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?"

Initial Reaction to "The Substitute"

This was a great episode. It had great story. It had mythology. It had John Locke! This was far better than last week's episode. Again, I still don't think last week's episode was bad by any means, though a whole lot slower, with a lot less dense mythology. It appears as though they're following the format of the episode-centrics from Season One, which is very interesting. Overall, I'm really enjoyed this episode a lot, and would so as far to say that it's my favorite this season so far, although, obviously, there's not much to choose from. I took A LOT of notes on this episode, so let's get into it.

From Lostpedia

3.13 The Man From Tallahassee

1. Locke has an appointment with a social worker, asks about his condition, he says he's single, has no girlfriend, was raised in foster care, that he never knew his parents, he stopped going to therapy, the woman says that his benefits have been suspended, that depression can be temporary, and if he starts going to therapy again, his benefits will be reimbursed. From Lostpedia
2. Jack is still playing football with Tom, he stops to talk to Juliet, Kate tells Sayid and Locke that Juliet helped them escape, Rousseau is gone, they watch, Jack goes to see Ben at his house, who is in his wheelchair, shakes his hand, talks to him.
3. "This is going to be more complicated than we thought." Locke
4. Kate tells them they're here to rescue Jack, Sayid says they can't just start shooting, that the circumstances have changed, Jack may not want to be rescued, Kate says that's not him, that they drugged them, but Sayid says that he doesn't look drugged, that until they know, their lives are a risk, Locke says that Jack must have reasons, they should wait until dark, when Jack is alone, and if he wants out, they'll get him out. From Lostpedia
5. "It's Jack. The first time I saw him he was risking his life pulling people out of burning airplane wreckage. If he's shaking hands with the Others, I'm sure he has a good reason. We just have to go down there and find out what it is." Locke
6. Locke is alone in his apartment, watching Exposé, eating a TV dinner, a man comes to his door, Peter Talbot, wants to talk about his mother who is in trouble, she met a man, Adam Seward, a retired computer entrepreneur from Ontario, had something special, after 2 months she agreed to marry him, but Peter sensed there was something wrong about him, he says that Locke donated a kidney to him, that Adam Seward used to be Anthony Cooper, but Locke lies and says that it was anonymous. From Lostpedia
7. It's night, they watch Jack talk to Juliet, and then go into a house. Kate goes in while Locke and Sayid guard the house, Jack is playing piano inside, there are cameras in the house, Jack says that they're watching them, that she has to go, but Sayid is captured and brought in by Ryan, Kate surrenders, she says it's only the two of them. From Lostpedia
8. Locke goes to Ben's house, Ben says he can tell him where Jack is, but Locke says he's looking for the submarine, that they use it to travel to and from the island, Mikhail told him before he killed him, Alex comes in, there is a knock at the front door.
9. Tom is at Ben's house while Locke hides in the closet with Alex, he says Austen and Jarrah have been captured, Ben says separate them, that he wants to know how they found them, Ben wants to talk to Richard, Tom leaves, says he'll wait outside. From Lostpedia
10. Ben tells Richard to bring him the man from Tallahassee, Richard asks what they need him for, Ben says to just do it, he leaves, Locke asks what that means.
11. Locke wants the pack Sayid had with him, sends Alex to go and get it, Ben says that his daughter currently hates him, but Alex agrees to go.
12. John follows Cooper to a flower shop, where he's picking out flowers for his wedding with Mrs. Talbot, Locke says he's conning her, tells him about her son, Peter, wants him to end the relationship, leave town, or he'll tell her the truth, Cooper says he'll do it. From Lostpedia
13. "Because. Because it's not fair! You make people think that you're their family. And then you leave their life in ruins. And I'm not going to let you do it again! You're going to call off your engagement and go... or I'm going to tell her the truth. I want to hear you say it! You say you're going to leave!" Locke
14. Ben wants to get out of bed, sit in his wheelchair, says Locke knows what it's like to want some dignity, asks how he's going to pilot the sub, Ben says if he met Mikhail, he was in the communications station, he found the C4, that he's not planning on piloting the sub, but planning to destroy it, says he knows him, born in California, raised in foster care, wasted big part of his life in Tustin, pushing papers of company that manufactured industrial boxes, 4 years prior to the island he was in a wheelchair, knows how he ended up in it, asks if it hurt, Locke says he felt his back break.
15. Kate is being held in the rec-room, getting out of the handcuffs, Jack visits her, Tom tells him to be careful, Jack says they didn't hurt him, Kate says they didn't hurt her either, Jack says that this is where they live, Kate wants to know about the people they took, the kids, Jack says they're all safe, that's he's not with anyone, that he told her not to come back, he tells her he made a deal with them, they're going to let him go home, first thing in the morning, he trusts them because she told him to, when she asked him to save Sawyer's life, that it's their best chance, Juliet says they have to go, he says that he asked her not to come back for him and he wishes that she hadn't, but that he'll come back for her. From Lostpedia
16. Locke is returning home with groceries, detectives are waiting for him, they question Locke about Peter Talbot, he says he was a solicitor, but the detectives say that he's wroth $200 million, they say that John's name and address were on a paper in his pocket, that they know that because he's dead.
17. Ben says it wasn't easy being in the hatch knowing Locke had no business walking around, couldn't ask about it without telling who he really was, so Locke says to ask him now that he knows, Ben wants to know if he was walking the day of the crash, if it was immediate, the moment he got there, Locke says he's wondering why it hasn't happened for him, Ben says he wants to destroy the sub because he's afraid it'll go away, the he knows if he ever leaves the island, he'll be back in the wheelchair again. From Lostpedia
18. "That's what immediate means, Ben. You’re wondering why it hasn't happened for you. You're not recovering as fast as you'd like. How long has it been since Jack fixed you? A week? Now that I think about it, how'd you get sick in the first place?" Locke
19. Sayid is being held by Ryan, tied to a swing-set, Alex comes to get the pack, tells him her dad wants it, Sayid calls Alex by her name, says she looks like her mother, but Alex says her mother is dead, Sayid says he's sure that's what they told her, but before they can continue, Ryan beats him, tells him to shut up. From Lostpedia
20. Locke asks where they get their electricity, eats some of Ben's chicken, Ben says if Locke blows up the sub, there's a big problem with his people, says he was born on the island, not many can say that, most were recruited and brought there, love the place, do anything to defend it, but they need to know they can leave if they want to, the sub maintains that illusion, they're here because they want to be, but some not ready to make a full commitment, John has made that commitment, he can show him things, he says to picture of a box, imagine somewhere on the island, there's a very large box, that whatever he imagined, when you open the box, there it would be, Locke says imagine himself a sub, says Ben is cheating, that he's a hypocrite, Ben's in a wheelchair and Locke isn't. From Lostpedia
21. "And now you have a choice. Because if you stop and if you think, I can show you things. Things I know you want to see very badly. Let me put it so you'll understand. Picture a box. You know something about boxes, don't you, John? What if I told you that somewhere on this island, there's a very large box... and whatever you imagined, whatever you wanted to be in it, when you opened that box, there it would be. What would you say about that, John?" Ben
22. "Because you're cheating! You and your people. Communicate with the outside world whenever you want to, you... you come and go as you please... you use electricity and running water and guns... You're a hypocrite! A pharisee. You don't deserve to be on this island. If you had any idea what this place really was... you wouldn't be putting chicken in your refrigerator!" Locke
23. "You've been here 80 days, John; I've been here my entire life! So how is it that you think you know this island better than I do?" Ben "Because you're in the wheelchair, and I'm not." Locke
24. Alex returns with the pack, Locke takes the C4, Ben says Jack is leaving, the anomaly wiped out communications, it's a one way ticket, the sub can never come back, no one will find the island.
25. Alex says Ben manipulates people, she brings Locke to the sub, he goes inside. From Lostpedia
26. "That's what my father does. He manipulates people. He makes you think it's your idea, but it's his." Alex
27. Rousseau watches Alex on the pier from the jungle.
28. Ben is putting the chicken away, Jack and Juliet show up to talk to him, Jack asks a favor of him, Ben says he'll let friends go as soon as he leaves, gives Jack his word. From Lostpedia
29. Locke is leaving the dock, dripping wet, Juliet and Jack show up with the Others, Locke says that he's sorry, he blows up the submarine, the Others capture him. From Lostpedia
30. Locke confronts Anthony Cooper about Peter Talbot, says he thought he was going to leave, accuses him of killing Peter, Cooper says he was looking for an angle to make some money, that he's a con man, not a murder, that Mrs. Talbot is upset, she called off the wedding, he's drinking MacCutcheon's Whiskey, Locke doesn't believe him, says he's going to call the woman, but Cooper pushes him out the window. From Lostpedia
31. Locke is in the hospital, he survived, the detectives visit him and say that his father is gone, fled to Mexico, disappeared, could be anywhere in the world right now, a physical therapist tells the detectives that's enough, Locke has work to do, but he doesn't want to, the physical therapist forces Locke out of bed, says he fell 8 stories and survived, he picks him up and puts him in a wheelchair, Locke is frightened. From Lostpedia
32. "John. You fell eight stories and survived, okay? I don't want to hear about what you can't do. Now let's go. It's going to be all right." Physical therapist
33. Locke is being held prisoner by Ben, he says he knows Ben wanted it to happen, that's why he left the C4 in Sayid's bag, that he wanted him to make it happen, Ben tells Richard to uncuff Locke.
34. "Do you remember earlier, John, when you called me a cheater? When you said I didn't deserve to live on this island? Well get this: there I was, shaking hands with Jack, and thinking I'd give almost anything to come up with a way to stop him from leaving... because to let him go would be a sign of weakness, of failure, of defeat. People would see that. They would know it. And that, John, would be the end of me. But to kill him... that would be cheating, because my people also heard me make a promise, and to break my word... that would be the end of me too. And then you came striding out of the jungle, John, to make my dream come true." Ben
35. Richard, Ben and Locke leave the room, head down the hall.
36. "When I asked you earlier if it hurt when you suffered your injury, I think you misunderstood me. Seems fairly obvious that when a person's back smashes into a hard surface after being thrown from a building, that that's going to sting a little. But I really wasn't asking about the physical pain." Ben "What, do you want to know if it hurt my feelings?" Locke "No John. I wanted to know what it felt like when your own father tried to kill you. He's the reason you destroyed the submarine, isn't he? You're afraid. You're afraid of him and this is the one place he can never find you. This is the one place he can never get to." Ben "What do you want from me?" Locke "I don't know how it happened, but you seem to have some communion with this island, John, and that makes you very, very important. You have no idea what you're talking about, of course, but in time you'll have a better understanding of things. So what do I want? I want to help you, John." Ben "Why?" Locke "Because I'm in a wheelchair and you're not. Are you ready to see?" Ben
37. Ben shows Locke what's in the magic box, Locke is amazed, it's Anthony Cooper. From Lostpedia
38. "Dad?" Locke

Questions:

1. How did Ben know that they would need the man from Tallahassee?
2. When did Richard and Ben discuss Anthony Cooper? How did Richard get him?
3. Why is Locke dripping wet when he leaves the sub?
4. How and when did Anthony Cooper get to the island?
5. What is the magic box?

Favorites:

1. "I'm sorry. No solicitors. [points to a sign that says "NO SOLICITING"] I have a sign." Locke
2. "The man from Tallahassee? What is that? Some kind of code?" Locke "No, John, unfortunately we don't have a code for "There's a man in my closet with a gun to my daughter's head." Although we obviously should." Ben
3. "So tell me, John. How do you expect to pilot our submarine? I mean, it's a complicated piece of machinery. You don't just press "submerge." Ben
4. "Where do you get electricity?" Locke "We have two giant hamsters running in a massive wheel at our secret underground lair." Ben
5. "Mmm. I never really appreciated chicken until right now." Locke
6. "I'd say I hope that box is big enough to imagine yourself up a new submarine." Locke

Notes:

1. If Jack had actually left the island, that probably would have been the last time he saw Kate.
2. Did it hurt? Did it hurt, when you fell from the sky, John?
3. I love the scene where the physical therapist is putting John in the wheelchair, it's shot phenomenally well. The wheelchair becomes a character and Locke is so frightened by it. Good work, Jack Bender.
4. One of the best episode endings ever.
5. The food in Ben's refrigerator changes from when Locke opens it to when Ben opens it.

2.04 Everybody Hates Hugo

1. Hurley has a dream. He raids the food pantry. There is a milk carton with Walt on the side of it that says "MISSING." Jin and a man in a chicken suit appear. From Lost Hatch From Lostpedia
2. "Everything is going to change." Jin
3. Mary Jo is the lottery woman from the news.
4. Charlie asks Hurley about the hatch, but he won't disclose information.
5. Hurley tells Rose and brings her to the hatch.
6. Claire finds the message in a bottle from the raft. From Lost Hatch
7. Hurley has a job sorting all the food. He isn't supposed to give anyone anything.
8. Rose tells Hurley that she knows Bernard is fine.
9. "You're about the only one on this island that everybody loves." Rose tells Hurley that everyone won't hate him for making decisions with the food.
10. Hurley is contemplating his lottery ticket at his job. From Lostpedia
11. He gets in trouble for eating an 8-piece dark meat combo.
12. Hurley's manager at Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack, Randy, is the same guy from the box company that Locke worked at. He was also Locke's manager. From Lost Hatch
13. Hurley quits his job at Mr. Cluck's, and so does Johnny. From Lost Virtual Tour
14. Locke tells Charlie about the hatch, Desmond, and pushing the button.
15. Sayid and Jack explore underneath the Swan station. Sayid says there's a geothermal generator behind the wall, the power source.
    From Lostpedia From Lost Hatch
16. Sayid says the wall is 8 to 10 feet thick.
17. Michael tells his story to supposed "others," they believe him because they were on the plane too, in the back. They are the survivors from the tail section of the plane.
18. Hurley and his friend, Johnny, find Drive Shaft album in $2 Sale bin. From Lost Hatch
19. Hurley asks Starla out, tells her he quit his job.
20. "The last time I heard of concrete being poured over everything in this way was Chernobyl." Sayid
21. Libby tells Michael that 23 of them survived.
22. The tail section survivors found another station, The Arrow. It is an empty station. From Lost Hatch From Lostpedia
23. There were 23 of them.
24. Claire and Shannon tell Sun about finding the bottle of messages on the beach.
25. Locke is in the armory. Hurley confronts him about telling Charlie. From Lostpedia
26. Hurley and Johnny write "CLUCK YOU" in lawn gnomes on Randy's lawn. From Lostpedia
27. Hurley makes Johnny promise him that things won't change.
28. Rose stops Hurley from blowing up the food pantry.
29. Johnny discovers that it was Hurley who won the lottery. From Lost Virtual Tour From Lost Hatch
30. Hurley tells Jack he decided to have a party with the food instead.
31. Hurley gives Charlie a jar of peanut butter. From Lostpedia
32. Sun buries the bottle, no ring on her finger.
33. Michael, Sawyer and Jin meet Bernard. He asks them about Rose, tells them she's his wife. From Lostpedia

Questions:

1. Is Rose humming the same song from the beginning?
2. If titanium isn't magnetic then how did the magnetic anomaly bring the plane down when Desmond didn't push the button?
3. How does Sayid know that the concrete is 8 to 10 feet thick?
4. Was The Arrow station a storage facility? Was it ever occupied?
5. How did the guy at the gas station know it was Hurley who had the winning lottery ticket?
6. Will we ever see Johnny again? What happened between he and Hurley?

Favorites:

1. "Dude, you speak English?" Hurley "No, you're speaking Korean." Jin
2. "Have a cluckity cluck cluck day, Hugo."
3. "Maybe you should pee on it." Sawyer
4. "It's Jesus! He wants to know what color car you want!" Carmen Reyes
5. Charlie calls Hurley on lying about the hatch, like he did about having a lot of money, but Hurley says he didn't lie about that. "I'm sorry, I must have confused it with the 900 trillion I am worth myself. And this baby's made of chocolate lollipops. So, if you'll excuse us, I'm going to flap my wings and fly off this island." Charlie
6. "Honey, I don't even know what I would say." Rose, about telling people about the hatch.
7. "You didn't say three." Sawyer
8. "If you don't push it every 108 minutes the island will explode." Charlie "It's not gonna explode." Hurley "Haaa!" Charlie
9. "I'm sorry, I must have confused it with the 900 trillion I am worth myself. And this baby's made a chocolate lollipop; so if you'll excuse us, I'm going to flap my wings and fly off this island.
10. I'm sorry, I must have confused it with the 900 trillion I am worth myself. And this baby's made a chocolate lollipop; so if you'll excuse us, I'm going to flap my wings and fly off this island.
11. "Drive Shaft? More like Suck Shaft!" Johnny
12. "Dude, you've been crushing on this girl for months and doing nothing. Today you're freakin' Fabio!" Johnny
13. "Hey." Jack "Hey." Kate
14. "Not only will I stay gold, ponyboy, but I'll drink to it." Johnny

Notes:

1. I really like the closing montage scene with everyone sharing the food and Bernard asking Michael, Sawyer and Jin about Rose.
2. There appears to be a Dharma-type logo on the back of Johnny's van. From Lost Hatch
3. From Wikipedia: Chernobyl was a city in northern Ukraine, in the Kyiv Oblast near the border with Belarus. The city was evacuated in 1986 due to the Chernobyl disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

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!