Per imdb:

"Orientation" Episode: #2.3 - 5 October 2005

Katey Sagal .... Helen

I thought this ep was pretty great, although the "To Push or Not To Push" fight was stupid, I still get a charge out of the clash of great acting by McQuinn & Fox. Just like when Jack had his little breakdown in the jungle - part of me was going "OMG Jack stop being such a douchebag" and the other part was going, "MF crying, me cry too". I think he's like the male equivalent of SMG - it doesn't matter why or under what circumstances, they can both bring the waterworks like nobody's business.

I know. The whole scene I was sitting there thinking "Push the button now. Worry about if it actually does anything later. After you push the button you have another 108 minutes to figure out if it actually does anything. If you don't push it, you could very well find out it does do something the hard way."

Actually, that scene worked really well for me. Each of them struggling to decide whether or not to believe--in the purpose of the button, in the possibility of unimaginable consequences, in his own capacity for rational thought. I really didn't think Jack was going to push it, and then when he did, I understood why. As much as he doesn't like or trust Locke, he's been so spun around by the events on the island that he's lost his own sense of what's real and what's not, and it's an awful realization for him.

They had to decide in that moment, because everything was on the line. Once they pushed the button--together--the decision was made that they would take on the burden of staying there to push it, again and again and again.

Okay, that was a fun episode. Although - totally WTF with the English-speaking Jin in the promo.

Fuck that. They have 40 or so reliable adult people on the island. They need to all take turns.

Locke is not a practical guy. I mean, despite the practical skills. He's a believer, and he needed to get John to drink the Kool Aid. I think he'd rather have died than have things go wrong. And by wrong, I mean against destiny.

My brain keeps trying to map this to Serenity. It hurts.

Did anyone else get the impression that Jack had his moment of faith (and believing in the impossible) with his wife's recovery, and for some reason lost it, probably when she left him?

Kathy, that's possible. I definitely want to know more now about their story. But I think that Desmond bringing her up is what made Jack change his mind and go back to the hatch.

Speaking of which, I got interrupted by a phone call just as Jack caught up with Desmond. Can somebody recap their conversation for me? I missed the whole thing?

We don't know for sure if Jack's wife left him or died, correct? Or that maybe he left her?

I'm also dying to know if anyone spotted anything or anyone familiar in that training film.

Did anyone else get the impression that Jack had his moment of faith (and believing in the impossible) with his wife's recovery, and for some reason lost it, probably when she left him?

Eh. I'll bet she was pregnant and died because of another car wreck. Possibly due to a mistake by a surgeon. Or a glowy red ball.

Can somebody recap their conversation for me?

J: What are you running from? D: Hey, I remember you. What happened to the girl? J: It doesn't matter. (repeat) J: I married her. D: But you're not married anymore.

There was more, but really nothing new.