From McSweeney's: The Opening Act from the Original, Unused Teleplay of Lost's Pilot Episode.

I really wanted to be moved by his grief during that scene -- since he knew he was being exiled from the island -- but the fact that, just prior, he let the boat blow up and evinced not one shred of guilt, made me not give a damn about what he was losing.

I'm convinced Ben knew that moving the island would have the same effect that Keamy dying would, and nothing was going to stop him from moving the island. I was sort of hoping that's where they were going to go with it (or have Locke put on the device, and then have the boat blow up when the island got moved).

Hey, has anyone been able to check out Octagon Global Recruiting yet? I saw the "commercial" last night, but couldn't get on the site.

The site doesn't have much else but the commercial and a page to sign up for e-mail updates. Based on the location and dates, it looks like they're doing something at Comic-Con.

From McSweeney's: The Opening Act from the Original, Unused Teleplay of Lost's Pilot Episode.

Ha ha ha.

I'm convinced Ben knew that moving the island would have the same effect that Keamy dying would, and nothing was going to stop him from moving the island.

Oh, good point!

Being moved by Ben's grief did not even occur to me.

When Locke said "My name is John Locke" I REALLY wanted him to follow it up with "are you familiar with my philosophy?"

I spent far too much of the episode trying to understand how the bomb worked. It's still bugging me. Why couldn't they disconnect the battery if they could freeze it? That said, there is no way Jin is really most sincerely dead because that would piss me off too much. My kittens are on Christian teleporting everyone from the freighter onto the island when he told Michael it was okay to leave.

I spent far too much of the episode trying to understand how the bomb worked. It's still bugging me.

Ha. You and my husband. I got a whole lecture about capacitors.

Well, see, I initially assumed that the bomb worked by sending a continuous signal that would be broken if Keamy's heart stopped. Not the other way around. If it worked the former way, then moving the Island would have set off the bomb. But the way he said it worked, moving the Island wouldn't do anything if he were alive. And if he died after moving, the bomb wouldn't receive the signal.

And then there's the bomb itself, which apparently goes boom if you touch ANYTHING.

Well, see, I initially assumed that the bomb worked by sending a continuous signal that would be broken if Keamy's heart stopped. Not the other way around. If it worked the former way, then moving the Island would have set off the bomb. But the way he said it worked, moving the Island wouldn't do anything if he were alive. And if he died after moving, the bomb wouldn't receive the signal.

How did he say it worked? I thought he said it the way you initially assumed it.

Also, I'm guessing they had the green/red lights to get away from the cliche of the digital countdown clock, but it's still a mechanism of plot convenience only. If it's going to go off as soon as the light changes (barring Michael's stopgap), why the hell have a light at all?

How did he say it worked? I thought he said it the way you initially assumed it.

He said that when his heart stops, it would send a signal. Not stop sending one.

He said that when his heart stops, it would send a signal. Not stop sending one.

I wonder if he just assumed that's how it works. I suppose that WOULD prevent him accidentally blowing up his boat if he somehow goes out of range. Sheesh - you'd think the electro-whazzit nature of the island would have blocked that WITHOUT being moved, especially being down that particular Dharma nerd hole.