Actually, the Helen he was talking to on the phone was not really a prostitute or call girl. Just one of those adult phone numbers for adult conversations, not someone you actually meet. And damn, that's an extremely pricey phone call!! The way they both seemed very familiar with each other shows he called that number a lot. I can't even imagine what his phone bill is like!
But anyway, this episode definitely gets a 5 star rating from me! Definitely one of my favorites, top 20 if not top 10. The ending gives me goosebumps, the way it's done, the background music, Terry O'Quinn's amazing performance. The first time I saw it, I remember it definitely being a "HOLY SHIT!!!" moment! Then you watch again and you see all the hints, the way it starts with him looking at his foot and then moving his toes. You don't think anything of it until you learn he was in a wheelchair. Another hint was after he was knocked down by the boar, he lay there for awhile and then once again, looked at his feet and after it moved, he laid his head back down looking relieved. His boss, Randy (what an a-hole, btw) also made a big deal about Locke going on a walkabout, mentioning that you do all those things and then adds "on foot?"
Locke seems so at home on the island. Not just at home, but OWNING it. He looks so thrilled to have everyone listening as he talks about the boar (that scared the crap out of me with their creepy ass glowing eyes in the fuselage) with all the details and the proper way to hunt it. He got his walkabout after all.
Back to Randy again, Locke's manager. Seriously, that guy is extremely mean to Locke. It's even worse after you watch again and know that Locke is in a wheelchair. Wow, how can someone be so mean and to someone handicapped, pointing out the shortcomings of that handicap and basically laughing in their face. Locke's definitely got an easy win harassment suit if he wants it.
Oh, and Locke saw the monster!! I remember how badly I wanted to see Locke's point of view or to hear him say something about it. Then when Michael asked if he say it, he said 'no.' Frustrating because I wanted to hear him answer questions about it. I wonder why he felt the need to lie?
Just some fun, extra info, not really that spoilery, none of the cast knew at this point what exactly the monster was and when he had to film that scene, Terry O'Quinn asked the director how he should react to it. After all, they have no idea what it is or what it looks like. The director told him to act like he's seeing the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.
The other thing about this episode that really got me even more intrigued about the show and the island is that man Jack saw a couple times! I remember wondering who that was and was he really there? Creepy, the way the man stood there and then slowly turned and walked away and when Jack went running after him into the jungle, the man was gone.
We start to see some changes as far as Jack is concerned. In the previous ep, you had Jack still acting like he was in civilization and Sawyer mentions he's "in the wild." It seems Jack has embraced that notion a little with his announcement of burning the bodies in the fuselage. He's nonchalant about it with his "they're gone, we're not" along with the idea to do it at night so that it doubles as a rescue signal. It's Sayid who speaks up about respecting people's beliefs. When it comes down to it, I think Jack is right. It's more respectful to burn them than it is to let them become boar food.
You also see Jack starting to get annoyed at people looking to him for answers. He was the on that first day running around, level headed, shouting out instructions to everyone and now, when Claire goes to him about a memorial service or Boone goes to him about his concern over Rose sitting on her own, he gets all snippy with them. Reluctant leader, indeed. It seems when things are chaotic, he can take charge but when they're not, something is holding him back from it.
Shannon was still not winning any points with me with her snooty attitude but Boone did when he was telling her off that the ocean won't take her gold card, lol. But I felt so bad for Charlie when right in front of him, Shannon AND Boone made him feel like such a pathetic ass for catching a fish for Shannon.
Charlie was cracking me up! He's so starving for his days of fame that he's constantly bringing up that he's in a band.
Though Jack said in the previous ep that he's not big on rubbing it in, he kinda seems to be doing just that. When Kate was trying to get things back to that easy going, joking nature by saying if she didn't know any better, she'd say Jack was worried about her and him firing back that if he didn't know any better, he'd say she has trouble staying in one place. Kinda felt bad for Kate. That went from flirty to uncomfortable real quick-like.
Michael made me laugh a lot in this one from him trying to ask Sun to watch Walt with over exaggerated pantomiming and then his comment to Locke to "Stop giving us the steal signal" when they were boar hunting.
Charlie and Hurley fishing scene was hilarious! I really started liking those two even more in this ep.
Rose was also gaining points in my book. Even though she seems to be taking their situation with difficulty, sitting on her own staring out at the ocean, she's still got a good sense of humor when she tells Jack that she's letting him off the hook (after he promised to stay next to her until her husband returned) and after Jack says she's suffering from post traumatic stress, she answers "aren't we all." I liked her. My heart really broke for her at the end of the conversation when she insisted her husband was still alive.
Sawyer showed a little crack in his a-hole shell with that scene where he was giving Claire some things for the memorial. That was funny!
Other favorite quotes/momentsWhen they hear something in the fuselage and Jack automatically says it's Sawyer and Sawyer's response of "Right behind ya, Jackass."
After Locke throws the knife at the seat next to Sawyer and says "You've either got really good aim... or really bad aim."
"Don't tell me what I can't do!" That phrase is Locke's mantra and it's the first time we hear him say it. Actually, we hear it every now and again from other characters down the line. It's a great line and I've used it both jokingly and seriously in my own life since hearing it on the show.