Episode Analysis of 1.04 "Walkabout"

WARNING: If you have not already seen all of LOST, please DO NOT READ THIS.

My LOST re-watch and episode analysis will include major details from the entirety that is LOST, and will be written with the perspective of having seen everything already. You will be SPOILED if you read any further. It is far better if you learn the story of LOST for yourself, as it is meant to be seen. Trust me on this, and don't say that I didn't warn you first. Seriously. Stop it. Now. Go watch it.

To read my original post on this episode, please refer to Walkabout.

This episode was written by David Fury, and directed by Jack Bender. It originally aired on October 13th, 2004.

This is a John Locke flashback-centric episode.

We begin with the opening of John Locke's eye. He's lying on a beach, at the site of the plane crash. The engine is loud, and everyone is screaming.

John Locke looks around, and then looks down at his feet, wiggling his toes. We see Charlie. Shannon and Jin are screaming. Locke gets up slowly and puts on his shoe. A dog barks in the background.

We transition to the present day, with the survivors on the Island at night, and Vincent barking at something.

MICHAEL: "Walt, you gotta keep that dog quiet."

WALT: "I don't know what's wrong with him. Come on, Vincent.. cut that out."

Vincent begins to drag Walt away from their sleeping area, and toward something. Vincent's barking begins to wake everyone up, including Shannon and Boone, who are sleeping near Michael and Walt.

Michael apologizes. Sun and Jin wake up. The survivors begin to hear noises coming from inside the fuselage, and they go toward the scene to investigate. Sayid looks. Hurley, Claire and Charlie join him. Jack runs up behind them. Kate joins the group. They hear sounds of some sort of animal grunting and rummaging through the fuselage.

KATE: "What is it?"

CLAIRE: "Somebody's in there."

SAYID: "Everyone in there's dead."

JACK: "Sawyer."

SAWYER: "Right behind you, Jackass."

Jack pulls out his little flashlight from his pocket and moves toward the plane. Sawyer follows him with a big flashlight. They look into the dark of the plane, but can't spot anything.

SAWYER: "I'm gonna shed some light on this thing."

An animal looks up, grunts, and begins running toward them. Jack tells everyone to run, and so everyone starts running away. Sayid helps Claire. Boone helps Shannon. Jin helps Sun. Sawyer helps Kate. Charlie is side-swiped. Jack helps Charlie get out of the way, while a boar runs out toward them, and then into the woods.

SAYID: "They're gone."

CHARLIE: "What the bloody hell was that?"

LOCKE: "Boars."

Jack fixes up the wound on Charlie's side, while they discuss the boar situation with Kate and Sayid.

JACK: "Those boars were looking to feed. We have to get rid of the bodies."

CHARLIE: "Bury them? There's a whole bunch in there."

SAYID: "More than twenty. Digging will be difficult without shovels."

JACK: "We're not burying them. We need to burn them."

KATE: "They're people."

JACK: "I know they're people, Kate."

SAYID: "Burning the remains, they deserve better than that."

JACK: "Better than what? Being eaten by wild animals? Because that's what's going to happen. Any bodies we bury are not going to stay buried for very long. Look, I know this seems harsh, but that fuselage in the sun—it's not about what they deserve. They're gone, and we're not."

SAYID: "What you say may be true, but for us to decide how these people are laid to rest—it's not right. No regard for their wishes? Their religions?"

JACK: "We don't have time to sort out everybody's God."

CHARLIE: "Really? Last I heard, we were positively made of time."

JACK: "Look, I'm not happy about it either.. But, we crashed a thousand miles off course. They're looking for us in the wrong place. It's been four days. No one's come. Tomorrow morning we need everyone to start gathering up wood, dried brush, and turn that fuselage into a furnace.. Wait until the sun goes down tomorrow night before we start the fire." [Jack exits.]

CHARLIE: "If he's so eager to burn the bodies why are we waiting until sundown?"

KATE: "He's hoping someone will see it."

The next morning, on the beach, Sayid works on some electronic equipment. Kate approaches him to talk.

KATE: "Looks like I'm not the only who couldn't sleep last night."

SAYID: "There are better things to do with my time than collect firewood."

KATE: "You don't agree with Jack. What are you making?"

SAYID: "Too soon to talk about. I'm not sure it will even work."

KATE: "You're trying to pick up the transmission aren't you? The one we heard on the transceiver."

SAYID: "If the French woman's transmission has truly been playing on a loop for sixteen years, then there must be a power source on the Island. A significant one."

KATE: "And you can find it?"

SAYID: "Hypothetically, yes. I'm making an antenna of sorts. With a few of these mounted at different points on the Island, I may be able to use the transceiver to triangulate the signal, and find out where it's coming from."

KATE: "So, what can I do to help?"

SAYID: "It appears you are as anxious to get off this Island as I am."

Michael gathers firewood, while Walt uses a tennis ball to play fetch with Vincent. John Locke looks at a silver briefcase. Walt begins to walk away from Michael, but Michael stops him, asking where he's going. Walt says that he thought he'd just see what Mr. Locke is doing, but Michael insists that he help him with the firewood, saying that Mr. Locke probably doesn't want a kid hanging around him all day anyway. Walt says that at least Mr. Locke talks to him, and walks away with Vincent.

On another part of the beach camp, there is a confrontation. Hurley tries to grab a backpack from Sawyer, while everyone gathers around. Jack and Sayid come in to stop the fight. Hurley says that Sawyer is hoarding the last of the peanuts, but Sawyer argues that he got them in the fuselage, and they're his own stash. Jack asks about the rest of the food, but Hurley says that there is none, that they ate it all.

SAYID: "We can find food. There are plenty of things on this Island we can use for sustenance."

SAWYER: [sitting down on an airplane seat] "And exactly how are we going to find this sustenance.."

[A knife is thrown into the seat next the one Sawyer is sitting in, right next to his head. Everyone looks back at John Locke.]

LOCKE: "We hunt."

[Jack pulls the knife out of the seat.]

KATE: "How'd you get that knife on the plane?"

LOCKE: "Checked it."

JACK: [handing the knife back to Locke] "You either have very good aim, or very bad aim, Mr.."

MICHAEL: "Locke. His name is Locke."

JACK: "Okay, Mr. Locke. What is it that we're hunting?"

LOCKE: "We know there are wild boar on the Island. Razorbacks, by the look of them. The ones that came into the camp last night were piglets.. 100, 150 pounds each. Which means that there's a mother nearby. A 250 pound rat, with scimitar-like tusks, and a surly disposition, who'd love nothing more than to eviscerate anything that comes near. Boar's usual mode of attack is to circle around and charge from behind, so I figure it'll take at least three of us to distract her long enough for me to flank one of the piglets, pin it, and slit its throat."

SAWYER: [to Jack] "And you gave him his knife back?"

JACK: "Well, if you've got a better idea."

SAWYER: "Better than the three of you wandering into the magic forest to bag a hunk of ham with nothing but a little bitty hunting knife? Hell no, it's the best idea I ever heard."

[John Locke opens his case, which is filled with knives.]

HURLEY: "Who is this guy?"

We go into John Locke's first flashback. He sits in at a desk, talking on the phone. The person on the other end calls John Colonel, and he refers to him as GL12. GL12 asks if the line is secure, and Colonel says that it is, to go ahead. GL12 says that the target area is acquired and they are a go for 1300 hours. A man approaches John Locke in his cubicle, interrupting his phone conversation, and telling him that he needs those TPS reports by noon. We see that John Locke is in an office, filled with many cubicles. Locke tells his boss that he heard him the first time, calling him Randy. Randy responds by telling him that there are no personal calls during office hours, calling him Colonel to show that he was listening in on his phone conversation. Locke begins typing on a receipt machine that sounds like the Smoke Monster.

Back on the Island, Kate slips a knife into the sheath on her waistband. Jack approaches her.

JACK: "So, hunting boar, now, huh?"

KATE: "Who says it's my first time boar hunting?"

JACK: "Uh-huh. Tell me something.. How come every time there's a hike into the heart of darkness, you sign up? You know what's in there."

KATE: "Actually, I don't. And neither do you."

JACK: "What's your feel on our new friend?"

KATE: "Seems to know what he's doing."

JACK: "Call me paranoid, but anyone who packs a suitcase full of knives?"

KATE: "If I didn't know any better, I'd say your worried about me, Jack."

JACK: "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a problem staying in one place for very long, Kate. So, you want to tell me why you're really going?"

KATE: [showing the antenna to Jack] "Sayid gave me this so he can triangulate the distress signal we heard—find the source."

JACK: "This isn't about boars."

KATE: "I'm a vegetarian."

Walt wants to go hunting for boar with Michael, but Michael elects Sun to babysit by awkwardly asking her in English, even though he thinks she doesn't understand a word he's saying.

MICHAEL: [Getting Sun's attention.] "Hi.. Hi. Excuse me. Um.. I am going off, away [He waves his hands away.], to hunt [He makes a stabbing motion.], and, um, I was wondering if you could keep an eye [He points to his eye.] on my boy, Walt [He puts his hand on Walt's head]. And, I'm Michael [He points to himself]. Anyway, could you watch him for me.. Until I come back [He waves his hands back toward them.]? [Sun speaks Korean.] Sorry. I don't understand.. But, you're cool with this, right? [Giving her the okay sign with his hand.]" [Sun nods and gives the okay sign back.]

Walt insists that he doesn't need a babysitter, but Michael says that he needs to stay with Vincent, and that hunting will give him a chance to get to know his friend, Mr. Locke, better.

Jack continues gathering wood for the burning of the fuselage. Claire approaches him. Jack asks her about the baby. She says he's good. Claire gives him a stack of papers that she's found in the luggage, saying that they're collecting all of the belongings of the dead. She tells him about a couple, Steve and Kristen, and shows him their wedding plans. She says that she remembers them because they were sitting a couple of rows behind her on the plane, and they looked so happy. Jack wonders what he's supposed to do with the things she's giving him. Claire says that some of them were wondering if they should do a Memorial Service for those that have died, and maybe he could lead it. Jack doesn't seem too thrilled about it, but Claire says that they could just read the names off passports and driver's licenses, but Jack insists that it's not his thing. Claire says that maybe she'll do it, and Jack agrees to that, saying that they should do whatever everyone wants.

Boone notices a woman, off in the distance, sitting on the beach by herself. It's the same woman that he tried to administer CPR to after the crash. He tries to talk to Shannon about her, but Shannon is too busy being a spoiled brat.

BOONE: [to Shannon] "That woman's still sitting there."

SHANNON: [not looking up from a crossword she's doing] "Mmmhmmm."

BOONE: "Her husband was on the plane."

SHANNON: "Right."

BOONE: "Are you even listening to me?"

SHANNON: "What's a four letter word for I don't care?"

BOONE: "I just think somebody should go talk to her."

SHANNON: "I nominate you, Captain America. You just can't help yourself, can you?"

BOONE: "Yeah, well, at least you don't have to worry about starving with me taking care of you."

SHANNON: "I'm not going to starve."

BOONE: "Right, what are you going to eat?"

SHANNON: "The ocean's full of fish."

BOONE: "I hate to break it to you—the ocean is not going to take your gold card."

SHANNON: "You really don't think I can catch a fish?"

While Locke, Kate and Michael hunt for boar in the jungle, Locke stops to lift some dirt in the ground with his knife. He says that the ground has been rooted up, that boars get the majority of their food by digging. He says that, afterwards, they wallow in the dirt and rub up against trees, scoring them with their tusks. Michael asks what that all means, and he says that it means they're close.

Charlie is off trying to do his drugs, but Shannon approaches him, and he quickly hides the drugs in his pocket.

SHANNON: [smiling] "Hi."

CHARLIE: "Hi. (putting the drugs back in his pocket). Shannon, right?"

SHANNON: "Yeah. Are you doing anything?"

CHARLIE: "Me? No, I was just, uh. What are you doing?"

SHANNON: "I was just going to go for a walk. Do you want to come?"

CHARLIE: "Yeah, yes, sure."

SHANNON: "Can I ask you something?"

CHARLIE: "Oh, I wondered when this was going to come up. Yes, I'm the bass guitarist in Drive.."

SHANNON: "Do you know anything about fishing?"

CHARLIE: "What? Fishing? My grand-dad used to take me out.. Taught me everything he knows. Everything he knew.. He's dead now, God rest his soul. Yeah, I'm like a.. I'm a fishing fiend. I mean, England's an island, so I just throw it in and.. fish."

SHANNON: "Good."

Boone approaches Jack to talk about Rose, who is still sitting by herself.

BOONE: "That woman's been sitting over there by herself. Maybe she's having trouble dealing with her husband? I don't think she's had anything to eat or drink. Think maybe you can go talk to her?"

JACK: "Why me? I'm not a psychiatrist. I mean, maybe you should..."

BOONE: "I just thought you might want to do it. You're the one that saved her life."

[Shot of Rose holding a wedding band around her neck. Jack enters with water and puts a blanket around her shoulders.]

JACK: "Hi. Rose, right? Remember me, seat 23A? I'm the guy that told you not to worry about the turbulence. Everybody's getting pretty worried about you, Rose. If you want to be alone that's fine, but you have to take care of yourself. You should really drink. Okay. We don't have to talk. Let's just sit for a while."

Locke, Kate and Michael continue to hunt. Kate asks Michael about his son, who he says is handling everything a lot better than he is. Kate says that he must be proud, that Walt is a brave kid, but Michael tells her that he can't take credit for that, that he wasn't a part of his life until his mother passed away two weeks ago. Kate apologizes, and says that she didn't know, but Michael says that it's okay. He says they were living in Sydney the past couple of years, and he flew out last week to go get him. Michael asks Kate what she was doing in Sydney.

Locke tells them to be quiet. They hear boar noises. Locke points out boar tusk marks on a tree. He motions with his hands to direct them, but Michael says to quit giving him the "steal" signal. A boar suddenly charges at them, while Locke and Kate manage to get out of the way, but Michael is hit hard, and knocked down. Locke lays on the ground, frozen, still holding his knife, while Kate manages to get up and help Michael. John Locke continues to lay still, and looks down at his feet, just as he did at the scene of the plane crash on the beach. Michael moans, in pain, as Kate tends to his wound. Kate says that Michael's wound is bad.

In John Locke's flashback, he plays a Risk-like Army game on his lunch break.

GL12: "Move. You've got to move, Colonel. Your troops are across enemy lines."

LOCKE: "Patience, a quality which you lack, GL12, is the hallmark of a leader."

[Randy walks in the break room.]

RANDY: "Hallmark, huh? Tell me more about being a leader, Locke. While you're at it, tell me about this Colonel thing. I cruised your file in human resources. You've never been in any of the Armed Forces."

LOCKE: "I'm just playing a game, Randy. It's my lunch hour. I can play a game."

RANDY: "Well, tell me, what's a Walkabout? [He begins reading from a brochure]: "Experience the dream journeys of the fabled Australian Outback.""

LOCKE: "You have no right taking that off my desk."

RANDY: "So, you wander around hunting and gathering food, right? On foot?"

LOCKE: "Not that you would understand, but a Walkabout is a journey of spiritual renewal, where one derives strength from the Earth, and becomes inseparable from it. I have vacation days. I'm going, Randy. I've already made a reservation."

GL12: "Wow, John. You're really doing it, huh? You tell Helen yet?"

RANDY: "Helen? Well, what's this, Locke? You've actually got a woman in your life?"

LOCKE: "That's none of your business."

RANDY: "What is it with you, Locke? Why do you torture yourself? I mean, imagining you're some hunter? Walkabouts? Wake up. You can't do any of that."

LOCKE: "Norman Croucher."

RANDY: "What? Norman what?"

LOCKE: "Norman Croucher. Norman Croucher.. Double amputee. No legs. He climbed to the top of Mt. Everest. Why? It was his destiny."

RANDY: "That's what you think you've got, old man? Destiny?"

LOCKE: "Just don't tell me what I can't do."

Back on the Island, John Locke is still lying there, on the ground, almost paralyzed. Kate says that Michael is hurt, and asks if Locke can hear her, if he's okay. Locke looks down at his feet again. He says that he's fine, and refers to Kate as Helen, saying that he just got the wind knocked out of him. Kate points out that he called her Helen. She rips the sleeve of Michael's shirt to make a tourniquet for his leg.

LOCKE: "Which way did that boar go?"

KATE: "Michael's hurt. We have to get him back to camp."

LOCKE: "Yeah, you take him back to camp. I'm going to get that boar."

KATE: "What are you talking about?"

LOCKE: "I'm fine. I can do this."

KATE: "John, you can't."

LOCKE: "Don't tell me what I can't do."

Back at the beach, Hurley and Charlie stand in the shallow ocean water, trying to fish with make-shift stick that has a sharp piece of shrapnel from the plane attached at the end. They both fail at their attempts to catch anything, and hilarity ensues.

CHARLIE: "Did you get it?"

HURLEY: "Dude, quit asking me that."

CHARLIE: "Sorry. You said you knew how to fish."

HURLEY: "Yeah.. Off the Santa Monica Pier with my old man, and a fishing pole, and bait. Never had to try and poke one with a sharp stick."

CHARLIE: "Well, I really appreciate you helping me out. Thanks."

HURLEY: "Anything to keep me far away from that fuselage, and that freakin' redneck jerk. [Hurley spears again and misses. He begins hitting the water with the fishing pole.] Damn it, crap, crap, son of a.."

CHARLIE: "You let me have a go?"

HURLEY: "Knock yourself out. [He hands over the pole.] Okay, here comes one. Put your weight into it. Now, you see it? Wait for it, wait... NOW! [Charlie lunges into the water and misses]. Dude, you've got to try to pin it."

CHARLIE: "You see how close I was? No, you said I had to corner it!" [Hurley laughs at him.]

Near the fuselage, Sayid gathers wiring, while Claire sits nearby, going through belongings and luggage. She finds something, and asks Sayid if that's name, giving him an envelope which has his name on it. Sayid thanks her, saying that he thought he lost it. Sayid opens the envelope, which has a photograph of a woman wearing a hijab. He sits back and looks at it, rubbing his thumb over the photograph of her face.

Sitting on the beach, away from the other survivors, Jack and Rose sit quietly, looking out at the ocean.

ROSE: "His fingers swell."

JACK: "Sorry?"

ROSE: "Bernard. My husband.. His hands swell up whenever we fly.

JACK: "The altitude."

ROSE: "He started having me hold onto his wedding ring whenever we took a plane trip. Always wore it around my neck for safe keeping. Just until we landed. You know, doctor, you don't have to keep your promise."

JACK: "Promise?"

ROSE: "The one you gave me on the plane. The one you made me—to keep me company until my husband got back from the restroom. I'm letting you off the hook."

JACK: "Well, you're not going to get rid of me that easily. Rose, you shouldn't be out here alone. You're suffering from Post Traumatic Shock."

ROSE: "Aren't we all?"

JACK: "Yeah, I guess we are."

ROSE: "You have a nice way about you. A good soul.. Patient, caring. I suppose that's why you became a doctor."

JACK: "Thanks, but I was just kind of born into it. Family business."

John Locke continues to hunt in the jungle. In his flashback, he sits on his bed, with a machine beside him, talking on the phone.

LOCKE: I have never felt so alive. Getting to finally tell Randy off was... life changing. I mean it, now I'm free to do all those things I ever wanted to do. Things that I know I was destined to do, like we talked about Helen.

HELEN: "That's wonderful, John. I'm happy for you, really."

LOCKE: "I haven't even told you the best part. [He reaches over and turns a machine off by his bedside.] You remember the authentic aboriginal Walkabout?"

HELEN: "Sure. That's all you've talked about for weeks."

LOCKE: "Yeah. Well, I'm going to do it. I'm flying to Australia at the end of the week. And I've, uh. I bought two tickets. Helen?"

HELEN: "John, we've talked about this. I like you, and I've enjoyed talking with you these past few months."

LOCKE: "Eight months."

HELEN: "I'm not allowed to meet customers."

LOCKE: "Customer? Is that what I am to you?"

HELEN: "This isn't really normal. I mean, it isn't what I do. I don't know, maybe you should find a.. I don't know. A therapist?"

LOCKE: "I have a therapist."

HELEN: "John."

LOCKE: "I thought you understood, Helen. You know me better than anyone."

HELEN: "John, if we talk any longer, I'm going to have to charge you for another hour. That's another $89.95 and..."

LOCKE: "Look, I don't care about the money. I just..."

HELEN: "I'm sorry, John, I've got to go."

LOCKE: [We hear the click of the hang up.] Helen. Helen!"

[Locke slams the phone down several times.]

On the Island, Kate is helping Michael back to camp, when she tells him to stop and rest. 

MICHAEL: "I think the guy with the gimpy leg should be deciding when we rest. What are you doing?"

KATE: "Trying to boost the transceiver signal. I'm going to climb this tree and attach the antenna."

MICHAEL: "You're going to climb that?"

KATE: "Yeah. Don't worry. I've climbed a lot worse."

Kate climbs the tree, while Locke is still hunting boar. Michael adjusts his bandage, while Kate takes the antenna out of her backpack. Suddenly, everything begins to shake, and we hear the metallic sound of the Monster. Kate drops the antenna and it breaks. Kate sees the Monster going toward where Locke is hunting.

KATE: "Locke."

John Locke is still hunting boar in the jungle. He hears the sound of boars and starts to run toward them. There are metallic sounds and the trees start moving. Locke suddenly comes to a halt and looks up.

As he backs away a bit, we see the point of view of the Monster looking back at John Locke, and a close-up of the reaction on his face, as if he is seeing something beautiful.

On the beach, Claire is still sorting through people's belongings. Sawyer approaches her, holding some papers, and awkwardly gives them to her. She thanks him.

SAWYER: "These were, um.. I found these the other day when I was.. Aw, hell, just, just take it."

Sun is still babysitting Walt at the beach camp. She uses a plant to show Walt how to brush his teeth.

WALT: "Oh, I get it. It's like toothpaste."

SUN: [Sun says something in Korean that sounds like "Chia."]

WALT: "Chia?"

Walt and Sun suddenly look up, and discover Kate helping Michael back to the camp, while he is limping and holding on to her. Hurley and Walt run up to find out what happened to him.

WALT: "Dad!"

HURLEY: "So, like, what happened out there?"

WALT: "Dad!"

MICHAEL: "Hey, hey!"

WALT: "Your leg's all messed up. Does it hurt?"

MICHAEL: "It's okay. It's not as bad as it looks."

SAWYER: "The mighty huntress returns. What's for dinner, hon.."

KATE: "Not now."

WALT: "So, it was like a boar fight?"

MICHAEL: "Not too much of a fight. It was more like me getting gored."

WALT: "So, um, where's Mr. Locke?"

Boone, after overhearing the conversation, walks over to Shannon, saying that he doesn't think it went very well out there, that the bald guy never came back. Shannon is more concerned about the food than she is about anyone dying. She says they're all going to die if someone doesn't do something. Charlie approaches them.

CHARLIE: "There you are. As promised, you and I will be dining of fresh catch of the day."

SHANNON: [squealing] "Oh, my fish!"

CHARLIE: "I hope you don't mind al fresco. It was no problem. You know what, that one actually gave me a hell of a tussle, but you have to get inside the mind of the fish, you know?"

BOONE: "I don't believe you."

CHARLIE: "I got it in the shallows.. I cornered it."

SHANNON: [to Boone] "What's the matter? Can't stand to see me fending for myself?"

BOONE: [to Charlie] "I'm sorry about this, seriously."

CHARLIE: "No, no, it's okay."

SHANNON: "What are you apologizing to him for?"

BOONE: "For you. For using him—using this poor guy like you use everyone else."

SHANNON: "Oh, whatever."

BOONE: "Somewhere in that twisted little brain, you think this proves that you can take care of yourself."

[Shannon and Boone walk away from Charlie.]

SHANNON: "I told you I'd catch a fish, didn't I?"

BOONE: [off camera, shot is on Charlie's sad reaction] "That's low Shannon, even for you."

SHANNON: "Oh, go rescue a baby bird or something."

Jack and Rose continue to sit on the beach, away from everyone else, still looking out at the ocean.

JACK: "Rose, after the sun goes down, we're going to burn the fuselage. It's just something that we have to do. There's going to be a Memorial Service back at the camp for those—for those who didn't make it. For everyone to say goodbye."

ROSE: "I'd like to be there for that."

JACK: "Okay. [They get up to go]. Maybe if you'd like to say something, you know, about your husband."

ROSE: "What?"

JACK: "I'm just saying if you wanted to say goodbye to Bernard."

ROSE: "Doctor, my husband is not dead."

JACK: "Rose, he was in the tail section of the plane. It broke off in mid-flight. I'm sorry, but everyone who was in the rear of the plane's gone."

ROSE: "They're probably thinking the same thing about us."

While Jack is speaking to Rose, he sees a man standing off in the distance, and does a double-take. The man is wearing a suit and white tennis shoes, standing off near the tree-line, underneath a tree. Jack begins to walk away from Rose, and toward the man. Rose asks Jack if he's coming with her, and he stops, looking back and the man, who is gone now.

On the beach, Sayid is working on some equipment. Kate arrives to return is broken antenna, and she apologizes.

KATE: "I'm sorry. I guess I should've gotten a warranty."

SAYID: "I suppose I'll just try again. Of course, I have no welding iron, no rivets, scorched wiring. And, it seems I must continue to lie to anyone who asks me what it is I'm actually doing." [Throws the antenna down angrily.]

KATE: "Sayid, I'll try it again."

SAYID: [calmly] "We'll try it again."

Jack approaches to talk to Kate, and Sayid leaves. Jack checks the scratches on Kate's face.

JACK: [reaching for Kate's face] "You okay?"

KATE: "Is this when you say "I told you so?"

JACK: "No. I'm not big on rubbing it in."

KATE: "Locke, um.. Locke's gone. That thing, it was moving in his direction. There wasn't time. [Looking toward another part of the beach] What's going on?"

JACK: "The fuselage is ready to go. Some of the others decided, um.. I guess there's going to be some words said over the fire.."

KATE: "That's good."

JACK: "..Names read, I think."

KATE: "I just don't think they're ready to hear about some of the things that we've..."

[Jack sees the man standing by the tree again, and suddenly runs off.]

KATE: "Jack? Jack?"

[Jack runs into the woods a little ways. Kate follows. We see Locke dragging a boar out of the woods.]

JACK: "Locke."

[All looking at each other.]

At night, everyone gathers around the burning fuselage. Claire, Boone and Hurley stand in front of everyone, while Claire reads off the names from some of the belongings of the deceased.

CLAIRE: "Judith Martha Wexler from Denton, TX.. I guess she was going to catch a connecting flight. Um, she wore corrective lenses, and she was an organ donor, or at least, would have been. Steve and Kristen. I don't know their last name, but they were really in love and were going to be married. At least, wherever they are now, they're not alone."

Charlie is off doing drugs, away from the other survivors.

CLAIRE: "...Video store receipt lists his overdue charges for Willie Wonka and A Little Princess. Looks like he hadn't traveled much, as far as I can tell from his passport."

Charlie joins the group, standing next to Kate. She asks if he's seen Jack, and he says no.

CLAIRE: "...Wollstein, Harold, seat 23C."

Jack sits alone on the beach, away from the Memorial Service, looking out at the ocean.

CLAIRE: [In the background] "That's all we have on Harold.. his name on a boarding pass. I just wish there was something more. Goodbye, Harold."

Michael stands next to Locke at the Memorial Service.

MICHAEL: "Nice work."

LOCKE: "What?"

CLAIRE: "Millicent Louise D'Agostino.."

MICHAEL: "The boar. Nice work, you know, killing it."

CLAIRE: "...Teaneck, New Jersey."

MICHAEL: "Just thought I should say something. So, that thing, the Monster, whatever. She said it was headed right towards you. Did you see anything? Get any kind of look at it?"

LOCKE: "No."

[Close up of Locke.]

In John Locke's flashback, he is at a Travel Agency in Australia.

AGENT: "The Walkabouts we arrange here are not just some stroll through the park. It's trekking across vast stretches of desert, rafting bloody treacherous waters."

LOCKE: "Look, you've got no idea who you're talking to. I'm well aware of what's involved, believe me. I probably know more than you on the subject."

AGENT: "In any case, it's a trying ordeal for someone in peak physical condition, let alone..."

LOCKE: "Look, I booked this tour a month ago.. You've already got my money. Now, I demand a place on that bus."

AGENT: "You misrepresented yourself..."

LOCKE: "I never lied."

AGENT: "By omission, Mr. Locke. You neglected to tell us about your condition."

LOCKE: "My condition is not an issue. I've lived with it for four years. It's never kept me from doing anything."

AGENT: "Look, unfortunately it is an issue for our insurance company. I can't keep the bus waiting any longer. It isn't fair to the other people."

LOCKE: "Hey, don't talk to me about fair."

AGENT: "I can get you on a plane back to Sydney on our dime. That's the best I can do."

LOCKE: "No. I don't want to go back to Sydney. Look I've been preparing for this for years. Just put me on the bus, right now. I can do this."

AGENT: "No, you can't."

LOCKE: "Hey, hey! Don't you walk away from me! [John Locke pulls away from the desk to reveal he is in a wheelchair]. You don't know who you're dealing with. Don't ever tell me what I can't do, ever. This is destiny. This is destiny. This is my destiny. (yelling) I'm supposed to do this, dammit! Don't tell me what I can't do! Don't tell me what I can't..."

[The bus pulls away.]

In another flashback, we see the same shot of John Locke from the beginning of the episode, and as he was in the Pilot, Part 1, lying on the beach, looking at his feet, wigging his toes, putting his shoe on, and getting up and standing for the first time in four years, as Jack calls him over for help.

We flashback to the present time, with the Memorial Service continuing, and the fuselage burning in the background.

As John Locke watches the fuselage burn, he looks at his wheelchair, and smiles.

Interesting Notes & Observations:

• From Lostpedia: Walkabout: A "rite of passage" ritual traditionally taken by Australian Aborigines at thirteen years of age, where the youth will wander around in the wilderness for six months.
• Notice how Jack has a little flashlight and Sawyer has a big one. I wonder what that means..
• I find the match-ups in this episode rather interesting. For instance, when the boar runs at them, Sayid helps Claire. Claire also gives him his photograph of Nadia after she finds it when she's looking through the luggage. I swear this is like the last interaction they ever have in the series. Sayid and Kate also seem to have a lot of chemistry in the beginning of the series. It would have been awesome if Kate never go involved with Jack or Sawyer, and just went straight for Sayid. She would've ended up dead then, because everyone that Sayid loves ends up dying, and everyone would have been happy. See? I could write this show.
• I never realize how much Jack, throughout the whole series, is always telling people to run. Why can't anyone else say "Dammit, Kate, RUN!"?
• They're people, Kate? Really? Are you not aware that people get cremated like all the damn time? And, since when do you have so much respect for the dead? Considering, you tried to trick Jack and dug up the dead Marshal's body just to get a damn key so that you could get a toy airplane out of his damn briefcase, for sentimental value? Please. Sometimes you reason like you're drunk.
• For once, Jack is the one who actually makes sense. Don't expect me to say that again any time soon.
• Hurley starts a fight with Sawyer over him hoarding the peanuts, because they don't have any food left. He'll get even later, in Dave, when he pretty much beats the crap out of Sawyer.
• Randy Nations is a royal douche bag. Seriously, what made this dude such a dick?
• He was also Hurley's boss, at Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack, in Everybody Hates Hugo, and worked for Hurley after he won the lottery and bought the place in , Tricia Tanaka is Dead. Hurley also owned the same box company that John Locke worked at in this episode, so I guess we can assume that he gave Randy the job there, too.
• Claire looks through the belongings of the deceased, and finds wedding plans and photographs of Steve and Kristen. Um.. What the hell was wrong with these two?
  
• Hey, Shannon? Since when do you care if there's any food left? I thought you were going to eat on the rescue boat?
• While I did end up liking Shannon when she died, she's really starting to annoy me in the re-watch.
• When Randy Nations tells Locke that he needs the "TPS reports," it's a reference to Office Space.
• Also, Randy Nations' name is a reference to the writer, script coordinator, and continuity man (He wrote the "show bible.") of LOST, Gregg Nations.
• You're a vegetarian, Kate? Really? So, how was that bacon you were eating in Tabula Rasa? Liar. 
• I love you, Rose, but you could not have been more wrong about Jack's bedside manner. To be fair, though, he actually did have a good bedside manner when he talked to her. I don't know what happened after that.
• From Lostpedia: In the flashback, Locke has an electromedical nerve stimulation machine by his bed. It is a PRO ElecDT® electromedical device from Hako-Med used for stimulating motor nerves for the purpose of providing muscle reeducation.
• Kate saying that she's "climbed a lot worse" trees reminds me that one of the reasons Evangeline Lilly got the job was because she said that she liked to climb trees. 
• Jack acts as if Kate is actually injured just so he can touch her. Seriously, dude, it's just a few scratches.
• He tells her that he's "not big on rubbing it in," which is a complete lie, because he pretty much rubs it in every damn chance that he has to do so. 
• From Lostpedia: In the two scenes in this episode he appears in, Christian Shephard is not played by actor John Terry, who portrays him in all subsequent episodes starting with the following episode, "White Rabbit". However, the actor who portrays him here does look a lot like John Terry in the wide shots. 
• Every time I watch this episode, I'm like "Hey! That's not John Terry!"
• John Locke told Walt a secret, that "a miracle happened to him," in Pilot, Part 2.
• From Lostpedia: The names of some of the dead passengers mentioned by Claire during the ceremony can be heard: Judith Martha Wexler, Steve and Kristen, Emmanuel Rafael Ortiz, Harold Wollstein (seat 23C), and Millicent Louise D'Agostino. Harold, who Claire says was assigned seat 23C on the plane, next to where Jack was sitting, was never seen in the episodes with Jack's flashbacks on the plane; the seat was always empty, although Harold may have simply moved to another seat, or may have been in the bathroom at the time.
• John Locke is so fucking desperate. It's heartbreaking. 
• From Lostpedia: The original name of this episode was "Lord of the Files", a play on the title of the island-survival drama Lord of the Flies and Locke's occupation.
• Michael Giacchino's music is fucking fantastic at the end of the episode.

Answered Questions:

• We discover that Rose was actually correct about there being survivors in the tail section of the plane. We learn about their whole story in The Other 48 Days.
• In The Last Recruit, the "Man in Black" tells Jack that he appeared as his father, Christian Shephard, all along, but I'm not sure whether we should believe anything that dude says or not. It probably was him, but Jack may well have been seeing his dead father on the Island as well, considering other people have also seen the dead.
• We find out how John Locke ended up in a wheelchair in The Man From Tallahassee.

Unanswered Questions:

• How did Rose know that Bernard wasn't dead? 
• Did Jack really see his father, Christian Shephard? 
• Why isn't John Locke scared when he is faced by the Smoke Monster?
• Did John Locke really see the Smoke Monster? 

Favorite Moments:

• I love how Sawyer calls Jack "Jackass". 
• The scene where John Locke throws his knife almost at Sawyer's head, and talks about hunting boar, is still one of my favorite scenes. It really introduces the mysterious character of John Locke. The shot is awesome. Plus, Sawyer's reaction makes me laugh.
• Michael asking Sun to watch Walt while he hunts. 
• My only question is.. Did Michael get that fanny pack before he got on the plane, or did he find it after the crash? I need to know if he'd really sport a fanny pack off-Island.
• MICHAEL: "Hey, quit giving us the steal signal." 
• The scene of Hurley and Charlie trying to fish is still one of the funniest things that's ever been on this show. This is where the comradery and laughs begin with those two characters. 
• The reveal of John Locke having been in a wheelchair before the plane crash is still one of the greatest moments on this show. Between the acting and the music, and the shock and awe of the moment, it's just a fantastic sequence. It's the moment that absolutely hooked me.
• The smile on John Locke's face at the end of the episode.

Overall Significance:

• Jack says "Any bodies we bury are not going to stay buried for very long." This is a line that was said, or at least referenced, throughout the series. I'm not sure if it literally means what Jack meant it as, which was that the boar on the Island were looking to feed, or if it was ever supposed to be as metaphorical as it ended up being.
• In the cubicle scene, John Locke is typing on a receipt machine that sounds like the Smoke Monster. As I said before, the sound came from a New York City taxi receipt machine, which makes sense.
• I never realized it before, but the reason that Jack is so damn insistent that he has nothing to do with a Memorial Service is because he just lost his own father, Christian Shephard, and was on the way to his funeral with the body when the plane crashed on the Island. He was probably preparing what he would say at the funeral when he was on the plane, too, which is why he doesn't want to lead the service when they burn the fuselage. We learn about this in White Rabbit. This is yet another instance of the writers foreshadowing the next episode with little hints.
• Later on, in White Rabbit, John Locke says to Jack that "I've looked into the eye of this Island, and what I saw was beautiful." It is entirely possible that he may have seen the Smoke Monster, but what he is describing there was actually the cave of light, which was first seen in the episode Across the Sea.
• Many people don't believe that they had things (at least some) planned out from the beginning, but I think that certain things, especially that clue right there, are an indication that they did know what they were doing. I don't think that it's just a coincidence that John Locke describes a "bright, white light." when talking about the Smoke Monster, in White Rabbit, and later on in the series, we see the Smoke Monster come out of a cave, literally with a bright light shining out of it. 
• It is also possible that John Locke may have been talking about the "afterlife" seen in The End, and that he may have actually been killed by the Smoke Monster in this episode, and was dead the whole time. I don't think that is possible at all, considering that Benjamin Linus killed him in The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham, but it's still a pretty cool theory to think about. Wait a minute. Oh my God. He was dead the whole time! They all were dead the whole time! What a cop-out! This show ruined my life. Screw you, Damon Lindelof. Idiots.
• We later find out the significance of the name "Helen" in John Locke's life. We can assume that he either found a phone-sex operator with the name Helen, or he chose to call her that, which is pretty damn sad.
• Rose foreshadows people in the tail section actually surviving. 
• In Cabin Fever, Matthew Abaddon encourages John Locke to go on a walkabout.
• John Locke introduces the idea of destiny, and faith versus science, which ends up being an on-going theme throughout the entire series. 
• There was an interview with Terry O'Quinn, where he said that he always thought that John Locke wasn't a man of faith, but that he was "desperately seeking faith," and I always thought that was spot-on. He doesn't have blind faith, but he hopelessly wants to believe that his life has meaning.
• John Locke also introduces his catch-phrase, "Don't tell me what I can't do." 

Final Thoughts:

• For the record, I actually guessed that John Locke was paralyzed when he told the story about Norman Croucher climbing Mt. Everest.
• I can still watch this episode with the same perspective as I had when I first watched it, and it always surprises me how good it still is. The reveal of John Locke being in a wheelchair before the crash is still one of the best moments of the entire show.
• This episode is still in my top ten, probably even top five, of my favorite episodes of the series. One of these days, I'm actually going to make a list. Probably when, and if, I ever finish this re-watch.
• Don't tell me what I can't do.

I'll be back next week with my analysis of one of the two Jack Shephard centric episodes that I actually enjoy watching, which is White Rabbit. Then, I'll watch a little Carol Burnett until my sides hurt.

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