This Place is Death, Initial Reaction

I liked this episode. I was disappointed by a few things. I'm also getting annoyed with a few things. I'm kind of getting sick of the slow, yet completely obvious reveals. We know it's going to happen, just show us already. However, I am happy with the plethora of answers. I also liked that this episode picked up the pace a little bit, because I'm getting tired of the Oceanic 6 story. I'm glad that Desmond is back at the end of this episode, because I think his story is the most interesting off-island. I am worried that he and/or Penny may die though. I'm going to be really pissed if that happens. If there's anyone that I don't want to die, it's them.

Questions:

• Was Ben surprised that Ms. Hawking is Daniel Faraday's mother or that Desmond knew?
• Did going into The Temple make Rousseau's science team sick?
• Does the monster protect The Temple?
• Why did Danielle seem to think that Robert wasn't himself?
• What exactly is the sickness?
• Did Locke visit Sun when he was Jeremy Bentham?
• How did Ben know that Locke was off the island? How did he know where to find him?
• What time are they now in when Locke turns the donkey wheel?
• Does Locke figure out that Christian is Jack's father?
• How long has the donkey wheel been there?
• Why did Charlotte just remember that Daniel visited her when she was young?
• When does Daniel go back in time and visit Charlotte? Is that the time they're stuck in?
• Why does Charlotte tell Jin not to bring Sun back to the island? How does she know?
• Who are Charlotte's parents?
• Is Christian Shephard Jacob? Why does he know so much?
• So what would have happened of Locke was the original one that moved the island, instead of Ben? Was he not supposed to lead the Others? Why didn't Richard know this?
• Did Ben know he wasn't supposed to move the island?
• Will Brother Campbell make a reappearance? Will we find out why he was in cahoots with Ms. Hawking? Is he Daniel Faraday's father?
• If they need all of them to go back, then why is what they have good enough for now?
• Will Frank Lapidus fly them back to the island?

Notes:

• It was awesome to finally see at least part of Danielle Rousseau's story.
• Desmond is going to need to seriously flip out on that ring lady.
• Montand losing his arm and a bone sticking out of Locke's leg grossed me out.
• If I recall correctly, Sayid asked Danielle, "Have you see other people on this island?" and she replies, "No, but I hear them, out in the jungle. They whisper." So, what was Jin then, lady? Perhaps she just went completely insane and forgot about him, but, in my opinion, it would be pretty hard to forget a dude that's been on the island before you and kept disappearing and reappearing in front of you, and was there when your entire team died. I personally think that's a little weak. Unless, she couldn't remember him from the past until it happened when Jin traveled from the future, in which case, Danielle couldn't remember it because she was already dead. That's the only way it works.
• The smoke monster seemed a little different in this episode, older, and more greyish looking. It reminded me a lot of Season 1, especially with dragging Montand down the hole.
• Sun calling her mother and talking to Ji Yeon, telling her that she found a friend for her in America named Aaron, I thought she was totally going to be so evil and kill everyone, and that she would kidnap Aaron and take him back to Korea.
• Ben said something to the affect of, "The Temple is a sanctuary. It's only for us (meaning the Others)." So, perhaps that's why Danielle's team got supposedly sick.
• Rousseau, that is not where Montand lost his arm.
• I'm really hoping to see more about Rousseau, like when she had Alex and Ben took her.
• I'm so happy that Jin is back. No one matches the comedy he brings to the show.
• My thought is that Christian has done the same thing that he told Locke to do, which is why he seems to know so much about it. He pushed the donkey wheel, then died and came back to the island where he was somehow resurrected.
• I really hope that we're going to see everything Jeremy Bentham did in the real world.
• I would like to know what exactly these rules are for objects traveling through time.
• So, the frozen donkey wheel was actually stuck, therefore, skipping like a record, just as Daniel said.
• Basically Ben screwed everything up. Locke should wear a shirt that says "I'm with stupid."
• Sawyer had a nose bleed, but not Locke or Jin, who have been there the same amount of time as Sawyer, nor has Daniel Faraday had one yet.
• Ben pulling the van over cracked me up. "I'll turn this van around right now!"
• Before this season began, I was under the impression that the entire season was going to be about them getting back the island, and that it wouldn't happen until the very end of the season. But, now, I'm feeling like it's going to happen pretty soon, which makes me wonder what's going to happen in the rest of the season or the rest of the series.
• Charlotte speaks Korean and Klingon.
• Rousseau's team heard the numbers being broadcasted on the radio.
• The hieroglyphics on The Temple are similar to Ben's underground lair where he summoned smokey and the ones in The Swan on the countdown timer.
• Jin found Rousseau's music box on the beach, the same one that Sayid fixed for her.
• Robert tried to shoot Rousseau, but failed because the pin was removed from his gun, just as Rousseau told Sayid when he tried to shoot her with the same gun, failing also.

I'm a little sad and disappointed to see Charlotte die already. I was looking forward to find out more about her story, though, I'm pretty sure we haven't see the last of her yet. Daniel still has to be scary and tell her not to come back to the island, and we have to find out who her parents are and how she got to the island. Charlotte exclaiming, "This place is death!" and telling Daniel that some scary man told her not to come back to the island, and she thinks it was him, totally freaked me out though. I may have nightmares about that one.

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.