Group one- Michael and his return
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By Dharmacide
- Group one- Michael and his return
- Created: Nov 21, 2007
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 2.22: Three Minutes
- Status: Current
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But the boy did not care about forgiveness. He was only afraid that if he did go to hell, that dog would be there waiting for him.
— Dharmacide
Michael and Walt will be returning in season 4. I have a feeling that some losties will still be bitter about what he did, which ties in well with one of the last episode that he was in: 3 minutes.
I was hoping that someone would post a group one article for 3 Minutes, but no one has yet. I’ll just start with the bit about Michael’s return.
His conversation with Eko about the boy that feared hell because of his dead dog made me think of Michael’s upcoming return. It also fits in with Cooper’s statement about the island being hell. I predict that Michael will be very angry with Ben due to the obvious fact that he didn’t get rescued like he thought he would. Will he try to kill Ben? More questions: Did Eko somehow know that Michael did what he did? (the story was very appropriate for Michael) Why did Michael knock out Locke? he didn’t have to. Why did the others keep him in the hut for an entire week? I wonder if the questions that miss Klugh asked Michael will become more important upon his return.
I realize this is not much of a theory, but it seemed like a good way to start a conversation about Michael’s return as well as the group one aspect of that episode. Why did they call it “3 minutes”? Surely that was not the most significant thing that occured in the episode. I wonder if they put Walt in room 23? (based on Klugh’s comment).
For the Group one bit- Michael is extremely disparate not only to get Walt back, but to get off the Island. This can be contrasted with Eko, who never seems concerned with getting off the Island, but is very interested in pushing the button full-time. In fact, he askes Charlie to bring his things to the hatch. Speaking of Charlie, I noticed that both him and Michael look at there watches. Very strange, it could be a theme that ties into “3 minutes”. Also, when Michael looks at his watch he is asking John for a favor, and when Charlie looks at his watch he is being asked a favor by Eko. I also noticed a relationship between Michael and Charlie regarding the needles. Charlie Explains to Claire how to use the vaccine, and Pickette draws blood from Michael with a needle. It felt like the writers want us to connect those to characters based on the watch and the needle. Obviously Charlie had his deal with heroine, and Michael was in a hurry to get Walt (old habits). But maybe it is a give/take contrast that is going on- Charlie gives the vaccine, and Michael has his blood taken from him. Maybe this whole connection will just be a forshadowing of the fact that Walt is not Michael’s son.
Jazprof, I know you have all the answer for this one!
To say that Walt is not Michael’s son is probably going a little far, but the points you raise here are important. Why will they be coming back to the island— b/c they couldn’t get off as they thought they could or as Ben promised, or b/c Michael felt guilty, as though he was betraying the Losties (“his people”). That is still unclear.
Also, in the last episode of season 3, was that Walt, or just Locke’s imagination? And why was Locke so happy when he heard Walt say we’ve got work to do? And why did Locke want to kill himself— he just witnessed a new phenomenon (jacob) on the island he believes he is destined to be on. Why kill yourself just b/c you were shot into a pit? What realization did Locke come to that made him want to end it all, and what did he see in Walt that made him reconsider?
Great posting, Dharmacide! +1 for that one
Dharma, I am sure Jazzie probably has a good take on things, but you bring up some very good observations! +1
I think Michael will be hated by the rest of “the losties” for his actions, and he will humble himself to regain their trust. I agree with you, that he will undoubtedly have a hate on for Ben, and go full out to try and destroy him, but I think he will hate him for more than just one reason.
I like the comparisons you make regarding “hell”, and I also think that Walt’s paranormal abilities were discovered by “the others”, and that was the reason they chose not to keep him! So, how will Walt come back? Or, in what form?
Not got much to comment, but there was one neat moment from this episode I thought deserved mentioning. It is Sayid that susses out Michael has been ‘turned’ and is a spy within. How does Sayid figure this out? Because he once did the exact same thing; when he freed Nadia and shot his friend and himself to pretend to have been injured by Nadia as she got away. I just thought that parallel was excellent, and made it fitting that Sayid was first to realise what Michael had done. (Although, as you point out, Eko and his devil dog story sure did insinuate he knew what was happening also… )
sorry to sound like an idiot, but what does 3 minutes mean??
And what do you mean by Group One?
I’ve been around this site for sometime, but only decide to register recently, and i’ve noticed this group one thing before..
TC - Three Minutes was the name of the episode where Michael was shown to be taken to The Others’ fake camp and briefly re-united with Walt. Three minutes was also the amount of time Miss Klugh allotted for Michael to spend with his son.
Dharma’s valid point here is that this rather small piece of information seems odd to have an entire episode named after it. However, I would argue that it’s a very good episode title. This ‘three minutes’ meant everything to Michael. It propelled him to grimly return to the Oceanic people and betray them, resulting in the murder of Ana and Libby. Without this ‘three minutes’ alone with Walt, would his resolve have been as firm? It’s debatable. But the episode title, for me, indicates the weight of importance this small period of time held for Michael.
Good comment AC. I think that is exactly the significance of the title and explains Michael’s motivations very nicely.
Dharmacide, good work for getting this going. I like the parallels between Charlie and Mike. Both men were trying to get their families back in this episode. The watch thing is interesting too.
+1
Dharma, thanks for getting the conversation going, and I thought you raised great points—especially the stuff about the dog story (which did make me think of Cooper’s description of the island, and that for Cooper, Sawyer was “the dog”).
It made me think also of what happens with Vincent in this episode. I keep putting this in the frame of Smokie being the dog that waits for you in hell (Cerberus)—the one that judges the past, and Vincent being the dog who guides one toward the future and change. In this ep. he shows Charlie where all the Virgin Mary statues are and Charlie tosses them away. It was similar to what Locke did with Charlie but larger and with more lasting consequences. I wonder if we have Ben and Cerberus on one side and Locke and Vincent on the other.
AC—I really like the Sayid stuff in this episode too. There were two things I noticed. One is when Jack says it is “his” call and Sayid says no it’s “our” call. And then when Michael says to Sayid that Sayid can’t go because he, Michael, is making the decisions—it was that moment when Sayid figured it out I thought. He just gives up arguing and wishes Michael luck. So I think Sayid figures it out based on that illogical insistence that Michael gets to decide. What was interesting is that Michael accuses Sayid of personal motives for going—and I think this also lets Sayid know that it’s Michael’s subjective reasons which have turned him.
I also like that Sawyer gives Sayid a gun over Jack’s protestations, just as he did with Kate in the ep that is shown in the flashback.
TC—Group 1’s are postings we are doing episode by episode. Trying to do two a week and generally posting on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Sorry I didn’t get to this one—busy week. Since I’ve got a few days off—I’ll try and get some done now ‘cause then starting Monday I ‘ve got semester crunch time and extra rehearsal time for a concert in December. Thanks again, Dharma
Here’s something. Or maybe nothing. When Pickett takes blood from Michael, it always looks odd. I’ve had blood drawn. They put a tournaquet on your arm. Tap around looking for a vein. Stick the needle into the vein. Release the tourniquet. When Pickett stabs Michael with the needle, it looks more like an intramuscular (as opposed to intravenous) injection. It looks like he’s putting something IN Michael, not taking something OUT of Michael.
Or am I falling victim to reading too much into simple things?
ahhh one other thought regarding Sayid—He said to Jack that they need to create an advantage and have that evening to figure out what the advantage will be. Moments later the boat appears. Seems like Sayid’s in sync (hronicity) with the island at that moment.
A thought about Locke—he gets up and walks while looking at the funeral. Is it something about the funeral which gives him the resolve to walk again? He has decided here to make sure the key is not turned. Does the associate the deaths with turning the key?
keep remembering things—Will Hurley be the “dog” waiting for Michael when he returns?
Jazzie, Excellent point about Hurley being the dog that awaits Michael! I’m with you on that one!
Great post and discussion. +1 Dharma.
I agree with your comments, Jaz. I suppose Locke’s faith in the Island died along with Ana Lucia and Libby. Hurley might be Michael’s dog (thank you Iggy Pop) based on the heroic act he displayed in the Season 3 finally. I am still wondering why Charlie and Michael both looked at there watches. Michael was clearly in a hurry when he looked at his watch (needing to talk to Walt on the computer), but why Charlie? But I’m also still wondering why the orientation film warned against using the computer for communication. Why was that part originally cut out? Who cut it out?
I think its Radzinsky who cut it out? And because I think he did use it for communication and wound up communicating with Ben. The warning is so that the guys inside the Swan don’t get influenced by Ben.