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It's Claire's day on Flashback Island and boy is it a doozy! Not only do we find out that she put her mother in a coma and that she is Jack's half-sister (oh Jesus, no!), but we find out that she had BLACK HAIR. Oh my god! How did she ever get the dye out? The mysteries on this show never end.
Aside from all the shocking revelations, a flock of migratory birds give Claire hopes for rescue. Desmond blunders around some more trying to save Charlie from Certain Doom, not realizing Charlie has figured out that facing Certain Doom is an even bigger turn-on for the chicks then being a washed-up rock star. Chuck, Sawyer could have told you that three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Kate, Sayid, Locke, and Rousseau continue their trek to rescue Jack at The Barracks. On the way they pepper their Other prisoner with questions, hoping he will forget that he hates them long enough to reveal a few answers. Since the prisoner is not a complete idiot and this show is what it is, most of his answers are more questions, but many of his questions hint at answers, and many of the hints seem to implicate Locke. Wait, I forget what the question was. Whatever it was, it seems that the answer is definitely Locke. If Locke is who he says he is or what he says he's not or doesn't know what they think he knows. Or something like that.
And in case you were wondering how Sawyer would manage to survive an entire week without a single nickname? By burying his head in Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead for the entire episode! What will happen on this wacky island?
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Open to Claire's black eyeliner-rimmed baby blues. She has bathroom-dyed black hair and a head wound. She is bleeding and behind the wheel in a car with the air bag blown. She spies a woman on the ground outside the car and realizes it's her mother. She tries both doors to no avail, crawls out the shattered windshield, and climbs over the dented hood to her mother who is unconscious, bleeding, and not doing so well. Sirens wail in the background. Claire is yelling and shaking her mother. Apparently Claire has not taken First Aid 101 because the first line of the textbook states: "Do not shake head trauma victims. You will hurt them. Bad."
Claire opens her eyes on the beach to a giant Edible Arrangement (tm), which is the fastest growing franchise on Craphole Island! Charlie is branch manager and has decided to drum up some business by presenting Claire with the Aussie Arrangement complete with a sign that reads "G'day." Charlie is holding Aaron. No, not as a hostage or an offering, but as a nicety. He wanted Claire to sleep in and wake up fully refreshed and able to really appreciate her fruity bouquet of the Island's bounty before he whisks her off to the breakfast picnic he has set up in her honor just down the beach. Before she can drink her half-caf extra hot skinny latte, Charlie? Geez, give a girl a minute. Claire sits up, studies him for a second, and then asks him what's up. He's been so depressed all week, why is he so damn happy now? Is he smoking the foliage? No. Charlie just woke up determined to be happy and to seize the day. And there is no one he would rather do some day-seizing with than Claire. Oh is that what the kids are calling it these days, you freakin' Pollyanna? Charlie continues, "Let's drop the cherub off with Auntie Sun and Uncle Jin and have a lovely day playing the Glad Game all over the Island!" Claire smiles and says she would love too. Girls are such suckers for fancily arranged fruit.
Out on the Quest for the Holy Jack, Sayid is examining his map. He claims that if the scale is right The Barracks should be two miles that-a-way. He isn't expecting their one-eyed Other prisoner to verify that assumption though. Locke spits at the fire they have started in broad daylight and stands up in order to point out that they are following an electrical wiring map, and it may not be as reliable as Sayid seems to think. Sayid flicks him on the head and says, "Shut up you station blower upper! While the map is certainly not as infallible as the magical carvings on your Stick it's still a freakin' map!" Locke is offended by Sayid's aspersion casting at his Stick and points out that the Stick did find the station. The Stick is starting to be like the Log Lady's Log on Twin Peaks. Ask the Log! The Log knows! Sayid stands up to get in Locke's face better and to point out once again that Locke Blew. Up. The. Station. Locke shoots back that if Sayid had warned him that the place was wired in C4 maybe he would have been more careful. Is Locke going to beat Sayid about the head with the Stick? Stay tuned! Kate asks Patch Adams if they are going the right way. Patch says they are. I think prisoners are a very reliable source of information. Locke asks why they are keeping him alive. Sayid asks if Locke would prefer that they shoot him like a dog. Locke says, no, he likes dogs. Where is Vincent anyway? Probably out quietly finishing off Roger the life-size rawhide. Nasty Labrador. Rousseau (Oh hey there! Forgot you were here!) reiterates her desire to kill Patch, mentioning that there is no way the Others will trade his life for Jack's. Kate finds a high horse, saddles him up, states that no one is shooting anyone and rides off into the sunset. She comes back to add that the map says where we are and he says the map is right. Let's keep moving.
Charlie has put out quite the spread for Claire, including cereal served in a lovely carved melon. Wow, these Edible Arrangement sales guys are determined! Desmond crashes their picnic, informing Charlie that of all the things he could be doing today, hunting with Desmond is probably his best option. Desmond and Charlie exchange some very meaningful eye contact until Charlie agrees to go hunting with him. Ooh, is this how Charlie avoids death for another day? By hunting a wild boar? It's like the manly man's The Seventh Seal. Besides, chess is hard. Chess blows shit up. I'm going hunting with death instead. That'll put off the inevitable. While normally Claire would be annoyed and probably shriek Chah-leeee!!! a few times if he was ditching her based solely on some intense Desmond eye gazing, today she is too busy staring intently at the sky and chuckling to herself and walking backwards down the beach claiming she knows how to get them off this Island.
Apparently, Claire has gone to the birds. Claire runs up to Jin and Sun and asks for Jin's nets and buckets. Lots of buckets! She saw birds! Lots of birds! Sun (in perfectly accentless English) asks what birds? Sawyer adds that it sounds like fun, but I think he was being sarcastic. I know, so out of character! Claire restates her desire for nets. Sawyer takes off his glasses and demands to know, "Nets for what, Bar-..." Sun shoots him a dirty look because Sawyer is still under the nickname ban so cruelly imposed by the Losties when he lost the ping-pong tournament. He stops himself and re-asks his question. "Nets for what?" Claire explains that she saw a flock of sea birds. Sea birds are migratory and will continue to head south, so when they land in Australia or New Zealand or wherever they can get a message there. Sun is still not getting it. Maybe her hottie English teacher didn't get around to teaching her the word "migratory" in between all the migrating he was doing into her pants. Heh. Claire continues that she saw the sun glinting off a tag. If the birds are tagged and the Losties catch one, they can get a message to whoever is tracking the birds. They just have to catch one. They'll need some chum to get the birds to settle in the water, and then they'll use the net to grab one. She asks Charlie to get some knives, but Charlie is busy thinking about his Imminent Doom. When she finally gets his attention he wants to know how she know all about birds. She explains that she watched a lot of nature programs with her mom. He gets all snippy as one is wont to in the face of Imminent Doom and snarls that that doesn't make her an expert, and he doesn't want her wasting her time. Didn't we already hear this argument between Bernard and Rose? And didn't it, like, not work at all? The Bernard/Rose retelling continues because Charlie doesn't want her wasting her time when he COULD BE DEAD. Claire asks what happened to seizing the day? Charlie doesn't see the point any more, especially not with that ominous shot of Desmond and his rifle in the background.
Claire's head is being stitched up in hospital. As the doctor finishes, Officer Not-So Friendly comes in to ask her some questions about the accident. What happened? A truck forced them off the road. Who was driving? Claire was. Have you told your father? He died when Claire was two. The officer is sorry to hear that. He checked with the truck driver, who is fine by the way, the truck driver said that when you hit him... Claire interrupts to say that the truck hit them. What speed was she going? He just came out of nowhere. "That wasn't the question I asked." Claire says she doesn't know how fast she was going and demands to know why he is asking those questions. He explains that it is standard procedure when there is a fatality. Claire snarls that her mother is not dead. She is in surgery. "This is not my fault!" The officer does not say it was. He does say good day, though.
Back on the trail, Kate is bending down to get water, as is Rousseau. Kate studies Rousseau for a minute (yeah, that's how long I lasted in Philosophy 101, too) and states: "I told you that your daughter was living with them." Non sequiter much, Kate? Why hasn't Rousseau asked her any questions about her daughter? "Your friend Jack, you care about him, yes?" Non sequiter much, Rousseau? Kate looks wildly suspicious, squints at Rousseau, and slowly answers yes. Rousseau continues, "What if 16 years from now you found out he was still alive, but you know there is no way he remembers you or even remember that you care about him?" Kate and Rousseau stare searchingly into each other's eyes for a long, long time. Rousseau gets up and explains that she has not asked any questions about her daughter because she does not want to know the answers. I guess this answer satisfies Kate because she gets up and they join the others on the path. As they continue on their nature walk, Kate starts grilling Patch. "How did you get here?" Rousseau tells them once again not to bother because everything he says will be a lie. Patch ignores her and says that he was recruited when he was 24. "I was approached by..." Kate cuts him off because she didn't ask "when" she asked "how." Patch says he was brought on a submarine. I wonder how many privately owned submarines there are in the world? I wonder if the guy who started Ikea owns one? I would if I were a billionaire with a vast economically-hip furniture enterprise. Kate sighs, "So your people can come and go as they please, huh?" Patch says yes, until two weeks ago when their underwater signaling beacon stopped working. There was an event. Like a party? No, like an electromagnetic pulse. It would not be possible to come back. Sayid looks very interested in this tidbit. Kate, however, is scratching her head wondering why would you want to come back? Patch says that she wouldn't understand. Kate gets in his face and demands that he try her. Patch says that he misspoke. What he meant to say was that she is not capable of understanding. Why not? Because she is not on the List. What list?!
Patch starts from the beginning. The great man who brought us here was a great man, a magnificent man. Kate scoffs at this because if Ben was such a great man, why did he need one of them to save him? Patch laughs. That diaper wetter? Ben is not the great man of whom he speaks. Ben is just a so-so man, a not-so-bad man. Definitely not a great man. The camera lingers on Locke's face for a while. Patch continues to spell it out for the dunces: You are not on the List because you are flawed. You, he looks at Locke, are angry; you, he looks in the general direction of Sayid, are weak and frightened. So does that mean that Happy, Dopey, Sneezy, and Doc are on the List? Sayid snorts, the more he meets the Others the less he believes they are omniscient. Patch shouldn't talk at them like he knows them. Patch rolls his eye, "Oh yes, Sayid Jarrah, how would I know you? And you, Kate Austen, you are a complete stranger to me. But you, John Locke, you are a fleeting memory to me. But I must be mistaken because he John Locke I know was a man --" Rousseau interrupts just as we are about to get some good info on who the heck John Locke is. My phone rings. Yes? "Hey it's me, Conspiracy Theory Guy. Like, oh my god! Is Locke an Other? Is Rousseau an Other? Are Locke and Rousseau in it together? What don't they want us to know! Oh my god, I'm totally peeing my pants here!" Then I get an earful of giggling and hand wringing and jumping up and I hang up the phone to get back to the re-capping already. Rousseau wants everyone to come look at something. It is a giant field with cement poles every twenty yards or so with alarm horn looking thingies strapped to the top. Sorry, I am definitely not a gadget girl. Suffice it to say the field is big and impressive and kind of creepy.
Jin is practicing his English skills with Claire on the beach while they set up a trap for the birdies. Claire asks Jin if it will work, and he says yes. It looks to be a variation on the Elmer Fudd carrot-box-stick bunny snare. Jin asks Claire to help Sun carry buckets of chum down the beach. Claire and Sun laugh about how stinky the fish is and settle down to get it over with quickly. Sun says that cutting bait was her mother's worst fear for her prospects especially after marrying a fisherman's son. Sun and Claire laugh about how daughters never turn out how their mothers want. Sun then laughs because her mother never worked a day in her life. Claire looks glum and says her mother was a librarian. "Was?" Sun asks. Claire looks even more glum and changes the subject by going to give Jin his fish guts. Every boy's dream a hot blonde with free fish guts.
At the hospital, Dark Claire has gotten dressed in a mini skirt, combat boots, and sling. Someone is there demanding to know where she was. She says that she went home to take a shower because they said her mother was still in surgery. The angry woman in the corner glares at Claire and says she's glad that Claire is feeling refreshed. Claire looks abashed but explains that she had glass in her hair and then calls the woman Aunt Lindsay. Aunt? That's your aunt? Good grief woman, your niece was just in a car accident that may have killed her mother! Is this really the time to be a bitchy bitch? No, it is not. Take a deep breath. Count to ten. Get about seven years of therapy and start over. A doctor walks in and asks if Claire is the daughter. Claire nods. The doctor introduces himself. Claire asks how her mother is. The doctor says that they were able to stabilize the immediate injury, but they won't know the extent of the damage until later. However, they are looking at fairly widespread injuries. Aunt Bitchy glowers at the doctor while Claire asks what that means exactly. The doctor explains that the machines are the only things keeping her alive right now. Claire doesn't accept that. It won't always be like that will it? When she wakes upâthe doctor cuts her off. He can't say with any confidence that she will wake up. Claire has nothing to say to that and goes to sit to her mother. Can she hear us? The doctor likes to think so. Aunt Bitchy asks how long she will be like that? The doctor doesn't know. It could be a day, a week, a month, or even a year. But he'll be there for you! She'll be well looked after. Aunt Bitchy totally lives up to her name by asking how much this is going to cost her. The doctor says not to worry. Australia has universal health care. Oh wait, no he doesn't. Instead he says, "Don't worry her expenses have already been taken care of." Claire wants to know who is taking care of the expenses. But the doctor has been asked to keep that confidential. Everyone looks confused. Except Aunt Bitchy. She looks mad.
Back on the Island, Light Claire, Jin, and Sun are all crouched in the bushes, about to catch a bird. They are ready to pull the trap, and everyone is tense with anticipation, when shots ring out and frighten off all the birds. Claire inexplicably ignores the gunshot and runs straight towards the contraption. Maybe she wants to make sure those birds are good and scared? Jin, much more sensibly, stays in the bushes and looks around for the gun. Desmond stumbles out of the bushes and begins to apologize profusely. Jin charges out of the bushes, yelling profusely in Korean. Claire and Sun run up to help Jin yell. Desmond claims he was chasing a boar and had no idea they were there. Claire wants to know where Charlie is. He is back at camp. So, it is just Desmond trying to ruin their fun, eh? Claire gets her conspiracy theory hat out, plants it firmly on her head, and asks Desmond where the boar is. He explains that it got away. She looks skeptical. She demands to know why Desmond and Charlie don't want her to catch a bird. Desmond scoffs at the idea, but Claire looks wisely doubtful as she stomps away.
Back in the Field of Mystery, Kate wants to know what it is and walks up to touch one of the giant cement tower things. But like a mom in a museum, Sayid grabs her arm and drags her back, telling her not to touch anything. Kate glares at him. Sayid tries to get Patch to tell him what it is. Patch, of course, asks Sayid what he thinks it is. Geez, answering a question with a question must have been Lesson no. 1 in the Other Training Manual. Sayid thinks it is an alarm system that surrounds the perimeter of the Barracks. The sensors trigger an alarm if anyone passes between the pylons. They will just have to go around. Patch confirms that it was a security perimeter, but Patch claims that like everything else on the Island, it doesn't work anymore. Sayid snorts, yeah, right, it doesn't work. Patch totally pinkie swears, though! Besides, the pylons surround the entire Barracks, so they can't just go around. They have to go through, and if they don't believe him, look at the map. Sayid pulls out the map and sighs. Patch is telling the truth. Locke throws down his backpack, grabs Patch by the scruff of his neck, and throws him through the security perimeter. Sayid yells, but it is too late. Patch turns to face them and says, "Thank you." Then he dies. He foams at the mouth, his ears bleed, and he drops like a pallet of food. Everyone looks shocked. Locke shrugs and says, "Sorry." But let me tell you, he does not look sorry. Not at all.
Sayid stares at Patch and assesses that it looks like he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Kate demands to know why Locke did it, because they needed Patch so they could trade for Jack. Locke says there was no way that the Others would trade him for Jack. Kate yells that he doesn't know that. Locke says she doesn't know it either, but what they do know is that Patch was willing to kill Miss Klugh rather than end up here as a prisoner, so he is sticking with his opinion. Kate says that they could have discussed it, but Locke points out that no one asked his opinion when they brought Patch along. Locke gets all snotty and says, "Pardon me for not knowing that they had a sonic weapon fence. I didn't know he was going to die. Why does everyone blame me?" Sayid and the rest of us want to know why Locke is really here. He is obviously not here for Jack. Locke wants to talk about it later. He'd rather focus, for now, on how they are going to get through the security fence. Kate has a plan. They aren't going through the fence, they are going over it. All she needs is the axe. Sayid says the axe is in Locke's bag. Locke tries to grab the bag before they do, which Kate and Sayid take as mildly suspicious. They grab the bag and, lo and behold, the bag has a giant c-4 pack apparently ripped out of the basement of the station. Sayid and Kate look shocked. Sayid says he thought Locke didn't know there was any C-4. Locke smirks and says he stands corrected. "Why did you take it?" Locke just smiles and says, "Well, you never know when some c-4 might come in handy." Which is true, but with that logic they should have taken the horse, the cow, the clothing, the medical supplies, the guns, the Dharma materials, the computer, the satellite dish, and everything else in the damn station! Sayid and I sigh. You'll have to do better than that, Mr. Locke. Everyone stares at him until the scene ends.
Charlie is just putting Aaron to sleep in his cradle when Claire storms up to him and demands to know what is going on with him. Um, Claire? He wasn't the one scaring the birds away. And he was just putting your baby to sleep. Shut up for a second? Maybe? Charlie points out that he wasn't with Desmond, and Claire says he is lying and she doesn't want her baby around liars. What happened to the Charlie from this morning? The one who wanted to go on picnics? The one who wanted to seize the day? He asks Claire if she wants the truth. She rolls her eyes while Charlie declares that the thing she saw on the bird probably wasn't a tag. It was probably nothing, and he doesn't want to advocate false hope. Did the writers just completely forget that they had this storyline just a few short weeks ago? Remember Bernard and Rose? I know they are not on every episode, but come on! Claire is as understandably irritated by this statement as Bernard was. Then, just like Bernard, she tells Charlie that she thought he was on her side. He was supposed to be there for her. And he's not, so she is on her own and at least she knows that now, so Charlie needs to go. Now! Charlie tries to argue, but Claire is having none of it.
Dark Claire walks into the hospital. The nurses greet her as she comes in, and they say that they like her new doctor. She has no idea what doctor they are talking about. They explain that they like the American doctor who is in with her mom. Claire walks into her mom's room and meets the mysterious American doctor who is crouched to Claire's comatose mom. As Claire enters, the American doctor turns to face her. It is, of course, Jack's Dad. Claire does not know the importance of this. It is exclusively for the viewing audience's pleasure. Or disgust. Claire stammers, "Um, excuse me, the nurse said... .Are you a doctor?" Jack's Dad stands up, stares meaningfully at Claire, and says yes. Aunt Bitchy comes in just in time to yell at Jack's Dad. "What are you doing here? If my sister knew you were here!" Jack's Dad tries to defend himself. "Your sister wouldn't be acting like you, Bitchy Bitch." Aunt Bitchy snarls and attacks: "You took advantage of my sister. I will kill you NOW!" Claire interrupts the throwdown to ask Aunt Bitchy what is going on and who the doctor is. Aunt Bitchy says it doesn't matter. Jack's Dad thinks it does and that Aunt Bitchy should tell her. They start yelling over each other. You are not the arbiter here! You are taking advantage of my sister! You should tell her! You should just go! She has a right to know! Can't you just leave us alone? Claire interrupts just as things are getting good: "Are you the one paying the bills? Are you the one taking care of all this?" "Yes." "Then who are you?" "I'm your father Claire." Ack! What? Oh no. Oh Jack-sus! Will the writers never stop? My phone is ringing again. Hello? Is that you, Mr. Conspiracy Theory Guy? It's hard to tell what you are saying what with all the heavy breathing and giggling you are doing. What's that? You just wet yourself? Oh. Well, thanks for calling.
Sayid and Kate sit and watch Locke chop down a tree. I guess they are punishing him for killing Patch. Sayid explains to the studio audience that since the security system works when someone breaks through the perimeter, they will have to go over it. If they do not touch the fence, they should be fine. They are using trees to build a ladder of sorts. Rousseau asks why they don't just use the plastic explosive. Locke says she should feel free to go stick it on the pylon. Rousseau rolls her eyes and wanders off. Kate volunteers to go first. Locke looks at her like she is completely bats, but she takes a deep breath and straddles the tree. She climbs, climbs, drops, stands still for a moment and then realizes she is fine. She sort of smiles and waves at the others. Sayid motions for her to stay where she is and not come any closer to the fence, while Locke volunteers to go . Kate flips Patch over and stares meaningfully into his eye. Once Locke is safely over the fence, he looms over Kate while she ponders the meaning of Patch.
Light Claire is using a Bondi Beach t-shirt as a diaper for Aaron. This may or may not be the writers' commentary on Australian tourist attractions. Instead of re-setting the trap and catching a bird, Claire and Sun decide to rehash what happened. Sun says Claire has every right to be mad. Claire says that it doesn't make any sense. Desmond has never gone boar hunting before, and the boar never come close to the beach. Sun points out that whatever it is, the boys are still over there arguing about it. Sure enough, Desmond and Charlie are gesturing wildly at each down the beach. Claire asks Sun to watch the baby while she goes to get some answers.
Dark Claire apparently works as an ear piercer. So gross! As she is punching a hole in some lady's ear, the front door to the shop opens. Claire says she will be right there. She finishes up the maiming and goes to see that Jack's Dad has come in. He asks if he can buy her a cup of coffee. She declines. Jack's Dad says that he is leaving tonight and will be out of her nastily over-dyed hair forever. Can he please buy her one cup of coffee before he goes? She apparently agrees to go because the minute they are sitting across from each other in a café. Dark Claire is anxiously fiddling with her black rubber bracelets and chewing her black fingernails. She is a Goth after all. Dark Claire breaks the silence by blurting: "So it's true." Jack's Dad says yes. How did Jack's Dad find out about the surgery? A doctor friend in Sydney called him as soon as she came to the hospital. Why did her mom tell her he was dead? Uh, Dark Claire? Duh. Obviously because he left her with so many wonderful memories. Jack's Dad sits up straight in the universal language that is good posture indicating that now he will tell her the truth. He and her mom had a fling. He got back to Los Angeles and got a phone call that she was pregnant and that she was going to have the baby. Dark Claire wants to know why he never wanted to see her. He claims that he used to come all the time when she was little, but he stopped because her aunt hates him. Oh come on. Aunt Bitchy hates everyone! Well, yes, there was Aunt Bitchy and there was the fact that her mom didn't like that he had an entire other family in Los Angeles. Wow. Claire's mom sure is picky.
Dark Claire wants to know why he came now. He could have paid the bills from the States. He says that he came because he wanted to help. Help what? Jack's Dad sits up straighter using posture (again!) to tell her that he will be imparting great wisdom that she may not want to hear. He tells her that her mother is alive, but not really living. She needs to make a decision, but she shouldn't make the decision based on her selfish desire to keep her mother around. It's what her mother would want. She should listen to her long-lost, always-thought-you-were-dead, had-a-one-night-stand-17-years-ago father on this. Who better to make life or death decisions for you then some dude you picked up in a bar 17 years ago? No, really. Quit laughing. Jack's Dad continues to talk over the peals of laughter: "While it is illegal to unhook the machines, I know ways that can ease her pain, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, and not face the legal consequences." Dark Claire won't listen to anymore of this malarkey. She says there is no way he came to ease her pain. Jack's Dad calls her "honey" in a feeble attempt at curtailing the earful he is about to get. It does not work. She says that paying the bills does not make him noble. She accuses Jack's Dad of just coming to fix a mistake he made 17 years ago. He comes down here just to try and convincer her to kill her mom? Just says go home. Go home to your real family. He may be her Dad, but she doesn't even know his name, and she wants it to stay that way. I agree. "Jack's Dad" is good enough for me. Jack's Dad wants her to kill her mom. Legally, of course. Jack's Dad does not want her to keep her mom alive for the wrong reasons. She needs to do what is right. Dark Claire stooge slaps him across the head. Well, she does that with her eyes anyway. Jack's Dad finally gets it, says goodbye, calls her "kiddo," and says it was great seeing her again. We all believe him.
Light Claire stealthily follows Desmond on his damn boar hunt. But he is not hunting boar, he is hunting a bird. One of Claire's birds. He is running all over the rocks on the beach trying to get the bird. Claire runs up to him demanding to know what the hell he is doing. How dare he hunt a bird? She is the bird hunter on the Island. This is her episode. How dare he? More importantly, how did he know the bird was going to be there? Desmond claims he didn't know. Claire points out that he walked straight there, climbed up a rock, and grabbed the bird. She wants to know what the hell is going on. Is he a bird psychic? She knows he and Charlie have been talking about something. Is that it? His ability to commune with the birds? Desmond stares deep into her baby blues, shakes his head, and decides to tell her the truth. See that rock over there? That's where Charlie slipped and fell in and got pounded over and over by the waves. That's where Charlie died. Desmond, does this mean you're not a bird psychic? Quick aside: If Desmond hadn't shot at the birds on the beach and they had caught a bird there, why would Charlie have died trying to catch one later on the rocks? Huh? Huh? Oh forget it. I'm going out to the driveway to slam the car door into my head a few times. It's just as productive as asking questions about this show.
Claire has her bird in hand. She is bringing it to Charlie as a peace offering. Look what Desmond found! Charlie notices that the bird is tagged and that Claire was right. Claire confesses that Desmond told her everything about his visions. How Charlie was going to be struck by lightning. How he was going to drown trying to rescue her. How Charlie died over and over again doing stuff for her. It is so romantic. Sigh. Charlie giggles and says, "You don't believe all that do you?" They smile at each other.
Light Claire is pregnant in the hospital visiting her still comatose, still hooked-up-to-machines mother. She asks her mother who turned off her nature shows. Don't they know how much you like them? Ah, the tie in. She turns the telly back on, fixes her mom's hospital gown, and asks her how she is today. She takes a deep breath and tells her that she is pregnant. Don't yell! She knows she should have told her a long time ago. But, gee mom, calm down! Don't cry! She is giving it away. It is for the best. She wishes... but doesn't know how her mom did it. Raising her alone. And she was just awful! She had dyed black hair. She wore combat boots and pierced innocent girls' ears. She is so sorry now. She is so sorry about all the terrible things she said to her moyher in the car. How she said she hated her and wished she wasn't her mother. The accident was all her fault and she is so sorry. She's crying and apologizing for everything and saying she will see her soon, and if this was an after-school special her mom would definitely wake up out of the coma now and they would hug and raise the baby together. But this is Lost so we just cut scene and go back to the beach.
It is sunset on the beach, and Charlie is reading the note Claire has written. It says: "To Whom it May Concern: We are survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. We have survived on this Island for 80 days. Six hours into the flight, the pilot said we were off course and to turn back towards Fiji. We hit turbulence and crashed. We have been waiting here all this time. Waiting for rescue that has not come. We do not know where we are, we only know you have not found us. We have done our best to live on this Island. Some of us have come to accept that we may never leave it. Not all of us have survived since the crash, but there is new life too and with it there is hope. We are alive. Please don't give up on us." Charlie says it is perfect. But that is because he wants to get into her pants. I think the note is incredibly freakin' long to be tied to a bird's leg. The note is also written on paper and does not appear to be nearly as water-resistant as one might hope for something that will be tied to the leg of a sea bird. Maybe they just should have written the note on the damn bird! I'm sure they have a Sharpie somewhere on the Island. And why just one bird? Why not capture a bunch of them and tie notes on all their legs? Good grief. I'm going back out to the car door.
During the reading of the letter, the camera pans around the Island onto the faces of the Losties we know and love. There's Sawyer reading Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead on the beach. There's Sun and Jin playing with Aaron. There is hope. Please don't give up on us. This is oddly reminiscent of the scene in The Breakfast Club where the camera follows them out of the library where they have spent their detention and Claire (Molly Ringwald's Claire that is) reads their essay about being the Jock, the Princess, the Basketcase, the Criminal, and the Brain, and how society sees them one way, but they are all really the same on the inside. Yes, I know I have seen far too many John Hughes films, but so have you. So shut up. And please, please tell me there will not be an Ayn Randian subplot on this show. Please?
Claire takes the opportunity to tell Charlie that she is not giving up on him. He is going to be okay. They are going to be okay. They will get through this together. She frees the bird, takes his hand, and they watch as the bird goes off to join its flock. The flock that is flying right over Kate's head in the jungle. Sayid, who is operating as scout leader, comes out of the jungle with a funny look on his face. Hard to imagine, but true! Kate asks, what? Sayid states, "We're here." The foursome treks a little further and sure enough, they are at the Barracks. It appears to be a happy and convivial place. Children are running. People are laughing. And Jack is running straight at them! But, wait, no, he is just playing football and laughing. And Kate is looking mighty pissed. Jack spikes the ball five feet from his so-called rescue party. Oy.