This episode takes us back to Michael’s story, from when he knocked Locke out and headed off. Michael got instructions from Walt or whoever was pretending to be him via the computer. And so he heads north. Thirteen days before the present, we see Michael heading due north. He sees one of the Others and tells him to put his hands up. They capture him, and after one of them shoots, Friendly says not to, we need him. Then we see Michael behind the scenes when Kate is captured and then Friendly goes to talk to Jack, Sawyer, and Locke. Alex tells Michael that Friendly is just delivering a message, and needs to scare Michael’s friends to do it. Alex asks if Claire is OK and had the baby. When Michael reaches the place where the Others are, they take a blood sample from Michael, then Ms. Klugh is introduced and asks him questions – whether he is his biological father, whether he was ill as a child, whether he ever appeared where he was not supposed to be. She says that for someone who wants his son back so badly, Michael seems not to know much about him. Later, Ms. Klugh tells Michael that he must help them get back one of their people that has been captured. She gives him three minutes with Walt. Walt says they make him take tests – but Kulgh says they aren’t going to talk about that. Walt also tells Michael that the Others are pretending, that they aren’t who they say they are. That presumably refers to the fact that they seem like they are in a primitive camp. Klugh gives Michael a list of four people that he must bring to the Others, only them and all of them. If he does not, he will never see Walt again. Michael tells her that he also wants the boat.
In the present day, we see Michael burn a piece of paper. Later, he asks Eko about hell. Eko tells him a story about a boy who killed a dog in order to protect his sister. Eko sid that God can forgive him, but the boy was afraid that if he went to hell, that dog would be waiiting for him. Michael goes outside and throws up. When he bumps into Jack, Michael insists that it should be just the five people who already know – Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Hurley, and him. Jack says them that is the way it will be. But later, Sayid insists that he should go along, and Sawyer agrees. Michael tells Sayid he isn’t coming. Sayid agrees, but later tells Jack that he believes that Michael has been compromised and is leading them into a trap. He suggests using this to their advantage somehow.
Charlie found vaccine in the pallet and so he gives it to Claire. It says it should be taken every nine days.
In the hatch, we see Eko pass by the place covered with the concrete, and the cross around his neck moves in its direction. Eko tells Charlie that he will move into the hatch. Charlie doesn’t understand what he is supposed to do, and why the church being built is being left aside now. Charlie tries to keep building the church without Eko, then Vincent brings Charlie a Virgin Mary statue. Vincent had found Sawyer’s stash, and leads Charlie to it. Charlie takes the statues and hurls them into the ocean.
Jack tells Eko that they will have a funeral. Eko says he will mourn Ana-Lucia and Libby in his own way. Sawyer tells Jack that he had sex with Ana, and that is how she got his gun. When Jack asks him why he is telling him that, Sawyer tells Jack that he is the closest thing he has to a friend. After Hurley speaks at the funeral, Claire grabs Charlie’s hand.
At the funeral, they see a boat coming towards the shore.
This episode is fascinating because it plays a major role in leveling out the playing field between how we view the Others and how we view the crash survivors. Everyone has aims, and constraints on what they are or are not willing to do in order to accomplish them. While we still do not know the aims of the Others, is their kidnapping of Walt more evil than Michael’s killing of Libby and Ana?
Although it has nothing to do with this episode, and is full of spoilers from the very end of the series, there is a summary of LOST in three minutes that some have found helpful:
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