# Lost 1.3: "Tabula Rasa" (some unboxed spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 6, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909 "2004-10-06T20:00:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/61 "2004-10-07T16:26:31Z")
> [@Illinois\_Boy](#): > > Did anybody else get a little chuckle out of the whole ‘Kate as a fugitive, complete with a marshall and a **one armed man** ’ thing going on? > > Oh… well, I did. Now that you mention it … that is kind of … well, _something_. Hey, does anyone else think that the Marshall might actually be a bounty hunter? ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/62 "2004-10-07T16:27:06Z")
> [@Jack Sayid](#): > > Sayid better not be killed early on, or I am going to be pissed! 😉 Yeah, you’ll have to change your name, and there are precious few left! 🙂 It’s getting harder for me to suspend disbelief for me, though. We saw in the previews: Kate (?) saying that, “what if there are other people alive from other sections and they think we’re dead?” Now it’s getting very _Poseidon Adventure_-ish. I can barely buy that so much of the fuselage and people survived unscathed, including the forward portion, but we see the tail section breaking off _at altitude_. Nothing would survive a landing from that far up, and it couldn’t come down anywhere near the rest of the plane! I have the feeling that the writers are just doing this one week at a time, and haven’t created a complete story arc. I hope I’m wrong, because this show can really draw one in! ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/63 "2004-10-07T16:31:50Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > Kate told the farmer that she was Canadian, but she could have been lying, so I wouldn’t go by that. > > As for all the discussion of who was on the plane, has anyone tried to watch the flashback scenes to see who was definitely shown on board? I saw most of them while Charlie was running through the plane. The pregnant girl, Hurley, Blondie and her brother, Sawyer. And as already been mentioned, Locke was behind the black woman in Jack’s flashback. I don’t remember seeing Walt and his Dad, The Korean couple, or Sayid. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/64 "2004-10-07T16:31:57Z")
There’s an article about Lost in this week’s TV Guide. Apparently, Abrams pitched the idea last winter and ABC entertainment chief, Lloyd Braun, decided to go with the idea. Thus they only had “12 weeks in which Lost went from concept to critically acclaimed pilot. Scriptwriting and casting proceeded, with one often precipitating changes in the other.” (October 10-16 TV Guide, pg. 52) One example is Matthew Fox’s character, Jack. He was originally slated to die in the first episode but they changed their minds and let him live (thank goodness!). FYI, it is filmed in Oahu. It is also very expensive to make, as you can imagine, but ABC has said that they are committed to it. Initial numbers are good. The writer said that the monster is not a dinosaur, which we had already heard. He also said that the cast were working with live boars on the day he visited the set. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/65 "2004-10-07T16:33:08Z")
Ack! Moderators, will you please fix my crappy coding? Lo siento! ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/66 "2004-10-07T16:36:33Z")
> [@rockle](#): > > Hey, does anyone else think that the Marshall might actually be a bounty hunter? Sure, but that doesn’t quite explain why he tried to kill Kate as his last dying act. Seems awful personal to me. Why would a bounty hunter or Marshall _care_ so much that she die? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/67 "2004-10-07T17:27:12Z")
I’m scared about the dog. Um, nobody is going to get really hungry and try to eat him, are they? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/68 "2004-10-07T17:38:20Z")
One thing I didn’t understand in this ep. was Jack’s objection to Sawyer’s “looting.” Hell, if I were in that situation, I’d be stripping every useful item out of that plane. I’d call it being resourceful, not a looter. I’d yank all those oxygen masks down and use the straps to tie things with, use for tourniquets, etc. I’d grab all the seat cushions and use them for pillows and padding. The plane can’t be repaired. How is salvaging stuff “looting” ? Am I in the wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/69 "2004-10-07T17:39:49Z")
It’s really funny to watch people get worked up over the math of longitude when the writers have the survivors pitching camp next to a planeful of rotting decomposing corpses. Of course, since they appear to be on a tropical island with absolutely no insect life as well as no small animals or any non-plant ecostructure visible (or audible - why are there no bird calls or other animal sounds from the jungle?), maybe there aren’t any bacteria on the island either. Supernatural? They’re in Neverneverland. Which might also explain Kate’s utterly perfect supermodel makeup and downy skin even though she’s been working on a farm for the past three months after being a fugitive. I also can’t believe after all the comment in the previous thread about the mountain party dismantling the gun while still in danger of attack that nobody has said anything about using up their last bullet to kill a dying man instead of just putting a pillow over his face. Yeah, yeah, it’s just television, but I’m giving it one more episode and if it stays this stupid I’m bailing. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/70 "2004-10-07T17:51:04Z")
> [@Algernon](#): > > Sure, but that doesn’t quite explain why he tried to kill Kate as his last dying act. Seems awful personal to me. Why would a bounty hunter or Marshall _care_ so much that she die? Well, I still think they have a relationship that goes way back, before he was trying to find her (see my post #43). But if he were a bounty hunter, as opposed to a US Marshall, that might explain (1) why he tried to run her off the road when she was with the farmer, and also (2) why he was alone in pursuit of her. Not so much following of the rules, you know? But I don’t doubt for a second that they have a history. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/71 "2004-10-07T17:51:23Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > One thing I didn’t understand in this ep. was Jack’s objection to Sawyer’s “looting.” Hell, if I were in that situation, I’d be stripping every useful item out of that plane. I’d call it being resourceful, not a looter. I’d yank all those oxygen masks down and use the straps to tie things with, use for tourniquets, etc. I’d grab all the seat cushions and use them for pillows and padding. > > The plane can’t be repaired. How is salvaging stuff “looting” ? > > Am I in the wrong? Well, the salvaging should be organized, not done willy-nilly. The first things I’d look for are the lifeboats. I think they’re in a compartment in the ceiling. Among other useful things, they may have locater beacons that should allow for rescue. But even if they don’t, the survivors could simply inflate the lifeboats to catch rainwater. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/72 "2004-10-07T18:01:51Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > … the survivors could simply inflate the lifeboats to catch rainwater. Hmmm. I thought they _did_ do that. Wasn’t Jack scooping water out of a big blue inflated liferaft? ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/73 "2004-10-07T18:57:09Z")
It looked to me like Jack was scooping water out of a makeshift box make out of a tarp. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/74 "2004-10-07T19:00:02Z")
**DeVena** , you are probably right. As I thought more about it after I posted, blue would be the worst possible color to make a liferaft. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/75 "2004-10-07T19:10:14Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > One thing I didn’t understand in this ep. was Jack’s objection to Sawyer’s “looting.” Hell, if I were in that situation, I’d be stripping every useful item out of that plane. I’d call it being resourceful, not a looter. I’d yank all those oxygen masks down and use the straps to tie things with, use for tourniquets, etc. I’d grab all the seat cushions and use them for pillows and padding. > > The plane can’t be repaired. How is salvaging stuff “looting” ? > > Am I in the wrong? In this case, salvaging would be gathering the supplies for the good of the group. Looting is one man is taking as much as he can and hoarding it for himself. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/76 "2004-10-07T19:21:48Z")
I believe that Kate and the Marshall may have had an (ahem) sexual relationship in the past. Perhaps she escaped his custody before by using her feminine wiles and he is pissed that she got the better of him (both professionally and emotionally). ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/77 "2004-10-07T19:32:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Which might also explain Kate’s utterly perfect supermodel makeup and downy skin even though she’s been working on a farm for the past three months after being a fugitive. I thought the same thing as they shot her from her left back. She had mascara on! And none of them have sunburns despite spending 3 days on a beach. I hope nothing happens to the dog, too! And Jack. Can’t kill off Jack! ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/78 "2004-10-07T20:07:43Z")
I agree that the marshall certainly acts a lot more like a bounty hunter than a marshall. But if he was a bounty hunter why did they let him carry a weapon on the plane? And why the badge? ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/79 "2004-10-07T20:17:13Z")
Kate said something to the effect of “after I finished College” which no Canadian would call it. It’s always “University”. That may have been deliberate or just sloppy writing. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909/80 "2004-10-07T21:15:48Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Kate said something to the effect of “after I finished College” which no Canadian would call it. It’s always “University”. That may have been deliberate or just sloppy writing. I’m willing to be that’s a writer who doesn’t know many Canadians. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-3-tabula-rasa-some-unboxed-spoilers/267909.md?page=5)