If Hurley told the joke, and we saw a preview of Hurley in the thing with the guy, then if Desmond asks him the passphrase, he’s going to know the answer. Can you imagine some Secret Agent guy, a living kill switch for the world, disarmed by the immutable and incredible Hurley?
Awesome, just freakin’ awesome.
Dude !
My WAG is that Walt is the replacement and that’s why the Others want to get him instead.
I don’t think “him” was Ethan. I think “him” was Desmond’s replacement.
We had been speculating that Desmond was controlling the TCM and guarding the island from intruders. I think we can put that away. The poor bastard didn’t even know that the world was still out there.
Sawyer was great this episode, wasn’t he?
Speculation based on TV Guide casting spoilers:
I think the tall black guy who throws them in the pit next week is the Nigerian who was added to the cast.
Forgot the rest of my post…
I have to agree with whoever posted saying this episode was probably the first one they didn’t like. The whole flashback with Michael and Walt was pointless except for a throwaway with the polar bear. Wait, Michael loves Walt and wants him back? Really!? Gosh, I had no idea. Could you reinforce that with a flashback please? And only use lawyers whose faces are partially paralyzed. Thankssoverymuch.
The previews for next week look very promising.
Definitely. I recognize him from Oz… he’s Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (IMDB), who’s credited as a regular cast member in the TV listings.
I guess I better throw this tid-bit out, in the Canadian preview on CTV last night it showed Kate jumping Desmond and him falling forward and discharging a round from his gun. The bullet hits the old Apple terminal and frys it. Desmond then says “What have you done? You’ve killed us all…”. So Desmond must think that the computer is essential to survival.
Man I can’t believe how different the Canadian previews are from the American ones. It was great last year, the Canadian version would be sim-subbed over the American, it and the preview would finish in 60 minutes, then at the top of the hour it would flip back to the ABC feed. I would then get to see the last 2 minutes again with the American preview! Very cool!
And I never saw the US preview, but I still stand by my prediction. Michael, Jin and Sawyer are accousted by the people in the rear of the plane. If there was a shot of Michelled Rodrigiez in the pit, I’m thinking it’s just her interogating them. I think the people in the rear of the plane have gone a little “Lord of the Flies” and have been atatcked by the “Others”.
MtM
It’s been noted before, when “108” was seen written on the wall in episode 2-1.
So the future of the world relies on an old Apple computer? There’s no backup system? As Hurley would say “Dude!” 
No they didn’t. Last week ended with Jack saying, “You?” and this week ended with Jin, Sawyer, and Michael seeing people coming towards them.
Fifteen years of typing the same numbers every 108 minutes? Dude! Make a batch file.
I thought this flashside (as opposed to flashback) was really cool. Seeing things we’ve alreadyseen, but from another POV.
And while the backstory about Walt m,ight seem redundant, it was essential to use as a reference point where the writers could attach Sawyer - the episode was really more about him, than about Michael. This is the totally selfish guy who took a bullet for Walt, saved Michael’s life, picked a bullet out of his own shoulder, using fingers, risked his life with the shark, while giving away the gun, to reach a safer vessel.
I think TPTB are setting him up to shift from loveable rascal to true hero. Remember, we - the audience - know that. The survivors certainly don’t.
Michael’s “wife’s” lawyer was a bitch, and Mike was kinda unlikeable. Kate’s choco-gasm was nice, though.
I have a solution!
They have a dog on the island, think about it, all these weird conspiracies, things happening that are unexplained or supernatural…
IT’S A SCOOBY DOO MYSTERY! :eek: 
I’ve been thinking about Desmond’s symbol. It’s on his jumpsuit & lots of his stuff. It was also on the shark. What could the significance of the symbol on the shark be? Well, I’m thinking that the shark, just like the big scary invisible thing & the black smoke, is part of the Island’ security system–A system provided by this mysterious “Dharma” organization. I’m also willing to bet that if the polar bears are inspected closley enough, you’ll find the symbol on them too.
I also agree that Desmond has no idea what’s going on up there on the island.
I can’t wait to see the tail section survivor story. The very end of the ep. had 5 or 6 creepy folks coming toward our trio on the shore. They appeared to be dressed not unlike our castaways. I don’t think those guys were the “others,” judging from their look on the boat, I’d think the others would look a little more shabby.
The tail section people must have found a fresh water supply, right? Maybe they’re at war with the others, forced to raid each other for supplies.
Oh…and I love that Sawyer called the old guy on the boat “Bluebeard.” Even facing death by shark attack, blind with pain from a bullet wound, fighting with Mike & faced with the hopeless possibility of floating on the remains of their raft, with no clue how or if he’ll survive, Sawyer still manages to come up with an amusing new nickname.
Doesn’t it seem more likely that the guy in the looney bin who was repeating the numbers is/was Desmond’s intended replacement…or his predecessor?
Oh, and Walt is obviously young Hermes - god of magicians and sorcerers, also the messenger. (Also the bane of Apollo as the trickster, but I don’t know how that might manifest.)
That made me think, how long does a shark live for?
Was that shark 5 years old? or 20? I assume they would have tattoo’d or tagged the shark when it was young.
MtM
I don’t think the thing with the marked tail was a shark. IANA ichthyologist, but I think sharks’ tails move in a fish-like manner: more back-and-forth than up-and-down. That Water Thing’s tail moved more like a whale’s or a dolphin’s (mammals, not fish). If there actually was a shark, it was in the water in addition to the Water Thing, no?
I’ve heard elsewhere that this was intended as a Sawyer show but they changed it at nearly the last minute because Michael juts lost his son and would be freaking out, so they thought to focus on him instead. That’s why the mostly redundant flashbacks.
I’m guessing predecessor. If I was typing in the same numbers over and over every couple hours for a few days I’d probably be chanting them in an insane asylum too.
If you ignore the genders, I see him a bit as Cassandra. He has visions, and is ignored when he tries to tell them. ie telling Locke not to open the hatch.
I could have done without the 30 minutes of Michael/Sawyer interaction last night.
Sawyer: I’ve been shot.
Michael: I lost my son and it’s all your fault.
Sawyer: We’re being attacked by a gigantic shark.
Michael: I lost my son and it’s all your fault.
Sawyer: I’m going to dig this bullet out of my shoulder with my bare hands. (Why?)
Michael: I lost my son and it’s all your fault.
Sawyer: Jin is lost. Let’s look for him.
Michael: I lost my son and it’s all your fault.
Sawyer: Let me swim through shark-infested waters to get that pontoon (instead of paddling towards it with the debris of our raft)
Michael: I lost my son and it’s all my fault.
LOL!