There were alot of references to Alice In Wonderland in this episode. If you would like to read an excellent article by Jeff Jensen about it, as well as other articles (that I haven’t gotten to yet) , please look to the Links (Friends) section here and click on DarkUFO. These folks know a wee bit more about things like quantum physics , history and all that other kind o’ stuff that needs book learnin’ . (Warning: Occasional “colorful” language may be used on this site) Now, on with my crayon scribblings….
IMO another terrific episode. As much as I would like to have as many episodes of LOST as humanly possible, I think the shortening of the seasons has been beneficial to the overall pacing of the story. You can almost feel the convergence happening.
I need to have another viewing but here’s my thoughts so far…
Aaron : Wow! Did they find a kid that looks like Claire or what?
He digs old school Star Wars ( Millennium Falcon, anyone?)
Sawyer: Has he found his “Princess Leia” in Claire? Is this why he “chose” to stay (according to Jack)? Probably not, but if we stick with the Star Wars theme, Jack and Claire being bro & sis….
I guess he really IS the new sherriff in town! Drinking coffee on Claire’s porch, just like Andy Taylor. {Unfortuately, he just lost his Barney Fife (Hurley) to go find crazy Ernest T Bass’ (Jacob) hideout with Gomer and Goober (Locke and Ben, respectively) }. Servin’ and protectin’ during last week’s shootout/missle launch. Now, he’s handing out restraining orders to Miles and telling him to “move along”. I can’t wait to see him pull Smokey over for speeding. Give that man back Ed Mars’ badge and a baker’s dozen of Dharma donuts! He’s earned it.
Juliet: Is she being so mature about the Jack/Kate relationship because she figures that it is “supposed” to happen? Or is it because she continues to be convinced she is “destined” to be Benjamin “You’re MINE” Linus’ snuggle bunny # 1? Is she like Nadine Cross from Stephen King’s The Stand, another heavily referenced book in the LOST universe? ( I’ve only seen the movie, so I may be misinformed, however…) Simular to Nadine’s “fate” of becoming * (The Stand spoiler) the Devil’s old lady, is this what is in store for Juliet? Gee, I wonder what Ben’s role would be in that coupling?* (End of The Stand spoiler)
Ben: And speaking of The Stand, I had heard that * (Another The Stand spoiler) in the unabridged version, Randall Flagg, i. e. Satan, ends up on an island after the city of Las Vegas is nuked by Trash Can Man. What if he came over on the smiley faced balloon, with Henry Gale and killed him? Who says Henry traveled alone?
The smiley face pin was a “trademark”, along with the black rock, of Randall Flagg’s. So, what if the writers could be further chronicaling his exploits here? I wasn’t sure that it could have been Ben as possibly being a Flagg type character because he “was born on the Island”. Well, that was a lie among the many he has told. Not only wasn’t he born on the Island, he apparently can leave it at will. What if the balloon was his only transport that was able to “find” the Island, just like Henry Gale’s balloon was the only transport out of OZ, in the Wizard of Oz? * (end of The Stand spoiler)
But then again, Ben is one of “the good guys”, right? Maybe it was Charles Widmore’s balloon and he’s the “Flagg” (it did have his company logo on it)? Widmore did claim that the island was his originally. Watch, Ben actually is good and will be the true hero of the whole stinkin’ series (Writers, you got a lotta ‘splainin’ to do)! If that’s the case, “maybe McFarlene Toys WILL release the Season 3 action figures after all (she exclaims, clearing off more shelf space next to her Locke, in geeky anticipation )!”
Christian Shepherd: Sure…NOW he wants to spend some “quality time ” with his kids! Thanks, DAD!
Hurley: *hug* Tissue? Meds? Hot Pocket? No? OK… We’ll just sit here….
Jin: It’s finger breakin’ time! No wonder Daniel’s always nervous. With his time jumping skills..he knows it’s not a question of if but when.
Bernard: Sharp shooter, code cracker and meatball surgery? Maybe he IS Rambo?
Rose: “Why is Jack sick? You are supposed to get well here.” If this was what Isaac in Australia was talking about when he said Rose could get healed somewhere else, namely, the Island, then can it “choose” to make you sick? Ben? The pregnant women and their babies? Danielle’s science team?
<Claire: Where did she go? She’s late, she’s late for a very important date! (Christian, you wrascally wabbit!)
Kate: If the Oceanic Six start “seeing” people (Hurley/Charlie, Jack/Christian) Who will she start to “see” ? Will it be Edward Mars, Tom Brennan, her birth father Wayne….or Black Beauty? I hope it’s the horse and she has a convenience store meeting like Charlie and Hurley did. Drakes coffee cakes and Slim Jim’s flyin’ everywhere, the horse slidding around in Slurpy machine runoff. Sweet….
<Jack: Is the tattoo in the middle of his shoulders of the same initials on Naomi’s bracelet? First letter is definately looks like an R.
“You’re not supposed to raise him”. Was this “message” that Hurley gave him only for Jack? Or was Jack supposed to relay it to Kate too?
Way back in Season One, Claire had a dream that John Locke was in. He told her that what was happening to them was her fault for giving her baby away. But at the time, it didn’t make sense because she was on island and had kept Aaron. But it would make sense NOW because we are assuming the only way Kate (and essentially, Jack) had been raising Aaron is that Claire is dead. But what if because of unknown happenings prior to their escape from the Island, Claire gives the baby up and is still alive there? Her baby was not to be raised by anyone but her. Is this when the trouble really began, when Claire and Aaron officially were separated? And Claire was told that Aaron should not be raised by another. But if it was “raised by an Other” , could a Season Four /Expose/ LaShade/ Lando twist be coming our way? Hmmm.
The Millinneum Falcon was Han Solo’s ship (i.e. the toy Jack trips on some have been speculating that it represents Sawyer/Han) but it was first Lando’s craft. Han won it fair and square in a game of cards (sabacc), Star Wars equivalent to poker. And Lando Calrissian was not happy about it. Thus, step one in (S.W.spoiler)*the betrayal of Han in The Empire Strikes Back.
Sawyer and Jack play a lot of cards. Han was a small time hustler but Lando did it “professionally”. Where did Dr. “Amarillo Slim” Shepherd get those poker skills? “When I need the guns. I’ll get the guns”. Does the ship (vessels refered to as “she”)represent him “losing” Kate, as Jack percieves, to Sawyer? And does something happen between he and Sawyer (betrayal, perhaps?) trying to get off the island? Has Jack convinced himself that it was Sawyer’s “choice” to stay? Similar to Lando’s alliance with Vader? It seemed like the best move, at the time. But remember, in the end, Lando was repentant for selling out his friends and eventually, came to the aid of Han and the gang when the “chips were down”. Could it be?! Well, TPTB didn’t get to kill off the main lead in the first 30 minutes of the pilot. So what would be the next best shocker? Make him…the enemy? * (end of Star Wars spoiler)
I know, it’s pretty far fetched. In the whole scheme of things, if they’re sticking with the Star Wars homage, Jack’s probably whiner turned warrior, Luke Skywalker. I’m not married to it…I’m just sayin’….
rocket came back 31 minutes later? Was this as if time “stood still” and was an indication of what is taking place in” the spirtual realm” is now going to start affecting the Island, and in essense, the rest of the “real world”? Just throwing it out there :). 
It's About Bunnies! 