Maternity Leave

A thoroughly excellent episode. An unusual one, too, with no pre-crash flashbacks. Lots of wonderful little links to things that came before, but much more tantalizing were the hints and implications of what’s coming. It was good to see Mr. Eko again, and who knows what he’s up to (cutting down marked trees, and cutting off a chunk of beard). He seems to think Henry Gale is connected to the Others, though, and now I’m even more convinced. Jen has also come around on that point, given that he too has clearly figured out just how to rattle Locke’s cage.

Things to ponder:

  • How about that mobile hanging over the crib? Commercial jets are an odd choice. Oceanic Airlines jets? Even odder. The fact that it played “Catch a Falling Star”? Absolutely intriguing. After all, it was “Catch a Falling Star” that Claire asked the would-be adoptive parents in Season 1 to sing to the baby.
  • Seems like the drug administered to Claire’s unborn baby was the same drug Desmond injected himself (and later ran off) with. So is Desmond an Other? Was Kelvin? More importantly, what is it? If it’s a vaccine, and in limited supply, having to choose “good people” sounds like a likely development. It also sounds like another psychological experiment.
  • So maybe there aren’t two groups of Others, but there are two sides to them. Ethan, Goodwin, Zeke out of costume, all seemingly bright, clever folks, but rough, dirty and raggedy when “in character.” But why? Efforts to sustain an image of a primitive environment despite having access to modern technology definitely adds to the “it’s all an experiment” theories.
  • The costume pieces in the hatch were totally unexpected, and I’m still not sure if it’s a twist I like. “It’s all an elaborate production” is a little further down the theory continuum toward “it’s all a dream” than I’d prefer. Presuming that was Zeke’s hat and beard, they were there in the past couple of days (after Zeke confronted Jack and party in the forest), and it sure seems like they left in a hurry, too. Maybe the countdown in the Swan station spooked them?
  • That’s twice now Locke has stopped Claire from going to the hatch. It’s implied this time, though, that it’s because they’re hiding Henry Gale. Jen’s not sure why that’s a secret. Because it might scare people? Inspire a lynch mob? Or simply because of how it makes his captors look?
  • Interesting to learn more about Ethan. I thought we saw a hint of a softer side, and liked that he perhaps was not the most respected member of the crew. Jen’s convinced he was just being his conniving, sinister self.
  • Who is the “he” that Zeke said he had to report Ethan’s “list making” failure to? And is “he” on the island, or in contact from afar? The DeGroots? (If Zeke isn’t a DeGroot.) Or the big man himself, Alvar Hanso? I’m betting the latter, because Zeke so proudly quoted the man.
  • Sun’s brief outburst about a mother never leaving her child smelled like a big pile of foreshadowing.
  • More and more, I’m loving Rousseau (and appreciating Mira Furlan’s talent). It was good to see Claire in the spotlight, too.
  • Jen loved the Stephen King shoutout. And more literature links: Dostoevsky vs. Hemingway.

Links:

SPOILERY BIT: Next? Again with the reruns. Next new episode will air on March 22. How about the preview, though? Sun wants a pregnancy test? Jen just about fell out of her chair. (Why would Sawyer have one, though? Who takes a pregnancy test on a plane?) The… “encounter” probably pre-dates the crash, and my bet is that it wasn’t with Jin. There’s something big coming in her flashback. I saw them filming that episode, and it looked both familiar, and yet a lot more contemporary than the period when she first met Jin.

I also got up close and personal with the shooting for the following episode (a Locke flashback). We just can’t wait to see these stories air.

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58 Responses to Maternity Leave

  1. Miller says:

    Best episode yet.

  2. Henry is a Piece of Work. Best Psych Job on Locke he freakin’ pushed All the Buttons,He has been Hearing EVERY SINGLE Word, Debate,Argument and he has a Total Grasp of “Our” Lost group. Kill him/or Exile him Now,or Let Mr. Echo and Sayid go Medevil on his Buttocks> He is a threat. Baby Aaron is now a Carrier of Some Dread Disease. I think Claire is next to Die. The Others gave up on Baby Aaron after he was exposed/Returned/ Born outside Containment Area. They need Young er Kids to Have a “Blank Slate” for their Time travel Mr. Wizard Project. And Wasn’t the Clean Shaven Guy with Ethan at the Door (yes he was Mr. Friendly) but wasn’t he ALSO the US Army Officer whose son was the Missing US Pilot in the Desert?? And the “”HE”” that he talks of not being happy…..Could be Henry……Gale who is The Director{Wiz} of our little Island Project .
    More was Learned in this Episode than any other Three Groups And Rouseau’s Kid Alex, is a Free Radical that can bring it down, Look to see her and Walt later pulling back the curtain.

  3. signe c. says:

    aloha!

    i have a theory that desmond was in quarantine for the virus. he had to continue pressing the button to let the others know he was still alive and that the virus had not killed him yet.

    i haven’t thought this all the way through yet…. i am sure there are some problems with this theory. maybe that is why the hieroglyphics roughly translate to “die” …. because if desmond had not made it there in time to hit the button, then it would mean he was surely dead.

    also, he could have been brainwashed to hit the button for this reason; however if he knowingly pushed the button for this reason, all he had to do to escape his captivity was to convince our crew to continue pushing it. that way, the others wouldnt catch on that something was amiss…. this would also explain why they haven’t been to the hatch since desmond left and our crew took it over.

    on a side note, i just recently started listening to the podcast. thank you so much – i can’t even tell you guys how much i’ve been enjoying it.

    geeking out,

    signe c.
    houston, texas

  4. Graves says:

    Great episode! In typical “Lost” fashion it left us with more questions than answers.

  5. Den says:

    Enjoyed the episode. A few things: How about the baby DOLL in Claire’s arms as she, Kate and Libby were walking on the beach? Poor production value. Obviously a doll. The head was the size of a basketball and Claire was constantly lifting the doll’s right arm up and repositioning it. When Ethan brings Clair outside and they sit on the log, we see Claire appear in the background overlooking the scene. I find this very interesting. The tableau is very similar to Walt’s appearances to Shannon. The scene is taking place in Clair’s mind, but she actually appears standing up the slight slope in her own memory! Ethan and the captive Claire look up and see her standing there. Time travel? Lastly, at the end of “One of Them” didn’t we leave Jack and Locke pretty much violently disagreeing about the countdown clock and keeping Ethan as a prisoner? Jack slammed Locke against the wall. Well, they seemed to have made up over the two weeks between episodes. Jack now agrees that it is best they keep Henry captive?

  6. Dan says:

    I just wanted to point out something else that interested me. For the second time in a row, it rained on the show, but no one died.

    Maybe we can’t trust the rain as a sign of death anymore?

  7. Mark says:

    I felt like there were more answers than questions in “Maternity Leave.”

    Henry Gale is obviously the “He” as in “he’s not going to like this.” The counter incident in the previous episode was probably a near miss, since Henry Gale is still there and not booking a flight on the next balloon flying off the island. As previously stated, he could have easily used the pliers left behind to escape.

    The hatch (with the medical insignia) where Claire was taken became abandoned because “He” didn’t like what they did with Claire (since it wasn’t to plan).

    I’m actually starting to think that Henry Gale is the big honcho from Dharma (maybe Alvaro Hanso’s son) and he believes the old adage of “if you want a job done right, go do it yourself.”

    He (yes, Henry Gale) in on the Island and more importantly infiltrated into the Lostee camp for damage control and to check on the results of Dharma’s (1) psychological and (2) medical experiments (i.e., Claire’s baby).

    Since it was previously leaked in a spoiler, we already know that Dharma is planning a food and supply drop to our Lostees, which means that Henry Gale is very interested in our group (as test subjects) and wants to keep them alive (with food) and vaccinated against the virus with supplies.

    I think that our Dharma scientists dressed up like boatbillies because it was either part of a Dharma psychological experiment or a more effective way of keeping the Lostees away from the medical and other hatches that were across the line. The Boatbilly personas are more imposing as a threat than a bunch of clean-shaven scientists.

  8. Dave says:

    After an episode like this one, I especially miss the podcast. It would have been a treat to hear some analysis. EXCELLENT episode.

    Nice to see some more development of Ethan and to see how the dirty Others that we know and love could also be scientists (via the costumes).

    Ryan, I agree that the Others may have skedaddled from their underground bunker when the alarm went of in the Hatchelor Pad. Interesting that “Henry Gale” seemed unfazed. Also interesting to me that there is someone higher up in the pecking order than Mr Friendly/Zeke.

    How could Danielle have been on the island 16 years searching for Alex and NEVER found that hatch?

    The two other things I really enjoyed about this episode:
    1) The concept of fear of the unknown, which seems to be a central theme of Lost. People are worried about “the Others,” and who or what they are. They are worried about “the sickness” and “the vaccine” against it, though it is not clear if there is a disease itself or whether the paranoia surrounding its possible existence is the true “sickness.” Underground bunkers to protect people. And the island itself, which is obviously an area of isolation from everything else. What is outside and what is in? What is real and what is an experiment? Who are “Others” and who are “Us?”
    2) All of the other Others. By my count, we have several indepedent groups here, and it’s not clear whether they have any true connection aside from being supplied by the Dharma Initiative (e.g. is Dharma an unknown entity to everyone — like the Wizard of Oz — or is Dharma run by the Hansos/DeGroots/Mr Friendly and the large group of Others, and using the remaining islanders in an experiment). We have Danielle, the crew of the Black Rock, Desmond, the Others (Mr Fiendly, Ethan, et al), the Losties, possibly Henry Gale, the Nigerian plane… that’s at least six disparate groups of people who have been on the island at one time or another. It brings up the question of who is an Other — anyone unknown? Are the Losties “Others” to the Others?

    And how did Ethan and the Others convince Claire to stay with them? Maybe that was the “vaccine” they gave her… some sort of sedative or narcotic to bliss her out so they could get her baby. Maybe there is no sickness (as I mentioned above).

    Thanks for the continued efforts, and I hope so hear some other thoughts.

  9. Nadia says:

    Is Henry Gale trying to get Locke and Jack to split up the dynamics between them? Locke was upset at the end. And what the heck was with Ecko and the Beard? and I loved the shout out to Stephen King too 🙂
    The Mobile is very interesting with the planes revolving around the sun. I don’t know…things are just getting all mixed up. I am also liking the french lady.

  10. Daren W. Criswell says:

    I would deffinately go with the idea of Henry trying to split up the dynamics between Jack and Locke. We Know he can here everything in the hatch and they have been fighting with each other over trust issues and the amory’s combination. Henry knows the best tactic would be to divide and conquer. The show ended with Locke extremely upset over the power struggle and the Transmission said they where taping another Locke flashback that will probally expose a past situation that deeply affected Locke is this way. That statement Henry said to Locke has to go much deeper than his dealings with Jack on the island.

  11. Lynn says:

    The others are the scientist, As for the sickness and vaccine not real all a physicolocal expirement. And you know there must be more bunkers. So why hasn’t an expidetion been sent out to explore the island. The first thing a sailor does if ship wreaked on an island is to circle the island and then start maping the island. hey you never know there could be a port on the other side. Does anyone walk on the beach whats on the other side of the island. This is all too shades of the island of Dr. Morro, mad scientist wizards I am waiting for the ailins from oter space. Oh my be that’s why the planes cirle the sun. Help I cvan’t stop but its frustraiting me.

  12. sir monster says:

    Echo is very spiritual, i think the beard was simply another one of his traditions. like the whole 40 days of silence thing. he cut off two things of hair.. each one representing the burdon of a life that he took. and now that he apologized and repented the burdon is lifted. i love that his character is both spiritual and very scary. when he told henry to stop talking… henry stopped talking… very mean look on echos face there. there is a sickness… the french woman (who i met over the weekend =P) killed her crew because of it… we still dont know much about it. also.. kate found the bearded man’s costume.. including his beard in that locker…why on earth would they need to get all dressed up in costumes? the other’s behavior is so… off it creeps me out. there has to be a much larger facility somewhere on the island… and with the possiblility next week of sun being pregnant… the baby stealing thing is going to happen all over again.. maybe we wont ever see clair again… im sorry but hehe.. am i the only one that cant stand her?? she came off very arrogant this episode and constantly yelling… very annoying =P

  13. Mr. Echo and the Beard… There were Two Braids representing the two men that he Beat to death with a Rock.. he confessed to Henry “the Wiz’ Gale because ,Mr Echo KNOWS Gale is the Man, KNOWS he is EVIL, and Mr. Echo Owns Henry, But at the same time respects the total power that henry represents. The two braids were a blood oath Burden that Echo carried until he could be Freed by Confession. By the way He is Building a Church.
    While there were questions in this episode, we got alot of answers, No They are Not Dead,there is Someone trying to control Everything,, Kids/Baby’s are the Key. And There is TIME Travel involved, too many outcomes from outcomes in the past, Ripples in time and I think that ,the Time paradoxes are starting to tear and rip at the “Master Plan”.

  14. Jen says:

    I’d be annoying, too, if my kid had an unexplained rash and fever and I couldn’t account for a good couple of weeks of my life and nobody around me had any answers. I’d be even more annoying than Claire, in fact, if I had Kate yammering away behind me for miles.

  15. Yep , Claire must die.
    jd

  16. Taren says:

    I feel like a lot more questions came up in this episode, and it worries me that some unanswererd questions brought up are going to be left open… but I shouldn’t fear, because they are doing a pretty good job of brining past things up and answering them. An episode I would like to see, is that of the “real” world… see how the Losties families are reacting to their missing people?

  17. Jennifer says:

    Here is a quote from one of the books that was found on the shelves in the hatch called “The third policeman” make note of the reference of the black air, the creators of this show are amazing to link all this stuff together.
    “Not everybody knows how I killed old Phillip Mathers, smashing his jaw in with my spade;” not only is he a murderer, but a very lazy man who ruins his family farm, and spends his life researching the works of a madman named De Selby, who believes that, among other things, darkness is an hallucination, the result of accretions of black air.

  18. Eric says:

    What was with Danielle almost begging Kate to shoot her? We know that people can die on the island (Boone, Shannon etc), but the way she asked for it seemed very strange to me…

  19. Alex says:

    Get ready for a couple of dud episodes after this GREAT one.

  20. LOSTISBOSS says:

    FABULOUS EPISODE!!!, but i have more to add

    those planes in the boys bedroom represent the planes the dharmites brought down, and in each one there is one or two pregnant women (or men idk) and the “others”, who are the dharmites, take them, do testing and eventually take the baby.

    The dharmites have a use for each person, we know that clares was the baby, we dont know anyone elses, but we prob will find out soon. Every person on the island has a maternal or paternal instinct (Mikes a dad, Clares a mum, Dani lost alex/jessica, jack changed comments when he found out daddy operated on preg girl drunk, ana was preg, and so os sun, etc.) Henry Gale = OTHER!!! did you see the look on his face after locke freaked in kitchen, hes starting sumthing to get out and return to dharma. The guy ethan talked to was zeke.

    LOST IS BOSS!!!

  21. Uncle Igmar says:

    Nice to see you guys are back – I am not going to get all wordy here – many of those who have commented have already expressed some of my thoughts about this episode – other than to say that my personal jury is still out as far as Henry Gale goes. Yeah he can manipulate – yeah he has some pretty good hearing – but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the head of the Dharma Initiative on the island – or even a member of “The Others” as Eko believes.

    My thought on Mr. Gale is that he really was on a balloon trip across the Pacific and the creators of the series are making him look all shady as a distraction. Heck, Vincent could be the “he” they refer to – since Zeke and Ethan knew that Alvar Hanso was reincarnated in the form of Vincent.

    Ya never know. OK – that was silly – but I think that somehow someone might just stumble across that Smiley Faced balloon.

  22. jim says:

    This was one of those episodes where all the carping and complaining just fade away. Brilliant stuff. Parts of the show were actually genuinely creepy, something that doesn’t happen all that often. A few observations: “Henry Gale” is definitely an Other; his knowledge of Locke’s psychology could not possibly have been gleaned just by listening from his cell. I wasn’t that surprised at the discovery of the false beard and theatrical glue; “Zeke” always looked kind of funny, in an artificial way. And, while I didn’t catch the actress’s name, the young woman who played Rousseau’s daughter was formerly a semi-regular on “Malcolm in the Middle”, playing Malcolm’s bright, arrogant, girlfriend…
    Bravo to all responsible for this episode! (And bravo to you too, Ryan, for your thoughtful, well-written comments.)

  23. Will says:

    Mr. Ecko cutting his beard does seem symbolic. Maybe this article would help understand what it means. My theory is that he is vowing not to kill again by this act.

  24. Ian says:

    I think this was the best episode yet…but…why was the facility that Claire resided in such poor shape?

    If they have been on that island for about two plus months, how could that facility get so run down? Why would the lights not be working, paint in poor shape, etc.

    I know they are in a jungle, but still things do not deteriorate that quickly…

    Either they did a poor job in continuity or this is something that will get answered in a later podcast.

    I vote to: BRING BACK THE PODCAST!!!! The other podcasts are crap! Crap I tell you!!

  25. Turki says:

    Very informative episode, in terms of the “Others” at least!
    One thing that really puzzles me is that they took EVERYTHING form the
    facility (the bed, whatever was in the fridge,almost everything in the baby’s bedroom), however, they did not take the chair, the baby’s sock and the costumes !

    Now, is the bed more important than the costumes, which reveals their act?! or the sock? or every single toy that was in the baby’s room?!

    I think they left it on PURPOSE !

    Why? you’re guess is as good as mine at the moment 🙂

    For the chair and sock, it helped Clair remember and know for sure that this was the place they took her to. As for the costumes, they wanted them to know they were acting primitive. Why? I don’t know!

    They obiously left well before Clair and CO discovered their place. It’s not because Clair had escaped, because we see Zeke wearing his costume whan Jack and CO go looking for Michael. When did they decide to leave? and why?

    This show is just making me crazy, and I’m loving it 🙂

  26. Kelly says:

    I believe there are 6 hatches, remember in the film, it said 1 of 6, or 3 of 6. I cannot remember exactly, so there is so much more mystery to discover.

  27. Janine says:

    Just a few points:

    1. The mobile in the baby’s cradle has actually been seen by us (the audience) before, in the first season. Yup. Right before Claire was captured in season 1 she was having flashes/dreams of someone trying to take her baby and at one point you see the mobile. Go bust out your season one DVDs and have a look. So does that mean that Claire is clairvoyant?
    2. You know that Spanish comic book that has been kicking around? Well DC has done an English translation of it and posted it on the web. I’ve read it and the three key things I took from it were: Teamwork, Mind control and Aliens. In it the two superheroes can only prevail against the mind controlling alien when they work together, each one has to let go of their ego….can we say Locke and Jack? And isn’t it interesting that Henry is the one the one trying to manipulate them….so is he then functioning as the alien did in the comic? It would completely make sense if that were the case, especially because he is able to “hear” what Jack and Locke are saying through steel walls. Is Henry Gale just an other? Or is he something more???

    Great episode all in all….we were due for that.

  28. Heydude says:

    I believe Henry is an Other too. Since Ethan was killed the Others will want to get someone else to make a new list. Since Henry is listening in on everything he can get the new list started. Does Mr. Ecko want to be on the list as he missed his last opportunity???

  29. Gretchen says:

    This was excellent. You guys have by far the best reviews and comments on Lost and I’m so glad you’ve kept this up! (I still miss the podcast, though…. don’t think you’re forgiven for leaving us with a dearth of smart lostcasts!)

    I think we should get ready to see some real conflicts and splitting into factions among the Oceanic flight survivors. (Although, I wanted to just punch Locke for listening to Henry Gale and you know he’s doing EXACTLY what Gale wanted!)

  30. Sheila says:

    I loved this episode. It’s right up there with “The Other 48 Days” for me for this season. I was pleased with the focus on the Island and not on off-Island flashbacks. The only part that didn’t sit well with me was Locke’s all too easy manipulation by Henry Gale. I see I’m not alone on this.

    Ryan and Jen, I miss your podcasts! Thank goodness we fans of yours can still read your Lost insights on this site.

    Speaking of websites, is anyone else having trouble accessing the Hanso Foundation website? I have tried to access it for the past two weeks with zero luck.

  31. coolpaulnyc says:

    I am glad that I am not the only one who noticed that doll that Claire was carrying. It’s a sore spot in an otherwise awesome episode.

  32. Matt says:

    Have you two thought about doing just one podcast a month covering that month’s worth of shows. Also you could cut out the feedback part to save the extra work since people reply on your blog anyway.

    I really miss your show……

    🙁

  33. Beltane says:

    I didn’t have time to read all the replies, I’m sorry if someone mentioned it.

    Have you read the Entertainment Weekly article where one of their writers ‘solves’ Lost?

    Take a GOOD look at it, I think he has it more right than anyone else I’ve ever heard theories of. Makes perfect sense and he crosses all the Ts and dots all the Is.

    I will really be disappointed to see Locke being a chump. He is my favorite character and to have him be so weak over an ego problem is just embarassing in my opinion. I hope they don’t go too far down that road. Then again — he was kind of a simpering dork pre-plane crash… so maybe that will rise to the surface again. But I prefer his new transformation character.

    Nice blog. 🙂 Miss the podcast, a LOT.

  34. rgzz says:

    Great Episode, and a lot of questions:

    – who is “HIM”???
    a. the monster???? is the monster a god? an alien? the disease itself? the incident? the island’s soul? all of the above?
    b. HEnry Gale.. like thinking “if Ethan couldn´t make the #$%@ list I have to do it myself! I’m smarter than him.”
    c. Alvar Hanso

    Claire was clearly drugged in the medical hatch, and they let her see everything because as the teenage girl said they were going to kill her after getting the baby. By the way it was great to see Alex, I suppose.

    Kate discovered Zeke’s costume, and she has to tell Jack and Sawyer, and the have to get back and open the other lockers!!!

    What’s with the Airplane mobile? looks like a conspiracy to get planes with children and pregnant women into the island.

    What about ALL the doctors in the hatch? looks like Jack is not the only one in the island, funny!

    and Michael, don’t you miss him?

    see you until next episode…

  35. AP says:

    Having only recently discovered this website, I don’t know how I survived the first series without it!

    I was delighted to see the return to an episode with more questions than answers. Whilst it’s good to get background stories of the “survivors” (if they are) some seem to be at the expense of offering more insight to life on the “island” (if it is one)!

    I’m glad to see the comment about Michael by rgzz – yes when are we going to see him again and what about Walt? What came of their “chats” via the numbers PC. Surely it’s time to throw them back into the mix.

    Henry – definately an “Other” and a dangerous and manipulative one! He’s looking to light the blue touch paper with Locke & Jack and given Locke’s reaction at the end of the episode, it won’t be a slow burn.

    They say a week is a long time in politics – but not as long as the seven days between each LOST episode!

  36. Alex D. (aka Winter) says:

    Love the episode..

    Did anyone unscramble Henry Gale’s Name ???

    General Hy
    or
    Gen. Lerah

    maybe he is a general ???

    Just a thought…

  37. Mark says:

    There can only be one logical reason that Mr. Eko apologized to Henry Gale. Mr. Eko knows who or what Henry Gale really is through his encounter with the whirling smoke (or particles). Mr. Eko wants it known to the “Others” (by speaking to Henry Gale) that he is now a “Good” person.

    BTW: If the smoke is actually particles of some kind, there are chances that they are microscopic robots programmed to move in unison and do whatever they are tasked to do. This type of technology is already in early development– microscopic robots are being developed for cleaning out clogged arteries as a less invasive procedure than the use of by-pass surgery.

    The 2 pieces of Mr. Eko’s beard were formed as a “V” (as in victory during WW II and as a peace sign during the Vietnam War). If so, which one is the message to Henry Gale? … Victory? … Peace? … both?

    Ryan and Jen, I hope that the recent flooding didn’t touch your part of the Island.

  38. Christine O says:

    Some thoughts
    – Now that we have seen 3 hatches (there are supposed to be 6) I would expect each hatch to have a specific purpose, so far we’ve had the numbers hatch, the medical hatch, and maybe the 3rd where the Tailes were a storage hatch. I’m guessing that there is some huge master facility on the island monitoring of all the hatches, obtaining new supplies, housing all the Dharma people, etc. and running the whole Dharma show in general. I believe the others are monitoring all of the hatches by video surveillance because this is the only way Walt could have known his Dad was at the computer terminal in the “numbers hatch.”
    -I find it strange and against human nature that not one of the Lostaways has taken the iniative to systematically investigate all of the strange mysteries on the island- it seems a little unrealistic that they have a “oh well whatever” to seeing the black smoke, strange animals, the video in the hatch, etc.
    – For the refrigerator to be overturned like that in the medical hatch it must have sustained an extremely large impact, an earthquake? a fight, but with whom? Why would there be a fight anyway? the black smoke?
    -I was thinking about the producers statement that everyone on the island is there for a reason. The Dharma scientists could not know who specifically would survive and who would die in the plane crash- hence, I find it strange that these scientists would choose a plane crash as a vehicle to get test subjects to an island. I hope the writers come up with something realistic to answer this question.
    -I really don’t believe the theory that this is all a psychological experiment- this is not a valid justification to even radical scientists I think for killing a few hundred people on the plane crash and who knows how many more with the “illness,” and traumatizing all of the rest. The justification for this has to have a much greater short term impact.
    – I dont believe Eko that the only reason why he confessed to Henry Gale was “because he had to tell someone”- there has to be more to it.
    -I think there will more interesting things revealed about the so-called Dharma leader referred to by Zeke as “him.”
    Bring back the podcast!!!

  39. Matt A says:

    Hey,

    About Sun’s pregnancy – I believe her and Jin got together right after he got back from the raft trip – at least the show alludes to it either at the beginning or end of one of the next few episodes.

    Thanks for the continued updates!

  40. Perhaps Henry Gale is who he says he is… somebody snapped a pic of his balloon!

  41. Henry is A spook. Dharma Dia NSA Institute Raincoat cloak and dagger Psycho ,If not “the Man” he is pulling the strings for him…the Balloon Story ..May have been True, But, this’ Henry Gale’..”he is using the name ,But He ain’t him the Real Gale is Dead or ,being, stirfried by the Others Dr. Dungeon Krewe,and Psuedo Henry know his Tail inside out ’cause he ripped from him as an interrogator..
    I watched this episode 3 times…. Claire is on my last Nerve. the Baby is a carrier. Thats what they do have a Mild case of the ”’INFECTION”” then are fine.

    Love this site.
    Mr./ Father Echo Rulz

  42. Papplehead says:

    The thing about the doctors killing Claire and taking the baby reminded me of the recent move The Island, where scientist clone people and use the clone’s body parts to ix the “real” people. The people who’s body parts were needed were told that they were going to an “island”, the last paradise on the earth. But really, they were taken to a hospital and harvested of their organs. This goes along with the copy theory, or i could just be out of my mind. Either way, it sounds kinda fishy.

  43. Jim G says:

    Could be that the hatch was in such bad shape because of a battle? Between who?

  44. Andrew says:

    The only doubt i have against Henry Gale being an other is that, when Jack brought him into the hatch, you could see he was wearing shoes which we have seen is unusual for an Other. Besides this one fall back I am sold on him as an Other.

  45. Roger B says:

    It seems that Aaron may be the savior that the Others have been looking for for 16 years. I believe the fever and rash was a reaction to what he was injected with–perhaps a “dead” form of the virus, to get his body to fight it off, the same way small pox, chicken pox and even flu virus works. It fools the body into thinking you have the actual virus and your anti-bodies kick-in, so when the real virus comes along your “now prepared” anti-bodies can defeat it. The Aaron anti-bodies can then be replicated and used to create a serum. Perhaps this group of Hanso Foundation scientists created a virus that they could not cure, so they needed a baby. Alex was two weeks old when the Others stole her from Danielle–perhaps beyond the stage necessary to create the anti-bodies? Remember Danielle said, “Don’t you know what would happen if they left the island?” when explaining to Sayid why she “shot them all”. There are the “carriers” and there are those who actually get sick and go nutzo. The “good people” on the list could be people who are carriers? Perhaps Alex suspects that she was kidnapped and/or for what reason, and that is why she helped Claire.
    If the virus attacks the nervous system (CNS) like meningitis, a spinal surgeon would be a guy you might need (Jack–“brightest young spinal surgeon in the country”, according to his father)
    The bunkers remind me of WWII military-style facilities that have been transformed. Remember Alvar Hanso was said to have made his fortune supplying the military with weapons during WWII, but then turned to peaceful pursuits.
    BTW: Swan is Hansa (o)? in Sanskrit.
    The tickets: (1) Jack had to be on the flight with his father’s casket. (2) Claire was given a ticket specifically for flight 815. (3) Sayid was given a ticket by the Feds after he turned in the terrorist cell. (4) Kate was given her ticket by the U.S. Marshal. (5) Locke was given his ticket by the “Walkabout” tour company free as compensation for his cancelled trip. (6) Boone and Shannon were originally supposed to be in 1st Class but there was a mix-up with their seats. This problem put them in the center section–where they were NEVER supposed to be. Is this why they are both now dead?
    Libby told Hurley she remembered him from the flight because “he came running by and stepped on my foot.” How can this be since she was all the way back in the tail section with the “Tailies”?? She obviously lied to him to keep him from discovering that (A) she was a patient at the looney bin, or (B) she was a Dr. at the looney bin. BTW: Because Dr. Marvin Candle was at the looney bin as well as in the Dharma Initiative film, I think it is safe to say that the nut house is a Hanso Foundation facility where they take people that flipped out from failed DeGroot experiments. Somehow Hurley got into the facility (we still don’t know why) and they (Hanso) had to get him on the plane too.
    Am I the only person who thinks John Locke’s dad (Kevin Tighe) looks suspiciously like Alvar Hanso?? Maybe one of his experiments failed and that’s why he needed a kidney? Long shot but I think it’s worth some ink.

    My best to all you Losties!

  46. sandy in ojai says:

    The more I think about this the more I become convinced. What if (as the crreators have often said, that a character may be totally different than originally presented), that in fact Danielle did not kill her team, but became a victum of Dharma. Somehow they have made her believe that she did kill her team, took her to the medical facility and stole her child, Alex. Then they released her back into the jungle and she has been monitored as another test subject. This is the reason that she has never seen an other in 16 years, but has only heard the whispers. The first other she has ever seen and captured is Henry Gale.

    I think she was lured under the scientific project to the island and that Dharma planned to steal her baby from the beginning, just like Claire. After she was released into the jungle, Dharma has learned that that was probably not a very good idea, hence the reason to kill Claire instead of releasing Claire back to the losties. They have discovered that a mother’s loss is neverending, and that after 16 years she is still seaching for her child.

    After this episode it is quite apparent that there really isn’t any sickness, it’s all made up by Dharma and the drugs they are using is for control. Desmond was under their control and so was Claire. I just couldn’t believe my eyes how much Claire was drugged and actually felt comfortable in Ethan’s company and more than willing to give Dharma her child.

    I also think that Alex does not know her mother is alive. But someone in the Dharma group has told her things, because she does know and understand that the surgery they were going to perform on Claire was horrible and Alex got her out of there.

    Well let’s see what you all think….

    Sandy in Ojai

  47. Briand says:

    This episode was great, and got a lot of the tumblers moving in my head that leaves me with this theory. The fact that Dharma and Oceanic are linked is key. The fact that Dharma knows how to drug people and alter their conscience (a la Claire) is key. The leap is this: THE PLANE NEVER CRASHED…Dharma, working with Oceanic, arranged for the passengers to be drugged once in flight. They staged the crash. Its all part of the experiment. The “bad people” not on the list? They were the innocent passengers that Dharma hadn’t been tracking.

    From the first shot of the show, with Jack waking up in the jungle, I’ve always been bothered by the crash. How could people survive?

  48. Conor Doherty says:

    There are 6 hatches, the one we know is the swan. The second we just saw was the Arrow.
    There are six constellations of Apollo
    1. Cygnus = swan
    2. Sagitta = arrow
    3. Corvus = crow
    4. Crater = goblet
    5. Ophiuchus = serpent handler
    6. Orion = the hunter

    the chocolate candy bars which everyone was eating were called apollo bars.

    i have NO idea what this means. i’m guessing there’s soemthing in that chocolate maybe, we’ll see.

  49. AJ Graf says:

    I think that per episode that we have to think of one thing, Life, What is Dharma- it is the study of happiness within ourselves. In a nutshell and looking from the mountain top. I believe all are dead and in pergatory, dharma is leading them or they themselves are finding there happiness to be complete.

    AJ in Seattle

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