â€œYes Jack, why wouldnâ€™t we leave?â€ This could indicate that he likes it on the island, but I think itâ€™s more along the lines that he canâ€™t leave. Why canâ€™t he leave? Because in the real worldâ€¦ he doesnâ€™t truly exist. Ben was born on the island â€“ born into limbo â€“ born into non-existence. Thatâ€™s why he wouldnâ€™t leave.
Anyone still with me? Good. Almost done.
Just because sixty-nine days have passed since the crash, donâ€™t be fooled into believing itâ€™s November whatever he said it was. To the survivors? Yes. To the Others? Everything is timeless. Many of the more traditional (i.e. non-sci fi) viewers hate that, but I have a feeling this is going to be the â€œbig revealâ€ during the end of episode six. Either that, or â€œKateâ€™s an Otherâ€ â€“ after all, it is a Kate-centric episode. But I still donâ€™t think she is.
And my â€œManifestation theoryâ€, listed in the theories section - still stands. I still believe the island itself can interpret the thoughts, dreams, and desires of individuals into existence. I believe this explains many of the things the characters have been seeing since season one, as well as the Otherâ€™s uncannily immaculate village. Itâ€™s not exactly as if someone wishes for a glass of water it should appear in their hand, or if they wished hard for a rescue boat one would show up â€“ I just donâ€™t think it works like that. The island works its own ways, Iâ€™d imagine. Although perhaps the Others have learned more about how to utilize its power, even they can't simply wish for anything they want. It's not a wish machine.
To me, the island is a sticky ball rolling through time and space, picking up random people and things on its surface. The Black Rock, the four-toed statue, flight 815â€¦ everyone and anyone who didnâ€™t come voluntarily during the Hanso/Dharma days of holding the island in place with the magnet.

I think that the method used to â€œaccessâ€ the information that the island gathers (ie; past, present, future) is through a form of deep meditation. Locke had to eat his druggy oatmeal and go into a sweat lodge to meditate and â€œtalkâ€ with the island. The result was a hallucinogenic dream with Boone (who in my mind was the island using a form that John would recognize) and walking through the airport in Sydney. Boone then told Locke basically and vaguely the fates of the other passengers. When they saw Sayid, Jin, and Sun Boone said, â€œNot them, Sayidâ€™s got it coveredâ€. When they say Jack, Kate, and Sawyer Boone said, â€œYou canâ€™t help them, not yet anyway, but you willâ€. Then of course there was Hurleyâ€™s conversation with desmond in the jungle and Desmond telling Hurley that Locke would go to save J,S,K. That he mentioned it in his speech. I though that line right there was confirmation of the theory above. Desmond is the one person who had the most intimate contact with the magnetic properties of the island when he turned the failsafe key. He was, so to speak, in the â€˜belly of the beastâ€™ at the moment of the implosion. He was in the closest proximity to the event. Maybe being so close to the implosion resulted in a conscious receipt of the â€œinformationâ€ the island gathers. To him everything he might have seen has already happened and he doesnâ€™t realize he has seen some future events. Hmmmmm . . . . . . Thoughts?
Sorry for the huge post Mac. Last nightâ€™s episode got me jazzed.
Great review as always Mac. Like Jordan and the Bulls in the playoffs â€“ MAGIC.

→ 4. Posted by: Mr. Grimm at October 19, 2006 1:10 PM

"thankfully, his [Desmond's] bits and pieces are covered by strategically placed foliage"

um, thankfully for whom ? lol

Thanks Mac, for another great review.

→ 5. Posted by: lost_me at October 19, 2006 1:13 PM

Fantastic review Mac! It was a damn good episode and had plenty of relevence regardless of what some of the people on the forums think.

1 note, Locke went up an escalator in his hallucination, not stairs, we saw him ride it breifly.

Desmond is a weird situation. Why was he the only one without clothes from the hatch implosion? He seemed very irritated that Hurley was asking questions about it as well. It seems he is not telling the full story..

→ 6. Posted by: alex at October 19, 2006 1:14 PM

I swear I about wet myself when Boone popped-up.

Also I thought I heard Charlie say that Sayid killed the polar bear. It was Sawyer that shot the polar bear wasn't it??

→ 7. Posted by: UNCAngel08 at October 19, 2006 1:18 PM

"Very small rocks? ... A duck!

love it.
- always a great line -

→ 8. Posted by: 4ever_Lost at October 19, 2006 1:19 PM

I truly love this show, but I think the one thing that is lacking is a few more commercial breaks.

→ 9. Posted by: RichS at October 19, 2006 1:23 PM

Great review, Mac.

I really liked Charlie's line about Locke's "Zero tolerance" policy re. drugs just before Locke scarfed down some hallucinogenic tar/goop. Whatever did he make it out of? Does polar bear poop have heretofore unrecognized pharmacological uses? Inquiring minds want to know... And Benry as a TSA Screener? No soup for you...

→ 10. Posted by: ransomjackson at October 19, 2006 1:25 PM

Great job again Mac!!

"The commune is ground-zero of Doobieville... "

Fantastic!

→ 11. Posted by: Marty at October 19, 2006 1:25 PM

Doozers...
Very small rocks...
A DUCK!

Mac is the best!

→ 12. Posted by: Dan at October 19, 2006 1:25 PM

Great recap, Mac and nice insight, too.

I wonder the same thing about Desi's newfound abilities. Somethin' bad must be about to happen to him, or else he might disclose future plot devices.

My big question is this: how are our castaways going to take showers now that the hatch is gone? Considering Locke's time in the sweat lodge, his hike through the jungle, and his crawl through a dirty bear pit, tonight's clambake is going to be noticeably smellier.

→ 13. Posted by: Jeff at October 19, 2006 1:30 PM

Wow - thanks for clearing up the Deja Vu thing.....I love Locke - he's the heart and soul of the show and I'm glad that last night's episode was all about him. However, it is becoming more and more confusing - let's hope by the end of 6 we might have at least some inkling of what's going on!!

→ 14. Posted by: misst at October 19, 2006 1:34 PM

Mac Mornin to all!

"Mojo risin"....love it. Hey....a Jim Morrison hallucination could have worked with Locke's marijuana past! Boone looked scary...straight out of a Stephen King novel or movie....hmmmm?

I'd really like to see Locke, Sayid and Eko kick some Others ass. I am starting to get depressed that our friends are defeated time and time again.

→ 15. Posted by: Kimberly at October 19, 2006 1:35 PM

mac, I think they were airport escalators, which is how he managed to get to the top.

→ 16. Posted by: Chris at October 19, 2006 1:36 PM

One of the skeletons in the bear cave was wearing a Dharma t-shirt. I think the Einstein bears escaped their captivity and wreaked a little vengeance!

→ 17. Posted by: AB at October 19, 2006 1:36 PM

I don't even know where to start with this episode. I have been replaying it in my mind over and over again today, especially the vision in the airport...and Boone! I can't get over it. This episode might have to go in my top three....where to begin?

Since the hatch imploded, what the heck does this mean for the computer and entering the numbers? Aside from the obvious (that they will no longer enter the numbers...), how will the Others react to this happening? Can we assume that entering the numbers affects them in some way? Aren't they, and Dharma, in charge of this hatch experiment and the numbers, etc? And why would the hatch imploding blow Desmond's clothes off, but not Locke's or Eko's?

About Charlie's character....I think he is so willing to tag along with Locke because he is still seeking redemption in a lot of ways...for things like kidnapping Sun in the garden and dragging baby Aaron out into the ocean...maybe he is seeking a way to earn Locke's respect again?

Mac, love your references to the Fraggles and Heroes...nice connections...

→ 18. Posted by: Vikki at October 19, 2006 1:37 PM

this is my first post, but i have been an avid reader since late last season.

LOST is the best show on television and this episode is proof...i loved Locke's hallucination scene and am thoroughlly grateful to have Obi-Locke back.

Who would have thought Hurley's first word of the third season would be "Dude.", honestly. During the haluccination terminal scene, did Boone say Locke could not help Charlie and Claire at least not for now? Interseting stuff revealed and we got see Kate in make-up so im deeming last night one of the best in LOST history.

Love the show and love the blog Mac...you give meaning to Thursdays once again....

-GXG

→ 19. Posted by: grimgravyX at October 19, 2006 1:40 PM

Great recap Mac! It sure helped me watch the show knowing I'd get some coherence today! I get soooooooooo confused.

So how did Locke get paralyzed - and what was all of that "mute" stuff? I still don't get it. But Charlie and Locke's mute "conversation" was hilarious!

Love this - "Because Locke is a man and men seem to have an innate inability to hold honest conversations with conscious counterparts, Locke chooses this moment to apologize to the very unconscious Eko" Damn - wish I'd seen/known that sooner...

→ 20. Posted by: Sheridan at October 19, 2006 1:41 PM

"Locke somehow gets up the steps (we don't see him crawl)"

FYI: It was an escalator. He didn't have to crawl because it carried him all the way up.

→ 21. Posted by: Kevin at October 19, 2006 1:45 PM

About the airport vision....love the symbolism:

-Desmond as the pilot...is he "in charge" of what goes on with the survivors now? Does he "fly their plane"?
-Hurley at the check in counter....why is he in charge of this? His personality? The fact that he has information to share with everyone?
-Sun getting agitated with Jin while on line....doesn't she hold the key to power between her and Jin's relationship?
-Sayid directing Sun and Jin to check-in... just as he is directing them back to camp right now...
-Jack being the first to have to "go through" Benry's security...they approached him first, right?
-Kate and Sawyer being "next in line"....anyone see the previews for next week? I got the creeps just watching that...very disturbing...
-Benry being the security guard...the main authority...the one who decides who to let in, or out for that matter...seemingly unsuspecting...yet I point out the previews again and his role in them....keeping Locke separated from them by glass....

Boone's words were so ominous...."they're ok, for now"..."you can't help them yet"

Now I know that Boone's words, "someone in this airport is in desparate need of your help" (or something to that effect...) is meant for Eko and that we see Eko's Jesus stick at the top of the escalator, but Eko isn't actually IN the airport....so were Boone's words meant for someone else?

→ 22. Posted by: Vikki at October 19, 2006 1:47 PM

sorry for the double post...

also....i already hate those two new people, Paulo and "Loud-Mouth". What right do they have to just pop up and carry on conversations with Hurley and Charlie? Bringing in the tailies was a completely different situation and i liked the induction of new characters, well actually only Eko, but since we've been with this camp for three seasons it will seem really weird to talk about these two other survivors as if we've seen them from day one. I can't help but wonder if this is a desperate attempt by the writer's to keep the flashbacks new and insightful. If so, bad idea....i would much rather watch Jack try to not cry over his daddy a million more times.

-GXG

→ 23. Posted by: grimgravyX at October 19, 2006 1:50 PM

Theory time: Desmond saw the future in a time warp when the sky went purple. Then he lost his clothes because of the Terminator Principle that they don't go through time travel.

→ 24. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at October 19, 2006 1:55 PM

Great recap, as always! I just have a question for everyone:

Was one of the guys at Locke's commune (or whatever you call it) one of the Others? He looked really familiar!

→ 25. Posted by: Denise at October 19, 2006 1:57 PM

Mac, once again, amazing review!!

Now, I am completely baffled with this week's ending. What does Hurley think? Has Desmond travelled through time because of the blast? Is he a mole, a spy? Whuuuuttt??? Did the magnetic implosion give ol' Des' pre-cognition powers?
As for next week's preview, it seems that the Others want to finish destroying Jack by having Kate admit her love for Sawyer in front of our good but despairing doctor...
Oh, and one more thing: stop spoiling us, will ya??!! Indeed, I've started to watch NBC's Heroes, and despite the infinite resources of the web, I have not been able to find a blog about that TV show as entertaining, fun, witty, and rewarding as yours is on Lost! Thanks again, Mac!!

→ 26. Posted by: Cesco at October 19, 2006 1:58 PM

Denise....I totally agree...you are talking about Mike, right? Mike isn't Tom/Zeke is he? It can't be that obvious, right?

→ 27. Posted by: Vikki at October 19, 2006 1:59 PM

Yup, Vicki, that's what I was thinking! His voice sounded the same as Tom/Zeke/Mr Friendly, didnt' it?

→ 28. Posted by: Denise at October 19, 2006 2:02 PM

Episode raised more questions than answers. It appears that the writers/producers are having continuity errors in the current story line. The the beach survivors heard and felt the massive explosion, with the hatch cover landing on the beach camp. Inside the hatch, the contents being drawn inward but the occupants (Locke, Desmond, Eko) are â€œthrownâ€ clear of the station with the final evidence of the hatch implosion crater. The two different resulting debris defies physics and common sense. A massive explosion would have killed the occupants inside the Hatch. Even Hurley questions Desmond on this issue. Which leads to a fundamental question: how is real life and real death treated on Lost?

In the beginning, when someone on the island died, they were buried and there was no further interacting with the cast. (example, Ana Lucia) But if someone had died outside the island, they would appear to be alive on the island (example, Jackâ€™s father to Jack). So when Boone appears to Locke, that breaks this story continuity. Is there is a plausible explanation that covers all these points?

I did not like the aspect of Locke waking up in the jungle after the explosion. It felt like the producers were hitting a re-set button on a computer game after failing to complete a mission on Level 3.

The episode focus on Locke as a Hunter: real or his own perception of himself. The undercover cop did not think he had it in him. Has anyone else noticed the quiet theme of â€œKill or Be Killed?â€ If one begins to tally the violent deaths, the island is not a safe place. Hereâ€™s a quick killer scorecard:

LOSTIES (12)
Eko, 2 (Others); Ana Lucia, 2; Michael, 2; Charlie, 1; Sawyer 1 (polar bear), Jack, 1 (agent Mars), Locke 1 (Boone); Sun 1 (Other); Desmond, 1 (Kelvin).

OTHERS (2)
Goodwin 1 (Nathan); Ethan 1 (Sc ott);

UNKNOWN (3)
Monster 1 (pilot); Riptide 1 (Barbara); Black Rock 1 (Arzt dynamite)

Any correlation between being a Killer and the Island treatment of the characters? Or that Locke could not â€œkillâ€ the cop to save his commune family?

Also, the common thread between Locke and Eko: cleaning up their mess? paying the price for being naive? Drugs + faith = religion?

→ 29. Posted by: cyberbarf at October 19, 2006 2:02 PM

Cyberbarf....maybe the holes will be filled when we find out what happened in the 24 hour time span Claire mentioned between the "explosion" and Locke showing up on the beach again? There's got to be some significance to the fact that Locke, Des, and Eko all wound up in different places. And, how did Charlie get back to the beach? I thought he went in the hatch at the end of last season to rescue and help Eko? After the explosion, he lost his hearing momentarily, rignt? Or am I mixing him up with someone else?

I agree that there seems to be a whole lot missing, but I do believe there must be an answer to them. Maybe it is not time for us to know yet....

→ 30. Posted by: Vikki at October 19, 2006 2:11 PM

Great review, Mac, and I think this was the best episode yet this season.
A couple of observations:
Vikki, good point about Eko not being in the airport.
Re: Mike in the commune looking like Tom, I thought the exact thing and looked up the actors names, and they are different actors. But the fact that everyone thought this must not be coincidental, I think the producers picked this actor BECAUSE he looks like Tom, for whatever reason. Maybe it will turn out to be his brother.

Final observation: When the camera panned up to view Locke lying in the jungle at the beginning, I could have sworn his right leg looked broken - it was at an odd angle. Did anyone else notice this? Or am I crazy?

→ 31. Posted by: Christina at October 19, 2006 2:15 PM

@Vikki: for the show to sustain any credence, it needs to treat a fundmental fact of death in a consistent way (unless the writers do not believe death matters).

@Christina: Locke did have a crooked leg; and walked with a limp. It appears when things get really tough in his life or he is wrong/tricked, Locke becomes physically paralyzed.

→ 32. Posted by: cyberbarf at October 19, 2006 2:38 PM

Great review Mac, It was an escalator, What is with those American Weerewolf in London Polar Bear/Monsters. You would thing with all the cake that show takes in they could do a better job than that, Not to mention how does a Polar bear carry a person for miles (does anyone else think that is rediculous?)I liked the episode but I think the purpose was just to reestablish some weirdness that had been lacking.

→ 33. Posted by: danlostinboston at October 19, 2006 2:40 PM

Mac - Loved the recap - just finished reading it along with everyones comments.

@alex:

I think the reason desmond had no clothes is that the jumpsuit was DHARMA and the hatch was DHARMA. Now if you remember in "Live Together, Die Alone", when Des finds Kelvin by the failsafe drunk as a skunk, Kelvin tells Des that if they use the failsafe "it all goes away". Could it be that he was being literal? Could he have possibly meant that everything in the hatch and hatch related (ie: Dharma jumpsuit) would just go poof. Possible. That would explain why Des was naked and the Locke and Eko weren't. He was the only one wearing DHARMA Duds.

Just a thought.

→ 34. Posted by: Mr. Grimm at October 19, 2006 2:44 PM

My first post - but I've enjoyed your reviews since last season!

Did you notice that Eko's stick picked up a new message PRIOR to Locke ingesting his wonder-vision drug? Where do you think that came from?

→ 35. Posted by: Kathy at October 19, 2006 2:46 PM

Mr. Grimm -- you are my hero! Thanks for the logical and thought-provoking insight and theory analsis. You rock!

And, my first reaction to Mike -- the head dude in Locke's flashback scene -- was Holy Crap! That looks like Pickett (the Other). Is it Pickett? My husband breezed through the room and said, "Oh, that's Mickey Rourke!" Not sure if that is true, but he looked an awful lot like Picket. I'll do some research on actor's name and get back with more info

→ 36. Posted by: GatorGal at October 19, 2006 2:47 PM

GatorGal: I looked up Pickett in the cast list, and he is played by Michael Bowen (related to Julie Bowen who plays Sarah??), and Mike, the guy in the commune is played by Chris Mulkey.
Actually, I thought Mike looked like a younger Tom, not Pickett.

→ 37. Posted by: Christina at October 19, 2006 2:52 PM

The acotrs who play Mike, Pickett and Mr.Friendly/Zeke are all different people. So, all of us (including me!) who thought Mike looked like/could be either Pickett or Zeke are incorrect.

For the record, the actors are as follows: Chiris Mulkey (Mike); Michael Bowen (Pickett); MC Gainey (Zeke/Mr. Friendly).

Newsflash: Episode 7 is purported to be a JULIET Flashback.

→ 38. Posted by: GatorGal at October 19, 2006 2:53 PM

Great review as always Mac, I relly on it every thrusday to ease the storm left behind by this show.

Just want to make a few observations, maybe they do not mean anything, but if we are all talking about the same show, they probably are clues.

Desmond- If I remember correctly, he was in the "basemant" (for lack of better word) of the hatch turning the key, he was alot closer to the detonation than Lock and Eko, and, wasn't he wearing DARHMA clothing? are they meant to disintegrate on detonation? Perhaps.

Boone- Was it me or did he look very clean when we saw him in the hallucination-teepee? Then in the airport he was a bit raggedy, sweaty and a bit dirty. Finaly at the top of the stairs he was just beaten to a pulp!! What's up with that?

Charlie- Mac, I think that even if Charlie has a grudge against Lock he feels a bit of loyalty to him, he is the one that helped him kick the habit. I also believe Charlie is just flat out nosey and wants to be a hunter as well. During the first season he always tagged along, not because he was brave but because he wanted to be one of the cool guys.

Did anyone else see the poster with all the main characthers pictures taped together? Well, I noticed that some of those character pictures had the wrong color eyes. The poster seems to be indicative of something, who knows. But what occured to me is that the center pictures are of the characters that will shape this season. When we last saw Hurley last night, his eyes were very bright, their color was a very light brown but very visible, just as in the picture on the poster. Does this mean we get to see another side (color) about the characters that we do not know? Hmm...

Interstingly, each promo we have seen ends with a look from a cave looking out to the ocean!?!?! What the heck!

Lastly, WHAT THE HELL IS A TONKA TRUCK doing, not only on the island, but in the CAVE!!

→ 39. Posted by: Ice at October 19, 2006 2:53 PM

Christina -- we must have been looking up the info and typing at exactly the same time! Thanks for responding -- great minds think alike, right?

→ 40. Posted by: GatorGal at October 19, 2006 2:54 PM

Just once more - It was an escalator.

→ 41. Posted by: Charlie Salinger at October 19, 2006 2:55 PM

Yes, GatorGal! It was bothering me, I had to look it up...

→ 42. Posted by: Christina at October 19, 2006 2:58 PM

OH, another interesting thing!!

Has anyone seen the Capitol One commercial were the family is jumping in and out of the train to go on vacation? The father points out a pair of "bagabonds" (spelling?!) One of those is our beloved Bearded Zeke!!!! Someone help me understand this, am I hallucinating?

→ 43. Posted by: Ice at October 19, 2006 2:58 PM

Did anyone else notice the striking resemblance that Mike in Locke's backstory has to Tom (aka Zeke)??? Is it him or am I just going crazy here!?!

→ 44. Posted by: Jennifer at October 19, 2006 3:00 PM

Yes, Jennifer, we've been talking about that, see above. We found out that they are not the same actor.

→ 45. Posted by: Christina at October 19, 2006 3:04 PM

I love the people on this blog! Reading Mac's recaps, then the posts always makes me laugh.

You're the greatest Mac. One of my favorites, "we watch as a nude Scot zips by". I'm not sure why that made me laugh so much, but it did.

Oh, and one more thing, it was an escalator. ; )

→ 46. Posted by: Amy at October 19, 2006 3:04 PM

Since someone asked, the actor who played the Mike (the husband in the couple who run the commune where Locke is living in the flashback) is Chris Mulkey who played Hank Jennings on "Twin Peaks."

I thought it might be Tom/Zeke at first too, by the way.

→ 47. Posted by: Henry at October 19, 2006 3:08 PM

Who is the new Leader of the group now that Jack is locked up? Is it now Locke or will Sayid take the leadership role?

Does anyone think that the reason "Henry Gale/Ben" was so nice to Locke is because he new of Locke's life living in a commun or cult like place. Where everyone had a job and a purpose.

The Others probally did not choose Locke as one of their capturs because he will probally be sympathetic towards the Others causes while Jack, Sawyer and Kate are the hardest people to convince.

My prediction is that Locke will have a major part to play in the future of the show

→ 48. Posted by: Mathew at October 19, 2006 3:09 PM

Watching the episode I was getting more and more excited, and then...Desmond saying Locke said that in his speech! The first thing that popped in my head: MR GRIMM'S THEORY! Yahoooey, it's all fitting in with that theory. I knew that was a good theory.

A really good episode to be sure. I was surprised that no one seemed to be the least bit interested as to why Hurley was released and the others were taken capture. Why? Why didn't they ask Hurley at least how he managed to get away, or why he thought they didn't keep him?

The Tonka truck: Didn't we see in one of the first episodes, (Season 1) with a Michael backstory, a very young Walt playing with a Tonka truck like the one shown in last night's episode? Am I completely hallucinating on that one? I very well could be, but I swore we saw a Tonka truck like that in one of the backstories.

→ 49. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 3:16 PM

Symbolism?
Desmond referred to the "magic Key"
John is the Locke
Desmond turns the key and opens Locke's mind?

→ 50. Posted by: welh at October 19, 2006 3:17 PM

I wonder what the connection is between Charlie's loss of hearing and Locke's loss of speech as a result of the hatch implosion?

Are they hinting that Charlie needs to listen more and that Locke needs to be more vocal? Or is it that Charlie gets talked into things he shouldn't and Locke says things (gives orders) and shouldn't because when they each do those things, bad things happen?

→ 51. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 3:30 PM

Could someone confirm this for me? Did Locke go up an escalator? ;)

I motion that IWAE (It Was An Escalator) is added to our abbreviations list.

WGNABB
IWAE

-- mac

→ 52. Posted by: mac at October 19, 2006 3:34 PM

@ Ice: vagabond, from your vocabulary nazi.

→ 53. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at October 19, 2006 3:34 PM

We're gonna need a bigger escalator!

→ 54. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at October 19, 2006 3:37 PM

Ice: I was thinking the same thing about the capital one commercials. I think it is Zeke!

→ 55. Posted by: Jeff at October 19, 2006 3:40 PM

I'm almost afraid to ask this, but what does BMOI mean? Big Man On Island?

→ 56. Posted by: SnakeJake at October 19, 2006 3:45 PM

Did anyone notice Mike at the compound in Locke's flashback looked familiar? I thought he may have looked like an "other" in a previous episode.

→ 57. Posted by: Ian W at October 19, 2006 3:49 PM

Man am I glad I found this blog. Really appreciate your efforts Mac. Though I lost about 2 days of work reading back through all of the episodes:)

I thought the guys in the commune looked like Zeke as well. I though maybe he was supposed to represent a younger version of him, as Locke was younger too. Since they used a different actor though, maybe it's just a ruse to raise speculation. Maybe as someone mentioned, a brother might have a link in another backstory sometime.

The post by Mr Grimm was pretty interesting. I'll have to read it again but I think maybe it goes a little too far. There certainly is something going on with respect to the timespace continuum. At minimum, I think the others were part of a life-extension project. Most people wouldn't want to leave that as Benry stated to Jack. But there must be something more to it the way they're always a step ahead as Juliet has been in the first 2 episodes. Walt apparently had the ability to tap into that attribute of the island as well which I presume is one reason why the others were so interested in him.

Anyway, this is a great blog. Keep up the good work.

→ 58. Posted by: gk at October 19, 2006 3:49 PM

@SnakeJake: You got it. BMOI = Big Man On Island. Amazingly creative, I know. Clearly some of my best work ;) -- mac

→ 59. Posted by: mac at October 19, 2006 3:50 PM

The polar bear might not have dragged Eko for miles, Eko could just have been flung right out on the bears doorstep. Also watching Desmond's comment Mr. Grimms theory did come to mind as well.

→ 60. Posted by: maestr06 at October 19, 2006 3:51 PM

This weeks recap:

Locke takes an elevator up to see a beaten and bloodied Boone in a hallucinogenic dream sequence and they show a guy named Mike in Locke's backstory that looks kind of like Pickett, or Zeke, or Tom, or Mr. Friendly. That is all. :)

WGNABB

→ 61. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 3:52 PM

Scratch that recap I just posted.

It was an escalator, not an elevator, or stairs, or a window washing gadget that hovers outside of a skyskraper, that John takes up to see the bloodied beaten Boone.

→ 62. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 3:55 PM

@dudelost -

After speaking to Boone, he pushes Jae out the window. Oh wait, wrong episode.

→ 63. Posted by: Amy at October 19, 2006 3:58 PM

Tune in next week when we'll reveal that Sawyer is placed on a sterling silver table, not aluminum or grey as first thought.

→ 64. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 3:58 PM

Was anyone else bothered by the fact that upon his return, Hurley did not tell his other castways that Michael and Walt escaped the island?

→ 65. Posted by: welh at October 19, 2006 3:59 PM

another example of lack of communication.

→ 66. Posted by: maestr06 at October 19, 2006 4:00 PM

This episode has just about convinced me that they're making it up week by week and we're all chumps for following it rabidly constantly looking for the secret clue that makes everything fit into place.

Charlie escapes the hatch blowing up and nonchalantly returns to camp. Then when Locke shows up, nothing is said of it and meanwhile, Locke disregards whatever happened to Eko and instead decides he needs to build a sweat lodge.

A polar bear drags Eko into a cave, but doesn't eat him. If Eko doesn't develop gangrene and lose his leg(s) in the next few episodes, I guess we can assume the bear was nice enough just to grab him by his pants. Whooops, what am I thinking? The island will heal him!

I was afraid the show would go this way, and now it seems to be happening. Just like Twin Peaks and X-files, they keep piling on the questions and seldom provide any answers. Now, I can barely remember the dozens of little tie-ins and clues (and it seems the writers are forgetting them too) and I'm getting Lost fatique. I assert that there is no grand solution and that this episode proves that the spinning plates are starting to fall. I am sad to see it happen.

→ 67. Posted by: Darryl Whitmore at October 19, 2006 4:01 PM

@Amy

I was surprised to see Boone in Locke's sweatshop. I thought for sure Kathie Lee Gifford would appear. (rim shot).

→ 68. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 4:02 PM

I think Charlie and Eko need superpowers too if Desmond can predict junk lol but not Locke cause he is dumb. In seson two he didn't seem very Locke-y to me so he was annoying but now he seems to be going back to his Locke-ish ways. Walt needs to come back and make him awsome again. Wait will we ever find out about Michale and Walt and by ever I mean soon.:P

→ 69. Posted by: TheGlassBallerina at October 19, 2006 4:03 PM

I think we all need to get in a sweat lodge and hallucinate together....

IWAE
WBNABB

→ 70. Posted by: Vikki at October 19, 2006 4:04 PM

Was anyone else bothered by the fact that upon his return, Hurley did not tell his other castways that Michael and Walt escaped the island?

-- Posted by: welh at October 19, 2006 03:59 PM

You're not alone, brother. :)

→ 71. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 4:07 PM

The producers/writers claim to have a long term story line in place. This story line could be adapted from 1-3 year run or to a 5-6 season run, which tells me that when Lost became an overnight hit, the writers had to create much "filler" around the original story line which causes the fatigue factor suggested above.

→ 72. Posted by: cyberbarf at October 19, 2006 4:08 PM

The guy who played Mike was definitely not Tom. He is however a character actor that has been in a lot of films and tv. I think the first thing I noticed him in was the original First Blood--so he's been around a looong time. I assume since he is a familiar face that we can count on his character showing up again. The show tends to cast fairly recognizable actors in parts that are meant to be recurring (i.e. Kurgan playing Kelvin). I also wonder if we'll be seeing Eddie again. That actor looked incredibly familiar to me as well, though I can't remember what I've seen him in before. Does anyone else remember seeing him in something else? If so we could potentially expect to see him again in the future.
Oh and I get it already--Locke went up an escalator--we don't need to keep bringing it up.

→ 73. Posted by: Crispy Seaplanes at October 19, 2006 4:09 PM

If Hurley did not tell his castaways that Michael got off the island as a reward because he "cooperated" with the Others, does that mean Hurley does not want any of his other survivors to leave the island by cooperating with the Others?

→ 74. Posted by: welh at October 19, 2006 4:12 PM

I for one, am definately/definitely NOT fatigued. I agree with Vikki earlier: this is one of my top favorite episodes. Afterward I just kept thinking "Wow! I can't wait to read Mac's post tomorrow!".

IWAE

→ 75. Posted by: Amy at October 19, 2006 4:12 PM

I swore I saw that Polar Bear with pearls in his hand after Locke burned him. LOL :) Sorry, I'll stop.

→ 76. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 4:14 PM

Remember how mysterious Eko was last season about the structure he was building? Eventually, he revealed it was a church, but was not forthcoming at all about the why's and the who for's. Isn't it interesting that Locke sought out that structure to build his sweat box in? And then he went on to apologize to Eko for losing his faith? Seems he found it again in Eko's "church"....maybe that is what Eko intended. Maybe part of his smoke monster visions was to build it for that purpose. I am so intrigued by the relationship between Locke and Eko....it seems they are much more connected than two strangers who happened to be on the same doomed plane...

→ 77. Posted by: Vikki at October 19, 2006 4:15 PM

I was completely blown away by the part with Desmond and Hurley. Can Desmond see the future? Or is it something else entirely? I can't wrap my brain around it.

I LOVE this show. It continues to be creative, exciting, smart, funny, and so entertaining. Just went I start to get lulled into thinking that everything is "normal," they throw in that Desmond thing about Locke's speech. WTF?!

The Tonka truck in the cave was another WTF. So spooky and weird. For a whole season I've been wondering what happened to the boy and girl who got kidnapped. But I don't think they had a Tonka truck (at least, not one that we saw). It really creeps me out to think the Others have been feeding children to the Polar Bears. I hope that's not what's happening.

Oh, and has anyone else noticed that the actress who plays Juliet is in the new Tim Allen Santa Clause movie? That's a big 'ol WTF!?!

I was annoyed by Nicki and Paulo right away, too, Mac. How dare they get speaking parts? They are supposed to be "background." ha ha ha. It occurred to me that when you split the main cast into 3 groups (Jack/Kate/Sawyer, Sun/Jin/Sayid, Locke/Eko/Des/Charlie/Claire, like the group is split right now), you'd have to bring in a few more characters just to keep things realistic. It's not like they only talk to each other. They must have conversations with the other Lostaways, right? It just feels weird to us to see them and meet them because they've never been a part of the story before.

Like I said before, I love this show. And I love reading Mac's recaps on Thursdays. So much fun!

→ 78. Posted by: Amanda S. at October 19, 2006 4:18 PM

@Vikki--

Good points about Locke and Ecko. Also, I found this which might be of interest to you:

In the spoilers for next week's episode it says---Meanwhile, Desmond's behavior begins to perplex the survivors when he starts construction on an unknown device.

Hmmm, where have we heard that before? Wonder what ole Des is building?

→ 79. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 4:19 PM

@Vikki

Interesting theory about Locke choosing that structure for his sweat lodge. I thought that Locke chose that location because he could feel closer to Eko there than anywhere else on the island.

Also, that stuff Locke used for his hallucination....was it the same stuff he gave Boone in the jungle back when Boone hallucinated that Shannon was killed? Anyone remember that?

→ 80. Posted by: Amy at October 19, 2006 4:21 PM

I'm going to apologize now if this has already been said/asked but the stuff that Locke ate, drugs w/e was the same stuff he gave Boone when he hallucinated....? Maybe, or not.

→ 81. Posted by: TheGlassBallerina at October 19, 2006 4:22 PM

yeah he mixed it in the coconut bowl and smeared it on boones head

yep its the same stuff.

→ 82. Posted by: maestr06 at October 19, 2006 4:23 PM

Anyone wanting to see a different side of Zeke should see him play Roscoe P. Coltrane in the Dukes of Hazzard movie.

I'm surprised more people aren't talking about Locke's commune. The similarities between that group and the way the Others' society operate was quite striking to me.

→ 83. Posted by: Crispy Seaplanes at October 19, 2006 4:25 PM

Mac, your reviews just keep getting better and better, going up, up and up (hmm, Iâ€™m looking for a word here, but Iâ€™m not sure) in quality. Just like the tension in the show keeps going up, up and up (darn, there it is again; wish I could come up with a good word for that).

On a more serious note, Iâ€™m pleased to see the return of Obi-Locke. As you and I both know, when a central character in a sci-fi drama shifts his philosophy from â€œI want to believeâ€ to â€œBelief sucksâ€, the show can go in the crapper in a hurry. Not that I have any other specific examples in mind.

Even more, Iâ€™m pleased to see a return of focus to more metaphysical mysteries in general. After the first couple of episodes, I was concerned that we were going to be offered prosaic explanations for all island mysteries. The return of the cosmic polar bears, the theme of a sentient island, and Desmondâ€™s inadvertent demonstration of precognition steer us back into the realm of the surreal. I think the show works better there.

Iâ€™m particularly taken by the paternalistic theme of The Islandâ€™s communications to Locke. Forcing him to return to being helplessly wheeled about, instructing him to â€˜reunite the familyâ€™ and instructing him to â€˜clean up your own messâ€™. This is the way that parents treat/talk to children (or gods to worshipers?). These themes are promising.

→ 84. Posted by: Deep Cover at October 19, 2006 4:27 PM

One more thing that I wanted to add, but forgot to put in my last post. Someone asked about the goop that made Locke hallucinate in the sweat lodge. That's the same goop that he gave Boone back in Season 1 that made Boone "see" Shannon's death.

Also, one last last thing. LOVED seeing Boone! He is adorable, and such a good actor, too. I like the way that Locke saw him bloodied and beaten up like Boone was when he died. I also liked the visual allusion of Locke going up the escalator like the way Boone went up to the airplane before he died. And the way Eko and Locke went up the cliff to look down on the question mark in the dirt. Or am I reading too much into it?

→ 85. Posted by: Amanda S. at October 19, 2006 4:28 PM

I heard that at the beginning the writers/producers didn't know where it was going long term - do they now? Who knows?

The thing I find fascinating is that we here have become like the new people marooned - first there were the Others on the island . Then the plane crashed and Jack and Co. arrived - trying to figure out "who are the others? how'd they get here? what is their effect on us and us on them?" Now Mac and Co. have "crashed" on to the scene asking the same kinds of questions.

Who's asking the questions about us?

→ 86. Posted by: Sheridan at October 19, 2006 4:28 PM

@Sheridan.

Our employers? LOL.

→ 87. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 4:32 PM

Great review as always, Mac! Thanks for your diligence. One tiny problem - the top of the review says it's "Season 3, Episode 2", but it's really Episode 3...

→ 88. Posted by: Leonard at October 19, 2006 4:32 PM

Amy, the show's advertisers will be thrilled to hear that you're not fatiqued. Let's face it, this show (and all shows) are really just flypaper to attract eyeballs for the advertisers. I know that and I can go along with it as long as they don't play me for toooo much of a chump, but in this case, I'm starting to get tired of being played too much. The show, combined with the fake websites, fake commercials, fake 800 numbers, etc, etc, etc are all designed to suck as many people as possible into the whole cult of Lost. More and more mysteries and more and more people wondering about the solutions and more and more eyeballs for the advertisers.

Like I say, I understand all that and hey, that's the way TV works, no problem. But that doesn't mean that at some point (and I'm about there) it doesn't all become too blatant and too obvious that they're just piling on mystery after mystery to keep us all watching. And the truth is that I probably will...for a while longer at least.

→ 89. Posted by: Darryl Whitmore at October 19, 2006 4:33 PM

Anyone else like wicked bumming that we're already halfway to the hiatus?

→ 90. Posted by: Crispy Seaplanes at October 19, 2006 4:36 PM

I wanted someone to kill the new girl pretty much as soon as she appeared. Are they gonna be major people on the island now? Anyone else find the way they appreared and seemed concerned and involved when nobody A)cares and B)knows who they are sure they were on the island but that was just a bad intro. to the characters i think

→ 91. Posted by: TheGlassBallerina at October 19, 2006 4:39 PM

@Gatorgal
@Dudelost

Thanks guys. Appreciate that.

→ 92. Posted by: Mr. Grimm at October 19, 2006 4:40 PM

wait...im confused? how did locke get up to boone in his vision and was that Zeke at the commune? ;)

@Dudelost: funny stuff.

i dont think the stuff Locke ate was the same as spread on Boone's wound in Season one, because the stuff he ate was black while the other was a pinkish green. Hurley hasn't told the rest of the island about Michael and Walt's voyage to the real world yet, because um....he just got there. I'm sure he hasn't had any time to share his Other Fiesta on The Mysterious Dock just yet due to the bloodsoaked Eko arriving and the new Ms. Cleo, aka Desmond, on his mind.

IWAE
WGNABB

-GXG

→ 93. Posted by: grimgravyX at October 19, 2006 4:40 PM

"wait...im confused? how did locke get up to boone in his vision and was that Zeke at the commune?"

Duuuuuuude?!? *shakes head* ;)

→ 94. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 4:45 PM

@dudelost Thanks - that was hilarious!
@darryl - I agree with a lot of what you're saying and was almost ready to lose the citizens of lost - (maybe that's the name of the island?) the only reason I watched the last couple of weeks is because I enjoy Mac's recaps and everyone's comments.

Now that I think of it- I could probably miss the show and just read the blog on Thursdays. My point? Not sure. Most of the people I know who used to watch it have stopped.

What they should do is figure out a way to make more money off the after-show stuff too. Maybe that's the next wave- the one-minute mobile segments...not really sure where I'm going with this. Just typing out loud.

→ 95. Posted by: Sheridan at October 19, 2006 4:47 PM

@ "Was anyone else bothered by the fact that upon his return, Hurley did not tell his other castways that Michael and Walt escaped the island?

-- Posted by: welh at October 19, 2006 03:59 PM

and @ You're not alone, brother. :)

-- Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 04:07 PM

I am not bothered by this. Can't we just assume that some conversation goes on without our knowledge. I think this also happened when Kate and Claire found the medical hatch. People could not believe they did not say anything. It's a TV show and its not perfect.

Besides, old Jabba had a lot on his mind. Between Eko-napping bears, naked Scots followed by clairvoyant Scots, it was probably a lot for the big man to take in.

The first thing i would do, after getting back from a two-day hike, is go to my tent and chill.

When we do hear him explain, it is when they (John and Charlie) get Eko back to camp and they are looking for Jack. He tells them Jack was taken. I think the priority than is...How are we going to help Eko, not "Oh and by the way, Michael and Walt got to go home. I'm sure he mentioned it at some point or will.

That or Hurley is the real Others Leader.

→ 96. Posted by: Charlie Salinger at October 19, 2006 4:48 PM

wow
first i just want to say what a great episode followed by another great recap from mac.
personally i loved the episode and everything in it , its right up there on my list of favorites. i especially loved the airport scene with boone and locke. it was so filled with subtle hints as to what might happen in the show.one thing that really stuck out for me during the hallucination was when we saw sawyer and kate together with out jack. I thought of this as foreshadowing to the choice that kate is supposed to make with in the next few episodes between jack and sawyer. Also im not sure how keen i am about the two new characters we were introduced to i guess they may have to grow on me.
i cant wait till next weeks episode was any one else a little disturbed by the previews. im guessing that next week will be a very suspensefull episode. i cant wait!
congrats on another great review mac

"Locke uses a notepad and a Sharpie (procured from the local Staples, of course) to tell Charlie the makeshift structure is actually a mini sweat lodge."

what a great line.

p.s. does anyone know when LOST will be returning after the 3 month break over the winter. i would be very grateful if anyone could provide a date

→ 97. Posted by: sawyer<3 at October 19, 2006 4:50 PM

@DC -- I completely agree re: the surreal element. By allowing for "extreme possibilities," the show opens up new story options and story solutions. Besides, that stuff is more fun anyway. -- mac

→ 98. Posted by: mac at October 19, 2006 4:51 PM

@ Cahrlie Salinger

Kate withheld the info about the hatch til SOS when Jack and her where making the trade, so Hurley might not have revealed michaels disloyalty.

→ 99. Posted by: maestr06 at October 19, 2006 4:53 PM

The only thing these new characters are good for is flashbacks and who really needs those anyways.....

→ 100. Posted by: TheGlassBallerina at October 19, 2006 4:57 PM

Excellent episode except for the introduction of the two new characters - Nikki and Paulo. Lazy writing! I know that they have only been on the island two months - but after two seasons of episodes its very presumptuous on the writers part to ask us to believe that they were there all along. The writers could have been more creative and considering all the mysteries that remain unsolved - what would be the difficulty in creating another one involving these two. But then again if we are seeing parallel realities ...

→ 101. Posted by: PAG at October 19, 2006 4:58 PM

I think it is valid to be critical of the show writers who use clear hooks like the Numbers, or the Hatch, as a story engine, but when it comes time to explain the true meaning of the device, they leave the viewers cold. (In an island context, the input of the numbers and the Hatch itself were irrelevant because the characters all survived unharmed when the Hatch was destroyed.)

→ 102. Posted by: cyberbarf at October 19, 2006 5:00 PM

Can someone shed some light as to why we keep hearing that Kate is an "other?"

→ 103. Posted by: DharmaBOY at October 19, 2006 5:03 PM

When Hurley would have arrived at the beach, the first questions people would have asked was where are Jack, Kate, Sawyer? Did they find Michael or Walt? What happened to your canteen?

He said nothing based on the reaction of Nikki when she asked for Jack and then Hurley fessed up.

Even in the jungle, Charlie and Locke did not ask about Michael.

Unless everyone on the island has constant short term memory loss, this is a significant error.

And would not Hurley be upset that Michael, the guy who killed his girlfriend, gets to leave the island scot-free?

→ 104. Posted by: welh at October 19, 2006 5:07 PM

Season 3 may be no more than connecting sub-groups together.

We now know Locke and Eko have a deep connection: both were drug dealers with guns.

We see Sawyer and Kate pairing off; their connection being dangerous con artists.

→ 105. Posted by: cyberbarf at October 19, 2006 5:21 PM

WOW i was just looking at screen captures from last nights episode and i saw this one of ekos jesus stick if you look closely right above the rope you can see he first four numbers scratched into the bark. i thought it was pretty cool
http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage.php?album=1185&pos=15

→ 106. Posted by: sawyer<3 at October 19, 2006 5:23 PM

In that picture there is also an entry that says ROM 6:12. Could that have any significance to Ethan Rom? Or just coincidence. There is also another entry towards that top that looks like HUR 1:2 with an upside down U. Hurley, or again, just coincidence?

→ 107. Posted by: Dudelost at October 19, 2006 5:26 PM

hey this is my first time commenting, but i just have to get this off my back.

After the hatch imploded, every thing lookes to be burnt to a crisp, but our belevoded characters are o.k. Ecspecially Desmond. Is it justme or did Desmond read the future. And if he did does this mean that the other people in the hatch have powers after the implosion. If so this season only has better things to come.
Mac awsome reveiws as always!!!

→ 108. Posted by: Zachary Busby at October 19, 2006 5:27 PM

Nothing is a coincidence in Lost

→ 109. Posted by: maestr06 at October 19, 2006 5:27 PM

hey this is my first time commenting, but i just have to get this off my back.

→ 110. Posted by: Zachary Busby at October 19, 2006 5:28 PM

I wish they hadn't shown Ian Somerhalder's name in the beginning credits - I knew to look for Boone.

Polar bears - Others' bear cages - related?

→ 111. Posted by: Paige at October 19, 2006 5:28 PM

sorry bout the double-post

→ 112. Posted by: Zachary Busby at October 19, 2006 5:29 PM

Zeke confirmed that they did hold the bears in the cages.

→ 113. Posted by: maestr06 at October 19, 2006 5:30 PM

At the end of the episode someone asks for bandages from the kitchen (think it was charlie) was the kitchen not imploded, or is it roses little kitchen thing

→ 114. Posted by: TheGlassBallerina at October 19, 2006 5:33 PM

i was wondering could ROM like someone said ethan rom and the like 6:12 be when he died ? really random though cause eko wasnt even there when he died

→ 115. Posted by: TheGlassBallerina at October 19, 2006 5:35 PM

Ok, so my kookie theory. My husband and I were really bothered by the fact that Locke, Desmond, and Eko all showed up 24 hours later after an huge explosion in various stages of dress, but with no major injuries and in different locations. And then the Jesus stick flies out of the air just when Locke regains consciousness.

So here's my theory: what if a group of Others (in the theory that there are more than one group) are using Locke/Desmond/Eko for their own gain? Perhaps Locke's speech was rehearsed with him by the Dharmites, in an effort to use the Losties as pawns against the Benries? Maybe the trio was picked up, brainwashed, and then placed. That could explain why Desmond had heard "the speech" before. Maybe they like naked scots?

→ 116. Posted by: Tara at October 19, 2006 5:41 PM

I believe that the "monster" that dragged Locke in the end of the first season is Eddie's ghost. Seeing Eko staring at the monster and seeing reflections from his past life, it's possible that Eddie was killed by some other bandit, probably by a member of Locke's pot-growing family, and he dragged Locke as retaliation for trying to shoot him while out hunting. maybe someone in Eddie's family had some connections to Dharma. Just a guess

→ 117. Posted by: Mr. Cube at October 19, 2006 5:47 PM

If there is an Other Others Theory, the groups would be:
Rousseau's expedition (all dead except Alex and her)
Benry (on island all his life)
Kelvin, Radz and Desmond (the Swan hatch military guys who Benry may not have known about because he was upset with the Desmond sailboat relevation)
The Children (the ones who terrorized the Tailies)

→ 118. Posted by: welh at October 19, 2006 5:50 PM

For anyone interested. These are the scriptures on Eko's Jesus Stick.

Romans 6:12 "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires."

John 3:05 "Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."

Genesis 13:14 "The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west."

Habakkuk 1:3 "Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds"

Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

→ 119. Posted by: GFish at October 19, 2006 5:51 PM

When Hurley arrived back with the Losties, it's not as if the entire clan was together at one central location on the beach. They were spread out and doing whatever it is that they do. Locke, for one, was endeavoring to rescue Mr. Ecko.

Hurley had a lot on his mind - a lot to tell the Losties, but the Losties had problems of their own at the time. Locke, Desmond and Mr. Ecko could possibly have all been blown to kingdom come for one thing.

So I can understand why it was difficult for the "dudemaster" to relay his critical news to everyone.

With that said, you have to realize that Hurley had one extremely piece of important information - something that blog poster "welh" alluded to a few postings ago - and that was that Michael had killed Libby. Hurley's Libby!

One would think that Hurley would be shouting from the highest hill, "Michael killed Libby! Michael killed Libby! The sob!" Even if he did not say that Michael also killed Ana Lucia and released Benry in the same breath, I think he should have been quite dramatic in making it known that Michael did Libby in. I think the writers blew it on this point.

Also, Hurley could have been a little more lively. Considering all that had happened to him, he was far too casual about things.

IWAE

(what is the "E" .... "elevator?" Just kidding)

→ 120. Posted by: ButchM at October 19, 2006 5:53 PM

one other thing that i just realized about lockes hallucination is that when benry is searching jack with the metal detector thing maybe that symbolizes how jack has to trust henry if he wants to go home(has to trust henry to get on to the plane)
just a thought
any comments?

→ 121. Posted by: sawyer<3 at October 19, 2006 6:03 PM

I believe that "ROM 6:12" refers to the New Testament bible book of Romans, Chapter 6 verse 12 :

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires."

Since all the other items engraved on Eko's stick are references to bible verses, this seems much more likely than any reference to Ethan Rom.

→ 122. Posted by: Luke Cordoba at October 19, 2006 6:23 PM

Great recap as usual Mac, LMAO. Oh did anyone mention it was an escalator

PiecesofArzt - The Terminator Principle of course we should have known that.

I too wonder why these people don't discuss things among themselves. Someone above said some conversations go one w/out our knowledge. I agree, but I don't think that would be the case here. Conversations off camera would not advance the plot (if anyone knows what that really is) I would think the 1st thing Hurley would tell the losties is Michael used them to get his son back and he got away w/ it.

Oh and MR. Grimm - your theory sounds better and better.

→ 123. Posted by: DB IN BC at October 19, 2006 6:24 PM

Like Darryl Whitmore, I am also getting tired of the ever-expanding web of mysteries without any answers. I agree it seems like the writers are just jamming on it, making it up as they go along without any master plan. They devote lots to time to things like the Medical Hatch, the Black Rock, Michael's escape, etc. then those items get dropped and never mentioned again. It really doesn't seem possible that they can ever resolve all the mysteries in a consistent and satisfying way. However, I intend to keep watching for a while longer because I think Nikki is hot :)

→ 124. Posted by: Luke Cordoba at October 19, 2006 6:32 PM

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Stop with the posts about the escalator. With as much detail as Mac puts into all of these reviews, we're ALL bound to miss something. After the first person corrected it... I think we ALL got the hint.

Great review again Mac, as always. I loved this episode... It didn't really explain a whole lot... but it did lead us to draw some conclusions.

The theme was 'taken away' I think... Eko was taken away completely, John's voice was gone, and Desmond's clothes.... well lets just say a lot of the female viewers (okay just me) were really happy only to be let down by the well placed foliage. Sigh.

But it also seems that one person was given something very important, of course meaning Desmond's foresight. Obviously, I think he's going to be critical in getting Jack, Kate, and Sawyer back, but time will only tell.

Also, for everyone who posted this... Odd stories have come out of World War II and Vietnam of villages that were bombed had odd effects on people. People in one building would have significant hearing loss, and sometimes the women and children would literally have their clothes BLOWN off! It's not just an Island phenomenon... it has happened in real life.

→ 125. Posted by: Illusivemuse at October 19, 2006 7:07 PM

I asked this in the beginning but I think it got lost in all the escalator talk; which by the way Illusivemuse I believe alot of the people around are joking about it...

Now my question was...when Charlie and Lock were hunting the Polar Bear I thought I heard Charlie say that Sayid killed the polar bear. It was Sawyer that shot the polar bear wasn't it?? Or did I just misunderstand?

→ 126. Posted by: UNCAngel08 at October 19, 2006 7:17 PM

@Mr Grimm: Two episodes I would have written your theory off but you may well be right on track. Great insight.

My concern is that to explain your complex time travel theory to the mainstream audience will be quite difficult. Lost already frustrates a lot of new or casual viewers with its complex plotlines. This new thread is going to drive a lot of casual fans over the edge.

→ 127. Posted by: scoop at October 19, 2006 7:20 PM

OMG!!! It's 'Slaughterhouse 5' and Desmond is... Billy Pilgrim... who's become "unstuck in time"!!!

→ 128. Posted by: Claire at October 19, 2006 8:08 PM

Did anyone else think of our Vikki when they introduced the new character Vikki??? :)
Maybe she has an inside knowledge on the show!
I think the most perplexing thing about the whole show is Desmond's ability to see the future, and the fact he was naked. The whole bit about Locke really didn't surprise me. Next week's show seems disturbing, and sort of fits in with the whole mind game theory the Others seem to be playing with the Kate, Sayer, Jack triangle. Perhaps they are involved with creepy sexual mindgames? This would fit with the who Benray Juliet conflict.

→ 129. Posted by: meg at October 19, 2006 8:27 PM

Ok, two questions:
1.) from last weeks episode, how did the Others get on the boat, without being seen on the dock, and without getting wet? Do they have a sub?

2.) Why didn't Hurley say, or anyone ask Hurley where Michael was? He explained away about Sawyer, Kate and Jack getting captured, but no mention of Michael, or why he isn't with him.

Very close to jumping the shark for me at this point. Loose ends everywhere.

→ 130. Posted by: Gator Mike at October 19, 2006 8:53 PM

Mac,
As always - YOU RULE!! Thanks for filling my head with the Doors. I'll be humming that tune all night! :-)

Mr. Grimm,
Very cool post! Great ideas!

Does anyone have any ideas about how John actually hooked up with Mike and Jan and the drug operation?

I actually thought I it was the smoke monster that "threw" Locke out of the meditation tent, but everyone says it was the bear. Is there a screen cap somewhere that will show me that?

Gotta say it: BOONE LOOKED SO HOT!

IWAE!!!

→ 131. Posted by: Sara at October 19, 2006 8:54 PM

..."jump the shark" ? ...like Fonzie ?
hilarious Mac !

"we're gonna need a bigger boat"

→ 132. Posted by: thinng at October 19, 2006 8:58 PM

@Sawyer<3:
Good call on the idea of Jack and Ben. I like that idea!

Namaste

→ 133. Posted by: sara at October 19, 2006 9:01 PM

@tara:

I, too, kind of feel like someone/something took John, Des and Eko out of the Hatch, did some mind games on them, and then placed them at different spots on the island.

→ 134. Posted by: sara at October 19, 2006 9:06 PM

Message to Charlie:
Your trilogy is over, let it go you lil hobbit!

"(Locke spins and points toward the trees.

"Trees!" Charlie exclaims. "Yes, I've heard they're wonderful conversationalists.")"

A shout out to Treebeard am sure!!

p.s. Join the Revolution! Howard Stern on Sirius Satellite.

→ 135. Posted by: Bababooey at October 19, 2006 9:41 PM

Does anybody think that the weed growing dude, Mike looks like Zeke?

→ 136. Posted by: Pyrophi at October 19, 2006 10:14 PM

UNCAngel08: Charlie did say Sawyer killed the polar bear, it was almost incoherent, but it was definitely "Sawyer".

Someone mentioned the similarity between Locke's commune and the Others camp. I thought so, too..

ABout Locke's muteness: When I first saw that Locke was mute, I immediately linked it to Eko's voluntary muteness after he killed the Others. I thought Locke was doing the same thing for some reason, maybe in absolution for endangering Eko?

→ 137. Posted by: Christina at October 19, 2006 10:16 PM

@Thinng -- I wish I could take the credit for "jump the shark," but that term was coined by people far more creative than me. You should check out www.jumptheshark.com. It's a brilliant site. -- mac

→ 138. Posted by: mac at October 19, 2006 10:17 PM

Okay While Charlie, Locke and Eko where by the tree I suddenly realized here we have three people who have a connection to drugs. Swayer and Kate are locked in to a cell and they have both murdered someone.
Sun Jin and syaid all have something to hide.
Just an observation I realize while watching this episode. and was wondering if anyone else noticed the same thing.

→ 139. Posted by: tiff at October 19, 2006 10:45 PM

Mac,

As always, great review! There were a few observations I caught that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet.

1. In Locke's hypnotic dream, one of the stewardses walking and talking with Desmond was Cindy from the tail section. (Thought this was odd because I wasn't aware that Locke ever came into contact with her.)

2. Michael in Locke's flashback is Tom aka Zeke aka Mr. Friendly. This kind of changes the episode where Locke, Sawyer, and Jack meet the others in the jungle and end up trading their guns for Kate. I told my friends it seemed like Locke knew more because he was too calm and was willing to leave....thing he recognized Michael.

3. If you look closely at the tie die after Desmond wears it....in the front it is the same image of the Polar Bear that Locke had when he was in the sweat box and after he used the make shift blow torch!

Sam

→ 140. Posted by: Sam at October 19, 2006 10:54 PM

By the way, there was a great shout out to Lost on The Office tonight.

Dwight: "What is the Dharma Initiative?"

→ 141. Posted by: Amy at October 19, 2006 11:30 PM

Awesome blog, Mac! I look forward to reading every week =)

Not that many people care about Rose, but I wonder if her cancer will return now that the big electromagnetic anomaly has imploded? Will we be subjected to a bereaved Bernard who comes after Locke for destroying the thing keeping his wife alive?

→ 142. Posted by: Terry at October 19, 2006 11:41 PM

Mac, Great job as always. I just want to confirm that John did see Des at the begining of the episode. Also, was he running?

If not, is it possible that Des is just in the mind of Hurley, and is actually dead?

→ 143. Posted by: db at October 19, 2006 11:56 PM

As far as ads during lost to generate interest, I for one would buy Dharma Brand -fill in the blank- if they made it. Maybe thats the big plan for the show, it's all here just to launch a massive new brand.

I bet the numbers when run through my Obi-locke decoder ring will spell out "Be Sure To Drink Your Dharma-tine"

Namaste

→ 144. Posted b


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