Yesterday’s episode, I will reluctantly admit, was a bit slow. Now let’s forget that I said that and get on with it.
This was a Michael centric episode and we’ll deal with the flashback first. In the previous season, we learnt how Michael suddenly had to take responsibility for Walt after Walt’s mum died. In this episode we see Michael fighting for his child, but being asked to sign his parental rights away. After discussions involving lawyers, she asks him to do what is best for Walt. In quite a sad scene we eventually Michael saying goodbye to a toddler Walt.
Firstly, I hope I am not the only one who noticed what Michael handed baby Walt – a stuffed polar bear!!!!! There’s most definitely a connection here. Anyways, I felt really badly for Michael. I simply cannot fathom what it must be like to sign away your child. Yes sure, he did have a choice, but I believe that Michael really thought that he was doing what was right for his child.
Meanwhile, back on the island, we sort of have a mini flashback. We go back to the moment that Kate disappears down the hatch. Locke naturally goes after her. I would not have expected any less. He goes down into the hatch and removes his shoes in corner. He tiptoes about and eventually finds Kate, sprawled on the floor, but just as Kate regain consciousness, Desmond appears.
Desmond asks Locke “Are you him?” Locke obviously answers that yes, he is him. But Locke is caught out by what seems to be a security question or the password perhaps – “what did one snowman say to the other snowman”. Desmond orders Kate to tie Locke up, but Locke interjects and says that Kate is more dangerous than him. After tying her up, Locke slips her a knife.
Kate manages to free herself, but can’t get out of the room she’s in. But there in some consolation in the form of chocolate, which Kate consumes with orgasmic pleasure. Stuffing a few more bars in her pockets, she gets into the air vent where she witnesses Jack’s entry.
Meanwhile, Desmond questions Locke. Locke tells him about the plane crash, and Desmond seems astonished that the world is still out there. He asks if anyone is sick. We hear BEEP, BEEP, BEEP again. Desmond gets Locke to type... 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42. (Eeek! The cursed numbers) A timer flicks from 002/36 to 108/00. Desmond's relieved. Jack turns up, with gun. He recognizes Desmond, and it leaves us exactly where it left us last week!
It might not seem like much, but there is so much information in this segment. Like, for instance, the numbers. It obviously is some sort of trigger for disaster. Desmond’s shocked that the world still exists, but judging from Jack’s dorky haircut last week, Desmond can’t be longer in the hatch than 10 -15 years – maybe even less. He’s also expecting someone – a replacement perhaps.
The good news is that we finally see what happens to the raft guys. Sawyer rescues Michael, and in a scene reminiscent of Jack pounding life into Charlie, proceeds to pound life into Michael. But things are not happy on the raft as a game of “it’s all your fault” begins. I had to laugh at these two – they were behaving like two school girls, but I suppose it was easier to blame each other than accept what happened.
To add to their woes, they seem to be in shark infested waters, and Sawyer is bleeding from the bullet wound. He removes the bullet with his fingers. Ouch. Finally after being on separate rafts and then having to have to share one again, Sawyer finally spies a bit of the raft that seems to be more float-worthy. He swims towards it, but the shark emerges behind him. Michael empties the gun into the shark… and he frantically swims over screaming for Sawyer. They both help each other onto the new raft, and in that moment, their animosity towards each other is lost.
In the morning, Michael is sobbing his little heart out. He states that it’s all his fault, he should never have brought Walt on the boat, but he swears to get his boy back. They see that the current is slowing moving back toward the island. “We’re home” says Sawyer. Once they get ashore, they hear screaming. Jin is running towards them, tied up and clearly agitated. I could discern “Michael” “Sawyer”, before he finally states “Others”. At that point, we see a group of people emerge on the beach and they look like they mean business.
Whoa! I think that the Others in this case are going to turn out to be some of the other survivors. At least, for Michaels, Jin’s and Sawyer’s sakes i hope that they are.