# Lost 1.14: "Special" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581 "2005-01-19T17:50:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/141 "2005-01-20T17:51:42Z")
I definately agree that Walt’s mother was a horrid person. Particularly given that at the time she hauled the kid to Amsterdam, Michael had been the primary caregiver – she was hard-charging at her career, remember? And Michael, in the baby shop, had said something about being a stay-at-home dad. Making it impossible for a child to have a relationship with a loving father is a shitty, SHITTY thing to do. Then pestering your new squeeze to adopt the kid; AND going to visit the kid’s father at his all-time lowest point to pressure him into allowing the adoption? Didn’t Michael say it would be 1 year of physical therapy before he was back to normal? And he works construction, so you know he wouldn’t be able to work until the PT was complete. I think he let the adoption go through because he truly felt it was the best thing for the baby. But he kept writing, even after that, trying to keep in touch. She was just a _cow_. And Brian was no prize either. I had no mixed feelings about Michael taking the blame for the change of custody, BTW. Michael’s a _father_ – he consistently put Walt’s needs before his own. It’s hard to tell from the still – even after enlarging it – whether or not Claire is still pregnant. Maybe, maybe not. If I was _forced_ to choose, I’d say she still is… but I’m by no means sure of it. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/142 "2005-01-20T18:12:53Z")
> [@shadowfax33](#): > > That’s too weak a limb, dude, even for Lost. Heh, Heh. We were talking about a parapalegic and you said “weak” limb… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/143 "2005-01-20T18:23:59Z")
> [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](#): > > I’m still trying to tie Vince into being Vincent Van Gogh, but so far coming up dry. If walt’s name was vince, it would be a lot easier. […] Sorry for double post, but… what about Walt disney. Ah, well, _there’s_ [your connection](http://www.jeffbots.com/vincent.html). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@shadowfax33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shadowfax33)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/144 "2005-01-20T18:24:05Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > I’m with Charlie about trusting Locke. If there is anyone that is going to keep them safe on the island, it’s him. He lied about the door, but what would happen if he told everyone what he found. It’s possible that the others know that Locke has found the door, but seems unlikely as they haven’t done anything about it. If Locke spilled it, everyone would be out there to peek at the door. The others would know for sure, and craziness would ensue. Nah. Why would you assume that craziness would ensue? Hey, there’s a crazy French lady on this island who gets her kicks by torturing sexy Iraqis, there’s a strange-looking dude who enjoys kidnapping sweet pregnant girls and stringing up hobbits, oh and BTW, he wasn’t even on the plane, and you think a _metal door_ is going to cause craziness?! Amidst TCMs, polar bears, kidnappings, torture, and with no steady supply of Paxil, I think the castaways have kept it together pretty well. Considering. When Claire emerged from the bushes, I found myself wondering if Locke would turn to Boone and tell him not to tell the others yet, because they “aren’t ready.” 😉 I think Locke is fascinating, but I think his motives sometimes reflect those of the Island, and not necessarily with the other castaways. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/145 "2005-01-20T18:25:33Z")
> [@AmericanMaid](#): > > Inappropriate laugh out loud moments: > > - Michael getting hit by the taxi No, I laughed my ass off at that. I wanted him to get up and be all, “Sorry!” and keep walking to Gimbel’s. The yellow ones don’t stop. > [@](#): > > Was I the only person thinking “Vincent, bark twice if you’re in Milwaulkee!” I’m in a glass box of emotion! HAHA! ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/146 "2005-01-20T19:03:34Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I took her “there’s no such thing as monsters” comment to mean that whatever it is Sayid calls a monster, she doesn’t. It could be Alex, or it could be something else that, once you see it or understand it you wouldn’t call it a monster. I know, but would it have killed her to clarify just a little? “If we’re lucky, it just one of the bears. Because Alex, the giant tree-riping robot, who is NOT a monster, is a lot more dangerous.” Or “There’s no such thing as montsers. Just dinosaurs.” ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/147 "2005-01-20T19:18:28Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > I know, but would it have killed her to clarify just a little? > > “If we’re lucky, it just one of the bears. Because Alex, the giant tree-riping robot, who is NOT a monster, is a lot more dangerous.” > > Or “There’s no such thing as montsers. Just dinosaurs.” I’m with those who think the TCM is a Krell-machine Id manifestation type deal. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/148 "2005-01-20T19:24:55Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > - My wife had a great theory (that is seemingly shared by others here): The dog died in the crash and Walt conjured him. His attachment to the dog is a symbol of his old life. That was why I really liked the theory that the Dog will come and go as his relationship with Michael fluctuates. (Was that **Achren’s** post?) But Jack saw the dog first thing when he woke up after the crash. He looked around and saw the palm trees and the dog. Vincent (the dog) ran off, and later when Walt was looking for him, Jack said he saw him. And technically, it’s not even his dog, it was Brian’s. I’m thinking he and Brian were never really close, even though Brian adopted him - it had to be obvious that Brian wasn’t much into being a father, plus he and Walt’s mom kept moving (Amsterdam, Paris, Sydney), and from that glimpse of the house, they were quite sucessful, so they must have been workaholics. I doubt he had much time for Walt. Look how quickly he dumped the poor kid back on the father he didn’t even know. I bet Michael made the travel arrangements, and then scooped up the dog at the last minute as a final “Screw you” to Brian. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/149 "2005-01-20T19:26:37Z")
Claire looked non-preggers to me. Also makes sense plot wise. IMHO, Walt’s a red herring for the most part. One, the “clues” were extremely heavy handed and obvious (unlike the usual manner of dispensing them). Two, the first polar bear showed up nowhere near Walt. Three, Walt couldn’t even get his dog back-- Locke used his Island provided upgrades to find and deliver him. Four, Walt’s storyline was used to blur the good/bad line on Locke to hide the intention of making him the primary bad guy/manifestation of the island’s effect on long time residents. Five, other people have had things they thought of (like jack’s father’s coffin) just show up island style. Six, the bears seem to predate to current group according to our favorite crazy French woman. Seventh, just about everyone is “not right” on that island: heck, given the bank robbin’, prisoner torturin’, family griftin’, step-sister shaggin’, husband ditchin’, substance abusin’, mystical child bearin’ backgrounds, the coinsidence that the bird hit the window seems the least amazing thing shown in the backgrounds yet. But because of the heavy handed editing on the comic book and the bird, we could lose focus on the Island and Locke again moving to enforce Locke’s desire to stay in his new home with his fancy new walking legs and Island provided upgrades. Once the raft plan was set in motion, the Island acted to provide a drama to distract him from the project and to remove the adversial nature to his relationship with Locke. The dog takes off after something invisible to us, the bear shows up to threaten, but not harm them (come on- bringing a knife to a polar bear fight?) they happen to (on this “big” island) find them exactly at the right time, and everything is in place for Locke to play the hero again. Locke is the key, because the Island’s effect on the castways is the central theme of the show. Danielle’s show gave us many of the important clues to that- as did the bodies in the cave. Locke was the first to go native, but he won’t be the last. In fact, you can see the “battle” lines forming now. The interesting thing is the “undecideds” and the “why”. The why they survived and the island acts as it does (Claire’s baby, the hatch, the radio transmission, Ethan and the Others, or the French woman’s original mission, the fundamental nature of the Island’s mystical power) is why I am enjoying this so much. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/150 "2005-01-20T19:40:55Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Yes. When they heard the roaring sound that Sayid thought was TCM, she said “If we’re lucky, it’s one of the bears”. ONE OF the bears… After fifteen years on the island, you’d think she would be more adept at identifying the large predators by sound. I’d think it would be a useful survival tool. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/151 "2005-01-20T19:55:01Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > But Jack saw the dog first thing when he woke up after the crash. He looked around and saw the palm trees and the dog. Vincent (the dog) ran off, and later when Walt was looking for him, Jack said he saw him. Yeah. I meant to put that in my post and suggest it weakens the theory. But, then again, if you believe that he conjured the polar bear, then it is worth pointing out that it also manifested away from Walt. I don’t think he has the ability to use his abilities at a conscious level (if he has any at all). > [@](#): > > And technically, it’s not even his dog, it was Brian’s. I’m thinking he and Brian were never really close, even though Brian adopted him - it had to be obvious that Brian wasn’t much into being a father, plus he and Walt’s mom kept moving (Amsterdam, Paris, Sydney), and from that glimpse of the house, they were quite sucessful, so they must have been workaholics. I doubt he had much time for Walt. Look how quickly he dumped the poor kid back on the father he didn’t even know. This kind of confused me a bit. If Walt had been living with Brian for 8 years, one would think he’d consider the dog his own. Was this the writers tip off that Brian had always treated Walt as a non-family member. Otherwise, it would be the “family” pet. But since Brian was a workaholic, Walt was probably the one that played with the dog. I’ll bet the dog thought it belonged to Walt. > [@](#): > > I bet Michael made the travel arrangements, and then scooped up the dog at the last minute as a final “Screw you” to Brian. I’m sure he was flippant about it because he hated Brian for what he took from him (and then later, returned), but I felt it was more to help Walt. He knew that it would give Walt some stability and comfort, and quite frankly couldn’t care less about Brian. Everything Michael did in the flashbacks made me like him more. As **Jess** said, every choice Michael made, even when it hurt him personally, he made it in the best interest of his child. I didn’t feel like the choice to take Vincent was any different. But, I also think Vincent’s presence means something. I could see them having a dog on the showjust to have a dog on the show from other shows. But on Lost, usually a cigar is not just a cigar. It’s a Tree Crushing Monster. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/152 "2005-01-20T20:00:15Z")
> [@elf6c](#): > > Seventh, just about everyone is “not right” on that island: heck, given the bank robbin’, prisoner torturin’, family griftin’, step-sister shaggin’, husband ditchin’, substance abusin’, mystical child bearin’ backgrounds… Just an appreciative, “Heh.” > [@](#): > > But because of the heavy handed editing on the comic book and the bird, we could lose focus on the Island and Locke again moving to enforce Locke’s desire to stay in his new home with his fancy new walking legs and Island provided upgrades. \* Once the raft plan was set in motion, the Island acted to provide a drama to distract him from the project and to remove the adversial nature to his relationship with Locke. \* The dog takes off after something invisible to us, the bear shows up to threaten, but not harm them (come on- bringing a knife to a polar bear fight?) they happen to (on this “big” island) find them exactly at the right time, and everything is in place for Locke to play the hero again. I agree with this, and it nicely segues with the MEMEs (Multiple Etymologies and Meanings of Episodes) for Lost se1ep14, “Special.” The three most seemingly revelant definitions: **adj. Surpassing what is common or usual; exceptional:** a special occasion; a special treat. (Walt’s “luck” and the manifestation of strange events fits this and the next two defintions.) **Peculiar to a specific person or thing; particular** : my own special chair; the special features of a computer. (Michael’s severed bond and awkward relationship to his son.) \*\*n. Something arranged, issued, or appropriated to a particular service or occasion: \*\* rode to work on the commuter special. (The whole experience with the mysterious polar bear reeks of smething that was somehow orchestrated. A distraction. Something to make Bond Michael to Walt, something to make Locke look good in Michael’s eyes, and possibly get Michael’s loyalty) So ask yourself this: who or what arranged for the bear’s appearance? Walt? or the island? Or something else…? ---
**Author:** ![Man\_from\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Man\_from\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_from_Mars)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/153 "2005-01-20T20:48:32Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Tree Crushing Monster. > > Yes. Sniffs\_Markers’s brother died of a “blood disorder” that _still_ remains a mystery two years later. Autopsy was inconclusive. Left behind a wife and children. I guess that answers my question. Sorry about your loss. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/154 "2005-01-20T21:15:37Z")
> [@Tony](#): > > I guess that answers my question. Sorry about your loss. That’s okay. (His death was actually a little X-files mystery-like.) The one thing that was odd about _Lost_ was that she got sick so _quickly_. Granted Sniffs’s brother’s blood symptoms hit suddenly, but Rachel Crawford’s character suddenly showed symptoms and died within a _week_ :eek: At least the Brian guy said it – was sudden at that she developed symptoms and died within that time frame. That’s a little weird. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/155 "2005-01-20T21:28:54Z")
And it first appeared when Walt was unhappy… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/156 "2005-01-20T21:32:42Z")
Damn, I can’t keep up with you guys! How does this show spawn four pages less than 24 hours after it airs, and _Joan of Arcadia_ is lucky to get 16 posts? In any event, I don’t think Claire is pregnant. She was close to popping when she was kidnapped. I think French Woman is keeping the baby. Speculation…Claire will have no memory of what happened to her. Why make things easier on the rest of the survivors? What if Walt is imagining the whole plane-crash-TCM-survivor thing, a la _St. Elsewhere_? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/157 "2005-01-20T21:46:51Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > And it first appeared when Walt was unhappy… More specifically, when he was frustrated and angry – and perfectly coincident with the bird-omen also connected to Walt’s mentation. Anyway, an only _slightly_ less tongue-in-cheek observation about the names of Walt and Vincent than a _Black Hole_ reference: [Tim Burton’s _Vincent_](http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.9/articles/frierson1.9.html), also a Walt Disney production: > [@](#): > > _Vincent Malloy is seven years old, > He’s always polite and does what he’s told. […] > He likes to experiment on his dog Abacrombie, > In the hopes of creating a horrible zombie. > So he and his horrible zombie dog, > Could go searching for victims in the London fog. > His thoughts aren’t only of ghoulish crime, > He likes to paint and read to pass the time._ ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/158 "2005-01-20T22:17:07Z")
Crap – just reviewing a [transcript of the pilot](http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/lost/season1/lost-102.htm), noticed a couple of things: When Walt is first looking for Vincent: > [@](#): > > In the jungle, Walt’s walking with a red leash in his hand. > > Walt: Vincent! Vincent! Come here, boy! > > He spots a pair of handcuffs lying on the ground, picks them up, just as Michael catches up to him. Is there an intentional connection between the leash and the cuffs? Their uses are related… Interestingly, later, when Sayid and Sawyer are fighting: > [@](#): > > Sayid [in Arabic]: Yebnen kelp! _(translation: “Son of a dog!”)_ > > Jack lets go of Sawyer. > > Jack: What’s going on?! > > Michael [holding out handcuffs to Jack]: Look, my kid found these in the jungle. Of course, the connection between the cuffs and the leash, as well as the subsequent subtle mention of a dog when the cuffs come up again might be totally chimerical – but, later still: > [@](#): > > Sayid: You found the gun on him, the U.S. Marshal. Yes, I believe you did. You knew where it was because you were the one he was bringing back to the States. Those handcuffs were on you, that’s how you knew there was a gun. > > Sawyer: That’s all- > > Sayid: That’s who you are, you **son of a bitch**. Except for the reveal with Kate wearing the cuffs, every time they come up, there’s a dog connection. Three of four mentions. This show could easily push someone over the edge into lunacy. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/159 "2005-01-20T22:37:07Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Damn, I can’t keep up with you guys! How does this show spawn four pages less than 24 hours after it airs, I was going to post a driveby because feel the same way. I’m not even bothering to _read_ these threads anymore because they leap out of bounds so quickly that it’s impossible to keep up… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581/160 "2005-01-20T22:55:14Z")
The comic book confused me since I was sure that it was the golden age Flash and Green Lantern in the pilot and this time it was the modern age. That link cleared it up. Thanks. Did anyone else notice how close Boone was to the tree when Walt threw the knife at it. I guess he really really trusted Locke’s ability to teach him! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-14-special/285581.md?page=9)