rewatched this week's ep yesterday with some friends. I think the first scene with Jack's father was written kind of heavy-handedly (heavily-handed?), but in general it was a great episode.

The first scene with Jack's father bugged me, too. Mainly because I couldn't understand what the hell he was going on about. "Don't decide. When you fail, you just don't have what it takes." The hell? Was he saying Jack was too emotionally involved? To soft? Lacked character to weather hardship? What? But then, a friend of mine commented on my LJ that this statement was in line with something that could come from a compensating drunk, with his own internal logic and context that's clear to him, but NSM to others.

I know there's been lots of The Stand allusions, both from the board and TPTB, but I don't think the divide is gonna be as black/white as in that book, no matter what Lock's backgammon rules say. I think Jack's too messed up to be Stu Redman, and Locke's got too much humanity in him to be a Randall Flagg equivalent, who was plain unadulterated evil. Which is fine, because I dig ambiguity.

I cannot wait for next week's episode. Is the writer for that ep someone we know?

Mainly because I couldn't understand what the hell he was going on about. "Don't decide. When you fail, you just don't have what it takes."

Vonnie, I didn't get it the first time, and I couldn't get it the second time either. I'm not sure what he meant by "Don't decide." And then is "When you fail" supposed to mean "after you fail" or "if you fail"? What does "what it takes" entail? Not failing, or dealing with the failing? I think I like the He's Drunk answer. Makes me not have to think about it.

I cannot wait for next week's episode. Is the writer for that ep someone we know?

Javier Grillo-Marxuach. Which is a no. But word is, it's amazing.

The first scene with Jack's father bugged me, too. Mainly because I couldn't understand what the hell he was going on about. "Don't decide. When you fail, you just don't have what it takes." The hell?

Yeah, that speech was pretty incoherent. Possibly realistically so, but as flashbacks go, it wasn't the most useful.

(Though it was pretty perfectly timed, right after Jack was asked a Seemingly Innocuous Question and started to look longingly into space, causing DH to say, "Not now, I have to have a flashback.")

I had no idea that it would be Boone who'd taken the water. He's becoming one of the most intriguing characters to me.

Get this...in the pilot episode, Boone took the gun (away from Sawyer?) when the group was camping by the mountain before returning to the beach. He got confronted and he gave the gun to Kate.

Boone likes taking shit and assuming command when he is absolutely incompetent. His sister during the pilot ep described him to Claire as "god's gift" - so I can't wait for their episode. Boone's got problems.

Also, isn't he supposed to be a lifeguard? He's let a woman drown and muffed up CPR on Rose. Worst lifeguard ever.

Yeah, his little "I'm a meat and potatoes man" speech struck me oddly because it seemed so clearly contradictory to what we've already seen of his life pre-crash: playing games, pretending to be a colonel, actually believing Helen would go to Australia with him.

It's not at odds with the usual survivalist mentality, though. Survivalists often think of themselves as more practical and pragmatic than other people. That would be part of his self-image.

Javier Grillo-Marxuach

Get out! Are you messin' with me?

Oh, man. It *is* as real live TV writer! Dude. Best name EVAH. He wrote for Jake 2.0, Boomtown, L&O: Sports Utility Vehicle, and a bunch of other fairly well-regarded shows. Plus, Charmed.

Though it was pretty perfectly timed, right after Jack was asked a Seemingly Innocuous Question and started to look longingly into space, causing DH to say, "Not now, I have to have a flashback."

Heh. Yeah, I like Jack OK, but he kinda bores me mostly. So terribly earnest. The thing is, I *like* broody and flawed hero with a horrendous family life (see Wyndam-Pryce, Wesley.) It may be that my suffering broodmeister bar is set a bit too high.

I am wary about Boone. He's rash, he's earnest and misguided, and he's incompetent. Not that I don't have any sympathy for the poor schmuck, but one of these days, he's gonna end up screwing up something major and endangering everybody on the island. Plus, his eyebrows? Scaaaary.

Let me see if I can explain how it made sense to me...I think he was telling Jack not to get involved, emotionally. That, if Jack chose to help someone, he would then be taking responsibility for the well-being of that person, and he won't be able to deal with failing people. If he doesn't choose to help, but, rathe, just deals with what's put in front of him, he can (as his father does) disengage from it and not have to deal.

DebetEsse is smart and pretty.

When a roomful of smart reasonably sane people all say something doesn't make sense, I've found it's best not to mention that it made sense to me... just so I don't get that "she must be insane; keep her away from the children" look.

But since DebetEsse has spoken up, now I can say, yeah - that's what I thought Jack's father was saying, too. Chiming in takes much less courage than speaking up.

Oh, and - where was the polar bear Walt was supposedly reading about? It wasn't on the cover of that comic book.