The minute Locke punched Charlie he was lost to me.

Punching the fucked up defenseless guy, that's really cool and mysterious. What a tosser.

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I think Locke is feeling very possessive of Claire and the baby, himself. His actions don't make much sense to me otherwise. Punching, basically shoving Charlie to the curb when he came asking for help, and keeping the Virgin Mary statues - maybe to show Claire later if he needs something to keep her from going back to Charlie?

I'm still baffled why we had a whole episode about baptism. Do the Others only snatch unbaptized kids? Maybe the Island is limbo.

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OK, I agree that sooo many things about this ep were irritating to the point of rage, but I did like the cinematography a lot (the Madonna/angel dream-vision in particular took my breath away - and Claire in general was absurdly hot in this ep) and I have to admit I did feel sorry for Charlie by the end, even though I've been wishing him dead this entire season. He's such an utter asshat, but I get sucked in by his backstory almost every time, God only knows why. And the DriveSmack commercial was hysterical! That and all the posters in his apartment, the 'gold' record, and his little piano ballad. Was that really DM singing? The voice was just terrible enough to be realistic (not that I'm saying DM has a bad voice, but that Charlie would - he did only sing backup in the band after all).

I like Locke being an asshole again, even though it is 180 degrees from how he was last ep - Sinister!Locke is so much more interesting than bland, Neutral!Locke. I think he's got some kind of creepy agenda going on with Claire, like he realizes she and Aaron (does anyone else think of Elvis when you hear that name? okay, just me then) are pivotal to some kind of Island melodrama and is trying to get them in his corner/under his control. I kept thinking about how he made Claire the cradle, seemingly a nice gesture but something weird going on underneath.

Sawyer was hysterical - "drop a load", indeed. Also I was amused by "you hitting that" despite myself. Agree about KateNSawyer - JUST DO IT ALREADY!!!

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I took Ana Lucia's "Are you hittin' that," as a shout-out (intentional or incidental) to Veronica Mars, so it's funny see that VM (which I won't get 'til Saturday) had a little Lost shout-out.

arby, I'm with you on the episode. I was surprised to see all the break-ups it induced (or threatened to) throughout fandom. I watched Wednesday night, and then immediately watched it again. I think it was one of those building sorts of episodes. I don't think of it as filler, because I do think some questions were answered, for example, I no longer think Charlie used any of that heroin, and not just because he told Jack he didn't (but really wanted to), but also because of the scene after he smashed the statue of the Madonna, right before Locke discovered him. He was struggling.

I like Charlie, though. I don't really have a hate-on for any of the characters yet. Well, I don't like Locke, but I love not liking Locke, and he's usually one of the more intriguing elements of the show for me. I'm glad he's one more step out of neutral, too. I don't like Ana Lucia in that I wouldn't have her over for coffee, but I also think she's interesting.

Sawyer's the only one I usually want off my screen, and admittedly, that's personal. He's nearly a clone of the Soul-Sucking Demon I dated in college. And even then, Sawyer had me laughing last night.

The minute Locke punched Charlie he was lost to me.

Punching the fucked up defenseless guy, that's really cool and mysterious. What a tosser.

We are as one, UTTAD.

"Bill, you went out with a Catholic girl one time in high school, right? What's the deal with baptism?"

"Something to do with me going to hell for being a bad kisser. Or for telling people that she was a bad kisser. Either way, her sister was much cuter."

"Good enough! Now, ecclesiastical hierarchies, anyone?"

Heee! You know that's how it went down.

And what little religious instruction Eko did give to Claire (on the purpose of John the Baptist baptising Jesus) was as much Bible fan fic as it was gospel. I didn't write down the line, but the part about it cleansing Jesus of all his sin ain't no Catholic doctrine, and I know that even from all the way over here in Protestantville.

I like Locke being an asshole again, even though it is 180 degrees from how he was last ep - Sinister!Locke is so much more interesting than bland, Neutral!Locke. I think he's got some kind of creepy agenda going on with Claire, like he realizes she and Aaron (does anyone else think of Elvis when you hear that name? okay, just me then) are pivotal to some kind of Island melodrama and is trying to get them in his corner/under his control. I kept thinking about how he made Claire the cradle, seemingly a nice gesture but something weird going on underneath.

You know, I was never a Survivor viewer, but did catch bits and pieces of the first season, and stories about it were everywhere. I keep thinking of Locke as Richard Hatch. And I keep wondering if he's cultivating Claire's trust, so that if need be, he can hand her and/or Aaron off to "The Others" to ensure his own survival.

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I think Locke is feeling very possessive of Claire and the baby, himself. His actions don't make much sense to me otherwise.

I was wondering about that, and looking at it from a POV that isn't Locke scheming, just being a normal person. He seemed to be close to Walt- could it be that this is the way his reaction to his abduction is manifesting itself? Perhaps thinking that something like that won't happen on his watch?

Or, after being confronted by the numbers/power of the Others the previous day, possibly hedging his bets, as pointed out upthread, to be a position to have access to Aaron to hand him over.

Also, Locke was in Claire's hallucination/dreams referencing the Others, I think, when she was pregnant.

I am hopinghopinghoping that the mysterious Locke motives actually mean something and are going somewhere, and not just bad writing. I'm feeling burned out from Buffy Season 6/7 characterizations, and remembering hoping that the way they were written (Pod!Giles, for instance) were part of the arc, and then just being let down again and again when it was just shown to be inconsistent writing.

But, the liklihood that the Others are going to come for Aaron once he's not as physically dependant on Claire I think is pretty strong, and I wonder who knows it. The Tailies, are probably painfully aware. Walt being gone doesn't seem to have a huge affect on the majority of the other Lostaways, with the exception of Locke (my speculation) and Michael, both of whom have recently exhibited radical character changes.

Maybe this episode didn't suck as much as I originally thought, because it is making me theorize quite a lot.

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I was wondering about that, and looking at it from a POV that isn't Locke scheming, just being a normal person. He seemed to be close to Walt- could it be that this is the way his reaction to his abduction is manifesting itself? Perhaps thinking that something like that won't happen on his watch?

My first interpretation was that Locke was just attached to Claire and Aaron. But the more I thought about it, the harder time I had reconciling that idea, with his complete lack of interest in her kidnapping last season. He was under the hatch's thrall then, of course, but I think he and Boone even let people believe they were looking for Claire, when they weren't.

Of course, he's since gotten to know Claire on a more personal basis, and he may well be predisposed to concern over a fatherless child, too. If we're lucky, his motives are mixed. That level of complexity could make for some good story telling.

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Locke is practically worshiping the Island at this point -- I suppose he looks on the others as Heretics with a capital H.

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Locke likes to think of himself as a strategist, but I don't think he's very good at it. His back story certainly doesn't make him out to be. If he is planning something I don't expect it to work.

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Locke likes to think of himself as a strategist, but I don't think he's very good at it. His back story certainly doesn't make him out to be.

Heh. I know, right?!

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Okay, THAT is hysterical!

Coincidentally enough, Rob's friends Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz wrote this week's episode.

I took Ana Lucia's "Are you hittin' that," as a shout-out (intentional or incidental) to Veronica Mars, so it's funny see that VM (which I won't get 'til Saturday) had a little Lost shout-out.

Oh, heh. Darnell.

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