Season 1 - Episode 13 (Hearts and Minds) and Episode 14 (Special)
Episode 13 (Hearts and Minds)
This is Boone's eye. This is Boone's eye open and watching his sister as she sits and reads on the beach. This is Boone's eye watching Saayid bring Shannon a pair of shoes as a present for helping with the French translations. Boone's eye, sitting above those way too rosy cheeks of his, is SO going to glare daggers at that guy.
Hurley, in un-Hurley-esque passive aggressive fashion, confronts Boone about his and Locke's lack of success in the boar hunting trade.
"People need food, man. Solid food. This isn't a game..."
What is a game is tennis. Boone is walking off the tennis court with a creepily Shannon-esque blonde when his phone rings. It's Shannon and it sounds like she's in trouble. She's in Sydney.
Back on the beach, Boone gives Saayid a "friendly suggestion". He suggests that it would be in Saayid's best interest to stay away from Shannon. Rather than being intimidated or convinced by his obvious conviction, Saayid seems...amused. It's hard to take a threat like that seriously when it comes from a man who has supermodel cheekbones. Before the encounter can escalate into a serious beating of the island's resident girly-man, Locke summons Boone to join him once again on the hunt.
Locke tries to convince Boone that it would be a bad idea to alienate Saayid. He suggests that since Saayid is competent (He doesn't say it, but he implies that he is one of the very few who actually is competent) they're going to "want him on our side". They're side of what?
Since the other survivors are beginning to question whether or not these two are trying hard enough to catch them all dinner, Boone suggests that maybe they should actually be hunting.
Locke informs him that "Right now, this (the hatch) is our priority." Why do I suddenly have visions of Locke wearing an apron?
Jack meets Hurley in the jungle. We learn that Jin's been catching a lot of fish, Hurley has been reduced to an all fruit diet and that the big guy thinks that Jin was so insulted that he turned down his offering of sea urchin surprise that he is holding a grudge against him. We also learn that, when done correctly, poop jokes are still funny.
Jack next comes across Kate. She's gathering passion fruit seeds. He asks what they're for. For a doctor, he really is a dumbass. She said "passion fruit" while giving him that look. She also said "seeds" which pretty much anyone would associate with planting and gardening. Still, dumbass asks what they're for. He had the opportunity to pursue some hot jungle flirting or at the very least to ask the intelligent question of "Where are you going to plant them?" and missed both. And this is the guy they've decided to put in charge.
Kate leads him to where the seeds are going to be planted. Turns out that Sun has set up a little garden for herbs and such. It seems that she thinks that they aren't getting rescued anytime soon. It isn't clear why she has come to this conclusion, but she seems resigned to the idea that she'll be around to harvest the stuff she's planted.
Kate expresses doubts about Locke. She figures that he might be intentionally not catching boar since there are so many mouths to feed. Perhaps he prefers not to be the provider for the whole group.
Truth be told, Locke has better things to do. While mixing some kind of paste in an islandmade mortar and pestle, he explains to Boone that the reason they've been coming to the hatch for two days and doing nothing but staring at it is that he's been using the time to work out a way for them to get in to it. In one of the great Locke Zen-Cool scenes, the island's resident Renaissance Man relays the story of Michelangelo and his master work "David". We learn that even Michelangelo had Daddy issues.
Speaking of issues, flash to Australia and Boone riding his metaphorical white steed to Shannon's rescue. Naturally the man responsible for Shannon's predicament is big, boorish and in no way intimidated by Boone. Brian doesn't catch it when Shannon surreptitiously shows Boone the bruise on her forehead.
Hurley tries to get Jin to show him where to catch fish. No dice.
Back in the jungle, Boone pesters Locke to let him tell Shannon about the hatch. Locke wants to know why Boone cares about her so much. Asking a man why he cares about his sister so much seems very odd. It appears that Locke has some insight into these two that no one else has.
Boone tells him that Shannon is smart and special in a lot of positions...er, ways.
In trying to convince Locke to let him tell her, Boone tells him that Shannon can keep a secret.
No kidding.
Once Locke realizes that there is no way for him to dissuade Boone from revealing their little project, he acts. Next thing Boone knows, he's the star in a bondage film. Locke has him tied securely, if uncomfortably, to a log. Where'd all that rope come from anyhow? Is it normal for trans-pacific passenger flights to carry a bunch blue plastic tarps and dozens of yards of rope?
Locke is finishing his paste. According to him, he's doing this to Boone for his own good and Boone will one day thank him for it. He uses the paste to dress the head wound he gave Boone. Bondage boy is left with a knife just out of his reach and some vague directions back to camp.
Boone tries to help Shannon by bringing her situation to the attention of the police. They can't help. While they cops are busy not helping Boone, a very unhappy Sawyer gets hauled past Boone and the detective he's talking to. During the rest of the interview, we learn that Shannon's last name is Rutherford, Boone's is Carlisle and that Shannon was once married. We also learn that Boone and Shannon are not blood relatives. Her father married Boone's mother when she was 8 and Boone was 10. When he realizes that the cops won't help, Boone buys off Brian, giving him $50,000 to leave his sister.
Kate is helping Sun with her garden. While talking to her, she says something funny which causes Sun to smile a little. Kate realizes that Sun speaks English. Sun begs Kate to keep her secret.
Jin and Hurley are fishing. Hurley gets frustrated at his lack of success and heads back to shore. Before he gets fully out of the water, he steps on a sea urchin. Man, this guy has NO luck with those things. Jin helps him out of the water. Hurley tries to get Jin to give him urban legend first aid, begging him to pee on the wound to clean out the toxin he thinks is coursing through his body. Jin, not speaking English, is understandably confused by Hurley's frantic sign language. He uses his first island English word, "No!" Fortunately for everyone, no urination ensues.
Saayid has Rousseau's maps and is making himself a compass. Locke comes out of nowhere, startling him. When Saayid asks why Locke is there, he is told that Boone thought that Locke should take a break from hunting. Saayid is understandably skeptical of Boone's chances of catching anything by himself. Of course, Saayid doesn't know that Boone is out there in the jungle tied to a log. Maybe Shannon will find Boone and they could catch something from each other...er, together. We learn that Locke was once a boy scout and that he wasn't the most popular kid. Shocking. Locke gives Saayid his compass. Saayid wonders if Locke needs it, but he tells him, "Not anymore." So, Locke's cool Zen balloon still has quite a bit of air left in it yet.
Boone has dozed off and wakes to hear Shannon screaming his name. It seems that she is also tied up somewhere in the jungle. Cue the Great Tree Pusher. When Boone hears the monster's roar and his sister's screams in concert, he finds the motivation to free himself using the knife Locke left him. Once he gets loose, he runs to his sister, who is tied to a tree. More rope? He cuts her loose and the two of them flee together. They hide in a stand of trees. The shadow of something very large falls over them and then seems to lose interest and move off. Tricky island monster, it wasn't moving off, it was backing up to gather speed for a charge...
Saayid finds Jack in the jungle. They have a conversation about directions and Magnetic North. In "Island in a Bottle" moment number 7, we learn that Locke's compass shows North to be 15 or 20 degrees to the East of where it should be based on the sun setting in the West. Many out there will point out that this may have something to do with the electromagnetic anomaly we know to be somewhere on the island, but I also see it as a further indication of the possibility of an artificial environment.
Shannon and Boone are still hiding in the stand of trees and this time, the monster seems to have actually gone. They creep out of their little sanctuary. Boone is going to save his sister and get her back to camp.
He seems to always be saving her. He shows up on her doorstep to take her home to the 'States. Brian comes back and Boone learns that she set the whole thing up to con him out of money.
Boone makes the mistake of getting physical with Brian. Brian lays him out.
Locke and Jack have a conversation about the boar situation.
Kate and Sun have a conversation about her English situation. Kate promises that she can keep a secret.
Jin and Hurley have a conversation about the sea urchin surprise. Hurley finally agrees to eat the urchin. He promptly throws it back up. Surprise!
Charlie gets some aspirin from Jack and the two of them have a conversation about Locke. Charlie tells Jack that if there was one person in whom he would place his absolute faith to save them, it would be Locke. Note that he says he puts his faith in Locke's ability to save them, not get them rescued. A subtle, yet immense difference.
Jin brings Hurley a fish. Fortunately for everyone, no urination ensues.
Jack saddles up to Kate and says "Hold out your hand. You'll like it, I swear." Unlike the time that I used that line on a girl, he places guava seeds in her hand.
Back in the jungle, Shannon and Boone are arguing about Locke and his motives. Boone explains to her about the hatch.
The Great Tree Pusher finds them again and sends them fleeing into the jungle. This time, it catches Shannon. Boone runs through the jungle, yelling: "Shaaaann-onnnn! Shaaaaannnn-onnn?"
A drunken Shannon shows up at Boone's hotel room. She accuses him of having always been in love with him. They get closer as they argue.
Boone makes the mistake of getting physical with Shannon. Shannon lays him.
Next morning, Shannon wants the two of them to go back to the 'States and pretend like their night of pseudo-incest never happened.
Running through the jungle, Boone comes upon Shannon's body lying in a stream. As he gently cradles her to him, an unreadable expression settles on his face.
Back at camp, he attacks Locke with the knife. Locke effortlessly keeps him at bay long enough to point out that despite holding Shannon's bloody corpse in his arms he is entirely free of blood on his person. Shannon is alive and well, strolling casually across the cave with Saayid.
Locke drugged Boone, giving him an experience that Locke felt was vital to his survival on the island. Boone admits that he felt relieved when he saw Shannon die.
Despite being assaulted, bound and drugged by this man, when Locke tells Boone to follow him, with barely a hesitation, he does.
Discussion
Episode 14 (Special)
This is Michael's eye. This is Michael's eye doing what it usually does: Looking for Waaaalllltt. This is Michael's eye seeing Charlie, who is looking for Claire's bags. This is Michael's eye telling everyone it can to tell Walt to stay put if they see him.
Ok, even for the writing style thing, that was pushing.
Hurley makes the comment that Michael seems to hate being a dad. Jack figures it's just the stress. Personally, I figure if you spend more time looking for your kid than you do parenting your kid, you only qualify as a member of the search party, not a Father.
Waalltt! Waaallltt?
Back in the world, a decade younger Michael is out crib shopping with his pregnant girlfriend, Susan. The happy couple discuss Michael taking some construction work to supplement their income. He's not going to give up his art though, just take a break until Susan finishes Law School. We learn that Walt is named after Michael's Father. Hmm. An artist who is the father of a boy on the island. Where have I heard that before?
Locke and Boone are teaching Walt to throw knives. Locke instructs the boy to see the knife hit the tree before he throws it. Creepy music in the background ensures that Walt will be better at throwing knives than any 10 year old has a right to be.
Walt claims that it seemed real when he saw it in his mind. Locke's response? "Who's to say it wasn't." A quick check reveals that Locke's Cool Zen Balloon is not yet empty.
Michael finds the little tree stabbing class and confronts Locke. He sends Walt back to camp with his pet dog, Vincent. In a very aggressive, threatening way, Michael holds Locke at knifepoint and begins to lay down the law. Before he gets very far, Locke's pet dog Boone comes to his master's rescue, tackling Michael and disarming him. When the dust settles, Locke has the two men separated and his knife back where it belongs.
Locke suggests that the reason Michael has so much trouble with Walt is that he treats him like a child, not an equal. He also tells Michael that Walt is "Different" and should be allowed to realize his potential. Michael simply tells Locke to stay away from his son.
This is Michael's eye glaring at Locke and Boone.
Baby Walt plays in the living room of Michael's apartment, blissfully unaware of the discussion taking place between Michael and Susan. She's going to Amsterdam and she's taking Walt with her. She's taken a job doing international law with a firm there. Susan can provide for him. She's his Mother and she's steadily employed; Michael is left with little choice.
Back on the island, Michael and Sun discuss Walt. Michael is deeply concerned about Walt growing up on the island. As far as he's concerned, it can't happen.
His desperation to get off the island shows when he comes across Jack, Saayid and Shannon as they examine Rousseau's maps. He restates something that seems to have gotten lost in all the adventure over the last three weeks. They need to get off the island!
It's time to build a raft.
Somebody call Gilligan and the Professor!
He's going to build the raft with or without the group's help.
Walt is reading his Spanish Comic Book again. I have provided a link to the whole book, in English, or this one, this one, this one (Island in a Bottle moment #8), or this one take you directly to the pages Walt is looking at. Since the pages we see (3, 5, 36, 38) are so far apart, I can only assume that these specific pages are shown for a reason, rather than randomly.
As Vincent looks on, Walt is sounding out the Spanish words for "Polar Bear". That combination can't be good.
Michael comes along and tries to get Walt to come with him. Walt would rather read his comic and look at the pictures he likes. Michael tries to engage Walt in a conversation about art, but in the end he takes the comic book from his boy and makes him come with him.
On a phone on a busy street, he's talking to Susan. He wants her to put Walt on the phone. She tries to explain that children under two don't use the phone. She also tells him that she's been seeing Brian Porter, the guy who hired her. Michael tells her that he's coming to Amsterdam to get his son back and slams the phone down. Without looking, he crosses the street and a car shows him exactly how that phone felt.
On the beach, Charlie is rummaging through Claire's luggage, trying to find her diary.
Michael and Walt are scavenging material for the raft.
Kate and Charlie confront Sawyer, assuming that he has the diary, which of course he does. When he taunts Charlie by pretending to read some nasty things about him in the journal, Charlie punches him, right on the injured arm. Either Sawyer is really tough or he heals fast, because he's able to stay on his feet and return the favour with a left hook. Not much of a punch though, since according to Charlie, Sawyer hits "like a ponce." "Ponce" is a very insulting term that Brits use for men who prefer the company of other men. That little hobbit is tougher than he looks. If you knew any twenty-something British musicians, you wouldn't be that surprised by Charlie's ability to take a punch.
Walt follows Locke and Boone into the caves. While Shannon tries unsuccessfully to get Boone to pay more attention to her, Walt tries to get Locke to pay more attention to him. I can't speak for anyone else, but I found the parallel kind of creepy.
Michael storms into the cave, yelling at Locke and Walt before they can give any explanations. Locke manages to diffuse the situation, but Michael ends the confrontation with a death threat against Locke should he catch him with his son again. Now, there's no way that Michael would ever kill another man, so the threat seems pretty empty. I love it when they backlight Locke's ears like they do in this scene. It makes him look oh, I don't know, kinda...evil.
Walt yells at Michael, calling him a jerk, and eventually taking him to task for not being there when he grew up. Michael lets his son know that whether he hates him or not, he will listen to his Father. The orders are punctuated by Michael throwing the comic book in the fire. Walt watches the polar bear burn.
Michael watches it burn too.
He flashes to his time in the hospital, recovering from his altercation with the car. While he rehabilitates, he draws pictures for his son. He wants to write to him, but never knows what to say. A nurse with four kids of her own suggests a joke. "What's black, white and red all over?" A newspaper, right? Nope. A penguin with a sunburn. A reference to Antarctica. Hmmm.
As he's writing the terrible joke down, who should darken his door but Susan. She comes with good news. She's covering his medical costs. Of course, there's a catch. She and Brian are getting married and Brian wants to adopt Walt. They need Michael to sign away his parental rights.
Hurley comes to Michael to tell him that Walt took Vincent and left. Michael immediately assumes that Walt went to Locke and confronts him. Neither Locke nor Boone have seen Walt. In a moment of humanity, Locke looks Michael in the eye and with no more than that look he buries their differences and offers to help find Walt.
Kate helps Charlie carry Claire's things to the cave. She also helps keep his spirits up and his hope for Claire's safe return alive. When she leaves, Charlie briefly torments himself with the temptation of reading Claire's diary. After a minute or so of comedic goodness, he does the right thing and packs the unread diary back into her luggage.
Walt is walking through the jungle with Vincent when the dog hears something. Vincent goes a little crazy and gets away from Walt. Walt chases after him.
Flash to Walt observing Vincent while his Mother and Brian discuss a case she's working on. He's supposed to be doing homework. While having a casual drink, Susan admonishes her son for stalling at the task. Suddenly, she looks less than healthy, saying that she feels "flu-ey". As Walt babbles about the bird he's studying, Brian helps her to the couch and comforts her, suggesting she take a day off to rest.
Walt wants Brian to look at the bird he's studying.
Walt really wants Brian to look. Brian isn't looking.
Walt really wants him to see the bird.
Just then, a bird flies into the glass patio door, hitting the window hard enough to kill itself. Walt and Brian both go to the window.
Brian really sees the bird.
Brian seems oddly unsettled by the whole thing, which is odd. It's not like Walt can make weird things like that happen or anything.
Back in the jungle, Walt is still looking for Vincent. Something is watching him.
Brian Porter shows up at Michael's door. Susan has died. She really should have taken that personal day. Turns out she had a blood disorder and was only sick for about a week before she died. According to Brian, she wanted Michael to have custody of their son when she died. After a hearing Brian trying to rationalize shirking his parental responsibility, Michael explodes, throwing Brian up against a wall. Brian tells Michael that it is more than him not wanting to be Walt's Father.
"Sometimes when he's around, things happen. He's different, somehow."
Locke and Michael find Vincent's leash and then hear Walt calling for help. They head towards the sound of his voice.
"Waaaalt, Waalllt!"
Walt's Nanny gives Michael some of Susan's effects and a box which contains all the letters and drawings that Michael sent to his son over the years. In a room down the hall, he hears the Nanny talking to his son.
Back in the jungle, he's running to save his son, toward the sound of Walt's voice and some loud growls. Another one of the island's polar bears has Walt trapped in a stand of bamboo and is doing its best to make him into a snack. According to some experts in the audio field, during the attack we hear some very faint whispers. Michael and Locke climb a nearby tree in order to get to the boy without having to go through the bear. Walt is crying for his Dad.
Vincent and Walt are hanging out together when Michael comes in and introduces himself. The meeting does not go smoothly. Despite his best attempts, all Walt wants to know is where Brian is. When he learns that he is to go with Michael, his response is that he isn't going anywhere with him. To try and maintain some of Walt's equilibrium and in order to not completely disillusion the child, Michael tells him a kind lie about how much Brian loves him and wants him to stay with him but is left with no choice in the matter because Michael has legal guardianship of him. Walt also gets to keep Vincent.
Still in the bamboo grove, Walt is crying desperately for his Dad as the bear gets closer and digs deeper into his hiding place. Michael and Locke cross a conveniently placed branch and get over top of Walt's sanctuary. Michael tosses Walt one of Locke's knives and tells his son to use it if the polar bear gets too close. Locke tosses him some vines and Michael climbs down into the stand of bamboo. Walt gets a chance to use the knife and stabs the bear in the paw, buying the two of them some time for Michael to get the vines around Walt so Locke can help pull the boy up. As the two men push and pull the child to safety, the bear returns with a vengeance. Michael also uses the knife to good effect, his efforts managing to drive the creature away.
Great. They now have a wounded bear somewhere in the jungle. That can't be good.
Back at camp, Michael gives Walt the box containing all the stuff he sent to Walt over the last eight years. Susan kept them from him, but at least she kept them. Of all the cards we might see, which one does Walt choose to look at? The one with the penguin joke inside. Hmmm.
Charlie has given in and is reading Claire's diary. He smiles when he learns that she thinks he's adorable and sweet and that he makes her feel safe. He is deeply disturbed when he reads about her dream about the "Black Rock" and takes his concerns to Jack and Saayid. While they seem sympathetic, and agree that it is oddly coincidental that she mentions a dream about something that Rousseau had mentioned, there is no point in searching the island at night.
Obviously, Boone and Locke don't agree, since they are out looking for Vincent in the dark. John is using his whistle again. When Boone suggests that the whistle isn't working, John reminds him that he can't hear everything.
He does hear some rustling in the bushes.
A tense moment later, something emerges from the underbrush.
Claire.
Discussion
This is Boone's eye. This is Boone's eye open and watching his sister as she sits and reads on the beach. This is Boone's eye watching Saayid bring Shannon a pair of shoes as a present for helping with the French translations. Boone's eye, sitting above those way too rosy cheeks of his, is SO going to glare daggers at that guy.
Hurley, in un-Hurley-esque passive aggressive fashion, confronts Boone about his and Locke's lack of success in the boar hunting trade.
"People need food, man. Solid food. This isn't a game..."
What is a game is tennis. Boone is walking off the tennis court with a creepily Shannon-esque blonde when his phone rings. It's Shannon and it sounds like she's in trouble. She's in Sydney.
Back on the beach, Boone gives Saayid a "friendly suggestion". He suggests that it would be in Saayid's best interest to stay away from Shannon. Rather than being intimidated or convinced by his obvious conviction, Saayid seems...amused. It's hard to take a threat like that seriously when it comes from a man who has supermodel cheekbones. Before the encounter can escalate into a serious beating of the island's resident girly-man, Locke summons Boone to join him once again on the hunt.
Locke tries to convince Boone that it would be a bad idea to alienate Saayid. He suggests that since Saayid is competent (He doesn't say it, but he implies that he is one of the very few who actually is competent) they're going to "want him on our side". They're side of what?
Since the other survivors are beginning to question whether or not these two are trying hard enough to catch them all dinner, Boone suggests that maybe they should actually be hunting.
Locke informs him that "Right now, this (the hatch) is our priority." Why do I suddenly have visions of Locke wearing an apron?
Jack meets Hurley in the jungle. We learn that Jin's been catching a lot of fish, Hurley has been reduced to an all fruit diet and that the big guy thinks that Jin was so insulted that he turned down his offering of sea urchin surprise that he is holding a grudge against him. We also learn that, when done correctly, poop jokes are still funny.
Jack next comes across Kate. She's gathering passion fruit seeds. He asks what they're for. For a doctor, he really is a dumbass. She said "passion fruit" while giving him that look. She also said "seeds" which pretty much anyone would associate with planting and gardening. Still, dumbass asks what they're for. He had the opportunity to pursue some hot jungle flirting or at the very least to ask the intelligent question of "Where are you going to plant them?" and missed both. And this is the guy they've decided to put in charge.
Kate leads him to where the seeds are going to be planted. Turns out that Sun has set up a little garden for herbs and such. It seems that she thinks that they aren't getting rescued anytime soon. It isn't clear why she has come to this conclusion, but she seems resigned to the idea that she'll be around to harvest the stuff she's planted.
Kate expresses doubts about Locke. She figures that he might be intentionally not catching boar since there are so many mouths to feed. Perhaps he prefers not to be the provider for the whole group.
Truth be told, Locke has better things to do. While mixing some kind of paste in an islandmade mortar and pestle, he explains to Boone that the reason they've been coming to the hatch for two days and doing nothing but staring at it is that he's been using the time to work out a way for them to get in to it. In one of the great Locke Zen-Cool scenes, the island's resident Renaissance Man relays the story of Michelangelo and his master work "David". We learn that even Michelangelo had Daddy issues.
Speaking of issues, flash to Australia and Boone riding his metaphorical white steed to Shannon's rescue. Naturally the man responsible for Shannon's predicament is big, boorish and in no way intimidated by Boone. Brian doesn't catch it when Shannon surreptitiously shows Boone the bruise on her forehead.
Hurley tries to get Jin to show him where to catch fish. No dice.
Back in the jungle, Boone pesters Locke to let him tell Shannon about the hatch. Locke wants to know why Boone cares about her so much. Asking a man why he cares about his sister so much seems very odd. It appears that Locke has some insight into these two that no one else has.
Boone tells him that Shannon is smart and special in a lot of positions...er, ways.
In trying to convince Locke to let him tell her, Boone tells him that Shannon can keep a secret.
No kidding.
Once Locke realizes that there is no way for him to dissuade Boone from revealing their little project, he acts. Next thing Boone knows, he's the star in a bondage film. Locke has him tied securely, if uncomfortably, to a log. Where'd all that rope come from anyhow? Is it normal for trans-pacific passenger flights to carry a bunch blue plastic tarps and dozens of yards of rope?
Locke is finishing his paste. According to him, he's doing this to Boone for his own good and Boone will one day thank him for it. He uses the paste to dress the head wound he gave Boone. Bondage boy is left with a knife just out of his reach and some vague directions back to camp.
Boone tries to help Shannon by bringing her situation to the attention of the police. They can't help. While they cops are busy not helping Boone, a very unhappy Sawyer gets hauled past Boone and the detective he's talking to. During the rest of the interview, we learn that Shannon's last name is Rutherford, Boone's is Carlisle and that Shannon was once married. We also learn that Boone and Shannon are not blood relatives. Her father married Boone's mother when she was 8 and Boone was 10. When he realizes that the cops won't help, Boone buys off Brian, giving him $50,000 to leave his sister.
Kate is helping Sun with her garden. While talking to her, she says something funny which causes Sun to smile a little. Kate realizes that Sun speaks English. Sun begs Kate to keep her secret.
Jin and Hurley are fishing. Hurley gets frustrated at his lack of success and heads back to shore. Before he gets fully out of the water, he steps on a sea urchin. Man, this guy has NO luck with those things. Jin helps him out of the water. Hurley tries to get Jin to give him urban legend first aid, begging him to pee on the wound to clean out the toxin he thinks is coursing through his body. Jin, not speaking English, is understandably confused by Hurley's frantic sign language. He uses his first island English word, "No!" Fortunately for everyone, no urination ensues.
Saayid has Rousseau's maps and is making himself a compass. Locke comes out of nowhere, startling him. When Saayid asks why Locke is there, he is told that Boone thought that Locke should take a break from hunting. Saayid is understandably skeptical of Boone's chances of catching anything by himself. Of course, Saayid doesn't know that Boone is out there in the jungle tied to a log. Maybe Shannon will find Boone and they could catch something from each other...er, together. We learn that Locke was once a boy scout and that he wasn't the most popular kid. Shocking. Locke gives Saayid his compass. Saayid wonders if Locke needs it, but he tells him, "Not anymore." So, Locke's cool Zen balloon still has quite a bit of air left in it yet.
Boone has dozed off and wakes to hear Shannon screaming his name. It seems that she is also tied up somewhere in the jungle. Cue the Great Tree Pusher. When Boone hears the monster's roar and his sister's screams in concert, he finds the motivation to free himself using the knife Locke left him. Once he gets loose, he runs to his sister, who is tied to a tree. More rope? He cuts her loose and the two of them flee together. They hide in a stand of trees. The shadow of something very large falls over them and then seems to lose interest and move off. Tricky island monster, it wasn't moving off, it was backing up to gather speed for a charge...
Saayid finds Jack in the jungle. They have a conversation about directions and Magnetic North. In "Island in a Bottle" moment number 7, we learn that Locke's compass shows North to be 15 or 20 degrees to the East of where it should be based on the sun setting in the West. Many out there will point out that this may have something to do with the electromagnetic anomaly we know to be somewhere on the island, but I also see it as a further indication of the possibility of an artificial environment.
Shannon and Boone are still hiding in the stand of trees and this time, the monster seems to have actually gone. They creep out of their little sanctuary. Boone is going to save his sister and get her back to camp.
He seems to always be saving her. He shows up on her doorstep to take her home to the 'States. Brian comes back and Boone learns that she set the whole thing up to con him out of money.
Boone makes the mistake of getting physical with Brian. Brian lays him out.
Locke and Jack have a conversation about the boar situation.
Kate and Sun have a conversation about her English situation. Kate promises that she can keep a secret.
Jin and Hurley have a conversation about the sea urchin surprise. Hurley finally agrees to eat the urchin. He promptly throws it back up. Surprise!
Charlie gets some aspirin from Jack and the two of them have a conversation about Locke. Charlie tells Jack that if there was one person in whom he would place his absolute faith to save them, it would be Locke. Note that he says he puts his faith in Locke's ability to save them, not get them rescued. A subtle, yet immense difference.
Jin brings Hurley a fish. Fortunately for everyone, no urination ensues.
Jack saddles up to Kate and says "Hold out your hand. You'll like it, I swear." Unlike the time that I used that line on a girl, he places guava seeds in her hand.
Back in the jungle, Shannon and Boone are arguing about Locke and his motives. Boone explains to her about the hatch.
The Great Tree Pusher finds them again and sends them fleeing into the jungle. This time, it catches Shannon. Boone runs through the jungle, yelling: "Shaaaann-onnnn! Shaaaaannnn-onnn?"
A drunken Shannon shows up at Boone's hotel room. She accuses him of having always been in love with him. They get closer as they argue.
Boone makes the mistake of getting physical with Shannon. Shannon lays him.
Next morning, Shannon wants the two of them to go back to the 'States and pretend like their night of pseudo-incest never happened.
Running through the jungle, Boone comes upon Shannon's body lying in a stream. As he gently cradles her to him, an unreadable expression settles on his face.
Back at camp, he attacks Locke with the knife. Locke effortlessly keeps him at bay long enough to point out that despite holding Shannon's bloody corpse in his arms he is entirely free of blood on his person. Shannon is alive and well, strolling casually across the cave with Saayid.
Locke drugged Boone, giving him an experience that Locke felt was vital to his survival on the island. Boone admits that he felt relieved when he saw Shannon die.
Despite being assaulted, bound and drugged by this man, when Locke tells Boone to follow him, with barely a hesitation, he does.
Discussion
Episode 14 (Special)
This is Michael's eye. This is Michael's eye doing what it usually does: Looking for Waaaalllltt. This is Michael's eye seeing Charlie, who is looking for Claire's bags. This is Michael's eye telling everyone it can to tell Walt to stay put if they see him.
Ok, even for the writing style thing, that was pushing.
Hurley makes the comment that Michael seems to hate being a dad. Jack figures it's just the stress. Personally, I figure if you spend more time looking for your kid than you do parenting your kid, you only qualify as a member of the search party, not a Father.
Waalltt! Waaallltt?
Back in the world, a decade younger Michael is out crib shopping with his pregnant girlfriend, Susan. The happy couple discuss Michael taking some construction work to supplement their income. He's not going to give up his art though, just take a break until Susan finishes Law School. We learn that Walt is named after Michael's Father. Hmm. An artist who is the father of a boy on the island. Where have I heard that before?
Locke and Boone are teaching Walt to throw knives. Locke instructs the boy to see the knife hit the tree before he throws it. Creepy music in the background ensures that Walt will be better at throwing knives than any 10 year old has a right to be.
Walt claims that it seemed real when he saw it in his mind. Locke's response? "Who's to say it wasn't." A quick check reveals that Locke's Cool Zen Balloon is not yet empty.
Michael finds the little tree stabbing class and confronts Locke. He sends Walt back to camp with his pet dog, Vincent. In a very aggressive, threatening way, Michael holds Locke at knifepoint and begins to lay down the law. Before he gets very far, Locke's pet dog Boone comes to his master's rescue, tackling Michael and disarming him. When the dust settles, Locke has the two men separated and his knife back where it belongs.
Locke suggests that the reason Michael has so much trouble with Walt is that he treats him like a child, not an equal. He also tells Michael that Walt is "Different" and should be allowed to realize his potential. Michael simply tells Locke to stay away from his son.
This is Michael's eye glaring at Locke and Boone.
Baby Walt plays in the living room of Michael's apartment, blissfully unaware of the discussion taking place between Michael and Susan. She's going to Amsterdam and she's taking Walt with her. She's taken a job doing international law with a firm there. Susan can provide for him. She's his Mother and she's steadily employed; Michael is left with little choice.
Back on the island, Michael and Sun discuss Walt. Michael is deeply concerned about Walt growing up on the island. As far as he's concerned, it can't happen.
His desperation to get off the island shows when he comes across Jack, Saayid and Shannon as they examine Rousseau's maps. He restates something that seems to have gotten lost in all the adventure over the last three weeks. They need to get off the island!
It's time to build a raft.
Somebody call Gilligan and the Professor!
He's going to build the raft with or without the group's help.
Walt is reading his Spanish Comic Book again. I have provided a link to the whole book, in English, or this one, this one, this one (Island in a Bottle moment #8), or this one take you directly to the pages Walt is looking at. Since the pages we see (3, 5, 36, 38) are so far apart, I can only assume that these specific pages are shown for a reason, rather than randomly.
As Vincent looks on, Walt is sounding out the Spanish words for "Polar Bear". That combination can't be good.
Michael comes along and tries to get Walt to come with him. Walt would rather read his comic and look at the pictures he likes. Michael tries to engage Walt in a conversation about art, but in the end he takes the comic book from his boy and makes him come with him.
On a phone on a busy street, he's talking to Susan. He wants her to put Walt on the phone. She tries to explain that children under two don't use the phone. She also tells him that she's been seeing Brian Porter, the guy who hired her. Michael tells her that he's coming to Amsterdam to get his son back and slams the phone down. Without looking, he crosses the street and a car shows him exactly how that phone felt.
On the beach, Charlie is rummaging through Claire's luggage, trying to find her diary.
Michael and Walt are scavenging material for the raft.
Kate and Charlie confront Sawyer, assuming that he has the diary, which of course he does. When he taunts Charlie by pretending to read some nasty things about him in the journal, Charlie punches him, right on the injured arm. Either Sawyer is really tough or he heals fast, because he's able to stay on his feet and return the favour with a left hook. Not much of a punch though, since according to Charlie, Sawyer hits "like a ponce." "Ponce" is a very insulting term that Brits use for men who prefer the company of other men. That little hobbit is tougher than he looks. If you knew any twenty-something British musicians, you wouldn't be that surprised by Charlie's ability to take a punch.
Walt follows Locke and Boone into the caves. While Shannon tries unsuccessfully to get Boone to pay more attention to her, Walt tries to get Locke to pay more attention to him. I can't speak for anyone else, but I found the parallel kind of creepy.
Michael storms into the cave, yelling at Locke and Walt before they can give any explanations. Locke manages to diffuse the situation, but Michael ends the confrontation with a death threat against Locke should he catch him with his son again. Now, there's no way that Michael would ever kill another man, so the threat seems pretty empty. I love it when they backlight Locke's ears like they do in this scene. It makes him look oh, I don't know, kinda...evil.
Walt yells at Michael, calling him a jerk, and eventually taking him to task for not being there when he grew up. Michael lets his son know that whether he hates him or not, he will listen to his Father. The orders are punctuated by Michael throwing the comic book in the fire. Walt watches the polar bear burn.
Michael watches it burn too.
He flashes to his time in the hospital, recovering from his altercation with the car. While he rehabilitates, he draws pictures for his son. He wants to write to him, but never knows what to say. A nurse with four kids of her own suggests a joke. "What's black, white and red all over?" A newspaper, right? Nope. A penguin with a sunburn. A reference to Antarctica. Hmmm.
As he's writing the terrible joke down, who should darken his door but Susan. She comes with good news. She's covering his medical costs. Of course, there's a catch. She and Brian are getting married and Brian wants to adopt Walt. They need Michael to sign away his parental rights.
Hurley comes to Michael to tell him that Walt took Vincent and left. Michael immediately assumes that Walt went to Locke and confronts him. Neither Locke nor Boone have seen Walt. In a moment of humanity, Locke looks Michael in the eye and with no more than that look he buries their differences and offers to help find Walt.
Kate helps Charlie carry Claire's things to the cave. She also helps keep his spirits up and his hope for Claire's safe return alive. When she leaves, Charlie briefly torments himself with the temptation of reading Claire's diary. After a minute or so of comedic goodness, he does the right thing and packs the unread diary back into her luggage.
Walt is walking through the jungle with Vincent when the dog hears something. Vincent goes a little crazy and gets away from Walt. Walt chases after him.
Flash to Walt observing Vincent while his Mother and Brian discuss a case she's working on. He's supposed to be doing homework. While having a casual drink, Susan admonishes her son for stalling at the task. Suddenly, she looks less than healthy, saying that she feels "flu-ey". As Walt babbles about the bird he's studying, Brian helps her to the couch and comforts her, suggesting she take a day off to rest.
Walt wants Brian to look at the bird he's studying.
Walt really wants Brian to look. Brian isn't looking.
Walt really wants him to see the bird.
Just then, a bird flies into the glass patio door, hitting the window hard enough to kill itself. Walt and Brian both go to the window.
Brian really sees the bird.
Brian seems oddly unsettled by the whole thing, which is odd. It's not like Walt can make weird things like that happen or anything.
Back in the jungle, Walt is still looking for Vincent. Something is watching him.
Brian Porter shows up at Michael's door. Susan has died. She really should have taken that personal day. Turns out she had a blood disorder and was only sick for about a week before she died. According to Brian, she wanted Michael to have custody of their son when she died. After a hearing Brian trying to rationalize shirking his parental responsibility, Michael explodes, throwing Brian up against a wall. Brian tells Michael that it is more than him not wanting to be Walt's Father.
"Sometimes when he's around, things happen. He's different, somehow."
Locke and Michael find Vincent's leash and then hear Walt calling for help. They head towards the sound of his voice.
"Waaaalt, Waalllt!"
Walt's Nanny gives Michael some of Susan's effects and a box which contains all the letters and drawings that Michael sent to his son over the years. In a room down the hall, he hears the Nanny talking to his son.
Back in the jungle, he's running to save his son, toward the sound of Walt's voice and some loud growls. Another one of the island's polar bears has Walt trapped in a stand of bamboo and is doing its best to make him into a snack. According to some experts in the audio field, during the attack we hear some very faint whispers. Michael and Locke climb a nearby tree in order to get to the boy without having to go through the bear. Walt is crying for his Dad.
Vincent and Walt are hanging out together when Michael comes in and introduces himself. The meeting does not go smoothly. Despite his best attempts, all Walt wants to know is where Brian is. When he learns that he is to go with Michael, his response is that he isn't going anywhere with him. To try and maintain some of Walt's equilibrium and in order to not completely disillusion the child, Michael tells him a kind lie about how much Brian loves him and wants him to stay with him but is left with no choice in the matter because Michael has legal guardianship of him. Walt also gets to keep Vincent.
Still in the bamboo grove, Walt is crying desperately for his Dad as the bear gets closer and digs deeper into his hiding place. Michael and Locke cross a conveniently placed branch and get over top of Walt's sanctuary. Michael tosses Walt one of Locke's knives and tells his son to use it if the polar bear gets too close. Locke tosses him some vines and Michael climbs down into the stand of bamboo. Walt gets a chance to use the knife and stabs the bear in the paw, buying the two of them some time for Michael to get the vines around Walt so Locke can help pull the boy up. As the two men push and pull the child to safety, the bear returns with a vengeance. Michael also uses the knife to good effect, his efforts managing to drive the creature away.
Great. They now have a wounded bear somewhere in the jungle. That can't be good.
Back at camp, Michael gives Walt the box containing all the stuff he sent to Walt over the last eight years. Susan kept them from him, but at least she kept them. Of all the cards we might see, which one does Walt choose to look at? The one with the penguin joke inside. Hmmm.
Charlie has given in and is reading Claire's diary. He smiles when he learns that she thinks he's adorable and sweet and that he makes her feel safe. He is deeply disturbed when he reads about her dream about the "Black Rock" and takes his concerns to Jack and Saayid. While they seem sympathetic, and agree that it is oddly coincidental that she mentions a dream about something that Rousseau had mentioned, there is no point in searching the island at night.
Obviously, Boone and Locke don't agree, since they are out looking for Vincent in the dark. John is using his whistle again. When Boone suggests that the whistle isn't working, John reminds him that he can't hear everything.
He does hear some rustling in the bushes.
A tense moment later, something emerges from the underbrush.
Claire.
Discussion
posted by Greybishop at 10:33 AM
