4 stars from me! Another really good episode but I need to be more strict with giving out the 5 stars.
So much happened!
We got to see more deeply into Jack's background and how he works. He is so obsessed with fixing things that it ruined his marriage; a marriage that was based off a sham of yet another of his attempts at fixing something. Sarah's fiance had left her after the accident, Jack "fixed" the situation by stepping in and marrying her.
Now that they'd been married and everything with Sarah is "fixed", he found distraction with something new to fix. A man with a tumor and the man's daughter. Christian definitely saw it coming. He seems to really know Jack better than we thought. At the beginning, when we were first seeing Jack's flashbacks, Christian was unnecessarily cruel and seemed to think so low of his son. But now maybe we see what Christian was seeing. Right from the beginning, Christian sees this path forming that leads to Jack's dalliance with Gabriela. Christian warns him several times as Jack gets further down that path. Jack doesn't have what it takes. There could be truth to that. But also, Christian knows that Jack is a better man than he. When Christian warns there's a line you don't cross and Jack throws back that Christian would know (which we can assume that Christian has cheated), instead of being offensive, Christian just tells him that it may be okay with some people, but not for Jack. IN this case, "not having what it takes" is a good thing. You need to know when to walk away from something and when to not get too involved or involved at all. Jack immerses himself in a person or situation that needs to be fixed. It seems he can't not get involved.
Locke tries to tell him maybe they need to just let Michael go. He's a grown man and has every right to go where he wants to go and besides, after a few attempts at going after Walt, I think it's obvious that Michael's made up his mind. Like Locke says, who are we to tell someone what they can't do? Michael is more determined than ever. What's Jack planning on doing? Knocking him out, dragging him back, and locking Michael in the gun room? I know it's hard to watch a friend do something that could get themselves hurt physically or emotionally but after a few failed attempts to stop them, sometimes you just have to accept the situation is not going to change and you need to step aside.
Jack definitely needs to face this problem of his of needing to fix things. Sarah is already so distant and cold, treating Jack's attempt at soothing with sarcasm. She knows. She's figured it out and she sees that their marriage is based off of Jack's need to fix things, not love. You can totally see it during that last flashback where Jack confesses he kissed Gabriela back and he promises Sarah that he's going to fix things between them. He has this determined, almost excited look about the fact that there's something to once again fix between himself and Sarah.
It's funny how Jack seems to have taken on his dad's personality on island. The way Christian treated Jack in the flashbacks seems to be the way Jack is treating Kate on-island. As a Jater, I'm so not digging his attitude. It got really bad when he heard Sawyer say "I love her", taking that to mean Sawyer meant Kate but like I said when that episode aired, he was fevered and delirious. It might have been gibberish or about something from his past. It could very well have been exactly what Jack thought.
Sawyer's reaction when Jack said "Yah, I know. You love her" is funny. Sawyer looks really taken aback. He definitely doesn't remember saying anything as he seems to be totally surprised by Jack saying that. So by that, we can guess that Sawyer had just simply been talking fevered gibberish, was having some dream about his past and was referring to someone else, really was talking about Kate and didn't intend to actually tell Jack or anyone of his feelings, or really was talking about Kate and doesn't realize or has been ignoring his feelings.
We definitely see a change in the way Sawyer acts on behalf of Kate. In the past, when Jack said Kate couldn't go, Sawyer handed Kate a gun. At that time, he seemed more interested in saying "eff you" to Jack than having concern over Kate's well being. In this episode, when Jack tells Kate she can't go, Sawyer only looks at her and doesn't argue. It seems his priorities have changed in that Kate's well being is more important than pissing off Jack. He's also very defensive when Mr. Friendly (that's the name the writers and fans have given the bearded man who we saw on the boat and who ambushed our Losties in the jungle) was holding a gun on Kate. Of course, Sawyer already has a score to settle with Mr. Friendly having shot him, causing him to nearly die.
These Others are way more scary than I had thought them to be. Before, they were scare because they just seem like these wild island dwelling savages but now, we see they are very smart, cunning, and steps ahead which makes them even scarier. They not only know the names of each of the survivors (at least the ones on the hunting party) but they seem to
know them as if they'd studied them and how they act, feel, think, etc.
I've lost count of how many times Walt has been referred to as special. Here, Mr. Friendly says Walt is a "very special boy" and he says it in this knowing way. He seems to know there's something different about Walt and I'm pretty sure that's why they took him. There doesn't seem to be any surprise in that statement.
I like Mr. Friendly. Smart villains who seem to be enjoying themselves by smiling and being snarky to their prey are much scarier and entertaining than the ones who scowl and verbally threaten. I think "Mr. Friendly" is the perfect name for him.
Did you notice, by the way, a name we haven't heard in awhile when he said "Bring her out, Alex!" Alex! Is this the same Alex that Danielle kept talking about? Was Mr. Friendly calling to the daughter that was taken away from Danielle? Is she an Other? Or is this just a totally different person?
I definitely have to give points to Team Skate on this episode. The beginning where Kate goes to get him was fun to watch. I do really like Sawyer when he's being flirty and charming and not when he's trying to force or con himself onto Kate. Still though, I'm not budging from Team Jate!
The Jin/Sun scene was really great. We got to see this other dynamic of spouse vs. friend. Yes, it was noble of Jin to want to go and help Michael and the others but Sun has a point. He's got a wife who just got him back after thinking he'd been dead and now he's running off again to possibly end up killed. We see that Jin has changed so much for the good on this island. He listens, realizes that she's right, and puts her above his more recent bad habit of caring more about his image in other's eyes rather than his wife's. They've also finally gotten to a more normal, comfortable place where Sun can put him in his place and tell him that she didn't much like being told what to do either. That was so great!
Oh geez, the ending with Jack and Ana Lucia! Jack wants to build an army. That boy really needs to get control of this need to fix. I think it's a great idea to build an army of the survivors so that they learn to defend themselves but we all know it's because Jack wants to march out there and defeat the Others. He's really got to calm down first and think things through with a level head. You're dealing with an army that has to be defeated with brains and not only brawn.
Favorite quotes/moments:Sawyer: What does it look like? I'm coming with you.
Jack: You're still on antibiotics.
Sawyer: It's a good thing I'm traveling with my doctor, then.
Locke: Does any of this look familiar from when you were coming back?
Sawyer: Well, yeah, there's my favorite leaf. How could I forget this place?
Locke: Who are we to tell anyone what they can or can't do?
Hurley: She's kind of cute, right? You know, in a I've-been-terrorized-by-the-Others-for-40-days kind of way.
Mr. Friendly: Tell me, you go over a man's house for the first time, do you take off your shoes? Do you put your feet up on his coffee table? Do you walk in the kitchen, eat food that doesn't belong to you? [He looks at Locke.] Open the door to rooms you got no business opening?
Mr. Friendly: This is not your island. This is our island. And the only reason you're living on it is because we let you live on it.
Jin: Honey, I don't like being told what to do.
Sun: Being told what to do was my life for four years... I didn't like it much either.