I'M FREAKING OUT!!!

That's what we kept saying all during that unbelievably great episode.

They weren't related by blood at all were they? It doesn't seem like it from how they were talking about their parents.

Nope. Sick either way (=

Before I go off with theories...I don't have to spoiler tag stuff that happened tonight, do I?

I wouldnt' be reading this thread if I hadn't seen the episode yet, but it's hard to say about others.

Luckily I started watching the TIVO'd version about 30 minutes in and was able to realize it went over ANOTHER additional 2 minutes instead of the usual 1 minute over so I could catch the ending and the preview for next week. This is really freaking ridiculous. How hard is it to start on time and end on time? What's with this 1,2,3 minute overages? It's just annoying.

Anyway, heh, awesome episode! If Shannon had died...man lol. Interesting to see Sawyer at the police station, wonder what that's about? Also, I wonder if Locke had some of those mashed up shrooms or whatever and what he saw? And what is that thing buried?

Damm! I love this show.

So they finally told us a little bit about Shannon and Boone and people assumptions in past threads were correct about their relationship. Is funny how once they consummated their "relationship" and on their way home, they crash on the island.

I guessing that Locke has his first "disciple" in Boone now and we'll probably see more of this in the coming weeks.

I guess Kate and Sun are even since they both know something that they are trying to hide from others.

Love the scenes with Hurley. He is comic gold.
"Dude, I'm not using those for food"
"Are you sure you don't speak English. Your wife is hot."

No.

So, what do you think - was the "thing" even chasing Boone? Did it actually rip out that tree? Or was it all in his head?

And did Locke actually see it when we were led to believe so? Or was he high on whatever Boone was?

Is there even actually a "monster?" Or is it all hallucinations? I've gotta believe there is, since early in the season all the people on the beach heard it/saw it ripping out trees. Plus it killed the pilot.

There has to be more to the Boone/Shannon storyline, doesn't there? It just seems too simple.

The Korean guy...sorry can't remember the exact name - Jin? - didn't he hear his wife speak in english in an episode? I forget what exactly happened, but I thought it was by the cave.

Exactly. In a way to leave behind his past life before the island and start from a new "beginning" or as the show has already told us "Tabula Rasa" or Blank Slate.

My take on the Boone "incident" on the jungle is that it was a hallucination created by whatever Locke put on Boone's wounds. It must be something similar what Native Americans Shamans used for their spiritual healings and prayers in trying to reach a "higher" state. That's why Locke asked him what he saw and how he felt and based on his answer, he was able to trust Boone again.

Whether the monster is real or not, who knows, I guess we have to wait and find out...

Really? The whole scenario was so eye-rollingly over the top that it was pretty clear it wasn't real. It didn't turn out to be exactly what I thought (I expected it to be a fever dream, with Boone waking up still bound), but this still wasn't one of the show's more adept attempts at misdirection.

Given the pilot's fate in the pilot, it's hard not to take for granted anything that can pluck someone off the ground and into the sky.

Even before that, though, the second Boone saw Shannon tied to a tree, I thought it was pretty clear that she was probably safely strolling the beach four miles away. But maybe I'm just cynical and am constantly suspicious of writers and directors trying to trick me.

But we had no idea how much time had passed for Boone at that point in the episode.

"Pee on my foot!"

How so? She's frikken HOT!

I think there is definitely a monster, from what we know from the first few episodes. Multiple people saw the pilot bite it and they weren't on the juice.

I was kinda leary about Shannon being tied up as well, the timing was off. When would Locke have had time to go back to the beach and get her and drag her a mile in to tie her up? She yelled for Boone minutes after he was tied up. But, I went with it anyway. I was kinda worried about the sausage-fest as well when she bit it.

I have to give the director credit, my heart was racing when they were hiding in the clove of trees. That doesn't happen that often.

Charlie is going to be a tad pissed when it comes to light that Locke is using hallucinogens.

I'm going to go out into left field and say Locke and Boone found a submarine.

They fooled me with the whole drug dream. I was disappointed that they were going to kill off hot Shannon. I think something is going on with Locke when he said that they will need Sayid on their "side"??? Very good episode they fit all the main characters in. Even though we only saw Sawyer in the "dream" sequence.

Yeah, I jumped when the creature first appeared in that sequence. My dog also jumped up and started barking.

Well, that was in a flashback interspersed throughout a drug-induced series of hallucinations, and I think it's probably a pretty safe bet that what we saw in the flashbacks actually happened.

I expected Locke to jump a shark somewhere.

I'm certain I'm in the minority, but I'm getting irritated with the show.

I can't say it's slow, because it's definitely not slow, but they just aren't giving me enough to stay hooked rather than just giving up out of sheer frustration.

Hmmm, Maryland IS awfully close to West Virginia... . True enough, and I suppose if one of the parents is dead (was it his mom/dad or her mom/dad?), they aren't technically related still, are they? So it sounds OK to me.

No shit! If she were my step sister we'd be on Jerry Springer next week!