2.11 The Hunting Party

In flashback, Jack and his father are speaking to a man and his daughter/interpreter. The man has a seemingly inoperable tumor on his spine. Jack’s father says there is no point in trying to operate, but the man wants Jack to do the operation. He has heard about the miracle operation Jack performed on Sarah and believes he could do it again. Jack agrees; his father stalks away angrily.

Jack awakens suddenly from a dream. He is in the hatch. No one is at the console. He hears a low moan and finds Locke unconscious on the floor of the gun locker. A crazed Michael points his rifle at Jack, refuses Jack’s offer to come with, and locks Jack in the gun locker. They are both on shift, and if no one shows up accidentally, the timer will expire.

On the beach, Sawyer is sleeping by his tent at sunrise. Kate wakes him up by hitting him with a banana and reminds him he needs to get his bandages changed. At the hatch, they free Locke and Jack from the gun locker. Jack tells Locke they are going after Michael, and Sawyer joins in, with everyone packing a firearm.

In flashback, Jack is examining his patient and explaining his tests to the daughter, Gabriella. She says she does not believe in miracles. Jack has become so engrossed in his work that he didn’t realize it was 4.30am. He heads home to Sarah. She tells him that she had a pregnancy test that was negative. Jacks asks if she wants to talk about it, but she puts him off. There seems to be much unexplained sadness between them.

Locke finds the start of Michael’s track, or at least he thinks so. Kate helps, and wants to come, but Jack insists she stay, which doesn’t make her very happy. The guys figure out that Michael is not heading east, back where he came from, but rather north, to a new place. When Jin overhears that Michael left to pursue Walt, he packs up immediately and heads out. Sun tells Jin that he cannot go, because it would put her through the same pain and fear she felt when he was on the raft. Jin caves and drops his pack.

Locke wonders how Jack is going to bring Michael back, or to tell anyone what they can or can’t do.

In flashback, Gabriella is signing the papers to clear the way for the operation. Jack’s father walks in, and, after she leaves, gives Jack some quick advice about staying on the correct side of the line in doctor/patient relationships.

The three pursuers use a vine to climb a hill. Locke questions Sawyer about his alternate name, since he is James Ford on the plane manifest. When nearby gunshots ring out, Jack calls for Michael and takes off in the direction of the shots, with Locke in pursuit, yelling for caution. They find shell casings. While Locke tries to find Michael’s trail, Sawyer and Jack heatedly discuss their personal reasons for being out on this adventure.

In flashback, Jack is angry and upset that he lost the patient. His father tries to calm him down by saying that the man was old and sick. When Jack mentions that he has to tell the Gabriella, his father says that he already told her, and she is gone. She is waiting at his car, crying. She thanks Jack for trying and when he embraces her, they kiss. But Jack pulls away.

Locke has lost Michael’s trail. Jack provides a torch, but Locke says they should head back. Jack says if they go back now, they’ll never see Michael again. At that moment, a shadowy figure appears a short distance away and says Jack is right, but that they should listen to Locke and head back. Sawyer recognizes the guy and says he’s the one who shot him on the raft. But when Sawyer tries to shoot him, someone shoots Sawyer in the hand. The man tells Locke to build a fire so they can all ‘talk’.

Hurley and Charlie are spinning some obscure vinyl in the hatch while Hurley asks Charlie about Libby. Hurley thinks he has a chance with her. When Sayid shows up, Hurley says that ‘everyone’ has gone after Michael. And he tells Sayid that Kate went too.

The bearded man says no one is going to hurt Jack, or Walt. He says the source of the problem is that the Others believe this is their island, and they are unhappy that someone has shown up and taken their stuff (which is anything on the island) without permission. When Jack says that he thinks the man has only one backup, the man tells the Others to ‘light up’, and about 20 torches light in circle around Jack, Locke, and Sawyer. The man says that they should give up their guns and head home. When Jack refuses, the man brings out Kate, bound and captured. He holds a gun to her throat and makes the same demand. Jack caves in, the guns are dropped, and Kate is returned to them. The man takes and guns and backs away.

In the morning, Jin and Sun sit on the beach. Jin says ‘they’ (Jack and group) are not back yet. He says he does not like being told what to do. Sun says that was her life for your years. Jin sees her point, and a peace is made between them.

Kate explains she was just trying to help Jack. Kate apologizes, as does Jack, although it is unclear what he is apologizing for.

In flashback, Jack gets home and tells Sarah that his patient died. He also tells her that he kissed Gabriella. He wants to work things out, but Sarah says she is leaving, that she has been seeing someone else.

Back at camp, Kate worries about Jack’s opinion of her. Sawyer says he would have done the same thing. Jack touches base with Ana. Jack asks if she killed one of the Others, and she confirms it. Jack asks how long it would take Ana to train an army.

Comments

I hope the show isn’t going to become a simple ‘us against them’ situation. There isn’t much we can like about the Others, and I’m pretty sure we’re not going to be getting backstories of the bearded man (although perhaps we are).

Jack thinks that Sawyer loves Kate because of the words he muttered in his fever. But in reality, if we are to believe in the strange happenings on the island, that statement of love was delivered by Kate’s step-dad, Wayne.

Quotable Quotes

Jack: Hey! What’re you doing?
Sawyer: I’m coming with ya.
Jack: You’re still on antibiotics.
Sawyer: Good thing I’m traveling with my doctor, then.

Jack’s father: Carefull. There’s a line, son – you know it’s there. And pretending it’s not – that would be a mistake.
Jack: Guess you would know.
Jack’s father: It may be okay for some people, Jack, but not for you.

Sawyer: Sure Mike went this way?
Locke: Why do you ask?
Sawyer: Oh, I don’t know, Mr Clean. I probably would have gone around Mt Vesuvius.
Sawyer: Ain’t it obvious? All you need’s an earring and mop.

Hurley: So what do you think’s the story with that Libby chick?
Charlie: Story?
Hurley: She’s kinda cute, right? You know, in a ‘I’ve been terrorized by the Others for 40 days’ kind of way?

"See ya, James."
- Locke’s farewell to Sawyer