3.1 A Tale of Two Cities

The first episode of season three focuses solely on Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. They are being held in captivity by the Others. We start with a bit of backstory on the Others. They are living on the island in comfortable homes, seemingly living a normal, upper middle class existence. When a tremor occurs, the Oceanic plane crashes. Henry (real name is Ben) send Goodwin and Ethan to infiltrate the groups of survivors.

Cut to the present. Jack is being held in an underground cell while a good-looking woman named Juliette tries to get him to accept some food. She asks some questions, which Jack for the most part refuses to answer, then later reveals that she knows everything about Jack and his family. When Jack finally relents, he uses the opportunity to hold Juliette at poison dart point and demand a way out. Juliette and Ben tell him not to open the door, but he does anyway, flooding the cell with ocean water (it seems they are under water, in a Dharma station called ‘Hydra’). Juliette helps to rescue him, and then knocks him out with one punch.

Sawyer is in a cage used previously to hold bears. He gets shocked when he repeatedly pushes a big red food button, ignoring the advice not to do so by a young man in a cage across the path. The young man (Carl) breaks out and unlocks Sawyer’s cage too, but both are captured immediately. Carl is nabbed and hit in the face by Mr Friendly (Tom - who no longer wears his beard). Sawyer is shot with another tranquilizer dart by Juliette.

Kate is treated differently. She is allowed to have a hot shower, then is made to wear a sundress. She joins Ben for a gourmet breakfast at a gazebo overlooking the ocean. Ben tells her that she is being treated to this because the next two weeks are going to be very unpleasant. Soon, she is in an old-fashioned outdoor zoo cage, across from Sawyer.

Comments

Many of the main characters have been torn down. Jack is revealed here to be a man capable of severe jealousy. Sawyer and Charlie have already been torn down numerous times. Locke recently was a whimpering mess. Even Eko resorted to using dynamite. It seems the more we learn about the vulnerabilities of the characters, the less pleasant they are to watch (at least that’s how I feel).

I’m not sure if Lost is moving closer to Jumping the Shark, but I didn’t enjoy this episode. Perhaps it was because it tore down my hero, Jack. Or perhaps I couldn’t get myself too excited about finding out why the Others are doing what they are doing. I don’t want to stay in the world of the Others too long. It has become more of a standard action/torture show, and less about surviving on an island. I think the ‘survivor’ camping out in the elements aspects, in all their simplicity, appealed to me more. There was something special about focusing on the original cast too.

Quotable Quotes

Tom: Hey, you got yourself a fish biscuit! How'd you do that?
Sawyer: Figured out your complicated gizmos, thats how.
Tom: It only took the bears two hours.
Sawyer: (thinks) How many of 'em were there?

2.23 Live Together, Die Alone

The sailboat’s sole occupant is a very drunk Desmond. He’s dejected at having sailed for Fiji and ended up back at the island. His reasoning is that the island is all that is left – he could find no other land masses.

Sayid’s plan is to take Desmond’s boat to the north side of the island, scout the area, then make a signal fire on the beach and rendezvous with Jack’s party. He asks Jack to tell anyone that they know that Michael has been compromised. Sayid wants to take Jin for sailing expertise, but Sun also asks to come. Partway through their journey, they see the remains of a huge statue on a jetty or island near the beach – a huge lower leg with a four-toed foot.

While on their journey, Kate spots two Others who are tracking the party (and doing a really horrible job of staying hidden, considering how good the Others are supposed to be at this sort of thing. She and Sawyer shoot one of them, but the other one gets away. Kate starts out in pursuit, wanting to stop that one before he warns his people that they are coming. But Jack tells her they already know, and takes that moment to confront Michael. Michael not only admits that it is a trap, but he also admits that he killed Ana and Libby.

Sayid arrives at the camp and finds it deserted. He builds his signal fire on the beach. When Jack sees it, he realizes that they are too far inland. Michael has still led them into a trap. Sawyer, Kate, and Jack are nailed with darts and collapse. Soon, they are on a dock. A boat pulls up with Henry aboard. It appears that Henry is the leader. He agrees to fulfill his part of the bargain, giving Michael the boat (which already has Walt aboard) and pointing him in the right direction for rescue. Hurley is told to go back to his people and tell them never to come near the Others again. Bound and gagged, Jack, Kate, and Sawyer are hooded and led away.

In the meantime, Locke physically tries to stop Eko from pushing the button, but instead gets punched in the face and kicked out of the hatch. He elicits Demond to help him stop Eko from pushing the button. Using a little trick that Desmond learned, they are able to lower the blast doors and lock Eko out of the control room. Eko climbs out and gets Charlie to lead him to the dynamite. Eko’s plan to blast the blast doors doesn’t work, however, and he and Charlie are both injured. As the countdown nears, Demond remembers the last time he didn’t press the button on time – how the entire station shook in an electromagnetic shudder. He checks the logs from Pearl Station and realizes that this incident happened on the day when the plane crashed. Now he believes that the Swan station is real and the Pearl station was the experiment. (This is backed up by Jack’s party finding the resting place of the journals logged by Pearl observers and sent into the pneumatic tube: they end up in a big pile in a jungle clearing). Locke can’t be convinced, and the button is not pressed. As the electromagnetic incident occurs, metal objects are sucked toward the station wall, endangering the lives of Charlie and Eko. Desmond remembers his failsafe key, and goes below to use it. A huge white light engulfs the island as he turns the key, and the hatch door is blown onto the beach. Some time later, Charlie emerges from the jungle with no idea where Eko or Locke are, and seemingly no need to explain what happened, even when asked by Claire. Claire kisses him anyway.

Desmond’s backstory: Desmond loved a woman (Penny), but her father deemed him unworthy. He was in the army but did something bad and served time in jail before being given a dishonorable discharge. Penny’s father tries to pay him off to stay away from Penny, but Desmond doesn’t take the money. His plan is to beat the father in an around-the-world sailing race, but he has no money for a boat. Fortunately, he meets Libby in the US. She has just lost her husband, and she gives her boat to him. A storm near the island washes Desmond up on the beach. He is rescued by, Kelvin, the on-site button pusher. Kelvin makes Desmond stay inside and always wears an environmental suit when he goes out. (By the way, Kelvin was in the US Army in Iraq before joining Dharma – he was the commanding officer who deal with Sayid when he was captured). One day, after three years, Desmond notices that Kelvin’s suit has a rip below the knee. Desmond follows Kelvin outside and watches him remove his helmet – it was all a joke. Desmond continues to follow Kelvin and finds his boat intact (Kelvin has told him it was never found). Kelvin says he is leaving and invites Desmond to join him. Desmond is angry about being deceived, and while expressing his anger to Kelvin physically, accidentally kills him.

As the episode ends, two men at a observation station in some cold place read that an electromagnatic anomaly has taken place. They ring Penny to let her know.

Comments

And so, season 2 ends with more cliffhangers than you can shake an electromagnetic core at. Jack, Sawyer, and Kate are being held by the Others. Michael and Walt are sailing away. We don’t if Locke, Eko, Desmond, or the hatch has survived. And we don’t know why Charlie isn’t telling.

And somehow, something that happened regarding the meltdown/explosion has sent an alert to Desmond’s waiting lover, Penny.

Nits

As mentioned earlier, I thought the Others were experts at moving through the jungle silently on their bare feet. Didn’t they abduct Cindy right from other Ana’s eyes? But here, two of them are easily discovered by Kate. They are in plain sight to all of us, too.

Memorable Moments

This two-part episode is filled with exciting moments: Jack’s confrontation with Michael is probably the most dramatic of the lot.

Quotable Quotes

Eko: Charlie, do you know how they got the hatch door open?
Charlie: No, but if you hum it I can probably play it.
Eko: How did they open it – the door that says quarantine?
Charlie: They blew it up – why?
Eko: Charlie, I need you help.
Charlie: Oh, now I’m back in your good graces, father?
Eko: Charlie, John has locked me out of the hatch, and I believe he is doing this because he is going to stop pushing that button. And Charlie, I am absolutely certain that if he is successful, in ninety minutes, everyone on this island will die!
Charlie: (stops to think) Alright, I’m in, I’m in.

(Desmond is studying the print-out taken from The Pearl)
Locke: What are you doing?
Desmond: When did you come here?
Locke: What?
Desmond: The island. When did you come here? How long ago?
Locke: Sixty, sixty-five days-
Desmond: What was the date, what was the date?
Locke: September 22nd. It was September 22nd.
Desmond: I think I crashed your plane.

Locke: (to Eko, as the station shakes apart) I was wrong.

2.22 Three Minutes

It’s been pretty obvious that the only thing that would drive Michael to kill Ana and Libby and release Henry was that Walt’s life hung in the balance. In this episode, we find out that this was true: we get the backstory of what happened to Michael after he took off alone in pursuit of Walt.

Michael was captured almost immediately, and was actually being held, gagged and under guard, while Mr Happy was negotiating the Kate-for-guns deal in episode 2.11 (The Hunting Party). Michael is taken to the Others camp, where he is kept prisoner, fed, and asked questions about Walt by a black woman with a soft voice. He is then given the details of the deal: he has to free Henry, bring back Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hugo – and only those 4, no more – and in return, he and Walt will be set free. Michael demands to see Walt, and Walt is led in, escorted by a personal guard. Walt looks healthy but says he has been subjected to tests. He breaks away to beg Michael to take him away – he also mentions that the Others are not what they seem – that they are pretending.

Michael has been playing the ‘they took my son’ card all season, and here, he uses it once more to convince Jack that only those four people should go in pursuit of Walt. When Sawyer invites Sayid, Michael appeals directly to Sayid to stay away, once again saying that he has to go after his son in his own way. Sayid gives in, but later tells Jack that he thinks Michael has been compromised.

Michael has a hard time with Hurley. Hurley has no interest in coming along for revenge, and does not respond to Michael’s badgering. But after Hurley says a few words about Libby at the burial ceremony, he tells Michael that he will go.

The aforementioned burial ceremony is a moving moment, with two graves set side-by-side overlooking the beach. We stop and pause to wonder why so many (three) of the female main characters have been killed off. But before we can think about that, Sun sees a sailboat, about half a mile away and drifting toward the beach. This is the cliffhanger ending for this week, and with that, we also have the intrigue of how Jack and Sayid will handle making an alternate plan of attack, all without letting Michael know that they suspect. It is also unclear just how much weight Jack has given to Sayid evaluation of Michael.

In other side-stories, Sawyer tells Jack that he ‘screwed Ana Lucia’, and Charlie gets angry at Eko for abandoning him and the plan to build a church (Eko is now sitting in the hatch, dedicated to pressing the button). But it’s not all bad for Charlie. Somehow, he has managed to get his hands on a Dharma case containing a pneumatic injector and a few vials of what would appear to be vaccine. He tries one on himself, then presents the case to Claire as a gift. Apparently, it makes enough of an impression on her that she grabs his hand and holds it during the burial ceremony.

Vincent brings Charlie a Virgin Mary statue. Charlie follows Vincent back and finds all the statues in the hiding spot in Sawyer’s tent. Locke spends the entire show sitting on the beach. He’s there – but makes no comment – as he watches Charlie throw all of the Virgin Mary statues far out into the ocean. As the burial ceremony is in progress, Locke cuts away his splint, grabs a backpack, and heads down the beach alone.

Comments

I’ve spent a fair bit of time thinking about whether Michael would really be able to do what he did – kill two people in cold blood – just for the chance to free his son. It’s hard to say – I don’t know Michael very well. And let’s face it: these people (Jack, Kate, etc.) may be his friends, but he has only known them for a few weeks. I think if I were in his shoes, I would have told them the story and hoped that they would work with me to rescue my son. Who knows what a parent would do. But how will Michael live with the guilt of two wrongs for a right?

Memorable Moments

• Sayid revealing that he has Michael all figured out

• Sawyer admitting to Jack that Jack is his closest thing to a friend

Quotable Quotes

Sawyer: So what happened out there in the jungle?
Jack: Exactly what he said happened. He found a camp-
Sawyer: I ain't talking about Mike. You and Freckles. Before you found him, you all were gone all night.
Jack: We were caught in a net.
Sawyer: What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Jack: It means we got caught in a net.
Sawyer: Is that what they're calling it these days?

Eko: Charlie, would you do me a favor? I was hoping you could bring my things from the beach here.
Charlie: What for? You moving in here? Fancy yourself a little bachelor pad?
Eko: Yes. I’m moving in here.
Charlie: Well…what about the church? You said we were supposed to be building it together, man.
Eko: I am supposed to do something different now.
Charlie: What am I supposed to do?
Eko: Bring me my things.

Sawyer: Who's gonna talk?
Jack: What?
Sawyer: The funeral. Who's gonna talk?
Jack: I'm sure Hurley'll wanna say something about Libby.
Sawyer: I never even knew her last name. Ana-Lucia.
Jack: It's Cortez.
Sawyer: Cortez. Well there you go…I screwed her.
Jack: What?
Sawyer: That's how she got my gun. Ana, she jumped me. We ‘got caught in a net.’
Jack: Why're you telling me this, Sawyer?
Sawyer: ‘Cause you're about the closest thing I've got to a friend, Doc. And cause she's gone…well at least now we get to kill somebody.

2.21 ?

Eko is still busy building his church. Ana visits and asks what he is building. The scene morphs into a dream that Eko is having. Ana suddenly has a gunshot wound in her chest and is bleeding from the mouth. She tells Eko he needs to help John. Eko arrives at the bunker and finds his brother alive. His brother tells him that the work being done ‘in this place’ (the bunker) is important. He says Eko must help John, as he has lost his way. He says Eko must make John take him to the question mark. The counter spins in black and red question marks. Eko’s brother says John will not want to show him the question mark, so he must make him do it. He warns him that there are many distractions, but he must move past them. And he says to bring the axe.

Eko wakes up sweating and stressed. He grabs the axe and tells Charlie that he must find John.

Sawyer, Kate, Jack, and Locke are heading back to the hatch at the fastest pace that Locke can muster on crutches. On the way, they argue about whose fault this problem is: Sawyer for losing the gun, or Locke for not telling anyone that Henry tried to strangle Ana. When they reach the door of the hatch, Michael stumbles out, his arm bleeding, claiming that he woke from sleeping, heard gunshots, and was shot by some guy. Inside, they find that Ana is dead, but Michael gets very interested when Libby coughs up blood; she is very much alive. She is in shock and is not speaking. Jack wants to follow Henry’s trail, believing, of course, that he shot three people. Sawyer tells him he must stay to take care of Libby. Eko, who showed up at this opportune time, volunteers to go, and asks Locke to come with to do the tracking.

In flashback, Eko is dressed as a priest and is hearing a confession in a church in Brisbane. The confessor is actually the man Eko hired to forge an Australian passport for him. The monsignor wanders by and says Eko has to postpone his trip because a miracle has occurred. A woman tells how her daughter drowned, but came back to life the next day. Eko (Father Tundi) is assigned to investigate the miracle.

Eko leads Locke into the woods and asks him where the question mark is. Locke says he doesn’t have to tell him anything, and receives a head butt. When Locke awakens, Eko has started a fire. Eko persists in his question mark question. Locke gives the diagram to Eko. Locke is still dealing with guilt over Ana’s death. Eko tells of his dream – that he and Locke must go to the question mark together, as Ana told them to do.

In flashback, Eko is interviewing the undertaker who started to do the autopsy and found the girl was alive. An audio tape made at the autopsy seems to confirm that she really was dead until the undertaker started the autopsy.

Eko has assumed that Locke’s diagram is a map. It leads them to the site of the plane crash where Boone was fatally injured.

At the hatch, Jack is wondering what Locke and Eko are. Kate suggests he calm down. Michael asks if Libby has said anything. Jack says she is unconscious, but the bleeding has stopped. Jack says he needs the heroin. Sawyer says to give him 20 minutes. Jack insists that Kate go with him. Why? Because then Sawyer has to show Kate where the guns are too, or be forced to let Libby suffer. After Kate and Sawyer leave, Jack wanders away from the area, and Michael thinks about getting up and approaching Libby.

Kate asked Sawyer how Ana got his gun. Sawyer just says she lifted it. Sawyer brings Kate to his stash, which he keeps in a hole inside his tent. When they come out, Hurley asks if they have seen Libby. Kate tells him what has happened.

It is morning, and Eko sees his brother calling to him. Locke is still asleep. Eko follows him to the top of the cliff, using the axe to help him climb. At the top, Eko falls. It is Locke’s dream, and when he wakes up, he tells Eko about it. Eko walks toward the cliff, ready to climb.

In flashback, Eko visits the house where the girl lives. The father is the same psychic that spoke to Claire. The psychic says that the daughter had hypothermia, and that there are no miracles in the world. Eko says he agrees, but as he turns to leave, he makes eye contact with the girl, who is watching him from the window.

Eko climbs the cliff, almost slips, but makes it. At the top of the cliff, he looks down and sees a circle of dirt near where the plane fell. He climbs back down and tastes the soil – it has been salted so nothing will grow. Eko finds something buried in the dirt. They move the plane and discover another hatch, leading straight down via a narrow passage and a wall ladder.

Jack cracks the statue and gets the heroin ready for Libby. Hurley confides in Michael, telling him that he and Libby were going to have their first date. Hurley tells Michael that he is glad he is okay.

Eko and Locke descend the hatch. Locke finds and flicks a light switch. They discover a control room, complete with two comfortable chairs and about twelve old-fashioned concave television screens. Locke turns on the TVs. The first image that appears is of the hatch – with Jack walking by. Eko finds old empty notebooks. Locke finds an old pneumatic mail tube and sends his diagram off to some other place. Eko finds another Dharma orientation video. They play it. Titled ‘Orientation – Station 5 – The Pearl’, it features the same asian speaker as the other film. He identifies himself as Dr Mark Wickman.  He says The Pearl is a station for monitoring a behavioral experiment being conducted in other Dharma areas.

In flashback, Eko is leaving Australia when the girl who died walks up to him at the airport to deliver a message from her brother that he is a good priest, and that he has faith in you. Eko is unbelieving, but there is no denying the validity of her claim.

Eko tells the story of the coincidence of losing his brother and finding him again on the island, and says again that pushing the button is important. He says if Locke will not do it, he will.

Jack is relieving Libby’s pain by injecting her with heroin. Hurley asks to speak to her.

Libby dies with Michael’s name on her lips, but she is unable to tell that Michael shot her. Kate is crying; Sawyer comforts her. Jack is businesslike and sad as he packs away his medical implements. Eko and Locke are heading back to the hatch. And Michael stands near Ana’s body, looking ominous.

Comments

I suppose it is karma that Ana was killed. After what she ‘accidentally’ did to Shannon, she kind of deserved it.

It’s nice that Sawyer not only gave up the location of the guns rather than let Libby suffer, and also did not kiss and tell about Ana, even when he had the opportunity.

Now it seems obvious that pushing the button is a test, nothing more. So I don’t understand Eko’s argument that it is important.

Memorable Moments

• The discovery of the observation room

• Libby’s death

Quotable Quotes

Locke: So what’s next?
Eko: We make camp, get some sleep, and wait for further instruction.

Eko: Would you like to watch that again?
Locke: No. No, I’ve seen enough.

I was never meant to do ANYTHING! Every single second of my PATHETIC little life is as useless AS THAT BUTTON! You think it’s important? You think it’s necessary? It’s nothing; it’s nothing. It’s meaningless. And who are you to tell me that it’s not?"
- Locke

Hurley: Hey, it’s me. Hurley. Hugo. I’m sorry I forgot the blankets. I’m sorry I forgot the blankets.
Libby: Michael!
Jack: Michael. It’s okay. He made it, Libby. It’s okay, it’s alright.

2.20 Two for the Road

Jack thinks that Michael, who collapsed at their feet, was just released by the Others, but Kate thinks Jack is obsessed and Michael is alone. Jack relents, lifts Michael’s unconscious body over his shoulder, and heads back to camp with Kate.

Ana listens to Locke snore and glances at the locked door of the armory.

In flashback, it is the day after Ana shot the suspect in cold blood (see episode 2.8 – Collision). Her mother/commanding officer asks where she was last night, and then takes her to the morgue to see the dead body of Jason Alder, the man she killed. Ana denies killing him. Her mother knows that Ana killed him, but she also knows the investigation will not reveal that. She asks Ana to let her help, but Ana refuses. But when Ana is confronted with her betrayal of being a cop, she hands in her badge.

Ana enters the armory with food and sees that Henry has not touched the previous plate he was given. She asks how long he is going to keep up the hunger strike. She says for a killer, he is different – very quiet. When Henry mumbles something, Ana does a dumb thing – she leans in close to hear him. He strikes out at her, knocks her off balance, and begins to strangle, telling her that she killed two of their people – good people who were leaving her alone. He says she is the killer. He is just about to finish her off when Locke arrives and knocks him out with his crutch.

In flashback, Ana is working as airport security, looking bored. At the end of the day, she stops in the airport bar to have a drink and ends up in conversation with Jack’s father Christian. He tells her he is an ex-doctor because his son ratted him out for drinking on the job. He asks Ana to come to Sydney with him; he says he is doing something dangerous in Australia and needs a bodyguard.

On the beach, Libby sees Ana’s bruises and finds out how she got them. Ana says she is fine, but Henry won’t be. Libby tells her not to do anything stupid.

Locke is checking the blast doors, but he stops to open the armory. Henry is now tied to the floor. Locke wants to know why Henry hurt Ana and not him when he had the chance. Henry says Locke is one of the good ones – but that it doesn’t matter now, as he knows Jack’s trade will not work and he will have no value. He believes he is a dead man, to be killed either by Jack or by the Others. Locke asks why his own people would want to kill him. Henry says that the man in charge is a great man, but not a forgiving man – he will be killed because he failed his mission. His mission – he was coming to get and bring back Locke. They are interrupted by the arrival of Jack, Kate, and Michael, so Locke locks Henry back in the armory.

Sawyer is near a creek, poking mangoes out of a tree with a stick. Ana arrives, put a couple in her pack, and tells Sawyer she needs a gun. Sawyer suggests she get one from her friend Jack, unless he is still traipsing around the jungle with Kate. Ana says if Sawyer is jealous, he shouldn’t take it out on her. She asks again for a gun, and he tells her to scram.

In flashback, Ana is in a hotel room. Christian knocks at the door. It is 4am, and he says he needs her for protection. They drive to a house in the suburbs. He gets out and tells Ana to wait in the car. He gets into a heated argument with the woman who answers the door, insisting that he has a right to see his daughter. When she refuses and tries to close the door, he pushes back. Ana rushes out of the car and restrains him before he gets more violent.

Hurley asks Sayid for the radio that he used to try to get a signal. He wants to give it to Libby, citing the success that the dude had in the Say Anything video. Sayid suggests that Hurley take Libby to the secluded beach that he took Shannon to once.

Michael is resting in the diner bed. Locke wants to know if the trade worked, insinuating that Michael was given up in trade. Jack doesn’t think the Others are on the honor system.

Sawyer is heading back from the creek and hears noises. Ana tries to ambush him, but when he gets the upper hand, she kisses him, and they begin to make love wildly.

In flashback, Ana is driving Christian around while he continues to drink. He tells her that the woman at the door is ‘a long story.’ He says he is here because he can’t apologize to his son. He says she came to Sydney for the same reason – to run away. He invites her in for a drink or ten, but she says no. She tries to get him to leave Sydney and go back, but he says he cannot.

Ana dresses after making love. She tells Sawyer she will kill him if he tells anyone.

Hurley is packing Dharma food into his backpack when Libby catches him and asks what he is doing. He confesses that he was packing a picnic and was hoping to surprise her and ask her to go as a ‘couple’. Libby says that is sweet and agrees to go, although the destination is still a secret.

Ana returns to the bunker and finds out that Michael is back. Jack asks how she got her head wound; Locke says she hit her head on a tap in the bathroom. Ana goes along with this story, even as she wonders about Locke’s motivations for lieing. A groan from the other room means Michael may be gaining consciousness. Michael recognizes Jack. Michael says he found them – he counted 22 of them, living in tents, eating dried fish, and not wearing shoes. He says, "They are worse off than we are." Michael says he saw no kids but they have a hatch – at least he saw two metal doors - and he thinks the kids are kept down there. He says the hatch is guarded 24/7 by two guards with two guns. All he saw were two guns, and he says most of them are old and half of them are women. Michael believes they can take the Others, and as soon as he gets his strength back, he will lead them there to rescue Walt.

Jack apologizes to Locke for stopping what he and Sayid were doing to Henry when he was first captured. Jack and Locke seem to have reached a new pact, and they agree to go together to get the guns back from Sawyer, and then to raid the Others and get Walt back. Kate, Jack, and Locke go to find Sawyer; Ana agrees to stay.

Hurley’s plan for a romantic secluded beachside getaway runs into a few problems. He can’t find the beach, and they end up on their own beach, with Jin cleaning fish a few meters away. He has also forgotten to bring blankets or something to drink. Libby heads off to get blankets and some wine.

Jack gets Sawyer’s attention and upsets him greatly by grabbing and burning the last pages of the whodunit manuscript he is reading. Jack demands to be taken to the guns, and when Sawyer refuses, Jack pulls a gun and asks him again. Sawyer goes to pull his gun and discovers for the first time that it is missing. He tells everyone that Ana stole it. And that’s when Locke decides to tell Jack how Ana really got her wound (although we do not see this on screen).

Ana slides a knife to Henry and tells him to cut himself free. He asks why; she says he knows why. Henry says that Goodwin thought she was worthy and she could be changed; she says he was going to kill her. Henry plants the seed of doubt that this wasn’t the case. Ana asks if he is done; he says he is. She raises the gun and points it at him.

In flashback, Jack is back at the airport counter, pleading for the airline to take his father’s casket on the plane, while Ana and Jin wait in line behind and look on. Ana breaks away to call her mother and admit she made a mistake. She asks if she can come home. Her mother agrees.

Michael gets up and finds Ana sitting on the lounge, playing with her gun. Michael is told that Sawyer has all the guns. Ana tells Michael that she tried to kill Henry but couldn’t. Michael says he will do it – that the Others are animals that took his son out of his hands. Ana gives him the gun and the combination. Michael then shoots Ana, and when Libby surprises him, he shoots her too. Michael opens the armory, and shoots himself in the arm.

Comments

What dangerous thing was Jack’s father doing in Australia? Up to now, I just thought he went there to drink himself to death. Granted, that is dangerous, but you don’t need a bodyguard for that.

Now that we know that Libby was in the mental institution, she does look a little mad – especially her eyes.

Michael’s story about the Others being worse off doesn’t gel with Kate’s story about costumes and beards – unless Dharma infiltrated the real Others or posed as them to capture people to use in experiments. Perhaps the real Others are innocent.

Locke probably lied about how Ana hurt herself to protect Henry, now that he knows that Henry wants Locke to join the Others. But this could backfire if Ana kills Henry – then Locke will either have to continue to protect Ana, or admit that he lied.

Sawyer is reading a manuscript titled ‘Bad Twin.’ A real book was later written with this title; it contains tie-ins and clues related to Lost.

On face value, I would assume that the Others told Michael that they would kill Walt if he didn’t free Henry. Michael will give Henry the gun and make it look like he escaped and killed Ana and Libby.

What a shocking, stomach-churning ending! I don’t know if either Ana or Libby are dead (it certainly seems like Ana is), but either way, what Michael did was really sick.

Nits

When Sawyer and Ana were making love, Sawyer’s pants were of course off, and we saw that his gun was on the ground. But when Jack pulls a gun on him, he reaches into his pants, finds his gun missing, and says that Ana stole it. How could this be the first time he noticed the gun was missing? Wouldn’t he have noticed when he went to get dressed after they made love?

Quotable Quotes

Locke: Why would your own people want to kill you?
Henry: Because the man in charge – he’s a great man, John – a brilliant man – but he’s not a forgiving man. He’ll killed me because I failed, John – I failed my mission.
Locke: What mission?
Henry: When that woman caught me in her trap, I was on my way here, John. I was coming for you.

Ana: You tell anyone about this, and I’ll kill you.
Sawyer: I guess that takes cuddling off the table.

Jack: You were right.
Locke: Right about what?
Jack: About Henry. What you and Sayid did to him when you first found him. You were right. I don’t like how you did it, but I shouldn’t have gotten in your way.
Locke: Well, you did what you thought was right at the time you thought it, Jack. I just hope that next time you decide to do something, you include me. And something tells me that’s gonna be soon.
Jack: You heard Michael. We can take them.
Locke: Our friend with the beard told us not to cross the line.
Jack: These people are liars, John. Why the hell should we take their word on anything?
Locke: I couldn’t agree more. So – now what?
Ana: What are you going?
Locke: To get our guns back from Sawyer.

"Maybe if I get drunk enough I’ll remember where I know you from."
- Hurley to Libby

Jack: It’s time to give us the guns back.
Sawyer: You burn the ending of my book, and now you want -
Locke: Where are they, James?
Sawyer: You too, Brutus?

2.19 S.O.S.

Bernard and Rose are stacking Dharma Initiative food products on shelves at the beach while Bernard complains about how on this side of the island, people have given up on being rescued.

Locke is so obsessed with working out the glyphs that he saw during lockdown that he has to be gently reminded by Jack that the timer is down to about a minute and the numbers need to be entered. Locke enters the numbers and returns to his scrawls.

Jack and Ana discuss the prisoner. He has not eaten, drank, or spoken in two days. Jack expresses impatience, enters the armory, and tries to engage ‘Henry’ in conversation. He changes Henry’s dressing and tells of his plan to co-opt Henry’s plan earlier – to trade Henry for Walt. Henry says the Others will never give Walt to him.

In flashback, Rose is stuck in snow. Bernard offers to help and pushes her out. This is their first meeting. There is a connection, and she invites him out for coffee.

Bernard is excited about something and is organizing everyone he can to meet him at the tree line for some reason.

Jack is heading out to meet with the Others. Ana offers to go but Jack glances at Locke and says she must stay. Ana warns him not to go alone.

Jack finds Kate fishing and Sawyer watching and goading her. Jack invites Kate, not Sawyer, to accompany him.

Bernard wants to build a huge sign so that the plane that dropped the supplies knows they are there. Rose wants to run it by Jack; she doesn’t want to give people false hope, but Bernard goes ahead and organizes it anyway.

In flashback, Bernard proposes to Rose at Niagara Falls. Rose tells him she only has a year to live. She says yes.

Bernard asks Eko and Charlie to help build the sign, but they are too busy building a church.

Locke tells Ana he must talk to Henry. Ana says the gun is gone, so the door stays closed. Through the door, Locke asks Henry if he entered the numbers, and gets agitated when Henry does not respond. Inside the armory, Henry’s lips curl into a satisfied, sadistic smile.

Bernard tells the small group of sign-builders that they should start hauling black rocks from a lava field ½ mile away, while he sketches out the letters in the sand. No one is very happy about his plan.

In flashback, Bernard and Rose are driving in a four wheel drive somewhere near Uluru (Ayers Rock), Australia. Rose thinks they are lost, but Bernard knows exactly where they are. He has taken her to visit a recommended healer, Isaac of Uluru. Rose is upset; she says she has already made her peace with what is happening to her. But Bernard asks her to try for his sake.

Bernard asks Sawyer to help with the sign, but Sawyer passes. Bernard tells Rose that her attack on him is the reason that interest in building the sign has dwindled. Rose tells him to just let thing be, but he replies that if he didn’t always have to do something, she would not be here.

Jack and Kate are deep in the jungle. Kate tells Jack she is flattered he invited her. Jack says he took her because Sayid turned him down first, and because the Others didn’t want him or her. Kate sees a doll on the ground. Jack tries to stop her from picking it up, but she does, and they are both caught in a net trap. They believe the trap was set by Danielle, not by the Others. Kate uses their one bullet to try to shoot the rope, but she misses. Jack hits, and they fall to the ground.

When Bernard harasses Jin about how he is building the letters, Jin quits. He is sympathetic to, but isn’t swayed by Bernard’s plea that he just wants to get his wife home.

On the beach, Rose tells Locke that he is in her spot. They discuss Bernard’s sign and the fact that Locke is done with the hatch. Locke says it is going to take four weeks for his leg to heal, according to Jack, but Rose says they know it won’t take that long – and they trade a knowing look.

In flashback, Rose meets with Isaac. He says he harnesses the local energy and gives it to others. He touches her; a shocked look comes over her face, and says he cannot help her. He says this is not the right place for her, but that there is a right place.

It is raining heavily, drenching Kate and Jack. Kate tells Jack about the lockers with the Others clothes and fake beard. They reach the clearing where they met with the bearded man. Jack yells a greeting and says he has their man.

Bernard is now building the sign by himself. Rose brings him some supper; Bernard just asks her to set it down. Rose apologizes for lieing to him about being fixed by Isaac. She tells him that after the crash, she could feel that the cancer has gone away – that the island cured her.

In flashback, Rose meets Locke at the airport and sees that he is in a wheelchair.

Bernard realizes she never wants to leave the island, for fear it will come back. Bernard promises that they will never leave the island. He abandons the sign with just the tail of the ‘S’ completed.

Locke is playing some vinyl. Ana tells Locke that she pressed his button, but he says it is not his button. He returns to deciphering his symbols. The music plays as we see Charlie putting the center beam up for the church, Jin lovingly caressing Sun’s belly, Claire talking to Aaron, Hurley making Libby laugh by the fire, and Locke giving some food and a pat to Vincent. Bernard and Rose sit in embrace by another fire.

Kate and Jack sit at a fire at a meeting spot, waiting. Kate says she is sorry she kissed him. Jack says he is not sorry. They are interrupted by movement through the trees and a torch. A man runs and collapses at their feet – it is Michael.

Comments

I finally have a ‘big picture’ theory. This whole thing – the island, the bunker, the Others, the plane crash - is all part of an elaborate and cruel human sociological experiment orchestrated by the mysterious ‘he’ who is in charge of the Others. And there are times, such as when Locke gets Jack to press the button for the first time, when it almost seems like Locke knows about it all. Surely the creators have to be fooling us in some way, or withholding information from us. Perhaps it will be revealed that Locke works for Dharma. After all, he certainly has a lot of skills that aren’t learned at a box company.

Another thought: since 4-8-15-16-23-42 add up to 108 (the minutes that count down), perhaps someone will figure that out and then realize that if they enter numbers such as 1000 six times, the counter will reset to that instead. It could be a very simple computer program they are dealing with here.

Although Rose doesn’t come out and say so, she seems to indicate to Locke that the island healed her cancer.

In the last episode, I felt a tiny bit of shark-jumping going on when I guess that the photo of Hurley and Dave was going to be used as the reveal to show that Dave was all in Hurley’s mind. In this episode, I felt that Bernard’s "must-do-something" character trait was a wee bit contrived to drive the plot. So are things going a little downhill for Lost? I’m not sure yet.

Memorable Moments

• Kate and Jack caught in a net

Quotable Quotes

Bernard: Rose, will you marry me?
Rose: Bernard, I’m dieing. I’m sick, and I’m dieing.

"Trouble down at the sand factory, Norma Rae?"
- Sawyer to Bernard

"Sorry."
- Kate’s one-word apology for springing the trap

Rose: That man doesn’t know the difference between an errand and a fool’s errand.
Locke: Well, Rose, most of us don’t.

Locke: I’m done with the hatch.
Rose: Oh, now, you’re just frustrated. You’ll be out of that splint and running around the island again in no time.
Locke: And yet, Jack said it’d be at least four weeks.
Rose: But, honey, you and I both know it’s not gonna take that long.

Ana: Hey. I pressed your button.
Locke: It’s not my button.

2.18 Dave

Libby and Hurley take a break from fast-walking down the beach. Hurley reveals his secret to Libby: he takes her to a shelf unit, hidden in the jungle, that holds a large amount of food items that he has hoarded. Libby encourages him to get rid of it; Hurley gives in and dumps it all out onto the jungle floor. Liberated and free, Hurley embraces Libby. She seems very responsive…but they are suddenly interrupted by Jin, Sun and others running by and saying, "They found something!" They follow and find a large number of people rooting through the food that was dropped from the sky. Charlie wants Hurley to take charge of the melee, but he refuses. Hurley sees an unidentifed man standing just behind everyone, wearing a robe, smiling at him and not taking part in the food free-for-all. Hurley follows him through the jungle and finds one of the man’s slippers.

A little later, on the beach, Hurley rolls that single slipper in his hand, contemplating what it means. He hides it when Libby approaches and is cagey when she asks him why he ran off into the jungle. Libby says she is proud of him for "…not freaking out."

In flashback, Hurley’s psychologist is trying and failing to get him to talk about the accident that caused him mom to commit him. Hurley also hasn’t done his homework. He says this is because Dave (another patient) said it was a dumb idea. Later, Dave is berating some of the more challenged patients during a basketball game. Hurley confronts Dave about his negativity. Dave has no argument about that, but his friendship and humor is more important to Hurley at this point in time.

Jack is checking Locke’s legs and tells him his hairline fracture in one leg will mean he cannot walk for two weeks. Locke reacts almost violently at Jack’s suggestion that he use a wheelchair. Kate mentions a found pair of crutches, and Locke agrees to use those. Kate leaves to find them. Locke argues that Henry could have escaped during lockdown when Locke was hurt, but he came back to help him. Jack says Henry didn’t come back to help; he came back because he thought his story would check out.

In the armory, Henry’s arms are tied to the wall. He tells Sayid and Ana that when he found Henry, he was dead already, having broken his neck on impact. Sayid produces a bill he found in the dead man’s wallet, where he scrawled a note to someone called Jennifer to say that he was heading down the beach to start a signal fire. Sayid manages to get the fact that Henry is a flunkie in the Others who is so scared of ‘him’ (their leader) that he will not give out any information for fear of being killed. Sayid is about to shoot him when Ana grabs his arm and deflects the shot. Ana takes Sayid outside and locks the door, while Locke yells to find out what is going on, and Jack tells him it is under control (but doesn’t tell him what is going on).

Charlie saw that Eko was building something so he brings him a pallette. Eko thanks him and asks Charlie to help.

In the jungle, Hurley searches for Dave at the spot where he found the slipper. Instead, he find a box of snacks and devours big handfuls. He hears footsteps behind him, turns, and is face to face with Dave. Hurley says he isn’t really there, so Dave hits him with a coconut, then turns and flees through the jungle, with Hurley in pursuit. Hurley emerges on the beach where Eko and Charlie are busy building. Neither of them saw Dave.

In flashback, Hurley is playing a board game with Lenny while Dave looks on. Dave seems bent on controlling Hurley, encouraging to stop eating celery and to take Lenny’s graham crackers instead, and telling him not to take his sedative if he wants to escape with him. Hurley’s doctor comes by and takes a picture of Hurley and Dave together. Hurley acts like he is taking his meds but doesn’t swallow them.

Hurley asks Sawyer for medicine to make his hallucinations go away. When Sawyer teases him, Hurley tackles him and beats on his face until Jin pulls him away.

Kate is amused when Sawyer tells her about being attacked by Hurley.

Libby finds Hurley as he is packing to go live alone at the caves. As Hurley walks through the jungle, his pack opens and the huge jar of peanut butter falls and breaks. As Hurley begins scraping it back into the jar and eating big gobs of it, Dave shows up again.

In flashback, Hurley has completed his homework for Dr Brooks – a list of the things he likes. They are concentrating on getting Hurley to deal with his weight problem. Apparently, Hurley blames his weight on the accident – a deck that was overloaded with people collapsed and two people died. Again, Hurley defends Dave as a friend. Dr Brooks shows Hurley the photo he took of him and Dave, but Hurley is the only one in the photo – Dave is a figment of Hurley’s imagination. Dave shows up later that night and certainly seems to be real – he slaps Hurley a couple of times and it hurts. Hurley tells about the photo; Dave attributes it to Photoshop retouching. Dave starts by pointing out food leftovers to eat on the way. Their destination is an open window and freedom. But Hurley turns him down and locks him out.

Hurley tries to make Dave go away, but it doesn’t work. Dave says that Hurley’s recovery and release from the hospital was all imagined – that Hurley is still in the hospital. Dave says that Hurley has been in a coma since locking him out of the window. Dave leads him to a high cliff and tells him if he jumps off, he will wake up and return to reality. Dave then jumps off the cliff into the water.

On crutches, Locke asks Ana to talk to the prisoner for five minutes. Henry doesn’t answer any of Locke’s questions, but he does tell him that he never put the code in the computer – and yet the timer reset itself anyway. Locke says he is lieing, but Henry says he is all through lieing.

Libby finds Hurley on the edge of the cliff. Hurley believes she is not real – that in real life, no girl like her would ever like him. Libby tells a story of something that happened on the other side of the island to prove that she is real. She kisses him, and that is proof enough.

In flashback, we see the scene where Dr Brooks is taking the photo of Hurley and Dave. Dave is clearly missing, but the camera pulls back to reveal that Libby is sitting at the next table, looking dazed and confused as she takes her medication.

Comments

When Dr Brooks takes the photo of Hurley and Dave, it was evident to me that Dave must be an imaginary character, and that this would be revealed when we see that he doesn’t appear in the photo.

Everyone must have figured this out by now, but it just hit me: the magic numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 add up to 108 – and the button in the hatch has to be pressed every 108 minutes!

Is Henry lieing about not inputting the numbers? Is his goal to get Locke to not put in the numbers too, so that the place blows up?

Great Libby ending…is this proof that Hurley did make up this whole thing? Or is this just another one of the many strange coincidences of Lost?

Nits

We have castaways on a deserted island with a limited food supply. I’m surprised that neither Libby nor Hurley would realize that throwing away good food could be condemning someone to starvation a little further down the track.

When Ana stopped Sayid from shooting Henry, I initially thought this was all planned so that they could play good cop / bad cop interrogation. It was the opportune time for Ana to sweet talk Henry into giving the information after she got rid of Sayid. But instead, Ana just leaves Henry alone in the armory without asking Henry any questions.

Memorable Moments

• Sun’s reaction shot when Hurley falls on Jin

Quotable Quotes

Libby (while fast-walking): Isn’t this nice?
Hurley: I kind of prefer breathing.

Libby: Okay, hey, guys, guys - how about no one's in charge, okay? I'm sure everyone can manage to just take what they need.
Sawyer: Great plan, Moonbeam. After that we can sing ‘Kumbaya’ and do trust falls.

Sayid: So tell me…how did Henry Gale write a note to his wife with a broken neck?
Henry: It wasn’t me. I didn’t kill him. You don’t understand.
Sayid: How did you know his wife’s name? Did you interrogate him?
Henry: Please, just listen. I’m just a -
Sayid: How many of you are there?
Henry: If I told you about them you have no idea what he’ll do.
Sayid: He?
Ana: You mean their leader? The guy with the beard.
Henry: Him? He’s no one – nothing!
Sayid: Where are your people?
Henry (whispered): I can’t -
Sayid: How many of you are there?
Henry: You don’t understand!
Sayid (drawing gun): Understand this!
Ana: Hey.
Sayid: You have three seconds to answer my question. How many of you are there? One.
Henry: He’ll kill me!
Sayid: I’ll kill you. (cocks gun) Two.
Ana: Sayid!
Henry: You can’t do this! I’m not a bad person!
Sayid: Three. (fires gun)

Hurley: I was kinda looking for something.
Sawyer: Forget it, I’m done trading. I got enough food now to open a chain of mini-marts. Hey, you think Sayid needs a job?

"Don’t you have an adventure to get to? I think Timmy fell down a well over that way."
- Sawyer to Kate

Libby: Where are you going?
Hurley: Back to the caves. No one lives there anymore, so I won’t bother anybody. I’m just gonna live alone and be one of those guys – you know, the crazy guys with the big beard and no clothes who’s naked and throws doody at people.