Episode 23

Flashbacks:

Because there isn't one character as the focus of this episode's flashbacks, I am going to skip around a little bit. Walt is upset with his dad the night before they are scheduled to leave Australia and he yells that Michael isn't his father. Jack has a conversation with some lady who was on the plane before they boarded. We find out that deportation is the reason why Sawyer is on the plane. We see more of Kate's violent side from before she boarded. We get to see Shannon be a snooty, malicious woman to Sayid, getting him in trouble with airport security. On that note, we overhear a women acting the same way talking about Jin and Sun, assuming that they cannot understand her. 

Back on the island, some random guy, Leslie Arzt, starts spouting off about how it is monsoon season and that they shouldn't set sail on the raft until after it is over, which could be three or four months. When asked when they should have left, he replies, "Yesterday."

Also, Rousseau pays a surprise visit to inform everyone that after she gave birth to her baby, Alex, that black smoke appeared and the others came and took Alex from her. She intends this as a warning because Claire just gave birth to Aaron. She ends up taking a group of the survivors to what she calls the Black Rock to find dynamite that they intend on using to open the hatch in order to survive whatever the others will bring. As soon as they arrive, they are riddled with confusion, as the Black Rock isn't a rock at all, it is a washed up pirate ship. Arzt claims he knows just how to handle the life threatening substance and ends up blowing himself up.

Who do you think the "others" are? Where did they come from?

OK: I think the others have something to do with the island's security system. I think they designed it and know what the island is about. As for where they came from...no idea.

SH: I feel like the "others" aren't people that exist in the same realm as the survivors on the island. My reasoning behind that is no one seems to be able to see them, except for maybe Locke and he is all kinds of connected spiritually, so it makes sense that he is the exception. However, they are able to hear the others and their security system, so maybe their existence is just different than humans.

What are your thoughts on the security system?

OK: I think it is weird. It's kind of like when a scary movie is really good until you find out why the scary things are happening and it's really dumb and ruins the whole movie. We just don't know enough yet for it to make any sense.

SH: It makes me angry to be honest. It seems like something added in just for the extra drama and it doesn't seem to fit the overall mood of the show, but who knows, maybe it will be explained later on.

Are you happy that Jin and Sun made up?

OK: YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! nuff said.

SH: I would have said no except for the conversation they had before Jin was about to leave on the raft made me change my mind completely.

Do you think there is significance to adding Arzt into this episode?

OK: I agree with Sonya. Not a necessary character.

SH: I honestly think that it was very stupid of them to put Arzt into the show at all because he only ends up surviving for like two episodes and doesn't play a major role anyway. 

What do you think of the black smoke?

OK: I think the black smoke was lit as a decoy by the others so they could be somewhere else.

SH: I think the black smoke is a symbol for the fact that they are not alone on this island.