Episode Analysis of 1.11 "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"

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.

To read my original post on this episode, please refer to All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues.

This episode was written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, and directed by Stephen Williams. It originally aired on December 8th, 2004.

This is a Jack Shephard flashback-centric episode.   

We begin exactly where we left off, in Raised By Another, in the caves, with Sayid unconscious, Hurley telling Jack, who is tending to Sayid's wounds, and Kate, who asks questions, about Ethan not being in the flight manifest, while Locke looks on in the background. The other survivors in the caves begin to become aware of the situation as Jack raises his voice. Michael joins them to talk about Ethan.

HURLEY: "He wasn't on the plane."

KATE: "Who wasn't on the plane?"

HURLEY: "Ethan.. The Canadian guy. He's not on the passenger manifest."

JACK: "Well, where the hell is he?" [He gets up from tending to Sayid's wound.]

HURLEY: "I don't know. I saw him yesterday, but now.."

JACK: [raising his voice] "Has anyone seen Ethan?"

KATE: "Sayid's leg.."

JACK: [talking louder] "Has anyone seen Ethan?"

2.02 Adrift

1. Jin, Michael and Sawyer in the water after the raft is destroyed by the others. Sawyer saves Michael's life.
2. Michael goes to see a lawyer, Susan wants him to sign his paternal rights over to Brian so that he can adopt Walt.
3. Locke in the hatch, removes shoes, kitchen, UVA-UVB lights, finds Kate on the floor.
4. "Are you him?" Desmond
5. Michael, Sawyer climb onto what's left of the raft. Jin, Walt not anywhere in sight.
6. Michael and Susan meeting with lawyers. Michael last saw Walt 14 months ago. Susan's lawyer grills him about Walt.
7. Sawyer pulls bullet out with his bear hands.
8. "Are you him?" Desmond "Yes, I am." Locke
9. "What did one snowman say to the other snowman?" Desmond
10. Locke and Kate tell Desmond about the plane crash, 44 days ago. There is a wall with tallies of days he's been there?
11. Locke tells Desmond that Kate is a fugitive. Locke ties her up, gives her a knife.
12. Charlie tells Claire he found the Virgin Mary statue in the jungle. From Lost Hatch
13. Sawyers says he thought the others were fisherman or pirates, that the boat wasn't made for the open water, range maybe of 100 miles, had to leave port from somewhere close to the island.
14. "French chick said the others were coming for the kid. I think they came, Mike." Sawyer From Lostpedia
15. Susan talks Michael into giving away Walt.
16. Kate gets out of the restraints, uses the knife that Locke gave her, trapped in a food pantry, Apollo candy bars, vent in the ceiling.
    
    From Lostpedia
    
17. Locke tells Desmond about losing radio contact, being 1,000 miles off course, that any search teams would've given up weeks ago, they were traveling from Sydney to Los Angeles.
18. "So the world's still out there?" Desmond
19. Locke tells Desmond there are 43 survivors, 4 that left on the raft. Desmond asks who has gotten sick, Locke says no one.
20. Alarm, beeping, Desmond makes Locke type in the numbers 4 8 15 16 23 42 at gunpoint, then press EXECUTE, clock goes back to 108. From Lostpedia From Lost Hatch From Lostpedia
21. Jack comes down the hatch, Locke tells Desmond that it's their doctor.
22. The shark passes underneath, there is a Dharma logo on its tail. Michael shoots the shark. From Lost Hatch
23. Susan takes Walt to see Michael for the last time, he gives Walt a polar bear, tells him that he loves him, that Susan should let him know the gift is from him some time. From Lostpedia From Lost Hatch
24. Michael and Sawyer were brought back to the island by the current. Michael says it was his fault for bringing Walt on the raft.
25. "We're home." Sawyer
26. Sawyer and Michael arrive back at the island. From Lostpedia
27. Jin on the beach when Sawyer and Michael arrive at the shore.
28. "Others!" Jin

Questions:

1. Does Locke really believe he is the him? Is he?
2. Why does Charlie tell Claire that he's not religious?
3. Does Susan really believe that Michael is going to win in court or is she just manipulating him?
4. How does the food get to the island?

Favorites:

1. "You got a band-aid?" Sawyer
2. "I reckon Jack's going to do something heroic." Charlie
3. "What are you gonna do? Splash me?" Sawyer, and then Michael does and Sawyer's piece of the raft falls apart under him.
4. Kate eating the Apollo candy bar cracks me up every time.
5. Desmond calling Locke Box Man.

Notes:

1. There are a lot of pointless scenes in this episode. We really don't need to see everything over again just to see it from someone else's point of view. A lot of things in the episode are drawn out for no reason and could have been done a lot quicker.
2. While I really like the Michael flashback, I did not enjoy the on-island (in water) scenes with him and Sawyer. They just seem a little too dramatic and overacted. Every time he's yelling "Waaaaaalt!" all I'm thinking is "Shuuuuut uppppppp!" Needless to say, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of this episode, but it's still better than most things on TV.
3. The appearance of Ezra James Sharkington!
4. Susan Lloyd and her lawyer.. what a bunch of bitches.
5. I really like Michael in the flashback of this episode, and I feel bad for him.
6. Sawyer pulling out a bullet with his bear hands, badass, yet makes me cringe.
7. I think after this episode is where I officially started to hate Locke, because the Locke that I knew from Season 1 died.
8. The numbers add up to 108!

1.23 Exodus, Part 1

1. Walt and Michael in Sydney. Walt watches television at 5:23 AM. Walt says that Bryan lets him do what he wants. He tells Michael he's not his father. From Lostpedia
2. Walt encounters Rousseau at the beach camp. She says the others are coming, that they must run, hide or die.
3. When she was ship-wrecked with her 6 person team, she was already 7 months pregnant. She delivered the baby herself. She was with her baby for 1 week when she saw black smoke, and they came and took her baby.
4. While moving the raft down the beach, they see the black smoke Rousseau told them about. From Lost Hatch From Lostpedia
5. They bring Rousseau to the hatch. "I've never seen anything like it." Rousseau From Lostpedia
6. Rousseau she can get dynamite from the Black Rock in dark territory.
7. "Do I know you?" Jack asks Ana Lucia.
8. Jack meets Ana Lucia in the airport bar. She asks why he was yelling at the gate agent, he tells her his dad died of a heart attack, that he's not married anymore. She hates to fly and her seat is 42F, in the back of the plane.
9. "Not a drinker?" Ana Lucia "No, not really." Jack
10. "The worst part's over." Ana Lucia
11. Jack tells everyone that everything is going to be okay. Arzt says that handling dynamite is dangerous and he should join them.
12. Sawyer is arrested for a bar fight, head-butted the Minister of Agriculture three days ago. He's being deported.
13. Jack gives Sawyer a gun for the raft.
14. Sawyer confesses that he met Jack's father, Christian Shepard, about a week before the crash.
15. "Jack. About a week before we all got on the plane I got to talking to this man in a bar in Sydney. He was American, too. A doctor. I've been on some benders in my time, but this guy--he was going for an all time record. It turns out this guy has a son--his son's a doctor, too. They had some kind of big time falling out. The guy knew it was his fault even though his son was back in the States thinking the same damn thing. See, kids are like dogs, you knock them around enough they'll think they did something to deserve it. Anyway, there's a pay phone in this bar. And this guy, Christian, tells me he wishes he had the stones to pick up the phone, call his kid, tell him he's sorry, that he's a better doctor than he'll ever be--he's proud, and he loves him. I had to take off, but something tells me he never got around to making that call. Small world, huh?" Sawyer
16. The Marshal, Edward Mars, explains why he needs to bring 5 guns on the plane with him and why there is a toy plane in his Halliburton. From Lost Hatch
17. "That's a good story, you want to tell it, huh Kate? This belonged to her childhood sweetheart who she got killed a couple of years ago when she was on the run. Poor guy--a wife, a 2 year old kid. What was his name? Hmm? Well, somewhere along the way during the 3 years I was chasing her, she's starts calling me, at my house, and whining on about her mitigating circumstances. But what she's really doing is taunting me. So, I tell her that I've got whats-his-name's little toy airplane in a safe deposit box in New Mexico. So, she somehow figures out which bank, which safe deposit box. She seduces some idiot to rob the damn bank, and then she puts a bullet in her new friend because she's done using him. But she leaves all the money. She just takes the plane because that's the one thing in the whole world that Kate does care about. She has no attachments, and I think she's telling herself she needs it to atone for killing her boyfriend, whats-his-name. God, Kate, c'mon what was his name?" Edward Mars
18. Kate wants to join the trek to the Black Rock for old time's sake and because she's bad at goodbyes.
19. Charlie collects messages for a message in a bottle.
20. "See you soon." Michael "Yes you will." Jack
21. Everyone says goodbye to eachother. Sawyer and Kate don't say goodbye.
22. They (Rousseau, Jack, Kate, Arzt, Hurley and Locke) leave for the Black Rock trek to get dynamite so they can blow open the hatch and hide everyone inside. From Lostpedia
23. Locke asks Rousseau about her scratches.
24. Montand lost his arm in dark territory, where Rousseau's science team got sick.
25. "It's a security system. It's purpose is that of any security system. To protect something." Rousseau "Protect what?" Kate "The island." Rousseau
26. Walt gives Vincent to Shannon.
27. Boone and Shannon can't get their seats in first class.
28. "One day you're gonna appreciate everything I do for you." Boone
29. Shannon reports Sayid for leaving his bags unattended.
30. Sayid gives Michael radar, tells them to turn it on every hour, that it will pick up a signal from 25 miles away. He also gives them a flare gun from the plane, with only 1 flare. From Lost Hatch
31. They arrive at the Black Rock to get the dynamite. From Lostpedia
32. A couple in the airport criticize Sun and Jin. Sun has to bite her tongue and refrain from speaking English because Jin doesn't know.
33. Sun helps Jin with his English. Jin says he's being punished for what he's done to Sun, and that he has to go on the raft, to save her. From Lostpedia
34. Sun and Jin say goodbye. Jin tells her to stay with Jack.
35. The raft leaves. Everyone waves goodbye. Vincent tries to follow Walt on the raft. From Lostpedia

Questions:

1. How did Rousseau deliver her own baby? Wasn't her science team still alive? Couldn't someone else do it?
2. Has Rousseau really never seen the hatch before? Has she seen other hatches, or the other stations on the island?
3. How did Kate get the other key to the safety deposit box?
4. Why did Locke want Jack to let him go? What did he think was going to happen?
5. How did the Black Rock get there?

Favorites:

1. "Well that's three reasons to go right there." Hurley
2. "Nice speech.. If you want to keep a secret don't tell the fat guy." Arzt
3. "Unless you want to blow up, I'm coming with you." Arzt
4. "I never asked you what you did back in the real world, so I'm taking a wild guess--lumberjack." Jack
5. "You think we're going to run out of food or water? Am I supposed to put the kid out of his misery?" Sawyer
6. "Hey, Locke, do you have a message? It's going on the raft. You know: Dear mom, Everything's fine. I'm on the island, unless, of course, the black smoke people turn up. Love, your name here. For when they get rescued, they can contact your family." Charlie "Message in a bottle. That's sweet." Locke
7. "Don't look at it. Dude! Don't look at it!" Hurley
8. "Mean bush." Locke
9. "I think Leslie's a bitchin' name." Hurley
10. "That was before Montand lost his frickin' arm." Arzt
11. "Well, alright. Now, are we going to get off this rock or stand around talking about it?" Sawyer
12. "Dude, I thought you were dead." Hurley, to Arzt.
13. Walt giving Shannon the dog.
14. "Can you describe him please?" Airport Cop "Um, Arab?" Shannon
15. Vincent following the raft.

Notes:

1. Jack tells Ana Lucia that he dad is dead. Ana Lucia worked for Christian shortly before she met Jack in the airport bar in Sydney.
2. When Jack tells Ana Lucia that he's not married anymore, it is the first time we learn that his marriage with Sarah was no longer.
3. When we see Sawyer at the Police Station in Sydney, this was just after we saw him being brought in during Boone's flashback in Hearts & Minds.
4. Sawyer telling Jack that he knew his dad is the first time two people on the island realize that they have a connection before the crash.

1.14 Special

From Lostpedia

1. Walter Lloyd, named after Michael's father, with Susan's last name.
2. Walt uses his mind's eye and throw knife with perfection. From Lostpedia
3. "He's different. As long as we're here, I think Walt should be allowed to realize his potential." Locke
4. Susan wants to take Walt to Amsterdam, there is a painting in the apartment in New York. From Lost Virtual Tour
5. Sayid says that Rousseau's maps are a location on the island, not of the island.
From Lost Hatch
6. Michael says no one is coming, that they should stop making a home on the island, build a raft.
7. Walt reads comic book with polar bear, Michael throws it in the fire because he's not listening. Walt stares at it and the polar bear appears later. From Lostpedia
8. Brian Porter, moving to Italy with Susan from Amsterdam, want to adopt Walt.
9. Michael gets hit by a car, Pontiac Bonneville, after talking to Susan. From Lostpedia
10. Walt studies birds and bird crashes into glass door. From Lost Hatch
11. Susan dies of a blood disorder. She was only sick for about a week. Brian tells Michael he doesn't want Walt, to come to Sydney and get him.
12. "There's something about him. Sometimes when he's around, things happen. He's different somehow." Brian
13. Walt's nanny gives Michael a box in Sydney when he takes Walt. From Lostpedia
14. "He found his way back to you once, he will again." Locke
15. Michael gives Walt the box with the cards and letters he sent him over the past 8 years.
16. Charlie says Claire's diary says "I had that dream again, the one with the Black Rock that I can't get away from." He tells Sayid and Jack about it when they're studying Rousseau's maps.
17. Claire comes back when Boone and Locke are looking for Vincent.

Questions:

1. How and why is Walt special?
2. Did Locke transfer his ability to Walt when he touched him?
3. Does Michael think Walt is special?
4. Was the painting in the apartment done by Michael?
5. Did Walt make the bird crash into the window?
6. Did he make his mother sick?
7. Did he make the polar bear appear on the island?
8. Why did Susan want Michael out of Walt's life?
9. What do the dreams on this island mean?

Favorites:

1. "I am being punished?" Walt "What, working with your old man is punishment?" Michael "It feels like punishment." Walt
2. Kate and Charlie looking in Sawyer's tent. "Trick or Treat." Sawyer
3. Charlie hits Sawyer's wound, Sawyer hits him back. "You hit like a ponce." Charlie
4. Charlie reading Claire's diary.

Notes:

1. Shannon tries to make an effort toward Boone, but he wants nothing to do with her anymore.
2. Micheal tries to make an effort to treat Walt more like an adult, but he wants nothing to do with it.
3. Vincent wasn't supposed to be on the plane. Michael tells Walt he can have him even though it's Brian's dog.
4. Micheal decides to start building the raft.

1.11 All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues

1. Ethan wasn't on the plane. He takes Claire and Charlie.
2. Locke says that he hunted with Ethan, and that he knows more than him.
3. Jack asks "How can one man drag off two people?" whereas Locke asks "Not how, why?"
4. "Be the doctor. Let me be the hunter." Locke, to Jack, about going to look for Claire.
5. Kate tells Jack her dad was in the Army, Ranger Battalion, stationed at Fort Luis, Washington, that she hiked with him for 8 hours and tracked deer. "It was like his religion."
6. Locke tells Boone he is a Regional Collections Supervisor for a Box Company. Boone doesn't believe him.
7. Christian tells Jack that he was hard on him so he could become a good doctor, that it was all for the greater good.
8. Sayid tells Sawyer about Rousseau and that he heard something in the jungle.
9. Walt and Hurley play backgammon. "My dad said I was the luckiest person he ever knew." Walt says, not Michael, but Brian, his step-dad. From Lostpedia
10. "I'm not letting him do this. Not again." Jack
11. Charlie is hanged by Ethan. Jack saves his life. From Lost Virtual Tour
12. "All they wanted was Claire." Charlie
13. "What are we following?" Boone "My gut." Locke
14. Boone and Locke find the hatch door while looking for Claire. From Lostpedia

Questions:

1. Will Hurley ever give Walt his money?
2. Jack fights Ethan. Why is Ethan so strong? Why does he look so robotic? From Lostpedia
3. How did Locke know where he was going if he wasn't following tracks? Did his destiny lead him to the hatch?
4. Why can Jack hear Claire but Kate can't?
5. Does Locke want Boone to be his apprentice?
6. When Walt and Hurley are playing backgammon, Walt keep rolling the number he wants. Is this because he's special? Does he make it happen?
7. Was someone helping Ethan?

Favorites:

1. "Back home, I'm known as a warrior myself." Hurley
2. "You owe me $20,000!" Walt "You'll get it." Hurley
3. "It's stupid to lie about your name." Walt, to Sawyer.
4. "The crew guys that would go down to the planet with the main guys, the captain and the guy with the pointy ears, they always wore red shirts, and they always got killed." Boone "Sounds like a piss-poor captain." Locke From Lostpedia
5. "You're either a taxidermist or a hitman." Boone, to Locke about what he does in the real world.
6. "Did they teach you how to predict the weather at a box company?" Boone

Notes:

1. Maybe it's just me, but the scene where Jack is operating is really creepy looking. Is an operating room usually that dark? The darkness and the shaky camera always gives me this weird feeling.
2. Jack's dad operated under the influence, and was fired because of Jack's confession, which led Christian Shepard to Sydney, Australia.
3. Jack has the crazy eyes again. He needs to chill out and stop trying to fix everything.
4. Charlie leaves the LATE tape from his fingers behind as clues. From Lost Hatch
5. Walt is just a kid, but he knows exactly how to work people.
6. Boone offering to help look for Claire and Charlie is what leads him to the hatch and finding the beach craft, which is what ultimately leads to his death. His Star Trek line and the red shirt is also foreshadowing of his death.
7. During the Jack saving Charlie scene, at first I was thinking there was no way that they'd kill Charlie, but by the end I started to believe that he really was dead, and I think this is the first time this show made me feel emotional. The music is awesome during this scene.