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.

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.

I think I got the gist of it, but the words themselves didn't seem to support the gist, especially the "When you fail, you just don't have what it takes" business.

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

Not the cover, the page before. The first shot of the comic book, there's a polar bear on the page for that split-second before Walt turns the page to reveal the Flash and Co.

It's on an interior page.

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

Word. I'm not quite clear how a sleep-deprived guy who's pushing forty and at least hasn't (yet) mentioned that he was a competitive swimmer in college is supposed to be better at it than a supposedly trained lifeguard in his twenties who's in good shape and probably much better rested.