LOST, Season 3, episode 3, “Further Instructions”

Hopes for a return of the Smonster (smoke monster) were premature this week, but we did see the return of the world’s angriest (hungriest?) polar bear. And, in a bit of weirdness, I’m wondering: how did Locke, Desmond, and Eko get out of the hatch before it imploded (since they were all inside it when it imploded/exploded). Guess that’ll be explained at a later date. And this is another of many episodes that begins with a close-up shot of someone’s eye, in this case, it’s Locke’s. On to my notes:

Locke: We learn more of Locke’s history when we find him picking up a hitchhiker, and taking the hitchhiker (Eddie) back to a commune he was living at back in his “I can still walk” days. The commune, we learn, is a pot farm hiding within a peach orchard, and Eddie is actually a police-plant sent to infiltrate the organization. Of course, you knew something was odd when the cop who pulled them over for having a taillight that was out doesn’t check Eddie’s credentials, and just believes him when he says that Locke is his uncle. At the commune, Mike and Jan, leaders of the group, find out Eddie’s a cop when they are able to get his info from the internet, and they pack up and flee before more police come in. John feels betrayed, but cannot kill Eddie, despite his realizing that he is in fact not a farmer, but a hunter. Back on the island, post-hatch destruction, Locke awakens to find himself in the jungle, and is hit by Eko’s flying Jesus stick, which is returning to Earth after the blast. Locke then, I assume, takes his own vow of silence (a la Eko) until he finds his redemption. That comes in the form of a vision induced by, presumably, the same plant/drugs Locke used on Boone to induce his vision in the first season. In Locke’s vision, Boone makes an appearance. Locke tells Boone he’s sorry for getting him killed, and then Boone takes Locke (in the vision) to the Australian airport where Flight 815 originated telling him he must save someone, and that he’ll have to clean up his own mess. Locke sees the various Lost characters in the concourse area, but Boone lets him know he has to save Eko. Coming out of the vision, Locke gets Charlie to help him on the quest. While unpacking supplies, Locke grabs a can of hairspray, to which Charlie says, “I hate to be the one to tell you, but….”, to which Locke replies “It’s not for me”. Ha ha!

Eddie Colburn: Cop planted to be picked up by Locke and taken to commune so he could infiltrate the pot growing group. Told Locke that he was picked because he was not violent, and would be easy to coerce.

Charlie: Reluctant to assist Locke, reminding him that he still hates Locke for continuously punching him in the face and accusing him of using the heroin at a time when Charlie was not. He goes with Locke, and the get chased by a very angry polar bear. When they lose the bear, they run into Hurley, who lets them know that Jack, Kate and Sawyer have been captured by “The Others”, and that the “guy we had in the hatch…Henry” is their leader. They tell Hurley to return to camp as they continue to look for Eko. They find Eko in a cave, being protected by a very angry and hungry polar bear. Using the hairspray as a torch after lighting it, Lock chases away the bear and saves Eko. He and Charlie then drag Eko back to camp. Another funny Charlie moment: tells Locke one time he was high and watching a nature show about polar bears, “Polar bears are clever. They’re the Einsteins of the bear community”.

Eko: not much to do in this episode except lay around injured and passed out. He did become part of a vision Locke had after the cave-save, telling Locke that he’ll still be able to save Jack, Kate and Sawyer after Locke said he was sorry he didn’t listen to Eko, and that he lost his faith in the island.

The Cave: Yikes…did you see the bones inside the cave? Who did these bones belong to? Obviously, some of the people who had been on the island previously have become bear-food, but were the human-morsals taken as prey, or perhaps given as sacrifices? Also, the toy dump truck in the cave sure looked a lot like the one Walt was playing with when living with him Mom in England (from season 1). And, you had to have noticed that on one of the skeletons in the cave was an old Dharma Pearl Station shirt….

Hurley: on his way back to camp after seeing Locke and Charlie, and being warned of the marauding polar bear, he hears something. “Bear? Is that you?” ha ha! Turns out it’s Desmond, who’s naked and recovering from the blast. “Did the hatch blow off your underwear?”, he asks of Desmond. Upon getting back to camp, Hurley tells everyone that Jack, Kate and Sawyer have been captured by the Others, and that nobody is to go over to try to save them.
Desmond: Tells Hurley about the failsafe to shut-down the “magnetic anomaly”. After being told by Hurley about the Others, Desmond tells him not to worry because Locke said in his speech that he would go rescue them. Hurley is confused because he doesn’t know what speech Desmond is referring to. It’s not until they return to the beach when they hear Locke give a speech about going to save Jack, Kate and Sawyer from the Others. How did Desmond know about this earlier if it hadn’t happened yet? Is Desmond psychic? Is this some kind of residual effect of the implosion? Have to wonder if the end of Season 2 where Penny and the guys she was with off-island (who picked up the blast of the button not being pushed) were also a vision of Desmond’s.

Claire: Not much screen time, but she did get to act freaked out and concerned, something she never does (please not all sarcasm).

Okay, there you go. Looks like there’s going to be a build up to some kind of assault on the Others from the Losties, or vice versa. All I know is that from the looks of the previews for next week, it doesn’t appear that Sawyer has a good week. And, it’s time for all of you to begin wondering who will be dying this year. You know it’s gonna happen, so prepare yourself. I’m going with any one of the following: Claire, Sawyer, or Desmond. You read it here first.

Until next week….Namaste.