Locke apparently had enough control to direct it to its end, getting Boone to reject his squicky fixation on Shannon. I mean if he didn't have some way of setting a goal, Boone could have hallucinated that Lostzilla stomped him into the hatch and developed an aversion to hanging around it as a consequence...

Yeah, that's why I didn't so much like this ep. Because "boy needs vision quest" is fine, as long as you don't connect it to "boy needs to stop ogling his sister" and have the vision quest be a third party's doing. I have no trouble believing that Locke could tie Boone up and rub mud on his head, but I don't buy that he's magic enough to have mixed up a special IncestOff variety of hallucination goop. It's just one thing too many.

I figure Locke just planted a generic suggestion, after he applied vision-inducing goop to Boone's head injury. I think that's what he was doing, when he told Boone he'd be able to free himself from being tied up (so literally, and metaphorically), once he found motivation. I don't think Locke had any control over the contents of the vision quest in any detailed way. He just doped up Boone, and planted the suggestion to find his motivation. For someone like Boone, finding his motivation also means looking his weakness square in the eye.

...Or something. But TiVo cut out at 9:01. I grabbed the remote, and programmed it to record Alias, so I could catch the last couple of minutes, but it didn't kick in (I don't record on the best quality) until after the exposition conversation was over. So I could be fanwanking when they don't deserve it.

(I also don't think the actors playing Shannon and Boone were strong enough to make this ep work.)

I think Shannon might be. I keep trying to decide if the actor is too lightweight, or if I just think that, because the character is vapid.

But TiVo cut out at 9:01.

That was interesting last night, too. My digital box said the time was 8:02 at the end. Not only did it run over, but it ran over even longer than usual. What the heck is up with these guys?

Oh, and purely speculation by someone (Sadbhyl) in lj land. She thinks the reason it's so hard to figure directions on the island and that magnetic north is all messed is because the island is moving. Now, that would be interesting.

OMG great episode, but I KNEW Shannon wasn't really dead. They fooled me with Charlie but Boone was nowhere near distraught enough (although that could just been IS's 'acting').

Also, cleolinda's recap is up.

ETA ha ha ha ha ha

Sayid's like, "A whatthefuck? What does a weebalo do?" I dunno, wobbalo but never fall downalo?

My TV said Alias ran from 9:03 - 10:02. Weird! I think it's an anti-Tivo thing, personally.

The fisheries of Jinmark. Yeah, I'm sure the country thing is getting twee, but you know? It's my recap, and everywhere on the island looks the same, so stuff it.

Heh. Damn straight. I love the country thing.

I was thinking that the episode was more a day in the life of Jack - making house calls as the doctor. Boone was incidental, Locke's vision quest provocation number three.

It is nice to see Locke has a plan of a sort. He had his encounter, then pushed Jack and Charlie to their own, provoked Sayid into action against Sawyer, and now he is overtly recruiting.

Yeah, Charlie's line about Locke being the one person he absolutely trusts set off some ominous warning bells. I think push is going to come to shove, given Locke's comment about needing people on a particular side, and I don't think it's going to be pretty.

The weird part is, Locke is gaining power over people by subterfuge, quietly. Like, dude, if you openly made a move for power, there's a good chance you might become the obvious leader anyway. Why are you going to all the trouble to create rifts?

I mean, if it came to it, he's easily equipped to talk Jack out into the woods and murder him, and frame the invisimechasaurs for it. AFAIK, Jack and Sayid are the only ones with their hackles well and truly up around him, and Sayid seems to have resigned temporarily from the leadership department.

All of this said, I will laff and laff if Sawyer and Kate turn out to be the deciding personalities in the Paradise Island Civil War. They're the only "I'm on my side" characters, and I wonder what it would take to win each of them over securely.

Snerk-worthy from Cleolinda's recap:

Meanwhile, Mercutio is looking into some Important Box of Personal Significance. They ought to keep Sawyer's letter and Kate's airplane in there, I tell you what.

and

She's totally dead. Barber's Adagio for (Not Actually) Inbreeding plays woefully.

Heh. Heh heh heh.

She's totally dead. Barber's Adagio for (Not Actually) Inbreeding plays woefully.

That made me laugh. I really wanted to find a new tag in there, but nothing really called out to me.

They're the only "I'm on my side" characters, and I wonder what it would take to win each of them over securely.

I think Locke will target them first for this reason. He's already started trying to get Sawyer out of the picture. (siccing Sayid on him)