So Walt is so scared of what's in the hatch that he no longer wants to stay? Interesting. I hope it's not just filled with polar bears.

Seems Kate was a fugitive of some sort even before this flashback. Going by some of the stuff on the tape from the time capsule, and her mom's reaction, I wonder if she wasn't sexualy abused by her dad and wound up fighting back and killing him.

How did the toy plane go from the back of the wrecked car to a safety deposit box as seen in previous flashbacks? And how did Kate find it anyway? We see why it's important at least.

Wow, Shannon had a lot to do this week. Her entire script must have read "walk by with a nasty look on your face".

I won't mention the details for those who chose not to watch them, but the previews for next week looked very interesting!

And, for those who don't know Mackenzie Astin is the brother of Sean Astin who played Sam in the Lord of the Rings movies which also starred Dominic Monaghan aka Lost's Charlie. (He's also the son of Patty Duke and John "Gomez Addams" Astin, and he played Andy on the later seasons of the Facts of Life, but that's beside the point.)

Jack says to Sun that he can't think of a good reason to tell everyone else that she poisoned Michael instead of Kate. Um, how about the fact that everyone else still thinks that Kate did it, and seem to have shunned her? Never mind that it was really her idea anyway, Jack didn't know that.

I guess her real name is Kate/Katherine.

I don't mind not seeing every regular in every episode. I just hope everyone continues to get their time (unlike Travis in Enterprise).

Ian Somerholder (Boone) had a credit but he wasn't in the show. A little odd, since the credits have to be made anew each week and are not part of a "permanent" opening like in Enterprise or Voyager. Sometimes the credits can give an inkling of what's coming up (if you don't watch the previews). For instance, if I see Mira Furlan's name I know they will be encountering the "french chick" again...

I assume the airplane was included in the personal effects of the doctor when they cleaned up the scene. As to how it got in the safe-deposit box, and how she knew it was there, well, that's another story... (I get the feeling we are all a part of The NeverEnding Story here. And if you liked that movie or reading books at all, go now and get that book. If you can, get the more expensive one with a hard cover and red and black type inside. It enhances the story so much more.)

I think Walt is the key, with his unusual "powers". I don't believe we saw his and Michael's backstory of what happened at the time of the initial plane damage. Could Walt have caused it?

Wow. It was interesting seeing how kaye just keeps winding up digging in deeper and deeper. For some reasons she was a majorly wanted fugitive then wound up getting the love of her life killed (even if it was the officer shooting at her it is still considered her fault because she drove at the officer.) Not to mention being able to crew J boats. What else can this woman do? Maybe since this is essentially the same universe she hung out with sydny bristow or somethign?

I liked how Hurley reacted when he found out Locke didn't know.

As for everythign else. Tune in next week. Where it loks like its gonna be a bumpy ride.

Okay, so now we have a new supporting character: Artz, a high school teacher with a Doctorate in the sciences, perhaps meteorology.

Do motel cleaning ladies really leave the keys to the other rooms on their supply carts unattended, where anyone can abscond with them, as Kate did in the teaser?

We also learn that Kate’s last name is Austin.

Aha! So there IS something sci-fi about Walt! I told you guys back in Special!

Sun was really dumb to think that spiking one of the water bottles would get Jin, and not Michael, Walt, Sawyer, or anyone else working on the raft. What made her think that one bottle was Jin’s alone, and/or that they weren’t sharing them?

Anonymous, I figured that safety deposit box was Tom’s, or at least belonged to a surviving family member or friend of his.

Ian Somerholder (Boone) had a credit but he wasn't in the show. A little odd, since the credits have to be made anew each week and are not part of a "permanent" opening like in Enterprise or Voyager.

I noticed that too. I thought it meant he was going to show up in a flashback, until it turned out to be Kate's week. And even then, he could have turned up at some point, what with how many people have cameoed in other people's flashbacks. But no, it was not to be.

Probably it just had something to do with his contract or some union rule or something odd like that.

We also learn that Kate’s last name is Austin.

We did? Thanks, I must have missed that somehow.

Do motel cleaning ladies really leave the keys to the other rooms on their supply carts unattended, where anyone can abscond with them, as Kate did in the teaser?

On TV they do. In real life, I think they usually have master keys, that open any of the rooms so they wouldn't just leave it, as they'd be using it.

So Michael's kind of turned against Locke again, has he? Understandable, though I was a little surprised.

Anonymous: How did the toy plane go from the back of the wrecked car to a safety deposit box as seen in previous flashbacks? And how did Kate find it anyway? We see why it's important at least.
All for a future episode.

R: I liked how Hurley reacted when he found out Locke didn't know.
Tell me about it. He really does have the audience's perspective. And did he say that Steve didn't know about the polar bear?

Luigi Novi: What made her think that one bottle was Jin’s alone, and/or that they weren’t sharing them?
I don't know. Maybe she watched them saw that they, at least for the most part, each used their own water and that this was just an accident. Besides, it was Kate's idea.

This was another mixed episode. Kate's backstory was interesting, but the events surrounding the raft were unconvincing.

I didn't like how Arzt just popped up out of nowhere to inform everybody that the raft should have been launched yesterday. He also seems to be the person with the most valuable information about navigating the raft (trade winds, etc). Wouldn't he be the most logical choice to be one of the four chosen passengers on the raft? Michael and Sawyer can't even talk with Jin, but of course, Artz isn't one of the main characters (so there'd be little chance of him on the raft). To me, there wasn't much suspense of whether Sawyer or Kate would be on the raft. For dramatic reasons, Sawyer was the obvious choice. His argumentative and sarcastic nature would ensure plenty of character conflict on the raft (there's little chance of Michael and Kate fighting). It was rather politically incorrect of Arzt to refer to Sawyer as a "hillbilly" (teachers should be more sensitive). Sawyer wasn't all that sensitive when he refered to Jin as "Sulu". His nickname for Kate is rather belittling. "Freckles" is more appropriate for someone the age of Pippi Longstocking than an adult woman.

The opening teaser wasn't all that suspenseful. Who else but Kate could the mystery woman be? The fact that she had so many stolen license plates in the back of her car would seem to suggest she is more of a hard-core criminal than an innocent on the run. I assumed the letter she recieved, informing her about her mother, was from Tom. So why was he so surprised when she showed up at the hospital. When Kate showed up with flowers, we were informed that her mother's last name was Janson (not Austin). It's rather odd that Kate would refer to her mother as "Diane" when talking to Tom. If she grew up with Tom, he'd be used to Kate refering to her as "mom".

Alone in his home with Kate, Tom states they have 3 hours to kill. This doesn't lead to where we expect, instead, they end up in a field digging up a "New Kids on the Block" lunchbox ( a 1989 time capsule). Considering what was in the box, there didn't seem to be an overwhelmingly urgent need to dig up the box (after only 16 years). Did Tom really miss his old baseball cap so much? He surely wouldn't want to be reminded of what a dorky voice he had on that tape. The message on the tape wasn't especially meaningful; "You always want to run away Kate". That could apply to everyone on the island.

A small nit about the Iowa field they dig in. That tropical -looking tree and cows looked more like Thailand than Iowa. I guess Hawaii doesn't always make the most convincing double for other locales.

The Doc's reaction of jumping into the car with Kate seemed believable. Most owners of Beamers don't want to see their cars damaged (they iz mighty expensive to repair). Since Kate left the toy plane in the car when she fled, it makes it even more unlikely that she would run into it later. Also, the police pursuing her must be totally blind. She flees down a long drainage basin. It would be hard to miss her.

Hurley delivers another great line when he exclaims "How am I supposed to keep straight who knows what around here?" This ep helps remind us of just how many secrets the survivors are keeping from each other. Locke's response to Jack (about not mentioning the hatch) was appropriate given that Jack had also kept secrets. Sayid's reluctance to open the hatch seemed the most reasonable of the three. The bizarre-looking hatch could be a container for radioactive waste for all they know ("There's no handle, it seems it wasn't meant to be opened").

As for Sun poisoning Jin, I found this hard to swallow (excuse the pun). It's hard to imagine any wife who loves their husband dearly to poison him. How would she know the amount of poison that would make him only sick. A slight miscalculation could kill him. As for Jin, why would he decide to go on the raft. In earlier eps, it's established that he is overly protective (and jealous) of Sun. He doesn't want another man to so much as look at Sun. Why would he want to leave her on an island full of men?

Lastly, we come to the issue of Walt. His confessing to dad that he burned the first raft was due. However, Michael's reaction didn't seem in character. He's already shown he has an explosive temper. I would have expected him to jump up and kick the sand at least. His response was more sensitive than Alan Alda. I didn't like the revelation that Walt has mystical answers just like Locke. One mystic on the island is enough. Also, it seems a deliberate pandering to kids ( the message in every Hollywood teen/kids' movie is that kids have all the answers and parents are clueless).

Perhaps, the best thing about this ep is that it is a build up to next week's episode.

Yeha artz did seem a bit convenient in his arrival but maybe he has an irritating personality (too smug and know it all, ive seen teachers like that) and would make sawyer a better choice by comparison.

I didn't think it was too wierd for them to suddenly go off and dig up a time capsule they planted when they was young and in love (with each other it seems). He is now married and she is on the run so this may be the last time they ever see each other, but rather than allow old feelings to surface they distracted themselves with the lunchbox (look at the reactions after they kiss). I also thoguht that he might have been surprised she showed up because she was on the run and he didn't think she would actually show up. (A bit of a stretch but hey no more than polar bears in hawaii)

As for why he jumped in the car I don't hink it was so much as saving the car. He was a doctor and should have enough insurance to replace it if she wrecked it since she stole it. I think it was more an attempt to get her to either turn herself in or work a deal or stop running.

I could see sun trying to make jin sick. She knows a lot about medical (holistic and traditional) stuff so she would be able to maybe get the dosage right (and probably err on the side of caution) so she wouldnt kill jin just make him sick. Michael wound up worse off as he appears lighter than Jin. As for Jin wanting to leave her, from his perspective mind you, she betrayed him by hiding that she could speak the gaijin's language. Causing him to loose face in front of everyone and that is somethign that an oriental man cannot handle (at least that is what my oriental studies prof taught in college). So since he is done with her she no longer exists to him in the same way.

Yea I expected michael to be a bit more upset about the raft, but he maybe calmign down with the new raft beign so close to completion and walt suddenly wanting to join him on the raft.

As for Walt I don't think he has all the answer or his character is pandering to kids. I think he has some sort of sight/touch/jedi powers/whatever and is more in tune with what is goign on than some of the people. remember the innocence of a child and they took mira's son as well as trying for claire and her baby.

And yes next week looks very very wild.

Run, hide or die!

Any takers on the fourth option fight?

I didn't like the revelation that Walt has mystical answers just like Locke. One mystic on the island is enough.

Well, he was already revealed to be something more than normal in the ep with his backstory, so I don't know why you waited until now to complain about it. He stepdad feared him, and it was strongly implied that he caused a bird to crash. How is knowing not to open the hatch a big stretch?

Considering what was in the box, there didn't seem to be an overwhelmingly urgent need to dig up the box (after only 16 years). Did Tom really miss his old baseball cap so much? He surely wouldn't want to be reminded of what a dorky voice he had on that tape.


Have you no sentiment, woman? They dug it up not for the objects within, but for the memories of their childhood that were attached to the objects. Same reason Kate would rob a bank for the plane. It wasn't the plane, but it was that it was HIS plane. If she just wanted a toy plane, she could just go to the store or hop on eBay and buy a friggin toy plane.

It was rather politically incorrect of Arzt to refer to Sawyer as a "hillbilly" (teachers should be more sensitive). Sawyer wasn't all that sensitive when he refered to Jin as "Sulu". His nickname for Kate is rather belittling. "Freckles" is more appropriate for someone the age of Pippi Longstocking than an adult woman.

Is there a "roll-eyes" emoticon on this board? So they weren't super nicey nicey! That's life, babe. It would ring false if everyone in a story acted like a paragon of virtue, now wouldn't it? Sawyer calls most everyone by a nickname, (Walt is Short-Round, Michael is Mickey, I think he once called Hurley Stay-Puft) it's just a part of his personality. Yeah, he's not politically correct, and I for one am glad he's not.

I have to say I'm with Sayid on the big metal box in the ground. Everyone (including the writers, apparently) forgets that there is a giant tree-smashing, pilot-killing monster in the forest. What's in the box, a baby monster?

Although I'm still half convinced they open it and they'll find a bunch of blue pages.

Anon, I missed a couple of eps, but I don't remember anything about Walt being something more than normal. I just remember him reading a comic book. It appeared that the comic book might have the answers. As far as I'm concerned, a "New Kids on the Block" lunchbox should stay buried forever.

Rona, back in the michael/walt backstory episode it was hinted that walt had somekinda special ability as he was mad at his mother and a bird crashed into the door as well as she got sick. It would still be interesting to see what the deal is with this. Did they bring walt to the island because of his ability or did somethign else happen? Also he got mad at his dad and had been reading a comic book with a polar bear so who knows maybe they should give him a gilligan's island comic book (or maybe not).

I am also glad that there isnt any uber PC characters on the show. I would definately be rooting for the monster on that case. And think about if you was trapped on the island with sawyer i think you would be calling him a few UnPC names as well.

Walt's 'powers' were first hinted in episode 1 or 2 -- I clearly remember the director aiming the camera at the comic book and the polar bear on one of the panels. It happens again in "Special", if I'm not mistaken.

Locke doesn't really seem to have 'powers', just some wisdom and interesting points of view. His visions seem about as external as Jack seeing his dead father.

You know what would be cool? If they sail off in the raft only to hit a wall or something not too far off from the beach -- maybe even "Delenn's" (hehehe) boat. Better yet, have them come back only a few hours later (1/2 a day or so) looking really scared and not talking about what happened...

How can anyone be glad there's no "uber PC" characters. I think the show would be much better if they brought in a new character. "Doria" should be introduced new season. Like Obi-Wan, she's a ghost, but of a recently deceased intellectual feminist. Doria, with all her wisdom, would guide the survivors. She would make new laws: no violence, no coersion, and everyone must live in peaceful harmony. It would be a grand new world. Sounds exciting!

Somehow I doubt that's the real Rona, but someone spoofing her...

Yeah, I may have to get rid of that if you're right.

Yeha somehow that doesnt seem like one of rona's posts. Not quite right somehow.

How can anyone be glad there's no "uber PC" characters. I think the show would be much better if they brought in a new character. "Doria" should be introduced new season. Like Obi-Wan, she's a ghost, but of a recently deceased intellectual feminist. Doria, with all her wisdom, would guide the survivors. She would make new laws: no violence, no coersion, and everyone must live in peaceful harmony. It would be a grand new world. Sounds exciting!

I hope you're joking, because I'm LOLing.

(Of course as the others point out, it might be a spoof...)

Moderator? What do the IP's say?

Geez, has everyone become so glum that they don't recognise a joke about the supernatural events in Lost. As for PC characters, I think that as time progressed, the characters would be inclined to become more cooperative with each other and not angrily yelling slurs at each other. Seriously, wouldn't it be nice if some thoughtful intellectuals were stranded on an island. There would be plenty of time for brilliant conversation. It could be a tropical "meeting of the minds". One must admit, the show is more played for the action crowd. The show is avoiding controversy too. It would be interesting to hear more from Sayid's character about his background. That won't happen, because the pro-Bush crowd would write in and object. No one ever expresses any ideas on politics or religion either (since they are away from them, I would think they'd mention them once in a while). Lost has a much more narrow focus than a Trek show. I think the show is lacking in many areas, but what would appeal to me might not appeal to others.

There would be plenty of time for brilliant conversation.

Yeah, that would really bring in the ratings.

Tell me about it.

Rona: I think that as time progressed, the characters would be inclined to become more cooperative with each other and not angrily yelling slurs at each other.
Luigi Novi: For some perhaps. For others, it could be the opposite. Spending time with someone doesn't necessarily mean that you'll eventually learn to get along. For some it would mean coming to hate each other even more. Jean Paul Satre once remarked that (something to the effect of) the worst punishment he could think of was locking you in your room with five of your best friends.

Rona: Seriously, wouldn't it be nice if some thoughtful intellectuals were stranded on an island. There would be plenty of time for brilliant conversation. It could be a tropical "meeting of the minds". One must admit, the show is more played for the action crowd.
Luigi Novi: Well, the show's not going to be successful unless something happens. That said, most of what we seen hasn't been "action," at least not of the mindless Jerry Bruckheimer variety. Most of it has been character exploration, mystery, shocking revelations, and suspense, rather than action.

Rona: The show is avoiding controversy too. It would be interesting to hear more from Sayid's character about his background.
Luigi Novi: But haven't we had two episodes with just that so far? Can't we presume that there'll be more?

Is Sawyer intended to be the "un-PC" guy, or does it look like the writers are falling back on the stereotype of a Southern bigot. Enterprise avoided this with Tucker.

He's not the Southern bigot, he's just an @$$hole.

Yes, it's possible (even likely) that his bigotry and his background are incidental, rather than intended by the creators to be cause-and-effect. If anyone's going to be a bigot on the show, then invariably someone will complain about the association of that character trait with that ethnic/regional background.

IIRC, I read somewhere that Sawyer wasn't originally intended to be southern, but they liked the actor and so they adjusted the character and gave him the role.

The funniest moment in Lost so far - Charlie announcing that track 2 will be called "The monster ate the pilot". Still makes me laugh thinking about it

I particularly enjoyed this ep. I'll make sure to watch it again when it's repeated!

Is the teacher's name Arzt or is it spelled differently? Cause "Arzt" is the german word for "Physician/Doctor". (But since Jack is already the doc, the nickname is taken ...)

Luigi,

...Jean Paul Satre once remarked that (something to the effect of) the worst punishment he could think of was locking you in your room with five of your best friends.

I thought he said "Hell is other people"? Or do you mean a different quote?
One of my teachers said that people who sailed across the oceans in a small boat and had to stay cooped up below for several days due to severe storms wouldn't talk to each other when they arrived, and seperated as quickly as they could, although they had been best friends for years before.

Is the teacher's name Arzt or is it spelled differently?

It is "Arzt". It's ARZT!! As he will rather belligerently insist forthwith.

Well, constanze, the quote was mentioned by the ship's computer in one of the early episodes of Red Dwarf.

Dr. Artz tells everyone that they're on the "cusp of monsoon season." He further states that when monsoon season hits, the Trade Winds will shift south--opposite of what the raftgoers want. My question is this: if Michael & Co. launch right away, won't they only get a few days of northerly winds before things shift and start blowing them the wrong way?

Maybe they are hoping to get far enough north to hit a ship and get rescued or something. But yes the timing is a bit off. But they are getting desperate it seems like (or at least michael is) and want to launch as soon as possible no matter the risks.

It's Arzt, Jesse! ARZT!!!!!

Arzt's voice seemed reaaalllly familiar, but it wasn't until later that I realized its the young guy from Matlock. Man, he's changed.

I for one am glad there's no 'PC' characters on the show, as I'm sick fed up of political correctness being shoved in my face. As Billy Connolly once said "Political Correctness is the language of cowardice".

Video nit that the Chief posted: the door to the MRI room says Magnetic Resonance Imagining rather than Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Given this show, that might be appropriate.