I know Somerhalder griped about his funeral episode not showcasing her in mourning,

damn, does that dude EVER stop complaining?

Matt, your classmate was Teh Hott, also very affecting. He and Naveen Andrews worked really well together. Excellent.

What was the tactical advantage to Locke telling Sayid that he had smashed up his head and equipment? Discuss. (or, not- don't want to be bossy) But seeing those two play mental chess was very interesting.

Unlocking Locke's motivations remains one of my key interests in the show. It was cool that Sayid saw through him on the hatch.

His not being there for the treatment, death, and funeral of Boone was a minor loss of social capital compared to walking around with the bloody shirt. He doesn't care so much what his fellow lostees think of him.

Knocking out Sayid because he wasn't ready to find the transmitter. We had figured it was him, but for other reasons.

I have to think about it more, but Locke continues to fascinate.

I missed the teaser last night because I got stuck waiting for a train. Anything of interest happen?

Heh. I guess that answers my question.

Well before the credits there was Boone's funeral, Jack going looking like death warmed over going after Locke, Sayid trying to comfort Shannon, and something else. My memory sucks because I kept running to the kitchen trying to make sure dinner didn't burn.

I loved the ending of the episode. Sayid in the dark lit by fire light -- HAWT!

Plus I loved the exchange, they are both great actors, and there was a sort of unspoken thing going on. Which I translated to be:

Locke: No! I had you fooled! you believed me!

Sayid: You thought I belived you pathetic "hatch what hatch?" pathetic misdirect?

Locke: ....Actually, yes.

Sayid: Dumbass.

Sayid totally outplayed Locke, and it was good to see. A little less inscrutability for Locke and more for Sayid definitely works for me.

Kix:

As much as I loved having a Sayid centric episode I had issues with it. Sayid betrays a friend (long lost friend, but still a friend) and talks him into being a suicide bomber in order to get information about Nadia, the woman he loves. He then leaves the next day after getting information about her.

Then, he's on the island a little while and totally smitten with Shannon? That just doesn't track for me.

I'm weird and I like Shannon and Sayid together, but I'm having problems reconciling Sayid's actions in Sydney with this actions on the island.

I have to agree, finding out that Nadia was allegedly alive completely overturned my understanding of Sayid's motivation.

Though I suppose it's possible that the CIA was lying about her and he picked up on the fact. The episode did show Sayid to be quite good at seeing through lies.

I think Locke told the truth as damage control—much better to tell Sayid himself during a calm conversation than have it come out in the wash in a more heated moment later on, with others possibly around to hear.

I get the impression that Sayid sort of stumbled sideways into his affection for Shannon, and I don't think it was really ever more than affection. He seemed to have the same sort of distaste-dismissal of her as most of the primary characters seemed to have, until she agreed to try and help decipher the French. I think watching her attempt to help he started to feel a little mentor-protege towards her, a little proud of her coming a little way out of her self-centered shell, and a little protective of her. And then, of course, health and nature played its undeniable part.

I don't really think Shannon was ever more than a wistful, pallid substitute for Nadia, to Sayid.

But, I could be wrong.

And yes, I was just screaming in my head, "Change your (actually!) bloody shirt, you clueless bastard!" to Locke. The mental chess between Locke and Sayid was joyous fun to watch. I'd love to see more of that.

And I agree that Sawyer being dragooned to read to the baby, but not hold and rock him, was a hit to his image, but didn't turn him into a woobie at all. I was impressed, a little, with Dom's adroitness with the actual infant, in those shots where he wasn't juggling a doll.

And yes, I thought I actually saw Matthew Fox act a little, just before he jumped Locke. For maybe the first time on this show. It made him seem a lot more human to be reeling and making stupid decisions and having nobody be, "He's Doctor Hero Jack! He must be right!"