Well, I don't think it's necessarily a second island. Or there's a submerged causeway, you just have to push the button to raise. Once you find the button, of course. Or there's a boat, or it's just a reeeeeelly really deep cove, or the perspective's wonky from the point where Ben took Sawyer. Geography I'm not so good at.

But I do think Alex was trying to make trouble, since we haven't seen the kid who was in Kate's cage since he tried to set Sawyer free, and that's the boyfriend Alex is trying to find.

Also, what the hell are those slatted tables in the enclosure they're keeping Jack--are they animal necropsy tables? Strap the polar bears or dolphins down and perform experiments on them tables? Ugh.

Well, that or clean their teeth and trim their claws.

you don't believe that second island stuff!

Hell, no. But Kate seemed to think it plausible even after her visit with Jack. Unless he's on the same island they are (if there is a second island.) I've missed enough this season that I'm not sure where anything is anymore. Jack is underground, yes? So, he could be on the presumed second island, also, and not know it. Hence, how long it took her to travel to Jack could give some indication as to relative locations. Of course, they could always walk her around in circles to give her the impression of distance. Since a lot of this happens off screen we don't have the information to honestly judge whether or not they're lying through their teeth. Still, I don't believe in a second island.

Jack is also at the zoo. He's just in the underground water tank.

at the zoo

See? I missed enough that I didn't know there was a zoo. Where, exactly, is the zoo? Was it close to the Others' village? Or were they taken there with hoods on and we haven't seen the zoo's actual location?

I'm not sure where the zoo is in the context of the other's village. Which wasn't real anyway. Because last season closed with Jack, Kate and Sawyer captured and this season opened with them in their respective cages or enclosures.

I think only Sawyer and Kate are being held on the auxiliary backup island. Jack's tank and the other underground tunnels are in the water between the two, and Othertown is on the main island, but inland from the decoy village.

Okay, so really -- they could escape through the tunnels. . . which could be very cool.

Also, I'm not sure why anyone would think that living in a cage and being fed fish biscuits and breaking rock would be better than escaping and living rough and eating food you could forage for -- something KATE is good at doing.

this season opened with them in their respective cages or enclosures

Too much time between seasons! I really need to get the season 2 DVDs to rewatch. It's amazing how little I retain over the summer.

Was no one mildly bemused by the fact that the girl Alex(andra), supposedly the stolen daughter of Danielle, called I'm-gonna-keel-you-Sawyer-guy "Daddy"?

i'm pretty sure she called him Danny, which we saw later was his name when fakebeard!guy radioed him and said so. what i'm wondering is why Ben asked about her? what is she to him?

I can't decide if the whole "second island" thing is fake or not.