Hero of the episode: Sawyer Zero of the episode: Susan
Quote(s) of the episode: “I see you managed to hold onto your best friend there.” –Michael to Sawyer as he holds a gun | “You got a Band-Aid?” Sawyer to Michael | “Are You Him?” –Desmond to Locke
Music vibes: drumbeats in the hatch; sad and poignant when a young Walt sees Michael
Little things: Charlie bonding with baby Aaron | Claire sees the Virgin Mary idol in Charlie’s bag. She doesn’t know it’s full of heroin. Charlie took it from the downed plane. | Kate discovers and eats chocolate in the hatch pantry. She put a couple of pieces in her back pocket for good luck.
Episode notebook:
Back to our people out on the water. Jin is missing (don’t worry he’s fine). Michael and Sawyer are yelling.
Michael and Sawyer manage to drift on a piece of the broken raft.
We see how Locke got down the hatch. His experience is different than Jack’s. First sighting of the Dharma logo (this will play a big role in this series).
Flashbacks are focused on Michael; his custody battle with Susan. Her lawyer points out how little Michael knows about Walt.
Desmond asks Locke “Are you him?” I know we hear that question again. What’s the significance of that question?
Michael blames Sawyer for the Others taking Walt. Sawyer made Michael fire the flare that drew the ragtag bunch to them. Sawyer sees it differently.
Desmond talks to Locke in riddles. He doesn’t know what to believe from Locke or Kate.
Desmond has been in the hatch a long time.
Michael gives a young Walt a bear as a present. I’m pretty sure it was a polar bear—a little foreshadowing perhaps? There were polar bears on the island.
Locke tells Desmond about the crash. Desmond spends his days entering the dreaded numbers in a computer. Why? Jack crashes the party.
Michael and Sawyer float back to the island, finding Jin running from the jungle.
Episode recap: What’s become of our gentlemen on the raft? They’re a bit of a mess. Lots of yelling makes for a chaotic scene. Jin's voice echoes offscreen, desperately calling out for Sawyer and Michael. We won’t hear from Jin again—until the end of the episode. Sawyer is yelling for Michael. And Michael is yelling in vain for Walt. Sawyer doesn’t see the point of yelling for Walt when he’s long gone—taken away by the Others. However, Michael adamantly disagrees; he clings to the slim hope that Walt might still hear him amidst the tumultuous sea. Walt has to know that Michael can and will come for him.
Michael’s love for his son has always been there, despite many challenges. In the past, after Michael has recovered from his accident, he renews pursuing custody of Walt. Michael fights to thwart Susan's plans of relocating overseas and prevent her new husband, Brian, from adopting Walt. The custody hearing reveals truths Michael is unwilling to hear—he doesn’t know his son. Not for lack of trying, but over a year has passed since Michael has seen Walt. What kind of father can he be when he’s still trying to get back on his feet financially? Maybe it is best to let Walt go. To let Susan move on with her life.
While in the past, Michael grappled with the idea of letting go, in the present, he finds himself unable to relinquish hope. Floating on pieces of wreckage, Michael and Sawyer go back and forth between friend and foe. Each man blames the other for Walt being kidnapped. Sawyer went so far as to say Danielle’s ominous warning was true. The Others were coming for the child and that child was Walt. What they wanted him for is still a mystery.
Some of the island’s mysteries are in the hatch. While Sawyer and Michael engage in a heated exchange at sea, we're granted a glimpse of the hatch through Locke's eyes. Whereas Jack sees darkness and danger, Locke sees the hatch as bright and wondrous. He sees a sanctuary of knowledge, a place he could learn from if only he can convince Desmond that he’s not dangerous. Locke manages to shift Desmond's focus onto Kate, deeming her a threat and buying them time, tying her up—but not before slipping a knife into her pocket. Locke knows she can escape and is quick-thinking on her feet.
Desmond appears more rattled and disoriented than a genuine threat. As he listens to Locke talk about the crash, Desmond is in disbelief that the world still exists outside the hatch. He’s stunned that none of the survivors are sick. What or who convinced Desmond to lock himself away from the world? Much like Danielle, he seems to crave companionship, a connection beyond the confines of hatch life. Any connection with Locke is interrupted as Jack crashes the party. Kate has also managed to free herself, escaping through a vent. With guns pointed, a collision of violence is on the horizon. But will be on hold until at least the next episode, as the creators left us hanging, choosing to go back to our boys on the water.
Morning has come and Michael has been on an emotional rollercoaster. No longer blaming Sawyer, Michael points the finger at himself. If he hadn’t brought Walt on the raft, perhaps his son would be safe. A tough stance to take, but there’s no way to know if the Others still wouldn’t have targeted Walt while on the island. The ocean currents guide Michael and Sawyer back to the shores of the island, but it might be the wrong part of the island.
A frazzled and tied-up Jin emerges running from the forest, screaming about the Others. A motley bunch of people are coming straight for our heroes. What do they want? This show certainly knows how to keep the momentum going. Each of the first two episodes dropped enough seeds to keep me wanting more. What’s the deal with the hatch? Why do the dreaded numbers need to be entered into the computer? I genuinely don’t remember the reason. Or why Desmond has been in the hatch for so long? I know the people chasing Jin are not the “Others” but the survivors from the tail section. Why didn’t the tail survivors explore the island? So many questions ahead. Please come back next Thursday for recaps of episodes three and four.