Hero of the episode: Helen Zero of the episode: Anthony Cooper a.k.a the real Sawyer
Quote(s) of the episode: “You think that makes sense pushing a button?” –Jack to Locke | “You sure seem calm for someone who believes the world’s gonna end in the next 45 minutes.” –Jack to Locke | “Is the reason you’re so upset is because he said he recognized you?” –Locke to Jack | “You don’t even know what you’re running from!” –Jack to Desmond | “See you in another life, yeah.” –Desmond to Jack
Music vibes: hints of the theme from the Walkabout episode; wonder; curiosity
Little things: Dharma Initiative video, the first info about a larger plot point | Jack sees a picture of Desmond with a woman (his girlfriend Penny)
Episode notebook:
First sighting of Mr. Eko, who beats up Michael, Jin, and Sawyer.
What or whom are the tail survivors afraid of?
Locke flashbacks this episode. In the past, he took part in a support group. Meets girlfriend, Helen, in the support group.
Everything comes to a head in the hatch. Desmond is overpowered, but not before an errant bullet hits the computer. Desmond recognizes Jack.
A younger Locke still struggling to get over his biological parents conning him out of his kidney. Spends nights outside his father’s home. Helen calls him out on it.
Tail survivors try to determine if Michael, Jin, and Sawyer are their enemies. Ana Lucia gets info out of them.
Desmond works to fix the computer. Every 108 minutes it must be pressed, or the world will end. Jack doesn’t believe that, but Locke does.
Helen asks Locke to take a leap of faith with her, forcing John to make a choice.
Desmond runs off when he thinks the computer can’t be fixed. Jack chases after him resulting in a revelation.
Hurley continues to be disturbed by the dreaded numbers, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42.
Episode recap: What would it take to convince you to shut yourself off from the world? Money? Fame? Imagine being told that the fate of humanity hinges on one seemingly mundane act: punching in a set of numbers into a computer every 108 minutes. Would you do it? Most, if not all, people would decline. It sounds ludicrous. Yet, for Desmond, stranded on the island after a shipwreck, this task became his lifeline. After crashing his ship on the island, another man convinced Desmond to save the world—every 108 minutes. When that man died, Desmond continued to push the button, locking himself away from the world. He believes pushing the button is for a greater purpose. That purpose is now in jeopardy as the computer is damaged by an errant gunshot.
Is the world really on the brink of disaster? Or has Desmond been led to believe a lie? Jack wrestles with disbelief, unable to entertain the notion that his past interaction with Desmond might be intertwined with a grander scheme. Locke believes. Locke believes in Desmond. Locke believes in the possibilities of the hatch.
Flashbacks reveal Locke’s attempt to heal from the devastating betrayal he suffered at the hands of his biological parents. Swindled out of his kidney, John attempts to find solace in a support group. He’s surrounded by people like him, people struggling to move on, anger has them forever trapped in the past. John finally starts to move on with a budding romantic relationship with Helen, a kindred spirit from the support group. Try as he might, old habits die hard—Locke reverts to sitting outside his father’s home yearning for closure. He has to know why his father, Anthony Cooper, came into his life only to con him.
Sometimes the simplest explanation is the most obvious one. For Anthony Cooper, it was simply a con job. Locke had something Cooper needed. Yet for Locke, it ran deeper. He longed for a familial connection, but that’s something he’s never going to get from Cooper. That validation will never come as Cooper sees Locke as nothing but a nuisance. He has a chance at a future with Helen, but only if Locke is willing to take it. Helen wants Locke to take a leap of faith with her, leaving Cooper in the past.
Taking a leap of faith was hard for John to take with Helen, but not with Desmond. The island has tested John’s faith at every turn, especially following Boone’s death. But Locke is not about to give up, not even when Desmond runs off. Now, with Sayid enlisted to repair the computer, it’s a race against the clock to "save the world."
As the hatch crew is trying to avoid disaster, Michael, Sawyer, and Jin are facing threats of their own. Locked away in a ditch, our trio is plotting an escape and maybe a little revenge against their captors whom they believe are the “Others.” We get glimpses of two pivotal characters, Mr. Eko and Ana Lucia. Each group trying to assess the danger posed by the other. More to come in the next episode.
Back on the other side of the island, Jack chases after Desmond, seeking validation for his own beliefs. Jack wants to believe nothing he saw and heard in the hatch is real, it’s all an illusion in his mind. He wants to believe Desmond is running from something other than the dangers posed by the hatch. But Desmond won’t give him what he wants. Jack has to figure out what he’s running from before he can ask that of anyone else. Returning to the hatch, Jack takes that leap of faith that Locke has been pushing him toward all along. Jack pushes “execute” on the computer, the first step in the island’s plans for him and the rest of the group. Please keep reading, my recap for episode four is posted.