Wednesday, January 19, 2005

S1Ep14 - Special (Michael and Walt's first flashback)

[This message was initially sent as an email to friends, it was loaded into this blog 2.5 years later]

Hello my dear friends -

I am writing this from my hotel room in NYC late Tuesday night and regret to tell you that I will not have as much info for you as usual as I have not had normal internet access for a while so have not been on the boards since "Special" aired. However, I was nerdy enough to go down to the public internet kiosk in the lobby of this hotel, go quickly to Ain't It Cool News, click to an interview they had with one of the Lost writers and then cut and paste some people's reactions into the section below. It has not been edited at all by me as usual but I think there may be a few good things in there. The writer being interviewed confirmed that the episode 3 new ones from now entitled "Numbers" is Hurley's flashback, hallelujah. People have speculated that he lived with his mother and ended up helping her die, some sort of euthanasia thing, but the writer would only say that that seemed too dark for Hurley, so I guess we will have to see what happens. As you will see in the below, all the nerds on the message boards are REALLY hoping that he's a TBer (talk-backer, one of the people who post on the message boards of this particular site), but I highly doubt that will be the case, but the nerds can dare to dream, stranger things have happened.

ISSUES FROM ‘SPECIAL’:

THE CHARACTER OF MICHAEL (Walt’s dad) OVERALL
Michael seems to be a truly good person. Unlike most of the others whose flashbacks have shown them to be flawed or ethically/morally challenged in one way or the other, Michael wasn't "bad" in any way. I think that is something to consider, especially in light of the fact that Locke may have now finally won him over....

And how about Walt's mom? Can anyone say bee-otch?

WALT
So is Walt some freaky evil child who makes bad things happen, or does he have powers he is unaware of and therefore is innocent? The bird that he was reading about slammed against the house and died when he was annoyed with his parents, at the same time that his mom started not feeling so well. Did he cause the bird to die? I think so. Did he cause his MOM to die? Not sure about that. The fact that the step-dad told Michael that "bad things happen when he's around" and "he's different somehow" lead me to believe that the bird was not an isolated freak incident. However, I'm not so sure that Walt could somehow will his mom to have a strange blood disease, but who knows. Or maybe his powers manifest themselves in ways that he didn't intend. All I know is that since he's been on the island, it has stopped raining when he wanted it to (pilot episode I believe that was), he rolls dice and they turn up how he wants them to, and the polar bear has now appeared twice after he looked at the bear picture in the comic book... Many of us thought that Walt just had these powers once he got to the island, but to know that he had an effect on things before the crash is very interesting...

I must admit that when the polar bear returned I was totally convinced that Walt was evil and that he was luring Michael into a trap to be killed because he was mad at him, and then Locke could be his new dad. But it ended much happier than that and it was actually nice that what was in my warped mind didn't happen.

THE MIND'S EYE
Early in the episode Locke emphasized to Walt the importance of "seeing" the knife go into the tree and the power of the "mind's eye." I think this was important and ties into the whole theory about people being able to will things to happen on the island. When Walt nailed the throw and then said "It was weird, I actually saw it in my mind, like it was real" and Locke replied, "Who's to say it wasn't?"... I believe that was a big clue.

Also, we are starting to see the lines of reality and hallucination/dreams being blurred on several occasions... Claire's dreams, Jack's zombie dad, Boone's encounter with the monster... I'm now beginning to wonder if Sayid's visit with Danielle was actually real or in his mind. He could have been in the old hideout, taken the maps, etc.... THOUGHT he was talking to her, but maybe it never even happened?

LOCKE
And once again we have much to discuss about our good friend Locke in this episode. First off, he had been training Walt with the knives since early on. Is that because he KNEW he would need to use one as he finally did in this episode to fend off the bear? Or will he still need to use one again in the future? Similarly, in addition to seeming to know what's going to happen in the future on the island (when it will rain, how people need to be prepared for certain things, how to find certain people at specific times, etc.), he also seems to know details about everyone's PASTS that he shouldn't know from the limited conversations he's had with everyone. In Jack's episode he seemed to know that Jack was being haunted by something and encouraged him to figure it out in order to be able to truly lead the group. In Charlie's flashback he knew Charlie was on drugs and also knew that he needed his guitar to get through it. In Boone's episode he clearly knew about Boone's strange relationship with Shannon. In this past episode he told Michael that Walt's "different" (the EXACT same words the step-dad used), prompting Michael to respond "WHAT did you say?".... This all leads me to believe that either the time loop theory is correct, or alternatively, when Locke saw "the monster" he was enlightened with info to help him become a leader of the group. Perhaps the biggest support of the latter theory is that Boone is now Locke's little gimp boy or something and is snarling at and beating up anyone who messes with Locke. At which I laugh, since Boone is just so lame that it's ridiculous. But he clearly is now a Locke disciple like Charlie is, since Boone was tempted by Shannon with another plea for help from her and he totally dissed her this time. At the end of this episode I think that Michael will also now be indebted to Locke.

Finally on this topic, Boone had on a shirt with 4 Aces on it... I'm sure someone on the boards somewhere has a theory about this so I will let you know...

CLAIRE RETURNS
That was crazy. I totally thought that either Michael or Walt was going to emerge but Locke would've already thrown the knife at them and killed them. I really need to get help. But anyway, this is proof positive that the writers of the show have done a great job at keeping some things secret because EVERYONE, and I mean everyone on the boards was convinced that Claire returned two new episodes from now in the episode entitled "Homecoming" and that she returned in a coma without the baby with a "look on her face that will haunt viewers." So clearly she returned earlier than that, but we couldn't see (we paused and slo-mo'd) if she was still pregnant. I’m assuming she's not since she'd been gone a week and Jack said she was due within a week, and since clearly the "others" just wanted the baby... and also she was NOT in a coma but did have a freaky look on her face. Some people wondered if she returned only because Charlie had read her diary and was thinking about her... I don't know about that. But I do think they will finally go looking for the black rock... I just hope it's not before they realize she's back.

And to all of you people who would NOT have read Claire's diary if you were Charlie… then I hope you are never on a deserted island with me if I were to disappear because that is the first thing I would've done if I was Charlie. Obviously they are on some whacked out island where weird things have happened and who knows what she could have witnessed that might be in her diary for a clue. Plus, I was thinking they would read that she had had a previous encounter with Ethan or something like that.

That's all folks, I'm tired. I apologize for the stream-of-consciousness nature of this message.

Now it's Wednesday afternoon and I just briefly skimmed the pasted in section below and there is some good stuff in there. Enjoy.

FROM THE MESSAGE BOARDS
(Warning: These people like to swear)


- If there is a God, Hurley's flashback episode will be NOTHING but him sitting on the Internet and using talks! Seriously, how cool would that be? The entire flash episode is fuck-all just him posting away on the Internet, then he gets on a plane to Australia to attend some LOTR convention and it crashes? Fuckin sweet. It'd be a total waste, but it'd be funny. (e: If Hurley is shown going to a Lord of the Rings convention, I will seriously die and go to heaven)
- It was a flight out of Sydney, Australia, that crashed... not a flight into Australia. Most people were on their way to the U.S. except for the pregnant girl, who was the only one we've met who is really Australian. Which makes me question why the Korean couple were on the flight to the U.S. instead of on a flight to Korea. Maybe they had a stop over in the U.S., but then why would they be on a flight going Eastward, all the way around the world, when Korea is North and slightly West of Australia? Hmm... I wonder if there is a reason, or if this is just a big ol' plothole.
- I never thought of the fact that the flight plan for Sun and Jin would be a plot point. I am also hoping that we get to see a real twisted side to Hurley, one that blows us away.
- "I'm know as something of a warrior, myself." Uh oh, let's hope he didn't mean Forum Warrior, indeed!
- Jin had to travel to L.A. on official Korean mafia business - this was like episode 6 ya big dopes.
- Personally I'm waiting for the rest of the castaways to eat Hurley... and then Locke can make a radio out of two coconuts and Charlie's empty plastic baggie.
- So Walt is the second person that has experienced something profound BEFORE he got on the plane (Claire being the other). Is it a coincidence that Claire was pregnant with a supposedly "special" baby and Walt seems to have an uncanny ability? Children with special powers... hmmmmm. Or could the island be far-reaching and affected Walt in some way prior to his leaving Sydney? I don't know if you all noticed, but tonight's episode crossed that line they've been balancing since episode one. We are now officially in sci-fi/supernatural territory.
- DAMN good episode of Lost tonite!!! Boone being Locke’s lapdog and getting the shit knocked outta him. Fucking priceless! Walt and Michael story was awesome! This was the best episode since the Locke episode of last year, easily! And how hot has Maggie become? Scorching HOT but she still doesn't hold a candle to the Goddess Sun!
- Yeah, I think Walt's comic is important not only because it has Green Lantern fighting a polar bear (and GL can make things appear with his will much like Walt) but because of the alien ship under the ice. I think that hatch Locke found is to an alien ship or a human device that's just as alien. I really do hope they stay away from the heavy handed religious parallels. They're going to lose a lot of viewers that way.
- I had liked the "the island gives people what they want" but I think this episode pretty much shoots that down. Walt seems to have his abilities before he got to the island.
- Ok, so did that kid crash the plane... because he didn't want to leave with his father???? Too obvious?? The mom being sick because of him was a thought of mine also.
- Come later and tell me how right I was: Locke is forming an army.
Locke appears to be forming a faction within the group -- to what end, I'm not quite sure, but the signs are all there. Boone throws himself at Michael after he threatens Locke, to which Michael says, "What are you, his attack dog?!" The foreshadowing of Charlie and Jack's conversation in which Charlie says, "Out of everybody on the island, I'd follow that man to the end." The moment in the first episode when Locke shows Walt how to play gammon, saying that there were two sides, one light, and one dark...and then holds up the black piece to his eye. There will come a time very soon in which Locke and his people (of which I believe we can count Boone, Charlie, Michael, Walt, Sawyer, Sun & Jin) will come to clash with Jack and his people (Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Shannon, Claire, and Rose). I believe most of what's happening in the ground is to mask the fact that the evil is all around them...and it has manifested itself in Locke.
- "Your son belongs to me now." I kept waiting for Locke to say that. That would have been killer. Tumultuous, but killer nonetheless. I guess this is better though, now he has them both, Boohahahahaahah.
- Would loved to see a Locke people VS Jack group, but I don't think Michael and Walt would get involved in any struggle. Still loving the bitch-slapped Michael gave Boone! DAMN, swatted him away like he was an insect.


- e

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

S1Ep13 - Hearts and Minds (Boone's first flashback)

[This message was initially sent as an email to friends, it was loaded into this blog 2.5 years later]

Hello everyone -

All I will say about this episode is that it wasn't as good as I had hoped, but there was a ton o' Locke in prime form, so that made me happy. And if you were watching it at my place you would've listed as the "PEE ON MY FOOT, JUST PEE ON IT, MAN!" interchange as the top moment of the night.

General topics to consider:

1) What is up with the compass not being correct?
Is the compass itself broken, or is the island on some weird magnetic field or does the island CAUSE some strange magnetic pull? Did Locke give Sayid the compass hoping to throw him off or did he give it to him to HELP him figure out what is going on with the island? My guess is the latter because Locke has said that he "wants Sayid on his side," but he also thinks people need to figure out things for themselves. What I think "on his side" means, I will cover later.

2) Shannon and Boone get freaky-deeky
No big surprise here, most people were just annoyed that ABC had to go SO out of its way to state that they had NO BLOOD RELATION. They were worried about their "family friendly award" they just won getting yanked back!

Anyway, all I think that whole flashback boils down to is a) they are nas-tay and b) Boone has serious issues with Shannon all around. SOME people on the boards think that Shannon will now be pregnant... feeding the "others'" need for kids...

3) Boone's "hallucination"
I'm not totally clear if the paste Locke put on Boone's head CAUSED him to hallucinate and see the monster or if it just kind of accelerated what would've happened anyway. A big theory is that the "monster" is ALWAYS what people see in their heads, so I don't think Locke caused Boone to see it.

Or

in other words, the monster does what people THINK it will do. The pilot was scared of the monster and thought it would eat him, so it did. OR, was the pilot even ever there? Did the island cause Charlie, Kate and Jack to all "see" the pilot, learn that they were off-course, and then see him get eaten, just because that's what the island wanted them to see? Who knows.

The bottom line for the Boone episode is that he saw the monster kill Shannon and that made him feel relieved. So to Locke, that means that Boone needs to learn to "let go" of Shannon in order to ensure his own survival on the island. Locke's comment of "So THAT's what it made you SEE?" led me to believe that 1) the monster was not a hallucination but the real thing, and Locke KNOWS what it's all about and blew his cover with that line and 2) that what Locke saw when HE saw the monster was his destiny on the island to become a leader of a sub-set of the group. Which leads me to...

4) Locke as a leader of the group
They are clearly setting it up so that eventually the survivors are going to split into at least two groups, and my guess would be that Jack is the leader of one and Locke the other. Locke is slowly but surely "converting" people into almost Locke-disciples or something. There is a reason why they had Charlie say at the end, "if there is one man I would trust my life with on this island, it's Locke" or something along those lines. Now Boone is also going to be a follower because after this episode Locke is going to take him under his wing and they are going to discover what's in that metal chamber (this is my guess). Also, Locke commented to Boone that he wants Sayid "on his side"... which leads me to...

5) Expanded 4-year time loop theory
Too long to write out now, but last message I commented on the "4-year time loop" theory that I think is very likely to be what is going on. Since then, a co-worker of mine has dug up even more VERY convincing evidence that this is what is going on (shout out to CG!). If you accept this theory (that they are repeating 4 years over and over again on the island but some characters know it and some haven't caught on yet), you could put MANY things together about Locke, namely: why he always knows EXACTLY when it will rain, how he knows all the stuff about hunting boar, how he can find people very easily, why he doesn't need the compass anymore (he's memorized the route), why he seems to be lining up people against each other subtly (Sayid vs. Sawyer)... it's because he KNOWS he's in the time loop and has probably gone through the most repetitions (people think that new people can come into the loop and then that slightly changes things... people think, for example, that Charlie and Claire are new to the loop).

6) Sawyer in Boone's flashback at the police station
So I said two weeks ago that one theory would be proven correct in this episode, and this what it: that the characters were all connected one way or the other before the flight. I think we will see more evidence of this soon.

7) What is under the metal window/door?
Possibilities: WW2 bomb shelter, maze of tunnels underneath the island, the thing is another plane sunk into the ground, a place where the "others" are holding Claire, a secret government lab that controls the events on the island. Someone also mentioned that it COULD be a Starbucks. All valid ideas. : )


POSTS FROM THE BOARDS

- So far this *whole* island has manifested, either tangible or intangible, exactly what the castaways think about. The kid reads a comic about polar bears and suddenly Sawyer shot a rampaging polar bear. Charlie thinks the best thing that could help his drug addiction is getting his guitar back, so suddenly he looks up and a guitar is sitting there, just like that. Then there’s how Jack saw his father alive; if that was all just dehydrated delusions, then why was the casket empty? Then there’s the “invisible monster,” which, if just a “dream,” then why is everyone hearing/seeing the same thing?!? Boone DID NOT simply have a dream; he faced the monster. Notice how intrigued Locke was when he said he confronted the monster; suddenly his “you imagined it” talk was all “really…? What did you see?” This is because the monster is, from what I have been told in rumor mills, a mirror of the person’s strongest inner emotions. This makes sense so far. It didn’t kill Locke because he was fascinated by it. It killed the pilot because that’s what he *felt* it would do. The French Lady is apparently immune to it, because she doesn’t believe in what cannot be seen. In Boone it reflected how he truly feels about Shannon, in other words; “Deep down it would relieve me greatly if you ate the bitch.” I know some may feel this is a simple to-MAY-to, to-MAH-to difference, because it still means he merely imagined what he saw. However; this wasn't simply a "it was all a dream" story. I'm just saying...
- The island is magical. As lame as that sounds, it is what it is. The island manifests what you want or need to see. It is a reflection of your inner demons so that you might deal with them once and for all. And once you deal with your demons, the island rewards you with something you desire. As Locke said to Charlie, "If you give something to the island, the island will give you something in return." In this episode, Boone was finally able to let go of Shannon - he gave Shannon to the island - and he will now be granted something in return. My guess: they'll have access to the hatch. The hatch, you see, could never be open until Boone gave something to the island. Locke knows this. Locke has, I feel, given himself completely to the island and thus is why he is granted with the insight to the island. So now that Boone has given something to the island, the island will grant him what he wants: access to the hatch. Also, did you note in next weeks previews that the polar bear is back? Coincidence that it's going to be a Michael/his son centric episode? I think not.
- This show rocks!! I think they’re going the “Stand” route and the camp will get divided into two groups of good vs. evil, which will lead to an epic battle, with the winners finding a way off the island. Or… I also like someone’s suggestion that this is all Locke’s fault because he wanted to prove himself. What if his desire was so great while flying over the “magical” island that he actually brought the plane down. That would be cool. Like the island said “oh so you wanna piece of me? Well coma and get it!” LOL. I’ve been looking for a long time for something to approach the greatness of X-Files, and I think Lost does the trick!
- I really liked this episode as I had no idea which way it was going to unfold and Shannon and Boone being the main focus was a welcome change from the usual Kate/Jack centered stories. Can't wait to see where they go with Locke from here, seeing as he now has two guys, Charley and now Boone who seem to be willing to walk into hell for him. Is Locke recruiting people in opposition to Jack and Sayid's leadership or does he have some still unseen motivation in mind? Should be interesting regardless.
- The reason that they are no longer searching for pregnant- girl Claire is easily explained. One, they have *no* *idea* where to look. It’s one thing to have a child missing in a local neighborhood and have hundreds of people help look, with cars, helicopters, and all required resources at their disposal. This isn’t even getting into how such a search would be handled by “locals,” in an area that’s at least *relatively* familiar ground. It’s something entirely different when under 50 castaways are on a deserted island and have barely found the courage to leave the simple 100-yard (?) beach that they were first stranded on. That isn’t even getting into the food and water they would need for such an expedition, entirely on foot. Did I mention how they haven't the slightest notion of where to look…? More bad news: Mr. Crackpot who kidnapped her was up against Jack –arguably the second strongest castaway there is—and Crackpot easily kicked his ass. Jack continued the search and Crackpot even had enough time to hang Charlie by noose, long before Jack was within range. Had they continued the search for Claire the outcome would clearly be no different than if they gave up, except that maybe --just maybe-- she can escape on her own. It isn’t that they don’t care; they just have a sense of humility. There’s no feasible way they could get to her right now.

- e

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

S1Ep12 – Whatever the Case May Be (Kate’s second flashback)

[This message was initially sent as an email to friends, it was loaded into this blog 2.5 years later]

Hello -

**** GENERAL COMMENTS *****

I will start off by saying that I am sorry this message is ridiculously long. There is more than usual to cover as people on the chat boards have been going NUTS since there had been a three-week hiatus and then finally a new episode. Also, I had more time on my hands during the winter break to be a total nerd.

With that said, unfortunately, most people including me didn't like the first episode of 2005 - Kate's second flashback (I will abbreviate it throughout this message as WTCMB), calling it "the worst episode yet" or my personal favorite, "The Emperor Has No Bikini Top" in honor of Shannon's sunbathing scene. The reasons were that 1) Kate is annoying to most people, 2) Locke was hardly in the episode and 3) nothing has been resolved at all since the pilot and people have become impatient.

Oh ye of little faith, do not abandon the show just yet, I say! It is still better than everything else on TV! While I was disappointed with this episode as well, I am ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE that they are going to redeem themselves this week and that we will get one little teeny clue as to something that is possibly going on, and a bigger clue within 4 weeks. More on that later. If you don't have time to read all of this message, just BE SURE to watch this week's episode, and if possible, watch it the night it airs (this is for you, Tivo freaks) because I am quite positive that people are going to be talking about it the next day and you will have the surprise ruined.


***** MESSAGE BOARD TOPICS ***********


Below as usual are some highlights from the message boards.

The issues being thrown around on the boards of late include (both from WTCMB and overall theories/issues):

New Theory:
This was the only thing I've read for a while about the show that made me pause and think, "Hmmm, I think this person may be on to something." The person basically just threw it out there and admitted that they didn't have a ton of "proof" to support it, but the idea is that the island is stuck in some sort of time loop that is equivalent to 4 years. Some people on the island have been there for a long time and are living through each loop, but some come in (new people to the loop) and some leave (they die), and it is the "monster" who is deciding who stays and who goes. Through memory (thus the reason for flashbacks), people can realize what's happening and try to stop it. This person mentioned a few things that I had noticed before: The first time Kate and Sawyer wrestle in an early episode, he says "I've been waiting 4 years for this" (I remember thinking that was strange, but many people also think they knew each other before the crash anyway...). Also, Locke had mentioned in his flashback that he had been in a wheelchair for 4 years. The signal has supposedly been playing 16 years
(4 x 4). This person thinks Claire and her baby have something to do with stopping the loop and that's why they were taken. They also thought that the metal thing Locke came across was part of THEIR plane from the original time it crashed that had sunk into the ground. I just thought of this one: The skeletons they found in the waterfall cave may end up being their OWN. Remember when Jack pulled out the bag with two rocks (black and white) in it? Well that was probably Locke's body or something. Things like the polar bears and the original ship crashing, etc., just keep happening over and over, which is why Danielle is positive that there are no monsters - she had figured out what's going on. I really don't know if this is plausible because too much doesn't fit into it, but I definitely thought it was a cool idea in general and I would not be surprised now if SOME sort of time warp thing is going on.


Unnatural rising of the tide:
Sayid mentioned at the beginning of WTCMB that the tide was coming in way too quickly out of nowhere. While most people agreed that this was eerie timing because of the tsunami, the theories about this are: 1) someone is controlling the atmosphere around the island (government project theory), 2) the island itself "wants" them to all move into the jungle so it's forcing them there 3) some other catastrophic event happened to the rest of the world and the waves are the after-effects 4) it was foreshadowing that "the tide is turning" for the survivors 5) it is nothing more than the fact that it was too costly for the producers to keep the airplane props on the Hawaiian beach (they have admitted this, but I doubt that there isn't a way they're weaving it into the plot since Sayid specifically mentioned it).

Sawyer's ummm.....

People were OBSESSED with the fact that Sawyer's pants were slipping down when he was swimming with Kate. Hey, I just report the facts.

Numbers
Guess what number appeared again this episode? 815. Kate wanted them to open box 815. Also the same number as their flight that crashed.
The airplane she had in the envelope had 5025 on it. No one has mentioned this on the boards. So I am just a dork.

Why is no one looking for Claire?
People were very mad about this. Everyone seems to pretty much have gotten over it?

Kate's toy model airplane
Half of the people seemed to be annoyed that that's all that was in the envelope. Some people thought she never knew what was in the envelope until that moment because they think the police captured her right after the robbery (you can see that the bank manager DID hit the alarm button when the masked guys came in) Some people think that the envelope was switched. Some people think that there MUST be more to the airplane than just being a toy airplane (I agree). Fewer people than I expected mentioned the fact that it was freaky that it WAS AN AIRPLANE in the first place.... - hello, was she not just in an airplane crash? Coincidence? I think not.

Kate = bad
I do not think Kate is an overall "good person" anymore. And she is my least favorite character on the show. Most people agree with me. : ) Side note - they were in New Mexico in the robbery. Someone thought that Hurley said he was from New Mexico... not sure.

Man she loved = dad?
When she said "A man I loved... a man I killed!" some people think it is her dad she is talking about. Especially since she has mentioned him a few times, said he was in the army, and the toy plane looked militaristic (is that a word?).

To clear up any confusion, "the man she loved" was definitely NOT the guy robbing the bank that she kissed mid-robbery (LAME!) ... because she was trying to get in the safety deposit box that belonged to this mystery man, so it was obviously NOT the guy in the flashback. People on the boards seemed confused about that. But I am not. : )

Religious aspect
Religion has come more openly into the show at the end of WTCMB with Rose's prayer and telling Charlie to ask the Big Guy Upstairs for help. And how much do you want to bet that Rose's husband does show up at some point in the series?

Beyond the Sea/Finding Nemo
The song at the end that Shannon song was "Beyond the Sea" - it played at the end of Finding Nemo, which was the movie she couldn't think of the title for. There is an English and French version of the song with slightly different lyrics.


Sayid/Shannon future love connection
If you did not call that when you watched the show then you are hopeless.


Previews - no one on the boards is even close to guessing what it's about...
I am personally shocked that very very very few people on the boards have called what is going to happen in the next episode. Does it not look GREAT? My favorite part was with Locke beaned Boone, I rewound that several times and laughed each time. Because I cannot stand Boone.


POSTS FROM THE BOARDS

- Now, what if Claire wasn't supposed to be on the plane? What if the psychic put her and the child on the plane, because for some reason the two of them will stop the loop. Could be why Ethan took them.
- Was Hurley even in the episode last night? Could the metal door be from an old/abandoned/"abandoned" WWII bunker? Seems like reason enough to go through the trouble of building something underground. Has that been thrown out there anymore? I'm guessing it'd be Japanese.
- Sayid is an ex-military officer for Iraq. Iraq has less coastline than Iowa. I'm not sure Sayid’s the guy I'd be consulting the tide charts with. "Jack, I just discovered another island mystery. The water, taste it. There appears to be a salty flavor unlike any water I have ever had before."
- I love that the writers of this show seem so open to embrace so many different styles of mysticism and faith-systems; and, not just that, but that, the way they do it, we see exactly how similar the roles these peoples' beliefs take in their (not exactly day-to-day) life. Rose and Charlie praying, Claire's astrology, Sayid's praying...I kinda want to assume, too, that, when Locke sits alone on the beach, looking out to see, he's meditating. I kinda have to assume, too, that Sawyer is an agnostic or atheist, especially based on his very pragmatic disbelief of Walt's retelling of Claire's kidnapping & everything.
- How can you call Locke a Buddhist? The guy hunts more than Ted Nugent and last I checked Buddhists do not kill living creatures. And just because Charlie prayed does not mean it is going to be the second coming of Jesus Christ on the island. Let's see, Charlie just quit using drugs, the girl he liked was just kidnapped, and he had a very-near death experience. Who wouldn't pray after that? I pray every time I run a yellow light that it doesn't turn red, that doesn't mean a war of the angels is going to show up in my front lawn. This show is not going to turn into some kind of Left Behind novel, because then it would suck. The writers seem to know how to use faith in a story, but not overuse faith in a story.
- I find it to be very interesting that Rose is almost convincing me that her husband is not dead. Anything could be in the case - Perhaps Geraldo will appear and open the case for us and find that this is where Capone hid everything.
- No one is mentioning what Locke and Boone are doing out in the jungle. It obviously has to do with that metal object they found last episode. Then in the previews Locke knocks out Boone when Boone tells Locke that he wants to tell everyone about what they have found. Any thoughts about what they found? It’s probably a Starbucks. They are everywhere. Locke and Boone having a couple of caps and fraps. And what about Claire, everyone seems like ‘oh well, not a big deal.’

- e