Episode Analysis of 1.10 "Raised By Another"

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

My LOST re-watch and in-depth episode analysis will include major details from the entirety that was 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. Then, come back here.

First off, let's clear the air first. I'm back after taking two months or so off from blogging altogether. While it was much longer than I had originally anticipated, I didn't realize how much time I needed until I actually got back here. Sometimes, I need a break from these things to clear my head and reset. It's good to be back now.

What happened while I was gone? Well, apparently all the actors from LOST have literally lost their damn minds after leaving the Island. First, Doug Hutchison, who played Horace Goodspeed, and is fifty-one years old, married a sixteen year old aspiring country singer. Then, Matthew Fox got arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman on a damn party bus or something. Sounds like he's pulling a Jack Shephard to me. I wonder if he was wearing a fake beard when he did it..

And, in much less disturbing news, Evangeline Lilly had a baby without anyone even noticing she was pregnant. Apparently she's dating Norman Kali, who was a Production Assistant on LOST. I recognized this dude right away because he's in a bunch of the LOST DVD Extras.. Their baby's first words? "We have to go back, Kate." Yes, babies speak immediately when they are born. Evangeline was also cast in the new film, The Hobbit, and was seen in New Zealand with her baby boy. So, that's pretty exciting. Especially for LOTR nerds like myself.. Also, congrats to Evangeline and Norman. And, that's probably the first and last time I will ever write about "gossip" or whatever the fuck that was that I just did..

So, now that we're done with that quick recap and LOST news, let's get back to business as usual, shall we?

To read my original post on this episode, please refer to Raised By Another.

This episode was written by Lynne E. Litt, and directed by Marita Grabiak. It originally aired on December 1st, 2004.

This is a Claire Littleton flashback-centric episode.

We begin with a close-up of closed eye. We hear a baby crying in the distance and a waterfall in the background. Claire Littleton's eye suddenly opens. As she wakes, her eyes shift, looking around to catch her bearings. It's dark, and a baby continues to cry. Claire suddenly springs up from her sleep, short of breath, and looking around the caves. She feels her stomach to realize that she is no longer pregnant.

Claire continues to hear the baby crying from distance, as she gets up from her bed inside the caves, and begins walking into the jungle, following the crying sound.

Claire comes upon John Locke, sitting at a table in the middle of the jungle. There is a lamp shining on him and the table, which has tarot cards on it. We hear the sound of a knife being unsheathed. There is wind and motion in the trees. John Locke is dealing the cards out onto the table in front of him. As they talk, he looks up at Claire, revealing that he has one white eye and one black eye.

CLAIRE: "What's happening?"

LOCKE: "You know what's happening.."

CLAIRE: "But, I don't understand.. Why? "

LOCKE: "He was your responsibility, but you gave him away, Claire. Everyone pays the price now."

The baby continues to cry, as Claire runs further into the jungle. She comes upon a crib with an Oceanic Airlines mobile on it. She goes over to the crib, as things begin to shake and the mobile begins to spin around, with sounds of the plane crashing. Claire finds blankets in the crib, and begins to push them away, looking for the baby, but she comes upon a pool of blood in the crib, which covers her hands, as she begins screaming.

Claire wakes from her dream in the caves, crying and screaming loudly, and hitting Charlie who is trying to comfort and calm her down, as Hurley looks on and others begin to wake up from the noise. 

CHARLIE: "It's alright. Hey.. Hey, you're dreaming. You were sleep-walking, alright? [he looks at her hands which are bloody]. Claire, what happened?"

As Jack treats Claire's hands, he begins to question her about what happened.

JACK: "That must have been a hell of a nightmare.."

CLAIRE: "Who said it was a nightmare?"

JACK: "I'd say when someone makes their fists so tight they dig their fingernails a quarter of an inch into their palm, they probably weren't dreaming about riding ponies.. Did you ever sleep-walk before?"

CLAIRE: "No. I don't think so.. How would I know?"

JACK: "It'll get back to you. I had a girlfriend once that told me I talked in my sleep.."

CLAIRE: "What did you say?"

JACK: "I don't know. Whatever it was, she didn't like it. How was your OB-GYN in Sydney?"

CLAIRE: "Good. She was good."

JACK: "She was okay with letting you fly in your third trimester?"

CLAIRE: "Yeah, I went for a checkup the week before and she said it'd be fine.."

JACK: "Ultrasound was cool?"

CLAIRE: "Uh-huh. Very healthy."

JACK: "How have you been feeling?"

CLAIRE: "Okay. Back's pretty sore, but it's probably just from sleeping on the ground.. I get dizzy if I stand up too fast. And, I have to pee all the time.."

JACK: [laughs] "Are you eating enough?"

CLAIRE: "Boar and bananas."

JACK: "How many weeks in are you? What was the date that you found out you were pregnant..?"

As Claire goes into her first flashback, she comes out of a bathroom with a pregnancy test.

THOMAS: "Is it pink?"

CLAIRE: "I don't know yet.."

THOMAS: "I mean, did you actually pee on it?"

CLAIRE: "I don't know. Just give me a second.."

THOMAS: "Maybe you didn't do it right.."

CLAIRE: "Thomas, I can pee on a stick.."

THOMAS: "Okay, well.. What color is it?"

CLAIRE: "How long's it been?"

THOMAS: "Six.. Sixty-six seconds. Oh, God. [He grabs the stick.] Okay, it's definitely two lines.."

CLAIRE: "Two pink lines?"

THOMAS: "Pink? No, no, no.. These are, like, red."

CLAIRE: "What? [she looks at it] They're pink."

THOMAS: "These two lines?"

CLAIRE: "They're pink."

THOMAS: "Okay, first of all.. These tests are not always accurate."

CLAIRE: "Thomas.."

THOMAS: "No, no, no.. My uncle. He thought he had testicular cancer, remember that..?"

CLAIRE: "He did. He's dead."

THOMAS: "Yeah. I mean.. No, no. It was like, the wrong.. It was a bad diagnosis. Look, this thing, it doesn't mean for sure that you're pregnant.."

CLAIRE: "Thomas.."

THOMAS: "We can go get another one."

CLAIRE: "I am six weeks late, okay? Six weeks. That never happens. I'm pregnant." [She starts crying and making the bed at the same time.]

THOMAS: "Okay. Okay. Look, it's all going to be okay.." [He helps.]

CLAIRE: "I know. I know."

THOMAS: "Hey, Claire? If we.. If we wanted to, we could do this."

CLAIRE: "Stop it."

THOMAS: "No. I'm not kidding."

CLAIRE: "My mom would disown me."

THOMAS: "She basically has already."

CLAIRE: "Yeah. But, with what? My.. [Sitting down on the bed.] My five dollar an hour job at Fish and Fry?"

THOMAS: "You're not the only one with a job, you know.. I mean, I've got my painting."

CLAIRE: "That's sweet, but this isn't what we want."

THOMAS: "Maybe it is. This could be like, uh, I don't know. It could be like the best thing ever."

CLAIRE: [crying] "You, you really want to try?"

THOMAS: "Yeah. Claire, I love you."

Back on the Island, Jack walks across the beach near the fuselage. He wears a backpack and carries a bag in his hand, as he approaches Kate, who is standing at the shore, looking out at the ocean.

JACK: "Well, this is a first.. You standing still, middle of the day, doing nothing. Amazing."

KATE: "I'm doing something.."

JACK: "Yeah.. What's that?"

KATE: "I'm sinking. Water goes out, takes the sand with it, and you sink. I used to do it with my mom when I was a kid.."

JACK: "Ahh, new plan. You're going to just sink your way right off the Island. Sayid would be proud."

KATE: "He's been gone for almost a week.."

JACK: "Something tells me he'll be okay."

KATE: "So, what are you doing this far from the caves?"

JACK: "Bringing water down, bringing fish back. [He pauses.] Claire's going to have the baby soon."

As Claire sits in the jungle, against a tree, writing in her journal, Charlie approaches her, bringing tea.

CHARLIE: "Dear diary, Still on the bloody Island.. Today, I swallowed a bug. Love, Claire. [She smiles. He laughs and hands her some tea.] Here.. What separates us from these savage Yanks if we can't drink tea? Feeling better?"

CLAIRE: "It was just a dream.."

CHARLIE: "Mmmmm.. I have this dream. I'm driving a bus, and my teeth start falling out. My mom's in the back eating biscuits. Everything smells of bacon. It's weird.. Of course, I don't wake up screaming."

CLAIRE: "I'm alright, Charlie.."

CHARLIE: "No.. Of course you are. It's just, I think about you in this place.. How hard it must be for you without your family, and your friends. And, I think we could be friends. I could be your friend. We don't have to do each other's hair or anything. I just mean that if you needed someone to talk to about anything, I'm here.."

CLAIRE: "Charlie.."

CHARLIE: "Okay.." [He gets up to leave.]

CLAIRE: "I didn't mean that.."

CHARLIE: "It's cool, Claire. It's cool." [He walks away.]

In her flashback, Claire walks with her friend, Rachel, approaching a house, and discussing Thomas.

CLAIRE: "Thomas cleaned out his whole loft.. I'm officially moving in on Tuesday."

RACHEL: "That is great."

CLAIRE: "I know. He's awesome. [Claire looks apprehensively at the building they are approaching.] You know, maybe we shouldn't.."

RACHEL: "No. You're not backing out now.."

CLAIRE: "It seems.."

RACHEL: "He's just a psychic, Claire. I mean, I thought you were all into this.. All your astrology stuff."

CLAIRE: "Yeah, I know.. But, I don't need somebody telling me what's going to happen or how to live my life."

RACHEL: "It's not about what you need. It's about what's fun. So, unless you have another excuse.."

Inside the house, Claire sits at a table with the psychic, Richard Malkin, as her friend, Rachel, looks on.

MALKIN: "I'll need your hands for this. [She puts her hands on his. He goes into a trance-like state.] Ahh.. So, when did you find out?"

CLAIRE: "What?"

MALKIN: "About the baby."

CLAIRE: "Two days ago."

RACHEL: "She hasn't told her mom yet. We're afraid she might.." [Claire shushes her.]

Richard Malkin moves his head around, as if he's listening to something, and then suddenly snaps out of it, opening his eyes, and looking concerned.

CLAIRE: "What? Should I not tell her? [The psychic looks up at her, looking worried, and frightened.] What? What is it?"

MALKIN: [Taking his hands away.] "I'm sorry. [He takes the money of the pocket of his shirt, and gives it back. His hands shake.] I can't.. I can't."

CLAIRE: "What were you gonna.. What did you see?"

MALKIN: [standing] "I'm.. I'm not doing this reading."

CLAIRE: "You.. You were going to say something."

MALKIN: "You'll have to leave. Now. [Claire gets up. Rachel follows.] Thanks.. Thanks very much."

RACHEL: [As she and Claire leave.] "What a freak."

Back on the Island, at night, there is a shot of the jungle, and then Claire sleeping on the ground in the caves. Claire opens her eyes. A hand suddenly covers her mouth, as her shirt is pushed up from her pregnant stomach, and a knife is unsheathed. We see something that looks like a needle, as Claire's eyes open wide and her mouth continues to be covered.

Jack is suddenly awakened by Claire's screams for help. He runs over to Claire, who is being comforted by Charlie. The other survivors wake up and go over to see what happened.

CLAIRE: [shouting] "Help me! Somebody's going to hurt me.. Please, help me!"

CHARLIE: [To Jack, as he arrives at the scene.] "Someone attacked her."

JACK: "What?"

CLAIRE: "He held me down.."

CHARLIE: "Which way did he go? How long ago?"

CLAIRE: "I don't know. I couldn't see. Just now.. Just now. He just ran away."

HURLEY: [Comes running over.] "What's going on?" [Michael and Ethan come to the scene as well.]

CHARLIE: "We should find out.. Check the surrounding caves."

JACK: "Hey, wait. Wait.. Hold on. Don't go.."

CHARLIE: "Hurley, let's go." [Charlie and Hurley leave.]

JACK: [to Claire] "C'mon.. C'mon. Let's sit down here [Claire sits.], okay? [to Ethan] Go get her some water."

ETHAN: "Yeah, sure." [He leaves.]

JACK: "Claire. Look at me.. It's okay. You're safe now."

MICHAEL: [Kneeling down to talk to Claire.] "Did you get a look at him, at all?"

CLAIRE: "No, it was dark. I couldn't see.."

JACK: "Where did this happen?"

CLAIRE: [Crying and screaming.] "It was here. I.. I was sleeping, and I woke up.. And, he was trying to hurt my baby! He had this.. This thing, like.. Like a needle. And, he stabbed me with it. [She shows her belly, but it doesn't look like there's a needle mark.] He was trying to hurt my baby.."

JACK: "It's okay. It's okay."

Outside of the caves, survivors with torches are walking around the jungle. Jack joins Hurley, who is also carrying a torch, and walking around the area of the caves.

HURLEY: "We looked around the entire perimeter, man."

JACK: "Nobody saw or heard anything?"

HURLEY: "Uh-uh.. Nada. Everyone was asleep. So, I had an idea. I'm out here looking for some psycho with Scott and Steve, right? And, I'm realizing who the hell are Scott and Steve?"

JACK: "I'm not following you.."

HURLEY: "Look, if I was a cop and some woman got attacked, we'd canvas, right? Knock on doors, find witnesses.. But, we don't even have doors."

JACK: "Hurley, you're not helping me understand where you're.."

HURLEY: "Look, we don't know who's living here, and who's still at the beach. I mean, we don't even know each other. My name isn't Hurley, it's Hugo Reyes. Hurley's just a nickname I have, alright? Why? I'm not telling.. The point is, we've got to find out who everyone is."

JACK: "You want to start a census.."

HURLEY: "Yeah.. A registry. You know, names, what people look like, who's related to who.. I mean, we start laying down the law.. Maybe we'll stop attacking each other. It seems like someone's getting punched, or stabbed, or something every other day here. We've got to find out who did this to her."

Back at the caves, Charlie brings a blanket over and wraps it around Claire, who is sitting at the fire by herself. She appears to be in shock.

CHARLIE: "You alright? [She half-heartedly nods.] Don't worry.. You want to close your eyes, I'll be here all night. I won't let anyone get to you. I won't leave you, Claire. Promise."

In her flashback, Claire stands on a chair and puts up drapes in her apartment. She is slightly pregnant now. Thomas enters with a bag of groceries.

THOMAS: "Wow. We have drapes now.."

CLAIRE: "I know. I feel all grown up. You like them?"

THOMAS: [taking off his coat] "Yeah. They're good."

CLAIRE: "I don't know why drapes represent age for me. I guess it just feels like something my mum would do. [Thomas puts beer in the fridge and takes one.] Oh, um, Sasha called.. They're going out tonight, wanted to know if we'd go. [Thomas opens a beer, turning his back to Claire as she gets down from the chair. He doesn't respond.] What? I didn't eat all the chips.. There's another bag."

THOMAS: [pausing] "Claire? [She starts removing the groceries form the bag.] I can't do this."

CLAIRE: "Do what? Did you have a bad day?"

THOMAS: [turning around] "This isn't working. [Claire looks shocked.] Come on, you knew that.."

CLAIRE: "I what? Um, just so I'm not overreacting here.. Are you breaking up with me?"

THOMAS: "Look, for the past three months.. It's just, you know. There's always some plan, some responsibility, somewhere that we have to be, someone that you have to talk to."

CLAIRE: "Well, yeah. I'm trying to make sure that when the baby comes.."

THOMAS: "Oh, the baby. Yeah, I mean, that is just not.. It's like this now, you know? What's it going to be like when the baby comes?"

CLAIRE: "But, you said we should do this.."

THOMAS: "Yeah, well.. Now it's real."

CLAIRE: "Well, you can't just change your mind.."

THOMAS: "How in the hell am I supposed to be a dad, Claire? How about my painting, my life?

CLAIRE: "I knew. I knew this was going to happen.."

THOMAS: "I told you so.. Terrific. Now I get all your daddy abandonment crap, huh?"

CLAIRE: "Hey, you bastard.. Don't you dare try and justify what you're doing!"

THOMAS: "I have done nothing, okay? I have done absolutely nothing."

CLAIRE: "What?! I have?!"

THOMAS: "You don't think I've seen what you've done?"

CLAIRE: "Excuse me?"

THOMAS: "You were supposed to be on the pill."

CLAIRE: "You think I got pregnant on purpose?"

THOMAS: "I don't even care."

CLAIRE: "Like this was some kind of plan? You are out of your mind!"

THOMAS: [taking his coat] "It's over, Claire."

CLAIRE: "No, it's not over!"

THOMAS: [leaving] "I'm out of here."

CLAIRE: "Thomas!"

Thomas leaves the apartment, and Claire is left standing there, alone in the apartment. Back on the Island, Claire sits and stares at the fire.

Back at the beach camp, presumably the next morning, Hurley approaches John Locke, who is doing something at a table in front of him, while other survivors are busy gathering clothing and things near the fuselage behind him.

HURLEY: [holding paper and a pen] "John, right? John Locke?"

LOCKE: "Is this about your census?"

HURLEY: "Yeah, you know.. I thought it'd be a good idea, you know, to get everyone's name and place of residence."

LOCKE: "And, who's checking on you?"

HURLEY: "Uh, me?"

LOCKE: "That was a joke." [Locke pours sand with a shoe on whatever the hell it is that he's doing..]

HURLEY: "Uh.. Good one."

LOCKE: "Yep. Well, you already know my name. I've lived most of my life in Tustin, California."

HURLEY: [writing it down] "Cool. And, reason for travel? The reason you were in Australia?"

LOCKE: "I was looking for something."

HURLEY: "Looking.. Uh-huh. Right on. [pausing] So, did you find it?"

LOCKE: "No. It found me. Anything else?"

HURLEY: "No.. No. That's good. [appearing uncomfortable] Uh.. Thanks."

Hurley suddenly runs off and up to a redshirt, who is walking by, behind he and John Locke, who watches him leave. 

HURLEY: [walking fast, along side the redshirt] "Hey, uh, I know I already talked to you, but, uh, I just wanted to get away from him for a second.."

Elsewhere at the beach, Charlie and Jack question Kate about the other beach camp survivors.

CHARLIE: "Did you see anyone leave the beach last night?"

KATE: "People come and go, but I, I don't know. [Jack looks back at Kate.] What?"

JACK: "I'm not sure anything actually happened.." [They all stop walking.]

CHARLIE: "Wait.. What?"

JACK: "Claire told Michael and I that this attacker tried to inject her with something. But, there was no mark on her stomach. She wakes up two nights in a row screaming.. The first time she was sleep-walking."

CHARLIE: "You think she was making this up? She was terrified, man."

JACK: "Look. She said that the guy was trying to hurt her baby. Why would someone do that now with all of us sleeping twenty feet away?"

CHARLIE: "So, you think she's lying?"

JACK: "No. Pregnant women have extremely lucid.."

CHARLIE: "Lucid. Right."

JACK: "These are textbook anxiety nightmares."

CHARLIE: "You know everything that's going on with everyone?"

KATE: [to Charlie] "Hey. [to Jack] So, what do we do?"

JACK: "She's due in a little more than a week. Maybe two. But, if she stays stressed out like this, or has another panic attack, it could trigger an early labor. And, out here, with no instruments, no monitors, no anesthetic.. That would not be good."

CHARLIE: "It's not all in her head." [He leaves.]

In the jungle, Ethan shakes papayas from a tree and gathers them into a hand-made basket, as Hurley approaches him for questioning.

HURLEY: "Hey, Lance."

ETHAN: "Sorry?"

HURLEY: "Lance. Your name's Lance, right?"

ETHAN: "Ethan."

HURLEY: "Dude, that's right. Lance is the little skinny guy with the glasses and the red hair."

ETHAN: [walking off with some papayas] "I can see how you'd confuse us."

HURLEY: "Sorry, dude. Lots of names and faces. It's pretty pathetic, huh? You'd think after a couple of weeks on the Island with the same people, we'd all know each other."

ETHAN: [kneeling down and putting the papayas in a basket] "Yeah, you're right. You would think so."

HURLEY: "So, we're doing this list. You know.. survivors, names, home addresses, stuff like that."

ETHAN: "Okay, well.. You already have my name."

HURLEY: [writing] "Not Lance."

ETHAN: "Definitely not."

HURLEY: "Last name?"

ETHAN: [getting up] "Rom."

HURLEY: "Rom, R-O-M?"

ETHAN: "That's right."

HURLEY: "Great. Where are you from, Ethan Rom?

ETHAN: "Ontario."

HURLEY: "Right on.. Love Canada. Great, uh.. [Ethan laughs.] Well, that should do it. Thanks for your time, dude." [walking off]

ETHAN: "Hey, what's this for?"

HURLEY: [stopping for a moment] "Oh, it's nothing. It's just, uh, you know.. I thought I'd be a good idea."

Back at the caves, Claire writes in her journal, as Jack returns and approaches her.

JACK: "Claire?"

CLAIRE: [crying] "Did you find him?"

JACK: "Um, no."

CLAIRE: [terrified] "Well, what if he comes back?"

JACK: [kneeling down in front of her] "Claire, this situation we're in.. The crash, that no one's coming, this place.. It, it can kind of mess with your head a little, and maybe make you see things that aren't actually there. Now, I know it feels very real.."

CLAIRE: "I, I don't understand.."

JACK: "Your baby's coming. Soon. And, I can't even imagine how scary that must be for you.. But, the more upset you are, the more dangerous it is for you, and your baby. [He takes some pills out of a bottle he is holding.] So, I want you to take these."

CLAIRE: "What are they?"

JACK: "It's a sedative. Very mild.. Commonly used in situations like yours. It won't harm the baby, I promise."

CLAIRE: "You don't believe me."

JACK: "Claire."

CLAIRE: [angry] "You think I'm making this up? [she starts gathering her things] I get attacked, and you want to give me sleeping pills?"

JACK: "They're not sleeping p--Look, it's a very mild sedative."

CLAIRE: "I'm leaving."

JACK: "What? No. Claire. Claire?"

CLAIRE: "I was safer at the beach. It's not safe here."

JACK: "Don't do this, Claire. You need to think about the baby."

CLAIRE: [getting up] "Don't talk to me about the baby. I'm sick of everyone telling me what to do."

JACK: [grabbing her arm] "Please."

CLAIRE: "Let go of me."

We see Charlie walking up as Claire is walking quickly out of the caves.

CHARLIE: [to Claire] "You okay? [to Jack, upset] What did you say to her?"

We see a shot of Claire walking quickly through the jungle, and back to the beach camp, as she goes into her flashback.

In her flashback, Claire knocks on the front door of a home. The psychic, Richard Malkin, answers the door.

MALKIN: [opening the door] "Yes?"

CLAIRE: "Mr. Malkin.. We met before."

MALKIN: "Yes. I remember."

CLAIRE: "You wouldn't give me a reading. I was hoping you would now. [Inside the house, they sit at a table, and Claire gives him money, which he counts.] Heh.. If you're psychic, why do you have to count it?"

MALKIN: [smirking] "That's not how it works.."

CLAIRE: "I was just joking. [He holds her hands and takes a deep breath.] So, how does it work?"

MALKIN: "I don't know. [He closes his eyes and continues focusing.] Oh.. When did he leave you?"

CLAIRE: "Last week. Is that why you didn't want to do my reading last time?"

MALKIN: "No.. No. [opening eyes] I saw something.. Sort of a blurry thing."

CLAIRE: "And, blurry's bad?"

MALKIN: "Blurry's bad. That's why I stopped the reading.. Are you sure you want to go on now?"

CLAIRE: "Yeah.. Yes. Please."

MALKIN: [He closes his eyes and refocuses. He appears to see something which terrifies him and makes him close his eyes tightly and become short of breath. He then opens his eyes, and focuses on Claire, suddenly becoming very earnest.] "I can tell you.. This is important."

CLAIRE: [shaking her head] "Okay.."

MALKIN: "It is crucial that you, yourself, raise this child."

CLAIRE: "You mean with Thomas? Is he.."

MALKIN: "The father of this child will play no part in it's life, nor yours."

CLAIRE: "So, what exactly are you saying?"

MALKIN: "This child, parented by anyone else, anyone other than you.. Danger surrounds this baby."

CLAIRE: [scoffing at him] "Danger?"

MALKIN: "Your nature, your spirit, your goodness, must be an influence in the development of this child."

CLAIRE: "Look, if Thomas and I don't get back together, I'm putting this baby up for adoption. I just wanted to find out what would give the baby the happiest life.."

MALKIN: "There is no happy life.. Not for this child. Not without you."

CLAIRE: [frustrated] "I don't.."

MALKIN: "It can't be another. You mustn't allow another to raise your baby."

CLAIRE: [grabbing her coat] "Okay. Great. [getting up] Thanks for taking my two hundred.."

MALKIN: "Oh.. No. Look.. [giving the money back] Take it. Ms. Littleton, I am begging you just to consider.."

CLAIRE: [raising her voice] "I can't raise this child by myself."

MALKIN: [yelling] "You have to listen to me!"

CLAIRE: "Okay, thanks for your time, and my money back." [She starts to walk out.]

MALKIN: "Ms. Littleton, please? The baby needs your protection! [Claire stops at the door and looks at him.] Ms. Littleton, please!" [Claire leaves.]

Some time later, Claire sleeps in the dark. She is awakened by a phone call in the night. She gets up, turning the light on, showing that she is clearly several months more pregnant than when we just saw her. She answers the phone.

CLAIRE: "Hello?"

MALKIN: "Ms. Littleton? It's Richard Malkin."

CLAIRE: "Oh, my God.."

MALKIN: "Listen to me. I have a plan.. Something that will make this all better."

CLAIRE: [sitting up] "You've got to stop calling me. It's too late, alright? I'm going to see Adoptive Services tomorrow.."

MALKIN: "I've been telling you for months.. You cannot do that."

CLAIRE: "Look.. What I do with my baby is none of your business."

MALKIN: "If you don't do what I'm suggesting, great danger will befall.."

CLAIRE: "Hey! Great danger will befall you if you don't stop calling me in the middle of the night.."

MALKIN: "I know what you're feeling inside, Claire.. That you're doubting your decision to give up the baby. Look. I'm begging you.. Don't do it. At least hear my plan first."

CLAIRE: "Good night." [Claire hangs up the phone.]

Back on the Island, Claire walks through the jungle. Charlie suddenly appears, having caught up with her, at a clearing.

CHARLIE: [entering] "Hi.. Where are you going?"

CLAIRE: "Back to the beach."

CHARLIE: [walking quickly] "What happened? Did Jack.."

CLAIRE: "Jack tried to dope me. He thinks I'm making all this up, that none of it really happened."

CHARLIE: "Right. So, to prove your sanity you go tromping through the jungle alone. Well done."

CLAIRE: [Claire stops and gives Charlie a look.] "I'm not crazy, Charlie."  [She continues walking, and Charlie follows her.]

Back at the beach, near the fuselage, Shannon packs her bags to move to the caves. She puts a brush, nail polish remover, and a magazine opened to a crossword puzzle into the duffel bag, while Hurley questions her.

SHANNON: [putting things in her back quickly] "You want my information? [getting up] Name: Shannon Rutherford. Age: 20. [walking away] Address: Craphole Island.."

HURLEY: [following] "So, uh.. Where were you guys last night?"

SHANNON: "Um.. The beach."

BOONE: [joining] "Why the interrogation?"

HURLEY: "You're like the twentieth person to ask me that.. Why is everyone so uptight about answering a few questions?"

BOONE: [stopping to hand Shannon something] "Well, maybe we're just not cool with you setting up your own little Patriot Act, man."

SHANNON: "Ugh.. He's a liberal."

BOONE: "No, seriously.. Why the list?"

HURLEY: "Ah.. It's nothing. We just had a little incident in the valley last night.."

SHANNON: "An incident?"

HURLEY: "Yeah, Claire, the pregnant girl. You know her. She, uh, kind of got attacked."

SHANNON: [annoyed] "What?"

BOONE: "She okay?"

HURLEY: "Yeah. She's a little shook up, but.."

SHANNON: [dropping her bag] "I am so not moving to the rape caves!"

BOONE: [to Hurley] "You know, your life would be so much easier if you just had the manifest.. We crossed out all the names of the dead after we burned the fuselage, so it should be a full roster of the rest of us."

HURLEY: "What? Really? Who has it?"

BOONE: "Who do you think?" [Hurley looks down the beach, in someone's direction.]

Cut to Sawyer relaxing on an airplane seat in the shade of his tent, wearing women's sunglasses, as Hurley approaches him and sits down.

HURLEY: "I'm just going to lay it out straight."

SAWYER: "Okay. You do that."

HURLEY: "I hear you have the flight manifest, and I need it, and I want you to give it to me."

SAWYER: [taking off his glasses] "That so?"

HURLEY: "Now, you could do what you normally do when someone asks for something.. Tell me to screw off."

SAWYER: "Screw off?"

HURLEY: "Or, you could just give it to me.. 'Cause, dude.. You could use the points."

SAWYER: "Well, gosh.. You sure know how to butter a man up, Stay Puft."

HURLEY: [smirking] "It's a gift."

SAWYER: [laughs] "Manifest is in the brown suitcase. Take it."

Back in the jungle, Charlie continues to follow Claire, who is walking back to the beach camp quickly.

CHARLIE: "Please let me carry your bag.."

CLAIRE: "I'm fine."

CHARLIE: "I know you're fine, but I can still carry your bag."

CLAIRE: [looking back at him] "Why did you come after me?"

CHARLIE: "Well, it's probably because I like you. [Claire rolls her eyes at him.] What?"

CLAIRE: "You don't like me, Charlie.. Okay? You just want to rescue me because of.. [she looks back at him] Because of this [referring to her belly]. But, I'm fine, okay? I don't need rescuing. I don't need.." [She suddenly stops and has a contraction pain.]

CHARLIE: "Whoa.. Claire. What is it? What, Claire? What.. What is it?"

A few moments later, we see Claire breathing heavily and bent over, in obvious pain.

CHARLIE: "Is that another one?"

CLAIRE: "Yeah.."

CHARLIE: "Okay.. We need to time the contractions. That's what you do, time the contractions, okay? One sugar-plum fairy, two sugar-plum fairy.."

CLAIRE: "Charlie.."

CHARLIE: [talking loudly] "You just need to calm down, alright? Big deep breaths. [Charlie takes a couple of big breaths and gets dizzy.] Oh, bloody hell.."

CLAIRE: "Charlie, I need you to go get Jack."

CHARLIE: "What?"

CLAIRE: "I'll be alright."

CHARLIE: "I'm not leaving you alone."

CLAIRE: "Charlie. Please, just go."

CHARLIE: "I can deliver a baby. I can do this.. This must happen all the time."

CLAIRE: "Charlie, you don't know how to deliver a.."

CHARLIE: "Just listen to me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I might not know what I'm doing, but I'll figure it out. If I can kick drugs, I can deliver a baby. [she gives him a look] Let me explain. I'm a drug addict. I was a drug addict. I'm clean now.."

CLAIRE: [yelling] "Get Jack!"

CHARLIE: "Right."

Charlie takes off running through the jungle, while Claire is in distress. In a flashback, Claire sits in an office with a lawyer and the couple that is going to adopt her baby.

LAWYER: "Arlene and Joseph will bring you to Melbourne. They'll pay your living and medical expenses."

ARLENE: "We found you an apartment. It's a really nice two bedroom place. And, well, we think you're going to be really comfortable in it."

LAWYER: "As discussed, once the baby is born and handed over to the Stewarts, you'll have no right to see the child again. You'll have no right to correspond with the child. It will be entirely up to Arlene and Joseph to decide whether to tell the child anything about you. Understood?"

CLAIRE: "Yes."

LAWYER: "Upon your discharge from the hospital, you'll be given an additional payment of twenty thousand dollars."

CLAIRE: "I just want to make sure that you're going to take really good care of the baby."

ARLENE: "Of course we will."

LAWYER: [handing her a document and a pen] "Now, I'll need you to sign and date here, where indicated."

CLAIRE: [Claire starts to sign, but then turns to Arlene.] "Do you know "Catch a Falling Star"? It's a song, like a lullaby."

ARLENE: "Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket.."

CLAIRE: "My dad used to sing that to me when I was little. Do you think you could sing it to the baby once in a while?"

ARLENE: "Of course."

CLAIRE: [Claire starts to sign the document, but the pen is out of ink. She looks up.] "It's not working.." 

 

LAWYER: [handing her another pen] "Here." [That pen doesn't work either. Arlene passes another pen across the table.]

CLAIRE: [Claire pauses and thinks for a moment.] "I'm.. I'm sorry. I can't do this." [She gets up to leave.]

ARLENE: "What? No!" [Claire leaves.]

Claire knocks on Richard Malkin's front door. He answers.

CLAIRE: "Okay.. What is it? What's your offer?"

Back on the Island, Charlie runs frantically through the jungle. He comes upon a clearing where Ethan is gathering wood and stops to talk to him.

CHARLIE: [out of breath] "Oh.. Thank God. What's your name?"

ETHAN: "Ethan."

CHARLIE: [breathing heavily] "Ethan.."

ETHAN: "Are you alright?"

CHARLIE: "..You need to go the caves. Run to the caves. Get Jack. Tell him that Claire.."

ETHAN: "Claire.. Is she okay?"

CHARLIE: [speaking quickly] "She's having the baby. Go fast.. Okay? I'll be with her, on the path right there. [He points, then yells, urgently.] Go!"

Ethan drops the firewood, then takes off running. Charlie starts running in the other direction, back toward Claire.

CHARLIE: [looking around] "Claire?"

CLAIRE: "I'm here."

CHARLIE: [going over to her] "Claire! Okay.. Jack's coming. How are you doing?"

CLAIRE: [sitting down, in pain] "It hurts."

CHARLIE: [grabbing her hand] "Okay.. Just take my hand. Squeeze. Okay, breathe. Inhale, exhale. Good.. Just breathe. Inhale. Okay, good."

CLAIRE: [crying] "I'm not supposed to be here."

CHARLIE: "I think we all feel like that a little bit."

CLAIRE: "I know, it's just.. Someone promised me it would be different."

CHARLIE: "Well.. He was wrong."

CLAIRE: "Yeah. He was wrong."

In her flashback, Claire stands in Richard Malkin's house, talking to him. She holds an envelope he's given to her.

CLAIRE: "You spent the last four months telling me I have to raise the baby myself.. Now you're giving me money and saying I don't have to?"

MALKIN: "I found a couple in Los Angeles who are very eager to adopt. The baby will be safe in their care. Now, I've foreseen.."

CLAIRE: [frustrated] "Heh.. Foreseen? I don't even know why I'm here. I'm sorry.."

MALKIN: "I know this sounds ridiculous, Claire. All this psychic business.. And, I appreciate that you must think I'm a raving madman. But, this is what must happen.."

CLAIRE: "So, you're giving me six thousand dollars to give my baby to a couple of strangers in Los Angeles?"

MALKIN: "Twelve thousand. The other six when you arrive in Los Angeles. And, they're not strangers, Claire. They're good people."

Back on the Island, Claire and Charlie are still in the jungle, alone. It appears as though Claire has told Charlie the whole story of what happened with Richard Malkin.

CHARLIE: "A psychic?"

CLAIRE: "I know. It's embarrassing. [rolling eyes] And, now after everything, he was just full of it.."

CHARLIE: [thinking] "Or not. I mean, all he wanted was that no one else raise your baby, right? Maybe he knew. I mean, if he wanted it bad enough.. You know, if he had the gift, and I believe some people do.. Maybe he knew, Claire."

In her flashback, Richard Malkin gives Claire and Oceanic Airlines plane ticket.

CLAIRE: [looking at it] "I can't go tomorrow. I have to get my.."

MALKIN: [insistent] "It has to be this flight. It can't be any other. They're already scheduled to meet you when you arrive. Flight 815. Flight 815."

Back on the Island, in the jungle with Charlie, Claire has an epiphany.

CLAIRE: "There was no couple in Los Angeles.. He knew. He knew about the plane [In her flashback, Claire takes the plane ticket, and leaves Richard Malkin's house.], what was going to happen.. Oh my God. He knew."

We see Sayid walking through the jungle quickly. He's using a tree branch as a walking stick, and limping. His leg and head are bandaged. And then, back to Claire and Charlie. Claire sighs. She appears to no longer be having contractions.

CHARLIE: "You feel another one coming?"

CLAIRE: "I don't think so."

CHARLIE: [looking around] "Where the hell is Jack?"

CLAIRE: [getting up] "You know, I think.. [Charlie helps her.] I think I'm alright."

CHARLIE: "The contractions?"

CLAIRE: "Maybe that was the last one? Please.. Let that have been the last one."

CHARLIE: "Jack said that stress can cause a false labor.. You sure you're alright?"

CLAIRE: "No pain."

CHARLIE: [smiling] "Birthing emergency averted. I told you I'd take care of you."

CLAIRE: [smiling] "Thanks, Charlie."

CHARLIE: "You're quite welcome. [pausing] You think you can make it back to the caves? [Claire looks like she's not sure about going back to the caves.] I won't let anything happen to you."

CLAIRE: "Okay, let's go."

Back at the caves, we see Sayid limping back and entering, passing John Locke who is standing near the entrance.

JACK: "Sayid?" [John Locke peering on from the background. Jack and Kate turn around to help Sayid.]

SAYID: "Listen to me. [collapsing] I found her.. The French woman."

JACK: [to Kate] "I need some water. [to Sayid] What happened?"

SAYID: "The woman.. On the Island. [Kate hands a bottle of water to Jack, who gives it to Sayid.] I had to come back. I had to come back. [Drinking, while Jack tends to his leg wound. Sayid suddenly grabs Jack.] We're not alone." [Jack appears to be startled and confused.]

John Locke looks on, listening to Sayid, confused. Charlie and Claire continue walking through the jungle, back toward the caves. Claire suddenly stops, gasping, and grabs her belly.

CHARLIE: "You okay?"

CLAIRE: "Yeah.. Yeah. Look.. He just kicked. Here." [She puts Charlie's hand on her belly. He feels it and smiles.]

Back at the caves, Hurley comes running from the jungle and enters, holding a clipboard, approaching Jack and Kate, who are tending to Sayid, while Locke looks on.

HURLEY: [sitting down] "We've got a problem.. The manifest. [Jack looks at Sayid's leg.] Jack! The census.. [Jack pours water on Sayid's wound.] The names of everyone who survived.. All forty-six of us. I interviewed everyone. Here, at the beach.. Got their names. One of them.. One of them isn't--Jack! [Jack finally looks at him.] One of them isn't in the manifest. [Jack looks scared.] He wasn't on the plane."

Back in the jungle, Charlie and Claire stand there, as Ethan approaches them, they look up at him to see him standing there with a menacing look on his face.

ETHAN: "Hello there."

CHARLIE: "Ethan.. Where's Jack?" [Putting his arm around Claire.]

Ethan just stares at them. Claire looks terrified.

Interesting Notes & Observations:

• The "Previously on LOST" segment features the scene from Pilot, Part Two, with Charlie saying "I've never been so happy to hear the French!" and Sayid asking if anyone speaks French, with Shannon subsequently translating Danielle Rousseau's French transmission, and then Sayid saying goodbye to Kate at the beach camp, after he tortured Sawyer, in Confidence Man.
• You should speak French, Sayid.. But, more on why that pisses me off in a future post.
• I'm not sure what the significance of Claire's necklace is, but it looks like it's supposed to be worth noting..
• It kind of reminds me of the ankh necklace, which Amy's dead husband, Paul, wore in La Fleur. 
• In Claire's dream, John Locke has tarot cards. I'm not sure what any of them are, but the significance is probably just a reference to the psychic, Richard Malkin.
• Also, in Claire's dream, John Locke has one white eye and one black eye, a theme (black and white) which is carried on throughout the series. Early on, the only other connection we had to this were backgammon and the black and white stones that Jack found on the two bodies found in the caves, in House of the Rising Sun.
• Here's a screenshot of the Oceanic Airlines mobile from the crib.. This was one of the awesome things that fans had to get a screenshot of to get a good look at, early-on in the series.
• The Oceanic mobile was also seen in the nursery of The Staff station, which Claire was being held by the Others, as seen in Maternity Leave.
• From Lostpedia: During a Q&A session in Israel in July 2009, Executive Producer Jack Bender revealed that director Marita Grabiak pushed for the opening sequence of Claire's dream to be shot in black and white. Despite politely refusing her suggestion, she kept pushing for it and he had to overrule her. She would never work on LOST again. 
• I can understand his argument. If the scene were in black and white, then the fact that John Locke's eyes were black and white wouldn't have stood out. It would've been kind of pointless.
• Those do not look like Charlie's hands to me.. I'm just saying.
• Jack, my guess is that the girlfriend who told you that you talked in your sleep didn't like you anyway..
• Thomas says it's been sixty-six seconds since she's taken the pregnancy test, and Claire says that she is six weeks late. That's 666! Evil baby.
• Uhh.. Why does Claire start making the bed when she realizes that she's pregnant?
• Yeah, okay, Thomas.. You've got your painting. So, there's that. What an idiot.
• Here's a screenshot of Thomas' paintings, which look awfully familiar.. Here they are in comparison to Desmond's mural painting on the wall in the hatch, as seen in Man of Science, Man of Faith, and other various Season Two episodes that also featured the hatch.
• As you can see, both paintings feature similar faces and numbers on them.
• Also here are Thomas' paintings in comparison to one which hangs in Charles Widmore's office, as seen when Desmond visits him in the Season Three episode, Flahes Before Your eyes.
• From Lostpedia: Show-runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse clarified that there's no character connection. They explained Jack Bender, the producing director in Hawaii, likes to add his own paintings to the show. (Official LOST Podcast/April 20, 2007)
• Why the hell does Jack feel the need to bring up Sayid out of nowhere? Just to piss Kate off? I mean, really, dude.. Besides, I'm pretty sure that first, you can't sink your way off a damn Island considering you move down in the sand, not out into the ocean, and two, Sayid wouldn't be proud of that at all.. Because he's not a goddamn idiot. 
• It seems pretty curious to me that Claire tried to back-out of seeing Richard Malkin, but Rachel talked her back into going in to see him.. It makes me wonder if she had anything to do with the plan all along. 
• The scene where Richard Malkin gives Claire her money back and rushes her out without telling her what he really "saw" in his psychic vision always reminds me of George Costanza with the psychic on Seinfeld.. 
• Claire tells Thomas that her mom would disown her if she had the baby, and Rachel tells Richard Malkin that Claire hasn't told her mom yet about the baby, but we find out later, in Par Avion, that Claire's mom was in a coma.. So, umm.. What's that about?
• It was pretty ballsy of Ethan to stick around right there at the scene of the crime after he attacked Claire..
• Who the hell are Scott and Steve? I'd certainly like to know..
• Dude. Jack is really slow. What Hurley is trying to explain to you is not exactly rocket science, Jack.
• Jorge Garcia has previously said (I believe it was on his podcast, Geronimo Jack's Beard.) that the reason Hurley wasn't his character's real name was because Javier Grillo-Marxuach decided to make his real name Hugo Reyes when writing his backstory.. However, in this episode Hurley, when discussing the idea of taking a census, says to Jack that his real name isn't even Hurley, that it's Hugo Reyes, so obviously they had it planned out way earlier than his episode, Numbers. Not sure that Jorge is correct on this one. Oh well. Doesn't really matter anyway. Just something that I hadn't noticed until now. 
• Jorge Garcia also stated on his podcast that when Hurley speaks to John Locke about the census in this episode, and suddenly runs off and talks to the redshirt, it was one of the few things that he ever improvised that actually got into the show. That part makes me laugh every time. 
• I wonder if Kate made Claire's drapes.. Maybe in the flash-sideways universe.
• Thomas drinks and he's a douche. He even has the sack to bring up Claire's daddy abandonment issues. Seriously, dude? You're not exactly a prize yourself.
• I love Claire's "pissed off look" face. I don't know why. I just do.
• I seriously watched the scene with Hurley and Locke like a billion times, and I still can't figure out what the hell it is that Locke is doing..
• Oh! Hey! Look! It's Scott and Steve again! (I don't think I seriously could have pointed them out until I did this re-watch, and actually started purposefully looking for them in each episode.)
• Why the hell does Ethan lie about his last name? I mean, now that we know he was Horace Goodspeed's son (Namasté).. What's the point in lying about his damn name? No one is even going to find out. I mean, what is the point, other than the fact that Ethan Rom is an anagram for "Other Man (Very clever, writers.)" and we didn't know that Horace Goodspeed even existed yet? Okay, I know the real reason. But, I'm still going to ask because I can, even though I just answered my own damn question. Why must I frustrate myself for no reason whatsoever?
• Oh, yes they are sleeping pills, Jack. Don't fuck with a pregnant chick. You're seriously like the worst doctor ever. Not only do you try to give her sleeping pills and pretty much tell her she's losing her damn mind, but then you grab the arm of a woman who thinks she's just been attacked by some dude in the middle of the night? Yeah, that's smart.
• Also.. Really, Jack? Sedatives don't harm a baby? Something tells me that's completely wrong.
• Rules for hitting on women: #1 If they're pregnant, don't try to deliver their baby. #2 If you're a drug addict, don't tell them you are one while they're in labor. I get all my dating advice by watching Charlie and doing the exact opposite of everything he does.
• This episode should've been called "Creepy Dudes." Between Charlie, Jack, John Locke, Richard Malkin, and Ethan Rom in this episode, each one is creepier than the last..
• As you can see here, the office where Claire meets the Stewarts and the lawyer is the same one where we see Michael later meet a lawyer to try to get Walt back from Susan, in Adrift. Although, I don't think it's supposed to be the same office, but just simply filmed in the same place..
• This episode is the first of many instances which the song Catch A Falling Star, by Perry Como, is referenced. As seen in Claire's Season Two flashback, Maternity Leave, after Claire has been captured by Ethan and the Others, the Oceanic mobile in the nursery of The Staff station plays Catch A Falling Star, which is a direct reference to this episode. We also know that Claire's father, as she stated in this episode, sang the song to her when she was a baby. In Par Avion, we discover that Claire's father is, in fact, Christian Shephard, Jack's dad, who sang the song to him as well.
• Also, here is a screenshot of the document which Claire tries to sign, but gets a sign from.. I always find it interesting looking at the documents that they make up for the show.
• Oh, he found a couple in Los Angeles alright.. 
• A couple in Los Angeles did raise Aaron, Claire. It was Jack and Kate, as seen in Something Nice Back Home.
• Charlie seriously just found exactly the wrong person to ask for help. Good job acting like you actually care, Ethan.
• Here is a screenshot of the flight manifest, which is unofficial, and wasn't actually in the show, but was taken from the LOST, The Untold website..
• Dude. Ethan. You might want to try looking a tad less creepy.
• Claire looks fucking terrified.
• From Lostpedia: This episode had the production number 107, while the previous episode, "Solitary" had the production number 108. It was confirmed by the producers of the show that the episodes were written in that order, and the ending scenes were re-edited when it was decided to switch their order. (Official LOST Podcast/April 6, 2009) In an interview, Jorge Garcia said the episodes were switched because it would be strange for the characters to start playing golf when Claire and Charlie were missing. 
• It would be weird if they were playing golf.. But, also, now I kind of want to edit that way.

Answered Questions:

• We do know that dreams and visions have significance on the Island, as later seen in Deus Ex Machina.
• Considering what we later found out about Jacob, it can definitely be assumed that he played a part in persuading the people in Claire's life to get her to the Island. 
• In Par Avion, we discover that Claire's mother was actually in a coma the whole time, and that her father was Christian Shephard.

Unanswered Questions:

• What were the significance of dreams and visions on the Island?
• How exactly did Claire get on a plane in her third trimester?
• Why did Claire tell Thomas that her mom would disown her if she had the baby?
• Where did Hurley get his nickname?
• Did Claire's friend, Rachel, have anything to do with her going to see Richard Malkin? 
• Did Thomas talk Claire into having the baby, and then abandon her because he was being paid off by Jacob?
• Was Ethan Rom really from Canada?
• Did Richard Malkin send Claire to the Island for Jacob?
• Why must Claire be the one to raise her baby?

Favorite Moments:

• CHARLIE: "Dear diary, Still on the bloody Island.. Today, I swallowed a bug. Love, Claire. [He hands her tea.] Here.. What separates us from these savage Yanks if we can't drink tea?"
• CHARLIE: "I have this dream. I'm driving a bus, and my teeth start falling out. My mom's in the back eating biscuits. Everything smells of bacon. It's weird.." 
• HURLEY: "My name isn't Hurley, it's Hugo Reyes. Hurley's just a nickname I have, alright? Why? I'm not telling.."
• HURLEY: [walking fast, along side the redshirt] "Hey, uh, I know I already talked to you, but, uh, I just wanted to get away from him for a second.." 
• HURLEY: "Hey, Lance." ETHAN: "Sorry?" HURLEY: "Lance. Your name's Lance, right?" ETHAN: "Ethan." HURLEY: "Dude, that's right. Lance is the little skinny guy with the glasses and the red hair." ETHAN: "I can see how you'd confuse us."
• HURLEY: "Great. Where are you from, Ethan Rom? ETHAN: "Ontario." HURLEY: "Right on.. Love Canada. Great, uh.."
• I love how Jorge Garcia says "Great, uh.." slightly in a Canadian accent. 
• SHANNON: "You want my information? Name: Shannon Rutherford. Age: 20. Address: Craphole Island.."
• SHANNON: [dropping her bag] "I am so not moving to the rape caves!" 
• HURLEY: "I hear you have the flight manifest, and I need it, and I want you to give it to me." SAWYER: [taking off his glasses] "That so?" HURLEY: "Now, you could do what you normally do when someone asks for something.. Tell me to screw off." SAWYER: "Screw off?" HURLEY: "Or, you could just give it to me.. 'Cause, dude.. You could use the points." SAWYER: "Well, gosh.. You sure know how to butter a man up, Stay Puft." HURLEY: [smirking] "It's a gift." SAWYER: [laughs] "Manifest is in the brown suitcase. Take it." 
• Sawyer's sunglasses. Enough said.
• This image makes me think that things could've gone very differently for Charlie Pace had he just had the sack to make a move on the pregnant chick. I mean, come on, dude..
• CHARLIE: "Okay.. We need to time the contractions. That's what you do, time the contractions, okay? One sugar-plum fairy, two sugar-plum fairy.." CLAIRE: "Charlie..CHARLIE: [talking loudly] "You just need to calm down, alright? Big deep breaths. [Charlie takes a couple of big breaths and gets dizzy.] Oh, bloody hell.."
• CHARLIE: "Just listen to me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I might not know what I'm doing, but I'll figure it out. If I can kick drugs, I can deliver a baby. [she gives him a look] Let me explain. I'm a drug addict. I was a drug addict. I'm clean now.."
• CLAIRE: [Claire starts to sign, but then turns to Arlene.] "Do you know "Catch a Falling Star"? It's a song, like a lullaby."

Overall Significance:

• Richard Malkin was a really big mystery in the beginning of the series, and then he was kind of forgotten about toward the end.. At first, I think people believed that he really did know what was going to happen to Claire, but then I think people started to believe that he was full of it after seeing him interact with Mr. Eko in ?, even admitting that he was a fraud.
• I firmly believe that Richard Malkin did not know what was going to happen to Claire because he had a "psychic vision" of some sort, but because he worked for Jacob, and it was Jacob who knew what would happen. That's how Richard Malkin knew all about Claire, that she was pregnant, about her situation with Thomas, and about Flight 815. His sole purpose was to get her to the Island all along.
• I also believe that Thomas may have worked for Jacob as well. It seems pretty curious that he would talk her into having the baby, only to abandon her just a few months later. I mean, other than the fact that he's a complete douche.
• Richard Malkin tells Claire that the couple in Los Angeles are good people, a phrase which we'd later hear repeated by the Others.
• We learn all about Claire's kidnapping and disappearance after this episode in Maternity Leave and One of Us.
• I believe this is the first episode where Oceanic Flight 815 is mentioned.

Final Thoughts:

• I know that I said I was done with LOST news, but there's a few more things which are actually relevant to the show that I wanted to mention..
• On the Season Two Premiere of Hawaii Five-O, entitled Ha’i'ole (Which apparently means "unbreakable," according to Google.), Terry O'Quinn reunited with fellow LOST-alum Daniel Dae Kim, guest-starring as Navy Seal Lieutenant Commander John White, who trained Steve McGarrett in Coronado, and served with his father in Vietnam. This will be a recurring role for Terry O'Quinn, so it'll be pretty interesting watching his character interact with Chin Ho Kelly. Also, Penny's boat (Searcher) from LOST, which rescued the Oceanic Six, plus Desmond and Frank Lapidus, in the Season Four Finale episode There's No Place Like Home, was also seen in the premiere episode, Ha’i'ole. I looked everywhere for a damn screenshot of this, and couldn't find one. Not even on the Hawaii Five-O Wikpedia. What the hell, guys? You really dropped the ball there. Anyway, apparently Penny's boat was already in a previous episode in Season One of Hawaii Five-O, entitled Hana 'a'a Makehewa (Which means "desperate measures, " according to Google.), but for some reason, I don't remember seeing it.. However, I did actually find a screenshot of this one.
• There was also a LOST reference in J.J. Abrams' new CBS show Person of Interest, which features Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus) as one of its main characters. I love any time the numbers are used in reference to LOST. It turns me into a giddy little fanboy.
• Between Daniel Dae Kim and Terry O'Quinn on Hawaii Five-O, the new J.J. Abrams series, Person of Interest, starring Michael Emerson, plus all the references.. It's like a whole LOST love-fest over there at CBS right now. I must say, I can't complain..
• Also, last week, Damon Lindelof delivered the keynote at The New York Television Festival and had some pretty interesting things to say about LOST. To read the write-up by The Wrap, go here.. Also, for audio of the keynote, go here.
• Okay. One last thing, and then I'm really done this time. Apparently, Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson can't quit eachother. 
• Raised. By. An. Other. Get it?!

I'll be back next week with my analysis of All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues. Except for Jack Shephard. He's an awful cowboy with major daddy issues. Cowboys don't cry, dude.

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