Hero of the episode: Claire Zero of the episode: Ethan
Quote(s) of the episode: “The chances of us shooting each other are much higher than of us shooting him.” – Jack on whether to hand out guns; “Why doctor you’ve been holding out on us.” – Locke when he sees the guns
Music vibes: Air of curiosity when Locke brings Claire back to the caves | Imposing drumbeats when the group sets out for Ethan
Little things: Charlie hoping Claire remembers her | Claire remembering eating imaginary peanut butter with Charlie
Episode notebook:
Claire doesn’t remember who everyone is. What exactly did the Others do to her? Boone wonders if Ethan is still around.
Even Jin expresses concern for Claire to Sun.
It’s been a month since the crash.
In the past, Charlie is dealing with the breakup of Driveshaft. He’s running scams with a friend; stealing from rich young women.
People are avoiding Claire like she’s bad luck.
Ethan secretly returns, telling Charlie he will kill someone every day if Claire isn’t returned to him.
Locke, Boone, Sayid, and some other men in the group stand guard over the camp. It doesn’t work, as Ethan still manages to murder someone.
Kate tells Jack it’s time to use the guns.
In the past, Charlie likes his latest mark, Lucy. Even takes a job with her dad’s company. Only Charlie is desperate for a fix. Working a 9-5 while in the middle of drug withdrawal? Yeah, this will work out.
Claire is upset with Charlie for not telling her about Ethan’s threat.
Time for the guns to come out and a trap is set for Ethan.
Despite Charlie lying to her, Claire wants to trust him.
Episode recap: The return of Claire is met with joy, confusion, and fear. Everyone is happy to see Claire again, but she is confused by all the faces staring at her. Whatever Ethan and his co-conspirators did to Claire resulted in amnesia. She doesn’t remember anything after boarding Oceanic Flight 815. However, the fear that Ethan inflicted on Claire and the rest of the survivors hasn’t gone away. What if Ethan wants Claire back? What if Ethan still wants to harm Claire or someone else?
Charlie wants to fill in the gaps for Claire, pointing her to her diary. A small, but kind, gesture. He’s also desperate for Claire to remember him, to remember that they’re friends, to remember that Charlie is someone she can trust. He wants desperately to be her protector because the threat is not over. Ethan secretly returns, threatening to kill one person every day that Claire does not return to him. What was so special about Claire? What did Ethan and the Others see in Claire?
Charlie takes Ethan’s threat back to Jack, Locke, and Sayid. Jack is ready to plunge into the jungle to track Ethan, but Locke has better ideas. Build some traps and have some people stand guard. Don’t give Ethan what he wants, the better play is to trap him and make him talk. Whatever the plan, Charlie wants to protect Claire from all of it. He doesn’t tell her about Ethan’s resurgence, instead paints a rosy picture that everything is ok.
As with many episodes this season, what’s happening on the island parallels something from the past. In the past, Charlie tried to protect and provide for a former girlfriend, and it blew up in his face. After Driveshaft broke up, Charlie found other ways to fund his drug habit. Charlie and his buddy, Tommy, befriended wealthy young women to steal from them. But Charlie’s latest mark, Lucy, was different. He liked her, not just her money. Even took a job with her father’s company, but old habits die hard. Withdrawal is kicking in and he’s desperate for a fix. Just before his first day of work, Charlie steals a valuable trinket from Lucy. His thievery is discovered after Charlie becomes ill on his first day of work, washing away any chance of a future with Lucy or proving that he’s more than anything but a drug addict.
On the island, Charlie doesn’t want to throw away another chance to prove that he can be a protector. After Ethan murders one of the survivors, everyone realizes it’s time to give him what he wants. Claire agrees to be bait, but not without backup. Jack, Sawyer, Locke, Kate, and Sayid arm themselves with the marshal’s guns. They’re on Ethan’s turf but they can level the playing field with the guns. It’s a plan that Charlie’s against, but he still finds a way to get his revenge on Ethan. When our heroes finally have Ethan trapped, they think they’re about to get some answers. But Charlie had another idea, shooting Ethan to death. Jack dropped his gun while fighting with Ethan, hence Charlie was able to pick it up unnoticed.
I can see both sides of the coin when it comes to Ethan’s demise. On one side, Charlie was wrong to kill the one man who could explain about the island and what he wants with Claire. On the flip side, Charlie was right to kill Ethan. The man nearly killed Charlie, abducted and terrorized Claire, and went to great lengths to get her back. What are the odds he would have confessed anything? They were pretty slim. Please keep reading my recap for episode sixteen is posted.