Most responders dismissed the idea, doubting that Locke could somehow be connected to The Others. I myself considered John to be too bumbling, too child-like and self-amused to have such a dark secret tucked away. But as I was composing a response, the notion began to be somewhat plausible. It occurred to me that John desires, more than anything, to know the secret of the Island and to have a Purpose, a Mission in life. Maybe John wasn’t a member of The Others, but maybe he wanted to be included – to be on the List. And as we were all to see with the next episode, “Par Avion,” these conjectures were not too far off the mark.

“Par Avion” begins with another dispute between Sayid’s rationalism, his electrical map, and John’s intuitiveness, his magical carvings.Well, actually, the episode begins with Claire. In a flashback sequence, Claire comes to consciousness in the aftermath of a car wreck, her mother having been thrown through the windshield. In the hospital scenes later, we learn that Claire is experiencing guilt about the wreck and that her mother is in a comatose state, with little hope of recovery. The twist occurs when a mysterious benefactor appears, a doctor who is perhaps overseeing the case and is footing the bills. And, lo and behold, the doctor is none other than Jack’s estranged (and currently dead – though possibly still wandering around the island) father. Yes, apparently, Jack is Claire’s step-brother.

As mentioned in Part One (and as is perhaps obvious to most Lost fans), these constant flashbacks sometimes seem unnecessary and even contrived. It is rewarding though to observe how the writers strive to fit them to the episode in question, to make them relevant to current circumstances and to be lessons of sorts for the characters’ individual and collective redemption. In this case, the lesson is that you can love someone for a long period of time even if that person is unaware, and that you shouldn’t stop loving them, you shouldn’t give up hope.

This theme is echoed in Danielle’s relationship to her kidnapped daughter Alex, Claire’s relationship to her mother and her choice not to have her euthanized, and Dr. Shephard’s relationship to his misbegotten daughter Claire. The theme is further reflected in the story that consumes the bulk of the episode, Claire’s attempt to catch a tagged seabird and further “tag” it with a note to the mainland. The note she eventually writes is poignant, sentimental but not saccharine. She tells of the islanders’ mishap, mentions that some have not survived but that new life has appeared, and petitions the outside world to not give up on them.

The backdrop to Claire’s quest and backstory is the intrigue surrounding Charlie and Desmond’s odd behavior. We all know the reasons, but Claire, in the dark, is determined to find out what’s going on. By the end of the episode, when Desmond catches a bird for Claire, Desmond reveals to her his premonitory powers and says that if Charlie had helped her, Charlie would have slipped into the surf and been killed. It’s not clear how much Claire believes Desmond, but he apparently satisfies her curiosity, and since the message of this episode is Hope, she assures Charlie that she’s not going to give up on him either, that they will get through it together. We will see if Fate eventually gets the upper hand.

Overall, though, the most interesting parts of this episode are those involving “Jack’s rescue party.” No secrets are revealed, but these scenes do give us some further insight into the nature of The Others and of John Locke, though the end result is perhaps more mystery. Prompted by heated questioning, Mikhail states that he was brought to the island by submarine and that as a result of the magnetic pulse (caused by the implosion of the hatch), “his people” may leave the island but would not be able to return. John is intrigued by these comments, as he is by everything else Mikhail says, and he and Mikhail exchange several meaningful looks throughout. Mikhail also tells Kate that his “leader” is not Ben but someone else, a “magnificent man,” and also tells her that she is “not capable of understanding,” because she is not “on the list.” She, and her fellows, are “angry… weak… frightened.”

Sayid becomes a bit offended by this condescension, casts doubt on The Others’ claims of omniscience, and demands that Mikhail not speak to them as if he knows them. Smirking, and perhaps sarcastically, Mikhail assures Sayid and Kate that he knows nothing at all about them, and yet calls them by their full names. His comments to John are a bit unusual and give us (and John) considerable pause. “But, you, John Locke,” he says, “you I might have a fleeting memory of, but I must be confused, for the John Locke I know was par-” At this point, Mikhail is interrupted by Danielle’s discovery of the Sonic Fence that surround The Barracks.

At the Sonic Fence, John’s behavior becomes even more erratic and questionable. First, he pushes Mikhail through, ostensibly to test the Fence (Mikhail had lied again, telling them the Fence was inoperable) but perhaps to silence him. What was Mikhail in the midst of saying about John? Many fans have since speculated that Mikhail was about to say “paralyzed”? This is quite possible. If true, John may have wanted to eliminate Mikhail so that no one else could learn of his past disability.

Sayid and Kate are furious at John’s actions, but John remains cool and unperturbed, until Sayid looks into John’s backpack to retrieve a hatchet and finds a packet of C4. It seems as though John did know the Flame Station was rigged with C4 and did blow it up on purpose, even keeping some for himself because “you never know when a little C4 will come in handy.”

John’s glib answers are not satisfying to Sayid, who asks, “Why are you here, John? Are you here for Jack?” But there is no time to continue the discussion, because the Rescue Party have to chop down some trees, construct a makeshift bridge across the Sonic Fence, scoot across and continue on their way.

When they finally arrive at the home of The Others, they are faced with a bizarre scene (and a nice twist ending for us, the viewers): Jack running toward the camera, perhaps in the middle of an escape attempt but actually just playing a friendly game of football with The Others. Kate’s perplexed expression probably mirrored a lot of our own.

Why is Jack buddying up with The Others? What is John’s hidden agenda? Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long to find out, for the next episode, “The Man from Tallahassee,” reveals much.