Friday, November 22, 2013

Season 2: Episode 18

Hurley confesses to Libby that he has an eating problem, and shows her the stash of Dharma food. Hurley wants to get rid of it, and she encourages him to do so. Just after Hurley destroys his supplies, other survivors go into the jungle and Hurley and Libby see that an enormous package of food parachuted from the sky. After Hurley panics at the suggestion of again being in charge of the supplies, he sees Dave, and tries to follow him as he goes into the jungle.

After Hurley loses Dave's trail twice he decides to leave the beach and go to the caves. On the way, Dave reappears, and tells Hurley that everything that has happened since the night of the escape attempt has been a fantasy — that after Dave escaped, Hurley went into a dreamlike state and has imagined everything since then. As proof, Dave points out the appearances of the numbers said by another patient, in both Hurley's winning lottery ticket and the hatch computer. 

Dave takes Hurley to a cliff, and tells him to jump and get out of his dream, before jumping off himself. Before Hurley can decide whether or not to follow, Libby finds him and Hurley tells her that all that is happening is not real, and is only a dream, but Libby convinces him otherwise, partly by kissing him.

In the hatch, Sayid and Ana-Lucia interrogate "Henry Gale". After Henry's new story is proved false, Henry finally admits that he is an Other, but says he would be killed if he talks. Later, Locke confronts the prisoner, demanding to know if he let himself be caught, thinking it might have been to find the Swan. "Henry", however, calls the hatch a "joke", saying that during the lockdown, he never entered the numbers into the computer or pushed the button; he simply stood there, and watched the timer's numbers turn to red hieroglyphs before they reset back on their own. Locke believes that Henry is lying.

Flackbacks:
Hurley is in a mental institution, where he is friends with Dave. Dave tells Hurley to ignore the doctors, avoid his medication, and try to escape. One day, Hurley's doctor, Dr. Brooks, proves to Hurley that Dave is not real, by taking a photo of the two, and then showing Hurley that Dave is not in the picture. Later that night, Dave wakes Hurley up to escape with him from the institute. Dave hops out of a window, but Hurley confronts him and declares that Dave is not real, and shuts the window on him before going back to bed.

A later flashback reveals that during the moment Dr. Brooks took the picture of Hurley and Dave, another patient was staring at Hurley from across the room. It was Libby, which explains why Hurley has had this faint recognition of Libby while on the island.

Do you think Hurley will make another stash?

OK: I hope he doesn't, but I feel like Hurley doesn't have enough self-control to not do it again. Hopefully Libby will be a good influence on him though.

SH: I don't think he will because now he has Libby to use as motivation for not falling back into his bad habits.

Does Dave make any sense to you at all?

OK: NO! Like I get the fact that he is a figment of Hurley's imagination (I think)... but the whole story line with Dave just confuses me.

SH: The existence of made me really upset because I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. I was a little paranoid that the whole show would be in Hurley's head and that none of it really happened, but thank goodness I don't think it turns out that way.

Do you think Hurley and Libby are a cute couple or not?

OK: I don't think I like them yet. Libby kind of bothers me; she seems nice but there is something about her that throws me off.

SH: Seeing Hurley care so much about her is very heartwarming and adorable, but like Olivia said, there is something weird about her. Although, if she makes him happy, then I'm happy. 

Do you actually think "Henry" let the timer run out?

OK: I don't because I feel like something with the magnetic field would've happened. Plus, Henry is just a big liar. He is just trying to manipulate Locke and get inside his head.

SH: I think he did because I believe the timer doesn't actually do anything. 

Reaction to Dave not actually existing?

OK: Makes sense. Although it does make me question all of Hurley's past and his story lines.

SH: I hate everything. This episode made me so angry. It's a giant mind bender.

Reaction to Libby being from the same mental institution Hurley was at?

OK: What the heck! She had black hair and was crazy! That explains where Hurley knew her from, but now I feel like she is a figment of his imagination.

SH: So this whole time she was pretending to be a therapist, she was crazy. This episode makes me so angry.

Season 2: Episode 17

Flashback:
While Helen is looking through the obituaries in the newspaper she notices that Locke's father has passed away. They decide to attend the funeral hoping for some kind of closure, but there is an overwhelming sense of uneasiness because of the men who are lurking around near the funeral. Later, Locke's father pulls up next to Locke, rolls the window down, and explains that he faked his own death to get out of a situation due to his conning lifestyle. He asks Locke to assist him in withdrawing money from his safety deposit box. It is unclear whether he goes through with it or not because when the men from the funeral arrive at his house to question him, it doesn't appear he has the money. But later I guess he did take the money because he is about to give it to his father when Helen catches them and foils the plan.

After the search for Henry's balloon is successful, confusion arises. In the hatch, a strange countdown starts over the intercom and once it reaches zero the doors begin to slam closed, locking Henry and Locke inside. Locke frees Henry in hopes that he will help him.  The two successfully pry open one of the doors and Locke decides to try and escape, but fails when he gets his leg caught under the door. Henry helps him. He tries frantically to reach the computer through the vents to enter the code as Locke tells him. When the doors finally open and Henry returns, he insists that he didn't do anything.

Shortly after this, food begins raining from the sky in the jungle nearby. No one knows where it came from, but that sure doesn't stop them from collecting as much as the can carry!


Why do you think Henry helped Locke?

OK: I think Henry wants to turn Locke against the rest of the group, namely Jack. Locke hates thinking he is below anybody so that makes him vulnerable to manipulation.

SH: I think that Henry isn't a bad person, he just comes from a group of people who don't quite have their heads on straight. He also appears to have taken a certain liking to Locke.

Where do you think all the food came from?

OK: I don't know, but what if the dharma initiative people sent it because they are still watching and know Hurley's weakness so they wanted to see how he reacted. Social experiment?

SH: I think it has something to do with the fact that they didn't enter the code in time. Although, I am still really confused about the whole timer thing.

Do you think entering the code really does anything at all?

OK: I think it does something to the magnetic field, but I don't think if they didn't push it that the magnetic field would really do anything.

SH: To be honest, I never really believed that the timer would signal anything, and now I am at the same train of thought as before. I think it is just a social experiment.

Season 2: Episode 16

Jin tries to take Sun away from her garden and back to the beach, given her previous abduction from the garden. They have an argument and Jin pulls out all of the plants. She runs to the beach and asks Sawyer for a pregnancy test, which turns out to be manufactured by Widmore labs.

Locke convinces Ana Lucia that given her police training, she should interrogate Henry Gale. Henry repeats the balloon story and draws a map to the balloon, where he had buried his wife. Ana Lucia promises that she'll keep him alive if the map confirms his story. With Sayid and Charlie, she goes in search for the balloon.

As Sun is awaiting for her pregnancy test results to show up, she asks Kate if she has ever taken a test, which she replies that she has. When the test turns up positive, she does not seem too thrilled. Sun asks Kate to not tell anybody.

Ana Lucia tells Sayid that people dislike her and she has been trying most of her life to get them to like her. She says she gave up a while back and that she is who she is. She tells Sayid he has a good reason to hate her. She apologizes for what she did. Sayid says it wasn’t her fault and that once they find out Henry is one of them, something will have to be done.

They find where the balloon should be but it is not there. Ana Lucia insists that they should look some more around the area. Sayid divides the area into three parts and tells Ana Lucia to search as thoroughly as she pleases.

Jin goes and replants the plants he pulled out. He tells Sun he hates fighting like they do and that he hates not being able to understand everyone. He apologizes and Sun tells him she’s pregnant. He’s overjoyed and Sun tells him she needs to tells him something. Sun tells Jin he is the one who cannot have children, not her. He asks Sun how she can be pregnant and she promises she did not cheat. He then helps Sun rebuild her garden. Sun asks if she can stay and work in her garden as Jin wants to return to the beach. Jin bends down and kisses Sun. He tells her he loves her in English.

Jack takes Henry out of the prison and Henry asks him what the computer is for and Jack says it is for nothing. He says he figures getting out is his reward for drawing the map. Locke and Jack are caught off guard since they didn’t know about the map. Henry then "hypothetically" thinks out loud that if he in fact were one of the Others, he would probably lead them into a trap so when Ana Lucia, Sayid, and Charlie get to where the map leads them, the Others would take them hostage and trade them for him. He then mentions that it's a good thing he's not one of them as he nonchalantly asks if they have any milk for his cereal.

Flashbacks:
In their apartment, Sun and Jin are about to make love, when Jin asks Sun if she took her temperature, ruining the mood. He says they've been trying for a year to conceive, and he thinks she should see a fertility doctor. Sun asks why he wants a baby he will never see. Jin says he's sorry for the things Sun's father makes him do and that a baby would change everything. However, when they go to the fertility doctor, he tells them that Sun cannot conceive due to advanced endometriosis.

Sun enters a hotel room to meet Jae Lee, her suitor from before she met Jin. Their conversation indicates the two are regularly meeting to teach English and seek advice on Sun's relationship. She tells Jae that she was glad to learn about her infertility. Sun says that she's leaving Jin for America. Jae tells Sun that she can't run away from her life. Sun asks if Jin is her life and Jae says he's not saying she should stay for Jin.

Sun is walking her dog when the fertility doctor drives by and confesses to Sun that it's actually Jin who can't have children. He tells her this because if Sun's father found out it was Jin who could not have kids, her father would burn down his practice.

Are you happy that Sun is pregnant?

OK: Yes! Sun is going to be such a good mom! She is so sweet and adorable! 

SH: Yes! I think it is just what she and Jin needed to keep their relationship together.

Can we just agree right now that Jin and Sun are the cutest couple on the show?

OK: Even if nobody else will agree I will agree with myself. They are my favorite characters and are adorable and I can't wait for them to have their baby!

SH: I am starting to agree with you Olivia. Now that Jin isn't such a jerk all the time.

Now do you think Henry is one of the others?

OK: I have from the beginning. Can I just say, if he isn't one of the others than he is an IDIOT! You don't just up and say all suspiciously how you would kill their people if you were their enemy!

SH: I know exactly what you mean about him being an idiot if he isn't one of the others. I was screaming at him while watching this episode. However, I do believe he is one of the others. He came here in a hot air balloon? Likely story...

What do you think about the doctor lying about who was infertile?

OK: I think it just represents their culture and how much fear there is. Plus it shows how much of an awful guy Sun's father is that a doctor is afraid of him.

SH: I think the doctor was trying to protect Jin and also protect himself because he knew who Sun's father was and how powerful he is, and didn't want to get on his bad side. 

Season 2: Episode 15

This whole episode is centered around Claire's flashbacks, so I am not going to separate them from what happens in real time. As Aaron's condition worsens, Claire becomes frantic in trying to find a cure. Suddenly things begin to trigger flashbacks from when Ethan kidnapped her and held her captive for two weeks. Libby explains to her that it might be difficult to deal with the repressed memories surfacing, but Claire begs her to help her remember what happened. She decides she must find the room that she was held in so she can find the "cure" that she was injected with.

She leaves Aaron with Sun, triggering another flashback about Ethan and the strange medical room, only assuring her further that she must go. She and Kate start their journey into the jungle, after Kate gets a gun from Sawyer, and not too long after, they meet Rousseau. They reach a dead end once Rousseau can no longer help and Claire's memories have stopped, until suddenly a tree trunk lying on the ground reminds her of when Ethan took her for a walk. She runs to it and eventually finds the way back to the room but comes up empty handed when the cure is nowhere in sight. Rousseau begins to leave after the mission is unsuccessful for both Claire and herself, but Claire stops her and tells her about the teenage girl that saved her just as Rousseau did, implying that it could be Rousseau's daughter.

Meanwhile, Henry is in the hatch being stupid and trying to cause trouble by getting in Locke's head. Too bad that doesn't work out too well for him later.


Why do you think Rousseau tried to help Claire find the place where she was drugged?

OK: I think that if Claire found out where sh was taken they might find the people who took her. The same people took Rousseau's baby years ago and I think she was hoping to find her daughter, Alex.

SH: I agree with Olivia. Rousseau doesn't usually have a habit of helping people if it won't benefit her. She isn't really the "do things out of the goodness of your heart" type of person.

Do you think that Claire had trouble recalling what happened to her because she was drugged or because she was subconsciously suppressing the memories?

OK: I think it could have been a mixture of both, but mainly because she was suppressing the memories. I don't think Claire wanted to remember what happened until not knowing put her baby in danger again.

SH: I think it was mostly because of suppressing the memories because after they are triggered it doesn't appear that the memories are hazy as a result of the drugs.

Are you glad Claire ended up keeping Turnip Head?

OK: Of course! I mean I'm not sure what else she would've done with it on the island, but I'm curious to see how the baby grows up. Then Turnip Head and Jin and Sun's baby can grow up and be island friends!

SH: I am really glad that she kept him, for her sake more than for his. If he would have grown up with another family, I don't think it would have affected him much, but she has gotten so emotionally attached to him I don't know what would happen if she didn't keep him.

Season 2: Episode 14

Sayid sees Rousseau in the jungle and she takes him to a man she captured, who is in a net hanging from a tree. Rousseau tells Sayid not to let him go, because she thinks he is one of the others. The man says his name is Henry Gale and that he and his wife crashed a hot air balloon on the island about four months ago. Sayid frees him and he tries to run away until Danielle shoots him in the back with a crossbow.

Sayid brings Henry to the hatch and Jack notices Henry's injury. Sayid explains that it wasn't treated because they want to learn as much as they can about the man while he is still wounded. Jack removes the arrow but Sayid tells Jack not to untie him. Sayid asks Locke to change the combination in the armory, so he can find out more by torturing Henry.

Henry is unable remember the details of where he buried his wife. Sayid believes he is lying about who he is because he would know every last detail about digging his wife's grave. Henry then realizes that Sayid had lost someone on the island. Sayid beats Henry as Jack and Locke listen from outside. Jack holds Locke, preventing him from entering the numbers on time, telling him he will only let Locke go if he opens the door. The timer goes below a minute and Locke opens the armory. By the time he unlocks the door, there were only ten seconds. He begins typing the code. However he mistypes as the timer passes zero, then black and white numbers flip over to red symbols. Two are Egyptian hieroglyphs and the symbols are accompanied with the loud sound of a machine like a jet engine. Locke finally hits the 'Execute' button and the timer resets and the sound dies down. 

Meanwhile, in the armory, Jack bursts in and stops Sayid. They lock a bloodied Henry back in the armory. Jack recalls to Sayid how Danielle tortured him because she thought Sayid was an "other". Locke arrives, and agrees with Jack.

Sayid is then back on the beach talking to Charlie about what happened in the hatch. Sayid thinks Henry is an "Other" because he feels no guilt about torturing him. He states that Jack and Locke will never understand that feeling, because they have forgotten what the Others have done to them. He asks Charlie if he remembers how the Others hanged him from the tree and kidnapped Claire. Then he simply asks Charlie if he's forgotten what the others have done to him.

Flashbacks:
Sayid, an Iraqi soldier, is seen burning documents with fellow soldiers. Some are resisting, and as Sayid's commander orders them to continue, American troops burst in. Sayid tries to lie, saying that their commanding officer has abandoned them, but the American soldier, Sam Austen (Kate's father), doesn't believe him.

Sayid is held captive by the Americans, who have found his commanding officer. Two military men ask Sayid to act as a translator, and Sayid attempts to get his CO to reveal the location of a captive American pilot. Speaking in their own language, which the Americans cannot understand, Sayid's CO orders him to grab the American's gun and kill as many as he can, but Sayid refuses. Austen knows they can't get the information and call in the next man; an American agent named orders Sayid to torture the Iraqi officer; at first, Sayid refuses this too, but agrees after the agent shows him a video of Sayid's family being gassed on his CO's  orders. 

While interrogating the officer, Sayid learns that it's too late, and that the pilot had been executed anyway. Sayid is eventually released by the Americans. In the truck, Kate's father asks Sayid if he has a wife or kids. The American commander who asked him looks down at a photo which shows a young-looking Kate and tells him that the day will come when Sayid needs information from someone — and that he will have the means to get it. He appears to speak fluent Arabic, however, Sayid vows never to torture again.

Do you think Henry is telling the truth or that he is one of the others?

OK: I think he is one of the others. He just looks like a liar and his story doesn't sound reliable at all. I mean who tries to circumnavigate the globe in a smiley faced hot air balloon because they thought it would be fun? Please.

SH: I think Henry is lying because his back story is much too far-fetched to be believable, plus the subtle side comments he makes weird me out and create suspicion. 

Do you think Sayid is doing the right thing in torturing Henry?

OK: I feel bad that he has to compromise his morals, but I think it is necessary to get the truth from him.

SH: I don't believe that Henry should be tortured, especially because Sayid is trying to get over that part of his life, but at the same time, they really don't have many options and I can't think of anything better to do.

What do you think about how Sayid learned to torture?

OK: I thought the connection between Kate's dad and Sayid was interesting. Plus I thought he learned to torture through his army, not from the Americans.

SH: It made me really sad that he had to turn against his commander. I think he did the right thing in the end but it would be such a tough decision to make and I feel sorry that he was in that situation.

Season 2: Episode 13

Flashbacks:
This flashback is extremely elaborate, so I apologize in advance for the how lengthy this is. Sawyer, having a history of being a conman, is being focused on. In the beginning of the flashback, we see him attempt to con a woman, Cassidy, the same way he had conned many women before, however she doesn't fall for it. She sees through him, but asks to join him as a side kick of sorts. After following the two through a number of con jobs, we start to see an emotional relationship develop. Cassidy explains that she wants to pull off a "long con", which is basically what Sawyer was going to do to her. After agreeing reluctantly, Sawyer is shown at a meeting with a man who appears to be his boss. This man explains that Sawyer is taking too long to finish the con of Cassidy and Sawyer protests, but is not able to sway his boss. He returns to Cassidy and it appears that he is trying to save her from being conned, but in the end he goes all con-ception and is actually conning her by making her believe that he is saving her. Phew..

The story line of this episode parallels what happens in the flashback. It all starts when Jack confronts Sawyer about his constant taking and hoarding of supplies which he "found". Jack takes the medicine Sawyer has taken, and without knowing it, sets off a domino effect of bad things to happen.

Sun is attacked while working in the garden she has made, but the attacker is not shown. The first thought is that the others are back, despite the previous truce that was made. The idea of the army is brought up once again, but this time with more intensity. Sawyer and Kate investigate what happened and Sawyer brings up the point that this could be an attempt of Ana Lucia to rally support for the army. Kate decides to bring the issue with Ana Lucia up to Jack but he won't hear it, however he gains suspicion after a strangely related conversation with Ana Lucia.

Jin demands to be given a gun to protect his wife and it finally dawns on Kate that Ana Lucia's plan was to get access to the guns. She flees to inform Sawyer and he agrees to warn Locke, who is waiting in the hatch. Sawyer tells Locke to change the combination to the armory, but Locke thinks hiding the guns will be a better idea. He leaves his timer shift to Sawyer while he journeys to find a hiding spot.

Jack and Jin enter the hatch in search of the guns and confront Sawyer when they come up short handed. He insists that he doesn't know where they are. Jack rushes to find Locke and begins to argue with him about hiding the guns when it is interrupted by gunshots. SAWYER TRICKED THEM SO GOOD! He was behind the whole thing because he was sick of people taking his stuff. Surprise ending. But how did Sawyer do it? He had a spy... Charlie... Charlie was the one who informed Sawyer of the location of the guns and the one who attacked Sun.

Why do you think Charlie helped Locke?

SH: I think Charlie is still upset about the whole situation with Claire and his reasoning is being influenced.

OK: I agree. Whenever something bad happens with Claire it seems to cloud his judgement. He goes to extremes to impress her.

What do you think of Sawyer saying, "You run. I con." to Kate?

SH: I think it's about dang time someone address the fact that she hasn't changed her ways at all. I'm starting to really like Sawyer because of how up front he is with people.

OK: I'm glad she told it to her straight, although I don;t know that she will listen or that it will do her any good. I still don't like Sawyer though.


Season 2: Episode 12

Charlie has a dream that Aaron's cradle was drifting into the ocean. He swims out to save the baby and when he gets back to the beach he sees a vision of his mother and Claire dressed as angels and they tell him that he has to save the baby. Hurley also appears, dressed as John the Baptist. Charlie wakes up holding Aaron on the beach, but with no memory of how it happened. Claire runs up and takes her baby back from Charlie and slaps him on the face.

When Charlie tells Eko about his dreams, Eko says that the dreams might mean that Charlie needs to save the baby. Charlie goes to Claire and tells her that Aaron is in danger and that they have to baptize him, but Claire doesn't trust Charlie anymore and brushes of his warnings.

Later that night, Charlie starts a fire as a diversion and steals Aaron from his crib. He runs to the ocean to try to baptize him, but Claire notices Aaron is missing and screams at charlie to give him back, drawing in a crowd. Charlie refuses to give Aaron back and tries to convince everyone that he was trying to "save the baby." 

Locke ends up getting Charlie to give Aaron back, and hands him back to Claire. Locke punches Charlie repeatedly, leaving him lying in the water. At the end of the episode, Claire seeks out Eko and at her request, he baptizes both her and Aaron.


Flashbacks:
A young Charlie just got a piano for Christmas because his family wants him to use his musical talent to "save" them and get them out of poverty, but his father appears and says that he isn't going to save anyone and cuts the head off of a doll with a knife. As an adult, Charlie is seen in a hospital where his brother's girlfriend has just given birth to a daughter. Liam didn't show up at the hospital because he was high. When his girlfriend throws him out, Liam turns to Charlie but secretly sells his piano. He claimed that he needed the money to travel to Australia to get a job and enter rehab so he could get clean for his family.

What is the significance of Aaron's name and him needing to be baptized? Is their any other reason he needed to be baptized?

OK: I think Aaron is biblical and relates to the religious aspect of the island. I think he needed to be baptized because if he dies without it, he would go to hell.

SH: I honestly thought she just liked the name Aaron, so that one went over my head. I think Charlie thinks Aaron needs to be baptized because he is afraid that something is going to happen to Aaron and he won't be able to go to heaven because he wasn't baptized.

Do you think Charlie acted foolishly in stealing Aaron in the middle of the night?

OK: I do. I think he is way to attached to Claire and the baby. I know he cares for them a lot, but he acts like he is Aaron's dad sometimes which would stress me out as well.

SH: I do think so. I understand that he cares about Aaron, but he should really talk to Claire before trying to take control over her baby.

Why do you think Claire ended up deciding to baptize Arron and herself?

OK: I think deep down she trusts Charlie and wants to do what is best for Aaron. I think she wanted to be baptized if she was getting Aaron baptized because she wants to end up in heaven with him.

SH: I think she did it as a precautionary measure, just in case Charlie is right. I don't know if she actually believes him or not.

What is your opinion of Liam?

OK: I'm glad that Liam sobered up, bu he kind of was a jerk in doing so. He just sold Charlie's piano and left him with nothing. Charlie was there for him the whole time and he just walked out.

SH: As much as I want to blame Liam for Charlie's addiction, in the end, it was Charlie's fault. For this reason, I can't hate Liam. But I don't like his selfish ways and the way he talks down to Charlie after he got clean.