IIRC, Brazil was the last major nation to stop slavery (aside from home-grown versions) in the 1880s. I'm talking the wide-scale trans-oceanic shipment of slaves, not what goes on in Africa, et cetera, today.

well, these were special slavers, and...and...they were, um....punished...by the island...

Heh. I suppose it's just more likely that the producers haven't much more knowledge of history than your average high school student who spent most of the year on the Revolutionary War and two weeks on the Civil War and never got beyond Reconstruction, if at all.

Or, well, maybe special slavers, at that.

And had crates of dynamite with the word "Explosives" stenciled very neatly and mechanically-looking in their hold? I have my suspicions that the Black Rock might be less authentic than it appears, and no older than the hatch or the broadcast radio message.

I handwaved it as the explosives being from Rossseu's ship, and she was just storing it in the Black Rock.

When the Iron Giant appeared she was supposed to drop her bag and run. Instead she just ran. If the dynamite had been in her bag with all that banging around there'd probably be a new Kate-shaped crater.

My thoughts exactly, only I was saying to the TV: "Hello, Kate, dumbass, you're supposed to be dead now!" Honestly, I haven't always hated her, but lately she's been really annoying - and it would serve her right and be a real Darwinism if she got blowed up real good because she was too dumb not to RUN WITH DYNAMITE!! Stupid Kate, won't even die when she's supposed to. Why Jack was "protecting" her I have no idea, even he was making these faces like he was disgusted with her.

I liked this ep a lot aside from the fact that it had about 85 million commercials.

Did anyone else think that the fact that the rudder fell off the instant Walt said, "She was wrong" about his mom not letting Michael see Walt meant that Walt wished they could stay on the island? 'Cause I couldn't figure out what they could have hit to make the rudder magically fall off with such force like that.

Also, Hurley SO should have volunteered to carry all the dynamite. Of course, no one would have believed him, but that's what I was expecting him to do.

I knew Arzt was toast when he had more lines in the teaser than the clique. Also HA HA HA HA everything about that was funny.

Also loved Locke fucking with Jack and doing the Operator "bzzt!" noise. That was like something my BF would do.

ETA I've given up on Alias - I just don't care anymore.

Also, Hurley SO should have volunteered to carry all the dynamite. Of course, no one would have believed him, but that's what I was expecting him to do.

Exactly what I was thinking, arby.

I thought it was great, and I didn't realize the boat people were the Others until someone else pointed it out. It makes more sense than my original theory, was that they were going to sell Walt into kiddie whoredom. Good catch on the "boy" part.

So, who wants to bet that next season, when they find Walt, he's on a big throne being worshipped by the Others as the One Who Makes Weird Shit Happen?

Also, my money's on the whole frickin' island being hollow and filled with tunnels and machines and freaky shit like that. I'm not even sure it's a real island.

I'm also reminded of the Lovecraft bit in At The Mountains Of Madness with the flying things in the tunnels under the Elder Thing city.

Also, they really should have had Kate on the boat. She woulda capped everybody on the other boat in two seconds flat. Sawyer, not so much with the shooting skilz.

Also, my money's on the whole frickin' island being hollow and filled with tunnels and machines and freaky shit like that. I'm not even sure it's a real island.

There was a lot of mechanical stuff with the exploding ground squirrels. And the hatch probably leads to security system stuff. And someone just happened to turn the light on at the right time (or they were listening to Locke and thought, hey, this will totally freak him the fuck out).