Ep: 1.22 Born to Run

WHAT WE LEARNED:

1. Walt is psychic.
2. Kate is a runner who will sacrifice her own friends, as we saw in the bank robbery, and the way she tricked Sun into trying to poison Jin.
   

Ep: 1.16 Outlaws

WHAT WE LEARNED:

1. Sawyer became the man he hated, and when confronted with the possibility of killing the real Sawyer, he struggles to do it even though it's been a life long goal. When he finally does kill him, he finds out it's the wrong man.
   

Questions:

1. Kate identifies with Sawyer, but seems to want redemption from the upstanding Jack. Guilt?
   

Ep: 1.12 Whatever the Case May Be

WHAT WE LEARNED:

1. Kate is willing to endanger innocents' lives and kill people, both in the past and present, to retrieve a childhood toy. It's significance can not equal the trouble. Like Locke in the previous episode, she is a deeply flawed character.
2. Kate creates more conflict and keeps more secrets. We can only imagine the negative reaction if people knew what she's done to keep the toy plane. Jack gets a glimpse. What's surprising is that after all that work, she can't share it's meaning with him.
   

Questions:

1. Are we supposed to have lost all respect for 2 main characters in the show? Maybe the writing is just over the top and superfluous at times.
   
2. The last two episodes beg our common sense even with the reality constructed by the show. Is this series worth watching?
   

Ep: 1.11 All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues

WHAT WE LEARNED:

1. This episode begs our credibility, and fares worse with repeated viewings. The reaction by the camp (e.g., hardly anyone searches for Claire and Charlie) is manufactured and silly. Remember the Losties have just found out they have been infiltrated by someone who could hardly be working on their own, and kidnaps 2 people. It is totally illogical that anyone would refuse Michael's help, or that he would be the only additional volunteer, or that he would listen to Locke.
2. Locke is so enamored with his spiritual island quest that he would rather have no one helping him find Claire.
   
3. Locke isn't really interested in finding Claire; he loses the trail but keeps walking, and gives up the search immediately after finding a hatch.
4. Locke shows he is not to be trusted. I am more worried than ever that he is more than ready to sell his soul to the devil.
   
5. Jack never gives up, and takes failure personally. The episode showed clearly that few people understand the dedication needed to reach one's objectives, (in this case finding Claire and Charlie) which is why so few people do. I'm not sure they intended this lesson.
6. Jack is unimpressed with Kate's secrecy.
   

Questions:

1. Did Jack just out act everyone on the show, or why was he the only one with a realistic, and appropriate response to a horrific kidnapping by an infiltrator?
   

Ep: 108 Confidence Man

WHAT WE LEARNED:

1. Sawyer is a con man. Worse, he's turned into the man who destroyed his father and mother. He's a fool.
2. Kate is attracted to Sawyer. She wants to understand him. Maybe two peas in a pod.
   
3. Sayid knows how to torture, and ashamed of it.
   

Ep: 1.06 House of the Rising Sun

WHAT WE LEARNED:

1. Jin has a violent temper.
   
2. Michael is kind of a fool, but doesn't know it, and can't understand why people don't like him.
3. Charlie is an addict with weak character.
4. Kate is a runner and afraid of commitment.
5. Sawyer is a thief and a selfish jerk, profiting from other's misfortune.
   

Ep: 1.03 Tabula Rasa

WHAT WE LEARNED:

1. Kate is a criminal, but she saves her employer even though it costs her freedom.
   
2. Michael is find of a fool of a father.
3. Sawyer bungles an attempt to kill an injured man, that Jack operated on and tried to save, so Jack had to kill him.
   

Questions:

Ep: 1.01 Pilot 1

WHAT WE LEARNED:

1. Jack is a doctor and saving everyone.
2. Kate is helpful but lacking in skills.
   
3. Hurley is nice and incompetent.
4. Sayid seems calm and competent.
5. Charlie, musician, funny, kind, helper, but probably can't be counted on.
   

Questions:

1. There is a strange, huge thing on the island that kills people. What is it?
2. There's been a plane crash. Way too many people survived. Likely no one would have survived. This is either hokey, or they are really all dead. Which is it?

Jacob's Gifts

As stated elsewhere, Jacob gives all LOSTIES he visits both a touch (vitality? destiny towards the island?) and a gift. We have yet to see if he visited more Losties. In the finale, we only saw the Losties who were in 1977, leading us to speculate that he was providing himself a chance at rebirth, and the island struggle to continue. Following is what Jacob gave, and conjecture about what it means.

GIFTS | SIGNIFICANCE

• Hurley: Guitar case and ??? | Meaning unknown
• Jack: Candy bar | Strength?
• Sawyer: Pen | To write the story of O815 | To write rather than con
• Kate: Lunch box | Holder of sustenance
• Sayid: Map and / Either saved Sayid's life, or killed his wife | Maps give him direction | or gave him purpose
  
• Locke: Life | He revived Locke so he could come to the island?
• Jen and Sun: Blessing | Drive to stay together
  

MORE SPECULATION
Jacob probably touched others as well. We don't know yet. But he was clearly setting something up.

Did Jacob cause Nadia's death, or did he save Sayid's life? See Sayid's story here.