LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Thoughts on Season 2

Did everyone just forget about being rescued? 

Bernard didn't of course, he tried to build an SOS signal out of rock but was quickly redirected by Rose's reveal in regard to the island's influence on her health. Claire and Aaron seemed to be nicely settled on the beach with a number of fellow survivors to watch out for them; Sun and Jin are preparing for the challenges of parenthood; Eko started to build a church! Jack and Locke, as always, are in different places, but the events of the second season reveal just how wrong they've both been, all along. 

Jack versus Locke versus The Island versus The Others

As Jack is busy doctoring and leading, making decisions for the group, he doesn't often get the chance to actually see the island for what it is (which can't really be defined, anyway), and this is not the case with Locke. Because he's been personally affected in a way that leaves no room for interpretation --- before island: paralyzed, after island: able to walk --- Locke is prepared for the island's mysterious abilities, and seeks them out, even. Of course Locke has never had any interest in being rescued, like Rose, he can appreciate the gift the island has bestowed upon him, but the island doesn't just let him off easy simply because he believes in it, either. Locke is put to the test in this season, being made to earn his gift, earn his knowledge, and his faith in the island. He initially believes that pushing the button inside the hatch was important, but after finding the underground question mark hatch (Pearl Station) he questions everything he's done since landing on the island. 

Locke was invested in the Henry Gale situation, first by colluding with Sayid to interrogate him, then after the lockdown when Henry helped him, and again when Henry claimed the reason he got captured was that he was coming for Locke, "one of the good ones." Whatever Henry's intentions, he seems to be just as invested in Locke, if only for reasons of manipulation or playing him against Jack. After Sayid, Charlie, and Ana Lucia discover the truth about the balloon, it's clear that Henry has been lying about everything, which is further confirmed when Michael kills Ana Lucia and Libby in order to free him. After Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and Hugo are kidnapped, Henry is in charge of it.

Tail Section, Henry's Pretenders, The DI

Early in the season after the thwarted raft launch, Jin meets who he believes to be the others but who are really just survivors from the tail section. Henry's others are revealed to be the group who abducted Claire to the medical station (where Kate found the fake beard and other costumes) and later took Walt off the raft. Why did they take Walt in the first place, and why did they put Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hugo on the list to be taken only to release Hugo from the dock? After Michael asks who they are, Henry replies that they are the "good guys," but Henry's manipulation of Locke, physical assault on Ana Lucia, abduction of children and pack of lies in general seem to indicate the opposite. 

The Dharma Initiative is yet another division of "others," and though Desmond was trained by Inman and not a member himself, he and the orientation videos are the only link we have to this group. The completeness of the Swan Station (kitchen, bathroom, exercise equipment, and food stores) seems an amazing bit of good fortune to just be existing on its own in the middle of the jungle, especially considering the style of the others' clothing and the low quality of the huts where Walt was kept. Henry didn't seem ravenously hungry when they brought him to the hatch and his clothing was traditional for a middle-aged man, confirming as Kate suggested that they were "acting." Why are they taking such trouble to convince the survivors that they live so simply? The discovery of the tail-section at the Arrow station, Claire's stay at the medical station, and the strangeness of Pearl station (notebooks that go no where and a screen showing the man with the eye patch) imply a strong presence throughout the island. 

Magic?

Shannon saw Walt twice after the raft departed; after the others took him, Ms. Klugh asked Michael if Walt had ever appeared somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. Was this phenomenon the island's work or Walt's? During the first season, John Locke took a special interest in Walt, and Michael's relationship with his son though strained at first, became more stable with Locke's help. Brian, Walt's stepfather, claimed there was something "different" about him, but what? If there has always been this special element to Walt, the island seems to have intensified it. It makes sense to assume that the others take all children that come to the island (Rousseau's daughter Alex, Emma and Zach from the tail section, Aaron, in attempting to induce his birth, and now Walt) but did they know about Walt's specialness or was it discovered during the tests they made him do? As far as we know, Walt is the only child that has this magical quality about him. 

Live Together, Die Alone, part 2

Live Together, Die Alone, part 1

Three Minutes

?

Two for the Road

S.O.S.

Dave

Lockdown

The Whole Truth

Maternity Leave

One of Them

The Long Con

Fire + Water

The Hunting Party

The Twenty-Third Psalm

What Kate Did

Collision

The Other 48 Days

Abandoned

. . . and Found

Everybody Hates Hugo

Orientation

Adrift 

Man of Science, Man of Faith 

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 24, Live Together, Die Alone part 2

On-Island Events: Charlie brings Eko the hidden dynamite, which Eko brings to the hatch. Eko pleads with Locke to let him into the computer room; Locke refuses and Desmond assures him the blast doors are strong enough to withstand a dynamite blast. Eko eventually lights the fuse but the blast doors do not open. Desmond talks with Locke about his beliefs; Locke tells Desmond about the night he found the hatch in the jungle just after Boone's death. In explaining what he found in the Pearl Station, Locke inadvertently causes Desmond to reevaluate his position on not pushing the button. Desmond looks through the sheets of entered numbers printed out from the Pearl Station and determines that one of his late entries resulting in a "system failure" warning may have also caused Oceanic Flight 815 to crash.

Desmond demands that the button be pushed; Locke seizes the computer and throws it on the floor, ruining it. Desmond opens the blast doors, finds Inman's key and attempts to execute the failsafe procedure as the numbers count down. Desmond tells Locke his pounding outside the hatch after Boone's death saved his life so that Desmond could save Locke's. The numbers count down to zero, the hieroglyphics seen before in red and black flip down, and the metal objects inside the hatch begin flying toward the hatch walls. Eko helps move Charlie out of the hatch but refuses to leave without Locke, who is terrified but admits he was wrong. Desmond, remembering the words of Penelope's letter, flips the key inside the Dharma octagonal
switchpiece marked "System Termination." 

Jack, Hugo, Kate, Sawyer, and Michael see Sayid's smoke signal a few miles inland and begin to argue about where Michael has been leading them but are taken down by tranquilizer darts and transported to a dock near the shore. The bearded man appears with several others; Kate tells him she knows his beard is fake and he removes it. "Henry" pulls up to the dock in a boat, and just as he begins to talk to Michael, a loud buzzing occurs and the sky becomes purple. "Henry" explains Michael can take the boat following a compass bearing of 325 and he will be able to find rescue with his son. He adds that once Michael leaves, he'll never be able to get back to the island. Michael finds Walt inside the boat, the two embrace and depart. Miss Klugh tells Hugo to return to camp and to tell the rest of the survivors they can never come to this area. Hugo asks about his friends; "Henry" announces they are coming home with them. As the others put a cloth bag over Sawyer's face Kate looks worriedly at Jack, who tries to smile back at her. 

Flashbacks: Desmond watches Inman augment the map on the blast door, which he explains was started by a man named Radzinsky. When Desmond asks what became of Radzinsky, Inman shows him a mark on the ceiling, a stain from Radzinsky's suicide. Desmond begs Inman to allow him out of the hatch, stating he's been locked inside for two years, but Inman refuses. Later, Desmond finds Inman drunk, hiding a Dharma Initiative key which he says is a "failsafe," which fits into an octagonal switchpiece. He further explains that pushing the button releases a buildup of electromagnetic energy that has been leaking out of the area under the hatch, which is why someone always needs to be there, "saving the world."

The next day Desmond follows Inman outside back to his sailboat, which Inman has been secretly repairing. The two struggle and Desmond accidentally kills Inman. Desperate and suicidal, Desmond finds a gun and grabs his special Dickens book, Our Mutual Friend (which as explained in Live Together, Die Alone part 1, he has saved to read just before he dies). Inside it is a letter from Penelope; Desmond reads it and cries. Moments later, Locke (who, after fleeing the caves after Boone's accident, is up above pounding on the outer hatch door) surprises Desmond. He then switches on the light that will convince Locke the island has given him a sign.

Greater Meaning: Locke is proven wrong in his thinking that none of his actions had meaning when the hatch begins to dangerously hyper-magnetize. The button indeed needing pushing, but what does its legitimacy say about the Pearl Station and the Dharma Initiative? Of course Locke was right in feeling manipulated (and we saw the field of pneumatic tubes filled with notebooks, for what, exactly?) If their experiments were to spy on whoever was in the hatch tasked with pushing the button, and if they were just going to throw away the notebooks of observations, then it does seem like it was all pointless, unless the Pearl Station itself was the subject of the experiment, NOT the hatch. Would the subjects do as they were told? Was there anything to be learned about the people in the hatch? Was it an elaborate monitoring system in case (as with Kelvin, Desmond, and eventually Locke) the button-pushers decided to mutiny or abandon their posts? Were the duties in the Pearl Station meant for some sort of punishment? Were potential members vetted there? Philosophically, the experiment seems to examine how men respond to their orders, whether or not they question them, and how they deal with unknowns. 

Given what we've seen of the island's special abilities, one wonders if the Dharma Initiative factored in any policy or procedures for things like the monster (which we haven't heard from in a while), the mysterious healing properties, or any additional unknowns. Finally explained was the "Quarantine" warning on the outer hatch door; Kelvin tried to sell Desmond on it not being safe outside of the hatch but ended up admitting it was a lie when he was caught trying to leave with Desmond's boat. Kelvin and Desmond, though they both performed the same duty, are different. Kelvin stated he willingly left the armed forces to join the Dharma Initiative; Desmond (like the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815) crashed onto the island by accident. When Locke mentions the printed logs of the numbers, Desmond works out that he, by entering the numbers in late, caused the crash by verifying the time and date. Later, as Desmond prepares to kill himself, Locke pounds and shouts outside the hatch and prevents the suicide from happening. Were both men destined to save each other? Locke's importance on the island has thus been connected with his faith and appreciation for nature in contrast to Jack's skepticism and devotion to science, how is Desmond important, and where does he lie on the faith/science spectrum? If unaffiliated with either, is he the link between Locke and Jack?

Further Questions: 

1. What will the others do with Sawyer, Kate, and Jack?

2. What is the reason for the costumes? 

3. Will Michael and Walt make it back home?

4. What is "Henry's" real name? 

5. What will become of the hatch?

6. Will Locke get his faith back now?

7. How did the explosion of the hatch affect the island?

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 23, Live Together, Die Alone part 1

On-Island Events: Jack, Sawyer, and Sayid swim out to the boat just offshore from their beach. Once aboard gunshots ring out at them from below its galley and they discover Desmond, apparently inebriated, is the shooter. They bring him back to the beach and Desmond explains that he couldn't leave the island. Sayid suggests that he use Desmond's boat to meet Jack and the rest of the group as a surprise attack when they return to the others' camp; Jack agrees. As they make their way through the jungle Kate discovers two others tracking them. A shootout happens and one other is killed. Jack informs the group that Michael has been turned and forces him to confess his betrayal to the group. Michael admits his role everything and apologizes for killing Ana Lucia and Libby. Hugo wants to return but Jack insists they carry on, stating he has a plan.

When Sayid asks Desmond to borrow the boat for a trip northward, Desmond asks if he's headed to see "the hostiles." Desmond refuses to sail Sayid, but Jin has sailing experience and is willing to accompany him. They set out with Sun along the island's coast and are confused when they happen across a four-toed statue of a foot. 

Locke demands that Eko stop pushing the button in the hatch; Eko refuses and pushes Locke out. Later Locke finds Desmond drinking on the beach and shares the contents of the pearl station's orientation video with him. Desmond lures Eko out of the computer room inside the hatch and forces the blast doors down so he and Locke can wait for the countdown to run out. Eko runs to the beach and asks for Charlie's help in getting back into the hatch. 

Flashbacks: A short-haired Desmond receives a collection of possessions, including a Dickens novel (Our Mutual Friend) which he says he'll read just before he dies, at the conclusion of having served time in jail. He is met by a gentleman who presents him with a box full of letters addressed to Penelope Widmore, his daughter. The man attempts to pay Desmond to stay away from Penelope. 

Desmond is in America where he meets Libby, who pays for his coffee and offers up her late husband's boat, The Elizabeth, for Desmond's sailing race around the world. Later, Desmond meets Penelope who asks why he didn't write to her while he was in prison. He shares his plan to win Widmore's race, intending to regain his honor in doing so. Lost in a storm at sea, Desmond falls and is knocked unconscious on the boat. When he awakens, Kelvin Inman, the same man who trained Sayid to be a torturer, is standing before him in a yellow hazardous materials suit in the hatch. Inman shows Desmond the hatch's orientation video and explains the need for him to vaccinate himself.

Greater Meaning: Desmond's flashbacks reference the previously introduced connection with Jack at the stadium but now include connections with Libby and the previously unidentified Kelvin Inman, who was connected directly with Sayid and secondarily with Kate (through Sam Austen). The connections are growing with every new episode, but thus far Desmond is special for having multiple links to survivors. This again seems too important to ignore and must be for a bigger purpose than just coincidence. Obviously Desmond is not just a throwaway character. He's the person with the most knowledge about the hatch and the button, he has a sailboat (although why the boat was unable to carry him away from the island is a mystery and he seems upset about it), and now, he has these connections. We must conclude, like Locke has consistently maintained, there is a reason for this and that ultimately Desmond is important for what lies ahead. The fact that he's entertaining Locke's stop-the-button-pushing idea as a serious one says a lot about what Desmond knows (or suspects) about the island. If they stop pushing the button and nothing happens, they've all been duped, but why? Are the people Claire saw in the medical station the scientists who are conducting the psychological experiments being observed? Are they "pretending" to be scientists just as they are "pretending" to be hillbillies (as Kate stated)? If they stop pushing the button and something happens, it will be clear that Eko's faith was guiding him correctly and that Locke was wrong to doubt himself and his importance on the island. Desmond doesn't seem quite as invested in the right and wrong of it all the way Eko and Locke are, but he is interested and we are heading for a potentially explosive series of events for the season two finale.

The stealing of children from parents remains an ongoing theme in the show's narrative: first Rousseau
(Alex), then Claire (Aaron, by Rousseau then Ethan), and now Michael (Walt). The two young children from the tail section were not with their parents but were also taken. Walt tells Michael the others make him do tests; are they doing experiments on the other children? Alex seems to have joined their cause but chose to free Claire and shows a kindly concern for her, now. This only people able to fully empathize with Michael are Rousseau and Claire as none of the rest of the survivors are parents. Of course everyone continues to look to Jack for answers, but Jack is a doctor, not a father. The reactions of everyone's faces after Michael admits his terrible acts are ones of disgust; they cannot fathom Michael having chosen Walt, his own son, over other community members. This seems significant as Rousseau was unable to reclaim Alex and eventually lost her; Claire was drugged into agreeing to give the others her baby but was saved by Alex, and now Michael, after killing two people and betraying another four, is fighting to get his son back. Will he? 

Further Questions: 

1. What is Jack's plan?

2. What happened to the foot statue?

3. What will happen when the countdown completes and the button isn't pushed? 

4. What is Desmond's role in all this?

5. What happened to Kelvin Inman?

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 22, Three Minutes

On-Island Events: Michael's attempts to find Walt are replayed in a then-and-now style. Michael stands outside the hatch, reads a pink piece of paper, and then sets it on fire. Jack tries to discuss a strategy in going after the others but Michael wants to call the shots. Hugo voices concern about Ana Lucia and Libby's bodies and Jack agrees they will bury them and go after Walt the next day. 

Michael cleans Libby's blood from the floor as Eko shares his thoughts about hell and sin. Michael meets Jack in the jungle and again insists that he decide the way they go after Walt; he wants Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hugo, and no one else. Jack agrees. Michael returns with Jack to the beach and shares the news of Ana Lucia and Libby's murders. Michael becomes angry when Sawyer asks Sayid to come along on the expedition and later speaks to Sayid about it, stating he must be the one in charge. 

Eko announces to Charlie that he will be staying in the hatch, no longer participating in the building of their church; Charlie reacts poorly. Later Charlie follows Vincent to Sawyer's tent, where the heroin statues have been stashed and tosses the statues into the ocean. 

As Kate and Hugo dig the graves for Ana Lucia and Libby, Michael tries to encourage Hugo to come along on the journey to rescue Walt. Hugo apologizes but states emphatically he will not go along. As Sayid and Jack walk to the funeral on the beach Sayid suggests that Michael has been compromised. Jack wants to speak directly to Michael about it but Sayid prefers to keep their suspicions secret in order to create an advantage. Jack gives Ana Lucia's eulogy; Hugo gives Libby's and tells Michael he's changed his mind about going along. Just as they finish the funerals Sun points to a boat coming near their beach.

Flashbacks: Michael encounters some of the others; they exchange gunfire and eventually capture Michael. As it turns out, the others keep Michael in the jungle until dark and eventually confront Jack, Locke, and Sawyer as it happened before when the bearded man and his people lit up the torches. Alex, the teenage girl who saved Claire, speaks with Michael and asks about Claire and the baby. After Jack, Locke, Sawyer, and Kate leave the jungle, the bearded man redistributes the weapons he took from the group and Alex apologizes before knocking Michael out with the butt of one of the guns. 

The next day Michael arrives with the others at a cliffside tent settlement and he meets Miss Klugh, who asks him a series of questions about Walt. "Did Walt ever appear in a place he wasn't supposed to be?" she asks; Michael is confused. Later Michael demands he be allowed to see Walt; Miss Klugh delivers him and allows Michael to speak with him for three minutes only. Walt says he's not been harmed but that he's being made to take tests. "They're not who they say they are, they're pretending," Walt explains. After they take Walt away Miss Klugh tells Michael that in order to get his son back he will need to retrieve their man, who is being held by his people. She gives him a list of four people, "James Ford" being one of them, and promises Walt will be freed if Michael succeeds. 

Greater Meaning: Since seeing Michael suddenly murder Ana Lucia and Libby we have wondered what would drive him to do such a thing, and now we know: "Henry's" people are using Walt as a bargaining chip. It seems that Michael wasn't lying about having seen the others in their camp (canvas tents, dirty clothes) but something still appears to be missing in our ability to understand who the others are and what they do --- the fake beard, costumes, and makeup that Kate found in the medical station. When Claire had her flashbacks of Ethan and his people preparing to operate on her, the man Ethan spoke with was the bearded man, sans beard. He was dressed in typical-for-the-timeframe clothing, the others were dressed in professional medical garb. Now Michael sees the group of others dressed in shabby clothing living in makeshift huts. Do they live this way and then don medical uniforms and practice medicine when the need arises or do they live in a modern, more sophisticated area and simply pretend to be a primitive people? Why do they want to fool Locke, Kate, Sawyer, Jack, and Michael but didn't bother to try to fool Claire? Walt confirms that the others are "pretending." Why are they doing this? 

Further Questions: 

1. Will the others keep their promise to Michael and allow him to reunite with Walt?

2. What was that list all about, and why only the four names?

3. Who is the leader of the others? 

4. What did Miss Klugh mean when she asked about Walt "showing up in a place he wasn't supposed to be?"

5. What are the others going to do with Michael's blood sample? 

6. How did Walt communicate with Michael on a computer? 

7. Will Sayid follow the group? 

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 21, ?

On-Island Events: Ana Lucia comes to Eko in a dream in a bloodied condition and tells Eko he needs to help Locke. Eko goes to the hatch and finds his brother Yemi, who tells him he must make Locke take him to "the question mark." 

Michael bursts out of the hatch and tells Locke, Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Eko a story about being shot by a man who escaped from the armory. As they look around the hatch and find Ana Lucia and Libby's lifeless bodies, Libby suddenly coughs out blood. Eko and Locke set out to track "Henry." Locke confronts Eko in the jungle, accusing him of tracking something other than "Henry;" Eko responds by knocking Locke out. When he awakens, Eko discusses the question mark with Locke and Locke shows Eko the map he made during the lockdown. 

Kate and Sawyer retrieve heroin from Sawyer's tent but run into Hugo, who is looking for Libby. Jack prepares to administer heroin to Libby while Hugo talks with Michael in the hatch about the picnic he had planned. 

Locke and Eko eventually find the cliff where Boone was injured in the falling plane and Locke dreams that Eko, like Boone, falls from the cliff. Locke tells Eko about the dream and Eko climbs to the top of the cliff. Looking down, Eko sees an area on the ground where a large circle has worn away from the grass. The two discover that the ground has been salted, so nothing will grow, and that the area underneath the fallen airplane is hiding another hatch. Inside this hatch is a small room filled with television monitors; when Locke switches them on he sees Jack inside the other hatch. A printed log of the numbers entered and accepted lies next to a pneumatic tube; Locke folds the map he made and thrusts it inside the tube, disgusted. Eko finds a VHS tape labeled "Orientation" with the same octagonal logo from the first hatch for this, the Pearl Station. The same scientist from the other hatch training video appears as Mark Wickmund, and explains the Pearl was created for observation and monitoring of other stations for a secret psychological experiment. Eko asks Locke if he'd like to watch the video a second time; Locke says he's seen enough.

Eko states the button-pushing work is now more important than ever but Locke becomes angry, comparing his life to the useless act of pushing the button. Eko shares the story of Yemi with Locke and insists the work in the hatch has meaning and must continue. 

Hugo talks with Libby and apologizes for forgetting the blankets. Libby awakens, says only, "Michael," and dies. 

Flashbacks: Eko, dressed as a priest, meets with a man who gives him a forged Australian passport needed for a trip to America. Eko's plans are postponed when the church needs to investigate a miracle: a girl who was believed to be drowned came back to life again. Eko tries to meet with the girl but her father insists his wife has made up the story of the drowning. 

The day Eko is scheduled to fly out of Australia on Oceanic flight 815, the girl tracks him down and tells him Yemi thought he was a good priest. She assures him that Yemi has faith in him and that Eko will see his brother again soon. 

Greater Meaning: The question mark in the title refers to the middle section of Locke's map from the blast door that identifies the hidden hatch in the ground but also reflects Locke's confused state over what his role on the island should be. The episode is focused upon Eko and his faith, but Locke is very much a part of it, too. In a way, Locke and Eko switch roles: Locke, who has always had an unwavering faith in the island, is thrown for a loop when he realizes the hatches were created to be psychological experiments by the Dharma Initiative, and Eko, who lived a life of violence before assuming his departed brother's role as a priest, finds faith for the first time after his dreams lead him to the hatch. Locke feels he has been made a fool of; Eko trusts the words and guidance of Yemi, who has come not only to him in dreams but spoke to the girl whose death and alleged resurrection was thought a miracle even before Oceanic 815 crashed onto the island. It's more than a little coincidental that the entrance to the new hatch lay directly beneath the plane that brought Yemi to the island and resulted in the eventual death of Boone, both events that tested the faiths of Eko and Locke.

Many of the survivors have seen things on the island that may or may not have really been there: Jack saw his father Christian, who led him to water; Shannon saw a soaking-wet Walt before anyone knew that the raft had been destroyed; Charlie saw various visions of Aaron in danger; and Hugo saw his imaginary friend Dave, who slapped him and struck him with a slipper. Knowing that the island has the ability to cure maladies such as paralysis and cancer, it's really not a stretch to accept that it may also allow the dead to communicate with the living or its inhabitants to have visions, but are these events motivated, somehow? Does the island have an agenda? If it does, Locke's crisis of faith is significant. We've already seen "Henry" try to manipulate Locke in playing him against Jack, in adding the bit about coming to get him before getting caught Henry seems to have marked Locke for his own, calling him "one of the good ones." Is Locke's goodness tied up in his faith? Is Jack not good because of his absence of faith and devotion to science? How will Eko proceed as the new island faithful? Locke's legs are still not fully healed, which, if we believe that the island takes and gives at will based on Locke being on the right track, seems important. 

Further Questions: 

1. Will Locke get his faith back?

2. Will Eko be in charge of the hatch now?

3. Are there ghosts on the island? 

4. Is the island messing with Locke? 

5. Were Boone's death and the discovery of the new hatch meant to test Locke's faith?

6. What was The Dharma Initiative and why does the scientist use different names in the videos?

7. Is The Dharma Initiative still on the island?

8. Is "Henry" part of The Dharma Initiative?

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 20, Two For the Road

On-Island Events: Jack is suspicious of Michael's sudden appearance but with Kate, helps him back to the hatch. While Ana Lucia is questioning "Henry," he attacks her but is thwarted by Locke. Ana Lucia confesses to Libby that "Henry" tried to kill her; Libby advises Ana Lucia not to do anything stupid in retaliation. 

Locke is confused about why "Henry" didn't try to kill him when he had the chance, when he asks "Henry" about it he replies that Locke is "one of the good ones." "Henry" admits that he has failed his mission and that before becoming ensnared in Rousseau's net, he had been on his way to get Locke. Ana Lucia asks Sawyer for a gun but he refuses.

Jack is unable to rouse Michael to consciousness; Locke thinks Michael's presence suggests the trade for "Henry" was accepted. Ana Lucia follows Sawyer out to the jungle and again asks for a gun. Sawyer declines once again but after the two have sex, Ana Lucia secretly manages to get one. Hugo and Libby make plans to go on a beach picnic. Locke covers for Ana Lucia when Jack notices her injury from "Henry." Michael wakes up with a headache but informs Kate, Jack, and Locke that he found the others. Michael states that the others were dirty and tent-dwelling but that he suspected they were holding Walt in a guarded hatch. 

Kate, Jack, and Locke confront Sawyer demanding guns while Ana Lucia confronts "Henry" in the armory. Unable to shoot "Henry" though she wants to, Ana Lucia hands her gun over to Michael, who in turn shoots her. Seeking blankets in the hatch for the picnic, Libby comes upon the scene; Michael shoots her, too. After he sees "Henry" in the armory, Michael shoots himself in the arm.

Flashbacks: Ana Lucia's mother brings her to the morgue to see Jason McCormick, the man responsible for shooting Ana Lucia and causing her miscarriage (who Ana Lucia shot). Ana Lucia hands in her badge and quits.

Ana Lucia runs into Christian Shephard at a bar in LAX; he invites her to accompany him to Sydney. Christian employs Ana Lucia as a sort of bodyguard and after drinking for four days, has her accompany
him to a house where he argues with a blond woman. "She's my daughter and I have a right to see her," Christian shouts.  

The next day, Ana Lucia drives Christian to a bar where he hits a passing Sawyer with the door of the car. Later while at the airport, Ana Lucia waits in a ticket line behind Jin and Jack, who pleads with an agent over securing his father's remains for Oceanic flight 815. Ana Lucia has an emotional phone call with her mother but says she's on her way home. 

Greater Meaning: Two for the road seems to reference Ana Lucia and Christian setting out on an adventure in Australia, but takes on new meaning at the episode's conclusion. Ana Lucia and Libby were killed by Michael, another survivor. Questions surrounding these sudden murders revolve around Walt, did Michael learn something that changed him or was he instructed by someone else to kill the two women? Is there indeed a trade happening, Walt for "Henry?" If so, this makes "Henry" more important than we may have realized. 

Other than Libby's dazed few moments in the hospital during Hugo's flashback, we have not seen any backstory on Libby's life; we know very little about her. Ana Lucia, on the other hand, has had two episodes devoted to her backstory and has had much dangled and then taken from her throughout the show's second season: 

1. Would-be mother - - - baby lost after getting shot

2. Reunification with mother and return to normal life, post revenge killing - - - Oceanic flight 815 crashes onto island

3. Romantic interest of Goodwin - - - betrayed and nearly killed by Goodwin 

4. Would-be leader of the tail section - - - outcast after accidentally shooting Shannon

5. Accepted island colleague respected by Locke, Sayid, and Jack - - - betrayed and killed by Michael 

Ana Lucia's inability to kill "Henry" allowed him to be saved by Michael and ultimately led to her own murder as well as Libby's. Michael needed Ana Lucia to give him the combination to the armory and trusting his intentions were if not honorable, then loyal to Ana Lucia and the rest of the survivors, she provided it. Knowing what we know about Ana Lucia's history, this is a very sad, very frustrating way for her story to end, but fit within the repeated potential-downfall seesaw that seemed to plague her existence. Michael's pained look and subsequent apology suggests he is upset about what he's doing; he's been nothing but an honest and helpful character thus far, devoted above all to his son Walt. In order for Michael to have turned to murder, something serious must be at play, most likely involving "Henry's" people.

Further Questions:  

1. Did Michael kill for the others?

2. Is Walt a bargaining chip?

3. Is Michael going to successfully get "Henry" out of the hatch?

4. Was Michael telling the truth about the others? 

5. Who is the daughter Christian was yelling about? Who was the Australian woman?

6. Will we ever learn more about Libby?

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 19, S.O.S.

On-Island Events: Bernard and Rose disagree about how best to proceed with their new island lives; Locke attempts to reconstruct a drawing of the question mark map on the blast door. Jack tends to "Henry's" shoulder and informs him that he will try to trade for Walt. 

Bernard rounds up a group of survivors and suggests making a sign on the beach for a new rescue attempt. Rose admonishes Bernard for giving people false hope. Later he approaches Eko and Charlie, who decline to help, and criticizes them for building a church instead of aiding in rescue plans. Locke yells at "Henry" through the armory door while "Henry" sits back and smiles at the chaos he's created. 

Bernard accuses Rose of sabotaging his rescue plan; Rose suggests he just let things be. Jack and Kate set out to the disputed area to find "Henry's" people but get caught in one of Rousseau's nets. Locke and Rose sit together on the beach; Rose suggests with a knowing look that despite his broken leg, Locke will heal faster than he thinks. 

Kate explains her theory of the others' sophistication to Jack, who is upset at having been kept in the dark about the hidden medical station. When they arrive at the disputed area, Jack yells to announce his presence and adds that he has their man. Rose discloses to Bernard that the island has healed her, and remembers seeing Locke in a wheelchair in the airport before the flight. Bernard understands and tells Rose that they'll never leave the island. As Jack and Kate wait for the others in the jungle, a frantic and exhausted Michael emerges.

Flashbacks: Bernard meets Rose when he helps her out of a snowed-in parking spot; she thanks him by buying him coffee. Five months later at Niagara Falls, Bernard proposes to Rose, who says she's sick and dying, but accepts. In the outback on their honeymoon Bernard takes Rose to a spiritual healer and the two argue about it. Bernard insists he needs to try to do something about Rose's situation despite Rose's own peace with it. The healer explains how he harnesses energy but tells Rose his is not the right place for her healing. Rose states she will tell Bernard he had fixed her anyway.

Greater Meaning: It seems important to note that since Rose and Locke have been healed by coming to the island, they do not wish to leave or get rescued. One wonders how this may play out down the line should an opportunity to leave or get rescued actually arise. Eko and Charlie's building of the church also suggests a comfort in settling in to island life, long-term. Should the survivors actually stay and carve out a new civilization to dwell spread out over the beach, jungle, and cave area, the issues with "Henry," Rousseau, and any others become more than just individual inconveniences. Jack's sentiment of living together or dying alone seems all the more important in this light; will the survivors be able to live alongside the island's more senior residents? 

Rose has proven to be knowledgeable in many instances, in knowing Bernard was alive, in having a funny feeling about the hatch, and as revealed in this episode, in knowing the cancer had left her body once crashing onto the island. Electricity, magnetism, geology, and energy have come up several times in the second season; Rose's healer mentioned pockets of energy under the location in Australia where he practiced, the magnetic energy in the hatch still hasn't quite been figured out, and "Henry's" odd comments about no one being able to see or find the island suggests a unique geological energy at work. Can the island be explained, scientifically, or is there another influence at play? What could the island possibly have going on that would not only cure cancer but also paralysis and broken bones? Does Rousseau know about this property? Does "Henry?"

Further Questions: 

1. Will Locke heal quickly?

2. Does Rose know more about the island's powers?

3. Will the survivors stop trying to get rescued? 

4. Does "Henry" have a plan?

5. What has Michael been doing all this time?

6. Is Walt safe? 

7. Is there more about the island Rose knows? 

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 18, Dave

On-Island Events: Hugo and Libby talk together on the beach; Hugo admits that he's been stashing his own supply of food in the jungle. Libby assures Hugo he has the ability to change and encourages him to destroy the stash. After he does, the other survivors celebrate the new supply stash that has been dropped in by parachute and begin dividing it. After Hugo refuses to be in charge of the food a second time, he sees a bald, smiling man he calls "Dave." 

Jack examines Locke's leg and determines it's broken. Locke pleads "Henry's" case to Jack but for naught. Now tied up in the armory, "Henry" claims the real Henry Gale was already dead and hanging out of the balloon when found by a search party. Sayid produces a twenty dollar bill which the real Henry Gale wrote on after crashing that refutes "Henry's" story. When asked about his peoples' leader, "Henry" becomes anxious and upset. Sayid nearly shoots him in frustration but is stopped by Ana Lucia.

As Hugo sneaks off to consume goldfish crackers, Dave again appears and whips his slipper at Hugo. He chases Dave to the beach where Charlie and Eko are working; they claim they didn't see anyone. Hugo seeks Sawyer out for drugs but when Sawyer mocks him for his hallucinations, Hugo charges him in front of the entire camp. Hugo packs a bag and leaves the camp; Dave interrupts him eating peanut butter. Dave tells Hugo that he's still back at the hospital and that the island and everything on it is all in his head. After leading Hugo up to a tall cliff overlooking the ocean, Dave encourages Hugo to jump over the edge in order to wake himself up from the delusion and jumps over himself, laughing.

Locke refuses to use his old wheelchair but accepts a pair of crutches to get around. In the armory, Locke questions "Henry," who refuses to divulge his real name and makes an odd statement about God and the rest of the world being unable to see or know about the island. Locke suggests that maybe he allowed himself to be caught in Rousseau's net or that his people were curious about the hatch. He assures Locke they think the hatch is nothing but a joke but that he also lied about entering the numbers into the computer. 

Libby confronts Hugo at the edge of the cliff; Hugo explains he has been imagining everything that has happened. Libby assures Hugo everything has been real and kisses him.

Flashbacks: Hugo speaks to a psychiatrist but avoids discussing the accident that resulted in his
hospitalization. Later after a basketball game, Hugo chats with Dave, who his doctor thinks is a bad influence. 

Hugo and Dave play Connect-4 with Leonard and Hugo steals Leonard's graham crackers. Dave also convinces Hugo not to take his required clonazepam. Hugo's doctor takes a photo of the two; Hugo cheeks his meds. A few days later, after sharing a small list of things he likes about himself, Hugo's doctor asks him about his appearance. Hugo admits that he believes his weight caused an accident on a collapsed deck that resulted in several peoples' deaths, and his doctor suggests his eating habits are about punishing himself. When Hugo becomes defensive and evokes Dave's name, the doctor shows Hugo the photo he took (and that Dave is not in it because Dave does not exist). 

Later that evening, Dave comes to Hugo and slaps him twice when Hugo accuses him of being a hallucination. Dave encourages Hugo to break out the hospital window but Hugo refuses, stands up for himself, and bids Dave farewell. On a reprisal of the scene where the doctor takes the photo of Hugo and Dave, a darker-haired Libby, who was also a patient in the hospital, watches from across the room.

Greater Meaning: We wait the entire episode for the payoff connection between characters this time, but the conclusion to Hugo's flashback shows that he and Libby were hospitalized together before the crash. This can be seen as another coincidental connection among the characters (ala Sawyer and Diane, Locke and Nadia, Sayid and Sam), which at this point is too common to be considered coincidental any longer, or could also serve to reveal Hugo and Libby's mental health as important factors on the island. Does Libby remember Hugo? He's said a few times that Libby seems familiar to him, but given the disoriented state she was in during the flashback, she may not have been aware of Hugo's presence. Hugo's orientation to reality appeared to be solid up until this point: he's been kind, empathetic, and has adapted his behavior well to the new normal of life on the island. Hugo's guilt over his weight drove his initial hospitalization; his experiences on the island have not brought about any negative consequences for others but have apparently resurfaced due to his budding relationship with Libby. 

Hugo wants to change but believes he is incapable, thus Dave emerges to maintain his negative relationship with food and himself. Libby, a clinical psychologist, is there both times to encourage Hugo and validate his feelings (throw the food away, don't jump off the cliff, you CAN change) but her own story becomes more interesting with the reveal that she herself was a patient in a psychiatric facility. Will Libby's struggles also be revealed? They both seem to be understanding people; can their relationship work?

Further Questions: 

1. Will Hugo and Libby become an official couple? 

2. Is Libby mentally sound?

3. Will Locke's injury heal?

4. Did "Henry" really lie about entering the numbers? 

5. Are the numbers just a joke?

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 17, Lockdown

On-Island Events: Henry Gale continues to try to play Locke against Jack; Locke becomes angry. Later Locke hears static coming through one of the speakers inside the hatch and after a countdown, several blast doors come down, keeping Locke inside the kitchen area of the hatch and away from the computer. Locke manages to wedge a crowbar under one of the blast doors but asks for Henry's help in trying to open the door further. Henry agrees to help but asks for Locke's protection moving forward; Locke gives Henry his word. Locke and Henry manage to prop the door open and Locke attempts to slide under but the door injures him, pinning his legs. 

The computer countdown needs to be reset, so Locke coaches Henry in how to get to the computer and enter the numbers. Henry suffers a fall but eventually makes it into the computer room. The alarm for the countdown begins to sound, worrying Locke, but suddenly a black light switches on, illuminating pink and yellow florescent drawings on the blast door. The drawings appear to be a map with stations surrounding a central question mark. The black lights switch off, the blast doors rise, and after crawling into the computer room, Locke sees that the numbers have been reset. Henry helps Locke to his feet; Locke thanks him for not leaving. 

Jack and Kate follow a flashing light into the jungle, where a parachute of food and supplies have been dropped. Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie return. They all meet at the hatch, where Jack is immediately confrontational with Henry. Sayid explains they found the grave and the balloon as intended but still believing Henry's story to be a lie, they dug up the grave. Inside it was a man's body along with a driver's license of the real Henry Gale. 

Flashbacks: Locke hides a diamond ring from Helen as he prepares for a picnic; Helen reads in a newspaper that Anthony Cooper has died. Locke and Helen attend Cooper's funeral and observe two strangers in the cemetery; Locke whispers to Cooper's coffin, "I forgive you." 

Locke inspects a house for a woman that looks like Sayid's former love Nadia and is surprised to find his supposedly dead father parked down the block, watching him. Locke confronts Cooper about having stolen his kidney; Cooper in unapologetic but offers Locke 200k to get money out of a deposit box for him. Locke gets the cash but runs into the two men from the cemetery again, who suspect Cooper may not be dead. Locke convinces the two men he hasn't interacted with his father; they search his bag and then leave. Locke delivers the money to Cooper but Helen has followed him. In desperation Locke proposes but Helen shakes her head and drives away.

Greater Meaning: The flashback shows us Locke, seemingly happy in his life, getting wrapped up in a situation that ultimately changes his life. We know from previous flashbacks that Locke paid someone to pretend to be Helen during their phone conversations just before his flight on Oceanic 815, so we can safely assume that their relationship indeed ended after this last issue once again involving deception in regard to Anthony Cooper (although this deceit felt more like a money grab than an emotional yearning to connect or punish). 

Similarly, the lockdown thrust Locke into a situation that he couldn't have anticipated or controlled, which directly involved "Henry Gale," who we now know had been manipulating the survivors all along. If Henry Gale is an "other," Locke was the one most fooled by him just as Locke continued to be fooled by his father despite knowing his devious nature. "Henry" saved Locke's legs by putting weights under the descending blast door, and entered the numbers into the computer as instructed, but what if he hadn't? Locke has suffered injury to his legs before on the island, during the time he and Boone sought out the Nigerian airplane, and Boone's death immediately followed (along with the revelation of Desmond's light inside the hatch). Given Locke's unique ability to have full use of his legs since having crashed onto the island, one wonders about the significance of now two such threats to them, now. 

Further Questions: 

1. Who is "Henry Gale?" 

2. Did Helen leave Locke for good?

3. Does Locke ever see his father again?

4. What reason would "Henry" have to turn Locke and Jack against each other?

5. What is the question mark in the center of the island?

6. Who painted the map?

7. Are there more hatches? 

8. What will they do with "Henry" now?

9. Was the woman whose house Locke inspected Nadia?

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 16, The Whole Truth

On-Island Events: Sun and Jin argue about safety; Jin overreacts and ruins Sun's garden. Later, Bernard and Rose find Sun feeling unwell and Sun eventually asks Sawyer for a pregnancy test. Locke discloses the Henry Gale situation to Ana Lucia, who meets with Henry in the armory. Ana Lucia suggests Henry draw her a map to the balloon where he crashed onto the island. 

Ana Lucia privately goes to Sayid to ask for his help; Henry indeed drew a map on the back of the Dostoevsky novel Locke gave to him. The two plus Charlie set out to find the balloon. Sun's pregnancy test is positive; she shares the news with Kate and Jack but does not want to tell Jin. 

Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie find the area illustrated in Henry's map but do not find a balloon. Sawyer congratulates Jin on the beach, calling him, "Daddy-O," but Jin does not understand what he means. Jin returns to Sun's ruined garden and mends it. Sun finds him there, the two discuss their relationship, and Sun reveals she is pregnant. Jin, overjoyed to hear the news, decides the baby is a miracle.

Jack allows Henry out of the armory to eat breakfast; he informs Locke and Jack about the map he drew for Ana Lucia. Henry suggests that were he one of the others, his map would lead to an ambush.

Flashbacks: Sun and Jin struggle with infertility and argue about what to do. Sun meets the man she initially went on a match date with for English lessons behind Jin's back. In meeting with a specialist, Sun and Jin learn that their chances at conception are very slim. Jin does not handle the news well and storms out of the doctor's office. Later, Sun confesses to her English tutor that she plans to leave Jin and move to America. Sun runs into her doctor on the street, who tells her it is Jin, not Sun, that has the fertility problem. 

Greater Meaning: Sun and Jin's relationship has suffered its ups and downs, but this episode shows us they still have a long way to go, despite the good news of Sun's pregnancy. In trying to protect Sun from the others, Jin resumes his earlier methods of harsh words, physical aggression, and general dominance, going so far as to ruin Sun's garden when she resists his demands. We are reminded through flashbacks that Jin's need to control and protect stemmed from his violent work for Mr. Paik, but his actions on the island are differently influenced. Jin, after all, is the only person on the island who is not a fluent English-speaker. Sun is the only one who can understand and communicate with him; Jin's own value relies on his relationship with his wife, much as his status back home was tied to his role within Paik's organization. Jin's ability to catch fish and his physical power are useful skills, but Jin is still marginalized within the group by the language divide. Despite this, his new role as a father elevates him somewhat as a survivor and a man: he may not be able to fully communicate, but he successfully impregnated his wife, something he was not able to do before crashing onto the island. The episode's title and Sun's interactions with her English tutor suggest that we still may not be fully aware of everything, at least, not yet.

Further Questions: 

1. Did Sun have an affair with her tutor and lie about it?

2. Will Rousseau/others come for Sun's baby too?

3. Is the baby Jin's? If so, how did his fertility return?

4. Is Henry Gale conning Locke and Jack?

5. Do Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie find the balloon?

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, Episode 15, Maternity Leave

On-Island Events: Claire goes to Locke in the middle of the night because she believes Aaron is sick; Locke offers to fetch Jack from the hatch for help. Rousseau shows up before Jack can reach Claire and insists the baby is "infected." Claire is confused but suddenly remembers images of a baby's nursery, a large needle, and her own screaming. When Claire suggests to Jack that the baby might have an infection, Jack insists there is no infection and that Aaron simply has a fever and rash. 

Claire consults Libby, a clinical psychologist, to help her remember what happened when Ethan kidnapped her. Libby agrees, and Claire begins to remember while under an altered state of consciousness. She sees herself in a medical setting with Ethan, who gave her a shot for the baby. Claire is agitated when she comes out of the altered state and demands Kate help her find the medical station where she believes there is medicine that will help Aaron. 

Claire has another vision of Ethan, again giving her a shot and then leading her through a bunker to a nursery, which he says is for her baby. She asked several questions but Ethan claimed everything would be too overwhelming for her to understand. Claire studied an airplane mobile above the crib which plays the song, "Catch a Falling Star," while Ethan spoke with an unknown man outside the nursery. Common in all of Claire's visions was also a brunette teenage girl who implored, "You gotta go!" each time. Claire comes out of the memory and decides to leave Aaron with Sun so she, Kate, and Rousseau can find the medical station. 

On the way through the jungle, Claire sees an old stump and has more visions of Ethan. Ethan told Claire he would miss her when she went back, but that there was only enough vaccine for the one. Claire agreed, also stating that she would trust Ethan's people to raise her son.

Claire eventually finds the medical station and goes inside; the nursery has been cleaned out. Kate finds lockers with costumes, a fake beard, and other props. Claire has a vision of the teenage girl again, who insisted she needed to leave, stating Ethan would take the baby by cutting it out of her. Claire fought the girl but was then drug out to the forest. Claire called out for Ethan but remembered encountering Rousseau instead, who dragged her back to camp. When she comes out of the memory Claire finds that no vaccines remain in the medical station; Rousseau admits she did not find what she was looking for, either. Claire realizes Rousseau's daughter, Alexandra, must have been the one who saved her.

After his condition improves, Claire confesses to Aaron that she was going to give him up, but that she knows now that they were meant to be together. Locke brings Henry a bowl of cereal inside the armory and the two chat about Hemingway and Dostoevsky. 

Greater Meaning: Instead of flashbacks which focus on Claire's life before crashing onto the island, we get flashbacks from her time as Ethan's prisoner. In every case before this, the flashbacks have served a few purposes within the narrative: 1. general background on the character; 2. specific background in terms of mistakes, shortcomings, or trouble with relationships; and now, 3. connections between characters known or unknown before the crash of Oceanic 815. Claire's flashbacks of being held captive by Ethan don't really give us any additional information about her, other than showing that she was likely drugged during her captivity, and through conversations with Ethan implied that she still planned to give Aaron up--- but to whom? 

Ethan was shown in scrubs and medical face coverings with several other people in the flashback where the brunette tried to free Claire. Who were these others? The costumes in the locker seem confusing at first . . . why would there be beards and dingy clothing in a medical station? The man speaking with Ethan outside the nursery has a familiar voice and appearance, but has not been named or referred to, yet. Admonishing Ethan for his handling of Claire's situation, the man brings up the words "him," and "list." Back when Ana Lucia, Bernard, Mr. Eko, and Libby were on the other side of the island, Goodwin and his people used lists to determine which survivors to take. We already know Ethan is an "other." To whom is he reporting back? Is it the same person who means to claim Claire's baby?

Rousseau becomes important in this light; if her baby was stolen and kept by the others, what's the reason? They've taken Alex, now a teenager, the two children from the tail section, attempted to take Aaron while Claire was still pregnant, and Walt. Why do they want the children? Is Claire doomed to eventually suffer the same fate as Rousseau? Is there another connection, besides Ethan, that we're missing in all this?

Further Questions: 

1. Was Aaron infected with something?

2. Did Ethan purposely infect Claire with something?

3. Is Alexandra the girl who helped Claire escape?

4. What are the props in the locker room for?

5. Is Henry Gale purposely trying to turn Locke against Jack?

6. Who is in charge of the Others?

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, episode 14, One of Them

On-island Events: Ana Lucia leads Sayid to Rousseau, who has returned to the survivors' camp looking for Sayid. She leads them deep into the jungle where a man has been caught in one of Rousseau's net traps. Sayid frees the man, who says he's Henry Gale from Minnesota but when the man tries to flee, Rousseau shoots him with an arrow, injuring him.  "He's one of them," she warns. 

Sayid brings Henry to the hatch, where Locke is sleeping. Henry explains he crash-landed onto the island on an air balloon and that his wife, who was with him, got sick and died. Jack arrives at the hatch and is angry that Sayid and Locke have allowed the man to suffer. While Jack tends to Henry's injury, Sayid suggests Locke change the combination to the weapons room in the hatch, suggesting Jack will not approve of Sayid's methods in obtaining information from Henry. When the men move Henry into the armory, Sayid locks Locke and Jack out.

Sayid questions Henry, who asks Sayid details about himself. Sayid replies only, "My name is Sayid Jarrah and I am a torturer." Henry reveals details about his air balloon, his wife, and his occupation, but Sayid is unsatisfied and becomes upset in remembering Shannon's death. While Sayid beats Henry inside the armory, Jack and Locke fight over pushing the button, which needs immediate attention. Jack prevents Locke from going to the computer and forces him to open the armory door, where he pulls Sayid away from Henry. Locke rushes to the computer and enters the numbers partially as the countdown clock reaches zero. Locke stands frozen as the clock's cells suddenly switch from zeroes to black and red hieroglyphics but enters the complete series quickly, sending the count back to 108. 

Flashbacks: While in the Republican Army in Iraq, Sayid and others are surprised by American troops as they shred and destroy documents. The American officer in command asks for Sayid's help in locating a  missing pilot. Sayid is then made to interrogate his own commanding officer, who refuses to cooperate and encourages Sayid to kill the American soldiers.

Later another American informs Sayid that Tariq, his commanding officer, was responsible for an attack using sarin gas on Sayid's old village where many women and children were killed. The man asks for Sayid's help in retrieving the American pilot, suggesting he can show him methods that will bring results. Sayid eventually tortures Tariq to get the information he seeks, but reveals that the man had been executed.

As Sayid is driven back to be released, the American commander looks at a picture of his daughter, which turns out to be a young Kate Austen. The man who ordered Sayid to interrogate implies that although he will remain in Iraq under Saddam, he may need these recently-acquired torturing skills again someday. Sayid emphatically states he will never torture again.

Greater Meaning: The connection between Sayid and soldier Austen is the second such connection between a member of Kate's family and one of the survivors on the island (the first being Diane Janssen who served Sawyer in a diner in The Long Con). What is going on with these connections, and will they affect Sayid and Sawyer down the road? 

We know that Sayid indeed uses his torturing skills for further war incidences as well as on the island, but bigger than the skills themselves seems to be Sayid's guilt over using them. He insisted he would never torture anyone again, but does. He offers his torturing skills when Sawyer appears to have hidden Shannon's inhaler (back in Confidence Man) but then has intense feelings of regret after having done so. Jack intervened before Sayid was able to seriously injure Henry; what would have happened had he not done that? Sayid has become an important member of the survivors since his early days, a respected leader, strategist, and man of action. Will his guilt over his role as a torturer doom him? 

Further Questions: 

1. What were those hieroglyphics on the clock countdown?

2. Will Sayid continue to torture people?

3. Was Rousseau setting Sayid up?

4. Is Henry who he claims to be? 

5. Is there a situation where Sayid's torturing skills will come in handy? 

LOST: It Wasn't Purgatory, Season 2, episode 13, The Long Con

On-Island Events: Locke and Jack stock the armory with handguns, where Locke has also hidden the seven remaining Virgin Mary statues. Locke suggests Jack lock up the medications in the armory as well. As Sawyer taunts Charlie for being banished by the group, Jack ransacks Sawyer's tent to take back stolen painkillers. When Kate brings Sawyer a magazine, he requests she read to him. While discussing group happenings, Sawyer lets slip that Jack and Ana Lucia are forming an army.

Hugo attempts to engage Sayid by showing him Bernard's short wave walkie but Sayid insists he's not interested. Jack and Ana Lucia discuss safety among the group members and Sun works at creating a garden. As a rainstorm breaks out, an unseen assailant puts a dark cloth over Sun's head and injures her. Locke and Jack disagree about how to protect the group; Jack wants to employ weaponry but Locke thinks guns are too dangerous. Out in the jungle, Sawyer suggest to Kate that their own people may have attacked Sun. 

Kate confronts Jack about bestowing too much trust upon Ana Lucia. When Sun wakes up and explains how she was attacked, Jin demands a gun from Jack as Sawyer and Kate watch. Kate assumes that Ana Lucia is making a play for the guns in the armory and sends Sawyer to the hatch to warn Locke. Locke agrees that the guns should be moved and asks Sawyer to assist him.

When Jin and Jack arrive at the hatch, Sawyer is present but feigns innocence when the armory's guns are discovered to be missing. Jack confronts Locke on the beach, demanding two guns. As they argue, shots ring out and Sawyer emerges from the shadows. He lectures the group about allowing Locke and Jack to make all the rules and for stealing his stash. Going on to state that guns are the only things that matter now, Sawyer walks off with a rifle, announcing himself the "new sheriff in town."

Kate is angry about being played but suggests Sawyer did what he did because he wants to be hated. When asked why he behaves the way he does, Sawyer responds, "You run, I con. A tiger don't change its stripes." Later that evening, Sayid comes to Hugo with the short wave radio he's modified, and the two listen to orchestral music together on the beach.

Sawyer meets with his partner in crime, who happens to be Charlie. He offers him the heroin statues back, but Charlie doesn't want them. When he asks Sawyer how he came up with the idea to con everyone, Sawyer replies, "I'm not a good person, Charlie. Never did a good thing in my life." 

Flashbacks: Sawyer's attempt to con a romantic interest fails but she asks him to teach her his trade.
Using junk necklaces, Sawyer teaches the woman, who he calls "Dimples," how to run a jewelry scam. Later, Dimples voices unhappiness at doing small jobs and asks Sawyer to show her a "long con." Sawyer says they don't have money for a long con but Dimples, whose real name is Cassidy, offers the six hundred thousand dollars she's been hiding from her divorce settlement.

Sawyer meets with a man in a diner (where Diane Austin is working) and admits he has the money but is hesitant about going through with whatever deal they'd previously worked out. Sawyer eventually returns to Cassidy, very agitated, and admits that he had always known about her divorce money. "You were the long con," he tells her, but no longer. Sawyer insists he won't take her money, tells Cassidy he loves her, and sends her off to a safe place to wait for him. Sawyer ensures she's gone and then makes off with her money anyway. 

Greater Meaning: Sawyer's attraction to Kate seems legitimate, but it doesn't seem to be enough to keep him from betraying her. Through his flashbacks with Cassidy we see that he successfully acted the part of a boy in love while doing crimes with his romantic partner, but as viewers, we also were betrayed (as was Cassidy, as were the group on the beach) by believing Sawyer's sweet talk. Sawyer has shown true emotion in the past over his search for Sawyer (senior, to whom his childhood letter was addressed), Walt's being taken from the raft, Kate, whispering that he loved her to Jack during his hallucinations after being shot, and even Jack's feelings regarding Christian after describing their meet at the bar in Sydney, but overall he seems to be more strongly motivated by revenge than love or even lust. Sawyer (senior) romanced his mother and caused her death; the man on the boat stole Walt from Michael and caused the raft to come apart, thwarting Sawyer's exodus; the group violated his privacy and stole his belongings. Perhaps he senses himself becoming attached to Kate, perhaps he felt himself becoming attached to Cassidy, and he continues to manipulate and scheme in order to push the feelings or the possibility of any intimacy aside. His reply to Charlie came with a small amount of regret; his ever-present smirk and surface level self-pride seem to vanish when he admits he's not a good person. Could he become one?

Further Questions: 

1. Does Sawyer want to be hated? 

2. Will Sun find out Charlie is the one who attacked her?

3. What will happen to the guns and the heroin?

4. Is Sawyer in charge now?

5. Will anything happen with the radio?